2008. 12. 22.
For the past 4 months, I have been working on this project, called KOR-US Honors Culture Program. Finally, the offical brochure has been finalized, published and are to be shifted to the states in the not too distant future.
I started the program and the brochure from scratch. Literally. I devisded the every single part of the program, put them together and reorganized them in order for them to look neat and easy to understand when published. I sometimes had to work on the weekends to correct the script, change the photos and restructure the contents. Believe me, I put a lot of effort and time in this project and thus am very proud of it. For the record, the president of my company lauded the brochure and asked the governors office to display it at his office. :)
The program intends to invite 40 students from the U.S. and Korean, put them in the English vilalge in Ansan and thus facilitate cultural understanding between participants. It incorporates not only language courses, but also firsthand experience activities. Since it is entitled "Honors" only those who are qualifed are allowed to be admitted to the program.
Well, in lieu of going on and on, I have uploaded the link of the brochure. Please right click on it and save in onto your hard drive. Spread the word and encourage anyone intrested in to ask me. This is going to be a very unique opportunity for both American and Korean kids to learn about each other, cultures and other aspects of two interwined cultures.
http://bigmail19.mail.daum.net/Mail-bin/bigfile_down?uid=aoJmU6FBGJejJWLUm2j--iRqOM8NrPpQ
Surprise
2008. 11. 15
While Oh was on a call with a best friend of his, the friend blurted out that he is gettting married next February. And that just caught Oh off guard. At the same time, Oh was honored to be the first friend that received word.
After an hour, Oh was on another call with another best friend of his. They talked about the marriage of their best friend. But they were not quite sure about their friend's rather seemingly sudden decision.
The truth is it has been only 4 months since the friend and his fiancee met. And to Oh four months is such a short time for two people to get to know each other and conclude to tie the knot. On top of that, Oh's friend is so busy that the couple has met only weekends. Therefore, Oh thinks that while he needs to celebrate, he still casts some doubts on the decision.
Sure, love at first sight is and has been always possible. And the friend, whenever he started to date girls, publicized that he would like to meet something willing to take the whole thing to the next level (marriage, of course). Still, 4 months seems to be a bit short.
Nevertheless, the couple will be on a house hunting this weekend and there is going to be the first official encounter between in-laws. And after 3 months, they are going to get hitched. Oh wishes their best of luck, nipping all the negative thought in the bud.
While Oh was on a call with a best friend of his, the friend blurted out that he is gettting married next February. And that just caught Oh off guard. At the same time, Oh was honored to be the first friend that received word.
After an hour, Oh was on another call with another best friend of his. They talked about the marriage of their best friend. But they were not quite sure about their friend's rather seemingly sudden decision.
The truth is it has been only 4 months since the friend and his fiancee met. And to Oh four months is such a short time for two people to get to know each other and conclude to tie the knot. On top of that, Oh's friend is so busy that the couple has met only weekends. Therefore, Oh thinks that while he needs to celebrate, he still casts some doubts on the decision.
Sure, love at first sight is and has been always possible. And the friend, whenever he started to date girls, publicized that he would like to meet something willing to take the whole thing to the next level (marriage, of course). Still, 4 months seems to be a bit short.
Nevertheless, the couple will be on a house hunting this weekend and there is going to be the first official encounter between in-laws. And after 3 months, they are going to get hitched. Oh wishes their best of luck, nipping all the negative thought in the bud.
Meeting in person
2008. 11. 14
While Oh was up in Ilsan, participating Gyeonggi International Tourism Exhibition, he paid a visit to someone that he has know only thru phone calls. Her name was Lee and she works at a PR department of KINTEX.
About a week ago, Oh received a memorandum that Oh needs to supplement some data or information as to convention industry in Gyeonggido. Since KINTEX is probably the one and only convention venue in Gyeonggido, Oh called KINTEX to get ahold of someone who might have the data, facts or photos of KINTEX. Since then, they have been talking to each other on the phone from time to time and exchanged thoughts regarding how to organize the data. And now they finally met. In person, of course.
After checking where the PR department was located, Oh headed up stairs to the place without any notification. As soon as he walked into the office, he spotted a lady talking on the phone. But he was not sure if that was her. And it was.
Introducing himself and laying out the reason for his rather sudden visitation, Oh talked to the lady very calmy. It was a business matter, so no flirtation or whatnot. They exchanged the name cards and talked a bit more. Then, Oh left the office and told her that he will get back to on the thing that they have been working on together.
Although it was brief, that meeting was pleasant. Oh bothered meeting her in person even though he did not have to. This will help Oh request any info he might need later and get some help from her.
Phone calls, internet chatting and snail mail are all great method through which you can communicate with people. But looking in the eye of someone and talking to him or her is more genuine and a better to convey messages. Human touch. That's what counts.
While Oh was up in Ilsan, participating Gyeonggi International Tourism Exhibition, he paid a visit to someone that he has know only thru phone calls. Her name was Lee and she works at a PR department of KINTEX.
About a week ago, Oh received a memorandum that Oh needs to supplement some data or information as to convention industry in Gyeonggido. Since KINTEX is probably the one and only convention venue in Gyeonggido, Oh called KINTEX to get ahold of someone who might have the data, facts or photos of KINTEX. Since then, they have been talking to each other on the phone from time to time and exchanged thoughts regarding how to organize the data. And now they finally met. In person, of course.
After checking where the PR department was located, Oh headed up stairs to the place without any notification. As soon as he walked into the office, he spotted a lady talking on the phone. But he was not sure if that was her. And it was.
