Passenger Talesstories about my experiences as a traveler and passenger

When you read the newspapers, watch TV or browse through the Internet, you cannot help but be bombarded by talks about the economic crisis that is affecting the United States and boomeranging to the rest of the world. A lot of big companies like Intel and IBM have cut down jobs or closed down offices in the different parts of the world. Some other big companies are also planning to cut down on jobs, like sales jobs, software and design jobs on the coming days, even Starbucks is cutting down on jobs. It is during this time that I appreciate the fact that I have job security because I work for the government and have a permanent plantilla. During these uncertain times, it is very comforting to know that you still have work to go to when you wake up in the morning and that you are still receiving your pay regularly. I just hope that this economic crisis will pass by very quickly.

Unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical exercise are the main reasons why a lot of people are overweight. The market of people wanting to lose weight with minimum effort was quickly exploited by weight loss pill manufacturers . There are hundreds of different brands in the market now with new ones coming in at a fast rate also. Just by searching the web, you can see a lot of different brands and websites listing and ranking these brands. However, nothing still beats healthy diet and proper exercise to lose weight and become a healthier person.

There are so many terms now for pills, teas, juices and other types of supplements that help people lose weight. If you search the internet you can use key words such as diet pills, or slimming teas or herbs, or fat burners, among others. I am sure that if you use any of these key words, you will be inundated with massive amount information and a variety of products. Some sites advocate products like green tea fat burner, while others advocate synthetic diet pills. In order to filter this information into something manageable, look for websites that make review these products. They usually have a list of the top 20 products they have reviewed. At least, if you are interested in buying such products, you will have a manageable amount of choice.

Today, technology is really driving our lives and our tastes. It is no longer enough to have colored television with remote control; it has to be LCD HDTV. Cassette radios are seldom used, if ever only in classrooms. Whenever you go to an appliance store, you are inundated with various appliances and each appliance has several selections of brands and each brand has several choices of just one product. Even though you already have an idea of what you want you will still get confused and end up buying something else entirely once you are get to the store. So before you go shopping, you should already psych yourself to buy just what you have decided you want and within the limit of your price range. Unless you do this, you will end up buying something you don’t really need and making monthly payments for a year on your credit card.

If you are shopping for diet pills, there are a lot of web sites that you can check out. These web sites make their reviews and list their top picks base on the following: a) weight loss power, b) speed of results, c) appetite suppression, d) user reviews, e) safety, and e) long term results. Based on their recommendations, you can pick the one that will suit you. Usually diet pills like Leptorexin guarantee fat loss in a matter of days. Diet supplements usually have the same basic ingredients and may vary on their prices. It’s better to do research on a particular brand before deciding so that you’ll be more sure of what you’re getting.

Exercising nowadays has become very sophisticated and technology oriented. Just looking at the different gym equipment like ellipticals, exercise bikes, and treadmills makes you realize that technology has invaded every aspect of our lives. It makes it somewhat intimidating for beginners to go to a gym because of all the equipment that one doesn’t know how to operate. But I guess when one gets the hang of it; it will be just like an automatic reflex. You’ll just concentrate on perspiring while the machines do the rest.

Ito ay mga libro na natagpuan ko sa simbahan kanina. Nakasulat sya sa wikang Koreano kaya di ko alam kung anong klaseng librong pansimbahan sya.

(These books are found in the Church where we attended mass earlier. The writings were in Korean that’s why I don’t know what kind of books these are.)

At eto naman isang bahagi ng mga bintana na stained glass.

(And this is one of the stained glass windows.)

Earlier we went to New Core department store near Madu station. It was like a one hour train ride from Hoegi (we changed lines at Jongna 3 (sam)-ga). I didn’t think it was going to be that far. I’m still thinking in Manila terms where every rail train just takes about 30 minutes from end to end. On the way to Madu there was a portion where we passed by a lot with steel buildings. They looked like abandoned greenhouses. Seeing the passing scenery made me think that we were leaving Seoul behind. However, when we got off at Madu, it felt like the bustling, familiar Seoul that we’re just getting acquainted with. Seoul really has a lot of facets that we should explore. I just hope that during my almost one year stay here, I will get to explore as many as I can.

We’ve started classes last week. We’re just started our second week but it feels like we’ve been studying forever. Evie, who already finished her course work, told us that it’s much worse during the regular semesters. She said she really lost weight while studying. She just gained it back after she finished her coursework. I’m looking forward to losing weight. At least I won’t be tempted to take diet pills in desperation just to shed those unwanted pounds.

My friend Sol bought dried plums during one of our grocery shopping expeditions here in Seoul. Her roommate Evie asked to try it. Evie’s feedback was that dried plums tasted better than the fresh ones. I’ve only read and heard about plums but I haven’t tried it so I asked Sol for a piece. I thought it tasted like prunes. Searching through the internet, I discovered that dried plums are really prunes. That’s why I didn’t particularly like its taste, same fruit with a different name. It’s a different story about plum blossoms. Plum trees I would definitely want to see. Looking at the pictures of plum blossoms makes me wish that they have plum trees here in Korea and that I’d get to see them in one of our class field trips. I’m very fond of flowering trees.