Thursday, August 15, 2013

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

August 14, 2013. Divided

On the left you see a couple sky scrapers and then a bunch of smaller buildings, on the right you see many sky scrapers under construction. This upward competition is dividing us, further pushing the difference between rich and poor. We forget how small we are.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

August 13, 2013. Abandoned

Seoul has a lot of abandoned bicycles. It seems for every 10 bicycles you see at a stand, 1 of them is abandoned. It's even worse for those in front of housing, then sometimes up to half of them are old, rusty and falling apart. Sometimes they don't even have seats or the tires have been flat so long they're beginning to crack at the bottom. This one was overgrown with vines, and it's such a waste, but this happens to anyone with anything. Think about the things you have laying around that you never use but you keep because "you never know when you might need it" or "you never know when you might feel like using it." I'm not saying we should throw everything we don't use out, but pointing out that there are things that aren't being used by us that someone else could get a lot out of. I've experienced a lot of that the last moving, getting rid of things that hurt to get rid of but where not getting any use, and then adopting things other people weren't using into our own house (like a broken desk chair, the wheels and base were completely gone so we turned it into a floor chair!) A bicycle overgrown with vines is such a shame... Today I saw a homeless person who was on a bicycle that didn't even have tires...

Monday, August 12, 2013

August 12, 2013. Keep Going

"Shall we go up?"
For a moment we debated. The sign said 1.5km more to the tower, not much but it was getting dark fast. We had just gone for a quick stroll and the weather was hot and insanely humid. I was already unpleasantly drenched in sweat so a flatter route would've been nicer. But then again, we were at a mountain park, nowhere else to go but up.
After a shrug. "Alright..."
We made it past the stairs and about halfway up before going "Screw this! It's too hot. I'm going home to stand in front of the A/C."
I think I'll do more exploring in the fall.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

August 11, 2013. Ghost

A little exploring of the park by my house, but wen't back early because at 8pm it was still absurdly hot and I was sweating like I had drenched my face in water.
August sucks.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

August 10, 2013. Changing Skins

There is a ridiculous amount of cicadas buzzing in Korea right now, and while we humans are dying in this intense humid heat, insect life is flourishing. This shell left behind reminded me of a conversation I had with someone last night about people changing. He commented on how much the people he knew changed after they came to Korea, unfortunately it didn't seem like a good thing. I feel the situation is different on my side. My friends all changed a lot here, but a lot of that involved becoming more mature and responsible. Though my relationships with them haven't changed much (other than the frequency with which we see each other) everyone is a completely different person now. Life is more serious, and we had to leave behind that skin of careless teenagers that just want to have fun.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

August 8, 2013. Morning Chores

Simple life people doing simple life things.
Everyone wants to be big and successful... or do they? From young we are taught that we need a lot or we will be failures, and so we grow unsatisfied when we have less. Thing is, we will always have less, because someone will always have more. But what is wrong with a simple life where you just earn enough for what you need and the rest is up to you? No need to make more money, no need to buy more toys that throw you in debt, no more expensive clothes that are no better quality than the cheap stuff. A simple home with simple stuff. No stress from worrying about others think of you. Did everyone ever tell you that's okay too?

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

August 7, 2013. Anonymous Simplicity

It's amusing how Seoul tries to be so symmetrical and uniform when in reality the city is on crooked land. If you look at Korea on Google maps it looks like a wrinkled napkin, which makes my attempts at minimalist, symmetrical composition a nightmare. I've seen other photographers struggle with this too. You try to line everything up but if you make one thing stand straight something else goes crooked, and if you have the horizon straight then all your vertical lines will be tilted to one side. You sort of have to find an angle where it balances out and FEELS straight but if you stare at it long enough it's like a pile of pick-up-sticks. I guess that's why the first floor of most buildings is marked as B1, since you can walk in on one side but on the other it's underground because the building is standing on a slant. You never know what floor you are on here.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

August 6, 2013. Low

I'm really happy with my new neighborhood. It's tough to get to on foot because of the height, but that pays off with a view and quiet. I hope this is the last time I feel the need to move in Korea since it's an expensive and stressful process, but it helps you reflect on things like the realization of how much stuff you actually have, and also gives you a chance to do some manual labor (carrying things, cleaning, etc) which keeps you busy and mostly disconnected from the internet. Once you're all settled in you feel much lighter and more organized, and excited for all of the opportunities to make change in your life since it's sort of a new start.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

August 4, 2013. Rare Day

It was a rare day in Seoul and I had to capture the sunset. I live on the side of a mountain now, so it's easy to get views over the city.  My neighborhood is quiet and relatively clean, a great place to relax and watch the sun go down with some company and a camera on a tripod. I really like where I am right now. I feel good.