these are my last few days in seoul and so ive got to make every moment count. yes, i must. and so we decided, lets meet for lunch one last time before i leave for home.
and that's what we did, and the venue was called the CO_EX building.
HJ Kim and me, and in all places, a light exposition. in the interest of convenience, i told her i would meet her somewhere near her place so that it would be easy for her to meet up. and it seems, that particular morning, she was scheduled to attend an exposition on light fittings and fixtures. well, that did sound interesting, so i thought why not.
it was an illuminating experience. literally.
we met at the entrance of the building and walked around and looked as much as we could, and some of the more interesting fixtures really did seem quite attractive and of course taking pictures were inevitable. spending a bit of time here, we eventually decided to head for lunch cause she did need to get back to her office and the clock was mercilessly ticking away.
so lunch was a clean affair at the food court downstairs. as we were dining, it really did begin to sink into me that this would be the last time i would have lunch with her for the next one year, until i decide to come back to seoul again and i was already missing her.
but that's another story, which of course did come to pass.
just before we made our separate ways, we walked around for a while, savoring each others company just a little bit longer and this last photo became our parting memento, courtesy of some promotion that was going on at the complex at the time.
free pictures, valuable memories.
and soon after, we finally said goodbye, and i reassured her, ill see her next year. till then, goodbye, sweetheart.
as soon as i left, i realised i had the whole day at my disposal. i had plans to meet my other friends here in seoul as well, but they would be free only tomorrow or the day after, and before i left, HJ Kim had told me that there was a lovely Buddhist temple just around the corner from where we were. it sounded like a good idea to a visit a house of worship and bask myself in an spiritual aura for the remainder of the afternoon and so i decided that was nothing else to wait for.
beneath overcast skies, i decided i would pay homage to Lord Buddha this afternoon.
and as soon as i walked out of the food court, a strangely, striking facade lay in my sight.
it was an playfully unusual elevation for a corporate building, made up of a composition of individual, seemingly incoherent design elements, placed vertically in a random arrangement within a gargantuan circle on its surface. on top of that, it had this huge elongated rod pierced through its side from the ground floor right through its primary glass and steel mass, jutting out prominently on its top.
( but truthfully though, the circle and its contents reminded me of a graphic and abstract representation of a noodle dish with chopsticks by its side, placed on a glass table. well, to me it did anyway! )
the funny thing was this building actually seemed familiar somehow, like i had seen it somewhere, and then it occurred to me that this building was designed by a very famous architect, known for designing building that honour the notion of trauma and memory.his name is daniel libeskind, and this was the tangent facade building for the hyundai corporation. gazing at its asymmetrical face for a while, and i then walked around the premises where i notice many an interesting piece of public artwork placed all over, and three things in particular immediately caught my eye.
one was a grey metal silhouette of a man walking high like a russian soldier, whose feet seemed to be mechanically directing a thin wheel, and i cant help but strike a similar pose to capture the moment.
and next i stand beneath hands, invoking the form of a chapel, that seemed to divinely protect the passerby. lifelike and detailed a bit too eerily so, i felt.
and finally, behind these children, was a collection of smooth and reflective silver spherical blobs clustered together organically, morphed into a single cloud.
and of course, i needed to get closer to the amorphous sculpture. whats interesting though is that ive always felt that objects that completely mirror their surroundings in such perfect nuances, despite distortions and deformations, are wondrous things indeed to observe.
i have always been fascinated by how the simplicity of the idea of a complete, perfect reflection can unconsciously invoke a sense of awareness and identity of the observer looking at the reflection himself, prompting him to take a deeper look at himself, in more ways than one.
feeling this emerging sense of awe, i got close. really close.
and once i felt i had enjoyed these creative monuments adequately, i began my impromptu pilgrimage to honour the great soul of Buddha by paying him a visit, and all i needed to do was cross the street.
and once i did, i cross a bridge to enter its premises. the bridge itself felt like a symbolic passing of sorts perhaps from the realities of everyday life to something more profound and meaningful.
and as i proceeded above, i arrive at an oasis of quietude and tranquility.
it was amazing how quickly i felt an aura of solace envelop me the moment i arrive at its entrance, and i knew in my heart i needed to spend some time here, basking in the peace the atmosphere exuded.
and i enter the great complex and admire the richness of the things around me, and upon seeing one man clasp his hands in prayer to the three elevated golden skinned deities before him, i too was encouraged to say a prayer in my heart, and of course i did.
now as i walk out of the hall, i realised that the loveliest thing about this temple complex was how the entire holy site and its houses of contemplation and worship was juxtaposed right at the fringe of a prominently chaotic urban landscape.
the relentless noise of city life was tempered with the presence of something calm and sacred, providing many a weary soul a moment of respite and silence.
and as i walk in the shadow of his colossal residence, i began to notice that the naturally solemn ambiance that allowed me to appreciate his beautiful presence and the peace his temperance radiates was unequivocally perfect that day.
i walk around savouring as much as possible, enjoying how architecturally charming these pavilions placed all over the landscape were.
and i love the little things i come across, occasionally and serendipitously. and once i felt that i needed to leave, i decided to wash my hands in the sacred cleansing waters in the stone cauldron above and depart with a sense i have been blessed. this truly was the perfect place to spend the afternoon and now, just before the sun sets, i head back to the guesthouse.
Thank you, Buddha. Thank you so much.
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