on friday, dykas and i went to our first fellowship nite at CPC. we got a ride from 2 juniors, eugene and chris. dude, these guys are soooooooo so. cal! they have that whole "kick-back," chillllllllll, jeeeeeeaaaahhhhhh attitude you know? haha. it's really cool. like, we'd be sitting there in the car, listening to their conversation and i would seriously feel very laid back. haha. i don't know, it's hard to explain. perhaps some of you know what i'm talking about. others of you think i'm stupid. but this isn't just eugene and chris. this also goes for my other friends at irvine, lawrence, hideo, and ben. everytime we hang out, we're never like..."ok, so this is what we're going to do. lunch at 1. class at 2. hw at 5. dinner at 6. pool at 8. ok?" (i noticed i liked to do this alot. very organinzed and not waste time...well, of course i'm exaggerating but you get the point). but with these guys, it's just like..."hey, what are you doing? oh. wanna go shoot pool? ok. cool." "hey, did you eat dinner yet? oh really? wanna eat again? ok. cool." but anyways, it was cool b/c Eugene bought us In N' Out. our third Freshmen Treat.

saturday...

eugene: so what did you do today?
me: i woke up at 12. ate at 3. and came here.
eugene: niiiiiiiiiiiice.
me: hahaahhahahaha.

up in nor. cal, i noticed that we don't have Cafe Nites at churches. apparently, they're really common down in so. cal. it's basically a night of performances and video clips for non-christians. gosh, there were some DOPE body worhip performances! i never knew you could do such an awesome job with just 2 or 3 girls! i'm more used to the 50 people doing the same thing altogether to the old school praise song. but there were these 3 girls like doing their own unique thing but making it look like on big picture. it was so cool! i wish i had the video on my computer. as pastor dennis said, "yeah, that was a great performance. it was like body worship on steroids!" ahahahahhahaha. man, that guy is so cool. he's so young, only 26 but he's still a great speaker! even though he talks ghetto, he is still faithful in speaking the gospel. he's got his doctrine straight for sure. also, he's always making fun of the girls during the announcements. "yeah, girls should come out to the football scrimage...cause you know, girls are really good at football." lol. kcpc youth group will really like him as the speaker for the upcoming rally.

i seriously have got down the whole Meeting New Freshmen procedure. it goes something like this for me...

guy: oh hi! what's your name?
me: i'm phil. what's your name?
guy: (says name). so what school do you go to?
me: irvine.
guy: oh really? what year are you?
me: i'm a first year.
guy: oh cool. what's your major?
me: i'm undecided.
guy: oic. that's good. but do you know like what you might want to study?
me: um...maybe something with Education?
guy: wow. that's great. so where are you originally from?
me: i'm from up north, near SF.
guy: oh really? who did you come here with?
me: terrance.
guy: oh, how do you know terrance?
me: we're from the same area. same school and church.
guy: oh, that's great!

i don't know HOW many conversations i've had like this. but it's all good. i'm geting to know people and people are getting to know me. i like the fact that the college group isn't so big. i don't see any clicks and everyone's been really nice to me so far. gosh, there's alotta cool people at CPC. i feel more and more comfortable with the people. some of people have found about the whole "dykas" deal! it's so funny hearing other people calling him dykas. it makes me happy.

i also met the other freshmen in the college group...andrew, sun?, and aaron who goes to irvine. right after church, and i mean RIGHT after church, we all went to a chinese restaurant right next to church called VIP. cheap and quantity, just the way we like it. as we were eating, terrance told me how happy he enjoyed eating with me b/c he doesn't know too many people that eat with passion like me and chang. then we started talking about how much we missed chang. we saw this one girl who barely ate her jjam-bbong and like totally just left it there. i mean, i would understand if she just ate the noodles and nothing else, but her food looked like it had been given one bite to chang. lol. and that reminded me of how chang would react to such a waste of food. "what an abomination!" ahahhahahahahahahha. we were cracking up! *sigh* terrance, my good food buddy. dykas always gets a crack at watching terrance eat.

mike: you wanna know the only reason why i stayed at CPC? it's b/c of VIP.

i finally did my laundry by myself for the first time. gosh, i'm such a spoiled crap...always having my laundry done by my mom. but doing laundry wasn't so bad except for the fact that i had to wait in line for a free machine. it's also easy cause you don't have ALOT of laundry to do like at home. when i'm done, i don't have to worry about separating simon's and mom's clothes. it's all mine, in my cute little basket.

after laundry, me, kevin, dykas, and terrance met up Danny (americana) and ate some Soon Doobu. gosh, that was a most excellent meal. very well cooked Galbi and decent soon doobu. it was a good meal. thank you so much danny (this would be my 4th Freshmen Treat from an upperclassmen). i still need to meet up with Jeff and receive my free dinner. haha.

Thought of the Day: Chris=Korean Girl From Sac.=Beat Me In Bastketball Today.
Song of the Day: Utada Hikaru-Hikari (oh fa sho!)

Thought of the Day: So we meet again. Big Surprise.
Song of the Day: Hamasaki Ayumi-Voyage

so there are these 3 girls that i ALWAYS run into, naomi, susie, and cathy. everywhere i go, i see them. dining hall. pool hall. dining hall. pool hall again! it's always them who are the first to see me. i hear my name being called. "phil!" and then laughter. i don't have much to say to them except for a simple hi. then i go about my business. then online, they call that being mean. what a buncha bastards! what do you want me to say? what am i supposed to say? perhaps i just don't have anything to say. perhaps, i'm busy doing other stuff like eating or have to attend to my pool game. i can never have a normal conversation online with these girls. it's always about why i hate them or they start analyzing me. goodness, i'm so glad i don't live in Middle Earth. they would seriously be on my case ALL THE TIME! i know they just wanna be "nice," but i highly recommend another solution...like maybe just accept phil for the way he is and stop asking stupid questions like "you like naomi don't you?!" gosh, i really hope none of them are reading this blog. that would be bad. really really bad.

today, dykas and i had a conversation with bs about campus ministries b/c he joined one. dykas and i learned the dangers of c.m.'s b/c it's so easy to become dependent on the people/group. it's so easy to lead you astray from church b/c the fellowships that they have are very welcoming and fun. we understand that they can be beneficial through accountable brothers/sisters and great times of fellowship through Bible Studies and Campus Evangelism. however, i think these ministries only have students that "teach" other students, which could also be VERY dangerous. i heard that there were no pastors or certified leaders overlooking the ministries. so yeah, it can be a very dangerous thing for all christians. to be blunt, we discourage it. however, BS was really into it and was being very unreasonable with his arguments. today's conversation reminded me once again of how imperfect christians could be. many times, we have good intensions but we don't see the whole picture. its important to read scripture and pray daily. campus ministries should not be your life.

man, i wanna go home. i miss mommy. i miss brudder. i miss yg. *sigh* it's only been 2 weeks. i won't be able to go home for a while. aish!

Thought of the Day: Girls cause so much trouble.
Song of the Day: Mai Kuraki-Reach For The Sky Gomi Mix

wow, Andy Garcia! that's so cool! i have grown a bigger appreciation for that slick bastard.

man, i need to get my study on today. one class and tons of hw that i should try to get done today. college makes you study study study. it's almost friday folks. hang in there.

if you've been to irvine, you'll notice that everything is around a circle. on that circular road called Ring Road, there are lots of clubs with their tables and flyers during the day. you'll see all kinds of frats, christian ministries, and asian clubs trying to get students to come out to events and join their clubs. but one club that stands out is called I.Q.. now, a normal person would first think that this was a club for nerds or "smart" people. *ahem* nope. not even close. I.Q. stands for Irvine Queers. when my friends and i first saw that, we didn't know how to react.

me: IQ?
lawrence: Irvine Queers.
me: um...woah.
lawrence: yeah.

when i think about it now, i don't laugh aloud. i know i'm cracking up inside, but on the outside i'm just emotionless. i know if i was with justin, we would've busted out laughing our heads off! lol. we'd sarcastically encourage each other to join, emphasizing how perfect it is for one another. haha. but yeah, don't you think that's the STUPIDEST thing to call your club? i mean, even if i WERE gay, i wouldn't want to be called an Irvine Queer. gosh, those stupid idiots. good luck getting people to join.

man, we are such sinful creatures before the eyes of God. today, i noticed that there's alotta "bad examples" of christians out there. i hear "christians" cussing left to right. i know "christians" that get drunk occasionally and seem to consider it ok. "what?! you don't drink at all?!" is the response i get when i tell them that i don't drink. these are people who go to church that say this to me! it's really sad. how sinful. gosh, we really do deserve hell. we are so incredibly sinful, always taking God's grace for granted. gosh, we need to continually remind ourselves of how much we need Christ. i'm not saying i'm any better b/c i don't drink. i'm no better. i really am no better...

Thought of the Day: *sniff sniff* i smell a drama coming my way.
Song of the Day: Eminem-Lose Yourself

me: hey, aren't Will and Frank from up north?
lawrence: yeah. they use that "hella, hecka" sh*t all the time too!
me: oh really? that's hecka cool!
lawrence: yeah. wait, shuttup!

