Stray Thoughts

I guess a group of a 6-foot Korean joined by 4 other almost-or-over-6-foot Americans attracts a lot of attention.

On Christmas day, it was another round of force-feeding. We went to a Japanese restaurant with my slightly extended family, where we were fed rounds and rounds of sashimi and sushi, as well as other goodies. On the last round, Mark actually declared surrender and could not eat more food. I, on the other hand, had experience stuffing myself on these occasions, and had no problem pushing it hard through the end.

After that though, I had no idea what special things we were going to do for Christmas. Then, I got a call from my Korean elementary school friends, and they were willing to meet these American friends of mine. When we finally met, awkwardness ensued. Then, Jason’s silliness, Mark’s massiveness, and Reed’s randomness broke the ice for the most part, and we went to various fun-zones such as singing rooms (similar to karaokes), board game cafes, and billiard places. By the time we were done, it was 1 a.m. and it was declared that that was the most eventful Christmas ever. Yay.

Sadly, both Mark and I fell under the weather a little bit and we had to take our intensities down a little bit. The next couple days were spent in mediocrity, watching an IMAX, Mark buying cheap Korean electronics, hanging out in Sinchon, eating real frozen yogurts at a place called Iceberry. William arrived one day, and we proceeded to force feed him immediately as well.

The next day, I finally lifted the veil on Seoul’s tourist attractions, since William was now here. Our first stop was the Gyeongbokgung Palace, where we saw the olds of Seoul. There, we caught the attention of photographers, who wanted to take our pictures (for free) and email them to us. (I think they were practicing tourist photography). Then, we wore costumes, available for free, and Mark and Jason continued on to be spontaneous. Some pretty funny pictures came out… they should be in Mark’s email by now.

Another funny moment was in Insadong, when Mark, Jason, and a Korean couple got trapped in a circle of Korean traditional dancers/musicians. In their street performance, they were circling around, and, of course, Mark and Jason, who were too busy taking pictures, were caught off guard and it was too late when they realize they were in the middle of the revolving circle of Korean musicians. More funny photo ops ensued.

Speaking of photos, I’ll try to get them ASAP, but the problem is that we would need to do that at night, and everyone is staying somewhere NOT at my house…. when they do though, pictures after pictures will come up.

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I guess the fact that I haven’t found the time to write for so long is a testimony to how much fun we’ve been having.

On the second morning, we decided to challenge the culinary capacity of the boys slightly by taking them to a Samgyetang place (Chicken-Ginseng-Soup). Of course, I shouldn’t even have doubted Mark’s capacity, as he finished more quickly and more completely than me or my brother. Reed and Jason weren’t far behind, either. Afterwards, we drove in front of the Blue House (the Korean version of White House) en route to Yongsan electronics complex, where my parents had to buy a new TV for our new house. While they haggled away, I proved a point to the guys that this complex just did not end if you tried to walk from one end to another. At the Yongsan I-Park Mall, Reed received a pair of cleats that weren’t torn in 4 different places, and Jason received a digital camera that could fit in something smaller than a backpack. At Itaewon, the busy district in front of the former Yongsan American military base, Mark received a Chelsea jumper. Later that night, we met Ha Lim and Jennifer for dinner and fun at Myongdong, where we witnessed one of many anti-government protests. (The current president is not well-liked at all, with an approval rating of less than 7%)

The next 3 days were spent at Vivaldi Park, an hour and a half east of Seoul. It’s a ski/water park resort, and we skiied intensely and attempted to teach Reed how to ski, with limited success. Jason won the prize for being the most overconfident skier, while Mark won the prize for being an Energizer bunny. At nights, we showed them a true Korean teenagers’ night life by going to a Korean PC-Bang (PC Gaming Rooms).

To be continued…

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It looked like a solid trip to begin with.

The plane ride was, as expected, long and tedious, with Reed taking the title for being able to sleep the most (10 hours out of 13) while Jason suffered the rest of the day for not sleeping much at all (1?). Luck seemed to be on our side when we got a promotion when renting a cell phone, and they waived the 3000 won/day rental fee for the entire trip. That’s almost 60 dollars…. I was happy.

ICN is outside of seoul, so we took a van-cab into Seoul (my parents could’ve come and met us, but too many people and too many luggages), met my parents, and I abandoned the guys at the hotel to rest while I went and showered, changed, and all that good stuff. According to the guys, that was the only boring part of the day.

And so it began. A couple of hours later, with Mark pleading to me over the rented phone that they were getting bored out of their minds, I strolled back over to their hotel and we took a short walk to one of the busiest parts of Seoul. We went into the big bookstore/other-things-store (Kyobo, 교보문고) and Jason bought himself a headset to use when talking to his folks back in Austin. Then we strolled along Chunggyecheon (청계천) to get to a Line 2 subway station and just to take in the daytime scenery (which is rather boring).

In order to take the subway, everyone (except me of course, b/c I already have one) had to get T-money, which is the all-purpose transportation pay card. Reed seemed to have troubles at first, but we all got to Sinchon (신촌) safely.

Sinchon is a busy/fun district in Seoul, usually full w/ young ‘uns like us. We had lots of fun there, including going to the arcade, a board game cafe, and Mark buying a Chelsea (yuck) beanie at the Adidas store. We spent a good majority of the afternoon there, then we decided to move on to the plaza in front of the city hall, where there were a lot of decorations and Mark took photos after photos. We then walked down to where we had started the day, to the entrance of Kyobo and Chunggyecheon, saw the pretty lights (now that it wasn’t daytime, it was a LOT more exciting), then walked back to the hotel b/c Reed had stained his pants w/ lunch earlier that day.

As it is with Korean tradition, my parents then tortured the guys with food. Mark, being the beast he is, was not in any pain whatsoever, but Reed and Jason, who were crashing through the floor anyways (we had been up for almost two days on minimal sleep on the plane), were overwhelmed by the food. Respite came soon, however, and my dad and I drove back to the hotel w/ the guys, and they are (as I write) getting a good night’s sleep.

I’ll post photos when I get them from Mark.. I’m kind of the lazy kind and don’t like taking photos while traveling myself.

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On August 8th, 2008, which was yesterday, the long-awaited Olympics Game in Beijing finally started (well, officially, because there were a few soccer games before the Opening Ceremonies). I must admit, the ceremony was very impressive, and I was left wondering how many tons of gunpowder they used on all that fireworks. Also, the moving printing press with the people in it impressed me, especially that they have practiced together for almost 10 months now. All the props to the Chinese people for pulling off what I thought was one of the greatest opening ceremonies of all time.

Also, although subtly, the entrance of the athletes showed China’s newly found power, using the number of strokes according to Chinese name of the countries, instead of the alphabet, as the deciding factor of the order of entry.

When my family was watching the ceremony, however, my mother pointed out an interesting fact: that the Chinese cameramen and whoever planned out the media coverage of the each team entering seemed to have a bias against South Korea. Surely, while South Korea got minimal media coverage, only showing the flag-bearer and the feet of the athletes for some reason, North Korea got a full coverage of each player. I wanted to deny such bias at first (because I’m an idealist when it comes to these things) but the more I thought of it, the more I agreed.

The main reason, I guess, is that North Korea is, along with China, one of the last Communist nations left on Earth. Although China remains communist only mostly in ideals, I guess it still wants to prove that Communism works, before the sweeping force of capitalism and democracy kick the Communism out of China.

As importantly, out of the economically superior countries in East Asia (which are Japan and South Korea), South Korea is the easier target to overcome because the gap is far narrower. China (rightly so, I believe) wants to slow Korean development and hasten China’s development so that China can become a true economic strength.

I believe that Communism will eventually be swept out of China; there are already changes that can be called more capitalist than communist. Until then, however, those in power in China will try their darnedest to save the last strand of Communism.

Tags: Olympics08, Beijing, China, South Korea, North Korea, media, camera manipulation, bias, communism, capitalism, diplomatic

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In my trip to New York City this past Spring, I was shocked to find that my cell phone hardly got any signal down in the subway system. I asked my friend who was traveling with me if it seemed odd to him, and he looked at me all weird, saying “How would you get signal down here?” (By the way, the picture on the right is not a picture of a typical subway in Seoul, rather, it is of a special “E-Train”)

Well, (in a proud-to-be-a-Korean tone) In Seoul, not only do you get basically full-strength signal for all your cell phone needs, you also get terrestrial DMB (Digital Media Broadcast) signal, which means you can watch TV in the subway, provided you have the cell phone or the PMP (Personal Media Player) that supports that feature. I guess I had expected New York City to be same in this on-the-move, technological sense, if not better.

Of course, this is not all fun and games. Sometimes, there are ignorant and ill-mannered people that talk as loud as they possibly could on the phone in the subway, and to the mostly anti-social city folks in Seoul, that’s not exactly pleasant. Same goes with DMB. Some people elect not to wear earphones, and it gets annoying if you’re trying to sleep.

So I guess even the lack of a certain technological feature can have its positive consequences. Sometimes technology isn’t the best, eh?

Tags: subway, cell phones, DMB, signal strength, technology, Korea, New York City

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About a week ago, 4 Korean women and a Korean man were abducted in Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas. They were looking for an illegal way into the United States, and it is thought that the kidnappers offered to take them across the border but instead they ransomed them for 30,000USD. Thankfully, they were all found in a hotel, unharmed.

I’m personally pretty surprised this did not get more publicity than it did. There was also another abduction in Afghanistan months ago, resulting in two deaths and weeks of hard negotiations. They are two very different situations, but still, an abduction is an abduction. I think Korean government had suppressed it to a certain extent because of the already-hostile Korean public. On another note, I fear this will not do wonders for the ongoing plans for a Visa Waiver Program with the United States.

I’m glad that they were safely returned home, and hope that in the near future these kind of pointless abductions will stop.

Added: Apparently one of the “Koreans” was of the Chinese nationality… interesting.

Tags: Korea, Mexico, abduction, news, kidnapping, McAllen, Reynosa

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If you are a music fan (in general) in America, the chances are you’ve heard of Austin City Limits (or ACL) Festival in Austin, Texas every year. ACL hosts multitudes of artists from all around America (and the world!) and many come visit Austin to partake in it every year. Last year was supposedly the best year, with Bob Dylan (and his band), Wilco, and Muse only a part of a great lineup. Personally, this is my sixth year in Austin yet I have not been once, and this year (finally!) I will be attending for the first time.

The lineup may not show many big name bands like last year, but there are definitely great artists out there. I’m personally psyched about the headlining Foo Fighters. They’re one of my favorite bands, and I’m very excited to actually hear them live. (Due to my rather overprotective parents, this will be the first ever non-classical concert that I will attend) Among others of consideration are John Fogerty and the Mars Volta.

Closer to home, there are couple of rock festivals that I will not be able to attend. The most famous of them is the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival. Unlike last year, I didn’t see many big name bands (similar to ACL), but some of the more renowned Korean rock bands such as Crying Nut (who do have talent) will be headlining.

Alas, I will have to be satisfied with just watching the Foo Fighters this year. I hope that from next year (when I will not be boud by all this college bull) I will be able to attend as many rock festivals as my stamina will allow.

Tags: ACL, Austin City Limits, ACL Festival, rock, concert, music, Foo Fighters, Pentaport, Incheon, personal

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Most American technology enthusiasts often look to East Asia (Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, etc.) in envy, for all the new and cool technologies and gadgets always seems to hit the region first, then on to Europe, then always to America very very last. Here are only some of the examples of the “truths” about the technological “superiority” (I guess, but not really) in this part of the world:

• 100Mbps Internet do really exist at an affordable price at personal homes. I have previously gotten download speeds of 15 MBps (read, megaBYTES per second). It took about 2 minutes to download an entire DVD-quality movie.
• I think Japan is developing 1Gbps internet now…. holy s@#*
• Cool Phones: Cool phones are always come out first in Korea. Did you know that the iPhone was NOT the first touch phone ever? *gasp! My mom has the Prada phone (which was RIDICULOUSLY expensive) which has full touch screen. Its variants are just coming out in the American market, sans the “Prada” marking.
• 3G technology (for those who don’t know, it’s a relatively speedy mobile technology) is widely used, allowing for fast mobile internet, developed 3D phone gaming, and…
• Mobile Video-Chat Phones. They are not too widely used, but they are well developed enough where it IS usable and have appeared on numerous soap operas and commercials.
• Wi-Bro which is a high-speed mobile internet for computers. It differs from the technology currently in America (like the Verizon/Sprint plugin card) that it can be used in high speeds (such as in a KTX train which goes up to 350 km/h) and offers high speeds
• 5G technology is in development for use in the next decade in Korea.
• Free Quality Online Games (for everyone). If you pay attention to the gaming industry outside America, you probably noticed a company called “Nexon” now trying to set a foothold in the American Market with games such as “Nexus” and “KartRider.” Many of those companies have existed in Korea free of charge (unless you want to get items which helps you win) for a long time and the gaming industry has developed that way. Of course, there are paid games too.

I actually don’t know many myths that exists about Asian technology, although I have been asked many years back in Hawaii by a classmate if internet actually existed in Korea

• Fast Internet ≠ Web 2.0 Korean internet has fallen behind America TREMENDOUSLY in the Web 2.0 market. Blogs are dominated by large internet portals such as Naver, and collaboration is almost nonexistent.

I actually don’t know what to add to the myths list… if you have a myth that you would like me to confirm or bust, comment and I’ll reply ASAP.

Tags: Korea, technology, East Asia, cell phones, phones, 3G, 5G, internet, fast internet, web 2.0, 100Mbps, 1Gbps, video chat phones, online games,

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I saw in the news that Korea has taken its first step in developing a technology that would enable us to use elements in salt water to fuse Hydrogen and something-or-another to create Helium, creating massive amounts of energy in the process. It was said that a liter of salt water would be capable of creating enough energy for travel 3 times back and forth between Seoul and Pusan (about 4 hours without traffic congestion which is never in Korea). The first step that Korea’s nuclear fusion program, KSTAR, took was to create plasma, in which electrons and atoms run free, making it ideal for nuclear fusion to happen. This is the second time in the world that this has succeeded, after China’s EAST program. After all the bad news in Korea, with a dead tourist and a territory dispute, this news gave me confidence that Korea was indeed emerging as a technological strength and, given enough changes in the broken (well not as broken as most places) political system, Korea will be able to take full flight into a true power.

Photo Credit: Yonhap News

Tags: Korea, renewable energy, energy, nuclear, nuclear fusion, KSTAR, plasma, research

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It took me longer than I expected to make this on photoshop… please leave a comment if you liked it as it actually took work to post this.

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