The Korean Wave

Yes everyone, it's here. For the very slow me, it has come. But for the more updated, it has been here like eons ago. The Korean wave (or K-wave) has landed on our shores, threatening to sweep us all off our feet. The onslaught of Korean drama serials, pop music and culture has open up and challenged our perceptions of Korea. It is not uncommon nowadays to watch Korean drama serials on our TV with Channel U offering up its fair share. For the cable subscribers there are even 2 more channels which cater to your every K-needs. Fortunately (or unfortunately? :-) ) I have finally caught on to the craze and come to appreciate these serials for what they are. Jewel in the Palace, the hit Korean serial about a palace chef introduced me to the traditional form of Korean culture with the scenic locations as well as a well-thought storyline. On the topic of storyline, although there is a school of thought that Korean serials have very similar storyline (they are quite really), they do have variations and the realistic portrayals more than make up for the predictable storyline. Korean reality television also has a very different way of attracting the viewers that I have difficulty trying to describe. Then there is Korean pop music which was introduced to my more fashion-conscious bro. Super Junior, the recent performer in the recent Melody Awards in Taiwan, is a mega-hit with fans all over the world. Their single "Sorry Sorry" has sparked massive following with fans taking to imitating their dance moves and even classes on how to dance to their music. It helps that they have boyish good looks and lots of idol quality. FT island graced our shores just yesterday and released quite a few hits.

Well, I'm not really sorry that I have caught the K-train. (maybe just a little since I caught a really late one) Till next time, may we all learn the dance steps for "Sorry Sorry". :-)

The many faces of English

The English language is a mystery. Many people have tried decoding it but to no avail. Many more have tried to understand it but failed. There are so many facets of English that are all unknown territory. Not even Christopher Columbus could completely discover this vast piece of land. How many ways can you express sadness? Heartbroken, downhearted, disconsolate, devastated. These are just some of the words that are synonym to "sadness". Unbelievable isn't it? That is probably one of the contributing reasons why some people (me included) find it hard to learn a new language. If there are so many words that have the same meaning then why not use them interchangeably or even eliminate some of them to make things easier? Linguists will say that there are some differences to the different words and although some of them differ by a minute degree, they add colour and variety to the language. They will say it's the beauty of the language. Well, tell that to the normal primary/secondary/tertiary students. It's a massive headache!

On one hand the intricate patterns of the English language can be a terror to learn, on the other hand I must admit that I do enjoy the language especially what is written in books. The different words use in different situations has a magical feel to it, bringing something as two-dimensional as a story in a book to life. They can change something as mundane as going to work/school into vivid pictures and endless adventures. Learning it is difficult but appreciating it makes it much more bearable.