Sunday, 10 May 2009
Getting better
My latest trip to the doctor regarding my feet was very positive. Although he kept changing his mind on what treatment he thought I should have, the prognosis looks good. The problems are still their but shrinking. Ultimately he decided to continue with my tablets for one more month and see how things then visit him again one month later. I was mentally prepared to have injections in both feet which would be painful but would speed up the recovery process. No injections means I can fully prepare for my hapkido test at the end of the month and also means I don't have to spend my time hobbling around the streets of Daegu.
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Sense of perspective (Life for a Korean can be tough)
Today's first class was pretty uneventful. They took the test and then we went ahead with the lesson as usual. Nothing new, same old jokes from both me and the students. Just before the end of class the Re-test teacher (as they do on Thursdays and Fridays) enters the room and tells the kids who has failed the test and has to stay behind for a while. Then the bells rings and class is over. One boy who passed the test says to me "Maybe my Mum won't hit me now".
Crikey. His emphasis was on maybe! Life in Korea for students is very different from life in the Western world.
Crikey. His emphasis was on maybe! Life in Korea for students is very different from life in the Western world.
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Hapkido: Learning the traditions, philosophies and techniques
A recent trip to hapkido ended with an excellent conversation between myself, the master and my girlfriend. It was held in mostly Korean with her translating between the two of us. It was nice to talk to my master in a relaxed atmosphere and express my regret that due to my recent foot troubles I couldn't train as hard as I wanted to. He seemed to understand and also lamented that although he could train me the techniques and movements of hapkido and try to get me fitter, he couldn't properly explain the philosophies that he feels are just as important. He speaks good English and we rarely have communication problems, but his command of the language is not enough to express everything he knows in the detailed manner that it would need explaining in. Despite this I immensely enjoy every hapkido session I go to and would recommended learning this to pretty much everyone.
A few days later my girlfriend had a chance conversation at work with a co-worker. He had ordered a stack of books from Amazon including one about hapkido. My girlfriend explained the recent conversation that we had had with the master and totally out of the blue, her co-worker said I could have the book, and for free. What an incredibly kind gestures from this stranger. I am still surprised that he has done this and would like to thank him personally if I have the chance. A few days later Boo young would bring the book to my apartment. What I was expecting was a decent paperback of maybe two or three hundred pages with some nice photographs in the middle. What I got was so much more.
This book is huge, massive. By far the biggest book I have owned, and I try to read as much as I can. To read this book will take months and months, but if I will ever have to time to read it then it's now here in Korea. Let's get into some details. The book has over one thousand pages and nine thousand photographs. It weighs in at a hefty four kilograms. It's not a book you can take on the train or the bus, it's a sit down and read seriously kind of book. Essentially a wonderful in depth study guide.
Onto the book itself. Hapkido: Traditions, Philosophy, Technique is by Marc Tedeschi. Lets start at the beginning. It covers the origins and history of martial arts in Asia. It goes into great depths to to try to explain its philosophies and answers several common questions you might already have about it whilst also covering some preconceptions. If you thought the hapkido section on Wikipedia was detailed, then think again. It barely touches the surface. Also in this book are several entertaining interviews with Grandmasters including those who have abandoned hapkido to branch off into other martial arts. Then it moves onto the anatomy of the body with it's pressure points and how to attack them. At this point in the book I felt like I was reading a medical text book, such was the level of detail involved. And then onto to the meat on the bone, the part where the author writes about and displays most of the nine thousand pictures - the art of self defence and attacking principles of hapkido. Kicking, punching, weapon attacks, joint locks etc, etc.
To call this detailed does not do the book justice. If I could only master a few of the moves mentioned then I would be very happy. I have to say that it is somewhat reassuring to read and see some of the moves and techniques that I train in this book. I feel like I am doing even more things right but it is clear that what I know is only the very tip or a very large iceberg. I hope to take this book to work some time soon to show a few of my co-workers that also study hapkido, but at a different dojang. Perhaps they can share in my enjoyment of this wonderful gift too.
If you are looking to take up hapkido or already study it then perhaps this is the book for you. One thing against it is the price. right now Amazon.co.uk lists it at a hefty £59, but remember you're getting over one thousand pages of an incredibly detailed book. A kind of hapkido bible. One things for sure, it will be coming home with me on my trip back home to the UK. A wonderful reminder of the time I have spent in Korea. I just wonder whether or not I have a bookshelf strong enough to hold it.
A few days later my girlfriend had a chance conversation at work with a co-worker. He had ordered a stack of books from Amazon including one about hapkido. My girlfriend explained the recent conversation that we had had with the master and totally out of the blue, her co-worker said I could have the book, and for free. What an incredibly kind gestures from this stranger. I am still surprised that he has done this and would like to thank him personally if I have the chance. A few days later Boo young would bring the book to my apartment. What I was expecting was a decent paperback of maybe two or three hundred pages with some nice photographs in the middle. What I got was so much more.
This book is huge, massive. By far the biggest book I have owned, and I try to read as much as I can. To read this book will take months and months, but if I will ever have to time to read it then it's now here in Korea. Let's get into some details. The book has over one thousand pages and nine thousand photographs. It weighs in at a hefty four kilograms. It's not a book you can take on the train or the bus, it's a sit down and read seriously kind of book. Essentially a wonderful in depth study guide.
Onto the book itself. Hapkido: Traditions, Philosophy, Technique is by Marc Tedeschi. Lets start at the beginning. It covers the origins and history of martial arts in Asia. It goes into great depths to to try to explain its philosophies and answers several common questions you might already have about it whilst also covering some preconceptions. If you thought the hapkido section on Wikipedia was detailed, then think again. It barely touches the surface. Also in this book are several entertaining interviews with Grandmasters including those who have abandoned hapkido to branch off into other martial arts. Then it moves onto the anatomy of the body with it's pressure points and how to attack them. At this point in the book I felt like I was reading a medical text book, such was the level of detail involved. And then onto to the meat on the bone, the part where the author writes about and displays most of the nine thousand pictures - the art of self defence and attacking principles of hapkido. Kicking, punching, weapon attacks, joint locks etc, etc.
To call this detailed does not do the book justice. If I could only master a few of the moves mentioned then I would be very happy. I have to say that it is somewhat reassuring to read and see some of the moves and techniques that I train in this book. I feel like I am doing even more things right but it is clear that what I know is only the very tip or a very large iceberg. I hope to take this book to work some time soon to show a few of my co-workers that also study hapkido, but at a different dojang. Perhaps they can share in my enjoyment of this wonderful gift too.
If you are looking to take up hapkido or already study it then perhaps this is the book for you. One thing against it is the price. right now Amazon.co.uk lists it at a hefty £59, but remember you're getting over one thousand pages of an incredibly detailed book. A kind of hapkido bible. One things for sure, it will be coming home with me on my trip back home to the UK. A wonderful reminder of the time I have spent in Korea. I just wonder whether or not I have a bookshelf strong enough to hold it.
Children's Day in Korea
Today was Children's Day here in South Korea. A National holiday where the kids don't have to go to school and most people don't have to go to work. But my academy doesn't work that way and nobody had the day off. No matter, it's only one day so I'm not losing much and to be honest I do like working instead of lazing around the house and spending money unnecessarily, which is possibly what I would do given one day off. It's rather harsh for my academy to work on this day because it means that the majority of the students will have to go there to study. Harsh because recently every student in the country has taken and are still taking vital school exams. The pressure and expectations on students here continue to bemuse me.
Parents are supposed to give presents to their children and they often go on trips somewhere too. This explains why some of my elementary school classes were depleted. I don't know the origins of the holiday and I am sure that my students don't appreciate it either. I fully expected a swathe of my students asking for presents (sweets) but that wasn't really the case. All in all a rather low key and perhaps meaningless holiday here in the land of the Morning Calm.
Parents are supposed to give presents to their children and they often go on trips somewhere too. This explains why some of my elementary school classes were depleted. I don't know the origins of the holiday and I am sure that my students don't appreciate it either. I fully expected a swathe of my students asking for presents (sweets) but that wasn't really the case. All in all a rather low key and perhaps meaningless holiday here in the land of the Morning Calm.
Bitten
I am declaring today officially the first day of Summer even though we may be technically four or five weeks away from that. I have just noticed I have two mosquito bites on my back. Nothing painful just a bit itchy. It may not be roasting outside but compared to the weather back home it's hot. The weather report says it's 28°C right now. Five more months of this left till things cool down instead of heating up. Time to stay in the shadows out of harms way.
Monday, 4 May 2009
Korean Herb Medicine Festival
Today we took advantage of the good weather and travelled on the bus downtown for the annual Daegu Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Festival. I've been before, this time last year but this was the first time with my girlfriend. I am a little sceptical but open to the benefits of Oriental medicine. I figure if it didn't work then the millions of people across Asia that use and believe in it would stop but clearly it is a thriving business and tradition in this part of the world. If there's one thing Koreans and in particular older Koreans like to do it's to stay fit and healthy for as long as possible. A quality to admire.
As you can see from the pictures there was plenty of colour on view and plenty of things that I didn't understand. We went fairly early on in the day so most of the activities and displays took place later. Maybe we missed something exciting but the hour we spent there was enough for the both of us. There was some literature in English and some English speakers on displays but not speaking Korean was a barrier that prevented me learning more than I could have back home. I ended up buying some aromatic 'herbs' (not sure that's the right word) which smell very strong and are supposed to help improve breathing, relaxation and ultimately help you sleep better. They were cheap, look nice and I like the smell so we'll see how well they work
As you can see from the pictures there was plenty of colour on view and plenty of things that I didn't understand. We went fairly early on in the day so most of the activities and displays took place later. Maybe we missed something exciting but the hour we spent there was enough for the both of us. There was some literature in English and some English speakers on displays but not speaking Korean was a barrier that prevented me learning more than I could have back home. I ended up buying some aromatic 'herbs' (not sure that's the right word) which smell very strong and are supposed to help improve breathing, relaxation and ultimately help you sleep better. They were cheap, look nice and I like the smell so we'll see how well they work
Sunday, 3 May 2009
All Ham and Cheese
It's Sunday evening again and I am at the computer. My girlfriend is watching the TV and there is 'not much on'. Repeats and repeats of repeats and some poor quality films so the familiar weekend ritual happens again and she is watching a Korean drama. These are weekly shows that, unlike soap operas there is a conclusion after twelve weeks or so and they are on the big three terrestrial channels throughout the evening. And they are awful. When one show finishes, the next week it is replaced by a new one.
I come from the land of Coronation Street, Eastenders and Hollyoaks so I know what I am talking about when I say I know what bad acting and bad television looks like. I also know what Olivier, Gielgud and other outstanding actors were like so I know the difference between good and bad. Dramas tend to be low budget, low quality and low expectations and Korea meets all the criteria. I mean it when I say that all these drama's all look the same. You can see what is coming up a mile away. And the acting, is sometimes worse or the equal of what you see in the famous UK soaps. You may point out that my Korean is poor and I cannot understand all that is going on, and you'd be right, but I can see with my own eyes that 95% of these shows are unequivocally abysmal. There is nothing wrong with these shows but they are fillers in the schedule and unbelievably people lap them up - just like in the UK. No doubt there have been some fine dramas here but all I see are predictable sentimental programmes.
In Korean TV dramas, less is more. Less acting that is and more shouting and the most important thing of all, more hysterical over the top reactions to literally anything that is happening. And god forbid any kind of male/female physical contact because that could make the earth just spin off it's axis. Who are the worst offenders? Older women just shout and look offended at everything, old men just shout and complain at everything. The younger women are usually some chaste individuals who dress like they are from another time, like the 50's. Younger men look like they came out of a men's clothing catalogue and quite frankly cannot be taken very seriously. I have never seen so many people wear ties in my life. There is drama in everything everyone does and it is all so over the top you couldn't make it up. The best parts are when there is some form of physical violence because this is when Korean males display a love of pushing and shoving unparallelled. How do all the people have such ridiculous lives? Often a semi-popular singer appears in the shows and proves that they can't sing or act. There is so much to admire and like about Korea but this shows aren't anything special. I like my ham and cheese but this just doesn't taste right.
I come from the land of Coronation Street, Eastenders and Hollyoaks so I know what I am talking about when I say I know what bad acting and bad television looks like. I also know what Olivier, Gielgud and other outstanding actors were like so I know the difference between good and bad. Dramas tend to be low budget, low quality and low expectations and Korea meets all the criteria. I mean it when I say that all these drama's all look the same. You can see what is coming up a mile away. And the acting, is sometimes worse or the equal of what you see in the famous UK soaps. You may point out that my Korean is poor and I cannot understand all that is going on, and you'd be right, but I can see with my own eyes that 95% of these shows are unequivocally abysmal. There is nothing wrong with these shows but they are fillers in the schedule and unbelievably people lap them up - just like in the UK. No doubt there have been some fine dramas here but all I see are predictable sentimental programmes.
In Korean TV dramas, less is more. Less acting that is and more shouting and the most important thing of all, more hysterical over the top reactions to literally anything that is happening. And god forbid any kind of male/female physical contact because that could make the earth just spin off it's axis. Who are the worst offenders? Older women just shout and look offended at everything, old men just shout and complain at everything. The younger women are usually some chaste individuals who dress like they are from another time, like the 50's. Younger men look like they came out of a men's clothing catalogue and quite frankly cannot be taken very seriously. I have never seen so many people wear ties in my life. There is drama in everything everyone does and it is all so over the top you couldn't make it up. The best parts are when there is some form of physical violence because this is when Korean males display a love of pushing and shoving unparallelled. How do all the people have such ridiculous lives? Often a semi-popular singer appears in the shows and proves that they can't sing or act. There is so much to admire and like about Korea but this shows aren't anything special. I like my ham and cheese but this just doesn't taste right.
Friday, 1 May 2009
Hello Goodbye
The start of a new month and April is no more than a distant memory. Before writing this I was thinking that this would be another inconsequential few weeks, ever so slowly coming closer to the end of my time here, but thinking about it I doubt that will be the case. In just over three weeks I will have my next hapkido test - one step closer to my 2nd Dan (something that is really, really motivating me at present). Next weekend I also go to the doctors with my fingers crossed over my feet. I fear that I will need more injections though. There are some other things on the horizon but I must admit that I'm looking to save as much cash as possible. I'm already looking at the next pay day, just four weeks away so there may not be any trips coming up. May also means Summer is just around the corner. Four months of meteorological suffering to look forward to. I'm going to try and take more photographs than I have of late. Let's see how this month goes.
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