pictures from nashville

after a game of disc golf

birdhollow bridge

どう見ても山の色は緑なのに、なぜ『青い山脈』

山脈や葉、信号など、緑色だと分かっているのだが、現実に日本人は青い色だとよく言われる。英語で言うブルーより、「青い」という言葉の意味は日本語でもっと広くなり、色の濃さや印象を表せるように使うのである。緑という言葉は本来の四色ではなく、青は日本語に昔から中心できて、発達されてきた。

my italian mini-essay: when i was young

Quando ero piccolo, sentivo sempre da mia madre, “Non giocare più con i videogiochi!” “Dov’eri?!” o “Fa’ il tuo compito!” Mi piaceva giocare molto da ragazzo. Il mio amico Craig, mio fratello Mike ed io giocavamo sempre – prima e dopo la scuola, qualche volte in classe, e la fine settimana. Ci divertivamo molto insieme.

Sicuramente, tutti i ragazzi vogliono sempre giocare. Ma i miei genitori volevo che io studiavo come un bravo ragazzo. Quando il mio amico Craig veniva a casa mia, che erano tutti i giorni, giocavamo con i videogiochi o fuori con i bambini del quartiere. Preferivo giocare con i videogiochi Megaman, Castlevania, Super Mario e Zelda sul Nintendo. A volte, dopo cinque, sei ore di Nintendo, il mio amico volevo giocare fuori. Ma lui volevo sempre fare le cose cattive come giocare con il fuoco.

Una volta, giocavamo con il fuoco nella casa mia e l’abbiamo quasi bruciata. Quando uno è giovane, è anche molto stupido. Mio padre era molto, molto arrabbiato! Abbiamo bruciato il sofà e il tappeto. Ho promesso di non giocare mai con il fuoco e Craig non veniva alla mia casa per circa un mese perché aveva paura di mio padre. Durante questo periodo quando lui non veniva alla mia casa, i miei genitori dicevano che la nostra casa era molto tranquilla e non si preoccupavano più. Purtroppo per loro, dopo un mese, Craig è tornato e abbiamo cominciato a giocare con il fuoco di nuovo. I ragazzi non imparare nulla!

what we owe the aztecs

Tonight my friends and I were dipping bananas in chocolate for dessert and I started thinking about where the word for chocolate came from. So, I did some quick research and found out that our word for chocolate originally comes from the Nahuatl language. For those of you that don't know, Nahuatl was spoken by the Aztecs in Mexico. It was called xocolatl and that was borrowed into the Spanish language and then subsequently ours. I find it quite amazing that certain words from obscure languages can have such an impact in all the languages of the world. 

Other words I found that were derived from Nahuatl were tomato, coyote, chili and avocato. They were called tomatl, coyotl, chilli, and ahuacatl respectively. 

sea salt coffee

Kinda sounds strange but in Taiwan, sea salt coffee are all the rage right now. Apparently, its not the entire coffee but the foam which is suppose to be salty. 

in the month of december...

* According to one study, tangerines help reduce fat.

* In another study, yawning is said to be caused by our heads overheating. Makes you wonder if you ever yawned in the cold...

* Germany sues Italy for compensating victims of Nazi hate crimes.

* Brazil and France sign an arms deal worth 12 billion dollars which will allow Brazil to modernize its military equipment. 

* Korea aims to set Christmas Carol World Record with 30,000 carolers!

* Japan and Vietnam have signed a free trade agreement.

* China bans 'The Dark Knight' citing 'cultural sensitivity' while they aim to build the biggest Santa ever. 

* And the Somali pirates give the rest of the world a hard time.

shotoku

For the past two weeks, I've been writing my final essay for my grad class and I think I've finally got it to where its decent. I'm not all that happy with it but I want to turn it in asap because I've been at this topic for a whole 12 weeks! I'm so tired of rereading this book (I've done it five times now) and rewriting every sentence in my essay. Sadly, it makes me wonder if I can actually continue on to a phD knowing that just 12 weeks will drain all the fun out of a topic I initially enjoyed. Oh the joys of graduate school. 

We were assigned a book and we had to pretty much give a class lecture on it and turn in a book review/essay (the longest book review ever I would add) at the end. I chose to read a book by Michael Como called Shotoku. It pretty much deals with the origins of the Japanese (with at least those in power), nationalism and how it pretty much destroys everything nice about history, and most importantly, a historical/mythological man by the name of Shotoku Taishi. He is pretty much like our founding fathers except he did it all by himself and most of what he did according to Como was fabricated. A book like this would never be written in Japan and if it did, it would not definitely not be a best-seller. A fun read nonetheless for those who can get beyond nationalistic tendencies. 

winter time

I've been back in L.A. for about 12 weeks now and I honestly forgot that I once had a blog...

A recap of my 12 weeks back in America:

1) Got a free one-week layover in Japan on my Seoul-Los Angeles flight. Got to see my friend Wataru, visited Osaka, Kyoto, and Uji on my own, and met a kind lady in Nara who gave me a full on tour for free. That weekend, I met my friends Brian, Jen, and Angela in Tokyo and went to Nikko. Wataru took us to Tsukiji Sushi house and I had the best sushi of my life there. 

kinkakuji in kyoto

bustling downtown osaka at night

2) Went to Joshua tree with Kaleo the weekend I got back. It was so awesome and refreshing to be a part of the fellowship again. 

3) Started grad school the week after that. My classes included Chinese 1, Japanese Linguistics, and an art history/archaeology class on early Japanese temples. The quarter is now officially over but I'm still writing a paper for the Japanese art/archaeology class. We, as a class, asked our professor about the prompt and he replied, "Do your best!" 

4) For next quarter, I will be taking Chinese 2, Italian 1, Readings in Japanese, and a grad class on ancient city planning in East Asia. And yea, I know Italian seems a little out of place. 

5) I'm kind of on winter break. No classes to go to but my professor for my grad class assigned us nine books and a research project to start on all before his class starts in January. I don't mind reading but when each book is over 600 pages, it is a little overwhelming. As of now, I've read 5 chapters of a book on city walls and started another on the history of China. It's gonna be a looong three weeks. 

almost home

I have about 2 weeks left and the only thing I keep thinking about is what I will be missing when I get home. So, in no particular order..

1) I'm going to miss Pocari Sweat. And Milkis. And Barley Tea. I'm sure I can find it at some Asian store back home, but the fact that it's ubiquitous here allows me to have it anytime I want.

2) Samgak Gimbap (Onigiri), the triangular rice balls one can find at any convenience store.

3) Public Transportation. Never once did I need a car here.

4) Not having to worry about my stuff getting stolen. I actually lost my wallet here and got it back in the mail a month later with everything in it! For the most part, people are quite honest here.

5) All the Korean and international friends I met this year. When I left last year, I didn't feel the same way for the people at home because I knew I would be seeing them again in the future. I will probably not be able to see many of these people again. That makes it extremely difficult for me to depart.

the most economically powerful cities

1) London, England.
GDP: 452 billion. population: 8,567,000.
2) Hong Kong, China.
GDP: 244 billion. population: 7,206,000.
3) New York, USA.
GDP: 1.13 trillion. population: 19,040,000.
4) Tokyo, Japan.
GDP: 1.19 trillion. population: 35,676,000.
5) Chicago, USA.
GDP: 460 billion. population: 8,990,000.
6) Seoul, Korea.
GDP: 218 billion. population: 9,796,000.
7) Paris, France.
GDP: 460 billion. population: 9,904,000.
8) Los Angeles, USA.
GDP: 639 billion. population: 12,500,000.
9) Shanghai, China.
GDP: 139 million. population: 14,987,000.
10) Toronto, Canada.
GDP: 209 billion. population: 5,213,000.

From Forbes.com

rebirth of gyeongju

Gyeongju was the capital of the Shilla Dynasty, the kingdom that eventually unified the Korean Peninsula. The dynasty began in 57 B.C.E with a man who supposedly hatched from a golden egg and ended with a drunk king who gave up his throne to a Buddhist monk turned general in 935 C.E. For over a thousand years, this city was the capital. 

Today, it is known as a museum without walls. Ancient relics, tombs, pagodas, and foundations of palaces and temples can be found standing in the same place they stood for the past thousand, two thousand years. Sadly, many of these historically significant buildings remain in their decrepit state. Only a few have been brought back to their former glory. Two sites have been designated as UNESCO significant but there are many more sites that I know can be added if only they were restored.

Fortunately, there has been a lot of talk about reviving the city with a lot of money being set aside for the reconstruction of this city. They are now pushing to make their city a world-renowned tourist attraction not only through their history but through impressive structures and landmarks that once stood there.

A park with tombs of unknown royalty. It's amazing that people freely walk amongst it. (It would probably be looted if it were back at home in California. :/)

Bulguksa (Temple of the Buddhist Lands) one of the sites that has been designated as a part of the UNESCO World Heritage. This temple was first built in 751 and reconstructed many times afterwards. The stonework are all originals from the first time it was built. The two stone pagodas inside are also originals from the 700's. An amazing place to visit. 

Seokguram, an artificial grotto with sculptures of Buddhist figures. It is a part of the Bulguksa Complex and was built at the same time as the temple. One of the finest pieces of Buddhist art one will find in the world.

Anapchi (Pond of Ducks and Geese) is a complex where royalty would hold banquets. (e.g. get drunk) There were a total of 26 buildings but only 3 remain. They are in talks about rebuilding more but we'll see if they actually do it. Still a pretty neat and relaxing place to spend an afternoon at.

This is one of the pagodas they will be reconstructing soon. This belongs to Hwangryongsa (Temple of the Imperial Dragon) which was razed back in the 1200's by the Mongols. This was the biggest pagoda in East Asia at the time. It will definitely be a sight to see once it is completed in 2012. The rest of the complex will be built after the pagoda. I've heard that Buddhist monks are leaping for joy! 

Woljeonggyo (Moon Bridge) This is a 216 feet long bridge that once connected Anapchi (the pond from above) to the main palace. It's twin Iljeonggyo (Sun Bridge) will be built right after this one is finished. I saw a scaled down version of this at the pond and I was quite impressed. 

mood

Korea is often describe as a society being governed by relationships and social order rather than law of the government. I'm sure it will change and has been changing with the newer generations, but I've noticed it with especially the older generation (those that lived through the era when Korea was a dirt-poor, war-ravaged, third world country to what they enjoy now - an industrialized, psuedo-first world one.)

After being here for a while, I noticed that Koreans seem to make irrational decisions because that's what social order prescribed. When making decisions here at work, my boss and co-workers really depend on something called bunigi, roughly translated into English as atmosphere, mood, or dynamic. If the buneuigi is off or awkward because of one student, they will change his/her class. Instead of trying to help the student out or working with him/her, they take him/her out. From a western point-of-view it may seem like Koreans are taking the easy way out. But from a Korean point-of-view (maybe even a pan-East Asian one) they are following a social norm.

This might explain why Koreans (and the Japanese) really deck out a cafe or a restaurant with as much decoration, lighting, and music as possible. They are trying to recreate say a coffee shop in Europe or a restaurant in China so that the buneuigi of a respective country can be felt. It really does feel like entering a new world when one goes to a bar, a coffee shop, hair salon, convenience store, this list can go on.

bilingual people can change personalities

According to a study, bicultural and bilingual people can change their personality whenever they switch their language. People can switch to a "cultural-specific frame" and thus the changes in personalities and expressions. 

