The Jaraseom Jazz Festival and a few other pictures

These benches are popular drinking spots for students near my place. One morning I headed out early...ish to see this. It made me happy.

Downtown Seoul at night looks great when I bring my tripod.

The lady with purple hair didn't notice.
I went to a cocktail bar with a buddy and it was really really good. Nice mojito, amazing side-dishes, and halfway through the night, we realized that every glass we'd drunk from was shaped differently forom the others. So we took pictures, of course.


This kid was in a subway station, holding a sign saying, "Don't run on the escalator" in front of his face, to hide his shame at being busted. It's not the first time I've seen kids holding signs at this station... whoever's responsible for using shame to punish kids' bad behavior might be onto something, though.
And girlfriendoseyo and I went to Jaraseom, an island near Chuncheon where they have an annual jazz festival.
It was beautiful out there.
and busy.
and pretty at night
and the fall colors are kicking in for real now. it's great.
though the English on the signs wasn't always the best.
and of course a few pictures out the train window, on the way back.
Meanwhile, we saw a bunch of jazz acts, including this guy, Avishai Cohen, a bass-player from Israel, who created a really nice soundspace as he played. He had a mellow gravelly, but mellow voice -- like Sting, but less whiny, and his drummer was really cool, and Girlfriendoseyo and I just generally really enjoyed the show. Plus, when he was really into the music, he made funny faces - his face looked like it had no bones in it - and stuck out his tongue, but it didn't matter, because he was really into his music. I liked him. You can learn more about him here, at his website.

One of the things about music is that it's almost always better live than on a recording, but of all the genres, I'm convinced that Jazz is the one that improves the most, upon hearing it live. There's really nothing like the experience.




Oh yeah, and we saw the Band Formerly Known As The Gypsy Kings, too, and they flamenco'd the HELL out of their set.



More on the jazz thingy later, if I get around to youtubing the video I took.

Blog Action Day: Green Korea?

Blog action day is a day when bloggers all around the world write about a certain topic of interest and import to the world... and the blogosphere, I suppose, though the blogosphere is less important that, you know, THE WORLD.

anyway, bloggers this year voted to write about climate change (that's twice in three blog action days.. if not three times) -- but I just wrote about that. My friend Matt thinks this will be the most compelling issue of our generation... and I don't think he's wrong.

Anyway, this being a Korea blog, I took a look around google news and other searches, to find out about Korea's green status. Here are some interesting articles about Korea's green record.

First of all, Korea's a bit of an environmental puzzle: they develop wetlands, but LG Chem also invented one of the best batteries out there, which GM will be using in their electric car development, and which might lead to a Korean mass-produced electric car. Of the world's 20 largest economies, Korea and China used the highest percentage of their economic stimulus investments to support environmental work, and young Koreans overwhelmingly think protecting the environment is very important. These are good signs, duh.

There's the ironic trumpeting of the DMZ as a wildlife preserve, in which the Kimcheerleeders casually gloss over the fact it's undeveloped because it's a minefield... but it's also the one place in the world where you can observe the Three-Legged Asian Bear, and the Three-Legged Wild Deer, in its natural habitat.

But if you're going to read only one of these links, go for:

Asia Chronicle has an awesome article about "Korea's Green Nationalism" which does a great job describing the importance of nationalism in Korea, and how just as (polluting) industrial development was an imperative to repair Korea's damaged national pride after Japanese colonialism, reforestation was equally important to make up for the way the Japanese exploited Korean forests. In fact, Korea's reforestation project has been a remarkable success, increasing Korea's forestry resources by 900% since 1973. And trees grow slow. Arbor Day is a (kind of a) big deal here.

In my own observation, a short trip to Japan showed a much higher visible commitment to environmental protection in buildings and infrastructure: buildings had "energy efficient" stickers and signs on windows, appliances, and all over; almost every road had bike lanes, (whereas in Korea, the bike lane in front of Gyungbok Palace seems to have been taken as a "Buses, Taxis, Scooters and one Frazzled Biker Fearing For His Life Lane"). Bikes in Korea are a toy for kids, not a valid transportation option: hell if you'd find a bike garage like this (any old place in Kyoto) somewhere in Seoul. Maybe the situation's better in other cities, or outside the city, but it's bleak in Smoggy Seoul.

