Goodbye my Starbucks MANILA cup

I've always wanted to have my own Starbucks cup...it gives me the feeling of drinking an expensive cup of beverage...kkkkk. Luckily, the last time I went back to Manila my sister gave me my very first Starbucks cup and the fact that it had MANILA written on it gave me the extra thrill. Sad to say the life expectancy of my dear cup ended yesterday. While I was trying to open our door(after a very cold walk around the neighborhood) and trying to stop little Zach from running away from me, my cup accidentally fell from the pocket of my backpack. My cup ended up looking like the picture above....huhuhuhu. I guess my days of pretending that I was actually having a cup of Starbucks coffee (I usually just put barley tea or green tea because I don't drink coffee) while reading a book is finally over.....kkkk.

What did you say BAMBINO?

Whenever I see this poster in Homeplus Uijeongbu I always tell myself to blog about it. Why? The sight of this poorly written company slogan always gives me the freaking urge to call the company president and tell him to hire someone who can really TRANSLATE from Korean to English. This is a common practice for some Korean companies....they try to uplift their brand image by using English in their posters but it usually ends up like this. If you can't do it properly better NOT do it at all!

FOR FILIPINO CITIZENS IN SOUTH KOREA: MGA PAGHAHANDA AT PAALALA

MGA PAGHAHANDA AT PAALALA SA MGA PILIPINO SA SOUTH KOREA

By: Philippine Embassy

• Pinapaalalahanan ng Embahada ng Pilipinas sa South Korea ang lahat ng Pilipino na manatiling panatag at laging handa sa anumang sitwasyon. Ugaliing manood ng telebisyon, makinig ng radio at magbasa ng mga pahayagan tungkol sa mga kaganapan sa Korean Peninsula.

• Mabuting malaman ang pangalan at telepono ng pinuno ng Filipino Community sa inyong lugar. Maaaring makipag-ugnayan sa Embahada para sa mga detalye.

• Ang mga numero ng mga serbisyong pampubliko sa inyong distrito, munisipyo o siyudad ay maaari ring tawagan para sa kaukulang impormasyon na maari ninyong kailanganin. Ang lokal na kapulisan ay maaring makontak sa numero 112 at hilingin na mailipat ang inyong tawag sa dibisyon na nangangasiwa sa Ugnayang Panlabas (Foreign Affairs Division). Ang pinakamalapit na migrant centersa inyong lugar ay maaaring lapitan.

• Sa mga Pilipinong may mga anak sa Korea, makabubuting makipag ugnayan sa mga Punong-guro ng mga paaralan kung saan nag-aaral ang mga bata at magtanong tungkol sa paghahanda ng paaralan para sa mga pangyayaring hindi inaasahan. Alamin kung papaano maipapaabot sa mga magulang ang ganitong mga kaganapan at siguraduhing tama ang nakalistang numero ninyo sa paaralan.

• Makabubuting ang lahat ay laging handa sa anumang pangyayaring hindi inaasahan. Ang mga importanteng dokumento patungkol sa inyo, sa inyong hanapbuhay at inyong mga pamilya ay dapat nakasilid sa isang bag na madaling makuha at nalalaman ng lahat ng kasama sa bahay.

• Para sa mga katanungan, maari kayong makipag ugnayan sa anumang hotline numbers ng Embahada 010-9365-2312 o 010-9263-8119 at POLO Hotline number 010-4573-6290.

North Korea fires on a South Korean island...I'm SCARED!

There's tension between two Koreas right now.... apparently North Korea fired several rounds of artillery shells on a South Korean island a few hours ago. Of course South Korea fired back because this time North Korea attacked civilians. The military and police force is on RED ALERT and I can't keep my eyes off the Korean news even for a second. To be honest I'm scared not for myself but for my little Zach. If all these happened before I had my little Zach I won't be scared and will probably continue believing my husband and thousands of other Koreans out there when they say "It's nothing!". Most Koreans are used to the on-off conflict between the two Koreas, so when conflict arises they just ignore it and say it's just a propaganda. But, I'm a foreigner in Korea and most of all I'm a mother now and the safety of my child comes first. I can't help but pray that God will not allow this tension to escalate further. For more information check out the links below:

KOREA TIMES: NK shells S. Korean island in West Sea
KOREA HERALD: S. Korea may strike N. Korea's missile base: President Lee

KOREA TIMES: Foreign victims of crimes to be protected better

* There's a current move to allow foreigners who fell victim to crimes to receive compensation from the Korean government, if such thing will push through foreigners can now be eligible for the victim-protection program.....a good plan...but I do hope it really happens.

Foreign victims of crimes to be protected better

By Park Si-soo

The National Police Agency said Monday it has revised its internal rules to enable foreign victims of crimes to benefit from compensation paid out by the government.

Its move came amid a steady rise in the number of non-Koreans who fall victims to various crimes.

Police said foreign residents and their family members will be added to the victim-protection program, which gives advice on how to seek compensation and other state-funded rehabilitation services.

The new beneficiaries include not only victims themselves but also spouses, including those in a de facto marriage state, and parents as well as siblings.

They said the new rules are designed to establish clearer legal grounds to protect foreign victims of crimes. Foreigners are already — in theory — part of the victim-protection program; but the new rules will put them on a more equal footing with domestic victims.

“Unclear standards on beneficiaries have caused many foreign victims to receive different treatment from locals,” said Kim Seok-ryul, a spokesman for the human rights protection division at the agency. “By clearly adding foreigners to the list, nobody in society will be left unprotected by the program.”

The murder of a Vietnamese wife in July by her mentally-challenged Korean husband just eight days after her arrival in Korea gave impetus to the move, experts said.

The protection of foreign victims of crime is also a sensitive issue in political circles.

Rep. Oh Jae-sae of the opposition Democratic Party submitted a bill to the National Assembly last month, aimed at enabling all documented foreigners living here for two years or longer to receive state compensation for damage or injury caused by a criminal act.

Under the current law, compensation is offered to those coming from countries that run the same policy for Korean victims there.

“Many foreign victims came from countries without the compensation program for Korean victims there. So we need to extend the scope of beneficiaries,” said Rep. Oh.

According to the ministry’s statistics, domestic violence takes place in one out of four interracial couples here. As of the end of 2009, nearly 1.17 million foreign nationals reside in South Korea, mostly from China and Southeast Asian countries.

pss@koreatimes.co.kr

Update on Lee Da-Hae: Letter of H.E. Ambassador Luis T. Cruz to KBS2

*Lee Da-hae's imitation of the Filipino/Southeast Asian accent caused an uproar on the net and among the Filipinos. Some questioned Lee Da-hae's sincerity on her public apology on Twitter and some even questioned what the Philippine Embassy in Korea did about the said matter. You can find the letter sent by the Ambassador of the Philippines in Korea to KBS2 below. I salute Ambassador Cruz for having the guts to do something about.

Letter of H.E. Ambassador Luis T. Cruz to KBS2 
By: Philippine Embassy


Dear Mr. Kim,

Warm greetings from the Embassy of the Philippines in South Korea.

I respectfully wish to express my concern over a past KBS2 program showing actress Lee Da-Hae apparently making fun of Filipino accent. The clip has been making the rounds in the internet.

While Ms. Lee herself has reportedly apologized for the incident and called it a misunderstanding, I humbly wish to point out that the said portion of Ms. Lee’s interview appears to have been edited precisely to elicit laughter from the audience.

Unfortunately, however, the humor extracted from imitating the supposed accent of Filipino teachers can, at worst, be interpreted as insensitive and demeaning. (It is ironic that Ms. Lee herself did not even sound remotely Filipino.) It also runs the risk of making generalizations and of implying the inferiority of particular accents.

It is my belief that such portrayal, despite stemming from a lighthearted moment in a talk show, runs contrary to our collective efforts of promoting intercultural respect and multiculturalism.

I respectfully take this opportunity to express my hope that future programs will continue to promote our common goal of enhancing mutual awareness, respect and understanding.

Let me, Mr. Kim, also take this occasion to renew the good ties that exist between our institutions.

Thank you.

With warm regards.

Sincerely,


LUIS T. CRUZ
Ambassador
(Signed)

Mr. KIM IN KYU
President, KBS

A wedding for the PRINCE

Prince William of Wales just got engaged to the pretty and sophisticated Kate Middleton....and I say FINALLY! I just hope Kate Middleton is ready for all the drama, politics, and of course the paparazzi that will be hounding her way. Upon seeing the latest pictures of Prince William I can't help but wonder what happened to his HAIR LINE?I used to like looking at the handsome pics of Prince William but how come this time I can't find myself smiling at the way he looks NOW?.....kkkkk.....I guess it's time to move on to Prince Harry's debonair looks...kkkkk.

2010 PEBA International Photo Contest: PLEASE VOTE for my entries

Please vote for my entries to the 2010 PEBA International Photo Contest...."Sulyap ng MAG-AMA", "Tampisaw ni KULIT", and "Ang Kaligayahan ng Isang Ina".

