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Comment by 私貨珍藏 on February 20, 2024 at 8:10am

The significance of South Korea’s success lies in the amalgamation of national identity and entrepreneurship. The Korean creative industry covers a wide range of sectors, including games, animation, broadcasting and others, aside from just music and movies. In each of these, the promotion of national identity, whether it is traditions, values, language or culture, is inherent in all content.

For instance, SuperM has released songs in English that also contain Korean words. Moreover, K-drama episodes regularly project an image of a developed, modern, traditional yet technologically advanced South Korea. Additionally, the games industry was promoted from a desire to develop Korea as a high-tech knowledge-based nation.

Creative industries have also proliferated in ASEAN Member States (AMS). The Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, for example, have established frameworks or agencies aimed at promoting their national creative industry, drawing from a number of such cultural products as food, services and music, among others.

The question, then, is whether there is a foundation for an ASEAN attempt at replicating the South Korean model of creative industries to promote a region-wide identity and support the industries of each AMS.

Three challenges immediately arise.

One, South Korea’s approach builds on a nation-identifying and nation-building strategy that is aimed at both a domestic and international audience. This may not be convenient for ASEAN, which comprise 10 multicultural countries. Such a strategy is easier to achieve in a more homogenous environment such as South Korea.

Furthermore, AMS have also traditionally been nationalistic and the issue of culture often struck sensitive nerves, resulting in tension among them. With the countries potentially becoming more inward-looking and protectionist during and after the pandemic, AMS might have reservations towards opening up their creative industries with each other.

Two, there are different market types and sizes in ASEAN, which then impact the various levels of development of creative industries in the region. Will a single strategy to boost ASEAN’s creative economy suffice if all AMS have diverse markets and are experiencing various levels of development?

Therefore, despite there being elements of the South Korean strategy that could assist ASEAN in projecting a region-wide identity and soft power better, whose identity and soft power will it be? Will an ASEAN strategy project soft power according to each individual member state, or will it project a cohesive, regional ASEAN soft power?

There are ways for ASEAN to navigate around these challenges.

It is not necessary for ASEAN to decide between homogeneity or multiculturalism. A balance can be struck between the two. On the one hand, the bloc could use a common language as a unifying factor, particularly for gaming and broadcasting products. Given multiple ASEAN languages and the lack of a language policy in the region, English is a natural choice.

On the other hand, the strategy for an ASEAN creative industry could also celebrate its multiculturalism. Instead of it being a limitation, ASEAN’s diversity could be seen as an asset that can be used to mobilise multi-dimensional cultural content across its multiple audiences. Technology and digitalisation can also support this. For example, the format of the singing competition Asia Bagus could be revived in the digital space during this pandemic, showcasing talents from multiple AMS to anyone plugged to the Internet.

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on February 19, 2024 at 5:37pm

Moreover, establishing a digital single market in ASEAN could also work in favour of the creative industries. The framework adopted by the European Union in 2015 allows creators to produce, distribute and be recompensed for their content while also resolving arising intellectual property rights issues. ASEAN should consider this option if creative industries were to flourish here.

Like everything else in ASEAN, perhaps it is easier to focus on available low-hanging fruits in this context. Several specific lessons from South Korea’s creative industries should be considered, especially with the pandemic in the backdrop.

First, the South Korean example shows that creative industries are resilient in times of crisis, as evidenced by acts or performers moving their concerts online or games providing an escapism outlet.

There is an opportunity to be harnessed as the “new normal” setting pushes many human activities to the digital space. With 400 million Internet users in the region, the digitalisation of industries has become a new source of economic growth in the ASEAN region, for example, telecommuting, telemedicine and e-commerce among others.

Officials responsible for the Culture and Arts sector under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) must wrest this momentum to push AMS’ creative industries further to the digital space, not only in the interest of promoting content, but also to ensure the economic survival of performers, producers and other industry players during this harsh climate.

Second, South Korea understands the potential of youths, with creative industries constantly producing contents targeting them.

AMS seem to also understand this as evidenced by developments to include youths in creative industries. In Malaysia, for example, millennials appear to be driving the boom for the eSports industry – at the helm of which was a millennial then-Minister of Youth and Sports who fought for budget allocation to this industry.

The pandemic should be a wake-up call to further consider the potential of ASEAN youths in creative industries. There are nearly 220 million youths in ASEAN and a recent survey by the World Economic Forum found that they are resilient individuals who are able to adapt to the post-pandemic world.

Furthermore, 87% of youths recorded an increase in the usage of digital tools during the pandemic. Linked to the previous point, it seems that moving towards digitalisation is a safe bet for creative industries, considering the available talent and pool of demand that the youths can provide.

The fanfare that Southeast Asians threw when Parasite won the Oscar this year was a clear testament of the potent soft power that South Korea has. Despite it being the sole achievement of South Korea’s creative industry, the people of this region also shared the shock, excitement and incredulity from this momentous achievement. Although it might be difficult for ASEAN to fully replicate the South Korean model of combining national identity and entrepreneurship, there are other lessons that ASEAN could learn to promote its creative industries. The Parasite dream might be distant, but a fellow Asian country demonstrates that it is not impossible.

（Hallyu and the Creative Industry – Can ASEAN Replicate South Korea’s Success? by Farlina Said, Puteri Nor Ariane Yasmin and Muhammad Sinatra；they are Analysts in Foreign Policy and Security Studies (FPSS), ISIS Malaysia，Source: https://www.isis.org.my）

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on February 5, 2024 at 3:49pm

Note by Dr Tan Beng Huat

The Cultural and Creative Industry offers a powerful strategy for communities to unlock the greater value of their natural and historical assets, ultimately enhancing their standard of living and fostering mutual understanding. It's essential to establish shared spaces where continuous dialogue and action can take place, aimed at bolstering intercultural exchanges and cultural diplomacy. This involves supporting technology, global trade, local residency, and production in a mutually reinforcing manner. [NOTE 1 5.2.2024]

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on February 3, 2024 at 12:01pm

Lap of Luxury – Origin & Meaning by Candace Osmond

What does lap of luxury mean? I can assure you it doesn’t involve a luxury lap pool or a lap-sized serving of luxury chocolates. We use this phrase in English to describe a condition of amazing comfort and extravagance. So, let’s dive into the plush cushions of this idiom, explore its origin, and look at some alternative ways to say it and how to use it in a sentence.

The idiom lap of luxury is meant to describe a state of opulence or extravagant comfort. Picture this: lounging on a sun-kissed beach, sipping cocktails, with no worries in the world. That’s the lap of luxury. It’s where many of us aspire to be, but few find ourselves.

I often think of my trip to Cuba years ago. I’d just had my second kid, and work was crazy, so the trip was well-deserved. We stayed at a five-star resort, had zero responsibilities or places to be, and food and drinks were brought to us by the pool each day. That was the lap of luxury, and I’ll never forget it!

(Source: https://grammarist.com)

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on February 3, 2024 at 10:44am

What's in a name? 

"Metaphors are the organizing tool for cultural communication and political discourse. No political or social change takes place without effective use of metaphor."

The Metaphor Project

(born at a Natural Step Open Space Conference in Berkeley, CA, 1997)

“Metaphors are a special form of presentation natural to many cultures. They are of unique importance as a means of communicating complex notions, especially in interdisciplinary and multicultural dialogue, as well as in the popularization of abstract concepts, in political discourse and as part of any creative process. They offer the special advantage of calling upon a pre-existing capacity to comprehend complexity, rather than assuming that people need to engage in lengthy educational processes before being able to comprehend.” （Governance through Metaphor Project）

Models, analogies and metaphors, from Physics to Poetry, of which involve a Source Target relationship. There is a translation from the established aura of facts, regularities, mechanisms and meanings  of the Source to those of the Target. This translation suggests a means of transferring inferences for the Source into inferences for the Target. （Paraphrased from Emergence-From Chaos to Order by John Holland）

