사랑과 이별은...

It seems that love and separation are quite closely related. There are people who will go on a tour after separation to try to forget about the love that is just lost. This song, sang by Bae Seul Gi (배슬기-裵瑟琪) and Glassbox (琉璃箱子), is called "Yi Byeol Yo Haeng" (이별여행-離別旅行) or translated literally as "Separation Tour".

Something to learn from this Music Video - The sign language for "괜찮아요" (I'm okay) and "고마워요" (Thank you). Also when both of you get a bit romantic and decide to take a walk at the centre of a country road, always be reminded that a road is still meant for the car and not couple. Be aware of car coming from behind to spoil the mood.

What is the best sentence to say before separation? 마음 잘 아니까... (I guess you know my mind so ... ). Hmm... alright, don't think too much. Just appreciate the music video :)

이상시대

"My head was hit by the teargas canister and I was bleeding. The wound was so bad that I have to go to hospital to have it stitched up. We bought "soju" bottles and made Molotov's cocktails. We threw stones at the riot police. A friend of my friend who was serving his "gundae" (군대-軍隊-National Service) was called up to the front to fight against his friends. It was against his will but he has no choice. He cried during the night because he was badly torn between being loyal to the country and his belief."

"When I was young, I can never understand why Korean university students had to go out on the streets to fight against the authority. Everyday news was filled with coverage of students clashing with riot police. Why do they have to do that?"

"It is for what we call "Yi Sang" (이상-理相-Ideal).

(Protest movements reached a climax after Chun Doo Hwan's 1979 coup and declaration of martial law. Gwangju's confrontation in 1980 left at least 200 civilians dead. Pro-democracy activities intensified thereafter, ultimately forcing the displacement of Chun Doo Hwan and political concessions by the government in 1987. In December that year, the first direct presidential election since 1971 was held and won by Roh Tae Woo - finally ending decades of authoritarian rule.)


"The American always think that we Koreans owed it to them. My American teacher once criticised Koreans for being ungrateful after all those things that US has done for them. But I replied that US only do things that are to their interest. They have not bother to intervene when Japan took over us. Upon hearing that, my English teacher said that my history knowledge is as bad as my English. If my English has been good then, I would have rebutted him that his history knowledge is as poor as his Korean."

That was my teacher, Ms Choi Mi Hui, who spoke. A Korean who was involved in the building of the Korea's modern-day democracy and within her carries a strong sense of patriotism. I am fortunate to have met a person who comes from what I call "the era of ideal". Not many people these days can claim that they live by and fight for their ideals.


I remember during my first lesson with her, I was chided for using my electronics dictionary during her class. I thought she felt offended that I would rather trust a block of electronics than herself. She told me sternly that if there is anything that I do not know I can ask her directly. She kept her promise and I benefited from her teaching.

She understood my passion for learning Korean. She said that she was once like me taking passion in learning English. For five days a week she would have to travel to "hakwon" or language school after work to study English for one hour. I was grateful when I heard that because suddenly I felt that I wasn't alone anymore.

It was not just Korean language and culture that we talked about in class. Curious like any other people would, I could not help but ask her how she met her Singaporean husband. "Was it during your university days that you meet your husband?", I asked. "No, we met in Kathmandu (the capital of Nepal) when I went trekking in India and Nepal for two and a half months.", She replied.


When the new semester reopens in more than a week time, she won't be in SKS anymore. She has decided to quit teaching to look after her daughter who is growing up. She feels guilty whenever her daughter complains that she is not seeing enough of her. During our last lesson, we chit-chatted for an hour after I finished my end-of-semester test paper. From the chit-chat, I was inspired to write this posting. I told her that I finally understood why one should live for ideal after I met her. She gave me a book called "Positive Thinking" as a parting gift and I appreciated that very much. I always find it hard to explain to others why I am learning Korean the way I am learning. There is a certain element of ideal attached to it and no people know it better than someone who comes from "the era of ideal".

선생님께 매우 감사합니다.

모두 줬어요

This will be the last photo of my 3-week study trip to Korea. It has been a wonderful time. I am kinda amazed that for a 3-week stay, I ended up writing about it for 3 months. I cannot imagine if I am to spend one year in Korea. I will probably be writing about it for the next 52 months after everything is over. Its time to move on in life. This blog will continue to record my Korean learning experience. As long as the journey continues, the blogging will continue.

계절의 색깔

Nami Island

Seoul National University of Education

Icheon Pottery Village

It seems that living in a place where seasons are distinct, it will be much easier to remember time. With every passage of time, colour changes. Photos capture the season's colour and from the colour, time can be known. What colour is missing from the photos above? That will probably be the next time I am visiting Korea.

반찬 예쁘죠?

멋있고 맛있는 반찬이다. 배가 고파지고 있다.

I have not eaten Korean food for months until recently when I ate a bowl of tuna ramyeon at "Hanpung" (한풍-韓風) along Upper Bukit Timah Road. Somehow I am already used to calling out tuna ramyeon as "chamchi ramyeon" (참치라면) . So when I placed my order with the owner who is a Korean, I just blurted out "chamchi ramyeon". However, he didn't seem to get what I said initially. Was my Korean pronunciation so bad or was he caught by surprise? Anyway what he did subsequently was to confirm with me, "you want tuna ramyeon?". (네, 맞죠.) I was replying in Korean in my mind but what actually came out of my mouth was a simple "yes". By the way, the tuna ramyeon here is more expensive than the 2,000-won a bowl ramyeon that I had in Seoul.

회사 가기가 싫어요

Click on the picture to see the flash animation

I am so tired. I want to take a break. I don't want to go to work. 회사 가기가 싫어요. 월급이 부족하고 일이 많고 정신이 없어지는데 회사에 가기를 굉장히 싫어한다. 그렇지만 이 노래를 듣고 나서 이상하게 회사에 가고 싶다. 아이러니가 아니죠? ㅋㅋ

만물일체

The things I like about mountain hiking are more than just fresh air, great view and a good workout. Somehow I always get a bit philosophical whenever I find myself up in a mountain. It was the same when I was trekking up Bukhansan. On my way up, I went pass this tablet and I quite liked what I saw. 萬物一體 (만물일체 ) means all things in the universe originates from one body. This is the very essence of 道 (도 or 'Tao' or "The Way"). To explain 'Tao' in simple language, it means the "order of the universe" or the way the universe will naturally behave. 萬物一體 explains very well how this universe behaves.

My lesson in Physical Chemistry taught me that pure energy in vacuum can without any intervention causes "Pair-Production" which is the production of a pair of particle and anti-particle from energy. The reverse "Annihilation" process has an equal probability of happening as well. All it takes is for a particle and anti-particle to collide and annihilate each other to produce energy again. In the saying of 'Tao', this process of creation and destruction brings about the universe. However, between the two extremes, the overall energy and momentum remains constant. In other words, as much as the two extremes are different they are in fact the same. Ironic as it may be but this is essentially the beauty of ancient Chinese wisdom.

There is a saying that 'Tao' creates the two Extremes. The two Extremes creates the Four Directions and the Four Directions bring about the Eight Trigrams. As the manifestation goes on, this universe is formed in all its complexity. Hence "萬物" is the universe and "一體" is 'Tao' or the order of the universe. My take-away from this understanding is that all differences in this universe can be resolved because there is always a centre point where both extremes can meet. Harmony can be found at this centre point. It is then up to humanity to believe that while we may be different but we are still one humanity.

자동 판매기

Nothing is trivial when time is limited. I was hoping to capture every moment during my 3-week study trip in Korea. "Carpe Diem" (seize the day) seems to make more sense when time is not a luxury. Every day must be lived and every moment treasured. So I wasted no time in taking pictures of anything that can describe my day. Perhaps to show how "desperate" I was, I even took a picture of the vending machine seated at level 2 of the Institute of International Education building. This vending machine provided my daily intake of Vitamin C at a cost of 500won per can drink. I did not have to worry about not bringing coin as this machine accepted note.

감동적이다

My teacher at SKS gave me this book during the our last lesson and said the she was very glad to have taught me. The book and her words sparked off a surge of emotion but I didn't let it got the better of me. I replied almost immediately that I am very fortunate to have been taught by her. The book maybe a simple gift but it means a lot.

"좋은생각" means "Positive Thinking". As described, "아름다운 사람들의 밝은 이야기", it is a publication about the enlightening story of beautiful people. The poem "지금 하고 싶은 말" in my earlier post was extracted from this book. My teacher believed that I should be able to understand the articles inside. I probably can with the help of dictionary. I know I have more reason to work hard now.

잠프를 관람했다

"Jump" is in town. I wouldn't have miss it for the world after watching "Nanta". Not even when I received a SMS to go noraebang. The success formula of "Nanta" is well-mirrored in "Jump". The performers are skillful, the moves are well-choreographed, the jokes are hilarious, the lighting and sound are impactful and most importantly, the audience are part of the humour. Although it is said that "Jump" is a non-verbal Taekwondo performance, the performers do actually speak (in English of course as this is Singapore) and it is more than Taekwondo performance. In fact, the performance is a combination of Chinese martial arts, Taekwondo, gymnastics and breakdance. Talking about breakdance, I will want to watch "B-Boy" one of these days. I was quite sure everyone was entertained last night because we were clapping non-stop with the music beat as the performers made their final entry on stage for the night.

The Jump performance has brought me back to the Esplanade. I rarely visit the place on weekend because it is always crowded with people. Since I was there, I thought I might as well take a few pictures of the Singapore's night scenery. The Esplanade by the Singapore River is the most photographed site since it is a "must-visit" place for all tourists visiting Singapore.

Marina South's night skyline as seen from the Merlion Park