My Cravings

Some people ask me: "What will you do when you go home?"

Let's see...

Look at that melted cheese... It's an In-N-Out burger. If you are ever in L.A. or Las Vegas, ask for a "Double-Double with everything." It'll be the best $2.50 you ever spent. You can find a location here.

Need some fries with that?

Chili-Cheese Fries from The Hat.

Okay. That was breakfast. For lunch, I love eating Cantonese style Dim-Sum. There's a great restaurant near my parent's house. There are five dishes I really like. Beef rolls are one of them.
How do we get there?

I'm driving. My car is a Mazda Miata convertible and I miss driving.



















I'll also shop at my favorite department store:


Usually, when I get home I have jet lag. So, I wake up pretty early. For the first few days, I'll watch the sunrise.

When I'm home, everyone else is working. So, I'll make dinner a few times in my mom's kitchen.












Here are a few dishes I've made for dinner. :)

Viewer Mail

Here are a few e-mails I've received recently:

I am taking an ESL course here (in Canada) at a private school.

the funny thing is, there are lots of Koreans in my school.

in my class, for instance, there are 5 more Koreans!!!!

they always talk to each other in Korean when the teachers are not with them.

also, they don't show up when the presentation days come.

isn't it ridiculous? why are they here?

Studying English abroad is not a magic pill. In my opinion, if you can't learn the language in your home country, going abroad will not help. Most students that do well abroad are diligent students at home. The problem is not your geographical location, it depends on the individual. Honestly, some of my best students have never been abroad and some of the worst have studied abroad.

I feel English is harder and harder because I know the meaning of a word I use but I don't know the connotation of it so I worry that I may have made a mistake or upset someone when saying something. Learning English is not only about the language but also about the culture. I think.

Right. If you really want to jump start your language acquisition, then learn some culture as well. How can you learn any language quickly if you dislike and do not want to learn about the culture?

Thank you very much for your passionate and kind teaching and what you have done for me...

Sometimes I receive "thank you" e-mails. It's nice. However, the best way to thank me is by improving and learning. =)

Hello Andy,

Today I was selected as an Interpol officer by the Korean National Police Agency. Thank you very much for you remarks and kind advice. It was really helpful for me.

No need for thanks. =) This particular student did extra practice and studying outside of class. One of his hobbies is reading English versions of Time and Newsweek magazine.

The Frugal Frequent Flyer

I love to accumulate frequent flyer miles. My main program is Asiana Club, a member of Star Alliance. Here's how I maximize my miles:

1. Fly any Star Alliance carrier. (In December, Shanghai Airlines and Air China will also join the alliance.)

2. Credit Cards. For Koreans, the best card is the Citibank Asiana card and the LG card. 1,500 won = 2 miles. (I'm jealous because I only earn 1 mile per 1,000 won from my Samsung card.)

3. LG Telecom. You can earn frequent flyer miles if your cell phone bill is around 35,000 won per month. Call LG Telecom and give them your Asiana frequent flyer number.

4. Duty-Free Shop of the Korean Tourism Organization. Do you ever buy anything from the duty-free shop in Incheon? There are a lot of duty free shops there, but I only buy things at the KTO shop. 1 mile for every $2 (U.S. dollars in purchases)

5. Exchanging money. Kookmin, SC First Bank, and Shinhan offer 1 mile for every $5 in currency exchange.

6. Hotels. Here is a list of worldwide hotels that will give between 100-500 miles for each night's stay. Best Western, Hilton, Starwood, Carlson, Hyatt, Intercontinental, Kempinski, Langham, Marriot, Okura, Raffles, Regal, Swissotel, and Worldwide. For hotels/resorts in Korea that earn 250-500 miles per night: Lotte Hotel, Mayfiled Hotel, Shilla Hotel, Seas Hotel, Paradise Hotel, Kumho Resort, Hyundai Hotel, Poonglim Resort, and Andy's 여관.

7. Breathing. (Some day I hope I can earn miles by just breathing.)

Definitely Indefinite and Definite Demystified

Most ESL students have a tough time with a, an, and the. I realize it can be a headache. Your language may have no articles, but now you have to learn 3.


I had a tough time with el, la, los, las, un, una, unos, and unas. Yes. Spanish has 4 definite articles and 4 indefinite articles for a total of 8! I went from 3 articles (in English) to 8 (in Spanish).

How did I learn these articles? I memorized the correct article and the word at the same time. This is a common method for learning foreign languages such as: Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, etc.

For example, instead of just learning the word apple, I learned an apple. When you think of English words, do you think of the indefinite article together with the word? Think of the words you already know. Which article accompanies the word? (a or an?) Next time you are learning vocabulary, try memorizing the article at the same time. Hopefully, this will decrease the frequency of your headaches.

3 Restaurants in Shanghai

Plaza 66 Nanjin Xi Lu (next to the Ritz Carlton Hotel)
Puxi Shanghai

On the top floor of this luxurious shopping mall, you can find Zen Dim Sum restaurant. My favorite things to order: Fried Turnip Cake, Chicken feet, Egg tarts, Porridge, Shrimp Rolls, Beef Rolls... Actually, almost everything on the menu is delectable. Also, order a pot of Chrysanthemum Tea. (My personal favorite.) If you dine between 2PM-4PM, there is a 20% discount.

Cost: $15 (for two)

Hong Zi Ji (Red Chicken or Rooster)

This restaurant is so famous that every taxi driver knows where it is. However, there are a few locations in Shanghai. So, check the yellow pages for the nearest one. It's the largest restaurant I've ever seen. Inside, it's like two football fields. There is no menu, all of the food is on display. Order some live shrimp, live clams, and some of their famous chicken.

Cost: $60 (for four)

Quanjude Beijing Duck

If you go to China, you must eat Beijing Duck. It's absolutely delicious. This restaurant has been serving up duck since 1864. Unfortunately, they haven't learned how to make any other good dishes since that time. So, just order the duck, everything else is disappointing. There are 2 (or 3) locations in Shanghai.

Cost: $17 (for one whole duck w/ sides)

Quanjude (can you read Chinese?)
This restaurant is so popular that recently they announced an IPO. So, you can buy duck and stock.

The 2007 Korea Credit Card Tax Deduction

A lot of misunderstandings and mysteries surround this deduction. I'm going to attempt to explain it. =)

First of all, go to the bank or contact your credit card company (via telephone or web) and get a 2007 total spending statement. Now let's get it started....

1. Let's say I spent 3,500,000 won in total on my Samsung card in 2007. (I spent 3,490,000 won on beer and 10,000 won for the subway.)

2. Multiply your total (gross) 2007 salary by 15%
For example, if my total gross income was 10,000,000 won.
10,000,000 x .15 = 1,500,000

3. 3,500,000 (total credit card) - 1,500,000 (Salary x .15) = 2,000,000 won.

4. 2,000,000 won x .15 = 300,000 won (Voila!)

5. 10,000,000 - 300,000 = 9,700,000 won (This is your new taxable income.)

So, instead of paying taxes on 10,000,000 won you would pay taxes on 9,700,000 won.

Easy. Right? =) (I love tax deductions. Don't you have a warm feeling inside now?)

*The NTS uses this formula: (Credit Card Transaction - Total wage and salary x .15 x .15)
www.nts.go.kr

FAQ

Here are few questions that I'd like to put to rest.

Do you wear the same pair of black jeans everyday?

Yes and No. Believe it or not, I have six pairs of the exact same brand and style jeans. (Calvin Klein Easy Fit in black.) If I find something I like, I stick with it. =)

Why did you choose to come to Korea?

1. Location. Location. Location. Korea is located in Asia, which is where I want to live. During my vacation I usually visit China or Japan.

2. Language. Hangul has an alphabet which is pretty easy to learn. It literally only takes a few hours to learn how to read.

3. Safety. I don't have to worry about random shootings here, only beatings and stabbings. =)

4. Night life. Korea has a very vibrant night life.

5. Public transportation. It's very easy to get around Seoul.

Do you eat Kim-Chi?

Yes. I've lived in Los Angeles, which has the largest Korean population outside of Korea. There are approximately 300,000 Koreans living in Los Angeles and about 300,001 Korean restaurants.

Can you use chopsticks?

Yes. Sushi became quite popular in the 1980s. Today, many Americans (who like foreign food) know how to use chopsticks.


Why do you drink Sam Da Soo?

Because the size of the bottle fits perfectly in the door of my refrigerator.

Any questions?