All of the lights

I went with some friends to a Lantern Festival in Seoul's Downtown stream. Then Nelson and I went again. There were amazing traditional lanterns that were life size and larger. 

I need to catch up on my Korean history, but a lot of the lanterns were based on old Korean kings and their entourages.

Yup, that's Batman.

I also need to catch up on my Korean folktales. The tiger and grandma battle it out and grandma wins. Love it ^^

Another folktale. The girl gave her life so her blind father could see. So impressed by her selflessness, some god gave her life back. And she was reborn in a lotus flower...(the last part I might have made up lol).

Year of the Rabbit

Mash up of videos Nelson and I have recorded in the past 2 weeks.

Fun bar Nelson and I found in Hongdae.

Little Dudu, my new friend.

We also found some cool street art in Hongdae. 

More pics and the Thanksgiving feast Nelson and I dished up on Nelson's blog.

The camera is out of order

My camera is out of order. I can't see what I'm taking because the backlight of the viewfinder doesn't light up anymore. Thank goodness Koreans love to fix their electronics (instead of disposing of hardware as Americans often do) because I am not trying to buy a new camera. I got this camera 3 years ago and it still works lovely. I plan to go to Yongsan, the electronics market in Seoul, to see if I can get a cheap repair.

I took a couple of photos today despite not being able to see what I was doing...

I attended a workshop for my school in Incheon today (on a Saturday 0_o). Incheon is supposed to be the up and coming business district of Korea. There is a lot of fancy new construction going on, including this towering building.

After several delays and getting confused making a transfer on the subway, I was able to meet up with Jihye for dinner. We were supposed to catch a drum festival but that didn't work out, darn my job's workshop. I got a very fulfilling dinner though in good company. 

One of my stepfather's favorite dishes and one I have to agree is delicious is the one on the right, soondubu jjigae (순두부 찌개). I tried making it a long time ago with little success. On the left is the burnt rice dish that I LOVE called nooroongji (누룽지). I might try to make both dishes later this week. 

After dinner, Jihye showed me to Insadong, which is just a short walk from the soondubu restaurant in the Jongak area. Insadong is a known touristy spot of Seoul because it has traditional Korean items for sale. I browsed a bit, saw some really interesting things, and purchased some postcards. (Keep an eye out for something in your mailbox in the next couple of weeks.) 

I finally got to see my First soju tent (basically a plastic tent/tarp structure that covers a small number of people getting drunk and sitting on plastic furniture...a temporary bar of a sort). I've been hankering to see one after all the Korean dramas I've watched...that orange thing in the back is it. LOL. Jihye thought it was funny I was so interested in taking a picture of such a commonplace thing. I wonder if Korea requires liquor licenses...

I also bought a handmade, mini-wood Othello game in Insadong! I am soooooooo happy about this purchase. Best thing I've bought in Korea so far. My pieces are dark blue and orange, which is an interesting difference from the traditional white and black. I taught Jihye all the tricks and strategies I know, and we giggled away as we had fun playing. I can't wait to play this with EVERYONE haha.

Today was a good day, tomorrow...Yongsan for camera fix, some Korean-English language exchange, and fried chicken. :)

Family fun outdoors

I spent my first weekend with my Korean family (my aunt, uncle, and 3 younger cousins) this past weekend. We did normal family stuff...went out to eat, went to the playground, and for a walk around this huge wetland reserve nearby their town. I had the best weekend I've had so far in Korea! 

My uncle, my cousin Eu-hyun, and my new baby cousin, Bo-hyun.

Remember these? I don't know why I don't see them in American parks anymore...

...but they are so much fun!

I'm holding a live dragonfly! Or, a 'jamjari' in Korean.

 My cousin, Eu-hyun, caught so many of them that weekend. Don't worry, he took care of them and let them all go.

The view from my aunt's apartment is even more spectacular at night.

We went to the school park after dinner on Saturday. I actually exercised! I did 3 pull ups, took a ride on my cousin's bike (the ground was sandy so it was kind of difficult), played soccer, jump roped, and used the exercise equipment you can find at every park in Korea.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Gyeongan Cheon Wetland Ecological Park. We walked on a trail around the park and ate roasted chestnuts.

All that green grass is rice!

There were some creatures too, but not many because the park was really dry according to my aunt.

Korean women are obsessed with their skin (I thought I was bad, nope not in comparison). I see them using umbrellas on the sunniest days, so they don't get skin damage. Makes me thankful for my brown skin. My uncle  doesn't like the heat of summer though.

GORGEOUS sunshine and happiness! I love the mountains in Korea.

These giant plants were strange looking but I liked them, I think I'm going to do a watercolor of this photo.

Sunshine and Roaring Pandas: my own happiness project

When my best friend came to visit me last weekend, we stopped by the bookstore - of course. She needed something to read on the plane back home and I just needed the excuse to go. I found a great book! The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It's sort of an autobiography of one year in the author's life, in which her main goal was to become happier. It's a fast read with many golden nuggets of happiness I was glad to learn, and several of her ideas or "resolutions" I had already been practicing. I am only half way through, but I highly recommend this book. I already plan to share it with a cousin who also enjoys reading (her birthday is coming up).

While this blog in no way is intended to be a true happiness project as the book lays out, I want to write about topics that bring me happiness. My interests change day to day and year to year but that's okay. As long as they bring sunshine to my life (one of my favorite songs is "You are my sunshine") and I continue to look forward to them.

Every day I come across different incidents, people, issues, etc. that can change my entire mood or outlook (they say Cancers can be moody :P). I want to be able to find the positive in these experiences and concepts. I'm not trying to diminish my initial emotions or reactions - anger, sadness, irritation, whatever - they all have their purposes, but there is also a lesson to be learned from them. Sounds preachy? Yes, but it is the motivation behind the blog, not what I will actually write about. Reflection, I hope, will make me a more positive person.

Picture credits to Valerie Admana (Thanks amiga!)

Aaron Martin (Angry Woebots artist)@ last month's G40: The Summit in Arlington, VA

Finally, this is not a blog about pandas. Although I do love pandas and I might write about them occasionally. I was determined to use "roaring panda" in my title because it's a great irony (I am constantly entertained by) that is actually sort of accurate. (Check out the fun facts on Giant Pandas on the San Diego Zoo website.) Pandas don't roar exactly like other bears do, but they are not always the gentle giants people imagine them to be. That's the essence of what I will explore in this blog. I will try to dig deeper, beneath the veneer, of topics I come across that interests me.