Today Well Spent •

Balance the 3 types of focus for more self-awareness, creativity and better relationships

Influencer or influenced? It all comes down to attention. All the things are vying for your attention all the time. How many times have you checked your phone today? Your email? Scrolled through Instagram? Retweeted another COVID-19 meme? Checked your ever-growing Evernote to-do list? Reinstalled Tinder? Of course, technology has been a fundamental source of information and connection to each other during this time. But the same thing that makes it beneficial also makes it a bummer.
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[INTERVIEW] J. Hidden House brings urban oasis to Dongdaemun

In the middle of the city, just a stone's throw away from Dongdaemun Market and the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), The J. Hidden House sits like a quiet sanctuary, transporting visitors away from the hustle and bustle of the modern concrete jungle that is downtown Seoul to an urban oasis and a trip back in time to a slower pace of life. Tucked tightly away in an alleyway right off the main road, blink and you might miss it. The newly restored destination cafe, very accessible despite its hidd
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Canadian author releases poetry book to celebrate self-love

"This isn't poetry because it's not Shakespeare or Dickens or Goethe or White," author Magda Ayuk writes in her newly released poetry and prose piece, "Blue Bird." Ayuk's writing in "Blue Bird" is at once an unapologetic weapon against anti-blackness, an ode to women of color and a soothing balm of self-love for all who need it. Ayuk says the first draft of her book was not as bold ― or in her own words as "black" ― as the final published version. But her poetry took a slightly more radic
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Nourished Abroad provides mental health support for expat women

Being an expat in Korea brings with it challenges mental, physical, and emotional, and the holidays can be an especially daunting and lonely time for anyone far away from home. Dawn Wheeler, the founder of Nourished Abroad, helps women in their physical and mental health journey through support and coaching. At the start of next year, she is offering a six-week women-only group coaching online course focused on practicing the habits and skills that promote mental health and resilience.
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Sephora lets down customers in Korea with limited product lineup

While Korean cosmetics and beauty products have become essential items on the bathroom shelves of beauty lovers around the world, it is still difficult for darker-skinned women living in Korea to find their shade of foundation here. With the arrival of Sephora, darker-skinned women had expected this to change, but have been left disappointed. Sephora, the world's biggest cosmetics retailer, opened its first store in Korea Oct. 24 at Parnas Mall. Sephora in the United States is known for sell
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Koreans, S. Africans collaborate on photo exhibition

Two Seoul-based photographers, Lindsay Ryklief and Yim Soo-min, come together this Saturday to explore the concept of capturing dreams in motion in a collaborative photo exhibition titled "Free Dreaming," at Pistil, an underground music and art space in Itaewon, Seoul. Yim, a Korean citizen, will showcase her unique street photography style which catches on film the beauty and magic of everyday people, objects and places around her hometown, Seoul, and other cities of the world. Her partner on
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Se So Neon frontwoman So!YoON! releases debut album

While Korean indie rock band Se So Neon is taking over stages locally and internationally, the band's frontwoman Hwang So-yoon released her debut self-titled solo album "So!YoON!" last week, three years after the band's inception. The 10-track album was released on May 21 ― two days before her 22nd birthday. It is hard to believe the singer is only 22 with everything she and the band have accomplished in such a short time. The band's 2017 debut release "Summer Plumage" won the Rookie of the
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MRSHLL releases 'Alien Issa Mixtape'

Known as "K-pop's first openly gay singer," MRSHLL is releasing his new mixtape "Alien Issa Mixtape" today, Oct. 31, a collaborative release between Feel GHood Music and Wuzo Entertainment. The new mixtape is a shout out to all the "aliens and the misfits" and those on the margins of society, with six solid feel-good anthems with distinctly different vibes. "These are songs I've been working throughout the past year that didn't make it onto the Breathe EP released this past June, nor did
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HootnAnnie's Seoul in rainbow colors

