Assalamualaikum
🔵Selesai lawat Gyeongbokgung Palace dan National Folk Museum of Korea (both indoor and outdoor exhibitions), kami dibawa Clara ke sebuah restoran vegetarian untuk makan tengahari.
🔵Autumn Scenery: Seoul parks are particularly renowned for their beautiful autumn foliage, with golden ginkgo and red maple trees, making it a popular spot for viewing fall colors.
🔵Locations like this offer a glimpse into Korea's rich history and cultural heritage, showcasing traditional architecture and providing opportunities to learn about the Joseon Dynasty and Korean traditions.
🔵The presence of trees with changing leaf colors beautifully reflect the autumn season, adding to the scenic beauty of the location.
🔵Masa berjalan itu, Clara bercerita pada kami tentang pokok ginkgo yang menjadi pokok hiasan bandar di Seoul ini.
🔹Kerajaan tempatan Korea cenderung lebih suka menanam pokok ginkgo jantan berbanding pokok betina kerana bau yang tidak menyenangkan yang dihasilkan oleh buah pokok betina.
🔹Pokok ginkgo betina menghasilkan buah berisi (fleshy fruits) yang, apabila reput, mengeluarkan bau yang kuat dan tidak menyenangkan.
🔹Untuk mengelakkan perkara ini, beberapa kerajaan tempatan telah menggantikan pokok betina dengan pokok jantan yang tidak berbuah.
🔹Buah yang berbau busuk: Pokok ginkgo betina menghasilkan buah yang mengandungi asid butirik, yang menghasilkan bau yang kuat dan menggangu.
🔹Gangguan awam: Buah-buah yang reput mengotorkan jalan dan boleh menjadi mengganggu pejalan kaki dan penunggang basikal, terutamanya di kawasan bandar.
🔹Inisiatif kerajaan: Beberapa kerajaan tempatan di Korea Selatan telah secara aktif menggantikan pokok ginkgo betina dengan pokok jantan di ruang awam untuk mengurangkan masalah bau dan kekotoran.
🔹Kos dan masa: Mengganti pokok-pokok itu boleh memakan kos yang tinggi dan mengambil masa, kerana sukar untuk menentukan jantina pokok ginkgo sehingga ia matang dan mengeluarkan buah (yang boleh mengambil masa 15-20 tahun).
🔵A beautiful display of Surfinia Petunias in a hanging basket on a lamppost.
🔹At first glance, bunga-bunga ni nampak cantik dan perfect, ingatkan bunga plastik. Tapi kata Clara ini bunga betul 😃.
🔵Surfinia petunias have wide array of colors available, making them a popular choice for adding a touch of elegance and visual interest to any garden or outdoor space.
🔵Across the road is the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.
🔹The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is a contemporary art museum with four branches in Gwacheon, Deoksugung, Seoul and Cheongju.
🔹The museum was first established in 1969 as the only national art museum in the country accommodating modern and contemporary art of Korea and international art of different time periods.
🔵This is the Gyeongbokgung Stonewall Walkway in Seoul, with the wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace on the right.
🔹This walkway surrounds Gyeongbokgung Palace, the first and largest royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty.
🔵A cafe, 7E dan kedai sewa hanbok.
🔵The image shows a building adorned with colorful lanterns, identified by the text as "법련사" (Beomnyeonsa), which is located in the vicinity of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea.
🔹Beomnyeonsa: This is a Buddhist temple known for its traditional architecture and often hosts cultural events or displays, such as the colorful lanterns seen in the image, likely for a special occasion or festival.
🔵Pintas jalan melalui lorong kecil ini.
🔹Beomnyeonsa Temple is the Seoul branch of Songgwangsa Temple, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, located in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
🔹It is located across from Gyeongbokgung Palace and is a Buddhist temple that aims to practice and spread Buddhism in the city.
🔹Beomnyeonsa Temple grounds feature golden Buddha statues and a garden area, with the hanging red lanterns and statues.
🔹The banner: "The original, pure mind is everywhere, and everything in this world reveals its true form."
🔵Menyusuri sebuah taman, Songhyeon Green Plaza namanya.
🔵Cantik taman ini. I was hoping we would be able to jalan-jalan in this park after lunch nanti.
🔵Meanwhile, capture dulu any sceneries yang sempat.
🔵Wah! Got beautiful flower gardens. These are Zinnia flowers, specifically Zinnia elegans, also known as common zinnia or elegant zinnia.
🔵Blanket Flowers, which are popular for their vibrant, daisy-like blooms.
🔵This is a Korean Buddhist Traditional Cultural Center.
🔵Nama restoran lunch kami ialah Kkotnuri Deulbap Restaurant atau 꽃누리들밥 경복궁점 - Kkotnuri Rice Gyeongbokgung Branch.
🔹It is located on the basement level of the Taegojong General Affairs Office in the alley behind Song Hyun Park, next to a Korean Buddhist Traditional Cultural Center.
🔵Pintu masuk ke restoran.
🔵Restoran ini lokasinya di basement. Sampai je di sini, ada long queue. Popular sungguh restoran ini rupanya.
🔹Jadi Clara daftar nama kami di waiting list restoran ini dan suggested untuk kami bersiar-siar dulu di Songhyeon Green Plaza tadi dan datang semula dalam masa lebih kurang 30 minit.
🔹Pada kami cadangan Clara itu memang bagus sangat lah 😄.
🔵Ok, jom kita jalan-jalan di Songhyeon Green Plaza ini.
🔵Captured this beautiful park scenery featuring both a garden scape and a city scape, with a prominent pathway designed to lead the eye through the composition.
🔹Garden Scape: The foreground and midground are dominated by a vibrant garden scape, characterized by lush green grass and beds of colorful wildflowers in shades of yellow, orange, and pink.
🔹City Scape: In the background, a modern city scape emerges, featuring a cluster of high-rise buildings and other urban structures under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.
🔹Leading Pathway: A paved pathway, made of light and dark grey square tiles, extends from the foreground into the midground, subtly guiding viewer's gaze towards the city skyline.
🔵Garden scapes and city scapes offer contrasting but complementary views.
🔹A garden scape emphasizes natural elements like plants, trees, and water features, creating a peaceful and serene environment.
🔹In contrast, a city scape focuses on the built environment, including buildings, streets, and infrastructure, often showcasing the energy and dynamism of urban life.
🔵Contrast and Integration:
🔹While distinct, garden scapes and city scapes can sometimes be integrated, such as in urban parks or rooftop gardens, blending natural elements with the built environment.
🔹The concept of a "garden city" movement aims to combine aspects of both, creating self-sustaining towns with green spaces integrated into the urban fabric.
🔹Modern urban planning increasingly incorporates green spaces into city design, blurring the lines between garden and city scapes.
🔵Terdapat struktur kayu yang kelihatan seperti bunker di denai ini. Ia ialah Hanok Pavilion Jitda, salah satu karya yang tinggal dari 2023 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.
🔵Zinnia elegans, commonly known as common zinnia or Dahlia-Flowered Zinnia.
🔵Songhyeon Green Plaza, also known as Yeolrin Songhyeon Green Plaza, is a 37,117 square meter public park located in the heart of Seoul, between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Jongno.
🔹The Song Hyun-dong site was used as a residence for the Siksan Bank during the Japanese colonial period, as a US military residence after liberation, and as a US embassy residence.
🔹It was finally returned to the Korean government in 1997, but has since been left unused and was surrounded by high walls.
🔹The ownership of the site changed from Korean Air to Korea Housing and Urban Development Corporation.
🔹The ownership was transferred to the Korea Housing Corporation and then to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
🔹The Seoul Metropolitan Government redeveloped it into a green space and cultural hub, opening it to the public in 2022 as Open Song-Hyeon Green Plaza.
🔹It is now a space for culture, art, and relaxation, known for its spacious lawn, cultural events, and as a site for the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, showcasing art installations and offering a space for exploring urban design and architecture.
🔹The plaza is used for various events, including the "Light Festa in Songhyeon" during the Seoul Winter Festa, which features light installations and illuminations, transforming the space into a "forest of lights" with diverse illuminations.
🔵Large grassy area with modern architecture in the background and various art installations or structures in the foreground.
🔵This art installation is "Beyond the City Lights" by Yong Sun Jang - 2024 - Foxtail, LED light, Dimming control system, Stainless steel, Colored polycarbonate.
Source: https://artinseoul.kr/lastfestival/
🔹Foxtail, a symbol of the resilience of nature in the face of humanity's endless destruction of the environment, is transformed into flickering lights in Songhyeon Green Plaza.
🔹By placing foxtail, a metaphor of a discarded piece of nature, in a space holding the history and memories of a vanishing place, "Beyond the City Lights" brings together the past and present, humans and other lifeforms, the city and nature.
🔹The myriad of plants that were once discarded by humans return in a new form-light-by yet another human, evoking a paradoxical nostalgia for nature.
🔹The artist continues to ask how his interventions can create meaning when humans repeat the cycle of destroying and restoring nature.
🔵With this image I tried to effectively showcases the harmonious coexistence of natural green spaces and urban development, with the pathway serving as a visual element that connects these two distinct environments.
🔵With the presence of people walking along the path, I tried to further emphasize the public and recreational nature of this urban green space.
🔵A vibrant collection of Chrysanthemums, commonly known as "mums". These herbaceous perennials belong to the Asteraceae (aster or daisy) family.
🔵An art installation depicted in this image is named 'Memory Weed' by artist Buhm Hong
🔵Hong Beom - Memory Weed - 2024 - Plexiglass - Aurora high polystyrene sheet - Variable dimensions.
Source: https://artinseoul.kr/lastfestival/
🔹Buhm Hong connects and reveals overlapping memories and experiences that change over time through various media such as drawing, video, and installation.
🔹Over time, memories of places and moments imprinted in Hong's mind constantly shift as they are superimposed.
🔹Hong's surreal window to the world consists of non-linear and abstract moments full of connections and disconnections, presenting the viewers with a synesthetic experience that transcends time and space.
🔹Buhm Hong has mainly presented spaces that cannot be seen in real life and only exist in memory through variations on furniture or building structures.
🔹The Memory Weed series is a landscape of memories that expand his project outward.
🔹Like weeds growing out of an abandoned space, the images overlap and connect as they spread outward with an amazing vitality.
🔹The ever-changing and evolving memories are displayed in a new space and intersect with the viewer, providing unique memories for each individual's future.
🔹The installation features numerous translucent, colorful panels arranged to resemble a fantastical landscape or a cluster of trees, with water elements adding to the visual effect.
🔹The iridescent material of the panels reflects and refracts light, creating a shimmering, ethereal appearance, especially when illuminated by the sun or artificial lights.
🔹This type of public art aims to enhance urban spaces and provide interactive visual experiences for visitors.
🔵Indonesian tourists dressed in traditional Korean attire, known as Hanbok.
🔵My wife said that these modern, sculptural outdoor lounge chairs were actually quite comfortable despite made of solid light-colored, possibly concrete or a similar durable, weather-resistant material, suitable for outdoor use.
🔵Particularly the one that my wife was lounging on, it looked like it was ergonomically design for comfortable lounging with a reclined backrest and a lower seating area.
🔵This art installation is called "Wind-Horse of Sky" by artist Sung Hoon Kang.
🔹Kang Sung-hoon <Wind-Horse of Sky>, copper, stainless steel.
Source: https://artinseoul.kr/lastfestival/
🔹Wind-Horse of Sky depicts a 'Cheonma (天馬)' ascending to the sky.
🔹'Cheonma' is a mythological horse, winged and ridden by a divine being.
🔹Through the undulations created by the copper lines overlapping and dispersing, Sung Hoon Kang sought to capture the dynamic movement of the mythological creature's jump.
🔹The rhythmic movement created by the thin copper wires reflects the condensed energy and speed of the Cheonma ripping through the wind and leaping into the sky.
🔹Kang also moves beyond the figure of the Cheonma to include the flow of air that surrounds it, maximizing the action.
🔹The vertical lines circling the Cheonma depict the invisible movement of the wind as the creature soars into the sky, presenting an immersive, three-dimensional sight.
🔵This art installation is called "Moss Column" by artist Yong Ju Lee - 2024.
Source: https://artinseoul.kr/lastfestival/
🔹Moss Columns is an experiment that combines organic material with man-made, inorganic architecture.
🔹The columns are made using 3D printers and industrial robots, and they provide an artificial environment for the living organism, moss.
🔹The sight of moss taking root in a visibly man-made column offers a new perspective on sustainability and the coexistence of the artificial and natural.
🔹Green Space: The foreground is dominated by a large, open green lawn with scattered contemporary art installations and sculptures, creating a blend of nature and art within the city.
🔹Urban Architecture: In the background, a cluster of modern high-rise buildings defines the urban skyline, showcasing a mix of architectural styles, including glass-clad structures and more traditional building designs.
🔹Atmosphere: The scene captures a tranquil yet urban atmosphere, where a public park offers a respite amidst a bustling city backdrop, under a partly cloudy sky.
🔵These row of boulders/marbles is a art installation titled "Sky+" by artist Hyun Bhin Kwon - Marble, Ink - dimension variable - 2024.
Source: https://artinseoul.kr/lastfestival/
🔹Sky+ reflects the artist's impression of the physical world that arose after observing the sky for a long period.
🔹The blue sky is full of countless invisible substances, and even the clouds are not static but constantly changing and flowing.
🔹Matter in the sky and air creates new currents in nature and transforms into different states depending on the weather.
🔹The artist observes how the sky and clouds change and seeks to capture the moment by letting ink seep into solid marble.
🔹However, the images cannot be fixed in marble and constantly change according to the weather and environment, prompting the viewers to imagine infinite time, a concept unfathomable to humans.
🔹The attempt to give shape to an invisible world by imposing oneself onto natural objects is inevitably an unattainable and paradoxical objective.
🔹Nevertheless, Kwon never ceases to imagine the impossible as she splits, pierces, and grinds the material she works with.
🔵Ok, time's up. Jom kita ke restoran.
🔵Masih lagi long queue. So kami pun duduk menunggu. Clara pula pergi ke kereta untuk park kereta di lokasi lebih dekat dengan restoran ini. Dia sudah pesan pada pekerja restoran untuk menjemput kami ke meja jika giliran kami tiba dan jika dia masih belum balik lagi ke restoran ketika itu.
🔵Selepas 15 minit, kami pun diajak ke meja oleh pekerja restoran.
🔵Kkotnuri Deulbap is a Korean restaurant located in Seoul, near Songhyeon Park and Gyeonghuigung Palace.
🔹It's known for its excellent Korean dishes and is situated in the basement level of the Taegojong General Affairs Office.
🔹The restaurant uses a kiosk for ordering and offers a self-service zone for refilling side dishes and rice.
🔹Reviews on Tripadvisor suggest it's a good place for affordable Korean cuisine, with most people spending 20,000 to 30,000 won (RM60 to RM 90) per person
🔵The restaurant serves "Deulbap" which typically refers to a set of rice dish with various side dishes.
🔹One pays a set amount per person for all-you-can-eat self serve rice, side dishes, and fermented bean soup.
🔹The dishes are typical Korean home cooked food with rice/soup in the hot stone pot and plenty of good quality Banchans (Korean side dishes) and are mostly vegetarian.
🔹One can eat unlimited refills of side dishes.
🔵Ok, makanan dah sampai.
🔹The set meal includes rice cooked in a pot, fermented soybean paste stew, and 12 side dishes.
🔹The set meal is served by the staff, and for refills, just go to the self-service side dishes bar.
🔵Flower Nuri Rice Set Meal is the name of this meal package.
🔹The ingredients are fresh. The simple side dishes, which include stir-fried anchovies, lotus root, cabbage kimchi, and veggies, have a mild flavor and allow you to sample a range of cuisines, which is a plus.
🔹The side dishes are arranged in separate bowls and plated elegantly.
🔹It is advised for people who desire a wholesome, nourishing meals.
🔵Rice is served in a stone pot covered with wooden lid.
🔵Hot water in a thermos is also provided for us to pour into the stone pot to soften the scorched rice so that we can eat them and not waste the rice.
🔵When done with placing all the dishes on our table, this lady explained to us the tradition of softening the scorched rice in the stone pot.
🔹Of course we did not understand a word she said but totally understood what she was trying to tell us by interpreting her hands gestures 😀.
🔵The food is not spicy and quite tasty. The fried eggplant was exceptional.
🔵The green bottle with Korean writing ("보성녹차" or Boseong Green Tea) suggests a beverage often enjoyed with the meal.
🔹Top Left: A serving of mixed grain rice, likely incorporating black beans or other grains for added color and texture, served on a metal plate.
🔹Top Right: A dish featuring what appears to be stir-fried or seasoned vegetables, possibly burdock root (eongong-jorim) or similar root vegetables, coated in a savory and slightly spicy sauce with visible red pepper flakes.
🔹Bottom Left: Two round, orange-hued items submerged in a reddish, glossy sauce, resembling sweet potatoes or similar root vegetables prepared in a sweet and spicy glaze. This could be goguma-mattang (candied sweet potato) or a variation with a spicy sauce.
🔹Bottom Right: A serving of seasoned green onions or spring onions (pajeori), dressed with a red pepper-based sauce, indicating a fresh and pungent flavor profile.
🔹Top Left: This appears to be dried fernbrake (gosari namul), a common Korean side dish made from blanched and seasoned bracken ferns.
🔹Top Right: This dish likely consists of seasoned mountain greens or wild vegetables (san namul), possibly a type of root or stem vegetable, prepared with seasonings like gochujang or soy sauce.
🔹Bottom Left: This dish features thinly sliced or julienned white root vegetables, possibly bellflower root (doraji namul) or another type of seasoned root vegetable.
🔹Bottom Right: This is kimchi, a staple Korean side dish made from fermented napa cabbage with a distinctive red chili paste seasoning.
🔹Top Left: Appears to be a seasoned and stir-fried wild vegetable or fern, possibly something like chwinamul (seasoned aster greens) or gosari namul (seasoned bracken fern).
🔹Top Right: Features vibrant green leafy vegetables, likely a type of sigeumchi namul (seasoned spinach) or another blanched and seasoned green vegetable.
🔹Bottom Left: Shows a spicy, reddish side dish with a distinct texture, potentially ojingeochae muchim (seasoned dried shredded squid) or another form of spicy seasoned vegetable or seafood.
🔹Bottom Right: Contains a unique, porous white substance, which is yeonkeun jorim (braised lotus root), known for its distinct texture and subtly sweet and savory flavor.
🔹Left: Deep-fried Eggplant with Filling: This dish features pieces of eggplant that appear to be deep-fried, possibly with a filling, and are served on a silver-colored plate alongside fresh green lettuce for garnish.
🔹Right: Grilled Fish: This side dish consists of at least two pieces of grilled fish, served on a metal tray. The fish pieces have a golden-brown, crispy appearance, and one piece clearly shows the head of the fish. They are topped with sesame seeds.
🔵Merendam kerak nasi dengan air panas dan dimakan merupakan satu tradisi orang Korea yang menitikberatkan amalan tidak membazir makanan.
🔹Di Korea, merendam kerak nasi dalam air panas adalah amalan tradisional yang dikenali sebagai nurungji (누룽지), dan ia merupakan satu cara untuk meminimumkan sisa makanan.
🔹Kerak nasi dinikmati sebagai snek atau hidangan terakhir, selalunya dengan air panas dituangkan ke atasnya untuk melembutkannya.
🔹Ini adalah amalan biasa dalam isi rumah Korea dan mencerminkan nilai yang berakar umbi untuk tidak membiarkan mana-mana bahagian nasi menjadi sia-sia.
🔵The eatery features a tidy, cafeteria-style ambiance.
🔵The side dishes bar. Unlimited refills.
To be continued.
Till the next coming entry, inshaAllah. Meanwhile do take care.
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