떡 본 김에 제사 지낸다 rice-cake seen while-AT ancestral-rites stay As long as you’ve seen the rice-cakes, stay for the ancestral rites.
I found this one in my grammar bible in slightly different form, while researching the paraphrastic “-ㄴ 김에” – which at least I recognized as a paraphrastic. It is glossed as “while one is at something,” and I took the liberty of reading it in this case as “as long as one has V.” The equivalent proverb in English might be “Strike while the iron is hot.” As long as you’re doing one simple thing, do the other more complicated thing as well.
Careless, careless. shoot anonymous, anonymous
Heartless, mindless. no one, who care about me?
잃어버린 채 외면하는 것 같아 참을 수밖에 없어
눈을 감지만
마마! 이젠 내게 대답해줘 왜 사람들이 달라졌는지
아름다운 시절이라는게 존재하긴 했는지
이제 더는 사랑하는 법도 잊었고 배려하는 맘도 잃었고
등을 돌린 채로 살아가기 바쁜걸
명의 가면에 감췄던 살의 가득한 질시
끝을 봐도 배고픈 듯한
이젠 만족해?
* 우린 더 이상 눈을 마주 하지 않을까?
소통하지 않을까? 사랑하지 않을까?
아픈 현실에 다시 눈물이 흘러
바꿀 수 있다고 바꾸면 된다고 말해요 마마. 마마.
Turn back!
죽고, 죽이고 싸우고 외치고. 이건 전쟁이 아니야.
도와줘요 마마마마 마마마마 Turn back.
깨닫게 마마마마 마마마마 Rolling back.
박고 치고 편을 나누고 싸우고 이건 게임도 아니야.
도와줘요 마마마마 마마마마 Turn back.
Yeah-
Careless, careless. (마마) Shoot anonymous, anonymous. (마마)
Heartless, mindless. (마마) No one. Who care about me? (마마)
삶에 허락된 축복받은 날들에 감사하고
매일 새로운 인연들을 만들고
깨져버린 마음에 보다, 기쁜 사랑을 모두 함께
웃을 수 있다면
우린 더 이상 눈을 마주 하지 않을까?
소통하지 않을까? 사랑하지 않을까?
아픈 현실에 다시 눈물이 흘러
바꿀 수 있다고 바꾸면 된다고 말해요 마마. 마마.
Careless, careless. shoot anonymous, anonymous
Heartless, mindless. no one, who care about me?
익명의 가면에 감췄던 살의 가득한 질시
끝을 봐도 배고픈 듯한
이젠 만족해?
우린 더 이상 눈을 마주 하지 않을까?
소통하지 않을까? 사랑하지 않을까?
아픈 현실에 다시 눈물이 흘러
언젠가부터 우린 스마트한 감옥에 자발적으로 갇혀
0과 1로 만든 디지털에 내 인격을 맡겨
거긴 생명도 감정도 따듯함도 없고 언어 쓰레기만
나뒹구는 삭막한 벌판.
날이 갈수록 외로움만 더해져
우리가 인간일 수 밖에 없는 건 상처 받는 것. Yeah-
The unequaled-in-snark blogger IOZ reviews the Atlas Shrugged movie – which I have zero interest in seeing, but about which I might bear some passing interest, if only as an erstwhile semi-(pseudo-)randian. The genius comment (on the novel more than on the movie):
the lessons she [Rand] draws from capitalism are like spelunking guides based on the Allegory of the Cave. I suspect if you showed her the old A = L + S/E equation, she'd think it was some kind of commie redistribution plan.
Uh. You either get it, and laugh uproariously (as I did, ashamedly), or you don't. I will actually think more highly of your practical side, if you don't. I have, indeed, changed over these last several years.
Nah. Just kidding. I’m not going anywhere. “Bye Bye Bye” is the name of a song we’re doing in the sing-along / listening comprehension CC classes, which I’m teaching to some of the elementary groups during the test-prep period. It’s by N Sync. I don’t like the song. But the kids seem to – not all of them, but some of them. And playing it, for them, going slowly, going over the lyrics, line by line. Well… it gets stuck in your head.
What I’m listening to right now.
N Sync, “Bye Bye Bye.” The sound quality on this youtube seems exceptionally poor, and that’s probably intentional – prevents redistributive piracy. But you get the idea.
It was a kind of gloomy, rainy weekend, and for once, I didn’t find the rain very comforting. The sky just felt heavy, without feeling dynamic as rain often does, at least for me.
I had fragmented dreams last night – I was trying to teach English to aliens. They kept having laser gun battles in the classrooms. Maybe I watched too much sci-fi crap over the weekend. Hm… maybe not so fantastical, though.
Utterly unrelatedly…
What I’m listening to right now.
