Tom Sawyer on today's Google Doodle

Oh...today is Mark Twain's birthday? Mark Twain or least known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens....(never heard of it, I bet)....

is that the reason Google posted the portrayal of Tom Sawyer's being grounded or punished by painting Aunt Polly's fence. If I am not mistaken, he was punished because he had a fight with a boy from St. Louis (?). In the picture, Tom got some help from his fellow friend, Ben.

Anyway..it is worth-saving so I want to write something about it on my blog.....lest..the picture's gone....soon by tomorrow with different doodle's theme.
This picture reminds me of the time when I got to read Mark Twain's book at my college. ^^

기말 시험......드디오....

기말 시험이 오고 있다. 4급 공부가 시작하던 때가 엊그제 같은데 시험 날이 벌써 코앞에 있다. 속상한 느낌이 있는데 열심히 복습해야 하지 뭐. 이렇게 준비를 해야 할 학생들이 너나할 것 없이 1급부터 6급 학생이라면 어쩔 수 없이 시험을 봐야 하겠다. 

Spending A Day in Petite France, Korea

One of the highlights that one should not miss when visiting the La Petite France (or 쁘띠 프랑스  in Korean) is the Marionette show. I think this is a daily show for any travelers or visitors to this place. I did not expect to see this kind of show right here, so when I found out about it, I was like...wow...cool....! It drew lots of people since it is simply interesting to watch. It was a good decision of me to start filming the marionette being moved about and moved around corresponding to the music. 

It was good thing to know that the men behind or above (?) the marionette are professional in their careers. I could judge from the way they handled the movements of the marionette. Irresistibly stunning.

If asked as to whether I would want to go there again and check out what the place had in store.....I would say...Why Not.
Bring it On!

I guess...coming back again there in Spring time would also be a nice plan.

Exploring & Traveling with friends

Traveling in Korea by car with friends. What better way to explore the wonder of this natural beauty but by car. Of course, traveling with train with all of its advantages would give different taste of experiences. But, traveling by car would give more advantages like....stopping over some place nice....stopping over again...to take pictures....stopping over again in some place we think nice to take a rest...stopping over again to have some snacks.....etc etc.
So, I am blessed to have Korean friends who ask me to go around Seoul and its surrounding areas. Well, so far...it was our first trip together. And..I hope that we will have some more exciting trips along the way when I live in Korea.
Apart from studying, exploring Korea by traveling to other parts of the country would surely help me appreciate this country. I know..it takes time and MONEY....but....I do hope that I can manage both world (study and travel) wisely.
I cannot just stay at home........
I got to travel and explore...........

Awesome Closing Ceremony of 2011 SEA Games

One of best moments in the series of Sea Games extravaganza in Palembang, South Sumatra was the opening and closing ceremony of the event. Who would forget the remarkable fireworks on display that mesmerized the spectators as well as the live-coverage viewers across Southeast Asia. Well, I won't.






I think this is one of the memorable fireworks on display on par with that of the Olympic games:) I may be too exaggerating^.^ But, I mean...who would have thought that Palembang city could boast itself as one of the successful host of this magnitude?
I think people would now remember Palembang in South Sumatra as the memorable host of 26th Sea Games in Southeast Asia.
And..for that....I want to congratulate all of the parties involved in this event.
Bravo Palembang. Bravo Indonesia. Bravo Southeast Asian Countries and Bravo ASEAN.
People of ASEAN must have been proud of what they have achieved so far.
I am glad that this SEA GAMES did indeed bring about the unity of ASEAN countries.

Road Tunnels in Korea

One of the first impressions that one may have on their first trip to Korea is.....how immensely visible the love of Korean people (or more precisely: their engineers) towards digging underground tunnels or dashing into the rocky mountain or hilly areas, instead of going around or circling around it. :) Well, yes..it is true.
I could never be able to catch up how many road tunnels I had to go through...the last time I went to Chuncheon.

