Some things I did in September

One of the definite highlights of September was to go and have a three course dessert meal at Dessertree in Sinsadong. I've been wanting to go to this place for months now, and finally got to go there. It was a brilliant culinary experience. At one point I cried.

In the pictures you can see:
1. Fresh figs with sour cream sorbet
2. Soufflé with Korean herbs and chrysanthemum
3. Salted caramel, dark chocolate and vanilla ice cream éclairs
4. Fresh fruit with rose jelly and meringues  

Dessertree에: 서울시 강남구 신사동 653-7  www.dessertree.com

On the same day I also had a quick visit with my friend Roni, whom I haven't seen in months. We are both so busy and living relatively far apart, so it is difficult to get an opportunity that we are both free.

Roni owns a lounge/gym in Apgujeong called Roni's Project.




Speaking of food, I got to visit Dochi Pizza, one of the top five clay oven pizzarias in Seoul, and tried their trademark "Star Pizza". Not bad at all.

After one of the dance performances that I attended in September there was a little kiosk outside with French people making Nutela crepes with bananas, fresh whipped cream, and ice cream. Of course I had to try it.

 

Later in September I came down with serious toothache. The dentist checked (even took X-rays) and confirmed that the toothache is not because of cavities or anything to do with my mouth. So no, all the good food I've been eating is not too blame. Instead, he said, it is tension related. He followed the pain along my temple and down my neck, and showed me that it is because of tension and stress. His recommendation was that I should figure out what is giving me so much stress and that the pain will go away as the tension reduces. Much of the stress had to do with familial matters of the soap opera kind, over which I do not have much control.

In any case, one way in which I decided to reduce my stress was to go for a Thai massage!

I also tried ear candles for the first time. Can't really say that I felt anything. The act of lying there, just waiting for the candle to burn its way down, is probably therapeutic in a ritualistic sense.

The fall season in Korea is full of concerts. When I saw that the National Dance Company of Korea will have another performance, I just had to see it. "Tournament" was not as awesome as "Altar" which I saw in June, but it was still quite a spectacle.

This was just the start of my "season of dance". A friend and I bought a set of tickets for the international dance festival over September and October, a number of which I have already seen.

The four pictures above are from Philippe Genty's dance performance, "Forget Me Not".



Also in September I went one morning the the 2014 Incheon Asia Games to watch some field and track. Actually, I really wanted to go see the Wushu championships, but the venue was unfortunately too far for me to get to, so I had to settle with track and field. Nevertheless, it was quite interesting to see these amazing athletes from greater Asia.

In September I also had the opportunity to spend some time with ITF Taekwon-Do Master (Dr.) George Vitale (8th Dan) who came to visit Korea for a few days. We had wonderful discussions about the state of Taekwon-Do in Korea and around the world.


Well, that's all of the highlights I can remember. Workwise I've been very busy. This semester feels quite heavy compared to previous semesters -- or rather, the way my schedule is arranged makes it feel quite heavy. My PhD studies is also going well. In one of my classes we are discussing ancient Taoism, and their view of the body and immortality. Fascinating stuff.

My First World Problem: Penis Touching Toilet Bowl

Image Source

Seriously, one has to wonder who designs toilet bowls. I'm tempted to come to the conclusion that they are either women who are not designing toilets with male genitalia in mind, or men with extra short penises, or hyper cheap manufacturers (with short penises) that would sacrifice our hygiene for a few centimetres less of toilet space.

There are few things in life that galls me as much as when my penis touches the front of the toilet bowl. And it is not as if I'm sitting on the front edge of the toilet either. I'm sitting properly far back. Neither do I have an unusually large penis—mine is in line with the world average, so I'm sure it can't just be me who is struggling with this most irksome of problems. In fact, a quick online search for “penis touching toilet bowl” showed that this is a very common problem. There is even a Facebook page for: “The awkward moment when your penis touches the toilet bowl.”

What's wrong with this picture?
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The toilet at my home is okayish, but I still have to push my penis down with one hand otherwise it touches the front of the toilet bowl. Some public restroom toilets are particularly cramp and shallow, so that even with me pushing things down, it still touches the front bowl. Which, keeping in mind that it is a public toilet, is particularly gross. As one guy on a forum said, it is like “a kiss for your dick tip from every other dick tip” that has used that toilet before you. If I'm going to have parts of my body kissing parts of other peoples' body, I'd prefer to know them first and have it happen outside the confines of a gross toilet cubicle. And sometimes, even if you get to push your penis down so that it doesn't touch the front of the bowl, often these public toilets are not deep enough, so what ends up happening is that you dip your tip into the water, which—considering that you are taking a dump—is disgusting. Now I haven't even started to to talk about the occasions you have a semi-hard on, which happens quite often for average healthy guys throughout the day. And since this rant is concerned with penis tips touching the front of the toilet bowl, I will not address the related but fortunately less common disasters of those terribly shallow toilet bowls where your scrotum touches the water's surface on hot summer's days. It is not as refreshing as it sounds.

Can you spot my brother?
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Back to glans penises and porcelain. Women might think that the solution is to keep your penis outside of the toilet, by simply resting it on a piece of toilet paper on top of the front brim. Unfortunately this doesn't work because you always pee a little when taking a dump, which results in you peeing over your pants and shoes. Alternatively one can hang a piece of toilet paper on the inside of the front of the bowl and let your penis rest against it, but again this isn't ideal as a toilet is always damp and so the toilet paper just gets all mushy and the wetness (and germs?!) from the toilet bowl steeps through onto your manhood, or you get a urine soaked piece of toilet paper wrapped around your glans. One of my brothers' solution to the problem is to climb onto the toilet bowl, and squat on it, which according to science is a healthier position for passing stool that sitting down. Regrettably, this is a balancing act I've never quite mastered and the fear of accidentally slipping of the brim and stepping into the bowl is enough to prevent me from testing my agility on a public thrown.

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The last time my penis touched the toilet bowl at a public restroom—a week ago—I finished my business in the toilet and then went over to the handbasin and just washed my penis with soap and water. I was frankly too grossed out to walk around the whole day thinking of all the germ-kisses that were planted on my penis tip. Luckily there was nobody else in the public restroom who I could disturb with me washing my junk in the public sink, but a hygienic man's got to do what a hygienic man's got to do. While I'm guilty of this act, the habit of men washing their groins in public restroom basens is not something I hope catches on. Imagine having to stand in line to wash your hands after another guy has just lathered up his penis!

