Books that changed me

My niece tagged me on Facebook a year ago to share the Top Ten Books that has somehow left an imprint (good or bad) on me. The thing that has prevented me from taking up the challenge is that it feels like such a daunting task. How do I choose from all the hundreds of books, and how do I limit the list to only ten? I decided, however, that I have put this off far too long—that my niece has waited far too long—and that I should just list the books that has made a paradigm shift in me; books that have changed how I look at the world and how I live my life.

1. “Mere Christianity” – C. S. Lewis
2. “Steps to Christ” – E. G. White
3. “Ministry of Health” – E. G. White
4. “Tao Te Ching” – Lao Tze
5. “The Mozi” – Mozi
6. “I Saw Satan Fall Like Lighting” – René Gerard
7. “Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution” – Shiri Eisner
8. “Arts & Ideas” – William Fleming
9. “The Five Love Languages” – Gary Chapman
10. “The Naked Ape” – Desmond Morris

“Mere Christianity” – C. S. Lewis



Although I grew up in a relatively Christian home, by the time I was a teenager I was not a Christian anymore, and had become a pantheist, and had adopted New Age spirituality. When I went to university, I somehow happened upon this little book by C. S. Lewis. His clarity of philosophical argument persuaded me of theism. I am to this day a C. S. Lewis fan and has read many of his works. I love his philosophical books, enjoyed his fantasy novels—the Narnia series, and have read many of his literary essays. His essay “The Abolitionism of Man” and his book “The Four Loves” are fantastic.

“Steps to Christ” – E. G. White



 If “Mere Christianity” caused me to become a theist, then “Steps to Christ” caused me to become a Christian. No other Christian book that I've read explain the gospel in such simplicity and beauty. I don't know if my own theological understanding is still precisely in line with this little book as the book is quite conservative and I'm somewhat liberal, but it is nevertheless a book that has affected the way I approach Christian theology.

“Ministry of Health” – E. G. White 



 As a young adult and new Chrstian, this book became for me a lifestyle manual. It affected much of how I do this thing called life. I definitely do not follow this book's teachings strictly, but many of my more peculiar habits and interest in healthy living that are an expression of my spirituality was inspired by this book.

“Tao Te Ching” – Lao Tze 



 To the distress of many Christian family and friends, and to the confusion of many non-Christians, I call myself a “Taoist Christian”. To say that I am a Taoist-Christian is purposefully confusing. Most people have certain assumptions and prejudices to the terms “Christian” and “Christianity”. I honestly dislike calling myself a Christian, because what most people think of as “Christianity” is not the religion I believe and practise. In fact, I often associate more with atheists and their dislike of religion—and Christianity—and usually for the same reasons as they do. I do believe in the Tao. In fact, I believe that Jesus is the Tao manifest. I am however, not a Taoist in the religious sense. One can divide Taoism into philosophical Taoism (sometimes called proto-Taoism) and religious Taoism. I'm not a religious Taoist, but a philosophical Taoist. I'm sure that some Christians might consider it heretical to think of Jesus as the Tao manifest. Nevertheless, when the gospel first reached China via Syria, it was the Taoists that first became Christians because they recognized Jesus as the Tao. I was surprised to read in C. S. Lewis' writings that he too came to the same conclusion. I don't believe that the “Tao Te Ching” is pure, so I read it through my understanding of Jesus and His character, but the same is true for how I read the Bible too, and particularly the Old Testament.

“The Mozi” – Mozi

 

I call myself a Taoist-Christian, but I can just as well call myself a Mohist-Christian. Mozi was the first great teacher on record to have taught the principle of loving your neighbour as yourself. I personally believe that Mozi was a prophet. I can't say that reading “The Mozi” was truly paradigm shifting for me, but do resonate with most of its core teachings tremendously and feel particularly passionate about two of them, namely “universal love” and “opposition to offensive wars.”

“I See Satan Fall Like Lighting” – René Gerard



 René Gerard's theory of mimetic desire and the scapegoat has changed the way I look at both society and literature. This was undoubtedly a paradigm shifting book for me. It has altered my theology and has opened my eyes to understand the world anew. The title might make it sound like this book is theological, but it is in fact anthropological and literary analysis. After having read this, the world is a different place for me.

“Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution” – Shiri Eisner



 Few books have challenged so many basic assumptions I had, as Shiri Eisner's “Notes for a Bisexual Revolution”. It has opened my eyes to things I hardly ever think about such as the fluidity of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation; it has made me aware of all kinds of privileges that I take for granted: being a man, being white, being cisgender, being literate, having been born in the “West”; and it has awoken me to the plight of many types people that I haven't thought of in the past. It is a book I still struggle with. It is definitely revolutionary—in that it challenges much on what contemporary society is based on, particularly the hegemony of patriarchal, cisgendered, monosexual values.

“Arts & Ideas” – William Fleming


Fleming's famous History of Art textbook, “Arts & Ideas” has done more for my understanding of world history, than most any other historical book I've read out there. Instead of seeing the world simply as a series of wars, bloodshed and power struggles (which is the approach of most history books), this book presented the world to me as a series of changing ideas (and art) and I love it.




  “The Five Love Languages” – Gary Chapman


Chapman's book, “The Five Love Languages”, has given me tremendous insight in myself and other people. While the book was written specifically for couples, I have applied it to all my relationships. It has helped me to better understand my own needs, and also better interact with friends and family. It has also brought me some insight into the problematic relationship I had with my father as a child, and some therapeutic understanding and closure regarding my “daddy-issues”.

“The Naked Ape” – Desmond Morris



 Desmond Morris looks at humans from they perspective as a zoologist. Imagine aliens from from another galaxy comes and observe the human race, such is Morris' approach. This book has taught me so much about human behaviour. Morris often makes parallels with other animals and their behaviour to shed light on many of our own behaviours that are so natural to us, that we hardly see it for what it is—fighting for dominance, territory or mates (something like road rage for instance); mating and sexual displays (fashion styles); feeding and rearing habits (why we like fast-food); etc.

Unfortunately limiting this list to only ten books did not allow me to include a discussion of many other literary books that has affected me. I think of, for example:

1. “Catch-22” – Joseph Heller
2. “Lord of the Rings” trilogy – J. R. R. Tolkien 
3. “A Tale of Two Cities” – Charles Dickens 
4. “Elizabeth Costello” – J. M. Coetzee 
5. “A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” – Douglas Adams 
6. “My Name is Asher Lev” – Chaim Potok
7. “Slaughterhouse-Five” – Kurt Vonnegut
8. “'n Ander Tongval” – Antjie Krog
9. “King Richard III” – William Shakespeare
10. “Catcher in the Rye” – J. D. Salinger

But what about all the essays that has opened my thoughts to great new possibilities, or the many poems that have shaken me to the core?!

Also, considering that I've been practicing martial arts for over 20 years, any honest book list for me should include a list of martial arts books too, as at least a third of my home library consists of martial arts books, but I think I'll post that list on my martial art blog on another occasion instead.

Some Things I Did in May

Goodness, it is June already! This means that the semester is coming to an end. This coming week will be the last teaching week. Next week will be final exams, the week thereafter I'll do grading, and the following week is arbitration week and final admin stuff. And then, I'm happy to announce, I will have a well deserved vacation. But first, here is a quick recap of some highlight from May.

PhD Stuff

My PhD course work is going well. I recently did a presentation which I think went quite well. At least a couple of my classmates found it quite useful and some of them came and asked me afterwards for my sources. My discussion with my philosophy professor, who is also my thesis supervisor is quite fruitful, I think. Although I have not read as much as I would have wanted to for my thesis research, I have honed the outline of my paper a lot. I may or may not have to give another presentation this coming Monday... Korea can be a little ambiguous at times.

Work Stuff

The end of the semester came rather quickly. This coming week there is a public holiday on both Wednesday (for regional elections) and Friday (Memorial Day), so I will only have a two day work week (Tuesday and Thursday), since I am off for my PhD studies on Mondays. There is much that needs to be done in these two weeks, but it is all nicely coming together.

Baseball Game

Baseball is not something generally played in South Africa, and as far as I know, we do not even have a dedicated baseball field in South Africa. Needless to say, I've never been to a baseball game, nor really ever had a true interest in going to one. However, a professor from one of my PhD classes took his master's degree class out on a field trip to a baseball management's office, and afterwards a game, and invited the PhD group as well. Here are some photos of the stadium management "behind-the-scenes" areas as well as the pit and bench and so on.

