xteethx

Happy Bday to US & Me

Doro came down to visit me during fourth of July weekend. It was really nice to see her and catch up as it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. It was fun exploring parts of D.C. with her and spending one-on-one time as it made for a more intimate and deeper conversations together than just catching up via email. It was also a weekend where everything just worked out really well whether it was finding parking, a movie theater and what not.

I’m also thankful for all the little things she’s done for me for my bday…whether it was buying me cupcakes from cakelove or treating me to an awesome crab lunch @ Joe’s Crab Shack:

Doro on the morning of July 4th at Busboys and Poets.

DC Fireworks from the mall:

Below is a map of our travels =)

H-i-l-l-a-r-y

The journalism master’s program at Philip Merrill is only a year which I find attractive. But because it’s short, it’s that much more intense.

So it’s been stressful but I’m learning a lot. I’m done with summer session I and just started session II today which is a public affairs reporting class and a journalism law class. I only took two classes last session as well, Journalism Theory and Reporting & Writing, and both were enough to keep me busy the whole month. Theory had a ton of reading and there was a lot of outside work for the reporting and writing class.

I had to read The Washington Post on a daily basis too as we were assigned news quizzes. Reading the paper has never been this stressful. I’m also subscribed to NYT which I had enough trouble reading at home when I didn’t have class so you could only imagine how much the papers are piling up in my apt. For now I like to read both as they’re both discounted for a few more weeks. It’s interesting to see what both cover and how.

Both of my classes were good in different respects and interestingly enough, conflicted with each other in some ways. In theory, my professor taught on how people processed information and also on the changing profession of journalism due to media convergence from newspaper to the internet to mobile communication. Anyone reading the news knows that newspapers are making major cuts in payroll or laying off employees in order to stay in business. My professor had us write our final paper on where we’ll be in five years and he told us that he’s certain that none of us would end up working for a paper. Meanwhile in the other class, we’re furiously trying to gain skills to work at one.

I don’t think it’s futile to gain skills for reporting and writing; it still needs to get done no matter which medium the news is presented in. I have learned a great deal about finding and researching information which is essential to be a reporter. Of course I am also learning the nuances of writing AP style and learning how to write concise ledes. But it is also important to acquire more technical skills, which is why I had decided to specialize in online journalism. I haven’t taken the online classes yet since they start in the fall but hopefully they will make me better equipped to deal with the convergence of news to internet.

I often hated the writing and reporting class because I was overwhelmed with the requirement that we had to publish three articles by the end of semester when I never published anything in a newspaper my entire life. Luckily I completed the requirement but I really didn’t think it was possible at the beginning of the session. We also had to write articles on the fly in class based on information the professor gave during class, which drove me nuts because if we had one factual error, including the misspelling of a proper name, we got an F for the assignment. I got an F for one out-of-class assignment because I misspelled Hillary Clinton’s name wrong by spelling it Hilary Clinton. But the worst 3 assignments are dropped so you could take a few hits and all fourteen of us have. Additionally, the class is a non-credit class and doesn’t even count toward your GPA because it’s considered remedial so essentially, only a C is needed in order to take the next class.

Although I hated it, the class really forced me to gather enough courage to make contacts with editors of local papers and go out and write. The assignments have definitely stretched me and taken me to so many different and random places that I never thought I’d be in.

For instance I covered a town council meeting and wrote about an emergency ordinance they passed to clean up the vacant lots of foreclosed homes. Not terribly exciting but still relevant to the recent mortgage crisis and how it affects local politics. I also met this aerospace engineer by chance at a safety meeting at the apartment complex and interviewed him at his lab in the Jeong H. Kim building where he is modeling microrobots after insects for military use, such as reconnaissance and improving soldiers’ tactical awareness in the combat field. In a way it reminds me of Transformers.

The hardest story I had to cover was a slain cop’s funeral. It was my first time witnessing such an event. I was shot down when I asked for comments from cops; no one wanted to talk which is understandable; I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t have to for the job. But I was able to get quotes by tape-recording the service which was played on speakers outside. From the eulogies given, it seemed like the cop was a good guy which just made it so tragic. Ronnie White, the man accused of running Cpl. Richard S. Findley over in a stolen pickup truck was jailed and 36 hours later, he was found strangled in his jail. White died on 6/29 and an arrest has yet to be made.

