Recent Blog Posts

All Recent Posts

Crime, Corruption, Crazy

In this article in the Korea Times, Kim Sue-young discussed the different problems that foreign workers face. The reporter managed to come up with concrete statistics, something I often cite as a significant problem in Kang Shinwho's articles. However, while Kim Sue-young mentions the types of cases filed there are no mentions of conflicts actually being resolved. Many foreigners emphasize the fact that even if they do go through official channels to file a complaint or seek legal action, the police or government agency seem very unlikely to actually do anything to help them.

BUT my favorite article for the day is this one, "Hagwon Sued for 'Pirating' SAT Book." This is from the hagwon that was busted recently for getting advanced copies of the SAT and selling it to their students. The title of the article focuses on the fact that they plagiarized some books. To that, I have to say big deal, they are like every other hagwon I've ever heard of. Obviously that sucks but no one would have caught them if they hadn't been under investigation for other things. At the end of the article they mentioned that the former employee, Jeffrey Sohn, responsible for making the books had previously been kidnapped and beaten by the school for attempting to leave it for another job. Back up. KIDNAPPED AND BEATEN. Why wasn't THIS the title and focus of the article?!

I hope this leads to more investigation into the shady business practices of hagwons in Korea. I suppose that could be expanded to business practices and transparency issues period but let's face it, that's all wishful thinking on my part.

Coming up next: Korean class, life, etc.

—

http://aaaalexsadventuresinasia.blogspot.com/

take me out to the rock show - carsick cars

Busan is quite the lovely monster of the city. She's this big, beautiful metropolis that is surrounded by mountains and lives by the sea. She never seems to get quite as cold as the rest of Korea, she always has something delicious for you to eat, and she puts on one hell of a film festival in the fall.

.. but ...

One thing she doesn't do so well rock shows. I'm not saying there isn't good music in this town - we have some good bands, and the open mics are good fun in the summer when you need to sing your heart out with all your friends - but as far as good old sweaty, dirty rock show, we don't have them.

So the Chinese showed up and reminded us how it's done.

(ps. My disposable camera addiction might be back in full swing)

Peek-a-boo .. I see a boy peeing in the girl's bathroom!

CARSICK CARS - 蘑菇蘑菇 MOGU MOGU (Music Video) from Maybe Mars / 兵马司 on Vimeo.

Around Korea in 5 days- Day 1 Busan 부산 to Samcheok 삼척

I had done twelve day trips by motorcycle in Korea. As the end of the riding season approached I decided to do one last trip. This time I would try to go all the way around Korea. My goal was to do it in five days and for fewer than 400,000 won. I estimated it would be around 1,600 kms. I would budget 80,000 won for each day. I left Monday September 21th. I was headed up the east coast of South Korea. I was crashing on a friends couch during that time. I got up early that morning and headed out on the road. I made a wrong turn in Busan, making me head back into town. I got things straightened out and I hoped that this would not be indicative of the trip. Finally by 10:30am, Busan was fading away behind me. I wanted to film the trip but I also wanted to get the riding in so I was not sure of how to approach the task of trying to document the trip. I figured I would use the same style I had for my other videos. At noon I reached Pohang. I stopped and got the oil changed. I figured I would do it every day. One because it was cheap and good preventive maintenance and secondly I could get a once over of the bike each day. Make sure the chain is okay and that there are not any problems. The bike I am riding is an older 125 Daelim and I defiantly do not recommend it for the trip, but it is all I have right now. I don't want to not do it just because of the bike. I figure my 23 years of riding experience will compensate for what the bike lacks. After the check- up I grab a quick lunch from Lotte mart and eat on the side of the road. Time on the side of the road is something you get used to on motorcycle trips. Sometimes I forget that there are better places to stop. I just get wrapped up in the riding and don't want to be too far from the road. It is colder than I expected and I catch a bit of a chill. So it's time to pack up. I decide to wait till around 2pm to start filming. I just want to enjoy the road for awhile. I am riding along the ocean and the traffic is light so I drift off into rhythm of the road. Riding motorcycles is Zen for me. It is one of the few times that everything turns off in my head. Everything becomes connected and in flow. One thing I have noticed while riding around Korea is that the distances on the signs do not seem that accurate. My suspicions were confirmed. I passed a sign that said 123 kms to Samcheok, then ten minutes later a sign states 128km. As 2pm approached I realized it was time to find something to film. I have learned the brown signs mean tourist attraction. I have also learned that their distances are not accurate either. What can seem like a five minute detour can turn into a 50 km wild goose chase. I spot a sign for a museum and as I come up the highway I can see it off the side of the road. This seems like a perfect find. It ends up being a memorial for a Korean general who died fighting the Japanese during the turn of the 20th century. There are some shrines and a small museum. The museum features some photos of Koreans being tortured during colonization. It is not that often I have seen real photos of that time. They leave me with a lasting impression of how brutal that period of Korea's history was. I head back out on the road again and about half hour later stop for a short break to take in the scenery of the ocean. It is quite a beautiful ride along the ocean. My next stop is a cave. One of my first travel memories is visiting a huge cave in Mexico when I was four. I always get excited to go check out caves. The cave is along a river cutting back into the mountain. It is a medium sized cave. There are times in the cave where you have to crawl through a few sections as the passages are very small. After the cave I grab a bag of chips and then head out back on the road. I am feeling good I have filmed a couple tourist attractions and have had a good day riding. It is only 4:30pm and I am only 65km to Samcheok my destination for this day. It seems like a perfect day. Then as I head down a hill on the highway, my engine cuts out. I pull in the clutch and drift down the hill as far as I can. I eventually run out of steam. I get off the bike and look around. There does not appear to be any service stations near. I start to think about the task of pushing my bike. I check over the bike and hope that I just ran out of gas and that there is not some problem with the bike. Motorcycles have reserve tanks and usually a switch under the tank. You can switch the gas from on to off and to the reserve tank. The switch is turned to on. I switch it to reserve. I hope this fixes the problems. If you run dry it can take a minute or so to get the bike going again. I push the choke in and hit the starter. I can hear the carburetor trying to suck in gasoline. Try one is a failure. I stop for a second and then hit the starter again the bike struggles to start. Then the wonderful sound of the engine roaring to life starts. I put my jacket back on, I was already prepared to push the bike. I head back on the road. I have to find gas soon as the reserve won't last long. Ten minutes down the road I find a town. I am saved. I travel the length of the town and can't find a station. I go back through town and still no station. I stop at the fire station. There is only a lady at the station and she doesn't speak any English. I realize I don't really know Korean for I ran out of gas. I point to my tank and shrug my shoulders. She understands and points down the road and tells me it is 3 kms down the road. I head toward the station and wonder why the gas station was not closer to the town, it was a fair size town. Finally I spot the gas station and just as I turn off into it, my engine cuts out again. I am able to drift to the pump, perfect timing. The gas incident took some time and I still wanted to film one more thing. I find small Buddhist temple close by. There was not much there but it did have a good view. I filmed it and thought about trying to find one more thing. At 6:30 I made it to Samcheok. The highway I came in on goes under a big arch featuring a big bat. There are several signs for more caves. There are several factories and everything looks kind of dirty. I pass over a bridge and head into town. I find the downtown area and it is a lot different. It is very new and clean. There is a nice walking and shopping area. I stop at a hotel and ask the price. It is only 30,000 won so I decide to stay there. I want to get a good sleep that night. I head down to the shopping are and go to a pizza restaurant. The restaurant has pictures of some Italians helping to set up the restaurant on the wall. The pizza ends up being pretty good. Pizza after a good day of riding is one of my joys in life. After dinner I hit up an internet cafe. I want to check my email. It will be the last time for the week as I will go offline for the rest of the trip. It ends up being a great thing that I check my email as it ends up changing the rest of my trip. A fellow motorcyclist that I had met in Busan sent me some links for a website that featured a guy who did a solo trip to northern India. He shot a documentary about it called "Riding solo to the top of the world". I watch the trailer for it. It gives me so many ideas for filming. I also think why I hadn't thought of some of the film techniques he was using. I am excited about the next day. I have since seen the documentary and defiantly recommend watching it. After the cafe I grab a popsicle and head back to the hotel. My first day is done.

Korean Sociological Image #32: Censorship & Indirect Advertising

Ever find yourself wondering at the logic behind some of the blurring and mosaicing on Korean television?

No, I’m not talking about that recent scene from Chuno involving a fully-clothed Lee Da-hae (이다해) I’m afraid; rather, the proclivity with which Korean broadcasters will disguise the logos of products visible in television programs. Indeed, so taken for granted and considered unremarkable is this practice here, it’s actually been extremely difficult to find examples to present to readers outside of Korea (without simply watching television and waiting for something to pop up that is).

The reason is to prevent indirect advertising, known as ganjeob gwango (간집 광고) in Korean and PPL (Product Placement, or Embedded Marketing) in the industry. But it is usually ineffective, the blurring in the following segment from the talk-show Giboon Joeunnal (기분좋은날) for instance, or A Day That Feels Good, providing little impediment to this Korean blogger in identifying the brand-name and model of the baby monitor and recommending it to her readers:

See here for a video that provides a collage of much better examples, with apologies for an unrelated advertisement one has to watch before viewing it (another problematic issue unto itself!). Instead of cases like those though, the majority of articles on the subject discuss deliberate, unedited PPL instead, such as this case with the Bon Bibimbap food chain in the drama City Hall (시티홀), this case with actor Jang Hyuk (장혁) and various Canon cameras in an unidentified drama and film below, and especially a recent episode of the comedy show Paemilli-ga Ddottda (패밀리가 떴다), or Family Outing, in which some Nepa (네파) outdoor clothes were used (see here, here, and here).

At the end of that last link, the laws regarding PPL are mentioned, the gist of which is that it should not: influence the content or story of the program; be the focus of viewers’ attentions; be mentioned by anyone in the program; and finally, that the program should not persuade you to buy the product in any way. While all sound reasonable however, they are also very much open to interpretation, and Korean broadcasters frequently receive warnings or fines from the Korean Broadcasting Communications Committee for falling afoul of them.

Adding even further confusion to the mix, since 2006 PPL of specifically Korean products has been increasingly encouraged as a means to capitalize on the success of the Korean Wave abroad, one recent example being Kia Motor’s deal to provide cars and other paraphernalia for the hugely popular drama IRIS.

Given that context, then broadcasters’ decisions to ban singer J.ae’s (제이) new album from the airwaves simply because of the lyrics of some songs seems particularly hypocritical:

J.ae’s New Album Rejected by TV Stations

Returning to the music business after three long years must not be as easy as she thought. J.ae’s new special album, “Sentimental,” was ruled unfit for broadcasting by KBS and SBS. MBC is currently reviewing the song to announce the result next week. Broadcasting review panels at the leading national networks said that the lyrics of the title song “No.5” contained direct references to commercial brand names, like Chanel and McDonalds. Network stations are concerned that naming certain brands could cause debates over indirect advertising.

“No. 5” was written by Lee Ji-rin of the indie band Humming Urban Stereo, who was inspired to write a song after seeing an ad about Chanel No.5 perfume on a bus. The song may have succeeded in grabbing the interest of listeners with its unique lyrics, but could not escape from the criticism of indirect advertisement. Jae’s agency said that it’s most unfortunate that her year’s work failed to meet the industry standards, but it will apply for another review after changing some parts of the lyrics. J.ae’s latest album will be out on the market on February 10th. (Source: KBS Global, via Omona They Didn’t)

One wonders what they made of Aqua’s Barbie Girl back in 1997?

For those of you further interested in J.ae herself, you can read two interviews of her (conducted before the banning) here, and listen to one of the problematic songs No. 5 here.

Meanwhile, unfortunately this is by no means the first time that artists’ songs have been banned in Korea simply because their lyrics could be construed as PPL, a case involving Epik High (에픽하이) back in April showing that even indirect mention of the artists’ own website can be considered problematic. Moreover, against the argument that both cases are merely inane but innocuous, they do add to the essential arbitrariness of censorship in Korea, English song lyrics acceptable on 1950s American television banned because they could sound vaguely sexual to non native speakers for instance (see #2 here), and accordingly it doesn’t take a great leap of imagination to imagine a time when censors will ultimately use PPL as a convenient excuse to ban a disagreeable but otherwise completely legal cultural product.

Or perhaps they already have? If you know of any previous cases of banning based on PPL, then please pass them on, whether the PPL was used as a ruse or otherwise!

