Mark James Russell

Books, blog and other blather

Month: July 2014

Hallyu Riptides

July 24, 2014 / / 0 Comments

So, I’ve kindly been invited to speak at the 10 magazine book club this Saturday (thanks to Barry for the invitation).  And although I’m still not 100 percent sure what I’ll be saying, I’m happy to say that I finished my Prezi presentation this evening.

(One thing I like about Prezi is that it gives you some flexibility to riff, if you want).

Usually, I just talk about Korean pop culture history, but I think this Saturday I will mix things up and combine Korean history with a bit of personal history, and talk about how I got into writing and how the writing business has changed over the years. (Or I might not … all is subject to change).

Details:

Saturday, July 26, 4pm

Haechi Hall at the Seoul Global Culture & Tourism Center in Myeongdong

Cost: 5,000 won

 

Get Polka-y

July 16, 2014 / / 0 Comments

So, there’s a new Weird Al album out. Which is not exciting as it once was.

However, there is one part of each Weird Al album that I do enjoy — the polkas. He usually has a medley or something like that. I don’t know much about his new album, but I do know that he has a polka cover of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.”

Imho, this is an awesome thing.

You can listen to it here.

I’m a part of Korean music!

July 7, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Hey, here’s a Ha Dong-kyun song that I totally missed out on, called “From Mark.” It’s like my song!

Okay, so it’s not about me. But it is a good song. And given the lyrics of the chorus — “I will fly away … from Mark” — it sounds like the anthem for every woman who ever broke up with me.

Or, if you prefer, here is a version of the song on Youtube with the lyrics translated and on screen:

A totally different sort of storm

July 6, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Typhoon Neoguri (“Raccoon”) looks like it is turning into quite a storm – currently a level 4 and heading toward level 5. Fortunately, it looks like it will bend eastward and miss Korea. At the moment my weather forecast says Okinawa and Kyushu are right in its path. Hopefully it will lose some power before making landfall.

Here is a wonderful pic I found at Weather Underground of Neoguri from high in the atmosphere. It almost looks beautiful, if only it weren’t so terrible.

 

© 2024 Mark James Russell

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