Overworked and Deliriously Happy

To Anyone Who Still Reads This

2012-02-06T03:53:00.000-08:00

And may wonder why I don't update as often, it's because I mostly update at this blog --> http://deathtoclones.tumblr.com/ .

Just don't tell my mom. Or my Gramma.

Stalker, Much?

2012-02-06T02:59:00.000-08:00

So... apparently I'm supposed to track down a former K-1 fighter who owns a bar in my neighborhood and get an interview. He's a celebrity in Korea. I'm a little lost at how to make this happen. Short of stalking him around the 'hood and asking him for it. Plus, I don't know if he speaks English...

And I really feel like stalker/paparazzi type... But, in the words of Barney Stinson: "Challenged Accepted!"

Why I'll Never Have a Roommate Again

2012-02-05T02:28:00.000-08:00

The last few years have been full of difficult lessons learned in living with other people. And to be honest, for me, it was a vastly negative experience and led me to make the decision that I don't want to share my living space with anyone again. Well, unless I should get married, that is.

My first roommate in Korea was a guy that I had previously dated. And while we maintained our friendship, living with him as roommates was not a good idea since I still had feelings for him and he started dating someone else, and it got messy. After that, I decided no more guy roommates unless we really were just friends and could never be anything more.

My next roommate and I got along quite well. However, towards the end of our time living together, we were kind of at each others throats. She thought I didn't clean enough (I didn't really...) and I was constantly angry at her for not chipping in more with the bills. So, we parted ways and I didn't really hear much from her for about a year. But now we're okay. And I actually found that I missed living with her because we did get along well for most of it.

The roommate after this was probably the worst decision I've made in a housing decision ever. Mostly because even though she moved out in September, it's February and I'm still facing the financial ramifications of living with her. We were very close friends for about a year before we moved in together. We had very lengthy discussions about what living together would entail and she knew that my biggest beef was money issues. That I wanted someone who would pay on time and who would pay their share. We decided it would work and then set out to find an apartment.

The warning signs were there and I should have paid more attention to them. From the beginning I did all the work. Setting up the appointments, finding the moving company, looking at a bunch of crappy apartments. And then when I would get upset, my roommate would turn things around and make me think it was all my fault. Because, according to her, she told me she was too busy to look for apartments and that if we wanted to live together, I would have to find the place. I just obviously wasn't listening to her or didn't understand. Looking back now, I can see that she was manipulating me from the beginning.

Anyway, we found an apartment, moved in and I thought everything would be okay. I was a little uncomfortable with the fact that only my name was put on the lease (without discussion). And that I was the only one who contributed key money. But I trusted her. She had said she wanted a 2-year lease so we wouldn't have to move again in a year and promised she would stay for at least a year and a half.

And then the problems started a few months in. She quit her job, thinking she would make enough money from private tutoring that she would be fine. And she was planning to get a student visa and just work on her MBA full-time outside of tutoring. I was okay with this as long as she paid rent on time. And the first couple of months, she did. But then rent would start being late. And then she wouldn't pay her half of the bills for a few months in a row.

And then she would leave her dog at the house and disappear to her boyfriend's house for days at a time without telling me when she would be back or even asking me if I had the time to walk her dog twice a day.

This led to an argument, which ended with me even angrier than when we started. Because instead of saying she was sorry and wouldn't leave the dog without saying anything again, she flipped it around saying that she just thought she could trust me to take care of him. And that I knew when we moved in together that I would have to help take care of him. And if I was really that upset, I should have called and asked her when she was coming back. Completely disregarding that she waited until she was out of the city to tell me she was going on a trip and I needed to take care of the pup. And when I asked when she would be back, she said Tuesday, but didn't come back until Thursday. No phone call about that either.

But the worst of it was the money. She finally got another teaching job. But it was at a shady hagwon. Her pay was supposed to go through on the 25th of every month and rent was due on the 26th. However, they were consistently late paying her by about a week to two weeks. So, for a long time, our rent was always late. And instead of anticipating that her pay would be late and make other arrangements (she was still teaching private lessons at this point, making much more than rent per month) she continued to wait to pay me her half of the bills and rent until she got her paycheck.

The real kicker came when she told me in August 2011 that she would be moving back to the States in September. We had been in the apartment for less than a year, and remember, she had said she wanted a 2-year lease and would be in Korea for a year and a half. I began looking for new roommates and was able to find one. Unfortunately, my current roommate was unable to pay her half of the rent that last month she lived with me. So I covered it (since it was already a week late) thinking that I would get the 600,000 won (roughly $600) for rent and bills back within a couple weeks. That was the money I usually sent to the US to pay for my loans and credit card bills.

She did eventually pay me 350,000 won about a month or so later, which I promptly sent to the States since I was a month behind on my loans and my mom (who is still doing chemo for her brain cancer and spending $1,500 every few weeks on that) had to pay for mine so it would be too late. She zeroed her bank account paying for it. Because of that, and a few financial binds I had been in prior to that, my credit record is crap.

I never saw the remaining 250,000 won. She left for the States on Dec. 16. No call to send me the money. Nothing. And then, when the new roommate decided to move out, I decided I would not live with anyone again. It's just too much stress. I'm looking at losing about 1-2 million won from my housing deposit because I broke my contract. Which I only broke because I couldn't afford 1 million won rent by myself and no one would move into the apartment because of the location.

She hasn't live with me for five months. I'm completely broke from moving and deposit and bills, and I have three more weeks until I get paid. Not to mention, rent at the new house is due five days before payday. And I don't have the rent. And I'm most likely not getting my key money back before it's due since I'm still waiting for someone to move into the old apartment.

And I'm going to be paying for three cable boxes instead of one for the next 14 months because she wanted two more for her room and the living room, and it will cost me 400,000 won to cancel them from my contract. Those boxes never got used. She never brought over the TV for the living room and never hooked hers up to her TV. I could be paying 28,000 won a month. But I have to continue paying 60,000 won. Which, if you do the math, means that I'm losing 448,000 won in the long run.

I'm just... never again will I trust a roommate. It's too much stress and I'd much rather live alone with my cat...

Oops... I forgot...

2012-01-10T02:21:00.000-08:00

I've been updating over on Tumblr so much that I almost forgot about this blog. Okay, quick summary, I suppose...

- Found an awesome roommate. We had some good times together and really got along without any money issues. (Hooray!) Unfortunately, she moved out at the end of December so that she could live closer to her work. I attempted to find a new roommate, but decided (with some encouragement from a friend) that the best thing to do was to break contract and move to a cheaper apartment that I can afford by myself and get rid of dealing with roommates.

- I've been at my new job for about three months now. I like it. Some days are better than others. And sometimes I get my butt kicked in gear. But I'm happy. And the great thing is, I will get out of this job as much as I put in. If I just want to sit around and edit, I can and it's not a big deal. But if I want to write, I can. I just need to pitch the idea to the correct person and viola. My byline is in the paper.

- I eventually met up with my ex. We spent an evening talking and just being together. I thought this meant we were getting back together. It didn't. Shortly after that, he cut of communication, this time without any explanation and I've yet to hear from him. While sad, and at the time, heartbreaking (again), it was the push I needed to finally let him go and move on.

- Which means I am now dating someone new. We started seeing each other off and on in August but then finally made things official on Dec. 29. He's sweet, attentive and even though he is very busy with work and I only see him once a week or every other week, he makes a point to call or message every day.

- Luna is all grown up! She's about five months now and such a cutie. Though, she has a bit of a belly...

- My resolution for the New Year is to lose 10 pounds by spring, when I go home to visit. I've started working out every morning and started a diet, which has me eating healthier now that I have calories to watch. I feel like I have more energy at work. Since I started working out, I have yet to fall asleep at my desk. And while I feel sore all the time, it's good because I that must mean it's working. I just need to buy a scale so I can chart my progress...

- Mom is doing amazing. Her energy levels are up. She feels good. She's happy. Her last scan was great. She really is going to kick brain cancer in the butt.

I suppose that's it for now. I'll attempt to write a better blog later on. I'm on night shift today, so there isn't much to do after 7 pm.

Getting Happy

2011-09-12T01:43:00.000-07:00

Ever have those times when it's really hard to focus on the good things, even when they outnumber the bad?

I went through the shock of my life last month. Within a week I had found out my roommate was unexpectedly moving back to the States, that I was losing my job of two years and because of that I would have to make an unexpected trip out of the country and most likely two, along with not knowing when I would get my next paycheck.

Since then, I got a new job and started the visa process. I won't start work until Oct. 3, but I have enough resources to last me until then. Also, I discovered there is a 30-day tourist extension that I applied for so that hopefully I only have to make one trip out of the country. And my ex contacted me and we had plans to meet up. The following week I found a replacement roommate and everything was looking great.

Then this week, the roommate backed out and I now have two weeks to find a new one before rent is due. Rent that I can't afford on my own. My current roommate still hasn't given me her half of last month's rent and because of that, I can't pay my US loans until she gives me the money.

Also, things kind of fell apart and I've yet to meet with my ex and haven't heard from him since last week. Things were going great and I thought maybe we would talk about giving things another try. But now I'm not so sure.

So, two bad things out of a whole bunch of good things and I'm stuck in a rut. I'm trying to focus on the good and trust that things will work themselves out. But honestly, it's kind of hard. I spent a good two weeks walking around in a dream-like state. Shooting 'thank you's up to heaven every five minutes because I couldn't believe how pretty much all my problems solved themselves within that time. And now I'm frantically praying that a new roommate will surface soon. And that, I don't know, something will happen with my ex. Either I finally learn my lesson and move on or that we get together and talk things over. I don't know.

Ugh... could use some good news right about now...

80s Extravaganza

2011-06-19T02:47:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to feel like I go to Ireland in Itaewon a bit too much. But kind of hard not to when your friends are hosting parties there every weekend. And I feel like all the bartenders are my adorable little brothers (except Dio... funny big brother, maybe?)

Anywho, the latest in the round of parties was Jack's 30th birthday party. We all pitched in and helped plan it. Dio and I contributed the theme- the 80s. And he got all the bartenders to dress up while I tried to get all the guests to dress up. There were only a handful of us, so I guess I failed. But we still had a good time. And Jack was beyond thrilled with how everything turned out. We made a video for him and Dio came up with an ingenious way to do the cocktail show. I won't put it up here, because it was really gross...

On to the highlight pictures...

Our awesome outfits.

The birthday boy in the middle.

Hannah, the amazing girlfriend who planned the whole thing.

A Club, A Bar, and Two Korean Celebrities

2011-06-15T04:31:00.000-07:00

So, in the last week I have met not only one, but TWO Korean celebrities. Oh yea. And it only took me almost four years of living here to randomly bump into them.

On Friday night, I went out with the boys to Hongdae. I was originally going to stay home, but I figured, eh, why not? We headed over to our favorite club (because it's cheap) but were unpleasantly surprised to find out that it wasn't cheap that night. (25,000 won vs 10,000 won) But we go in anyway, and discover that it's because Supreme Team, a very popular Korean hip-hop duo, is performing. I had already gotten a picture with them last month at Greenplugged Festival, so I sat back at the bar with my friend Fahad, while everyone else crowded up to the stage to get a better look.

SSam D, Me, E-sens

Well, after their performance, I noticed that the guys, E-sens and SSamD, were in a VIP room behind us. So, Fahad and I spent a very entertaining 20 minutes watching all these girls trying to dance very sexy-like in front of the opening to the room (no door and it was kind of glassed in), in the hopes that they would get invited in to drink with the guys. Or, at least, we assume that's why a bunch of them were dancing there. But of course, none of them did.

After awhile, we go back to drinking and dancing and whatnot, when I look behind me and notice that E-sens is now standing right behind us talking to a big foreign guy and his Korean girlfriend. At that moment, I decide that I want another picture. I wait for a very long time, since it's E-sens, you know. Every time he would stop talking to one person, another would jump up and demand a picture or tell him he's wonderful. So I gave up. But then my friend Jee notices that he's talking to one of the rappers. So I hand him my camera and walk up to them to ask for a picture.

E-sens, Me, B-Free

What I get instead is E-sens putting his arm around me and saying,"This guy is the hottest rapper here!" To which his friend responds, "Don't listen to anything he says." I explain what was said to which I get, "He's E-sens! He's the hottest!" This goes back and forth for awhile. Then Jee comes up and waves the camera. We take the picture. And then, both just hang out and talk to us for a bit. Jee talked to E-sens for a long time and I tried to listen in, but it was loud. So I end up dancing for a bit. And then E-sens danced with us for a bit. And then I hear, "Wait! You work at Arirang!" Now, it was loud in this club. So you can imagine how loud he shouted to get my attention.

It's the first rapper friend. His name is B-Free. He really wants to get on Arirang. I told him I'm on the news team, I have nothing to do with any of the other programs, but I could ask around and see what I could do. We exchange numbers and Facebook info. And we're still texting. Planning to go to his show in July. And hopefully before that, we can all get together and hang out again. ^_^

So that was Friday night... Now, here's what happened last night...

I went to my friend's bar with a group of people in Itaewon. They all left before I did, but I had a bit of my drink left to finish, so I stayed a bit longer. A small group of army guys came in. I started talking to one. And he seemed nice. But then he got a little weird. And apparently his buddies were making a group of Korean girls uncomfortable. So Dio asked me to translate for him and tell these guys that the girls were uncomfortable. (I'm not sure why, his English is good enough...)

Anywho, then Dio leans over and tells me, "By the way, it's Yoon Eun-hye." As in Coffee Prince and Goong Yoon Eun-hye. As in these losers were hitting on an insanely popular actress and didn't even know it.

My eyes go wide and immediately Dio said, "No."

"But I just want to say hi!"

"No."

So for 20 minutes I sit on my stool and sneak glances over at her when she's not paying attention. Felt like a total creeper. I then come up with what I, in my slight inebriated state, thought was a perfect plan. I gather up my purse and say bye to the bartenders. Their table was right by the doorway. So, I go up to say good-bye to the bartender at their table, then turn and say, "Oh! You're Yoon Eun-hye? I really liked Coffee Prince!" in Korean. She shakes my hand. And then I hear, "Emma!!" from the entrance. Yea, Dio caught me. So I bowed very quickly and rushed out because I thought I was in trouble.

Turns out I wasn't. He was laughing at me and asked if I got a picture. I didn't. He said next time maybe. If I don't die from my extreme embarrassment from running away from Yoon Eun-hye first, that is.

When Will You Go Back to USA?

2011-05-07T02:44:00.000-07:00

I get asked this question a lot. And the honest answer is, I don't know. The longer I stay in Korea, more I want to keep staying here. It has nothing to do with not liking the US. It's my home and eventually I want to go back there, but right now, I just have no desire to make that move.

My life is in Korea. My friends are here. My job is here. My livelihood is here. Being here inspires me as a writer and I've had some awesome opportunities that I wouldn't have gotten in the States. If I left, it would feel like I'm leaving my family. And it would be hard.

Also, I don't have a whole lot in common with my friends from the US anymore. We're all at different points in our lives. Some are getting married. Some are having kids. Some are engaged or climbing up the career ladder. Or still somewhere around the bottom. I wouldn't know what to talk about with most of them. And I don't think a lot of them would understand me or my mindset now. I'm one of a few out of my friend groups from both high school and college that has spent a considerable amount of time living outside the US. It changes you as a person. It changes the way you think. The way you live life. The way you view certain things. And unless another person has gone through a similar experience, it's hard to relate on certain levels.

I'm not the same person I was when I left the US. I still have my values, but I've had new experiences that a lot of my friends haven't. Some don't talk to me anymore because they don't agree with some of the decisions I've made. But that's fine, I suppose. The life I live is not meant for everyone and I personally don't regret anything I've done, good or bad. And everything is something that I've needed to go through to become the person that I am today.

Though, sometimes I wonder if I stay here because it's easy. If I go back to the States, I have to start over at a new job (if I can find one) and basically with a whole new life. I'll have to find a new group of friends that are my age and single, because let's face, it's hard for us single girls to want to hang out with our married friends all the time. Because our interests are different and different things take priority in our lives.

I wouldn't mind staying here long-term. As long as I can get back to visit my family at least once a year. And I'm open to the idea of potentially getting married here, if that's how it's meant to be. Though, I do believe that my one condition is that whoever I marry is open to the idea of moving back to the States when we have children. But again, this is all hypothetical at this point.

So, in short, when will I go back to the US? I don't know...

Home

2011-05-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

I love my family and I love my state (Oklahoma) but sometimes, I'm a little embarrassed to say I grew up there. Mostly when I see something ignorant or idiotic written on Facebook or somewhere else on the internet without any facts to back it up. Most of this time it's political statements or racist statements or sexist statements. I wrote something on Tumblr not too long ago about how not all southerners were rednecks... well, some of them do fine the profile.

I was sifting through the "Yay Osama is dead!" and "Praise the Lords" in my Facebook newsfeed the other day when I came across this:

Is it at all ironic that oSama is one letter off from oBama? I’m not slammin’ our pres. b/c I don’t believe that’s right and I pray for the guy to make Godly decisions. But I’m just sayin………coincidence?

It was written by a girl I went to high school with. We're the same age, but she's a stay-at-home mom with two kids, one of which is just a couple months old. I don't think she finished college but I'm not even sure if she went. I do know that she still lives in the little town where we're from and she's prone to make a lot of status messages with "God" in them.

None of these things should matter. But when you're from Oklahoma, they create the stereotype. Uneducated, lives in the country, barefoot and pregnant, conservative, overtly religious. They are the traits of the group where I'm from that ends up being the loudest voice. And they drown out all the reasonable, rational, educated folks. Like my parents. Who never take cheap shots at Obama, even though they don't like him. They may badmouth his corporate bailouts and healthcare reforms, but they do their research and know their stuff. They, for one, do not want to be labelled "hicks" or "rednecks" during a debate or discussion, so they make sure they can back up all their arguments.

Why can't the people like that be what Oklahoma is known for? Not the high teen pregnancy rate (still haven't learned that ONLY teaching abstinence doesn't work), or the high drop out rate, or the low test scores or the trailer parks? Or the white trash? Or the birthers? Or the Christian extremists?

Don't get me wrong, I am Oklahoman... but I'm not that kind of Oklahoman.

Confessions of a Lazy English Teacher

2011-04-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

Before I came to Korea to teach English three years ago, I was a very hard worker. My parents always taught me that if I want something, I have to work for it, so I did. In college, I never worked less than two jobs and at one point I think I had about four so I could pay for all my bills and have money left over to eat and do fun stuff on the weekend (when I wasn't working). Also, some of the work was scholarship based. My parents cut me off at age 18 (though they did chip in for college by taking out a loan) so I had to pay for my car loan, gas, phone bill, etc. Fortunately, I lived on campus, so at least I didn't have to worry about rent or utilities for awhile. But even during the summer, I would work a part-time job and do internships so I could go out and do things plus save up. (Mom and Dad said I should always have a savings account.)

Right after I graduated, I worked as a daily newspaper reporter. Again, I worked hard and would often end up being the last reporter to leave the office. It was my first "real" job out of college and I wanted to do it right (meaning, I was terrified of screwing up and getting fired).

Then, I decided to come to Korea for a year to teach English.

I mostly did it so I would have the experience of living in a foreign country. And because I've always wanted to live abroad and learn about other cultures and languages. Just traveling there would never do it for me. I had to live there. But I didn't see many opportunities to do that as a reporter.

At first, I worked very hard. I taught adults, so there was no BS-ing my way through a lesson. But, my institute provided us with teaching manuals that outlined every lesson for us. So, after a few months of teaching, I no longer needed to prep before my classes. I could basically walk into the office about five minutes before my first class started in the morning and be able to successfully teach a two to three unit class. (1 unit = 45 minutes)

And then I would teach one on one classes, and all they would want to do is talk to me. Not to mention, for the first time in my short life, one job was enough. There were a couple months when I would work long hours (teaching about 13 hours a day) but to me, the work was easy and didn't require a whole lot of effort on my part. So I quit putting in tons of effort. And then I got bored. Because it wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, just for a short period. It was the first time I had a job that I didn't really care about and could get away with not trying my hardest. That said, I was professional. I showed up on time, dress professionally. I wasn't one of those teachers that would go out every night until 3 am (couldn't when I started work at 6:45 am) or come in drunk or hungover. But I didn't try as hard as I could have. I basically just coasted by.

Needless to say, I switched. I left English teaching after about a year and moved on to what I thought would be the challenging world of Korean PR. It was and wasn't. Trying to fit into the office culture was challenging. But the work they gave me was easy, further encouraging my lackluster motivation. And no one seemed to care about actually using me for the things they hired me to do. I spent more time on Facebook than I did actually working. Which for some, getting paid 3 million won a month to spend most of your time on Facebook would seem like heaven. But for me, it was horrible because I wasn't getting any valuable work experience. And the company eventually laid me off because they couldn't justify paying me that much when there wasn't a lot of work for me to do.

After that, I looked at who I was as a worker and I felt ashamed. I knew I should have applied myself more. But I didn't and I couldn't go back and change things with my magic time machine. So, in my next job, the one I currently still have, I forced myself to go back to being that thorough, hard-worker. I'm not 100% there yet, but each day is progress.

And I'm not going to lie, there are days when I'm bored with my work. But then, there are days when I am really focused and getting things done. And there are days that are so hectic, that five hours goes by without my noticing (I like those days). Fortunately, getting a job at a company that I enjoy working at and in my career field helped my motivation. Also, a good talk with my boss after six months also helped kick my butt into shape. And I have the opportunity to make myself more valuable by giving suggestions to the anchors and reporters. Officially, I don't have a lot of power, but I am in a position to influence others, should I choose to do so.

So, the moral of the story... I shouldn't teach English. I would love to teach writing or journalism. But yea, me and teaching English, eh, we don't get along so well. Though, I'm sure it would have been a completely different story if I had taught children or had to come up with my own lesson plans...

It's Spring!

2011-04-12T01:11:00.001-07:00

And I'm quite happy about that, though incredibly busy...

- Got an article about a new band called "The Finnn" coming out in the May issue of "Groove" magazine. It's not my absolute best work, but I'm still happy with the outcome. They are a fun band and I wish them the best as they navigate the uncertain waters known as the Korean rock industry.

- Still need to meet up with Han Dae-soo for a follow-up interview. I've just been way too busy to do this, but I'm going to try and get it done in the next week or so.

- Should have an interview with Phonebooth for the rock article soon.

- Waiting to hear about Boohwal... still...

- Costco!! I've decided I want to try some Greek recipes during my week off, so I'm planning a trip to Costco tomorrow to pick up the ingredients I can't get at my local market. I also need to suck it up and get an external hard drive. After that and paying the bills this week... It's turning into an expensive week...

- I seriously need to spend some time cleaning the apartment in the next couple of days. The trash needs to be taken out and the kitchen and fridge are an absolute mess (and kind of smelly) since dishes need to be done and food needs to be thrown out. But when you take two very busy girls and put them in the same apartment... these things do happen...

- Work, work and more work. I've been working the last seven days straight. My co-worker's Mom is in town, so I took on two extra days so he could have the whole time off to spend with her. I don't mind, since it means I'll have the next seven days off.

- Radio is different. They moved my day to Tuesday, making that morning very busy, and there is a new host. It was a little awkward this morning when I went it, partially because we didn't know each other and partially because she was sick, but we soldiered on and I think it's going to be a good arrangement.

And I think that's about that. I'm sure there is more to be done. Or at least things I would like to do, such as shopping and getting a new notebook, but I think they'll have to wait until next month...

Really Bad Timing

2011-03-30T00:29:00.000-07:00

So, I get into work today after seven days off (five of which were spent oblivious to world news in Thailand), and discover that our first headline for the newscast is none other than textbooks in Japan. Apparently, 12 middle school textbooks have been approved with all of them saying Dokdo belongs to Japan and four of them going as far to say that Korea is illegally occupying the islands.

Really, Japan? You're going through your worst disaster ever, and you decide to come out with this zinger? I know that this has been a huge issue for years, and it seems like it's going to be one of those issues that will probably never get solved, but I would have thought they would have at least pushed things off for a little bit before starting in on something controversial. Especially with Korea sending a bunch of rescue teams and money to help rebuild the affected area. Of course, I'm not naive enough to think this would settle the deal and all the problems between Korea and Japan would magically be solved. But I had hoped that the peace would last a bit longer and possibly lead to some sort of improvement.

But instead, Japan says the books are approved and now Koreans are pissed off and saying they won't donate to relief aid anymore. Some are calling on the Red Cross to go in and make sure the funds that have already been sent are being used appropriately because they don't trust the Japanese government.

And now, the media is focused on the bickering and name-calling when it should be focused on the victims and getting Japan back on its feet. Oi, I'm definitely rolling my eyes at this one. Mostly because I don't understand the logic behind it. Why bring this up now? Wouldn't it have been better to just keep receiving the aid and let the peace last until things were mostly settled, then go back to being at each other's throats?

AWOL

2011-03-17T23:37:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not being around as of late. Ever since the disaster in Japan, work has been a bit overwhelming. Not to mention my new PT work is consuming a lot of my free time.

I've noticed a lot of posts on Facebook, Twitter and on the blogs about Japan. For the time being, I've refrained from commenting or re-tweeting or re-blogging. (I did, however, do up-to-date news clips on my Tumblr while I was working through the first few days of the disaster.) I don't like to sit and talk about what's going on outside of work. Some of my friends have questioned me a bit over my lack of response to the disaster.

I work in the news industry. Every day I go into work, I spend a good 8 hours looking at pictures, watching video footage, editing stories and keeping up with updates. I probably know much more about what's going on over there than most, mainly because it's my job to keep up with it. This weekend, I spent 22 hours doing this on Saturday and Sunday. My office watched in horror as the tsunami hit live on Friday.

I spend all day surrounded by what is happening in Japan, so forgive me if I don't want to talk about it when I get off work. It doesn't mean that I don't care. I do. But when you spend all day living, eating, breathing and dreaming something, you kind of don't want to spend your free time talking about it. Or posting about it on Facebook. You just want to relax and forget about the chaos going on in the world, just for a few hours.

So please don't interpret my lack of noise about Japan, both in person and online, as a lack of caring. I'd just rather spend my personal time talking about happier subjects...

May Have Bitten Off Too Much

2011-02-22T22:06:00.000-08:00

I am about to embark on a huge journalistic journey... an article on the history of rock music in Korea.

It sounded cool when I first starting thinking about it. But now that I'm getting into the pre-planning stage, it's looking like I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I didn't realize that there were so many different genres of rock music in Korea that each have their own unique history. Or that the history of the music itself is long and complicated...

Nevertheless, I will soldier on and hopefully get to a point where I can get everything together in a coherent plan. Right now I'm just researching what's available on the web, and hopefully soon my friend will help me out with some interviews. One will be with a guy who works in the industry and knows everything there is to know, and the other with one of the oldest rock bands in the country. I'm hoping my personal contacts will come through with an interview with another rock band that's been around awhile. I've also got someone in mind to talk to for a fan's perspective on rock music here, how it started and how it's changed over the years. I'm determined to find out if there really is a glass ceiling for rockers and why. Plus a bunch of other stuff along the way...

I just hope I don't end up overwhelmed... I really need to get my plan focused and less all over the place...

Work Bleh

2011-02-08T02:43:00.000-08:00

My job never ceases to amaze me.

A year and a half of working here and I still have to have the plagiarism talk? I don't care if it's one sentence. It's bad. Period. People get fired for that crap. And kicked out of school. Sheesh...

That talk is almost as annoying as the 'no editorializing' conversation. Some days I feel like I really need to host a Journalism 101 class for some people. The evening anchors know how things are done. The TJ does too. As do most of the senior reporters. I knew this stuff fresh out of college on my first reporting job at 22. Oi... What the hell is Korea teaching its journalists? And why would a global news department hire people with no experience and/or journalism degrees?

That said, I do like my job. Some days are just harder than others...

Happy News and Sad News

2011-01-26T00:20:00.000-08:00

So, we've gotten official word that Mom doesn't have tumors. When the doctors opened her head up, they discovered that the spots were actually damaged brain tissue. They took some samples and the first test came back as bacteria, meaning she has some sort of bacterial brain infection. They were supposed to get a full diagnosis and treatment on Tuesday their time, so hopefully tonight when I call, I can get some definite answers. One doctor thought it could be a type of E.Coli infection from bad sushi, but that theory was refuted by another doctor since Mom didn't really have any of the other symptoms. Plus, the last time she ate sushi was the Saturday after Thanksgiving with my sister and I. We all shared and ate from the same plate and neither my sister nor I got sick. (Unless colds about two to three weeks later count...)

For now, Mom's on two IV antibiotics to speed up the killing of the bacteria. She'll be on this treatment for about 5-6 weeks, but the doctors think she might be able to go home on Friday and continue the treatments from there. So, happy news! Mom is okay and nothing is life threatening. She did have some light brain damage (her left hand is slower than usual) but the doctors said it shouldn't get any worse now that she's on the antibiotics.

And now for the bad news...

Someone stole my iPhone in Hongdae Friday night. It was mostly my fault for leaving it unattended, but it still sucks. I went in Monday and got a temporary phone until my new iPhone comes in and left in tears after shelling out a ton of money to pay off the old phone and hearing how much it would be to get a new one and a new contract. Especially since I normally get paid at the end of the month, but Accounting is still tying up end-of-the-year stuff for the freelancers and we're not getting paid until the second week of February.

However, I've somehow managed to get everything covered without zeroing out my accounts. My friend is being super nice and letting me pay for half of the new phone now and half of it when I get paid. And I'll be able to eat for the next two weeks and go to my friend's going away party in Hongdae on Saturday. I'll be stuck at home for Lunar New Year (meaning: no crazy nights out or shopping trips or traveling) but I can handle that. It'll be a good chance to get the apartment spic and span. And maybe have some friends over for a cheap night in. Or get creative and figure out some fun things to do that don't cost anything. Not to mention I still have my emergencies only credit card, though I've got what I owe on it sitting low, and I'd rather not push it any higher.

And, I'm upgrading to an iPhone 4, getting a cheaper plan than I had before with unlimited internet, and I'm fully insured, so God forbid if something should happen to this phone, I'll only have to pay half of what I owe. And this one is costing me a little less than my 3GS a year ago.

So, everything is working out okay (as long as I get paid on time) and I can pick up my new phone tomorrow morning. I'm just hoping it doesn't take long and I'll have time to run home and upload everything onto it before I have to be at work...

Positivity

2011-01-19T21:39:00.000-08:00

I'm learning an amazing lesson in positive thinking and prayer.

My mom has, literally, thousands of people all over the world praying for her now, and we're seeing results. The doctors are completely baffled. Normally, when a person has multiple tumors in their brain, it's caused by cancer from another part of the body spreading up. They've done just about every type of scan and test possible, and they can't find any cancer or other tumors anywhere. Mom said today that one of her doctors admitted he hasn't seen anything like this before.

There is a slight chance that one of the scans missed something, but the doctors don't think so. They pumped her up with enough of whatever it is that makes cancer/tumors light up like a Christmas tree, and nothing. Everything is clean and normal.

They said it is possible for someone to have multiple benign tumors in their brain, they are just shocked to see it, since more times than not, multiple tumors turn out to be cancer from somewhere else.

So, we're staying positive and keeping up with our prayers. They've gotten us this far. The biopsy is on Friday, and Mom said since none of the tumors are close to the surface, they'll have to cut her open to do the procedure. Her doctor tried to find a way to not have to do it, but there wasn't an option. And he's being very careful. They did a procedure today where they lit up the tumors and vessels in her brain so that he would know where to cut and not cut. She's feeling lucky that when all is said and done, she'll most likely only lose a small square of hair on the lower left side of her hair, and not the whole thing.

After this, it's waiting. We won't know if the tumors are cancer for about three to five days. And then after that, it's treatment. Regardless of whether or not they're cancer, they have to come out since they are applying pressure to her brain. Mom thinks they might be able to get rid of them with radiation lasers and not have to cut back into her head.

My sister and I have told her that we're so positive this thing is benign that we're not planning on coming, because it won't be serious enough that we need to be there. Mom is going to beat this. I know it. I finally have that 100% conviction.

A Day at a Time

2011-01-18T21:01:00.001-08:00

I still can't believe it was just yesterday that my Dad called and told me the news. Nothing will stop your heart like the words "They found some tumors in your mom's brain."

We've all seen the soaps and movies and TV shows where someone has a brain tumor and they die tragically young. You always hear about your friend's friend or your parents' friends' mom, or whoever that had a tumor or cancer. You never think that it will happen to you. That sort of thing only happens on TV or to someone else that you don't really know.

But right now, it's happening to us. My family. My mom. Four tumors. In her brain. She's only 44.

And the worst part is I'm halfway across the world. I can't be there by her side while she's going through the tests and the scans and the biopsy. I asked her if she wanted me to come. She said not yet. She wanted me to wait until we found out what we are dealing with. She says not to worry. She'll be fine and we'll get through this. And then she says that she keeps going from sad to angry to guilty that my dad, brother, sister and I have to go through this. And then she's defiant. Determined that nothing will get her down.

I wish I could be that strong. I wish I could say, with 100 percent conviction, everything is going to be okay. Those tumors are not cancer. They'll just remove them and everything will be okay.

I do say that everything will be okay, but I worry and I doubt. I sit in my room and cry because for the first time in my young life, I'm facing the possibility that I could lose my Mom. We all know that at some point in our lives, we will come to this moment. But normally it comes when we're all old and gray. Not now.

But all I can do is just pray and think positive. Maybe if I act like I believe everything will be okay, I really will start believing it. I have to be strong for my family. For my Mom. We've been praying non-stop since we found out and we have gotten good news. There are no other tumors in her body, which makes it seem more like the ones in her brain are benign. We're still waiting on more tests and results, but we're taking it one day at a time and one victory at a time.

We'll get through this. And Mom will be fine. It's just the journey is a little scary along the way.

The Weight Issue

2011-01-13T07:16:00.000-08:00

I remember thinking before I moved to Korea that if I could just fit into a size 9 again, I would be happy.

At that time, I was a size 12 and weighed 150 pounds. I hadn't been anything under a size 10 for a good five or so years. I had a couple months when I was down to 140 pounds, which I thought was great, but I was soon right back up to 150, since I can't ever seem to keep weight off.

So, you can imagine my surprise and happiness when I dropped 30 pounds over my first two years in Korea. I'll be the first to admit that a lot of that weight came off in some unhealthy ways. Stress and a mild case of depression were not my best friends. But I was elated to fit in a size 9, and then 8 and then 5, and 4 and then 2, and even when I went back up to 4. I'm at a healthy 130 pounds now.

But I can tell that living in Korea is wearing on me. I'm constantly surrounded by tiny little girls who are a size that I will never be. I should be happy with where I am right now. I haven't been this size since high school. But instead, all I think about is how if I just dropped five more pounds I would be under 130 and my favorite wool mini skirt would fit a little better. And that I would look a little bit better. Doesn't help that some of my Korean girlfriends point out that I've put on a little weight. Or that I'm dating an incredibly good-looking guy that I want to look good next to.

I know it's ridiculous. I know that I should be happy with where I am. In the US, I'm slender. When I went home, my old friends and my family said I looked great. But now that I'm back here, I keep chasing those elusive five pounds. It's exhausting. I try not to snack or drink soda or eat hamburgers, but when I slip up, I punish myself by staring at the scale and berating myself. Even today, I swore that I wasn't going to snack when I got home from work since you aren't supposed to eat after 10 pm and what did I do? I made a caesar salad. And I still want to snack.

I hate that Korea has done this to me. Made me so obsessed with my weight and how I look. I've never been like this before, even when I was larger. But I've decided to make the best of it. Maybe this time, if I really want to lose weight, I can take the opportunity to actually do it the healthy way and try to get myself into better shape. I've decided on Monday I'm starting a new healthy eating routine. And starting today, I got up 30 minutes early and did some pilates. I've decided it's high time I started taking better care of myself. And hopefully I'll stick to it. We'll see.

But man, I wish I could go back to the days when I was thrilled to be a size 9... And not freaking out if I reach 135...

Busy, Busy

2011-01-05T04:13:00.000-08:00

Back at work for the week and I'm feeling much better, albeit, a tad bit drowsy from the meds. I only had a couple flubs, so I consider it an okay start. But what I'm really looking forward to is this weekend. I got my first assignment from an expat magazine for the February issue and I'm thrilled to get started on it. Apparently they needed more music writers and a couple co-workers of mine that did some work for the magazine passed on my info to the music editor, and viola! My big magazine debut.

I pitched the idea of doing a feature on a little live music spot called 빵 for the music issue in March, but the editor asked if I could get it done for the February issue instead. This is fine with me, however, the deadline is next Saturday (Jan.15) which means I have to do all the work this weekend. Thank goodness it fell on my weekend off, otherwise I don't think I could get it done. Especially since the show starts early, around 7 pm, which is normally right in the middle of my work shift.

So, Friday night, I'm heading over to take pictures and hopefully interview the manager and a couple of spectators. The only thing is, I'll be missing my roommate's birthday party. I feel bad about this, but at the same time, she only mentioned it was her birthday after I had said I was planning to go to Hongdae Friday night. Plus, she said she had no plans yet. And this is a work thing, even though I don't get paid for writing the article.

I haven't told her yet, since everything just worked itself out in the last three or four hours while I was at the office, but I'll have to tonight. Or whenever she finally tells me what her plans are. I could possibly start out in Hongdae and then go wherever her party is after the show ends around 10pm, but I kind of want to stay in Hongdae and check out whatever bands are playing at the clubs that night since I've been out of indie loop for a bit and need to get back in if I'm going to be covering the scene.

We'll see what happens. I'm also on a kick to try and watch my spending this month since I'm 100% I'll get paid on time. It always happens at the beginning of the year with all the year-end freelancer tax stuff getting in the way...

Sickness... How I Hate it...

2011-01-04T03:41:00.000-08:00

So, been stuck in bed for two days. I woke up yesterday with a sore throat. I was hoping it would just go away and not turn into an upper respiratory infection (of which a sore throat the day before is always a precursor). Fortunately, it didn't turn into an infection, but according to the doctor, it is a cold. I think I was knocked out today mostly because of the meds and less because of the cold. He gave me heavy duty cough meds, since that's what is causing my sore throat (even though the cough came later) so I could sleep through the night. And heavy duty decongestants. Put them both together, and I'm more or less a zombie. Luckily, during the day I only take one cough pill twice a day instead of the two at night, and he said I could skip the decongestant if I need to drive or do any other activity that requires staying alert. (Does editing fall in this category?)

Hopefully, I'll be in good shape in three days or so. I'll probably sound like a frog on tomorrow's radio show, but oh well. I have tea at work to help my throat and I'll probably bring a giant mug-ful with me to get through the show. I suppose it's a good thing I got sick while my boyfriend is out of town. He's got a big show opening up later this month and him catching my cold would not be good for his rehearsal schedule...

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T01:20:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've decided that I'm going to get 2011 started off right. Lots of potential for this year. I'm in a new relationship with a really sweet guy. And I've got a great idea for a novel/screenplay. And a wonderful group of new and old friends to keep things interesting. So there is no excuse for this year to not be exciting.

Some of my goals that I've decided on:

1. Complete writing on my new manuscript that I've been talking about for AGES.

2. Try to get my room organized. (Trust me, this is a MAMMOTH undertaking...)

3. Make healthier decisions and try to get back into shape (which I probably haven't been in since high school...).

4. Make this relationship work. I see huge potential. ^_^

5. Travel more.

6. Enjoy more of Seoul than just the nightlife.

So, I'm hoping that I can keep up with these things. I tend to not make resolutions since nine times out of ten I end up breaking them, but I think these are manageable. So, here's to a wonderful 2011!!

Christmas is Always Crazy

2010-12-22T03:03:00.000-08:00

As usual, I've stuffed my Christmas holiday with tons of stuff, half of which requires prior preparation. And, of course, I'm working like crazy up until tomorrow.

Roomie and I have decided to have a small get together on Christmas Day at our place. It's nothing huge; just her, her boyfriend, our friend, me and the guy I'm dating. Another friend of mine might stop by for a bit before going out clubbing. We're just planning to have Christmas-y cocktails, with cookies, pie and maybe some cake and watch movies. Not a whole lot of prep, just a trip to Costco and picking up/cleaning the living room/kitchen. However, we've planned to do this Friday morning and afternoon, which will kind of cramp what I had already planned for Friday.

Friday night, I'm covering two concerts for the website, starting at 7ish. Before that, I had planned to go to the laundry mat (which will take about an hour to an hour and a half), go get the rest of Roomie and Best Friend's Christmas presents and go buy The Boy's present (two stops, but they are both in the same area). But now, we're planning to get to Costco around 10 am when it opens, then cleaning when we get back. I don't foresee Costco and cleaning taking too long (maybe 1-1.5 hours for Costco, an hour at most for cleaning) but I can't be absolutely sure that it won't take all morning and afternoon.

Which means, I now have to fit in what I planned to do on Friday sometime tomorrow, just to make sure it all gets done. Plus, I should probably pick up my bedroom a little, since I'll be embarrassed as hell if anyone peeks in there during our party. (It's pretty messy...)

So, my new schedule...

Tomorrow, I have to get up early and go take care of the Christmas presents before I go meet my friend for lunch at 12pm and then go to work. Tonight and tomorrow night, I'm going to work on picking up my room. (Half of which is just dirty clothes on the floor.) Tomorrow night, as soon as I get back from work, I have to go to the laundry mat. Since I get home at 11 pm, there is a high chance the buses will no longer be running when I finish, so I'll either have to walk 20 minutes back home or try to catch a cab back.

I might try picking up the living room and kitchen a bit now and then go do laundry on Friday. Honestly, with two of us, the cleaning shouldn't take longer than 30 minutes, but there is always the possibility it could take longer... And a HUGE possibility we'll be at Costco for a long time, since Roomie's boyfriend is going with us to do some shopping as well.

I'm planning to talk to Roomie tonight about how long everything will take on Friday, because honestly, I really need to do laundry and I don't want to have to do it late tomorrow night. Especially since I can't remember if the laundry mat is 24-hour or how late it stays open if it isn't...

Bleh, I'll just be happy when I can sleep in and rest (Saturday morning). Isn't that what holidays are supposed to be about? Thank goodness our party on Saturday night is all about comfort...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-12-16T01:35:00.000-08:00

And feel like it too. The last two days have been below freezing most of the day. I lose the feeling in my toes on the way to and from the office...

But anyway, I was told today that the morning news show found another replacement for the weather girl, so I'm no longer filling in for her. She told me is that the TJ-nim and producer found someone on their own. But a friend told me they actually hired someone to replace the current weather girl last week and had been training her, then told the current girl two days ago that they're letting her go. I really think my company is sometimes sneaky-sneaky, and not in a good way. *knock on wood* Makes you want to refrain from any vacations for awhile...

Anyway, while I was kind of looking forward to doing the weather live, it's kind of nice that I'll have all day Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off so I can enjoy my holiday. Plus, I can go to the 2AM concert on Dec. 26 and not worry about having to get up at 4 am the next day for work (or at all, actually, since I now have that whole day off, too). I haven't told my TJ about it, out of fear that she'll ask me to come in and do morning editing since I won't be on TV. I know that I can always say 'no', but since I don't officially have anything planned during that time, I would probably end up saying 'yes'. (Remember... sneaky-sneaky...) And I'd rather sleep in than make extra money that they probably wouldn't pay me until February...

So, while I was looking forward to advancing my savings, I'm just going to enjoy the time off instead. And for now, I'm focasing on figuring out what to get my friends for Christmas. I think I've got my roommate's stocking figured out, and another friend that just moved here. But I'm having a hard time with my best friend... Maybe a new iPhone cover?? Ugh. I might just revert to cute jewelry...

Birthday Madness

2010-12-08T23:02:00.000-08:00

I do believe that December is the month of birthdays and other party nonsense. Of the group of people that I consider good friends, seven have December birthdays (including myself), and at least two in my extended friend group. And four of us are hosting birthday parties in the next two weekends on top of a couple year-end and going away parties spread throughout the month, and the JYP Nation concert... Ugh... between work and my personal life, I think I'm going to start the New Year off dead...

Holidays Are Meant to be Crazy

2010-12-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

I finally got my December work schedule nailed down, and the week of Christmas is looking a bit crazy. But I suppose it's okay since holidays are supposed to be crazy, and I'll be making extra money.

For about three weeks I'm covering the morning editing shift on Mondays and Fridays starting today. Unfortunately, I was already scheduled to do the evening shift, which means a 12-hour day with a tw0-hour break in between. I'll only have one other double shift day on the 17th, so this arrangement isn't too bad, other then I'll be coming in three times on my day off for three hours.

The real kicker will start on Dec. 24. I've agreed to cover for the morning weather girl for about two weeks while she goes on vacation. This means from Dec. 24- Jan. 7, I'll be coming into the office at 5:30 in the morning to write my script, do hair and make-up and then give two live weather reports for our morning broadcast. Which means during the first week, I'll be working 5:30 am to 10 pm with a two-hour break for three days, and the second for two days. That equals to five 14-hour days in two weeks.

I'm staying positive and trying not to let myself get overwhelmed three weeks before I even do anything. I get Christmas Day off. I get to go to a JYP concert for free on Christmas Eve. (Technically, I'll be working at it, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it at the same time.) And it's extra money that I can put towards a number of things. A new camera. Or a new net book and external hard drive since I'm terrified my lap top could die any day now from old age. (It's working fine, a little slow, but okay.) Or a vacation. There is a possibility I could lose my Thursday morning appointment forever, but we'll see.

So, in short, my motto for this month is: Stay positive. I'm getting a fun opportunity to do live TV that I wouldn't get anywhere else. And I already had one person recognize me from doing the evening weather for a week. Maybe I'll get more from this. ^_^

Back in Seoul

2010-12-01T22:57:00.000-08:00

So, I'm back in Seoul and back to work. Going home for a week and a half really re-energized me and helped me get my center back. Work is going along much more smoothly and I'm not so cranky anymore. Also, I'm hoping this going to bed early and getting up at 6:30 am thing continues (jet lag, gotta love it). I was very productive this morning and washed all the the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Normally, this isn't much of an undertaking, but my roommate didn't really do dishes (at all) while I was gone and there was quite a mess greeting me when I walked in last night. She did say she would do them, but I wanted to cook this morning and to do so, I needed access to the stove, which meant washing dishes...

But back to my trip...

I spent most of my time with my parents, sister and little brother, but I got to see extended family on Thanksgiving and some old friends from college. I also went down to Chandler and saw my old high school teacher that I haven't seen in about five or so years. She was excited to see me and I ended up doing an improv lecture/Q&A on living in South Korea. It was fun and the kids asked some good questions. And, not gonna lie, it was cool being treated a little bit like a rock star. My teacher kept mentioning that I, too, was a Chandler grad and proof that Chandler grads can get out of Oklahoma and do great things (not sure how great editing is, but I let her run with it).

But more than anything, I hope I was able to spark an interest in some of the kids in exploring the world a bit more. So many people from Chandler end up never leaving Oklahoma and getting married and having kids right after school without going out and trying new things. So, I hoped that talking about my job and experiences showed them that they have access to a whole world of opportunities. A bunch of them had more questions about what kind of jobs you could have in Korea and what you should study in college to do them, so I think I encouraged a few. ^_^

We also did a family photoshoot. Here are some of my favorites!

Bombs Over... Northern South Korea?

2010-11-23T05:57:00.001-08:00

So, I'm home in the States and pretty much the leading story on all the news channels is North Korea shooting artillery at an island in South Korean territory. People were injured, fire was exchanged. Watching from a distance, I'm scared. But at the same time, I'm wondering if the conclusions the American news channels are jumping to are right or over-exaggerations. Or if I've lived in Korea for so long that I've become complacent.

Most of my friends in Seoul have been on Facebook saying things are fine and not to worry. A couple are freaking out thinking that war is about to start. I'm of the mind that the US and ROK are not going to do anything military-wise since neither really wants to go to war at the moment and risk losing everything South Korea has built up. But from this incident and the Cheonan incident, I think we can safely bet that you cannot predict what North Korea will do. And I can't even begin to guess why on earth they've suddenly decided to be so aggressive.

So, I'm hoping that I can get back to Seoul safely, and that my parents don't freak out too bad. But a part of me is silently sad that I'm missing all the excitement... Silly, I know. But it's the journalist side of me...

Home Sweet Home

2010-11-22T10:33:00.000-08:00

I'm home in Oklahoma.

I love it.

But it's still odd to be surrounded by a bunch of people who speak English and be able to read everything in the grocery.

I still love it.

Leaving On A Jet Plane!

2010-11-17T00:11:00.001-08:00

But I do actually know when I'll be back again. December 1st, to be exact.

I'm so ready for this trip home. It finally hit me today that I will be seeing my family for the first time in two years in just two (really want them to be short, but will probably be long) days. And I'm feeling quite accomplished, since my list of things to do before I leave is quickly disappearing. The cable company is coming tomorrow morning. I got my presents purchased yesterday. With the help of my fan, my clothes should be dried and ready to pack by tonight, and I bucked up and called YG today. However, can't cross that off yet, since I'm now waiting on a response, but hopefully I'll get one before I leave for the US. Crap. Probably should have mentioned that on the phone today... I'll call again tomorrow if I don't hear anything...

All that is left to do is to buy some makgeolli, soju and maewasu to take home so that my family can try some traditional Korean alcohol. (Can do after work.) Pack. (Again, after work.) And pay rent. (Can do anytime before Friday.)

I did tell a friend that I would go out with her Thursday night, stay at her place and leave for the airport from there, but after some thinking I've decided not to. First of all, I would have to take my stuff to work with me and then go up to her place. I live in Gunja on the northeast side of the city. I work in Seocho on the south-central side. She lives in Eedae on the northwest side. I have a really large suitcase that I do not want to drag around the city because I'm too cheap to use taxis.

Secondly, I'm running out of money alloted for spending in Korea.

Thirdly, while my flight isn't until 11 am, I really don't want to stay up late or drink the night before I'm supposed to leave. I don't want to miss my flight (since I'll have to leave for the airport by 7:30ish) and I really don't want to uber tired and hungover while traveling for nearly 24 hours. I have an insane amount of transfers to make, which will require me to be alert. Don't believe me?

11 am- Leave Seoul

1:20 pm- Arrive in Tokyo

3:30 pm- Leave Tokyo

7:30 am- Arrive in Portland

1:15 pm- Leave Portland

4 pm- Arrive in Salt Lake City

7:54 pm- Leave Salt Lake City

11:17 pm- Arrive in Tulsa

I feel tired just looking at that...

It's... Over...

2010-11-12T00:59:00.000-08:00

The G20 is officially over. *Cue confetti and ticker tape parade*

Well, it's not quite over for us here at work. There are still three more newscasts to go before the end of my shift, which at the moment consists of:

- Two packages (2-3 minutes long)

- 4-6 B-rolls (30-50 seconds)

Today is definitely way more low key than yesterday and the day before. No more reporters running around like chickens with their heads cut off or Boss Lady yelling. Even though we're still reporting, things are calm. Probably because there won't really be any fresh news from now on with all the meetings and such over with. We'll just be re-reporting all the news we put out throughout the day. Thus why I have the time to write this blog.

I'm so ready for this to be over. I really would love to just go home and sleep after work, but I've already promised a couple co-workers that we would go get a couple beers after work to celebrate the end of the G20... bleh...

Hwighting!

2010-11-09T23:05:00.000-08:00

I think I can physically see the stress permeating the office today. I even had a freak-out moment myself when I got in at 2:06 pm and realized that there is a broadcast at 3pm (once again, no one told me the on-the-hour newscasts started at 3). Luckily, most of the b-rolls for the bulletins are rolling over to the next broadcast, but I've been getting so many random calls to look at packages for today and tomorrow that I'm afraid to leave my desk since there is no telling when the next call might come. Especially since they aren't putting up the cue sheets until an hour before broadcast and I'm not sure what to expect.

