One last thing?

Traditional Korean Music at Incheon Airport

Saturday, March 6th

Learning Moment: Incheon Airport, Korea

Just when I thought our Korea experience was over, another music performance cropped up. This one took place at the airport. For thirty minutes, we were entertained by some great traditional music.

I carry my camera everywhere and am often not rewarded for the effort, but today I was...

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 58 of 58

Just did it...

Saturday, March 6

Learning Moment: Seoul, Korea

It's her Yu-naverse and we are just living in it.

COEX has been plastered with posters of Olympic Gold Medal figure skater Kim Yu-na.

This entire corridor to Samseong Station is lined with her image.

Today, we leave her universe and return to ours - California.

I'm not looking forward to a 12 hour flight, but it will be nice to get home.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 57 of 58

Lee Hyeon Cheol gives me a lesson in Janggu

Friday, March 5th

Learning Moment: Seoul, Korea

Today was my last day of leading workshops on this 8-week trip. We completed an excellent session of Managing at KT. I really enjoyed the interaction with the Korea business team.

After the session, Angie and I went to Central Seould to watch Miso, a musical featuring traditional dance performances. The show started at 8pm, but I arrived at 7pm for a janggu lesson with Mr. Lee.

The lesson was a lot of fun. Mr. Lee walked me through the basic rhythms of the janggu and taught me some of the terminology. He was assisted by Carina, who acted as an excellent translator and a darn good photographer as well.

The show itself was great. I really enjoyed the music.

Tomorrow we return to California. As always, my feelings are mixed.

It'll be nice to sleep in our own bed and get back to some normal rhythms. On the other hand, I'll miss the food, the forays into different cultures, and - of course - all our friends, old and new.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 56 of 58

6pm Bell ringing at Bongeunsa Temple

Thursday, March 4th

Learning Moment: Seoul, Korea

Every evening at 6pm, we can hear the ringing of the bell at Bonguensa Temple, across the street from our hotel.

Tonight we ran across the street to watch the ceremony.

The monks ring four different bells - the large bell pictured above, a drum, a fish bell, and a cloud bell.

The temple was quiet, so we wandered around a bit and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Votive Candles

After visiting the temple, we dined on Korean Barbecue and Cold Stone ice cream.

All-in-all, a pleasant evening.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 55 of 58

Jung Ji Hyun performs the Hwaseon Dance

Wednesday, March 3rd

Learning Moment: Seoul, Korea

Tonight we scored front row seats for a traditional dance performance at Seoul Namsan Gugakdang. The winter series of performances featured Jung Ji Hyun, a master dancer and professor at Kyungsung University.

We were the only foreigners in the building, which attracted the attention of her husband and producer. He gave us a warm and friendly greeting, wanting to know where we were from, what brought us to the theater and where we got our tickets.

The performance was stunning - easily the best traditional dance performance we've ever seen. The choreography was creative, the costumes were beautiful, the music was powerful, and the venue was perfect.

Of course, Jung Ji Hyun was outstanding - graceful, beautiful, athletic, and able to convey a myriad of emotions through her face and body. This was truly the highlight of our trip.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 54 of 58

The Lounge, COEX Intercontinental

Tuesday, March 2nd

Learning Moment: Seoul, Korea

The Intercontinental Hotel has a very nice WonderHour each night, where they offer unlimited wine, beer, and soju with a mini-buffet of meat, fish, salad, and appetizers for about US$19.

It's a tough deal to beat, so Angie and I headed down there tonight and drank our money's worth of alcohol. Oh yeah, we ate a little food, too.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 53 of 58

Keepsakes from Seoul

March 01, 2010

Learning Moment: Seoul, Korea

It's cold and windy today. It was raining this morning; then it turned to snow.

We decided to take care of some errands and relax. First, we went to the COEX mall, where we grabbed lunch, bought bananas at Hyundai Dept Store - where we ran into a Singapore colleague, Graham Lynch, and his girlfriend - and picked up a souvenir I've been looking at.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have some basic criteria for buying a memento. On this trip, two items have met my criteria.

The first, which I picked up in Insadong, are the three ceramic folks pictured above: a drummer, a dancer, and a flute player.

