My Brothers and Sisters
May 21, 2010 By
Contributions
May 21, 2010 By
Research Skills - Contributed by Lance Dockins Bad Hair Day! - Contributed by Parrish Foster Congrats on Promotion - Contributed by Scott Weeden and Team Six. Plant it Anyway - Contributed by opponents to the tree permit law Always Chew Your Steak - Contributed by the guys in the shop … [Read more...]
IN MEMORIUM: SuJung
May 21, 2010 By
Death comes to us all. The longer you live, the more people you care about, and the more of those people it takes. SuJung is my student. I taught volunteer ESL classes in my home when I came back to the states. She was diagnosed very late with cancer and, to my grief, I never saw her again. She leaves with her husband two beautiful children whose hearts are broken beyond mending. God have mercy. … [Read more...]
Our Darling Child
May 21, 2010 By
SunDog (SeunDeug) is a Maltese from South Korea. She's been with us since her childhood. She had been abandoned, seemingly because she needed joint surgery. She's bilingual, has an extensive wardrobe, and now has three beds. She is now with God in paradise. … [Read more...]
A Distant Place
May 21, 2010 By
Sometimes, when I need to think of a better place, I remember these beaches on an almost deserted island in the Yellow Sea. You go past all the islands where tourists get off. Stay on the boat, and get off when no one else does. If the helmsman asks, "are you sure?" then you're in the right place. Beware of truly man-eating sharks, and don't leave without asking for a taste of seafood stew from … [Read more...]
Train the Trainer
May 21, 2010 By
Use props to enhance audience attention. If there's nothing else, the end of a marker is a great gesturing tool. … [Read more...]
Key Concepts
May 21, 2010 By
The whiteboard is our friend. Tables and charts help illustrate the point and make it stick. … [Read more...]
Software Training
May 21, 2010 By
Overhead projectors don't have to be boring. Instead of just passively delivering the training, bring it to life with movement, gestures and interaction. … [Read more...]
Change Management
May 21, 2010 By
Change is its own essential skill set. Analyze the technology changes, the business process changes, and the responsibility changes, and describe the change in culture. … [Read more...]
Smile
May 21, 2010 By
Talk loudly, smile, and carry a big "parking lot". You can train anything with confidence and ease using the right tools, even when you don't know all the answers. Secret: you never do. … [Read more...]
Stand
May 21, 2010 By
Stand up a lot, bring laughter, and make the class fun. It's all right to take a moment during an activity to recoup your energy. Then, when eyes are on you, pour that energy into your audience. … [Read more...]
Adult Learning
May 21, 2010 By
Adults learn differently. Utilize their existing knowledge; collectively, they always know more than you. Let them learn independently; they need to be able to carry what they learn into their own environment toward their own goals with their own motivations. Give them group activities; adult learners work effectively through interaction with peers and colleagues - their learning has a corporate … [Read more...]
There’s much more
May 21, 2010 By
There's just really no way to cram it into a few photos or bullet points. Some things are "irreducably complex" - they can't be simplified past a certain point, and an atomist can't tell you anything about culture. Some things I learned by living elsewhere: People are not the same all over - so it's important to never lose sight of them as people. There's no such place as the greatest country in … [Read more...]
Safety first
May 21, 2010 By
Korea has the world's highest fatality rate from automobile accidents. So even though the taxi driver may think you're casting doubt on his driving ability, apologize and buckle in. This is never more true than when you're riding in the infamous bullet-taxi - a long-distance taxi that goes as fast as the engine will allow. Personally, I really dig the subway (for getting all over the place … [Read more...]
Running in Circles
May 6, 2010 By
My dog loves to run circles. He's surprisingly fast, runs like a jack rabbit, and is an excellent dodger. He's my darling boy. He was the typical abandonment from a breeder (lucky enough they didn't shoot him), and was rescued by www.OKsaveAdog.org by Kim Bowers, who does excellent work. Click the album cover below for more photos. MoongChee … [Read more...]
Beautiful Avian Residents
May 6, 2010 By
I have a pair of birds that have selected my property as a home, it seems. They're gathering nest material and mating. They chirp a lot. I mimic, sing to and talk to them, and they seem to like it and feel more comfortable. They have learned my dog won't eat them, either. Gorgeous, beautiful birds with great silhouettes. Click the photo for the whole album of their photos. Birds … [Read more...]
The Moonger
November 1, 2009 By
This year our beloved child, our dog Sundog, died. We still talk to her, where we believe she waits for us in paradise. We had room in our family for a new member, and this is MoongChee. A boy, this time. He likes me a lot :) He likes to cuddle - he relaxes when he puts his head on my shoulder. We got him from the rescue in Prague, just like we rescued Sundog. We've all adapted to each others' … [Read more...]
Muffler
October 31, 2009 By
People are always giving me a hard time about the muffler. The fact that it is referred to as "the" muffler is quite telling. It means they're jealous of its beauty and practicality. :) Truly, though, what is a man without a muffler? Less stylish? Less debonaire? You bet. I realize that some men favor suspenders, like that guy on Little House on the Prairie. Some prefer the pretentious beret. But … [Read more...]
2009
May 21, 2009 By
Those eyes have seen a lot of work. The Office is still central to my life, and this is me in it. … [Read more...]
2007
May 21, 2007 By
Big Galoots. I'm not sure what we're fending off here, since we're actually planning to get photographed. This is a friend of mine whose hat I will snatch and run with at least once before he makes it to the car. Despite his gargantuan strength, I once beat this former wrestler in a game of spoons. A rematch is pending. … [Read more...]
2004-2006
May 21, 2006 By
Older Now. We clean up well, I think. I'm devlishly handsome, and the wife is all grown up. … [Read more...]
2002-2003
May 21, 2003 By
Bricktown. I was quite a bit heavier then. For the wife, it's easy to find me and hard to hang on. I've been to the cigar shop, eaten Indian food, and had coffee. It's night now. … [Read more...]
Etiquette is everything
May 21, 2000 By
There are important but easy things to learn about conducting yourself in Korea, if you plan to spend any time there. When it comes to older people, refer to them as ajimah (married woman) or ajishee (married man) or, for senior citizens, halmoni (grandmother) or halaboji (grandfather). Be polite, and give up your seat on the bus for the elderly. Never give something to or receive something from … [Read more...]
Korea is an ancient culture
May 21, 2000 By
In the film Devil's Own, Harrison Ford's character is telling Brad Pitt's that there are houses in his Northeastern seaboard neighborhood that are more than 200 years old. Pitt responds that, in Ireland, their new ones are older than that. Korea is all about new construction, another product of Cold War politics, It was flattened during the Korean war. Prior to that it was called the Hermit … [Read more...]