It Pays to Read The Label...

I have to admit. It must appear odd to shop keepers when I wander into a store, go through their inventory, and they watch me pull out my camera just to take a picture of a t-shirt label. I don't care about the looks...I don't care that this appears extremely odd...matter of fact, I do hope they notice and go back to the item I photograph. I want them to ask why...I want them to wonder why a western person would photograph their labels. In short, they often read like something you would find on the "Tonight Show". You know, those poorly worded advertisements that somehow make it to print. Only, in this case, this label is on thousands of clothing items in South Korea.
I couldn't resist this impulse when I read the conflicting messages on the label...another jewel. Telling...funny...and another thing to bring a smile to my face...telling me to think for myself, yet to follow trends. Or...instead of Chevy Chase telling me to "be the ball.....na na na na na." I can be the brain (or more correctly...be your own brain) and dress trendy, wearing a pink t-shirt.

A Fire Eater and a Butcher Shop...Am I missing something?

My odd moment of the day...

In my neighborhood, there are the usual businesses. You have a grocery story, the hair dressers, and restaurants...a few local bakeries and a butcher shop. Asia is known for their neon displays...overloading you visually, so it sometimes takes a little fire to grab your attention.

As I was on my way to another appointment, I saw this site that stopped me dead in my tracks. The loud throbbing house music didn't grab my attention...your senses get a little dulled to the noise.

However, I have to say...seeing a man, dressed as a woman chasing around people with flaming batons and doing fire eating demonstrations, just goes to show you one way to get someone to notice that your business is NOW OPEN.

The truth is, this shop has been open. It wasn't a new business, perhaps under new ownership and they were looking for that gimmick that said..."HELLO! WE ARE HERE AND WE WILL DO ANYTHING TO GET YOU TO NOTICE US!" I thought it was a little extreme, and then I stopped and realized it worked. I will never forget them. Though fire-eating has little to do with a butcher shop...sometimes the fire eaters are required to get the job done when it comes to marketing.

The Bus Stop

I do know the streets of Daegu can be a little busy sometimes. However, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this crossing-guard in the club district. Safety first folks! It seemed like a good picture to use since I realized this entry has a lot of vehicle imagery.

I spotted this mini...minus the noise of the wedding reception...announcing to the world the happy nuptials. Good luck kids...getting married in Korea is a lot easier than getting divorced.

However, I had to do a double take as this bus seemed to be planted into the side of a building.

A nice place to eat, if you don't mind people (like me) staring at you through the window. Complete with booths that reminded me of the 1950s, the patrons sit, but never really go anywhere.

But for good measure, had to throw in this shot warning taxi passengers to take care when opening their doors. Trust me, they drive with a death wish. As for the taxi drivers, just close your eyes and chant..."take me to a happy place."

The oddly eccentric

In downtown Daegu, I happened to see this older woman sitting outside a club in an office chair in her house slippers (which you are never supposed to wear outside...very frowned upon) smoking a cigarette. I was praying my camera would work, since I had been warned by my camera that my battery had run down (hmm, I didn't give it a fresh charge before I left).

When I powered on the camera, I had an angry warning come on again...but again all odds, I happened to squeeze out just enough energy to get this not so random shot of her just dragging away on her cigarette outside an unnamed door next to the entrance of another bar. She looked like she owned that area as I watched her to see if anyone would approach her.

No such luck...perhaps it was still too early to discover her purpose...

the couch at the end of the stairs

While out on my initial explorations I crossed an abandoned couch, while I am not in the habit of photographing abandoned furniture, I thought about the placement. You have come from a long hike and here is this couch just sitting there in the middle of Unam park...not on a sidestreet for the refuse collectors to gather, but in the middle of a park...set against the backdrop of beautiful mountains.

It could be someone wanted to avoid having to pay for their trash collection, or perhaps that there might be some use of it here. People are not prone to littering here so it was a little against type. Trash is separated as a way of life, which food waste is separated from the rest. Ah, in the states, such a long way to go with respect to our environment.

Well rather than get wrapped up with the idea of how the couch wound up in the middle of the park, I snapped the picture and kept on up the stairs. I highly doubt that anyone will be using it anytime soon....