Pez’s Speckles

July 14th,

Today was the day that the Koreans refer to as ‘Bok-nal.’ It’s a day when everyone (if not many of them) eat something highly nutritious to prevent from being worn out all the time throughout summer.

One of the most popular food that people eat on ‘Bok-nal’s’ is ‘Samgyetang,’ which is hard-boiled soup with an entire chicken in it. So my family went to eat it for dinner. Frankly, I wasn’t in the best condition recently (not to mention how hard it rained today), so the chance to eat such nutritious food was a joyful news.

After eating the delicacy, I went outside, only to be greeted with excessive pouring from the sky. Even though it was clearly broadcasted on the weather forecast yesterday, I wasn’t aware of such massive rain attack today, for I’m not the most avid news watcher. I thought, ‘I don’t want to watch the weather forecast, but I still want to be more alerted about weathers… what can I do? What can I access easily?’ The conclusion was ‘cellphones.’ (again…)

Students – like myself – don’t really have time to sit through a news show every night, not to mention how even if they do, the weather forecast is barely entertaining. So I think it would be a great idea if weather data could be accessible on cell phones at a closer range. I am aware that there are applications that forecast weathers on cellphones right now, but I think it’s a solid fact that not everyone on any phone can access it.

Just like Samgyetang that revitalizes our bodies, I want to create a phone that can bring delight to everyone’s lives everyday.

July 13th,

Today, I had the chance to meet my friends. I met two of my classmates to eat lunch together in Apgujeong. Despite how I never liked going to crowded places, just the fact that I got to meet my friends was enough to pump me up.

At the arrival, I spotted numerous cellphone shops putting up signs ‘no-more free phones.’ For those of you who aren’t familiar with the way cellphone sales work is Korea, the term might sound surprisingly weird. Basically, the purchase of a cellphone in Korea is directly related with two sides: the producers of the phones (LG, Samsung, etc.) and the telecommunication marketers (SKT, KT etc.). In other words, the price that a customer pays to purchase a phone is determined by both of them, unlike how in other countries, the prices are set like any other electronics.

Thus, a ‘free phone’ is the result of a ‘deal’ between the phone makers and the telecommuncation marketers. A customer can get the cellhpone itself a free under the condition that they have to pay a certain amount of money each month for the various services that the telecommunications apply to the customer’s phone.

So I thought, ‘darn, how am I going to change my phone when I want to? Certainly my dad’s not the person who would buy me an expensive phone.’ The news was kind of depressing.

After a while of walking the busy streets of Apgujeong, I met my friends, and walked into the nearest restaurant. While we were waiting for the food the be ready, I was about to tell them about the YPM mission that I’m on – until I was cut off by both of their brags about their new phones.

Instantly I realized that they took the chance of ‘no-more-free-phone’ excuse to get their parents to buy them new phones. Apparantely, it worked for their parents, but not mine.

Although I have to admit that their ‘new’ phones aren’t the latest released models, they appeared pretty attractive. Interested, I set onto interrogate them on why they chose the very phone. Luckily, the information they provided to me were extremely helpful to the development of the phone that I’m going to develop in the future.

First thing that was meantioned was APPEARANCE/DESIGN. Quoting my friend, his new phone seemed “downright sexy.” To customers – especially customers of young age, design is by far the most, if not one of the most, important factors in making a decision. I had this in mind already, but actually directly hearing from a person was a new experience.

Second thing was PRICE/AFFORDABILITY. Although products such as cellphones are usually purchased through parents, price seemed to play a big role. As a student, buying a new phone requires persuading the parents. Therefore, the higher the price, the higher chance of persuasion. From this, I derived a conclusion that I will be directly focusing on lowering the cost of production of my future phone at all costs. This way, I think my yet-to-exist phone becomes more real and possible.

It seems like everyday after I was elected to carry out my blog missions for YPM, a lot of things happen concerning cellphones. I consider myself as lucky, for I can learn a lot from these experience, not to mention how I think the blog mission from YPM was an excellent idea.

For a short notice, I will be blogging about my product concepts for this week. Hopefully, I will be updating everyday, and I will give you a glimpse of what ‘my’ phone is going to be. Stay tuned!

July 12th 2009.

To my disappointment, I awoke to the sound of the pouring rain outside. I let out a sigh to the fact that I was actually planning on doing something outside, but now that chance is long gone due to such weather. ‘Funny,’ I thought, for I had always loved the rain, but it turns out to disappoint me today.