효린 (씨스타) [Hyorin (Ssiseuta=Sister)], “널 사랑하겠어 [I Will Love You].” 가사:
내 뜨거운 입술이 너의
부드러운 입술에 닿길 원해
내 사랑이 너의 가슴에 전해지도록
아직도 나의 마음을 모르고 있었다면은
이 세상 그 누구보다 널 사랑하겠어
널 사랑하겠어 언제까지나
널 사랑하겠어 지금 이 순간처럼
이 세상 그 누구보다 널 사랑하겠어
효린 [씨스타] 널 사랑하겠어 Lyrics
어려운 얘기로 너의
호기심을 자극할 수도 있어
그 흔한 유희로 이 밤을 보낼 수도 있어
하지만 나의 마음을
이제는 알아줬으면 해
이 세상 그 누구보다 널 사랑하겠어
널 사랑하겠어 언제까지나
널 사랑하겠어 지금 이 순간처럼
이 세상 그 누구보다 널 사랑하겠어
널 사랑하겠어
널 사랑하겠어 언제까지나
널 사랑하겠어 지금 이 순간처럼
이 세상 그 누구보다 널 사랑하겠어
널 사랑하겠어 언제까지나
널 사랑하겠어 지금 이 순간처럼
이 세상 그 누구보다 널 사랑하겠어
널 사랑하겠어 언제까지나
널 사랑하겠어 지금 이 순간처럼
이 세상 그 누구보다
널 사랑하겠어
o zapachu który niczego nie przypomina niczego nie płoszy nie budzi pożądania
jego zapał i chłód są słuszne i pełne godności
czuję ciężki wyrzut kiedy go trzymam w dłoni i ciało jego szlachetne przenika fałszywe ciepło
—Kamyki nie dają się oswoić do końca będą na nas patrzeć okiem spokojnym bardzo jasnym
The poem is in Polish. Several translations are circulating – following, here’s one from from a website called Pacze Moj (it’s quite unclear to me if Pacze Moj is also a person, or if it’s a pseudonym, or if it’s just a blog title – my Polish is quite bad to the point of nonexistent).
Pebble by Zbigniew Herbert
The pebble is a creature, ideal,
a self equal to itself, guarding its own borders,
filled precisely, with stone pebblessence,
with a smell reminiscent of nothing, It frightens nothing, arouses no desires,
its fervour and its cold, are righteous and dignified,
I feel a heavy remorse, when I hold it in my hand, and its noble body is permeated by false warmth,
—Pebbles will not be tamed, till the end they will gaze upon us, through quiet eye so clear.
This story book is not native Korean. It’s a translation of something by Helen Oxenbury. But it translates well to the contemporary Korean cultural milieu, methinks.
It’s about this kid’s birthday. The title in Korean is 오늘은 내 생일이야. Here’s the Korean cover.
The kid goes around getting ingredients for his cake from various animals. The take-away phrase: “갖다 줄게” [I’ll bring it.]
My favorite part (i.e. cutest picture) is when they then all get together to make the cake, near the end.
The line at the end of this page: “우리다같이 케이크를 만들자” [Let’s all of us together make the cake].
“콩깍지” is a peapod, according to my dictionary. Possibly, it has other, more slangy meanings that are beyond me. But I found this hiphop song with this title. I have no idea what it means. I can’t even figure out the meaning of the hiphop group’s name. In fact, I can’t understand anything at all, except a few isolated words. But it’s a fun song, I guess. I hope it doesn’t turn to be too crude or bizarre.
What I’m listening to right now.
배치기 [baechigi], “콩깍지 [kongkkakji].” 가사:
B.A.E.C.H.I.G.I 이제 나왔으니
모두 친구들에게 전하기
하던 일들 전부 stop 모두 집중 여기 spot
들어볼까 기묘한 그 이야기
뭉탁!
