Fallen Horse.

"This steam locomotive is a symbol of the tragic history of the division into North and South Korea, having been left in the DMZ since it got derailed by bombs during the Korean War. After having been recognized its historical value and having become Registered Cultural Heritage in 2004, it is exhibited at the present location.

According to the train operator at that time, the train was backed due to the intervention of the Chinese Communist Forces on the way to Pyongyang to deliver war materials and it was finally destroyed at Jangdan Station. More than 1,020 bullet holes of the locomotive and its bent wheels show the cruel situation at the time."

Bridge of Freedom/자유의다리

13,000 prisoners of war have crossed this bridge following the armistice agreement in 1953

Imjingak/임진각

The border between the North and South is one of the most fortified perimeter since the end of Korean war in 1953. From South to North direction: there is S.Korean territory - Civilian Control Line - S.Korean Guard Post - Demilitarized Zone (4km) - N.Korean Guard Post - N.Korean terroitory. Imjingak is located by the riverside of Imjin that divides the areas where access of civilian is free and restricted; 7km to the North will bring you to the edge of Military Demarcation Line, full of unretrieved landmines from the 50s.

In this nation, tension in the Peninsula is not only a front page news topic but the harsh reality to face.

Traveling Alone.

Not so long ago, I thought being alone is something to be ashamed of.

Korean Architecture.

Postech/포항공대

Networking and Distributed Systems Lab. That's where my dad spent his time writing the postgraduate thesis on telecommunication cryptology, under the supervision of the department of computer science. During weekends, I often visited the lab with him and work on my first grade homework. I guess I've been exposed to the atmosphere of a campus since early childhood. 

Jukdo Market/죽도시장

the market that never sleeps

Family Trip.

Heading to Pohang, where my dad finished his Ph.D thesis at Postech and I spent my grade 1 and 2. 

A journey to one of the deepest and furthest part of my childhood memory.

Grandparent's Stockbooks

I've been going over my old stuffs in boxes that were sealed before moving to Canada.

Looking over these three stock books were pretty interesting- I didn't notice when

I first got it, but these books not only preserved stamps but history and culture of nations.

When I see my grandparents again, I need to find out which one of them started it 

and why they let me have these outstanding collections. 

These stamps taught me the acronym, CCCP (Союз Советских Социалистических Республик),

ahead of the English one, USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).

The face of Lenin and overall 'redness' are quiet unsettling.

Would have comrades in 1978 foreseen the collapse in 1991?

Red star in green background. I can't really think of anything else other than Heineken..

On the one next to it, I can see the coat of arms of East Germany and the Fernsehturm Berlin.

Seoul City Hall/서울시청

Oh God Why...

The new building looks like a piece of airport terminal

Royal Guard Changing Ceremony/수문장교대식

May 19, 2012.

 COSTCO
 =WHOLESALE

Warehouse retailer. Kirkland Signature.
Symbol of automobile dependent consumerism.

My family has been a member for nearly a decade, and now,
from grocery to products, we are more depend on it than ever.

Fortress Wall of Seoul/서울성곽

Protecting the capital since 1396 (Joseon Dynasty)

Ihwa-dong Art Project/이화동

In 2006, group of public artists and local residents teamed up to beautify this post-war shantytown.

The region gained an overnight popularity as an open-air art gallery with variou street arts.

Unfortunately, this whole region was designated for redevelopment and will be demolished in near future.

Residents here will be forced to relocate under the name of 'rapid growth' and 'urban renewal'.

May 16, 2012.

Biking to grandparent's home. 30km. 2.5 hours.

Dental Radiography.

You might not be able to see some skin here, but this is how I look overall

I went to see a dentist to deal my wisdom teeth; all four of them have recently rised over the gum. These teeth were literally tearing the existing skin (well, over long time) and pushing the 2nd Molar teeth further. In addition to what-I-thought-it-was pain, my mind was full of x-ray images of impacted teeth. Fortunately, this dental radiography proved that my concerns were wrong and the pain would've been nothing compare to the others with impacted teeth. Doc also reassured me that there is no need for removal surgery and complimented my teeth for being well laid.

I found this image pretty interesting. If you look at it closely, you'll realize that it's a three dimensional image on two dimensional medium. The centre of the image shows the frontside of my face but each left and right end shows the side of my face with jaw bone and part of spine. It's a lot like Pablo Picaso's surreal paints that show a single face with with different angles; like Head of a Women (1960).

Banpo Bridge/반포대교

located 5 minutes walk from my home- this is the new landscape I'm living in

"When the sun goes down, 200 lights illuminate the fountain as it sends up dancing,

rainbow-coloured jets of water in the air in synchronization with music."

What Does Home Mean to You?

The side of the fridge is covered with magnets and souvenirs from the various places that our family visited. The Disneyland logo is from the family trip to California back in 2003, when I was 10 years old. Pictures of Grand Canyons, magnet of Universal Studio and San Francisco, and the logo of Cal (UC Berkley) are also from the same trip to the West coast. There are magnets from the different trip to the East coast taken back in 2006; I was 13 years old then. Images of New York, Boston, Niagara Falls, and the wooden British solidier from the Fort Henry of Kingston. 

Then there are magnets from the family trips taken while staying in Canada: Le Biodôme de Montréal, Le Parc Omega (What a fantastic drive), Percé Rock in Gaspé Peninsula, Shedd Aquarium of Chicago (It's a fantastic city), Luray Caverns of Virgina, and MoMA in New York.

Some of the recent ones are the ones from the trip to the Vancouver, Victoria, and the Rockies- with me and my mom. Those magnets such as Columbia Ice field and Moraine lake weren't cheap purchase but they remind me of the shared memory of my mom and I. Even more recent ones are from my dad's business trip to Barcelona of Spain. While he participated in the Mobile World Congress for weeks (you're awesome, dad!), he visited places around the city and brought home the magnets of Cathedrals that I cannot name. Along with the magnets and souvenirs, there are also postcards that I sent home while traveling alone in the past year.

The definition of home is deeply connected with the presence of family, rather than its geographical location. I no longer think that this home in Seoul, the very same place that I lived through out my childhood, is a permanent 'home'. In fact, I already experienced that when my family lived in Ottawa for a short period of time; Seoul isn't what makes me feel like I'm home- my family is. For me, home is where the stories of family come together and the collective memory coexists- just like this picture of the side of fridges, filled with magnets that contains memories from family trip and individual journey.  

May 8, 2012.

It's not easy to overcome the time difference between Toronto and Seoul.

Although it's been more than a week, I can't stay awake beyond 10pm and sleep pass the 6am.

Those time might sound somewhat ideal, but they are not.... I'm young and I like going sleep late.

-

I've watched a sunset at the Han River shoreline and lost in thoughts.

Random things like, how there are many Koreans in Christie and North York of Toronto,

where would those handful numbers of foreign runners originally come from,

and if anyone in the park, perhaps elementary school friends, would recognize my face.

Moreover, how I'm trying to make a living again in this different part of the world.

Unlike what others might think, it's not an easy transition to back in the society.

It's a culture shock from your own culture- the feeling of unfamiliarity from where you were born.

Curious Jerry.

My family has adopted a new member while I was away from home (to fill my absence perhaps?!)

My sister named the cat Jerry- as in Tom and Jerry, but only that Jerry here is a cat this time.

If I were to name a cat for myself, I would've probably went for 'Schrödinger'.

I've spent the last few days with him and we got to know each other fairly well during the short time.

He's a curious minded and yet very cautious for its own safety and human's feeling.

I never realized this before but I might be a cat person

- their self driven lifestyle and human like character really fits my taste.

How can one resist not to hold on to him and stroke around the neck? 

This was my face during the whole time: http://goo.gl/dN4cY

Arrived.

Heavy congestion. Filthy air. Constant honkings. High density rises and streets.

People here are watching TV on their cellphone while walking. 

It's quiet clear now that I'm in Seoul, South Korea.

May 1st, 2012 - September 1st, 2012

The journey now begins

AC063.

It almost feels like there are two parallel universe exist at the same time.

One where I spent my teenage hood and other one where I spent my childhood.

After this long haul flight, I'll be in the place where I first saw and believed how the world looks like.

I'll be meeting my beloved family and relatives again- also those friends from elementary and middle school.

I'll be walking on the same street and living in the same home; there are many things to catch up between us.

I'm flying across somewhere further than the other side of Pacific- the other universe.

YYZ.

Toronto Pearson International Airport

Leaving.

As I am writing each word down, the clock is indicating half an hour past 3 am. I don't know if I should call it an evening or a morning anymore; the boundary is a bit ambiguous when you plan not to sleep for a night.

Since my connection flight to Vancouver is in early morning (AC063 8:30am), I figured it would be interesting to spend a night in the airport- exploring the deserted infrastructure and maybe trying to lay down on a bench. Unfortunately, it was nearly impossible to lay down on a bench because each row of chairs had arm rests that worked more like a barricade. However, it was pretty cool to walk around massive corridors and terminals that were inhabited.

Interestingly, the terminal wasn't the only thing that was inhabited. TTC buses and subways were nearly empty on a midnight of monday too. It took about two hours to reach the Toronto Pearson International Airport by the public transit. Bloor subway line from the end to other end (Kennedy to Kipling)- not a bad ride at all.