봄놀이

The sky was cheery. The flowers were blooming beautifully. Birds, just out of their winter slumber, were feeding leisurely on the lawn. A group of students, waving placards and banners, joined in the 'spring celebrations'. There was no disturbance or disorderliness. The students' presence added a pinch of excitement to the joyous atmosphere. They left satisfied after being seen and heard. I took a deep breath. The air of freedom was light and refreshing.

기차 여행

Leaving on a Mugunghwa train

To get from point A to point B in Korea without a private car, the fastest means is not always the train. The inter-city express bus service is, in fact, the best means of land transportation; it is fast, convenient and economical. However, sometimes, travelling is not about getting to the destination in the shortest time. The journey itself is part of the experience. In this instance, I prefered going on a slow train like Mugunghwa which would take me through the scenic countryside.

주렁주렁 열매

An outing during autumn can easily turn out to be an educational trip. What I used to see as finished products are growing on trees right in front of me.

Gingko (은행, 銀杏)
I like it as a dessert or it will be too bitter to be eaten

Chestnut (밤, 栗子)
I like it roasted. Roasted chestnut smell and taste very nice.

Acorn (도토리, 橡子)
I like it as 'acorn jelly' or 도토리 묵, soft and chewy

Jujube or Chinese date (대추, 大枣)
I like it as jujube tea - a 'cooling' drink to drive away the heat

Persimmon (감, 柿子)
I like to have a big bite when it is fully ripe

살아 있는 화석

I never saw ginkgo trees flower. I thought they have inconspicuous flowers but I was wrong. Gingko tree is actually a non-flowering plant that has existed way before flowering plants started to colonise the earth. In other words, it is a living fossil. But I tend to take them for granted because they are common roadside trees.

When ginkgoes turned orange, it's autumn. Branches fully laden with orange gingkoes was quite a spectacular sight along the streets. If I could just shake one tree, I could probably bring about 'gingko rain', with tens of thousands of gingkoes falling upon me.

코스모스밭

Cosmos (코스모스, 大波斯菊) heralds the arrival of autumn. They are one of the reasons why walking out in the open during autumn is a treat.

The pink

The hot pink

The white

The pink, hot pink and white, all together

국악 공연

Just some photos to share on Korean classical music performance held during last summer night. Things traditional are richer in colour and emotion and finer in details and texture. In Korea, you don't have to pay much, if any, to enjoy traditional culture.

용산역

I can't remember who first told me that IT products at Yongsan Station (용산역, 龍山驛) are cheap. I have since awoken up to the fact that it ain't true. As they say, you walk in with your eyes open.

However, Yongsan is more than just IT products; it is a train and subway interchange on the inside and a shopping mall on the outside. The station is as bustling as Seoul Station.

Yongsan on the inside - train and subway interchange

Yongsan on the outside - IT and lifestyle mall

정류장

"Bus 9602 will be arriving in 13 minutes time. Bus 9706 has departed the bus stop before. Bus 9708 will be arriving in 12 minutes time."

All the traffic information you need to know about the buses is clearly displayed on the sleek LED board. To give better readability, lines of information alternate between white and blue light. Most important of all, the information shown is accurate. I can get myself a mocha from a nearby cafe while waiting for the next bus without fear of missing it. This is what I call world class transportation system.

P.S. There are many ways of saying bus stop in Korean. You can call it 정류장 (停留場), 정거장 (停車場), 승강장 (昇降場) or 정류소 (停留所).

여름밤의 즐거움

As the sun set, the summer night starts

Summer heat slowing dissipates in the melody of smooth jazz

Music revitalises the otherwise lethargic and worn-out body

Chilling out continues at the water fountain at Cheonggyecheon

The last bit of the day heat is removed with a bowl of fruit yoghurt

지하철역

6:04pm, Wednesday, in one of the subway stations in Incheon. Isn't it supposed to be evening peak hour? Where is all the crowd?

먹그름

What will you do when rain clouds start forming over your head. Will you run to the nearest shelter, open your umbrella or let yourself caught in the rain?

Dark clouds over Namsan

Sky started to break over Hangang

That day, after I left 'Sky Park' (where I took the above photos), it started to rain. I didn't run into a shelter, I didn't have an umbrella, so I was 'kissed' by the rain.

Kiss the Rain (비를 맞다) - Yiruma (이루마)
Album: From the Yellow Room

장마

How do you know rain is coming? "Look at the dragonfly.", said my friend. When the dragonfly is flying high beyond anyone's reach, there will be no rain. But when rain is imminent, dragonfly will fly low, close to the surface of the water.

Now when I see dragonfly (잠자리), I don't just think of bed (잠자리), I also think of rain and the rainy season.

빵집의 유혹

Tous Les Jours in Seoul Olympic Park

Dunkin' Donuts in Jongno 1-ga

When night fell, walking pass a bakery with an empty stomach in Seoul, could mean coping with a lot of temptations. Shops of reputed bakery chain are all brightly lit at night with every intention to tempt the 'weak-willed' souls who have yet have dinner.

Anyway, it doesn't cost much to get a few buns. A bun costs around 1,000won which is not expensive considering the amount of advertising budget each chain pours into inviting top Korean stars to front their brand. However, foreign-brand bread can be rather expensive (see picture below). Foreign label is rarely cheap, that's why it makes good sense to support local brands.

'Fire Flosss' selling at about $3 SGD. Expensive, no?

장미꽃 가든

Roses start to bloom in early summer or in June. The Rose Garden in Seoul Grand Park has so many varieties of roses that I am not too sure if I have covered 50% of them in the pictures below. Though I am no fan of roses, I do like their names. Names like blue moon, summer wind and peace.

Rose Garden in Seoul Grand Park

Bridal Pink (United States)

Blue Moon (Germany)

Burgund' 81 (Germany)

Charleston (France)

For Shin' 82 (Germany)

Freute (France)

Gallivallda (France)

Gold Buny (France)

Gold Monica (Germany)

Golden Touch (Germany)

Harmonie (Germany)

Hiogi (Japan)

Ingrid Weibul (Germany)

Inka (Germany)

Landora (France)

Lavaglut (Germany)

Maria Callas (France)

Makayuki (Germany)

Minuet (France)

Niccolo Paganini (France)

Nicole (Germany)

Noblesse (Germany)

Oklahoma (United States)

Peace (France)

Pink Peace (France)

Princess de Monaco (France)

Queen Elegabeth (United States)

Saiun (Japan)

Summer Wind (Germany)

Tchin-Tchin (France)

Tineke (Netherlands)

Tokimeki (Japan)