Today, I felt like going back home and not coming back here again. I had been here for too long, done so much but somehow, there is still some sense of dissatisfaction in me. Teachers are okay, friends are great, everything's good but there is nothing extraordinary :(.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Just a dream
Just a dream
"Open my eyes, yeah.. it was only just a dream.
So I travel back, down that road.."
Banana Milk in Korea?
My table is always a mess..
우리 나라에서 딸기우유, 초콜릿우유와 일반우유만 있는데 한국에서 더 한 맛이 있다. 이는 바나나우유이다.
[In Malaysia, we have strawberry, chocolate and plain old white milk. In Korea, they have another that is the banana flavored milk.]
말레이시아에서 MILO에 대신 우유는 인기가 별로 없어서 이런 경우는 바나나우유가 안 생겼다 (아마 우리 날씨는 우유 쉽게 망치다).
그러나 한국에서 아침마다 우유가 옆에 있어야한다. 이 때문에 한국 우유 회사는 많이 타입 우유를 살 수 있다. 또한 한국과 말레이시아도 커피맛 우유가 있는데 사실은 요즘 매점빼고 일반 가게는 못 찾는다.
[In Malaysia, other than that of MILO drinks, milk has no popularity here. This makes it even impossible to see banana flavoured milk. (Well, I think maybe because our country's weather makes milk easily spoilt)]
[But in Korea, milk is very common for breakfast. Hence, in Korea, the milk company can sell more milk varieties than in Malaysia.]
[Also in both countries, coffee favoured milks are available but honestly, aside from convenience store in Korea, it's really hard to find them these days in normal stores.]
**
When I first arrived to Korea, I had no idea that banana milk would be so common than back home in Malaysia. Anyhow, I still like my chocolate milk.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Korea - College Scholastic Ability
Today, for the first time in this week, I heard the sound of a plane flying above my uni. My university is located quite near to an air force base and also near a US military camp. Sirens, jets flypass, etc were common occurences in Daegu.
The reason for the sudden disappearance? KCSAT (Korean College Scholastic Ability Test) or 수능 in Korean. Some dislike it, some like it. In fact, most foreigners like it ^^ This is the only time where traffic is at minimum and sounds are greatly reduced. A huge majority of Koreans are really hardworking people and exams are the only means of accessing their capabilities.
The life of a high schooler begins at 7am and ends at 9pm. Throughout the day, they do nothing but study. Not many have the chance to participate in co-curricular activities and those who did them, well, they must be really good or else they might not have good future. Students caught not studying are severely reprimanded.
This is so different from my schooling life. When I attended high school, outdoor activities constituted a huge chunk of my time in school. Studying was never imposed whereas in Korea, there are teachers to ensure students do study. Tough life huh?
It's sad to know that he, one day, will soon face the reality of competitive education in Korea
On the day of the exam, most flights were rescheduled, military planes were grounded and anything that makes noise were discouraged near schools. Typically, it is a silent day. It is also customary to see students following strange superstitions like eating sticky rice (떡) which means that they will not forget what they had studied, not washing your hair before your exam, dreaming of pig means good luck to you, etc.
Departmental stores here took advantages on this annual event by promoting "brain" food like enriched milk, green tea-enriched make-up, etc. In Malaysia, we had advertisement of Stabilo pencils. lol. The one where nerds... opps.. I mean top students claiming that the eraser and pencil works wonder during exams. so good ah? haiyah, no wonder some friends obtained better results in exams than me. hehe. And one more, some chicken essence brand too... ah, nevermind...
Until today, I cannot concur whether exam is good or bad. Some might say having exams does not test our interpersonal skills, it makes us more introvert, wrapped in our cocoons of books and there will be no meaning of growing up as a normal beings and not as competitors among friends.
Without exams, how are we going to distinguish ourselves from the rest, the mediocre and the better ones? How are we going to know jobs that we are good in? How are we going to test our knowledge?
