2NE1 - I Am The Best
- Listen! - music education - kpop song of the day
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YUSSSSSS. School is officially over. But I have no plans for the summer. I really want to go to Seoul.
3rd from left, second tallest….is going to be my new home for 18-24 months.
23rd floor. Not bad at all considering it’s the most expensive and hardest place to get into in Changwon.
Engraved Bell, Jinju Fortress, South Korea.
??? Complex FCC??
West From My Rooftop by damiengabrielson.com on Flickr.
This was taken at a temple just outside of Busan. This temple offers a view of the ocean along with some great architecture.
The post processing was a little complex. I used an adjustment layer to creat a monochrome layer and then merged that. After some level adjustment I decided to use a sepia tone filter at 100% density to add an aditional effect.
Dawn this morning was just another blah sunrise with the sun buried behind the clouds. Then about 7:30 the gray changed shape and the storm started forming. It got darker and darker until it was blacker than the night. The lightning started and a video of me trying to catch a shot of it would have been hilarious. I finally got a frame but I have new respect for those that film this evasive event.
I wanted to capture the clouds in this scene more than anything. This building looked interesting enough to be included. This was taken with my film camera with Fuji Pro400H(notice the nice grain?). The only down side is the softness due to my old crappy scanner. A bit of post processing in photoshop to accentuate the depth.
Gwangjang Market
Pagyesa
Haeinsa Temple
It was sunny today, for the first time in about a week. I know I haven’t been writing much, at least online. The perpetual rain put me in a little bit of a funk. I didn’t want expose my angsty, whiny thoughts to the world wide web. Been there, done that. It has never gone well (shout out to Derek!)
But anyway, my last week or so has been filled with lots and lots of work, and lots of lots of rain. And consequently, lots and lots of soju on the weekends. Let me impart a bit of wisdom here: Soju is never the answer. Soju, as alluring as it may be at $2 a bottle, will only make things worse. Especially the next day. Soju is the devil’s drink.
Proof:
Having fun
Soju, clearly victorious
Work has been challenging, and filled lately with lots of paperwork. Report cards to make, papers to grade, five different schedules to create, etc. Still working on my organization skills.
Some days my kids are the cutest things in the entire world. Other days, I want to kill them. One of the mothers called and complained that I gave her son (a holy terror) -5 stickers. I am now not allowed to minus any stickers from this student. That’s how private schools work here in Korea, though I had heard a bit about this before I came. Frustrating, nonetheless.
Some aspects of this country are slowly becoming familiar, even comfortable, to me. I can navigate the subway system fairly well, order food in restaurants, etc. I have grown somewhat accustomed to the stares, the pollution, the loud, drunken chatter every night, the fact that hawking loogies is a normal, public, and frequent occurrence here. (Ok, that last one still gets me a little).
I am no longer humiliated when I have to do a little game of charades to communicate with the locals, though I do not see this as a plus. My communication skills, not any bit improved since when I arrived a month ago, are shameful. Korean isn’t exactly one of those languages you just “absorb” by being surrounded by it. You must study and practice and make a concerted effort. And I’ve been very busy. And also, I am lazy. But…the time has come for me to learn more than two words of Korean. I plan on taking lessons soon.
I did recognize that someone was talking about me in the elevator this evening, though. I had stepped into my apartment elevator and heard a middle-aged man say something to the woman next to him. I heard “waygook,” which is Korean for “foreigner.” Who knows what he was saying.
Korean men and relationships/dating however, still remain a total mystery to me. I am beginning to think that Korean men are rather creepy, and I have at least three stories to support this theory. I am thinking of writing an entire blog entry on the subject once I accumulate a few more anecdotes, which I am fairly certain won’t take too long. (Teaser blog title: “The night a Korean man exposed himself to me on the subway, and other tales my parents won’t want to hear.”)
Something about dating here I find amusing: My Korean co-worker told me the other day that Koreans don’t count the time they’ve been in a relationship by months as we do, but by days instead, until they reach one year. She and her boyfriend have been together for 274 days (she thinks).
