Hurray! reijene's reeling in!!

~oh happy day!!

i slept fitfully last Sunday, at around past 3 AM.. having the same thoughts, the same worries, the same crappy burden, plus marital problems, mood swings, tantrums equals a disaster of a day. I usually hate weekends, as it highlights boredom; grandparents take my kids, and husband sleeps the whole day or play computer games ignoring my existence except when he gets hungry... never mind. Let's proceed....

I hunt. Even though i mentioned that i already gave up looking for hagwon jobs, i still hunt. I hunt relentlessly, because i hunt for two people (husband and me). As the job market is always open internationally, being aggressive is the only way to find anything.

I usually wake up around 10 or 10:30. Since i slept rather badly, i was thinking of staying in bed until 11. My M-i-L will watch the kids for an hour or two, as my little pumpkin wakes at 9, and my little mushroom at 10. Monday morning brought the same stuff... my son asking permission to watch cartoons, my daughter bugging his brother to play, except one: my cellphone ringing @ 10.

My cellphone only has about 10 or 15 people. Husband, M-i-L, F-i-L, i have two friends in Korea, my last two students and their house number, my husband's female friend who i snap at and humiliate since she can't speak English everytime she calls (jealous wife), one of my old students (about 5 years ago), idiots who calls for my husband and husband doesn't want to talk to, namely bitch, bad, freak, do not answer; and husband's best friend's Vietnamese wife.

and not making sense here, just rambling.

my phone ringing is weird, since nobody really calls it. and the number started (02), probably seoul, i thought. nonetheless, i psyched myself to humiliate whoever calls and looks for my husband, or a telemarketer.

"allor." ---------> that's how i really answer the phone. it scares telemarketers.

"oh, hello. I'm calling for Kristel (that's my name)."

"speaking."

"i am from Pagoda Outsourcing and i understand that you applied for our summer camp positions?" BLAH, BLAH BLAH... ph..pho.. PHONE INTERVIEW?!?!?!?!

=) and there you have it... i am supposed to go to Seoul this week, for an actual interview..

only... my M-i-L is a little apprehensive about it, as she said (with a good point too), that the Internet is a source of about a million scams, and Korea's not excluded. So she redialed the number that called me, and the woman who answered the phone was an idiot, or she didn't know, and mother-in-law was affirmed that it was a scam alright!! =(

I didn't think so, this time, i gave the contact number from the online information posted. She called, and this time, a guy answered, which doubled her suspicions that it was really a scam.

6 hours later, after a seminar conducted for interracial marriage (in Korean so help me God!), M-i-L's swimming session, somehow, she was convinced as i was that it was REAL. She made a few more phone calls while we were away, and re-scheduled my interview!! We go to Seoul next week... =)

... it's just a summer camp. but it's better than nothing, yes?

I need Cheese with this Whine!

Because it's late, I'm exhausted and exasperated, i guess it's time for me to whine yet again.

Well, I'm still job hunting, and i won't even get close to a bait. Often times i just want to yell and bitch slap some facts that Koreans are ignoring while they continuously recruit people from abroad.

I am against the continuous hiring of the so-called Native Speakers. The ones already in Korea are fine, but to convince people from the western hemisphere that Korea's going to pay them a good sum of money plus more benefits when there are people here who can do the same job being denied... and yes, I'm talking about me... 5000 JOBS all across the country and i can't even fish one.

My last job was in Chonnam National University. It was a charity case, the students from one of the laboratories who were preparing for an abroad trip asked me that as a favor. I only needed them to pay for my transpo.. basically they paid for the gas in our car so i could teach them 3 times a week for a year. And that was three years ago. The next couple students i had were all private coaching. I was worried those days because i always thought of my son and (last year) my daughter. Who would watch them? And because the country's economic status three years ago was better than the present, current finance is a problem.

First quarter this year we declared bankruptcy. Last year, when my daughter was born, my husband decided to go against all odds and established a language school in the Philippines. He used the same concept as the old school i used to work at; school and dorm package. But as my porn is the stock market, i have seen the "then" fore-coming crisis, and as my husband is a very stubborn man who wouldn't listen to me, he went full steam ahead. No market, no students. No students, no money. No money, borrow money for maintenance. No students, no way to pay for the bills, and the borrowed money. It's a disaster, last year. I'd like to help but i can't... the only weak point my husband has: marketing and marketing strategies.

So yes, i need a job. If you ask why my husband isn't looking for a job and why the pressure is on my shoulder, there's a simple answer: he can't get hired here. He's 34 years old, his age is the shittiest factor i have ever encountered. He's got a PH D, in Industrial Engineering. He studied the jack-of-all-trades.. which is pointless as he's unemployable. He doesn't mind though, he's a businessman at heart. He had never seen his parents do anything other than run their own business... I also don't want him to look for a job either... as we specifically agreed that he IS my house husband. But in times like this, i swallowed my pride and we're both hunting for jobs... him at the international job market, me in Korea.

But Korea's not kind... at least not to my specie. They want NS... the fresher the better. The economically active group of people cannot get hired, the people with the same abilities but different countries cannot get hired, Is Korea desperately trying to be a country full of diversity that it has forgotten the people already inside?

I'm tired, and sleepy... and a couple more minutes I'd get cranky. But i need to hunt... and hunt some more, and hope that one of the companies would break from the pact and take a chance. But that's just me... my wishful thinking. I need a job...

The Wonderfully Stupid Wondergirls

If you live in Korea, or for whatever reason (i'm not interested) you're obsessed with Korean Entertainment business, it's possible that you know them. Last time i checked there was a kiss-ass nobody telling this group composed of the silliest five girls that they are ready to take on Hollywood, and that Hollywood would be ready for them. THEY'RE FAMOUS here in Korea.

Their first hit "Tell me" had driven me crazy. Like all of their other songs. Try and find it, if you like it, then i can honestly say you lack sensible music taste. The way i tell my husband, it's BLECH!!!

So let's rant....

I avoided watching music channels here. One: it's in Korean, i don't like it. TWO: NO ONE can dance decently so what's the point of watching?? Just listen to the radio (which i also cannot tolerate). And THREE: I have not found one Korean Pop, RnB, Jazz, or any kind of music artist i can actually enjoy seeing, or listening to... And that coming from a hardcore music lover (thanks to my mom and dad) is something.

So what's with these Wondergirls? They're pretty to Korean standards (not me), they have very little asses, they have no boobs, they have the hideous and skinny Asian bowlegs, and they have flat stomachs. That's just it. They're not sexy. They can't sing... (OMG, try and listen), they can't dance (grace is not their friend), they're very stiff, and they have no originality. Nothing that they're doing right now, can make me say "that's new" because... THEY'RE POSERS!

Oh, nothing. I just don't like them They're the very first trying hard girl group who can't sing but had hits that caught the mass Korean fan base. Good thing Koreans suck (or most of them at least) at English or i'd be hoarding hate mails. One music channel is right in the middle of my favorite channel, and Cartoon Network (Squirt's channel), which makes it impossible to avoid seeing these girls. Once, while flipping though TV, i saw them again. Imagine my HORROR when i saw them trying to imitate BEYONCE'S Single Ladies... dance moves, vocals, the works. I swear to God, i literally puked. I could blame their choreographer, or i could blame their artistic ideas that go way over their heads, or i could do both. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE GIRLS? Hasn't anybody even told them that straight arms is equivalent to stiff arm movement? And that their legs together won't do anything to a dance routine? So they're not dancing.. they're FLAILING! So sad that Korean people think these girls are great performers.

Well... they're not. And they call themselves the first wonder....

In the end.. it's just me. Because they have enchanted the world without anybody actually noticing that these girls have no talent.. just lucky and that they had a break in the industry.

WARNING: UK TEACHING SCAM

It started out last week. It's still quite fresh.

I am a job hunter. I hunt for jobs because as the world economy had been on a slump, jobs aren't easy to find. I hunt jobs not just for me, but for my husband as well. Since he's not very confident when it comes to English sites, i don't mind. i hunt. I post our resumes left and right. Although i gotta admit, my resume has a little bit more fire than husband's as it was my own

The first message i received was mid-April. An invitation to work in UK... sweet offer, with sweet salary plus benefits. But i thought it must be a wrong send. I checked the names on the message header and i saw that they are great English teachers! Licensed, with Masters... no there must be a mistake.

Then i received two more.. and this time, since i am a job hunter, without a clue where i have left my resume online, i consulted my husband. I was skeptical. But as my husband usually doesn't tell me anything positive (as i clearly instructed him to do), soothed my doubts away and encouraged me to try. There's always no harm in trying... but i smelled something fishy about it. They all wanted the same: teach my wife and kids.

I like kids... and so, one afternoon while my kids were napping, i responded to these e-mails. Be warned, it's a scam. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

Looking For An ESL Teacher
...
Miguel diaz
...
View Thursday, April 23, 2009 8:57:04 AM
To:dr.igmiguel@gmail.com

Dear Teacher,
i am Dr Miguel Diaz from Colombia,presently residing here in the UK with
my wife amandine and two kids by name , Sebastian and Diana ,
i am in need of an english teacher to come and teach my wife and kids for
a period of one year,
Compensation and Benefits Package.:A very attractive monthly salary which
is GBP4,500 Paid monthly, Quality single or family hhousing on arrival down
here,medical insurance,travel allowance,
Thank you for your anticipated response phone: +447024043001...
Dr Miguel

Oh, this is just one... Only this one actually progressed.

Dear Teacher Deianne
hope you are doing very good at the moment,
i sure sent the e-mail to you ok,there is nothing mistaken about it,
is nice getting your interest over the job,i have gone through your
resume which you sent to me and it is very excellent though brief,
how long have you been at south Korea?
your level of experience is very great and i think i can confine in that alone,
when can you be able to make it down here?
are you presently working?
do you have a valid international passport?
will you be coming alone or with your kids?
your resume did not even state if you are a male or female,
will be waiting to hear from you asap,feel free to call me at your free time
presently discussing you with my wife and kids,
cheers
Dr Miguel

I'm an idiot! He's flattering and he can't do English... as bad (or worse!) than Koreans. Let's cut to the chase. Two days later, he sent me a CONTRACT. A very vague contract, so i had to consult my friend in Australia. She had been travelling around the globe because of jobs. I was excited, I'm telling you. I thought, why is Korea so unkind? And this man is willing to hire me even though i only mentioned i am not a native speaker... He said i could take my family and he'd pay for absolutely everything... airfare, utilities, the works. He even sent pics!!


I say... okay.. i see kids. But my husband, skeptical as i am, he's more. He requested a picture of their house, and the house that was for me.


The big house (he said) his house, and the one on the right would be mine. His reason why there aren't any interior pics (from "my" house) is because it's being decorated and it's locked.

QUESTION: IF HE WAS THE ONE RENT THE PLACE THEN WHY CAN'T HE ACCESS IT?

Cute London house. I heard houses in London look like this.... very similar.

Okay... starting to get drowsy here. I'll be back, with more news.