conservation 13:52

Most people look at the facade of a building and walk away with a superficial understanding of its history and symbol. It appears that much of what people deem significant is how beautiful and clean the exterior of a building is. And for many people, that beauty is synonymous with something built in a pre-modern style: Classical European, Moorish, Historical East Asian. If one walks around the most popular shopping spaces in Los Angeles for instance, buildings are built in a hodge podge, pseudo-European style (of which I firmly detest). On the flip side, people look at a building erected after the sixties and judge its simplicity and patterns with the intricacies of pre-modern architecture and conclude that it is ugly. There is a longing for the old and a subtle hatred for the new.

One possible explanation is that it is a response to the blind destruction of historical buildings for the sake of development. In 1963 in New York City, when Penn Station was demolished to make way for a modern station with a skyscraper, people lamented their loss and a conservationist group was formed to prevent such things from happening again. Countries in Europe have gone the extreme and governments have banned development in any historic core area of their city. Most skyscrapers are located on the outer limits. We Americans then go to these European cities and are in awe of the historic value of the buildings. And of course, we become agitated by the unfortunate lack of history and the 'persistent' destruction of the old in America. 

Interior of Penn Station

A postcard of the waiting room

Penn Station Before

Penn Station Now

Personally, I am for development as new buildings bring about innovations and progress in architecture. The Romans expanded on Greek ideas and created the arch and discovered cement. During the Industrial Revolution, the British began to build with steel. America took these ideas and created the skyscraper. Progress is not a bad thing. I do not think that developers and city planners deliberately want to destroy every beautiful building in their city. They are utilitarian. They are looking for the most efficient and cheapest way to serve people. I am sure that the old Penn Station could no longer serve the citizens of New York and in addition to the cost of maintenance, it was more logical to build a larger and newer structure. Still, the loss of such a structure affected people.

These days, conservationists want to protect every building ever built and are strongly opposed to development. They elicit people's emotions and band together to stop development. Entire communities have become what we call NIMBYs. Yes, some developers do make mistakes and occasionally destroy buildings that should not have been razed but the good things they do are largely ignored and they are hounded by the one thing they do wrong. In my opinion, the biggest problem about this is that people begin to think more emotionally and ego-centrically than pragmatically and thus limit our progress. When building a new skyscraper could provide more jobs and cheaper housing, the fierce opposition of a small but very strong NIMBY group prevents progress for the majority.

I like to take the middle ground and wish we would only conserve historically important buildings and let developers create new things. Of course everything they build will not be historically important and that would eventually be torn down to make way for future buildings. I do not think we need to protect every single building. That way, we can still enjoy history but also make way for advancement. It seems like a logical compromise but I guess for the urban planner, architect, and policy maker, it is an extremely difficult task to balance. 

reconstruction of the kingdom of baekje 21:08

Baekje was one of three kingdoms that endless fought for dominance on the Korean Peninsula until its demise from a combined Silla-Tang onslaught in the year 660. Many government officials and aristocrats, instead of being captured by the incoming force, committed suicide by drowning in the Baekma River. Others fled to the court in Japan and were warmly welcomed into the royal court.

According to the Nihon Shoki and Samguk Sagi, we know that Baekje and Yamato Japan had a very close relationship. Architects, scholars, doctors, and priests from Baekje went to the Yamato court to spread Buddhism, writing, architecture, and other advanced continental ideas. Sadly however, for the past fifty years or so, this idea was a point of major friction between many Korean and Japanese people. The question of who influenced who, who created what, or what really happened in history had severe ramifications on the history of the time. Imperial Japan in the early 20th century used this relationship as one of their justification for annexing Korea for instance.

Today, save for a few artifacts and some stone pagodas, not much has survived. So when the city of Buyeo (Sabi, the old capital of Baekje) decided to bring back the main palace and a temple 1500 years later, it definitely did stir mixed emotions. The skeptics and pessimists knew that the buildings could never be reconstructed to what they actually looked like since no architecture from the kingdom has survived. Those excited did not care for the integrity of the architectural style of course since a complex like this would bring in tourist dollars as well as some pride in knowing that a great kingdom had existed there. The city went ahead and fourteen years later, the complex of Sabi Palace, Neung Temple, and a peasant's village was opened to those curious about this lost kingdom.