Which means I don't know when or if I'm getting dinner tonight. I'll probably have one of the reporters call down to the cafe and order me a sandwich to bring up, if they have a free minute (which most don't). Oi, the stress! I'm so ready for the G20 to be over.

And for the delivery guy to drop off my package from G-Market with my new sweaters... that is if I can find a kind soul to call and speak to him in Korean... I hate having a low Korean speaking and listening ability...

G20... I love you, but I hate you...

2010-11-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

Is it bad that the G20 hasn't even started yet and I'm already feeling the drain? I'm about to start a baek won collection for every time a reporter uses the word 'cooperation'. It's already messing with my super editor skills (*hint* sarcasm).

All I know is, I'm so looking forward to my trip home to the States for Thanksgiving... seriously...

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T04:08:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween this weekend. Mine was fun, though not what I expected. I went to a party hosted by someone at the US embassy, which turned out to be more fun than I thought it would be and then headed up to Hongdae to meet up with some friends. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a hold of the people I wanted to meet and ended up hanging out with a friend I hadn't seen in awhile. Somehow in the mix we both lost the people we had originally came to Hongdae with and just hung out alone. I kind of wish we had stuck with the group or stayed at the first party, but oh well. ^_^

The highlight of my night was winning best costume for my 1940s pin-up girl at the first party. I think I had one of the few costumes made by hand and since it was a pain in the neck for a few weeks, I really appreciated the award. It also sparked a new fascination with the 40s retro style and makes me wish I could go shopping for a new wardrobe, but we'll see. ^_^

And here's a picture of my fun costume along with my friend, the Lumberjack.

And now that Halloween is over, I have a crazy couple weeks ahead. Between the G20 and getting ready for my Thanksgiving trip, there is so much to get done. But knowing me, somehow it will all get taken care of one way or another. It just sucks that I have to work so much. But more work = more money, so I should just hush up. Especially since my co-worker was kind enough to agree to work 12 days straight so I can go visit my family...

G20 or Full Moon?

2010-10-28T03:51:00.001-07:00

I think the G20 has the same effect as a full moon on my office today. While filming some promos for our G20 coverage, I noticed PD-nim (who is normally a very serious person) stroking a furry mic cover like an animal. I asked him if it was a dog, and he promptly responded, "No. Cat." (It did kind of look like a Persian...)

He then proceeded to put it on his head like some sort of 80s hair band wig.

And prior to all this, the evening anchor began dancing down the aisle of the office while practicing her lines for the promo, then suggesting to TJ-nim that we put that in the promo to get attention...

I don't know what's going on around here, but I wish it would happen more often...

G20 and Other Things

2010-10-28T01:09:00.000-07:00

Halloween is almost here!

But that's not the point of this post...

More importantly, the G20 is almost here!!

That, I am looking forward to. Partially because work will seem so busy that those two days will fly right on by, and partially because it's going to make for some interesting news with all those world leaders here. And I feel kind of special working at a news company and being in Seoul for such a huge global event. (Maybe I am turning into a news nerd...) I hope that it can help Korea step up a few notches on the international stage, but really, who knows. I've heard foreigners talk about Seoul not being ready for it, but one thing I love about Korea is its ability to surprise you. So, I'm going to keep a positive outlook for the G20. Even though the US Embassy sent me an email today warning about possible 'violent' demonstrations...

And after the G20 is said and done, I'm off to home sweet home. I'm really looking forward to my Thanksgiving trip, though I hope I've saved up enough money for it. I keep making lists of things I want to get while I'm there and I'm terrified of over-spending. Though I suppose if it comes down to it, I'm just going to have to cut some things off my list. (Or limit the candy for the office to just 2 bags...)

But I do seriously want to stock up on OTC meds like giant bottles of Advil and other stuff that's hard to get here. (Ladies, you know what I'm talking about...) And maybe get some chili seasoning and Ranch dressing packets. I suppose my list of 'American things' will probably have to wait until I'm walking through Wal-Mart or Target because at the moment, I just can't think of stuff that I can't get here. Probably because I've gone so long without it...

Methinks I'm going to have to take my largest suitcase...

Without Fail

2010-10-24T04:13:00.000-07:00

Here we are, six days before Halloween festivities, and I'm coming down with a cold. It never fails that something unfortunate always pops up before Halloween or my birthday. Last year I almost broke my nose the night before Halloween. One year I got really sick and almost couldn't go out. Another year I really was so sick that I didn't go out. (I had a costume and everything...) And this year. I now have a scratchy throat and my nose is stuffy. Thank goodness I have Monday and Tuesday off so I can rest up and get back to healthy so I can fully enjoy my Halloween parties. Oh, and finish my costume... That would be a good thing...

In other news, I've gone and started yet another blog on Tumblr. I admit, I only signed up because there are several blogs over there that I want to follow. But then I had this crazy idea that maybe I could turn it into a commentary on Korean music, movies and general entertainment. There is always something going on over here, it seems, and I always have an opinion. So, if you're curious, go check it out ---> http://emzkal.tumblr.com/ I only have two posts up right now, but I'm having fun with it. I'll never run out of topics.

Oh and a puppy update! Cheech is finally settling down and not dragging me around the neighborhood anymore. Our walks are becoming more enjoyable. Except for when I have to walk him in the morning and I haven't had my coffee yet... Yea, that's not fun. But luckily I don't have to do it very often...

Life with a Big Dog in the City

2010-10-19T01:10:00.000-07:00

I am totally a dog person. Always have been, always will be. And you can imagine my joy when my current roommate and I decided to move in together along with her adorable chou-chou puppy, Cheech. I had been wanting a dog for all three years that I lived in Seoul, but couldn't really handle it with my schedule.

I did think about it seriously. I knew that since I would be home during the mornings, it would fall upon me to walk Cheech in the early afternoon before heading out to work, and make sure he is fed and watered and give him love and attention on my days off while I'm at home and she's at work. But, sheesh, this turning out to be a bit more than I expected.

Playing with him- under control. He's a very mild-mannered dog and easy to play with, so if I need time to work on stuff, I can shut my bedroom door for a couple hours and he's happy and calm. No scratching, whining or barking to get in. He's kind of like a giant teddy bear. Watering and feeding is fine too. But walking. Holy wow.

Even though Cheech is still a puppy, he's about 6 months old, which makes him almost full grown. And chou-chous are fairly large and powerful. I've walked him before when my roommate lived in her old apartment, but he was used to the area and pulled very minimally against the leash. Not to mention, she lived near a good-sized park, so it didn't matter where he pooed or peed. But now, we're no where near a park and Cheech is still getting used to the neighborhood. Meaning- he pulls against the leash like nothing else and I've got blisters forming after two days of one 15-minute walk a day.

While he is well behaved around people and especially kids, it's super aggravating walking him while he's investigating every single smell on the street. Half the time, he's walking me, and half the time I'm dragging him away from something. I do stop every so often to give him some time to investigate, because if I don't, he digs his claws in and refuses to budge. Not to mention, I can tell his collar is half gagging him and I feel bad. But I know that I have to be firm with holding him in check, otherwise, he'll never learn to properly walk on a leash.

And although my roommate says it's okay to not pick up the poo here, I beg to differ. People don't mind little dog poo on the street, but they mind big dog poo. We got lucky no one was around yesterday when he pooed, but today I got yelled at, so next time I have the icky job of cleaning up big dog poo off the street. Especially since he likes to poo in front of restaurants. And I always felt a little strange just leaving it there for someone else to pick up.

But it's still tiring. When I thought about getting a dog before, I thought about a nice little pug, which is more suitable for apartment life than a chou-chou. But my roommate had to go and get Goliath instead. We've discussed the possibility of getting another, small dog for me to take care of once Cheech is acclimated, but I'm thinking that's not such a good idea.

That said, I love my roommate and I love Cheech. Inside the apartment he's a perfect angel. Quiet, well-behaved. He doesn't chew on things or jump on people. He likes to cuddle (or occasionally sit on me). He does shed like no tomorrow, which I'll have to get used to. But I did once own a cat, so it's nothing new. But oi vey, I wish I didn't have to walk him during the day for a couple weeks until he gets used to the area.

So, note to future dog owners out there who live in cities, choose a small dog. They're so much easier to handle on a leash. And I kind of feel bad for big dogs. They love to be outside often and poor Cheech is locked up inside for most of the day with both of us working full-time...

I Need to Study Korean More

2010-09-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

I seriously wish I could magically speak Korean fluently.

I spent a cumulative 9 months studying, and I was actually getting somewhere, but then I got so busy that I couldn't keep up with it. And now that it's been a few months since I last studied, I can definitely tell that I've forgotten a lot. Back then, I was close to being able to complete a basic conversation, and now I'm back to totally lost.

More than anything, it's frustrating that I can't do things on my own here. If I could speak Korean fluently, I could call and book the moving company or call my landlady on my own. I wouldn't have to bug my friends to do everything for me.

I really, really want to get better at Korean. But it's going to take a lot of time and energy. I studied Spanish for five years and I can barely speak a word of it, so I hoping that I have better luck with Korean. Sometimes I feel like I'm really stupid when it comes to languages, which is super frustrating. It doesn't help that I constantly get 'But you've been here for three years. Why don't you speak Korean more?'

So, my goal for this year... Study Korean and become semi-fluent. I think I can do it...

We're Moving In!

2010-09-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

The lease is signed and the deposit put down.

That's right, we're finally moving in to our brand new apartment.

We went in to take a second look at the apartment yesterday with New Roomie's boyfriend and he deemed it wonderful. So then we headed down to the real estate agent's office to sign all the lease papers and hand over the first month's rent. Our landlord seems nice enough, but he stressed that we need to pay on time each month and he likes a quiet building. I guess that means no housewarming party. Or maybe we'll just do a really small one with close friends only. I've already hosted two, so it's not a big deal to skip out on one for this place. Besides, as of move-in day, we only have the one couch, so not much room for people to sit just yet.

Anyway, we move in on Sunday, which leaves Friday to call the moving company, cable company and figure out how to get rid of my old couch. Sounds simple enough, it's not really. And I need to tell my landlady that we're leaving on the 26th, so I can get my deposit money back for the new place.

So, life is a little hectic now with all the packing and calling and everything that needs to get done. But at least I know that on Sunday night, I'll be cuddled up in my bed in my new room. I'm just hoping that I can get out of the old place and into the new with relative ease. We'll see how that goes with a pissed off Old Roomie (not my fault she took off to Taiwan without telling me and now she has less than a day to pack up and move...) and a slightly damaged old apartment that I'm leaving behind. Yeesh... I've got a ton of cleaning to do the next couple of days...

Light at the End of the Tunnel

2010-09-15T04:59:00.000-07:00

I think we’re finally nearing the end of the apartment quest. We went to look at five places yesterday in our primary location and were pleasantly surprised. None were like the apartment I looked at over the weekend which seemed perfect but was too expensive (and I think someone else signed on it… if I understood the agent correctly) but I think we’ve found one that we can call home.

The first four were all in Gunja-dong in between Gunja Station and Children’s Grand Park Station. They were all great location-wise, being within a 5 to 10 minute walk to my roommate’s university, the park (for walking the dog) and the subway station for my commute. However, they weren’t quite right in regards to quality and size. They were all two-rooms, but either the living room wasn’t the right size or shape or one of the rooms wasn’t big enough, or the washing machine was in the bathroom or the inside was just old and couldn’t be touched up. But pricing had a good range from cheap to slightly over our limit.

By the time we were pulling up to the last building, we had decided that while we didn’t like any of the apartments enough to sign a lease, we did like our agent and felt she was working very hard for us. And then we noticed the building we had pulled up to. The first thing we noticed about the last apartment was that it was a bit farther away. It’s located in Junggok-dong, which is a little north of Gunja Station, almost closer to Junggok Station. Still, it’s only about a 10 or so minute walk to Gunja subway station, 15-20 minute walk from the university and park, and there are several buses that pick up just down the street that run to the university and to subway Line 2 (Konkuk University where I live now).

The building is fairly new with a clothing store on the first floor. The apartment was on the fourth floor and had one of those nifty camera/doorbell combos. The door to the building also had a keypad entry. When we stepped into the apartment, the first thing we noticed was light. Lots of light. There were two big windows in the kitchen/living room area and each bedroom had a giant window. There were no buildings tall enough to obstruct the view, so one side of the apartment has a gorgeous look of Acha Mountain and sunlight fills the entire apartment. And it’s new. Completely new. No one has lived there new. We loved the windows and the layout, especially that the washing machine has its own little cubby hole. The bathroom is a good size with room for us to put up a partition between the shower and sink. And both bedrooms are large enough for queen beds, our clothing racks and a desk.

We loved it. The location wasn’t perfect, but we’ve been looking so long, that we both decided it would be worth it to live a little farther out if we could have a new apartment, for less money, with a quiet neighborhood.

We’re negotiating to see if we can get the deposit lowered for a higher rent. My roommate’s boyfriend should be taking care of that, so for now, I can just sit back and wait. It’s kind of nice to just focus on packing and such without having to run off to real estate appointments every morning. Hopefully things get worked out soon. I’d like to get a move-in day settled as soon as possible. At least before someone takes this apartment, too.

Why Work is Frustrating

2010-09-10T04:59:00.000-07:00

I came to the sudden and unsuspected realization yesterday that I actually really care about my job.

I say unexpected because I've always told myself that while I take my job seriously, it is not something that I want to do forever. In fact, it's more like what I do now just to get experience in broadcasting and pay the bills. I've always tried to do well, but I didn't really care to really excel in copy-editing.

But I've noticed that over the past few months, I've become more vocal. Instead of just quietly editing things and not making too many changes to articles, I've begun tearing chunks apart, rewriting and really fact-checking.

On the one hand, I feel like I'm really doing something to improve the quality of the news that goes out on air. On the other hand, work is a bit more tiring and stressful. I spend about 10 to 15 minutes per story on average, if it's a story that has a familiar background or if it's relatively well written. However, a few reporters seem to have gotten a little bit, shall we say, lazy over the summer. And we've been getting into arguments a lot the last few months over facts, grammar, leads and story angles.

Some of the reporters that I've previously had great working relationships with seem to doubt me when I say that I think something is wrong with what they wrote. Half the time, I'm just asking them to double check something because I think it sounds wrong, but I can't read the Korean sources. The other half of the time, I know it's wrong because it's a story/grammar rule/AP style rule that I'm familiar with.

I hate arguing with my co-workers over things like why crazy pastor wanted to set Qurans on fire or whether Joe Lieberman is a Democrat or an Independent. I hate confronting reporters who have been writing for years over unintelligible articles. But at the same time, I don't want low quality stuff going out on air. I want our watchers to understand. And it would be nice if foreigners in Korea would turn to our news program for all the latest news.

I know most of my expat friends make fun of the TV channel I work for. At times, I've made fun of it. Heck, pretty much all of my co-workers and I have talked about much of a joke it is at one point in time over the last year I've worked here. But recently, a good chunk of us have actually starting caring enough about it to try and make some positive changes in quality. I know we can't become CNN overnight. But, hey, as long as we try as least we'll be satisfied with the work we do, right?

A Rainy Day in Seoul

2010-08-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

What's going on in Seoul, you ask? Here is my answer...

Apartment:

So, unfortunately my new roommate ended up canceling our adventures in real estate land without a translator. I ended up going out with my current roommate as a translator for about an hour, but didn’t find anything. All the 2BR apartments in the Kondae area were too small and overpriced. One place that I looked at might have worked size-wise, but it was 2.8 million won per month, which is way out of our price range. Plus, it was old.

But there is a silver lining. New Roommate is going back to the first area we looked, Gunja, today with her boyfriend to check out apartments. And I’m planning to look around Children’s Grand Park this week as well. We figured that if we split up and then passed on the apartments we like to the other, we’ll get more ground covered and have a better idea of the apartments in the area. I’m confident we’ll find something soon and get settled in. I’m already starting to mentally plan how I want to decorate my room. (Crazy, I know. Me decorating… insane…)

Visa Renewal:

I’m FINALLY getting the documents for my visa. After another week of my boss telling me, “Oh, right. We’ll talk about that later,” I finally navigated through the Korean version of the web site explaining how to renew an E7 visa. I printed it off and highlighted the documents the secretary needed to get and handed it to her, motioning at her so that she understand that she needed to get those documents and give them to me. There are a couple of documents that I’ll get, but once she hands over her documents (which should take one maybe two days tops to gather) I’m off to immigration for a 30-minute appointment to get my ARC stamped and hand over my passport for a couple weeks. During which time, my new visa will be stamped in and my passport will be returned and I’m good for one more year in Korea.

Work (or Overwork):

I am currently in the eighth day of a (hopefully) 12-day run at work. I was told on Monday that someone would be starting next Monday to fill the open editor position and I’m hoping this is correct. Otherwise, I’m not sure how many days in a row I’ll be working. It’s more money, yes, but it’s hard to stay positive and sharp when you have no day off to look forward to. Not to mention I’ve been filling up the hours before work with real estate appointments and lunch dates and not sleeping well at night. Oi… I seriously need sleep… and some time to spend getting a few drinks with my friends. Life is too tense right now and I need some relaxation.

Fun Interviews:

Sadly, I’m not sure if I’m still getting my band interviews that I was promised. Band Friend with all the contacts had a falling out with my other friend and now I have no way to contact Band Friend since Other Friend was my link (I don't have Band Friend's phone number). Not to mention, Other Friend was going to be the translator for the interviews and Band Friend now wants to have nothing to do with her. I still don’t understand what the conflict was, but I’m sad that this means no interview with Guckkasten at the moment, and that our nights of hanging in Hongdae are over. I suppose this means I’ll have to start focusing my efforts on infiltrating YG’s PR department and get on some sort of press list. We’re hoping to cover Tae-yang’s upcoming solo concert at the end of September, but we’re at a loss as to how to get on a press list and get press privileges. So, it is now my job to figure this out, since I’m currently the only writer located in Seoul.

I’m not quite that confident in my skills, but we’ll see how this goes down. I’m just hoping that showing up YG headquarters dressed professionally will be enough to get me a meeting with a press contact (that speaks English, preferably). Though, personal contacts are better… I should sweep through my personal network and see if anyone I know can help me first…

Oi… I seriously wish I could take a nap… it’s only been one hour at work so far and I’m fading fast… stupid eight days of working in a row…

Nothing Much Goin' On

2010-08-14T03:09:00.000-07:00

I should probably write a thorough report on Jisan, but I don't really have the patience right now. But I promise you, there will be a report. I guess this will just be a preview of some fun stuff that should be coming up soon...

1.) The Apartment Hunt Continues:

My roommate and I are starting up the hunt again tomorrow (FINALLY!). This time we are attempting to go out by ourselves, with no English agent or translator. She is convinced that as long as we write down our perimeters (aka 2-3 BR, spacious living room/kitchen, monthly rent, etc.) on a piece of paper in Korean, we should be okay. And if we find something we like, we can then call in someone to translate and negotiate for us. She seems positive, so I'm going to try and follow her lead. At this point, I'm so ready to get out of my current place that I'll probably agree to anything she likes as longs as it's less than 1.2 million won per month. (Especially since she's pickier than me.)

But this whole experience reeks of funny, have-to-write-it-down-and-share. There will probably be a blog... or a book... about tomorrow very soon. Perhaps I should get a friend to follow us around with a video camera and get everything on tape...

2.) Guckkasten and Filmstar Interviews:

I've been told, nay, promised that I could have interviews with these two bands in the near future. I'm friends with someone in Filmstar who said he would talk to his band and get them to sit down for a video interview for my web site (www.maypang-amin.com). He is also friends with the guitarist in Guckkasten and is planning to ask them if I can interview them as well. Hongdae Friend has said she would translate and another friend has agreed to video and edit the film for the web site, so everything's good. We just need to set up a date and get it done.

3.) HOME!:

So far, everything is go for my trip home for Thanksgiving. I'm currently waiting for the new copy-editor to get hired so I can talk over the schedule with them before informing my boss that I'll be gone for about 12-13 days at the end of November. I'm super excited since it will be two years since I've seen any of my family. And, I get to eat Mom and Gramma's famous Thanksgiving Dinner and see some friends from college and high school that I haven't seen in 3-6 years.

4.) New camera:

I'm in the process of looking for a new digital camera. At first I thought I would get a cheap, used one that I could use until I saved up for a nicer, new one, but I accidentally looked at a really awesome Samsung camera today that I really want. The guy is selling it for 340,000 won (he bought it two weeks ago for about 400,000 or 450,000 won, I think) which is most definitely out of my price range right now, but that hasn't stopped me from seriously considering it. I have about 900,000 won in my moving fund and it's really tempting to pull that out and replace it next month (since I'm working crazy hours the rest of this month) but I'm trying to refrain. There is a possibility he might still have it in 2 weeks when I get paid, but I doubt it. So, I'm just going to have to force myself to be patient and wait just a little bit longer... It will pay off in the end... Besides, my friend is selling her DSLR soon and perhaps I might be able to save up enough and buy that instead...

Anyway, I suppose that's about it for updates/previews/whatever. Hopefully I can get a post up with more meat next time...

My Issues With Fangirls

2010-07-17T02:39:00.000-07:00

I live in Korea. Koreans pretty much wrote the book on fangirlism and all the craziness that entails. For the most part, my friends and I make fun of them and have a good laugh. It provides a lot of entertainment on occasion. But sometimes they really annoy me.

Especially when they are older fangirls. As in, adult fangirls. Women who are my age or around my age. And occasionally older than me.

Now, I can understand that people who follow music groups or actors or whatever for years can become quite attached to said celebrities. I'm a huge fan of Relient K and have been for about 10 years now. However, I do not have all their names memorized (mostly because they keep changing drummers and bassists). I do not know where they currently live or what their favorite movies or ice cream are. I do, however, watch for when their new albums are coming out so I can buy them. I occasionally read articles about them because I find it interesting to hear what their inspiration was behind certain songs and whatnot. If I'm in the States, I buy tickets to their shows.

I do not daydream about marrying Matt Theissen (the lead singer). I do not cover my walls with their posters. I do not write a million and a half blog posts about them. And should they ever break up, yes, I will be sad, but I will not be upset and lose my will to live. My life will not turn upside down. I will not start petitions to keep them together.

Because no band or music group stays together forever. It's a natural part of life. Even the Beatles didn't stay together and no one thus far is bigger than them. And just because they break up, doesn't mean we have to stop listening to their music. There is no reason to get all torn up about music groups breaking up or one member deciding to leave. It's THEIR choice. Not the fans. Because, now pay attention because this is radical stuff, they are HUMAN. Wow, what a concept! They aren't owned by the fans?

And I think that behavior like that is best left for a bunch of junior high and high school girls. Not adults (aka people over the age of 18). Thus why it annoys me to hear of people I know who are 20 or 24 who are actually getting depressed about some obscure Asian group breaking up that they've followed for years. They write long blog posts about it... and then get even more upset when people tell them to get over it, and say things like, 'no one understands me!' Well, yea, because you're 20-something and you're acting like a 15-year-old...

This might be considered harsh, but I think back to when I was in my 20s. I was working two to three jobs to get through school. I worried about things like car payments and how I was going to pay for my school's volunteer trip to Northern Ireland. Things like what I wanted to do after I graduated and finding jobs kept me up at night. Yes, I did like a few of these Asian groups, but they didn't rule my life. I wasn't learning Japanese because I dreamed of someday meeting them or running off to Japan. It was just a phase. I still had my daily life/future career plan issues that took presence over my hobbies. Because focusing on studying and choosing a career seemed more important in the long run than some group of Asian boys that dance around and sing.

So... in conclusion, I no longer have any patience for people who are over the age of 18 who are obsessed to an unhealthy level with music groups. Seriously. Grow up. Get a life. Focus on what you are planning to do with your life and not some group of celebrities. Because in the big scheme of things... It doesn't matter.

And, those celebrities that you're falling all over yourself to love and support... they most likely don't even give a shit about you. They are going to do what they want to do. This is a business and they are in it to make money and be famous. It's a job. Think about that the next time you want to bawl your eyes out because Hot Boy A has decided to leave his group to pursue something else that may or may not make him more money or fame.

(And just to be fair, I do know there are exceptions to the rule... Some celebrities do care... but probably not many...)

The Apartment Hunt

2010-07-10T04:38:00.000-07:00

My new roommate and I have officially started our apartment hunt today. We initially wanted something in the Children's Grand Park area, since that's where my roommate attends university and it's still not that far of a commute for me. Unfortunately, our real estate agent told us that for the key money we have, there isn't much in the way of two bedroom apartments in that or the Kondae area, but he was still able to pull through for us and we looked at three apartments near Gunja Station.

A quick note on the key money (security deposit) thing before I continue, since it's something that I myself didn't know, even after living in Korea for nearly 3 years. While living somewhere other than Gangnam might be cheaper in rent, areas outside of the main foreigner hot spots (Itaewon, Gangnam, Haebongcheon, etc.) or towards the outskirts of Seoul, tend to have higher key money. The real estate agent said this is partially because they aren't use to dealing with foreigners and don't really know/understand that we're use to lower deposit prices and are still used to the jeonse system, and mostly because while monthly rent is completely negotiable, it's the key money that's most important because they can make a decent amount off the interest that they keep when they give you the deposit back. Thus, while you can get a brand new, 3 bedroom apartment for maybe 1.2 million a month, key money could run you about 20 million won.

Anyway, so we looked at three apartments today in the Gunja area. At first I thought it would be far from work, it's actually not that bad. It's on the 7 line and only two stops from line 2 and Kondae, so I'm still technically in the same area. I walked it today, and it was maybe a 20-30 minute walk from one area to the other. And it was a nice walk. Clean sidewalks, a bit of construction, but altogether really pleasant. The main difference is the area is much nicer and mostly new. It's more families than college students and the air feels cleaner. Plus, it's near Children's Grand Park, which is a huge park that has tons of fun things to do. (I could see a ferris wheel from one of the apartments.)