The simple solution, dear toilet makers, is to make toilet bowls adequately long and deep enough to prevent the normal sized and larger sized men from having to endure the irritating problem of their penises touching parts of the toilet bowl. Is that too much to ask?

Our Hearts Speak to Each Other

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This is probably the most fascinating research I have read in a while, and utterly poetic. Studies show that our hearts can actually communicate bioelectromagnetic signals which is then sensed by the nervous system of another person, causing a heart-to-heart synchronicity where two people's heart start to match each other's rhythms. This works better during skin contact, but can also occur without any physical contact. In other words, explained more poetically, our hearts can speak to each other.

Read the whole article on PDF here: The Enegetic Heart: Bioelectromagnetic Interactions Within and Between People

The paper concludes with:

Acting as a synchronizing force within the body, a key carrier of emotional information, and an apparent mediator of a type of subtle electromagnetic communication between people, the cardiac bioelectromagnetic field may have much to teach us about the inner dynamics of health and disease as well as our interactions with others.

This publication is actually quite old, having been published in 2003. More recent information on the topic can be read at the Institute of HeartMath.

The Connection Between Your Mouth and Your Health

I have at long last found a biological dentist. Ever since I have been in Korea I have been constantly frustrated with the dentist I went to. Don't get me wrong, Korean dentists are not ill-equipped. With the very high rate of plastic surgery and other aesthetic alterations being made in Korea, Korean dentists are some of the best in the world in creating beautiful smiles.

The problem is that none of the dentists I went to and with whom I shared my concern for the connection between my mouth and my health grasped what I was talking about. And instead of partnering with me to take care of my wellbeing they assume modernistic authority and subjugate their patients—“I’m the all-knowing doctor, you are the ignorant patient; now this is what we are going to do!”

Most people do not consider the link between their mouths and their health. Problems with your teeth and gums affect your body in two ways. Bacteria in your mouth are constantly ingested. If your mouth is a breeding farm for harmful bacteria, you are continually swallowing down germ filled saliva. A healthy body is well capable of taking care of small amounts of germs which we are exposed to on a daily basis, but a continuous ingestion of harmful bacteria can very well be overwhelming to the immune system, causing inflammation that has been linked to heart disease and various cancers. There is another way that a sick mouth causes a sick body. The teeth are set in the jaw bone and skull, which through the bone marrow is supplied with nerves and blood. This means that a sick tooth can infect the surrounding bone causing necrotic tissue, and also germs and other toxins can slip directly into the bloodstream via the teeth and jawbone to go cause havoc somewhere else in the body.

Slowly dentistry and the medical profession have come around to acknowledge the severe dangers of amalgam (grey/silver) fillings which is an alloy that contains mercury. This highly toxic metal escapes into the mouth as fumes with the slightest of agitation ranging from mere mastication (chewing) or hot liquids like drinking coffee.



Many people suffering from chronic diseases are sick because of slowly being poisoned over a long period of time by the stuff in their mouths. And many a patient has been cured by removing the amalgam fillings and going on a heavy metal detox program. I’ve had my amalgam fillings removed long ago.

But amalgam fillings are not the only culprit of sick mouths causing sick bodies. An often overlooked cause of many chronic diseases is root canals. A root canal is a procedure in which the dentist drills out the living tissue from a tooth and then fills it up, basically leaving a dead tooth with dead roots in your jaw. In a healthy tooth there is a pulp chamber made up of living cells and supplied with blood vessels. In case there are some toxins in the tooth at least the blood supply can help to carry away the toxins and bring antibodies to the infected area and so there is at least some way of caring for the tooth. In root canals, germs and toxins trapped inside the tooth cannot be “cleaned out” by the body’s natural filtering system. Instead they just continue to fester there until they start to infect the whole surrounding area, and eventually poison the jaw and the rest of the body. Studies from the early parts of the 1900s already proved that such root canals are directly linked to different ailments elsewhere in the body.



I’ve been having a problem tooth for quite some time now. At least three dentists have told me that I should get a root canal done. One dentist I convinced to treat the tooth without giving me a root canal. His solution was making me pay for a gold filling which I later found out via an X-ray he merely placed over the cavity, leaving the cavity to further grow behind the filling. After another dentist saw this, he said that the only solution is to have the gold filling removed (which I had only gotten a few months earlier) and getting a root canal. When I told him about the dangers of root canals he got angry with my, saying that if it was dangerous they would not have taught young dentists to perform it in medical school. Here is the problem: we have the ignorant dentists on the one hand that doesn’t know about the connection of the mouth and health, and then we have the money hungry swindlers on the other hand that likes to put expensive gold fillings in your mouth or perform unnecessary procedures just to fill their greedy pockets. Sadly, often the ignorant ones and the greedy ones are one and the same.

I’ve been in Korea for around five years and after much frustration I have eventually found a biological dentist. I’ve been to two previous ones that I thought would know what I’m talking about, but they both disappointed me and were eager for me that I should get a root canal done. Eventually I discovered another dentist who advertised himself as a biological and homoeopathic dentist. When I explained to him my fear of having a root canal done he immediately understood and also cautioned me about the practise. I nearly cried, being so relieved at finding at last someone that understands my concerns and is willing to partner with me in the managing of my health. After taking an X-ray the doctor said that the tooth is indeed likely in need of a root canal—the alternative, of course being that it should be pulled.

There are methods of doing root canals that can reduce the possibility of future problems. Such procedures attempt to seriously disinfect the tooth using extreme methods such as laser cleaning, ozone treatments or calcium hydroxide. It is not that most dentist do not disinfect a tooth when doing root canals, it is just that they don’t do a good enough job. Dentists are concerned with the one to four major canals and focus on cleaning out these canals before filling the tooth. The problem is, however, that there are many auxiliary canals which are extremely difficult to disinfect and it is in these auxiliary canals where the bacteria hide out just to later emerge and cause mayhem. So difficult is it to reach these germs that dentist using calcium hydroxide as a cleanser often leaves it in the tooth for one to two months in order to saturate all parts of the tooth, before filling the tooth permanently.

Even so, a tooth that had the root canal procedure done is a dead tooth. Basically, you have a dead object sitting in your body.

