고래사냥
아마 노래방이라고 하는 것이 처음 생겨나 사람들 발길을 끌던 것이 1992년 즈음 이었던 듯 하다. 그 이후, 특히 90년대 중반 이후에는, 노래는 노래방 등에서 반주 따라 하는 것으로 고착되었다. 하지만 그 이전에는 그냥 통기타 반주 또는 무반주에 자기 멋대로 노래를 부르곤 했다. 특히 동아리, 학과 친구들, 선후배들이 우르르 몰려가 학사주점 어느 한 구석, 방 한칸에 […]
1781 Globe at the Chateau de Versailles: G. de Coree (Sea of Korea)
How to name the sea between the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese islands has been subject to disputes between the concerned governments for some time now. The Japanese government prefers it to be named as the Sea of Japan, and their international dominance during its imperial expansion period from the late 19th century led to […]
En route to where?
I suppose coming to office during the school closure period has taken a toll on me. Or, it’s about time to go on a journey again? Living on the boundary has been a way of life for some time now. It’s like being in an interstitial space without knowing which direction the next move will […]
South Korea’s Gwangju uprising in 1980 and people’s protests in Egypt in 2011
Coming across with all the news reports about people’s protests against dictatorship in Egypt reminds me of South Korea’s own history of democratisation movements, which often ended in the bloodshed due to brutal suppression by the military, police or thugs. One major uprising that still haunts people’s memory in South Korea is the violent oppression […]
Total incompetence of Lee administration in South Korea fails to contain the spread of foot and mouth disease
I still remember the pig that was being taken away from my grandmother’s house when it was sold to a butcher. This was when I was a very small child probably before schooling age. It was a big pig, at least in the eyes of a small child. Several adults had to wrestle with the […]
Gentrification in the Global South: Dilapidation, Obsolescence and Land Exploitation
First Call for Papers RGS-IBG 2011 Conference: The Geographical Imagination 31st August – 2nd September 2011 (London) Gentrification in the Global South: Dilapidation, Obsolescence and Land Exploitation Organisers: Dr Hyun Bang Shin (Department of Geography and Environment, London School of Economics) h.b.shin@lse.ac.uk Dr Ernesto López-Morales (Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of Chile) elopez@uchilefau.cl Sponsors: Urban […]
Urban Utopianism Workshop @ Hong Kong Baptist University
(The original deadline for abstract submission has passed, but please contact the organiser to see if there is a place available) Call for Papers Urban Utopianism workshop An International Workshop on Urban Utopianism Organised by Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University in collaboration with Urban Research Plaza, Osaka City University on 12-14 May, 2011 at Hong Kong Baptist University, […]
First snow in London this winter
Yesterday I woke up with a pleasant surprise – the first snow this winter. It was the first one to have since moving to this neighbourhood, and the view from my flat towards the north was great. Trains were delayed but still running thankfully, but in the evening, no home-bound services. There were no trains […]
Hopewell Centre and Wanchai redevelopment in Hong Kong
When I was told to come to the Hopewell Centre for a meeting this afternoon, it did not ring a bell to me that this was the tower that housed the famous revolving bar/restaurant on the 62nd floor. The name sounded familiar from the moment I read it, but I suppose I must have completely […]
Hong Kong, The Peak and childhood memory
To me, Hong Kong is like my first love. It’s a city where I used to live for some years when I was young. Although Hong Kong has changed substantially since then, it still retains areas that are associated with my childhood memory. For instance, whenever I approach Hong Kong University campus on Bonham Road, […]