One more badge to go… what comes out from your mouth is what your heart full of. When you always speak bad about something and someone, your heart is full of evil. When goodness and holiness comes out from your mouth, your heart is full of treasures. We can see what they are by listening to how they speak about others. Are people around you speaking nice to you but condemning someone else? We can easily fall into evil but good. Since, we always have to make a decision, who we want to be with, we must to be wise.

When you are doing something good for others, do not brag but do it quietly while nobody sees. As human beings it is sometimes difficult because we sometimes or maybe most of the time do things to receive a good return. When I was on the way to Japan, a middle-aged man who was helping carry elder man’s suit case was talking in a patronizing voice, “Don’t bother, I can carry your suit case even though I have many things to carry myself!” The elder man looked feeling guilty. What counts is how you pursue your goodwill.

What a nice sunny day! Leaving my house with excitement to go to new destinations. A long drive seemed very short with joyful conversation. It really does not matter where we are going. We just enjoy spending time together. We got lost several times but laughed away and kept going. We got tired in the middle of country road so pulled the car over and took a nap. It was not scary as long as we were together. It was getting dark so we hurried to a pension. I thank her again in my heart today for sharing her life.

Getting up early and walked in the mountain together. We were not sure where we were going but just kept going along the country road. It was around 6 am. The air was clear and a little chilly. Birds are singing happily, cows are mooing far away, and they responded us when we screamed “hello.” We looked at each other and laughed. Again we screamed “HELLO~~~!!” cows responded “MOO~~~”. Just that, but it made us full of happiness. Small things can make you happy as long as you are ready to open your heart and accept it with pure heart.

“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but pay no attention to the log in your own eye? How can you tell your brother ‘please let me take that speck out of your eye,’yet cannot even see the log in your own eye?” We often point out others’ wrong doing, but do not realize we are doing the similar things. Examine and know thoroughly what you are and why you do things, and then your eyes will open up to see the world and people better. Then you will be capable to help someone.

A Big strong typhoon is coming to Japan… and I am supposed to go back to Korea by boat tomorrow morning… I never expected this to happen but Beetle Boat (Japan-Korea) phoned me and told me they are going to cancel a sailing for tomorrow and the next day… I am going to miss classes for 2 days… When I look back my history, I often have some troubles before and during a trip, get a high fever, sore throat, sudden schedule change, a flight could not depart, and so on… I wonder what is going to happen next…

TV news are talking all day about how strong and big the typhoon is. Many people are concerned with getting damaged especially farmers, elder people and who lives close to the river. I can hear the wind blowing stronger every hour. They sometimes pass without any severe damages but most of the time they destroy houses, cars, nature and people. One time, my friend lost her sailing boat and found it under the ocean. Just like that. In one day, she lost everything, what was in the boat, considerable time and money spent on it and freedom. Always be prepared…

Typhoon has left our area early in the morning and gone to northern part of Japan. What I can see now is a little bit of sunlight between dark clouds and remaining wind is blowing trees and windows. I always liked being in the eye of the storm. It is the calmest time, the strong wind suddenly stops and no movement. Nobody is outside, streets are empty and birds are hiding in the tree. Just silence. To me it is very mysterious and makes me feel human beings are helpless in front of uncontrollable nature.　We are JUST human beings.

Eyes are the mirror of our heart. They reflect what is in your heart and mind. When your heart is clear and warm, there is a light in your eyes. They do not only shine up everything you see but also give warmth to people who look at your eyes. When your mind is troubled or unhappy, your eyes will be dull and you cannot really see the world clearly which makes you see only negative and dark side of life. Looking at babies’ eyes brings us compensation because they are pure and have no evil thoughts. How about yours?

It was a long tiring journey getting back to Korea. The time in Japan has passed so fast but fulfilled me. Before I left my house I left a letter to a person who is very important to me. I rarely leave a letter for someone but during this stay in Japan I really wanted to tell her how much she means to me and that I am going to miss her. I could never say in person the same things I said in the letter. I almost forgot how nice to write a letter and tell my real feelings.

“You can give the poor even your life. But if you didn’t do it with a smile, you give nothing.” This is one of my favorite Mather Teresa’s words from one of my books. One time, I and my husband were helping one homeless man who was always alone and looked so cold during winter time. We brought him some food and drink, and gave him a big thick down coat which my husband was using. I believe we continued to help him about 2 or 3 months until we had to leave the city. .....To be contined,

It was very easy giving him some food and clothing to keep him warm. But as I help him, I wanted to communicate with him so he won’t be so lonely. Unfortunately, whole this period I was helping him, I could only hear about 10 words from him which did not respond correctly to what I was saying. It really didn’t matter to me he could understand me or respond me. But one time when I said to him “You must be cold… would you like some hot soup or noodles?” I did not expect his answer but,....

he answered me with a very soft voice I could hardly hear “noodles would be…” ,but I could catch what he meant. Without knowing, I became so happy and when I noticed I was running to convenience store close by and got him some warm noodles. Mother Teresa also said in the book. “We must thank the poor and the disabled people…” because we will gain happiness from them when we help them. We think we are helping them but really they are helping our hearts and minds. So we should thank them what they are and they are there.

Almost every morning I see cleaning people cleaning our university because I arrive quite early. I always say good morning to them and some of them looked surprised me saying hello to them. They always work hard and keeping place beautiful but not so many students care for saying hello when they go pass them… It is very sad… Students never forget to say hello to their professors and seniors. It is just a little and easy things for us to do but I think, for them it would be a great happiness when they know they are not neglected.

Unknown phone number… in my call history... I got this number yesterday but since I did not know who I did not bother calling he/her back. And today I got a call from the same number… So I answered and it way my mother from SKYPE. It was nice to talk to a Native Japanese speaker with my home accent. I think language has strong power to make people feel certain way. Japanese- Relaxed and warm. French-elegance. Vietnamese, Indonesian-busy and cute, etc. It is interesting but the language surround me will affect my emotion without noticing it.

Non-credit courses… I wish they do not teach during the exam time. First of all, I do not understand why we take those courses. If we study something they should give us at least one credit. End of the last semester, school told us they are going to credit these courses… But what happened to that?! We still take non-credit courses. I wish school keeps their promises when they said they will do something. And I hope they will listen to student’s voices to improve the university’s environment and systems, and be more flexible for changing.

It is often said "life ends and the new life begins…" Life starts and ends with God’s will. I got a great news that my brother’s wife gave a birth to a girl!! Last time when I was in Japan her stomach was big and they were getting ready for that. It amazes me that my brother became a father. The new life from God brought him great happiness and responsibility… When I called him for congratulating, he sounded so happy and he said she is so cute. I hope their life will be long and happy forever.

“Make time to think; it is the source of power. Make time to pray; it is the greatest power in the world. Make time to laugh; it is the music of soul. Make time to play; it is the secret for endless youth. Make time to Love and be loved; it is the privilege God gave us. Make time to give; a day is too short to be selfish… Make time to charity; it is the key to go the heaven.” Therse were from the book I read and actually written on the wall of one orphans’ home in Calcutta.

I cannot believe it has already passed almost half of the semester. Compare to the first semester it went so fast. We are going to have midterm soon and I am having trouble with solving problems in Microeconomics… It is interesting to learn but it is not easy to learn. I always liked math and happy to solve problems. I could spend all day doing this but I have test in a few days... But I wish professor gave us the answer key for problems we had to deal with so I would know whether I did right or not.

Women smoking in Korea will receive terrible look from older men in Korea. When I was waiting for a bus today, I saw two female students smoking at a bus stop. A bus came… and did not leave even though passengers got on and off. The door was kept open and stayed there about a minute. I realized a bus driver was staring at two students who were smoking. After students noticed him but showed no emotion, the bus started. After the bus lest, students blew their smoke toward the bus... Unfortunately, Korea is strict and strong men dominate society...

Add to yesterday. I do hate people smoking around me. But the look the bus driver gave to those two students was totally inappropriate. He was upset not because he hates smoke nor concerning about their health. He does not have any right to control over how they act… But some older Korean people think they have the right to intervene in someone’s business and pursue their opinion. The behavior that people think they have power over someone because they are older and higher status will makes me irritate and angry. People like that usually gain respect with force.

A little tiny insect maybe about 2mm and looked like tiny beetle came to my desk and was walking around on my homework paper. When I touched it to remove from my paper, it stopped moving and pretended as it was dead. I left it upside-down on my desk and observed for a whole. 10 minutes later, it was still not moving... A little tiny insect like this is trying its best to protect its life and showed me great perseverance in trying to get away from danger. So I left it outside. How many people live like him??

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” (Mother Teresa) There was a boy who saved sugar in a small jar for several days or weeks instead of him eating them and brought it to Mother Teresa for people who are in dying homes. The jar boy brought was so small to serve everyone there. But “Does it matter?” An old woman was sitting alone on the street. Everyone walked by as she does not exist. Saying “Hello” would be a drop…

The color of leaves is changing and the scenery on campus is getting more and more beautiful every day these days. Yellow, Red and light brown. And I am remembering and thinking Kyoto must be so beautiful now. In Japan many people pay a lot of money to see “kouyou” (changing color) in Kyoto. One time when I was there, I went on Japanese style rafting. It was fascinating. A silence away from the crowd, sound of water, watching leaves fall, and a little bit cold air on my cheek. And I felt winter is coming soon. I miss it!

I am interviewing(surveying) custodian on our campus for my research paper. My Korean is not enough to communicate so I wrote question on the board and showed it and asked them. It was interesting experience. Some of them looked so surprised that students like me went up to them and spoke so a few of them refused to answer the survey. Just by surveying them made me realize how they are treated or how they think about themselves while they are working on campus. It was not present feeling. I leant and discovered many things from just doing interview.

How long should I endure a trouble which is not going to be over unless I run away from it? How long should I stay where it is comfortable and safe but not making me learn new things and stay the same as I was yesterday? We all have to make a decision in our lives and sometimes it takes a month or more or make no choice and stay where you are… Any choices we make are not wrong as long as we are satisfied. But for me it is tough to decide when I should act on it.

I am getting tired of people telling me one thing and doing the other thing. When I mentioned about their contradiction, they do not admit they have done something wrong… If the person is older or higher possession, they get really upset when I correct them or mention some of their contradiction especially here in Korea and also in Japan. I can not just let it go when I see something wrong, so I always get into unpleasant situation with those people. It is very uncomfortable for me that people judge others by their age not because of their ability.

Finally my midterm is finished. However there are tons of things what I have to do are waiting on my desk… Thinking about them and looking at them, sometimes I wonder, how variable these are for my future… am I wasting my time…? I love studying. it makes me think and discover new things. But Am I studying to satisfy myself? Am I forgetting something important rather than studying? What is important for my fuure? Is it a good job, security, big money? Or taking care of people who I love and making them happy as much as i could?

A small bamboo plant in front of my desk. About a year ago when I found it it was covered with fungus and nearly dying. I washed it and ripped the dead leaves and kept watering it every so often. It was about 4 inches with no leaves at first but now it is about 6 inches with several greenish leaves. Onetime, I heard that the plant wither because it absorb all the stress and bad thoughts from people who take care of it. It is dying instead of us. I am glad I could repay it another new life.

“A closed mind is like jumping off a cliff with a nonfunctional parachute.” When you open your mind like a parachute coming down the cliff, you can see the unseen world and fly where you would like to go. We never know what we can do as long as our mind is closed and cannot see the world clear. Stereotype, customs and rules, a society and a culture around us often limit our mind and action to maximize. You can choose to have a closed mind or an open mind. You are the only one who can open YOUR mind.