Spreading The Word of Self-Acceptance @ Itaewon in Seoul

A couple of months back, a video of a lady standing on the sidewalk wearing only her bikini and asking people to draw 'hearts' on her body went viral. It was a way of sending a message that everyone should accept their body, no matter what size it is.

And last weekend, as I was talking through Itaewon on my way home, I saw a couple of ladies, who were definitely not Koreans, standing on the sidewalk and asking people to draw 'hearts' or a write a message on their bodies.

A message on their board said: "TODAY I STAND HERE WITH LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE FOR MY BODY". 

I thought it was spot on. The message, that is.

The Korean society has a bad habit of judging people with how they look: from the color of their skin, to the kind of face, and to the type of one's body. That's the reason why plastic surgery clinics are raking it in. Everyone wants to look handsome and beautiful because if he or she is not, they feel inferior than everyone else. And if one is trying to find employment, they're sometimes judged, not by what's on their resume, but by the amazing result of their trip to a plastic surgery clinic! This kind of pressure from the society causes low self-esteem to many young adults in Korea.

And these ladies standing on the sidewalk of Itaewon were definitely trying to send a message that day to Koreans and foreigners alike: accept and love who you are!

Accept your body and face as they are, and there's no need to visit that plastic surgery clinic, or get into that fad diet programs and pills that could harm your body. Save your money instead, and spend it on movies, pizza, or on cups of iced cafe mocha. :-)

Person of the Week: Sinchon's Piano Man

Seoul's Sinchon Rotary is always crowded. During the week, it's full of university students as this spot is close to four universities: Sogang (where I used to play tennis!), Yonsei, Ewha Woman's, and Hong-ik. The main artery of Sinchon, Yonsei-ro, is full of cafes, shops, private institutes and restaurants.

Last July, Yonsei-ro, the artery connecting Sinchon Rotary to the entrance of Yonsei University, hosted a huge water slide where those who wanted to cool off during the summer stripped down to their swim wear and slid down the slipper slide.

But tonight, as I walked along Yonsei-ro from my quick visit to service center to have my defective USB checked, I spotted this guy playing on a piano on the sidewalk. He was oblivious to the noises of people passing by and buses driving past him. 

The melodies he was playing attracted some passers-by, including myself. I stood for a few minutes to listen to his virtuoso performance, and for a moment, if only the acoustics were good, and if the piano's strings were of better quality, his mini-concierto could have been worthy of standing ovation from everyone. Well, actually, since everyone was standing to listen, it was indeed a standing ovation. 

Like most of Korean kids, I also studied piano when I was in grade school. But this talented piano man performing along Yonsei-ro is probably a music major, who was just polishing his Rachmaninoff on this rusty upright piano and playing for anyone who just wanted to listen to some music amidst the noise of the city.

This musician is our person of the week.

The 2015 R16 World BBoy Championships @ Seoul's Jangchung Gymnasium

Over the years, the R16 World Bboy Championships were held at the Olympic Park in Seoul, which was a bit far for me to travel. I would need about an hour to take the bus and subway to get there.

But luckily for me, this year, they brought it closer - to Jangchung Gymnasium in the Junggu District, which is about ten minutes by bus from where I live! That close!

           (Crowds lining up to enter the 
               Jangchung Gymnasium)

                  (Joonho at the R16 marker)

             (A bboy crew posing inside 
                    the Gymnasium)

In the previous years, these annual bboy championships were always in the calendar of both local and international bboy fanatics in Korea.

The Championships are held over two days. On the first day are the finals for solo competitions for bboy, locking, and popping. And on the second day, it's all about the crews: the best performance and the best in battle.

  (The judges of the crew performance and battles)

                    (Team Korean turned the                                           house...upside down)

In the past championships at the Olympic Park, the organizers included a graffiti alley where famous graffiti artists impressed everyone with their creativity and works of art. I actually looked forward to it, but the R16 organizers told me that, since the Jangchung Gymnasium grounds didn't have enough space, the graffiti attraction was dropped this year.

I watched the crew competitions on the second day, and I was able to bring along two friends with me: Joonho, who wanted to become a bboy, and Eugene, who is a real bboy! If you've heard of Bboy Dynamo from Philadelphia, that's Eugene. 

                  (Lock N' Crew's showcase                                                   performance)

Before battling each other, the eight teams from Korea, USA, Russia, Taiwan, Netherlands, Kazakhstan, China, and Australia impressed the crowds with their showcase performance, which were judged. 

As always, the competition electrified the Jangchung Gymnasium with those incredible moves, dislocating stunts and flips that temporarily defied gravity. But in the end, there could only be one champion crew. 

                  (And the winner is....)

                   (...Team Russia!)

Team Russia won the final battle against Team USA, while Team Korea won the best performance. I think Team Russia's victory over the closest rival team would have made Vladimir proud. :-)

Although only Team Russia and Team Korea brought home the winners' checks that night, the bboy culture in Korea in particular, and the bboy generation all over the world in general were also the winners that night.

So, thanks again to R16 and to the Korea Tourism Organization for another round of crazy, electrifying and memorable bboy performances and battles! Joonho and Eugene had a fun time watching the championships here in Seoul. Eugene even had a chance to say 'hi' to DJ Skeme Richards, one of the guest DJs, who's also from Philly.

Next year, I hope you hold the Championships again here in my neighborhood because this year was, to use ghetto-speak, dope! 

The Best Singers in Korea Don't Sing K-Pop!

The very first time I turned on the TV in Seoul years ago, I surfed the channels and ended up watching a show featuring K-pop singers. There were girl bands, boy bands and soloists. After minutes of watching, I decided to watch the news channel instead. Ha-ha-ha!

Having listened to really good professional singers all my life, I was disappointed to hear ordinary and, at times, mediocre singing on Korean TV. Although I could not understand the lyrics, I could tell whether she, he, or they weren't really singers at all. They were just dressed up, made up, and showcased as an entertainer. The formula seemed like: as long as he or she is good-looking, who cares about the horrible singing? Ha-ha-ha! 

Of course, there are standouts; the real singers with good voices. Who are they? They are the ones who still have a career and an audience year in and year out, unlike those girlbands and boybands who seemed to evaporate alongside global warming.

And since I have heard people singing in almost all the places where one can impress an audience (captive or not!), I conclude that the best singers in Korea don't ever sing K-pop!

People sing at norae-bang, buses, trains, small stages, and sidewalks! But the best ones prefer to stay hidden, up there in the church choir, providing music for the soul, and music that you can't possibly compare to that heard at entertainment shows where the so-called professional singers lip-sync.  

So, if you want to listen to the best singers in Korea, you know where to find them.

Snacks of the Day: Red Bean Bread!

Next to that bindaetteok restaurant in Namdaemun Market is a stall that also catches your attention...and appetite!

They display several types of bread snacks on their table, and what always draws me to their display is the red bean bread, coated with white dough and then steamed. The bread looks like dumpling, but instead of some mandu filling, they squeeze in sweetened red bean paste! I guess this is the healthier version of the pat-pang, because the other pat-pang variety is a bread, deep-fried and sprinkled with white sugar.

Each pat-pang (bread filled with red bean paste) costs only KRW1,000 each. So, I usually buy...three! Ha-ha-ha! One is not always enough!

The next time you're in Namdaemun Market, do look for their stall near Gate 2, next to the bindaetteok restaurant and get one, two, or more of their bread that you can describe as your own snacks of the day!

Bindaetteok For Lunch, Anyone?

Hidden somewhere inside Namdaemun Market in Seoul is a small restaurant that's always full during lunch time and even more popular at night. Actually, it's not that hidden. It's just a few meters from Gate 2 of Namdaemun Market. 

This is the bindaetteok restaurant. Bindaetteok is ground mung beans and then fried in a batter to look like pancakes. Although Gwangjang Market in the Jongno District is more popular for this dish, you can always satisfy your craving if you can't go that far.

             (I told the ajumma I was coming back 
            if she corrected the spelling. Ha-ha-ha!)

On a few occasions, I ordered take-out from this restaurant when I didn't have the time to properly sit and enjoy bindaetteok on the spot. Unfortunately, when I took the bus carrying my bindaetteok, the smell of the freshly fried pancake wafted through the air-conditioned bus, which probably caused my fellow passengers to drool and to also want to hunt down which passenger was carrying the warm, ready-to-eat bindaetteok. I got home safe with my bindaetteok that day. Ha-ha-ha! 

Bindaetteok is served on a plate, sliced into squares. There are variations of bindaetteok: seafood, pork, vegetable, plain, or any other garnishings you can throw in with the ground mung beans. You also need a dip if you want it salty.

If you want to try these yourself, just look for the Gate 2 of Namdaemun Market. I'm not talking about the subway station; the Namdaemun Market has several entrances/exits around it. Look for Gate 2, and a few meters into Gate 2, on your left, you'll see a table displaying freshly fried bindaetteok. Get inside the restaurant and order from their English menu pasted on the wall. 

Enjoy!

                            (Ready-to-enjoy bindaetteok!)

Seoul's Dongho: Not A Bridge Too Far

I always call this bridge the Oksu Bridge. Why? Because if you take the subway, Oksu Station (of Line 3) is the last subway station from my side of the Han River before it crosses over to the Gangnam side. And the other station waiting on the Gangnam side is Apgujeong Station. 

But these days (or nights for that matter!), I call it by its real name, Dongho Bridge.

I have been walking along the Han River banks all these years, and probably could name most of the bridges that traverse the river. And on these walks, I always get drawn towards the popular Banpo Bridge, where the rainbow fountains are installed.

But lately, I found that the Banpo fountains have lost their colors, I decided to walk (and look!) the other way. Like a moth, I got drawn towards another colorful bridge: the Dongho Bridge!

From afar, Dongho Bridge's bluish, lavender lights that seem to have been smartly installed on the edge of the bridge, reflect on the Han River's waters below on a still night.

In summer, the cyclists, joggers, couples, mom with baby strollers, and one Pinoy get to stop for a moment and admire the relaxing colors of the bridge. 

And since Dongho Bridge hosts the train track of Line 3, the Orange Line, I wonder if it was deliberate that they painted the steel beams on the bridge orange. And even the huge concrete bridge support below are bathed in light and reflect an orangey light, making the look complete. 

Although it has no fountains and no tourists gathered around it like its neighbor two bridges away, Dongho Bridge has its own true colors.

                      (No fishing!)

See you again tonight, Dongho Bridge!