Without any intact architectural examples, the architects who build the complex began with a chimi that was discovered at the site of Mireuksa Temple, Baekje's most important state temple. This chimi bore close resemblance to those used on temple architecture that come from that time period in Japan. From there, they went to Japan to find inspiration for the palace and temple, knowing that Baekje architecture and Asuka Period Japanese architecture were similiar. Horyuji Temple for instance is a fine example of Asuka Buddhist architecture. Although the chimi does not adorn the roof of this particular temple, it can be seen in many other examples in Japan. The five story pagoda at Horyuji Temple was probably one of a few inspirations for the five story one in the new Neungsa Temple complex. This pagoda is Korea's first reconstructed wooden pagoda and perhaps the impetus for their revival. All pagodas were burnt down in invasions and self-inflicted temple fires. I really hope the trend will continue.

desert weekend 10:27

Stephen's co-worker had told him about the wild flowers blooming in Anza Borrego and described it to him as though it was Alice's wonderland. I personally wouldn't call it a wonderland, but it is indeed pleasant. I have been there twice during the spring and all the flowers are a nice change to the otherwise barren desert it is most of the year. So, during Stephen's Friday afternoon lunch break, we decided that we would go to Anza for the weekend. We also brought up the great idea of visiting Salvation Mountain. A man by the name of Leonard Knight had been building an artificial mountain out of adobe and clay and sharing what he believes to be the most important things in life.

To shorten our trip a bit, I called my friend David to see if we could stay with him for the night. He lives in Menifee which is about an hour away from Anza Borrego. We could at least drive half of it Friday night so as to avoid those dreaded early morning. With our other roommate John and his friend Mitchell, we were off.

Randomly bumped into Erick and his family at Anza. I was delighted to see them.

Leonard Knight has been building this for over twenty years now! Some people say that he is crazy but I was more appreciative. He was a man who wasn't constrained by what society thought he should do. Perhaps some people might see this as irresponsible but others might see it as freeing. I guess it's just how you look at it. But I do know that he's brought a lot of happiness and hope to people through this massive project.

Salvation mountain was one of the places that was featured in the film "Into the Wild." I really enjoyed it but it's one of those movies that gets a lot of mixed reviews. Many people tell me that the book is even better. Nonetheless, I would still recommend it because for some reason the story really resonated with me.

north korea today 10:13

Found this interesting article on North Korea and how the government is slowly weakening through a flourishing private commerce. Apparently, Kim Jong Il tried to reevaluate the currency and he was met with many, many angry people. Read for yourself.

switzerland! 14:47

Switzerland was the most memorable part of my trip. Maybe because my expectations were not as high as Portugal or Spain. Or maybe because my friend Iwan and his family were so hospitable. I don't think I can explain it concretely but it left a wonderfully deep impression.

Before I left for Europe, I bought a ticket to Basel at the last minute so I could go and hang out with Iwan. Basel however, happened to be an hour and a half away from where Iwan lived. But Iwan, being the good guy he is, came all the way up and greeted me at the airport! We spent the next day just hanging around Busswil, Biel, and Bern. (Which all happen to be great cities or towns or villages, or whatever you want to call them.) The most memorable thing was riding bikes with Iwan through the side streets and farms, along rivers and lakes, and into downtown Biel while just chatting about random things, about life, about hopes. It felt very freeing, calm, and all my worries in life were insignificant compared to the grandeur of the mountains and lakes. I decided that I would go back next summer...

portugal 23:53

Porto, Portugal was my first destination. Downtown Porto is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means that it is an old, really rad part of town. I went to see my old roommate Hugo and of course he was extremely hospitable. I'm glad to be his friend. We saw sites, drank lots of wine, hung out with Hugo's friends until the wee hours of the morning, and ate a lot of good Portuguese food. I am now quite surprised that Portuguese food is not popular in the states because it would do so well! My favorites were Arroz de Marisco and Francesinhas. Arroz de Marisco is similar to the paella but in stew form and significantly better in taste. Francesinhas are sandwiches with steak, ham, and cheese. Melted cheese is poured over the sandwich and topped with an egg. Lastly, a beer-tomato sauce is poured over the entire food-structure (at this point it's about a good 6 inches thick!) and eaten with french fries. It packed with tons of calories I'm sure, but it's so good.

A few initial observations of Portugal: 1) the Portuguese speak really good English! (In relation to Spain, France, and Italy, the other Romance language speaking countries) I had no problem communicating with any of the young people I met. 2) They are a little smaller than other Europeans. They also eat a lot of fish and live longer than other Europeans. I have a hunch that maybe it's the fish.... 3) Tan is the IN thing. If you are not tanned, you are not cool. I guess I'm not cool then. 4) Don't wear white socks. (I found out the hard way.) Only old construction workers wear white socks. 5) Portuguese r's are pronounced like English h's.

These are the boats that used to carry wine from an area upstream down to this area.

The River Duoro that flows between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.