Apartment #1:

It was definitely the biggest of the three, but it was also a bit older. The living room area/kitchen was spacious and there was a lot of counter space. Also, it had a good size enclosed balcony where we could put the washing machine and store things. The bathroom was also large, though we would probably replace the shower head. The down side was the wallpaper (which we would negotiate to replace) and the bedrooms. One bedroom was a decent size, but the other two were really small and even smaller. Both of us have queen-size beds, so we were really unsure about whether we could fit the bed in there. If we could, it would take up the entire room and we would have to turn the third bedroom into a study/closet.

Other than that, it wasn't bad. I would have to bring my stove over from my current apartment and we would have to purchase an air conditioner, but other than that, we have everything. They didn't tell us a price, but we assume it was within our perimeters. It had a car park for Mac's car and there was a key pad to get into the building which we both liked. And it was a 2-3 minute walk from the subway station.

Apartment #2 and #3:

The last two were actually in the same building, which was brand new and had just been completed. There were only 9 apartments in the building and so far about 5 of them have been filled. The building was really nice, had an underground car park, security pad for the entrance and was literally a 2-minute walk from the North Gate Entrance to Children's Grand Park. It was only about 4 stories high and the apartments were on floor 2 and 3, plus there was roof access. The roof was spacious and had a great view of the park and the area. It's perfect for having BBQs and cook outs and we were told we could use whenever we wanted. Plus it was a 5-6 minute walk from the subway station.

Apartment #2 had a decent sized living area and we liked the lay-out of the kitchen. Lots of counter space and plenty of room for a table. The decor was very Korean, but it still looked nice. I liked the light fixtures. The bathroom was small, but it had a waterfall shower head, and a fancy toilet with bidet and other options. There was a small laundry room and three bedrooms. But this one had the same problem as the first one. One bedroom was great, but the other two were matchboxes. Both were too small for a queen-sized bed. However, the price was great. They negotiated the key money down for us to 15 million won and the monthly rent was below what we initially asked for.

We really liked Apartment #3. The lay-out was similar to Apartment #2, but the second bedroom could fit a queen bed in it. It was a little weird though, because a sliding door separated it into two halves, and we didn't really understand why they did that. The local real estate agent said it was intended to be some sort of storage closet or dressing room, but it was almost the same size the the room in the front. We looked at it and we think you could fit a queen bed in the back room (which would basically fill the entire the room) and then put the closet and such in the front. If it's my room, there is plenty of space for my TV and closet, plus some drawers. And the agent said we could take the sliding doors out if we wanted, which would open up the room a bit more.

The kitchen lay-out was different and not so space efficient and the bathroom was a bit smaller (but had the same fixtures), however, what sold us was the laundry room and patio. The laundry room had full windows on two sides and was very spacious. We could definitely fit the washing machine and a table out there. I have to admit, it's a nice view to have when you're eating. And there was a small patio off the laundry room that could fit a small, 2-person chair. Again, the view was nice. And the third, pocket-sized bedroom could be turned into our study and had plenty of space for our desks. It was a little more expensive than Apartment #2, but still in our range.

We both really liked it, but wanted to think about it and maybe check out another area. I really wanted to just sign the lease today, but it's a good thing Mac was there, because she asks all the right questions and is a bit more level-headed than I am. I get caught up in liking some place, that I often don't stop and think about everything. For example, is living in that building worth giving up the kitchen layout that we want or a bigger bathroom or more evenly sized bedrooms? (At this point, I say yes, but I could change my mind after some careful thought.)

So that was our first day in apartment hunting. Hopefully we'll go out again next weekend and maybe decide on something soon. I don't want to lose Apartment #3 and get stuck with something that's not quite what we want...

Cheonan Blasts Off? Say What?!

2010-07-06T04:35:00.000-07:00

For awhile now I've contemplated a blog about some of the things I deal with as a copy-editor at an English news program in Seoul. A majority of the writers are fairly good and do decent work, but every so often, I get a few bloopers that either have me laughing or scratching my head.

Not to mention, sometimes they get a little bit lazy and forget to check and re-check their sources, something that especially needs to be done if they translate from Korean sources, since a lot of Korean reporters are lazy when it comes to source checking. So I've decided that this post will be devoted to some of the mess ups I've caught so far.

World Cup:

According to one of our reporters... 180 million people were planning to take to the streets on the night of the Uruguay-Korea game to cheer for the national team. I suppose Korea planned to import football fans from other countries since the current population stands at 48 million... (She actually meant 1.8 million.)

Obama's Visit:

Awhile back, Obama came to visit Seoul and was going to speak at one of the military bases. For an entire day, we announced that he would go to Yongsan base, since that was the location told to the reporter by some obscure source. It wasn't until I spoke with my then-boyfriend who was in the Air Force that afternoon, that we discovered he was actually speaking at Osan Air Force Base.

G20 in Canada:

One of our reporters wrote a piece introducing the G20 summit in Toronto. She wrote that the summit was taking place the first week of June... It actually took place the last weekend of June. A fact that was recorded in every major news source at the time the article was written.

Cheonan Huh?:

We have one reporter who covered most of the Cheonan incident. She's nice, but not a native English speaker and definitely kept us entertained while covering such a dark topic. Here's a few gems.

"... the military plans to start lift off the bow as early as Saturday..."

"... the soldiers that sank off the Cheonan..."

"... the dead soldiers were found in their underwears..."

The President Regrets What?

One reporter recently covered the Sejong City revision bill that was voted down at the National Assembly. Really, the entire article was riddled with mistakes. Instead of quoting the ruling GNP parliamentary speaker Park Hee-tae, he quoted parlimentary speaker Park Hee-tak, and then blamed it on bad copy from Yonhap, a major English/Korean newswire here. (Honestly... I'm a foreigner, he's Korean and I knew the guy's real name and title...)

He then quotes President Lee Myung-bak as saying that he "deeply regrets the decision." What the President actually said, was that while he respects the decision, he finds it deeply regrettable.

The Korean War

The same reporter who entertained us during the Cheonan incident, also provided some fun during the anniversary of the Korean War...

"It has been 60 years since the broke out of the Korean War."

"... many soldiers shared blood during the Korean War." (Meant to say 'shed'.)

Miscellaneous:

Senator Joe Lieberman magically became a Democrat again... and that actually went on air before I came on shift and noticed it. (He's been an Independent Democrat since 2006, which is not the same party.) This wouldn't have been that bad, since the parties sound similar, except the reporter proceeded to argue with me, saying that AFP called him a Democrat, so it must be correct. He even asked if I checked AFP to make sure... I just stared at him and reminded him that I'm American... and thorough copy-editor.

A ferry wreck had 50 missing passengers for half of our bulletins one day, when all of the foreign reports that came out before our reporter even wrote the story said there were only 11.

And of course, there are many, many more mistakes that make me scratch my head or think that some of my co-workers have temporary spans of idiocy, however, these are the ones I remembered or wrote down so I wouldn't forget.

Some of them I put on my very own personal "Wall of Shame" at my desk. All the reporters must walk by my desk at some point during the day, so it acts as a reminder that they should double check their stuff before sending it to me... or else blatantly obvious, silly, or stupid mistakes will be posted for all to see.

Every day brings more news... and more mistakes...

I Think It's Officially Rainy Season

2010-06-30T04:13:00.001-07:00

It's slowly, but surely been raining more and more here in the busy metropolis of Seoul. And this can only mean one thing... monsoon season has arrived.

Okay, well, I think it technically arrived a few weeks ago when we had torrential rain for about three or four days in a row, but then it magically stopped and was sunny (and hot) every since. But now it's starting to get cloudy and spit out rain again, which means we're heading towards another downward slope with the rain.

I personally love monsoon season.

Call me crazy, but I love falling asleep to the sound of rain outside my open window. I love staying in all day with the front door open and the rain (finally) cooling down the apartment. I always wear my hair curly, so I don't have to deal with the crazy frizzy, wants-to-curl-but-won't-completely mess. I love getting dressed up in my rain boots and trapezing around the city. (And purposely jumping in puddles trying to splash all the fussy girls around me. Hehe.) Rainy season in Seoul is really not that bad. Of course, having rain boots helps.

I like to think that I was one of the first to jump in on the rain boot trend here. My friend and I scoured the city last summer, looking for two pairs. We saw girls walking around in them occasionally when we went out, but we could never figure out where to find them. And whoever we saw wearing them always seemed to disappear before we could ask where they found them. Finally, we found some at Muji, but they were nearly 50,000 won and had a very small selection of sizes and colors. Of course, this didn't matter to us. We each found a pair that we liked in our sizes, forked over the cash and then proceeded to wear them whenever we could. (Which included cloudy days... The forecast may have said 20% chance, but we didn't want to risk it...)

Of course, this summer, there are rain boots on every corner in every color, every design and every size... and I'm having the hardest time keeping myself from buying a pair in each one. Of course, I technically don't need more than one pair... but Seoul has so many wonderful rain boots this season! And I can't wear the same pair of rain boots every day, can I?

I admit, I'm not a very trendy person or a fashion slave. I'm happiest in jeans/shorts and t-shirts. I don't even buy shoes a lot. (Thank you self-imposed shopping ban.) But I think I'm edging closer to a rain boot addiction. I really want another pair, even though I don't really need one... and it doesn't help that they're everywhere... and so cheap...

But I digress. Well, not really, but I'm sure I've talked enough about rain boots...

So, basically, it's monsoon season again, which means it's time to put up the Converses for a few weeks, and perpetually carry an umbrella. I also love how monsoon season coincides with rock festival season. The two main festivals this year fall right towards the end of rainy season. Meaning there is guaranteed to be at least one or two days of rain for each festival.

And you can bet I'll be there... in my rain boots...

The Saga of the Nosy Landlady

2010-06-28T23:15:00.000-07:00

I’ve never rented an apartment in the States, but I’m fairly sure that it’s customary for landlords or landladies to call before popping in to take care of things.

Apparently not so much in Korea.

I assumed that for some reason it was just my landlady, but I asked a co-worker and she said that it was pretty normal for landladies to stop on by whenever or not to call beforehand, since they see their rental property as an extension of their house.

But do they have to do it in the morning? When I’m trying to sleep?

I suppose in their defense, I do sleep in late (about 10 or 11 am) but mostly because I work a night shift and often don’t get home until 11pm and in bed around 1 or 2 am. But, I have lived in this apartment for nearly two years now, and for about the last year, I’ve had this schedule, you would think they would learn to come on my day off in the afternoon by now instead of banging on my bedroom door trying to wake me up at 8 am.

Most of the time, they do only come over when something is broken and I call for them to come fix it. But even then, they don’t come right away and they never tell me when. I just have to sit there and wait patiently. Or get woken up the next morning. And sometimes the washing machine breaks, they have to rush over to turn the water off. At 7 am.

Honestly, a simple call involving the words ‘mul’ (water) and ‘setaki’ (washing machine) would suffice. I know how to turn the water off. And then another call giving me fair warning that they are on their way up to fix the water would be great, so I could at least have the chance to throw on some decent clothes before they are pounding down my front door (or sometimes my bedroom door if I’m sleeping particularly heavy that morning).

But today. Today was the most uncomfortable experience.

At 7 am, I am woken by the sound of pounding on my bedroom door. I throw on something decent and rush out to find my landlady sopping up water in the laundry room. She starts saying something about water and such and pointing at the machine. After about 10 minutes, she leaves. I debate whether I should stay up in case they come back to fix the machine, but sleepiness wins and I crawl back in bed, figuring the knocking on the front door will wake me up again.

Just as I’m about to enter dreamland, about two hours later, there is another knock. It’s the landlady’s husband with a new hose for the washing machine. He works on it for about 10 minutes and then explains the problem to me. I step back to let him leave, thinking if he leaves now, I can still get another hour of sleep in.

Of course, he doesn’t leave.

Instead, he digs through my fridge and pulls out some plume wine that’s been in there since April and drinks it. (This was fine as neither my roommate nor I touch the stuff.) At this point, I’m washing dishes, trying to keep busy while he’s there. He peeks in the cupboards, checks out the bathroom and checks the drain, deeming everything ‘good’. Then he sees the grill on my stove and says ‘not good’. He then proceeds to take my stove apart and scrub them in the bathroom with our bathroom cleaning brush that we use to scrub the floors. He’s at it for about 20 or 30 minutes while I bleach the entire kitchen area, including my coffee pot, toaster oven and fridge.

Once done with this, he checks around the apartment some more. Tries talking to me about random things. And then, after an hour, finally leaves. My landlady and her husband are very nice people, but I hate that they always come over unannounced. Some of my other friends here don’t seem to have the same problem, but I suppose their apartments aren’t old and falling apart like mine… Ugh…

Seriously… all I ask for is just one phone call…

Greenplugged Rock Festival

2010-06-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

Why must I start to get sick right before my busiest weekend ever? I seriously hope my throat starts feeling better by tomorrow, otherwise the slough of celebrations going on this weekend (Bliss Anniversary Party, Co-worker Birthday Party, Korea Game 1 in the World Cup Party) and the not so fun (working on Saturday and Sunday) will be slightly unbearable. I blame it on the heat and the fact there is no air conditioner in my apartment...

But anyway, on to more fun things...

I love many things about summer in Korea.

Yes, it gets stifling hot and humid towards the end after rainy season, but there are tons of events and festivals to fill up those steamy summer days.

That's right, it's rock festival season. And I didn't realize it until this year, but there are tons of rock festivals in Korea, which is interesting considering that the country itself is typically a K-Pop, electronic/trance/house music country.

My friend Angela and I hit up the first rock festival of the season, Greenplugged Rock Festival, on May 22 at World Cup Stadium Park and it was quite a good start to the season. It was mostly indie bands, but there were a few big names there. And a lot of the indie bands were quite good.

I got to catch my friends, Phonebooth, play first thing in the morning and it was nice seeing them on a bigger stage with a nice light set-up. They mostly played new stuff, which rocked. The crowd wasn't too big since it was the first in the line-up, but they still got everyone rocking. (Sidenote: I just found out from them that they will be playing on Saturday at Pentaport Rock Festival, July 23-25 in Incheon.)

Next we went over to check out a band that I hadn't heard before, but Angela said that they were pretty popular and would be at some upcoming festivals.They were called Gukkasten (국카스텐) and had a unique sound to them. I know the lead singer sounded similar to someone I've heard before, but I can't seem to put my finger on it. For being one of the early shows, they had a pretty good crowd. And definitely had a lot of stage charisma. I liked what I heard and I'm looking forward to catching more of them at future shows.

We decided to hang out around the main stage for a bit and found a good spot to sit. The next band described themselves as a modern rock band called Buiret. The lead singer and bass player were girls and the guitarist was this guy with crazy blonde hair. They were good, more of a power ballad-type group with the singer having something of an Evanescence-style, however it wasn't quite as powerful. It was interesting because the sound of the music didn't quite match up with the image on the stage. The way they dressed and jumped around, I almost expected more of a punk, Nana-esque sound (props to you if you know that manga/anime/movie). Again, it was good, but probably not something I would listen to all the time. (By the way, my apologies for the shoddy camera work... it's my iPhone and I was too lazy to stand. Besides, I was filming for the music, not so much the image.)

The next band we listened to was probably the oldest band there. Buhwal (부활) has been around for about 26 years and I didn't realize this until we listened to them, but they've written some of the most famous, influential, memorable songs in Korea. As the crowd started singing along with them, I found I recognized them, mostly from remakes by current pop bands or commercials. However, the lead singer was new and younger. Angela said that the group changes their lead singer every few years. I'm not sure why, but may have something to do with keeping younger generations interested. They were fun to watch at the festival, but I'm not sure I would rush out to buy any CD's. They're classic Korean rock, but I like my classic rock more like the Beatles, Billy Joel or Elton John. Classic Korean rock still sounds too "poppish" for my taste.

Of course, there was the usual wandering around the festival grounds. We found a face painting booth and decided to get our faces painted. We then sat down and watched a band called 3rd Line Butterfly. They were okay, but the lead singer wasn't that great. That's about the time that it started raining. Of course, we didn't let that hold us back. We just picked up some panchos and opened our umbrellas and continued circumventing the festival grounds, pausing at stages when we heard something we liked.

Even though the stages were fairly spread out, it was nice because there was no overlap sound-wise and the lay-out of the park made it easy to move around from one section to another. Plus, because there was so much room, it allowed for more stages (about five) which allowed for more bands. It only sucked if two or more bands that you wanted to see played at the same time. However, each stage had a little different time schedule, so you could catch a lot of shows. Also, even though there were a ton of people there, it never felt crowded.

Anyway, after getting some snacks, we settled on a hill near the Sky stage, where they had started in on the hip-hop acts. They had a fun b-boy group onstage when we got there, but the main attraction was a group called Supreme Team that came on after them. They are fairly new, I think the first time I had heard of them was last summer when I went to the Asia Song Festival. Their most popular song 'Super Magic' was used in a Nate commercial and I had been looking for it for months before I discovered it was theirs. They put on a good show and had everyone on their feet dancings and throwing their hands in the air. It was quite interesting from where we were sitting towards the back.

We left soon after that. I wanted to stay and watch Clazziquai, but we had been there for about 6.5 hours at that point, with about four of those hours being in the rain. I was wearing flip flops and my feet were getting cold, as was the rest of me since I didn't bring a jacket. Plus at that point, we had to wait another hour and a half until they took the stage. Angela and I had decided that for Jisan in July we're packing our rainboots just in case. Even if it only rains a little, the boots will help with the tons of mud that always seems to appear at rock festivals. I don't think I've ever seen my feet so dirty. Fortunately, that was easily fixed with a water fountain before we walked down to catch the bus. Unfortunately, I lost my voice the next day, probably as a result of standing out in the cold and rain for multiple hours.

A couple down sides: The location was a little difficult to get to and find. World Cup Stadium Park is huge and actually split up into two parts. We ended up missing about half of the first set even though we gave ourselves plenty of time to get there because there weren't any signs at the entrance to the park as to where we were to go. Also, we only found out as we were leaving that there was a shuttle bus that went from the festival to Hapjeong and Mapo Stations. Would have been a huge help to know that beforehand. Again, a lack of communication in Korean and English, as Angela is Korean and even she didn't really find a lot of info on the shuttle from the website.

But, it was a great start to a fun festival season. Some other bands that played: Crying Nut, Super Kid, The Koxx, Windy City, YB, Outsider, Vanilla Unity, etc. I think there were seriously close to a 100 bands over the Friday and Saturday of the festival. While a bit pricey (55,000 won at the gate for one day, 88,000 for two) it was totally worth it with the sheer amount of bands there... and all the free stuff they gave away. (Free Vitamin Water all-day... plus face-painting was free, and everyone got a gift pack with a free Starbucks mug, pancho and water.)

Up Next: Report on Time to Rock Festival from June 5 and Jisan Rock Festival (July 31- August 1)

Eat for the Camera!

2010-06-02T00:50:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I never did write that blog about the filming… and now I have a blog about the Greenplugged Rock Festival that I want to write as well.

I guess first things first… the filming…

I have to admit that filming the travel show was a lot more tiring than I thought it would be. And I still don’t quite understand why, since we didn’t actually do a whole lot of on camera work. For me, it was mostly walking around and asking what things were and wh

at people were doing and then eating… a lot. And yet, and the end of the first two-day shoot, I was utterly exhausted.

Day One: Jirisan

I started my first day at 4 am. I had to meet the crew at 6 am at my office to head out to our destination and since I was up until 1 am working on a radio script, I decided to just get up early and pack instead of staying up later. Needless to say, as soon as we set off on our four-hour drive down to Jirisan, I passed out. As did my translator, Jun-soo. Of course, not before chatting a bit and getting to know each other some.

Once at the mountain, the camera guys made us get out of the van on the two-lane highway so they could get some shots of the van driving up the road and a pretty little creek. We then arrived at the little restaurant/lodging house where we were filming. The first hour or so involved a lot of just me walking up the little road to their house and looking at the scenery around me. (I was told to look excited… not a whole lot of excitement to be found in staring at trees.) And then I got up to the house and had to ask the couple in Korean what were the giant swatches of leaves spread out on the ground and what they were doing with them. I had no idea what they were saying, but the director told me to just nod and say things like, “Ah,” and “Creyo,” and such. This went well, until the woman said she would make me lots of good food in Korean. I had no idea, and they didn’t know she would say it, so my response was, “Ah.” There was a couple seconds of awkward silence before someone yelled, “Kamsahamida!” from behind the camera. We all started laughing and went through the shot again, this time with me being more prepared with my responses.

After this, we waited for the food to be prepared and then moved to a large living room where a table was set up. I was a little nervous about them filming me as I ate, since I tend to be a bit of messy eater, but it turned out to be okay. I was told to focus on the food and the couple, so I didn’t notice the camera to my right side. It was kind of awkward. I had to ask them questions about the food (sannamul- basically leaves from the mountain that are used as side dishes and in bibimbap) in English, then my translator would yell it in Korean from behind the camera. They would answer in Korean, then she would yell it to me in English. And then they had the woman feed me several of the sannamul. At first it was okay, but then she fed me a couple of lettuce wraps and put a little too much food in it. And of course, I had to eat bibimbap… which to say the least, is not my favorite Korean meal.

After the eating wrapped and the crew got a chance to eat, we headed up the mountain so they could film me collecting sannamul with the couple. They told me to chat about how it reminded me of my mother’s garden when we lived in Oklahoma. (I hated it. Mom made us weed.) Then, we were done and back on the road heading to the next town where we would stay for the night. We stopped and had some delicious bulgogi (I think the area is famous for it) which was very welcomed after a lunch with nothing but leaves. Once at the pension, Jun-soo and I bid everyone good-night and crashed in our room, despite the producer trying ever so hard to get us to stay up and drink with him and the crew.

Day Two: Seomjin River

Our second day of filming dawned bright and early… at 7 am. We all got dressed and packed the van up, only to realized as we started down the road that someone left the back of the van open and my backpack and some other bags were now strewn about the highway. Once we got that cleaned up, we headed to a maesil village that sat on top of a really big hill and looked over the river. It was really quite beautiful to look at early in the morning. There was more walking and looking around at the trees and flowers. Then walking through a maze of kimchi pots full of fermenting maesil (maesil- a small, plume-looking fruit that is green. It’s suppose to help with tummy problems… ended up upsetting mine…).

After that, we headed down to the river where they filmed me talking to a fisherman who scraped the bottom of the river for jaechap (jaechap- tiny, little clams/cockles). It was a lot more interesting being on the boat and I naturally had a lot of questions to ask the man. The camera guy definitely didn’t have to tell me to look interested this time. And I was use to the translating arrangement by now. The fisherman even let me try getting jaechap… though I kind of sucked at it.

After this, we headed up to a restaurant to film me eating jaechap. Jun-soo and I ended up taking a nap while waiting for the food to be ready. This time went much quicker and easier because I didn’t have to ask questions. The ahjumma at the restaurant just talked about all the food and pointed at dishes when she wanted me to try them. Then I had to say how it tasted and if I liked it (which for the camera, I did). I honestly didn’t really like jaechap because it was too fishy-tasting for me. The director said it was because I’m foreign. I said it’s because I don’t like fish… and most foreigners like fish.

After this, we drove about an hour to a different part of the river. There sat an oyster boat with an oyster diver. I knew immediately this was going to fun because as soon as we were introduced, the diver was teasing me in Korean for not being able to speak Korean. We filmed more shots of me walking up to the boat and asking what he was doing. Then he invited me on board and for the first time the whole trip, I understood what he was saying and responding accordingly in Korean.

We all got on the boat and he told me about diving and the oysters (which were called cherry blossom oysters). I asked a lot of questions. Then he dove in and proceeded to stay under for a couple hours while we all sat bored onboard. Jun-soo and I discovered that little crabs were getting sent up with the bags of oysters, so we began chasing them around the boat and throwing them back into the water. One of the camera guys thought this was entertaining so he followed us for a bit. Then we watched the diver’s assistant for a bit while he cleaned up the oysters and packed them up. He fed us a couple of raw oysters, which were good, but a lot more salty than I’m use to. Jun-soo said that they just went out of season, which is why they didn’t taste as good right now.

Eventually, the diver came up and we filmed talking a bit more. Then I had to eat another raw oyster with him. After docking, we loaded up and headed to his house, where there was going to be a full blown party. None of the restaurants in town were serving oyster, so he said for the show he would invite several of his friends and co-workers over and have an oyster-grilling party. Again, tons of fun. The best way to eat grilled oyster is to wrap it in kimchi. Sooo tasty. Of course, there was the necessary feeding of me and then me shouting, “Masshisoyo!” I think about five or six ahjussis took turns feeding me bites of oyster.

After this, we loaded up into the van and began our long, four-hour drive back to the city.

And the next day I got food poisoning.

Day Three: Gongju and Flower Gardens

The following weekend, we set out for one more day of filming. We were headed to a flower farm in South Chungchong Province. However, upon arrival, the owner wasn’t there, so we headed over to film in the city of Gongju where there was a group of famous tombs from the Baekje Dynasty.

Of course, there was more walking and looking around. We went into a museum and they filmed me looking around the artifacts, then walking around the tombs. We then headed over to the flower farm again.

This time, we did food first. By the time we got back, the food was all spread out on the table. I felt like I was looking at a series of centerpieces, not my meal. The owner explained that eating flowers was very healthy and he got the idea from hearing about restaurants that served edible flowers in Europe. Now, Koreans are really into eating flowers. It was interesting to find that each flower had a very distinctive taste. One tasted very citrus-y, similar to a lemon. While some were pretty bitter and others tasted like lettuce.

I ate peonies and gladiolas in a salad and on a dessert sandwich with a jam made from flowers and nuts that tasted really sweet and similar to peanut butter. We then had… more bibimbap. It was better than the sannamul, but still not a fan.

Afterwards, I walked around the garden with the farmer as he explained the different kinds of flowers and had me try them. He was really funny and kept me entertained. Once we were done, we loaded into the van and headed back to the city once again. I finished off the night eating Chinese food. I wasn’t hungry at all, but I still ate. I came to regret this the next day when I woke up with yet another massive stomach ache…

All in all, a fun experience. My episode airs on June 22 on Arirang TV. I’m anxious to see it, but a little nervous at the same time. I saw clips of it while doing voiceover work and it was a little embarrassing seeing myself on TV…

Upcoming Fun

2010-04-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

I'm quite excited about this upcoming Monday and Tuesday. I'm finally filming for the travel show and I've been told the plan. I'm still doing the food episode, but they've changed me from street food, to natural, organic food.

