All in Korea, Only in Korea

Julien Kang Was Taken To The Police Station

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 07:15:00 +0000

The French nationality and model-turned-actor in Korea, Julien Kang was taken into the police station after seeing him wandering in the street of Kangnam wearing only underwears. The onlookers called the police who found him 1km away from his residence on Sept. 18th at 3 P.M., wearing only underwear and not properly worn undershirt.

Julien Kang told the police that he drank with his acquaintances the night before and couldn't remember anything when he returned home. He also said that he didn't know why he acted that way. He was tested for narcotics but the test result was negative.

Travel and Food Trip in Gunsan

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 12:18:00 +0000

I met a foreign traveler in Thailand and he asked me which place I can recommend to him if he would visit Korea. I said Jeju Island because among the places or attractions that I've been to, I think Jejudo is the most beautiful place in Korea. It is where the Korean newly-wed go for honeymoon.

But yesterday, I traveled to Gunsan City for the second time (My first time wasn't fun.). If I've just visited the City earlier, I absolutely recommended the place to a foreign traveler friend.

Here's how we enjoyed our two days and one night in Gunsan City. We started our trip late afternoon. (It's not necessary to start in the morning because the attractions are very close to each other so it doesn't need much time.) It was late afternoon when we arrived Gunsan but we decided not to have lunch to be ready for our food tripping.

Gunsan has lots of famous food and restaurants. One of these is the Jungdong hotteok. Hotteok is a variety of filled pancake and is popular street food in Korea but Jungdong hotteok (중동 호떡) is very famous that it opened a small restaurant and moved to a bigger one. Here are the workers making and serving hotteok in the restaurant.

Here's what the hotteok made special. It doesn't taste greasy and the bread is like chapatti (Indian bread) with lots of filling inside. It's a little more expensive than the hotteok that are bought in the street but it is worth it. Four (4) pieces for 3,000 won (less than $3).

Food tripping was included in our plan so even the hotteok was delicious, we decided not to have more than one. So after Jungdong hotteok, we went to Lee Seong Dang Bakery (이성당). Luckily, we were on time and didn't have to line up just to buy some bread. The bakery is too famous that you have to wait long before you could get inside.

There are different kinds of bread to choose from. Everything looks delish but danbatppang or red-bean bread is the most famous one. Dan= sweet, bat=red-bean, ppang= bread. Dan bat ppang means sweetened red-bean bread. The bread is soft and filled with much red-bean.

Another famous bread is the vegetable bread but I think it's more delicious than the red-bean bread. It is also full of vegetables inside. Their bread is really yummy and tastes unique.

After having bread, we went to Jangmi Chopped Noodle Restaurant (jangmi kalguksu or 장미칼국수). The noodles is really yummy. The soup tastes like real sea-foods broth.

What makes it more delicious? The kimchi! They serve very delicious kimchi with the kalguksu. Yum! Yum! And more yum!

Since we are already full, we decided to visit Gunsan Cheolgil or Gunsan Railway.

The walls of the houses beside the railway are painted with beautiful pictures and characters. I can't imagine how the people lived there when the railway was still working.

Not only the walls but also the railways are very interesting. This word reads Sarang meaning Love.

It reads "yoja maleul jal deudja" which means "Let's listen carefully to what a woman say".

"Bomnal" means Spring Day.

Now it's coffee break time. While taking a walk, we saw the price lists of coffee outside the Seon Soo Coffee shop (선수). When we went in, the interior is good to take a rest and chat with friends. Besides, the manager is very kind. She recommended us some famous food to try in Gunsan. Some food on our lists that were searched on the net were eliminated and some were added. She said some on our lists taste good but there are much better than them.

The Seon Soo Coffee Shop interior.

Take-out coffee is 1,000 won (around $1) cheaper.

And because of that, we decided to take-out our coffee and find a hotel or motel where we can stay for a night. We went to a motel for $70/night that is good for 4 people (we are with our couple friends) according to the manager but she didn't want to show us the room so we left. We went to another motel which is $60/night. The "Mulbitgoeul Motel" (물빚고을 모텔) manager showed the room and it is just what we are looking for. My hubby asked discount and the manager said $50 but he needed cash so we grabbed it.

The motel has a double bed and single bed and they gave us additional pillow, mattress, and blanket.

It also has a big TV. The one that we are looking for because of Asian game.

And a huge bathroom.

My hubby's friend likes drinking so we drank before we went to bed.

Hubby doesn't drink. Never! But I do! Just a little! And occasionally so I don't know anything about alcohol or beer! Hubby's friend asked what I wanted to drink and I said anykind is okay so he bought these. He said they taste juice and he's right.

I was surprised when I saw the real apricots inside. Wow! I've never seen alcohol like this before. Am I stupid? Maybe, when it comes to alcohol. hehe.. We had fun drinking, chatting and taking pictures of ourselves. We slept at around 5a.m.

