Korea Traditional Music 9th Post

Dear Fellows, finally i reached of 9 post blogging at CS3!
I felt a bit release at this moment and i felt that i no need to be rushing of doing others assignment!
Well, as my last post at CS3, i will be sharing about Korean Traditional Music.
It will be interesting about it because we can know that the culture's of other country as well and we can gain more knowledge of it too!


So, let us start! We talk about MUSIC:
The traditional music of Korea is based on the voice. That voice is always a distinctive Korean voice, a voice that arises from the character of the Korean people, related to Korea's climate and natural enviroment and also to religion and ideology.


Traditional Korean music can be broadly divided into (Jeongak) or court music, which has an intellectual emphasis, and (Minsogak) or folk music which is full of emotional expression. This former is closely related to the culture of the royal family and the upper - class literati and the latter belongs to the common people.


The most notable characteristic of Korean Music is its leisurely tempo. Most court music moves at a slow pace, sometimes so slow that a single beat can take up to three seconds. As a result, the mood of this music is static, meditative and reposeful. The reason for this stately tempo is related to the Korean people's concept of the importance of the breath. Whereas Western Music is based on the heartbeat, can be as lively, energetic and dynamic as the pounding of the heart, Korean court music, founded on the rhythm of breathing, takes on the attributes of a long breath; tranquil, stable and contemplative.


The tone of Korean music is generally soft and solemn, especially in court music, Because of this soft tone, even when a note or measusre clashes with another, it does not come off as unpleasant. The tones result from the fact that most instruments are made of non - metallic materials. String instruments use silk thread rather than wire and almost all of the wind instruments are made of bamboo.


Korean wind instruments include the cylindrical oboe (piri), metal bell shawm (taepyeongso), transverse flute (daegeum), end - blwon flute (danso), mouth organ (saenghwang) and ocarina (hun). String instruments include the 12 stringed zither (ajaeng) and two - stringed fiddle (haegaeum). Percussion instruments include the hand held gong (kkwaenggwari), hanging gong (jing), barrel drum (buk), hourglass drum (janggu), clapper (bak), bell chimes (pyeonjong), stone chimes (pyeongyeong), tiger - shaped scraper (eo) and wooden box (chuk).

Korean music is rich in improvisation. This spontaneity is more evident in the passionate folk music than it is in the emotionally restrained court music. The instrumental solo music (sanjo) is a good example as in the unique vocal art pansori. Another characteristic of Korean music is that it tends to be performed without a break between movements The most appropriate example of this is pansori. In the Song of Chunhyang, the singer performs alone for over 8 hours without a break, taking on the roles of all the characters in turn. This is rarely seen anywhere else in the world.

Another characteristic of Korean Music lie in its progression of tempos. Whereas Western Music often exploits the contrast betweeen slow and fast movements, Korean Music begins with the slowest section and gradually accelerates as the performance continues. This process of acceleration reflects the shamanistic basic of Korean culture, reaching a state of perfect self - abandonment.

For a better understading of Korean Musc, 1 point that should not be omitted is that in music that is used for rituals, the cosmologic principal of the five natural elements and ying and yang play a prominent role. A good example is the use of the wooden box (chuk) and the tiger - sharped scraper (eo) in the piece entited "Botaepyeong" that is played during the royal ancestrtal services at Jongmyo Shrine. the wooden box 9chuk) is played only at the beginning of the piece. Always placed at the eastern side of the traditional orchestra, it is painted blue, symbolzing the east, The Tiger - sharped scraper (eo) is played only at the end of the piece. It is placed at the weestern side of the orchestra, is painted white, and symbolizing the west. If one listens to the sound of the music wothout being aware of these symbols of the 5 natural elements and yin and yang, its true nature cannot be grasped.

The traditional of Korean music is maintained today by samullori percussion quarters and by such institutions as the National Traditional Music Orchestra and the National Center for Korean Traditional Perfoming Arts.

**THE END**

**Hope you enjoy it**

The local dance

7 stringed zither

Cylindrical Oboe (Piri)

Barrel Drum

Hourglass Drum

Stones chimes

Bell Chimes

The Court music part 1

Court Music part 2

The Folk Music

9 Stringed zither

End Blown flute

Temptation of a Wife - Korean Drama (8th Post)

Readers, i can tell you that this movie is very nice..

