So ends my 6th week (43 days) in Korea; 46 weeks (322 days) to go. This week should be a lot quieter than last week. There’s nothing major going on, so I should be able to get caught up on things and be home at a descent hour. Next weekend I’m going to Osan for a banquet and soon after. Next, I’ll be driving to Incheon to pick up my lovely wife who is coming to visit. I can’t wait!
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Talk about busy! This week was rough. Meeting after meeting almost every day and exercising (mass-casualty stuff) all day and into the night on Wednesday. By Friday, I was so looking forward to the weekend!
Today was okay. I was busy, but it was a self-imposed business. I spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon on statistics homework. I absolutely hate math and will be glad to put this course behind me.
I got to do a little running this afternoon and needed it badly.
This evening I went to dinner in Kunsan City. A restaurant that the Americans call the “Log Cabin” is well, basically a log cabin in the middle of downtown. Our clinic interpreter went along with us tonight because this place has no English menus and the staff don’t speak English. I had a spicy pork dish that was very good.
When we left, we asked if we could take a menu to translate for other Americans. They seemed very pleased that we wanted to do that. We told them, through the interpreter of course, we’d bring a copy for them to use.
After dinner we went to E-Mart for ice cream at the Baskin Robbins.
Now I’m getting ready to watch Saturday Night Live. Armed Forces Network shows the episodes one week behind their release in the States. Hell, I’m just happy to be able to watch it!
Tomorrow will be a quiet day. More statistics (yuk!), but not as much as today…hopefully.
I’ve been nursing this headache for three days now! My head is absolutely splitting and right behind my left eye. I try to lie down and the throbbing gets worse. We had a farewell party for the MXG chief last night in the Chief’s Den. A nice event, but this ka-pound, ka-pounding just kept reminding me that I can’t indulge in one of my favorite pastimes…beer drinking.
“Bitte, ein Bit?”
Maybe after my head explodes!
A friend sent this to me in an email…
As many are aware, the French government recently announced a raise in its terror alert level from “RUN” to “HIDE.” The normal level is “GENERAL ARROGANCE,” and the only two higher levels in France are “SURRENDER” and “COLLABORATE.” The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France’s white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country’s military capability.
Although in jest, this is actually an excellent commentary on the French government and it’s response to national emergencies, particularly invasions by a foreign military.
Today I went to the E-Mart in Kunsan City. E-Mart was Korea’s first major locally-owned mass retailer (it’s a lot like Wal-Mart). Its owners, the Shinsegae Group, better known for their upscale department stores, opened their first E-Mart discount store in November 1993, in the Dobong-gu district of Seoul. They now operate about 85 stores nationwide and several in China. E-mart stores are typically located near residential areas of major cities and usually draw customers in from a 10km radius. It has stayed competitive, expanding partly by converting parent Shinsegae’s department stores into discount outlets offering higher margins. It’s basically a two story department store with a grocery store (three stories, if you count the parking garage on the top floor). They had everything there! It was actually a pretty nice place. I didn’t buy anything, just looked around. I spent a lot of time in the grocery store looking at all the different Korean stuff. They had an amazing amount of seafood and more kimchi than I’ve ever seen! I ate in E-Mart. I had some Korean noodle dish that was very good; I could’ve had McDonalds…they were there, too!
After E-Mart, I drove up the road to the “dollar store” (the “won store”…everything was â‚©1,000), it was just like a typical American dollar store, except they had a little beverage stand in there where you could get coffee and juice.
Both were interesting, but I’m not much of a shopper. I just enjoyed the experience and seeing how another culture operated these familiar businesses.
I received a letter from my mother today and among the goings on in the family, she told me about an issue with her pastor. Seems they got into a bit of a debate as to the disposition of Judas Iscariot, Jesus betrayer. The pastor feels that Judas was redeemed and will go to Heaven; my mother believes the opposite. My mother quoted a verse from Matthew 26 that said of the betrayer. The pastor cut her off, ended the discussion, by saying he didn’t want to argue about it.
I can’t believe the pastor got upset when she stated an opposing point-of-view. Isn’t that the purpose of Bible study? Perhaps, he’s not as committed to that line of thinking (i.e. “Judas is in Heaven”) as he says he is. Maybe he has doubts about what he was taught in theology school.