The biological dentist started on my tooth, slowly moving in and cleaning out as far as he went. Then, discovering that while the cavity is indeed quite deep, it has not properly reached the pulp and after an hour of work on my tooth (other dentists spend maybe 15 minutes!) he announced that the tooth need not have a root canal done. He took a mould of the cavity and had a moulded resin filling made. I cannot help but repeat this: THREE previous dentists have insisted that I get a root canal done, which may have untold future disease causing implications.

I am extremely thankful for at last discovering a dentist whom I can trust with my mouth.

With this post I'm hoping that if you have either amalgam fillings in your mouth or have a root canal done that you seriously consider finding a good biological dentist to work with you and treating these disease causing areas in your mouth. Particularly if you are showing any signs of chronic disease or discomfort anywhere in your body, it is very possible that the cause is in your mouth.

'n (Sjinese) Verjaarsdag, klasdraf, 'n verstandtand en 'n romantiese zombie-fliek

Verlede week was my verjaarsdag. Ek dink volgens een of ander psalm in die Bybel het ek nou die helfde van my lewe geleef. So 'n mylpaal behoort gevier te word. Ongelukkig was daar geen geleentheid vir partytjie hou nie. Op dieselfde dag wat my verjaarsdag was, het ek van bitter vroeg tot goed laat klasgedraf. My doktorsgraadklasse is almal op eendag in geprop (ek kan slegs eendag per week by my werk afkry). Aangesien die universiteit waar ek studeer in 'n ander stad is moet ek reeds vroeg uit die vere en op die pad wees. Ek is juis tans oppad terug huistoe en sit op 'n bus en tik op my skootrekenaar. Die laaste klas het vanaand rondom 21:00 klaar gemaak, wat beteken dat ek so teen 23:00 tuis sal wees. En dit is 'n goeie aand--klasse is drie ure lank en die laaste klas wat om 19:00 begin kan by regte tot 22:00 aanhou, in welkgeval ek eers rondom middernag by die gaan kom.

Omdat ek verlede week my verjaarsdag gemis het, kry ek skielik die blink idee oor die naweek om my verjaarsdag op die Sjinese maankalender te volg eeder as die Gregoriaanse sonkalender. Baie Koreane vier hulle verjaarsdag op die maankalender eerder as die sonkalender. Ek gaan toe op 'n wilde soektog om uit te vind op watter dag is ek gebore volgens die Sjinese kalender en sien toe dat ek op die derde dag van die tweede maand gebore is. Die derde dag van die tweede maand val hierdie jaar op verlede Donderdag. Maw, ek het oor daardie geleentheid om my verjaarsdag te vier gemis.

So wat het ek verlede Donderdag gedoen? Wel, ek het 'n kiestand wat my al 'n rukkie lank pla en besluit toe verlede Donderdag om die tandarts te besoek. Nadat hy 'n X-straal van my kies geneem het kondig hy aan dat dit 'n verstandtand is wat die moeilikheid maak en dat ek dit sal moet verwyder, nou is goed. En toe sommer net daar en dan, sonder enige emosionele voorbereiding verloor ek 'n verstandtand, so op my Sjinese verjaarsdag. Getraumatiseerd besluit ek toe dat ek nie Taekwon-Do gaan oefen nie (nie met 'n seermond nie) en dat ek 'n fliek gaan kyk.

Die fliek was "Warm Bodies" -- 'n romantiese komedie met zombies. Die interesante ding vir my was toe ek so derde deur die fliek besef dat dit sowaar op Willem Bewespies se Romeo & Juliet gebasseur is. Toevallig is een van die klasse wat ek op universiteit aanbied "Shakespeare Films". Ek gaan beslus "Warm Bodies" in my kurrikulum insluit volgende jaar.

'n Olike week

Die eerste week van elke semester is altyd dol. Ek voel so bietjie soos 'n kind wat net begin leer swem sonder sy armbalonne. Dis nie dat die werkslading in die eerste week dramaties erger is as die res van die semester nie. Inteendeel, die eerste weer vereis eintlik aansienlik minder klasgee aangesien die eerste klasse hoofsaaklik gebruik word vir orientasiedoeleindes: wat is die doelwitte van die klas, watter handboek gaan ons gebruik, hoe word die punte geweeg, hoe kan die studente 'n afspraak met my reel, ensomeer. Nogtans voel die eerste week soos die aanbreuk van 'n klein oorlog. Dit is Donderdag en ek is reeds uitgeput en voel huimweerig na die vakansietyd.

Daar is twee dinge wat hierdie week veral moeilik vir my gemaak het. Eerstens 'n slegte griep. Ek het lanklaas 'n ordentlike griep gehad, met 'n gehoes en proes en 'n olike lyf. Ek is seker dat 'n verskeidenheid stressors my immuniteit af het--nie dinge wat ek noodwendig nou wil deel met die wereld nie. Die ander ding is die trek in 'n nuwe kantoor in. Die nuwe kantoor is natuurlik heel aangenaam, maar so 'n getrekkery is nogals stresvol en 'n mens besef nie watse politiek in die agtergrond gebeur nie. Selfs ek was heel onbewus van die onderliggende gekibbel wat aan die gang was.

More (Vrydag) is 'n openbare vakansiedag in Korea. Ek is erg dankbaar en gaan probeer om laat te slaap. Ongelukkig kort my woning 'n bietjie aan die kant maak, skottelgoed het opgehoop, wasgoed moet gewas;,so ek kan nie die hele dag in die bed bly en flieks kyk nie --- anders het ek dalk.

Preparing for Dementia

http://www.postsecret.com/

My mother suffered from dementia for years before she finally passed away, weak and withered. Her dementia was the result of a series of strokes that occurred over many years.

We still have no absolute certainty about the reason for her strokes. In part, the doctors said, cholesterol played a role. Although one's lifestyle can curb cholesterol problems, there is also a clear hereditary link. If parents have high cholesterol chances are that their children will suffer from cholesterol too. Not only is there a hereditary link with cholesterol, there is also a hereditary connection for strokes. A family history of strokes increases one's risk of strokes.

While I have very healthy cholesterol levels at present, I do have a family history of strokes on both sides of my family. One of my paternal uncles also suffered from strokes.

My mother also suffered from depression, which may also have contributed to her later dementia. While I have been depression free for years, there have been times that the monster got me too. Artistic personalities are often prone to depression, but I have been lucky in that I've learned to recognise the symptoms and take pro-active measures to side step the pit most of the time.