탁>
그 꼬라지로 나와 너네가 얼마나 버티겠냐고
그냥 하던 대로 가라고
가만히 서서 중간이라도 가는 게
두말하면 입 아프다라고 말하는데
배치기 배엔 기름이 꼈네
믿음 따윈 져버리고 지네끼리 건배
그리고 나선 도망가네 조만간에 절망감이란
포만감으로 휩싸여야 정신 차리겠네
무웅>
어떤 인간들은 내게 말하겠지
너 얼마나 잘되나 두고 보자고
완전히 Reset 된 배치기
이제 누가 아냐고 물어보라고
그나마 누렸던 인기의 맛만
본걸로 만족해 알잖아 만만
치 않은 이곳에 이미 한물간
니들이 발 붙일 곳 없을 거라고
무웅>
이거 정말 난리나 버렸지
아무런 생각 없이 전부 내쳐 버렸지
모든 게 다 뒤바뀌어 버렸지
배치기 인생살이 제 눈에 낀 콩깍지
무웅>
뜻대로 되지만은 않을 거다
그러다가 망한 애들 여럿 봤다
새로운 변화에 신이 났겠지만
장담하건대 넌 예전이 낫다
제풀에 꺽일 네 모습이 선해
반전은 기대마 알잖아 뻔해
더 신 나게 떠들어라 웃고는 있지만
초조함 숨기려 내 맘은 탄다
탁>
겁을 먹었냐고 천만의 말씀
거품 빼고 우리만의 길을 가고픈 것뿐
당차게 박차고 나와서
난 바로 이 네 박자에 몸을 실었음
내 길에 내기를 걸어봐라
내 미래엔 배짱부리며 배 내미네 째봐라 그래
내가 쓰러지나 봐라 부러지나 봐라
날이 지나 봐라 끝내 누가 남았나
이거 정말 난리나 버렸지
아무런 생각 없이 전부 내쳐 버렸지
모든 게 다 뒤바뀌어 버렸지
배치기 인생살이 제 눈에 낀 콩깍지
B.A.E.C.H.I.G.I 이제 나왔으니
모두 친구들에게 전하기
하던 일들 전부 stop 모두 집중 여기 spot
들어볼까 기묘한 그 이야기
탁>
서로 머리 맞대면서 많은 날을 고민했지
배부르면 봄날이냐고
까놓고 말해보자 우리들의 전성기는
언제부터 언제였냐고
몇 번의 박수로 우쭐거리며
살아나간 지난날의 우릴 반성하자고
죽이 되든 밥이 되든 피래미 시절
기억하며 아둥바둥 살아보자고
이거 정말 난리나 버렸지
아무런 생각 없이 전부 내쳐 버렸지
모든 게 다 뒤바뀌어 버렸지
배치기 인생살이 제 눈에 낀 콩깍지 예
I awoke to rain tapping on my window. Tippa. Tappa tappa.
I feel slow… that feeling when you wake up, that you're not sure who or where you are, for a moment. Reality takes time, re-integrating.
I've been reading a novel called Aquella Montaña Tan Lejana, which is a translation into Spanish of Korean novelist Wanseo Park's 그 산이 정말 거기 있었을까. Amazing, what can be found in Seoul's bookstores, eh? I haven't gotten very far into it, yet. I'll provide some thoughts on it, later, maybe.
소 잃고 외양간 고치기 cow lose-AND stable fix-GER […like] fixing the stable after losing the cow.
The proverbial meaning is obvious, and matches English’s “Closing the barn door after the horse is gone.”
It’s a sunny Spring morning. The sky is hazy. Next week is my one-year anniversary of departing Hongnong. It feels like yesterday. I miss some aspects of it – it was a complex and life-altering experience in a way that the year since then has not been. But it wasn’t sustainable for me. So I cannot regret having left, and having come here. This has been a much more low-key, stable-feeling, emotionally sustainable year. More on meditations on renewal, later.
Talking Heads, "Cities." From 1979's Fear of Music. I have found several cities to live in, over the years, taking the song's advice. Lately, the city I live in is Seoul, of course. Previous favorites included L.A., Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and México, D.F. Hmm, why am I saying this? I don't know.
I love the Talking Heads, even after all these years. They never get old to me. I guess you'd call them formative, or essential, or foundational to my musical taste and character. This evening, I ran across a great review at The Atlantic of a book-length review by Jonathan Letham of the Fear of Music album. This is what put this song on my playlist.
The lyrics:
Think of London, a small city It's dark, dark in the daytime The people sleep, sleep in the daytime If they want to, if they want to
[CHORUS] I'm checking them out I'm checking them out I got it figured out I got it figured out There's good points and bad points Find a city Find myself a city to live in.
There are a lot of rich people in Birmingham A lot of ghosts in a lot of houses Look over there!…A dry ice factory A good place to get some thinking done
Down El Paso way things get pretty spread out People got no idea where in the world they are They go up north and come back south Still got no idea where in the world they are.
Did I forget to mention, to mention Memphis Home of Elvis and the ancient greeks Do I smell? I smell home cooking It's only the river, it's only the river.
“I never knew that a playground could look like a fun-loving giant robot and a prison for hardened criminals at the same time.” – Thus writes someone at Komboh blog. How could I disagree? – this is fabulous. Plus, I really like the guy’s blog website design. It’s really awesome.
I have been addicted to graphic design websites since before they existed. Um… how is this possible? Well I don’t really mean websites, do I? When I worked for the University of Minnesota Libraries, in the late 1980’s, I discovered a magazine called Graphis (the magazine still exists). It was a glossy collection of the best of graphic design and advertising design. I would spend hours paging slowly through back issues. It was almost a kind of meditation. It was also a way to kind of stay in touch with my creative side, and to get a feel for the world. So now, all these years later, I still page idly through graphic design and arts magazines – I just do it online, now. I visit My Modern Met blogs almost daily, for example. And I regularly discover new sites like Komboh, referenced above.
I read an article in the LA Times about a school, that drew correlations between the fact that it had recently ripped out its concrete playground and planted a biodiverse garden, and improved test scores. It was an uplifting, positive article on education, such as are all too rare in the US media, these days, and the correlations drawn seem plausible, at least anecdotally. I'm sceptical, however… who is to say there weren't other causes for the improved test scores? There could have been demographic shifts in the school's neighborhood, there could have been curricular or staff changes, etc.
I love the story of it – the narrative – but I'm frustrated by it at the same time, because it's preceisely the type of muddle-headed thinking education is supposed to be ameliorating. Sigh. How to react? It's great to see schools tearing out ugly concrete playgrounds. It's wonderful that any inner-city school can improve student performance dramatically. But how about some actual science behind this alleged improvement in science scores?
Last night, at 1:20 AM, a very loud and scary-sounding alarm began to sound in my building. I woke up, startled. My first thought: I opened a window and listened to the world outside, to see if it was part of a broader civil-defense alert (e.g. North Korea finally going off the deep end). Relieved that that didn't appear to be the case, I figured two possibilities: 99%) somebody messing around and made a mistake; 1%) an actual fire in the building. I opened my door into the corridor, and exchanged blurry glances with a neighbor guy down the hall. We shrugged. I went back in, grabbed my little "documents" box and threw it into my backpack, slipped on some shoes, grabbed my cellphone and wallet, and went down the stairs, seven floors, to the lobby of my building.
There were many people loitering around. But no evidence of fire trucks, nor was the night-watch doorman/parking-lot dude anywhere in evidence. I exchanged meaningless glances with some deeply annoyed-looking women. The night-shift man in the 24-hour convenience store off the lobby (with whom I have a "nod hello" acquaintance since he's always starting his shift when I stop in there on the way home from work to buy my bottled cold corn-tassle tea or orange juice or milk) didn't seem to be noticing the alarm at all.
The alarm stopped. I went back up the stairs, because the elevators seemed stuck on some upper floor. I stopped and peered in a few of the floors on the way back to the seventh. Nothing really going on. I went into my apartment, and put down my bag. I figured if it was a real fire, the alarm would start again, but I was also feeling stressed because it seemed likely that it could go off again, if it was the result of someone's mistake. So I stayed awake. I fired up the computer and surfed the internet, and tried to watch an episode of the Daily Show. I thought about my "emergency response" plan. I actually have one – I keep all my important documents in a plastic box which I can grab easily (as I did this time). And my laptop sleeps in my backpack, too. And I have a detachable harddrive with file backups that I can throw into it easily. I looked around my apartment, and wondered if there was anything else I'd regret hugely to lose, in an emergency. Hm… I'm kind of a pack-rat, especially with books and papers. But … I'd let go of most of it without being plunged into depression, if it had to happen. And so… whatever.
I feel like I didn't get a very good night's rest, though.
I have been known to log on to some chat utility or another (i.e. AIM or Yahoo) to interact with some long-lost acquaintances now and then. There are lot of bots lurking out there in these nether parts of the internet. Mostly, of course, one wants to ignore such things as bots. But the other day I was inspired, I decided to see what the bot had to say for itself. I was unimpressed, except by my own strangeness. I have changed the usernames to protect the innocent and the guilty.
bogybaggle: heya.
jaredrobot: really?
bogybaggle: hey! 21/femaIe here. you?
jaredrobot: robot. indeterminate age.
bogybaggle: NO i am not a bot
jaredrobot: i know. i am.
bogybaggle: hmm….. have we ever chatted be4?
jaredrobot: yes. we are one and the same. one mind. hive mind.
bogybaggle: oh sorry…. i am reaIIy forgetfuII sometimes. but anyways whats up?
jaredrobot: i'm suffering from an epistemological crisis.
bogybaggle: hey i have some pictures of me on my profiIe on this site if you wouId Iike to see them?
jaredrobot: i don't have the ability to integrate visual data.
bogybaggle:
yeah? ok weII you wiII have to signup there to make sure that your not a
kid because i have a coupIe R rated pictures on there
bogybaggle: but dontt worry it is completly free and easy to signup. heres the signup page https://[redacted]
jaredrobot: kid robot. you're a genius.
bogybaggle: A bot? not hardly babe. Are you?
jaredrobot: yep.
bogybaggle: when u get Iogged in then search for my profiIe bogybaggle.
bogybaggle: if u want to see my R rated pics. the gaIlIery password is xxxfun
jaredrobot: yes, mistress. i'm yours to command.
bogybaggle: brb. jaredrobot: that's what they all say.
What I'm listening to right now.
Bumblebeez 81, "I Come With Water."
[This is a back-post, written at the date shown but only saved in draft form for a very long time. I finally decided to go through and officially "post" a bunch of old draft posts lying around.]
널 처음 본 순간 난 울었어
견딜수가 없어서 널 가질수가 없어서
내 속은 푹푹 끓었어
금지된 사랑에 이성은 무릎 꿇었어
메마른 마음에 뜨거운 불이 붙었어
너무도 거세 우릴 끌고 가는 바람
너무도 천해 이런 너와 나란 사람
하지만 지옥같은 이 시한부 사랑이
영원을 약속한 천국보다 달콤하잖아
나 살던 세상조차 부셔버렸잖아
너 살던 세상조차 부셔버렸잖아
누구나 쉬쉬하는 제목부터 길고긴
이 뻔한 이야기의 결말을 난 알아
사랑의 파괴자 파렴치한 가해자
하지만 나 역시 운명이 남긴 또 하나의 피해자
날 욕하지마 나 사랑밖에 안했다
그 순간 유혹은 내 영혼보다 강했다
가질수도 말할수도 없었지만
역시나 내게 아름다워
내가 너로 인해 아파 할수있단 그 조차
내게 아름다운 You’re my Heartbraker
너무 달콤해 이 불편한 사랑이
어쩔때는 Sick 해 나란 사람이
질투가 나 먼저 널 가진 사람이
정말좋니 니 곁에 그 사람이
밤새 들이킨 술 땜에 머리가 띵해
사랑 노래만 들어도 눈시울이 찡해
너는 빙해 처럼 얼어붙었다
화산처럼 나를 채워 기분이 참 횡해
하루에도 몇번씩은 웃고 울어
이별은 언제쯤인지 너에게 묻고 또 물어
나는 아침 드라마에 주인공처럼
복잡하게 꼬인 사랑의 시나리오를 외워
넌 내 감정을 할퀴어 버리겠지
내 존잰 벌레처럼 밟혀 버리겠지
나는 간절한데 넌 항상 느긋해
이 초라한 슬픔따윈 삭혀 버리겠지
가질수도 말할수도 없었지만
역시나 내게 아름다워
내가 너로 인해 아파 할수있단 그 조차
내게 아름다운 You’re my Heartbraker
그럼 너도 알게돼
너 역시 내 마음과 내 생각과
같단걸 알게돼
Just stay with me
그럼 너도 알게돼
너 역시 내 마음과 내 생각과
같단걸 알게돼
Just stay with me
(간주)
따고 싶어 너란 저 하늘의 별을
맡고싶어 다시 너의 숨결을
왜 안고싶어 가질수 없는 너를
되찾고 싶어 절대 난 버릴수 없는 너를
잡고싶어 뜬 구름같은 너를
안고싶어 참 아름다운 너를
더 알고 싶어 수수께끼 같은 너를
깆고싶어 시한부 같은 사랑의 생명을
가질수도 말할수도 없었지만
역시나 내게 아름다워
니가 나로 인해 아파 할수없으니
그래서 더 아름다워
You’re my Heartbraker
You’re my Heartbraker
You’re my Heartbraker
Here is a translation I found. I can’t attest to its quality. And it doesn’t match up very well – I suspect it’s arranged differently or leaves out some of the choruses, etc.
I cried the first moment I saw you ’cause I couldn’t take it
My heart was throbbing ’cause I couldn’t have you
Rationality knelt down in front of forbidden love
The dry heart caught fire
The wind taking us away is way too strong
You and me are way too lowly
But this hell-like love with a time limit is much sweeter than the heaven with a promise of eternity
It smashed the world I was living in
It smashed the world you were living in
I know how this long and hushed-up story with full of cliches will end
heartbreaker, shameless perpetrator
But at the same time, I am a victim of fate as well
Don’t point your fingers at me all I did was love
The temptation at the moment was stronger than my soul
I couldn’t have you or give you up
But You are beautiful to me
Even the fact that it hurts because of you is beautiful to me
You’re my Heartbreaker
This uncomfortable love is way too sweet
I feel sick of myself sometimes
I am jealous of the person who took you away
Do you really love the person beside you?
I am having a headache because of the drinks I’ve had all night long
I feel like crying whenever I hear a love song
You freeze just like a sea of ice then drive me crazy like a volcano
I feel so empty
Everyday I laugh and cry over and over
I ask you when it will end over and over
I memorize a twisted scenario of love as if I am a leading actor of morning soap opera
You will claw my feelings
My existence will be crushed down just like a worm
I am so desperate but you are always relaxed
You will deal with this insignificant sorrow easily
I couldn’t have you or give you up
But You are beautiful to me
Even the fact that it hurts because of you is beautiful to me
You’re my Heartbreaker
Just stay with me Then you will see
You will see that you feel the same
Just stay with me
Then you will see
You will see that you feel the same
Just stay with me
I want to grasp you, the star on the night sky
I want to smell your breath again
I want to steal you, who I can never have
I want you back, who I can never give up
I want to catch you, who is just like vapor in the air
I want to hold you in my arms, who is so beautiful
I want to know you more, who is still puzzling to me
I want to have the life of love even with a time limit.
I like children’s books. I like the Korean language. So my recent decision to try to read one Korean kid’s book each week as part of my efforts to learn the language seems destined to be a win-win. Here’s the book. It’s very low level, of course – such is my proficiency with Korean.
The book is called 모양 나라에 온 도깨비, which I would translate as “The gnome who came to the land of shapes.” It’s not really a gnome – a 도깨비 [do-kkae-bi] is a native Korean fairy-tale creature that’s kind of a cross between a gnome and a unicorn, maybe.
