A Conveniently Located "Haunted" Building

I like rooting around in decrepit, empty old buildings.  It's pretty obvious if you check out this blog's posts from the last few years.  I like the mystery, the shadows and history these old buildings possess.  I don't touch anything, I just like to record the silent traces of the countless unknown events that must have transpired in them. The moment I step into one of them something changes.  The outside noise somehow seems to get canceled out and I hear nothing but the sound of my own footsteps, which I consciously try to minimize so as not to disturb the atmosphere.  And just in case some of the suites are still occupied, inhabited by stubborn last-straggler residents or workers who might resent an outsider with a camera recording what they considered their own domain.

I was glad, therefore, when I came upon a derelict, an actual condemned building in an area not far from my home.  It had a sign affixed to it that warned against entering, as there were loose structures within and safety could not be guaranteed;  however, there were no fences or tape physically barring entry, so of course I chose to enter (don't do this at home^).

I don't normally experience fear or anxiety when I explore these dingy spaces;  the curiosity and excitement, the expectation of discovery are enough to override any feelings of discomfort that might arise.

But it's also true that I had never previously encountered an environment that was literally left to fall apart.  Which this building was -- clearly, it had been slowly rotting away for years. 

The ceilings were caving, the walls were peeling and crumbling, and many of the windows no longer had panes in them.

Then, as I stood there clicking away on the fourth floor, suddenly I heard a soft, high-pitched groaning sound, seemingly right behind me.  It sounded just like a woman's voice.  I just about jumped out of my skin!  I whirled around in shock and terror, but there was no one.  Instead, I saw that it was just a door creaking in the draft.  But then, just as I was letting out a huge (metaphorical)sigh of relief, I heard a thud or dull banging noise from downstairs.  Not from the floor below, but seemingly farther down, and not very loud but still quite distinct.

That was it.  I couldn't stay there any more.  I was thoroughly creeped out and there was nothing to do but leave, and quickly.

While hurrying down the stairwell I was NOT looking to find out who or what had made the noise.  On the contrary, I prayed I would not run into the party responsible.  Boy, was I glad when I made it out without incident.  Into a silent, empty alley in the gloomy gray light of a heavily overcast late afternoon -- but still glad.

Rain X 2

Today it rained.  I, the rain-lover, had been excitedly waiting for it since I saw the weather forecast a few days ago;  we were supposed to get rain every day of this week.  Well, today it did rain, but now the forecast has changed to partially rainy days interspersed with sunny weather.  A bit disappointing, but still I went out for a walk in the rain, and although it was a moderately heavy rain, it wasn't enough to satisfy me.  Then I got a bright idea; I put in my earbuds and pulled up a rain sound video on YouTube as I went.  It worked like a charm!  It really felt like it was raining a lot harder than it actually was, what with the thunder sound effects and all.

Today's Iridescence

Some More Random Shots

taken on my photo-crawls through the streets and alleyways of Seoul.

 

My Thumb

Took the bandage off after two days washing and showering with it on.

Ready For The Buddha's Birthday

Yes, it's the Buddha, not just Buddha, as it is a title, not a name, and in this context it refers to a specific person -- born Siddhartha Gautama, son of a minor king in a kingdom which is now part of Nepal -- whose life is commemorated in this, the 2,570th year, of the Buddhist calendar.  His birthday is the 8th day of the fourth lunar month, and this year it falls on the 24th of May by the Gregorian calendar.

To mark the holiday a stupa of colorful paper laterns has been set up in the plaza.  It's surrounded by a fence of miniature lanterns, each of which carries a prayer or wish written by a devotee on a mock gold-leaf leaf (ha!).

Bardo: Between Hell

and some place that's kind of Heaven-ish but (wow, I just meant to type 'and' but it came out 'but' -- wonder if it's my fingers doing a Freudian slip) really is not, but maybe is, in some ways.

This is one of the scariest posts I've put up so far.

Like I keep telling you, Sam, don't drink and internet.

Another UFO?

Unknown object photographed over a busy intersection in Seoul.  

Prickle Rainbow Moon (Mod Photo VIII)

 

Today's Acquisition

While on the way home from a luncheon with my extended family I explored a nearby underground shopping mall.  While there I checked out a small shop that sold various ornamental knick-knacks, and when I saw this heart carved out of a chunk of rose quartz, I fell in love with it instantly.  The proprietress urged it on me, telling me it would bring love and romance, but I didn't need the extra convincing.

The lighting isn't the greatest in the above shots and the stone came out looking kind of somber and thick, but look at this shot, how pretty is that!

You might say I gained a heart of stone, but hey, at least it's better than having a heart of glass, no...?

Related posts:  Heart

A Pebble, And What It Reminded Me Of

There is a recently built boardwalk that goes partway around a neighboring apartment complex.  It's really not all that long but it's woodsy and shady, and along much of its length it's hard to believe it actually borders a busy road on one side, separated only by its height, and by huge highrise blocks on the other.  I like to stroll down it when I feel like taking a mini-nature walk, taking in the leafy sights and smells and just enjoying the vibe.

Then the other day my eyes alighted on something that hadn't been there before.  Someone had placed a pebble on top of the brick parapet.

Its placement there was certainly not random, not the result of an accident -- it had to have been deliberately placed there by someone, someone who I think understands the preciousness inherent in the action of taking an ordinary something, even a less-than-ordinary something, that would have been overlooked or noticed but immediately ignored, and imbuing it with emotional importance by the very act of treating it as important.  I would be quite annoyed if I were to witness someone carelessly flick it away as ordinary litter, not understanding that it represents someone's act of devotion.

I stood there looking at it for some time, and it put me in a state of... a kind of poetic melancholy or reverie I guess you could call it, if you had to give it a name.  And now that I'm looking at these images again, I am reminded of other times I have felt something relatable to it -- especially of this one particular occasion years ago, not long after I started this blog.

Some other related posts:  The Beautiful Secret Language...                                             Beauty II                                                                                   One Unusual Night

What The Cat Left Behind

At least, I assume a cat was responsible.  I have seen stray cats -- or perhaps just indoor/outdoor cats on patrol -- roaming the neighborhood on numerous occasions, but never a stray dog (or weasels or racoons or any other kind of feral creatures, for that matter).

The sight reminded me of another incident from a couple of weeks ago -- a roadkill pigeon.  But how does a bird get run over by a car?  Was it lying helpless on the road because it was sick or dying, or perhaps already dead?  I'm reproducing those images here also, albeit shrunk down, due to their gruesome nature (feel free to expand them, though).

Related posts:  I Guess "Lucky" Really Isn't The Word...                                 Errant Wing                                                                               Dead Bird                                                                                 Dead Hummingbird

Living Room Reflection

The living room of my apartment is separated from the balcony by a glass door.  Normally I don't pay it much attention, but one night recently, I happened to catch a glimpse of the living room reflected in the glass, and found it captivating.  The reflected living room seemed more cozy, more intimate, more lonely, and more mysterious all at the same time.  Certainly, the feel was all just a reflection of my own state of mind, but as I told someone recently, inside of my head is where I happen to live.