I did always notice that I acted a little different when I spoke English, Korean, and/or Japanese. Now I have a study that tells me why I act the way I do. It's just what I needed know... 

random thoughts

Something I've been thinking about a lot lately: "Life is about things being taken away slowly. Things that are very important in life. The accumulation of wealth, family, friends, health, youth, security. Should we then put our trust in these things? Christ is the only thing that will not be taken away. He will only grow stronger and more brilliant in our lives. Then, how can we reject him?" It seems logical to believe and yet I find it very difficult to live out. 

danwon

Kim Hongdo (1705-1806), or better known as Danwon. My favorite korean painter. He is considered one of the three most famous and valued painters in Korea. Much like the genre paintings of the Dutch, Danwon painted scenes of daily life. If one looks closely, Danwon's paintings are comical, dynamic, and in-touch with real life. The style of his work reminds me of today's comic books but obviously, they carry a lot more meaning than the former. 

In this painting, a boy is dancing while the musician play traditional Korean instruments. The man at the top right puffs his cheeks with air as he plays his wooden flute. 

Workers add tile to the roof of this pavilion. The workers are serious and diligent as shown by their facial expressions.  

The quintessential depiction of Korean life, whether it was five hundred years ago or today. The students are studying hard and the poor little boy is crying probably because he was lazy or did not live up to the expectation of the teacher. I guess nothing's really changed here in Korea. 

the ainu people

Japan has finally agreed to officially recognize the Ainu people of Hokkaido as an indigenous people "with a unique language and culture." For centuries, they have been repressed and neglected and many had to hide their identities so they would not face discrimination. Originally they inhabited the Sakhalin Peninsula and Kurile Islands (currently part of Russia), Hokkaido, and the northern part of the main island of Honshu. Today, they only occupy the southern part of Hokkaido. 

Genetically, the Ainus are very different from the Japanese. They have fairer skin and to put it bluntly, are hairier. They almost look native American. Some scholars have even speculated that they are the descendants of the Jomon People. 

I was first introduced to their culture back in 2002 when I took a trip to Sapporo, Japan in Hokkaido. I went to a store that sold goods made by Ainu people and was startled by the similarities between them and the native Americans. I even found out that the city of Sapporo is the Ainu word for village of much dryness. (It's been modified of course to fit the Japanese tongue, but in the original Ainu language Sapporo was pronounced Satporo kotan with the word kotan eventually being dropped.) So the next time you drink a bottle of Sapporo Beer, remember the Ainus and their contribution to the world. 

korea over-the-top with amusement parks?

In the next five years, we should see four new, large-scale amusement parks operating in Korea. I wonder though if this is sustainable, as there are already two amusement parks in existence in a country with only 48 million people. Koreans must love amusement parks!

The first amusement park in the works is the "Paramount Movie Park Korea" which is scheduled to open in 2011 in Incheon. Themes from the movie Titanic, Tomb Raiders, and Mission Impossible are to be included in the park. The second is an MGM theme park also in Incheon. This will be MGM's first ever amusement park. Can't think of exactly what movies they made at the moment but I'm sure they'll have rides themed after them. Universal Studios will open their fourth park in 2012 after Hollywood, Florida, and Osaka, Japan. The fourth will be a Marvel Superheroes theme park in Busan, Korea. This one, I'm actually excited for. I would actually visit this one since I was and still am a huge fan of Marvel.

taeglish

Koreans are now learning Taekwondo and English at the same time. I think I would be more excited to go and teach at these hagwons than the kids would be attending the schools.

rocket ship

I saw this building back in Tokyo near Shinjuku in February and I thought it was a pretty neat building. Looks like a rocket ship in the middle of all the other buildings. 

the bowing building

This is one of my favorite buildings north of the Han River in Seoul. Apparently, SK Telecom added the bend at the top as a symbol of the company bowing to its citizens. Pretty neat concept I think.