Gotta get organized for the wedding...

I spoke with my folks this past weekend. I had more pent-up stress than I knew about. They offered some great advice. I gotta remember my place in this whole thing. My priority is to support Hyun-joo with her decisions and to make the planning process easier - no matter what. We also can't hope to make everyone happy at all times. We just have to plan something that we'll be happy with and hope will be fun and let folks do their own thing. Ultimately, there's not much to be worried about. I know both families well enough that I'm confident that nothing psycho will happen. And as long as Hyun-joo and I are there for the ceremony, it'll happen.



There is a lot to think about, but we just have get things prioritized and organized. The wedding planner is next. I was saying that we'll have to try and find someone who can be sensitive to the fact that we're not tourists and we don't want a tourist's wedding. But I think that'll prove to be difficult.



Ultimately the distance and time zone differences are the most difficult right now. I wonder how that'll play out over the next few weeks.

Get ready for the winter!? (with a snowball fight)

Bring it on! This little Shockwave-powered game let's you run around in the snow and kick some a$$, no matter what season it is!

Tateyama

(click on the pix above to see more!)

Adam, Katya and I went hiking this past Thursday. We had the day off, but it felt like playing hookey. We left fairly early in the morning to try and beat the traffic and get a head start. We were headed to an area that Adam likes to go off piste. Tateyama is listed in the Lonely Planet Hiking guide and there's a full-day loop that traverses a wonderful ridgeline that's entirely above tree line. We lucked out with some fantastic weather. We even caught a rare glipse of Mt. Fuji. I highly recommend the hike in good weather.

The Wedding Planner

What do we want of a wedding planner?

• getting photographer & videographer, justice of peace, flowers, musicians, translators
• pre-wedding activities: tee times, suggestions for acommodations for other guests
• arranging the rehersal dinner
• arranging reception and setting up, caterers, etc...
• formal wear shop for guys, HJ will take care of bridal shop stuff
• wedding ceremony: getting place and setting up
• wedding: be there to handle immediate needs
• legal stuff: marriage license, public use permits, etc.
• some one who can handle an "international" wedding planning

How much for a wedding planner?
What "special things" do we want for the wedding?

• bi-lingual justice of the peace
• translators to be around before and during the wedding
• a "Korean" segment of the wedding that we'll arrange
• Korean food in a buffet setting

Where will the wedding and reception be? Outdoors preferably and until when?
How many people? 60 people at Hale Lele.
Yon-ju

Wedding: Found a Place?!!

Good news! Hyun-joo and I might have found a place for our families, wedding, and reception! It's called the Hale Lele and it'll sleep everyone in our families (we hope) and will acommodate up to 60 people in the reception. We're considering the idea of having a follow-up "wedding party" for those who can't be fit into the reception. Jury's still out on that one.



Now we just need to book the dates with a deposit, call the wedding planner, and so forth. Whew. Keeping our fingers crossed.

Maui Vacation Home Rentals for the Wedding

Well, it's been a pain in the a$$, but we've found a couple of nice places that we might be able to rent for our families during our wedding week. Above, is a picture of the Lahaina Travis Home (link removed) which looks pretty good... except for the bedcover pictured on the website.




This one looks great too! It features a main and guest house! The Lahaina Breakwater Estates (link removed) looks big enough for all of us. Another link to the Lahaina Breakwater Estates.




This one is the Hale Kuau Sunset Estate (link removed), in Kuau... which I've never heard of even though I've been to Maui over a couple dozen times. It looks like it's right next to Kahului on the very small map provided. This one is big enough but not as fancy as the Travis Home. Another link to the Hale Kuau Sunset Estate.


So who are we trying to make space for?

• My parents


• Hyun-joo's parents


• Lynn and Cole


• Kent and Chase


• Hyun-Jung and Scott


• Hyun-Joo and Na-Young


• Lee and Elise

There are still so many things in flux. NONE OF THIS IS SET IN STONE. We're just trying to get some ideas down.


