GQ Interview

Hey everyone...it's finally spring here and man am I loving it! Nice to go to school without having to take a sweater or jacket in my bag...just a t-shirt, I love it.
Well, I have to say I was a little disappointed that no one (especially YOU Becca) asked what my last blog post "Sacra Querco" means...I was just waiting to answer that, but since no one asked, I will just tell you! HA! It is actually on the Holyoak Coat of Arms and it's Latin for "Seeking for the sacred." So, anyway, mystery solved.
I just so happened to have been interviewed this past week by Gentleman's Quarterly, better know as GQ Magazine and I'd like to share some of that interview with you all now.
GQ: Good afternoon Mr. Holyoak. Should I call you Mr. Holyoak or can I call you Ben?
Ben Holyoak: Ummm, I guess Ben would be fine.
GQ: OK, so, Ben...what are you up to these days?
BH: Well, I'm currently living and working in Asan, Korea. It's a small city of about 250,000 people 2 hours south of Seoul. I teach English to children and also some random university students who pose as my friends so they can learn without having to pay a fee.
GQ: Wow, sounds cool. How long have you been there?
BH: Almost three years, this June will be three.
GQ: How do you get to your school each day?
BH: Well, I do have a private jet and helicopter, but since it's only a twenty minute walk, that's usually the option I go with. When it's rainy or a little cold I usually take the helicopter.
GQ: So, how's walking to school?
BH: Well, other than having to watch for BBQ Chicken delivery scooters on the side walk it's quite refreshing and nice actually. I usually try to enjoy the flowers or trees and normally I listen to some music on my way.
GQ: What do you have in your tape player?
BH: Excuse, me? Tape player?
GQ: Yes, your tape player. You said you like music.
BH: Ohhhh, yeah...well, I don't have a tape player, I prefer to listen to MP3s.
GQ: Oh, splendid. Well, what do you have on your MP3?
BH: Well, my recent favorite band who I think is way under-appreciated is The Reign of Kindo. Unlike most acts these days these guys are actually talented. They write their own songs and play their own music. Pretty novel idea.
GQ: What's your favorite song by them?
BH: I really like October's Storm. Great song. It talks about overcoming hardships in your life and focusing on the present and making the most of each day and not fretting about the past troubles or mistakes you've made.
GQ: Wow, sounds great. So, how's Korean food?
BH: Excellent...I love it. Don't know how I ever lived without it. I love kimchi jjigae.
GQ: Any American food or drinks you miss?
BH: Yes, even though I love Korean food there are times I find myself really craving some American food. In Charlotte I used to go with one of my good friends Tammy to this African Episcopal Church at lunch time. They had a cafeteria there, and they had the best southern food. Corn bread, greens, chicken, puddin...so good. I also miss BoJangles biscuits. I think about Cheerwine almost every day...that's one soda I wish they sold here in Korea. My friend Brandon went back to NC this week to visit his parents and took a picture of a drink machine at the park and sent it to me...made me jealous! I also really miss Taco Bell, I know that sounds funny, but I could stuff my face with several Chalupas and Gorditas!

