Fully Booked
Whew. I'm dead tired. I wasn't able to post for at least 10 days until now. My mom, 2 sisters and niece arrived last April 13 for a two week visit -- for the first time since we moved here in Seoul. Decided to be a gracious host and prepared a fully-booked IT for them long before they arrived. So now we've been hitting the streets of Seoul and neighboring provinces from sun up to sun down. Somehow I failed to factor in the effect of really cold weather to our body, we get tired and easily always leaves a sight or two from our IT unchecked. Weather here now is really, really unpredictable. Even frustrating. Last wednesday we had a sub-zero temperature which is highly unusual for spring. In another province it even snowed! Something awful is really happening to the only planet we have and our leaders are focusing only on the economy. As if economy can stand by itself. Hmmmp.
Anyway, i digressed. Today will be equally busy, as well as the next seven days. Until then I might only be popping in and out for some quick updates every now and then. Pictures will be posted soon.
Hey wait! I may be dead tired, but I'm extremely happy.
Please, Don't Pass Gas
There's a reason why smokers are urged
not to pass gas.
Singapore, Here I Come!
Now that it’s official I can already tell you about the details of our upcoming move to Singapore. Whew, what a relief to be able to ask questions away without hiding half of the story or pretending they are somebody else’s. Being able to freely share with friends what’s been happening and what’s about to happen is liberating. Now I can pester people who are close to me about my plans, excitement, worries, and fears. Har har har, I’m wicked.
First, a little backgrounder. Do was offered the position of Regional Finance Director, and although it took a while for him to decide and for the office to finalize the details of his new assignment, here we are finally making hurried preparations for our move to the regional office based in
Singapore. In three weeks time max, we have to pack and ship out of Seoul! This is the reason why we went there a few weeks back to house and school hunt (if you read my previous blog on this, there’s no way you couldn’t have guessed it).
A bit inconvenient on one side since we’ve only been in Seoul for 1 year 7 months, meaning, I’ve almost just finished unpacking and decorating – if you know how O.C. I am – and now we have to pack again. Add to that the fact that I’ve almost doubled my knickknacks. If I bring everything to Singapore, and chances are I will since I hate to part with anything that has value -- sentimental or financial -- it will be a chaotic move. I will need extra pair of hands, or make that lots of extra pairs, when it’s time to set up again. Plus, I will need to fit everything in a
condo unit half the size of our current house. If you still think housekeeping is peanuts, think again.
Another challenge will be the heat and humidity. It’s still spring in Seoul and the temperature’s lovely for long walks. In fact, you’ll never sweat here except at the height of summer, which is really very short (to some people’s disdain). Singapore means hot, and humid, and sweat, and yes, body odor. As I’m sure you very well know, one doesn’t need to have body odor to be bothered by it. Have you tried riding the MRT and having the misfortune of standing or seating beside one with body odor? In most cases it’s not a testament to one’s hygiene, so I make sure not to judge a person instantly by his/her smell. Of course it’s important to be able to tell when hygiene is the issue, though.
Unlike in Seoul, we will not have a full time maid in Singapore. The decision not to have one was influenced by a lot of factors, and was almost just my own. First is the amount of “investment” we need to put forward as required by the government, in the form of monthly levy, personal insurance with a minimum amount of S$10,000, 100% medical expense coverage, and a S$5,000 bond which we can lose if the maid suddenly disappears or commits a crime. All these are of course on top of the monthly pay and other perks the government is encouraging employers to give. The second reason is the educational attainment requirement, which our current helper does not meet. I know that some recruitment agencies in Manila can make “miracles”, but I don’t want to dip my fingers on it and it seems that’s exactly what my maid is waiting for. For me to find ways again so she’d qualify, just like I did everything so she can have a passport despite problems with her birth records (she was given a man’s name, would you believe, and was recorded as a male!). Plus, Singapore has a “no direct hire policy” which means I still need to send my maid back to Manila, find a recruitment agency that will process her in-principle approval papers, go through POEA, etc. despite the fact that we’ve known her since 2002 and has stayed all the time with us here in Seoul. I don’t mind the POEA part but I do mind the recruitment agency bit. The last reason is independence. No matter how much I remind myself not to rely too much on the maid, it’s always easier to find excuses and before I know it, for instance, for 3 nights straight I left dinner preparation completely in her hands. So this time around, I’m determined to stick it out with only a part-timer who will come once a week to help clean up some and iron.
Despite all these (and more, which I will share in detail soon), just the thought that my son will finally be able to attend a
montessori school and have regular playmates who can speak English is enough to buoy my spirits. That it will be convenient for my husband and me, too, in as far as language is concerned come as a bonus. At this point, my greatest concern is Luis growing up with a very limited social interaction with kids around his age. And I believe Singapore will be able to open opportunities for him in this area.
Don’t think that I’m heartless. I told Do I think I’m having separation anxiety and he laughed till his eyes watered. But this is another long entry and will be the subject of my next blog.
Spoiler
Of all the days of the week, why does it have to come on a weekend? Such grand plans that include hiking up Mt. Nam and Mt. Bukhan had to be postponed as a result of the
yellow dust blanketing the whole of Seoul. There's nothing more frustrating than something like this happening when the temperature is ideal for a leisurely walk at the park. So now instead of enjoying the cherry blossoms, I am stuck here at home. I am so running out of time. With the temperature jumping all over the 4-15 degrees scale or dust storms suddenly appearing, there's no way I'll be able to see all the interesting places I've yet to visit before we leave Seoul. Kainis.
