Journal #15

One of my most favorite foods is Korean spicy rice cake, we call it Ddeok-Bok-Ee. It is one of the cheapest and most popular snack in Korea. Although yougsters eat often it, I still eat it for regular meal at least once a week. It is sold at almost everywhere in Korea such as snack bars arround of shools, snack stalls nearby bus station, and food courts. Even there is a Ddeok-Bok-Ee town where lots of snack bars sell it in seosul.
It was originally food for a royal table of Chosun which was old name of Korea, and it wasn't so spicy at the moment. At first it was made with rice cake and beef, but nowadays we usually don't use beef for it anymore. Instead, we put red pepper paste(Ko-Chu-Jang), so it is hot and spicy. Korean rice cake is chewy enough to feel good and its taste works up an appetite.
If you were unfamiliar with spicy food, becaful when the first time you would eat it becasue it could be too strong to your tongue. However, after a moment you can find that you are addicted for it.





http://www.recipezaar.com/Korean-Rice-Cake-in-a-Spicy-Sauce-Ddeok-Bok-Ee-221979

Ingredients

· 8 ounces Korean Rice Cakes, tube shaped (ddeok bok ee ddeok)
· 2 tablespoons korean red pepper paste (kochujang)
· 1 tablespoon korean red pepper powder (kochugaru)
· 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
· 2 teaspoons sugar
· 1 teaspoon soy sauce
· pepper, to taste
· 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
· 1/4 napa cabbage, roughly chopped
· 1/4 carrot, sliced
· 1-2 sheet fish cake, cut into bite size
· 4 green onions, sliced on bias
· 1 tablespoon sesame seed, for garnish

Directions
1 Put rice cake in a pot. Add water to cover, bring to a slow boil and cook until soft.
2 Add red pepper paste, red pepper powder, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens a bit.
3 Add onion, cabbage, carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4 Add fish cake and simmer for another 1-2 minutes.
5 Finish with green onion and sesame seeds. Serve hot.

Journal #14

Once my wife wanted to do liposuction, but I didn't agree with it. Although the surgery is very efficient, removing fat without exercising doesn't guarantee health body. However, I have one thing which of my body I want to change. It is my hair. I'm very concerned about my hair because my father doesn't have much hair. You know how much is probability that son of a person who is bald could be a bald. It's 75 percent. If the man had four sons, tree sons could be bald. Further, I am only son of my father, so I'm sure that I will be bald.
You probably don't believe that I have much more and thicker hair before. I cut my hair very shortly when I was a high school student. Then my hair looked like a chestnut bur because of my too straitened hair, even I couldn't wear a hat. However, my hair became thiner and curly like now. I don't like go to hair shop or barber shop, so I cut my fore hair and side hair myself when it start to be curl. That is why only my back hair is longer than the other parts. Then I have to trim my hair more often than before because my hair is thiner.
My wife has told me that please take care my hair until my daughter graduates high school. She doesn't want that I will be looked older than other parents at my daughter's graduation. Yes, I know that is kind of joke, but sometimes it hurts me. So If I could, I want to plant hair at my head.

The cheapest way to watch digital TV

It is supposed to be stopped analog TV broadcasting last February, but it postponed on June. If you are still watching analog TV, you must prepare to change to digital. There are several way to prepare.
First of all, if you have a digital TV with a digital receiver and an antenna, you don’t have to do anything. You are already in perfect environment, whether you have cable or not.
Second, if you have a digital TV with a digital receiver, but you don’t have a antenna or cable, don’t worry about it because you are almost done. I’ll explain how you can make an antenna.
The third, if you have an old analog TV, then you have to much more than others. First if you have a lot of money, you can buy a new nice LCD TV. However, if you don’t have money to buy a new TV, go to the web site www.dtv2009.org and request two 40$ coupons. Then you can pay less than 10 bucks to buy a TV converter which changes digital signal to analog output for your old TV.
Finally, let’s talk about an antenna. Digital TV uses UHF, so your TV’s VHF antenna probably won’t work anymore. Again, if you watch cable TV, you don’t have to do anything, and if you have money to buy a new nice looking antenna, you should buy one. I’m telling miserable students like me. Actually, I have a manufactured antenna and a self made antenna. Both of them are working almost same, but the antenna that I bought needs electricity. Thus I strongly recommend you guys don’t buy a new antenna although it usually about 20 bucks. What you prepare to make an antenna are a clothe hanger which is made by an iron, ruler, and a cutting pliers.
I googled about clothe hanger antenna, but most of them are more complicated than mine because they use six clothe hangers instead one. If you are interested in cheap and easy to make antenna, leave a comment please.

