Learn Korean Easily

And then, and then

2017-11-14T12:11:00.002+10:00

I have a couple of international colleagues at work. They are quite eager to learn Korean so I teach or correct them whenever I have a chance. Yesterday, we were going to have coffee after lunch and one guy said, "밥 먹은 다음에 커피 마셔요" It is totally correct. But we can also say, "밥 먹고 나서 커피 마셔요".

Let's have coffee after lunch.
밥 먹고 나서 커피 마셔요.
밥 먹은 다음에 커피 마셔요.
식사하고 나서 커피 마셔요.
식사한 다음에 커피 마셔요.

밥, 식사, meal
~고 나서, after something
~은/는 다음에, after something
마시다, drink
마셔요, let's drink

밥 먹고 나서 커피 마셔요.
bab mokgo naso kopi mashoyo.
밥 먹은 다음에 커피 마셔요.
bab mokun daumae kopi mashoyo.
식사하고 나서 커피 마셔요.
siksahago naso kopi mashoyo.
식사한 다음에 커피 마셔요.
siksahan daumae kopi mashoyo.

One of the hardest things of learning any language is the fact that there are usually more than one way of saying the same thing. But knowing different expressions for the same meaning will make your speaking more rich! Hope you don't give up!! :-)

Let's start again!

2017-05-07T14:56:00.001+10:00

It's almost end of the long weekend. It was a good break for me since last vacation in December. I have been reading a book on the weekend which title is "What Google Really Wants" by Thomas Schulz. I am also working in IT but every time I read about their ambition, it blows my mind. Maybe what we need to ask ourselves is not how to do something but what we want to do and why. Tomorrow, I will get back to work and start working hard to find better reasons why I do what I do.

Let's get started again!
그럼 다시 시작해볼까!

그럼, then
다시, again
시작하다, begin, start
~볼까, shall I, shall we

그럼 다시 시작해볼까!
Gurom dasi sijakhebolka

~볼까 is used when you make a suggestion to someone. 그럼 이제(now) 먹어(eat)볼까? Shall I(we) eat now? 그럼 내일(tomorrow) 가(go)볼까? Shall I(we) go tomorrow?

You probably know that in Korean, subject can be left out. So it is not clear whether the speaker is talking to themselves or talking to otheres. It is all in the context of the situation.

Hope you guys had a great weekend as well!

I am so disappointed

2017-05-03T01:46:00.002+10:00

I am in my hometown, Busan. Since I am not a tourist here, I rarely go to tourists attractions like Haeundae beach(해운대 해수욕장) or Jagalchi Market(자갈치 시장) But when I come to Busan with my nephews, there is one place we don't miss and it is a PC cafe near my parents place.

Few months ago, my nephews and I came to Busan without their parents. When I ran oit of things to entertain them, I took them to a PC cafe for the first time. Since they have been watching game videos like Overwatch on Youtube and their parents don't allow them to go to PC cafe, they were super excited about it and really enjoyed playing games on a big screen. Since then, we made a rule to visit PC cafe every time we come to Busan.

My nephews wanted to go there several times during this trip, but their parents wanted to do more touristy things. So we ended up going there only once during three day visit. The younger nephew was really disappointed about it.

Only one visit, how is this possible?!
한번밖에 못가다니 어찌 이럴수가?!

한번, one time
~밖에, only thing
못가다, cannot go
어찌, how
이럴수가, this could happen

한번밖에 못가다니 어찌 이럴수가?
Hanbunbake motgadani ochi irolsuga?!

When you feel shame on something, you can say something(하)다니 어찌 이럴수가. 어찌 이럴수가 also means something unthinkable happened or I am in total disbelief.
어찌 is a colloquial form of 어떻게.

This Sunday, I will sadly say 황금연휴가 벌써 끝이라니 어찌 이럴수가, I cannot believe that the Golden week is already over. Well, now I will try to enjoy the remaining holiday more. :)

Nothing goes as planned.

2017-05-02T01:33:00.000+10:00

A trip to Kyungju was fun. The weather was very nice and traffic was also fine until we got to Kyungju. As we expected, there were a lot of holiday people. Traffic jam in downtown was pretty bad.

When we got there it was already lunch time. My sister had already done intensive research where would be the best place for lunch in Kyungju. Since we don't come this way often, she wanted to try one of the popular ones. So she decided to try a restaurant that had been featured in a food show on TV.

When we got there though, there were about 30 people queued in front of the restaurant. It was already 1pm and my nephews had no patience for it. The 14 year old one protested, "I don't want delicious food! I just want to eat a lot!!"

So we hurried into a relatively empty restaurant but the waitresses were literally running around carrying foods. We made an order to a middle aged woman who seemed to be in a complete panic mode. And of course she forgot what we ordered. So we had to wait longer.

Finally food came and the taste was below average. But kids were full and that is just enough.

Nothing goes as I planned.

