The entrance of BeomeoSa

Lisa, Annis and me went to Beomeo temple for group project. The weather was so good. There was no cloud in the sky and wind blew trendily. There were many people and foreign tourists. When I was young I went to a temple following my parents. At that time I didn’t know why people like a temple. But today I knew its reason. Korean temples are usually in deep mountains. So that places’ air is clean and sight is beautiful and calm. I looked at Beomeo temple in detail for project and I felt the beauty and grace of Korean temple again.

What is the persistence?

There’s a boy born in a farm village. He was poor so he couldn’t go to middle school. He cut down trees and sold them for earning money. Then he heard that there was a free school. This school was away 3 hours from his home. But he went to this school on his foot and asked its principal his entrance. After then he woke up 4 AM and went that school for 3 years by walking. In the end he became a teacher but he did not stop trying. He was interested in a medical science so he attended lectures in a medical college. Professors ignored and insulted him because he was not a medical school student. But he endured and never gave up. Even though he couldn’t receive a diploma of graduation, he listened lectures for 10 years. And he applied professor employment of Yonsei University. He didn’t have any degree but he became a medical college professor of Yonsei by his ability. He is Dr. Hwang Su-kwan.

Benjamin Franklin said ‘energy and persistence conquer all things’ and Napoleon said ‘victory belongs to the most persevering.’ People all have different environments and abilities but the most important thing that overcomes all things is persistence and effort. Life is bitter and I suffer from endless but also I know these difficulties make me be strong. So real persistence is winning and jumping myself. The patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet, as I know.

Seoul cabs to accept credit cards

http://english.seoul.go.kr/today/news/newsclip/1237961_3675.html

From early next year, passengers can use their credit cards to pay taxi fares in Seoul, city officials announced yesterday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it will introduce the system next year for a three-month trial in 3,500 to 5000 taxis. The city will then review the system and expand it to cabs throughout Seoul. And the city also said it will introduce special traffic cards for foreign visitors next month. The special traffic card for visiting foreigners will debut on Nov. 1, allowing unlimited transfers on subways, local buses and city tour buses in Seoul.

Using credit cards to pay taxi. Wow! It is very good. For clean economy, using credit cards is great way. I take taxi when I am busy. But if there is no money that time, I will be in trouble. So credit card is useful payment. I hope Busan conducts this policy fast.

Alexander (2004)
Director : Oliver Stone

I saw the movie in Professor John’s mid-term exam. Alexander the Great, he was the conqueror who is remained as a legend. Many historians don’t hesitate to point out him the greatest leader all over the world. Why do I deny that? He was the real hero building up a large empire where includes Greece to western and India to eastern. His great ideal that he dreamed when he became a king of Macedonia was an expedition to the eastward. Actually he led many wars without any defeat during about 12 years when the period of his reign. If someone doubts his ability as a leader, just look at his achievements. Moreover, he was not just a warmonger who was crazy about a desire conquest. The culture of Hellenism, which was mixed with the culture of Greece and the Orient, flourished on his period. Through this, we can know what he wanted was the real union empire where all people could be together. Even if he was a human so he was not perfect, we are able to see various virtues on his life.

meat buffet

>ㅁ<♡

There is a good meat buffet in front of my university. Joe, Sunny, Helen and me went to there. We were really happy and full. Its price is 5,500 won/person. It is pretty cheap price. My favorite meat is Samkupsal (fatback). I ate a lot of meat without money concern. It was so tasty. Maybe the buffet will be our regular meeting place. Go! Go again!

With White Russian

Bar : (noun) a place where you can buy and drink alcoholic and other drinks.

We went to a small bar located around school. We were Sunny, Helen and I. Actually solo club members. Kk. Though we are poor students, sometimes we think a piece of high-level rest. I often go to cheap and noisy bar. But today we wanted to go to dark and good mood bar. Of course the price is more expensive, but we enjoy that mood. I ordered cocktail ‘White Russian.’ It is tender whisky. But it is made by Vodka and Kahlua. So it is a little bit strong cocktail. I drank it slowly savoring its real taste. Um. When will we go there again?

To be the god of Pocket! Cheer up!

A billiard room opens in Dong-seo Buzz Mall. I like pocket billiards very much! We can enjoy pocket billiards for cheep price in the new billiard room. Other billiard rooms are not as cheap as there. Moreover that place is non-smoking area! Korean billiard rooms’ chronic ill is bad smokers. Alice and me went to play pocket billiards. We are poor at it, but we really like it. We use eight ball because it is the easiest way. Maybe other tables’ players laughed us. Woo. In my thinking, we were very funny. But someday I will be good at playing billiard! Someday…

Golf degree available in Korea, Australia

http://news.nate.com/Service/natenews/ShellView.asp?LinkID=4&ArticleID=2006101600062660118

A twinning program offering a degree in sports management and sports business with a specialty in golf will be available in Korea and Brisbane, Australia, starting next year. Students will be able to take golf classes at designated Korean universities for the first year then transfer to Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, to complete their four-year degree.

