Tourist Visa Application to S. Korea Eased for South Asians

Here's a good news to relatives, friends and readers emailing me about their tourist visa application:

Tourist Visa Rules Eased for S. Asians

By Kim Tae-jong

The government will ease visa regulations for tourists from 11 South Asian countries from April 1 to attract more visitors.

Under the more lenient new rules, tourist visa applicants from the countries will be required to submit fewer documents to prove their economic and employment status, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday.

At the same time, groups of tourists can receive visas without submitting personal documents separately if local tour agencies can guarantee their status as a whole.

It will also be less complicated to apply for “double-entry” visas, which allow tourists to enter the country a second time within six months for either tourism or a brief visit between overseas trips.

They are currently issued only to very wealthy people and valid for one year, according to the ministry.

The validity of the double-entry visas will be extended to three years, if they earn over $10,000 a year, are a pension recipient, have a profession such as journalist or doctor, hold a Korean university diploma or have a family member living in Korea as a migrant husband or wife.

“The move aims to attract more tourists from South Asian countries that already account for a large portion of the international tourists here,” said Kim Do-kyun, official from the Ministry of Justice. “We’ll gradually ease other visa regulations to encourage more international tourists under more convenient terms.”

The 11 countries are Myanmar, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh.

The number of tourists from these nations has steadily been increasing, recording 357,932 last year, up 21.1 percent from the previous year.

The ministry, however, will monitor to see if illegal migrants take advantage of the eased regulations.

“We first amended the visa rules for the Chinese last year and we concluded there has been no major problem such as an influx of illegal migrants. We hope the new visa rules for the 11 countries will also work well without creating any trouble,” Kim said.

So I hope to see and hear from more Kababayans visiting Korea...

Koreanize Your Meal/Kitchen 003: Other Basic Ingredients

This is another long overdue post.  I have to keep up though as I forgot to give Mama my recipes.  She wanted me to write some of the dishes I cooked while she was here so she could make them at home too.  Just last week, she called me up to tell me she's acutally making kimchi, Alex' style.  Who doesn't love to eat or taste food?  Mama is no exception. It's just that she's allergic to some ingredients or that she can't even indulge on what she finds really delicious.  That's one thing I keep on pointing out to Alex when we compare our moms.  My MIL can indulge on meat and on whatever she likes to eat.  It would be a joy to bring her to a buffet restaurant while it would be the exact opposite for my Mom, hehehe... And come to think of it... mama is just 63 while my MIL is already 72y.o. 

Anyway, here are some of the other ingredients I have here at home that enable me to cook Alex' favorites.  They are easy to find and I hope not so expensive back home...

1-Regular Soy Sauce--this is lighter than the soy sauce we have at home so when you try to go to Korean Food cooking sites like "Aeri's Kitchen" or "Maangchi's," try to make a little adjustment with your measurements...

2-Soup Soy Sauce--I rarely used this but when Mama was here, she used it a lot saying it really makes soup dishes taste better.

3-Cooking wine--I really don't know if this is a cooking wine but the ajumma at the mart near our home said I can use this one.  I just use this for Alex' side dishes but I still give the sauce extra time to cook some more for the alcohol content to evaporate...

4-Olive Oil--Since we got 2 boxes of premium/canola oil last Lunar New Year's, I also use them in place of the olive oil.

5-Regular vegetable oil--It's always good to use vegetable oil.  When I cook something with meat in it, I fry the meat first with its oil, remove it and replace with vegetable oil to cook the other ingredients/vegetables.  Takes some of your time but just think healthy....

6-Sesame oil (not a fan)--I used to like this but my MIL would always put more than the usual to her side dishes that somehow made me hate the strong smell.  Our food containers before would only smell either of garlic or sesame oil, overshadowing the essence of the main ingredient of her dish.

7-Vinegar--Apple, Brown rice, Cider... any will do...

8-Corn Syrup--you can just use (brown) sugar if you can't find one...

Extreme Ajumma

I somehow got inspired (hehehe) by Kayni's post to blog about this incident which happened at Gyeongbok Palace' basement parking area on Feb. 13.  Soo Ae was just barely a month old and it got so cold and windy while we were there.  The other guests were saying maybe she's the youngest visitor ever... hehe...  And of course, I got a little bit scolded by the ajummas for going out too soon...

(The main hall)

(Special hall where the King and special guests were entertained..)

Anyway, whenever we go out, I always prepare 2 bags for Soo Ae.  One for her clothes and other things she might need while we're outside, and one for her feeding bottles and everything else needed for her formula.  That day, while we were still in the car, I prepared some of her things in this Baby Sac bag (we got from Ate Betchay) Mama was holding that we might need for the next 2-3 hours. Changing pad, wet wipes, cotton balls, diaper clothes and extra blanket were included but I forgot the most important one: her diaper (disposable). 

(taken at the National Folk Museum: Mama asked me to take her picture with these waxes(?),

saying "My relatives...." kkk

(Alex and Mama took turns to carry Soo Ae and the baby/diaper bag) 

Knowing Soo Ae's "poop" schedule (I just don't know with the other babies but that time, Soo Ae would poop sometime between 2-3pm) and since we didn't have lunch yet,  we left the museum without really seeing everything to get back to the car before Soo Ae drops the bomb.   Besides, Mama said she already saw the important ones, the things she'd only seen on TV, hehe... 

On our way back to the parking area, we passed by the traditional market and houses displayed outside of the museum.  She particularly liked this one, especially its interior.    I actually didn't want us to drop by this house but Alex insisted we go inside.  Mama appreciated him for that, LOL!

"You really know what I like, that's what I like about you, Alex...."  she said...

'You see, Mama and I have the same taste..." he boasted...

I just rolled my eyes, hahaha...

(A traditional house displayed outside of the museum.

She said the interior reminds her so much of countryside life...

also adding it's the type of house she wants to be built for her, kkk...

 

With that long introduction, here's what this post is about that ruined our plan for the beautiful day. 

After a quick lunch, we were supposed to drive around Dongdaemun and get a glimpse of the lanterns at the Cheonggyecheon (if they're still there), buy some fabric and drive home.  However, at the parking area, someone parked his/her LUXURY car behind ours, also blocking the other old car (let's just say "vintage" [like ours, hehehe]) to our left.  The rude car owner was not even supposed to park behind us. It was really so disgusting.  The men inside the other car told us they'd been waiting for an hour already when we arrived.  Car owners here are supposed to display their contact number so they can be easily contacted/reached in cases like this but the owner of the NEW LUXURY car didn't.   They said they already complained to the management but they didn't get any immediate response.  Alex immediately called the police and reported the incident.  Minutes later, 2 police cars arrived.  Through their tracking device, they were able to get the number of the owner and called HER.  It took another hour before she finally arrived.

When Alex and the men from the other car saw the AJUMMA coming, they started confronting her, even shouting at her rudeness and lack of consideration to other people's time. Their shouts were so loud, reverberating in the basement, like we were in a place we're not supposed to be,  but I didn't care.  Judging from her LUXURY car, LUXURY clothes, and posture and overall bearing, she's an educated woman who just thinks highly of herself.  Mama told me to go out and reprimand Alex but I just told her, "Ma, the Police are even not saying or doing anything to them.. Let them be.  Actually, I want her to say sorry to us too.  She's not thinking of the other people she'd bother by her inconsiderate action.  I also want to go out to shout at her to go to where she's supposed to go (hell, LOL) and slap her.  She ruined our day."  Also, the other 2 men from the other car waited longer than we did.

But the woman just offered a quick and insincere "sorry", judging by the still amused look painted on her face, opened her car door, went in and drove off.  On our way out, they refunded us our parking fee and got lots of bows with sorry when they saw we had a baby.  When I asked Alex about the violation the woman would get, he said she won't get any.  I was so shocked, really?  Just like that? How I wish I just went out to smear her synthetic looking mink fur coat or sparkling LUXURY car with Soo Ae's bomb, grrrr.....

Dilemma No More...

Don't get me wrong.. I was so positive about living with my mom in law when Alex first told me she's actually living with him.  But as usual, the "normal" MIL-DIL "thing" happened and so started my not so unhappy days...



As you know already, we separated from her in June last year.  She almost moved in here but I really had to say NO when I was asked the inevitable should they find it hard to look for a unit suited to her...  I told them they definitely will find one coz she has to transfer.  They won't find one if they know she has someplace else to go to... right? 

So glad she already moved in to her new apartment yesterday... 

I only look okay on the outside but I can say that I'm still not okay inside... The last thing I need now is another adjustmetn.  At least, I now can let go of a deep sigh and concentrate on what I should be doing...

Love Yoo Shin...

I got excited when Ate Betchay blogged about "Yoo Shin" (you'll know him if you're a Queen Seon Dook fan) joining one of the TV shows here my Mama enjoyed the most, "One Night, Two Days..."

LOL! couldn't get a better picture and yes, I'm just too lazy to look for a better picture of him in the show online. Mama and I would just watch the replays on a cable channel while waiting for Alex or just having a "tea break" but I chanced upon the show on the 13th and got to watch a part of it. 

Thank you for making the show more interesting (than it was with MC Mong...)...

The Other Parent

There's this horrible news we saw on TV last night.  It was about a Korean man allegedly beating/kicking/stomping at his crying baby to death.  Unable to catch sleep and irritated by the baby's crying, he got up and did the inhuman act. It was heartbreaking to see (blurred) photos of the bruises the baby got from the beating.  Nothing was said about the mother or her whereabouts when the crime happened.  Sorry, it isn't in the Korean English news sites yet(?) so I really couldn't verify the facts as Alex is so lazy when it comes to translating news for me.

When Mama was still here, I would usually ask her about our Dad when we were still really young.  It was also the only time I was able to ask her about their first years together.  Having observed Alex during the first few weeks as a new Dad, she couldn't help but compare the two, kkk... But she appreciates Alex very much especially when it comes to taking care of Soo Ae.

I'm just thankful that my husband would get up and help me with Soo Ae whenever she wakes up and cries NOT ONLY in the middle of the night, no matter how tired he is. He doesn't complain at all. I told him last night how I pray he'd stay the same for the months or years to come. He said he finds satisfaction in being able to calm down his baby for whatever is bothering her.  

(Our first family picture, taken when Soo Ae was just 3 days old...kkk)

Actually, he's been consistent since day 1.  I somehow thought he would change when my mom goes home, hehehe... but he proved me wrong. 

Taken when Soo Ae was just 2 days old...

Someday,  I have many things to tell Soo Ae about her dad, especially his over reactions whenever she wakes up with a loud or unpleasant wail.  Example: pushes me aside just to get to her first...  He admitted being jealous for Soo Ae's attention whenever he sees me breastfeeding her such that he would always get her bottle fom me and feed her himself whenever he's home. Soo Ae, btw, is normally quiet. She just cries when she's really hungry and that just only happens when she wakes up from a very long sleep and isn't noticed right away.

(Taken when Soo Ae was only 4 days old. He was apologizing to her about his hair and hairlline.

She resembles him from head to toe...)

Having 3 nephews and a niece, he also boasts of his abilities in handling or dealing with children or babies.  His nephews especially treat him more like a friend, than an Uncle or another father figure.  I'm also surprised in his confidence in whatever he's doing.. just like this picture here...

(Taken when Soo Ae was just almost a month old, Feb. 15....)

Can you just see what he used for Soo Ae to rest her head on?  I was really so worried when I saw them but when I looked at my daughter, she smiled up at me like she was having the time of her life... haay...

He adores her.  She loves how he cares for and plays with her.  I love it too when I see her talking to him, even laughing while gargling or babbling to her dad like she's telling him a fun or funny story... 

We both hope to be the best for her.  We have our shortcomings, even forgetting at times already that we are not just her parents, but a husband and wife to each other too, but we're eagerly learning from them.  Babies surely grow up fast... We think it's so fast that we don't even know if we're actually keeping up... kkk... 

Soo Ae, not so fast, Baby... at least, for your Dad, okay? 

Taken when Soo Ae was just a day old...

He keeps on saying he misses the time when you were still this small... I couldn't blame him anyway... For me, you're growing up so fast too but I'm just lucky we're together the whole day everyday...