Korean-American artist Annie Hong is painting canvases all the colors of the LGBT+ rainbow flag to increase queer visibility in the Seoul underground art scene. Whether she is painting on common cotton canvas, clothes, people, or the walls of Seoul, her work as HootnAnnie (her artist pseudonym) is infused with intricate patterns and colors coupled with simple "micro-poetry" and themes of queer love. Hong met with The Korea Times at a rooftop cafe in Itaewon to talk about her recent project, "I
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Pow! Wow! bombs Seoul with public art

Contemporary art initiative Pow! Wow! returned to Seoul for its second year, bombing the streets with art and beautifying the areas around Konkuk University and Seongsu-dong in Seoul with?massive multiple-story murals and live public art installations by top international and local artists chosen for their skillful artistry, community-driven sense of fun and desire to share their creative process with the public. Under the direction of Andy Song, a freelance creative based in the U.S with a d
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NYC musician makes Seoul temporary home

Rapper, producer and songwriter Koncept landed in Korea last November expecting to play two shows in Seoul and then return to New York. But, after almost four months and a music video, a couple of collaborations and a deal with Sony Music Asia, he is still here and has no immediate plans to leave. "I flew to Korea for what was supposed to be for two weeks for a show at Vinyl City and another at Secret Society, but I'm still here and loving it," he said. Arriving in Korea high on the afterglow
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Shade Seoul grows and goes international

For most countries celebrating Pride, June is officially known as international Pride month when the LGBTQ community and allies around the world come together to celebrate themselves and their communities, to increase visibility and just enjoy who they are. While this year's Seoul Pride event takes place a month after most other countries, the LGBTQ collective Shade Seoul will be in Shanghai and Beijing next week to heat up the celebration, and will bring a Pride afterparty to Seoul in July.
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Part Time Cooks drop track with Jay Park

are on their way to full-time success with the release of their latest song "California Butterfly" with Korean hip-hop artist Jay Park last week. The duo have stepped up their game and are heating up the Korean music scene in this collaboration with Park, who is signed to Roc Nation in the U.S. The song is a feel-good track with tropical and South African influences that is perfect for dancing to under the summer sun, while the video is appropriately set in a colorful utopian jungle. Less t
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Seoul's first 'Queer Bnb' opens

A newly opened "Queer Bnb" in Seoul offers short-term studio accommodation to travelers in Korea who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ). LGBTQ guests can access accommodation and travel information as well as support and advice tailored to their needs. "There is not much information about traveling in Korea while queer so I thought it would be a good idea to offer accommodation to people looking for that kind of thing," said Hayden Royalty, the Korean-American owner,

House of Hathor brings diversity to expat burlesque scene

House of Hathor (HoH), Seoul's latest neo-burlesque troupe, is gaining attention in the foreign community for their charm, as well as diverse acts ranging from burlesque comedy to soulful singing with a sultry edge and their cabaret-style performances. The art of burlesque has been growing for a few years now in the expat scene ― walk down any street in Haebangchon and you won't miss the sexy stickers of Whitelies Burlesque posted on the walls and inside elevators advertising their latest rock
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Kontrast creates art, collaboration, community

Kontrast, an interactive experience featuring fashion, music and art connecting professional and aspiring creatives, made its debut on Dec. 15 at Paper Street Cafe in Jung-gu, central Seoul, and will be presenting its second episode Saturday, Jan. 26. The creative content collaboration event kicked off episode one featuring a lookbook party, with a photoshoot set up on the first and second floors of the three-story art and cafe space, DJs and an art pop-up showcase on the third floor, with pa

Shade x Femme kicks off Pride celebrations in Seoul

June is international Pride Month, and this year the Seoul Queer Culture Festival is in its 20th year. To mark the occasion, Seoul-based creative collective Shade x Femme will present a week of events, starting June 27, exploring queer culture in Korea and celebrating with free workshops, a panel discussion and film screening for everyone. Celebrations will end with its famous Pride Parade after party on June 1st at Cakeshop and Contra in Itaewon. Six years after its very first monthly event
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