Now, keep in mind that we haven't set a date yet and we're "negotiating" the possible size of the wedding. International weddings are complicated! So many different traditions to honor. It's hard for me when I know so little about American weddings to begin with. Well, my goal is to just have fun doing the planning and not to get stressed out. Well, I already blew one goal... guess I can just focus on the "having fun" part, right?


Already, I want to thank our parents and Heather for giving some ideas and passing on information.

Defending Human Rights in Iraq!/Defending Human Rights in Iraq? (You choose, I can't)

Someone shared with me the position that one of the more important aspects of the war in Iraq was in defending the Human Rights of Iraqi citizens. So, I'm going to look for some of my own answers.



My pre-disposition: this statement was downright silly, because of the well publicized and weekly (if not daily) violations of basic Human Rights of the greater Iraqi population.

• Which Human Rights are we talking about?


• What's Bush's stance? What's the dissenting stance?
  
  President Bush Discusses Iraq Policy at Whitehall Palace in London
  
  The deepest beliefs of our nations set the direction of our foreign policy. We value our own civil rights, so we stand for the human rights of others. We affirm the God-given dignity of every person, so we are moved to action by poverty and oppression and famine and disease. The United States and Great Britain share a mission in the world beyond the balance of power or the simple pursuit of interest. We seek the advance of freedom and the peace that freedom brings. Together our nations are standing and sacrificing for this high goal in a distant land at this very hour. And America honors the idealism and the bravery of the sons and daughters of Britain.
  
  
  Since the liberation of Iraq, we have seen changes that could hardly have been imagined a year ago. A new Iraqi police force protects the people, instead of bullying them. More than 150 Iraqi newspapers are now in circulation, printing what they choose, not what they're ordered. Schools are open with textbooks free of propaganda. Hospitals are functioning and are well-supplied. Iraq has a new currency, the first battalion of a new army, representative local governments, and a Governing Council with an aggressive timetable for national sovereignty. This is substantial progress. And much of it has proceeded faster than similar efforts in Germany and Japan after World War II.
  
  
  
  US ignors Human Rights Lessons
  
  International security depends on containing these conflicts, and doing so requires clear rules about whether, when, and what type of "humanitarian intervention" may be justified to protect human rights. Here are four:
  
  
  
  • First, large-scale genocide or crimes against humanity are being committed.
  
  
  • Second, the conflict is creating major regional instability, which the neighboring countries want to contain by supporting a multilateral intervention sanctioned by the United Nations or a regional organization like NATO.
  
  
  • Third, intervention is not likely to lead to wider conflict -- for example, by stimulating increased terrorism or provoking other countries to enter into the hostilities.
  
  
  • Fourth, the planned scale, duration, and intensity of the intervention are sufficient to achieve the objective of saving lives and rebuilding the country.
  
  
  
  Bush's preemptive regime-change invasion of Iraq failed to meet these criteria. The military operation was conducted unilaterally by the United States and Britain and was strongly opposed by countries throughout the region, the Muslim world, and beyond. Despite Saddam Hussein's appalling history of human rights abuse, there was no evidence last spring that his regime was engaged in continuing genocide that required immediate military action. (Saddam's genocide against the Kurds and Shi'ite Muslims following the Gulf War should have been prevented by international forces in 1991.) In fact, Saddam's human rights record was used by Bush largely as an afterthought to make up for his administration's failure to produce evidence of weapons of mass destruction. [continues...]


• What signs does the Iraqi government show with their regards to defending Human Rights?
  
  Amnesty International deplores the removal of a key human rights provision from the final draft Constitution
  
  Amnesty International is concerned that an important human rights provision contained in previous versions of Iraq's new draft Constitution was excised from the final draft, which was handed to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in Baghdad this week for printing and distribution.


• Which Human Rights were Saddam and his regime voilating?


• Which Human Rights are being voilated now?