GQ: So, tell us a little more about yourself, any funny quirks or anything?
BH: Ummm, no.
GQ: You sure? Your sister said...
BH: Well, OK. Yeah, sure, I have some funny quirks. I don't like stepping on manhole covers. It's been years since I have. Even if I have to go around it, or a group of people, I do.
GQ: That's weird.
BH: Shut up!
GQ: Any more?
BH: Are you going to call me weird?
GQ: No!
BH: Promise?
GQ: Yes!
BH: OK, well, I hate even numbers. Kind of strange that didn't bother me years ago. My high school basketball number was 10, but now I don't or couldn't have an even number as a jersey number. I'm a big fan of the number 17. Also 21 and 31. Usually when I set my alarm it's for one of those numbers. If it has to be later it's either 45 or 55.
GQ: OK, you're weird.
BH: Yeah, maybe so.
GQ: Do you live alone?
BH: Well, I did until recently. Last week I bought two plants that keep me company. I try to take good care of them and treat them well, I think they enjoy staying with me.
GQ: Are there any American or other foreign products that they sell in Korea that you're glad to have.
BH: Yeah, I'm a huge fan of the Dove soap. One of my favorite smells in the world. I have a very strong sense of smell. I love Dove, makes me happy to smell it. Also I'm a fan of Nivea products, and use them frequently. Probably more than anything though is how thankful and grateful I am to have Snickers here in Korea. I can't tell you how happy biting into a Snickers makes me during break time at school.
GQ: So, did you survive Doomsday, May 21, 2011.
BH: Um, stupid question. Obviously I did, it's May 22.
GQ: Oh yeah.
BH: Idiot.
GQ: A lot of people think that Asians all look the same, do you think so?
BH: No, not at all. Asians think Westerners all look the same though.
GQ: Really?
BH: Yeah, serious.
GQ: Have you ever been compared to any pop culture figure?
BH: You wouldn't believe how many times I've have people say "Wow, you look JUST LIKE Shemar Moore!

GQ: Really?
BH: Yep.
GQ: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What are your goals?
BH: Well, if everything goes according to plan I'll be living on a beach somewhere in Vietnam, maybe in a small little house with a hammock, some books and a fridge full of Cheerwine.
GQ: Serious?
BH: Sure!
GQ: Thanks for your time...it was a pleasure interviewing you.
BH: Yeah, no prob. How much do I get paid again?


HA...anyway, I hope everyone is doing great. I'm really looking forward to this summer's trip with Mom and Dad to England. I recently ordered my Aston Villa stuff so I can be all suited up when we get there.
Here are the lyrics to that Reign of Kindo song in case anyone cares. It's one of the best written songs I think there is.

THE REIGN OF KINDO-OCTOBER'S STORM
I swung beneath the battered trees
the sunlight kissed and greeted me
it broke right through the clouded skies above
adorned the trees with shining love
and veils of doubt and shadows fled my eyes

The saddest looking trees
broken and bruised in the fateful October’s storm
stripped of their majesty

The storm came in the night
it crippled this town, unannounced and unmercifully bawling
tears of wet snow

Though the trees cried through the night
there was none to cure their plight
and it seemed their better days
would behind them ever stay

On that clouded day
years had since passed since the fury of October’s storm
when I found that old swing

They were standing high above
when the sunlight came down and revealed to my eyes such a wonder
they were bursting with life

No matter what storms you’ve seen
no matter the broken dreams
you’ve yet to see mend
consider the battered trees
their leaves dancing in the breeze
recalling no memory
of October’s storm.

