chronicles of an architectonist

visiting the pearl after a decade / the second weekend / part 2

2012-01-24T15:12:00.028+08:00

cold and cloudy was the sunday air.

but i came back, fresh and bright, the following day. i was about to start the second day of the conference but before i went it, i took a moment to gaze at the rain clouds above me.

and i thought to myself, its always an awesome sight, to see nefarious, menacing monsoon clouds over the far horizon of the ocean, waiting to explode into an uncontrollable tropical hurricane. of course it didn't quite materialize the way i imagined, despite what seemed to will have inevitably happen, ( in fact, it didn't even drizzle ) the sight nonetheless was still captivating to say the least.

but i had better get moving, the day was about to start.

and almost immediately, we got busy.

after being briefed, today we were told that we would be given design tasks and we would do it together in groups. a variety of issues pertaining to idea of creative cities would be the focus of our topics and pretty soon, we got our heads cracking.

and everyone clustered together to get things moving. time was of the essence, cause we didn't have much of it to waste. we had to compose our thoughts quickly, and present our work just as quickly.

lively bursts of discussions and ideas exploded in the air, and manifestations of our limitless creativity were clearly seen all over the walls and all over the floors.

yup, even on the solid, tall romanesque columns and rich, hard wooden floors. spending time with these participants instantly teleported me back to my college days and i quickly realised how much i had missed being part of something this exciting.

an episode from my youth was re-lived, at least for a moment or two.

towards the end of the conference, all of us in the hall had a bit of an intimate session with 2 of the speakers on a more personal level. this

this had gone on for a few hours or so, and soon we had presented our work to the whole conference. one by one we took turns in presenting ourselves, though speeches and sketches, as we shared ideas and explored concepts and we had made friends with ourselves as we continued doing our work.

at the end of it, it truly was as exhilarating experience, making me deeply yearn for my college days all over again.

at the end of the day, once the conference was over, it would soon be evident that we needed to make our way home. after saying goodbye to each other, i had made plans to go back to KL with some of the Thinklab associates later on the evening. but in the meantime, as they were having their private post-mortem session, i had some extra time to spare, and so i walked around for a while on the streets just nearby the venue. a little bit of sightseeing before leaving the island for good.

along my way i discovered a thousand architectural gems, starting with the ones devoted to worship, and this colonial church was the most prominent within this area.

it was some one i had passed last night, but during the day i could appreciate it in broad daylight. built clearly during the country's colonial past, the building had an understated sense of silent dignity about its presence, and its classical structural vocabulary was a delight to witness, but i felt the way the church looked last night was still more appealing, to me at least.

it sat silent and proud in its surroundings, unperturbed by the progress of modernity that had engulfed the rest of its nearby environment. looking at this church almost made me feel like i was stepping back in time for a moment or two.

next, was also this delightfully quaint church, a lovely mix of clean white surfaces and raw red textures, designed for the tropical setting its based at ... its exposed brick wall its best feature, methinks, cause it makes the building look humble and homely even.

and pretty soon, i approach this temple, again the same one i passed last night ... and it seemed yet again, that something was happening, and of course, i step in.

yes, there were lots of people here for prayer, but what really captured my eyes the most was the gorgeous array of suspended red lanterns above me.

they provided sprinkles of beautifully striking contrasts to the dark brown and beige surfaces behind them, and they looked splendid from where i stood.

and flowers from a nearby shop, literally add colour to the streets of the temple outside.

as i walked out of the temple, it was the simpler things around me that caught my attention, beginning with how rich even the floor tiles of the pathways were. an intricate collection of geometric lines and curves, coming together to create a mosaic of shapes and colours, rich in both design and detail, and just around the corner, a deity sits inconspicuously in silence by someone's doorstep, acting as a guardian of sorts to this abode and finally, a poster, pleading for love in a world that occasionally lacks it compassionate presence.

transitional mementos on the streets where i saunter.

occasionally, i would pass by these curious 3D cartoons and caricatures, which were materialized sketches in thin metal showcasing humorous scenes and still vignettes of malaysian life.

art pieces of this nature were both insightful and cheeky, humorous and witty, and served to remind us citizens not to take ourselves too seriously, and enjoy a giggle or two when we look at ourselves. and its surprising insertion by the side of a building, added to its playful appeal to the public.

soon, after walking as much as i could, i decided to head back to the conference venue. i didn't have that much time this time around, and i wanted to see the ocean and take in it wonderful temperance one last time as as i could before we all decided to leave the island and head back home.

so i walked back to the ocean. and as usual, it takes my breath away.

and it was obviously a popular spot with the locals too. human and avian.

after enjoying the sea breeze, i walked back and soon i was greeted by ( initially ) anonymous joyful cheers, shouting out my name, and signalling peace and kawaii hand gestures.

of course, i look up, smiling. "nice,"

and soon, i walk up to join them, and i see, these people know how to have fun. they were pretty much wrapped up with whatever they needed to do, and we started breaking into groups to take the long ride home. i was really fortunate that they allowed me to tag along with them and i could see it was gonna be a lot of fun going home.

but first, lets have something to eat.

after all, it wouldn't have been malaysian of us if we decided not to have one last round at the local mamak, gulping down vast quantities of teh tarik and milo ais, munching on kuey tiau and nasi lemak, island - style, before the 4 hours back home. penang is, after all, famous for its cuisine, so it was obviously the right thing to do before we went home.

makan time, baby.

and so we dined. we feasted. and most importantly, we laughed. oh, what a perfect weekend.

and this was the last shot we took of all us here at Thinklab before finally heading home. i must sincerely thank this young, passionate and determined group of design centric enthusiasts, for having the spirit and tenacity in organizing such an well planned and eye-opening conference.

it really warmed my heart immensely to see that there are people out there, youngsters at that, who care so deeply about design, and the direction the creative industry here in the country was taking, that they were willing to sacrifice their time and effort to raise awareness on the importance of good design principles among both students and professionals alike, in the hopes that we too, as a nation one day, will produce world class designs and stand on par with great cities like Tokyo, New York, London and the likes.

lofty ambitions no doubt, but we've got to start somewhere, and to me, this was that "somewhere". you have my support, that's for sure.

( and soon i would become a part of this collective, although at the time, i didn't know it yet )

once we went our separate ways, a few of us went in one car and took the ferry across the calm straits back to the mainland.

i have to tell you, i really felt like a small kid waiting to go on a theme park ride at disneyland when i saw these ridiculously coloured ferries, all excited, and i just couldn't wait to get on one.

the night was slowly approaching, and the cover of dusk began to envelope the island. penang began to appear distant and foggy, disappearing into grey, lifeless landscape.

and as the mainland becomes clearer, what seemed like a couple of gigantic, towering, yellow mechanical giraffes signified a landmark of sorts that we would soon be disembarking.

and just before we did, i took one last shot of us on the observation deck of the ferry as a group. the big mystery here though was, i just couldn't understand why my relatively well behaved long hair had suddenly turned into a collection of curly maggi mee noodles - like locks in the ocean breeze as were leaving the island! i really dont!

anyway, expectedly the drive back home felt like fun road trip, with us singing and laughing almost all the way, regaling each other with personal experieces more ofthen than not, laced with inside jokes and humour. and one of the girls' ipod was transformed into a mobile miniscule hand held DJ console for the evening and every downloaded song was played from start till finish ... it was a karaoke moment for all us, i assure you.

this amazing weekend had pretty much come to an end when one by one, we had all reached our individual homes. the guy who drove us back was a true gentleman, for having the decency to make sure he took us right to our doorstep from one end of the state to another, before heading home himself at about 1 am, and i salute his kindness for that very reason. right now, all that mattered was my bed once i was dropped off, and tomorrow, it was back to work.

goodbye kawan, i'll see you soon.
all of you.

visiting the pearl after a decade / the second weekend / part 1

2012-01-24T13:58:00.064+08:00

thinklab.

i first heard this word quite some time ago in 2009, but the first person i coincidentally met who was actually a member of this collective of dynamic go-getters, gave me a hug and told me she loved me almost immediately after we met. i reciprocated of course, on stage, as the legendary patch adams himself to us to do so after he told the entire audience at this conference to verbally express gestures of love and affection to our fellow men, and women, of course.

yes, i once had the pleasure of meeting the legend himself in KL at GOGM, November 2010, but that was not the only lovely surprise i was blessed with to encounter that day. in essence, i had taken my first step, quite unknowingly at the time, in becoming a part of this collective. and it started firstly for me at a design conference, in the delightful island in penang in July 2011.

which brings me here.

this was the second weekend in a row that i had to come to georgetown, penang after last week's DA + C festival, and this time i came to attend a 2 day design conference organised by a group of young and vibrant talented design enthusiasts.

and eventually i found out, that these guys were on a mission.

a mission to encourage, promote and propagate good design strategies and principles, among the students and professionals involved in the myriad of local design - centric industries in the country.

in other words, my kind of people.

and so the next 2 days were filled with the insights and teachings of several key figures in the design sectors of the local, and international, scene. the panel of appointed speakers were impressive to say the least, consisting of graphic designers, award winning architects, multimedia artists, creative directors, conservation pioneers and creative consultants.

i was truly excited to be a part of this, basking in the brilliance of these well - known designers while spending time on a charming island, surrounded by the seductive elements of sun, sea, sky and sand just around the corner of our venue. i felt deeply grateful.

the first day was structured around the eye-opening presentations given by these prominent individuals in their respective fields, and the second day would be more of an interactive workshop involving the audience.

and so we have the first day ... and these are just some of the insightful speeches of the event.

the architect voicing his concern on the direction of local architecture and its implications for the national populace ...

... the conservation head, speaking on penang's UNESCO awarded status and her hopes for the city in the future ....

... the international graphic designer, speaking on the future of the cities and how we may head in that direction ourselves ... she spoke about the world design capital programme she was a part of and once i realised we had something in common, i approached her to tell her about how i had been to seoul the year before for that very same event.

needless to say, we've been friends ever since.

and the one saying the day was over and another exciting day is just around the corner.

once the crowd started leaving the organizers decided it was time for a break and headed back to they were putting up for the past few nights.

they did decide to come back later at night to prepare themselves for the following day.
i told them i'd join them too.

but till then, it was time for a little sight seeing. it was only about 5pm in the evening, so there was plenty of time to savour the sights and sounds of the streets of the city. and so i began my anticipated walkabout to as many places as i could within close vicinity of the venue.

and so i walked out and i hear the gentle waves of the sea hit against the shore, call out to me.

i guess despite the wonderful pieces of historical and cultural treasure that dot the landscape of the city, penang will always be, first and foremost, known for its sandy beaches and gentle waters.

and irresistibly, that's where i headed to first.

i head along the elevated pathway following the shoreline and feel excited about whats' just around the corner.

and as i walk along, parts of the history of the island seem to come alive. colour and motion in one neatly designed human powered transportation package.

i continued walked along the edge of the shoreline and saw an ocean-centric infrastructure, including places like ferry jetties, waterfront promenades, ship harbours, warehouses, riverside cafes and the likes.

some of these places have been upgraded of course, but their colonial charm remains evident.

clean surroundings with well planned landscapes.

and the appearance of the colonnades of old shophouses being given a refurbished look really adds to the the richness of the urban arena of the area.

i think the general planning of this area was pretty well done, providing both pedestrian friendly and vehicle friendly access points, but i really think we need to find better artists who can make more attractive sculptures ... some of them seem odd and irrelevant placed in their local contexts. yea, i know, art is subjective and beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the ones we have here just didn't cut it for me.

collectively, it was obvious that this string of complexes and paths were designed and built to facilitate trade and commerce between the island and its national and international counterparts, reinforcing a historical link between the island's past and its present.

and i approach a clock tower, colonial of course, with anglo-saxon influences. what intrigues me however is the strange sculpture located to the left of the tower. an stretched out orb that seemed sliced in an organised fashion, gleaming in stainless steel. i was told later that jokingly that these sculptures were referred to as "sliced testicles" (!) by the local populace, when in fact was meant to represent the betelnut seed ( pinang ) that the island was actually named after.

oh well, i think i prefer the unofficial name. it seems more apt, somehow ... ouch.

lets move on.

and next to it, a modern edifice, reminiscent of an architectural style from the 60's and 70's, with a strictly designed series of concrete sun-breakers 9 briese - soleil ) formed the main elevation of the building . something modern, but essentially, a blast from a recent past.

at the end of the day though, people who come here to the island would still prefer to see the romanticized version of the city state, a city i suspect they imagine whose streets are lined with rows of classical facades, veneered with layers of european renaissance infleunced ornamentation, amidst a mixture of the colonial and the contemporary.

and the penang council seems to be doing a great job of preserving that particular notion of romance.

i then walk on and i see various houses of worship on my way, all lovingly preserved as part of the rich colonial legacy that brought people of different faiths together in an urban setting that the state intends to preserve and propagate centuries ago.

a soaring minaret calling the faithful to prayer, and a symbolic tower housing a pantheon of gods and goddesses, connected by corridors of rich multi-coloured and multi-shaped collections of geometrically inspired mosaic tiles.

tis' be, the architecture of faith.

and i turn around, and a superstar greets me!

yes, its the one and only mr. rajnikanth, superstar extraordinaire, and he stands smack in the middle in the loud gusty vibrancy that is little india. as thousands of explosive colours drowned out by thousands of indecipherable noises, he flashes his glistening pearly whites in his all too famous smile to every passerby walking through this part of town.

back at ya, man.

after walking around for a while, my ears simply could not take the high volume "music" anymore, and i proceeded to get back to the venue of the thinklab event to see my comrades for the night. plus, it was getting dark and i simply took the same route back to the venue, cause i didn't want to loose my way.

as i i returned, lots of little surprises sprung up in my path.

soon however, i had come back to the chinese temple that i had seen earlier, but now it seemed busier and more frantic than it was this afternoon. curious, i approached the entrance, and i see an audience mildly amused by what was being performed.

a chinese opera. a humble performance to say the least in its size and grandeur, but captivating and intriguing nonetheless.

and the statues of the temple seem more alive at this hour.

getting closer back to the venue, i pass by the church i had earlier seen in the day, but now, as the night had fallen, the walls were bathed with intervals of showers of intense white light, lending an angelic ambiance to the house of the worship.

the distinctively powerful aura created by the artificial illumination seemed to highlight and exaggerate the "sacred personality" of the building in a bewitching play of light and shadow.

its controlled arrangement and usage of bright spotlights on the exterior cleverly brought out the building's more decorative and prominent classical features, arches and columns being the strongest.

and once i passed by the church, i had reached back to the venue, and a hive of gleeful activity greets me as i made my way.

children playing in the fields under the night sky, tourists shrewdly negotiating for rides with the rickshaw man and everyone's got something to munch and snack on.

a typical saturday night by the beach, methinks.

i walk around the vicinity of the park, and i admire the intermittent pearly sparkles of yellow light that adorn the facades of the colonial buildings that glow softly in the night.

the colonial structural language of the venue of the conference was well brought out and highlighted in the dark, and the alluring lighting served to enhance the beautiful ambiance these buildings emanate.

i simply loved each minute classical detail that i saw, gazing at how lovely its form and design was, where graceful arches and sturdy columns, strong bases and sharp pediments abound all over the walls.

i'm not really a classics enthusiast, but i do appreciate and understand of course that these buildings reflect a different time and era in our history, and they had an architectural grace about them was hard to dismiss as simply being old fashioned, irrelevant and forgettable.

and each shot i took of that grace left me temporarily breathless.

at about 11pm, i headed back into the hall of the venue, with the rest of the thinklab members and we began to gather to plan for the following day. but first, a light-hearted moment or two.

working late into the night, i saw these guys preparing for the following day, diligently. materials for the participants being decked out, the agenda being fine tuned, and the spirit of the conference being rejuvenated for another day. silently, it made me yearn for my college days!

once we were done, we all headed back to our separate lodgings for the night for a well deserved rest. and now, to day two.

visiting the pearl after a decade / the first weekend / part 2

2012-01-02T14:46:00.023+08:00

and so it was 6pm.
i needed to hail a taxi, pronto, and head to the festivities tonight.

after all, there was a reason i came here this weekend and that reason was to partake in an inaugural experience.for the first time in the country, a digital projection and an audio visual mapping event was planned as part of the DA + C festival, and i wanted to be there to witness personally history being made in the local design industry.

( again, do click : http://dacfestival.com/audiovisual.htm )

it would be an exciting design centric adventure, where projections of powerful animated visuals, supplemented by dramatic theatrical bursts of light and symphonic manipulations of sound, would be skillfully orchestrated to create a mosaic of fantasy and abstract images to narrate a memoir of sorts to the audience present that night.

i truly was excited.

after aimlessly being driven around in worrying circles for an hour searching for the right place by the local taxi driver, i finally reached just before 7 pm. and i loved the majesty of the venue once i arrived, and it was called the Suffolk house.

originally built around 200 years ago, it was a residential structure built as an Anglo-Indian garden house for British administrators when the country was colonized, and today is one of the island's most important colonial heritage landmarks. it was left to ruin, in a horrendous state of apathy and neglect for many years before, thankfully, a cultural and economic driven initiative was launched by the state government to revitalize its existence after its fall from grace decades ago.

the restoration work was so well done, the design team behind its resurrection won an award as the Winner of the Award of Distinction in the 2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation, and that's quite an achievement.

so as you can see, they've done a wonderful job.

i walk around for a while admiring this architectural jewel of a design, and appreciating the details i see as i explore the premises.

and i come across a sense of reassurance i'm in the right place.

and as soon as i walk in, i see a slender monochromatic interior, classical and nostalgic in nature. i really instantly felt i was transported to the past to a more refined time as i walked in, but unfortunately i couldn't go up to explore the spaces above. it was prohibited, sadly.

and so i walk out and start looking for my friend, after months of absence since we last met at the design conference earlier on in the year.

"where are you, babe?" i asked. "come behind," she replied.

and as i walked behind the building, i saw a modern pristine structure inserted into the overall scheme of the traditional site, adjacent to the Suffolk house. a white skeletal - framed box with open plan, with relaxed seating lounges in its interior.

and once i walked in, i finally met her and we finally caught up after so long and it was a delightful conversation of personal topics.

topics ranging on how things have been, how events have culminated this past year resulting in this thrilling evening, how momentous tonight's event really was, how personal and family lives played key roles on our work, and a host of other engaging dialogues.

the usual stuff between us designers, you see. suzy and me.

and after drinking coffee and catching up on old times, an unexpectedly prominent guest joined us on her kind insistence. it was the architect himself, laurence loh and suzy's associate, who personally, taking great interest, directed the restoration work at the venue and who came to sit with us, as part of the audience that night. i was fortunate to speak to him directly about challenges pertaining to the design and restoration works of the Suffolk house and i told him earlier on how i had seen him present his work at DATUM in KL prior to today's chance encounter.

expressing appreciation, it was a revealing conversation, to say the least.

and in the midst of the oncoming dark of the night, the house began to take on a more romantic and easeful aura, bathed in subtle and soft nuances of dying twilight.

i walk out of the modern box.

glanced upon a tree, being shot with gushes of artificial light.

and soon, i start admiring the older box.

the magic was beginning to take place.

after he left us, i told suzy i was hoping to get in the building, but unfortunately it was locked and barred. i was hoping she could pull some strings and get me in, and she did just that. i was silently ecstatic and i walked in to take a closer glimpse of the interiors.

she took me upstairs and showed me around, and we came to a corridor where she told me where the projection screen would be. this was where that magic was going to take place.

its colonial design appearance and structural vocabulary was expectedly classical in nature, specifically the towering circular columns, reminiscent of the influence of British design that the architects who built this place were trained in. certain tropical - centric design influences were clearly evident though, the most prominent being high wooden ceilings and wide elevated wooden verandahs to allow and promote cross - ventilation within its interiors. and the suspended lamps were a nice touch.

once i walked out, suzy needed to excuse herself and prepare for the night. she was the emcee for the event, and of course, she needed to go.

"we'll catch up later, and good luck tonight," i said. "thanks," and she left.

i walked around for a bit before things started.

capturing an interesting shot or two. i loved how the deep blue of the sky provided a wonderful contrasting background to the white walls of the house, as it was being illuminated with an orange glow from within.

and eventually, headed to the control center. i saw the model and the mechanisms on how the projections were going to take place and controlled, and the impressive technological wizardry behind tonight's venture.

and after a while, its was completely nightfall, and she took the stage soon after. the night was about to begin.

and she presented herself.

and after she announces the agenda for the night, from a tenebrous corner, a dragon appears.

slithering and soaring through the colonnades, a yellow skinned dragon, slender and flexible, flies in and out to the wide vertical gaps in between the existing columns and arches of the Suffolk house.

like enigmatic ninjas who suddenly strike their enemies down in complete surprise, this oriental serpentine emerged astonishingly out of the dark of the night, and danced nonchalantly in the emptiness of space of the night.

and it danced, it tantalizingly seemed to be mischievously playing with the piqued curiosities of the audience as it glided across the veneer of the classical facade.

it soon became evident, it was chasing something. something bright and orange.

and after the dragon disappeared into the celestial heavens above with its new toy, we were presented with a visual narrative. the intriguing history of the house itself was being brought to life, image after revealing image, animation after lively animation, telling us the story of its existence, from its glorified origins to its unfortunate fallen state of despair, and now to its restored pristine brand new identity.

from the blueprints of its original development ...

to the figures behind its conception ...

to occupation of foreign powers ...

to its state of being reclaimed by nature's embrace ...

a full circle kinda of thing.

and after the narrative was over, slide after slide of abstract concepts and visuals began to dominate the sequence of the programme.

brilliant striking images and vibrant glowing silhouettes of mysterious looking animated symbols and graphics began to transpire on the facade.

and as all this was going on, stories, through the mediums of sound and light, were being told, left
to the inquisitive minds of the audience to interpret and decipher.

it was an intriguing programme assuredly, and i felt so thankful to have been there that night, witnessing history being made right in our own backyard. after the last few images were projected and the music slowly fading into oblivion, it was time to call it a night and head back to the guesthouse.

before i left, i met suzy one last time to joyfully convey my gratitude on how much i enjoyed the presentation every moment it was being carried out, and how impressed i was that she passionately brought all this together, working tirelessly with her dedicated team.

it really warmed my heart to see that they are people out who are trying to make their dreams come true with unbridled energy and enthusiasm, especially in the design industry, and the rest of us get to have a front row seat to witness the amazing results when it all comes to fruition.

this is why i admire people who do things, and suzy, you're definitely one of those people. well done, babe.

keep it up, and see you next year.

visiting the pearl after a decade / the first weekend / part 1

2012-01-02T13:00:00.014+08:00

i admire people who do things.

i admire people who make things happen, who take the step to spearhead initiatives and who are determined to go all the way. i admire them immensely.

and so earlier on in 2011, i met one of these people. her name is suzy.

we met at a design conference organized by a dynamic bunch of youngsters, hell bent on changing the design industry here in the country. after we started conversing, and as one inevitably leads to another, she told me about this design festival that was being planned in the charming island of Penang, also known as the Pearl of the Orient, a title bestowed to the province as part of its legacy from a nostalgic bygone era.

the name of the festival is DA + C .

and from what i gather from its website, it would be a "jump-start program with the vision to spear head Malaysia’s creative economy by positioning Penang as the `Creative Digital Hub’ in South-East-Asia. DA+C festival re-packages Penang’s culture and streamlines it with today’s telecommunication and internet industry whose patrons are the burgeoning youth masses"

( do click : http://dacfestival.com/about.htm )

and after the conference was over, we kept in touch over the next few months and when july finally arrived, i made preparations to visit the island after 10 long years to do my part and support local design programmes and agendas.

and the thing is, i love design festivals and i wouldn't have missed this for anything.

and so on july 15th, saturday morning, i left kay hell by public bus, a notoriously undependable mode of transport, at about 10 am and after 6 or 7 snail - paced, arduously boring hours on the road, i reached the island. and once i registered in the guesthouse that i was staying at about 3pm, the first thing i was so itching to do was walk around .... just walk around.

and under the blazing afternoon island sun, i did.

and i'm surprised by how lovely things are.

the island has definitely gone through an undeniably vibrant period of transformation from what i vaguely remember 10 years ago. the streets seem wider and more pedestrian friendly, some of the selected units amongst the rows and rows of colonial Chinese shop-houses have been given a make over, the general network of infrastructure seemed well maintained and streets and promenades look clean and litter - free.i was almost reminded of singapore's urban landscape when i was sauntering around the premises, but then i thought maybe a more accurate description on what i saw and felt was what singapore must have looked like maybe about 20 or 30 years ago, as it was being developed into the economic powerhouse it is today.

and so i continue gazing at all the alluring archetypical shoplots with its tropical design vernacular i come across and some catch my eye more than others do, like the one above. what really pulled me in here however was its grandiose eastern influenced side entrance, wonderfully detailed and exquisitely ornamented.

its huge green woodern doors, golden fixtures and fittings, its red hanging lanterns, its intricate eaves and and fascia boards and even its signboard above was an absolute architectural delight to savour.

and the attention to detail is just amazing, especially its intricately designed captivating door ring. i could almost sense the ferocious temperance this dragon powerfully radiated, through its striking eyes, its menacing teeth and its imposing presence. splendid.

i walk on and see more shop-lots which have been a makeover, in an effort i guess to both modernize the city and retain the islands rich cultural legacies. it seems to be working.

and of course, the famous komtar tower comes into sight soon enough, after taking a few unexpected twists and turns here on the streets of the city. a simple building, extrapolated from what seems line an octagon derived base, easily towering over everything else in its vicinity.

i walk on. and soon i come across another towering edifice.
and this one was significant, design - wise.

this was the menara UMNO building, designed by Ken Yeang, arguably the most famous malaysian architect we have presently both on the local and international stage. its modernist and industrial high tech looking semi - cladded metal skin, that forms the exterior filter and elevations of the tower, was designed to take advantage of the sunlight and the winds that the structure has to deal with everyday. it was based on the concept of the tropical skyscraper, like its predecessor back in KL, which was the Mesiniaga building in subang.

this building was an extension of that concept, and would serve as a further developed prototype for future buildings that would employ similar design strategies and executions. it was an attempt to redefine the idea of the skyscaper, from both the way it looks and functions, from its origins from the west and its temperate climate, to the east with its more tropical settings.

and so, after straining my neck looking skywards for quite some time, trying to obeserve as much as possible the myriad of design details enveloping so much of the exterior veneer of the buidling, i move on the explore what other delights lurk around the corner.

and a burst of a ravishing cacophony of fluorescent colours strikes my eyes!

and the colours get more deeply intense and visually provocative as i get closer!

a visual mixture of mesmeric colours that surprisingly complement each other in a seemingly bollywood influenced fusion of styles!

and just before it got too late, a shot of the old and the new.

juxtaposing the modern and the traditional always seems like an interesting shot inthe camera's eye, because somehow it provokes thoughts of an unconscious imaginary link from the past to the present in the mind of the observer. here we have a towering citadel of cool metal reaching high to the sky on one side, industrial and streamlined, and just next to it, a humble, down to earth collection of commercial residences, colonial and historic, on the other.

and for a fleeting moment, i was caught between the timeless planes of these two eras. one was antiquated, and the other was contemporary. my mind began to visualize how the island must have been in its past, with the usual sights and sounds one would associate with its colonial history, but soon i fast forwaded to its present day, caught in the current, hectic and progressive.

a quick trip to the past and now i'm back. its time for me to leave.i have plans tonight and i wont be late.

see you soon, suzy.

sojourns to the far east / day seven / return to seoul

2011-12-28T20:23:00.005+08:00

today i go home.

and my heart feels so heavy, i cant even find ways to console it.

what was on the drawing board for so many months, after countless planning schedules and msn chats, numerous emails and continuous notifications, i had finally come to the end of this marvelous series of rendezvouses in the far east.

the places i've been, the friends i've met, the events i took part in and every wonderful occurance that has taken place is now but a precious memory, lodged within my heart and soul, and soon it was time to go home.

and once breakfast was had, i went to the markets nearby in insadong to do some last minute shopping for precious little presents to take home and pass to dear ones, near and far.everything was after all finally over and i try to take in as much as i could before i needed to head to incheon international airport in the afternoon.

a typical streetscape aligned with retail lots on both sides with a wide promenade, it nevertheless had some nice buildings inserted into the immediate vicinity of the local urban tapestry. i looked around, scouting for things i'd like to take home. i didn't stay too long though.

