Translation

1. 여성으로 되는 것 BEING A WOMAN


지혜의 말들 PEARLS OF WISDOM

There are tons of quotable books from famous people. Though it is quite rare to publish a book only for women’s quotation. That was the reason I bought this book because it gives me some space to think about my identity as a woman that I rarely think normally. I only regard myself as a human, not as a certain gender. Then there are some situations that constantly remind me I am a woman. It feels like I MUST be a woman to get along with a society well. The ‘woman’ is an abstract image the society wants from me for sure that I hardly could follow. This book explains those things well when, where, why, and how.

☕️ The Translator’s Comment


책 ‘여성에 관한 명언집’ <러닝 출판사> 중에서

번역 <유앤아이 출판사>

From the book ‘The Quotable Woman‘ by RUNNING PRESS

Translated by UNI Publishing


여성은 충분한 순환이다. 잠재력은 창조하고, 번성시키고, 변화시키는 것이다. 빛 없이는 아무것도 열매를 맺을 수 없다는 것을 그녀는 알고 있다. 이 방황하는 변화의 시기에 여성의 목소리를 듣고 그녀의 심장이 이끄는 대로 우리를 안내하도록 하라.

다이앤 메리차일드

A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture, and transform. A woman knows that nothing can come to fruition without light. Let us call upon woman’s voice and woman’s heart to guide us in this age of planetary transformation.

DIANE MARIECHILD

*****

그녀는 밧줄에 매달려 있는 자신의 팔들을 흔들면 안 된다. 그녀는 이랬다 저랬다 제 멋대로 할 수도 없다. 그녀는 소리를 질러서도 안 된다. 물론 면사포를 쓴 채 담배 한 개피를 빼어 물 수도 없다.

에밀리 포스트

She must not swing her arms as though they were dangling ropes; she must not switch herself this way and that; she must not shout; and she must not, while wearing her bridal veil, smoke a cigaret.

EMILY POST

*****

온화하고, 인내하고, 재치있고, 겸손하고, 고결하고, 용기있기 위해서 남자답거나 여성스러워야하는 것은 아니다. 다만 사람다워야하는 것이다.

제인 해리슨

To be meek, patient, tactful, modest, honorable, brave, is not to be either manly or womanly; it is to be humane.

JANE HARRISON

*****

여성은 태어나는 것이 아니다. 여성으로 자라는 것이다.

시몬드 드 보봐르

One is not born a woman, one becomes one.

SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR

*****

기존의 전통적인 여성상을 따르는 것을 멈출 때 마침내 진정한 여성성을 누리게 된다.

베티 프리덴

When she stopped conforming to the conventional picture of

femininity she finally began to enjoy being a woman.

BETTY FRIEDAN

*****

내가 아는 비범한 여성이란 가치를 선도하고 효과적으로 창의적이며 대체로 영적이다.

마가렛 플러

The especial genius of woman I believe to be electrical in movement, intuitive in function, spiritual in tendency.

MARGARET FULLER

*****

태어나서 18세 까지 소녀는 훌륭한 부모를 필요로 한다. 18세 부터 35세 까지는 외모가 아름다워야 한다. 이후 55세 까지는 친절한 성품이 필요하다. 55세 이후 부터는 막대한 재산이 요구된다.

소피 터커

From birth to age 18 a girl needs good parents. From 18 to 35 she needs good looks. From 35 to 55 she needs a good personality. From 55 on, she needs good cash.

SOPHIE TUCKER

*****

그녀의 편지를 받아보기 전까지 그 여성을 안다고 할 수 없다.

아다 레버슨

You don’t know a woman until you have had a letter.

ADA LEVERSON

*****

글을 쓴 당사자가 누구인지 파악하는 것은 흥미로울 수 있다. 아마도 본인의 복잡한 정체성의 표현일 것이다.

비트라이스 웹

It would be curious to discover who it is to whom one writes in a diary. Possibly to some mysterious personification of one’s own identity.

