07 May 2007

a nice day in seoul

about one year ago i started pop-id. its goal was to explore pop culture on the personal level. it was an interesting, but, in terms of its original purpose, failed enterprise. practicing writing outside of the academic or professional spheres was valuable, but i never made a successful transition from private diary to public blog. the result was me writing about me thinking about me... ostensibly for others' consumption. realizing this seemed awfully indulgent and embarrassing.

making the transition from the usa to korea provided a good excuse to send pop-id out to pasture and to try again. as i learned from my asian walkabout last fall, traveling makes good fodder for writing. being in unfamiliar environs makes the dull seem vivid; not speaking korean makes simple, mundane tasks exhausting. i hope this reality is appreciated by readers who seek special cultural moments or a hearty chuckle. ultimately my new weblog's goal is to record how seoul inspires this half-korean homo's exploration of additional racial / cultural / national identities. sure, it's still about me, but i hope that my interests in korea, culture, identity and travel might intersect with yours. thanks for the memories.

check out my shiny new weblog here.