ohappydays

"Whenever I make young radish kimchi, thoughts of my lover naturally come to mind. Easing the worries of those with many concerns. Hey Manggong(a small round frog), why are you crying and comforting those with many worries? Oh my, Manggong, what can I do?" These are the lyrics of Park Jae-ran's "Manggong" song. I don't know the details of what happened to her lover, but it seems that her lover r..

A few days ago, two things I had been eagerly waiting for finally arrived on the same day. One was the posthumous collection of essays by the late Professor Jang Young-hee, titled "Like a Blessing, Flower Rain in the Morning," which her brother in Korea had told me via email he would send to me before its official release. The other was a set of components and software needed to convert and burn..

The incident with an unexpected "guest" at our house occurred about 40 years ago when I had just crossed the age of thirty. At that time, I was working as a manager at L Electronics Company, overseeing six service centers in the Chungcheong and Jeolla regions. I was based in Daejeon, with service centers and various agencies in Chungju, Cheongju, Jeonju, Gwangju, and Suncheon. My schedule was pa..

A few years ago, while searching for a house to retire in through the New Jersey Housing Department, I received a call one day informing me that there was a suitable house in Marlboro. Marlboro? It seemed to be somewhere in the central part of New Jersey. Looking at the map, it was a bit concerning that it was about an hour away from the Korea town, but the low crime rate, clean air, and proximi..

At the beginning of one of my favorite movies, It's a wonderful life, the 12-year-old protagonist, George Bailey, is sledding down a snowy hill to a frozen lake with his younger brother, Harry, and their friends. When it's his turn, the younger brother says, “I'm not scared,” and slides down the hill and onto the ice of the lake, only to break the ice and fall into the water. “Boys, make a human..

In the alley next to our house where many students passed by boys carried folded wrapping cloths slung over one shoulder, girls carried neatly folded wrapping cloths, and middle school and high school students with book bags passed by. As the children rushed home after classes, there was the sound of lunchboxes and chopsticks colliding at their waists. On the day report cards were issued, idle y..

Last June, we decided to take a family vacation by the lakeside, about an hour's drive from Toronto, Canada, in a place not too far from our daughter’s home. While planning the trip, I thought it would be a good opportunity to drive back and forth, even though it meant a long journey. Although I was worried about whether my wife, who would be driving, could handle the trip, I thought it wouldn't..

Occasionally, I watch electrical engineering lectures on YouTube. The handsome instructor, who is about the same age as my children, explains difficult topics so easily that I can understand them effortlessly, even when I listen infrequently. Recently, I listened to a lecture on fundamental electrical engineering laws such as Kirchhoff's Law, Ampere's Law, Coulomb's Law, Fleming's Law, and the B..

On weekday afternoons, the inside of the deserted church is quiet. Walking briskly along the corridor, I happened to glance out the window and saw a few persimmon trees in the small garden. I thought, 'Isn't it the time when persimmon flowers bloom?' and stopped to take a closer look, but the persimmon flowers hadn't bloomed yet. It seems they are young trees that haven't been planted for a long..

I enjoy buying used books. Purchasing used Korean books in the United States can be challenging, but English books can be purchased very inexpensively online. Books priced at less than a dollar abound, and even older novels can be found for just a penny.There's a sense of triumph in buying the book you desire at a low cost, even if you don't end up reading it all the way through. Just a few week..