Also on the topic of things that amuse me: a few of my kindergarten students have pretty gold and silver charm necklaces they wear all the time. I’ve complimented them and asked them what the charm was. It is a charm with their name, phone number and address……in case they get lost. Actually pretty brilliant if you think about it.
Ok, bed time. Goodnight, I’m missing you all here in the ROK.
Im about 16 days away from getting on the red eye to Seoul , South Korea.
And to be honest , Im not in the least bit excited to go there . Not because i wont like it . im sure i will . Its just that i have this series of Korean exams to give and i haven’t studied . Well i have .. but its so insufficient that it practically feels like i haven’t done anything , frankly the nerves are getting to me now, because these exams forge my damn future , and i have nothing ready , nothing
and to say that ” im shitting bricks ” would be an understatement
oh well enough of that ,
any fellow tumblrs here are Seoulites?
would be great to catch up in Seoul !
i guess ill have a lot to look at , considering ill be there for a month #YEAHBITCHES
Haven’t really made my list of places i want to visit. but i don’t know , i guess just taking my camera and just walking aimlessly through the streets would consume most of my day , any of you guys have any suggestions . im open to a little direction here haha
heres to my first proper bloglike post , and heres to 2 weeks of heart pounding anxiety.
If you have ever seen my previous photo, I am sure you know what they are imitating. Will you imitate the statue if you were there?
love is in many colors
This was taken during the Anlaw Hu festival and these kids are at the base of the stage just hanging out. Their elders came up to the edge to take a bow, that’s when I got this shot.
Those of you who followed my trip there may recall that the area is very poor and the majority are farmers. For some of the girls, marriage comes as early as 12 when their parents find them a husband in exchange for a dowry of P10,000 - P20,000 (approx $200 - $400 USD).
Swag around the world. Germany to South Korea.
In September, 2003, Busan Korea was hit with a massive typhoon. For most of the people living on the coast, we were unprepared.
I took this photo a few days after the storm. This ship was used as a floating hotel (“The Flotel”); equipped with kareoke rooms, a patio bar and hotel rooms. Fortunately the night of the typhoon, it was evacuated. Today, it still sits eerily in the same position, I guess a reminder to us all that sometimes mother nature can be a real bitch.
Here is a picture of a manican with a carrot and bunny ears. The business men in the background made this unusual site seem not so unusual.
Oh my goodness look at them go.. I like this practice video better than their actual performance on stage :/
I still love them and all their foreign-ness. Big bang.
G-dragon looks so un-amused in all his dancing (the blond one with the purple scarf)
digital literature piece by Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries
a gruesome piece detailing an imagined, yet highly plausible preemptive strike by North Korea upon South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. (discretion is advised)
more of Young-Hae Chang’s work can be seen here:
http://www.yhchang.com/
W-mall
The email I wrote my host parents and dong-hyeok was all in Korean. VERY basic Korean.I basically introduced my self by saying some of my favorite things and that I was going to college next year. I had my best friend Yena translate a sentence or two about that I was leaving for NYC in a couple of days and then off to Korea.
I made one major mistake though. I was trying to look up how to say Mr and Mrs in Korean. I trusted the first site I found since I thought Yena would make sure I did everything close to right before I sent it. The site to add ? and ? I think to the end of their last names. Yena texts me back like maybe ten minutes after she sends me back my corrected email that ? and ? are for people younger than you. BUT THE THING IS I DO NOT GET THIS TEXT UNTIL THE NEXT DAY since I leave my phone on silent. At this point I am like OMG KAJDSFKL;ADSFJAKLS;DFJASDKLF I JUST DISRESPECTED MY HOST FATHER AND HOST MOTHER. THEY ARE ALREADY RECEIVED THIS EMAIL. AHH MY HOST FAMILY WILL DISOWN ME BEFORE I EVEN GET THERE. yeah so I scramble to write a reply email in ENGLISH so there is no mistakes. I felt sooo bad since respect is such a large part of Korean cultures and the Korean language emphasizes it so much.
The email I got back from my host dad is like way over my Korean knowledge. I understood some words and like two sentences but the rest i was kind of like o_O. However, I did try to google translate some of it. I think I got the basic gist of it.
