My Secret Dream...

So, I have a dream…

I want to be a famous star in Korea.

Silly, yes, but it could be possible. I’m interesting enough. And foreign. And have already been interviewed for a popular TV show where a bunch of foreign girls sit around talking in Korean. (Of course there was one little, tiny obstacle…the fact that I don’t speak Korean…) Anyway, Stella and I have sat around and planned out my future career in stardom and have come up with a few ways to get me there...

1. Attend a Korean Language School: Casting directors have been known to scout out new foreign talent at some of the bigger language institutes.

2. Stalk famous Koreans in Apgujeong: This is known as the most expensive area in Seoul, and thus where all the stars and directors live, hang out, get drunk, etc. If I hang out here enough, I just might get discovered. Or at the least get a famous person to buy me a drink…or just end up spending all my money paying to get into overpriced clubs…

3. “Accidently” get discovered while walking passed a film set: They film for dramas/movies/commercials EVERYWHERE, so perhaps one day as I’m walking by, the director decides he needs a foreign extra. Viola! My foot is in the door. Note: I’ve walked by about 5 sets to date and nothing yet…sixth one is a charm…

4. YouTube video of me singing/speaking/acting in Korean: Koreans LOVE foreigners who do anything in Korean. Some girl from California got instant stardom in Korea when she posted videos of her singing K-Pop songs. They even flew her over here to be on a variety show…that could be me…

5. Go on a reality show: There is a show where the basic jist is that a bunch of people act out different famous scenes from movies. You don’t have to speak Korean…and we all already know how much of a drama queen I am…

6. Take a hip-hop class in Hongdae: This is where one of the top vocal groups in Korea, Big Bang, hangs out and lives. Perhaps they troll local dance studios for fresh back-up dancers…and perhaps they see me and decide they need a foreign back-up dancer…Yea, so they’re all between the ages of 19 and 22, I look like I’m 21…

Along with how to get there, we’ve also discussed some perks…

1. Stella gets to tell everyone that she’s my best friend…thus making her famous by association.
2. I can get back at Young and James for turning me down…haha… (I like this one…)
3. A cool, new apartment for me and Stella to share.
4. A puppy because I’ll be rich enough to hire a maid to help take care of it and Issie. And a big enough apartment that they could co-exist without knowing that the other exists…
5. Pretty clothes…
6. I could have an entourage.
7. I get to kiss hot actors and pose with them for ad campaigns.
8. I will finally have learned Korean.
9. Hot, Korean boyfriends… need I say more?
10. Yes, I do. If I ever get tired of being famous, I can always move back to the U.S. and go back to no one knowing me.

Haha, ah, I think I’m a bit too much of a dreamer…but I figured the blog needed some cheering up. ^_^

Heart Strings

It's weird to me how my heart can feel so strongly that it wants me to fight for something after being wrenched three times in three weeks. Normally I am notorious for my lack of follow through and any sort of emotional pain sends me running as hard as I can in the opposite direction. Instead my stomach is in the same tangle of knots I've felt only once previously in my life while my heart keeps grasping at any hope it can find. Where does my inability to get over broken trust fit into this picture?

I would say I wish life were easy, but if it were—I would only get bored.

For now the pain is worth it. Worth it because my heart is telling me that this is something worth fighting for. Crazy masochistic heart. When will you ever learn?

Oh to live in the country...

Hello all!
I’m back from my refreshing three-day weekend in the countryside of Korea. It was wonderful. The scenery was amazing and my friend Jung Min and I had a lot of fun. We did some sightseeing and spent some time just relaxing. I’ve got a full report on my blog (see link to the right: Overworked and Deliriously Happy) and pictures up on Facebook.

Also, I just wanted to take a moment to mention that today for you (yesterday for me) was the 14th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. I always take some time on April 19 to think about what happened and say a prayer specifically for the people who were directly affected. Also to thank God for protecting my family and I during that time, since both I and my Mom and sister were on our way to downtown Oklahoma City when the bomb went off. I was loading the bus to go listen to the Philharmonic on a school trip and my Mom was about to go to the post office downtown, which was next door to the Murrah Building. We were blessed, but so many others weren’t, including some friends of our family who lost a sister and an aunt that day.

But, anyway, I suppose I’ll end on a happy note. I have a new crush, though sadly he can’t really speak English…sad day, but it still makes for fun times at Bar Ireland, or Ireland as Jung Min and I call it. Besides, I’m learning Korean. ^_^ And he did tell Jung Min he wanted to learn English because of me…

Dodging a bullet

So today I found out that I still have a job! Yay!

I also found out that, because I still have a job, my pay is being cut because I am no longer a Sales Manager Trainee, I am just a supervisor. I don't get a huge cut in pay but enough that I have to defer some loans and switch over to AT&T uverse to save money among other things that I need to consider going forward. I have a month to switch stuff around.

*sigh* I knew this was going to happen. And it really isn't just me, it is the whole company. Some one that lacks the skills to plan or maybe pay attention to what the hell is going on in the economy has left the company with way too many MITs (managers in training) while they are also cleaning house with Sales managers and Assistant Store Managers. So a lot of people are finding themselves in my position....

It sucks coming off of a great visit with the District Manager's boss that couldn't thank me and the other MIT for our hard work in helping turn this place around, but I will take it to getting fired any day of the week.

So I guess a big question mark in my life has just been solved, I know where I will be till further notice, here in Chicago working in Woodridge.

A few hours later.....

And the melancholy sets in. Its hard to not be upset after busting my ass for this store and this is the thanks I get...but I am trying my darndest to not dwell on it because well, I could be unemployed and that would be much worse. *sigh* I am just sorry I had to drop the bomb shell on my uncle about not being able to afford rent any more at its current level. So we will see what he says and how badly my aunt reacts to the news...she is not going to be happy to say the least.

I do get to go to St. Louis next week for an extended stay...but not sure if that will be good either because my mom is ready to kill my dad. *sigh* somethings never change (or some people never change) And my poor Anna is sick. Some liver problems is causing the poor dog to drink a TON of water and then pee every few hours. We finally pulled together the money to get the ultra sound done on her (300 stinkin dollars!) and they don't think she needs surgery to correct the problem. Just medicine that treats Cushings Disease. My poor Anna banana. :(

















Anna with Missy, my sister's dog. This pic was before Missy got cut. My mom loved all her black streaks she had as a young puppy and didn't want Missy to get them cut off, but she needed to be cut. I was about to start calling her Missy the mop.

And in other news....Sherrie and I are planning on heading to Arkansas in May for a very fast road trip to Canda's wedding (barring any unforseen financial complications from pay cut) and Chris' wedding in July. We are staying with the wonderful Mr. and Mrs. McCullough (my former Accounting teacher and second home away from home) so that will be fun! Yay roadtrips!

Notes from the Observation Deck

So actually I'm in an airport.

At a gate.

Still 2 hours early.

I waited in line in the bathroom, found food, changed concourses and still found my gate so early they were still boarding the flight that takes off before mine. Oh and I even made a random impulse stop to buy orange Fanta.

Mmmm. Fanta.

I brought my laptop for times such as these and paid a monthly subscription to airport wireless so I can use it on all my ridiculously long layovers on this flight.

Someone needs to tell the girl across from me that her body is not fit enough to show that much leg or stomach. Seriously.

So I was a little afraid my flight here (the first of four flights for the day) would be terrible because this family with a 5 year old and a 2 year old who had never flown before sat in my row and a 4 month old baby was in the seat right in front of me. Surprisingly all three kids did absolute amazing, and they were all adorable.

There's a middle aged overweight woman to my left who I'm pretty sure is two thirds of the way down her contact list on her cell phone now. It's possible that she's not that far since occasionally people she hasn't made it to yet (but was allegedly going to) interrupt current conversations. Perhaps the most amusing part of her though is that not only does she have a pair of glasses tucked neatly into her shortly cropped blonde hair but she's also wearing a second pair of dark rims held low on her nose with a strand of pearls around her neck. The ensemble would not be complete without her periwinkle velour pants, shirt and jacket accented with baby blue butterfly earrings the size of walnuts that glitter whenever the light catches them.

I decided her conversations weren't all that intriguing, however, and put on my headphones (or is in more accurate since they're earbuds?) to listen to the Metro Station album I downloaded last night before I left. Last night I googled "california lyrics" for fun (don't ask, I was trying to stay up till it was time to leave for my flight) and found their song California so downloaded the whole album. They sound a little like Relient K. I feel like this song is me and Brian.

