We’re having another one of those busy couple of weeks that induces a bit of silence here at Lofbomm.com, but our buddy Tyler Kimbro just turned us on to this most fantastic performance that you might enjoy too. Wow. Thanks, Tyler. This guy is almost as talented as your little finger, my friend.
-A.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew-7SwLcHBg[/youtube]
“Here’s my version of it, eternal whirlwind…”
We saw Bjork in concert tonight at Olympic Hall in Seoul. Part Atari game, part medieval madrigal, part sci-fi alien invasion, the show was completely Bjork and completely cool. She was backed up by a brass band, a keyboardist, drummer, and two guys tweaking on Mac computers. The computer interface was projected on the screens throughout the concert, and it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before– I can best describe it as a computer theremin synthesizer.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4MoTHilU-Y[/youtube]
Adam and I were sitting in the assigned seats, so we were pretty far back from the stage but dead-center. The energy in the seated section was pretty dead at the start, but Bjork started really cranking about 3 songs in, and we were right there with her. It’s amazing how she can wail so wildly on such perfect pitch. By the end, we were on our feet, fists in the air, screaming along. It was a great show.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KotpmpE16I[/youtube]
We met up with several of our friends from CouchSurfing afterward to complete the event. Adam and I realized that this was the first big concert we’ve ever been to together, and it was a great one.
“Raise your flag! Higher! Higher!”
-Jessica
The Eiffel Tower has been destroyed. France is reeling at the loss of its public face, its beloved centerpiece, a historical landmark known the world around.
Actually, that’s not true. Don’t worry– Eiffel is doing fine. But it’s like that. A beautiful structure, historical and beloved of its country, similar in reputation, has been destroyed. Whereas the Eiffel Tower was built in 1889, this structure was built 500 years earlier in 1398. Yes, that was before Columbus even made his famous voyage to the “new world”.
Korea’s National Treasure no.1 was destroyed in a fire last night– the beautiful Namdaemun gate. This 610 year old gate, officially named Sungneymun, is the remaining Great South Gate from the ancient wall that used to encircle Seoul, the capital of Korea. Namdaemun Gate survived 35 years of Japanese miltary occupation in the early 1900s as well as the Korean War in the 1950s, when the entire city was left in ruins. It’s devastating that now, on a not-so-special night, this ancient landmark should go up in smoke.
I’m surprised at how strongly I feel about it, but it’s the most public symbol of this city that has given me and taught me so much. I love Seoul. I went to see the gate after work tonight to pay my respects. It has been walled off, and already cranes are assembled, hard-hat crews are sifting through the remains, military police are standing guard, and film crews have staked off their plots with the prime camera angles. I am devastated to see Korea receive such a sucker-punch.
I know a gate can be rebuilt. Of course, it won’t be the same wood, the same paint that stood the test of time, but after a few years, it will look the same. More than that, I wonder what this event will mean for Seoul-ites in the near future. Already I’ve heard old resentments rising with blame and racial slurs. There’s also a new, popular but controversial president-elect. It’s a tricky transitional time for Koreans, and I’m sorry that this has become a part of the story. Koreans do not take their pride lightly.
So, here’s to Seoul. May we pull together to mourn the loss of our beloved icon, but may we remember that what it represented still exists. Seoul is alive and thriving. I love this city.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5elaJl0zNys[/youtube]
-Jessica
*Read the BBC News story
*See more photos of the gate on our Flickr photo set (all fire images have been culled from internet news sources)
On Wednesday night, upon finding out that Adam was out of town, Annie and her parents immediately swooped in to rescue me. We had a nice dinner together, a slumber party, a movie morning, a Rook tournament, a feast, another slumber party, and an outing to Costco. I had a wonderful few days with Annie-the-superhero and her parents. We celebrated the Lunar new year together. Happy new year!
I saw a few other friends, too. I heard some really nice, chill, live music with La Tisha and her Craig who is visiting again, and our friend Hannah. I also had a nice long lunch with my friend Lucy today. Then, I spent several hours studying Korean this evening. Hangookoh-lul kongbu-hayo.
Tonight, about 1:30 a.m., I called Adam to say good night (and good morning) before I went to sleep, and I was able to join him for a cyber french toast breakfast with his parents.
Yum! (Thanks, skype, for making our breakfast possible!) Unfortunately I was only able to ingest the orange juice. I did, however, consume fewer calories than they.
I miss my man, but I have been reminded that even when I think I’m alone, I’m not alone.
-Jessica
Why am I sitting here on a Wednesday afternoon, listening to reggae, making lists of things I want to do for the next few days (including ‘watch movies’, ‘respond to emails’, ‘make Korean flashcards’, ‘blog’, ‘go shopping’ and ‘hang out at that cafe’)? Why am I hitting “update flight status” on the Continental Airlines website every two minutes?
And where is my man?
Well, he is on that Continental Airlines flight which will land any moment in Nashville. Our friend Gene’ is a longtime friend of Adam’s, like his sister, and she is having serious complications with her pregnancy. This week is also a holiday in Korea, the lunar new year, so Adam was able to take off for a spur of the moment trip to give some love and encouragement to our dear friends Gene’ and her husband KC.
Oh! I just refreshed the flight status again, and he has landed and is taxiing to the gate!
I wish I could be there to love on KC and Gene’ and spend time with our family in Nashville, but alas only one of us could make the trip at such short notice. I send my love to you guys in Adam’s backpack.
Meanwhile, I have a week off to work through my list.
Talk to you soon.
-Jessica
Just a note about our photos page: I’m not sure how our photos page is displaying for you of the PC persuasion, but for the moment, it’s behaving wonkily for us. We’re working on fixing that, but Adam has had diminishing amounts of time to play the role of web-admin. If you’d like to view our photo sets in their natural, non-wonky environment, for now you can see them on flickr.
Thanks.
-Jessica
Check out Adam's Voiceover Site:
Voice123.com - The Voice Over Marketplace
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