There is Rock in Korea

I didn’t hear much about the rock scene in Korea until I watched the show ‘Rock on Korea’ on Arirang. Initially all I thought was that there is no rock, no metal in Korea. But there is rock in Korea!

It’s not that only K-Pop exists in Korea, in fact the evolution of K-Kop was triggered by the Korean rock bands of 1950’s. After the World War II, the rock music in Korea started. 

The band members are old now, they hardly sing, but they listen to the modern rock music though. They were the talented guys, they learned themselves, they played for the 8^th US Army, they were the starters and they were the legends of rock and K-pop in Korea. 

In 1950’s they were so famous in Korea just like the Big Bang is now.  They loved to play the music by Santana and The Beatles. They are the ‘4 Add’,  'Shin Jung-hyoen' and the other band members. 

  Shin Jung-hyoen  (Photo Courtesy: Guardian.co.uk)

The 8^th US Army in Korea was the main audience to the rock music played by the Koreans. Those armies encouraged the rock music players, where they released various albums. The albums would mostly certainly contain blend of Korean traditional and western rock music. 

The bands were so perfect that even if those band members play together with Elvis Presley, they would make no mistake.  That was the standard of rock scenario in 1950’s. 

The younger generations tend to sing those old rock hits to the taste of modern rock music. They maintain their ancestry and try to reach those songs to the modern Korea. There are now many rock and metal bands, they rock the Koreans as K-Pop does globally.  

The rock music in Korea has come a long way now and it gave birth to different genres like K-Pop. It all started with the US in Korea and now the Koreans rock US and the world with the Gangnam Style. 

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Buddha Dordenma

Buddha Dordenma statue is located on the hilltop of Kuensel Phodrang in Thimphu, Bhutan overlooking the South Thimphu. The statue measuring 169 feet (51.5 meters) once completed, is supposed to be the one of the worlds largest Buddha statue. The place has become popular among the Thimphu residents.

The statue covered with snow looks stunningly beautiful. Here are some of the still pictures photographed on 17th February, 2013.

View from far-south Thimphu city

Side view

Amid fairly distributed mist

Buddha Dordenma symbolizes peerless virility to bestow blessings, peace and happiness in the entire world.

This is not Buddha Dordenma! It's a stupa (Chhorten) built in 1974 in the memory of the third King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who is regarded as the Father of Modern Bhutan.

Palm in the Snow - Rare Combination

Thimphu was taken by surprise! Thimphu city experienced a very heavy snowfall on 17th February, 2013 after a very long time. This was the second snowfall in Thimphu, the first snowfall wasn't thick enough. The snowfall did the effect, the scenic beauty of the city was mesmerizing.
 Whats taken my interest was the Palm in the snow. I have never seen it before although I got to explore more.

Trachycarpus fortunei Fan Palm, Royal Botanical Garden, Serbithang, Thimphu. 18th Feb, 2013

Fan Palm.  It is often rare to see sub-tropical palms growing in the snow but the Royal Botanical Garden, Serbithang has it.

The Baby Banana - An Insight

The insight of Banana flower; each of those yellow buds grow into a Banana fruit.

These are the fresh sprouting Banana buds ...

... and here's the Banana, a little baby Banana; he is the eldest of the these siblings.

 Soon, he will be visiting someone's stomach! 

Musa paradisiaca, Bongo, 07-02-2013

Fruits of Helicia nilagirica

Fruits of Helicia nelagirica, 08-02-2013. Bongo.

The vertical cut section of the fruit. Purplish color inside.

Few dominant plants of Bongo, Bhutan

 

Agapetes bhutanica

Caryopteris bicolor

Combretum fruticosum

Maesa chisa

The photographs were taken on 8th February, 2013 at Bongo, Chhukha.

Plants in Phuntsholing, January, 2013

Colebrookea oppositifolia

Duabanga grandiflora

Holmskioldia sanguinea

Lycopodium clavatum 

Leucosceptrum canum

Mushroom Diversity – I am starting to like it!

I thought that the fungal taxonomy is simple, but it is not! I also thought that plant is more diverse than the fungus, but it is not! I came to know it only when Dr. Hosaka, mycologist (Basidiomycota) from Japan presented a seminar on Mushroom. 

Mushrooms are edible, non-edible, poisonous and non-poisonous. Many farmers earn their livelihood through the trade of mushroom and of course many people die due to mushroom poisoning. They play vital roles in the ecosystem as mycorrhiza and decomposers (of wood and leaves). Mushrooms are known to be the most diverse groups of organism in the terrestrial ecosystem, yet the true numbers of the mushroom species are unknown. 

The scientists have estimated the number of mushroom species of both known and unknown to be ca. 1,500,000 species. It is also estimated through different approaches that the number of species to be around 5 – 9 million or even more.

Ganoderma applanatum. Phuntsholing, January, 2013 Alt. c. 400m

Microporus sp. Phuntsholing. January, 2013. Alt. c. 1000m

Dr. Hosaka mentioned that the ratio of plant to fungi in the world is 1:5 i.e. for every plant there is 5 mushrooms. It is quite alarming that most of the fungus are not discovered or not described, whereas most of the plants have been discovered and described too. The fact about mushroom is that, even a single species can be identified into at least 7 species.

Mushrooms are source of income for some farmers and food for some. The mushrooms has so far increased the status of local livelihood and also taken some of the lives. It is vital to identify the edible, non-edible and poisonous mushrooms. 

Mushrooms are so diverse; that to explore, discover and describe the entire mushroom on earth will take more than 1000 years from now.

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Pranic Healing – A Perception

I couldn’t believe that Pranic Healing really heals! It was something that seems like a mystery to me. I thought of giving it a try by healing myself by my sister (Who is an advanced Pranic Healer) and I gave a try when I had fever.  It was indeed miraculous! The fever has disappeared and instantly, I had a feeling like fever was never there in me. That was the moment I planned to attend two days course on Basic Pranic Healing at YDF, Thimphu. 

I attended the course and it was the most beautiful experience I ever had in my life. I can feel the energy and of course I can see the energy in the air, on the ground, in the tree, around human body, etc. Everywhere there is energy, I didn’t realize that before. It was like I was venturing into a brave new world, where there is peace, happiness, harmony and the divine healing.

Basically, Pranic Healing is based on Law of Nature. Pranic energy is present everywhere, just like electricity was already present on earth before it was discovered. It was Master Choa Kok Sui who founded the art of Modern Pranic Healing. Pranic healing uses those natural energies to heal the people irrespective of any kind of diseases or illness. Pranic Healing is not a religion, but a science that deals with life force or energy to heal people.

Pranic Healers heal the patient with the energies available around them by cleansing the dirty or infected energy around the patients, by energizing with new fresh energy and then stabilizing the energy. When healing, Healers are supposed to be in the state of peace and harmony, so that healers can transfer clean energy to their patients. To make ones mind in the state of peace and harmony, there is a 30 minutes meditation called Meditation on Twin Hearts, which is exceptionally perfect for any normal human being.

You know what, Pranic Healing can heal the patient wherever they are on the earth, be it in USA, Japan, China or Antarctica. I say, this is an art of mankind to heal a patient irrespective of their station. It amazing!

I suppose that there will be a time, when the scientists recommend the art of Pranic Healing to the world. Pranic Healing is not paranormal or mystery but it is a fact!

Be it karmic connection or not, I feel blessed for I have ventured into the world of Pranic Healing and I feel awesome!

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Happy New Year 2013