Last post of 2008.

How to spend a New Year's Eve:

1. Tutor from 9-7:40.

2. Cancel 돌돌이 plans (I know, right?).

3. Watch an episode of LOST.

4. Read a chapter from The Purpose Driven Life.

5. Finish reading Momo.

6. Watch an episode of 30Rock.

7. Wish my mom a Happy New Year over the phone.

Quotes of the day:

"HAPPY NEW YORK!"

Me: My new year's resolution is to...
Student: Get a girlfriend?

9 years ago from now, the world was anticipating the start of a new millennium. I celebrated it the right way-I went to bed. And with that said, I am now going to bed once again on New Year's Eve. Happy New Year!

Thought of the Day: Happy New Year!
Song of the Day: 숙명 가야금 연주단-Let It Be

This week's persecuted church: Vietnam
Hmong people, an ethnic minority group, has been growing in the number of Christians. However, the government sees it as a threat and many are being persecuted. Bounty hunters are offered $44 for every human head. Men are having their Achilles tendons cut off. People are tied up and thrown into rivers to drown. But the church continues to grow rapidly.


I was waiting for the subway today and saw our church on the huge local map. I think it's really neat how they drew the picture of the building quite accurately.

As today is the last Sunday of 2008, our small group shared New Year's Resolutions for 2009. Last year was the first time in my life where I made real resolutions. The amazing part is that I not only accomplished them but went even further with my goals.

Goal #1: Finish memorizing 1,000 Korean vocabulary words.
Result: Memorized 1,100 words.

Goal #2: Finish reading 흥부전 and 심청전.
Result: Finished both AND 장화홍련전.

I actually really wanted to finish 콩쥐 팥지전 too, but December just became way too busy. But after I finish that, I want to read 소나기. Just goin' down the list. If I become really ambitious, I might even take my dad's advice and start some basic 한자 too. Ugh. It never ends!

I'm all done with 30Rock, so now I'm on to LOST. Both so very different.

Memorable Quotes:
"You wanna get drunk?"
"No, there's too many phones in here."

"A guaranteed disaster! Like eating a burrito before having sex."

I'll miss you Miss Lemon just like I missed Dwight Schrute.

My good friend, Zen, told me that 2008 was a really bad year for her. I agree with her. In fact, I think it was one of the worst years of my life. Thank goodness it is almost over! Nevertheless, it had its good memories that will go down in Phil history.

(in no particular order)
-Yom in Korea
-Wednesday morning Bible studies
-church retreats
-고성
-Dark Knight
-snowboarding
-escape from Elite prison
-Shenyang
-every single dinner at 돌돌이
-every single dinner with 정우
-도계 trip
-나미섬
-mom in Korea
-Jeju
-Olympics
-monthly dates with 정원

Thanks for the memories, 2008. Let's see what you got, '09.

Thought of the Day: 비빔밥
Song of the Day: The Postal Service-Such Great Heights

Funny how every time I hang out with Jae, we hang out like crazy. On this Christmas day, we watched our favorite chick flick at his 비디오방.


Where's my girl standing in front of me asking him to love her?

On the way home, I listened to all these old school slow jams that I used to listen to in my teens. I went back to slow dancing to Boyz II Men in 7th grade and to those sleepless nights because of some girl who had stolen my heart. As I was listening to Brandy, I came to realize that there have actually been three separate girls who made me cry! Girls may be physically weaker than guys, but when it comes to hearts, they're freakin' buff and ruthless. *sigh* Our kryptonite that we cannot live without.

Thought of the Day: 마늘 떡볶이
Song of the Day: Ronan Keating-When You Say Nothing At All

I think today's sermon was the best Christmas sermon I've ever heard in my life. I didn't know that angels only sang at creation and Jesus' birth. I didn't know that shepherds were like thugs. I didn't know that Bethlehem was a no name town like Burlingame. But the most amazing thing was the parallel that Luke gives!

Jesus' Birth
Luke 2:7-She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Jesus' Death
Luke 23:53-Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.

I was convicted to live more responsively to the Gospel once again. Pax Christi!

Thought of the Day: Mama Mia!
Song of the Day: Neyo-Because Of You Remix

Super X-mas Land. I can't believe it's already been 4 years.

When I was in high school and college, I used to go crazy with Christmas gifts. I'd literally spend hundreds of dollars every year, choosing clever gifts that I thought family and friends would appreciate. This year, I made the most money I've ever made in my life. But as far as Christmas gifts go, let's just say I'm not in high school anymore.

The other night, I had a goodbye dinner with an old coworker. There were two remarkable things that she said to me that night. Number one. "I want a relationship with a guy like the relationship that you have with 삼겹살." Number two. "...you're the first person in a very long time who actually made me want to be a Christian..." Like woah.

14 students. Extravaganza begins Monday. -8 degrees. Bring it.

Thought of the Day: Ivy
Song of the Day: Epik High-One

For those who share my love for hip hop:

Kool Moe Dee vs. Busy Bee...


First, Busy Bee.

Second, Kool Moe totally destroys him!

Here's a lil visual and perspective.

Here's what we have today.

KRS-One speaks.

There is definitely no one more passionate about hip hop than KRS-One. Every time he speaks, he seriously cannot and will not stop talking. He's very big on educating others on understanding hip hop culture and bringing change to community. I wish I had the same passion for spreading the gospel.

Thought of the Day: Tazza.
Song of the Day: Kool Moe Dee vs. Busy Bee Battle

This Week's Persecuted Church: Bangladesh

Laila Begum, 45-year-old convert from Islam, was stopped by a dozen Muslim neighbors who blocked her way and demanded money (about $3 US). Then they beat her, her husband, and son with iron rods and sticks. Local officials threatened to burn their houses down and evict them from the area if they filed a case against them. This is just one story out of the thousands in Bangladesh. Please remember them.


After watching the movie, I decided to read the actual book. I wish I had read the book first because all I could imagine were the various movie scenes. Honestly, I was disappointed by the things he chose to write about in his book. I wonder what kind of book I'd write if my only means of communication was through blinking. It was still quite something to think that I had read a book that was written with a left eye.
Now here's a book that I've been meaning to read for a while now. When I first met Momo at last year's Christmas party, she told me that she had chosen her name because of this book. I just started it, but early on it says, "...what Momo was better at than anyone else was listening. Anyone can listen, you may say - what's so special about that? - but you'd be wrong. Very few people know how to listen properly, and Momo's way of listening was quite unique." I think Momo lives up to her name.

Thought of the Day: 성막
Song of the Day: Krs-One-Ova Here

These days, I'm going nuts with ramen and chocopie. When I was young, I used to love ramen so much that sometimes I'd put the noodles in my mouth and just suck out all the soup before chewing them. But as I got older, I learned that ramen was bad for you and practically never touched the stuff. In fact, in college, I probably averaged two ramens per year (emergency food). Now, I ALWAYS throw in a cheese as I discovered the pleasures of cheese ramen. As for chocopie, I just never thought much of it even when I was young. But after coming to Korea, I learned the secret of freezing the chocolate marshmallow. Now I go bonkers every winter. I feel like a pregnant woman.
Another winter change my body experiences is dry skin. I absolutely cannot stop scratching my arms and legs. I don't know what I'd do without my milk & honey body lotion. Nevertheless, lotion doesn't last forever, and I go back to indulging my itch.

I just found out that my whole building gets one large water bill, so the residents split the bill 12 ways. Our electricity bill is divided by floors, which means that we split with our next door neighbor. We asked our landlord about it, but he just said to wait until they approached us. After living here for exactly two months now, we still have yet to pay for any electricity. *shrug* He's the boss. The billing system is so funny here. I could just leave my bathroom light on 24 hours!

Thought of the Day: 수도
Song of the Day: Showbiz & A.G.-The Next Level

This week's persecuted church: Cuba
Pastor Gude Perez was imprisoned for 6 months for "human trafficking," taking money to help people leave the country. He is involved with the "Apostolic Reformation," a group that is active in evangelism and church growth. The leaders and church members are harassed and threatened, and his wife can only see him once every 21 days. Remember the Christians of Cuba!

This past week, I learned that my dad is actually a pluralist, believing that all religions lead to God. I also learned that my 실장님 hadn't been going to church this whole time. The last time she had gone was in high school! I'm realizing that being a Christian can get harder as you get older. Life really ain't no youth group retreat. This world is so broken.So my phone started updating something through the Internet after I had tried to receive a certification approval text message. After the update, my phone started showing the weather forecast for the next three days. I was scared out of my mind that I'd have to pay for every second of Internet usage, but it turns out that it's all free. If I'm not connecting to the Internet, how am I getting these weather updates? Cell phones are crazy! And, no, that is not a cool picture of my phone.

Thought of the Day: Navigators
Song of the Day: Natalie Grant-In Christ Alone

I've been going to our Wednesday morning prayer meetings for a month now. Every time I wake up for it, I tell myself that I'm going to call Mike to tell him that I won't be making it out. But I somehow end up dragging myself out of bed and into the subway train. It's been really good every time I've gone, and I encourage everyone to join our 5 or less people group.

This week, I got a chance to meet Alex and Shinae, our Korean Canadian married couple. In one of our conversations, we were complaining about how Korean and Chinese people are notorious for selling fake goods. But out of no where, Alex simply exclaimed, "We got skills!" It was so funny hearing that from him, especially in the context of the conversation. It reminded me of the time when my high school friend, Pat, got a water cup at Taco Bell but used it to get free soda. I told him that he was a cheap Korean to which he responded, "Yea Yea, Korean Pride!" This incident reminds me of the story that Pastor Ryan told in one of his sermons when his dad would pick up pennies from the ground and say, "Penny도 돈이야!" This anecdote reminds me of the times when my mom would take towels home from the gym that she used to work out at. Just ask Simon...we have a GANG of towels at home. Koreans are so funny.

My old coworker and buddy, Brian, wrote to me today. Here's a sample of what he wrote:

"If you aren't happy, you gotta change things. Your life story isn't already written man, you are writing it yourself, every f*cking day! So carpe mother f*cking diem."

"I drank to you and to the best job in the world a couple of times here. People just kind of look at me like I'm crazy. That's true and all, but still.

You're always my boy Phil. Always got your back."

I had a good laugh at the carpe dium part. Brian is a good reminder to me that this world is full of very lost people. He also reminds me that people actually do swear a lot in emails and chatting...something I'm not very used to. But yeah, he promised me the best time in Thailand, so that's my next biggest goal. I'm gonna throw Korean girlfriend out the window.

I started reading Roald Dahl's Collected Stories. The only problem is that it's over 800 pages and heavier than my Bible. Not only is it a pain to carry around, but I get even more stares in the subway. I'm sure the cover doesn't help either. Which is why I'm going to Kyobo tomorrow to buy Kite Runner and Momo (the book). I can read Roald Dahl shamelessly alone in my room and read the others shamelessly out in public. I can't believe I'm buying books now.

I finished The Office. I finished Arrested Development. Guess who's next in line.

Tina Fey is great!

Thought of the Day: 1일 이체 한도...
Song of the Day: Lee Hyun Woo-마취

This week's Persecuted Church: Iraq-Over a month ago, a 60-year-old woman, fleeing from persecution in Mosul, entered a secret hideout in Iraq where 19 other Christian families were staying. She told them of her story about how her brother was shot in front of his own children after masked gunmen had checked his identification and confirmed that he was a Christian. Remember this 60-year-old Iraqi woman and thousands of others who have fled Mosul, Iraq.
(Persecution.org)

Thought of the Day: Adulterer.
Song of the Day: Mok-Heavenly Light

Some kids pick their nose and eat their boogers. My student scratches his hair or rubs his toes and smells his fingers. He's done it for so long that I can't bring myself to address it to him now. I gag every time he does it...especially when I can smell the oil from his hair.

I got a chance to check out Enoch's awesome company, SAS.
The dark side of SAS, that is.
This is where he carries out his delightful Monday-Fridays (and sometimes, Saturdays).

Some people have an obsession with cleaning. My obsession is organization...or to be more exact, RE-organization. I've been sleeping on my new mattress without a bed cover for a while and decided to be patient until my dad ordered one online. But as I was moving my bed around (for the nth time) today, I had an epiphany. I could do to my bed what Vincent and Jules did to their car in Pulp Fiction!

백지영 is back with another heart-wrenching song. There is seriously no other singer who can touch my heart like she does.

Thought of the Day: Rapper.
Song of the Day: 백지영-총맞은 것처럼

Last night, I had dinner with my mom's two best friends. We seriously ate SO much last night. Including my dad, it was just the four of us, but we ended up packing away 7인분 worth of 삼겹살. That's right, 7 orders of meat, and that doesn't include the 계란찜 and the 볶음밥 afterwards. 아저씨 was also on a drinking spree, so there were about 7 bottles of soju too. I kept trying to order the 볶음밥 after finishing the meat (cause I was dying), but he'd keep saying, "가만있어봐...1인분 더 주세요!" The whole night was just "여기 1인분 더 주세요." "여기 소주 하나 더 주세요." Man, 아저씨 was really amazing last night. So powerful.

Today is Thanksgiving, my saddest day of the year. I asked my LG class what they were thankful for from 2008. I don't know if it was just a coincidence or not, but the non-Christians weren't really thankful for anything in particular while the Christians had various things. For myself, the first thought I had was the new friends I made this year, Momo and Mike. Both in their 30s and married. Not something I can relate to, but they were (and are) very important to me in 2008. Of all the people that I know in my life, minus my mom, they probably pray for me the most. Thank you so much for being such good friends!

Living in Seoul, I've been meeting a lot of single women who are no longer in their 20s. I feel really sad when I see them having no luck with the men. And the thing is, they're really great catches. Ok, some are just good, but still. What is to happen to them? They should be bearing children right now, but they're no better than me. I'd marry them if I could.

Thought of the Day: 절망
Song of the Day: DJ Fobtastic-Fobulous Megamix II

"If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all." My blog sucks these days.

Thought of the Day: Odessa File
Song of the Day: As Tall As Lions-Christmas Song

There aren't too many people have seen Arrested Development, but it definitely has its moments. I'm particularly fond of Gob's obnoxious chicken taunt.

"Pound is Tic-Tac-Toe, right?"
-Gob

I just woke up only to find out that I had NOT impregnated Mariah Carey. In the dream, I was specifically telling Dinko, "You know those terrible situations where everything is going wrong, but then you wake up only to realize it was a bad dream? Well, this isn't one of those dreams!" Dreams can be so deceptive, and apparently so can I.

It's hard to find a clean picture of Mariah Carey.

Thought of the Day: 양상추.
Song of the Day: Taesaja-Time

In our small group, we look at one country/church/group of Christians that experience persecution because of their faith. We take a glimpse at what struggle(s) they go through (thanks to persecution.org) and pray for them. Please join us in praying for a different group every week.

This week's Persecuted Church: Eritrea-In 2002, the government only allowed three churches to register with them, which means that all other churches would be unlawful. Faith Missions Church, which had been doing evangelistic activities for 50 years, had to go underground. Bu on October 12 (a little over a month ago), on a Sunday morning, they were raided and arrested by police-20 believers. This is just one church out of thousands of Eritrean Christians in jail.

Hebrews 13:3-"Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."

Since I'll be posting about different Christians each week in our church forum, I thought might as well post on my blog too. I'm sure many may just gloss over this kind of stuff, but for the few who are willing to spare an extra minute, I think it'd be great to have just a little more awareness of what's going on out there in the world.

In December, my tutoring network will branch out to places like 압구정 and 개포동. Those that know me a lil better know that I have a passion for hating the 강남 area. It's far, crowded, and expensive. Ultimately, it's overrated. Nevertheless, I am being sent to such a place just as Jonah was sent to Ninevah. Right now, I can't afford to turn these down, but I do hope that they will eventually be short-lived. Please excuse the offensive picture. I found it on a random blog and felt that it was somewhat relevant as I was thinking about 강남. Haha.

Some people get addicted to smoking. These days, I find myself drinking coffee more often than usual. I highly doubt that I'll become an addict, but that's what every crackhead said too. If you begin to see my hands shaking from withdrawal, be a friend and keep me away from the brown stuff.

Thought of the Day: Respect.
Song of the Day: Taru-Miss You (Alternative Mix)

한정원, 넌 왜 안나왔어?

Thought of the Day: Kimochi
Song of the Day: Taru-Miss You

Winter came this week. First, I saw all the leaves on the ground. Then, my dad turned on the heating. Finally, I busted out my scarf, gloves, and winter socks today. Next, I have to make my Christmas Mix on my itunes. It's -4 out there right now. For the first time in my life, I didn't want to leave my last student's house. I'm so glad my 10:15 got canceled cause I'd still be tutoring at this very moment. I would've been a snowman out there!

The building across mine has a third floor that has drinking nights with open windows until about 5AM every other week or so. "The A-holes" I call them. Last night, I was getting raped by a mosquito (STILL!) and awoke at 4AM. The A-holes were doing their thing until 4:30AM. I remained in bed glorying in ideas of throwing rocks or shooting a bb gun at their windows.

"I don't know what to say. I don't know how I feel."
"Go home, Asher Lev. We all have impossible days."

Thought of the Day: Just adulting.
Song of the Day: CIIK-Once In A

Check out my new and improved room!
The desk that I found at a nearby alley.
The dresser from a recycling center and mini sofas outside on the corner of a street.
My newest addition. Free king size bed right outside of the subway station!
Look how it barely fits into my room.
Take a closer look. It was totally meant to be!

Why buy furniture when people just give it away?

One of the worst things about being a private tutor is having an inconsistent schedule. In my case, my schedule changes literally every single week. Just today, three different moms called to change their studying time. My life is just full of surprises.

Thought of the Day: 안정
Song of the Day: Bexter-Eternity

Lover - n. - Someone who continues to consistently draw positive creative and adaptive forces out of you. I thought this was so funny.

I've been reading 장화 홍련전 for a while now. Although I can only understand about 40% of it, I've come to the conclusion that it should NOT be a children's fairytale. There is much mutilation and murder that is inappropriate for a bedtime story. Either that or I got the adult version of the story. Or maybe, my Korean's just that bad. Either way, I don't like this story.

Thought of the Day: :S
Song of the Day: Mozart-Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

"Michael and Jan seem to be playing their own separate game. And it's called 'Let's See How Uncomfortable We Can Make Our Guests'... and they're both winning so I am going to make a run for it."
-Jim Halpert

I would say the Dinner Party episode from The Office Season 4 is probably one of my favorite episodes I've ever seen. They are SO good at making awkward situations! I was genuinely feeling embarrassed even as I watching the show. I'm always a season behind you, America, but it's never too late to laugh.

I asked one of my students what he would wish for if he had three wishes.
His wishes:
1) Richest man in the world
2) Having power and authority over everyone
3) Control the top companies in the world (with the exception of his father's and some of his friends)

Can you say power trip? I'm so glad that there ain't no genie to help this 5th grader out. However, we all have our extravagant lusts that we like to fantasize about from time to time. For example, did you guys know that if I was filthy rich and had money to burn, I'd want buy a yellow Lamborghini Diablo? That's right. I said yellow, and that has nothing to do with being Asian. Look at 'em doors go up!

I only have one more Kar Wai Wong movie to watch, "2046."

Thought of the Day: Persecution
Song of the Day: Mozart-Piano Sonata K332 in F - Adagio

I just had the biggest beef with my dad on Sunday. We cleared everything up just now. Much thanks to those who prayed. But the most thanks to the God who answered (very quickly). My dad is driving me nuts!

Thought of the Day: 명문 충돌
Song of the Day: Big Bang-Wonderful

"Someone once asked how it is possible to establish a connection between man and the Master of the Universe. The answer was that man must take the first step. In order for there to be a connection between man and the Master of the Universe, there must first be an opening, a passageway, even a passageway as small as the eye of a needle. But man must make the opening by himself; man must take the beginning step. Then the Master of the Universe will move in, as it were, and widen the passageway."
-Asher's father from My Name is Asher Lev

I wonder how many people in the world believe a statement like that. Sadly, probably a lot. This is the final book that I will be reading from David's collection. Actually, we've already stopped studying together, but I just didn't give this one back yet because I need something to read. Sometimes, I think about secretly sneaking books out of his huge collection on his bookshelf. No one would even notice! But apart from dishonesty, I tend to return the books in a condition that shows that they've clearly been used. But yeah, tutoring hours are dropping like flies. Sucks.

Something that's been standing out to me more and more is my huge turnoff of Catholics. I find the religion to be so ridiculous that I can't help but judge those who follow its beliefs. One clear and recent example is Kim Yuna. Have you guys noticed that she always does that cross thing with her hands before she starts her performances now? I used to really like her, but now she's just a Korean ice skater in my eyes. You Catholics are so close yet so far away!

I was just watching an episode from The Office Season 4 where Michael orders pizzas from the wrong Alfredo's. And now, I have a hankering for some good ol' American pizza. You guys don't know how lucky you are. Sometimes, I fantasize going back home and taking a roadtrip up north with Simon and eating at our favorite pizzeria, Toto's. It is seriously the 돌돌이 of pizzas. I long for you, my love.

Thought of the Day: Smoking.
Song of the Day: BoA-Eat You Up

For all those who are sick of Hollywood like me, check this out:

"Only a fool laughs when nothing is funny."
-Jean-Dominique

"We're all children. We all need approval."
-Jean-Dominique

Thanks, Simon.

Thought of the Day: 인사.
Song of the Day: Lifehouse-Take Me Away

October was super long but not in a bad way. I moved into my new place, got a gang of students to tutor, did lots of hiking, and accomplished watching much media.

Last week, my dad and I had 삼겹살 two days in a row. The first night, I came home early from tutoring, and he was all dressed ready to go out for some pork. The second night, I met him and my uncle at 돌돌이 (my favorite place in the whole wide world) cause we just had to take him there. Pork belly runs in the Chung gene.

That same night, my dad and I found more free furniture nearby our place. So after lots of panting and sweating, I now have a desk in my room, and our living room has a double-sided shoe rack. It's amazing how people throw out just the right things for our place.

Right now, I have approximately 8 different students that I teach privately. Three of them are named Daniel. One of those Daniels is a heavyweight and eats very 맛있게. When I asked him what kinds of food he liked, he said something like, "Chicken, pizza, hamburger, spaghetti, steak..." The following question was about what vegetables he liked, to which he responded, "감자...튀김." I was so disgusted that I laughed out loud. But yeah, I really like those things too.

I finally decided to get some hiking boots since I hate life while slipping on rocks and go often enough to wish I had a pair. Although I haven't been working on Saturdays (so weird), I haven't had much luck in being able to hang out with any cousins or friends. So whenever this happens, which is more often than I'd like, I end up going hiking with my dad. I'd say the best thing about hiking is how good the food tastes after you get down the mountain. But I personally think 등산 is bad for your knees.

I finished watching Arrested Development Season 1.
I finished watching 별은 내가슴에.
I finished watching Wall-E just now.

I'm going to start The Office Season 4.
I'm going to start Kar Wai Wong movies.
I'm going to start sleeping before 1AM and wake up before 9AM...starting now.


GOBAMA!

Thought of the Day: Costco?
Song of the Day: 안재욱-Forever

I already know it's not going to be good, but dude...IT'S BIGGIE! I'm genuinely sad that they won't be playing it in Seoul. "Cause if you don't know, now you know."

Thought of the Day: Smokes.
Song of the Day: 토이 - 뜨거운 안녕 (feat 이지형)

I had forgotten just how good BoA's dancing skills were. I really have to admit that she's talented material. It's kinda strange seeing how much more mature she looks now too. I still remember when she debuted when I was a freshmen in high school. I wonder what her life is like. Probably almost as tough as mine. Haha.

Here is my picture of my not-s0-small group. Finally, our first day where everyone is there. Our group is really interesting because it's supposed to consist of the younger young adults but somehow ended up getting the high school girls too. We have a colorful makeup of people, so it's been cool seeing how we have the common bond in Christ. I secretly get happy when people tell me that they wished that they were in our group. You know how we do.

The other day, Jae hooked me up with an assignment where I had to research how cell phones work. The day before that, I had to finish reading "Ender's Game" in a couple of days. I seriously got a taste of what it feels like to be a student again. It was stressful yet stimulating and rewarding at the same time. Of course, I wouldn't choose to do it again, but it was good to use the noggin after a while...but losing sleep sucked.

Thought of the Day: Classical 2
Song of the Day: BoA-Eat You Up

We've all heard that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover. But this cover really set my expectations at an all time low for any book. Two words. Gay Megaman. But the book was SO much better than its cover. I actually enjoyed reading it even though I had to read 200 pages in two days. On the back of the book it says Ages 10 and up. Ain't no book for 10 year olds!

"I'm hurting you to make you a better soldier in every way. To sharpen your wit. To intensify your effort. To keep you off balance, never sure what's going to happen next, so you always have to be ready for anything, ready to improvise, determined to win no matter what. I'm also making you miserable. That's why they brought you to me, Bean. So you could be just like me. So you could grow up to be just like the old man...But I'll be watching you, more compassionately than you know, and when the time is right you'll find what I'm your friend, and you are the soldier you want to be."
-Ender from Ender's Game

I recently started to use my cell phone as my T-Money card through the SIM. But as I was getting off and scanning my phone, the guy in front of me roughly pushed his way out the bus and knocked my cell phone to the ground. Battery and case popped out. No scan. Even though the guy apologized after seeing what he had done, I was so angry at him. Man, if it had broken, I would've ended him just like Ender ended Bonzo. I'm not going to use my phone as T-Money anymore. Back to Janet's original card!

Thought of the Day: How Does Cell Phone Work?
Song of the Day: 동방신기-주문

One thing I really regret doing is watching one clip of "This Boy's Life" before even finishing the book. After seeing De Niro and DiCaprio in action, I couldn't stop picturing them whenever I was reading about Dwight and Jack. However, I thought it was a remarkable story considering it was a true one. Obviously, the movie wasn't nearly as good as the book.

“Knowing that everything comes to an end is a gift of experience, a consolation gift for knowing that we ourselves are coming to an end. Before we get it we live in a continuous present, and imagine the future as more of that present. Happiness is a endless happiness, innocent of its own sure passing. Pain is endless pain.”
-Tobias Wolff from This Boy’s Life

I recently finished reading the Bible in one year. Although I'd like to say that I know so much more about God's Word compared to a year ago, I only realize how little I know. Just like everyone else, I gotta keep reading.

The currency exchange rate is heinous these days. The problem is I have to send money really really soon. Plus, I hear my car is dying even after repair after repair. If you have a heart for the Chungs, please pray for us...and pay for my brother's gas.

Funny...

Me: This hat is fake. It's like 32,000won at Eurofoot, but I got it for 10,000won at Itaewon.
Student: Itaewon is power!

Thought of the Day: Pets.
Song of the Day: Mika Nakashima-Oborozukiyo~Inori

I realized that I'm not into sci-fi books.

"I never thought she would do this to me. In the darkness of the backseat I sat rigid and mute, punching her, slapping her, calling her names. I took away the blue convertible I was going to give her, the furs and filmy clothes. I threw her out of the mansion. Then I let her back in. There was no choice. And later, whenever I heard Ray Charles sing "I Can't Stop Lovin' You," I just had to stop and get sad for a while."

I feel you, Toby.

I didn't know that both of these books were made into movies.

Yesterday, I got my window screen and toilet seat installed. My dad and I are finally settled in!

Thought of the Day: Can't go back if I wanted to. Wouldn't go back if I can.
Song of the Day: Ray Charles-I Can't Stop Lovin' You

I finished hakwon. But you know what? My life isn't significantly better as I had expected it to be. Although my workload and stress have been sawed in two, I make less money and have more occasions where I am bored and/or lonely. But would I go back to Elite? Heck no.

I live in a new place with my own room. Few people know that I've never had my own room in my life. Growing up, I always roomed with Simon. In college, I always had a roommate or two. And just when I thought I'd finally be independent in Korea, my dad decided to keep me dependent. But not anymore! I live in a new place with my own room.

My dad and I have our own sofas in our rooms. A few nights ago, I saw these very decent pieces of furniture just sitting outside on the corner of a street. I brought my dad to the scene, but we weren't sure if we were allowed to take them. It was funny seeing my dad looking around to see if we could just jack them without getting caught by anyone. However, I suggested him to ask the 노래방 right by us, and they told us that we'd actually be doing them a favor by taking them. So we did. Those suckers gave us quite a workout. Totally worth it though.

My computer no longer has a single problem. Ever since I reformatted my computer, it couldn't hibernate whenever I closed the lid and had problems playing any dvds. Plus, it recently started to duplicate any files that I saved or moved onto Desktop. But after going through several tech forums and downloading the one video card driver I've been ignoring for the longest time, everything now works perfectly! I actually prayed about my computer problems too. I literally felt my body relax after I got these things to work.

I took the screen protector off my cell phone. I was very disappointed with my phone two days after getting it. I actually regretted changing my fat Anycall phone to this slim Sky phone. But after looking at one of my old students' phone and seeing how clean it looked without the screen protector, I decided to take mine off too. I now like my phone again.

I took the protector case off my ipod. I've actually been meaning to take off the bulging case a while back, but I always forgot about it as I've been using the case ever since I got my ipod 3.5 years ago. But after taking the case off a couple of days ago (finally), I now like my ipod again as well.

I finally made a separate music folder for R&B songs. I've never been a huge fan of R&B but started to listen to some of Chris Brown's music after watching those So You Think You Can Dance videos. This is actually pretty crazy for me.

I started wearing my winter pajamas and slippers around the house. I wear green Gap pajama pants that I got from Wilburt for my college freshmen year Christmas present. At the time, I was very disappointed with the gift but now am ever grateful for it as I wear them every fall and winter. The slippers that I speak of are not my Happy Feet slippers (not yet, at least). My dad had always nagged me about wearing slippers in the house to keep my feet from getting dirty and cold. I always found it to be so bothersome that I never listened to him. But after moving into our new place, I don't know why I listen to him. It's still really bothersome and makes my feet sweat sometimes. He's happy about it.

I started watching 별은 내 가슴에. This is an old school drama too many people have always told me to watch. Well, Jae hooked it up a few days ago after a brief discussion of 최진실's unfortunate death. I watched the first episode just now and found myself laughing at so many corny and dramatic parts. But there's something very special about the late 90's era in my heart. I'm also watching it to expand Korean vocabulary, and I guess in memory of 최진실.

I started to use the 5kg weights that Brian left with me. One con about 당산1동 is that there's no place to go running, my healthiest stress reliever. Plus, it's getting cold now, so I do all of my exercise indoors. 5kg weights aren't much, but they can be used for some cardio with reps of 100 on each arm.

I watched the presidential debates for the first time in my life. I guess with this historical election and financial crisis, I actually have some interest in who becomes president this time. The debates helped me to be more certain of expecting Obama to win. Those and SNL skits.

What a season of change! I wonder if it's all healthy for me.

Thought of the Day: Hibernate.
Song of the Day: YMGA feat. 엄정화-Tell It To My Heart

Thank you, Dinko, for

and helping me to solve video card driver problem. Now I can watch Arrested Development and The Office Season 4 on my notebook! I also figured out how to get rid of duplicate files on my desktop after browsing through countless forums.

Enoch, return to me!

Thought of the Day: 방충망
Song of the Day: Candi Pierson-Sing To The King

I took a few pictures of my new place, but they make it look very 어설퍼...kinda like this picture. However, my dad and I have our own rooms, so we are very happy about that.

Drools, spits, farts, and even steals my food. As his mother always says to me, "애스셨어요!"

Thought of the Day: 눈병.
Song of the Day: Michael Buble-Home

I haven't done this in a while, but I randomly decided to look through the CPC xanga group and see what's going on in random people's lives. Apparently, everyone likes to lock up their blogs in case people might find out a little about their personal lives. I wonder why they even xanga then. Anyhow, I came upon Alvin's xanga and took a good 10 minutes to watch this year's youth group summer retreat slideshow. Man, I had so many mixed emotions. So many cute kids who grew up to look old and disgusting. Lots of unfamiliar faces but also unexpected ones that I familiarize. But the strongest thought that came to mind was, "If I went back to teach in the youth group right now, it would be a completely different youth group." And that made me sad.

I got three different plans canceled this week. But after getting the last one canceled, I decided to push hard for the second one that didn't work out. They finally agreed to meet. Unfortunately, the food and conversation did not. Maybe that was God's way of telling me that He cancels plans for good reasons. We often tell ourselves that when things don't work out, it's because God has something better for us. But maybe, sometimes things don't work out because He's keeping bad things from happening to us too. I hate learning the hard way.

Me: So how's preparing for midterms going?
David: Damn!

Thought of the Day: 구로역
Song of the Day: Younha-Yubikiri

I so should have worn a suit like that into work today. Go out with a bang!

Thought of the Day: Days Remaining: 0
Song of the Day: Queen-We Are The Champions

I treked all the way over to 분당 this weekend. Not only did Enoch take very good care of me,

but I also got to have excellent American breakfast

with Dave & Esther Lee!

It's always a surreal experience when you meet up with old friends from back home in Korea. After a few minutes into conversation, you forget that you're in the motherland. Then when you get up to pay the bill or step out of the restaurant, you remember that you're not in California. It's always good to see familiar faces again and hearing about funny experiences. EVERY foreigner has funny experiences!


Since I won't have any Enoch for the next three weeks, I decided to trek all the way down to 강남 and grab dinner with him too. We have fallen in love with the "disgusting" 순대국 of Korea. We actually crave this stuff now...one step closer to becoming more Korean.

One thing we both agreed was that it's going to be weird going back to the states whenever the heck that is. Sometimes, I feel like the longer you stay here, the harder it is to leave. Although I originally planned on staying for about two years, I find myself starting my third. But to be honest, I have a strong feeling that it's going to turn into a fourth and possibly even a fifth.


This is a recent picture that I took of my favorite corner of my place. I think it's very symbolic of my life these days. Messy. So many tentative plans and schedules. Many things should be cleaned up by the middle of October though. Middle and high school kids will be done with midterms by then. I'll be decently settled into my new place in 영등포 (안녕, 정원!) with my OWN ROOM! Maybe even the love interest will show some real answers. However, my life never ever turns out the way I expect it too. As soon as I pick up my last piece of trash, there are always more rubbish bins tipping over.

Fall is here. My lips chapped today!

Days Remaining: 2

Thought of the Day: 원고바름
Song of the Day: Wonder Girls-Nobody