지금

가장 비싼 금이 뭔지 아세요?

가장 비싼 금은 황금도 백금도 아니고 지금입니다.

[Translation]

What is the most expensive 'metal'?

It is neither gold nor platinum, it is 'present'.

As the price of gold continues to shoot through the roof and beyond the reach of many people, fret not! we are still in possession of something more worthy, more precious. What we will be or not be, our regrets, our success, the day when dream comes true, depend on our present and not past. Alas, present is a capital, though in great abundance is badly under-utilised.

Sitting and doing nothing at a quiet seaside during spring

Wasting time away in a cafe during a free afternoon

해당화

贴梗海棠 (Chaenomeles speciosa)

春天里，不止要赏樱花，也要赏赏海棠花。

北宋文人苏东坡因为不忍心海棠的娇艳妩媚被月光遗弃，所以愿意在夜深人静的时候点起蜡烛继续照亮它的明艳红妆。他在《海棠》诗里如此写到：

“东风袅袅泛崇光，香雾空蒙月转廊。
只恐夜深花睡去，故烧高烛照红妆。”

明代“风流才子”唐伯虎在他所画的《海棠美人图》上提了这么一首诗：
“褪尽东风满面妆，可怜蝶粉与蜂狂。
自今意思谁能说，一片春心付海棠。”

男人要称得上风流就必须先懂得女人心。唐伯虎以此诗来比喻女人藏起来的心事就好比海棠无法散发香味一样，惹得蜂蝶不知如何是好。

现代文学家张爱玲人生有三恨：一恨海棠无香，二恨鲥鱼多刺，三恨红楼梦未完。

当代女作家冰心在她的散文《一日的春光》里有这么一段写到他对海棠无香的看法：

“东坡恨海棠无香，我却以为若是香得不妙，宁可无香。我的院里栽了几棵丁香和珍珠梅，夏天还有玉簪，秋天还有菊花，栽后都很后悔。因为这些花香，都使我头痛，不能折来养在屋里。所以有香的花中，我只爱兰花、桂花、香豆花和玫瑰，无香的花中，海棠要算我最喜欢的了。”

海棠在中国深受文人墨客的青睐，最主要的原因是因为在它出众的姿色之中嗅不到任何的脂粉味。如果你能接受海棠无香，或许你也会明白为什么真爱无言。

韩国也有海棠花，可是韩国的海棠花(Rosa rugosa)不是中国人所熟知的海棠花。 韩国的海棠花不止比中国的大，而且还有香味。尽管如此，中国或韩国的海棠花，如同玫瑰和苹果，都属蔷薇科。说到底还是一家人。

해당화 (Rosa rugosa)

4월 첫날

Hi everyone, I am back in Korea. Spring is in the air although the morning air is still chilly. It feels so much like home-coming to see familiar sights like Gyeongbok Palace once again. I can't wait to see the cherry blossoms soon.

Walking down Hyoja-ro (효자로, 孝子路) beside Gyeongbok Palace

The enchanting Gwanghwamun at night

I hope you do realise that it is April Fools' Day today :)

매화향

If you have not been through freezing cold, you ain't going to smell the fragrance of plum blossoms. It's time now to go out and view the plum blossoms.

"조차"와 "마저"의 차이

My friend asked, "What's the difference between "조차" and "마저"?"

I thought I know but I actually don't. So I checked up some reference books and here is what I have learned.

"조차" and "마저" can only be used in negative situation. "조차" can be substituted with "마저" but the reverse is not always true. Their main difference is, "조차" can only be used in negative sentence (부정문, 否定文) while "마저" can be used in both negative and positive sentence (긍정문, 肯定文).

Example:

1. 그 학생은 노래조차 못 불러 (O)

2. 그 학생은 노래마저 못 불러 (O)

Explanation: In 1 and 2, the negative situation mentioned is the inability to even sing a song properly. Also, both sentences are considered negative sentences because they end with "못 불러". Since both situation and sentence are negative, "조차" and "마저" can be used interchangeably.

3. 추운데 바람조차 부네요 (X)

4. 추운데 바람마저 부네요 (O)

Explanation: In 3 and 4, the negative situation mentioned is the wind blowing during cold weather. However, quite different from 1 and 2, 3 and 4 end with "부네요" which makes them positive sentences. Under such circumstance, "조차" cannot be used. What comes after "조차" are always negative things like "못", "않다", "지 않다", "없다", "힘들다", "죽다" etc.

A quick-fix remedy is available for people who cannot differentiate both. Just use "까지". You can replace "조차" and "마저" in 1-4 and they are still grammatically correct. Furthermore, "까지" can also be used in positive situation which I'm not elaborating.

This quick-fix remedy reminds me of something which my teacher "said. If you don't know the correct usage of "(으)로서" and "(으)로써", you can always circumvent the problem by using (으)로".

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.)