ROK Checklist:

Over the past few weeks, I've been finalizing arrangements for my trip to the Republic of Korea which will kick off the Year of Adventure™ I aim to have, living life to the fullest while celebrating the unbounded spirit of my late, beloved father. There are many things I want to do during my brief time there … and many items that I feel are essential to making it an enjoyable holiday. Including: 

• Travel journal to record my thoughts. Illustrated by Gustove Doré. Selected based upon the experiences of the day: 

• Reading material: 

• Sleeping pills. There is a 24-hr food market a few blocks away from my hotel that should keep me occupied while I adjust to the 15 hour time difference. If required, these will aid the process. 

• Imodium. There is a 24-hr food market a few blocks away from my hotel that should keep me occupied as I partake in a quest to sample every dish of Korean street food. Including things I can't identify. Including things I CAN identify and still willingly choose to indulge in. 

• Western snacks. It's been my experience that eastern junk food is not as stupendously sweet as its western counterpart. Two weeks doesn't seem like a long time, but I am not willing to go through the withdrawal.   

• One Million dollars. Or, more accurately, Won. The conversion equals approximately one thousand in Canadian funds. I still feel baller though. 

I'm nearly set. Let the countdown begin...

1986

Grade 1. 
Reading. Writing. Addition. Subtraction. 
Disney. Barbie. Easybake. Hockey. 
You can play with the girls and keep up with the boys. 
Neon. Cassette deck stereo. 
Duran Duran playing on the radio. 

This kid has no idea what lies ahead. 

But she dreams big. 

INFOGRAPHIC: Seoul

To download the full-res version of this infographic, click here. 

INFOGRAPHIC: Vladimir Putin

To download the full-res version of this infographic, click here. 

February Book Recommendations:

CURTAINS: ADVENTURES OF AN UNDERTAKER IN TRAINING
Written by Tom Jokinen

A bit of a morbid topic, this book, written by a former CBC producer who left his media gig to become an apprentice undertaker, is an insightful (and even entertaining) glimpse into the modern funeral industry. If you have ever been curious about what happens when you cease to exist, this book may provide some very detailed answers. At least in regards to your physical form. 

I personally found the subject of marketing tactics fascinating … in an era when the popularity of cremation has drastically cut into profits and the threat of having a multi-generational family trade being driven out of business by one of the big corporates from Texas constantly looms, the industry has had to get creative. In one of the, er, more interesting examples of this, a funeral home in Winnipeg has started offering loved ones the opportunity to observe the cremation process in a special viewing area. If this provides closure to some, then who am I to judge?  

Funerals, alas, are for the living and not the dead. 

Favorite line: "Cemeteries and funerals, the way French historian Philippe Ariés see it, are social constructs to keep nature … separate from a civilized life of flat-screen TVs and microwave chapatis. We evolved, beautifully, from monkeys into Type-A control freaks with a system (government, laws, religion, organized labour and technology) designed to overcome [it]. And for the most part, we pulled it off. There are only two weak spots where chaos sneaks in, wild, wet and savage, reminding us we're doomed animals: sex and death. So we devised taboos to deal with the former, to take away its power, and ritual to weaken the chaotic impact of the latter." 

To buy this book, click here. 

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BEING MORTAL: MEDICINE AND WHAT MATTERS IN THE END
Written by Atul Gawande

Continuing with the uplifting theme of death in my book recommendations for the month, 'Being Mortal' initiates a vital conversation that is absent in modern society: that of the lack of knowledge and dialogue surrounding end-of-life care. By examining the limitations (and failures) of modern medicine, author Dr. Atul Gawande, exposes how healthcare can – and should – do better to promote a life of meaning vs. a life of simply existing. 

I wish this book had been published a year earlier. 

Favorite line: "The problem with medicine and the institutions it has spawned for the care of the sick and the old is not that they have had an incorrect view of what makes like significant. The problem is that they have had almost no view at all. Medicine's focus is narrow. Medical professionals concentrate on repair of health, not sustenance of the soul."

To watch the PBS Frontline documentary on Being Mortal, click here. 

To buy this book, click here. 