So what could the pastor’s argument be? Possibly this is his support for Judas in Heaven:
1. Judas was prompted by the devil (John 13:2) and satan entered his heart (Luke 22:3, John 13:27)
2. Judas was “seized with remorse” and returned the blood money (Matthew 27:3)
3. Judas was so overcome with that remorse he committed suicide (Matthew 27:5).
4. In an earlier speech to his disciples, Jesus tells the twelve (including Judas) “…you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matthew 19:28)
5. Jesus died for all (Judas, too) (2 Corinthians 5:15)
Argument #1: Judas was used (possessed?) by Satan and not responsible for the betrayal of Jesus.
Judas was chosen as one of the twelve disciples by Jesus and Jesus knew the heart of every one of them: “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (John 6:70). Jesus knew the moment Satan entered Judas: “…Satan entered [Judas]. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly’.” (John 13:27). Jesus knew that Judas would betray him before Judas did, but did “the devil make him do it?” I imagine this is a pretty popular argument today. Thinking that if Judas was indeed a tool of the devil, then he isn’t responsible for his actions. But many forget, God gave us “free will” and Satan can have no more control over us than we allow: “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will run from you.” (James 3:7). Therefore, Judas willingly betrayed Jesus.
Argument #2: Judas repented of his sin and was forgiven.
As my mother tried to point out to the pastor, Jesus condemned Judas in Matt 26 when he said: “…but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” Judas felt remorse (guilt?) for what he’d done and returned the silver, and hanged himself. The Bible doesn’t say anything about Judas repenting for his sins, nor does it say anything about forgiveness. In fact, Judas act of suicide implies just the opposite. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “…do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” So, isn’t committing suicide in essence destroying the Holy Spirit and the ultimate apostasy? Also, John wrote, “…no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15). Suicide is the murder of oneself; therefore to commit suicide is to condemn oneself to Hell.
I believe Judas is condemned to Hell.
This is certainly something worth discussing at Bible study and I regret the pastor can’t seem to see past his own prejudices to debate the topic. Rather than push the subject with the pastor, my mother held a discussion with other family members presenting both sides of the argument. It’s just unfortunate that she felt she didn’t have the freedom to do this in Bible study with the pastor. Actually, in the years to come, we’ll have to worship in secret or be persecuted by the State (like many places in the world already). When a pastor behaves this way, it makes me realize that future isn’t too far away.
I registered my Jeep in Korea today. It was such a pleasant experience. I drove to city hall in Gunsan (a 20-minute drive) and found a parking space in a very cramped parking lot (Korean parking spaces are pretty small). The Korean equivalent of the DMV was on the first floor of the building. There was a counter for USFK (United States Forces Korea) vehicle registrations and no waiting. The attendants were dressed similarly and very professional (extremely polite, too). The young woman who was helping me spoke good English and was tolerant of my very weak Korean (I can say stuff like, “Hello” and “Thank you”). She completed the paperwork expeditiously and gave me directions across the street where I’d pick up my tags. The registration cost â‚©2,000.
I drove across the street to get my tags and the shop owner offered me a seat and a cup of coffee while they completed the paperwork. Once the paperwork was in order (took about 5 minutes), a man removed my temporary tags and mounted my permanent ones. I didn’t have to lift a finger. The tags cost â‚©15,000.
All-in-all, to register my Jeep in Korea cost me the equivalent of $17 and the service I experienced easily surpassed my service experiences with DMVs in America.
We could learn a lot from the polite, efficient Koreans!
Okay, here we go…we have a major problem here: Nothing planned for Black History Month!! The tragedy: We didn’t even have a point-of-contact until
Who the fuck cares???? One of the biggest problems in our country today is this mandate to celebrate diversity! It almost seems the word “diversity” is taken to mean something akin to “consistency” or “likeness.” Diversity means different! The message of today’s “celebrate diversity” is an agenda of tolerance of those differences. Unless the difference is that one happens to be a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP). It’s the WASP that is expected to be tolerant of the differences of others, while those others don’t give a shit about the WASP’s differences.
Tell me, how the hell are we supposed to grow closer by pointing out and focusing on our differences? I reject the diversity agenda. I don’t have to be tolerant of the cultural differences of people in my country. The message I have for those who expect me to bend to the politically correct will of the diversitites is:
The United States is a melting pot: Start melting!
