I Dream Therefore I Am

I Dream

2006-11-06T00:25:00.000-08:00

Therefore I moved to here.

2006-11-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

To legalize miniskirts in S. Korea.

I did not know it was illegal to wear miniskirts in year 2006 ,in fact it was.

According to Reuters "The country is in the final stages of revising an indecency law that prohibits people from wearing revealing outfits and was once enforced by governments in the 1970s,

officials said."

What took so long for law makers to revise this kind of obsolete law?

Here's full article from

Reuters.

South Korea moves to legalize miniskirts

SEOUL (Reuters) - Hot pants and miniskirts will soon be legal in South Korea.
The country is in the final stages of revising an indecency law that prohibits people from wearing revealing outfits and was once enforced by ruler-wielding police during authoritarian governments in the 1970s, officials said.
"The law for excessive exposure does not match our current society," said Kim Jae-kwang, an official with the Korea Legislation Research Institute.
Under authoritarian rule, police could arrest or fine women for their fashion choices. They also took scissors to men whose hair they felt was too long and tossed people in jail for unauthorized dancing. The rules stayed on the books as South Korea moved to an open democracy in the late 1980s, but were no longer enforced. Now miniskirts are about as common as traffic jams in the capital of Seoul and police have long given up on measuring the distance from knees to hemlines. © Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

Do you need a HUG?

2006-11-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

Then go to Myeongdong, downtown Seoul.

Free Hugs? Is this for real? The Chosun-ilbo Article describes that the "Free Hugs"campaign originally launched in Australia by Juan Mann in 2004. The campaign aims at Cheering up strangers with a hug on the street.

It wouldn't be so practical(?) campaign in Korea, who knows it might be widely spread campaign among young generations as "Fun thing" as like "Flash Mob" which been played for a while among young Korean.

For sure, the girls have much better chance to get hugs than this young man.

Vancouver International Film Festival

2006-10-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

The 25Th annual Vancouver International Film Festival(VIFF) is started from September 28 and will be held till October 13, 2006. For this year, More than 150,000 people are expected to attend 550 screenings of over 300 films from more than 50 countries. The VIFF began in 1982.

According to VIFF Homepage;

The broad spectrum of fiction and nonfiction films from around the world is
divided into the following sections:
• Cinema of Our Time - featuring the best new cinema from around the world.
Last year's program features 70 films from 37 countries, 8 of which were North
American or International Premieres.
• Canadian Images— one of the biggest showcases of Canadian film in the world. At VIFF 2005 th, there were 106 Canadian films, including 33 features, nine mid-lengths and 64 shorts.
• Dragons and Tigers: The Cinemas of East Asia—the largest annual exhibition of East Asian films outside Asia; 95 films were in the program last year, including one world premiere, 21 international premieres, 18 North American premieres, 11 Canadian premieres, and two English-Canadian premieres.
• Nonfiction Features - Vancouver film fest-goers love documentary films – this series is perennially one of our most popular.
• Spotlight on France — This annual sidebar celebrates the unique achievements of France’s strong national cinema.

ViFF invited 20 some Korean short, mid-length films, animation and 5 featured films including;

the King & the Clown,

The Host,

And

My Scary Girl, No Mercy for the Rude, and Woman On the Beach.

I had viewed "No Mercy for the Rude" the debut film by Park Chul-Hee (former assistant to Jang Sun-Woo). He has imagined a perfect outsider: an orphaned hitman (with a speech impediment that stops him speaking) who dreams of becoming a matador and agrees to kill only the bad-mannered. Shin Ha-kyun (JSA, Dong Mak Gol); expressed this main character very well. The movie had thrills, laughs and messages.

Buga Kingz - Tic Tac Toe

2006-09-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Yup, I hear you.

2006-09-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Waytt over at the "Kimchi & Me" experienced the Canadian way of customer service in Public sector.

It's a bit sluggish if you want to get some process done in public sector in Canada especially when you are familiar with Korea's socio-syndrome of ppali-ppali .

Lee Ssang - 광대 Clown & Rush

2006-09-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

Lee Ssang and Arri

2006-09-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Why you'll never see another coup in Korea?

2006-09-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

Seems like everyday life has been continuing despite the COUP and even tourists are enjoying this surreal life-time events in Thailand.

How about in Korea? Is there going to be a coup?

Well,

At the Marmot's hole grabbed pretty good explanation. (HT to the MH)

It cracks me up!!

Even Young Korean soldiers won't follow the direct order from the line of command as they are too busy to update personal Cyworld in the base.

Another News from Montreal

2006-09-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

It actually happened three days before the tragedy in Montreal.

It's about the emergency landing in a downtown Montreal street. A Cessna was spotted flying close to the ground as it crossed over the east side of Mount Royal, where hundreds of Montrealers traditionally gather on Sundays to play Tam-Tams or simply lounge on the grass.

The plane then lined up with Parc Avenue, one of the city's major north-south arteries, and promptly touched down in front of scores of baffled onlookers.

A 49-year-old pilot and his two passengers, including his 10-year-old son, were not injured, nor was anybody on the ground. The plane made the emergency landing on a relatively clear street and rolled for 400m before stopping.

Only one of its wings hit a street pole, Montreal police said.

Read all about this emergency landing from here and here.

Sammy Berenholc, 10, who was a passenger in the single-prop Cessna that made an emergency landing on Park Ave. Yesterday, waits for investigations to be completed.
Photograph by : Montreal Gazette/Dave sideway

Pretty Surreal News, eh!

Also there's a video news clip.

Where am I?

2006-09-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a while I came back from crowded-humid street of Seoul. It took two weeks to fight(?) over 500 some emails from three weeks long vacation. And My biological clock just adjusted to normal peacefully-quite and clean city life of Vancouver again. I also started to hate those personnel who sent more than one email with same subject regardless of my "out of office" message. They simply didn't care. Damn.

So, Where am I?

I was so shocked when I read a news about "A tragedy at Dawson College in Montreal". This brain-less cold-blooded killer, Kimveer Gill, shot himself after killing a college girl and injuring at least 19 people on Wednesday.

Read all about this tragedy.

Montreal in mourning, Quebec flags lowered, and the Nation is wondering WHY?

Where am I?

Am I in the U.S.A? It scares me that the Canada becoming more like it's neighborhood.

I pray for the victims and their loved families. Especially for Anastasia DeSousa, 18, who killed by this cowardly and senseless psycho.

And now "YouTube.com" has footages.

Inside Dawson College September 13th 2006

Pictures ripped from here and video footages from youtube.com

D-1

2006-08-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

to go. I will enjoy the smoggier sky, grey apartment complexes, hot-humid weather, unfriendly faces of ordinary locals, uncivilized wild nite life, Poktan Joo, and Pojang ma cha in Seoul.

2010 Vancouver Green Olympic

2006-08-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

In 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic, Alpine skiers may have to make a little detour course because of a tiny, vulnerable frog. The coastal tailed frog, which grows to no more than three centimetres, lives in Boyd's Creek adjacent to the alpine course in Whistler Mountain.

As Vancouver Olympic Committee aims to build Olympic venues with goals of achieving zero waste, carbon neutral emissions and maximizing the use of so-called green buildings at Olympic venues. It is very interesting to see what kind of solution to be finalized to protect the habitat of this 3 cm long frog, Coastal tailed frog.

Read rest of frog story and the picture also ripped from same article.

Kim Bum Soo - 보고싶다

2006-07-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Miss You!

Crying Nuts - 써커스 매직 유랑단 Circus Magic

2006-07-22T00:38:00.000-07:00

Perspectives

2006-07-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

BAD DOG

"Why d¡d you bite the hand that feeds you?" Yells President Roh Mo-hyun at North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. (English Chosun, 19 July 2006)

Con·ser·va·tive
(adj.) Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change;
Traditional or restrained in style; a conservative dark suit.
(n.) One favoring traditional views and values.

What's wrong with this guy?

Kim Jong-il is out on a limb, so to speak, as he tries to avoid rising floodwaters. Bush and Koizumi are hacking away at the flood barrier when Bush turns to ask Roh Moo-hyun, "Hey, what are you doing just standing there?" (Hankyoreh Geurimpan, 20 July 2006)

Pro·gres·sive
(adj.) Moving forward; advancing; Proceeding in steps; continuing steadily by increments; progressive change.
(n.) A person who actively favors or strives for progress toward better conditions, as in society or government.

In Lebanon, Massive Evacuation Plan

2006-07-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

Goes into effect as more than 20,000 Canadians gather near the port of Beirut to board ships. Eight Canadian Killed by a Bomb Blast last Sunday, July 16th in Israeli airstrike, as Israel continued its attacks on Hezbollah bases in Lebannon, following the killing of eight Israeli soldiers and kidnapping of two soldiers.