Although I am healthy now and hopefully far too young to show signs of dimentia, I still need to be realistic and consider a possible old age that may include dementia.

How does one prepare for it? The YouTube video below shows one woman's approach. She mentions honing the types of hobbies that even a person with dementia could derive pleasure from; building up strength and balance so that when the typical weakness that often goes with a decrease in brain function occurs, one is not unnecessarily helpless; and building a good character so that when your mind is stripped naked, the purity of your character may still come through.



For me, controversial as it may be, assisted suicide for terminally sick people is also something I believe deserves consideration. I have mentioned before (in an Afrikaans post) that I support someone's choice to die with dignity for I have first hand experience of how such a terminally ill person is deprived of nearly all that makes one human. I do not want my loved ones to remember me as a senile old man, that dirties his pants, burden them emotionally and financially, and so steal from them all the good memories they had of me.

And so, as I get older, I start to think of these related things. I save for a pension, I try to keep up my health, and I consider such possibilities as getting dementia and how I can make it easier for those I care for.

My Chiropractor Had a Serious Talk With Me Today

"Your upper back muscles and neck muscles are unusually tense," said my chiropractor on Tuesday and added with admonition: "this is due to stress." He did not stop there. "Also, some spinal disks are compressed due to bad posture, particularly slouching while sitting." He then went on to demonstrate to me how I sit -- I immediately recognised myself in his demonstration: legs flung out in front of me and my weight baring on the tail-bone, instead of the bottom of my buttocks, in a lazy recline, rather than an actual sit.

"This is how I sit when I'm tired," I said.

He looked anything but impressed. "The nerves are compressed, and it may in the future affect your legs." And I remembered how he mentioned long ago that if I do not fix the problem now that I may one day, years from now, have to get spinal disk related surgery.

"When I'm tired, I slouch. I'm quite tired these days."

"Then you should exercise more," he retorted.

"Exercise more!" My exclamation is so much a lamentation at the idea of extra exercise, as it is at the distress of adding yet more to my schedule. I should cut down on things, not add things to it. He has a point, however. The more you exercise, the greater the number of mitochondria in your cells, which in turn makes you feel more energetic.

But when?! I already sleep too little as it is, and the only time I have to exercise more would be in the morning, if I get up earlier. He doesn't know of my sleeping problem. Had he known, the scolding would have been greater.

So here is the issue: I have too much stress and I'm overtired, both of which affects my posture and musculature negatively, either directly or indirectly, which in turn affects the rest of my constitution.

He noticed on Tuesday, for instance, that the area around my right kidney is tensed and sensitive. The problem is posture or stress (tension) related, not kidney related, but because of the close proximity it can affect the organ. Then we all know how stress can affect your heart, your mind, and what not else. All parts of one's body are sympathetic to rest. Distress in one area causes ailment in another; disease in one organ manifests as symptoms elsewhere. Eliminating the causes are always better than treating the symptoms.

My chiropractor had to have a serious talk to me today about these things because if I do not find the causes and solutions to them now, they will manifest in serious ways later in life. I'm single, I do not have parents, and my closest friends are on the other side of the world. There are none of these intimate people to talk into my life, to remind me to take better care of myself, to reprimand me when my priorities are skewed, so God sends me my chiropractor, at $50 an hour, to do so.

I really need a sabbatical to take inventory of my life; re-establish my long-, mid- and short term goals; and re-prioritize the things that occupy my time and thoughts. Just a month and a half then I can go on vacation.

Annual Health Check

A week ago I went for my annual health check-up, paid for, thankfully, by my employer. Today I went back to the clinic to retrieve my results and talk to the doctor about any irregularities. I'm thankful to announce that there is nothing much out of the ordinary.

The eye test revealed that my left eye is weaker than the right and the doctor advised I get my glasses prescription updated as soon as possible. Because my right eye is doing most of the work, one eye will become much weaker than the other, he says.

Apparently I still have antibodies for Hepatitis A and C, but not for Hepatitis B. Their suggestion is a Hepatitis vaccination topup. Hepatitis is actually a common virus in Korea. I'm not fond of vaccinations, but neither do I want Hepatitis B.

The EKG showed that my heart beat is somewhat slow. If it is too slow one needs to get a pacemaker. In my case it is probably just an indication of fitness. Athletes generally have a slower heartbeat. In any case, my pulse is within the 60-70 beats per minute range, which is quite healthy. At the time of the test my pulse rate was 67.

The blood test did indicate a slightly high ESR (Erythrocite Sedimentation Rate). A high ESR is an indicator of inflammation. The doctor did not seem concerned about it at all. The liver function test also showed slightly elevated Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which is another inflammation indicator, particularly an inflammation of the muscles. LDH has four enzyme classes. The blood test I did was a general one and not specifically aimed at testing the LDH enzyme classes. The doctor said that I should wait about three to six months, then test my LDH again. Only if it is elevated for a relatively long time is it a cause for concern. Since LDH is related to muscle inflammation, it could easily just be a case of general workout related inflammation associated with my martial art training. The fact that my CRP (C-reactive protein) level, which is another inflammation indicator, is completely within the normal range, supports the doctor's lack of concern. In any case, I'll check up on my LDH levels again towards the latter part of this year.

Generally everything is working fine. I don't have any parasites, I'm HIV negative, and I do not have any other veneral (sexually transmitted) diseases. My tumor markers are all within the normal range and the ultrasound screenings of my thyroid, abdomen, kidneys, liver, and pancreas do not reveal any growths. My electrolyte levels are all normal, so are my protein levels and the lipid test shows that my cholesterol levels are good. In fact, my LDL-Cholesterol is 72! Under 100 is considered optimal. My HDL-Cholesterol is 59. Above 60 is optimal. And my Triglyceride level is well within the normal range.

So, in short, apart from needing a new pair of glasses, I'm blessedly healthy.

