Today I finally paid a visit to the International Peace Gardens, a small garden on the Jordan River in Salt Lake. Although I have always known of its existence, I had never been there, and wasn't quite sure what to expect. When I saw it, I was surprised by how nice it was. It's basically a patchwork of different gardens created and maintained by various ethnic groups of Utah. They have cultural icons and some native plants. For example, the Switzerland garden has a 30 foot high replica of the Matterhorn. The Greek garden has vines growing on an arbor that's standing on classic Greek columns. The China, Korean, and Japanese gardens all have pavilions. How could I have grown up in SLC and never been here before? It's such a nice, pleasant place; an oasis in the decaying ghetto of the Westside... oh, and there was no Wikipedia page for this place, either- so I made one. Another crappy page, but another awesome picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Peace_Gardens
Thursday, May 28, 2009
I've created Wikipedia pages
If you know me, you know I hate waiting for someone else to do something. Such was the way I felt when trying to find some history on one of Utah's oldest skyscrapers, the Walker Center. Even though this building was once the tallest in the Mountain time zone, there's virtually nothing about it online. So, I made a Wikipedia page for it! I figured no one else would, so I should give it a try. I didn't realize you needed to know formatting and other internet shiznit, so it looked horrible, until I just copied the formating of another page. I still never found much info on it, so it's short (and poorly written). But hey, it has an awesome picture, which I took!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_Center
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_Center
Sunday, May 10, 2009
photography page
I'm in the process of creating a page for my photography. On one hand, it's really exciting to finally be sharing my art with the world. On the other hand, it's very uncomfortable to put myself out there like that. It's one thing to have my photography on my myspace or facebook page, where only my friends (i.e. approving people) can see it, and another thing to put it on a public page where anyone can come and make whatever comment they want about it. Even though many people have suggested to me time and time again that I put my photography out there and try to make money off it or use it as a resume, there's still that insecure part that hopes no one ever says anything mean. As Erykah Badu says: "keep in mind that I'm an artist, and I'm sensitive about my shit!"
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Arizona for sale!
Well, not the actual state, but this tortilla chip I discovered that looks almost exactly like the shape of Arizona. I think ebay is calling me:
Two years ago I posted a similar blog on myspace about another chp that looked like Arizona. Here is a pic if it... how weird that I've seen 2 of these chips before (or maybe they're just not that rare)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
living in the present
I feel close to making an announcement on my future destination, but I'm not going to say anything until it's 100% confirmed. More on that at a later date...
Yesterday, out of the blue, I got a little homesick for Korea. I didn't think I had been there long enough to have it be a place I got homesick for, but I guess I was wrong. What struck me as odd were the images that were popping in my head. I did a lot of exploring, and saw a lot of sights, but it's the simple memories that are coming up: hanging out in the subway station late at night when it's empty, walking the streets of downtown Gwangju at night during a monsoon, late night taxi rides, eating "gelato" out of a thimble-sized cup at a sidewalk cafe during a rare 2 hour lunch after a field trip, drinking coffee and eating sandwiches in the neighborhood cafe while Roxanne tries to buy the owner's homemade pottery that decorates it, the Friday sidewalk markets that seemed like such an annoyance at the time, wandering the aisles of E-Mart for no good reason...
For awhile now, I've been living in the future, while thinking about the present. I spent too much time daydreaming about trips I could take, marking in my calendar what I would do every weekend day for the next 3 months, and imagining what life would be like when I returned home (even though it was a year away). My new goal is to flip it around and live in the present, while thinking of the future. It's a concept I'd heard a lot, but never paid any attention to. I'm looking out of the window, watching the dark thunderstorm outside, and being thankful that it's no other way...
...and wondering why I end so many of my thoughts with ellipses...
Yesterday, out of the blue, I got a little homesick for Korea. I didn't think I had been there long enough to have it be a place I got homesick for, but I guess I was wrong. What struck me as odd were the images that were popping in my head. I did a lot of exploring, and saw a lot of sights, but it's the simple memories that are coming up: hanging out in the subway station late at night when it's empty, walking the streets of downtown Gwangju at night during a monsoon, late night taxi rides, eating "gelato" out of a thimble-sized cup at a sidewalk cafe during a rare 2 hour lunch after a field trip, drinking coffee and eating sandwiches in the neighborhood cafe while Roxanne tries to buy the owner's homemade pottery that decorates it, the Friday sidewalk markets that seemed like such an annoyance at the time, wandering the aisles of E-Mart for no good reason...
For awhile now, I've been living in the future, while thinking about the present. I spent too much time daydreaming about trips I could take, marking in my calendar what I would do every weekend day for the next 3 months, and imagining what life would be like when I returned home (even though it was a year away). My new goal is to flip it around and live in the present, while thinking of the future. It's a concept I'd heard a lot, but never paid any attention to. I'm looking out of the window, watching the dark thunderstorm outside, and being thankful that it's no other way...
...and wondering why I end so many of my thoughts with ellipses...
Monday, March 16, 2009
one+ year
If I had finished my contract, my last day would've been March 1st. Counting the 2 week vacation I was planning to somewhere in Indochina, I would just be getting home now. That blows my mind.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
lawsuit update
Right before I left Korea, I found a lawyer and signed power of attorney over to him, so that he could file and fight my case against my ex-employer for me while I was in the US. Not surprisingly, I won the case, and won the full amount I could ask for. Apparently, the judges (?) with the board were most upset with my story, it was one of the worst cases any of them had heard of. My ex-boss filed an appeal, and he lost that too. There's several million won waiting for me at this labor board-courthouse-whatever it is in Gwangju, which I can claim. After I pay my lawyer his share of it, I'll have enough to cover the 2 weeks of wages plus the severance payment I never received, as well as enough to cover the plane ride home. It's not enough to cover all the stuff in my apartment that was stolen, but I'm not complaining. It's just stuff, and all the replaceable things have been replaced (still upset that I had already bought souvenirs, which I lost). Important thing is that I'm vindicated. Feels pretty good.
I am now making an attempt to secure employment and return to Korea to finish what I started. I might be crazy and/or masochistic for wanting to go back there, but I miss it. I need to finish my to-see list. I know so much more now, that I think I know how to make it work, and how to avoid ending up in a concentration camp. Apparently I have a job offer- but I can't get my hopes up. Korea is weird, and things can always change. Even though I won my case, I'm not sure if Korea will want to grant me another visa. I just don't know, so my backup plans are to go to Mongolia, Japan, or Taiwan. My heart is in Korea, and that's where I want to be at this point, so wish me luck. Those other 3 places could be visited on a long weekend...
I am now making an attempt to secure employment and return to Korea to finish what I started. I might be crazy and/or masochistic for wanting to go back there, but I miss it. I need to finish my to-see list. I know so much more now, that I think I know how to make it work, and how to avoid ending up in a concentration camp. Apparently I have a job offer- but I can't get my hopes up. Korea is weird, and things can always change. Even though I won my case, I'm not sure if Korea will want to grant me another visa. I just don't know, so my backup plans are to go to Mongolia, Japan, or Taiwan. My heart is in Korea, and that's where I want to be at this point, so wish me luck. Those other 3 places could be visited on a long weekend...
Monday, June 30, 2008
Things I learned while in Korea
1) Being quick to change situations or not always sticking to things isn’t necessarily a bad quality. Sometimes you need to change situations, and recognizing that quickly can be an asset. The key is moderation, and to determine if you’re making a right decision soon, or if you’re simply giving up too easily.
2) If you have problems getting along with people, or are unable to bond with people, the problem may be with them. Only a rare combination of people are “bondable,” and it takes a desire from BOTH sides, so a true bonding is rare. Most of the bonded people you see may very well be false.
3) Believe in the best in people, and they’ll prove you right. Believe in the worst in people, and they will also prove you right.
4) Walking around with a smile, or even just a pleasant expression, will cause you to be treated better and helped more than wearing a blank or unhappy expression.
5) Appreciate what you have! Stepping out of your comfort zone may help you grow as a person, but you may have to take a few steps back in order to eventually take steps forward. Always appreciate what you have while you have it, because those “steps back” can be a bitch.
6) If you’re picky about who you associate with, you’ll offend and anger some people who don’t measure up. Their hostility only validates their unworthiness.
7) A simple life truly is a better life. If people wish to add pressure and stress to your life, and you don’t need it, reject it and send it back to them.
8) Everyone is putting on a front for different people. This is natural. If someone does something that angers or offends you, or you to them, it is likely just a reaction to a fear of getting hurt. It’s almost always a misunderstanding that requires a simple solution, so don’t let it fester. Deal with it at the point of pain. Don’t worry about seeming weak or like a whiner, because everyone is the same way.
2) If you have problems getting along with people, or are unable to bond with people, the problem may be with them. Only a rare combination of people are “bondable,” and it takes a desire from BOTH sides, so a true bonding is rare. Most of the bonded people you see may very well be false.
3) Believe in the best in people, and they’ll prove you right. Believe in the worst in people, and they will also prove you right.
4) Walking around with a smile, or even just a pleasant expression, will cause you to be treated better and helped more than wearing a blank or unhappy expression.
5) Appreciate what you have! Stepping out of your comfort zone may help you grow as a person, but you may have to take a few steps back in order to eventually take steps forward. Always appreciate what you have while you have it, because those “steps back” can be a bitch.
