Short Break, Madness Resumes

So the there are still a ton of pictures to upload.

I'll start with this one, and hopefully end on something completely different.

If all goes well, this will be my last batch of photographs from the Seoul trip.

The palace grounds are separated into numerous courtyards, and from the few I've seen, they all seem to be divided this way.

The spaces vary in size, but tend to have a single domineering building, surrounded low level quarters.

I guess the peons worked outside the main building, and were the first line of defence against intrusion.

So during my homeward journey, I gazed into a window idly, to see something that made me chuckle.

In the country of dog eaters, the poodle is king.

In my mind these girls were preparing the dogs for dinner.

It could only be improved if there were a restaurant next door...

The next stop on my 'Around Seoul,' trip was Lotte world.

It's a (mainly) indoor amusement park, and has a number of different attractions.  Some are fantastic, like the indoor roller coaster, while others are somewhat more tame.

We took the monorail to have a look around.  I was thinking it would be tiny, but it really is deceptively large.  They have utilised the space efficiently.

I desperately wanted to take my camera on the roller coaster, but I was borrowing it, so I couldn't.

I offered to tape it to my hands and everything!

Despite being rather short, it was particularly jarring and intense, considering the lack of height and speed.  I would definitely recommend 'the French revolution,' to anyone who ventures into Lotte world.

The extremely high-up balloons (probably not the correct name) was a ride I couldn't go on.

If you want to see around the park, either choose the monorail or the balloons.  It's my understanding that the balloons don't go outside, to the island attached to the park, so the monorail wins for pure interest.

I did want to see how high the roof was though, looking down on all the ants wandering around...

Maybe that's just my inner dictator kicking in though...

After not being allowed to take pictures on the roller coaster, I was determined to get pictures from at least one ride.

Some bargaining later, I procured this shot of the swinging ship.

It seems another park-goer had the same idea as me, and I can only assume he has the same shot in reverse.

That would have been interesting to see, alas I didn't get any of his information.

In the queue for the ship, it occurred to me that the facade of such places is always broken, no matter how much effort is expended in keeping the experience 'authentic.'

The illusion is broken often, and in extremely obvious places; so I'm always surprised when people come here for anything other than rides.

It's certainly something else to be indoors for most of the time though, as all the noise is kept echoing around.  I suppose this is one of the benefits of having a place under roof, as it always seems more interesting and exciting than it actually is, because of the crowded conditions and constant noise.

At least they tried to write something in English.

It's probably gramatically correct, but I don't think anyone has used 'lest,' in around two hundred years.  Good effort though, at least.

Another shot from the swinging ship.

I couldn't turn the flash off, no matter how hard I tried.  It was pretty powerful though, judge for yourself in this picture.

It lit up a kilometre of park...

As is customary, I ate several dozen family sized cakes when I was there.

This  is but one of those cakes, and  delicious it was too.

They have a real talent for making good, cheap cakes.

PB means Paris Baguette by the way.  (Free advertising)

Everything has hearts on it, you can't escape this.  Think of the most unlikely, outlandish item.  Now attach a heart to it.

Possibly pink.

That's how people enjoy their products here.  I feel awfully sorry for the men.

The next day I happened across a man selling personal stamps.  He sets up shop on the side of the road, bringing with him a laptop and a CAD machine.

The whole setup is quite surreal, but fantastic.

I had to purchase one, purely for the nostalgic value.

The following sequence is how it was made!

First I chose my design, and the style of handle I wanted.  Being dragon born, I chose my name around the outside, with the chinese symbol for dragon in the middle.

He sorted it all out on the computer, selected the wood, and let the machine do all the work.

This is the overall setup in one shot.

Spartan, but effective.

The wood is sanded, primed and placed into the machine.

The cutting head then moves into position, with a small pressure sensor.

This moves over the wood finding the edges of the piece of wood.  It's surprisingly effective, for such a simple concept.

The sensor takes only a few measurements before the cutting begins.

I have to wonder where he got the software for this machine, and where he got the machine itself.

The whole thing cost roughly fifteen pounds.

I bet he had to make an awful lot of these stamps to pay for the equipment...

These are the handle designs.

They're all wood (I think.  Some looked suspiciously like ivory) and are extremely simple.

The handles are pre-shaped into interesting and exotic patterns, the ends of which are cut by the machine.  No extra work is done on the handles themselves.

He occasionally brushed the machine down, keeping detritus clear of the head.

It's a remarkably efficient process, but I was left wondering whether such a cheap street vendor could produce something that worked.

He had a pair of hands that looked like they'd single handedly pulled Korea into the twenty-first century.

They were scarred, cracked and definitely wisened; but he smiled all the time, so I'm sure he enjoyed what he was doing.

Or he was enjoying the conversation with the woman in the background.  Come to think of it, they were probably making fun of the  dumb foreigner with dragon in his name.

And finally, the finished product.

It came out spectacularly well considering the cost and venue.

If you receive a letter from me, then it will undoubtedly have this stamp affixed somewhere.  I carry it with me to most venues, regardless of whether a stamp is needed.



And those are the Seoul Summer Holiday snaps.  They really were little more than snapshots in the end, but I had fun taking them.

Until next time.

Five, and Flagging...

So this is my fifth consecutive post.

I think after today, I may need to reduce my posting, lest I be hospitalised for RSI.

 This is obviously something of a photo manipulation on my part.

It's the desktop to my computer in the classroom.  It's high contrast, so it makes it easier to read the items on my desktop.

This picture, coupled with the screensaver slideshow of my trip to Seoul gives my room a competitive edge over the other classrooms, I feel at least.

 This picture and the one below, illustrate an important difference between Japanese and Korean shrines.

At face value they look extremely similar, I was surprised to find many of the same craft styles present in both places.  The roof latticework for example, looks identical to my eyes.

The difference of note that I would recommend looking at my previous pictures to see, is that Korea feels much more earthy.  There is a lot of bare soil, and the gardens are nowhere near as lush.

This is either indicative of budget disparities, or a different philosophy as to what grounds like these should look like.

I would prefer it if the latter were true.

 Looking along this wall you can see the lighter earth tone of the wall, compared to the Japanese equivalent; and an unashamed lack of vegetation.

The only cover in this particular place comes from a randomly grown assortment of trees.

The more modern park area has a shaded patch and a fountain, but the traditional areas have little in the way of cover.

 Looking through one of the outer buildings we can see a view that completely contradicts my previous assertion.

You will just have to take it from me, these places are nowhere near as lush.

This isn't a negative aspect to the castles and religious grounds here, it's just a different interpretation of a tranquil place.

If tranquility is a word that can be associated with what is now a tourist spot...

 I don't speak any Korean, and fearing for my life, I daren't speak to any of those passing by.

Therefore I can only assume this man was either the founder of this area, or a major architect  in its' planning.

His book suggests a scholar of some sorts, and his garb is excessive, especially for the Summer season here.  I can only surmise that he is a nobleman of some kind.  Maybe even a King.

 When you walk in the entrance, if you keep an even keel, on your right will be this view.

It is quite an interesting view, partly because of the buildings in the palatial grounds, and partly because of the dearth of vegetation.  The grass is an unhealthy yellow/green, and there are no trees.

It makes the entire  place feel much larger than it actually is.

I wonder if that was the intention of the designer...

 This is the view from the other side of the walkway, past the main entrance.

When you see period Asian war films, they're always being slaughtered in the equivalent of this space, in whichever country they're currently in.

There was some filming going on just behind me, but I've no idea what for.

Again, I was too afraid to ask.

 I was wondering whether this man was like our Buckingham Palace guards, and couldn't smile, flinch, move or otherwise react should I go and take a picture up-close.

I didn't want to risk it though.  The highly strung nature of the individuals in this country would mean it would become a diplomatic incident within seconds.

