Desk Drawer.

 My very last exam of the freshman year is on this evening (April 30th). After writing it from 7-9pm, I'll be moving out of the residence and head straight to the Pearson Airport. By the time the morning sun arises at 8am, I'll be already on a flight heading (back) to Seoul.

I was quiet busy in the past week with packing and assigning each belonging with new destinations: a box that will be stored during summer, a luggage to head South Korea with me, or garbage bin (Sorry, no recycling!). The following pictures and writings were created during the beginning of the week, when I was not really aware of the urgency and the ticking clock. I probably did most of the packing in the past two nights out of the whole week.

Last summer, just before my family shipped out every furnitures and belongings back to Korea, my mom asked me whether I would like to keep this retro bill. Being a person who doesn't easily let go of things, I had to trade my regular 20$ bill to save this one from being spent on a store by mom. I don't know if it was worth the trade, but this legal tender was printed back in 1979 and stil fresh as if it was printed yesterday. Just look how young the queen is! 

God save the Queen (:

I really enjoyed going to the National Art Centre back in my high school years in Ottawa. The first experience was in grade 9, when my music class went to see the opera Don Giovanni. I was a bit of troubled student back then and showed up late after having a lunch with friends; The music teacher gave me an unforgettable displeased stare. Of course, I've gradually changed over the years and by the end of grade 12, I've received one of the most considerate letter of recommandation from the same music teacher. 

Watching the film Amadeus (1984) has really triggered my interest in classical music in grade 10. It led me to practice extra hours on my clarinet and motivated me to listen and learn more about the genre of classical music. Luckily, living in Ottawa allowed me to go and see an outstanding orchestra as many as I wanted- with or without friends. I guess this was, and still is, an unique interest for my age. 

New York, Ottawa, Toronto, Washington, Seoul, New Jersey, Montreal, Philadelphia

For a student like myself, public transportation is the only option to move around in a city. The same rule applies whenever I visit a foreign city too. It's really interesting to see the different fare policy, rider demographics, history, service frequency, and age of fleets in each metropolitan systems. For aside, there were couple of occasions that I've gone into 'so-called' dangerous regions because of the public transit: I once took a wrong express train in the New York and reached the 116th Street and the other time, I had to transfer at Camden, one of the most dangerous city in the states. However, counterintuitively, public transit in these regions were not filled with violence and thugs but average day people on their way. 

  Unfortunately, Toronto has one of the most confusing transit system I've ever experienced. I still don't really know how the transfer ticket works and why they are not enforcing the zoning fare in this city size; riding a few blocks cost the same as going to an airport from the other side of the city. I heard they are bringing a transit card system called 'Presto Card', but I doubt that they will install it in every bus before my university graduation. Until then, I should carry these tiny sized tokens around- these are perfect for utilizing that small pocket within a pocket of your jean.