July 18, 2013

Writer’s Workshop- I Am Currently

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Thoughts alpha thursday, mama kat's writers workshop

Mama Panda and her cubs

There are so many things that are on my plate at the moment. Sometimes it can be overwhelming deciding on what to do first and setting the priorities on which item I should allocate my time to so that all can be completed within the week.

Reading

Raising Respectful Children in a Disrespectful World by Jill Rigsby, The Broken Circle by Cheryl Potter and Unbridled a memoir by Barbara McNally are the books that came in this month for me to read. So far I ‘ve only made it to chapter 1 of the first book while the other two books are collecting dust on my study table. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to finish at least the first book by the end of this week.

Listening to

I’m into listening to the compilation of KDrama Series theme songs. This is my current favourite from Prosecutor Princess.

Thinking about:

How to finish using the whipped cream in the fridge. I have been procrastinating since I bought the 1 liter tetra pack two months ago. It hasn’t been opened so it is still good for us. I’ve decided that we are going to make fruit tarts this week. If there is still a lot left over maybe another round of Hokkaido Chiffon cake also 🙂

Watching

The traffic lights turn from red to green signalling that it’s time to move on on the road. I have to be on the road a lot more this new school term as the kids have an increase in after/before school activities and need me to ferry them around more often on school days. I’m also following the Taiwainese drama series Fabulous boys(原來是美男 / Yuan Lai Shi Mei Nan) staring Jiro Wang.

Bummed out on

My weight lost regime not getting anywhere. It is extremely frustrating trying to lose the extra kilos. It just seems to be still stubbornly sitting there instead of falling off. There must be something else that I need to tweak. The dieting regime isn’t really helping me much and the running around is wearing me down making me exhausted even before I can start with the exercise routine.

Loving

Waking up to the four of them having smiles on their faces when they see me. Receiving hugs and kisses when they come back from work/school and them enjoying the dinner that I prepare for them.

What are you currently….?

SANses.com's Talkative Thursdays

July 16, 2013

Visiting Seongeup Folk Village (성읍민속마을) in Jeju island

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Thoughts, Travel Jeju island, Korea, Travel

A traditional house with thatched roof

During our holiday trip to Jeju island we got the chance to visit Seongeup Folk Village and saw how the Koreans lived 400 years ago. It really felt like stepping back into time and onto the set of one of the Korean Drama serials which I had been following on TV.

Lava rocks as walls around the houses

Each house had rock lava wall around it. There is no cement in between the rocks and they are just layered one on top of each other to make a fence. The rocks are porous so rain water will just flow through the fence and it will not be damaged if there was a typhoon.

The traditional layout of a homestead

There is a long walkway to the main house which is flanked by the outhouse and also the barnyard/ kitchen. Most of the villagers were farmers and they grew their own produce.

The tour guide for the day

The English speaking tour guide that we had explained to us the area below was used to rear ducks and other livestock. In the olden days their toilet was outdoors and any human waste was used to fertilize the ground below.

The famous black pig

A adult black pig which we saw in it’s pig pen. Black pig meat is very popular among the Koreans and we did get to taste it while on holiday in Jeju.

A traditional milling device

This was the traditional way which rice/ soya was grounded using a milling device shown above. The animal/human had to push the heavy stone and walk in circles around it while the seeds were being grounded into powder/paste.

A shot of Tiger girl and me outside a house.

I love the solid wooden doors that I saw at the entrance of this house and we had to take a shot for remembrance.

The guardians of Jeju island

I found these statues around a lot of places in Jeju island. It is their God of fertility. It is said if you rub the nose of the statue you will be blessed with a boy. If you rubbed the ear you would be blessed with a girl. R and I stayed far away from the status as we both agree no more boys or girls for us. Three is enough.