Colorful City

In more ways than one.

Tie-Dyed Hot

It is even too hot to wear Tie-Dye.

Books and Bikes

My neighborhood library. Not the most effecient bike rack but one of the cooler ones I have seen.

Better than Velcro

Shoelaces Not Needed Everyone knows how to tie shoelaces but most don’t know how to properly adjust them. That uncomfortable shoe could just be a matter of tension. Technically you should readjust every 4-5th wear. Why even bother if there’s something better? The No Shoelace Shoe uses a single strap that wraps around the entire width of your foot’s arch. By simply tightening or loosening a velcro strap, you achieve the perfect fit. Designed for runners but this simple design could easily translate into any footwear. Designers: Seon-Keun Park & Jin-Sun Park (via No Shoelace Shoe Design by Seon-Keun Park & Jin-Sun Park » Yanko Design)

Corked

What have you been doing with your used corks? I bet nothing like this.
All small display outside City Hall today.

Life Sized Candyland

Such a cool thing. Too bad I did not get to play.

Bike Blocked

Luckily the street is not busy but what was this SUV driver thinking? Then again, they are driving an SUV.

Clever Ad

Spotted at the aiport. That is what I call target marketing. Brilliant. This is one of the bins you have to put your stuff in going through security. First time I have seen ads there. Again, brilliant

I can hold it

Just bad design

Pedal Power

I own three bikes and actually use them. What about you?

Perfect

Hollywood by The Bay

Crews are out shooting a new TV show called "Trama' in The City. The show is supposed to be on NBC in the fall. This was taking place along the Embarcadero at Justin Herman Plaza. It reminded me how much it takes and costs to put together a TV production.

Touch My Knob

This makes you want to open more doors.

Paper Cuts

Impressive. As intricate as The City itself.

What's So Hard About Spelling

Watching the Scripps National Spelling Bee tonight and Michelle asked me, "what's so hard about spelling? All of the kids are American, they should know how to spell."

She had a hard time grasping the concept of 12 and 13 year olds not knowing words, which is understandable if you are familiar with the Korean language.

Hangul, the Korean language, was developed to be easy enough for everybody to learn. Hangul came about from the fourth king of the Joeson Dynasty, King Sejong, completed around 1444. Sejong wanted a language exclusive to the Korean people. At the time Korea used the Chinese writen language, which was too difficult to write for common people and only male aristocrates could normally read and write it. The majority of Koreans were mainly illiterate prior to hangul. The language consists of 14 consonants and 10 vowels. Documents from the time explain the design of the consonant letters according to articulatory phonetics and the vowel letters according to the principles of yin and yang and vowel harmony.

After facing opposition hangul flourished, and was first adopted for official documents in 1894 (mainly because the Japanese wanted to seperate China's influence from Korea.) Later, Japanese was the official language and hangul was banned from schools in 1938 as part of the Japanese cultural assimilation. (Japan on several occasions has tried to eliminate Korean culture and history).

All hangul letters follow the rules of Chinese calligraphy but in simplistic form. Each group is one sylabell. Which brings us back to spelling. If you pronounce a word clearly, seperating each sylabell, it is very easy for each and every person who knows hangul to spell that word.

Prop 8

A little delay in getting these up.

Classical DJ

Had an amazing night at the SF Symphony last night. The featured peformer was pianist Yuju Wang from China and while she was outstanding it was an earlier set that stole the show for me. Mason Bates is a 32 year old composer living in Oakland. He blends electronic music with classical resulting in an amazing experience.

It is great to see a young guy in a black short sleeve t-shirt with an Apple computer on stage right alongside a full symphony dressed in tuxedos and black dresses. Mason uses unique and natural sounds alongside classical compositions. Last night's work included actual sound recordings from the Gemini space mission, a broom, and a typewriter, among many others. The broom sound came from a guy near the percussion area actually sweeping the floor and to see Mason finger bounding this little mixer hooked up to his laptop was mesmorizing.

Certain parts of the performance incorporated electronic beats and it was amusing to see a few violinists bobbing their heads to the rhythm. Equally amusing was seeing the reaction from the blue hairs in the audience who Mason won over. It was one of the best live performances I have witnessed in years. Check him out.

Kimchi - Bound to Happen

It was bound to happen. Michelle made homemade kimchi. It wasn't as bad as I imagined. I had heard horror stories of the smell and the huge undertaking. But since it is only the two of us she only made a small amount. Usually making kimchi in Korea is a massive production with the entire family involved. I found you don't need a clay pot to put the kimchi in, you don't even have to bury it. (this was done before refrigeration as the earth maintains a temperture of 55-degrees and is still done, albeit to a lesser extent). A simple container and a fridge will work just fine.