BEATRICE WEBB

*****

당신이 여성 관련 이슈와 그 상황을 한 동안 접하게 되면, 그것들이 평화, 숭고함, 공동체와 같은 개념과 밀접한 관련이 있다는 것을 알게 된다. 여성으로서 우리는 사회의 리더가 되는 법을 배워야 한다. 단지 우리 자신만의 안위가 아닌 모든 이들을 위해서. 우리의 다음 세대를 위해 주변환경에 있는 가족을 지지하고 보호해야 한다.

차이나 갤런드

Once you live with the issue of woman and the landscape for a while, you find that you cannot separate them from the notions of peace, spirituality, and community. As women we must learn to become leaders in society, not just for our own sake, but for the sake of all people. We must support and protect our kinship with the environment for the generations to come.

CHINA GALLAND

*****

여성들은 인간관계에서의 오랜 훈련으로 인해 —그것을 여성적 직관이라 한다—어느 그룹에서든 특별한 기여를 한다.

마가렛 메드

Because of their agelong training in human relations— for that is what feminine intuition really is—-women have a special contribution to make to any group enterprise. . .

MARGARET MEAD

*****



A woman must have money and a room of her own…


여성을 분노케 하는 것은 자신을 희생하는 것이 아니라 그것이 별 의미가 없을 때이다.

앤 모로우 린드버그

I believe that what woman resents is not so much giving herself in pieces as giving herself purposelessly.

ANNE MORROW LINDBERGH

*****

무엇인가 여성만이 탐구할 수 있는 여성에 관한 미지의 영역이 있다는 것을 느낀다.

조지아 오키피

I feel there is something unexplored about woman that only a woman can explore…

GEORGIA O’KEEFEE

*****

여성의 삶은 각기 감정적으로 격정적인 상황이나 도전 위주로 돌아가고 몇몇 강렬한 경험들을 남김으로써 실제 인생들이 일련의 드라마가 될 수 있다.

왈리스 심슨, 윈저 공작부인

A woman’s life can really be a succession of lives, each revolving around some emotionally compelling situation or challenge, and each marked off by some intense experience.

WALLIS SIMPSON, DUCHESS OF WINDSOR

*****

여성: 그의 농에 재치있게 응대하는 구색, 훈계자, 궁시렁에 대한 냉소자, 그리고 그의 정당함을 위한 죄인.

헬렌 로우랜드

Woman: the peg on which the wit hangs his jest, the preacher his text, the cynic his grouch and the sinner his justification.

HELEN ROWLAND

*****

일기를 쓰는 것은 착한 여자들이다. 나쁜 여자들은 틈이 전혀 안 난다.

탈룰라 뱅크헤드

It’s the good girls who keep the diaries; the bad girls never have the time.

TALLULAH BANKHEAD

*****

고대에 여성은 한 때 태양처럼 숭배되었다!

라이초 히라쓰카

In the Primordial Age Woman Was Once the Sun!

RAICHO HIRATSUKA

*****

여성들은 오랫동안 여왕으로 불리어 왔다. 하지만 그들의 왕국은 아무런 가치가 없다.

…Women have been called queens for a long time, but the kingdom given them isn’t worth ruling.

LOUISA MAY ALCOTT

*****

가책은 우리가 어차피 하게 될 일에 대해 기꺼이 지불하는 값이다.

이사벨 홀랜드

Guilty is the price we pay willingly for doing what we are going to do anyway.

ISABELLE HOLLAND

*****

여자는 일단 인간이 되어도 좋다. 내게는 여성인 것이 먼저이다.

아나이스 닌

It’s all right for a woman to be, above all, human. I am a woman first of all.

ANAIS NIN

*****

남자없는 여성이란 자전거없는 물고기와 같다.

글로리아 스테이넴

A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.

GLORIA STEINEM

*****

내가 아는 슈퍼우먼이란 자신의 마룻바닥을 솔로 문질러 닦는 사람이다.

