But what about me?

It’s not very nice to wake up to the news that the President of South Korea has declared martial law. Because I was selfishly thinking about the implications it has on my trip to Seoul in five months’ time. Would I be able to get into the country? I’m going to lose a non-inconsiderable sum if I have to cancel flights.

Good news for me - and South Korean citizens, obviously - the Korean National Assembly quickly gathered and voted unanimously to veto the President’s declaration. Crisis averted, democracy prevailed.

I would like to believe that should such craziness happen here in the States, our “guardrails” can also act quickly to stop it. Say what you want about January 6, but Congress - once safe - acted decisively to certify the election for Biden. There was not going to be a coup against the Constitution. Your misgivings may be about the incoming President (or any future Presidents) can be assuaged by our democratic rules. Richard Nixon won in an absolute landslide; two years later he was persona non grata.

Or maybe I’m too idealistic and optimistic. If America ever goes to actual war with China, you bet my Chinese-born ass is getting hauled to an internment camp. Koremastu can totally happen again, given enough social pressure and xenophobia. All it takes is five Supreme Court justices to affirm the action to be legal.

Sad thing is: in that hypothetical situation, I can’t even defect back to China! (Not that I would. Maybe.) My Chinese citizenship was forfeit soon as I naturalized as a U.S. citizen. The ruling Chinese government does not allow for dual-citizenship.

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River crossing.

Travel is back, baby

A coworker just returned from vacationing in Greece. He said there are no quarantine requirements, provided you have proof that of full vaccination, and a recent negative COVID test. I don’t suppose other European countries are any different. Hell, Britain is opening back up fully from the pandemic today. Travel is back, baby!

Too bad I have no desire to go to Europe. At least not right now. I yearn to go back to Asia, but sadly quarantine restrictions are still in place in places like Japan and South Korea. The athletes and surrounding cottage industry of people flying to Tokyo right now for the Olympics? They have to quarantine before being let out into the general population.

A population with low vaccination rates. It’s not good at all when Olympic athletes are already catching COVID, even whilst fully vaccinated. The delta variant is no joke, and it is rather shocking to see Japan going forward with the games, despite all the signs pointing to at the very least another prolonged postponement. Remember: the grandstands are going to be empty!

Stubborn pride of Japanese, perhaps? Having the entire world come to your doorsteps, while a global pandemic is still very much happening, can’t be a good thing.

It will certainly delay any relaxation of quarantine requirements for foreign travelers. Good thing I’m not pining for Japan as much as South Korea and Taiwan. Hopefully I will be able to visit either of the latter two countries during Thanksgiving week. More likely it’ll be South Korea as the vaccination program there seems to be going well. Fingers crossed!

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Urban decay.

Time horizon

It’s crazy to realize that it’s been four years since I traveled to South Korea. What a lovely two weeks that was, and it’s a shame that I haven’t gone back since. Obviously, the pandemic stole what will be two years of prime travel opportunity. I think it’s very likely the first place I fly to, once it is all possible again, will be back to Seoul.

I miss that country very dearly. And with four additional years of Korean language learning under me, I think I will have an even better experience the second time around. Like going to places the foreign tourists don’t usually frequent.

It goes to show just how long it takes for things to happen in our lives. We are so caught up with cheats and shortcuts, but ultimately anything that is good and great takes many years to achieve. Whatever grand plans you have takes time to execute; meanwhile, your everyday life is still as mundane and Groundhog Day-like as ever. I think it’s easy to be frustrated with such gradual change. This age of ADD and constant connection do not contribute well to waiting.

I probably would have raged if I were told back in 2017 that it would be another four plus years before I would go back to Korea again. That sort of time horizon just isn’t satisfactory to this culture of you only live once and wanting to fit as much life into the shortest timeframe as possible. This is why I spent six-figures on a Porsche 911 GT3 probably a full year before I was completely ready. Because I was unhappy with the sameness of life, and needed something new, big, and exciting.

I’ve changed my mindset since then. I understand that things take time to develop, and goals worthy of pursuit have horizons that stretch out in multiple years. The typical day-to-day life is going to be the same week after week, so I might as well be happy about that and get on with it. Be grateful that I even get to do any of this in the first place.

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A well-worn shoe.

No travel for the wicked

Needless to say, there won’t be any traveling happening for me personally for the rest this year, if not into the next. It’s a sad thing to say really because a part of what I enjoy most is traveling abroad and visiting places I’ve never been; last Summer’s trip to Japan was in many ways a high watermark in my life. Unfortunately due to the current circumstances, being stuck in a metal tube many thousands of feet in the air is probably not the smartest thing to do.

For the past five Januaries, I’ve flew back home to China to visit family, and I’ve already resigned to that fact that the streak is over: I won’t be making the same trip this year. Even though it would be right at the end of December as usual, it’s hard to predict what sort of normalcy the world will return to by that time. Never mind the dangers of being clustered together with hundreds of people inside an airplane: I don’t want to return to a hometown that’s still dealing with the affects from the coronavirus. As much as I wish to see family members, if Guangzhou is lacking its typical vibrancy, it would be a wasted trip.

I think this would have been the year I finally make it over to Europe, perhaps a trip surrounding the legendary Le Mans 24 hours race, or the 24 hours of Nurburgring (both races have been rescheduled from their usual July slot to September). That’s obviously out the window now, but being that I never been to Europe, there’s an absence of longing for and fondness that I carry for my beloved continent of Asia. The “old continent” can will have to wait a bit longer.

Had it not been Europe, I would have probably gone back to South Korea this year for the second time since the trip in 2017. With another two years of Korean language learning under my belt, I was ready to experience the Korean culture fully and unreservedly. More importantly, there’s the numerous variety of Korean food I’ve been missing since the last trip, dishes that I simply cannot find here back in the States. There would’ve been lots of eating going on, but alas there will be no beginning-of-Summer trip in 2020.

To quote the Terminator: “I’ll be back”.

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The vibrancy…

Fear and sadness in Las Vegas

Another day, another mass shooting here in America. 

My heart breaks for the dead, the wounded, the first responders, and their respective families and friends. People were simply enjoying a great Sunday evening in Las Vegas, rocking out to a country music concert. To then suddenly get massacred like fish in a barrel by a gunman perched high up in a Mandalay Bay room; disheartening. 

it's unconscionable, yet constant gun violence is a resigned reality in America because a majority of our political class lack the moral decency to do the right thing. Proper gun control/restrictions should've already be enacted after the Sandy Hook elementary tragedy, but it didn't, and if literal babies getting shot up didn't move the needle one bit, adult concert goers isn't likely to, either. 

Obama once warned us to not fall trap to despair and hopelessness, and to keep fighting for what's right. Some days are for sure more difficult than others. 

I was vacationing in South Korea earlier this summer, and it's a stark contrast to go from the most gun-happy first-world country to one of the most strict. In Seoul I travelled around with a subconscious sense of security that was incredibly comforting. It's so liberating to be able to walk in any parts of of the city at the wee hours of the night without the fear of getting robbed at gunpoint. Partly due to the utter lack of guns, in South Korea there are no metal detectors or security checkpoints to go through when boarding cross-country trains, or heading into a baseball stadium. It's amazing.

I can only hope that someday us Americans can enjoy the same sort of peace and tranquillity. It starts with gun control.