It's All About Vanity, Baby

Last January 25, some mothers came to school to watch me teach. You know, like they just wanna make sure that I am teaching their children the right thing. They drop by in hordes, all perfectly made up, well coiffed hair, all glowing and glittery with the best jewels. It was more like they are going to a cocktail party and decided at the last minute to give the secretly unwell foreign teacher (me) a run over. I don't mind. They do this kind of visit once in a blue moon anyway. And I am not certainly scared of them, Ajummas.

After the class, the parents came up to me and complimented my eyebrows, my ten mega bucks boots and my 5 mega bucks skinny jeans, which they thought were designers. Yeah right! I bought them all in Namdaemun market but of course dare I tell them? I let them think that I am an Apgujeong frequent shopper. Harharhar!

Nobody was impressed that I made the students read a particular sentence five times, to make sure that they get the intonation right. No one noticed my dedication, my strong conviction for the students to understand the lesson and speak English like a native. NOPE.

They are more concerned about my looks, which was not very surprising because most Koreans are very superficial. You see, here in Korea, you may have the brain of a genius, but if you got a face only your mom could love, chances of getting hired is very very slim. Yes, you heard that right.

This is basically the reason why aside from sending their kids to hagwon (Korean term for special schools) to learn English, most parents invest and save up for their kids' "facial alteration" before they go to college. Fix the eyebrow, that crooked nose, that small chin, that oriental eyelid and voila! You are ready to face the world child!

Trust me, this country won't be called the New Plastic Surgery Capital of Asia for nothing. I have no issue with that. There's nothing wrong with their preference anyway. That's the way some Koreans are and I respect it by making sure that I look presentable to my students everyday.

I suspect that if Koreans are to rule the universe, everyone will be required to have a perfect face, a svelte figure and an IQ of 135, which is not so bad... I think. Everyone will be pretty and smart! Yay!

Now, I gotta stop blogging and get myself a mud pack. Me have to look ravishing for the kids and their moms!

The Joker is Dead

And he was not exterminated by his life long nemesis -- Dark Night. He died in his sleep.

Yes, like the rest of the world, I was shock as shock when I read a friend's email about the death of Heath Ledger. Who wouldn't? He's a great actor at the age of 28. He made conscientiously chosen, arrestingly crafted movies. He can't be that dead. He is yet to ask me out! No, he can't be dead!

But the news online are not joking. Nobody's laughing...

Ruejon

He is Fourteen today.
He now stands around five feet seven.
He likes graham cake.
He is full of dreams and aspirations.
He loves to pretend to be the coolest of the cool.
He considers the Celphone as his bestfriend.
He thinks pimples are evil.
He wants to be the lead guitarist of a famous rock band someday.
He is a playboy in the making. Gawd!
And...
He is the love of my life.

It's Snowing You Know

My apartment is approximately 40 minutes away from where I work (ten minutes by subway and another 30 minutes by bus). However this morning, it took me almost two hours to get to school. It snowed cats and dogs from 8 am till the time I got home.

It took me another three hours to get home.

On the way home, 5 minutes away from school, we witnessed this pileup along the intersection of Siheung Highway. Apparently, the truck driver forgot that it was snowing and decided to hit the gas at 90 kilometers per hour.

I had to tell the bus driver to speak in Korean slowly that I may be able to understand what really happened. Ajossi (old Korean man) was not very friendly and told me to just listen, which was not easy because everyone in the bus was so excited they all chattered at the same time.

Good thing is, the truck driver wasn't badly harmed. Bad thing is, I sat idly in the bus, taking pictures of the mishap, for almost an hour, until my butt hurt, crabbily listening to all the old people in the bus who were all busy calling in their relatives about the incident.

Consequently, our bus driver decided to be extra careful. By frequent checking of the speedometer, I deduced that he floored the gas at an average of at least 10 km/hr.

Torture.

Let there be no more snow tomorrow.

Teacher Tell Me Tell Me

If there's one thing that I love most about my students, it's the fact that they definitely know how to make my day. Or BS with me without being obvious...

I told the third graders last Monday that it's the school's new policy for the students to memorize 10 new words each session. They screamed, argued, and threw tantrums in my face. No memorization. They won't do it. I held my ground firm and told them that if they refuse to do so, I won't give them any merit sign on their Bonus Sheet. That silenced them. The Bonus Sheet is like the student's holy grail.

To change the topic, R, a co-teacher's son, candidly commented that I look like one of the girls in this Korean band, Wonder Girls, who, unbeknownst to me, happens to popularize, "Tell Me", a dance craze among kids and teen-agers these days, which the children proudly informed me.

Curiosity invoked, I asked whether the girl I am being compared to is pretty or else, I swore to R that I will throw him out of the window if I find out that the girl looked like one of those ludicrous caricature like singer-dancers. The class told me that she's really an eyeful and... if I could dance like the group... they are going to memorize all the words in the dictionary.

Children never lie, right?

Fine. Deal. Whatever.

I agreed to dance for them even if it would mean breaking my bones in the process. I am a teacher of honor. Ha!

The class cheered. As they were going out of the classroom though, some of them whispered disturbing comments that made me wonder if I made the right decision.

Sonsengnim wi chincha ru choomde halsu ita? Can teacher really dance?

Na mula! Daum chu reul kidarida! I don't know. Let's wait next week! *Giggles*

You wait till I see that video, kids!

As soon as I got home, I googled the said group's MTV and found a really "bubblegum" (according to the BF) dance video of some teeners.



The dance steps are pretty easy but I am not sure I would look decent executing them. Err...

Gawd. What have I gotten myself into this time?

Journey's New Vocalist is a Pinoy!

One of my favorite bands from the 70’s and 80’s circa, Journey, known for their hits Open Arms, Faithfully, and Don’t Stop Believing, among others, have finally found a new front man in the person of Arnel Pineda, lead vocals of a Filipino band, The Zoo. Yay!

So when I read Gab’s blog entry about the new lead guy of Journey, I could not believe my eyes. I mean, how cool is that? Journey is really famous and awesome and all. I remember screaming my lungs out back then whenever I hear the song Open Arms, considered to be the National Anthem of every high school hopeless romantics during the 80's.



Anyway, I googled the youtube video that caught the Journey’s attention to Arnel’s singing prowess. Check out the proof that this Pinoy dude is indeed a Journey man.



See this CNN clip on youtube how Arnel was discovered.

I am so proud of Arnel!

Sana me free ticket lahat ng pinoy sa Journey concerts =D

Rules for a Gracious Life

No resolutions.
No promises.
No compromises.

Just plain simple truthful rules to be followed this 2008 to achieve that youthful inner glow everyone is dying to have.

Have a great year everybody!

Welcome Year of the Rat

It's been almost three hours since I kissed 2007 goodbye and welcomed 2008 with a big kiss on the monitor (to greet the significant other).

Well, when you are down with pneumonia and are too indisposed to party around, a loving partner online, a good wine and a chocolate almond ice cream cake are enough to cheer you up. Can anyone ask for more?

I'm so glad that 2007 is over and now I'm looking forward to what the new year will bring upon us. I know that with God by our side, nothing can go wrong. It's all about faith, you know.

Cheers to all of us! We survived the year of the pig in one piece!