(For all posts in the Korean Sociological Images series, see here)

Filed under: Boy Groups, Girl Groups, Korean Advertisements, Korean Media, Korean Music, Korean Sociological Images Tagged: 간접광고, Indirect Advertising, J.ae, Lee Da-hae, PPL, Product Placement

—

Downtime

One of the things I like about travelling to tropical environs is that it usually resets my body clock to that of a human being. I'm almost always up at 7 or 8 in the morning, bite off a huge day, come back for dinner, a few beers (in hand), and am in bed by midnight. Such is a welcome break from my vampiric existence in The Land of the Morning Calm, where sleeping before 3 a.m. is personally seen as a sort of sacrelige.

This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation, but it hasn't been. I was supposed to hunker down in a bungalow on a white sand beach and spend the days writing and drinking coffee, the evenings eating light meals of grilled fish and a reasonable amount of beer. As far as the evenings go, I've been relatively successful, but my day times have been FAR MORE active than anticipated. I've been out snorkelling, motorbiking, diving, or swimming just about every day that I haven't been travelling. I return sun zapped and wonderfully spent. I've lost a bit of weight (despite the copious lager intake) and feel more physically in tune than I have in ages. But... the writing has been put off....

Last night I was officially certified by PADI (Professional Associations of Diving Instructors) as an Open Water Diver, which means I can pretty much go anywhere in the world and dive on my own (with a buddy, of course), or join in on a a trip. What I can say is that it's nice to go on vacation and actually accomplish something concrete. I now have a card and certificate. It cost a bit of scratch but was well worth it, since they forwent the whole swimming pool thing and trained us in the open water, meaning that we got to do six dives in two days, in some of the most amazing diving water on the planet. I saw sea turtles, moray eels, stingrays, and hundreds of varieties of fish, not to mention endless corals, sea anenomies, giant clams, sea urchins, jellyfish, and other creatures/plants that defy terrestrial description.

Diving is at once relaxing and physically taxing, especially for the newby. The gear alone presents a challenge, along with the the reality of breathing underwater, which is really one of the most counterintuitive things a person can do. And trust me, your body tells you this, at least right at first. We had to do a load of challenges and exercises to get certified, including emergency training, compass work, and removing our masks, letting them sink to the bottom, swimming in a circle, retrieving the masks, putting them back on, and clearing out all of the water by breathing out through our noses. The latter was the most difficult, and pretty much sorts out those who are cut out for diving and those who are not - a litmus test of sorts.

Two days of this, along with the two weeks of prior activity and travel have left the two of us dead today. This has been my first day of nothing to do since La Union, and I spent it sleeping, uploading photos, and writing. I'm currently in the Art Cafe, a slightly overpriced joint that overlooks the bay and plays music perfect for the surroundings (currently listening to "Candela" from "The Buena Vista Social Club" soundtrack). I've been here since about four and now it's seven.

Sometimes things just work.

Our three companions left town today, heading back to Puerto Princesa to catch flights to other parts of the Philippines. We evacuated the beach house and Sam and I found a decent room nearby to spend the next couple of days, before catching the boat north to Coron. Tomorrow shall be more motorcycles: this time 200 cc dirtbikes. We're going to do a loop of the northern bit of the island. After that we'll have another down day, and then sail away.

I really like it here. As General Douglas McCarthur famously said of the same place:

"I shall return."

Destination: Hwaam Cave (Jeongseong, Gangwon-do)

Author's note: A version of this article appeared in February 2010's Groove Magazine.

To say Hwaam Cave (화암동굴) is out of the way is an understatement. While few natural subterranean structures are located near subway stations or major bus terminals, this one seemed seriously out of the way. Once we arrived and got to appreciate the area, however, the trip was well worth the time.

Buy an admission ticket, then decide whether you want to ride the monorail to the entrance of the cave (2,000 won) or walk 700 meters uphill:

If you're feeling a little worn out from your bus ride to the cave, take the monorail and get to the good part - the hike is uphill and not especially interesting.

Not pictured is a sign just outside the entrance warns you to use the bathroom nearby - the last one for 1,803 meters or an hour and a half. Apparently, nature doesn't provide any while in the cave, and no indoor plumbing exists once inside.

Once inside the cave, you'll find several sections to walk through. The first one, about the cave's history, uses several animatronic displays show people working in the caves. Hwaam Cave used to be a gold mine that was commercially operated from 1922 to 1945. It was the nation's fifth-largest goldmine at one point; after stalactites were discovered, it eventually became a tourist destination. Quite a few original tools and equipment are set up, along with an old-school rock drill you can try out – a great photo opportunity.