Hugo's awesome friends whom I befriended.

spain 23:10

Back in March of 2009, my soon to be friend Hugo contacted me through couchsurfing and asked if he would be able to stay a couple of days. He was coming to Los Angeles for ten weeks to take an English class. Instead of crashing for a few days however, he became my roommate for four months! He left for Portugal, his home, in June and we communicated through email and facebook occasionally after that. One afternoon in July, Hugo skyped me and had me check some flights to Europe. I had thrown around the idea of going to Europe, but I didn't really think I would go anytime soon. As I searched, I found a flight to Madrid for 560 dollars and I booked it immediately. Talk about an impulse buyer. I was off to Europe.

My first destination was Portugal. Afterwards, I flew to Switzerland and then to Madrid. Now in Madrid, I have a friend who I have known for a little over two years now. While living in Korea, Jorge found me through a language exchange site and we communicated through skype. I taught him English and he taught me Spanish. We became pretty good friends through it.

The idea came into mind that since I was flying into Madrid, I should meet up with Jorge. And that's exactly what happened! The funniest thing is that Jorge has a really unique voice and a really thick accent over his English. So, at the airport, even though I had no idea what he looked like, I was able to recognize him immediately once he opened his mouth.

This is the Palace of Communication. It pretty much dominates this main intersection.

The Plaza Mayor. A beautiful little square where people (mostly tourists) hang out. Jorge told me things are double the price here.

Parco de Retiro, an enormous park with many grand buildings and sculpture. This one commemorates some ruler in the past.

This is Jorge, his wife Raquel, and I in their living room. They have such an awesome pad in a town thirty minutes south of Madrid. They were so warm and welcoming.

filial piety, love, and tragedy 23:44

I had written about Suwon in one of my previous posts and briefly talked about the history and ideas that went behind the construction of the city. This week however, I was able to read about it in more detail and was consumed and moved by the story of a king's love for his father and the subsequent tragedies that shook the palace and its people.

King Jeongjo (1724-1776) was a strong ruler. It is said that the dynasty flourished and prospered under his command. Unfortunately, he was also a strict and seemingly 'uncaring' father who instilled great fear and paranoia in his son, Sado. Prince Sado felt he could not live up to the standards of his father and eventually believed his father would kill him. He began to hate washing himself, which led to himatiophoia (the fear of clothes) and hallucinations. He also began digging holes to store weapons as a precaution to any assassination attempt. This paranoia eventually led to erratic murders of eunuchs and maidens in the palace. Throughout all this, his wife Lady Hyegyeong documented in her journal the mental illness that had befallen her husband. Their son (who would become the next ruler), Yeongjo, also saw how this illness had taken of a hold of his father. In the end, King Jeongjo ordered the death of his son for treason (which during this period usually meant suicide). After a few failed attempts however, Sado was forced into a rice chest where in eight days, he died of starvation.

Nine years later, King Yeongjo took the throne and with the thought of retribution, began to order the deaths of all who were involved in the death of his father. This led to the death of many officials, including his grandfather, Lady Hyegyeong's father. He then collected the finest architects and city planners and began the construction of Suwon (Hwaseong as it was known then). He moved his father's remains to the city and gave his father a proper burial that a king deserved. It is said that he loved his father dearly. Visiting the mausoleum had become one of his major preoccupations.

"Returning from the tomb, how many times I halted my carriage to look back in its direction and think of him."

The saddest part about this story is Lady Hyegyeong's loss and her helplessness throughout it all. She saw her own husband's mind deteriorate and his eventual inhumane execution. Soon after, her father and much of the people in her family were murdered at the orders of her own son. The deep pain and suffering that she went through must have been excruciating for her. In her journal, Lady Hyegyeong writes that it was the father who was the cause of his son's mental illness and it was he who murdered his own son for the very illness that he caused. Such irony and tragedy.

One interesting side note is that the palace-fortress-mausoleum in Suwon is quite different from all other memorial sites because it was actually inhabited by REAL people. The great pyramids in Egypt, the vast tombs of China, and other note-worthy memorial sites were only recreations of a world. Paintings, sculptures, buildings were made but not lived in by real people. This makes Suwon all the more important and fascinating.

couchsurfing 15:56

Back in Korea, while on a trip to Mount Songni with a couple of my friends, we happened upon a German who had studied abroad a year in Mexico and was slowly making his way back home. He mentioned that he was couchsurfing and immediately it sparked my interest.