Introducing himself and laying out the reason for his rather sudden visitation, Oh talked to the lady very calmy. It was a business matter, so no flirtation or whatnot. They exchanged the name cards and talked a bit more. Then, Oh left the office and told her that he will get back to on the thing that they have been working on together.
Although it was brief, that meeting was pleasant. Oh bothered meeting her in person even though he did not have to. This will help Oh request any info he might need later and get some help from her.
Phone calls, internet chatting and snail mail are all great method through which you can communicate with people. But looking in the eye of someone and talking to him or her is more genuine and a better to convey messages. Human touch. That's what counts.
Compete against the trainer
2008. 11. 13
Although it was raining, Oh decided to hit the gym since he skipped yesterday. He really did not want to, but the trainer called Oh out of the blue and told him to bring his ass to the gym. So Oh gave in, thinking about working out is better than doing just nothing but making up for sleep depravation.And as promised the other day, the trainer and Oh had a showdown. At least, they thought they would. Since both of them were not feeling good, they just helped each other out in working on chest and tripcep.
Oh dared the trainer to bench 180 kgs while Oh was going for 100 kgs, which he has never pulled off. Thanks to the trainers assistant, Oh lift 100kgs. But it was so painful. The trainer did not go all the way to 180kg. He was satisfied with 160kg without aid from Oh. Still great.
Since it was a rainy Saturday, there were only few people at the gym. So Oh took advantage of it by hogging the trainer! Today's exercise was quite intensive, Oh has to say. There were no breaks, but constant lifting and sipping water. Also, the trainer and Oh were alternating, it was very conducive to raise the level of motivation by helping out and competing against each other. Although Oh was way out of the trainer's league, he was still trying to stay in the game.
After a succinct, but intense 60 minutues, they called it quits. No workout tomorrow. It would be weird no to work out. But since Oh was tired from a very long and stressful weekend, he decided to take it easy this weekend. No parties or whatnot
Although it was raining, Oh decided to hit the gym since he skipped yesterday. He really did not want to, but the trainer called Oh out of the blue and told him to bring his ass to the gym. So Oh gave in, thinking about working out is better than doing just nothing but making up for sleep depravation.And as promised the other day, the trainer and Oh had a showdown. At least, they thought they would. Since both of them were not feeling good, they just helped each other out in working on chest and tripcep.
Oh dared the trainer to bench 180 kgs while Oh was going for 100 kgs, which he has never pulled off. Thanks to the trainers assistant, Oh lift 100kgs. But it was so painful. The trainer did not go all the way to 180kg. He was satisfied with 160kg without aid from Oh. Still great.
Since it was a rainy Saturday, there were only few people at the gym. So Oh took advantage of it by hogging the trainer! Today's exercise was quite intensive, Oh has to say. There were no breaks, but constant lifting and sipping water. Also, the trainer and Oh were alternating, it was very conducive to raise the level of motivation by helping out and competing against each other. Although Oh was way out of the trainer's league, he was still trying to stay in the game.
After a succinct, but intense 60 minutues, they called it quits. No workout tomorrow. It would be weird no to work out. But since Oh was tired from a very long and stressful weekend, he decided to take it easy this weekend. No parties or whatnot
Meeting in person
2008. 11. 11
While Oh was up in Ilsan, participating Gyeonggi International Tourism Exhibition, he paid a visit to someone that he has know only thru phone calls. Her name was Lee and she works at a PR department of KINTEX.
About a week ago, Oh received a memorandum that Oh needs to supplement some data or information as to convention industry in Gyeonggido. Since KINTEX is probably the one and only convention venue in Gyeonggido, Oh called KINTEX to get ahold of someone who might have the data, facts or photos of KINTEX. Since then, they have been talking to each other on the phone from time to time and exchanged thoughts regarding how to organize the data
And now they finally met. In person, of course.
After checking where the PR department was located, Oh headed up stairs to the place without any notification. As soon as he walked into the office, he spotted a lady talking on the phone. But he was not sure if that was her. And it was.
Introducing himself and laying out the reason for his rather sudden visitation, Oh talked to the lady very calmy. It was a business matter, so no flirtation or whatnot. They exchanged the name cards and talked a bit more. Then, Oh left the office and told her that he will get back to on the thing that they have been working on together.
Although it was brief, that meeting was pleasant. Oh bothered meeting her in person even though he did not have to. This will help Oh request any info he might need later and get some help from her.
Phone calls, internet chatting and snail mail are all great method through which you can communicate with people. But looking in the eye of someone and talking to him or her is more genuine and a better to convey messages. Human touch. That's what counts.
While Oh was up in Ilsan, participating Gyeonggi International Tourism Exhibition, he paid a visit to someone that he has know only thru phone calls. Her name was Lee and she works at a PR department of KINTEX.
About a week ago, Oh received a memorandum that Oh needs to supplement some data or information as to convention industry in Gyeonggido. Since KINTEX is probably the one and only convention venue in Gyeonggido, Oh called KINTEX to get ahold of someone who might have the data, facts or photos of KINTEX. Since then, they have been talking to each other on the phone from time to time and exchanged thoughts regarding how to organize the data
And now they finally met. In person, of course.
After checking where the PR department was located, Oh headed up stairs to the place without any notification. As soon as he walked into the office, he spotted a lady talking on the phone. But he was not sure if that was her. And it was.
Introducing himself and laying out the reason for his rather sudden visitation, Oh talked to the lady very calmy. It was a business matter, so no flirtation or whatnot. They exchanged the name cards and talked a bit more. Then, Oh left the office and told her that he will get back to on the thing that they have been working on together.
Although it was brief, that meeting was pleasant. Oh bothered meeting her in person even though he did not have to. This will help Oh request any info he might need later and get some help from her.
