Of Finding Autumn 2011 at Bukhan San and The "Dongyongyongyongyong" Sound

After witnessing Naejangsan's autumn foliage last year, Alex admitted to me that it was quite difficult to satisfy his eyes with the sites we'd been to this year's autumn.  A 2-day drip to Gapyeong wasn't enough.  So he decided we visit Bukhan San again before it actually got so cold.

I guess the weather cooperated with us that day.  It became warm as we approached Seoul and even warmer as we started to climb the first trail we went to.  

SooAe gets more adventurous when being carried by her Dad but knowing she's more secure and comfortable with me, I decided to carry her instead of the lighter camping/climbing bag when we went to another trail.

SooAe and I were able to enjoy the climb and view because of the gently sloped and tiled path.

I already forgot what this trail's name is but I definitely saw this from a peak when we climbed Bukhansan in 2008.  This is definitely a friendly trail for moms like me.  We badly needed exercise so we decided not to bring along the car even if we could.. 

It was already 3pm when we were able to spot a good place for a short picnic. 

My becoming famous "Jae Yook Bokkeum" (Spicy Pork Stir Fry).  The sauce can also be used for chicken (sliced thinly) and squid.  Dad liked it so much that he bought chicken and squid that same week. The week before that, I cooked for my mommy friends here. The week before that too, I cooked it for his nephew.  Just 3 weeks ago, I cooked it for my brother in law's family again.  I'm actually so tired of it already but Alex just requests it all the time.  We basically don't eat "samgyeopsal" anymore.. LOL! 

Dad chose a secluded place where I was able to breastfeed SooAe.  She fell asleep while we tried to finish every slice of the 1kilo stir fried pork. This is what I like when we go out.  Alex does everything while I just sit around and watch or wait for him to cook our food.  He'd even feed me... winks!!! (*,^)

After the late lunch, we continued climbing and the view just got better.

Part of the Muryeong Temple

The views across the temple... 

It was very frustrating to take this photo with an antiquated camera (haha).  The mountain with all the colors looked magnificent.. 

We walked on for about 20 minutes more, lingered around the viewing deck of which I forgot to take a picture of and decided to head back to the car/base when it started to get  dark and cold.  When we passed by the temple again, they were ringing the big bell already.  SooAe kept on looking around, wondering where the sound was coming from. 

Seeing these shops reminded me that we actually visited this site before already, only preferring to take the rugged path.  Alex insisted we stay some more and look around to avoid the heavy traffic.

It's gotten windy though so we went back to the car and with little amusement, we gave in to her request: to be allowed to play in the driver's seat.  

As most moms know, having an active baby in a very small space or area with lots of restrictions is very taxing.  After a while,  I bugged Alex we start going home already but he said a camping or climbing trip would be incomplete without a (cup) ramyeon... 

And so I gave in and we went out again to the nearest park for our hot cup of "snack ramyeon."  Doing my best to always eat healthy, this was my first ramyeon after giving birth and OMG, it tasted really good.  

We enjoyed eating our cup noodles in the dark.  Other climbers were just coming down from the mountain and it somehow helped me to not feel scared or entertain creepy thoughts about the place.

With a baby in tow, it's not that easy anymore to be going out especially that he loves activities like this.  But the best thing about it is that he takes care of everything, from packing to unpacking and cleaning after.  I said "Thank you." He said he has lots of imperfections that frustrate me and it's the least he could do, LOL!  We finally called it a "great day" and walked back to the car.

A passerby volunteered to take our picture 

when he saw me setting up the camera's timer.

SooAe fell asleep while we were enjoying our cup noodles and was asleep the whole time on our way home.  She stirred a little when I undressed and changed her before putting her to bed.  The following morning though, she woke up early and patted Dad and me on our faces.  When dad won't sit up, she started moving her face towards him making this sound:

"Dongyongyongyongyong....."

She moved her body backwards and started for Dad's face again repeating the sound for at least 4 or 5 times... 

Dad sat up straight and said, "Isn't that the temple bell's sound?" 

We both laughed at her and we all went out to the living room.  

Since then, SooAe never made that sound again, no matter how hard Alex reminded her of it.  Maybe, another trip to the mountain or a temple would... 

Her Hanbok...

We were so busy the whole day yesterday finalizing everything for SooAe's "Dol" (first birthday) shoot.  MIL owns 2 sets of Hanbok but I also requested Alex we rent a new one for her.  This afterall will be SooAe's lifetime treasure photo and I want everything to be beautiful.  She was against it at first but when I told her what I thought of her Hanbok during her nephew's wedding, she gladly agreed with me. 

I originally wanted us to wear Hanbok with modern take on them but the more I looked at their photos and displays, the more I realized that it's still better to stick to their traditional looks. I chose a not so long top for me.  However for SooAe's I wasn't given much choice as they presented me with sets having the same top with mine.  

What they asked me to put on her...

For little girls, I personally think that Hanboks with long tops like this are really pretty.

photo source

When I tried to say "I don't like it."  Alex told me to leave everything to them because they know better.  I said okay since the first design I also chose for myself happened to be for older women yet the model wearing it in the picture was younger than I am and she really looked good in it.  kkk. 

I've been thinking about the colors since last night and so I bugged Alex just a couple of minutes ago we change her Hanbok' top or jeogori (and even the skirt or chima completely) color and he agreed..    Oh, I'm so glad... 

She looks great in red.  He loves her in red.. But it doesn't create a "princess" or "little cute girl" look for her...  

What do you think?

Jill, You'll Get Mail...

Since we were so bored, we braved the cold and went to the post office this afternoon.

So Jill,  you'll be getting this mail in 7 to 10 days.

Enjoy! 

Anyway, I was just thinking on blogging about a conversation with an ajumma earlier this week.  Curious about SooAe, she stopped us on our way to the mart and asked, "Do you give your baby solid foods already?"  I answered, "Of course I do. She's after all 10months old already."  She again asked, "What food do you give her?" I said, "The usual baby food.  I prepare them myself."  She asked, "It's difficult isn't it? Preparing baby food.?"  I answered, "Yes, it is.  I research and do my best to cook well only to be rejected by her.  Sometimes, when she rejects her food, she'd only want to eat what we're eating.  Since I can't feed her most of our side dishes, I just tease her with rice and then giver her food in between. It works though."  And she said, "You might be feeding her too much rice. Don't feed your baby just rice. Give her meat, vegetables and fruits."

I just exhaled loudly and left her....  Silently, I told her to go where she's supposed to go. Hell!

What kind of a fool that old hag took me for?  Grr...  What kind of a mother would only give her child rice or plain rice porridge?  

Haaay na...

And again at the post office a while ago, while I was taping my envelope, an ajumma flung the "postal code book" right on top of my envelope.  I didn't touch it and gave her a "If looks could kill" look and muttered "walang modo" in Korean... 

She heard it but didn't do anything about it.  I slowly moved it away and just talked to my SooAe to not imitate or do that to people, younger or older than she is.  She should learn to respect the "knowledge" or wisdom of either older or younger people.  A lot of younger and less experienced people nowadays are good at giving unsolicited advice, implying that you don't know yet what they already know.  The nerve!  A lot of older people assume that because they are older, you are none the wiser. 

So that's it... Ah... Ajummas... I am an ajumma too.. but far from being nasty.. No, I think I'm always kind, except of course when being deliberately irritated... LOL! 

Goodbye Autumn....

It was just the two of us last Sunday.

I knew she was very bored and so I dressed her up but 

the temperatures suddenly dropped while we were outside.

I asked her to wave "goodbye" and she willingly did.

Goodbye Autumn... 

Until next year.

(Supposed picnic was cut short.)

For the mean time, we'll enjoy our days inside our house 

and in my friends' houses.

Also, it's about time for me to pressure husband

to buy her own mini slide.

I'm planning on enrolling her at the daycare center at the first floor of our building after her first birthday.  We haven't inquired yet though if will they accommodate her even for just 2 or 3 hours a day so she'll have an opportunity to mingle with other kids and be exposed more to the Korean language.  Whenever we go out, she'd either try to get the other children's attention or talk and play with them when they approach her.  With that time too,  I could study very well for my 2-hour Korean class and continue with my online course. 

And this post reminds me that I haven't posted much about our travels this year.  I even owe this blog the remaining parts of our autumn trip to Jeolla provinces last year.  

Since I don't get to blog much about make up or skin care at the moment (the SooRyehan  bottles husband got me more than a year ago are still half full), I might just as well work on those trips...

So get yourself warm and enjoy the rest of the remaining "warm" days... I hope our winter won't be a long one.  I'm too excited for spring and for SooAe to go out again without thinking too much if her outfit will keep her warm throughout.

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Soo Ae's 10th Month Giveaway Winner

Before anything else, I'd like to thank everyone who joined the giveaway.  Your lovely comments, especially about SooAe, will always be treasured...  Thank you for the love...

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Soo Ae woke up earlier than I expected considering she finally slept at 1am.  I'm now trying to make her sleep early but she wakes up at 10 or 11 and won't sleep until 1 or 2 am.  She's got a "to do" list she religiously follows I suppose...  hehe!

All 15 names in...

And the lucky winner is...

drum roll please..

Jill...

Jill talaga...

Jill...

Congratulations Jill!  I know I still have your address with me. Pag di ko mahanap notify kita agad..

Thank you po ulit.. Hanggang sa uulitin...


We love you all...

10

She's 10 months old today....

                           

video taken on 11.11.16

ang kulit na...!!!

We're very thankful that we have a very healthy, witty and jolly baby.  After seeing this clip, my big sister commented that I'm raising her well.  But I told her that I think it's the other way around.  Babies teach us or make us realize a lot of things about life... And although we feel extremely tired, at the end of each day, we still wish for time to stand still and for them to not grow up so fast.    

How I miss the first time I was able to finally hold her. 

Photo taken by my friend Anne, visiting 24 hours after SooAe's birth.

I was only allowed to get up after 20-22 hours and I wasn't allowed

to immediately carry SooAe. 

taken 12 hours after her birth.. 

Held by her mighty Lola Nene...

My Mom said I exerted my body so much that's why I had a hard time recovering from the birth experience which finally took its toll that I fell into depression.  

I never really thought of the pain.  I'd shed a tear, sobbing silently or loudly, but Mama was always there to wipe them dry for me.  That when she went back home, the deeper I fell into my depression. 

But now, after 10 months, I can say that I've fully recovered from it (as well) and I'm very thankful to this Little Mover Little Shaker for always being here for me.  She does things that make me get myself back together... 

Happy 10 months old, baby... That's exactly 304 days... 

300th Day

It's SooAe's 300th day...

Dad silently called my attention this afternoon to take a photo of this. 

We didn't see how she got up there but we were happy to see how intent she was

to get one of her books.

and as usual, she never fails to make us feel so happy, overwhelmed, crazy and proud all at the same time.

At the moment, aside from trying to momentarily stand up and cruise or walk by pushing her walker, trying to scribble on my books, eating her books, knocking off her toys and anything that  stand on her way, clinging on to me while I'm doing something in the kitchen, wanting ot eat what we eat, feeding us her food, knocking on the bathroom or bedroom doors when I'm out of sight, tossing here and there when she's trying to fall asleep on her own, pretending to dial and answer the phone, wanting to type too when we're in front of the computer, waving "babay" to white haired people who want to hold her, imitating her dad snore and waking him up when he does, climbing up and down the bed or sofa on her own, she's also honing her "mealtime" skills...  

I misplaced/lost her 8,000won (LOL, someone's going to get really angry) spoon 

so I'm just letting her use our extra "baskin robbins" spoons.

Will surely go to the mart tomorrow for a new one... 

She'd get angry when I help her out... 

Shyly feeds on her favorite Beef+vegetable porridge from "bon juk" house.

"Enough picture taking mommy! And please, 

don't post this on your blog or facebook okay?"

Although the nights are getting really cold, I still bring her out to the park to play a little before her dinner time.  The cool fresh air whets her appetite.  

Took the photo from the upper end of her favorite slide.

This is the cleanest slide in the park.

It's near the day care center in the apartment complex and the least used.

We'll surely miss this short trips (that are getting shorter everyday) outside when winter finally sets in... 

Sixty five days more to go and we'll have her "Dol" shoot.  We've been busy checking online sites for "Hanbok" rentals.  We won't be having a big party anymore as originally planned.  It would be just a simple and intimate celebration with family and friends.  I know my friends here will understand why. hehe! 

The planned big celebration was supposed to be a way for Alex to formally introduce us to his relatives too since I opted to not have a Korean wedding ceremony anymore.  Last Saturday though, we attended his cousin's big wedding (there were almost 400 guests) and his aunt in law took time to introduce me to the relatives and friends, especially to the elders.   

And guess who stole the spotlight once in a while... 

Taken at the Garden Wedding Convention buffet area.

Babies, when bored, are difficult to please.

We ran out of ideas on how to keep her occupied or behaved

so dad just reached for one of the "soju" cups and voila, 

we had a happy baby again.

She was a very active guest during the wedding ceremony.  She'd clap her hands when the guests would and she'd let out infectious squeals of delight.  During the mealtime, she fell asleep and I just carried her with her head resting on my left shoulder.  She didn't want to be put down in her stroller.  The beautiful newly wed couple went to the table near ours. The guests gave them a round of applause and guess what, my baby also put her hands together and clapped silently.  My sisters in law and the other guests who saw her couldn't stop themselves from laughing.  Even in her sleep, she really knows how to have fun, said Alex' brother in law. LOL.

So that's our SooAe at 300 days...  Ah, my heart is overflowing with happiness.  That's why it takes two to have a baby, haha!  It's too much for one heart... 

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stat shows my giveaway post had 94 views already yet 

it got only 14 comments as of today..

that means a bigger chance of winning for those who joined in.. 

good luck.

i'm so excited that SooAe gets to pick the winner.. 

Korea Times' Multicultural Divorces Continue to Increase

I have a GIVEAWAY HERE you might wanna check out first...

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This news didn't shock me anymore upon seeing it earlier on Korea Times:

Multicultural divorces continue to increase

By Kim Tong-hyung Divorces between interracial couples rose to account for more than 12 percent of all marriage breakups in Korea last year, official figures showed Thursday. Married migrants, the majority of them Asian women, frequently struggle to adjust to the differences in language and way of living, while the low income levels of their husbands appear to be raising the risk of divorce. The 14,319 split-ups among such couples in 2010 accounted for 12.3 percent of all divorces and represented about a 5 percent growth from 2009, Statistics Korea said. The jump in the number of divorces has been coupled with a decline in interracial marriages, a trend officials attribute to stronger restrictions imposed on commercial marriage brokers in countries like Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia. The 35,098 interracial marriages accounted for 10.8 percent of all unions last year, compared to 10.9 percent in 2009 and 11.2 percent in 2008. Thursday’s report was based on a rather loose definition of multicultural. The national statistics office only counted marriages and divorces between Koreans and foreign nationals and couldn’t provide corresponding numbers of families consisting of entirely foreign residents. Families including or wholly composed of North Korean defectors qualified as Korean instead of multicultural. This reflects the words of South Korea’s Constitution, which vaguely distinguishes between geographical boundaries and ethnic heritage in presenting its concept of national identity. “The realities of inter-cultural marriages are often challenging, not just here but in other countries as well. In Japan, divorces between interracial couples accounted for 7.6 percent of all divorces last year, while the marriage rate among them was 4.9 percent of the total,” said Suh Woon-joo, director of Statistics Korea’s population and social statistics bureau. “In making this survey, it was extremely difficult for us to analyze the leading causes of divorce among multicultural marriages and break them down in the form of statistical evidence. But you have to think that economic reasons are in play, considering that the proportion of multicultural marriages are higher in provincial areas where there are more agricultural communities.” Suh said her agency doesn’t have reliable statistics involving the income disparity between multicultural households and the rest. But a 2009 survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which happened to be assisted by Statistics Korea, showed that more than 60 percent of mixed-raced families were living on a monthly income of less than 2 million won and about 20 percent of them on less than 1 million won. Of the interracial couples who split up last year, nearly 16 percent of them had children, raising concerns about their healthcare and education. The average divorce age of these couples was 46.9 for men and 37.8 for women. Interracial couples divorced after an average 4.7 years of marriage, with about 60 percent of them failing to make it through the fifth year. Chinese women accounted for the largest portion of divorcees at 53.6 percent, followed by Koreans at 21.9 percent and Vietnamese at 12.1 percent. Among males, Koreans accounted for 73.6 percent of the divorcees, followed by Japanese at 11.5 percent and Chinese at 10.6 percent. Gyeonggi Province, Seoul and South Gyeongsang Province had the largest number of interracial marriages last year in that order. However, the proportion of interracial marriages was highest in South Jeolla Province (14.5 percent), followed by North Jeolla Province (11.4 percent) and Jeju (11.2 percent).

thkim@koreatimes.co.kr

because this afternoon, Alex shocked me with the "divorce" news between his friend and his Chinese (of Korean descent) wife.  Wifey left him for being unable to find work for the past 3 months.  The husband was dismissed from work for health related problems.  I really couldn't believe it.  I never thought she'd do that to the most soft spoken Korean man I've ever met.  She was never ever able to bear him a child.  She has a child from a previous relationship but he accepted her wholeheartedly.  I don't know the whole story but I still couldn't believe it that she left him at the time he needed her the most. 

I hope they'll both find the happiness they're looking for.  There's so much to learn from this broken marriages.  I'm the less experienced and I do not like ASSUMING like I'm an expert as well, LOL...  I just pray Alex' friend will get better and can find a job soon... 

Baby Food 119

You might wanna join my giveaway first before proceeding with this post.

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We were both excited to start SooAe on solid food when she was only 5 and a half months old. With those chubby cheeks, who would have thought that this little baby was actually lighter than most of her age group so the doctor encouraged me to start feeding her "porridge" earlier than originally planned.  She's still smaller than usual but we were told not to worry about it as long as we see nothing unusual in her... hmm.. 

Right after cleaning and drying her (secondhand) 

Graco contempo high chair. (click for overview)

She quite enjoyed the feel of them all.

I'm really happy with this high chair.  I can feed her while 

I'm sitting on the floor or on my own chair.

Can you see that "peace" sign?

"Not bad mommy!  Two out of five...."

For her first solid intake, her dad begged me to give it to her.

I now miss the days when it was so easy to feed SooAe.  She was very excited for each feeding and every meal prepared was finished up to the last "morsel." 

These days, every meal time is a "struggle" for me to really make her finish even half of her food.  Though it's just normal, as I'm repeatedly told, I still can't seem to put my mind at ease.  For the past couple of months too, SooAe has been very insistent on holding her own spoon.  Thus, food is always shared with the floor.  I now also give allowances for food to go to the floor when I prepare her meals.

For her food, I relied on my Mom's wisdom and refer to this SITE for useful information about the types of food I want to introduce to her. 

A mommy friend also lent me this one:

It contains recipes and helpful tips on preparing baby foods from their 4th to 15th month.

Fancy food preparation tools and wares for your baby... I only have the basics and I'm doing fine...

Mashing, processing, slicing, grinding, stock making and measuring ingredients are also interestingly and fully illustrated.

It's also nice that it has this picture on baby food consistency, softness, hardness, texture, etc...

Sample recipes for 8 month olds.

And when you run out of ideas or are just too tired with your chores at home, you can always run to the nearest "Juk" or "porridge" house for  their tasty and nutritious meals for your baby...

(sorry for the crappy picture.  

Soo Ae was doing her best to grab the camera from my hands)

An ad for their take out "Juk"... 

They have interesting variety for 6 to 12 month olds... For 7,000 won, I got 200mL cup each of the following:  beef+mushroom, chicken+sweet potato+spinach and pumpkin banana porridge.

pictured is the chicken+sweet potato+spinach porridge

SooAe and I need all the baby food 119  I could get.  There's still a lot to do and discover for her... 

A Giveaway: Etude House' AC Clinic Pink Daily Spot + HolikaHolika's Clearing Petit BB Cream

I'm nearing 100,000 views and I would like to have a simple giveaway for my "regular" readers, followers or not.

From my stats overview and live traffic feed, I come to know people in search of pimple or acne treatments visit or are directed to my site.  

So as a treat, here's a giveaway that I hope will help you so much should you win it.

It includes Etude House' AC Clinic Pink Daily Spot and HolikaHolika's Clearing Petit BB cream.

The Pink Daily Spot is for daytime use to sooth, heal and brighten blemishes.  It's formulated with sulfur powder, salicylic acid and hinoki cypress extract.  I originally bought this for myself because I started having breakouts again but husband begged I don't use anything on my face yet while still breastfeeding.  PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WAS OPENED ONLY ONCE: WHEN I TRIED TO SWATCH (FOR BLOGGING). BUT WHEN MY HUSBAND SAW ME APPLY THE PRODUCT ON MY FACE, HE ASKED ME NOT TO USE ANYTHING YET. I hope you won't mind...

The Clearing Petit BB cream doesn't have any English description but my cousin in law here is raving about it.  It's much better than the Missha one she bought, she said.  The small tube contains 30mL of bb cream goodness.  I haven't tried this one myself yet but I loved the sample tube I tried and finished.  UNOPENED, unlike the AC clinic daily spot... 

Like you, I understand how difficult it is to search for and find the products that really work together.  I hope that somehow, this duo will work out fine for you, the lucky would-be-winner. 

So leave a comment, telling me why you visit this site and maybe about your favorite subject/topic here too.

How will I pick the winner?  I might imitate the one who does "my make up reviews'" style.. I might write down your names in a piece of paper, roll them and have my little one pick the winner.  Who knows, my Little Mover Little Shaker might be your lucky star.  How about that?  If you agree or disagree, you might want to comment on that too.  We'll have it your way.... 

Deadline?  I'll let the giveaway run till the 18th of this month, SooAe's 10th month, and have her pick the lucky winner the following day...

Good Luck!