A Kaleidoscopic Bibimbapish Post, Samut-saring Karanasan ng mga Ipinalit-pinagpalit na Magaaral

Alumni’s Experiences : International College Student Exchange Program between
the Republic of Korea and ASEAN Nations.




I belong to Batch 2007.

What is exchange student in Filipino? Anyone?

Blog Readability Meme

**** Start Copy Here *****

1. Take the Readability Test for your blog(s) here.
2. Paste the result on your site.
3. Copy and paste this tag on your blog (make sure to include the links).
4. Add your link to this tag.
5. Tag as many friends / readers / victims as you want!

Read My Mind, Joan Joyce, Life in Korea, Apt1014, Elliot
[your turn!]

TV Reviews

I'm tagging Tentay Patis, Sollee, My Subconscious Talks, Marvs18, Kengkay, Crissy's Heaven
MLC

I can't touch things that are true...

Kaiinstall ko lang ng Google Earth on my laptop just to show my father what it can do. Hayon, punta kaming Paris, Cairo at kung san-san pa. When he went out of my room (baka napagod at di na-keri ang kata-travel),I decided to stay on Google Earth for a few more minutes. It's statistically expected for me to visit Korea, and I ended up landing on Daejeon University. Though the map isn't updated to 2007 geography (andaming kulang na buildings sa DJU) it made me recall Aslan's line in Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian:

"Things never happen the same way twice."

Point is: We need to grow in many different ways. But I'm such a creature of habit...

I know for a fact that kahit maglulupasay pa ko sa loob ng subway, when I get back to Korea again, things will never be the same for a number of reasons. Worst thing that could happen when I'm already there is when these words are pushed from my mouth: I had been better off in the Philippines.

Yeah, I shouldn't be expecting a fairy tale-themed life in this life. That's why I made a wish in my previous post.

Life on Film

A movie that is too long is a boring movie; you just want to cut it short and continue watching it later (you might not even want to do that). Is life not at all different? I have lived for two decades and a year and--for another decade or so--I cannot see my self doing the routinary mess that 'surprises' me everyday. Yes, I have a good family, I did well as a student, I have an easy and relatively high-paying job, I am surrounded by great people. Yet I want to have a lifespan of a butterfly. Each stage of their lives are well-demarcated. There is no confusion. Butterflies know no angst.

I yearn to live a life that's short and extremely eventful. I know it can't happen. And I can only wish in my hearts of hearts that I'd be reincarnated not as a person, but as a character in a soap opera about romantic love. I know I'm crazy. But come to think of it. As a persona in a soap, in 24 hours you have done what a centenarian has done in his lifetime. There is character development, you know your role, your purpose. You'll be able to travel to a lot of places, to be romantically loved, to be hurt and recover as if recovery is the next fastest thing to light...Yeah, I'd like to live in a soap opera. I don't wanna get tired. I don't wanna get sick and be confined for a long time. I don't wanna wear diapers or face the threat of being put in Home for the Aged. Yet I want to enjoy life, even if it is for just a short time. And isn't it that happiness, even in real life, ephemeral? So why not just live it on film?

Family Reunion

This will be my first domestic flight. I'm going to Leyte today (time check, 1:41am) to meet my distant relatives. I'm expecting to see the beauty of the Philippines from above. Sana di matabunan ng eyebags ko because I have to wake up at 4:00am. Again, Google will be penalizing me for my brief 2-day inactivity.

See you all on Monday! ^^;

Winning Moment

A couple of days ago, eto nangyari. Magpapaphotocopy ako ng thesis ko so I could have a personal copy. I was wearing an aviator "bubuyog" sunglasses non and a black with red stripes, semi-fit, hooded t-shirt when the manong mangxe-xerox exclaimed:


"Uy kamukha ni Rain oh!"

Marami kasing Koreans sa UPLB. Ako naman, natawa sa loob-loob ko. Tas sabi ko:

"Manong paphotocopy nga po nito. Tatlong kopya." Aba, ang Rain, nagtagalog! hehe.

Just that. Natuwa lang ako. Yang mga ganyang tipo ng panloloko ang maganda. Socially beneficial. hehehe.

Halo-halo for the Rainy Days

It never occurred to me that I would be admitted to the in-house TESOL training program in the company I work in. My attendance was as bad as it could get plus I received an IR for something so trivial. Yeah, I was really supposed to resign, as the post below broadcasts. It just so happened that I went to work earlier than usual and I was able to talk with my supervisor, who I usually don't get to see since she goes home at 5pm; I report to work at 7pm. She informed me that I passed the screening despite my tardiness and what-nots. So today, I have to retract my resignation since the company would be subsidizing the bulk of the training fee. I was also renewed as a full-time tutor.

To be honest, I don't feel that happy. I wanted to work in ADB actually...But then it would mean renting an apartment in Ortigas; ADB HQ is 3 hours away from my residence. I have to cook my own food, I have to do laundry by myself...I have to...oh, the list goes on. The point is, I can't. I would be more willing to pay for some else's services but what would be left from my salary? I just want to experience even just for a year the empowerment having a job could bring. I am single. My parents don't oblige me to contribute to family expenditures. I can splurge all I want.

But then again, I can't envision myself working for 8 hours everyday doing the same things over and over. I look forward to doing something more dynamic, like doing some serious research and development projects (+ occasional travel) as a part of an international organization. I could be a materialistic kid but in my heart of hearts I yearn to help my countrymen extricate themselves from poverty. I see the key in policy development. ODAs, educational reform, microfinancing, community training, guillotining the old politicians and burning at the stake dirty gnasty cronies.

Yeah! \m/!