We stayed up late and woke up late. We left the motel at noon. So for lunch (Should I say breakfast?), we went to Ssangyong Banjom to have Jjampong (Korean spicy seafood noodle soup).

The restaurant has a good view.

Jjampong in Ssangyong Banjom is a little bit expensive compare to other restaurant but it's the most delicious jjampong that I've tasted so far.

Ooopppsss... they served us jjampong without noodles. We thought the noodles is separated with the soup, we waited but there was no noodles coming so we asked. The waitress said that it was a mistake. The cook forgot to put noodles. There's no one to blame, that's normal when the chef is too busy in the kitchen. The restaurant was crowded when we went there.

The waitress took the soup and changed with this one. Ssangyong banjom's jjampong is another success meal!

Jjampong is always paired with Jjajangmyeon or black noodles so we ordered one. Hmmm...not a good idea to order jjajangmyeon. It's better to order more jjampong. Jjampong is the best!

Buuurrp! Sorry!

The shells from jjampong.

Lunch is finished! We enjoyed the food since yesterday so it's time to see the famous attractions in Gunsan City. First, we went to Jinpo Haeyang Tema Gongwon or Jinpo Maritime Theme Park. I've posted about it here on my first visit to Gunsan. Check it out to see more pictures specially the museum.

Our next destination was the Choweon Sajin-gwan or Chowon Photo Studio.

It's what we want to see the most because of the movie Pal Woleu Christmas or Christmas in August, one of our favorite movies. My hubby said, he saw the movie five times and his friend said he also saw it several times.

Some pictures that were taken from the movie were hanging on the wall.

Across the photo studio is another interesting painted walls that is good for taking pictures.

Then we visited the Gunsan Sinheung-dong Ilbonsik Gaok or Japanese House in Sinheung-dong Gunsan.

The two-story wooden house in Japanese style was built by a Japanese who ran a draper's shop and small farm in Gunsan during the colonial period (1910-1945), and also served as a member of the autonomous district council for the Japanese residing in the area.

There were so many people specially students visiting the house.

The house on the first floor has ondol (floor heated from underneath).

There's a small tower in the garden which is a symbol of Japan.

Then we walked to Dongguksa or Dong-guk Temple that was founded by Japanese Buddhist monk called Woochida in 1913. It is the only remained one of temples built by colonial period.

This building was originally the main Buddhist hall of Geumgangsa. The temple belonged to Japan's Soto Zen sect, which was introduced to the country with an inflow of Japanese when Korea opened its ports to foreign countries.

Then we went to Wolmyeong Park.

Gunsan City has really a beautiful and clean park.

The Levee of the Old First Reservoir of Gunsan was constructed to provide water to Gunsan area. Construction began on June 18, 1912 and ended on January 4, 1915. The levee, the floodgate, and the water level measurement tower which were built in early modern period, have high values for local and architecture history.

The park has also forest with lots of benches where you can lie down comfortably.

It's really relaxing to lie down.

We were hungry after taking a walk in the park so it's time to try another menu. We went to galbijjim restaurant but it was closed. The restaurant is closed at 2:00-4:00 p.m. Then we went to another restaurant and it was also closed until 4:30 p.m. Finally, we came up with Ssambap (rice wrapped with lettuce) in Onggojip.

The restaurant is very unique. It used to be a school.

As soon as you enter, you'll see some picture frames of the famous TV programs who visited the restaurant.

At the hallway, these are displayed showing some Korean traditions.

The figurines are wearing hanbok (Korean traditional clothes) made with hanji (Korean paper).

The food also shows the normal Korean meal. Rice, soup, main dish, vegetables and lots of side dishes.

And the most interesting thing, the rice is in a student's lunchbox.

Onggojip is too far from downtown where most attractions and famous restaurants are gathered together but Onggojip is 11 km away. But we didn't regret finding the restaurant because of the nice restaurant and delicious meal that we had.

That's it! Now you can enjoy your trip to Gunsan City just the way we did! I have traveled to more than 10 countries around the world and I can say that my trip in Gunsan is one of the most memorable trip that I've ever had.

Bamboo Forest in Damyang Jeollanamdo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 05:04:00 +0000

When was the last time that I came here? That was several years ago no wonder why I saw many changes in the forest. It has improved a lot since I last went there. Although the bamboos are still the same, but the totem poles have increased in number.

Also these camping area looks more peaceful. Unlike before that it looks dirty and wasn't as eye-catching as now.

This area has also developed a lot. I think I saw this on a scene in Korean movie or drama. It looks familiar.

It's also my first time to see these plastic windmills. Never mind my hubby's umbrella on the upper left. It was raining when we went there with our friends.

I think it's the cutest totem pole in the forest.

Have I seen these statues before? I don't think so. But the mermaid looks very old. It's like a ghost. It scared me. Really!

It looks like old and dried dead mermaid in the forest that becomes real at night. Oooppss...

This hut looks scary, too. It seems like a ghost appears at night or maybe the mermaid lives here. Aahhh... My imagination is killing me again. Anyway, it looks scary but it is used in making films. Who knows that your favorite actor or actress stayed here. hehehe...

Yes, lots of movies and dramas were filmed in Damyang Bamboo Forest. Here are some pictures of the scenes.

My Overloaded Cabinet

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 08:38:00 +0000

I need to reduce my clothes in my cabinet so I took out the clothes that I don't wear anymore. I don't like throwing away things specially my clothes but I realized that my cabinet is already full. I felt bad and I want to keep them but I have to think positively, that there are people out there who need my clothes than I do.

I can't wear the clothes that my hubby doesn't like so I always go shopping with him. But sometimes, my in-laws buy clothes for me and my hubby doesn't allow me to wear when he doesn't like them. I didn't know that I have these much clothes that I don't wear, anymore. I thought it's not these much.

Here are the clothes that needed to be thrown out. Some of them are new and haven't worn, yet.

A big plastic and a big box of clothes to be thrown out. I hope they go to good hands. I hope they go to the needy and not to the factory. I just don't have any idea if the orphanage could accept the clothes so I just put them to the clothes box of my apartment building.

Celebrated Korean Chuseok

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 07:37:00 +0000

A few days ago, we celebrated Korean Thanksgiving Day which is called Chuseok in Korean. It was last Tuesday but before and after the celebration are also holidays. Chuseok always have a 3-day vacation. Before, during, and after! I think they consider the people who go to their hometown because it's the time for the family to get-together. We usually go to my in-law's house on Chuseok but this year, it's opposite. My in-laws came to our house.

Although we had visitors, I didn't get tired preparing food or anything. My mother in law prepared everything. I just helped her a little and she did most of the cooking. She prepared a lot that it's hard to put everything in our huge refrigerator. There's also a kimchi-refrigerator but it's also full. Some soup and side dishes were rotten so lots of foods were thrown-out. It's my mother in law's style. She always makes too much!

My mother in law was too excited to prepare a lot of food but when our visitors (my brother and sister-in-laws with their family) came, they didn't want to eat anything. They just wanted to have chicken and beer that's why until now we are eating the main dishes and side dishes that she prepared. They didn't want to have meal when they came. Beer and alcohol with finger foods like chicken are the best during the occasion in Korea. We had meal together once but that wasn't enough to eat everything. Actually, they wanted to go out to have meal because my brother in law wanted to treat everyone at the good restaurant but my mother-in-law rejected it because she prepared a lot. She said why did we have go out when there's a lot of food to eat? So my hubby told her not to prepare too much next time.

Our friends also visited us but they only had fruits. We were insisting them to have lunch because we had lots of food but they said they have just had lunch. After having fruits and chatting, we decided to go to coffee shop and have patbingsu (Korean sherbet).

Well, my in-laws left last Tuesday and my hubby said that it's really good to be home with me alone. It's relaxing and he could taste the food well without the kids (nephew and niece).

Back Home from Our Travel Around the World

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 06:47:00 +0000

We are back home from our travel around the world for almost six months. See my travel around the world blog here. Actually, we didn't know when we come back home. We bought tickets to Hongkong for a month. If we could just buy a one-way ticket, but tourists must buy round-trip tickets so we gave up our ticket back home.

We started our travel from Hongkong-->China-->Laos-->Vietnam-->Thailand-->Philippines and now we are back to Korea. We decided to come home and take a rest for a while before we continue our trip to another country. Six countries for almost six months is fun but sometimes tiring and dangerous. It's fun to travel and after several months living out of the country, it's also fun to be back home. We are so happy to have Korean food. There are lots of food to eat here. Also, we can order some food until late at night. There's nothing to worry about food. So many side dishes and delicious food to choose from. Unlike in some other countries like China and Laos, we didn't know what to eat. In Vietnam, we only had noodles almost everyday. It's true that there's no place like home. Home sweet home! But after a few days, we miss traveling again that's why we decided to buy plane tickets as soon as we arrived home.

I can't wait for our next travel. We are flying again so soon. ^-^

View from my Apartment

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 08:29:00 +0000

What I like the most about my apartment is the wonderful view of it. We are living in the highest floor of the building and it is located near downtown so it has a great view. But I'm afraid of the sun so I always close the window blinds and curtains during the day and open them at night. But one time as I was cleaning the house and shook the dusty rug on the window, this wonderful view has caught my attention again so I grabbed my camera and took a picture of it.

Here's the view on the left side of the building.

Here's the front view.

And the right view where you can watch the sunset.

Neighborhood in Seoul

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 08:11:00 +0000

My hubby always feels bored when we are in my parents-in-law's house. So whenever we visit there, we always go out for a walk in the neighborhood. So, the last time that we went there, we took a walk in the neighborhood again.

We usually take this route which is very close to my in-law's apartment. Just go down the building and you'll see this walking course with artificial (man-made) stream.

We decided to walk a little bit farther and this lane made me laughed. It's just few steps but we had to wait for a few minutes for the traffic light to be changed before we can cross the street. I also live in one of the largest cities in Korea but I've never seen traffic lights in a very narrow street. Although there are lanes but no traffic lights so when there's no car coming, you can just cross the street anytime you want. Well, I just thought that this is Seoul, the capital city of Korea.

The next day, we decided to change our route. We walked and walked until we reached this beautiful village. It seems like we are traveling out of the country. I've never thought that there's something like this in Korea specially in Seoul. My in-laws who live in downtown of Seoul where there are lots of high buildings, so for me, this kind of view of Seoul is something unique.

Oh, that cute little puppy looks very sad staring outside.

Namsangol Traditional Garden in Seoul

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 16:18:00 +0000

We visited my in-laws and my father in law invited us to go to Namsangol Traditional Garden which is just close to his place. It's just three stops using the subway so we didn't bring any car and used the subway instead.

Namsangol has the beautiful view of Namsan Tower.

The ancient name of Namsan (Mt. Nam), a symbol of Seoul and the Korean people is Mokmyeoksan. The mountain has been called Namsan (Southern Mountain) as it is located in the South of the capital, taking advantage of Namsan's picturesque, a leisurely life in harmony with the nature as they wrote poems, draw paintings and played games.

In building Namsangol Traditional Garden, original terrain shape and pavilions and ponds were restored. Native trees and grasses were planted and the valley was built to enable natural flow of water.

Because it was holiday, there were lots of people visiting the famous garden.

It was thanksgiving day so it's not surprising to see some cameras shooting the events of that particular occasion like the YTN News, the korean news TV program.

There were also lots of traditional games prepared for the visitors.

There's also a time capsule at the South of the traditional garden. The time capsule commemorating the 600th anniversary of Seoul as the new capital. It was buried 15 meters underground on November 29th, 1994. The time capsule which is shape like the Bell of Bosingak (Belfry), contains 600 artifacts that represent the urban landscape of Seoul, the life of Korean citizens, and the society and culture of Korea. The time capsule will be unearthed on November 29, 2394.

Five authentic Hanok (Traditional Korean Houses) that were scattered in the city were moved to the northeast of the garden. To help visitors understand Korean life, furniture that reflects the status of the people who lived in these houses were place inside the buildings.

The houses showed how people lived long time ago, although there are still some people living like it in the countryside. As you can see, they burn woods to heat the floor of the houses which is called ondol.

Namsangol Traditional Garden in Seoul is also the best place to see the full moon on thanksgiving day.

Early Bird Korean Mother In Law

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 15:39:00 +0000

Korean mother-in-laws get up so early. It's the reason why we can't live with my mother in law because she gets up too early but me and my hubby sleep late. My mother in law is an early bird but we are night owls. Last night, my mother in law sent me a text at 2:00 a.m. She asked if we were still awake so I called her. She said she has just got up but we were still awake. She was telling us to sleep early but we can't. It's not easy to sleep early when we always get up late. We get up so late so we also sleep late. But my mother in law sleep so early that's why she gets up early. She sleeps around 9:00p.m. and gets up around 3:00-5:00 a.m. In our case, we usually sleep around 5:00 a.m. and get up at noon and sometimes 2:00 p.m.

Most mother in laws are like my mother in law. They sleep early and get up so early. I heard from my students who live with their grandparents said the same thing. Some of them even complain because they can't make any noise at night. Also, they are force to sleep early because of their sleeping grandparents. They also complain that their grandparents wake up so early and clean the house so they make noise in the morning. I understand how they feel because when we sleep in my mother in law's house she makes noise so my hubby hugs me and covers my ears in order not to hear her noises. I could hear her cooking, cleaning the house and doing the dishes.

Korean mother-in-laws are early birds so if you're living with them, you will be forced to get up early, too because there are mother-in-laws who want their daughter-in-laws to get up early so that they can help them with the household chores.

Want To Marry a Korean Guy?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 10:05:00 +0000

My father in law asked me to find a Philippine woman to get married a korean guy. He said, find someone who's as kind as me (I was happy to hear that but would be happier if he said as pretty as me ^-^). The guy is over 40 years old. I was willing to find a Filipina when my father in law said that the guy was his nephew (his sister's son) and my hubby's cousin. Later on, I found out that the guy is a farmer living in the countryside. My husband is against it. He said the filipina will be very pitiful. She can't have some money and will have a hard time living in the country. She will live without friends and work in the farm even in the cold weather. Not to mention the language barrier, the weather and homesickness. I agree with him.

