One of the best things about living in a “regular” apartment in Korea is that I actually get to see the sky. For the past many years I have the luxury of watching the man of the 2nd floor of the adjacent building smoke cigarettes and spit. Sadly, for a landscape photographer this makes judging the skies a little difficult.

However, these days I can look up from my computer and not see an elderly man in his underwear smoking, but a beautiful sky. So on Sunday, I decided to head out and find a great location to shoot. Sadly, my first location was a fail. However, with the time that I had, I went to a favorite location that I knew that I could get to easily and that was close to some good coffee.

When you don’t have much time to get out and shot, you must do the best that you can with the time that you got. What that means is that you don’t have to go out wandering the country side hoping to find that secret dreamy location. You have to be quick and be ready, especially if the sunset is what you are after.

Choose you location before you leave

You don’t want to be wasting time like I did in testing out locations.  If you don’t have much time then you must get yo your location quickly and get set up. If take shots from buildings where you need to wait to get access or hike to get to the top of a mountain then you really need to get to your location fast or you may miss the shot.

Know What You Want

Too often we are presented with a get sunset and have no idea what to do with it. Once you know the location then you can figure out what to do with the sunset or scene before you. With an understanding of what you want you can adjust your camera and your composition to achieve better results.

Work your Magic

Finally, work the scene to bring out its beauty. Once you know what you sort of want you can play around and see what else you can do. Often these experiments bring out some surprising results.

An in-depth look at the current NIS scandal and the charges against Unified Progressive Party representative Lee Seokki. By Gregory Elich
Political Firestorm in South Korea » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

CounterPunch (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Diagrams on the Conduct of the Three Bonds, or Samgang Haengshildo (三綱行實圖, 삼감행실도), was published  in Classical Chinese in 1431 at the behest of King Sejong (世宗, 세종, 1397-1450) to educate commoners on Confucian tenets. Not surprisingly, it was one of the first Confucian books to be translated into the Korean vernacular using Hangul.

This is a series of posts on monomorphemic words, which are words composed of two characters wherein the word cannot be understood by reading at the characters separately. 

Reduplicated Monomorphemic Words

Reduplicated monomorphemic words (雙語 衍聲複詞, 쌍어 연성복사) are words with two repeated characters. These words are typically adjectives and verbs, and rarely nouns in Classical Chinese. These type of words fall into two categories: (1) onomatopoeias (擬聲語, 의성어) and mimetic words (擬泰語, 의태어); and (2) words of emphasis (强調語, 강조어). These words are frequently used in the Classic of Poetry (詩經, 시경).

Onomatopoeias and Mimetic Words

In this case, the characters cannot be used to mean the onomatopoeias or mimetic words without being reduplicated. For example, in the line, 關關雎鳩(관관저구),  關關 is an onomatopoeia, referring to the sounds of an osprey, but 關 by itself cannot cannot refer to the onomatopoeia.

桃之夭夭 有蕡其實
도지요요유분기실

The peach tree is young and fresh; abundant are its fruits.
► Classic of Poetry (詩經, 시경), Lessons of the States (國風, 국풍), Odes of the Zhou and the South (周南 주남), Peach Trees (桃夭, 도요).

河水洋洋北流活活
하수양양북류활활

The waters of the [Yellow] River were wide and deep; northerly it flows, gushing and gurgling.
► Classic of Poetry (詩經, 시경), Lessons of the States (國風, 국풍), Odes of the Wei (衛風, 위풍), The Great Man (碩人, 석인).

喔喔雞聲簷上下 / 翩翩鶴舞院東西
악악계성첨상하 / 편편학무원동서

Cock a doodle do, the cock crows above and below the eaves / Fluttering and flapping, the crane dances east and west of the wall.
► Waking Up in the Morning, With One Arrow of the Canister to the Limit (曉起以漏一箭爲限, 효기이루일전위한), by King Jeongjo (正祖, 정조, 1752-1800, r. 1776-1800).

Words of Emphasis

In words of emphasis, the characters can be understood separately, but having a less degree than the reduplicated word. For instance, the word 深深(심심) can be interpreted as “very deep” or “very profound,” and the character  深 by itself can mean “deep” or “profound” by itself.

采采芣苢 薄言采之
채채부이 박언채지

Gathering and plucking the plantains, now we have gathered them.
► Classic of Poetry (詩經, 시경), Lessons of the States (國風, 국풍), Odes of the Zhou and the South (周南 주남), Plantains (芣苢, 부이).

天聽寂無音蒼蒼何處尋
천청적무음 창창하처심

Listening to heaven is silent and [to hear] no sound. The blue and azure sky, where do I find?
► The Precious Mirror Illuminating the Heart, or Myeongshimbogam (明心寶鑑, 명심보감).

靑靑河畔草 / 鬱鬱園中柳
청청하반초 / 울울원중류

Green and teal are the riverbank’s grass / Dense and thick are the garden’s willows.
►Collection of Literature Arranged by Categories (藝文類聚, 예문유취), Author Unknown.

Nota Bene: These reduplicated monomorphemic words should be distinguished from nouns words that are repeated. For instance, the word 家家(가가, Gaga), meaning “house-to-house,” although a reduplicated word (疊語, 첩어), is not considered a monomorphemic word, because each character can be understood separately and there is no emphasis.

Another post! This one, all about seafood. RT @aclipse: Seafood Feast Korea Style: Exploring Nampo, Busan http://t.co/zfw9D9DMlx

Hi all, I hope things are going well. I wanted to write a post today about how completely floored I am that a people as kind as Koreans exist.

You remember that post I wrote about that constant scowl I carry to ward off strangers? Well, that seemed to have vanished on its own. From greeting all of the teachers every morning to saying “hi!” to every student that enthusiastically calls my name in the hallways, the amount of time I now spend smiling has already outweighed the whole amount I did last year. Seriously.

You remember my ahjumma story, right? Well the kindness hasn’t stopped there, and it’s still only been a few weeks. Today I came back from the bank, where an extremely helpful bank teller has been helping me with the difficulties of banking as a foreigner. He doesn’t speak English too well, I don’t speak Korean too well, but somehow we’ve met in between.  I had a problem withdrawing money today so talking in broken Korean, miming at times, he patiently listened, furrowed his brows, sometimes laughed, and eventually figured out what I needed. At banks here, they give you water or coffee as you wait, and he got up abruptly to get me some when I told him I didn’t have lunch yet. We talked a little about chuseok plans and at the end of the trip he said to come back again soon, to which I replied 당연하죠! (of course! ^^)

One day my class had a field trip to the downtown area of Daegu where we painted book shelf/stand things and they were a little too big to fit in a backpack so I carried mine home in my arms. On the subway, I chose to stand because all the seats were full, and suddenly an old woman snatched it out of my hand! WHAT? But then I remembered that sometimes this happens – a seated stranger will sometimes offer to carry your things if you end up standing on the subway. Nice, huh? I bowed and thanked her, when behind me an elderly man asked me, “where are you from?” I replied in Korean and had a short conversation. When a seat opened up, I offered it to another elderly person standing up, and the good feels practically filled the entire subway car. I made sure to thank the old woman who helped me carry the book stand and she smiled for daysss. And as I got off on my stop, I got a “very beautipul” from the elderly man  ;__: <3

I’ve also ventured to have small conversations with local shopkeepers, who are always super impressed by my rudimentary Korean XD I will say that people here really appreciate when you try to communicate with them, if even in English. And it isn’t just confined to words, even a smile or a bow can communicate so much. I will say that my time here so far hasn’t been easy, and sometimes the staring eyes of people on the sidewalk get me, but thinking about successful cultural exchanges like these have helped me a lot. In all, I am grateful that I’ve been welcomed here by such kind people to teach, and I want to try my best for them, even if it means giving up a seat or smiling through a rough day. So far it’s yielded amazing results.

A Manual on the Four Rites (四禮便覽, 사례편람, Saryepyeonram), written by Yi Jae (李縡, 이재, 1680-1746).

This is a series of posts on monomorphemic words, which are words composed of two characters wherein the word cannot be understood by reading the characters separately. 

Postfixed Monomorphemic Words

Postfixed monomorphemic words (接尾詞 衍聲複詞, 접미사 연성복사) are words wherein first one or two characters “carry” the meaning of the word and the last character adds no extra meaning, merely demarcating the end of that word. For example, take the word 當然(당연), which is often used colloquially in Korean to mean “of course!” but literally means “rightfully.” The meaning “rightfully” can be gathered from the first character, 當(당), by itself. The second character, 然(연), does not add to the meaning, and cannot itself mean “rightfully.”

There are four postfix characters of note: 然(연), 爾(이), 如(여), and 子(자). Note that these characters have other meanings in other contexts, some of which will be covered later on in detail.

~然(연), ~爾(이), ~如(여) Postfixed Words

These three characters are the most common postfix characters in Classical Chinese. Out of these three, 然(연) is the most common. The postfix 如(여) is often used after a reduplicated word. These postfix characters are used in verbs, adverbs, and adjectives.

王勃然變乎色. 曰: “王勿異也. 王問臣, 臣不敢不以正對.”
왕발연변호색. 왈: “왕물이야. 왕문신, 신불감불이정대.”

The King was outraged, changing in complexion. Mencius said, “King, do not think strangely of it. [You], the King, have asked [me], your servant. As a servant, [I] dare not respond but with what is right.”
► Mencius (孟子, 맹자, Maengja), Wan Zhang II Chapter (萬章下, 만장하).

馬背乘昏强覓詩 / 偶然逢友郭西陂
마배승혼강멱시 / 우연봉우과서피

On top of a horse and riding in the dark, I forcibly try to compose a poem / Fortuitously, I meet a friend on a hill west of the castle wall.
► Riding in the Snow to Find the Very Middle (乘雪訪正中, 승설방정중) by Nam Hyo’on (南孝溫, 남효온, 1454-1492)

忽然剝啄聲 / 挹翠詩見尋
홀연박탁성 / 읍취시견심

All of the sudden, a door knocking noise. / He came to look for Eupchwiheon’s (挹翠軒, 읍취헌)  poem.
► Quickly Composed. Harmonized with Eupchiwiheon’s Poem and Shown to Ten Others (走筆, 和翠軒和示之什 주필 화취헌화시지십) by Yi Haeng (李荇, 이행, 1478-1534)

子之武城, 聞弦歌之聲. 夫子莞爾而笑, 曰: “割雞焉用牛刀?”
자지무성, 문현가지성. 부자완이이소, 왈: “할계언용우도?”

The Master came to Wu Cheng (武城, 무성, Museong) and heard the sounds of stringed instruments and singing. The Master radiantly smiling and laughing said, “To cut a chicken, why use an ox knife?”
► Analects of Confucius (論語, 논어), Yang Huo Chapter (陽貨, 양화, Yang Hwa).

閔子侍側, 誾誾如也. 子路,行行如也. 冉有, 子貢. 侃侃如也.
민자대측, 은은여야. 자로, 행행여야. 염유, 자공. 간간여야.

Discipline Min (閔子, 민자, Minja) was waiting by his side, respectfully and courteously. Zi Lu (子路, 자로, Ja Ro) was [looking] valorously and gallantly. Ran You (冉有, 염유, Yeom Yu) and Zi Gong (子貢, 자공, Ja Gong) was [looking] straight and upright.
► Analects of Confucius (論語, 논어), Xian Jin Chapter (先進, 선진, Seonjin)

~子(자) Postfixed Words

The character 子(자) was not used as a postfix character until later Classical Chinese texts. It is used to demarcate certain nouns. There are a number of these words in used in modern Korean.

古人坐必椅子. 椅子之坐, 卽倨坐也. 以是爲正, 何也?
고인좌필의자. 의자지좌, 즉거좌야. 이시위정, 하야?

People long ago must have sat in chairs. [Yet today], to sit on a chair is [considered] to sit arrogantly. Why do [we] consider this as correct?
► Inquiries Presented to Master Toegye (上退溪先生問目, 상퇴계선생문목) by Kim Buryun (金富倫, 김부륜, 1531-1598).

若在他所, 則置于西階上卓子上. 然後啓櫝.
약재타소, 즉치우서계상탁자상. 연후계독.

If there is another spot, place [the ancestral tablets] on the table west of the steps. Afterward, open the [ancestral tablet] chest.
► The Household Rites by Master Zhu (朱子家禮, 주자가례).

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kuiwon.wordpress.com

Copyright Notice This work by Kuiwon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

 

Happy 추석 (Chuseok) everyone!!! For those of you in Korea, I hope you’re all enjoying your time off! I can definitely say with confidence that I’m not envious of anyone who may be stuck in what appears to be insane traffic. For those of you not in Korea that may be confused on what I’m yammering on about, I do believe I’ve explained this holiday at least a couple of times in the past two years. Here’s a Wikipedia article that may answer any questions you have.

As a foreigner, I love this time of year. The entire country gets a few days off, which usually means an extra long weekend for my friends and me. It makes me a little sad to see that my Korean friends, especiall the female ones, don’t feel the same way. Due to tradition, many of them are expected to cook and clean, which doesn’t sound like my idea of a relaxing holiday. I guess we technically do something similar when it comes to American Thanksgiving, but many of the tasks were shared between both men and women. While I know that not all Korean homes still celebrate this way, it makes me a little sad to see my Korean female friends dread this holiday while the males look forward to enjoying their time off (though I do feel bad for anyone that may be forced to drive in this traffic).

To my Korean readers, 추석 잘 보내세요! I hope you have a wonderful time with your families (or whoever you may be spending this holiday with). Enjoy the good food and don’t overwork yourselves too much, if possible! To my non-Korean readers who may happen to also celebrate this holiday, have fun and don’t eat all of your gifted Spam in one sitting!

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Jen Lee's Dear Korea

This is Jen Lee. She likes to draw. She also likes green tea.

Jen Lee and Dear Korea @ Gwangju Blog Expat comic artists aim to draw fans at Comic World @ The Korea Herald 'Dear Korea' now in Busan Haps Got any questions, comments, or maybe even some delicious cookies you want to send through the internet? Feel free to contact us at dearkoreacomic at gmail dot com. You can also leave comments on the comic’s Facebook Page!

 

by Ray Hyland

For as long as I’ve been a resident of dear Dunboyne, there has been a tenuous but definite link back into Dublin City. An artery if you will, which pumps from the heart of the City Centre back to the edge of the old green belt.

I’d guess I’ve been on the 70 bus or one of its variants at least 5000 times since 1985 or ‘86.Probably more actually. I remember all subtle route changes. Did you know its original terminus was just by the Ha’penny Bridge beside an old carpet shop? From there it would wrap around to Liffey Street back onto Lower Abbey Street, pass the old O’Connor’s denim shop ( complete with weird mural that nobody remembers) back onto Capel Street, over Grattan Bridge and back to the still familiar route.

The terminus was pushed around a fair bit after that. The 70 made its home in Middle Abbey Street for a while, near the old Chapter’s book shop, before switching to the Abbey Theatre. It was moved to facilitate the Luas works, whereby it took up residence at the model railway shop on Hawkins Street. Right now it starts at the Burlington Road, hitting Dawson and Suffolk Street before going back onto the quays.

Image courtesy of Dublin Bus Stuff http://www.dublinbusstuff.com

To live in Dunboyne without a car is much like living in a rural town without your own transport. For a long time, the bus only ran every two hours and sometimes not even then. Weekends especially were(and are) quite frustrating. I used to visit my Gran near NCR and by the time it got there from town, the single decker bus was always full, leaving me to sitting in the old luggage hold by the double doors.

So many times I’ve had to put my faith in this wretched service. The worst was on those busy winter nights when it would already be full by the time it got to Prussia Street. You knew well it was full of fuckers from Castleknock who had just missed the 39.Worse yet, going to school in Blanchardstown for 6 years meant I either had to get the special school bus or the 70 on Wednesday half days.

It improved slightly over time as the single deckers where taken out of commission and a new 270 service was deployed in the late 90s. This was to provide transport to the newly built Blanchardstown centre. Now noisy little yellow red mini buses went up and down the motorway. No matter what ideas you had about yourself, any passenger on these looked a bit ‘special’.

There was never any real novelty value going on the bus. It was good seeing friends or acquaintances on there that might break up the long journey. It was even better to sometimes feign sleep when you saw someone you didn’t to see getting on at the next stop.

A fond memory was the quiet man. He was a lad of maybe 25 and he’d sit down the very back of the top deck and roll himself a lovely joint. He’d have about half of it, never say a word and then offer it to whoever was sitting beside him before he got off at Littlepace. I wonder what became of him.

I finally managed to move out in my early 20s, free now from the grip of those dusty green(then blue) seats. But I still get shudders when I think of all the time wasted waiting around for that bus, or worse yet having my life dictated to by its questionable scheduling.

I never even mentioned the epic adventure that is the 70 Nitelink service or the old 70X that ran from UCD belfield for many years.

Nowadays there’s a train that goes from Dunboyne into the city, though it doesn’t impress me much. It’s a long walk back into the village but I guess it’s better than nothing!

My advice, get a car, or make lots of friends with available couch space in town.

This post is guest post. For more on guest posts and how to submit please follow this link.

Hi, my name is Ray and I live in Ireland. I am slowly learning how unfair life is and dealing with it accordingly. Currently I live at home with my parents at the tender age of 32, having decided that success and a nice abode of my own was all too predictable. I presently work as an Intern, which in Ireland means, the same as everywhere else in the western world (no job prospects!). My principle interests include observing soccer players secretly laughing at the rest of us, wrestling with the reality that sometimes you’re better off not trying, wrestling full stop oh and fast food, consummation and critique thereof. I don’t like long walks along the beach, Monday is my favourite day of the week and if there’s an American TV show out there that you love and can’t stop talking about chances are I probably despise you.

The library that houses the over 80,000 wooden tablets that make up the Tripitaka Koreana at Haeinsa Temple.

Hello Again Everyone!!

Introduction to the Temple:

Haeinsa Temple (Reflection of the Sea Temple) is beautifully situated in Gayasan National Park. It was first founded in 802 A.D. by Ven. Suneung and Ven. Ijeong, who were carrying on the teachings of Ven. Uisang (625-702 A.D.). Alongside Tongdosa Temple and Songgwangsa Temple, Haeinsa Temple is one of the three treasure temples in Korea. Additionally, it is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site for  the famous wood printing blocks known as the “Tripitaka Koreana.” The 80,000 plus blocks are the main highlight to this temple; however, they’re not the only highlight to the well populated temple grounds that house numerous temple buildings.

The Temple Stay program at Haeinsa Temple is called “Live like the Wind and Water, then Leave Your Body!” The program features formal monastic meals, Seon meditation, and hikes that tour the neighbouring mountain hermitages, which are amongst some of the most beautiful in all of Korea.

For more information on Haeinsa Temple, follow this link.

(Courtesy of the Korean Temple Stay website)

Directions:

To get to Haeinsa Temple from Busan, you’ll first have to take the subway to Sasang Subway Station (#227) on the second line. From there, you’ll find the Seobu Intercity Bus Terminal. Inside, you’ll need to order a ticket to Hapcheon. Once you’re in Hapcheon, you can get a bus to Haeinsa Temple for about 4,000 won.

And from Seoul, if you want to take a bus, you’ll need to take subway lines No. 3, No. 7, or No. 9 to the Seoul Express Bus Terminal, and get a bus for Daegu (3 hours 30 minutes). After you arrive in Daegu, take subway line No. 1 from the Dongdaegu Station (next door) in the direction of Daegok, as far as Seongdangmot (about 20 minutes). Then take a bus from the Seobu Intercity Bus Terminal, located at this stop, to Haeinsa (about 1 hour, 40 minutes).

If you’d rather take the train from Seoul, you should take subway lines No. 1 or No. 4 to Seoul Station, and get a KTX Express Train to Dongdaegu Station. After you arrive in Dongdaegu, you can take subway line No. 1 to Seongdangmot, and then the bus to Haeinsa, as described above.

View Larger Map

General Schedule:

Day 1:
15:30~16:20 : Registration
16:20~17:40 : Learning Temple Manners
18:10~18:40 : Temple Dinner
18:40~19:10 : Evening Service
19:10~20:30 : Tea Time with a Monk
20:30~21:00 : Ready for Sleep
21:00 ~ : Sleep

Day 2:
03:00~03:20 : Wake Up & Wash
03:20~04:00 : Dawn Service
04:00~06:10 : 108 Prostraions & Seon (Zen) Practice
06:10~07:20 : Temple Breakfast, Communal Work
07:20~09:00 : Temple Tour of Haeinsa or Hermitage Visits
09:00~10:00 : Closing

(Courtesy of the Korean Temple Stay website)

Haeinsa Temple Information:

Address : 10, Chiin-ri, Gaya-myeon Hapcheon-gun Gyeongsangnam-do
Tel : +82-55-934-3110 / Fax : +82-55-934-3010
homepage : http://www.haeinsa.or.kr
E-mail : haeinsa2@templestay.com

Fees:

Adults: 60,000 won; Teens: 60,000 won; Under 13: 50,000 won

Link:

To make a reservation for the Haeinsa Temple Stay, follow this link.

Just some of the 80,000 wooden blocks that make up the Triptaka Koreana.

A significant factor in traveling is not the physical journey or the destination but the personal encounters along the way. Conversely it is often the ability to travel alone, be at one with yourself and learn about who you are or the person you want to become. Over the past few years I have been away on my own several times and I thoroughly recommend it. Exploring the subtropical forests and canyon of Taroko Gorge in Taiwan, getting lost on a motorbike on the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc and walking the streets of frozen Helsinki have been just some of the events in my life that I genuinely think would have not been as magical had they been spent with someone else. Not that I am anti-social, or weird, or a loner but that I’m an introverted person. I see my introversion as a strength. I’m not sure I would have moved to South Korea if it wasn’t for my introverted nature, and if I hadn’t done that I wouldn’t have gone on the adventures that I have been fortunate enough to have had over the last three years.

All the above being said, traveling alone can at times be lonesome. The oddest thing is that it is often in the busiest places; the bustling streets, the heaving subway stations, the crowded markets, where this empty, almost depressing sensation comes from. Florence was one of these places for me. From Milan I took the Le Frecce to Florence. The train glided south and the Italian landscape flickered past the windows. After disembarking I walked to the small guesthouse I had booked that very morning. A nice Italian girl greeted me and sat me down in the office. She made a phonecall and suspicions that there was a problem with my booking were quickly being aroused. Angelo, the guesthouse owner arrived and explained in a very amicable and charismatic manner that the third party booking site had made a mistake. Kindly he had contacted a fellow guesthouse owner and arranged a room for me at no extra cost. He even took the time to annotate a map of Florence for me before I left and recommended some good places to eat. The new guesthouse was just a few roads away, after taking a quick beer break (the other guesthouse wasn’t open for check-in until 15:00) I buzzed the receptionist who checked me into my room in the traditional Florence townhouse.

I took a short nap as a shower passed outside and then strolled into downtown Florence in the evening. After a little food I walked the backstreets until I was stopped by the dominating presence of Florence’s Duomo. The sun was setting and artistically illuminating the soaring green, red and white marble facade of the cathedral. I walked around the Piazza Della Signoria and checked out some of the statues and fountains that guarded the huge town square (including a copy of Leonardo’s David). An array of city buskers were invading the public area. Atmospheric tones from acoustic guitarists and string quartets were beginning to fill the piazza and the sidestreets. I stopped to watch and listen to some and observed in awe the dramatic and imposing stone carved statues that told the stories of Roman history in the outdoor Loggia dei Lanzi gallery. All this happened in the shadow of the incredible Florentian town hall, the Palazzo Vecchio. My final evening musings took me to the banks of the river Arno and a view of the medieval Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence and one that has lines of shops clinging to it, a common feature of bridges of the time. Tourists lined the Arno, mostly couples and American and Chinese tour groups, all vying for prime real estate to take a Florentine photo memory back home.

With the exception of a bolt of lightning that struck the railway line only twenty metres from my guesthouse, I had a restful night and woke the following day to dreamy sunshine. After exploring the atmosphere of the streets and the Florentine architecture the previous evening, today I would use my time to indulge myself in the other main attraction of Florence, its incredible wealth of renaissance art. I began with a trip inside the cathedral. Whilst the size and brilliance of the cathedral and its dome amaze from outside,the interior can almost be considered bare. The interior is considered to reflect the austerity of religious life at the time. Even so, the fresco that decorates the dome and the impressive and soaring stained glass windows, are still decorated by many of the great artists of the time, and in a way frame their greatness in a suitable light, free from clutter, audacity and possible mediocrity.

My next stop was the Galleria Degli Uffizzi. Florence has several notable and unrivaled art galleries but the Uffizi is arguably the most famous of them all. Whilst the Academia Gallery has the honour of  housing Michelangelo’s David, the Uffizi has the world’s largest collection of renaissance art, and with bare exception, most of them are considered masterpieces. Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo amongst others line the hallways and rooms of this incredible art gallery. In truth, my love of art is mostly centred in modern art, simply it is something that I most identify with and am able to relate to in a sensory way, but when in Florence it is impossible not to be enveloped in the vibrancy and drama of renaissance art. I walked out of the gallery with the knowledge that I had just witnessed what was once the beginning of a cultural and artistic revolution that will never be seen again. A kind of industrial revolution for the art world.

With the hole in my pocket burning bigger every moment I was in Italy I used the remainder of the afternoon to explore across the far side of the Arno. I walked over the Ponte Vecchio dodging tourists, hawkers and traders and had a simple lunch on the cobbled slopes of the Piazza dei Pitti. As thunder began to rumble somewhere high in the sky above I began a walk up the valley slopes of the Arno to the Piazzale Michelangelo. From the famous square, in the shadow of another replica of ‘David’, I was able to take in the stunning panoramic view of Florence below. It was breathtaking to see the Arno dissected by it’s sturdy stone bridges, the cathedral rising proudly above the terra cotta roofs, the tower of the town hall jutting out into the sunny yet thunderous sky and all this wonderment set against the background of the Tuscan hillsides. I walked a little further up the hill, away from the maddening crowds, to the Cimitero delle Porte Sante. A peaceful yellow graveled courtyard gave respite from the world and I read my book for a while. The afternoon was drawing to a close and I began the journey back to the hotel. My evening was uneventful and was spent in a similar manner to the night before, a final few hours to savour Florence.