Sacra Querco

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter and enjoyed your weekend. As some of you may or may not know this summer I am going to meet my parents in England and we are going to go roaming around the UK. Now, before I even get started, I AM going to count any "countries" that we might go to towards my goal of visiting least 30 countries...I know some of you might say that technically Scotland or Wales are not by definition countries and they are both part of the UK, well any of your protests will fall on deaf ears! HA! So, I am going to add their flags and if anyone has a problem then they can just deal with it! HAHAHA!
So, to say I'm excited would be an understatement...I think about it pretty much everyday and have been trying to find some cool places and sites to see, but let me tell you all how this future journey even came to be.
For years I have seen some names of my relatives on paper, genealogy sheets or whatever and they were just that...names of mostly old dead people I had never seen nor read anything about. They were as real to me as Casper the Friendly Ghost or some other fictional character. I never really cared much to know any of them and for years I didn't really think much about it at all. Well, for some unknown reason a few years ago I became a little serious in looking up especially the Holyoak family history. No offense to Mom's side of the family, but for some reason it seemed much easier to track the Holyoak name, maybe because of it's uniqueness. I figured pretty much anyone with the same last name as me had to be related at some point! So, I found a cool website holyoak.org I thought it was pretty fun to find something with my name on it, and so I signed up as a member. Well, I poked around a little and not much else. I think about that time my dad had ordered a family history book called Holyoaks: From Kings Norton to the Everlasting Hills. This book was the history of the Holyoaks from George (my great great great great grandpa) and his wife Sarah. I was quite excited to check out the book the next time I saw my dad. I really enjoyed reading some about the family and knowing a little about where I came from and a little about some of those "names" I had seen before.
Well...everything kind of settled back and I didn't think about it much for a while. After time had passed I checked the website again and got in touch with the administrator, Chad Nichols via an e-mail. He referred me to another site that he runs called eancestry.org I couldn't believe it the first time I saw this site, it was amazing. I know Chad (my awesome 5th cousin! HA) has spent uncountable hours on this site. I couldn't believe it as I kept going back, further and further into my family history I was in awe. 1800s. 1700s. 1600s! The dates just kept going. I saw churches where people were married and christened. I saw old black and white photos, now I could attach a face to a name. I saw records of my family coming onto the American shores in the 1800s. I read stories and knew details about people. It was an incredible experience and for that I'd like to thank Chad for his time...that was probably the experience that really got me excited about learning about my family. So...fast forward to just a few months ago, one night I was home and flipping through the channels and I saw a show come on. The name is "Who Do You Think You Are?" People (some mostly B rate celebs) are on there and they try and go to places where their family lived and find out things about their past. It hit me while I was watching that..."why don't I do that?" So, in a half joking, half serious e-mail to my parents I said "why don't we meet in England and see some places where our family lived?" I know it isn't easy to meet sometimes even for a Sunday dinner, much less for me to fly from Korea and Mom and Dad from the States and meet in the middle...but, I was very happy when they e-mailed back and said "let's make it happen!" It's kind of the best of both worlds for me, I get a chance to see my dear parents AND I get to travel and see somewhere new as well as walk some of the same places where my family once walked, farmed, worked and loved. The best part is that quite a few of Mom's family are also from England, and actually quite close to Dad's...so, we should be able to find a lot of places and see a lot of things from both sides of the family. Most of Dad's family are from around Birmingham area...Yardley. As I've read more about my family I thought "I sure wish I would have had a chance to talk to some of them and hear about their lives" things that made them happy, hard times, things they learned, wisdom they could pass along...all those kinds of things. So, this weekend the weather was nice...I was out for a walk and I thought "I should write them a letter!" Now, I know they are all passed away, and so, on the one hand this is quite silly, and on the other I think a fun chance to share some thoughts and ask some questions. I have not lost it, and I do realize they can't answer...so please don't worry about my sanity! HA!
OK...now, I know this post doesn't pertain to some, and maybe others of you have stopped reading already, but...if you ARE interested, I want to share my line with you, back to my 10th great grandpa, and then give you a little info I found out on a few of them.
I will start with me and move backwards (I'm not going to put my birthday or dad's just in case some weirdos are trying to steal our info! HAHAHA! Also some of the old dates might be christenings and not birthdays)
Ben E. Holyoak
Wilford N. Holyoak
James Otto Holyoak 9/15/1908
James Nehemiah Holyoak 4/26/1872
Nehemiah Green Holyoak 11/25/1848
William Holyoak 4/12/1825
George Holyoak 1/17/1799
Isaac Holyoak 3/4/1763
Thomas Holyoak III 1/1/1724
Thomas Holyoak Jr. 6/4/1699
Thomas Holyoak 10/13/1667
George Holyoak 4/6/1634
Henry Holyoak ??

Some of them obviously are too old to know much about, but there are a few I'd like to share just a little bit about. Probably the most remarkable of them (at least that I can read about) is my great great great grandpa, William Holyoak. My grandfather lived an incredibly difficult life, and after reading some of his history, it makes me feel ashamed that I ever complain about my life. At 21 years old William married his sweetheart Martha Green. A few years later she gave birth to my great great grandpa, Nehemiah Green Holyoak. Three days after Nehemiah Green's birth Martha passed away. William left Birmingham and moved away to Leamington, where he became a leather tanner and plasterer. His son Nehemiah Green stayed with his parents. He later remarried and soon after headed to the USA from Liverpool, England in January 1850 on the ship Argo. Most of the journey to the US was smooth sailing, although there were reports of some people getting cholera and also as the ship neared Cuba it almost dashed against the rocks. When William arrived in the States he said he had .25 in his pocket. He and his new wife Sarah moved to St. Joseph, Missouri. While there Sarah gave birth to two children, both of which died. By the spring of 1856 he had saved enough money to make the long trek across the plains. Now, his parents and son had by this time also made the voyage across the Atlantic on the ship Windermere and arrived in the US in April 1854. I'm not sure if he made the trip to Utah with his parents or not...that was a little hazy. I don't think they did...but regardless, his mother passed away on the plains in Hamilton County, Nebraska and he also lost two sisters, Martha who died in 1854 in Jackson County, Missouri and Ann who died in Wyoming the same year. In time he migrated to Parawon, Utah and settled in there. In time William served as the mayor of Parawon on two different occasions from 1883-1886 and also from 1894-1895. He planned a city park and spent a lot of time working to make the area beautiful. He and his wife lost a few more children and before he passed away seven of his eleven children had died before he did. He passed away March 28, 1914 and from what I read the schools and all the businesses in Parawon closed the day of his funeral. What a tough life he must have lived. There is more I could share, but mainly just wanted to share some of Willam's life with you. He seemed like a really amazing man and reading and knowing more about him now brings him to life in my mind, he's not just a name with two dates, he was my grandpa. So, I am really excited to go to England and see the places where the Holyoaks lived...I am very proud of my name and proud to be a Holyoak. I come from a long line of good folks and hope I have always lived up to the family name. Who knows if I'll ever have kids...maybe so, maybe not. I am really glad that my brother has a dear sweet son Derek that at this point can at least pass on the family name! I'd like to write my short letter now to my grandpas...just some of the things I wish I could ask and could share with them about me.
Dear Grandpa Holyoak,
I'm writing you this letter since I never had a chance to ask you some of the things I'd like to know now. I never had the chance, or in some cases was too young and foolish to ever know that at some point in my life I'd like to know some of these things, if for nothing else more than just some amusement. Grandpa Otto, what was my Dad like when he was a boy? I know he is a fine man now, but I'd like to know what he was like when he was young. What things did he do that made you angry? What did he do that made you just want to hug him and never let him go? I know you lost your first daughter when she was young, how did you deal with that? Grandpa Nehemiah Green, how was it growing up with your grandparents? What kind of games did they play with you? What do you remember about your time in England? Did you ever miss there once you reached the dry deserts of Utah? Grandpa William, how did you live through all of that and always stay positive? To lose so many people your first wife, seven children, your Mom and sisters on the plains...what kept you going? How did you not just want to give up? I've had some hard times in my life too, but nothing compared to that. How was it being a mayor in an old west town? Did anything scary ever happen there? Were you ever fearful for your own life as you crossed the plains to Utah? Were you scared on the ship ride to the US? How did it feel to leave everything behind that you had, knowing that you would never see those things again?
I hope all of you are proud of me...I've tried to live a good life. I have failed at times. I have failed miserably. I have been down, I've been sad, I've felt like just giving up, but like you I just kept trying. I've tried to be a good son and a good person. I have seen many fun and intriguing places, I've lived abroad. I've tried (unsuccessfully I might add) to learn a new language.
I feel lucky and blessed to have a chance to see some of the same places you all once lived...I hope I can feel your spirit there. I hope I can feel you as the wind blows on my face and I see some of the same flowers you once loved so much. I hope you know I am thankful for you all and your sacrifices so that I could be here today.
I love you all and would like to dedicate this song to you,
Ben

Another post...

