Wow, we're in Hong Kong!

It's amazing! I never thought I would find myself here after so many years. When you compare it to the City I visited in 1972 as a mere boy, it’s like landing on another planet. I was talking to a girl working at the hotel, and she was telling me that there is only one existing hotel from that time. All the others have been built since then. Wahoo!

It took a little over two hours to get to Taipei, Taiwan, from our departure from Seoul. I wish we had more time to look around, but unfortunately we didn’t see much in Taipei except for the flight transfer side of the terminal. One thing that did make an impression… The first thing we saw when stepping into the terminal was a very large yellow sign saying simply, “Drug trafficking is punishable by death in the R.O.C. (Republic of China). Good reason not to do it I’d say.

We only had an hour layover waiting for our flight to Hong Kong. I must say that I found the China Air flight attendants to all be very attractive. Anyway, we walked around terminal, but most of the merchandise was items from the west… liquor, fashion items, camera stuff, etc. I had to chuckle when I saw a brand of cigarettes of unknown origin advertised in a duty free store called “Long Life.” The temptation to comment further on this is almost too irresistible. If these had been around 30 years ago, the name might have been a great marketing tool. These days, I don’t think so.

We arrived at the hotel in Hong Kong amazingly quick considering the distance from the airport. The inside of the lobby was bustling with all races of people coming and going. After checking into our room we took a short walk in the area surrounding the hotel. There are hundreds of small shops, and people out side of them trying to entice you to take a look inside. This is a huge area for tailors, and I was asked a couple dozen times to give them a chance to show me their work and what they could do for me. English is much more prevalent here than in Seoul, so I know I won’t have much trouble communicating. About 100 meters or so down Nathan Road from where we are staying is a large mosque, with plenty of kids running around in front of it, trying to waste time waiting for their fathers.

We’ll be taking some tours in the next few days to get a better feel of the area and the culture. I think we're both looking forward to seeing plenty while we are here. Friday is National Day here, so there will be a big celebration and fireworks display tonight. It should be a fun evening.

Cookin' at the Nanta Theater

Nanta, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Today Sue and I went to a live performance called Cookin'. It's sort of a mixture of Jackie Chan, Benihana, and the Marx Brothers. The theater is smallish and cozy, which is good because it's one of those shows where everyone gets involved. It is not only entertaining, it is great fun. It was very entertaining and probably one of the best shows I've been to in a very long time.

At two points in the show they come into the audience to solicit help... well actually you are volunteered. The first couple of people had easy expectations of them. They had to taste some soup. No problem.

Later on in the program they had a place in the program where they had a dumpling making contest between the four people (two on each team). Anyway, there was lots of physical activity going on... beating things, making dumplings, etc. All to music. At one point one of the guys came into the audience and grabbed a woman in the audience to help make dumplings. With her helping the other person on the team, he ran into the audience again. OK, you guessed it... he grabbed me! (I had a sneaking suspicion, being the only white guy in the whole theater)

So here I was... wearing a chef's hat, slamming some sort of post into a stump, and then when the dumplings were made, running in front putting the pan of dumplings in the stack and then yelling the new count to the audience. After a time of two, the guy who recruited me gave me his job of crashing the rolling pin into a pile of dough. Now I was slamming the post with one hand, beating the dough with the rolling pin with the other, and then running down and stacking the dumplings when they were ready. About two thirds of the way through the exercise I looked around, the four people recruited from the audience were the only ones on the stage. The performers had totally left the stage and were watching us behind the curtain. What a laugh! We just kept going, and some woman I never saw before and I won the dumpling competition. I felt like one on the Blue Men Group up there beating on things in front of an entire stage audience. It was a lot of fun, and from Sue's estimation (and some other Korean I met as we were walking out), I did pretty good. I never thought about all the people watching me, I just gave it my best, and had a terrific time.

Aside from my playing a part in this show, it was a fun time and one performance I can recommend you see if it ever comes your way.

Around the World in 80 Days... well, sort of.