베트 미들러

My idea of superwoman is someone who scrubs her own floors.

BETTE MIDLER

*****

여성의 불만은 그 정도에 따라 정확히 비례해서 증가한다.

엘리자베스 케이디 스텐튼

Woman’s discontent increases in exact proportion to her development.

ELIZABETH CADY STANTON

*****

자책감없는 여성을 내게 한명이라도 보여주면 나도 남자 하나 선 보일 수 있다.

에리카 정

Show me a woman who doesn’t feel guilty and I’ll show you a man.

ERICA JONG

*****

나는 하늘을 지탱하고 있는 여자이다.

무지개는 나의 눈길들을 스쳐지나간다.

태양은 내 자궁까지 통로를 만들어 준다.

나의 생각은 구름의 모양 만큼이나 다양하다.

하지만 그 뜻은 아직 알 수 없다.

유트 인디언 시

I am the woman who holds up the sky.

The rainbow runs through my eyes.

The sun makes a path to my womb.

My thoughts are in the shape of clouds.

But my words are yet to come.

POEM OF THE UTE INDIANS

*****

여성들은 마법을 지닌, 본래보다 배로 커지게 만드는 매력적인 권력의 렌즈를 주시하면서 수 백년에 걸쳐 시중 들어왔다.

버지니아 울프

Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size.

VIRGINIA WOOLF

*****

여성은 모든 것이 가능하다. 전통적인 여성이 되는 것도 괜찮다. 직장 일을 할 수도 가사를 할 수도 있다. 적극적이거나 수동적이 될 수도 있다. 남성과 함께 있을 때 어떤 식이든 그녀가 원하는 대로 될 수 있다. 하지만 오늘 날 처럼 다양한 선택지들이 있을 때마다 어떤 확고한 지침이 없다면 삶이 두려워 질 수 있다.

A woman can do anything. She can be traditionally feminine and that’s all right; she can work, she can stay at home; she can be aggressive, she can be passive; she can be anyway she wants with a man. But whenever there are the kinds of choices there are today, unless you have some solid base, life can be frightening.

BARBARA WALTERS

*****

우리는 꿈 꿀 시간이 필요하다. 반추하고, 영원에 이르고, 자체로 존재해야 할 시간들.

글라디스 테이버

We need time to dream, time to remember, and time to reach the infinite. Time to be.

GLADYS TABER

*****

그녀가 말할 때는 지혜롭다. 그리고 그 혀는 친절함이라는 법칙을 따른다.

She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

PROVERBS

*****

무언가 되기 위해 여성은 더 남자다울 필요가 없다. 다만 더욱 여자가 되어야 한다.

샐리 E. 셰이위츠

To be somebody, a woman does not have to be more like a man, but has to be more of a woman.

DR. SALLY E. SHAYWITZ

*****

안타깝게도 사람들은 가끔 당신이 비명을 질러대야 알아듣는다.

스테파인 파워

Unfortunately, sometimes people don’t hear you until you scream.

STEFANIE POWERS

*****

여성들은 일을 사적으로 처리한다고 자주 의심된다. 나는 그 이상 더 정직하게 다루는 법을 모른다.

마리아 맨스

Women are repeatedly accused of taking things personally. I cannot see any other honest way of taking them.

MARYA MANNES

*****

진정한 힘은 섬세함이다.

루이스 네밸슨

True strength is delicate.

LOUISE NEVELSON

*****

철저하게 자신의 일에나 신경쓰라는 개념은 인색하기 그지없다. 누가 그리 이기적일 수 있나?

마이티 바커

The idea of strictly minding our own business is moldy rubbish. Who could be so selfish?

MYRTIE BARKER

*****

여성미는 남성이 지닌 궁극의 창의력이다.

Woman’s virtue is man’s greatest invention.

CORNELIA OTIS SKINNER

*****

서서 먹는 것은 먹는 게 아니다.

베쓰 번스

What you eat standing up doesn’t count.

BETH BARNES

*****

내가 알고 있는 것들이 전혀 두렵지 않다.

안나 수엘

I am never afraid of what I know.

ANNA SEWELL

*****

여성은 주름과 지방이 늘 수 있다. 그녀의 허리와 가슴선이 무너지고 불임이 되며 심지어 유머감각을 잃기도 한다. 하지만 그 어느 것도 그녀의 성기능, 여성성의 상실을 의미하는 것은 아니다 . . . .

바바라 고든

A woman may develop wrinkles and cellulite, lose her waistline, her bustline, her ability to bear a child, even her sense of humor, but none of that implies a loss of her sexuality, her femininity . . . .

BARBARA GORDON

*****

여성은 반드시 돈과 자신만의 공간이 있어야 한다.

버지니아 울프

A woman must have money and a room of her own.

VIRGINIA WOOLF

*****


Essay

The Diet after Having

Nowadays, I am trying to do on a diet using certain diet products. For the diet, a person should not have any meal but only the package of it in a mug cup for one time bite.

It is surely ridiculous human eat overly then try harder to lose it with lots of cost (I do not pay it though as I got it for free). Skipping the feed, it gives me awkward feeling and boredom. I have had something to do at least during the snacks. Then I have to do something else to furfill the time.

I have realized how long I have been consuming my daily routine with meal to forget the boredom with no reason. I often ask people to have lunch or dinner together when I am bored but not hungry. I go grocery shopping to buy food but rarely cook. I order delivery food or eat out whenever I need some fresh change. I constantly search for something to bite. I was obsessed with food to get out of the boredom.

Then I do not know what to do for the extra time without food by this diet. It feels like I have lost the enormous pleasure of my life. Of course, I enjoy things for hobby but still have lots of time to fill in. It does not mean I want to work out hard, try sweating on my body or torture my brain with heavy tasks.

I miss the time I was so captured with something else that I almost forgot to have nutrients only focusing on it. Skipping meal was typical as having food seemed to be waste of time when I was on the state. Currently I feel a bit nervous with the gap what to do instead of eating.

I have always sought for activity or productivity such as movies, art, work out, and so on. I had no idea food was one of them since I have seen that is a natural cycle on a daily basis.

Apple’s Story

II – The Truth & Dignity

It was just a simple activity on the playground that the kids were playing in teams. Apple didn’t take it serious until other kids got serious.

Apple was in A team and Apple’s best friend, S, was in B team. They played in the separated teams as a single player and Apple was also charged in checking the scores of A team.

Playing the game, Apple noticed S missed a ball and lost a single point. Actually it was a bit hard to say clearly if S lost it or not because the timing was quite tricky. It was more like missing the ball anyway although S caught it again. Apple might have more believed that S did not miss it because S was her best friend. So Apple said so.

The thing Apple missed was that the game was at the final round and S’ point was important for winning of the game. Apple’s team lost in the game by this and A team was furious about the result. After the game, the kids in the A team all asked Apple if she saw it clearly S did not miss the point.

Apple was embarrassed to answer their questions because she did not remember the scene clearly and she just simply wanted her close friend to get the score. Seeing the pals’ serious reactions, Apple realized her judgement was not that simple thing to be.

Apple had no idea about winning and losing like the other kids. In fact, she was not even interested in the game at all. Reminding the scene, Apple was thinking about something else at the moment. Then suddenly the children all gathered around Apple and were demanding her clear answer.

“Well…S got the point…I guess…?”

A team seemed to be all doomed as Apple answered in doubts.

“We have to score it again! S missed the ball! I saw it clearly and Apple is also not sure about that!”

“What are you talking about? She said S got the point!”

One kid shouted and then it was chaos after that. Children were separated in two groups again and started arguing who lost it and won. A team could not admit they lost the game and B team was same to take their victory back.

