How To Have A Happy Holiday Even When You Are All Alone : Life & Culture : Yibada

How To Have A Happy Holiday Even When You Are All Alone : Life & Culture : Yibada

Talk to Me in Korean - Learning Korean the Fun and Easy Way!

Two months ago, I was watching this Korean drama. It was so good that I searched for more series to watch. Later, I got hooked with Korean variety shows – they’re really awesome! They’re so funny and entertaining that I don’t want to miss an episode. And this is how my desire to learn the Korean language begun…

I researched and found many sites that can help but, there is one that stands out…It's called Talk To Me in Korean.

I single out this site due to these reasons:

1. They will teach you step by step.
2. The lessons are easy to read and understand.
3. The lessons are accompanied by videos or mp3s so you can also correctly pronounce the words.
4. There are teachers and you can interact with them.
5. Finally, it is FREE! (There is also a paid version, the HARUKOREAN, where teachers can correct your sentences on the spot.)

Yes, you read it right, the teachers offer lessons for free. There are also books that you can use as supplements and they can be bought for as low as $1.99! These learning materials are available at My Korean Store. 

These are some of the E-books that you can find in TTMIK's My Korean Store

Paperback books which can be shipped worldwide

Now, who says that free lessons are not effective? I strongly disagree! I myself was amazed at how fast I’ve learned Korean(한국). In just 2 weeks, apart from saying an-nyeong-ha-se-yo(안녕하세요), ne(네), a-ni-yo(아니요), and Louise im-ni-da(Louise 임니다)..I’ve also learned many other words. Plus, I can scribble a few simple phrases. Just take a look at these:

I can write

I even passed the quiz!

I owe this to TALK TO ME IN KOREAN!

All of these in 2 weeks, without spending a cent. Sounds impossible, right? But, it's true! Of course, you also have to set aside time to learn. Your efforts will determine how fast and how much you can learn.

Would you like to learn Korean too? Are you in the hunt for ways to read and write Korean? If so, read on and I’ll show you easy ways to do this.

But before anything else, remember these things to learn effectively:

1. Learn on a regular basis. Spend at least 1 hour to work on your Korean lessons every day.
2. Start by learning the most common words, phrases, and grammar.

Now, here are surefire ways of learning Korean

1. Speak with Koreans

Sure, this is a no-brainer however, some people don't do this. Talking with native speakers is still the most effective means to improve your language skills. Even if you are a novice, you can carry a short dialogue and discover something new. In my case, I just log on to TTMIK FB page and practice with teachers and other learners. Try it!

2. Listen to Korean music

This is easy especially now that Korean songs are slowly but surely breaking into the global music scene. Go and search for Korean artists with songs that you know you’ll enjoy listening to. This technique will help you get used to the expression and sound of the Korean language. And, as you sing-along, your accent and listening skills will get better too.

3. Watch Korean

You don't have to move to Korea to learn the language. Simply, you can visit Korean sites, watch Korean shows and movies to see and listen to natural conversations, in different settings and situations. In time, you will notice great improvements in your skills.

This is a no-fail recipe for learning Korean. I’ve tried them all and they work for me. Also, practice makes perfect so practice much as you can. Good luck and have fun learning!

읽어 주셔서 감사합니다!

PS

I was checking out my blog and saw this one on my drafts..Boy, it took me a long time to complete this..so yeah, I'm publishing this post after 2 years! ^^ 

Proper Diet and Eating Habits - Key to a Trimmer Belly

Eliminating those excess pounds is always difficult to do, most especially when it comes to the fat in the belly. It is already a common knowledge that eating less or starving oneself is not the right way to go about fat loss. It has to be a mix of nutritious meal portions and exercise on a daily basis. Sticking to a certain diet regimen as well as working out can at times be tough, but then, it is really needed to be able to shed those ugly bulges.

·         You need to have a meal

The most common mistake committed by dieters who want to have a trimmer tummy is the belief that starving will quickly solve their problem with being overweight. Take note, if you will not have your meals, you will not have enough energy to exercise which is necessary. The thing is, just commit to a healthier way of losing unwanted fat.

Besides, our body cannot function properly without the right nutrients which it gets from the foods that we eat. And, with inadequate food, your metabolism will automatically slow down in order to balance the body for the lack of food.

