Unforgettable Pictures Around Seoul

Although I've lived here for over a year, I'm still so happy that I can find quirky things about Seoul that keeps my interest alive.  Here are some photos around Seoul that make me smile.

My surname "Lim" is surprisingly common in Korea.  Being of Filipino ancestry, I never knew that my name crossed over land and sea to the land of Kimchi.  There are only 250 Korean family names with Kim, Lee, and Park being half of the population.  Based on Korea's 2000 census, there are about 800,000 임 or Im in Korea. Lim is actually derived from Chinese characters as the Chinese population migrated in and around Asia to Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines.  I'm guessing that's how I got my last name.  A Lim came to the Philippines and bred with my other Spanish ancestors.  Anyhow, I was very happy to find Lim's: Love in Memories jewelry store in Myeongdong, a major shopping area of Seoul.

Walking around Myeongdong, I never go without a look-see into Forever 21.  That's right.  Seoul has a Forever 21.  It was one of my favorite stores back in the States and is here as well considering that Korean size is not exactly on par with American sizes.  Thankfully, I can find clothes that fit here.  One day, I casually walked in ready to browse and walked right past this woman.  Dave pointed her out to me and I didn't realize what I was looking at.  It was a a woman surrounded by shopping bags.  She was not only passed out, but she was in ajuma fashion (old woman squat).  Korea is known to be the top for most hours worked/day followed by drinking all night to follow-up with another work day.  They've got to get some shut-eye in there somehow.  Korea really is the land of zombies.

I've seen a lot of magic-eye/ special effects displays.  ie. the floating spout with water gushing out.  This was a new one I found in Myeongdong.  A restaurant advertising their noodles outside their restaurant.  This was a bowl of noodles with floating chopsticks.  This particular display was even more special because the chopsticks magically picked up the noodles too!  Props Korea for creating such awesome displays!

I was doing my routine Sunday grocery shopping visit when I encountered this massive tuna head display.  I try to mix up my grocery stores to see what different ones offer since the right sale price will allow me to indulge for a bottle of wine that week.  On this particular Sunday, I visited Lotte Mart.  It is a brand widely seen around Korea.  There are Lotte Marts, Lotte Department Stores, Lotte Cinema, Lotte World (similar to Disney World), and Lotteria (like McDonalds).  Again, Korea really has a way of attracting customers.  This day, they had a tuna sashimi sale.  In order to advertise this sale, they placed a giant tuna head in the middle of the display while the workers sliced the body into sashimi.  I didn't buy any, but they definitely got me to take a look!

This is one of the most beautiful signs on Spring in Korea.  The Cherry Blossom is very special here.  Although it is indigenous to Korea, Japan brought some species during the occupation.  Some of the trees were cut down at the Gyeongbok Palace to commemorate the day that Japan surrendered during WWII.  Despite its Japan ties, the cherry blossom coincides with the beginning of Spring.  There is only a two week window to see these trees buds and blossom.  Luckily, I live in Nowon where there are Cherry Blossoms lining almost every main street.  Korea is the first place I had ever seen the Cherry Blossom.  Absolutely breathtaking.