（Source: https://www.lap.org）

Related: Top 10  Lap Quotes

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on February 2, 2024 at 8:37pm

陳明發原創：Indriya喜慶體驗

Indriya作爲一種體驗喜慶的方式，從生機勃勃創造“敘根緣”L·A·P·開始，再生生不息地全感官-全感觀享受、提昇“敘根緣”；讓文化能量無止無儘的蛻轉。

敘，與“續”有關；

根，與“耕”有關；

緣，與“園”有關。

文創園區，便是建立在“敘根緣”哲學上，由新集資方法（如衆籌）；新科技（如數智應用、數實融合）等日益成熟的經營生態推進。

                                                    （Adelaide Creative Hub）

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on January 22, 2024 at 10:21am

The Plot offers one-stop Agro-Tourism experience

SERDANG: The Plot, located at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) which features more than 500 types of plants, is offering a unique agro-tourism experience as well as classes for visitors to learn more about the science of farming.

Apadana Agro Sdn Bhd chief executive officer, Dr Abas Mazni Othman, said The Plot which occupies two acres of land, is a one-stop centre offering visitors activities to learn about the types of plants cultivated there through its agro tourism programmes.

"We developed The Plot to benefit individuals who are interested in getting to know plant species that may now be difficult to find anywhere, including those who wish to learn how to cultivate plants.

"I would like to change the perception that agriculture is not fun, hot and smelly because if done right, it is not only fun but can help generate income," he told Bernama in an interview recently.

Abas Mazni said The Plot was divided into 10 sections namely zeolite (volcanic rock) and zeolite-based products; water catchment area; innovative planting media; main crops; outdoor garden; indoor garden, animal farm; retail outlets; centre for recreation as well as training, events and consultancy.

The Plot was divided into 10 sections namely zeolite (volcanic rock) and zeolite-based products; water catchment area; innovative planting media; main crops; outdoor garden; indoor garden, animal farm; retail outlets; centre for recreation as well as training, events and consultancy. - Pic credit Facebook The PLOT by Apadana Agro.

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on January 22, 2024 at 10:21am

The former Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) scientist said the animal farm on The Plot was filled with chickens, ducks, goats, fish, pigeons, and quails.

He said The Plot was also cultivated with trees and plants that are unique and rare, including lemon myrtle, acerola cherry, miracle berry, Surinam cherry, black turmeric and fragrant flowers, including kesidang (bread flower), Magnolia champaca, orange jasmine and Tonkin jasmine.

The lemon myrtle plant (pic above) was imported from Australia, he said, claiming that only The Plot and an agropreneur in Selangor are cultivating this plant for commercial purposes.
"This miracle berry （pic above） tree, originally from Mexico, is true to its name, it can change the sour taste of food into a sweet taste," he said.

According to him, the crops at The Plot are cared for using environmentally friendly methods that minimise the use of chemical fertilisers to maintain environmental sustainability, including using used tires to replace flower pots.

"We have a section called Tyre Garden@The Plot with the concept of sustainable use of waste materials where old tyres are set out according to the needs of each plant type by prioritising maintenance efficiencies such as watering, fertilising, weeding and cleaning," he said, adding that the tyres also function as barriers to mark the edges of the garden.

Abas Mazni said the plants were also processed to produce products such as tea and aromatherapy oil from lemon myrtle and pickles, jam and juice from the roselle plant, which are being sold in the retail section of The Plot.

Located at the Mechanisation and Automation Technology Site, The Plot is open daily from 9am to 7pm. – (By Bernama - March 28, 2023 in The Star)

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on June 11, 2022 at 3:09pm

愛墾評點·上網課

我幾乎每天都上Youtube，至少一次。有時去看看有何新樂子，找點東西讓自己開開心；很多時候卻是去找答案：某個題材的廣告，人家是怎樣玩、怎樣耍酷的；某個photoshop技術到底是如何做的，學習嘛。

上網學習，那經驗不一定很愉快。盡管是免費的，優管視頻卻不盡是好東西。說的殘酷些，很多是垃圾，換我去說、去示範，還比他們好多呢。

不過，若有高人出馬，有效又加上有趣的表達，YouTube 是可能威脅到傳統大學的，只要你想知道什麼，高人就在那裏渾身解數來教你。

網路視頻主持人也可以是好老師。（January 18, 2012 愛墾網）

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on July 20, 2021 at 5:32pm

清朝蒲松齡《山市》

奐山山市，邑八景之一也，然數年恒不一見。孫公子禹年與同人飲樓上，忽見山頭有孤塔聳起，高插青冥，相顧驚疑，念近中無此禪院。無何，見宮殿數十所，碧瓦飛甍，始悟為山市。未幾，高垣睥睨，連亙六七里，居然城郭矣。中有樓若者，堂若者，坊若者，歷歷在目，以億萬計。忽大風起，塵氣莽莽然，城市依稀而已。既而風定天清，一切烏有，惟危樓一座，直接霄漢。樓五架，窗扉皆洞開；一行有五點明處，樓外天也。

層層指數，樓愈高，則明漸少。數至八層，裁如星點。又其上，則黯然縹緲，不可計其層次矣。而樓上人往來屑屑，或憑或立，不一狀。逾時，樓漸低，可見其頂；又漸如常樓；又漸如高舍；倏忽如拳如豆，遂不可見。

又聞有早行者，見山上人煙市肆，與世無別，故又名“鬼市”雲。


白話翻譯

奐山的山市,是（淄川）縣有名的八景之一，但好幾年也難得見到一次。有位名叫孫禹年的公子，同幾位志同道合朋友（在）樓上飲酒，忽然看見（奐山）山頭有一座孤零零塔聳立起來，高高地插入青天。（大家）面面相覷，驚疑不定，心想附近並沒有這麼個禪院。沒過多久，又出現了幾十座高大的宮殿，碧綠色的琉璃瓦，飛翹的殿檐，(人們)這才明白是（出現）山市。不到一會兒，只見一座高高低低的城墻, 連綿不斷有六七里長，竟然像一座城市。其中(景物）有像樓一樣的，有像廳堂一樣的，有像街巷一樣的，（一個個）清晰地出現在眼前，（多得）可以用億萬來計算。忽然，一陣大風颳起，空氣中的塵土之大，城市變得隱隱約約。接著，風停了，天空又變得晴朗起來，剛才的一切都消失了，只有一座高樓，直插雲霄，這座樓每層有五間，門窗全都是大開著的；每一行有五處明亮的地方，(透露出)那是樓那邊的天空。

一層層地指著數，樓越高亮點越小，數到第八層，亮點僅僅如星星一般大小；又往上數，就昏暗得看不分明，沒法計算層次了。樓上的人往來匆匆，有靠著的，有站立的，形態各不一樣。過了一會，樓漸漸低矮下來，可以看見樓頂了，慢慢地又像平常的高樓一樣了，又漸漸地像座高房子，突然間又只像拳頭那麼大，像豆粒那麼小，接著就什麼也看不見了。

又聽說有起早趕路的人，看見山上有店鋪集市（人來人往），和人世間沒有兩樣，所以又叫“鬼市”。

蒲松齡（1640－1715）字留仙，一字劍臣，別號柳泉居士，世稱聊齋先生，自稱異史氏，現山東省淄博市淄川區洪山鎮蒲家莊人。出生於一個逐漸敗落的中小地主兼商人家庭。19歲應童子試，接連考取縣、府、道三個第一，名震一時。補博士弟子員。以後屢試不第，直至71歲時才成歲貢生。為生活所迫，他除了應同邑人寶應縣知縣孫蕙之請，為其做幕賓數年之外，主要是在本縣西鋪村畢際友家做塾師，舌耕筆耘，近40年，直至1709年方撤帳歸家。1715年正月病逝，享年76歲。創作出著名的文言文短篇小說集《聊齋誌異》。

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