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No KIMCHI in this house

It might sound strange but we don't have kimchi in our house all the time....yeah I know a Korean household without kimchi is something next to impossible. But, even if my husband is Korean...he's one Korean who hates KIMCHI....hahahaha....and that's not a joke. My in-laws even had to give my husband a good beating during his younger years before they could force him to eat kimchi. Lucky for me, I don't need to do "kimjang" (김장 kimjang is the time of the year wherein Koreans gather together to prepare large quantities of kimchi that will provide them nutrition the whole winter)and we don't need to spend a lot on kimchi ingredients (the price of the ingredients used in making kimchi got so expensive this season that most Koreans are even calling it a "national emergency") every year.

BUT, the funny thing is, I like kimchi and just like most Koreans I also believe that kimchi helps you fight off diseases because of its nutritional content. So, if there are times that I feel the urge to eat kimchi...I just buy it in the supermarket (the kimchi you buy in the supermarket are not that tasty compared to the homemade ones) or my MIL sends me a couple of containers (my MIL knows that ONLY her foreigner daughter-in-law eats kimchi in our house...kkkk) just enough for my own consumption.

 

Anyway, while updating my blog I heard a knock on our door and to my surprise...it was the owner of our house(she lives right in front of our rented house). She was smiling at me and then she gave me a plastic bag containing kimchi. She said she just finished doing her "kimjang" and she wanted to share some to her neighbors. It was a really nice gesture considering the fact that the ingredients used for making kimchi is really way beyond the budget of an average Korean household right now. I thanked her and then I reminded myself to buy some fruits for her.

Welcome back ERIKO!

My dear friend ERIKO came to Korea for a visit(Eriko was my classmate in graduate school at the University of the Philippines, so she can speak the Filipino language very well.....kkkkk. When we came to Korea, she also became my roommate and fellow scholar in Yonsei University's Korean Language Institute), and her very short vacation became a mini-reunion with my other friends from Yonsei University. 

 

We met last Saturday in Gwanghwamun, we had coffee first in Starbucks and then proceeded to our favorite samgye-tang(삼계탕 ginseng chicken soup......We had samgye-tang in 토속촌 Tosokchon near the famous Gyeongbuk Palace)place for dinner. We had fun reminiscing the old times and of course Ninang Eriko also had fun with her godson....little Zach. She even brought a gift for little Zach and my prince loved it because it had STARS all over....kkkk...he couldn't stop shouting "STARS!!!!!". How I wish we could have spent more time with Eriko but she had an early flight back to Japan the next day, well...it's always nice to have friends around even for just a short time.

Missing coffee time with friends.....:-(

 

Along with missing the Christmas spirit back home, I also miss coffee time (even if i don't drink coffee and I usually end up drinking hot chocolate or tea in a coffee shop...kkk) with my best friends. After going for a walk in downtown Uijeongbu(and since little Zach was very busy attending DREAM LAND in his sleep...kkkkk), I decided to go to STARBUCKS and reminisce happy times with my friends by reading a book, munching on a walnut brownie, and drinking Peppermint Mocha(just for a change, I ordered this instead of hot chocolate...kkkkk). The Christmas songs played in the coffee shop made me miss EVERYONE back home even more.

Missing Christmas....:-(

I've been kind a sad for the past few weeks....the start of the ~ber months is making me miss spending Christmas back home. No matter how much I insist on wanting to go home for Christmas, it's just impossible because it's the most expensive season for flying out of Korea and to be honest my finances are not that good too so having a "Pinoy Christmas" is really out for me this year. To ease up my longing for the lively Christmas spirit back home(well, the Christmas spirit can barely be felt in Korea since Christmas in Korea is more for COUPLES, like girlfriend-boyfriend only, so on Christmas day you'll end up seeing couples on dates than families having fun together), I decided to put up my little Christmas tree and make a mini Christmas corner yesterday. When little Zach saw the Christmas tree, he started picking out the STARS hanging on our tree...kkkk. I just hope I can also introduce little Zach to the warmth of PINOY CHRISTMAS someday.

It's time for the SHOES to rest in peace

I've been bugging my hubby to replace his old Landrover shoes because it's been looking like trash for sometime now and no amount of cleaning and fixing can ever make the shoes look DECENT again. But, my hubby insisted on using his favorite shoes until its last breath.....kkkk. So, even if I already bought him a new pair of shoes (again from Landrover and of course he opted for the same style AGAIN....kkkk) he refused to use the new ones. Then, last night a miracle happened.....hubby finally decided to let go of his favorite shoes. I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.....goodbye old shoes.....it's time for the shoes to rest in peace.

