Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun... Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans," Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Things kushibo learned today...

Taking a page from Ask A Korean, here are some things kushibo learned today (actually yesterday, since it's now 12:09 a.m.):

Hulu gets its name from two Chinese homonyms, one supposedly meaning gourd and holder of precious things (葫蘆), and the other supposedly meaning interactive recording (互錄). I say "supposedly" because this may very well be like how the Chinese word for crisis is the same as the word for opportunity (Crisitunity!).

Back in the 1990s, Lisa Loeb informed my aesthetic ideal of nerdy-looking White girls.

Twenty-five years ago, George Michael did an elfin' good job hiding being gay.

The former Surratt boarding house in Washington DC, where the conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln took place, is now a Chinese restaurant. (I found this out after looking up The Conspirator, which I saw the night before.)

There's a century-old restaurant not far from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles where, until last week, a decent cup of coffee cost 9¢. It's now half a dollar with tax. (The French dip sandwich was also invented there.)

Korrean automakers Kia and Hyundai still lag in car brand perception.

Some neighborhoods in Los Angeles, like Echo Park, look a lot like the jam-packed neighborhoods of Seoul.

6 comments:

itissaidTuesday, January 31, 2012 1:02:00 AM
Why is there a pic of a woman's butt? LOL. NSFW should be in red.
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kushiboTuesday, January 31, 2012 1:21:00 AM
It's a screen grab from the music video in the George Michael link. That day, for some reason, the rabbit hole brought me to a stash of 1980s music videos.
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AnonymousWednesday, February 01, 2012 12:55:00 PM
"Twenty-five years ago, George Michael did an elfin' good job hiding being gay."

I gotta disagree. It was always clear to me that his exaggerated masculinity was an attempt to hide his sexual orientation. It's not just this video but also how he would attend award and fashion shows with a model on each arm.
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itissaidSunday, February 05, 2012 11:20:00 AM
Now I KNOW that your mom does not read this blog :)
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Ask Kushibo.

My Google/Blogspot data shows that a lot of the 2 million people who have landed on my site (yes, that's the real number) are looking for cultural information on Korea (e.g., “When did Syngman Rhee die?” “What did the Indians bring to the first Chusŏk?’ etc., etc.), as well as practical or historical stuff.

That got me thinking that, hey, I have a master’s degree in Korean studies and a minor in Japanese studies, I’ve lived in Seoul far longer than most foreans my age (whether they're kyopo or non-kyopo), I teach introductory courses on Korea and its cultural trappings and history, so why not offer a free service where I attempt to answer people’s questions, point them in the direction of where they can get them answered, and/or offer my regulars (that’s you!) a chance to take a stab at some of this stuff, too.

So if there’s something you’d like to know from a “contrarian scourge,” click on ASK KUSHIBO and just ask a succinct question in the comments section below.

Oh, and play nice. Please don’t make me regret this.

九十五大怪獣란? 쿠시보의 몬스터 아일랜드란?

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun...
Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans" ("foreigners" in Korea be they kyopo or non-kyopo), Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County, and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

* Monster Island (actually a peninsula)

The name of this blog comes from a line in "Lisa on Ice," a beloved episode of The Simpsons, perhaps my all-time favorite television show (even though for several seasons there, it really did suck). Lisa is imagining being sworn in as president, but at the last minute, it is discovered that she failed P.E. (physical education) and she is thus "sentenced to a lifetime of horror" on Monster Island. "Don't worry," the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court confides in her, "It's just a name."

Fast forward to Lisa and other prisoners running in panic through a tropical jungle, chased by Godzilla-like creatures, including a monster turtle and a monster firefly.

"He said it was just a name!" Lisa screams to the man next to her. While he, too, runs for his life, the unidentified man calmly says, "What he meant is that Monster Island is actually a peninsula."

Anyway, I thought in some ways that punchline summed up modern-day Korea in a nutshell. For many people—foreigners and Koreans—the ups and downs and everyday travails of the Republic of Korea make it as precarious as a Monster Island would be (and with the DMZ being the only land border, it really is like an island). But it actually is a peninsula. Okay, it made sense in my head.

So as you can see, despite the hits I get from people looking for Japanese tentacle porn, it has nothing to do with anything salacious as that.