개양귀비

"To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world . . .", said the fox.

"I am beginning to understand," said the little prince. "There is a flower . . . I think that she has tamed me . . ."

I was always reminded of this conversation between the fox and the little prince whenever I saw a field of flowers. Thousands and millions of them but they all look the same to me. In the end, I only saw a sea of colours and not a single flower.

The month of June is the blooming season of Shirley Poppy (개양귀비), also known as 'Yang Gui Fei' in Korea. You heard it right, "Yang Gui Fei' (楊貴妃) is also the name of one of the four great beauties of the ancient China. With a name related to an ancient beauty, you can imagine how much more beautiful it would be to be standing in a field surrounded by thousands and millions of scarlet Shirley Poppy. 

"There is a flower . . . I think that she has tamed me . . ."

A sea of scarlet Shirley Poppy in England

One place in Korea where you can enjoy the spectacle is "View Botanic Garden" (포천뷰식물, www.viewgarden.co.kr), located in Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do. It has a 7,000 'pyeong' (1 'pyeong' = 3.3m2) field filled with waving poppies every year in the month of June. Besides Shirley Poppy, you also get to see other species like Iceland Poppy, Tulip Poppy and Calfornia Poppy. These poppies are 'safe' in the sense they are not the poppy species which are known to produce opiates. The botanic garden held its first "Red Poppy Festival", the largest of its kind, in June 2006. During this annual festival, visitors can expect to taste food made and cooked with poppy petals. I wish I am in Korea in June so that I can tell you how they taste like.

길

A road always leads to somewhere. The problem is you can't see it now.

인사동

I found that I have never written any post on Insadong (인사동, 仁寺洞). Perhaps I have nothing much to elaborate about the place. If I am to describe it simply, Insadong is Korea equivalent to Chinatown. It covers a short stretch of street where you can find Korean traditional snacks peddling on pushcarts and plentiful traditional handcraft shops and restaurants. It is a recommended place to visit in urban Seoul, if you like all things traditional.

Probably the only Starbucks in the world that uses hangeul for its sign and it is found in Insadong. The thing about good branding is you would have guessed correctly it is Starbucks even though you may not know how to read hangeul.

Inside Ssamzigil building. This is the centre of attraction in Insadong. Ironically, things you see inside here are more trendy than traditional.

You can take a slow walk up the Ssamzigil building as it 'spirals' up from level 1 to 4. Things change quite frequently in here. I was never tired of walking up the building every time I was there.

Have a caricature done for you

Or try the popular red bean pancake that comes in the shape of ... (err... you look at the picture and then go and figure)

An unlikely place to find a chandelier - stairway in basement one. Contrast is always quite impactful. On the other side of the glass is  a room where you can get hands-on experience making handicrafts.

If you are wondering where is the traditional part of Insadong in my posting, you are quite alert. Indeed, I have shown nothing of it and in view of that, you will have to discover that for yourselves. It won't take very long to walk one round; an hour or two should suffice.

비가 오는 5월

Entering May, the campus sprung into activities. Celebration of college's anniversary lasted for weeks. Free open-air concerts went on every night. Joy and laughter filled the air, just like in wonderland. One drizzling evening, I received a call from my friend. Apparently, a famous boy group was going to perform in my campus that night.

We went early and there wasn't much crowd. I was told fans would only 'surface' when their idols perform and leave once their idols exit. As we waited for the boy group, relatively unknown singers took the stage. Drizzle became rain when a group of four young girls went on stage. The cheering crowd was pathetic. The girl group was unknown and had no fans. Despite that, they tried their best to please the crowd. Holding mic on one hand and an umbrella on the other, they sang with their heart.

Before their last song, they put away their umbrellas and and told the crowd, "We will stand with you in the rain now." After the girl group left, we thought we would be seeing the boy group soon. But information soon arrived that the boy group is not turning up because of the rain. My friend and I left the concert feeling short-changed.

One of the group of four girls. She has a very good vocal and could well be the main vocalist in one of the many Korean girl groups now.

May in Singapore this year is the season of election. In a few hours time, I will be going to the polling station. Trust me, I will be voting for people who will sing for me, who will sing with me, in the rain of May.

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.

동작대교

Cafes are everywhere in Seoul. You can even find them on top of a bridge. Dongjak Bridge (동작대교, 銅雀大橋) has two cafes where you can have a cuppa while enjoying view of clouds or sunset. The two cafes, Cloud Cafe and Sunset Cafe, are separated by an expressway and subway track. To get there, take subway line 4 and alight at Dongjak Station and then exit by Exit 1.

The two cafes, which are mirror images of one another, are 'perched' 8-storey high above Hangang park, on both sides of the bridge. The cafes are served by elevator. Level 1 is park level, 2 is bridge level and 3 is cafe level.

Dongjak Bridge (동작대교, 銅雀大橋)

Remaining of the evening glow slowly fading into darkness

Darkness finally descended at Hangang

Sunset Cafe (노을 카페)

Cloud Cafe on the opposite side of expressway

Cloud Cafe (구름 카페)

걷기, 찍기, 올리기

I walk, I shoot, I post. That was my favourite past time in Korea. I have not shoot a picture for a long time. By the way, my camera died on me several months ago, probably due to extended period of neglect. I don't think it has regrets; it has served its due purpose - record my sojourn in Korea.

지금

가장 비싼 금이 뭔지 아세요?

가장 비싼 금은 황금도 백금도 아니고 지금입니다.

[Translation]

What is the most expensive 'metal'?

It is neither gold nor platinum, it is 'present'.

As the price of gold continues to shoot through the roof and beyond the reach of many people, fret not! we are still in possession of something more worthy, more precious. What we will be or not be, our regrets, our success, the day when dream comes true, depend on our present and not past. Alas, present is a capital, though in great abundance is badly under-utilised.

Sitting and doing nothing at a quiet seaside during spring

Wasting time away in a cafe during a free afternoon

해당화

贴梗海棠 (Chaenomeles speciosa)

春天里，不止要赏樱花，也要赏赏海棠花。

北宋文人苏东坡因为不忍心海棠的娇艳妩媚被月光遗弃，所以愿意在夜深人静的时候点起蜡烛继续照亮它的明艳红妆。他在《海棠》诗里如此写到：

“东风袅袅泛崇光，香雾空蒙月转廊。
只恐夜深花睡去，故烧高烛照红妆。”

明代“风流才子”唐伯虎在他所画的《海棠美人图》上提了这么一首诗：
“褪尽东风满面妆，可怜蝶粉与蜂狂。
自今意思谁能说，一片春心付海棠。”

男人要称得上风流就必须先懂得女人心。唐伯虎以此诗来比喻女人藏起来的心事就好比海棠无法散发香味一样，惹得蜂蝶不知如何是好。

现代文学家张爱玲人生有三恨：一恨海棠无香，二恨鲥鱼多刺，三恨红楼梦未完。

当代女作家冰心在她的散文《一日的春光》里有这么一段写到他对海棠无香的看法：

“东坡恨海棠无香，我却以为若是香得不妙，宁可无香。我的院里栽了几棵丁香和珍珠梅，夏天还有玉簪，秋天还有菊花，栽后都很后悔。因为这些花香，都使我头痛，不能折来养在屋里。所以有香的花中，我只爱兰花、桂花、香豆花和玫瑰，无香的花中，海棠要算我最喜欢的了。”

海棠在中国深受文人墨客的青睐，最主要的原因是因为在它出众的姿色之中嗅不到任何的脂粉味。如果你能接受海棠无香，或许你也会明白为什么真爱无言。

韩国也有海棠花，可是韩国的海棠花(Rosa rugosa)不是中国人所熟知的海棠花。 韩国的海棠花不止比中国的大，而且还有香味。尽管如此，中国或韩国的海棠花，如同玫瑰和苹果，都属蔷薇科。说到底还是一家人。

해당화 (Rosa rugosa)

4월 첫날

Hi everyone, I am back in Korea. Spring is in the air although the morning air is still chilly. It feels so much like home-coming to see familiar sights like Gyeongbok Palace once again. I can't wait to see the cherry blossoms soon.

Walking down Hyoja-ro (효자로, 孝子路) beside Gyeongbok Palace

The enchanting Gwanghwamun at night

I hope you do realise that it is April Fools' Day today :)