The second, which I bought today, is a fish gong.

A mogeo, or fish gong

Both are small (enough), musical in theme, and very cultural. So, now they are both going home with us.

We also booked tickets for a traditional dance at the Namsan theater on Wednesday night, and for MISO on Friday night. I can't get enough of Korean music and dance.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 52 of 58

Performers at Namsan Hanok Village

Sunday, February 28th

Learning Moment: Seoul, Korea

Yesterday was quite a day in Seoul. Apparently, the first new moon of the year is an important one in Korean culture. There were numerous festivals to celebrate the occasion.

We ended up at Namsan park, with a lot of other people, to watch traditional crafts and entertainment. The gentleman in the white suit above walks (and jumps and bounces and does comedy) on the hire wire/rope that is behind him.

The Bukcheong: A Korean Lion Dance

Later, there were lion dances that featured the bukcheong, an interesting variation on the Chinese Lion dance that turns up in varying forms all over Asia. The Korean lion is shaggier than most, which I happen to like.

The grass teepee behind the lion is filled with written wishes that would be burned. The smoke then lifts your wishes to the gods.

What will the next year bring?

If anyone was looking for answers today, the fire responded with a resounding question mark.

This is only fair, I guess. No one really wants to know what the next year will be like, do they?

We ended our night with traditional dance.

Again, I was invited on-stage to drum, so I received another set of drum sticks.

So far, I've been to four dance shows. Three have pulled up audience members. All three times I was selected.

I don't mind...

More spectacular colors...

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 51 of 58

Faces of Insadong

Friday, February 27th

Learning Moment: Insadong Street, Seoul, Korea

If there were a vote for 'favorite place in Seoul', Insadong would probably be the people's choice. Popular with young and old, locals and foreigners, teeming with those who are curious and those who are curiosities - Insadong is filled with great restaurants, cutting edge galleries, traditional shops, music, and the entire range of human drama.

While we were wandering Insadong yesterday, I conducted two interviews with college students who are studying English. This is a normal occurance. Students lurk all over the street with notepads, waiting for a foreigner who isn't moving with a sense of purpose. When they find one, they ask, "May I interview you?"

Everyone is an artist, a subject, or both...

One student asked me, "What is your favorite thing about Insadong?"

The answer was easy - the energy of the people on the street.

Despite the restaurants, the galleries, and the historical sites that surround the area, I could be happy just standing there all day and watching people on the street - so I did.

Who needs art galleries?

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 50 of 58

something I'd never seen before...

Friday, February 26th

Learning Moment: Seoul, Korea

Big day today in Korea...

We had a very successful slide:ology workshop.

Kim Yu-Na won the gold medal with a record setting performance (if you think that might not be a big deal in Korea, you would be way off target).

And, I saw something I'd never seen before.

This is, of course, the reason why I travel. When traveling - if you pay attention - you will see at least one thing a day that you'd never seen before. These things are sometimes beautiful, sometimes sad, often perplexing.

Today's sighting falls squarely in the perplexing category.

Our workshop was held on the 9th floor of the Kongdong building. On this floor there is a company and a public meeting room. The restroom is shared.

In the restroom is what appears to be a public toothbrush container. I'm not sure if this is a shared toothbrush collection, or if Korean trust is so high that you can store your personal toothbrush in a public restroom without worrying that anyone will do anything (and, of course, I mean anything) to it.

On the other hand. It does have a UV purifier, so maybe it doesn't matter?

Yeah, good luck with that.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 49 of 58

A Solo Fan Dance at Pulhyanggi Restaurant

Thursday, February 25th

Learning Moment: Seoul, Korea

It's really hard to perform well when the audience sucks. Seriously.

Audiences seem to have little clue that they own some of the responsibility for the strength of a performance. Whether it's an athletic performance, a musical performance, a dance, or a public speaker: the next time you witness mediocrity, it would be fair to wonder if you're partially to blame.

That's what makes nights like a tonight seem like a minor miracle. Tonight, we had a nice dinner in a traditional Korea restaurant. The audience consisted of approximately 10 people. The show consistent of 4 so-so musicians and one very good dancer.

The audience didn't seem interested in the performance. They ate and talked more than they watched. In fact, their talking seemed to get louder through the night.

And yet... the dancer performed as though 400 pairs of eyes were glued on her every move. More accurately, she danced as though no one were watching; as if she were dancing only for herself. If only we could all summon that energy or passion when we need it.

Strangely, at the end of the show, a group of five that had talked through her entire dance made sure to get their photo with her. She obliged. This brought to mind the popular refrain of Wayne and Garth, "We aren't worthy".

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 48 of 58

Wednesday, February 24th

Learning Moment: Seoul, Korea

One of the most important lessons I learned from slide:ology was the lesson of storyboarding: don't build your slides until you've built your storyboard.

On this eight-week tour of Asia, I've been able to put that principle into practice. I'm preparing for a 90-minute workshop at ISPI's 2010 Conference in San Francisco that takes place in April.

In the photo to the left, you can see my storyboard taking form. I've been working on it during my 20-70 minute taxi ride to/from Bundang in Seoul. The notebook is a 'Clean Sheet/Expedient notebook' by Kyokuto associates co, ltd.

I bought this notebook in Japan because it fits neatly into my blue Eagle Creek Travel bag (you can see the bag in the photo). The travel bag holds my notebook, Sharpie pens, and a Ziploc Easy Zipper bag filled with Post-it notes (starting to sound like an advertisement, huh?).

You can see that I'm using different color post-its. Yellow is slide content, Orange is quotes, Blue is for exercises. Green is for new ideas that I'm thinking about.

This system is working out very well for me. It's fast, flexible, and convenient. As I get closer to presentation time, I'll post the full storyboard.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 47 of 58

Drumming with the Dancers at Korea House

Tuesday, February 23rd

Learning Moment: Seoul, Korea

Korea House is one of my favorite places on the planet. Great music, pounding drums, beautiful women, energetic dances, colorful costumes, and great food; that's tough to beat.

We never make a trip to Seoul without visiting Korea House, and this one would be no different. They've redesigned the stage and the program since we last visited. I loved the changes. The stage is more dramatic, and the new dances are still brilliant.

The legendary fan dance

The fan dance is always a highlight, as are the 'drumming dances'. But, the highlight of tonight - for me, anyway - was when I was invited on stage. When they invited me (along with a few other foreign guests), I started to say no. Then I realized that they didn't want me to dance, they wanted me to drum. I couldn't pass up that opportunity.

So, up I went. At the end of the song, they gave us all souvenir drum sticks, which was pretty cool. And I have to show a picture of Angie with our dinner. Do you think we got enough food?

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 46 of 58

Sunset over Seoul

Monday, February 22nd

Learning Moment: Seoul, Korea

Heat is, apparently, highly valued in Korea. Our hotel room consistently runs somewhere between 76-79 degrees. The heat is centrally controlled, so our only choice is to turn the heat off completely. It doesn't seem to do much good. We have an oscillating fan, which helps a little.

Last night, I slept without covers.

We've had this problem at other Korean hotels, so it's not an Intercontinental Hotel problem.

I guess it comes from the culture of heated floors.

My classroom today was very hot - somewhere around 75 degrees. I was in short sleeves, so I was marginally comfortable, but I was asked at least three times if I was "okay". They were concerned that I might get cold.

Hell, I would have been barefoot and in shorts if it was up to me.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 45 of 58

Sunday, February 21st

Learning Moment: Seoul, South Korea

We spent the day wandering the area around our hotel.

We visited Bong Eun Sa, a Buddhist temple, and then went to Seolleung, the royal tombs of King Seongjong. The tombs were built in the 14th century.

After that, we went to COEX, a large shopping mall, where we ate dinner at "On The Border". It was our first Mexican dinner (or approximation thereof) in 6 weeks. And we needed it...

Anyway, I've seen temples before. I've even seen royal tombs before. But, I've never seen a divining (or 'dowsing rod') class being conducted.

I'm not sure if they are learning to find water. It seemed as though they were learning to track energy. The instructor (who spoke Korean, so I am learning interpreting actions, gestures, and the occasional English word like 'energy') kept demonstrating that his rod wanted to point to the top of any nearby pagoda or stupa.

Whether it works or not, I cannot say (science says, "no"). But, it was pretty funny watching a group of serious looking guys in suits play with these fancy sticks.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 44 of 58

The Yokohama Bay Bridge

Saturday, February 20

Learning Moment: Yokohama, Japan

We traveled from Japan to Korea today.

It was a relaxing day, with a late checkout from the Intercontinental Hotel in Yokohama. The picture above - taken from the limobus - shows our approach to the Yokohama Bay Bridge.

Our flight to Korea was smooth, and we reached the Intercontinental Coex at 10:30.

We ready to spend the next two weeks with the Korea team - enjoying the food and culture of Seoul.

Asia Tour 2010 - On the road again...

For the next eight weeks, I'll be leading KLA-Tencor workshops in Asia.

My buddy Martin once called me the "Indiana Jones of Training", so you know that this is the stuff I love - 5 countries, 29 workshops, more than 500 attendees.

Here's the plan:

• Jan 11 - 15 Singapore:
  Situational Leadership II, Maximizing Customer Relationships, slide:ology
• Jan 18 - 29 Chennai, India:
  5 Dysfunctions of a Team, Presentation Skills, Managing at KT, Working Globally
• Feb 1 - 5 Singapore:
  Situational Leadership II, slide:ology
• Feb 8 - 12 Bali, Indonesia
  cultural anthropology (ie: vacation)
• Feb 15 - 19 Yokohama, Japan:
  Managing at KT, Hire at KT, slide:ology
• Feb 22 - Mar 5 Seoul, South Korea
  (Presentation Skills, Managing at KT, slideology)

I'll be sharing highlights in the form of stories, photos, and maybe even videos.

Range of Vision - The World Through My Lens

This is a continuing series of slideshows from my travels. Enjoy!


Range of Vision 2.o - Wildlife

Here are some of my favorite wildlife photos that I've taken.

Range of Vision 1.o - Images of Asia I meet a lot of people as I travel throughout Asia and the world, and I take a lot of photos of them. Here are 125 of my favorite people photos .





Technical/design note:
I've been struggling for years with how best to present my photos.
I don't like just hanging them up on the web where anyone can download and use them.
On the other hand, I want friends, family and colleagues to be able to see the images.

My compromises has been:

• to post small photos, like I did at rangeofvision (too small)
• to watermark the images, like I do at hues.smugmug.com and deviantart.com (too distracting)
• to use a password-protected gallery and send out invite (too restrictive)

None of these were satisfactory, so I'm trying a different option - photos presented as video, assembled using Picasa software..

Let me know what you think!

How To Be Global (Part Two): A Reference Library

Making friends in Seoul, South Korea

Yesterday, I mentioned that in this global environment, we're all similar and yet we're all different.

One example of that is that we all like music and movies - but different cultures will like different kinds of music and movies.

One of my favorite ways to bridge the culture gap is to learn about popular music and cinema in the countries that I visit and work in.

I often open a conversation or presentation by discussing the movie I just saw.

It builds rapport, as most Indians, Chinese, Koreans or Japanese can't believe that you'd actually watch a local movie. If you actually like it, they're thrilled!

In that spirit, I've made a list at Amazon of my favorite Asian books, movies and music.

But hey, if it's art or sports that makes you tick - then go that direction.

hues asian film collection

hues asian music collection

hues asian culture bookshelf

You can find plenty of clips of the bands and singers on YouTube. 

I'll whet your appetite with Anggun, from Indonesia, singing "Snow on the Sahara".

Dance me to the end of time... from Seoul

Here's a shocker... we saw more dance today.

We took a taxi up to Samcheonggak, where we saw an afternoon dance show.
It was a story that was almost impossible to follow, but it didn't matter, because both the dancers - with their brightly colored hanbok - and the dances, were beautiful.

Afterwards, we headed to Insadong.
The temperature was perfect for a stroll, so we took a walk down the street, where we found another performance.
It included dance, martial arts, singing and swordplay.

Hope we see this much excitement in Israel!!