[Global Seoulmate] Exemplary Global Seoul-Mate of 2014

Anneonghaseyo! I’m back from hiatus. Last May 2015, I was selected by the Seoul Metropolitan Government as one of the eighty-three “Exemplary Global Seoul Mates of 2014” from among 192 Global Seoul Mates that were appointed last June 2014, based on the quality of the finished entry and the successful dissemination of Seoul-related contents.

Global Seoul-Mate is a publicity program by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in which foreign participants (living in or outside of Korea) are to seek out Seoul’s many hidden attractions and promote Seoul in colorful and interesting ways to the global community. Throughout the year, we will also be given missions to produce contents to promote Seoul.

We were sent an appointment certificate signed by the Seoul City Mayor and a welcome gift.  See my personalized Seoul Adidas Climachill shirt here.

For our First Mission, we were tasked to introduce ourselves and to share our aspirations as a Global Seoul-Mate 2014, and make a photo collage of S-E-O-U-L from our daily lives, and luckily, I was one of the winners! See my entry and the gift I received here!

Our Second Mission was conducted under the theme, “2014 Seoul Kimchi Making & Sharing Festival, My No. 1 Poster: Made by 192 Global Seoul-Mates”, which the festival happened last November 11, 2014 in Seoul that celebrated the fact that Kimchi was selected for UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. I was of the winners again. See my simple winning poster entry and the gift I received here.

On the Third Mission, we were tasked to come up of what was Seoul like in 2014 in our eyes and that we would put in a Time Capsule.  Again, I was one of the winners.  See my simple entry and the gift I received here.

Korean Traditional Tea (flavors of Hydrangea Leaf tea, Green tea, Mulberry Leaf tea, Buckwheat Tea, Chrysanthemum Flower tea). I love the design of each tea bags and the whole packaging forming it in a traditional Korean palace setting with a King and a Queen.

As a simple appreciation of our efforts in helping promote Seoul and for sharing our experiences across the globe in 2014, we were sent a small gift (picture above).

Thank you Seoul Metropolitan Government. I will continue to discover Seoul’s hidden gems and help promote this wonderful city to the world.

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[Global Seoulmate] Gift from Third Mission: Time Capsule

Just sharing the gift I received from Seoul Metropolitan Government last January as one of the winners of the third mission for the 2014 Global Seoul-mate missions. On the Third Mission for 2014 Global Seoul-mates, we were tasked to come up of what was Seoul like in 2014 in our eyes and that we would put in a Time Capsule.  See my simple entry here of what was Seoul like in 2014 in my eyes.

Seoulala magnets and post cards of Seoul’s famous landmarks, map of Bukchon hankie and a USB OTG.

Thank you again Seoul Metropolitan Government and looking forward to the fourth and last mission!

[Global Seoulmate] Third Mission: TIME CAPSULE

Anneonghaseyo! On the Third Mission for 2014 Global Seoul-mates, we we were tasked to come up of what was Seoul like in 2014 in our eyes. I have been very busy during the holiday and this is my last minute entry. Hope they would still consider this. 🙂 Global Seoul-Mates are foreign participants (living in or outside of Korea) appointed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government that will share the beauty of Seoul and its attractions to other users in the form of writing, photos, and videos through personal channels such as SNS and blogs.

What was Seoul like in 2014 in my eyes that I would put in a Time Capsule? There were a lot of memories of Seoul this year. I made a simple collage of my favorite places in Seoul which I visited on my trip and foods, and I included the ones that were significant not only to me but to Seoulites in 2014 (of course included being chosen for the first time as a 2014 Global Seoul Mate).

The appearance of a spaceship-like structure in the middle of the City of Seoul – the redevelopment of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) which is the newest and most iconic landmark of the Korean design industry. The Rubber Duck Project that floated in Seokchon Lake for a month which had healing properties. And the thousands of Catholics attended a Holy Mass led by Pope Francis in front of Gwanghwamun and Gyeongbokgong Palace and beatified 124 Korean martyrs. DREAM/FUTURE, HEALING, and FAITH.

What is Seoul now is their hard work, from the government down to the ordinary citizens, so that inspires me to do well. In good times and in bad times, this love for Seoul helps me, makes me dream, gives me strength, hope, and Happiness.

Seoul, my Happy Place, my Inspiration…

[Global Seoulmate] Gift from Second Mission: 2014 Seoul Kimchi Making Poster

Annyeonghaseyo! I’m back. Just sharing the gift I received from Seoul Metropolitan Government last November as one of the winners of the second mission for the 2014 Global Seoul-mate missions. Our Second Mission was conducted under the theme, “2014 Seoul Kimchi Making & Sharing Festival, My No. 1 Poster: Made by 192 Global Seoul-Mates”, which the festival happened last November 11 in Seoul that celebrated the fact that Kimchi was selected for UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. See my simple winning poster entry here.

SEOUL Handy Notes

A set of 10 pocket-sized notebooks representing the colors of Seoul. You can find this in souvenir shops in Seoul and it is priced at 35,000 Won.

As one of the appointed 2014 Global Seoul-Mates by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, we have missions throughout the year to produce contents to promote Seoul. Global Seoul-Mate is a publicity program by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in which foreign participants (living in or outside of Korea) are to seek out Seoul’s many hidden attractions and promote Seoul in colorful and interesting ways to the global community.

Thank you again Seoul Metropolitan Government and looking forward to the rest of the missions!

[Global Seoulmate] Second Mission: 2014 Seoul Kimchi Making & Sharing Festival, My No. 1 Poster

Annyeonghaseyo! As one of the appointed 2014 Global Seoul-Mates by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, we have missions throughout the year to produce contents to promote Seoul. Global Seoul-Mate is a publicity program by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in which foreign participants (living in or outside of Korea) are to seek out Seoul’s many hidden attractions and promote Seoul in colorful and interesting ways to the global community.

Our Second Mission is conducted under the theme, “2014 Seoul Kimchi Making & Sharing Festival, My No. 1 Poster: Made by 192 Global Seoul-Mates.” Each person must create his/her own unique promotional poster that fulfills the criteria required. Here is my simple poster entry and I am inviting you to join the festival and have fun in this Korean culinary tradition!

As a Global Seoul-mate from the Philippines, I used a picture of kimchi with Adobo which is our national food and one of the saucy comfort foods that make up much in the Filipino culinary tradition. It is made of meat simmered in a marinate of vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic. Traditionally, it is accompanied by a Filipino side dish of sweet pickled green papaya called “atsara” and white rice, and as a replacement to atsara, I paired it with Kimchi which is one of the staple Korean side dishes and it matches well. A fusion of Filipino-Korean cuisine; always having a piece of Seoul (Korea) with Kimchi in my home. I also used a picture of Kimchi used in a Hangul way design, representing the unique and vibrant city of Seoul and its rich culture and tradition, where past and present coexist.

Here is my poster entry at the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s website and hope you can click the Heart-shaped Like It button. Kamsahamnida!

The 2014 Seoul Kimchi Making & Sharing Festival will be held in Seoul Square, Taepyeong Ave, Cheonggye Square and Gwanghwamun Square and will run from November 14 to 16, 2014 from 10:00 to 17:00.

Kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. This festival will celebrate the fact that Kimchi was selected for UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.

Visitors make kimchi by themselves and share them with their neighbors.  The concept is that on the first day of Gimjang (Kimchi Making & Sharing) Season, “Seoul gets mixed with hope.” And because kimchi is made by mixing vegetables and seasonings together, they want this festival to be mixed up with fashion, Hangeul, play, design, and music as well! Lots of activities to look forward to. 🙂

Hoping for my luck to win for this mission as I won on the first mission! See my simple winning entry at the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s website and the full entry here in my blog for the first mission, and here for what I got as a simple prize for winning that mission.

 

[Global Seoulmate] SEOUL Collage Prize, Najeon Chilgi – Korean Traditional Art

As in my previous posts, last June I was appointed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government as one of the 2014 Global Seoul-Mates, in which foreign participants (living in or outside of Korea) are to seek out Seoul’s many hidden attractions and promote Seoul in colorful and interesting ways to the global community. We will share the beauty of Seoul and its attractions to other users in the form of writing, photos, and videos through personal channels such as SNS and blogs.

Throughout the year, we will be given missions to produce contents to promote Seoul and if successful will be given a gift. For our First Mission, we were tasked to introduce ourselves and to share our aspirations as a Global Seoul-Mate 2014, and make a photo collage of S-E-O-U-L from our daily lives, and luckily, I was one of the winners!

See my simple winning entry at the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s website and the full entry here in my blog.

Here is the prize sent through EMS. I love it and like the boxes that contain the items also has the traditional Korean feel in it! Thank you Seoul Metropolitan Government! We Global Seoul-Mates are excited what the second mission will be. 🙂

Inside the box with the butterfly is a business card holder from Kalavinka and the grayish-black box with traditional Korean letters is a Korean traditional lacquer ware (vase) inlaid with mother-of-pearl from Hanol Handicraft.

I was curious to the lacquer ware as it had a small description on the box and it was called Najeon Chilgi, so here is what I got from the National Museum of Korea.

Najeon-chilgi 螺細漆器 is a representative art form of Korea based on the technique of mother-of-pearl inlay. First, natural lacquer made from the juice of the sumac tree is repeatedly applied upon the “skeleton” until a slick lacquer layer is formed on the surface. Designed patterns of mother-of-pearl are then inlaid followed by the topcoat. Finally, the lacquer topcoat is selectively removed to reveal the shimmering patterns.

“Najeon” is a sino-Korean word based on the Chinese characters “螺鈿” which are also used in China, and Japan to refer to the mother-of-pearl inlaying technique. In Korea, the word “Najeon” is used interchangeably with “jagae,” a indigenous Korean term, and often combined with “Chilgi” 漆器, lacquerware as mother-of-pearl inlaying has been applied predominantly on lacquered objects. The public recognition of Najeon-chilgi is as such that lacquerware without mother-of-pearl inlaying is almost unthinkable in Korea.

Existing antique Najeon-chilgi pieces mostly belong to the 17-18th century Joseon. While the exuberance of Najeon-chilgi may not seem right for the Confucian Joseon society which valued modesty as one of the most desirable virtues, the heritage of Najeon-chilgi had never diminished throughout the Joseon period. Rather, the Joseon Najeon-chilgi managed to create its own tradition which is different from Goryeo Najeon characterized with sophisticated appeal catering to the taste of the aristocracy.

Najeon of the early Joseon period (15-16th century) demonstrates strong transitional characteristics as a result of experiment intended to seek a new direction from the Goryeo tradition. The mid-Joseon Najeon, in the meantime, reflects the social movement pursuing ethnic identity and originality which was prevalent after Joseon survived the two major foreign invasions, namely the Imjin War 壬辰倭亂, 1592-1598 (the first Japanese invasion of Joseon) and the Byeongja War 丙子胡亂, 1636-1637 (the second Manchu invasion of Joseon). In this period, pattern design diversified from the usual peony and chrysanthemum scrolls to plum, orchid, bamboo, grapevine, birds, and flowers. Also notable is the full exploitation of the technique of the artificial flattening or crackling.打擦法 Invented in the early Joseon period, the technique enhances the shimmering effect of the mother-of-pearl.

The use of motifs such as Sagunja 四君子 (the four gracious plants of plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo that represent the four seasons of Korea respectively) and phoenix motif was allowed only for the royal objects. ~ (www.museum.go.kr)

 

A short video I found on Youtube on Korean Artisans making Najeon Chilgi

 

Thanks for the visit! Annyeong!

 

2014 Global Seoul-Mate First Mission: S-E-O-U-L Collage

Annyeonghaseyo!

As in my previous post, I was one of the appointed 2014 Global Seoul-Mates by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.  Global Seoul-Mate is a publicity program by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in which foreign participants (living in or outside of Korea) are to seek out Seoul’s many hidden attractions and promote Seoul in colorful and interesting ways to the global community. Throughout the year, we will also be given missions to produce contents to promote Seoul.

As for our first mission, we were tasked to introduce ourselves and to share our aspirations as a Global Seoul-Mate 2014, and make a photo collage of S-E-O-U-L from our daily lives. This is a way for us to get to know more of our fellow Global Seoul-Mates since we live in different places around the world, and to my blog readers, you too will also know more about me through this.

I’m Marai from the Philippines. I’m a Physical Therapy graduate but did not pursue that career and has been working as a Medical Language Specialist for more than 10 years doing medical records from hospitals in the United States outsourced to my country. Right now, I work through the comfort of my home staying away from the traffic of Manila.

I discovered my love for Korea especially Seoul, my happy place, through K-drama and KPOP, but I’m now in love for its beauty, culture, cuisine, and its people. But more than the HAPPY PLACE and rich culture, it’s the PEOPLE that makes me feel warm, welcome, and wants to go back.

As a Global Seoul-Mate, I aspire to explore more of Seoul as there are still endless places for me to discover. I will actively share memorable experiences and promote useful insights and information in and about Seoul to my family, friends and my blog readers and inspire them to visit the place, and through my blog and SNS sites, I will also share to those who cannot afford or do not have time to travel and let them learn and appreciate more of Seoul.

And now for my photo collage mission, I took pictures of what I have at home and that they are related and/or products of Korea and these are part of my daily life. 🙂

S –  Sachets of variant flavored O’Sulloc tea, giving the authentic taste of Korean traditional tea, which  I  usually have with either pastries or fruits. It keeps me refreshed and its healthy! You can buy these  as gift to your family and friends back home as I did from my trip.

E – Sheets of seasoned laver (dried seaweeds) that I usually eat with rice or just like chips. Kids love these too! You can buy this to bring back home from your trip and it is also available at local the Korean marts and groceries in the Philippines.

O – Ramyun that I topped with cheese, which I always have on stock at home. When I crave for Korean food, this is the very easy and fastest one to cook. Available at the local Korean marts and groceries in the Philippines.

U – Choco Pie, which I always have at home too. Nothing beats this sweet chocolate snack to satisfy my sweet tooth. You can buy this also as gift, but since it has a bulky box, you can just buy at the local Korean marts and groceries in the Philippines.

L –  Soju drink, a distinctly Korean drink, which me and my friends who loves Korea would share when having samgyupsal (meat barbeque) or a mini gathering talking about Seoul(Korea) and Hallyu. Yes, I have this on stock at home too because I love to drink. 🙂

And now here is my S-E-O-U-L photo collage for Global Seoulmate 2014 First Mission! Hope you liked it! ^_^

SEOUL, my Happy Place, where past and present coexist! ❤

 

I am a 2014 Global Seoul-Mate!

I am proud to say that last June I was appointed as 2014 Global Seoul-mate! And what is that?

Global Seoul-mate is a publicity program by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in which foreign participants (living in or outside of Korea) are to seek out Seoul’s many hidden attractions and promote Seoul in colorful and interesting ways to the global community. We will share the beauty of Seoul and its attractions to other users in the form of writing, photos, and videos through personal channels such as SNS and blogs.

Throughout the year, we will also be given three missions to produce contents to promote Seoul and if successful will be presented a gift. Active Global Seoul-mates who share entertaining and meaningful contents will be invited to Seoul City conferences and trips to experience Korean Culture, and will be given priority tickets to promotional events in Seoul.

We were awarded a “2014 Global Seoul-Mate Appointment Certificate” and allowed to use the official Global Seoul-Mate symbols to use on our own channels so that we can be identified as such.

Personalized Seoul Adidas Climachill shirt! Thank you Seoul Metropolitan Government!

Thank you Seoul Metropolitan Government for selecting me and I will continue to actively promote and share useful insights, news and information about Seoul and participate in the missions. I am now working on the first mission. 🙂