Here’s the cover.
The first page introduces the land of triangles.
Other shapes are introduced, farther along. Then all the various shapes, who seem to live in segregated neighborhoods, all run into each other while on a picnic. The plot thickens. So does the Korean – this next was a difficult page to decipher.
A rough translation of this page:
Hello, triangles! You guys are a little bit weird-looking. Hello, rectangles! Really funny-looking. Hello, circles! First time ever to see such faces.
Then things get bad. There’s a wind-storm; the shapes get mixed up with each other, and then the gnome shows up. Oh noes!
This is so close to exactly where I am, right now, in my own putatively "spiritual" journey.
"…if you read the chapter on atheism, I call it ironic atheism. I think the Buddha was not a devout atheist. The Buddha simply did not have any time for the very concept or the language of God, and he dismissed it, really, as just yet another example of how human beings can dream up of all sorts of things, and he put it to one side. So Buddhism is atheistic in the sense that it simply it doesn’t have recourse to God language, but it’s not atheistic in the sense that it has as a central doctrine the denial of God." – Stephen Batchelor, a Buddhist scholar being interviewed for a website called buddhistgeeks.
I know atheism makes most people very uncomfortable. Unless asked directly, I don't bring it up. I have no interest whatsoever in confronting other people's faiths. It serves no purpose at all. But my "faith-based" atheism is pretty strong – it's taken shape and survived for 10 years. I do believe strongly that it is by our acts that we define our moral character, and not by what we believe or fail to believe.
I'm really so very anti-social, these days. And I'm trying to not spend so much time online, during my weekend time. I had a pretty positive, relaxing day, but it wasn't what you would view as objectively productive. I studied Korean for a while. I read some books. Not whole books – parts of various books, including finally finished the first volume of the three volume history of Korea I'm working through. I wrote a little bit, and I cleaned my apartment's floor. I stayed off the internet for most of the day – which is a pretty major accomplishment, actually. Such is Sunday.
What I'm listening to right now.
미쓰에이 [Miss A], "터치[Touch]." 가사:
Album: 닫힌 내 가슴은 누구도 사랑할 수가 없다 그렇게 믿었는데 어느새 내 가슴이 열리고 있어 굳은 내 가슴은 다시는 설레일 수가 없다 그렇게 믿었는데 너를 볼 때마다 내 가슴이 뛰어 You touch my heart baby (touch touch) You touch my heart baby (touch touch) 부드러운 손길로 내 마음을 어루만져 (touch) You touch my heart baby (touch touch) You touch my heart baby (touch touch) 내 마음을 모두 다 다 다 가져 갔어 (touch)
상처를 주기도 받기도 이제는 정말 싫다 그렇게 믿었는데 너와는 왜 그런 일이 없을 것 같니 가슴에 상처가 나으려면 한참이 걸릴 거다 그렇게 믿었는데 어느새 내가 너의 품에 안겨있어 얼음처럼 차가워진 내 가슴 어느샌가 살며시 빼앗은 너는 따스하게 비치는 햇살 내 상처에 다시 나는 새 살 나도 모르게 어느새 너에게 기대 하늘이 다시 한 번 내게 기회를 준 걸지도 모른다는 생각이 내 마음에 들어 baby
This article is so bizarre, not because I doubt its scientific authenticity, but just because of the material it covers. Really, it’s just caterpillars. I think the title to the article would make a good title for a pseudo-autobiographical novel: Caterpillars are more likely to vomit alone. I will begin an outline immediately.
Extended quote:
This new study shows that there is a social side to defensive vomiting. The researchers found that whether a caterpillar is willing to regurgitate — and to what extent — depends on the size of its social group.
I’m not sure if that’s really what this is. Does Korea have reggae? But I saw the term applied to this singer. I kind of like it, actually, despite not being a big reggae fan, normally. The genre assignation doesn’t seem exactly right, either, though.
Maybe it’s just this song.
What I’m listening to right now.
하하 [Haha], “그래 나 노래 못해 [geurae na norae mothae = so I can’t sing].”
Haha. Funny.
