but this gem from Malaysia is worth a read.
In an effort to stomp out gay practices the Malaysian government has released a list of what constitutes "gay" and how to spot it.
For Women it includes preferring the company of women and rejecting men (the fact that no male who is not a relative is allowed in the same room as you under Sharia Law must make for some lonely Malay women). Not an astounding observation.
For men it includes having a "chiseled" body, wearing V-necks, wearing bright coloured clothing and carrying a small handbag (laptop bags and backpacks are fine). Now to be fair Korean pink v-neck shirts on a man (a real fashion here) do stretch the tolerance of even the most liberal of us but what makes this funny/sad is that it doesn't come from some Islamic Jerry Falwell type but from the Malaysian Ministry of Education. This is getting taught to school children.
It's sad because in many other ways Malaysia is an advanced Islamic country. About 40% of the population are not Muslims and there is no requirement that they follow Sharia Law (they use English Common law). While Islam is the state religion and the spread of other religions is banned the practice of them is actually encouraged. Malaysia prides itself as a multi-cultural nation in a region where race and nation are intertwined to an annoying and even dangerous degree.
Anyway, from where I'm sitting this is funny but it would have me reconsidering a job offer from Kuala Lumpur. If this is considered education I'd dread to think what else they are teaching those kids.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Chevy's Everywhere
For three years the only cars I ever saw in Korea were Hyundai and KIA. However, since free trade was signed last year I have been waiting for the influx of American cars with no luck. But apparently the deal in through and the last few months every other car I see is a Chevrolet. No Ford or GM yet but Chevy's everywhere. They are mostly smaller cars, no big pickups like you'd see back in Canada (they aren't exactly practical here) but there are hundreds of these small, white Chevy's.
I wonder if I'll notice a surge of Hyundai's the next time I am in Seattle?
Scotch has gone down to around $14 a bottle too. Still more than in Canada but not much.
I wonder if I'll notice a surge of Hyundai's the next time I am in Seattle?
Scotch has gone down to around $14 a bottle too. Still more than in Canada but not much.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
London Booked
Well it's official. Emirate Airlines leaving at 11:50pm on Thursday October 4th from Incheon and arriving in London at 12:15 local time on Friday October 5th is booked. I have a three hour stopover in Dubai making it 20 hours to London and 18 hours back, which I will do on October 19th when I fly back (arriving in Seoul on Oct. 20th). I had thought about a night or two stopping over in Dubai but apparently Canada and the UAE are having a spat over landing rights in Canada for U.A.E based airlines and so visas for Canadians to the UAE have become prohibitively expensive (I guess Emirates and Ethiad airlines don't meet the lofty standards set by Air Canada......). Anyway that means no stopover adventures like the ones I used to do in Hong Kong and a big, long trip to London.
However, what I do get is two weeks in the U.K. I'll probably stick mostly to southern England as I'm there as much to visit my sister, who works in London for a casting company, as I am to go sightsee. Also, the U.K is famous for being more than a little expensive and when my sister told me the "cheap" option to travel was a forty pound a week subway pass I nearly fainted. I think I've spent that this year on the Daegu metro. That being said I am more than a little excited to see London and the U.K and this will be continent number four (because apparently Australia is a continent). I have a rough idea of what I want to do and will also spend time just looking around and picking up a few things that are hard to get in Korea (deodorant, quality shoes) and just have a relaxing vacation.
Anyway, down to six days at work, Chuseok and an October in London.
However, what I do get is two weeks in the U.K. I'll probably stick mostly to southern England as I'm there as much to visit my sister, who works in London for a casting company, as I am to go sightsee. Also, the U.K is famous for being more than a little expensive and when my sister told me the "cheap" option to travel was a forty pound a week subway pass I nearly fainted. I think I've spent that this year on the Daegu metro. That being said I am more than a little excited to see London and the U.K and this will be continent number four (because apparently Australia is a continent). I have a rough idea of what I want to do and will also spend time just looking around and picking up a few things that are hard to get in Korea (deodorant, quality shoes) and just have a relaxing vacation.
Anyway, down to six days at work, Chuseok and an October in London.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Can We Please Stop Calling Japanese Players Rookies
cause they are not.
On Friday Yu Darvish became the 16th pitcher in MLB history to have 200 strikeouts in his "rookie year". Now of those sixteen four played before WWI and let's be honest, the game at that time was so different it's hard to really compare those records with modern ones. The other twelve have done it sporadically over the last 80 years (one in the 1950's, four in the 1960's and two in the 70's). In fact since 1984 (when two pitchers did it in the same season) it has only happened four times.
Hideo Nomo in 1995
Kerry Wood in 1998
Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007
Yu Darvish in 2012
One of these pitchers in not like the others.
