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Naps and grinding stones

I heard a lateral thinking riddle a few years ago that has stuck with me.  Two lumberjacks are working in adjacent plots and both work for eight hours.  One of the lumberjacks stops every hour for ten minutes and the other does not (I don’t know if the ate) but the one who stopped chopping for ten minutes every hour chopped more trees.  How is that possible?
The listener is expected to ask various questions, perhaps about the size or strength of the two men, and the speaker answers “yes”, “no” or “not relevant” or other simple answers.

The correct reason for increased productivity in the  apparently lazy man is that the lumberjack who stopped for ten minutes wasn’t really resting, he was sharpening his axe (or chainsaw or saw…), allowing him to work with much better efficiency.

The story a great metaphor to explain a new study about the power of napsto help retain knowledge and make studying more efficient. From the article:

If you see a student dozing in the library or a co-worker catching 40 winks in her cubicle, don’t roll your eyes. New research from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that an hour’s nap can dramatically boost and restore your brain power. Indeed, the findings suggest that a biphasic sleep schedule not only refreshes the mind, but can make you smarter.


In the recent UC Berkeley sleep study, 39 healthy young adults were divided into two groups – nap and no-nap. At noon, all the participants were subjected to a rigorous learning task intended to tax the , a region of the brain that helps store fact-based memories. Both groups performed at comparable levels.

At 2 p.m., the nap group took a 90-minute siesta while the no-nap group stayed awake. Later that day, at 6 p.m., participants performed a new round of learning exercises. Those who remained awake throughout the day became worse at learning. In contrast, those who napped did markedly better and actually improved in their capacity to learn.

These findings reinforce the researchers’ hypothesis that sleep is needed to clear the brain’s short-term storage and make room for new information,…


This blog needs some photos!

These first two pictures were taken at a dinosaur museum on highway 7, just north of Pohang.  I don’t know if it is worth going there just for the museum, but it made a nice break to a long trip.  The little guy was very well behaved in the car for the seven-odd hours from Sokcho to Busan and deserved the break.  Of course, if he had been bad, we would have needed the break to let us all stretch out and relax so I guess there was no way we wouldn’t have stopped.

There’s a dinosaur behind me!

IAG thinks this is realistic!

We stayed with relatives in Kimhae while we looked for an apartment.  My son’s Korean name is “Dae-seong”, so we just about had to visit Dae-seong dong Tombs Museum.

Near our home and my wife’s workplace is Moleundae.  It was an island you could wade to at the mouth of the Nakdong River, but river silt eventually formed a bridge.  It is a pleasant green spot in a very industrial part of Busan.  I want to see more of it.

an 'island' in Dadae Dong, at the mouth of the NakDong River


Mostly settled in.

I am typing this from our new apartment in Busan, so clearly the move was at least mostly successful.  I am still learning about the city and how to find stuff.  I took my son to Nampodong today and we had ice cream and visited a few bookstores and a Frisbee store.  The bookstores weren’t anything special and I haven’t found any with a good selection of English books.  One in Seomyeon has an okay selection but mostly they are based on screenplays or the movie were based on them.  What the Book, based in Seoul but delivering anywhere in Seoul should not feel threatened.

The Frisbee store does not sell frisbees.  It is an Apple store (did everyone else know that?) and I will be taking my mouse in to see if they can clean out the scroll wheel.  I looked at the new magic mouse with the touch sensitive surface and no moving part to get gummed up but 89,000 won is more than I can afford, at the moment anyway.

I need to check out local healthclubs and find out about pools and skating rinks in Busan.  Well, I would like to do those things.  I really need to find daycare for my son starting Friday.  I suppose I need more furniture for the apartment and other sundries to feel comfortable inside.


YES! Special Needs Programs Expanded!!!

This article, Special-Needs Kids Get More Education Benefits, in the Korea Times actually made me want to pump my fist in the air. Until the newest legislation, parents had to choose to apply for special needs programs for their kids. Nearly every single expat teacher I've ever talked to has spoken about the frustration of having a serious special needs kid in an already over large class. Often, we are not informed about it in advance and it might take a couple of months to realize that the kid doesn't just have trouble with learning English-- they have trouble with learning period. When the expat approaches their co-teacher or administrator they are usually told something along the lines of 'oh yes, that child has ___ issue but the parent refuses to deal with it.' There is a huge stigma for parents involved in putting your child into a special needs program or school and most seem to refuse to do it and instead ignore the problem. The issue with this is that many mentally disabled students (I'm not sure what the most up to date PC term is, bare with me here) can be functioning, independent members of society---if and only if they are given appropriate education and attention from a very young age. If the parent chooses to ignore the problem they are most likely dooming the child to being a dependent for the rest of their life.

Anyways, the new rules from the education ministry has changed things. Principals, not parents will be given the power to place students in special programs. Kindergarten and high school will be mandatory for special needs students and not be a choice for the parent. I know that this will be a huge headache for school administrators since Korean mothers are fiercer than any other breed I've encountered when it comes to their children's education but it will be worth it. Today, I'm actually a bit proud of Korea for making a socially responsible, progressive change. I hope that it works out well.

Let's Spend 150 Billion Won...Specifics? What Specifics?

Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) wants to spend 150 billion won to upgrade their University to the top 50 of globally ranked universities. This isn't a bad idea in theory. Do they want smaller, better quality classes? Are they making their standards of education more rigorous? Oh no, they plan on hiring 10 Nobel Laureates or Field medalists and making the campus English only from March. The article in the Korea Times (somewhat ironically given their own sub par relationship with facts/stats) was actually a bit mocking of the utter lack of specific details on HOW they plan on attracting more laureates, aside from money. One of the primary reasons cited for the reason prestigious scholars from abroad only stay for about 4 months is a difficulty adjusting to life in Korea, thus the change to the English only campus. (Aside from the fact that in Korea English seems to be synonymous with prestige for organizations.)  Culture shock doesn't come solely from the fact that people have suddenly lost their ability to communicate. It has to do with the utter alieness that surrounds every aspect of your new life and how difficult the most mundane of tasks can become.  If the university wants to retain it's scholars better maybe it should also provide more cultural classes and events for their staff. Not to mention a bilingual assistant to help them get settled...


Ugh. It's just so naive that thinking money alone can change everything. Yes, money definitely helps but it isn't the be all end all. Change requires a lot more than throwing money at a project.

Suggestions and Drinking at Work

1. The Korea Herald published a brief article today announcing that the Prime Minister's office is requesting suggestions from expats on changes that need to be made to regulations that discriminate against foreigners or procedures that are particularly difficult for foreigners.  I find this slightly silly. Why don't they listen to all of the recommendations that the international human rights organizations have been making for the past few years or maybe, I don't know, read all of the articles regarding the issues in the newspapers just from the past year.  Maybe the office doesn't read any of the foreign language newspapers.

2. Today was the retirement party and farewell ceremony. I kind of wish someone had told me about it more than an hour before it started.  I thought today was 100% desk warming so I wore jeans instead of work pants like all of the teachers usually do on desk warming days. Granted I had on a collared shirt and sweater but still. I looked a wee bit out of place next to the teachers who were well put together for the event. The ceremony was an exercise in self control to stay awake since it was an hour of speeches that I couldn't understand. I did successfully look up the words for every sign in the room on my cell phone dictionary though. Then we went out for an enormous lunch where the soju, plum wine, beer and whiskey flowed like water. I did not get drunk but there was a definite happy loosening involved. The few parents from the parent's association who were there were impressed with my adventurous eating. What can I say, I like Korean food.

The Korean newspapers have been chock full of articles about the Olympics-- and having almost zero interest in competitive sports this leaves me a little dry for article ripping. Not to mention that the Korea Times website appears to be down and I can't get a paper version in Yangsan. :( :( Fail!

if the men wore red pants and danced,



if the men wore red pants and danced,
if they sang and were naked and handsome,
if they amused women, and were amused by women,
if they carved the stools they sat on,
and embroidered their own emblems
this would be a lovely, lovely world to live in.

It began with Lawrence  ... and gets its sweet conclusion from the first Lady of the Hot Dog.

Kimchibilly Night (rockabilly concert)

Define rockabilly: a genre of music, blending rock and hillbilly with blues, bluegrass, and country. A rockabilly band typically features a slap guitar, drums, and at least one other guitar (electric, bass, or acoustic), but may include other instruments as well. Popular artists include Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly, while the genre influenced artists from the Beatles to the Stray Cats. The genre currently enjoys a small but established space with genres including punk and jazz - genres not in the mainstream, but not completely obscure. See the Wikipedia page on rockabilly for an excellent primer on the subject.

Rockabilly is alive and well in Seoul, and last weekend it found its way into a couple of Hongdae venues. Three bands performed at a 'warm-up' type show on Friday at DGBD, while nine rockabilly bands performed on Saturday at Sang Sang Madang. The Lady in Red registered for tickets online, and off we went.

The first band of the night was Stay Gold, which the Lady in Red and I missed because we fully expected the show to not start on time. Sorry guys - I'm sure you were great.

The next band up (and the first we got to hear) was Oh! Brothers:



Oh! Brothers seemed to be cut from the same cloth as the Beatles themselves. While the quintet played well together, the energy came alive when the song started and ended as soon as the song did. Over time, I'd love to see them keep their energy going. Vocally capable, harmonized well, and played a pretty good 'Johnny B. Goode'.

Next band up - Sunday Losers:



Elvis called - he wants his hair back. Hailing from Busan, Sunday Losers featured an instrument rarely heard these days:



The kazoo. Yes, that plastic toy you played when you were six still has an endearing quality about it. Although the kazoo only came out during a few solo opportunities, they were well-received. Their set was primarily older country songs, proving that rockabilly is a more diverse genre than I realized.

Next up - Kingston Rudie Ska:



Kingston Rudie Ska proved the largest band of the night - 2 trumpets, a trombone, a saxophone, bass guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, drums, and a singer /beatboxer / hyperactive dancer. Their mixture of ska and reggae added some energy to the crowd, and was the first band to really get the crowd dancing.

