Birthday
Today I turned 29, but I've already become 30 since the first day of this year. Confusing? Let me tell you why. We, Korean, have a different way of counting ages. When we are born, we are 1 year old because we consider the period of nine to ten months in mother's belly enough for a baby to become nearly one year old. And when a year changes, we get one older, not on our birthday. Therefore, for instance, a baby born on the 31st Dec. turns two years old the next day. I know this is apart from a scientific way but it's true we sometimes follow a Western way, such as a medical record. Anyway, it is my 30th birthday in Korea today and that's why my friends prepared three longer candles: each longer candle means a decade and next year I will have three longer and one shorter candles on my b-day cake.
Labels:
Special Day
24 comments:
생일 축하합니다~!!!! 지금 보니 상당한 미인이시네요~ ^^ (사진 + 조명빨인가?)
{{!!!HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUNKYOUNG!!!}}
You look so happy in this picture :), look at that beautiful smile of yours.
Love the cake!
(Neat tradition, btw, I think it makes a lot of sense.)
Fascinating! But I would not stand for it (adding extra year to my age) ;-)))
Happy Birthday, Sunkyoung!
축 생일!!!! (<-- I hope it works) - Happy Birthday Sunkyoung (where half of your name let you be young for ever). I love the funny cake, I love candles, and I love..... The background ^-^
so you get to celebrate twice with cake???Where is the down side to that? Congratulations! You look very pretty and happy.
happy birthday!!!! 30 is a good age. I'm also 30 :) :) What a funny birthday cake enjoy your day
생일 축하합니다 !!!
JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE !!! (French Version)
What a lovely cake... So Funny ! Hope you like chocolate... :)
Hau‘oli la hanau! (Hawaiian) :-)
You are still 29! Forever 19! :-)
How was the cake? It looks too cute to eat.
here in Lebanon we say "a'a 'beil el mieh" i have writen it in english characters :-) meaning hope u become 100 years old ! :-) its a way of wishing u a long life ... happy birthday ... i like the candle thing i will use it :-)
Alan
Lebanon
Thank you very very much for all your sweet words. I'm still happy to be 29 years and 1 day old.
Youngsin - 고맙습니다. 제가 사진빨을 좀 잘 받는다고들 하더군요.^^;
Fénix - Thank you for understanding the different side of a culture.
Isabella - I do understand what you mean. My friend, whose bday was last Friday, and I actually cheered each other, saying "We are still 20s in Western way.":)
Fabrizio - Grazie tanto. "축 생일" does work but it can rather be found often in printed pharses on cards. To friends, we say "생일축하해." My name is divided into Sun and Kyoung, but it still contains 'young'.^-^V
Neva - I've just got those cakes from different groups, one from my colleagues and two from two different groups of friends.
Don - Dank je wel. Btw, now you know you are 32 years old in Korean way.;)
Eric - Merci. I actually don't like chocolate much but the cake was not too sweet.
BW - In fact, it was a friend of mine that bought this choco teddy bear cake. She wanted to have another after having taken to it on her husband's birthday last month. (And he looks like a teddy bear.)
Alan - Wow, including your comments, I haven't got any more multilingual birthday greetings before. If I am still in good health, I'd happy to become 100 years old.
Happy Birthday!
That cake of yours look so so cute!
my first time here! happy birthday to you...my friend explained this to me..2 yrs older huh...
!HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUNKYOUNG!
i am sorry i am late in your blog to see this post
KM - Thank you!
Dalicia - Glad to meet you, Dalicia.
KMF - You're only two days late and your greeting still makes me feel good.
Happy birthday, a little late. And it's a very very very nice photo.
my felicitations with your (re)new(ed) number(s)nad keep up that beautiful smile (though not constantly, otherwise you might put people off; they might think your daft or on dope... or was it really a "spacebear" and you did already eat the rest of his body when this picture was taken ? : ))
wish that that new age may bring you a(nother) fruity/ful year and ditto wisdom ^^
pardon me my french ; didn't re-read before publishing
numbers and beautiful smile
they might think you're...
already belated congratulations and then also them mistakes
I WILL NEVER DO SUCH EVIL AGAIN ^) !
... or at least when it's got to do with your b-day
bee, bear, birth, Balou or Pooh ?
or all of them together ?
Bon anniversaire!!!! That is a great picture and it looks like you are ready to slice the cake and let us all have a piece. Here's my plate: I'll take a big one - this chocolate looks delish!
I would adopt your tradition and combine with ours, so I could celebrate twice.
Happy Birthday! Still just a baby!
belated happy birthday sorrry wasnt able to greet u on time as i was away from the computer.
Dick - Dank je wel.
Willem - Merci.
Eliane - Merci. I'll definitely give you the biggetst one.
Richard - Thank you. I'm not even a kid, but only a baby! Sounds great.;)
TP - Birthday greetings are always welcome. Thank you!
Happy Belated Birthday, SunKyoung!
Wish you a fabulous year ahead!
The Chinese counts their age similar to the Koreans! But I prefer to count it in the Western manner, as such I am always one year younger!
Keep up the good work of your blog. I learn many cultural and daily life aspects of Korea through your blog!
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