Yay Japan!
So there's a ways to go, both in public policy and conservation efforts, in green technology and infrastructure, and, more than anywhere else, in my opinion, also in the culture of the people on the street. It has to become cool to ride a bike in Korea, but for now, a car is still too much of a status symbol for all those old guys to take the subway (how can I browbeat my subordinates into staying late if I can't point to the parking lot and scream, "I drive a dodge stratus!" at them?) -- bikes have to become cool. The new subway lines in development have to be used. Bike lane laws must be enforced. And, before even starting the "don't litter you disgusting foob" awareness campaign, instilling respect for the streets in your average Korean, rather than just love for Dokdo, public trash receptacles need, need, NEED to return to Korea's public spaces so that people have no excuse for littering.

I lived in Jongno for sixteen months, and every morning at 6:40am when I walked to work, I had to walk by this. Frankly, it just looks like Seoulites don't respect their own city, when you see this: it's just shameful: (final picture in the series: puke warning)

Blogoseyo: Mountain Climbing Edition

Kimchi and Cornbread gives us a great list of Korea's mountains and national parks.

My favorite artist has a new cd coming out soon

Tom Waits is, by head and shoulders, the favorite artist in my huge and eclectic and slightly indie-snobbish music collection.

He's got a new one coming out soon, and you can download a sample by putting in your e-mail address.

Also: Ten Magazine's list of the ten best mountains in Seoul... ten best known might have been more apt, but I'll take it. (HT Rok Drop)

Happy Hangul Day (Actually, it was October 9)

And how better to celebrate hangul than by slamming Japan? And not slamming Japanese politicians or historians... but slamming the Japanese pronunciation of an English word (Scottish, I suppose, really), and not just slamming the Japanese pronounciation of any Scottish word, but that of one that Koreans can't say properly, either!


All I can say is... wow. That American tourist sure speaks Korean well!

I also love the smug face of the Korean-speaking (read: "right") one in the clip from McDonalds -- she has the same face as the person in those Christian videos I used to watch in youth group, who listens to friends talk about some relevant, real-life moral dilemma with a smug smile, before jumping in, just after they have presented the dilemma, with,

"Well, I actually have an answer to your question... and I just happen to have a bible with me... let me tell you a story about a man..."

And the icing on the cake has got to be, in this video about promoting Korean culture, that their music selection at the beginning and end of the video, are kayagum arrangements (that's good -- kayagum's a korean instrument) -- of BEATLES songs.

. . . too easy. Just too easy.

But then... I heard when Paul McCartney was killed in that car accident and secretly replaced by a body double, that his replacement was a Korean.

On a slightly more positive note, Sejong is up and running in Gwanghwamun Plaza, and he looks good. Despite my derisive language a moment ago, I still like Sejong a lot for what he did, and even if Hangul was rejected by the Yangban back in the day as something for the "low" people, and they clung to Chinese to maintain the elitist gap between them and the peasants, as cultural mythmaking goes, Korea couldn't have picked a better hero to venerate.


Chosun English on Hangul

A Look At the Hangeul Signs In Insadong

See, I've heard before that Insadong's Starbucks is the only one in the world that has the word Starbucks in a script other than roman. It's Hangul - Korean script. Apparently, though I can't find a reference, some Korean professor heard about the starbucks in insadong, and sent a letter to the editor saying that putting English letters in Insadong would make Korean children stop wanting to read Hangul, and Korean culture would be lost forever.

People have indeed been talking about whether Korea has too much English... now as then.

So, back when the old Starbucks came up, in order to prevent Korea's entire culture from vanishing into a vortex of English letters, Sex and the City brunches and blue jeans, Insadong made a new bylaw that all signs in Insadong had to be in Korean letters. Now, I'm not sure if the wording of the bylaw is "Hangul Only" or "Must contain some Hangul"... but I thought I'd check it out, to see whether the Starbucks rule was applied, or actually just symbolic, and whether the rule applied to Korean companies, or just to the evil American Imperialist Chain Franchise Antichrist.

So here begins my tour: to start, MOST signs sure ARE in Hangul only.

But then... the purple haired lady will guide you through Insadong on a photo tour.

Now let's be clear, to begin with: the overwhelming majority of the signs in Insadong looked pretty much like this. Lots. Of. Hangul. Korea's innocent little children, who, I swear, are on the brink of losing Korean culture while humming Wondergirls songs between bouts of Starcraft and studying for standardized tests...but then, they'd better be careful where they go, even in Insadong.
This is definitely the rule, not the exception...at least in Insadong. I'd be interested if any bundang based bloggers would be interested to put up a bunch of photos of how much English appears on the signs in Bundang...or Apkujeong or Kangnam, as well, for that matter.