The doctor strongly recommended that I also have an endoscopy and colonoscopy, which are tests that are urged in Korea because of the unusually high percentage of Koreans that get stomach or intestinal cance. If something is such a pandemic within one demographic it is clearly a cultural phenomenon, probably with a dietary cause. To me it is quite obvious what the culprit is: too many salty, spicy and pickled foods; i.e. kimchi and Korea's many other unnecessarily spicy dishes. Such constant irritation of the digestive track is just begging for cancerous cysts to develop. Seeing as I do not live on a Korean diet and do not regularly eat overly spicy foods, and also seeing as I have a high fibre diet that is very low in animal produce, I don't think I am a candidate for these types of cancers. Maybe I will have a endoscopy next year—if my employer pays for it again—but otherwise I don't see a need for having such an intrusive test done. I also opted out of the X-ray scan and CT-scan that were part of the package. I don't see a reason to bombard my body with DNA-damaging radiation unnecessarily.

Ironically, I woke this morning with a pang of pain in my back. This afternoon I went to see my chiropractor. He complained that my muscles are unusually tense. He thinks it might be a relapse in my posture; I blame unconscious stress. In either case, I could benefit from better posture and stress-relief activities. I'll also go see him more often again. I quit going to the chiropractor last year around November. I saw a great improvement in my posture and the once chronic back pain I used to have disappeared—these were the very reasons I went to see him. Obviously because of these improvements I didn't see a need for the continuous expense. I guess, however, I should have continued the treatment for sometime longer, as he had suggested. It is just that other things lay claim to that part of my budget instead. Luckily I had paid in advance and so I still have a couple of pre-paid treatments remaining, which I will use up now, before I decide if I'll make my visits to the chiropractor a regular thing again or not.

Tomorrow I return to the dentist.

Goodness!, these past two weeks have been particularly focussed on health concerns. I wish you all good health, and if you haven't had a check-up in a while, I urge you to have one done. It is worth the effort.

A Synoptic Rendition of Ten Days of My Life

What a turbulent week or so. I'm using "turbulent" in the random sense of the word, rather than the chaotic sense. The former's meaning being more connotatively neutral than the latter.

There are too many things to list, but let's start with last week Wednesday. It was a public holiday in Korea on account of elections. I used this opportunity to travel to Suwon, a city about two hours out of Seoul, to meet with a professor from Kyunghee University to talk about PhD possibilities. The meeting went well, but if I do plan to study there it will only happen next year, as they only take in PhD candidates in the beginning if the year. There are a number of reasons I am considering Kyunghee University; one pertinent one is that classes are only on one, mostly two days a week, which will hopefully allow me to both work and study.

Over the weekend I met with some friends that came to visit Korea from the United States and Canada. We stayed out late, causing me to miss the last subway home. I had to borrow money to take a taxi home.

The next morning (Sunday) I hosted a Hapkido self-defense workshop, presented by a friend of mine. That evening I finished composing two exam papers and spent most of this week working on papers and giving exams. (This week was midterm exam week at the university where I work.)

On Tuesday night I went to see a Korean theatre performance. I know the director, so she gave me two complimentary tickets. Something that wasn't planned was that my companion came back with me to my place.

Wednesday night I had a dinner appointment with a friend. We had Indian food. I felt a little guilty for not eating much. I was told not to, in preparation for what was to follow the next day.

Thursday I went for my annual health check-up, paid for by my employer. It is quite a comprehensive check-up; although I decided to opt-out of the X-rays and CT-scans. I had X-rays taken last year during the annual check-up and do not believe that I need another one just yet. Exposure to too much radiation is a health risk in itself. I also opted out of the endoscopy. It just felt too invasive a procedure to have. In Korea many people die of stomach cancer, so I guess a regular endoscopy is prudent, but I do not have the same consistent spicy diet and eat lots of fibre, so I don't think going for a regular endoscopy is crucial for me. Something that was not on the list, but which is something that I guess I need to get is a prostate check. I didn't get it taken this year either, but I think that starting next year it ought to be on my health check-up list. I'm just at that age now. I'll be getting the results from all the tests back next week Wednesday. I also went to the dentist. I need to go back for a follow-up visit next week to fix a filling from years back that fell out recently.

Thursday night at the martial art class I had a really good session. I trained hard during the Taekwon-Do class and stayed for the grappling class where I had a second good workout too. I think the short nap I took in the afternoon was the cause for my extra zest. This week is midterm exam week, so I had extra time and could afford a quick afternoon nap. I think I may need to try and work it into my schedule, especially on those days that I train in the evenings. I've long ago learned the value of power naps, but often feel guilty for taking them -- part of my father's work ethic; he didn't approve of sleeping during the day.

Speaking of my Dad, he got a mobile phone. Getting a mobile phone may not sound that spectacular, until you realize that he is an invalid that cannot speak. It makes for a one sided conversation, but at least I can now call him, and give him a synoptic account of my life here in Korea. I've phoned him now for the second time--I phoned him last week as well. It is not a very long conversation, more of a monologue. Nonetheless, I get the sense that it is valuable to him. Our relationship had never been a very strong one and after his crippling incident his inability to speak did not allow hope for much of a future growth in our relationship either; not to mention the fact that I live in another country. His new mobile phone may actually help in a small way. In a few minutes I can share with him some of the things I do. Like tonight I told most of the stuff I wrote in this blog post. Up until now he had always heard about my life second-hand, from one of my brothers.


During the week I also met with another friend from Cairo. All my closest Korean friends seem to live abroad: Egypt, America, the Philippines.


Well, it is nearly time for bed.

Goodnight World!

As dood dan wel beskore is om met my verjaarsdag vereenselwig te word . . .

Source: Associated Press

Verlede jaar op my verjaarsdag het 'n groot aardbewing veroorsaak dat Japan met 'n reuse, hartskuddende, fratsgolf getref word en derduisende mense ontkom het. My broer het sy verjaarsdag wense aan my mos só gestel:

“Ek wens jou alle sterkte toe, en wens jou God se seën toe. Jou verjaarsdag is nou gelink aan . . . 'n natuurramp in Japan.”

As dood dan wel beskore is om met my verjaarsdag vereenselwig te word, dan kies ek eerder dié van Dr. Peter Goodwin, 'n Suid Afrika-geborene, wat vanjaar op my verjaarsdag tot sterfte gekom het met behulp van wettige bygestaande selfmoord, in die Staat van Oregon, VSA.

Dr. Peter Goodwin: "I don't want to go out with a whimper,
I want to say goodbye to my kids and my wife with dignity.
And I would end it . . ."

