Late review ! : The Body

Reviews



The Body - by Stephen King

Frankly saying, I started with original text but read Korean interpreted version from the middle of the story and then finished again with original text… One interesting point is that Korean version’s sentence structure was identical to its original English version! It was quite awkward but fresh because grammatical order of Korean and English is directly opposite. Yet because Korean version was made a direct translation of the English text, it was easy to match each part of Korean version book with its original version.

From the start to the end, I thought “The Body” was well written story. In lead-in part of the story, Stephen King gives us brief account of each character’s anecdote. Although anecdotes have not been dealt thoroughly, by making introduction as short as possible, flow of the story became much faster and helped me to focus more on each of the characters. It is a truly incredible ability of writer to allude to readers that there’s no time to sentimentalize over idle stories through arrangement of words and sentences. Furthermore, each anecdotes pops out when it seems like there should be some kind of explanation in the book. Switching between short stories within the big frame of the story was so natural that they all seemed like “real” part of the story. Especially the part where Gordie introduces his college work when he sentimentalizes over his brother Dennis, it really looked like a one story although there was no transition words or some other kinds of tools to make it look like one story. For me, a student who even struggles with transition between SAT essay paragraphs, it is such a desirable ability to have.

When the story comes to an ending part, it strangely becomes descriptive. What we see in the main part of the story where Gordie and his friends start there miniature journey to find “the Body” is overall description about outside world rather than Gordie, Chris, Teddy, Vern themselves. What we remember instantly when asked about the four kids’ journey is some big “events” like train chasing down Gordie and Vern on the bridge. While the main journey part was mainly written and described based on big events, Stephen King changes his way of writing from “event-centered” to “character-centered” at the last part of the story. Perhaps this kind of style and organization of the story made the overall story neater through narrowing down the object that the author is describing in the book. Thus, every little behavior of the boys shows little breakups between them which creates melancholic ambience; but at the same time Gordie describes his town after journey like this: “We walked a block or so without talking. Castle Rock was awesomely quiet in the day’s first light, and I felt an almost holy tiredness-is-slipping-away sort of feeling... We walked another block in silence” which creates warm and yielding mood that seemed to make two boys, Gordie, Chris closer through the silence.



Although “The Body” was classified as a horror story by most of the people, I would like to say it is “tempered” horror story which makes readers to think once more about themselves and people around them. Through King’s amazing and compelling sentences, “The Body” provided me a great time of introspection.

subtle as a bruise

Subtle as a bruise, steady as a rocking horse. Ironically, this graceful quote is from a song “Game”. Ironic in a way that the most games we could imagine of are fastidious and dynamic. It’s hard to find such games that cause continuous anguish and have characteristic of steady rocking horse which is dynamic like a swaying horse but does not move at the same time. What I could only imagine of is a separation. Separation from our love usually leaves scars in our heart and reminiscences of love are like a movie but do not change.

It is funny that despite I only lived for 16 years, I have an anecdote that is about separation. When I was about 12 year old boy, I met my first love. It was the start of the first semester as a 6th grader. When I entered my new class I wasn’t really interested in girls sitting at the back. Rather, I was more interested with playing games with my friends and chatting with them. Nothing unordinary thing happened on the first day of my school. Yet, incipience of my love was started when the school was over. While I was heading towards my home, I saw one girl walking the same way. As I used to be, I tried to pass by her. However, I unconsciously glanced at her just because of her hair smell was more than good. That was the start of my love. She was fortunately in the same class with me. Few days later, I call her to the backyard of the school and gave her couple ring and asked to be my girl friend. Luckily, she accepted it at once. We used to hang around until night and played a lot.

If it was the end of my story, it would have been comedic ending. Unfortunately, I was busy preparing for my middle school and practicing the violin. In order to date with my girl friend, I had to choose between what I have got to do or dating with her. Since I was young minded, I thought she could understand me being busy studying and practicing the violin. But it wasn’t. As the march of time, we estranged each other. The result was clear: we broke.