Nature Republic, a Korean brand (link - warning: Korean cheesecake) which usually puts English on their signs, had to put hangul on their storefront.

Isae doesn't have much Korean. The slogan is also in (pretty bad) English, here.

Roman letters... are they OK if the Roman letters are not-English?
But the evil American Imperial Franchise Antichrist and Enemy to All Things Good and Korean... they have to use Hangul. And not even smaller English letters underneath it. (Can't see from here if the Starbucks Logo uses roman letters intact).

A-Shin-- which sounds like a Korean word -- is inexplicably spelled with English letters.
Arirang, a mathom shop, is allowed to have English, Korean, and... Japanese...? side by side, taking up about equal space.


This gallery didn't need to use Korean.


The street food things don't seem to need to use hangul.

The banner for the art show was allowed to use big... Italian, is it? Without problems.


The hospital had to have prominent Korean.

All English letters on the gallery.



Gallery Yes; Korean No; Problem No. Seems to be the rule, so far.

Chinese characters. No Korean. Korean kids who shop here are definitely losing interest in learning Korean. But no English... so I guess we're OK.


Isae: fashion company... couldn't find info on it, either on google, or online -- the website url didn't connect in firefox.



More English on a gallery sign.


Gallery: All English. No Korean to be seen - at least not prominent.


The bylaw doesn't seem to be enforced on the side-streets of Insadong.

Ssamziegil -- the new style plaza.


Fashion shop "Supremes" - English work, Korean letters.

Gallery: English. Korean and Chinese combined stencils.


Gallery: English Words written in Korean.


Gallery: English. No Korean.


Crown Bakery, which only shows Korean image results when I do a google image search, and which doesn't turn up on google pretty much at all, has to spell it out in Korean, despite having English letters everywhere else in Korea except here.



Around the corner from the top of insa, is Lime Tree (nice avocado sandwiches). English letters prominent. A few throwaway Hanguls on the main sign.

Down the street, next to Anguk Station exit 1 (clearly no longer Insadong proper), another Starbucks with Korean letters. While I don't have the research to say for sure, it seems like most other shops can get away with mostly English... but the Evil American Imperial Franchise Antichrists can't, even if they're NOT in Insadong proper.

In general, my non-scientific observations:
Restaurants use hangul.
Galleries can use English.
Souvenir shops can use English, but have to have hangul on there, too.
Foreign chains seem to have to use Hangul, as do Korean chains with English names. At least there's consistency there.

In conclusion, Korea is a land of contrasts. Thank you for reading my essay.

From the movie flyers

Picked up these movie flyers a while back.

I love that because Nicolas Cage married a Korean, his movies are three times more popular (should I say K-popular?) in Korea than in America, and even his craptasticolioso work runs for the better part of a month. (Ghost Rider, I'm talking to you.)

Even cuter: in the promotional flyer for the movie Knowing, he's introduced with the diminutive nickname "케서방" - Kae-seobang. Usually, "seobang" goes after an in-law's family name to make a cute nickname, I'm told by Girlfriendoseyo. "Kim seobang" would be the nickname if the in-law's family name were "Kim," for example. Yeah. Cute. Korea loves Nicolas Cage. Kiss. Even when his acting is about on par with this.




At the same time, I picked up this pamphlet: Jeon Ji-hyun starred in "Blood, the Last Vampire," a full-on Hollywood movie starring a Korean... and STILL disappeared from Korean cinemas with barely a whimper. It was so bad it never even got the "OMFG A Korean is in a Hollywood movie!!!!!" hype that most Korean roles in Hollywood films merit.


I watched it (download) and...yeah. It didn't warrant the hype. Or even the eighty minutes of my life. Pretty bad.

Plus, in the picture, is a new Konglish spelling mistake I've been coming across lately: the misspelling of "Heroine" (meaning female hero of a movie) as "Heroin".

Yeah.

2S2: Toward an expat community

So Ask The Expat got the ball rolling with this one, by suggesting that it was time for the fragmented mini-pockets of expat community (starting in Seoul, because he's in Seoul) start getting organized.

In an effort to get that going, here's the idea I had:

You know how everybody knows that the fourth Friday of every month is club night in Hongdae? You don't have to check local listings -- you just have to show up, and people begin to plan part of their weekends around it, and stuff, because it's sure a sight to see, and it's gonna happen -- every fourth Friday, like clockwork, it's there.

Well, in a similar way, why aren't expats planning out things, not just to get together and get trashed, but in order to establish a more integrated network of expats here in Korea, in order to provide opportunities for socializing with people other than my coworkers, at the neighborhood bar, and in order to take all the online connections we have, and get them into real life?