Dr. Goodwin was lank 'n kampvegter vir bygestaande selfmoord vir terminaal gediagnoseerde pasiënte in sy tuisstaat, Oregon, wat in 1994 oor die kwessie gestem het. Die resultaat was die wettiging van die “Death with Dignity”-wet in dié Amerikaanse staat. Dr. Goodwin het ook gehelp met die stigting van die organisasie Compassion and Choices wat terminaalsiek pasiënte en hulle families ondersteun en veg vir die keuse om met waardigheid te sterf.

Dis maklik vir mense wat nog nooit ware pyn en lyding in die oë gestaar het nie, wat nog nooit direk gesien het hoe 'n siekte 'n mens se menswaardigheid kan stroop nie, wat nog nooit beleef het watse las dit beide finansiëel en emosioneel op die geliefdes is, en gevolglik watse erge skuldgevoelens en droefheid dit in die pasiënt opwek nie, om bloot botweg bygestaande selfmoord as verkeerd te verklaar. In hierdie konteks is bygestaande selfmoord nie net 'n vorm van genade dood nie, dis 'n laaste uitvoering van 'n mens se Godgegewe vryekeuse—'n laaste oomblik van menslike waardigheid.

Ek kan hoor hoe roep party (Christenne) uit: “Dis nie Godgegewe vryekeuse nie! Dis sonde!” Om die lewensgeskenk weg te gooi is moontlik 'n sonde, maar die terminaalsieke gooi nie sy of haar lewe weg nie. Daardie lewe is reeds tot 'n einde. In 'n ander tyd sonder vandag se mediese vooruitgang sou so 'n persoon waarskynlik baie vroeër gesterf het.

Simson pleeg selfmoord in die Tempel van Dragon
wanneer hy die steunpilare omgooi en die gebou op
homself en die teenwoordige Fillistyne laat val.
Skildery deur Giovanni Benedetto.

Daarbenewens het die Bybel, sover ek weet, ook niks oor die onderwerp te sê nie. Inteendeel, daar is sowaar voorbeelde van sterftes wat as selfmoorde gedefiniëer kan word in die Bybel. Dink byvoorbeeld aan Simson wat tot die Heilige Gees gebid het om hom die krag te gee om homself saam met die Filistyne om die lewe te bring. Dan is daar ook Jesus wie se missie as Verlosser was om te sterf. Hy het die vermoeë gehad om sy dood te vermy, maar het gekies om dit nie te doen nie. Dit is waar dat Jesus gekies het om 'n marteldood vol pyn en lyding deur te gaan, maar dit is juis die punt—dit was sy keuse. Hy kon kies om dit vry te spring en Hy kon kies om dit te verkort, maar Hy het gekies om deur die lyding te gaan en so te sterf.

Op die ou einde is dit inderdaad Sonde wat lei tot sterfte—volgens die Heilige Geskrifte was dit daardie eerste Oersonde wat tot die dood gelei het, en dis ons ingebore sonde en die vloek van sonde oor die hele Skepping wat konstant elke mooi ding verwring, elke spesiale ding verweer, elke goeie ding verknog en alles tot sterfte dwing. Gun 'n mens tog, in so 'n gebroke wêreld, die keuse om met waardigheid te sterf! Moet nie vir 'n oomblik vir my probeer maak glo dat God behae het in 'n onnodig uitgerekte lang siekbed en gepaardgaande marteling nie. As ons mense, wat inherent sondig is, die wysheid kan insien om 'n siek dier se leiding te verkort, laat ek my nie vertel dat God van ons verwag om hopelose leiding te moet verduur nie. Gun dan ook vir my die keuse om nie 'n las, emosioneel of finansiëel, op my geliefdes te wese nie; ek wil dit nie aan hulle doen nie.

Sou ek van bygestaande selfmoord gebruik maak indien my gesondheid en welstand sodanig versleg en daar slegs 'n tyd van lyding voorlê nie? En daar slegs 'n uitgerekte swaarkry--emosioneel of finansiëel--vir my geliefdes voorlê? Moontlik. Ek sou ten minste die keuse wou hê om die marteling te verkort en my geliefdes van onnodige trauma te spaar.

My groot vrees is nie regtig die fisiese lyding nie. Eerder psigologiese agteruitgang en dimensia. Indien ek Alzheimers moet kry of iets soortgelyks waar die brein stelselmatig psigologies verbrokkel, sou ek graag die opsie wil hê om my lewe op 'n betaamlike wyse te eindig. Met “betaamlik” bedoel ek selfmoord wat nie gru is nie. Ek wil nie hê my geliefdes moet my vind met 'n gat in my kop, of my tong wat uitpeul met 'n tou om my swart gekneusde nek nie. Nes ek nie wil hê my geliefdes my moet onthou as 'n mal ou oom wat sy broek vuil maak, aggresief optree, of sulke dinge wat hulle mooi herinneringe van my besmet nie.

My herinneringe aan my eie moeder is só besmet. So erg was haar agteruitgang beide fisiek en psigies, dat dit omtrent elke mooi herinneringe wat ek van my ma het oorskadu. Ek kan skaars aan haar dink sonder om die gebroke, vernederde, patetiese, veronteerde wesetjie te herroep waarin sy verander het.

My pragtige ma.

Moet my nie verkeerd verstaan nie. Geensins wens ek dat my ma selfmoord gepleeg het nie. Maar aan die ander kant, indien my ma 'n keuse kon hê om met meer waardigheid te kon sterf as die hand wat die lewe haar gedeel het, sou sy moontlik so 'n ander opsie waardeur het. Ek onthou nou nog op een geleentheid nader aan die einde van haar lewe toe sy 'n kortstondige oomblik van helderheid gehad het, hoe sy my met erns en trane in haar oë gevra het: “Hoe het dit gebeur? Hoe het ek so geword?” Hoe het sy van 'n eens dinamiese, onafhanklike, intelligente, pragtige, koninginagtige vrou verander in 'n verkrimpte, totaal afhanklike, siniele, kleuter? Indien dit met my gebeur dat ek met 'n soortgelyke lot getref word wat my moeder so verneder het, sal ek beslis oorweeg om van bygestaande selfmoord gebruik te maak.

'n Opinie omtrent bygestaande selfmoord


Ek nes my lewe in klam rooigrond:


'n pêreltjie—oënskynlyk leweloos—skiet
skielik 'n harige stertjie suidwaarts,
'n kordadige nekkie priem noorde toe;
die gevuisde lentegroen koppie
vou oop soos twee palmpies na gebed
of voor applous en glimlag vlinderlik.