It can be tell you that how is a weaks wife to be stand and reverage on her husband! haha..

see the below, i will tell you more about it~ ^^

Well, TEMPTATION OF A WIFE - this drama i had been using my 2 weeks holidays to see it..

It got 129 episod oh.. how you want me to see oh?

Everyday early morning wake up then night time late sleep lo~

Then, now my eyes just like a PANDA already~~

By the way, this movie really nice~

Just intro a little bit only:

Temptation of a Wife (아내의 유혹) was a highly watched drama in South Korea broadcast by SBS. It began to be aired in 2008 and continued through the early quarter of 2009, ending on May 1st 2009. Despite many controversies about the questionable content of the drama, it currently remains to be one of the most highly watched dramas averaging around 30% each day.

 

Synopsis:

Goo Eun Jae (played by actress Jang Suh-Hee) graduated as a fashion design major at a university and begins preparations to study abroad in France. Her dreams to study in France are halted by a pregnancy with Jung Kyo Bin (played by actor Byun Woo-Min) and she decides to marry him, giving up on her dreams. This pregnancy is soon ended by a tragic miscarriage and it takes a long time until the Eun Jae becomes pregnant again.

At about the same time when Eun Jae finds out about her pregnancy, Eun Jae’s friend from school Ae Ri (played by actress Kim Seo Hyung) returns from France. Ae Ri was once the girlfriend of Eun Jae’s brother Kang Jae before she left for France. When Ae Ri left for France 5 years ago, she revealed that someone was taking care of her tuitions for her and it turns out that Eun Jae’s husband Kyo Bin was the one helping her out.

 

Eun Jae finds out that her husband had been cheating on her with Ae Ri and to add to this disorder, Ae Ri had Kyo Bin’s child five years ago. Eun Jae’s brother finds out about all this and assaults Kyo Bin causing Kyo Bin and his mother to force Eun Jae to sign for a divorce. After the divorce, Kyo Bin and Ae Ri gets married while Eun Jae moves to an island to get away from it all. Ae Ri pays a visit to Eun Jae demanding her to get an abortion and Kyo Bin also visits, throwing her necklace, given by her father-in-law as a promise not to give up on Kyo-Bin, into the sea. In efforts to retrieve the necklace, Kyo-Bin abandons Eun Jae at sea to drown and die. Ae Ri and Kyo Bin decide to keep this all a secret, by lying that Eun Jae had committed suicide. In the midst of all this, Gun Woo, the adoptive son of Lady Min was near the island Eun Jae was on in a search for his missing sister. He finds Eun Jae unconscious and takes her to the doctor where she finds out she had another miscarriage. Lady Min bring Eun Jae into her home as she thought her experience was similar to hers. She takes the identity of her thought to be dead daughter, So Hee, and seeks out revenge against Kyo Bin and Ae Ri while Gun woo and Eun jae falls in love.

 

Characteristic:

1) Jang Seo Hee --> Goo Eun Jae (구은재) - Eun Jae is responsible and has big dreams and desire to be a successful makeup artist. She is always concerned about her family who has always suffered from poverty and is always willing to sacrifce for her family. She graduates from a prestigious art university where she studied to be a makeup artist. Because of a pregnancy, she has no choice but to give up on her dreams as she marries Kyo Bin. Although it was a hard decision, once she chose to marry Kyo Bin without love, she tries her hardest for her husband and in-laws and learns to cook and becomes an excellent house wife. However, she soon learns that the life she chose is full of lies and betrayals and transforms into a different type of woman. Her near death experience becomes a chance for her to be born against as she plots revenge against her husband and her best friend.

2) Byun Woo Min --> Jung Kyo Bin (정교빈) - Since his school days, Kyo Bin had always been lazy trusting in his family's money. He was never studious and graduates barely by bribery. After graduation, he learns the business of real estate from his father. He had been interested in Eun Jae since high school but she ignored his efforts. He forces himself on her resulting in their marriage but after the miscarriage, Kyo Bin begins to feel tired of Eun Jae and cheats on her without any feeling of responsibility. He starts to be interested in Ae Ri and when she shows strong interest in him as well, he uses France as a way to get her away. But when Ae Ri comes back looking better than before, he feels attraction again and listens to her advices filing for a divorce.