My phone buzzed today and I received a text message. Although I’m infamous for ignoring everyone’s text messages (laziness…), it was from an old friend of mind who just returned from America. I rigorously pressed the buttons to send him a message of salutation – until I was hit by the fact that the ‘7′ key (with the letters ㅂ,ㅍ,p,r,s) is not functioning.

I stared at my phone thinking, ‘okay, now my phone’s getting old.’ I’ve never had a strong attraction towards the touch phones such as Haptic from Samsung, but now I understand why I might want one. Such thought gave me a homework to think about how I might be able to minimize the defects in phones, since such impediments are what makes cell-phones irritating.

After I was done texting with my friend, I started doing my homework. Just as I was smoothly surfing through the pages of my workbook, I received a text message. As I wanted to concentrate I was going to ignore the phone; however, I have to admit that curiosity rules over determination (…sometimes that is). So I looked, and the moment I opened my phone, my dad walked in – thinking that I was fidgeting with my phone when I’m supposed to be studying.

So I got destroyed by my dad (not really), and he told me to put the phone outside whenever I’m in my room studying. Now, I thought ‘what if someone makes an urgent call and I can’t pick it up?’ ‘why do phones have to be shunned even if it’s such a nifty piece of technology?’ While being kind of sullen from the lecture my dad gave me, it gave me a motivation to create a phone that will not be an impediment to a student’s life, and that will actually help them.

My dad’s pretty scary, so his lecture was actually enough to bind me to the chair to study for quite a while. By the time I stood up to stretch, it was already dark outside – damp and gloomy. Also the fact that I didn’t even step out of my house came to my mind. I thought, ‘there’s a reason why my brother always calls me Snorlax (pictured on the right.)

Because we take technologies such as cellphones for granted – and by we, including myself – I was never able to notice the things that I’m noticing about cellphones right now. I’m experiencing its nifty conveniences, and also the defects that will be best if fixed. Thus, through YPM I’m going to be showing what my ‘ideal’ phone is. A cellphone that’s something like the Swiss Army knife – very useful, yet durable.

LATE!

is what came to my mind as I’m writing this post. I know it may sound like a typical excuse a teenager would fabricate, but yes, I was busy, occupied. Now, I have a feeling that my fellow YPM ‘competitors’ had a head start, but one thing is for sure; such fact is not going to slow me down in anything. Now…

LATE!

That’s right. Late. That’s what I was screaming as my lovely phone was lying on my table dead instead of singing its usual ‘morning-call’ tune. During the first couple of days that I bought my first-cell-phone-ever, I was busy choosing a pretty tune for everything – ring tone, morning call etc. It turned out that I keep my phone on manner mode more that 90% of the time, and my morning call tune became obsolete thanks to my amazing ability to turn it off before it even reaches the chorus (not that it ever will).

So I have mentioned above, I was late for my early departure in the morning because I didn’t wake up to my cell-phone’s morning alarm – or should I say that I managed to go back to bed after turning the alarm off. ‘What a great way to start off a day,’ I thought to myself. Now that I think of it though, such encounter gave me an inspiration that I might add as a feature of the phone that I will create.

As the saying goes, ‘Medicine that does good to your body are bitter.’ I was thinking that in order for the morning alarms to be more efficient in fulfilling its purpose, phones should design such function in a way that it is much harder for the people to deactivate. In other words, if it were for me, I would design the phone so that the morning alarm doesn’t turn off until the phone owner is awake.

Enough about my grand story of waking up – I headed straight to the subway station. I’m ashamed to say it myself, but I have to admit I’m a student – just like any other – who goes to hagwon pretty aloof from where I live. I’m neither an advocate nor a rebel concerning whether hagwons are good or bad; I’m attending such places to help me out with my academics. Pertaining to traveling to places such as hagwons, I’ve always been thinking that I want a subway map in my phone. I like my phone no doubt – it’s slim, and I think it has a lot of fascinating functions… except for the subway map. Oh, if I may, I’ll also add that my phone does not include an English dictionary either. Sometimes it comes to me – did I buy the wrong phone? Or is it just simple greed that I want all the functions that I want in my phone?

After all my study sessions ended, it was around 5 in the afternoon. Since I was bored on the way back home in the subway, I started sending text messages to my friends who are in situations not so different from mine. Letting out a deep sigh, I checked the time on my phone, and put it back on my pocket.