U.S born Kerry Wood aside, all three have been Japanese players who in fact had played for years in the Japanese professional leagues. While the competition isn't the same calibre as MLB it isn't all that bad either and the media attention and contracts are hardly the $100/m common to Cuban pro's.
Yu Darvish played for seven years in Japan, won awards and championships, played for the Japanese national team at the Olympics and at the World Cup when Japan won it in 2007.
Other notable Japanese "rookies" include Kazuhiro Sasaki who won rookie of the year in 2000 as a relief pitcher in Seattle and of course Ichiro Suzuki, who won rookie of the year in 2001 also with the Mariners. Hideki Matsui was denied rookie of the year based allegedly on his age by writers who had voted for Ichiro and Sasaki previously and his not winning it is generally seen as unfair or in Steinbrenner's words "a travesty".
But here is the thing. No real rookie CAN do what Ichiro, Nomo, Darvish etc. can do in their first year. The skills just aren't there yet. Ichiro played for nine years with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan and won every hitting award there is in Japan. Darvish and Matsuzaka were comparable with pitching as was Nomo in his time. Matsui played ten years with the Yomiuri Giants (the Tokyo team akin to the Yankees in Japan) in a home stadium comparable to any in MLB (and has since hosted two MLB regular season games). He dealt with media, pitched in front of 44,000 every home game and had ten years of professional coaching and practical playing time. What other "rookies" can claim that?
I'm not suggesting that Nippon pro ball is the same as MLB. The fact is that MLB is a higher quality game where the best of the best play. But take soccer, where a pro is a pro. He may be making his English or Spanish debut one year, but if he played three years in Germany he is not considered a rookie despite the lower level of competition he played in previously because the the German league is still really good. MLB should apply this to guys from Japan. The Japanese league deserves that respect and legitimate rookies need to be held to reasonable standards. How about the "Ichiro Suzuki Award" for best player to complete a full season of MLB but not be a rookie, whether an import or a AAA call up?
On Friday Yu Darvish became the 16th pitcher in MLB history to have 200 strikeouts in his "rookie year". Now of those sixteen four played before WWI and let's be honest, the game at that time was so different it's hard to really compare those records with modern ones. The other twelve have done it sporadically over the last 80 years (one in the 1950's, four in the 1960's and two in the 70's). In fact since 1984 (when two pitchers did it in the same season) it has only happened four times.
Hideo Nomo in 1995
Kerry Wood in 1998
Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007
Yu Darvish in 2012
One of these pitchers in not like the others.
U.S born Kerry Wood aside, all three have been Japanese players who in fact had played for years in the Japanese professional leagues. While the competition isn't the same calibre as MLB it isn't all that bad either and the media attention and contracts are hardly the $100/m common to Cuban pro's.
Yu Darvish played for seven years in Japan, won awards and championships, played for the Japanese national team at the Olympics and at the World Cup when Japan won it in 2007.
Other notable Japanese "rookies" include Kazuhiro Sasaki who won rookie of the year in 2000 as a relief pitcher in Seattle and of course Ichiro Suzuki, who won rookie of the year in 2001 also with the Mariners. Hideki Matsui was denied rookie of the year based allegedly on his age by writers who had voted for Ichiro and Sasaki previously and his not winning it is generally seen as unfair or in Steinbrenner's words "a travesty".
But here is the thing. No real rookie CAN do what Ichiro, Nomo, Darvish etc. can do in their first year. The skills just aren't there yet. Ichiro played for nine years with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan and won every hitting award there is in Japan. Darvish and Matsuzaka were comparable with pitching as was Nomo in his time. Matsui played ten years with the Yomiuri Giants (the Tokyo team akin to the Yankees in Japan) in a home stadium comparable to any in MLB (and has since hosted two MLB regular season games). He dealt with media, pitched in front of 44,000 every home game and had ten years of professional coaching and practical playing time. What other "rookies" can claim that?
I'm not suggesting that Nippon pro ball is the same as MLB. The fact is that MLB is a higher quality game where the best of the best play. But take soccer, where a pro is a pro. He may be making his English or Spanish debut one year, but if he played three years in Germany he is not considered a rookie despite the lower level of competition he played in previously because the the German league is still really good. MLB should apply this to guys from Japan. The Japanese league deserves that respect and legitimate rookies need to be held to reasonable standards. How about the "Ichiro Suzuki Award" for best player to complete a full season of MLB but not be a rookie, whether an import or a AAA call up?
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Booking my Vacation
Well money is sent to Canada and tomorrow I will make final plans for London. Right now I'm looking at flights.