Most students in Korea will make it in CSAT, some will not. They probably will resit next year. Like every year, it's common to see streams of exasperated parents visiting temples and praying so that they children will make good in this exam, the exam that will determine their sons' and daughters' future..
PS. Well, this post was partly "inspired" by my coursemates. lol. We were to take English conversation test last Monday and a week before the exam, our professor told everyone the listening texts that might come out for exam (we were told of 3 but only 1 will be for the test). I did not study the texts at all because there is no point memorizing the text for LISTENING TEST!!! So while the professor distributed the test sheets, he waited for while. So I thought, "GOSH, WHY ARE SOME STUDENTS WRITING ANSWERS ON THAT PAPER!!! (I am a bit panic la) EXAM STARTED ALREADY AH? ISN'T THIS ENGLISH LISTENING TEST OR HAD I MISTAKENLY UNDERSTOOD? IF NOT ENGLISH LISTENING TEST... HOW AM I GONNA FILL IN THE ANSWER!!! BO (did not) STUDY LA!!! LEEMA" So I asked the professor, he told me he was waiting for the students to just read the questions. The test will start soon. FUUUHHH... LISTENING TEST... *relieve*... Listening Test also memorized the passage. lol.
The reason for the sudden disappearance? KCSAT (Korean College Scholastic Ability Test) or 수능 in Korean. Some dislike it, some like it. In fact, most foreigners like it ^^ This is the only time where traffic is at minimum and sounds are greatly reduced. A huge majority of Koreans are really hardworking people and exams are the only means of accessing their capabilities.
The life of a high schooler begins at 7am and ends at 9pm. Throughout the day, they do nothing but study. Not many have the chance to participate in co-curricular activities and those who did them, well, they must be really good or else they might not have good future. Students caught not studying are severely reprimanded.
This is so different from my schooling life. When I attended high school, outdoor activities constituted a huge chunk of my time in school. Studying was never imposed whereas in Korea, there are teachers to ensure students do study. Tough life huh?
It's sad to know that he, one day, will soon face the reality of competitive education in Korea
On the day of the exam, most flights were rescheduled, military planes were grounded and anything that makes noise were discouraged near schools. Typically, it is a silent day. It is also customary to see students following strange superstitions like eating sticky rice (떡) which means that they will not forget what they had studied, not washing your hair before your exam, dreaming of pig means good luck to you, etc.
Departmental stores here took advantages on this annual event by promoting "brain" food like enriched milk, green tea-enriched make-up, etc. In Malaysia, we had advertisement of Stabilo pencils. lol. The one where nerds... opps.. I mean top students claiming that the eraser and pencil works wonder during exams. so good ah? haiyah, no wonder some friends obtained better results in exams than me. hehe. And one more, some chicken essence brand too... ah, nevermind...
Until today, I cannot concur whether exam is good or bad. Some might say having exams does not test our interpersonal skills, it makes us more introvert, wrapped in our cocoons of books and there will be no meaning of growing up as a normal beings and not as competitors among friends.
Without exams, how are we going to distinguish ourselves from the rest, the mediocre and the better ones? How are we going to know jobs that we are good in? How are we going to test our knowledge?
Most students in Korea will make it in CSAT, some will not. They probably will resit next year. Like every year, it's common to see streams of exasperated parents visiting temples and praying so that they children will make good in this exam, the exam that will determine their sons' and daughters' future..
PS. Well, this post was partly "inspired" by my coursemates. lol. We were to take English conversation test last Monday and a week before the exam, our professor told everyone the listening texts that might come out for exam (we were told of 3 but only 1 will be for the test). I did not study the texts at all because there is no point memorizing the text for LISTENING TEST!!! So while the professor distributed the test sheets, he waited for while. So I thought, "GOSH, WHY ARE SOME STUDENTS WRITING ANSWERS ON THAT PAPER!!! (I am a bit panic la) EXAM STARTED ALREADY AH? ISN'T THIS ENGLISH LISTENING TEST OR HAD I MISTAKENLY UNDERSTOOD? IF NOT ENGLISH LISTENING TEST... HOW AM I GONNA FILL IN THE ANSWER!!! BO (did not) STUDY LA!!! LEEMA" So I asked the professor, he told me he was waiting for the students to just read the questions. The test will start soon. FUUUHHH... LISTENING TEST... *relieve*... Listening Test also memorized the passage. lol.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
17 November 2010
Hi peeps,
The smells, the sights
My exam is around the corner
So I think I need to temporary stop blogging ㅋㅋ
Can't be blogging too often right?
