우리 반에서 외국인 있으니까 시험이 영어로 나올거서 죄송하겠습니다. -Well, I feel sorry for my classmates who enlisted in a 영어 가의 class. I was expecting that the teacher will be speaking at least 50% English and the rest in Korean. But that is not what happened in our class. The slides are the only ones which are in English but the lecture is in Korean.
That is all for now.
I was able to get a glimpse of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Shiver” and while listening to it, I somehow had a bad feeling towards the student exchange program.
I am getting a sense that time is running out and I am still undecided. I am still undecided for my career. I am still undecided for my plans after graduation.
There are many things that comes out of my mind whenever my friends ask me what to do after graduation. These include:
It’s been a year and a half since I wrote my review on having a Globe Postpaid account and a Smart Gold account. I hope people on the blogosphere find this post really useful.
WARNING: THE AUTHOR IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE OF PHILIPPINE LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE COMPANY, INCLUDING ITS SUBSIDIARY SMART COMMUNICATIONS, GLOBE TELECOM NOR DIGITAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC, INCLUDING ITS SUBSIDIARY DIGITEL MOBILE PHILIPPINES.
INFORMATION IS PROVIDED AS IS FOR THE BENEFIT OF EVERYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO APPLY POSTPAID SERVICE IN THE PHILIPPINES AS OF WRITING (SEPTEMBER 15, 2011).
So, are you now getting sick of getting disconnected during your calls because you suddenly ran out of prepaid credits? Well, here’s the deal! The author of this blog made it simple so that you can make a choice between Globe Postpaid and Smart Gold.
Getting a postpaid cellphone service in the Philippines is stricter than getting a prepaid service in the Philippines. You have to run through a credit check first to make sure that you won’t be a liability to the company and to make sure that you are indeed capable of paying your cellphone usage.
THE REQUIREMENTS
Now how do you get a postpaid mobile phone in the Philippines? You need any of the following:
| Description | Smart Gold | Globe Postpaid |
|---|---|---|
| Line Activation | One hour after approving application | Two days after approving application |
| Welcome Kit | YES | NO |
| Voice Mail Service | YES | NO |
| Pre-activated Int’l Roaming | YES for rate plans 1800 and above. Should pay PHP 2500 non-refundable roaming deposit for plans below 1800. NO for Smart Gold Lite 300. | YES for all rate plans |
| Contract Period (without discounted or free phone) | YES. 6 months | NONE |
| Accessibility to prepaid promos counterpart | FEW | MANY |
| Data Charge | Flat Rate: PHP for every 30 minutes | PHP 5 for every 15 minutes or PHP 0.25 per kilobyte |
| Dedicated After-sales support for postpaid | YES | YES for Globe Platinum only |
| New Phones for Contract Renewal | new phone on the 18th month | new phone on the 25th month |
| Perks for contract renewal | Cellphone discount or free phone (depending on rate plan) | Cellphone discount or free phone (depending on usage), bill rebates |
| Call redirection for reaching credit limit | Until unbilled charges AND outstanding balance reaches credit limit | No redirection even if account exceeds credit limit |
| Remote call barring when lost or stolen phone | YES | NO |
| Subscriber-initiated temporary disconnection | No information available | Maximum of one month only |
| SIM-card replacement fee | YES. PHP 302.40 | FREE |
| Bills Online Payment | YES. Visit smart.com.ph/account but need to apply first | NO |
| Automatically charge bill to credit card | YES | YES |
| Automatically charge bill to bank account | NOT SUPPORTED | NOT SUPPORTED |
Plot (from IMDb):
Arising out of the horror of the Spanish Civil War, a candidate for canonization is investigated by a journalist who discovers his own estranged father had a deep, dark and devastating connection to the saint’s life.
Overall Rating: Very Good!
This movie talks about the life of Saint Josemaria Escriva. A story of forgiveness, treachery, persecution and trial. A must watch. Indeed, saints have a past. Saints are also humans. Saint Josemaria Escriva is no exemption.
A story of forgiveness
A story between the son and the father forgiving each other.
A story of treachery
The story of how the father betrayed his own camp.
A story of persecution
This movie shows the story how the Church suffered many persecutions and was still was not destroyed.
A story of trial
This movie tests the faith of the people in the movie, especially of Saint Josemaria Escriva, that God is not deaf. Just wait.
To be really honest, I have never been this lonely in my entire life. Yesterday, after the Holy Mass, I was really thankful that I was able to meet people from the United States and Ireland. We were able to talk a lot and share a lot of stuff in our stay here in Korea. But after that, I felt lonely. No one to talk to. The worst part is…no one to have dinner with. I don’t even like going to Dasan anymore. I feel so lonely there.
What’s even worse is that I lost my drive to start anything that I am doing.
What’s the best medicine for loneliness? I remember reading an article back in elementary school that chocolates have some sort of chemicals that triggers the brain to release some “happiness” hormones.
Here’s what I bought:
I was looking for a dark chocolate version of this product, but couldn’t find one in our school’s convenience store.
Anyway, after three bars of chocolate plus a twenty-minute nap lifted my mood.
이것은 4번 퍼우스트 인데. Well, it’s my fourth post already and here’s what I got yesterday, I was able to make my Shinhan card and student ID card (학생증). I paid 2,000 won for my 학생증 and 5,000 won for the activation of K-Cash.
I was at least able to do something yesterday–that was to help 준식형 to practice his English interview exam for next month which he has really having some trouble with.
What’s the plan for today? I don’t know. Go to Seoul? Go to that Art Center? I still don’t know. I still have to get my cellphone screen repaired and I still need to do my documentation. 그리고 한국말 공부해야 되고요.
어제 밤에 준식형이랑 많이 연습했지만 준식형의 생각에 영어 바름이 너무 어렵다고 한데 배워야된다고 했다.
내 친구의 website에 있는 사진이 여기서 repost할게~
Which I think is really right. Do things with passion or not at all.
명동역 밖에서 친구들하고 기다렀다… 다음에 지갑 잃어 버렸다. ㅠㅠ
It’s been three days since I lost my wallet. I feel so bad because I lost my important identification card here in Korea…which is the Foreigner’s Card. That foreigner card contains my social security number here.
It also contains the credit card that I used to buy a plane ticket in Cebu Pacific. How on earth am I going to check in then if I don’t have the credit card to show those meticulous check in counter staffs?
While I was doing my project earlier, I finally realized that there were some things in the documentation which I should have not included and there are also some things that I need to include in the document.
I hope I can do everything before I travel to Busan on Friday night. I want to meet some of my friends living in Busan. I hope I can, I hope I do.
This day also, I was really running out of hope while I was staring the documentation that I was doing. Suddenly I remembered St. Josemaria Escriva because after having breakfast, I watched There Be Dragons.
After watching There Be Dragons, I realized that yes, maybe God is deaf to me right now, but still, God still tells me to stick to my faith. God is there. God is listening. God is testing me if I am deserving of all his graces.
I’ve been recalling again and again about temptation and the graces… I must say, it’s really hard for a struggling Christian right me. The temptation is really really strong.
Anyway, thanks to St. Josemaria Escriva’s “The Way,” I finally found a reason to continue working on my documentation, no matter how small my progress be. St. Josemaria Escriva said:
Oh blessed is the perseverance of the donkey that turns the water-wheel! Always the same pace. lways the same circles. One day after another: everyday the same.
Without that, theree would be no ripeness in the fruit, nor blossom in the orchard, nor scent of flowers in the garden.
Carry this thought to your interior life.
–The Way, St. Josemaria Escriva
Yes Vince, you are that donkey. Yes, you can do it.
Also special thanks to Janjan, Antra and 준식형 for the company today, for dinner and for playing 스콰시. Thank you 청장님 for the free 수박!
Go Go Go!
It was my second night yesterday night in Hamjigwan. I finally met my roommate. He’s a senior Chemical Engineering student.
He’s bound for Germany for an exchange student program also.
While he was saying that, I suddenly thought if UP has some partner institutions in schools in Europe. From what I know, UP has, but I don’t know which. They haven’t updated their web site. The last time I went to the National Institute of Physics, I saw some ads there, and I think that answers my question. I am not sure though.
Right now, I am at the library finding ways on how to start my drive to do my unfinished tasks. It’s really hard but I have to endure it. I only have days before the second semester starts here in Korea.
This will be my first blog post about my life here in Korea while I am away from UP and from my home in the Philippines. For everyone to know, I am an exchange student in the Korea University of Technology and Education.
It was my first night in 함지관 (Ham-ji-gwan) yesterday night. Too bad I wasn’t able to meet my roommate because he did not come.
What I did yesterday was watch a movie titled “My Tutor Friend.” It was a very good movie. It was fun watching it.
Moving back to the dorm, good thing I forgot my shower stuff back in IH.
I took a shower here in IH. I feel so miserable today this lunch because I saw Tham earlier and I told him that we will have lunch at 12. I waited for him at the restaurant. Anyway, when I saw him in the restaurant, he told me that he already have lunchmates. So with that, I went back to IH and stayed in Wilson’s room writing this blog post. I saw Bomin on my way back.
*Sigh* I think it will be a very lonely day.
The other Filipino exchange students are just in their rooms.
Just like the some of the exchange students, I am unemployed right now. I am desperately looking for a job but I couldn’t find one.
I really would love to travel around Korea right now but I couldn’t because I don’t have the money to do it. The money my parents sent me was for food, for my needs here, not for leisure.
Anyway, from now, I need to go. I need to block my Shinhan card because I lost my wallet yesterday early morning outside a store near Myeongdong Station. Or if not, I need to figure out on how to get my wallet back because I heard that if a Korean picked up my wallet, there is a chance that that Korean might have just dropped my wallet in a mail box.
Also, I need to finish the remaining documentation of my project in CS 199. It’s been months already and the document is really quite long and the diagramming tool is killing me. I hope to finish it all by August 20. It’s really really late.