Middle East Conflicts seems far from the solution. Conflicts have been going on for decades. It seems endless. This bloody game is still going on.

Terrorists attack Israel.

Israel Retaliates.

Only innocent people get hurts from both side.

Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinians have a long history of conflict. Here are some of the major flare ups:

1969: Lebanon allows Palestinians in Lebanon to "join in armed struggle." Agreement stays in place until 1987.
1970-1971: PLO moves its base from Jordan to Lebanon.
April 1973: Israeli commandos kill three PLO leaders in Beirut.
1975: Civil war breaks out in Lebanon, lasts nearly 15 years.
1978: Israel establishes a 12-mile-wide "security zone" with Lebanon.
September 1978: Israel and Egypt agree to a peace treaty.
July 17, 1981: A U.S.-brokered ceasefire is signed by Israel, the PLO and Syria.
1982: Ceasefire ends. Hezbollah, a fundamentalist Shiite Muslim terrorist group, emerges.
Oct. 23, 1983: Hezbollah suicide bomber blows up the headquarters of U.S. Marine and French forces in Beirut, killing 298.
June 1985: Israel withdraws from Lebanon but keeps control of security zone.
July 1993: Israel attacks southern Lebanon.
April 1996: Israel and Hezbollah engage in a 16-day battle, in which at least 137 people are killed.
May 2000: Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon.
July 2006: Hezbollah fighters enter Israel, kill three Israeli soldiers and kidnap two others in a bid to negotiate a prisoner exchange, a demand rebuffed by Israel.

There will never be peace there, as long as there's people who think that they are better than the others. The conflicts going to go on forever. There is NO Right or Wrong side. There are only right and wrong actions which exist on both sides.

Pictures also ripped from here and here.

Where is the Love?

2006-07-18T16:10:00.000-07:00

By Black Eyed Peas & clips from "CRASH"

Quote of The Day

2006-07-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

from crisscross.jp

" One of the girls in my class wears her skirts provocatively
short. I spoke to her mother, hinting she might want to do something about this. The mother said, 'Don't you teachers like to look at
girls in short skirts?' "
A senior high-school teacher in Aichi Prefecture, answering a Shukan Bunshun poll of 1,000 teachers across the country, asking them to describe the worst parents they have dealt with.
And comments on this quote started with...
bad cultural influence
rjd 0 Goals 0 Favorites (Jul 18 2006 - 04:21) Rate Post
These house wives are spending way too much time watching t.v. and browsing the een-tahh-neh-to. Some of these families need to open their eyes and realize the negative influence of the immoral western culture is having on Japanese culture, LOL.
Other side goes this way...
rjd
katsuramen 1 Goals 0 Favorites (Jul 18 2006 - 08:13) Rate Post
Get it out of your head. It's not western culture that causes this. I am so sick of seeing this statement made. As if Japan is lilly white innocent. Girls in Japan have been wearing short skirts since babyhood. Japan has it's own culture of clothes worn to fancy men. Has nothing to do with western culture. Stop blaming the west for everything.
And A Japanese view goes like...
Nuts Kashii

kimigano 0 Goals 8 Favorites (Jul 18 2006 - 09:51) Rate Post
As a Japanese person, I can tell you it's Western influence that causes these problems. It bashes Japan (and is essentially racist) to claim that Japan caused these things herself.
And An American has a view like...
kimigano
smichael888 0 Goals 0 Favorites (Jul 18 2006 - 11:00)Rate Post
Sorry but that simply isn't true.As Nuts Kashii says read up on Japanese pornography. You'll get a surprise.Study the behavior of the Samurai compare the pattern of modern advertising magazines and manga. They are very much a part of Japanese culture and do not compare directly with Westernculture at all. The constant emphasis is on youth innocence and kawaii.Other cultures admire youth-example US cheer leaders- but not in quite the same way as Japan.Add to this the fact that many Japanese look much younger than they really are and it is easy to present a fully mature adult in a very youthful way.This done all the time to satisfy Japanese cutural norms schoolgirls follow this culture and to some extent help to form it.The development of this form of presentation to refined levels and in the mainstream of Japanese culture is unique and a product of Japanese history and thinking.A lot of questions would be asked in the West if the 711s carried pictures that look like pubescent teens in provocative styled school clothing on the front of a magazine. The fact these woman are older than they look does not detract from the fantasy being sold and points to what many Japanese men enjoy viewing and think about.
Want to read the rest comments on this quote.
Image ripped from here

No Brain - 바다 사나이 Marine boy

2006-07-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

A Poll Preemptive Strike On NK

2006-07-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

This was interesting poll conducted by Cisscross Japan. The site conducted a poll from viewers on "NK missile crisis".

