The Golden Necklace and The Silver Necklace

       Once there was a man who is poor and shabbily dressed. On the way home, he lost his cheap and old necklace on the train. He found lost-and-found nearby and went to there. Cara who was working at the lost-and-found found a golden necklace and gave it to him. "This is your necklace," said Cara. The man said, "No, that is not my necklace." Cara found a silver necklace this time. "This is your necklace," said Cara. Again, he said, "No, that is not mine." In order to find his necklace, Cara went back to the box and brought him his necklace which is covered with rust and looks very cheap and old. "This is your necklace," Cara told him. Finally, he said with a joy, "Yes, that is mine."

      
       "You're very honest. You could have said that the golden necklace is yours," said Cara with a smile. But, the other woman whose name was Sara and who was working with Cara spoke ill of his poor appearance. Sara said cynically, "What a nice necklace he has!" However, Cara was glad to see the man who is very honest and she fell in love with him. After two years, they married. Can you believe this? This man became the President of the 'Pinkland' later and he got a great respect from people. Cara lived happily with her husband in a castle ever after.

The moral of this story is not all people could find a real jewel.

 

(If you want to read the original version of this story, click this.)

(http://loverina.blogspot.com/2004/10/korean-folk-tale-silver-ax-and-gold-ax.html)

The Lovely House

This is a two-story wooden house that I hope to live in. There is a hill behind this house. The roof is made of pink blocks and the white wall is a lime-plastered wall. There are a lot of huge windows, so enough sunshine and wind could come in. This house has a huge deck and I will be very happy if I can drink a cup of coffee on the deck. I can also use that place when I eat Samgyupsal with my mom and dad. Can you find a picture on the wall? The architect drew a picture of nest and I think it goes well with the house. That drawing made this place more peaceful. There is a well-groomed lawn and through it, I guess the industrious and neat people will live in this house.

The interior is decorated with a modern design and white, gray and black made the house simple and neat.

This house is exactly the place where I want to live in. It suits my taste and it looks like all my stress and fatigue could melt away when I take a rest in here.



(If you want to have more information, clink this link. http://www.countryhome.co.kr/)

(The two pictures above are from the housing magazine<Jeonwonjutaek Life>.)

The Invention of the Flushing Toilet

       I think the greatest invention ever is the flushing toilet. The flushing toilet was invented by Sir. John Harrington in 1596 in England. I will tell you why I think this is the greatest invention.

 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Old_toilet_with_elevated_cistern_and_chain.jpg)

First of all, it is one of the most essential things that people need. Everyone uses the flushing toilet several times everyday and it is hard to live well without it. The second reason is because of its convenience. The only thing people need to do to dispose of the excreta is to just push the lever down. What a comfortable and clean idea! In  addition, the invention of  the flushing toilet has liberated people from bad smells and sewage. Imagine the world without this. Before the flushing toilet was invented, people dug in the ground and excreted, or they excreted in the river. Even the aristocrat, who is the symbol of grace, did it. People would also use a chamber pot. If it was full of the excreta, they threw it out the window. To avoid the excreta, people would wear high heels. Finally, the invention of the flushing toilet improved the publics hygiene. Because there no human excreta was contained in sewers after the toilet was invented, cities became cleaner than before, and the occurrence of infectious diseases decreased. For these reasons, I think that the flushing toilet is the greatest invention of all. 

(http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=104&oid=073&aid=0001964381)

If you want to know about the John Harington, click this link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harington_(writer)

An Enthusiast for Life

   Han Bi-Ya is one of the most respected persons among university students. She is my hero because she has a passion for her life, also for the whole world, so I can feel energy from her.

Han Bi-Ya was  born in 1958 and graduated from Hongik University.  She was most known to people for her books. She is a travel writer, who published a number of best-selling travel books, including 'It was a love', 'China travelog'. Her books are so realistic, plain, and touching that it's not easy to stop reading.


   Whatever dreams people have, they easily compromise them with reality, but, she was different. She was a woman of great ability, so she was given a speedy promotion. However, for her dream, she quit her job and went abroad for a round-world tour. From 1993 to 1999, she traveled China, Israel, Afghanistan, Palestine, Mongolia, Tibet, etc.  She pursued the things that have value, not money.  

For instance, she works for NGO World Vision and leads the Emergency Relief Team. She has helped the poor in world. It is not easy to help others with risk of civil war, bomb terror and infectious diseases. At the age of 43, she went to China for a year to learn Chinese. Most people think that age is too late for learning something new, but she has a passion and courage worth following. She is someone who is really enjoying her life.

   Many people say that they want to take a world tour, study something new, or help others, but, there are few people who put ideas into action. Han Bi-ya is a hero who is a doer, not a talker. She is worthy of love, praise and respect. 

Photo 1 : http://blog.naver.com/cong93/120027396944

Photo 2 : http://cafe.naver.com/morankyonggi.cafe?iframe_url=/ArticleRead.nhn%3Farticleid=80