He said my Korean was very good. He said Korean is a hard language so it is okay that I made a mistake. He was surprised how good my Korean was for an American. But then he started talking about food? From what I got from google translator, it was like Korean food is very different. You need to be open to talking about it. WAIT WE ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT MY DIFFICULTIES WITH FOOD? Google translator I think you may have failed me. I need to ask Yena about this part. I think it would make more sense later that I need to be open to practicing my Korean. he also said something about having a safe trip and being careful. wooo thank you host ?? for a wonderful email.
I didn’t go to work today because of the bad (bed) weather. Since I’ve got nothing to do and all the shows I regularly watch are currently on season break (except for Pretty Little Liars), I decided to download Marry Me, Mary and give it a try. I don’t really know the stars of the drama except for the Coffee Prince barista but the 3 of them kind of grow on you as the show progresses (I don’t really like the other girl :|). I’ve only watched 2 episodes but it’s pretty good so far.
What really caught my attention though were the places that I’ve actually been to! Most scenes were shot in Hongdae which is the entertainment area and clubbing district in Seoul. We went there not for the night life but for Babtol’s since one of our friends was a big Super Junior fan so we tagged along to support her fangirling (side note: we actually met Yesung’s eomeoni and I don’t even know Yesung and the rest of SuJu ;p). What I didn’t know was that Hongdae is also known for being the nation’s capital of underground rock music community - probably the reason why Moo Kyul is always there. Here is one scene that made me sit straight up when I saw it because this place is pretty unforgettable for me and my bestie:
Hello Kitty Cafe - I love their coffee art and the free wifi of course!
A smaller branch of the Coffee Prince cafe - not the one in the drama though. Tip for tourists: there are 2 Coffee Prince cafes in Hongdae! Their coffee is delicious but a bit pricey.
We passed by this road quite a few times when my bestie and I got lost in Hongdae one bitter cold winter night (while looking for a dog cafe lol) before our friend Karen came to our rescue and fetched us at the Tourist Information Center.
I’m looking forward to finishing this drama and seeing more of South Korea! I didn’t think I’d miss it to bits but apparently, I do! :( I’m definitely coming back next year! Preferably, in autumn. ;)
14030009 (by Shuting:))
Seoul ~ how i miss thee..
While getting yesterday’s photo was a waiting game this one was more of a stalking game. The scene was this: an outdoor exhibition of Korea photojournalism over the last 5 decades.
While walking around and looking at the shots I spotted this girl between two diaplay boards, just as you see now. I did take a photo but it just didnt work. The photograph was one of a riot, and it just didnt seem to say anything, there was no relation to the girl. But I remembered seeing a photo of a fashion show from the 1950s. So now, I decided to follow her around, hoping she would again appear between two display boards just like this. And to my happy surrpise, thats the direction she was going. The final part was easy. Go and wait. I did just that, setting myself up so as to get the old photo in the frame, I set the focus using other people who passed between the two boards and waited. And when she got in position, I snapped.
The photo you see on the right is one of a fashion show from the mid 1950s. Its interesting how much it resembles traditional Korean hanboks. Very traditional. What you see on the girl is what Korean women wear today. Not traditional at all. Obviously as Korea had progressed from a poor nation to one of the more advanced nations in the world, things like fashion have followed suit, reflecting a modern society. On the other side, where the girl is looking are photos of old riots that were, and still are, quite frequent in Korea. As Korea is now a society that looks to the future, I wonder what the young generation thinks of what it was like not so long ago. The riots that happen are usually politically based, and mostly revolve around anti-American feelings of a fringe leftist minority. There have been some major ones recently against American base relocation. However, as vocal as the left are, it seems that Koreans are about to sweep the leftist rulling party out of office in the next 2 years. In its place they will vote in the opposition conservative party which is a very strong pro-US party. So dont let anti american riots fool you, Korea isnt really that anti-American.
Mr. Pizza. Yeah, you are supposed to eat the pizza with the fork and knife they give you.
Potato Chips on a Skewer by tiramisu_addict on Flickr.
please don’t fight