• Can voilations of Human Rights be measured to the degree that we can say that Iraq is better or worse off now?

In a few hours of research, I'm having a very hard time finding people talking about America's beneficial contributions to Human Rights in Iraq. I retract my previous statement, "downright silly". I do think that my friend's statement was unfounded, and much to his credit I didn't take the time to hear more about his views. And this I do regret. Thankfully, I still have time to find out.


An unrelated article I wished to link for future reference:
Democracy cannot coexist with Bush's failed doctrine of preventive war

Iraqi Blogs pt. 2

Neurotic Iraqi Wife

This woman lives in the Green Zone and she sees the reconstruction going forward. She shares and defends her position that what they need is safety, a sound infrastructure, and a caring government... not ongoing politicizing of the constitution. She doesn't feel that anything is better than when Saddam was the one murdering people. And yet, she deeply appreciates the freedom that she and her husband now have.



I don't think I'll be keeping up with posting direct links and thoughts on journey through Iraqi blogs. I'm finding that even within a particular blog there are so many different emotions and stances on the horrible-hopeful situation there. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface. After a couple days, I'm left with an overall appreciation for the struggling hope of the bloggers of Iraq.

Iraqi Blogs

Hyun-joo and I spent and evening last night with friends and we got to the subject of a very controversial topic, the war in Iraq. I'm respectfully leaving our friends anonomous.



If I understand his position correctly, it was morally obligatory for the US to invade Iraq on the basis of human rights violations. The ongoing war is necessary to hopefully plant the seeds of democracy that has the potential to spread through out the region in a stabilizing effect.



He asked whether I had actually read any Iraqi blogs. (My friend is an avid blog reader.) I admitted that I hadn't. So this post is about just that. And what have I begun to find?



First off, I am suspect of the bias of any blog that I am able to read. Of the Kurds, Shiia, Sunni and vast number of others, how many of them are able to communicate the thoughts of the average people in their communities?



Secondly, it is essential that I understand my own pre-judgements and level of awareness of those involved in Iraq.

• I believe those that we label as terrorists or act with violence against the western aggressors are islamic extremists and do not represent the majority or essence of islamic teachings.


• I believe that I war was improperly initiated. I also believe it is impractical to argue the premises of the war to a degree and focus on the immediate and future needs of those involved. I believe that it is right for Americans to fight a war in Iraq until they are able to build up enough internal security forces to protect themselves.


• I believe that there is a difference in democracy that is chosen by the people and one that is established for them on the basis of the readiness of the people. Like tragedies at high altitudes with climbers using guides to take them to places they could not go on their own is a situation fraught with potential disaster.

Upon the recommendation of my friend here is the breadcrub trail of my blog journey:

1. Where is Raed ? I wanted to know first "who is Raed?"


2. Iraq the Model begins with praise for the overthrow of Saddam. A blogger who honors the Americans fighting in Iraq and dislikes the protestors of the war. I was surprised by the optimism of the birth of the "New Model" in Iraq but found it difficult to assess credibility of the posts being unable to determine some basic information about the posters.

Here are some useful resources I've found along the way:

Establishing a Stable Democracy

Iraqi History

Democracy in Iraq?



Previously I thought it was overly optimistic to think that the democratic model that is forming in Iraq today is the key to peace in the region. There are too many parties involved in Iraq with so many deep scars from the many years of war and oppression. And yet, the Israelis have pulled out of Gaza and Zarqawi may be struggling to fight the elections... perhaps there is more to be optimistic for in the distant future of Iraq. Whether America can live up to its future as "non-occupational, non-exploitive" force of guidance still remains to be seen and in that I have little belief.



The present danger is excess of benevolence; we might undertake yet another selfless mission of mercy, failing to understand that "there are limits to what outsiders can do" and that "the armies we dispatch to foreign soil for humanitarian reasons" may not be able "to save people from others or from themselves." -Noam Chomsky, 1994

Wedding Planner

We gotta start getting some stuff together about the upcoming wedding.