Now golf is a famous sport in Korea. Many people enjoy it and some children learn it to be professional golfer. Maybe this article will be so pleasing news to them. They can take golf degree it university and this is good opportunity. In my thinking, nowadays Korea and Australia become close. I hope that two nations’ relationship to be stronger.

What a interesting movie!

타짜 Tazza (The war of flower 2006)
Director : Choi Dong-hoon

Today I watched movie ‘tazza’ with my friend. Tazza is a slang word meaning a hoodwinker in Korean gambling, flower cards. In this movie, a famous Korean actor Jo Seung-woo acted the best gambler in Korea. Throughout watching this movie, he showed dazzling gamble skills. And a sexy movie star Kim Hye-su appeared in this film. His and her acting impressed me. I think it is well made movie. It shows gamblers life realistic. And nonstop tension holds audiences tightly until the ending. Tazza’s life is not level road. But it is true that it is the name of the top of the gamblers. I am not interested in gamble but anyway their life is so interesting.

Happy Hour? No! Terrible Hour!

Today all we global students were mobilized to International Happy Hour Program without anyone’s approval. It is a small party to cultivate friendship with foreign students in my university. It is a good purpose. Even though we knew that we had to prepare this party, we enjoyed setting. But real problem was someone’s one-sided announcement. It was an order. He said to us that prepare small play to show foreign students two days ago. He never considered a lack of time or our terrible feeling. Volunteering is not difficult. But compulsion is not good. As our expectation other students were not interested in our playing. In the noises, I felt me a clown. Today, who was happy?

Someone thinks there is no true friendship to women. Actually some women look like that. So I'm presenting two movies about women's loyalty. One is the 'Now And Then' and the other is the 'Thelma & Louise'. In the 'Now And Then', there are four girls. They lived in the same village and they went through a varied experience. When they were 12 years old, they swore eternal friendship. But it was not so easy to keep their mind. Soon they became sensitive puberty girls. The mind of a girl at puberty is extremely delicate. They had a lot of problems and they worried about their selves. And they met again when they became adults. Now they walk their own way but their friendship is not changed. Still they are good friends, and they miss their childhood. 'Now And Then' is a joyful and heartwarming story about four friends, 'Thelma $ Louise' is a extreme movie about two women. Thelma and Lousie are friends, and they are bored their lives. So they go to travel. But it is their last trip. The world is so cruel to them. They just want to have a happy life. But the world that is owned by men does not permit their freedom. Men afflict them endlessly. So finally Thelma and Louise have to be criminals. They are chased by police, in the end they dash to a cliff looking for their free. This movie shows that forced women and their tough treatment. In an andocentric society, they were eager for liberty. And by giving up their lives, they got real freedom.

Like these two films, women's friendship can be strong like men's friendship. Sometimes it is soft and tender and on occasion it is tough and powerful as women's two aspects. It is the just true form of friendship. It can maintain forever and sometimes it make people can die for their friends. For them, there are no needs any reasons. Friendship is only being with trust.

Korea, Japan begin survey near Dokdo

http://kr.news.yahoo.com/service/news/shellview.htm?linkid=4&articleid=2006100912151883385&newssetid=1352

South Korea and Japan on Saturday began a weeklong joint ocean survey of radioactivity in the East Sea. The eight-day survey is in line with an earlier agreement between the two countries to jointly survey the level of radioactive waste dumped by the former Soviet Union between the 1960s and the 1990s.

I didn’t know there is radioactive waste dumped by Soviet Union in the East Sea. Maybe this survey was conducted carefully. Because Dokdo is sensitive area to both nations. Anyway I hope there is no much radioactive waste. It is terrible thing!

The tarot card

Do you believe the destiny?

Yesterday I had my love fortune told by a tarot card reader in Seo-myun with my friend. There are various fortunetelling ways and fortunetellers in Korea. I don't believe blindly those divination. But sometimes they are helpful for our lives. Although the tarot card is not Korean traditional fortunetelling means, these days it is very famous and common to Korean youths. I think they just enjoy these curious things. But it is also true that they take comfort and advice from these simple plays.

At one time I wanted to buy the tarot card. I was fascinated by its mysterious world. Reading card and foretelling fortune is so interesting idea. For this work, card reader has to have deep insight and intuition. Of course the narrative skill is essential for reader. Then, how could I not be attracted by this card? Maybe I am a good reader of tarot card someday.

