On Sunday, Min asked me how long I had been in Korea. When I told him it had been three years, he nonchalantly replied, "Why does your Korean still suck?" What a way to kick a guy while he's already down. Three years really is a long time though, and these days I often find myself asking what I have to show for it. Still single. Still poor. And yeah, still suck at Korean.

I just finished watching "Tokyo!" and particularly liked the third segment of the movie about hikikomoris or shut-ins. Although they say this phenomenon occurs mainly in Japan, I think we all have our seasons of hikikomori in our own hearts. Any time you find yourself in a slump or self-pity, you are, in a sense, isolating yourself from everyone else. You lose contact with the world and create your own reality that is often times scary and very lonely.

There was a scene in the movie where there was a violent earthquake that caused many hikikomoris to come out of their homes after staying indoors alone for so many years. Don't we all need a little shake in our lives from time to time? Sometimes, we need that incredible force that reminds us of what really matters to us in order for us to "snap out of it," right? If our heart and mind are hikikomoris, then Christ is our earthquake. Please feel free to shake me all the time. I'm always trying to run back into the house.

Thought of the Day: Life testimony
Song of the Day: Park Bom-You And I