Little Zach's time to PLAY

Little Zach and I were very busy visiting the doctor for the past few days (or shall I say weeks???) because we've been constant victims to the strange weather changes in Korea. We had to stay indoors for sometime and it made little Zach REALLY bored. So the other day since we were both feeling better, I had to bring him to the playground for some playtime. Of course my little Zach enjoyed every minute of being outdoors....kkkk.

Zach's in a TOY CIRCLE

 

While I was busy cooking dinner, little Zach was also busy playing with his toys and watching his favorite Disney show (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...kkkk). After some time, little Zach became so quiet that it made me worry. The mother in me made me stop whatever I was doing and checked on him, to my surprise I found my little Zach in a TOY CIRCLE.......he surrounded himself with his toys......kkkkk. He was even enjoying the attention that his toys were giving him.......hahahahaha.

2010 PEBA International Photo Contest: Ang Kaligayahan ng Isang Ina

PLEASE VOTE FOR MY ENTRY TO PEBA's INTERNATIONAL PHOTO CONTEST 

My Little Zach needs your support...spread and share the link don't forget to click like on my 4th entry "Ang Kaligayahan ng Isang Ina"


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2010 PEBA International Photo Contest: Tampisaw ni KULIT

PLEASE VOTE FOR MY ENTRY TO PEBA's INTERNATIONAL PHOTO CONTEST 


My Little Zach needs your support...spread and share the link don't forget to click like on my 2nd entry "Tampisaw ni KULIT"


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2010 PEBA International Photo Contest: Sulyap ng MAG-AMA

PLEASE VOTE FOR MY ENTRY TO PEBA's INTERNATIONAL PHOTO CONTEST 

My Little Zach needs your support...spread and share the link don't forget to click like on my 1st entry "Sulyap ng MAG-AMA"

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KOREA TIMES: For migrant children, getting fair education is still elusive

*According to UNICEF, "Education is a fundamental human right, Every CHILD is entitled to it.". Then, what do you think is happening to migrant children in Korea?Check out the news article below.

For migrant children, getting fair education is still elusive

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The government has promised that migrant children, whether registered or not, will be offered equal opportunities in education. Most of them, however, are still being discriminated against systematically — they have difficulty getting admitted to and registered at schools leading many of them to quit for various reasons.

The Joint Committee with Migrants in Korea (JCMK) conducted research on the condition of migrant children’s education at the request of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

It surveyed 168 migrant children, 96 of their parents, 67 teachers who have taught them and other educational government officials. Currently, there are some 50,000 multicultural children under 18 living in Korea.

“About 35 percent of these children were being raised at home before receiving public education, which widens the gap between Korean children who go to preschools and private institutes before starting elementary school,” a JCMK official said.

The most difficult thing for them was the Korean language and it was a barrier for entering elementary school.

“Sixty-one percent said it was difficult to be admitted to elementary schools because of poor Korean ability and some 15 percent were denied admission by schools,” the official said. “The children wanted to take Korean language classes before entering school.”

The students also lacked friendly interchanges — 59 percent of them attending alternative schools said they didn’t have a Korean friend who they could share secrets with and 42 percent had never visited a Korean friend’s house.

The biggest reason for the children to quit school was difficulty following the lessons. But the habitual crackdown on unregistered foreigners and the obstacles of getting along with Korean students also accounted for their dropping out of school.

The NHRC suggested the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology guarantee the secondary educational rights of these children last December. Upon the proposal, the ministry pledged to allow even the children of unregistered immigrants access to education and announced the revised law in August.

According to the revisions, unregistered immigrants’ children can enter or transfer to middle school by submitting proof of residence or a housing lease contract.

Seog Won-jeong, the chief of the Association for Migrant Workers’ Human Rights, said all migrant children should get public education, despite their status here.

“The education authorities have to understand the characteristics of immigrant children and support their learning,” Seog said. “They should also restrict cracking down on illegal migrants based on the Immigration Act, at least not on school grounds.”

Other countries also make efforts not to let children of immigrants fall behind in the public education system.

In the United States, one out of nine U.S. residents is a migrant. The government there initiated the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 to provide additional study time and support for the English education of the children of immigrant families.

Unregistered migrant children have also been able to receive public education without restrictions after the 1982 Supreme Court ruling Plyler v. Doe.

meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr