(My Very Own) Madame Bijou

[from one of my blogs, http://invisiblevisiblefriend.wordpress.com/]

For the past couple of posts, I have made a general observation about the Central line (중앙선) here in Seoul: "The Central line (중앙선) is the subway line with all the oddest people in this region." However, now I will continue with making corrections to those earlier thoughts, since I have encountered this elderly and yet, creepy (sorry, granny but you are) odd lady:

(My Very Own) Madame Bijou happened to be on line 2, which is pretty much the "normal-as-it-could-be" subway ride. Usually on this side, there are not so many odd people.

However, on this day, I stood right in front of Mme Bijou, whose age was difficult to decipher though she was sitting like a queen in the reserved section for the  "elderly/disabled/pregnant." I have named her Mme. Bijou, because she reminded me specifically of the Mme. Bijou briefly mentioned in the movie, Titanic: the day after the night when Rose (Kate Winslet) has been rescued by Jack Dawson.  (Leonardo Dicaprio)

On this particular day, as they are taking their walk on the ship, Jack shows his eclectic sketches of les Parisiennes, and one of them was Mme. Bijou. Much like her-- not just in her exterior looks-- (my very own) Mme. Bijou mirrors that eerie aura, a spirit that is quite bedizened and tawdry.

Dressed in hues of green, she had more than three butterfly clips dangling lost in her great messy nest of a hair,  on which she wore a hat that she put on with her two hands that had two watches on each of her wrists... She was certainly green with envy for these insects with two pairs of wings.

Perhaps she thought that with the right amount of time past, someday maybe she will have drowned herself with enough loads of butterfly accessories, flowers, and green; and then she would magically enlighten herself in the matter of how to be free like a butterfly once the time of her life has flown away from her? 

Ça bien, Madame, mais seulement pour vous.

Cupid Kissing Psyche (1798)... or is it?

[from one of my blogs, http://invisiblevisiblefriend.wordpress.com/]

In Musée du Louvre, a painting by François Gérard (1770-1837), "Cupid Kissing Psyche (1798)" resides. 

This was one of my most favorite imagery-- until I encountered this particular cuddly odd couple on the Central Line (중앙선). Again, it was the Central Line that had this odd couple.

You see, this is really pretty as a painting, when it is not so personal in a public space with real people. A painting of something makes it less physically real in the sense it is just canvas and paint, but Public Display of Affection on the subway, from 2 middle school boys, is quite a shocker. I would have ignored them and even not considered them for my next drawings in this blog, but then they kept crawling into each other's lap, really digging in there, and really getting into my space on the subway; I must add, it was not crowded at all. In addition, they kept glancing over at me, more than once, looking up and down and whispering really loudly in each other's ears. Yes, that is really sweet of them isn't it? Notice the sarcasm in this previous statement.

In light of that sarcasm, I must continue with making one more comment; may this couple forever be happy with one another--  together, their annoying qualities are mirror perfect of each other.

Flower Garden Child

[from one of my blogs, http://invisiblevisiblefriend.wordpress.com]

A little boy running around the Office Building section of the National Museum of Korea (국립중앙박물관 사무동 부분)...  Just how short and pudgy and cute is that?

Dandy Weirdo

[from one of my blogs, http://invisiblevisiblefriend.wordpress.com]

On the Central Line (중앙선), here in Seoul, it appears to be a centre (pun intended) for crowding of people with interesting looks. 

This particular doe-eyed man in his early 20s, with curly hair and quite the forehead, appeared to be trying very hard to come off as dandy; perhaps the suit was not working and I wanted to scream out loud, "perhaps dude, if you were a girl, it could have worked"; but then again, in retrospect, I could not be sure on that. Something still just appears to be off with him. Off. Off. Offfffffffffffffff. 

Bicycle Baldy

[from one of my blogs, http://invisiblevisiblefriend.wordpress.com]

After I finished with a day's work, I was walking towards the subway station with co-workers. While we were walking, it seemed like only I covertly noticed this particularly quirky, middle-aged man-- out of the corner of my eyes. He was someone who you could simply dismiss as just another "baldy," but not when he pulled out his comb. Then everything changed. In that very quaint and precious moment-- as he drove away on his bicycle combing his side hair to maintain its poofiness in the wind-- he revealed how attached he was about maintaining his remaining side hair in a state of "coolness" by his standards. For me, however, it was hilarious to observe: 

Artist Hat (Beret) Grandpa with Sunglasses

[from one of my blogs, http://invisiblevisiblefriend.wordpress.com]

Adorable and yet ever so fashionable in his own rights, 

the Chic artist grandpa, from the Central Line of the Seoul Metro System:

Mommy after the night’s sleep

[from one of my blogs, http://invisiblevisiblefriend.wordpress.com]

With the simplicity of a single brush stroke, her hair all swooshed away to the side,

and with Happy the dog by her side:

Ogre Girl

[from one of my blogs, http://invisiblevisiblefriend.wordpress.com]

[2010 01]

Back in Seoul,

one of my newer friends
explains over an elegant brunch,
about a character
that was certainly NOT elegant:

The OGRE girl.