Anglo-Googlish Protectorate of Achernar

real-time micro weblogging

2009-05-14T02:12:00.003+09:00

With tons of tasks that need to be done withing a few hours, I finally began tweeting. Seems to be funny.

Doubt

2009-03-11T12:43:00.005+09:00

Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty.

A woman was gossiping with a friend about a man she hardly knew. That night she had a dream. A great hand appeared over her and pointed down at her. She was immediately seized with an overwhelming sense of guilt. The next day she went to confession, and she told the old parish priest the whole thing.
“Is gossiping a sin? Father, tell me, have I done something wrong?”
“Yes! Yes, you ignorant, badly brought-up female! You have borne false witness against your neighbor, you have played fast and loose with his reputation, and you should be heartily ashamed!”
So the woman said she was sorry and asked for forgiveness. “Not so fast! I want you to go home, take a pillow up on your roof, cut it open with a knife, and return here to me!”
So the woman went home, took a pillow off her bed, a knife from the drawer, went up the fire escape to the roof, and stabbed the pillow. Then she went back to the old parish priest as instructed.
“Did you gut the pillow with the knife? What was the result?”
“Feathers,” she said. “Feathers everywhere, Father!”
“Now I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out on the wind!”
“Well, it can’t be done. I don’t know where they went. The wind took them all over.”
“And that is gossip!”

- You haven't the slightest proof of anything.
- But I have my certainty, and armed with that, I will go to your last parish, and the one before that if necessary. Trust me, Father Flynn, I will do what needs to be done, though I'm damned to Hell!
- I can't say everything, you understand? Even if you can’t imagine the explanation, Sister, remember there are things beyond your knowledge. Even if you feel certainty, it is an emotion, not a fact. I've done nothing wrong. I care about the boy.
- Why? ‘Cause you smile at him and you sympathize with him, and you talk to him as if you were the same? You're a cheat.
- I can fight you.
- You'll lose.

If he was open,

2008-11-27T12:55:00.005+09:00

For a moment, Tertuliano Máximo Afonso thought what an infinite relief it would be to tell the whole story from the beginning, about this extraordinary, singular, astonishing, and never-seen-before case of the duplicate man, the unimaginable became reality, the absurd reconciled with reason, the final proof that for God nothing is impossible, and that the science of this century is, as someone said, a fool. If he did so, if he was open, then all his previous troubling actions would be explained, including those that had been, as far as Maria da Paz was concerned, aggressive, rude, or disloyal, or that had, in short, offended against the most elementary common sense, that is to say almost all his actions. Then harmony would be restored, all errors and mistakes would be unconditionally and unreservedly forgiven. (omission) Tertuliano Máximo Afonso's well-intensioned thought vanished as quickly as it came. It's been said thousands of times before that there's no point crying over spilt milk, the problem in this case is what has happened to the jug, which lay shattered on the floor.

José Saramago, tr. Margaret Jull Costa, The Double (Harvest Books, 2004), pp. 167-168

It's all well and good to talk about happy endings, but

2008-10-26T00:40:00.001+09:00

You never mean to let me down, but you do.

Yeah, I guess I do.

You know, it's all well and good to talk about happy endings, but if a person can't deliver, if you keep screwing up, well, eventually I guess he kinda just have to say 'f**k you' or words to that affect.

Or is it a new trick?

2008-10-03T16:12:00.005+09:00

With these empty faces of ours, with these sheared craniums, with these shameful clothes, to take a chemical examinations. And obviously it will be in German; and we will have to go in front of some blond Aryan doktor hoping that we do not have to blow our noses, because perhaps he will not know that we do not have handkerchiefs, and it will certainly not be possible to explain it to him. And we will hardly be able to stand still on our feet. But have the Germans such great need of chemists? Or is it a new trick, a new machine "pour faire chier les Juifs"? Are they aware of the grotesque and absurd test asked of us, of us who are no longer alive, of us who have already gone half-crazy in the dreary expectation of nothing?

Primo Levi, If This Is a Man (London: Everyman's Library, 2000), p. 122

Anything that happens, happens.

2008-08-23T02:23:00.004+09:00

Anything that happens, happens.

Anything that, in happening, causes something else to happen, causes something else to happen.

Anything that, in happening, causes itself to happen again, happens again.

It doesn't necessarily do it in chronological order, though.

Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless, Introduction

Blue Screen on Bird's Nest

2008-08-09T23:53:00.003+09:00

The magnificently notorious MicroSoft blue screen at the opening ceremony of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in "Bird's Nest" Stadium. People say it was shown for almost an hour. LOL

What the Hell: Halifax Bank scam

2008-08-08T16:39:00.005+09:00

Got an e-mail titled "Notification of Payment." I was like "What the...???"
I knew at once it was another kind of filthy spam mail, but opened it anyway, well, actually, I opened it by mistake; well, yes, I opened it anyway.
Not having received such a delicate and elaborate scam like this before, I had to google what the hell was going on with this one to find out this is one of the biggest scam flop I've ever met.

HALIFAX BA NK PLC
DIRECTOR, FOREIGN OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT
350/355 Cabot Place East
London E14 4QT, UK

Our Ref: HALIFAX-0XX2/482/08

IRREVOCABLE AUTHORIZATION FOR PAYMENT VALUED US$4.6M

It is my modest obligation to write you this letter as regards the authorization of your owed payment through our most respected financial institution (HALIFAX BANK PLC). I am Mr. Alan Smith, The Director, Foreign Operations Department, HALIFAX Bank Plc, UK. The British Government in conjunction with US GOVERNMENT, WORLD BANK, UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION on foreign payment matters has empowered my bank after much consultation and consideration to handle all foreign payments and release them to their appropriate beneficiaries with the help of a representative from HALIFAX BANK NA, USA.

As the newly appointed/accredited International Paying Bank, we have been instructed by the World Governing Body together with the Committee on International Debt Reconciliation Department to release your overdue funds with immediate effect; with this exclusive Vide Transaction No.: WHA/EUR/202, Transfer Allocation No.: HSBC/X44/701LN/WGB/GB, Password: 339331, Pin Code: 78569, Certificate of Merit No: 104, Release Code No: 0876; Immediate HALIFAX Telex Confirmation No: -222568; Secret Code: XXTN014.Having received these vital payment numbers, you are instantly qualified to receive and confirm your payment with us within the next 48hrs.

Be informed that we have verified your payment file as directed to us and your name is next on the list of our outstanding fund beneficiaries to receive their payment before the end of this second term of the year 2008. Be advised that because of too many funds beneficiaries due for payment at this second quarter of the year, you are entitled to receive the sum of Four Million Six Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (US$4,600,000.00) only, as part payment so as to enable us pay other eligible beneficiaries. To facilitate with the process of this transaction, please kindly re-confirm the following information below:

1) Your full Name:
2) Your full Address:
3) Your Contact Telephone and Fax No:
4) Your Profession, Age and Marital Status and
5) Any valid form of your Identification:

As soon as we receive the above mentioned information, your payment will be processed and released to you without any further delay. Be also informed that you are not allowed to correspond with any other person(s) or office any longer so as to avoid conflict of information, you are required to provide the above information for your transfer to take place through Bank to Bank Remittance directly from HALIFAX BANK.

Yours Faithfully.

Mr. Alan Smith
PHONE: +44-703-182-1972 FAX: +44-207-681-3105
(Director, International Remittance Dept. Halifax Bank London)

Hey MS, how come your LiveMail does not filter such a fishing mail like this? -_-

Tsukiyama lying to Bush

2008-08-06T17:03:00.009+09:00

Korean-American presidents TV news conference

Mr. Tsukiyama : President Bush would give the answer to sending Korean troops to Afghanistan, but I'm telling you, we haven't discussed it. Ha ha ha.
Mr. Bush : We discussed it. (Popping the earphone for translation, meaning he would burst out something he was not scheduled to say) I thank the President for the contributions Korea has made to Afghanistan.

Deep Thought

2008-08-02T16:14:00.002+09:00

"The Great Hyperbolic Omni-Cognate Neutron Wrangler," said Deep Thought, thoroughly rolling the Rs, "could talk all four legs off an Arcturan MegaDonkey – but only I could persuade it to go for a walk afterwards."

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Ch. 25

There's NOTHING in Korea on Google maps

2008-07-27T13:23:00.012+09:00

Japan claims its sovereignty for Dok-do, or Takeshima, or Liancourt Rocks again.
Some people got extremely furious when they discovered on Google maps the sea bordered by Korean peninsular, Japanese archipelago, and Primorsky Krai of Russian Federation is named only Nihon-kai; while on Google Earth the sea has both names; Sea of Japan on Japanese side and East Sea, Korean equivalent name, on Korean side.

Dok-do has no name on it, nor has Ulleung-do. So if you are suddenly curious without any reason how Google maps show display the islands, just rush to the islands with sheer rejoice, which means all you have to do is rolling the wheel on your mouse.

Well, Dok-do is beyond Google maps' attention. They don't need to cover all the area on this meer planet where no one in the whole Galaxy cares about, you see.

Seoul, with the same scale of the map above.

Google maps display terrain of Seoul 150 years ago.

(Well, MS Live Maps does the same, but at least they show something.)

Suppose you see the same location with Google Earth. You'll see an island full of larvae instead of Jamsil Olympic Stadium, sand instead of Korean National Museum and US 8th Army HQ, a small and clean island instead of Seoul World Cup Stadium, which was built over a landfill, and a solid land instead of Yeoui Island. It's totaly a mess.

Incheon Int'l Airport, Jung-gu, Incheon, is floating on the sea.

How come there's nothing in Korea? What about somewhere else?

Linie U2 extension to Ernst-Happel Stadion, Leopoldstadt, Wien, Austria.

Linie U2 extension was built in last May. Only two months ago. And they're on the map. See those three blue Us? Brilliant update.

Cyprus and Israel, both excluding any information on Google maps.

Well, Korea is not the only one country obsolete on Google maps. Argentina, Guyana, Suriname, French Guianna, and Dominica Republic, and Cyprus and Israel are just blank countries on the map, too.

Cyprus is divided into Greek Cypriots (South Cyprus) and Turkish Cypriots (North Cyprus), with UN green line separating them. And I don't think I have to mention the cruelty of Israeli government. WECK!!!

Actually, Google did try to google gigantic geographic information from Korean gov't, only they were rejected because Korean law prohibits leakage of domestic geographic information. It was rumoured that Google tried to google those information for free, which in turn they offered camoflage of confidential Korean military spots.

At any rate, this explains why the hell Sea of Japan is the only dominant name of the sea between Korea and Japan, and this is not the ultimate question. The ultimate question is why the hell Google maps have NO information about Korea at all.

Color pictures of Korean war

2008-07-24T15:04:00.003+09:00

Courtesy of John Rich, former NBC Senior Asia Correspondent, NBC reporter and photojournalist during the Korean War.

Hangang rail bridge in Seoul, demolished during Korean war, 1950

Hangang rail bridge, 2008

Jangan Gate in Suwon, demolished during Korean war

Jangan Gate, 2008
Suwon is the capital city of Gyeonggi Province with population of over one million.

Fed Up

2008-07-24T02:14:00.000+09:00

All of a sudden I'm just fed up with streets in Seoul.
Wish I could fly somewhere else like, say, Constantinople, for instance.

Figure skating World Grand Prix champion to attend Korea Univ. next year

2008-07-23T10:37:00.000+09:00

South Korea’s twinkling figure skating star Kim Yu-na, a high school junior, will attend Korea Univ. (Dept. of Physical Education, I presume) next year!!!

OH, MY, GOSH!!!

I don't expect I could EVER see her at school still it's so fascinating!!!
How lucky I have not graduated yet, LOL

She won World Grand Prix Final for two consecutive years, you see.

LEE Seunghwan, "Family" (The Ultimate Collection)

2008-07-21T00:21:00.014+09:00

Album version + Topsy Turvy mix @ Yoon Dohyun's Love Letter (2006)
Don't get fooled by the displayed image; this is not a normal youtube video but a crystal-clear one!

Dialog from 4:53
Lee: When I get weary and lonely, (mimicking female singer Bokhee Yoon) who would soothe me?
Many ladies: I will! I will! I will!
Low male voice: I will!

Topsy Turvy mix (2004)

Millennium mix (1999)

Don't miss Lee's dancing at 1:31. lol

Hwantastic mix (2007)

Fireworks rock!!!
People gathered in Jamsil stadium could have almost missed the fireworks due to heavy rain.
See people wearing raincoats?

Silence mix (1998)

Album version (1997)

More than 500 fans performed background vocals.

Trackback : http://www.ginu.kr/blog/trackback/109

Apple looking for account mgr in Korea for iPhone

2008-07-18T21:48:00.000+09:00

Well, well, well! So Korean users now can rejoice iPhone in the end?
Finally my waiting deserves? lol

Solutions

2008-07-18T16:24:00.000+09:00

Solutions nearly always come from the direction you least expect, which means there's no point trying to look in that direction because it won't be coming from there.

Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt, p. 243

2008 - the Year of the Rat

2008-01-01T03:07:00.002+09:00

On New Year's Eve I was in Daehak Street watching ringing the bell in Imjingak with small TV. (Usually they broadcast Bosingak; I was wondering why governor of Gyeonggi province was there to ring the bell, not the mayor of Seoul.)

Last year, I was kinda sharing joyful excitement of fireworks in Jongno Boulevard but this time I just oppressed watching ringing the bell. -_-;;;

Well, then, motto of 2008 is:

Make your parents happy!

Marriage not included, very probable to repeat the same motto next year. -_-;;;
Not an individual motto, but for everyone studying for exams, which excludes someone who already got a job.