금요일주제 Happy New Year ! Jan. 2 (Fri) - Let’s improve our English skill and have fun!

[Joy주영]

<< Session 1 – 7:30 ~ 8:25 >>

A different perspective on love                     from JungAng Daily suggested by Jerry

Documentary “My Love, Don’t Cross That River” has now garnered more than one million viewers, an unusual success for an independent film. The movie is about the love between an old couple who has lived together for 76 years. The seniors dress in matching traditional outfits, tease each other and make jokes like a young couple. When they part, the audience can’t help crying. The film has become a landmark in movie history as it thrived among commercial blockbusters. It is loved not only by older audiences but also young Koreans, and has expanded the boundaries of documentaries.

While some call it a senior version of a romantic fantasy about eternal love, this movie is not so simple. It is not about the greatness of love. It addresses the attitude of people in love. The 89-year-old wife constantly says, “Beautiful!” She is impressed by birds, wild plants and her 98-year-old husband wearing flowers behind his ear. She also likes to say, “Poor thing.” She pities a stray dog and adopts him. When her husband passes away, she says with tears, “My poor love.” She is not the kind of person to say cliched things like, “You left me all alone.”

The documentary shows that the essence of love is not the object of affection, but the attitude of the person in love. We often say that we can’t find someone to love, or that someone is not worth loving. But true love comes from the mind-set to care and love one another, or from the attitude of love itself. And love begins from having sympathy and feelings for all the things in the world.

Director Jin Mo-young said, “The couple has been caring for each other as a habit for 76 years. Their actions evoked love and affection from each other.” In the movie, the husband says, “I’ve never complained about her food in my life. If something tastes good, I’d eat more. If I don’t like something, I’d just eat little.” This considerate gesture is the very qualification of love.

As the film becomes a box office success, an art cinema chain expanded its screenings, but Jin asked the theater to keep them limited. “I realized that my film was actually undermining the diversity of diversity theaters.” It was the choice of an independent filmmaker who has been criticizing the vices of having monopolies over screens. If you are in love, you should learn from this old couple, whether it is a person or a movie that you love.

1.   Have you seen this movie? If so, how did you feel? If not, what is the movie you’ve recently seen and how was it?  

2.   What is your own definition of LOVE? Caring, Understanding, Devoting, or Sacrificing?

3.   If you had dating experience and broke up in the past, what do you think was the problem? Couldn’t you show your love enough to her/him? What lessen did you have from such experience?

4.   In order to love fullest, is marriage necessary? Are you going to get marry with someone you love to keep your love long like the old couple and can you do that?

5.   Compared with our parent generation, it seems that love nowadays is too fragile, extempore, irresponsible, and temporary. What do you think about that?

6.   Make your own questions

<< Session 2 – 8:35 ~ 9:30 >>

Budget shop flourish        from Chosun Ilbo prepared by Kuma (reusing - used on Dec 23)

Low-priced goods are one of the few business sectors that are doing well as consumers tighten their purse strings amid an economic slump.

  Japan's 100 Yen Shop operator Daiso sells coffee mugs, dish sponges, tupperware and other products priced between W500 to W5,000 (US$1=W1,088). The average price tag is W1,200. Since opening its first store in Cheonho-dong in 1997, Daiso Korea achieved W1 trillion in annual sales for the first time this year. That means it sold some 2.39 million products for W1,200 each every day. Around 500,000 customers on average visit Daiso shops here every day. The company's CEO Park Jung-boo said, "Rather than adding a margin on the purchase price of a product, we first set an adequate price tag and look for ways to cut costs." The low-price trend is also evident in apparel and cosmetics markets. Fast-fashion brand Uniqlo saw sales from September 2013 to August this year increase around 30 percent compared to the previous 12-month period to W895.4 billion. Sales of thermal underwear that cost W9,900 and jeans priced at W29,900 surged. Industry watchers believe Uniqlo has surpassed rival outdoor wear giants North Face and Bean Pole in terms of revenues. Uniqlo stores here have mushroomed from just four in 2005 to 138. Cheil Industries, Samsung Group's fashion subsidiary, launched its own fast-fashion brand 8 Seconds in 2012.

   Low-priced cosmetics brands such as The Face Shop and Innisfree have also become very popular. The Face Shop, which ranks at the top of the low-priced cosmetics market, achieved sales of W500 billion last year and is expected to post W600 billion in sales this year.

1.     How much have you ever spent at once for something personally?

2.     Have you ever shopped at budget-shop/one-dollar shop or fast-fashion brand before? What did you buy and what do you think about the quality?

3.     What do you know about the low-cost shopping teand from the above article? Which do you agree/disagree about it?

4.     Compare to last year or even past, do you think you pay more attention on how much do you spend or what to buy? Why & why not? If any, what do you think made you change?

5.     What do think about the sayings like "싼게 비지떡이다," or "질소과자"? Do you think so-called manufacturer's suggested retail price of Korean product is adequet and reasonable? Why & why not?       

6.     Bring your own questions.

[max_철수]

참석합니다. 2015년 정모 관련 1등 댓글. 아싸~
My questions: What are your resolutions/objectives of this year?

[marco 지호]

Max 님 제가 한번 인사드리려 가야하는데.. 평일날 시간이 잘 나지 않아 정모는 참석을 못하네요 아쉬운 점이 많습니다.^^ 새해 복 많이 받으시고요 좋은 일만 가득하시길 기원드립니다. 즐거운 토론 하시길 ^^

[max_철수]

어이쿠 marco님, 제가 토고영에 들러야 하는데, 요즘 토요일 아침은 늘 늦잠이라서. ^^

[ultra(민권)]

지참합니다~^^

[Kelly(현희)]

참석합니다.^^

[Elysia(박한아름)]

참석할게요~^^

[구스(현우)]

참석요