The Outliers

Malcolm Galdwell introduces insightful way of reading the everyday fight in a new light. As he notes in this book too, not all successful people became successful just because they are smart. The extraordinary success these outliers achieve is more related to the opportunities they receive then their talents. Rather than the IQ, it is the 10,000 hours of practice that matters more. Rather than your natural talent, it is the natural opportunity and chances that come across you. But there is another secret he didn't reveal. If you really mean something and work 10,000 times hard, nothing is really impossible. Nothing.

- Malcolm Galdwell, The Outliers

The Road Ahead

The problem today is there are just too many path, too many options, too many choices. It used to be easier. Either yes or no. Black or white. Go or stay. But the ultimate lesson remains the same. As Robert Frost said before, I agree, take the path less traveled, and you will discover something in you surprising and delightful.

Take that road. Be brave. But don't forget to enjoy it.

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having pehaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing thee
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowning how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.



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He said it. That has made all the difference.

The Capital

It's a world full of madness and excitement.
Be part of the game,
if not, your squared.

Washington, D.C.
USA

Fall, 2009

Korean Dessert, Pat Bing Su!

South Korea,

all over the country,

And who says its too late to have some tasty summer dessert! I was not going to let the summer end before I try out some of my favorite Korean summer dessert, Pat-bing su (팥빙수)! The simple recipe is that its shaved ice with red bean and additional topping. Now the general topping would be some fruit, nuts, ice cream, or even some chewy rice cake. But Koreans have begin to add some new taste into this mix. And here are some of the new ones that I have tried and simply loved!

1. Green tea Pat-bing Su (녹차 빙수)

Here is the second typical kind. Red bean with green tea flavored ice cream. As you see the bowel seems small but its full of both cold, sweet, and chewy parts that will fill your mouth with happiness.

2. Dae-chu Pat-bing su (대추 팥빙수)

Now, so here is something different! Pat-bing su mixed with Dae-chu, chewy rice cake and nuts. Daechu, so called Chinese date or jujube, is a Koreans favorite traditional ingredient used to cook food or dessert. Its often used in making meals or even rice cakes, but putting that dates in an ice creamy dessert! The initial thought of putting these dates (as you see below) was rather odd, but the taste was quite rewarding! The dates are usually chewy, but the ones inside this ice dessert were dried and crispy that it countered the cold and creamy taste of the red bean and ice shave dessert!

Dae Chu
South Korea

3. Black Bean Pat-bing Su (검은콩팥빙수)

So I told you that this dessert usually comes with Red Bean. Wouldn't it be too much to add black bean too? No! This one in particular also added some rice cake and different kinds of nuts under the red bean and shaved ice that made its combination just yummy! I, myself, being a rice cake and traditional flavor lover was in love immediately. I know the weather is getting cooler, but I think I can tackle this one again any time. It was simply the best!

4. Green Tea Pat-bing Su (녹차 빙수)

Another kind of Green Tea flavor. But this one in particular was unique not because of its full greenness but its full green pure taste! This was one of the rare kinds that used not green tea powder on the ice but actually had the green tea taste inside the ice. Even the ice cream was more creamy and milky. Simple but tasty! No wonder this place is famous.

5. And other kinds,

I forgot the name of this one but this one also was unique in its way of adding Korean traditional rice flavor, so called Missugaru (미숫가루). It was pretty filling as usual.

Busan 2 and more, South Korea

Busan,

and driving north to Juwang Mountain (주왕산) in Pohang (포항).

South Korea

First,

before leaving Busan we made another stop by. This Buddhist temple became famous for its location. As you see here, its a wonder how they have managed to set itself near this seashore. Even I had a glimpse to stand next to admire this powerful blue nature making peace with this temple on land.

Our next destination was to head to Juwang mountain in Pohang. While Korea is full of mountainous regions, this mountain in particular is uniquely shaped with big rocks that seems to resemble those hills that you will find in China rater than Korea. The drive from Busan was not close, for Pohang was in the middle of the country, but as we continued to drive up, these green endless scenes relaxed our eyes. I almost drove more than three hours that day but the green field surrounding me never bored me. Hm.

So where is this mountain? Here is a map to show how mountainous this region is!

In fact, not only is its surrounding full of mountains, the road itself was full of curves. This map below shows it. Its not just the map that has such sharp curves constantly, that's how curvy and twisty the roads where! We almost got car sick.

YET!

When we finally arrived, Ta da! LOOK at this great mountain!

and the surrounding rocks!