First of all, I'm heading to Jirisan to visit a couple that gathers 산나물 (sannamul) from the mountain and uses it in soup and bibimbap. Sannamul is a type of vegetable or vegatation. In English it translate to herb, but I'm told its more than just an herb and there is no real English name for it. I get to help/watch the wife make the food and then eat it.

The next stop is the 섬진강 or Sumjin River, which is suppose to be the cleanest river in Korea. I get up really early on Tuesday and go with a bunch of old men and women to dig for 재첩 or jechup in the river, which are little, tiny cockles. Of course, I then get to help/watch cook and eat them. I was told by the writer that she was told that we will be leaving quite early, before anyone can eat breakfast. In response, she asked if we needed to pack breakfast for everyone. The person in charge told her not to worry, just bring some bottles of soju and some anju. So... I might be a bit toasted by the end of filming on Tuesday...

Because after that, we're going to a different part of the river and going on a boat with a fisherman who dives for these ridiculously large oysters. I'm told this will take about three or four hours, so I'm hoping it's not too cold, windy or rainy that day. But I told her if they just hand me a fishing pole, I'll help catch dinner.

After the boat, we are going to the fisherman's house where he will cook the oysters for us and some of his friends. Normally we would go to a restaurant in town, but it's the very end of the oyster season, so none of the restaurants are serving it.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to it and it should be a lot of fun. The following weekend I do one more day of shooting, and I'll be on an edible flower farm. I haven't tried that before, so it should be interesting. I'll be sure to post a report and tons of pictures after I film.

Hooray for my debut on TV!

Cheonan Sinking

2010-04-21T04:49:00.001-07:00

So, the main thing going on in Korea right now is the Cheonan sinking. It sank almost a month ago, but the government is still investigating the cause. However, the more news that is released, the more people are beginning to believe it was North Korea. In fact, the leader of an activist group just did an interview with AP saying that he's been speaking with a NK military official who told him it was a direct order from Kim Jong-il to sink the ship. (I find this report dubious, especially since the South's military didn't/won't confirm it and said they have found no proof... whoever is telling the truth... who knows...)

So far, South Korea has been hesitant to officially blame the North, and I can understand why. Things are shaky between the North and the South anyway, and an all out accusation by the government could lead the North to something crazy and complicate an already fragile relationship And it would put the South's government in an awkward situation. I can tell that they don't really want to take military action, but many (mostly post-Korean war born) people are calling for reciprocation. Taking military action could lead to re-opening the war, which would deal a terrible blow to the South's economy. They've spent the last 60 years working hard to turn the country around after the devastation of the war, and renewed military action here would lead to foreign investors pulling out and the country having to start from scratch all over again.

So, it's a sticky situation right now. The latest reports say that investigators believe the boat split apart after some sort of external explosion from underneath, however, there is no evidence that it had a direct hit. They say it was either a mine or torpedo, though so far, no debris of either has turned up. In short, there is little evidence available and definitely not enough for a definitive cause. All they've been able to officially rule out so far is some sort of internal malfunction or explosion and fatigue failure.

If it is North Korea... I'm not sure why they would sink one of Seoul's ships when they've been trying to get food aid and start up tourist ventures again. They need money and food, and blowing up a ship won't really help that. Though a co-worker said that she thinks it was payback for the naval skirmishes back in 2002. North Korea lost, so they bid their time until they could get the South back.

Some even think that it's the US' fault. I've heard talk that it could have been a US mine forgotten in the West Sea from the Korean War that accidentally detonated.
The general consensus of my co-workers is that the government won't do anything military-wise, and an article that I just read said that it plans to leave all diplomatic options open if it should turn out to be North Korea. So, I suppose that helps. It calms my fears about war breaking out again. Though, regardless, the foreigners here are definitely keeping a close eye on things. I'm just a little worried about how things will turn out...

Beijing

2010-04-06T02:17:00.000-07:00

So... I've been home from Beijing for about a week and I figured it was time to finally write something about it.

First Thoughts on China
My initial thought was that it didn't look that different from Seoul. Same kind of buildings. People kind of looked similar. Same busyness. Of course, my boyfriend (who is Korean) promptly chastised me for saying that Chinese and Korean looked similar (in his mind, Koreans are WAY more good-looking... yes, he's biased). But towards the end of the first day, I started noticing that Beijing and Seoul were very much not the same. The traditional architecture may be similar, but Beijing's modern buildings were very different. I often think that Seoul is a bit boring since all the buildings seem to look the same, but in Beijing it seemed as though each of the buildings looked different from each other. It was refreshing.

And as the days passed, I did notice that there were definite differences in the way Chinese looked versus Koreans. Yes, I knew they looked different (I'm not that ignorant) but I noticed the little differences that I think most Westerners probably wouldn't notice. And I do think Korean guys are a little bit better looking, but I'm biased. ; )

Food
Oh my goodness. I loved Chinese food in the States, but I knew that it had to be different from real Chinese food. And I had always heard stories about the crazy things that people ate in China, but I have to admit that Chinese food rocks! We had a couple of different traditional Chinese dishes, including Peking duck (which is a Beijing specialty). It was soo yummy! A little spicy, and really oily, but still really good. The first night there, we had a beef dish that was basically marinated beef in a vat of spicy oil, but still really good. And it was really cheap. Paul and I ate for about $16 total every meal and it was more than enough food for the both of us.

We did go to a traditional street food area and saw all the crazy stuff that people eat. Starfish, scorpions, squid, octopus, bugs of every size, color and type. We were going to rock, paper, scissors to see who had to try one, but we both chickened out. And it was really cold that night and we just wanted to get in somewhere warm.

The Great Wall
First of all, it's not as wide as I thought, and way harder to climb. I guess I thought it would be more like a leisurely stroll along the wall, but it was more like mountain climbing. Going down was not that bad. We were with a small tour group and made some friends along the way. We were all having fun as we made it to an outpost about half a mile from where we got on. But the way back was torture. Paul literally dragged me up the Wall and I thought I was going to die. I don't know how he did it with 6 kilo weights on each leg.

But outside that, it was amazing to be on the Great Wall of China. It was awesome to be standing on something that had been there for hundreds of years. And something that is so iconic. Most people only dream of seeing the Great Wall and I got to climb it. And the view was amazing! You could see the wall go off in both directions for what seemed like miles. Just winding up and down over the mountains. Crazy. I don't know how they got up and down that thing and guarded it in all their armor. The steps are very uneven and some parts are nothing but ramps. The rocks on the ramp were very slippery from years of wear and the only way to get down was to hold on to a handrail and slide down.

The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square
Again, two other places that I never thought I would get to see. It was pretty awesome getting to see both. We got lost in the Forbidden City. The front part was easy to navigate with the large courtyards, but once you get back into the gardens and where the Imperial family lived, it gets really confusing. All the buildings end up looking the same and every time we entered a new courtyard, I swore we had been there before.

We finally made it out though, and ran across the street to check out the Square. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. It was cool for about 10 minutes, but after that, there wasn't really much to see. The day we went was kind of gray and cold. And Chairman Mao's Mausoleum was closed so we couldn't go in and see that. Paul didn't really want to see a guy that's been dead for about 30-odd years, but it was one of those things that I wanted to do just to say I did it.

Hutongs
I have to admit, this is probably one of the cooler parts of Beijing, and I didn't even know about them until we got there. Hutongs are basically little streets in the city. They use to be where all the normal people lived in the old days, and most of them still are residential areas, but a lot of them have been converted into little shopping areas where you can get souvenirs and haggle. They also have little tea shops and restaurants. Very cool. Paul and I spent an entire evening in one our last night there and walked away with a ton of swag for about 2/3 the price we would have normally paid. Paul is an expert haggler and got about 70% off everything we bought.

You can also take little rickshaws around the areas, which was a lot of fun. Definitely a touristy thing that you should do at least once in Beijing. One of the cool things that a lot of the shops sold were this little traditional drink. It's basically sweet milk, and they serve it in little ceramic jars. It tasted a lot like yogurt, but was really good.

Nightlife
We went to the two major drinking areas in Beijing, Ho Hai Bar District and Sanlitun. Ho Hai was the cleaner and nicer of the two but more expensive. It was a small group of bars that sit around a small lake. It was definitely cool, but more of a warm weather place. All of the bars had seating outside by the lake. And it seemed to get a huge draft from the water.

Sanlitun had a few more options and was livelier. We ended up staying there longer than we did in Ho Hai. It was an actual street in the city, but there were more bars. All of the places we went had live music. Some were better acts than others, but it was still a lot of fun. The last place we went had a kareoke system, so in between acts, patrons could get up and sing. The staff was a lot nicer too. Our waitress actually sat down and talked to me for a bit while Paul was up crooning and making all the girls swoon.

The People
From what I experienced, Chinese were very friendly and kind. Anytime we stopped to ask for directions, people were more than happy to help us out, even if they didn't speak English (which was most of them). It was frustrating that we couldn't communicate very well, but our hotel had staff that could speak English well, and they helped us out a lot. And all the restaurants we went to had at least one waitress that could speak English who would help us out. Also, just as luckily, the subway was in English, so that helped out a ton with getting around. Though, we did managed to work out the taxi.

While we were out drinking one night, a group of girls came up to us and starting talking to us. They exclaimed that they LOVED the US and Korea and wanted to hang out. Sadly, it was on my last night there, but we exchanged email addresses and they asked that we stay in contact and hang out should we ever come back to Beijing. They worked at the Marriott and promised to get us a good deal on a room when we come back.

General Ideas on Beijing
Definitely a great place to visit. It's cheap, clean and relatively safe even though I had heard that it wasn't too safe. It was a little strange having to put my purse through an x-ray machine anytime I went on the subway or entered a public museum space (Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square). The most frustrating part besides language was the internet. I knew I wouldn't get Facebook, but I couldn't get Google News either or any of the major newspapers that I read online. Blogging was out too. I kind of forgot that China was a communist country for a bit, but I was definitely reminded when I checked the internet and saw military on every corner. I heard that a lot of the safety precautions were put in place during the Games in 2008 and left there to keep up the image. Which is also why lodging is so cheap. A ton of new hotels were built to accommodate the large number of tourists, but now there are not enough annual tourists to fill them all.

All in all, a fun trip. We had a good time and enjoyed ourselves on a budget. The end of our trip was sad, since it was going to be the last time we saw each other for a couple months. He's moving down the coast of China and planning to travel Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand by train and bus. He wanted me to join him, but unfortunately I have to work and I don't have that kind of money saved up.

So, we said good-bye in Beijing, but luckily he'll be back for a couple of weeks in June. Then he's heading back to LA. It'll be hard, but I have a feeling things will work out. ^_^

OMG... The Tyra Show?!

2010-03-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, so yes, I admit that I occasionally watch the Tyra Show (I'm also addicited to ANTM... but that's another blog), but today had an interesting topic.

They brought on a group of girls who were all of mixed raced, but preferred to be identified as one over the other and most of them pretty much hated when someone said they were of the less-liked race (a half white, half black girl hated being called black; a half Latina, half white hated being called white, etc.). So, basically, the whole show was about stereotypes of races and breaking them down. It ended with the usual afterschool special speech about how you should judge people for who they are, not how they look.

Which of course got me thinking about life in Korea. It's kind of interesting see discrimination and stereotypes from the other side. It just sucks. Seeing friends get turned down for work. Hearing about how this guy won't date that girl because she's black or vice versa. People getting dirty looks on the street or yelled at. The Anti-English Spectrum. Stupid stuff like that.

And of course... I think about how I must look to Korean society. I haven't really gotten any sort of outright discrimination, but the stereotypes are there. I'm a young, American girl so I must like to party and be easy. Or just here for a good time, thus deserve no respect from co-workers in the office. It's not nearly as bad as others, but still frustrating. I almost punched the last guy who came up to me asking if I was Russian with that 'knowing look' in his eye. It's just downright uncomfortable. (Especially since it was followed by "You're a very sexual looking girl." Yeesh. I was jeans and a heavy wool coat at the time...)

But then, I admit that I have my own stereotypes. African men (not African American just to clarify) terrify me from my few experiences with them in Korea. I end up looking at the sidewalk half the time I'm in Itaewon. I hate going to Itaewon, because I don't want people to think I'm just another party-hardy English teacher. (Yes... silly, I know.) I tend to get annoyed by Army people. (And lo and behold... I end up dating a guy in the Air Force...) I've never really known a lesbian, so they make me kind of uncomfortable. And I tend to think that most Korean guys are idiots who would rather sleep with a white girl than date them or have a serious relationship.

So... we all have our stereotypes... mostly based off our personal experiences, be they limited or vast. And no one likes admitting it, but everyone has them. I guess the only real thing to do is try to be open to breaking them. Give someone a chance to prove you wrong, and chances are they just might. I've had the extreme joy of meeting a huge variety of friends both in the States and here, and I cherish all them, be they black, white, Muslim, Korean, military, English teachers, atheist, blue, pink, purple or have spiky green hair. There is a lot to learn. And I guess, I hope that if I'm more open to others, they'll be more open to me.

Stereotypes don't just break on their own.

... Okay... now I sound like an afterschool special...

Staying Home All Day...

2010-03-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

So, it was my weekend off and I ended up spending four out of five days stuck in the apartment. Friday and Monday were by choice... Sunday and Tuesday not so much. While this was good for not spending a lot of money, it was bad for not gaining weight. I spent most of the time being lazy and snacking, even though I did get some writing and editing done (though, probably not as much as a I should have). Bleh, why is it that staying at home just makes me lazy? I've got clothes drying that have been on the rack for a couple days. I did clean up the kitchen after cooking (and after some soda spilled out of the fridge) but the living room is a bit of a mess (though I did manage to sweep up the floor). Makes me realize why I have a roommate. So that I at least have some motivation to pick up. But when she's gone for two weeks, all I do is stay up ridiculously late watching TV and movies while taking intermittent naps and snacking.

But I go back to work tomorrow, which will help. I always feel more productive when I go into the office. And I am planning to do some editing tonight and picking up before I go to bed. And no matter what, I'm getting up at 9 or 10 am tomorrow to hopefully incite more productiveness.

I'm just looking forward to getting the book officially done and sent off so I can enjoy my upcoming trip to Beijing. We're still waiting to find out if Paul is getting released on time so we can go. He should find out tomorrow after he goes to the doctor. I'm just excited to finally go somewhere else. I'm hoping if things go well in LA, I might be able to do some more little trips this summer around Asia, but we'll see. I've been to Fukuoka, but I would like to go Tokyo and Kyoto. And I'd like to visit Shanghai and go back to Hong Kong. Not to mention Thailand.

I really need to do some more research on fun places to travel around here. I hear a lot but I need to find out what I want to do. There are a lot of places within Korea that I haven't been to either. Like Sokcho and Busan and Gwangju... I hope I somehow come up with more money...

Writing and Cigarettes

2010-03-07T23:06:00.000-08:00

After a couple months, I have brought myself back to the coffee shop. Mostly because we're down to the last few weeks until our deadline and I've got to buckle down and get things done, and Cino's seems to be one of the few places where I can still write uninterrupted by people and TV and work. Granted, the internet turns out to be a distraction, but I get more done here at my little table in the smoking room than I ever do at the apartment.

Now that we're almost done, it feels a little surreal. I started this journey into the unknown world of screenwriting just four months ago. I was excited then, but the end still seemed so far away that I didn't really think this was happening. But now, we're so close and I'm freaking out. I sit and wonder if I'm really good enough for this. And then a split second later I'm daydreaming about sitting in a theater and seeing my name on the big screen. I keep going from one extreme to the other. And now that this project is almost finished, I'm already thinking about my next project. We haven't even sold anything yet and I'm ready to start working on the next thing. Maybe this means I'm really meant to be a writer, ha ha.

My life could possibly be changing in the next month.

I still can't grasp that. One part of me has just accepted it while the other doesn't seem to realize what's happening. It's kind of one of those 'too good to be true' things. I keep waiting for the bubble to burst, but so far it hasn't. I really want this. I really want to be able to spend my days writing in coffee shops or meeting friends or having awesome life experiences that I can translate and put on paper or a screen so others can experience them too. After spending the three years since graduation working in offices as a reporter or copy editor or an English teacher or PR person, I've realized that's not want I want. And I'm really not that great at it. Sure, I could make it as a reporter and (barely) as a copy-editor. But that nagging thought that I'm not really meant for that keeps pushing its way up from the back of my mind.

I use to cringe at the thought of being a freelancer. The lack of a regular paycheck was too scary. But now, that life is looking more and more appealing. Maybe it's because I'm really enjoying the radio show. And it would give me the free time to really pursue writing. I'm thinking that I might start having my friends at the radio station keep their eyes open for other opportunities at other stations so I could start working more of that into my life so I wouldn't have to copy-edit. I love Arirang and the people there, but I'm thinking that I'm not really cut out for what they are having me do.

Or maybe I just need to step up my responsibility. Last night, one of the newbie reporters was working his first weekend and I had to sit down and really talk to him about his writing because it was getting to the point where I was going to have to start sending back stuff for him to re-write because there was nothing I could do with what he gave me. It made me realize that I wasn't really owning up to the full responsibility of my job. I'm there to make them better writers. It kind of gave me the confidence to step it up instead of just sitting at my desk worrying. It reminded me that I do know what I'm talking about. I have my journalism degree too. Just because I'm at the copy desk and not out reporting or writing doesn't mean that I'm lower or less than them. Haha, I guess it's been so long since I've really focused on news that I'm rusty.

So, we'll see. Life is one big messy transition right now. I just really hope that we sell this month. I so hope that we do. Life would be amazing. But if it doesn't, then I guess at the very least I got my foot in the door.

Speaking of which... I should probably start working on that...

My Thoughts on the Jae-Beom Issue

2010-03-01T02:57:00.000-08:00

So I have to get this out of my system or I'm going to end up posting on one of the stupid forums I've been reading in order to write an article for my website... and get slaughtered by Jae Beom fans. And also, this blog is relatively safe from the friends of mine who are among the outraged fans.

Personally, I think it's all bull shit. Yes. You read that right. It's bull shit.

What a lot of fans fail to realize is that JYP is a business and Park is going to do whatever he think will save the business, whether or not it comes across as harsh, mean, unethical whatever. It's business. And more than that, it's Korean business. Perhaps it's because I'm old enough to know that the business world will always be corrupt, and while that is sad and unfortunate, it's true. CEOs of entertainment companies do not always think about the well-being of their clients, and are going to make decisions based on what will make them money. If a client isn't making them money or is going to cause bad press that will damage their other clients, they will drop them. And they will ALWAYS try to spin it to make them look better. Do I agree with this? No. But it's a harsh fact of life, and nothing so far has changed it, so I doubt a huge group of junior high and high school girls are going to have an impact on JYP.

In regards to how Jae is being 'victimized', I think there is a lot more to the story than fans know and that in itself begs for thought before taking action. Whatever the misdeed was, JYP saw as big enough that it could damage business and decided to cut their losses. We don't know what it was, but because of JYP's actions, you have to think that it was really bad, potentially criminal.

If he got a girl pregnant and then ran to Seattle, I think that makes him an asshole. If he did drugs, that makes him stupid.

But we don't know what it is. For all we know, he could have raped a girl. In which case, I doubt the fans would stick by him. Hell, if they found out that he really did get a girl pregnant through consensual sex, they probably wouldn't support him either. Does getting someone pregnant make him a bad person? Not necessarily, it means he's human (and stupid enough to not use protection, but as we all know, that can't always be to blame). But as a role model for teens, this is a big no-no and I could see why JYP would take such harsh actions. Again, this is based on the culture in Korea. Would an American entertainment agency drop him? I don't know.

On top of that, from what I've heard from a friend who actually met Jae while out in Hongdae, it doesn't necessarily sound like he is the perfect angel that his fans make him out to be. My friend went up to ask him for a picture for his cousins, since they were too shy to go up to him. My friend said that at the time, he didn't know who Jae was and Jae seemed a bit pissed about this, acting like he was a big celebrity and it was stupid of my friend (who is kyopo from Texas and a guy) to not recognize him. Also, Jae had a girl on each arm, which tells me that he's some sort of player. And we've all heard a lot of his comments that make him sound like a spoiled prick. (i.e. "I suck at rapping, but Koreans think it's awesome. That's dope.")

Sorry, but that story makes me less likely to feel sorry for him and the trouble he seems to have brought upon himself.

I'm not going to pretend I know everything about Jae Beom. For all I know, he could truly be repentant and want to come back. But at the same time, who knows if he really truly deserves another chance on a dream that he blew himself. More than once. (Though the Myspace comments, I thought JYP's reaction to that was ridiculous.)

And what really makes me irritated is all the time, energy and money the fans are wasting on the movement get JYP to listen to them and make changes. JPY is most likely not going to change. So, why don't they take all that time, energy and money and put it to good use? Stand up for a cause that will actually do some good in the world, rather than give a spoiled brat his job back.

What about using it to help Haiti? Or the homeless in their area? Or helping unwed mothers in Korea? Or tutor underprivileged children so they have a chance at their dreams. These are all difficult causes, that seem to have no end. But at least every little thing done has some sort of positive impact. Why not try to do something positive for the world? Besides, after everything that has happened, I highly doubt that Jae wants to go back to JYP anyway.

So... that's my rant. May the anti-fans have mercy on this old fogey who dared to have an opinion on Jae Beom.

Let's hope there aren't anymore bomb threats... though I've heard JYP has police guarding their headquarters...

Pipes Bursting, Valentine's Day Prep and other Minor Disasters

2010-02-11T19:58:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder if anyone is reading this, but it's fun to write so I keep updating. ^_^

This week has been nothing short of disastrous. It seems that one thing after another keeps happening. And on top of that, I'm completely stressed out from the script and work. Bleh. I feel like I've morphed into super bitch this week, and it's not fun.

At work... I can tell that the stress is getting to me. There is one certain reporter that keeps rubbing me the wrong way and I get testier and testier. Said reporter is possibly the worst writer and English speaker (probably because this reporter is the only one who isn't somewhat kyopo or who's parents live abroad). Whatever it is, the person is not that good. At first, when I would completely re-write or change entire chunks of this reporter's articles based on the sole fact that they didn't make sense, were riddled with grammar, spelling and vocabulary mistakes, the reporter seemed grateful. I'm not sure how sincere, but everytime the reporter looked over my corrections, they would come back over and thank me. (I thought it was kind of weird... and annoying.)

Anyway... so lately, said reporter keeps coming up and questioning me after I make corrections. And of course... I'm right. Not only am I a native English and former English instructor... I have a degree in journalism and four years of reporting and writing experience... which this reporter either ignores or doesn't know about. Or this reporter questions a mistake that they made that is nearly impossible for others to notice (such as writing 'daring' instead of 'darling'... that's not my fault). It's driving me crazy. The reporter SUCKS compared to the other reporters who are younger, but are stronger writers in English. Oi... the reporter is starting to get an attitude with me and I just want to throw a punch... bleh...

So, that's one annoyance... another is Issie-related. I had to switch her cat food this time because the grocery store by our house quit carrying her kitten food. And well, it's not settling well with her little tummy so she's had diarrea all week... all over the house. So now my house smells like cat poo. Ugh.

And the icing on the cake... at midnight last night... my hot water pipe busted.

Yesterday afternoon when I got home, I noticed the heater blinking. I remembered there was something that we were suppose to do that involved draining the water heater. I tried, but I think I drained the wrong bit. So, there was no heat until my roommate came home and drained the right part and the heat started working again.

Anyway, so she turned on the shower and waited for it to heat up, but it wasn't. She turned off the shower and we heard water spraying from somewhere, went into the laundry room and discovered water spraying from the pipe. And first it wasn't much, but when we touched the pipe... water came flooding out. We shut the hot water off and took a closer look. The pipe was corroded and had separated from the cross pipe. But, it was midnight and there was nothing we could do until morning because it obviously needed to be welded or something. Duct tape wouldn't solve this problem. At least not permanently. It even looked as though someone had taped around it before.

We sent a text message to my landlady and decided to wait until morning. My roommate decided an apartment with no heat or hot water for the night and possibly most of the next day was too much for her, so she bailed around 12:30 to head to her friend's house, leaving me to deal with the pipe and my landlady by myself... knowing full well that I can't speak Korean and I needed her as a translator.

So, here I sit, waiting for the pipe guy to fix the pipe. My landlady's husband has been here three times already since I got up at noon and it's now 1:30pm. He never says anything, just walks in, looks at the pipe, plays with Issie and leaves. Both of the guys just looked at the pipe and I think the work guy is getting all the equipement he needs to fix it.

Ugh, I'm just glad that I didn't have any plans today other than writing and cleaning the house. Because now I'm stuck here waiting on my stupid pipe to get fixed... bleh... Though, I was going to go to the bank...

Stupid Hagwons

2010-01-25T04:29:00.000-08:00

So... I was having a talk with my roommate today about her job search. She's been looking for some part-time teaching work to make some more money and she's having a tough time getting people to talk to her. And the reason why... she's not white. More specifically... she's Chinese-American but looks a little Korean. She's been turned down for interviews and whatnot based on the sole fact that she's Asian.

I'm sorry, but how stupid is that??? She is AMERICAN. She speaks NATIVE ENGLISH. Not only that... she also speaks MANDARIN, CANTONESE and KOREAN. She is more than qualified to teach languages. She speaks English better than I do... I don't understand the discrimination. Why would someone think that I am better qualified to teach English just because I'm white?

