i was meeting hanmee lim today.
one of the lovely team mates i had when i first came to seoul the year before, she had managed to find me on facebook and i was ecstatic that she did ... and just in time too. she added just a month or two before my trip to korea, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect. and once i told her i was coming to seoul in september 2010, lunch was a must. undoubtedly.
and today i meet her. she and another ex - team mate. and i just couldn't wait to show her my new look, beard, hair and all! we decided to meet at her office for lunch, at the stop would be at Boaramae station. it was quite a distance, so i needed to move early.
after about an hour, and once i arrived at the station and turned around, i saw her ... ! and my heart leaped with joy! after one long year, we meet again, and the conversations start flowing. Her English is relatively good and so it wasn't too difficult to get a good chat going. she had with her 2 other ladies, and i recognize one of them to be a member of my team as well, and there was one more too. she wasnt in my team, but we did meet at the conference and it was simply a case of the more the merrier.
hey, here i was surrounded by three very pretty dames, and i all i could think of was how lucky i was to be in their company! thank you, Lord!
of course it was time for lunch, and i just couldn't wait for my bite and coffee. we went upstairs, to savour italian cuisine, spaghetti and ice cream, and spoke of things in our lives for the past year, catching up as much as possible.
of course i just couldn't wait to ask her .... "so how?" pointing to my new look.
"GREAT!" she instantly replied bringing a smile to both our faces, giggles and all.
she's just as lovely as all the Korean babes i've met from day one, with a charmingly pleasant disposition to boot. lunch was a wonderful opportunity to bring ourselves up to speed with whats been happening since we last met a year before, mostly things related to work and family.
of course, i wasn't complaining, cause i genuinely enjoyed listening to her regale her personal life to me. and as we spoke, i could sense the things that matter to her the most, and there was one above all that was the dearest, and that was of course her delightful little girl. family life is a meaningful topic and here it was a significant addition to our conversation.
i could sense her pride.
the other two occasionally joined us in our conversation and this appointment was fast becoming pleasant and engaging. unfortunately, we had only one hour before all three of them needed to get back to work and so we had to say goodbye rather quickly.
before we departed, she gave a me a box of delectable goodies ( which i still have in my office, by the way ) as a memento of our rendezvous. i was truly touched by the gesture and i expressed my gratitude as best as i could.
i really felt a sense of thankfulness.
of course while taking shots the customary "kawaii" hand gesture was a must. but at this stage i was getting used to it. in fact, i think i initialized it!
seemed like the right thing to do.
and as quickly as i got there, they needed to leave. how swiftly an hour can pass by, when we're engrossed in the things we enjoy, but i told her i will make the effort to come to Korea at least once a year to keep in touch. i've always felt very lucky to have these people in my life and i really wanted to make sure i don't lose touch with them, and there's always something to look forward to here in seoul, and i told her i will come and see her and her friends in about a years' time. till then, take care.
we smiled and said goodbye. all four of us.
after i left, i had decided to go back to Jamsil Stadium for the Design Fair one last time. i had wanted to take the extra time i had today to really explore the grounds of the stadium and its creative exhibits for the last time. both of my previous visits were insufficient for me to really take it all in and today was the day i was going to scrutinize as much as i could. i had other places to go the next few days before i headed home, and with the sun shining in the blue, blue sky above me, i had decided to return to the stadium before heading back to the guesthouse.
and so im back, and deja vu quickly welcomes me.
arriving at the stadium, i walk towards the entrance.
haechi was there to greet me along with some friends.
and once i went it, they were some Insecticons too. i couldn't help but think of them as the characters from the most popular cartoon from the 80's. don't they just look like Transformers?
from the top of the stadium, i proceeded to the middle.
and as i step foot in the middle of the stadium, i was surrounded by toys on the grass.
and even more toys to look at as i walk around.
oh yea, before that, i had met haechi again.
he seems nice. friendly and all.
and then walked out again in the clean, fresh air on clean, fresh grass.
and there he is again!
and that's my shadow falling on his yellow skin!
and once i snapped his picture, i enter one of the pavilions outside to take a moment to reflect. literally.
once inside, i notice some of the things i come across are exquisitely quirky to say the least. live caricatures invoking humour, through exaggerated features certainly are eye - catching and bring out the giggles in me. all in good fun, no doubt, but i cant help but feel a strange presence amongst these figures, as if they were somehow alive and elicit a morbid aura about them.
again tim burton comes to mind, but im sure he had nothing to do with this.
and as it gets dark, it was time to leave. there was lots more, of course, that was on display at the grounds of the complex, but a lack of space hinders me to keep on posting up pictures. selectively these photos were the essence of the kind of things on show there for the world to enjoy and i loved every minute of it.
this was the last shot i took before i left and it seemed appropriate that the last shot of the stadium states my reason to come here to begin with. this design fair has brought me much to be grateful for, especially the bonds of friendship i've made with so many wonderful people, and now there was so much i was fortunate enough to hold close and cherish.
goodbye jamsil. and thanks for everything.
now, once i left the stadium, there was something else on the agenda that night, and it was best i made my way. tonight, i meet the amazing individual who served as our translator in my team when i first came to seoul the year before.
tonight, i meet the charming, miss katie cheung and about 7pm, did.
we had set a rendezvous point somewhere near where she works and as soon as i exited the subway station, and headed up, there she was, looking lovely as usual. of course we greeted each other and said hello, and decided lets have dinner and catch up on each others lives this past one year. and so off we went.
and we came across a hanging collection of gleaming dented kettles in the dark, and decided, this looks like a good place to sample the local cuisine. it certainly did have an attractive facade, to say the least.
and so we entered, and spoke of things close to us, of family matters and work issues, of close friends and significant events we've both experienced since we last met. in particular, her beloved cat was obviously a topic of great affection for her and it was a delight to hear how quirky and adorable her pet's antics would get. it brought a smile to my face too.
we had dinner for a about a couple of hours or so, which as i recall was sizzling bbq pork, a staple traditional favourite among people here and as soon as we were done, i decided to go for dessert and quite quickly, ice cream came to mind. and coffee too. it didnt matter to me that the night was relatively chilly and ice cream seemed like a crazy idea, but hey, i was on holiday and all i wanted to do was have a good time. and of course, with her companionship, i did.
but the evening was getting late and we thought maybe it was best to call it a night. just as we were exiting the ice cream parlor, i see a group of talented musicians busking merrily on the streets of the city, adding to the dynamic flavour of the vibrant night. of course, this was a moment clearly i need of a shot and so i took my camera out and captured the scene,
and once i did, it was time for me to take a shot of katie too, and say goodbye till we meet next. i told her i would probably be back in a year and we'll keep in touch till then.
goodnight katie, it was splendid meeting you again.
see you online!
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