So many people have responded to my first blog posting--some right here on this site, and others via e-mails. It is encouraging.
As expected, my photos received some evaluative comments--mostly positive, but Elizabeth has undiplomatically explicitly mentioned my receding hairline. Still, her overall positive comment about my appearance was much appreciated. (Laughter!) Maybe she even has acquired a taste for bald men after many years of living in a Buddhist country. (More laughter!)
Work
A new class of fellows has started their study at APCSS in April. I am leading a seminar for the six week duration of the course. I am so busy that I often have no time to read newspapers till evening. At the same time, it is nice to meet new people from the regional pool of promising policy practitioners. I will also offer a new elective on regional security cooperation. Many recent departures of faculty members have left holes in the program, and a few broadly-trained members of the faculty (including myself) have been occupying those new territories.
Scholarly Life/Travel
The feature of March was a trip to San Francisco to attend an annual convention of the International Studies Association. A mega conference like this is a great opportunity to see many scholar friends in one trip. Networking by my friends also indirectly expands my network, hopefully leading to intellectually or otherwise profitable collaborative opportunities. If nothing else, we still had great meals in San Francisco. Rudi requested a photo from the Goldengate Bridge, but unfortunately I did not have enouth time to go there.
My next assignment will take me to Canberra in May. I have not had any Australian fellow at APCSS in my class. I just did a VTC lecture at the Australian College of Defense and Security Studies (CDSS) on Japan's security policy. There are very well educated fellows there! Watch out APCSS fellows and alumni! A team of APCSS professors (led by Mohan Malik) will be giving a module in the CDSS course, and I will take part. Then another trip to Kuala Lumpur in June to take part in a maritime security workshop. (Already thinking about Indian seafood restaurants in KL...maritime food security indeed!) I should be able to tell you more about these trips later.
Health
My back pain went away before the San Francisco trip, and the 5-hour flight was pretty painless as far as my back was concerned. (Thanks to all helpers.) The only pain I had was a really, really fat guy who sat next to me. His elbow was rubbing against me over the arm rest, and his butt was spilling into my seat under the arm rest. (The arm rest was actually slightly lifted by his butt meat.) He kept dozing off, letting his body parts freely invade my space, and I was busy keeping him awake with subtle downward pressure onto the arm rest. For a relief, I did not detect any strong body odor from this man. I felt like United Airline downgraded me to an "Economy Minus". I miss flying with someone I actually like...
The famous "Bellows Beach" picnic with the fellows was fun, but for the first time I joined the rank of the "injured." (Note to non-APCSS friends: Our bonding events on the beach include many sports activities, some of which are unsuitable for the not-very-young fellows.) Beach volley ball caused me a sprained ankle, and boogie boarding brought back my back pain. The best part, however, is that I did not get these pains in my office. Much nicer to be injured on the beach. The pain also resulted in a nice photo of me with a backgropund of a breaking ocean swell, proudly displayed on the AV booth by the entrance of APCSS. This time, my back pain was less serious. Having learnt how to fix it last time also helped. I am already recovering in four days.
Busy work brings about more stresses. Speaking of stress, some people are very good at not only generating and accumulating stresses, but also passing them onto other people. (To some, I might have looked like one of those "negative" people in the past.) Recently, I had a little trouble in a car park. A very angry woman complained that my car was blocking hers, where in fact I left just enough space. Her negative energy was about to penetrate my system, but then I spontaneously deflected it with my reply: "I am sorry, I might not have left enough space for unskilled drivers." Another possible answer could have been: "I am sorry. Had you let me know sooner, I would have driven your car through for you." Actually, I should be glad that she did not try to drive through and scratch my car. "Thank you for not trying!" (I still need to develop a more positive personality.)
Well, that is it for this month--April is almost over. See you next month.
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