At that time, I was sad. But I felt nothing more than sad. Now, I sometimes miss that time, sometimes regret or sometimes feel relieved that I choose to study. My feeling always swayed when I think this nostalgia. It wasn’t really a big wound but last until now like a bruise. I’m uncertain that if people feel same thing with me, but because of this special experience when I was young, I first recalled the separation when I saw the quote “Subtle as a bruise, steady as a rocking horse”.

30yrs later...

- The Assembly of Hague



30 yrs later… I will be…

As always it is, it was another confusing day. I woke up at 7’o clock in Falkenberg Strandbad hotel in city of Halland located in Sweden. After snarfing breads for breakfast, I directly went to airport with my little luggage partner composed of small laptop and some promotion files for my customers with great anticipation for me to introduce my promotion files about Asia-Europe currency integration. I reserved 10’o clock airplane heading to the Hague for international conference which starts at 14’o clock; after that, I still have three more countries to visit and need to wrap up results of conference then send it back to UN branch in China, U.S.A; and to Blue House in my own country, Korea.

I turned on my laptop while I was in airplane to see the progression of new project sponsored by CMI(Chiang Mai Initiative). I get down to this work 2 years ago and still working on it; maybe it could be weird to say that this project is “new” project, but considering the fact that most of my works takes average of eight years to ten years, this new project currently I’m working on is pretty a new born baby project.

While I was checking my works and files, airplane finally landed on the ground of the Hague. It was already 12’o clock, I rushed to the Hague International Conference Hotel next to ICJ(The International Court of Justice) through tram. I went into the grand conference room directly with guide and grabbed a microphone and without any further a due, started my presentation. It took total of 6 hours which is 2 hours over than I expected due to enthusiastic young diplomats’ questions and critics’ sharp questions. Although most of them seemed successfully persuaded, I think I need to stick to my cellular phone for phone calls from those who were not persuaded yet. Acuteness of these guys sometimes are very useful but it is true that they really make me tired.

God, as I expected, at that night from 22’o clock to 2’o clock at dawn, my phone was off the hook. Although I love to talk with other people through phone, definitely it wasn’t this way. Finally after an hour of discussion with UN secretary general, we booked another short conference next day; it was possible because I had short vacation between conference in the Hague and next conference in England.

As more and more I worked, more that I felt that 24 hours a day is too short for me. Yet, I’m still energetic and young to handle this works; but I at least need to sleep for 4 hours, a shortest sleep that I’ve ever had when I was in high school. Good night to myself (:



-Tram in Hague

Free-Hug Campaign

I don't know I could go ask for free hug to strangers if I were him... This just makes me feel warm about this world and people living on it (: One thing that I also thought of is that people in America is really opened minded compared to Asian countries. It doesn't mean that Asians are cold and skeptical but I experienced many different situations especially when I was doing signature-seeking campaign in my country. Not everyone was stony-faced when I asked for signature, but people, especially old generations were doubtful about being asked for signature from stranger who was smiling....

I WISH I COULD BECOME A MAN WHO COULD CHANGE HIS OWN COUNTRY AND FURTHER CHANGE THE WORLD !

REALLY I MEAN IT !

TED review : Tomas Suaraz: A 12 years old app developer

Tomas Suarez : A 12 years old app developer





As you may already felt when first saw the label of this clip, it’s still hard to imagine 12 years old young boy developing apps and uploading it on app-store. Yet, regardless of these stereotypes, young and ambitious children are starting their new e-businesses where creativity is the only sword that they have. This phenomenon is highly laudable in a mean that more and more human resources are opening their eyes after long dormant recession.

In accordance with new era of ‘smart’ society, relevance of creativity is becoming greater than any other era. Although society continuously requires people to have high educations and P.H.D, more and more ways to survive in this society are persistently occurring as the technology evolves. In the past, we usually used ‘develop’ as a word to explain the innovation in technology. Yet, technology, through networks, spread throughout the earth and grows like a real life which allows technology to evolve. Through this spirit of technology, children, adults, or even olds whispers their eternal creativeness to the people in the world. These bunches of ideas are the source of new businesses, called e-business.

One of the most lucid characteristics of e-business is that it takes place in internet network. This gives several great advantages to e-business: low cost of launching new project, great capacity of growth, and fast speed absorbing new information. Primarily, low cost of launching new enterprise acclaims voluntary developers to jump into their new business. Secondly, because e-business takes place in internet, it has limitless potential of development. Lastly, through the wireless lan and optical fiber cable, developers are able to upload new information and adapt new technology through the speed of light. With these basic advantages which ameliorates the potentiality of e-business, we see 12 years old Tomas Suarez giving a lecture about apps on TED, instigating many young as well as adults to realize their ‘frontiership’ and challenge on making their own business.

After all, it’s even hard to imagine day after today: this society is so dynamic and energetic that new kinds of systems or products are popping out from here and there. Yet, one thing that is so clear is that as more challenges take place in our society, more people will be able to achieve their dreams and it will lead us to overall prosperity.

Oh yea...

Anything worth writing it came inexplicabliy and without method

G20 YMS!

Today, two days of G20 Youth Model Summit sponsored by Korea Times came to an end. To briefly introduce G20 YMS, it is literally Model G20 summit led by student delegates representing each countries of G20 conference and student officers. Although I have experienced lots of different Model UN conferences and international model conferences, this was my first time participating as a chair of one committee.

Our committee's agenda was about eradicating poverty and promoting gender equality. Although there were some hardships while presiding the conference, we, as a whole committee enjoyed the conference. Maybe this is why I still have bittersweet feeling... ANYWAY, it was another great experience for me. It was a great chance for me to learn more about international society and making more friends in conference.

Although MUN and model conferences are not active in some country, there are many different international conferences which will provide an excellent experiences. I would like to recommend you to look for conferences around you:)

P.S. OMG.... I still feel like I'm in conference room..:(

Betrayal - Meta-fiction

When I was first born, I was protected by some shield. It kept me safe from dangers but at the same time, prevented me from meeting new friends and experiencing new outside life. Yet, as there’s nothing eternal, my grief from loneliness didn’t lasted forever.

One day, someone, who had same skin color with me but had a little different appearance came to me, I followed where he led me. By the way, I could pretty much convinced that he was a male from his voice.

Then I was thrown in the dark again. Since I’m used to this darkness, this was no strange to me. Before meeting him, I was always alone in the darkness. Yet, this darkness that I’ve faced this time was different from what I’ve known. It was more calm, denser with air, and warmer than before. With this cryptic unfamiliar darkness that I’ve never experienced before, I waited and waited. As I’ve told you already -- there’s nothing eternal -- this darkness was gone after few hours later. I could see familiar thing again. It was ‘him’, my first acquaintance. He again led me to another strange room where I could not see anything that I’ve known before.

I should if realized earlier that after joy comes tears.

A day after I arrived to this new place, I was unshielded. I felt happy on one hand but also felt insecurity. Atmosphere outside was temperate. Flow of the air was unstable. That was the only difference. Still, it was drastic change which was enough to make me shiver with fear. My intuition, unfortunately, was correct.

My first acquaintance, whom I trusted, started to un-build my parts.

One by one, carefully and slowly.

Yet, I was surprised to myself that there was no pain. It felt odd. I was able to feel defying wind passing through me which ironically mollified my anxiety. Not only ‘him’, but another hims who seemed similar with each other did the same things to me: un-building and reassembling.

For the first time, I felt despair and doubt to my faith that there is nothing eternal. This pain seemed to last forever until I die at that time.

One of hims were different: he trembled when he tried to pull part of me out. I couldn’t figure out why he was shuddering so much: rather because of excitement and joy or because of compassion towards me. Anyhow, this different him’s impatient and precarious behavior always tear me down to pieces. It was not until ‘this’ event happened that this different him’s behavior was also one of the plans of hims for their greater enjoyment.

It was an ordinary day. Like him used to do, he came to me at 10 o’clock, played with me. After a rest, him and his friends came and cajoled me. Yet, unlike before, they seemed to fight each other. After then, I followed him and I was thrown to darkness again which I have experienced before.



That was the last light I’ve seen at that moment. I’m still in darkness having this ambivalent feeling within myself: happy because of emancipation, sad because of loneliness, anger because of betrayal.

My name is Jenga.