For the campus paper, I wrote about bus ridership at the university and if services increased because of high gas prices or conversely, if they had to cut back on services because of the high cost of fuel. So working with the school’s department of transportation was interesting. Interviewing people from the DOT and random commuters really forced me on how to take notes without a recorder as well as learn more about the school.

So I am enjoying the program so far even though it’s really daunting and stressful at times. I guess the good point is, a journalism degree isn’t needed to be a journalist. You need a lot of good clips and I guess I can say the university is helping me in that respect.

What really bugs me…

besides cheesy headlines are cockroaches.

My apartment was infested with roaches, which was obviously ruining my experience here and the image of College Park where the university is located and where I live nearby. More on College Park and Prince George’s County later.

It was pretty stressful to deal with them; they were everywhere: the kitchen, the bathroom, and the bedrooms. It was pretty insane. After three exterminations from pest control, I still woke up one morning with a roach crawling on my arm. Aside from having baby roaches crawling up my leg the three times that I’m at least aware of, I would have to say the one on my arm was the worst experience. But even by that time, I guess I was used to it because I didn’t scream and killed it after I swatted it away on the floor.

They would mainly come out at night in the kitchen; some have crawled all over my cutting board and I found a dead one in a frying pan. They also crawled over my dishes that were drying in the dish rack. I suppose they are attracted to the moisture. After awhile I was putting everything in ziplock bags, whether it was the kitchen sponge, the gloves I use to wash dishes with or my toothbrush. I also put anything out on the counter into a plastic bag, including the coffee maker or dishtowels. A lot of baby roaches were also attracted to the fridge. Opening the door was an ordeal at times. I had to kill at least five of them before I could open it. But alas, I still found a baby roaches who made it in the fridge. They were all dead; I guess they can’t endure the cold temperature. (No worries, everything in the fridge was also in plastic bags or ziplock bags)

In the bedroom, I killed a few in my bookshelf and found a cockroach leg on a skirt that was folded in the closet. There were many that I killed on the floor or on the walls. I used a significant amount of tissues, paper towels and napkins killing roaches along with the handy shoes. (I used my sneakers for the bigger ones)

I cooked all but maybe five times in my own kitchen because it would attract the roaches. As a result some of my groceries spoiled. I couldn’t sleep at night unless I double-checked for bugs about ten times. I couldn’t study without stopping to kill roaches that crawled on the table or even on my laptop. I grew paranoid about roaches, thinking that every black mark was one or that one was on me if my hair tickled my shoulder. I especially grew more paranoid if I missed killing one.

When the exterminations were kicking in, I would clean carcasses of roaches en masse. (can I use carcass for a dead roach?) Anyhow I wasn’t at all happy about this. The thing is, I’ve talked to others in the apartment complex who have never experienced a cockroach problem. My next door neighbor said she did, but that she didn’t have a problem anymore. She apparently had her rent abated, which the management refuses to do for me. I don’t know why different rules apply, on a technicality of where the source of the roach is coming from – I’m dealing with the same crap. The reason why I want my rent abated is because no one should pay full rent in a place that was infested with roaches, even if management was trying to address it by sending in the exterminators; it didn’t work for a month.

But Southern Management, who owns Graduate Hills in conjunction with UMD, believes it should collect rent from tenants as long as they are trying to take care of the problem. Anyhow since we can’t agree on this point, I’m going to see what the government student association at the university or even the county council says about the issue to get a fair third party opinion.

Anyhow the latest is that the management is going to replace the carpets, the fridge and the stove since the roaches have crawled all over them or lived in them. I think it is an appropriate response.

The assistant property manager also said I can write a list of personal things of mine that I want replaced because they have been splattered or affected by the roaches. I’m not sure if they’ll cut me a check to replace my bed sheets, flip-flops, toothbrush, sponges and what not; we’ll see.