Natuurlik, figuurlikgesproke het ek my lewe
só geplant en met die selfde aanmatigheid
wil ek, wanneer die tyd ryp is,
die pêreltjie weer oes—sagkuns ontwortel,
die lewensare se konneksie met die klam
rooigrond kortknip, die vlinder laat verwelk
en die korreltjie wat aan my geleen is teruggee.


Want, toe ek ontkiem het,
was dit 'n deftige—en toweragtige—affêre
en daarom wil ek ook op 'n betaamlike
manier sterf—sans towerkuns natuurlik—.

'n Saad ontkiem, en 'n lewe begin.
Image Source

Die verteller in my gedig, veral aan die aanvang van die gedig, is wel aanmatig. Hy praat asof hyself sy lewe begin het. Dit is natuurlik nie die geval nie. Ons het geen sê in ons begin nie. Dit was die keuse van ons ouers en die lewensasem van God wat die impetus van ons lewens was. Nietemin is dit tog 'n geskenk aan ons, en as ek 'n geskenk ontvang, behoort dit dan aan my en het ek seggenskap daaroor. Ja, ek het uit respek teenoor die een wat aan my die geskenk gegee het 'n verantwoordelik rakende die geskenk, maar dit bly allermins mý geskenk. As ek nie kan doen met my geskenk wat ek wil nie, was dit nie werklik 'n geskenk nie. Daar is verskeie maniere om my waardeuring te bewys vir my lewensgeskenk. Aan die eenkant is dit om volheid te lewe. Om die meeste te maak van die lewensgeskenk wat ek ontvang het; om die lewe ten volle te benut; om my menslikheid met menswaardigheid te ontwikkel. Aan die ander kant, kan geargumenteer word, dat my waardeuring vir my lewensgeskenk ook gedemonstreer kan word in hoe ek sterwe: “daarom wil ek ook op 'n betaamlike manier sterf”. Ek mag dalk nie aandeel hê in my begin nie; gun my dan aandeel in die manier wat ek tot 'n einde kom.

As my verjaarsdag dan geassossiëer moet word met sterftes, laat dit dan wees met 'n menswaardige sterfte waartydens die afgestorwene kans gehad het om vrede te maak met sy of haar lot, kans gehad het om totsiens te sê aan sy of haar geliefdes, kans gehad het om met waardigheid en 'n nugter verstand sy of haar lewe tot einde te roep, eerder as 'n uitgemergelde, ontmensde bondel, gestroop van alles wat eens mooi was. Laat my verjaarsdag dan met Dr. Peter Goodwin geassossiëer.

Catcha Cold

Image Source

I've got a cold. A serious one. Usually I'll just ride it out and treat myself with ginger, garlic, lemons, and eucalyptus oil, but with each consecutive day I'm feeling worse, so now I'm going to get drugs. It is the beginning of the semester, I cannot afford to be sick and in any case, who wants to feel terrible on their birthday? (It's my birthday in a couple of days.)

The bit below is a section from an email of a friend:

By the way, there's a bad cold going round, which it sounds like you caught. I went all the way through that thing, except I'm still coughing a bit. Humidifier, is my advice: a good humidifier and lots to drink. If only Koreans would cover their mouths when they cough, not everyone would catch this shit within 48 hours. (I'm sure I got it on the train, where this stupid asshole kept sneezing and coughing all over everyone, not once covering his mouth or even trying to do so. If that's the best they can do with their mystical 4300 years of culture, I'll take a shorter history where people have consideration and manners, thanks...)

Although I am quite interested in Korea's ancient culture,  on this I have to agree with my friend. Basic hygiene can go a long way. Korea's habit of people spitting in the streets (in part encouraged by the buildup of phlegm due to the air pollution) is definitely not health promoting.

I think I mentioned once how great that ridiculous H1N1 flu scare was for Korea. Koreans suddenly started to actually wash their hands more often, particularly after a visit to the loo. The availability of hand sanitizer also increased. The first time I came to Korea it was terribly difficult to get hand sanitizer. Now most pharmacies keep it.

In any case, I feel sick and ever so slightly grumpy.

Korea's Drinking Culture and Why I'm a Teetotaller

Saturday night and Sunday I spent with a group of mostly Koreans and some foreigners at a martial art excursion. This had not been my first such an outing with Koreans, so I expected there to be a lot of drinking and therefore prepared myself psychologically for it. As I am a teetotaller, I need such preparation. In general, teetotallers are a minority, but here in Korea with its extreme drinking culture teetotallers are almost non-existent.

Sometimes they start 'em young.
Image Source

If you do not drink in Korea, you are practically ostracised, for almost all social outings include alcohol. Somebody that doesn't drink with the group is considered unsociable and rude. I remember one occasion where I joined a group of Koreans and when I refused to drink I was basically told to leave by one person. Another senior Korean with whom I have close ties came to my rescue and persuaded them that I should stay since I am his “chinggu” (friend) and explained that it is part of my “religion,” which is a half-truth. However, I'm sure that had it not been for me being a foreigner I would either have needed to leave in shame because of my insult for not drinking with them, or I would have had to conform and drink with the group. I have met some “teetotaller” Koreans in Korea who would accept one drink and drink a little of it, just so that they do not come across as insulting. Some Koreans that do not wish to drink come up with stories like being sick or that they are taking medicine with which they are not allowed to use alcohol. However, even with some people showing the medicine as proof, I've witnessed the extreme pressure they receive to drink at least half a glass of soju. While foreigners can get away with not drinking, they will often experience severe pressure and may find themselves indirectly ostracised for being unsociable.

A drunk Korean passing out in public.
Not that uncommon a sight, actually.
Image Source

There are some Korean subcultures that do not drink, whom are part of so-called sectarian faiths such as Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons. Because these Koreans are part of their own communities they at least have a social life. Koreans who do not belong to such religious persuasions are, as I mentioned already, ostracised and struggle to make friends. Even Koreans from these religious groups have a hard time, particularly in their work place. It is customary for colleagues to go drinking together after work, and refusing to do so, particularly if one's senior or boss suggested the drinking, is considered terribly rude, and even disrespectful. In that sense, not drinking could sometimes cost you your job.

