Buhay sa Korea

It is Rose Day today… it’s one of those commercialized 14th day of the month events in Korea. I wouldn’t even remember it had I not logged on to a SMS website here. On this day, lovers are supposed to give each other roses. I’m not really a fan fan of roses, although I love seeing them in bloom. Aside from its beauty, roses are revered for its therapeutic and health benefits. It is specially good as skincare, and even as natural acne treatment.

Yesterday, May 12, was a national holiday (we had a 3-day weekend again!). We celebrated Buddha’s 2552nd birthday, based on the lunar calendar so the date changes every year. Last year, it fell on May 24 (also my son’s birthday). In Seoul, there’s the Lotus Lantern Parade held on a Sunday before the actual holiday. I didn’t see it this year since we were in the province when it was held on May 4th.

You know that Buddha’s birthday is coming when you see colorful lanterns adorning the roads to Buddhist temples. Jongro (the main avenue in downtown Seoul) for one had been decorated weeks before the holiday. There were also colorful lanterns of various shapes and sizes at the Cheonggye stream (Cheonggyecheon), that we visited last Saturday night.

How did we celebrate Buddha’s birthday? We had lunch with my husband’s brothers and their families. We didn’t go to a temple since we were really tired from a trip to Everland on Sunday. We just watched the specials on Buddhism and Buddha on KBS 1.

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We celebrated Children’s Day here in Korea yesterday, May 5th. It’s a yearly celebration that started in 1923. I believe ALL parks were busy yesterday. We tried to go to Uirimji (a lake) in my husband’s hometown but we couldn’t find a parking spot so we just had lunch at a Korean restaurant and then traveled back to Seoul. What usually is a three-hour drive turned to a six-hour slow ride!

As a mother, I think that everyday should be Children’s Day. (And like Oprah) I advocate safety for our kids. I’m a stay-at-home mom now but I’ll be going back to work early next year. One of my worries is finding someone to take care of my son. However, hiring a private a nanny is almost impossible. I’d rather have a relative stay with him while we’re away (or else buy a nanny camera). I have a nephew who had a not-so-pleasant experience with three nannies! I just don’t want my son to experience the same.

At our place there are a few daycare centers, also called “children’s house”. Most, if not all, of them have a nanny camera installed. Parents can log-on to the internet and see what’s going on at the center. If I were working in one of those places, I wouldn’t feel at ease knowing that my every move would be subject to scrutiny by the kids’ parents. Though as a mother, it will give me a peace of mind to see how things are going on with my child while I’m away. If you’re using a nanny camera, should you tell your nanny that you have one?

December is the season for birthdays. That’s because I know so many people celebrating their birthdays on this month. In my family alone, there are 5. My birthday falls on the 7th, a brother-in-law on the 10th, a nephew on the 12th, another nephew on the 17th, and my father on the 21st. When I was in grade school, six or seven people celebrate their birthday in December. And among my closest friends, two of them celebrate their birthdays on the 2nd and another two on the 15th. And not to forget, we celebrate Jesus’ birthday on the 25th. (I saw this documentary on Discovery Channel where they calculated Jesus’ birthday and it fell on the 7th of April, 5 BC.)

I celebrated my birthday on the 7th. My husband and I planned to have a dinner in a buffet restaurant but I was so lazy to go out! I and my friend Rina, who celebrates her on the 2nd, decided to have a small gathering at my small abode on the 10th. Everybody contributed with the food preparation. We had lasagna courtesy of Anna, Rina and Jas. I prepared the filling for lumpia that Zoe, Karen, Malou and Razel wrapped. We also had potato salad and chicken wings plus the cake that Rina bought from my favorite bakery, Tous Les Jours. Surprisingly, the girls all came on time. I wonder why!

After the small party, we all headed down to a “noraebang” where the girls sang to their hearts’ content. This is actually my first birthday party in Korea!

While taking a break from my nightly telephone chats, I heard a familiar tune from the television. A guitar duo were playing the music of the song “Two for the road”… it reminded me of those Sundays when my father used to listen to the old stereo we had back home in Angeles City. He would be awake very early in the morning, usually at 4AM… and not thinking that everyone but him were still sleeping he would turn on the stereo to his favorite station that plays classical music whole day. I used to hate them thinking that kind of music was “pang-matanda”… I guess I acquired the taste for it that when I was in my third year high school, I was a big fan of Elvis Presley! Not only me but all the girls in my dormitory room

One of my most favorite old songs is “two for the road”… the theme from Audrey Hepburn’s movie with the same title. Honestly, I haven’t seen the film but I’ve read so many favorable reviews about it… this song is perfect for couples… Let me just reminisce those good ol’ days back home in Angeles City with this song… (sige na nga, dedicate na rin sa hubby ko :D)

“Two For The Road”
(Music by Henry Mancin, Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse)

source: the fairest lady | lyrics

Last week was “very” busy for me! My parents-in-law were in the city for a full week and they spent 3 of those days with us. So apart from my regular part-time job, I also had to take care of the household (and my parents-in-law as well). They didn’t really interfere much, I just had to prepare breakfast for them. No big deal since my mom-in-law does the same thing when we’re in their home. They let me do the things I usually do (like stay in front of the computer for hours!) and just went out touring the city. They bought me some cosmetics (toner, skin lotion, powder, lipstick) and offered to buy me some clothes from the Lotte Department Store. My husband refused them though. He was afraid that nothing will fit me!

So why were they here? To attend a wedding. One of my husband’s cousins got married (April 17) and of course, family members should be present. Unfortunately, his sister who lives in the US wasn’t able to fly home because of her studies (and family– her husband is a university professor).

We spent our Saturday morning in Cheong Wa Dae (Presidential palace or the “Blue House”) and Bugaksan (Bugak mountain). Then we had “yuk je jang” (spicy beef soup) for lunch in Seongbuk-gu. In the afternoon, we dropped off my mom-in-law in her family’s home. She had to help with the food preparation, being the groom’s auntie. My husband and I, with my father-in-law drove to the Children’s Grand Park. It was soooo crowded… moms and dads with their kids, college students from the nearby Sejong University, ajummas and ajoshis in droves, young couples, grandpas and grandmas… it seems like half of Seoul’s population were there. We enjoyed the flowers of different colors all around… the noise of the children playing… the sight of families relaxing under the shades… the music being played by a folk trio from Ecuador… it was tiring but we had a great time.

We spent Saturday evening in our keun abujonim’s (eldest brother-in-law) home with the whole family. Agashi (sister-in-law) and her husband plus their two kids arrived from Jecheon. We ate dinner together and it was a lot of fun as everybody was pissed off by Jaeheok’s (second brother-in-law’s three year old son) noise and naughtiness. We went home at ten past nine because my husband wanted to watch the drama about Admiral Lee Sun Shin.

I’ve been researching for almost a month now but I haven’t decided yet on which digicam to buy. Unfortunately, it’s so hard to find the perfect one that will suit my budget. Hmm, it’s hard to be poor. If I have at least 5 million won to spend (freely) then I won’t be having such a hard time.

Anyway, after almost a month I’ve narrowed my search to just three brands, Sony, Canon and Konica Minolta. I think it would be better to wait for April to make my final choice.

Hay life!