Korean's eyes on Malaysia

I visited a famous Korean restaurant “FU JING GONG福津宫” in Johor Bahru, the owner; Mr. Lee is from Korea and operates a food business in Malaysia for couple of years.  He told me that the habits of eating between Korean and Malaysian are totally different. Korean used to eat the pork wrapping with a piece of vegetable like cabbage but Malaysian just dip with the sauce and eat it. We only chatted awhile and he went back to his works as he has too many customers during the dinner hours.

Therefore, I visited another Korean restaurant again. The owner of the restaurant is a young lady and she works in Malaysia for 3 years already. I wanted to take some pictures and video with her; however, she refused. For this reason, I have to respect her decision and asked her a few questions only. I am curios that is there any differences between Korean and Malaysian food and she replied me that Malaysia food is oily like fried noodle “Mee Goreng” unlike Korea food are more healthier, less oil.  However, in terms of spicy, both Malaysia and Korea are equilibrium just like their Korea appetizer, “Kim chi” and our Malaysia “Sambal”. Besides asking about the food, I asked her another question, which is “Are Malaysian being friendly and easy to entertain?” She smiled and replied me that, Malaysians are kind and friendly.

I am wondering why Koreans are shy and embarrass to be in the video or pictures. They refused for any reasons. Again, my classmate, Lee Kwang Sung from South Korea has been studied in Segi University College for more than a year claimed that his cultures are different from us. For example, he is born in year 1992, which means he is 19 this year, but in his country he is 20years old. Koreans consider an additional one year when the baby is inside the tummy of the mummy. Unlike our Malaysia culture, we do not consider when the baby is formed inside the tummy yet. Secondly, I asked him what does he feel about us Malaysians like Chinese and Malay, he replied me that although both nationalities are the same, but there is something he does not how to explain. I think hard and figure out an answer, which is he is shy and seldom mix with the Malays, so he does not understand their culture, that is why he cannot differentiate. Yet again, I asked him about the food in Malaysia.  He said that “so-so”.  Lee and I had lunch together before, and he ordered a plate of fried Maggie “Maggie Goreng” and a cup of ice lemon “limau ice”. He learnt our language and adapted to our country. Besides, he told me that among Chinese, Malay and Indian food, he prefers Chinese food as Korean and Chinese are same in terms of having rice in each meal. Lee is a nice person and I asked him a bundle of questions and yet he is patient and uncomplaining. Last but not least, I am wondering does him do any research or survey before coming to Malaysia like the weather in Malaysia is hot, the food might not suitable for him. And yet, he replied me that he has been travelling to Malaysia several times before studying in Malaysia, he already knew enough about here. He can even be my tour guide bring us to Ampang for a visit too. He knows to travel by LRT better than me, how shameful of myself. I think I should go back home and understand more in order to introduce Malaysia to our foreigner students. 

The Korean Teenage Girls' Hairdos.

Believe it or not but the hairstyles of the teenage girls that you see on the streets presently are most often copied or inspired by the Korean artists and celebrities. Being the trend-setter, the Korean celebrities have done an estimable job initiating and popularizing a couple of hairstyles and vogues. It is said that in a city such as the Seoul, girls have to frequently keep up with the Joneses to be able to blend into the culture and stand out among the others.

Other items that are considered as important as the hairstyles of these girls are the accessories that come with them. Listed below are a few must-have accessories among the Korean girls and all Korean-wannabes.

Cap and Accessory/Dummy Spectacles.

It has somehow grow to become a norm for these girls to have a cap and either a pair of shades or accessory spectacles on. One might be amused at the idea of putting on a pair of spectacles with absolutely no power or without lens, but for the Koreans, looking good or cute is what matters.

Headbands.

Hair dilemmas, like having ultimately no idea at all on what to do with the hair or which style to follow, have been a common occurrence among us girls. Yet the Koreans have made it pretty simple for us. Those faithful followers should be able to tell that headbands are now the in-thing in Korea. Headbands nowadays are no longer the outdated, unfashionable piece of plastic worn over the head just to keep the hair away from the eyes and faces, but the contemporary headbands come with stylish designs, let them be rhinestones, flowers, pearls or crystals. Rather than being used for the purpose of putting the hair away from the face, certain headbands today are made solely for the purpose of securing those hair on one's face and preventing them from getting frizzly and messy.

I am very lucky to be able to befriend a couple of Korean girls because this has allowed me to get to know them better personally. I have to say that mingling with them somehow has caused a drop in my self-esteem because they are just so fashionable and bold in their styles and sense for fashion. I am very thankful because they have been truly helpful in assisting me to understand the hairstyles of the Korean girls in-depth. I have learned that to achieve these hairstyles are not at-all difficult!

