Calgary trip - Summer 2006

Well, it took me a little while to load/save/upload all of these pictures, but I'm hoping it'll be worth it in the end. *that's a hint that you should leave a lot of comments.

I guess I'll start this off with our Banff trip. Years ago Joo's mom went to Epcot (sp?) Center in Florida and saw an exhibit of Banff there. She said that she had always remembered those miniature mountains. I thought it was about time we showed her the real thing. My bud Trish was our guide (she's been out there a billion times more than me). First we went hiking in Johnson Canyon.

It was great getting that fresh air back into my lungs. I had almost forgotten what clean air felt like. But it wasn't just the air, even the water amazed me. everything just seemed like it was put down that day for us.


And of course, with all that clean air... romance had to follow.

I looked like a foreigner getting all excited about the animals we saw. There were a number of deer, crows, squirrels, mountain goats, and chipmunks (I like this shot)

We ended up taking the Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain. I was not wanting to pay the $25 dollar fee but, I must admit, the view was worth it. I felt like I was on the top of canada in this shot.

I think Joo's parents were blown away by the view of *cough* expensive *cough* Banff. Joo's dad kept talking about (at 2900m) how he was at the highest point he's ever been in his life. {the tallest mountain in korea is 2200m I think}

We went to Heritage Park the next day and met up with my parents there. My mom seemed in fine health and although both her and Val weren't able to walk around the whole place, I'm sure they had a great time just seeing us running around.

As somone who had to go to Heritage Park as a kid (for school) I had never been a big fan of the place. As an adult though (and as a semi-foreigner) I now have a better appreciation for it. It's amazing the quality of building back then.

Here's my best imitation of a cowboy - I never did go in for wearing the hat.

And of course, no trip to Heritage Park is complete without a picture of a Mountie. If you notice, there's a paper bag hanging in all the doors. They said it keeps the wasps away because the wasps think that it is a rival nest - cool.

We stopped by the Harley dealership so my father in-law could check out his favorite model. I was hoping Rob would have his bike together and take him for a spin, but unfortunately his wife Mehgan (sp?) was due THAT WEEK and he was otherwise occupied (we were hoping they'd have it while we were there - no such luck).

I've always been a big fan of Zoos. Since I was a kid, the zoo was my idea of a perfect day out. This time though, it was better than ever. I'd hazard to say that this was my BEST trip to the zoo! Trish (and Mandy for a short time) brought us there and Trish's aunt and uncle (who work there) gave us a behind the scenes tour. It was amazing. We were able to go into almost any exhibit!

Here I am feeding (and doing my best goofy face towards) a giraffe. Man, look at that tongue! (that's Trish's very helpful aunt in the middle)

The hippopotamus were my favorite though. I had remebered hearing about how in Africa they thought that hippos sweat blood, but when I saw the red beads on their backs I was amazed. Touching it though was too cool (translation - sticky).

And the best was being able to touch this old boy's mouth. Man, to think that this animal causes more deaths in Africa than any other, and I've got my hand in it's mouth!

We ended up feeding some horse meat to the lions and petting a cute little bat. Oh and we were also able to visit our (allbeit far removed) cousins. These gorillas seemed passive enough but we were warned that if we were ever on the receiving end of their force, they'd break us without realizing.

Speaking of big gorillas, I was told of a story about my buddy Dan. He went to the zoo (wearing all black) and when he stepped near the gorrilla exhibit the large one charged the glass! A zookeeper near by told Dan to crouch down and look passive. I guess being a pro bodybuilder does not get you points in the wild. Here's Dan with his (and my) favorite toy.

Visiting Calgary was a lot about visiting people and... eating! When you visit, you must eat. And we ate a lot! man, those Canadian serving sizes are just monsterous.

Here's a pic of my and some buds after a dinner (missing a few people like Kurt and Jen in this shot). These guys, now that I look at it, are actually all old training partners of mine. Mike, Dahn, and Dan. Wow, so many years of training together. Funny how everyone is still in great shape (well, I'm working on it).

And, not to forget the one who is responsible for all this (my going to korea), Nancy! we were able to meet here for a nice lunch and then later for a korean meal (which was twice as much as it is here in Korea BTW).