Now a year later, back home in Los Angeles, I've hosted about fifteen people (mostly from Europe) and some of them have become very good friends. When I tell most people that I do this, they initially gasp for air and seem ready to brand me as being insane. Quickly, I must explain the nature of the exchange and redeem myself. I inform them that one does not need to accept everyone that they come into contact with. They are free to go through their profile and reviews. Then I tell them stories of some awesome experiences and that will usually calm them down.

Remco and Abel from the Netherlands and I. They had been traveling for six months, mostly in South East Asia. Los Angeles was their last stop before heading back home. One of my favorite guests that I have hosted.

Iwan from Switzerland and I. Probably my favorite guest. I promised to come visit him in Switzerland in the near future.

なぜ 青い山脈 02:21

山脈や葉、信号など、緑色だと分かっているのだが、現実に日本人は青い色だとよく言われる。英語で言うブルーより、「青い」という言葉の意味は日本語でもっと広くなり、色の濃さや印象を表せるように使うのである。緑という言葉は本来の四色ではなく、青は日本語に昔から中心できて、発達されてきた。

my italian mini-essay: when i was young 00:01

Quando ero piccolo, sentivo sempre da mia madre, “Non giocare più con i videogiochi!” “Dov’eri?!” o “Fa’ il tuo compito!” Mi piaceva giocare molto da ragazzo. Il mio amico Craig, mio fratello Mike ed io giocavamo sempre – prima e dopo la scuola, qualche volte in classe, e la fine settimana. Ci divertivamo molto insieme.

Sicuramente, tutti i ragazzi vogliono sempre giocare. Ma i miei genitori volevo che io studiavo come un bravo ragazzo. Quando il mio amico Craig veniva a casa mia, che erano tutti i giorni, giocavamo con i videogiochi o fuori con i bambini del quartiere. Preferivo giocare con i videogiochi Megaman, Castlevania, Super Mario e Zelda sul Nintendo. A volte, dopo cinque, sei ore di Nintendo, il mio amico volevo giocare fuori. Ma lui volevo sempre fare le cose cattive come giocare con il fuoco.

Una volta, giocavamo con il fuoco nella casa mia e l’abbiamo quasi bruciata. Quando uno è giovane, è anche molto stupido. Mio padre era molto, molto arrabbiato! Abbiamo bruciato il sofà e il tappeto. Ho promesso di non giocare mai con il fuoco e Craig non veniva alla mia casa per circa un mese perché aveva paura di mio padre. Durante questo periodo quando lui non veniva alla mia casa, i miei genitori dicevano che la nostra casa era molto tranquilla e non si preoccupavano più. Purtroppo per loro, dopo un mese, Craig è tornato e abbiamo cominciato a giocare con il fuoco di nuovo. I ragazzi non imparare nulla!

sea salt coffee 10:08

Kinda sounds strange but in Taiwan, sea salt coffee are all the rage right now. Apparently, its not the entire coffee but the foam which is suppose to be salty.

shotoku 04:42

For the past two weeks, I've been writing my final essay for my grad class and I think I've finally got it to where its decent. I'm not all that happy with it but I want to turn it in asap because I've been at this topic for a whole 12 weeks! I'm so tired of rereading this book (I've done it five times now) and rewriting every sentence in my essay. Sadly, it makes me wonder if I can actually continue on to a phD knowing that just 12 weeks will drain all the fun out of a topic I initially enjoyed. Oh the joys of graduate school. 

We were assigned a book and we had to pretty much give a class lecture on it and turn in a book review/essay (the longest book review ever I would add) at the end. I chose to read a book by Michael Como called Shotoku. It pretty much deals with the origins of the Japanese (with at least those in power), nationalism and how it pretty much destroys everything nice about history, and most importantly, a historical/mythological man by the name of Shotoku Taishi. He is pretty much like our founding fathers except he did it all by himself and most of what he did according to Como was fabricated. A book like this would never be written in Japan and if it did, it would not definitely not be a best-seller. A fun read nonetheless for those who can get beyond nationalistic tendencies. 

almost home 03:29

I have about 2 weeks left and the only thing I keep thinking about is what I will be missing when I get home. So, in no particular order..

1) I'm going to miss Pocari Sweat. And Milkis. And Barley Tea. I'm sure I can find it at some Asian store back home, but the fact that it's ubiquitous here allows me to have it anytime I want.

2) Samgak Gimbap (Onigiri), the triangular rice balls one can find at any convenience store.

3) Public Transportation. Never once did I need a car here.