On Chuseok

Today is the biggest national holiday of Korea, Chuseok. It is a kind of the Thanksgiving Day in Korea. People visit to their ancestral graves and relations on the occasion of Chuseok. They weed a grave and perform ancestor memorial rites, also. It is laborious tasks to busy modern Korean. And women are suffering from preparing much food for rites and visitors. Moreover in this period, a highway is very crowded by homecoming people. We can see many cars stuck on the way for a long time at every this season.

Then, why such many Koreans do these hard things?
I think it is related to Koreans' particular affections about family and ancestors. From old times Koreans live with large family. Today most Korean families are nuclear families. But family is still important to Korean. That's the reason that Koreans endure much hardships about a national holiday. We gather and appreciate to our ancestors. Through those things, we confirm relationships each others.

My E-Zine article, about Doenjang-Nyeo

Have you ever heard about Doenjang-Nyeo? Now, Korea is seething over this syndrome. Doenjang(soybean paste) which is a traditional heathy food of Korea is used for young women who are consumption-oriented and like expensive brand products but depend on men for money. There are some guesses about the origin of a word Doenjang-Nyeo. Among them, the most proper remark is that this word made by some netizens who criticise the younger generation women who spend a lot of money for shopping and beauty. We can look for easily Doenjang-Nyeo in many internet news articles. Moreover among netizens Doenjang-Nyeo raising game is popular. What on the earth are they Doenjang-Nyeo? Why are many people crazy for this word?

In summer 2006, the word Doenjang-Nyeo was appeared in an internet bulletin board. It became a hot potato of Korean society holding the whole internet communities. As previously stated, it is a name of women who pursue high price brand products and are driven by vanity. They eat brunch, cling to expensive cloths and shoes, enjoy drinking starbucks coffee. Sometimes they don't reluctant to make men spend money for them at all. All of them want to live like New-yoker 'Sarah Jessica Parker' in 'Sex and the City.' Actually the brunch culture which is unfamiliar in Korea is spreading fast through young Korean women. At first sight we don't know well why it is a problem. But many people blame their vanity, luxury and blind attachment for foreign brand goods. They say that Doenjang-Nyeo use much money for their appearance and dream a wild dream but don't have earning ability. So they are typical incompetence women. In fact Korean's tenacity about high price brands has already exceeded the limits. It is social ills. And main consumers are women, it cannot denied.
But there is one important thing we must not pass over. Those who are crazed about brands without economic power are not only women but also men. Besides Korean women are no more rely on men's power. Sarah Jessica Parker never depend on her men even though she buy expensive shoes with anxiety of a house rent. Many consumption-oriented Korean women have their jobs and live her gorgeous life openly. They enjoy their own lifestyle and express their desires. Why especially in Korea, about women, does this event occur? Of course a taste and lifestyle is the freedom of the individual. In spite of this fact, the reasons why Doenjang-Nyeo syndrome condemns including innocent women, are strong androcentric of Korean society and machos who envy women's social activities. So now people criticize this syndrome and say that some narrow-minded men suppress and belittle women through this chance.

'Consumption is a virtue.' This phrase reflects well spending conception of capitalism however, these days 'consumption is a vice' for Korean women. It is good that Doenjang-Nyeo syndrome brings criticism and reconsideration about intemperate spending and epicurism. But if it do not stop on the self-examination but be used for constricting special social class of people, Doenjang-Nyeo syndrome will just remain the bitterish happening which was made by mad Korea about brands and poor machos.

Gwanghwamun reconstruction to begin in Nov.

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/archives/result_contents.asp?id=200610020042&query=Gwanghwamun

Construction will begin in November to rebuild Gwanghwamun, the southern gate of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul.
The project is aimed at moving traditional structures of Gwanghwamun back to their original positions and providing a new public space for citizens. It also aims to raise the site's chances of joining the UNESCO World Heritage list.

I love Korean traditional structures. There are many beautiful buildings in Korea and I think they deserve to be UNESCO World Heritage. Gyeongbok Palace is elegant. So if it is registered in UNESCO list, many people of the world will know well about beauty and excellence of Korean structures. I hope it.

Global Solo Club

Today is the 100th anniversary of couple Alice and Jun. I and friends gathered in pub and celebrated them. I envied them so much! The winter is coming. This year I feel loneliness rapidly. Hu. Some girls of Global Program and me made solo club. The aim of our club is escaping solo! If someone gets a boyfriend, we will hold party. Oh. Gloom twenty! Where is the one of me?