Here I just want to share an experience I had for a few weeks.

It all started with college applications in early December. I was on a role applying to colleges; filling out forms and writing essays. And one night I was so into completing applications that I ended up staying up the whole night. The next day (in the morning), I went to bed and woke up at night. This is how my “night shift” experience began.

Sleep during when the sun was up and working at night was useful in many ways. I could concentrate more on my work because it was quiet when the rest were asleep. However, as was in the end of completing my applications my night life began a waste of time. Here is how my typical “day” would look like:

  

6 pm: wake up

  

-12 pm: hang out with friends (alcohol became my orange juice and greasy food became my bread.)

  

- 6 am: computer (watching movies; checking e-mail; chatting; playing Starcraft.)

  

- 7 am: lunch/dinner (ramen noddles and a can of tuna for most of the time.)

  

8 pm -: sleep

  

Initially, I was proud of myself for living a different life to others. I also thought that the many hours of sleep I gained would help myself gain a healthier body and mind. I was absolutely wrong. My night life had brought problems to my physical and mental conditions. The following are the symptoms of night life:

1. Increase of dark circles

2. Lack of elasticity in skin (I personally think the first two are due to the lack of sunlight)

3. Increase of body fat (I personally thought it was hard to work out in the dark)

4. Difficulty in usage of language (because the only practice of communication I had for twenty-four hours was the only when I was with my friends; even then I did not say much)

5. Lack of motivation (watching movies and playing a computer games became an addiction; and prefered games and movies to productive activities.)

  

Now, I am back into the normal life. It was definitely a new and quiet experience; staying up when everyone else is asleep. Although I did enjoy watching movies, and playing games without my parent’s restriction, the outcome was not so brilliant. I would recommend anyone to have this experience, especially when a person needs quiet time for work or whoever wants something different. However, I would like to warn that this experience has many defects, and most importantly, it is difficult to get back into the regular cylce. Hope you have fun trying this.

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I know this is a little bit late, but I wanted to share my thoughts about Christmas in Korea and America.

December 25th is a holiday for many nations around the world. Although the initial purpose was to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ from the Bible, today people who are not Christians celebrate this holiday. We consider it a day that should be spent with our loved ones, calling the day X-mas.

However, regardless of the religion or the concept of “spending the day with the ones we love,” people in different cultures seem to think of Christmas differently.
Koreans seem to put their focus on spending their time with the opposite sex on the holiday. Statistics have shown that men and women becoming couples are highest around (especially prior to the) 25th of December. For the ones who are not couples (like me) we “prepare” for the day of couples. We look for a place to stay where couples cannot be seen; places like pc bangs, a friends home, or our own houses. We try to spend a busy day so that we feel Christmas passed by without notice; possible options are renting movies, attending parties, or watching the annual Home Alone series. Otherwise, we feel lonely and jealous looking at the cuddling couples in the street.
Last year, I was an exchange student in Wisconsin and I was quite surprised to find out how people in Wisconsin spend Christmas differently. In Wisconsin, the idea of spending the day with the ones we love seem to be focused on families. The family time starts before Christmas looking for the prefect Christmas tree, buying secret presents for each other, and decorating the house with lights and ornaments. On Christmas morning, we woke up six in the morning to open presents and in the afternoon, went to visit their grandmother where their relatives gathered. I could never forget the scent of Christmas cookies their grandmother made.
Despite the same day, Koreans seemed to consider Christmas a day NOT to spend as a single, and on the other hand, people of Wisconsin think Christmas as a day to spend the day with their family and relatives. As for me, I would rather be in Wisconsin right now.

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There are some cool things that come out of Korea. I really enjoy when there is fusion and balance in the arts; old and new. It was used for an advertisement for “e-pyunhansehsang” (e-편한세상)- I think it is an apartment initiative or something, I’m not quite sure.

A little details about what’s in this video:

• Pachelbel’s Canon
• Classical Korean Instrument: the Gayageum (가야금) by Sook Myung Women’s University
• DJ Lee, Chang Ui (이창의)
• B Boy Dancing- Last for One
• Beat Box by On Joon (온준)

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