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A Better Me?


Shin Min-a Olivetv Advertisment( Source: Korea Times )

An advertisement from OliveTV that caught my eye today. Ironically, far from delivering its intended message, it serves better as a subtle indictment of it.

Presumably the logic is that through watching and following the advice of the channel’s plethora of fashion and cosmetic shows, one can transform one’s appearance, much like the uncharacteristically drab-looking Shin Min-a (신민아) on the left supposedly did. This is rather clearer in the following commercial, and which perhaps OliveTV ought to have restricted itself to, as apparently the results are only temporary!

But it was more the difference between real life and the photoshopped image that first came to mind personally, only spoiled by the (typical) absence of an “a” and a question mark included in the text. Indeed, coming from any other source, I might normally have assumed that that was the deliberate intention, but unfortunately that is very unlikely here. It is merely a badly-executed ad.

If it piques your interest in the use of photoshop in advertising though, then please check out my “Korean Photoshop Disasters” series, and you may also like this recent New York Times report on moves by French and British lawmakers to force all media companies to disclose the use of digital alteration in images (hat tip to Illusionists). Alternatively, for those of you more interested in the artistic side of things (and on the theme of juxtapositions in particular), then you may like the some of the images in this post.

Finally, if you can appreciate the notion that the image on the right is an impossible ideal for the real Shin Min-a or any other woman to live up to, and yet has strong influences on their body ideals, behavior, confidence, and consumption patterns nevertheless, then like me you may find “hyperreality” a useful and intriguing concept with which to study advertising. But please don’t be put off by the obscure terminology: see here for a good overall guide, and here, here, here and here for some examples and applications of it to the Korean context.

Confronting the Korean Simulacrum( Source: Unknown)

In that vein, let me leave you with the thought that perhaps – paraphrasing Umberto Eco – the advertisement is an imitation of the original that we’re not only able to better enjoy, but also one we can do so with “the conviction that imitation has reached its apex and afterwards reality will always be inferior to it”? Granted, Eco was discussing a wholly different topic, but the sentiment seems fitting.

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to paraphrase Umberto Eco, perhaps an imitation of the original that we’re not only able to better enjoy, but also one we can do so with “the conviction that imitation has reached its apex and afterwards reality will always be inferior to it”. Granted, Eco was discussing a wholly different topic, but the sentiment seems fitting.
Posted in Korean Advertisements, Korean Men's Body Images, Korean Women's Body Images Tagged: 신만아, 포토샵, 올리브tv, Olivetv, Photoshop, Shin Min-a, Shin Mina
  

 

My Burger My

Things have been a little quiet here of late, mainly because our Cambodian experience has been more street crime than street food (we were recently liberated of our camera.)

Back in Hanoi, however, I wrote a review of a burger place that the folks at hamburger mega-blog A Hamburger a Day have been good enough to include on the site.

If you're interested, you can read it here.

Thanks again Robyn!

Talk Korean To Me

This woman dances in ways you can only imagine.

환호 !!





One of the many fish restaurants down near the Gwangalli fish market.
You should seriously eat here.



UP IN SEOUL'S HA-HA HOLE

I'm really big in Seoul.

Since I've come out of comedy suspended animation, I've seen a number of different gigs materialize here in The Special K. Most have been with a guy named Brian Aylward, another teacher who lives up in Seoul and is also a hell of a comic. He's organized some stuff up there and we've also done some stuff in Busan (and Gimhae). Next month sees four more shows: one in Busan, one in Suncheon, and two up in Seoul, at the Kabinett Wine Bar. It's all strange and rather silly. If you would have told me ten years ago that I'd end up doing standup in Korea, I would've asked what flavor of crack you were smoking and if I could have a hit or two.



Last weekend I did a different show up in Seoul, for these guys called Spotlight Comedy. They produced a show at a place called "Roofers," which is essentially rooftop bar on this bizarre building top that's surrounded by thick, concrete walls. One of the other comics remarked that it looked like we were performing "in a swimming pool without any water;" I likened it to a church basement in Oklahoma after a big tornado.

My set went well. I was nervous as fuck kept it tried and tested and short and sweet. The laughs were big and I was buzzing when I left the stage. I've been performing in a host of ways for about thirty years now - acting, improv, street stuff, and music. I barely get a jitter before hitting a stage, anymore, except for standup, which I find really unnverving. It definitely gets me jumpy, but again, I don't do it that much. I remember how nervous I'd get before Theatresports shows in Seattle - but this was before I did like three hundred of them.

I'm glad I was able to do my set, since I missed my original introduction and ended up going on after the intermission. This is usually inexcusable - I felk like a donkey's ass - but I did have an excuse: The guy before me did a shorter set than I expected and I was down in the bathroom having a piss, which was THREE FLIGHTS OF STEEP STAIRS down from the stage, well out of mike range. I was also the "opener" of the night, but inexplicably slotted second by the promoter.

The other two guys were funny and cool. They were both "pros" brought out from Singapore to do the gig. Terry Johnson was a black American guy who used to write for "In Living Color." He had a great Jim Carrey story about how during Monday table sessions (where writers brainstorm and present new sketch ideas), Carrey would sit with his pants around his ankles and loudly grunt whenever he didn't like a proposal. The other comic - and headliner - was a guy named Jonathan Atherton - an Aussie who did a lot of good story telling and was lightning quick with an off-the-cuff line. He does radio in Singapore and confessed to me the true horror of doing morning drive-time.

My new friend Michael came up with me. He's a great guy to take to a comedy gig, because he's a good laugher and not afraid to go up to any of the comics and start up a converstion, which was good, since get really in my head before shows and have a hard time talking to people, especially other comics who want to do a lot of witty banter. Nick and Angry Steve also joined me, so I had a little crew in the audience.

After the show we drank and drank and drank. Michael and I ended up at a club taking in Led Zeppelin cover band that was really fucking good, and we closed the night/started the morning at the Seoul Pub, guzzling beer and raging into the smoky air. My last memory of the evening is listening to Jonathan berate me in Malay, while I responded in my best ajosshi Korean.

The next day Michael and I grabbed breakfast/lunch, grabbed a sackful of beer, and floated back to Busan on the KTX. I was a bit poorer and felt beat up, but not a bad Saturday night, all said and done.

What the heck's a taeguk? - or, how I rate destinations

If you've seen my taeguk ratings on my Destination posts, you probably recognize the simple five-star scale on several different characteristics. But what the heck's a taeguk?


A taeguk (technically the sam-taeguk variation) - source: Wikipedia

From the concept of Taiji comes yin and yang - a swirl of blue (representing earth) and red (for heaven). This symbol is in South Korea's flag, through a third swirl of yellow (representing man) is added as a variation. That's the variation you'll see on some palaces and around town, so I chose that one to rate destinations.

My ratings are of course subjective, though I try to stay open-minded and considerate of individual circumstances.

The four areas I rate are:

Ease to arrive - this is not a question of distance from home to destination; it's about closeness to a subway stop, a bus stop, or the ability to use another form of public transportation. Are the maps placed in subway station correct? What about the directions in official publications? Five taeguks in this category means a place is easy to get to, easy to find the entrance, and easy to navigate the trip there.

Foreigner-friendly - I don't want to be patronized; by foreigner-friendly I'm referring to understanding the place. Are there English-language brochures or signs, or are the only explanations in Korean? Five taeguks in this category means a place has plenty of information that's easy to understand.

Convenience facilities - Walking around and exploring can get thirsty or tiring; thankfully, most places offer restrooms, convenience stores, rest areas, and the like. Are they clean, well-stocked, and reasonably priced? I don't expect every modern-day accessory at the top of a rugged mountain trail, but a bottle of water from the bottom of the hill isn't too much to ask. Five taeguks in this category means you're never too far away from what you need.

Worth the visit - Some places will come highly recommended, while others are not worth the time and effort to reach. Elements considered in this category include interesting things to see, do, or experience, uniqueness, educational, and so on. Five taeguks in this category means I'll be coming back over and over again.

For the fun of it, I usually create another category and rate the place based on a five taeguk scale. You'll figure it out.

Questions? Comments? Comments are on :)


Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2009

 

Swept Away

As a former newspaper editor who has nitpicked other people's work for the better part of his 30 years, it can sometimes be hard to avoid sounding like a complete snob when trying to guide writers to the promised land.

I have been interning with a very respectable online travel writing site since mid-July. One of my main functions has been editing since I am so slow to write anything, though I like to think what I do write is very good, as I have put a lot of effort into making sure stupid mistakes have been dealt with in the drafting process. Now, I was a professional editor for over two years, have written professionally for over five years, and have written in general for about 15 years, so I know I bring time to the page, and with that time comes refinement. But, I find it very hard to keep my snarky comments in check when someone submits a travel piece for editing and dares write "thru" when they mean "through." Thru? Like Drive Thru window? Really? I will avoid going into the multiple usages of "it's" when the writer meant "its," but since I just mentioned it, I guess I just lied to you when I said I wouldn't go into it.

I have been told to be forgiving when it comes to how some people write in some mediums -- text messages for example -- but a submitted, supposedly proofread piece for a writing website? I try very hard to keep the snark in check, which is why I felt compelled to bust it out here.

This writer also seems to be in love with her words, and has deemed it negligent of her should she not display as many of these words to us, the readers, as possible. I was swept away by the sounds my own writing made on more than a few hundred occasions. The first sentence in this paragraph, for example.

I remember in high school when a piece of mine was being read by folks at The Subterranean, our literary magazine. I sat in the semi-circle along with them, reading silently with them my story about a man who has lost all hope in humanity and decides to let the ocean take him away (or something like that. It has been 12 years) and wondering just what these fine, discerning students would say about the piece. It was obviously good. Great, even. What a sensitive, thought-provoking piece. It absolutely will have to go front-and-center in the next issue.

"This sucks," was the general consensus. The more critical of the readers wondered if the writer of this story had any idea what he or she was writing about, or if the writer simply loved the sound of their own words and could not help but keep writing them. They did not know I wrote the story, but the crimson my cheeks had immediately become probably gave me away. "Have you been to the beach lately, John, because you look sunburned," I imagined them saying. I was wrong about that, as well.

As we write more, read more, have more of our work criticized, fairly and not, the scars and bruises and lessons hopefully start to make a difference. Eventually, eventually, we become good writers.

Maybe not all of us. I'm such a bitch.

—John Dunphy

Hiatus

Just a quick update to let you all know that the wedding went very well. There were some minor hitches, but in the end it turned out much better than expected. Lots of people helped us out and it was a very special occasion for us.
We've since been to Hong Kong and Macau, which were fantastic. Yesterday we arrived in Australia and were picked up at the airport by our good friend Chi-Hong, who has kindly let us stay at his family's house. We're here until Sunday and then heading back to Korea.

The new wife is doing very well, and it's fun showing her around good ol' Adelaide.

South Korea Trip- Busan 부산

Alright you can check out the video of my trip in Busan, South Korea. The trip in total was 85 kms. On the trip I checked out Busan tower, Nampo-dong, went to Jagalchi market, Taejongdae park, Haeundae Beach and ended the day at a Lotte Giants baseball game. Each video is a one day trip. I start the day with no plan other than a final destination. By the end of the day I have compiled 2-4 hours of footage on two cameras. I then cut that footage into the five minute video you see here. The video features creative commons music by Jeunesse- What to do featured on http://www.jamendo.com.

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