There and Back Again

Books...

2010-09-03T12:57:00.003+10:00

Since I got my new mp3 players earlier this year, I've been ripping through a ton of audio books.Shogun by James ClavellAngels & Demons by Dan BrownUnited States and the Middle East: 1914 to 9/11 by Salim YaqubThe Knights Templar by Sean MartinEra of the Crusades by Kenneth HarlThe Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades by Robert SpencerGod Wills It, Understanding the Crusades by

Japan - Tokyo and Narita

2009-09-30T20:49:00.007+10:00

The Tokyo Yamanote metro line.Tokyo Station has both the Imperial Palace and Imperial Palace East Garden nearby.Sunday:Harajuku-- Takeshitadori street-- Yoyogi ParkTrain route calculator: hereTrain info here.map here. and hereDiscount ticket deals here. and most basic one here.Onsen in Naritaif you don't care so much about comfort and want cheap accommodations, look for a kind of hotels they call

The 3 Day Blow...

2009-03-03T00:49:00.003+10:00

I recently stumbled across a website that's got me pretty excited. No, not one of those kind of websites...this one is about learning foreign languages. It's www.iKnow.co.jp and it's pretty awesome.I'm using it to learn Korean and Japanese vocabulary and phrases. It seems like a great tool for language learning and I wish I'd found it earlier. The more I get to know the site, the more

2008-12-01T15:38:00.004+10:00

I've opened up to everyone a scuba blog I started while living in Korea. I'd originally used it to post interesting articles about gear, travel destinations, online scuba shops, etc. just so I wouldn't lose them. Then, I started thinking about using it to post pictures and names of fish so I'd be able to remember what I saw on each dive. Then, I moved here and actually started diving on a

Scuba Instructor at last...

2008-11-19T22:55:00.009+10:00

Back Row: me, Chris Rillahan, Wes -GTDS Manager, Larry Klinehoffer - IDC Director, Yasuhiro Maeda - GTDS Part-Owner, Harry "100% PADI" Blalock, Megumi IshinagaFront Row: Joost den Haan, Kat BordenIt's been a long time since I first started thinking about being a scuba instructor, but it's finally happened. I went over with Harry Blalock to take the IDC & IE in Guam. All 6 of the students from

The Future has arrived.

2008-11-19T14:36:00.005+10:00

The days of growing replacement organs in petri dishes are not that far off...Doctors transplant windpipe with stem cells By MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng, Ap Medical Writer – 2 hrs 31 mins agoLONDON – Doctors have given a woman a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own stem cells, eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. "This technique

Acupuncture

2008-10-24T23:14:00.002+10:00

I tried acupuncture quite a few times in Korea and it really seemed to help with muscle problems. If you've never tried it, give it a shot. It doesn't hurt at all. There are several on the island and they're not expensive.

Dimple Dive Site - Saipan, CNMI

2008-09-29T14:52:00.005+10:00

UPDATED PHOTOSHere are some new photos in case they might help Mark in identifying these.The two photos above are actually two different individuals of the 1st (only?) species in the video.The two photos below - upon closer inspection - appear to be the same species but with so many more white dots that it makes it look white from a distance. So, if they are the same species, what accounts for

Brad and Kathy's first dive - Saipan

2008-09-19T16:13:00.002+10:00

I finally got my new video editing software on my computer and I've started looking back at a bunch of video that needs editing. This was during Brad (the other Brad) and Kathy's first dive at Lau Lau. We were lucky enough to see a Hawksbill turtle on this dive and then a Green Sea Turtle on the second dive. It's just a short video clip and Kathy picked a tune that goes well with it.

Saipan's Newest Divers

2008-08-21T09:57:00.008+10:00

I was recently lucky enough to get to help The Saipan Frogman usher in two new members of the scuba diving community here on Saipan. Brad Ruszala and his girlfriend Kathy Pagapular decided to get themselves certified as Open Water Divers and we spent the weekend working on dive skills and learning the ins and outs of the equipment used. There's actually a lot of different skills you have to

Kayak Diving - Saipan

2008-08-07T07:45:00.011+10:00

This last weekend I went Kayak diving with the Saipan Diver and the Saipan Frogman. Everyone knows the Saipan Diver, Harry Blalock. He's the local radio station manager, original Axe Murderer of Axe Murderer Tours, and complete Nudibranch nut (sorry Harry, but it's true). And of course he's a great dive buddy and friend. But who is the Saipan Frogman? Well, his identity is classified and he's

Coral Spawn 08 - The Worms

2008-07-26T17:13:00.006+10:00

This is the week of the main Coral Spawning in 2008 and there's been a big increase in the night diving as people try to catch the yearly event in progress. So far, I've gone two different nights hoping to see it but it hasn't happened (that I know of).Something strange did happen last night, however. There were countless worms spawning and they were attracted to our flashlights so you had to

Flashlight, candles, lighter. Ready.

2008-07-18T13:13:00.000+10:00

So far this week, every night from 8:00 to 10:00 the power has gone out. I think people who have lived here longer know where to look for the rotating blackouts scheduled by CUC (the local power company here). I'm not that well informed and they usually catch me off guard. But not this week. After losing power two nights in a row at the same time I realized a new pattern had emerged. I was

Early morning dives, duck hunting, and the 4th of July

2008-07-17T14:07:00.003+10:00

Despite what a lot of people back home might think, I do miss Iowa a lot. And of course the people I'd be with if I were back home. There are times when something reminds me of something back home. Case in point: early morning diving.A few months ago I started diving with a small group of people on Sunday mornings at 6a.m. OK, that's pretty early for me on a Sunday morning (or any other for that

Night Dive at Lau Lau - Saipan

2008-06-24T05:10:00.014+10:00

Word went around yesterday that the yearly coral spawning would take place last night so of course I knew I'd be diving. It was also my first night dive with my new camera. Here are some of the photos...If there was ever a fish that would have been at a Jerry Garcia concert, this is it. I believe it's the Palenose Parrotfish.The Spotfin LionfishRadial Firefish If you look carefully you can see a

Taking it to a new level....

2008-06-22T00:18:00.001+10:00

There was a time, a long time, that I thought 100 dives was a lot of dives. Then I started hanging out with people like Harry Blalock and the guys and gals from Marianas Dive. Some of them have several thousand dives in. So now 100 seems pretty measly but I have to mark it anyway. I had my 100th dive with Harry, Kelli, and Michael a few weeks ago.Although I didn't dive once in all of January and

Chewie the Surfing Dog

2008-06-19T13:54:00.004+10:00

We took Chewie out to the two tanks near Kalili (?) Beach. She swam a lot but we also put her on the body board when she was too tired. Summer is here and life is good!Captain Chewie?

Undefeated!

2008-06-16T23:09:00.004+10:00

Just a quick FYI to all:Chewie the Wonderdog has survived two cowardly attacks by rolls of toilet paper and she remains undefeated (and unafraid) as she continues to prowl the house searching for anything she deems amiss. I, for one, sleep better at night knowing this. Jeong-ah, on the other hand, does not.

Spotlight - Another Scuba Diving Site in Saipan

2008-06-02T06:30:00.004+10:00

Several weeks ago I went diving with some friends to a spot I'd never been to here on Saipan. "Spotlight" is a seasonal boat dive where there is a hole in the top of a cave that lets a single shaft of light down into a very large cave. It looks like a spotlight shining down, hence the name.Well, Harry posted his pictures from the trip some time ago....and Mark Robertson emailed me his photos

Sunday Morning Coming Down

2008-05-24T21:42:00.012+10:00

I was so busy with school all of January and February that I didn't get any diving done. Luckily, I've been making up for it lately. Mark Robertson started a Sunday morning dive tradition and we've been going several weeks in a row. One week I overslept and missed the first dive but managed to get 3 in with Mark Robertson (which means he had 4 dives for the day) and our friend Mary. Mark's

The Puppy!

2008-05-18T09:16:00.004+10:00

Jeong-ah and I have wanted a dog for quite some time but I kept putting it off until we could find a lab puppy or some kind of lab mix. I also felt a little guilty about getting a new dog when I had to leave my old dog, Solo, with my brother in Iowa 6 years ago. But Jeff and my parents have taken good care of Solo all these years and there's no way he could ever be separated from them. He's

The New House - Part 1

2008-05-18T08:51:00.006+10:00

It's been a long while since I put anything new on this blog so I've got a bit of catching up to do.Jeong-ah and I moved into a new place here on Saipan. I've spent the last 6 years living in apartments and now I've moved into a house again. It's nice. I'm not very good at stitching photos together but I did a couple just so you could get a good view of what the place looks like.This photo

Valentine's Day Healthwalk with students

2008-02-18T19:43:00.014+10:00

The kids from Ladera (the school I teach at) had a day of fun on Valentine's Day. We went down to beach road for a hike, BBQ, and games. Here are some of the better shots I took that day.Ms. Sakaziro and some of the 7th & 8th graders.Demonstrating the water balloon toss.Betty Lee taking a hit.With friends like these.... "Hey Teacher! Leave them kids alone!" -- happened to hear the Pink Floyd

New Year's Day Hike - Forbidden Island (Saipan)

2008-01-01T23:25:00.000+10:00

I've been here three months and I hadn't been to Forbidden Island. If Angelo hadn't offered to lead the way, I still wouldn't know what I'd been missing. Thank you Angelo for coming up with such a good New Year's Day plan. It was a good start to 2008! (Above) Rusty Bethke standing in the lower left corner of the photo.(Above) Angelo(Below) JeffThis whole was actually large enough to crawl

Saipan scuba diving video

2007-12-23T04:12:00.000+10:00

I've been in Saipan for a little over 3 months now and I think I've been improving my underwater video skills. Here's my latest video that I put together for Christmas.

Meteor Shower and Diving - A great weekend in Saipan

2007-12-16T20:46:00.000+10:00

There aren't many times you can see 100+ shooting stars in a night and wake up for an early morning dive in warm water in the middle of December. This, however, was one of those weekends.I got to watch the Geminid meteor shower from Banzai Cliff (which is far from any light pollution) and the next morning I went diving with Mark and Tammy James as they entertained a couple of friends from Korea.

Scuba Diving in Saipan/Tinian

2007-12-08T00:27:00.001+10:00

Most of the diving I've done since coming to Saipan has been shore diving. There are several reasons for this. #1 It's cheap. #2 It's easy. Cheap and easy...just my style. But awhile back I was convinced to take a trip to the small island of Tinian, just south of Saipan, and do a couple boat dives on the Aquajet boat.It was a great experience. I saw a white-tipped shark, an octopus, a

Ladder Beach - Saipan

2007-11-29T17:37:00.000+10:00

I finally managed to make it to Saipan's Ladder Beach. It's near the airport but kind of hidden away, like most things on Saipan, and if you didn't know where you were going you probably wouldn't just stumble upon it. Luckily, Harry Blalock at Axe Murderer Tours gave me great directions and we were able to find it.Here's the view of the grass parking area at the top of the steps.

Kayak Diving - Lau Lau Bay, Saipan

2007-11-04T22:46:00.000+10:00

Another scuba diving adventure in Saipan...I was fortunate enough to get to go along with a group on a kayak dive. I'd only been sea kayaking one other time and that was in Thailand with my buddy Kurt (Cho Dong-hee) so I was excited to be invited on this little adventure.For those of you who don't know, there's a golf course overlooking Lau Lau Bay. Harry Blalock recently wrote about it on his

Scuba Diving in Saipan - another shore diving site

2007-10-31T16:21:00.000+10:00

I haven't been scuba diving in Saipan as long as others but I'm starting to know my way around some of the shore diving sites. Obyan (pronounced Ob-john...with a long "o" like in the word "Oh") is another shore dive in Saipan that I've been doing a lot lately. I think the most distinctive thing about Obyan is the landscape under the water. The first time I went diving there I was struck by how

Now I know why Harry likes to dive alone...

2007-10-16T05:04:00.000+10:00

Jeff, I hope you understand...comedy like this just has to be shared. Seriously, I can't stop laughing each time I watch this. I can just imagine what Harry is thinking. Then your hand gestures....I haven't laughed this hard in ages. It might have something to do with not sleeping for about 20 hours or it might have to do with the San Miguels. Either way, thanks buddy, I needed that.

