“We’re a’ Jock Tamsan’s Bairns”

Today is Burns Day (or Night as we tend to call it at home) and it’s probably the one day of the year where I do go a bit ‘Tartan’. It’s not a noticeable amount really. Maybe I’ll listen to a Burns song or a poem (of which there are many on youtube etc), or talk (more like lecture) to my better half about how much of a top bloke Robert Burns was and how he’d beat Bill Shakespeare in a square go (Battle of The Bards) with consummate ease.

More to point, it’s also a time when the rest of the world get to be all ‘Scottish’ for the day, whether their ancestors hail from there or not. I think it’s great that we get to share this with everyone (as the title of the blog entry would suggest). Fortunately, for those who don’t have a chip on both shoulders (or in other words – are not Scottish themselves) , they get back to normal and generally let us be until the next big piss-up. It’s a fair trade I think.

However, one of the things that has come up in discussion in my classroom and amongst friends has been the recent media interest in the proposed Scottish referendum. I’ve just finished a job where I was teaching teacher’s from government schools, mostly to help improve their English and hopefully to give them a bit more cultural background as to where I’m from and ‘aw that. Most of them were perplexed as to why they don’t teach Gaelic in all Scottish schools, given the fact that we are so fiercely proud of our heritage? Or why in high school’s (English) ‘Higher’ examinations that no Scottish novels or plays were studied up until now.  And just what is all this referendum malarkey about?

My friend Bryan, a ‘proper’ journalist (as in – he’s fond of a few shandies and gets paid for writing) has written a couple of great pieces on the subject that is well worth a read. There’s also a very simple breakdown of the issues involved here. My favourite, however, has to be those crazy Taiwanese (it must be their love of Irn Bru that does it?) who gave us this…

So far so good, eh? Well, it wouldn’t be very Scottish if you couldn’t make an arse of it. First, we had some mad, Shortbread Warrior-type, going off on one on those who opposed independence as being anti-Scottish. As a riposte (and quite a funny one too), this guy ended up losing his job (although one less politician isn’t necessarily a bad thing) for producing this video about the aforementioned ‘Tartan Terrier’.

Next, there was the question of whether ex-pats (I guess that’s me and my like) should be allowed to vote in the referendum, and it seems to causing quite a stooshie going by the comments underneath the article. And just to add fuel to the fire comes this. My biggest concern has to be how much all of this is going to cost and just how much more they (as in the politicians) can manipulate the situation further for their own gains.

As it stands just now, I’m a ‘NO’. I don’t think there’s enough proof to suggest that we’d be able to go it alone. The opponents want a referendum where there’s a simple yes/no question for us to answer, and to my mind that seems to be the easiest and fairest way to decide the matter in 2014 or whenever they can get hold of Mel Gibson to do it. That said, I’m still as cynical as ever and can only echo the sentiments in this video.

Old Horseface is back…

Towards the end of last semester I decided I had to change the final graded assignment for the students in my writing class. I’ve found that by using the old ‘write about what you know’ ploy I could give them assignments on something that they can relate to and movies were a pretty good way of doing that.

Going to the pictures in Korea is by far one of the most popular ways for people to spend their free time. In fact, I’m sure (for those of you in the same boat) if you ask any regular university student “how often do you go to the movies?”, they’ll probably answer on average “once or twice per month”. It’s about $8 per ticket (although 3-D rip-off flicks will cost you more BUT early morning showings will be cheaper), and I’d say for 2 people you’d spend $20 all in – tickets, popcorn, drinks, transportation. Probably decent in comparison to what you’d pay in the UK?

Anyway, when I’m trying to give the students some ideas to write about, it never fails to amaze me just how many of them will write about the same thing. Not their ‘style’ of writing, but more like the actual subject they end up writing about.

It’s not their fault, but it’s more down to what’s available and showing at the local multiplex that must influence their decisions (and taking peer pressure etc into account). This semester (this being the first time that I’ve done a 5 paragraph essay for a final assignment with them) the winner had to be ‘Inception’. I’d say that out of 60 students there were at least 10 who chose this movie as their ‘favourite’ or most ‘memorable’. Although the movie was released in the summer of 2010 and added to the fact that most of them can’t remember what they had for breakfast (I could be added to that statistic at times myself) it was quite refreshing for them still to be so enthusiastic about this particular film. I quite enjoyed ‘Inception’,  (and the South park spoof episode) and I guess it proved that you could make such a thing as an intelligent blockbuster movie.

There was the occasional student who chose something like Fellini’s “8 1/2″  (I preferred La Strada myself, but hey, it was better than the guy who picked to write about ‘Marley and Me’) and of course a good selection of Korean and Japanese movies too, but the majority of films they wrote about were well-known Hollywood titles. Most of them could be classed as ‘popular’ (or the ‘kids’ like to say - very famous) and had probably done relatively well at the box office.