Bottles of soju -- Korea's most famous
alcohol comparable to vodka.
Image Source

Had drinking in Korea merely been one or two beers, it would not have been that bad. Unfortunately Koreans take social drinking to the extreme. Drinking often involves drinking games and other group-pressure drinking. Hearing Koreans shout “one-shot”, i.e. gulping down your glass in one go, accompanied with the encouraging cheers, is not unusual. One's ability to “take a drink” is equated with being “strong”. I guess this is not a uniquely Korean thing, but in Korea it really seems to be a continued test and senior citizens going out with their friends do not seem to take it any lighter than when they were youngsters drinking themselves into a stupor. Seeing old Korean men ridiculously drunk is as common as seeing dead-drunk college boys.

Two older Korean friends passed out on the street
together after a night of heavy drinking. Or, at least,
that's my assumption of this picture.
Image Source

There is a small movement amongst upper class Koreans to drink wine. Since whine is so expensive, and since it is enjoyed slowly, wine drinkers tend to drink far less. Wine drinking in Korea is in many cases just for pompous show, like wearing a very expensive name brand suit, and going to art exhibits just for the pretence of appreciating art, but at least wine drinking is giving a way out to some Koreans who would like to socialise without getting completely knackered.

Soju advertisements usually involve a
sexy Korean woman, showing lots of skin
and curves, that enjoys to drink and party.
There is undeniably a sexual connection
made with drinking soju.

The thing that disturbs me the most about Korea's terrible drinking culture are the associated ethics that go with it. When Koreans misbehave while drunk, they are often excused. This is often true even when laws are broken. Here's another example of the shady morality of a drunken culture. So I once went out with a mixed group of foreigners and Koreans. One foreign girl got terribly drunk and started to behave awfully bad. She also became a danger to herself; constantly falling about and hitting her head. She refused to lie down and rest. Two Korean guys told me—and I think they are from different parts of Korea so this must be a common sentiment—that if she was a Korean girl they would just knock her out. They actually showed me the points where they would hit her. Being a martial artist I recognised the pressure points (temple; side of the neck; and somewhere else I'd rather not mention) and realised that these are indeed points to knock someone out with, so they are actually talking from experience. Did you get this? In Korea, it is common and acceptable to hit a rowdy drunk Korean woman unconscious. Eventually the foreign girl in our group did go to sleep without being knocked unconscious. The next morning she had no recollection at all of the previous night. Of course, nobody was angry with her for her misbehaviour—she was drunk after all. But the thing that disturbs me is that she could have been taken advantage of, i.e. raped, were she amongst a different group of people, and she would not have been any the wiser the next day. I'm wondering how often this sort of thing actually happens in Korea. In a culture where ridiculous amounts of alcohol consumption is socially acceptable and even socially encouraged, where drunken misbehaviour is excused, and where knocking out difficult drunk women is common (something I reconfirmed with some of my male students), taken advantage of an unconscious woman while you are drunk yourself, doesn't seem far fetched to me at all.

Luckily for this girl, Korea
is relatively safe.
Image Source

So why don't I drink alcahol? There are a couple of reasons really. The first reason I do not drink is as a statement. It is for the same reason I do not smoke. My father did. He smoked and it made him stink and I swore that I would not be like him. There was also a patch during which he drank and became aggressive. I remember clearly how my brother and I would hide (and sometimes throw away) his whiskey because of how we hated the way it changed his personality. It took him a while, but he eventually realised the negative impact his drinking had on us, so he stopped excessive drinking. I respect him for caring enough for us to choose us over the bottle. Nonetheless, the negative associations with alcohol was set, so I also swore not to be like my father, who continued to drink socially. Second, many people on my maternal side of the family are alcoholics. In particular my uncles, one of them my godfather whom I always looked up to. I saw how the drink had destroyed both their lives and their families and it disgusted me. It also came as a revelation to me that since I take after my mother's side of the family, I probably have a predisposition towards becoming an alcoholic myself. I know I have an addictive personality, so I'm not taking any chances. Later, when I became a Christian and accepted the scripture that says our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and that therefore healthy living is part of our act of worship, I decided to live a healthy life style. This is in part the reason why I'm a (flexible) vegetarian, why I avoid frequent consumption of caffeine, why I exercise even though I often do not feel like it. Finally, I honestly do not like the taste of alcohol. I once tried to drink Amarula Cream, thinking that I'd at least enjoy the taste since a like fruity, creamy stuff. I do like cherry liqueur dark chocolates after all. Regardless, I had to boil the Amarula Cream for quite some time to get rid of the alcohol taste. Last year I was in a hotel by myself and there was beer in the bar fridge. Being alone I thought I'd just try it a bit--I'm far from anybody who knows me, nobody would know. I took maybe two sips and can still honestly say that I really dislike the taste. If it is indeed an acquired taste, it is a taste I'd rather not acquire.

I'm not against people temperately consuming alcohol. There are many people who seem able to enjoy it in moderation only. Although I do not, many of my friends enjoy a drink on occasion. I am, however, against drunkenness and am definitely against Korea's excessive drinking culture. I strongly believe that Korea would be much better off without this element in its society. It is complete nonsense that a person cannot have fun without alcohol, that one cannot be sociable without drinking. And if it is the case for some timid people who needs the bravado of the bottle, the severe price Korea and its families are paying because of alcohol is not worth it.

In this post I focussed on a very negative aspect of Korea, sure. There are, however, many other positive things about Korea otherwise I would not have lived here for nearly five years now. Korea is cool.

"Across the Universe" and Other Cravings

I've been in the mood again for one of my favourite movies, Across the Universe, lately. I wrote about it before. The video below is a scene from the movie in which Evan Rachel Wood covers the beautiful Beatles' song "Blackbird".



Whenever I crave for something, be it food, or music, or visual stimuli, I always wonder what is the cause for the craving. You see, our cravings are signs that our being has a lack of something. As you probably know, I'm mostly a flexible vegetarian so I almost never eat meat, and don't enjoy red meat and if I were to eat it, it has to be cooked very well done. However, on occasion, once a year maybe, I may suddenly crave medium done red meat. What this tells me is that my body is lacking iron. Usually when I take an iron supplement or just eat some spinach the craving disappears. The same principle applies to other cravings in our life. What I'm wondering is, what is it in or about Across the Universe, that my soul has a need for?