Even this temple at the entrance seemed to express its grandness and mightiness. Our brief hiking up this slop was immediately welcomed later with hot chicken soup.

Busan, South Korea

Busan, South Korea

Korea's 2nd largest city, Busan
is well known among foreigners who visit Korea. Yet, as Korean myself, I haven't had the chance earlier to visit, until now. After about six hours from our home at Incheon, I was shocked by the busy city scene of Busan.

Most people often regard Busan just to be a south-sea-city, but a little better developed than other southern-sea-cities in Korea. But the Busan I encountered this day was not just more, it was BIG.


The city, of course, had one of the beautiful seashores in Korea, as you see below. This place called Hae-eun-dae (해운대) became more famous after its recent movie release in August, 2009. During busy days, you can't see the sand part of this scene because its full of the umbrella spots saved for people enjoying the summer sea!

But other than this beautiful seashore, the city is also full of tall buildings. In fact, Busan has Korea's largest department store! Shinsaegae Department store is one of Korea's best and biggest department store. But coming to the one in Busan, comparing the others was like comparing a tiger to a puppy. Hm, doesn't seem the common picture, yet here it was.

Also, Busan is where the international film festival and international conferences such as the UN meeting is held. So the city is ready to receive both local and international community in large volumes. The Shinsaegae and Lotte Department store is only a start.

And driving along the long and strongly built bridge. We imagined ourselves what it must have been like to be stuck here as the main characters have been in the movie, Hae-eun-Dae. Maybe, just maybe, I can consider this to be Korea's Red Golden bridge at San Francisco. Or am I being too ambitious?

Starting Breakfast at Choseon Hotel at Busan with the Hae eun dae next to me..after our morning jog along the sea and hillside of Busan city...Yum. And the best part is that we saw during our jog that the whole community had already busily starting their day -either jogging around the hill behind their apartment, getting ready to jump in for a morning sea swim, sweeping the commune street full of last nights trash, gathering around to start their morning fish sells, and some even still staggering to wake up from their late morning drinks.. Everyone full of energy and excited to start their colorful day. And this was only at 6am in the morning. You wouldn't see anyone out like this if I was jogging in Boston at this time.

The night scene of Busan, Hae eun dae.

With the cool fall sea breeze hitting my face, and my feet sinking into that warm sandy shore along the cold seawater. Hm, so this is what it must be..to feel so relaxed and free. I stretch out my hand to see if I could grasp this moment. No, it only lingers when I close my eyes. like this..

Tongyong, Korea

August, 2009

통영-Tong Young,
South Korea

Located at the southern tip of Korea,
a small city but a place well known to have been
the birth place of many Korean artists.
It seems ironical to consider why this small place
has inspired so many to put them self in art and music.
Yet, once we drove into the city,
I realized immediately why.

A city surrounded with both hills and sea,
full of people indulging them self in the busy street,
drinking in the seashore smell,

hmm,
before I knew it,
I am closing myself
and letting myself
jump into this richly sea-mountain city..

I'm rediscovering my country, Korea.

The mountains, on the road to Tongyong

Tongyong's city

충무김밥 "Chung-mu Kimbab"

One of Tongyong's speciality. One bite of spicy Kimchee and Squid with another with this seaweed wrapped rice. The simplicity is where its beauty of home taste comes from.

And even the road along the countryside is simply too good to place it in words..

Rethinking History

The Daughter of Time
by Josephine Tey
1951

As the old proverb says,
"Truth is the daughter of Time."

Now, I didn't really get that meaning
until I read Tey's novel of Richard the III.
The man that is known as a historical murder.
Even Shakespeare made an excellent play of it.
And yet, here Tey points out, what makes that story so true?
I mean, now to think of it, where did that story root out of?

History, we may say,
but here is a Tey saying, are you so sure of that.
We live in a world with too much information,
and thus assume too much of that information as flat out truth.
I wonder how much history or so called "truth" that we know of
is not the actual "truth."

"Truth is the daughter of Time"
Time will tell the truth.

So, tell me, what do you see in this portrayal?
Is he really just a man with such murderous look?
Give a full minute, and look back.
Are you sure that your first instinct was right?





Maybe, we are all blinded by our presumption stated by nature around us. Much of what we define as the Truth seems to have just rooted out from our imagination and hope of seeing a certain thing in a certain way. Give some time, maybe we will be deeply disappointed. But don't let that time comeover you. You might get too discouraged to see the REAL TRUTH.

Simple Secret to How to Enjoy Your Life

Kerouac obviously knew how

to live and to enjoy living THE LIFE.

I'm ready for that too.

Are you?

Belief and Technique for Modern Prose

Jack Kerouac's
list of thirty "essentials" in life.

1.Scribbled secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for your own joy
2.Submissive to everything, open, listening
3.Try never get drunk outside your own house
4.Be in love with your life
5.Something that you feel will find its own form
6.Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind
7.Blow as deep as you want to blow
8.Write what you want bottomless from bottom of the mind
9.The unspeakable visions of the individual
10.No time for poetry but exactly what is
11.Visionary tics shivering in the chest
12.In tranced fixation dreaming upon object before you
13.Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition
14.Like Proust be an old teahead of time
15.Telling the true story of the world in interior monolog
16.The jewel center of interest is the eye within the eye
17.Write in recollection and amazement for yourself
18.Work from pithy middle eye out, swimming in language sea
19.Accept loss forever
20.Believe in the holy contour of life
21.Struggle to sketch the flow that already exists intact in mind
22.Don't think of words when you stop but to see picture better
23.Keep track of every day the date emblazoned in yr morning
24.No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge
25.Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it
26.Bookmovie is the movie in words, the visual American form
27.In praise of Character in the Bleak inhuman Loneliness
28.Composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better
29.You're a Genius all the time
30.Writer-Director of Earthly movies Sponsored & Angeled in Heaven

Happiness is something that comes

in all different shapes and sizes,

but the secret is that

it's not hidden somewhere that far,

it's all in your heart.

-wishstar87

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"Happy World"

Kang Ik Joong

http://www.ikjoongkang.com/

cooking 2

Other than just delicious lunch dishes, I've also tried making some dessert treats for myself. Started off with muffin making and even to biscotti and chips. The first muffin I started off with a all-ready-to-go mix from JiffyMix for the corn muffins. This turned out pretty good, but I hoped to make my next one from scratch, which I did succeed. For my second muffin, I made carrot muffin made with carrot, walnut, cranberry, and semi-sweet chocolate. The outcome was wonderful. My third attempt was with biscotti, a favorite snack for tea and coffee drinkers. The only thing that surprised me is how much sugar this dessert needed. Nevertheless with the chocolate, walnut, and cranberry mix the result turned out pretty nice too. Today, I even tried making vegetable chips based on the online recipies. The process wasn't hard but it required a lot of time. Still, I'm pretty satisfied with the results. I think I'm ready to make a different kind of dessert, any suggestions? :)

1. Corn Muffin

2. Carrot Muffin

3. Biscotti

4. Vegetable Chips

Summer Cooking

June, 2009

Although I had the opprotunity to enjoy good food, I never took the chance to cook good food for myself. This summer will be a change in this pattern, though. Not only have I started cooking for myself starting with salad but also started backing desserts. I am proud to say I have a little library in my room full of books about cooking, baking, mixing drinks, wine, and other different interest that I have long had but never had much chance to work on. Now this will be the chance. Here, I will share some of the dishes I have been making and treating myself. If you were here, I would have loved to share them too. Because the othe joy of cooking that I realized is not just thinking and knowing what you can make, but also the pleasure of knowing that you can share this with someone else and make that person happy. I'm learned the pure pleasure of cooking and sharing!

1. Salad Mix

2. Bagel Sandwhich v.1

3. Potato Salad with Grilled Tomato and Squash

4. Grilled Tomato and Squash

5. Veg. Roll with Beans

6. Bagel Sandwhich v.2

Baroque Art

Baroque Art

16th -17th cen. in Europe

Capturing the peak moment of movement was one of the characteristics of Baroque art. Unlike the previous Renaissance art that highlighted idealized and perfect presentation, Baroque art prioritiezed naturalism and realism. The few paintings and statue share below are some examples that I enjoy the most. The moment we set our eyes on them, as if we were thrown back to their time and space, we see them come alive in front of us. Additionally, every painting tells a story, and not just one story but several stories! Under each layer, the painting brings up a multi-layed story in action, right in front of our eyes.

I would love to have the chance to visit Europe agian to see these masterpieces in person. Now, having studied a little of it, I would be able to appreciate them more. Europe, here I will go someday!

The Fortune Teller (second ver.)

Caravaggio, 1595

Louvre, Paris

Susanna and the Elders
Artemisia Gentileschi, 1610
Schoborn collection in Pommersfelden

The Calling of St. Matthew
Caravaggio, 1599-1600
San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

Apollo and Daphne
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1622-1625
Galleria Borghese, Rome

The Cardsharps
Caravaggio, 1594
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth