めがね

I have been watching lots of movies lately, since time is something I do not lack. However, all these movies I watched until today were quite boring and didn't really speak to me (except for The Lord of the Rings marathon on a Saturday).

"めがね" is a movie that warms your tired mind. Watching this movie, I wanted to live a simple life like the characters who do morning exercises called "Merci" and have a 氷あずき while looking at the emerald sea. I also realized that I cannot eat or relax or do anything really without having my phone in my hands. When did it come to this? I asked myself, 'why do we always have to be doing something?' I have forgotten the importance of doing nothing. You have to take a rest from time to time. Resting is essential. I also realized that I should take my time doing things, whether it is cooking or reading or writing or etc. I should really try to enjoy the moment and appreciate it. Multitasking is taken for granted in this modern society. I resent that. I resent even more the fact that I have become a part of it. Instead of watching a TV series while checking your sns on the phone and drinking a cup of tea, I should do things one by one. When was the last time I truly appreciated the moment while I was doing something? You should think about that too, I think.

xx

Liz

What's been going on

I've started a new project called Dream House. It's very simple: I just draw whatever I want to have in my dream house and post it on PHOLAR (Korean Instagram, more or less). I started this project - well it's more of a fun hobby than a project, to be honest - because we will be moving soon (finally!). This time, we will buy our house so we'll be able to decorate it the way we want. This will be our first real house and it's pretty exciting. I have been on Pinterest, pinning all these awesome interior design/DIY ideas. I can't wait till we actually make our house our "home". So if you guys want to check out my PHOLAR page here is the URL (It's all in Korean though) : http://www.pholar.co/album/1035286/130353



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(source: http://m.blog.daum.net/_blog/_m/articleView.do?blogid=0K47m&articleno=3832387)

Il y a quelques jours, j'ai regardé un film qui s'appelle "Calmi Cuori Appassionati". C'est un film japonais mais le tournage a eu lieu en Italie, ce qui explique le nom italien du film. Une amie me l'avait recommandé il y a longtemps disant c'était un très bon film et donc je m'attendais beaucoup. Finalment, je ne l'aimais pas autant - peut-être parce que j'avais trop d'attentes.
C'est un film romantique qui montre l'histoire un couple japonais. Le mec restaurede vieilles peintures à Florence et la nana travaille chez un jaolier a Milan. Ils étaient dans la même université au Japon et tombaient amoureux. A cause d'un malentendu, ils se séparent mais n'arrivent pas a effacer les souvenirs de leur amour. Afin de tenir une promesse, ils se réunissent à Florence pour l'anniversire de la fille. Ils apprennent enfin que, même s'ils étaient avec quelqu'un d'autre après leur séparation, ils se manquaient toujours.
Les paysages italiens étaient magnifiques dans le film. Cependant, l'incarnation des acteurs n'était pas terrible et le développement de l'histoire était lent. Apparemment c'est un roman et peut-être il se meilleur que le film, ce qui est toujours le cas.

How it feels to drink Guinness all day long

It wasn't an impulsive trip; but it surely felt like one.

We were planning to go to Ireland since this January but due to an unfortunate circumstance, it was only two weeks before the departure date that we could buy the ticket. Falling asleep the night before was as hard as getting up in the morning of our trip. Putting on another thick layer of clothes, we were ready for the infamous Irish weather. But the sun was shining when we stepped out of the airport and the sunglasses were taken out from their boxes. The jolly bus driver with a funny accent drove us to the city center, dropping us off near Trinity College. The sky was blue, the locals were friendly, the sun was warm, and even the loud American tourists seemed good-hearted. What can I say, it was almost perfect. 

After unloading our heavy backpacks at the youth hostel we were staying at, we went to an excellent restaurant to satisfy our grumbling stomach. The shrimp sandwich with coriander sauce was absolutely delicious and soon we were out on the streets again. Next stop was, not surprisingly, Trinity College. We walked around the beautiful garden, pretending to be students moving from a building to another. Despite the huge number of tourists, we could still glimpse a bit of calming charm in the back yard. Needless to say, the old library made me speechless. All I could do to embrace its beauty was to take lots of pictures to be able to look at it and keep it close to my heart.

The highlight, of course, was pubs. I got to drink my favorite beer regardless of the time. We drank a pint at each pub - or two pints if we loved the atmosphere - and moved on to the next one. This continued from late afternoon until the streets were lit with lights and smiles of drunk people (I should confess, we were not far from being one of them).  

The next day, our muscles aching from very little, uncomfortable sleep, we got on a bus to Galway. We only had two days to spend in Galway so going around the coast for sightseeing was not an option. The only choice we had left was, well, I'm sure you must have guessed by now, pubs. When you have a question, the answer to it should most likely be "pubs" or found in pubs. We continued our frenzy search of great beer and air, and never once were we disappointed. 

So how did it feel to drink Guinness all day long? It simply was unforgettably and undoubtedly fantastic! 

Online Portfolio

I just created an online portfolio on Carbonmade: https://liobambi.carbonmade.com/

It is a pity that I have to pay to post as many pieces as I want but I like their simple design. If you want, go check it out!

Une petite promenade à Paris

Not living close to your friends is one of the most frustrating things that life taught me. It had already been two months that I didn't see Alexis so I went to Paris on a whim yesterday. We have a weird tradition, Alexis and I: we always eat at a Japanese if we meet for a lunch. We both love it - especially him. He drools when I mention the word "sushi" - and it's not very expensive. So as usual, we met at Odéon and went to the place we are quite familiar with. We didn't have to look at the menu; we knew what we wanted. We ate delicious makis and skewers. We drank. We walked. But mostly, we talked - he more than I. We talked about our lives; what we liked about it, what we disliked, what we want, what we expect... It was great to talk to a good friend, which I lack here in the new city.

It snowed and then it was sunny then it rained. The weather was capricious and unpredictable but I didn't really mind. I discovered new streets and walked along the Seine. Despite the piercing wind and occasional snow, I could see that spring was arriving. Pink buds on trees were ornamenting grey streets. I felt a bud ready to bloom in my heart too.

I met another friend for a cup of tea in the afternoon. We went for furniture shopping as well since he was looking for a height-adjustable wooden chair. As I thought, we didn't find any. It was still nostalgic to walk on the small streets of Marais. When we finally got to Le Loir dans la Théière, my mouth was dry and my throat was pleading for something to drink. We each ordered a pot of tea and shared a piece of lemon meringue with a huge amount of cream on the top. We obviously talked about guilty pleasure. The salon de thé had walls full of posters glued upon one another. The posters were both recent and old - a miscellaneous collection of time. Other walls bore paintings of Alice in Wonderland. The tea party! Although the service was slow and people around were loud, I enjoyed talking to my friend and drinking the cup of tea with, of course, spoonfuls of creamy lemon meringue.

On my way back, I sketched a little on the bus. It is something I do nowadays, sketching and coloring afterwards. It's a better way to spend time than reading through Facebook news feeds, being creative that is.

All in all, it was a fruitful day, even sleep came fast.


xx

Liz

Applying for a job

Like most people, I hate hospitals. But most of all, it is the dentist's that I dread. A couple of months ago when I found that I had some cavities, I was faced with one of the responsibilities of being an adult: making an appointment with the dentist on my own. To be frank, I had never taken an appointment with the dentist myself, nor gone there on my own. But life of an adult is cruel. I couldn't even afford to whine. All I could think about was how much more it would hurt if I didn't go as soon as possible. When I heard that the appointment could only be in a month, I felt a bit relieved. But the day came eventually and I found myself waiting at a white room, sweating like a pig. Time passed so slowly when all kinds of threatening tools were digging and cleaning inside my mouth, never failing to tense all my muscles with that sharp, terrifying noise. After what seemed like an hour of keeping my mouth open, I thought it was finally over. When I came out, however, what awaited me was a 450 euros bill. As soon as I came back home, I started to look for a job as if I have just realized that living a life was so expensive. How could I have been so naïve? I wanted to find a job that entailed at least a bit of writing. Something I could do online but also something that could allow me to go out and meet people. While searching for things on the Internet without much success, an idea came to me: 'I could probably write for an online magazine.' Then I could go interview people or and take pictures and write about it afterwards. So I looked for online magazines and found one that had many articles on art, travel, food, and people. Every article had nice photos and I liked how they were organized. I found out that they were looking for oversea correspondents so I decided to give it a try. All they wanted was an email introducing myself. So that's what I did, trying to be simple but not forgetting to point out the details that might interest them. I don't want to expect too much since the amount of expectation equals the amount of disappointment you feel if you are rejected. For me who has been only rejected ever since moving to a new city, it is hard to pretend it is okay even if they don't answer. I do hope it could work. Wish me luck.