Maybe I'll continue next week
Trying to de-digitalize my world but to no avail
수업을 듣기가 힘들어 하루 중엔 수업을 듣기 때문에 점심과 저녁 빨리 먹었더니 배가 넘 아파 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 방학 방학 빨리 와~
The smells, the sights
My exam is around the corner
So I think I need to temporary stop blogging ㅋㅋ
Can't be blogging too often right?
Maybe I'll continue next week
Trying to de-digitalize my world but to no avail
수업을 듣기가 힘들어 하루 중엔 수업을 듣기 때문에 점심과 저녁 빨리 먹었더니 배가 넘 아파 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 방학 방학 빨리 와~
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
ADV Cycling at the National Parks of Korea
Do you love cycling? I remember when I started cycling, my first bike was the tricycle. It took a long time before I started to learn to ride the real bicycle. In Korea, there are lots of nice places where you can cycle.
Along the coast of Pohang? Eastern coast of Korea...
Along the defunct railway track? In Hapcheon-gun...
Along the hills? Pictured at Muju..
or down the skiing slopes? hmmn... wild ideas?
****
Autumn is the perfect time for outdoor activities; a crowd of people head to mountain areas to see the magnificent foliage.
Well, if you missed out on the peak foliage season, then how about going bicycling? If hiking is about getting to the top of a mountain, then with cycling, you get to savor the beautiful scenery and ambience you have so far overlooked.
Touring Korea’s National Parks with a Bicycle
The Korea National Park Service announced that they are going to add four more cycling routes to the existing four, so operating a total eight routes.
In the cycling programs offered at the Hallyeohaesang National Park and the Deogyusan National Park, you can rent bicycles for free at the respective park offices.
The Korea National Park Service is planning to create extra cycling routes of 20km at the four parks including Seoraksan, Naejangsan, Jirisan and Woraksan.
Choose a Course that Is Right for Your Capacity
When cycling, it is important to choose a course that fits your strength and skills, and also to be mindful of safety instructions.
For example, if you are on a downhill road, you shouldn’t exceed 10km/h by applying hand brakes. As in common sense, you must wear a helmet as well as restrain from using mobile phones or ear plugs to listen to music.
And also, should the unfortunate situation happens while you were on a downhill and you had lost control of your bicycle, then you should rather let go of the handles instead of holding tightly on to them, which is usually the instinct.
Remember, abiding safety rules aren’t only about your own safety; it’s as much about the other cyclists and hikers who are near you.
If you are one of those who aren’t really into the taxing, energy-consuming hiking activities, then you might want to consider trying a cycling program at the national parks!
>Link< (So cycle safely wherever you are, Malaysia, Korea, Mars, Pluto, etc)
Along the coast of Pohang? Eastern coast of Korea...
Along the defunct railway track? In Hapcheon-gun...
Along the hills? Pictured at Muju..
or down the skiing slopes? hmmn... wild ideas?
****
Autumn is the perfect time for outdoor activities; a crowd of people head to mountain areas to see the magnificent foliage.
Well, if you missed out on the peak foliage season, then how about going bicycling? If hiking is about getting to the top of a mountain, then with cycling, you get to savor the beautiful scenery and ambience you have so far overlooked.
Touring Korea’s National Parks with a Bicycle
The Korea National Park Service announced that they are going to add four more cycling routes to the existing four, so operating a total eight routes.
In the cycling programs offered at the Hallyeohaesang National Park and the Deogyusan National Park, you can rent bicycles for free at the respective park offices.
The Korea National Park Service is planning to create extra cycling routes of 20km at the four parks including Seoraksan, Naejangsan, Jirisan and Woraksan.
