Christmas*

This is my third Christmas in Korea but this one is extra special because my bestfriend from Philippines will come here for a visit. I'm super excided to see her and spend time with her, show her around and enjoy the Christmas holiday.
Filipinos love to have people over~ the more the merrier! But when I got here in Korea, it's not a common custom. They may know each other for years but wouldn't have a clue of how their friends house look like.
When we decided to move to a new house, that's one thing that my husband and I wanted to do, to invite people over, kahit maliit lang ang bahay namin, we are very happy to have our friends enjoy their time in our home^^

Merry Christmas!!!

31st SIWA and the Diplomatic Community Bazaar

I've been on hiatus from my blog since August, not that there's nothing to write about but Ive been really very busy. My husband and I moved to a new place, we now reside in Bucheon City.

More on that later on. But first I want to share with you guys what I've been spending most of my time on.

I'm co-chairing an annual bazaar which will be participated by many different embassies, women's group and companies in Korea, this is all for a good cause as all proceeds will go directly to Korean charities. Here's an info on the upcoming bazaar: If you're in Seoul on Tuesday, November 17 please come and join our bazaar at the Grand Hilton Seoul Convention Hall.
Not only will you get the chance to shop early for christmas but you can also enter to win lots of amazing prices, to mention a few we have plane tickets to Paris and San Francisco, hotel stays, restaurant vouchers and much more ~

Actress Lee Young-ae tied the knot!

On the subway ride home my friend mentioned to me about this news.
Lee Young-ae, a very famous top actress best known for her role in "Jewel in the Palace" tied the knot with a Korean-American businessman in the United States. One thing that the people were concerned about was the age gap between the two of them. Also the fact that she had a secret wedding. She's an actress without any controversies attached to her and has a good reputation here, which is rare to see among celebrities these days. And many people admire her for that.
Well I hope that people with just be happy for her. She's living her life with the man that she loves and that's what matters. Plus she was able to pull off a secret wedding, not even Beyonce and Jay-Z can do that.^^

2NE1

I'm falling for this group big time! I've watched all of their youtube videos. Super awesome! Can't imagine how much work goes on ever performance and mv ^:)^ . I really like how they soften a little on their "I Don't Care" vid. I think YG Entertainment brings real great talents on to the kpop world. I love Se7en, Big Bang and Wheesung too! I just forced myself to come back from trance of watching 2ne1 vids over and over again. Time to rest my eyes and ears, but tomorrow office break will be spent to yet another youtube marathon with this amazing group~ LSS...I don't care...eeeee...^^*

Farewell to my new friends

Hyatt luncheon with FIAS

I planned to write and post some photos of my short trip to Jeju Island about a month ago but never really got the chance to. I've been really caught up with work. There are a lot of people that are leaving for the summer and some are leaving for good.
There's a despidida dinner/party for two Filipinas that my husband and I are suppose to attend to but now I'm not sure we could :( because he forgot to remind me that we have a plan to go to his province this coming weekend.
I've only known the two ladies for a short time, but they are really nice and friendly. One Filipina works in the same field as I. She is very kind. I have a lot of things to learn from her. When she talks with people she exudes confidence and intelligence. She's really cool^^*
She is moving back to U.K. And the other one I met during the AWC luncheon. A very nice and pretty lady, who’s moving to Tokyo. That particular luncheon that we had was really fun. We had lots of laugh, iba talaga ang sense of humor ng pinoy! No need any translation, which is what I miss most when I spend time with my Filipino friends. There's just that certain something:)

Most of the people that I know here are expats like myself. And most of them have plans to go back to their country in about 2-3 years time. Some of them say that's the expat life, you come and go. I'm left wondering how it would be like to move to another country and start all over again. It would probably be the same as I felt when I came in Korea. The first few weeks I really enjoyed my time here. Seeing lots of places and meeting new people. But after few months, loneliness got the best of me. When I got my internship it made me a lot more comfortable to live here, but my best supporter is my husband:) who sometimes forgets to remind me things> but that's ok~ Hopefully we can make it back in time for the party to bid farewell to two of my new friends.

One Philippines Exhibit/Festival

From the Philippine Embassy and The Korea Times Web site:

On 27-28 June 2009, the plaza in front of the Seoul City Hall will be transformed into a grand, open exhibit area that will showcase the history, culture, tradition, and business environment of the Philippines. Various cultural performances, including performers from the Philippines and lively street dances, will add color to the two-day event.

The plaza will conjure a festive and vibrant atmosphere reminiscent of the renowned Philippine fiesta.

*The event was originally scheduled on May 30-31 but was now moved to June 27 & 28.

Seoul Fair

Last Sunday the Information Fair or Expats and Seoul Friendship Fair was held at the Seoul Plaza. Our booth was placed infront to the Seoul Finance Center together with different companies and non-profit organizations in Korea. I was the person in charge to manage our booth so i needed to stay the whole day. Good thing our company manager Mrs. Han gave me a chance to look around during the afternoon. Hubby also stayed with us the whole day even though he was just suppose to drop me off in the morning. I'm glad that I was able to spend time with him, we usually just get to spend more time during the weekend because of our busy schedule during the weekdays. There were a lot of people who came despite the hot Sunday weather. Inline with the Info Fair, the Seoul Friendship Fair was also held. Lots of participant from different countries feature their own famous cuisines and products. There were two booths for the Philippines that sold fruits, food, drinks and handmade accessories. I also met some of my Filipino friends there. The Philippine booth was quite crowded, it was great to see lots of people patronizing our products. A group of foreigners immediately caught my attention when I passed by, they we having San Miguel beer~ ^^ Some booth also offered different kinds of food like kebabs and shawarma from the Turkish booth and noodle soups from the Vietnamese booth it was delicious and flavorful^^*

Here are some of the photos taken from the Fair:

Our Information Fair booth

Hooray here comes May!

