Happy Halloween

Treat or treat!

Shoot the stylist

If you were a young girl in the 1980's you likely wore a shirt like this one. Ajumma owned one in 3rd grade. The ruffles nicely offset my feathered hair. Shocking, but the shirt above is in Ralph Lauren's 2009 fall collection.

Am I krumping?

Community is like The Office before it went bad.

"Seoul Korea Wires" by Tommy Kane

Yes, yes and yes. I love this sketch on Etsy.

Heavy metal

People tend to be surprised to discover that Koreans typically eat with metal chopsticks rather than bamboo. A coworker of mine wondered whether this would affect the taste of food. This was an amusing question from someone who grew up eating with metal utensils, albeit a fork and spoon.

The Japanese ain't playing

During my last trip to Los Angeles I casually picked up a free magazine at a grocery store. It turns out the magazine was about Japanese nail design and salons in L.A. where visitors can find services. We're not talking your typical Vietnamese manicure, but the trend towards ornate, artificial nails. Tourists from Tokyo have found they can get similar nail art services in L.A. but at much cheaper prices than back home.

Here are more funky nail designs and a video on how they're made. I suspect this trend may start raging in Korea since trends seem to travel from Japan to the peninsula.

Your boss might let you keep your job with these.

With these, not so much.

One word. Bedazzled.

Ruby slippers

I can't help thinking that someplace there's a house hurling through the air with her name on it.

Sweet: The Gaslight Anthem

I was going to kill my friend for dragging me out to a redneck bar last Saturday night to see a hillbilly band. But it turns out he bought tickets for The Gaslight Anthem, who played the tightest, most energetic show I've seen in years. It was standing room only and the crowd was going nuts for their punk-pop-rockabilly set. If I weren't a nine-to-fiver I'd follow The Gaslight Anthem from state to state for a while.

Meanwhile, in Vancouver

Little Tea House at 1793 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6G

Your pants just ran away

My love for horror movies (ghost stories, not slasher films) has developed into a few quirks. I have a phobia of closets, attics, and vacant restrooms. If you've seen Asian horror films you know these are ideal places for evil spirits to appear and swallow you whole. The newest film that's fallen across my doorstep is Paranormal Activity. The flick, about a young couple and the spooky happenings in their suburban home, is earning rave reviews. But how will it stand up to the scariest films I've seen yet?

The Wig (2005) is a Korean film about a woman who buys her cancer-stricken sister a wig that possesses bad karma. Yes, Asians may have strange issues with hair, but nonetheless this film is CREEPY.

The Ring (2002), an American remake of a Japanese movie, takes the prize for most frightened audience. Men and women were shrieking like little babies in my theater. Kudos to Dreamworks for taking a gamble on this one.

Tale of Two Sisters (2003) is a Korean psychological thriller about sisters dealing with their father's new marriage. Even more disturbing than the girls' stepmother is the ghost that resides in their house. Tale of Two Sisters spawned a dumbed-down Hollywood remake in 2009.

Ju-On (2000) is the grand pooba of Japanese ghost movies. It's practically a perfect horror film, just a bit too long. Ju-On rambles half-way through when it follows too many characters who have entered a cursed house. The beginning and ending of the movie are bone chilling. If you see no other Asian horror film, see Ju-On.

One Missed Call (2003) made me scream out loud, and I was watching it in the daytime. This Japanese movie about young people receiving death calls from the future features eery ringtones and contorting evil spirits.

The Others (2001) is the closest Ajumma's come to having a heart attack while watching a movie in the theater. Nicole Kidman and the child actors do a superb job protraying a family living in a dark, haunted English manor during WWII.

The Blair Witch Project (1999) is one of those films that you either love or hate. I loved it, and saw it when people were still unsure whether the footage about teenagers lost in the Maryland woods was real. It's what can't be seen in The Blair Witch Project that terrifies people most.

The Grudge (2004) is a frightening American film directed by Ju-On director Takashi Shimizu. Same premise as Ju-On, with some parts stronger and others weaker. This is one of my favorite movies of all time, another screamer. The Grudge Haunted House simulator game is being released on October 14 for the Wii.

The Eye (2002) is intense. The Pang Brothers take dead spirits to a whole new level in this flick about a blind woman who receives an eye transplant and gains sight. I actually spent quite a bit of this movie with my eyes closed.

Working for the weekend

Domo-kun gets a brain freeze

Last year at this time, Domo-kun and his friends were the toast of Target's Halloween marketing. This season Domo is no where to be found in the big box stores. Those experiencing Domo withdrawl will be happy to hear 7-Eleven markets will start selling Domo-themed slurpees this month. Marketing Daily has released a photo of the drinks and chats about the strategy behind Domo-kun products at 7-Eleven.