Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Make Your Own Moisturizer With Vegetables

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Strong sun rays during a cheerful summer vacation will leave a little more than just a smile on your face ― the newly tanned skin could turn extremely dry. In the worst case scenarios, layers of skin will fall off, leaving marks on the body and face for an extended period. Experts say that the ultraviolet rays affect the skin, damaging the dermal layer. They advise people to apply moisturizers abundantly after tanning. Lee Geum-hee, a beauty shop manager in Seoul and author of skincare books, says it is a simple process to refresh skin. She recommends using grapes, tomatoes, bananas or lettuce over conventionally used cucumbers and potatoes. "Lettuce contains lots of vitamin A, vitamin B, iron, calcium as well as essential amino acids that calm your skin,"she said. It softens the skin's tone, which is usually toughened and darkened due to repeated sun exposure. Peptine in tomatoes brightens your skin, she added, while grapes have lots of vitamins and minerals that help "revitalize" your skin. The sugar, protein, fat and vitamins of ba

Aug 23, 2009

(56) Saju of Eugene Park: How to Save the Collapsed Talents

By Janet Shin For several weeks, much has been heard about the Korean-American violinist Eugene Park. There are a lot of rumors surfacing about Park's relationship with his former managers, as well as video footage and pictures of Park looking mentally unstable and performing in settings that were not appropriate for his musical talent. Park was born in New York, to Korean parents who were both doctors. His father, who has passed away, graduated from Seoul National University. Park began to play the violin at the age of 3, and entered the Julliard Pre-College at the age of eight. Park appeared at Lincoln Center at the age of 13. He was awarded at various noted musical competitions including the Julliard competition, the Aspen Music School competition, the ISO competition and others. Park gained attention when he began performing in Korea in the late 1990s and released three albums from 1997 to 2006. Park has performed alongside Michael Jackson at the ``Michael Jackson and Friends" benefit concert (1999) in Korea and also at the Korean National Presidential Inauguration

Aug 20, 2009

Truth About Urban Skincare Myths

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Heat waves and strong sunbeams in summer are harmful to the skin. However, many people cling to simple urban myths: Applying sunscreen once is enough; wearing a hat or staying in the shade will prevent skin from getting dry or burnt. Dermatologist Seo Sung-jun of Choong Ang Medical Center gives us eight tips for summer time skincare. 1. Apply sunscreen as often as possible: Putting on an SPF-50 sunscreen just before going out won't do much in protecting skin from ultraviolet rays and other harmful materials. What matters more is the frequency of application. ``The cream can get washed off by water, sweat and various other factors,'' Seo said. The doctor advises people to use sunscreens with an SPF greater than 30 as often as possible when engaging in outdoor activities. ``Wearing hats or staying in the shade may seem like a good way to avoid the sun, but you still can be affected by ultraviolet rays and others factors,'' he said. 2. Tanned skin looks healthy but is risky: Tanning is no longer just for the Western part of the globe. A br

Aug 16, 2009

Dietary Pattern to Combat Pimples

Jeanne Jung Contributing Writer Acne sufferers, welcome to the hot and humid monsoons of August. Korea is not a tropical paradise, contrary to what the gullible Bette Midler was told in the 90's flick ``For the Boys,'' but even so, you may already have experienced a shinier forehead than you're used to, and worsening acne. I know I always do. So what can be done for you on the medical front? Lucky for acne sufferers, medical scientists have created antibiotic pills, topical antibiotic and retinoid gels, chemical peels and light therapies such as photopneumatic therapy (PPX) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). Chemical peels using various fruit acids and other solutions act to open and cleanse the inner lining of pores. Then, built-up sebum (an oily substance produced by glands in your skin) known as comedones are manually extracted, and then the skin is calmed using soothing facials. Light therapies are based on a certain spectrum of light that interacts with a substance from the bacteria that causes acne breakouts. In PDT, a substance is added externally to maximize the reacti

Aug 16, 2009

(55) Saju of US President Obama

By Janet Shin U.S. President Barack Obama celebrated his 48th birthday on Aug. 4. We often question ourselves what the saju of presidents are like. Many people consider they would have great saju. Actually it seems not true in reality. So we have to be very careful not to judge the saju as simply good or bad. U.S. President Obama is generally respected by people as he possesses lots of personal attractions. We can see an example of it by how he dealt with the black Harvard professor and white police officer case for example. Being a president during an economic recession, most people are hoping that he employs the right mix of policies to make things better. Here let's review the saju of president Obama to see him as a person, without making any political value judgment. He was born Aug 4th, 1961.

Aug 13, 2009

(54) What Makes Extreme Incidents in Our Lives (Clash III)

By Janet Shin The clashes among branches in our saju tell us how dynamic lives are, when they have critical events and who are affected. Sometimes it can be death or accidents, or it can be broken hearts or dishonor. However it also can be unexpected success. As said, the clashes are not something we need to feel fear about. Although the construction and combination of the saju have to be carefully reviewed in order to determine whether they have evolved or not, we may be able to use a clash as a momentum for a change. Here is a saju that is not easy to recover from. It is a saju of a lady born May 16, 1983. You may review her saju to find how hot it is. Sin metal in the time pillar is being melted by the strong fire energy. Her mother and father were divorced when she was a little girl and her father passed away several years ago from a heart attack. The only energy that can cool her down is gye-hae (water element) in the year pillar. Unfortunately, it clashes with sa-fire in the month pillar. She is a beautiful and smart sophomore who is studying architecture

Aug 6, 2009

Keep Teeth Healthy During Summer

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter The rainy days are over and a heat wave is striking the nation. Around this time of the year, ice cream and Popsicle sales soar and any cold or icy foods are welcome to the meal table. However, experts warn that such cold foods could be bad for your teeth and certain precautions should be taken to minimize the effects. Popsicles are typically stored at under -20 C, which means that taking a bite comes with a freezing cold feeling on the teeth. Hwang Seong-shik of Misodream Clinic says, “I recommend ice cream over hard candies if you have cavities, a bridge or implants on the teeth. Also be sure to choose the ones displayed near to the storage door rather than the ones deep inside. If it is too hard, then allow it to defrost for awhile before eating it,” he said. Cold foods are not the only thing harmful to the teeth. While Koreans love sweet and sour foods they may not always be the best choice for teeth. Cold noodles can hurt the inner mouth because they contain vinegar, which has a high acidity level. Soft drinks are also quite acidic,

Aug 2, 2009

(53) What Makes Extreme Incidents in Our Lives? (Clash II)

By Janet Shin As we learned last week, we review clashes in one’s saju to understand critical fate, such as death, divorce or other accidents. By the activities of clashes, the smoothness or crookedness of one’s life are determined. Believe it or not, most former Korean presidents have clashes in their saju as do some famous celebrities who achieved their fame after struggles. The clashes were not welcomed in the past, since that meant higher chance of death and diseases. In the old days, people longed for a secure and noble life rather than a dynamic or distorted one. However people who trust saju and fate these days, especially politicians and CEOs, intentionally create clashes in the saju of their sons and daughters as their lives are filled with battles and competitions. Without experiencing frustration, conflicts or dealing with disappointment in their lives, the offspring cannot survive the real battlefield during their adulthood. Birth cannot be manipulated by human beings, so we consider saju as dealing with fate or destiny. We may make efforts to improve our l

Jul 30, 2009

High Insulin Stimulates Breast Cancer Tumor

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Diabetes is regarded as one of the incurable diseases of the modern day. It is recommended that people with the disease regularly monitor their blood sugar level and make sure they do not have other disorders, because diabetes can worsen the symptoms of other conditions and cause complications in treatment. A recent research study is suggesting that there is now another reason to watch out for the disease. The study found that menopausal women with a high level of insulin have a greater chance of becoming victims of breast cancer. After an eight-year study of 5,450 older women, Prof. Geoffrey Kabat of Yeshiva University found that 109 were diagnosed with breast cancer during the period. Kabat's findings were released in the online edition of the International Journal of Cancer. The results showed a high level of correlation between breast cancer and diabetes. Tests have shown that high insulin among animals prompts the growth of tumors, but whether those results are applicable to humans has so far been controversial. But Kabat's findings ha

Jul 26, 2009

(52) What Makes Extreme Incidents in Our Lives? (Clashes I)

Saju of a tragic actress Jang Ja-yeon Jang Ja-yeon, a TV actress, was found to have hanged herself on the stairs of her home on March 7 this year. Her suicide shocked many since the 30-year-old actress had just started attracting attention from her supporting role in the popular KBS drama ``Boys Over Flowers.'' The case became a social issue after her suicide note revealed that a former agent forced her to provide sexual services to several high-powered entertainment figures and journalists. Jang was born Aug. 25, 1980, with her saju as below. Her day master, jeong fire, tells us how passionate she was in trying to show her talents. She must have had talent as we see her expression stars in the year and month branches. However her expression stars chuk and mi are clashing. She could have experienced some frustration in expressing her talents. This year 2009 (year of gi-chuk), she was able to gain some opportunity but it clashed with her inner expression star. We have classified the 12 branches into three groups as below, 1.repository place ― jin (dragon),

Jul 23, 2009

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