My Korean-American Life

<Ember> painting generated by  DALL·E My Korean-American writers' group is going to have a workshop next month with Dr. Mark A. Peterson  ( The Frog Outside the Well ) about Sijo. Sijo is a Korean traditional poetic form which requires the three lines of average 14–16 syllables: theme (3, 4,4,4); elaboration (3,4,4,4); counter-theme (3,5) and completion (4,3).  To prepare for this workshop, each of us is trying to write Sijo this month. I wrote one titled Ember and tried a painting with this Sijo using DALL·E. Ember  Like magic, fanning flames a bonfire’s dying embers. (13) Long ago, my mom used to fan the agungi* for cooking. (15) If fanning could rejuvenate my mom aging day by day. (15) * Agungi is a firebox in traditional Korean kitchens to burn firewood or other fuel for cooking. (Jan. 2023)

(Bojagi illustrated by my daughter, Jeeho Ha)  When autumn knocks on the door with chilly morning air, I welcome it with fall decorations:  placing ornate pumpkins in front of the entrance door,  colorful mums on the front yard and inside the house, and changing the dining room tablecloth to the one with autumnal tints. This has been my ritual since I moved from Texas to Northern Virginia, where four distinctive seasons exist and, especially, lots of mature trees with exuberant fall colors paint landscape in vivid hues.  It's already mid-October. This fall, however, I haven't changed the tablecloth yet. Last fall, my younger daughter inadvertently spilled nail polish remover on the table, damaging much of the autumn tablecloth that I used for many years. The red and yellow maple pattern tablecloth had become a part of me with stains of memory. I decided to make a quilt tablecloth with it after cutting off the damaged parts.  It wasn't a small decision for me to ...

“Two things in life are certain: death and tax.”  Ben Franklin’s famous statement is true in the United States. As my two kids started earning, I thought it would be good for them to learn how to file their own taxes. Hence, this writing is mainly for those unfamiliar with how to file U.S. income taxes. Know Yourself: Do you need to file U.S. tax returns on your income? By saying “know thyself,” the Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates awakened that the unexamined life was not worth living. Filing the annual personal income tax is a good way to examine and understand your financial status in life. It is January 2023. January is the month to plan a new year and to prepare tax filing for the past year.  First, you need to know whether tax filing is required and if so, what would be your filing status.  (Table1) Minimum Gross Income Thresholds with Factors That Impact Income Thresholds for Taxes Age Under age 65 Age 65 or older If only one spouse is age 65 or older Filing stat...

  Mr. Tux, my six-year-old dog, has been in pain these days. First, let me introduce Mr. Tux. His name was given by my older daughter, who said, “He looks like wearing a tuxedo!” His whole body has black hair except for white hair from under the chin to his belly. His breed is Cocker-Poo, mixed with a Cocker-Spaniel, known for its strength, and a poodle famous for its smartness. The Cocker Spaniel breed was originally trained as a hunting dog in England. This might explain Tux’ stubbornness. He would not let go of his toy when tugging it with me. It is surprising to see Tux, always very docile and weighing only about 25 pounds, so strong and tenacious. He always looks like an exemplary, healthy dog with his well-greased nose and shiny black hair. Such a stout dog, Tux, made such choking sounds as 'kack-kack' for a few days, as if he would be about to vomit. At first, I thought he might have eaten something wrong. But he did not throw up anything and continued making choking sou...

Summer is the season for vacation. Many reports say taking vacation time is critical and even can save your life. A global research by the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 745,000 people died in 2016 from stroke and heart disease due to long working hours and since the COVID-19 pandemic, this might have worsened. The research says working 55 hours or more a week was associated with a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease than 35 to 40 hours a week. Taking vacation, they say, can reduce stress, increase mindfulness, boost brainpower, lift your mood and make you more productive and creative.  Taking vacation, though, can be expensive and sometimes time-consuming for its planning and proper execution. Especially, the current inflation, the highest in four decades, may prohibit many people from taking one this summer. Also, taking vacation either by a car or a plane involves energy consumption, which contributes to damaging the environment....

Thanksgiving “There is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so.” – Shakespeare At Johannesburg airport on February 2, 2014, while waiting to be picked up to go to a hotel, I was trying to count how many airplanes I had taken in my life. I could remember 32 countries and at least 50 different cities. I was not sure whether I should be thankful for all those past trouble-free trips or be saddened by what I was still facing. My original itinerary had been to depart Washington, D.C. on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. and arrive in Maseru, Lesotho on Sunday afternoon via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Johannesburg, South Africa. By this time Sunday night, I was supposed to have already checked in at my hotel in Maseru and been getting ready for work on Monday. Instead, it was Sunday night and I was in Johannesburg. I had arrived via Addis Ababa and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. While checking in my luggage in Dulles airport, I was told that my flight would be delayed a little bit. As I had a layover...