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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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 Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:57 pm Post subject: Speakers in my apartment |
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I'm living in a 19-storey apartment block, and there's a little speaker built into my wall. This morning, for example, at 8 o'clock, I can hear this male voice nattering on and on about something, but I can't understand what. Then a little while later, he comes on, maybe to repeat the announcement, maybe to say something else.
For those of you who can understand Korean, what on earth might he be saying?
Kermo on the 16th floor needs to pay her utility bill?
Stop spitting in the elevator?
Here's a poem I wrote this morning? |
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kat2
Joined: 25 Oct 2005
Location: Busan, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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| From what i've heard, its vendors coming to the place to sell their veggies, etc. They pay the guard a bit and he makes an announcement. We put several pieces of cardboard on ours so we could sleep through it. |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Location: $eoul
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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I reckon they'll be blasting the message to all apartments there, Kermo. Happens at my place sometimes - usually to tell us the elevator is out of action for a few hours and followed by a "mianhamnida".
I sh*t myself first time I ever heard it. It was loud and North Korea "Kim Jung Il is great"-style.
Never heard of this stuff being blasted to individual apartments however. |
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heydelores
Joined: 24 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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I've been told that the announcements are usually about the water being turned off temporarily or the electricity being out or someone parked illegally or something like that.
I'm just waiting for the day when it's actually really important, and I don't have any clue what it is. |
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Zark
Joined: 12 May 2003
Location: Phuket, Thailand: Look into my eyes . . .
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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| When I had one, I just screwed off the cover and disconnected the wires. Mine went off even at 6AM sometimes - or too early on the weekends. |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Location: $eoul
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 6:52 pm Post subject: |
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I've just remembered a really weird one.
Once, I attempted to go into the wrong apartment. I couldn't understand why the hell my passcode wouldnt work. Then I looked at the room number and it, to my sheer horror, said 402 (as opposed to 702). I heard some loud "yoboseyo? yoboseyo?" from inside. I shat myself and ran up the stairs.
1 minute later, an announcement came on. Couldn't understand it, but presumably it was "keep on the lookout for intruders/weirdos".
funny in hindsight but it sucked at the time. Scarily enough, I was totally sober. |
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Muffin
Joined: 01 Mar 2006
Location: Turkey
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:09 pm Post subject: |
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I have the same problem. The first Sunday morning I was here it woke me up at 7 am! This week I have also had to put up with about 3 announcements per morning. The last teacher taped cardboard over the speaker but it is still very audible.
Who knows what the announcements are all about? Sometimes they announce the arrival of the market (I deduce this by the market appearing about an hour later). One day it will be important, like 'please evacuate the building, there is a bomb' and I will be the only person to turn over and go back to sleep.
Seriously though, I can't imagine people back home putting up with a speaker in their apartment that they can't control. There really should be an 'off' button so being informed is a matter of choice. |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:17 pm Post subject: Re: Speakers in my apartment |
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| kermo wrote: |
I'm living in a 19-storey apartment block, and there's a little speaker built into my wall. This morning, for example, at 8 o'clock, I can hear this male voice nattering on and on about something, but I can't understand what. Then a little while later, he comes on, maybe to repeat the announcement, maybe to say something else.
For those of you who can understand Korean, what on earth might he be saying?
Kermo on the 16th floor needs to pay her utility bill?
Stop spitting in the elevator?
Here's a poem I wrote this morning? |
Can you reach the speaker? If so, you might be able to unscrew it and then detach the wiring inside. Should be black and red wires like a radio. I did that at my apartment last year because the doorbell played a very loud version of "It's a small world" and drove me nuts. My current apartment speaker is up on the ceiling, about 20 feet high, so it's impossible to reach.
The announcements in my building are almost always about wax jobs being done around elevators. And, there's always a sign in the elevator about some floor that can't be accessed do to a waxing job. The people here are really dedicated to keeping the hallways clean. |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 2:13 am Post subject: Re: Speakers in my apartment |
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| Qinella wrote: |
| My current apartment speaker is up on the ceiling, about 20 feet high, so it's impossible to reach. |
20-ft ceilings. I am impressed. No, that should be, "I am impressed".
Routine water & power shut-offs are commonly broadcast over the inhouse speakers.
"Go fill your bathtubs now, this very instant. Or you won't be flushing for the next three days"
"WARNING: North Korean commandos & Uri Party sympathisers have just surrounded the apartment complex, and are currently working their way up floor by floor. Please remain calm and in your apartments. Only foreign spies need fear execution."
Next time I meet my buddies from the Ministry of Construction & Transportation, I'll suggest they start work on legislation requiring all apartment speakers to be mounted flush without screws and securely anchored to prevent foreigners from vandalising them. I'll also recommend they increase the volume of the broadcasts, as it seems some of you are having difficulty understanding the announcements. We all know foreigners understand us better when we shout at them.
| Qinella wrote: |
| Can you reach the speaker? If so, you might be able to unscrew it and then detach the wiring inside. Should be black and red wires like a radio. I did that at my apartment last year because the doorbell played a very loud version of "It's a small world" and drove me nuts. |
Korean apartment doorbells generally offer two volume settings, loud and super-loud. You might have tried adjusting yours. |
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Yesanman
Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Location: Chungnam
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| Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 2:53 am Post subject: |
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I don't live in an apartment but in my town they have speakers set up all over the neighbourhood and they make announcements periodically.
On the last holiday (Aug 15th) they announced that they were giving away free Korean flags. So ran down and got mine. Should have seen the looks on their faces when I said 'Can I have a taeguki?'
As for the apartment speakers, I had mine disconnected when I lived in my APT. Damn thing kept waking up the baby. |
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Alan_Partridge
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: in the posh part of town
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| Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 2:57 am Post subject: |
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| A few years ago I was sharing an apartment with a co-teacher at my school. Over the course of our co-habitation we became really good friends, but at the time I didn't know him so well. The thing about this guy was he was (actually, still is) a workout freak, absolutely loved the gym, but loved his sleep more, so he'd be in bed by 9pm tops so he could get up real early for his morning routines. Anyway, in the first week I'd moved in, the loudspeaker started spitting out some announcement at about 9.30. My roomie, who's been in bed 20 minutes or so slammed open his door, stomped his way over to the loudspeaker, ripped it clean off the wall, and then went back to bed cursing the whole time. It made me a little nervous... |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 3:33 am Post subject: |
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| I came home to see that they had resurfaced the parking lot, so I guess that's what he was explaining. There was another little fireside chat tonight, maybe explaining when it's okay to park again. Thanks guys. It's nice that the world makes sense sometimes. |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 4:48 am Post subject: Re: Speakers in my apartment |
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| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| Qinella wrote: |
| Can you reach the speaker? If so, you might be able to unscrew it and then detach the wiring inside. Should be black and red wires like a radio. I did that at my apartment last year because the doorbell played a very loud version of "It's a small world" and drove me nuts. |
Korean apartment doorbells generally offer two volume settings, loud and super-loud. You might have tried adjusting yours. |
I did. What I learned was that, no matter what the volume, the Small World song is never a pleasant way to wake up in the morning, especially when it means some idiot who's going to run away scared when they see my white face is waiting out there to try and hock some gear.
About the ceilings, I don't think 20' is right. More like 15 I'd say. |
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