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tarigwaemirLowell House, on the Feast of Christ the King
Back at school and pretending to read existentialist philosophy. This Thanksgiving break was spent:
1. Eating! Galbijjim (steamed beef ribs) for Thanksgiving dinner, then over the next few days, tempura-style fried shrimp, pork bulgogi, homemade dumplings, baby spinach soybean soup...not to mention persimmons, pears, and clementines galore. Mother took one look at me and accused me of not eating regularly (which is...probably truer than it should be but not entirely), and so she embarked on a fattening mission as soon as we got home. Oh, I miss Korean food already. ;_;
2. Watching KBS shows online. Specifically, the hit drama of the season, Hwang Jin-i, titled after the famous gisaeng. If you liked Daejanggeum (also known as Jewel in the Palace), you'll like this series as well. It has a similar plot schematic with the rivalries, the palace intrigues, and the successive challenges to the protagonist's pursuit of her vocation, with gorgeous sets and costumes. But the characters are darker and more complex, which I suppose is a function of the source material itself. A gisaeng (like the Japanese geisha) is both entertainer and courtesan, and the main character is passionate rather than rational and not so unambiguously good. Hwang Jin-i is a historical figure, who was renowned for her intelligence and accomplished in all the major arts of dance, calligraphy and music. She was a celebrated poet as well, and even a cursory study of classical Korean poetry will make mention of her sijo.
The title role is played by Ha Jiwon, who starred in the historical drama Damo as well as movies like Duelist, which I think is an inspired choice, because Ha Jiwon knows how to dance. I'm not as pleased by the casting choices for the male lead and the female rival, but the rest of the supporting cast is generally excellent. And oh, the hanbok in this series are beautiful, even if I do doubt that they had those kinds of brilliant dyes back then. The dialogue is rather hard to follow not only because of the archaic expressions but also because of the continual literary references, so I don't know if subtitles will be available for a while. (It's still airing in Korea; only 13 episodes out so far.) Still, you can take a look at some screenshots here and here.
3. Seeing Casino Royale with Father, who is a huge James Bond fan. What a great movie! I, er, still don't think much of Daniel Craig's looks, but then again, I've never understood the appeal of blond men. That being said, he's an excellent actor, and so is Eva Green, whose portrayal of Vesper Lynd pretty much equals the best Bond girl ever. Speaking of which, the screenwriter deserves an award for all the clever repartee and generally excellent dialogue. (M was so awesome in this film!) Also, I can't get over how stylishly the film was shot (the film noir beginning! the opening credits! the gorgeous shots of European châteaux!).
4. Sleeping! And not really making any progress on grad school apps. >_>
All right, back to schoolwork. ::sighs::
Yours &c.
Post-script: Just as a reminder, if you want a holiday card from me, leave a comment here!
Back at school and pretending to read existentialist philosophy. This Thanksgiving break was spent:
1. Eating! Galbijjim (steamed beef ribs) for Thanksgiving dinner, then over the next few days, tempura-style fried shrimp, pork bulgogi, homemade dumplings, baby spinach soybean soup...not to mention persimmons, pears, and clementines galore. Mother took one look at me and accused me of not eating regularly (which is...probably truer than it should be but not entirely), and so she embarked on a fattening mission as soon as we got home. Oh, I miss Korean food already. ;_;
2. Watching KBS shows online. Specifically, the hit drama of the season, Hwang Jin-i, titled after the famous gisaeng. If you liked Daejanggeum (also known as Jewel in the Palace), you'll like this series as well. It has a similar plot schematic with the rivalries, the palace intrigues, and the successive challenges to the protagonist's pursuit of her vocation, with gorgeous sets and costumes. But the characters are darker and more complex, which I suppose is a function of the source material itself. A gisaeng (like the Japanese geisha) is both entertainer and courtesan, and the main character is passionate rather than rational and not so unambiguously good. Hwang Jin-i is a historical figure, who was renowned for her intelligence and accomplished in all the major arts of dance, calligraphy and music. She was a celebrated poet as well, and even a cursory study of classical Korean poetry will make mention of her sijo.
The title role is played by Ha Jiwon, who starred in the historical drama Damo as well as movies like Duelist, which I think is an inspired choice, because Ha Jiwon knows how to dance. I'm not as pleased by the casting choices for the male lead and the female rival, but the rest of the supporting cast is generally excellent. And oh, the hanbok in this series are beautiful, even if I do doubt that they had those kinds of brilliant dyes back then. The dialogue is rather hard to follow not only because of the archaic expressions but also because of the continual literary references, so I don't know if subtitles will be available for a while. (It's still airing in Korea; only 13 episodes out so far.) Still, you can take a look at some screenshots here and here.
3. Seeing Casino Royale with Father, who is a huge James Bond fan. What a great movie! I, er, still don't think much of Daniel Craig's looks, but then again, I've never understood the appeal of blond men. That being said, he's an excellent actor, and so is Eva Green, whose portrayal of Vesper Lynd pretty much equals the best Bond girl ever. Speaking of which, the screenwriter deserves an award for all the clever repartee and generally excellent dialogue. (M was so awesome in this film!) Also, I can't get over how stylishly the film was shot (the film noir beginning! the opening credits! the gorgeous shots of European châteaux!).
4. Sleeping! And not really making any progress on grad school apps. >_>
All right, back to schoolwork. ::sighs::
Yours &c.
Post-script: Just as a reminder, if you want a holiday card from me, leave a comment here!
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 02:47 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 02:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 03:14 am (UTC)...er, sorry. I just realized that I sound like a crazy person. I had galbi on Thanksgiving in Miami, but I miss the fruit and tempura fried shrimp more than galbi or even sangyeopsal.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 03:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 03:25 am (UTC)P.S. I also saw the Bond movie over break, and really liked it! The dialogue was amazing and I loved the bit where Bond was complaining about the dinner jacket and Vesper said, "I had you sized up from the moment we met."
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 03:30 am (UTC)I've been obsessed with 맛대맛. I don't care if it's an old people show, food battling food is like my DREAM SHOW. I am totally obsessed. <3 And Ryu Shiwon makes me all nostalgic, I remember when he still had baby fat and acted in doramas.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 06:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 02:27 pm (UTC)A Prince Sado show? Wait, they made a drama of the Sado story? *_* (Ahh, I'm so behind on Korean dramas.)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 02:40 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 02:24 pm (UTC)Aaah, Ryu Shiwon! He was so cute when he first appeared in dramas. I didn't realize he was still in entertainment. XD Does he MC 맛대맛? Speaking of which, I want to watch this show. What network is it on?
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 02:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 08:32 am (UTC)I like Daniel Craig! He reminds me of Putin. And he's hot. Yeah. Mmmmm.
Speaking of Mmmm, I got persimmons and clementines too! Hehehe.
Oh, and I'm working on a presentation about Three Kingdoms for my Chinese class. It's gonna be about how Zhu Ge Liang "borrowed" arrows from Cao Cao. Pretty nifty.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 02:31 pm (UTC)...I'm starting to feel like a weirdo for not thinking Craig is hot. He's too built! And he looks a little old to be a young Bond, doesn't he? Somehow, I just can't equate his face with handsome, although he does have plenty of screen charisma. Well, at least my mother agrees with me. ;_;
Ooh, that's one of my favorite Zhuge Liang moments! XD
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-27 06:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-28 12:22 am (UTC)