Dance the Candlegirl! (Anticlimax. . . or I left too early)

Well, I went, and there were lots of people, but nothing too out of sorts, compared to other days. The counter-protest fizzled (relatively speaking), however, I did spot a few dance troupes (or maybe the same one in two places) out starting what I think will explode into the next dance craze.

Ladies and gentlemen, after an intense editing session, I present to you:

The Candlegirl! Get busy learning those steps: it's gonna be tearing all the clubs in Hongdae a new one in no time!


(Update: For the sake of giving credit where it's due, Scott Burgeson, whom I met at the protest, was the one who had the conversations with the "V For Vendetta" masqueraders, and discovered that they didn't know the meaning of their symbolism.)


Update: ROKDrop (thanks for the link love) has more info about the creators of the candlegirl -- move over, JYP! The activists are breathing down your neck! GIKorea also reports that there were no clashes or violence last night, and a pretty unimpressive turnout, compared to June's protests, so I don't feel bad about leaving at about 12:00.

Thanks also, Zenkimchi, and Seoul Eats for the link love.

Update: There's an interesting discussion going on between Gord Sellar and Scott Burgeson, the long-time expat with whom I walked around the protests, and who talked to the "V for Vendetta" protestors, over the actual and intended meaning of their symbolism, and whether we should give them a break for misunderstanding the real (anarchist) meaning of the "V for Vendetta" symbolism, or hold them to account for running so far with a ball like "V for Vendetta" when they didn't realize it was actually a pineapple. Scott suggests that this pulling of random issues and symbols into the fray, when they don't belong there, is crass and distasteful, while Gord (coming into his own in his new position as the K-Blogosphere's top protester apologist) defends their symbolism, saying that they're transmitting the symbols basically in the same context that they were received. See here and here and the comment board on this post for more.

If anything's gonna happen, it's gonna happen tonight.

And I'm bringing my camera.

The protests in Gwanghwamun are still (STILL!) running almost nightly, as the numbers dwindle, the extremists have gotten more violent in order to keep people's attention, newspaper buildings have been attacked, police buses have been destroyed, hundreds have been injured, and Korea has a whacked out protest culture (seriously, follow this link: it'll blow your mind), and while things have been less bat-shit insane this time than previously, if it's going to go overboard, tonight's the night it will.

There are counter-protests to go along with the protests, involving beef supporters, North Korea-supporters (as in, "People are dying, and you're mad about BEEF IMPORTS? Get a phunking GRIP!"), and the protest groups are hoping tonight will be another peak, for some reason or another (maybe because their support is flagging, and they're in the process of showing their colours as primadonnas and attention whores?)

Anyway, gonna be an interesting night, and I'm bringin' my camera!

Here's how I imagine the players (anti-protesters, pro-protesters, police, ring-leaders, etc..) are getting ready for the big throw-down:



Here are the very worth-reading thoughts of Scott Burgeson, or King Baeksu, a fellow who lives right next to the epicenter of the protests, and has attended almost every night.

Blogoseyo goes multimedia! (Food porn)

Short of figuring out a way for your computer to waft clouds of special Roboseyo fragrances (pavement after rain, acacia trees, car exhaust from downtown Seoul), this is about as multimedia as I can get:

I learned how to create videos on my new mac. Gee, this is fun.

In other news, I have a youtube video channel now, to go with my flickr account. All can be found under my usual moniker, Roboseyo.

Wheee!

This is a dish called Dalk Galbi.

The song is KC Accidental, by Broken Social Scene.

Gosh, I'm pleased with myself right now.
How do you like that, Zenkimchi?

For the Joshing Gnome

Joe, over at the Joshing Gnome, is writing a really interesting series of posts about the Korean idea of "jung" -- a mythical connection between humans that only Koreans share with each other.

Debunkadunk!

He brings together the ideas of Amoral Familism (explained in other places on his blog) with the Korean concept of Jung, in a really interesting way that you may or may not agree with. . . but it's sure thought-provoking.

And just to be a tease, (Bajung Gadung Dung), he's publishing it in parts, one day at a time, so that we have to wait in suspense for each new installment..

(Links as they become available)
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five

This guy knows a lot about Korea, and has a very interesting take on the country. More about him later. . . for now, Joe, here's a video that perhaps illustrates a bit of what you're talking about.

I know this video's nothing new: it's made the round on the K-blogosphere before, but here you go.

Wait for it: forty-three seconds in, something happens that. . . well, I better not say too much.




while I'm posting way-after-the-point clips anyway, let's take a moment to kick it in Geumchon.





Have a good day.

the joys of kopseulmori (curly hair)

Happy Canada Day, all.

Before the rest: a lovely Konglish T-shirt.

I had a little fun with my naturally curly hair (YES, IT'S NATURAL, DAMMIT!) [sorry: twice a week an old lady asks me where I got my perm] today at work, stuffing pens in there.
The receptionists thought this was high comedy.
I had about ten stuffed up there, stuck between locks.  I'd almost forgotten my hair could do that.
Ten, however, was nowhere near my record: back in high school, when I let my hair grow out for about ten months (twelfth grade yearbook photo, minus personal info):

I once went into a Chemistry 11 final with an entire pencil case stuffed with pens and pencils.  All through the final, I surreptitiously slid pens and pencils into my natty mass of hair: it was long enough then, that they were completely hidden inside my mop.  Then, when I finished my final, I stood to hand in my exam, and when I handed it in, I held my head back, and then threw it forward in a (fake) sneeze.

About fifty pens and pencils flew all across the floor at the front of the classroom.  Got a decent laugh. . . though it isn't my ONLY final exam hijinx story by a longshot.  (If by a longshot you mean two.)

If you want to know the other two, you'll have to ask in the comments.

Until then:

a couple more pictures:

Didn't know pets were recyclable.

(eating dog joke goes here)

More from Jongho(from the previous post)'s ad agency: