Back to the Future Day

Tomorrow is Back to the Future Day, October 21, 2015. These days, I wish I could go back in time to this past spring and summer where I had more time and freedom to study for the third math CSET without the current workload I'm suffering from. I'm scheduled to take my test exactly a month from today, but it doesn't look likely that I will remember all of my calculus by then. Looks like Thanksgiving and Christmas won't look so merry this year.

Where's a DeLorean when you need one?

Thought of the Day: Point Slope
Song of the Day: Pryda-Neon

Psalm 94:19

When  my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.

I love the NASB translation of this verse, especially during a time when my heart is multiplying anxieties at exponential rates. I feel overwhelmed right now. So much to read, write, prepare, and study in so little time. The IMPACT program at UCLA is really good but very intense. Even after I get my credentials and masters, it's still going to be an uphill battle. Teaching is no joke. I never knew it would be this demanding. What have I gotten myself into?

Where are Your soul-delighting consolations?

Thought of the Day: Carpool
Song of the Day: Ed Sheeran & Rudimental-Bloodstream (Arty Club Remix)

Learning to Fly while Being Unemployed

I had my last day of class yesterday and my male Italian student messaged me to let me know he was sorry he couldn't make it to say goodbye. Just a week ago, we had talked about how big the Foo Fighters were in Italy, but I had no idea to what extent he was talking about. See for yourself.

I start school in two days!

Thought of the Day: Santa Barbara
Song of the Day: Foo Fighters-Learn to Fly

Let's GO~

My brother and I started playing Go/Stop this week. At one point, he owed me $22. Now he only owes me $2.40. I forgot how fast time (and money) can fly by when you're playing this crazy Korean game. It reminds me of those late nights in Seoul when I used to play with my dad after having a few drinks over dinner. It's amazing how much money I lost to him but also how fun it was. I wonder why we stopped playing.

As my brother and I are playing these days, there are more than a few times where I make a very careless decision and end up losing the game. I have the perfect opportunity to put down the right card or call it quits when I have the chance, but one negligent move tumbles me down to multiple consecutive losses. It's one thing to lose when the situation is out of your control, and it's another thing to throw away a win because you didn't realize what you were holding in your hand. I guess that's what I'm afraid of happening in real life.

I hate the idea of wasting time or being behind because of poor decisions that I made. But now that I have a spouse as a life partner, I feel more burdened to be more careful with what we choose to do in the present so that our future will not hold any regrets. I don't want either of us to say that we should have done A, B, and C or kick ourselves for having done D, E, and F. I don't want us to have consecutive multiple losses because of my unwise choices.

But we're in this real-life Go/Stop game, and I have to realize that if my $22 turns into $2.40, it can also just as easily go from $2.40 to $22. The Psalm I read this morning reminded me that God tells us "know that I am God." That means I have to remind myself over and over again that He controls the deck despite my imperfect strategies. I can't lose!

I gotta increase Simon's debt.

Thought of the Day: CSULA
Song of the Day: Coldplay-A Sky Full of Stars

Anteater vs. Bruin

I got accepted into UCI's MAT program. But I don't hear back from UCLA for about another month. Not becoming a Bruin could potentially shake things up in a very interesting way. Job and house hunting may have to come back into the picture. My teacher training and potential school districts may look very different too. And who knows what Simon will do!

But I don't hear back from UCLA for about another month.

Thought of the Day: Mice
Song of the Day: Bingo Players-Knock You Out

Let Me Serenade the Streets of L.A.

There are two things I experience every single day. Sirens. Marijuana. I hear the first. Smell the second. I wonder if the two are related to one another.

Living in Los Angeles has been interesting. Contrary to popular belief, New York does not have the worst traffic in the country; L.A. does. In fact, San Francisco and San Jose turn out to have heavier traffic congestion than the City of the Big Apple. I always knew I should "never be on the 405 at 4:05," but I now have a deeper respect (and pity) for those who have 1+ hour commutes to work every day. That can add up to a lot of unhappy hours.

I thought living in an urban area would mean having more parks with basketball courts where I can play with strangers and forget about my stress of the day. Residing in the city actually entails risking your safety in scary parks with drug dealers and homeless people or overcrowded courts with high school kids who can ball me up. I don't see my current basketball shoes getting worn out any time soon.

Koreatown is supposed to be dirty and polluted with immigrants and idiot gangsters who aren't really gangsters. I was expecting people always being drunk and acting like fools in front of food trucks. It turns out that people are a lot more civilized and the area is much cleaner than many of the parts I've seen in Seoul. Living in this weird ethnic enclave actually ain't so bad. It isn't even that weird anymore. I can totally see why my brother chose this area for our new home.

L.A. is not what I had expected, but it's good. L.A. is now my new home. Even with the relentless firetrucks and potheads.


Thought of the Day: Happy New Year
Song of the Day: John Legend-All of Me