I MISS YOU between guys

Yesterday one of my good korean friend texted me in Kakaotalk. He said he's been missing me so bad. And after we were texting for a while, I said that I have to sleep because I have 7 o'clock class for the next day. Then he concluded with saying, "Love you, bye bye". Well some of you might think negatively when you see something like this. But for me it's rather a normal thing. Haha, no no, not that, dont get me wrong, I dont wanna say that I am gay, I want to say that in Korean society, expressing "I miss you" and "I love you" between guys doesnt mean that they're gay. Such an interesting culture difference that at first I also find a little bit creepy.

Then if it's not a problem then what does it mean when a guy say something like that to you ( if you're also a guy ). It means that you two are good friends and he really likes you ( not in the gay way ). In korean society, there's a thing called "정" Jeong or can be translated roughly as "love". But its not like the love we might perceive as affection between guy and girl. I dont know how this "jeong" thing originated and literally means, but what I heard from many korean I got the point of what jeong means in general. So, jeong is a kind of feeling of togetherness, brotherhood, affection, attachment, sharing, and caring. So, jeong is kind of hard to explain, because it's a complex feeling. Jeong is also tightly related with korean culture which shapes the character of the people in general. To make more sense I will give few example of jeong in korean society I've witnessed myself. First, korean shares their food. You might find that if you go out with your friends to eat, your friends would offer you their food. Sometimes, they will feed you ( menyuapi ) with their own hands. That happens between same sex too, so dont freak out if that happens to you, they just wanna express that they like you if that make sense. Second, saying "I miss you" or even "I love you" to the same sex. I'm not sure about this but saying "I love you" to the same sex is way easier than saying such thing to opposite sex, cause it could mean you wanna date her haha. Third, korean guys really like to do "skinships" when they feel comfortable around particular people. What I mean by skinships is like holding hands and other frienly body contacts. I experienced all these stuff myself, and kinda feel uncomfortable and even tried to resist it at first. But once I know how it's just part of the culture and the way they express their affection to people it's all fine.

In my opinion jeong culture has made korean culture and its society unique in its own way. Furthermore, how korean society is influenced by jeong also makes stronger bond and relationship between friends. I see korean society is a communal one, the people likes to be gathered in groups of people they comfortable with, not like the western one which embrace individuality. Maybe jeong could be one reason behind this too. So, if you ever visit korea in the future and would witness or experience something like these, dont freak out :). Cheers!

50 Things I must NOT do at Hogwarts…

I found this from Tumblr. I couldn't find the real source but since everyone were like reblogging it, I guess it's okay then? Anyways, it was actually only 30 at first. Then I added another 20 (I slip them within). It sure was fun to do this. It brings back a lot of memory. I guess if you're a hardcore Potter addict, you can easily understand this. If you're not.... Then good luck! Lol ;)

1. I will NOT sing “We’re off to see The Wizard” when I am sent to the headmasters office.

2. I will NOT feed the first years to Fluffy.

3. The Giant Squid is NOT an appropriate date to The Yule Ball.

4. Dobby is NOT Yoda is disguise.

5. He is NOT Gollum either.

6. I will NOT bring a magic-8-ball to Divination Class. (Oh God! XD)

7. Shaving Mrs. Norris is NOT a public service.

8. My homework was NOT eaten by a werewolf. Especially when my teacher is Professor Lupin.

9. I will NOT tell the first years to make a tree-house in the Whomping Willow.

10. House Elves are NOT suitable replacements for bludgers.

11. Growing marijuana and/or hallucinogenic mushrooms does NOT count as Herbology extra-credit.

12. I will NOT give Lupin a flea collar.

13. Nor will I leave dog-biscuits on his desk.

14. I will NOT shout “FIRE!!” when I am near the Bowtruckles.

15. If a classmate falls asleep I will NOT take advantage of this and draw a Dark Mark on their arm. (It would've been such a good prank...)

16. Starting a betting-pool on the fate of this year’s Defense against the Dark Arts teacher is tasteless and tacky. It is NOT a clever money-making concept.

17. I will NOT lick Trevor.

18. I do NOT have a Dalek Patronus.

19. There is no such thing as an Invisibility Thong.

20. I will NOT offer to prepare ‘Tandoori Owl’.

21. I will NOT teach House-Elves to impersonate Jar-Jar Binks.

22. Shouting “To Infinity and Beyond!” was only funny the first time I took off on a broom.

23. Saying “Remember - Save a Broom, Ride a Quidditch Player” is NOT an appropriate way to end a Quidditch practice.

24. When being interrogated by a member of staff I am NOT allowed to wave my hand in a casual manner and say “These are not the Droids you’re looking for”.

25. I will NOT refer to the summoning charm (Accio) as “The Force”.

26. First years are NOT toys; therefore I must NOT teach the Giant Squid to fetch them.

27. Spiking the school’s supply of pumpkin juice is NOT allowed, no matter how much we enjoyed ourselves that night.

28. “Springtime for Voldemort” is NOT an appropriate title for the school production.

29. I am NOT allowed to attempt to breed a ‘liger’.

30. I will NOT use Umbridge’s quill to write “Told you I was Hardcore”.

31. I will NOT greet Prof. McGonogal with “What’s new Pussy-cat?”.

32. There is NOT, nor will there ever be a fifth house at Hogwarts. I am not a member of aforementioned house, nor am I its founder.

33. I will NOT send shampoo to Snape’s office, no matter how badly he needs it.

34. "Potter 6, Voldemort 0", is not a valid T-shirt slogan. (My favorite so far, definitely.)

35. Even though they are easier to use and probably more effective, I will not use guns against the Death Eaters.

36. I will not charm Firenze pink and call him "My Little Pony."

37. No matter how funny it is I will NOT leave kitty litter in Prof. McGonogal’s office.

38. I will NOT attempt to recreate “The Cornish Pixie” incident.

39. I will NOT attempt to convince Snape the color pink would “suit his complexion more.”

40. I will NOT dress up as Lord Voldemort for Halloween.

41. I will NOT ask Harry Potter if his “Scar-Senses” are tingling.

42. I will NOT call Dumbledore Santa Claus. Even if it is Christmas.

43. I will NOT tell Voldemort to “Get a life”.

44. Charming the Brooms to hum “Disney’s: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is annoying and NOT even remotely amusing.

45. I will NOT ask Pure-Blood students – “If your Mum & Dad got divorced, would they still be brother & sister?” (XD!!!)

46. I must NOT mock Lupin about his "Time of The Month".

47. My Headmaster's name is Albus Dumbledore, NOT Gandalf.

48. I will NOT refer to new Defense against The Dark Arts teachers as "Lambs for the Slaughter".

49. Whenever I see a dementor I must NOT hiss "Sssssssshire, Bagginsssssss".

50. I must NOT sell Horcruxes on eBay.

What if God was one of us?

Hi there! :D

Mare's here. It's been a while, huh? This is actually my first post after that belated introduction post. I'm just a lazy bum like that, sorry. But the good news is, I'm still alive, so thank God.

First of all, this post is not a bashing post towards anyone's God. I was just find that it was insanely creative how people managed to make an 'alternate universe' story about their almighty God. I wasn't making fun either, and I don't planning to turn you people into a bunch of people who mock their God. So, if you can't stand it then you may leave. But I guarantee, you'll regret it. Because what I'm about to write down here can really make your day and make you hooked within two minutes. You've been warned. No hard feelings! ;)

Moving on, I've been hooked into an 'alternate universe' fiction story called "Saint Oniisan" since last week. It is actually a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nakamura Hikaru that turned into an original video animation (OVA). PRAISE THE LORD, it is amazing as hell. I'm instantly hooked with the story plot and the animation. It was rather awkward at first, because the main characters are not just ordinary character Goddamnit. They are the Gods for God sake, yet THEY WEAR JEANS AND TSHIRT!!?!?! Is it just me or I'm using too many 'God' words here?

Anyways, Saint Oniisan (Saint Young Men, Seinto Oniisan) is the glorious slice of life and gag (also parody) manga where Saint Jesus Christ and Saint Gautama Buddha, the founders of Christianity and Buddhism, are living together as roommates in an apartment in Japan while taking a vacation on Earth. The comedy often involves jokes about Christianity, Buddhism, and all things related, as well as the main characters' attempts to hide their identities and understand modern society in Japan. Each chapter shows how they go about or react to an average day, though they also go sightseeing or visit amusement parks. You can basically sum it up as “cute deities doing cute things.” It’s very damn funny, endearing, and sure as hell to make a believer out of you. LOL. And oh it’s actually very educational too. I just love this.

These are the main characters:

Jesus Christ (イエス・キリスト Iesu Kirisuto)

Jesus is portrayed as a care-free, generous, and humorous "sei-jin" (holy man or adult in Japanese). Unlike Buddha who is very strict about the relationship between him and his disciples, Jesus is very friendly to his apostles. But because Jesus is even nice to Judas, this makes Buddha worry. The residents of Heaven are overly protective of Jesus and will sometimes attempt to intervene to save Jesus if they hear his cries, even if they were from riding a roller-coaster. As a holy figure, Jesus' head will shine with a halo if he does or says something especially virtuous. Whenever Jesus' emotions are at a high or low peak (due to finding something funny or being scared), miracles may happen unexpectedly. Jesus is a devout follower of drama shows, and reviews them on his online blog.

Gautama Buddha (ゴータマ・ブッダ Gōtama Budda)

Buddha is portrayed as a calm, rational, and kind "sei-jin". However, he tends to be very tight with money. When Buddha sees things too seriously, he is often "saved" by Jesus’ care-free simplicity. But when the same care-free nature appears as Jesus being an impulse buyer, it often irritates Buddha. When his anger shows, often as a result of Jesus' antics, his head will start to shine with a halo and increasing in brightness until Jesus either calms him down or apologizes. His head can also glow if Buddha says anything especially virtuous, upon which he will have to do something to lower his virtue. Ever since Buddha spent a night in a manga cafe, he has become a follower of Osamu Tezuka's works such as the one about himself.

The first OVA is actually released last December. It was bundled with the special edition of the eight manga volume as a bonus, while the second OVA will be released alongside the ninth manga volume on July. This May, the two hours duration movie will be released. The movie itself is kinda sum the stories in few chapters of the manga. I sooooooo can't wait. While waited for the movie, here's some of the scenes from its first OVA.

Ah, in case you're interested to give it a try. Here's the download link for the first OVA, English subbed of course. So enjoy, and spread the epic-ness! ;)

Download link

And here's the preview of the movie that will be released in this month! OHMYGOD I'm so excited! Until next time! :D

Movie trailer

-Mare-