A Poll asked "Do you support a preemptive U.S. military strike against North Korea?". The result was as follow but my question still arose, why it asked "U.S military strike" instead of "Japan Military strike"...

-----------------------
Do you support a preemptive U.S. military strike against North Korea?
This poll began on July 8, 2006
"No" - > 619 votes (60.9%)
"Yes" -> 397 votes (39.1%)
Total: 1016 votes
Crisscross Discussion
----------------------

I would like give my credits to this viewer saying;

Funny

soundwave00 0 Goals 0
Favorites (Jul 11 2006 - 19:18) Rate Post
It seems Japan is the one who wants to do Preemptive strike, not the US. The US seems content with cutting off N Korea`s allowance(sanctions,etc) while Japan is trying to figure out how to attack NK without violating the anti military action law from WW2. Who better to do that
then coercing a foreign military who already have a gripe with the offending country. So now, they turn to the people they protest and complain about every chance they get.
Shrewd businessmen as always.

Crying Nuts - 말 달리자

2006-07-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

Let's ride!!

What?

2006-07-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

North Korea demanded more and more, as usual, during this inter-Korean ministerial meeting in Busan. According to Chosun ilbo,

North Korea’s Senior Cabinet Counselor Kwon Ho-ung in his keynote speech hailed the impoverished country’s “Songun” or military-first ideology, which he claimed was helping the South protect its security and benefited “a vast majority” of South Koreans....
...To depend his position..., Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok gave short shrift to Kwon¡¯s claims for the Songun policy. "Has anyone in the South asked the North to protect our safety?" he demanded. "North Korea can help us protect our security when it stops launching missiles and dismantles its nuclear program".

And North Korean just left the table, as usual.

My first reaction was just WTF, instantly, when I read this article....Where is our own strength over North Korea? I really want claim back my vote that I made over Uri. Dang and Roh, hoping for a wind of change in Korea. The wind blew back to Korea as a dust wind worst than "yellow dust" from China. Damn..

Cartoon ripped from here and each box translate as follow

1) Busan South-North Film Festival
2) Lee Jong-suk the friendly.
3) The South is safe thanks to “Good Military Politics” (says the North)
4) So, take care of your own business! (the North)

Lee Ssang - Lee Ssang Blues

2006-07-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

To be, or Not to be

2006-07-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

A bit heated debate is running over Crisscross News Japan, in which this picture of billboard, Sony has pulled this Dutch billboard ad for the new white version of its PlayStation Portable game console, is racist or not.

To me, this ad is a bit offensive billboard ad with contrast between black and white. The ad copy "Portable white is coming" makes the picture more offensive. And I'm sure this ad campaign created more than one picture and targeted only for European market, or for Japan and other Asian market, otherwise it would be very controversial ad in North American (Canada & U.S.) market.

But same questions has risen as others did on the board. What if it was a white model grabbing another white model exactly the same pose? What if it was a white model caressing by a black model? What if it was white male model with black male model, or female...What if? What if?

And it wouldn't give any attention to the public audiences if the actual "White" & "Black" portable playstaion (PSP) shown on the board, definitely.

Sushi

2006-07-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

I love Sushi, in fact who wouldn't fall in love with the taste of Sushi? I was told by a Japanese friend that it may take several years to enjoy the true taste of sushi and appreciation of taste is also taken very seriously in Japan. And also it would be a life time adventures to quests all different kinds of sushi in different regions of Japan. I was lucky to learn the basic mechanics of eating sushi in easy way while I stayed in Japan.

So do not intimidate. These are the basic of basics.

First of all, Sushi is categorized by how it is prepared. And basically there is two type of Sushi.

Maki sushi: rolls of raw fish or vegetable and rice wrapped in seaweed and cut into bite-sized rounds.

Nigiri sushi: sliced raw fish (or cooked shrimp, crab, or egg) that is pressed over a pad of rice.

The sushi will be served garnished with slices of pickled ginger and wasabi, a spicy, green condiment and pickled ginger. The ginger is intended to refresh the palate to better appreciate the delicate flavors of the fresh, raw fish.
1. Pour a small amount of soy sauce in the small dish that should be provided.
2. Mix in a small amount of wasabi in the soy sauce, if you wish. Some Japanese would consider this bad form as some sushi already has wasabi in it between the fish and the rice. Outside of Japan, however, this is a common practice, I think.
3. Hold sushi with either chopsticks or your fingers.
4. Dip sushi into the soy sauce.
5. Nigiri sushi should be dipped into the soy sauce fish side down.
6. Maki sushi should be dipped seaweed side down. This keeps the rice from getting too wet and falling apart. Depending on the size of the piece it can be eaten one to three bites.

That's all about Sushi that I know from my little knowledge.

Japundit also has posted very good and detailed pieces for starters on Noriko Takiguchi's How to eat Sushi properly and Sushi do, sushi don’t . As always Wikipedia has detailed infor. of A to Z about Sushi.

Sushi Anyone?

Forest Saved

2006-07-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

The citizens of Coquitlam practiced the power of voice in right way to save the forest, Walton Woods. The tri-city news reports that the voices won over Coquitlam city council this week to save a strip of forest from being razed for new homes. This forest, Walton Woods, is also home to the “Coquitlam Giant,” a 200-foot Douglas Fir tree.

North Korean Missile Launches...Again..

2006-07-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

Nothing has changed...The Leaders and Military of NK are really good at this game of intimidation, bluff and misdirection. North Korea will gain what they want and yet they will continue to obscure their activities and do what they like.

Cartoons from here and here

Something About Asiaphiles

2006-07-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

" OK, I'm all for racially mixed couples but there's something about asiaphiles that gets to me. There is definitely a group of white guys out there who have an unnatural love for Asian women. Check out this guy for instance"...continue to read

*this post and cartoon stolen from Secret Asian Man

Happy Birthday!

2006-06-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

Canada ...Tomorrow, July 1, is the Canada Day. 4th Canada Day for me.

It's so great that office close at 3 p.m., Free Lunch (Free is always good!), and Monday off for Stat. holiday,,,,,,,, yeaaaa!!

Oh! Here is today's (June 30th, 2006) schedule at the office that I got on company's bulletin.

Time
11:30 - 1:00 Barbeque Lunch at the Hub (Cafeteria)
12:00 Sing O Canada at big tent area outside of Hub
1:00 - 2:00 Big Canadian Artist Performs atbig tent area outside of Hub
2:00 Back to Work At your desk
3:00 Go Home Early!

Remembered

2006-06-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

Their souls will be remebered

C'est fini

2006-06-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

Two weeks of Fever is over. Hope to see better team Korea in 2010.
Switzerland and France got in this afternoon, leaving the Koreans in the cold.
Real Battle of World Cup started..
I am rooting for Ghana ^^

Another

2006-06-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

100 Days of B.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l Vancouver Summer started two days ago...so...98 days of summer to enjoy!

Please

2006-06-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

Shut up! Mr. Kang

호접지몽 (胡蝶之夢, 蝴蝶之夢)

2006-06-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

This post remains top until December 31, 2007.

胡:오랑캐, 어찌 호 蝶:나비 접 之:갈 지(…의) 夢:꿈 몽

① 물아(物我)의 구별을 잊음의 비유.
② 만물 일체(萬物一體)의 심정

어느날 장자는 꿈에 나비가 되었다.
날개를 펄럭이며 꽃 사이를 즐겁게 날아다녔다. 너무도 기분이 좋아서 자신이 장자인지도 몰랐다.그러다 불현 듯 꿈에서 깨었다. 깨고 보니 자신은 나비가 아니라 장자가 아닌가? 장자는 생각에 잠겼다.

아까 꿈에 나비가 되었을 때는 나는 내가 장자인지 몰랐다. 지금 꿈에서 깨고 보니 나는 분명 장자가 아닌가? 그렇다면 지금의 나는 정말 장자인가, 아니면 나비가 꿈에서 장자가 된 것인가? 지금의 나는 과연 진정한 나 인가?
아니면 나비가 나로 변한 것인가?

장자의 호접지몽처럼 가끔 현실과 환상의 경계에서 허우적댈때가 있다. 정답은 없다. 현실에서든, 꿈에서든 스스로 행복할 수 있다면 여기가 어디든, 내가 무엇이든 무슨 상관이랴.

This post remains top until December 31, 2007. More recent posts can be found by scrolling below

Shall I

2006-06-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

Start Posting?