4) Not having to worry about my stuff getting stolen. I actually lost my wallet here and got it back in the mail a month later with everything in it! For the most part, people are quite honest here.
5) All the Korean and international friends I met this year. When I left last year, I didn't feel the same way for the people at home because I knew I would be seeing them again in the future. I will probably not be able to see many of these people again. That makes it extremely difficult for me to depart.

mood 22:52

Korea is often describe as a society being governed by relationships and social order rather than law of the government. I'm sure it will change and has been changing with the newer generations, but I've noticed it with especially the older generation (those that lived through the era when Korea was a dirt-poor, war-ravaged, third world country to what they enjoy now - an industrialized, psuedo-first world one.)

After being here for a while, I noticed that Koreans seem to make irrational decisions because that's what social order prescribed. When making decisions here at work, my boss and co-workers really depend on something called bunigi, roughly translated into English as atmosphere, mood, or dynamic. If the buneuigi is off or awkward because of one student, they will change his/her class. Instead of trying to help the student out or working with him/her, they take him/her out. From a western point-of-view it may seem like Koreans are taking the easy way out. But from a Korean point-of-view (maybe even a pan-East Asian one) they are following a social norm.

This might explain why Koreans (and the Japanese) really deck out a cafe or a restaurant with as much decoration, lighting, and music as possible. They are trying to recreate say a coffee shop in Europe or a restaurant in China so that the buneuigi of a respective country can be felt. It really does feel like entering a new world when one goes to a bar, a coffee shop, hair salon, convenience store, this list can go on.

bilingual people can change personalities 05:24

According to a study, bicultural and bilingual people can change their personality whenever they switch their language. People can switch to a "cultural-specific frame" and thus the changes in personalities and expressions. 

I did always notice that I acted a little different when I spoke English, Korean, and/or Japanese. Now I have a study that tells me why I act the way I do. It's just what I needed know... 

danwon 08:11

Kim Hongdo (1705-1806), or better known as Danwon. My favorite korean painter. He is considered one of the three most famous and valued painters in Korea. Much like the genre paintings of the Dutch, Danwon painted scenes of daily life. If one looks closely, Danwon's paintings are comical, dynamic, and in-touch with real life. The style of his work reminds me of today's comic books but obviously, they carry a lot more meaning than the former.

In this painting, a boy is dancing while the musician play traditional Korean instruments. The man at the top right puffs his cheeks with air as he plays his wooden flute.

Workers add tile to the roof of this pavilion. The workers are serious and diligent as shown by their facial expressions.

The quintessential depiction of Korean life, whether it was five hundred years ago or today. The students are studying hard and the poor little boy is crying probably because he was lazy or did not live up to the expectation of the teacher. I guess nothing's really changed here in Korea.

the ainu people 07:08

Japan has finally agreed to officially recognize the Ainu people of Hokkaido as an indigenous people "with a unique language and culture." For centuries, they have been repressed and neglected and many had to hide their identities so they would not face discrimination. Originally they inhabited the Sakhalin Peninsula and Kurile Islands (currently part of Russia), Hokkaido, and the northern part of the main island of Honshu. Today, they only occupy the southern part of Hokkaido.

Genetically, the Ainus are very different from the Japanese. They have fairer skin and to put it bluntly, are hairier. They almost look native American. Some scholars have even speculated that they are the descendants of the Jomon People. 

I was first introduced to their culture back in 2002 when I took a trip to Sapporo, Japan in Hokkaido. I went to a store that sold goods made by Ainu people and was startled by the similarities between them and the native Americans. I even found out that the city of Sapporo is the Ainu word for village of much dryness. (It's been modified of course to fit the Japanese tongue, but in the original Ainu language Sapporo was pronounced Satporo kotan with the word kotan eventually being dropped.) So the next time you drink a bottle of Sapporo Beer, remember the Ainus and their contribution to the world. 

over-the-top with amusement parks? 08:38

In the next five years, we should see four new, large-scale amusement parks operating in Korea. I wonder though if this is sustainable, as there are already two amusement parks in existence in a country with only 48 million people. Koreans must love amusement parks!

The first amusement park in the works is the "Paramount Movie Park Korea" which is scheduled to open in 2011 in Incheon. Themes from the movie Titanic, Tomb Raiders, and Mission Impossible are to be included in the park. The second is an MGM theme park also in Incheon. This will be MGM's first ever amusement park. Can't think of exactly what movies they made at the moment but I'm sure they'll have rides themed after them. Universal Studios will open their fourth park in 2012 after Hollywood, Florida, and Osaka, Japan. The fourth will be a Marvel Superheroes theme park in Busan, Korea. This one, I'm actually excited for. I would actually visit this one since I was and still am a huge fan of Marvel.

taeglish 07:22

Koreans are now learning Taekwondo and English at the same time. I think I would be more excited to go and teach at these hagwons than the kids would be attending the schools.