Scribblings of the Metropolitician: A Crowning Moment?

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August 31, 2006

A Crowning Moment?

Wha – say whuuut?!

Asia Blog Awards

Wow! It's been a really interesting week for this Metropolitician. Got mentioned on the Wall Street Journal web site, got some more major traffic from my two mammoth "Star Wars" posts (1, 2) on being a teacher in Korea, and then I get this nomination land in my lap – all very, very cool!

Miss America See, I was checking my stats and referrers a few minutes ago and just found out I made the short list (didn't even know there was a list) for "Best Korea Blog Q1 2006/2007."

Seriously, that's a very cool honor I just learned about. I don't know much about the processes behind getting on that list, but to whomever put this site in there and gave me some props – a heartfelt thanks to you.

After all my flagging and flailing, ambling and ailing on my blog – it really is an encouragement and quite an esteem boost to see that some folks out there "like me, they really like me!"

Seriously, though – however it ends up, I'm really flattered.

Thanks, everyone!

(Psst! And my peeples – go and vote for me!)

ㅋㅋ

Posted by The Metropolitician on August 31, 2006 | Permalink

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"Why Be Critical?"

Before you say this site is "anti-Korean" or bashing Korea – read this: "Why Be Critical?" Chances are, if you're simply angry because I am a social critic in Korea but not actually Korean, see if your argument isn't just a kneejerk response that follows these patterns.

Photo Classes!

Session 1: Just the Basics Dealing with the basic operations and functions of your DSLR, explaining each function, button, and doo-hickey. The bulk of the session is likely going to stick around the relationship between aperture and shutter, as well as depth-of-field. Basically everything on your camera has something to do with this relationship.
Session 2: Composition and Shooting (Shooting Session 1) We'll take those examples and look at them on the big screen, while also answering the concrete questions that will pop up about the stuff we learned before. Then we'll talk about composition and other framing issues, including lens lengths and why some lenses are worth $100 bucks and some are worth $10,000.
Session 3: Flashes and Advanced Exposure (Shooting Session 2) Dealing with flash, in terms of compensating above and below exposure levels (bracketing), as well as other bracketing techniques in general.
Session 4: Final Session/Critiques Keeping it open, determined by the class.
Four 3-hour sessions, as well as shooting sessions, photo discussions, and critiques. An individual photo essay will also be done as part of the ongoing class assignments. Inquire at the email address at the top right of this page.

Starter Posts

Here are some key posts, for those of you new to the blog, which are a sampling of some of my thoughts about race and ideology in Korea and in general, my view of what it means to be a true American, my answer to the question of "Why don't you talk about more positive things?", my thoughts on why the Korean media is so unprofessional, thoughts on the Korean education system (here and here), my post about and examples of racism in three countries' media and the difference in the way they're handled, my posts (here and here) channeling my anger about Katrina, my post about being black in Korea and the whole Hines Ward thing (here and here and here), a post directed against the fashionable racism of even so-called "progressive" Asian Americans, my first attempt at online activism – a petition against KBS, and even random posts such as why I love Apple and have used an Apple computer, why I think Korea doesn't like Star Trek but should really love Battlestar Galactica, and I am ashamed to say that I have even blogged about my cats (here and here).
As for my photo book (now in limbo due to editorial differences with the publisher), you can see the representative chapters from the "Seoul Essays" posts below. Note that Chapter 3 remains undone and in limbo on my computer:
Chapter I: On the Surface
Chapter II: Pleasures of the Everyday
Chapter IV: To Hell and Back
I have much, much more, but this is a random yet representative sampling of my work to start with.

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Scribblings of the Metropolitician

Writings, recordings, and photo reports from the streets of Seoul -- And STILL BANNED FROM KOREAN GOVERNMENT IP'S