Mongdori

Life can be difficult for a woman smoker in Korea. It's still considered bad form for a woman to smoke in public, which drives most women to smoke in bathrooms or just at home alone. But Korean women have good reasons to smoke. The biggest reason being all the drama they must face in their lives. Here is a video by singer 란 pleading for understanding of the Korean smoking female:

Here's a breakdown of some of the latest updates to the site:

Geotagged Threads:
You may now include custom maps of Korea in your forum and job posts. You will see a link to the tool to make your maps when you post a new message. Here is an example of a map you can create:

var xcenter=parseInt("380928");var ycenter=parseInt("399360");var zoom=parseInt("11");var xmark=parseInt("466944");var ymark=parseInt("418816");var label="Hidden Treasure?";var popup44763="" + label + "";var mapObj44763 = new NMap(document.getElementById("mapContainer44763"),500,408);var infowin44763 = new NInfoWindow();mapObj44763.setCenterAndZoom(new NPoint(xcenter,ycenter),zoom);mapObj44763.addOverlay(infowin44763);var iconUrl = "http://www.mongdori.com/images/nmapMarker.gif";var icon = new NIcon(iconUrl, new NSize(15,14));var mpos = new NPoint(xmark,ymark);var marker = new NMark(mpos,icon);mapObj44763.addOverlay(marker);NEvent.addListener(marker,"mouseover",function(mpos){infowin44763.set(mpos,popup44763);infowin44763.showWindow()});NEvent.addListener(marker,"mouseout",function(){infowin44763.hideWindow();});var save = new NSaveBtn();var zoom =new NZoomControl();zoom.setAlign("left");zoom.setValign("bottom");save.setValign("top");mapObj44763.addControl(save);mapObj44763.addControl(zoom);

Job Board Open API:
You can now query the job board with custom searches and receive an XML formatted document. In other words, you can be updated of things like the latest part-time jobs in and around Seoul by entering that search's RSS feed into your Google Reader.

Trackbacks:
All new threads in now have trackback addresses now. There will be a slight delay in trackbacks accepted as I'm finalizing some anti-spam measures.

I hope these updates can prove useful to some people. I had to make some underlying changes to the site to make Naver Maps work with Firefox (Naver Maps has compliance issues), but I think I've worked through all the bugs. If you notice any display issues with other browsers, please let me know.

Nothing says more about a person than the coffee they drink. Only true gentlemen know the satisfaction of opening a packet of Maxim Mocha Gold Mild and breathing in the aroma of powdered milk and sugar. Now, Maxim brings the craftsmanship of their instant coffee to the realm of cans. Introducing Maxim Espresso, only for those with mature tastes:

A while back, flavor packet company 다시다 introduced us to their carnivorous bunny mascot. It now seems that mutant bunny wasn't alone, and his kind have multiplied and congregated in their own little village. Has the unabated and unnatural feeding of beef stock to rabbits produced some sort of Mad Bunny disease?

If you've worked as a teacher, then you've probably formed a negative opinion about eraser shavings. Students, especially the error-prone ones, always leave behind heaps of them. Furthermore, just wiping them off the desk and onto the floor where they can blend in (and add traction) proves difficult because of their sticky nature. However, there are some interesting things you can do with all those eraser scraps. Here's someone who's found a way to make art with them:



The Korean word for eraser shavings is 지우개밥, but in this video, she uses the word 지우개똥, meaning "eraser poop." A nice way to tell someone to clean up there eraser shavings would be to say "지우개밥 먹어", meaning "eat your eraser-bap!"

Here's another video showing some of the differences in vocabulary between South and North Korea. Who would have thought that you could go to the beauty salon and order a fried head, or that bell peppers would be called lion peppers?

Just when I thought the Tecktonik was the best thing to come out of Europe since Las Ketchup, along come Étude House spokesmodels 장근석 and Go A-ra to completely kill the irony:

Even Lee Myung-bak knows that the best way to defend against a Zerg attack is to build your supply depots in a way that blocks easy entry into your base:

One problem with teaching English as a second language is that many students often lack motivation. Since corporal punishment is currently out of fashion, teachers must come up with new and inventive ways of keeping their students' attention. Here's one technique from a Japanese game show that's sure to keep your students studying their vocabulary:

For those who like surrealism, here's an interesting interchange between students and riot police that took place at one of the predominately peaceful rallies against U.S. Beef and president Lee Myung-bak:



The quote at the end reads: "Before we used to hurl rocks, these days we toss snacks"