계획대로 되는 일이 없어요.

계획, plan

~대로, in accordance with

되다, happens

일, matter

없다, doesn't exist

뜻대로 되는 일이 없어요.

ddutdero duenun ili upsoyo.

~대로 can be useful with other verbs. For example, 말하는대로 means "as you have said". 말하다(speak) + 대로. When you want to say that things will happen as you say. 말하는대로 이루어진다(be realized)

Another example would be, 생각대로. It means "as thought". 생각대로 안된다 means "things don't work out as thought".

The rest of the trip continued to be full of twists and turns of original plan but it all worked out and we had a lot of fun. :)

Golden week starts!

2017-04-29T14:08:00.001+10:00

Yay!! It finally came! It is start of the week that many Koreans have been waiting for 10 years! There are three holidays next week. Monday is Labor Day and Wednesday day is Buddha's Birthday and Friday is Children's Day. So if one can tak Tuesday and Thursday off, that's 9 days off in total!!!!!

News says that national highways are already full of cars and the Incheon Airport is expecting two million people using the airport during this period. That's one fifth of Seoul population. Wow!

I have decided to take only Tuesday off. And my plan is a road trip to Kyungju and Busan with my sister's. Kyungju will be a great destination for my nephews to learn some histories because it was a capital of Silla Dynasty 1000 years ago and it's history and architecture is relatively well preserved.

Busan is my hometown. I will see my parents there. Since the May 8th is also Parents' Day I prepared a gift for them. A tablet. These days older people are also enjoying using the Internet and my parent like video calls with grand children. Mobile phone screen is not big enough for them. I hope they like my gift.

Golden week has started!
황금 연휴가 시작되었어요!

황금, gold
연휴, long weekend, long holidays
시작되다, started

황금 연휴가 시작되었어요!
Hwangum yeonyuga sijakdeosoyo!

When is 황금연휴 this year in your country? How about Visiting Korea during 황금연휴? :)

I am back!

2017-04-28T22:49:00.000+10:00

I don't even know where to begin. It has been a quite a journey personally for the last few years. There were health issues and inter-continental relocation, new job.. really a new life.

I am back in South Korea for almost three years now. Living in my native environment is great. Especially being able to see my family any time I want is great. New job has been demanding though. Many late nights in the office like many other people here.

But I never forgot about this blog. And finally I feel like writing again. I feel like I can enjoy doing this again.

If there are people who are surprises to see my posting, I have a great expression for you.

Min is back! Is this for real?

민이 돌아왔어! 이거 실화냐?!

돌아오다, come back
실화, true story

민이 돌아왔어! 이거 실화냐?!
Mini dorawaso! Igo silwanya?!

According to this wiki, '이거 실화냐' expression got popular in 2015. People use it when really surprised about something.

Are you surprised that I am back?

Keep your spirits high!

2011-10-02T22:43:00.001+10:00

Hi. I never imagined this happening. I am talking about the #occupywallstreet protest in the U.S. And not about the protest itself, but about how the NYPD police react to this. Given that the freedom of speech is a protected right over there, I think, the police should help the protestors voice their opinion in a peaceful manner. Instead, if some protestors' claims are true, the policed tricked them on the Brooklyn bridge so that they violate the law. Hundreds are arrested as a result. hmmm... hope this is not true. Anyway, the mainstream of society doesn't usually want a revolution. They rather want gradual changes. So this protest may not get a big support from the majority. 1987 is the most important year in the history of democracy in South Korea. That year we achieved the direct election of the president after so many years of tyranny. And the victory was possible only when the tens of thousands of office workers join the protest. We called them "넥타이 부대(necktie army)". When the older generation that usually want to keep the status quo join the movement, that's when something big change is about to happen. We will see if that happens in N.Y. Today, 2nd of October is The International Day of Non-Violence. I support this protest as long as they remain non-violence.

Keep your spirits high!
건투를 빕니다!

건투를, gunturul, good fight + suffix
빕니다, bimnida, wish (빌다)

건투를 빕니다!
gundurul bimnida

Recently Dalai Lama said on his facebook "Under certain circumstances, you may need to take steps to counteract someone else's wrongdoing, but it's better to do so without anger. That will be more effective, because when your mind is overwhelmed by a disturbing emotion like anger, the action you take may not be appropriate." This is something for all of us to remember.

What do you do for a living?

2011-09-30T23:37:00.001+10:00

Hi. I have been living in an English speaking country for about ten years now. But the language barrier is still high. I tried to pick the best way to say something before I open my mouth, however too often I sound awkward. So I understand when other people make similar mistakes. I trust their good intention. Like today, someone whose English is not very good asked me "Are you still working?" after saying hi. I assumed she was asking if I worked today. It was a lot better than hearing someone asking me "Are you still single??" out of nowhere. :) Today, someone asked me on facebook how to say "What do you do for a living?" And I was trying to think of the most safe expression for most situations.

What do you do for a living?
하시는 일이 뭐에요?

하시는, hasinun, polite form of 하다 meaning do
일이, yli, work or job + suffix
뭐에요, muoeyo, what is it

하시는 일이 뭐에요?
hasinun yli muoeyo

하시는 일 means "work that you do" with politeness because of -시- variation ending of the verb 하다. If you want to say "What is you job?", it is simply "직업(occupation)이 뭐에요?". But this doesn't sound good if you are talking to a senior. It sounds really dry, formal and even impolite.

Depending who you talk to you can give different level of politeness.
하시는 일이 뭐에요? - most polite and suitable for seniors
하는 일이 뭐에요? - mideum politeness and good for acquaintances in your age group
하는 일이 뭐야? - least polite and good for your age group or younger

It is natural to make lots of mistakes while you are learning a new language. So don't be discouraged over small mistakes! :)

That is way more than needed.

2011-09-28T23:09:00.000+10:00

Hi. Sometime ago, I was thinking why I hadn't been reading much in the last few years. Having thought of the reason seriously, after a while, it became obvious. I wasn't reading because I didn't have a Amazon Kindle. Who reads paper books these days?! (Borders closed) I ordered a Kindle the next day and it arrived within a few days. I loved it. I "downloaded" a bunch of "e-books" immediately. And I loved it more! Since I don't like my gadgets being scratched, I decided to buy a cover for my Kindle as well. I went to amazon.com and browsed the covers. There were many at different prices with some covers as expensive as $125! A $125 cover to protect a $139 device? If I bought that one, I would need to get another cover to protect the cover. It was definitely much more than I needed.

That is way more than needed.
배보다 배꼽이 더 크네요!

배보다, baeboda, belly + suffix for comparison
배꼽이, baeggobi, belly button + suffix
더, duo, more
크네요, kneyo, big

배보다 배꼽이 더 크네요!
baeboda baeggobi duo kneyo

Literally, it says that the belly button is bigger than the belly. And we use this expression when a solution to a problem is overkill. A practice that seems quite common in online shopping business. A picture is worth a thousand words. These images will give you an idea when to use this expression. :)
One jar of crushed garlic delivered in a big thermocol box with two ice-packs.
This box is way too big to carry only four batteries.

In the end, I didn't buys anything from Amazon because I found a ten dollar one from eBay. I cannot be happier about that. :)

That is really petty.

2011-09-12T22:20:00.002+10:00

Hi there. I am following news in IT industry as part of my job. Recently, patent lawsuits are increasing a lot between mobile phone makers namely, Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, HTC and so on. At this point, no one seems to be completely innocent because they are suing each other. Some months ago, Apple sued Samsung claiming that the offender copied their unique form factor, a black square with rounded corners to be blunt. What do other companies have to do not to copy black square form factor? A phone of a yellow triangular shape? Anyway, later one claimed that Apple had manipulated the evidence so that Samsung products look more like theirs. Hmm... Isn't that mean, or what?

That is really petty.
정말 치사하네요.

정말, jeongmal, really
치사하네요, chisahaneyo, petty/mean/shameful (치사하다)

정말 치사하네요.
jeongmal chisahaneyo.

치사하다 is to accuse someone for being mean or petty. To say someone is acting petty, you can say "치사하게 굴다". Here, "-게 굴다(gulda)" means acting such a way. When spoken, the form changes to "-게 구네요" or "-게 굴었어요", "-게 굴래요?" etc.

A: Can you spare me one dollar? I am a bit short for the bus fare.
B: I don't think so.
A: 아~ 진짜 치사하게 구네.

A: I will follow you until you spare me one dollar!
B: 아~ 진짜 귀찮게 구네. (You are acting really annoying)
A: 계속 치사하게 굴래? (Are you going to keep acting mean?)

I think companies need to protect their intellectual properties but some patents are too generic in my opinion. And the cost of these lawsuits will burden the customers one way or another. Eventually there will be only one group of happy people. And they will be lawyers without question. :)

This is really making me angry!

2011-09-03T00:36:00.000+10:00

Hi. I went to university in Korea when there were a lot of anti-government activities among students. I was never that political before but somehow I got involved heavily. During the summer of the second year, there was a massive protest in Seoul. It went on for three days and we were roaming about the city to avoid the police. The event ended without a big drama but our luck ran out there. On the way to our hometown, we all fell asleep on a chartered bus. And when we woke up, the bus was conveniently parked in front of a police station. D'oh!! All of us were arrested and sentenced to a few days in cells at the back of the police station. I was locked up for five days and it was enough to feel what it was like to loose freedom. I still remember the freshness of the air when I got released. And I swore to God that I would never do anything that could risk my freedom again. Never! But then, news like this (constructing a military base on a tourism island and suppressing people who wants peace) really makes my blood boil and calls for an action!

This is really making me angry!
진짜 열받게 하네요!

