033108
koreans:



hangukin (south koreans)
chosonin (north koreans)
yanbian chaoxianzu (yanbian koreans)
koryosaram
zainichi kankokujin (zainichi south koreans)
zainichi chosenjin (zainichi north koreans)
sakhalinskie koreytsi (sakhalin koreans)

033008
slightly old news: the much-anticipated world cup qualifier match on wednesday between the two koreas ended in a goalless draw. the game was played on neutral ground, shanghai, china, due to a dispute regarding the flying of the south korean flag and playing of its national anthem at the original venue: kim il-sung stadium in pyongyang, north korea.

the two koreas will face another once more in a rematch in seoul, south korea on june 22.

after a politically charged world cup qualifier ended in a 0-0 tie wednesday, north korean players walked to the far end of the field to bow and wave to thousands of south korean fans. south korean players picked up on the gesture, standing in a line and waving to hundreds of north korean supporters at hongkou stadium. "the next time in seoul, i want to play in the same atmosphere like this because we are brothers, the same people," said north korea player hong yong ho, already looking forward to the june 22 rematch. this game had first been scheduled for pyongyang in north korea but was shifted by fifa after north korean officials refused to have the south korean anthem played and the south's flag flown on their turf. pregame anthems were played without incident. as the south korean anthem was played, thousands of its fans behind one goal unfurled two huge flags. the teams have played each other 11 times, and north korea's only victory was in 1990. south korea won both previous world cup qualifiers between the nations.

032708
i just found this on youtube:


it's a television show from south korea called "minyuldului suda" i think it's supposed to be a talk show of some sort.

the most interesting thing about this show is the various non-korean heateries from various places around the world—ranging from canada, p.r.c., japan, vietnam, india, russia, italy—discussing various topics... in korean.

참 신기하다, to hear 외국인들 speak korean—which is, by no means, an easy language to learn (i don't think it would be too much for me to assume that it's not their first language)—with such eloquence.

here's a few (okay, a lot) more:


























032308
i've got to give the heatery #3 spot to candace kucsulain:




032208
yet another music video i never get tired of watching:


032208
even after all these years, i still love this music video:


032108

"people used what they called a telephone because they hated being close together and they were too scared of being alone."

- chuck palahniuk

031608
heatery #2: pixie acia from l.a. ink:



i like!

031508

"'human nature' as we know it today is a product of our history, not its cause."

- chris harman

socialism is a discredited economic theory? says who? the people who called the u.s.s.r. or the p.r.c. "socialist" are the same people who calls this amalgamation of capitalism and [proto-]fascism a "democracy." the bourgeoisie maintain their hegemony and privileges by keeping people divided—by passing off greed, competition, and selfish "individualism" as "human nature." i don't believe that these traits are inherent in us; we are a product of social conditioning brought on by capitalism. we should aim for a more egalitarian society based on human camaraderie, cooperation, and mutual aid, because i refuse to believe that this miserable existence is the best that mankind could ever hope to achieve.

the revolution begins in your heart.

031408
the weakerthans - a new name for everything

when the bus-shelter windows
and napkin-dispensers surprise
with distorted reflections
it's never the someone
you're hoping to recognize

when the rent is too high
living here between reasons to live
where you can't sleep alone
and your memories groan
and the borders of night start to give

when you can't save
cash or conviction
you're broke and you're breaking
a tired shoelace or a wave
so long past, past-due
a new name for everything

when the one-ways collude
with the map that you folded wrong
and the route you abandoned
is always the path
that you probably should be upon

when the bottle-cap ashtrays
and intimate's ears are all full
with results of your breath
and the threads of your fear
are unfurled with the tiniest pull

one more time, try
stand with your hands in your pockets
and stare at the smudge
on a newspaper sky
and ask it to rain
a new name for everything

fire every phrase
they don't want to work for us anymore
dot and dash our days
make your face the flag of a semaphore

all you won't show
the boxes you brought here
and never unpacked
are still patiently waiting to go
so put on those clothes
you never grew into
and smile like you mean it for once
if you come back, bring
a new name for everything
a new name for everything
a new name for everything

031408

"the one you love and the one who loves you are never, ever the same person."

- chuck palahniuk

needless to say, ever since last week, things between me and noreen has been really awkward.

now i know why it's not a good idea to make a move on a co-worker.

fortunately, we barely ran into each other for most of the week. we did run into each other briefly yesterday, where we exchanged "hi"s with one another—i guess that's what it's been reduced to.

still, i'm glad we're saying something—anything—to each other. even if it's just one fucking word. i don't want us to avoid one another or stop talking to each other, because, despite what happened, i truly want us to still be friends.

031308
i got an e-mail today from my web host regarding the mp3 files i've been sharing on my file server, and the high amount of traffic i've been getting because of them. my host has blocked access to the folder and the files that it contained. i checked my bandwidth stats today, and it looks like i've been transferring 300-500 gigabytes of data per month.

i've also been informed that i've been distributing copyrighted material, in violation of their terms of service.

i'm not sure if they're actually going to do it or not, but there's a chance that they might shut down my account.

regardless of what's going to happen, i'm going to keep on posting entries, but just in case this site is no longer here all of a sudden—you'll know what happened. right now, i've got too many things going on and too many things on my mind to actually be concered about what's going to happen to this website.

feel free to contact me at markhjkim@gmail.com. and i'll also be at lowerclassbrat.stumbleupon.com, as usual.

k-den.

031308
the weakerthans, live in berlin.

part one ("psalm for the elks lodge last call" / "civil twilight" / "our retired explorer" / "reconstruction site"):


part two ("aside" / "night windows" / "left and leaving"):


part three ("one great city" / "pamphleteer" / "virtute the cat explains her departure" / "manifest"):


031308
i actually had to read this twice to make sure i read right...

031308
possibly the only post i will make on the 2008 u.s. presidential election: hawaii-born barack obama not a natural-born u.s. citizen, according to some hawaii secessionists.

from the honolulu advertiser:

some native hawaiians think hawaii-born barack obama can't be president of the united states because he was born in an independent sovereign nation: the kingdom of hawaii. a few independence advocates claim that hawaii legally remains a country today, making obama and hundreds of thousands of others born in the islands over the past 50 years not "natural-born" citizens or eligible to be president. "obama was born in the hawaiian kingdom," said leon siu, a native hawaiian and musician who brought up the issue in a column he wrote on a news web site. "not only was the overthrow of the hawaiian kingdom illegal, it was admitted to be illegal by the united states." siu was referring to the "apology resolution" passed by congress in 1993 acknowledging wrongdoing in the overthrow of the hawaiian monarchy 100 years before and recognizing the inherent sovereignty of the indigenous islanders over their land. john mccain has faced more questions than obama over whether he meets the legal requirement to qualify for the nation's highest office because he was born in the panama canal zone in 1936. both mccain and obama appear to qualify for the presidency because they were born in united states lands, said university of hawaii constitutional law professor jon van dyke. "it would be unlikely that any court would take seriously an argument that senator obama was not a natural-born citizen," van dyke said. "for the moment, hawaii is a state... and the people of hawaii taken as a whole seem not to be seeking secession, as a few people are." even those who believe in hawaii's inherent sovereignty don't deny that the world recognizes it as part of the united states, allowing their argument no effect on the presidential election. people who consider themselves part of a hawaiian nation don't need to get involved in u.s. politics anyway, said jonathan osorio at the university of hawaii's center for hawaiian studies. "we don't have to get involved in it because it's the americans' problem," osorio said. "why should we care if this is an election that is for the united states and not hawaiian nationals?"

031308
the weakerthans - plea from a cat named virtute

why don't you ever want to play?
i'm tired of this piece of string
you sleep as much as i do now
and you don't eat much of anything

i don't know who you're talking to
i made a search through every room
but all i found was dust that moved
in shadows of the afternoon.

and listen
about those bitter songs you sing?
they're not helping anything
they won't make you strong

so, we should open up the house
invite the tabby two doors down
you could ask your sister
if she doesn't bring her basset hound

ask the things you shouldn't miss
tape-hiss and the modern man
the cold war and card catalogues
to come and join us if they can

for girly drinks and parlor games
we'll pass around the easy lie
of absolutely no regrets
and later maybe you could try

to let your losses dangle off
the sharp edge of a century
and talk about the weather
or how the weather used to be

and i'll cater
with all the birds that i can kill
let their tiny feathers fill
disappointment

lie down
lick the sorrow from your skin
scratch the terror and begin
to believe you're strong

all you ever want to do is drink and watch tv
and frankly that thing doesn't really interest me
i swear i'm going to bite you hard
and taste your tinny blood

if you don't stop the self-defeating lies
you've been repeating
since the day you brought me home
i know you're strong

031308
no more emotional roller coaster rides.

i feel liberated.

030708

"love is for assholes."

- screeching weasel

after a week of wondering what the fucking score was, i got the classic, "you're a nice guy, but let's just be friends" (translation: "fuck off") line dropped on me today.

i struggled to feign indifference as the entirety of my body went numb and i felt my heart shatter.

ouch. ouch. ouch.

i didn't even get to hear it directly from noreen. i heard it from marie who heard it from grace who heard it from noreen.

so all these months she's been leading me on, making me believe that my feelings were being reciprocated, she was just fucking with my heart this whole time? if she had no intention of taking this beyond friendship, why did she even allow it to get to this point?

for the rest of the workday, i pretended not to have been hurt, because i didn't want to give noreen the satisfaction of the knowledge that she's defeated me.

so, i guess she doesn't feel the same way about me, the way i feel about her, and now i'll just have to move on and get over her, but, hey, i had to try, at least. and i do want us to be friends, and i didn't mean to be an asshole, but i really didn't want to talk to her, or even look at her—at least, not today.

what made things worse was that, i thought that marie would be a supportive friend, but she just trivialized my emotions, and said the worst fucking things she could've said to me. i mean, i've been chasing noreen for almost half a year—i think i might need a little more than six hours to get over her.

it was really disappointing because i feel like i've always been there for her when she needed me, but it didn't feel like she was there for me today, when i really needed her—when i needed just a few encouraging words, or even just a simple hug.

right now, i feel thoroughly miserable, dejected, and heart-broken. i just need some time alone for a few days... maybe, weeks... god forbid, months.

030408




the radical environmentalist group, earth liberation front, ecotage five luxury homes in seattle.

seattle times:

the arsonists targeted five large houses in this rural area near maltby in snohomish county that in recent years has been sprouting new homes. three of the houses were destroyed, including one that was burned to the ground, fed by a breached natural-gas connection that appeared to melt part of the chimney. the arsonists were unsuccessful in attempts to destroy two other homes. the arsonists left a banner that included the initials e.l.f., an apparent attempt to claim the fires were the work of the earth liberation front.

030408
today at work, i made an offhanded comment to marie about how i am in need of a vacation. she suggested that i should follow her to her homeland, samoa, for her brother's wedding next month. she wanted me to learn about her culture, and also be there to take photographs. i considered it for a while, because i DO need a vacation (i've been working straight for almost two years!), and i've always wanted to visit the samoan islands. then i realized that i don't have a passport, and it's not likely that i could get one made in time for the flight next month.

perhaps, in the future.

besides, if had a grand to burn on airfare, i'd like to visit MY homeland—which i miss so dearly—first.













030308
it's monday, and my confusion still hasn't been alleviated.