Having fun under the summer sun

Innocent and pure fun under the summer sun

Looking back, I was surprised since I didn’t write anything during the month of July. I’m not sure why, but for sure many things happen in the 7th month of this meaningful 2011.

First of all, was the 9th of July street rally dubbed as “Bersih”, which is the word CLEAN in the Malay language – a rally done by peaceful Malaysians asking for fair and equal election. That rally happened in the streets of Kuala Lumpur, and I believe those who follow global news would know about it. That time, I heard a small rally would be held in Seoul too. So I brought along my camera with some excitement thinking I would be able to expect some crowd in Guang Hwa Mun, the place where some Malaysians in Seoul would gather. I think I was a tad too late, well 30 minutes late and I didn’t see anyone there at all. Instead, I had a great time shooting some interesting photos in one of the must-visit tourist attraction spot in S. Korea.

Above is one of the best that I got, at least for me. I love how I was able to capture the atmosphere, the innocent laughter of this little girl playing in the water fountain in front of the King Sejong statue right in the middle of Guang Hwa Mun. It reminds me of the time when we were young, when everything was so simple, and all we want was pure and naive fun.

In the midst of busy work schedule and less interesting day-to-day life, to my surprise I was invited to a dinner session with the King and Queen of Malaysia, who came to S. Korea for a short 3-day visiting trip! Actually, I had to put up my name to the embassy, and only 100 or so Malaysians, whom were mostly students were selected for that dinner. It was one heck of an experience for me; having the chance to enjoy French cuisine in a 5-star hotel in Gwang Hwa Mun (again), and meeting, and greeting His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen of Malaysia weren’t something simple words can describe.

Sunny summer days doesn’t last too long in the month of July. Heavy downpour for a whole week had made Seoul into a sea of nightmare. Landslides, people killed and missing, houses destroyed and sunken cars littered the city streets. It was horrible, and there’s yet reports of more rainfall beginning next week.

Well, one thing good for me is, my holiday officially starts today, and I will be going back to my dear hometown on this Sunday for a short one week vacation! How should I spend the next 7 days? I hope I can make them as meaningful as ever!

Life is full with so much ups and downs that to be honest, I do not know what to expect next.

I wish I can find back the way to enjoy “fun”, just like that kid…

I have my own problems.

 

Tired

I always begin my day with a laugh.

If you ever met me, you would wonder where I get my “excessive happiness” from. Yes, I was commented by people before about me being too happy.Well, all you selfish pessimists out there, don’t even try to cross my line ever.

Always facing life with a smile doesn’t mean that I do not have any of my own problems. You never see me when I am down, you never know what I am thinking or hiding despite my smile. I too have my deep troubles.

Sometimes, I feel really tired. Seems like reality has really come down on me. My contagious laughter is less by the day.

Stop bothering me with all your petty problems. I have my own to deal with. Plenty of them.

I am tired. I need some rest.

Every step is harder to tread

Each step I take, is getting heavier day by day

This narrow alley leads down to my university. After treading on it for almost 2 years, I found out it’s not getting any easier to get down from where I stand.

Is it me getting weaker, and becoming fragile? I have been careful with every step I took, but now it seems that one step of trouble leads to another. A journey of bright promisese suddenly became darker; so near, yet so far.

I will never rest for long even if I’m tired. But sometimes, I tend to break down if there are too many obstacles on the way. And this time, it seems that my choice of footsteps had lead me to a dead end with no way out, forcing myself to find a way out, which until now, I am not capable of finding it.

I know that I am alone on this dark cold street, and I am the only one I can depend on to pull myself out of this situation. Resting is temporary, but giving up is forever not achieving.

Take a deep breath, and keep on moving. One day, light will shine through and hopes will be rekindled.

Contradiction

Vandalized, wantonly

This is more of a thought rather than to showcase a photo. This photo shows a street sign taken in Muar, my home town in Malaysia, located in the state of Johor.

The street sign says “Jalan Sayang”, which directly translates into “Caring Street”, or “Loving Street”. “Jalan” means street in the Malay language, and you might already guessed what “Sayang” means.

I don’t know what’s the pink stuff on the sign, but it’s pretty clear that someone had took the “initiative” to vandalize it. This pretty much shows how contradicting life is. It says “Caring St.” , yet, it wasn’t taken care at all. You could even see some illegal advertisements sticking at the road signs.What a shame.

The irony of this picture, to me, is that this road is located just in front of my old primary school (primary school is just the same as elementary school) that I had studied when I was very young.

I guess, contradiction in life is inevitable. When you try to do something your heart tells you to, your brain will do other wise. Sometimes we know we shouldn’t do it, but yet, we did it. I especially hate contradicting choices that we sometimes have to make in life.

Life is all about contradiction and lies…

Something about South Korea

One of Seoul's visiting attractions, Dae-han Mun

Did I ever say that I’m a student studying in South Korea? Hmmm… Anyways, it seems like most of my photos posted over here didn’t include anything about Korea. After digging through my pile of digital negative files, I found a couple of shots which I had taken last year that’s worth sharing. The photo above was taken at Dae-han Mun, located at the City Hall, Seoul, during last years Hi-Seoul festival, an annual festival held in the heart of Seoul. Below is a close-up shot during the performance in front of the gate.

Bringing colors, to a fast fowarding city center of Seoul

Performances included marching band, some ritual ceremony and more. Too bad I missed out this years Hi-Seoul festival.

One thing is certain though: Seoul could be one of the cities in Asia where you can witness tradition and history sit side by side with modern development and cutting edge technology. Do visit South Korea if you have a chance, I bet you would have a great time over here!