Journal 3 (4) As society develops, various thoughts, like materialism and successfulism?, have gotten (become) prevalent by infused capitalism. From my point of view, good things about our culture that our ancestors had have been fading away and there are bad things being left that we have at the moment and our future descendants are highly likely to take over if it went on this way. For an example, there is patriarchy idea going around in some home. I don’t know where those are from. In fact, these aren’t even stated in Confucian ideas. These shouldn’t be passed down from generation to generation.

Journal 3 (7) From now on, never (for me) to get lazy back again, for the ratio of daily household chores to lean (tilt) to one side, my wife, I must make a habit of making foods, at the very least, one proper meal a day to easy my wife. To be honest, even if so, I’m afraid my main task would be more focused on doing the dishes. For sure, I’ll make a big change of this cycle.

Journal 3 (6) At this point, I can’t completely deny that, until 3 months ago, I could be left out of ‘the group’ with cooking incapability. I know I went off the topic, while talking about food anyway. Actually, this is normally the way I am. Changing, dropping topics unexpectedly. Back to the cooking, I’m now able to make nearly 10 proper Korean foods in addition to 5 Western foods. Thankfully, my wife really loves my (the) foods, saying how tasty they are time and time again.

Journal 3 (3) Now that I think of my laziness, I feel like, adding my self-justification I mentioned earlier, it may have a lot to do with some cultural aspects of where I was grown up. As an affection-filled Korean (having a love) for my country, I don’t wanna say a bad word about my own country. But, despite the fact that there are more good things about our culture, I reckon some of bad customs come from it. Believe it or not, at one time, our country used to be called the country of courteous people in the east under the foundation of Confucianism containing many regarding not only courtesy but enlightened philosophy.

Journal 3 (1) Last week, at long last, my wife smashed (finished/nailed) her internship, which took her 8 weeks. Taking this opportunity, I considered how I’d be able to help her out. In doing so, one thing that I’ve been only talking to her about, that, someday, I’d make sure of doing comes to me (occurs to me), which was cooking. Actually, it was not that I’ve really craved to do that, but that I’ve regarded it as a duty to do as a partner. Frankly speaking, I’ve been neglecting ‘this duty’, excusing to myself, something like ‘I’ve never done any cooking in my whole life so I’m afraid of doing any’.

Journal 3 (5) As to how I grew up by my parents, back in my young days, though my father made some food for me and my brother at times, for sure, more than most fathers did, he was anything but a cook. My mum did almost every food for us. I reckon, as time flies by, especially in many developed countries, most couples work together in recent time but, in Korea, I’d say there are still a few guys not helping their wives’ house chores as they tend to take it for granted that women do house chores by growing up watching closely their father do the same.

Diary 2 (4) (Getting) back to the main point, this is why I'm mainly training my left-side breathing. Get over this weakness will be a key to completing (the completion of) the course. As opposed to swimming, I've no worry about running and cycling that much. hard to explain why. But, mostly, I reckon as long as hard and simple training, which'd be to gradually work up (increase) distance and intensity (bit by bit), is followed, I'm pretty sure that the two parts wouldn't be troublesome, given a marathon experience I had in the past. On the other hand, swimming is absolutely skill-required part. Not that basic fitness and stamina for a long distance isn't needed, though. I hope one day I will feel as relaxed in the water, particularly in the sea, as if I just walk on the land.

Diary 2 (3) Say, for an episode, during last summer, I went for a swim in the sea once every Wednesday with a local friend of mine who was sorta serious about swimming back in his young days, like going to swimming competitions or so. One day, the wave was so choppy that I happened to drink (swallow) water quite a bit while swimming. As for him, he was as nimble and calm as a seal in the sea to me and seemed to have no trouble cutting through such massive waves. While he was at it, I was struggling through the wave, being hit by them and pushed to drink water all the way along to the target spot, (which is) roughly about 1k away from the starting spot. When I was told that I should’ve swum on the left (to my left? OR on my left-side?) because choppy waves were coming from my right side, I got to realise why I especially had hard time going through the waves, drinking heaps.

Diary 2 (2) Before that, I reckon, when it comes to swimming skills, (out) of all swimmers, I’d be at a middle or even low level (point). I’m confident in going back and forth in the water with either breast stroke or freestyle for about 2k. But, as far as skills is concerned, I see lots of the hell of swimmers out there. Above all, since back in Korea, as a right-handed person, I hadn’t trained left-breathing when doing freestyle, which is my weakest point right now. But, here in Australia, most swimmers seem (to be) used to doing freestyle bilaterally (OR doing bilateral-breathing) so I see them keep changing breathing, left to right, right to left in the middle of a freestyle. Normally, the pattern is like, left breathing twice, then change, right breathing twice, then change. By having self-training left-breathing more and more, I definitely feel my improvement and familiarity with left-breathing. I still feel as if my body was sinking a bit in a left-side breathing, though. For this reason, my left neck muscle got in a knot quite a few times.