This week’s episode was slightly late because Noelle had to gain access to a new mic to replace one that was misplaced. I somehow managed to call 2NE1 4minute in this episode, in probably what is one of my greater brainfarts, so in points its a comedy of errors. I’m sorry.

Download Episode 68 – Once More With Fire

News:
A Pink member leaves.
SPICA is pretty awesome on Immortal Song 2

Jay Park involved with Will & Jaden Smith’s Film After Earth
Jaden & Will meet up with YG & the younger promises to work with G-Dragon
Oh yeah, T-ARA made a subgroup, for some reason, and now Chris Brown wants it.
Sex Assault charges dropped against Park Shi Hoo.
When did all of these things happen to Park Jung Ah?

Comebacks/Debuts/New Releases
G-Dragon – MichiGO

Cho Young Pil – Hello ft. Verbal Jint

Lyn – Breakable Heart ft. Junhyung

Shinee – Why so serious?

4minute – What’s your name?

N-Train – Come Back to me

History – Dreamer

Ladies Code – Won’t cry

T-ARA N4 – Jeongwon Diary

Jay Park – Welcome

Lee Hyori – Miss Korea

Geeks – Wash Away

2PM – Come Back When You Hear this Song

2PM – ADTOY the name is like Killer Mike’s ADIDAS but lame.

uBeat – Should’ve Treated you Better

Younha – The Real Reason We Broke Up

B1A4 – What’s Happening?

Freetalk: Yesung Does Blackface (and here without the makeup) to play Nick Fury & I am tired of this happening. If you got the opportunity to run a seminar for Hallyu artists on international cultural sensitivity what would you include?
Notes:

Examples of Blackface


The post discussed was Three Decades of Blackface in Korea
Link to The Grand Narrative
Sam Jackson’s reaction to Eve acting alongside him in XXX

Opening Song: 4minute – What’s Your Name?
Insert Song: Younha – Just Listen ft. Skul1
Ending Song: Geeks – Wash Away ft. Ailee

You can email us at TheAlwaysRationalKpopPodcast@gmail.com pop us a line on Twitter@ARKpopPodcast and Like us on Facebook. You can also hook up with us on the official forum for theSSAANetwork.

And the most fun way of contacting us is to leave a voicemail at this number 954-324-7722. Just mention before you start that you’re leaving the voicemail for the Always Rational Kpop Podcast and remember that there’s a 3 minute time limit.

May 15th is Teacher’s Day in South Korea. On this special day, students give their teachers carnations or thank-you letters. Some prefer to give cosmetics or chocolates.

My Korean students usually write me letters or give candies and chocolates on Teacher’s Day.

Last year, when I returned to work after taking a short leave, my youngest class surprised me with a note on the board and gave me a group hug. The little ones could not prepare any flowers or presents, but they gave me the best gift that day.

This morning, the first one to greet me “Happy teacher’s day” was my husband. (Well, he used to be my student. ^^)

Tomorrow. it’s my turn to make a teacher smile. I’m sure that my Korean language teacher will receive carnations from other students, so instead of flowers, I’m thinking of buying her Starbucks coffee or maybe getting her aStarbucks gift card. You can purchase a Teacher’s Day gift card in Starbucks or order one on-line or via smart phone. The video below will give you instructions on how to do it. (It’s in Korean though.)

I’ve worked with many Korean teachers. They are very patient and hardworking.

My first Korean language teacher is a nurse, but she volunteered to teach foreign wives and migrant workers in Namyangju (South Korea). Now she heads a multi-cultural center inDonong. She has been very helpful to me, especially when I was still adjusting to the Korean way of life. At times, she took me and my classmates on field trips. When my husband was busy with work that he barely had time to assist me with some documents I needed in thehagwon, it was my Korean teacher who helped me. She doesn’t teach me anymore, but I visit her in the center sometimes.

I’m planning to see her this week to tell her personally, 고맙습니다, 선생님! (Thank you, Teacher!)

If you have a Korean teacher you would like to greet on Teacher’s day, you can say, “스승의 날 축하해요!” which means…

Related articles

• Teacher’s Day in SK (chrissantosra.wordpress.com)
• First Things I’ve Learned from Teaching (Korean) Students (chrissantosra.wordpress.com)
• Why I’m Learning Korean Again (chrissantosra.wordpress.com)
• Don’t Mess with Ajumma (chrissantosra.wordpress.com)
• International student’s life in Korea (letshareexperiencetogether.wordpress.com)
• Embassy teaches Korean culture, language (fijitimes.com)
• The Phonology of “Baby Teacher” (greenwalledtower.wordpress.com)
• education 102: dealing with exhausting children (studentoftravel.wordpress.com)
• Korean Education – Mysteries Revealed (waygookboon.blogspot.kr)
• On the Spread of English in Korea (Blog angry my friends)(eltrantsreviewsreflections.wordpress.com)

---

From Korea with Love Chrissantosra.wordpress.com

There are a few things that frustrate me about Korean culture/language. One of them is the fact that they call non-toasted bread, toast (토스트). My mom and I have definitely quarreled over this. She’ll ask if I want toast, but she’ll put jam on my bread without toasting it.

Our conversations usually go like this:

Me: “That’s not toast! That’s bread!”

Her: “It’s 토스트!”

Sigh.

S&P is way up, but the JPY is keeping the KOSPI flat at best

Popular Press Has Caught Onto What Readers of this Blog Already Know

I receive a fair amount of ridicule from readers that have said that my observations regarding the JPY/KRW rate was a gift to Korea.  it was a gift that certain chaebol have used to build their competitiveness on the global stage.  However, that advantage is now gone: the KRW/JPY rate has returned to its pre-financial crisis levels.

Bank of Korea Had No Other Choice

The previous posts here suggested that the BOK had to act, and fast.  And they have.  Lower interest rates was the only choice that the BOK had.  There will be limits to the amount of flexibility available to the BOK.  It appears that we will learn how much progress the Korean economy has truly made.