went to my first palace in Korea. i took all these other pictures of the actual palace, but they're boring. i like this one the best.

Jaepil and i went to Namsan Tower too. we were lucky that it was unusually clear, so we were able to see all of Seoul. as i told him, pictures can never do justice, so i stopped taking pictures. we had to go back to the terrace three times cause the view was that nice.

this is my favorite class that i teach. two students who really struggle with English but manage to make me smile every time i see them. during our five minute break times, most of my older students like to knock out while they can. it kills me to have to wake them up for the next lesson. lately, i've been having some trouble with my spelling. my SSAT student had to point out that i had written "judje" and "imigrate" on the board. i can't believe those words looked absolutely fine to me. i was like, "what? what's wrong with it?" sad, dude.

this was the Thanksgiving dinner i had with my dad when i got home. leftover kimbab, instant miyok gook, and my Frankenstein pasta.

i realized that i really don't read enough, so i got myself to start reading on the bus and subways. besides my bathroom reading, i've been reading this book called "O. Henry's American Scenes." it's a buncha short stories with meaningful twists and ironies that are supposedly known by every Korean high school student. *shrug* in the light of Thanksgiving, i read a very touching and appropriate story with a quote i'd like to share:

“Good morning. I am glad to see that the troubles of another year have not hurt you. You continue to move in health about the beautiful world. For that blessing you and I can give thanks on this day of Thanksgiving. If you will come with me, my man, I will give you a dinner that will surely make your body feel as thankful as your mind.”

-Old Gentleman from Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen

coming to Korea, i've learned to be more grateful for my family. i think i secretly assumed that most families were healthier and happier than mine. i learned the contrary. there's alotta screwed up, unhappy relationships out there. a good family is such a wonderful gift from God. i still cannot believe it. what are you thankful for?

Thought of the Day: $20.
Song of the Day: Red Hot Chili Peppers-Otherside

i can't believe how much time it takes to email and blog.

this past weekend, my dad took me to where he grew up as a child. since the traffic was so bad, we first hit up a recommended restaurant.


you can't see everything in the picture, but there were actually 15 different banchans on our table. 15!!!

then we hit up my dad's old elementary schools. he actually told me a really funny story from his childhood. my grandfather was actually the principal of the school, so he used to give speeches to the whole school while all the kids lined up in their classes. well, this one time, my grandfather was giving a speech, and students started laughing. my grandfather continued to his speech, but again there was laughter! my grandfather looked around his clothes and wiped his face, but there was nothing wrong. but when he turned around, he saw my four year old dad who was imitating him the whole time in front of the whole school. haha. so funny.


this is where my dad used to live when he was in 5th grade. the place is locked up, and no one lives there. since the school provides housing for the principal, their house was right next to the school.

my dad lived in a very rural yet peaceful area. as a kid, he didn't watch tv or play video games. he used to climb trees and race down mountains with his friends.



and to finish off the weekend, Grace, Jane, and Pris took me to Costco. their Bulgogi Bake is the closest thing to a burrito i'll get. quite delicious by the way.


i'm really sad that i'm going to miss Thanksgiving this year. turkey, hold'em, and Black Friday. you guys are so lucky. i like to tell my students about Thanksgiving food and how much i miss it. they laugh at how sad i get. it really is no laughing matter though. because i'm missing out on this wonderful holiday, i've already fastforwarded to Christmas mode. i already made my "Christmas Mix" last week, so i'm already in the happy holiday season. "Give up the dough on Christmas, yo!"

Thought of the Day: Longer hair.
Song of the Day: Tony Bennett-Winter Wonderland

i just wrote a considerable amount of words in reply to Sunny Kim, and i somehow lost it all. the crazy thing is that as soon as i lost the page, DJ DOC's "Gaburyuh" came out on my itunes. if you know how the intro goes, you'll know how appropriate that song was for my distressing situation. perfect. just perfect.

today, i wore a scarf out in public for the first time in my life. when i bought it last week with my cousin, i didn't know how to put it on, and the store lady laughed at me. my cousin simply replied, "living in California, i guess he wouldn't know how to put on a scarf." it's like he's known me all my life. anyways today, along with my scarf accessory, i also wore my really big windbreaker pants that keep my legs unbelievably warm. well, a few of my students commented on how much they liked them because they were so outrageous.

me: David, i'm wearing your favorite pants again today.
David: they are very cool.
me: Ji Hye, do you like my pants?
*Ji Hye laughs*
me: Min Jun, do you like my pants?
Min Jun: they are very exciting.

today, my dad looked at my hiphop poster and asked me to explain the reason for the "Parental Advisory" sign. it was really interesting explaining hiphop culture and music to my dad in my broken Korean. sometimes, i'm fascinated by how deep our conversations can go despite our language barriers. he tries to explain his favorite Korean poems and recommends all this profound literature that i'm pretty sure i'll never read. man, we talk about so much crap you wouldn't even believe it. but at the end of the day, we always find ourselves talking about our family and how much God has blessed us. my parents have lived some pretty pathetic lives, but they are happy. my parents are truly a testament to the real peace that can only come from knowing Christ. at the end of our conversation, my dad agreed that hiphop can be good too. what an openminded fellow.

Thought of the Day: Poor Mike.
Song of the Day: Fly To The Sky-When Snow Falls

remember Keith Sweat's "Twisted"? this was my FAVORITE slow jam back in 7th grade.

i've been pretty ocupado, helping this old man

move into my Hong-dae villa. check out his shameless outer wear. if he can wear that out in the public and feel absolutely no embarrassment, i believe that he is the most secure and confident man i've ever known. either that or he's just my dad.

with this guy around, i make no time for emails, exercise, friends, cousins, or even classroom prep. he gets all my attention for now. only the Lord knows when my dad shall depart from me again.

i was randomly looking at a Yonsei student's xanga and looked at all the fun that was depicted in the various pictures. Jaepil was right: i am getting the true experience of Korea. i am seeing the dishonesty of Koreans. i am seeing how hard it is to earn 1,000won in this deceptive country. i am seeing why Korean moms are the way they are. i am not getting some fun, Yonsei vacation experience. i am really tasting Korea, and i'm really grateful to God for it.

did you know that they don't have frozen vegetables here?

do you know what i completely did not even think about bringing that i'm really regretting? Sriracha.

Thought of the Day: Illiterate.
Song of the Day: Keith Sweat-Twisted

it is 1 degree Celsius out there right now. according to my phone's Unit Converter, that is exactly 33.8 degrees Farenheit. we have to remember that our experiences of cold and hot are all relative depending on what our bodies are used to. after inhabiting in a place like Southern California for four years, my body actually experiences farenheit temperatures at these blasted celsius temperatures. that totally reminds me of the time when Dinko came up north during the winter with his pathetic So. Cal sweater and beanie. ahahhahahahah. what a wonderful memory. anyways, one of my students got a text message in class from one of his friends that it was snowing (too bad he got his cell phone confiscated by 선생님 aka "Big Eyed Monster"). can you believe that? snow! if you look on Yahoo! Korea's weather forecast, it shows a snowman holding an umbrella for tomorrow's forecast. snow's cool, but having snow when you don't have the right clothes is not. i need to fatten up for the winter!

i'm listening to old Drunken Tiger albums again. i remember when i first saw these guys on SBS Inki Gayo bank in high school. i thought they were so gay. today, i see them as Korea's best hip hop group ever. and correct me if i'm wrong, but was that ODB on one of their tracks from the first album? haha. they also have this one song where they chant, "Drunk-en! Drunk-en! Ti-ger! Ti-ger!" freakin' Wu-Tang wannabes, man! oh well, they're pretty cool. hey, Dykas, IZ ASK HIZAY?!

for all you Priscilla fans, i visited her and Jane after 7.5 hour of nonstop hakwon. Priscilla made me a wonderful ham and egg sandwich with a Korean dressing, tuna salad. then i had some bomb green tea ice cream that everyone unanimously dislikes. anyways, it looks like they're going to be serving with me at my Sanbon church. i know Reverend Cho is going to be thrilled. we're still waiting for Grace's reply.

as i've shared in several emails already, last week was the worst possible week ever. scolded by boss, loan consolidation problems, shady nephew, and nth ear infection. i can go on and on about hardships and injustices, but let's put all that aside. i wanna talk about the struggles of the people that i see everyday. i have this one student who falls asleep every chance he gets. he has days where he goes to school by 8am and has hakwon nonstop until 1am. i see the same homeless guy outside on the subway steps wrapped up with his face buried in his jacket. i think he's too cold to beg. i've never seen more than a 1,000won worth of coins in his blue bowl. i complain about having to wait 15 min. in the cold for the 603 bus. that guy can't complain cause he doesn't even have enough money to get on a bus. i also wonder where all the blind beggars go when the subways close at 12. how do these people live?

struggle is so relative. when i'm having a bad day, i'm tempted to compare my life with these pitiful people. but i realize that their struggles will never compare to the struggles of Christ. God himself came down in humility and experienced struggles that no man will ever experience. i read in Acts today that "the apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name" (5:41). i suffer alright, but do i suffer because of my obedience to God? i need to work on changing my answer to YES.

Thought of the Day: Practice makes perfect.
Song of the Day: Drunken Tiger-Do Dat

never again will there ever be another Biggie...




Thought of the Day: Bad Ramen.
Song of the Day: System Of A Down-ATWA