Formula 1...BABY!!!!

Tomorrow, Melbourne, Australia 8:00pm PST

My new passion and moto muse. This year its Renault and RedBull on my radar. So far so good. In both Malaysia and Bahrain, Renault took the checkered flag.

Button of Honda has the pole for tomorrows race.

Raving on Barbara Bui

I have been following this Paris based fashion designer for some time now. Ms. Bui has built quite a successful fashion image in the small town of Paris, France.

She is represents the future in so many ways as a designer. She is prolific beyond imagination, she is an expert marketer and promoter of her work in a very tasteful way. Her designs are origional and sheik beyond the runway and her ability to design for those sassy little Parisian girls is astounding considering she is of Vietnamese background. She is even traded publicly on the CAC exchange.

The image on the right is to me quinessential Barabara Bui. Tall, languid, supple and equal parts masculine and feminine.

Wow!

www.barbarabui.com

Chinese relations and the word foreigner

If we are to smooth the transition between Chinese and Western cultures, use of the word foreigner must be dropped from the lexicon.

As I talk more and more with China in business, academia and using skype and other modern communication tools, I am constantly reminded that I am a foreigner by Chinese, even in my own living room where I use my computer. I realize this is confucian philosophy up close and personal.

This strikes offense in me like a bolt of lighting. Here I am trying to freely exchange cultural similarities and get closer to another culture and they ignorantly use the term "foreigner" to characterize me. I think it is one of the first english words they learn as Chinese because it is thrown around the discussion like a blow job on the set of a cheap porn film.

What I think is necessary to not cause offence is to be referred to by nationality. It kills to birds with one stone in that it accurately describes where I am from as well an does not insult me at the same time. Something that is always needed in diplomatic relations with another culture.

The following dialoue is from a skype session I had with a woman from Shanghai the other day.

steve: 13:15:32
can you teach me some charaters...?

sunny: 13:17:47
it is difficult to a foreign, it is like english to me

steve: 13:18:19
I do not like the word foreigner...it is offensive to me.

sunny: 13:18:27
chinese is my mother language, but i don't know how to tell you....

steve: 13:20:59
There are many chinese speakers here in San Francisco...

steve: 13:21:10
They are not foreigners...

sunny: 13:21:33
oh

steve: 13:22:07
Do you understand how using the word foreigner make you appear to be less than friendly?

sunny: 13:23:32
no, in fact i don't undersand

steve: 13:26:21
when you use the term foreigner, you are saying to the person that they are not close to you. It tends to distance yourself from other people and prevents coming together closer to share more together....understand?

sunny: 13:27:17
yes, i know, thank you

sunny: 13:27:38
but which word i shoud use?

steve: 13:29:44
I try and use nationalistic terms when describing people. It flatters them instead of putting them in a one size fits all catagory of "foreigner" It shows you know the difference between French culture and Russian culture and it is perceived as a compliment to them.

sunny: 13:31:22
for example?

steve: 13:32:13
I will use your sentence...

steve: 13:33:21
it is difficult to a foreign, it is like english to me. or it is difficult for an american to learn chinese, it is like english to me.

steveallard: 13:38:21
does it make any sense to you?

steve: 13:44:44
did I condescend you sunny? ....I did not mean to condescend?

sunny: 13:48:51
no,it is only beacuse my english is not good

sunny: 13:49:32
if possible, i will learn from you...haha

steve: 13:49:40
On th econtrary, your english is quite good!

steve: 13:51:40
Many that I talk to here on skype from China use the term "foreigner" The reality is that we are both in our native coutries when chatting to one another. It is a bit strange when you think about it...

steve: 13:52:16
we will teach eachother... :)

sunny: 13:53:34
:)

Lao wei is the Romanization of the word foreigner in Mandarin.

Some other words to use in place of Lao wei or foreigner:

Korean
Russian
Japanese
Singaporean
Indian
Pakistanian
Iraqi
British
French
American
Canadian

the fundamental shift of the Chinese mind in recognizing another's nationality instead of placing them into the cauldron of "foreigner" is sure to smooth the way to better relations.

Blending culture one situatiuon at a time...this is the key to creating harmony and communication between foreign nations.


If you choose to be a ham fisted meathead and wear the label of foreigner, then you probably have these guys in your record collection.

Coming down to earth in SF

So I received a moving violation a few weeks ago while driving in San Francisco.

After calling the Traffic division at SFPD and heard the ungodly fine they wanted me to pay, I decided to go down and fight city hall. More specifically, officer badge number 438. This guy was a real prick after I asked him exactly what was the best way to utilize the freeway entrance ramp out of the Hayes Valley neigborhood. I was cited for not heading the poorly signposted rule of only turing right in order to exit the city onto highway 101.

I am building my case on 3 tennents. One, the intersection that I received my citation is poorly designed and implemeted. Two, the sign posts instructing drivers of the rules are confusing and do not clearly communicate the law as it is stated. Three, when I asked the arresting officer 438 what was the best way to enter the freeway, I got a bunch of mumbo jumbo BS.

It is rumoured that SF cops are on the take in SF and get fat overtime paychecks for not doing a whole hell of a lot. The vibe I got from this officer merits further investigation into this cities image problem with its police force.

So...I've got my court date in 2 months giving me ample time to build a case to present infront of the traffic judge. We'll see what transpires...

Tom Yum Talay

This is my latest culinary challenge.

Tom Yum Talay was introduced to me while living in Singapore. It is a known Thailand specialty and there is really nothing better to the tastebuds!

Equal parts savory, sweet, arromatic and hearty with execptional mouth feel.

Yummy!

On sustainability...

Sustainability is a word creeping into our lexicon from the highest levels of government to the small rainforest path that is lined with bamboo.

Leading the sustainability movement in product design is the use of bamboo at a building material. It offers many of the properties of wood, has a high level of visual aesthetic quality and it grows back like a weed once it is harvested. It is showing up in everything from kitchen cabinetry to surfboards.

I am also hearing and reading that sustainability is a reaction to the crushing layoffs that many have experienced around the world. Due to high management salaries of corporations round the world, there is an emerging class of people that are sounding the drum of sustainability based solely on survival. Sustainable to them means earning a living wage that allows them to have a life. A life filled with the joys of raising a family and being able to afford such an endeavor.

Sustainability at the manufacturing level is adopting principles of cleanliness and efficiency to reduce their greenhouse emissions into the environment and thus clean up air quality. If you have been to Shanghai, you'll know what I am talking about. Just today I read that the Premier of China has put sutainability at the top of the Chinese governments agenda for the next 10 years. We'll see...

As we face the duality of higher consumption rates in order to grow and increase profits and using less "stuff" in order to achieve these ends, sustainability is pushing its nose into areas of our lives that need improvement.

The proliferation of the digital lifestyle is certainly contributing to this transformation. Rather than spend your disposable income on something that takes up physical space like a golf club or a paper filing system, each product can now be replaced with a digital or virtual one. Granted you cannot drive the fairway at Pebble Beach and smell the salt air of the Pacific ocean with a digital driver. You can however play 18 holes of golf on the PB lynx. Sustainable golf if you will.

To me it is in part all about "reducing the footprint" This phrase makes sense to me as we rethink our approach to living together in a high rise building with numerous families living together yet with privacy or to the sprawling ranch houses that dot the landscape still in Texas. Where everyone has SUV, 3 refrigerators, several rooms in the house that are reserved for "company" and are never used.

Fractional ownership is another buzz word that is a close friend of sustainability in that many people own, maintain and operate everything from a Gulfstream 5 private jet to a small compact car. Paying only for the time you use the vehicle is certainly making inroads into the US from the coastal states and I would imagine has Detroit worried over selling more models of sleek automobiles to wannabe cool sophisticates. This is where modern high tech really is providing a solution to a real problem of too many vehicles on the roads contributing to the issues of environmental damage and sustainability.

Thinking green has never been so popular or essential...and everyone can think more about how they can change their behavior to reduce their impact. Even if it is as simple as eating less industrialized processed foods that lead to flatulence. Using less gas in all forms is good for our environment.

Korean Friendship Bell San Pedro, CA

This was a gift by the ROK to the US during its centennial celebration in 1976. It stands overlooking Long Beach harbor in the small city of San Pedro, CA.

It is intended to sound the bell of prosperity between the two nations and insure the freedom and independence of both republics.

I took this photo last year on a trip to LA. Since then my relationship with Korea and Koreans in general has indeed become more complex and fruitful.

Korean values, although still very Confucian, are headed in the right direction with their eye on the correct methods of shedding their past skin of Confucianistic principles and becoming a butterfly of capitalist freedom.

Korean people have been extremely friendly towards me both in Korea and in the US.

I look forward to pursuing further my ties with this nation of smart, hardworking, conscientious and successful lovely people.

America thrives on bullshit...

A lot of what America is built on is bullshit these days...

Bullshit is entertaining, its reliable and its everywhere.

The rest of the US is built on sound principles and proven techniques. The creative "place holding" stories we spin as citizens to one another to impress, inform, educate and continue the proliferation of our values and place in the world.

Bullshit is unfounded and unproven ideas that are mere opinion and not fact. We are conditioned to be impressed with bullshit here in the US in order for us to go out into the world and change it for the better. We listen to eachother earnestly because we might pick up a tip or technique to deliver our own bullshit stories and rhetoric.

In some cases, we confuse bullshit with facts which helps us with our particular agenda.

I found this quote on an American guy's website. He was wanting comments on his travel website photos. I though it quite telling.


"Critics and comments:

If you got sumpt’n to say, then say it. I want to hear it… the Good the Bad & the Ugly. If you don’t got sumpt’n to say, well, then do the next best thing; make up some bullsh!t and send it my way."

Need I say more...

Harry G. Frankfurt has a few words to say about Bullshit. Pick up his book and take a look...

These broads will @#$%! you up!

Unit 707 femme fatales!

South Korea... leading the way for female elite soldiering in the future.

I'm all for this. Equal pay, equal opportunities in the workplace. Equality in the ranks of the military as well.

Its an idea that is well overdue, and needs proliferation in the media in order to reinforce its importance in the progression of the equlization of the sexes.

Family relationship tactics lesson #1

Most everyone has some sort of family, good bad or indifferent.

As I age, I realize that I have the freedom to change the nature of my relationships with my family in order to protect myself from negative energies, vibes, attitudes or what ever you want to call them.

Based on behavior displayed by other members of my family, I can decide if I want to continue to pursue a relationship with them or cut them out of my life if they display damaging, moronic or ignorant behavior. This is a powerful realization, but with it comes the courage to act on it as well.

We cannot simply decide to cut one of our siblings or a mother out of our life with out it taking a hell of a lot of courage to do so. One must prepare a case with sound reason behind it in order to prosecute. This case has to be discussed among confidants and edited for selfish motives, immaturity, insensitivity or insecurities.

When you are ready to launch, do it boldly without remorse. Put your foot down, say what is bothering you about the other's behavior and deliver a sound warning. This will feel good after the fact and will garner respect immediately.

We love our family members dearly, but we also love our own selves as well. If one is threatening to control, abuse, insult or disrespect, cut them off for awhile. Let time school them on how you are different now, and will not put up with their moronic behavior.

Be sure to tell the other members of your family what you are doing so as to not cause an avalanche of retribution to fall on yourself. Carefully state your case to the other members of your family and then be honest about your reasons. They will respect you beyond your wildest dreams.

Family is inescapable in life. If you do not take measures to protect yourself from te toxic members, you will continue down the path of least resistance which in the end is damaging to you as you change and evolve into who you are and becoming.

California motorcycling

Skyline Drive on the penninsula in San Francisco is just about as good as it gets!

A stop for lunch at the famed motorcycle joint Alice's Restaurant is sure to deliver the energy to roar back up the coast to SF.

I've now been from Arcata to LA on my VFR and can't imagine another year without exploring further the highways and biways of the Golden State.

Enforcing the rules of discipline

Life is for living right?

But, in doing so, one must develop a healthy respect for the rules in order to be creative in getting around them to do more in life.

Ignorance is truly bliss, and the first time you do something for the first time and enjoy it, keeps you coming back to it again and again to try and get that feeling you had in the beginning.

For example, I am in love the sport of surfing. I think there in no other sport that makes someone more Californian that any other. I got up on a board back in 1989 and fell in love then. Now, almost 17 years later I am still trying to get that feeling of wave riding back into my lifestyle.

But I have not learned the discipline yet. I have not taught my body how to balance itself, I have not taught my eyes to see the wave and my sense of timing to read the waves while sitting amongst the sets as they roll in. My eyes have certainly learned the discipline of suiting up in the parking lot and the proper way to head down to the beach and enter the water, that part is easy. But, I have yet to get back in the water and paddle through the surf again.