80Days, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Sue and I went to see this a few days ago. I expected see one of Jackie's normal performances. Not so on this one. It had potential, but it just didn't live up to it. The transitions between scenes became annoying after a while, and although there were lots of cameos with a number of stars, they did little to prop up the weak story. Oh, and don't look for the standard outtakes at the end. There aren't any. My advice, wait for on DVD at the video store. It won't be long.

What is Shinkendo and how did I get here?

I have always been attracted to various forms of ritual or period combat.
As kids, my brother and I played it as entertainment with the kids we grew up with, hiding in the dark among the yards of the neighborhood homes and trying to find the enemies of our choose-up teams, but sometimes it was even every man for himself. I suppose it’s a boy thing, but at the time we took it as serious fun.

My interest in martial arts began in 1969, while I was in the Navy. During my training in Memphis, TN, I would take the one-hour bus ride two or three days a week to take instruction in Taekwondo. Martial art schools were not much back then and hard to find, but I was fascinated and wanted to see what this was all about. Following my introduction there, over the years I experimented with Judo, Kenpo, Kung Fu, but not being in one place for very long kept me from becoming proficient and developing my skills. I was competent enough, but as with all of us from time to time, life happens and my interest in martial arts had to take a back seat to working and making a life.

As I got back into it, I found that I also had an additional fascination with weapons. Not modern ones, but the traditional kind you only find if you look beyond the norm. And later, with my boys both in martial arts and their own interests being tested, I found that there was much more to be gained by learning early weapons through my curiosity. It required conditioning and concentration, and in turn gave me better reflexes, balance, confidence, and even better conditioning. I took up fencing, and archery, and even spent a while participating in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism), where researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17th-century is a way of life. I learned a great deal from the SCA, along with making my own armor and getting the thrill of real physical combat, but something was missing. Although my interest in the middle ages of Europe was enjoyable, something about the Far East was beckoning me.

Some number of years back I started looking for a Kendo school, but there was only one within an afternoon’s drive and they never returned my inquiries. I was just about to give up, when I found a school in Mesa, AZ on the internet that offered up something called Shinkendo. I figured… “What the heck”, and went to check it out. Jeff and Marlene Harris were sensei there and cheerfully welcomed me into the fold. It wasn’t always easy to grasp it, and early on I often found myself questioning whether I was going to “get it.” However, I hung in there and after my share of successes and malfunctions, I have gotten further with this than any other physical endeavor I’ve ever attempted. Like any physical activity it takes dedication and constant practice. Learning Shinkendo is a continuous and evolving training, which builds on itself as your proficiency increases. Any time I thought I was finally getting the hang of something, Jeff and Marlene changed it, adding new twists and turns with capricious regularity, to keep the challenge there as long as I was willing to reach for it. This was all done with the slightest detectable smile on the side, and a reminder not to get too used to doing something the way we learned it.

So what is Shinkendo anyway?

Shinkendo and the International Shinkendo Federation was founded by Toshishiro Obata, and dedicated to teaching authentic Japanese swordsmanship. He has schools scattered all over the United States, but has schools in nine other countries as well.

Shinkendo coalesces Japanese swordsmanship into a historically accurate method samurai once trained and fought, and no one is better qualified to do this than Obata Kaiso. His samurai family roots can be traced back to the time of Tokugawa Shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada. His swordsmanship knowledge is unequaled, and whenever the opportunity is available, it is always a thrill and an honor to train under him. His passion is evident, and he always seems to be searching for new ways to keep us pushing ourselves to the next level. (Now I know where Jeff and Marlene got it from.)

Shinkendo is based on five principal areas: Battoho, Tanrengata (or Kata), Suburi, Tachiuchi, and Tameshigiri. Each component laces together into an ever-expanding system of moves and combinations of moves that allows for flexibility and encourages innovation not found in most other martial arts. The depth of training, and the mental and physical toughness it gives you are well worth the journey.

In all the time that I have studied Shinkendo, I never imagined (or expected) to rise to my current level. I have made a lot of friends along the way, have a lot of people to thank for getting me there, and found it to be one of my most rewarding personal undertakings. However, my own personal trek with Shinkendo is still far from over. There are still plenty of summits to go for, which include opening a school of my own.

When you have a few minutes, travel out to: http://www.shinkendo.com. There you can get the complete story in detail, as well as meet some of the people who make all of this possible.

The Marx Brothers

marx_bros, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

I have always loved the Marx Brothers. As a kid I watched them on TV along with the Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and others, but for me the Marx Brothers always stood out as some of the best pioneers of modern comedy.

They have basically disappeared from TV these days, but for those of us who knew of them, they are still alive and well. I even introduced my boys to them when they were small. They probably don't remember them much, but they know they exist, and one day when they have a little time, I'm sure they'll be able to site down and rediscover them all over again.

Anyway, Sue had never really heard of them, and as a way of enjoying them again for the first time, I purchased nine of their movies on DVD, which include Go West, The Big Store, Room Service, At The Circus, A Night At The Opera, A Night In Casablanca, A Day At The Races, Duck Soup, and Horse Feathers. I forgot how much I enjoyed them, and Sue has discovered a new favorite. When I ask her if she'd like to watch a movie, she often reaches for one of their DVDs. It is great that they have restored these to new media, and before I'm finished I plan on having all of the Marx Brothers movies. If you've never watched any of their films, I invite you to check them out, but you need to listen close or you'll miss them at their best.

Marx Brother Wisdom

mblife_t2, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

You don't have to speak to be heard.

Always answer the important question first.

Really important people never have anything really important to say.

The best thing to do in a difficult situation is to make an ugly face or offer someone your leg.

Whatever it is I'm against it.

101 uses for scissors, glue and a blow torch.

One properly executed HONK! is worth a thousand words.

There ain't no Sanity Clause.

People are honest but you've got to watch them.

If someone gets you down, stick your feet in their lemonade.

You CAN burn the candle at both ends.

Take time to have a strange interlude.

Outside of a dog a book is Man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.

Any time you got a lot you gotta too much.

You gotta get up early if you wanna get out of bed.

Some nicknames don't need explaining.

Omit things that you don't think are important.

Isamu's visit to Seoul

Our friend Isamu showed up on Friday and it was great to see him. we spent a lot of time bringing each other up to date on what's been happening since the last time we met. On saturday we walked around a couple of the famous market and shopping areas in Seoul. Mostly we just looked and Isamu snapped a few shots. The weather was a bit rainy but cool, so we didn't mind it too much.

S&IT.C, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

It was getting to be about lunch time, so we dropped into a favorite place of ours called Sanchon. You can visit their web site at "http://www.sanchon.com/". As you can see, Isamu and Sue are digging in and enjoying themselves.

TempleCookingLunch, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

It's a great place that serves up temple cooking in the Korean Buddhist style. The food is terrific, and we always enjoy going there when we are in the Insadong neighborhood.

MyungDongShopping, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

On Sunday the weather was a little nicer so we went to Seoul Tower and then before heading home, we wandered through the Myung Dong shopping area. This is a huge shopping district honeycombed with stores, restaurants, hotels, food stands, more stores... you name it, it's there. On any given Saturday or Sunday you will find it just as you see it, flooded with a sea of people all doing the same thing... shopping, hanging out, and being seen. If you are the least bit claustrophobic it's a good place to stay away from. Sue and I can only take is for a while, but it sure is a wild place to be.

How safe are you?

Do you use a router to access the internet? Probably.
Go to this web site to test your connection.
http://www.symantec.com/index.htm
When you get to the site, look to the bottom left corner. There is a link for "Symantec Security Check". Run it. See where you stand as far as protecting yourself from ghosts in the machine.
Steve B. Thanks for the tip

Supersize me? I don't think so...

It’s Friday already, so here’s an update on the latest goings on with Sue and I.

The biggest news is that my friend Isamu Furosako, an engineer from Japan, is coming to Korea today for a week or so and plans to spend a few days with us. I met Isamu in Denver, Colorado while we were both attending classes… him to polish his English and me to teach it. We both lived in a home-stay arrangement in the same house for about a month. We got to know each other pretty well, and I really enjoyed the brief time we had to get to know each other. He visited us once in Arizona last year, before we moved to Korea, which was great. It’s a rare treat to see him, so Sue and I are looking forward to it.

Our effort on the Abs Diet is beginning to take shape (no pun intended). We have been working our way through the book, and I’ve learned a lot about eating (the good, the bad, and the ugly). The author is informal and somewhat entertaining, although there are a number of slang terms in it that I have to explain to Sue. Anyway, we have modified what and the way we eat, and are carefully tracking what we do. This is not a calorie counting food regimen, which makes it nice.

Actually we seem to eat a lot, although I don’t think we really do. It’s about eating smart at the right times and training your body’s metabolism to do it’s job. Since we started this we are never hungry, and we don’t have the cravings we used to. And for those of you who know me, you know I’ve always been a major ice cream (which we make ourselves) and cookies monster. Those desires seem to be on the back burner now, and I don’t even think about them. It’s too early in the process to tell much, but I can already say that I like the way it makes me feel. More on this later when there’s something to report.

Our workouts are going well, although I really toasted my legs on Monday. That has made the Taebo sessions this week an exercise in controlled torture. I got through them OK, but thought Sue might have to carry me back to our apartment. I’m basically back to normal now, so it’s time to go back and do it again. Cowabunga!!

Alien vs Predator

Maxalienpredator, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Sue and I wanted to check out the brand new theater near our apartment today, so we walked over and bought our tickets to see Alien vs Predator. The theater was actually pretty quiet. Since everyone at that time is either in school or working, we practically had the theater to ourselves. That was nice.

This is the really cool part about going to the movies here. For those of you who don't know this, Korean theaters have assigned seats (I don't know if they are all this way, but everyone I've been to does it this way). They basically sell the best ones first, so if you get there early and get your tickets, you get the best seat you can get for any given showing. No dorking around with getting there and hoping you can find something reasonable (like everyone else is doing). That means you can get your tickets early (like we did), go shopping, get something to eat, get to the show just in time, and plop your behind into the best seats in the house. This is really great when the movie is new and the theaters are packed with people. I love the way they do this here, and it's something I'm really going to miss when I leave Korea and have to go back to the USA way of going to the show.

Anyway back to the movie...
It wasn't bad as movies go, however it's definitely better on a big screen. I enjoyed it, but then sometimes I'm easily entertained. The movie focuses more on the human aspect and less on special effects than I thought it would. As you would guess there is lot of weapons fire and molecular acid flying through the air, but it all contributes to the story. I'm sure the book will do a better job of detailing out the story line than you can catch in a two hour movie, so I might pick this up at sometime in the future just to fill in the holes. I didn't want to be a movie critic or spoil it for any of you who want to see it.

As you can see from the advertisement poster the movie had Korean subtitles, and no... the alien and predator characters didn't speak Korean. They were really too busy trying to wipe the humans and each other out to worry about dialog. Cool!

Meet the kids

boys, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

I have two sons, Reuben and Aaron (in chronological order). I sometimes call them my heinous offspring, however they are really anything but. Of course they are typical kids. Now that I'm living away from them, getting them to write to me is like pushing a refrigerator up a ladder. I guess I was basically the same when I was that age (although I refuse to remember it). It's just that now that I'm in the position of the parent, my expectations have changed.
My God!... I HAVE turned into my father.

The changing times have made it a little easier though. Even though a periodic email is still sporadic at best in coming, internet chat has saved them to a point. The time zone differences and our incompatible schedules still makes this a difficult thing to arrange, but it's always a welcome treat to be able to talk with them. We share a lot of the same interests (music, in-line skating, movies, video games, hot rods), so it's always great when we get together. I'm looking very forward to the next time.

As you can see from the pictures they are a couple of good looking boys. Reuben is in the U.S. Coast Guard, and Aaron is attending college. The inset picture gives you an idea of how far they have come in what seems like just a few years. I am truly proud of them both.

Meet Jun, Sue's nephew...

JunJeju, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Sue has a nephew here. His name is Jun Hyun. We don't see a lot of him, because he doesn't live especially close, and certainly he has a life of his own. When we see each other, we get along pretty good. When I first met him I found out that he was an Apple dude like myself. Of course this automatically won him a couple thousand points with me. Apple is still not very common here. I have a couple stories about that, but we'll save it for another time.

Anyway, Jun is normally pretty quiet, but when it comes to speaking English then he REALLY gets quiet. I know he speaks English, but only about 5% to my 95%. I kid him about it whenever I get the chance, and he's a pretty good sport about it, but when it comes down to speaking Macintosh, we understand each other perfectly.

Jun has a blog page too. You can find it by going to "http://www.dailymemo.net/pm/weblog.php". Of course unless you speak Korean, all you can do is read the few bits in English and look at the pictures. That's all I do anyway.

안녕히계세요

September has arrived

The first week of September has been an odd gathering of events. After we returned from our short vacation, I thought I’d be able to get back to my job-hunting effort and begin to tackle some of the things accumulating on my “honey-do” list. Well… not everything always goes as planned… actually hardly ever, but I keep hoping.

One of the things that added time to our week are the books we received from Amazon that I already mentioned below. Of course this is an important thing for us to do, and I hope it works for us. We’ve already started on the diet phase of our program and are planning and tracking our daily meals and snacks. If nothing else, being more aware of what we are eating and seeing it on paper stuck to the fridge will help us get on a better course.

I already mentioned that we’ve been taking aerobics and Taebo, each twice a week, and it has been great. Actually, this has been quite an intriguing encounter for me. We’re living in Korea and so naturally the classes are taught in Korean. Now since I don’t speak the language, this poses a bit of a challenge for yours truly. The two girls who teach the classes do speak a tiny bit of English, but the dozen or so women who regularly attend the classes don’t (yes, I am basically the only male in the class), so the best I get is the instructors counting in English, which is the one thing that I don’t have a problem understanding in Korean. Actually, I do surprisingly well. Although I don’t always know what’s coming next until it happens, by paying close attention, I think I do about as good as anyone in the class… maybe better.
In any event, we were disappointed to learn that our aerobics teacher is quitting her instruction to go back to school. They will find someone to replace her, but I don’t know where they will find anyone who exhibits the same energy and enthusiasm on the gym floor.

I was extremely disappointed to hear that over the past week and a half, three more people have left the school where I was an English language teacher. I was sad to leave my position there, but relieved to depart the company. Obviously the feeling of dissatisfaction I felt is still alive and flourishing. Saying what you do, and then doing what you say is important for any organization, as well as operating with an honorable code of ethics. This company clearly has an enormous amount to learn about treating their degreed professional employees with dignity and respect, or nothing will ever change and they will be destined to repeat the same mistakes practiced by every other middle-of-the-road hagwon in Korea. It’s just a matter of some plain old-fashioned managerial enlightenment. I hope it happens for them one day. It’s one thing that separates them from the rest of the global employment community.

And speaking of work… this week I finally got my resume the overdue and urgently desirable renovation it’s been screaming for. I hope it gives my job quest the shot in the arm it needs as we attack the next exciting chapter in our lives. Thank you, Erin Kissane, for all your hard work. I’ve already begun using it and like the way it puts a new spin on my work history and life’s experiences. It’s always funny how you look at something new about yourself (after looking at the same old thing for so long) and say, “Damn, I sound good!” I hope there’s an employer out there who feels the same way.

Now it’s time for some breakfast and see what trouble I can get into today. The weather is clearing… I’m sure I can find something (laughing).

Want to lose weight and get back in shape?

NewBooks, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Sue and I just picked up two new books. Both of these are products of Men's Health magazine and I personally think they are well done.
Living in an area where it not all that easy to pursue other outdoor activities, we have allowed ourselves to get soft. We are a shade over the weight we want to be, and even though we are regularly hitting the gym and watching what we eat more carefully, it's obvious we need a little more help. It was only a few years back when I was in the best personal shape of my life and I want to get back to that.

<>I found that these two books are a couple of the best I've seen in a while. If you find you want to make changes in your life and your health, this might be a great place to start.

"The Abs Diet" has diet information that most people (with a little of discipline and dedication) can live with. You can eat what you still like (within reason), and still lose weight. It's interesting though... they start you on a program, and if you haven't exercised much, you don't have to start right away. It's more about putting your metabolism in the right condition to turn that - conditioning corner. It also gives you the sort of exercises you need to begin putting your body in the shape you can be pleased with. You and your mirror could become friends again. The diet part isn't chock-full of revelations. However, this is the first time I've seen the kind of statistics, diet assistance with supporting evidence, and the no bull story on how to pull it all together all in one package. It's informative, entertaining, and adds some motivational commentary that some might find encouraging. The exercises themselves are worth the price of admission, and you don't have to buy a gym membership to do them.

To help Sue's English pronunciation skills, we are reading this one out loud. This serves a couple of basic ends, but it also gives us a chance to chat about what we both heard as we plan our program together. It's actually kind of fun.

The "Home Workout Bible" is a manual sized book, chock full of exercises... more than 400. There is no talk of food in this book, just a total focus on muscles and how to get the most from them. Most of the book gives you exercises you can do at home without a big personal investment, running to the gym. It also covers machine exercises, but not extensively. The book breaks down exercises into beginning, intermediate and advanced, and provides some training logs and sample workouts to help you keep your progress on track.

I hate sounding like a book review, but as both Sue and I have gotten older, and the importance of eating right and exercising has smacked us in the face (as well as made us take a critical look in the mirror). There is no reason why we can't still look good, and be happy. And as they point out in the book, everything we do in this area reduces our susceptibility for injury and disease, which is the part I like. I can tell you from our efforts in the aerobic and Taebo classes, we have a long way to go. However, we are having fun and already feel great about our improvement.

Burnout 3 is ready!

Burnout, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

I really enjoyed playing Burnout 2 on my Sony Playstation. It's a great stress reliever, and I got to race, crash, and generally get crazy on the road without doing any real damage. Even Sue had fun with it.

Anyway, Burnout 3: Takedown is about to become available. Electronic Arts took this over from Acclaim, and from all reviews has done fantastic job. However, don't just take my word for it... go to:

http://www.gametrailers.com/gt_vault/t_burnout3_ps2.html

... and check it out for yourself. Actually, I think it's blast and can't wait to get my hands on one.
Wahoo!

The view from our condo at Jeju

Jeju View, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Last week Sue and I, along with her sister's family, went to to an island off the south tip of Korea. It's a great place to go and relax. The weather was nearly perfect, and the scenery was something like you'd see in Hawaii. This place is traditionally a favorite for honeymooning Korean newlyweds, which were apparent from the identical shirts they all seemed to be wearing. It was a great trip for us and I think we all needed time away. We saw plenty of museums and such... some of them were definitely there for the tourists, so you had to pick and choose what to see.

One thing I will say though is that the drivers were crazy. There are very few traffic lights on the island, and few if any other kinds of traffic signs. Mostly the intersections were a no-man's-land not safe for man nor beast... where anything goes. Basically if you got there first, you likely had the right of way, but that was only if another oncoming car wasn't in a hurry. Stopping at intersections will only get you honked at. Just tap the brake and keep moving. One day while we were there taveling on an open lonely stretch of road, we saw two accidents within less than five minutes of each other. One of these was a head-on and looked serious. Both of them involved taxis, so you can make you own conclusions from that.

The Golambs kicking back Jeju

Jeju Two, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

I may make more pictures available after I get them all developed, but here's one of the happy couple. There were lots of waterfalls, and since the island is basically one giant extinct volcano, there were plenty of lava tubes to explore.

Weren't we cute?

YoungLovers, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Since this is the beginning of our blog page, I thought I'd let you have a look at our own beginnings. It's amazing that we both had a photo of approximately the same age that still survived. I have to laugh at this every time I see it. I look like such an insurance salesman. I can see myself walking up to the door and who should answer it, but the stunning Korean beauty with the cookie in her hand. No wonder I was bewitched... Nothing has changed.

Believe it or not, it's happened

Well, it's off and running. I'm putting this up as an official start, but let me get my brain in the right forward gear and I'll try to put up some actual content worth reading. Be patient... I'll get there.