The Soul of Liberty took the stage next:



A rarity in the world of rockabilly - a female slap bass player. While they sang in Japanese, the beat was good for swing dancing or just jumping around.



Soul of Liberty was one of two bands from Japan, so the band worked hard to break through the language barrier. The guitarist's cheat sheet allowed him to phonetically sound out enough Korean words to gain the crowd's approval.

Watch out for Galaxy Express:



Who plucks the strings? This bass guitarist punched out chords on the thicker strings - not an easy job. To say this long-haired trio played hard rock is kind of like saying Ghandi was a nice guy. They were the only band to hide the kids from, especially a few four-letter words and middle fingers flung towards the audience.



To their credit, Galaxy Express got the crowd jumping - about the only thing you can do when the genre shifts to punk / hard rock / psychobilly.

The Tennessee Cats came next:



Playing after a psychobilly band is a tough act to follow, but they kept the energy going through their set. Why a band from Japan would name themselves after a state in the US is beyond me, but the Tennessee Cats also made an effort to bridge the language barrier. Throwing in some English played nicely to the 1/4 of the crowd not from Korea, while 'Viva Las Vegas' was a nice throwback to where rockabilly came from.

Next up - Crying Nut:



It's not every day you hear an accordian as a principal instrument. A tin whistle (or was it a piccolo?) made a cameo appearance as well. This hard rock quintet brought the crowd to the stage, who until then had kept a polite distance and enabled photographers easier access to move around.



You'll be seeing lots more of these guys, if you haven't already - they were wedged in between Fall Out Boy and Weezer at the 2009 Jisan Valley Rock Festival.

Eventually we come to the headliners themselves - the Rock Tigers:



Velvet Geena - the lead singer herself getting the crowd pumped up. As the self-proclaimed pioneers of rockabilly in Korea, the Rock Tigers have the longest track record - and one of the tightest shows. Expect high energy, quick transitions from one song to the next, and a great stage presence.



Roy on the Upright Bass, sporting his signature hair style.



Tiger on the guitar and vocals. That the Rock Tigers sing and speak some English make them approachable and foreigner-friendly - especially after the show for an autograph. An excellent show, especially the last three bands.

My only complaint about the show was the lack of seats and drinks. Nine bands for an late afternoon to late evening show? Almost everybody made a run to the Buy the Way across the street at one point or another.

Geena mentioned that there would be another rockabilly show in March - stay tuned for more details on that in next month's event schedule.

Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2010

This post was originally published on my blog, Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.

 

Benepiatto Italian Restaurant


Benepiatto, sometimes friend, sometimes enemy of the hungry foreigner.

On one hand, Benepiatto offers a selection of reasonably priced and edible italian cusine, in a fashion that brings to mind the excellent Japanese chain Sizzeria (unfortunately, no branches in Korea). Most of their food is just fine. The mozzarella & tomato salad looks just the way it should, and they have a selection of pizzas which do not suffer from corn-infestation. Overall, it almost tastes as good as the italian food you cook at home, and you don't have to cook it.

However...

The first rule of Benepiatto is you must never, ever order the pizza known as "Primavero". It is, without a doubt, the worst pizza I have ever seen or tried - and once I ate a slice of custard pizza in Kyoto (don't do that either). One victim of the Primavero described her experience thus:

"When I saw it I just wanted to cry."

And I must say my experience with the Primavero caused me to feel the same way. The pizza itself was a horror to behold. How does one even describe the atrocity that was committed in that kitchen? I had night terrors for a week afterwards. Sometimes the cabbage still haunts my dreams. Sometimes I wake in a cold sweat, the laughter of the mad chef and his hunchbacked assistant still ringing in my ears, as he gives life to this unholy fusion of salad and pizza. The earth itself seems to cry out in torment, and the heavens angrily hurl thunderbolts and sleet. The creation itself sobs quietly, knowing even from the moment of its unnatural birth that a corn and cabbage pizza violates the laws of god and man, laid down from time immemorial....

*Ahem*

Suffice to say, avoid the Primavero pizza, its not worth it. Also not worth it is the house wine, which is both lousy and served in thimble sized amounts. I have it on good authority that their coffee sucks too.

Finally, I must warn potential diners about Benepiatto's extremely poor service. The first time I went there the waitress poured half a jug of water on me, and then ran away. Outside of "refilling" your glass, the staff are loathe to do anything other than play with their phones, so avoid any extravagant demands for a menu, some food, or to pay the bill so you can leave this place. In the unlikely event that you do have contact with a staff member they are rude and sullen, not to mention slow, at best.

Obviously I can't really recommend this place. Some of their menu is worth eating, but there are so many better options in Hadan.


Phone:
Location: From Hadan subway station, take the Dong A University exit and continue walking toward the university. Look for the big lime green sign and fake garden out front.

English Menu: Dish names are in English, ingredients in Korean.

Vegetarian Option: Yes.

Prices :
Pizza/Pasta: 7,000+
Wine: 5,000

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