It would also mean being impaled on a ten foot skewer, and that's something I've no desire of trying.

 This was in the background of the above picture.

They have a number of lavish courtyards, that presumably served as military training grounds, or ceremonial grounds of some sort.

They had no ornamentation, so I assume they had a utilitarian purpose.

 Another extremely ugly gargoyle looks on at the temple.

I think it's peeved that after all these years, it still has to protect this stupid building.

That's why it's got the annoyed expression, and why it's directed at the building itself.

 This is the Borrowers Eye View (TM) of the temple.  I sat the camera on the floor to take a drink, and wondered what the place looked like from down there.

Low and behold, it looks like this.

Despite being terminally wonky, it's still closer to horizontal than any other picture in this series, so that's a plus.

 They like incorporating cubby holes in their designs, and this is a typical example.

They're not fully developed courtyards, but I can imagine some kind of kitchen garden being cultivated here, or a stone bench for someone to important to sit with the riff-raff.

It's an interesting place, with all the low corridors and hiding places.  There are an inordinate number of tiny arrow holes too.  These guys were certainly prepared for an invasion.

The final picture in todays' set leaves me with mixed feelings.

I saw this view, through a doorway in the wall, and wondered how I could possibly fail to take an impressive  shot, what with the diagonal lines and imposing building facade to work with.  It turns out that elements can be easily placed together, but the end result can be extremely unimpressive, or downright boring; despite best intentions.

This picture isn't exactly great, but it's the best of this sequence, and I feel it should be entered unto the internet, to remind me that luck is important, and so is perseverence.

Until next time, which might not be tomorrow.

Connect Four

I begin this particular presentation with an ancient form of weaponry.

They wedged rockets into the small cylindrical holes, lit them, then presumably ran away.  It's a miracle that one survived, given the wooden nature of the construction.

I certainly wouldn't want to be the chief 'post operation,' visual inspector.  Not for all the tea in china.  Come to think of it, that's probably what they were fighting for.

So I tried experimenting with different in-camera options while I was shooting.  I had the opportunity to use an entry-level SLR afterall, so I wanted to tinker and see what happened.

Obviously, I can't do highlights, so I've lost yet more in this picture; but I must admit that I carry a certain fondness for this extremely warm picture.

I haven't seen many like this, and while it's probably an acquired taste (hence why so few examples exist) I am bemused as to why there should be so little interest in this particular colour scheme.

Thoughts, anyone?

This is the neutral colour scheme I predominantly used during the days' shooting.

It's the same entrance shrine thing, but with a decidedly lacklustre aura.  The picture above reminded me somewhat  of Lord of the Rings, so maybe I just have a fondness for unrealistically ethereal imagery.

I know two of the chinese characters on this shrine by the way.  One means door, another middle, and the third I've no idea.  Door something middle.  Door God Middle?  Door Sunshine Middle?  Door Oranges Middle?  Who knows.  (Obviously someone does, just not me.)

I was somewhat enamored by the chinese characters, so took incrementally closer pictures of them.

There's no other reason for me to include them here than, and I apologise for this, I feel this blog should be at least some way indicative of my overall shooting habits, so I need to include enough that it is proportional to the number I took overall.

That probably doesn't make sense to anyone but me, so I apologise.

Door, something, middle.  In that order.

There's not a lot more to say on this particular topic.

It's pretty though right?

It smacks of Asia too, which is nice in a country of macdonalds and KraZe burger.

The americanisation of this country is total, whereas Japan is only partially exploited.  Long may Japan hold out.

I like the perspective of this one.

Last one of the writing I promise...




(I made sure it was very small!)

I love drawing the traditional and modern together.

The best way to do this is zoom in to the maximum extent of your lense, and pull the background closer to the foreground.  The elements in this picture look quite close together, but they couldn't exist further apart.

Isn't photography fun!

Taking photographs is, but listening to a deranged lunatic isn't, so let's move on swiftly!

I don't know what this ugly little fellow is, but I assume he's guarding the temple at the top of the steps.

The warm colours are useful here, because they bring out detail that was lacking from the neutral colour scheme I used in other pictures.

He's got some awesome teeth on him.  He doesn't even look particularly menacing, as is common for these gargoyle type constructions.

I was of the opinion that a face like that needed extra attention, so here it is.  It's really well made, and while obviously modern, I'm told it is a faithful replica of something that would have been present some years ago.

Presumably some foreign army took them home.  Which one is a good question.

Korea has changed hands a number of times, and it's this history that makes the people so wary of Japan, despite them being less of a threat than their northern neighbours.  I think it also helps that North Korea has the word 'Korea,' in the name, despite being a completely foreign country.  Actually, it's more of an alien country than foreign.

This is a comparison of neutral and warm colour tones.

Which you prefer is up to you.

I wondered whether I should place the warmer variation on top, to give it priority; I then wondered whether anyone would care, so put them back this way round.

A large amount of the site was being renovated or reconstructed, so I was somewhat disappointed to find myself unable to enter some of the smaller buildings.

Most are easily entered, and unlike Japan, photographs are usually allowed.

I always wondered why photography was banned in these kinds of places.

A day in the life of a pot.

There were half a dozen urns around this particular building.  In Japan these were usually used for incense burning, but those examples were either indoors or covered, so I doubt this urn is used for that.

I can honestly say that I have no idea what it does.

I just felt like mentioning what other examples of such pots do...

I took this one, much to the hilarity of a few Korean tourists walking past.

I was laying down, using my bag as a headrest.  This is a position I've noticed a lot of dockworkers adopting, around ten PM, after a particularly harsh day of work and drinking.

Often I'll get in from late night shopping or meeting friends, see a worker lying down in such a position, then I'll head out the next day to see either the same man unmoved, or a pile of detritus blown up against him.  Imagine someone being snowed in, like a scene from a typical cartoon, but with coffee cups and coke cans.

I find myself taking the morally ambivalent road and laughing; more often than not.

I think the wives here drive the men to such stupid acts.

But more on that  another time!

I'm going to end this particular presentation with some pictures of a present I got from one of the students.

 Nail clippers, believe it or not.  I think I need to improve my finger based hygiene, on the evidence of this present.

The interesting thing comes from the picture however, as it is a famous Korean picture.  There are some partially nude women in the foreground (It's difficult to see from this photo) and a couple of men hiding in the bushes.

Bearing in mind this picture is the Korean equivalent of a raunchy Italian renaissance picture, I find it incredible that they would sensor anything on this picture, but apparently they do.  You lose the entirety of the bottom, which is the nude part - comically however, you also lose the peeping Toms in the top left.  The picture must look more like a half drawn 'paint your own,' type affair than a national treasure, after the censor is finished.

'Certificate of World Best Product.'

'Made in Korea.'

Modest much?

Third Post, Hanging on in There.

This post will be somewhat shorter than previous ones, as I'm determined to sleep well tonight.

I had a weight and body fat test at the gym, and no matter how hard I try I cannot gain weight.  I eat everything that comes my way (except tentacles, I've had enough of those for a while now) both healthy and unhealthy; yet I can't break 87Kg's.  I'm at 86Kg's right now.  It's frustrating to say the least.  I want to be a solid 90kg's, with a preference to being one or two Kilogrammes more.  It's only five Kilogrammes, why so much effort?

Of my body fat test, the machine said I had 8% body fat.  This is patently wrong, so I will test myself again tomorrow.

Onto the rest of the Seoul pictures; I wonder where todays jaunt through memory lane will take us?

I'm going to include a number of photos including these guards for two reasons.

Their positioning reminded me of our beefeaters, and some of the HSBC advertisments have them with their giant polearms.  The intimation is that these guys are chinese, but they never explicitly say as much - I guess a few people will have to know the truth.

They're very colourful though, and I can't imagine they'd be much use in combat.  No armour, no swords, just a great big flimsy stick with a cotton tail attached to it.

I guess Koreans loved cute fluffy things even back then...

Ok so this is the second of my pointless ancient military inclusions.  I was here for something akin to the changing of the guard ceremony.

Many in England think our events  are somewhat low-key compared to our European or american neighbours.  They have obviously never seen a Korean handover.  A man with drums.  Five men.  Two minutes.

It's hardly inspiring me, so I'll move on.

I felt somewhat awkward taking a picture of these guys so close up.  I'm not a real photographer, so I have no real legitimate reason to take a photo of them.

My illegitimate reason was to show the incredible boredom on their faces, and the lack of discipline with which they moved.

I began to suspect they were not, in fact, military personal at all.  They were probably hired by the same company that hires for disneyland.  I have heard nothing to suggest that this isn't true.

A shot of the 'grand,' entrance to one of the palaces in Seoul.

The colour of their uniforms doesn't convey any of the normal military emotions.  It's not particularly uniform, camoflauged or awe-inspiring.

It's kind of cute actually.

I would have no qualms about overthrowing this particular dynasty, if not for land then surely for fashion sense.

Of reportage photography I have been told that you can't get exciting or artistic shots all the time.  When reporting facts, your pictures should aim to convey some of those facts visually.

On the other hand I quite like this picture.  Even with its' quirky, barely focused subjects that are framed in a decidedly drunken fashion, I enjoyed taking it as the man tried his best not to make eye-contact with me.

I like this one too, for a couple of reasons.

Firstly it shows how long the poles are, and how, with a bit of positioning and camera trickery, you can make anything look shorter or taller, no matter how big it may be to begin with.

The second reason I like this photograph is decidedly more puerile.

You see that 'entrance,' sign behind the man, to the extreme left of the picture?

I didn't.

I was emphatically, to the point of rudeness I might add, told to move to the entrance lest I find myself in some Korean sounding trouble.  Did I mention the Koreans can be exceedingly rude?  The very same man, with a chocolate and sunbeam smile, welcomed in a pair of Korean couples.

His problem with foreigners?  I can only imagine he had the misfortune of standing next to a foreigner at a urinal.

The sky in this particular picture looks photo-shopped, in my particular world.  It reminds me of an oil painting.

This, coupled with the myriad converging lines, makes this one of my more liked photographs.  The lines really lead the eye towards the modern buildings.

Enough of that claptrap.

I just like it.

In the uninteresting reportage style I mentioned earlier - this is one of the internal parks.  There really is no way of escaping the sky-scrapers I'm afraid.

Horticulturists, name that plant.

The weather was perfect for losing weight, and for sitting in the shade.  Alas, not for much else.

It was a nice park though.

There's a big meeting of world leaders happening in Seoul soon.  Or it has already happened.  Either way, someone paid a lot of money to have the fact advertised on the side of this building.

It was also quite a selfish act, as the poor people working inside that building would have little to no light for the duration of the advertisment.  Everyone should have the basic human right to vitamin D.  Or E.  I forget which one is made in our skin.

Now we start coming to the really interesting photographs.  Unfortunately, this is also my penultimate picture for tonight, as it really is time for bed.

Despite complaining earlier about the huge numbers of concrete towers, some  of the shots do benefit from that contradiction; the juxtaposition, if you will.

I think the greenery and old world buildings, coupled with the extremely modern background is an example of that.

On the other hand, forget everything I just said and tell me whether you like the picture or not, claptrap aside.

I've just noticed that I take a lot of portrait style photographs.

This leaves a large amount of room to the side of the picture in which to write, and also means I have to fill a larger vertical space.

Remind me to produce more landscape orientation pictures in the future.

This is a famous bell, rung several hundred years ago.

I didn't have the kutzpah to ring it myself, but it was beautifully decorated, as were the water columns, part of an ancient clock, that were used to co-ordinate chimes on the hour.

Everyone loves dragons!