I got some old magazines from the library.

I got some old magazines from the library.

There may be differences depending on the library, but local public libraries do not keep newspapers and magazines for long. The library I go to keeps magazines for two years and no longer. So, at certain times, they give out magazines from two years ago to library users. They limit each person to five, so that they can distribute them evenly to many users. 

This year, they are also giving out magazines from 2023. They put various magazines on a shelf and let people who want to take them. I brought three this time. These are magazines from fields I don't usually read. It's good to be exposed to various fields, there's nothing like magazines. There are countless types of magazines, and I don't have time to read them. I'm taking this opportunity to broaden my interests. 

2025.4.2.

various magazines on a shelf

Old things have emotions. Old things on the walls of Hanok

Old things have emotions. Old things on the walls of Hanok

I was walking around Gongju Hanok Village. Old items were lined up on the walls of buildings. This would be a sight that would catch the eye of people who used to live in the countryside. Houses without separate storages would place and hang items on the walls like this. Now, you can only see these items at museums or living history exhibition halls. 

Old items that are not used are static. They stay still because they capture emotions. My eyes and heart linger on the old appearance, the way I used to live. In the midst of busy, fast-moving times, it would be nice to sometimes linger on old memories. 

2025.3.31.

Old things on the walls of Hanok

This spring, forest fires occur again. Safety information text.

This spring, forest fires occur again. Safety information text.

Everything is fine with the warmer-than-usual spring weather. But there is some unwelcome news. A safety text message. 

A forest fire disaster national crisis alert is at serious level. 

Forest fires are raging on a large scale all over the country. There have been casualties and damage to residents. According to the news, there have been more than 30 forest fires in Chungcheong, Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk, Gangwon, and Gyeonggi. 

Highways near forest fires are completely closed. 

Roads are being closed. How much forest will they burn? 

Wildfire Disaster Alert Text. March 22, 2025

Is spring the season for forest fires? 

Be careful, be careful. I hope there is no more damage. 

And I hope the forest fires are put out quickly. 

However, it seems like the forest fires are just beginning. Soon, we will continue to receive safety text messages about fine dust, yellow dust, and pollen. 

2025.03.23. 

Do you like a big house? or a small house? After Corona, everything has come into the house.

Do you like a big house? or a small house? After Corona, everything has come into the house.

After Corona, big house or small house. 

Everything has come inside the house. 

The COVID-19 situation has changed the way I think about the size of the house. The choice of a big house or a small house is a matter of taste, but when Corona was in full swing, I thought it would be better to have a big house.   

Small house advocates preach the usefulness of small houses for various reasons. They say that, to put it in extreme terms, you can only sleep at home and do everything else outside. Eating out, drinking tea outside, working out at the gym, if you do this, you really only need to sleep in a small house.  

Before COVID-19, small houses were popular. First of all, the increase in single-person households was the biggest factor. People living alone do not need a big house. Minimalism also played a part. People live simply by reducing their belongings, and if they live alone, they do not necessarily need a big house. In addition, as house prices rose, people began to prefer relatively small houses. However, a variable has appeared. 

After COVID-19, society has become non-face-to-face, and all aspects of society are changing. People are more likely to order delivery services than large marts, watch movies at home, exercise at home, and travel at home. As a result, people are naturally drawn to big houses. If you put exercise equipment in a big house and bring things you do outside into the house, it is inevitable that this will happen.  

If you have a lifestyle where you solve a lot of things outside, a small house is fine. However, if non-face-to-face contact is inevitably strengthened and telecommuting becomes more popular, a large house seems more useful than a small house. 

Now that the peak of Corona has passed and things are returning to the previous situation, I am again contemplating whether to have a large house or a small house. A small house is better for my circumstances.  

 

Praise of small houses 

1. Economical.   

Small houses have lower total costs, including construction costs, maintenance costs, and the cost of purchasing appliances and furniture. 

2. Eco-friendly.   

Small houses consume fewer resources. The smaller the size of the house, the less energy is consumed. Small appliances can be used, and recyclable building materials can be used. 

3. Easy to maintain.   

Small houses are easy to maintain. Cleaning, organizing, and maintenance are all done in a small space, so less time and effort is required. 

4. Lifestyle.   

Small houses are suitable for people who pursue a simple life. When the space is small, unnecessary items and distracting habits can be discarded, allowing a simple and clean life. Life is creative, such as coming up with ideas for using small houses effectively. 

5. High mobility.   

Small houses are highly mobile. You can easily move to wherever you want to live. You can freely move your residence, including living there for a month.

 

 

Small house / Tomoya Takamura 

Personal reasons why I appreciate public libraries

Personal reasons why I appreciate public libraries

There is a public library near my house. It is a 10-minute walk. I used to live in the library. I would go there in the morning to read books, eat lunch, and leave work in the evening. Let me tell you a few very realistic and personal stories, rather than general comments about the utility of public libraries. 

1. In the summer, it is a place with good air conditioning.  

In the summer when heat wave warnings continue like these, there is no better place to escape the heat than a library. The air conditioning is good, so you only have to be careful of the heat when you come and go. Many residents visit on weekends to escape the heat. 

2. In the winter, it is a place with good heating. 

Just like in the summer, the heating is good in the winter, so it is good to read books and rest in the library. For a person living alone, the library is a good place to spend time in both summer and winter. 

3. I walk while I go to the library. 

It is only a 10-minute walk, but the walk to and from the library and walking around the library are the minimum amount of exercise for the day. If I just stay at home, I am very inactive. If I live like this for a long time, I will get sick and become mentally weak. I solve walking and walking for 30 minutes to 1 hour a day on my way to the library. 

4. The coffee vending machine in the library is like a cafe. 

I drink a cup of coffee a day from the vending machine at the library. It is cheap and convenient. I take a break from reading a book and get a cup of coffee from the vending machine. While drinking, I walk slowly inside the building. Since there is coffee, it is a cafe, since there are books, it is a library, and since I walk, it is a walk. 

5. Apply for a book of your choice. 

And this is exactly what I wanted to talk about today. The library has many books, but you can apply for a book you want to read. The library purchases a certain number of books a year, but the book I want to read is not always included. You can apply for 3 books a year per person. 

I applied for a purchase from the library two weeks ago, and the book arrived, and I received a notification text. I went to the library in the evening to get the book. I would not have this luxury if I were not at a public library.  I was able to spend the hot summer coolly thanks to the library. Fall will be short, and winter will come soon. Library life continues even in winter. Thank you, library. 

library-book-1

library-book-2

Three strawberries grew on the strawberry seedlings.

Three strawberries grew on the strawberry seedlings.

If I had a yard, one of the crops I wanted to plant was 'strawberries'. I remember growing a few seedlings in the garden when I was young, and I have a deep memory of that. First of all, strawberries grow well and I can eat the fruit, so it's like killing two birds with one stone. 

Every spring, I look around the market for strawberry seedlings. I thought about buying seeds and planting them, but that didn't work out either. I always felt regretful because I didn't have a garden and it wasn't suitable to grow them on the veranda.  

Then this time, I bought a strawberry seedling. Not two or three, just one. I planted it in a large pot and it produced several strawberries. I think one of them will be ready to eat soon. 

I don't know how many strawberries will come from one plant. This year's strawberries will be solved with this one seedling.

strawberry-veranda 01

strawberry-veranda 02

First Strawberry Harvest

About ten days ago, I bought strawberry seedlings and strawberries started to form, and one of them turned red and ripe. I thought about when I would eat them for a few days, and today, after lunch, I cut them up and ate them. It was my first strawberry harvest. I was so moved by the strawberries in front of me that I admired them for a while. One strawberry for lunch. What a rich life. 

Why is the first strawberry important? 

The first strawberry naturally calls for the second strawberry.  

strawberry-veranda 03

Today, I also bought some fertilizer for pots. Of the three strawberries, I ate one and there are two left, and one is ripening red.  

A person selling strawberries at the market said : 

If you plant them and water them, they will grow well~~Oh. 

I believe that~~Oh.

Video : 

Growing strawberries on the veranda, and simple harvesting 

Sudden Power Outage, Candlelight, and a Special Evening

Sudden Power Outage, Candlelight, and a Special Evening 

After work, I got home and was preparing dinner. I took out some food from the refrigerator and was just about to start, when the power went out. It was dark inside, and I was in a difficult situation. When I went outside, the power went out only on the line where I was, not the entire apartment. 

When I renewed my monthly magazine subscription last month, the publisher sent me a candle as a gift. I lit it and waited for the electricity to come back on. Unlike usual, there was only silence. I was wondering if I should stay like this until tomorrow morning, and if the boiler wouldn’t work, when the electricity came back on. Light. It was only for an hour, but the night without electricity was special. Silence. Silence. Silence. 

They say people used to live well without electricity. That must not have been living well. They lived without knowing that the inconveniences were inconvenient. Gas, the phone, the things we use conveniently now were things that didn’t exist in the past. When I think about the times when we lived without them, the world is really convenient now. 

- 2020. 12. 3.