New York, I Love you

I’m about to head out to Seattle.  Stopping through Portland and LA, I will be arriving to NY eventually as it would be my primary visit this summer.  As a pre-New Yorker, it brings me back all the strange indescribable emotions whenever I visit that city.  I’m staying at unfamiliar neighborhood, still meeting new friends and old friends, adventuring out more.  Still, New York is what it is.  A city with lifestyle whiche you won’t find anywhere else in the world.  I was listening to LCD Soundsystem’s “New York, I Love You. But, you are bringing me down”  – a greate lyric.  You will understand truely if you were once a New Yorker.

New York, I Love You. But, You Are Bringing Me Down
by LCD Soundsystem

New York, I Love You
But you’re bringing me down

New York, I Love You
But you’re bringing me down

Like a rat in a cage
Pulling minimum wage

New York, I Love You
But you’re bringing me down

New York, you’re safer
And you’re wasting my time

Our records all show
You are filthy but fine

But they shuttered your stores
When you opened the doors
To the cops who were bored
Once they’d run out of crime

New York, you’re perfect
Don’t please don’t change a thing

Your mild billionaire mayor’s
Now convinced he’s a king

So the boring collect
I mean all disrespect

In the neighborhood bars
I’d once dreamt I would drink

New York, I Love You
But you’re freaking me out

There’s a ton of the twist
But we’re fresh out of shout

Like a death in the hall
That you hear through your wall

New York, I Love You
But you’re freaking me out

New York, I Love You
But you’re bringing me down

New York, I Love You
But you’re bringing me down

Like a death of the heart
Jesus, where do I start?

But you’re still the one pool
Where I’d happily drown

And oh.. Take me off your mailing list
For kids that think it still exists
Yes, for those who think it still exists

Maybe I’m wrong
And maybe you’re right
Maybe I’m wrong
And myabe you’re right

Maybe you’re right
Maybe I’m wrong
And just maybe you’re right

And Oh..
Maybe mother told you true
And they’re always be something there for you
And you’ll never be alone

But maybe she’s wrong
And maybe I’m right
And just maybe she’s wrong

Maybe she’s wrong
And maybe I’m right
And if so, is there?

 

Spring Fever

spring flowers in the street

It is spring at last. It has come a bit earlier but, we know that it will get chilly with its whimsical wind. The first sign of spring is cherry blossom in the street as well as yellow spring flowers called “Nari” but, when you start to see these brilliant spring flowers (photo above) you know Spring has come to us finally. These flowers are everywhere in Korea, in the street, in the campus and even in the rooftop gardens.

I walked around to buy a new external hard drive (how dry & geeky?) and was delighted to find colorful scene in my neighborhood. New born green leaves, very colorful spring flowers cheers me up a bit at least.

Spring makes my heart pumps a little faster with unknown mysterious hope.

 

Some Personal Updates from Seoul

After my brother’s wedding in Manhattan Beach, CA (oh, I haven’t even blogged about it!) I returned to Seoul two days before the first day of Spring semester. A year starts in spring semester in Korean universities so I usually get fresh new faces in my classes. Some have become more mature during winter break or their 1 or 2 year long breaks. It’s a big trend that Sophomore or Junior students taking few years off to travel the world or get some professional experience, it’s prominent as about 40% of students don’t come back after winter break every year. Of course there are about 40% returning from their long absence or military services.

March passed in a light speed but, painstakingly busy so it felt like 36 hrs a day. First week greeted me with WCU (government funding research proposal for 4 years) application for the second round. The budget has been cut to like 30% of what it used to be but, still it’s a decent amount so we had to re-estimate detailed 4 year budget lists. The good news is that we passed the first round review so that, chance of getting it has increased. After handing the application, my mother has arrived in Korea to get some health exams in hospitals. She is over 60 years old and with her dependent personality, it requires a lot of care from my side for her to stay with me in my small apt. After about one month, she finally gave me some break by visiting my uncle for next 10 days. whew! Finally, I can sleep better for a while. With on going project in New York & some upcoming proposals, I don’t get any good sleep from sundays to thursday s every week. It’s not surprising that my stomach has been ruined (again) and I’m losing weight every week. I really need to find time to exercise. Do I sound cranky?  It’s all from lack of sleep.

Among these stressful schedule, there are some lovely time still. It’s always nice to see or hear from my former students whether they are preparing for the exhibition or getting into grad schools in NYC or Germany. There was a gallery reception for Suh few weeks ago. It was like DMD(Digital Media Design) alumni gathering. There were alums from 2003-last year + current students filled the cafe above the gallery space. I met former students from 2007 – my first batch of students who got graduated. Some close students has stayed with the kind gallery owner who let us use the cafe as our own livingroom and we drank wine until 2 am. They told me what it really worked and how valuable learning they found and thanked me for exposing them to stuff, which I find very grateful and cute. I was thinking about my own college years. How was I?

Beside advising a team of physical game design team outside of class, I’ve been planning for the presentation about a book, “The Botany of Desire” by Michael Pollen as I was re-writing an interactive online solution proposal for a PBS documentary film. In my department, every Monday morning at 8:30 am, we have a professors seminar for 1 and half hours. Each professor take a turn to present about anything they read or watch or research. It’s my turn again. Beside taking 6:40 am train to school, now I have to prepare for 1 & half hour presentation for the other professors – right after a weekend trip with 200 students. Yeap, it’s that time of the year, M. T. trip! I just returned yesterday from Jeollado. It was quite fun this time joking with colleagues and students all the time although I stayed up all night working for the website soft launch in NYC a night before. Naturally, I fell asleep right after I was back in my apt yesterday even it was like 5 pm in the afternoon and it was a coma-like sleep. I slept through morning and it was delicious and sweet.

I’m a night owl and teaching life style doesn’t allow me to indulge that. It only leads me to unbalance of sleeping consumption. I want my beauty sleep back!

 

The Submarines @ Mercury Lounge

Some of you might have heard their song on iPhone commercial. Two members(there are three memebers) of The submarines are Blake and John and they are good friends of my good friend so I have seen their performances few times here in NY. The first, at the Joe’s Pub (2004?) and the second time at the Mercury Lounge last summer. I like how they always remembered my name and pronounced it perfectly. Last summer when I was visiting NYC, my friend told me they are in town and we went to see them performing for our catch up. They just released their new album and it was great.

Again, we’ve been trying to find a time to catch up again during my visit to NYC this winter, and he sent me an email that The Submarines are playing at the Mercury Lounge. I thought, wow, again? They tend to be in town at the same time I’m! The shows were all sold out and it was very crowded and I could see they got even more fan this time. The performance was great as usual and they are really cute people. If you talk to them, you will know what I mean.

They said my name out loud with a joy when they saw me and were very glad to see me and their good friend(my friend) who kept catching up with me during their performances like it’s a routine. Well, to be fair, he didn’t know they were in town until the last minute and I didn’t mind at all. I love live music & it was lovely to see them. They will be heading back to LA after tour and so am I next week. GO THE SUBMARINES!

If you haven’t seen them performing live, here is youtube video of them singing. It’s better to see them live of course. Enjoy!

 

2008 xmas trip to Thailand

Last half of year 2008 passed by in light speed with my students’ graduation exhibition, the end of semester and graduating gathering… among them, last week of December has been a spectacular experience to end a year.

Yes, I decide to make a trip to Ann and Mark’s wedding & post wedding group trip in Thailand almost at last minute and I did the right thing.