I tried to come up with a somewhat clever and catchy title for this post, maybe I just haven't had enough calcium the last while and it's somehow effecting my brain. So, I thought maybe the lack of a catchy and clever title could somehow be clever. I was thinking on my walk to school the other day...the reason I seldom post these days is because I don't really do as much as I once did. Things that were once fascinating to me, are still cool...but not near as exciting as they once were. My camera has pretty much been stowed away and I don't get out as much as I did when I first came here...but that doesn't mean my brain has stopped working and I can't share my awesome and interesting thoughts and perspectives with you, my lucky readers! HA!
MLB kicked off this weekend, I've been really happy for the start of the year, I know a lot of people feel baseball is "boring" or "antiquated" but I think that couldn't be further from the truth. I have always loved baseball, I wish I would have been better as a kid, I wasn't bad, but I could just never excel. I remember I got hit once or twice when I was a kid and I think it always made me gun shy, but anyway...so I purchased the MLB Ticket so that I can see all the Rockies games in their entirety. I'm pretty excited, it has severely interrupted my sleep schedule, but what could be better than seeing Ubaldo on the mound in Denver at 5 AM local time?! HA! Unfortunately the Rocks lost game one, but came back and won game two, so...2 games down, 160 to go! I doubt I'll be able to watch every game, but I like feeling connected.
I've recently also been watching some crime TV shows, I have around 150 channels and about 5 or 6 in full time English (other channels have some Korean shows, some English speaking...I don't count Star Sports as an "English" channel, with that dreadful Aussie accent I think I can understand more on the Korean channels). Anyway, one of those channels shows pretty much every silly crime show there is" CSI, Criminal Minds, Without a Trace, etc.
I enjoy trying to solve the mysteries as much as the next guy but I noticed a troubling trend on my previously favorite show Criminal Minds. I've noticed that solving a crime on that show is just too easy. There is a computer guru techie geek named Garcia. She's the flamboyant, goofball (every show has to have at least one, right?). Well, I've noticed over time that her computer seeking skills far exceed any that I have been able to acquire in my 13+ years of internet usage. The team can be investigating a crime, find a used coffee cup, talk to some people in town who saw a red truck driven by a dude wearing a flannel shirt. So, the other FBI agents can call Garcia from the road in let's say Elk City, Oklahoma,(she stays put in Quantico at FBI Headquarters) and tell her to track all males who have bought a flannel shirt at the Elk City Wal-Mart. She finds just over 52 flannel shirt sales since 2010. Then she is able to narrow her search using those 52 names and searching which of them own a red truck. That search is then narrowed to 14. From there, all she has to do is search who likes coffee from Joe's Java Joint (the name of the coffee shop listed on the previously mentioned cup). The search is then narrowed to just 2 people. She e-mails pictures of the two guys, the others go to Joe's Java Joint where they show the pics and a 17 year old pimple faced part time high school student identifies the killer. Magic! Viola! I mean, is it really that easy to be in the FBI? So, I've slowly started losing interest and I want the other agents to solve a crime without the help of the Magic Internet.
OK, that was pretty random, but it's something I've been thinking a lot about on my 25 minute trek to my school each day.
Spring is finally starting to show signs of life...I'm more than ready to accept it with open arms. Not only can I save on my gas bill (yes, I'm a cheap skate) but I can also actually sit outside and just enjoy myself (well, as long as the radiation from Japan doesn't float too far west!).
I'm hoping to go to a famous botanical garden here this spring. True story (not sure if I told you all this before) but last year I e-mailed my favorite professor from Pfeiffer University (my alma mater) from which I am an alumnus. Actually, before I go on with my story I have to say, that was one thing that used to irritate me back in the States, seeing a bumper sticker that read "Redneck County Community College Alumni". Alumni is plural, so if both parties that owned the car went to school at RCCC, then the bumper sticker is correct, otherwise it should read "Redneck County Community College Alumnus (or alumnae)" But anyway. OK, so I emailed my favorite professor Mr Ingram just to rub in a little after Duke won the championship this time last year (he's a UNC guy). So, I told him I was living in Korea and he told me that his wife's uncle actually started one of the biggest and most well know botanical gardens in Korea back in the 1950s. He had come here after the Korean war and loved living here, so stayed and bought some land and started Chollipo Botanic Garden. So, apparently he lived here until his death in 2002 and actually became a naturalized citizen of Korea. So, I'm hopeful I can make it that way this spring and get some pics!
Anyway, enough of my post for today. I will try harder to at least post something even if it doesn't involve a fun trip or beautiful pictures.

