Street vending warmth

It's close to freezing today and tall glass impersonal-looking
buildings tower all around this Gangnam business district, but a
myriad street stalls add a touch of chaos, charm and warmth! Selling important items such as shoes in the winter, mosquito-killing
electrified tennis rackets in the summer, fake Vuitton handbags all
year round. (The contraband DVD have disappeared over the past year so either some kind of policing is going on or downloading has become too easy...)

Seoul rooftop and empty sky

There are not many rooftops like this one in Seoul... Although this blog will probably be about the grittier and more dynamic aspects of the Korean city, I give you this elegant and witty view of a Gyeongbokgung palace rooftop on a backdrop of mountaintops. The shot is by talented photographer Blair Kitchener, a Seoul resident from New Zealand.

It may be hard to believe considering the total lack of urban clutter, but this photo was taken in the heart of Seoul. Granted, the empty sky takes up three quarters of the space, which by the way lends a zen-like quality to this landscape.