I did not have the slightest idea of taking any picture or let alone recording it. I mean..I was busy talking with my friends on the car when I realized that we were just passing tunnels over tunnels without ever knowing where it may end up....so...I grabbed my phone and started capturing the moment. ^^
I just want to have a bit of memoirs of how it was.
* It may look so cheesy for some. Well, as for me...taking pictures or recording every moment when we least expect it.....is an integral part of the trip itself.
I'm glad I taped it...so I can share it with others....and at least...as for me...it indeed is a memoir in its simplest form.

A reminiscence of Chuncheon ...

Still another recollection of what I'd felt when I was in Chuncheon dam.
I think I would never be bored of posting and recollecting what I'd experienced when I visited this place.
Judging from what I saw...I have already made a plan of coming back there when the snow has covered all of the mountainous area surrounding this beautifully landscaped lake...
I could barely imagine what it may look like during Winter when the snow blankets those mountains....or hills...or whatever they are. ^^

One thing for sure...it will surely be giving me an ethereal impression of being in an other worldly landscape.

Even with this picture, I could never stop imagining it as the naturally wondrous sites as those in Scotland. ^^ :) I may sound to boisterous?


I've never been to Scotland myself...but I just saw it on pictures...
.....but....believe me...when I was right here in Chuncheon dam...I felt like being in one of those Scotland's lakes. Interesting, eh?

Guava Harvest time

It was another weekend for the kids back home. While I was also on my weekend right here in Korea during the shivering cold weather in Winter, my kids were having the warm weather:) What a different world it is.
 I saw through the pictures of my wife's Picasa's blog that the whole family was going to a village where they could just buy as many guavas as they like--with much more cheaper price than that at the market. I am sure that they would never waste any chance of eating guavas.



Here they are.

As seen in the picture, Freya with her lamb toy was carrying a plastic-wrapped guava as soon as it was freshly picked from the tree. So was her elder sister, Eyra also with her lamb toy.

I bet they did have a great time 'harvesting' the guava. Hmm I wish I could just have one of those....
looks so yummy.

Tintin: at CGV world cup stadium

I was waiting for my friends who was watching the Korea-Saudi Arabia soccer game at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Since I was not into soccer, I tried to make the best of my waiting time by checking out what the Stadium had to offer. Well, it has a CGV cineplex. I think it cool.
So, off I went inside the theater only to find that I had to go out sooner, otherwise...I would end up myself watching movie---since I am a movie freak myself. It was a good thing that I could just catch up the yet-to-be release movies like Tintin: The Adventure of the Unicorn (?) I hope I get the title correct. So, here I was..
capturing the moving images projected on the huge wall at one side of the theater...
Well, I thought it was one of the coolest ways to attract as many viewers as possible of what they have to anticipate in the coming weeks.
Oh, the interactive menus were also projected on the wall that people could play along what the movie has in store...
Look at the people in front of the projection...
they were busy enjoying the interactive menus...themselves.
As for me.....nope..I might as well shoot (capture) the moment like this.

3급 친구들을 만남

This term has yet to be over.

me and Ullan

Yet, we decided to have lunch altogether along with our beloved teacher from the previous term when we were still at level 3. Usually, we would have this kind so-called 'lunch party' or whatsoever it is.....at the end of each term as soon as we have our 'graduation' day. But, today....I found it a bit odd yet...satisfyingly feel-good moment indeed.

ready for some ...get set....

Well, yes....most of us--except Eva--chipped in. ^^
Let's see....where we went today.
I vaguely remember where we were for lunch, today. But, I still vividly remember that it was just around our campus corner. I was informed that our friends had been there.
All of us came up to have the samgyeobsal 삼겹살 that surely I could not eat since it was grilled pork.
Me and Ullan had no other choices but to order something we love: dwenjang chike. 된장찌개(?)
It was lucky that the banchan were great, simply because it offered some nice tofu with its Korean touch of eatery.

 I had like....3 courses of tofu since I kept asking the ajumma to give me more...^^ well, that was the only dish that I could eat.....
Indeed, been a great day today....meeting our friends of previous term.
Funny, eh?
I would not even have started thinking about having this kind of lunch-meeting with my very own present classmates....while I just did it with my friends.
OK. the thing was.....our feeling of being one and being re-united again was somewhat differently necessary.
We will never change the time we used to have for anything.
Some of our friends -- as I learned along the way -- would not continue up to level 5.....which means that they are about to leave Korea.
Ah..that's why...we had this lunch!
Oh....I like wearing the blue APRON with a CASS on it. ^0^

Snuppy

Snuppy or Seoul National University Puppy. The first successfully cloned dog in the world.