Base story of my Metafiction

When I entered the room, there was brutal wooden tower, Jenga, waiting for me. I started to produce liquid on my skin. To explain this sweat on my back, I think I need to tell you my short anecdote: my childhood when I was five. When I was five, I met a boy named Woo Hyung. We played Jenga. My hands were meticulous. They tried hard to make the Jenga stay perfect. Woo Hyung’s hands were different. His hands, while holding a piece of Jenga, trembled like a wind-shaking leaves. When he tried to take a piece from well-built tower of Jenga, he always had a wrong choice. I would say that was almost like a special ability of him. Since his hands were shaking, he could not overcome his wrong choice and finally destroyed Jenga towers. I didn’t like him. Re-building tons of pieces of Jenga was annoyed enough to make me hate him.



While I and my friends including Woo Hyung was playing Jenga, origin of my nightmare has happened: friends asked me to play Jenga as a team and my team partner was Woo Hyung. I could hear the Hapless abyss surrounded with consecutive waves sounded like a grief of wolves. Needless to say, Woo Hyung’s calamitous hands brought a disaster to the spoiled the mood of the game. Bravo! Thanks to him, him as well as I was branded as a ‘Jenga breaker’. From that moment, my friends, who used to play Jenga with me, evaded me when they were playing Jenga. Due to this one borty event, one of my favorite games Jenga leaved me.

Advise to KMLA

Contradiction within KMLA

10b5 Lee, Ho Wook

Around the globe, there are many different kinds of people with many different cultures and notions. Along all the basis of civilizations, education is taking a place in the core of it. Depends on a goal of civilization, education system could be differ: memorizing, debating and many different systems could be adapted. Yet, because there are no such perfect education systems, people always strive to supplement defects of their education system. As a part of this exertion, school KMLA(Korea Minjok Leadership Academy) in Korea puts a lot of prefectorial efforts on consummating Korean education system. Unfortunately however, KMLA has its several severe Ironies within itself: ideological problems and systematic problems.

Before broaching defects of KMLA, KMLA is a very unique environment to study. Regarding the fact that the environment where students study has a huge effect on them, knowing the unique environment of KMLA is important in analyzing the problems within KMLA. Primarily, dormitory life is compulsory to every student in KMLA. Peculiarity of dormitory life is that it helps students with practicing self-management skill yet disturbs access from outside of the dormitory at the same time. Considering the fact that Korean education system fluctuates dynamically from year to year, low accessibility from outside of the dormitory could be severe defect for some students who need help from people who are in outside of the dormitory. Secondly, school models of KMLA are very plain but distinct. Like all the other schools in Korea, KMLA emphasizes the importance of tradition of the school. Yet, in a way that KMLA inspires patriotism to students is very special. Since students almost live in the campus, English only policy, which coerces students to use English, or an hour of morning assembly. Significance of these traditions may seem perfect: to inspire patriotism to the students and further help with student’s study. Nevertheless, label of ‘tradition’ makes students hinder to criticize a wrong policy or a wrong ‘tradition’ just because they are ‘tradition’.

Having understanding the studying environment of KMLA, primary problem of KMLA is Ideological problem. Ideology of the KMLA is to inspire patriotism, reconstruct and cherish the tradition of Korea, and training young global leaders. Likewise, KMLA highlights the importance of tradition. Yet, KMLA not only underlines the importance of nation’s tradition but also KMLA’s distinct tradition. Tradition is something that has been kept for a long time by the member of a society and made naturally by agreement between members of a society. Nevertheless, masterpiece education system, English only policy, all the different commemorative events are mostly made by school founder and have not been amended for a long time by members of KMLA which is a student. Since most of all these systems are considered as a ‘tradition’, which are in fact untrue, students are hesitated to discuss freely about these systems because these school systems are labeled as a ‘tradition’. Something that is forced to implement in the system is not called as a ‘tradition’ but a ‘law’. It is such an irony that KMLA is proud of having a falsehood ‘tradition’.

