Even Tigers

need to keep warm in this weather^.

Temple Visit, Redux

It seems to me that, for whatever reason, some photographic images lend themselves more smoothly to the "vintage treatment" than others.  One of the images from the previous post was felt to be one such.  I subjected it to multiple "retro-fying" treatments to imbue it with the antique look.  I'm 87% satisfied with the result.

Visit To MokJeongGul

It's a Buddhist retreat located in a small cave just below GeumSunSa temple.  As day-treks go, it was not the easiest.  To get there I had to climb part way up a mountainside by a steep narrow path that barely pretended to be "paved" with uneven, rough-hewn stone steps which were at best nerve-wracking, especially as I was bundled up against the cold in thick clumsy clothing that somewhat limited movement, and that at one point were rather dangerously close to a drop-off without a railing;  I'm halfway convinced it was deliberately designed as a symbolic pilgrimage intended to weed out the weak-willed^.  Once I got to the temple though, I have to say I was pretty impressed.  Insulated against the bustling city below by its location, it offered a feeling of quietude, contemplative calm and spiritual refuge, possessed in common by Buddhist temples everywhere but especially palpable there.

However, for me the most interesting part of the visit was not the temple complex but the little sanctum associated with it.  It was memorable for its similitude to the ideal cave/subterranean retreat I've built in my imagination over the years -- a place of isolation both physical and psychological, and free of distraction of any kind.  I remember when I was little I sometimes would climb into the large wardrobe that stood in "the other room" downstairs, shutting out the world and enjoying the quiet darkness.

 

Darkening Bird

If the bird were 2-dimensional like its shadow, it would melt into the shadow of the wall and disappear.  Would it then still continue to exist, or would its walk be one-way only?

Related post:  Two Skies

Coming. And Going.

"Stumpy"

Just looks odd.

A Little (Slightly) Morbid Humor...

When I came across the first image in an old folder I immediately thought of the old expression.  I thought it was pretty fitting, in a funny yet literal way, and couldn't resist the urge to stage the second shot as a follow-up.

"Dreams of avarice"

And...

"You can't take it with you" (although this actually looks like a valiant attempt^)

Related post:  Vanitas

And More Iridescence

Contrasts -- I like them.

Where Heaven And Earth Touch II

 

Related post:  Where Heaven And Earth Touch

Errant Jacket

Bears a curious resemblance to a dying stray cat...

Toys, figurines, shoes, even a pigeon wing, and now a jacket with fur trim.

What's next?

 

Related Post:  Errant Wasp

Another Very Disorienting Staircase

Merely stand on a precarious ledge that wasn't meant to be trod on (don't try this at home -- I'm a professional^), and suddenly it's almost as if up and down had overlapping meanings.

Two Weeks Before Christmas 2024

Moon over the Christmas tree topper at Hwajeong station.

Another One From Your Friendly Neighborhood OCD Man

...who also happens to be very interested in camouflage.  I saw this out the bus window and couldn't resist.  I barely had time to click off a shot before the bus took off again.

Related posts:  Almost As Soon As I Exited The Subway Station,;  Disappearing Trick;  Yet Another Vanishing Building;  Being Invisible;  Another Vanishing Building;  A Chameleonic Monster Has Been Living On My Desk

EDIT:  I've got music playing on the computer, and just now, as I typed "coincidence" in the Labels section, Duran Duran sang "...coincidence" in their song "Ordinary World".  What a coincidence :D

Pillars Of Flame

The title may be a pathetic attempt at Biblical dignity^, but anyway it's a striking sight.

A Christmas Visit To Myeongdong Cathedral

It was late afternoon and the warm light of the lowering sun brought out the beauty of the building wonderfully.  But getting there meant I first had to run a gantlet of police, all ready in advance for a possible riot as the recent political upheavals had all kinds of protesters/idiots out in force demonstrating for all kinds of causes, some of which had nothing at all to with the government.  Fortunately, it was all peaceful and everything was hunky-dory.