Catching up...

I've been promising to post some pics of my new pad and have just been slack in doing that, so I decided to finally fulfill my promise and get some on here so you all can see my new diggs! My place is small, but actually I really like it. By American standards I guess you could call it a studio apartment, in Korea they call these one room (even though it's not one room...hmm??) I have a nice and tidy little kitchen, it has a good sized fridge (which I have stocked with three bottles of water and a pack of bacon!) for this sized apartment. One of my friends has the same kind of place with a dinky little fridge. It also has a nice little built in 9 kg washing machine (yeah, kg don't mean anything to me yet either) but it's big enough I can wash my clothes and wash my blanket, so that's good enough, right? I love the sliding glass doors, I am very funny about smells, I love to eat bacon, but don't like my blanket to smell like bacon, so I can conveniently slide that door and it traps the bacon smell on the kitchen side! Inside my "one room" area I have my floor bed and that's about it. I'm a less is more kind of guy and hate having junk all over the place. Don't feel bad for me sleeping on the floor, I chose to, they have beds here, I just like sleeping on the floor. Not sure how much you know about Korean living, but the floors here are heating with water, and so they are very warm and comfortable at night. A lot of Koreans sleep on the floor and I guess over my years here I have just followed the tradition. I sleep well, and always feel cozy. One of the features of my apartment that sold me was the back balcony. This apartment and one other were the only two that have the balcony. I was surprised that other tenants didn't chose this place first, the balcony is almost as big as my apartment and has a nice little picnic table out there where I can sit and read or eat in the mornings. I figure when the weather warms up, I can even sleep out there if it's nice and cool. Almost all Korean bathrooms are small (even in the bigger places I've been in anyway) and so I didn't take a pic in there, sure you can imagine what a bathroom looks like! HA! One thing I like here aside from my little balcony is that you can go on top of the building and they have an area to sit up there and just relax on top of the building. There are some flower boxes, so I'm hoping that when the weather warms up they plant some flowers up there. One of the hardest things for me to get used to (and still is, even after two months) is that my lock is just a digital punchcode lock, so I don't need keys. Being the OCD freak I am I have always patted my pockets before I leave the house to make sure I have my keys...well, now I don't even need them and it just feels too weird having an empty right front pocket! Maybe some day it won't feel strange.
Things have been going well...we've been busy with the school and changed our schedule to an everyday schedule, I think the kids can learn better that way, but it's made Dana and I a lot busier than before. We changed to American text books and I'd like to say thanks to my awesome sis for helping us order and ship books over...I know it's been a pain, but I appreciate it. The books are really cool and I think that the kids will enjoy studying from these. They are quite expensive in Korea, so buying them in the States saved a lot of money. We finally got some business cards too, so if you've ever wondered what my name looks like in Korean, well...now you know (it's right below the school name).