Below are two videos that I have taken to thoroughly show the procedures of 2 very famous hairdos in Korea. Credits to Joo and Kim.

Steps to make the 'Lazy Bun'.

Steps for the Korean Bun.

The Korean Bun is really simple and I personally like it a lot because it keeps all the hair away from the face and instead of making someone look like a nerd (especially with the dummy spectacles on), one can actually look pretty stylish with it. The hairstyle can be pulled off with any type of clothings on.

Joo and Kim has been a great help. When I asked them about what do they think of the Korean hairstyles, these are what I've got from them:

Joo: I love it! They are so simple to do yet girls usually look great with them. Koreans hairstyles are very special. For me, it is like a daily ritual. From the moment I wake up until the moment I enter the bed at night, I have to constantly dress up my hair to make sure they look good. I iron and blow my hair a lot.

Kim: The hairstyles that people traditionally had back during the olden days are long and black. It was once considered the most beautiful and accepted hairstyle for us Korean women back then. But now there are so many variates that one can choose from, which is good news! 

References:

http://www.ehow.com/about_5579602_korean-girls_-hairstyles.html

http://korean-chic.blogspot.com/search/label/Korean%20Hairstyle

http://hiexpat.com/korea-blog/dressing-up-hot-as-a-korean-girl-is-tougheven-as-a-korean.html

Written by: Grace Ng.

The Korean Celebrities: The Wonder Girls.

Music has always been apart of my soul, but being able to mingle with a couple of Korean friends lately has made it possible for me to open the floodgates to a whole new level of music. It has become apparent to me that there are so many types of music genres, even more than those heard through the radio. I have learned that it is not only that the African Americans could rap, and it is not just the Americans who could come up with English songs. Songs composed these days have sustained countless metamorphosis to become what they are today. I am pretty certain that the contemporary teenagers would not appreciate the golden oldies and the same goes to the adults, who might not fancy or even comprehend the essence of the songs that top the charts today. Call it the generation gap, or let it be the “clash in the taste for music”, it is undeniable that music has been the most loyal companion for the most of us, and this could only be actualized thanks to all the talented musicians and celebrities out there.

So let’s get back to the gist – the Korean music and their performers. It may appear funny to certain people whenever they see their peers singing blindly and in a disoriented manner to these Korean songs without even knowing the meaning behind them. To them, it doesn’t matter at all as long as they are able to sing and dance along to the beat of these songs. The songs do not necessary have to be in the Korean language, as songs are considered to be “Korean” as long as they are chiefly comprised of the Korean language. In the Korean music industry of today, English has been widely used to vivificate and to put the songs into life.

Korean music, in my own perspective, can be classified into two separate categories, which is the original Korean music (music that are fudged together by bringing traditional instruments into play) and Kpop. This blog post will focus more on the latter, and the celebrities that had brought much fame to their country and fortune to themselves.

Out of all the Kpop artists, the one that I am more familiar with and is more exposed to is none other than the sensational South Korean girl group, the Wonder Girls. Not only are they famous in Korea, they are also as noted in Malaysia and in other countries as well, and this perfectly reflects the saying that goes, “Music knows no bounds”. Hence, being a huge fan of theirs, there was definitely no reason to miss their concert that was just held recently in the Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach.

The Wonder Girls started off their performance with a rock version of their songs, I Wanna and Goodbye.

They proceeded to entertain the roaring crowd with their hit singles, Nobody, Tell Me, and So Hot.

Known by the name 원더걸스 by the Koreans, the Wonder Girls is the first Korean band to enter the American Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Here are the profiles of the members of this young and talented girl group. (From left to right based on the picture above)

So Hee (소희) was born on June 27, 1992. Her real name is Ahn So Hee (안소희) and she takes the positions of the vocalist and the lead dancer. Park Ye Eun (박예은) or Ye Eun (예은) was born on May 26, 1989. Also known as Yenny, she is the lead vocalist in the band. Third from the left is Yu Bin (유빈). Born on October 4, 1988, she is appointed as the main rapper among the girls. Next in line is Hye Lim (혜림) or her actual name, Woo Hye Rim (우혜림). She was born on September 1, 1992 and she takes the role of the sub vocalist. The last but not least is Sun Ye (선예) or Min Seon Ye (민선예). Born on August 12, 1989, she is the leader and the main vocalist.