In fact... true story. This week at the office, one of the freelance reporters took me aside and offered me a part-time teaching job at an adult hagwon. I thanked him, told him I was interested, but I couldn't do it because of my hours at Arirang. I then told him that my roommate was a qualified English teacher and looking for work. He said okay and then said this: "I have to be blunt... is she as good-looking as you?" I told him that she was attractive, but didn't look exactly like me because she's Chinese-American. He then made a face and said, "Oh... that could be a problem. We are looking for Westerners." What kind of bullshit is that? SHE IS WESTERN! Born and raised in the US. What he meant to say was, "We are looking for white people." Specifically... "We're looking for pretty white girls to parade around in front of our nasty ahjussi students because that will make us more money."

Sometimes I really don't get Korea. When I came here two years ago, hagwons only wanted people who had F4 visas (AKA Koreans born in foreign countries). And now they only want white people. No Indian, no black, no Asian, etc. It doesn't make sense. Since when did the color of your skin qualify you to be a teacher? There are white English instructors who are idiots.

It drives me crazy. She just wants to find work... She's trained and qualified... just give her a job stupid hagwons...

Settling Into A Domestic Lifestyle

2009-12-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

Now that is a phrase that I never thought I would say, but it would appear that I am somewhat moving into that direction.

I got up and went to the store this morning, then came back and put a stew on to cook. (Seriously... me... cooking stew?) Yesterday I did laundry and picked up the trash left over from this weekend's unexpected get together. The kitchen is clean. The bathroom floor is clean, but I still need to attack the sink and toilet.

Though, as proud as I am of all that, I still can't bring myself to tackle the floor or my room. So, I guess that's the extent of my 'housewifing' around for today. However, it is only 4 pm, so we'll see. I'm attempting to work on some writing, but I might mop later when I need a distraction. And I think I'm most proud of the stew, though I'm still laughing at myself for how excited I was when I got my crock pot. I'm sure my boyfriend has ulterior motives for buying it... namely me cooking something for him with it. (In fact, he's already requested that I cook something this weekend.)

It's so interesting because I've never considered myself 'domestic' or whatever term you want to use. (Even my boyfriend makes fun of how messy my room is... And had to beg me to help clean up his room... which surprisingly I didn't mind doing... weird...) But yet, I'm kind of enjoying some of these chores and am especially looking forward to cooking for him. Even if I still get the feeling that I'm just playing House or it's just a phase. We'll see...

I'm such a dork. I think it's because I'm 25 now... yes, I'm going to blame my age...

Papa

2009-11-29T02:00:00.000-08:00

I've decided to take a moment out of my crazy Thanksgiving weekend to remember someone very important in my life. I can't even believe that it's been a year since he left, but the calendar doesn't lie.

For some reason, it hasn't quite hit me that Papa is gone. Probably because I'm still in Korea and hadn't seen him for about five months prior to his death. To me, it still feels like he's not really gone. I sometimes forget and almost slip up and say something about him when I talk to my family. But I always catch myself.

But I worry that the second I step foot back in the US to stay, that's when it will hit me that things are different. And Papa is gone.

But let's not get into that now. I'd rather think about him at the beach in Florida, collecting shells. Or flying a plane. Or dancing the jitterbug at airshows. Or telling me how proud he was of me living in a foreign country by myself. Those are the things that I think about. And how I wish he was still here so that my children could have had the opportunity to have fun memories with Papa Rex, the original Papa, as my sister calls him. ^_^

He encouraged me to write and influenced my love of flying, though sadly, in the past few years I haven't had the chance to indulge that. He gave me a love for history and taught me to respect veterans as well as to learn from them.

He taught me how to fly the Canadian Queen, even though it scared me to the death the first time. He introduced me to the wonderful people in the Oklahoma Wing, that I have so many great memories with. (I'll never forget the funnel cake fights. ^^)

And he's the reason why I stayed in Korea when I thought I was almost ready to come home a year ago. I was ready to just give up when things weren't going so well, but I remembered that he was so proud that I was here, so I kept going and kept trying.

So... here's to Papa. I miss you, but I know you're in a better place.

Drama and Craziness

2009-11-08T20:44:00.001-08:00

So, this weekend has been one insanely crazy mess of I don't know.

I haven't heard from my boyfriend for about two weeks and since this is not the first time he's done this, I've decided the best thing to do is to end things. He obviously doesn't have the time for a relationship, and I'm questioning whether he really cares about me. He doesn't know about my accident, he hasn't messaged, emailed, called or anything. I know he's busy, but it takes 30 seconds to send a message. And I've sent him several and received no response. In short, I think this is the best thing for us since he needs to focus on his work and finishing his apprenticeship right now.

Also, I'm working on a huge writing project that will take a lot of time and energy for the next 6-9 months. It's imperative that I focus on completing this since my partner has hired me to finish it and already has contacts who are waiting for a finished product. I spent the last couple of weekends mucking around, and it's time for me to really focus and stop goofing off. And stop wondering and worrying about my ex. The less distractions the better...

Although... there is another distraction popping that I will have to keep under control. Thank goodness that distraction lives outside of Seoul during the week...

In conclusion... there are a lot of crazy things going on right now, and I sort of feel like I'm fighting to keep my head above water. I just had a week off from work and I don't feel rested or anything. And the whole point was to take some time to rest and relax and focus on writing and that didn't happen. Ugh...

The Saga of the Could-Be Fractured Nose

2009-11-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, so here's the full story- with pictures- about my nose...

Friday night, Jung Min and I went out for what was going to be a couple beers after I got off work. After that, she decided that she wanted to really go out. I told her that I would go along with it. So we went off to one of our favorite bars near Seolleung Station. We went in, ordered a bottle and settled in. We ended up staying for about four hours. It got late, and we decided it was time to head home. I had to get up for a wedding on Saturday evening on top of all the Halloween party preparations.

So, we get up to leave. A couple of the bartenders were going to walk us out to catch taxis. One of them was a bit drunk and wanted to give me a piggyback ride. This did not seem like a good idea to me because we were in the basement of the building and there were only two ways upstairs: a.) the elevator (which Jung Min was waiting on) and b.) the stairs. So I said no. He said it again. I said no. He said it a third time and I gave in, thinking he would get me up, decide I was too heavy and I would hop down.

He was already bent down, so I hopped on his back. But instead of standing up, he pitched forward and threw me into a door. I lay on the floor for a bit, dazed. My ears were ringing and I felt lightheaded. Then the blood came. I had a giant cut on my nose and it was bleeding from within. Jung Min got me up and rushed me to the bathroom. We cleaned up my face, but I was still lightheaded. I dropped to the floor, because I knew I was going to pass out. After putting my head between my legs for a bit, I felt better and my ears stopped ringing. Jung Min got me up and with the help of a different bartender, I got back inside and laid down in one of the seats. They got me a blanket and some ice.

I'm not sure how long I laid there, but people kept looking at my forehead, which was already starting to swell, and my nose. They sat me up and the bartender responsible started cleaning some of the blood that was leftover on my face and sticking paper towel up my noise. He poked my nose a few times and declared it wasn't broken. Jung Min and the other bartender wanted to take me to the hospital, but I said I was okay. I was just incredibly embarrassed and wanted to get out of there. Fortunately or unfortunately, the bartender responsible was just as eager to get me out of the bar. I think he literally pushed us out because he was worried Bartender 2 would finally convince me to go to the hospital in which case he would have to pay. (Jerk.) Jung Min looked like she wanted to break his nose after the whole ordeal.

Anyway, Jung Min and Bartender 2 got me home. Though, again, looking back it was kind of stupid of me to insist that I go home and not the hospital... definitely could have had a concussion...

And here's how my nose progressed...

This is what I looked like on Sunday. Still swelling... but no bruising... that came on Monday...

Here's a nice shot of the swelling. A light bruise started on my forehead and those actually aren't dark circles under the eyes... those are bruises...

As you can see... it looks better today. The swelling is down, but it still hurts. Bleh.

I went to the doctor on Tuesday and was told that it wasn't broken (but then was later informed that Korean doctors don't believe in hairline fractures. We didn't do a CT scan, so there is a possibility that it is fractured slightly) and there were some lacerations inside my noise as well as some inflammation. They gave me a shot and a day's worth of antibiotics. The swelling is pretty much gone, however I'm still congested because I have a cold on top of dealing with my nose. Yeesh... can't catch a break...

Oh... and still never got an apology from the bartender...

Wow

2009-10-27T03:23:00.000-07:00

That's really the only thing that comes to mind right now. I can't really go into details because we're still in the beginning... but maybe in a couple of months I can divulge more about this little project.

But anyway... wow...

Korean Cultural Experience: The Host Bar

2009-10-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

So, I had a very interesting cultural experience last night with my best friend, who has asked to remain anonymous for this little "social experiment". Let's just call her... Minnie. ^_^

Anyway, after a few years of watching Japanese and Korean dramas and hearing stories about hostess bars and host bars, plus talking about it with Minnie, we decided that we wanted to see what they were really like. Of course, we spent a few months just talking about going without every really doing it. I think we said we would do it for our double birthday party and promised that it would be a secret. We planned to save up a lot of money since they are rather expensive. I think we just kept putting it off because we were both a little chicken...

But then last night at work, I got a message from Minnie, saying that she wanted to go somewhere fancy for a couple drinks. I thought maybe she meant a wine bar. But no. She wanted to go to "that" place, as we referred to it in public, because we didn't want those around us to know what we were talking about. She had even researched host bars and picked out two that she thought were nice and not too expensive.

So, I said yes, albeit, a bit hesitantly, and proceeded to tear my room apart for almost an hour after work trying to find something "pretty" and "sexy" as I was ordered to wear. Finally, around 12:45ish, I met up with Minnie at Samseong Station and off we went to Seollung Station (about one station away) where the bar was located. We had considered going to Apgujong, which is known for its expensive and fancy bars, but decided to stick close for convenience.

At first we couldn't find it. The only instructions Minnie had were that it was near Olive Young behind Exit 1. Once there, we were suppose to call one of the boys who would give us more directions. However, when we got there and called, he was apparently "busy" and didn't answer.

We decided to wander around and look for it and after about five minutes, we stood in front of the pink and purple sign. It was called "Loveholic" which seemed a very fitting name for a host bar. It was in the basement, so down the stairs we went. At the door we stopped, suddenly feeling very anxious and silly about going in. After about ten seconds of debating, we pushed through the door, deciding that it didn't matter since we were only there to see what it was like anyway.

The bar was about half full with groups of about four or five girls sitting in booths and tables. A fairly attractive guy came up to us and asked if we minded sitting at the bar, since all the tables were filled. The bar was not your average bar. Instead of stools, there were red loveseats on a raised platform, so you could reach the bar. Behind it were several stools for the guys to sit while they chatted with you. The speakers pumped out R&B, KPop and ballads, though not too loudly so you could still talk. On our way over there, the guy asked if we knew what kind of bar we were in... we said that we did.

The bar itself was very girly looking. Purples and reds were everywhere, with sheer curtains sectioning off the bar and the tables for some privacy. The lights were set low. The guys all seemed to be engaged in flirting and chatting at the tables and were all dressed very stylish. And yes, they were all very handsome, though only a couple I would deem hot.

We got situated at the bar and the main host asked us if we wanted to stay here the whole time or move to a table when one was open. We said we wanted to stay at the bar, mostly because it was cheaper than a table. The way this sort of place is set up is that you pay a set fee for the table (or bar or booth) and then order one bottle of alcohol, like vodka, gin, whisky, wine, etc. No cocktails or single drinks. You had to make them yourself at the table with your liquor. Or you could order a beer set.

We settled on a bottle of white wine, which came to a whopping 90,000 won (About $70-80) on top of the bar fee, which was 15,000 won (about $10). It was the cheapest thing on the menu since most of the wines and liquors were anywhere from 90,000 to 200,000 won ($70-150). A table was 30,000 won ($20ish) and a booth was 40,000 won ($30ish) since it had more privacy. Also, since the bottles of liquor are quite big, if you don't finish it, you can put it on hold and come back as many times as you want until you finish it. Behind the bar were shelves filled with half-empty bottles of alcohol with little name tags wrapped around them.

While we waited for our order, we looked around. Next to us was one girl seated with a cute guy in a blazer and glasses with a huge splay of food and whisky. She kept giggling and flirting with him like they were on a date and pouring him more whisky. He seemed a little bored. Minnie and I giggled at this. This was kind of what we expected to see at this sort of bar.

Other than her, none of the others really fit the stereotype that I thought I would see. It was mostly just group of women who looked kind of like us, who just wanted to go out and see hot guys. Minnie said they were probably mostly women in their late 20s to early 30s who were either too busy to date, or were just out for a girls' night.

Anyway, at this point, our wine had arrived, accompanied by a very cute guy name Myung Ho, who was dressed in black jeans with a white button-up shirt and black tie. Though, the tie was loosened and the top few buttons undone. His hair was slightly long with bangs that he swept across his forehead. Oh, and did I mention he had the best smile? He poured our drinks and took a seat across from us. He looked really nervous at first, since he got stuck with the foreigner who couldn't really speak Korean. But he tried valiantly. We went through the usual pleasantries of saying our ages, where we worked (he thought I was a college student), where I was from, etc. He did say I was pretty, but other that, there was no gushing compliments or crazy flirting like I heard or read about in manga. He was the sort of guy that I wouldn't mind meeting out somewhere and hanging out with. If I spoke better Korean, that is...

We talked about what he was studying at university (he was only 23, probably just finished military a year or two ago) and what working at a host bar was like. Minnie asked how it worked with the guys at the tables.

Basically, according to Myung Ho, the main greeter takes the order and then sends over a guy he thinks would fit in well with the girls (or guys if it's a larger group). They talk for awhile and if the girl isn't impressed, they'll rotate and get a new guy. Or sometimes the guy is called to another table after about an hour or so and a new one comes. At this point, he thought Minnie was asking to switch, which she vehemently denied after blushing and said she just wanted to know since this was our first time there.

I then, tentatively asked him in Korean if it was fun working there. He said sometimes. But a lot of times they get weird customers who come in and drink too much, then are all over the guys, or banging on tables, or throwing up and he has to clean it up. He also said that he was studying during the day and working at night, which meant he only got about two hours of sleep a night.

After about an hour, as our wine was disappearing quickly between the three of us. (Yes, you do have to give them drinks. Thus why the alcohol is so expensive.) Myung Ho said they were about to do an event. This involved some of the guys doing dances and a game called the Pepparo game. They did a few dances from some popular songs. One guy did G-Dragon’s “Heartbreaker” and another did “Rainism” by Rain. Of course, they were all good-looking and very talented, so it was fun to watch.

Then came the Pepparo game. Basically, one girl from each table went up with the guy assigned to them. They put a Pepparo, which is like Pocky, in the guy’s mouth and the girl has to bite off as much as possible without kissing him. Whoever has the shortest wins a free bottle of whisky. After a round of Kai, Bai, Bo (rock, paper, scissors) I lost and had to play the game for our table.

We were third. Down to the center floor we went. Myung Ho grinned as the MC announced “Lucky Myung Ho, he gets a foreigner,” to the crowd. As if I needed to stand out even more. ^_^ I was so nervous that I ended up leaving a big chunk and lost miserably. I think the winning girl had a length of about 2 millimeters. How that was possible, I don’t know.

Minnie and I ended up staying until about 4 a.m. which surprised me. We switch through a couple more guys and then realized that the wine had been gone for about an hour and we had nothing to offer the guys talking to us. We mentioned this to the last guy with us and apologized, saying that we would leave soon. He said it was okay, and that was actually one of the reasons why he was staying with us.

“If you leave, I have to go to another table and they’ll make me drink a lot,” he said. We were a little shocked by this, but in the end it was understandable. They work from about 7 pm to 7 am each night and have a lot to drink, so it makes sense that they would want a break. This guy, Seung Hun, was actually really funny and natural. The first thing he said when he came up to the table was that he heard I was from Russia, which immediately got me and Minnie giggling. I had mentioned to Myung Ho that men often thought I was Russian. Shows how much of a pro Seung Hun was.

He and Minnie ended up talking for a long time and he told us about how he was planning to move to New York so he could be a model. Another guy came up and told me that he was planning to move to New York to study dance on Broadway. (And he could totally make it. He was one of the best dancers.)

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by the whole thing. It wasn’t sleazy or anything. The guys that talked to us didn’t seem fake or lay on the charm. (Well... most of them. There was one who declared that I was "gorgeous" as we were leaving. Probably the only thing he knew how to say in English.) It wasn’t really any different than meeting a random guy at bar and chatting him up. Well, other than the part that we were paying them to talk to us. Though there were definitely some awkward moments when none of us really knew what to say or talk about, but the guys always jumped in there with a question or comment.

When we left at the end of the night, Seung Hun and Myung Ho walked us out and got us into taxis to head home. Seung Hun even asked for our numbers. (Though, I doubt he’ll be calling me. ^_^ Probably only asked for it so I wouldn't feel left out.) We think that we’re going to get a couple of our girl friends together and go back for our birthday party. It’ll be more fun with a group of us. ^_^

And thus, the myths of the host bar have been uncovered...

Something a Bit Different

2009-10-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

So, as some of you know, I've been working on a book about my first year in Korea for quite some time. But it's been slow going, mainly because I've been unintentionally unmotivated. So, I've decided that I will post bits on here in the hopes that it will motivate me to write and update it more. Without further ado... here is the first bit.... (Just be aware that it's still a work in progress...)
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She stood in the middle of the sidewalk, staring up at the sunless, gray sky. All around her, people rushed passed barely caring to move out of the way for the odd, young foreigner standing in the middle of the wide walkway. Some watched in anxiety as they rushed passed, wondering if she was mentally off-balanced. Others were more polite, and only glanced occasionally to satisfy their curiosity. And still some stared openly, half gawking at the exotic pale skin, blue eyes and red hair, and half wondering why she was staring straight up into the sky.

But the girl stood still, casually taking in the sky and tops of tall buildings as music pumped through her iPod into her ears. She couldn’t hear the quiet, alien murmurs around her or see the endless stares and looks she was receiving. Nor did she care even though she could still feel their eyes on her. After a month in this strange city, she was starting to not notice them.

The silent vibrating of a cell phone in her pocket broke her reverie, though she stared down at her pocket a moment before reaching in, as if contemplating whether or not she really wanted to answer. But curiosity got the better of her as she pulled the tiny silver piece of technology from its warm haven. The name Hyun was displayed above a number as the phone blinked green. Shrugging she flipped it open with one hand as she casually pulled her ear bud out of her right ear.

“Oppa,” she said brightly. Several people walking passed glanced back at her at the sound of the Korean word coming from the foreign lips. “What’s going on?” She casually started walking down the sidewalk.

“Better watch who you say that around, Nora. People might get the wrong impression,” a slightly accented voice replied lightly. Nora rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Yea, right. You know it tickles your old, Korean ass pink to have an attractive, young American woman calling you oppa,” she said, ignoring the nervous glances from the few people walking around her who could understand English.

“Young and American you may be, but attractive...I think you should seek a second opinion with that mouth,” he said.

“Hey, you swear way more than I do,” she shot back.

“Yes, but not as I’m walking down the sidewalk talking on the phone.” Nora stopped and looked around.

“How did you know I was walking down the sidewalk?” she asked.

“Don’t you have class at 3 p.m.? It’s currently 2:50 p.m, and I’m surprised that I guessed correctly that you were on the sidewalk. Normally you would just be walking out the door,” he said wrily. Nora shook her head and kept walking.

“You know me too well, Hyun. It’s scary sometimes. Are you sure you’re not stalking me?” she asked lightheartedly.

“Oh, yes, because I can do that with all my free time,” he said sarcastically.

“Speaking of which, why are you calling me instead of working?” she asked brightly.

“Wanted to see if you were free for dinner tonight,” he said. Nora paused on the sidewalk to go through her mental to-do list.

“Hmm, I think I’m meeting up with some co-workers tonight,” she said.

“Please tell me you’re not going out drinking again,” he said, resignedly.

“You can always join us,” Nora said suggestively as she continued walking down the sidewalk, vaguely aware that she did have to be somewhere in a relatively short time.

“Hmm, not sure I’m in the mood to baby-sit again tonight. Especially since that’s what I did last weekend,” he said. Nora rolled her eyes.

“Seriously, Hyun. I’m not that bad,” she said defensively. “You only had to help me home once.”

“Sorry, my idea of a fun night doesn’t include watching you edge closer to drinking yourself to oblivion, especially considering that you didn’t drink before you got here,” he said with a sigh.

“Fine,” Nora whined. “Don’t come. It’s a work thing anyway.” Hyun hesitated.

“Will Ann be there?” he asked. “I want to make sure someone is there to keep you out of trouble.” Nora sighed. Sometimes she felt as though he took the big brother thing too far. They hadn’t know each other very long, but already the young executive had taken the naïve teacher under his wing and adopted her as his little sister.

“I swear, you’re worse than a real brother,” Nora said, picking up her pace.

“Hey, I want to make sure you end up home safe and not in bed with some loser,” he said, joking but concern was still edging his voice.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” she said. “Believe me. I don’t want to end up in anyone’s bed any more than you.” Hyun laughed.

“All right. Then enjoy yourself. And make sure you eat a big dinner,” he said. Nora rolled her eyes again.

“Yes, daddy,” she whined as she hung up the phone. Sometimes being friends with Hyun could be a bit smothering. But she couldn’t help but be drawn to him, even though he was five years her senior. Despite his rapidly appearing protective tendencies, Nora always had fun and felt comfortable around him. She found herself meeting him often for dinner or coffee during the week, something that Hyo Son, Hyun’s girlfriend of a year and a half, wasn’t too fond of. She still couldn’t believe that it was nearly a month ago when they met. Thinking about the first time the two met brought a small smile to Nora’s face. Even then they were arguing…

Week of Crazy

2009-10-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

Bleh... so I've had a crazy week...

It started last week. I noticed my sister had a Facebook status message about being shocked from something. I sent her a message asking what it was about, thinking maybe it had something to do with her ex-boyfriend. But then she told me that she was shocked because our real dad had called her after nearly 19 years of no contact. AND he told her that we have an 8-year-old little sister named Haley who wants to see and meet us.

So, that on threw us for a loop. Especially my sister who doesn't remember anything really about our Dad. But I'm dealing with it, and I kind of do want to talk to him and meet our sister. I'm not really sure what to say or anything. Kind of throws life a bit upside down.

In the midst of all this, I tried calling my boyfriend to talk to him and he was busy at work and couldn't meet me. So Thursday I sent him some messages and didn't hear from him. I was out with friends and they wanted to meet him, so I called, but his phone was turned off.

I didn't worry about it, just thought he was in a meeting. Friday comes and I sent him a message wishing him a Happy Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), but still no reply. I didn't bother with a message on Saturday because I figured he was busy with family stuff. Sent him a message about Chuseok on Sunday and still didn't hear anything. Now I'm thinking something is going on, but I'm not sure what. Monday came, another message and no reply.

By the time Tuesday came around, I'm really starting to worry. The last time I didn't hear anything from him for a few days, his brother had a heartattack. I tried calling, but his phone was still off. By Tuesday night, I'm starting to think something must really be wrong. Either he's in the hospital, his family is in the hospital, or he has decided that he doesn't want to have anything to do with me again... Yea, I had a lot of time to think about the possibly scenarios. I hoped that whatever the case was, that he would eventually call. Especially since everything seemed fine when I talked to him on Wednesday.

Anyway, as a last resort, I sent an email to his work account. Lo and behold, I get a response. He apologizes for making me worry and said that he got robbed and broke his phone in the process this weekend. He'd been so busy at work, he hadn't gotten it fixed yet and was hoping to get it back today.

And since he only had my number in his phone and didn't have my business card, he didn't know how to contact me since he doesn't have Facebook, etc.

Part of me is a bit skeptical, but I have no reason to believe that he would lie to me. However, it is a bit strange that within the time we've been together, he lost his phone, his brother had a heart attack and then he gets robbed and breaks his phone. Anywho, regardless of what happened, I'm just glad he's okay and he's back in contact with me.

So, that was my crazy week... Now, if I would just get my paycheck, I would feel much more at ease...

Emma... as the Prime Minister of Korea?

2009-09-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

So, had a funny moment at work the other day that I meant to blog about and forgot. And also, I wasn't sure if anyone would find it as amusing as I did...

Anywho, sometimes after about 8 or so at night, the reporters have me do voice over work since there is no one else to do it and I pretty much have most of the 10pm newscast edited by then. It happens fairly frequently so most of the time they just say, "Emma... dubbing," and I say "Okay, which quote?" Or if they don't speak English, "Dubbing juseyo!!" with a big smile, because they are terrified I'll say no. (As if I could...)

Anywho, the other night I was sitting at my desk editing when Won Young, one of the reporters, pops up out of nowhere and says,"Hey Emma, want to be the Prime Minister?"

Of course, she meant did I want to dub a quote for her package about the new South Korean prime minister. But yet, it still got a good laugh from me and the senior anchor. As it turns out, I got to dub both the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the National Assembly. Which led to a long, drawn out inside joke about how I must be moving up in the world if I'm both the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the National Assembly at 24.

And it's kind of funny to watch the clip and hear my voice coming from the mouth of an older Korean man.

Anywho, that's my little story about how I got to be Prime Minister for about 7 seconds. I have to admit that I like voice over work. It's something that I didn't think I would ever do, especially since I was told during my broadcasting class at JBU that my voice wasn't really made for broadcast... Yea... ouch...

Though, I've been told I sound more professional than whiny now... that's definitely a good thing...

Another Day at Work

2009-09-27T01:24:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at work waiting for the next stories to come through for the 7pm newscast and I felt the need to write something... though at the moment I'm not sure what. I guess I could give an update of sorts. Though there isn't much to update on...

Roommate
My roommate has moved in and things are working out quite well. We get along and sometimes stay up late talking about random, fun things. I felt bad when I got home yesterday. She had completely scrubbed and reorganized the kitchen. It's fabulous and I love it, but as the primary apartment leasee, I probably should have taken care of that. So, from here on out, I'm going to do my best to keep it sparkling. And try and get the landlady to FINALLY come fix the hot water and bathroom light...

Je Won
Things are still going well with Je Won. Though, we still don't get to see each other very often. He called me last night after his 회식 (company/client dinner... always involves lots of drinking... Korean business culture: you don't mess with the 회식) but unfortunately I had fallen asleep about an hour before that and was incredibly incoherent on the phone as I was techincally still asleep (I have a bad habit of answering the phone in my sleep...). All I remember is "Emma, just hang up and go back to sleep."

I vaguely remember answering a question before that... I've heard that talking to me on the phone while I'm asleep can be funny... anywho, I didn't get to see him last night, but hopefully we can meet up sometime this coming week or during Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). He'll have 3 days off and he's definitely not allowed to go into the office then...

Job and Job-Related Hobbies
The job is going well. Haven't had any particularly bad days or good days. I've been trying to put in a few more days in when possible to help pad the "Emma Unemployment Recovery Fund" which is filling slowly. I'm also making some good friends at work, which is nice. I'm getting the hang of editing and the style here, so that definitely helps.

I'm still writing for May Pang's website and have been talking with some people about making the right contacts. I've got one friend who is going to call some of the agencies for me and get press contacts. I've got another who said he could help me with some networking... I just need to get my business cards made up.

I'm really excited about some of the places I could be going with this, but I have to remember to not let it affect my "real" job. And also to remember the promise I made to my indie rock friends that I would help promote them as best I can.

It's Fall in Korea...
I'm so happy that the cool weather is here. It's such a relief from the humid and sticky summers. And the city is pretty in the fall with all the leaves changing and the weather really nice. Unfortunately, it'll only last until mid-November or so. Then, winter will come roaring in. Though if last winter is any judge, I suspect that this winter won't be that cold.

This coming weekend is Chuseok or Korean Thanksgiving and the weather is going to be beautiful from what I hear. My Korean friends will be busy with family and most of my foreign friends are traveling, so I'm looking forward to spending the time just relaxing and enjoying the weather. I might go get some new books or work on my book on the roof.

Halloween!
Yes, I know it's still a month away, but I'm already sending out word for my annual Halloween costume party. It happens to fall on the same day as my friend's wedding, but luckily it's earlier in the day. I'm planning to pull together Tinkerbell and Peter Pan for Je Won. I informed him of this on Thursday and he said he didn't care, as long as he didn't have to wear tights... Let's hope I can make two costumes in time...

And that's about it, I suppose. If something else comes up, I'll be sure to post it. ^_^

Plagiarism, G-Dragon, 2NE1 and YG Entertainment...Oh My...

2009-09-24T23:16:00.000-07:00

So, I'm currently caught on the fence.

The latest story running around the Korean Pop scene is the plagiarism claim that Sony is making against YG Entertainment involving songs by G-Dragon and 2NE1. Now, I'm a big fan of both Big Bang and 2NE1. I like their songs, style, dance, etc. But I'm also a writer. And plagiarism is similar to stabbing a writer in the heart.

One could argue that the songs don't sound that much alike... but the truth is, they do. I'm no music expert, but even I can't deny that there are substantial similarities between some of the original songs and the re-makes. (Though I am of the opinion that most of the re-makes sound better than the originals.)

And YG Entertainment is claiming that with 2NE1's song "I Don't Care" they didn't really know about the Lionel Richie song because he's not popular in Korea. (Which I could almost believe, seeing as I'm American and even I hadn't heard of his song.) G-Dragon is staying silent, which is probably the smartest thing for him to do if he wants to keep his job and his fans.

All in all, it's a bit disappointing. Big Bang and 2NE1 have had a number of hits from their original stuff, and I don't know why their producers would feel the need to borrow melodies from popular American artists. Both have made a name in Korea for being different, and this just kind of goes against that.

But, in the case of G-Dragon, even though he wrote two of the reportedly plagiarized songs, I have to admit that I don't think he is the only one to blame. Wasn't there someone there to tell him, "Ah, maybe you shouldn’t copy that song..." or "Hmm, that sounds an awful lot like Flo Rida or Oasis..."? I'm most certainly not saying that he isn't at fault, but I don't think he should shoulder all the blame. Though from the reports I've seen, what YG and G-Dragon need right now are good PR people to spin this thing in a way that won't send his career to the grave. And to learn from this incident. If they want to use the melody from another song... BUY IT. Suck it up and pay the royalties. Or better yet, DON'T USE IT. Write your own stuff. So, maybe the public may not like it at first, but if you keep trying, eventually you'll grow as a writer and become better.

And in the end, I have to admit that I won't stop listening to either group or G-Dragon because of the allegations. It's kind of like college football. Even if your team is losing, you still support them through the bad times and the good. So, even though YG is losing right now, I'm still a fan.

Here are the songs in question for you to make your own decision...

Plagiarism One- Lionel Richie's "Just Go" and 2NE1's "I Don't Care"
Lionel Richie- Just Go

2NE1- I Don't Care

Plagiarism Two- Flo Rida's "Right Round" and G-Dragon's "Heartbreaker"
Flo Rida- Right Round

G-Dragon- Heartbreaker

Plagiarism Three- Oasis "She's Electric" and G-Dragon's "Butterfly"
Oasis- She's Electric

G-Dragon- Butterfly

Plagiarism Four- Joe's "Ride Wit U" and Big Bang's "With U" (released in Japan)
Joe- Ride Wit U

Big Bang- With U

ASF Rocked

2009-09-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

I loved the show. It was awesome. Seeing a lot of top name groups at once was great, even if we were sitting pretty far back. We had a good view of the entire stage, but it was kind of hard to see the performers. Other than that, it was a good time.

And I got to see BIG BANG and 2NE1! I was so excited to get to see my two favorite groups. They totally lived up to their reputations. 2NE1 crunked and danced up a storm and Big Bang had the whole stadium screaming. I have decided that it is my goal to interview both groups before I leave Korea. I guess I better get working on my Korean, though I know that CL and Sandara are both fluent in English and I think Bom is too. Minzy, sadly doesn't, but I'm sure the other girls would be willing to translate. And I've heard that T.O.P. and G-Dragon have a good grasp of English, so I may not even need to worry about interviewing them in Korean. Though it would be awesome... incredibly scary, but awesome all the same...

And I got to see a bunch of really good new groups like K-OTIC, a fun group from Thailand, and Agnes Monica, an amazing vocalist from Indonesia. Oh, and Show Luo, a really hot singer from Taiwan. He actually got me and Jung Min interested in paying a visit to Taipei to see if all Taiwanese guys are that good-looking.

One of the more interesting acts was a singer named Ruslana from Ukraine. She kind of erupted on to the stage in a strappy, red, dress thingy with Nordic-looking back up dancers who looked like they were attacking the stage rather than dancing. I don't think the crowd knew quite what to do with her, being used to girlish pop acts like SNSD.

Speaking of which, I have to admit that SNSD stepped up their dancing during "Genie". They broke out of the cutsy, choreography and actually through in a bit of freestyle that was borderline hip hop. They still need a bit of work to get up to 2NE1's level, but they definitely are making efforts to mature in the dance department. Of course, they ended with "Gee" which kind of brought them back down to the cutesy level...

Of course, Agnes Monica blew both SNSD and 2NE1 away. She was a one-act show bursting with energy and personality. She got the crowd to join in with her in a stomp routine, right after starting a "Heal the World" sing-along in memory of Michael Jackson. Not to mention, this girl can crunk and dance like nothing I've seen in Asia... other than 2NE1, that is. But her voice is so powerful and soulful. This girl definitely has talent. And she's hoping to break out into the US music scene. I think she'll totally make it. Not only does she sing and dance well, but she writes and produces her own stuff. Something not many pop acts do today.

And I suppose I'll end this post with mentioning the awesomeness that is Gackt. I think everyone should see him live. His showmanship blew all the younger acts away. He started off with "Ghost" doing this crazy robotic dance that was so believeable that I almost thought it was a Gackt robot. And then the big screen on the stage split in the middle and his band appeared in a swirl of fog and red lighting. Course, the fireworks and flames helped add to the mystery and excitement. Yea... it was awesome...

All in all, a good show. It really got me excited about doing more in the entertainment arena. I'm hoping that things with the website really start exploding and I can get into some interviews and real event coverage. There was apparently a press conference that I missed. Oh well. I need to somehow get on some press release list. Got my work cut out for me I guess... Not going to be easy, but I'm up for a challenge. ^_^

Agnes Monica

Show Luo

Gackt from the Festival

K-OTIC

Ruslane

And just for fun... Ho Ngoc Ha, a talented performer from Vietnam

Visa Run Time!

2009-09-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

So, it's official. I'm heading off to Fukuoka again on Monday to get my visa. This one is just a quick run. I fly in Monday morning around 9:30 am (yup...that means I have to get up at 4:30 am to catch my 8 am flight) and come back around 4:45 pm on Thursday.

Hopefully, everything goes according to plan and I can finally get everything over with. You don't know how happy I am to finally get everything taken care. Let's just hope my roommate can move in soon. Or at least give me a no soon so I can call my back up person. (Yes, I have a back up person. Hooray.)

So just pray that everything goes according to plan so that I can finally breathe and quit being so stressed out...

Interesting Food

2009-09-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

So, I was out with my friend tonight eating street food and I realized that I have never written about food n Korea. Without further ado... I give you all an introduction to food in Korea... with pictures...

My first attempt at Korean cooking. It doesn't look very pretty, but it's tasty (and looks better when you order it at a restaurant. It's called "mandoo guk" or dumpling soup. In a way, it's kind of like the chicken noodle soup of Korea, or at least that's what it tastes like. Anyway, it's really good to have in the winter.

Then, there is "bar food" in Korea. They call it "anju" which basically means appetizer. Often times it's something fried or spicy. Oftentimes we go out and get a couple of different things to eat while we drink. Most bars here make you order some sort of side dish in order to drink there, mostly because soju and draft beer is so cheap.

Something new that I recently discovered is a type of seafood, which is incredibly popular in Korea. It's basically shellfish on a grill that you dip into chili sauce or this kind of salty sauce. At the end of the meal, they melt a bowl of cheese and put some of the leftover shell meat into the cheese. This is best with a bottle of soju which is Korean alcohol similar to vodka but crazy strong. These kinds of restaurants are popping up all over the place in my area. You can't miss them with the giant fish tanks in front of them and tons of shells and crabs in them.

In tune with the spicy stereotype of Korean food, this particular dish is probably the spiciest. It's called "jaeyuk dobap" which is basically spicy pork that you eat with rice. There are a couple of different ways to eat it. Like this, or in "jaeyuk dosambap" which is cooked on a grill at the table and eaten wrapped in lettuce. Either way is tasty. But, as I said, it is pretty spicy.

A post on Korean food wouldn't be complete without street food! This is kind of the fast food of Korea. Mostly it's found in little stalls on sidewalks and they have everything from corn dogs to kimbap to fried shrimp and squid. These particular dishes are "tteokboki" and "sundae". Tteokboki is rice cake and odong in a spicy sauce and sundae is blood sausage. Blood sausage is basically a type of sausage that is cooked with blood. Yes, it sounds and looks a little nasty, but it's actually really good. Sometimes it comes in a stew and is really good.

Street food is really good when you're hungry, but don't want to eat a lot. Or if you're short on cash. These two things together were about 5,000 won total. (around $4) Or if you've been out dancing and want something to eat before heading home.

Of course, there are plenty of other dishes that I want to talk about, but I don't have pictures yet. Kimch-chigae is delicious and my favorite. It's kimchi stew and really spicy. There is also samgyeobsal, which is pork cooked on a grill and galbi which is marinated pork or beef that is cooked on a grill at the table too. Oh! And dalkalbi, which is spicy chicken mixed with vegetables that you also cook on a grill at a table...

Ugh, all this talk about food is making me hungry...

Oh Boy, What a Night...

2009-08-31T00:05:00.000-07:00

So, Jung Min and I had an interesting night last night. We started out just planning to go to the bar for a couple drinks but then after hanging out at Ireland for a bit, Jung Min decided that she wanted to try this place that we had heard about.

The basic jist is that it's a bar, but you sit at tables and have to order "anju" or appetizers. And while you're sitting there, people jump from table to table to talk to other people that they find attractive or interesting. In Korea, they call this type of thing "booking club" though this was just a cheap, college form of a booking club. A real booking club is incredibly fancy and expensive and the waiters are the ones to usher girls from table to table so they can talk to guys and get their drinks paid for. Same kind of concept, though basically for younger people.

Both of us had heard about this bar and it's always busy with people lined up down the street to get in. We figured Sunday would be a good night to try it out, since we didn't think there would be much of a line. (There was still one...though not down the street). And we were curious. So, we go in and get a table and the first 10 or so minutes were kind of boring. We didn't think it was anything special.

Then, out of the blue, this guy comes up and in an awkward way tries talking to us. He didn't really speak English that well. And he only came up to us because he wanted to speak English. Anywho, that was really awkward. I think he asked me who my favorite English celebrity was and other sort of junior high questions. Anyway, we got them to leave after he tried asking us about five times if it was okay if he and his friend ordered more drinks at our table (we said we weren't drinking that much or staying that late). And about five minutes later, two other guys came up to us. One of which was really strange and very resilient. His friend was a Katusa (Korean military that works with the American military) but both were too young. So we tried to get them to go away, but they wouldn't. The table of guys over to our left at this time was very entertained in watching us and had been for most of the night.

I left to go to the bathroom and as I walked out, the weird guy stopped me and said that I was "beautiful". I thanked him and quickly walked to my table before he could say anything else. When I got back, one of the guys from the table to our left had ventured over to talk to us. He seemed cool and didn't speak English at all, so he wasn't looking to practice. Though, that also meant he spent more time talking to Jung Min, than me.

He ended up staying at our table for about 45 minutes then went back to his friends. Jung Min and I sat laughing about some of the things the guys said. All in all, a fun night. Awkward, but fun. We've decided that we don't think we'll go back, but might try a real booking club just once.

So that was our unexpectedly amusing night... if only I could speak Korean it would have been more fun...

Why Must Life be a Headache Sometimes?

2009-08-25T01:43:00.000-07:00

Oi... I just got a phone call from The Korea Times about my pay for the time I was there. (About a month) The secretary doesn't really speak English so all I got was, "Pay on 31. Immigration number? Address?" And then she started asking about my friend's immigration number, which really threw me off. What friend? I have a friend who is starting there and from what he said this weekend they already applied for his visa so I don't know why she would be asking me for his number, especially since she's the one who should be taking care of his visa.

Anywho, it's confusing and I'm thinking I'm probably never going to see that pay, which sucks. But part of me wasn't really counting on seeing it. Maybe someday... I sent her an email in Korean that hopefully she'll understand and will be able to tell me exactly what information she needs from me.

Gah, everything is just bleh right now. I've come to the sad realization that I'm probably never really going to be out of debt. I have $19,000 left on my school loan and about $13,000 left on my parent's loan. And then there is the credit card. About the time I get the loans paid off, I'll probably be getting married which means I'll have a wedding to pay off and then a house. And I'll have to buy a car when I get back to the States.

Plus, for right now my rent went up about $100 and it's looking like I won't have a roommate anytime soon. I'm trying to figure out how to make some extra money, but it's tough when you're an immigrant. Hopefully I can find some online work that I can do at home that will pay to my American account and help out with my loans.

I suppose that I'm just worried about running out of money at the end of each month. I've spent the past three months worrying about every cent that I spend and I don't want to spend the rest of my life living like that.

And on top of that, it sucks that I've gotten to the point where most of what I think about during the day is money. What happened to the time when I was just happy to be working and I didn't care how much I made? I like my job, but I'm always thinking about how to make more money. Granted, it's not so I can buy lots of things... it's mostly so I can pay what bills and loans I do have.

Gah, I'm only 24. I shouldn't have worries like this yet. I'm way too young... If only I could figure out a way to make about 500,000 won more a month, I wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore...

Death of a President and other news...

2009-08-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

So this week has been crazy. Newswise, tons happened so Arirang is insane...

* Kim Dae-jung, probably the most well-known Korean president, passed away on Tuesday. We all knew he would go sooner rather than later, but it still has thrown the country for a loop. We're currently in the middle of six days of mourning before his state funeral on Sunday. Meaning: a lot of shows, concerts, events, etc. were cancelled or postponed (including the concert I was suppose to go to on Saturday with 2PM) and it's nothing but constant news coverage about moving the body to lie in state, who is visiting, etc. There is a HUGE memorial at the National Assembly and all over the country and people are really really upset about it.

* Korea was suppose to launch its first rocket into space yesterday and literally about 5 minutes before lift off, the computer system aborted the whole thing. Millions of people were watching and totally confused about what happened. They did discover what was wrong, but it might take a couple of weeks to get the thing ready for launch again. This is perhaps the 7th time they've delayed it. Makes me wonder if anything is going to happen...

* North Korea has been in the weirdest mood. They let the journalists go, they let the Hyundai worker go and now they are opening up the tours again and sending wreaths to the late president's family. (Course Kim Jong-il and Kim Dae-jung were buddies.) AND they are loosening up their borders and making it easier for people to cross the DMZ into the North to work in Gaesong. It's almost like they are doing a complete 180. I mean it's great, but I tend to wonder how long it will last.

And in my personal life, everything is speeding up. I'm still writing for May Pang, and I'm about to start a new writing project that will keep me busy until about Sept. 15. I'm running out of money...again...but hopefully some things will pull through in the next couple of weeks and I'll be okay.

Oi, got going away parties to go to, concerts, and just plain keeping up with everything. And I want to get things rolling with my book again. So, yea, hopefully I get things somewhat settled or at least under control soon. Bleh...

I hate budgeting.

2009-08-18T02:13:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would make that declaration. I hated it in university, but luckily then I had the comfort of calling mom and dad if I was ever in danger of running out. Now, since I'm an "adult" when it's gone, it's gone and I have to magically find a way to make it last or make more. I've got the making more thing under control, it just sucks that I won't get that payment until next month when I would like to get it now. Ugh.

Though, I have to admit that I've learned to make $100 last a long time, however, I may be forced to do something I haven't done in years...call mom and ask for money. I feel so irresponsible for having to do that, but I know that this time it's not necessarily my fault for superfluous spending. It's more like I haven't received a full paycheck since April and have had to make my savings stretch out for a long time, and having to make an unexpected trip to Japan for visa purposes didn't help.

Oh well, this too shall pass. It's all a part of becoming an adult and learning how to live responsibly and not buy things that I don't necessarily need.

In other news... the concert with 2PM and Brown Eyed Girls is coming up this weekend. I love finding random fun things on the internet to do (especially when they're free). It'll be my first Kpop concert and it'll be fun even though I'm not really familiar with the artists.

Gotta go. Meeting some friends in Itaewon. Ciao lovies!

Slave Contracts...or Spoiled Celebrities?

2009-08-14T05:18:00.000-07:00

So, the biggest bit of entertainment news in Korea now is the so-called "slave contracts" that entertainers are forced to sign when entering an entertainment agency.

For those not in the know, three members from DBSK have decided to take legal against SM Entertainment, saying their contracts are unfair. The contracts are rumored to last for 13 years, require attending all performances and events that the agency says to (um...duh?) and limited say from the artists in their future career paths. Oh, and that 13 years...doesn't include military service so it is essentially a 15-year contract.

The members also claim that they are being overworked, are not allowed to rest AND that they don't receive an equal percentage of profits. (Though from what I hear, this could be a bit unreasonable because it's said these guys make a lot of money...)

While I'm a bit skeptical about how legit some of their arguments are (money and the amount of time they work...granted they are very busy boys...but they are international stars, what did they expect?) I do think that the authority of agencies over stars in Korea does need to be questioned. Course, not only here, but perhaps in other Asian countries as well. (That's right, Johnny's, you're next!)

Being locked into one company for 13 years is a bit much. Five years would be more understandable. And I do believe that the agencies often don't let their stars have some semblance of a normal life or a say in what jobs they do or don't take. Pop groups are often forced to live together in one apartment (nice apartments from what I've seen) and are monitored pretty much 24/7 by the agency. These monitorings are marketed as reality TV shows, in order to make more money for the agency.

Yea, the stars look all bright and happy to have the cameras there while they're sleeping, eating and practicing, but think about it... would you seriously want to have a camera in your face ALL THE TIME? I'm thinking no...

A lot of agencies don't allow dating and require that the stars tell them where they are at all times. (Which is not such a bad idea for the kiddie stars...but would be annoying for a 20 and up.) Not to mention all the "hush-hush", between-the-lines stuff that the agencies make them do. (Remember Jang Ja Yeon and the "sexual favors"?) Basically, they own these celebs. When the agency says jump, the celebs say "how high?"

I can understand that a lot of the stars are young and do need a short leash, but what happens when they get older? Are they suppose to just let their agencies continue to own them until they are in their 30s and so on? And are they never to be allowed to make their own decisions in their careers, but have some fat, old man who stinks of soju and money tell them what to do? (Okay, so not all agents are old, fat or smell like soju...)

And in regards to the argument that they sign the contract, they are fully aware of what they are getting into...again, most of these guys are quite young when the contracts are made, and have the contract signed by their parents, who we all know don't always think straight when large amounts of money is involved. Even if the guys sign themselves, they are often coming from a pretty tough background where the chance of stardom seem like a miracle.

Heck, if someone offered me a slave contract with SM or JYP right now, I'd probably accept out of desperation (and a secret desire to be famous).

Either way you argue, changes need to be made to prevent these companies from taking further advantages of stars. The agencies seemed to have had free reign for a long time and it's time that someone held them accountable. Granted most stars are okay and most likely are not abused, but I'm sure they would sleep better at night in their over-priced beds knowing that someone out there has their back.

Life at Arirang

2009-08-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

So, I've been at Arirang for nearly a month and felt it was time for a little update on how things are.

I feel like I'm getting better at what I do. I get less corrections from the monitor and the anchor, but I do still make some errors. I don't let it get me down. In a way, I see my job as more than just a copyeditor. I am there to help the reporters do their best to present a story. They seem to respect my opinion when I want to change something. And the lead anchor really wants to know my opinion when she asks for it. She says that I'm more than welcome to disagree. And I like it when they point out things that I miss. It helps me to look at the reports from a different angle and try to really make them better.

The people are really nice and I'm starting to feel like a part of the team. A group of the reporters always ask me to go to dinner with them and we talk about random things. Tonight they seemed really interested in finding out about me and where I came from and why I'm here. We recently got two new reporters and they seem really nice as well.

And it's kind of cool working for an international television station. I like it and I definitely think it'll really give me good experience for the future... once I decide on that specifically. But that's for another day to decide. Even though Gramma really wants me to move back to Springfield, get married and start having kids... yea, don't see that one happening anytime soon...

Summer is Fading...FINALLY...

2009-08-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

So, I felt the need to update...mostly because it's 2 am and I can't sleep...again.

Life is starting to settle down a bit. Just gotta make it through to September and hopefully money issues will start fixing themselves up. Hopefully...^_^ But I'm still staying optimistic. Just got to get creative with how to make $400 last for four weeks until my next paycheck.

Summer is coming to a close, and I'm looking forward to it. Mostly because I'm happy that the summer heat will go away. I love summer, but definitely not when there is no air conditioner in my apartment. So, I'm batting down the hatches and preparing to get through the last few hot weeks of the summer. Looking back at Summer 2009, it's been fun but tough. There have been some bad times, but definitely some good times. I took some hits (one quite literally, but I won't get into that) but I think I've weathered through them quite well. None the worse for well and all.

In other news, got some fun new Phonebooth videos. They did an acoustic set last weekend at a coffee shop and it was quite fun. Low key and laid back. They played some favorites and did a cover of Oasis' "Wonderwall" which was good. We then went out to a hof and had some good times eating and drinking. I love those guys. Whenever I'm feeling down, they always seem to cheer me up.

And some things to look forward to:
1.) Concert on Aug.22- Going to see 2PM, Brown Eyed Girls and Crying Nuts. I'm not really into any of the groups, but it's free and it should be fun. All are fairly big bands here so it should be fun. We're planning to dress up like high school students so we'll "fit in". ^_^
2.) Asia Song Festival- This one I am seriously looking forward to because I get to FINALLY see Big Bang in concert and 2NE1. There are big groups from all over Asia coming, including Gackt. I will not be ashamed of my silly fangirliness on this one. ^_^ And the greatest part...it's free too! Yay!

So, that's about it. Sorry this one was kind of full of fluff. I'll have something more substantial next time. Anyway, here are some fun videos of Phonebooth.

You Gotta Check These Guys Out

2009-07-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

This band are good friends of mine, so check out their first official music video. They are a great band and totally deserve the attention. Their first album is out and they are working on their second one. The song is "Gotta A Chance" and my favorite song. It just cheers me up. ^_^ I'm working on a profile so look out for it soon!

Rock bands are the most fun a rock concerts

2009-07-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

So, I had the most awesome opportunity yesterday to go to the Jisan Valley Rock Festival. I was suppose to go on Friday, but an unexpected schedule change put a kink in my plans and I didn't think I could go.

But then I found out that my friends in Phonebooth were going on Sunday, so in a last minute decision, I decided that I would go to Jisan, even though I wasn't one hundred percent sure about public transportation on the way back.

I got down there, met up with my friends just in time for the Asian Kung Fu Generation. I was so excited because I've wanted to see them play for a really long time. I pull out my camera, and discover that the battery is dead. I was soo upset. But it turned out okay. My friends brought their cameras, so I asked them to email pictures if they could.

Anyway, Asian Kung Fu Generation was awesome. They played "Reraito" and "After Dark". I got a little clip on my phone, but I can't figure out how to get it onto my computer. I can send pictures to my email, but it won't let me send video clips. Bleh...

After AKFG, we hung out on the picnic mats. There was a big group of people there, and I sat with Kwang Sun and Hye Won. They had some how managed to sneak in a bunch of drinks and food, so we had a fairly good party going on. Pattie Smith was on next and was a lot of fun, though a bit too much politics. It was cool that she was calling out for peace and saying we need to treat the environment better, but then she went on and on about nuclear weapons, etc. But still it was a good time and everyone sang along with "Because the Night" and "Gloria".

