맞춰 보세요

In order to find the answer for this question, you will need to know Hangul well. So what comes next? Don't lose sleep over it, answer will be given a day later ^^

Trivia: Guinness Book of World Records once listed Korean civil engineer and former child prodigy, Kim Ung-yong, as the person with the highest IQ. He was estimated to have a IQ score of 210. But the "Highest IQ" category was subsequently scraped in 1990 as comparison of scores from different tests was impossible.



Highlight the space within the bracket to see the answer and explanation.

Answer: [ (C). First, look at the missing strokes of each grid. From left to right, the missing strokes combined to give Hangul alphabet ㄱ → ㄴ → ㄷ → ㄹ. The Hangul alphabet that comes after ㄹ is ㅁ, hence answer C. ]

대박 사건

One unconventional "love song" by a rookie singer, one parody and one controversy. Add them up, boom, the song becomes an instant hit.

If you don't know Korean, you would have assumed this new kid on the block, Bro, with his emotional vocal, is singing about a heartbreaking love story in his debut song "그런 남자". But no, he is actually criticising women for imposing their high ideal on men. He even boldly suggests that woman who is looking for prince should go Saudi, except that they practise polygamy.

In "retaliation", a girl group, Veloce, made a parody of the song and named it "그런 여자". As expected, the lyrics takes men to task for holding unrealistic expectation of women. Hitting back at Bro's suggestion, the lady proposes that man who wants beauty like Kim Tae Hee should go Ukraine, except that they are in the midst of civil war.

Controversy generates publicity. You don't really know if the whole episode is staged, since this is the entertainment industry afterall. I would say have a hearty laugh if you understand the lyrics and enjoy the song and parody. Both singers can be considered "실력파" (實力派).

Original Song - 그런 남자 by Bro 

Parody - 그런 여자 by Veloce

본방사수

These days, there is only one Korean programme I will "본방사수" and that is KBS2 TV "Gag Concert" (개그콘서트). First things first, the meaning of "본방사수" (本放(送)死守). What this "신조어" (新造語, new word) literally means is to "defend first broadcast till death", or simply, only watch the original broadcast. "Why so serious?", you may ask. It is all about "시청률" (視聽率, viewer ratings) and only the ratings of the first broadcast matters and ratings mean advertising dollars. So if you are a fan of a programme, you will have to "본방사수".

Back to Gag Concert. When KBS World was first available on local station many years ago, Gag Concert was broadcast without English subtitles. It was one variety programme I would not bother with since I could hardly comprehend anything in the show. But time has changed. I no longer subscribe to KBS World after it was made a paid channel and my Korean is good enough for me to enjoy the "first broadcast" of Gag Concert every Sunday on KBS website. It has since become my source of laughter every Sunday's night.

The following "corners" are my current top five (in descending order) in Gag Concert:

1. 황해 (The Yellow Sea)

The Yellow Sea is the sea that separates China mainland and Korea peninsula but the title gives little clue about the storyline. The theme of this corner is actually "voice phishing" or "telephone scam". A pair of scammers (supposedly from across the Yellow Sea) generates "stomach-bursting" laughters every week with their antics and foul-ups. The pair comprising a rookie and a veteran, is anything but a potent mix. They always ended up making a fool of themselves instead of their victims poorer. This corner is not without controversy. The featuring of scammers who are supposedly from the Joseon ethnic group in China has raised more than a ruckus. However, as they say, "개그는 개그일 뿐" (Gag is only a gag). On the positive side, the corner can serve as a medium to educate the public on telephone scam and immune them against falling victim. This corner is number one on my watchlist. I have since mastered the way the syndicate head said, "너 밥먹기싫으니? （You're tired of eating?)


 2. 두근두근 (Pit-A-Pat)

"두근두근" is the sound made by the heart in love. A couple who are "죽마고우" (竹馬故友, childhood friend) started to develop affection for one another. They kept going out together without admitting they were on date. The laughing points in this corner are the awkward moments which arose due to the couple's 애매모호（曖昧模糊, vague）한 사이 (relationship). There is a Chinese saying that says, "爱在暧昧模糊不明时最美” (Love is the most beautiful during the time when things are vague and unclear). This is one corner that makes you to laugh from within. You laugh because you can easily associate with all those awkward (or beautiful) moments which you might have experienced when you were with someone you like and whom you have not confessed to.


3. 남자가 필요없는 이유 (Why We Don't Need Men)

This corner plays on gender steroetypes, in particular, male stereotypes:

Stereotype 1: 잘 생긴 남자 (handsome man) is a 바람둥이 (playboy). This guy has so many girlfriends that he was always confused who is who and with whom he did what or who likes what. When he slipped his tongue, he would always lie his way out. He has no qualm flirting with other women in front of his girlfriend.