I am old enough now to be selective about how I pursue my pleasures. I have very definitive tastes, and ways of approaching problems that I want to solve. I want to learn to surf in a certain way that will be lasting. So it is taking me an extra long time to learn the discipline of the enjoyment of it.

This sounds like a lot of pontification, but if one does not know the rules that are in existence, then one cannot learn the discipline that it takes to surmount them and even surpass and create new ones for others to follow.

Its about appreciation

Appreciation...

This is a word that is a lot more powerful than we give it credit for and is taken for granted each day by us in our busy lives.

If we would only learn to appreciate more things, life would be more intense, more colorful, more interesting more of just about everything.

But on the contrary, I see people limiting their appreciation of things around them to the benefit of their own small point of view. I see people saying, "no, that rap music is destroying our children." or "that waitress is such a bitch!" They are making statements becasue of their lack of appreciation for a genre of music or the job a waitress has to perform in serving you a meal. They look for the negative aspects that disturb their feeling of security, and then lash out at them in hopes of lowering their status in order to make them feel good about themselves.

Ask yourself, "why do I not go surfing?" or "why do I not want to go to Panama, to visit the canal?" the answer usually lies in you level of appreciation for the subject or place.

So it boils down to how much curiosity one possesses. Don't you think? The more curiosity one holds and exercises, the more they are inclined to go out and appreciate more of life. So, how does one get more curiosity in their lives? Is there a pill you can take, or a kind of book to read. The answer is yes to both.

We end up placing ourselves into little boxes that make us feel defined. This is a mistake and is wrong and unhealthy. Each year we should be developing more appreciations for other things in life as well as incorporating those new appreciations into our own lives to make ourselves better, richer, more intelligent and of course more appreciative of live as we know so little of...

Entertaining guests

So I have a friend of mine coming in from Seoul for a few days.

I have been surprised at myself in the amount of time spent getting ready for her arrival. She has agreed to stay at my apartment so I have been unusually busy getting the place in order to allow comfort and relaxation for her.

My parents were in town a few weeks ago, and I put them up at a local executive short stay. It worked out well and they liked their accommodation. It worked out for me as well, as I could still do my usual morning routine for business items and such.

I'm particularly calm and am keeping my energy from slipping out too early. When my parents were here visiting, I was under an unusual amount of stress, and as a result my mouth became filled with canker sores. Something that has not happened for a long time.

Rather than go shopping before hand, I thought it would be interesting for she and I to go to the markets I frequent, together. This way I can see her in action and she can pick out what she likes and let me know what she dislikes. I can learn more about her this way.

I'm planning several outings that will give here an idea of what life is like in the bay area. One day will be spent touring the sights to behold in SF (Presideo, Ocean Beach, Chrissy field, Union Square, embarcadero, Twin Peaks etc.) She is an academic, so we will visit both the Berkeley campus and Stanford as well. We will celebrate her birthday while she is here so I am planning on a trip to the wine country for a massage and further relaxation.

I'm looking forward to her arrival now...

California's offshore oil drilling issues

>12 rigs within 3 miles of the coast.

>24 rigs beyond 3 miles of the coast.

There are no known pipelines in or out of the state that supply California with its oil needs. All oil inbound to the state comes by tanker ship.

There are oil leases that cover 324 miles of California coastline that contain over 1 billion barrels of oil worth over an estimated $2.6 billion.









Currently, the leases have been blocked for renewal and are awaiting further investigation by the federal government.

Players:
Steve Westly - State Comptroller and State Lands commission Chairman
Paul Mont II - Resource Management Division Chief
Richard Carter - environmental defense Management member
Jim Costello - Mayor of Pacific Grove, California
John Martini - CEO California Independent Petroleum Association

Modern transportation behaviors

So I have not owned and operated a car for a few years now in the city of San Francisco. That does not mean that I have done with out a car or personal transportation. I switched from 4 wheels to 2 about 3 years ago and have recently bought a motorcylce that I keep in a garage at my apartment.

Additionally, I have manged to do the research neccessary to find alternatives to car ownership and do many positive things not only for the city of San Francisco's congested streets, but also have drastically cut my transportation budget and contributed to a cleaner safer environment for SF pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.

I sold my gas guzzling sedan that possessed a rather large footprint when trying to find a parking spot, and did with out a car for awhile using MUNI buses and BART as well as CALTrain. The bay area has envronmentlly leading options for those who need to get around yet do not have a car. Then I heard of City Car Share which is a program of small car rented by the hour with a milage fee of $ .40 per/mile. This is an excellent program for those trips around town to grocery shop, run errands and see the sights. They are always adding new cars to the fleet and have just completed an inventory turn over program that includes new cars such as the Toyota Prius, Mini Cooper and Honda Hybrids as well as the fleet standard Toyota Xa and Xb. The program fails to compete though, when you want to leave the city and take in a weekend outing like scuba diving in Monterey for the day, or visit a client in the Silicon Valley.

For trips such as this there is now a new competitor in town. Flex Car's business model is structured a bit differently and is more accomodating for longer overnight trips to snowboard in Tahoe or sip some Pinot in the wine country. They even have a few cars that are available on the 5 or 7 program, which does not charge you for hours used over the number indicated. So if I reserve a Honda Element which happens to be in the 7 program, I only get charged for 7 hours in the 24 hour time period. The other 17 hours are free.

Both programs have robust online reservation and account management systems. Both programs have gas cards in the glove box that allow for free fillups. Both programs remove the responsibility of auto maintenance. Both programs eliminate the monthly parking ticket line item on your budget and both programs provide numerous and convenient locations in the city and the east bay where they keep as many as 3 vehicles in a pod at a time.

I also have utilized Fox Rentacar down near SFO. For awhile after 9/11, you could rent a car for $14.00 a day. Just hop on BART and zip down to SFO's car rental annex and take a shttle to FOX. They have drastically increased their prices recently, and are now not even competitive with the other major car rental companies.

I know I spend less that $20 per month at the gas station, have a motorcycle insurace bill of $41 per month and average a monthly car sharing bill near $35 per month. All total that is less than $100 for my transport needs, and that includes a whole lot of pleasure on the motorcylce and a whole lot of variety using the car sharing programs.

I figure when I owned and operated a car, it cost me around a $550 per month to maintain and run, whether I used it or not. With my new program of motorcycle and car sharing memberships, I'm much nearer to $96 per month. Pretty good numbers...

www.citycarshare.org
www.flexcar.com
http://www.craigslist.org/mcy/

...and if I wasn't such a modern sustainable guy, I'd be in one of these......breathtaking!

Manhattan Beach

Ahhh....Manhattan Beach. My first experience living and working in California. I learned to surf there years ago and had the time of my life for 3 months.

Beach culture in southern California is truly unique. Its drinking late into the evening and getting up early for the smooth sets that are actually quite quiet as they roll in from the Pacific. Manhattan beach is a very transient place, especially 4 blocks up from the beach between the strand and Highland Avenue.
There seems to be a progression of people who meet there, have fun, get married and move towards the marina. It is so close to Santa Monica, LAX, Redondo beach and other communities that it proves its worthiness as a central location within the first weeks of being there.

I met and dated a lot of flight attendants there. There are loads of advertising and marketing and real estate professionals there as well. Many are originally from back east as well.

Although many businesses come and go in order to shape the trends of tomorrow. Some things never change in Manhattan beach. The Kettle is still there serving locals their brunch on a Saturday morning after a bender while they write out checks to to pay their monthly bills.

I didn't stay around long enough to become part of the local gossip, but its there, and oh does it permeate the air where people make their lives in this little beach community.

Bonds...the final word

Barry Bonds is the greatest player to play the game....ever.

Hail to those that dare move an institution such as American baseball into the future.

Those that are currently trying to destroy what this individual has achieved in the sport of baseball are a bunch of panty waisted morons who always wanted to play the game but did not have the talent. And as for the argument that is out there supporting the position that drugs in baseball are influencing America's children, wake up and realize that the pharmaceutical industry drives the modern economy from a cure to the common cold to controlling birth. So you call yourself an American citizen...? America is the world's largest drugstore from the most R&D spending to the most medical trials as well as the most cures for disease.

Barry Bonds is a living legend who will survive the weak efforts of a few to discredit his greatness on this earth.

The SF Ballet

So I went to see the ballet recently.

Under the Art Direction of Helgi Tomasson: Spring Rounds, Magrittomania and Rodeo appeared to be a fuitful variety of contrasts in the artistic medium of dancing with elan.

I love elan. It is the basis for a smooth harmonic lifestyle and is one of the reasons I go to the ballet, in addition to the glorious architecture of the War Memorial Opera House.

I reccommend that everyone learn to appreciate ballet dancing for a healthy lifestyle.