Kimchi is the most popular side dish, the most popular being cabbage kimchi but kimchi can be any vegetable that is picked and stored. Radish kimchi and green onion kimchi are two other popular types.

Kimchi styles vary by region in Korea (like BBQ here in the states) with variations in spiciness and flavorings but the base remains the same.
After soaking the cabbage in salt and making a red pepper paste all you do is rub the cabbage with the paste and slam it into a container. Pretty simple and very healthy. The magazine Health named kimchi in its list of top five "World's Healthiest Foods" for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possibly reducing cancer growth.

While you can eat the kimchi right away it is best to let it sit and ferment for a few days. Kimchi can last for a few weeks to be eaten raw or for several months if used in a stew.

Gloves and Ear Muffs

Damn it's cold. I tell you, if San Francisco did not have so many other things going for it nobody would live here because of the weather and wind. It is nearly June and I wore gloves and ear warmers on my run tonight. The temperture is not cold, the WIND is. It is foggy and downright blustery along the coast. This City teases you with one great week of weather every three months. The rest of the time it is a bitch. But boy, those nice days can not be beat and I would rather than this than East Coast blizzards.

Go Commit Voter Fraud

I voted in today's state special election on bonds and was reminded about a glaring CA election omission...you do not need an ID to vote! How is that possible? It is so easy to commit voter fraud especially in races for small local offices. Michelle could have walked in and made my vote and she' not even a citizen.

World Transit Superstars - Not the U.S.

National Geographic released the results of their annual Greendex consumer survey yesterday, ranking the environmental friendliness of housing, transportation and eating habits in nations around the world.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/greendex/

Sadly, only one nation can boast that a majority of its population rides transit at least once a day...

Russia ranked the highest on the Greendex scale, with 52 percent of respondents reporting daily or near-daily use of transit. Hot on its heels was China, where 43 percent reported very frequent transit rides. More than four out of five Chinese surveyed ride transit at least once a month, according to the Greendex.

On the flip side, only one nation reported a majority of travelers who never use transit: the U.S. An eye-popping 61 percent of Americans steer totally clear of rail and buses, with just 11 percent riding at least once a month.

Americans also ranked the lowest on the Greendex's walking-or-biking scale, which measured how many people reported frequent use of either mode of transport. Just 26 percent of U.S. travelers use their bikes or their feet most often, a far cry from Mexico's 48 percent and Britain's 52 percent walking-or-biking scores.

Yet the Greendex isn't all bad news for the U.S. Asked for the reasons why they forgo transit, the number one reply from Americans was that the option simply isn't available -- suggesting that a sustained investment in expanding transit options would have a significant effect on traveling habits.

Spa vs. Spa

(This is my 200th post on this blog)

It is not everyday one can go to a spa in Korea one week and here in the states the next. It has given me a unique perspective on the whole spa concept. Needless to say in Korea I stick out like a sore thumb...all the kids look and stare. There's the first differnce, the kids. Dads take their kids to sit in the various heated pools...everybody in their birthday suits. In Korea (as well as Turkey...I am still trying to cool off from my stay on the hammam) they are more of a regular routine and all all about cleansing. Michelle tells me her mother goes about once every five days. Here in the states it is all about the pampering and it's too stuffy, too exclusive and way too expensive.

One can enter a spa (and spend all day) for anywhere between 6 and 15 dollars. You can then get the various services. I got a complete body exfoliation for 12 bucks. Not bad. Try to get that price here. Sure the wages and cost of living are different but adjust for this and it is still affordable to the majority. Whereas a day pass with a massage at a popular Wine Country spa will set you back nearly 200-bucks. Not too affordable for most. In both you get your own locker, your own special clothes, heated pools, saunas, and various amenities. It is just that elsewhere you get to keep more of your money than here.

Satisfying San Francisco

I am not back in San Francisco more than 30 minutes and I see why I love this place so much...diversity. After being in homogenous Korea for over a week it is nice to see some variety. Don't get me wrong, South Korea has just about everything we have here, heck, there are probably more Starbucks in Seoul than in SF. But the cultural diversity is not as open as here, for obvious reasons.

I am on BART and these two arguing Vietnamese women board the train. In the middle of arguing in Vietnamese, one turns to me and asks what train it was. Only in the states. It didn't strike anyone else on the train as special but to me it was wonderful welcome home.