China Southern has the best prices, around $1000 USD return from Incheon, but at almost 50 hours travel time, a transit visa in Guangdong would be a must and the Chinese can be difficult about that though I could get one it I got on it now. Not that a night in Canton would be terrible though...... Air China also has great deals from both Incheon and Busan, but the 12 hours plus layovers in Beijing make that less of an option (I'd point out that if China allowed easy transit visas like most countries I would stay overnight there, or even for 2-3 days, but they don't.... oh well).
After that it's Ethiad and Emirates are respectively via the UAE for around $1200. It's 20 hours there and 18 back so not too bad and probably my best option (both win airline of the year frequently and any flight over six hours requires consideration like that. There are also multi-airline flights via Hong Kong on Korean Air/British Airways. at $1270 not a bad option but a long layover there (though a two day stopover becomes a real option). Finally the European carriers are all around $1350 but it's one 11-14 hour flight to Amsterdam, Istanbul, Paris etc and a quick transfer.
Anyway, I'll make my final decisions this week.
China Southern has the best prices, around $1000 USD return from Incheon, but at almost 50 hours travel time, a transit visa in Guangdong would be a must and the Chinese can be difficult about that though I could get one it I got on it now. Not that a night in Canton would be terrible though...... Air China also has great deals from both Incheon and Busan, but the 12 hours plus layovers in Beijing make that less of an option (I'd point out that if China allowed easy transit visas like most countries I would stay overnight there, or even for 2-3 days, but they don't.... oh well).
After that it's Ethiad and Emirates are respectively via the UAE for around $1200. It's 20 hours there and 18 back so not too bad and probably my best option (both win airline of the year frequently and any flight over six hours requires consideration like that. There are also multi-airline flights via Hong Kong on Korean Air/British Airways. at $1270 not a bad option but a long layover there (though a two day stopover becomes a real option). Finally the European carriers are all around $1350 but it's one 11-14 hour flight to Amsterdam, Istanbul, Paris etc and a quick transfer.
Anyway, I'll make my final decisions this week.
Korea's Rainy Season...... and Midway Through Writing it a Day Off
Well we are a few weeks in to Korea's rainy season, a tie between August and October where Korea gets about 80% of its annual rainfall. It mostly comes from tropical depressions that are dissipating as they move north. You may have seen pictures from Okinawa, which has been hit by two tropical storms in the last month.
By the time it gets here it is usually just rain and wind, and lots of it. Though not a rainy season in the sense that Thailand gets a rainy season (98% of the rainfall in a six month stretch) and some years it's questionable whether or not there even is a rainy season, this year it is definitely on.
So much so that literally as I am typing this my coworker Crystal called to tell me that classes are cancelled today due to the storm heading our way. Sure enough I have a missed call from my boss and it's a day off.
It has brought refreshingly cool temperatures though, with 35 and humid a thing of the past (until next July). Today is downright chilly at 19 (or it feels that way anyway after weeks of 30 and over).
Anyway, time to enjoy my unexpected three day weekend.
By the time it gets here it is usually just rain and wind, and lots of it. Though not a rainy season in the sense that Thailand gets a rainy season (98% of the rainfall in a six month stretch) and some years it's questionable whether or not there even is a rainy season, this year it is definitely on.
So much so that literally as I am typing this my coworker Crystal called to tell me that classes are cancelled today due to the storm heading our way. Sure enough I have a missed call from my boss and it's a day off.
It has brought refreshingly cool temperatures though, with 35 and humid a thing of the past (until next July). Today is downright chilly at 19 (or it feels that way anyway after weeks of 30 and over).
Anyway, time to enjoy my unexpected three day weekend.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The Post Steroid Era.. Or Not.
Well add Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon can be added to the list of cheats that now includes Melky Carbrera and Manny Ramirez as well as a few less familiar guys. Not to mention Ryan Braun's escape on a technicality and you have a situation in which Major League Baseball is far from past the steroid era.
So what is the solution?
Well for guys who did it before 2005 it was a morally wrong, but it did not violate MLB rules so I guess they should get a pass. Not that I like seeing Andy Pettite back, but to be fair what he did makes him a dick and a coward, but you don't lose your job for that For anyone who tested positive after? Ban them. Not 50 games, not 100 games, forever. Clearly the fine doesn't outweigh the benefits of cheating.
I get it in the case of some of these Cuban and Dominican players. Their salaries are funding schools where they came from and putting theit family and friends through University. I can sympathize. However the fact is that they are destroying the very game that they rely on to make the cash necessary to do all of that. Whether it's steroids in baseball, diving in soccer or every aspect of the Olympics when you allow cheating and don't/can't maintain a level of integrity the sport loses and the game can't grow.
Therefore, ban 'em.
So what is the solution?
Well for guys who did it before 2005 it was a morally wrong, but it did not violate MLB rules so I guess they should get a pass. Not that I like seeing Andy Pettite back, but to be fair what he did makes him a dick and a coward, but you don't lose your job for that For anyone who tested positive after? Ban them. Not 50 games, not 100 games, forever. Clearly the fine doesn't outweigh the benefits of cheating.