Myeongdong
You already know I am a boring dresser and lousy shopper. I wouldn't pass for a personal shopper even if it's the last career option left and what awaits me on the other side is starving to death. The point I'm trying to get at here is, what the heck was I doing in
Myeongdong, Seoul's shopping mecca for the hip and fashionable? And on a chilly night at that!
I have a lot of
catching up to do, that is why. We are leaving Seoul in about a month's time and I have not seen half of what it has to offer. Shopping in Myeongdong is said to be best done at night (actually from dusk till you drop), so even if my sole purpose is to observe its shoppers and find out what lures them to this place, I braved the cold outdoors and scoured its roughly 1 km stretch of shops. I reasoned it can't be that bad. Not when I am guaranteed a steaming mug of Starbucks coffee anytime I want one.
Good golly, Seoul is one congested place. I always comment about overcrowded malls and just about any other place you visit here. I never thought I'd find the same scene, on a winter's night, outdoors in Myeongdong. Not only that. Shoppers bring their kids along, probably because there's no one at home to leave them with and the lure of shopping is just so hard to resist.
At last, I saw brands I recognize (other than the really high end ones you see in Seoul's upscale department stores, e.g. Ferragamo, Gucci, etc.) -- Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein...there is a good assortment of local and foreign brands. There are even
karitons offering good quality faux everything, from purses to bags to watches and all kinds of whatnots. You'll also never go hungry if you're game enough to try Korean snack food available at stalls that line up the streets. My personal favorite is that rice roll (warning: not it's official name) swimming in chili sauce. It was a bit disappointing to see the streets littered with wrappers, soda cans, and all sorts of rubbish, though. Certainly not very Korean (to me).
Well, I said I didn't go to shop but I still ended up with a pair of loafers, a sweater, a shirt, a tube of lotion, and some gift items for my helper. Overall, not a bad chilly night.
Beware of Hackers: My Personal Experience
I never realized how vulnerable I am until this happened.
I was surprised to find a YM message from my niece in Manila this afternoon. Surprised because we don't always "talk". I thought probably she wants to get in touch ahead of their planned visit next week. When she asked where I was I got even more puzzled, but dismissed the doubt thinking may be she thought I am still in Singapore (because we went there last week). Anyway, I excitedly rattled on about their upcoming visit and tried to convince her to extend her stay for one more week. She did not comment and my messages got drowned by the flood of her messages that followed. She asked me if I can lend her P3,000 worth of globe prepaid cards/load, under the guise of helping a friend -- and getting some extra cash on the side -- who is vacationing in HongKong and who ran out of load. She said her friend is willing to pay her P5,000 in return because of desperation. After all, it is difficult not to be able to text and keep in touch with friends back in Manila.
I was starting to have doubts so I tried to delay having to actually do something about the request, and fished for some more information instead. Who is this friend; why won't she ask her mom to help her instead; is she sure she's helping a friend and not getting into a kind of internet scum, etc. etc. Her responses weren't exactly convincing so I worried that may be she is in trouble. Very vaguely I remembered stories about primary and high school students getting deep into betting scums that left them indebted to the tune of tens or even thousands of pesos. I also feared she might be being pressured or coerced even, by whom I wasn't sure.
So I called her mom, my eldest sister, and told her about my niece's highly unusual request and our whole odd YM conversation. Alarmed, my sister asked me to get as much information as possible while she calms herself down so she can think and plan . I guess any mother would react that way. My niece is 14 and at the peak of her campaign to be afforded a little more freedom. I expressed my worry about "breaking my niece heart" when she learns I told her Mommy anyway after her repeated pleas for me to keep this whole thing between the two of us. Fortunately I thought about sending my sister the supposedly new number that my niece provided. The number to which I should credit the P3,000 worth of prepaid loads. My sister called the number to find who owns it. It was supposed to be owned by a certain Marcus Cruz, 29, of Davao City. Instantly my sister knew it must be a fictitious name. Marcus claims not to know my niece. I tried calling the number to check if my niece will answer or I will be given the same information as my sister. I kept hearing the message "the number you dialed is incorrect". My sister tried calling again and got the same message.
Finally we decided it was time for my sister to confront my niece, and to let her know I spilt on her. I can always try and make up for her "loss of confidence" in me later. I was relieved to learn that I wasn't "talking" with my niece but rather with a hacker. You might think it funny but I'd rather admit I was almost fooled by a hacker than find out that indeed my niece got hooked by a hoodlum instead.
Nope, my niece wasn't making an alibi. I reviewed my YM conversation with my supposed niece and saw all the "little signs". Signs that gave me doubts but that I ignored because of excitement over a long exchange with my teenage niece, which doesn't happen very often. Those signs include her using "po" and "opo" which wasn't really her practice; saying "lola" instead of Nanay when referring to grandma; calling me "ate" at one point; and agreeing very easily to extend her visit here despite her earlier protestations with her mom.
I almost got hooked! This experience taught me to be more careful the next time I "talk" to anyone on the net, or give any information over the internet. Of course I would also encourage you to be wary the next time you are talking to "me" or anybody else on the net for that matter. Watch out for early signs of fraud, or don't be afraid to appear foolish by asking for identity authentication. We can never be too careful these days.
Lastly, take note. This is Marcus' number: 0927-3098595. The chance the hacker will use this again might be slim, but, who knows?
