Sa Linggo ng Wika, Kare-Kare, Dinuguan At Iba Pa!

"Linggo Ng Wika' man o hindi, tuwing Linggo, ang mga Pinoy sa Seoul ay dumadayo sa Hyewha-dong para kumain, bumili at makipagsalamuha sa kapwa Pinoy. Ilang taong na rin akong pabalik-balik dito sa palengkeng Pinoy para kumain ng paborito kong kare-kare at dinuguan. Minsan nga ay nag-te-take-out pa ako ng turon o pancit para iuwi.

    (Ang daanan pagkalabas ng Exit 1 ng Hyewha Station)

Nguni't hindi naman tuwing Linggo ako pumupunta doon. Ayoko kasing napapakain ng madami at baka tumaba ako ng husto. Ha-ha-ha!  Yung kinakainan kong karinderya kasi ay merong 'unli rice'. 'Unlimited' na kanin ba naman! Para sa akin, hindi na yan kain. Lamon na yan! Ha-ha-ha!

Kaya, masaya na ako sa isang kanin, isang kare-kare, isang dinugan at adobong atay. Lahat na yan KRW5,000 lang. Mura na, busog na busog ka pa!

                            (Ang palengkeng Pinoy)

Pero ngayong Linggo ay iwas muna tayo sa lamon. Pero pag gusto ninyong pumunta doon at hindi pa ninyo alam kung papano, pinakamadali ay sumakay sa subway hanggang sa Hyewha Station ng Line 4. Lumabas sa Exit 1 at maglakad hanggang makakarinig kayo ng mga nagtatagalog or makikita ninyo ang mga kapwa Pinoy. Ibig sabihin malapit na diyan ang palengkeng Pinoy. 

At kung gusto ninyong mas tahimik na kainan, sa lampas ng palengke, tumawid ng pedestrian lane. Doon sa kabila, sa tabi ng Police Station, merong eskinita kung saan merong mga karinderyang pinoy. 

                   (Kumaliwa pagkatapos ng Police Station)

Paalala lang, bukas lang sila tuwing Linggo. At tuwing Linggong tanghali, punong-puno ang mga ito. Kaya ako, dumadayo lang ako doon paglampas ng ala-una ng hapon para wala masyadong tao, at maka-upo ako ng husto para malasahan ko ng husto ang aking....

....kare-kare, dinuguan at iba pa! 

(Iba't ibang paninda.)

                (Kare-kare, dinuguan at adobong atay. Bow.)

Brushing With The Stars!

I borrowed that title from an American reality TV show where celebrities try their luck on dancing. But in this piece, nobody’s dancing, only brushing. Their teeth, that is. Ha-ha-ha!

So, what is it with dentists that scares us? 

                          (I have the room all to myself.)

           (Thank God for anesthesia! Otherwise, I'd be afraid. 
                           Be really afraid. Ha-ha-ha!)

When I was a kid, our mom would bring us to Doctora Sogono’s clinic which was next to our parish church. It was always a scary trip to her clinic. Her sharp, stainless steel instruments sitting on her table, not to mention the sound of the drill when it was on, were scarier than the ‘aswang’ stories I heard growing up. Sometimes, while my mom, my brother and I waited for our turn, I could hear the crying and the loud groaning of the patient before me. I wonder if dentists are trained to ignore the agony endured by their patients while they say…”Aaaaahh”?

               (I could watch CNN through a computer monitor 
                                  while on the dental chair)

                                          (Oh Jee-Ho)
But I have outgrown those ‘scary dentist’ days (but I think my brother is still scared of one) and here in Seoul, I am only scared when dentists and their assistants are not able to speak and understand English. Why? If they can’t understand what I’m saying with my mouth freely open, how could they able to understand me with my mouth closed? Ha-ha-ha!

Luckily, there’s one dental clinic in my Hannam-dong neighborhood that stands out. Not only most of their dentists and assistants able to speak English, their clinic is clean, spacious and…frequented by celebrity patients!

                                    (Kwon Sang-Woo)

The first time I visited this clinic years ago, I thought I walked into a talent management company because the picture frames displayed at the entrance and in the lobby were photographs of Korean actors and K-pop celebrities smiling with the clinic’s dentists. It’s a common practice here in Korea, where even restaurants and cafes display pictures of celebrities who visited their place.

                          (I thought this was Son Dam-bi 
     but I was corrected by a colleague that this is Eugene.)

(SG Wannabe K-pop group. I edited out the face of the other member who committed suicide the other year. I hope it was not for dental reasons.)

And in this clinic, which celebrities have endorsed, I thought I was in good dental hands. So, over the years, whenever I need my regular dental prophylaxis, or for a more serious dental consultation, I don’t hesitate calling up the clinic for an appointment. And a day before my appointment, they’d text me a reminder of my scheduled visit, a value-added service to the celebrity smiles that welcome you!

So, whenever I’m laying on the dental chair, or brushing my teeth at home, I just think that since I share the clinic, the dentists and the dental hygienists with them, I must be…brushing with the stars!

Now, open your mouth and say 'aaaah'.

                              (My perfect celebrity smile!)

Utang Na Loob! Scrap Da Pork!

If I were in Manila, I would definitely join more than a million disgusted Filipinos at tomorrow's march at Luneta Park!  

But I am in Seoul and have to make a living tomorrow, just like the millions of other OFWs around the world, who are just as disgusted as I am about this scam, na nakakasuka talaga.

No wonder all these years tuwing uuwi ako, parang walang kaunlarang nangyayari? With all these good news about the Philippine's GDP growth rates, ang tanong palagi ay "Ito ba ay nararandaman ng ordinaryong Pilipino?"

Halos lahat yatang umuuwing Pilipino ay palaging na-di-disappoint at na-didismaya na ang sumasalubong na tanawin pag galing kang NAIA ay puro squatters area at maduming ilog diyan sa Baclaran at sa Tambo, Paranaque. Diyan ako dati nakatira, sa Tambo. I lived there for more than ten years. I was hoping all these years that I have been away, may makita man lang sana akong pagbabago tuwing umuuwi ako. Pero wala, eh.

At sa sinasabing ten billion pesos na nanikaw sa scam ni Napoles at mga kasabwat niyang mga kongresista, senador at opisyales ng pamahalaan, marahil siguro ang dami nang nagawang development at asenso man lang sana, hindi lang sa Tambo at Baclaran, kung hindi pati siguro sa barangay namin.

Marami akong nakaka-usap at nakikilalang mga OFWs dito sa South Korea na ang mga kuwento ay halos pare-pareho: nagta-trabaho ng marangal para kumita at makatulong sa pamilya. The operative word is...MARANGAL!

Ang mga OFWs dito ay tinitiis ang init tuwing summer at lamig sa winter. Pumapasok kahit may sakit at minsan ay sinisikmura na lang ang pang-aabuso ng employer nila. Yung iba ay hindi pa nasu-suweldohan on time. Hindi nagrereklamo kahit panay overtime at minsan pa nga ay pumapasok kahit Sabado at Linggo, at walang pahinga. Ang iba ay nagpa-part-time work pa para madagdagan ang kita. Ang iba ay nagtitinda ng call cards at kung anu-anong paninda sa Pinoy market sa Hyewha-dong dito sa Seoul tuwing Linggo. Lahat ay ginagawa para kumita ng extra at madagdagan ang ipapadalang pera sa pamilya.

Tapos, yun pala, ang iba diyan, nagpapakasarap lang pala sa pera ng bayan?!

Ten bilyon pesos?!  Baka sobra pa nga diyan ang ninakaw nila kung bilangin natin yung mga scam na hindi natin alam mula sa panahon pa ni Gloria. Isa pa yun. Buhay pa ba siya?

Noong buhay pa si Lola Tinay, when I she was mad, I would hear her exclaim in disgust 'yawa'! (Ilonggo for devil), and 'linti!' (another Ilonggo curse). But these angry words are not enough to vent my anger at what these people have done. Napoles and these so-called congressmen and senators are no different than common thieves. When I was still working in Manila during my junior days, my friend Estrelle and I were in a jeepney when three robbers declared a hold-up. After everyone in the jeepney had contributed to their loot, one of the robbers gave Estrelle back her twenty pesos so that she could have jeepney fare going home. At least, those jeepney robbers had a conscience. Napoles and her fellow kawatans were robbing the country without any guilt nor any thought that perhaps, some poor Filipinos have no money for their medicine, kids' education, or even a few pesos para ipangbili ng bigas.

Ano ang tawag sa mga itong mga walang konsiyensiya o budhi? 

Nagpapakasarap sa kanilang mga malalaking bahay na hindi lang pala isa o dalawang...dosena?

Nagpapaksarap sa kanilang mga magagarang sasakyan na hindi lang pala isa or dalawang....dosena?

Nagpapaksarap kasama ng kanilang mga pamilya? Na yung iba diyan ay hindi lang pala isa o dalawa?

Samantala, tayo mga Pilipino, at tayong mga OFW ay nagpapakahirap kumita para mabuhay. 

Sana nandiyan ako kasama ninyong lahat sa Luneta Park bukas para ipahiwatig kay Pnoy, sa pamahalaan at sa mga politiko na tanggalin na yang pork barrel na yan na pinagmulan ng corruption. Utang na loob, Pnoy, tanggalin mo na yang pork barrel. By the way, binoto kita dito during the overseas absentee voting sa Philippine Embassy in Seoul.

Sana ang lahat ng mga kawatan na yan ay mahuli at makasuhan para maparusahan, maski sila ay mataas na opisyal, kongresista or senador man. Ang kapal ninyo! Yung mga yan, tuwing mababasa ko sa online news, nakakarindi, nakakasuka at nakakasuklam.  Yung ibang senador diyan, minsan, pa-ingles-ingles pa, bobo naman. Alam nating lahat na yung mga senador at kongresistang dating mga artista ay tumakbo dahil laos na. Nananalo lang mga yan dahil kilala sila ng mga botanteng hindi marahil alam kung sino yung binoboto nila. To be fair, merong mga dating mga artista na maganda naman ang performance sa kanilang tungkulin. Pero yung iba diyan, ipakain na yan sa kapwa nilang buwaya sa crocodile farm sa Palawan. Kaya lang baka ma-insulto or ma-food poison pa yung mga reptiles. 

Sa mga nagpasimuno at nag-o-organize ng Million People March, salamat at good luck bukas!

Sa mga kapwa kong Pilipino, makikisama na lang ako sa inyo in spirit bukas kahit wala ako diyan.  

At sa mga kapwa kong OFW, dito sa South Korea at sa ibang sulok ng daigdig, nakiki-isa ako sa inyo sa pagpahiwatig ng mensahe sa gobyerno natin...

UTANG NA LOOB! SCRAP DA DAMN PORK!

Time To Enjoy Korean Performances! Time for KOREA IN MOTION!

Last September 2012, it was my first time to watch the launching for the Korea In Motion (KOINMO for short), where excerpts of Korean performances were featured at the show at Cheonggyecheon. Prior to the launch, as a member of the K-Performance Supporters group, I was able to feature the 'behind-the-scenes' story of the KOINMO flashmob at Insa-dong. Although it was a bit hot that weekend, everyone had fun!

At the KOINMO launch last year, some interesting non-verbal performance shows were featured, and as always, they were popular among the crowd. But what was unique among the shows was a Korean musicale titled Hwarang. It stood out among the featured shows because it was a musicale, and the Hwarang actors were exceptionally good singers!

KOINMO aims to promote tourism through the Korean performances in Seoul, where locals and tourists get to enjoy the shows at discounted prices.

                           (The K-Performance Supporters dancing 
                               at the KOINMO opening)

And to kick off the 2013 KOINMO, another a launching event will be featured at the Cheonggyecheon featured selected Korean performances this weekend. 

Non-verbal performances are popular, and I wish they would feature more Korean musicales like Hwarang, which by the way, I recommend to everyone to watch. Here's a link to Hwarang's Korean website:

 http://cafe.naver.com/hwarangmjcompany

                        (The cast of the Korean musicale, Hwarang)

Last year, the K-pop boy band ZE:A was appointed the KOINMO ambassador. This year, MBLAQ will be the new KOINMO ambassador.

 (ZE:A receiving their appointment as KOINMO ambassador)

I wonder what's in line at this year's Korea In Motion events. Maybe there'll be another interesting show that I would discover...

Thanks To buzz KOREA and Shilla Duty-Free Shop For My Korea Tumbler!

This is what I love about buzzKorea!  They know how to show their appreciation to the fans, to the followers and to the bloggers like me who help promote Seoul and the whole of South Korea to the world!

So, who wants a tumbler decorated with images of Korea? I do, of course!

So, one early evening, I made my way to the Dongkuk University Station of Line 3 to get to the Shilla Duty-Free Shop. Since the closest exits to the Shilla Hotel are under renovation, I got out of Exit 4, where a Shilla Duty-Free shuttle bus was waiting. How convenient!  In case you miss the earlier shuttle bus, another one comes along every few minutes. And don’t forget to fasten your seatbelt, as the driver would advise everyone on the bus.

And when I arrived at the Shilla Duty-Free Shop, I made my way to the Basement 1 and looked for the Customer Service Desk and waited for my turn.

It was so easy! I just presented my printed voucher, which indicated my passport number; I also brought my passport for verification. After that, the lady gave me my gift!  For those living in Korea, you can use your alien card instead of your passport.

So, thanks to buzz Korea and Shilla Duty-Free Shop! I can now have warm coffee using my new Korea tumbler!

And if you want one, too, do click this link to get your gift voucher:

http://www.ibuzzkorea.com/eng/event/thankyougift/