However, according to a recent article in Time magazine it’s said that sales at the box office in the US have decreased by about 4.5% or $70 squillion dollars. My heart bled for the poor lambs. After a bit more of a trawl through my Twitter feed (yes, I know…) I came across an interesting piece by Roger Ebert (he of the thumbs up/down movie review show) who came up with a list of reason why. I’d go as far as saying that I’m not too fussed if the movie companies or multiplexes are losing money or not. And I’d also go along with his opinion in #6 on his list when he puts it down to a lack of choice, and therein lies my point. The selection of movies in theatres in Korea is pretty poor and when the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US kicks in it will undoubtedly get worse. Hmmmmm?

The other day I was walking through a nearby multiplex when I saw this huge (and how can you miss Sarah Jessica Parker’s HUGE old horseface on an even bigger banner?) poster for this movie called “I don’t know how she does it”. It doesn’t come out until the beginning of February next year (they’re just teasing me for the next month or so) and that’s it – that’s the biggest movie to get here in February 2012? I’m sure we’ll still have either Holmes or Mission Impossible straggling about then too, but Sarah Jessica Parker? Really? If the movie’s anything like the poster suggests (and it suggests it’ll be like all the worst Kate Hudson movies PLUS Sex & The City combined) that it’ll be utter shite and a complete waste of mine and yours hard-earned. That said, the choice is yours.

Still, wouldn’t it be nice to think that from time to time movie theatres in Korea wouldn’t have to kiss Hollywood’s arse and show what will probably be a huge waste of time and money (but will no doubt do well), but instead there would be a niche for just that something a wee bit different? I know, it’s a pipe dream. It would be even better if point A were to come to fruition that there would be a readily available medium where we could keep up with what’s showing on a regular basis (this website does a decent job of maintaining listings ). Moreover, I can navigate my way through most Korean cinema sites to check to see what’s showing, but try booking a ticket without a Korean ID number and see how far you get? It’d also be an idea to get more Korean cinema’s to show more of their Korean language films with English subtitles as I’m sure given a choice between spending 2 hours in the company of Seabiscuit or checking out something locally produced would be a (sometimes) welcome alternative.

EDIT: I’ve just read the movie poster and it says that SJP’s movie “Can You Tell What It Is Yet (or whatever it’s called) is based on a New York Times bestseller. That’s it, I’m definitely reserving tickets for the first night!

The Hump

So it’s Wednesday, it’s freezing outside, the wind would cut right through you and I’ve set myself a time limit to see what I can get through in the next 10 minutes or so. Here goes…

Today, was one of those days when you wake up (albeit a wee bit later than normal), get your stuff done and head off to work. Weirdly, the rest of the day disappeared into the black hole that is grading. I spent about the best part of  4 1/2 hours putting all my grades into the computer system and all the jolly intricacies that entails. Well, I got it all done, had to skip lunch (never a good thing for me), had a few students stop by my office to plea their case for a higher grade (with mixed results – I am fair though), then I got home around 4pm.

Once the dog’s been fed and walked (briskly), it was Twitter time. Still sounds a bit rude, eh? I knew that today South Korea would be undertaking a huge civil defense exercise. If you’ve ever seen those public service announcement films from the 50′s where The Commies are going to blow us up, this is something akin to that, but with a better dress sense. On the dot of 2pm the sirens roared into action, and from my office on the 12th floor it was all hands on deck for the next 15  minutes (apparently that’s all it’ll take) as everything stopped.

I’m sure some people pulled over, others smoked outside their office, or like me you just looked out the window wondering if that rumbling noise you could hear was the F16 jets, or my stomach pining for it\’s lunch? You’ll be glad to know that it passed without a hitch, but if you’re ever at ground level when a drill like this takes place, take a step back and watch it all unfold before your eyes. It’s quite a sight.

Tonight we met for dinner, not far from our place, at my new favourite chicken hof,  ’Born To Be Chicken’. I’d have loved to have been there when they were in the high-level marketing and strategy meetings before they opened. It’s actually a nice, big, friendly place, not far from Sookmyung University, and the chicken’s good too. Maybe one day I’ll get to the bottom of just how it got its name? Another one to add to the pile.

Something closer to home I noticed was this classy bird, her questionable drinking habits, and even dodgier choice of tattos. I think what’s scarier is that it’s in the biggest selling newspaper in Scotland as NEWS. Good work fellas!

I’d like to leave with a nice piece of music, but I found this instead.  What I can only describe as Korean meets Argentine meets The Village People. Bonkers!

Vamos!