Finally I met him face to face:)
I mean....I learned all about it from the articles, news, internet news since ---like 5 years ago or so.
But, never have I had a chance to finally see it in a flesh.
So, yesterday (Nov. 26, 2011), we had a chance to meet Dr. Yuda Fibrianta-- a researcher from UGM who happened to be one of the scientists--the only  one from Indonesia--who turned out to be one of the men behind the success of Snuppy program.

Well, not many people may have known this little fact.
We went there to meet Dr. Yudha..and thanks to his professor who had kindly allowed us and given us permission to meet and see Snuppy in a flesh.
It was a good thing to know that Snuppy is getting just fine in his 6th birthday (?)
It was so cold that we did not take long before we wrapped up our visit to SNU to meet Dr. Yuda and Snuppy.
Once again..this has been one of the best highlights of what I did on weekend in Seoul.
Not only that I could meet up with my friends up there in SNU but I could also learn more about the cloning-related stuffs....though it is...frankly speaking....harder than I thought (a.k.a. beyond my imagination). but, hey...the trip was worth it.

Namu Geuneul Park 나무 그늘 Park

Nasi Goreng ...and its simply fresh salad

It is a name of a restaurant specializing in a fusion food combining Korean food and those of Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesian food.

with Ms Lia, and
 Mrs. Park (the owner of the restaurant)

So, I went there for some occasion.
It was actually a too-good-to-be-true kind of chance since I was actually accompanying Ms. Lia in search of a human-related or human interest program.

ready to dig in.....

I do not need to tell what it is but the thing is.....
I had a greaat time being one of the informants
for the program.
like this one..
I would never have known it existed, had I not become a friend in need for Mbak Lia's program.

three sets of nasi goreng on the menu for us

So, shortly speaking, this so-called restaurant serves dosirak or bento or lunch box or any meal box ready to be made ....made to order....^^
the food is delicious since the cooks are from Indonesia and from Korea.
Even some cooks have had some experiences of working at Hyatt Hotel.

the front facade of the restaurant

Yesterday (November 26, 2011), I went to two of the restaurants at Gangnam area in Seoul.
Nasi goreng.....yippiee....it's spicy sea food fried rice...with the touch of Indonesian flavor.
It does indeed taste different from the Korean fried rice or bokgeumbab.
It is simply dazzlingly delicious.

the decorative touches of the restaurant

And..I also learned that some Korean artists
living in Gangnam area also love this fried rice...and other Indonesian-food inspired lunch box.
I loved it.
So, in case anyone wonder where to go.....
just simply click the following site:  www.foodstyling.co.kr

Another restaurant: the headquarter

You will find arrays of meals.
Check out the star food. ^^
But, the site is in Korean, but for those who cannot read Korea's Hangeul...pls. enjoy the picture of the meal being offered there.

HUFS's Got Talent 2011

November 25, 2011 was the day that some of our friends had been waiting for. They were those who were participating in the campus-style Got Talent show.
I got to tape some of the shows since I thought it was fun.


Since three of our classmates participated in the competition, I did not want to miss the chance of seeing them perform.












Apart from enjoying the hilarious performances from 11 contestants and 3 guest performers, I did also enjoy the Minerva complex auditorium--which is located underground of the main building. It was huge.

I never expected it to be that huge considering the vast amount of space being used.
The sophisticated-looking auditorium and its peripheral functions just looked so cool.
OK, back to the competition.
Singing Korean songs, English songs, K-Pop cover dance, taekwondo, free style dance, cheer leading were mashed up in the contest.


The hilarious French Girl with its medley of K-Pop ..plus Beyonce's "Put A Ring On It" topped the first prize...


...while my classmate--Yeryeong from Taiwan--secured her second place with her 'Baby, Baby Good Bye' from Miss A's song.

Well, it was a truly worth-watching event.
But, unfortunately I could not see it until the program over since I got to attend the 8p.m. class. ^^
Anyhow, it has been a refreshing and nice night.

At the Winter Dawn

Winter Dawn?

I think it's too late to call it ' Winter Dawn' coz the pictures themselves did not somewhat reflect the weeny breezy dawn that it may suggest.
Instead, the pictures show the bright color of Winter (minus the snow, of course).
So, what I mean by the 'dawn' of the winter is exactly what it is. Minus the snow, the winter sets in Korea in the midst of November.









The light pale blue sky mesmerized the windy day...
The barren leaves and trees were left stranded as if...
no one would ever care....

But....

the wisdom of winter tales are about to embrace
another story of what nature has in store
for them
to be...

We were lucky to be take a bit of any chance to capture the moment...
otherwise we might just pass it by...

Petite France again

C4UMB8UTZABA

Eerie feeling in the midst of cloudy day

The cloudy day.
the misty afternoon.
The tranquil surface of Chuncheon lake.
the sound of calm water beneath...
The gloomy day....

it was like another world...

but then....what were the car and the boat doing in this picture? ^^
It would've been nice should they be not there...
or would it?

I guess I could not say that...because it boosted the image of the lake itself...it gave a kind of perception on how wide and majestic the lake was...
oh well....

Wintering Autumn (?)

 These pictures were taken when we were just about to leave Dumulmeori--yes, it's still in the same place that I've been talking about in my previous blog. We were leaving the place when a deserted set of chairs and a table under the shades of trees was visible. It just caught my attention since the heaps of fallen leaves from Autumn were just left stranded and untouched. I think it was meant to be that way so as to make it look natural as it could be. And it did.




Of course, we did not waste another golden moment of immortalizing the moment, the venue, the people a.k.a. ourselves inside the frames.

With the same angle and pose, we took turn to sit on the same chair and faced the camera that clicked and captured the moment.

The different color of Winter jacket we wore did give different effect into how the picture came up. And here are the results. I think Wawan in his brown jacket indeed went well with the background color; while Seonhee's red jacket gave somewhat a contrasting vivid color. As for me: it looked like I was invisible in the midst of Wintering Autumn....

Banana tree 'pohon pisang' in Winter Korea

 The Banana tree in Korea....and even much more better...it IS in Winter. Well, I am not kidding. I was actually walking towards the famous dumulmeori when a huge glass-house or vinyl house (to be precise) caught my attention.
It was winter, indeed.
As soon I got into this so-called glass-house, I was greeted by the warmest and familiar smell of tropical garden. Isn't that cool?
And what shocked me even more was the banana tree that just stood right in front of my eyes....could not believe it.
I thought that any banana trees would never be able to survive the harsh weather of Korea especially during winter time.
But, it turned out to be wrong.




Here We were...
we took a shade under the banana tree leaves. It was perpetually perplexed by how this could be achieved in such an intact condition. I mean, come on...it was sooo cold outside, and yet...lots of tropical trees and flowers were just happily springing up and growing up tall.

The green leaves with their familiar smell really got my fullest attention that day.

 Look at the colorful flowers that dotted the whole place. It would not be enough to be just sitting around the place, for it offered a lot of plants and flowers and bushes to see and feel and yes....smell.

Could not stop myself from storing all of the images into my digital camera...

The banana tree I saw and felt in Korea is surely gonna be remembered as one of the best highlights of our trip that day.
Oh, what's more interesting than that...was that...it was all free of charge to be in that place. People are welcome to be there anytime they like.
I guess I'd like to thank anyone who dedicated their time and money and their integrity to run this place...
Simply loved it.
Do not mind coming back there again someday.

The silhouette of Color in Dumulmeori

This is the tree that has been drawing people's attention to come to Dumulmeori in the first place. As for me, it looks nothing spectacular, but then....things starts to change if we take a closer look at the tree and its surrounding.