This xmas is the first one I couldn’t spend with my family due to my faculty resonsibility during early January. Yeah, it would have been sad to stay in Seoul alone in cold weather during xmas. So, it was a perfect timing, many thanks to Ann & Mark for many more things…

The wedding was beautiful. It was truly global, interactive, technological and traditional and modern. I’ve arrived Chiang Mai in the morning of the wedding day so I missed the dinner before so I didn’t have a chance to introduce myself to many other friends of the couple from Fabrica and ITP (some of ITPers were like a face-matching-with-name game, if you know what I mean.) I’m sure I missed a lot more things on Saturday night. Anyway, food was delicious and I especially appreciate goat stew that Ann’s father specially got them slaughtered with the holy buddhist ceremony and cooked. There were at least 3 DJs that ITP represents at the post wedding party although I had to go to bed soon after 36 hrs of almost no sleep.

Next day, I chose to go to downtown Chiang Mai instead of going to Flying of Bricks. eh, I’ve watched Amazing Race – flying between tall tree branches are not my thing. Instead, I was able to enjoy amazing Northern Thai local cuisine. I found myself that I like northern Thai (close to Laos and Cambodia) food better. I had this amazing chicken soup with egg noodles with an accent of pickled cabbage called, “Khao Soi” I already crave this dish, mmmmmmmmmm.. (Thanks, Jane for taking us there)

After Chiang Mai, we flew down and reassembled at Bangkok airport. That was to ride a double deck bus down to the south in order to take 2 hr speed boat to an island, “Koh Lipe” After 33 of us including the groom and the bride’s family waited around for an hour for this mysterious double deck bus (the most of tour buses are double deck and they are very colorful in Thailand,) we started 14 hr ride bus trip down to the south. It was an adventure. I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t with this cool group of friends.

Now, I have to describe these global artistic geeks from all over the world. If you ask such a question, “Where are you from?” You will get two different answers. Either where their nationalities are or where they are living now. For example, Japanese and Chinese friends are from Amsterdam and a Russian from Shanghai, a spanish from SF in USA… myself, an American in Seoul, Korea….and the list goes on. Through ITP and Fabrica, Ann and Mark are the center of this group.

Back to Koh Lipe, it was beautiful, warm, delicious —- ahhhhhhh! several islands around it was cool to stop by as well. Koh Lipe is dreamy especially someone like me who came from temperature below zero weather.

With a dozen of mosquitto bite marks and sands in my shoes, I returned to this cold reality but, it’s time to daydream another trip to somewhere else.

 

monologue

Oh…!

There was something that has shaken me from deep inside.  It started as a weak vibe that sneaked on me and  it slowly waved out further and wider like old eastern traditional buddhist bell’s sound wave.  I need to figure out  true shape of this subconscious wave.  It’s a delightful sign but, at the same  it scares me.

——————————

In the other hand, my close friend is dealing with a great loss of her loved one.  I wanted to be there but, she didn’t let her friends know when it happened.  I saw her yesterday hoping to support her when I found out…  Taking off to Thailand with heavy feelings. <sigh>

 

Trip to Gangwon-do with students

This year, I’m the adviser of the sophomore students at Digital Media Design Dept so they told me that I need to lead the team of students to their fall M.T. (Membership Training) Trip. What Koreans call, “M.T.” is actually not exactly a Membership Training. It is usually referred to the college kids’ trip during semester. They usually pick a destination and rent a bus and go for an weekend over night trip and there are usually few professors involved. This time around, it was only myself + one administrative T.A then, 48 students. Hmmm…. I felt like a real adult.

However, it turned out that they were more orderly and organized than I was. What kind of college kids are having fun until midnight playing different team games but no alcohols? (They did pack bottles of Soju, beer and others) They started to drink after midnight but, nobody was hung over next morning. They’ve cleaned after themselves with proper recycling bags. Wow! I’m impressed. I need to corrupt these kids a little bit…, note to myself.

Beside the fact I had to give up my weekend, it was pretty good to smell good fresh air and see funny looking sheep and play with youthful students! Half of them are taking my Interactive Communication Theory class so it was nice to play with familiar faces.

About Sheep: They are bigger than the grey sheep I saw in Ireland but very friendly. Their fur is so thick so that when I poke my finger deep into their fur, they didn’t even blink an eye. They are so peculiar but, soooo cute! I did look for a sheep with a star mark on it…. just like in Haruki Murakami’s ‘Wild Sheep Chase’

(laughing sheep. It was sunny but very very windy in the filed)

(students after BBQ porkbelly + potatoe)

 

Seoul Media Art Biennale 2008

‘Expense of Spirit in a Waste of Shame’ by Suzann Victor

A week ago, I decided to bike to Seoul Museum of Art near Duksu Palace since I finally had a real day off + weekend. It was to go see Seoul Media Art Biennale for the second time after the opening ceremony I went two weeks ago. It’s always lovely to walk by the old palace wall. How should I explain it? it’s narrow and curvy with stone wall one side and park like street the other side. It’s just a very cute path and the museum is on the hill where it ends. It was a warm autumn day so by the time I parked my small bike, I was sweating already. Uh-oh, I hope I won’t meet anyone I know.

The selection of arts are very impressive at exhibition, titled “Turn & Widen”. It’s very well curated and well displayed. (The curators are Maarten Bertheus, Raul Zamudio, Tohru Mtsumoto and Andreas Broeckmann.) I liked how they carefully laid out how people move art piece to piece. Media arts are exhibited in 3 floors and it is definitely worth to visit at least once if not twice. There are several art projects that I really found interesting.

(will get back with more writing here…)

Meanwhile I’m posting some of art installations that I was able to grab with my small digital camera. I biked back and didn’t bump into anyone I know…

“Augmented sculpture series” by pablo valbuena

 

Park(ing) Day

http://parkingdaynyc.org/

It was last weekend when I was working with my leftover energy to run a UbiComp workshop after a long nights of a proposal writing.  Since the workshop was about sustainability in Ubiquitous computing, the subject headline of the alumni list caught my eyes. If you are not familiar with The Park(ing) Day, please click on the link above. I think it’s beautiful. I wish I could hang out in NYC street in a small park in a parking lot.

Then, I thought how lovely it would be to have a parking spot turned into a small park here in Seoul. It would be tough though. There aren’t street meter parking lots here much. Well, I haven’t seen one. The parking lots in Seoul city are generally run privately instead by city. The only possible parking lot in the street is the one in the Hongik university area in Seoul. It’s usually packed with cars and people until 2 am but, if some people decided to leave their cars home and decorate the parking spots into a series of parks, it would look lovely and artsy as the neighborhood stands for.

People in Korea, some of them(many) own cars to show their status, not because they really need them. The public transportation here excels. You can get anywhere basically – faster and reliable and inexpensive. However, people prefer to bring their fancy cars to small streets of traffic jams so they can feel better about themselves. I’ve got asked several times why I don’t own a car like I should have one because of my profession. They almost think it’s not cool that I don’t own a car. Not that would effect me how I feel about having a car in a city where is full of air pollution and traffic jams. I usually answer them like this, “One less person with a car would be good for the environment and for the city.”

I have a driving license and if I really feel the need, I would drive. For example, if I live somewhere I won’t have public transportation and if driving is the only option of getting somewhere. Beside I can always rent a car if I want to drive.

 

Yearbook Yourself

OK, I’m supposed to write this 200 page long, 5 year plan research application but, I’m posting this quickly BECAUSE it’s cool & I haven’t posted for a while. (I know, I know – blame this long ass proposal but, I hope we get it so we can design research all the cool interactive physical computing projects with talented peers!)

This site, www.yearbookyourself.com is very simple but, brilliant.

It let you upload your own photo and composite with the hairstyles of the typical yearbook of different years in America, 1968 – 1988 or something like that. The above photo is if I graduated the highschool in 1968. So far my favorite but, I will play with it more when I procrastinating again… this thing is addictive.

Since when did yearbook became submedia online? Am I allowed to call it ‘Convergence Media’ or ‘Convergence Culture’?