Phone calls, internet chatting and snail mail are all great method through which you can communicate with people. But looking in the eye of someone and talking to him or her is more genuine and a better to convey messages. Human touch. That's what counts.
Seoul
2008. 11. 10
Oh had to go up to Seoul super early today. For that, he actually had to stay at his parents house last night to directly go to Seoul in lieu of wasting 2 hours on the highway should he leave from Suwon. After taking care of his business, it was about 9:20 Am and he was in Myoungdong, one of the fanciest places in Korea.
Whenver he goes up to Seoul, one of his colleagues says that it must be so nice to go on a trip to Seoul because you will get to see cute and hot girls out there. But Oh does not care about how hot or cute Seoul girls are. It is just that the more he comes up to Seoul, the more disappointed he is with Seoul. While it is not crystal clear why, but it is certain that he does not enjoy just as much as he does Suwon or any other cities.
Anyways, on his way back down to Suwon, there was no one but him on the bus. Accordingly, Oh felf like he rented a limo at only 1,700 won and was cruising down to Suwon with a personal chauffeur. The shun was beating down on him and it was an earily morning, so the scenery was beautiful. He wanted to take ciesta because hwas a bit tried from only 5 hour sleep last night. But he couldn't since Oh is not good at crashing on buses or subways.
Then it was Suwon again. The city once he called a shithole, but now relishes so much.
Whenver he goes up to Seoul, one of his colleagues says that it must be so nice to go on a trip to Seoul because you will get to see cute and hot girls out there. But Oh does not care about how hot or cute Seoul girls are. It is just that the more he comes up to Seoul, the more disappointed he is with Seoul. While it is not crystal clear why, but it is certain that he does not enjoy just as much as he does Suwon or any other cities.
Anyways, on his way back down to Suwon, there was no one but him on the bus. Accordingly, Oh felf like he rented a limo at only 1,700 won and was cruising down to Suwon with a personal chauffeur. The shun was beating down on him and it was an earily morning, so the scenery was beautiful. He wanted to take ciesta because hwas a bit tried from only 5 hour sleep last night. But he couldn't since Oh is not good at crashing on buses or subways.
Then it was Suwon again. The city once he called a shithole, but now relishes so much.
Wrong Way
2008. 11. 9
Oh had to go home. His parents house, he meant. After workout, Oh hopped on a bus that was supposed to go to the Suwon Station directly. However, two minutes after he got on the bus, he realized that it was a wrong bus. Feeling just flat out tired, Oh did not bother hopping out and changing the bus.
Luckily, the bus was still heading to a local subway station, so Oh did not have to get off. So he just decided to sit back and enjoy the ride.
It was a bit weird but surely inspirational ride to some degree. First, because he did end up a train station after only 10 minutues. Secondly, he camed to a certain realization. The realization that sometimes what you are doing is far away from accomplishing your goals so that you start to panic and develop a certain degree of anxiety for not knowing what is going to happen. Subsequently, you come to have doubts whether what you are doing is the best thing to do although it seems very wrong. But just like Oh wound up a subway station, one eventually achieves what he wanted in the very beginning. The only difference is the path itself and the amount of time he or she needed to see the bigger picture.
Also, even though he are in a wrong place you still learn something.
Oh had to go home. His parents house, he meant. After workout, Oh hopped on a bus that was supposed to go to the Suwon Station directly. However, two minutes after he got on the bus, he realized that it was a wrong bus. Feeling just flat out tired, Oh did not bother hopping out and changing the bus.
Luckily, the bus was still heading to a local subway station, so Oh did not have to get off. So he just decided to sit back and enjoy the ride.
It was a bit weird but surely inspirational ride to some degree. First, because he did end up a train station after only 10 minutues. Secondly, he camed to a certain realization. The realization that sometimes what you are doing is far away from accomplishing your goals so that you start to panic and develop a certain degree of anxiety for not knowing what is going to happen. Subsequently, you come to have doubts whether what you are doing is the best thing to do although it seems very wrong. But just like Oh wound up a subway station, one eventually achieves what he wanted in the very beginning. The only difference is the path itself and the amount of time he or she needed to see the bigger picture.
Also, even though he are in a wrong place you still learn something.
American Tv Dramas
2008. 11. 8
One of the things that Oh does on weekends is to watch a bunch of American tv shows. And the spectrum of Oh's taste is from Desperate Housewives to The Pickup Artist. Then one might wonder why Oh's hooked onto those shows.
The first reason is the fact that Oh's an avid English learner and such american TVs shows are a great avenue through which he acquires the language. In addtion, since the language also encompasses the mindset, ethos of its speakers, what is permeated under the american tv shows is also appealing to Oh. That said, not only picking up the language, but also the way americans act and speak is quite obvious in those shows. And it does not have to be explained where Oh's inclination toward American comes from.
But sometimes it is not urged to believe the face value of what those shows display on the screen. Take women for example. Oh has talked to a number of American ladies to date. And they were sort of worried that American girls are deemed and shown so easy to play with. It is probably because the way in which american tv shows objectify and illustrate the general characteristics of American girls. So, American ladies sometimes are very self conscious about the gap between who they are and the way in which they have been described by media.
But then again, it would be entirely wrong to merel think that what tv manifests is a downright lie. Well, some facts are obviously distorted and blown out of proportion, but still they are based on something reliable, something genuine and something real. So, the lesson that Oh would like to inculcate is that believe selectively in what you want to believe in.
The first reason is the fact that Oh's an avid English learner and such american TVs shows are a great avenue through which he acquires the language. In addtion, since the language also encompasses the mindset, ethos of its speakers, what is permeated under the american tv shows is also appealing to Oh. That said, not only picking up the language, but also the way americans act and speak is quite obvious in those shows. And it does not have to be explained where Oh's inclination toward American comes from.
But sometimes it is not urged to believe the face value of what those shows display on the screen. Take women for example. Oh has talked to a number of American ladies to date. And they were sort of worried that American girls are deemed and shown so easy to play with. It is probably because the way in which american tv shows objectify and illustrate the general characteristics of American girls. So, American ladies sometimes are very self conscious about the gap between who they are and the way in which they have been described by media.
But then again, it would be entirely wrong to merel think that what tv manifests is a downright lie. Well, some facts are obviously distorted and blown out of proportion, but still they are based on something reliable, something genuine and something real. So, the lesson that Oh would like to inculcate is that believe selectively in what you want to believe in.
Going out with the trainer
2008. 11. 7
Yes. Oh took his trainer out to a local bar. It was rather a on the spur of moment thing. Since Oh did not have plans for the weekend, he decided to chill out his trainer. The trainer who is from down south and has no clue what Seoul or Suwon can offer. According to him, he's been living in Suwon for a year with his sister, brother in law and nephew. But since he is not from around, he has not had many opportunites to try different places and experience a lot of things different from Gwangju. Thus, he did not anything about clubbing, Hondae, Gangnam, Myeongdong, all the flamboyant and fancy spots in Seoul. Since the trainer is about 6 years younger than Oh, he always deemed the trainer as his lil brother to take care of, which Oh does not have.
So later tonight, Oh and the trainer met around 11:00 PM and hit this bar. It was not packed, but there are some foreigners and locals. And the duo start to drink a beer. And that was too much for both of them.
They shot some dart where Oh beat the jesus out of his company and sipped the rest of the drink. Oh was not sure if the trainer was having fun. It was very crucial because the reason Oh took the kid out is to get the trainer's mind off his work. The trainer has not been very happy with his work environment. He hates his colleagues, his boss and even the gym per se. The only thing that keeps him from quitting is the members, as Oh, who learn a lot from and communicate with him. So, basically, Oh gave him much advice as to how to deal with the stress at work and how to work his way up the latter in the long haul. But the music was damn to loud so later that night Oh's voice grew even hoarse.
The night was fun. The duo made fun of this crazy girl dancing on the floor all night, luring some black and white dude. Her dance was probably the worse ever Oh has seen. Even the trainer was impressed with her (in a very bad way) The entire bar was looking at her. Well, at least seemingly he was having a blast.
Later, the duo left the bar and hovered the street a bit. Then, they went into the local dumpling restaurant. Gobbling up 8 dumpling respectively, he called it a night. After getting a cab for the trainer, Oh was heading home foot. Then he saw this poor foreign kid (in 20s) look astray.
Oh: "Are you lost?"
The guy : “No, I was just looking for a bar."
Oh : "Any particular place? Or just a random bar?"
The guy : "Just random"
Oh : "Hmm. you know what I can recommend you this particular place nearby"
The guy : "Yeah?"
Oh : "Yeah, it is over down the block It is like a hybrid of a bar and a club."
The guy : "Oh, I have been there"
Oh : “I see. Well, I left the place about 45 mins ago and it was crazy, man. There was this girl dancing like crazy. shooting her limbs out and what not and some foreign guys were all over her to get in her pants. It was quite a scene. There should be about 40 foreign guys and 1 single girl their by now. Must be fun."
The guy : "Oh..ok. I might as well check that out. Thanks a bunch!"
Oh : "Sure thing. Good Night"
And they parted while Oh was just standing there about 2 minutes to make sure that the kid found the right place. Also, he decided to take the trainer out to Seoul and showed him the dark(?) or the exotic aspect of Seoul.
Yes. Oh took his trainer out to a local bar. It was rather a on the spur of moment thing. Since Oh did not have plans for the weekend, he decided to chill out his trainer. The trainer who is from down south and has no clue what Seoul or Suwon can offer. According to him, he's been living in Suwon for a year with his sister, brother in law and nephew. But since he is not from around, he has not had many opportunites to try different places and experience a lot of things different from Gwangju. Thus, he did not anything about clubbing, Hondae, Gangnam, Myeongdong, all the flamboyant and fancy spots in Seoul. Since the trainer is about 6 years younger than Oh, he always deemed the trainer as his lil brother to take care of, which Oh does not have.
So later tonight, Oh and the trainer met around 11:00 PM and hit this bar. It was not packed, but there are some foreigners and locals. And the duo start to drink a beer. And that was too much for both of them.
They shot some dart where Oh beat the jesus out of his company and sipped the rest of the drink. Oh was not sure if the trainer was having fun. It was very crucial because the reason Oh took the kid out is to get the trainer's mind off his work. The trainer has not been very happy with his work environment. He hates his colleagues, his boss and even the gym per se. The only thing that keeps him from quitting is the members, as Oh, who learn a lot from and communicate with him. So, basically, Oh gave him much advice as to how to deal with the stress at work and how to work his way up the latter in the long haul. But the music was damn to loud so later that night Oh's voice grew even hoarse.
The night was fun. The duo made fun of this crazy girl dancing on the floor all night, luring some black and white dude. Her dance was probably the worse ever Oh has seen. Even the trainer was impressed with her (in a very bad way) The entire bar was looking at her. Well, at least seemingly he was having a blast.
Later, the duo left the bar and hovered the street a bit. Then, they went into the local dumpling restaurant. Gobbling up 8 dumpling respectively, he called it a night. After getting a cab for the trainer, Oh was heading home foot. Then he saw this poor foreign kid (in 20s) look astray.
Oh: "Are you lost?"
The guy : “No, I was just looking for a bar."
Oh : "Any particular place? Or just a random bar?"
The guy : "Just random"
Oh : "Hmm. you know what I can recommend you this particular place nearby"
The guy : "Yeah?"
Oh : "Yeah, it is over down the block It is like a hybrid of a bar and a club."
The guy : "Oh, I have been there"
Oh : “I see. Well, I left the place about 45 mins ago and it was crazy, man. There was this girl dancing like crazy. shooting her limbs out and what not and some foreign guys were all over her to get in her pants. It was quite a scene. There should be about 40 foreign guys and 1 single girl their by now. Must be fun."
The guy : "Oh..ok. I might as well check that out. Thanks a bunch!"
Oh : "Sure thing. Good Night"
And they parted while Oh was just standing there about 2 minutes to make sure that the kid found the right place. Also, he decided to take the trainer out to Seoul and showed him the dark(?) or the exotic aspect of Seoul.
Job Fair : Part II, The disabled man
2008. 11. 6
Oh saw him again. The disabled guy. The guy who reminds Oh of his passed uncle.
The disabled guy Oh ran into every single morning on his way to work. Since Oh is very punctual, so is the guy. They always ran into each other at the exact point which is almost in between Oh's house and his workplace. And as Oh said before he feels indebt without any particular reason. Or with a reason that he can not illustrate in words.
And just like yesterday, there was a job fair in the lobby. But today it was for the local disabled. And Oh did not expect the guy to show up at the fair and fill out applications. It somewhat flaggergasted Oh. Oh always thought that the guy might be a stay-at-home dad after suffering from stroke or any kinds chronic disease, which might be why the guy has trouble with walking and so depends on a metal cane. But at least Oh surmised that the guy is a man, despite his physical condition, of a very strong will to go out, get a job and be a part of society in lieu of lurking like a hermit and crying over his physical limits.
Anyways, for Oh, the job fair designed for the disabled seems to be a bit phony. Since he knows how handicap-unfriendly Korean society is, he was worried if those showed up at the fair later just grew disappointed with no call-backs from the companies that they sent applications to. And Oh sincerely hopes that it does not occur to the guy so that they won't bump into each other in the mornings anymore, but somewher else, maybe late in the evening on their ways back home from long and hard work.
The disabled guy Oh ran into every single morning on his way to work. Since Oh is very punctual, so is the guy. They always ran into each other at the exact point which is almost in between Oh's house and his workplace. And as Oh said before he feels indebt without any particular reason. Or with a reason that he can not illustrate in words.
And just like yesterday, there was a job fair in the lobby. But today it was for the local disabled. And Oh did not expect the guy to show up at the fair and fill out applications. It somewhat flaggergasted Oh. Oh always thought that the guy might be a stay-at-home dad after suffering from stroke or any kinds chronic disease, which might be why the guy has trouble with walking and so depends on a metal cane. But at least Oh surmised that the guy is a man, despite his physical condition, of a very strong will to go out, get a job and be a part of society in lieu of lurking like a hermit and crying over his physical limits.
Anyways, for Oh, the job fair designed for the disabled seems to be a bit phony. Since he knows how handicap-unfriendly Korean society is, he was worried if those showed up at the fair later just grew disappointed with no call-backs from the companies that they sent applications to. And Oh sincerely hopes that it does not occur to the guy so that they won't bump into each other in the mornings anymore, but somewher else, maybe late in the evening on their ways back home from long and hard work.
Job Fair : Part I
2008. 11. 5
It goes out without saying that getting a decent gig is just plan arduous in South Korea nowadays. The economy has been plummeting as that of the rest of the world is while the imcumbent has no intention to give the axe to the tresure secretary, Mr. Kang who bascially induced so called IMF Crisis" back in 1997.
Anyways, after lunch, Oh saw a job fair going on in the lobby of the building. Obviously, there are many a job seeker there filling out applications and talking to their future employers. Whenever Oh hears that securing a nice job is getting harder and harder, Oh feels fortunate. Well, what he has been doing is not exactly the cup of his tea, but it is not like he needs to squirm on his chair at every single moment out of disgust or hatred toward his job or his co-workers. Sometimes
he does not like his job and his colleagues. And some other time he does like the both. But the simple fact that now he is working sometimes looks like a bliss to him.
he does not like his job and his colleagues. And some other time he does like the both. But the simple fact that now he is working sometimes looks like a bliss to him.
In particular, the company Oh works for is a very unique organization. Well, it'd be too much to talk about everything about this work here. But simply speaking, it is not too much nor too less. Well.. a bit much for him..for now because things are not too familiar with him and honestly, his colleague still give him a hard time so that Oh can learn things quickly and thoroughly. While existing the job fair, he wished the luck for those college kids filling out the applications. 
Overwork
2008. 11. 4.
By the time Oh got off work is around 9:30PM. Well, because of the auditing, Oh and some colleagues of his had to stay late. And it was not pleasant at all. Well, he agrees with the idea that sometimes people need to work long than they are supposed to. Just like today, he was fine with working a couple more hours. But he was not happy with the fact that his colleagues coerced him to take dinner with them and , in order to do that, to go to a local restaurant. Oh was like, "Why can't we just go to the mess hall and eat there?" Well, Oh is a newbie, he does not get to speak like that.
Anyways, it took an hour to finish the dinner and come back to the office. And it turned out that Oh needed only 30 mins to get his work done. The work he was given from the colleagues. Well, then Oh, after all, wasted an hour on just eating. He though he could have gone home way earlier than 9:30 PM and thus hit the gym (which he did)
Yes, Oh is time sensitive and impatient sometimes. Still, he does not understand why Koreans sometimes think that overwork is a must, not a choice.
Let's say you are told to finish this paper work by the end of tomorrow. So you do it. But then sometime tomorrow, it turns out that you did not have to get that paperwork done that quickly. And this is a universal truth. Being late for the deadline is not the end of the world. Additionally, deadline are usually pushed until later on the same day or to the next day.
Anyways, trying to shake off this infuriation, he decided to go to the gym directly in lieu of stopping by his crib to get changed. The trainer was about to take off, which bummed Oh, but there were still a lot of people at 10:00 PM. After 90 mins he came home, took a shower, grabbed something to eat, watched the latest epidose of Desperate Housewives. And then he fell asleep, wondering if Obmama is going to be the next president of the U.S.A.
One more day
2008. 11. 3.
Given the fact that Korea is almost several hours ahead of the U.S., Oh was not too excited about the presidential election. But the undeniable fact is that it all comes down to this monumental moment when the very first African American president takes office in the country where merely 50 years ago the racial discrimination was rampant and eventually came to the end on the surface.
When talking to his friends, Oh sometimes jokes that Obama is a relative of his in that both share the same syllable in their names. O(H)bama and OH. Get it? :) Also, they are both passionate about basketball and have lots of international experience, which makes them culturally less biased and more undestanding of entities
Although it is quie papable that this election is going to be a landslide one, no one can assure if Obama is going to win. That is partly because the older generation for McCain does not usually count at polling while the younger ones are all over the media and the polling data. The polling has been manifesting clear projections of the winning of Obama, but you never know what is going to happen.
Given the fact that Korea is almost several hours ahead of the U.S., Oh was not too excited about the presidential election. But the undeniable fact is that it all comes down to this monumental moment when the very first African American president takes office in the country where merely 50 years ago the racial discrimination was rampant and eventually came to the end on the surface.
When talking to his friends, Oh sometimes jokes that Obama is a relative of his in that both share the same syllable in their names. O(H)bama and OH. Get it? :) Also, they are both passionate about basketball and have lots of international experience, which makes them culturally less biased and more undestanding of entities
Although it is quie papable that this election is going to be a landslide one, no one can assure if Obama is going to win. That is partly because the older generation for McCain does not usually count at polling while the younger ones are all over the media and the polling data. The polling has been manifesting clear projections of the winning of Obama, but you never know what is going to happen.
Where'd the weekend go?
2008. 11. 1
Because of the little fender-bender last night, Oh had to get up super early morning to meet the auto shop guys. They came to pick up the car as early as 8:30AM. Waking up 8:30 am on a Saturday morning. Great..
After handing the car and the keys over to the greasey-overalls clad mechanics, Oh tried to go back to sleep, which he could not pull off. Instead, Oh decided to watch the newest episodes of the American tv shows.
Later, he got a call from his folks that they are dropping by in 2 hours. And they did. After heated arguments, fights and buried the hatchet, they left.
Then Oh hit the gym. The trainer was there. It was like he hasn’t seen the trainer for ages. Since the gym is closed tomorrow, Oh asked the trainer to drill him and he did. Oh and trainer worked on Oh’’s legs and the shoulders. Oh even skipped his favorite Korean tv show to work out. Felt good.
Then it was already 9pm. Oh had to post all the juicy stories about his trip to China and his crazy life this week. And it was already 11:30pm after merely uploading a couple of blog threads that he already composed back in China.
Time to hit the sack.
Because of the little fender-bender last night, Oh had to get up super early morning to meet the auto shop guys. They came to pick up the car as early as 8:30AM. Waking up 8:30 am on a Saturday morning. Great..
After handing the car and the keys over to the greasey-overalls clad mechanics, Oh tried to go back to sleep, which he could not pull off. Instead, Oh decided to watch the newest episodes of the American tv shows.
Later, he got a call from his folks that they are dropping by in 2 hours. And they did. After heated arguments, fights and buried the hatchet, they left.
Then Oh hit the gym. The trainer was there. It was like he hasn’t seen the trainer for ages. Since the gym is closed tomorrow, Oh asked the trainer to drill him and he did. Oh and trainer worked on Oh’’s legs and the shoulders. Oh even skipped his favorite Korean tv show to work out. Felt good.
Then it was already 9pm. Oh had to post all the juicy stories about his trip to China and his crazy life this week. And it was already 11:30pm after merely uploading a couple of blog threads that he already composed back in China.
Time to hit the sack.
Oh had a plan
2008. 10. 31.
At the end of the night, he was frustrated and helpless. He had a plan, masterplan that was supposed to revive and rejuvenate him.
Just like the other days, Oh was insanely busy at work. No time to even brush his teeth after lunch. Go figure..
Anyways, since he was supposed to be on a business trip to Seoul in the afternoon, he wanted to get his work done as late as 4PM and headed north. Well, he did get things done and took off and that’s where the whole thing started to go wrong.
4:30 PM. Oh started to rev up the engine of one of his company cars. After he got in a car accident 7 years ago, this is the VERY FIRST TIME for him to drive. And if you know how crazy the traffic is in Seoul, you would just stall Oh at any cost.
5:30PM. On the highway Oh is crusing. He is actually doing better than he thought he would. Although he is fidgeting and nervous he is so focused on driving, checking out the mirrors and the right exit and whatnot.
6:00 PM
Oh cancelled on one informal gathering with one of the participants at the convention last week. The traffic is insane. Thank god, he had a headstart and so won’t be late for the business meeting.