Here's a funny parody of a recent Pepsi ad, showing what the ad would look like if it were made in Korea:



Poor Ronaldhino. For reference, here is Pepsi's orginal version:

Here's yet another version of Ok Go's A Million Ways, this time performed by proud members of the RoK army:

SATURDAY June 14th 21:00 Trampauline, Orgeltanz with Eshe @ Bowie
The show is at Bowie around Hongik University, near Salon BADABI.
13000 won with 1 FREE drink
Trampauline CD Release Party



SATURDAY June 14th 23:00
Orgeltanz & Eshe @ 500
MAP

SUNDAY June 15 17:00 @ Rolling Hall (Hongdae)
http://rollinghall.co.kr
Cuba, Deb, Serengeti, Naru &
Cocore with Eshe
Door: 18 000won
Flyer

WORKSHOP @ Well Being Studio by Eshe, Itaewon
Sunday, June 22nd from 2-3:30 - Saturday June choreography.
Khatar by Solace from the Ahsas album.
It will count as 2 classes (if you have a class card) or you can pay a drop in fee of 35 000.
Sunday, June 22nd 3:30-5:00 - Tuesday June choreography.
Kitten Pig by Pentaphobe from the Sawdust album.
It will count as 2 classes (if you have a class card) or you can pay a drop in fee of 35 000.
Please let me know if you plan to attend.
eshebellydancer@hotmail.com

FRIDAY July 4th 22:00
Rainbow Bar in Gangnam Eshe with Orgeltanz

Orgeltanz & Eshe at Rainbow in May 2008




MAP
"Rainbow Bar, nested on a tiny alley in Gangnam, Seoul, is delightful. It boasts of being the only place to get hookah in the city, and they are probably right. Pillows cover the floors, and silk hang from the ceiling and walls. There are two water gardens with floating candles, giving this place quite a charming bohemian feel. They offer wine, beer, tea and hookah, as well as Korean and Armenian food dishes. The jasmine tea coupled with a double apple hookah is lovely, my personal recommendation. Hookah is a Persian flavored tobacco smoked out a waterbowl. They offer mint, apple, melon, and cherry, among others. The flavoring isn’t too strong, as can occasionally occur with hookah. Considering that it’s the only place to smoke hookah in the city, it’s reasonably priced. A hookah bowl is approximately $12. The decorum, the spicy hookah smoke, and the candlelight all gives this bar a relaxing and pleasant ambiance.
Rating: 10"

SUNDAY July 6th 18:00
Eshe & OrgeltanzClub TA in Hongdae with Orgeltanz

Orgeltanz & Eshe at Club TA in April 2008




SATURDAY July 19th 3:30PM
The Well Being Studio in association with Ape with Pipe present
an afternoon of bellydance with
Navah and Eshe to benefit Just Because

Belly Dance performances of all genres (tribal, oriental, urban, fusion,etc)will start at 3:30

There is no cover for this event, but please leave a donation to Just Because.

Navah are Eshe's student performance group based out of the Well Being Studio.

CHARITY: JUST BECAUSE

Our mission:
Raising funds for a mobile mammography unit
for the women of Egypt.

Just Because... is a registered charity aiming to raise funds and promote awareness, prevention and
early detection of breast cancer for women in Egypt.

Breast cancer accounts for 33% of all cancers in Egyptian women.

More Egyptian women die from breast cancer than in car accidents.

Every year more than 18,000 woman are diagnosed with breast cancer in Egypt and those are the ones
who went to their doctor; the large majority die without being diagnosed and keep their physical symptoms
secret due to lack of knowledge about the disease and social fears.

Just Because not only wants to raise money to provide essential equipment but also to enhance the work of awareness raising organisations within Egypt enabling women to talk to trained staff about their concerns, find out more about treatments available and make informed choices.

VENUE: APE WITH PIPE

From Itaewon station: Go out exit 1 (Hamilton Hotel), and keep walking straight for about 5 minutes. Go right at the last alley on the right before the end of Itaewon (right before the arches). The alley is across from McDonald's. Go up the hill, past Marrakech Nights. Keep walking straight and Ape With Pipe
will be on your left across from New Delhi and the Aussie Shop.

From Noksapyeong station: Go out exit 2 and do a 180. Look for the pedestrian overpass. Go across the overpass and then go right. Walk for a couple of minutes, and Ape With Pipe will be on your right.

Contact
Ape with Pipe English:010-3711-6325
Ape with Pipe Korean:02-749-0903

Regular Belly Dance classes
are taught in English by Eshe at the Well Being Studio in Itaewon.

Saturday
11:30-12:30 Navah Oriental
Belly dance technique depends on fine muscle control of the torso, arms and hips, and on interpretation of the intricate music. The dance is an expression of feeling: joy, love, sorrow, and all the complex emotions of life. We will explore American, Egyptian and Turkish Oriental styles in this class. This is the traditional glitz and glamour style most people imagine when speaking of bellydance. Each week we will learn a series of movements in this style to build up your dance vocabulary. At the end of the month, you will know a complete set of belly dance moves for an entire song.
12:35-13:35 Navah Training
This class will focus on developing proper technique, precision, endurance, strength and fluidity through a series of drills and conditioning exercises.
13:40-14:40 Navah Oriental
Tuesday
19:00-20:00 Navah Tribal
Tribal Fusion Belly Dance is a form of modern belly dance generally referring to a combination of American Tribal Style Belly Dance and Cabaret or Egyptian style belly dance. It fuses elements of Popping, Hip Hop, and Modern dance. It often draws from many traditional forms such as Flamenco and Bhangra as well as various folkloric dance styles. Each week in this class we will learn a series of movements in this style to build your dance vocabulary up. At the end of the month, you will know a complete set of belly dance moves for an entire song.
20:00-21:00 Navah Advanced
This class is intended for students who are at or beyond an intermediate level. We will explore advanced technique and improvisation. Find your own identity as a dancer in this class and learn how to express your individuality.

Koreans have called raspberries the "fruit of love" since old times. While you can often find Korean Black Raspberries made into wine and juice, the most efficient way to get the "love fruit" into your system is by drinking an extract (즙). Extracts are usually sold in bulk, with each dose coming in its own plastic pouch.

The most common types of extract are pumpkin and onion. You may have come across stores with strange metal contraptions inside and pumpkins outside. These stores extract and sell fruit and vegetable juices. However, it's often cheaper to buy them online than at a store, for example at the nicely addressed site lovejuice.

I'm not sure that onion juice is going to attract members of the opposite sex, but in this short but cute commercial, you can see some of the effects of Sun Yeon raspberries:

It's not exactly a world tour, but here is a cute video made by some Korean tourists in the style of everyone's favorite world traveller, Matt Harding:



I like how those kids at the whitewater rafting are doing the ice cream dance in Australia. Of course, watching this version only makes one reminisce about the original one. So, here is one of Matt's original videos:

The Korean language has diverged quite a bit since the division of the peninsula more than half a century ago. Here is a video that looks at different words for the same thing in South and North Korea:



Not surprisingly, a lot of the words that have kept their foreign origins in the South have been changed in the North. For example, "donuts" have become "garakji-bbang" (ring bread) and "boots" have become "mokdari-kudu" (sock shoes). Even a seemingly ubiquitious word like "ramyeon" is different, becoming the more poetic "Ggo-bu-rang-guk-su" (winding noodles).

One thing all people like is to be complimented. The video also shows us how to say "nice legs" in North Korea. So, should you take a tour to the North, be sure to holler out "darimae" when appropriate.

Today's drinkers know that one of the most elegant ways to get shit-faced is with wine. But with people's busy schedules, who has the time to find a corkscrew and open a bottle? Not me, and probably not some other people I know. Luckily, Lotte Chilsung has found a way to help us out. Introducing That's Y casual wine, available in red, white, and of course, pink:



Anyone tried this yet? I think I'll be heading to E-mart after work to find some. If only they had canned cheese there, too...

One food that has had trouble making inroads into the Korean market is the humble yet beautiful avocado. Avocados in Korea are still a rare and expensive find. Most Koreans don't even know what they are, and those who do and have tried them don't always seem to fully appreciate their appeal.

However, luck may be changing for the green fruit (technically its a berry, according to Wikipedia). Avocado aficionados in Korea take note: avant-garde fast food restaurant Lotteria has found a new use for them. Introducing the Avocado Shrimp burger:

One of the first Korean social customs that foreigners often learn about is the dong-chim. A dong-chim is a surprising prod in the ass with both index fingers, usually carried out by kindergarteners. However, even older people sometimes engage in this ritual. Here is a video showing a dong-chim stalker, and the clever opportunities she finds to carry out her attacks:

Get your elbows in position for some pushing and shoving, because today at 1:30 in Gwangju City is the 3rd annual Ajumma Festival:



I wonder what they say in that little pledge at the beginning?