So many things have happened lately that it's impossible for me to truly update this blog in one post. Plus, I'm naturally a private person so some things have to remain a secret anyway. The fact that it's a cold day today isn't encouraging me to open up either.
But as for the things I can reveal:
1) I'm starting a business, and within a week or two it will all come to fruition. I'm excited about it, even though this does tie me down to Korea for the foreseeable future. I may end up staying her up to my early 40's at this rate;
2) I've had to reassess where I am in life, and what it is I'd like to be doing. I can't say I'm 100% happy with everything that's happened, but everything is part of a learning process, and the best I can do is to try to make the correct choices out of all my options. Now that I've decided to stay in Korea for some more years, however, my set of choices will be radically different from what they were before. I'm wondering just how well I deal with it;
3) Friends are so valuable and make life so worthwhile. If it weren't for my friends, I'd be lost right now;
4) I love all my students at Daewon. I haven't had a job this fulfilling in a long time, and part of my decision to start a business and stay long-term is due to the fact that I'm enjoying myself so much at the school. Let's just hope the new batch of students is similar to the old... :)
5) I'm committed to getting back in shape. I'm tired of always feeling tired after work, and a great deal of that is due to my lack of physical fitness. I have got to get my act together again. Enough is enough.
I hope the coming Christmas season is going to be much warmer and happier for everyone. Please do take some time to pray for those who perished and suffered through Typhoon Durian in the Philippines. My sincerest condolences go out to the families of everyone who was lost.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Saturday, November 04, 2006
I appreciate...
-My friends, without whom life would be so empty and cold.
-My super-fast internet connection, which allows me to surf the internet about a million times faster than when I first got it.
-My job at Daewon, which brings me in contact with fantastic, smart, fun kids. I haven't enjoyed working for anyone this much in ages.
-My opportunities in life. Things are slowly shaping up for me here in Korea, and I may even end up living here for a long time.
-My family, who have always supported me. I love you all.
-My super-fast internet connection, which allows me to surf the internet about a million times faster than when I first got it.
-My job at Daewon, which brings me in contact with fantastic, smart, fun kids. I haven't enjoyed working for anyone this much in ages.
-My opportunities in life. Things are slowly shaping up for me here in Korea, and I may even end up living here for a long time.
-My family, who have always supported me. I love you all.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Business tycoon? :)
Don't ask why, but I've lately had a change in where I want my life to go. Now I'm focusing on starting businesses.
I have decided to invest in businesses (wherever I find them) that I feel are going to provide long-term profits for me. Korea, Thailand, Philippines... wherever. :)
I'll let you know where I stand after about a year or two, but don't be surprised if I have shares in companies in at least three countries. I just got tired of people questioning why I don't seem to be so hell-bent on making money. I figure I'll just invest in businesses so OTHER people can be hell-bent on making money with my money, and I just relax and wait for the returns to come in.
After all, what kind of businessman would I be if I was the one who did all the work? =)
I have decided to invest in businesses (wherever I find them) that I feel are going to provide long-term profits for me. Korea, Thailand, Philippines... wherever. :)
I'll let you know where I stand after about a year or two, but don't be surprised if I have shares in companies in at least three countries. I just got tired of people questioning why I don't seem to be so hell-bent on making money. I figure I'll just invest in businesses so OTHER people can be hell-bent on making money with my money, and I just relax and wait for the returns to come in.
After all, what kind of businessman would I be if I was the one who did all the work? =)
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Philippines per capita income: $1,463
I just read in the Philippine Daily Inquirer today that the Philippines per capita income is now $1,463, which is the highest it has been in the post-war era. (Of course, among all those other years, if you adjust for inflation, I'm sure you'll find quite a few which are above today's level.)
Just think about that for a second. The highest level in the post-war (WWII) era is $1,463???
Makes me realize just why so many Filipinos leave their country to seek work abroad. There is just no way, no way at all, that over 90% of Filipinos can hope to have a comfortable life with that kind of income. All the best universities in the Philippines (with the exception of the University of the Philippines) cost a lot of money to enter (I know of some whose tuition PER SEMESTER exceeds the income an average Filipino gets for a YEAR). Without "elite-level" education, how can Filipinos find jobs, especially in this competitive world? Without good jobs, how can they hope to feed their families and educate THEIR children in the future? The vicious downward spiral keeps going on and on... with no end in sight. I mean, if an average Filipino tried to pay rent on a decent (read: clean and reasonably safe) apartment, then he would have to pay more than the average per capita income just to have a place to stay... forget food, clothing, utilities and, God forbid, public transportation. He'd have to walk to the nearest banana tree to get a meal. (Which fact assumes that: a) there is a banana tree within 100 kilometers of his home that hasn't already been ravaged by hungry Filipinos and b) he is legally entitled to take the bananas, given that the rich (and decidedly few) landowners in the Philippines would probably shoot him for even trying...)
Damn. How the heck can a Filipino ever hope to see a brighter day with these numbers?
I am really fortunate to have been blessed with the skills and the opportunities to earn a much higher income, but I still can't help feeling sad that there's no way I could ever raise a family in the Philippines in the way I would like with the salaries they pay their workers, not unless I was a CEO or business owner. And the latter alternatives would take too long anyway. If I want to be able to raise a family soon (and who wouldn't be thinking this at my age?), I have no other option but to stay outside the shores from which my blood came.
It's enough to make a man really sad.
Just think about that for a second. The highest level in the post-war (WWII) era is $1,463???
Makes me realize just why so many Filipinos leave their country to seek work abroad. There is just no way, no way at all, that over 90% of Filipinos can hope to have a comfortable life with that kind of income. All the best universities in the Philippines (with the exception of the University of the Philippines) cost a lot of money to enter (I know of some whose tuition PER SEMESTER exceeds the income an average Filipino gets for a YEAR). Without "elite-level" education, how can Filipinos find jobs, especially in this competitive world? Without good jobs, how can they hope to feed their families and educate THEIR children in the future? The vicious downward spiral keeps going on and on... with no end in sight. I mean, if an average Filipino tried to pay rent on a decent (read: clean and reasonably safe) apartment, then he would have to pay more than the average per capita income just to have a place to stay... forget food, clothing, utilities and, God forbid, public transportation. He'd have to walk to the nearest banana tree to get a meal. (Which fact assumes that: a) there is a banana tree within 100 kilometers of his home that hasn't already been ravaged by hungry Filipinos and b) he is legally entitled to take the bananas, given that the rich (and decidedly few) landowners in the Philippines would probably shoot him for even trying...)
Damn. How the heck can a Filipino ever hope to see a brighter day with these numbers?
I am really fortunate to have been blessed with the skills and the opportunities to earn a much higher income, but I still can't help feeling sad that there's no way I could ever raise a family in the Philippines in the way I would like with the salaries they pay their workers, not unless I was a CEO or business owner. And the latter alternatives would take too long anyway. If I want to be able to raise a family soon (and who wouldn't be thinking this at my age?), I have no other option but to stay outside the shores from which my blood came.
It's enough to make a man really sad.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Chosun Ilbo article: Korean Food Among World's Most Expensive
taken from: Chosun Ilbo, Sept.9, 2006 (Online edition)
Korean Food Among World's Most Expensive
The prices of major foods including beef, pork, milk and potatoes in Korea are the fifth highest among 34 leading economies. The country has become one of the world’s most expensive nations, with consumer prices soaring about 20 percent since 2000.
A comparative study on consumer price growth in 30 OECD member countries from 2000 to the first six months of 2006 showed Korea experiencing a growth rate of 20.3 percent on average, the sixth highest after Turkey, Hungary, Mexico and Spain. During the same period, consumer prices increased 17.8 percent in the U.S., 16.6 percent in Britain and 6 percent in Switzerland, while the rate fell 1.3 percent in Japan and 4.9 percent in Hong Kong. Food prices climbed 22.3 percent on average in Korea, the fifth highest among OECD countries and far higher than the averages of the OECD (16.3 percent) and EU (12.9 percent.)
According to statistics on wages and food prices in 34 major countries compiled by the International Labor Organization, beef cost US$48.09 per kg in Korea, the second most expensive following Japan with $76.52. The prices of apples and potatoes were the second highest among studied countries, and 77 percent and 110 percent higher than those in the U.S. Korean milk was twice as expensive as U.S. milk. Pork cost $13.1 per kg, the fourth highest after Norway and Switzerland. Rice was sold for $2.15 per kg, the eighth highest, and bread cost $1.66 per 500 g, the seventh highest.
When Korean consumer prices are set as the standard of 100, U.S. prices stood at 180 in 2000. But the figure dropped to 148 in 2002, 116 in 2005 and 110 in June 2006. In other words, U.S. consumer prices were 80 percent higher than in Korea in 2000 but only 10 percent higher this June. British and Swiss consumer prices were twice as high as Korea with 180 and 209 in 2000 but only at 126 and 159 June this year. In Japan, consumer prices were 1.38 times as expensive as in Korea in June, down from 2.64 times.
Jeon Young-jae, a senior researcher at the Samsung Economic Research Institute, said prices have been growing rapidly in Korea since prices of imported goods are still high compared to advanced nations due to the nation’s limited opening of the manufacturing goods and service markets. “What’s more, productivity has improved at a lower pace than in other developed countries."
Korean Food Among World's Most Expensive
The prices of major foods including beef, pork, milk and potatoes in Korea are the fifth highest among 34 leading economies. The country has become one of the world’s most expensive nations, with consumer prices soaring about 20 percent since 2000.
A comparative study on consumer price growth in 30 OECD member countries from 2000 to the first six months of 2006 showed Korea experiencing a growth rate of 20.3 percent on average, the sixth highest after Turkey, Hungary, Mexico and Spain. During the same period, consumer prices increased 17.8 percent in the U.S., 16.6 percent in Britain and 6 percent in Switzerland, while the rate fell 1.3 percent in Japan and 4.9 percent in Hong Kong. Food prices climbed 22.3 percent on average in Korea, the fifth highest among OECD countries and far higher than the averages of the OECD (16.3 percent) and EU (12.9 percent.)
According to statistics on wages and food prices in 34 major countries compiled by the International Labor Organization, beef cost US$48.09 per kg in Korea, the second most expensive following Japan with $76.52. The prices of apples and potatoes were the second highest among studied countries, and 77 percent and 110 percent higher than those in the U.S. Korean milk was twice as expensive as U.S. milk. Pork cost $13.1 per kg, the fourth highest after Norway and Switzerland. Rice was sold for $2.15 per kg, the eighth highest, and bread cost $1.66 per 500 g, the seventh highest.
When Korean consumer prices are set as the standard of 100, U.S. prices stood at 180 in 2000. But the figure dropped to 148 in 2002, 116 in 2005 and 110 in June 2006. In other words, U.S. consumer prices were 80 percent higher than in Korea in 2000 but only 10 percent higher this June. British and Swiss consumer prices were twice as high as Korea with 180 and 209 in 2000 but only at 126 and 159 June this year. In Japan, consumer prices were 1.38 times as expensive as in Korea in June, down from 2.64 times.
Jeon Young-jae, a senior researcher at the Samsung Economic Research Institute, said prices have been growing rapidly in Korea since prices of imported goods are still high compared to advanced nations due to the nation’s limited opening of the manufacturing goods and service markets. “What’s more, productivity has improved at a lower pace than in other developed countries."
Sunday, September 03, 2006
R.I.P. - Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter
This news is sad... :(
He had such zest for life that you couldn't help but be enthused everytime you saw him. May he rest in peace, and may his wife Terri, and his children, recover from this tragedy.
* * * * *
THE Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, is dead.
He was killed in a freak accident in Cairns, police sources said today.
It is understood he was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest and reportedly into his heart .
He was swimming off the Low Isles at Port Douglas filming an underwater documentary when the tragedy occured.
The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) was called about 11am (AEST) and an emergency services helicopter was flown to the crew's boat on Batt Reef, off the coast near Cairns, with a doctor and emergency services paramedic on board.
Irwin had a puncture wound to the left side of his chest and was pronounced dead at the scene.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349888-2,00.html
He had such zest for life that you couldn't help but be enthused everytime you saw him. May he rest in peace, and may his wife Terri, and his children, recover from this tragedy.
* * * * *
THE Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, is dead.
He was killed in a freak accident in Cairns, police sources said today.
It is understood he was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest and reportedly into his heart .
He was swimming off the Low Isles at Port Douglas filming an underwater documentary when the tragedy occured.
The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) was called about 11am (AEST) and an emergency services helicopter was flown to the crew's boat on Batt Reef, off the coast near Cairns, with a doctor and emergency services paramedic on board.
Irwin had a puncture wound to the left side of his chest and was pronounced dead at the scene.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349888-2,00.html
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Updates
It's been way too long since I blogged last. I guess things have just flown by rather quickly...
Here are just some random updates on my life and on developments in Korea:
1) I'm quite happy right now, having both a fulfilling career and a satisfying personal life. I'm blessed, quite frankly, and while the tendency would be to second-guess what's happening and maybe wonder when it's all going to end, I'm going to just take the "take it one day at a time" route instead. God's been good to me, and I'm very grateful.
2) With regard to work, I've started teaching an extra 8 hours a week. This takes my teaching load at Daewon to a grand total of 18 hours a week. I know a lot of ex-colleagues who'd kill for that kind of schedule, so I'm just happy to have the opportunity to do other things during the week;
3) With regard to my personal life, I've just come back from a great vacation in Thailand. I love that country, and honestly want to retire there in the future. I don't know if I'll be given the opportunity to do that, but it would make me happy if I could visit it at least once a year. I just have too many fond memories and good friends to ever really say "goodbye" to that place.
4) Love is good. :) I'm a rather secretive sort, so I'll leave it at that. But it is good. :)
5) The Korean High School Nationals are over, and we've already selected 21 kids who will be part of the national team training pool. All of the former national team members who participated (Seo Hee, Bo Kyeong and Suhyun) made it to the pool, so I'm happy for them. I'm also excited to coach some new blood. The tryouts promise to be very interesting...
That's it for now. Will post pictures soon.
Here are just some random updates on my life and on developments in Korea:
1) I'm quite happy right now, having both a fulfilling career and a satisfying personal life. I'm blessed, quite frankly, and while the tendency would be to second-guess what's happening and maybe wonder when it's all going to end, I'm going to just take the "take it one day at a time" route instead. God's been good to me, and I'm very grateful.
2) With regard to work, I've started teaching an extra 8 hours a week. This takes my teaching load at Daewon to a grand total of 18 hours a week. I know a lot of ex-colleagues who'd kill for that kind of schedule, so I'm just happy to have the opportunity to do other things during the week;
3) With regard to my personal life, I've just come back from a great vacation in Thailand. I love that country, and honestly want to retire there in the future. I don't know if I'll be given the opportunity to do that, but it would make me happy if I could visit it at least once a year. I just have too many fond memories and good friends to ever really say "goodbye" to that place.
4) Love is good. :) I'm a rather secretive sort, so I'll leave it at that. But it is good. :)
5) The Korean High School Nationals are over, and we've already selected 21 kids who will be part of the national team training pool. All of the former national team members who participated (Seo Hee, Bo Kyeong and Suhyun) made it to the pool, so I'm happy for them. I'm also excited to coach some new blood. The tryouts promise to be very interesting...
That's it for now. Will post pictures soon.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Back from the World Schools Debating Championship
It's been a month since I've updated this blog, and the reason for that was the 2006 World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC) held in Cardiff, Wales, from July 5th to the 14th.
I spent the past month training the Korean national debate team, first in Thailand (for a week) and then the succeeding two weeks in Wales. This past week was merely my "detox" period, so my body could rest.
First of all, let me proudly announce that Korea is a Quarterfinalist at this year's WSDC, the first time it's ever achieved that distinction, and the first time, if I'm not mistaken, that an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) team has ever made it to that point in the tournament. Add to this the fact that we beat the no.1 seed, Pakistan, in the Octofinals (round of 16), which is the first time it's ever been done in WSDC history, and you have a very successful tournament indeed. The fact that one of the Korean debaters, Seo Hee, was named the No.1 EFL speaker was the icing on the cake.
I'm proud of all the team members this year (Bo Kyeong, Hye Won, Jihye, Seo Hee and Suhyun), and am also grateful to all the people who supported us and helped make it possible (Joshua, as team manager, Jiho and Jungwon as judges, and Bo Yun, Hoon Ik and Sang Jin as observers and valuable researchers). Thanks also goes to our middle-school observers, Christine and Jay, who flew all the way to the UK to witness our historic triumph.
I'd also like to publicly appreciate the tremendous help offered by our friends in Thailand, such as Amp, Billy, Praew, Tanya, Pat, Namwan, Rut, TJ, Sara, Nico, Sabiha, Peter, Suree, Saurabh and everyone else. Thanks to you, Team Korea had a very fruitful and enlightening practice week leading up to the WSDC. I'm truly grateful.
Lastly, to everyone from Korea who helped to support the team, in training and elsewhere, I'm also sincerely thankful. Thanks, especially, to Ah Young, Jumin, Jong Min and everyone else who went to trainings and helped the team learn, either by debating against the team, or providing valuable input and feedback.
Now that I've reached the end of this Oscar-like litany of thanks, I only have one more thing to say: British food is good, but Korean food is sooooooooooooo much better. ;) So, for that matter, is practically every other food in the world. =)
I spent the past month training the Korean national debate team, first in Thailand (for a week) and then the succeeding two weeks in Wales. This past week was merely my "detox" period, so my body could rest.
First of all, let me proudly announce that Korea is a Quarterfinalist at this year's WSDC, the first time it's ever achieved that distinction, and the first time, if I'm not mistaken, that an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) team has ever made it to that point in the tournament. Add to this the fact that we beat the no.1 seed, Pakistan, in the Octofinals (round of 16), which is the first time it's ever been done in WSDC history, and you have a very successful tournament indeed. The fact that one of the Korean debaters, Seo Hee, was named the No.1 EFL speaker was the icing on the cake.
I'm proud of all the team members this year (Bo Kyeong, Hye Won, Jihye, Seo Hee and Suhyun), and am also grateful to all the people who supported us and helped make it possible (Joshua, as team manager, Jiho and Jungwon as judges, and Bo Yun, Hoon Ik and Sang Jin as observers and valuable researchers). Thanks also goes to our middle-school observers, Christine and Jay, who flew all the way to the UK to witness our historic triumph.
I'd also like to publicly appreciate the tremendous help offered by our friends in Thailand, such as Amp, Billy, Praew, Tanya, Pat, Namwan, Rut, TJ, Sara, Nico, Sabiha, Peter, Suree, Saurabh and everyone else. Thanks to you, Team Korea had a very fruitful and enlightening practice week leading up to the WSDC. I'm truly grateful.
Lastly, to everyone from Korea who helped to support the team, in training and elsewhere, I'm also sincerely thankful. Thanks, especially, to Ah Young, Jumin, Jong Min and everyone else who went to trainings and helped the team learn, either by debating against the team, or providing valuable input and feedback.
Now that I've reached the end of this Oscar-like litany of thanks, I only have one more thing to say: British food is good, but Korean food is sooooooooooooo much better. ;) So, for that matter, is practically every other food in the world. =)
Thursday, June 22, 2006
On life, love and food
Love is nothing more than having faith in something greater than yourself. For us to truly love anything or anyone, we must first find within us the strength to let go of our fears, and to embrace something we cannot yet see to the end of.
Will it always be good? Of course not. Will you ever get hurt? Naturally. That's the reason why love is so precious. It hurts us in ways we could never imagine, but still we hang on... because we realize how precious it really is. Besides, we only really live once. How sad would it be to grow old knowing that you had rejected the chance to be happy, just because you were afraid of being sad? Is the point of life simply the avoidance of all pain? Or is it to experience everything life could offer, good and bad?
The best analogy I could think of is rice. It's absolutely tasteless. No chance of ever getting food poisoning from it. No allergies, no rashes, no spices, no taste. It just is. And yet how many of us live for the day when we can eat only rice? Sure food can be spicy, sweet, sour, salty or anything and everything in between... but how much more joy is in our lives because we can eat the foods that truly excite us? And would we ever be foolish enough to give up eating something just because someone couldn't cook it right now and then?
I don't know about you, but I don't only want to eat rice for the rest of my life. I want to eat all the greatest foods in the world: beluga caviar, tom yam kung, kimchi, sushi, penang char kway teow, pate de foie gras, buffalo mozzarella with fresh tomatoes and olive oil, szechuan shrimps, etc. etc.
Life would seem so boring with nothing but rice.
Will it always be good? Of course not. Will you ever get hurt? Naturally. That's the reason why love is so precious. It hurts us in ways we could never imagine, but still we hang on... because we realize how precious it really is. Besides, we only really live once. How sad would it be to grow old knowing that you had rejected the chance to be happy, just because you were afraid of being sad? Is the point of life simply the avoidance of all pain? Or is it to experience everything life could offer, good and bad?
The best analogy I could think of is rice. It's absolutely tasteless. No chance of ever getting food poisoning from it. No allergies, no rashes, no spices, no taste. It just is. And yet how many of us live for the day when we can eat only rice? Sure food can be spicy, sweet, sour, salty or anything and everything in between... but how much more joy is in our lives because we can eat the foods that truly excite us? And would we ever be foolish enough to give up eating something just because someone couldn't cook it right now and then?
I don't know about you, but I don't only want to eat rice for the rest of my life. I want to eat all the greatest foods in the world: beluga caviar, tom yam kung, kimchi, sushi, penang char kway teow, pate de foie gras, buffalo mozzarella with fresh tomatoes and olive oil, szechuan shrimps, etc. etc.
Life would seem so boring with nothing but rice.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Would you pay $1.2 million for this car?
So you wanna fly? Try the Bugatti Veyron, which goes so fast that they had to design it not to take off. For slightly more ($1 million) than your Average Joe Enzo, you can do what most people will never, ever get to do – which is generally the point of spending all that cash. In this case, the money goes toward owning the fastest passenger car ever built, a phenomenal exercise in engineering, perseverance and the great lengths a rich person will go in the ultimate game of one-upmanship. The engine, an 8.0-liter W16 (that’s two V8’s fused together) that has four turbochargers, gets 1,001 horsepower. It carries a dry sump lubrication system and a giant radiator so as to handle the amount of heat that comes from all that power, and burns about 1.33 gallons of gasoline per minute.
Frankly, that’s an obscene amount of excess.
Price: Around $1.2 million
Source: ESPN.com
Go Red Devils!
I went to City Hall in Seoul to watch the World Cup match between Korea and France this past Monday morning. It was amazing to see tens of thousands (a hundred thousand? more?) of Koreans just jammed in there, at 4 a.m., cheering their guts out for their team. When Park Ji-Sung scored the equalizer in the 81st minute, I swear there was an absolutely defeaning eruption from the people in the streets, no doubt mirrored in every public place and private home in all of Korea.
This led me to a few observations of the Korean people:
1) It's amazing just how patriotic Koreans can get. I have NEVER seen a more patriotic people in my life. Ever. And I've been to five different continents;
2) I was tremendously impressed with how Koreans clean up after their own mess. Right after the match was over, thousands of Koreans (plus yours truly) started picking up the trash/litter found on the street and putting them in plastic trash bags for easy collection by the city sanitation workers. I went to City Hall about an hour or two after the game, and it was spotless! Absolutely clean. Even cleaner than Manila City Hall without any celebration. Then again, that's Manila...;
3) Football is the perfect game to get a whole nation enthralled, and Koreans prove this. It's 90 minutes (or more), with very few goal-scoring opportunities... so it builds up anticipation like no other game. Anything can happen in the final minutes (or seconds), and because there are so few goals, when one is actually scored, it gives countries an excuse to go absolutely bananas. I never really appreciated football until I lived in Thailand... but I can now understand why people LOVE the game after living in Korea;
4) Koreans, in general, are quite orderly. No massive rioting (unless you're a farmer fighting the WTO =), no major need for tear gas from the police, etc., etc. Very large aggrupations of people are not at all frightening. I know if I were stuck in the middle of a band of cheering football fanatics from... England, for instance, I would be afraid. Very afraid; and
5) The color red absolutely fits the Korean people. No doubt about it. Red is the color of passion, fire, excitement, heated emotions, anger, shouting, etc. etc... It's what Koreans are all about. :) If there's one nation on earth I could be SURE would be passionate, it would be Korea. It's not always good, as many Koreans I've met have demonstrated when angered, but it does make for great cheering sessions. :)
So, for the first time in my life, let me say... "Go Red Devils!" =)
This led me to a few observations of the Korean people:
1) It's amazing just how patriotic Koreans can get. I have NEVER seen a more patriotic people in my life. Ever. And I've been to five different continents;
2) I was tremendously impressed with how Koreans clean up after their own mess. Right after the match was over, thousands of Koreans (plus yours truly) started picking up the trash/litter found on the street and putting them in plastic trash bags for easy collection by the city sanitation workers. I went to City Hall about an hour or two after the game, and it was spotless! Absolutely clean. Even cleaner than Manila City Hall without any celebration. Then again, that's Manila...;
3) Football is the perfect game to get a whole nation enthralled, and Koreans prove this. It's 90 minutes (or more), with very few goal-scoring opportunities... so it builds up anticipation like no other game. Anything can happen in the final minutes (or seconds), and because there are so few goals, when one is actually scored, it gives countries an excuse to go absolutely bananas. I never really appreciated football until I lived in Thailand... but I can now understand why people LOVE the game after living in Korea;
4) Koreans, in general, are quite orderly. No massive rioting (unless you're a farmer fighting the WTO =), no major need for tear gas from the police, etc., etc. Very large aggrupations of people are not at all frightening. I know if I were stuck in the middle of a band of cheering football fanatics from... England, for instance, I would be afraid. Very afraid; and
5) The color red absolutely fits the Korean people. No doubt about it. Red is the color of passion, fire, excitement, heated emotions, anger, shouting, etc. etc... It's what Koreans are all about. :) If there's one nation on earth I could be SURE would be passionate, it would be Korea. It's not always good, as many Koreans I've met have demonstrated when angered, but it does make for great cheering sessions. :)
So, for the first time in my life, let me say... "Go Red Devils!" =)
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Starbucks more fattening than McDonald's?
This counts as something in the "interesting to know" department...
Who knew that Starbucks could be so fattening?
* * * * *
"A 20-ounce Venti banana mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream contains 720 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat, and a banana cream crunch bar weighs in at 630 calories and 25 grams of saturated fat. By comparison, a McDonald's Corp. Big Mac has 560 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat."
Source: Reuters
Who knew that Starbucks could be so fattening?
* * * * *
"A 20-ounce Venti banana mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream contains 720 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat, and a banana cream crunch bar weighs in at 630 calories and 25 grams of saturated fat. By comparison, a McDonald's Corp. Big Mac has 560 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat."
Source: Reuters
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Last day of work!
This is my last official day of work for the term. :) I still have other work, of course, related to national team training, etc., but this is my last day with my formal employer for this term. I'm expected back on August 5th.
:)
I suppose this is going to be good for me because it will give me a chance to renew my batteries for the long haul. I never realized just how valuable vacation time really could be. I won't ever take it for granted again.
After today, all I want to do is spend quality time with friends and/or myself. I wonder if I should party tonight?
Hmmm... ;)
:)
I suppose this is going to be good for me because it will give me a chance to renew my batteries for the long haul. I never realized just how valuable vacation time really could be. I won't ever take it for granted again.
After today, all I want to do is spend quality time with friends and/or myself. I wonder if I should party tonight?
Hmmm... ;)
I'm tired...
I'm just tired. Mentally, physically, emotionally...
I need something to renew me. No matter how strong a person may or may not be, it is impossible to sustain energy for everything in life without having something to renew that energy.
I don't know where to look, but I hope I find that source of renewal soon. Otherwise I may just break.
I know it's funny that I'm saying this now, after such a good start to my day, but I guess I was just on a "sugar-high" that time... it's hard to sustain enthusiasm when the source of your energy is your own, finite well of emotions.
Maybe it's all the work I've been doing lately. Fulfilling as it may be to teach young people, it still takes a lot of emotional and physical energy. It takes a huge toll, really. And I would normally take my off-days as opportunities to rest and relax, but my off-days are when I train the national team, or do other work.
I think I will have to declare a moratorium on things that cause me grief... at least for a week or so. I just need the break before I crack under all the non-stop stress.
I'll reassess my life after, and see if I'm really heading down the path I want to head, or if the price I'm paying is worth the potential reward.
I need something to renew me. No matter how strong a person may or may not be, it is impossible to sustain energy for everything in life without having something to renew that energy.
I don't know where to look, but I hope I find that source of renewal soon. Otherwise I may just break.
I know it's funny that I'm saying this now, after such a good start to my day, but I guess I was just on a "sugar-high" that time... it's hard to sustain enthusiasm when the source of your energy is your own, finite well of emotions.
Maybe it's all the work I've been doing lately. Fulfilling as it may be to teach young people, it still takes a lot of emotional and physical energy. It takes a huge toll, really. And I would normally take my off-days as opportunities to rest and relax, but my off-days are when I train the national team, or do other work.
I think I will have to declare a moratorium on things that cause me grief... at least for a week or so. I just need the break before I crack under all the non-stop stress.
I'll reassess my life after, and see if I'm really heading down the path I want to head, or if the price I'm paying is worth the potential reward.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
It's never too late to fulfill your dreams
This story was taken from www.inq7.net
http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=3&story_id=79207
San Francisco grandmother, 98, gets high school diploma
First posted 10:14am (Mla time) June 15, 2006 By Agence France-Presse
SAN FRANCISCO -- A diminutive grandmother donned a cap and gown on Wednesday and fulfilled a dream she had abandoned 80 years earlier -- she got her high school diploma.
"I felt like I had missed something," Josephine Belasco said when asked what inspired her to complete the schooling she began at Galileo High School when it opened in 1924.
"I thought, gee, if I could ever get that, I'd have a fruitful life," Belasco said.
Born in Calabria, Italy, in November of 1907, Belasco was 18 when she moved to San Francisco with her family.
She was one semester shy of graduating from Galileo when she dropped out to care for a severely ill sister and took a job with an insurance company to help support her family.
Her career as an accountant spanned 36 years. She married and became a mother, then a grandmother.
A grandson inspired her to go back to school and get her diploma, she said.
School officials still had her records on file, and arranged for her to earn an honorary diploma by completing tutoring sessions with Galileo students. The typical ages of high school graduates there are 17 or 18 years old.
Belasco held a white flower as she was escorted to her chair on stage during the high school graduation ceremony on Wednesday.
Her late-in-life accomplishment garnered nationwide attention, including a telephone call at home from late night television show host Jay Leno.
"I'm over the sun and the moon," Belasco said after getting her diploma. "I'm just stunned. I can't believe it mushroomed like this."
http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=3&story_id=79207
San Francisco grandmother, 98, gets high school diploma
First posted 10:14am (Mla time) June 15, 2006 By Agence France-Presse
SAN FRANCISCO -- A diminutive grandmother donned a cap and gown on Wednesday and fulfilled a dream she had abandoned 80 years earlier -- she got her high school diploma.
"I felt like I had missed something," Josephine Belasco said when asked what inspired her to complete the schooling she began at Galileo High School when it opened in 1924.
"I thought, gee, if I could ever get that, I'd have a fruitful life," Belasco said.
Born in Calabria, Italy, in November of 1907, Belasco was 18 when she moved to San Francisco with her family.
She was one semester shy of graduating from Galileo when she dropped out to care for a severely ill sister and took a job with an insurance company to help support her family.
Her career as an accountant spanned 36 years. She married and became a mother, then a grandmother.
A grandson inspired her to go back to school and get her diploma, she said.
School officials still had her records on file, and arranged for her to earn an honorary diploma by completing tutoring sessions with Galileo students. The typical ages of high school graduates there are 17 or 18 years old.
Belasco held a white flower as she was escorted to her chair on stage during the high school graduation ceremony on Wednesday.
Her late-in-life accomplishment garnered nationwide attention, including a telephone call at home from late night television show host Jay Leno.
"I'm over the sun and the moon," Belasco said after getting her diploma. "I'm just stunned. I can't believe it mushroomed like this."
Life is good
When you wake up in the morning with a smile on your face, and you know that whatever you will face that day you will face gladly... you're having a good day. :)
I'm not usually one for bright, chirpy mornings... but then again I've been doing a lot of things lately that I wouldn't normally do. I guess that's just par for the course when you're having fun with life.
Thank you.
I'm not usually one for bright, chirpy mornings... but then again I've been doing a lot of things lately that I wouldn't normally do. I guess that's just par for the course when you're having fun with life.
Thank you.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Sometimes it's good to admit you need people
I've always thought of myself as a loner. Even when I was young, I tended to keep to myself, opting to read books in my room or go on the internet instead of trying to socialize with friends and family.
Things changed a bit when I got to high school and college, where I discovered, in turn, debate and judo. I guess the combination of the two helped me to break through that tough facade I had been maintaining all those lonely years growing up.
However, a part of me never really changed. I never used to like asking for help, and I still don't. I somehow felt then, as I still do now, that being independent was a good thing, and that my problems were my own... not meant to be a bother to others, but rather an obstacle for me to overcome. After all, wasn't it Nietzsche who said, "What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger..."?
But lately, I've started to realize that it's ok to ask for help. After all, even the greatest generals had their armies to lean on. Alexander the Great didn't conquer the known world with just his sword; Attila the Hun didn't get to the gates of Rome just because he was fearsome or, by all accounts, ugly. :)
No... they had their armies, and their trusted lieutenants. Few are the men and women so great that they can change the world all by themselves. Even Jesus Christ needed his apostles.
So as I get older, and painfully wiser, I suppose it's time for me to accept that I can't solve all my problems on my own. In fact, perhaps some of my problems stemmed from the fact that I kept wanting to solve my OTHER problems on my own. After all, you can't bandage your own back. If you're bleeding, you need someone else's help to stay alive. I'd just been leaning with my back against walls, trying to stem the flow. A stupid way to live, really. Not even physicians can heal themselves of everything.
So now that I know you're a part of my life, however that may play out, let me publicly acknowledge that I need you. I can't do everything on my own, least of all the things that matter most. If you'll be beside me, however, I think I can push away from that wall, and start to see the world the way I was meant to see it.
If you watch my back, I'll watch yours. Deal? :)
Things changed a bit when I got to high school and college, where I discovered, in turn, debate and judo. I guess the combination of the two helped me to break through that tough facade I had been maintaining all those lonely years growing up.
However, a part of me never really changed. I never used to like asking for help, and I still don't. I somehow felt then, as I still do now, that being independent was a good thing, and that my problems were my own... not meant to be a bother to others, but rather an obstacle for me to overcome. After all, wasn't it Nietzsche who said, "What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger..."?
But lately, I've started to realize that it's ok to ask for help. After all, even the greatest generals had their armies to lean on. Alexander the Great didn't conquer the known world with just his sword; Attila the Hun didn't get to the gates of Rome just because he was fearsome or, by all accounts, ugly. :)
No... they had their armies, and their trusted lieutenants. Few are the men and women so great that they can change the world all by themselves. Even Jesus Christ needed his apostles.
So as I get older, and painfully wiser, I suppose it's time for me to accept that I can't solve all my problems on my own. In fact, perhaps some of my problems stemmed from the fact that I kept wanting to solve my OTHER problems on my own. After all, you can't bandage your own back. If you're bleeding, you need someone else's help to stay alive. I'd just been leaning with my back against walls, trying to stem the flow. A stupid way to live, really. Not even physicians can heal themselves of everything.
So now that I know you're a part of my life, however that may play out, let me publicly acknowledge that I need you. I can't do everything on my own, least of all the things that matter most. If you'll be beside me, however, I think I can push away from that wall, and start to see the world the way I was meant to see it.
If you watch my back, I'll watch yours. Deal? :)
Monday, June 12, 2006
What price are your dreams worth?
I had a long talk last night with a very special friend, one of the best I've had in a long time. We basically covered a whole range of topics, but the one that stuck in my mind was related to dreams and money.
She told me that she was at a point in her life where she was faced with a quandary: should she pursue her dreams, the ones which she has had for over a decade, or should she instead try to find work and make the most money she could? The options are mutually exclusive, as she couldn't do both at the same time. On the one hand, she could pursue her passions, but with the knowledge that, before she became successful in her field, she would have to really "struggle" first. On the other hand, she could pursue some career in a field that she really hated, earning decent money, but never looking forward to the next day's work.
I told her it was no contest: she had to choose her dreams. I mean, what price are one's dreams really worth? Sure money is good, but only because it can help pay for the things that help make you really happy. If you give up being really happy to make money, of what use is it then? The opportunity cost of giving up something so sacred to who you are, something so special that you have been dreaming about it since the time you could really formulate adult-level dreams, is incredible. Unless you're making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, I just can't see the opportunity cost being paid, to be honest. In my case, millions of dollars wouldn't do it. That "hated" job would have to pay as well as what Bill Gates is worth for me to want to give up my dreams for it.