Kim Seo Hyung --> Shin Ae Ri(신애리) - Ae Ri is the daughter of Eun Jae's father's friend and when Ae Ri's father passes away and her mother leaves the house, Eun Jae's father took her in. She is very quick and because she lived in other family's home since she was young, she acquired the wisdom to win favors of others around her. Her desire for success is stronger than most people. She receives unconditional love from Eun Jae's brother Kang Jae and Eun Jae's parents had accepted Ae Ri as their daughter in-law for the future. Although she assumes the perfect role in front of others, inside she dreams of raising her social status and was never satisfied with Kang Jae. She had always been interested in Kyo Bin and feels jealousy when Eun Jae marries him. She always felt jealous of Eun Jae and was always second next to Eun Jae. When she is approached by Kyo Bin, she will do anything to live the life she has always dreamed.

Shin Ai Re and Kyo Bing

From Left: Eun Jae, Kang Ee, and Ai Re

Lee Jae Hwang --> Min Gun Woo (민건우) - As an orphan, he suffered through hardships but his life turned when Lady Min adopted him as her son. He cared for Lady Min's daughter So Hee, thinking that it was the right thing to do for Lady Min but when he realizes that So Hee loves him, he begins to act harshly towards her. After So Hee's disapperaence, Gun Woo feels responsible for the ordeal but he meets Eun Jae and falls in love with her. He works with Kyo Bin in the construction company and earns Kyo Bin's trust. He has warm and caring characteristics as well but remains composed. But he has the ability to act recklessly in order to be with Eun Jae.

Now, let us come to see about the more character artist at this drama;

First we have Eun Jae's Family:

Kim Yong Gun: Goo Young Su (구영수)

Although he is indifferent to his wife's hard work, when it comes to his children, his love for them is extraordinary. He is an unknown singer who does not make much money for his family.

Yoon Mi Ra: Yoon Mi Ja(윤미자)

She is the typical mother and with her resourcefullness leads the family. She cleans buildings without the knowledge of her children and meets Lady Min by chance.

Choi Jun Yong: Goo Kang Jae(구강재)

With a unique personality unlike both of his parents, he lives for justice but occasionally when he gets angrym, he is like fire with his hot temperament. But even for him, he is willing to do anything for Ae Ri.

Kyo Bin's Family:

Kim Dong Hyun: Jung Ha Jo (정하조)

He interprets everything with money and only understands money. He betrays Lady Min who practically fed him and sent him to college and acquired wealth. Although he started his own company, he is nothing but a home salesman.

Geum Bo Ra: Baek Mi In (백미인)

As the only daughter of a wealthy family, she is ignorant and loves to waste money. She believes she is in control of her husband but in reality, her husband is more interested in money than women. She demands her daughter in-law Eun Jae to take lessons in cooking and flower arrangement but loves to gamble with her friends during the day.

Oh Young Sil: Jung Ha Neul (정하늘)

Everyone knows of Ha Neul as Ha Jo's very young sister but the truth is that Ha Neul is the daughter that was born between Ha Jo and Lady Min. She has the capacity of only a ten year old but sometimes knows how to say the right thing at the right time. Her character is to make the audiences laugh.

Song Hui Ah: Jung Soo Bin (정수빈)

Soo Bin attended Eun Jae's high school and is also her sister-in-law. She thinks her family as pitiful for being so obsessed with money and helps out Ha Neul as well as Eun Jae in times of need.

Gun Woo's Family:

Jung Ae Ri: Lady Min (민여사)

She is a successful owner of her own beauty shop company and vows to never trust another man after she is betrayed by her first love Jung Ha Jo. She never married but has a daughter So Hee and later adopts Gun Woo in to the family. Although she is cold hearted as a business owner, she is warm and caring to her family.

Chae Young In: Min Seo Hee (민소희)

When her mother was out for work, she was cared for by her adopted brother. She starts to love Gun Woo without realizing it. She needs to have whatever she wants and thus, cannot give up on her feelings toward Gun Woo. 

Conclusion of this movie that i can learn, must appreciate to the person that beside you, and you had already commited your life to your partner. Beside that, DO NOT BETRAY to your partner at life too, otherwise, it will be reverage of it~ Lasttly, as a mother - in - law, please do not bully and take the daughter - in - law as a servant at home but appreciate her to be what she had done of it!

**END**

Guitar - 7th post

Hello to my dear readers,  how are you recently?

Well, today i am going to post my blog with title of Guitar~

Before i start, i would like to ask?

What is music?

Music is an art that puts sounds together in a way that people like or find interesting. Most music includes people singing with their voices or playing musical instruments, such as the piano, guitar, or drums.

OR

Music is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek (mousike), "(art) of the Muses".

OR

Music is sound that has been organized/generated by using rhythm, melody or harmony. If someone bangs saucepans while cooking, it makes noise. If a person bangs saucepans or pots in a rhythmic way, they are making a simple type of music. Blues music is music that is played by singing, using the harmonica, or the acoustic guitar. Jazz musicians use instruments such as the trumpet and saxophone.

Music started many thousands of years ago. When early people first banged pieces of wood together and enjoyed the sound, they were discovering music. Early people also discovered that when they cut off the horns of animals they had killed and blew through them, they could make interesting sounds. People also blew into conch shells and made sounds that they liked. They probably started to sing or shout in celebration.

There are four things which music has most of the time:

• 
  
  Music often has pitch. This means high and low notes. Tunes are made of notes that go up or down or stay on the same note.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Music often has rhythm. Rhythm is the length of each note. Every tune has a rhythm that can be tapped. Music usually has a regular beat.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Music often has dynamics. This means whether it is quiet or loud or somewhere in between.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Music often has timbre. This is a French word (pronounced the French way: "TAM-br"). The "timbre" of a sound is the way that a sound is interesting. The sort of sound might be harsh, gentle, dry, warm, or something else. Timbre is what makes a clarinet sound different from an oboe, and what makes one person's voice sound different from another person.
  
  
  

How to enjoy music?

1. 
   
   By listening : People can enjoy music by listening to it. They can go to concerts to hear famous musicians perform. Classical music is usually performed in concert halls, but sometimes huge festivals are organized in which it is performed outside, in a field or stadium, like pop festivals. People can listen to music on CDs, Computers, iPods, television, the radio, casette/record-players and even mobile phones.
   There is so much music today, in elevators, shopping malls, and stores, that it often becomes a background sound that we do not really hear. Sometimes it is good to listen more closely to music: by trying to hear the different instruments and what types of notes the instruments are playing.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   By Playing or singing : People can learn to play an instrument such as the piano, the guitar, the bass, the trumpet, the drums, or the tuba. They must choose an instrument that is practical for their size. For example, a very short child cannot play a full size double bass, because the double bass is over five feet high. People should choose an instrument that they enjoy playing, because playing regularly is the only way to get better. Finally, it helps to have a good teacher.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   By composing : Anyone can make up his or her own pieces of music. It is not difficult to compose simple songs or melodies (tunes). It's easier for people who can play an instrument themselves. All it takes is experimenting with the sounds that an instrument makes. Someone can make up a piece that tells a story, or just find a nice tune and think about ways it can be changed each time it is repeated. The instrument might be someone's own voice.
   
   
   

Well, let us talk about guitar as my title is being posted.

The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar also vary, producing a variety of sounds. The two main types of guitars are the electric guitar and the acoustic guitar (of which the three main types are the classical guitar, the steel-string flattop guitar, and the archtop guitar).

Guitars are recognized as one of the primary instruments in flamenco, jazz, blues, country, mariachi, rock music, and many forms of pop. They can also be a solo classical instrument. Guitars may be played acoustically, where the tone is produced by vibration of the strings and modulated by the hollow body, or they may rely on an amplifier that can electronically manipulate tone. Such electric guitars were introduced in the 1930s, and they have continued to have a profound influence on popular culture since then.

Traditionally guitars have been constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut, or more recently, with either nylon or steel strings. Guitars are made and repaired by luthiers.

 We know that this world have many types of guitar. So now we are going to see about it.

Acoustic guitars - There are several notable subcategories within the acoustic guitar group: classical and flamenco guitars; steel-string guitars, which include the flat-topped, or "folk," guitar; twelve-string guitars; and the arched-top guitar. The acoustic guitar group also includes unamplified guitars designed to play in different registers, such as the acoustic bass guitar, which has a similar tuning to that of the electric bass guitar.

 Renaissance and Baroque guitars - These are the gracile ancestors of the modern classical guitar. They are substantially smaller and more delicate than the classical guitar, and generate a much quieter sound. The strings are paired in courses as in a modern 12-string guitar, but they only have four or five courses of strings rather than six. They were more often used as rhythm instruments in ensembles than as solo instruments, and can often be seen in that role in early music performances. (Gaspar Sanz' Instrucción de Música sobre la Guitarra Española of 1674 constitutes the majority of the surviving solo corpus for the era.) Renaissance and Baroque guitars are easily distinguished because the Renaissance guitar is very plain and the Baroque guitar is very ornate, with ivory or wood inlays all over the neck and body, and a paper-cutout inverted "wedding cake" inside the hole.

 The Baroque Guitars

Portuguese guitar - In spite of the name, it is not a guitar, but rather a cittern.

Portuegese Guitar

Flat-top (steel-string) guitars - Similar to the classical guitar, however, within the varied sizes of the steel-stringed guitar the body size is usually significantly larger than a classical guitar and it has a narrower, reinforced neck and stronger structural design. The robust X-bracing typical of the steel-string was developed in the 1840s by German-American luthiers of whom C. F. Martin is the best known. Originally used on gut-strung instruments, the strength of the system allowed the guitar to withstand the additional tension of steel strings when this fortunate combination arose in the early 20th century. The steel strings produce a brighter tone, and according to many players, a louder sound. The acoustic guitar is used in many kinds of music including folk, country, bluegrass, pop, jazz and blues. Many variations are possible from the roughly classical-sized OO and Parlour to the large Dreadnought and Jumbo. Ovation makes a modern variation, with a rounded back/side assembly molded from artificial materials.

Flat Top Guitar

Archtop guitars - These are steel-string instruments in which the top (and often the back) of the instrument are carved from a solid billet in a curved rather than a flat shape; this violin-like construction is usually credited to the American Orville Gibson (1856-1918). Lloyd Loar of the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co introduced the violin-inspired f-hole design now usually associated with archtop guitars, after designing a style of mandolin of the same type. The typical archtop guitar has a large, deep, hollow body whose form is much like that of a mandolin or violin family instrument. Nowadays, most archtops are equipped with magnetic pickups and are therefore both acoustic and electric. F-hole archtop guitars were immediately adopted upon their release by both jazz and country musicians and have remained particularly popular in jazz music, usually with flatwound strings.

Archtop Guitar

Selmer-Maccaferri guitars - These are usually played by those who follow the style of Django Reinhardt. It is an unusual-looking instrument, distinguished by a fairly large body with squarish bouts, and either a "D"-shaped or longitudinal oval soundhole. The strings are gathered at the tail like an archtop guitar, but the top is formed from thin spruce (like a flat-top or classical) forced into a shallow dome. It also has a wide fingerboard and slotted head like a nylon-string guitar. The loud volume and penetrating tone make it suitable for single-note soloing and it is frequently employed as a lead instrument in gypsy swing.

Selmer-Maccaferri guitars

Guitarrón - The guitarrón is a very large, deep-bodied Mexican 6-string acoustic bass played in mariachi bands. It is fretless with heavy gauge nylon strings, and is usually played by doubling notes at the octave, which is facilitated by the unusual tuning of A D G C E A.

Now, im going to tell you about the Guitar's Part

 

 1) Headstock

2) Nut

3) Machine heads (or pegheads, tuning keys, tuning machines, tuners)

4) Frets

5) Truss rod

6) Inlays

7) Neck

8) Heel (acoustic) – Neckjoint (electric)

9) Body

10) Pickups

11) Electronics

12) Bridge

13) Pickguard

14) Back

15) Soundboard (top)

16) Body sides (ribs)

17) Sound hole, with Rosette inlay

18) Strings

19) Saddle

20) Fretboard (or Fingerboard)

The Guitar Pick

**END**

iPod - 6th Post

9 post, I really do not know that what should i continue post after the 5th post. I really out of idea of it. (Can saying that I am gonna cry out because i really do not have idea. I don want to continue write about the interest place but i want to write that somethings is very different! Well, recently im using my MP3 to listen music, and i realise that i need to buy a new ipod while my MP3 is like maybe stil can using with it but seldom because it is just 2GB only. I also don know how so i asked my mom to buy me a new iPod. So today my post of this blogging is about the iPod.

iPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple and launched on October 23, 2001 (2001-10-23). The product line-up includes the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the video-capable iPod Nano, and the compact iPod Shuffle. The iPhone can function as an iPod but is generally treated as a separate product. Former iPod models include the iPod Mini and the spin-off iPod Photo (since reintegrated into the main iPod Classic line). iPod Classic models store media on an internal hard drive, while all other models use flash memory to enable their smaller size (the discontinued Mini used a Microdrive miniature hard drive). As with many other digital music players, iPods can also serve as external data storage devices. Storage capacity varies by model.

iPod shuffle, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Touch

iTunes and its alternatives may also transfer photos, videos, games, contact information, e-mail settings, Web bookmarks, and calendars to iPod models supporting those features. As of September 9, 2009, more than 220,000,000 iPods had been sold worldwide, making it the best-selling digital audio player series in history.

