Some real talk.

As of today, I have been in America two whole months. I have really enjoyed my time here but I desperately need to get back to work. I also just miss Korea. I didn't intend to be back in America so long, or at least not this long without a job lined up. I really have been trying to get a job though. Now that it has been so long without any real success applying for hagwon jobs, I'm considering just coming into Seoul in February with EPIK. I have to decide pretty soon because if I do end up doing that, I can take a job here in America while they're still hiring for the Christmas season. It's a real possibility that I could go back to my old job for the season, so I have to really consider the option. The only problem is that is that I have to decide what I'm going to do really soon before the spot is filled. I'll probably give it to the middle of next week to see what pans out.

The McRib is back!

I saw the sign on the side of a bus while driving.  I haven't had one yet, but you can expect me to tell you about how I ate one by the end of this week.  It's things like this that make me proud to be an American.

A Korean drama from the Philippines!?

I stumbled across this while my mom was watching the Filipino Channel.  It's not really a Korean drama, it's a Filipino drama (which are just as cheesy).  The whole centers on Korean nationals in the Philippines.  Here's a bit from the series's Wiki:

The story of Koreana begins twenty years ago when Nerissa (Angelu de Leon), a Filipina caregiver falls in love with Philip (Marco Morales), a wealthy Korean national based in the Philippines. Defying conventional Korean standards, their relationship earns the ire of Chang Hee Jung (Eddie Garcia), Philip’s father who strongly resents his son’ decision of falling in love with a non-Korean.

Philip and Nerissa will soon bear a child causing Chang Hee Jung to set aside his misgivings, and to open his home to Philip and his family. But their happiness will be cut short as Violeta (Eula Valdez) Chang Hee Jung’s adoptive Filipina daughter, sets off an evil scheme against Nerissa. She will be thrown out of the house but secretly takes her baby with her.

To add on to her misery, Nerissa will be separated from her daughter after being involved in an unpleasant bus incident. The baby ends up in the arms of Josefina (Lotlot de Leon), an old maid who works as a cashier in a local beer club. Believing that the mother has already abandoned the child, Josefina takes her home, and names her Jenna (Kris Bernal).

Jenna, despite being raised in an unconventional neighborhood, grows up to be a sensible and cheerful young woman. Aware of her Korean heritage, she acquaints herself with all things Korean, particularly their cuisine. And while in the midst of fulfilling her dream of becoming a chef, she unexpectedly ends up in a Korean restaurant, unaware that the place she works for is actually owned by Chang Hee Jung.

After twenty years of living an incomplete life, how will Jenna unmask the secrets concealing her true identity? How will she take back what is rightfully hers? Will she end up neglecting her roots or embracing it all the more?

I'm not sure if I'll actually follow the series.  It sounds like they could be touching on some pretty heavy stuff with the different cultures and all that.  It'd also be interesting to see how Filipinos view and portray Koreans, but  I'll proably just end up asking my mom about it since she watches every drama out of the Philippines.

I just watched episode one and two of Stairway to Heaven.

So I decided to watch this Korean drama because it was recommended to me and it's one of the top rated dramas on crunchyroll. Since this is only the second drama I've gotten into, I really don't have much to compare it to. I can tell that it's been some time since the drama originally aired. The video quality, the way the characters dress, and the way Korea looks in the background all give it away. I sort of like it. Another thing i can tell from the first two episodes is that it's the entire series is going to be SAD AS FUCK. Coffee Prince was a little dramatic at some points, but it was pretty lighthearted, at least for the first two episodes. It definitely wasn't anything like this though. Seriously, SAD AS FUCK. I like it though. It's more along the lines of what I previously imagined k-dramas to be like. Anyway, I probably won't take as long to finish this series since I have a lot more free time on my hands now. I also made this contract with myself where I apply for two jobs in Korea before starting an episode. If I stick with it, I should have twenty applications sent in before the end of the week.

So the Giants won the World Series.

Everyone knows this by now. However, what you guys might not know is that the SK Wyverns of Incheon, my favorite Korean baseball team won Korean championship this year.

I'm not a huge fan of the Giants or anything, but I don't hate them. I actually like Tim Lincecum, so I'm glad he won it. He just seems like a guy I could be friends with. I bet that my mom is going to hear about it on the Filipino Channel since they've been hyping up the fact that Lincecum is part Filipino.

It's Monday.

Now it's time to start hitting the job boards again.  I really have been looking for a job back in Korea and so far no luck.  I have a good feeling about this week though.  Let's hope that everything works out.

Law & Order: UK is pretty cool.

I've mentioned Law & Order: Los Angeles a few times and I really have been enjoying it for what it is.  However, I also just discovered Law & Order: UK on BBC America and I have to say that I like it a little better than the L.A. iteration.  It follows the same formula as the original L&O, with the first half of the show focusing on the detectives and the second half on the prosecution.  It even has the same speech at the start of the show except "district attorneys" is changed to "Crown Prosecutors."  There are a few differences though:

• Them English sure do talk funny.  Just kidding.  The show is easy to follow but the slang is a little tough to follow sometimes.  It's only bad when they're talking to hoodlums and hookers on the street.
• Apparently, Crown Prosecutors and Judges wear powdered wigs during their court proceedings.  I found this extremely funny.
• In the original, a recurring theme was Jack McCoy's liberal streak and how far he would take it.  In UK, it focuses a little more on how the prosecutor is torn up about his work, a little like the detectives on SVU.
• There's less science on the show.  I'm not sure if it's because CSI isn't popular in the UK or not, but there's just less of it.  There's also not a regular coroner either, so that might be part of it.
• I've also noticed that there are less guns on the show, which makes sense, but it's still interesting.  I've seen five episodes now and there's only been a gun that I've seen.  There hasn't been any looking for the gun, ballistic tests, gun shot residue tests, or finding where the shooter was standing.  It's a little weird.

All in all, I really like the show.  I've been looking it up on Wikipedia right now and it looks like I should try to see if I can illegally acquire this somehow.  Just kidding.  I pay for all the shit I watch.