What's Inside a Gender-Neutral Toilet ( 無性別廁所哪裡找? )

Gender-neutral toilets at
Göteborgs Universitet, Sweden

First of all, I've never seen a gender-neutral toilet in Korea. And in Taiwan, only in a few smaller Starbucks cafes that such toilet can be found. However, there have been some controversies over Starbucks' gender-neutral toilets, in which some argue men are usually less hygienic or it's benefiting camera perverts. Here, I feel sorry for such pathetically sexist comments from some Taiwanese people.

Gender-neutral toilets at
Rudbeck Lab, Uppsala Universitet

我還沒在韓國看過無性別廁所，在台灣，最常見的就是在一些比較小的星巴克，例如我家附近的北新門市。台灣星巴克的無性別廁所不時引起爭議，有些人認為跟衛生習慣較差的男性共用廁所很不舒服，或此舉使針孔偷窺狂更有機可乘。看到這些評論，我真為台灣的性別教育感到抱歉。

Back to the gender-neutral toilet. They are more common in Euro American countries. For example Sweden, I must say the toilets in my school is one of my fav places on campus. I can enjoy total free time doing whatever I want just like in my own room. There're amenities like toilet(of course), mirror, basin, soap, tissues and cups(for drinking tap water). Like this : 

無性別在廁所歐美比較常見，我在瑞典念書時，學校的廁所是我最喜歡的地方之一，乾淨明亮、無色無味、我可以享受完整的私人空間。一間間獨立式的廁所裡，除了洗手台、肥皂、衛生紙等必備之物外，還有大面的鏡子(方便化妝XD)和免洗杯(喝水用)。廁所裡面長這樣 :

A Toilet in Engelska Parken, Uppsala Universitet

In addition to personal convenience, there are more implications to gender-neutral toilets; parents with children of the opposite sex face no more dilemma in choosing which toilet to go to, and transgender or androgynous people are also free from embarrassment. However, gender-neutral toilet is not the once-and-for-all answer to gender politics in toilets, and the situation varies with culture and economic capacity. Obviously, it requires more space and budget to make such toilets than sex-separated ones.

除了維個人隱私提供方便外，無性別廁所另有寓意；家長帶小孩上廁所時，不用因為孩子性別跟自己不同而面臨兩難(當然啦，在亞洲大家都很習慣把小男生帶到女廁，這點比較不成問題)，也免除了變性或雙性者選擇廁所時的不便與尷尬。然而，無性別廁所還是會受到文化或經濟條件的限制，而設置無性別廁所將需要更多的空間與預算。

Transsexual Toilet at a Thai school
(source : BBC news)

There shouldn't be more disputes over gender-neutral toilet as the comments about toilets in Taiwan's Starbucks, and you have probably already experienced its convenience in an aircraft lavatory. However, some, choose other ways to address more sensitive concerns, such as the transsexual toilets in a Thai school.

除在歐美國家，搭乘飛機時亦可體會無性別廁所的便利，我想它大概沒什麼缺點。此外，也有些人選擇其他方式處理敏感的廁所性別問題，例如在泰國，便有學校為雙性或變性學生設置專用廁所。

  

Outright Sexism in The Ladies (廁所的性別政治)

When my 10 year old cousin, Monica, first visited Korea, she once asked me why there's boy's urinal in the ladies' room ( we're in a department store).

The answer's rather simple I assumed, "Well, mothers care for son's needs."

"Then why not the fathers? They are both male."

"Well...coz there're many housewives in Korea and usually it's the mothers who take their kids to department stores to kill time... while fathers are at work. Yup." 

I later felt myself a bit irresponsible to have given such poor reasoning, as I wouldn't be able to answer if she further asked "What about on holidays when the whole family come here together?" So I asked KC if there's boy's urinal in The Gents, and he said he's never seen one.

So there's no more excuse for it - it's probably never considered the father's responsibility to take his son to toilet. It's an outright sexism(!).

我的10歲小表妹Monica來韓國時，曾問我為什麼男童便池會出現在女廁。答案應該很簡單我想，"因為媽媽會帶兒子上廁所啊!"

"那為什麼不是爸爸帶? 而且他們都是男的耶!"

我愣了一下，"因為...韓國家庭主婦多，帶孩子去百貨公司逛的一般都是媽媽! 爸爸要上班!"

