Korea seeks to be Asia's No.1 English speaking Country

Seoul - It has been a long time coming that any Korean government acknowledge that English is the de-facto lingua franca for business. The incoming government 's plan to boost public English education is stiring a nationwide debate over its viablity and even its implication for the national sense of identity. Koreans have much pride over the country, language and customs - and it is not difficult to understand why since they have come a long way with a unique and distinct culture.

The incoming Korean government intentions is laudable but it takes a nation mindset to change. Quoting the chairperson exact words "Whether you like it or not, English is one of the global languages. Moreover, int he situation where 90 per cent of the information on the internet is offered in English, our national competitiveness, is directly linked to English education" and "We live in an era where people's English skill is a core factor in determining the nation's competitiveness."

The fact that 10 years of English education fails to produce decent English speakers really shows that there needs to be changes.

The article rank Singapore as one their list of recognised English speaking countries that teachers will be sent to learn to improve their command of English. The other countries are: US, UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Singapore has come a long way....that the speaking of English starts at Kindergarden. It is a holistic approach and includes speaking, writting, proper sentence structure, reading, composition.

Busy as a Bee...

Seoul - This day concluded on a busy note with 3 appointments back to back. The temperature drop to zero maybe due to my warm Singapore persona. On a whole the meetings went well. We had lunch at a buffet restaurant - I have been there twice. Everytime, we visit this customer - we will go to this buffet restaurant. There were wide slections of korean food on the buffet spread for just 9,000Won person. According to Korean standards, this is considered cheap and I think it holds true to Singapore too. The one recognizable similiarity in my 3 visits is the number of elderly people - it is a like a old folks gathering from all walks of life.

Dinner was at a sushi restaurant - the waitress was able to speak Mandarin and she comes from China Hei Long Jiang province. The food is really good and fresh. In the past, tips were not the norm but my customer boss, were giving tips to the waitress and Chief Chef. This was a recognizable difference from the past - a western import.

It seems to follow the conventional understanding of the West that a good tip follows good service.

Freezing cold - minus 3 - Ramada Seoul Hotel

Seoul - It was freezing cold at -3 celcius and this trip will make it my 57th trip to Korea.

On this trip, I chatted up an elderly couple that spent about 1 month in Asia going around Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Cambodia and parts of India. A lovely couple that shared their experiences with me and gave me a book - titled "Eight was not Enough" this is an autobiography of herself. It was written about her struggle in raising 9 children - with 7 adopted and some physically challenged. It was refreshing like a gush to cool breeze on a hot summer day.....not exactly though I was on a plane. They lived in Pleasant Hill which I am familiar with and near the hotel I always stay when I am in Walnut creek. I will call them when I next go to US.

This time I will be staying for 2 nights at Ramada Seoul Hotel - I have never stayed there before though it is located within the Gangnam area. It cost 14,000Won from the Inchon airport to Ramada Seoul via the Limo bus, which took just pass 1hr. It was good since it is the 3rd hotel on the Limo bus route. The room was decently clean, enough room space and comes with broadband internet.

Ramada or Ramada Renaissance?
I am quite curious why they also asked is it Ramada Renaissance Hotel. The Renaissance Seoul Hotel in Samsung-dong was once called Ramada Renaissance Hotel, and it became famous and stuck with many people and taxi drivers. Till, today - many people still call Renaissance Seoul Hotel (now under the management of Mariott Group) as Ramada Renaissance Hotel. Ramada brand name is part of the Ramada Group of Hotels. I have stopped trying to correct people's mindset but just indicate to them the correct hotel and street address.
 Together with Young Jin and Dr Na, we had dinner at a popular Korean BBQ beef restaurant. The food was very tasty and delicious.

2 overstayed at Changi airport

Singapore - Two over zealous fans of popular Taiwanes singer-actor Jay Chou bought air-tickets to catch their idol at the Changi Airport and landed themselves in trouble.

The 2 entered the departure hall with their boarding passes at about 11am on July 30 last year but had no intention of flying to Kuala Lumpur - except to meet the Taiwanese pop star up close. After getting the boarding passes for their flight, they entered the departure where the notice states "No entry except for passengers with boarding passes and proceeding to their next destination".

The two telemarketers did not proceed to board their flight, but instead went to meet a celebrity idol who was arriving on the same day. The two were later detained by an Immigation and Checkpoints Authority officer and the police were called.

Under the Protected Area and Protected Places Act, they could have been fined and jailed for up to two years each.

Reference: Straits Times.