I get it in the case of some of these Cuban and Dominican players. Their salaries are funding schools where they came from and putting theit family and friends through University. I can sympathize. However the fact is that they are destroying the very game that they rely on to make the cash necessary to do all of that. Whether it's steroids in baseball, diving in soccer or every aspect of the Olympics when you allow cheating and don't/can't maintain a level of integrity the sport loses and the game can't grow.
Therefore, ban 'em.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Palgongsan and Donghwasa
After a miserable thunderstorm on Friday night I woke up on Saturday to find a beautiful, sunny day. I had planned a hike on Saturday and Mike said he wanted to see Palgongsan, so I grabbed him and we set out to Dongdaegu to catch a bus to the park. When the bus stop became impossible to find we opted for a cab, which was only about 13000won ($12USD) anyway and headed up to the park.
Our first stop was Donghwasa 동화사 a temple about halfway up the summit. It is one of the oldest temples in the area. The temple itself looks much like many other temples in Korea. Not that that is a bad thing, but there is a uniformity about them that makes excessive picture taking a bit redundant after a while. However, this temple houses a 17m tall standing Buddha. Although not especially old (it was build as a prayer to reunification. I couldn't find an exact year but after 1953 anyway) it was still very impressive.
Our first stop was Donghwasa 동화사 a temple about halfway up the summit. It is one of the oldest temples in the area. The temple itself looks much like many other temples in Korea. Not that that is a bad thing, but there is a uniformity about them that makes excessive picture taking a bit redundant after a while. However, this temple houses a 17m tall standing Buddha. Although not especially old (it was build as a prayer to reunification. I couldn't find an exact year but after 1953 anyway) it was still very impressive.
for perspective
the pagoda is also huge
The Buddha
me and Buddha
Buddha from up close
the base of one of the pagoda's
the walk behind Buddha
from the side
detailed carvings
After spending a bit of time enjoying the statue we walked around it, looking at dozens of carved images from the Buddhist pantheon. Then it was back to the entrance for lunch.
After lunch we opted to walk to Buinsa, another temple which was a good kilometer away and was apparently one of the most important temples of Silla Korea (around 400-900AD). After along walk along a nice trail we found the temple but it clearly was past its glory days. A 1500 year old pagoda just sat there with moss on it in the front area used as a parking lot. However inside the temple there was a small, well maintained area with a Buddhist statue that you could actually photograph (or at least no one there said you couldn't). At many temples they don't want you filming or photographing Buddhist things but at other places it seems fine. I guess here it was fine.
an enlightened parking lot
1500 year old pagoda in said parking lot
Korean style Buddhist altar
The Buddha
After Buinsa we walked back down to the main area where the bus in to Daegu left from. We got off at Daegu airport looking for the subway, but in fact Ayanggyo (아양고) but in fact the "airport" stop is a good 20 minute walk. We eventually found it and made it back to Wolbae where i was asleep before midnight.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The Final Countdown
Well I'm in to my last month at Reading Town and I am more than a little excited.
Not that I have any dislike for the company, in fact in some ways it was awesome. I met Kris and Mike through that company, had a very easy job (well have) and I have few hassles with pay/bills etc. However I am moving to Moonkkang, a Korea wide school with high wages, more benefits and less hours. I'll also be starting my MA in Linguistics this February with the idea of being qualified to teach university students in Asia/South America or do admin work in Canada or the U.S. So it's not that I'm excited to leave Reading Town as such, but I am.
Before that though I will go to my sister's place. A normal idea if she wasn't living in London.
My current plan is to go to Busan for Chuseok with Mike and hopefully Kris, then fly out to London for two-three weeks then spend 10 days staying at Paul's, Mike's, Kris' and/or Bobby's place before starting work again.
While I still have three weeks left, I'm already more than a little bit excited.
Just
Not that I have any dislike for the company, in fact in some ways it was awesome. I met Kris and Mike through that company, had a very easy job (well have) and I have few hassles with pay/bills etc. However I am moving to Moonkkang, a Korea wide school with high wages, more benefits and less hours. I'll also be starting my MA in Linguistics this February with the idea of being qualified to teach university students in Asia/South America or do admin work in Canada or the U.S. So it's not that I'm excited to leave Reading Town as such, but I am.
Before that though I will go to my sister's place. A normal idea if she wasn't living in London.
My current plan is to go to Busan for Chuseok with Mike and hopefully Kris, then fly out to London for two-three weeks then spend 10 days staying at Paul's, Mike's, Kris' and/or Bobby's place before starting work again.
While I still have three weeks left, I'm already more than a little bit excited.
Just
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