Background info on WML

[BAE]

this drama is good. like all or should i say most korean dramas, this one centers itself around matters regarding the family. it's nice. it flows rather slowly, but you somehow get into it...

[kathleen34]

... would I be the only one who thinks the subtitles should stay on the screeen longer? I'm trying hard to read everything... then miss actually looking at the scene. Should I call in my 2nd-grade granddaughter to help tutor me?

[ovaridedis24]

I hear you Kathleen, I thought my eyes were going to pop out of head, I was reading them but had no time to actually process them into my head, so I just found myself just reading the text but not getting a grasp of what they were saying.

[MisterBill50]

I found it difficult to keep up with the subtitles too! Is there more dialogue flowing in this series, or are they just not keeping subtitles on the screen long enough?

[kathleen34]

Yep... more dialogue and some fast talkers as well. I don't think that WE have a problem.... the subtitles should stay on the screen a little longer... thanks for your backup comments!

... and did anyone notice that it appears that they are looking for people to subtitle? full-time / part-time could we, perhaps, be gearing up for more of the dramas to be subtitled?

.. WML seems like it has potential to hook me in ... but I still miss WLS ... it's that separation thing.

... and what in the world are DOUBLE EYE LIDS? I think he's cute .. little miss Cow Eyes should get with the program.

Good nite....

[BungalowDweller]

Alexa!! It's worth it! YOu'll be pulled right in. The last time WML aired I tuned in after it started but I still fell in love with it. I didn't know the proper name for the program and always referred to it as "Happy House". Happy viewing!!!

[mikey]

kathleen34 said:

... and what in the world are DOUBLE EYE LIDS?

From an article in the Japansese Shukan Post (3/11).

***************
While in their younger days they may have headed off on a sex tour to Pusan seeking poontang, increasing numbers of Japanese men are now seeking cosmetic surgeons in Seoul, judging by Shukan Post (3/11).

Nearly all Japanese looking to go under the knife want to do something about their eyes. More specifically, their eyelids, with many seeking the double eyelid of Westerners, just like South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun ended up earlier this month after he had an operation on his eyes.

Why are they heading all the way to Korea? Price is the prime factor.

A double-eyelid op in Japan costs a whopping 1,200,000 yen, but the same procedure can be carried out by a Seoul surgeon for just 800,000 yen, often at a higher standard and better post-op care.

"South Korea is really tough on dealing with medical malpractice," Kanazawa says. "Dissatisfied customers can keep going back for treatment free of charge until they can get the desired result."

Bae Young-bae, a cosmetic surgeon in Seoul, has also noticed the trend.

"We used to get lots of women come to us from China and Japan. Recently, though, two or three Japanese men will come to us each week," Bae tells Shukan Post. "Unlike the Chinese, the Japanese tend to come here alone. I suppose the guys still feel a bit ashamed about resorting to cosmetic surgery."

One Japanese man with no such worries is an IT company president who had his eyelids made over in Korea. "I had the same job done as President Roh. It not only made my eyes look younger, but also my entire face.

Customers have reacted extremely well to the change, too," he says. "You can get the surgery performed for two-thirds of the price it would take in Japan. There's no time difference, either, so there's no great strain put on your body, either."

Not everybody is reacting favorably to the "boom" in South Korea cosmetic surgery. Takasu Clinic, Japan's nip-and-tuck juggernaut, is positively peeved.

"We look after a number of South Korean cosmetic surgeon interns, but I think it's a bit much to claim that South Korea is now a cosmetic surgery superpower," a Takasu Clinic spokesman tells Shukan Post. "The price, though, certainly is cheap."

***************

As for this "Double Eyelid" thing, I think it's the fact that most European/American people have a noticeable fold in their eyelids when their eyes are open (right above the eyes). Most Asians, though, have the eyelids seemingly disappear when they're open-eyed. One other source I noted reported that some Japanese schoolgirls are actually using superglue on their eyelids to try for that double-eyelid look.

If I'm correct about what they are calling a "double eyelid," then I have to say that it's something I don't even notice it unless I'm actually looking for it.

source: mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/0502/28lid.html

[kathleen34]

Mickey, Mickey, Mickey .... thank you, thank you, thank YOU!

that is about the best of explanations ... To their credit, it seems that the good people of Korea aren't as politically correct as nutty Americans... I applaud them for being able to call someone Chicken eyes... the PETA people would be bringing a lawsuit if that phrase were worked into an American soap opera.

[TheBo]

kathleen34 said:

... To their credit, it seems that the good people of Korea aren't as politically correct as nutty Americans...

To their credit? They're getting surgery to make their eyes more Western, and this is a good thing? Did you read the one about getting the tongue cut to make one's English accent less "Korean"? Oh, and how about that poking poison into the forehead to freeze it into youthfulness? Oh, wait, that's us ...

And since when are Americans so politically correct? It seems like take no prisoners on most message boards and so-called "news" programs these days. Say anything to discredit your opponent, some of it will surely stick--especially if it's obviously untrue.

Tcha. I don't think asking people to be polite to each other and not call each other names is "politically correct"--I think it's what our forbears called "good manners." I don't think the Koreans in WML thought her calling him that was particularly good manners, either.

Bo

[BungalowDweller]

TheBo said:

Tcha. I don't think asking people to be polite to each other and not call each other names is "politically correct"--I think it's what our forbears called "good manners."
Bo

You bet! I Despise that term. For the uninformed,it actually originated in Marxist-Leninist literature and means much more than self-censorship, which, in itself, is the antithesis of freedom of thought. The American Left picked up the term about 10 years ago. It received so much overkill and ill-usage that it morphed into mass vocabulary, with most folks having no idea the horrible premise behind the word.

Many moons ago I was granted a fellowship to study the effects of Communism on the human personality. Anybody wanting to know the full consequences of Political Correctness and what it really means should read the relatively new book by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Anne Applebaum, "Gulag: A History".

This is not meant to be a rant--it's just a ramble--we are so blessed to have such a polite, friendly board.

[kathleen34]

I stand corrected ... VERY corrected. I guess I just saw that scene as very cute and playful girls being somewhat silly and immature.

In becoming such a fan of the Korean dramas, my observation is that they very beautful people... Even the game shows, which I have absolutely no idea what they're saying... the 'regular people' are just so spirited and lovely.

Bungalowdweller I especially appreciate your comments ... do you think you could briefly eleaborate on your statement:

Anybody wanting to know the full consequences of Political Correctness and what it really means should read the relatively new book by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Anne Applebaum, "Gulag: A History".

This is a book that I WILL probably order from AMAZON.

Actually I am no fan of Political Correctness ... good manners, thoughtfulness, decency... those things can't be legislated. It's either a part of you.... or it isn't....

Please accept my apology for being a little bleary eyed when I wrote my comments.

[TheBo]

And please accept my apologies for jumping on you; you just hit my buttons, kathleen. The term "political correctness" is so often used as a put-down, a "say, shut up, you" that it gets on my nerves. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't mean they are riding a political hobbyhorse. They might just know something you don't.

And as for my assertion that the other characters on WML didn't like her calling him a "chicken eyes"--I correct myself. I remember that everyone did a lot of name-calling on this drama, like a big, rambunctious family group would. I particularly remember the name "gilpae" (is that right? meaning bad or naughty girl?) being tossed about pretty glibly, particularly by peoples' mothers, lol.

Bo

[rine]

i just saw the first episode today...and it was really confusing....uawgh..they have so many people in it (felt like how it did with my precious child...so confused!!!) but it was really funny, although they talked so fast and i could barely see their faces trying to read the subtitles!!!!

[galacticchick]

I suggest you all tape the episodes and then view them by pausing. That's what I did for pretty much the whole series (well at least the last half of the series which is when I started tuning in). Their facial expressions are too precious to miss.

[kathleen34]

I sent you an IMessage, Bungalowdweller ... really appreciated your comments ~