The familiar and the unfamiliar

Today's issue of the Korea Times carried a shocking news. Former Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun, who was under investigation for a political corruption scandal had committed suicide by jumping off a cliff while hiking in his home village. The news of the investigation had already made headlines but this was a really unexpected development! I'm currently writing an article on self help books for the campus magazine and I wonder what kind of mental torment must he had faced that drove him to take such an extreme step. I came here to study at the university and I sometimes take pride in the fact that I can stay neutral and professional in most trying times. But I find myself getting increasingly getting involved and entangled in events that do not concern me and in others problems.
Leading a strictly academic life, especially in engineering can be very boring and I actively seek ways to add some diversity to my life. One such effort was to join the QUILL, which though takes a lot of my time but gives me a chance to learn new things and meet new people. Also I've learnt to take pleasure in the things that I have rather than repent about the things that I don't. I enjoy what comes along. Yesterday, I went to a nice restaurant where we had Bulgogi (grilled beef) and Mandu (steamed meat dumplings). A full fledged Korean meal is always interesting, due to the large number of side dishes (Banchhan) and the sheer variety of color. On top of this, most of the stuff is very healthy, which makes eating out a pleasurable and healthy experience. I came back with a full stomach and a great satisfaction that comes with a fulfilling meal. There was a lot of work to be done for the current issue of the QUILL. I am supposed to write an editorial on the psychology of theft and surveillance, and an article evaluating self help books. If the issue of the theft was not difficult enough, I got entangled into the quagmire of the self help articles due an impulsive decision during a dinner with some fellow QUILLers. I've never read a self help book in my life and I view those who read them with extreme contempt. During the dinner meeting I was extremely critical about those who take help of those who read them, calling them 'backboneless' and a lot of other foul things, only to find that the person sitting beside me was one of them. Suddenly I felt very bad and uncomfortable. And I decided to not only to give it a try but to write a full 2 page article evaluating good and bad self help books. I must admit that at that time my decision and judgement was clouded by actions but soon I came to realize how intimidating a task it was. But I have a reputation to protect and so I got down to understand the whole new world of self help books. I visited a famous bookstore with a few friends of mine, who read these books and surveyed the ones that were on display. They seems to have a lot of knowledge on this matter and gave me a lot of liberal advice. I reciprocated with some trademark caustic humor of mine!
Today, I was busy researching about the psychology of theft, surveillance, self help books, reading "Who Moved My Cheese?" and of course writing. To cheer myself up, I was listening to Pavarotti, mainly his rendition of Puccini's 'Nessun Dorma'. My fascination for Western classics started with Wagner's Tannhauser. Anyway, after a hard days work writing, I decided to take a break in the evening and take a walk. I decided to visit my old neighborhood of Bong-Cheon dong, where I lived for 6 months before moving into the dorm. As I walked I noticed the changes that had come about in the past few months. At the 4 way crossing, the new building that was being constructed had added a lot of new floors. There was a new Paris Baguette at the corner as well. The street side stalls selling snacks were there as usual and continued to be a big crowd puller. However, the man selling grilled chicken was missing. I decided to visit the Jungang market and found a really nice Shiraz wine. I also saw some familiar faces of the market employees. While coming back, I passed the cosmetic shops with irritating nasal female voices trying to attract customers. I was in mood for something sweet, so when I was passing the Tours Le Jours store, I decided to check it out. There was a new girl at the counter. Given the eagerness of her greetings, evidently she was a recent recruit! I decided to buy a nice almond cake.
With a large part of the writing task taken care of, I can relax a bit now. As midnight approaches, I'm still listening to Pavarotti - O' Sole Mio, Ave Maria has now joined Nessun Dorma and his baritone continues to enthral me. Accompanying the music is a wonderful Australian wine. Though alcohol is prohibited inside the dorm, I don't care now! Maybe, the alcohol is taking effect :). The absence of my room-mate also helps me indulge in this 'old vice of mine'.
Thus life rolls on. The more I try to simplify my life, the more entangled it gets. The more I try to understand the Korean psyche, the more mysterious it gets. The more I try to stay away from the pleasures of life (for the sake of my body-building objectives), the more induglent I seem to get.