Apple felt awkward what to do for the things around her. It seemed to be too late to say the truth who won the game which would make both teams upset whatever the result was. As more time passed by, the more Apple felt confused what the truth was but the one thing was clear that Apple felt very uncomfortable about the both teams’ aggressive, competitive desires to win.

Kids from both teams came to Apple one by one and asked several but similar questions.

“You did not see that clearly, did you?”

“We can win if you say the truth now, Apple”

“Why don’t you say that clearly we won the game, we won the game, right?”

Now Apple felt a headache with the strong tensions. The ground was swirling and falling towards her. She was suddenly afraid what would happen to S if she took her saying back. B team would blame S that she made her team lose the game.

While the kids were still arguing about that, Apple met S on the playground after the break time. Then S asked the same thing to Apple.

“Did you really see it clearly, Apple? If it is for me, I am fine. You can say that I lost the point if it is as it is.”

Wish Apple could do it as S said. S seemed to know why Apple did it and be more worried about lying rather than losing the game. The thing was that Apple was not even sure what the truth was and she was not willing to say the truth in the midst of the arguments. At least Apple had to say it clearly S lost the point if she was not sure if S won the point but Apple was not sure about it either.

S seemed to be ok to accept the truth but now Apple was not ok at this moment. Apple did it first for S’ sake and now S did not want Apple’s favor so that Apple could say the truth. Though Apple realized it was time to keep her dignity whatever the truth was.

The dignity Apple might have ignored the truth so made her team lose the game over friend’s small benefit which was Apple’s thoughtful consideration that nobody wanted now.

About, Social

A Hierarchical Society

By chance, I watched a documentary of old but fancy palace in England. It was used to serve visiting royal crowd in hunting or vacation season. The crowd was normally with 800 followers and the huge kitchen in the palace was jammed with 20 chefs to prepare tons of meal including lots of chicken, pork, and beef. The castle was extremely elegant with sophisticated architect design and skills.

Looking at the palace, I also could see how it shows strong class system was there. It is surely weird to see different people from different classes. One was born as a chef and served to death. The other one was naturally born as a king and admired to the end without any doubts. Did they ever doubt why they were born like that by whom and what? The class society was collapsed after civil revolution and democracy through communism. Though it seems like human natural instinct as it is replaced with other forms of class such as money, career, education, or something else today.

Once humans feel injustice or inequality of class society, the system is overthrown by angry citizens as minorities. The moment comes when the outrage is so huge that exploded like a volcano. It could cause amount of severe violence and blood that there is nothing to lose for people anymore. After turning the system upside down, it seems to be changed and different for a while. Then it gets corrupt again showing the limit to be fixed again. The human history has been through tons of transformations by this process till now.

In modern society, people regard democracy and capitalism are the best forms to keep humanity and justice ever since. The point is that it could be same at the end no matter how people find the perfect system. The democracy, capitalism, and even the communism seemed ideal theoretically at first. Though the symptom and side effects seem quite similar in the end like other systems once humans get used to it.

People try to find the hole of system to escape from their disadvantage and save own accumulation legally. Then it is transmitted from generation to generation. After all, there is another form of class society. Some scholars say it is time to adopt other forms of social system to ease the gaps among people instead of democracy or capitalism. I think it is not the matter of system but human natural instincts. Once you have vested rights, no one wants to give up on it but only tries to keep it. Thus, it is the start of system to fail and corrupt. It would be only repeated as the system changes its form.

Apple’s Story

I – Comics

It was a normal school day as usual for Apple when she woke up. Though she felt very different and happy not like other days in the morning.

‘Do you like comics?’ Asked Jin to Apple reading a comic book the other day.

‘The Girls high school is behind my house and there are tons of left comic books which students threw away on its back yard’ Said Jin.

‘Really? Could you bring them to me?’ Asked Apple with excitement.

‘Sure, it is not a big deal’ Smiled Jin.

‘Now I can read tons of comics!’ Imagined happily Apple.

Apple could not wait going to school as soon as possible. She hurried to finish her breakfast and packed her stuff in a bag. It usually took half minutes to the school on foot and it seemed longer and far away on the day. Arriving at school, Apple quickly searched Jin on her desk but she was not there yet.

‘Hurry up, Jin! Come on quickly!’ Wished Apple.

When Jin came into the classroom, Apple greeted her first faster than anyone.

‘Hi, Jin! Did you bring the comics that you said yesterday?’

‘What? Ah…right. I am sorry, I forgot…’

‘What? Did you forget?!’

Apple could not believe what she had just heard of. It was like all the energy with hope around her suddenly collapsed. Her happiness and joy soon turned into despair.

‘Do not worry. I will definitely bring it tomorrow’ Said Jin.

‘But I already waited for the looong one night!’ Screamed Apple in her mind. Yet she had no choice.

‘Ok, please don’t forget it tomorrow. You promise me?’ Begged Apple.

‘Don’t even mention it’ Answered confidently Jin.

‘Tomorrow is the day. I surely could read comics tomorrow.’ Dreamed again Apple.

The next morning, Jin was late again and she had no comics in her bag when came to school later.

‘Sorry, I was so sick last night that I couldn’t go outside’ It was Jin’s answer. Apple felt odd. She felt herself like a fool but couldn’t say a word over friend’s disease.

‘She could not lie to me as she knew yesterday how much I wanted the books.’ Thought Apple.

‘Did I express it enough yesterday? She could go outside quickly as it does not take a long from her house behind to the school!’ Apple decided to express a bit harder how she wanted it much.

‘Will you bring it tomorrow for sure, right? I really, really want to read those comics’ Almost cried Apple.

‘……oh, ok…I will.’ Seemed unsure though Jin.

Now Apple felt nervous. She had a sense Jin would not bring it tomorrow again as she seemed unsure and vague.

‘What is the reason? It is just in her back door. Why is it so complicated to bring it whether she is sick or not?’ Wanted to yell Apple.

It was the biggest challenge for Apple to understand it through her entire life for 9yrs. She had never felt frustrating like this before and it was also the first feeling to hold on the anger. Apple did not even know how to get angry. She just felt huge anger looking at Jin’s insincere attitude but did not know how to express it.

The first time for Apple to ask someone for something, she felt shame for that as it turned out as failure and disappointment.

The next morning, Jin was absent to school and Apple did not know the reason but she was not surprised this time. The anger was also not that big but it was more like embarrassing.

Now Apple started to doubt about Jin.

‘Think she has a serious memory problem in her head. How could she be absent if she knew I am waiting for the comics? She had to be here whatever happened to her.’

Apple decided to solve the problem on her hands.

‘Sorry, I forgot it again…’ Seemed real sorry Jin next day.

‘It is ok. I will go with you after school. I will bring it by myself. Just let me know where it is when we get your home.’ Said Apple.

‘Really? Will you go with me? It is a great idea!’ Said happily Jin.

‘I was a fool and dull. I had to do it on the first day. I trusted her too much…’ Thought Apple.

Jin and Apple happily walked and talked a lot on her way home after school.

‘You won’t believe how tons of comic books are there. It is stacked like a huge mountain!’ Said with excitement Jin.

‘Oh my gosh! How could I pack all of those books then?’ Asked Apple with amazement.

‘Do not worry. You can come by my house tomorrow again.’ Said Jin.

Unfortunately, Apple could not see a single comic book when they got Jin’s house. Actually Apple did not remember much after that. When they got home, Jin had to care of her younger sister and brother and asked Apple to have Ramyeon together.

Then Apple also had to play with Jin’s sister and brother for a while. It was not bad though. Noodle was delicious and Apple always wanted to have younger siblings. Then Jin’s Mom and other family came home and asked Apple to have dinner together so she did it. Later Apple realized the outside was almost dark.

When Apple came home, Apple’s mom was furious and asked her what had happened. Apple said honestly what had happened since she had a reasonable reason to be late. Luckily, Mom had understood it and told Apple not to be late again before the darkness. Next day, Mom kicked Apple’s butt with a broomstick when she was late again in the evening.


Social

Basic Income

I have heard basic income was tested for a half year in Finland, Europe which is already well known as a social welfare country. The test did not affect on job increase much but people, especially seniors, had felt much better happiness with basic income since they could share some with their family or grandchildren.

I think the result gives something to think. It is why people need a better and stronger social security net. People do not ask minimum wage because they are lazy or do not want to work long. It is necessary and essential for humans to keep their modest and decent lives.

In this case, the minimum wage can not be the enough answer. The society needs to prepare for the basic income as capitalism gets stronger. Only one percent of wealth takes 60~80% of all money while others starve under poverty.

The middle class should feel safe and relax with their appropriate income but they do not as they are busy paying for high rent fee, car, and education fee. Rare percent of super rich agrees with this idea as they strengthen on diligence and aggressive competition in Capitalism.

There are various kinds of people in this world. A wants to work hard while B enjoys relax schedule. A does not work only for money and B does not enjoy slow cycle by simple laziness. They just do it because it suits their traits and it is time the society accepts the different life and value styles rather than tag on them as a miser or a loser.

In the future, machines will replace humans little by little(it may have been already started) and people still need to keep their life without heavy labor. Robots should exist to make humans’ life more convenient and comfortable. Otherwise it just takes man’s job and accelerates the inequality of wealth.

Interview

A Brief Talk about Human Mind


Annie McManus

  • A Professor in the field of Psychology at Parkland College in US
  • A former Drug and Alcohol Counselor

My curiosity about people and interest in several areas of research keep me eager to learn more…

Continue reading “A Brief Talk about Human Mind”

Taiwan

Already Fall for There


In spring a few years ago, I stayed for a few weeks in Taipei, Taiwan. Visiting the country, I fell in love with it right away with kind people everywhere. Most people did not speak English, but it was ok to travel alone. At first, I took a taxi tour with a tour guide to visit the best travel places. It is highly recommended for a quick and brief trip for somewhat.

What I liked the most about this country was the food. It was so cheep and delicious! Later I found Taiwan is a quite popular spot for food tour to tourists. I only paid around five dollars for Americans brunch with hash brown potato, bacon, and scramble eggs including orange juice. The quality was also perfect. There were tons of meals like this!

I had tried to visit many places as much as I could but it was hard because of my painful feet and thigh by a long walk. I had to take a foot massage at the shop to relax my muscles every night and it was the small luxury that I could try.



Though, visiting the city gallery and Taiwan National University was the good memory for me to remind. I didn’t expect much for the city gallery tour but the exhibition was quite exotic and good quality with various art works.

The best moment was at the university. Luckily, the spring festival was holding on the campus and I could have felt the youth and vital mood. Someone said, ‘If you want to feel the level of local culture, visit the university there’. Like it said, it is the main hub of community which spreads culture and trends.

Taiwan is the country I would definitely like to visit it again if I have the chance.


Book Review

Book Review_Death of A Salesman

The Endless Pain of Life

First edition cover (Viking Press)


It’s about a diligent father who had worked for his family for 30yrs. At the end, he ended his life on purpose by a car accident for an insurance compensation for his left family.

At first, I had bought it for English study but forgot to read it. Then later, I stayed in the dormitory room at a resort to do some part time job in winter. There was nothing to do at night as the place was far away from downtown. So I read it for couple of days to kill some time. 

Before reading this, honestly I didn’t know nor fully understand about employees or fathers’ life. This book isn’t about family’s fancy warmth nor love which TV drama describes.

It’s more about reality which is tragic and pathetic how fathers survive and sacrifice their daily lives for family. I think it’s not only about fathers but all the workers have to work and earn money for a living.

Somewhat, it’s endless pain of life for humans unless they stop breathing. I hadn’t liked my stubborn, conservative father much but thought of him a bit differently after this book.