Letting things marinate

So I'm sitting here listening to one of my favourite CDs Jane's Addiction - Nothings Shocking, pumping a little iron and it occurs to me that my 20 something creative period in my life was pretty @#$%! awesome.

Similar to Dave Navarro who is now married and doing commercial television and in his late 30s, I myself am entering a new phase of creativity. That of the late 30s and 40s. Creative projects that I now take on seem to take forever to finish due to all of the things I am involved now. Or is it just me unable to curb my curiosity and appetite for things that I must dabble in.

I'm finding that if I let things marinate for awhile now, I can consider them more so, and actually carry something out to its full completion. My creative juices are not as concentrated as they used to be in my 20s, and I have to parse them out in measured doses now. It is something that with age, comes less of I am finding.

By having multiple projects going at the same time (sometimes 10-12 projects) my attention span is stretched in ever more directions now. Whether they generate revenue is another matter. But that is yet another project I take on. The tireless funding, marketing, promotion and protection of my productivity and fruits of my labour. Which in the end, makes up this time now in between creative spurts that allow for proper marination.

As the mighty Perry Ferell sings "The water is piping hot, the water is a piping hot...It beats upon my neck, and I'm pissing on myself. Standing in the shower and thinking...Standing in the shower and thinking"...

Dave...I used your image to highlight this post becasue I think your integrity is impecable as one the few modern rock gods of our time. Merci!

Designing the next crack...

As someone who is involved in product design/development and education, I find it ever elusive to reconcile with the urge to design for myself and my own wants and needs, or to create the next "crack like substance" for the masses that they just cannot get enough of.

How do I enter the psyche of the girl with the makeup and jeans on to think of the next product she might want to buy in the next five years? How would its functionality behave, how would its packaging be alluring or what materials would convey her current aesthetic tastes.

How do I imagine the desire of the Indian guy who has just become a father for the second time and is now in the market for a new car, but is also in debt up to his ears?

Personally, I want to design a fashion line that mixes both lingiere and motorcycle leathers....but then I ask myself, who would buy this?

I find these thoughts creeping into my daily musings when I am hard at work designing the next crack experience for the consumers of tomorrow.

The awards season

So I watched the Academy awards last night. Online...

It appears that I am now viewing more and more live telelvision programming online while doing other things and being productive in other ways. I was able to follow the events in real time through the LA times and NY times websites.

The LA times had some banal journalist giving his trite opinions in a very LA fashionista style every 10 to 15 miunutes or so. The NY times was faster in their updates and reported the award for best picture 3 minutes before the LA times did.

There is so much media these days that in my mind I have accepted these awards that are given out after the holiday season as an entirely new season all together. Lets just call it "award" instead of winter.

Between the American Spirit Award, the Golden Globes, the Asian award, BET awards, the People's choice award, the Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, Razzies, Webbies as well as countless others, it appears that the value of these has lost its allure and value over the years.

In retrospect its all about business and creativity. And that is just fine with me. The more creative businesses we can make the better.

Hangul

안닝피가스오...

So I'm learning to speak, read and write Hangul right now. In the past 2 years I have visited Korea 4 times and have had numerous interactions with Korean culture here in San Francisco either with the students I teach or random public occurrences.

I love Korean women. Their beauty is unique when paired with their smart and intelligent personalities.

Korean men are jovial amongst themselves and are more touchy feely than other Asian groups.

Korean foods are tasty. My favourite is Sun dubu chigae.

By learning a new language through food, women and men I find that it is easier that through books, tapes, websites etc. This time around I am actually in a class at a language institute with an instructor and other students. It is clearly the better way to go when learning a new language. I have tried to learn Mandarin from books and tapes on numerous occasions and find that although there are better systems than others, there in no substitute for face to face interaction.

I'm finding that the English that is spoken in the US is by far the most egalitarian form of exrpession there is on the face of the earth. Hangul has so much pretense and respect towards formality and elders that I can see why there is so much suffering elsewhere in the world including Korea. I get this from my Brazilian friends as well and they speak Portuguese.

I'm emailing with a Korean woman who is very well educated in both Korean and English languages. She is not a typical Korean woman in that she has liberated herself from the rigid hierarchy of the society and is hell bent on smashing the Confucian model of society. I have to remind her not to bash Korea so much from time to time. There are many aspects of Korean society that are worth enjoying.

안닝피가새오

진 택