On the eve of 2012, my anxiety about a new job in a new city was hardly pacified by my friends’ half-serious suggestions that, really, just maybe, this was the year humanity was going to kick the bucket. After all, unemployment is rampant among my demographic, a 27-year-old dictator is in charge of a country with nuclear weapons, Internet freedoms are constantly under attack, and Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary.

So to inaugurate—even celebrate—the uncertainty of the new year, we’re introducing The Varieties of Opinion, a new monthly feature in which we invite a diverse cross-section of people to review an artistic work. Because one opinion isn’t confusing enough.

Our first victim of criticism is the album Wonder World by the Wonder Girls. Released in November 2011, Wonder World is the adored K-pop supergroup’s second studio album. The first single, “Be My Baby,” peaked at number one on the Gaon Chart in Korea and the K-Pop Billboard in the US.

Huge buzz surrounded Wonder World‘s release, especially following the news that the Wonder Girls had recruited well-respected figures to develop the album’s concept. Renowned choreographer Jonté Moaning, known for his work with Beyoncé for “Freakum Dress” and “Single Ladies,” helped choreograph the Wonder Girls’ music video for “Be My Baby” (which clearly shows). Johnny Wujek, fashion stylist for Katy Perry‘s “I Kissed A Girl” and “California Gurls,” also advised the K-pop band.

In reviewing such a widely anticipated album, we made sure to recruit critics from all walks of life. What we heard may shock you.

Susan Kim, a NYU student from South Korea, enjoys K-pop and happened to catch the Wonder Girls live at their comeback concert in Seoul:

The Wonder Girls are back, asking us to join them in the Wonder World.

The Wonder Girls is a K-pop sensation that climbed to the top of the girl group hierarchy with three #1 hit singles and five unbelievably popular dance moves, earning them the title, “Korea’s Little Sister Group.” But in 2008, they put an end to their promotions and announced their plans to venture off to the United States.

Albeit being welcomed only by a dull crowd of K-Pop fans in America at the time, in a matter of months, they became the first Korean artist to climb Billboard’s Top 100 ladder with their English version of “Nobody” and also signed to tour with the Jonas Brothers.

Many say that the Girls’ time spent in America was a waste. I think people expected their success in Korea to magically continue on overseas and anticipated them to go on their own tour rather than open for someone else’s. The Korean public – myself included – criticized the producer, J. Y. Park, for ruining these girls’ career and future, but looking back on it now, he was right and we were wrong. Everything the Wonder Girls did in America was in preparation for a long marathon they are soon about to run.

Wonder World is the first foolproof evidence of their hard work, and also the starting point of their race. The title track, “Be My Baby,” hints remnants of the upbeat 60‘s and 80’s retro sound the Wonder Girls are oh-so-famous for along with a pleasant mix of background harmonies that make it sound almost like a Christmas carol. Overall, it’s just another generic K-Pop song, but what we need to pay attention to is Sohee and Lim: they both actually sing – for more than eight measures! The most impressive song on the album, though, is Lim’s “Act Cool,” where she shows off her moxie for the first time (the group had several Destiny’s Child-esque schemes of their own over the years and Lim is their newest addition to the team).

And recently, they finally had their comeback stage in Seoul. Maybe it was because I fell too much in love with the music video, but the performance failed to impress me. Let’s not even get to Sohee and Lim, who bluntly uses a backing track, during all three performances in the past three days. After all that time in the States, I was hoping Sohee would at last be able to sing live. But singing less than half her part along with a backing track is unacceptable for someone who claims to become a global K-Pop legend.

I am glad the Wonder Girls are back, but for the current generation of talent-conscious audience that craves flawless live performances, I doubt the Wonder Girls are ready to prove that they’re really taking over the world.

On the next page of The Varieties of Opinion, we hear from a metal musician who owns a K-pop tee.

Our de facto Cheat Sheet newsletter, released weekly, highlights interesting links that may have been overlooked in the past week. It also features a curated agenda of events in Hong Kong this coming week. It’s at once a recap of the past, and a glance at the future! So without further ado:

Highlights:

• Follow 21st Century Boy on Twitter and like us on Facebook. And by subscribing to our newsletter, you can receive our weekly Cheat Sheet in your inbox!
• Picture of the Week: China Airlines jokingly released an “official” photo of what appears to be a panda sitting in the plane cabin. (Jalopnik)
• lysblack teaches K-Pop 101, listing ten of South Korea’s most culturally significant pop music acts this past decade. (omonatheydidnt)
• Asia has always been mythologized, and this year is no different. 2011′s top ten myths are debunked. (New Yorker)
• The Chinese government has now resorted to calling microblogging “worse than cocaine.” (Guardian)
• A female college student from Anshan will sell herself to any official willing to free her jailed father. (Epoch Times)
• Jake Adelstein probes the Olympus cover-up of up to ¥134.8 billion ($1.7 billion) in losses since the 1990s. (Atlantic Wire)

Christmas-Themed Old Spice Ad of the Week:

(h/t @wkshanghai)

Agenda:

Twitter Drinking Hong Kong (TDHK) / Aroxta.com Grand Opening

This is the 4th meet-up for Twitter Drinking Hong Kong, a monthly networking event that intends to connect online faces in real life with the help of a little social lubricant named alcohol. In the photo above, yours truly socializes with Oxygen Cloud‘s Julia Mak (left) and #TDHK co-founder Jamie S (second from left).

Thursday, Dec 8, 2011, 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM HKT

Bisous
9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street
Central, Hong Kong
w: www.facebook.com/TwitterDrinkingHK

Clockenflap Music & Arts Festival

Hong Kong’s annual music and arts festival is headed for the big leagues this year. Not only has the event moved to the giant West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade—with an explosive line-up that includes the likes of Santigold, Bombay Bicycle Club, Luke Vibert, and Hong Kong’s very own Noughts & Exes—but it’s all for free! The festival will also feature short films, installation art, a flea market, and a kid’s area. The word is that tickets have been overbooked, so make sure you head over early!

Saturday to Sunday, Dec 10 – 11, 2011, 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM HKT

West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade, Hong Kong
w: www.clockenflap.com

Hullett House Christmas Market

For a few glorious days, the colonial-era Hullett House will be home to a Christmas-themed pop-up market. The numerous stalls will feature toys, gingerbreads, cakes, handicrafts, foie gras, smoked meats, cheeses, mulled wine, eggnog, Swiss chocolates, puppies for adoption, and carol singers. With that shotgun blast of goodies, we’re certain at least one of the items will appeal to you. You can see a poster here. (Photo above by Canadian Pacific on Flickr.)

Friday to Sunday, Dec 9 – 11, 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM HKT (except 4:00 PM on Friday)

Hullett House
1881 Heritage, No. 2A Canton Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
w: www.hulletthouse.com | t: +852 3988 0000

Got a story, event, or link you’d like us to check out? Send your tips to us!

It’s been a year and a half since acclaimed Japanese music producer Jun Seba a.k.a. Nujabes passed away in a tragic car accident. But as expected of the musical virtuoso—known for his smooth blends of jazz and hip-hop—he left behind a large body of work – much of it unpublished. Spiritual State is his much-anticipated third and final full-length album, released this week by his very own record label Hydeout Productions.

From The Find Magazine:

These two minutes give you a good taste of the album’s atmosphere and the common theme of ‘Spiritual State’. Both instrumental material with the trademark piano-based influences, as well as tracks complemented with vocals by the likes of Cise Star, Substantial and Pase Rock. Also listen to ‘Spiral‘, a full song that was uploaded on Youtube by Digi Crates Records yesterday, ‘Yes‘ featuring Pase Rock, and ‘Down On The Side‘.

It sounds like a promising outcome for fans of Nujabes who are patiently waiting for a new official full-length release since ‘Modal Soul’. But it also raises a question: how much of this material is actually made by the hands of Jun Seba, and what is added and finished after his tragic death?

We have several previews of the album, which are embedded below:

“Spiritual State” (feat. Uyama Hiroto)

“Down On The Side”

Full Tracklist: 

1. Spiritual State (ft. Uyama Hiroto)
2. Sky Is Tumbling (ft. Cise Star)
3. Gone Are The Day (ft. Uyama Hiroto)
4. Spirale
5. City Light (ft. Substantial & Pase Rock)
6. Color Of Autumn
7. Down On The Side
8. Yes (ft. Pase Rock)
9. Rainy Way Back Home
10. Far Fowls
11. Fellows
12. Waiting For The Clouds (ft. Substantial)
13. Prayer
14. Island (ft. Uyama Hiroto & Haruka Nakamura)

A review of Spiritual State will be forthcoming. In the meantime, for those of you who are interested in picking up a copy of the album for yourself, check out the following links:

Order: Japan / USA & Canada / International / Discogs

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Apparently, the PRC thinks so. This week, the country’s Ministry of Education announced plans to phase out college majors that consistently produce graduates unable to find employment – more specifically, majors with employment rates for graduates below 60% for two consecutive years.

From China Real Time Report:

The move is meant to solve a problem that has surfaced as the number of China’s university educated have jumped to 8,930 people per every 100,000 in the year 2010, up nearly 150% from 2000, according to China’s 2010 Census. The surge of collge grads, while an accomplishment for the country, has contributed to an overflow of workers whose skill-sets don’t match with the needs of the export-led, manufacturing-based economy.

Though such a policy may maximize current economic model’s potential, the long-term result promised by scuttling academic departments is a non-diverse workforce. The report does not note which majors are in danger of being cut, but less popular research sciences and creative fields, being far from mature in China, come to mind as possible victims. Lest we remind you, the Factory Dream will only last so long: following the Euro crisis and faltering demand for global exports, manufacturing activity in China dropped this month. If China seeks to drive innovation, as suggested by their “National Patent Development Strategy (2011-2020),” they’d best develop systems that encourage risk-taking and interdisciplinary thinking.

With the dearth of local options for Chinese youth, perhaps it’s no surprise that a growing number of them have headed overseas for their higher education. The number of Chinese undergraduates in the U.S. leaped up to 40,000 this year, over four times the demographic in 2005. As a byproduct of the trend, this specific applicant niche has grown wildly competitive, to the point where a majority of incoming Chinese students are (allegedly) forging their recommendations and essays.

The emphasis on university education as result-oriented, as vocational training, has always been around in spades. China is not the only guilty party. But this new plan goes far beyond “means to an end” thinking, Machiavellian to the point where success isn’t even truly sustainable. By optimizing “whatever works”—for now—they are also childishly refusing to evolve, to look toward the future.

Do you think it was a good decision for China to cut supposedly irrelevant majors? What policy would you suggest?

(via WSJ; title image by Jim Grisanzio on Flickr)

• Follow 21st Century Boy on Twitter and like us on Facebook. And by subscribing to our newsletter, you can receive our weekly Cheat Sheet in your inbox!
• Picture of the Week: Henry Tang is referred to as “Chief Executive” (of Hong Kong) in The Standard. The CE selection does not happen until 2012. (h/t @rudeshock)
• Now-retired Yao Ming is launching a California winery for the Chinese market. His wine will be simply labeled “Yao Ming.” (CNNGo)
• A photo essay of Chungking Mansions, the iconic Hong Kong building known for its guesthouses, restaurants, and black market goods. (Foreign Policy)
• Hayao Miyazaki’s next film is reportedly “not the sort of work that everyone in the audience can relax and watch.” (Twitch Film)
• The lovely Marjorie Liu talks about her canceled Marvel series X-23, her other writing projects, and Chinese comics. (CBR)
• French actor Jean Reno returns in yet another ad as everyone’s favorite earless robotic cat Doraemon. (ANN)

Gecko of the Week:

Kung Fu Gecko? (Shikhei Goh on 500px via Neatorama)

Agenda:

Business of Design Week Forum 2011

The annual design conference invites design leaders from around the world to discuss ongoing trends in the industry. The keynote speakers are luminaries: Functionalist designer Dieter Rams and Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. See the full program schedule here.

Forum Dates: Thursday to Saturday, Dec 1 – Dec 3, 2011, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
26 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
e: info@bodw.com | w: http://www.bodw.com/

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TED x Hong Kong

TEDx comes to Hong Kong once again, featuring speakers such as inventor Alex Backer, ESKYIU co-founder Eric Schuldenfrei, and G.O.D. founder Douglas Young. Seats are already sold out, but we hear that the organizers may still be on the lookout for volunteers. They must be willing to stay all day (9am to 8pm). We’re certain that these helpers will get to listen in on what are sure to be exciting talks! For more details, email michael[at]21cb[dot]net with the subject header “TED Volunteer” by Tuesday, 6pm HKT.

Friday, Dec 2, 2011, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
Chiang Chen Studio Theatre, Kowloon, Hong Kong
e: info@tedxhongkong.com | w: http://www.tedxhongkong.com

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RISD Art Show and Artists Ball

The RISD Hong Kong Alumni Association presents an art show and artists ball. Special guest and RISD President John Maeda will give a speech. Come to the ball dressed as an artist or artwork. We’re going as a de Kooning painting, so be prepared to be offended.

Art Show: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. (7:15 p.m. speech by President Maeda); Artists Ball: 9 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

RISD Art Show
Fringe Club, Roof Garden, 2 Lower Albert Road, Central
RISD HK members HKD$250, Member’s Guests HKD$350 (includes 2 drinks and canapes)

RISD Artist Ball, Hong Kong with DJ Pop Fugitive
Volar, 38-44 D’Aguilar Street, Central
Pay at door HKD$150 (includes 2 drinks)
Dress code: Dress up as an Artist or Artwork

t: +852 2627 7312 | w: http://www.risdhk.org/

Got a story, event, or link you’d like us to check out? Send your tips to us!