Stereotype 2: 나만 바라봐주는 남자 (man who only loves you) is a nerd. While this guy is a dedicated lover, he is a very sensitive and unsecure man. Whenever his girlfriend seems to know something very well, he would suspect that she has a lot experience doing those things with her previous boyfriend or other guys and become jealous. When she assured him that was not that case, his mood would undergo a 180 degrees change and start to tease her, calling her "요물" (妖物, devil).

Stereotype 3: 보통 남자들은 (ordinary men) 다 늑대야 (are all "wolves" or peverts). This guy would do everything to get intimate or what Korean called "스킨십" (skinship). When his girlfriend showed her disapproval towards his ungentlemanly behaviour, he would take that as she was being shy and suggest, "왜 사람 많아서 그래? 저기 사람없는대로 갈까? (Why, is it because there are too many people? Shall we move to a place where there is no people?)

You cannot deny that such men do exist but the funny part is the stereotypes have been overly exaggerated. I believe guys, in general, do not like to be called "늑대", but they would not mind being called "비스트" (Beast).


4. 시청률의제왕 (The King of Ratings)

This corner is intended to be a satire on how the myopic pursuit of viewer ratings have distorted the way dramas are being made these days. A sad fact of the industry is, the more trashy the drama, the higher the ratings. This corner is about how to make ratings go up by turning a "boring" feel-good drama into a "막장 드라마" (trashy drama). The elements that go into making these dramas include 배신 (背信, betrayal), 막말 (rude talk), 불륜 (不倫, incest) and 아이돌 (idol) with weird Korean accent and bad acting skills. Whenever there is a 반전 (反轉, reverse) or 역전 (逆轉, abrupt change) in the flow of the story as ordered by the director, it would always tickle my funny bones and set me laughing non-stop. While "막장 드라마" may carry all the wrong social values, you have to admit they are actually more "entertaining" in some way.


5. 현대레알사전 (Real Modern Dictionary)

Man and woman are wired differently. The contrast in their perspective is always a good source of jokes. Every week in this corner, the perspective of man and woman is sought on a selected topic. Below are some amusing gender-biased interpretations:

Topic: 사랑 (Love)

Man: Men from 20s to 70s love "예쁜 여자" (pretty women) 
Woman: Women in their 20s love "나쁜 남자" (bad guy). 30s 능력이 있는 남자 (capable man). 40s "남자" (man).

Topic: 결혼 (Marriage)

Woman: 결혼이란 아가씨가 아줌마가 되는 것 (Marriage is when a girl becomes an auntie)

Man: 이 아줌마를 데리고 살아야 되는 것 (Marriage is when I have to live with an auntie)

Man: 신혼 부부들에게 결혼이란 너때문에 사는 것. (10년차는요?) 애때문에 사는 것. (20년차는요?) 죽지 못 해 사는 것 (To a newly-wed couple, marriage is I live because of you. After 10 years, I live because of my child. After 20 years, I live because I cannot die.)

Woman: 10대에게 결혼이란 첫사랑이랑 결혼해야지. 20대는요? 이상형이랑 결혼해야지. 30대는요? 이상하지만 않으면 결혼해야겠지. (To a woman in her 10s, she will have to marry her first love. In her 20s, she will have to marry her ideal man. In her 30s, she will probably have to marry a man so long as he is not weird.)

궁금하면 500원

Flower beggar: Are you curious? If you are curious, 500 won (Credit: Nocut News)

A gentleman has his dignity so does a beggar. A new corner in "Gag Concert", called "A Beggar's Dignity" (parody of the Korean drama "A Gentleman's Dignity) is cracking me up every Sunday. Gagman Heo Gyeong-huan plays the role of "flower begger" (꽃거지). 

Not all beggars are the same. There is a different between a beggar and a flower beggar; a beggar begs but a flower beggar does not. "How then does a flower beggar earns his keep?", you may ask. 궁금해요? 궁금하면 500원 (Are you curious? If you are curious, 500won). Yes, that is how a flower beggar earns his money - by answering one's curiosity. By the way, if you are not curious, he will still "charge" 200won. This new corner is really hilarious. 강추 (strongly recommend).

Interview with the "flower beggar"

Theme song of flower beggar (1:19) - "Dear" by Mad Soul Child

꺾기도

We heard of Judo, Akido and Taekwondo. Now, a new form of martial art, Kokido, has emerged and is taking Korea by storm. What is actually Kokido? The 'founder' and gag man, Kim Junho, explains,

"꺾기도는 모든 것을 뜬금없이 꺾어서 상대방을 공황상태로 만드는 무술이다."

Translated: Kokido is a martial art that throws your opponent off by twisting and turning everything and anything in an unexpected and absurd way.

There are three basic strokes of 말꺾기 (word twisting) which fans of Kokido should be conversant with.

First stroke - 까불이 (merry andrew, 调皮鬼）
Add 까불이 to a sentence ending with "까"
Example: 안녕하십니... 까불이 까불이

Second stroke - 다람쥐 (squirrel)
Add 다람쥐 to a sentence ending with "다"
Example: 감사합니... 다람쥐 다람쥐

Third stroke - 마 보이 (ma boy)
Add 마 보이 to a sentence ending with "마"
Example: 다시 하지.. 마 보이 마 보이

Below is a 'training video' to help you master the finer points of Kokido.

Kokido was initially created as a 'corner' in the KBS2's Gag Concert with children in mind. It aims to deliver laughter without the need for the audience to think. But as it turns out, adults rather than children, like it more.

The setting of 'Kokido' is a martial art school. In this school, there are one Kokido master and three disciples. Every week, the master will teach his disciples one new 'skill'. Their enemy is Mr. Two-Headed who would always start by dancing shuffle dance to the catchy tune of "I got my eye on you". Without a doubt, the master and his disciples are no match for their enemy because Kokido is meant to draw laughter only, not win a fight.

(정말 유치해서 못 봐주겠다 ㅎㅎ)

안녕히 계세... 요를레이 ㅋㅋ

봄 소식 전하는 팬지

From late February to early March, pansy begins to move out of nursery onto the streets and parks of Korea to deliver the first message of spring. No spring starts without the colourful petals of pansy. The bleak and gloom of winter is erased completely with a sudden explosion of colour.

Footsteps of spring

Pansy-decorated spring

색다른 캐롤송

"나는 꼼수다" (I'm a Petty Creep), a left-leaning highly popular South Korean podcast, released four Christmas carol songs recently just in time for Christmas. These songs are specially 'dedicated' to "가카" (original word: 각하, 閣下, His Highness), a sarcastic title they gave president Lee Myung-bak.

You can read more about the podcast in this Voice Of America's article: Hit South Korean Podcast Sparks Controversy

"가카 할아버지" Grandpa "His Highness" celebrating 2007 Christmas with children after winning the presidential election that year.

Below are 2 of the 4 songs. Translation of the lyrics is provided to give a gist of the songs' messages. If the messages are not clear, it is alright to take them as Christmas carol songs (:

1. 쫄면 안 돼

Background of this song: The Korea Communications Standards Commission plans to set up a new media review office to filter harmful or illegal content on social network services (SNS), such as Twitter, Facebook and Me2day, or apps registered at Apple’s App Store or Google’s Android Market. Harmful or illegal content refers to pornography, gambling, drug abuse, false information spreading, libel, and comments that violate the National Security Law or instigating crime. (Source: The Korea Times)

(In Singapore context: National Cyber Security Centre will be set up to detect and prevent cyber security threats, and serve as a focal point to coordinate and implement measures between the public and private sectors. Whatever it means.)

쫄면 안 돼

쫄면 안 돼, 쫄면 안 돼!

가카 할아버지는 쪼는 애들에게

빅~엿을 안겨주신대

[Don't chicken out, don't chicken out! They said grandpa "His Highness" gives big malt candy to children who chicken out.]

가카 할아버지는 알고 계신대,

누가 쪼는 앤지 안 쫀 앤지,

오늘 밤에 잡아 가신대

[They said grandpa "His Highness" knows who chicken out and who don't. He will come and catch you tonight.]

댓글 달 때 블로그 할 때,

트윗 할 때 페북할 때도,

가카 할아버지는

모든 것을 알고 계신대

[When you post a comment, when you blog, when you tweet, when you facebook, they said grandpa "His Highness" knows everything.]

2. 기쁘다 가카오셨네



기쁘다 가카오셨네

기쁘다 가카 오셨네

만백성 망했다~

공항도 다리도 터널도 도로도~

재벌에 팔아라~

외국에 팔아라~

다 팔아~ 팔아 버려라~

[We were happy when "His Highness" came and ruined the nation. Airports, bridges, tunnels and roads were all sold to 'Chaebols' and foreigners.]