and after taking a few more shots, i was on my way back to the guesthouse. time to leave.

and just before i did, this group of adorable children, clad in a multitude of vibrant colours, was the last shot i took before i finally packed up and left for the airport. its been a beautiful 12 days here in korea, and memories like these i'll cherish for as long as i live.

see you in 2011, seoul. aur revoir and thanks so much for everything!
everything!

sojourns to the far east / day six / return to seoul

2011-12-28T19:44:00.006+08:00

after yesterdays' fantastic outing, today i'm gonna take things a bit easy.

this was my second last day in this wonderful city that i've really grown to love, and i was going to take the day to do nothing, absolutely nothing.

i had only one thing on my agenda tonight and that was to meet YW for dinner, but that would only be in the evening after 6pm and so till then i would be free. so i decided i would leisurely pack mu stuff up and get all my luggage ready for tomorrow's flight back home. the simple things needed to be done today, and a cup of warm coffee was my faithful companion. and once it was all done and the evening had arrived, i was on my way to meet her.

hello leng lui! time to shik fan and yum cha!

and so we went for dinner somewhere nearby the hongik university area, and spoke about how much fun its been since i got here. of course i told her how much i appreciated her company and the effort she took to meet up despite her hectic work schedule, and even though MJ Kim was supposed to join us tonight but she couldn't, i was really glad that YW came and had one last kimchi dish with me before i headed home tomorrow.

it seemed like the perfect ending.

once dinner was done, we walked about for a while in this area, and pretty soon i was told that this university area is kinda like a nexus of pop culture and fun activity among the youth of the city. it was one of those happening places with bars and pubs, clubs and cafes situated near where students live and study, and so this area couldn't help but become the hotspot that it was today, and of course supplemented with rows and rows and rows of retail development. after a while i started feeling that this place was familiar somewhat and then it hit me, that i had been here before about a day or two before i left for shanghai, where i met those young american teachers and had a blast that night. so i had good fun then, and was having good fun now.

all part of the game.

commercialism and its insidious tentacles has clearly taken root and spread out here, in order to take advantage of the young's' reckless purchasing impulses, evident by numerous promotional activities like this one above, all trying to incite us to buy while thinking we're having a good time. i'm not being cynical or even critical, but i'm simply stating down observations i see as i go along.

but i cant deny that people were having fun, and sometimes that's all what people want. including yours truly.

once we had finished walking about, even making a joke on how we should buy shampoo so i can wash my beard at the same time i wash my hair (!) , i decided to ask her to go for nice cup of coffee, sheepish smiling as i was inviting her. as soon as she agreed, we happen to coincidentally pass by a coffee establishment that got YW kinda excited when she glanced initially.

it seems that this cosy place was used as a backdrop for some popular korean teenage soap opera and she brought me in to enjoy the ambiance of the night while she told me what the story was all about. i listened, of course.

it wasn't a bad place, but as usual, the companionship is all that really matters. coffee was simply a secondary concern, and after a while of indulging in one of life's simpler pleasures, and in this case tiramisu and caffeine, we were getting ready to leave.

as soon as we step out a of this famous cafe, little bit of spontaneous humour emerged in our view, completely out of nowhere. as we looked up, i just became speechless at what i saw and both of us, started chuckling in dumfounded delight.

i don't quite know what that means, but hey, it certainly did tickle our funnybones!

and after a few hours of dialogue, dinner and dessert, we finally said goodbye to each other. it was an absolute joy to meet her one last time and i told lets catch up once she gets home for CNY in 2011.

till then ... choi kin, leng lui!

sojourns to the far east / day five / return to seoul

2011-12-28T15:20:00.034+08:00

spiders on my mind. big scary ones.

thats on the agenda today. haunted by images i saw months ago on the net, i decided today, i'd see some spiders. a long journey ensued, but i was unperturbed by the duration. my mind were on spiders.

big scary ones.

before i left for korea, i came across a collection of interesting museum buildings online designed separately by three different prominent architects, grouped together into a single coherent complex. my malaysian counterpart in seoul, YW, had also sent me the link to these buildings and i had planned to see them today. finding them was a bit of a challenge, but after quite a distance, i found them.

perched on the terrain of a hill, i found them.

and the first thing that greeted were those spiders.

menacing, gigantic, black arachnids. humongous, bizarre and creepy.

i had arrived.

this was the relatively famous LEEUM Samsung Museum of Art, and it was designed by OMA, an international practice led by seven ( thats right, SEVEN! ) big name, famous partners – Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon, Reinier de Graaf, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, David Gianotten and Managing Partner, Victor van der Chijs in creative collaboration with Mario Botta and Jean Nouvel, 2 other very prominent architects with 2 very distinctive styles. Botta was known for his usage of the cladding of his buildings with red bricks in many creative techniques and methods, and Nouvel was a french modernist, through and through, who employes glass and steel in his projects.

OMA themselves indulge in a variety of projects and design styles and strategies, and when i first read on how all of them were invited to design this massive collection of art galleries in one giant interconnected complex, i just had to see the final architectural and interior concoction of concepts that physically manifested as a result from the cocktail of ideas and styles contributed by this prominent design collaboration.

as i head for the entrance, this elegant glass and steel staircase captures my attention for a bit, right above a passageway that was heading down. that passageway lead to the reception area which was the main entrance of the complex.

and here i was, and so i walk in.

it was an entrance leading to a subterranean reception, which i particular liked, like waking in a mysterious underground tavern, which i suspect was the heart of the complex.

once i arrived i could decide on how i was going to explore the variety of spaces and passages that are interlinked within the interiors.after all, there must be an organized and efficient way on how visitors who visit this art museum can circumnavigate themselves around its labyrinth - like collection of halls and corridors, rooms and passageways.

the reception area was the central nexus of all three interconnected buildings, and the first one i chose to visit was the one designed by OMA, specifically headed by Rem KoolHass, which was called the Samsung Child Education and Culture Center.

and so after deciding my destination, and as i first turned left, there was a gift. in shimmering blue steel, topped off with a shimmering maroon knot.

once i decided where to go, a peculiar offering stood next to my path, and as i stopped momentarily to appreciate its elegant personality, i looked around and saw what seemed to resemble the stair connected pathway to an elevated entrance to a massive spaceship-like hull in refined bare concrete finish, a favourite skin among architects who favour modernist tendencies.

and as i approached the entrance, inside as i walked in i saw a variety of art exhibits in the dark, contemporary in nature, scattered all over and this dimly lit hall, which then led to a open exhibition space beneath.

again modern pieces of work, abstract and incomprehensible at times, were placed all over the open hall. i try my best to appreciate what i see, but there are times when modern art simply goes over my head. besides, i was more interested in the building anyway.

so i continue walking.

now the rest of the interiors of the complex was quite a collection of refined spaces too, but unfortunately photography was not allowed. not much of a surprise actually that no photos were allowed, and so i took the time to really observe my surroundings.

as i walk around the complex after exiting the interiors, i observe on how conspicuously powerful each architects design philosophy is clearly manifested in the individual buildings they were appointed to design. Botta's influence on this part of the complex, called Museum 1, couldn't have been more evident judging by the intricate and detailed richness of the texture of these walls above, like the walls that form the huge tapered vase above, which itself was inspired by korean porcelain and pottery.

what particularly captures my attention is the way sunlight bathes the wall in a sophistciated yet subtle play of light and shadow, that results from the way the terra cotta tiles have been arranged, creating a dramatic elevation that really showcases a sense of richness to the sight and touch, and to further add to the richness that was already prevalent, alternating strips of light and dark tiles wrap themselves around some of the fort - like walls of the gallery.

next to Botta's project, was a starkly different building, in complete contrast to its bright neighbour. this was designed by Nouvell, and it clearly was a modernist structure with imposing forms and flat roofs. Museum 2, as it was called was generally a block like structure with rusted metal as its primary skin. the block itself was divided into several components so that each artist may have its own private space for public exhibition.

i entered the complex to see what was displayed inside, and spent an hour or so, observing all that i saw. but again, what really interested me was the building itself, and i'm glad, that despite the initial difficulties i faced while getting there, it was well worth the trip.

the whole complex truly was an exquisite design in its entirety, and i although i had my doubts on how it would be possible for such a variety of superstar designers with dramatically different styles and strategies to come together to design a single unified project without the final result looking like an utter mess of ludicrously driven form, scale and proportion, i have to admit, the individual design components here sit comfortably well with each other, and lovingly enhances the overall collective composition of all the buildings.

once i was done here, i decided i still had time to visit a nearby park, which i was told had some interesting public sculptures, so i decided that would be next destination. and after about 2 hours of finding the place, i breathed a sigh of relief once i reached the locale, which was marked by a series of horses riding wild in the wind.

and i have to admit, seeing all this green was a bit of a comfort too.

and i walked on, taking in the green around me, i see the the silhouette of an invisible man. i had to approach this curious sight and see how can visualize the invisible that was before me. and as i got closer, i was pleasantly surprised by the magnitude of what i saw, or rather tried to see with strained eyes.

a semi - transparent silent behemoth, molded and cloaked in a thread - like light and fragile steel mesh of a "skin", that seemed to be rising from the ground after deep hibernation, but frozen inexplicably in motion as he attempted to rise.

his presence was undoubtedly imposing, but his aura was calm, and soundless even. a strange mix of feelings and emotional projections, coming from a singular mysterious object this enormous in dimension and volume.

this shadowy giant was a good enough reason to visit this park, i thought to myself, and after i sat in his company for a moment or two, and eventually walked away, i saw many other natural and artificial treasures abound in this verdant landscape.

pristine ponds and lakes that soothe the sight and the soul.

and i continued, i was astounded by some of the things i saw.

artworks and sculptures that baffle the imagination and the intellect.

and waters that dance in tandem, shooting up next to spherical rocks.

after lazing on the grass for a while, just to enjoy the quiet of the surroundings, i got up and kept on walking to see what other surprises were lurking around the corner. and just around one of those corners was a public art gallery that was housing some every interesting pieces of work.

very interesting indeed.

these were clearly creative pieces of art made from recycled materials and items that seemed thoughtfully designed and wonderfully executed. my particular favourite among the lot was this gaggle of numerous steel flamingos in a variety of poses and dispositions.

i then see vultures and condors, snakes and rats too. nice.

and just before i leave, a couple of hedgehogs. next to a vase of flowers.

and all these pieces were really nicely done. as i walk out of the halls, i look at the skies above me and i see another beautiful day is beginning to come to an end. i was in a part of the city that i wasn't too familiar with, so i thought to myself, i best be heading back to the guesthouse.

so after this shot, its back to the subway station, and of course, the guesthouse.
time to go home.

but there was one last surprise for the night before i got home. on my way back, i had stopped at a station with a name that was synonymous with a very exciting project that was happening at the seoul at the moment. this project was making waves all over the design universe and i as i stared at the name, i knew i needed to drop by.

this was dongdaemun design park and plaza, and it was designed and being built by the world famous temperamental diva of architecture, the one and only, zaha hadid.

the site was previously a baseball stadium, and a historic one at that, but was demolished ( which did not go down too well with the city's populace it seems ) to make way for an art and performance centre.it was an international competition to redevelop this part of the city into something of an arts hub, for both national and international performances, and it seems zaha hadid and her associates had won the right to design the new complex.

well, it is zaha after all, and thats' reason enough to go, i assured myself.

so with the little extra time that i had before it got really dark, i decided i stop by this project and have a look at the progress so far the site has made, just to get a taste of things to come.

and the buildings scream "zaha" the minute i see them.

sensual curves all over the place.

fluid connections from floor to wall.

and an attempt to organically insert nature into the overall master-plan.

i enter the parts of the buildings open to the complex and notice more artwork. gifts and a host of other trinkets and souverniers were being displayed in retail space.

and as soon as i exit, the night has fallen, and the buildings starts taking on a more romantic, sensual aura. the curves add a touch of something enigmatic in the night atmosphere.

streams of unbroken light illuminate my path.

and i walk on just a little longer. the light works wonderfully in bringing out the fluid nature of the complex.

and the light works well everywhere. sensually so.

both on the new and modern.

and as well the old and ancient.

one quick drink in the cafe was something i decided to have on the spot and and once it got too dark, i decided it was finally time to go home.

this was my last shot of the night, which was a traditional gateway complex just next to the park, and after this, i would be finally be heading back. at this stage i was simply too exhausted to continue anyway, and once i got back, dinner was the priority.

but as i walked back and played the events of the day in my mind, i began to appreciate on how fantastic this day truly was. from monstrous spiders to naked sculptures, from invisible giants to mechanical animals, from verdant landscapes to sensual complexes, i gotta admit ... its been one hell of a day!

one hell of a day indeed! whoa!

sojourns to the far east / day four / return to seoul

2011-12-26T18:02:00.022+08:00

another lunch date is on the books today.

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.

sojourns to the far east / day three / return to seoul

2011-12-26T15:04:00.015+08:00

i woke up this morning with a sense of delightful anticipation.
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!

sojourns to the far east / day two / return to seoul

2011-10-04T19:31:00.035+08:00

i spend the day in solitude.

walking on the stone cobbled pathways of seoul, i appreciate the birds in the sky, the trees on the pavements, the wind in the air, the traffic in the streets, and most importantly, my very own company.

and i start the day on floors of prayer.

i decided today that i would take time to appreciate the surroundings adjacent to my guesthouse. one of the things i enjoy doing when i travel is to take time walking as much as i can on my own, till my feet get sore, and appreciate every little thing i stumble across.

to me, its one of the simpler pleasures of life.

and so the first place i happen to serendipitously come across, happens to be a Buddhist temple. the temple itself was modestly impressive to the eye, as expected from the design of houses of worship dedicated to this religion.

unadorned, uncomplicated, unassuming.
and a celestial guardian at the door. so beautifully zen.

and as i venture into its dark and silent halls, just outside i come across a magnificent trinity of standing deities in gold, frozen in tranquility. immediately i felt humbled by their colossal presence and inexplicably i felt the need to kneel in respect, and assumed a "senza" position, sitting like a monk, in complete awe of what lay before me,and effortlessly, i drifted into a state of meditation. my mind was quiet and i was at a peace.

after spending an hour or so in unbroken quietude, i decided to move on. i left the temple feeling that my spiritual account had somehow received a substantial deposit, and walked to this huge palace complex.

the first thing on the agenda was the Gyeongbok Palace.

the last i was here, was just about a week before, when i came to seoul earlier and left for shanghai after, so at that time, i had seen it only from the outside, under the cover of night, unable to enter its premises. so now in broad daylight, no hindrances was in my way, and i walked through the gateway and saw a grand edifice in front of me. this was the Keunjeong-jeon, the royal throne hall that greeted me. dotted by statues of animals at its elevated entrance, i felt i had walked into the past, admiring the details within and the spaciousness of its interior layout, decorated and glorified.

i had continued walking on its vast premises, admiring the many large graceful pavilions and halls that i saw, particularly this one resting on a still lotus lake, called the Kyeonghoe-ru.

its slender supporting stone columns, its timber skeletal structure and walls and its tenuous but prominently curvaceous roof line created a light and elegant eastern composition and i loved looking at it.

and the lake and the strips of swaying trees that border the pond looked like a chinese painting that came to life, forming the perfect additon to this floating hall.

i suppose i'm bias, but i gotta admit, i do love the east, especially its artistic and cultural collection of design legacies. i find these elegant pieces of architecture wonderfully refined, always sitting so well in its natural landscapes, mirroring the sense of horizontallity of the earth beneath them, connecting seamlessly to everything in its vicinity, adjacent and beyond.

i walk on and i cant help but feel the same way everywhere i go.

and everywhere i look.

and beyond the man-made, i see nature's imposing presence. undulating carpets of green, adorning the surface of the earth.

nature continued to be in my presence of course, and the seamless relationship of buildings in the past in connecting itself with the natural world is something that we as a modern society to have lost and trying to reclaim.

wouldn't it be wonderful to reclaim that traditional notion into our modern urban settings and feel nature's rejuvenating warmth at our fingertips in the cities we inhabit?

i certainly think so.

walking on, i come across another royal gem, behind enclosed fortification walls, and as soon as i enter, the first thing i notice is the light colour of timber enveloping this hall. i loved the colour of the timber adorning its walls and its light - shaded veneer was undeniably appealing to my eyes.

i walked in.

and i observe before me, world of intricate details shone in the sunlight, unraveling its complex collection of rich lines and delicate curves. and the timber is still gorgeous.

and i see another charming double storey pavilion in a scenic setting, the Hyangwon-jeong, a resting house of sorts, by the edge of the lake.

i continued exploring for a while and proceed to a towering edifice just next to the palace grounds and as soon as i pass its boundaries, a curious sight welcomed me.

a concentric arrangement of a collection of a dozen anthropomorphic representations of animals looking dignified, strong and intellectual, appearing deep in thought and casting a watchful and protective gaze across the landscape.

of course, i could easily identify this to be the statues of the 12 animals shown in the chinese zodiac, handpicked by the Buddha himself in a fanciful tale rooted in mythology, delightfully materialized here in light stone.

and i enjoy a moment on the ground. stone floors extending to the infinite behind me.

getting up, i walk ... and the towering edifice next to the grounds of the palace that i had earlier mentioned? well, that's the central tower of the korean national folk museum, housing national cultural treasures from every corner in the country. i wasn't allowed to climb the steps up, but the halls downstairs were accessible, of course. i did enter, but no shots allowed, unfortunately.

lovely. incomparably so.

as i left the museum, another elegant pavilion caught my eye, but what really was interesting was what was behind the structure. i take a peek.

an enigmatic man, frozen in stone and in time itself for eternity, with a slight glint in his eye and the impression of a mischievous smile soon to emerge. every curve and line conveying a sense of inner happiness, tempered with a raw texture, characteristic of the effect of the passing of generations long gone into oblivion.

gazing this image, i cant help but a feel a message is being delivered, but too faint is its voice, and i fail to decipher what i sense.

and his face wasn't the only one. a collection of silent watchers accompanied his presence, each with an anthology, but i sense nothing but secrets.

and his cousins were around the corner too. elongated figures made of old, weathered timber, each telling me something, but these messages were even more mysterious and abstract.

walking along, i see how wonderfully the tower sits on its base, within its verdant surroundings. it was the focus of everyone attention, as they walk towards or away from its imposing presence.

and next to me, hearing playful utterances, i look behind and realize that these children will never forget where they come from. history was being brought to life for these youngsters.

the soft green carpets on the palace complex tempt me to lie down and gaze at the sky above me. beneath a tree, shaded on a cool day, i laid down, resting my very soul in the quiet surrounding me.

i succumbed to the temptation.

but it was time to move on and another magnificent hall quickly called out to me to take a shot.
i cant be blamed, of course, and i realize soon that this was the first hall i saw when i arrived, which was the royal throne hall. it seemed a befitting way to end where i began, and soon after taking a moment to appreciate its majesty.

and before i left to explore the areas outside the palace, i take a moment to rest.
a lot more to explore is just around the corner, literally, but first, a momentary respite.

and it couldn't have been a better spot. i breathe.

then i plunge myself into a deep tunnel.

now, one of the nice things about hubs of intersecting axises of public transportation is that terminals, more often than not, become more than just what they have been designed for.

they become more than simply functionally driven stations of processing pedestrians to get them from one venue to another. they start taking on more creative roles as well, especially for the display of the arts, such as painting, sculptures, media and so forth.

like a cultural magnet, they pull in artists from all walks of life and invite them to display their blood, sweat and tears.

seoul's mass rapid transit system seems to be no exception, and as soon as i entered the underground station to actually cross to the other road, i was greeted by an eye-catching collection of graphics prepared by students, and i was thrilled to see they were architectural in nature. this is one of the things i absolutely adore about this city.

things are always happening.

i walk on enjoying what i see, unbridled design creativity from the country's youth, before emerging the opposite end at the base of the opera house.

and a contemplative man in solid bronze tacitly invites me for a deep discussion.

instinctively, i sat and attentively listen, cause it seemed he had much to share.

and a gazing, wicker giant sat above us.
elongated, colossal and eerie, in a tim-burton-the-nightmare-before-christmas kinda way.

and walking around, another slender metal behemoth, wielding a hammer, catches my eye. interesting urban sculptures, to say the least.

i walk around the vicinity of the complex and immediately i feel a sense of playfulness in the air. yes, everyone's busy and running up and down all over the place, but in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the urban stage and in particular, this prominent square, children find joy.

and i cant help but to partake in their delight.

right in the great admirals' towering presence, the drenched floors make for a wonderful playground, for both the young and old to enjoy.

as i walk around and spend a little bit of time, completely taking in a sense of relaxed nonchalance, i am once again pulled by the sound of gushing waters just around the corner. sounds that would be more comfortable to the ear in the middle of humid rainforest than in between two traffic heavy lanes in the heart of seoul.

and yet, here it was.
a aquatic slice of nature, falling down from street level to a subterranean urban crevice.

this was of course Cheonggyecheon Stream, which i had earlier visited at night about a week before, in dark romantic overtones, but now as i step down, i begin to appreciate its impact in broad daylight. of course the poet in me preferred witnessing this meandering channel of water at night, but it is during the day, i can truly appreciate its overall presence, its contemporary form, its fluidic structure and even its semi - coarse texture.

its almost surreal presence truly soothes the mind, body and soul. i can just imagine when people are stressed or in need of a breather, then all they had to do was walk down and saunter on its stone clad riverbanks, sitting for a moment or two with their feet in the water, listening to the flow of the stream, as they enjoy their coffee and kimchi laced dishes.

tranquil is the calming effect this place exudes, almost zen - like in nature, that i cant help but feel completely at peace with myself and my surroundings.

such an effect is almost impossible to mimic so well in a chaotic city's landscape through purposeful design, and yet here it somehow and successfully works, and i praise those people in power who made this happen, despite whatever doubts and oppositions they may have faced, which i have been told was initially ferocious and vehement.

and so i walk on, continuing to feel as care free as possible, appreciating all that passes my way.

verdant flora on each side.

an delicate timber and steel pedestrian bridge.

a pathway of stone slabs from one bank to another.

a collection of old tiles with historical warriors on horseback.

a treasure trove of public artworks for the world to see.
it was getting late. the sun was about to set on another beautiful day, and i felt it was time to get back. i look forward to the coming night simply because i had nothing planned.

and sometimes that's the best thing to look forward to.

sojourns to the far east / day one / return to seoul

2011-09-28T14:41:00.019+08:00

sweetness in the air. crisp and clear.

after coming back from shanghai the day before, i felt a sense of familiarity as the cold air of the city filled my lungs with invigorating doses of freshness and vitality. there is something beautifully refined about korea and her capital that i cant quite put my finger on, and the minute i arrived, i was soaking it all in.

this picture of a highly intricate and complex play of light and shadow formed from the streaming of sunlight through the mish-mash of a shell of perfect geometry above was the arrival and departure hall in which i would return to the heart of the city, and ultimately, back to my guesthouse. i was so taken aback by how arresting this dramatic manifestation of light within this space was in front of me, that i just had to take a moment to gaze at the awesomeness of it all, and take a shot for posterity.

the space almost felt sacred, like stepping into a futuristic cathedral, in the distant future.

and as i went down, waiting for my ride, i saw an advertisement of what seemed like a local boy-band, made me smirk a bit, and i thought i take the shot to remind that quirkiness is a quality found everywhere.

the trip back to seoul from shanghai was an uneventful affair, as expected, but at the immigration counter, the officer began to look at my passport with a magnifying glass. that's right, a magnifying glass and it was the kind sherlock holmes uses, when he and watson traverse the notorious, crime-ridden alleys of victorian london a couple of centuries ago. he found it difficult to identify me with my passport picture simply because i was clean shaven back then, but blessed with an imposing beard now. eventually, after asking me to speak in bahasa malaysia to verify my citizenship, i did get through.

did i really look all that different? apparently so.

anyway, after coming back to the hostel, resting in the deep cold for the night, i was back at jamsil stadium. i had shared my room last night with this norwegian guy ( who kinda reminded me of ryan reynolds .. you know the american actor who played green lantern in june 2010? ) who was friendly and fit, and whom i invited to tag along. gladly of course he did and we were off to the stadium. i had told him about the design fair and i said he could join me if he wanted to.

today however was special. another one of the lovely bunch of girls i met last year would be meeting me at grounds of the stadium. her name was jieun, and my heart beats with anticipation, and the weather, being sunny and cool was just perfect for the rendezvous.

we had arrived at the stadium earlier than the set appointment time cause i wanted to walk around and catch some of the other areas i missed when i was last here about a week before.

i had ran out of time previously and so this was my chance to make up for it. this time, my focus was the main tented areas on the field of the stadium and the other guy joined me. walking in the direction of those tents in the middle of the field, i had remember seeing these timber geodesic domes placed on seating areas within the stadium. they looked clearer and more prominent now, under the clarity that direct sunlight provided and i felt that somehow they resembled giant mechanical spider-like organisms walking down slowly and steadily.

my mind playing tricks on me, i guess ... either that or too much exposure to transformers.

as i entered the tents, i felt that the focus in these places seemed to be centered around collections of elegant home furnishings like this simple but gleaming teapot set above and the perfectly balanced stone and timber chair and table next to it. it was clear the concept was to make these plain everyday objects as refined as possible, almost looking like objects of art, and the results pretty much speak for themselves, and they carried a distinctly eastern flavour in their presentation.

absolutely lovely.

this richly detailed architectural model is a perfect replica of a gateway that would be found at the entrance of palaces. everything about it was proportional and scaled accordingly and a testament to the ingenuity of skillful wooden engineering, whether it was the model or the real thing.

it was almost surreal to see how well detailed this model was and i can only imagine how many pain staking hours it must have taken to have built this so precisely.

its brackets, its panels, its eaves, its columns, its posts, its tiles.
this kind of detailing is frightening, to say the least.

as i walked around i came across one eye-catching exhibit after another and this was an interesting interpretation of the concept of temporary shelters i thought, almost prehistoric in nature and raw to the touch. each individual member looked a colossal bone from a whale's corpse, forming a colonnade of arches for us to sit beneath.

and pieces of art were on display, birthed from actual rubbish, in a form that could only be described as cute, kawaii-style.

this tunnel of light, where animated graphics were playing in the dark on the floor, caught my attention next and i was pulled in, like moth to a flame. i walked in of course, entertained by the swimming of virtual gold koi fish, and taking a moment or two to appreciate the visual impact of these projections.

exiting, i then proceeded to the area where the latest in gadgets and gizmos were on display and one of the booths that i had visited had this striking mirror ceiling above it. it was time for a little play and i decided i wanted to take a shot in an unconventional manner.

can you spot me in the reflection above?

moving on, one of the most ludicrous things i saw however was this tv commercial playing on air of a bunch of rapping hamsters in hip-hop inspired outfits doing the break dance and riding an SUV tearing up the streets of the town.

these hamsters were of course 3D virtual characters but they seemed some believably real, that you could be forgiven for thinking they were, and the things they were doing instantly dropped my jaw in astonishment, and i just coulnt stop myself from laughing out loud.

they truly were hilarious!

and soon after watching dancing gangsta hamsters with attitude, the much - awaited call came.

jieun was here, waiting outside and i was going to greet her at the main entrance of the stadium. immediately when she saw me she reached out her hand and shook mine. expressing surprise at my appearance she nonetheless welcomed me with open arms and the next thing on the agenda was a cup of coffee, starbucks style.

it was so good to see her again. so good.

of course the inevitable happened and we started catching up on old times and bringing ourselves up to date on how things have been since we last met a year ago. she had been working in samsung now this past year or so, and i could see how demanding it was to be a part of that team. she had told me the projects she had been working on for the company and said that her project was actually on display here. i said great and we'll definitely have a look at it. i had told her that her english had improved considerably, and she was flattered, but i think she was a bit unconvinced.

now just outside where we were having coffee, the fields were abuzz with festive activity. it seemed only natural that we would go out to explore and breathe in the fresh air as we walked around. it may seem hot and sunny, but the air was chilly and it was delightfully breezy.

two guys, a girl and a sports place.

just around the corner, something peculiar was about to take flight.

jieun told me that this was actually a haechi, which was a mythical lion that was the country's national symbol, and his image is popular everywhere, especially with children. i had told her that it looks like a character from the simpsons, and she couldn't stop laughing. so i guess homer, marge, bart, lisa and maggie and the rest of springfield are loved here too!

and soon he takes flight!

way, way up in the vastness of the blue yonder. wild and free.

time for another shot. again, two guys, a girl and a sports place.