Later in the day I am reminded on what bugs me about living here. I board my normal bus towards downtown, the 38 Geary. On the back of the bus are these rowdy, obnoxious, rude teenagers. They're fighting, singing and yelling at each other, all the while using language not suitable for most bus riders. This would never happen in Korea.

Lastly, back to what I love, this morning I am in Seoul and tonight was able to be in SF and watch a Korean movie at the SF International Film Festival. And to top it off there was a mention of San Francisco and the legendary Bill Graham in it. San Francisco's impact is felt around the world. It is good to be home.

Soju in Seoul

Just had one of my best meals in Seoul in a second floor BBQ place . Lots is salary men after work, lots of soju and lots of great inexpensive eats. Korean baseball on the tele...did I mention the soju? Sitting on the floor isn't so bad after a awhile... thanks to soju. Great last dinner in Korea.

Last Day in Korea

Today is my last day in Korea. As anxious as I am to return to the states I am a bit sad to leave. Korea is such a welcoming country to visitors, especially Americans. Many of the transit signs are in English, the subway announcements are in English and the people are overly friendly helping you out. There is so much to see and do here I could probably stay for a month and not be satisfied.

On a Train In Korea

This is coming from a train in Korea traveling from Daecheon to Seoul. Just spent a few days with Michelle's parents and had a small reception celebrating our marriage. What a wonderful time. 50-cents for 15-minutes of Internet access on the train. Not bad.

First Report From Korea

Just landed, 1 hour ahead of schedule at the new ICN terminal. Had to fill out a health form stating my good health likely because of the swine flu. Here as well as at SFO you see people with masks, not many.

Off to Seoul for two days then to Michelle's parents.

Heart, Heat and a Hum Baby!

It sure did cool off in a hurry. No more hot weather in SF. We've had our three days all year. Lady Grey is back. I used my heart rate monitor for the first time in a long time tonight (I finally got around to changing the battery). Here are my vitals: when at rest my heart rate is 50bpm; when running at a comfortable 7:40 pace my heart rate was 145bpm. I have no idea what this all means I just find it nice to know. I think there is some equation where you figure out how long it takes your heart to return to normal and your maximum bpm. That takes too much thought for me but I would like to know.

Cool thing on my run tonight was I saw SF Giants announcer Dave Flemming. It seems he lives about 5 blocks from me. Looked like he was sweeping the entry way to his house.

Happy Earth Day

I consider today Earth Day. It is the birthday of John Muir. I first heard of Earth Day back in college when I was working for the college radio station. The band Dramarama had a song that mentioned it.

Earth Day in San Francisco was hot. It was the second day of near 90-degree tempertures, unheard of for The City. There is a joke you can always tell who the tourists are because they are the ones wearing shorts. Well, for the last two days even the locals were wearing shorts.

I did my little part for Earth Day today, running down to Baker Beach and picking up whatever litter I saw. I walked to and from work, which I normally do a few time a week anyway instead of taking the bus.

Today is also reminds me to one day hike the John Muir trail. I'll probably have to do it by myself in an organized group since it seems none of my friends have any intention of joining me. Am I wrong? Care to join me? Check the link.

San Francisco Easter

Here is the best way I know to spend Easter. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence celebrated its 30th Anniversary at Dolores Park and Mission Dolores.

The Sisters are highly visible gay icons drawing attention to human rights and liberal issues. The group is also a powerful fundraising force.

Murals, Musings and Hot Mornings

This morning is one of the warmest mornings and days in SF in a long time. This 9 mile route was filled with hills which didn't do my overall pace any good but hopefully it did my leg strength some good.

This route took me to Coit Tower. Along the way I ran down the 'crookest street' (not really, Vermont is worse), and I made a pit stop to check out the Diego Rivera murals.

Simple Fast Beautiful

Simple course this morning as I set out to just to run a fast 5k, which I did at 7:20 per mile. Keep in mind there were some serious hills, Lincoln Road by Baker Beach, and I went a little longer than 5k. It is such a beautiful day today, one of those days where if you are visiting you will instantly fall in love with this place and think it is the greatest place on earth (for me that is everyday). One quick thing: I noticed on two seperate occasions cyclists stopped and checking their blackberry/phone/mobile device. Put it away and enjoy your ride.

What (who) Can Save Newspapers - Phil Bronstein?

It seems everybody thinks the end is near for newspapers. I tend to disagree.

Phil Bronstein discussed the state of journalism on The Colbert Report and brought up some very good points.

Click the link to watch the segment.

As the Editor-at-Large for The Chronicle he is a bit biased but I also believe he's realistic. He brings up the point of other outlets, such as AOL, using newspaper content for free. Moving forward this simply can be the case. There has to be a way to monetize content for distribution that is agreeable for all. A similar transition is happening right now between TV distributers and local stations. In the past cable and satellite companies were able to carry channels for free. Now local station groups are demanding payment, usually per subscriber, for the right to carry the station. Why can't this happen with newspapers? Have the New York Times or The Dallas Morning News charge Google, AOL, Huffington Post or whatever site, the right to use its content, either by click or by outright fee. What about all the smaller sites, you ask? The beauty of the Internet is you know exactly where people are coming from, which sites are being link to where. The threat of fines and jail similar to what happened in the music industry does not sound too bad to me.

A Giants Thursday Run

I was all excited heading out the door for tonight's run. It was my favorite weather; a bit misty, the streets damp, the smell of wet dirt and rain in the air. Perfect. But it did not last. After about 4 blocks the moisture was gone and it was simply overcast and cool. Still nice.

Tonight's route took to A-T-&-T Park where I made a pit-stop to watch the Giants bat in the bottom of the 8th against the Brewers. The Giants were leading 7-1.

While nice run it did have it fair share of interuptions because of stop signs along Division (below the Central Freeway) and along Market (Financial District).

Despite all of the stoplights I really enjoy running through the Financial District trying to dodge all of the business suits scurrying home. Heading up Geary and tried to race the bus all the way home, the 38 Geary bus. I failed but I gave it my best shot.

Cool Mid-Week Run

What a evening for a run. Nice cool, overcast weather. It is supposed to rain tonight so it has that pre-rain smell and feel to it.
I ran out to Hopper's Hands on the route. Hopper's Hands are a local runners landmark right at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge at Fort Point. Hopper was/is a worker on the Bridge and has apparently talked many people from jumping to their demise. Runners touch their hands to it and turn around. If you ask 10 runners who Hopper is you're likely to get 4 for 5 different answers. There is even a new addition for pet paws.

Sunny and Warm 13 1/2 miles

It is a warm sunny day today, perfect for a long run. I was beat at the end. To think this is only half of a marathon, oh boy. It was a beautiful day.

You can always check out the route in the link.

Things I saw today:
1. Somebody running with a Dashound. That is just wrong.
2. An African-American surfer. Don't tell me you've seen many.
3. The tulips are blooming at the windmill in Golden Gate Park
4. A metal dectector group scouring the park for 'hidden treasures'.

The last one got me thinking about hobbies and what people do for fun. Golden Gate Park is filled with people doing what they enjoy doing in their free time. There is so much variety. I saw a guy showing off his wood carved mechanical contraption, (complete with a R-rated joke in it), I passed skaters, golfers, horseback riders, kite flyers, cyclists, photographers, painters, soccer players and of course runners, just to name a few. We all need something simple to make us smile, relax and escape. What do you do? Something that is only for you. Not something you do because of a family member or kids...but something you do FOR YOU. It is a part of the fabric that makes you who you are? If not, what's stopping you?

Never A Boring Run

Running for me is more about the destination than the distance. More about the enjoyment than the endurance. Near the end of tonight's run I took a lap around Kezar Stadium (where the 49ers used to play). There was a training group, about 75 runners, and what they were doing looked boring! They were just doing laps to get in a distance. Could it be any worse? I have no idea how far they were going but I over heard one of the trainers tell them they were half way through and ask what topic they were on? What topic were they on? I then heard different groups of runners talking about such mundane things as favorte beers, vacation spots, etc.

Yes, a good deal of running is seeing how far you can push your body but it seems nowdays more and more people are running marathons for charity and not about the pleasure of running. To me that is not running. Yes, it has opened up running to a new audience and hopefully many will continue. Yes, it is for a good cause. I only wish these new runners didn't just do laps but hit the streets and parks to explore and run with a sense of adventure. That is what running is all about. If they were with me they would have seen unique houses, amazing views, intriguing neighborhoods and dodged a few cars along the way.

My route is in the link.

Food for Cause

Michelle's friend, Jiwon, the maid of honor in our wedding (that is her on the left), will be cooking for charity this Thursday night in The Mission. Mission Street Food is an amazing undertaking by local chefs giving back...with proceeds going to local charity It is gourmet for a good cause. It takes place twice a week in a rented space in a Chinese restaurant.
Click on the title to check it out.

Spring Running

It is darker later, it is warming up...that can only mean one thing...more productive running.

