Penguins are hella cute. You know it, I know it, and the entire world knows it. During my trip to the South Island of New Zealand a few weeks ago, one of my main goals was to catch these little critters in their natural habitat. Read more
Location: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Visited: December 22, 2010
Site Type: Cultural
Inscribed: 1997
Background and Opinion:
Built in the later 18th century, Hospicio Cabañas was one of the first hospices in the world to provide care for orphans, the mentally ill, and the physically disabled. At a time when many governments around the world simply tossed their less fortunate aside to fend for themselves, Guadalajara decided to do things differently. This great leap forward in social welfare is one of the main reasons for the UNESCO World Heritage nod. The second reason lies in the main chamber where Jose Orozco, considered to be one of the grand masters of Mexican art, painted some of the most beautiful murals in the world. The examples here, along with his other murals are credited as having sparked an artistic renaissance in the country, inspiring artists across the country. Read more
Learning a new language is hard… REALLY REALLY hard. On top of all these new sounds you didn’t even know were associated with speaking, context is key. My Korean language studies have been a bumpy ride of miscommunication and mishaps. Here are another 10 words and phrases where it’s best to ditch Google Translate and read the long form explanation before you cause an international incident.
My first list is here.
I know, I know. This might be the most out of date post ever. Not only are Gangnam Style and Psy not relevant anymore, but most of the songs on this list aren’t even new. Nevertheless, when that wretched (but admittedly catchy) song hit the airwaves, I couldn’t help but wonder why on earth THIS SONG became popular worldwide given how many better ones existed. Long story short, I just couldn’t let it go, and this list was already written down a long time ago, so what the hell. Here is my countdown of 35 K-pop songs which are better than Gangnam Style.
Note – Most videos have subs, in case you want to sing along.
35) Kara (카라) – Lupin (루팡)
34) Supreme Team (슈프림팀) – Supermagic
On a previous list, we looked at ten places I thought should be UNESCO Sites. Since then, one of the places on the list was actually inscribed as a World Heritage Site last year. I am not normally one to brag, but I guess China can thank me for Xi’an. That was all me, you’re welcome guys. Anyways, UNESCO tries its best, but there are still a ton of amazing places that, for one reason or another, have not been considered or were flat out rejected. Let’s explore 10 more of these places.