i had a pretty nice Choosuk. i finally learned how to play "GO/STOP", so i was really happy about that. i finally understand why my dad would stay up all night playing with my uncles. i am so impressed with myself cause not only did i learn how to play a pretty complicated game that was taught in Korean, but i also won the most money from my cousins. haha. they were like, "wait a minute. now this isn't supposed to happen." good times.

a few interesting facts:

-one of my nephews is a Jazz musician. he was originally doing guitar, but he is changing to saxaphone. he also told me a lot about his sinful past while he was drunk. looks can be SO deceiving. his name is 경환, so i ALWAYS thought people were calling my name (경원) when they were really calling him.

-my niece is the best female singer i've ever heard in real life. she's so good that she's actually pursuing a singing career, probably in the CCM field. she is also super super nice and keeps calling me 오빠 when she's supposed to be calling me 삼촌.

-my second oldest cousin is a hardcore Korean 아저씨. he smokes incessantly, drinks pretty much like an alcoholic, cusses fluently, and has a raspy laugh. although he comes off as being really mean, he's actually really nice and funny. you need one of these guys when you're going on a trip.

today, one of my uncles came home pretty drunk. he started explaining to me that he was so sorry and sad that he had forgotten to give me some spending money the last time i had visited him. then he started explaining how he felt really really bad for my mom who had to live such a lonely life without her husband. he got so worked up that he started shedding tears and my aunt was just laughing at him. it was kinda funny and sincere at the same time. it's nice to see my uncle care so much for his younger sister like that. but yeah, he gave me alotta money in this envelope that he had been saving up for a while. it's so ironic how the rich can give so little, but the poor can give so much. thank you, 외삼촌.

there was this one night where i woke up in the middle of the night cause i felt these itchy bumps all over my body. freaking hives! i put some clothes on, went to the convenient store right outside my place and asked if they had any allergy medicine. unfortunately, they didn't have any, and i didn't know any place that did. i was screwed! the next day, i found out that i had just gotten bit up like crazy by two mosquitos that had somehow gotten into my room. tonight, i found two more mosquitos in my room. i killed the first one but had several failed attempts with the second. looks like i'm gonna get some more hives again tonight.

so the moment you've all been waiting for...(drumroll). PICTURES! it turns out that my cell phone can take some pretty dang good pictures, so i'm pretty happy that i won't be needing a digital camera. enjoy.





nice little night view of our vacation area.




this thing was alive and expensive. too bad it didn't even taste good.




we went fishing with just some string and a can of shrimp. there was a big sign that said "NO FISHING," but everyone else was doing it.




this is what i caught in literally the first minute. unfortunately, we somehow lost the bag of fish that we had caught and went home really sad.




my cousin was munching away at these as soon as we got to the condo. pretty good stuff.




this was the view from our condo. i cannot tell you how much this picture does not do justice.




is that the biggest 고구마 you ever saw or is that the biggest 고구마 you ever saw?





here are a buncha places that i see every single day as i go/come back from work.
























finally, we arrive at my place. as you can see, i have a variety of foods to choose from. i absolutely LOVE the delivery in Korea. these days, i'm actually trying to be better about spending money and eating healthy, so i don't order delivery everyday like i used to. but dude, there is nothing better than delivery 짜장면 in Korea. *drool*




that would be where i keep my shirts, jackets, and sweaters. the door to the right is where i enter, and if you look closely, you'll notice the awesome calendar that Zen got me before i left. everyday, i can be reminded of the friends that i left back in the states right before i leave for work.




this is my laundry machine. Koreans don't use dryers so we gotta airdry everything as you can see. it really isn't too bad.




that would be my kitchen that i barely use. the small table to the left is where i dine by myself. it looks kinda sad and pathetic, but i feel no hints of unhappiness whenever i eat.




and finally, this is the Priscilla clothing store that i always pass by. every time i pass by it, i always remember that Priscilla is coming really soon, and i get really excited. and what do you know, the devil just called me today! her voice never sounded so beautiful to my ears. i wonder if she noticed my awkward English.


i'll be taking a lot more pictures from now on...and that's a rap.

Thought of the Day: Priscilla Noona!
Song of the Day: Crystal Lewis-Healing Oil

i am at 서락산 right now on vacation. i met my oldest cousins/nephews for the first time yesterday. it was quite an interesting experience. my dad and i got there around 11:30 and both of my cousins were butt drunk (11 bottles of soju!). i spent the next two hours listening to my cousin repeatedly tell me that he grew up with my dad and that they were practically friends. then he would go on to explain that his kids had to call me me 삼촌 because i was technically their uncle. it's crazy cause they actually do even though we're like literally the same age. haha. just spending time with this part of the family has been absolutely weird.

anyways, Korea's countryside is quite wonderful. it's pretty cool to see the fall season in effect for the first time in your life. it's funny cause out of the 10 of us, not a single person brought a camera. SO, we're just busy taking pictures with our cell phones, which actually take some quality pictures. hopefully, i can figure out how to upload pictures onto my computer, so that i can upload pictures onto my blog.

fyi: just in case you were wondering, there are two things that i dearly miss right now. Mexican food and Hold'em. ok, i lied. there's three. i miss accountability as well (i.e. lovefest, clusters, small group, etc.). keep this brother in prayer. pc bang time is up.

Thought of the Day: 뻔데기
Song of the Day: Above All

P.S.-if you can't read the Korean letters, just right click on the screen and go to Encoding. there should be a Korean language you can choose.

a few days ago, an old man asked me how to get to 강변 station. i told him to take the 신청 direction. he understood and thanked me. i couldn't believe i had just given directions in Korean to a Korean in Korea. that truly made my day.

i realized that more than receiving emails from fellow friends from the states, the highlight of my day is the busride to/from work. i love just listening to my ipod and looking at the fascinating streets of Korea. it still boggles my mind how 20 minutes can go by so quickly. as soon as i see my stop for work, my happiness level drops from about a 10 to a 4. *shrug* at least i still manage to have some happiness left.

i realized that little kids LOVE attention. of course this is something i always knew, but my realization only grew. when i teach my 3rd grade class, every single one of those students LOVES to raise their hands and say something that would interest me. i'm not much of a child-lover, but some of those kids i can't help but love to death. i really have to resist favortism when i teach that class.

yesterday, i went to my cousin's school's musical. this is the same cousin who is a SDA, mind you, and his school is also a SDA school. i swear, i've never seen so many Adventists all clustered together in my life. but as cynical as i was, the musical was really really good. i understood most of the dialogue and even caught some of the jokes. i was especially entertained by the traditional drumming dance that they added in the middle. even when KCN busted out with the 장구춤, i felt extremely proud to be a Korean. i'm no fob, but i definitely see much beauty and pride in our native culture. it was so cool cause even the audience was causing a commotion when the drummers came out. it almost felt like i was part of a World Cup audience or something. freaking cool.

anyways, the musical was really good cause it was about a woman from back in the day who was supposed to get married to her husband. it turned out that he was a fake, and she was really distressed about not having her right marriage. in the end, she learned to wait patiently and have faith in meeting her real husband in the future. of course, the point was that Christ is our perfect husband and He will one day come on an unexpected day, so we must wait patiently and gladly. good stuff.

