So the flight of the concords does it again with Korean Karaoke. Complete with ridiculous background videos and all!!!
|
|||||
|
Korea’s DMZ Will Soon Be Open For Ecotourism by Stephen Messenger, Porto Alegre, Brazil on 03.23.10 In 1953, the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was established to provide a buffer between the conflicting Northern and Southern nations–and today it is the most heavily militarized border in the world. But amid this icon of armed standoffs, in the narrow strip that divides the Korean Peninsula where no one is allowed, a highlydiverse ecosystem has blossomed. And now, in a rare putting-aside of differences between the two countries squared off along the DMZ, the two Koreas will work together for the preservation of the corridor that has so long divided them. The Korean DMZ, 155 miles long and roughly 2 miles wide, has been a literal ‘no man’s land’ for 57 years–and that means its been a virtual haven for wildlife. The heavily fortified strip of land is home to some of Korea’s most endangered species, like the Korean Tiger, Asiatic Black bear, and the extreme rare Red-crowned and White-naped cranes. After years of speculation, today it was announced that after a meeting between cabinet-level agencies in South Korea, that the gem that lies between their two nations would be transformed into an ecological corridor to promote tourism and the preservation of the DMZ’s rich ecosystems. According to Folha, the project will include a bicycle routes and an observation center within limited sections of the ecological corridor, still heavily guarded on both sides by the North and South Korean military. Further details about the project will be announced in September by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism of South Korea. The lessons that can be garnered from the situation along Korea’s DMZ are two-fold. On one hand, the fact that two otherwise feuding nations could come together peacefully to ensure the preservation of their shared ecological heritage is encouraging. On the other hand, that the corridor has become so naturally diverse simply because no humans were there to muddle with it speaks wonders to the significance of our presence in other regions of the world. My friend’s Eddie and David are travel through Asia beginning with Korea. So obviously this will necessitate copious amounts of binge drinking. I will be meeting them up in Seoul then traveling down to my town Busan. Anyways more to come, just had to post because it’s really exciting for me! Here is a link to Eddie’s groovy photo blog where all the pics he takes will automatically be posted unfiltered and uncensored. Recently one of my best friends, Jake who will be hence forth referred to as Naked Jake (people that know him understand this moniker), has left the country to return back to California. He had the unfortunate situation of being placed in one of the teaching English in Korea horror stories that every expat here knows of but hopes they never have to deal with. Basically, a shitty employer who welched on paying Naked Jake his wages then just closed up shop and disappeared. Well Jake decided to take a breather from his travels and head back to the homestead. So here are some photo memories of some of the funnier moments I had a chance to film.
but luckily he has a return ticket back here…till then… So recently I have taken a new job here in Korea. Which means my journey here is being extended by at least another year. I recently took a job with the Korean Hydro & Nuclear Power Company which I’m quiet excited for. So Ryan teacher will go from teaching elementary students to teaching nuclear engineers that most likely far out stripe me in the intellectual realm, which I think will be awesome! So far the job seems to have many awesome perks: good salary, good people (get to work with my friend Murry and my new boss Sunny seems pretty legit), cool working environment (well at least a different one from the norms here in Korea), and just a change of pace (which is good for my sanity). There are two draw backs which aren’t bad just need time to adjust; first being an early morning schedule and second being a commute with an early morning schedule. That will be okay though because Murry and I just got a car together (”you know how I know your gay” jokes are bound to ensue). Also I recently have moved into a new place in Jangsan with YeYe. It’s a groovy little loft on the 12 floor of a much nicer building than the last one that I lived in. So far things have been great although I’m lacking on certain key items of furniture and kitchen supplies (i.e. plates and silverware…probably could purloin some silverware from local eateries though). Everything seems to be setting up super nicely for an amazing year! Now the next step is just to save copious amounts of capital to fund my round the world excursion!
Continuing on with my current interest in North Korea I have found an article written by a Chinese women who was in North Korea on potential business that depicts how bleak the city the country feels. One particular moment that she details which I found disconcerting was about fruit. The writer at one point drew a picture of a banana which a waitress could not recognize; although the waitress did know of apples but had never eaten one. This is just so shocking that in a developing nation with the capacity to create nuclear devices that a waitress couldn’t recognize a banana or never even had the opportunity to taste an apple. Click the link to read the original article. Four Days in North Korea by Sarah Wang So I have been very interested in North Korea ever since I have moved to South Korea but now that has been greatly amplified by The Vice Guide to Travel: North Korea. Basically the Vice Broadcasting guys have a habit of going to places where most wouldn’t want to go. Anyways after watching these super interesting documentaries I think North Korea might be among the top places I want to go and see. What I found most interesting about these videos is that they show just how much of a different world North Korea really has become. The main narrator describes North Korea as the land that time forgot, like walking into 1930s Stalinist Russia. As you will see in the videos, North Korea puts up a facade to impress their tourists which really just displays how eerie the Northern dictatorship really is; like the Potemkin Villages built for Empress Catherine II most of the tourist destinations are just empty husks of false luxury built to impress. In reality this is only effective in displaying the austere decadence of a country that continues to limp along because of the solidarity of their brainwashed masses and charity of the rest of the world meant to appease a dictator that threatens world peace. Vice Guide to Travel: North Korea Having trouble embedding the videos into my wordpress blog, so just use the links above. Just something I thought I would share about Tonic Water. This originally came up because I am a big fan of Gin and Tonics, but someone offhandedly told me that Tonic Water was originally an anti-malarial. As it turns out Tonic Water is an anti-malarial due to it’s contents of Quinine which is a prophylactic (something that doesn’t treat a disease but is intended to prevent it) against malaria. The content of Quinine is what gives Tonic Water its distinctive bitter taste. Originally there were medicinal levels of Quinine in Tonic Water but now those levels have been significantly reduced in order to make the drink more palatable; unless you live in the tropics where malaria is endemic you most likely won’t need medicinal levels (although quinine does treat night cramps). Well since Tonic Water is a prophylactic against malaria it is probably a smart thing that the European occupying British colonial India were drinking the stuff because well lets face it Europeans get their asses handed to them by Malaria on it’s home turf. Although those Brits in colonial India found the damn stuff unpalatable because of the bitter taste so someone had a stroke of genius, add gin. Hence, Gin and Tonics were born in an effort to cover up the bitter taste. Guess that gives some honesty to that drinking salute “Here’s to my health” … if your drinking medicinal tonic water … somewhere tropical with malaria. Some reference information: Since I have been in Korea for about…340 or so days now, I have fallen into some routines. One particular routine is my walk from my apartment to the subway/work (they are in the same spot) that I repeat multiple times a day. I know it sounds mundane but I think it is something that I will most likely never forget. So let’s begin with right after I lock my front door. I look left out the window at the end of the hallway to check the weather (i.e. rain, sun, etc…). Then I take the stairs, since I refuse to take an elevator for 3 floors. As I leave the stairwell I check to see if I have any new mail and then check out the massage chair store to see if the stoic lady who runs the shop to see if she registers me passing by; I walk by that shop everyday and I don’t think she has once looked up to see who is passing by her windows which always struck me as odd. Next, I take a left past the the LG shop and give a casual nod to the guys who have to stand outside and solicit business from the pedestrians, being the first of the many hellos or annyeong haseyos I deliver along my walk. There has been a few times when I changed this up in the case of the guy who really enthusiastically wanted to speak english every time I passed, or the girl who would never smile when I said hello so I slowly escalated the energy of my hellos till I made her smile finally crack. After that, I pass by an art gallery that shows some absolutely exquisite art. This art gallery seems to have everything from traditional Korean art, to more European styles, then on to styles which are enjoyable but I lack the sophistication in my art knowledge to know how to articulately describe. There has been more times than I can count on both hands that the passing glance I give into the store has resulted in a momentary stall in proceeding to my destination to admire some new piece the gallery has moved in. That brings me to the last point about this gallery; it must be the most successful gallery in Busan by the rate it moves art through its doors. The art in the gallery seems to be rotated out weekly or at least biweekly, which just strikes me as an incredible pace for anything art related (I tend to think the world of art dealing is a slow, careful, and calculated sort of business and not something that would move that fast). Next, I say hello to an older Korean man that I have dubbed the Happy Ajoshi (ajoshi being the Korean word for older man). This is a man that regardless of the day, weather, or fact that he works from well before sunrise to late after sunset 365 days a year running his little mart seems to be indelibly happy. It may be that he just enjoys his life in that mart that much or the fact that I have seen him cracking open the makkoli at 11am, but I am always thankful for that happy smiling old man face and his “bongawayo”s I receive from him everyday. Something about knowing that no matter what mood I am in when walking down the street I will at one point be greeted by his smiling face seems to always shine a little light on any gloom I’m feeling. On an interesting side note, I once had to go to his shop to by some garlic for some fettuccine alfredo I was making only to find myself stumbling out of his store an hour later after sharing two bottles of makkoli with him. After parting ways with the Happy Ajoshi, I get to dish out my last regular annyeong haseyo of my normal walk. The last is an ajumma (Korean for older women) that makes these black bean paste filled pastries that are shaped like fish in a street vendor stall she sets up on the corner of an alleyway. She watches me walk back and forth on my walk sometimes up to 8 times a day depending on my days errands; always greeting me with a nod, a smile, or a simple hello in what must be one of the raspiest smokers voices I have ever heard. Sometimes I almost feel embarrassment at what she must be thinking because of how many times I walk by a day, at least it seems to give her a laugh. The little things such as my walk to work or the subway and the many hellos I pass out to people I see or places that I look at that seem to be some of the most memorable. Slowly my little walk has become something that I look forward to almost everyday even though it is so mundane to think about. It is nice to find such a routine so enjoyable since I so regularly find routines to be tedious and mind numbing. Stole the idea for posting my morning walk from my buddy Heath. Ok, this has been something of a pain in the ass, a thorn in my side, and almost on the verge of creating some nerd rage on my part. That is finding movies with Korean subtitles for my Korean friends (I can find movies with English easily but that does not mean that they necessarily have Korean subtitled version). The nerd rage began from the fact that Korea seems to do all of it’s web programming in only a Microsoft friendly programming format, which necessitates Internet Explorer to run properly. Which for me is an obscene pain in the ass since I own a Mac and absolutely abhor using Internet Explorer (come on the browser just down right sucks). So usually I had to use VMware or something to emulate a Microsoft environment to use websites such as Cyworld, my schools attendance program, or even to check for airline tickets…then came along Google Chrome for Mac (you rule Google). Next, I am on to the real meat of this post movies with Korean subtitles on a Mac. My first struggle was finding a website that would supply accurate subtitle files for digital movie formats. So I have found a website that will do just that, but I must apologize the website is only in Korean. Still it’s easy just type the name of the movie into the search field, English is usually fine unless the title has been Koreanized as such movies like Lord of the Rings will be (I don’t remember what it is in Korean but if you ever try to cite the movie to Koreans your in for a couple of blank stares), then just hit enter to search. So here is a link to Cineast which will provide you with the subtitle SMI files. Last piece of this puzzle was finding a movie player for my Mac that could support the Korean subtitle formats. This was the first time that my usually video viewing program VLC has ever failed me in supporting a movie file. VLC kicks ass in almost all aspects except surprisingly this one aspect. So tonight I have finally found a movie player that is Mac friendly and actually coded by Koreans which means the programmed it to easily support Korean subtitles right out of the box! After hours of struggling with VLC to get it not to display little boxes because it lacked the font files to support the text, I actually shouted out when I saw the Hangul feeding across the bottom of my screen! Anyways, enough suspense the name of the movie player is call Movist. The website is in Korean but just click the link on the left side of the page to download. Also I found a link to the Google code site for the Movist player, which means that it has English to make the Hangul impaired experience a little easier. Happy Subtitling! |
|||||
|
Copyright © 2010 Rather be ashes than dust - All Rights Reserved |
|||||