It is the Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. It was quite a pleasant first game, and luckily I had a friend who could explain to me the finer details of the game. Baseball isn't too complicated and I had already known the basic rules of the games, having watched enough Hollywood movies to deduce the rudementaries.

Guitar! 

I got a guitar as a gift. One of my neighbors had a guitar which she didn't use and felt that it was just taking up space. I on the other hand have been looking for a guitar for quite some time now, but just couldn't get myself to buy one--being very selective on what I spend my money one. Well, I was most happy to take it off her hands.

Dongdaemun

 

I went to Dongdaemun, which literally translates as "East-Great-Gate", possibly two or three times in May. Dongdaemun is known as a fashion shopping area. Visiting Dongdaemun Market is quite an experience as it truly comes to life as a night market when people from all over (including abroad) come to buy whole sale clothes, or hunt for bargains and sales.

I did do some shopping too. I bought a pair of summer pants, a nice matching shirt and also new frames for a new pair of glasses. I've always wanted round steampunk / Harry Potter style glasses, but whenever I put them on they really don't match my face. However, this frame gives the illusion of being round, but they are tempered on top and match my face much better than actual circular ones.

Home-made mayonnaise

I made mayonnaise for the first time. I based it off of a video I saw with Jamie Oliver. Making mayonnaise is surprisingly terribly easy. I don't think I will ever buy mayonnaise again. It just doesn't make sense to buy it, if you can make it easily and cheaply and with organic ingredients.

New Pots

A friend saw the states of my cooking pots and then gave me a sincere and serious talk about the ill-effects my old pots may have on me, and that I should not be using those teflon-sprayed stuff, as it is not healthy, so I took her advice, threw out my old pots, and bought two new ones, with a ceramic coating. I bought one big pot and one small one. I need to buy one medium sized one. I might do it this in June or maybe next month.


MODAFE 2014

The annual Modern Dance Festival was held over May 23-31. I would have loved to attend all of the dance performances, but could only see seven dance routines. Nevertheless, it was great. The highlight was the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company with their performance entitled "If At All", choreographed by Rami Be’er.


I also saw "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", "Foot, Foot, Step, Sound and Step", "Landing Error", "Swift Shift", "The Song", and "Waiting Tree". This list was grouped into two shows with three performances each.

At one of the performances I met a really nice guy who is a the producer / director for a 3D animation series currently running on a Korean TV channel. We had a great time talking about the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company performance and other art related stuff. I guess I made a new friend.

Taijiquan

I attended a Taiji workshop, focusing on joint mobility. It was painful, but in a good way.

Personal Life

As for my personal (romantic) life, all I can say is that it is the stuff that soap operas are made of!

Media

I watched "Her" Saturday night. A very nice movie.

I also watched the series "True Detective". Very good.

As well as some documentaries that are worthy seeing, like Generation Rx and The World According to Monsanto.

I also downloaded the book "The Science Delusion" after watching this TED Talk on my app and started reading it over the weekend.





Well, that's all the major things I can think of.

Oh, and I voted.

"Man Up" -- and some of the harms of patriarchy

A topic I'm quite interested in is the question of "Where have all the good men gone?" -- or rather, what has happened to masculinity?, or what does it mean to be a man in this day and age where men are either hyper-masculinised or emasculated? Having always been very sensitive, emotionally attune, I experienced a great deal of bullying as a child: "boys don't cry", "stop being a sissy", "you have no guts", "man up!" With this in mind, the following spoken-word performance was heartening to see.

I recently finished reading a very thought-provoking book on bisexuality, in which the author list a number of problems with patriarchy, and the burden and harm it does to boys and men. Below is a passage from Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution:

Having internalized these patriarchal values, men learn to see themselves in terms of control, power, and domination. However, herein lies the sting: Since men are forced into the role of oppressor, they are expected to constantly be in control of both themselves and their environments. Kaufman writes: “We have to perform and stay in control. We’re supposed to conquer, be on top of things, and call the shots. We have to tough it out, provide, and achieve.” “Paradoxically, men are wounded by the very way we have learned to embody and exercise our power.” Men are expected to express their domination in various ways that end up hurting them. They are expected to be physically capable, strong, and able-bodied. Since early childhood, they are encouraged to engage in sports, be able to fight, be able to lift heavy objects, or otherwise physically manipulate their environments (build things, fix things, etc.). In certain cultures and groups, as they grow up they are also encouraged (or indeed, obligated by law) to become soldiers and to physically “fight for their country,” even to the death. By doing all of these things, men exhibit their ability to dominate their environments by exerting physical control. This expectation hurts the men who do not, or for any reason cannot, par with the standard. They get perceived as weak, or as having deficient masculinities, and therefore as lesser human beings (remember that fitting into the single standard of patriarchy is also the condition for being considered a valuable human). It also hurts the men who do engage in these activities, as the pressure and the intensity required of them often leads to physical injuries, permanent damage, or even death.

Men are expected to be able to provide for the physical needs of their (presumably heteronormative) families, to be the “breadwinner” or the one “putting the food on the table.” They are expected to do this by working hard, making money, and deciding what to do with it. By doing this, men prove their ability, status, and their domination of their families (women and children). They also earn respect for their work, and they control the money and its expenditure. This again hurts men who cannot fit into this standard, as they are perceived as lazy or incapable. The men who do perform this expectation get hurt because it means reducing their lives to working under capitalism, meaning that in most cases they feel alienated from their work and from other people (since they’re left with very little time for their personal lives).

Despite the fact that men are encouraged to provide for the physical needs of women and children, they are also expected to be emotionally distant from them, and from other people in general. As a general rule, men are expected never to act in ways that are nurturing, caring, or tender toward others. In fact, they are expected to never feel these things, want them, or admit to them. Their emotional distance is supposed to back up their controlling status over their families by showing that they are impartial and that emotional needs are insignificant in relation to the material needs that the man is obliged to provide. This hurts the men who do provide emotional support to their families by painting them as overcaring, overemotional, or even as being “pussywhipped” by their wives. It also hurts the men who do embody this expectation because it denies them of emotional intimacy and closeness to other people. In addition to maintaining emotional distance, men are supposed to be emotionally invulnerable and never to feel hurt, scared, or sad. Even if they do feel any of these things, they are expected to internalize them and never to speak of them or express them otherwise (“boys don’t cry,” as the popular saying goes). This expectation is supposed to be an expression of a man’s eternal and enduring strength, his ability to “take anything” without getting hurt or breaking down. Men who do express their emotions or indeed cry are often mocked or ridiculed. They’re considered to have deficient masculinities, or not to be “manly enough.” They are consequently derogated through comparisons to women, using nicknames such as “sissy,” “pussy,” etc. The men who do perform this expectation are hurt by it because they are forced into emotional numbness at best and into internalized negative feelings at worst. These internalized feelings might often lead men to self-destructive behaviors, hurting themselves as well as others since they can find no socially acceptable way to admit and express their emotions.

On par with the perception of men as “purely physical” beings, they are also expected to always want and be ready for sex. In fact, they are taught that not only does their masculinity depend upon it, but also their value as human beings. Sex is also supposed to be the only legitimate way for men to receive intimacy (since emotional intimacy is forbidden to them). The expression of sexual prowess is supposed to support the image of men as those who conquer and dominate women. Popular imagination compares men’s sexual encounters with women to imaginary notches on the belts of their masculinity. Men who do not fulfill this expectation are seen as losers or (god forbid!) as gay. Men who do internalize it learn to view women as objects rather than people, a distancing and alienating notion that might hurt their ability to create emotional intimacy.

[Trigger warning: general discussion of sexual assault and trauma] In addition, and importantly, this hurts men who have been sexually assaulted or raped. They sometime presume that, because they were hurt, then they were somehow “asking for it” or actually “wanting it.” It also leads society to question them and deny their trauma, because, as popular “wisdom” goes, “you can’t rape the willing” (presuming that men must always be willing). [End of trigger] 

Men are also expected never to do anything perceived as feminine. This applies to everything from clothing through body language to behavior, preferences, and beyond. A good example is external appearance: While women have fought—and still are fighting—for their right to wear pants, to not be required to wear makeup or shave their entire bodies, men are still strictly forbidden to wear skirts, jewelry, or makeup, to shave their body hair, or to otherwise “feminize” their appearance. Hell, even men who wear masculine clothes with colors that are too bright, or with the appearance of putting too much effort into it, are policed for their deviation. The complete ban on anything perceived as feminine is meant to secure masculinity’s status as superior and femininity’s status as inferior. (Famously, Iggy Pop said, “I’m not ashamed to dress like a woman because I don’t think it’s shameful to be a woman.”) Men who behave in ways that are perceived as feminine are regarded as “sissies,”“queers,” or “homos,” and undergo various forms of social policing and violence for their gender deviance. Men who act according to this expectation are denied a full spectrum of options for self-expression, creativity, and play, and are forced to limit themselves to a narrow standard of acceptable behavior.

Men are expected to be strictly and always heterosexual. As alluded to above, being gay is one of the most dreaded things that a man might be suspected of, and is often used as a derogatory term for policing men who have deviated from the sacred lines of manhood. That said, as American writer Greta Christina mentions in her blog post “Five Stupid, Unfair and Sexist Things Expected of Men ,” once a man actually comes out as gay, this message of “[ D]on’t be even a little bit gay” is replaced with “Well . . . okay.” More than anything, this tells us that men are allowed to be monosexual (however begrudgingly in the case of gay men), but are strictly forbidden from being bisexual. Heterosexuality for men enforces their compliance with dominant masculinity as well as their value as human beings. Monosexuality for gay men secures their masculinity by exhibiting perceived decisiveness and stability. Bisexuality, however, does not fit together with this framework because its perceived instability, confusion, and indecisiveness clash with those values expected of men. It is of little surprise, then, that male bisexuality is constantly erased and denied. 

Eisner, Shiri (2013-07-02). Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution. Seal Press. Kindle Edition. 

The Taming of Smeagol

"The Taming of Smeagol" by Donato Giancola

I stumbled onto this absolutely exquisite painting, depicting a scene from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It is by multiple award winning artist Donato Giancola. The title "The Taming of Smeagol" refers to a chapter from the second novel of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, "The Two Towers", in which Frodo and Sam captures Smeagol (Gollum).

A scene from a staged production of
Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew",
directed by Conall Morrisson (2008).
(Image Source)

Tolkien's chapter title "The Taming of Smeagol" alludes to Shakespeare's play "The Taming of the Shrew" in which a gentlemen "tames" his stubborn bride into becoming obedient. The "taming" in The Lord of the Rings is summarised as follows on the Tolkien Gateway wiki:

As the hobbits huddle in the cold, Frodo spots a crawling insect-like creature on a distant cliff, clinging to the wall by its hands. Sam realizes the creature is Gollum. As the creature draws nearer, he leaps on Sam. They wrestle. Frodo draws his knife Sting from its sheath and thrusts it against Gollum’s neck, demanding obedience from the creature. Gollum is suddenly subservient and vows total servitude, but Frodo does not trust him entirely. Gollum suddenly bounds away, attempting escape. The hobbits get him back and harness him with the Elf rope, which causes Gollum great pain. Gollum again vows obedience, and this time he seems sincere. The creature leads his Hobbit masters onward to Mordor.

Many readers, particularly readers of later generations, have wondered if the relationship between the Hobbits Frodo and Sam are possibly homosexual, considering the strong love the Hobbits have for each other and the physical affection that Sam shows towards his master Frodo. I think this misconception reveals the sad state of modern Western culture where any intimate friendship is assumed to be sexual. As if the only way to intimacy is through sex. No, any close reading of the text makes it clear that the two Hobbits are not homosexual. They do, however, express great camaraderie and platonic intimacy and such physical affection between same-sex friends are quite common in many cultures around the world and carries no sexual significance--not in many parts of our world, nor in Tolkien's Middle Earth.

The painting by Giancolo, on the other hand, flips the tables and asks a different question; not if there is sexual intimacy between Frodo and Sam, but rather if there is a type of sexual tension between Frodo and Smeagol, or Sam and Smeagol.

