Monday, January 31, 2011

新加坡的土與摩登

電子花車feeling的新加坡超市的農曆新年裝飾
世界上的每個地方都有自己的特色,例如新加坡的特色之一,就是"土與摩登"。在這裡為什麼我講的不是"傳統與現代",而是"土與摩登"呢? 因為它就是土與摩登(踹飛)。

"土與摩登",和"傳統與現代",是不一樣的。"傳統與現代"是指傳統與現代兩者不停相互影響,在現代化的華人社會,台北、香港、甚至中國幾個大城市,我們可以看到傳統不斷的在產生有機的變化,或質或量,例如在質方面,傳統演變得更為精緻,在量方面,則有加有減,有些東西一下少了,有些一下多了。

而新加坡呢? 在這個高度現代化、西洋化的國家,人們對於外來文化有相當高的品味,例如手機要用iPhone,看雜誌看書籍的品味也跟西洋人相當雷同,但是新加坡的在地華人文化,還停留在非常老土的階段,你幾乎不會看到他們閱讀較有深度的中文書籍,例如最通俗的王文華龍應台都紅不起來,更不會有余華或張愛玲。生活方面,這裡的華人料理依舊相當古早,並沒有被經過精緻化、健康化的過程,又或在文化方面,看看他們會紅哪些明星你就知道了,在台灣被唾棄的Y某人一家可舉家在新加坡開演唱會,被台灣大眾文化認為很ㄙㄨㄥˊ的數字團體在這邊就曾是天團,喔還有,當你登入新加坡msn首頁,右邊永遠是台灣收視第一的那個可以演到上千集的電視劇的影音檔,可在台灣它雖也收視第一,卻從來都沒佔據過哪家入口網頁的首頁。

用一句話這樣說吧,新加坡如果是一個人,這位人士呢,如果你用西方人的眼光看他吃西餐、買英文書,你會覺得他是個受過大學以上教育的白領,但如果用個台灣或香港或中國人的眼光你看他吃中餐、買中文書,你會覺得這大概就是受過中學教育,文化素養不會太高的人了。此之謂也。原因是什麼? 文化特色當然不需要什麼原因。但如果拿新加坡跟其他華人地區來比,探討差異為何產生,那答案就是,因為以中文為主的華人文化在新加坡,已經跟拉丁文在中古世紀以後的命運一樣,不會再發展了。

韓國跟台港中一樣,也具備傳統與現代不斷相互影響的文化。
傳統文化不斷的被精緻化、普及化,而現代文化也不斷吸收
傳統文化的精隨以持續發展。圖中是韓國超市的新年裝飾。

Monday, January 24, 2011

Their Heroinic Tears (面對阿珠媽們的我的態度)

Ajummas (아줌마, middle aged women), probably top expats in Korea's "list of hatred". They seems always bbali bbali (빨리빨리, hurriedly), they jump the queue, shout in public, push people to make way, obsessed with petty advantages... they just don't seem to make you feel comfortable.

I used to hate many things about this country, and I criticized a lot. But sometimes, when I passed by the Han River, overlooking the scenery outside the window, the beautiful riverside parks and bicycle tracks, carefully planted trees, expansive cross river bridges... I marveled at modern Korean people's achievements. And back to the roots, what had initially made all these possible?

The Ajummas. They gave birth to the generations that brought Korea from the WW2 ashes to this developed country today. Burdened by their various roles as mother, daughter in law, wife, producer, housekeeper... how can they not be how they are as of today? Whereas man, the so called "master of the family", can rest after coming back from work, leave his plates on the dining table after meal and go for a cigarette, put dirty clothes in the basket after shower, woman has to cook, do the dishes and laundry, and everything. So how can they not be bbali bbali? How can they behave with repose? They have to be tough and unyielding, only looking at desired results, at whatever expense.

Korean ajumma's classic outfit
for weekend's mountain hiking(left)
Now, they are supposed to be more released when they reached their 50s. So they go mountain hiking on Saturdays, church on Sundays, other than that they go han jeung mak (한증막, sauna) with their middle aged friends, gossip unsubstantiated things and complain about their husbands. This seem to be an ideal outcome for rewarding their efforts in the past decades. However, for woman in their mid 50s right now, everything is just superficial. A lot of them are still burdened with debts from house mortgage, children's university tuition loans, and preparation for children's wedding expenses (the groom's family is supposed to prepare house and car). Burden after burden makes them seek religion for recourse. According to report, whereas 11% of Danish middle aged women have religious belief, 78% of Korean middle aged women resort to religion for spiritual comfort. Therefore one should be be too surprised if the number of churches exceeds that of convenience stores (especially in Seoul city area).

Maybe I am just too sensitive. Maybe I am just too sentimental. I came to feel uneasy later on when I see churches in Korea. Along the steeples of the churches, I as though can see tears trickling down, telling of a story of a generation of Korean women from the 50s. It could be religion, it could be economy, it could be a better job for their children, I sincerely hope Ajummas be rewarded one day, with what they really deserved.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Styling Xu Xiao Lian

也許男生的衣物總是比女生選擇少,考量到預算和商品availability,打扮這事似乎變得更有趣,也難怪比起妝扮自己(反正我不是以外貌取勝~),我比較喜歡研究怎麼打扮許小臉。
和大部分首爾男一樣,許小臉相當注意儀容,可他更難搞的地方在於他又不想穿得跟首爾男一樣,也不買韓國牌子,所以不管到哪,他總是第一個想跑百貨公司看衣服,取取經(要我,首先跑的就是博物館XD)。最近回顧電腦裡的相片,整理出幾個focus items,那些東西描繪出了我們走過的地方和歲月,睹物思事,挺有意思的。
賢慧如我本來還想聊聊男生的西裝,礙於篇幅,就下次再提啦。
(都是按圖放大)

Styling is a like trajectory of life, which reveals your mood, condition, and taste at different times. Due to concerns like product availability and budget, styling becomes more interesting because it is challenging. A few tips I concluded from reviewing KC's fotos over the years are as follows (click to enlarge picture. Xu Xiao Lian refers to KC) :

Scarf

A wool scarf I got for KC from agnès b, priced at 599HKD, made in Italy. One side is olive green and the other light beige, pretty handy for mix match. One thing I love about scarf is that with the same item you can look good even with an undie (of course, it can't be crumpled). Another line from agnès b is SPORT b..We loved SPORT b. several years ago but not so much nowadays. We feel that it's just too much in Asia, and the pricing does not reflect the fact that more and more of their products are now produced in China.
BTW, in the above pictures he's wearing the scarf in a very Korean way, haha.
(Pictures taken in 2007, HK, 24 years of age.)


Another wool scarf from H&M @ Seoul for around 39,000 won, made in China. Insisting to look gentleman, he's still wearing it in 30+ degree Singapore (left) and Taipei (right). He said he has reached the age to look classy, so simply wearing a polo or cotton shirt would not be right, and a classic polka dot scarf would do the job.
(Taken in 2010 summer, in SG and Taipei, 27 years of age)

Beanie

Fred Perry beanie I got in Sweden for about 249 SEK (around 1250 NTD). The logo itself probably tells you the owner has some brand concern and is also a smart consumer, given that Fred Perry is reasonably priced in Europe. Beanie helps enliven your winter outfit and create layering look. Also, since KC thinks fully zipping the down jacket is no trendy, but not fully zipping up may let freezing air in, adding a beanie can solve the problem and keep your head warm.
(Taken in early 2009, Sweden, 26 years of age.)

Sweater

We love this sweater from H&M. Usual price was 59000 won and we bought it with 50% off. It's made of cotton and can be worn in all seasons. In summer (middle) it goes well with a tank or undie inside, and at other times it's perfect with shirts of any color. All in all, it brings new look to your shirts and they won't look boring. 
(Taken in 2010 summer and autumn, Seoul, 27 years of age.)

Bag

Think I am just lucky to have found this bag, made of genuine leather with thoughtful pockets and wonderful details. 2400 NTD from SOAP, my favorite boutique in Taipei. It is one of the very few things of mine that KC thought about taking from me (and he did).

Vest

A cotton vest I got (again, haha) from CK Jeans for about 80000 won after 50% off. It does the same job as sweater, basically to add some vitality and change to your shirt inside. However, KC now seldom wears vest as he thinks it's too Korean to wear vest (yes, you might have realized that vest is already a typical item for Korean guys nowadays).

Last but not least comes...

Beret! Yes I haven't talked about shoes as I do not have enough pictures on my laptop to write a paragraph about it. And I have not talked about KC's office wear either. I'd love to share some ideas about selecting man suit as this took me some time to learn the lessons and I am still learning. Anyway. Here, need not to say much. If your man has baby face like KC, and you also happen to look...well, your age, then you can put on a pair of glasses and a beret to make him look maturer. Smart move, isn't it!

( Taken in 2010 summer, Seoul. Beret from Uniqlo, 7000 won after 50% off, something like that.)

Friday, January 14, 2011

道高一尺,魔高一丈

記得有次許小臉跟我說,韓國巴士費用是按距離計,很多韓國阿珠媽們是前門上車打了卡不久就到後門又打一次卡,這樣一般可省個100圜,當時這已讓我印象深刻。可惜貪小便宜這事,比起新加坡人,韓國人恐怕還略遜一籌,同樣是pay by distance,新加坡連對應策略都出台了 - 巴士後門貼有警告標示,讀卡機更是一絕,讀卡功能是在巴士駛近車站時才會開通(如下圖左),而巴士運行期間,讀卡功能將被關閉(如下圖右)。
好吧,那有些人更絕,乾脆上下車都不打卡,但這種人你也碰不到,因為巴士司機可是兩眼兩耳隨時偵測是否人人打卡,甚至時不時會有traffic inspector上車查票(查票耶! 是哪個年代的事了啊)。

Monday, January 10, 2011

Samsung, Still Sucky in Camera?

I still remember KC used to own a Samsung camera years back, whose performance was pretty disappointing. Likely, though his last mobile phone was an expensive model from Samsung with lots of breathtaking features, the camera sucks big time.

As KC is now using htc Nexus One, in order to operate on the same OS, Samsung's Galaxy S seems the best option for me, plus, it was on sale for 138 SGD with 56SGD monthly plan (free incoming calls, 200 mins free local calls and 500 sms, 12 GB data bundle). Again, this time I was disappointed by its camera: no FLASH, and the quality also falls far behind that of the Nexus One.

A simple comparison here, both pictures taken by me:

Using my Samsung Galaxy S

Using KC's htc Nexus One, with flash. You can even spot the oil stain on his shirt thanks to HK flying pork (it's another story).

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Rich Apple, Poor Apple? No, it's Affordable Korean Apple


Sometimes popular things are not popular solely because they are superior. Same reasoning applies to the popularity of Korean products in Singapore, why? Though they are superior to products of this region (South East Asia), a lot of times they still lose competitive edge to Japanese products in terms of quality. Let's say, you buy apples of Chinese, American, or Italian origin, which are priced around 5 for $2, and once in a while you wouldn't mind trying Korean apple that is $1.2 for one but double the size of the cheap ones. But it's very unlikely that you would shift your expectation of the price of an apple to $3-$5 or higher and go for a Japanese apple on a regular basis. So a possible explanation for the high visibility of Korean products("Korean Fashion", "Korean Accessories", etc) in Singapore is not because they are the best, but that they are affordable luxury.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

成真

以前人們在開玩笑時,有時會說 "等到民國100年吧!" 從今天開始,這個梗宣告過期。

看到世界各地的倒數活動,想到自己曾經列過幾歲之前要做的幾件事,其中之一就是到紐約時代廣場倒數,不過我想它大概不會成真,因為我現在就是個怕吵怕擠怕累的人,也早已習慣於冷眼旁觀群眾活動。不會成真的事情往往就是這樣,有時是來不及實現,有時是中途喪失了存在的理由。

最後,熱烈慶賀偏安政權中華民國百年元旦,因為它真的花生惹!!!