Whilst Florence was an evocative and sensory experience I couldn’t help but feel loneliness. My time in Florence convinced me to skip a trip to Venice with the reason being that it is not a place (at least not for me) that can be enjoyed by a lone traveler. On every street, in every bar or restaurant, in every digital photo frame is a couple. A hollow reminder to the single individual or one who is missing a loved one that you have no one to share this romanticism with, nobody to discuss the artwork with, nobody to share the incredible views with, nobody beside you to absorb the music in the streets and most importantly nobody to grab hold of when a rogue bolt of lightning nearly blows up the building you are staying in!

Should you ever go to Florence, my advice is, don’t go alone!

In honour of the Weather Channel’s Sunset Day event on Google+ I thought that I would show a few of my recent sunset shots. In the recent months, there have been some spectacular sunsets. Part of my interest in this event is because of my geography background. My final course that I took was climatology and that helped give me an interest in weather and things like this.

I am hoping that this event will produce some great photos. So now that you are wondering what exactly I am talking about, I will give you the details. The Weather Channel on google+ is “sending summer off into the sunset” by getting everyone to take a picture of the sunset on September 19th. Be sure to hashtag them with #sunsetday to make sure that they see you awesome shots. Here is the rest of the infor from the Weather Channel’s Google+ page.

As you post your photos, be sure to tag them with #sunsetday. A select number of our favorite photos will be shown on The Weather Channel and accompany a slideshow on weather.com. Other favorites will be posted and rotated through as the cover photo on both +The Weather Channel  and the +Google+ Photos  Google+ page.
Note: Only photos uploaded and posted to the event page on September 19 will be considered

 

Yi Gok (李穀, 이곡, 1298-1351) was a literati bureaucrat during the Goryeo Dynasty (高麗, 고려, 918-1392). He was of the Hansan Yi Clan (韓山李氏, 한산이씨); his courtesy name (字, 자) was Jungbo (仲父 , 중보); his pen name (號, 호) was Gajeong (稼亭, 가정); and his posthumous name (諡, 시) was Munhyo (文孝, 문효). He passed the civil examinations (科擧, 과거) in Yuan Dynasty China (元, 원, 1271-1368).

In the poem below, Yi Gok writes about the Mid-Autumn Festival, or Jungchujeol (仲秋節, 중추절). It is more commonly known as Chuseok (秋夕, 추석) or Hangawi (한가위). Today, Chuseok is one of the most important traditional Korean holidays. Families head back to their hometowns and carry out ancestral rites.

中秋翫月 중추완월

Teasing the Moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival

客路相逢喜可知 객로상봉희가지
况當佳節共吟詩 황당가절홍음시
他鄕異縣各千里 타향이현각천리
古月今人此一時 고월금인차일시
徹夜秋光淸欲滴 철야추광청욕적
明朝世事浩難期 명조세사호난기
無端頃刻冰輪側 무단경각빙륜칙
仰面貪看豈敢辭 앙면탐간기감사

On the travelers’ road, people can know the joy of a meeting.
Moreover, on this beautiful occasion, together they recite poetry.
Another’s village and a different prefecture, each is a thousand Li away.
The ancient moon and today’s people, these are at all one time.
All night, the autumn light is like a clear water drop.
Tomorrow morning, the world’s affairs will be as if extensively difficult duties.
Without any aims, in an instant, next to the icy moon,
How does one dare to refuse to look up to greedily stare at it?

Definitions:

Guest • road • one another • to meet • joyous • to be able • to know
Moreover • properly • beautiful • day • together • to recite • poetry
Other • village • different • prefecture • each • thousand • Li
Ancient • moon • today • people • this • one • time
to pierce • night • autumn • light • to be clear • to become • water drop
tomorrow • morning • world • affairs • to be extensive • to be difficult • promises
To not have • end • in a moment • time • ice • wheel • adjacent
To look upward • face • to be greedy • to look • how • to dare • to refuse

Notes:

• 冰輪(빙륜) – Literally, “ice wheel.” Refers to the moon.

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kuiwon.wordpress.com

Copyright Notice This work by Kuiwon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

 

Happy Chuseok, see you next week.

I was saddened to read a couple days ago that Joseph Steinberg had died.  Joseph was a prolific writer and had been a frequent contributor to Pusanweb/Koreabridge in our early days. You can read a fuller self-description below, but I think the tagline for his blog captures what Joseph was about - "Skepticism with a Heart'.  His writing sometimes had an acerbic edge, but it was always well researched, attempted to be fair, and came from a place of caring about something.   One of the sites he turned me onto (and the link in his final tweet) was Bloggerheads.tv Like Joseph, the site is devoted to intelligent conversation and tried to provide a space "where thoughtful disagreement is expressed in civil terms".

I spent several hours yesterday looking through old email exchanges with Joseph. A couple things struck me

.  In our personal exchanges, he was always very courteous and appreciative. There was a warmth that wasn't always evident in his public writings.  The other thing that struck me was the ongoing cycle of gearing up for a new writing project, pouring his heart into the new project, being disappointed with the lack of response, and eventually letting me know that he was removing the entire site and asking me to delete all links to it. I  always encouraged him to take a break, but keep the site online as there has always been a lot of interesting, substantive content produced.

This exchange from 2001 is pretty typical.

My response:

Fortunately, he eventually brought  InfidelWorld back in the form of his most recent blog.
From my email browsing yesterday, here's a list of projects that Joseph poured his soul into and eventually  deleted.    

• Infidel World
• East Asian Tribune
• Asian Gazette
• Korea Chronicles
• A Layman's Opinion
• The Spicy Beached Octopus Diaries
• Asia Roundup

Below are links to assorted parts of  Joseph's online legacy.  If anyone has additional links or remembrances they'd like to add, please comment below or let me know.
Joseph's wife will be returning to Busan soon and would love to meet with anyone who would like to share their memories of him with her.  You can contact her here.

Joseph, you may have deleted a lot of posts over the years, but our memories of you and the valuable role that you played in the community here (online and off) will not be forgotten.  

Shortly after being discharged from military intelligence, he made his first contribution (as the Phantom) to Pusanweb  on our  Graffiti Wall (predecessor to our notorious discussion forums circa 2000~2007)
http://pusanweb.com/guestbook/graffiti.html

Pieces from 1999~2003 can be found in the messy archives of the old Koreabridge Writing Center at:
Fiction     Non-Fiction     Poetry   Travel

He also read at PoetryPlus+ in its early days.
 (you can see his photo at PP#3 - haven't found any other recordings of him)
http://pusanweb.com/poetryplus/

Photos from a 2001 Photo Contest: http://pusanweb.com/photos/exhibition/2001/page5.html

2002 Asian Round-up for The Beat: http://pusanweb.com/BusanBeat/archives.htm
2008 KoreaTimes Dokdo Commentary: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2011/02/162_30178.html

Koreabridge Posts (2009~2011): http://koreabridge.net/users/baltimoron

Joseph's 2009 Appearance on the Seoul Podcast: http://seoulpodcast.com/seoulpodcast-summer-series-3/

Infidel World Blog (2011~2013) : http://humesbastard.wordpress.com/

2013 Appearance on the Conspiracy Skeptic Podcast:  http://castroller.com/podcasts/TheConspiracySkeptic/3305626

His social media presence:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/humesbastard
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rokinfidel/with/7729645746/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/103257093374833905014/posts
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joseph.steinberg.7
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/joseph-steinberg/76/839/767
His Favorite YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=FL6wKLDz1XJ79J_aADn1ZRSA
Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7955046-joseph-steinberg

Remembrances

• Monster Island: http://www.monster-island.net/2013/09/humes-bastard-rip.html
• Big Hominid: http://bighominid.blogspot.kr/2013/09/ululate.html

His Koreabridge profile description
A former U.S. Army MI Analyst and Korean Linguist, International Relations Grad Student, ESL Facilitator, and Kim Jung-hee's Husband

Joseph in his own words (from his blog 'About' page).
“Hume’s Bastard” (or HB) is Joseph J. Steinberg at his worst. I am the unintended consequence of 16+ years of Maryland public school and college education (UMBC Philosophy/International Relations), a Lutheran education, a gig with the Baltimore City Jail, a tour of Europe (The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Greece), 4 years with US Army Military Intelligence (2 years at Camp Humphreys with the 751st MI Battalion, 1997-99), a Master’s of Science in International Relations, and over 13 years of teaching ESL in Busan, South Korea. Then, there’s my wife, Kim Jung-hee.

I try not to be partisan or sensationalistic on InfidelWorld, but I do consider myself a progressive. This blog works like a fox, in Isaiah Berlin’s terms, not a hedgehog. It’s not an “expert” blog, in other words. It’s my personal blog where I like to argue about science, war, and politics. I am a registered Democrat, but I voted for President Barack H. Obama in 2008 and the Greens in 2012. I habitually search for a contrasting ideological argument when I find an interesting story. Rarely do I post with just one link. William James’ quip, “A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.” guides this blog’s execution. This isn’t an insult. There’s a fine distinction between believing one’s thoughts are real, or that the world is real. I’m skeptical of both views, and I will wait for evidence of either. I hate religious practitioners, but if an believer could give me a reasonable guess about the world and submit to logic and experience without resorting to the lazy crutch of faith, I would listen. Until then, I study war in international relations. Both the realist and liberal paradigms are live options here, and I particularly favor the complex interdependence school.

I started writing stories and editorials for PusanWeb in 2000-2001 (search in the “Old Archives” in the Fiction and Non-Fiction sections), and then started to blog. At first I edited a website written from HTML code, InfidelWorld, and later moved to Blogger. At that time, I was working through some religious issues, and also, as an expatriate, I very much felt isolated, but with many contrary opinions. Over the years I have started many projects, including a novel, with numerous names.

I’ve dropped the moniker, “Infidel”. Years of reflection have resolved certain issues, and I no longer consider myself in the pejorative sense of an unfaithful former member of a religion. I no longer consider myself a Christian, except in the sociological and philosophical sense that Christian concepts guide many of my political opinions and behavior. My earliest “infidelity” was skepticism, followed by a serendipitous reading of Lucretius’ The Nature of Things. It is hard to express now how liberated I felt when I read that long, didactic poem. I’ve also met innumerable hypocrites claiming to be Christian, many within my own family. It is difficult not to associate the practice of religion with the failings of its practitioners, and conclude that the effort is not warranted. My father is Lutheran, my mother is Methodist, my step-father is Jewish, and my wife is a (non-practicing) Buddhist. My present moniker, “Hume’s Bastard”, reflects my enthusiasm for David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, and, like Philo, adopting a skeptical attitude toward religion, politics, and science. I’ve also admired the American pragmatists, notably Charles Sanders Peirce. Finally, there’s J.W. von Goethe, somewhere between the first and second parts of Faust.

Originally Published on KimchiBytes.com

 

Korea Burn 2013 was a disappointment this year.  With that said, it was still my favorite event of this year.  The problem for me was that 2012′s version of Korea Burn set the standards ridiculously high.  After experiencing such a wonderful event last year, I was foolish enough to think last year was the norm and the event would only improve with each additional year.  I was wrong.  Unless bloggers in Korea and the expat community can do a better job of educating people about Burn Korea, the event will have more to worry about than meteorological disasters.

Let me be clear – I take responsibility for this failure.  I don’t know if it would have helped, but I should have written a pre-event post explaining the history and nature of Burning Man and Korea Burn.  I felt like people already understood Korea Burn after last year, but I forgot that I live in Korea and over half of the people who showed me the way last year are no longer here.

Burning Man is not a show.  It’s not a rock concert.  It’s not a music festival.  Korea Burn is a community event.  If Korea Burn is a success or a failure, it is a shared responsibility of the community – not the organizers.  If you disagree, you really have no concept of Burning Man.  I don’t think the failures of this year reflect the organizers of the event – they worked their asses off.  The failures reflect the community.

I saw two huge problems with Korea Burn this year.  First, there was no education on Burning Man.  Last year, when burners got off the bus, someone actually stopped and explained to them the meaning of the event.  Before the event, numerous posts about the meaning of Burning Man were being spread online.  People did not hear the phrase “leave no trace” for the first time on the Sunday morning of the event while cleaning their campgrounds.

Burning Man is hard to describe, but at least the attempts from last year provided some credence towards the event being something more than an excuse to do drugs or have sex.  That same inspiration and education for Korea Burn was lacking this year: the camps were not as good last year, there were less costumes, and there were less events and classes.  Instead, two girls on ecstasy licked my face because my beard felt good on their tongues.  It wasn’t the worst experience of my life, but it felt empty compared to last year.  Where were the yoga classes on the beach, the numerous dancing parties, the dance classes, the individuals handing out home-made items and the stories of how creativity and self-expression helped people overcome personal tragedy?  Last year was inspiring – this year was a good party.

The second problem was the party was located on Wayguk Beach.  Once again, we failed as a community to reach out to Koreans to make them feel comfortable and come to the event.  I know in some ways this is very difficult.  Burning Man is an event that originated from an English speaking country and the event revolves around individuality.  Korea Burn happens in a country where Koreans feel embarrassed if their English is not perfect.  Additionally,  Korean culture is one of the most collective and group oriented cultures in the world.

Yet, it’s not uncommon for Korean college students to go camping together and spend nights bonding over ramen and alcohol – lots of alcohol.  In Korea, this is known as MT or membership training.  Forming bonds between people is very serious in Korea and Burning Man is not alien to this concept or to alcohol.  We need to get on universities and collegiate groups involved.  I believe there is a desire for Koreans to bond and share their culture with foreigners.  I personally see Korea Burn as a great way to make this happen.  If Korea Burn never expands outside of the expat community, we really have no right to call it Korea Burn.

Apart from these two major problems, there were many commendable things about Korean Burn this year.  First, people who showed up on Friday were assaulted with torrential downpour.  I lost a photographer for the event because he woke up with college books and photography equipment ruined from flooding inside of his tent.  Let me assure you, this is a former military guy and he knows how and where to pitch a tent.  Had my equipment and bags been inundated with water, I would have also left like some people did – and no one blames them.  The people who stayed, however, are a true testament to the power and commitment to Korea Burn.  They were awarded with two days of great weather and despite my advanced criticism – a successful event.

We had some fantastic artist and contributors this year who enhanced the event.  I would like to share their work. I know Burning Man is not about consumerism, but things constructed for Burning Man events cost money.  It’s important to respect individuals and groups who pay with time and their own money to make a better experience for everyone.

 

Artist Allan Spisak

Artist Clifton Tryon

I don’t know this guy’s story, but he also did a great job. He would only show me his hand 

The Burlesque show was also a great idea and a huge hit.

Huge shout out to the girls for their creativity and openness. I’ve never seen someone pour hot sauce all over their body.

I also have to give a shout out to the pickle shot tent. Delicious pickle shots and thanks for sharing your love with everyone. Daegu coming strong!

The clean-up was pretty good this year.  One of the concepts from Burning Man is to “leave no trace.”  This is followed with religious tenacity during Burning Man in Nevada.  It’s also the right thing to do.  If we all leave no trace of ourselves, we save a ton of work for other people, do right by the environment, and also create positive image for Burning Man in Korea.  Btw, image is kind of important and if Korea Burn continues to be successful the event needs a good reputation or we will not have a good area willing to host the event.  The coordinators told me the clean up was good compared to other festivals, but it needs to be perfect.  This is still unacceptable.

 

 

Finally, here are my favorite pictures from my camera for the event.  I still believe in Korea Burn and I had a wonderful time.  I know I criticized the event, but it’s only because my love and expectations for Korea Burn are incredibly high.

To see the rest of the pictures from Korea Burn 2013 and the WinK photobooth please click here.  I will be uploading the rest of the pictures throughout this week.

Also, feel free to check out coverage from last year’s Burn Korea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Here is a great video from Levitation Crew recapping the weekend of Korean Burn.

 

 

The Digital Journal – An account of the weather conditions on Korean Burn 2013.

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