June 2004 Archives

We were watching some Korean TV programs recorded on the ReplayTV off of a local station, and there was a segment about MinJokSaGwan GoDeungHakGyo in HoengSeong, KangWon-do.

It looked like a specialized high school and from the name I thought it was one of those government funded elite schools (well, "MinJok" (race, nation, people, etc.) sounded like a lot like a government work), but it turns out this is a private high school founded in 1993 by the founder of Pasteur Milk and is also funded by the company. Incidentally, there is a news item about Pasteur Milk being sold to another company.

Anyway, the TV segment introduced the school as aspiring to become the Korean "Eton School". There were several interesting things about the school from other "normal" Korean high schools. Everyone lives in dorms. The school uniforms were hanbok-based. The classes seem to be small and everyone seems to be quite involved. Most students go to colleges abroad (mostly in the U.S.). They have a policy called "EOP" (English-Only Policy) that forces students to use English unless it is an emergency. And they have surveillance cameras in every dorm room ("Wha-wha-what!").

Well, I thought the EOP was pushing a bit and somewhat oxymoronic for a school with a name that sounds very nationalistic. Also, the fact that most of their students going to the U.S. colleges sounded a bit weird. To me that sounds more like a brain-drain. And from my experience, the college years seem quite important in adjusting to the society, so I am not sure how well those students will adjust coming back, if they ever.

But the most shocking thing for me, was the surveillance camera on the ceiling in every dorm room (there was no separate bedroom / study room) that a teacher-on-duty uses to monitor students. How does this prepare the future "leaders" of our country?

Well, the female student who were asked if the camera does not bother her, said they only use it during the self-study (another oxymoronic term) period, so she got used to it and don't mind. EVEN IF these cameras were used only during a limited period time, what the h*ll does it teach about the individual's privacy and rights? Especially when these students attend colleges aboard. If they shared this particular high school experience, what would that say about Korea?

I mean, I think I am okay with someone making a round periodically, but surveillance cameras? P-lease....

And during a web surfing on this school, I also realized that there are heavy corporal punishment ("heavy" as in "till the stick breaks"). And that is whole another story...

Yoshi's has been a local jazz establishment for a long time. Before they built a really nice place in Oakland, they had somewhat smaller place near Berkeley, which I also enjoyed.

The name is also shared by a Japanese restaurant, but as far as a Japanese restaurant goes, I'd say it's rather average from what we ordered in the club (also, I've been to the restaurant in their Berkeley days, and it was just so and so).

Anyway, my brother-in-law was in town from Korea, who I've been told likes jazz. So, I booked tickets to one of the Joe Sample Trio shows. I am only a casual Jazz listener, so I didn't know a lot about Mr. Sample, but I thought I heard his name before. For the show, Joe Sample (piano) was accompanied by Jay Anderson (bass) and Adam Nussbaum (drums).

It turns out Mr. Sample's albums fall somewhat into "smooth jazz" somewhat in line with George Benson. Actually, Mr. Sample began the set with some "begrudging" remarks, in a joking manner, on Mr. Benson. I thought it was amusing. :)

Mr. Anderson's bass was rather muted. It could have been because the acoustic controls weren't set properly (Mr. Sample complained about the sound being too loud), but (probably due to the arrangement) I didn't notice anything exceptional. On the other hand, it was exciting to watch Mr. Nussbaum play. I mean, the drummer usually is more interesting to watch anyway, but he was quite good, I thought (Hyun thought he played more like a rock drummer for one piece).

Mr. Sample, who seemed to be known for "keyboard", definitely had more of the lighter bouncier touches on the piano because, I think, most of his well-known compositions were for electric keyboards. Since I wasn't familiar with his work, I wished to hear them on electric keyboards for some numbers.

It was a pretty good crowd for a Thursday show, I thought. Due to a missed exit, we arrived about 30 minutes before the 8:00 p.m. show and it was full and someone had to find a table for us (there is no customer named "Tom" :p).

Villa Montalvo has performing arts events all year around. During the summer seasons, a lot of outdoor events are held. However, we never went there for the concerts.

I saw Wynton Marsalis' name and decided to check it out. It was a quintet and although I am not certain whether I got all their names correctly, I think they were Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), "Top Professor" Eric Lewis (piano), Carlos Henriquez (bass), Ali Jackson (drums), and Walter Blanding (saxophones).

They played mostly things I never heard of (seemed to be original compositions). The only one I recognized was "A Night in Tunisia" they played with a young trumpet player (about 15) from the area. I think they do this often. Oh, and the birthday song they did as an encore (it was Mr. Henriquez's 25th birthday).

Of all the members, I was impressed by Mr. Blanding, Mr. Henriquez, and Mr. Lewis. I think that a drummer, although not showing up too often, is the one who's everywhere and keeps things in tact. And not only that, a good rhythm part adds subtle differences in the "colorization" of the piece, and I was most impressed by Mr. Blanding and Mr. Henriquez.

Mr. Lewis, the "Top Professor", seems to have an amazing skill to use well all the fingers in the both hands. Most of his linear phrasing reminded a lot of canon-like counterpoints of the Baroque eras. A-ma-zing!

As for the venue, there are several things we noticed. The parking on the ground is very limited (first-come-first-serve) and most will have to take a shuttle. The only thing is that after the show, it took us close to an hour to get on the shuttle. It was a great relief that they handed out some cookies, but still it was rather long (a shuttle don't seat that many).

Another thing is, it's not allowed to bring alcohol into the premise, although they do sell wines. I've seen many wine bottles confiscated by a security person from those having a picnic in the front lawn.

Finally, it gets cold at night. Don't forget to bring an extra jacket or a blanket if it's an out-door event.

BTW, a couple of years ago, I've taken some pictures at the estate.

I was held up with reading Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1), a very long and "boring" book by Neal Stephenson. After several months, I realized that I am never going to finish this, so I stopped about a third into it. I had other books to read.

Anyway, the next one I picked up is a book by Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate and a former economic adviser to President Clinton.

The book is about the mid- and late-1990s where most thought that the boom would never end. But it did at the turn of the millennium. Mr. Stiglitz gives his analysis of what really went on during the decade and what could have been done better. His main points on the inevitable bust were basically these two, that the market is not all efficient/perfect/good (thus, de-regulation is not all good), and that the globalization were mis-managed.

I did appreciate his analysis and insights about the relationships between various events that went on during the 90s. I absolutely agree with him that the U.S. has been (and still is) hypocritical in its foreign affairs, where the ideologies are just fronts to its own agendas.

However, I think the book could have been much shorter, and I didn't like the book's political tone. Mr. Stiglitz do criticize some aspects of the Clinton administration, but his main criticism was clearly targeted on the current Bush (and the former Bush and the Reagan) administration. Not that I don't agree on most, but still it was too political for my taste, especially for the Election year, for a mostly macro-economy analysis literature.

Beside the obvious political criticisms toward the current administration, I think it's an interesting read on what the future policy makers (and the voting citizens) should be aware for the future prosperity for all.