Random Stuff

Last weekend I went to a rural part of Korea and spent the night with a Korean family at their Ginseng farm. I've been to a couple Korean baseball games. They are filled with entertainment! I had an "I Love Korea" moment on Friday night. I finished the book "Three Cups of Tea."  You should read it.  Six weeks till I come home.

Being silly!
Ginseng Farm
Korean family.



Me, Sunny, Will
Doosan Bears Baseball Stadium

Those Bastards!!!

Someone stole my credit card information! The other night I was working on the computer and started receiving emails thanking me for my order, or saying that my order was being processed. Right around the same time the credit card company called to report some suspicious spending. I confirmed that the purchases being made were not being made by me. So this is what "I" purchased:
- 2 auctions on Ebay...I don't know what they were
- urban clothes from DrJays.com
- clothes from zazzle.com
- online web hosting space from 2 different companies
- something from Cyber Health
- Berry Acai drink and some type of tea
- Theft Identity from LifeLock, Inc.

The total amount spent was just over $1000. Since it is fraud I will not have to pay, but some of the orders were already shipped. The funny thing is everything was shipped to my residence back in the states. So the thieves were kind enough to at least send me what they bought =) Anyways, thanks Nate for returning the packages when they arrive! But if you want some FUBU gear, then have at it =)

Another Look At Korean Life Through A Music Video

Things I'm Excited For....!!!!!!!

Here is a list of things that I'll get to enjoy in 8 weeks:
- seeing and spending time with my family
- seeing and spending time with my friends
- riding my mountain bike at Landahl Park
- trap shooting with my dad
- eating home-cooked meals with mom and dad
- grilling hamburgers in Brookside
- sitting on a front porch or back deck
- personal space
- the English language
- walking at Loose Park, on the Plaza, or on the Trolley Trail
- walking across a street without the fear of dying
- being around people with the ability and spatial awareness to walk in a straight line
- hopefully a Royals baseball game
- a family vacation in Colorado where I will get to see by bro, sis-in-law, and my niece and nephew
- fresh air
- driving
- laying on a couch that my legs do not hang off of
- Shawnee Mission Public swimming pool
- beanbag toss
- Charlie Hoopers, Houlihans, The Flying Saucer, Panera Bread Co., Jardines, Barnes & Noble, McCoys, 75th St. Brewery, Cuppinis, Baja 600, Jacob's Well
- Boulevard, Sierra Nevada, Blue Moon and many others
- movies with no Korean subtitles
- walking down the street with a smile and not being look at weird for doing so
- saying hello to strangers and the greeting being returned
- no kimchi

Absence has made my heart grow fonder.

Philippines 2009

Welp, I'm back from the Philippines and once again I've enjoyed another great trip to a beautiful country in SE Asia.  At this point in time I'm not really in the mood to write a lot about my trip.  I had an amazing time, but there a definitely some conditions and cultural norms that are quite saddening.  

Over the past few months, especially when traveling, I've wondered a lot about my role as a person in the grand scheme of things, how I fit in it, and what sort of difference I want to make. My heart is constantly pulled in numerous directions.  I enjoy the comforts of my lifestyle that I have here in Korea and the life I left back in Kansas City.  I want to get married and have kids.  I want a house.  I want a "normal" American life.  Etc.  But at the same time I have such an adventurous spirit that seemed to disappear over the last few years while living out the "normal" American life.  My heart is also pulled towards a more humanitarian direction.  A large part of me wants to give up my comforts and pursue a life of helping those in the greatest need.  I don't know which direction I will go.  I want happiness, but it's difficult for me to be truly happy when I know others don't even have the basic necessities to live.  

Anyways, that is a brief tangent, but something that I think about quite often.

Here is a link to some pictures from the Philippines:  

http://picasaweb.google.com/darby80/Philippines#