What do you say we leave for California
If we drive all night we can make it by the morning
And no one has to know if we decide to go
What do you say we leave for California

If we leave our friends then we can be together
We can leave this town if only for the weather
I could drive and you could sleep
While the radio collides to the sound of our heartbeats

Really though, the whole album is pretty good. You should check it out.

Oh yeah, and I almost slept through my first flight this morning. I took what was supposed to be an hour and a half nap but my alarm didn't go off and my roommate (also my ride) had accidentally set hers to 4pm instead of 4am. So she woke me up at 4:45 and was like "Are we going???" I had wanted to leave by 4:30. It's cool though, I made it.

I suppose that's all for now.

Until I find more freaks.

:)

Things that make me laugh: Korea Style

So…Sherrie told me to post. I decided to go with something lighthearted that would hopefully cheer us up as some of us are going through that nasty little thing called the economic downturn…

Things that make me laugh/giggle in Korea:

1. Bi/Rain: For those of you who don’t know, Rain is THE star in Korea. He sings, he acts, he dances (oh boy can he dance…). He does it all. Even speaks English! Though what makes me giggle is the contrast between his Korean voice and his English voice. In Korean, he sounds quite manly…but in English…he sounds quite feminine and gay… Plus, in Korean, his name is pronounced “Pee,” which is the Korean word for rain…hehe…

2. “Phone vs. Porn”: For some reason, A LOT of Koreans have issues with pronouncing “phone.” I don’t know why or how, but it comes out sounding an awful lot like “porn,” mostly because there is no “f” or long “o” sound in Korean. I’ve misunderstood several of my old students and co-workers with this one and started giggling insanely, especially when one student said in class, “I like sex-porn.” (Translation: I like saxophone.) Or when someone talks about their “handu-porn.” (Translation: Handphone = Cell Phone)

3. “The Gay”: For some reason, Koreans are obsessed with homosexuals. They say there are no gay Koreans (I beg to differ.*cough*Homo Hill in Itaewon*), but everyone watches “Sex in the City” so the first thing they often ask Americans is, “Do you have gay friends?” Though this question often comes in various forms, such as “Do you know the gay?”, “Have you met a/the gay?” etc. And yes, they do assume that all American girls have gay friends that they take shopping with them…

4. May I Have this Dance?: In American clubs, guys simply walk up and think they can dance with/on/around you and it’s completely fine. Here, if a Korean guy wants to dance with you, there is a process. First, he and his friends dance near you for about five minutes. Then, he spends another five minutes glancing over at you and then whispering to his friends. He takes another five minutes building up the courage to approach you. Then he taps you on the arm and either asks to dance or makes a face that reads “Do you want to dance?” Priceless process to watch.

5. Ahjummas: These little, old women have the power to make you giggle and also to fear. Don’t let their tightly- permed hair and atrociously garish clothing that doesn’t match fool you. They may not have brought you into this world, but they can certainly take you out…especially if you’re about to sit in their subway seat.

6. Hooters…in Korea?: Unless they import waitresses from the U.S., I don’t quite see the point… We all know why men go there…and it’s not for the buffalo wings…

7. Couple Clothing: Why on earth would anyone want to wear the same, exact outfit as their significant other? I laugh when I see it, because it’s quite ridiculous. They are already practically making out in public, why do they need matching outfits to proclaim that yes, they are indeed a couple.

8. Couple Phones: Following the couple clothing phenomenon, couples will go out and get matching phones. They even have “couple plans.” Imagine signing a 2-year phone contract with your honey and then breaking up two weeks later… I often like to catch two guy friends who happen to have the same phone and shout very loudly “Couple phones!” Hehe, they immediately start proclaiming, “No! I’m not the gay!”

9. The magic word, Oppa: The word that will get you things is not “please” in Korea, it’s “oppa.” At least, if you’re a young girl, that is. “Oppa” means “big brother” and all Korean guys like being called “oppa.” Sometimes I call my Korean guy friends “oppa” just because their reaction is so funny. They immediately grin and I swear I’ve seen some start reaching for their wallets like they are going to pay for everything…

10. Mini TV: A lot of people love to watch TV here…on their cellphones. At any given time, if you look around you on public transportation, about half of the travelers are hunched over their cell phones watching their favorite dramas…it’s crazy…

And those are just a few things that I could think of off the top of my head. I should start carrying a notebook and write these things down. I know there are more things that make me giggle or roll my eyes here…

Painting the Town Purple

I'm going to visit Bre tomorrow! My flight won't get in until 7:42pm her time, which sucks after traveling literally all day, but it will be worth it once I'm there.

We're going to paint the town purple. Why purple? Ask Bre.


Me and Bre at Jr/Sr Banquet in 2007.

I think we need many new pictures. This one doesn't accurately describe our friendship. The closest it gets is our eyes are devilishly red.

One of my favorite moments as roomies:

Bre: Sometimes you just gotta shake your head and ... and ...
Me: Shake your head?
Bre: Yeah.
Me: And smile and nod.
Bre: Smile and nod. And plot to kill them behind their backs.
(pause)
Bre: But only if you really don't like them.

My Taj Mahal

Check out my new tent! It's the REI Taj 3:


I'm very excited! I used to love camping but I haven't been in a very long time. I've definitely never owned my own tent before. This one should be really good even if its windy or rainy ... if you know anything about tents and want to check out the specs, go here.

Boys are stupid...

I should have trusted my first instincts...

Young broke up with me this morning. In a text message. I think I'm too angry/irritated to be depressed right now...

Stress from Korea...

Just a quick update on things…

I’ve applied for two positions, so far. Both are for writing/copy editing positions, one with the Seoul Tourism Organization and the other with Arirang TV, which is an English news/entertainment channel produced in Korea. Both advertised part-time positions, but the pay wasn’t too too bad. If I get one of them, I may have to stay part-time at Apple Tree (really don’t want to, but it would make things less complicated visa-wise) or take on some more tutoring jobs during my free time. (I still have my current one on Saturday which will help.) If I get the Arirang job, it’s from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the week, so I could take a 10-week course at a language institute during the day (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and try to improve my Korean. I’m starting to put some money aside for that. I remember that it wasn’t nearly as expensive as I thought it would be.

I have a list of about six other places to apply. One is another Korean PR company that has an open position for basically the same thing that I do at Apple Tree (yes, I know it’s a death wish, but I seriously need to find a job). The rest are global PR companies and some international hotels that currently aren’t advertising, but I’m hoping will at least take a look at my resume. I give it month. If I still haven’t found anything office-wise, then I’m going back to teaching English and writing on the side for foreign magazines. Luckily, I found a job listing website for expats and foreigners in Korea, so that’s helping a bit.

In other news, my friend Jung Shin and I are looking into possibly starting our own business, but it’ll probably take us about two or so years to come up with the financing (sucks being poor, young people…though we could probably sweet talk some investors…) and another year after that to get it opened. We’re in the research stage (which is proving to be fun ^^). We’re keeping quite hush-hush about it because we’re not sure how things will work out. If things start falling into place, I’ll keep you updated. Right now, we’re just wondering how to get our hands on $50,000 without selling weed, robbing a bank or any other sort of devious, illegal means…

And in the relationship department…I’d rather not discuss that… I’m under a lot of pressure with work and finding a new job and it’s not helping that my boyfriend is currently being a butthead. Oh well. If things start falling in place for the business, I won’t have time for a boyfriend anyway…

And that’s about it. Keep praying that I find a job soon. It’s getting more and more difficult to stay in this company. Now that I know I’m leaving, my motivation is gone and I have no patience for my co-worker who has morphed into an even larger bitch now that we’re in the middle of our big event. (*see my personal blogger for that account) I guess I just need to work harder at staying positive and hope for the best. ^_^

Life ...

... feels a little bit like a roller-coaster right now. Only I can't seem to figure out how to get off to more stable ground.

Yay the internet came back!

Ok so my internet started working earlier this week but I haven't gotten a chance to post here in a bit.

What is going on in the life of Kristen...hmmmm....

Palm Sunday is tomorrow. And like last year we will be singing the Passion by Gregory Nelson (I think that is his name) I am terrible at keeping his name in my head...:P This musical is more of a choral thing than a play and it is postively beautiful...I am very thankful to be apart of this tomorrow.