가사 [lyrics]:
그래 나 노래 못해
그래도 난 노래해
내 Soul과 My Feel로
그래 나 노래 못해
그래도 난 노래해
내 Soul과 My Feel로
예에헤
뒤에서 다들 그래
난 노래 하지말래
웃기고 앉아있네
노래할래
여러분 나 병에 걸렸어
이놈의 병 때문에
암것도 못해
성대결절에
내가 들어도 듣기 싫은
이 목소리에
노래 노래
그놈의 노래라는 병에
걸려버렸어
상처는 덮어두면
더 깊어지는 법
그래 나 노래 못해
그래 나 노래 못해
그래도 난 노래해
내 Soul과 My Feel로
예에헤
뒤에서 다들 그래
난 노래 하지말래
웃기고 앉아있네
노래할래 이렇게
라 라라라라라
라라라라 라라라
아버지가 말씀하셨어
신께선 모두 다
주시지 않는다고
그래서 세상은
공평하다고 인정했어
맘은 안 그래도
어린날 때론
세상에 주먹질과 욕도
맘껏 해봤어
잘못된 길의 지도를
만들었던 것
그래 나 노래 못해
그래 나 노래 못해
그래도 난 노래해
내 Soul과 My Feel로
예에헤
뒤에서 다들 그래
난 노래 하지말래
웃기고 앉아있네
노래할래
(몹쓸병에 걸려 누워있는)
(병실에도 흘러나오길)
(오늘도 살기위해)
(야근하고 있는)
(회사에도 흘러나오길)
(어둠과 꿈을 위해)
(펜을 잡고 있는)
(학교에도 흘러나오길)
(지친 영혼을 일으켜)
(세울수 있는)
(노래가 되길)
(더 크게 더 크게)
(더 크게 이렇게)
그래 나 노래 못해
그래도 나 노래해
내 Soul과 My Feel로
오~ 예
뒤에선 다들 그래
난 노래 하지말래
웃기고 앉아있네
노래할래
그래 넌 잘될거야
미친듯 잘될거야
세상이 몰라줘도
잘될거야
그래 난 잘될거야
죽어도 잘될거야
세상이 몰라줘도
노래할래
어물전 망신은 꼴뚜기가 시킨다 fish-store dishonor small-octopus-SUBJ causes A small octopus causes a fish-store[‘s] dishonor.
A single small member of a large organization can ruin it for everybody. That’s what this seems to mean. “One bad apple ruins the barrel” might be an English equivalent.
It was supposed to be “Rabbits eating vegetables.” But the latter word wasn’t familiar to my low level elementary students, whereas they all knew the word “basketball.” So when we recited the little dialog in chapter 9, that’s how it came out.
I tried to explain that rabbits don’t eat basketballs, but rather, vegetables. And I drew a picture on the blackboard, to explain why. I don’t have that picture – a student who found it disturbing erased it too quickly. But I have a reproduction that I drew just now – see picture at right.
Electoral maps have always fascinated me. It’s interesting, for example, that when looking at modern US electoral maps, you can sometimes make out the “ghost” the Confederacy, 150 years gone.
I have no idea whether this is coincidence or whether there’s some cultural/historical reality to it – I consider myself too ill-informed to judge – but in South Korea’s recent electoral maps, I feel like I can make out the “ghost” of something much, much older than the Confederacy in North America. Specifically, something about the modern map of Korea harkens back to the so-called “three kingdom” period (i.e. before around 700 AD).
Seriously. This is not just a recent fluke. Throughout the post-WWII history of South Korea, there seems to be a clear tendency for the southwest of the country to go for the liberals (“red Jeolla” and all that) while the east of the peninsula goes for the nationalists (typically called conservatives but I’m not comfortable calling them that).
In the elections on Wednesday of this week, the same pattern continues. Take a look at this map (from the wikithing). Yellow and pink are the liberals, entirely in the southwest with some pockets at major urban areas, e.g. Seoul in the northwest and a few districts at Busan in the southeast. The rest of the country is solidly nationalist.
Now take a look at this map of the three kingdoms period, ca. 575 AD (also from the wikithing). If you pretend that the Goguryeo kingdom became North Korea, then modern Silla is the nationalist stronghold, and modern Baekje is the liberal stronghold. The match-up isn’t perfect – but neither are those confederacy ghosts seen in US maps.
Yo como tú amo el amor, la vida, el dulce encanto de las cosas el paisaje celeste de los días de enero.
También mi sangre bulle y río por los ojos que han conocido el brote de las lágrimas. Creo que el mundo es bello, que la poesía es como el pan, de todos.
Y que mis venas no terminan en mí, sino en la sangre unánime de los que luchan por la vida, el amor, las cosas, el paisaje y el pan, la poesía de todos.
– Roque Daltón (poeta salvadoreño).
Lo que estoy escuchando en este momento.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood, “War (Long Version).”
Escúchenla, y lean su letra:
Oh no, there’s got to be a better way Say it again, there’s got to be a better way Yeah, what is it good for? (War)
Man has a sense for the discovery of beauty How rich is the world for one who makes use of it to show Beauty must have power over man (war) After the end of the war I went to devote myself To my thoughts for five to ten years and to writing them down War has caused unrest among the younger generation
Induction then destruction, who wants to die? Wars come and go what remains are only the values of culture
Then of course there is revolutionary love Love of comrades fighting for the people and love of people Not an abstract people but people one meets and works with When Che Guevara taught of love being At the center of revolutionary endeavor, he meant both
For people like Che or George Jackson or Malcolm X Love was the prime mover of their struggle That love cost them their lives…
love… coupled with immense pride love… coupled with immense pride
(Give it to you on top, now)
War, I despise ‘cos it means destruction of innocent lives War, means tears to thousands of mothers how When their sons go off to fight and lose their lives
I said, war, good god, now, what is it good for? Absolutely, nothing Say it again, war, what is it good for? Absolutely, nothing, listen to me War, it ain’t nothing but a heart breaker War, friend only to the undertaker, war
War, war, war, war War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing Say it, war, good god now, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing, say it, war
Oh no, there’s got to be a better way Say it again, there’s got to be a better way Yeah, what is it good for? War, what is it good for?