Indeed, even from the writer’s perspective my routine today was absolutely boring. Funny though, even in the most mundane and ordinary situations, I had to have my phone in either my pocket or my hand. I find this little machine very handy and revolutionary. For that matter, I also think that it still has much more room to improve. Lastly, writing this blog post really gives me the time to reflect upon what I liked and disliked about my specific phone, or my cellphones in general. YPM is getting more exciting than ever, and I assure you – by the end of my lifestyle posts, I’m going to present you the BEST phone on earth. Stay tuned

Boring, routine lives – that’s what I’ve been living for the past few weeks. I have entered the Summer vacation, but I am absolutely suffocating among the stockpiling of homework and books. Of course, I am never going to explain what boring things I have been up to up till now. (going through it was enough.)

What really motivated me to write this post on my blog, is that I get to participate in Samsung’s YPM (Youth Plus Membership). Basically, YPM is a contest in which I have to write on my blog weekly, explaining my own ideas about ‘cell-phones’ in my daily life.

So Here’s what’s you’re going to be seeing on my blog for the next six weeks.

Week 1 & Week 2: I’m going to be reflecting upon what influences my life receives from the use of mobile phones. I will be trying to address how I benefit from using cell-phones, and how it may act as an impediment or an inconvenience.

Week 3 & Week 4: Based on what I’ve reflected in the first two weeks, these weeks are for creating and outlining the ‘ideal’ product that I would like to design. This includes my custom appearance, User Interface, and the function of the phones. Who knows? My phone may become real!

Week 5: This week, I would be mobilizing my rusty aesthetic skills to visualize my phone. I hope it turns out okay.

Week 6: I’ll be making a story based on how people might be able to use the cell phone of my design.

If you’re reading this very post, I appreciate your attention.

Just like how this is a creativity based project, any comments and opinions at all will be greatly appreciated.

“To succeed, you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you.” Tony Dorsett

Pictures By My Great Pictures, Marcelgermain @ Flickr

Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Ironman, the Hulk, Power Rangers, Heroes, Fantastic 4, The Invisible man, Wolverine, Charles Xavier, Cyclopse, Sylar…

People above – although they are all fictional characters – possess superpowers that typical humans can only imagine having. Flight, supers strength, mind reading, psycokinesis etc…

I, a typical teenage boy, am extremely obsessed with superheroes and people with super-human abilities, solely because I want one of those abilities so badly. I often wanted to fly, climb on walls, be strong, read people’s minds and much more! I always wanted to be special – special in an extraordinary way.

But recently, as I’ve entered the season of the SAT’s and finals, I just realized how close I was to the people with superpowers. In fact, I was one of those people who had extraordinary abilities. That ability, ladies and gentleman, is cramming.

My apologies, if I got your hopes up, or I made you make a phone call to the FBI to arrest me to conduct numerous biological experiments on me, but it is not anything supernatural – it is extraordinary.

I’ve seen many friends who could hold an interesting conversation over online messengers, finish piled up homework, and study for a test at the same time. You may question such multitasking’s productivity, but so far, it has proved to be extremely high. Adding on, I cannot believe how many people manage to stay up so late, but appear as lively as ever at school on the next day.

Indeed, I am not saying that these people do it because they want to do it – I’m just expressing my amazement. I, am not an exception of the devastating effect of the finals week, and I can notice that I am becoming one of those people too.

Now, enough with me talking – extraordinary resilience in students is merely one ‘superpower’ that I was amazed by. My point here is, don’t think of superpowers as something fictional. There are people with extraordinary abilities and talents out there, and those people are quite near you. Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out who it is?

“We’re all something, but no-one’s everything.” – Blaise Pascal

We can’t have everything, but we are all special – we are all super heroes to someone around you.

As an international student who speaks English – but does not look like a person who is from an English-speaking nation, I’ve come through many stereotypes. Many of them were often offensive, but of course, I’m never going to write about those – especially in my blog!

One interesting book that I’ve read recently contained some research that actually backed up the argument that there are reasons for Asians being better than the people of other nations in math! When I first looked at it, I must admit that I was quite shocked, for I thought it was just the way Asians were taught since they were young.

In a nutshell, basically such magical power comes from our language. I find it extremely ironic, because in Korea (a country in Asia in which I’m living in), students in high schools usually decide whether to keep studying science/math or language/social studies. The Koreans call the math-sided people ‘yi gwa’, and the other ‘moon gwa.’

Anyways, the hypothesis was, that the pattern in which the Asian countries assign the names for the numbers are very simple – in fact, all in single syllables!

Allow me to present you with some examples:

Chinese – yi er san si wu liu qi ba jiu shi

Japanese – ichi, ni, san, si, go, loku, siqi, hachi, qu, jiu

Korean – il ee sam sa oh yook chil pal goo ship

They all state the numbers 1 ~ 10 in order, and if they are read out loud, the time it takes to pronounce one number is very short.