Saipan Scuba Diving Videos

2007-10-16T00:38:00.000+10:00

First is a video from last weekend. Several of us went out to explore some WWII wreckage. I'm a bit late in getting the video posted, but here it is: The Battle of Saipan15 June 1944 – 9 July 1944The landings began at 07:00 on June 15, 1944.More than 300 LVTs landed 8,000 Marines on the west coast of Saipan by about 09:00.Eleven fire support ships covered the Marine landings.American

Diving the Saipan Grotto with The Saipan Diver

2007-10-16T00:30:00.000+10:00

I went diving with Harry Blalock on Saturday. Harry's blog (the Saipan Diver) is the only blog I check on a daily basis. His photos are incredible and I learn about various sea life from his postings. Harry has a special love affair with the Grotto and Nudibranchs (which, as I understand it, are basically colorful sea slugs). When I was sitting in Korea for the last few months before moving, I

The Mystery Cross of Saipan

2007-10-14T00:37:00.000+10:00

Last weekend a small group of divers went out to check out some WWII wreckage off the west side of Saipan. We also spotted this cross lying on the bottom of the sea and we're all trying to figure out what it might be from.My guess is it was some kind of Memorial for the WWII soldiers who died taking part in the invasion. Bruce Bateman (another local diver) has speculated it might be a part of

Saipan scuba diving videos - updated

2007-10-02T02:33:00.001+10:00

When Jeong-ah first visited Iowa, I got her to go horseback riding despite her personal reservations against it. She thought it could be dangerous and I assured her nothing could be further from the truth...that these horses were used to walking the same route over and over and simply didn't have a wild bone in their bodies. Of course, she was catapulted through the air by the horse just a few

Scuba Diving in Saipan

2007-09-23T21:33:00.000+10:00

I finally got the chance to dive with Harry Blalock, the Saipan Diver, and he was nice enough to let me share some of his photos. So far, I've managed to get in 8 dives with various people. Today was my first time diving with Harry, which was cool because I'd been practically 'virtual diving' with him just by following his blog. I won't waste your time with words since I have his photos to show

Saipan at last!

2007-09-11T07:41:00.000+10:00

Jeong-ah and I have finally arrived on Saipan and things are going well. We were met at the airport by Harry Blalock and he'd arranged a very nice, very affordable hotel for us to stay in while we look for a new apartment or house to rent. He also helped us get a rental car for a discounted rate. There's not much more to report at this point. We're focusing on finding a place to live.Our

Korean Temply Stay Program...

2007-08-16T23:43:00.001+10:00

One thing a journalist must be is timely. The news must be new news or...well, it's old news and nobody wants to read about that (except those freaks that like history and stuff). Well, I am not a journalist and nobody has ever accused me of being timely. Case in point: I'm just now posting photos of when my brother was visiting Korea about 6

The Mississippi River Bridge Collapse

2007-08-05T00:53:00.000+10:00

After reading about it and watching the video it still seems impossible to believe a bridge could just collapse like that. It's a terrible tragedy yet I'm amazed at the relatively low death toll so far. Considering the number of cars that plunged into the river, I would have expected a much higher death toll. Of course, that isn't much consolation to those who did lose loved ones in this. My

Wind Turbines in Saipan? A great idea...but....

2007-08-03T01:47:00.000+10:00

Here's the article I read...my comments are below.Local firm to build wind turbines By Liberty DonesReporter A local company with international financial backing plans to build wind turbines in the Northern Marianas in its goal to provide cheaper power to the island community.“There's so much wind here that we

2007-08-02T01:16:00.000+10:00

This is kind of a cool site that lets you make a map of where you've been. All it did for me was remind me of how many places I need to get to and how much time I've wasted. I thought I had traveled a bit...11 countries, not counting my own...11 countries sounds a lot better than a measly 6%.

Saipan Trip Report

2007-04-18T01:30:00.000+10:00

Here are a couple of the videos from the trip:These were not the nicest beaches, by any means, but just ones we found while driving along the road and stopping at some of the many public parks we found. We really didn't have much time on the island but the nicest beach we saw was in front of our hotel. I read on the internet that all the beaches on Saipan are open to the public. No 'hotel

Long time no blog....

2007-04-11T02:29:00.000+10:00

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS EXPLICIT VIDEOS ON TROPICAL RELAXATION METHODS (a.k.a. scuba diving) and should not be viewed by those who are unable to schedule a tropical vacation anytime soon.I haven't posted anything in ages and I don't have time now to post a lot except to say I'm off to Saipan in about 16 hours for 4 days of scuba diving with Jeong-ah!!! I can't wait. I've been really busy

Contact info & Skype instructions

2007-01-25T00:14:00.000+10:00

If you want to do a video chat from computer to computer all you have to do is go here:Skype download and follow the instructions.It is very easy!(1) you load the software (a few minutes)(2) enter in either your name or user name of your choice. (mine is "brad.derksen")(3) perform a microphone/webcam check (the most difficult part~ 1 to 2 minutes)(3) search for me in the Skype phonebook. Use

Hahn Tahn River Rafting Trip Video

2006-11-24T06:17:00.000+10:00

Finally managed to finish one of the videos from my August river rafting trip. Gonna try posting it using YouTube as the host. Not sure if the quality will be good enough. Let me know what you think.The pictures can be found here: Hahn Tahn River Rafting TripThe castOh Se-jun as "위원장" (The Dear Leader)Ben Fordyce as "The Missing Link"Mi-hee as "이단"(2nd Level Black belt)Brad Derksen as "뚱땡이" (

Did you know everyone has two birthdays?