기쁘다 가카 오셨네

만백성 망했다~

방송도 신문도 블로그 트윗도

다 장악하여라~

다 장악하여라~

다 입을 틀어 막아라~

[We were happy when "His Highness" came and ruined the nation. All TV stations, newspapers, blogs and twitters came under control and all lips were sealed.]

기쁘다 가카 오셨네

만백성 망했다~

전국의 백성들 총선과 대선 때

다 투표하여라~

다 투표하여라~

우리 표~로 바꿔 버리자~

우리 표~로 바꿔 버리자~

[We were happy when "His Highness" came and ruined the nation. Everyone must all vote. Use our votes to effect change during the general election and the presidential election.]

(In Singapore context: Power stations were sold to foreigners and public transports privatized. As for media control, 'lips' were more or less sealed from day one.)

I like a remark made by G. K. Chesterton:

"The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected." 

Anyway, politics is a bit too heavy for Christmas, haha. Merry Christmas!

한국의 맥박

In the history of humanity, the second oldest musical instrument after voice is probably percussion. From the day he knew how to beat, the pursuit of the primeval aesthetics of sound became his life's mission. Choi Sori's (born Choi Gyeong-seop) musical life began when he started hitting the cover of his lunchbox during elementary school. He was about to complete his middle school when he ran away from his hometown in Jeolla-do with the money his parents got from selling their cow. His devotion to drumming never stopped as he eked out a living working as an odd job labourer and delivering newspaper and jajang-myeon. He only returned home to complete his high school when he could not understand the English which appeared in the music books.

Holding drumsticks at the age of twelve, Choi Sori isolated himself twice from the world by moving into the mountain to concentrate on his study of musical instrument. During one of his self-imposed isolation, he built a hut in Mt. Jiri and stayed there for three years. The wholehearted pursuit of one's passion always comes at a price. Choi suffered from noise-induced hearing loss due to long term exposure to high-decibel sound. However, he was not one bit perturbed by the possibility of turning deaf. He said, "If I am to lose my hearing completely, I will be able to hear the sound of my heart and imagination better."

Choi Sori is the creative director of "Arirang Party", a 100-min non-verbal performance which harmonises the art of eastern and western percussion, Korean traditional dance, B-boy and Taekwondo into the heartbeat of Korea. It took him ten years to conceptualise and plan the performance which made its debut in 2007. It has since become a cultural brand of Korea with a permanent performing theatre in Jeju Island.

Arousing the energy of heaven and earth through fire, water and drumbeats

Scent, Light, Flower [Korean Traditional Dance]

The Maze [Handy Fan Performance]

Spirit [Flame Performance]

Shadow [Mask Performance]

Delight [Korean Traditional Dance & Taekwondo Performance]

The Arirang Party [Water Drumming Performance]

Information, video and performance pictures are taken from SR Group Entertainment's homepage (www.srgrp.com)

P.S. Choi Sori and Arirang Party, please visit Singapore in your next World Tour.

아름다운 님

When you look up a Korean dictionary, the word "아리다" comes immediately before "아리땁다". For this word pair, their sequence of appearance in the dictionary is not a coincidence. "아리다" describes pain whilst "아리땁다" portrays beauty. In meaning, they are diametrically opposite but yet they are closely related. You can say this is the aesthetics of the Korean people - beauty emerges from pain and heartache and vice versa. To the Korean, 아린 것 (painful thing) and 아리따운 건 (beautiful thing) are interchangeable. Painful memories, if allow to settle down, will slowly "mature" and eventually elevate to something beautiful. Compare this with the fermentation of soybean paste (된장) in the "Jangdok" (장독, crock). If fermentation is allowed to take place without disturbance, the foul smell of the fermented beans will soon be compensated by the pleasant taste of the paste. It is as if "beauty" has embraced "pain" with a tight hug.

Have you ever asked, "What is the meaning of Arirang?" There are many explanations but I thought this explanation is more appropriate - The "아리" in "아리랑" comes from the word "아리다" and from which "아리땁다" was derived. "랑" means "님" (honorific used when addressing a person). "Arirang" can be defined as "my beautiful dear" (아리따운 님) or as the "dear who gave me heartache" (아린 님).  As a song, "Arirang" is both sad and beautiful and that's perhaps why it is so endearing.

아리랑, 아리랑, 아라리요... (My beautiful dear, my beautiful dear, my beauty)
아리랑 고개로 넘어간다. (My beautiful dear heads towards the Pass)
나를 버리고 가시는 님은 (My dear who left without me)
십리도 못가서 발병난다. (is not able to walk for 5km without hurting his foot)

청청하늘엔 별도 많고 (Up in the blue blue sky, there are many stars)
우리네 가슴엔 꿈도 많다 (In our heart, we also have many dreams)

저기 저 산이 백두산이라지 (Look there, isn't that Mt. Baekdu)
동지 섣달에도 꽃만 핀다 (Flowers bloom even during winter solstice)

"Arirang" is a song supposedly sang by a lady whose lover left her for the battlefront 600 years ago. "Heads towards the Pass" means her lover was leaving the city for a distant place. She couldn't bear to part with him and she believed he couldn't too. That was probably why she thought his foot would start to ache even before he  could walk 5km. The talk about many stars and dreams shows that they had many plans for their future. But  somehow, she knew the chance of seeing him again was slim. When she sang about Mt. Baekdu, a sacred mountain to the Koreans, she was actually hoping for a miracle, hoping that flowers would indeed bloom in Mt. Baekdu even in the peak of winter, hoping her lover would return safely.

Two decades ago, a Hong Kong wrist watch commercial which cast Chow Yun-fat and Wu Chien-lien caught the imagination of a whole generation of people. A real classic even by today standard. If you have yet to appreciate the relationship between "아리다" and "아리땁다", perhaps you soon will.

The setting of the commercial: February 1939, about one and a half year into the second Sino-Japanese war. The battle of interest and the backdrop of the heartbreaking love story, was the lesser-known "Lanzhou Air Battle" (兰州空战). 2nd Lieutenant Liu Fu-hong (刘福洪), a pilot and a graduate of the Huangpu Military Academy had just married his wife, Chen Ying-fan (陈影凡), 10 years his junior.

Dashing Chow Yun-fat (37) played 2nd Lieutenant Liu Fu-hong with Wu Chien-lien (24), known for her melancholic eyes, as his newly-wed wife Chen Ying-fan in the 1992 Sovil et Titus commercial.

The Japanese forward airbase at "Yun-cheng" (运城) in Shanxi Province was fast becoming a threat to Lanzhou (Gansu Province), a major city in the northwest of China, and had to be neutralised. Newly wed Liu was ordered to lead a flight of four Vultee V-11 planes on a bombing mission to "Yun-cheng". On the fateful day, Feb 5 1939, Liu and his team flew for 3 hours before offloading forty 30-pound bombs over their targets. Tens of Japanese planes were destroyed in the raid. The mission was a success but unfortunately, Liu never saw home again. His plane crushed on the return trip due to engine failure. He flew his last flight at the age of 30. On hearing the news of his death, Chen Ying-fan attempted suicide but was saved. She finally committed suicide on Feb 16 by putting a bullet through herself. She was only 20 then.

The "Lanzhou Air Battle" of 1939 saw the combined force of the Republic of China Air Force and the USSR Air Volunteer Force thwarting the aggression of the Japanese Air Force. The attention to details was amazing for a commercial. You can see a Russian officer fifth from left. Everyone was in thick winter outfits because it was supposed to be winter then.

"너를 사랑해서 결혼하는게 아니라, 너만 사랑해서 결혼하는거다."(I marry you not because I love you, I marry you because I only love you.) - quote from Korean drama "Secret Garden".

Background music - "La Califfa" by Italian composer Ennio Morricone

Can you differentiate between "아린 사랑" (heartbreaking love) and "아리따운 사랑" (beautiful love) after watching the CF? You can't, can you? They are the same.

바보

It was 29 May 2009, the day the national funeral for the late South Korean president, Roh Moo Hyun, was held. There was still one hour left before the end of my Korean language class but my teacher was too distraught to carry on. After getting consent from the students, she stopped the lesson and switched on the TV. The live broadcast of the funeral proceedings in front of Gyeongbok Palace was on air. At that moment, a choir sang the late president's most favourite song "상록수" (常綠樹, Evergreen), a song which accompanied him through his fight for Korea's democratic reform and later, his bid for the country's highest office.

A cold wind swept through the class. The tears in my teacher's eyes were unstoppable. From Gyeongbok Palace, the view was switched to the Seoul Plaza where millions of Korean were already gathered to mourn the demise of the people's president. The aerial view of the plaza and its adjacent areas showed a sea of yellow, an image which was unmistakably one of nation in deep grief.

When asked what was his life's motto during an interview in Japan, Roh Moo Hyun quoted Kim Gu's "대붕역풍비 생어역수영" (大鵬逆風飛 生魚逆水泳), translated as "big (mythical) bird flies against the wind, live fish swims against the current". He believed a man of conviction does not bow in the face of adversity, he stands tall. Roh Moo Hyun never made compromise by taking the easier way out, he always chose the difficult route to trek on and for that, he was given the nickname "바보 노무현" (Roh Moo Hyun, the fool).