後來想想，這樣好像有點不對，假日時全家一起逛百貨公司的很多，爸爸也不是沒有機會帶兒子上廁所的。所以我問許先生男廁有沒有男童便池，他說他從沒見過。

看來，帶兒子上廁所，從來都不被認為是韓國父親的責任。赤裸裸的性別差異呀。

( Picture from The Ladies' @ Mokdong Hyundai Department Store. 圖片來自木洞現代百貨，我拍的) 

Korean Girls' Summer Must Haves (今夏路人系韓妹造型指南)

Here's a collection of Korean girl's fashion style this summer. I got the photos from CeCi Aug 2010 (CeCi is something of a Korean Vogue), you may click to enlarge them. Take a look! ( all photos courtesy of CeCi)

8月號的CeCi雜誌彙整了幾個今夏的韓妹造型概要，有迷你裙、印花裙、skinny jeans等，來看一下有哪些內容! (出自CeCi雜誌八月號 pp. 150~159.)

Solid Mini Dress

High heels, mini dress in black, luxury handbags...they are pretty much...not surprisingly unanimous.

高跟鞋、黑色迷你裙、不合身分的名牌包...很有一致性。

Mini dresses in other varieties, though pretty much the similar styling combinations.

The girl in pink dress and light purple leggings is sweet, but her overall mix & match is a disaster.

 這張較多不同款式與顏色的迷你洋裝，但mix & match的基本元素還是差不多。我蠻喜歡粉紅洋裝、淡紫leggings的那個女孩，笑得很甜，不過她的整體搭配蠻糟的。

Denim Shorts 

They all look comfortable and not too much for enduring the summer heat. Somehow the mix & match is boring and unanimous. BTW, is the woman in the bottom right hand corner with a black hat pregnant? Then why is she still wear high heels?

韓妹穿著既沒個性也沒啥創意，至少看起來舒服、他們自己穿起來也舒服(除了細跟高跟鞋這個東西)。我懷疑第二張右下方戴黑圓帽那個女生是不是懷孕了? 如是，她竟然還穿高跟鞋!? 

Print Dress

I like the girl with a semi-Balenciaga City bag, wearing a pair of oxford. But her legs are really swollen. I see many Korean girls with swollen legs like this. Maybe they just don't exercise.

我喜歡右邊拿假機車包的女孩，但她的腿實在是太腫了。韓國腫腿妹蠻多的，大概她們都不運動。 

High heels with color socks. Definitely a trend in Korea this summer.

高跟鞋配彩色學生襪是韓國今夏的重要潮流之一。 

Summer Skinny

Miscellaneous:

Jumpsuit, African Print, One-Shoulder Dress, Long Skirt,

Vintage Dot, Rain Boots, Layered Top, Floral Mini

They may not seem all that flattering, and I am not saying they represent Korean girl's best fashion tastes. But they are representative of most girls you may on the street in Seoul. And you may guess where my boredom comes from while lingering around in the city. You may check this for a comparison with Tokyo's street styles.

CeCi提供的街頭搭配看起來並不都很順眼(最後兩張真的蠻糟的)，也不屬於最尖端的韓妹時尚，但可說是代表了首爾街頭隨處可見的平民韓國女生的風格。至此或可想見為什麼走在路上我老覺得無聊至極。參考一下這個部落格的東京街拍，令人目不暇給但也有趣得多了。

Koreans, Welcome to Taiwan!

First of all, do Koreans recognize them?
韓國人知道他們嗎?

Upon seeing this advertisement I can't help but wonder about their popularity in Korea. Apart from that, let me inquire something about this advertisement -

A : Why are you acting like a Kungfu fighter?

B : Would Korean know this is Taiwanese 빙수 (ice cream) since only a scoop of ice cream and some fruits are visible?

C : Is this misleading advertisement? As a Taiwanese I have never seen this much beef in beef noodles in any restaurant, as the essence of beef noodles is the soup, not the beef!

D : So what is this then? I kinda guess what it is, but it does not seem that representative of Taiwanese food.

看到這個廣告讓我不禁懷疑他們在韓國有知名度嗎? 除此之外，我對這個廣告有點意見 :

A : 你擺出"功夫"的樣子要幹嘛

B : 只看到一球冰淇淋和一些水果，韓國人會知道這個是剉冰嗎? 冰咧?

C : 小心被告廣告不實。我從沒看過牛肉擺那麼多的牛肉麵，畢竟牛肉麵的重點可是湯頭啊!

D : 這又是什麼? 我大概可以猜到它是佛跳牆，但是我不覺得它那麼有代表性。 而且韓國人根本不知道那是什麼，放它怎麼會吸引到韓國人呢? 不如放隻北京烤鴨比較有用(殊不知，韓國鼎泰豐都在賣些台灣鼎泰豐不會賣的東西了，這才叫做生意啊，中華民國交通部觀光局!)。

Devastating Elevator Notice (令我崩潰的我看不懂的電梯公告又來了)

When I was ready to take a shower I realized there was no hot water. I asked KC to check if there's any notice in the elevator, and he came back with a piece of news that almost devastated me - there'd be no hot water from Monday to Friday due to pipe maintenance (I can't do cold showers as well as eat cold leftovers). The notice was posted on 23rd and today was 26th, which fairly explains that KC should have already noticed it. However, seems that he still only checks his face in the mirrors rather than paying attention to elevator notices. Similar thing happened last year and I already warned him to pay attention to whatever elevator notice, since I don't read those circles and lines myself and he promised. I was so pissed for such consequences that I tried to eat up all his cream bread, however, after only eating half loaf of it, I felt like puking =.=  (the whole loaf of bread has generous cream filling as the picture below shows, it's a common bread in Korea, KC's favorite.)

The Korea Challenge has an account that says after an expat resident complained to the building management that they should post important notices also in English, the apartment began to post notices in 3 languages, though neither the English nor Chinese contents look standard. Somehow I do not think KC's apartment will offer similar service in the near future since where we are living right now is a highly localized region (again, I do not mean that it has to have the notice in English. I hate the colonialism of language. At the same time I have to confess that, even in a Swedish university dorm, they don't always offer notices in English either).

今天我又動怒了，當我晨跑完滿身大汗，準備沖澡時，出來的卻只有冷水，而且很冷，殊不知我是無法接受吃冷飯跟洗冷水的；喊許小臉去看電梯公告，果然電梯裡貼著施工公告，狠狠寫著周一到周五整整五天都沒有熱水，然後我就在浴室裡崩潰大哭了(誰可以告訴我，到底什麼維修可以搞到5天! 韓國人不是都說自己很有效率的嗎!!!) 。類似事件去年發生過一次(那次只是一個晚上沒熱水而已)，我看不懂那些圈圈線條組成的公告，負責傳達我無法理解的韓文訊息，就是他的責任跟義務，當時已跟他叮嚀電梯裡的公告要看，沒想到他還是進了電梯就只看鏡子不看公告(上圖即是許小臉很喜歡吃的奶油麵包，被我吃得只剩半屍。整條土司都夾著滿滿流油的鮮奶油，這款麵包在這裡很常見)。

因為他惹我生氣，我就努力吃光他的鮮奶油吐司，吃了大半個以後，竟然吃到想吐@@

The Korea Challenge寫過一篇文章，內容是說某大廈因外國人建議，電梯公告從此以後開始有中英文翻譯，這讓我很生羨慕，像許小臉住的這種本地人的公寓，要有雙語/三語公告的服務，等下個世紀吧(好吧，其實瑞典的學生宿舍也不一定有英文版本的公告啦，哈)。

Mapping Starbucks

 (Nowy Świat Street)

In early autumn 2008 I took my first NOHA course in Warsaw University, and I could hardly survive without coffee given the long class hours each day. However, even though Warsaw University was located adjacent to the Ulica Nowy Świat,where cafés could be found in every corner, there's no Starbucks. I am no fan of Starbucks but this green logo does always make me rest assured that in there I can have my drinks customized, with reasonable prices similar to all other Starbucks in the world, and there'd be English speaking baristas at the counter. Anyway, after several unsuccessful experiences with local café brands I found w biegu café (right), who has similar quality to Starbucks and take away coffee in grande size costs only 5 złoty (about $2.5 at that time)! It soon became my fav store and I also recommended it to my friends.

April 8th 2009, Poland's first Starbucks opened in Warsaw at Nowy Świat 62. According to news report, the customer lines "twisted around inside the shop and out the door" and people carried the cups with pride, "the famous green label facing outward." This year, in February, Starbucks opened its first store in Sweden, at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, inside the customs. Similarly, its first store in all Northern Europe was opened in Copenhagen, in the Kastrup Airport (one inside and one outside the customs), instead of downtown. I sensed something interesting here. First of all, Starbucks would definitely run a good business in downtown Copenhagen and Stockholm, but over the years they are still performing such conservative development strategy. Secondly, people seem to discuss more about Starbucks opening stores in Warsaw than in Stockholm. Why? In comparison to opening another chain coffee house in Scandinavia, where people are already able to afford coffee of any brands, I guess people naturally feel more intrigued by the advent of Capitalism in the former communist Eastern European countries. So do I. (Warsaw Starbucks picture from MinnPost)

2008年秋在華沙大學修了門課，全日課時長，我不得不靠咖啡提神。華沙大學位於主要街道Ulica Nowy Świat 旁，遊人如織，咖啡店林立卻獨無星巴克；本地咖啡店價格不斐卻品質不一，店員也不諳英文，讓我很是困擾，直到找到一家咖啡店，品質和星巴克差不多，外帶大杯咖啡卻只要5波蘭幣(當時匯率1波蘭幣約17台幣，現約10台幣)，想當然耳我就變成死忠顧客，還介紹同學去。我不偏愛星巴克，但它能給我一種安心的感覺，我知道怎麼點才合自己口味、店員一定會說英文、價格一定不會太貴。

2009年4月8日，波蘭第一家星巴克在Ulica Nowy Świat 開張，根據報導，顧客一路排到店外，整條路上處處能見到行人拿著印有巴星克綠色女神logo的咖啡。今年2月瑞典也開了星巴克，不過地點不在旅遊區，而是Arlanda機場管制區內，同樣的，星巴克在北歐的第一個據點哥本哈根，分店也並非開在市區，而是Kastrup機場(一在海關外，一在管制區內)。這中間有些微妙差異。首先，不論瑞典還丹麥的連鎖咖啡店我都覺得不太好喝，而且也沒有系統性的客製化規範，但那些咖啡店的概念、顧客與功能，皆和星巴克所差無幾，如果星巴克也在一般市區開張，生意想必不會差，但發展策略卻是如此保守；其次，比起星巴克開在北歐，人們對於星巴克開在華沙顯然有更多想法，google關鍵字可以發現，關於星巴克2009年開在華沙的討論絕對的多於2010年開在瑞典的討論。為什麼? 我想，比起星巴克到北歐錦上添花，人們大概不自覺的對資本主義進軍前共產東歐國家這件事更感吸引(是吧?)。

(Starbucks at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport)

Korean's Hairline Unanimity ( 韓國國民髮線 )

The so called Widow's Peak is a V shape hairline on the forehead. In Chinese it's called "Beauty's Peak" and in Korean "forehead's V shape hairline" ( "이마의V자형 머리선 "). As it is a matter of gene, I am not sure how dominant it is in the Korean ethnicity, but I am pretty sure, given that I am viewing hundreds of Korean foreheads every day, I seldom see it ! So is it a matter of gene, or of popularity, that because the Korean people do not prefer this kind of hairline, those who have it tend to hide it or even... remove or change it by cosmetic surgery? Here's a hairline cosmetic surgery ad that probably tells something - it says that client's original hair density is taken into consideration for a more natural result, and 3~4 hours after surgery client are able to leave clinic. Now you have an idea how Koreans can share similarity with each other even in forehead(!), besides double eyelids, nose, chins, cheeks and lips. (source: CeCi magazine Aug 2010)

我又找到一個韓國人都長那麼像的理由了。原來除了五官，髮線都可以整XD

第一次看到這個廣告時，以為是消除美人尖的手術，因為我一直感覺韓國人並不覺得它美，甚至KC曾說它"跟猴子一樣"。這下我才突然想到，路上那麼多韓妹把頭髮往後梳，我好像確實很少看到韓國女生有美人尖，而且，韓妹的額頭好像都長得差不多(本圖手術後的那樣)。那麼，如果韓妹真的比較沒有美人尖，是因為基因的關係呢，還是後天的設計呢?此事尚待研究，不過可以確定的是，這個廣告會這樣打，說明很多韓人偏好手術後的那種髮線。撥開自己的瀏海照了下鏡子...囧，我的額頭好像也是屬於手術前的那種額頭耶，哈哈。

So is it "P" or "Wh" that You Really Want? ( 你到底要"穢屎"還是"配屎"啦 )

由於韓文沒有f音，遇到外來字彙有f時，基本原則就是用p音代替，例如fork就變成po-ke(포크)，可有時候卻是用wh，例如fighting便被發成whaiting(화이팅)，但是近來也越來越多人使用pighting (파이팅)。不管怎樣，我都覺得很好笑。不是我惡毒笑人家語言裡沒有的音，而是沒有這個音還愛濫用外來文才好笑。

講真，那麼愛用外來文，自以為新潮，倒不如發明一個符號去代表F音，那才叫做與時俱進，外來文也可以用得更爽嘛。沒音就創造新字母新符號甚至新文字，很多語言都是這樣。

舉個p和wh各執一詞的例子。化妝品的 face(臉部) 分類裡有 foundation(底妝)，MAC採用p音，把face翻做pace(페이스，"配屎")，foundation做poundation(파운데이션，"跑嗚dation")，Christian Dior也是如此使用；Bobbi Brown則是採用wh音，face便被翻做whace(훼이스，"穢屎")，foundation做whoudation(화운데이션，"謊嗚dation")，Estee Lauder也是如此使用。

As there's no f equivalent in Korean, while transliterating foreign words that contains f sounds, Koreans usually use p or wh instead. Therefore, fork becomes pork, fighting becomes whiting. Unsurprisingly, there are all kinds of confusions while transliterating foreign words, which make those foreign words look fairly  awkward and funny. My personal suggestion is that, given such Korean fascination about importing foreign words, why not create an alphabet for "F" (also V, please)?

(source)

Literally reads "Ko-Li-Ah Tim Pai-Ting!" (="Korea Team, Fighting!")

Koreans Lost in Swedish Elevator ( 韓國人: 靠杯的瑞典電梯 )

(source : 새댁 요코짱의 한국살이(두 번째 이야기) pp. 14~15 ; 

English captions by me )

In her "Yoko's Life in Korea (Part 2)", Yoko mentions her few habit changes after 6 years of living in Korea, which include always eating really fast, Kimchi as a daily must, dare to ask directions of passers-by, crossing streets when the traffic light's still red, and talking to her husband with a loud voice. Also, as the drawing above shows, just like the Korean people, she would unconsciously press "CLOSE" button many time, non-stop, upon entering an elevator. Haha, that's indeed very Korean. Well, I wonder how Koreans feel once they are in a Swedish elevator, mind that, many Swedish elevators have no "CLOSE" button :p

Yoko在 "新娘子Yoko的韓國生活(二輯)" (새댁 요코짱의 한국살이- 두 번째 이야기)講到自己在韓國居住6年後的習慣改變，包括跟韓國人一樣飯吃得又快又多、不吃泡菜就不對勁、沒車時看到紅燈也照走(這個我也會，我是絕對堅持行車要無條件禮讓行人的，大馬路例外)、敢跟老公大小聲等。此外，還有一進電梯就不自覺猛按關門鈕。不耐煩的按關門鈕這點真的超韓國的，所以他們到了瑞典大概會很靠杯，因為瑞典電梯可沒有關門鈕給他們按 XD

( source: a Swedish elevator in Rachel's apartment)

Give the Korean Tiffany A Chance... to be Exposed ! ( 韓國Tiffany )

If you dare run advertisements in major fashion magazines, you should not expect their readers not to realize you are following Tiffany & CO. (all photos courtesy of Tiffany&CO. and Golden Dew)

常在雜誌上看到一家廣告打很兇的韓國首飾品牌，既然廣告打那麼兇，就不要怪大家幹譙你模仿Tiffany喔!

Front page Design:

Tiffany & CO. front page

vs.

Golden Dew front page

Browse Page Design:

vs.

Product Design:

1.

vs.

2.

vs.

3.

vs.

Trying Out Local Welfare Facilities and be Mistaken for Chinese Wife Again ( 韓國社福體驗 之 又把我當中國新娘 )

I just give it a try, to check out one of the welfare facilities in my district, the Yangcheon Community Health Center (양천보건소). Diagnosis is basically free for residents, the place looks decent, though a bit old school. For example, they are still using squat toilets (this is still popular in Taiwan and Singapore, but I haven't seen it in HK or Korea, until this time). Their staff are pretty nice but just as usual, I am mistaken for a Chinese wife again; also given that I don't speak Korean that well, the guy at the X ray room is pretty impatient with me, pointing at a notice written in Korean, saying "Can't you read this, Hangul?" (of course he said this in Korean). Very nice, I JUST FUCKIN DUN READ IT, OK ?! Luckily KC then comes help me out. Later, the guy announces that the machine's out of order, so everyone has to take again. I just hope he does not mistake people's X ray photos. (Yangcheon Community Health Center's picture from Yangcheon-gu office)

Later we turn to a nearby clinic for further consulting, the Seoul Bom Internal Medicine Clinic (서울 봄 내과). I must say this is so far the best clinic I've ever been in here. Dr. Park (박재경) has an academic and career background from Seoul National University, and to my amazement he is very kind, patient, and most importantly, ENGLISH SPEAKING! I definitely would recommend this clinic to anyone seeking a nice doctor. See, doesn't he look nice? (picture from Hidoc) 

Lim Soo Jung's Metamorphosis (林秀晶的蛻變)

It's almost a rule, for many Asian celeb hotties that are aging non-stop(of course), to do certain things. Such as endorsing cosmetic products. Miss Lim Soo Jung (임수정)'s endorsement commercial for SK-II rings reminiscent of Xiao S' Clarins commercial several years ago. Xiao S is a top Taiwanese female celeb who, like many female stars, married a rich guy in her 20s.
( ◄ picture from SURE  July 2010)

"對不起我愛你"(미안하다,사랑한다)的恩彩(恩彩啊~!!! )，也到了幫SK-II代言的份兒上惹! 她的宣傳照越看越像小S前幾年的Clarins廣告，讓我背脊一涼...。(此圖來自南方網)

Beautiful Korean Women Sod Off Overseas Travel and Take A Facelift Holiday

I just come across this article on SURE magazine, titled Instead of overseas travel, how about taking a beauty holiday? According to different budgets and surgery durations, it introduces 6 most up to date beauty surgeries in Korea right now. I must say it's a tiring post which really makes me feel emotionally tired as it takes so much effort to be considered beautiful for women in Korea. I'll just briefly go through the gist of each surgery and for more details please refer to the picture above (courtesy of SURE magazine, p.157).( I just translate what the article says, they are not my opinion, and you know what to trust...or, you know if you should trust a magazine. But anyway, at least you see what information Korean women can obtain.)
在韓國SURE雜誌7月號看到這篇 "與其去國外度假，不如來個美容假期?" ，以所需時間與預算之不同，介紹了6種韓國目前最夯的美容資訊。這篇文章看得我跟許先生都很累，我是因為感到在韓國當個女人真累，許先生則是幫我翻譯翻到不停查字典。我在此介紹個大略(本文用詞什麼效果怎樣啦都是原文寫的，當然不是我個人意見)，詳細資訊可參照圖中內容(圖片取自SURE雜誌7月號，頁157)

3~4 DAY FACE-OFF Plans

3~4日變臉計畫

Saddo Style Double Eyelid Surgery(사또식쌍꺼풀수술)

instead of 4 Days/3 Nights Bali Trip

Budget from 700,000 KRW (580USD)

Saddo style double eyelid surgery creates natural double eyelids suitable for Asian women. This simple surgery requires only local anaesthesia and takes only 20 minutes. After only 1 day you can do makeup or wash face, your eyes recover fast and would not look puffy.
Saddo式雙眼皮手術幹掉4天3夜巴里島假期

預算70萬圜起(約1萬9台幣)

Saddo式雙眼皮手術做出來的雙眼皮偏窄，適合東方女性眼型。手術簡單，20分鐘即可完成，且僅需使用局部麻醉；術後一日便可照常化妝、洗臉，復原期短且眼睛不會浮腫。

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AccuLift(아쿠리프트) for pimple treatment

instead of 5 Days/4 Nights PIC Guam Tour

Budget from 1,000,000 KRW (830USD)

Suitable for oily skin, black head, or blemish treatment, it solves all skin trouble caused by pimples, and works amazingly for pore minimizing and skin elasticity. By using high-tech laser surgery it revives your skin cells.
AccuLift 面皰護理幹掉5天4夜PIC關島假期

預算100萬圜起(約台幣2萬7)

適合油肌、黑頭粉刺、及面皰之護理，對毛孔縮小及增進皮膚彈性有令人驚嘆的功效。此高科技雷射手術將活化您的深層肌膚細胞。

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MYOBLOC(마이아블록) Sweat Reducing Surgery

instead of 4 Days/3 Nights Fukuoka Hot Spring Tour

Budget from 500,000 KRW(415USD)

Suitable for treatment of underarm, palm, and sole sweating. Within 72 hours after the surgery, you can definitely feel less sweating. It's very popular nowadays and is also called "Sweat-Tox"(땀톡스).

MYPLOC肉毒桿菌除汗手術幹掉4天3夜福岡溫泉之旅

預算50萬圜起(約台幣1萬3)

適合腋下、手掌、及腳部的除汗手術，術後72小時可明顯感到汗量減少，此手術目前非常流行，有時亦被稱做"汗妥適"。

5~7 DAY FACE-OFF Plans

5~7日變臉計畫

Eye Brightening Under Eye Fat Removal Surgery
instead of 6 Days/5 Nights Mediterranean Sea Trip

Budget from 1,700,000 KRW (1400USD)

Popular among office women, it not only removes excessive under eye fat but also helps even it out and makes it firmed. Good for those with heavy under eye fat or hollows. The surgery's effective over long term, and leaves no scar. Just after one week, you wouldn't see any dead blood or puffy eyes anymore.

亮眼眼袋去除手術幹掉6天5夜地中海旅行(這在韓國有很流行嗎)

預算170萬圜起(約台幣4萬5)

韓國OL們很愛的手術，能在依需求而移除或增添眼下脂肪後，均勻並緊實的術後的眼下脂肪。對眼袋腫大或眼下空虛的人都非常適合。效果持久且不會留下痕跡；眼睛浮腫及瘀血將在術後一周後消失。
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Hi Def Body Sculpting Surgery(하이데프 체형조각술)

in stead of 10 Days/9 Nights Western Europe 5 Countries Couple Tour

Budget from 5,000,000 KRW (4150USD)

Most up to date belly fat removal surgery that not only minimizes your waistline but also helps you gain 6 packs or sexy body curves. Able for shower after 2 days and no more sore on your body after 4 to 5 days. No other side effects or symptoms. Avoid drinking or sauna within 3 weeks after surgery. For better result, it's highly recommended to wear a corset at least for one month.

Hi Def體型塑型術幹掉10天9夜西歐五國雙人行

預算500萬圜起(約台幣13萬)

目前最新的腰部脂肪移除術，不但能塑造完美腰線，亦可幫助6塊肌或性感曲線之形成。術後2日即可沐浴，4~5日後身體不再感到痠疼，此外無其他副作用。術後3周內須禁止飲酒或泡澡。術後亦可1個月內連續穿著馬甲以幫助塑造完美曲線。

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Fat Grafting or Laser Fat Liposuction (자가지방 이식, 레이저 지방분해)

instead of 6 Days/5 Nights Hokkaido 5 Star Hotel Tour

Budget from 1,500,000 KRW (1250USD)

Popular among women 25 to 35 years of age. As nowadays V line is in trend, you may graft the fat from other parts of your body to your cheeks; also, for those with round jaw, you can tighten your skin to achieve V line by Laser. This surgery is effective over long term and it works well because it uses only the high quality fat cell from your body.

脂肪移植或雷射溶脂手術幹掉6天5夜北海道5星旅館假期

預算150萬圜起(約台幣4萬)

風行於25~35歲女性；目前V型臉相當流行，你可移植身體其他部位的脂肪以充實兩頰、下巴過圓者亦可選擇以雷射將下巴緊實，以塑造V型臉蛋。術後效果持久，且因此手術僅採用身體上最優質的脂肪，因此效果尤佳。

Joining You - in Seoul Museum of History

↑ Damn, this is funny :)

So this is the Seoul Museum of History, but not so much of any history(after all the ticket costs 700won). The most recent exhibition "1950...Seoul...Rise from the Ashes", featuring a collection of propaganda leaflets, pictures, objects, and printed matters from the years of the Korean War, which took place during 1950 to 1953. A number of exhibits were reminiscent of my personal experience, such as the Communist propaganda leaflets, the relief supplies from the US(of which, the flour sacks were re-used as fabrics for kids' clothes), the suffering of people, and the division of 2 nations. By the way, as usual, there's no English guide available.

這天去了首爾歷史博物館，一個沒什麼歷史痕跡的地方(不過門票也700won而已，一分錢一分貨)。最近為紀念韓戰60周年而辦了特展---"1950...漢城...由廢墟中崛起"(並不是因為我是漢城支持者，而是在那年代這城市還是被廣為稱做漢城嘛)---展品不多，有一些韓戰時期的民生用品、老照片、國內外印刷品、及北韓文宣等。這些東西讓我有似曾相似的感覺，例如共產黨文宣、美援麵粉袋、人民的苦難和兩國分立的結局。這個產覽也是只有韓文說明，沒有英文導覽(有才怪)。

Outside the museum there is a tram model set up in a scene in which a student is taking the tram to school and the mother and younger sister were waving goodbyes in a sensational setting which really moved me to tears so I couldn't help but join(right...as explained in the tourguide, the student was late for school and forgot his lunchbox and cap so the mother and sister were chasing after the tram)!

博物館外有一個電車模型，設計了一個快遲到的學生因忘了帶便當和帽子，媽媽和妹妹追著電車跑的場景。我也客串了一下，哈哈。

No More Stigma for Women with Smaller Boobs!

Korea must be the least concerned with big boobs among East Asian countries. Somehow they are more obsessed with women's face and legs, and hence the popularity of cosmetic surgery(for face), and the photoshop surgery(for body)! You may easily identify celebrity fotos being photoshopped anywhere especially in print ads. I know they have to look great, even if at the expense of appearing inhuman.
韓國大概是東亞國家裡最不愛巨乳的，相較之下他們比較在乎臉蛋和腿，所以也不意外韓國女人人臉一整了。整型之外，韓國還風行相片整容，這東西台灣也不是沒有，但頂多就是均勻膚色、修掉瑕疵之類的，韓國則包括把眼睛弄大弄亮、鼻子弄高等，因為依照慣例，韓國的求職履歷表一定要貼照片，不美怎麼行。不能整的腿(其實也不是不行，但只能變細，不能變長啊)，當然也只能靠photoshop啦!尤其是明星的代言廣告，腿常常是長到一種非人的境界，例子不勝枚舉。

Park Bom has great legs, and they are much better in real than in this photo (all photos courtesy of Bean Pole Jeans ).

2NE1的朴春有雙人盡皆知的美腿，而且，實腿比這張照片上的更美啊(照片來自Bean Pole Jeans)。

I know they are selling jeans not bras, but look at the malnutritious look of Sandra, I feel truly happy for women with smaller boobs in Korea - no more stigma! Korean people actually don't pay much attention to it! Korea, you are Fantastic! 
我知道Bean Pole Jeans當然是賣Jeans不是賣bra的，但看到Sandra這張營養不良的照片，我衷心為小胸的韓國女性同胞們感到欣慰!

p.s. for a comparison between the photoshopped and what's probably the more human reality, check this video (I know people might look wider in a video but somehow you get the idea.)

p.s.想比照實腿跟照片，請洽2NE1本人...不...可以參考一下Bean Pole Jeans拍的幕後花絮(人在電視上看起來都會比較寬一點，但加減還是可以得到一些比較啦~)

What I Think About the DPRK Soccer Team in 2010 FIFA World Cup

I am very unhappy about those presumptions, sympathy or even ridicule for the DPRK team. Some wonders if the coach would "get executed when he returns to the Hermit Kingdom" or "disappear into the bowels of some labor camp where twigs and leaves count as dinner", which sounds all haughty and cold-blooded; some teases Jong Tae-Se's anthem tears because his "leader is the world’s best example of the Napoleon complex"; and some has made photos of Jong Tae-Se in miner's outfit, titled "Saving Miner Jong Tae-Se"(→), which I find everything but funny.

I am not a serious person, just in some occasions I don't feel entirely comfortable with senseless behaviors.

I know it is politically correct to criticize the Kim Jong-Il regime, but it's very very awful to joke about the plight of DPRK people.

In Memory of July 1st in Hong Kong

It's July 1st, again. A day that the July 1st March and the Handover celebration take place. Today is the 13th anniversary (if it's worth celebration) of Hong Kong's handover to China, I am in Seoul, Korea, thinking back into the 10th in 2007, when I was following a schizophrenic pack of people, from the protest rally in HK Island during daytime to the celebration fireworks in the Victoria Harbour at nighttime. Like many people, I experienced converting my identity from a marcher to a celebrator, one against and one for, but both for the sake of China.