   

My Hair Care Products from Skin Food...

Mama warned me before about not getting upset when I experience hairfall 3 or so months after giving birth. She said that it would only be temporary so there's nothing to worry about much.  When I read about it, I learned that for some women who are breastfeeding, they find that hairfall doesnt' begin until they wean their baby or supplement nursing.  After telling her what I'd read about the matter, she told me that we, her children, were only breastfed till our 3rd month at the most.  No matter how hard she tried, she really found it difficult to produce milk.  She told me that "stress" was a great factor. 

I somehow felt sad when she told me that.  I really hope to be able to breastfeed Soo Ae for at least 6 months.  Alex and I were able to solve a great matter (that worried me since December) last week,  so I'm hoping for stress-free months ahead such that I could breastfeed Soo Ae more. 

As for the hairfall, I'm also hoping I could battle them with the products I've been using.  Although I "ironed" my hair a lot with my "wet-straight pro," I didn't experience much hairfall with these products (yeah, this is actually a long overdue post,kkk):

Avocado Rich Hair Wash and Conditioner--  with avocado and macadamia oil for dry and brittle hair caused by frequent perms and dyeing.  I needed products for my dry and constantly ironed hair and dandruff that started to haunt me here in Korea.  They have a sweet delicate smell that I love, just right for mommas like me.  We shed about 100 hairs a day but I thought I shed more than that. With them,  I was able to control the shedding finally.  It took me a while though to find the products that work for ME.

Hop Beer Hair Conditioner-- with beer extracts, cognac essential oil, rosemary extracts and pleuropterus multflorus herb extracts to thoroughly cleanse scalp and nourish hair.  The scent is good enough for everyday or regular use but I'm not using this one much at the moment as it might irritate my Baby.  I find this really nourishing as I ironed my hair a lot (uh, I think I said that twice already)... I didn't like the scent much at first but after reading Kayni's blog about a "beer-something" hair conditioner, I suddenly liked it, kkk...

Extra Olive Virgin Essence--  treatment serum with well-refined extra virgin olive oil to provide luster and to control curling and unkemptness.  After reading that it can control curling, I immediately got myself a bottle of it.  This is my 3rd bottle already. Why not? Don't I iron my hair almost everyday? kkk.. There are lots of hair serums out in the market but this doesn't make the hair look and feel oily.  It's also not greasy.  No breakouts for me too.

All products shown above are under 7000 Korean won (about $6) each.

The last time I visited the nearest Skin Food outlet from our (new) home though (just last week), I got disappointed that they didn't have the Avocado hair wash/shampoo.  The lady said it got discontinued(?) already and that I should try their other products (priced at 14,000) but I just shook my head no as I can also use my husband's hairloss control shampoo.  And who knows, I might see the shampoo in their other outlets...

All Set...

Weeks passed  by just like that... so fast...

Oh, how I dreaded this week.. really.

Alex told me a while ago I can do things on my own.

I answered back that doing things on my own bothers me the least at this moment.

What bothers me the most is that our Little Ms. and my Mom

will be missing each other a lot...

Mama is always immediately by her side,

even when I tell her not to pick up Soo Ae

or I'll find it all the more difficult when she's gone home already...

But I understand her completely.

It would take some time for them to meet again...

How I wish that time isn't that fast...

In preparation for the just "Soo Ae and I" drama when Mama goes home,

last week, I set up Zach's crib in our living room.

I have to "discipline" Soo Ae, kkk...

With the crib, I don't have to leave her in the bedroom when I do things

in the living room or kitchen.

She won't feel alone when she wakes up.

Thinking of what gifts to give Mama was difficult as she's not that easy to please, really, hehehe...

So here's what we did....

"Mama, here are our gifts... But the Little Ms. has to stay here..." kkkk...

Her Lola is her refuge...

My arms are too short for my long baby...

She isn't that comfortable when cradled by her Dad too...

Lola cradles her the best...

Oh, Lola is all set...

We'll be leaving for the airport at 5:30 tomorrow morning..

Soo Ae and Mama will still have enough time to bond

before her 8:30 flight...

"Till we meet again, Lola..."  ---Soo Ae

사랑해요!!!