And so the cookie crumbles...

This reminds me of the 80s and 90s when I was still in school. Since I grew up right at a location I had first hand exposure to the riots, so these scenes of running youths, strikes and toyi-toying, burning tires, armour plated vehicles, the throwing of stones and the shooting of rubber bullets were common – the sad thing is that the videos below are not from 1989, but from 2009. The strangest thing for me is that a country that has come so far, hasn’t moved that much. Twenty years later and I’m experiencing déjà vu. It is just a pity that it is not déjà vu – it’s a sordid reality.

But then again, the whole world is progressively going crazy. Why should I for a moment think it ought to be different in South Africa?





My younger brother says that when he gets depressed about South Africa he visits EngineeringNews.Co.Za, and read up about all the latest great developments in the country. I tried it just now, but it doesn't work for me. I know Mary-Jane reads South Africa: Good News. It works a little better than Engineering News, but is still not putting me in much of a positive mood.

I'm beginning to understand why so many people are ignorant of the crisis the world is in. It's nicer not to be privy to such unfortunate forbodings. Let's all ignore the state of affairs and just pretend that all the problems will magically go away on their own. Humans, we are masters at the art of denial. I should try it sometime...

An Unexpected Surgery

(Source: British Dental Journal)

When I woke this morning, I had not the slightlest idea that I’d be having surgery today.

This morning I went for the final part of my physical exam – a dental check-up. Upon inspection the dentist told me that my lower right gum area is inflamed because of a troublesome wisdom tooth and he recommends I have it removed. Being well aware of that dental problems can be the origin of other health problems elsewhere in the body, I decided to go to my own dentist immediately for a second opinion. He took one look at the area and immediately had an X-ray taken and after viewing the little skeletal photograph, he asked when I would like to have the surgery done, and if now would be alright. Since I did not have anything planned for the afternoon, apart for my chiropractic appointment a couple of hours later I decided that now is as good a time as any – lest anticipation cause cowardice.

Because of the position of the tooth it could not be pulled, but had to be surgically removed. A normal tooth is rooted perpendicular to the jaw. This wisdom tooth sat at a forty five degree angle, pushing upward against his neighbour (see above -- "Angular"). To remove it, an incision has to be made into the gum, which is then flapped open, where after the tooth is sawed, grinded, broken and excavated in sections. And like Christine’s experience, it was all done with local anaesthetic. The injection stung a little but in general the local anaesthetic did its job – locally. The pain I experienced was not “locally” but at the opposite side. The dentist had to put so much force on the right side of my jaw in attempts at pulling out the stubborn roots that the juxtaposing force caused the left side of my jaw to dislocate. When he asked me to bite down I couldn’t and had to indicate that the left side of my jaw is dislocated. He promptly put it back in place. I expected the popping-in to be painful, but it wasn’t at all, unlike the popping-out!

(Source: British Dental Journal)

For most of the day I had hardly any pain, but now, in the middle of the night, I’m not so lucky. Such aches always makes me more empathetic with those far worse off than I. A similar painful experience, when I sprained a foot some years back, helped to inspire me to write an essay on happiness.

Physical Examinations

(Source: Musings of a Distractable Mind-blog)

Yesterday (Friday), was a day of medical tests. In the morning I went to get a physical examination done at a hospital, which included blood and urine samples, blood pressure test (a little low, but normal for me), eye and ear test and even a chest X-ray. The exam also includes a dental examination, but the dentistry department is closed on Fridays, so I will need to go back tomorrow to get that part of the exam done. The reason for the physical examination is because it is a new requirement for working Visas here in Korea and although I have a two year contract at the university where I teach, the Visa needs to be renewed annually. Luckily my employer reimburses the physical exam. I’ll have to wait a week before I get the results.

Also yesterday, I had booked an appointment with a chiropractor. I’ve started to notice that my tendency to slouch has increased, especially when I’m tired, and therefore I wanted to get an expert’s opinion on my posture. The appointment with the chiropractor confirmed my suspicions. My spine is slightly out of line causing a one degree tilt in my knees and hips and a three degree tilt in my shoulders; thus my right side is ever so slightly elevated more than the left side. I’ve noticed some tension in my right shoulder, especially when I’m stressed. The test also shows that I have more pressure on my left foot than my right – most likely compensating for the slight raise on my right side. The real problem is my lateral alignment, which has a six degree tilt between my knees and hips (causing somewhat of a swayed back), and an eleven degree tilt between my shoulders and head (causing somewhat of a turtle neck). This explains why the pain in my occasional back ache shifts, depending on which is more stress – the bad angle between my knees and hips, or the bad angle between my shoulders and head. For perfect posture your knees, hips, elbows, shoulders and ears should all be in line when you stand comfortably with your feet shoulder width apart.

So over the next couple of weeks and months I’ll be working with the chiropractor for a series of treatments and exercises to fix the problem. Much of the problem, says the doctor, is from poor posture habits and sleeping on my left side too much. He ordered me to henceforth only sleep on my back, and if I do sleep for short bouts on my side, I should balance it out with turning on my other side for the same amount of time.

I’ve decided to tackle this problem even though it is going to make me much poorer. My medical aid does not cover chiropractic treatment. While these are not serious problems at present, they will probably develop into more serious ailments later in life if left untreated. So I consider the money spend on this treatment now as and investment. I prefer proactive treatment over reactive treatment. Nevertheless, as I said, I’m definitely going to feel it financially. One session will cost me around R500 and for the first couple of weeks I will be going for two or three treatments per week! I don’t even want to know what it all will add up to, but comfort myself with the fact that a back surgery twenty years from now will cost substantially more. Furthermore, now is a good time to do it. When I go back to South Africa I might not be as economically free as I am now, since I will probably have more expenses to concern myself with. At the moment my housing is supplied by my employer so it frees up more money than if I were to work in South Africa.

Besides, I’ll get a better posture, which always makes one look more self-secure and confident. And I'll acquire more healthy long term habits.

The tests also reveal a number of other interesting facts. My Body Mass Index is 22.0, which is healthy. My percentage of body fat has climbed a bit from the last time I checked (5 years ago) and stands now at 14.4%, which makes sense as I'm exercising far less. It used to be within the upper section of the “Athletes”-range (6-13%). Nonetheless, 14.4% is still within the healthy “Fitness”-range. My waist-hip ratio is 0.83 which is in the good to excellent range. My right arm is 0.2 cm, and my right leg is 0.1 cm bigger than their opposing partners respectively, but I guess that is to be expected since I’m right-handed.

Missed Placebo!

I cannot believe it! Placebo performed yesterday in Seoul and I didn’t know about it! Why did nobody tell me? I think I have to expand my circle of friends drastically. Not to mention that I did nothing special last night; plus, the tickets were actually affordable!

I can always quickly fly to Japan for the Summer Sonic Festival in two days. No wait, I can’t. I’m still waiting for my Visa to be renewed (the admin guy is taking his time), which means that I cannot leave the country since I don’t have my passport.

In the News: Bill Clinton Leaves with Journalist Prisoners

A South Korean man watches a TV broadcasting news about two American journalists detained in North Korea at the Seoul Railway Station, in South Korea, Monday, June 8, 2009. North Korea's top court convicted the journalists and sentenced them to 12 years in a prison Monday, intensifying the reclusive nation's confrontation with the United States. The headline reads "North Korea convicted two American journalists and sentenced them to 12 years in a prison." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Truly something worth applauding. After going to North Korea a couple of days earlier, former US president, Bill Clinton, returns home with the two journalist that were captured by North Korea and charged with 12 years of hard labour. Apparently North Korean dictator-president Kim Jong-Il pardoned Laura Ling and Euna Lee. This came after an apology by Clinton for their "hostile acts," and probably a host of other negotiations we will never know about. Irrespective of the nitty-gritty, I'm happy for them. A North Korean hard labour prison is probably one of the worst places to be -- period.

I would really like to see a proper interview of these two and their experiences in the Hermit Kingdom.

Bring-'n-braai en 'n bokkige Suid-Afrikaanse besinning

'n Vriendin (nie die een van die vorige skrywe nie) stuur sopas vir my hierdie foto met die e-posonderwerp: "Sipho is on his way to a bring-en-braai."

Daar is soveel gelaaide elemente aan hierdie e-pos wat tans draaie onder die Suid-Afrikaanse Internetgemeenskap maak. Eerstens al daai Sipho-grappies. Dan is daar die kulturele diskontinuïteit tussen Sipho se Sotho-kultuur (waarin die kuiergaste nooit hulle eie kos bring nie) en die Afrikaner-kultuur wat gerieflikheidsonthalwe nooit (of ten minste nie deesdae) "lewendige" kos vervoer nie -- ons verkies dit geslag en verpak voordat ons dit huistoe, of braai toe, neem.

Maar kom ons vergeet vir 'n oomblik van die tragiese toekoms wat die bokkie by sy eindbestemming gaan ontmoet. Kom ons staan net bietjie terug -- as buitestaanders (selfs buitelanders) wat onbewus is van die sondebok se lot.

Kyk nou mooi na die foto. 'n Jong mannetjie op 'n fiets. Op sy rug abba hy 'n bokkie. Die bokkie loer oor die skouer van sy drywer nuuskurig oor die pad vorentoe, met groot ore (en kleinhorinkies) kierts in die wind. Sekerlik vir die bokkie moet dit die ervaring van 'n lewe wees! Dis nie elke bok wat 'n fietsrit kry nie!

Om te dink

'n Vriendin stuur onlangs vir my die volgende briefie, en met toestemming plaas ek dit hier:

hey sanko, ek sien dit ook al meer om my- dat mense nie meer dink nie. dit is scary, want dan glo hulle enige gemors wat in "hoe geestelike" boeke staan en toets dit nie aan die bybel nie. Of hulle toets dit aan die een enkele vers in die bybel. mense kies nie meer om voor die tv te gaan sit nie, dit is uotomaties- deel van elke dag. hulle dink nie aan "you become changed by what you behold" nie en prop die grootste klomp gemors in hulle koppe sonder om te dink aan die invloed wat dit op hulle het.maar aan die ander kant gee hulle nie regtig om oor die gevolge nie.

mense geniet dit nie meer om te dink en te redeneer en self dinge uit te figure nie. hulle doen nie meer dinge saam nie en gesels nie meer nie, want as mens nie dink nie, wat is daar tog om oor te praat. die lekkerste ding vir my is om diep-denkers se breins te pick.

dankie dat jy dink

fran

Nou ja. Ek kan dit nie beter gesê het nie.

In the News: Bill Clinton in North Korea

Image from Associated Press.

Bill Clinton visits North Korea. I think he is likely to address nuclear disarmament (which have always been a priority for him), as well as negotiate the release of journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee (I mentioned them before here), who worked for Al Gore's Current TV when they were captured by North Korean soldiers while on the border of China and North Korea. While Clinton was president, Al Gore was his vice-president.

See the latest news on "Bill Clinton North Korea" from Google News Search here.

Too Much To Read

At any one time, I can have over 50 tabs open in my web browser(s). At this very moment I have four web browsers open, each with numerous open tabs. In fact, there are over fifty tabs open ranging from email accounts, to news sites, to blogs, to search engines, to columns, to academic pages, to Wikipedia lemmas, to the weather, to articles and essays, and so this list continues.

Unlike the obvious tabs such as my email accounts or the weather page that I regularly visit, there are many tabs that I hardly look at. They are mostly web pages that I fully intend to read someday, but just do not have the time or motivation to do so at this very moment. The sad thing about this is that a number of these tabs have been open in my browser for months!

What’s the solution? Honestly, I do not know. I really intend to read them eventually; however, they are seriously cluttering up my browser’s capacity and causes it to crash every once in a while. (Luckily Firefox backups it open tabs so I don't lose them by accident.) Futhermore, these many open web pages uses up unnecessary RAM.

So here’s what I’ll do. I’m going to make a reading list of web pages I intend to peruse sometime in the future on the side of this blog. I'll call it something like "Web Pages I Still Intend to Read". Then I can add links to these pages so I can easily find them, but more importantly, it will hopefully act as some kind of goal list and hopefully I can delete them as I slowly progress through them.

Wish me luck.

This Living Hand

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pensiero/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

This Living Hand

This living hand, now warm and capable
Of earnest grasping, would, if it were cold
And in the icy silence of the tomb,
So haunt thy days and chill thy dreaming nights
That thou wouldst wish thine own heart dry of blood
So in my veins red life might stream again,
And thou be conscience-calmed -- see here it is --
I hold it towards you.

A lyrical poem by John Keats -- one of my favourite poems.

Three Videos on Korea

These three YouTube-videos have been doing the rounds on some of the expat-blogs recently. What makes them so popular is that they actually reflect that typical avalanche of first sensations one gets when coming to Korea for the first time. There are the strange juxtaposition of ancient and modern, of cityscapes and nature, of cute-culture and busy business men rushing to work, of the underground transportation system and the buzzing markets on top, of the bright lights and dark alleys. Also, even though these videos are based on amateur footage, the editing is actually very well done, put to funky music that engages the viewer in an almost surrealist trance – exactly a foreigner’s first exposure to Korea. So to get a feel of Korea (and a little bit of Tokyo thrown in for good measure), sit back and enjoy.

(Warning: The second video contains graphic images of fish being killed at fish markets and fresh fish restaurants and other butchery images. If you are squeamish, I seriously advice you to skip the second video; or just skip over 3:25-5:50.)

Self-Portrait: Hat

Ek hoop ek maak dit tot by my bed...

Vrydagaand het ek redelik vroeg gaan slaap, maar Saterdagoggend kon ek net nie opkom nie. Ek het uiteindelik teen 11:00 uit die bed gerol. Aangesien ek nog hierdie hele vakansie laat slaap, het ek geen onraad vermoed nie. Nietemin, die hele Saterdag was ek onwel en ondanks my laatslaap vreemderig moeg. Ek het geen apteit gehad nie en het vir middag ete ’n baie kleinporsie geëet. Vir aandete het ek seker drie of vier happies van my Thaikerrie gehad wat ek vir my kuiergaste voorberei het. Ek het darem ’n wafel met roomys later ingekry (daar is mos altyd plek vir nagereg). Saterdagaand is ek ook relatief vroeg bed toe, net om teen 4:00 wakker te word met naarheid. Eventueel het ek weer aan die slaap geraak en het weer laat opgestaan. Eers teen 15:00 het ek honger geraak en gister se Thaikerrie genuttig. Nog die hele dag is ek lighoofdig en moeg, en buiten vir die maaltyd om 15:00 het ek nog net vloeistowwe ingeneem. Ek het geen lus vir kos nie.

Uiteindelik toe ek bed toe wil gaan (lank voor middernag), bel ’n Koreaanse vriend my om te vra of hy kan kom kuier. Dis die vriend wat ek al in vorige skrywe van vertel het wat graag laat in die aande wil kuier. Ek probeer vir hom verduidelik dat ek nie goeie geselskap gaan wees nie (nie dat ons ooit wonderlike geselskap is nie, weens ons beide se onvermoeë om die andereen se taal te praat), omdat ek siek is. Nietemin, hy besluit dit betaam ’n goeie vriend om ’n siek vriend te gaan besoek mits ek “anxious” raak. Glo, as ek hom reg verstaan, raak Koreaners angstig wanneer hulle alleen en siek is en soek dan “companionship”. Nou ja, my ma was self kronies siek toe ek nog baie jonk was, so indien ek siek was het ek nie te veel aandag gekry nie, en moes op ’n vroeë ouderdom na myself omsien. Ek is dis redelik gewoond hoe om na myself te kyk, en bejammer myself nie soos dit stereotipies van mans verwag word nie. Ook dit probeer ek vir my Koreaanse vriend oor die foon verduidelik, maar weet vanaf die staanspoor dat so ’n poging net “lost in translation” gaan wees. Ek was geensins lus vir kuier nie – het juis vroeër die aand vir my broer kortgeknip wat met my wou Internet-chat, en gesê ek voel nie lekker nie en is nie lus vir kommunikeer nie. In die bed, half aan die lees en half aan die slaap, kom die Koreaanse vriend hier aan met ’n bottel tamatiesap, wat volgens hom ’n strelende effek op die ingewande het. Alhoewel ek naar raak vir die idee van kos, is dit nie my spysverteringstelsel wat ontstig is nie, maar dit neem te lank om aan hom te verduidelik. Ek het ’n koors, is lighoofdig en moeg en helderlig gee my ’n kopseer.

Hy kuier seker vir ’n uur of twee (ek het nie tyd gehou nie), met my wat op die sofa lê en my oë beskerm teen selfs die dowwe lig wat ek aan het. Later onthou ek dat ek ginseng in my yskas het en besluit om maar daarmee tee te kook. Dis veronderstel om ’n tonikum te wees, en ek kan nou regtig doen met ’n hupstoot. Terwyl die tee brou op die stoof leer ek Koreaanse woorde soos “gemmer”, “ginseng” en “knoffel”, insluitende ’n vloekwoord of twee. Hoe presies op vloekwoorde opgeëindig het, kan ek in my verlepte toestand nie onthou nie – maar indien jy lus het vir vloek in Koreaans hier is die F-woord: “sieppal!” Gebruik met omsigtugheid; ek neem geen verantwoordelikheid indien jy ’n Koreaner vloek en hy jou in twee skop nie.

Uiteindelik is my Koreaanse vriend huistoe. My kop is steeds dik en omdat ek versigtig is om van my lessenaar af op te staan en terug te waggel bed toe (mits ek flouval), skryf ek maar hierdie verslaggie tot ek genoeg moed bymekaar geskraap het.

Bible Camps & Thai Curry

The campus where I live have been buzzing with commotion since Thursday. The language institute ministry where I used to work on me first excursion to Korea had their annual “Summer Bible Camp” here on campus. They usually have it somewhere else. There were over a thousand people, representing language institutes from all over Korea. The great thing was that I had the opportunity to see many of my old co-workers, as well as many acquaintances I’ve made over the years here in Korea. So on Saturday late afternoon I invited a number of them to my apartment for dinner. I made a Thai Curry and prepared waffles with ice-cream for desert. It was very enjoyable (both, the chattering friends and the food), but now I’m dead beat.

Two "Projects"

So what have I been up to lately?

The past week I spent time on two projects. “Projects” is probably the wrong word, but I don’t know what else to call them.

First, I prepared a report for the national governing body of ITF Taekwon-Do in South Africa (SA-ITF) on the differences between ITF Taekwon-Do and WTF Taekwon-Do, as well as an outline of the history of ITF Taekwon-Do in South Africa. The latter was exceptionally interesting as it confirmed that ITF Taekwon-Do in South Africa started in the Vaal Triangle. This has been contested by the current powers-that-be for many years now; whom insisted that Taekwon-Do’s roots in South Africa is in Johannesburg. I’m glad to say, however, that the recent issue that required me to write the report created in the Taekwon-Do community the need to claim as old a history as possible. Some dated newspaper clips were at last acknowledged and the SA-ITF’s president announced the Vaal Triangle’s claims to be bona fide. It is now official that Taekwon-Do started in South Africa during 1976, when a Karate instructor named Andrew Fall heard about this new martial art, went abroad to study it with a master and returned to establish the South Africa Taekwon-Do Institute – the first Taekwon-Do association in South Africa, which over time evolved into the current national governing body, the SA-ITF. This also means that two ladies, Lynette Els and Evanthia Phillipou, whom both received gold medals at the 1978 World Champs, can now at last be honoured as the first South Africans to achieve gold medals at this prestigious event, and they will be put in South Africa's Taekwon-Do Hall of Fame and Achiever's Scroll where they should have been long ago. Establishing this heritage has been a long battle for me, and one at last achieved!

Second, a friend has been asking me some interesting theological questions recently, so I had the opportunity to think and write about an old interest (religion and Christianity) again. It reminded me of the time I wanted to go do a master’s degree in divinity. I never did, as I don’t feel called to the ministry, but I do realise that I have a deep love for philosophy and theology. While answering my friend’s questions I was also reminded why I believe in these things and what a beautiful and strangely unique message the Gospel is.