Now about the history and the design of the iPod, The iPod line came from Apple's "digital hub" category, when the company began creating software for the growing market of personal digital devices. Digital cameras, camcorders and organizers had well-established mainstream markets, but the company found existing digital music players "big and clunky or small and useless" with user interfaces that were "unbelievably awful," so Apple decided to develop its own. As ordered by CEO Steve Jobs, Apple's hardware engineering chief Jon Rubinstein assembled a team of engineers to design the iPod line, including hardware engineers Tony Fadell and Michael Dhuey, and design engineer Jonathan Ive.The product was developed in less than one year and unveiled on 23 October 2001. Jobs announced it as a Mac-compatible product with a 5 GB hard drive that put "1,000 songs in your pocket."

TRADEMARK: 

The name iPod was proposed by Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who (with others) was called by Apple to figure out how to introduce the new player to the public. After Chieco saw a prototype, he thought of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and the phrase "Open the pod bay door, Hal!", which refers to the white EVA Pods of the Discovery One spaceship. Apple researched the trademark and found that it was already in use. Joseph N. Grasso of New Jersey had originally listed an "iPod" trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in July 2000 for Internet kiosks. The first iPod kiosks had been demonstrated to the public in New Jersey in March 1998, and commercial use began in January 2000, but had apparently been discontinued by 2001. The trademark was registered by the USPTO in November 2003, and Grasso assigned it to Apple Computer, Inc. in 2005.

Meanwhile, we also need to know that the software of using the iPod too~ The iPod line can play several audio file formats including MP3, AAC/M4A, Protected AAC, AIFF, WAV, Audible audiobook, and Apple Lossless. The iPod Photo introduced the ability to display JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and PNG image file formats. Fifth and sixth generation iPod Classics, as well as third generation iPod Nanos, can additionally play MPEG-4 (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC) and QuickTime video formats, with restrictions on video dimensions, encoding techniques and data-rates. riginally, iPod software only worked with Mac OS; iPod software for Microsoft Windows was launched with the second generation model. nlike most other media players, Apple does not support Microsoft's WMA audio format—but a converter for WMA files without Digital Rights Management (DRM) is provided with the Windows version of iTunes. MIDI files also cannot be played, but can be converted to audio files using the "Advanced" menu in iTunes. Alternative open-source audio formats, such as Ogg Vorbis and FLAC, are not supported without installing custom firmware onto an iPod (e.g. Rockbox).

 

 

 

Since October 2004, the iPod has dominated digital music player sales in the United State, with is over with 90% of the market for the hard - drive based players and over 70% of the market for all types of players. It can be saying that the iPod is much more people came and buy for it for their demand of it because we can know that the increases of buying iPod is getting increase by year and year. Meanwhile, iPod also keep up - grading about the size of the iPod.

MV DOULOS - 5th Post

I believe that the recent activity on 28 August  2009 - 30 September 2009  is the MV DOULOS came to KOTA KINABALU here!!! And many people still do not know that what is Doulos Ship including some of my non - Christian Friends as well~

The MV Doulos is the world's oldest active ocean-faring passenger ship. She is now owned by the German charity Gute Bücher für Alle (English: Good Books for All - GBA), and is used as a floating bookshop. The ship has previously been known as the SS Medina, the SS Roma, and the MV Franca C at 1977.

The history of MV DOULOS is the Medina was built in 1914 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company for the Mallory Steamship Company of the United States. She was a freighter serving the Atlantic; during World War II she served with the United States Coast Guard.
The Panamanian company Naviera San Miguel SA acquired the Medina in 1948; they renamed the ship the Roma, and converted her into a passenger ship with cabins for 287 people, and dormitories for an additional 694 people.

In 1952 Naviera San Miguel resold the Roma to Linea Costa, an Italian company. At this time the SS Roma, a steamship, was converted into a motor vessel and renamed the MV Franca C. She carried passengers between Italy and Argentina. In 1959, the Franca C was adapted into a cruise liner, principally cruising the Mediterranean.

