I am [a] Tiger [in the] Woods.

I went to the golf range with some of the Korean guys today for the first time since I left Virginia. Being out of practice, it was rough. Still, I remembered how fun it was. I'm thinking: I gotta start practicing again and make it a point to get back out on the golf course.

Actually, I got to play 18 holes once since I came out to California (almost three years ago). They say Monterey is the "Golf Capital of the World" because of their dozen or so beautiful golf courses in the area (including the famous Pebble Beach). What a shame it would've been if I never played a round while I lived here! Mr. Han took me out to Rancho Cañada in Carmel Valley (photo on left) last summer. It was also pretty rough, but oh so fun. I think my score -- had I kept track of it -- would've been around 105 or so.

All my friends know that baseball is my favorite sport. But golf must be a close second place because of two main reasons: 1) it's a sport I can play and still enjoy regardless of how poorly I play; and 2) being out on the course always reminds me of the things that emmerse my senses, i.e. the smells and sights of being out there give me a sense of being close to God in my solitude. Does that make sense? I hope so; everyone should experience it. Anyway, my goal is to hit the range about once a week or so for a while and then find someone to go out on the course with. If I don't find a partner, I'll gladly go out on my own.

Too bad golf is a hobby that requires quite a bit of leisure time and money. It would take less time if I didn't hit 'em into the woods, I guess. Coincidentally, my middle name is Ho (in Korean 호, in Korean-Sino characters 虎 [Korean names traditionally have Sino characters]), and it means "bengal" or "tiger." Nike used to market the phrase "I am Tiger Woods."


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17 Mile Drive

It was a beautiful day for a drive after church. I took the two Korean Visiting Fellows (I'll refrain from publishing their names here but simply post this photo. Left, from MOCIE; center, from KITA) for some leisurely R&R through Pebble Beach. They both seem so far to be intelligent, clever, ambitious, and good people in different ways and to different levels. I can see that they are both similar yet contrast sharply in various aspects of their characters and personalities. But I can't help but wonder how much vision they have or lack in their lives. One has proven to be more receptive and responsive then the other, even confessing that they had never been before so challenged. But I cannot -- I refuse to -- be content with such small steps. Knowing that both men are very likely to be and remain in the international policy field for a very long time, I hope and pray the seeds I planted will bear much fruit. Our world needs more people who work and live with God's perspective on everything.

To some, this may seem arrogant of me. But it absolutely is not. I merely want to share. I wish for others to experience and know the same rewards I've had in working and living for God. There's nothing else like it. Time is a constant that is fleeting. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that I may have lived half of my life already. What regrets will I have as I look back in thirty years? This is my greatest fear: to think back with remorse and know that I could have done so much more, and I haven't the time left to do them.

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