Korean Baduk Competition in Suwon!

 There was a baduk competition along with a festival at the Hwaseong Fortress this past Saturday.  Nan, my chilbo teacher had told me about it and we are always excited to attend anything going on at the fortress.  Baduk is a game of skill.  It looks like a simple game consisting of a board with white and black stones but it is a game full of strategy and skill much like chess.  There is even a television station that only shows this game and how to play it.

                      There were many games going on with many looks of concentration. 

 It seemed to even be a spectator sport.  We found many games surrounded by people just there to watch the action.

 These also had an area where you could play masters.  They walked around from board to board placing stones with only a moment's glance.  I took a video of this which you will find at the end of this post.

 There were even children playing.  It reminded me of playing chess with my dad when I was young.

                                           We saw a bunch of kids with trophies.

                                                         Ahhh, that's where they came from.

 They also gave tickets tot he winners and you could trade them in for all sorts of crafts like getting a painted fan.  Dang, I wanted one.

                        There was also a fesival on Nan's street and we stopped by to say hi.

                                I made some new friends.  I always feel like a rock star over here.

            This guy was a popular dude.  His feet were even bigger than Rocketman's!

 I also got rangled to make a pot.  I was really scared but Bodyguard (you can see him behind me) grabbed me and plopped me into the stool.  You should have seen the crowd taking pictures.

                                       This is what I made or should I say, she made and I helped.

                                          We saw this drum corps resting and eating lunch.

 I was also looking at Bodyguard's woodworking.  He really is talented and you can see I was squatting because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get up.

I'm not sure why we always draw a crowd but it seems to happen at these events.  You would think that I would be used to it after all this time but I'm not.  We had a blast and the weather right now is just perfect. 

Here is that video:

Hanji - The Korean Medicine Cabinet Part 6

 The next step in the cabinet was to cut away the black paper just like I had done in a previous class.  I cut out each section leaving enough paper to cover each opening. This took the better part of an hour to complete.

                                                    Here is what it looked like when it was completed.

                          Next I had to put black hanji paper along the front and back side of the top.

 Next my teacher helped me put on the expensive hanji paper.  This picture really doesn't do it justice.

                                      Then it was time to cover the bottom of the cabinet.

And finally, I covered each leg with the black hanji paper.  It takes four separate sheets of paper to cover each leg.  This is what it looked like before I added the final piece.  Rocketman returned and picked me up at hanji class so I had to leave with one leg left to do.;

Korean Miniature Class - It's All About Meat!

 And seafood!  We were soooo busy yesterday in miniature class.  I'm always amazed at how efficient my teacher is and how hard working.  Everyone goes at their own pace and she is quick to instruct you on the next step.  This is what we completed yesterday.  There was only two of us and still I didn't leave until after 3 pm. 

 The lettuce had to be painted.  It was three different coats of blended paint.  My teacher wants it to look like the real thing and it's amazing that it does.

                               These are the green onion after two paintings.  I had a third to do.

 We put sand on the mackerel to make it look more authentic and I there were five different coats of paint to get them to look real. 

                                                     Here is a closeup of the squid and mackerel.

                                    This is called bossam and it is a pork dish in Korea.

These are typical choices of meat at most Korean barbecue restaurants.  We've had it all and there is something about meat cooking over a hot grill.  The photo is only lacking all the sidedishes.

Tiger Chilbo Jewelry Box

 This week in chilbo it was time to put the wet enamel onto the patterns I had traced last week.  Nan, my chilbo teacher, had me start with the eyes and the nose.

                                     I took some close-up shots so you could see it better.

 I did end up needing some help when it came to the black stripes.  On some of the pieces, I couldn't tell what to paint black and what to leave. 

                                                    Here is a close-up of a finished piece.

Here they all are ready for their first firing which we will do next week.  I almost hate to give this away but it's for my son and I know he will love it.

There is a festival at the Hwaseong Fortress on Saturday from 10-5.  Rocketman get in on Friday and we were thinking of heading to Seoul on Saturday so we will see.

I also have my second chilbo certification test on Monday after hanji.  I am also going to hanji tomorrow to work on the medicine cabinet.  I can't believe how busy I am but I'm loving every minute of it.

When Rocketman is Gone, Becky Goes Shopping!

 Tuesday came with the promise of a gorgeous day and no classes.  I had a few things on my list for Dongdaemum so off I went.  The cooler weather made shopping so much more enjoyable.  I hit the usual Dongdaemum Shopping Center and bought things on my list and even more that were not on my list. 

 I took a stroll to all the huge shopping center only to find them all closed except for one.  They were having what we call in the States, sidewalk sales.

 But what differs from the States is that in the States, the stores are still open and you can bypass the shopping outdoors and shop inside.  Not so in South Korea or at least this day.  All the stores blocked by tables and when I did glance in, the lights were not on.

 I wasn't the only one confused.  I saw many a Korean woman standing in front of an entrance with a puzzled look on their face.

 I don't know if this is the norm but I didn't like it at all.  I wanted to go inside and shop.  Rocketman will be happy though because less shopping means less spending.

                  Here's what I did manage to get.  I just think these buttons are too cute.

 I also have a new favorite shop.  The camera reminded me of Rocketman and the cat charms I am going to make earrings out of.

 I went to my favorite satin guy.  He was sleeping and no amount of clearing my throat or saying, "excuse me" worked.  But he popped right up when I said, "agosshi."

                                                         I wasn't looking for a bracelet.

                          But apparently it was looking for me.  Handmade and gorgeous.

         One of the shopping centers was open and I was looking for a new purse.  I like the color.

 Today I was sitting at the kitchen table working when I smelled smoke.  I thought I was losing my mind and tried to ignore it.  The window was wide open and I figured it was coming from somewhere outside.  But it got worse like something was on fire and it smelled horrible. 

I looked towards the window and saw our leather couch smoking.  I freaked out and ran to the couch.  The couch was definitely smoking and I ran to the sink to get a glass of water which I threw onto the couch.  It turns out that I had been using my magnifying light the night before and with the bright sunlight, it started a small fire.  No kidding, it really did.

Here's the aftermath.  It's about the size of a cigarette burn.  I think the thing that freaked me out the most was what if this had happened while I was at chilbo.  Who knows what would have happened.  The window being open had kept the smoke alarms from going off.  But I can tell you the apartment still stinks. I had never smelled burning leather before and I sure don't want to smell that again.  Yuck!