6) If you’re picky about who you associate with, you’ll offend and anger some people who don’t measure up. Their hostility only validates their unworthiness.
7) A simple life truly is a better life. If people wish to add pressure and stress to your life, and you don’t need it, reject it and send it back to them.
8) Everyone is putting on a front for different people. This is natural. If someone does something that angers or offends you, or you to them, it is likely just a reaction to a fear of getting hurt. It’s almost always a misunderstanding that requires a simple solution, so don’t let it fester. Deal with it at the point of pain. Don’t worry about seeming weak or like a whiner, because everyone is the same way.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
final observations of Korea
(I posted this on my myspace blog when I first arrived, I am copying it here)
1) Every male in his 20's here looks like the missing Asian member of the Hives
2) Being drunk in public is not only accepted, its almost expected. Soju costs about $1 and it'll do you for the night. Good times.
3) When I came to Korea before, there were some people who spoke some English (in Seoul). In this town, NOBODY speaks English.
4) The temperature is about the same as in SLC right now, but it feels about 20 degrees colder. It's COLD!!!! (yet it doesn't snow here much.. weird)
5) Korean service is way better than American service. They'll bend over backwards to help you, and everyone is very polite, yet they don't work for tips. In fact, you really don't tip anyone.
6) Everyone lives in apartment buildings, and everything is packed together very tight. It's cool because you don't need a car at all, there's a 7-11 type store every 15 steps, hundreds of restaurants, and lots of activity. However, driving and parking are a nightmare, and trash is everywhere. I definately think high-density neighborhoods are much more interesting than the big-box store, strip mall, sea of parking lots, cookie-cutter house ones I'm used to. Maybe just learn from some of the problems here to make it ideal.
7) Paper towels and antibactaerial soap are both more expensive than contact solution.. ??
8) The group of us newbies have gone out on our own a few times to try new food- every time it's been quite an adventure, to say the least. We have no idea what we're doing, or what we're eating. Last night we had chicken throats or something. But at least they were shiskabobbed.
9)Koreans cannot walk straight. If you are walking on a path, in a straight line, and a Korean is walking on the other side of the path, coming from the opposite direction, they will inexplicedly drift into your path of travel.
10)There is a channel that shows video games. As in, the game itself gets recorded and put on tv.
11) Everything here is excessively packaged. I bought a bag of Chips Ahoy (something like them) and each cookie was individually wrapped. I also found out that hot dogs are individually wrapped, I discovered that AFTER grilling some.
12) I still have never seen a Korean wear sunglasses.
13) They spit everywhere here, and very loudly
14) You see groups of girls in public, groups of guys, and couples, but you NEVER see a mixed group of Koreans.
1) Every male in his 20's here looks like the missing Asian member of the Hives
2) Being drunk in public is not only accepted, its almost expected. Soju costs about $1 and it'll do you for the night. Good times.
3) When I came to Korea before, there were some people who spoke some English (in Seoul). In this town, NOBODY speaks English.
4) The temperature is about the same as in SLC right now, but it feels about 20 degrees colder. It's COLD!!!! (yet it doesn't snow here much.. weird)
5) Korean service is way better than American service. They'll bend over backwards to help you, and everyone is very polite, yet they don't work for tips. In fact, you really don't tip anyone.
6) Everyone lives in apartment buildings, and everything is packed together very tight. It's cool because you don't need a car at all, there's a 7-11 type store every 15 steps, hundreds of restaurants, and lots of activity. However, driving and parking are a nightmare, and trash is everywhere. I definately think high-density neighborhoods are much more interesting than the big-box store, strip mall, sea of parking lots, cookie-cutter house ones I'm used to. Maybe just learn from some of the problems here to make it ideal.
7) Paper towels and antibactaerial soap are both more expensive than contact solution.. ??
8) The group of us newbies have gone out on our own a few times to try new food- every time it's been quite an adventure, to say the least. We have no idea what we're doing, or what we're eating. Last night we had chicken throats or something. But at least they were shiskabobbed.
9)Koreans cannot walk straight. If you are walking on a path, in a straight line, and a Korean is walking on the other side of the path, coming from the opposite direction, they will inexplicedly drift into your path of travel.
10)There is a channel that shows video games. As in, the game itself gets recorded and put on tv.
11) Everything here is excessively packaged. I bought a bag of Chips Ahoy (something like them) and each cookie was individually wrapped. I also found out that hot dogs are individually wrapped, I discovered that AFTER grilling some.
12) I still have never seen a Korean wear sunglasses.
13) They spit everywhere here, and very loudly
14) You see groups of girls in public, groups of guys, and couples, but you NEVER see a mixed group of Koreans.
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