The next day, my father in law invited us to visit his sister. His nephew's (looking for a filipina wife) mom. We went to their house. It's an old house in the countryside. It was too cold so we stayed in one room with old, dirty and cracked wall. It was grandma's (my hubby's aunt's mother in law) room. I couldn't go out of the room because it was too cold. The living room, the kitchen and the bathroom were too cold. I was freezing. The living room doesn't look like one because of lots of stuffs stocked that are mostly crops. The small dirty kitchen has lots of big old pots. The cold bathroom has also lots of stuffs that I couldn't imagine if someone could take a bath there. There is no shower and bathtub, just faucet and bucket under it. There are lots of basins and washing machine is also there. It is too stuffy. I'm not sure if there's hot water to use. My hubby was too sleepy so they told us to use the other room and sleep. But my hubby's cousin's niece was there using the computer. Beside the two tables was a quilt and heavy blankets. We lay down but we couldn't sleep because it was too cold. So, do you want to get married this guy and live there?

I don't know why people from the Philippines think that once you got married to a foreigner, you are lying in the bed of roses. There are so many women out there dreaming of coming to Korea and get married to a korean guy. Don't you know that those who are looking for Filipinas are those who got divorce or old guys who couldn't get married to Korea because Korean women don't like them? Most of them are farmers or fishermen living in the countryside.

Do you still think that all filipinas who got married to korean have good lives here in Korea? I'm telling you. You are definitely wrong! You don't know how hard their lives are, living with someone they don't know well. You don't know how they suffer specially to those who live with their parents-in-law. (Most of them are living with their parents in law. Another reason why Korean women don't like them (korean guy married to foreigner) because Korean women can't live with their in-laws.) Don't envy those filipinas because they are married to korean guys. You are luckier than them. Living in the Philippines is more fun with friends and family. Nothing can compare to the happiness when you talk in your own language and eat filipino dishes. I think most of you have even better house than the other filipinas here in Korea.

There are some who live well but don't expect that you will also do, specially if the married is just a match. For those who got married because of love (courted in the Philippines), some of them still face some problems here in Korea because of the against parents because if the korean has good education, young and live well in Korea.

Christmas in Korea

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 17:42:00 +0000

Christmas in Korea is just like a normal holiday. There's nothing special to do specially when there's no white christmas. This Christmas, it was just very cold. It didn't snow. When I asked what most of the kids did on Christmas day, some of them said they went skating, saw a movie, and most of them just stayed home playing computer or cellphone games. Too bad that it didn't snow that's why kids didn't have much fun.

In my case, I went to my mother in law on Christmas eve. We brought the ice cream cake that my sister in law gave us and had the chicken that my hubby ordered. We stayed there until almost midnight. When we arrived home, I called my family back home. It was nice to hear all their voices but I was so homesick because they were all in my dad's house except me.

We slept at 5:00a.m. and woke up at around 2:00p.m. After having some chocolate cake (our anniversary cake left over), I called my mother in law and told her to come over to my house. We dine together at 6:00p.m. (that's our lunch and my mother in law's dinner).

When my mother in law left, we slept again and woke up around 10:00 p.m. And that's how I spent my Christmas day. I was too homesick and didn't want to do anything so I just slept in order not to miss my home and my family. Eventhough my hubby was asking me to go out, I didn't want to, because it was too cold and going out is not fun anymore. I've been to many beautiful places in Korea and I think once you've seen one, it seems like you already saw everything. I even stayed in Jeju Island for almost a year and saw most of the island so I can't enjoy the nature in the mainland anymore.

Anyway, that's how I spent Christmas here in Korea and I guess most people did the same thing specially office workers who spend most of the weekdays at work and Christmas holiday is just a time for rest like a normal holiday.

I Hate Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 15:16:00 +0000

Fall was too short. It is too cold from November and this December, it snows a lot. I think it has snowed in other part of the country since November. I guess we'll also have a White Christmas. Good for the kids and too bad for us adult specially to those who are afraid of cold like me.

In winter, I wear layers of clothes. I wear five layers to be exact, except underwears of course. But still I am cold. I even wear two layers of socks, a scarf, and gloves. I used to wear a hat, too but not anymore.

I hate being cold all day. I hate wearing layers of clothes. I hate walking in the snow. In short, I hate winter!

Let's Pick Baseballs

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 17:39:00 +0000

We found lots of baseball balls in Namhae Sports Park the last time that we went there. We were finding the parking lot when we saw that there are players playing baseball at the park. My hubby who loves baseball told me to watch them playing so after parking his car, we headed to the baseball park. On our way to the park, I saw a ball lying on the grass. A few steps away, I saw another one. Then, another one! And another one! My hubby was so happy with the baseballs so I told him to find balls, instead. He laughed and because of those smiles and happiness that I saw, I was encouraged to search more balls and after a few minutes, I have lots of balls in my bag. The balls that the player made homerun and went out of the park. Here are the balls.

I can find more if we stay there longer and if I have a bigger bag. haha... But my hubby told me that we can't bring them. Some players will go out later and find for the balls so I told him to leave the area so we can have the balls. Am I bad? hahaha... Hey, players! Just give them to us. I'm just so happy to see my hubby's smiles because of your balls. We'll just keep them as a remembrance from you. I'll wish you goodluck and hope someday I can see you in the baseball field and receive autographs from you.

See? My hubby was so happy while driving because of the balls. He said we can't bring those balls but still he was so glad that he has them. He hugged me, he held my hands from time to time while driving and when we are at the stop lights, he looked at the balls and laughed. Some balls are still new.

Look! My dog is also interested with the balls.

New Baseball Stadium in Namhae

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 06:44:00 +0000

The last time that we went to Namhae Sports Park, they were constructing the Baseball Stadium so my hubby who loves sports told me that he would go back there to see the new baseball park and so we did last weekend.

After a few months, here's how the park changed.

It's not only the baseball park has been changed but also lots of development has been made. Here's another new built playground for kids.

It's also my first time to see the giant parasol.

And they are still improving it. It's still under construction. I think this one is a fountain.

Namhae Sports Complex is really wonderful no wonder why I usually see some tourist buses whenever I visit the famous park.

Look how The Sports Park changed since I first saw it a few years ago.

Seomjin-gang in Gurye

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 05:58:00 +0000

We visited Persimmon Village or Damurak Village in Gurye and before we headed home, we dropped by to the Seomjin River which is just across the Village. Unlike the Seomjin River in Hadong, this Seomjin Gang in Gurye has also wonder view of the mountain, the sky and the river. There are even people go fishing which I think the perfect place for a picnic in summer for the whole family.

Look at the view of the river. Isn't it wonderful? My hubby told me to come back here in Spring and set our tent. What a nice idea!

The river became more beautiful with the colorful leaves in the mountain.

I think it's a fun place to play in the water for kids.

The river reminds me of my childhood when there were not many gadgets to use and most kids enjoy playing with the nature like splashing in the water with friends, climbing up trees, playing sports games under the sun, etc.

Persimmons Village in Gurye

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 14:31:00 +0000

My hubby searched on the net and Damurak Village caught his attention and we were not disappointed of what we've seen. I don't know where it got its name but I think the village is more popular with Persimmons Village than Damurak Maeul because of the Persimmon trees planted all over the village. Damurak Village is located in Jeollanamdo Province Gurye-geun Gurye-eup Gyesan-li Yugok.

Before you reach the village, there are lots of street vendors selling persimmons. I was amazed of what I've seen because the side road is full of persimmon trees.

It amazed me more when we reached our destination because the village is surrounded by persimmon trees. We walked for more than an hour and from the entrance of the village until we gave up walking, the trees were all around us. The view of the persimmons are breathtaking. The persimmons are in both side of the street so I don't know which way I look. If on the left or right because everything are persimmons.

There are some people harvesting persimmons.

They are all persimmon trees down there.

Persimmons are fruits in autumn so going to Persimmon Village is also like visiting the falling leaves. It's like two birds in one stone, huh? Persimmons plantation and colorful leaves in one!

The village is not yet famous but I think a few years later, it will be very famous for its persimmons. Look at this mountain! It will be a persimmon plantation soon. They planted lots of persimmons in the mountain. I can't wait to see that again.

It will be one of the best places in Korea specially for a picnic. There's also this place for dabbling in the water for children in the summer.

We are now on the way to the parking lot. We didn't realize how far we've gone. The village is mountainous but it doesn't make you tired because of the wonderful site of the persimmons. We kept walking and didn't realize the time. We can still go far but we were afraid to reach the dark.

There aren't so many houses in the village and there are even big houses. The place is like the walking course in Jeju Island but instead of Tangerines in Jeju, they are Persimmons in Damurak Village.

There are also persimmons factory in the village.

Seomjin River in Hadong

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 11:32:00 +0000

It's now autumn in Korea and it's getting cold everyday. My hubby has been waiting for this season because he can eat his favorite; the seafoods! My hubby loves seafoods but he doesn't want to eat it in the summer. And now that it's fall, we went to Namhae to eat seafoods. We went back to the restaurant that we've been to, to eat Rawfish in Cold Water.

On our way home, we decided to go to Seomjin Kang (Seomjin-gang) or Seomjin River which literally means "toad ferry". It is believed that 1590s during the Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea, a swarm of toads blocked the Japanese army from crossing the Seomjin into Northern Jeolla.

Seomjin-gang drains southeastern Jeollabuk-do as well as eastern Jeollanam-do and western Gyeongsannam-do provinces, and flows into the Korea Strait. The river rises from Palgongsan and flows for 212.3 km. before it reaches its final destination to Gwangyang Bay.

Our navigation brought us to Hadong County. Here's the map of Tourists sites in Hadong-gun.

The river doesn't have much water. It's dry maybe because it didn't rain for a long time. I want to go back there again in the summer.

I think there are many people swimming in the summer because there are tubes near the benches.

Eventhough we couldn't enjoy the river, there's a trekking course that takes 4km to Seobon Park. We are planning to go back there and go trekking. I can't wait!

Here's the trekking course.

There's also a bridge to cross the river.

I think there's also a temple across the river on top of this mountain. I couldn't see it well but my hubby said it seems like a temple specially when we heard a sound of the bell.

I found Pearls in the Shells

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 15:50:00 +0000

We visited my hubby's aunt and luckily there was a festival in her town and aunt ran a pojangmacha (a covered cart bar or a movable bar on a covered cart in which liquor and some simple side dishes are served).

Aunt served us some beef barbecue and shells. It was so yummy but that's not what I like the most about our visit to pojangmacha.

The shells are so big that there were pearls inside them.

Look what we've got in the shells. Wow! It's so amazing! It's my first time to see pearls in the shell. I feel like a mermaid on the ground while holding the pearls. They are small but I was so happy to have them. I kept looking at them while eating.

Unluckily, the one fell down and I couldn't find it anymore. That's really bad!

Live Well

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 08:27:00 +0000

It really feels great when you know where your hardwork are spent for. In my case, when I get my salary I always make sure that the hardwork that I've done for a month will go to useful things. So I always do things that can relieve me by doing or fixing something at home. It's so relieving that I got an idea in this concrete patio repair cracks so that I can know what to do next time. It is the answer just in case that I want to find the latest trends, renovation, repair or any problem that I have at home.

I'm also happy to see this concrete stamped overlay on youtube. Wow! It's so fulfiling to see the beautiful designs of Sundek, no wonder why lots of customers trust them. Americans are so lucky to have a respectable company like Sundek.

I can't wait to recommend this resurfacing concrete patio to my friend in Washington. She has mentioned that she wants her house to get remodel and she might be interested with it. There's a saying that there's no place like home so make them relaxing and comfortable. It's also wonderful if we can make them beautiful.

The National Foundation of Korea

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 05:52:00 +0000

It's another holiday today. Every October 3rd day of the year, Koreans celebrate the National Foundation Day or called "Gaecheonjol" in Korean language. It celebrates the creation of the Gojoseon (ancient Korea) which is founded by Dangun Wanggeom in the year 2333 BC. Gaecheon (or "Opening of Heaven") refers to 3 October B.C. 2457, the date when Hwanung (환웅) descended from heaven to live with mankind.

It is really surprising to have a day like this. Yesterday, when I told my students that we'll meet on Friday because today is a holiday, they were very happy. So, I asked them what day it is and why is it a holiday. Everyone was staring to each other because they know it's a holiday but they can't explain what kind of day it is. Then one of them answered, he said it's the foundation of Korea. Some students were shaking their heads. They seemed confused and couldn't believe him. Then I told them that he was right. I said it's the National Foundation of Korea.

Now I realized that it's true that children now will soon forget about their history. What I know is, Koreans value their history. Old generations like my father in law knows a lot about their past. So when I meet him, he always tells me about the people long time ago and he sometimes feels annoyed when he asked about my country's history and can't answer him. Who cares about the people and life long time ago? Well, I don't! I wasn't even interested in those famous history dramas like Daejanggeum, Jumong, etc. When I see someone wearing hanbok or warrior's clothes on TV, I change the channel immediately. They don't interest me. I think it's normal in my country to have people like me who are not interested in our past. But here in Korea, I guess oldies are worried about it that's why it became a topic on the TV program before.

Well, what is important now is, it's a holiday so it's time to take a rest again. How I love holidays. If you go outside, korean flags are hanging on every trees. I think it's just a normal holiday and no special celebration held.

Happy National Foundation of Korea!

Cheers to all Myeonorideul

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 11:52:00 +0000

Thanks God Chuseok is over! Today is the day when Myeonorideul or daughter-in-laws feel relieved because chuseok has passed after the long long day of Chuseok. On Chuseok day, lots of daughter-in-laws complain about the hard job they do on this special holiday. They have to prepare lots of food while the men in the family drink and make noise. I'm glad that in my hubby's family, nobody likes drinking except my brother in law and his wife so they drink together after hyeongnim does her work. But they don't drink much.

Anyway, we drove for many hours to get to my parents-in-laws house and this is the first time that they didn't do "jesa" or memorial ceremony so we were free from lots of work. We used to get up early in the morning to prepare for "jesa" and everyone must be ready to bow at 7:00a.m. but last Wednesday night, before we went to bed, my father in law said that we sleep as much as we want. And to those who don't want to have breakfast like us (me and my hubby) don't need to get up and help to prepare breakfast. Wow! Amazing!

The next day at around 9:00 a.m., I heard someone doing the dishes but I didn't get up. When everything was done, I woke up and went to the bathroom but my father in law was in the living room watching TV and he said I can sleep more. I didn't see anyone in the living except him, so I guessed everyone was still asleep so I went back to bed again and woke up at five before noon. I was too shy because I saw everyone in the living room and when they saw me, some of them headed to the kitchen and prepared for lunch so I helped them. We had beef barbecue for lunch.

After lunch, we had dessert in the living while watching tv and when the sun started to go down, my father in law invited us to go to Namsan Hanok Village and went home for dinner. Actually, he wanted to dine out but we went to some restaurants and they were closed so we just went home and had beef and rice soup for dinner. While having desserts, my hubby told my father in law that we had to go home because our dog was left alone at home. He's afraid that my dog will make noise and disturb our neighbors. My father in law didn't allow us at first but my hubby insisted him so finally before they went to bed, he allowed us to leave. And now we are now home safe. Thanks God!

As I watch the news, the traffic is bumper to bumper because people are now going home. The traffic is not as heavy as few years ago because the roads were developed a lot but still there's a traffic jam and I'm glad that we never had traffic on Chuseok or any special holiday because we are on the opposite direction.

To all Myeonoris out there, cheers! You guys did a good job! Once again, you made Chuseok very special because of your hard works.

Next Week is Chuseok

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 16:14:00 +0000

Next week is Chuseok or Korean Thanksgiving Day. Today, I went to the supermarket and there are lots of people buying some gifts and groceries to prepare for chuseok. On this day, most myeonori or daugher in laws are busy preparing food while men are playing card games or drinking. Children are so lucky on these because it is like the celebration of Christmas to some countries, children eat lots of food and receive presents from oldies.

And because next week is Chuseok, we are going to my in-laws house which takes 4 hours drive. There's always "Jesa" or Memorial Ceremony in my father in law's house during Chuseok and Seollal so we are always busy on that day. My "hyeongnim" or sister in law (hubby's brother's wife) always does most of the work and I just assist her. Of course my mother in law is the food taster.

Sometimes, because of my hubby's work, we can't go there earlier. We are supposed to go there the day before the occasion because it's the time to prepare some "Jeon" or fried dishes and "namul-namul" sprouts dishes and different kinds of side dishes. But my hubby can't drive during the day because he's a night owl so he is asleep during the day. But this time because of long holiday, we are going there on time but I heard that this year, we are not going to prepare for Jesa which is really great specially for my hyeongnim.

My hubby doesn't like this kind of occasions because he doesn't drink so he feels bored so he said we'll just go there and take a walk around my father in law's neighborhood. And that's more exciting, I think!

Disappointed of the Coupon

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 10:17:00 +0000

I saw an advertisement in front of my door about the promotion that the supermarket has which is just located in front of my apartment building. It's a big supermarket selling everything. It has a big bookstore, coffee shops, spa, appliances, jewelry shops, clothes shops, grocery products, etc. The promotion is only for those who live in our building. I'm a regular customer of the supermarket because I feel comfortable buying there because I can everything I need and want.

In the advertisement, if you buy at least $30, you can get two cups of coffee at Kenya Coffee shop which is also located inside the supermarket. Last night, I went shopping and bought around $50 but I forgot to exchange my receipt for coupons. I just thought that I can just show the receipt to the coffee shop but it's too late when I found out that I have to exchange to receipt into coupon to receive the coffee. Too bad that it also listed that we can exchange the receipt the day that we bought the products but it was already close when I knew about it.

Oh well, my hubby cheered me up. He said that I can still use it when I get the grocery next week because the promotion is until next week. I always go shopping once a week for our whole week food I guess I have to go shopping earlier for our next living.

Let's go to the Courthouse

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 09:39:00 +0000

I always want to learn how to drive and get my own license but I don't have enough time yet but soon I will get my own if my husband will allow me. I don't know anything about driving specially license but after reading about the defensive driving information library, I learned a lot of things and it encouraged me more to get my license so I can drive soon.

You may also want to know more about driving and to start with, here are the links on Where to find courhouse addresses. They are almost everywhere so it's easy to find them in your area.

There are lots of courthouses around the world but if you are living in California, you will absolutely need this California Court List for your easy preference.

I will absolutely recommend this List of CA Courthouses to my friend in California who has just bought a new car for her own safety.