·         Take small meals but eat frequently

One secret to losing tummy fat is to lessen food servings, in addition to exercise. Eat anything that you can but limit it in small servings and make sure the food is nutritious. This will make you feel full and at the same time increase your metabolism rate to burn fat.

So, why does tummy fat is very difficult to get rid of?

You will notice that tummy fat is the hardest to eliminate compared to the fat in other places in the body. This is because the tummy is naturally padded, so even if you are already burning some fat, it will be a bit tougher in the tummy area.

photo credit: freedigitalphotos

How to Avoid Tummy Fat

There are many ways to avoid tummy fat but there is one that outshines the other methods. One method that can surely help you is detoxing the body.  Our body gets filled with toxins from the air that we breathe, food that we eat, different products that we use, beverages that we drink, and from other sources. In order for our body to function properly, we must get rid of these accumulated harmful toxins through cleansing. Furthermore, the detoxification process that will eliminate toxins can also increase our energy as well as boosts metabolism.


Taking in lots of water will help cleanse and hydrate the body all through the day. Plus, water is something that you can take in without limit and still not gain any additional weight. And of course, water will flush out harmful toxins inside your body in addition to quenching your thirst.

Exercising will also help in avoiding tummy fat from forming in your belly since it can boost your energy levels and metabolism. Also, you must burn up more calories than you eat. Getting your heart rate up will help to eliminate more fat. And regular exercise will guarantee your weight loss.

Taking in small meals frequently throughout the day will keep your metabolism going while big meal servings taken at certain times can slow it down. Therefore, modifying your eating lifestyle is the secret to a healthier and well toned body. Keep away from fad diets as they only provide short-term effects on weight loss. To permanently keep off the body fat especially the tummy fat, regular exercises and nutritious foods will do the trick.

Contrary to popular belief, starving yourself will not help in weight reduction but it can inflict damage to your health instead. Just eat healthy foods a few times a day coupled with exercises and that will be all to improve your stamina, increase your metabolism, and make your muscles stronger and your body healthier. 


photo credit: freedigitalphotos

How to Achieve Flatter Belly

Have you ever been under a weight loss program in order to trim down tummy fat? If yes, then you should know by now that getting rid of tummy fat is quite harder than it appears. In spite of the endless diet and rigorous tummy exercises, the belly is always the very last section of your body to burn off the extra fat.


A lot of times, you must be upset in your shots to trim your bulging belly. A number of people even think that eating nothing will help them get rid of the tummy fat. However, this is very far from the reality. Listed below are healthy ways to lessen tummy fat:

1.      You should change your eating habits and be aware of the foods that you eat if you want to diminish tummy fat. Also, you must engage in body toning and cardio- exercise programs.

2.      Avoid too much alcoholic drinks as you can really gain belly fat.

3.      Many people believe that belly exercises alone can make you lose your tummy fat. There are even advertisements that claim this. On the contrary, tummy exercises alone are not sufficient to eliminate tummy fat, even if you religiously follow the abs exercises seven days a week.

4.      The right diet for trimming the tummy are food that contain less carbohydrates and less saturated fat.  Lowering your calorie intake is also a must.

Remember, sugar laden foods and late night food snacks are the top sources of fats and calories, so be sure to avoid these. Try not to eat 3 hours before your bedtime. In addition, drink plenty of water and don’t ever miss breakfast.

Finally, tummy fat reduction will take determination and self-discipline, so remain consistent though you might think that your regimen is not working. In the long run, if you persist, your stubborn tummy fat will gradually go away.

Work From Home As Freelance Writer: Here Are Ways to Earn

Freelance writing offers a lot of flexibility which is one of the main reasons so many are attracted to this type of work. However, one of the trade-offs of freelancing is the relative volatility in earnings.

Freelancer writers often have to learn to manage on an income that can be up one day and down the next because a client suddenly no longer needs your services. When you depend heavily on only a few clients for your income you put yourself at risk of not making enough to cover the bills.

To counter this dreadful chance it is best to work on establishing different sources of income early in your career. Take a look at a few of the ways you can do this.

Be a contributor to different sites

There are several sites that offer contributors a small upfront payment in exchange for short well-written articles. This can be a good way to supplement freelance income especially since these sites don’t have a limit on how much you can contribute at any one time. This means that there is no cap on your earnings.

Create content for revenue share

Some of these content sites discussed above also offer revenue share or earnings according to page views. This can either be in combination with an upfront payment as in the case of Helium.com or as the sole compensation as in the case of Suite101.com.

Earn extra income from Ghost Writing

Ghost writing is probably the main source of income for many freelance writers. The key to diversifying your ghost writing income is to take on as many clients as you can efficiently juggle. This way if one of them disappears you are less likely to feel the pinch.

Get paid to blog

Freelance writers are making money writing short blog posts for fulltime bloggers. Some people blog as their sole source of income but there is a lot to creating and maintaining a successful blog so it is not unusual for bloggers to occasionally outsource the writing of blog posts. Writers can also earn money from established “get paid to blog” sites that pay per post.

Monetize your own blog

If you want to cut out the middle man you can start and monetize your own blog. This is a time consuming task though and it is not likely to yield a return in the short term. If you are getting into this venture make sure it is viewed as a long term project.

Write and sell an E-Book

E-books have been demystified by sites like Lulu.com that make it extremely easy to publish your own e-book and put it up for sale. Everything from the number of pages to the cover design and eventual sale can be done on one site.

There are lots of different ways to make money from freelance writing and related services. All you need to do is put some thought into the type of activities that can fit into your current schedule without too much upheaval.

The Good Things About Being a Freelance Writer

Freelance writing doesn't offer a person a guaranteed amount of money each week. On top of that, it doesn't pay that much when it does pay. While millions of people trudge to their places of employment each day, there are others that sit at their desk in hopes of catching a break. These are the people we call freelance writers.

Why would anyone choose to be a freelance writer when the promise of pay isn't that rewarding?

Here are a few ideas on what drives the heart of a freelance writer.

Freedom

Taking up a career as a freelance writer is a difficult task. You have to find the work. It isn't laying on your desk when you come into the office in the morning. What it does do for you is give you the freedom to choose your work. The freedom of working as few or as many hours as you choose.

Being Your Own Boss

You won't have to punch a time clock, get in trouble for being late or for calling off. There are no more worries about who will take care of your kids. If you need to change your shift, you are free to do so at anytime. The best part of being your own boss is that there are no more company meetings to waste your time.

Love of Writing

Being a freelance writer allows you the freedom to do what you love to do. Writing takes a deep love for the craft in order to do it well. Being stuck in an office crunching numbers when your heart is really on some subject that you would love to write about is excruciating. Being a freelance writer lets your ideas come out in ways you could never imagine.

Choice of Work

No one tells you what you have to write. You can choose the jobs you would like to take. No one will get upset or angry that you didn't choose to do certain types of work. And, you will not be asked to perform tasks that don't pertain to your job.

Then again, this is not to say that you may never take work that you don't particularly care for. It just means that you can be much pickier about it.

Teaching and Learning

Writers love to teach people. They also love to learn. That is what makes them so good at their jobs. There is always something new to learn and writers are the fortunate ones that get to pass that information on to others.

Linking Feedburner to Twitter

I'm probably late on this, but I have recently learned how to autotweet my blog posts to my Twitter account using Google's URL shortening service. First of all, you'll need to burn your feed which is basically creating a Feedburner account for your blog. Just go over to feedburner.google.com and sign up. Next you'll want to click on the "publicize" tab and choose "socialize" under services on the left hand side as pictured below:

Once you're on that page, choose the options you want and you're done. Each time you create a new blog post, it will be sent to your Twitter account by Google's URL shortening service at goo.gl. You'll also be able to view stats of when it was tweeted and how many users clicked.

credit: Eartha Haines

Easy Ways to Create Web Traffic

Traffic is the life and soul of any website. This is why, if you would like to be successful online, it is imperative for you to know how to direct traffic to your page. With excellent traffic, you can generate unlimited income.

The higher traffic you make, the bigger profits you can have. Now, the problem is creating traffic, it can also be difficult especially if you don’t know what to do. To help you out, you can try one or more of these easy strategies:

1. Article marketing
2. SEO
3. Blogging
4. Guest post in other people’s blog

In conclusion, drawing traffic doesn’t have to cost you a fortune, it can only require some hard work and consistency to keep visitors coming to your site. Direct traffic to your page by using the right methods and focus on them until you get satisfying results. You also have to be patient and take your time.