Articles by mgedwards

Happy Friday the 13th

Are you superstitious?  Even if you’re not, you probably think about the mystical ramifications of Friday the 13th whenever that nefarious date rolls around.  It doesn’t come along too often, thankfully.  Most of us don’t believe we’re superstitious, but we still have habits or beliefs that we think will contribute to our success or help us avoid failure.  How about throwing a bouquet at a wedding to a potential bride?  When was the last time you took an elevator to the 13th floor?  Have you ever told a friend "break a leg" before a performance or presentation?  Superstition is a part of our everyday lives, and most of the time we aren’t even aware of it.  In Korea, some women believe that men with type B blood make poor mates.  As a result, some type B men have trouble finding dates.  Is it true?  It may sound like a strange concept to foreigners, but some Koreans believe blood type or Zodiac signs are good indicators of compatibility.  Americans also hold beliefs that border on the unusual.  When we have trouble with items such as cars or computers, we tend to personify the object and yell at it as if our discourse will fix the problem.  I’m guilty of this.  "You !#$% computer!" can sometimes be heard when the computer I’m using misbehaves.  Of course, the computer doesn’t respond to my admonishment, but it feels good to yell at it anyway.

This morning a Korean film star stopped by the office.  Han Ka-in is apparently the hottest actress in Korea right now, although I don’t know her and haven’t seen any of her films.  She recently married actor Yeon Jung-hoon, and they are now a Korean power couple akin to Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt (before their split).  I was clueless about her, but I watched with amusement as a dozen or so of my coworkers crowded around and sought autographs from her.  I’m sure I would also be very giddy if Jennifer Aniston showed up at my workplace.  I might just have to check out some of Han Ka-in’s films to see if she is as brilliant an actress as my coworkers say she is.

The Seattle SuperSonics pulled out a 92-91 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA semi-finals.  The Spurs now lead the Sonics 2-1 in their best of seven series.  The Sonics have been so hot and cold this season that I’m not optimistic they can get past the dominant Spurs.  The Spurs are a class act.  Of course, I am a pessimistic Seattle sports fan who understands all too well about getting my hopes up too high during championship runs.  I’m glad to see that the Sonics made it to the playoffs and beat the Sacramento Kings, but I don’t know if they have what it takes to win an NBA championship.  Maybe I’ll jump on the bandwagon if they can get past the Spurs, Suns, and Pistons.

An old chore and an old friend

So you’re tired of mowing your lawn?  Live in suburbia and wish sometimes you could hire someone to mow your lawn for you or that you could cover the whole yard with decorative rock?  Maybe you live in an apartment or condo, don’t have a yard at all, and are thankful for you don’t have one.  Chances are, if you do have a lawn to mow, you probably don’t enjoy mowing it.  Well, I do.  I mowed tonight for the first time since Fall 2003, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I really missed mowing.  It’s like an old friend who visits you for a few months during the spring, summer, and fall.  Yes, that’s right, I mowed my lawn in Seoul.  I’m probably one of a few dozen people living in Seoul proper with a yard that I mow.  Most residents live in high-rise apartments.  Most of my neighbors hire people to mow their lawns.  Although mowing is a time-consuming and tedious job, I actually enjoy it.  I love the smell of fresh cut grass and the feeling that in a small way I’m getting some exercise.  Never mind I could be spending my time in a gym sweating away on a treadmill or stationary bicycle.  Nah, mowing will do just fine.  I like the mindless nature of mowing because I can let my mind wander and ponder the meaning of the universe.  And I get to wrestle with with a greasy machine, albeit a small gas-powered mower.  Changing the oil and filling the mower with gas makes me feel, well, handy.  Some guys really dig mowing.  Tim Allen from the old television sitcom "Home Improvement" epitomized the handy husband who loves improving the house with power tools.  Mowing fits the bill for me.  I don’t have to do much around our house other than daily maintenance, and I won’t have much opportunity to do landscaping, one of my favorite hobbies. Oddly, mowing fills that strange need I have to get out in the yard and do something.  My neighbors will give me strange looks and ask me why I haven’t hired someone to do the lawn work.  I’ll tell them it’s because I enjoy spending time with an old friend.

Travel plans and overcommitment

I talked to my wife tonight about our potential travel plans this year.  We really haven’t had a real vacation since we went to the Middle East on tour in late 2001.  (We traveled to the Middle East just before the Afghan War started in 2002.  Fortunately, the trip was relatively incident-free.)  I spent a couple of years pursuing my MBA, and my son was born just before I graduated.  We were homebound during his first year of life.  After I graduated, I briefly worked as a consultant and was on the road frequently.  I had no time for a vacation.  Then in early 2004 I started this job, and I haven’t had a vacation in over a year on the job.  We did spend a few days in Hawai in mid-February before arriving in Seoul.  However, my family was ill with the flu, and I had to work for a couple days in Honolulu.  Alas, Hawaii was not much of a vacation aside from spending quality time with my brother and wife and some sweet moments at the Hilton Hawaiian Village at Waikiki.  We’ve been out and about in Seoul, but we haven’t taken any vacations since we arrived.  Unfortunately, the summer months will be extremely busy, and in the fall I’ll be preoccupied with the upcoming APEC Conference in Busan.  It doesn’t leave us much time for vacation.  Next December we will return to the U.S. for some rest and recuperation, and during the spring or summer we want to take a mini-trip somewhere in Korea or Asia.  My wife did some research and discovered, much to my surprise, that it costs almost as much to travel to Jeju Island as it does to go to Phuket, Thailand.  Jeju Island is one of Korea’s greatest treasures.  It’s a beautiful island off the south coast of Korea, a must-see for anyone traveling to Korea.  Phuket is an especially popular destination for Koreans.  Phuket/Bangkok tour packages are relatively cheap right now.  Phuket sustained significant damage from the Tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia, and tour packages there are cheap because Thailand is trying to rebuild its tourist industry.  Our biggest challenge is finding the time go on vacation.  U.S.’ Memorial Day would be the best time for us to go because Koreans celebrate their own Memorial Day is one week later.  Unfortunately, I have some job commitments to fulfill around Memorial Day.  Traveling on Korean Memorial Day is a possibility, but traveling in Korea during a Korean holiday is a nightmare.  We may not have an opportunity to go on vacation until Christmastime.

I did it again.  I overcommitted myself during the next two weeks.  It wasn’t my intention.  I told myself I wouldn’t overcommit anymore myself because I almost killed myself volunteering for everything during my MBA program.  I tend to say “yes” when given an opportunity to volunteer.  I’ve wanted to reach out to the local community through a speaking engagement, so I inadvertently volunteered myself to speak twice in the next two weeks.  I signed up for the talent show next week and will sing a couple of songs.  I have to report out to the section head on a key operations management project I’ve been working on for the past two months.  I volunteered to help with the company picnic as grill master and arrange transportation.  I move to a new assignment on June 1st and have to wrap up my current job by the end of the month.  If I can get through the next two weeks without incident, I will be very happy.  It’s going to be quite a challenge.  The public speaking opportunities will be particularly nerve wracking, because I don’t particularly enjoy speaking publicly.  It’s something I have to do, though.  Public speaking is a critical skill I need to nurture.  Communication is key.