Buildings with Old-world charm

It's been some time since i've last posted and i really wanted to post something today, so... running short on inspiration, i decided to rummage through my picture files, and voila! - Old buildings. I'm quite sick of large cities(having lived in one for 27yrs) and its many imposing skyscrapers; i feel they exude a certain feeling of coldness and indifference, like they're the owners of the people in them and not the other way round. Even with all the activity going on inside, the building itself just seems so lifeless and devoid of character.

On the other hand, old buildings appeal to me somehow; they seem to exude a certain kind of charm, and i feel that one can see a manifestation of its owner's personality through the building itself. I can almost imagine what was going on inside them when they were occupied by their orginal inhabitants ages ago.

Anyway, the two buildings that i've posted are oriental buildings. The first one's a mini calligraphy museum in Lan Ting, a tourist attraction in Shaoxing, China. The second one's a building in Himeji-Jo, probably the most manificent castle in Japan. If i'm not wrong, this building's situated at an area where the samurai commit 'Seppuku', the bushido practice of ritual suicide. I kind of like the dappled patterns formed on the gray walls on these two buildings, i think they look great. I must apologize though, for my 'intrusion' in both of the pics. Like many of you, i initially thought i totally spoilt the rustic charm of the pics with my modern clothes and frivolous 'performance', but hey, seeing it in another way, it sort of reflects a cool contrast, does'nt it? Like the arts/literature students would say, "a juxtaposition of the old and new" ... Deep.

I was thinking of 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' while posing for this one. Can anyone find the one flaw in my picture? I actually attempted to remove a person from the background with my amateur photoshop skills.

The dappled pattern that i was talking about's more distinct here. Truly beautiful, isn't it?