Talk About A "Commanding View"

Now THAT's what I call a throne!

The Sky Beyond The Sky

Perchance To Dream

This clip reminded me of the ending of the movie Inception (2010);  if the top continued to spin without toppling over, it meant the protagonist was still trapped inside a dream.

 

Knives

My old collection of (mostly cheap) knives.  I miss them.

A Heartfelt Evening

Errant Superhero Ox

Or bull.

Related posts:  Errant

Mysteries

 

A Cloud Desperately Reaching

It looked like a cloud reaching out from an undifferentiated sea of mist toward a state of individuated being, grasping for whatever prize awaits in that existence.

But I guess, in the end, what we see is ourselves reflected.

Errant Ankle Brace

Probably the most unusual "errant" item I've come across so far.  Well, maybe other than this one.

Related posts:  Errant

Condemned

This afternoon I went on a random jaunt, as I am wont to do every so often.  I didn't know where I was going, but I had decided to explore some areas in my local neighborhood that I don't usually frequent.  So I just picked a direction and set out on foot.

For a while there was nothing particularly interesting, just the usual rows and rows of impersonal apartment blocks, prettified villas and small shops, and I was on the verge of giving it up as a bad job and turning back when I spotted something that seemed more promising.  Some ways down a side street off the main road I could see some rather desultory-looking buildings, with what looked like broken furniture and trash strewn about.  As I turned the corner and went down the lane, the buildings became more rundown and before long I finally came across a subject that's right up my alley -- a whole block of condemned apartments!

They obviously had been abandoned for quite some time.  They were all open to the weather and overgrowth and trash littered the sidewalks.  Loose wires hung down from windows.  The only living things I encountered were two stray cats -- one calico, one tabby.  Although I would have dearly liked to explore the interiors, some of the buildings actually had "Danger -- do not enter" tape stretched across the entrance.  I chose not to enter.

I wonder why the buildings were simply left to rot, rather than being subjected to demolition.  Maybe the city ran out of budget.  In any case, it was to my profit.

Return Of The Prodigal

"Dad!"

"Son!"

How I Used To Eat

vs how I eat now.  It's been many years and it's taken time -- and also a certain amount of willpower -- but now it's become the new normal.

Back then:

And now:

The great thing is, I don't need to force myself into a diet mode;  it's become natural to eat light and eat less.  Sure, I can still slide back a big steak now and then, no problem, but I can't imagine eating that way more than once in a great while.

Midnight Snow

 

Around A Random Corner

in Sindang, a mazelike neighborhood of meandering alleys in the central part of old Seoul, full of fortune tellers and shamans plying their trade of minor miracle-making.

Timid Kisser

A Slightly Creepy Lucid Dream

For some reason I had long thought this was an entry on this blog, and a fairly recent one at that, but it turns out I had actually posted it to my Facebook page on February 18th, 2016(!).  Once I found it in my Fb history it seemed worth posting here, so here it is.

A LUCID DREAM(LET)

Last night I went to sleep thinking about lucid dreams.  I wasn't feeling well and didn't feel like making the effort to will myself to have one (doesn't usually work like that anyway [at least not for me, not so far].  Instead, I went to sleep telling myself that if I was determined to dream lucidly, it will eventually happen naturally.  Well, I was right, it happened.  Some time in the early morning I dreamt that I was up and brushing my teeth, getting ready to go to work.  It was very vivid and real, and I was convinced I was really awake -- until I started singing, and looked in the bathroom mirror, and saw that my lips weren't moving (it was pretty creepy at first, like a scene out of a horror movie)!  I realized then that despite the apparent reality of the situation, I was actually dreaming.  Unfortunately that's when the dream ended.  I would have loved to explore this dream world, but oh well.

A Small Clue

Round Peg And Square Hole

 

Truly Hellish

CLAUSTROPHOBIA + *TRYPOPHOBIA

Being locked into a sarcophagus exactly your size and shape with absolutely zero freedom of movement.  Not to mention resembling:  #1. sinister living kernels hiding in tight little burrows;  #2. ripe pimples ready to pop.  To say this wall gives me the willies is a massive understatement.  Who could possibly have thought this would be a clever, pleasant little display?

*Trypophobia:  Fear of small holes, especially when numerous and grouped together.  Here is a typical example of such hole-ly surfaces, courtesy of the internet:

Related posts:  Custom-Made Hells;  My "Phone Doodles"

Another Ghostly Staircase

 

Related post:  The Ghost Of A Staircase

Angel Or Devil?

While descending the subway station stairs, I noted someone had spilled a drink on the landing and left a rather large -- and suggestive -- stain.  I, of course, recognized the possibilities right away, turned around and photographed it from the "bottom" side.

The resemblance to a winged, robed figure was unmistakable.  An angel!

But was it a "loyalist" angel, who fought on St. Michael's side, or one of the "fallen" ones?

I decided not to decide.

Related posts:  Dark Wings Over Seoul;  Winged Figure In Parking Lot;  Devil On The Floor

Just Looks Odd

I happened to catch this crow just as it was taking off from the sidewalk, and the resulting image has me a little fascinated.  Normally you just don't see birds "floating" like this -- you always see them either flying up there, or safely on the ground, or perched on a branch -- not like this one at this awkward knee-level height, seemingly hovering just above its own shadow with wings folded.  It really looks as if it were stuck in a 'glitch in the matrix'.

Keeping Track

Turns out, I started this blog almost fifteen years ago, on July 4, 2010.  Can't believe it's been that long.  It was a Sunday, like today, and also Independence Day for us Americans.  Wonder if there was any significance in the choice of date -- was I declaring independence from something?  If there was any, I no longer remember it.  All I know is, I'm 15 years older, and that much closer to the grave...

"Landing Gear Down"

The Sun Sinking Through Contrails

I had a few evening minutes to kill.

Skrying

Or, as an alternate title, "My *ba in Hell".

*One of the aspects of a person's soul that the ancient Egyptians believed survived the death of the physical body and was usually depicted in art in birdlike form

Related post:  A Joke About A Very Serious Subject

Just Trying Something Out

for fun.  I thought I'd take these random photos and give them the "industrial dystopia" treatment.  You know, the rough, cheap and unsafe cousin of dieselpunk.  Like Blade Runner, but clunkier, not as advanced and even more bleak.  I quite enjoyed doing it.  I should do more.

Red Monster, Again

Some time ago I passed by the Red Monster in Sinchon.  It had been cordoned off and a man was working on it, cleaning and painting it.  Today I happened to pass by it again, and sure enough, it was all spiffed up and sleek, and on top of it, surprise! -- its mirrored face was now a monitor screen.  I stood in front of it, taking a selfie via the mirror, and another surprise! -- the Red Monster was checking me out with a giant eye even as I was checking it out.

Related posts:  Red Monster;  Gull Checking Out Man Checking Out Gull