In 1977, Gute Bücher für Alle acquired the Franca C, and renamed her the Doulos (Greek for servant). In her current role, she is manned by a volunteer crew and visits sea ports world-wide.The MV Doulos currently holds the biggest floating library in the world. Normally there is somewhere around 3000 to 5000 books on the shelf and half a million in the hold.[citation needed]

For details on their current port and a list of future ports, visit official website.
She is currently doing her last world tour and was planned to be de-commissioned in 2010 when the SOLAS regulations are due to be introduced.

Over 20 million visitors have been welcomed on board for tours, programmes and visits to the floating book fair.With stops in over 500 ports of call, this unique ship has visited more than 100 countries in including Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and many island nations.Doulos is recognised in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest active ocean-going passenger ship.

The Doulos Ship are bringing KNOWLEDGE, HELP and HOPE~
a) Knowledge : - 20 million people in over one hundred countries have visited the onboard book fair. Academic texts and educational literature are regulary donated to communities in particular needs.

b) Help : - Crew and staff often participate in many practical assistace projects such as providing medical relief, buiding schools and renovating orphanages in the developing world.

c) Hope : - The all volunteer crew serve on boars as a practical expression of their Christian Faith. Their lifestyle and personal experiences are testimony of lives transformed by GOD's love.

Captain's Hat

The staff with full uniform

Side View of DOULOS

Doulos

Front View

**END**

Taste Meets Mirth - Korean Liquor (The 4th Post)

For Koreans, alcholic beverages have been a lifelong companion in times of joy and sorrow. Traditional Korean Liquor is very diverse in terms of the ingredients used and how it is made. Alcholic beverages in Korea are typically made from rice or wheat and some are made with special herbs that have medical values. Now let us see about the Korean Liquor.

At first, we got the Makgeoli (막걸리) also known as takju, is a traditional alcoholic beverage native to Korea. It is made from rice (referred to in English as "Korean rice wine") which gives it a milky, off-white color, and sweetness. It is made by fermenting a mixture of boiled rice and water, and is about 6.5–7% alcohol by volume. It was originally quite popular among farmers, earning it the name nongju (농주 / 農酒), which means "farmer liquor". Dongdongju (동동주) is a drink very similar to makgeolli, and both are commonly imbibed alongside Korean "pancakes" called pajeon (파전) or bindaetteok (빈대떡).

Additionally, makkoli is used during ancestral rites in Korea.

Commercially, makkoli is most commonly available in plastic bottles or aseptic box containers. Traditionally, it is served in a large metal or wooden bowl from which individual cups and bowls are filled using a ladle. As it is an unfiltered beverage, makkoli is generally shaken or stirred before consumed, as the cloudy white portion tends to settle to the bottom, leaving a pale yellow-clear liquid on top.

a bowl of Makgeolli (막걸리)

**Tips: For more appetizer, you can use fried Korean Pancakes called Jeon are very popular side dishes that go well with Makgeolli.**

The second is the Soju (소주) is a favourite alcoholic drink among Koreans. It is clear like Vodka and s made from distilling a fermented mash of rice or sweet potatoes. Soju is very cheap and available at most Korean Restaurants and Convenient Stores. In other ways, it is typically varies in alcohol content from about 20% to about 45% alcohol by volume (ABV), with 20% ABV being most common.

2 types of Soju

**Tips: For Appetizer, Soju goes well with almost everything, but it tastes particulary well with raw fish, barbecued meats and spicy food.

Next, we are going to see of Yakju (약주) in literally is call as "medicinal alcohol" which is a refined rice wine made from steamed rice that has gone through several fermentation stages. It is also called myeongyakju or beopju and is distinguished from takju by its relative clarity.Varieties include baekhaju (백하주), which is made from glutinous rice and Korean nuruk, and Heukmeeju (hangul: 흑미주; hanja: 黑米酒; literally "black rice wine"), which is made from black rice.

By the following, it will be ge Mogwa-ju which is just cut a mogwa, (the fruits of the Chinese quince), into small pieces. Steep the pieces in soju liquor, and seal the container for about three months. This fruit wine promotes blood circulation, and promotes body organic functions. According to Oriental medicine, this specific wine is particularly good for those with low blood pressure, or with cold body constitutions.

Now, I will be give some tips about how to enjoy the Korean Liquor.

First- See it!
Overall, the color of traditional alcohols is golden, but can vary from a light gold to a dark brownish gold. The lighter it is, the more clean taste it has. Darker colors indicate an older brew with a stronger taste. Good ones look clean and have a golden color, but the colors are supposed to be a bit different based on the kinds of herbs or grains used to make it. Generally, the longer the brewing process, the better the taste. However, for alcohols made from rice or other grains (beer and Japanese Sake), ones that are brewed for less than 100 days are supposed to have a perfect taste.

Second - Smell it!
There are 2 kinds of flavors in traditional alcohols. One is a peculiar malt flavor that delivers a savory taste, and the other is a fruity flavor. Even though traditional alcohols do not use any fruits, well-fermented ones strangely have an apple or watermelon fragrance. These fragrances are produced from the process of fermentation of wheat skin and are often found when the alcohol has been fermented at a low temperature.

Third- Taste it!
There are 6 different tastes in traditional alcohols: sweet, sour, bitter, savory, spicy, and puckery. The best ones have all 6 different tastes mixed together harmoniously.

Sweet taste:
For wines, the sweet taste is usually controlled by the level of sugar left in it, while traditional alcohols use 'deoksul-beop.' The principle of this method is that the sugar level is controlled by the malt's decomposition process. When the sweetness lessens, the fermentation is stopped. Rice is added one more time for a second fermentation. This process is called deoksul-beop and when it exceeds a certain alcohol level, the amount of glucose produced excels the decomposition speed of alcohol, making the sweet taste more obvious. In general, when normal fermentation is stopped artificially, the resulting alcohol tends to cause headaches among drinkers, so the natural way of producing the sweet taste by deoksul-beop is considered very scientific. When you select yakju based on its sweet taste, you should check if the sweetness comes from articificial addiments or deoksul-beop in order to avoid headaches.

Sour taste:
The sour taste is a natural taste resulting from micro-organisms in malt producing lactic acid, citric acid, and other diverse organic acids. However, a smell like kimchi or vinegar means it is has fermented too much. Remember that the most outstanding characteristic of traditional alcohols is a sweet taste mixed with a natural sour taste derived from citric acid, lactic acid, and hobak-san.

Puckury taste:
The puckury taste can be found in acorns and astringent persimmons. When the palate gets numb, it can give an unpleasant feeling. However, a puckury taste resulting from lactic acid can be a perfect match with side dishes, such as cooked meats.

Bitter/spicy tastes:
The spicy taste is produced from ingredients in the alcohol. Bitter tastes coming from herbs are better. The longer the fermentation period, the higher alcohol level and the thicker taster it has.

Savory taste:
This is a very important taste in traditional alcohols, making it more different from other alcohols, such as rice wines. It is produced in the decompostion process of proteins transforming into amino acids, and Koreans consider the taste very important. If you enjoy this taste, you had better choose darker colored alcohols. However, if you want a lighter and cleaner taste, choose a lighter color of alcohol.

Temperature:
In general, in low temperature, sweet, and savory taste and stimulating charateristics of alcohol are lessened, while sour tastes get stronger. The one with temperature between 6-15 degrees C give the perfect taste. When you enjoy lighter taste, drink cold one but when you prefer heavy and complex taste, drink the one preserved in around 15'c temperature. That is to say, in order to enjoy alcohol fully, you have to pay attention to its temperature.

The methods to enjoy traditional alcohol:
You can enjoy traditional alcohols with a meal or without any other side dishes. The following etiquette serves as a guide for serving traditional yakju with meals.

Temperature:
As mentioned above, the temperature of alcohol is important, and maintaining it around 8 degrees C allows the enjoyment of the perfect taste. To preserve the same temperature while you drinking, put the bottle in an ice bucket like for wine. Some people prefer to drink traditional alcohol warm, but cool is more common.

Cups:
There are two types of cups used for drinking traditional Korean alcohols: jan and bae. Bae refers to a smaller cup. To maintain a cool temperature, a ceramic jan is better. For glass cups, ones with handles are better in that body heat is less likely to affect the temperature of the alcohol.

When opening the cap:
To allow any built up gas in the bottle to escape, you should open the bottle slowly and wait a short period before serving.

The right selection of side dishes and alcohols:
Traditional Korean alcohols have stronger sweet and sour tastes compared with other alcohols. Throughout history, banju (alcohols served with meals) were consumed for relaxing and stimulating the appetite and aid in digestion. Guests usually drank 1 or 2 shots before a meals. When drinking with meals, ones with a dry taste are better.