Super Bowl XL is over and the Pittsburgh Steelers are the national champs! I enjoyed the game, although the kick-off occurred at 8 am here in Korea. This is the first superbowl in as long as I can remember that I didn’t drink a beer!!
It was good to see Roethlisberger get out of the pocket and make some plays. I’ve grown to expect to see the quarterback be more concerned about “protection” than “winning” in football games these days. I must say, today’s game was a welcome change and a testimony to the team that really wanted to wear that ring!
Jerome “The Bus” Bettis announced his retirement after the game. Of course, it really comes as no surprise because the rumors abounded in the weeks leading up to the game. I’m sorry to see him go. Bettis has been a class act since he first entered the NFL back in ‘93. During his 13-year career, he played for my two favorite teams: He was drafted in the first round (10th pick overall) by the Rams, where he played for three years (two in LA and one in St. Louis); the remainder of his career he wore a Steeler uniform.
His stats* were very impressive:
- Ave 1,051 yds rushing/year
- Ave 3.9 yds/carry
- Ave 7.2 yds/receiving
- Scored 91 touchdowns
- Ran for 730 first downs
I’m pleased the Steelers won the Lombardi Trophy and was very glad to have the opportunity to witness the final game of #36–I’ll miss Jerome Bettis! What a way to go out, winning the biggest game of the year, the biggest game of your career! For Pittsburgh it was the biggest game since 1980, when the Steelers played the Rams for the national championship (Super Bowl XIV: Pitt 31 / LA 19).
* according to the NFL at http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1152
I went to dinner this evening with a few of my colleagues. The restaurant in Kunsan City served only one thing: EEL! Naturally, I had my reservations, but to my surprise, it was good. I was expecting some slimy snake-like water creature still wearing it’s head, but it wasn’t like that at all.
In the picture below, the eel on the left is salted, the middle is teriyaki and the right is spicy. All the little bowls you see have different toppings for the eel and various kinds of kimche. The eel is on a grill and stays warm on your table. You take these cabbage-like leaves, spread on some pepper paste, add a piece of garlic (or whatever) and a piece of eel, roll it up and just pop it in your mouth.
It’s a quite evening. I made some pasta and am now sitting in the living room, enjoying a glass of Bella Sera Sangiovesse; a dry red Tuscan wine with the aroma of raspberries and the flavor of plums and cranberries. I’ve been looking forward to this for a week now, but haven’t had the time to really sit down and enjoy a home-cooked meal. Being so far away from home and the one you love, it’s the small things, the minor events, that have the most meaning. I enjoy wine and music, and tonight I’m listening to a true gem of the romantic period, the “Symphony Fantastique (Fantastic Symphony)” by Hector Berlioz.
This symphony is almost autobiographical as it tells the story of love at first sight and the desire of hopeless love that consumes the life of an artist. Autobiographical in that Berlioz fell for Harriet Smithson, a Shakespearean actress, who he first saw on stage in the roll of Ophelia. He wrote this symphony with her in mind. The symphony is a story told in five parts…
The first part is called, “Rêveries, passions (Dreams, Passions),” and as it plays, the artist, a musician, first gazes upon his true love. This occurs during the first part of movement and as the second part begins, we hear the idée fixe (the theme that represents the woman, his beloved, throughout the symphony). Listen…
idée fixe
The feelings expressed during the first movement are the musician’s joy, then rage and jealously, and expressed by the slow chords at the end, a religious consolation.
The second movement, “Un bal (A Ball),” takes place at a formal ball where the musician continues to see his beloved everywhere he looks. This movement is an elegant waltz.
In the third movement, “Scène aux champs (Scene at the Country),” the musician spends an evening in the country. Although a calm is restored, he is troubled because his beloved is not with him.
In the fourth movement, “Marche au supplice (March to the Scaffold),” convinced that his beloved will not return, the musician takes opium and dreams that he is condemned to death for killing his beloved. At the end of the movement, he is led to the scaffold where he witnesses his own execution. Just before the blade falls, we hear the gentle idée fixe, which seems to represent the artist’s last thought before he dies.
The final movement, “Songe d’une nuit du sabbat (Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath),” is a dream of a witche’ sabbath. The musician is still under the influence of opium, and sees ghouls and monsters coming together to dance at his funeral. The beloved also appears in a grotesque dance version of her theme, funeral bells toll and the Dies irae (a chant) is parodied.