When: Summer 2006 - ideally

Where: Maui

What: Umm, party!

Who: relatively small wedding

Three weeks in and I'm whipped.

It's been a long series of days... re-adjusting to Japan, adjusting to both Hyun-joo and I working, getting used to driving around in a car, new folks, extra classes... whew. I could really use some good exercise along the way.



We just had a huge typhoon pull through the area. It was forecasted to be strong enough to get the guys running the show to close down school for the day. Unfortunately there wasn't much of a show. Yesterday turned out to be windy with some clouds. Nothing like New Orleans.



Man, those guys are screwed. I hope the right people get pinned to the wall for that one. Not enough evacuations, support or rescues. It was Bush's responsibility. He really dropped the ball on that one. There should have been enough resources set in motion days before Katrina hit to get EVERYONE out of there. Someone said that they just didn't know. Bullshit. They knew it was Cat5 and headed straigt for LA. They can't even handle an evacuation... what happens when the next terrorist strike happens?



I don't seem to have many pleasant thoughts now days. Not much pleasant going on. And it does bother the hell out of me.

A little bit stcheemeah (steamy).

Made the mistake of biking around Princeton today. Ugh. I'm pretty ripe by now. I believe I'm offending the woman sitting next to me.



Not much to report today. I helped dad cut the lawn right after I "straightened up" some more stuff down stairs.



I didn't want to drive up to Vermont or Boston. I really wasn't in the mood to spend the time on the highways. It'd be nice to see Lee again before I take off. It's been nice to hang out with mom-folks for the past couple of days. I gotta change my jun-ken-po tactics though since dad's beaten me two nights running.



I'm supposed to be doing more research for ideas for my computer classes this semester. I have the syllabus from last year, but I've already begun to deviate from the lessons that Bruce and Hannah were doing - which is natural.

"Over There" somewhere...

Here I go... mouthing off about something I don't really know too much about. I've recently been seeing ads about a series on FX about the war in Iraq.



Not having seen one episode, my gripe is the principle of the show fictionalizes the war to an extent that appears to be evasive of the real suffering of the conflict. I'm talking about the suffering of the Americans who have lost loved ones and those that have made sacrifices to stand up for what the believe in and the innocent civilians who now live in a war zone. I'm not sure it's a good sign that Americans can turn to a fictional account of the war to have to understand the implications of the real one going on out there.



I'll watch and episode and see how I feel afterwards.

Bye Hyun-joo!

Hyun-joo left today for Kanazawa. We had some problems when we arrived at Northwest. They cancelled the flight because of "maintenance" and it took them a while to re-route her. Instead of flying from Newark to Detroit to Nagoya... she had to take a taxi to JFK Intl. Airport in NY to fly directly to Tokyo. From there she'll hopefully get the airlines to buy her a train ticket to Kanazawa. I spoke with her on the phone when she was waiting to board in JFK and she sounded well. I just hope she doesn't have any other surprises.



I packed a little... cleaned up some stuff in the basement... and thought about what else I'll need to do before I have to return to Kanazawa. I have to start replying to all the wonderful emails from folks congratulating Hyun-joo and I about our engagement.



I'm a little concerned about the wedding... I have no idea how we're going to work this with folks coming from Korea and all around the States. I would like to do it bilingually for her family. We haven't even set a date, so I guess there's no rushing around just yet. I think the only thing we've decided is that we're not going to get married in Korea or Japan. I suppose somewhere in the States makes sense. I dunno.

Engaged

On August 5th I asked Hyun-joo to marry me and she said, "Yes!"



I took her to the top of Mount Philo in Western Vermont and while looking out over Lake Champlain I proposed to her. Actually her first response was "Oh, My God!" and then she started crying. It was only about a few minutes later that I was able to get a real answer from her. We just told my parents last night and they were nicely surprised.



No plans yet on a wedding. That seems a little far away right now. I think we'll just focus first on getting back to Kanazawa and get settled into the new semester.

