어느덧

어느덧 겨울이 다 지나갔다. 시간이 원래도 이렇게 모르는 사이에 흘러간다.

Misty afternoon at Mt. Namhan in Feb

Naked trees at Mt. Bukhan in Mar

어느덧 힘든 시절이 다 지나갔다. 웃어라 봄이 왔니까.

Royal Azelea in April

Dandelion in June

Sunflower in August

사차원

What does it mean when you are called a "사차원" (四次元)?. Try searching its dictionary meaning and you will get the explanation of fourth dimension. You won't get help from dictionary in this case.

"사차원" is a rather 'cute' way of saying that you're unconventional or unique in the way you think, speak or behave. In simple words, you're an oddball. "사차원" is not meant to be a derogatory term and you're supposed to take it light-heartedly.

In science, it is said that a four-dimensional being, if it ever exists, would be able to see the world in three dimensions, i.e. able to see an object from all angles without moving. Three-dimensional beings, like us, are only able to see the world through our own eyes in two dimensions.

A friend took the above photo and asked, "What do you see?" I see two down lights and a row of LED lights. "No, it's a smiling face!", she said. I was speechless. I thought I met a four-dimensional being or should I say "사차원".

백일우채통

"Please send treasured memory to the person whom you love... I will fill up (the letter) with happiness and send it 100 days later."

100-day letterbox (백일우채통, 百日郵遞筒) is a novelty idea by a cafe. in Daehangno You can write a letter and drop it into the letterbox before you leave. 100 days later, the cafe staff will help you post the letter to the addressee.

What will happen after 100 days? Happiness will befall on people who still have future to work towards. But if what's left are past memories, it's still beautiful to say, "고마워 행복한 꿈을 꿀 수 있게 해줘서." (Thank you for allowing me to dream a happy dream.)

I wonder if anyone will attempt a 100-month letterbox (백달우채통). It will definitely be more tear-jerking reading a letter posted more than 8 years ago. But there are technical challenges. Not many novelty cafes can last that long and even if they do, there won't be enough space to keep 8-year load of letters.

If memories cannot be posted, will you leave them behind in the past?

지금 어디야?

What's a true love story? Nah, it's ain't living happily ever after, that's fairytale.

Two meanings of "Where are you now?"

"Where are you now?"

Once in a while, Soon-jong would be taken aback by Yoon-hee's unexpected call from home.

"What do you mean where I am? Of course I'm in office..."

After Soon-jong had replied, Yoon-hee then moved on to talk about other matters before hanging up. The question seems innocent, but when asked repeatedly, it slowly got on Soon-jong's nerves. One day, just after Yoon-hee had finished asking the same question, Soon-jong suddenly blew his top.

"Why? Do I look like I'm seeing another woman? Why must you keep asking the same question over and over again? It's office hour, I can only be in office, so where do you think I can go?"

The unexpected talk back from Soon-jong, left Yoon-hee totally stunned. To her, asking "where are you" is just another form of greeting and to find out for curiosity sake "what are you doing now?" As they say, "He that commits a fault thinks everyone speaks of it" Suddenly, Yoon-hee began to suspect that Soon-jong might actually have an affair after all. Why was Soon-jong angry and why did Yoon-hee become the target of his sudden outburst?  

In working life, one of the things which employees hated most is to receive a call from their superiors asking them, "Where are you now?" After pagers were replaced by mobile phones, the most stressful thing for employees was to be caught off guard by call from their superiors giving them business-related instructions. Their main gripe was they were unable to escape from the stress of being under constant surveillance. However, after caller ID was introduced, the chance of running into a one-on-one situation and parrying off onslaught from their superiors like a goalkeeper was greatly reduced (since they could choose the call to answer). Despite that, the persistent feeling they were under constant surveillance didn't help to make their mood any better. So, "Where are you now?", has subconsciously become a form of invisible attack which can instantly trigger off some sort of defensive behaviour. In contrast, asking  "Where are you now?" is something intimate and part of woman's efforts to maintain intimacy with her partner. Asking "Where are you now?" or "What are you doing now?" is quite a normal action a woman will do to confirm and picture the situation her partner is in, so that she can find a common contact point where she shares his experience. It is not her intention to secretly check on her partner whether he is up to some mischief behind her back, but a simple query out of curiosity of his current situation. But when a man feels that he is a victim of constant surveillance in the first place, quibble will ensue inevitably.

(Translated extract of the article "지금 어디야?" 라는 말의 두 가지 의미" by 하지현 교수, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Department of Neuropsychiatry)

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One of my teachers said, "During courtship, guy will pretend to be ultra-caring whilst girl will try hard to act demure. But after marriage, there is no end to quibbling. Things that we don't see eye to eye aren't big issues like global warming or terrorism, but trivial things like why he drops his shirt on the floor when the laundry bag is only 10cm away? Why does he like to press the toothpaste tube at the middle?" However, when asked if she is happily married, her eyes gave off an affirmative 'yes'.

국태민안

Peace in country and society

There is a saying that if Lunar New Year's eve doesn't fall on the 29th day for three years, mother will have to carry her baby and run. This is the third year that Lunar New Year's eve falls on the 30th day. If the saying is right, then the year of rabbit may not be a good year. But regardless, good year or bad year, we'll still celebrate Lunar New Year. A good start to the year is half the success after all. Have a peaceful and safe year ahead.

Great luck and smooth sailing in everything

Four years ago, I received a Korean new year card. I like to use the greeting found in the card to thank all the people who have shown their kindness to me all this while and to the poster of the card, Eun-song. I couldn't have said it better:

"평소에 보살펴 주신 恩惠에 깊이 感謝를 새해를 맞이하여 幸運이 함께 하시기를 祈願합니다." (Even if you don't understand Korean, the four Chinese words say it all.)