"Babo" (바보, 笨蛋, fool) may be a derogatory term, but it is a term which Roh Moo Hyun liked very much because it describes his non-mainstream and non-conformist character very well. In his attempt to break the unhealthy practice of regional politics, Roh Moo Hyun (a Liberal) stubbornly chose to run for National Assembly seat and mayorship in Busan, a "fortress" of the Conservatives, in 1992 and 1995 respectively. Without a doubt, he lost both elections. Below was his thought on being called "babo":

"내가 그동안에 사람들이 나에게 붙여 주었던 별명 중에서 제일 마음에 드는 별명입니다. 정치하는 사람들이 바보 정신으로 정치를 하면 나라가 잘 되거리 생각합니다. 어쨌든 그냥 바보 하는 게 그게 그냥 좋아요."

(All this while, there were many nicknames attached to me, but among them, I like "babo" the most. If politicians can act with the mentality of a "babo", I think it will do the country good. Anyway, being a "babo", I just like it.)

"그냥 바보 하는 게 그게 그냥 좋아요." - I just like being a fool

As a kid, I was already captivated by the beauty of Apple computer. Its attention to beauty details extended right down to the cursor. Till today, I cannot forget how its cursor used to radiate in changing rainbow colours. Some labelled Steve Jobs an inventor equivalent to Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, but I see him as an artist. His single-minded quest for perfection, his not-so-pleasant temperament, have all the markings of a great artist. He once quoted Pablo Picasso as saying, "Good artists copy, great artists steal." In real life, Steve Jobs 'stole' the idea of graphics user interface (GUI) from Xerox and perfected it with artistry to a state where it become the default standard for all computing platforms. Microsoft could not have done it better except to copy. Without Steve Jobs, computer may just be a chunk of metal that works but never an art form which we can proudly display.

At the end of Steve Jobs' famous commencement speech delivered in 2005 at Stanford University, he said, "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you."

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

Where are all the fools in this world? The world needs you, the world misses you.

거북이의 꿈

When we are caught up in our daily rat race, how many of us still remember the race between the hare and the tortoise? The 'hare' is well-endowed with speed to win any race. However, 'tortoise' is not only born to move slowly, it is burdened with a heavy shell.

"I crawled slowly to where I am now … a person who rises up very fast will have time to take a breather in between. Although I have to crawl, I won’t stop until I reach my destination.", wrote Kim Byung-man (김병만) in his autobiography 『꿈이 있는 거북이는 지치지 않습니다』 (Tortoise with dream will not be exhausted).

Tortoise with dream will not be exhausted

Kim Byung-man is one of the top gagman (comedian) in Korea. He gained his popularity by starring as the 'master' (달인, 達人) in the ‘Master’ segment of the KBS ‘Gag Concert’. 'Master', lack of a better description, is an acrobatic slapstick comedy. Kim performed different stunts and skills every week and always left his audience awe-struck and in stitches. What made his performance amazing is there is no camera tricks. Everything he did was real actions. A common question in everyone's mind is, "How did he manage to do that?"

Kim might not know the answer himself. As a child, Kim knew only hardship and failure. Because of that, he developed massive inferiority complex. His father turned to heavy drinking after his business failed. His mother worked as a helper in an eatery and was barely able to support a family of four children with her meagre salary. After graduating from high school, Kim worked as an odd job labourer in construction sites. His application to various institutes and universities were all rejected. Despite that, he did not give up his dream of becoming a gagman. To pursue it, he moved to Seoul and lived in a roof-top room. His road to success was anything but smooth. He was rejected four times by MBC and three times by KBS and was only accepted by KBS in 2002 on his eighth attempt.

"There was time when I kept going to the drugstore and had 40 sleeping pills with me… but the lights from the broadcasting stations in Yeoui-do were shining brightly at night even though I was crying my heart out in my roof-top room. Finally, I decided to pick myself up and move on." (Page 73)

In his autobiography, Kim Byung-man is no longer simply a gagman who makes you laugh. He symbolises someone who overcomes childhood hardship, never gives up despite repeated failures, only to work harder and finally becomes the ‘master’ whom many people love. The book was on sale since August 2011. It was reported 52,000 copies were sold within the first week of launch, earning itself a place in the bestseller chart.

In the press conference to launch his book, he spoke about his parents, “When time was hard, I felt a lot of resentment towards my mother. I always blamed my parents for the plight I was in. I used to press my father for an answer to why he made me so short (his height is 158.7m). But today, the applause I received was precisely because of my height and I am thankful for that.”

I like one statement which Kim made during the press conference: 사람은 태어나는 순간부터 내 자신을 내가 만들어가는 것이다 (The moment we were born, we were responsible for our own destiny)

Kim Byung-man may be successful today, he has not forgotten he is a 'tortoise'. If you have not seen a 'tortoise' won a race, here is one. Below are two videos of his 'Master' segment. When you watch his performance, you may wish to remember what he said, "Suffering from bruises and injuries are quite common but audience come to watch comedy and be entertained, I have to make my performance enjoyable and deliver laughter. What I can’t do is to show my worry, sorrow and pain." Those are words of a true master of comedy.

Master of soap bubbles


Master of smashing with fingers

It is still true that many 'tortoises' will not win any race when competing with the 'hares'. But more important than winning is to complete the race. For that, I would choose to be a tortoise than a rat.

백일우채통

"Please send treasured memory to the person whom you love... I will fill up (the letter) with happiness and send it 100 days later."

100-day letterbox (백일우채통, 百日郵遞筒) is a novelty idea by a cafe. in Daehangno You can write a letter and drop it into the letterbox before you leave. 100 days later, the cafe staff will help you post the letter to the addressee.

What will happen after 100 days? Happiness will befall on people who still have future to work towards. But if what's left are past memories, it's still beautiful to say, "고마워 행복한 꿈을 꿀 수 있게 해줘서." (Thank you for allowing me to dream a happy dream.)

I wonder if anyone will attempt a 100-month letterbox (백달우채통). It will definitely be more tear-jerking reading a letter posted more than 8 years ago. But there are technical challenges. Not many novelty cafes can last that long and even if they do, there won't be enough space to keep 8-year load of letters.

If memories cannot be posted, will you leave them behind in the past?

명동 재발견

Myeongdong is a place in Seoul which I lost count of the times I visited. The problem when we get too familiar with someone or something or some place, impression of them becomes weaker until we become indifference. The fault doesn't lie with people, it's the body physiological mechanism which is at work, protecting itself from overload against repeated and 'useless' stimulation from the same source.

Despite my growing indifference towards Myeongdong, I still make it a point to visit it every now and then because the place changes quite fast. On my last visit, I discovered the famous stall that sold the 32-inch tall soft-serve ice cream was gone for good. Myeongdong is also fast losing its diversity as skincare and cosmetics product labels of any kinds are displacing shops which offer other products or services at a rapid pace. If diversity is necessary for vibrancy, Myeongdong's vibrancy could well be diminishing.

Myeongdong has been 'colonised' by skincare and cosmetics label of all kinds.

Noon Square - Singapore's 'footprint' in Myeongdong

지하철 시장

Something told me that thing was not 'right' when I got off Cheongdam Station. There was whiff of 'gochujang' (chilli paste) and 'doenjang' (bean paste) in the air. Then I saw a stationary train in the middle of the station. When I looked in, I was in for a huge surprise. The train was not there to pick up passengers, it was a bazaar - a bazaar in a subway train.

On first look, the train was carrying something but definitely not passengers.

On closer look, the train was actually a bazaar.

Fridge was even available inside the carriage.

Boxes of sweet potatoes stacked almost to the ceiling, occupying a place which is supposed to be meant for wheelchair-bound passenger.

The walk-in crowd was encouraging and business quite decent.

우리의 자랑

Samulnori performance

People who have come in contact with Korean culture will most likely have seen a samulnori performance before. What many people are not aware is samulnori does not have a very long history. In fact, it was a South Korean ensemble, established in February 1978, going by the group name 'Samul Nori' which brought the word into being and popularised it.

Samulnori has its origin in 'gut' (굿, shaman rituals). Unlike samulnori which employs only four percussion instrument, 'gut' employs many more. In olden days, performing in a 'gut' was not something people took pride in. You probably cannot imagine that a culture which Koreans are proud of now was once a thing of shame.

The unglamorous past of samulnori reminds me of the fate of Singlish. Singapore is a young country with not much exquisite culture to boast about. Despite the lack of rich inheritance, in less than fifty years of nation building, a language which we call 'Singlish' (Singapore-English) is slowly taking root in the society and becoming the de-facto language of conversation between locals. Just like samulnori in its earlier days of formation, some part of the society maintains the view that Singlish is poor English and not something to be proud about.

In my opinion, the evolution of Singlish is an inevitable course of history. One day, many hundred years later, it will eventually become a beautiful language. Even now, Singlish can be considered a very 'powderful' (powerful) language. A person's feeling and emotion can easily and effectively be conveyed without the need to invoke difficult words and long expression. To give a glimpse of the richness of the language, see the examples below:

1. Can lah
2. Can lor
3. Can meh?
4. Can ah?
5. Can leh
6. Can wor
7. Can liao
7. Can or not
8. Can means can
9. You the can

I am not about to explain what all that means for it will probably take a long time. Anyway, I see the beauty of the language in its conciseness or should I say 'no-frill'. A simple 'can' word can take on different meanings when used in different combinations. In case you find Singlish interesting, please enrol yourselves for an immersion course, in Singapore of course. Get ready to be 'awed'.

옥상의 달빛

A feature of Korean buildings is majority of them have rooftop. Some owners will build additional room on their rooftop. Such rooms usually have cheaper rental because one has to put up with inconveniences like the heat of summer and chill of winter. However, there are plus points too. You can have a good view of the sunrise and sunset and not to mention, an abundant shower of moonlight.

Rooftop is a feature of Korean buildings

"옥상달빛" (屋上月光) or "rooftop monlight" is a Korean duet who do not know how to make 'complicated' music. "옥상달빛" has no special meaning and is just a combination of two of their favourite words "옥상" and "달빛".

The first music video by the duet is "옥상달빛". This fairy-tale like song is also featured in the Korean drama "Pasta". The song will make you feel like dancing waltz with all the people you love on the rooftop and singing about youth, yourselves, today and tomorrow under the moonlight.

"옥상달빛" by "옥상달빛"

The next music video is "하드코어 인생아" (It's a hardcore life). I really heart the lyrics. Sometimes, it doesn't really matter what is meaningful or what is important. When you have decided to walk on the road you have chosen, you have to know that it is a road built on your drooping shoulder and tear glands. Life doesn't allow you to move backward, so no matter what, you have to move on. Life can be like the ever-morphing clouds or the wriggling earthworms in the mud; it can also like those stars that sparkle in the night sky. I shall listen to my heart since that's life.

"하드코어 인생아" by "옥상달빛"

The music videos were shot at the Seoul Plaza. They reminds me of the good times I had there watching performances during the warm and breezy summer night.

One of my leisure in Seoul - watching performances at the Seoul Plaza

봉평의 메밀

Buckwheat inflorescence - white like salt

Buckwheat field in Bongpyeong

Delicious buckwheat noodle

P.S. September is the flowering season of buckwheat. During this time of the year, the field in Bongpyeong will be covered with the white flowers of buckwheat like salt sprinkled on earth.

커피 자판기

The digital read out showed three zeros which mean coffee from the dispenser is free. Some eating houses charge a token 100won (S$0.10) for a cup. You can see such coffee dispensing machines quite often in places like eating houses. The dispensed coffee tasted acceptable. It always feels good, especially on a cold and windy day, to have a free cup of hot coffee after meal.

P.S. '자판기'(自販機) is short form for '자동판매기'(自動販賣機).

학위수여식

In Korea, there are two college graduation ceremonies every year, one in Feb and the other in Aug, just before the start of spring and autumn semester. On the day of ceremony, you will find stalls peddling flower bouquets outside the main gate of the college. Beside them, food and drink stalls, souvenir stalls and on-site photo shoot services are all out in full force to vie for a share of the business opportunity generated by such occasion.

Graduation used to be a joyous occasion because to become a degree-holder means good job and good pay. However, these days, graduation could well mean the start of unemployment. It may be long due for people to rethink the purpose of slogging for a degree when it no longer guarantees employment.

Trust them to take a photo of you for a fee. Any one of their high-end cameras is likely to worth more than one year pay of a fresh graduate.

Drinks and balloons on sale. The 장사꾼 know exactly when to set up their stalls in the campus. No business opportunity escapes them.

One of those flower stalls which is strategically set up just outside the college's gate and by the bus stop.

Congratulation. A new beginning awaits.

광복절

As Korea commemorates its 65th Independence Day (광복절, 光復節) today, the world also celebrates the 65th anniversary of the end of WWII. I was in Korea during the last two 광복절 and there was no fireworks or parades, quite unlike other countries. Although 광복절 is supposed to be a public holiday, just like last year, Koreans are not enjoying an extra rest day this year since 광복절 falls on a weekend again. Only one word to describe it - 답답해.

63th Independence Day (2008) at the Independence Hall

City Hall during 63th Independence Day

64th Independence Day (2009) at the Seoul Plaza

City Hall during 64th Independence Day

Independence comes with a heavy price, lest we forget