Last but not least, KMLA is in very adverse situation in Korea. While students are hard to get help from outside of the school, common education systems in Korea is keep capsizing. Regarding the fact that students in KMLA who are now living in dormitory by themselves were once children who spent most of their life under protection and help of their parents, it is very hard for students to adapt to ever-changing education system of Korea by themselves. If school simply say that their students are strong enough to breakthrough all the hardships, it would be nothing more than school’s negligence. Since KMLA fully acknowledge this fact, they try their best to help their students with erratic Korean education system with counseling and full hearted help of teachers in KMLA. Yet, what school actually should do is to fundamentally protect their students from surge of outside forces which is to continuously file a petition to minister of education that might help students who came to KMLA for their dream and for their nation.

In a nutshell, school KMLA which is one of the best schools in Korea has several problems within themselves. Ideology of school is serving as an obstacle for students who are willing to participate in changing school to better way. Education system is still harassing student’s dreams. This is not meant to disgrace efforts of KMLA but to advise KMLA that they could improve in a much better way and become much wonderful world scale high school.

#1 Journal for Shawshank Redemption

-Stephen King-

Shawshank Redemption

Shawshank Redemption is a short opening story of a book Different Seasons written by Stephen King in 1982. Shawshank Redemption is a story about a man named Andy Dufresne and his jailbreak. This story has been assessed as a story which is well mixed with classic themes of American novels and King’s classic themes about confusion, fear, and loss of control.

Before starting with summary, the story Shawshank Redemption has a very unique structure. Story about Andy Dufresne who is a young banker was told by another character called Red who is also a prisoner. Red starts with introducing himself and his story segued into a story about Andy Dufresne: about Andy’s personal characteristics and lots of different anecdotes that are related with Andy. After all, the past stories about Andy catch up with present situation of Red and the story ends.

According to Red as a narrator, Andy was a young banker who is acute, cool headed, and most of all prudent. Andy’s character was often directly described by Red but mostly was depicted through stories about Andy when he was in prison. As most of the other stories do, there were a lot of adversities which harassed Andy: Sisters who consistently tried to plunder Andy, Norton, a warden of Shawshank prison, who tried to keep Andy within the prison. Yet, Andy does successfully breakthrough all the hardships by fully using his ability as a banker. He starts to counsel wardens of prison and prison guards with their funding, tax accounting, and all the different kinds of financial problems which eventually gave Andy a chance to get whatever he wants except for something that might help him with jailbreak. Nonetheless, no one could stop him from jailbreak because he was given with time and tools. A year after jailbreak of Andy, Red was paroled after spending 60% of his life in jail. This is a point where the story told by Red slowly catches up with present situations. After parole, Red starts to find a place where Andy told about his secret key. Red finally finds the place with a message left by Andy. Message suggests Red to come to place where Andy resides and help him with business. With the story about message, the story Shawshank Redemption ends.

-Andy buries his letter to Red is located at 40°39′14″N 82°23′31″W / 40.65400°N 82.39195°W / 40.65400; -82.39195 (Shawshank tree), near Malabar Farm State Park, in Lucas, Ohio (Wekipedia) -

Above all, Shawshank Redemption’s structure was well organized to co-opt readers to the story. This story was like a frame which means one story consists of many different stories. These different kinds of stories about Andy and prison life worked as a flavor to the whole story which prevented readers from losing interests about the story. Thus, by telling story through the mouth of character within the story, it allowed readers to compare what they felt about the story with that of the narrator’s. This sometimes aroused the sympathy and sometimes aroused cacophony which made the story even more interesting. Despite all the interesting elements of the story, one thing that might dull readers would be stale ideas and contents of it: there are many different movies or stories about jailbreak or prison life which may made the contents of the story Shawshank Redemption little trite. Regarding these feature of the story Shawshank Redemption, it is a truly well written story which has magical structure that made readers to concentrate to the story from the start to the end even with a trite contents and themes.

Is he really living in a same time with me?

Sir Ken Robinson's interesting speech


I want to ask you. Are you really living in a 21st century?

1,544,000 , 699,000. Do you know what these numbers are? These are the total number of bachelors and associates between 2007 and 2008. Thus, in 2005, more than 142,000 MBA graduates entered the market. It is twice as many as 15 years ago. Imagine 142,000 students learning same thing and poured into the market at the same time. Although there are few different fields in subjects in university, there are still more than thousand people learning same thing. Thus, unfortunately, even these a few different majors are usually focused on few different fields like science. With the march of time, it seems like our society will be united in a term of university major of graduates. Regarding the fact that there are all different perspective of people, opinions about society being merged by specialization are worlds apart.

In a side of negative view about this phenomenon which is a specialization, it may seem hapless situation for some people. Since most public education tends to highlight only certain subjects, this might seem killing creativity of students for some people. To quote what Ken Robinson said in his lecture “Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity”, current education systems around the world are creating hierarchy in education. That means students are impliedly coerced to study mathematics, languages more than music, art and humanities. Unfortunately, more and more people and cooperation wants a talented man who is especially talented in creativity. Ken Robinson had given various different examples that show repressing creativity of the students or their talent through system of educational hierarchy. For instance, Gillian Lynne who is a dancer did “Cats”, “Phantom of the Opera” was considered as a maladjusted kid when she was young. She wasn’t able to stop her toes and bodies swaying that made her seemed like impatient to her school teacher and friends who were brain washed through education that to stay steady sitting on chair every time and study. Now this impatient kid became one of the ballets who the world is paying attention to.

Gray colored status quo about education ‘had been’ quite true in 5 or 10 years ago. Yet, arguments, research information, examples of people who see the current education system negatively are questionable. Frankly speaking, there are many different schools that are specialized in educating music, art, physical education that were considered to be low class subjects in educational hierarchy. Not only an infrastructure of education was changed but also the view of parents or educators towards education was changed. People do value entertainments such as sports or music. They pay a lot for orchestra performance and sponsors are willing to support musicians. It seems like there are no room for educational hierarchy to take a place in recent days. Without Stewart Redlin Watson’s Pre-calculus book, without Barrons ap physics, people do achieve success.

As it is appeared to be, current status quo of education is moderate. It is neither desperate nor perfect. Taking this into regard, there is still a long way to go for our education system to further help human society flourish. If the creativity is a problem, as always the human-being did, they will slowly but surely improve themselves and finally tread through all the thorny paths.

Who am I as a writer

People were always curious about their childhood. Many philosophers such as Hobbes, Locke established their philosophy base on their own definition of human’s origin. These inquiries about human beings clear show the people’s interest in their own childhood. As most people believe, childhood environment is one of the crucial elements that change or decides the future of one person. For one who was born in family where parents are musician, one is more likely to be familiar with a music and instrument which may influence on one’s life in the future. Likewise, I was born raised in a family where grandfather was a poet. Therefore, I had more time exposed to poets and writings. Fortunately I loved writing which I did continue to write many different genres even right now.

Considering the fact that my grandfather was a poet, I was able to learn his sensitivity in writing. In every single second, my grandfather seemed indulged with many different things. Though it may seem awkward and annoying, for me, he seemed like he is fully possessing himself. I admired this aspect of him and it allowed me to at least have a little sensitivity which helped me greatly when spreading my words throughout the paper.

Although I really loved to write many different genres, I wasn’t able to enjoy writing in English at first. Major reason was that I hated to memorize vocabularies which are necessary to become a good writer. Since I wasn’t able to find proper words when I was writing, my piece of writing became prolix. In addition, new laws about English grammar were another obstacle in my writing life. Due to these reasons, I wasn’t able to enjoy writing in English.

As the time passed, I slowly realized something that I didn’t know in my past days: grammar and vocabulary are one of the core components of writing. To cater fluent words in my writing, I started to memorize vocabularies and to make a fine piece of writings, I learned grammar from many different books. Bounty of words provided more colors in my bland writings and grammar perfected them. Yet, because I realized these attempts to write better lately, my writings are still consisted of a lot of holes. Due to this fact, I am still working on building my own dictionary of vocabulary to improve my writing and further enjoy it.

As a result, now I do enjoy writings if there is a time allowed for me to write anything that I would like to write about. Even though it is not in a level of perfection, while writing, I learn many different vocabularies and new styles of writing which is one of the best things that one could learn throughout the life time. I do look forward to further learn new things and improve my writing to become a prolific writer in the future.