Choose a Course that Is Right for Your Capacity
When cycling, it is important to choose a course that fits your strength and skills, and also to be mindful of safety instructions.
For example, if you are on a downhill road, you shouldn’t exceed 10km/h by applying hand brakes. As in common sense, you must wear a helmet as well as restrain from using mobile phones or ear plugs to listen to music.
And also, should the unfortunate situation happens while you were on a downhill and you had lost control of your bicycle, then you should rather let go of the handles instead of holding tightly on to them, which is usually the instinct.
Remember, abiding safety rules aren’t only about your own safety; it’s as much about the other cyclists and hikers who are near you.
If you are one of those who aren’t really into the taxing, energy-consuming hiking activities, then you might want to consider trying a cycling program at the national parks!
>Link< (So cycle safely wherever you are, Malaysia, Korea, Mars, Pluto, etc)
Monday, November 15, 2010
ADV Korea’s Women of the Sea (Haenyeo)
Do you know what my former Korean language teacher had in common...
...with her?
They are both tenacious and hard working people. The former pic was my Korean language teacher when I was in Level 2. She got no other thing to do than continue talking on and on about food. A very jovial and active teacher.
One thing I like when I was learning Korean was that the teachers were very kind. They were so kind that even my neighbours were of no match to them. Really...
The last time I met her, she was so thin I thought she went for slimming body wrap like Rosie did in the Phuah Chu Kang comedy sitcoms (Those were the days when simple and vague comedies can make us laugh). For the first time, she wore high heels, really pointed ones and let me not talk about what she wore ^^ lol.
"So what's your name hey baby what's your name oh yeah
sexys my name yea sexys my name"
Mizz Nina Feat. Colby O Donis in "What You Waiting For"
Back to the story. :) In Korea, there is one tradition that is fast disappering. It is the tradition of women diving for living. There's the brief info..
" 'Haenyeo' (the sea women) are female divers in the Korean province of Jeju. What used to amount to as many as 15,000 haenyeo in 1970 has now plummeted to a mere third of that number; and most of them are over seventy years of age, meaning that haenyeo are fast disappearing. Nowadays, instead of the strenuous lifestyle as a haenyeo, many Jeju women are turning elsewhere for other possibilities of living.
In light of this sad reality, The LA Times published a feature article on Korean haenyeo, including interviews with the youngest haenyeo in Korea (33-year-old Ms. Kim) who has chosen the harsh path so that the precious tradition could be preserved..."
Read more at this link
...with her?
They are both tenacious and hard working people. The former pic was my Korean language teacher when I was in Level 2. She got no other thing to do than continue talking on and on about food. A very jovial and active teacher.
One thing I like when I was learning Korean was that the teachers were very kind. They were so kind that even my neighbours were of no match to them. Really...
The last time I met her, she was so thin I thought she went for slimming body wrap like Rosie did in the Phuah Chu Kang comedy sitcoms (Those were the days when simple and vague comedies can make us laugh). For the first time, she wore high heels, really pointed ones and let me not talk about what she wore ^^ lol.
"So what's your name hey baby what's your name oh yeah
sexys my name yea sexys my name"
Mizz Nina Feat. Colby O Donis in "What You Waiting For"
Back to the story. :) In Korea, there is one tradition that is fast disappering. It is the tradition of women diving for living. There's the brief info..
" 'Haenyeo' (the sea women) are female divers in the Korean province of Jeju. What used to amount to as many as 15,000 haenyeo in 1970 has now plummeted to a mere third of that number; and most of them are over seventy years of age, meaning that haenyeo are fast disappearing. Nowadays, instead of the strenuous lifestyle as a haenyeo, many Jeju women are turning elsewhere for other possibilities of living.
In light of this sad reality, The LA Times published a feature article on Korean haenyeo, including interviews with the youngest haenyeo in Korea (33-year-old Ms. Kim) who has chosen the harsh path so that the precious tradition could be preserved..."
Read more at this link
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