One thing I like about Seoul is the great use of spaces in urban and building design. When you're in packed and crowded city, the idea of space is really important. So in a lot of the newer areas, there are nice spaces in between buildings for people to walk in and chill out. The sidewalks are also spacious, not like in Kuala Lumpur where sidewalks are afterthoughts and not built with the pedestrian in mind. With an efficient public transport system, it makes long commutes more bearable. Sit back with your take out coffee and chill for a bit while waiting for the next bus. Or take a breather before catching a crowded train.

The other great thing is that there is a law that in certain parts of the city (Gangnam only?) that all buildings must have outdoor sculptures. I think this is great for a city. Art is really important to give a feeling of culture and life to a city. These are just a sampling of the hundreds of sculptures in the city.

I was back at the train station I know well. There is still a queue of students for the bus to the university as it was before. There are quite a few new buildings. One thing that has changed is the increase in multinational brands. StarBucks is everywhere as are other common global brands such as TGI Fridays. For a short while I got to savour the care free world of my student days and sip coffee while watching the world go by on a weekday.

Met up with a friend, who is still studying. It may seem weird after so long, but Korean guys have to be in the army for about 3 1/2 years. So while I've been working, got married and had kids.. my friend is just about to think about his career. Sometimes I'm tempted to think about studying again, but it doesn't fit with my long term goals.

For those of you interested in studying Korean, it's always best to do it in the country itself. You will learn much faster and what is more important when learning a language is to understand the culture and how people live. SNU has a great intensive programme. It's only until lunch, which means you can learn language the best way, go out, make friends, have a chat with the ajuma (auntie) at your favourite eating spot and explore the city the rest of the day.

If you're about to graduate or just graduating, I think it's worth exploring this option. Work for about a year and save up as much as you can. Then do something you've always dreamed about.. backpacking through Europe, visit a Mayan temple, living and learning another language in another country etc. It can be scary at first, I remember having second thoughts about being a plane full of Koreans and wondering what I was doing, but it's worth it. Even if didn't have a chance to travel again after that, I wouldn't have any regrets about could haves, should haves and might haves..

For the past few days I've been at the UN Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development in Incheon, South Korea. The site is being launched today and the DNS switch should take affect soon. Of course it's on a FOSS platform.

It's a bit bigger than OSCC, and Songdo Techno Park is like Cyberjaya.. but on a much more massive scale.

Now I'm in Seoul though for an OECD Ministerial Meeting. Now this is more like the Korea I know from having lived in Seoul before.

It's been 8 years since I've been here last, but I feel right at home and it only took a day or two hearing and reading signs in Korean to start understanding things again.

As kedai blogs, it's back to work time.

Had a good real week off, without stress attacks for the past 3 years. Partially it's due to my inexperience of managing stuff. Impossible is Nothing (tm - Addidas), is not a sustainable way of doing things for every project you take, especially when they are going concurrently. So with my new interns, I will also work with them to mentor not just on technical aspects, but also things like personal time management and project management.