We also had lunch with Mandy and Vic (newly married and expecting) and my bud Ryan (who is taking this pic). Great to see some old friends again - and new ones. mandy, Vic seems like a good catch, good job!

Time was a bit pressed this trip though. I didn't want to in-laws to get too bored, and sitting around only speaking in english felt like it did that. Far too many of our visits were just quick "drop in and say hello" types. As always though we were able to say hi to a very old (as in years known) friend and his wife, Marcus and Sharon.

We ended up having a BBQ on one of our last days in town with my pseudo-mom Joyce and her son Rob. It was good to see Rob again healthy and happy and enjoying his beautiful family. I know this shot is showing Angie, but geez why can't I remember all the kids names?? If I was on the ball though I would have e-mailed Nicole and got her to come too (sorry).

The in-laws (ok, mostly my father in-law) were all over every kid we saw. They were giving us STRONG hints that they are expecting grandchildren soon. And I'm sure my Mom would echo their sentiments. Hmmm, maybe I should be spending less time writing this blog and more time ...

There are so many people missing from these pics; Although we saw my Parents a number of times, for some reason we only have a few pics of them, Al (who seems to be doing great nowadays), Jes (who came from vancouver to see me!), Rob (who is stressed but will soon be a pappa), Dawne (who is also stressed), Kevin and Stacy (who just bought a great new house!!), and Dana (who I could not seem to hook up with on this trip). If I have left you out, leave a comment /wink

Most of all I need to thank two people for making this trip so much easier for us.

Mike - you lent us your house and gave so much more. Thanks man, you're a brother to me.
Trish - you took the week off and brought us laughing around Calgary and area. Couldn't of done half of it without 'cha, thanks.

Now if only I could get everyone to come to Korea...

Korea's Fight for Freedom

So, I bet you thought I had stopped reading - NOPE, just forgot to post the books I had read. Here are a few from the last month.

Now this was an interesting book. For as long as I have lived in Korea I have heard Koreans talk about the attrocities commited by the Japanese during occupation (1905-1945 ish). I always suspected that there was a fair amount of exageration, especially when I asked for evidence. Asking a Korean for evidence will often land you blank stares and as such I was willing to shake off some of the more serous claims against the Japanese.

Korea's Fight for Freedom by F.A.McKenzie (1920) changed my line of thinking though. A jornalist from the turn of the century living in Korea, he gives an account of the Japanese occupation. From it's begining support with the King's father's power plays, the Sino-Japanese war, to the Russo-Japanese war, the stationing of troops on the peninsula, the subgigation of the korean people, and finally the abuses of the Japanese authorities.

He is writing before 1920 so keep in mind he is not the neutral historian one might expect. He does however give an interesting account and one worth the read (if you are interested in such things of course).

The Koreans

The Koreans by Michael Breen is the book about Korea... or so most people would say. He explains the history of the peninsula, the spirit of the people, the food, and ... well, pretty much everything - or at least he tries to.

Honestly, I have read this book a few times now and each time I enjoy it. Each time I am also left thinking there should be more. To accomplish his task Breen uses huge brushes when painting his pictures and I guess more than once I would have prefered a finer pen.

If you want to start learning baout Korean and Koreans, this is a great place to start. If you already know a lot, this book probably won't teach you much.

North Korea South Korea

This is a "small" book that I picked up the other day for about $6. I had always been curious at how an author could hope to capture such a broad topic in this tiny of a book.

To his credit, Feffer does well in conveying his thoughts. Unfortunately his thoughts are far too odd for my tastes. He is quite Anit-American and belives that the US opperates with a type of Gun-boat diplomacy. Now he may not be totally wrong in that, but it would be nice to see him take the other parties involved to task as much as he does the US. (*cough* Cumings *cough*)

Pick it up if you find it cheap somewhere.

Practical Poser 6

Well I tried my best at sligging thorugh this #d art boook that I bought online. And while there were some good tips in it, I am still not able to do what I want as freely in Poser as I am in Photoshop.

Ah well, maybe in the future.