As mentioned earlier, the contemporary music genres have been through numerous alteration to become what they are today. The Korean music is no exception. A century ago, one might expect to hear a pure Korean song that is put together using authentic and undiluted classical Korean sonata. The songs produced today though, by the very same country, are totally distinct. Let's take the Wonder Girls for example. They are Koreans and their songs are mostly in their mother tongue, yet their songs do contain the English language to a certain degree. Moreover, who would have ever thought that the Koreans would be able to rap?

The Koreans certainly aren't being left behind in time. The celebrities in Korea have more international fans than one could ever imagine and this sums up one thing - the Korean celebrities are as competitive and productive in the sense that they are able to compete with artists from other countries as well, like the US for example.

Well, just don't be surprised if you hear about the Kollywood one day.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Korea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-pop

http://www.koreancelebrities.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Girls

http://www.wondergirlsworld.com/

Written by: Grace Ng.

Traditional Costume

As we can see from the magazines, advertisement or media, Koreans are always fashionable as in their costume, hairstyle and so on but the Korean traditional costume is all time favorite for Koreans and even foreigners. Hanbok always caught my eyes whenever I see it. I gone through an interesting interview section with my friend’s mother but she refused to appear in the video nor photography.

            Hanbok is the traditional Korean dress, which is in vibrant colors and made by silk. It had been change by the mixed foreign influenced throughout the years. Korean usually wears it during the traditional festivals and celebrations and government officials. There are different types of Hanbok for man and woman. Hanbok is characterized by the colors, lines, texture and decorations. White is the basic color for Hanbok, the colors change according to the season, status and clothes’ materials. Royal family wears Hanbok with the golden leaves printed on.

Chima Jeogori

Lines, colors and decorative fabrics determine the beauty of Hanbok. It emphasizes on the curves, which reflects the dignified and virtuous. Jeogori is the upper garment of Hanbok which cover the upper part and arms and wear by women, and goreum is the belt to tie the jeogori. Chima is the skirt, but it more like a dress because it from shoulders until toes. Chima is wear under the jeogori. Hanbok helps to cover up the deficiencies on the body. Shorter people will look taller, thinner people will look more plentiful. It enhances the beauty of women. Normally they use brighter color for upper garment and darker color for the dress. The ensemble is called chima jeogori

Jokki is a type of vest while magoja is the outer jacket, it wears by man and it is good in keep warmth and easy to wear. Magoja originally is a male garment but later becomes a unisex one. The differences between man’s magoja and woman’s mogoja are, man’s magoja is longer, it does not has overlapped column on the front, so s both sides of the bottom are open. Baji refers to pants. They were usually baggy in traditional man’s Hanbok. Durumagi is a variety of po (robe or overcoat) that was worn to protect the cold. It had been widely worn as an outer robe over jeogori and baji.

According to Mrs. Kim, Hanbok origins from Mongolia. Hanbok was designed to ease the movement. They are more baggy and loose clothing. The basic structures of Hanok remain unchanged until today. Which are jeogori, chima, jokki and mogoja. But later, they had change to become shorter and tighter and closer-fitting styles that would use less fabric.

In the traditional films, Long braid is what we commonly see. Korean had to knotted their hair until they are married.  Man’s hair was knotted in a topknot and woman’s hair was rolled into ball shaped. Man wore a hat according to their status in society. Higher social status woman wore gache (wig) like what we saw in western past century film.

In Korea, festival costume is a must have in their wardrobe. The parents wear Hanbok and the children wear subdued colors’ Hanbok for their new year celebrations. Children had to gone through some celebration during one year old. Boys usually wear light-colored clothes, usually is pink clothe with blue edge, purple pants and blue singlet. For girls, they wear dark green or yellow Hanbok.

            After the interview, I realized that wearing Hanbok is time consuming, so Korean just wears it in the special occasions. Therefore, a simple yet comfortable Hanbok has been made for the conveniences.  There is a wide range of design yet the price is affordable so it has successfully attract the tourists. 

Written by: Khoo Wan Yi

Korean Language

    The first impression of mine towards Korean Language is that it is a language that combine both circles and strokes as their wording. Moreover, it looks so much like our ancient chinese words; In this, I mean it looks alike with the ancient words that our ancestors engraved on the cave walls thousands of years ago. Korean words look so much like drawings instead of artistic word forms, and it always confuses me when it comes to the differences between Korean and Japanese wording. Realizing that it could be my prejudice on Korean Language, I decided to have interviews with my Korean friends, Lee Kwang Sung and Kang Suk Jin about their Gugeo (national language).

     First of all, I would like to thank both of them for contributing their precious time during the whole process of interviewing. I had an interview with Mr Kang after finishing our gratifying meal in his restaurant. Although I only asked him about some phrases in the video, we did continue to communicate verbally and also in written forms through emails. In the video, we can see that Mr. Kang, like a typical Korean, is shy when it comes to expression. I asked him a couple phrases and requested that if he could translate it for me. Those phrases are as below:

1. How are you?
Formal speaking: Jal ji nae syut uh yo? or Yo jeum uh dduh sae yo?
Informal speaking: Jal ji nae?

2. Thank you.
Formal speaking: Kam sa ham ni da.
Informal speaking: Ko ma wa.

3. I love you.
Formal speaking: Sa rang hae yo.
Informal speaking: Sa rang hae.

    Later, I had an interview with my Korean friend, Lee Kwang Sung. Same as the interview with Mr Kang, I communicated with Lee verbally and also in written forms. Below is the conversation of Lee and I:

Lee and his Korean friends

Me: How do u feel about your own mother tongue, Korean?

Lee: I'm proud of my mother tongue. It's not made by others, I mean foreigners. So, this language is the best to represent our cultures, customs and etc.

Me: What are the differences you notice between English language and Korean language?

Lee: Korean has more vocabulary than English. English is better to express our feelings than Korean. I think it's because of the accent. English:"~~~~~",Korean:"--------" (In this, I believe Lee was trying to say that Korean language is monotonous while English speaking presses on the tone.)

Me: What is the hardest part when it comes to learning Korean?

Lee: When making a sentence because the sequence of words is different. There are so many vocabulary like I mentioned and for foreigners, pronounciation can be difficult.

Me: Can u tell me the progress when Korean first learning Korean? For example, do you learn alphapet first, then numbers, and so on so forth?

Lee: I'm not quite sure about that. I think we learn the words (vocabulary) first.

    Finally, I requested Lee to translate the below phrases into "informal" and "formal" speaking for me.

1. Good bye.
Informal: Jal ga,an nyung
Formal: An nyung he ga seh yo

2. How much is it?
Informal: E guh ul ma ya?, juh guh ul mah ya?
Formal:E guht eun ul ma ib ni gga?,juh guht eun ul ma ib ni gga? Gagyuk e udduh gye dwe yo?

3. I miss u.
Informal: Nan nuh ga geuri wo.
Formal: Nan dang shin e geurib seub ni da.

4. What is your phone numbere?
Informal: Nuh hand phone bun ho ga mo ya?
Formal: Dang shin ui hand phone bun ho neun moo uht ib ni gga?

    After the interview, I strongly feel that it is my lost  to have prejustified Korean Language. Through the interview, I am surprised that Korean do not focus so much on the speaking tone while most of the languages in the world do. Furthermore, I realize that Korean Language is not just circles combine with strokes; In fact, it is a hard- to- learn language in terms of vocabulary and word sequences. Other than that, I realize that Korean is serious about their social status differences in which it can be seen through their daily language usage. For example, youngsters should speak to the elder people in a formal speaking way. Informal speaking is only used when one is talking to his or her friends or to those whom have the same social status.

Written by: Catherine Goh HuiLoon.

Why Malaysia?

I have met a number of Korean classmates during my college days. I have been always wondering why Koreans choose Malaysia as their destination to pursue their studies rather than staying in their home country since Malaysians are looking forwards to study abroad.

 So, I started to look for the answers by verbal interviewing with my Korean friends.

Ashley (second left) with her classmates during high school.

“ I’ve been in Malaysia for 4 years since my high school. My mum and brother are here with me.  I had study in the international school where I found multicultural society which allow me to learn English and Chinese easily. Compared to Korea, the study environment is not stressful. In Korea, every student has to attend tuition classes after school and there is more homework for us to complete. Furthermore, education and living expenses in Malaysia is pretty much lower than Korean.’’

-Ashley Kim Yeoji, South Korea-

Lim who wearing the Korean traditional costume taken photo with one of his Malaysian friend during cultural night.

A lovely photo taken during Lim's music class in INTI College.

“ My father decided to start his business in Malaysia 10 years ago and we had to follow him.  I can say that Malaysia is my second home. I had my primary school and secondary school in Johor and my tertiary education in Malaysia too. I can speak a bit of Malay, Chinese and of course English. If I’m in Korea, I think I cannot speak a fluent English and not even Malay and Chinese. I mix with different people during my school days. Studying in Malaysia is more relax as I can hang out to the mamak stall which you cannot get in Korea.”

-Lim Sung Jun, South Korea-

“ English is a global language today. We started to learn English since primary school and tend to be good in grammar, reading and vocabulary but not in speaking. I came here 3 weeks before after my national service. My dad owned a restaurant and I found that Malaysian could speak good English. I got the chance to learn English while helping my dad in the restaurant. At the same time, I am attending the English course and I can improve my speaking skills because my classmates come from different countries and English is the only language that we could use to communicate.”

-Kang Sukjin, South Korea-

Lee 

“ Study in Malaysia let me know more friends from other countries. I learn Chinese and English from them. Living cost and education fee is low and affordable by foreign students.  Malaysia is also a stepping stone for students to gain entry to universities in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. I enjoy studying in Malaysia, as it is quite different from Korea. Schools there are very competitive. Everyone just wants to beat each other and become the top student.  Moreover, Malaysia is nearer to Korea.

-Lee Kwang Sung, South Korea-

Studying in Korea is expensive and the life as a student is stressful as it is competitive compared to other countries. They use Korean in teaching, so it might limit the chances of learning foreign languages and other cultures and there are not many chances to speak English, as there is only one race in Korea. Beside language, the multi cultural society able them to mix well with locals community through the religious festivals, church members play an important role in helping the new immigrants from Korea. Korean parents started to move to Malaysia for the sake of their children’s education. They are under tremendous pressure to provide their children with the best education possible and they actively seeking English-speaking environments for their children. The trend has increasing year by year.  Most Korean parents obtain information on educational opportunities via the local media. Some parents, however, go through education agents for information.

Written by: Khoo Wan Yi

Visiting Korea

Visiting Korea, there is one place that you must visit as well, which is the Jeju Island. It is a volcanic island that was formed by five millions of years ago. During my visit in Jeju Island, there was one thing that drew my view.  There were many different kinds of statue over there, found on Jeju Island off the southern tip of Korea. One of them is the DOL HAREUBANG. According to my tour guide, Dol Hareubang is considered to be gods offering both protection and fertility and placed outside of gates for protection against demons travelling between realities. Another adorable statue that you will find in the Jeju Island is the Lovely Jeju Idol couple sculpture. It is the local guard of Jeju Island, which can bring luck to the people. You can see these statues in anywhere as long as you are in Jeju Island. 

Dol Hareubang

Lovely Idol Couple

Besides that, Jeju Seongup Folk Art Village is an interesting place to visit as well. I learnt some of the Korean culture and their lifestyle. It is cool to explore and understand peoples’ culture. I did not realize that Korea has a door regulation, which means if the front door has 3 sticks, that represents that the whole family is out and no one is at home. If there is one or two sticks in the front door, that means you can enter and have a seat inside the house.

The Door Regulations

I had also experienced some Korean traditional, which were the kimchi making and wearing the Korean traditional costume. The process of making kimchi was like easy because the host had already prepared the spice and everything for you. All you need is to stick in the ingredient, which is the prepared spice into the cabbage slice by slice and you are done with your kimchi. Furthermore, Korean has various kinds of traditional costume, and each of them represents different meaning. I had one in blue and red, and wearing a “CAP”. And I looked so feminine with it.

After visiting the Jeju Island, my family and I flied to the capital city of the Korea, which is the Seoul city. Talking about Seoul, one thing comes to your mind is SHOPPING! Girls love to shop just like my mum and I. We bought some souvenirs for relatives and friends such as the key chains in girls wearing different kinds of costumes.  Myongdong Fashion Street is a place where you cannot decline. This street is full of FASHION from head to toes.

Besides shopping, Seoul is famous for its Ginseng. Korean ginseng is one of the most widely used and acclaimed herbs in the world. We visited the Ginseng Monopoly Showroom and being explained. Ginseng is divided into two categories, which are the White Ginseng and Red Ginseng. White ginseng is simply the dried or powdered root of Korean ginseng, while red ginseng is the same root that is steamed and dried in heat or sunlight. Red ginseng is said to be slightly stronger and more stimulating in the body than white.  My mom bought a box of the Red Ginseng and it is chewable. Besides that, you can try the Ginseng candy too if you can accept the scent of the Ginseng.  

Have you ever heard that flowers can be eaten just like veggie? I doubt that you never hear before. And I was fortunate to have an opportunity to try it. It tasted tasty actually with the Korea’s famous dipping sauce. The manager of the company even welcomed us and explained to us. He even fed my brother one spoon of the flower rice because he said that my brother is handsome.

Overall, Korea is a amusing place to visit and explore.

Written by: Eva Toh