I veered from my usual local tonight, a not too scenic city/residential run for a nice change of pace. You can check out the route in the link. It is a nice little 5mile Monday warm-up.

Biggest Winners

I do not know a a group of athletes with more heart and determination than this group, the San Francisco Seals. Despite not winning a single game over the weekend they showed tremendous spirit and through it all were all smiles at the end because they know they are winners no matter what the score says. From 13 year old Gerrard to 65+ year old Willie this team gave it their all and I could not be more proud.

Happy Belated Birthday Lawrence Ferlinghetti

I am a day late with this but feel it is still important to point out this out...
One of San Francisco's cherished literary icons -- poet, painter and City Lights publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti -- celebrated his 90th birthday yesterday.

Back when I first moved to San Francisco I had the pleasure of speaking with Ferlinghetti. I was doing a spot for something, I am not sure for what, but I wanted to use a quote from a Ferlinghetti poem so I called him asking for permission. I was a expecting to speak to an agent, assistant or some other minion but got the poet laurette himself. What a joy.

Ferlinghetti is now hard at work trying to transform a small block of Vallejo Street in historic North Beach into what would be called the Piazza Saint Francis, an Italian-style piazza, with inscriptions on the paving stones from up to 30 or 40 authors, mostly poets.

North Beach is an ideal place to do this, not just because of its Italian flare. The neighborhood consistently shows some of the highest pedestrian counts in the city, yet lacks a lot of usable public space.

Windy 6 miles SF Run

Evenings like tonight are quite deceptive in SF. The sun is setting and it looks pleasant but hiding around the corner is a nasty wind. As always you can check out the route in link.

I am feeling I am falling into a bit of rut with my distances and routes lately. I am not bored, running never is for me, but expect some new locals in the future. Seattle in June.

Monsters vs. Aliens - Modesto

Saw the advanced screening tonight and it is not good. I thought it would have improved since I saw the rough version about 6 months ago but no. The only good thing about it is SF is featured as well as Modesto. Yes, Modesto. It is the main character's hometown....that and a few cheap shots at Fresno. One thing I did notice was the barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge...a much battled over addition many want. Does Dreamworks know something the rest of us do not?

First Run of Spring

It did not look a lot like Spring since we are expecting rain today...just a little, but it was the first run of Spring for me. You can check out the map in the link.

Stewart vs. Cramer - TV the winner

I, like the rest of you, watched Jon Stewart take down CNBC (I don't say Jim Cramer since he's just a face/whipping boy for CNBC and does a show using bells and whistles to make the boring idea of finance TV more interesting and for this I give him a hell of a lot of credit). What no one is talking about is the power of good content and right now the content king is still TV. Sure the video has been watched my millions online and millions more words have been written about it on blogs and websites but the event happened on TV. The Obama Inauguration happened on TV. If you have good content people will turn out in droves.

On an aside, you can't always blame somebody for passing on bad information. CNBC was given bad information from company CEOs and acted on it. The White House, the British Government, the French and just about everyone else was given bad information about Saddam Hussein and acted on it. People lie to survive, make money, and advance. People will be taken advantage of. Does it hurt? Yes. Will we stop it? No, you can't change human nature.

Lastly, when it comes down to it CNBC is not even near the top of the list of villians surrounding this mess. As long as people were making money they were going to turn their heads. The SEC knew what was going on and it did not act. As long as home prices continued to climb who was going to say anything? As long as the stock market rose who was going to stop it?

Come on Lottery!

San Francisco is bucking the trend again, no surprise there. Here are some interesting numbers when it comes to real estate prices in this economy. Seems like despite the downturn seen elsewhere prices in SF keep going up. What is a person like me to do?


Condos/Lofts/TICs February 2004 v. 2006 v. 2008 v. 2009


District 1 Feb ‘04 Feb ‘06 Feb ‘08 Feb ‘09
Number of sales 8 24 8 2
Median price$625,000 $712,500 $995,000 $1,177,500
Average D.O.M. 34 52 50 24

District 2 Feb ‘04 Feb ‘06 Feb ‘08 Feb ‘09
Number of sales 4 4 2 2
Median price $599,500 $607,500 $310,000 $612,500
Average D.O.M. 52 52 56 62

District 3 Feb ‘04 Feb ‘06 Feb ‘08 Feb ‘09
Number of sales 2 5 1 0
Median price $435,000 $535,000 $649,000 n/a
Average D.O.M. 4 60 90 n/a

District 4 Feb ‘04 Feb ‘06 Feb ‘08 Feb ‘09
Number of sales 6 3 6 2
Median price $481,250 $509,000$618,000 $727,000
Average D.O.M. 18 74 91 55

District 5 Feb ‘04 Feb ‘06 Feb ‘08 Feb ‘09
Number of sales 29 54 37 19
Median price $650,000 $660,500 $789,000 $785,000
Average D.O.M. 50 53 43 73

District 6 Feb ‘04 Feb ‘06 Feb ‘08 Feb ‘09
Number of sales 19 29 22 7
Median price $560,000 $579,000 $812,500 $699,000
Average D.O.M. 36 35 63 77

District 7 Feb ‘04 Feb ‘06 Feb ‘08 Feb ‘09
Number of sales 22 23 19 6
Median price $772,500 $965,000 $1,249,000 $1,350,000
Average D.O.M. 29 33 21 79

District 8 Feb ‘04 Feb ‘06 Feb ‘08 Feb ‘09
Number of sales 53 35 36 18
Median price $600,000 $659,900 $584,500 $1,289,200
Average D.O.M. 62 60 61 61

District 9 Feb ‘04 Feb ‘06 Feb ‘08 Feb ‘09
Number of sales 89 82 35 9
Median price $499,000 $674,500 $685,000 $600,000
Average D.O.M. 51 50 65 81

District 10 Feb ‘04 Feb ‘06 Feb ‘08 Feb ‘09
Number of sales 6 5 0 10
Median price $378,500 $658,000 n/a $360,500
Average D.O.M. 56 323 n/a 157

The only area seeing a drop is the Hunter's Point area, otherwise known as a toxic dump or 'da hood. Besides prices going up so too are Days On the Market, which is not surprising since people have less money now to buy.

Korean Ketchup

What ketchup is to Americans, I think Gochujang is to Koreans. Gochujang is a red pepper and bean paste that will fire up your taste buds. It is nothing like ketchup, other than it is red. Gochujang is not for dipping or as runny as ketchup, but it seems like gochujang is in 25% of all Korean dishes. (okay, maybe an exaggeration). But it seems like just about every dish at the Korean market deli is red with red pepper or gochujang.
I do think gochojang would be good in a hamburger patty, maybe a little on a hotdog, but never on fries.

Pie Fight

Whimsical San Francisco showed up tonight at Powell and Market for a shaving cream PIE FIGHT!
Why you ask? Because sometimes you just need to feel like a kid. We often get caught up with so many mundane things in life and forget to enjoy ourselves. I challenge each of you to do something before Monday that makes you feel young and alive.

New feature?

"you commie, homo-loving sons of guns"
-Sean Penn
"I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban of gay marriage to sit and reflect on their great shame..."

Testing blog writer

Testing a mobile blog writer app. While I am at it...why doesn't SF have free city-wide wi-fi by now?

Korean Knowledge

I thought it might be nice to start a regular feature on this blog passing along some useful information on Korean culture and history from time to time. A sort of get to know Korea through me...through my wife. I have done this sporadically in previous entries but I am now going to make it more of a regular occurence.

To start though, I offer some quick pointers in behavior for those not accustomed to being around Koreans:

1. If you meet a Korean anywhere, never ask "North or South?" North Koreans have no freedom to travel outside of their country -- that's what it means to have a communist dictatorship. The only place that you will likely meet a North Korean is within North Korea; at that point, you wouldn't really have to ask. Everywhere else, all Koreans are South Koreans

2. Do not make a Korean person around you a representative of his/her race. Do not ask questions like "Why are Korean girls so slutty?" or "Why are Korean people so loud?" because the answers will be either wrong or incomplete. Do you know all there is to know about your heritage?

3. Yes, all Koreans eat Kimchee. Don't even bother asking. Kimchee holds a special place in Korean culture which I am sure I will outline in forthcoming posts.

New Stairs

I have a new training route in the Presidio. This past week they opened up a new path called "1000 Steps" leading from Immigrant Overlook to Lincoln and the water. It is pretty spectacular...and kicked my ass.

Cherry Blossom Time

The first blooms of spring are out...yes, spring. The cherry blossom trees are showing off on my street. Another reason I love the street I live on.

Best and Worst Downtowns

I am not one to bag on Fresno (at least not too much). I always tell people I met some of my closet friends in Fresno. I got a good chuckle out of a new report ranking the best and worst downtowns in California. The best: San Francisco. The worst: Fresno. Needless to say I have lived in both and agree. Check out the short read in the link, it is quite entertaining. I like this the best:
"...next to it (San Francisco) every other big city in California resembles a glorified suburb."

Twittering the Superbowl

I am amazed and perplexed by Twitter all at once. I am amazed how it has become so popular so fast. Twitter was able to track 'tweets' (Twitter messages) that related to the Superbowl during the game. Not only does it show you the world-wide interest in the Superbowl, which we know, but it also shows you how fast Twitter has spread around the world since it started in 2006 right here in SF.

Other interesting facts: seems like more people were interested in Europe than Canada. South Dakota doesn't even show up on the Twitter radar but Laos and Cambodia does.

Web Cam

I finally broke down a purchased a web cam for the laptop, not that I have any uses for it. I wish I did. Maybe getting the camera will be the kick in the butt to find some. I also signed up for Skype and Windows Live. I tried to download Google Video and Audio chat but have failed so far.

Skype is really cool and I have wanted to use it for sometime so if you are a Skype user let me know because right now I do not have any contacts on Skype. The best thing about Skype is your can do a video call to anywhere in the world with another person using Skype and the call is free. My co-worker Henry has a son in Europe and they are using it, each video call is free.

The web cam got me thinking about communicating online. The beauty of email and messaging online is one can really speak their mind and not have to worry about actions or reactions. Having a webcam kind of eliminates that animosity.

Happy New Year

Considering it has the world's largest population, it is not surprising China is most known for its Chinese New Year, with it lavish celebrations and fireworks. However it is really the Lunar New Year which is celebrated by many Vietnamese, Koreans or any culture following the moon instead of the Roman calander.

In Korea, "sol-nal" is a time to sweep away the misfortunes of the previous year and look forward to new endeavors.

On New Year's Eve, people place straw shovels, sieves or rakes on their doors and walls to protect their families from any evil spirits arriving with the new year. The New Year's day ceremonies begin in the morning with the donning of formal dress (hanbok) by family members. The first component of the day's activities is the rite of charye, or the honoring of the past four generations of ancestors. Food and drink (the exact form of which varies according to regional and family traditions) are offered on a ritual table (charye sang).

It is traditional in Korea to thoroughly clean your house. Continuing the theme of renewal, only new clothes are worn on New Year's Day.

Family members wish each other prosperity and good fortune. Then they exchange gifts. Children receive lucky money, candy and fruit from the elders.

Children kneel and bow to their ancestors and elders.
After this act of reverence is completed, it is time to pay one's respects to the living elders of the family (saebae. This takes the form of younger family members bowing deeply to the elders, first to the grandparents, then the parents, then the uncles and aunts. The bow is accompanied by the New Year's greeting "Sae-hae boke mahn-he pah-du-sae-oh." Usually, the elders give something to the people offering saebae: food, money, drink or something similar. In the old days, these rituals would have been performed door to door, but in today's Korea, family is quite spread out, so Sol-nal offers a family a good excuse to travel back home.

Michelle tells me this is the worst time to travel. Since the majority of younger people live in Seoul and travel to country. A trip that normally may take 3 hours will take 10 hours.

Finally, it is time to sit down to the traditional breakfast, a meal which almost always includes ttok-guk. Ttok-guk is a thick beef broth with thinly sliced rice cakes that have been topped with green onions and other colorful garnishes. Some people eat ttok-guk mandu guk instead, which is ttok-guk with mandu dumplings. Tradition dictates that this food must be eaten in order to turn one year older. This is very important as Korean age is calculated on the New Year. Everyone becomes one year older on New Year's Day.

Feeling Good

I am feeling pretty good. At 38 I can run 6 1/2 miles at a 7:38 pace...and that is taking into account San Francisco's hills.

Wifi Idea

Many of you have grown tired of my business ideas...ideas that never get off the ground but eventually hit it big for somebody else. Can you say 'cupcakes?" Here is an idea I know is going to be a big technological hit, if only I knew who to talk to to get it done. Know anybody?

Close range quick Wifi downloads. Here is the concept: You are in the grocery store and you see that butternut squash but you have no idea how to prepare it or have a recipe for it. Not to fear, you have your Wifi enabled mobile device handy. At the store display for butternut squash there is a transimitter of some kind allowing you to download recipes for that butternut squash. The download only works when you are near the squash and this transmitter. Elsewhere there are downloads in the meat department pertaining to that rack of lamb. Or, you can access all this information only when you are in the store and not at such close range.

Another application would be a trade shows or events. You visit a booth and want more information. Just download it right there.