After Pattie Smith, we got some food and drinks and headed back in time to catch Jet. Tae Woo was super excited...and Hye Won was already a bit drunk, but we all danced around like crazy. Tae Woo had this idea that he wanted to put me up on his shoulders, so I said okay. Unfortunately, he didn't wait until I was completely on before he went up and ended up dropping me in front of everyone, which was super embarrassing. He wanted to try again and I said no, but I finally gave in again and we were more successful this time. Though he did say that I was a bit heavier than I looked...har har har...

After Jet, we had about an hour until Oasis, the headliner, came on. So we went and hung out by the drink tents and had some cocktails and just talked. Tae Woo wandered over with one of his friends, who was really cute. We talked for a bit and then headed back to go watch Oasis. Oasis rocked my socks off. They were awesome live. Everyone is singing along and dancing and yea, it's hard to explain, but you just had to have been there. Jae Ho already has a little video clip up of all of us singing to "Wonderwall". It was...yea...with the mountains and the music and the friends...Wow. And then they had a giant firework display afterwards. All in all...an awesome show and a night to remember...

Next year, we've decided that we're getting a room at the resort for all three days and spending the whole weekend down there. Oh Jisan Rock Festival...you were great...

First Day at Arirang...and I Feel 5 Years Older

2009-07-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

Today was my first at work at Arirang... and I feel 5 years older. It's not a bad thing, though.

Arirang has a really high standard for their work, so gone are the days of just editing and sending it off. I'm not use to broadcast, so I've got to really work to catch up and get myself up to Arirang's standards. It's more than just making it sound good or checking for spelling or grammar mistakes. It's making sure that every sentence has punch and really goes through with meaning. It's reading every sentence a thousand times and going over each paragraph to make sure nothing is repetitive. It's a completely different atmosphere from anywhere that I've ever worked.

So, in short, I'm really excited and I think I made a really good decision and I'm going to gain a lot of good experience. The anchor I'm working has been in the business for 15 years and is a good resource. She's been helping me out and really encouraging me to do my best work. I think this is going to be an amazing opportunity.

And everyone at the office is so professional. I felt a little bit like the college intern today, but I know it'll get better. It's just time to bring in my A game...everyday...for eight hours... But I can do it. Arirang is going to be awesome.

Fukuoka, The Weekend of Lost, Rain and Butts...

2009-07-13T05:10:00.000-07:00

So, I got back yesterday from Japan without too many mishaps, other than getting stuck in the Busan Airport and getting a bit sick, but I'll get into that more later.

I've been back for a day and I'm still ridiculously tired. I chalk it up to the little sleep I got Saturday night (out of fear I wouldn't hear my alarm clock) and the fact that I have a cold. Bleh. Anyway, I guess I'll give a day-by-day break down of my trip...

Day One:
Nothing too special. I took a non-stop flight from Seoul to Fukuoka and landed about 3:40 pm. A really sweet, little old Japanese couple sat next to me on the bus to the domestic terminal and offered to help me to Hakata Station, since they were heading in the same direction. We talked about English and why I was in Japan. They told me about their trip to Western Europe that they were returning from. Once we got to the station, they pointed me in the direction of my hotel and wished me a wonderful trip.

When I got to the hotel, I was quite tired so I slept for a couple hours. Mostly because it was heavenly to be sleeping in air conditioning. The room was small, but clean and nice. And it had a...wait for it...BATHTUB! I haven't had access to a bathtub in about three years, so I definitely took advantage of it.

Anyway, it was raining that night, so I didn't do anything Friday night, other than venturing out for a light dinner, then coming back and taking a nice warm bath before turning in for the night.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF FUKUOKA:
A nice, clean city. Lots of bicycles, no smoking on the streets, lots of trees. Other than the incredibly muggy, weather, it was nice. It didn't look that much different than Hong Kong or even Kangnam (except for more trees). And it's easy to get around. The people were really nice, and seemed to understand when I kept accidentally speaking in Korean. Oh, and there really are vending machines everywhere.

Day Two:
The day of adventure....
I got up and was greeted by unexpected sunny weather, which I took as a good sign on my way out the door. I planned to look for a shrine and a couple of temples that were suppose to be near my hotel. I ended up not finding any of them, but I did find a fun little market with a bunch of restaurants and little shops. They also had a lot of floats around the market and the city. I lucked out and happened to be in Fukuoka during the biggest festival of the year, Yamakasa.

After wandering around the market for a bit (and nearly buying a yukata...twice) I decided to head towards a huge entertainment center called Canal City, which had a cute little canal running through it. On the way, I ended up finding Kushida Shrine and walked around it for a bit. On the way to Canal City, I ended up on at first glance what appeared to be a cute little street. It ended up being what we call an "ahjussi street" in Korea. Meaning, lots of advertisements for girly clubs. I did find Canal City and did a little shopping for some friends, then headed back to the market for some yummy lunch. I don't know what it was called, but it was good.

After lunch, I went back to the hotel to freshen up a bit, since I was covered in sweat. I really think that Japanese people don't sweat because everyone else looked great while I looked horrible. So, after cleaning up I headed out to a park where there were some castle ruins. I wandered around for a bit, wondering where the ruins were, not realizing until the last minute that I was actually standing on top of them. The castle was never finished and basically was just the wall bit. I took some pictures and then decided to head back towards the hotel to find something to eat, especially since it was starting to rain.

After coming down from the castle, I quickly realized that I didn't know how I got up there or how to get out. I pretty much wandered around for about an hour trying to find the entrance. (See Facebook for related pictures and videos.) There was no one, and I mean NO ONE, in the park and it was dark and kind of spooky. There were huge magpie/crow/ravens everywhere cawing, which made it seem like something right out of a horror flick. I did eventually find my way out though...

I then headed back towards the market area. By this time it was really raining. All I really wanted to do was get to a restaurant, eat and get back to the hotel. I was tired and sweaty (AGAIN). As I'm walking down the street, I noticed an increasing amount of men standing around in kimono tops with sumo wrestler bottoms on. Not a pleasant sight for the most part. As I get farther down, I look down a side street and see a few hundred men and boys dressed this way, so I walk down to see what's going on.

Apparently a big part of the festival is a contest where a group of men run through a course carrying one of the floats, weighting several thousand pounds. So, I stuck around in the rain and watched them practice running up and down the street. It was pretty exciting, and I was happy to see a cultural event. Afterwards, I got some yummy curry udon retired back to the hotel.Day Three:
Home sweet home...

I got up around 6 a.m. and got ready, then headed to the airport. I got there too early and had to wait about 30 minutes to check in for my flight. Instead of non-stop, I had a connecting flight in Busan. I waited a couple hours and got on the flight. It was only about 30 minutes, but it was kind of bumpy. The wind was bad coming into Busan and we had to unexpectedly go back up when we were landing.

I landed and rushed off to immigrations. I only had about an hour to make my connecting flight. I got caught up a little bit at the quarantine station. They detected a fever, but instead of being quarantined, they sent me on to immigration with a little brochure to read. Then I spent about 10 minutes talking to immigration about my visa and then rushed off to catch my flight.

Which ended up being canceled because of weather, as were the three following flights to Seoul. I sat around waiting for about an hour and a half to find out if there were going to be any flights going out. I got lucky and they got me on a flight for 3:30 pm. It was a short, but bumpy flight. I got in safely and by 5:30 pm I was back in my part of town.

So, all in all, a fun trip. I wish I had someone with me. When I head out in a month for my visa, hopefully I can get someone to go with me.

Facebook Pictures are Here.

Back into Routine

2009-06-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

So, I made it through my first day of work at The Korea Times. It was pretty uneventful, other than accidentally walking in through the back door instead of the front. But it's okay. I think I did okay, but I haven't got any feedback from the guy in charge. Basically, I go in and I edit like crazy and hope that I don't make any mistakes. I think I'm going to like the job, but I do have to be careful because it does have potential to get monotonous. Luckily, they said that I would possibly have the opportunity to write for the foreign community page or at least contribute in some way.

But I think I'm going to like the schedule. It's not that far from my house (definitely closer than Hongdae) and I don't have to get up really early. My day starts at 10:3o am beginning on June 23. And I'm finishing around 5:30- 6 pm. Right now I'm just part-time, which I'm enjoying because I have my mornings to run errands and visit friends. Today I'm thinking about going and getting a haircut. Tomorrow morning I'm going hiking down in Yangjae with my friend Linda and Thursday I'm meeting Se Won and Yong Sang for lunch.

I find that I'm already getting into routine. I wake up around 7ish or 8:30ish even though I set my alarm for 9:30 am. Today, I was pretty productive and cleaned up the apartment. (Mainly because I was woken by my landlady having a heated argument outside my window and I couldn't go back to sleep. Probably because I feared she would come up to my apartment next for something and I at least wanted to greet her with a sparkling clean apartment. Luckily it never happened...)

So, life is okay for now. I'm glad I'm kind of easing into the job because I know once I go full-time, life will be a balancing act between work, studying Korean, keeping my apartment clean (which is really hard with my dysfunctional kitten), and my after-work appointments, not to mention keeping up with my friends. I can already tell that I'm not going to be able to see my friends a lot, but that's what you have to do when you work 7-days a week just to pay the bills and hopefully save up some.

But, yes, that's life as of now. On June 29 I get official word if the Times is going to officially hire me and have me sign a contract (which I'm not worried about). Cheers everyone and hopefully next time I'll have something a little more exciting to write about.

Nervous First Day

2009-06-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

So...I leave for my first day of work at The Korea Times in about 30 minutes. I'm incredibly nervous because I have no idea what to expect. I was hired without an interview or editing test, so that has me a little worried. I'm not sure what they are expecting from me. All I can do is do my best and hope that it is enough. And hope that at the end of the week and a half of part-time work they want to keep me on full-time. I haven't heard anything from Arirang yet and I'm not sure if I will. Though, I think that after today I should hopefully have a better idea of what to do if Arirang offers me a job.

But yea, I'm really nervous so wish me luck!

Got a Job!

2009-06-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

So, The Korea Times offered me a job today. I'm excited. It sounds nice. But I'm also torn because I really want to work for Arirang, and I'm still waiting to hear from them. If I get an offer from them too I don't know what I'll do. Here's a breakdown of the two jobs:

Korea Times:
- Full time job
- All benefits (healthcare, pension, etc.)
- I know what I'm doing.
- Salary is negotiable (but probably won't be that high)
- Hours are 10:30 am to 5:30 pm.
- 6-day work weeks (Sun-Fri)
- Three day weekends on rotation.
- Not many days of vacation.
- Large paper, but not the best English newspaper in Seoul.
- Would most likely have to quit my job in Bundang.
- Sponsors visas.

Arirang
- Broadcast writing, which I'm not use to, but would be a welcomed challenge.
- The largest English channel in Korea and has offices in several countries.
- Has a great reputation.
- Part-time (work week rotates, Mon-Wed some weeks, Thurs-Sun others)
- Pays the equivalent of $20 an hour.
- Hours are 2pm to 10 pm.
- I have time for more privates, but schedule is constantly changing.
- Can probably only teach in Bundang 2 weeks a month.
- Sponsors visas.
- Probably no healthcare benefits.
- Probably easier to get time off for holidays.

So, I'm in quite a pickle if I get an offer from Arirang. I have to admit, I partially want to take the job because it would sound cooler to say I work at a television station. But I would probably make more at The Korea Times. And I like finishing at 5:30 pm. I don't know. We'll see. I might not even get an offer from Arirang. We'll see. Just keep praying that if it comes to that I'll make the right decision...

Get Healthy!

2009-06-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

As of late, I've decided it's time to make some lifestyle changes in order to become healthier. I've been having trouble sleeping at night and I think some of that is due in part to my nighttime habits right before I go to bed. So, here are some of the things I'm planning to do...

1. No more soda!
I didn't realize until Monday, but I drank A LOT of soda. And most of it late at night, which most likely was causing me to stay up late. So I've completely cut it out. No more soda at home and no more while I'm out at dinner. It's water and juice from here on out. And surprisingly, it's been really easy to refrain.

2. Exercise
This one is a little harder. I tried running a couple weeks ago, but the weather is getting hotter which makes it difficult to get motivated. But I've started doing some little exercises around the house. Running up and down my stairs for cardio and my lower body (which I will have to watch because I don't want my thighs getting too big), daily push-ups, crunches, leg lifts (helps with abs), etc. My friend told me to join a gym and go once a day for an hour, but I can't really afford that. At this point, I don't want to lose weight, just maintain what I've lost and get toned.

3. Cut back on smoking
Yes, I know. I smoke way too much, so everyone can stop telling me. I think this is also what's keeping me up at night. So I'm cutting back and setting achievable goals (i.e. only allowing myself to buy one pack every 3 days, then once a week, etc. When I'm out, I'm out.) Hopefully soon I'll be able to cut it out completely but I don't think I can do the whole cold turkey thing. All my friends who have done cold turkey ended up starting again a month later.

4. No more naps!
I end up taking a couple hour-long or two-hour long naps because I don't sleep that well, which in turn makes me not tired at night. So no more naps.

5. No more snacking!
I don't keep snacks in my house. And I'm no longer buying ramen for dinner. If I want to eat a quick meal, it's going to be salad. Kimchi chigae is still in because it's healthy, but cutting down on the carb intake and sweet intake. No more chips, ice cream, candy, etc.

And I'm sure I'll think of some more things, but that's what I'm starting with for now. Yay!

Prejudice in Korea

2009-06-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

So, for those of you reading this back home (which I think it is only those from back home are reading this...) there are a lot of complaints from foreigners about prejudice in Korea, especially against English teachers. Mostly in the form of visa regulations for the E-2 (English teaching visa). Last year they added a criminal background check, drug testing and HIV testing. This upset A LOT of people and they are still complaining about it today. Most call it an invasion of privacy. I have heard some legit complaints from a couple of my former co-workers, namely that when they brought in their medical test results, the envelope was unsealed and therefore anyone in the office was free to look at it. But for the most part, I don't see what the big deal is.

Criminal Background Checks: You have to do this for just about any job in the U.S. I did it for my job as a daily reporter. Whatever.

Drug Testing: Again, I think a lot of jobs in the U.S. require this. Most of these people in Korea are working with kids. While people argue that weed is harmless, the fact remains that it's a drug and it's illegal. Especially if you're in a foreign country. Parents in any country are paranoid about drug users, get over it.

HIV Testing: This I don't really have an opinion. I don't think people who have AIDS or HIV are bad people or they are going to "infect" everyone so it is a bit ridiculous that they are going to base an entire judgment of character on one medical problem. But, then again, I don't have HIV so naturally I have no problem taking this test.

I do agree that they should probably make these regulations for the F-4 and F-2 visa holders who are planning to teach children. It is a bit unfair that just because someone has Korean ancestry they are automatically exempt. Especially when I've heard some F-4 visa holders brag about it.

But I will argue that if you look at the U.S.'s regulations for foreign workers, the visas are much harder to get. I've had students who are high level executives for Microsoft and had to go through background checks, medical checks, etc. just to get a visa to work at Microsoft in the U.S. Hell, I've got a perfectly normal, educated, non-druggie, productive-to-society friend who was recently kicked out of the U.S. and told that the best way he could get a work visa was to marry an American.

So I don't really think that Americans have the right to complain about visa regulations when our own country has the same if not stronger regulations. They cry out for equality. Why not try making equality in our own country first before running off to a foreign country and demanding that they treat us the same or better? How do you think the immigrants from Latin America feel?

I've been in Korea for a year and a half and not once have I faced any sort of prejudice because I'm American, white or an English teacher. I got my E-2 visa without problems. And I got my E-7 visa without any problems. I did have some issues with my Korean company but that was because of cultural miscommunication. They just didn't know any better, and I didn't know any better, a problem easily fixed if we take the time to research and try to understand. (Probably won't happen, but whatever. It's not like I, the ever powerful American, will completely re-educate Korean culture or Korean business culture that's been around for thousands of years. Doesn't make it right, but does make it hard to undo. Trying never hurts though, just don't complain when you fail because it's an uphill battle the whole way.)

If foreigners are sick of the media attention, then maybe they should refrain from doing things that give you that attention, like oh...refraining from doing/selling drugs while in a foreign country? Or going to work with children when drunk or high? Stuff like that doesn't fly in the U.S. so why the hell would they think it flies in Korea? It's commonsense, people...

Sorry, I guess I kind of got on a soapbox there. I guess I don't really understand what all the fuss is. But then again, I've always been a law-abiding citizen (excluding some speeding tickets) so I've got nothing to worry about. Ugh...it gives me a headache, but it seems like the majority of people here disagree and tend to attack those with similar opinions to mine...Oi vey, just go back to the U.S. if you hate it here so much...

Sort of good news,,,

2009-05-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

So, the Times contacted me today. I'm at the top of their list, but they are still waiting on management. I guess to OK the hire or something. Anyway, he said wait a couple more days and HOPEFULLY he'll have some news for me. Of course, last time he said HOPEFULLY by Friday I would have something for you. And the time before that HOPEFULLY I'll have something for you by the first of May. I've been hanging on HOPEFULLY for about two months now.

I'm happy that he contacted me. But this time, I'm just not that excited about HOPEFULLY having news for me in a couple days. It could be a couple days (which I doubt) or it could be a week or a couple weeks. But at the same time, I'm not as worried as I was before. I'm looking for some private students and freelance work, so hopefully I can get enough to generate some funds to get me through without completely depleting my savings.

So, for now I'm just going to go to a coffee shop and study Korean for a bit and hang out with Stella for a bit. Then come home and have my home-cooked kimchi jigae for dinner. Hopefully, my friends will help me out a bit and I can set up some private lessons. I hesitate to get a lot because I could be working in a couple weeks, but it's better to be safe than sorry, right?

But on a brighter note, here is a picture of me and Yong Sang from our trip to Lotte World last week. Perhaps the most fun pseudo-date I've ever been on...

Life is Tough, Sweet, but Tough

2009-05-31T01:09:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning feeling a bit depressed. I've been out of work for about a month. I'm probably going back to teaching English. And I came into the realization last night at a friend's Going Away Party that I've managed to alienate myself from some friends that I use to consider very close.

So I was sitting in my apartment wondering how things got this way and what I could do to fix things. I was worrying about money, rent, friends, my attitude and faults. I thought back to a recent conversation with a friend who told me that I often try to manipulate people into thinking that I'm always the victim. Which often comes across as me being childish and unable to take care of myself. She mentioned that I often make my friends feel like they have to take care of me, which was one of the main reasons things went down the way they did with James.

I wasn't angry with her when she told me these things, because she wasn't doing it out of spite and anger, she was telling me because she wasn't sure if I realized how I came across to a lot of people or why some friends stopped contacting me. She knows that I'm a good person who really does care about her friends. She did also follow that up by saying she was proud to see how I've changed in the last few months and that I seemed more grown up.

I started thinking about these things because I know I've said some things in the past that I realize were very bitchy. And I'm ashamed to say that at that time I was doing it to get people on my side. And the result of it is, is that two people who I thought were really good friends of mine have now stopped contacting me. I only realize this now and it could possibly be too late for me to make amends.

So now you can imagine how horrible I felt this morning. I sat around thinking that I was a mean, manipulative person, and that I have no job, and if I go back to Berlitz, there is a possibility that some people won't be happy that I'm there which will make work difficult. It doesn't help that this whole time I've treated Berlitz like it's a bad place since it was my last resort. Berlitz is a great place and teaching English is a respectable job, I just would like to do something more related to my career field.

And then, a crazy thing happened. I suddenly realized that somehow, even though I can't see it, I knew that no matter how horrible I had been or where I end up working, I've recognized my faults and somehow everything would work out fine. Maybe it was because I remembered my friend Yoav telling me last night not to get bogged down and that things would work out. Or as crazy as it is, maybe it was watching a movie where despite everything trying to keep a couple apart, everything works out because their love was strong enough.

So even though I've screwed up. As long as recognize this and work hard to overcome them, and as long as I have the will power, things will work out. I suddenly felt better. Instead of moping on the couch I got up and started laundry and tried to be productive around the house. Things will work out. I just have to hold on and not let pessimism get the best of me.

Rude Awakening

2009-05-25T23:44:00.000-07:00

So, as some of you may know, I haven't been sleeping well lately. Last night I woke up at 2 a.m. after a horrible nightmare that someone had broken into my apartment (that's what I get for watching too much CSI, Law and Order, etc.) and couldn't get back to sleep so I stayed up until about 5 a.m. watching So You Think You Can Dance. I set my alarm for 10:30 a.m. Even though I'm unemployed, I need to start getting into a more normal sleeping pattern so I can actually be productive during the day and not lay around like a bum.

So, I'm in bed and then suddenly there is banging on my door around 7:30 a.m. I was half asleep and didn't know what was going on so I ignored it. It came again, so I got up and came out of my bedroom in time to see my landlady and her husband unlocking my front door. She's shouting something about water, so I automatically pick up Issie and run towards the laundry because I know she means the washing machine.

I call Jung Min, because I figure I should have someone explain what's going on. They work for a bit. The landlady talks to Jung Min and seems to be upset. The machine is fixed, my kitchen has water and gross stuff trailed to the bathroom where they dumped the water (the floor I had just swept and mopped yesterday) and they leave. Jung Min then tells me that the landlady blames me for the washing machine (which I haven't touched in a week, mind you) and that she is angry that the apartment is so dirty (which it wasn't). Since I was up and couldn't go back to sleep, I spend the next two hours scrubbing the floor, picking up clutter, cleaning my room, picking up clothes, etc. I was a bit pissed about the washing machine. That wasn't my fault. And that she keeps complaining about the apartment and not being about to rent it out after I leave. My lease isn't up until the end of September, so I'm not moving out anytime soon. Ugh.

But, on a happy note, I am happy to have the apartment cleaner than it's been since I moved in. I'm already calculating how much she's going to insist on taking out of my deposit for the floor that is ripped in my room (moving the bed for cleaning purposes) the ripped wallpaper (was like that when I got here, but I know she's going to insist it's my fault), the sink ( stopper got stuck and my friend made it worse by trying to fix it, the sink was horrible and needed replacing anyway). I'm wondering if there is anything I can do now to help offset that. And to get myself back into my landlady's good graces again... and perhaps to get her to stop checking in on my apartment when I'm not home and going into my bedroom while I'm here when the door is shut.

Ugh...like I need more drama right now...At least she didn't tell me to get rid of Issie again...

Hanguk-o yosshimi kongbuheyo.

2009-05-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

So, I'm still waiting on The Times, but I won't get into that more...

I'm incredibly happy with how my Korean lessons are going. I went to a coffee shop and studied for about three hours and then met my teacher for about 2 and a half hours. I actually had a successful, complete conversation in Korean that my teacher understood. (Granted it took awhile to complete each sentence.) But my teacher was very impressed and said that she was going to brag to her professor about how much progress I made in two months. I think my success for today was due to the hours I spent studying, so I'm planning to go back tomorrow for a couple hours. I got a lot of homework this week, and I just need to work on building my vocabulary.

So, I'm determined to really work at it. My teacher thinks that within five more months I should be able to watch Korean television shows and be able to understand most of it. I don't know what it is, but there is something fulfilling about learning a language. Today I read a paragraph about a party and understood all of it as I was reading. It's crazy. Though, sadly my listening comprehension is still pretty bad... Jung Min said she would speak in Korean from now on to help me work on it and to get me practicing speaking more since I still speak rather slowly.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to everyone coming to visit so I can show off my amazing Korean skills. ^_^ Misuda, here I come!! Give me five more months and I'll be ready. ^_^

I'm sick of wedding pictures

2009-05-19T02:17:00.000-07:00

Every time I get on Facebook there are more wedding pictures. Seriously, why is it that every single person from my university and high school has magically decided to get married this summer? I'm starting to think there is something in the water back in the States.

It's a bit disheartening, watching it all from afar. I haven't receive any direct pressure to get married. In fact, my parents push me in the opposite direction. Telling me that 24 is too young and that I should wait until I'm 30. But it's really hard when everyone else around you is settling down. I don't think I want to settle down, but something in me secretly desires it. Which is something that I find hard to admit since I'm suppose to be the independent one. My sister is the one who everyone expects to settle down young.

And I'm in Korea. My family doesn't want me to meet anyone here because they think that I'll never come home. Which leads me to question my reasons for striving to stay single. Am I doing it for my family? Waiting until I get back to the U.S. so that I can honor their wish of me settling down close to them? Giving up on the fact that he could be in Korea to look for him in the U.S.? Or am I doing it because that's what I really want? They say things like, "If you marry a Korean, just make sure he knows that you're coming back to the States." But do I really want to go back there? Do I want to wait just to make them happy?

And I know that marrying a Korean won't be easy. There are cultural differences. And family is insanely important here. The bride is expected to leave her family to join her husband's and I know my parents would not like that. Plus, there is the risk that my in-laws might not accept me because I'm foreign. It's fine to date a foreigner, but marrying one is a different story, especially if she doesn't speak Korean and the family isn't good at English. Plus I have to learn how to make kimchi... I would, in a way, be an outsider in his family, even if they are welcoming. Just because I don't know Korean culture and traditions by heart. So that is something to think about. I often wonder if I think about that too much and that's what makes my relationships here go awry.

At this point, I'm not even sure what would make me happy. If I met the one tomorrow and we got engaged, would that make me happy? Or would I regret marrying at 24? I suppose the fact that I ask these questions prove that I'm not ready. But part of me admits that I would kind of like to meet someone that could potentially be the one. I'm sick of going through the jerks and the wrong ones. I just want someone. I wonder if my problem is that I keep looking for someone when I should just wait for him to come to me.

Argh, and all these thoughts just confuse me even more because there could be someone, but I'm not exactly sure what he's thinking right now. We've been friends for a long time, and I know that he's interested in me and that I'm interested in him, but there are obstacles. A kind of big one, that I won't really get into. I guess I would just like the opportunity to see what things would be like together. Ugh, I wish he would just call me or text me...

Bleh, I hate that I have too much time to think about these things. When you're unemployed it's kind of hard to find things that will get your mind off stuff. I'm either worrying about a job or anxious about phone calls, or thinking about a boy. I need to start working on my stories again. Maybe concentrate on finishing my book.

And staying away from Facebook and those blasted wedding pictures.