“Life In The So-Called Space Age”
I’m making this post from my new computer!
An iMac!!!
Yes, you read that correctly, a 2.4 Ghz, 20″ aluminium iMac with 2GB of ram. More details/impressions to follow…
Here’s a WoW screenshot. Running at 1680×1024 with all settings maxed I get 30-70fps depending on the zone I am in. The azeroth fps should be even greater…
Whilst in Australia I picked up a copy of the Korean 2003 TV drama called Winter Sonata. Back when we were in Japan in 2004 it was all the rage among the housewives, and we’d been curious about it since. Florence, who had seen it, highly recommended it so it was a no brainer to get the entire 20 episode series for $15 at one of the chinatown shops in Sydney.
Shortly after returning we started watching. Ten days later we had finished it.
It was magnificent.
Winter Sonata is a love story between Yujin Jung and Kang Joon Sang, who meet during high school only to be forced apart. Years later they reunite, only Joon Sang has lost his memory and is going under a different name. Drama, pathos and near ceaseless heartbreak follow.
As KLS so skillfully put it “The show uses every last cliche ever used in a soap opera, but does it so well.” She’s right, this is edge-of-your-seat material that pulls the heartstrings in every one of its 20 episodes. There is no ‘filler’ and it never gets boring – no matter how unbelievable things sometimes may get, it’s difficult to stop watching.
The shot above is our lovers at age 18, and below at age 28
The story is complemented by great scenery (including many scenes shot at a beautiful ski resort in the Korean mountains) and a wonderful soundtrack. One song in particular (‘My Memory’, by a singer named Ryu) is used at least once every episode as a sort of queue for the viewer: here’s where you start to cry 🙂
The actor who plays Jong Sang is named Bae Yong Joon and went on to become a bit of an international superstar after the show. His character is extremely likeable (even I fell for him…) and it’s probably impossible for female viewers not to swoon during his most romantic moments. KLS certainly did 🙂
< Bae Yong Joon
His fame grew to such levels that merchandise of him exists (dolls, sheets, socks). But the best I've seen makes me wish that even once during our three Japan trips KLS & I thought to set foot into a Pizza-La restaurant:
Yes, that’s a Bae Yong Joon fridge magnet 🙂
The day after getting back from Australia I got a call from the department asking if I wanted to teach again this semester. My advisor was in an accident and badly broke her leg, which means she’ll be out for some time. That left two courses without an instructor and I agreed to teach one of them – Electronics. This is a course on the theory and design of electronic circuits, a sort of electrical engineering course with a physics bent. The course includes a hands-on lab component, and thankfully I have a TA to handle the lab (thanks Florence!)
So here we are, after one week of classes, which seem to have gone well.
After this and last semester I’m starting to feel more like a lecturer and less like a student…this doesn’t mean I don’t like it…but it’s certainly having an effect on my ability to get a lot of my own work done…