Back in Burlington

Hyun-joo and I are in Burlington again. The past few nights, we've been camping out at Little River State Park. Tonight we hope to stay at a friend's place and then the next couple of nights, we're out at North Beach park in Burlington. That'll give us the option to hang out around town and see friends, etc.



Hyun-joo was successful at getting her work visa from the New York consulate. We ended up going to NYC instead of Boston because we couldn't find a cheap hotel to stay at. In the end it was much easier to just hop on the train and make the trip into the city.



We've been camping, kayaking, hiking, shopping, catching up with old friends, and even catching a few movies. We hope to see "March of the Penguins" later today before we cruise over to Marc's for his movie night tonight.



Only one more big push planned!

At the Stroke of Midnight: Harry Potter

Hyun-joo, my sister, my brother, and my nephew went to the local Borders bookstore to grab a copy of "Half-blood Prince". Hyun-joo bought him a copy as a present. Even at 25% off it seemed a little expensive to me, but it was worth it when I saw my nephew. I didn't get to go, but would have liked to just to see the crowds. Not surprisingly there were a lot of folks there. One of the employees used a megaphone to count down to midnight then folks who didn't reserve a copy for themselves were able to grab one. The long wait didn't come until the check-out. Everyone had to take a number which a clerk would call out when it was your turn to pay for the book. Here in Maui, there were about 600 copies sold in the first hour.

Back from Kauai

Lee, his girlfriend, Hyun-joo, and I just returned from three days in Kauai. It was our first time to go there. Of the dozens of times we've been to Hawaii we've never made a trip out there. We didn't have a lot of time (or money) so we decided to go the fun and adventurous route and camp out. We also decided to focus our efforts on the NE area of the island. We spend one night car camping on the beach and the next night was a wilderness trek along the coast to a campsite next to a river that flowed openly into the ocean. It was fantastic! We were all a bit tired from the trip, but we've hit the ground running again.



Lee and his girlfriend are off to Hana. Hyun-joo and I are sticking around to go diving with my sister and my cousin tomorrow. My sister and her family leave on Sunday and then Lee and his girlfriend leave on Monday. We only have a few more days together. I'm happy for the time. It's been a fantastic vacation so far.



Hope yours is going well too.
Off to the beach!

Haleakela Bound

Time has been flying by. Everyone went to Paia for their O-Bon festival. Chase, Cole, Elise, and Lee joined the dancers for the festival. The food was wonderful as usual. We're looking forward to the Makawao O-Bon this upcoming Friday, especially since a lot of my cousins will be in town for a short spell.



Tomorrow we're doing a little hiking in the crater. Then we're off to Kauai for three days. Then we're spending time with our cousins. After that Lynn-folks have to leave and then Lee and Elise leave the following Monday. Finally Hyun-joo and I are off to the East Coast for the second part of the vacation. It's been fantastic so far. I think Hyun-joo has been having a good time. It's great to just hang out with everyone again.



It's so nice to understand what folks are saying around me. It's nice to take a break from Japan. Thank goodness for vacation!

Maxin' out in Maui

It feels like we've been on the move since early this morning. The gang packed up every thing we had into 16 check-in packages among the nine of us and cleaned up the house in Kailua by 10 am. With some wonderful help from Aunty Winnie we lugged everything over to Honolulu International Airport.



It's about 6:30 in the evening and we're slowly unpacking the gear. The little ones have discovered the Playstation2 and now they're fighting away with each other, virtually and in reality. We're going to have to keep an eye on them in the next couple of weeks.



I can't think very clearly right now, but I guess we'll begin making preprations to go diving soon. The vacation is turing out pretty well. I think with the nine of us here, we're going to be getting on each others' nerves sooner or later. Thankfully it's always nice enough out to go for a walk and get some space.



I'm actually roasting right now since the air conditioning isn't working in the house. We keep blowing out the fuses around here! Yikes.