No matter where you go in Korea, you'll always have a cell phone that works - even in a cave in the middle of nowhere.

Some gold veins are still visible, and can be seen with the help of magnifying glasses. While no one will be scraping gold flecks out from behind the protective glass, it is a little surprising that there's still visible gold left.

The next section will simply be known as 'The Stairs':

Down for now...

To clarify the perspective, you’re looking almost straight up. There are two staircases at the top, both leading down and to the left, then going off-picture and reappearing in the lower-left-hand corner. Keep your eyes for formations that look like fire, dinosaurs, and turtles.

Down a longer set of stairs - some odd barriers are designed to keep you from falling down the entire 200 meter or so run. The views from these stairs are spacious, but not especially striking.

The next section is geared towards any younger travelers with you:

Because every cave has tiny little goblins mining for gold, right? Some fantasy cartoon characters more suited for a younger audience are shown 'digging' and 'mining'.

The next section features more about gold - and one exhibit shows quite a bit of the stuff (this can't be real... can it?)

This is certainly real - a golden chair dating back to circa 1361 B.C. Egypt. Gorgeous.

The final section - and the highlight of the cave - the caves' stalactites and stalagmites, wisely displayed with just enough light to enjoy them without losing your night vision. At 2,800 square meters large, it's a chance to see many different characteristics within one relatively small area, preserved and mostly kept far enough away from curious hands.

The green flame in the middle is actually a fountain that sports a light shifting through the color spectrum. Elsewhere, the stairs are adequately lit with lights that smartly point down to help you keep your night vision.

Many of these stalactites and stalagmites are still growing - the supposed rate of growth being 1 centimeter per 100 years, or about 4 inches per millennium.

Anyone else see a mouth in this picture?

A photo gallery built within the larger cave, but with a fake wall to make this room feel smaller.

Although few explanations are in English, the size and beauty of Hwaam Cave will make you forget to look. Take at least an hour and a half to enjoy the sights; two hours if you have kids with you or are taking lots of pictures.

Directions to Hwaam Cave: Take a bus to Jeongseon - from Seoul's Gangbyeon bus terminal (Gangbyeon subway station, line 2), 9 buses make the 3 1/2 hour trip every day. Once in Jeongseon, a local non-numbered bus travels from the terminal and stops in front of Hwaam Cave (look back at the first picture for the entrance to expect). That bus ride should take about 25-30 minutes and take you down a windy mountain road before arriving. Admission is 5,000 won, while the monorail costs another 2,000 won.

Ratings (out of 5 taeguks):

Ease to arrive:

Foreigner-friendly:

Convenience facilities:

Worth the visit:

© Chris Backe - 2010

This post was originally published on my blog, Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.

—

Oneweirdglobe.com

Twitter

Facebook

Google+

RSS Feed
Contact

Education: My own personal demons and Korea's

The time after winter break (the start of February) until the start of March and the new school year is the most ridiculous thing I've ever experienced. Especially for the 6th graders who know that they have finished their finals (IN DECEMBER) and nothing they do will effect them getting into middle school or not. I only had 2 classes of 6th graders today. In the first class, only half of the students brought their books and in the second class only 3 or 4 students had books. How the hell are we supposed to follow the lesson plan, finish the book for the year as planned/requested if the students don't deign to bring books or pencils? They were rambunctious and couldn't care less about being there. In the afternoon there is a field trip to visit the local middle schools for some sort of orientation (I think, as usual there is a fair amount lost in translation) so everyone was beyond hyper. Mrs. K eventually gave up on at least trying to get through the listening/speaking activities and suggested I start a game. I got the class under control by asking them if they would rather write or play a game (the 6th graders almost universally hate writing in English, I shouldn't use it as a punishment but at this point it's almost a lost cause). They stayed calm for about 2 minutes. One more warning and I gave up. I had them all sit down, passed out paper and pencils and had them copy sentences from the board. Boring as hell for both of us. Tomorrow I may or may not have classes since there is a rehearsal (but we aren't sure) for the big exhibition next which I know nothing about other than it's on Wednesday or Thursday at 6 or 7 and I should probably show up. This ambiguity has nothing to do with my co-teacher's English and everything to do with how business is run in Korea, that is to say last minute. I am trying to go with the flow. After all, it isn't really a travesty if my classes are canceled last minute.