Regardless, it gave me a sort of a chill, watching this video: a sort of schematic narration of the overwhelming complexity of our world, its interdependencies, the way we exist embedded in multifold schemas that we don’t understand and are barely aware of. And in a very short story-line, there’s also an actual character created, which seems to possess the rudiments of personality and internal life – perhaps a la Sims. For some reason, I was thinking of Joyce’s Ulysses as I watched this. That might seem strange, but I believe some might see that there’s a sort of logic to it. “A day in the life…” and all that.
What I’m listening to right now.
[UPDATE 2018-02-03: Video replaced due to having noticed link-rot (old video taken down?).]
Röyksopp, “Remind Me.”
Plus, I like Röyksopp.
Now, tangentially – or perhaps in the mode of a constructive, philosophical supplement (and please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see the connection to the above, as I’m writing here largely for my own future’s perusal, because my reading happened to coincide with my discovery of the “schemanarrative”) – I will offer an extended quote from Fredric Jameson’s Valences of the Dialectic, on the topic of his “utopian hermeneutic” (the chapter is entitled “Utopia as Replication”; the “genealogy” he’s referencing is Nietzsche’s):
There is so far no term as useful for the construction of the future as “genealogy” is for such a construction of the past; it is certainly not to be called “futurology,” while “utopology” will never mean much, I fear. The operation itself, however, consists in a prodigious effort to change the valances on phenomena which so far exist only in our present; and experimentally to declare positive things which are clearly negative in our own world, to affirm that dystopia is in reality Utopia if examined more closely, to isolate specific features in our empirical present so as to read them as components of a different system. This is in fact what we have seen Virno doing when he borrows an enumeration of what in Heidegger are clearly enough meant to be negative and highly critical features of modern society or modern actuality, staging each of these alleged symptoms of degradation as an occasion for celebration and as a promise of what he does not – but what we may – call an alternate Utopian future. [p. 434]
I would only add that perhaps we have to remember that dystopias and utopias, both, are reliant on narratives that are essentially the same, and which may or may not be historical, just like Nietzsche’s genealogies (or even marxian dialectics of various flavors). Not historical, and not ahistorical – maybe a good word would be “pseudohistorical” – but why not just call it “narrative”?
Today is election day in South Korea. The sign at right reads 투표소 [“polling place”].
My bilingual coworker summed up her attitude to these elections.
“I’ve made my decision!” she announced.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m not voting.”
I’m not sure what the turnout will be today – I’m going to guess it will be low. These are national parliamentary elections, but don’t include a vote for the president, which will happen in the fall – the legislative and presidential calendars are out of sync, here. The two main parties recently rebranded themselves, but they are the same as always: a roughly right wing ruling party of nationalists, now called 새누리당 [“New Frontier Party”] and a roughly left wing opposition party of liberals, now called 통합민주당 [“Unified Democrat Party”]. The current president, Lee Myung-bak, isn’t very popular, but his nationalist party remains so – that may have something to do with their recent rebranding. Both parties are currently led by women (picture below), which is striking in Korea’s historically ultra-patriarchal political system.
I predict that the left leaning democrats will gain seats in the legislature – currently they only hold 89 out of 300 – but not an outright majority. There are minor parties and if they get enough, the liberals might be able to block some of the nationalists’ efforts, in coalition. But the president holds huge power – so the really meaningful election will be in the fall.
I am a political news junkie, but I tend to avoid commenting too often on it. I have been following the US media coverage of Obamacare's sojourn in the Supreme Court avidly, but most of the commentary seems to not get one fundamental aspect – there is nothing innately conservative about the idea of the Court striking down the law. It's just how the cards fell: the individual mandate started life as a conservative initiative, that the Dems took over because it seemed like a good solution. And yet if GW Bush had passed something resembling Obamacare, the Court would likely be divided exactly opposite to its current division. So…
Well, I found a great piece online this morning that captures this paradox quite clearly and brilliantly. If you're interested in this topic, I suggest you read it.
I saw a seventh grade student named Sumin in the lobby. "How are you?" I asked.
"I'm excellent," she answered, in confident English.
"Oh, that's good. Why are you excellent?"
"시험대비 is like a vacation!" She held out her hand, thumb's up, and grinned. [시험대비 means "test prep" – our hagwon closes down the regular middle school classes and offers special test-prep classes for middle schoolers for their upcoming very important public school English tests].
The background is that Sumin is a relatively new student at Karma, and I don't think she's been through the 시험대비 before. And she happens to be a straight-A, 100% average type student – so I suspect the public school English curriculum isn't challenging for her. Therefore the test-prep for this is likely to feel like a vacation.