I find it similar to POS advertising; the candy, magazines and gift cards you see at checkout counters. Instant and easy access at the moment you are thinking about it. What do you think?

I shouldn't look...I shouldn't look...Oh SH**T

I know the market has been in a freefall. I know the Dow is below 8500. I see the individual stock prices at 52 week lows. I see the unemployment numbers. I know my investiments are being drained but I tried to avoid thinking about it. Like many I figured I would just ride it out. Heck, I don't need the money now and I can not really get my hands on it for well over 30 years anyway.

On a daily basis the economic crisis has not really hit home for me; I am no where near retirement, I don't own a home or have a mortgage and I am fortunate to have a high paying job. Heck, I was even considering this a prime time to buy and invest more. Today changed that. Today brought it all into perspective. Today I have new found sympathy for those less fortunate than me and those nearing retirement. Today I did what I had been avoiding. For various reasons I had to check by retirement and 401k account, an act I had been purposely avoiding for months. I shouldn't have...but I couldn't avoid it any longer.

Obama Pride

I watched with pride Barack Obama being inaugurated as our 44th President. I have great hope and dreams right alongside his. It seems everybody has such high expectations. I want people to realize he is only the President and not the Messiah (if there is such a person). One man is not going to save us. I don't care who that man is. Not only is Barack Obama not going to save us...you are going to have to save Barack Obama. It is up to each and every one of us to make this country great. He can lead the way. He can set the pace. He can lift up our spirits. But it will be up to us to get the work done. And don't think for a second whatever little you CAN do won't matter. It does.

Skiing Marching Band

If you think it is hard to ski, try skiing while playing a musical instrument. It is strange to see and hear somebody play the trombone or flute skiing along side them coming down a mountain but that is what happened while Michelle and I were at Kirkwood. The Cal Marching Band was there. Here is video of them not skiing but still playing at the bottom of a run.

Only in Canada

Here are a few of the only in Canada photos.

San Francisco has the Cable Car - Vancouver has the AquaBus

A handful of totem poles.

One of the hundreds of 'polar bears' daring enough to jump in the bay on New Year's Day as part of Vancouver's Polar Bear Swim. No, neither of us joined them. We thought about it and even went looking for some swimwear but wouldn't you know, the stores don't sell swimsuits in wintertime. And for good reason.

Street Eats

I love street food. Talk to me about food long enough and I will somehow work street food into the conversation. Canada does not seem to be a street food city. Maybe the freezing cold and snow has something to do with it. I only saw the usual boring hot dog stand and the seasonal roasted chestnuts. But it does have one appetizing street meal I love. The JapaDog. A Japanese-style hot dog has gained media attention and the palette of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. It is not surprising for Vancouver to have this since the population is one-third Asian. For the most part it looks like your normal hotdog stand and you can order a normal hotdog...but why would you when you can try one of these -

The Terimayo is the most popular. An all-beef dog, grilled and topped with nori (seaweed), grilled onions, teriyaki sauce, and wasabi mayo.

The Miso Mayo, a turkey dog topped with sesame sauce, wasabi mayo, and kaiware (daikon radish sprouts).

The Oroshi, a pork sausage topped with daikon oroshi (grated radish), scallions, and soy sauce. The Asian ingredients had the flavor effect you would expect and mixed perfectly with the smoky pork sausage.

Instead of ketchup you can add Wasabi Mayo. Delicious.

Snow in Canada

Yes, one should not be surprised by snow in Canada but this year's snow levels in the Vancouver area were rare. Perfect for our visit.

Back from Canada

Michelle and I are back from Canada and our delayed honeymoon. Tons of snow, as expected in Canada.

A few of the unexpected include:
1. Condom vending machines in the 'washrooms' at Vancouver Airport - where are you going to use it?
2. Canadians are still under the spell of Bryan Adams and go crazy for him
3. There really is no truly 'Canadian Food' like BBQ is to America or pizza is to Italy or Kimchee is to Korea.

Some of the expected but still surprised:
1. Canadians are very polite - twice somebody gave me change on the bus because the machines don't take bills (why is that?!)
2. You want polite, the bus driver waited at a stop so a passenger could run into a McDonald's to get coffee
3. Canandian TV is really bad. Words can not explain, you just have to watch. Plus, most of the news focuses on the Canadians infatuation with the U.S.

Humming along in SF

This has to be one of the few places you will see a hummingbird in winter. Snapped outside the living room window.

Atheists Advertising

This is brilliant. Atheists with an ad campaign. Too bad Agnostics didn't think of this first so the 'probably' could be removed.