On another educational rant, though a slightly different topic, the infamous Kang Shin-who wrote the concluding piece in his illegal tutoring series. The conclusion? Exactly what I said a few days ago, that illegal tutoring is in too much demand and far too hard to regulate for the government to have a chance in hell at eradicating it. They might as well make some money off of the more honest folks. Kang, are you reading my blog? :-p Just kidding. The article was anticlimatic and not up to his usual inflammatory level. However, he did through in evidence of his usual standard of journalistic integrity by using this "fact" instead of trying to cite any actual statistics (or god forbid, conducting his OWN data poll or survey).

"According to some parents and students in Gangnam, southern Seoul, many foreigners there earn 50,000 to 70,000 won per hour for private English tutoring sessions."

Seriously buddy? You can get away with that sort of stuff in the informal blogosphere but you write for the Korean Times, a newspaper that proclaims it wants to act "[a]s the mirror of the times, The Korea Times will become the eyes, the ears and the window to a whole new world."

I realize this is an overly negative blog post. I should probably refrain from blogging when I've only had about 2 hours of sleep. Stupid insomnia.

A modest proposal for visa reform

If there's anything that Kang Shin Who's recent pieces have demonstrated, it's that the market forces of supply and demand trumps the law, whether well-intentioned or not. Whether illegal or not, there are more than enough bootleg DVD sellers to satisfy one's need for the latest movie. Whether illegal or not, people will seek out any edge they can to be better than the competition. The same goes for English lessons - whether illegal or not, people will seek out that edge.

But the whole question of 'illegal' English teaching reminds me of a dark time in my own nation's history. A time when teaching blacks to read was punishable by a mobs wrath. A time when women were expected to do the housework - she didn't need to go to school, she needed to stay at home and make dinner!

The question, as I'd like to ask it, is this: why is teaching English illegal? For E-2 visa holders, teaching private lessons (or anywhere other than your sponsoring school) is illegal and theoretically punishable by a fine. Why has the act of teaching been made illegal? It's the very same reason tens of thousand of foreigners come to Korea - the same reason we choose to move halfway across the world.

Perhaps foreigners are guilty of the same thing many Koreans are: seeking out that edge to make our lives better. Is that truly a reason worth punishing them? As an E-2 visa holder, your first and foremost responsibility is to the school that's hired you, flown you halfway around the world, and is providing you a place to live. At the same time, it is one's constitutional right to "pursue happiness" (Article 10); it is also one's "right" and "duty" to work (Article 32).

My modest proposal is this: A citizen living in Korea on an E-2 visa shall have the right to work any job(s) they desire and are able to get, so long as:

They are capable and / or qualified to do the job(s), according to their employer(s) and relevant government agencies.
They are able to keep up their work performance at the work that brought them into Korea.
The other job(s) do not interfere with or compete with the work that brought them into Korea.
The other job(s) are not done while 'on the clock' of the work that brought them into Korea.
The other job(s) are not illegal according to the Korean government.

No notice necessarily needs to be given to your 'first' employer, but one might be given as a professional courtesy.

This idea simply asks for the same freedoms other people have: the ability to work when and where one is able to find it - no 'permission slip' or restrictions needed. How is that wrong?

The Hot Dog Catalogue Vol.3 Go! Go! Go!

TheHot Dog Catalogue Vol.3 doesn't merit one simple party ... it's an all day sort of thing. We spent its final hours before production relaxing over spiced hot chocolates and magazines, surprise photo shoots, and enoying a sunny afternoon walk.

... and then it was time to put on our party bests ...

... and eat some hot dogs ...

We also found various other uses for our mighty little catalogue...

...obviously .... conversation starter ...

Arm wrestling moderator ....

... although it kind of failed that job as Valerie and Brian prefer to kiss with their fists ... but The Hot Dog Catalogue Vol.3 was happy to coach the kids through their next little tumble.

In the end Brian went with the ladies to play with the boys and we stayed behind and sang about ghosts and peanut butter and warm milk ... and The Hot Dog Catalogue Vol.3 was there to help us with our beats..

.... but you know what the Hot Dog Catalogue Vol.3 can't do?
Charge my camera battery.
Damn.

Koreabridge