AxisofOddity Land

http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/09/117_51866.html

Well, before I bought Suikoden Tierkreis off of Auction.co.kr. So far, I have not regretted the purchase.

The game is VERY different than previous Suikodens, but is phenomenally good.

I won't go into details right now, however. That I will wait for until I finish the game and write a review.

In other news, Roh Moo Hyun, the former South Korean President, died last Saturday of apparent suicide. It was shocking and unexpected.

Some other thing that's going on just now: North Korea tested yet another nuclear weapon or something. On a message board I frequent, people are basically calling NK a real life troll.

Another news I read of: In China, there was this guy standing on a ledge contemplating jumping. So, this other guy goes up there and pushes the guy, noting that it's bothersome that the would-be jumper guy was stopping traffic or something. Luckily, no one died from it. Apparently the pushing guy had a history of mental issues.

That's it for now. I realize I haven't posted here in months, so...See you around.

A Strong Vote of Approval from Seoulites

http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2008/06/177_26227.html


According to the Seoul Survey 2007, two of three Seoulites responded they would choose to reside in Seoul ten years from now. This is a strong approval rating and says much about the satisfaction rate of the citizens of Seoul.

Seoul City released the results of the latest Seoul Survey on March 11, containing various information on life in Seoul. According to the survey, the happiness rating among Seoulites was 6.55 out of 10, an impressive 0.13 point jump from the previous results. A series of questions asking the political, economic, and social position of Seoulites came back 76.6%, showing a strong middle-class representation.

Although the satisfaction rate of Seoul’s cultural environment came back relatively low at 27.3%, it still showed a strong improvement of 7.2% from
last year. Seoulites also showed a tendency to shy away from the movies
last year, preferring to visit art exhibitions, concerts and performances
instead. While movies saw a decrease from 3.94 to 3.12, art exhibitions,
concerts, various performances as well as sporting events all saw a slight
increase.

As for housing, the survey revealed that an average Seoulite dwells in an
83.6m2 sized apartment but they would be more content with a 105m2 sized
housing. Furthermore, 56.4% of the Seoulites are homeowners. It is also
interesting to note that half of households in Seoul are in debt and the cause of debt usually stemmed from housing mortgage, rental, educational
expenses, living expenses and financial investment plans.



As for the level of satisfaction in different areas of daily living, the
housing environment scored 5.72 out of 10 while social environment got a
5, economic environment received a 4.92 and education environment was
tagged with the lowest approval rating at 4.56. The most impressive
increase was given to public transportation and traffic with a solid score
of 5.78. This is a significant increase from the meager 5.15 rating in
2003.

On a more interesting note, 62.9% of Seoulites are not yet warm to the
idea of interracial marriages, indicating a still strong conservative
nature. Of the working class, 57% responded they would change jobs right
away if the right opportunity presented itself. In addition, 48.7% replied
they would prefer personal time or time away from work than working
overtime to add to their annual income. About a third, or 33.1%, replied
they need to purchase a car before buying a house, 21.3% would readily go
under the knife to improve their looks and 20.5% would pay more for a
brand name item.

As for foreign representation in Seoul, 51.3% are females with 26.5% in
their 40s, 22.4% in their 22.4%, and 20.3% in their 50s.

For more information, please contact the Seoul Global Center at (82-2)
1688-0120 or email to hotline@seoul.go.kr

I dreamed that my mother bought candy, but I couldn't find it. Also, the latest Garfield comic strip had a comment about China and Korea. Furthermore, I was given a few papers with holes on the side (for binder) which I placed inside a binder. There was also a cup of water, which was spilled.

Eventually, the candy was found.

In a few days, Korea's first astronauts will be launched into space. Also, there's a big election for representatives in various places, including where I live. Also, I found out why exactly Japan wants to claim Dokdo (which has actually been historically proven to be Korean)...There's such a thing as "burning ice" there which can be used as fossil fuels by Korea for 40+ years.

I've ordered a set of manhwa for less than 10$ online...Hopefully it will come soon.

I did some walking yesterday and got a headache, possibly caused by the hwangsah (yellow sand) of Spring.

As usual, I use bugs for music, but I'm still waiting to use one of its good functions (unlimited monthly downloading of free music)...Qtrax is still useless, and I've rediscovered Boa songs (they rock).

Put in front of them is a pencil, thread, and money.

If the baby chooses a pencil, he'll be a scholar. If money, he'll be rich. If a thread, he'll live a long life.

Korea's improved a lot in the past years. I heard through a talk show from a visiting Japanese woman that a few years ago, people weren't that well-dressed or fashionable. She said, however, that Koreans have gotten better in clothing and styles as of late.

In Seoul, specifically, there are a lot of good places to go, be it skating rink in winter at Seoul City Hall (or Lotte World), or nohreh baang (karaoke), or PC baang (which is internet for 1$ an hour), conventions at places like CoEX, ancient palaces and historic sites, etcetera.

What probably makes Korea awesome to those on this manga site are the fact that it has both Japanese manga (translated into Korean, or raw) and Korean manhwa. Additionally, the price of regular manga or manhwa is 3-4$ per volume, much cheaper than the 9.99$ in America.

Another aspect is gaming. You can get imports from various places, or simply play the Korean-translated games. There are also professional games of StarCraft and FPSs, shown on the gaming channel. Koreans are also major fans of MMORPGs, namely Mabinogi and Warcraft.

Most people, if not all adults, have cellphones. Korea is one of the most connected/internet-ish countries in the world. There's no such thing as dial-up here. Everyone uses broadband. People use cards to ride buses or the trains/subway.

Major holidays are chuseok (Korean thanksgiving day), Gehchunjul (the anniversary of the Korean race) and Lunar New Years.

One fun tidbit also, is about adultery. Here, it's illegal to cheat on your married spouse, so if one does commit adultery, both he and the person who he cheated with can be put into jail by his spouse. Nifty, eh?

December 15th, 2007 (Saturday evening):

Had curry rice and kimchi for dinner. Package still didn't arrive, so I'm expecting it to come on Monday. Sigh...I was really looking forward to it coming today...

Today was dull. DANS, yet, but had some milk and gyool (tangerine).

I was humming/singing/thinking of Ciara's "Like a boy" song today. While passing a woman by, I thought "Would you wish to be a guy/boy?" and she nodded.

I also got insahed (greeted) from afar by a Lee Myung Bak campaign person who was in a campaign van. My problem with it was that it was very loud, and could be heard even from inside my apartment.

This coming week will probably be eventful. Elections are on the 19th (Wednesday) and buffet is on Thursday. That and, I'll hopefully GET my package on Monday. One note I need to make to myself is the gifts to buy on Thursday on the way home. n ANOTHER NOTE: I must wear that white hoodie on Thursday.

Thinking of election, I read a bit on the candidates, and was surprised/informed. Lee Myung Bak is expected to help fix the Korean economy with conservative ideals. Chung Dong Young isn't as popular, because apparently Roh Moo Hyun (current president) was allegedly a disappointment. That and, there are other candidates, which split Chung Dong Young's influence.

Jaurim's "Chungchoonyehchan" is very sensational; listening to it, at least. It was a Korean remake of their song "#1". The song is flowing with emotion, kind of like New Age music, with a hint of Irish instrumentals in the background.

I know I don't know much, but I hang onto what I know very tightly. Information and knowledge can be a good defense and a good weapon. I don't wish to be completely ignorant. The world turns, and people come and go (myself included), but what stays are the memories, as long as they're passed on.

About the Harry Potter Universe: I am sort of a Neville fan, and was hoping he'd marry Luna. When I found out that JK Rowling said that he married Hannah Abbott, I was surprised. Still, I was just glad that Rowling didn't make him homosexual. I suspected that (him being non-straight) from reading the ending of Deathly Hallows. That would've been a heartbreaker, so I'm glad he was paired with a female.

End of the Road for World’s Oldest Firm
The oldest company in the world, which was founded in 578 in Japan by a group of people from the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje, will go into liquidation in January. Kongo Gumi dates its foundation from the year when carpenter Shigemitsu Kongo built Shitennoji. Kongo had been invited to the island country by Prince Shotoku. His descendants continuously maintained the family business, and the construction firm was named the world’s oldest company by the Economist monthly.

The operation of Kongo Gumi will be handed over to a subsidiary of the Takamatsu Corporation of the same name that was established last month. But with the retirement of Masakazu Kongo, the firm’s 40th president, its 1,400 years of history as a family firm are effectively at an end.

Besides the Shitennoji Temple in Osaka, Kongo Gumi is also famous for building the Horyuji Temple in Nara, both leading examples of old Japanese architecture. The firm has also been a symbol of Japan’s “shinise,” or family-run business culture.

After the price of land Kongo Gumi had purchased in 1980s nosedived, the firm decided to liquidate due to heavy debts. It nonetheless recorded sales of 7.5 billion yen in April last year and is hiring about 100 employees.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Link:
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200512/200512150009.html

http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LS2D&mid=sec&sid1=108&sid2=212&oid=040&aid=0000046401
Basically, the article says that Hangeul is added to the official languages of patents.

That means that Korean inventors don't need to translate their patents into other languages, and instead can present their patents using Hangeul.

"This is good news for Koreans, especially as they mark the 561st anniversary of the proclamation of hangeul, the Korean alphabetical system, Tuesday. The Korean language is a very effective tool to introduce our culture to people around the world. South Korea is the word's 13th-largest economy. It is the world's fourth-largest country in terms of international patent applications, following Japan, the United States and China."

In Korea, we don't change the time on this day, meaning no daylights savings. In the US, however, this morning, the time was added to with a hour.

It was the same monument dedicated to those that died as portrayed by the movie Hwareohan Hyuga.

Right now, I've just finished reading "Pita-Ten" the series. It was depressing and its mood reminded me of the manga "Andante" by Miho Obana.

In Korea, for 3 days (from this Monday to this Wednesday), everything is closed to celebrate Korean thanksgiving day. Today is officially the day of Chuseok (Tuesday).

Basically, families gather, play yootnori (a sticks game) and eat ddok (rice cakes).

Some families go to put soju (whiskey) in cups and food on top of the graves of deceased elders/ancestors.

Getting to the point, Happy Chuseok, everyone.

National team coach Pim Verbeek, third from left, looks on while footballers engage in training at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, Friday, a day ahead of a friendly match against the Netherlands. / Yonhap

By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter

With its biggest stars shelved by injuries, the Korean national football team finds itself undermanned against top football power the Netherlands in a friendly match today in Seoul.

However, for underrated players such as Shimizu S-Pulse striker Jo Jae-jin and Seongnam Ilhwa midfielder Kim Doo-hyeon, the game will provide them with a rare chance to establish themselves as household names to local football fans who never take friendly matches less seriously.

Korea will be without Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung, Reading winger Seol Ki-hyeon, and Tottenham Hotspur defender Lee Young-pyo, who are all recovering from knee surgeries.

It's ironic that Middlesbrough striker Lee Dong-gook, perhaps among the most injury-prone players in northeast Asia, remains the only healthy one among the Korean foursome playing in the Premier League.

Korean coach Pim Verbeek hopes that his team's younger players from the domestic and Japanese pro leagues can make up for the absence of his European talent.

Verbeek is reluctant to push Middlesbrough's Lee back into action, as the 28-year-old was ruled out of last year's World Cup tournament due to a knee injury and played only sporadically for the Premiership club last season.

Instead, Verbeek will start Jo as the lone striker, a role he served in the World Cup team last year, with hopes that fleet-footed wingers Lee Chun-soo of Ulsan Hyundai and Yeom Ki-hoon of Jeonbuk Hyundai can create enough space for him. It bears further watching how much Yeom can offset Seol's absence and energy on the left flank.

Jo had an impressive World Cup tournament last year, showing a good ability in keeping the ball alive on the attack, but never quite shook the notion that he lacks a creative touch in front of the net.

Seongnam midfielder Kim is given the big task of replacing playmaker Park in the center midfield. Although Kim is considered among the most skilled players in the domestic league, he has yet to be proved on the international stage and faces a tough test against a potent lineup of Netherlands midfielders led by Hamburg duo Nigel de Jong and Rafael van der Vaart.

The presence of holding midfielder Kim Nam-il of Suwon Samsung, an effective defender with playmaking abilities, will be a big relief for him.

The defensive line is seen as Korea's biggest vulnerability and the absence of Tottenham's Lee only adds to the woes. Kim Dong-jin of Zenit St. Petersburg will step in at Lee's old spot at left-back, but the converted winger was shaky in his past international starts as a defender.

Veteran defender Song Jong-gug of Suwon is a steady presence on the right flank. But slow-footed defenders Kim Jin-gyu of the Jeonnam Dragons and Kim Sang-shik of Seongnam, who will protect the penalty box in front of goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae, is in danger of being exposed by Netherlands attackers Dirk Kuyt and Klaas Jan Huntelaar.

thkim@koreatimes.co.kr

SEOUL, South Korea (AP): A moderate earthquake shook eastern South Korea but no injuries or damage were reported, the country's emergency agency said Sunday.

The magnitude 4.8 quake occurred at 8:56 p.m. (1156 GMT) Saturday and was centered 23 kilometers (14.3 miles) west of Gangneung, a coastal city 237 kilometers (147.3 miles) east of Seoul, according to the National Emergency Management Agency.

Three minor aftershocks were also reported, the agency said.

Unlike quake-prone Japan, South Korea is considered relatively safe from earthquakes.

Saturday's was one of the strongest temblors to hit South Korea since 1978, the agency said.

---

Funny thing is, I fell asleep for a few minutes before it happened, and woke up a few minutes afterwards, not feeling it. Sigh.

First of all, the Korean peoples consist of two countries, South Korea and North Korea, divided in the 1950s due to war along communist / free lines. South Korea is recognized as the official "Korea".

The population of South Korea is roughly 40-50 million. That's about 1/3-1/2 the population of Japan, which now stands at 120 million. There are 40-50 million people in South Korea. Roughly 70 million Koreans total.

And that's where I'd like to make a point. Compared to other nations, like America, Japan, China, and the United Kingdom, Korea, or basically South Korea is less in size and population. And yet, it is seen as the 11th in rank economically and as an international nation.

Tokyo admits existence of gov't document identifying Dokdo as non-Japanese territory
Date: November 20, 2006





The Japanese government, in an unprecedented move, has acknowledged the existence of a 19th-century document that could prove Japan's longstanding claim over a Korean island of Dokdo in the East Sea to be groundless.

In a recent letter to Korea's Yonhap News Agency, Japan's Foreign Ministry said it was aware of an 1877 document sent by the Japanese Cabinet to other government offices as an official instruction.

The document describes Dokdo and nearby Ulleungdo as not being part of Japan, and says the islands should not be included in its territory on official maps.

It apparently undermines a claim by Japan's government and scholars that Dokdo historically belongs to the island country.

Contrary to the contents of the document, Japan has long maintained that the country effectively controlled the territory from ancient times and it reaffirmed its ownership in 1905 through a decree by Shimane Prefecture.

Responding to Yonhap's latest written inquiry sent to Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, however, the ministry said it knows about the existence of the document drawn up by the Japanese government body called "Daijokan" in Japanese and "Taejeonggwan" in Korean. It was the supreme office of national administration and was the equivalent of today's cabinet.

But the Japanese Foreign Ministry refused to comment further, saying a related investigation and analysis is under way.

It is the first time for the Japanese government to officially recognize the document itself.

Historians in Korea said it would damage Japan's decades-old campaign to justify its claim to Dokdo.

"The Taejeonggwan note is a decisive document to support Korea's sovereignty over Dokdo, and for Japan it is like an Achilles' heel," Lee Suk-woo, professor of international law at Korea's Inha University.

A Japanese-born scholar, who asked not to be named, said that the document shows Japan ignored the official government document and carried out the imperialistic act of declaring its ownership in 1905.

"But Japan may try to fabricate related facts," he said.

Korea has warned Japan to stop claiming Dokdo. In a special statement earlier this year, Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said Japan's claim to Dokdo is an act that denies Korea's complete liberation from the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule.

-source - www.korea.net

I was wondering about people's response times to spoken things, because I've noticed others, mainly my parents.

My mother responds to what I tell her very little sometimes, not due to any ill will. It takes until a second or third time or even fourth of calling to her for her to respond.

It's not like it was a year ago.

And that's why I asked a question on Yahoo Answers.


---

And got this answer:

Blue♫Lotu I think people are responding slower to real things and quicker to less important things. If people talk more slowly to me, I tend to fall asleep, or respond too quickly, it just depends on my Mood.

---


That's why I think that right now, people in Korea, and countries whose timezones are near to here are becoming less efficient in response times. This subsequently affects the military exercises, driving, sports, etcetera.

Thinking strangely, I think that until the world is fully fixed to this disorder, people will be odd, especially those in Korea. (For instance, Korean soccer players will be disadvantaged.)

Gechunjul is basically the day when the Heavens opened up, mythologically speaking.

The myth is that a tiger and bear were fighting for the chance to become human. Eventually, ShinNim (mythological God, not real) told them to go into a cave and live on garlic for a few years.

The tiger that went in with the bear chickened out after awhile and the bear was the only one remaining. When it came out after the long time, it became a woman. The bear-turned-woman then married ShinNim and gave birth to the Korean race.

Thus is the day that the heavens opened up...mythologically speaking.

---

On this day, my mother and I went shopping. We first went online and looked for stores that had overweight people's clothing.

One store stood out and we called it. Our call wasn't received, but there was store music so we decided to go there. We went all the way to the store area, which was nearby a church, and went into the building to the 2nd floor.

And we found an office center named KSE. There were two lackadaisical people who told us that they'd moved in a few weeks ago.

There was no store.

So, we went to a normal store that was on our way to the train station. There, I found that none of the pants fit me. I'm a size 36.

We went to Dongdaemun Market by train and found a building for plus-sizers. There, I tried on pants and my mother bought me a white stretchy pants and brown trousers.

It was then that we found no shirts of fitting size nor interest.

What struck most odd was what happened afterwards.

---

We went to the beginning area of the store and found a nice shop with beautiful shirts. My mind was quite nasty and kept saying 5000 won (5.5 dollars). I wanted a cheap price for the clothing.

Well, most of the shirts didn't seem to fit, but the store person picked out some nice ones that would fit. At the pricing, she priced the shirts, 6000 won for the first 3 and 7000 won for the last one. It was at the last that my mind blurted "It's a steal" several times.

Analyzing that time, I think I was rude at wanting a cheap price. However, I found that on our way home, some stores had clothing of the same caliber was sale-priced at 2900 won (just all small sizings). It felt like a "steal" for getting such a low price, but objectively, the material was regular clothing.

Another rationalization was that we bought over 3 shirts there at the store, which made up for the cheap pricings.

Or, did it? Was I unfair at mentally digging low for a price?

---

Anyhow, my mother and I went to the local market at home with our goods and bought some green eyeshadow, which was a plus, and some grocery goods.

It was a full day, and when we got home, my back was feeling bogoonheh (twitchy, uncomfortable feeling of the body after a long stressful day).

What a day.

Is a part of Korean history, and has been recognized as such since the independence of Korea.

HOwever, the Chinese government has done subterfuge by aiming to steal Korea's past kingdom. Simply, by giving it another name in Chinese, and "claiming" its history by using the weak North Korean dictator Kim Jung-Il.

If China succeeds in its attempted theft of Koguryeo, then Korea's past will be put on hiatus. China will think it's able to takeover Korean land, "claiming" it as Chinese. It already has tried such by invading Korean territorial waters.

Korea has a unique culture, language, and people. What the Chinese government is doing (brainwashing their people by blocking Korean historical sites, for instance), is disgusting and ludicrous.