Being Different is beautiful...

Yes..it's a public service advertisement endorsing Korean society's (seemingly existent) pressure on women/girls to have an 'artificial' look by way of plastic surgery. 

This ad would not have been existent in the first place, HAD the social problem as it postulated NOT BEEN there in the first place, right?

Okay..let me jot down what it says. For those who may not understand Korean language, I'll try to translate the sentences. Hope I translate them correctly.^^ gee....

V -- 똑 떨어지는 V라인 'the exact V-line figure'

342434 Bust.Waist. Hip. 

S --- 완벽한 S라인 'perfect S-line'

대한민국 표준 여성코도?

Korea's standard codes for women?

세상은 나에게 똑같은 몸매, 똑같은 얼굴를 가지라고 하지만 난 그렇게 되고 싶지 않아

Although the world told me to have similar facial and physical figure, I don't want to do that

그건 내가 아니라 남들이 만들어놓든 기준이니까

because that is not me. Instead, it is a standard that others put upon me. 

지금 이대로가 세상에서 단 하나뿐인 진짜 내모습이나까

The way I look as of now is my real looks...the only one in the world.

나도, 당신도 지금 이대로 괜찮아

It's alright to be what we are now. Me and You.  

And I was glad to find out that this public service ad was created by an organization calle Korean women link.

Oh...I also love the copywriter of this ad made it in such a witty way that would give it a plus. At least for me.

다르니까 아름답다

The sentence literally means 'since it's different, then it's beautiful'. 

But the ad wittily emphasizes the syllable 다 in the word 다르(다). 

You see, 다르다  actually means 'different'

but, if you just take the 다, then it means 'ALL'

thus..here it is....ONE simple sentence WITTILY means two things:

(1) 다르니까 아름답다 'different, so it is beautiful'

(2) 다 아름답다 'ALL is beautiful'

I couldn't agree more.^^ 

The bar code that characterizes this simple ad on subways is what caught my attention in the first place. Now I see it on a daily basis on my way to and from school. 

I guess...although this ad is in Korea, I think it is applicable to all women in other society as well. I think. 

AND....I APPLIES to men as well.

I think society also sort of 'forces' men to act or look like what they want them to be...

If only we put our time to ponder again the very idea of why we are created different.

..that ALL is beautiful.

..that being different is beautiful as well.

That's my rant...

Gangnam Station (DX Line): part 3!!!

Now I see more and more people coming in...

see how spotlessly clean the station is!!! 

the DX Line subway just arrived. I managed to take a snapshot of it just before the doors closed... 

Back again onto the passengers' platform, once again I couldn't get enough of taking pictures. I mean..it doesn't do any justice to the real feel of being there.

The lighting seemed to be perfectly tuned with the soft theme.... 

and I bumped into another piece of art made of I didn't know what...

are those balls? yes..definitely yes...in different sizes and colors. 

Just arrange them in such a way to make a cool rendition of what supposed to be a colorful dots in 3D. 

If you think getting around the station with those works of arts is not enough, try getting in touch with the larger-than-life ad. This time, it's G-Dragon's ad about their newly released album Coup d'etat 

Or walk yourself through the walking escalator while enjoying the ever-changing displays of TVs portraying imaginative works of arts. 

and..what would Gangnam be without any mention of its (in)famous plastic surgery? So, on one of the escalators' walls were posted plastic surgery ads all the way up or down the stairs. 

Finally...I arrived at the line 2 (green line) which I got to transfer to.

Even this line 6 seemed to have also undergone massive transformation in its advertisement. Or was it me who's been for quite a long time not going to Gangnam area...so I didn't know all of these? hmmm maybe. 

I mean..the whole advertisements are displayed on huge screens attached on every pillar (all pillars) inside the platform.

I wouldn't have taken the pictures had them be dead-neon ads. 

They kept on moving and changing, for they're actually LCD displays. 

Well, this is something different I found the other day on the subway's ad.

It's about the co-joint event:

Seoul & Berlin Going Underground in International Subway Film Festival.

where? what? how? when? should I watch them?

* answer right here, Suray--->............................

'Tis Upside Down!

I thought I had something wrong with my eyes when I saw the TV. It's upside down. I couldn't make out what it was. Was it because I was a bit 'disoriented' after having some 'house chores' in the morning? 

Had it been my eyes that did the trick? 

The right-side TV indeed showed something strange. 

I couldn't read what it was saying..until I realized that indeed...it was downward. 

Hmm...it was a trivial thing to see...but, being a very very amateurish photographer who's always ready to take pictures as stuffs do happen, I felt like having this urge to take the moment to zap the ad with upside down footage.

This has been an exercise for my eyes...

The Transformation of Seoul's Subway Tickets

Seoul has its first subway line back in 1974. Wow...it's as old as I am.^^ The other day I bumped into a very interesting ad (well, it's more like a public-service ad) issued by the authority of Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transportation itself. It tells about the transformation of tickets from its initial groundbreaking jubilee in 1974 up to the present. 

