About the Author
Hello, this blog is about my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile / Koreaphile. Any useful information I can pass along will hopefully make the Internets a better place. Thanks for reading!
Monthly Archives: April 2012
Being a Foreigner is a Pain, anywhere
Think of it as plastic memory, this force within you which trends you and your fellows toward tribal forms. This plastic memory seeks to return to its ancient shape, the tribal society. It is all around you—the feudatory, the diocese, … Continue reading
Learning a Language, Taking a Chance
(Multitasking: at work, “studying” Korean) So as readers know, I’ve been studying Japanese for long while. I am not “fluent”, but I can get by OK. Not great, but I can carry a (sometimes awkward) conversation, or get my way … Continue reading
Good Advice in Latin
Something for a Friday, I think. I found in a book recently: Ut amēris, amēbilis estō! In order to be loved, be lovable! –Ovid, Ars Amãtõria, II, 107 Seems like good advice to me, in any language. People like to … Continue reading
Understanding Buddhism as a Corporate Metaphor
I work in a large corporation now for the last 6 years as an systems engineer. I’ve moved offices many times and I’ve transferred around within the company (working in Dublin for example) sometimes. It occurred to me that this … Continue reading
Kobo Daishi: Buddhist Superhero
On the lighter side of things, during our trip to Japan this year, we went to the temple of Kawasaki Daishi for Hatsumode, the first temple visit of the new year. Kawasaki Daishi is a pretty famous temple of the … Continue reading
Jaded
Been feeling pretty jaded for a couple months now. I think this is also partly related to my recent post about not having any real accomplishments in my life. At first, I thought the problem was that I just needed … Continue reading
Posted in General, Japanese, JLPT, Language
9 Comments
“Space Brothers” coming to the big screen!
I was very excited to hear from my wife a while back that one of my favorite Japanese manga, 宇宙兄弟 (uchū kyōdai) or “Space Brothers” is coming to the big screen in Japan. When I was first looking for Japanese … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy, Japan, Japanese, JLPT, Language, Literature, Science
5 Comments
Vegetarianism in Korea: Past and Present
Recently I read this interesting article from the Yonhap News Agency about the growing popularity of vegetarianism in Korea, but based on traditional dietary habits, not modern ones. In the past, I’ve talked about traditional diets in Japan, which also … Continue reading
Chinese Characters in Korean usage
Chinese culture has had a strong influence on Asian culture over the many centuries, and this is reflected in the writing systems. For example, when Korean society moved to use the Hangeul alphabet, Chinese characters or hanja (한자) were still … Continue reading
Seaweed: Japanese and Korean style!
Unlike 20 years ago, it’s much easier to find seaweed food products in the West. I know, because when I was a teenager, sushi was new and hip and strange (remember the lunch scene from The Breakfast Club?), but now … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Health, Japan, Korea
5 Comments
