Passed out at 8 or 9 pm yesterday o_O

I must have been tired.

It's almost been a week since I've arrived here. I'm wondering if I really still need to upload these video clips of me going through the airports on my way to Seoul. I don't know. I guess I'll just hang on to them just in case. I wanted to edit them and add captions and compile them all into one big video, but I haven't gotten around to it. I try to spend most of the day out of the house, and by the time I get back, I'm too tired to think about them, haha.

Well, so yesterday, I wanted to go somewhere relaxing, away from the hustle and bustle of shopping centers. I searched online for some popular parks and found one called 서울숲 (Seoul Forest). It's a beautiful place. I took lots of pictures this time. It is relatively easy to get there, the park is a ten minute walk from the Ttukseom subway stop. I spent about four hours there, drawing, relaxing and chilling, and watching people.

There's a water fountain in the middle of the park. In the early afternoon, there were many kids, I suppose on field trips, playing with each other. It was a nice sight, cute kids. And, the park is HUGE. Going once, probably isn't enough. I think I managed to scope my way through the entire perimeter of the park, but I was definitely not thorough in my observations.

I would have liked to spend all day there, but the weather looked very gray, and it started to sprinkle a little. Also, I was getting tired of seeing couples everywhere. Everyday since I've been here, I would see at least a couple handfuls of couples. It's annoying. Wouldn't have been as bad if I wasn't alone all the time I suppose. With a friend, at least you can share the loneliness as opposed to being stuck with it alone.

Even the black and blue butterflies I saw, were totally coupling.

But, I guess I didn't mind the butterfly couple as much because I felt like God sent them my way. That was the best part about my trip to Seoul Forest. I kid you not, while I sat there on a park bench drawing the scenery around me, a fluttering bit of blue passed through my line of vision, and once I looked up as quick as I could, I saw to my delight, a butterfly. Blue. And when the butterfly stayed stationary long enough, I saw traces of black on the outlines of its wings. I was so surprised and happy. I tried very hard to snag a picture of the butterfly, but it moved too fast! All I could do was watch it.

And then I saw another butterfly of the same colors, and apparently it was the mate or something. They were doing some sort of coupling/mating behavior very normal to their species, but I would call it dancing in my opinion. The butterflies flew with each other as if choreographed. It was fun watching them.

First, they would play hide and go seek, one butterfly going in one direction, another one flying around in search for it. Once it finds the other, they chase each other around, float in this beautiful spiral dance move, and then race down the stony path. They would separate, reunite, and separate again. It was fascinating.

They kept me company for about an hour, until I decided to explore the rest of the park. Seeing those butterflies made me very happy, because they remined me that I am never alone. =)

At around five, and wanting something else to do, I decided to check out Dongdaemun. It's another hangout/shopping spot. LaChoi's mom suggested that I go there too. It was getting grayer by the minute, but I figured, why not.

I got there, and Dongdaemun is this tall shopping building. Different from Myeongdong and Apkujeong. It's got lots of fabric/jewelry/make your own stuff kind of booths on the lower levels, a food court on the fifth floor, and I think the shopping stores on the top four floors.

I don't think I like Dongdaemun very much. T_T

It was so very confusing. I got lost in the lower levels of the building for at least forty minutes. I could NOT find my way around at all. The stairwells and the way the building connects with the building next to it, was just all too confusing. Even a map of it would confuse me.

I left that place after an hour. It just pissed me off, heh ^^;;

That's most of what happened yesterday. Today I plan on going to Itaewon. I still need a wallet for my Korean stuff, and I could use with a pair of nice sandals.

The Black and Blue Butterfli

I spent most of today all alone. It wasn't that bad without LaChoi. I wanted to get lost on my own pace so I could figure out where things were. I think I still need a couple days to really let it sink in. I still end up wandering around for a bit before I find where I'm supposed to be.

But more importantly, being alone in a culture I've only seen through a computer screen did me some good. I was able to connect with myself. Half understanding the language, and just depending on myself and probably most likely God to get around toned down the distractions so my head was clearer. Which resulted in discovering the symbol that will represent my artist side for the rest of my life.

It's not something new, I've always had it pop up in my life in random places. Clothes, drawings, all sorts of things. I didn't realize I was probably meant to be a butterfly. I was always thinking of fantastical creatures to represent me, like a dragon or a pheonix even. And I've always loved dolphins, too. Despite that, I think the butterfly couldn't be exempt from the options.

Here's how it happened:

While I went back to Noriteo park, the Seoul Fringe Festival was running on full speed as ever, apparently. Booths were set up everywhere, selling jewelry, shirts, accessories. It was great. There was some really neat stuff. I went around to scope the scene first before settling if there was anything I could want. Or, I could have started the present gathering for everyone back in the States right then. Since jewelry was abundant, there had to be something there I would like. Sterling silver, and everything!

I waited until something really called out to me. Since I had just recently gotten a cellphone, I decided a cell phone charm wouldn't be a bad start. After an hour or so, something finally caught my eye. I saw a little black butterfly cellphone charm. Really pretty. I will take pictures of what I talk about soon. In my limited Korean, I asked how much it was, etc. and the lady vendor showed me a set of earrings and necklace that also sported the black butterfly. The butterflies had flower designs painted on them, and it was different on each piece of jewelry. She asked to put the cellphone charm on my cell, and I liked how it looked. Eh, the prices were all pretty expensive, but I thought, what the hell, I'll just get all three. Total was 49,000 won which in US dollars is around 46 or 47 dollars. Yeah, I know, right?

But my gut told me it was ok, and that I should. After I paid for the items, I walked away pondering why it felt like I should. And that's when it clicked for me. It was my symbol.

Every artist and illustrator out there has a personalized something that represents them, whether it be an animal, an inanimate object, anything. It's the pictorial signature of the artist. It's a simple something that should be made effective enough to represent the artist for the rest of his or her life, and I personally think it should be taken seriously. Some artists knew what their symbol was from the beginning, while others, like me, needed to keep searching for it for awhile. I think it has to do with the level of artistic maturity.

Here's the kick: I totally wasn't even thinking that hard about choosing my artist symbol, much less right at that spot. I just always knew that I had yet to really decide on one. But at that moment, when I saw that butterfly charm intricated with blue florals...it was like a reminder. I walked away from the vendor wondering if this could really be it when I walked past another booth selling Tshirts, and as soon as I saw that white shirt with a black and blue butterfly for a graphic print, I was sold. More about this particular shirt in the next entry.

I decided on the black and blue colors. Blue has always been my favorite. Black...I don't have a definite answer for that. But it flows with how it goes already.

Black
Blue
Butterfli

Yes, I meant to end the butterfly with an "I" instead of a "Y." Why? The I means "I." Personal Pronoun. Mine. And right there, is the rhyme.

Lol.

I didn't meet LaChoi until much later. Around dinner time. Until then, I worked on how the butterfli would look with my name. How I would sign my paintings and illustrations and such. Where the colors would go. Artistically, it was a productive day.

Despite, being a little frustrated with the current situation between LaChoi's plans and mine, I'm grateful to her. Even though, honestly, if she was in another country for the first time where I'm supposed to host her and help her out, I wouldn't be doing what she's been doing to me. But that's beside the point. Just goes to show how much I really wanted to be here to be able to put up with being completely alone on the second day in a country I've never been to before.

So to finish off, here's what I've already promised to provide here online:

Pictures of my adventures
Videos of my flight
Sample drawings of the Butterfli

Now in order to do all that, it would be most helpful if I can find one of those universal convertors for foreign plugs and outlets.....my laptop has run out of battery. >.<