So here's the idea: I was going to call it "The Second Saturdays Project," until I found out that the Seoul Writers Club's upcoming project is called "Every Second Sunday" -- seems to be taken. So instead, I present to you:

2S2 -- it's symmetrical, it's memorable, hopefully somebody with some graphic design skill will make it into a simple, recognizable logo sometime, and it contains the information you need.
2S2 stands for "Second Saturdays at 2" or every second Saturday at 2pm. This 2S2 would be a regular get-together where people can meet, network, and then participate in other activities.

It's my dream that 2S2 grow to become a decentralized get-together where expats can meet up at agreed-upon places around Seoul and Korea, in order to build and strengthen connections, and in order to provide a context in which expats in Korea can help each other learn about Korea and integrate better with their host-country, as well as to provide a gathering of people ready to participate in a tangible community, and give something back to Korea. At this point, the people scapegoating foreigners and English teachers are well-mobilized and well-organized, but we English teachers and expats aren't doing a whole lot to provide a different image of ourselves than the dirty, unqualified, etcetera. Once it gains steam, 2S2 meetings could be an opportunity to get expats out in the community, picking up trash, volunteering at different places, taking part in cultural events, and who knows what else -- really, the imaginations of the organizers is the limit.

Here's the best thing about it: all it takes is a couple of people to organize a 2S2 Pocket. Basically, we already have the main info: 2S2 means every Second Saturday of the month, at 2pm. From there, all an organizer needs to do is send me a message and say "Hey. I'm going to start a 2S2 pocket at ___" and name a location. I'll publish the location, here, at The Hub of Sparkle, and if somebody has the web skills, we might even put it up on its own website. Well-known, or at least easy-to-find locations are probably best; I'd suggest coffee shops rather than bars, because part of the purpose of forming a more tangible community is to break OUT of the stereotype of English teachers in Korea to extend frat/sorority life, and from there, it's just a matter of showing up at that spot, every second Saturday at 2, and to meet whoever else is looking to connect, and to have an activity ready to go for whoever does show up. Hopefully, we'll start hearing from people with information like "Hey. I know an orphanage in this area where they'd love to have..." "I know a church that runs a Saturday soup kitchen..." or, for that matter, "why don't we all bring our used books to the meetup and pass them around?" and who knows what else, so that we can start reaching out to the community, and also connecting with each other. Bring your friends: it's an open invitation. Pick a different location every month if you're just attending -- but if you're an organizer, once you've named a location, be there every second Saturday, or find someone to fill the post in your absence. And that's it.

Like Club Night, it would take some time, I imagine, for the grassroots meetups to gain steam, and membership, but the nice thing about this is that it's decentralized, which means that each group can take ownership of their own pocket, and decide what their 2S2 Pocket is about, and how they're going to run things, and what kinds of activities they're going to do. If you volunteer to open a pocket, I'm gonna ask you to be patient, and be committed, during the beginning stages, when things never look very impressive. Maybe it's just you and your three coworkers for the first four months... well, OK. But this is something that could eventually build up to something a lot bigger, and meaningful for a lot of people, so, yeah, encourage people you meet to join, and stick with it, eh?


So I'm naming a location for the first, pilot 2S2 Pocket: The second floor of Twosome Place, at the top of Insa-dong street. If you want to find it, go to Anguk Station, exit 1, and turn right when you come out of the gate. Twosome Place will be on your right, just before the big intersection. Go there, and look for me, tomorrow at 2pm. Depending on who, and how many people show up, the activity's not going to be very ambitious this time: just a meet-and-greet, weather permitting, a stroll around, and possibly dinner, but if you want to talk to me more about 2S2, or if you have ideas, or if you have a spot where a few expats looking to give back to the community could add their energy, I'd love to hear about it, by e-mail, or in person.

This is not an exclusive effort -- the invitation's open to anyone, so bring your Korean, Brazilian, or Martian friend if you want, and let's try to get the expat community in Korea amounting to more than the sum of its parts, instead of significantly less, as it stands right now.

QOTD during test week

I'm making and marking tests this week. That's no fun, but due to a glitch in schedules, I have an accidental four-day weekend...during which I have a lot of work to do.

So here's some food for thought, courtesy of my "quote of the day" gadget in Igoogle:

If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.
- Dorothy Parker

another personal favorite:
Money is a terrible master but an excellent servant.
- P.T. Barnum

Kang Shin-Who Search... Note Result Number 5