SIFE regionals went well. It was so fun being a judge because the pressure is off! I can remember coming to regionals and being soooooooooooooooooo nervous and nationals too. And being a judge....well I got to be the group of people that everyone fears! lol it was fun getting to meet a new SIFE team and see how much they have done in a semester and give them suggestions on how to make what they have done better....the sad part was after the awards ceremony, I was too tired to stay for the Alumni networking thingy so i guess I will have to catch them next time.

And well working my butt off and all. This store is soooo much better than when I joined it in December. It still has a long way to go but so much better!

My family and I are taking a family vacation. Either to Maryland or California. Right now it is looking like we are going to Maryland because it is cheaper. And...please pray long and hard...my dad MIGHT have a job! Sooo right now the trip dates are a little up in the air, but hopefully we will know in a couple days.

I am also trying to go see U2 in concert at Soldier Field in September. I have wanted to see them in concert for a while and now I have a chance! Woot! We shall see if I can get on the presale website tomorrow sometime.

Other than that, I just finished watching Slumdog Millionaire and enjoying some sangria!

Not so Huzzah...But there is huzzah potential...

So, I thought it best to inform all of you at once since I'm sure most of you have seen my status message on Facebook.

My company is letting me go. I apparently make more than all my co-workers (which I found out is quite a pathetic salary. Seriously, I would never knowingly accept what they get paid) and my company can no longer afford to pay me that salary. My manager presented two options to me last night over dinner: 1- switch to a part-time status and accept a pay cut that would reduce my monthly salary by half, or 2- move to another company.

My manager recommended that I move to another company and had already started passing my resume around to help me. I think he could see that my CEO was still trying vainly to keep me around so that he could keep his status of having a “foreigner” at the office. My CEO’s reasoning for keeping me around had nothing to do with my welfare and everything to do with what he wanted. My manager could see this, and thought it would be best for me to move to a different company that would provide more opportunity for me and take better care of me as an employee rather than staying here and being labeled as the “English teacher” or being forced to go along on meetings so my boss could show off his “foreign worker”.

So, I’m currently looking for a new position. My manager is contacting his friends who have high-level positions at other companies and Mr. Han (the guy who got my job here) is contacting his friends at some major hotels in Seoul. I’m planning on sending my resume and a cover letter to the other hotels. And if none of that works out, I’ll go back to teaching English. I know Berlitz would take me back in a heartbeat if there are openings.

I’m trying to remain positive. My company has said that I could stay until I find a new job, so I won’t have to worry about no income until the time comes to get my new visa. (I’ll have to take off up to a month while it processes, and then I’ll have to wait another month until my first pay day.) I’m taking this as an opportunity since things haven’t been so great at my company and I have been wanting to leave. My parting words to my CEO will be to not try to hire another foreigner for awhile because his company is not ready to handle one. And he needs to do some serious research in what hiring a foreigner entails. (i.e. providing housing, higher salary, all medical benefits, a little extra understanding, etc.)

Though part of me wants to be really childish and throw a huge fit my last day here and tell them exactly what I think about them…but I guess that wouldn’t be a good idea…

Instead, I’ve decided to take out my anger by leaving at 6 p.m. everyday instead of being guilted into staying later. I feel that is much more productive…especially now since I no longer care what my co-workers say or think about me. They won’t be my co-workers for much longer… ^_^

Huzzah!

Not much time to post, since I'm leaving for chapel soon. (It'll be my last chapel! Huzzah!)

I just thought I should share some good news! At the end of Spring Break I was able to send out about 30 applications, which isn't too bad, but less then half of what I had planned to do. Anyway, I sent them out and a couple days after I got back to school I got a call!

It was a Gallery in Tyson's corner, a place I was a little nervous to be applying for since the website made it look way out of my league. However, they told me they had just been talking about looking for interns, only they hadn't posted anything about it yet and since I sent them my resume before anyone else they would like to interview me when I get home!

It would be an unpaid part-time internship, but Tyson's corner has a LOT of stores and other places I could probably find paying jobs at. I was excited that they liked my resume, they said they were especially pleased to discover I could use a Mac. The vice president (the guy who called me) said they had trouble finding people who could, and it's important since it's the only computer they use @ the gallery.

Anyway, there's no guarantee, so I'm gonna keep sending out applications and stuff. BUT it was exciting to hear back from someone so soon, and I thought you all might like to know! :)