2006-11-23T19:48:00.000+10:00

In Western countries we use a calendar based on the solar cycle. In many Asian countries (such as Korea) they also use a calendar based on the Lunar Cycle (otherwise known as the Chinese calendar).For example, in China or Korea, they would say if you were born on the second full moon of the year, then you celebrate your birthday on the second full moon of every year. That would happen to shift

Girls in hanboks at Kyoung Bok Gung (Kyoung Bok Palace)

2006-11-07T14:30:00.001+10:00

These are some more photos from Kyoung Bok Gung in Seoul. Kyoung Bok Gung is the largest of the palaces in Seoul. It's not my favorite but it is nice.Click on the above image (to enlarge it) if you want to read the history of the palace.The above shot is a sepia toned black and white I took. Below is a true black and white.I was taking photos of the main building when I noticed a group of

Finally a few wedding photos.....

2006-11-04T11:44:00.000+10:00

After about 5 months, I've finally managed to sort through the photos from the wedding and start working on a few select shots. I'll do more later, I know I don't have a lot of people in these but I'm working with my own photos and those people gave me....I don't think I have photos from Angie, Greg, or Mom&Dad.(Click on the image to enlarge it.)My brother-in-law and father-in-law.My Godfather

Harvest Moon

2006-10-22T13:38:00.000+10:00

I took some photos of the last full moon (actually one night after the full moon). They didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped but I was standing in the middle of a city of 2 million people and there was a lot of light pollution which didn't help.The biggest holiday in Korea is called Chuseok. It's held on the same full moon every year (this one) so it changes dates on the solar calendar that

Hahn Tahn River Rafting Trip

2006-10-04T03:48:00.000+10:00

Back in August a few friends and I went back to the Han Tan Gang (pronounced 'Hahn Tahn Gahng') for some river rafting. Gang/Gahng = "River" in Korean. It happened to be the night after the Perseids meteor shower so we stayed up (and out) so we could watch the shooting stars. It was spectacular light show.Still working on the video....Me, Kurt, Ben, Mi-hee (이 단).Me, Kurt, Se Jun, Mi-hee (이단)

Seoul, Korea - Jeong-ah's workplace

2006-10-03T15:05:00.000+10:00

These are some photos I took around Jeong-ah's workplace in Seoul back in August. It's a very upscale area of the city with a newly renovated walking path along a stream.(Click on an image to enlarge it.)This next shot shows how the city is a mixture of old and new architecture. This old building is the traditional New Year's Eve celebration site because it houses a giant bell that long ago

Renewable energy - Wind Turbines

2006-09-02T00:29:00.000+10:00

Here's an article about another source of environmentally friendly energy. When Jeong-ah and I buy our own land and build a house, we're going to get a wind turbine set up to provide our own power. I've looked into it a bit and for about $25,000-35,000 you can get a turbine that'll power a single family household.Depending on how much electricity you actually use, it could pay for itself

Vegetable Oil Cars

2006-08-29T12:26:00.000+10:00

This is the second time I'm posting an article about these cooking oil cars because, frankly, they are worth the mention. As I said before, if I lived in the U.S. now and was driving everyday, I'd set myself up with one of these on Day 1! We've got to do everything we can to break America's dependence on foreign oil. We can't wait for our government to do it. They don't care about what's

Oh, the horror.....

2006-08-17T00:50:00.001+10:00

After the death of Darth Vader (and the Emporer), The Empire turned to Darth Mutter. This change in leadership drove more than one of the galaxy-renowned macho Storm Troopers to the bottle.The sudden appearance of Darth Mutter after the Gulf Wars led many to speculate on her identity. The question everyone asked was, "Who could be so cold, so heartless?" Hmmmm...Filed in: Humor