This piece has a special meaning for me because my beloved Cindy remains my fixed thought, my idée fixe, every waking moment of the day, and at night she consumes my dreams…
While driving back from Seoul today I stopped by the Jung Ahn Service Area to adjust the passenger-side mirror and stretch my legs. These “Service Areas” are basically large rest stops with restaurants, bathrooms, gasoline and several vendors offering everything from snacks to leather coats. While there, I picked up a bag of walnut cakes from one of the vendors.
These are small cakes that look like walnut shells, with a walnut paste in the center. I like them because they’re not overly sweet. They’re very good when they’re hot, but not near as good after they cool. A bag of 20 or so is â‚©2,000 (roughly 2 bucks).
I picked up my Jeep today at the VPC at the Youngsan Army Post in Seoul. My buddy picked me up this morning about 6 a.m.; we grabbed a cup of coffee and hit the road. The drive took about 3 hours (it’s about 170 miles). The speed limit on the highway is 110 km/hr (about 70 mph), and the tolls run about â‚©12,000 (just over 12 dollars) each way–Korean currency is called “won”–pronounced “wan.” Traffic coming into Seoul was a bear! Of course, it was about 9 a.m. and rush-hour. Traffic coming home was a lot better. 
Picking up the Jeep was uneventful. I did a quick inspection and everything looked good. They already had temporary tags made for me. The temp tags were very interesting. As you can see, they’re made of wood and the numbers are painted on it; the date is written on the tag with indelible ink…
When I go to Gunsan (pronounced, “Goon-san,” near Kunsan AB) to register my car, they’ll take the wooden tags, break them in half and throw ‘em away.
After picking up the Jeep, I left behind my buddy who was going on to Osan AB to visit some friends. This was my first solo road trip in Korea. I did pretty good. I made one wrong turn as I was approaching the turn-off for the base; I turned one exit early. This actually turned out to be advantageous because I happened upon a Chrysler/Jeep dealership where they sold and serviced Jeeps! Nice to know I have a place to go should I need parts or repair.
In a previous post I put down some true life lessons from the movie, “The Godfather.” What makes a quote from a book, movie, song or television show a “life lesson?” For me, it’s anything that forms a profound and relevant thought, image or idea–something that represents or triggers any aspect of my personal belief system. Just as Vito and Michael demonstrated, there’s also much to learn from Mulder and Scully…
- Trust no one.
- Apology is policy.
- Deny everything.
- Everything dies.
- They’ve been here for a long, long time.
- You may not be who you are.
- If you’ve heard the truth, demand the answers.
- The conquest of fear lies in the moment of its acceptance.
- There is plenty of room in that cold dark place for liars.
- There can always be another explanation.
- Nothing happens in contradiction to nature; just what we know of it.
- The laws of physics don’t always apply.
- We all have a natural instinct to propagate.
- Never be afraid to believe.
- Don’t unlock doors you’re not ready to go through.
- The truth is out there, but so are lies.
- Long life is a mixed blessing.
- We are not alone.
- Some secrets should remain secret.
- Never give up as long as the truth is out there.
- Not everything dies.
- Never over-estimate your position in the chain of command.
- Not everyone’s out to get you.
- Never seek the truth if you’re not ready to accept it.
- Someone’s ideas are always weirder than yours.
- A dream is an answer to a question that you haven’t figured out how to ask.
- Never say it can’t happen to you.
- Never take siblings for granted.
- Some one is always paying attention.
- You are being watched.
- False history is written in the blood of those who might remember, and those who seek the truth.
- You can’t blame yourself for what you could only hope.
- I am you and you are me, and we are all together.
- Open yourself up to extreme possibilities, but only when it’s the truth.
- People with ten-inch fingers tend to stick out in a crowd.
- It takes a lot to climb the ladder.
- Never assume anything.
- Smoking is a very bad habit.
- The truth can be a dangerous thing to posses.
- Expect the unexpected.
- Nothing is just what it seems.
- Sometimes, you just know.
- People who wish to control history are dangerous.
- Its not always about you.
- The truth is out there.
…and now that Cancer Man is dead, will the Bills win the Super Bowl??
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