First, I got to convince myself that it might be worth-visiting since I did not see anything else there. But, I was wrong. It turned out that this place had its own unique characteristics that -- I think --- others do not have, i.e. its being the center of attention in the seemingly ordinary looking picturesque environment there. The trees succumbed to insects or decaying old age so much that one of once-used-to-be hole or crack inside the tree looked to be --gladly--evenly shaped and filled with other materials to prevent it from being neglected. It now has become a kind of monumental memoir of once famous TV drama in Korea.  

Another thing that I would remember always was...the skies. It was breathtakingly pale blue with scrapping clouds scattered over it. As if some canvases glued all together the palettes of the afternoon skies....(whatever it meant:)  

The last scene of the day. The silhouette of Winter drenched tree and skies...

Dumulmeori 두물머리

두물머리 Well, I did not know anything about this place, had my acquaintance--ms. Cha--introduced me to this place.  She asked me to take  ride to this place since she wanted to share what she knew...
She's been here like...many times..









Dumulmeori is just one-hour ride from Seoul.
The reason why it has become so famous is simply because the biggest tree in the area was once used to be the place for a shooting venue of once a popular TV drama 첫사랑 'First Love'.

(tree???   the tree is on my next /previous entry)











I did not dig into more on this story. I guess it's enough for me to know that Japanese tourists flocked to this place as soon as the drama hit their homes.









Even, people in the surrounding area where this famous tree lives did not think that their home would be one of the most sought-after places in Korea, especially for those who are into photography.

Now, this place is packed and jammed with people, especially in the wee hour of dawn..and during sunset.
I think I know why.
I was there last week during sunset...and it was one of best sunsets I had so far.
I mean....I've been living in Seoul where I never see the sunrise and sunset. ( I admit it). Never. :)






The high rise buildings that dot the skylines of Seoul hamper people from seeing the wonder and magic of everyday life.
So, I found it breathtaking and kinda felt blessed to be able to see the sunset...right here in this place called Dumulneori.

La Petite France 쁘띠 프랑스 (part 3)

All I could remember when I entered one of the houses in La Petite France was the images of France painted on the paintings hung on the walls of the houses. Oh, not only that I found such paintings on canvas, but I also found them painted on the wall itself. The vast arrays of paintings depicting lives in France cities and rural areas were available.
Since I did not know if I would go back here again...I might as well take some pictures...again...as usual.
Here are what I saw....

Cafes....
Yes...the uniquely ever-present significant symbol of France.
The pictures and the buildings....
all mashed-up into one unique atmosphere....i.e. France...
(Oh, come on...Suray....you wrote it like you've been to France...:) ^^








The figurines are displayed deliberately in front of the painting....DOES it blend in?
I don't think so.

This must be a famous intersection or golden triangle in France.. Is it in Paris? I do not know for sure.
Baroque?
Renaissance?
(what am I talking about?) I don't know..those two words just popped out of my head...*

Another look at how people in France (wait..is it Paris? ) hmmm gosh I wish I knew at least something about France so that I do not just rambling about what I'm writing down here...
somebody help me, please...

I hope I can go to Paris someday....^^







Wait....!
Is it the same picture with a horse figurine I just posted earlier? Naaa...I don't think so.
Well, then...if that's the case..that means that France cities look similar, then.
Well, of course for someone who's never been there like me.
Cafes? yes, I see them.






This picture is actually a painting on the wall. I admire the way the painter recreated the snowy winter in--I guess--one of the rural area somewhere...in France...Just look at how the snow is captured simply by dotting the painting. It gives me a kind of simply calming feeling....

Now...this one also done me in.:) ^^ I mean, I was speechless by the simplicity of this painting. The different shades of blue and white palette are simply pasted into it. The snow-covered roofs of the houses, the warmly-lit houses inside ...all in all gives a warm feeling of Winter. Oh, I just love this painting...

This one, I guess, is a family gathering during Summer. This painting looks like an art of dadaism. (?) I could be wrong, though. But, the deliberately shaped portrayal of people in the painting does show it. Otherwise, it was just a work of a child. But, I doubt it.
Still, it is a nice work of arts.

Now...what am I doing in here?
I thought this entry is only about paintings. ^^
Well, I might as well put it since the background of this picture.....tells something about how varied the France lives being captured in each one of the porcelain behind me.^^