What intrigued me is the fact that the one made in 1974 is so captivating in that it has a colorful rendition of what it all started and looked like. 

I really wish I had one of these as collections.

Then in 1981 and 1886 it somewhat became simpler with less colorful touches.

But then...in 2004 up until 2009 with the coming of 'digital' age...^^ well, sort of...and I vividly remembered it since that's the time when I (once again) stepped into the doorstep of Seoul: back then..the Seoul tickets were printed on a T-Money kind of thing and also on mobiles.  Oh, wait..I also remembered the one made in 1999 since the first time I came to Seoul was back in 1998. So..it sort of a recollection of memories clamped into one ad.

That's what prompted me to 'take the picture' of this valuable ad.

Now...the interesting thing is the notion of what it'll be like in the future....

Maybe we can use our body or part of our body since we have each of us a chip ingrained or inserted into our nervous system.

Sounds so visionary but scary...at the same time.

If you buy something at the traditional market........then...

THEN...you do not only buy things but you also get 'love' 'affection'  or 정 (Jeong) like what Korean people address it.

I also bumped into another interesting public announcement. I love it.

The picture depicts an ajumma or a woman who sells (vegetables?) at the traditional market.

The ad says" 전통시장은 정을 팝니다" Traditional Market Sells 'Love+Affectin" *

* 정 is one of the difficult word to translate into other language. 

But...the point is that...more and more people in Korea tend to shop at hypermarket or any convenient stores or malls or department stores that penetrates almost every corner of Korea's public space. 

E-Mart, Lotte Mart, Shinsagae, Home Plus and many other medium-sized markets have  somewhat replaced the existence of traditional markets. 

And..that fact alone has triggered a massive concern as to whether traditional markets would be able to stand against the time and the pressure of something called 'modernity'

So, despite the fact that Korean Government has imposed the rule stating that major big  department stores to 'CLOSE' their stores twice a month on (for instance) the 2nd and 4th Sunday....

Still...a lot of people are flocking the modern market....instead of the traditional ones.

Well, preferences are hard to condone.

THAT is the reason why...This Kind OF Public advertisement is deemed necessary in subways and any other public venues.

The problem is:

DO PEOPLE really READ this?

I do hope they Do.

They read and then they think..and hopefully it will lead to action.

Mommy, isn't that too soon for me???

I bumped into a very interesting public advertisement on my home. It was posted on many subway platforms for a lot of people to see.

It says "엄마! 이건 너무 빨라요' Mom, isn't it too soon and early for me?"

Well, it satirizes the preoccupation of Korean society's (can I call it excessive?) preoccupation with 'private' education. hmm..can I use the word 'private'here?  

Anyway..what I mean is that...

English for instance..has now been one of the seemingly ULTRA important subject that even small children or toddlers need to brush it up.

then...a lot of kids must undergo a lot of extra classes in music and any other extra training that (may look) good and important..

but...

all of these ....overlook the fact that some kids or children are just kids who just want to play until they reach a certain age...

(Not to mention...the relatively expensive cost that the parents have to burden....)

so...this advertisement or public 'advertisement' attempts to instill or give a 'wake-up' call for Seoulites and Koreans who might see or read this!!!!!!!!

IF they ever want to stop and read this kind of advertisement.

I do hope they do.

한.미 FTA (Korea-US Free Trade Agreement)

I will not--of course--talk about something this heavy -a-subject on my blog^^. Instead, I will just want to share what I found on subway advertisement. Well, it is about FTA--okey. But, the way it is projected in such a way is something that attracts me.

First, I know that some Koreans did oppose the implementation of Korea-US FTA for some or so many reasons. I still remembered last year's long rallie being held in Gwanghwamun and Chongno area around downtown to oppose its implementation. With no avail. 

Well, as the fact suggest, the official implementation of this FTA did initiate itself on March 15, 2012. So, there are no other choices but to get along with this. So, this is when the role of government to make sure that its people understand and support its agreement. This ads suggests that at some point, Korean government tries its best to make sure that its people will understand this hard decision. Look at the ads: it is in cartoon, not real people....that would appeal more for passers by or subway passengers in this case..to at least to give it a thought. 

This ads suggest that this FTA would make one's family's daughter changed. How and what changes that would possibly be fell upon her, then? 

The ads says that  thanks to FTA, the prices of oranges, jelly, lemon are getting cheaper and cheaper...which later on eventually would help her solve her diet problem and of course...her skin would be better, too. 

FTA would also boost foreign investment in Korea that would eventually create more jobs and make her get her job that she wants.  etc...

I love learning Korean and Korean society through ads or any other medium I find on the streets or at any other places where I would bump them into. It kinds of helps me to understand more of what's going on or what Korean people are talking or buzzing about...

Oh, this ad has different theme, too: this one talks about how FTA affects a daughter's life. Other ads deal with their Mom, Daddy, Son.....

I think this is a cool way to disseminate the awareness of what FTA would hopefully bring about to Korean society.^^