"The Taming of Smeagol" by Donato Giancola

The homo-erotic elements in this painting is glaringly obvious. The naked Smeagol sits on Sam's back; Smeagol has toppled Sam and mounted him, hinting at an attempted rape. Fortunately Frodo intervenes and pulls Smeagol away by his hair, while keeping "Sting", his sword threateningly close. Frodo's violent action is paradoxically contrasted with his face so intimately close to Smeagol's that it almost appears like Frodo is about to kiss Smeagol. Furthermore, swords are by their very nature phallic symbols and in this painting with its close proximity to the naked Smeagol, the sexual symbolism is obviously alluded to.

Giancolo's depiction evokes a lover's triangle. Those that have read the book (or seen the movie) will know that an actual lover's triangle between these three characters do not exist. Yet the painting makes us aware of such a possibility nonetheless and we are forced to rethink the relationship of these characters. And so we do find a lover's triangle of sorts--not of Frodo and Sam and Smeagol, but of Frodo and Smeagol and the Ring. Smeagol's obsession with the Ring, his "precious", is stronger than any normal erotic obsession. Smeagol's seeming attempt to get closer to Frodo, i.e. Smeagol's "taming", is based on his obsession with the Ring. While Frodo finds the Ring burdensome, he also becomes infatuated with it, and because he knows that Smeagol understands this infatuation, he feels a special bond with Smeagol. The Ring draws them both to itself, but also strangely to each other. Sam is the one left out, the one "underneath", separated from Frodo and Smeagol's special intimacy. Notice how the menacing sword points at Sam, showing how he is "threatened" by Frodo and Smeagol's connection.

Giancolo's homo-erotic interpretation highlights the intensity of the Ring's power--brilliantly comparing it to an erotic obsession.

You can view more of Giancolo's artwork at his website.

Shaun Tan's "The Arrival"

On Friday I went to see the theatre adaptation of multi-award winning Shaun Tan's graphic novel The Arrival. The story is about a man going to the "New World" to start a new life for his family, but as a foreigner everything is weird and wonderful and even somewhat scary. The strangeness of the new world is also strange to the audience so that the reader shares the "outsider" experience with the main character.

The book is a wondrously surreal fantasy trip in which the reader joins the main character in his journey as he is overwhelmed by the foreignness of his new environment. We share his experiences of slowly settling into the new country as an immigrant, making new friends (including a tadpole-like dog), hears the often sad stories of other immigrants and the reasons they fled their respective countries of origin, and preparing for the anticipated arrival of his wife and daughter, which he had to leave behind in his dangerous home country.

I think that as an expatriate that had experienced the strangeness of a new country before, the book especially resonated with me. But I'm confident that the weirdness of Tan's images can evoke the same feelings of "otherness" in even those that have not experienced a foreign country before.

The graphic novel was adapted for theatre by New Zealand's Red Leap Theatre troupe. The adaptation had won them numerous awards in New Zealand and now with their international tour I'm sure international awards are to follow for this spectacular stage production. They have definitely succeeded in bringing the magic of Tan's book into a 3D space that keeps the audience upright in their seeds with enthralment.

 

I highly recommend the book and if the opportunity to see the stage production arises, do not miss out. It is worth every dollar. It has definitely been a highlight of my year so far.

I Love Getting Packages in the Mail

Recently I spoke with a friend about The Five Love Languages. The basic premise of the book is that people feel love differently. Some feel love through affection, others through gifts, others through words of affirmation, others through acts of service, and others through shared quality time.

My love language is not gifts. I appreciate them when I get them, but I do not feel any less loved if I don't receive a gift. I do, however, get quite excited when I receive a package in the mail. There is something childlike-and-wonderful about receiving mail -- no, not email (although I appreciate personal email too), but actual mail.

Just now a package came for me. I had a very good idea of its contents, yet I couldn't keep myself from getting excited at the mere thought of it. It happened to be books that I had ordered through Amazon a few weeks back. Now, of course, new books are reason enough to get me all fluttery with excitement.

My three new books are all on martial arts (philosophy):

• Herding the Ox: The Martial Arts as Moral Metaphor by John J. Donohue
• On the Warrior's Path: Philosophy, Fighting, and Martial Arts Mythology by Daniele Bolelli
• Muye Dobo Tongji: The Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts of Ancient Korea, translated by Sang H. Kim

I cannot wait to start reading them . . . although I'm currently busy rereading another excellent martial art book so the suspense will have to continue a little longer. Aahh!!!

Ek hunker na iets in Afrikaans

Ek is uitgehonger na Afrikaanse leesstof. Ek soek 'n boek wat ek kan lees op die moltrein. Maar hier in Korea is daar slegs drie Afrikaanse boeke op my boekrak. Die Mugu van Etienne Le Roux, Antjie Krog se 'n Ander Tongval en 'n digbundel, "om te lewe is onnatuurlik" van Gert Vlok Nel. O ja, en die Ou Vertaling van die Afrikaanse Bybel, alhoewel ek my Engelse Bybel meer gebruik. My karige versamelingtjie Afrikaanse boeke hier in Korea het ek elk reeds gelees (die Bybel ook).

Sal ek maar weer 'n Ander Tongval lees? Ek het dit die vorige keer baie geniet en dit is allermins kwaliteit Afrikaans.

As enige iemand my 'n groot guns wil doen, stuur asseblief vir my 'n goeie Afrikaanse boek!

En so van die Afrikaanse os tot op die Afrikaanse wa, hier is die Karen Zoid se nuwe single, "Bly By My":



Die album kom aan die begin van November uit, volgens die blog Singing South African-ness.

National Book Week

Next week, starting 6 September, is South Africa's first National Book Week.The best way to celebrate it is to help with the promotion of reading amongst our younger generation. There are absolutely excellent children's and youth fiction -- youngster just need to be introduced to the pleasure of reading and I'm confident they'll be hooked.

My own enjoyment of reading comes from my mother who encouraged me to read at a very early age by providing me with all sorts of interesting books. Although I did not regularly read as a child the seed was planted and by the time I reached adolescence I rediscovered reading and have been reading both fiction and non-fiction regularly ever since.

I suggest supporting programs like the Metz & Bob book donation (see the poster) or visit your local library and see how you can support the programs they will be running. If you're a parent or if you have nephews and nieces, why not by them an interesting book to celebrate National Book Week. And while you at it, get yourself a good book and instead of watching TV next week, switch of the noise and settle in rediscover the joys of reading. You could even challenge yourself to read at least one book during National Book Week!

Let the Right One In

A recent subway read which I finished probably a week ago is the vampire novel Let the Right One In, by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist. The Daily Express exclaimed that “Lindqvist has reinvented the vampire novel.” It is a good novel, I agree. About a young boy named Oskar, always bullied at school, who then befriends his new neighbor, Eli, who turns out to be a vampire. A simple enough story, the the main plot is diluted with more and more sub plots. One finishes the book feeling that some of these sub plots were there, not to add to the suspense, not even to reinforce the reoccurring themes like absent fathers and alcohol/blood addiction, but to just thicken the book.

I’ve wrote about the film adaptation of Let the Right One In on this blog before. It was an excellent movie. In fact, it is one of the best vampire films I’ve seen in a very long time and would probably place it on my list of top three vampire movies. The other two would include Interview with a Vampire and Bramstoker’s Dracula.

It is very seldom that I would say that a film adaptation of a novel is better than the original novel. I’ve only said it of one other movie of which I’ve also read the novel. But in this case it is so. I watched the film again, after reading the novel, and understood why it is better. The film is stripped of the excess. The plot is streamlined, the action improved. And by doing so I felt that the focus on the relationship of the two main characters, Oskar and Eli, came much better to the front. It is their story. The story of two unlikely “children” becoming friends.

In this case, skip the novel and watch the film.

My Name Is Asher Lev

I recently read the novel My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok, first published in 1972. One of my professors from South Africa told me long ago that I remind her of the main character, a young red headed Jewish boy, whom is an art prodigy. I’ve always wanted to read the book, but never got so far . . . until now.

What surprised me about the book is how much the character Asher and I have in common. I was somewhat shocked that this professor should know so many things about me. Things more obscure than the fact that the main character, Asher, and I both have red hair. I am of Jewish decent (did she know this?) and although I am not of the Jewish faith, I do keep some customs which are ordinarily associated with Judaism. Like Asher, I keep the Sabbath and also only eat kosher food. I would not call myself a child prodigy like the main character, but I have always been very creative and have been ostracized by many of my peers as a child for my “oddness.” Like Asher I suffered from depression as a child, often feeling exhausted without cause and not understanding what was wrong with me. Also, both my mother and this character’s mother suffered from depression. Like Asher, the older I got and the more my sensitivities became apparent the less my father and I had in common. Unlike Asher’s father who pertinently opposed his art, my father merely left me in my mother’s care. Now as an adult I cannot blame my father – he was a car mechanic by trade and a business man by profession. None of these things I had an interest in, nor did these careers equip him with the skills to nurture an overly emotional, creative and artistic boy. Like Asher, as a child I spent numerous hours by myself just drawing. I wish I could say that I became a well known and highly successful artist – I did not. I traded pencil and paint for the typewriter and am still honing my craft.


I often miss expressing myself in lines and shapes, colours and shades. The novel inspired me to do some visual art again. I have many ideas; maybe I’ll still bring them to life. I often lament that I went to study graphic design
– I should have studied fine arts. Sometimes I wonder how my life would have been if I did a masters’ in History of Art, instead of Creative Writing. If I did, I would probably not have worked as a lecturer at a university in Korea. They need people in the (English) language field more than people in the arts. Still, one cannot help but wonder at times how one’s life may have been different had different opportunities come along. But they didn’t. It was a scholarship for Creative Writing that presented itself. And I’m thankful. Writing is a good medium – one can colour with paint and with words. One can give shade with pencils and with metaphors.

I also realised, while reading the novel, that I have another thing in common with main character. Asher’s art was often in contradiction to his religion. Some of my best ideas are things that clash with my religious heritage. Unlike Asher I have not had the fortitude to put them to paper / canvas yet.

What do you do on Christmas?

Three posts in a row… Clearly I’m procrastinating. I still have to grade some exam papers, but instead I’m surfing the Net and coming up with more things to post about. Luckily the grades are only due Sunday at midnight, so I still have time.

What do you do on Christmas?

In a previous post I mentioned that I do not celebrate Christmas. What I meant was, that I do not consider it a spiritual occasion or holyday, neither do I buy into the European traditions of setting up Christmas trees and buying grand gifts for everyone.

Sometimes, however, if I do get swept up by the spirit of the season, I’d do some Christmassy stuff. For one, if I’m going to listen to Christmas carols, let it be from Diana Krall’s Christmas Songs (2005) album.



The Trans-Siberian Orchestra is also a favourite alternative to the typical Christmas carol vibe.



I also like to read or watch Terry Pratchett’s “The Hogfather.”



…or any Terry Pratchett novel, for that matter.

Tonight I’m planning to go to a Korean Rockabily concert, featuring The Moonshiners, and tomorrow I will join colleagues and friends for a Christmas Lunch in Itaewon.

Apart from these moments of social activity, I'll be spending much of today and tomorrow grading papers...

I wonder…

...if a student can be so desperate to break into my office to steal a grammar book? My “Grammar for English Language Teachers” has gone missing and I have no idea how it could have happened. It ought to be in my office, but for some reason it is not. The only other place it could be is at my house, but it is not here either. True, it is an excellent book, but I cannot image any student being that fraught to improve their grammar; however, I cannot think of any other plausible answer to the mystery of my missing book.

Is Cute Sexy?

The video above is about a book depicting men acting maternal, which, it turns out, is somehow sexy (and maybe even erotic) to women (especially "new moms"). Now while I can understand how new moms can find it appreciative and a thankful relief when her hubby helps out with the children, I don't think I quite get how this is sexy. I guess it is similar to guys with puppies... It looks cute. But why does "cute" equals "sexy."

Personally I do not find cute girls sexy – it borders too much on paedophilia. This is a major reason why many Asian women do not do it for me. Asian women (or is it Asian men?) thinks that cute looks and cutesy behaviour is sexy. I guess people present themselves to society in a manner they think their potential partners would like. If Asian women believe that the men like women that look like school girls, then that is the kind of looks and behaviour they imitate. The Lolita look is quite prominent in Korea and Japan. I think in Japan more so than Korea.

So let my try and understand this. To look sexy, one has to look cute? Okay. Here is my attempt at trying to look cute … uhm, sexy. Let me know if I succeeded. Sorry, I didn’t have any access to babies or puppies.