just got back from my 7 day trip to korea. was really freezing there. had to wear 3 to 4 layers everyday including 2 pairs of socks. temperature hovered around 0 degrees.
though it only snowed on 1 day, it left an amazing sight to behold.
that single night was really unforgetable watching it fall down the sky. pity that no snowflakes were sighted. for that night, everything was white. it was uniform as if someone had made a white paint brush stroke over the landscape.
from my room, i could see children piling up snow to form snow balls in anticipation for a real snow ball fight. its really a scene from yr regular calvin n hobbes comic strips. to think that i got to wait so MANY years for such a sight n experience.
i bet the numerous kids in my tour grp had a blast of a time.
still sorting out the pictures taken. n they will be posted asap. all in all the trip was great. n one noteworthy aspect of skorea is the degree of pride they have in their country. its really hard to spot a non korean car. the roads were full of hyundais, kias, daewoos, hssanyongs. This phenomenom is not restricted to the automobile industry. over in the electrical applicances sector, u dont see the likes of apple n creative. instead its iriver, yepp n other local brands. handphones: its just samsung. cameras: u dont see canon or panasonic.
u can imagine the level of patriotism in skorea. but i guess such r the stuff of years of oppression n trauma the skoreans undergone over the last century. its a feature lacking in spore. in addition, i even witnessed a real strike( strike or rally im not sure, but it would surely stick out like a sore thumb in spore). if im not mistaken, it was the farmers demanding greater access to foreign markets. the
participants were really significant in strength. 1 to 2 thousand would be a fair estimate. as the bus was stuck on the road, groans were fairly audible among my fellow group members. many were amazed with the fact that pp were 'so free' as to take to the streets. its the struggle n journey towards realization of one's dreams
thats wat the protesters r undergoing. its such ideals n not the mere financial
benefits they r after. n its really a pity that the majority of sporeans r so caught up in their quest for money n more money. that lands us in such a sad state.
our own history is equally humiliating n sorrowful but have we been lulled into such a state that all we r living for is to build up our personal wealth portfolio?
is the land of singapore just a stepping step to greater goals or journeys? or
is it our permanent residence where we sink your roots in?
the annual full house crowd for NDP cant be a good gauge of such nationalism n patriotism. the full house for the tiger cup final 2005 will simply be a one off. once our national team loses it momentum, we will see sparse attendance at matches again.
the common refrain would be that we are just a country of 40 years. But we see 'quitters' who r not prepared to see tough it out here. one striking example is that of melvin tan. all he got in return for skipping ns was a paltry 5000 spore dollars fine. imagine the amount the british pounds hes earning. if not for his infirm parents, i bet he would not even bother abt spore( maybe besides his money raking performances at our Esplanade).
its such a characteristic of sporeans that makes us such a bad ambassador overseas. many of the grp members r just interested in food n shopping. but travel is really much more that that. its abt living the life of a local n immersing oneself into the local culture. to wield our sg dollars around with absolute disdain is really regrettable.
but its good to see skorea recover its standing in the international arena n finding its niche. devoid of natural resources, its now spreading its influence thru its media. such soft power is also effective besides finanicial strenght n military power. such form is even more persuasive n likely to find pp jumping on their bandwagon. well each country has its unique features n areas of expertise, but the fact that loads of japanese r hooked onto the korean wave says a lot abt the resurgence of skorea power. to be able to achieve that after years of being under the shadow of imperial japan really speaks a lot of skorea.
so long.
pics will be up soon
kai