we walked along for a while, observing all the merriment around us. children playing in the fields carelessly, guarded by their parents watchful gaze, surrounded by playthings stationed all around the field.

once we were done on the fields outside, we walked in the halls of the exhibitions inside the stadium and we kept on talking about our lives as we observed all around us. several interesting exhibits on design and technology were on display here and each piece of design truly was a work of art, functionally and aesthetically. even everyday objects as ubiquitous as the humble bicycle were given a complete makeover and redefined into something new and exciting.

after spending a couple of hours, she told me she had to leave soon, cause she had personal things she needed to attend to later at night with her family. and once we were at the end of this hall at about 6pm, it pretty much signaled the end of the day at the fair, and it was time to leave.

for all three of us.

i told her id be in korea for the next 6 days or so and if possible, we should try to meet again soon. smiling, she said she will try.

lets hope so. goodbye jieun, see you soon.

now, earlier on in the day, i had also made plans to see my malaysian counterpart in seoul and we had planned to meet for dinner once the evening was done. she, yw, would be calling another friend as well, mj-kim ( whose company i absolutely adore ) to join us tonight. well, of course i was looking forward to our encounter, wholeheartedly knowing it would be in a completely relaxed, laid-back manner, care - free all the way.

and so we arrived here. the thing is, i cant quite remember where "here" was. oh well, that didnt really matter i guess.

the night was wonderful, irregardless.

as i spent time chatting withe these two lovely ladies and relieving memories while having coffee and ice-cream, i was entertained by various sweet anecdotes of how both of them were living it up here in seoul and it was a joy to listen to every word.

humorous bits and pieces of their social lives peppered the conversations we were having, and i juts couldn't help but smile every time i heard something warm and heart-tugging.

i wish the night would have lasted much longer, but unfortunatley, they both had responsibilities in the morning and needed to head back home soon. MJ-kim, especially, lived quite a distance away and needed to get back before it got too late, and of course, i understood. the night soon came to end, and we said our heartfelt goodbyes.

of course i had hoped we would be able to catch up one last time before i leave seoul in a few days, but i realised even if we didn't, this was one pleasant evening i would remember for a long, long time.

goodnight sweethearts! see you soon!

sojourns to the far east / day five / shanghai

2011-09-28T11:30:00.011+08:00

what would it feel like to travel on the fastest train on the planet?

when i got up on saturday morning, that was the question that flashed in my mind. this was my last day in this fabulous city and once i was ready to leave, i was soon going to get an answer. it was a pretty straightforward departure, without any hint of fanfare, and as soon as i was ready, i made my way to the subway station.

au revoir, shanghai.
you've been incomparable. truly incomparable.

and after feeling a sense that i truly had accomplished almost everything i wanted to in this metropolis, i started walking from the hotel to the station in a relatively brief period of time. and now, here i am, at the entrance of one of the major nexus points of the city's sophisticated public transportation network, waiting to head up and board my ride back to seoul.

thoroughly modern in appearance, it had a sleek and louvered, aerodynamic skeleton attached to its main structure and immediately the language of its design conveys the notion of lightlessness and velocity. looking like the side of a bullet train in motion, stripped of its exterior skin leaving behind only its serpentine - like bone structure, i could really feel that the station highlights the concept of direction and rapidity.

speed, baby. its all about speed!

and as i walk up, and waited at the main platform, its interior spaces clearly defined its primary direction and a feeling of unrestricted continuity from where we were to where we gonna go.

and like clockwork, the train arrives. we board. we sit. we depart.

but the question now remains, just how fast are we really gonna go here? whats the target we're gonna achieve? how quickly are we gonna move from the heart of the city to the heart of the airport?

8 minutes. 300 km/h.

yup, that's what i was told. 8 freaking minutes from downtown shanghai to the airport. it took me about 1 hour or so to get from the airport to my hotel and here, the return trip takes me less than 10 minutes.

now that's fast.
and yet another example of china's mad dash to modernity. literally.

ultimately you see, this was no ordinary train that transverses as swiftly as it could. this was the famed, ultra sophisticated MAG-LEV train. traveling at almost the speed of sound itself, this futuristic piece of public transport effortlessly levitates a few inches off its meandering iron tracks across the landscape of the country, and it was powered by the seemingly sci-fi notion of harnessing magnetism as its energy source.

and it was a dream to ride this ballistic slice of technology.

we were going so unbelievably quickly, that i couldn't even take proper shots of the landscape outside, without trees looking blurry, vehicles looking unfocussed and people looking fuzzy on my touchscreen panel.

it was a dream, set far in the future, to be on this train, and that's how it felt. a dream.

and that's the proof. for the world to see.

and as i departed, i felt the need to take a shot of the train from the station itself. although the train appears as if it was moving, it was actually still and stationary at the time, but even resting for a moment, the train still looks like it was in high motion exemplified by its steel skin, resembling liquid metal in action.

everything about this machine was sleek.
its speed, its technology, its design. this truly was movement personified, in every sense of the word.

and soon after, i checked in and simply waited to board the plane back to seoul.

i walked around for a bit looking at both at the inside and the outside, but taking notice of the ceiling of the airport more than anything else. annoyingly prominent white tubes, acting as miniature solar pipes, seemed to be jutting out of the high blue ceiling at the intersection of every square feet and visually, it felt a bit too much.

and it was everywhere. and i do mean everywhere.

and the last thing i remember was the hearing of a murmured announcement that the plane was ready and all us passengers were summoned to board. this was the last shot at the departure hall, and soon i'd leave shanghai. just before i left i thought to myself that this trip just couldn't have been more amazing, and i relish the next time i get to visit this high powered megalopolis.

till we meet again. and we will.

sojourns to the far east / night four / shanghai

2011-09-16T15:44:00.024+08:00

well, im all dressed to the nines.
the night belongs to me, and i relish the moment.

tonight was my final night here in shanghai, and its cause for a celebration. a befitting end to an amazing journey here in the financial heart of red china, with a group of people i enjoyed great camaraderie with. the american expedition of delegates, as i like to call them.

and tonight we celebrate each others company for the last time before we make our separate ways back home, over a invitingly sumptuous chinese dinner in an opulent and distinctively oriental ambiance. we had planned months before to have dinner at one of the more famous eating establishments in the city, and everything was confirmed, all i needed to do was show up.

looking as debonair as possible. and i did, by the way.
( im allowed to indulge in a little self gloating every once in a while on my own blog, i figure )

and as i took a taxi to my destination, i pass by a heart warming reminder why i was here to begin with. a lot of memories to cherish, visually ignited by a flashing glance.

and this was the spot.

an grandiose oriental palace of curving dark grey roofs, of solid deep red walls, of intricate black and white embellishments, and luminous linings of gold, streaking across the entire pompous complex.

this was the eminent yu yuan restaurant in the older part of shanghai surrounded by rows of old shoplots. a mixture of both the colonial and the local, and as soon as i entered, i felt i had walked back into the past of a more decadent and lavish but bygone era.

i figured this was how the shanghai of the roaring twenties and thirties must have appeared to be, with rows of glaring street lights lit up as far as the eye can see, where people seemed to be rushing at every turn, where trade and commerce never stops even for a breather and where the traffic was insane and incessant with maddening sounds from every corner.

no exaggeration there, i assure you.

i walked in, and i realise, i was late, but fashionably so. the crowd didn't mind though, and i had arrived right at the moment dinner was being served. the dishes were brough in one by one, customarily so, and each morsel was tastier than the last. we had polite dinner conversations of warm glasses of chinese tea, served traditionally as well, as expected, and we each took turns to regale the audience on how we felt about the whole excursion.

of course, telling your side of the story and how enjoyable it was, was a matter of being gracious, and i had begun my story by saying of course it had been a fantastic experience from the time we met at the hotel lobby, till throughout the 2 days at the expo and of course, culminating till this moment. i had ended by asking everyone on whether they had seen the movie "the joy luck club" and immediately the response was, "we're not that old!". everyone giggled ( though i'm not sure why ) but i stressed after that comment, that this gathering felt like a scene from that movie, and i think they kinda understood where i was coming from.

and just so you know, this was what the movie was about, and it was excellent, poignant viewing. highly recommended.

(The Joy Luck Club, published by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1989, presents the stories of four Chinese-immigrant women and their American-born daughters. Each of the four Chinese women has her own view of the world based on her experiences in China and wants to share that vision with her daughter. The daughters try to understand and appreciate their mothers' pasts, adapt to the American way of life, and win their mothers' acceptance)

after dinner was over, we decided the night wouldn't have been complete without a group shot of everyone and so we took turns to take a few photographs before proceeding to the second part of the evening.at this point i thought that the dinner was over, and it was time to leave soon, but a surprise was just around the corner. literally.

it seems there was a cabaret style performance tonight to be mesmerized by, and we all needed to go upstairs to attend the show as part of the agenda of the night. so lets see ... i get to see a bunch of shanghai lovelies, decked in feathers and sequined sprinkled traditional outfits in a burlesque style song and dance routine, looking seductively resplendent on stage?

sure!

and as i proceed to the hall, i pass by a verandah on my way up and admire the stupefying views of the night that catch my eye instantly. how spectacular the skyline of modern shanghai looks at night, and even more impressive to be here in the older part of the city looking literally at the future.

and once i arrived at the hall, this was where it got exciting!

these were the dancers who go around in groups talking and taking shots with the audience members before any show begins.their PR skills were put to full use, thats for sure. one of the ladies in my expedition asked me on whether i'd like to take a shot with these beautiful girls, and i said, without any hesitation whatsoever, "oh God, yes!"

and the show goes on!

once everything was over, and it was time to say goodbye, we took a few last shots and bid each other safe journey. i was headed back to seoul in the morning and these guys were probably going to stay on for another day or two before heading back to the US. before going back to the hotel, i decided to walk around for a while to take as many shots as i could of the complex and its surrounding areas, specifically of the building and marketplace itself. other than a restaurant, this complex also contained a prominent marketplace, selling things and trinkets that mostly tourists would appreciate to take back home. i did my fair share of window shopping too. it was still early at the time, about 10pm, so i decided to spend the last few hours simply walking around to look at much as i could and take as many shots as i could for posterity.

it was after all a beautiful collection of buildings lovingly restored and lighted up like colossal paper lanterns, drawing the eye to every conceivable wall, roof, door and window, and everything else in between, and it seemed like a good way to end the festivities of the evening, to be in my own company, walking aimlessly in nameless alleys indulging in one of my favourite ways to spend time, admiring architectural splendour.

as you can see, it was time well spent.

the area truly was very well preserved and glorified for the benefit of the tourist dollar undoubtedly, but it was a joy to walk around and trying to observe the many wonderful bits and pieces this publicly displayed and highlighted piece of history had to offer ...

like this illuminated piece of neon art showing a traditional landscape with temples and clouds ...

or this solid bronze tortoise, with a beautiful shell on its back and oddly, with a dragon-like head ...

or this poor run - down stone lion, sadly neglected and seemingly desperate to be noticed.

and this was my last shot for the night, before proceeding to get back to the hotel.

and i approach one of the city's numerous urban arteries, taking me from the older part of the city to the new, back to the five star establishment i had been slumbering in luxury these past five days.

the views were striking, as i crossed the link.

and i enter the shimmering halls of the main entrance of the hotel.

welcomed by glows of seductive golden light.

making my way on the impeccably polished floors of the lobby.
yup, i was back, and pretty soon too.

it was close to midnight at the time, when i was informing the receptionists at the hotel lobby that i would be leaving the following morning and i wondered on whether they would be kind enough to take a shot with me just for the fun of it. of course, they obliged, and with that last shot, ladies and gentleman, my time in this illustrious metropolis had come a memorable end. the very reason this journey to the east took place to visit the world expo had come to its fulfillment, and it was time to head back to seoul.

these five days in shanghai, from the city to the world expo, have been nothing less than incomparably spectacular, and i felt truly blessed to have experienced these past few days with some of the kindest people i have ever had the privilege of meeting. i can only hope i would be blessed with similar circumstances in the future especially at the next world expo in yeosu, korea in 2012.

for now however, good night, shanghai. tomorrow, seoul beckons.
sweet, sweet seoul.

sojourns to the far east / day four / shanghai

2011-08-24T16:59:00.015+08:00

what a beautiful morning.

the big golden orb in the sky was shining ever so brightly, the vast azure dome above our heads is so vividly clear, the ether we religiously breathe into our bodies is pristine, and the continuous canopies of verdant foliage are green. oh, so lusciously, lusciously green.

and i walk the streets of shanghai.

this is my final day here in this high-powered eastern metropolis. after having completely been rejuvenated from fatigue brought on these past few days from being at the expo, i can honestly say that every inch of me feels revitalised and im all geared up.

today i spend the day marveling at the towering skylines that define the silhouettes of the city. i scrutinize every road i walk on, every component connected to its infrastructure and every garden and park i come across. ive got to make the best of final day here in the city, and there isnt a moment to waste in my hotel any longer.

and i appreciate what comes my way.

endless colonnades of perfectly groomed trees, partially shading clean, unobstructed pedestrian pathways, and a lively musical surprise comes into view. memories are made of these.

now, even though i had planned to take the day easy, and go where the wind blows, literally, there were a couple of places i wanted to visit, specifically the shanghai world financial centre, more humorously knows as the can-opener, the shanghai oriental pearl tower and the areas surrounding this part of the city.and it wasnt hard to decide on which direction i needed to go. they were both easily the most imposing buildings within walking distance and all i needed to do was to muster the strength to keep on walking. and as i walk i began to notice how thoroughly concurrent and western everything around me looks. the urban setting was eerily clean in appearance, strangely and uncomfortably devoid of any perceivable sense of native culture or history.

the relentless onslaught of modernism has completely revamped this part of the city, so much so, i didn't even feel like i was walking in china anymore. i may as well have been walking on the roads of some north american city, being blinded by gleaming towers of glass and steel everywhere i go, and the only thing that really made me feel i was still in the country was of course the presence of the local populace and the occasional reverberations of communicative mandarin in the air.

i sometimes cant help but wonder, when we, as asians, in our mad dash to modernize almost every aspect of our existence, from our lifestyles to our buildings, do we loose part of our soul every time we reach a particular milestone? do we slowly loose the essence of who we are and where we come from every time we bulldoze another significant piece of history to construct another soulless shopping complex? do we not feel a sense of belonging to our motherlands and all she holds dear to us as a people, and find ways to reconcile and hold on to our beloved traditions in the modern, while not having to sacrifice our identity in the pursuit of marching forward?

philosophical ramblings aside, it wasnt long before i arrived at my destination, which of course was the shanghai world financial center.

an elegant super tall tapering tower reaching the sky, completely covered with reflective glass at every inch, with a trapezoidal opening at the top, this was the financial heart of the city. and the equaly impressive buidling next to it was the jin mao tower consisting of high end offices and the world famous grand hyatt hotel.

at about 1pm, i enter the financial heart first.

and as soon as i did, two long lost old friends were waiting for me. unexpected surprises, but pleasant nonetheless.

these two old comrades were part of an exhibition on the ground floor of the tower showcasing anime / manga figures from japan. i admire the workmanship and detailing for a while and proceed to walk about having a look around. my concern here however, was to get to the top, where the observation deck was situated, which was what i had expected for such a towering edifice to house at its summit. i would be able to witness shanghai at unprecedented heights, enjoying a full 360 uninterrupted view of the metropolis from the heavens itself. and let me tell you, getting there itself was quite a challenge, from the moment i booked my ticket to the moment i snapped my first shot.

it took about 45 agonizing minutes to get to the top from the ground floor, after having to pass at least 4 checkpoints, waiting at about 15 - 20 minutes at each stop. eventually though, i do get to the top and all that waiting had suddenly paid off. i step off first into a primary observation tunnel and the firs thing that greets me the hordes of people that are pushing each other all over the place.

this country truly is a sea of humanity. even here and everywhere you go, this was an undeniable facet of its reality.

as soon as i settle in after walking around for a bit, i take out my camera and start shooting away. and this was my first view of the city from the tunnel above ... everything looking so plastic, toy-like and fragile.

my eyes are slowly directed across a circular sweep of the city. again, every element in the landscape below me looks so frail and insignificant, juvenile even.

after about 20 minutes, i then proceeded up to the secondary observation deck to further take in all that i see around me, thankfully here though, for whatever reason, the crowd was considerably less, making the space feel less claustrophobic. the clean lines of the design of the tunnel start becoming noticeable and its modern shape and form lend an air of sophistication to the surroundings.

and more views from where i stood.

and that's my second destination.

after spending some time here, i walked into this hall, a lounge of sorts, where some kind of exhibtion was being held. nothing too interesting i thought, and i walked along, passing by a sky cafe as i took the elevator down.

and once i exited the building, i immediately saw the next point of my journey.

and thankfully it wasn't as far as it looked. and i walked. along the modern networks on roads and paths in front of me, i walked ...

.. with a peculiar piece of public art i'd come across every once in a while. this pair of snails especially seemed curiously out of place in a such a fast moving town like shanghai, but maybe it was meant to be a statement by the artist to serve as a reminder, an sarcastic one even, to the citizens here to take life a little slower and not be in a lunatic rush all the time.

or maybe it was just something fun to look at. who knows.

every time i get closer to the massive citadel, i uncover even more amazing pieces of urban architecture, and this one was the central subway station just around the corner. again, thoroughly modern in its appearance and form.

and having public transportation powered by electricity really did make all the difference in the world where air quality was concerned. the almost complete absence of smoke, black or white, made walking here a splendid, asthmatic free experience, and it was almost hypnagogic to breathe in clean, unpolluted air in a bustling metropolis wherever i walked around.

and finally at about 4pm, i reach my journeys' end. this was the famed shanghai oriental pearl tower, which was the nexus of all electronic broadcasting in the city. this futuristic shimmering red-ringed citadel supported on a think concrete tripod, almost looking like a rocket, ready to blast off at a moments notice, was something i had seen a long time ago in various media, but again, standing here looking at its commanding structure was an experience that left me speechless.

that was the entrance of the tower, and i decided that i wouldn't go up into the building itself, simply because i had already had one full glance of the city from my previous visit to the financial center earlier on.

i had spent time here just gazing up mostly, till my neck was stiff, taking a few more shots and generally just enjoying the present, without a care in the world.

more public art catches my eye in the surrounding areas, and this time the artist paid homage to many a winged messenger of the insect world. ridiculously scaled up and motionless like a corpse, these sculptures nevertheless did attract my attention, albeit for a moment or two.

and as i walked on, a familiar sight greeted me. well, kinda familiar.

i recognized the opposite bank as being the Bund that i had visited my first night here in shanghai, and now i was standing at the opposite end. i was looking at the modern, while standing from the old.

and this kid looked at me just as puzzled as i was looking at him. i wonder what's going on his mind. i do, i really do.

walking along the same riverbank, proceeding to explore as much as i could.

nostalgic reminders of the past seems oddly appropriate here, and its presence reminds us of a simpler time in the past, while we stand in this era, far in the future.

but the present state of time, creeps back into reality pretty quickly, knocking me out of my trip back in time, imagined or otherwise.

i appreciate how cleverly designed and planned everything around me is. greens spaces abound, elevated pathways well maintained and well connected.

walking here was truly a wonderful experience and i wish i could go on for much longer.

my last shot of the evening was at about 6pm. and this last shot succinctly captures how far shanghai has progressed in recent history. a metaphorical visual statement seemed perfectly captured here showing where everything and everyone was reaching for the big, blue sky, without a moment to waste, reaching to greater heights with every step.

i wish you well, china but its clear, you're already there.

and its time for me to head back to my hotel.
a royal dinner awaits, and i shan't be late.

sojourns to the far east / day two / world expo _ part five

2011-08-17T16:30:00.032+08:00

and so i arrive at the final night.

everyone's gone home and i'm all alone. happily and thankfully so.
and in the last few hours that have at the expo. my mission now was clear and concise.

take pictures!

now that i've seen as many pavilions as i could during the day, my only concern was to visually appreciate all these pavilions at night, lighted up in unique methods and arrangements to highlight certain architectural features in the dark. and so at about 8pm, i walked all over the place, starting with the ones in the european zone, which in my mind, was easily the most excellent in terms of design ingenuity, structural innovation and architectural inventiveness.

after coming out of the swedish pavilion and resting for a while, i walked first to the ones nearest to me, was the denmark and the finland pavilions.

as you can see, they were placed side by side.

but the denmark one was clearly the pavilion with the more attractive usage of creative lighting. these perforations on its white walls allowed light to filter out like thousands of little violet diamonds, and its presence created a visual delight to savour.

it was surreal. dreamily, surreal.

the entire double spiral structure resembled giant honeycomb - like ribbons of scattered points of purple light, floating gently above the earth, appearing still and motionless in the dark of the night.

and i looked behind me, and i see this pavilion with criss - crossing channels of bright reds on an irregular surface. this was the portugal pavilion, and it was just opposite the finland and denmark ones and its walls were covered with a brown fuzzy, short-stub carpet like skin and it seemed like the red channels were a web of drains with lava flowing through its grooves.

i walked on and i saw these 2 expo halls side by side showing other countries from europe that had participated on a much smaller scale, these countries were represented only through small kiosks and booths, and were not as ostentatious as the pavilions from the other countries were. i moved on quickly and went back to the main pavilions of this zone, namely to see the german, french, spanish, italian and the uk one.

and i see interesting trinkets here and there, scattered all over the expo grounds, like exotic geodesic domes that look like cocoons with triangular scales in an array of ever changing range of sensuous colours and hues.

after that, i had walked into the zone showcasing countries from the americas, most predominantly, mexico and canada and a host of others. the first one that i saw was the mexican one and it presented an interesting visual collection of soaring brightly coloured artificial tree-like towers.

however, at a closer glance, the trees appeared as a haphazard arrangement of simple - looking, vibrant kite-like planes, stuck to the tops of slender poles, trying to make thier way to the skies above but somehow got stuck, and was unable to complete its journey.

the analogy of an artificial forest of eye-catching "leaves", representing the explosive energy prevalent in mexican culture seemed more pertinent and significant though, and i can only assume that this amazingly rich cacophony of colours took its inspiration from mexico's various lively historical and cultural sources.

and i crossed the street, and i come across this blood-red collection of irregular shapes, mountainous as well in form, finished with fan-like random lines and gaps, supported on frames, radiating from all points and directions. its beautifully arresting display of deep reds, focused on some exterior walls and dissipating in others, created a wonderful drama of powerful captivating light, projecting a visual sense of passion and intensity.

i walked around for a while trying to identify this timber giant, taken aback by its powerful glow, and of course, eventually i find out.

canada. wow ... nice.

its form, material and structural concept was clearly inspired by the shapes and objects found on the vast natural landscapes of the great north, and it was clearly highlighted and celebrated here in this intense shade of deep, deep red.

there were several other latin american countries as well, and as colourful as they look, i didnt feel the need to stay and stare for too long. after all, europe beckons.

and the first one i saw once i arrived at my destination, was a colossal glowing lantern, with a divine permeation of light diffusing out of a concrete box. simply stated, it was magnificent.

this was the entrance of the italian pavilion, and the entrance was a crystalline clear glass enclosure with a collection of radiant golden pearls and jewels suspended from the top.

as mentioned before, this was the moment, in the black of the night, where the distinctive quality of transparent concrete became mystically evident. the walls were all made of this solid material, but the composition of its chemical structure was so unique, it allowed light to pass through it, like shoji paper on a japanese lantern.

it truly was an amazing sight to behold, to witness personally how the imposing solidity of this huge and fragmented concrete cube was softened by an eerie glow of golden light, transfusing through its seemingly impenetrable disposition.

and just next to it was the french pavilion, with its delightful jeweled lattice membrane clearly defining its presence, looking refined and elegant with its slender criss-cross of subtly curving frames, and intermediate points of emanating lights. splendid.

the next pavilion that i saw had a cold and unforgiving, machine-like feel to it, and i wouldn't have expected anything less from the german one. technically precise and vivid, it was bathed in soulless glows of white light, but was impressive nonetheless, looking like a jagged. geometrical mountain with a punctured envelope, wrapping its whole form.

its visually outstanding geometric protrusions and juxtapositions was visibly more pronounced at night, and had taken on a whole new sense of visual excitement and awe under the night sky.

and as i walked around, it was these interesting junctions and protrusions that keep catching my attention, and how, as chaotic as it appeared, seem controlled and sculptured skillfully.

and now, it was the spanish pavilion that i had come to. as previously mentioned, it was called the basket for obvious reasons, and light clearly diffused out of it as would i expect from an actual basket if, say if a candle was placed in it. this had a raw and fibrous visual feel to it, and its unorganized and unrestricted control of light ran wildly out of its skin.

the polish pavilion was next, and its punctured skin that collectively composed its irregular volumes was in essence a screen that allowed light to stream out of its flowery perforations.

and yea, it changes colours too from vibrant oranges, to bewitching purples to futuristic blues. it was a sensual slow-moving wave of changing colours and it brought the whole structure to life.

and the one next to it was the belgium pavilion, with what seems to be a powerful display of the most interesting symbiotic relationship between the organic and inorganic, between the structural and the natural among all the pavilions of the expo.

i could see this elongated semi - translucent, amoeba - like plastic organism with its poor tentacles tortuously stretched out across the interior reception hall through a glass facade. it seems that it was meant to represent the neurons of a brain cell within a space that prominently encourages communal activities and interaction.

and wow ... it changes colours too.

and after all of this was over, i head off to arguably, the most charismatic pavilion in the european zone. this wonderful piece of bedazzling art had wholeheartedly captured the imagination of the public the world over from the second it was unveiled, and it inspires awe, amazement and astonishment to everyone who is fortunate enough to visit its premises.

this was the UK pavilion, christened the seed cathedral, and i had waited this long simply to allow the crowds to considerably lessen and dissipate, which it did by about 10pm, so that i may have my opportune moment to visit and bask in its ravishing presence. this pavilion alone significantly influenced me to travel this far to the east and i must admit, from the moment i saw its resplendent form, i felt all my time and effort into making this moment come true had paid off handsomely.

it was brilliant. unequivocally brilliant.

a transcendental box covered completely, with an ever moving succession of graceful waves of willowy rods of clear and pure acrylic glass, channeling points of light from the interior to the exterior, creating a almost spiritual temperance in its appearance. this was truly an architectural dream that had come true in a surreal physical manifestation, and i have never seen anything quite so beautifully arresting in all my life.

perhaps a little bit of an explanation is first in order, before i proceed, starting with its intriguing designation. the reason why it was called the seed cathedral was for actually a very obvious reason, and would be made perfectly clear once i entered the pavilion itself. in the history of the UK, it seems that the UK was the first country in the world in modern history that began to create botanical parks and public conservatories and greenhouses in a built urban environment, as a conscious effort to create sanctuaries for fauna on its soil for its citizens to appreciate and take pleasure in.

the seed cathedral is thus an extension, and more pertinently, an attempt to continue this legacy of botanical conservation on its shores and architecturally materialize this piece of history and heritage in an international setting in a contemporary style, and in this case the world expo here in shanghai.

each and every rod that forms its exterior membrane literally contains a living seed encapsulated in its transparent tip and can be seen in vivid clarity upon closer inspection. the seeds are placed at each end of the rod, can really be appreciated in the interior hall.

"what a beautiful idea, simple and powerful, in every sense of the word," i thought.

and as i walked in the pavilion, i followed the crowds, through a narrow pathway of jagged walls and ceilings, making my way to the main entrance.

this was the main entrance of the pavilion, and i could not believe what greeted me next. i had of course seen magazines and journals showing pictures of the inside, but the prospect of seeing it with my own eyes was for more exciting. just a moment more.

i hold my breath in anticipation.

and as soon as entered its mysterious hall, i was visually assaulted with the light of a billion diamonds, pricking my eyes from every inch, completely being drowned in the presence of a celestcial kind of radiance i had never seen before.

it was like being in aladdin's cave, surrounded by countless precious treasures and pristine white jewels, that incessantly and forcefully capture your gaze everywhere you look. i stood on an elevated platform and walked along a circular pathway, totally astounded by what i saw.

its interior walls were a composition of undulating surfaces, curving in on itself from one end to another, further reinforcing its identity as an object that took forms from nature as its design inspiration.

and the curved walls and wavy interior elevations provided a dramatic sense of continuity, as you visually direct your eyes along its axis and see no corners or ends that mark boundaries or definitions within a closed space.

and as explained earlier. these limitless collection of living seeds trapped for posterity at the tip of these slender rods were the key attraction in the pavilion itself. even within the pavilion itself, i could see graceful subtle movements that mimicked small waves sweeping over the interior walls as i got closer to scrutinize each rod.

indeed, this idea of continuing the UK's botanical preservation, displayed in this innovative way was the catalyst for the design of the pavilion itself, and proved to be a fantastic concept, materialized for the world to see.

i just couldn't bring myself to leave, but of course eventually i did, and as headed out, i walked long another path that led to an open space surrounding the pavilion.

my last precious moments spent on the vicinity of this piece of futuristic mobile architecture, culminating in this shot for the night. i had sat down on the surface just outside the pavilion, eventually lying down out of exhaustion, taking a few more shots for the night as permanent visual moments to keep for the rest of my life, as as graphic reminders of this amazing journey that had begun being planned months ago.

and what made this particular night even more spectacular than it already was, was the occasional emergence of a gorgeous full moon, shimmering in the universe above, amidst a scattering of thick luscious clouds, with a heavenly ivory glow resonating centrally from its perfectly spherical form. the night was significant for its auspicious date, for tonight was the night of the mid-autumn festival, and it carried cultural and religious significance in the eyes of the chinese all over the world.

how serendipitous for me to celebrate this divine moment here and now, in admiration of this dazzling edifice next to me, in an environment that exemplifies the power of creative design in an international arena.

how serendipitous indeed.

and at this moment, after so long, a deep sense of fulfillment began creeping in every fiber of my being. i could feel that i had emotionally arrived at a juncture where this spectacular journey of design appreciation and wonderful discoveries was coming to an immensely satisfying end, where nothing was left unexplored, and i accomplished all that i could within this brief duration of time that i had.

"parting truly is such sweet sorrow,"

it was now time to leave the expo, once and for all, while silently in my heart, i celebrated my full participation in this glorious international endeavor. i had of course one more day to explore this superb metropolis tomorrow, and i would be up bright and early to fully appreciate my last moments here, but for the time being, the day has come to end, and a well deserved slumber awaits me back at the hotel.

good night, shanghai.

sojourns to the far east / day three / world expo _ part four

2011-08-10T13:34:00.039+08:00

it was close to teatime. and a decision was called to be made.

as i gathered with the rest of my traveling buddies, we were asked to decide. for this afternoon, we had a choice, and that was to either visit the italian pavilion or the china one. it seems that this part of the excursion was constrained by unfortunate time restrictions, and we needed to choose which one we would go to.

so how do i decide?

do i visit the italian pavilion, a country known the world over for its unparalleled and exquisite taste in art and design since the days of classicism and the renaissance, for its well deserved reputation of creating gorgeously sensuous design exports ( ferrari and lamborghini quickly come to mind ) and for the fine cuisine and wine and even finer women that us men drool all over the world for?

or do i visit the china pavilion, with its magnificent noble heritage of art and culture showcased in an arguably unbroken time line of 5,000 spectacular years, with the lineage of the worlds' greatest royal dynasties of emperors and empresses at its helm, and for the visual splendours projecting the presence of countless palaces and gardens, scattered all over the vast, unforgiving landscapes of the motherland itself?

decisions, decisions.

for a moment or two (that seemed to span an eternity) i was torn inside. but then i remembered that at the end of the expo in october 2010, almost all the pavilions would be dismantled and shipped off to their respective countries, but the china one, and almost all its relevant components would remain as they are, undisturbed. and so i thought, that in all likelihood i would one day come back to shanghai, and if all goes well, ill visit the china one then, and by that time, the hordes of people who crowd every inch of this venue would have been long gone.

and ultimately, i felt that between the two, the italian one did have a more interesting concept behind its design philosophy and its structure was based on a marriage of ideas between east and west, between the modern and the past. and oh yea, lets not forget the women.

"the italian one," i said.

and we quickly broke into 2 groups, where one group went to the china and the other went to the italian one. and when i arrived, i was astounded by what i saw.

i knew i made the right decision.

now let me explain what this pavilion was all about.

at first glance, this design didn't seem all that much to shout about. it looked like a huge, sterile gray box, and a relatively plain collection of stark, bare concrete walls that enclosed its boundaries.

however, upon closer inspection, its elegant and imposing box-like structure was broken into several fragmented pieces for a reason, evident from all four elevations showing intersecting lines like deep grooves, and the main entrance itself was a sharp and exposed clear glass enclosure that signified the entry point in one corner of the pavilion.

the concept of the design was not meant to be conveyed visually however, but through the incorporation of an intriguing material used to build the pavilion, which interestingly enough was called transparent concrete, and in the manner the gray box was broken into its collection of its fragmented pieces, symbolic of a relationship of sorts.

the entire structure was based in form on the chinese puzzle box, an enigmatic contraption from china's past that served as a whimsical toy, secretly testing the mind's agility and prowess. its form was adopted as a means of establishing an instant visual connection to china in general, thus creating a symbolic link to its surrounding environmental context.

transparent concrete, as oxymoronic as that phrase may sound, is a kind of chemically engineered concrete that allows light to pass through its solid form, and where that light diffuses itself as it glows out of its source through the solidity of the concrete itself. the choice of using concrete here was decided upon for a very significant reason, and that was that in antiquity, the engineers of ancient rome were the first people in the world to have successfully concocted the mix of water and aggregates in a chemical soup to create what is effectively known, and used even in the present, modern day concrete.

thus, using material, instead of form, to convey a timeline linking the past to the present was a very unique and imaginative method and strategy in the design of the pavilion, as a statement that bridges history and modernity. the ethereal beauty of a golden hue of light being diffused as it glows out of the pavilion using transparent concrete would become conspicuously and poetically evident once the night arrived.

and so i entered, and i felt an immediate adrenalin rush coursing through my veins the second i was in this grand entrance. the first thing that crossed my mind was a sense that i had walked in a contemporary italian art museum like the ones i visited a long, long time ago in europe.

and upon entering the first thing that i saw, was this model of an ancient archetypal gateway bathed in sunlight from the glass ceilings above, complete with classical elements such as corinthian columns, imposing human figures, florally decorative walls and arches and the likes. this was clearly the commencement point of the journey within the pavilion and its presence was in honour of italy's glorious history.

as i entered through the gateway, i walk though narrow corridors and eventually an open exhibition space, showing various items and objects that were displayed all over the place randomly that were clearly italian in origin.

such fine pieces of work with an exceptionally high quality of detail and workmanship clearly caught my attention, as i admire the time and effort behind such beautiful objects of art.

once i passed out of that hall, i entered this spacious atrium, again bathed in sunlight, that was the empty focal point of the entire pavilion, which was a gathering space of sorts, leading us to different areas of the building.

i particularly liked the vertical placement of the orchestra and its pieces against the wall leading right till the top. "quirky and memorable," i thought.

i entered the first hall on my right, that displayed the various kinds of cuisine and drinks found in abundance across the italian landscape, set in a garden like atmosphere with a live tree in the middle and long strands of yellow grass suspended from the ceiling. this was also the hall that was dedicated in letting people know that the next world expo in 2015 ( after the the 2012 one in korea ) would be held in milan, italy and its theme would be based on providing sustenance for humanity.

how appropriate it seemed that in is this very hall that celebrated food and wine, this particularly significant piece of information, where sustenance would be the focus of the 2015 expo, would be displayed to the public, in anticipation of the country's opportunity to host the future event.

the next hall showcased various items ranging from vehicles to products to fashion and a host of other design - centric paraphernalia that exemplified italian design and its contributions to the world since the beginning of their respective industries. from the old to the new, it was all shown and highlighted for the world to appreciate. once i left the hall and entered the atrium, i was greeted by a sectionally cut life size model of the earliest and biggest brick dome in the world found at florence, and it was placed next to and above the escalator that takes us to the upper level.

and once i took the escalator up, i could see a more enthralling view of the ground floor of the atrium and marvel how physical manifestations of italy's cultural, fashion, musical and artistic contributions were creatively and prominently displayed.

and once i reach the top, i entered a dark tunnel that housed a series of projection screens in an array of simple arches that framed each projection.

the images changed to project an animated story complete with vibrant graphics on the various cultural aspects of the country. these eerie sleeping figures were like statues made of grass, lying motionless on a surface of tranquil still water, quiet and utterly mystifying.

and as i walked around, even from different angles, these fetal - positioned like ghostly figures exuded a mysterious aura about themselves, against a backdrop of moving, zesty images celebrating the country's natural landscapes.

it was an interesting contrast of objects, one seemingly dead and one obviously lively, to say the least.

these additional figures continued that aura and projection of intrigue and mystique, and they stood at about 8 or 9 feet tall, hence their slender, stretched and disproportionate posture.

i walked through all the dark halls on the top floors, observing as many projections as i could before i made my way down into the atrium again. however, i was still unsatisfied with how quickly i rushed through the exhibits under the impression that i didn't have much time. the people that i was with decided to leave after the first round and they told me that they would wait outside for me once i was done, if i decided to take a few more strolls in the pavilion. i agreed without hesitation, expectedly, and i spent about an hour at least in this magnificent gallery that housed all these wonderful treasures of art, design and culture, and continued visually savouring and drooling over their presence.

it was an hour well spent. very, very well spent.

and once i took the last few shots of the atrium space after coming down from the escalator, i left the premises to rejoin with the group, just outside this fantastic slice of italia.

it was a moment of pure exhilaration, coupled with a complete sense of immense personal satisfaction. coming to the expo just for just this one pavilion would have been completely worthwhile, i thought, but of course, they were many more waiting to be explored.

what surprised me at this moment though, at about 6pm was that, some of my american counterparts were thinking of leaving the expo. i was taken aback that they wanted to leave this early, but of course i respected their wishes and i told them i'd meet them for dinner tomorrow night. it was a simple and honest farewell and once again the night belonged to me, and i had better get moving cause there was only about an hour of good sunlight left before it got too dark to appreciate these pavilions in the full radiance of the day.

its time to rush again. off i go.

and as you can see from the first shot i took, people from all walks of life, even shaolin monks, took the time and effort to revel on the grounds of the expo. time to move, baby.

and what better place to start exploring what else the expo had to offer than with what was christened the star attraction of the european zone, and some say even the whole expo than this magnificent, gigantic, silvery cube of prickly transparent and slender rod-like crystals that swayed delicately in light gushes of wind, animating the pavilion with a unique living spirit.

and as soon as i had that thought, something quintessentially english passes me by.
eccentrically so, dont you think?

this was the UK pavilion, and it truly was one of the more resplendent pavilions at the venue, quite possibly in the entire history of the expo itself. i had read about this wonderful piece of public art back home in countless magazines,books and journals, and even saw a revealing documentary on it on the discovery channel, but nothing beats the feeling of actually standing in front of this dazzling colossus and seeing personally its charismatic appearance, its ever-changing fuzzy membrane and its graceful temperance.

i was awestruck.

and i told myself if i visit just one last pavilion at the expo later on at night once everyone started leaving and the crowd has lessened considerably, than its got to be this one. (mission accomplished, by the way)

and as i turn around, i see this strange of mixture of various urban - influenced elements, inspired partly by some insane architect's fantasy in unorthodox urban planning, and by a collection of real life structures arranged hazardously together, without any rhyme or reason. it was like a crazed playground on multiple steroids, where each component that was supposed to convey playfulness and joy had been exaggerated and embellished hundreds of times over, until this weird cocktail of design styles inadvertently emerged, straight out of a trippy dream by some weed - smoking hippie. oddly enough it was called "happy street" and this was the pavilion presented by the netherlands. well, this is where amsterdam is located, and we all know what that city is famous for the world over.

"ill give this one a pass," i thought.

and these were the other pavilions as i had momentarily glimpsed as i was was hurriedly walking around. some were more interesting than others, but all worthy of a quick look.

i started off with what seemed to be, from a distance, a gleamingly white, attractive collection of highly ornate but distorted shaped cubic towers, like some celestial fortress, and as i got closer i sensed an immediate connection between this structure to the world famous kremlin building in red square, moscow.

this was of course the russia pavilion, and its rich patterns was adopted from cultural and artistic references, set against towers mirroring a deformed version of the actual citadels and spires of the kremlin. in both instances, they looked like wedding cakes to the laymen, and in this case, the kremlin one was an old style wedding cake, and this one, a contemporary one.

and most importantly, like mother russia herself, the pavilion was big and the pavilion was beautiful.

then i walked around and saw an interesting juxtaposition of 2 distinct forms and materials existing side by side. metal on grass. artificial on natural. modernity and nature. this was the irish pavilion, and it was as green as the lovely hills and mountains that dot the dry landscapes of the island itself.

the one next to it was the austrian one, conveying an organic form, consisting of swooping curves from one end to the other. its walls had a glossy, plastic - like quality to the touch, and its appearance resembled a smoothened-out giant boulder, with swirls of maroon coloured lines partly shown on an otherwise completely white surface.

and the one of the last ones i saw was also an interesting mix of materials, which was predominantly timber and membrane. the structure itself, resembling a modern log cabin, was made of a timber skeleton covered with timber panels, accompanied by the incorporation of membrane sails. most notably on the roof and awnings, forming graceful curvaceous silhouettes against the hardness of the straight lines of the timber paneling.

it was also a play of the old and the new, a theme so prevalent here at the expo.

the last one i visited was the swedish pavilion, the one that i had earlier felt resembled three malicious-looking borg cubes, placed side by side. some of my friends from the US were still around, and they told me that they would be at the swedish one at about 6.45 pm.

i decided to join them at the last minute, and i had better rushed before they left. and as soon i took the escalator up and entered the pavilion on the first floor, only one word appeared instantly in my mind, and that word was ...yup, you guessed it ..."IKEA"

i really felt i had walked in IKEA the minute i saw everything displayed around me, including things like kids' furniture, light fixtures, chairs and tables for all occasions and lots of other functional pieces of design all placed in a playful and colourful atmosphere, with stainless steel and multi-coloured tubes poking out of every corner from the walls and the ceilings.

they even had a tunnel slide from one floor to another, so that you could slide down through a cyan coloured plastic tube, all in the name of juvenile fun, and clearly people from all ages were having a good time.

they were some other areas dedicated to the country's state of society, economy and culture, but as much as 3/4 of the interior spaces were dedicated to things and settings like these, emphasizing innovation and creativity in a fun and lively kind of way.

its the swedish approach to industry, i guessed, and the philosophy seems to be serving the country well, that's for sure. i met up with a few of my comrades at the entrance downstairs and this time, everyone decided to leave. i said i was planning to stay on longer, most likely till midnight, and i'll meet them tomorrow night for dinner.

i had begun making my way out of the pavilion, and on my way, i saw how the three separate cubes that made up the swedish pavilion were connected as as a whole. simple maintenance bridges linked each cube and could be seen through glass panels across some of the walls.

at this time, it was about 7.30 pm.

and as soon as i exited, the first shot of a pavilion that i took at night was the swedish one, glowing with intersecting channels of light on its circuit-like exterior walls, and i could see how the utilization of creative lighting techniques would now show a whole new way of looking the pavilions of the expo.

it was clear that the day had passed, and the dark of the night quickly cloaked the skies above the expo, and the expo itself would inevitably come alive with a whole new identity, one shimmering in artificial bursts of light, and revealing a whole new experience of exciting perspectives at the expo. and once again, a sense of elation began to surface.

my final night on the grounds of this collection of international pavilions would unmask many a splendorous thing that i would otherwise have missed during the rush of the day, and i can't wait to see how some of these masterpieces would look like once bathed in the soft heavenly glow of moonlight.

and so i wait for a moment. and i take comfort in its quietude.on to the final night.

sojourns to the far east / day three / world expo _ part three

2011-08-09T15:42:00.030+08:00

so its six a.m. again.
time to get up.

and just like the day before, i had to drag myself out of bed hesitantly to get ready for the second part of my excursion to the expo. how quickly the night had passed into oblivion, broken in continuity by the sudden rhythmic hammering of my trusted sony-ericsson handphone alarm clock feature.