The roach problem is abating though; there’s definitely less than what I had to deal with before but still, but still, to see just one freaks me out. As an example, last night on 7/13, I threw my newspaper against the wall while I was reading it because a baby cockroach suddenly appeared on it. Fun times.

After watching Wall-e with Dorothy, I thought I could find the roaches a bit cuter and perhaps befriend them and give them names, but I still couldn’t help to slam them with my sneakers when I came home that night.

i spy nine cockroaches on my stove…

Cleaning up dead baby roaches in the kitchen with a napkin:

roach i saw on the corner of my laptop while i was trying to write a paper.

on the shower curtain in the bathroom

Click on pic below to read how these adorable critters may inherit the earth:

Turtle Power

Finally.

I have time to write. Let me rephrase; I have time to finally blog. Ever since coming to Maryland on June 1, I have been completely busy with work from two classes in the journalism master’s program.

I’m finding people commenting that I have not updated in awhile so without further ado, here are posts catching up on the last month or so. (They’re not in any chronological order but just a random collection of my thoughts)
Regarding the University of Maryland, it seems like a larger and nicer version of Rutgers, only because everything is on one campus whereas Rutgers could feel smaller if your classes were confined to just one campus.  Both are similar in some respects since  they’re both humongous, diverse schools with lots going on.

Both even incorporate the same school colors: red, white and black. (Maryland has an additional color of gold) Whereas Rutgers’ mascot is a knight, Maryland’s is a type of turtle, the Diamondback terrapin, named Testudo.

Yeah. I pretty much care about Testudo the same way I cared about the Rutgers knight. (did he even have a name?)

Anyways, I’m blogging about it because the turtle and all its names associated with it is inundated in UMD lingo, down to the name of its registrar for classes etc to ‘terp’ power etc. Maybe Susie can shed some light on this for me, along with what sports games might be interesting to watch.
It’s only been a month since I’ve been here so I can’t comment much especially since I’ve only been here in the summer when it’s less busy. I’m kind of dreading the fall when the campus will be a lot busier with longer lines, a lot more people and more traffic. But so far I’m finding the university okay; it’s pretty organized and efficient and the campus is picturesque.

Testudo, in front of McKeldin Library. It’s been stolen a few times by other schools including Hopkins.

McKeldin mall with the library in the background.

Home

Been here for awhile actually. Just too lazy and busy at the same time to update. (Make sense?)

It’s been a bit stressful and crazy since I’ve got back a couple weeks ago. I just got a phone today. House is in the middle of renovations. Furniture is in storage and all our stuff was packed in boxes ready to be moved to a smaller apartment that dad wanted to live in by seminary. But then the buyer failed to get a mortgage. Essentially, he sucks and so does the current housing market. (and banks and Spitzer) Freakin Spitzer.

My aunt (abruptly) flew in from Korea at the request of my dad to save the day. So she’s here helping to cook, clean, and talk to the Korean contractors. She is one loving, vigorous grandma. I’m not sure I would fly half way across the world to do all that, even if they’re blood. Then again, I’ve never been a mom or grandma for that matter.

But I digress. Korea was nothing short of amazing. I feel overwhelmed when I think about it actually. First and foremost, I feel quite blessed to have relatives who have treated me like royalty and with so much love and kindness. My mom’s sisters have let me live with them, cooked me sumptuous dinners, taken me out numerous times, made food for my apartment, treated me to spas, never let me pay for anything despite my protests, etc.
My relatives on my dad’s side, i.e. his cousins, have also treated me so kindly although I haven’t seen them for years and it was nice to have hung out with their kids and get to know them better. I was also treated so well by my father’s brother’s family who have taken me out to trips to go skiing or visit my grandparents’ tomb, or just take me out to restaurants and movies and connect me with tutoring jobs. It was nice to talk to my cousins, sometimes way late into the night, and catch up on the last few years.

