Lovely Korean Costumes in Rainbow Colors

Travelling to a place which you’ve never been before is very enjoyable when the group you are travelling with are friendly and cooperative. This makes for good memories once the tour is over. One of our stops was at a place where we were given the privilege of donning Korean costumes and taking photographs.

There were many costumes for both men and women. All we had to do was to select the colors we liked and the right size. However it wasn’t easy when there were about fifty people jostling to get the nicest costumes. Needless to say, these were not from our group.

Here we have the oldest guy in our group who chose the Emperor’s costume in regal yellow and the ladies in our groups posed sportingly with him as his ‘concubines’!

Next is our family photo, taken together with my daughter Grace who accompanied us on this trip.

Grace is seen here with two elderly sisters in our group.

Don’t we all look Korean? Tour groups usually bring their guests to places like this so that they can don the national costumes and pose for photographs. Maybe our country can take a leaf from the Korean tour industry. After all we have so many ethnic groups with a big variety of costumes, a great potential for tourism players.

Making Kimchi

My first experience of kimchi was in a restaurant in Jeju Island, Korea. It tasted good, although its reddish appearance may make you think that it is very spicy. However, it isn't. It only looks so.

Making Kimchi is not as simple as it looks. We were introduced to a session of kimchi making while on a visit to a farm. With red aprons donned, we were each given half a bak choi ( Chinese long cabbage ) and a large blob of kimchi paste.

At least ten ingredients go into the making of this paste and in certain proportions too. Of course we were not taught how to do the paste, to save time.

We had to open the bak choi leaf by leaf and slather each leaf with the paste. When the whole bak choi was covered with kimchi, we had to fold it over to make it look nice, slim and compact.I forgot to fold mine over so it looks fat, like me after eating a lot of meat for lunch and dinner!!

Then it will be left to season in the paste for sometime before it can be sliced and eaten as a side dish. Fortunately, this kimchi paste can be purchased from the supermarts. It is quite expensive. However, not all pastes are the same which explains why the kimchi in different restaurants taste different. It is actually a good appetiser and it also cleans our digestive system. I enjoyed eating it very much.If you haven't tried it, you should.

The Beautiful Flowers of Spring

Spring is in the air for countries in the northern hemisphere and with spring come beautiful flowers. How can man ever hope to compete with Nature? Not the surgeon’s scalpel nor Botox can create anything close to the wondrous beauty of Mother Nature. The lovely blossoms of Spring are very delicate in their beauty, almost ethereal.

The many varieties of spring flowers planted in flower beds are a sight for sore eyes.

No wonder many people like to live in temperate countries for they are able to enjoy the flowers of the different seasons, whereas we who live in tropical climes have only those that can flower in hot weather, not that they are not just as beautiful. It’s the variety that comes during the different periods in a year that makes me yearn for temperate climes. Sigh…. Anyway that’s a good enough reason to fly away for another holiday, just to enjoy the beauty of the flowers.

Korean Food

Our holiday in Korea introduced us to Korean food which I had never tasted before. I had been apprehensive on our flight, wondering what was in store, and whether I would regret not bringing some Maggi mee with me. However I was pleasantly surprised. Our first lunch was Ginseng Chicken Noodle Soup which tasted delicious after I added a small glass of local wine into it.

Accompanying the meal were side dishes that are always served with the main meal.

Dinner was abalone porridge with other seafood included, such as mussels.

There was a variety but because there were among us, me included, who do not eat beef, pork was mainly served but in different ways.

Sometimes we barbecued the well-seasoned meat, at other times it was stir-fried or cooked steamboat style.

Seaweed soup was also delicious.

We even tried our hand in making kimchi, the side dish that is always served at every meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I must say that Korean food tastes good, much better than I had anticipated.It looks spicy but it isn't really.

Now I will not be averse to dining in a Korean restaurant back here in Malaysia and will be able to gauge its authenticity.

Fruit for Good Health

Eat fruit on an empty stomach or before your meals.

This prevents gas forming in your stomach which is what happens when you eat fruit after a meal. The digestive juices, food and fruit putrefy in your stomach, leading to discomfort and bloating.

All fruit become alkaline when consumed, even if they are acidic fruit.

For a healthier you, eat fruits. They provide fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. The following fruits are recommended for their health-enhancing benefits.

Guava and papaya have the most vitamin C.

Water melons contain glutathione which can boost your immune system as well as vitamin C and potassium.

Four oranges a day may help to prevent colds, lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Strawberries outstrip other fruits in antioxidants.

Kiwis have more vitamin C than oranges and contain potassium, magnesium and vitamin E.

Apples have antioxidants which help in lowering risks of colon cancer, heart attack and strokes.

So enjoy more portions of fruit in your daily diet

The Joy of a Wonderful Talent

Life is what one chooses to make of it, especially when you have the odds stacked against you.

Baby Henry could have been abandoned or his dad could have disappeared but it turned out otherwise. The love of his father and family helped the little boy to nurture his talents and grow into the inspiring young person that he is today.

His wonderful awe-inspiring dad is surely a difficult act to follow. His amazing resilience and patience he has shown in helping his blind and disabled child to develop his potential is best seen in this video. He lives the meaning of the word “Dad”, a father, a protector, love personified. Click here to watch.