It was a long, long day. Tuesday, January 4th rolled around in Korea, and I knew it was going to be a tough one. In 24 hours, the organizers at Paradise Hunter would announce the finalists for their hosting competition. It was something I wanted to be a part of, and after months of not getting my hopes up too high, I found that they were. So the waiting began.

I knew half of the finalists had already been selected by popular votes, so the remaining five had to be chosen by the producers. I went to bed, hoping to have an email in the morning. Jo and I tossed and turned all night, and ultimately work up at 3am. The producers had three weeks, but even that wasn't enough. After waiting around all day on Wednesday, January 5th, an announcement came at 3:59pm that they had made their decision (11:59pm January 4th their time).

I received an email a few minutes later stating I wasn't one of the finalists. While I was disappointed in the outcome, I was also relieved. The decision had been made and I could move forward. Everyone throughout this process has been amazing. Jo has really given me a lot of support and encouragement, but so have all my friends here in Korea, back in the US, and throughout the Internet. Thank you one and all.

One item I've been sitting on for a while has been a new partnership with Korea.Net. A while back, they asked if I would be interested in writing for them on a new site they're creating. What I proposed was this: I'd continue to film my QiRanger Adventures for YouTube, but write original content related for these videos for their site (and incorporate some of Jo's wonderful photographs). It's an amazing opportunity and I can't wait to begin working with their team. For those that don't know. Korea.Net is the official government web page maintained by the Ministry of Culture and Information Services. Look for updates on these posts and videos to start coming out next week. Videos will be branded with their logo and blog posts will be cross linked. It's an exciting time!

Two final items. If you'd like to keep up-to-date with everything I'm involved with, be sure to follow me on Twitter and like the FaceBook Page. Both are updated daily with news and information about what's taking place in Korea, blogs, videos and more. Plus it's a great way to interact!

As always, thanks for reading and I will talk to you soon!

Scientific American has an article online with the title Walking Speed Predicts Life Expectancy of Older Adults. I seem to be unable to post a link – here it is to be copied and pasted: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=walking-speed-survival

From the Article:

A new analysis of walking speed studies shows that—down to the tenth of a meter per second—an older person’s pace, along with their age and gender, can predict their life expectancy just as well as the complex battery of other health indicators.

So instead of a doctor assessing a patient’s blood pressure, body mass index, chronic conditions, hospitalization and smokinghistory and use of mobility aids to estimate survival, a lab assistant could simply time the patient walking a few meters and predict just as accurately the person’s likelihood of living five or 10 more years—as well as a median life expectancy.

My mother has always been a fast walker and this is heartening news for a son who lives too far away.

After listening to Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Jr. – especially fielding questions from the audience – I don’t want Huntsman to run for president in 2012. He’s needed in China.

China’s rapid development and Sino-American relations have a direct impact on the lives of just about everyone in the United States. CHINA Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections, is a national day of programming designed to provide Americans across the United States and beyond the opportunity to discuss these issues with leading experts.

The fourth annual CHINA Town Hall program, held on October 18, 2010, featured a live webcast with Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. (bio), U.S. Ambassador to China, in conversation with Stephen A. Orlins, president of the National Committee. Following the webcast, local presentations from on-site China specialists at each of our venues around the United States and in Greater China addressed topics of particular interest to the community.

More than anything else, listen to Huntsman talk about Liu Xiabo. And, slinging the Mandarin. At some point, the media’s need for authoritarian figures has to take a backseat to the need for a competent diplomatic corps.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Filed under: East Asia, Politics Tagged: china, jon huntsman, jr, national committee on united states-china relations, prc

Go vote for me on Hi Expat!

Author’s note: a version of this article appears in the January 2011 issue of the Groove.

I never thought I’d get to drive an ATV on ice, or take a dip in freezing-cold water to try catching a slippery fish by hand. I also never thought I’d see a frozen water wheel with icicles at an angle, and yet there it was.

This month in Gangwon-do is the annual Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (화천산천어축제), one of several ice and winter festivals in the area. Since each one goes for at least a week, there’s ample time to catch up with them all if you’re so inclined. The five villages of Hwacheon-gun make the area – and main street – come alive with plenty of lit-up plastic fish. It’s surprisingly pristine, even as the thousands of Koreans take to the 40cm thick ice. It’s also one of the first areas to freeze in the winter, thanks to its clean water and frigid weather.

Once arriving at Hwacheon, you might wish to buy your return ticket back to Seoul, or store your stuff in a locker at the bus terminal. Because the area isn’t highly visited by tourists outside the winter season, you may have to look around for a place that still has hotel rooms. Chuncheon is less than an hour away and has ample hotel rooms. The last bus back to Seoul leaves around 7:30-8pm, and the last bus to Chuncheon leaves around 9pm, so it can be a day trip from Seoul if you like.

After that errand, walk down the main street towards Hwacheon stream, about a 300 meter walk. Sections of the stream are separated from each other, partially for grouping and partially for safety – that ATV-on-ice has enough barriers around it to protect the ice fishers.

For the record, the ice fishing is the biggest draw. The process is simple enough – purchase a small plastic pole that looks vaguely like that DNA model from high school, pay your way in, find a hole and start bobbing the pole up and down. If looking to actually catch something, try some bait and perhaps a slightly different motion than the thousand other ice fishers. Some friendly Koreans with grills will cook your catch, or a bottle of soju can be obtained to drown your sorrows.

The other major highlight is watching otherwise sane people pay money to dunk themselves in ice-cold water and catch a fish. Imagine the Polar Bear Plunge with an added twist – it’s harder than you think. That happens several times a day, and a crowd inevitably gathers.

You’ll find at least one traditional winter Korean activity on the ice – be sure to try the 나무 썰매 (na-mu sseol-mae), or wooden sled. Imagine taking the blades from a pair of ice skates and attaching them to a wooden platform about two feet square. Next, sit down cross-legged and use a couple sticks with nails poking out the bottom to navigate on the ice. While the sticks-with-nails can get you moving, use your body weight to turn. Rent these at the edge of the ice.

While there isn’t a nightlife to write home about, the lights around the town – and the World Winter City Plaza – make it worth sticking around once the sun goes down. Last year’s snow and ice sculptures featured enough lights to make the area visible from space. Also worth checking out is the Asia Ice Lights Square – an indoor ice sculpture museum featuring another wonderful display of lights.

If you go, remember your winter jacket and gloves – Korean winters get cold very quickly, and it’s no fun walking around if you can’t feel your toes. Bundle up, and be ready for some slippery surfaces – the ice seemed less slick than some of the walkways.

The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is from January 8-30, 2011. Take an express bus to Hwacheon from the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (Gangbyeon station, line 2; 12,600 won, normally 15 buses a day) among other bus terminals around the country. You may find it easier to get a bus to the Chuncheon Bus Terminal (every 15 minutes, 7,800 won), although there are extra buses running to the area thanks to the festival. Admission is free, but expect to pay for almost anything worth doing or seeing. For more information, check out http://www.narafestival.com.

© Chris Backe – 2011

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.