There is a lot that I have learned but if there is just one word to sum it all up it would be opportunity. There is so much opportunity to be made on so many different levels in this little country, at least for now. Whether it’s being able to make a ridiculous amount of money teaching English, (esp. w/ President Lee’s new education initiatives for English only classes) going on missions, making friends or meeting fascinating people, there is so much to learn on a political, spiritual, economic, cultural, social level.
Seoul is more fascinating to me every year; it gets more glitzy and richer every time I go. There are more expensive cafes, luxurious malls, high-tech phones and gadgets, constant construction of apartments and office buildings etc. etc. It seems like Seoul is growing richer rapidly and gaining ground in everything from technology, fashion and food. This time around, I was also amazed at how many more foreigners are living in Seoul and speaking Korean fluently. Although Seoul is still more homogenous than many other countries, I have seen so many Pakistanis, Latinos, South Asians, and Arabs and have befriended people from Brazil to South Africa. I also felt very lucky to have met and befriended many north Koreans. I have learned so much from them and have been touched by their kindness and generosity to me.

But even with all of Korea’s modernization or globalization, the remnants of war and history still remain with the presence of the US army, Korean soldiers in uniform, and all the N. Korean rights activism going on. There is still so much history to be made and I look forward to seeing how different Korea will be again the next time I visit.
Pics to come…

Happy New Years. Again.

Top 20

other observations about Seoul

1) THERE’S NO SUGAR SUBSTITUTES HERE! Well they’re not readily available. At Starbucks you can ask for Equal. Once in a blue moon I will see a Korean brand sugar substitute called ‘Fine Sweet’ but that was maybe twice. The scarcity of sugar substitutes in all these cafes is suprising to me since Koreans are conscious about their weight. Just today I gave some splenda to some hapless caucasian woman at starbucks who refused to take equal. Art brought me a whole box of splenda so I am good to go..
2) Luxury sells. Who buys expensive pho? Who even thinks of marketing or selling Pho or even TGIF as luxurious cuisine? But they can get away with it here in Seoul since they’re exported items. Dunkin Donuts is another example. I think people in the US go to DDs because it’s cheap but people go to DD here precisely because they’re expensive. They’re upscale with nice sofas, flat screen TVs and the most exquisite cakes and baked goods. You won’t see anything like that in NY or Jersey.
3) In some ways, Koreans are really environmentally conscious. You have to pay an extra fiddy cent if you want that cup of joe to go. You also have to pay for each plastic bag that you want to use to take your groceries home. Imagine if the US made everyone pay for paper cups and plastic bags; customers would be INCONVENIENCED and chaos will ensue. Props to Whole Foods for being on the front lines.

4) Speaking of being environmentally conscious, korea’s garbage can be categorized 10 different ways from cans, bottles, boxes, papers, various types of plastics, food, and even wrappers for goodness sake. I’m always standing in front of the garbage area like an idiot for 10 minutes, reading each label slowly cause my korean sucks and I’m afraid of discarding garbage incorrectly.

5) It’s not so bad to live w/o a dryer and let your clothes dry on a rack. It dries faster than you think and you can save a lot on electricity.
6) People talk with their mouths full all the time. It’s fun to pretend that I don’t see big chunks of rice flying out of their mouths. Perhaps the problem is that WE JUST EAT TOO FAST AND NEED TO SLOW DOWN.

7) Koreans are taller these days, especially the guys. Maybe short asian complex will be a thing of the past?
8) Speaking of complex, that’s the same exact word Koreans use to describe an insecurity or well, complex except they pronounce like it ‘comb-plex-eh’. More and more English words are adopted into the Korean language like the word ‘stress’ etc. I hate asking how to say something in Korean only to find out they’re using the English word for it but with a heavy korean accent. What was ‘stress’ before Koreans adopted ‘suh-tuh-less-uh’? Could they butcher the word apartment anymore with ‘Ah-pah-tuh’? Guess what ‘maru-tee-suh’ is? Try pronouncing rotary and lottery to a Korean. good times.

9) You walk on the left, drive on the right. No wonder why I keep bumping into people.
10) People are forward about your private life. The bank clerk asked just about everything under the sun during my first two visits to her…now she knows where I’m from, where I was born, what I’m doing, how much I make, all about my love life, etc.