Journal #12

Should girls ask boys out?

I know that women are interested in men as much as men do, but they don’t try to approach to men first. Sometimes it seems like a taboo which must be broken. Although many people disagree with that girls have to wait until men ask her to go out with, I think girls should ask boy out.
Some people say that men don’t like an aggressive woman, but it is partially true. Some men run away if a woman comes close to them, but some women also do exactly same. Most of men are shame when they are refused by women, and some men don’t have enough courage to dash to women. However, they have to try to approach to women because women don’t come to them first.
Sometimes people say that if a woman expresses her mind first, then the man who is loved her doesn’t respect her. However, it is kind of prejudice; who knows that the man appreciates her courage.
I knew a girl who lost her love, and later she confessed how much she loved a man who couldn’t know she liked him. Moreover, the man also likes the girl too, but he didn’t have courage either. They like each other, both of them didn’t know it. Thus, I insist that women should have courage to ask men out.

Journal #11

My daughter is a four-year-old girl and she goes pre-school. There were several events at school such as Halloween costume party or Christmas party. Since I came here, I have been my daughter’s school from time to time. I think it helps that parents can be close to teachers. Thus I try to join every celebration or party if I can go.
Last Wednesday there was Easter egg hunting at my daughter’s school, and my wife and I went to there to take pictures her. In my country, Easter is only for religious day, so egg hunting was very strange to me although I’m Catholic.
A company workers bring some plastic eggs which sounded beep, and hided them all around of school. Children found eggs and took pictures with easter bunny. Some photographers and journalists came to see the events. I took some pictures my daughter and her classmates, and talked with some teachers about my daughters eating habit.

Journal #10

When I came the U.S. 3 years ago, the first World Baseball Classic was happened. I love baseball, but I had watched few baseball games at the stadium. One of my cousins who lives in L.A. suggested me to see the game which is Korea Vs. Japan. There was almost nothing at home even a bed because we arrived at here just couple of days before the day, so our stuffs were coming by a ship. However, I left my wife and one-year-old daughter at home and went to the Angels Stadium to see the game. (My wife still tells me about that sometimes.)
My cousin booked the tickets already, so we could go inside without any problem. That was second Round game to go to semi final, so it was very important game. Japanese team was very strong team, so most of people predict Japan’s win although, Korean team already won the Japanese in the first round in Tokyo. Then Japan had lead one-to-nothing until 8th inning, but Korea get two run, so Korea won the game again. When the batter hit and Korea get two run, I didn’t respect to win anymore. However, Korean team won the game and went to semi final.
Later, Korea and Japan had the third match in the semi final. Korean team lost in the game, and it was only lose through the fist WBC. Korea had won 6 times of 7 games, but they couldn’t go to final while Japan won only 5 times of 8 games and became the winner.
Couple of days ago, Korea and Japan met again at the final of WBC, and Korea lost again. However, Korean baseball team was stronger than before, so I hope they will be winners next WBC.

Journal #9

My given name is Sung Cho, and my last name is Cho. I have two Chos in my full name, so please just call me Cho. I'm from Korea, and I’m living in the City of Orange with my wife and daughter. I’ve been living in the U.S. for three years. One of my family members is My daughter who is a four-year-old girl, and another is my wife. My daughter is a pre-K students, and she is a really exploring girl. My wife was a researcher in my country, but she is a housewife now.


I’m going to go to a graduate school of the Cal State Fullerton to study Computer Science. My major was MIS(Management Information System) when I was a university student. I’d worked almost ten years only at one company before I came here. However, I have had lots of different experiences. For example, I sold lots of things from 10-dollar-expense mice to thousands-dollar-cost camping trailer, and also I was a computer network engineer and instructor. Anyway my goal is get a new job here after finish my study in graduate school.


I love watching movies or my favorite TV shows such as CSI. I like to watch baseball games. I often watch the Korean baseball league, so I don’t sleep when my favorite team plays because Korea and here has time lag. I don't like actual sports except some kind of sports such as playing ski and snowboard. However, materials of them are left in my country with my other hobbies, and I just walk on my running machine every day. I have serious acrophobia, but I've been enjoy bungee jumping, and I have hydrophobia, but I really like water sking. That is my contradiction.