진짜, jinjja, seriously
열받게, yeolbagge, make angry, (literally, get heated)
하네요, haneyo, it does

진짜 열받게 하네요!
jinjja yeolbagge haneyo

열받다 is a colloquial expression used when you are really angry, like I am now!

Jeju island is a UNESCO World Heritage and geologically it does not make sense to have a missile defence system at the far south of Korea. Whom are we protected from by having this?

Please help to save Jeju by spreading the story.
https://www.facebook.com/SaveJeju
http://www.savejejuisland.org
And special thanks to Matthew Hoey for posting this Youtube video.

I was so 열받아서, I wrote "Keep fighting for peach!" when I signed the petition from here. Let's not loose it over anger. ^^;;

What do you mean that I die?

2011-08-26T23:55:00.009+10:00

Hi. When I was a little girl, I fell sick quite often. Sometimes I had more serious conditions like pneumonia but most of the time, I was just weak. My skin complexion was pale and any physical activities were out of question. It wasn't all depressing though. There were some funny moments because of my lousy health. I remember one day when I was in fourth or fifth grade. That day, one boy was teasing me a lot and it got one of my friends really angry. My friend pushed the boy hard and yelled at him. "Stop teasing her! She is going to die soon!"... I was like O.o "Thanks dear, but I didn't know that I was going to die..." I don't remember who she was any more. If I did, I would love to meet her and say that I still exist. :)

What do you mean that I die?!
내가 죽기는 왜 죽어요?!

내가, nega, I
죽기는, jukginun, dying (죽다)
왜, whe, why
죽어요, jugoyo, do I die?

내가 죽기는 왜 죽어요?!
nega jukginum whe jugoyo?!

죽다 and 죽기 is kind of the same relationship as die and dying. You can transform most of verbs in this manner, 기 instead of 다. For example, 먹다(eat) -> 먹기(eating) 보다(see) -> 보기(seeing)

As a saying, "something -기는 왜 something" is to deny, correct or express frustration over the situation that is about to happen. For example:

A: Let's break up.
B: 우리가 헤어지기는 왜 헤어져요!

As a slight variation of this expression, "something -기는 뭘 something" is to deny, correct or express frustration over the situation that just happened.

A: We have broken up!
B: 우리가 헤어지기는 뭘 헤어져요!

iResign. Steve Jobs has recently resigned from the iCEO position at Apple. And people were speculating about his health. Mr. Jobs would appreciate the concern but he'll probably say "Thanks, but no thanks.". :)

I feel relieved a lot more now.

2011-08-04T21:36:00.008+10:00

Hi. I have been learning a lot about a compassionate lifestyle in the last year or so. I read a lot of books, saw many spiritual teachers including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, went to retreats, did a lot of meditation, became a vegetarian(except a few occasions including tonight), and made quite a lot of donations to various organisations. I was helping others as much as I can but I was still carrying a big bag of guilty feelings. And the reason was, because I haven't been sending letters to the child that I am sponsoring through World Vision. World Vision send Christmas cards, birthday cards to me and all I need to do is write something and send it off in the enclosed return envelope. But still I managed to put it off to miss the deadline for the last couple of years. I don't know how to describe the feeling when I got her Christmas card last year. I felt shame, guilt, frustration and anger towards myself. It was terrible. Thankfully, World Vision was kind enough to give me another chance for the child's 12th birthday in November. And finally, I wrote the letter and send it off in time!! I feel much better and realized yet again giving just money is not everything....

I feel relieved a lot more now.
이제 마음이 한결 가볍네요.

이제, yije, now
마음이, maumi, mind + suffix
한결, hangyol, a lot more
가볍네요, gabyopneyo, light (가볍다)

이제 마음이 한결 가볍네요.
yije maumi hangyol gabyopneyo.

마음이 가볍다 means feeling relieved. And 한결, when used as an adverb by itself, means "much" or "a lot more".
날씨가 한결 따뜻해졌다. -> The weather became a lot warmer
몸이 한결 튼튼해졌다. -> The body became a lot healthier.

Don't get confused 한결 with 한결같다. 한결같다 means something doesn't change and stay the same for a long time. For example:
이 사람은 한결같다. -> This person is very consistent.
우리의 우정은 한결같다. -> Our friendship has stayed the same.

I was wondering what would have been like if my sponsor child was on facebook or had a mobile phone. That would have been a lot easier for me at least. And that got me thinking that I might as well provide the child with a phone. It would be fun to SMS with the little girl and get to know more about each other. Not a bad idea in my opinion. :)

What a coincidence!

2011-07-05T19:43:00.007+10:00

Hi. I was on a sick leave today because of a cold. After spending the whole morning lying around, I ended up having a bad headache too. So I decided to take a walk to get some fresh air. I was going to go to a park near my place but for some unexplainable reason, I wanted to go to the Brisbane riverside which would require well over 20 minutes of driving. It is very rare for me to go that far for a walk even when I am in full strength. Anyway, I got there and started walking along the river. Then for some reason I wanted to climb Kangaroo point stairs which was 107 steps in total! I was a bit annoyed by myself but decided to do it. When I finally arrived at the top, I was looking for a bench to rest. And what I found was something a lot more exciting. I found a small fire starting in a dry patch of the park up there. It was just starting to smoke and the fire was getting bigger due to very strong wind. I went over and put water in my water bottle over the fire. Then a couple of people who were walking by helped me to put it out. It felt like I had to go there to put out a fire. What kind of coincidence is this? :)

That is a strange coincidence.
묘한 우연의 일치네요.

묘한, myohan, strange (묘하다)
우연의, ooyeonui, coincidence + suffix
일치네요, ilchineyo, coincide (일치하다)

묘한 우연의 일치네요.
myohan ooyeonui ilchineyo.

묘하다 is quite commonly used as an adjective or adverb. It has a similar meaning as 이상하다. I think, compared to 이상하다, 묘하다 sounds more puzzling or unsettling. More examples;

I had a strange dream last night. 어젯밤 묘한 꿈을 꾸었어요.
He is a strange person. 그는 묘한 사람이에요.
I feel odd. 기분이 묘하다.

I am feeling really odd right now. :)

Don't want to lift a finger.

2011-06-29T22:07:00.004+10:00

Hi all. I was flying to go overseas a few weeks ago. It is exciting except the fact that Australia is so far away from everywhere. Luckily, I sleep very well on the plane. A few hours into this flight, I woke up from sleep and tried to turn on the personal TV which happened to be touchscreen. I was still half asleep as I was touching the screen. My brain was not quite figuring out that the hand was mine and thought "Looking at these long fingers, this person much be really lazy...". In Korea, we think that the long fingers indicate the laziness of the person. True or not... You know how Korean people can be quite direct about personal things. E.g. Asking "How old are you?" is socially very acceptable in Korea. It is also quite common for Korean people, especially between friends, to comment on the physical features. I had many people telling me that I had lazy fingers. I could not object because it is quite true for me. :)

손가락 하나 까딱하기 싫네요.
I don't want to lift a finger.

손가락, songgarak, finger
하나, hana, one
까딱하기, ggadakhagi, move slightly (까딱하다)
싫네요, silleyo, don't want to

손가락 하나 까딱하기 싫네요.
songgarak haha ggadakhagi silleyo.

까딱하다 is a kind of movement when you slightly node you head. A very subtle move with no impact. And it can be used to warn a situation that has no room for mistake.

까딱 잘못하면 다친다.
You will get hurt if things go wrong slightly.

까딱하면 큰일 난다.
It will become a big trouble if not careful.

I was pretty lazy when I was living with my parents. Probably that's why I still don't know how to make Kimchi. My mother used to say something like 어떻게 집에서 손가락 하나 까딱 안하니? (How come you don't life a finger at home?) and did all the housework. She has short fingers, of course. I miss her.

Anyway, now you know the reason why the uploads are not regular these days. It's my fingers!!! ;)

He deserved to die.

2011-05-04T21:53:00.005+10:00

Hi. Almost everyone around me complains about their attention span shrinking due to too much incoming information or distractions coming from gadgets. Osama Bin Laden's death helped us improved it a little bit, you think? Again, our eyeballs are fixed to the news channel. But I hope we do not carry on upon his death as if it was the ultimate goal. We want peace for all humanity, don't we? Osama was a bad guy but did he really deserve to be shot in the head without any trial and dumped in the ocean?

He deserved to die.
그는 죽어도 싸다.

그는, genun, he + suffix
죽어도, jugodo, even if dead (죽다)
싸다, ssada, deserve it

그는 죽어도 싸다.
genun jugodo ssada.

싸다's main usage is to mean something is cheap. But when -(어)도 style ending proceeds 싸다, it means the subject deserves something negative.

혼나도 싸다. deserve to be scolded.
맞아도 싸다. deserve to be smacked.
욕먹어도 싸다. deserve to be blamed.
차여도 싸다. deserve to be dumped from a girlfriend/boyfriend.

I hope we focus on more important things like Love, Compassion and Forgiveness. Buddha said, Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

The throat is as scary as cops.

2011-05-02T21:38:00.005+10:00

Hi. My holiday is finally over and I go back to work tomorrow. It is great! Yes, it is. It has got to be! ;) Before I left for my holiday I saw a poster while I was driving. It said, "You can make a lot of money without working! It works!" It also had a website which address was something like makelotsofmoneywithoutworking.com. It was quite obvious to me how much money they were making because it was scrawled using a black pen on a white piece of cardboard. I didn't bother to visit the website. :) Most of us have to work to make ends meet. It might be easier to get away from working if we can live without eating.

The throat is as scary as cops.
목구멍이 포도청이다.

목구멍이, mokumongyi, throat + suffix
포도청이다, podochungyida, traditional police station

목구멍이 포도청이다.
mokumongyi podochungyida.

포도청 is a name of a organization in the Choseon dynasty which had a similar role to the police these days. No one can completely be honorable when asked to come to a police station. Instead, people act with a shame or become obedient. Similarly, when you are hungry, you will have to do whatever you can to satisfy 목구멍.

A: Did you say you are working two shifts in a row?
B: 목구멍이 포도청인데 해야지.

A: I heard your business is going really well.
B: 목구멍에 풀칠(pulchil, pasting glue)은 하고 있어. I just make ends meet.

Traditionally, we made glue(풀) by boiling rice with lots of water. So it is edible but not very nutritious. Therefore, 목구멍에 풀칠 is used to say that you make the absolute minimum to survive or there is not enough food. But it can also be used to be modest about your earning.

Anyway, I have to work to survive. Happy surviving everyone. :)

I will get some skin therapies while I am hospitalized.

2011-04-18T02:56:00.005+10:00

Hi all. I am enjoying a three week long holiday in South Korea at the moment. It has been only eight months since my last visit. I know how lucky I am to be able to visit this often. :) A few of my friends asked me if I was going to get some plastic surgery done while I am here. I was not very surprised by these questions as many people chose to do it these days. The eyelid surgery is especially common between the Asian people. Here are some of before and after shots. Also various skin therapies are available for younger looking skin. Some treatments are using laser and some others are using needles. Usually, people need to stay at home after the treatment as the skin will be swollen or red for a few days. Sometimes people use their holidays to get these done. My friends told me an interesting trend with them these days. Hospitals are providing these skin therapies to the patients who are hospitalized for a minor car accident, baby delivery or any other minor operations. It is thought as an efficient way to utilize the time in hospital. :)

I will get some skin therapies while I am hospitalized.
입원한 김에 피부 시술을 좀 받을 거에요.

입원한, ibwonhan, hospitalized (입원하다)
김에, gime, opportunistic or causing situation
피부, pibu, skin
시술을, sisulul, therapies + suffix
좀, jom, little bit
받을, badul, receive (받다)
거에요, goaeyo, plan to

입원한 김에 피부 시술을 좀 받을 거에요.
ibwonhan gime pibu sisulul jom badul goaeyo.

'-ㄴ 김에' is an expression used when the first part of the sentence raises an opportunity or condition for the second part of the sentence. Examples are the best explanation. :)

A: I am going to Korea.
B: 한국 가는 김에 성형 수술도 좀 받지? Why don't you get some plastic surgery done as you are going to Korea?

A: We need to clean the window.
B: 말 나온 김에 당장 합시다. Let's do it right now since you have mentioned it.

떡 본 김에 제사 지낸다 (I might as well hold a ancestor memorial service since I saw the rice cake) is a proverb for a situation like this. When an opportunity arises for some action, you might as well do it.

시술 is a minor operation like skin therapies. Usually, 시술 doesn't require anesthesia. On the other hand, 수술 is a bigger operation that requires anesthesia.

This holiday would have been a golden opportunity for me if I wanted to do it. But I think I will stay plastic surgery free for a bit longer. :)

Bye for now.

I have no idea why that is happening.

2011-03-30T19:27:00.006+10:00

Hi. I had a chance to take a bus today. As common as it is, we also have a smart card system to pay for the public transports in Brisbane. You touch your card to the machine on a bus that gives a gentle beep and a green light if all goes well. Do you know what happens when something does not work out exactly the way it wants? I was in a queue and there was a lady in front of me. She tagged her card but too long I think. The machine started beeping like mad flashing red lights. The poor lady must have thought that the transaction failed and kept touching her card to the machine which then gave more beeps and red flashes. Only then, the driver said that it was complaining because she had already paid for that trip. Don't you think the machine was a bit too harsh? Where is love?! It could have just said "Thanks but you already paid." with.. I don't know a blue light. We pay a lot of money for technologies. They need to be more kind to us! :)

I have no idea what is happening.
무슨 일인지 통 영문을 모르겠어요.

무슨, mooson, what
일인지, ilinji, matter
통, tong, absolutely nothing
영문을, youngmoonul, reason + suffix
모르겠어요, morugetsoyo, I don't know (모르다)

무슨 일인지 통 영문을 모르겠어요.
mooson ilinji tong youngmoonul morugetsoyo.

통 is an adverb that is used in a negative context.

A: He is so quiet.
B: 그는 통 말이 없다. He hardly speaks.

A: Are you interested in politics?
B: 나는 통 관심이 안가요. I have no interest.

이유(yiyou) also means reason but compared to 이유을 모르다, 영문을 모르다 sounds like that you are emphasizing the fact that you no clue.

Bye for now.

Sharing sadness halves it while sharing happiness doubles it.

2011-03-29T22:52:00.009+10:00

Hi all. I was thinking about what was happening around the world... many different kinds of natural disasters and hardships in different countries. If there is one thing that is common between them though, I think it is people and community that are looking after one another. The governments are doing their best but I don't think it is governments or any institutional systems themselves that really hold this world together. In my humble opinion, it is love for humanity that does that. It's got to be love that gives the fire fighters and workers courage to go inside the Fukushima nuclear plant despite the dangerous radiation level. Send them your love and prayers. That will be the easiest way of participating in their mission. One day, when everything gets back to normal we will share the prosperity too. :)

Sharing sadness halves it while sharing happiness doubles it.
슬픔은 나누면 반이 되고 기쁨은 나누면 배가 된다.

슬픔은, sulpumum, sadness + suffix
나누면, nanumyon, if shared or divided (나누다)
반이, bani, half + suffix
되고, duego, become (되다)
기쁨은, gibbumun, happiness + suffix
배가, bega, double + suffix

슬픔은 나누면 반이 되고 기쁨은 나누면 배가 된다.
sulpumum nanumyon bani duego gibbumum nanumyon bega duenda.

"반 + noun" can be used to describe a half of something. For example:

A: Would you like a piece of cake?
B: 반토막(tomak, piece)만 주세요. Just give me half of it, please.

A: How long does it take to get there?
B: 반나절(najerl, half day)이 걸려요. It takes a quarter of a day.

As you may have guessed, 배 is used with counting words, 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷, 다섯, 여섯.. and so on. Let's leave out 하나 because it cannot be used with 배 that already means double. One thing you need to remember is that when 둘, 셋 and 넷 come before 배, they loose the final consonant. So, it goes like 두배, 세배, 네배, 다섯배, 여섯배... And 두 in 두배 can be cancelled because it is redundant.

A: How is your harvest this year?
B: 올해는 (두)배로 거뒀어요. I harvested twice as much this year.

A: Which restaurant out of these two is better?
B: 이 식당이 몇배는 좋아요. This restaurant is several times better.

Bye for now!

I will carry the gun.

2011-03-05T22:30:00.004+10:00

Hi all. I am back. :) Let me ask you first. Is there a piece of good news yet? I stay away from the TV these days because I can't handle all those bad news, especially the graphics of violence and disasters. My heart starts aching when I see them. I am grateful that I am not in the middle of any of those. I feel for those who are. If you are getting sick of the bad news, just turn the TV off and join me who is selfishly hoping all the problems would go away while I have been away from the TV. But problems just don't go away. Things get done or fixed when someone takes a responsibility and takes a lead. It is a question of who carries the gun.

I will carry the gun and take the lead.
제가 총대 메겠습니다.

제가, jaega, I (polite)
총대, chongdae, body of a rifle
메겠습니다, maegetsumnida, will carry on the shoulder

제가 총대 메겠습니다.
jaega chongdae maegetsumnida.

The expression, "총대 메다", started being used during the Korean War. After the war started, there were a lot of young students who just turned up to join the army. They were deployed with little or no trainings. Not only did they have no trainings but also there were not enough guns for them. So they made small groups of five or six and each group had only one gun. Each group had to pick one person to carry the gun. The 총대 메는 사람(person) was responsible to lead and protect the rest of the members until he dies. Once the 총대 메는 사람 dies, the next person would pick up the gun and keep fighting. Sounds horrendous, but that is what happened. Being a leader meant being a target for the enemy. It would have required a lot of courage to stand up and protect the lives of others by sacrificing his own. It was a hard thing and still is. And guess what. True leaders are so rare. :(

She is blinded by bean pods.

2011-02-06T20:16:00.007+10:00

Hi all. I have a few friends who are madly in love at the moment. One is in her twenties, two in their thirties and the last one in her fifties. It seem the age doesn't matter though. All of them has the same sweet sixteen look on their faces. :) That is the power of bean pods.

She is blinded by bean pods.
눈에 콩깍지가 단단히 씌였네요.

눈에, nune, eye + suffix
콩깍지가, konggajjiga, bead pod + suffix
단단히, dandani, firmly
씌였네요, ssiyonneyo, covered (씌다)

눈에 콩깍지가 단단히 씌였네요.
nune konggajjiga dandani ssiyonneyo.

Definitely, 콩깍지 is a secret ingredient of love. 콩깍지 creates the optical illusion that makes your boyfriend look as gorgeous as Orlando Bloom and your girlfriend look as beautiful as Miranda Kerr. :) We have a song about it and a movie too.

And you know that feeling when the person is here with me in body, but not in spirit. My friends are like that. They are looking at me, but not really. lol An expression for this also has bean in it.

마음이 벌써 콩밭에 가 있네요. -> The spirit has already gone to the bean field.

Who else is in love? I am happy for you. :)

Human existed before money, not the other way around.

2011-02-05T23:50:00.007+10:00

Hi. I got a phone call from a good friend of mine this morning. We chatted about everything over an hour, which is no sweat for two women. :) At some point, we were talking about money... how good it is to have money, how lucky we are not having to worry about money right now, how stressful at work to make money, how much money we need, how a lot of problems go away with money, why only the rich people are getting richer, on and on and on. Later, I went shopping and bought some stuff with money! Ahhh.. it was nice. :) Money is good as long as it comes after the value of people.

Human existed before money, not the other way around.
사람 나고 돈 났지, 돈 나고 사람 났나.

사람, saram, a person
나고, nago, appear or be born (나다)
돈, don, money
났지, najji, appear or be born (나다) + suffix for contradiction

사람 나고 돈 났지, 돈 나고 사람 났나.
saram nago don najji, don nago saram nanna.

"사람 나고 something 났지, something 나고 사람 났나" is an expression when people should be valued more than that something. Like, I saw "Black Swan" the other day. Well, it was not a bad movie but all I can say is "사람 나고 발레(ballet) 났지, 발레 나고 사람 났나." :)

나다 has so many usages. Try this Korean dictionary if it helps.

The suffix -지, in this case, is used to contrast the first part of the sentence with the second part. I will give you some examples with A being really stupid today. :)

A: Is this an apple?
B: 이게 배지 어떻게 사과야? (This is a pear, how can it be an apple?)

A: Is whale a fish?
B: 고래(whale)는 포유류(mammal)지 어류(fish)가 아니야.

One last comment. I sometimes get confused and say "돈 나고 사람 났지, 사람 나고 돈 났나". I hope that is not what I think at the subconscious level. ;)

A young shaman can hurt people.

2011-02-03T00:13:00.012+10:00

Hi all. My colleague who was battling with the floods came back to work this week. When he saw me, he thanked me again for my prayers and told me it really worked. :) And he asked me to send my prayers to the people in the north Queensland who is anxiously waiting for a category 5 cyclone, Yasi, to hit the towns. Maybe I should be a professional prayer. But then again, I remembered this expression. :)

A young shaman can hurt people.
선무당이 사람 잡는다.

선무당이, sunmoodangyi, inexperienced shaman + suffix
사람, saram, person
잡는다, jabnunda, catch

선무당이 사람 잡는다.
sunboodangyi saram jabnunda.

선 in 선무당 is a suffix meaning clumsy, inexperienced or insufficient. As another example, 선잠 means broken sleep. 무당 is a shaman.

You can imagine what could happen when a shaman have no clue what he or she is doing. Nothing good, for sure. :) "사람 잡는다" is explained here.

Here are some such situations.

A: Can you believe that the new "young" boss is changing every process?!
B: 선무당이 사람 잡는군.

A: My friend recently made a lot of money from the stock market. He told me this is going to go up!
B: Be careful. 선무당이 사람 잡을 수 있어.

As related expressions:
선무당 작두 타듯 한다. -> It looks as nerve-racking as watching a new shaman dancing on the straw cutters.(The situation is so nerve-racking)
작두 타기 is a special ceremony performed by some shamans in Korea.

선무당 마당 기울다 한다. -> An inexperienced shaman blames the uneven yard for the failure of ceremony. (Someone is being unprofessional and blaming the situation)

Avoid 선무당 even if you are in trouble and desperate for help. 선무당 brings only more trouble. :)

My new year's resolution was abandoned after three days.

2011-01-26T14:33:00.009+10:00

Hi. It seems this guy is quite popular with his new book called "The 4-Hour Body". I didn't read the book but I am sure it would be full of great ideas to keep your body fit with minimum effort. But I have something better for you. It is called "The 4-Day Body". It is simple to follow too. All you need to do is make a new years resolution to loose weight and go gung-ho for the first four days of the year. Did you have some muscle pain? Then you are good to go for the rest of the year! This is exactly what I did this year! I feel great! ;) There is a perfect Korean expression for this kind of situation. It takes only three days so it is even better! ;)

My new year's resolution was abandoned after three days.
올해 새해 계획도 작심삼일로 끝났어요.

올해, ohlae, this year
새해, saehae, new year
계획도, gyehwekdo, plan + suffix meaning as well
작심삼일로, jaksimsamilo, determined mind didn't last long + suffix to indicate a result
끝났어요, ggtnatsoyo, ended (끝나다)

올해 새해 계획도 작심삼일로 끝났어요.
ohlae saehae gyehwekdo jaksimsamilo ggtnatsoyo.

올해 is this current year. This word is pure Korean. A Chinese originated synonym is 금년(今年).

작심삼일 is a Chinese originated expression and written 作心三日 in Chinese. It literally means "You make up your mind to last three days." and used when someone cannot stick to a plan.

The suffix -로 means it is a result of something.

Who else has a three-day body like me? Who cares about a little bit of soft stuff around stomach! Let's be happy under our skin for the rest of the year! :D