MrLee311 (오전 9:58:12): hey
MrLee311 (오전 9:58:15): your back?
Pretzelboi96 (오전 9:58:22): hello, chris
Pretzelboi96 (오전 9:58:25): not quite
Pretzelboi96 (오전 9:58:28): still far far away
MrLee311 (오전 9:58:31): how could you leavec without telling me
MrLee311 (오전 9:58:34): im so mad at you
Chris is so funny.
Last night, two of my co-teachers took me out to dinner and noraebang. It's really interesting eating and drinking with pagans. They felt bad that they couldn't take me to a strip club and buy me a lap dance. "But it's your birthday!" they would say. For what it's worth, I appreciated the thought. It was also really fun singing with these non-Koreanized people...even if one of them was drunk and tone deaf.
Thought of the Day: Shady.
Song of the Day: The Beatles-A Hard Day's Night
March 28, 2007
March 26, 2007
March 24, 2007
There's been alotta hype surrounding Kim Yu Na, the 16-year-old junior figure skating champion. Today, she had a chance to win the championship in Japan, but she fell twice. After her Japanese rival, Mao Asada, skated her nearly impeccable performance, I just stopped watching."Being number one is everything. There is no second place. Second sucks."
-Bob "Bull" Hurley from Over The Top
When Mao Asada had finished her performance, she was in tears because she knew that she had won. Even if she is Japanese, you can't help but feel happy for her. She must have worked so hard.
One day, I want to be in tears for working so hard and finishing on top. I want to be able to face God Himself with confidence that I worked so hard in this life to please my king. It's crazy to know that I already come out on top.
Thought of the Day: Over The Top.
Song of the Day: 2pac & Scarface-Smile
March 22, 2007
One of the worst things to come home to is an email account with no new emails. It really crushes my day because I always expect at least one measly email.
When I go to my LG job, I have to go up five flights of stairs in the subway station. It's hard to see in the picture, but the last set of stairs is actually three mini flights of stairs. Whenever I exercise in the morning, I consciously think about how I need to be in good enough shape to do those stairs without much trouble. Those stairs really killed me the first time.
This is the view from the room that I meet in. It's a fantastic view in real life.
The tall building in the back is the 63 Building, Korea's tallest building.
Today, Angelo and I talked about how so many people think that money and career = happiness. I learned that Bangladesh has the highest index of happiness. By the end of class, I think I got Angelo really thinking about what he considers happiness. On our way out, he asked one of the secretaries if she was happy. That was funny.
I started studying Korean on my own every night for one hour (more like 45 minutes). I basically make flash cards, memorize, and will start on an easy Korean novel next week. Studying after running around a 12 hour work day requires a huge discipline on my part. It actually feels a lot like exercise: you hate the thought of doing it, but once you've finished for the day, you feel really good. On a realistic note, I no longer have dreams of becoming fluent within the next 1.5 years. I will merely have an improved vocabulary and a better sense of the culture. With my current lifestyle and exposure (or lack of), fluency is out of the question. God has brought me to Seoul for other purposes.
For the past several weeks, I've been going out to dinner with my co-teachers at least once a week. In our past two dinners, the issue of religion has always come up. I happen to be the only Christian teacher at my hakwon, so everyone notices when I pray for my meals. Anyways, they have these intense, critical discussions about how Mormans are super nice or why Jehovah's Witnesses are ridiculous. In the end, they are strongly opposed to religion, and I'm just sitting there silently with my mouth full of pork and vegetables. Last week, Kathy's boyfriend even tried to challenge me to a discussion about hell and condemnation, but I didn't further the conversation because 1) I was timid and 2) it would have just led to angry, disorganized debate. Psalm 56:5-6 says, "All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life." When it comes down to it, I lack boldness and care too much about "what if I stumble?" This lone christian thing is hard.
Speaking of work, I actually gave my resignation notice to my boss today. I sought a lot of advice, asked for prayers, and cried out to God myself. After six months at Elite, the irony is that I'm leaving because of personal obligations, not mere dissatisfaction. I actually have a great fear and worry for Elite. Next month, we're supposed to move to another floor. By May, Kathy and I will be gone. By June, our secretary will be married and probably be gone as well. If there was ever a time to quit, now is not the time. I'm sorry, Wonjangneem. I don't have a choice.
As soon as I wrote down "3/22/07" on my homework sheet today, I literally remembered that it was Terrance's birthday.
Happy Birthday, Terrance!
Thought of the Day: Airfare.
Song of the Day: Muse-Starlight
When I go to my LG job, I have to go up five flights of stairs in the subway station. It's hard to see in the picture, but the last set of stairs is actually three mini flights of stairs. Whenever I exercise in the morning, I consciously think about how I need to be in good enough shape to do those stairs without much trouble. Those stairs really killed me the first time.
This is the view from the room that I meet in. It's a fantastic view in real life.
The tall building in the back is the 63 Building, Korea's tallest building.
Today, Angelo and I talked about how so many people think that money and career = happiness. I learned that Bangladesh has the highest index of happiness. By the end of class, I think I got Angelo really thinking about what he considers happiness. On our way out, he asked one of the secretaries if she was happy. That was funny.
I started studying Korean on my own every night for one hour (more like 45 minutes). I basically make flash cards, memorize, and will start on an easy Korean novel next week. Studying after running around a 12 hour work day requires a huge discipline on my part. It actually feels a lot like exercise: you hate the thought of doing it, but once you've finished for the day, you feel really good. On a realistic note, I no longer have dreams of becoming fluent within the next 1.5 years. I will merely have an improved vocabulary and a better sense of the culture. With my current lifestyle and exposure (or lack of), fluency is out of the question. God has brought me to Seoul for other purposes.
For the past several weeks, I've been going out to dinner with my co-teachers at least once a week. In our past two dinners, the issue of religion has always come up. I happen to be the only Christian teacher at my hakwon, so everyone notices when I pray for my meals. Anyways, they have these intense, critical discussions about how Mormans are super nice or why Jehovah's Witnesses are ridiculous. In the end, they are strongly opposed to religion, and I'm just sitting there silently with my mouth full of pork and vegetables. Last week, Kathy's boyfriend even tried to challenge me to a discussion about hell and condemnation, but I didn't further the conversation because 1) I was timid and 2) it would have just led to angry, disorganized debate. Psalm 56:5-6 says, "All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life." When it comes down to it, I lack boldness and care too much about "what if I stumble?" This lone christian thing is hard.
Speaking of work, I actually gave my resignation notice to my boss today. I sought a lot of advice, asked for prayers, and cried out to God myself. After six months at Elite, the irony is that I'm leaving because of personal obligations, not mere dissatisfaction. I actually have a great fear and worry for Elite. Next month, we're supposed to move to another floor. By May, Kathy and I will be gone. By June, our secretary will be married and probably be gone as well. If there was ever a time to quit, now is not the time. I'm sorry, Wonjangneem. I don't have a choice.
As soon as I wrote down "3/22/07" on my homework sheet today, I literally remembered that it was Terrance's birthday.
Happy Birthday, Terrance!
Thought of the Day: Airfare.
Song of the Day: Muse-Starlight
March 11, 2007
March 10, 2007
I've been praying about a lot of things lately. On Thursday, I was at a point where I was so discouraged that I felt like God wasn't listening to me (which is pretty rare for me). As I told one of my friends, uncertainty is the most dreadful thing in the world. But by Friday, I got two long awaited prayer requests answered, both dealing with potential jobs. It was just like my dad predicted; God's gonna answer everything all at once! Well, not everything, but it was a big chunk of everything.
Many of you may not know, but I started having English conversational classes with some LG employees twice a week before I go to work. When you go to the LG Twin Tower building, you get a strong sense of professionalism and upper class. Ain't no Elite English Institute.
This is generally what our classroom looks like. The chairs are extremely comfortable, and the area is very quiet. It's really weird being this young guy facilitating conversation and teaching people who are at at least a decade older than me. But we have some good discussions and laughs. On our first day, I asked everyone to introduce themselves with their English names. I had names ranging from Kevin to Lucia to Angelo. That Angelo totally grabbed me by surprise...freakin' 40 year old Korean man named Angelo. Hilarious. In our last class, I asked everyone to talk about their hobbies. One guy said that he liked to play Starcraft. It's funny imagining these hardworking office workers playing computer games during their down time.
For all you former KCPC people, Hyunsoo Ra (aka Teacher Hyunsoo (aka Mike Ra)) got married today. It was the first Korean wedding I've ever been to. I know that everyone has their own style, but this wedding seemed very particular to me, probably because it was a kyopo marrying a native. They tried their best to bilingualize (I know that's not a word) everything, which made some parts of the ceremony a bit awkward. But through it all, Hyunsoo and his bride looked terribly happy. Despite their cultural differences and backgrounds, they both love each other very much. It reminded me of how different Christ and the Church are. But with Christ's love, all differences are of no matter. To Mr. and Mrs. Hyunsoo Ra, just as the banner read in the dining hall, I, too, wish you a "HAPPY! WEDDING".
Random: I saw Pastor Mingy or Mingee or Minky or whatever his name is at the wedding. I also met a guy who went to Burlingame High School. Burlingame!
After the wedding, my dad and I had dinner with some family friends of ours. Another thing that you may not know is that my dad is having some major disc problems. His left arm always feels like he's "being stabbed with a knife" because of the nerves. We're not doing so hot financially, but he's in so much pain that he's ready to go into surgery any day. Anyways, after dinner, the adults decided to pray for my dad because one of the ladies had the "gift of healing." As we were praying for him, she started busting out tongues and the shaking, so I was getting more upset than uncomfortable. My dad doesn't really believe in supernatural gifts either, so he thought it was a lil bogus, too. It was funny cause my dad was trying to hint to the lady that she could stop cause her arms might be tired. As we were going home, he told me all that pushing and "healing" only gave him more pain. Go fig.
For one of my classes, I'm reading a book called "Sarah, Plain and Tall." As Sarah talks about her hometown, she says, "There's always something to miss, no matter where you are." People always ask me if I miss America or the friends that I left. As much as I'm enjoying Korea, there are some things that I do miss. I can go on and on about pollo asado burritos or playing hold'em, but the number one, superficial thing that I miss about home is driving. I remember after coming back from Paraguay (2.5 weeks), Edu and I shared how we totally sucked at driving. I actually dread the thought of not knowing how to manuever my car like I used to. Nevertheless, I didn't expect to miss driving. I must emphasize that I miss driving in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I have absolutely no desire to wheel around the streets of Seoul. That is a NO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
It was my cousin's birthday yesterday, and as I was hurrying to buy a dvd, I found this.
It's not perfect, but neither is he. HA! I hear that the Dago will be leaving for China next month or so. I really miss that sheki, too.
Random: I told one of my classes the story of how Dinko got his name, and they loved it. Even my dad thinks DINKO is a funny name.
Thought of the Day: Stranger.
Song of the Day: Miura Daichi-17 Ways
Many of you may not know, but I started having English conversational classes with some LG employees twice a week before I go to work. When you go to the LG Twin Tower building, you get a strong sense of professionalism and upper class. Ain't no Elite English Institute.
This is generally what our classroom looks like. The chairs are extremely comfortable, and the area is very quiet. It's really weird being this young guy facilitating conversation and teaching people who are at at least a decade older than me. But we have some good discussions and laughs. On our first day, I asked everyone to introduce themselves with their English names. I had names ranging from Kevin to Lucia to Angelo. That Angelo totally grabbed me by surprise...freakin' 40 year old Korean man named Angelo. Hilarious. In our last class, I asked everyone to talk about their hobbies. One guy said that he liked to play Starcraft. It's funny imagining these hardworking office workers playing computer games during their down time.
For all you former KCPC people, Hyunsoo Ra (aka Teacher Hyunsoo (aka Mike Ra)) got married today. It was the first Korean wedding I've ever been to. I know that everyone has their own style, but this wedding seemed very particular to me, probably because it was a kyopo marrying a native. They tried their best to bilingualize (I know that's not a word) everything, which made some parts of the ceremony a bit awkward. But through it all, Hyunsoo and his bride looked terribly happy. Despite their cultural differences and backgrounds, they both love each other very much. It reminded me of how different Christ and the Church are. But with Christ's love, all differences are of no matter. To Mr. and Mrs. Hyunsoo Ra, just as the banner read in the dining hall, I, too, wish you a "HAPPY! WEDDING".
Random: I saw Pastor Mingy or Mingee or Minky or whatever his name is at the wedding. I also met a guy who went to Burlingame High School. Burlingame!
After the wedding, my dad and I had dinner with some family friends of ours. Another thing that you may not know is that my dad is having some major disc problems. His left arm always feels like he's "being stabbed with a knife" because of the nerves. We're not doing so hot financially, but he's in so much pain that he's ready to go into surgery any day. Anyways, after dinner, the adults decided to pray for my dad because one of the ladies had the "gift of healing." As we were praying for him, she started busting out tongues and the shaking, so I was getting more upset than uncomfortable. My dad doesn't really believe in supernatural gifts either, so he thought it was a lil bogus, too. It was funny cause my dad was trying to hint to the lady that she could stop cause her arms might be tired. As we were going home, he told me all that pushing and "healing" only gave him more pain. Go fig.
For one of my classes, I'm reading a book called "Sarah, Plain and Tall." As Sarah talks about her hometown, she says, "There's always something to miss, no matter where you are." People always ask me if I miss America or the friends that I left. As much as I'm enjoying Korea, there are some things that I do miss. I can go on and on about pollo asado burritos or playing hold'em, but the number one, superficial thing that I miss about home is driving. I remember after coming back from Paraguay (2.5 weeks), Edu and I shared how we totally sucked at driving. I actually dread the thought of not knowing how to manuever my car like I used to. Nevertheless, I didn't expect to miss driving. I must emphasize that I miss driving in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I have absolutely no desire to wheel around the streets of Seoul. That is a NO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
It was my cousin's birthday yesterday, and as I was hurrying to buy a dvd, I found this.
It's not perfect, but neither is he. HA! I hear that the Dago will be leaving for China next month or so. I really miss that sheki, too.
Random: I told one of my classes the story of how Dinko got his name, and they loved it. Even my dad thinks DINKO is a funny name.
Thought of the Day: Stranger.
Song of the Day: Miura Daichi-17 Ways
March 7, 2007
So far, I've found a Priscilla and Zen store. The other day, I found an Olivia. What's wrong with this country?
There's a girl in my class named Jenny, and I recently realized that she looks like a girl version of my brother. The ironic thing is, she has a freakin' hilarious laugh that makes the whole class crack up. If Simon had turned out to be a girl, I'm confident that I'd have a sister named Jenny. I wish you guys could hear her laugh.
Yesterday was just a weird day. Nothing went right with making plans, finding jobs, or even receiving emails. I guess random snow in the month of March is a pretty clear sign that things just aren't going right. At least, I got my Boys to cheer me up:
Thought of the Day: 24 Season 1 finished.
Song of the Day: Nirvana-Smells Like Teen Spirit
March 3, 2007
I celebrated my March 1st Independence Movement day by visiting the Unification Observatory. In other words, I got to see North Korea...from very far away. One thing I've come to appreciate is this country's history and culture. Before, I really could not understand why Koreans hated Japan so much. I thought Korean history was crazy boring. Even the whole North and South Korea split, I didn't see what the big deal was. Ignorance is a vile thing.
But before the main event, I had some expensive, foreign food with some friends.
Before we started our meal, my friend was telling me how her brother eats a GRIP. She was going on and on about how much he loved to eat and whatnot.
It's not like I was trying to beat him, but I cleaned up pretty well...
and was very happy.
Provence Village (that is not a typo).
Finally, we hit up the observatory. That is not North Korea.
This is North Korea. One interesting the hyung told me was that you'll notice that there's no trees. He said it's not just the border, but the whole country is like that. The poor country lacks lots of natural resouces.
There was also this huge drum that kept going off. People are supposed to hit it three times for the unification of Korea. It felt great to hit that drum as I wholeheartedly wished for unity.
I also met someone very special. Look how happy she looks.
Today, I had some time to kill, so I visited a palace all by myself.
So
very
very
boring.
My dad was watching The Ten Commandments on his computer last night. I watched some of it with him and realized how inconsistent many of the parts are with the Bible. For example, Moses from the movie was confident and eloquent. Why did they even bother to put Aaron in the movie? Anyways, I remember watching it in second grade and being utterly amazed by the whole thing. I specifically remember being in awe of God and promising to never sin again. Haha. I used to do that a lot. Even in youth group, after some energetic rally or retreat, I'd always tell God that I'd never sin ever again. How utterly wrong I was.
Many people feel that Christianity enslaves people to good works and no fun. The irony is that Christ frees us from good works and shows us what real "fun" is. How many people out there are trying to win God's favor by their good works? No church attendance, passionate prayer, or Bible reading is going to get you into heaven. We all need a mediator. The perfect mediator.
I have made a terrible habit of going to bed past 3am. My social life consists of 24 and GAG skits. They are so very different.
Thought of the Day: Elddeereeddee.
Song of the Day: The Beatles-Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
But before the main event, I had some expensive, foreign food with some friends.
Before we started our meal, my friend was telling me how her brother eats a GRIP. She was going on and on about how much he loved to eat and whatnot.
It's not like I was trying to beat him, but I cleaned up pretty well...
and was very happy.
Provence Village (that is not a typo).
Finally, we hit up the observatory. That is not North Korea.
This is North Korea. One interesting the hyung told me was that you'll notice that there's no trees. He said it's not just the border, but the whole country is like that. The poor country lacks lots of natural resouces.
There was also this huge drum that kept going off. People are supposed to hit it three times for the unification of Korea. It felt great to hit that drum as I wholeheartedly wished for unity.
I also met someone very special. Look how happy she looks.
Today, I had some time to kill, so I visited a palace all by myself.
So
very
very
boring.
My dad was watching The Ten Commandments on his computer last night. I watched some of it with him and realized how inconsistent many of the parts are with the Bible. For example, Moses from the movie was confident and eloquent. Why did they even bother to put Aaron in the movie? Anyways, I remember watching it in second grade and being utterly amazed by the whole thing. I specifically remember being in awe of God and promising to never sin again. Haha. I used to do that a lot. Even in youth group, after some energetic rally or retreat, I'd always tell God that I'd never sin ever again. How utterly wrong I was.
Many people feel that Christianity enslaves people to good works and no fun. The irony is that Christ frees us from good works and shows us what real "fun" is. How many people out there are trying to win God's favor by their good works? No church attendance, passionate prayer, or Bible reading is going to get you into heaven. We all need a mediator. The perfect mediator.
I have made a terrible habit of going to bed past 3am. My social life consists of 24 and GAG skits. They are so very different.
Thought of the Day: Elddeereeddee.
Song of the Day: The Beatles-Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)