April 30, 2007 at 11:03 am · Filed under Lifestyle
From what I’ve been reading, Korean culture is very superficial when it comes to people’s looks. I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about kids with disabilities whose parents never take them out in public. Well I had my first brush with Korean culture today…AND I’M NOT EVEN THERE YET!
When I first applied for a job with my Korean recruiter, they asked for my resume and a couple of photos. I picked out two semi-current photos of myself: the one with the R2-D2 mailbox and one head shot from the winter.
2. Get a good photo of yourself done. Because of the volume of applications that come to schools with similar looking resumes, schools and recruiters default to intangibles such as appearance and personality. – ESL job hunt advice
Then, when I sent my documents for my working visa, I had to supply them with 2 passport photos. In these photos, I shaved, removed my glasses (because they said there was a glare from the lenses), and smiled for the camera. Cheese!
Josh recently e-mailed me an ad posted on a Korean site: American Male Model willing to tutor English in his off time- like his being a male model has ANYTHING to do with his credibility as a teacher! As Josh said: “Dork.” Sadly, the guy will likely get a stampede of interest from Korean parents. – Stranger in Suwan
Today, my recruiter emailed me to confirm that the school had received my paperwork and would be processing my documents for my visa. Everything was in order, but they had one more thing.
We noticed in you passport that you shaved your head, and would greatly appreciate if you could let them grow back. Koreans care a lot about how their teachers present themselves. I hope you are cool with this small detail, and thank you for your understanding =)
Gah! I let them know that I’m going bald and I shave my head as a personal grooming preference. If I could grow a beautiful quaff of hair, I certainly would. I’m not trying for that militant or sick hospital look. I just don’t like that the top of my head looks like a clear cut forest. I think a shaved head looks very clean and aerodynamic. Maybe I should try to make up by shopping for new clothes that aren’t over 5 years old.
April 28, 2007 at 10:57 pm · Filed under Lifestyle
So, why did I jump at this opportunity to teach in Korea? Well, before applying for the position, I asked myself a couple questions. “In one year from now, where do I see myself?” “Where do I see myself in 5 years?”
Currently, I have a job clerking for an options firm; I like the job, but it’s not a career. If I stay on this path and prove myself competent enough, then I could become an options trader myself. Rad. However, this takes time. Some of my peers have been with my company for over 2 years and they’re still doing the same tasks that I started out doing 3 months ago.
In one year from now, I’ll most likely be showing up Monday morning with my weekly bagels in hand and carrying out the same daily tasks which I currently do.
Albeit, there’s certainly nothing wrong with this scenario. After a year, I’d have a greater comprehension of options theory and gained more face time with the company partners. My salary wouldn’t be any different, but I’d also be higher on the road to trading totem pole.
When we look 5 years down the road, it’s foggy. Maybe I’m trading options. Maybe I’m making the big bucks. Maybe I’ve settled into a steady career. That would be good. However, this 5 year plan contains a lot of maybes and what ifs. If I’m successful, then that’s great. But what if I lost hundred grand and I’m back to doing nothing all day. So what?
I’m a frugal individual, but I think about money a lot. I don’t know why. Slow steady investing can be the road to retiring a millionaire. I understand this. But, what if I had a million bucks tomorrow? How would my life be different? I don’t know. What would I do with all that? Should I buy a Z06 Corvette?
Peter Gibbons: What would you do if you had a million dollars? …
Lawrence: I’ll tell you what I’d do, man … Well, what about you now? what would you do?
Peter Gibbons: Besides two chicks at the same time?
Lawrence: Well, yeah.
Peter Gibbons: Nothing.
Lawrence: Nothing, huh?
Peter Gibbons: I would relax… I would sit on my ass all day… I would do nothing.
Lawrence: Well, you don’t need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Take a look at my cousin: he’s broke, don’t do shit.
Let me tell you, I tried doing nothing for a year and I got bored. Those who know me, know that I get bored easily. I try my best to adapt to the boredom, but being bored just bored me too much. I need to have something to keep me busy. Peter Gibbons found a job doing manual labor.
I’ve always had this desire to go to Korea. When I was in ROTC, I thought about being stationed there. But now, I have this seemingly long term commitment to options trading, which may or may not pan out the way I’d like it. I’m going to Korea now, because I think there will never be a better time. In one year, taking this opportunity would be less advantageous if I’m to pursue options trading. In five years, who knows what I’ll be doing. I’ll certainly be five years older, and I don’t want to regret not doing this while I was younger.
April 24, 2007 at 8:49 pm · Filed under Photos
Here’s an art piece I ran into over the weekend called AGORA. It’s 106 cast iron legs with torsos. They are approximately 9 feet tall and in a walking movement. The first thing that popped into my mind was “Footy Fight!” It was created in Poland by Magdalena Abakanowicz between 2004-2006.
April 23, 2007 at 7:19 pm · Filed under Lifestyle
Last night, the Chicago PBS station premiered new episodes of Doctor Who. This is actually the first season of the 2005 series with Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor. For those of you in the dark:
Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme (and 1996 television movie) produced by the BBC about the adventures of a mysterious time-traveler known as “the Doctor”, who explores time and space in his TARDIS timeship with his companions, solving problems and righting wrongs.
Season 2 aired last year on the BBC with a new Doctor, and season 3 started a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been downloading the newer BBC episodes, but I’ve never seen this first season. What stinks is that PBS is airing the episodes at 10PM on Sundays. That’s cutting it pretty close to my bedtime. Last night, I had to will myself to stay awake, and I crashed as soon as it was over. I don’t think they’re re-running the episodes throughout the week either, so I have no other choice. Though, I’ll probably have to download this season anyways since I’m leaving in the next 3 weeks.
If you’ve never seen Doctor Who or haven’t seen the first episode, don’t worry. It’s easy to get into. Not all the episodes are a home run, but it’s fun to watch.
April 17, 2007 at 10:21 pm · Filed under Food, Lifestyle
Ben & Jerry’s was giving away free cones today.
