Archive for December 2009
A Winter Wonderland In Korea
I'm spending Christmas in Korea. It has been a tradition since college. Everywhere is covered white with snow, which is bad for traffic but good for romantic dates walking through downtown.
Every year I come back, Korea seems to be changing. Nothing is ever the same. When I was in grade school, we were told to walk on the left side, a relic from the Japanese occupation. Now, we're told to walk on the right side, a sign of things to come. People don't just make phone calls with their cell phones anymore. They make video calls. All the cement and all the high rise cranes are created to find their home here. There's skyscraper building projects in every corner of the city. Pretty soon, the 10 million residents of Seoul will all be living in the clouds.
Usually, my time here during the holidays is a time of reflection, of contemplation, and of pondering of the past. This time, I've decided not to do too much of that. Instead, I'm thinking forward, thinking ahead. There will be less internet surfing, less facebook'ing, and alas, less twittering. No more dwelling on the past. Vicarious living is out.
More living and risk taking.
The World Of Books
via bibliodyssey.
I love reading. It's always something I did since a little child. I didn't have a Nintendo game system nor did I spend hours upon hours watching tv. Instead, I read books. It sounds really nerdy but it's true. I practically read every "Choose Your Own Adventure" book published. There's something about reading that captures my imagination and leads me to a world that cannot be captured by film or television. It is a world in which the pages literally come alive.
In this digital age, my appetite for reading has crossed over to the internet. I'll read everything and anything. I subscribe to blogs upon blogs. I just wish that I had more time to read. I wish that I could speed read. Then, I wouldn't have so many unread books collecting dust on our shelf, waiting to be read. Or maybe not.
Next on my list to read in no particular order.
Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway
Traveling Mercies – Anne Lamott
The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand
Purple Cow – Seth Godin
Herr Hans Solo
By the way, check out our collaboration blog on all things cool at whysohypebeast.com. A friend just bought a jesus piece and is loving it. All wood too.
Asking For Advice
Friends,
I've had my domain for over two years now, and I have yet to find a niche for myself. I blame it on my scatterbrain interests. The term, "jack of all trades but master of none" comes to mind regarding my blog presence.
So I'm opening it up to the crowds and asking for advice on what you'd like to see on this blog. In the past, I've dabbled with the "cool", posting anything cool I find on the web, usually graphical or art&design related. Other times, I've written about soccer. And still others, I've written a fair share about Christian faith and church related posts (mostly opinions and critiques rather than feel-good advice). Lately, I've been writing more about social media marketing. I blame it on all the Seth Godin and Ben Casnocha posts I've been reading.
The reason why I am asking for some input is because quite frankly I feel I need a more focused approach to my blogging, and am not sure what direction to head into. On top of that, I have two domains, iamdz.com and iamdz.net. I was planning on making one (iamdz.net) a portal for music using opentape… so if you want to create your own mix, let me know. And with the addition of our wedding-turned-to-marriage-blog, I've been finding myself duplicating my thoughts on both blogs.
What do you want to see? What do you benefit most from of all the topics I've written in the past? I'll seriously consider your input. Either leave a comment or drop me a line at pdidds at gmail dot com.
Some Of My Favorite Things
The first is my new pair of dress shoes. They are a pair of Bruno Magli. It is a classic slip-on loafer with a calf leather upper and shaped slightly narrow to give it a subtle modern look. The sole is rubber so it doesn't make too much noise on hard floors. It's not because of the brand or because of the looks that I love this shoe, although both have been pluses. It is the fit of the shoe. It literally fits like a well worn glove the first day I wore them. I walked all over Michigan Avenue in Chicago for a whole week while on business not too long ago and never felt uncomfortable. The only drawback is the price, but in my opinion, it's well worth every penny of it.
The second is The North Face Redpoint Optimus jacket. It is an insulated shell with a hood that when worn feels like walking around with a sleeping bag over my body. This is my first ever North Face article of clothing I have ever owned having been a life long Patagonia fan since the yesteryears of college. And what can I say? This jacket is comfortable, warm, and versatile. I can stuff it into its own sack when I travel, and can escape the cold and the rain if need be. If all North Face gear is as nice and useful as this, then I'm completely sold.
The third and last of my "favorite things" is the PS3. I've been lucky to receive it as a gift from my groomsmen and after using it for a month or so, I feel it is an amazing entertainment system. Obviously it plays video games. And the games are spectacular, especially on an 1080p HD TV. As a plus, the Playstation network is completely free so I can play my Gunners in FIFA10 against another person across the world, say in Kenya. I guess the world is truly flat. Aside from games, the PS3 also plays amazing blu-ray movies. And best of all, I can play all my media from an external drive by simply plugging it into one of the USB ports. It is, in essence, an all-in-one entertainment system that provides hours and hours of fun.
I feel a slight irony for sharing these things in light of my ongoing pursuit of living simply and minimally but that just goes to show life is full of irony and hypocrisy. It is such a paradox.
long way round 