Last month was Lunar New Year and we had a few days off from school. I really wanted to head out and see somewhere new, but I didn't really have the money and I don't have any more passport pages, so I decided just to stay around Korea. I met my good friend Zablon at Christmas on the flight from Shaghai back to Korea. He had gone to California for Christmas and I was coming back from Malaysia. We struck up a conversation and quickly become friends. Anyway, he teaches down in Busan and is also a sports nut like I am. So, he came up here to Asan and stayed a few days. We had a good time, went bowling one day, met my friend Sangeun and Byeongjae and played basketball and screen golf, and then the highlight of the weekend was going to see Dongbu Promy play in Seoul. It's kind of a funny story. Not sure if any of you have ever heard of a basketball player named Rod Benson, well...he's semi popular in the basketball world for the blog he kept while he was playing in the NBDL (developmental league, sort of like minor league basketball). His blog is hilarious and I've read it for a few years. Well, anyway...Rod came to Korea this year to play and just so happened to come and play for Dongbu Promy which is my favorite team. Well, Dongdu was playing Seoul the weekend Zablon was here, so we went up and watched the game. I had e-mailed Rod and told him we were going to go and cheer for him, so be on the lookout. He's a cool guy and e-mailed me, back and said he'd watch for us. Well, I decided to get some front row seats so we could be close to the action (plus, front row seats here are about $12 compared to $200 in Charlotte). We went over and said hey to him before the game, he was really cool he came over and said "what's up?" to us. We told him we'd be loud and crazy and cheer them on. Well, before the game they had some balls they were throwing out to the fans, so he came over and threw us a ball, the ball I have in the picture. I thought that was a cool thing to do, I mean the ball is just a rubber ball, but I thought it was cool he acknowledged us. So, anyway...Dongbu was the visiting team, so most people were cheering for the Seoul team. Zablon and I are both really loud, so we were causing all kinds of commotion. Most Korean fans just cheer for their team and don't taunt the opposing players...well, we aren't Korean! HAHA! Each team can have 2 foreign players, so the Samsung team (Seoul) had a dude named Aaron Hines from Boise State and then a big huge huge huge chubby guy that used to play at Florida State named Nigel Dixon. Well, anyway...we were clean but we gave those guys all kinds of grief. Every time Rod shot freet throws Zablon and I were chanting "MVP. MVP, MVP!" and so the Samsung fans started booing us! HAHA! We cheered so much we had both just about lost our voices by the end of the game. Rod had an awesome game and scored 23 and had 17 rebounds, so he and Dongbu pretty much dominated the game. It was a blast...and the end Rod gave us a little head nod as they headed back to the locker room. So...good times.
I'd like to wish my brother a Happy Birthday on the 10th of March, and also my cousin Don Diego...40 years old man? Good grief Charlie Brown! It makes ME feel old just knowing how old y'all are! I was joking with Becca last time we chatted that I can't believe it's been 30 years since we sat under that huge tree at the old house drinking goats milk and eating homemade PBJ sandwiches...where does the time go?
Most of you know I love quotes and I was reading the other day and came across this and wanted to share it with you:

"...the sea's only gifts are harsh blows and, occasionally, the chance to feel strong. Now, I don't know much about the sea, but I do know that that's the way it is here. And I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong, to measure yourself at least once, to find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions, facing blind, deaf stone alone, with nothing to help you but your own hands and your own head..."

Malaysia!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Sorry, it's been a long time since I have posted anything on my blog and I will certainly try and do much better in 2011 than I did the latter part of 2010.
I had a chance to go to Malaysia for a week at Christmas and had an amazing time. Of course it was freezing cold here in Korea when I left for Malaysia, so the warm breezes and t-shirt and shorts weather was very welcoming! One of the first things I noticed about Malaysia is that it is much different than the other S.E. Asian countries I had been to. The infrastructure and housing in Malaysia was far superior to any of the other countries, I was actually a little bit surprised at how nice it was when I arrived. Malaysia is an Islamic state, so it was interesting to see many women wearing the Muslim burqa and to see the different mosques scattered around the city and country. There are also a lot of Hindus, Buddhists and Christians in the country, so there was an interesting mixture of worship sites all around as well.
One of the first places I went to was the Batu Caves, which were about 9 miles north of the city. Around the late 1890s the caves were dedicated as a place of worship to the Hindu god Lord Murugan the god of war and victory. Outside the caves is a 140 foot high statue dedicated the Lord Murugan. Each year there is a huge festival at the caves called the Thaipusam Festival, in 2007 over 1.5 million people went to the caves for the festival. Fortunately when I was there it wasn't that busy. There are 272 steps leading up into the caves. Along the way there are hundreds of wild monkeys who are climbing around on light poles and jumping out of trees. I had read to hold on tight to your backpack or handbag because the monkeys sometimes snatch stuff away! HA! When I was there a monkey stole a water bottle from a girl and then scampered up the light pole and was chewing on the bottle. I'm OK with monkeys and everything, but I didn't really want to feed them. A lot of people were feeding them peanuts, bread, etc. It was fun to see other people feed them, but they seem a little dirty to me to want to have them grabbing stuff out of my hands. Anyway, the caves were cool...they aren't very deep, but it was very interesting to see. Kuala Lumpur (I'll just call it KL from now on) is well know for it's pewter and Royal Selangor is the largest manufacturer and retailer of pewter in the world. The factory was open for tours and it was interesting to see the skill that the workers had in making the different items. One of the coolest things at the factory and gallery is the world's largest pewter tankard. It is 6'6" and the girth is 5'6". It weighs in at 3432 lbs and it took 3 months and over 2000 hours to complete!
The next day I left off for Kuala Selangor which is an area a few hours from KL. The main reason I went there was to see the lightning bugs at the nature park. It was really cool...the bugs were blinking like Christmas lights, the only disappointing thing was that it was impossible to get any good pictures of it. It was too dark to get a picture without the flash, but then when I turned the flash on it just lit up the trees and you couldn't see the lighting bugs. The guide said this was one of the largest areas of lighting bugs in the world. It was very peaceful, the guides rowed people down the river at night, I guess they rowed instead of used a motor so as to keep it quiet and make the trip more memorable and maybe not to scare the bugs too. It was so nice and quiet out there at night.
After that I headed down to Malacca which was probably one of my favorite places during the trip. I really love history and so going to see historical places is one of my favorite things to do. Malacca has a rich history, it was under Portuguese control for around 130 years from 1511 to 1641 when it was taken over by the Dutch. The Dutch then controlled at area from 1641 until around 1824 when it was taken over by the British. The British controlled it until the Japanese took over during World War II. Malacca has quite a few famous structures there, the "A Famosa Fort" which was built in 1511 by the Portuguese. Most of the fort has since been destroyed, but there is still one small gate house that remains, one of the oldest surviving European architectural remains in Asia. Another interesting building in Malacca is "Christ Church" which was built by the Dutch in 1753. It is the oldest functioning Protestant Church in Malaysia.
Most people associate Petronas Towers with KL...these buildings are really beautiful and amazing. From 1998 until 2004 they were the tallest buildings in the world standing 1483 feet tall! They are functioning office buildings and I thought it was interesting that you can't go all the way to the top. Tourists can go early in the morning and get tickets to go up to the bridge that connects the two buildings, but I heard that you had to be there around 7 AM and I just didn't feel like going to get tickets! HAHA! The last few days in KL I did like I always do and just wandered aimlessly around the city just exploring whatever I could see. This is usually one of my favorite things to do...I like to roam and just see what I can see. Some of the cool things I stumbled across were the National Mosque of Malaysia, the train station, some really cool parks, and all kinds of cool looking buildings. I spent New Years Eve there and it was a lot of fun to see the fireworks up over Petronas Towers, I was really happy to get some good pictures from my hotel room!
There were several things that stood out to me about Malaysia. As I said before, I could tell that the economy and infrastructure there was much different than most other SE Asian countries. Another thing I really liked about KL was the food choices. There were SO many restaurants there, and the food was really good. In the week I was there I think I ate Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and Malaysian food. It also seemed that Malaysians have quite a bit on national pride...while I was there apparently there was some sort of soccer tournament and Malaysia won the championship over Indonesia. There were 100s of people honking horns and waiving the Malaysian flag (which looks quite similar to the US flag, in fact there were a lot of times when I saw the red and white stripes I automatically thought of the US flag! HA). Also, with a high Muslim population it was really interesting to see the mosques and hear the calls to prayer throughout the day over the speakers from the mosques. Muslims pray 5 times a day, and so one more than one occasion I heard the call from the speakers (at least I assumed that was what it was for). Malaysia was really beautiful and I had a great time there...I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to go!