"get up, man, you've got things to do," my conscience made clear.

and so up i got, showered and had breakfast, quickly grabbed a taxi to the hotel where the rest of the delegates were staying. and the first thing i was grateful for, was the sensation of immediate gushes of wind blowing in my face the second i stepped out of the hotel lobby. it was drizzling ever so subtly, and the ambiance couldn't have been more perfect. it was going to be a chilly day, with deep overcast skies above us, like a solemn quilt covering the drenched earth.

i was at the other hotel lobby pretty early as well and once we all got together, we were off. we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city before we made our way to the expo and as we were talking, curiously i was asked on whether people from malaysia all speak with british accents the way i do. the first thing i told them was that i didn't even know that i was speaking the queen's english with a UK twang, and i told them i was simply making the effort to speak as clearly as i could, minus the local slang that we employ when we speak amongst ourselves.

i guess my efforts in enunciating my speech for this international crowd had paid off a little too well, it seems.

and to my surprise when we finally stopped, we had arrived at our disembarkation point, which was a dock by the river, waiting to board a cruise ship.

it seems today we were going to expo by means of transportation on water and on our way, we'd get to enjoy the two distinctive skylines of shanghai.

we'd pass by an elegant bridge or two ( or more even, i can't remember cause there were so many of them ) where on the east bank we see the modern, and on the west one, we'd see the old, and we drift right in the middle of this urban symbiosis, cruising on gentle waves, comforted by frigid winds.

and as we proceeded for about half an hour, observing a tower in the distance stating the present temperature at 18 degrees, i finally saw, in the far distance and through the slight mist, a colossal saucer that had seemingly placed itself precariously by the slippery edge of the riverbanks of the great waterway we were on. it was the performance centre that i had seen last night, whose structure reminded me of an elliptically shaped intergalactic alien looking mother-ship, and that's where we were going to hop off from this brief cruise and enter the grounds of the expo,and one look at my surroundings, i immediately knew where i was.

by an accident of pure coincidence, or pre-ordained destiny if you like, i had arrived at the exact same spot i had left last night, unknowingly of course, that this would be my point of commencement for the excursion of following day with the rest of my expedition. as we boarded off the ship, we were right infront of the pink japanese pavilion, next to the korean one, where one of the americans unflatteringly commented that it resembled a pig, obese body, jutting snouts and all.

well, i can see why she would say that, and everyone giggled tacitly.
after all, why wouldn't they?
( i'm sure you're smiling too right now )

unfortunately, as much as i wanted to spend time here, hoping i'd visit at least the japanese pavilion, we were meant to rendezvous with our tour guide at another zone, whose collection of pavilions probably displayed the most amount of architectural creativity and eye-cacthing innovation on the grounds of the expo. the first one we would be visiting was the american one, then we would be off to visit the pavilions of the european zone, located at zone C, and where from what i've previously seen on magazines, journals and even on the idiot box, had some of the most spectacular examples of temporary exhibitionist structures i'd ever seen.

and based on that pre-conceived notion, i was eventually vindicated.

as mentioned earlier, this was the first pavilion of the day, the one belonging to the red, white and blue. and the thing is, my american guests were not impressed, and truth be told, neither was i. the first thing that crossed my mind upon looking at this building was that it looked an unfriendly CIA complex, warning everyone not to trespass unnecessarily.

it was boring it was plain and it was uninviting.

i would expect designers from this part of the world to have come up with something far more interesting, dynamic and fun even, considering the immense wealth of popular art and culture that the US is famous for.

from the explosive energy of their street and operatic music, the global popularity of the movie-making factory that is hollywood, the imaginative buildings of their urbanscapes from the likes of the deconstructivist and modernist movements, or even the splendours of the mountains and forests of the wild west, there was clearly an infinite selection of aspects that they could have taken inspiration from to come up with a world class design, but it was obviously brushed aside and substituted with this cold, military, no - nonsense like complex.

inside the pavilion was just a series of three movie halls, showing documentary-like snippets and shorts showing the country's state of affairs, both political and cultural, but nothing else was offered and we left disappointed.

"sad state of affairs." i thought.

after spending about half an hour or so, we had to move on to visit the next one, and i was told it would be the french pavilion and suddenly the day started looking brighter. the french one, as far as i remembered had this "lattice envelope" covering its form and so i was looking forward to seeing that feature as it was.

and once i saw the encompassing facade, my spirit was somewhat uplifted.
bonjour!

its white lattice was composed of a series of elegant interwoven criss crossing frames, forming diamond - shape openings all over its surface, that seem to be detached from the main structure of the pavilion itself. as i approached the entrance, i saw that the lattice was placed about 15 feet above the ground, giving the impression that it was floating around its pavilion, rather than simply jutting out of the structure.

i then crossed a walkway above a still water pond, which had this wonderful array of contemporary portraits placed in its undisturbed surface. this bridge was the entrance point of the pavilion, and art was used to demarcate its presence and form the boundary from the exterior to the interior.

and as i walked in, towering minarets of lush grass, like an intricate network of creeping greens, vertically arranged and occasionally tapering off into separate angles forming the secondary skin for the walls, clearly dominated my view as i gazed upwards

the space in the middle of the pavilion was left empty, save for some interesting playful - looking sculptural figures, that seemed like jovial fantasy rooted characters from some modern french fairy tale taking a stroll down this tiled courtyard.

as i approached closer, i saw that the minarets seemed to be designed to catch rainwater for irrigation purposes. it looked as if it was channeling rainwater down a vertical shaft and collecting it in a "drain" for eventual usage from a collection tank placed on the roof above.

and as i entered the interior, it was again a series of halls, showcasing exhibitions on the various industries prevalent in the country, specifically on the romantic nature of their creative arts and classical music.

well, it was french pavilion, after all, and what else would be celebrated other than love and passion in all its forms?

we start from the top, and slowly make our way down to the exit on the ground floor on a gentle declining ramp, stopping by one hall after another for a quick visit. once we were done, we had exited the pavilion and at this point we were deciding on lunch, specifically what and where to have it. they wanted to get back into the french pavilion to sample some world - class cuisine and drinks, but food was the last thing on my mind at the time.

i mean, here i was, at the centre of what is arguably the most dynamic epicentre of international designs in this part of the world, and i wanted to do was explore every inch and marvel at every feature. so i politely declined, and said i would meet them back in a couple of hours once they were done.

they could easily understand my enthusiasm, you see.

and once i bid them an appropriately uttered "bon voyage" and took a shot of this graceful arch in the distance, i felt like an uncontrollable hyperactive kid on a sudden sugar high, delirious with excitement, in a multi-coloured, multi-palatable, multi-magical candy store, and i just couldn't have been happier.

the first pavilion that i had noticed just outside the french one, was this bizarre looking mushroom-like concrete monstrosity, that seemed to assume no conventional form and had this odd strings of red orbs hanging from its top, it was the swiss pavilion, and for a country renowned for the finer things in life, this one seemed strangely divorced from that reputation!

now infront of the swiss pavilion, was the highly energetic, highly technical, highly sculptural german pavilion.

its folded thinly perforated outer silver membrane resembled an abstract origami project gone wild in every conceivable angle, as it wrapped itself around a relatively large enclosure. this was one of the pavilions i had intended to visit, but unfortunately didn't have the opportunity to do so.

now, in terms of conceptual execution, it reminded me strongly as being a physical manifestation of something born out of the deconstructionist movement, specifically something from zaha hadid's studio, and if you're familiar with this particular design style, you'll see why i quickly jumped to that conclusion.

its tapered outer silvery skin with angles projected at every trajectory, its modern industrial vernacular, its non-conventional form and structure and a host of other architectural features led me to this deduction. its theme was " balancity" and though i've always admired and respected the german inclination towards achieving technical precision and innovative engineering in whatever they pursue, i couldn't quite see the connection here ... after all,to me, the design seemed anything but "balanced".

but it was a technical masterpiece of design and detailing nonetheless, and definitely one of the more attention - grabbing ones at the expo itself.

i took as much time as i could gawking at its overall unconventional mathematical structural configuration before moving on to the next one. and the next one was the complete opposite of the german pavilion.

it just couldn't have been more different.

viva el espanyol, people!

welcome to the spanish pavilion! lets dance!

now this pavilion dealt with the concept of inheritance, from the past to the future kinda thing, though i'm not sure how exactly, but what really captured my imagination was obviously its wonderfully and "turbulently" textured, rich exterior membrane.

it was a swirling, seemingly wave-like animated collection of individual hand crafted and traditionally weaved wicker panels, each one consisting of a different pattern, all interwoven together to form a continuous envelope that shielded the steel framework inside.

it was a raw, untamed and organic, nature inspired expression of structure, resembling in its collection of forms, the idyllic and majestic mountainscapes and rough terrains of spain herself, and truly created a unique presence in compared to all the other pavilions in this zone. from what i was told, it even had a nickname, which was "the basket"

its not hard to see why.

this truly was a structure that beautifully conveyed a rich, energetic visual and tactile experience to the passerby. all i wanted to do the minute i saw it was to get up close and touch its glorious skin with my own fingers, and feel for myself the intricate details of its ornate membrane.

and the next one in my sights was the polish pavilion, and as you can see, its entire structure, undoubtedly modern in form, was "covered" with a layer of traditionally influenced motifs forming multi-patterned perforations that symbolically acted as national and cultural identity markers for the pavilion itself.

the perforations were based on traditional polish fabric patterns and superimposed on the walls of the building as a means of visual dissemination of information regarding polish culture, folk art and history.

i walked around as quickly as i could and took as many shots as possible and these were some of the more visually appealing ones. they certainly did catch my attention.

these were some of the ones from eastern europe and quite clearly the usage of a myriad of bright, attractive colours seems to be a big thing here.

this one in particular played also on the idea of using a myriad of colours, but what caught my attention was the graceful swaying of its minuscule semi-transparent panels like pieces of lightly coloured plastic caught on a pole in the path of a breeze. it made the building seem alive somehow when the panels sway haphazardly.

and just in front of that pavilion, was this strangely fragmented collection of deeply scarred super-sized cubes, hurdled together to form a collective mass of sorts. its elevations seemed to be engraved with a network of circuitry on motherboards and the occasional blot of colour could be seen now and then.

now, if you're a star trek fan, you might think that this was a borg cube, or rather 3 smaller ones that had landed in china to mercilessly assimilate expo - goers into its collective (dreadfully, i could even hear them saying " resistance is futile," in the chambers of my mind.)

well, i thought so.

but of course i found out later on that this was the swedish pavilion, notably famous the world over for 2 very famous brands. ikea and volvo quickly spring to mind, but one will make more of an impression than the other. you'll see why soon enough. for the moment however, just take notice of the relentless sea of humanity that crowds the grounds of the expo.

i had never felt so claustrophobic before, what more than in such an open space.

the 2 last pavilions that i glimpsed at, before i rushed back to my delegation members was first this over-sized "kettle" with a scaly skin representing finland. this textured vase, was an extremely simple structure, and its inspiration was drawn from the idea of a pebble sitting by the lake, and so in essence, nature.

the scales on the circular walls provided tactile richness to the design and created a wonderfully intricate pattern to look at under the sun. subtle plays of shadow and light on its walls created drama on its skin, albeit on a minute scale.

i loved the way the "kettle" was sitting on a pool of water, much like a lotus flower sitting in a muddy swap, looking pure and clean much like the pavilion itself.

and the second one, which was just next to it, was this perforated intriguing miss-mash of a combination of spirals, mixing public and private spaces subtly together. a sense of transparency felt visually tangible from this combination as i could see silhouettes of people walking inside the structure, and this was the pavilion from denmark.

in essence, these spirals were an extension of the level of the ground floor channeled into ramps that circled in onto itself. these ramps provided a gradually ascending pathway to the top where the meant for pedestrians and the riding of bicycles to view the surrounding areas. i later found out that the creation of this pathway for the usage of bicycles was a very clever way of showcasing 2 socially based public elements common both in china and denmark's urban setting and was used to symbolically tie the two countries together.

at the entrance, i could clearly see the world famous little mermaid statue, posing timelessly in ghostly silence in a enclosure with an oculus above and water below, in the middle of the structure, providing a focal point within the entire scheme of the design. i didnt get a chance to go in, but i felt from what i saw from the outside, and in view of the little time i had, i didnt have to. it was clear that it was simply a closed tunnel that would head above and back down, while passing by exhibitions screens and panels.

both white in appearance, both simple in form, both profound in understated elegance.

i took a few more shots before realizing i needed to get back to the french pavilion. lunch was bound to be over by now, so i best be rushing back to my lovely companions and see what was next on the agenda.

i'll pick up from where i left off later. right now though, i gotta go.