Now, if any reader who is reading this post, and is interested in this topic a lot, then I suggest you read this number once in English and the other in one of the Asian languages above.

233,556,789

while in English, it will be fastest to say: “two three three five five six seven eight nine”

in Korean (for instance) it just takes a person to say: “e sam sam oh oh yook chil pag goo”

Even if it may be a just assumption, I would like to call it the cool assumption; because so far, it has done the job of convincing me entirely. Now, all Asians – if someone who is not Asian comes up to you and ask you how freakishly good at math you are, then you can just say this in a very cool way: “well, our language is so pretty that it actually boosted the ability for me to memorize numbers faster than people of other nationality.”

Asian Power!

Yes, for once, I actually went to an event that took place in the Olympics Stadium, where everyone literally went crazy and loud. I’m saying that I’m surprised to see me doing this, because I really do hate going to crowded places where you have to bump into someone every 3 steps you take. I tend to prefer places where I can enjoy my privacy, with no disturbance whatsoever. So why did I go there?

Because it was the day of the 2009 CYON bboy championship!
It is held by the Korean mobile phone industry CYON, and is not recognized as one of the most significant breakdancing events in Korea. I happened to have free tickets, so I went to watch the championship with my fellow crewmembers.

I LIKED!

I loved the fact that our crewmembers got together in a long time, and had the chance to enjoy such love show. It had many bboys that we admired and advocated, and seeing them show off their skills was dazzling to witness. Also, the ticket was free, making the entire process a lot more enjoyable. Last but not least, I really loved the fact that my and my classmates could take a bit of time off to enjoy what we love most, despite the crammed schedules. Altogether, this championship was a lovely opportunity.

I DISLIKED!

It was held with the name ‘cyon BBOY CHAMPIONSHIP’ – but it turned out that most of the other audiences were there to watch the idol group Big Bang, who sang a few songs after the championship. In other words, the people that I sat with to watch the dancers do their moves didn’t know anything, if not little, about bboying. It was disappointing to find out how the audience went crazy at the appearance of Big Bang, but didn’t know when to cheer, or what to cheer to, when the dancers were being incredible on the stage. I guess Bboying still is a minority culture in Korea.

THE WINNER?

Since it was a championship, there was of course, a champion. The champion team for the 2009 Cyon Bboy Championship went to T.I.P. In a nutshell, they were insane. They are one of the best dancers I’ve seen in my life by far, and their passion and skills made me think that it was a great choice to come out to the Olympics stadium that night.

Every once in a while, I think I need to take a break from being a quiet student, and be a hyper teenager. As much as the event fatigued my body, it energized my mind, and turned me into a person with much more energy. Now all I need to do is to start practicing, so that whenever someone else sees me dancing, they will call me ‘insane.’

Thanks Cyon for holding such a dazzling event.

Peace.

“Worrying is like a rocking chair. You can rock all day and not get anywhere.” – Adapted from an anonymous quote by Sam Baughn

By trying to sound very intelligent, I would like to state before hand that I am not going to make this blog post highly intellectual nor am I going to write extremely scholarly contents. I just have the tendency to like famous quotes that either touches me, or I can apply to in my life. In the case of the quote above, it’s doing both at the same time.
As I’m going through it right now, teenage year is the stage of insecurity and curiosity – and I admit wholeheartedly. I sometimes worry about stuff that I don’t have to worry about, or not worry about things that I should be worried about. However as soon as I had a glace at this quote, it struck me in a way that I was numb.

No matter what it is, and how much it is worth to worry about it, it’s not going to get me anywhere.

I find my conclusion highly philosophical indeed, but rather simple at the same time. Now, if you’ve come this far into reading this post, you might be wondering, why on earth am I writing on this topic? Well, I am assuming (apologies if you are not) that most of the readers will have worries in their lives – whether they’re ground shattering, or just annoying. I really wanted to share the lesson that I derived from this quote.

I’m not saying that everyone should be totally chilled about whatever they go through. But why not live a happy life? BE OPTIMISTIC

That’s all I’m going to say for today.

Truly Yours,
Paul, who has just taken the SAT ii yesterday and is still in a panic mode due to the fact that I have to study for the finals that will be taking place starting from tomorrow until Thursday.

You always used to say, that you don’t have to give in to the unjust to

become successful.

You have truly shown me how much a ‘challenge’ is worth.

Now that you’ve left, may you rest in peace forever Mr. Roh.