April stuff

I just realized it has been quite some time since I updated this blog. Honestly, I've been pretty busy of late (not with work) and I've just kind of forgotten about this place. My appologies, if you are reading this then it means you actually care (or are really bored), I'll make sure to give you something to read then.

This month has not been all that eventfull. Work is good but not too taxing. I get to sleep in most days and work out most evenings. Joo and I are both doing good in the "getting in shape" dept. Every so often she comes into the computer room and shows me how slim her stomach is getting.

Art wise I've been quite busy of late. I've had a few commissions (yup, got paid a little) and have a new mini-gallery that you can check out here:
http://juggertha.deviantart.com/gallery/
Mostly superhero stuff but I am very proud the progression in skills - be sure to click on the little thumbnail pics.

As for movies and tv, well my big kick of late has been dowloading the Sopranos. Season 6 has started and I'm enjoying it so far. I had to watch 3 weeks of season 4-5 to catch up and understand what's going on though.

We're planing on heading to Canada in June so if you want anything (from either place) make sure to tell me.


-Ed

Downloads - updated

If you are wondering how I am downloading all these cool movies you can download the Bitcomet program here and then search for movies/files here or better yet here.

It is really just that easy.



(thanks go to my favorite idiot )


Bumping this for some friends.

Yodok story

Yodok tells the story of a young 강령화, a lead entertainer in the North’s propaganda department, and her struggles for survival.
Initially 강 is praised throughout the North for her talented acting, but that is soon to fall apart when her father is accused of spying for the South.
The family is stripped of it’s honors and is sent to a labor camp... Yodok. There the family encounters cruelties that were previously beyond imagination.
From the brutality of her initial rape, and the constant abuse levied at them from the guards, comes a mixture of sorrow and hope.
This hope, is their story.

Before I get started, I must say one thing - I am usually not a big fan of musicals. When I watch Disney films, I always think the songs ruin the animation. And when I watch the Sound of Music ... well, I don’t actually watch it. So it was a great surprise to me when I actually enjoyed this musical. Not being a big fan of the genre I expected to sit through it and understand little (it is done in Korean). I am glad that was not the case.
The songs, instead of taking away from the story (or distracting me from it) instead added surprising power to it. From the opening act of the propaganda films to the scenes where death was a moment away, the songs gave voice to the spirit of the actors. One song in particular moved me - sung from someone who had seen the South, he begged God not just to visit the South but to come to the North too.
The singing itself was superb and the lead actress enchanted me from the start. As well, the act changes and set design left me feeling like I was watching ... not just a movie, but something more real, more alive.
This performance may not change your beliefs about the Peninsula, but if you can sit through it without shedding a tear - you’ll be the only one in the audience to do so.

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men has been around for quite some time. I've always heard the title mentioned, but like so many books, that was all I knew about it. i figured it had something to do with great men - maybe in comparassin to thsoe lesser men (mice?).

So I read thebook and the 100 or so pages went by too fast. It was a very easy read (note above 100 pages) and I finished it in one day. Basically the story runs with two men in the dirty thirties trying to find work and a future. They end up finding one but not the other.

Read it to find out.

My stuff

So, as you may have noticed, I've only been writing on this blog about once every few weeks. It's not because I've lost interest, but rather because I a MORE interested in other things ;)

I've been doing quite a lot of drawing of late and if you have the time you can check them out here : http://virtue-art.blogspot.com/
I've actually been paid for a couple of those and I'm going to save all that money and buy myself a how to draw book. hehe.

Actually, that is not far from the truth. I've just recently been toying with a program called Poser6 and have thoroughly frustrated myself. To make myself feel better I 1) bought more RAM for my comp and 2) Bought a how to use Poser book from Amazon. My goal is to be able to bring some of my ideas into a more digital look. I love the comic style but would like to see something different on occasion. Something like this...

(and NO, this is not my work but it's something I would like to be able to do some day. This guy is seriously skilled) http://www.douglasshuler.com/shop/images/ValHallaPoster01.jpg


I've also been using my MP3 to listen to some old tunes and some Korean tapes. Heck, if I get any better with my Korean, I just might go to school.... pfffftt. Ok, that's a big "if".