6:30 PM
He’s lost in Seoul and entered some street valley. Reaching the dead-end, he is trying to maneuver his way out to the main road. Alas, while doing so, he clipped the car to a telephone pole and thus scratched and left some dent on the car. He is dead, now.
6:40 PM
Having panic attack, (metaphorically), Oh met up his friend. He took his friend to nearby local auto shops that told Oh that it would cost at least 300 dollars to fix the damn car.
7:30 PM
Eating dinner, Oh called the guy from the rental place and notified him about the scratch. The guy tried to calm Oh down. Not working
8:30 PM
About one hundred Malaysian visitors from DDB arrived at the meeting place. Oh took some photos of them, paid their dinner with the corporate card and left the place.
10:00 PM
Oh and his buddy were shopping. Oh could not really concentrate. Keeps apologizing to his friend for ruining the night.
11:00 PM
Oh got a call from this person whom he thought was at his beck and call. Obviously, the individual was not. Oh had a plan to hit some clubs at Hongdae to dance the night and all the stress he has receive this week away. It is freaking Holloween!!!!!!! Seems like it is not going to happen.
11:20 PM
The commercial designated drive Oh called arrived and revved up the engine. Back to Suwon.
12:40 AM
He can’t hit the sack because of the car. 300 dollars is a lot of money. More importantly, he is going to get his ass chewed off by his bosses once they found out about the car.
1:30 AM
Oh had a plan, he looks back.
Revisiting Shanghai - Video Clips and Explanation
2008. 10. 30
What follows is all the video clips and the explanation about them taken during Oh's visitation to China last week. Enjoy!
(Did not expect to see the Samsung logo out of nowhere in China)
The view from Oh's room in the Seagull Hotel. Pretty decent. It was drizzling so even better!
The Seagull Hotel. The bellboys were so friendly. A four star hotel it was.
Oh was on a road trip with one of the participants. The other guy was afraid of sitting in front, so Oh had to. :( BTW, just like the states, there is a protective glass in a cab. Oh thought that this proves how safe it is to live in South Korea.
Take a gooood look at it. Pedestrians, cars and bicycles are mingled like crazy. The traffic in South Korea is not that disruptive.
Granted it, it was Saturday. Too many people simply.
Some garden. Also, where'd these people come from?
Chinese McDonald. It was NOT cheap at all.
Chinese subway station. It was like during the rush hour at Shindorim station in Seoul.
A subway station. It was a saturday afternoon and raining. Still many people.
Another subways peek. Actually the trains were nice. They were just like NYT transit. Small and narrow. The best subway Oh has ever ridden is the one in D.C.!!
What follows is all the video clips and the explanation about them taken during Oh's visitation to China last week. Enjoy!
(Did not expect to see the Samsung logo out of nowhere in China)
The view from Oh's room in the Seagull Hotel. Pretty decent. It was drizzling so even better!
The Seagull Hotel. The bellboys were so friendly. A four star hotel it was.
Oh was on a road trip with one of the participants. The other guy was afraid of sitting in front, so Oh had to. :( BTW, just like the states, there is a protective glass in a cab. Oh thought that this proves how safe it is to live in South Korea.
Take a gooood look at it. Pedestrians, cars and bicycles are mingled like crazy. The traffic in South Korea is not that disruptive.
Granted it, it was Saturday. Too many people simply.
Some garden. Also, where'd these people come from?
Chinese McDonald. It was NOT cheap at all.
Chinese subway station. It was like during the rush hour at Shindorim station in Seoul.
A subway station. It was a saturday afternoon and raining. Still many people.
Another subways peek. Actually the trains were nice. They were just like NYT transit. Small and narrow. The best subway Oh has ever ridden is the one in D.C.!!
Email from half way around the planet
2008. 10. 29
Still busy at work, Oh received a letter from the girl that he was interested in back at the convention last week. Although Oh gave her his business card, she claimed she did not get one. So, she said that she asked one of the Korean participants that she met in Shanghai about my email address and thus got ahold of me. Well, since she went through all the trouble, Oh started to feel good about it.
She lamented the fact that she was caught up with her work and with her colleague and thus could not even get back to me on my proposition. But she promised that she is going to have a cup of coffee when they meet again. Well, what are the odds? She lives half way around the world.
Anyways, in response, Oh wrote her back and also lamented on the fact that the get-together did not occur and asked the girl if she is going be at another convention coming up next year to which she said yes. Oh is going to participate in that convention as well.
Which does not really mean anything. What was Oh thinking? Right? Oh was obviously brave, but not smart. He did not even know the person at all.
But then again Oh defends himself, saying “Well, no pain, no gain. Only the brave gets the beauty.” And this is damn true. Girls would not come to you if you just think that they are interested in you. You need to get confident, get ready to get embarrassed, get up on your feet, accost her and strike a conversation. This time, Oh did not succeed. But he learned the lesson and is moving on.
New Part timer?
2008. 10. 28
Fatigued from the restless night and the lack of sleep, Oh came to work.
Today’s biggest mission to accomplish is to vet and to hire a new part-timer. Since the temp is going to quit this Friday, Oh has been in charge of recruiting and scrutinizing applicants and thus he has winnowed it down the four people. After the team captain picked out one particular person, Oh called her to let her know the interview date yesterday.
So she showed.
Looked older then her photo in her resume. Yes, in Korea, you HAVE TO put your “glamour shot” in a resume. And it goes without saying that the better looking you are, the higher chances you are going to get a gig.
Oh found it very odd when he told some acquaintances (guys only) at work that his team is hiring a new temp, they all said that “Hire a pretty one” Sure, better looking would not harm anyone, but it would necessarily guarantee one’s job performance. In their own defense, they said “It is just a temp, what is the big deal? It is not that she is going to be a full time here. So why not choose a dumb blonde girl?”
At any rate, the girl that showed today did not get the gig and notifying her that she is not going to get the job was Oh’s responsibility. No wonder why many companies or schools, while composing rejection letters, start them by saying “I regret to …”
In stead of calling the girl on the phone, Oh just texted her and delivered the unpleasant news. Oh thought it was could come off as less personal and less insulting.
Again, back to square one. Now Oh needs to vet more applicants to choose better candidates.
Today’s biggest mission to accomplish is to vet and to hire a new part-timer. Since the temp is going to quit this Friday, Oh has been in charge of recruiting and scrutinizing applicants and thus he has winnowed it down the four people. After the team captain picked out one particular person, Oh called her to let her know the interview date yesterday.
So she showed.
Looked older then her photo in her resume. Yes, in Korea, you HAVE TO put your “glamour shot” in a resume. And it goes without saying that the better looking you are, the higher chances you are going to get a gig.
Oh found it very odd when he told some acquaintances (guys only) at work that his team is hiring a new temp, they all said that “Hire a pretty one” Sure, better looking would not harm anyone, but it would necessarily guarantee one’s job performance. In their own defense, they said “It is just a temp, what is the big deal? It is not that she is going to be a full time here. So why not choose a dumb blonde girl?”
At any rate, the girl that showed today did not get the gig and notifying her that she is not going to get the job was Oh’s responsibility. No wonder why many companies or schools, while composing rejection letters, start them by saying “I regret to …”
In stead of calling the girl on the phone, Oh just texted her and delivered the unpleasant news. Oh thought it was could come off as less personal and less insulting.
Again, back to square one. Now Oh needs to vet more applicants to choose better candidates.
Back to Normal
2008. 10. 27
Ah..the past 5 days was like a dream for Oh. But he now needed to realize that he is not in it anymore, but in an inevitable reality.
First, he was super tired from the trip. Nevertheless, he could not take a day off because…well.. because he simply can’t. If you knew only a bit about Korean work ethics, it would be not too hard to understand why he has come to work.
Secondly, he literally had a pile of work. First because, since he took on a trip, he workload has been snowballing. Secondly, since one of the colleagues is on a business trip to Toronto and the states, Oh and the other team members had to pick up his slack. And the slack is immense. The first thing, as soon as Oh came to work, that he noticed was a manila folder sitting on the desk. There were several pieces of paper that said what Oh needed to take care of the workload that the aforementioned colleague left for the rest of the team.
Lastly, Oh needed to organize all the war-relics that he acquired from Shanghai. He meant, the brocures, tons of name cards, pictures, and whatnot. He needed to sort them out, save them somewhere and even dole them out to the participants of the convention. No wonder why Oh’s colleagues has been saying that going on a business trip is not as sweet as it sounds. Now Oh realizes why.
As a result, Oh had to work as late as 11PM. 11PM. Well, he could not care less about the slack or the work of his to finish up. But it was a team thing. Well, since Oh’s company is fully funded by the government, the gov periodically conducts audit. Yes, just like accountants, they scrutinize how every single dime of tax has been consumed. If there is any kind of a flaw or suspicious expense, the ceo is going to take the hit from the local congressmen. If the ceo gets the hit, the rest of the company is also getting to hit. So, the entire company needs to file the report that manifest that how it has wasted (or efficiently used) the tax.
It turned out that Oh’s team, which is a foreign overseas marketing team, has a big load of budget, they needed to file ton of expense reports. This is why Oh and the rest of the team stayed up late. Thus, no gym for Oh. But, Oh had no idea what is ahead of him the next four
Ah..the past 5 days was like a dream for Oh. But he now needed to realize that he is not in it anymore, but in an inevitable reality.
First, he was super tired from the trip. Nevertheless, he could not take a day off because…well.. because he simply can’t. If you knew only a bit about Korean work ethics, it would be not too hard to understand why he has come to work.
Secondly, he literally had a pile of work. First because, since he took on a trip, he workload has been snowballing. Secondly, since one of the colleagues is on a business trip to Toronto and the states, Oh and the other team members had to pick up his slack. And the slack is immense. The first thing, as soon as Oh came to work, that he noticed was a manila folder sitting on the desk. There were several pieces of paper that said what Oh needed to take care of the workload that the aforementioned colleague left for the rest of the team.
Lastly, Oh needed to organize all the war-relics that he acquired from Shanghai. He meant, the brocures, tons of name cards, pictures, and whatnot. He needed to sort them out, save them somewhere and even dole them out to the participants of the convention. No wonder why Oh’s colleagues has been saying that going on a business trip is not as sweet as it sounds. Now Oh realizes why.
As a result, Oh had to work as late as 11PM. 11PM. Well, he could not care less about the slack or the work of his to finish up. But it was a team thing. Well, since Oh’s company is fully funded by the government, the gov periodically conducts audit. Yes, just like accountants, they scrutinize how every single dime of tax has been consumed. If there is any kind of a flaw or suspicious expense, the ceo is going to take the hit from the local congressmen. If the ceo gets the hit, the rest of the company is also getting to hit. So, the entire company needs to file the report that manifest that how it has wasted (or efficiently used) the tax.
It turned out that Oh’s team, which is a foreign overseas marketing team, has a big load of budget, they needed to file ton of expense reports. This is why Oh and the rest of the team stayed up late. Thus, no gym for Oh. But, Oh had no idea what is ahead of him the next four
days.
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