I'm eager for the long weekend to come. I don't really have anything planned. I just want to have a rest and a relaxing time at home. My husband wants to swing by Gangneung City to meet some of our friends. We might do that during the weekend 'coz he needs to work on Monday. Luckily our company decided to close on Monday since it's a sandwich day (in between Sunday and a holiday). In Korea May is considered family month since there are great events and festivals for the family and holidays too. Starting off the May holidays is tomorrow, May 1 for the Labor day, May 2 is Buddha's Birthday for this year and May 5 is for Children's Day. Although not a public holiday, Parents' Day is celebrated on May 8th. And there's also the Rose Day on May 14th and Teacher's Day on May 15th whooo....I hope I didn't miss anything. Let's look forward to a fun and exciting month^^*

AMAZING! Susan Boyle

I saw this video at Yahoo! this morning under entertainment tab, titled "Contestant who's never been kissed stunned the Web". see for yourself.

from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Philippine English Teachers in Korea!

I received this e-mail today, I hope this can help to make someone's dream come true. I was also luck enough to find my current job through this web site.

Philippine English Teacher in Korea!

As the public schools in Korea decided to strengthen English proficiency of students,
Public schools in Korea plans to hire exceptional Philippine teachers to teach conversational English to primary/middle/high school students in Korean schools.The actual timing of hiring is not determined but a head start can put you in a better position.

Qualifications:

1. bachelor’s or higher degree in education/ English major (other majors may be possible)
2. teachers’ license(or certificate)
3. teaching experience (minimum 2 years)
4. Clean police record.

When you are hired, you will be given competitive monthly salary, roundtrip airfare, medical insurance, free housing, settlement allowance, overtime pay and severance pay.
Duration of contract is for 1 year + renewals to high performing teachers. You need to be ready to get ahead.

If you are interested, register yourself and qualified acquaintances to www. Koreajoblink.com. The first place we look is the database of Koreajoblink.com. If you are not registered, your chance will be reduced.

Go to http://www.koreajoblink.com/ Sign Up, attach your resume and photo,&nbs! p;teacher’s license certificate in scanned image.

Here is what you can do in the meantime:

Get your passport.
Get references.
Check your criminal record.
Get familiarized with American accent and intonation.
Get more experience teaching.

There is an increasing talk to introduce Filipino teachers but not 100% decided. Most likely it will be between 2010~ 2011. Will let you know the latest news regarding teaching visa for Philippine teachers.

Harry ChungTimes Search/ Koreajoblink.comOfficial recruitment body for SEOUL OFFICE OF EDUCATION.

last week

It was quite a busy week for me. At work I'm usually in charge of attending some meetings and events, which are usually held during the morning and in the afternoon. But last week I attended yet another event this time in the evening. It was a reception for the National Day of Ireland and for St. Patrick's Day. It was my first time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I don't even know much about it before I was asked to come to the reception. I met the Ambassador of Ireland in Korea and his wife for the first time, they were the host of the event. Too bad they will leave Korea soon. I went with my co-worker Greg and my husband Min. It was great that my husband was there with me, 'coz we're both too busy these days we barely spend time together. I met some old friends as well as new people. And had a tasty Irish dinner. It was really good. I also saw the Korean designer (André Kim), he just stayed for a while, apparently he was also invited to the event at the other room (Fortune Magazine) launching event. He look exactly like how he is on T.V. I still don't know why he always wear that same white outfit'?'. Overall it was a great night. Last week the Directory for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Korea was published. Our company is a member of the CCCK '09. I was happy to see the Directory. I took one home and showed it to my husband, he was happy and congratulated me. This was my first time to be part of any publication in Korea. So I was pretty thrilled to see it. Hopefully there's more to come. Here are some of the photos I took:

From André Kim

Seoul International Women's Association

Last month I attended the coffee morning of SIWA (Seoul International Women's Association) held at the Sofitel Ambassador Hotel. It's a great chance to meet friends and expatriate from around the world. I've been a member of SIWA for some time now as well as other women's organization here in Seoul.

Each month during the coffee morning they feature a guest speaker that talks about issues concerning expatriate residence in Korea.
The topic last month was about the banking in Korea.

with the guest speakers from Standard Chartered Bank. They gave some tips on how to handle your money wisely. And answered questions about the current economic status of Korea.

SIWA also offers a great line up of events than we can participate in. Including some tours around and near by Seoul. As well as big events like the upcoming Let's Dance Charity Gala and SIWA Bazaar (fall event). You can check out their web site for more information: http://www.siwapage.com/

Here are some of the photos I took from the past event:

The Mayonnaise Jar and the 2 Bottles of Beer

A lesson in life:

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full.
The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

Now, said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.

The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.


JLR

An e-mail was sent to me by my good friend Nadia. It's a great thought to start the new day^^

welcome

I've been reading some of the blogs written by my fellow Filipinos who are living in Korea.
That's what made me decide to have my own. What you'll read here are some of my experiences living in Seoul, South Korea. I hope my blog will amuse and inspire you! Welcome to my life!