추석, Korea's Thanksgiving, is this coming week, so i am going to 서락산 with my dad and some relatives. the crazy thing is that we're going with my two oldest cousins' families whom i don't have a lick of memory of. my cousins' kids, my nephews, are actually around my age-22, 21, 20, and 14 or something like that. my dad actually spent like an hour explaining our family tree and history. it turns out that my extended family has a gang of problems, and it's all unspoken and implicit. as my dad explained, MY family may not have the most money, but ours is the most envied because of our healthy relationships with one another. my dad says it's truly a blessing from God, and he thanks the Lord for it all the time. i couldn't agree any more.

today was father/son bonding day. because we couldn't get in contact with our close family friends, my dad took me out to some 감자탕! i guess my dad had been waiting a long time to be able to drink with his son, so we ate, drank, and were very merry. we talked about the good ol' days like how he used to buy me dinosaur toys even though my mom told him not to and how my grandma used to pray every night for an hour cause she would literally pray for every single person she knew in her life. my dad can't drink for crap, but we had a really good time tonight.

because i don't see my Korean improving too much, i'm trying to be a little more proactive about it. i went to Korea's biggest bookstore (and lemme tell you, it's HUGE! just ask Janet Chong Bong about it!) and bought a Speaking Korean for beginners book. i also recently found out that my phone had a Korean/English dictionary in it! i cannot tell you how wonderfully beneficial that is for me. haha. please pray that God would teach me Korean, so that i would be able to better serve Him through stronger and more effective communication.

Thought of the Day: Exit.
Song of the Day: Lord's Prayer Song

today, i was truly humbled at work. 실장님 told me that some of the younger students think i am boring, so i should try to be a little more fun. man, that's like the worst thing to hear as a teacher. i even overheard one of the parents ask her when Joseph was coming back. the sad part is that i actually thought i was being fun and interesting.

there's this Koala joke that alotta the kids want to tell me, and it's supposed to be one of those Korean/English pun jokes. so every time i decide to tell them one of "our" jokes, i always get a really awkward response like...

me: what did the bus driver say to the egg?
students: "egg?"
me: yeah, egg!
student: what?
me: gehran the bus!
students: ...
me: ...
one student: ahahhahahahha.
other student: what?
one student: you know, "계란!"
other student: oooooh! ahahahhahahh. "계란!"
me: nevermind.

in addition to today's discouraging remarks, i've been a little down about my struggle with Korean. i know it's barely been a week, but i can't help thinking about it, especially when i say the most awkward things every time i talk with my dad. but i recall this tv show i saw last night, and they were doing a brief interview on this 104 year old grandma. she was like the funniest lady! she was saying how she lives very long because she eats so well. the program put much emphasis on the fact that the old lady loved to drink soju. anyways, a big thing that struck me was when they asked her if she was sad. she simply replied, "what's there to be sad about when you have lots of rice?" immediately, i was reminded of Matthew 6's Do Not Worry passage. with old age comes much wisdom. i shouldn't ever be sad about meaningless things of the world. if i ought to rejoice b/c i do not have to worry about food, how much more ought i rejoice in my salvation through Christ? with teaching English and learning Korean, i will merely do my best with what the Lord has provided for me. may i boast in my weaknesses so that Christ would be exalted!

remember how i told you i got 28 mosquito bites. well, just when you thought that 28 wasn't enough, i've been getting more every night. the crazy thing is that i'm confident that there's no mosquitos at my place. SO, i must be getting bitten by spiders or some non-American bugs i've never heard about. i always discover more when i go to take a shower. i'm a freakin' all-you-can-eat buffet for these Korean insects! ugh.

did you know that my English is retarding? you may not be able to tell but that's because i go back and read what i type in my entry. i seriously type the darnest things, and i get so ashamed as i fix my errors. pretty soon, i'm just going to stop talking. ciao for now.

Thought of the Day: Seminary.
Song of the Day: STP-Plush

i have officially completed one whole week in Korea. *APPLAUSE* thank you, thank you. you're all too kind!

last week, Meena told me that my students tried to guess what ethnicity i was. apparently, i'm the darkest thing alive in Korea, so i look very foreign to these people. i've never had anyone think that i was Egyptian before. freakin' Egyptian, man! one of my students knew that i was Asian, but he couldn't make up his mind about what kind of Asian i was. i guess Korean was out of the question. ignornant Koreans!

i finally got to meet up with some of my cousins over the weekend. it was really good meeting up with my cousin, woong-chan...my brother and i get a kick out of calling him "WC" (dub-cee). he's like the only Seventh Day Adventist i've ever met in my life. he would always invite me out to his church on Saturdays in the past, but i "rudely" refused to go with him every time. yesterday, however, i decided to be a little better about it and just see what it was like. there weren't any OBVIOUSLY wrong things about it, but i had a short conversation with one of their American missionaries (from Yorba Linda!) about their differences from other denominations. basically, they believe in a false prophet named Ellen G. White, long "sleep" until Christ's advent, and a hell where souls eventually die and not suffer for an eternity. apart from these, it looks like their doctrine of salvation looks pretty similar to ours. i don't know if they're being hell-worthy heretical or if they're just some whack denomination, but i finally checked out this church that my cousin's been attending.

we did some shopping, eating, visiting, and played ball at night. i freakin' hate the basketball courts in Korea-dirt ground with 9 ft hoops and croweded like a mother. you can't dribble properly or run any fast breaks cause you'll either travel or get hurt real bad. people always have to bow and apologize whenever they disrupt other people's games. nevertheless, basketball is basketball, and it's fun even with these crappy fobs. i even sprained my ankle last night but what can i say? THE GAME MUST GO ON! so i played with a jacked up ankle and still had lots of fun...and regretted it later this morning.

last night, i got 28 mosquito bites. five on my face. nothing else to really say about that. i'm itchy.

i started watching some Korean tv lately. i have to admit that they've got some pretty fun shows on the air. it's like one of those things that you hate to love. quite addicting and mindless material. but since my Korean sucks, i'm always looking up words in my Minjung's Pocket dictionary. you seriously don't realize how poor your Korean is until you come to the motherland. it's pretty humbling when you see 10 year olds use vocabulary that is nonexistant in yours. i get pretty angry whenever one of my girl cousins imitates my bad accent. i just want to chuck a brick at her insensitive face. but yeah, i learned how to order delivery and take a taxi this past week. i always have to rehearse what i'm going to say beforehand, but i'm getting better.

speaking of language, i've been getting mad love from the new people that i meet. you see, if you can speak English, you are crazy 멋있어 by default. i visited Lois' dad's church today and apparently, word had spread that i graduated from UCI. some of these fools compare Irvine to schools like Berkeley or Stanford. lol. i even got one comment like "oh, very prestigious!" ahahhahahaha. but more than that, i get a greater kick when i see how impressed they are when i tell them that i studied Psychology. it is truly Opposite Land. in the states, psychology is usually stigmatized as a cop-out major with no promising future. but in my experience, everyone here thinks i'm some kind of intellect? lol. they totally ignore my mention of minoring in Education. truly Opposite Land!

so if you've been praying for me regarding my search for a good church, pray no more because i've committed to Simin Church (Lois' dad's church). it just so happens that Reverend Cho is looking to start up a bilingual ministry, and he wants me to help him with that ministry. there's only a handful of people who can speak English at his church, so it actually fit my preference to get to know more Korean natives as opposed to meeting just Korean Americans. the church actually happens to be an hour away by subway, so it's quite the inconvenience for me to go out there every week. at the same time, i was also really encouraged by their service today. even though my Korean is lacking, i was still able to praise God with their 찬송가s (goodness, who says that you cannot be passionate when singing hymns?) and even understood the main points of the sermon (which happened to be pretty Christ-centered). i've never heard Romans 8:31-39 being preached so passionately in my life. of course, we cannot forget the major love bombs i experienced too. everyone was anticipating my coming like i was some answer to their prayers (i actually think i was), so they were already assuming that my commitment was set. even the family that drove me today was super kind to me. they took me out to watch "괴물" and bought me my first sweet butter 오징어 thing. haha. i already call him 형 and everything even though he's like 39?

so i recently discovered some pretty crazy things about the cell phones in Korea. i was randomly browsing through my phone's settings when all of a sudden, i ran into an interactive SUBWAY MAP on my phone! even the fobs here were amazed that i had such a function. but you think that's crazy? when i was in the car with the family that picked me up today, i was taken aback by the fact that the driver was using a navigator on his phone!!! it was like speaking to him and everything. you are 5 kilometers from here and there is a 찜질방 over there! he told me that he can use it while he's walking too. absolutely crazy.

ok, one last thing. i don't know if you'll read this, Janet Chong, but it is the FUNNIEST thing when 실장님 imitates you. i'm not going to even bother to explain. you just gotta be there. everyone, thank you praying and writing to me. hurry up, priscilla and jungabung!

Thought of the Day: "Gorgeous."
Song of the Day: How Great Thou Art

hello, friends. i finally have my own internet connection now. it is definitely a luxury to have internet connection at your own convenience.

i am slowly getting used to my work schedule and growing very fond of my students. according to Meena, one of my co-workers, i have the "super-star" kids, so i have it the easiest. i am basically taking over Joseph's class for 3 weeks until he comes back. he is supposed to be the "super-star" teacher of Elite, so i hear a lot about him. he indeed must be a great teacher because apparently, he had already told his students that i am a great teacher! haha. i've never even seen or spoken to Joseph in my life. anyways, it turns out that he assigned two of his classes to write letters to me for homework. i didn't receive anything until today. here is my favorite one:

Dear Phillip. Hello Phillip! My name is Jenny. I'm feeling that I'm writing to nonliving things like my pen, eraser or like that. I'm very glad that I would see you because Joseph is not teaching us and YOU are teaching us. When you come to Elite, please let us do the 'hang man' or 'stop the bus'. And Circle story. we'll like you to do it. I'm wondering which type of face you have. Please tell me about you next Monday. I'll introduce about myself. I'm Jenny. And I'm very good at writing (but not a grammar). My hobby is to play a computer game or write some poem or the story. I'll write the story named 'Allen's Secret Diary' next week. And my dream is to become a author or the famous poet. And about our class is there are three student in our Monday, Wednesday class. And Friday, there are 5 girls. so be careful. About my classroom, is the Cornell, the name of university. There are Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Cornell. Yale and Stanford. About me (again) I am the most unfortunate girl ever. My pencil case was made of trees. so it broke when children played with it. (I am little popular in my class). Because I'm genious. ha haha!!! So, I changed the pencil case to the Soft pencilcase. And the ziper is broken and the ziper is not working neither. I have question for sir, 1. How old are you ? 2. Are you funny? 3. Do you like Joseph? 4. Would like me for call like 'Phillip' or 'teacher' or 'sir'? (About number three. I don't agree.) P.S Caution to you! watch out Joseph. And touch Joseph hair. and you'll get moch of luck. I'm very hoping Monday 5:30. in cornell. Sincerely, cly Jenny

the thing with Elite is that the students and teachers are not allowed to speak any Korean. everything must be in English! so when you put fobs in the same room who are forced to communicate in English, you get things like:

(girls making fun of Ray).
Ray: ho ho ho. berry funny! you keendugahdun! (Kindergarten)


there's nothing more rewarding than to hear one of your students learn a new English word and go aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa!!! in fact, one of my students today did it so abruptly that it scared me.

but at the end of the day, i am SO happy that tomorrow is Friday. this has been the longest week in my life!

Thought of the Day: There is an elite within Elite.
Song of the Day: OK Go-Here It Goes Again

hey, guess what! I'M IN KOREA!

janet chong was right. after one week, you feel like you've been here forever. well, i've only been here for two days, but i feel like so much has happened recently. thank you everyone for keeping me in your prayers. my CSETs went very well and the Lord brought me here safely without a single problem.

i can tell that my dad is really happy to have me here. he goes out of his way to spend as much time with me as possible-from taking the bus with me to work to driving all the way to my apartment just to fix some problems that i can totally do on my own. he buys me everything, which reminds me of my new cell phone!

camera, mp3 player, screen mirror, the works. it even animates my numbers when i'm dialing. when we were at the cell phone store, my dad asked me which one i wanted. i honestly could not choose cause they all looked too crazy. that is why i simply chose the cheapest one, which still happens to be the best phone i've ever seen in my life. those Hyori Anycall music videos sure did pay off.

i went straight to observation on my first day here and started teaching yesterday. my work schedule is pretty tough. 3:30-9:30pm M-F, no breaks. not to mention that i go into work at 1:00 to prepare for the lessons so i'm actually there right after i eat lunch. i think my work makes SLC look like paradise. by the time i get home, i'm so tired that i have no appetite. can you believe that? ME not wanting to eat good HONG-DAE food after starving for 10 hours?! it was actually a burden to eat dinner last night, so i didn't even finish it. something isn't right here.

i realized that i can't do this pc bang thing forever so i will have to get my own internet connection. it's really nice receiving emails, so please do go out of your way to write me a word or two everyday. haha. Korea is good. i can sure use some friends besides my dad and my boss, but everyday is a full day of new lessons. ?.

Thought of the Day: YG praise.

what the crap!

i had another dream that i was already in Korea again. i'm sure by now, you're really sick of hearing me talk about Korea all the time. what can i say? it consumes most of my mind's thoughts most of the day, most of the week. i just faxed over my signed contract and found out that i am being reserved to fly out Sept. 17th, 12:30am. in other words, i'm flying out late Saturday night. i've also been offered to get picked up by a "rimosine" when i arrive at Incheon Airport at 5:50am. isn't that crazy? my very own "rimosine!"

i got this one shot glass from D&B and there's a sticker that says:

STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PROP 65

This product contains or may contain a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects and other reproductive harm.

there's a sign outside my apt. that says the same exact thing. i'm not exactly sure what i'm supposed to do here. can i drink out of the shot glass? is my apt. unsafe to live in? why are these cancerous products exposed and available to the residents of California?

Thought of the Day: Must be the "rimo!"
Song of the Day: Byul-I Think I

my family and i did much labor on Labor Day. since i'm supposed to leave for Korea by the 16th, we decided to do some final furniture arrangements. my brother has declared it official. his hyungah, phil, has OCD. if i start organizing or arranging something, i have to finish it! we started our housework at noon. after taking a break at the beach, we came back around 8:30 at night and i didn't fall asleep til 5 in the morning. last night, i resurrected my old OLD Sony stereo system. my dad thought it was broken, so we almost threw it away when we first moved to Buena Park. right now, the Wu-Tang Clan is thanking me for keeping it alive cause ain't no better sound than hearing old school joints on an old school system. i still have the remote and everything! anyways, as i was busying away alone at night, i also came upon this:

i found 8th grade Pastor Dennis in my Kindergarten yearbook! that would be 1990 mind you. isn't that crazy? i wonder if Matthew 7:7 is still his favorite text.

while we're at it, why don't we throw in a 9th grade terrance:this is the skinniest terrance has ever been in my eyes. and look! he's with a girl! i don't know which one's more amazing.

Thought of the Day: Contract.
Song of the Day: Wu-Tang Clan-Bring Da Ruckus

I AM SOOOOOOO EXCITED FOR KOREA!!! YAY, PRISCILLA AND JUNGABUNG!!! AHHHH!!!

Thought of the Day: KOREA!
Song of the Day: Toploader-Dancing In The Moonlight

this picture made me and enoch laugh so hard several several months ago. actually, i was doing most of the laughing, but enoch caught the giggles after seeing my high level of amusement. apparently, i had promised kenny that i would post it up but the darn thing just slipped my mind. thanks for the good time, aaron, and sorry to everyone that it's kinda blurry.

being the self-centered guy that i am, i feel like alotta people have been wondering what i've been up to these days. well, i got back from 3 different retreats, back to back stylez, so now i am preparing to prepare for my CSETs once again (that's right, "preparing to prepare!") and right off the bat, i will be going to Korea as soon as i do away with those obligations. that gives us about 3 weeks left. i just found out that two MORE people will be in Korea along with me, priscilla, and grace. the good news is that i'll kind of have some back-up friends in the motherland. the bad news is that they're all girls. haha...i'm only half-kidding. sometimes, i wish people could really see the different things i've been feeling these days. i have so many mixed emotions it's not even funny. hence, i'll just say that i'm excited and leave it at that. i'm ready to get out of here.

today's first productive day of studying: in n' out for lunch, huntington beach with yg boys, taco surf for dinner, smash brothers for 2 hours, and chatting online for over an hour (???!!!). looks pretty productive to me.

Thought of the Day: "So nice and pretty."
Song of the Day: Smashmouth-All Star

Job 42:2-3

2 "I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.

3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

as my 9th grade boys would say: POWNAGE!

because you're all dying to know what i got on my CSETs (yeah right), i passed my first subtest but missed the passing score by 2 points for the second subtest. i can think of at least 10 different kinds of screams every time i think about it. my sinful nature keeps reminding me that i could have passed it if i had just answered one more question correctly. it's really hard to remember that God planned for me to retake the test again for a GOOD purpose. reading Job really helps though. if there was ever a man who had a justified complaint, it was Job. but even he was humbled before the Lord Almighty.

Job 1:21-22

21 and said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart. ^[a]
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."

22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

may the Lord teach me to be like Job as i study probability and statistics once again for the next three weeks.


earlier this week, i told my mom that i occasionally go out for drinks with some of my friends. she told totally flipped out. apparently, she views her eldest son as the most innocent little angel who doesn't know how to indulge in any sin. i'm actually terrified to ever tell her my life testimony! if she was this shocked about my social drinking, i think she'd die on the spot if i told her about my "real deals." but the funny thing about the whole thing is that she actually became really happy that she could finally have some alcohol with someone besides her best friend. "we'll have some whenever Simon isn't home." *she cracks up* my mom and i click very well because we have very similar temperaments. she's introverted. i'm introverted. she likes to keep herself busy. i like to keep myself busy. she doesn't like being around too many people. i don't like being around too many people. my mom is so godly. i'm even godlier. just kidding. everyday, the Lord reminds me of how blessed i am to have her. it's crazy to think that my mother's love for me is just a glimpse of God's love for us. what a perspective.

4 years ago from today, i blogged this...

boLbim33 (1:17:50 PM): excitinged about IRvine?
boLbim33 (1:18:06 PM): LA girls... they are different...
boLbim33 (1:18:12 PM): they are soooooo prettier
boLbim33 (1:18:15 PM): than Nor al
Pretzelboi96 (1:18:18 PM): haha

oh yeah, dykas came back today too!

Pretzelboi96 (9:56:30 PM): dude, wasn't korea awesome?!
AzN1283 (9:56:38 PM): man it was AWESOME
AzN1283 (9:56:39 PM): i love it
AzN1283 (9:56:45 PM): i hella didnt' want to come bak
Pretzelboi96 (9:56:55 PM): ah yeah!
AzN1283 (9:57:16 PM): man
AzN1283 (9:57:18 PM): i miss it
AzN1283 (9:57:21 PM): i miss the food
AzN1283 (9:57:22 PM): girls
AzN1283 (9:57:24 PM): everything


now isn't that something?


Dictionary.com has changed out their entire layout. very nice.

Thought of the Day: Sardines.
Song of the Day: Chris Tomlin-Awesome Is The Lord Most High

i would have to say that the theme for my summer has been Sempre Reformata or "always reforming." my thoughts on liturgy are becoming more and more refined as they go through fire and forming. i have become more missions/Gospel-minded, a stronger advocate for partaking in Communion (AT LEAST every month), and now, a struggling Sabbatarian. i'm telling you, it's that blasted Heidelberg Catechism, but ultimately God's Word that has challenged me in so many areas of my life.

after going over the 4th Commandment last week and actually teaching it to my students today, i became disgustingly aware of how far i am from keeping this commandment completely. well, allow me to give you an example of a typical Sunday:

wake up at 7:40.
get to church by 9:05.
staff meeting, em and yg service/Bible study til 1:15.
eat lunch at church.
chill somewhere until 5.
attend evening service until 6.
play basketball til 8.
come home, wash up, and eat dinner.
watch a dvd with Simon.
go to bed around 12.

now, i think the "average" christian would say that there's nothing wrong with my Sundays. i spend the majority of my day at church. heck, i even go to evening service so i get extra holy points, right? some time spent in hanging out with friends (for the sake of fellowship of course!) and conclude the day with some quality time with the family. is there anything wrong here?

i have come to realize that the Sabbath was given for us to rest in Christ. it is not a day of physical rest; rather, it is a day of spiritual rest.

Hebrews 4:9-10-There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.

Exodus 20:11-For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Deuteronomy 5:15-Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

if you look at the last two passages, they give us a summary of WHAT we are to do on the Sabbath: we are to remember that God is our Creator and Savior! that is why we sing songs of praise, preach the Gospel, study His Word, and pray every Sunday whenever we are at church. but what happens as soon as we leave the church building? we turn on our secular music, go out to eat, run a few errands, and watch a movie with our friends. hmmm, the last time i checked, it was pretty dang hard to remember God as my Creator and Savior in the context of those activities. in fact, those things look very similar to my weekdays! are we really setting aside the whole Sabbath day to the Lord? do our days at church retreat look holier than our Sundays?

a particular issue i've been struggling with is the issue of spending money on Sundays. isn't it okay for us to go out and get some VIP and enjoy our fellowship? can't i take my small group out for some innocent boba? to be honest, i really don't know anymore. i mean, spending money is causing others to work, right? on top of that, we are indirectly preventing them from worshipping God as well. and clearly, Exodus 20:10 tells us that "you shall not do any work..." on the Sabbath day. spending money is like we're putting into effect a double standard: i'm not working b/c we're not supposed to work, but it's alright if you work b/c you're going to work anyways. is this the unspoken mentality that many of us have? i don't know about you guys but i have developed a conscience that tells me that even spending money is advocating work on the Sabbath.

this has become a huge problem for me because 99% of the christians that i know do not practice this. i am left all alone at church to eat alone while everyone goes out to celebrate someone's birthday at some restaurant. i am left feeling stumbled and discouraged by so many in the church. i can hear everyone's heart whisper that i am being too strict, unrealistic, conservative, and legalistic.

i don't know. am i really being Phil the Pharisee? has my interpretation of Scripture gone too far? or am i a rare minority that is seeking to be faithful and obedient to the 4th Commandment? i'm hoping for the latter, but i really don't know. but even with all of that aside, i realized how terribly i fail to keep the Sabbath holy. i usually use the latter parts of my Sunday playing ball and watching movies. for sure, i am not getting any spiritual rest from these activites. God commanded spiritual rest. i am replacing spiritual rest with worldly rest. therefore, i am breaking God's commandment. i am so sinful. even if my activites were "spiritual," there's obviously the issue of my heart as well. i can't believe how sinful i am. but friends, whether or not you agree with anything that i have said thus far, we can all share in thanks that we have a God who sent His Son to obey EVERY commandment perfectly so that we too could be declared righteous. Christ makes the impossible a possibility and reality for us. church, do not see your Sundays as burdensome and restricting. rather, see them as liberating and refreshing as we receive spiritual blessings in worshipping God through remembering the Sabbath.

i have my third retreat tomorrow-yg retreat. ironically enough, the theme is Rest in Christ. please pray for the speaker, James Kim, the awesome counselor, Phil Chung, and the sinful yg students including John Ro.

Thought of the Day: Sabbies.
Song of the Day: Choral Postlude-All Creatures Of Our God And King

i never do this TAG crap, but Chang's xanga entry was just too funny for me. besides, this one's kinda more interesting. i'm not much of a reader but i actually have gone over a few good books in college. and you know what, i actually enjoyed reading most of them...

(1) One book that changed your life (other than the Bible):


i've raved about it once before. i'll rave about it again. God used this book to grow in me a passion for theology and God's Word. it was MUCH better the second time i read it this past year with Joecal. it's amazing how much your reading comprehension can improve in college. the ideal book for Apologetics 101.

"I hope that one far more capable than I will be introduced to the defense of Christianity by these lessons and will then go further in the years to come and teach us all how we might better take Every Thought Captive."
-R.L.P.

(2) One book you read more than once:


i read this book for clusters my first year with Old Phil Chung. i decided to do this book for this year's clusters because i remember it being very profound and encouraging. Old Phil would always tell us that he had read the book several times before but every time he would learn something new from each chapter that he never realized before. i concur with the old geezer.

"As long as Christ sits on the mediatorial throne, every day is a good day and all days are days of salvation."
-A.W. Tozer

(3) One book you'd want on a Desert Island:


we're going over the Heidelberg Catechism in youth group right now. i must say that more than any "Bible Study" i've done in my life, catechism has been the best. it's so structured, challenging, and of course, BIBLICAL! during the time we had been going over the Sacraments (Baptism and Lord's Supper) for several weeks, the EM service was going to partake in Communion on an upcoming Sunday. after going over the Lord's Supper for so long and to finally be able to apply what i had learned, Communion was never such a blessing and privelege to me. this book can appear to be dry because of its "catechism nature", but i assure you that i have never felt so refreshed during Bible Study through the Heidelberg Catechism. with that said...

"So the test of truth is the Bible, not the Catechism. We must always go from the Catechism to the Bible in order to make sure that it teaches the truth."
-G.I. Williamson

(4) Book that made you laugh:
Calvin and Hobbes is the best comic in comic book history. i think this is the only book that can make me laugh on a consistent basis. much kudos to Bill Watterson.

"Sheesh, who can fathom the feminine mind?"
-Calvin

(5) One book that made you cry (or feel really sad):

"Now I saw in my dream, that these two men went in at the Gate; and lo, as they entered they were transfigured..."
-John Bunyan

that short little excerpt is during the part when Christian and Hopeful finally arrive at the Celestial City after their long and difficult journey. you can totally feel the two pilgrims' joy because it is a joy that is promised to us as well. this book (besides the Bible) is probably the only book that has brought me to tears.

(6) One book that you wish had been written:

Chang told me he was working on some book on aplogetics? John Ro has been working on a Professor Herman Nootix book or something? doesn't Chang look like a Terrance and John Ro put together?

(7) One book that you wish had never been written:


we read this book for clusters my junior year. everyone was hating it. shame on Christopher Lee.

there's no need to quote anything from this book. besides, i sold it to In Christ bookstore as soon as i found out they bought just about anything.


this book came in pretty close.


then this book (haha Chang!).

8) One book you're currently reading:


this is current clusters book we are reading. i've always wanted to go over ethics and this book was recommended to me by Pastor David and the bookkeeper. i've only read a little but so far so biblical. i hope to have some more solidified views on contraversial issues after reading this book.

"The teachings of Scripture are the final court of appeal for ethics. Human reason, church tradition and the natural social sciences may aid moral reflection, but divine revelation, found in the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, constitutes the "bottom line" of the decision-making process."
-John Jefferson Davis

(9) One book you've been meaning to read:


i seriously cannot understand why i cannot get around to this book. it's been on my bookshelf for way too long. it's my brother's favorite book. it's dinko's favorite book. i'm always obligated to finish other books first. this will be next after Evangelical Ethics. i promise.

what a fun entry.

Thought of the Day: Visa.
Song of the Day: System Of A Down-Prison Song

"Arizona! Arizona! Here we COOOOOME!"

in other news, i played 1 on1 against a black guy today and beat him 2 out of 2 games. i know he was going easy on me but winning's WINNING! his name was Tony. i realized that i don't have too many friends who are down to play ball. everyone's always busy or lazy or straight up just suck. but with this realization, i further learned how much i enjoy the game. there's nothing better than playing a nice 3 on 3 with some of your buddies after a long day of studies or work. thank you God for basketball. enjoyment of any activity can only come from the Lord.

i recently started reading The Pilgrim's Progress (again) during my freetime. i already finished the first half about Christian, so now I am reading about Christiana and her children. it's humbling to read about their excitement and perseverance for the Gospel. how come my passion doesn't even compare to their passion? i read the Bible everyday. i pray every single day. i expose myself to "reminders", but i find myself living so contrary to what i believe. i have sins that i struggle with. how come i cannot bring myself to absolute repentance? it's interesting how even in our deepest spiritual pits, the H.S. is still sanctifying us more into Christ. i guess we just have to share in Paul's confidence that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until Christ returns (Phil 1:6). i pray every morning for Christ to return and ultimately establish his kingdom. would you join me in this prayer. i wanna hurry up and go home.

Thought of the Day: Depravity
Song of the Day: Muse-Invincible

it's one of those nights where you're tired and probaby should be sleeping, but you don't feel like it b/c sleep is pleasurable but nevertheless really boring. i just finished watching "East of Eden" since Anna let me borrow it. it wasn't as good as i thought it would be. James Dean was a lot more whiny and stupid than i thought he would be. i guess i just need to watch "Rebel Without A Cause "or something to redeem his esteem. this second half of the summer's been kind of weird. ever since i finished my CSETs, i've been throwing away my days watching movies, seeing the same people day to day, and fantasizing scary events in Korea. i'm also pretty anxious about my CSET scores, mainly because i do not want to study for them ever again in my life. i literally think about them every single day. i wonder if you can call that idolatry. i don't know. everything feels kinda weird these days. it's like everything is normal but it's not. maybe i'm so used to irregularity that once i have regularity, i think it's irregular. kind of like when you have that one day to sleep in but you end up waking up at 7am anyways. does that even make sense? Curtis packed me three times today in basketball. i hate it when i get packed. it's the most humbling experience in basketball. it's better to miss every single shot you've taken the whole game than to score a million and then get stuffed real good by a youth group student. i bet that boosted his ego cause it sure killed mine. i feel like i just wrote a John Yi xanga entry. i'm gonna stop being stupid now and go to bed. good night.

Thought of the Day: Korean Resume.
Song of the Day: Muse-Starlight

ain't no love like the love of brothers.



Thought of the Day: Errands.
Song of the Day: Freestylers & Definition Of Sound-Here We Go

Friends, thank you for your prayers and support. I finally made time to type up my Arizona testimony that I shared with YG last night. So without further ado...

I never had any intentions of going to Arizona this summer. I had my CSET to study for (which I am taking in a few hours) and I did not want to worry about raising enough support to go. However, it only took one question from a friend like Snugs to change my considerations about the mission trip: �You can set aside one week of studying, can�t you?� Our team consisted of 7 members: Me, Eugene (Snugs) Pahk, Daniel (Dinko) Kim, Zenia An, Liz Chung, Michelle Lee, and our leader, Pastor Jin Chong. We met every Sunday for one hour to learn about the Tohono O�odham people (Native American tribe), practice singing hymns, work on a skit, and share our personal testimonies with each other. The training was not intense or burdensome at all as our main ministry was going to focus on working with the elderly at a senior center.

Our trip went from July 9-15, exactly one week long. We stayed in Sells, Arizona which is one hour away from Tucson and 30 miles/minutes (?) away from the border of Mexico. Sells is a very rural area in the middle of a desert. Imagine one highway, occasional houses, lots of dirt, plenty of garbage, and a whole lot of cacti. With just a population of a little over 2000, rarely will you see any people outside because it is so hot. Every day that we were there, the heat was over 100 degrees and went as high as 113 degrees. Thank goodness that air conditioning was available 24 hours a day.

We stayed at a Pentecostal church called Papago Assembly of God. Along with our team, there was a group from Memphis, Tennessee and a compilation of three churches on the Phoenix team. The Memphis and Phoenix teams mainly consisted of youth group students, so our team had the oldest members. Coincidentally, one of the Phoenix churches included my old youth group leader, John O, which was a pleasant surprise. We also had Lisa from Pennsylvania and Karen from New York. Besides these two white ladies, everyone else was Korean. With a little over 30 people, it was really interesting working with Christians from other parts of the country and encouraging seeing God work even in non-Presbyterian churches. All three teams got along very well right away.

Just to give a little background-Native Americans have a history of drug abuse, poverty, oppression, and dysfunctional families. The people we were working with were no different. Often times, I heard tragic stories of alcoholism, abandoned children, and family members dying at an early age. Many called themselves Catholic and lived lives of no hope. Despite this negative background, I was surprised to meet many kind and friendly Tohono O�odham people throughout my experience. I learned that everyone speaks English, and most of the adults know their native language as well. As I mentioned earlier, our main ministry was focused on working with the elderly.

We went to this one senior center almost everyday and each of us committed to one or two seniors that we could get to know on a personal level. I committed to an 84-year-old man named Sam. Sam is on a wheelchair, has a weak memory, and suffers from bad hearing. He has three daughters, several grandchildren, and even some great grandchildren. He was very laid back and kind and never got upset like some of the others. He always seemed to be in a good mood, so getting to know him was really easy for me. There was an incident where he could not remember who I was after the first couple of days. But towards the end, he was able to remember my name and realize that I was the one who had been visiting him for the past week. This meant a lot to me because he even had trouble remembering his own daughters� names. I had to use this opportunity to be a direct witness to him! On the last day of our visit, I gave him a Bible and shared the Gospel with him by sharing some passages from Romans and 1 Peter. He told me that he was going to get some reading glasses so that he could start reading the Bible. I really do hope that God will make that seed grow.

When we were not at the senior center, we were back at the church either picking up trash along the highway or helping out with VBS. Trash pick-up was a pretty difficult task. Along with the dry, summer heat of the desert, there were also plenty of dangerous cacti to keep you company. Picking up beer bottles underneath spiky plants and reaching for plastic bags caught in thorns caused me a few, good screams. At one point after being poked in the fingers for the n-th time, I recalled the experience of Jesus� crown of thorns and how the soldiers beat him on the head with a staff �again and again.� I think the crazier fact is that Christ was silent during his persecution. This thought brought some perspective into my experience with trash pick-up (and serving in general) as I compared my agonizing screams with Christ�s humble silence.

But during this time, I was really encouraged by those around me as I did not hear a single complaint about the trash or the heat. In fact, a whacko named Snugs was even singing hymns as he was picking up the most trash out of all of us. What a guy. Although I could not figure out why we were even out there most of the time, I heard that two people actually stopped to give their thanks, and even the sanitation people told us that they could see a difference. I never would have guessed. In summary, I have three main points that the Lord taught me in Arizona:

1. Different people have different gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6-�4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.�). I saw God using different types of people for various purposes. For example, VBS was a big ministry that I was rarely a part of. Even with the VBS we have every summer at church, I refuse to participate because I just do not have the heart or ability to work with younger children. I cannot stand those songs and dance moves and forced smiles (well, they�re forced for me). But when I saw some of the people from the other teams playing with the kids and getting all into the body worship, I realized that God has gifted the Church with different abilities for the sake of specific ministries. Another example is when I heard about how Pastor Jin was able to share the Gospel and give a Bible to a closed-off man named Wallace. I was originally going to commit to working with Wallace but felt discouraged after sensing his anti-Christian attitude/behavior. Pastor Jin was perfect for Wallace and God knew it all along. So crazy.

2. Actions speak louder than words. (James 2:17-18-�17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.�). We all know that actions are more meaningful than words alone. Snugs was a great example of this throughout the trip. That fool was ALWAYS serving through kitchen duty, picking up trash, playing with kids, etc. In the end, one of the Tohono O�odham people even gave him a very valuable gift because Snugs� heart and hard work were evident. Never did I hear a complaint or see a frown on that guy�s face (I really gotta stop praising him). I was also encouraged to see Pastor Jin actually living what he preaches every Sunday. There is nothing more real than to hear a man�s words being practiced before your very eyes. I have grown a deeper respect for the pastor I used to be discouraged by.

3. There is no excuse for not evangelizing! (Acts 4:18-20-� 18Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."). I thought about how many of us were so passionate to serve and evangelize during that one week in Sells. I thought about �mission highs� and being so committed to effective witnessing to the Native Americans. Then I thought some more and realized that we were only a couple of hundred miles away from home. We were not even in a foreign country! We did not have to learn a new language or experience an entirely different culture. We were practically still at home! So what�s going on here? What�s with all of the �missions-minded� attitudes?

In my support letter, I mentioned �using every opportunity to evangelize and be a servant of the Gospel in the area.� This, my friends, ought to be our attitude everywhere we go. If anything, we are ALWAYS on a �missions trip� because we are ALWAYS being a witness whether we like it or not. You are being either a good witness or a bad witness, but you are nonetheless a witness of Christ to those around you. Friends, we should always be open to evangelizing for there is no excuse. In fact, we can be the most effective right here in our very own cities because we do not have any language or cultural barriers. That is one difference I noticed between Paraguay and Arizona. You can develop much more meaningful relationships and be more effective right here in your own country (SO JOIN ARTESIA OUTREACH!).

In closing, I remember on one of the trash pick-up days, I was working with a guy named Min. He had moved to Phoenix from Korea just a year ago, and he was expressing how much he disliked Arizona. He complained of the heat, terrible food, and lack of activities in the area. Basically, he did not like the desert because it just straight up sucked. I could not disagree with the guy. I thought about the undesirable conditions and how even animals know better than to live in a place like Arizona. Then I realized that the desert is kind of like an unregenerated heart. We all once had hearts that were infinitely worse than deserts before God. Who would want to dwell or even change our desert-like hearts? Thanks be to God for His sacrificial love so that our hearts could also become a place that bears fruit. All the more reason for us to go out and plant seeds in other desert-like hearts. Join me on this mission!

Thought of the Day: D-DAY.
Song of the Day: Kevin Max-Existence

Two and a half years ago, Carol Lee asked me if I could help out with Artesia Outreach. Who would have known that saying YES to that question would ultimately mean saying YES to leading that ministry? It is incredible to see how much this ministry has changed in the past few years. The Lord has brought about much structure, organization, students, servants, and of course, evangelism in Artesia Outreach. Nevertheless, we cannot forget the many discouragements, struggles, and hardships that were endured.

I think Artesia Outreach is one of those ministries that people are turned off by as soon as they hear the words, "sacrifice", "tutoring", and "Saturday mornings." Don't get me wrong. I used to be one of those people as I assumed that there were so many others who were more qualified and passionate about this ministry. At the same time, my encouragement to the Church is to tweak your perspective into an evangelical one. As soon as one sees Artesia Outreach as just a free tutoring program for the community, it will eventually become an unhappy chore. But if you can see this ministry as a participation in the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), your service becomes a privilege and a joy.

God has blessed Artesia Outreach with some wonderful servants who continually bless me. More than the kind words and grateful attitudes that are expressed to me as their leader, I am encouraged by the humility, consistency, and commitment of the members of Outreach. When I am discouraged by the lack of tutors or misbehavior of students, I take great comfort in the fact that I do not face these sufferings alone (2 Cor. 1:3-11). Praise God that He chooses to use the weak things of this world to do great things for His glory!

This past year, we experienced a huge influx of Youth Group volunteers who helped meet our 1:1 teacher/student ratio. We also had a few College Group students join our Saturday task. However, with only Gilmer Yuon faithfully committing to this ministry, my hope is to see more EM volunteers who will respond to the need for more servants. Church of Christ, Artesia Outreach continually prays for your participation in serving the Lord!

Thought of the Day: SUPERMAN!
Song of the Day: Rebecca St. James-Lord Come Quickly

"surreal, but nice."
-Notting Hill

i graduated this past Saturday and celebrated with some faithful friends of mine. i still feel like a student because i have to study for my Math CSET. it's incredible how good i am at finding excuses to put off studying til the next day, and then the next day, and of course the day after that! but after reviewing my test schedules and speaking with my mom, it looks like Korea will be pushed back to around late September. i suppose it'll be nice to leave as soon as the UC's start up again. but besides my eagerness to start my new life abroad, i also want to leave sooner because my Samsung phone finally messed up on me. my screen is completely black so i cannot receive/send text messages, check caller id, or even look up names and digits. i was really hoping that my phone would last til the end of summer, but i guess two years can do a lot to a cell phone. if anyone has an old Verizon phone i can use, please holla at cha boy!

here's some random news that no one really

cares about: i sold my black graphite poolstick along with my brother's crappy excuse for wood. well, i haven't sold them yet, but i just wanted to get rid of my stick cause graphite cues really suck and wasn't doing me much good. so what better place to get rid of crap that you don't feel like packaging and shipping? isolditonebay store! i know i won't get as much for it but really, you're paying for the convenience. but not only did i sell our sticks; i also bought two new ones for $55. nothing special or pretty. just two plain cues that'll please me more than graphite garbage. man, i truly hated that stick. thank goodness it's off my hands.



this past Father's Day, June 18th, marked the one year anniversary since my family moved down to Buena Park. in this past year, i learned that my brother is very very forgetful. he always forgets to put his shoes away. he doesn't put his computer on standby. he doesn't do the dishes when he's supposed to, and my mom ends up doing them for him. yes, folks, my brother is an idiot and i can get very upset with him. the fact that he never corrects his mistakes doesn't help either. i'm sure if you ask him about his forgetfulness, he'll probably exclaim that i am exaggerating or absolutely fallacious. i tell him and tell him, but he doesn't change. today, i was reminded of my sinfulness and forgetfulness of the Gospel. i am no different from those idiot Israelites in 1 and 2 King/Chronicles who always forgot the Lord. i have the Bible, prayer, the church, and even Christian books and music to help me remember to live in obedience to Christ. there will always be people who upset you because of their sinfulness and imperfection. but may we continually be reminded of our humble Lord who incessantly shows us love and grace no matter how much we forget Him (Philippians 2).

Thought of the Day: Natural Numbers.
Song of the Day: Biggie-Juicy

the next time i blog, i will be a

with an

,

,
and a big


see you guys on the other side.

Thought of the Day: Happy Birthday, Snugs.
Song of the Day: Code Of Ethics-Well Done

a couple of weeks ago, i randomly started thinking about J and wondered whatever happened to her. then last week, we were equally surprised to find ourselves sitting next to each other in my psych class! J is an old dorm friend that i used to hang out with just about everyday since she was good friends with my roommate. i hadn't seen or heard about her since freshmen year. last night, we studied together and did some catching up. man, freshmen year was truly a fun year. lots and lots of playing with other students who don't feel like studying.

it's amazing to think of all the things that have happened since then. there's just so much that happens in your college years. so many bad times but so many MORE good times. i've read thousands of pages, attended hundreds of lectures, and taken too many tests. those i will not miss. eating in n' out every friday, doing biola every saturday, and having clusters every tuesday. those i will miss. it just seems like yesterday when priscilla was sitting across from me and dykas to keep us company before the cafe nite. it was just yesterday when i first met dinko and wondered why he talked SO much during bible study. it was just yesterday when i had long, yellow hair and everyone thought i was the coolest guy at CPC. amazing.

times and people will change but the Lord is steadfast forever. the God who loved Abraham, protected David, sent Jesus, and turned Saul into Paul is the same God who has "providenced" me in my college years. in response to Dinko's KCM song: YES, I LOVE MY JESUS!

the girl sitting next to me is struggling to stay awake. haha!

Thought of the Day: Czech Republic is #2 in the world.
Song of the Day: You Are God Alone

i've been having alotta trouble with my students lately. all the bad things from drawing while i'm talking to lying straight to my face. sometimes, i get so mad at them that i start acting really immature on their own level. i feel really low afterwards. i can't tell you how many times i've desired to resort to violence. if they only knew, right?

i know people who are crazy stingy. i see people who spend so much money on trivial things for themselves yet can't spare a few bucks to buy me a meal. i know people who talk so much crap and complain about everything while the whole world can see that person's hypocrisy. i know complete jerks who act ridiculously different whenever people of the opposite gender walk into the room. i see stupid idiots who think the real smart people are stupid idiots. you can imagine how much judgement goes on in my mind and heart. if they only knew, right?

i can see so many of your mistakes. i take pity on your stupid jokes and comments. your contradictory words/actions are deafeningly loud and clear to my ears/eyes. you are so unattractive and awkward that i have no hope in y0u. you are a terrible person. if you only knew, right?

earlier today, a sister asked me what i do when my heart is hardened. i just told her that it's really hard for me or some dumb answer like that. i didn't really answer her question. i later realized that i just have to go back to the Gospel. while i was so despicable and detestable to Christ, He still showed (and continues to show) me a love greater than any parent or friend can show. if i have been shown so much undeserving love, how much more ought i love those who sin against me? if your heart is ever hard as stone, it must be softened with the humility of Christ.

Philippians 2:5-8-
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature^[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature^[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death�
even death on a cross!

just like we sang today, TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS.

Thought of the Day: Lady Luck.
Song of the Day: Heavenly Sunlight

today, my professor told us that if we want to scare away Jehovah's Witnesses, we should start taking off our clothes in front of them. i thought it was pretty funny.

i was daydreaming today and remembered a time in third grade when we had a gift exchange around Christmas time. i don't know if my mom was crazy stingy or my family was really poor, but my mom had the brilliant idea of using one of my old, naked Ninja Turtles as my gift. it was poorly wrapped and very unattractive to the other students. i don't remember the details, but i remember getting my own gift back for the gift exchange. i was so disappointed and embarrassed that i cried when i opened it. i wonder what my mom was thinking.

for my hiphop class, our final is to do a group presentation of a hiphop element or artist. my group chose to do Nas. out of the 7 members, i am the only Asian. but the crazy thing that gets to me is that i am the unofficial group leader. i came up with all of the ideas for the project. i delegated all of the responsibilities to everyone. everyone asks me if i think their ideas are cool. it's so weird. i am never the group project leader EVER. i really dislike working on group projects though. there's always one or two people who just don't do their jobs right. they give the whackiest ideas or don't show up on time. i learned in my psych. class that while group projects are meant to encourage teamwork and cooperation, our society has emphasized success and individuality so much that we don't care about the groupwork because we are so focused on our own grades. very very true.

lately, i've been wearing the same clothes over and over again. the main reason is because i'm always sleeping over someone's house/apt. i remember i used to care so much about what people thought of my clothes in high school. it probably has something to do with being teased for wearing tight jeans in middle school. man, those were some terrible times. i remember i had the most uncomfortable time trying to sag my oh so tight jeans. sometimes it didn't work out either because you'd be able to see my underwear through my white shirt. thank goodness college doesn't give a crap about how you dress. as long as i don't smell, i can keep wearing the same pants over and over again.

Thought of the Day: Encino Man.
Song of the Day: Nas-One Time 4 Your Mind