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THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE: THE UNLIKELY RISE OF VLADIMIR PUTIN
Written by Masha Gessen

A number of recent hard-hitting documentaries on Russian President Vladimir Putin intrigued me to pick up this book by journalist Masha Gessen, whom, it would seem, has risked her own safety to expose the criminal underbelly that currently governs the nation. 'The Man Without a Face' paints a chilling portrait of espionage, assassination and corruption on a massive scale that is not only permitted but encouraged by those in power. This is not a work of fiction. 

Propaganda comes in many forms. And while this book might be perceived as an embellished tale originating from the western sphere of influence, recent history suggests that critical examination and commentary on this man is merited.

Glasnost and perestroika are missed. 

Favorite line: "If anyone in Russia or outside had cared to pay attention, all the clues to the nature of the new regime were there within weeks of Putin's ascent to his temporary throne. But the country was busy electing an imaginary president, and the rest of the Western world would not begin to doubt its choice for years to come."

To watch a CBC Fifth Estate documentary on Vladimir Putin, click here. 

To buy this book, click here. 

Alternative North Korean Propaganda Posters

As the Democratic People's Republic of Korea prepares to celebrate the 70th anniversary since the founding of its Worker's Party, hundreds of slogans were created to encourage patriotism amongst citizens. 

I've decided to create my own propaganda posters based on these rallying calls, the design of which illustrates the fantastical sentiment being promised while hinting at a conflicting, darker reality. 

FAIRYLAND FOR THE PEOPLE:

COUNTRY OF MUSHROOMS:

BIG FISH HAUL:

NONE OF THEM WILL SURVIVE: 

Tracks

Over the weekend, I watched 'Tracks', a film about a woman's trek across the Australian desert with only a few camels and her beloved dog to keep her company. I hadn't heard of this movie before, but the premise instantly proved intriguing; it is based on the real story of Robyn Davidson, who completed the journey and had it documented by National Geographic in 1977. The cinematography was beautiful but it was the tale of existential dilemma that one faces after losing a loved one that truly resonated with me. I've wanted to see 'Wild' for the same reason but as I live in a satellite community of the middle of nowhere, it still isn't in theatres. 

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In the early 1970s, my father and two friends rode their 10-speed bicycles from Winnipeg to Vancouver. This was before cross-country cycling excursions (and the entire alternative travel industry) came into vogue. There are few photos of the trip remaining; in none of them is there any trace of safety gear visible. In fact, clothing seems to be entirely optional. They were simply slaves to the open highway and the dawn of the day.

My father was very proud of this adventure and spoke of it often. 

Thirty Something: Vignette

Saturday night. The living room of my living space a makeshift entertainment venue and pagan confessional, where the candidness of subject matter at discussion is directly relative to levels of alcohol consumed. Currently, we were indulging in a 2011 riesling.

The conversation flowed from real estate to career ambitions to, lastly, and always most promising, dating.

The bottle was almost empty. 

"Give me your laptop, I'll show you him."

I handed my Macbook to a friend who proceeded to show me the profile of a man she met online. His digital persona carefully curated to depict an individual hellbent on being viewed as a "badass"; through my eyes though, the motorcycle and excessive tattoos more acutely screamed "midlife crisis". Especially since his listed profession was dentist. The mental gymnastics she performed in regards to imagining her future with him were Olympian-level. I hated to be the Russian judge in this friendship.  

"He's not your type. And besides, he lives in Winnipeg; you live in Saskatoon."

I steered the conversation to another topic as the wine was wearing off and I didn't want to address my own highly questionable tastes. Instead, I excitedly brought up an upcoming trip that I have been immersed in planning: a solo excursion around Korea. Hallyu and the art of k-pop. Bulgogi and the art of not getting ill from street food. I want to rent a bike and risk my neck on their infamously terrible roadways. I will visit the world's "most dangerous tourist trap", the DMZ – all in an effort to prove my own badassery to myself and fight off the sinking feeling that I'm (also) on the verge of a midlife crisis. 

Perhaps I judged the dentist too harshly. 

"Who is Kim Jon-Un?" inquired my friend.

February Reads

Death and Putin. My February reading list: