Captivating Passage

"'You are no longer a child, Reuven,' my father went on. 'It is almost impossible to see the way your mind is growing. And your heart, too ... You do not see it. But I see it. And it is a beautiful thing to see. So listen to what I am going to tell you.' He paused for a moment, as if considering his next words carefully, then continued. 'Human beings do not live forever, Reuven. We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure our lives against eternity. So it may be asked what value is there to a human life. There is so much pain in the world. What does it mean to have to suffer so much if our lives are nothing more than a blink of an eye?' He paused again, his eyes misty now, then went on. 'I learned a long time go, Reuven, that a blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be significant. Do you understand what I am saying? A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life. It is hard work to fill one's life with meaning. That I do not think you understand yet. A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest. I want to be worthy of rest when I am no longer here. Do you understand what I am saying?'"

Rooftop Glory

Alas, something very fulfilling. I was sitting through a training session last week and thought, "Okay. No more bland summers." To associate Korean summers to hot, humid, unbearable, humid, humid and humid for another passing season was going to make me very unhappy. So I decided to put my leisurely pursuit of "event planning" to use and incorporate food, summery decor, and my very quintessential rooftop. And so, just a few text messages + creative ideas later, I opted for a mini rooftop dinner party.

"Dancing in the moonlight" (my ultimate summer feel-good song) was playing all morning and afternoon. I made a quick run to "Daiso," the Korean version of "Discount Dollar," and picked up some mason jars because as every artistically inclined person knows, mason jars make everything that much cuter. And of course, on the way home these white beauties caught my eye and to my demise, I bought a massive bunch of flowers for only 4,000 won (equivalent to $4, what a steal!)    

The menu? Grilled brats with onion and bell pepper + chicken pesto pasta + stuffed avocados + salad and sangria with fresh fruit. My favorite part of the menu was the avocados, inspired by my sister, Faith Koh. (Weren't they so pretty?) And, I was well-pleased with how the mason jars had visually spruced up my sangria to make it fit for a casual summer. I'll be brutally honest, good food with bad visuals to me is just bad food. I'm glad it all somehow worked out. On a slight tangent — there is a market strip I swear by with vegetables par excellence in quality and price (Mangwon Station line 6)! 

This must will happen again. If I could somehow make it my job to plan and conceptualize "neat dinner parties" for a living, I wouldn't refuse a buck for it. Ideating, creating, and executing definitely brings me fulfillment. Next time I'll hopefully take ideas and catapult them onto the next level of execution. Some lights and music to compensate for the not-so-great view, and...maybe some dancing in the moonlight perhaps? 

Summer Sunbathe

Summer weekends aren't half as bad in Seoul when 1) it's not raining and 2) you have a sizable space —aka the rooftop — overlooking the city. This was the first saturday in months were I did not have practice of some sort or work calling at my mornings. Summer seems to be rather accommodating and the rain seems to be holding up (thank God!). Seoul, so far so good. I will not complain.

Chicago Bound

Here's my final flush of Chicago photos from last month. I'm certain that these photographs do not do the city justice that it deserves, but, Chicago is a beautiful place and it has graced me with such a sweet, sweet time. Unfortunately I have to admit that the longer I stay in Seoul, the more foreign home feels. Yikes. Never the less, Chicago will always be the city I love. Enjoy the photos! Notable places: 1. Western Brown Line / 2. Au Cheval / 3. Sol Cafe / 4. Urban Outfitters Downtown / 5. Wrigleyville / 9. Glazed n' Infuzed