Of course, it's easy to say "follow your dreams" when you have enough money to feed yourself, pay for rent, and so on. And I realize that all human beings have to have their most basic needs fulfilled, but my friend can earn all she needs for her basic necessities without having to take those "hated" jobs. She can find enough money to survive, and to pursue that which makes her happiest in life. So it's not like she's going to starve or anything. She may have to give up buying expensive things, or shopping on a whim, but what price is that to pay compared to the alternative? At the end of one's life, one will never regret not buying another bag, or having spent less in a shopping spree... one WILL regret not giving one's dreams a chance to be realized.
I have a simple philosophy with regard to choices like these: when faced with a difficult decision, always choose the one you will LEAST regret when you die. It has served me well so far, and I'm sure my friend will realize that it is a philosophy that will help her be happier with her own life. After all, I want to see her, in 30 or 40 years time, being happy and content with the life that she has led. I want her to be able to hold her head up high and tell the world that she made her own decisions, based on her own dreams, and that, regardless of the mistakes she may have made, she was proud of the life she has led. I do NOT want her to say that she is a rich yet bitter woman who can afford to buy the most expensive things on earth... and yet finds that nothing she could ever buy could ever make her as happy as the dreams she had given up many, many years before.
Just remember, before you choose the path that leads to great wealth, to ask what that wealth is really for. If it is to buy you greater happiness, then isn't it counter-productive to give up what makes you most happy in life, just to be able to lead a life you hate with which you hope to be happy in the future? It really doesn't make any sense to me.
If a fisherman has already found a way to catch his dream fish, and it's right there, in front of him, would he then stop fishing and work in an office, just to buy a bigger fishing boat? I don't know about you, but since that ocean is so damn wide, I will take the opportunity NOW to catch that fish... instead of spending the rest of my life dreaming about "the one that got away."
She told me that she was at a point in her life where she was faced with a quandary: should she pursue her dreams, the ones which she has had for over a decade, or should she instead try to find work and make the most money she could? The options are mutually exclusive, as she couldn't do both at the same time. On the one hand, she could pursue her passions, but with the knowledge that, before she became successful in her field, she would have to really "struggle" first. On the other hand, she could pursue some career in a field that she really hated, earning decent money, but never looking forward to the next day's work.
I told her it was no contest: she had to choose her dreams. I mean, what price are one's dreams really worth? Sure money is good, but only because it can help pay for the things that help make you really happy. If you give up being really happy to make money, of what use is it then? The opportunity cost of giving up something so sacred to who you are, something so special that you have been dreaming about it since the time you could really formulate adult-level dreams, is incredible. Unless you're making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, I just can't see the opportunity cost being paid, to be honest. In my case, millions of dollars wouldn't do it. That "hated" job would have to pay as well as what Bill Gates is worth for me to want to give up my dreams for it.
Of course, it's easy to say "follow your dreams" when you have enough money to feed yourself, pay for rent, and so on. And I realize that all human beings have to have their most basic needs fulfilled, but my friend can earn all she needs for her basic necessities without having to take those "hated" jobs. She can find enough money to survive, and to pursue that which makes her happiest in life. So it's not like she's going to starve or anything. She may have to give up buying expensive things, or shopping on a whim, but what price is that to pay compared to the alternative? At the end of one's life, one will never regret not buying another bag, or having spent less in a shopping spree... one WILL regret not giving one's dreams a chance to be realized.
I have a simple philosophy with regard to choices like these: when faced with a difficult decision, always choose the one you will LEAST regret when you die. It has served me well so far, and I'm sure my friend will realize that it is a philosophy that will help her be happier with her own life. After all, I want to see her, in 30 or 40 years time, being happy and content with the life that she has led. I want her to be able to hold her head up high and tell the world that she made her own decisions, based on her own dreams, and that, regardless of the mistakes she may have made, she was proud of the life she has led. I do NOT want her to say that she is a rich yet bitter woman who can afford to buy the most expensive things on earth... and yet finds that nothing she could ever buy could ever make her as happy as the dreams she had given up many, many years before.
Just remember, before you choose the path that leads to great wealth, to ask what that wealth is really for. If it is to buy you greater happiness, then isn't it counter-productive to give up what makes you most happy in life, just to be able to lead a life you hate with which you hope to be happy in the future? It really doesn't make any sense to me.
If a fisherman has already found a way to catch his dream fish, and it's right there, in front of him, would he then stop fishing and work in an office, just to buy a bigger fishing boat? I don't know about you, but since that ocean is so damn wide, I will take the opportunity NOW to catch that fish... instead of spending the rest of my life dreaming about "the one that got away."
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Marriage is...
"...like a slumber party with your best friend. but all the time. :) "
- My dear friend Henny, who just recently got married
- My dear friend Henny, who just recently got married
World Schools coming up...
Getting to the home stretch for national team training... About a month to go before the start of the World Schools Debating Championship. :) Can't wait to see how the kids will do against the best of the best.
Congratulations to Bo Kyeong, Hye Won, Jihye, Seo Hee and Suhyun for making it to the team!
Congratulations to Bo Kyeong, Hye Won, Jihye, Seo Hee and Suhyun for making it to the team!
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