The cities I love: Seoul, Time Lapse

As mentioned before: I am madly in love with Seoul. It's a city where small alleys with little hanoks, traditional korean houses, go over into wide avenues with neon-lit skyscrapers; where newest high-tech mingles with ancient customs; where a buzzing city winds like a river around green hills, the perfect destination for a weekend hike. It's an unconditional love and I would change nothing about the city. I even came to accept the fact that the subway stops around 1AM, so you either have to pay for the taxi or crash a couch after a night out in Itaewon, Gangnam, or Hongdae, one of the party districts of Seoul.

So, for all of you, a sneak view of the city I am head over heels in love with.
(watch in full screen mode, looks better!!)


via

This post is brought to you by LOT

I jumped on the plane to Warsaw on Friday, my return ticket was booked for Sunday. Just three days, but it was about 150 Euro cheaper than staying even one day longer, so I decided to go nevertheless. (some day I will explain why weekend tickets are cheaper than the mon-fri tickets) Needless to say, I was starved for Warsaw. But, of course, the two nights in Warsaw were by far not enough to satisfy my hunger.
Yesterday I got to the airport in a rather sour mood - I didn't feel like going back. I did my rounds in the duty-free looking for a new summer scent to cheer myself up. And then came the announcement: Flight number such-and-such to Frankfurt, due to a late arrival of the aircraft, will be presumably delayed 2 hours.

that's the look I was going for

My first thought will have to remain censored. But after I calmed my irritation I decided to take advantage of the situation. I must have looked out of place standing there, with a cunning grin on my face, in the super long queue full of annoyed passengers. When, after 45 minutes, I got to the "connection flight" counter I put on the most sweet looking, innocent and scared look I could pull off. I explained to the lady that I had a very very VERY important call to make at 10PM and that if the plane took off 2 hours later I would never ever make it. And that I didn't care when I was flying, I just needed to make the call. But if it was possible to reschedule my flight, I would prefer to fly same time next Sunday, coz then my bf could pick me up from the airport on his way home.
10 minutes later I was walking out of the airport with a shiny new ticket to Frankfurt for next Sunday, for which I didn't have to pay any mark-up fees.
Thank you Polish Airlines LOT, you are the bestest (a pity the food sucks, tho)!



P.S.: Just to make it clear: I do not have a bf in Germany AND I didn't have to make any calls, but it seemed like not too weird a lie to tell, right?

P.P.S.: I seriously doubt the lady at the counter cared for my explanation. Good airlines have to provide high class service, after all that's why people choose them over the cheap airlines. I'm just glad that LOT turned out to be a good airline.

P.P.P.S.: Now it's official: LOT is better than BA!! (oh, yeah, there is a story to tell about BA, but for now I will just say that BA s**ks big time.)

P.P.P.P.S.: Don't think bad of me for telling a lie. I know it's a very awful thing to do, I was just so desperate to stay in Warsaw even one day longer...

Korean Army, the real deal

As you may or may not know, in South Korea all men go to the army for at least two years. There are no exceptions. But considering that the DMZ is an hour's ride from Seoul it is quite understandable. I have seen many friends leave for the army. Two years ago I said my good-byes to a particularly fine young man. He was the chubby, cuddly type of boy, so I was petrified the army would turn him into the muscle-macho you see all over Seoul. 

Today I got word that he is out. And I am pleased to tell you all, that according to my informant, he did not change a bit, maybe just got a bit more manly. He is even as chubby as before! Apparently his job in the army was ..... to turn the boiler on and off when others wanted to shower. So, after the half-a-year obligatory training he spent the remaining time pushing a button and reading books.

All I can say to this:

Proverbs

It's interesting how some expressions that you believe as distinct to your own culture can be found in other languages. Take: "Talking about the devil". Every language I have studied so far has this proverb, the only thing that varies is the so called "devil": in German, like in English, you also talk about the devil, in Polish it is the wolf, in Korean the tiger, and Chinese talk of Cao Cao, some warlord from very very long ago.

Every time I come across such a universal saying it makes me feel good. Those proverbs tell a lot about the universality of human thought...

Via

Emancipation

How far is too far, when it comes to emancipation? And when is the line crossed between emancipation and the sheer lack of manners?

Imagine a situation: a girl and a boy, strangers, show up in front of a door at the same time; the door is closed and they both want to go through. What do you expect to happen next?
Seriously, I am curious, what do you expect to happen next?

I will just say, that I never walked in so many closing doors as in my first couple of weeks in Germany. By now I brace myself for the coming danger and am sometimes pleasantly surprised, but I don't expect anything, anything. However, in Germany it is not the unwillingness to treat girls with a touch of good-old manners. I dare say that emancipation just went too far.

I think that in our times men feel insecure: they do not know how to treat those emancipated Helgas. Will they be accused of overprotectiveness if they want to walk a girl home? Will they be stung with an angry look if they let a girl pass in the doorway first? Will there be an embarrassed silence if they help a girl to put on her jacket?
But that it is neither entirely the girls fault. Back in the times of Scarlet O'Hara, all was simple and clear - everyone knew their role, had a ready response for small and grand gestures. But today? A man holding a girl's jacket stretched out in mid-air reminds rather of a matador than a well-bread gentleman. Putting on a stretched out jacket is no easy task either, believe me, it has to be learnt. But what if it wasn't learnt? A nervous giggle or a small tease will help to cover the lack of knowledge. A girl can always say: "oh, don't be silly, it is the 21st century!", grab the jacket and put it on herself. And the gentleman will remember. Who wouldn't if the pride was hurt? He will remember and make sure not to help any girl to any damn jacket in the future.
Oh, what a perfect world we have cooked for ourselves - a world where men and women are equal in all.

But was savoir-vivre about lack of equality, or to make the life more pleasant with the little gestures that have now been forgotten?

Why I hate Warsaw fashion

I do like fashion. A lot. But, to be honest, in Warsaw I am just too intimidated to wear what I like.

For the past 2 seasons beige and camel-colored pants with black blazers, oversized scarfs and oversized bags have been ruling the streets of Warsaw. Nothing against this classic casual chic, but c'mon if everyone is wearing exactly the same ZARA-style it all becomes a redundant blur. 

You see, Warsaw is a city that is only developing a fashion sense after the gray years of communism. 

The current Warsaw style lacks easiness, freedom and imagination. 

You rarely see people - fashionable people - wearing an outfit of 'just' two peaces (pants/jeans + t-shirt/shirt/pullover) and some accessories to make it all fun. When you see 'fashionable people' you see the time and sweat behind their outfits: the socks match the ribbon, which matches the color of the dots on the shirt, which matches the lipstick. 

I feel like puking whenever I see such over-styled specimen walking the streets.

But people think it's chic. 

They spend lot's of Zlots (the polish currency) on the same H&M outfits. And I think to myself that they completely miss the point. Those mass-replica can hardly say anything about individual character. Only in Korea, where it is socially (almost) unacceptable to posses ones own style, have I seen so much repetition as in Warsaw. A French girl, as you meet them on the streets of Paris, with outfits that may not be completely thought-through, but with lot's of character and inner beauty, would feel completely out of place in Warsaw. 

The Warsaw version of nonchalant is boring and pretentious. 

That is why I hate hate hate the fashion in Warsaw.

What's the difference between a Japanese and a Pole?

A conversation between a Japanese customer and a shop assistant, which took place in Tokyo 3 days after the earthquake, as related on the Polish news:

customer: I am sorry, would you be so kind as to tell me when there will be food again?

shop assistant: I am sorry, I do not know.

customer: I am very sorry to have bothered you.

shop assistant: I am very sorry not to be able to answer your question.

If Poland suffered from an earthquake, followed by a tsunami, followed by a nuclear catastrophe i imagine the situation would look a lot different. People wouldn't be queueing, nor talking politely to each-other. 

First, of course, the whole nation would be shaken, people would take to the streets, set up a cross in front of the presidential palace, pray for the dead, collect money for the living, and change their facebook profile pictures to black squares. Then the politicians would start quarreling over whose fault the catastrophe was. Then street-fights between pro-cross and anti-cross groups, as well as pro-cross groups and the police, would start over whether the cross in front of the presidential palace should stay or be moved elsewhere. Then an independent commission would be set up to investigate, whose fault the catastrophe was.
Oh wait... that actually happened, didn't it?

After having witnessed Poland overcome a crisis and now watching Japan, it amazes me with how much dignity and calmness Japanese deal with the tragedy. I do admire them. A lot.