Sunday, September 2, 2007

Desperate Housewife


(Published April 2006)

You see, I am an ordinary housewife living on a non-descript suburban street in the quiet city of Toronto. Nothing exciting ever happened here.



Every morning at 7am when I open the door with my dreary eyes, there comes the newspaper boy (whom must have mistaken me for his evil step sister in his past life) on his speeding bike! Using all his mighty strength to swing that paper over my way and never once failed hitting it right on my head. After all these years and multiple bruises on my face, I have perfected my ducking skills to the point that I can now even manage to make a few catches. Hey before you know, I’ll be able to apply to major league baseball as a catcher! The next excitement of the day comes when watching my next door neighbour Mr. Applebaum dragging home one more shrub to plant in his already over-packed garden; 34 trees, 168 bushes, 237 plants and growing! Excuse me Mr. Green Thumb, one more shrub and you’ll turn into Mr. Sohn!. (hehe, did you read cloudnine’s cute translation of Mr. Sohn’s blog?)



Lately though, life has turned topsy-turvy for this desperate housewife because of a supremely sexy and handsome Korean man! Oh no, please don’t get any wrong idea, I’m not having an affair with the corner store owner (FYI, most convenient stores here are owned by Koreans)! Every morning after I wave goodbye to my husband and son, this desperate housewife will employ all her body parts in wonder-woman speed to finish up all her chores so she can snuggle up in front of the computer to learn more about her secret crush, Bae Yong Joon!


What happened to the good old-fashioned ‘plastering posters above the bed and stare with dreamy eyes’ way of admiring an idol? But no, today’s women from the new IT generation expect more! They demand up-to-the minute news and images, instantaneous feedback from media, insiders and fellow fans. For this poor technically-challenged ‘ajumma’, loving BYJ has turned out to be more of a technology quest for me!



Just when I figured out how to manoeuvre those unfriendly buttons on the TV, DVD player and the other 5 remote controls and soooo ready to give myself a pat on the back. Alas, then comes this modern day wonder called the ‘INTERNET’! Can you believe it? Last time I count, there are over 50 websites about Bae Yong Joon! Possibly more! OK, there is the ever-exciting QUILT, the information-loaded SOOMPI and …. . Then in each site there are threads, wallpapers and cookies …., how come they all sound like things that come out of my kitchen?? Now, don't tell me they'll invent something named 'rice' and 'noodles' next! What is the difference between sign in, log in and register? How come the letters in the blog comment ‘word verification’ are distorted? Are they trying to verify if I am drunk while writing a comment? Now, talk about the wonderful blogs started by those articulate Bae sisters. They offer insider news, breathtaking images and drawings, even MTV-quality videos which are like treasures to watch. But what is a BLOG? See, this word doesn't even exist in any dictionary and is even underlined in red during spellcheck, I think I’m having a mind BLOCK!



What keeps me going though, despite all the confusions, are the wonderful wonderful sisters in the Bae family. We all come from different countries, backgrounds and even generations – with a common love for Bae Yong Joon. Through the internet :

- during ordinary times, friendship is created from kind and sweet greetings
- during happy times, friendship is flourished from humorous and encouraging words
- during hard times, friendship is strengthened from caring and supportive exchanges

From the short encounters that I have in Quilt, I have received so much generous help, kind words and encouragement from other sisters. I do not feel excluded nor judged even though I can be longwinded and silly at times. That’s how amazing this Bae family is! We are not talking just a selected group of fans here, I am sure this phenomenon also echoes in other BYJ websites. If only Yong Joon realizes how many thousand friendships and how much happiness have been created in this world because of him, I hope his spirit will be much higher than right now.



As for me, I know it’s still an uphill battle to conquer this wonderful world of internet. However I feel I have a very powerful driving force behind me : Bae Yong Joon. If he can do his mighty and humanitarian works in his side of the hemisphere, then I can do my little and not so glamorous things in my side to support him. As long as those talented sisters keep creating beautiful artworks, amazing videos and wonderful writings, this ajumma’s quest for technology will never stop.

Hey maybe one day, Bill Gates will come knocking at my door begging me to be his CIO (Chief Idiot Officer)!

19 comments:

xiaoyi said...

Dear jaime,

When I'm reading your story, it's actually reflecting mine too. My 2 boys are still very young, so there's always so much excitement whenever they got back from pre-school...ha ha!! So I'm torn apart between the PC and acting as a referee. ^.^
Take care.
Love, xiaoyi

Anonymous said...

Hi my Fellow Desperate Housewife!

Chinggu, what would my day be without reading your blog? VERY DESPERATE!!!! I am very amazed & looking forward every morning as to how you discuss everything with fast wit & making these sound so hilarious and enjoyable to read. Before I hit the sack nightly, I always check the other comments posted by fellow sisters who also share the same wit , humor & love for this Korean hunk.

I am very proud & honored to be accepted by you as a friend & don't you worry, if Bill Gates does knock on your door, you can always ask a fellow idiot like me to help you in messing up Microsoft, hahhahahahahha! I believe that two heads are better than one, right? Hahhahaha!

Thank you for this wonderful blog.

Love you lots,
judy

bbmag said...

another lovely one to re-visit! thanks jaime :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Jaime,

Your writing is so funny, but somehow I got confused. The image of most elegant Jaime I met in Tokyo really doesn't match with this funny, witty piece.

BTW I'm well qualified for CIO of Microsoft's Tokyo office.

cloud nine

vegasbyj said...

I can relate!
I can relate!
I can relate!

I knew it! Thanks Cloud Nine for the clarification. I knew it! Our dear Jaime is not the one she describes in her writings but is somone of grace, style, brains and beauty... but with a touch of silliness that makes the whole world smile, especially when reading her posts.

Another great read! Again, you have made my day and have put a smile on my face. Thank you!!

bbmag said...

hee... i've seen our dear jaime's pic, and me too can vouch she's a true-blue BBBB!

Brilliant, Beautiful Bae-Babe!

Toujours_BYJ said...

I totally agree with cloud nine and bb, our dear Jaime is a gracious and Baetiful lady.

jaime said...

hi xiaoyi,

2 boys from pre-school?! Oh, they are at the cutest age! I bet you miss them when they wave bye-bye to mommy before heading to the classroom. hehe, I remember I tried to volunteer as much as I could to get a glimpse of my boy in class. Please enjoy them while they are still young :)

love ... jaime

jaime said...

hahaha chinggu, someone told me if Bill Gates drops a $100 bill on the floor, it's really not worth his milli-second to pick it up. So, if he ever comes knocking at my door, I do hope he'll drop a few of those $100 bills ;)

have a happy day ... love, jaime

jaime said...

my dear cloudnine,

this is one clumsy Toronto CIO talking to another elegant CIO in Tokyo : thanks for your kind words. but but .... you haven't stayed w/ me past midnight yet, I will turn into a gremlin! :)

love ... jaime

jaime said...

vegas my pal,

you knew it?! you knew it?! hahaha, please pray that I never set foot on Las Vegas' strip, otherwise I will scare all the tourists away. But may I still go and meet you, I promise I'll wear a mask? You are alwys so kind with words.

love ... jaime

jaime said...

now my pretty princess bb,

when did BBBB turn from Big Behind to Bae Babe? (scratching my Bulky Bumble Bee Brain) hehe btw, is that what bb stands for? Bae Babe?You know, you still haven't diclosed the mystery behind the famous bb name is? and I am still on the quest to dicipher it ;)

jaime said...

oh my dear camille,

hehe, I agree we are ALL 'Bae'tiful - Bae Yong Joon to the fullest! He looks so regal in the TWSSG teaser, I am getting so excited for the drama. Thanks for your kind words.

love ..... jaime

bbmag said...

hey jaime, i've had that bb nickname since a long, long, long time ago... how long ago? well, that was when WWW still stood for world wide wait :p

it's my email nic for the longest time... so now that i'm no longer young and cute, am still reluctant to give up the nic... hee...

and... lots of people thot BB stood for baby, babe or something just as nice. but, haha! BB stands for Big Behind :p

really! i kid you not!

see? told you i'm the original J-Lo :p

jaime said...

hehe princess, I still think of bb as beautiful babe ;)

MYMY said...

echoing cludnine onni, vegas onnni and camille :p whatever u say jaimey onni! :)

MYMY said...

what u wrote and the jaimey onni that i met r not the same :p
but the funny and sweet ones r surely the same :)

jaime said...

my dear mymy ..... and you are the cutest BYJ fan I know. I miss you a lot. Please take good care of yourself, ok?

love ... jaime

Marce said...

Hi Jaime,
My name is Marcela, im from Bolivia. I really loved your blog, then i decided to read it from the first ones.Take care of yourself and God bless you.
marce