여름의 눈사람

Snowman has a dream, he wants to experience summer; he wants to know what warmth feels like. Winter night is long and dreary; except for the cold howling wind blowing through the snow-capped field, he hears nothing. The view of the vast milky way is magnificent but his frozen heart is not beating, not a bit.

Fellow snowmen discouraged him:

"Without cold, your existence will cease."
"You will melt before you even know it."
"You will not survive, why do you even try?"

Day-dreaming is free but not dream; there is a price to pay to hold one. The night before snowman decided to leave, blizzard came and whipped the barren land. All known exit routes were shut but snowman was undeterred; he used Polaris as a guide and moved slowly away from it.

Snowman finally met summer one day. The heat of summer reached his heart and melted it; it started to beat. However, the rest of his body also began to melt away. There was no magic and fairy dust to reverse the process. Soon the ground which snowman stood on was left with a pool of water and two rocks, a small rock stacked on top a big one.

Took this picture at my old office three years ago when I completed arranging everything after the shift.

장마 시작

Yesterday morning, hashtag "장마 시작" (start of monsoon) was trending in Korea. Monsoon season lasts for a month and by August people will start hitting the beach as summer reaches its peak. Then schools will re-open for autumn semester and people will be looking forward to Chuseok (mid-autumn) holiday. Then autumn foilages will come and go and soon it will be winter and end of 2019.

하고 싶은 거 다 해

While browsing in a bookstore in Hong Kong I came a across a travelogue. The authors were two friends who made a round trip of Hong Kong on bicycle. The book was a detailed record of the places they visited, food they ate, people they met and incidents encountered. It was a thick book with load of pictures to go with their stories.

I was thinking, theirs was something I would have wanted to do - take my time, live a life. I used to believe three conditions need to exist for thing to happen; they are time, money and energy. I have since discarded it as the belief provides a convenient excuse for not doing thing I want. At any stage of one's life, one or more of the three conditions will likely be deficient. In essence, life is simple; if I want I will find my way, all stars aligned or not.

햄치즈토스트

Ham & Cheese Toast, not from Isaac Toast though

Isaac Toast was in Singapore close to five months but I only realised it last Saturday. The moment I saw my comfort food, ham and cheese toast, on the menu board, I moved quickly from a state of surprise to joy to disbelief. What? SGD4.50 for a ham & cheese toast? I shed a tear and bought one.

Memory of my language school days in Korea was as sweet as the Isaac Toast's signature sauce. Taste-wise, Singapore's Isaac Toast is the same as those in Korea. The difference, Isaac Toast Singapore is not the convenient neighbourhood snack shop that I knew.

살아보면서 느낀것

Two guys stood in front of me in a snaking queue leading to the entrance of Palace of Versailles.

One guy asked the other, "You don't seem to take any photos."

His friend coolly replied, "There is nothing out there you can't find in the internet these days. The buildings, paintings and tapestries, someone somewhere would have posted them in the internet. I don't see a need to take any more photos."

I didn't take many photos of the palace and neither did I post any. I might have been influenced but there was also a practical reason why it was so; there was just too many visitors that composing a photo was troublesome. The thing about "must-see" attractions, they are always crowded. I didn't have the time and space to feel and appreciate any thing. I just moved along with the crowd until I was out.

Popular culture presents a world of "must-see", "must-eat", "must-do" and I have learned to ignore them all. A life that moves along from entrance to exit is not for me. Give me a road less travelled any day.

I like the colour combination: green trees, blue sky and golden field (in Loire Valley)

Nothing else but the beautiful "night sky" of summer Paris

숙박

I don't plan where I want to stay for most of my overseas trips. I trust google map enough to provide me good recommendation for my lodging needs whereever I am. My accommodation in Paris last summer was a suggestion from google map. It was a boutique hotel, small and fashionable with friendly and helpful staff. The vibe I got upon entering, it's a small and cozy place and I will like it.

Returning from a late evening walk but there was still light in the sky outside COQ Hotel

Well-lit dining place, inviting me to go in

Lightboxes with gentle reminder to be happy

Two bowls of fresh fruits under spotlights. They are edible decor I think.

I like how neat the kitchen was

View of antiquated buildings from my room

재회 경주 석굴암

When I first visited Gyeongju's Seokguram, a time when I pronounced Gyeongju like Gwangju, I have to take an hour walk up Tohamsan Mountain from Bulguksa Temple before reaching its entrance. Time changed and so do I; I was able to drive up to its entrance this time. I was back to rediscover my 초심 (初心).

Entrance to Seokguram Grotto

Along the way, cuddly chipmunk froze for its picture to be taken

The last mile before reaching Seokguram, all dressed up for the coming Buddha's birthday

Wisteria providing shade at the public car park below Bulguk Bell Pavilion

정동진 비치크루즈

Jeongdongjin (정동진, 正東津) was about 4-hour drive from Seoul. Not a smooth drive getting there as I have to battle heavy rain and very bad visibility along Yeongdong Expressway. Once at Jeongdongjin, it was paradise. I stayed in a twin pool villa at the new Beach Cruise (new extension of Sun Cruise). The room was as superb as it looks in the picture and the sea view, priceless. The sound of waves played non-stop throughout the night, providing a calming background music for a good night sleep.

To do justice to the place, I uploaded the corporate photos (first and second) from Sun Cruise Resort's website.

Sun Cruise - Hotel & Condo (left) and Beach Cruise - Pool Villa (right)

Twin Pool Villa with Terrace

Sound of waves played non-stop throughout the night

꽃길만 걷게 해줄게

I used to tell my mum that I am not impressed by the flowers at the Gardens by the Bay. Flowers grown in enclosure never impress me. "There is a more beautiful world out there and I will show it to you one day", I promised my mum.

Flowers are most beautiful in spring, especially when they are out in the open under strong sunlight. My mum finally agreed with me.


International Horticulture Goyang 2018

Garden of Morning Calm - Spring Festival 2018

초보운전

Rookie driver, beware!

I am back, in one piece, goodness! I have not done it before; I rented a car and drove for seventeen hours over a period of one week in Korea. My workhorse, the humble Hyundai Avante AD, comes equipped with essentials like navigation, blind spot monitoring and reverse parking guidance. For good measure, I have the trustworthy KakaoMap apps installed in my phone as a backup for the in-car navigation. Despite many years of driving experience, I felt like a rookie driver all over again. Driving in Korea is not much different from driving in Singapore, but still, there are differences; one of these, Korea is right-hand drive and Singapore, the opposite. I cannot boast I drove off the basement carpark of Terminal 2 without some trepidation. Fortunately, all started well and ended well. With a car, I was able to re-visit distant places like Jeongdongjin and Gyeongju with relative ease. However, when in Seoul, it is still advisable to take public transport.