11) Seoul can stink. Foul odors from the sewage system will hit you like a ton of bricks every now and then. When you’re also jam packed in the subway, you can smell where people have been (drinking and bbq smell)

12) Koreans are better at dancing. Well most are. Some of the moves can be cheesy but overall I am very impressed at how they can move and breakdance etc. But I’m also disappointed at the culture it’s creating. This little girl is dancing like a hooch. I’m more mortified that her parents would encourage her to do it? Does Korea really need little Brittany Spears running around?
13) A lot of Korean girls like to take pictures of themselves everywhere and anywhere….cafes, subways, etc. So that makes them ______ (you fill in blank)

14) Korean girls are crazy. Ok most are, especially if IT’S FREEZING OUT AND ALL YOU’RE WEARING IS THIS

(I was wearing 3 layers that day and still freezing)

15) Don’t order the yogurt latte at Red Mango. It’s as good as it sounds.

16) Korean pastors curse a lot.
17) In my opinion, South Koreans are more similar to Japanese and the N Koreans are more like Chinese in the way they speak. North Koreans can be loud, have an undulating intonation and they’re more direct and blunt. South Koreans on the other hand, are more likely to be indirect and polite and have a monotone intonation.

18) You need a third home in Seoul because it gets tiring to travel and you hang out way past the last train or bus. During the day cafes and PC bangs are good. I learned quickly to have a toothbrush in all my bags …you can sleep over a jimji-lbang or sauna place, some PC rooms, and of course your friends places. My cousin and I slept over his friends’ place after a late night of dinner. He didnt’ have extra clothes for the next work day and I asked him if he was worried about wearing the same suit two days in a row to the office. But he told me that people don’t care if you wear the same clothes two days in a row since it’s part of the norm to work or drink late at night. Course if you did that in NY, it usually means something else.
19) I’m not so cautious or self-conscious about speaking English aloud here. I used to be, back in 99 when a bunch of us gyopos (Koreans who live abroad) who were studying at Koryo where reprimanded on the subway for speaking English. Now, I just don’t care anymore and no one else really does either.
20) BAKERIES ARE AWESOME HERE. I hate baked goods in the US…at Paneras, Starbucks, cafe Europa or other bakery chains. They suck, except for the cakes maybe. I can live without muffins and bagels. But in Seoul the bread and other baked goods they have here are usually very good…whether it’s Paris Baguette, Silla, Crown Bakery or your local bakery.
I bought this chocolate dessert at Shinsaegae department store and it was worth every penny:

it had 3 rich layers of chocolate and a crunchy granola bottom layer. Doesn’t look so appetizing but it was….

You’re not allowed to take pictures of the goods apparently but here’s a few shots I took before someone reprimanded me:

I thought I’d end on a sweeter (“……”) note with my kids. The class ended last Thursday. They were such a pain but I love them and I miss them already. They were all really bright (when they’re focused and paying attention) and funny. I enjoyed reading their diaries and getting a glimpse of their busy, competitive little lives. i hope they do well in the future.

YT Korea! Fighting!

Youtube debuted yesterday and the world feels smaller. My friend just sent me the free hugs video link a few days ago here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpzkHhgcZG4

and there’s already a Korean version here: http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=RKILQPBcVTI

Feed your brain, feed the people

Just do it.

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

Online Again

The great thing about taking a hiatus from blogging is not blogging. The bad thing about taking a hiatus from blogging is spending more time explaining to everyone what you’re up to on Gchat, email, Facebook, the phone and IRL since you’re not blogging. I thought it’d be worthwhile to blog lest I continue to sound like a broken record.

A lot has happened since I blogged. Summer came and went so quickly. I had a fabulous time turning 30 out in cali,

went to three beautiful weddings,

learned to appreciate art

cleaned out and organized everything in the house in case it sells,

watched the market and finally invested my money this week,

tried to read up on html to start this website. Sorry…it’s dreadfully slow and still in progress but I wanted to learn how to start building websites on my own…it’s a lot more time consuming than I thought.

and got ready to go to Korea.

there’s always more things to do but it’s about time I left for my excellent adventure…I’m just happy to have been unemployed because it allowed me to rest and still get a lot done =)