xx

Liz

Coming back from a trip

With all the things that were bothering me, I needed a change of scenery. I wanted to see something different. So I went on a trip to see a friend. I wasn't away for a long time but I think it really helped me. We talked most of the time. From sunrise till sunset. With a glass of beer or wine. I think I needed someone to talk to. Not about everyday things- but about life. I wanted to really get the things in my mind out there in a form of words. I didn't have to snack all the time because I had other things to keep me busy. It was like I found a peace that I had lost. Her apartment was so quiet sometimes I could hear my own breath. It gave me time and space to think. I walked around the city on a rainy day. The pebble stone road led me to small alleys that revealed tiny vintage shops. I just walked along, choosing the direction as I went. Whenever I felt like I was a little lost, I didn't have to look at my phone to know where I was since I had the big Cathedral as my compass. While walking, I thought about the things I had and what I could do to make my life better. I was a bit scared to come back home and go back to the daily routines. I didn't want to leave. 'But then I cannot always run away, can I?' I thought. It was only a little pause. I had a place to go back to. 

I am back home now. I still don't know if things will get better. The difference is that I am willing to give it a try and change it. 

xx

Liz

Lonley

These days, I don't feel like doing anything. I am not interested in anything really. It's as if I've lost all purpose in life. Yes, we've moved to another city because it was completely necessary. I thought I could find things to do here too, that I could meet people and make friends. I didn't think it would be this bad. Everyday is the same, I wake up, have breakfast, brush my teeth and do the dishes. I read a little, watch a movie, work on my script then it's time to eat again. Then again back to whatever I was doing. He comes back home and we dine then play some card games or watch TV series and sleep. The next day is the same. I don't really feel like getting up in the morning - what's the point of being an early bird if there is nothing new or exciting to do? I try to stay in bed more so that I don't have to kill more time later in the day. I don't have any friends here and the only person I talk to the whole day is my boyfriend. I feel like I will forget how to talk one day if I continue like this. I tried to find jobs. I went to turn in my CV at some shop - didn't hear from them. I tried to meet people. I went to some English lunch club here - they even seemed interested in working with me but then I haven't heard from them for 2 weeks now. I was full of hope when we decided to move. I thought, a new city, a new start. But no matter how much aversion I felt to Paris Métro, no matter how rude people were there, I find myself missing Paris. At first I didn't want to admit it, that I missed Paris. But now I don't really have any choices left. I still had some friends in Paris. I could still go see them when I wanted. I still talked to people other than my boyfriend there. But then again, I know the problem is not where I live. The problem is me. I have felt this way before too. I always blamed the place I lived in. It is not easy to change how you are and try to do better. I guess it's easier to say that it's not my fault. I do like writing. I do enjoy it. I think that is the only time in my day that I don't feel the time passing. But I cannot write the whole day. I don't know how other writers do it. I wish I could have a close friend here. Someone I can hang out with and share thoughts with. I feel really lonely. 

xx

Liz

설날

배 터지게 먹었다. 남은 반찬도 싸가지고 왔다. 이런게 친정에간다는 느낌일까? 
벌써 프랑스에서 보내는 4번째 설날이다. 쌀은 떨어졌고 한인 슈퍼는 너무 멀어서 올 설은 그냥 아무 계획없이 지내려고 했는데 이런 왠걸? 파리에서 사는 친한 한국인 오빠가 우릴 초대했다. 이런 서프라이즈가 반갑다. 나는 항상 계획을 짜고 그 계획에 맞추어서 행동하는걸 좋아하는데 가끔은 이런 깜짝 선물이 있어야 더 재미 있는 것 같다. 실컷 얻어 먹고도 눈치없이 반찬통 두개도 받아 가지고 왔다. 그래도 타국에서 느끼는 한국의 맛이 너무 좋다. 그사람에게도 이런 맛을 전해 줄 수가 있어서, 이런 문화를 전해 줄 수 있어서 너무 좋다.
화투를 쳤다. 정말 가족 처럼, 팀을 짜서 맞고 다섯 판. 한국인인 우리가 졌다. 초보자의 운이라고 생각하면서 마음을 달랬다. 아님 프랑스 애들이 화투에 특별히 뛰어나거나. 나중에 이상한 것만 가르쳐 줬다고 한국에 계신 어른들이 뭐라 할 것 같다. 그래도 뭐 그다지 상관은 없다. 


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I checked the weather forecast for this week. Except for Thursday there will be rain everyday. But then again, it's weather forecast- they are wrong most of the time. I should cut them some slack though, knowing that predicting the capricious Picardie weather is not that easy. As soon as I finished typing the last sentence, the gray clouds that were pouring down rain vanished and the blue background filled the sky. Only the surprised rain drops on the window are the reminder of the whimsical clouds. 


xx

Liz

Enfin!

C'est fini. Depuis le début de la semaine, j'ai travaillé sur le cadeau d'anniversaire de mon beau-père. L'idée était de récupérer 60 vidéos de ses amis, famille, collègues et anciens élèves lui souhaitant bon anniversaire pour son 60 ans. Après des soirées d'appels on a pu collecter ces vidéos. Ensuite, c'était à moi de les mettre ensemble, d'ajouter des effets spéciaux et bien sûr de dessiner quelques pages d'animation et d'élaborer le design du CD (image ci-dessus - la photo de la mer récupérée sur Google Image). 

Le CD est parti ce matin. J'espère bien qu'il va aimer.


xx

Liz

차(茶)는 기다림이다.

오늘도 어김없이 오후 네시가 지나면 나는 차를 우린다. 마치 그날 오후의 마지막을 장식 하듯이. 

차는 기다림이다.

물을 받아 끓이면서 기다림,

그 날 선택한 차에 맞는 물의 온도까지의 기다림,

물을 붓고 차가 잘 우려 질 때까지의 기다림,

그리고 차를 잔에 담아 놓고 마시기 좋은 따뜻함이 될 때까지의 기다림.

그래서 내가 차를 좋아하나보다. 나는 시간이을 들여서 무엇을 하는 것을 좋아하게 되었다. 워낙 시간이 많아서 그런 걸 수도... 모든 것을 허둥지둥 무언가에 쫓기는 듯 하다보면 놓치는 것들이 너무나도 많다는 걸 이제야 조금 알 것 같다. 아침잠을 너무 좋아하는 나로선 일찍 수업이 있는 날에는 차를 끓일 시간도 없었던 적이 쉴세 없이 많았다. 하지만 가끔, 결심을 먹고 좀더 멋지게 살아보자는 생각이 든 날에는 아침 일찍일어나 물을 끓이고 차를 우려내 마셨다. 따뜻함이 온 몸에 퍼져나가면서 아직 잠에서 깨지 못한 나의 구석구석을 보듬어 주었다. 그 매력에 빠져 나는 어느 순간부터인가 아침잠을 차에게 양보하게 되었다. 이젠 아침 일찍일어나 수업에 갈 필요가 없어져서 아침에 차 한잔의 여유를 마음껏 즐기게 되어 너무 좋달까? 하지만 이 기분도 익숙해지면 감사히 생각하지 않겠지? 라는 생각에 조금 슬퍼진다. 있을 때 잘하라고. 왜 우리는 항상 무언가 없어지면 그 무언가를 그리워하고, 그의 소중함을 그제서야 깨닫는지...

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I was finally reading a book that I have been putting off for couple of months when I came across this quote. It really spoke to me and I repeated it in my mind several times. There are so many things that we don't know that have influenced, influence and will influence our life. We just go on living without noticing all those trivial moments. If we are lucky enough though, there might come a time when we realize that those moments were what shaped our life; what shaped us. I hope I am lucky enough to realize that one day. 

xx

Liz

Minesweeper

I don't usually play games. When I first start a game, I love it and spend hours on it. But after some time, I wonder, 'what's the point?' Yes, I will get coins or points so that my character will upgrade or I will go on to the next level. But what could those coins or points do in my real life? Does it give me anything real? Then I stop the game and turn off my phone/computer. I stare at the dead black screen and think, 'I just spent 2 hours staring at that screen.' I can't help but feeling I have just wasted 2 hours of my life. I regret thinking that I could have been much more productive.

Nonetheless, there is one game that I have been playing as long as I can remember. Minesweeper. My dad taught me how to play a long time ago and ever since, I've been playing it. Yes, there were times I stopped, maybe because I was too busy with some other addictive games like Candy Crush but I always went back to Minesweeper in the end. Last night, I don't know why, I just wanted to play it. Apparently Windows 10 doesn't have it installed automatically, so I had to download it. The graphics were so much different from what I remembered, but the rule was always the same. You click and numbers appear. Those numbers represent the number of mines around that one square and by deduction or guess you find those hidden mines. It was so fun, I couldn't stop. My boyfriend had to trick me into going somewhere else so that he could turn off the computer.

Later that night, I wondered why the game attracted me so much. I guess it was kind of like life itself. You don't know what you are going to face and you try not to hit the mine. You try to go around and make your way through by considering all the steps, based on probability sometimes. But in the end, there is always this one part where it is fifty fifty chance. You just have to believe in your luck. Sometimes you hit the mine when you are not careful but sometimes it's just the chance. I don't know anything else that can describe life more easily than this simple Microsoft game (for now at least. Since I am still young and there are so many things that I don't know yet). The only difference, I guess is that, you can play the same game over and over again to get it right in the end. That, however, applied to the real life, wouldn't be fun at all. 

So my point here is, Minesweeper ROCKS!

xx

Liz

I am back. Perhaps.

After spending around five hours reading the previous entries of my old blogs, here I am, adding another one to my favorite blog. So much has happened during the past two years, I honestly don't know where to begin. I guess I should talk about what I am doing now. I am writing. A big change, yes. But the strangest thing is that according to what I have written all these years, writing actually seemed to be what I wanted to do all along. So I guess my life turned out to be quite like I dreamed. Writing is something new though. It has only been around four months since I started writing so I don't really have much to show. I am currently working on a short movie script as well as some short stories. Hope they work out as I wish to.

Another change is that we don't live in Paris anymore. We moved so that we could be closer to my boyfriend's work. It is a much smaller city than Paris, but it has its perks: everything is very close since we live in the city center and I don't have to face the gloomy faces of Parisians in stinky métro anymore whenever I want to go somewhere. But it gets quite boring. I wish I could make some good friends and I am working on it. We will see.

I hope I can stick to posting on this blog. I struggled to remember my ID, not even my password, my ID, for God's sake. Two years is a long time I guess - besides I think I am getting old; I forget things constantly. 

꿈을 꾸었다. 꿈 속에서 나는 교도소 같은 곳에 갇혀 있었고, 너무나도 간절히 밖으로 나가고 싶어 했다. 내 방안에는 갓난아이가 있었고 곧 그 아이는 차가운 시체가 되었다. 아무 느낌도 들지 않았다. 그저 밖으로 나가고 싶었다. 문에는 창살이 달린 작은 유리창문이 있었고 나는 맨손으로 그 창문을 계속 쳤다. 나가고 싶었다. 살고 싶었다. 그 때 나는 그 작은 유리창문을 통해 어떤 여자를 보았다. 빨간 단발 머리의 여자. 뒷 모습 밖에 보이지 않았지만 그녀가 나에게 정말 중요한 사람이라는 걸 느낄 수 있었다. 그녀와 이야기를 해야 했다. 그러기 위해선 밖으로 나가야 했다. 하지만 문은 열리지 않았고 나는 잠에서 깨었다. 어쩌면 그녀는 내 미래의 자신이 었을지도 모른다는 생각이 들었다. 그 미래의 자신에게 닿으려고 안간힘을 쓰는 나의 현재 모습을 본 걸 수도 있다는 생각이 들었다. 나의 현실은 그렇게 힘들지 않은데, 왜 그런 꿈을 꾸었을까? 

Je bois du thé. C'est une nouvelle habitude. Tous les après-midi à vers 16H je fais bouillr l'eau et prépare mon thé. Quand mon thé est fini, mon amour rentre. 

La photo est prise chez nous. C'est notre troisième maison.

Bienvenu et à bientôt, peut-être. 

xx

Liz