Thought of the Day: Too much Eye Candy.
Song of the Day: Avril Lavigne-Skater Boy

school finally started. my 4 month summer vacation finally ended on friday. i went to my very first college class, Brain & Behavior. class doesn't seem so bad. the professor just talks and you take notes. for hw, you just have to do alotta reading and study on your own so you know your crap. then i guess come Midterms and such. i like my schedule. i only have one class everyday except for wednesday. on that day, i have 3. my earliest class is at 10. pretty cool. i can sleep until 9.

gosh, not having a car in college really sucks. all the so. cal people just go home during the weekends. so instead of being stuck in my dorm, dykas and i decided to hang out with terrance for the weekend. his apartment is pretty nice. feels very "home-y." saturday was basically just hw and anime. but it was fun.

we went to riverside and met up with kevin. it was good seeing him again. apparently, the guy hates riverside and really misses korean food. haha. it was good seeing him again. it feels REALLY good to see people that you know in places you're not too familiar with. i was even happy to see Terrance when he came to pick us up! weird is it not?

today, i went to CPC, Cerritos Presbyterian Church. i like it b/c it's really similar to KCPC. dennis kang is the pastor and the college group is about as big as yg back at home. i like it. not too big and not too small. i may actually get to know some people, unlike Bethel or Newsong (oh yeah jomo, i met Amy Lee from Newsong. she said she knew you in high school). but yes, CPC will have the opportunity to have me as their newest member. i like Dennis Kang. he speaks the Word with a cool ghetto accent. yeah, Praise God for provision. i'll definitely need a good church down here.

i went to go work out with my friend today. we ran a mile and i did some pushups and crunches. once again, i am a pitiful mess. totally out of shape. i think i'm going to start running mile everyday now.

gosh, i've been playing so much pool with my friends. today, i played for like 3 hours! it's cool b/c the tables aren't that bad and it only costs $2.80/hr. i definitely got alot better, you hear me Jonna?! when i come back, i'm gonna rape you like there's no tomorrow! haha. everyday, little by little, i feel more and more settled at irvine. i ALWAYS meet someone new in the most random places. in the parking lot, i met a freshmen who drove a Supra who came from Bay Area! he knew a few people from mills too. during dinner, i met this korean guy named David who randomly just decided to eat at my table. it just so happens that we live in the same dorm, and he lives in a triple too! he seems like the ghetto type, reminded me ALOT of Thomas. haha. so. cal people aren't so bad. they seem REALLY laid back. very chiiiiiiiiill. it's like they study hard, but play harder. it's a good combo.

gosh, after reading lois's blog about her conversation with chang, i got all sad. well initially, i was cracking up. haha. BUT, the conversation reminded me alot of back home. i miss everyone. i miss chang's laughter. i miss PJ's passionate sermons. i miss playing pool with jonna and B. i miss playing chess with simon. shoot, i even miss driving the yg kids around! *sigh* it's only been 2 weeks. not even close to coming back home anytime soon.

Thought of the Day: "Macho-Man."
Song of the Day: Aiuchi Rine-Green Way (i looooooooove japanese music now!)

yesterday, dykas and i went to go get our korean interviews. we were pretty sure that we were both going to be in Korean 1A, which is where we wanted to be b/c our korean sucked. unfortunately...

(in korean).
lady: do you speak korean?
me: yeah, a little.
lady: well, your sentences are good and your korean sounds good.
me: no, i'm not good.
lady: i'm going to put you in 1B.
me: no. i want to start from the beginning with the basics.
lady: i'm sorry. we have limited space and you're too good to be in 1A. it would be boring for you.
(in english).
me: no, you don't understand. my korean is really bad.
everyone: ahahahahahahhahaha.
lady: i know you're type. you'll be in 1B. review all your material and come back next quarter.

but i'm kinda happy that i got into 1B though. one, it KINDA shows that i'm not the worst korean speaker after all. two, i only have to take 3 classes for 1 quarter. this means that my earliest class starts at 10. woohoo! and three, i'm just happy.

i finally bought all of my stinkin' books. 4 books=over $300, which actually isn't so bad compared to some of my other friends, going over $400. ridiculous. we are seriously paying to study. uh, where's the justice in that? but since this was Welcome Week, i got a 15% coupon on UCI stuff so i bought a sweater and a pair of short. dude, that crap was like over $80! but i figured, might as well get it now while i can get a discount. i know these suckers aren't going to get any cheaper. yeah, college rips you off.

last night was the Friends Season Premiere! it was pretty cool cause Middle Earth had this big projecter in the basketball courts so everyone could watch the show together (no cable in dorms). so basically, hundreds of students came out and we all enjoyed the first episode of Friends. it was pretty cool. everyone laughed at joey. everyone groaned when the commercials came up. everyone left the courts right after Friends, and didn't bother to watch Scrubs. lol.

Thought of the Day: You're full of SNOW!
Song of the Day: Blink 182-Story Of A Lonely Guy

as i was ranting the other day, i remember once again praying to God to give me some friends (looooooooseeeeeeeeer!). i was so bored/lonely that i went upstairs and walk through the halls, hoping that someone just as bored as me would talk to me. but all i got was a "are you looking for someone?" but i went down to the gameroom with henry and we played some pingpong and some pool. i met Ron, this korean guy who's really good at pingpong. when i came back, i started hanging out with lawrence and his friends. i became really cool with lawrence and hideo today. we went to the arcades and shot pool for a while. so i guess right now, i'm pretty cool with hideo and lawrence. fun guys.

lawrence: yeah, don't you nor. cal people say "hella or hecka?"
me: yeah. and you guys use "dope" and "mad" alot.
lawrence: yeah. we also use "grip."
me: man, that's "hecka" cool!
lawrence: man! shuttup! stop using that!

i was THIS close to going to a frat party today. i'm pretty sure if i went, i would've gotten wasted. i guess you can say it's a temptation that i'm struggling with. but luckily, hideo wanted to go to ARC (something Recreation Center i think). we went to this Break Dance class and they taught the people how to do some moves. but yeah, i'm really happy that i met some people today. i guess i meet new people everyday. i just don't remember their names.

oh yeah, i wasn't sure if i was this "Screwball" that justin always talks to. but it's been confirmed. irvine is boring, but irvine is fun. you just gotta make friends first. the fun comes automatically. us stupid freshmen always find something to do. thank you God. now, if only i can meet some girls...

Thought of the Day: I don't like parties b/c i don't drink.
Song of the Day: Blink 182-Adam's Song

yesterday, i went to Newsong's broomball event. gosh, those people seriously "love-bomb" you! HI, WHAT'S YOUR NAME? WHAT YEAR ARE YOU? OH, WHERE ARE YOU FROM? HOW DO YOU LIKE UCI? HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT US? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF TONIGHT? i'm not really a club person but i just wanted to go b/c i heard clubs are a good way to get to know people. well, surely enough i did meet alotta people. but will i ever talk/see them again? probably not. man, 85% of the people there were from Mesa Court too! i absolutely dislike where i live. it's the crappiest dorm. our halls require a key so basically, there's only guys in here. i really wonder how you're supposed to make friends over here. man, i really miss nor. cal. everything over here is so unfamiliar, except for sleeping and washing up. i think for the first time, i asked God to provide me with some cool friends. i haven't felt this lonely since 5th grade. man, that was a terrible year. *sigh*

the only ways to have fun in irvine is through parties and CS. not interested at all.

Thought of the Day: I'm so "bonely."
Song of the Day: Ice Cube-We Be Clubbin'

my second day of college life was MUCH better than my first. i got plenty of sleep and woke up feeling a bit cheerful. my mom came to visit me and we went to this place called Myung Dong Ok or something. gosh, they bought me so much crap! all i wanted was a simple Sullong Tang! but nooooooo, they just had to add a Galbi Lunch Special. so after i finish just about everything, i felt like throwing up for the next 2 hours. but the place we were in was this big plaza area with alotta stores. there's alotta cool things on Culver Dr....Claim Jumpers, plazas, and El Pollo Loco.

when i got back, two guys that i met yesterday, Fong and Henry, wanted to play some ball. i told them i was too full but we ended up on the courts anyways. we played a sweaty 3 on 3, which was alotta fun. so basically, i became cool with these two fellas. later as i was walking to my room, i heard christian music coming from the room next door. this is how i met Jack and Norman, the only two christian guys i know so far. after the meeting, i ate dinner with Norman and i convinced him to walk with me to Mesa Court. bad idea. we got super duper lost. i am seriously the worst person to go traveling with at irvine. after a miserable hour of confused walking, we finally found dykas' room. i decided to give Naomi a visit b/c her suite was right next to his. hasn't changed a bit. then i convinced dykas and naomi to check out my room. gosh, how pitiful they must have felt. right after my shower, i met Lawrence and Vladmir? these guys were pretty nice guys. Lawrence is this guy from Pasadena and always smiles and chuckles after every sentence. Vladmir likes to play old computer games and cannot dance well like most filipino people.

i also learned a few things i learned about irvine today...

1. the connection over here is super duper fast. i was sending videos to dykas at over 900 kb/sec! HOWEVER, there is restricted downloading (no Kazaa, Napster, etc...).
2. there's another set of guys living on the third floor.
3. irene got into a small accident w/her IS300.
4. basketball is really fun, but should not be played anytime before 4:00.
5. you really need to wear Sunblock in Irvine.
6. there are such things as filipino christians out there.
7. there's alotta vietnamise people in irvine.
8. Middle Earth and Mesa Court are two different worlds. i wish i was in Mesa Court.
9. there's more girls than guys at Irvine (woohoo!).
10. Lawrence flipped his bed upside down to make it higher. lol.

so as you can see, i'm slowly starting to enjoy college life. it feels so much better to have some people you know now. i don't feel as lonely. i know everyone in my hall except for the 3 white guys. i don't know. i think none of us have talked to them. it just hasn't happened yet. but i bet this one white girl named Emily in Naomi's dorm. she taught us how to play a drinking game with cards. sounds fun. haha. *ahem*

Thought of the Day: Making friends is easy as 1-2-3.
Song of the Day: Smile-Butterfly

i am now an official college student. i live in a dorm. i use my id card to eat in the dining halls. i am no longer living with family and friends. so to all you bloggers, the next time i visit your blog, i better not see my blog link under YG. ok, this is stupid. i don't care about being a college student. i think i feel really lonely right now. dykas is living in Mesa Court (30 min. walk) with 2 other guys from mills right next to him, while i'm stuck in Middle Earth all by myself. i get all jealous when i see other people hanging out with each other. it seems like they've been friends even before they got here. i'm stuck here in my room with a japanese fob. my other roommate went home and didn't come back for the day. i'm so lonely. so if you haven't noticed, i REALLY enjoy talking online with my familiar friends...even simon! but according to justin, this is only my first day and it kinda sucks b/c i don't know anyone.

a typical conversation i had yesterday...

me: *knock knock* hi. i was wondering if your kazaa works.
guy: uh no. it doesn't work.
me: yeah, i heard our downloading is restricted in alotta areas.
guy: oh really?
me: yeah. oh, what was your name again?
guy: Frank.
me: hi. i'm Phil.
guy: yeah, i'm from...
me: oh. i'm from Millbrae/Burlingame. do you know where that is?
guy: no.
me: oh ok.
(i know this guy wants me out of his room).
me: ok, well i'll see you later then.

i have a triple. a 22 yr. old japanese foreign exchange student and a viet guy. the japanese guy is a fob but he's really nice. he's like one of those simple guys who has no clue what you're talking about. but he's nice. the viet guy seems really nice too. i didn't get to really talk to him much cause he went home today. so at least my roommates aren't gay. the only negative is that my room is about the size of a double and i have 3 roommates. our desks are smaller than Mesa Court's too.

but irvine isn't all that bad. the weather over here is super duper nice. i really like the environment, very clean, quiet, and full of asians. and not just any asians...lots of CUTE asian GIRLS. lots. i mean, i was always warned about girls girls girls in irvine. but geez, i never expected this! haha. yeah, it's good and bad. but don't worry, i'm only looking...no more, no less.

oh, the food here is great! i think the best way to describe it is it's like retreat food on a REALLY good day, except more variety. haha. yeah, food is definitely satisfying. you can eat as much as you want too. but so far, i haven't gone all out. i'm trying to prevent myself from the Freshmen 15 or whatever it's called. i wonder what the food in LA or Cornell tastes like.

special shoutout goes to Lois Cho. this ugly girl surprisingly decided to get me a gift before i left for college. dang, Searching For Bobby Fischer dvd. what a gift! and inside there was a retreat picture that was framed with some stupid card. gosh, now that is seriously thoughtful! i never knew weird people could be so nice. THANK YOU LOIS! i'm going to squash you when i get back!

special shoutout to jomo. thanks for the "dinner." i'm really sorry that i ended up going to In N Out. haha. maybe next time.
B, Girl In Red, and CJ-thanks for the calls guys. it really meant alot.

and to the rest of you bastards, thanks for nothing! i'll miss you too!

Thought of the Day: Irvine requires internet and friends.
Song of the Day: Natalise-Love Goes On

last day of work...

char: philip. O-M-G. today, as i was driving, this frickin' F-ing guy! SHIET!!! he was coming up behind me and was THIS close to hitting me!

i get a call from judy (a lady who works in hawaii(i've only talked to her once in my life):

char: philip. judy wants to say goodbye.
me: um...ok. hi judy.
judy: hi philip. how are you?
me: i'm good. how are you?
judy: good, thanks. so i hear you're leaving?
me: yeap.
judy: well, may God be with you in whatever you do. best wishes to your future.
me: thanks judy.
judy: ok, bye philip.
me: bye.

char: philip. your old boss wants to talk say goodbye on the phone.
me: my old boss?
char: yeah, your old boss. allan!
me: oh!
me: hey allan.
allan: hey philip! well, goodluck down there.
me: yeah, i'll need it.
allan: no way. first semester is easy! but just watch out for Spring Fever.
me: Spring Fever? what's that?
allan: well, Spring Fever is when Spring comes around the weather is really nice. well, i guess it's really nice down there all the time so you're in big trouble. but anyways, you don't feel like studying cause you wanna go outside with your buddies and play football and fart around with the guys.
me: oh ok. haha.
allan: alrite then philip. take care.
me: thanks allan. bye.

tess: ok. take care phil. (hug).
me: bye.
tess: visit us sometime ok?
me: ok.
char: don't worry. we have his cell phone number.

char: sits down on chair. woah philip! you been low-ridin'?
me: low-ridin'?
char: yeah, you know.
me: oooooo. no, i don't do that stuff.
char: you don't huh? well, my sons do it all the time. they're like, "hey ma! wanna race?" and they put their hands on the steering wheel like this. "wassup?!" haha. that little sh*t!
me: ahahahahhahaha.

gosh, those guys are so nice. they bought me ice cream from Baskin Robins as my go away present. gosh, that was the best job. Goodbye Pacific Advantage Federal Credit Union.

so today, i went to school and met some of my old friends. they were all happy to see me cause it felt like we hadn't seen each other in a while. lunchtime was coming around and i went to the area where i always used to eat. but when i got there, none of my friends were there except this new guy who i had just met. he had some really good looking food that he had bought in the cafeteria. i was starving like crazy but i refused to buy overpriced cafeteria food. but after a few minutes, i couldn't stand it any longer so i went to go buy some lunch. there were no more pizzas and sandwiches. i just bought some stupid fries and got alotta ketchup and honey mustard. however, when i got back to my eating area, there was no one there. i had barely started eating my crappy lunch and the bell already rang! my next class was history, one of my most hated classes. i was debating where i should cut this class since i was already late. gosh, i hadn't been to class in days! i knew i had to go to class...it was my last one for the day. omg! 15 min. late! where is that stupid class?! *sigh* another bad dream. that's three in a row.

looks like i'm actually leaving for irvine on saturday instead of sunday. sucks.

Thought of the Day: If only she was a little experienced.
Song of the Day: Natalise-I Wanna Hold You Tight

my yahoo chess game with edwin...

theonlytrublood: i know everything
pretzelboi96: haha
pretzelboi96: good
theonlytrublood: lol
theonlytrublood: crap!
theonlytrublood: my plan isn't working...
*** undo requested
*** undo granted
theonlytrublood: thanks
pretzelboi96: sure
*** undo requested
theonlytrublood: crap
theonlytrublood: my bad
theonlytrublood: lol
*** undo granted
theonlytrublood: thanks
theonlytrublood: imma try to protect all my pawns now
pretzelboi96: haha
pretzelboi96: nice try
theonlytrublood: haha
theonlytrublood: dang
pretzelboi96: =D
theonlytrublood: so close!
theonlytrublood: holy!
pretzelboi96: um...
theonlytrublood: dang
theonlytrublood: not bad
theonlytrublood: dang
theonlytrublood: ok u win
theonlytrublood: i hate chess now
pretzelboi96: lol
theonlytrublood: forget this
theonlytrublood: good job
theonlytrublood: your good

the smell of victory sure is a great cologne!

so i was in korea and i came upon this poor girl's carnival game. she looked really innocent and wore some worn out gray clothes. after playing the game a few times, i won some prizes that i really liked. then for some reason, the girl changed the game to a store. i could just buy the small prizes instead of playing for them. since i was so loaded, i decided to go all out cause the items were really cheap too. by now, i had a huge crowd gathered around me b/c my shopping spree had turned into a center of attraction. after picking out all the pencils, small toys, and firecrackers, she tells me that the total came out to be 270,000 won! this is like $250 bucks! "270,000 won?!" i say. i definitely did not have that much money at the time. and then i woke up.

yesterday, dykas and i went to SF to just go hang out. we had some KFC, but after my meal, one of my teeth felt really loose. as were walking in the streets, i was moving my loose tooth around with my tongue. then all of a sudden, POP! it came out. i spat it out and started worrying. none of my teeth were supposed to be loose or come out. all of my teeth were permanent. i spent years of braces and retainers to straighten my teeth. what was i going to do? dykas told me that i wouldn't be able to eat anything but small chocolates for three days. we had a strange feeling of going to Balboa street, the street where my old Barber and dykas's PC bang was. we walked and walked. SF started to look a little different. we somehow ended up on 19th in a matter of minutes. the sun was starting to set and the whole sky was turning to pink and purple. what was i going to do about my tooth? and then i woke up.

*sigh* such unhappy dreams. sad and nerve-racking. gosh, i've been waking up really late these days. it's 12 if i'm lucky. it's 1 if no one wakes me up.

anyways, i've been listening to alotta Boa these days. i have grown a stronger appreciation for this talented little girl. well, i can't say i like her korean music, but i think her japanese music is just awesome! i like every single one of her Japanese singles. gosh, they're just so good. and of course, she's a very cute looking girl who can REALLY dance. and since she could definitely sing live, her performances are definitely worth downloading. yeah, the girl's got alotta talent. she's seriously using all of her potential. BOA JJANG!!!

gosh, i can't believe i'm leaving for college so soon. the reality is finally settling in. i need to start packing either on thurs. or fri.. i have already scheduled my last time "hang out" days with a few of my friends. it's all happening really fast. but the more i think about it, i'm pretty excited. living out there on my own. it's going to be cool. oh goodie!!!

KEVIN'S BACK!!!

Thought of the Day: "You don't have to come in today."
Song of the Day: Boa-Miracle

AzN1283 (12:49:24 AM): man im craving some fuddruckers rite now
Pretzelboi96 (12:49:28 AM): lol
Pretzelboi96 (12:49:32 AM): you are seriously converted!
AzN1283 (12:50:18 AM): hahah
AzN1283 (12:50:21 AM): man u don't understand
AzN1283 (12:50:26 AM): i have a new love for burgeres
Pretzelboi96 (12:50:30 AM): lol

AzN1283 (12:54:18 AM): awesome
AzN1283 (12:54:20 AM): jus awesome
Pretzelboi96 (12:54:34 AM): dang, i gotta take you to Barney's
Pretzelboi96 (12:54:39 AM): they have some awesome crap too
Pretzelboi96 (12:54:47 AM): they have like over 20 burgers i think
Pretzelboi96 (12:54:52 AM): sooooo many differnt kinds
AzN1283 (12:55:02 AM): hahah man
AzN1283 (12:55:05 AM): but i only like one kind
Pretzelboi96 (12:55:09 AM): i know
AzN1283 (12:55:10 AM): one wit cheese
AzN1283 (12:55:12 AM): bacon
Pretzelboi96 (12:55:15 AM): trust me
AzN1283 (12:55:16 AM): lettuce tomato
Pretzelboi96 (12:55:17 AM): they'll have it!!!
AzN1283 (12:55:18 AM): onion
AzN1283 (12:55:23 AM): and bbq sauce
AzN1283 (12:55:26 AM): yea i know
AzN1283 (12:55:28 AM): all places do
AzN1283 (12:55:40 AM): maybe i should be more adventurous like chang
Pretzelboi96 (12:55:47 AM): lol
Pretzelboi96 (12:55:51 AM): it'll come
Pretzelboi96 (12:55:54 AM): i promise it will
AzN1283 (12:55:59 AM): hhha ok dykas
AzN1283 (12:56:04 AM): i guess in n out will have to do
AzN1283 (12:56:14 AM): cuz in n out is awesome for its price
AzN1283 (12:56:19 AM): and plus its close

AzN1283: are u hungry?
AzN1283: cuz i want to know if its jus me
Pretzelboi96: dang dykas
Pretzelboi96: lol
Pretzelboi96: well, a little to be honest
Pretzelboi96: =D
AzN1283: haha yea me too
AzN1283: should i eat some kfc?
AzN1283: haha
Pretzelboi96: no, don't
Pretzelboi96: it's too late
AzN1283: my bros bought it for dinner
AzN1283: yea i guess
Pretzelboi96: resist
AzN1283: maybe i should jus drink somehing
Pretzelboi96: might help
Pretzelboi96: dykas, you're really different
Pretzelboi96: you never talk like this
Pretzelboi96: sounds like your pregnant or something
AzN1283: haha
AzN1283: id unno
Pretzelboi96: i mean, don't get me wrong
Pretzelboi96: it makes me happy
AzN1283: haha im glad

as the reader can clearly see, my good friend, dykas lee, has become a hedonist like chang. it was so amazing today. at Fuddruckers, i was still eating my burger and getting pretty full. then all of a sudden, dykas busts out with, "dude, i want another burger. i'm still hungry!" chang and i both gasped. we had created a monster. i KNEW this was going to happen. gosh, chang always does this to people. first terrance. then me. then justin. and now, dykas. this guy who used to comment about my eating with awe is now my sight of amazement. *sniff* i'm so proud of him.

sometime last month, i remember having a conversation with my mom about my personality. she noticed that my "attitude" appears to be like my dad's, but it's really like hers. whenever i get mad, i tend to talk really loud w/o showing any signs of patience or self-control. ok, well that makes me sound like i'm some unstable psycho. don't worry, i'm not. this is only when i'm really mad. my dad is definitely nothing close to this. when he gets mad, he gets really quiet and tries to act like nothing is wrong. it's a really scary thing to experience. fortunately, my dad rarely gets mad. anyways going back to my point, i think it is very true that i am very much like my mom. i think it is a very unfortunate thing. when i am really mad, i tend to take everything out on my brother b/c he's the most inferior in my family. the poor thing. gosh, i can be such a bastard sometimes (to some, most of the time). but yeah, i got mad at him today cause he messed up his computer and did nothing to fix it. so of course, i had to repair everything while he was playing cards and just hanging around downstairs. this happened right after i came back from LA too so i was a bit tired and agitated. anyways, after telling him that it was all his fault and that he needed to solve the rest of his problems, he gave me alotta attitude. i really thought about the whole situation and i realized that it was another case where i just blew up at him even though it really wasn't his fault. so why am i writing about this? i don't know. i just felt bad so i decided to write it out. *shrug*

Thought of the Day: I abhor computer problems.
Song of the Day: Moon Hee Jun-Generous

i'm in la again but this time with chang and dykas. last night, we went to go see Chang's old roommate, Michael. he had some of his Westminster friends over so we all had some interesting conversations. gosh, those guys are seriously hardcore. these "theological freaks" really talk about some complicated issues with so much sarcasm and wit. it was really funny though, listening to them talk about how "fun" pera-churches are, the "jundo system," and the anonymous pastor who never reads his books. lol. gosh, chang really belongs at seminary. i mean, he would totally be the most popular guy there. lol. yeah, he'd fit in fine.

i also went to John MacArthur's church today. it was a good experience. the worship was very different but in many ways very good. i know the sermon was pretty good but i was falling asleep throughout the whole thing. dang, so disappointed in myself.

and yeah, we've just been doing the usual. pool, eat, pc bang, eat, eat, and i did i forget to mention that we also eat?

Thought of the Day: "I long for Combat."
Song of the Day: Kim Kun Mo-Wrong To Meet

two stupid koreans trying to give directions to a white lady...

lady: hi. can you tell me how i can get back onto 101 north?
me: hmmmmm...lemme see.
pat: oh. i don't think you can go that way. you're going to take el camino all the way back to millbrae to get back to 101.
me: wait. hmmm...he's right. that junction right there only goes to 101 south.
lady: are you sure there's no other junction? cause when i get onto that one, it only goes south.
me: wait, does she really have to go all the way to millbrae?
pat: yeah, i think so.
me: listen, just get onto that highway right there and get onto 101 south. then go a little far and exit. then you'll be able to go back to 101 north.
lady: wait are you sure?
me: yeah, that's the only way.
lady: ok. thank you.
(lady leaves).
pat: dude, you didn't tell her that she needs to get onto 380 first...then 101!
me: um...oh yeah.
(we later approach the same junction).
me: hey, that says 101 north! you COULD go north on this junction. i didn't know that!
pat: oh well. i'm sure the lady figured it out.

basketball...

me: alrite, it's you, me and bs.
daniel: alrite. hey fatcakes!
everyone: lol.

what a fun day. got a haircut. played some ball with the boys. ate some gourmet BK. picked out some good jeans. shot some pool. and now, time to watch a dvd.

Thought of the Day: Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.
Song of the Day: Jin's Freestyle.

1 year from today was the 9/11 attack. i remember when i first heard the news last year. i was walking to school and my friend walks up to me and says, "hey, did you hear about the planes that crashed into the World's Trade Center Building?" my stupid and ignorant self responded with, "what's a World's Trade Center?" but after a few hours into the day, i slowly realized the seriousness of this event. our country, the strongest and richest country, was just attacked. many innocent lives died today. this event could lead to war. but after a few more hours, i was surprised to see myself not questioning God, but rather thinking to myself, "i know this stuff doesn't make any sense right now, but I know God has a reason for everything. and it will ultimately be for His glory."

today, alotta people are sad. today, alotta people are unhappy. but me? for some reason, i don't really get these bitter thoughts or feelings. i simply feel like it was a thing of the past. like, it was very unfortunate that many people had to die in Pearl Harbor. it was very unfortunate that over 6 million jews lost their lives during the Holocaust. but you know, it's already happened and there's nothing we can do about it. so i guess, i've learned to "move on." but at the same time, i know this would be a "different" day if i knew someone who died on 9/11. so i guess, i just lacky empathy. i can't relate. but yeah, it was a very unfortunate event. and yes, i must agree with Justin. "what a bastard!!!"

i just recently started the book of Job. surprisingly, i have never read this book before in my life. i only heard sermons on it. but so far, i like it alot. it still blows my mind how there was actually a man who was as faithful as Job. this guy lost his riches, servants, and family. he even got a whole bunch of sores all over his body. but through it all, he STILL praised God! gosh, how amazing is that! i remember when my computer wasn't working, i was thinking to myself, "ok, i know through all my circumstances that i am to always praise God! but GOD, HOW CAN I PRAISE YOU RIGHT NOW?! it's like impossible man! my computer isn't working!" job really was an amazing man of God. that guy is hecka dope.

BS is back!!!
Dykas might get a dorm!!!

Thought of the Day: Thank you God for blessing me so much.
Song of the Day: DDR-Operator

and the computer problems continue...

1. i can't receive anything on Mirc. i found 2 rooms with really good music videos with no one in them!!! couldn't dl crap.
2. my windows media player sucks. i can't fastforward certain videos and i can't get one of my Boa videos to work. i KNEW i should've just been satisfied with the version my computer gave me.
3. my computer won't let me dl any of the winamp skins from winamp.com.

XP sucks. i want my 98 back. but of course, i can't risk another failure. be content phil. be content. time to go shoot some pool. bye.

jomo-"hot abs." lol.
cj-stop sinning. it makes me sad.

Thought of the Day: Working with Michael was scary.
Song of the Day: Boa-Amazing Kiss

wow, there's just so much to write about. i hate it when i don't blog for days. you can't recall the best details of your good and bad days. sometimes, you mix certain events up. sometimes, you go off topic. sometimes, you start making up things. sometimes, you...

well, as most of you know, i got a new computer last week. after some stupid research on the net and some counseling from friends, i finally decided to buy the HP from Costco. i was really attracted to the Ultra 120 gig Harddrive, the 2.26 ghz, but most of all the 15" lcd monitor. i just had to buy something that was on the spot. i'm too impatient for online shopping. anyways, remember how i was thinking about getting a cd/mp3 player for college? well, i actually had my eyes on a Panasonic one at Goodguys for $100. but as i was looking around costco, i found the same one for $80! right on the spot! it came with a remote and everything! i was pretty sure my mom was going to scold me for spending my money too carelessly right before college. but when she saw the cd player, she simply said, "oh wow. you're buying this new one so you can give your old one to simon right?" so i didn't even have to pay for it. assah!

after i bought my computer, i went back to Extra for the 8,746th time to fix my phone. we got there at 2:30. the sign said Be Back At 3:00. the guy came back at 4:15. dude, i got really lucky too cause i said we would only wait til the parking meter was up. right when we had no more time left, i saw the guy opening his door. after i got my light fixed, hours later i realized that no one could hear my voice on the phone. so yeah, the guy screwed up again.

dykas and i started working on my computer at 6pm. we spent 11.5 hours on this blasted computer, trying to "fix it." first, we couldn't get internet. we switched to 98. i lost everything. we downloaded all the drivers. we got internet to work with my old ethernet card. then we realized that my harddrive dropped from 106 to 2 gigabytes. for some reason, it was only reading 4% of my real harddrive. so we started over. ok, to make a long story short, we spent 11.5 hours on my new computer and by 5:30am, all i had to do was get my cd burner and sound to work. *sigh* next morning, i decided to return the cursed thing, thinking it was the ethernet card's problem.

after some more hours on the my second new computer, we finally figured out that the dsl was already configured into Windows XP. all i had to do was put in my username and password the whole time. ROAR!!! but i was soooooooo happy when i finally got everything fixed. so here i am now, with my computer all nice and happy. it's super duper fast. i love the cd burner. i can burn cds in 3-4 minutes! i can finally watch dvds now! praise God!

oh yeah, before i bought my computer again, i went to Extra once again and got my phone fixed. the guy felt really bad so he gave me a free antenna. i chose white. (these days, i check my phone every 10 min. to see if everything is working fine).

friday, i went noraebang with i-fang and some church people. i loooooove noraebanging. it's so fun! you get to sing songs as loud as you want and your mom can't complain about your cracking voice. highlight of the night: chang's Eye of the Tiger. man, the guy can seriously make you laugh. thank you so very much i-fang. heeeerrrrrrrrrrooooooooo!!!

on saturday, i saw Chingoo on dvd. if you are a korean male and have not seen this yet, i highly recommend this movie. remember, i said korean MALE! this is strictly a guy movie. after watching it for the second time (this time with subtitles), i REALLY enjoyed and appreciated this movie. gosh, so many happy and sad parts. so far, all of my friends admitted that they started tearing up at the end...yes, even me. this is definitely my favorite korean movie so far.

i also finally got to play Twister for the first time at Esther's party. dude, that game is some fun crap! it's even fun when you're just playing with 2 people. esther and i were having a blast just laughing at our awkward positions and heavy complaints. warning: Twister is not to be played with Chang. bad things will happen to your body.

today, i finally saw Amelie. omg. that crap was so weird. it's not an enjoyable movie. very foreign. very hard to pay attention. it's just so weird. i didn't like it. i highly do not recommend it. 2 hours of life wasted.

oh yeah, i almost forgot! i got my dorm info. i got a 3 person dorm. one guy from japan, probably an international student. and this other guy from anaheim. his name's Minh Do. alotta people are telling me he's gotta be korean. but i don't know. my first thought was, "aw crap. i'm stuck with some chinese guy." (eheheheheh. i know you're reading this i-fang). but whatever the case, i'm happy that i'll be dorming with asian students. it could always be worse. *sigh* how am i going to fall asleep with these guys?

Thought of the Day: Twister in America is MUCH better than Twister in Korea.
Song of the Day: Jin-Hey Jin

i got a chance to hang out with my friends again. me, dykas, pat, tammy, and ted. we went to go eat at California Pizza Kitchen and went noraebang in san jo. *sigh* fun times...

pat: yeah, my roommate is korean. but he talks like a fag.
me: hey, at least he's korean.
pat: yeah, but still. i think he's a fag.

(singing Jumpo Mambo)
ted: um...i don't know this part....JUMPER MAMBO!...JUMPER MAMBO!
(mumbles in korean).
(turns off the song).
everyone: ahahahahahahahahha.

me: yeah, that guy looks like a retarded chinese guy.
dykas: looks like he has down syndrome.
everyone: ahahahahahhaah.

some more happy news: i bought pat's small speakers and subwoofer for 20 bucks (originally 60)! very happy. i think i may be getting a cd mp3 player pretty soon too! bring on the blessings!

bad news: one of my lights went out again in my phone. gotta get it fixed again.

Thought of the Day: *sigh* computer.
Song of the Day: Pat Chung-1TYM

my days have been REALLY relaxing lately. i wake up around 11 and eat brunch. i just kinda walk around the house til 2 and go to work til 5. after work, i find something to do with a friend or just stay home and watch a Blockbuster Favorite. then i play chess with simon and go online til 1. it's nice.

today, after work i'm going to eat dinner with my beloved pat, dykas, and tammy in san jo and noraebang with their church friend, ted.

tomorrow, i'm going to buy my computer at costco. playing around with my computer ought to occupy me the whole day.

friday will be another ficy.

and then the weekend is finally here. but not like it matters cause everyday is like a weekend to me.

right now, it looks like i'll be leaving for irvine on the 21st or 22nd. that's next next saturday or sunday. excited yet reluctant to leave. that's fine. expected emotions.

ok, i'm just really bored right now. no one's home. i can't even go downstairs cause these guys are fixing the gas thing in my house til 6. and i can't go out cause i have work in less than 2 hours. what to do, what to do. *sigh* i think i'll go to work 1 hour early. i'm seriously that bored. dang.

Thought of the Day: Am I an addict?
Song of the Day: The Hives-Hate To Say I Told You So

dell lady: order number?
me: 918413881.
dell lady: your order is under production right now.
me: oh. i was wondering if you can cancel that order.
dell lady: um...it's already under production. are you sure?
me: yes. oh, is there any penalty?
dell lady: nope.
me: thank you very much.

praise God! i got my order canceled! no penalties. i'm going to get my computer really really soon! woohoo!

sol: i just recently saw your picture gallery. great pictures man!

Thought of the Day: Dell sucks. HP Rules!
Song of the Day: Eminem-Cleanin' Out My Closet

i finally finished my traffic school last week. i got my certificate through email and just need to send in all my crap. man, getting a ticket will really discipline you very well. all of my passengers will realize how much slower i go on the freeway. sometimes i wish i didn't get the ticket. no speeding takes the fun out of driving. it really does. i really envy all of you speeders out there. but at the same time, i hope you guys get caught speeding at 88 so you can empathize with me. but really, traffic school is really annoying. it's all this common sense crap that you need to review for 6-8 hours. it's like your taking driver's ed all over again. *shudder* yeah, it sucks. but praise God i am done! i've learned. now, may i learn to LIVE what i've learned.

saturday's picnic was pretty fun. i really enjoyed the hours of frisbee, including my special hour with lois. haha. gosh, ultimate frisbee is so fun! it's one of those games where you don't feel like playing b/c it seems very childish and immature. but once you start playing, you don't want to stop until the other team gives up. lots of running. lots of yelling. and of course, lots of team cursing. "DDEUH!"

lisa's house was awesome too. it was really big with really nice bathrooms and hecka toys. man, if i had a house like that, i'd have hecka yg sleepovers and parties. anyways, mafia was alotta fun too. i've never been mafia before so it was a little different for me. well, this was actually my second time playing. but yeah, i guess i suck at lying. sometimes, i just need to learn to shuttup. "I HATE GARY!"

the only bad thing about the picnic was the mosquitoes from hell! gosh, EVERYONE got hecka bit up from that park. and these aren't just any bites. these suckers like to swell up so they look like you're growing unnecessary muscles overnight! these blasted bites itch so much. gosh, why they gotta be like that?!

oh, i almost forgot! i went to chang's place on thursday cause he wanted to cook dinner for me, simon, and chris MUN! gosh, two words: GAL BEE SURPRISE! haha. great unhealthy stuff. soooooo good! that night was concluded with the greatest movie in the world. Searching for Bobby Fischer. highly recommended for all chess players. "i'm offering you a draw."

and the next day, we had Benihana's. all you can eat sushi. three rounds. 200 dollars worth of food. *sigh* it hurts just trying to remember the incident. 3 rounds is good. 4 rounds is really good. 5 rounds is the ultimate challenge. gross. i won't dare anyone to do round 5. gross.

ok, now time for some random tidbits.

on friday, i went to Costco with B and discovered a discovery.

Discovery


isn't she beautiful? this is what i want instead of my customized Dell. 3 reasons.
1. 40 more gigs. .26 more ghz.
2. approximately $200 cheaper.
3. i don't have to worry about waiting for the mailman. i get it right on the spot.

but my Dell isn't so bad either. i would still be happy if i can't cancel my order. but yes, i'm really looking forward to my new computer.

i've been having some bad luck with my new cell phone.

monday: go to Extra to change lights and get new antenna. tells us to come back 1 hour later. we come back 1 hour later. he comes back 1 hour and 20 min. later. no discount.

sunday: 2 lights are loose and possibly broken. i go to Extra to fix the problem. there's a sign that says he'll be back in 20 min. he comes back in 30. tells me the guy who fixes phones doesn't work on sundays. come back tomorrow at 1. he'll be here for sure!

today: Extra is closed. i go to Stonestown. they don't do my phones. i go to J-town phone store. store is closed. i go to Chinatown. first store tells me to come back tomorrow. second store tells me they can't do my phone. third store is closed.

so i'm going back to Extra tomorrow. wish me luck guys.

Thought of the Day: Dykas can't dorm.
Song of the Day: That new WC song.

my morning started off pretty bad today.

1. stupid lawn mower guy really knows how to wake you up at 9am.
2. computer order is being delayed.
3. Writing 39B is COMPLETELY full. i can't even get on the stupid waiting list.
4. i need to go to my cousin's house today after work (yes, the rich bastard one that intimidates me).
5. haven't even started traffic school yet.

ok, i really appreciate all of the "college advice" everyone gave me. but no one, not a SINGLE person, admonished me about the consequences of signing up for classes late! all i heard was, "study hard! no girls! no parties! study hard!" *ahem* how about giving me some advice that i can actually USE! man, picking out classes in college is a hard kick in the balls. everything is just so inconvenient. it's not simple like high school where the counselors do all the work for you, and you can just whine and change your classes b/c you have one mean teacher. ugh, college registration is more like an authorization code here, a telephone call there, a computer freeze here, and a FULL class there! i know i know, i SHOULD have signed up earlier. i'm just venting cause i've had it up to HERE! *sigh* i want my mommy.

however, with all this stress and confusion, i am very glad to hear that justin is doing fine. he sounds very happy and is already enjoying his time at cornell. for once, i'm happy for the guy. hehe. oh, and i'm pretty impressed with what he did with his blog page. i'm pretty sure someone did it for him but no matter, it pleases me. and by the way, you were NOT "gregarious or sociable." it was just straight up TALKATIVE. make me proud CJ. =D

Thought of the Day: You think you can do it in one week?
Song of the Day: Hweesung-Can It Not Be?

retreat:

i enjoyed this retreat just like every other one. but at the same time, i realized that it felt "different." it finally hit me that i was kinda getting old for yg. having our immature paul come into yg was one sign. PJ letting me sleep in his cabin was another sign. gosh, it's weird. i felt very aloof from all the kids, almost like i didn't belong. oh but don't get me wrong, i sure had a great time. the games were awesome this year. the sermons were definitely worth listening to. and of course, the food was gross yet edible. and oooooh myyyyyy were some of the skits just freakin' hilarious! yeah, i did not regret coming to the retreat over another week in korea. praise God!

sidenote: i never realized how much i missed lois. seeing her just made me very happy. i enjoy her company very much. yes, she annoys me. yes, she bugs me. but yes, i DID miss her. great to have your ugly face back in the west coast. i'm still waiting for our little date.

after retreat:

the same day we came back from retreat, i saw justin off at the airport with moe and olivia. it wasn't like we were bawling our eyes out but there was still that "man, that sucks!" feeling among all of us. justin jang, my homosexual friend, is now in New York. oh so far away from me. yeah, i'm gonna miss the guy. that annoying arrogant guy. good luck with your white roommate and you're only allowed to call me on weekends.

but of course, the three of us just couldn't conclude a night like that. so we crashed at chang's and watched Vanilla Sky. man, that has to be one of the trippiest movies i've ever seen. i didn't like it the first time cause i only saw the middle and didn't quite make it to the end. but this time, i saw the whole thing through and ironically ended up enjoying it. and no, it wasn't just me! olivia said she liked it too. moe of course was snoring away 15 minutes into the movie. hehe.

friday:

my mom wanted to change her cell phone cause it was 90% broken. i really just wanted to chill at home but my mom really wanted me to go with her. so we explain our little situation with our phones, and i tell the guy that i don't want to switch over to anything new cause i want to keep my 8290. i know that cingular is a piece of crap company but you have to first understand what my phone went through. this phone costed me over 200 bucks! the phone itself was about 100 and the rest was spent fixing it up. foolish indeed! i agree. but the guy tells me that i can keep the phone and just change service providers like T-Mobile. so i put all my faith in this guy and canceled my account to cingular right there on the spot. after a ridiculous 1 hour, we get my thing canceled and he calls the T-Mobile guy. he finds out that they can't do it for my phone so i either have to choose T-Mobile or freakin' call Cingular again. *sigh* sometimes, the effort just isn't worth it you know? so my mom and i both walk out of that store with our new Motorola V-66 phones. gosh, and i'm still a sucker for fixing up phones.

random:

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


today:

2 hours of soccer. *sigh* it was hard. we got raped pretty bad. 8-2. but i honestly had some fun. gosh, matt's pretty good.

justin called today. he sounded a bit nostalgic. i don't blame the guy. there's no place like california.

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

reflection:

so i have less than a month before i go down to irvine. man, i have so many things to do:

1. traffic school.
2. work.
3. sign up for classes.
4. sell my cell phone.
5. buy computer.

well, i guess that isn't so bad. it sounds alot worse that it actually is. i'm really excited about my computer. Pentium 4 2.0 ghz. 512 ram. 80 gigs. 32x cd-rom with burner/dvd combo. 15" flat panel monitor. and some cheap printer. all approximately $1,995.00 after tax and shipping. just fits my budget of $2,000. praise God. hey jomo, it's Dell too!

Thought of the Day: Withering away.
Song of the Day: Basement Jaxx-Where's Your Head At (at at at...)

so i am back from my oh-so-fun vacation. and like justin said, "i know you're disappointed to be back." i AM really sad. this land that we call america is one boring place. alot of me regrets coming back to the states. i was getting alotta pressure from my dad to stay in korea an extra week. we would've gone to Gwangju and i could've played with this one noona i know. yeah, it would've been fun. *sigh* but i knew i couldn't miss my last youth group retreat. sometimes, there's just some things you can't sacrifice. and like gary said, you know you love something when you're willing to sacrifice or something like that. and i guess, i just didn't love korea enough. no, that's not true. i guess i just love retreats that freakin' much. *sigh* but still, it hurts. it's nice seeing friends and all, but it's so much nicer seeing my cousins everyday. haha. *sigh* sniffle sniffle.

reflection:

korea was definitely a good choice that i made. remember how i talked about how i needed to make money over the summer for college and stuff? well, i actually came back with more money than 3 weeks of work's pay. isn't that great? well, i think it's terrific. praise God!

i got a chance to talk to my dad about lots of things like family, friends, and church. my role as a son. his role as a father. our past and our future. it was good. i got a chance to see my dad in the working field again. frankly speaking, his business sucks. i'm sure you guys would pity him if you saw the business he gets. but at the same time, i grew a stronger appreciation for my father's efforts. after lunch, he works til about midnight, sitting behind a computer and greeting customers. he jokes around with the little kids and always talks to the adults with much respect. he's just a nice guy. a nice guy who i'm so freakin' proud of.

i got another chance to improve my korean. every time i go to korea, i come back with at least an improved vocabulary of 10 words and an improved slang vocabulary of 5 words. i mean, i learn hecka words everyday but you can only remember so many as part of your permanent speech you know? every single day, i would ask the question, "what does that mean?" at least 20 times. every single day, i would have the same response, "i don't know." at least 50 times. haha. but yeah, it was good.

i noticed that my dad's rich family is REALLY different from my mom's average or below family. i realized that the poorer family were much happier and nicer people. they were also much more generous and knew how to cook some good crap. the rich side was stingy and just bought me dinner all the time. i could sense that my dad felt more comfortable talking my mom's family than his own brothers. very ironic. well, i'm not saying that rich people suck. i'm not even saying that i hate my dad's side of the family. but i just thought it was interesting noticing these observations. i guess money only makes us "worse" people. *shrug*

things i constantly heard throughout my time in korea:

1. "simon, you got so big!"
2. "hey, simon isn't cute anymore. he's all big and ugly now."
3. "how do you say this in English?"
4. "simon, isn't it going to be hard living w/o your brother?"
5. "are you having fun?"
6. "wanna eat some watermelon?"
7. "what would you like to eat? i'll buy it for you."
8. "you look so much like your father. simon looks so much like your mother."
9. "what's your major going to be in college?"
10. "hey, you can speak korean now!"

Thought of the Day: Errands Errands Errands!
Song of the Day: Jaurim-Fallen Blossoms

monday:

what a bummer. in-gyu went to work and couldn't get out of it. i was stuck home, watching korean music videos for a good 3 hours. the first hour was entertaining. the second hour was getting to me. the third hour was just a very sad and unhappy hour. before my dad dropped me off at my cousin's place, we had like our first official serious talk. i forget how it started and my memory's still a bit sketchy. but it was cool.

as soon as i got to my cousin's place, we went to this gym to go play some basketball. man, that was a very energetic and fun time. i was actually playing pretty well that day. i was one sweaty, aggressive monster. but as soon as we finished, it started raining again. then of course, my fragile body caught another cold. another stupid cold that came and gone.

we watched another korean movie, pretty funny stuff. i didn't understand 75% of the dialogue but the i thought the other 25% was great. man, korean people are freakin' funny. their humor and american humor is different in so many perspectives.

tuesday:

i buy another pair of shoes. 63,500 won. good stuff. so tuesday was the last day i was going to see in-gyu's family. the mom gave me 100,000 won and simon 50,000. man, so generous. then we go eat gal-bee with my mom's cousin. *drool* great stuff. blah blah blah. you know the story. before we say goodbye, the lady gives me and simon 100,000 each! my wallet is starting to tear! so many bills bills bills! my cousins and i go to Coex Mall, a REALLY big underground mall. i think it's quite impressive. very futuristic and crap. as much as i wanted to spend money, i just ended up buying a comb for one of my girl cousins. shopping will have to wait. another night at the noraebang. blah blah blah.

wednesday:

my cousin, james, wanted to take me out to lunch so went to this chinese restaurant. it was weird seeing him again. it's always weird seeing him again. he got alot skinnier. we started talking about college and future and stuff. yeahyeahyeah, lots of bs conversation. but the part that i thought was most interesting was when he told me about his older brother:

james: so my brother took an IQ test recently. he scored 177.
me: woah.
james: he's an "ultra-genius." they have different levels for different iq's. there's normal, very smart, genius, super genius, ultra-genius, and unrecordable. my brother's an "ultra-genius."
me: woah.

i never knew my other cousin was that smart. i mean, i heard he was smart and everything but i just thought that meant he studied really hard just like any other korean. but no, this guy was a weirdo the whole time. i think that would explain alotta things about him. you see, this cousin of mine isn't exactly the nicest, most patient, and comfortable person to be around. he's a bastard. he's worse than james, the cousin who used to torture me for fun. but yeah, pretty interesting huh?

so afterwards, i receive more money. 50,000 won for me and my brother. ironic how out of all the people who gave me money, the richest bastard gave us the least. no matter, i was one loaded dude. *giggle*

i had to lie to my cousin that i was busy cause he wanted to spend some time with me (alone). so i had to lie (sorry, chose to). i told him i was going to a baseball game with my cousins and that i was going to the Soccer Allstar Game tomorrow (which i really was (my cousin's friend couldn't make it so we couldn't get tickets)). so it wasn't like he couldn't force me to stay even though i could see the thought in his face. so we escaped and finally got to my dad's pc bang. i got a new pair of glasses. pretty nice and cheap. 30,000 won! it only took me like 5 min. to check my eyes out. i got my glasses right on the spot. no prescription crap. no waiting for 10 days. just wham bam glasses man! haha. i'm so stupid.

then i went to the hair salon and got my hair high lighted again b/c i wasn't satisfied with the first time. it took pretty long but it was definitely worth the price, 12,000 won...with a free haircut of course. i was kinda unhappy with my designer cause he made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

guy: you're not from korea are you?
me: nope.
guy: are those your friends over their?
me: no, those are my cousins.
me: oh, you probably don't have too many friends over here huh?
me: um...no.

me: can you just cut the sides and the back?
guy: no. that'll look weird. how about i don't cut the sides, i just cut a little in the back, and you grow this part out and raise it up?
me: *sigh* ok.

however, it all turned out fine. not a bad cut. satisfied highlights. and of course, 12,000 won. man, that's like cheaper than some of the dyes in america!

for dinner, we went back to Kim Gah Neh. *drool* this time we all had ramen and "mot-nah-eeh-kim-bap," which translates to ugly sushi. haha. my cousin called it "simon sushi." after a very satisfied dinner, i went to go buy a pair of windbreakers. we came to this one store, which was the only place that had long windbreakers, and tried to bargain with the lady. the original price was 28,000 won. we wanted 23,000 won. they wanted 24,000. we argued and argued but they just wouldn't. my cousin was really stubborn too. got all red and crap. kinda funny. but we left. we came back cause everywhere else sucked. it was such a pride-killer though, going back feeling all inferior and stupid. my cousin couldn't even go back. it just wouldn't be right. haha. but i got the pants for 24,000. satisfied.

the night was concluded with pool and bowling. no more nackyu for who knows how long?

today:

we go to Tech Mart, a 7 floor mall in korea. pretty nice. not bad at all. i bought a whole buncha pens, a cd holding thingy, some magazines, blank cds, cd cases, and an air freshener for my uncle's b-day. man, so so cheap! for lunch, my 4th uncle bought us gal-bee-tang. *drool* great stuff. he gave the common advice about college. study study study. it's funny though cause EVERYONE always mentions that it's going to be hard for simon cause i'll be gone. perhaps it's a big deal. but i think simon can care less. *shrug* doesn't really seem to have any concern. *shrug*

i buy another cd and go to grandma's to burn a mix with their nice computer. we go home and give my uncle the air freshener. it was funny cause i know he was happy and he was still trying to find something to complain about. haha. that guy.

uncle: why'd you buy this? you don't even have any money!
me: it'll make your call smell good.
uncle: (mumbles something).
me: what?
uncle: GO UPSTAIRS!

yeah, he's one of those guys who always end each sentence with "jah-sheek-ah!" or "eeh-saeeki-ya!"

one of my girl cousins bought us all some neng-myun, which i am not too fond of. after dinner, we went bowling. after bowling, we went home and sang happy b-day. after that, we played with some firecrackers cause they're really cheap and legal. not as fun as we expected. basically threw away 20,000 won for 5 min. of weak lights. and now, i'm here pc banging with two of my cousins. i find it so funny how my girl cousin wants to play starcraft with my brother so much. she's like 24 and yet she's so immature. gosh, girls playing computer games. full of them in korea!

so i'm coming home tomorrow. sucks. smell you guys soon!!!

girl in red: happy b-day!

Thought of the Day: 3 weeks went by so fast.
Song of the Day: Jadu-Euak Seh

fatman goes into the unfamiliar restaurant. excited and hungry, he is ready to conquer his table. what?! "it's a buffet," he hears. the meat is being cooked. his bowls of rice are in place. everything is just right. on your mark. get set. EAT!!! after what seemed like hours of gorging on cows, fatman finally stops. father frowns. cousins frown. brother frowns. fatman is not like he used to be. he can no longer eat 3 bowls of rice with comfort. fatman struggles after a pitiful bowl #2. his heavy breathing increases. fatman is defeated. fatman sucks.

you know how i describe how good the restaurants are right? well, just imagine just how much BETTER the buffets are! i am telling you, that crap is freakin' tight! i wanna use non-existing words. i wanna cry. i wanna gesticulate. but i just can't tell you just how "awe-ful" my dinner was. *sigh* like i said, i can't eat as much as i used to. but i can tell you that i ate to the point where my initial unhappiness turned into sorrow. that's right. i ate and i became sad. too much is too much. oh, but it was also an interesting experience. across from my table was this really fine looking girl. first of all, i'm not used to seeing too many pretty girls at buffets so it kinda came to me by surprise. second, you would expect pretty girls to eat with tiny cute little bites and complain about how fat they were after 5 pieces of meat. ha! this girl was no ordinary girl. she would make her big meat sandwich thingys (sang-choo + meat + rice) and stuff ALL of that crap in her mouth! it was really unattractive and funny at the same time, seeing her trying to chew so much with her tiny little mouth. she'd be wiping her mouth over and over and continue making her enormous sandwiches. it was a very interesting site. such a pretty girl with no shame at a buffet. interesting.

so i'm back at my dad's place. i was talking with my friend, daniel, who just got back from taiwan. right now, he's like the only friend who relate to how much fun i'm having. in taiwan, they bowl, pool, eat, drink, and club. that's really similar to my vacation except i replace drinking and clubbing with shopping and pc banging. he quotes, "america is one dull country." haha. there's definitely a half-truth to that.

today, my aunt gave me 50,000 as a gift. gosh, i hate taking money from my mom's side of the family cause they're kinda poor. my aunt sells fruit everyday and i KNOW that crap doesn't sell too well. man, you know how insistent koreans are. just won't take NO for an answer. speaking of insistent, i bought a pair of fake Oakley's today:

me: how much is it?
lady: 12,000 won.
me: that's kinda expensive (*giggle* i'm such a cheap bastard!).
lady: ok, 11,000.
me: lady, i'm from america. these glasses are REALLY expensive over there. can't you just go down to 10,000?
lady: *sigh* 10,000.
me: thank YOU! (i don't even look good in glasses, but who cares!).

tomorrow, in-gyu is taking me out to the "fun" place now that i'm 19 in korean age. my cousin told me that he was either going to take me to a nightclub or a drinking place. i don't know. i hate alcohol. however my cousin also told me that there's hecka fine girls there, and they like to "play" with you (which basically means they want to drink for free). anyhoo, shoutout goes to our theological friend, jomo...

JSangLee: phil
Pretzelboi96: ayo
JSangLee: 7th day...
JSangLee: we celebrate 7th day as sunday
JSangLee: b/c of Jesus' ressurection
JSangLee: not because of rome
Pretzelboi96: oh really?
JSangLee: Jesus resurrected on a Sunday
JSangLee: b/c it was 3 daysafter good friday
JSangLee: and taht stuff doesn't change
JSangLee: b/c jesus died around passover
JSangLee: so we celebrate the Sabbath, or the reminder of heaven to come, through the day in which Christ was risen from the grave
JSangLee: but the issue is not the day of worshp
Pretzelboi96: uhhuh
JSangLee: the issue is that 7th day adventist still believe in a lot of levitcal law
JSangLee: liek they can't eat hooved animals like pork
JSangLee: and can't eat anything w/o a spine
JSangLee: like shrimp or crab
Pretzelboi96: what the?!
JSangLee: now why?
JSangLee: b/c it says in the old testament
JSangLee: but!
JSangLee: we don't live according to the law
JSangLee: and in essence
JSangLee: what they do is they believe in both the law
JSangLee: and christ
JSangLee: which is a contradiction b/c christ is the law
JSangLee: and the fulfillment of the law
JSangLee: and if they go back to the law, they are only condeming themselves and stripping Christ of his due power
JSangLee: so its a theological issue and not a "which day your worship" issue
JSangLee: its basically a very legalistic religion
Pretzelboi96: ah, i see
Pretzelboi96: do you think they're saved "christians?"
JSangLee: but
JSangLee: the ironic thing is...
Pretzelboi96: i mean, they DO believe in christ as lord right?
JSangLee: most of the non-7th day christians in korea are just as legalistic, b/c they live as if they need to be good ppl...and that that is the marker of a good christian
JSangLee: if you don't believe in SOLUS CHRISTUS, you're not
JSangLee: b/c if you're relying on works
JSangLee: then you can't be saved
JSangLee: but if they truly believe it is christ that saves them...and puts faith in that
JSangLee: I'd say they are
Pretzelboi96: right
JSangLee: they can still be saved
Pretzelboi96: of course
JSangLee: but if they really professed what they do...and still believe in Christ as their only saviour
JSangLee: they are bing higly inconsistent
Pretzelboi96: ok, that really helped alot
Pretzelboi96: thank you much jomo
JSangLee: no problem

Thought of the Day: So many fine girls in Korea=deception and destruction.
Song of the Day: Air-Hair Do

wednesday:

one of my dad's friends wanted to buy me dinner so we went to the restaurant downstairs to eat some sam-gyup-sal (fatty fat fat pork). my dad's friend is one of those funny ah-juh-shees. he talks really loud with a funny accent and likes to laugh at my stupid reactions. a nice guy who likes to talk about his childhood and how much he used to be able to eat. but omg, i have never eaten such unhealthy pork in my life! that crap was probably like 50% fat, literally. and of course, everyone took the good pieces while i was stuck with the white chewy lard. yummy. but it was yet another dinner that i appreciated, something you don't eat everyday in america.

i went to nackyu's house cause i was going to the hair salon with him the next day. he told me i could straighten my hair for 15,000 won at the place he was going. that's an amazing price compared to the regular 50,000 won and of course, approximately 70-80 dollars in America? i know it seems pretty gay, but i don't care. straight hair is almost always better than annoying wavy hair...at least for me. so we're at his house and my freakin' mom calls to tell me not to do anything to my hair. i knew this was going to come sooner or later, but today?! i know i should stop tampering with my thin hair cause it'll probably fall out someday. i went to bed deciding to just leave my hair alone.

thursday:

so after i talked with one of the hair stylists, i was convinced that there was nothing wrong with straightening my hair. after nackyu dyed his hair, we went to his church cause it was the only place that was cold. i met two of his friends, surprisingly only 15 years old! anyways, they were really interested in the american boy. the boy with the "perfect" English accent. the boy with the cool watch. the boy with a driver's license inside a wallet full of dance pictures. it was quite a funny experience:

girl: so what part of America are you from?
me: San Francisco.
girl: what? slower please?
me: san-pran-shees-co.
girl: ohhhhhhhh.

girl: wow! look at his watch! can i wear your watch? woah, it's so heavy. haha. hey, it has the days of the week, the date, and the hour of the day! hey, it glows in the dar too! look! wow, an American watch!

girl #1: wow! look at his wallet! what's a "rewards card?" hey, smell his wallet! it smells so good! hey, he has so much money!
girl #2: wow, he does have a lot of money! count how much he has! i only have 2,000 won!

i know it sounds like i'm exaggerating. but i assure you, i speak the truth and nothing but the truth. the first girl had a very interesting name. while most korean names only have 3 characters, she had 5. her name was lee ha neul gang nam (lee sky river). interesting no?

after that, i met up with simon and woong-chan and we ate at this small restaurant. dang, that place had THE BEST bibimbab! that crap was only 4,000 won! quality, quantity, and cheap. exactly what we lack in America.

friday:

so we go bowling again. samo samo. then we go to my grandmother's house again. i burn a cd with my cousin's computer and eat fried chicken for dinner.

aunt: is the chicken better in america?
me: of course!
aunt: ahaahhaahahahhaha.

we shoot some pool and we come home b/c my other aunt is sick. what's that thing called when your face is kinda crooked b/c of lack of blood flow or something? well, she had a minor attack? yesterday. it's kinda funny when you observe my uncle and aunt. my uncle is an old-fashioned korean who tries to find every reason to complain and belittle you. my aunt on the otherhand is one happy lady. she's always smiling and laughing (kinda like chris moon), quite jolly for a korean lady.

at night nackyu wanted his hair to be even redder. we got some red bleach called cherry. in the end, his hair turned into this hot pink. we didn't know what to say. shocked yet sympathetic. it was kinda funny though cause he seemed to be really happy with it, smiling like an idiot. haha. it's something you can get used to. just really awkward at first. reminds you of moon hee jun.

today:

my girl cousin wants to go to school in sweden to study Interior Design or something cause she really likes the school. she can't speak english for jack crap but she's really determined to study study study. so i helped her write her application today, translating every sentence from korean to english. ugh! after we finished, the crap didn't save and we lost the file. we started over and finished and left the pc bang 2 hours later. she was really sorry but i guess she deserved my effort. she works really hard to give me and simon a good time in korea. she takes us bowling, buys us food, cooks us food, cleans the house, watches movies with us, and even takes us shopping. the poor thing. i know she's going to be a good mother. so yeah, she deserved my stupid effort.

i found out last week that woong-chan and jung hyun are 7th Day Adventists, "christians" who go to church on saturday. it's really weird cause they're always asking me to go to church with them on saturday. it doesn't feel right and i know it's wrong. but the worst part is the fact that i don't know how to argue against it. they argue that saturday is the 7th day of the week and sunday is the first. it was supposedly always like that until Rome forced everyone to go to church on sundays. so yeah, it's kinda frustrating. the best i could do is tell them that i disagree with them. sunday is the last day, not saturday. *shrug* so it got me thinking, when IS the actual 7th day of the week? in korean, sunday is the first day-eel yo eel. help me out somebody!

i had a pretty good lunch today. i ate at this restaurant called "kim kang myun," which sells a variety of kim-bab and ramen. crap, that stuff was so good and cheap! i ate lap-pok-ki and hecka kim-bab and simon had oodong. 10,000 won!!! and of course we shot some pool afterwards.

today, i bought some cds and a bought a jersey. it's really cool bargaining with people on the streets.

me: how much is it?
guy: it's normally 32,000 won but i'll give it to you for 28,000.

nornally, i would've even bought it for 32,000 won cause it's just so freakin' cheap! i know that crap is fake, but it's all good right?

me: c'mon, can't you just give it to me for just a BIT cheaper?
guy: hmmmmm...well, since the weather is kinda bad today, i'll give it to you for 27,000 won.
me: thank you. (sucker).

it turns out that i was the real sucker. my other cousin told me that he could've gotten that crap for 5,000 won cheaper. eh, it's fine. i'm happy. that vender is happy. however, i gotta stop buying clothes now...even if it was only 2 things. i have enough clothes in america.

so you guys starting to see the trend here? my life is basically bowling, pool, pc bang, movies, food, and walking. i have less than a week left in this fantastic land. *sigh* this fantastic land.

Thought of the Day: Gotta stop spending money.
Song of the Day: That popular Koyote song.

sunday afternoon:

i went shopping in Dong-Deh-Moon again. we went to Doota Tower and Migliore (or whatever it's called), the two big cheap places to shop in the area. simon bought two Echo shirts, a pair of shorts, and windbreakers. gosh, i never knew clothes in korea could be so cheap! and finally, i started seeing all of the pretty korean girls i was hoping for. you just have to go to the right places you know? man, i just realized that i do alotta traveling in korea. i spend at LEAST 5 dollars on transportation a day and do at LEAST 3 miles of walking a day. it's really fun doing all this traveling. i love just looking around all the streets and people. i think i'm becoming a city person. i like taking buses and subways. i like walking around shopping malls and buying food in the streets. i just like the environment. it's great.

monday:

after we came back from shooting pool and bowling, we decided to give my other cousin, Na-kyu, a call. fortunately, he was free for a while so he came over. gosh dang did he look different! the guy is now 183 cm, which is about 6' 1? and grew out his hair like he promised. haha. the only thing he didn't do was dye his hair blue. we're going to the hair salon tomorrow to do that. but yeah, he's still the same ol' guy. it's weird though. everytime i see my cousins, i feel a bit shy around them cause i haven't seen them in a while. but after a few questions about america and different translations, the ice finally breaks apart. we went to noraebang AGAIN, but for some reason it's always funfunfun! we came home and Na-kyu saw the chess set i brought. for some odd reason, all of my cousins think chess is the most interesting game. perhaps it is the fact that it is a GLASS chess set. i mean, that's what got me hooked too. anyways, they really suck but they really enjoy the game. they have some pretty fun reactions.

me: checkmate.
cousin: STOP! (moves the pieces back and starts thinking again).

tuesday:

so we go bowling AGAIN. this time, i do pretty a little better than usual-153 baby! it's fun playing with my cousins. we give each other high fives no matter how bad we did and always yell ASSAH! haha. my girl cousins really wanted me to go to the korean museum of history so we stopped by there. i can't say i had the funnest time, but it was a bit interesting. i find american history to be much more exciting even though it only goes back a few hundred years. but oh well. i appreciate what korea went through. we see one of my girl cousins taking a tour but we tell her we're just going to meet her at McDonald's at 6. we go ahead and eat just a little so that we can eat dinner a little later with her. we then go watch a new korean movie called Phone. it's supposed to be really scary and stuff so my oldest cousin hooked us up with tickets somehow. it's really cool. she always hooks us up. anyways, the movie ended up being pretty dang scary. i really enjoyed it. gosh, there was this one part though that i must comment on. the main character is walking into this room cause she hears this girl crying. when she walks into the room, there's a bed with a girl sitting on it. her hair is REALLY long, all the way to the floor, and her face is buried in her hair. omg. that crap was sooooooo scary! and of course the stupid girl approaches the crying ghost. man, i think that's brilliant. that was just oh so scary! good movie. good korean movie.

after the movie, we go to Dong-Deh-Moon to do some shopping again. it was weird though cause my girl cousin was in a bad mood. she wouldn't talk to us and kept complaining about stupid things. we didn't speak to her til we got home. man, walking in the rain is soooooo much fun! my cousins and i were walking for miles, singing and yelling mindless things. "DAE-HAN-MIN-GOOK!" "OH PILSEUNG KOREA!" what a memory. that's definitely a keeper. before we got home, my other cousins and i ate cup ramen at this 7-11 type of place. gosh, eating at night is so much fun. everything is cheap and available. so unhealthy but so worth it you know? after we got home, my pissed off cousin wanted to talk to me. she said she was pissed at us cause we didn't wait to eat with her at McDonald's. she was disappointed at us to the point where she was crying when trying to explain things. it was weird seeing the sensitive side of my cousin, the same cousin who's as immature as simon. so weird. girls. weird. girls suck. but everything was ok after that. what a long day.

Thought of the Day: "Thank you very much. You're welcome to my house Minjung. Here are some flowers for you."
Song of the Day: YDG-Alley

monday afternoon:

so i finally got to see my beloved cousins. woong chan (19), jung hyun (21?), jung sook (23?), and junguk (25). that's 1 boy and 3 girls. so far, everyone who's seen me says that i got taller and skinnier, which is absolutely false. i've only grown 2 centimeters and have replaced my lost baby fat with "unnatural fat?" but when they see simon, they are in awe of his change in height and voice. he is no longer the cute, adorable, laughing maniac. he is now the not-so-fun and quiet teenager. i guess he has
changed alot in the past 2 years. but he still knows how to make me angry.

so we go see my grandmother (mom's side) and my oldest uncle. i'm never too excited to go to that house b/c it is just absolutely boring. tv. room. room. kitchen. bathroom. thank you very much but i am not interested. and of course, there is the crippled grandmother who cannot do anything but mumble complaints just to make conversation. yeah, i don't like her much and i'm sure she doesn't like me either. to her, i'm probably the "different" grandson. the retarded american boy who cannot speak korean for crap and dresses like he's going to continue growing for the next 5 years. anyways, my uncle is a pretty funny guy. he's really good at belittling his nephews, especially woong chan.

uncle: so can you drive now?
me: yeah, i got my license 2 years ago.
uncle: woong chan, what about you?
cousin: no. not yet.
uncle: what?! why not? only stupid people don't
know how to drive.

all of my cousins are pretty much the same. they just changed their hairsytles a bit, but they really seem like nothing's changed in 2 years. i think that's cool though. change is gay.

tuesday:

i found out that you can dye your hair and get a haircut for less that 30 bucks in korea! this was a bargain i just could not refuse. we went to AP-GOO-JUNG-DO, one of the more popular cities for younger people. but before that, i was seriously craving some pat-bing-soo. my cousins took me this placed called Ice Berry. they have this one pat-bing-soo called the KING BING SOO, which is absolutely enormous! you get this hecka big bowl and just add tons of crap to it. it's basically a pat-bing-soo that you eat as a group. it was so freakin' good!!!! man, i could've cried right there on the spot. i don't understand why we cannot have such things in america.

at the hair salon, i got my hair done by several people. first, this guy and this girl were putting the dye on my hair. they were so careful to make sure every little hair was going to get colored. then, i got my hair washed by this other lady. then this other lady highlighted my hair. then the same lady washed my hair again. finally, this well known hair stylist was in town or something so i got my haircut from him. man oh man, is he good! he seriously takes his time in every little snip. a freakin' perfectionist man! he made sure each side was exactly even and kept starting over. it was quite an experience. i think he was gay cause he was wearing red pants and was so good my with hair. but i don't know. not like it should matter i suppose. and of course, the best part was that i got a discount. 35,000 won to 25,000 won (approximately $20). ugh, what a deal! korea really knows how to treat your hair right!

we also saw The Score on video. it only costs 1,000 won to watch that crap. that's like what, 75 cents?!

wednesday:

and the food continues to do justice! every morning, i ate don-ggah-seu for breakfast. haha. it's weird eating such food at such a time. but it's all good right? on wednesday, i went bowling with woong chan and jung hyun. dang, we bowled like 3 games and it was still less than 10 dollars! it was great cause we were all bowling great that day. we all made new high scores except for woong chan. my new record is 172! my last 3 turns were all strikes. i was seriously the KINGPIN! ok, that was stupid. but after that, jung hyun made us egg salad sandwiches. quite impressive for a girl who's lived in korea all her life. after dinner, we went to go play basketball. now basketball in korea is one frustrating mother! first of all, the weather is unbearable! humidity is seriously no joke. after you're done playing, your shirt has got to go. freakin' gross. second, the ground is all dirt. korea's too poor to have nice concrete courts like we do in america. don't take that crap for granted guys. finally, korean people suck at basketball. well, i guess i can see why with the conditions they play in. anyways, it's still hecka fun. they think they need to learn how to play from "american" people.

finally, we concluded this fun day with 2 hours of noraebang! i hecka love the noraebangs here. 1 hour=15,000 won? crap that is so cheap compared to our $25/hr. and plus, they have all the unpopular koreans songs too! it was cool cause my cousin knew the owner and he have us so much more time. we sang til we could sing no more. what fun. too much fun. so exhausting.

thursday:

my cousins took me to this one park. they have this one area where you take your shoes off and walk along this rocky trail. it's supposed to be really good for your health or something. anyways, it was one painful experience. while little kids were just chatting and cruising on the rocks, the 4 of us were screaming bloody murder, trying our best to finish the cursed trail. at the end, there's a picture of a foot that shows you what body part is the unhealthiest, according to where your foot hurts the most.

me: my foot hurt over here the most. what does it mean?
cousin: well, i can't explain it too well. we'll look it up when we get home ok?
(later at home).
me: oh, sexual reproductive organs huh?
cousin: yeah. that's where you have the most problems.
me: hmmmmmmm...

later that night, my oldest cousin said that she could get us into a GOD concert for free. so of course, we all went. before we went to the concert, we ate at Mr. Pizza. dude, they have some funky toppings over there in korea. they have bul-go-gee pizza, potato pizza, and some other stuff i don't remember. we had the potato pizza. some interesting stuff. not bad. not good. however, i do miss American pizza. after our meal, this guy was selling masks with X's on them, saying the theme for that night's concert was "LIE," one of their hit songs. "you have to buy it or you'll be the only ones w/o masks!" it turns out, the guy was a fake and we never even put on the masks. freakin' bastard! so many people like that in korea! the GOD concert wasn't as big as i thought it would be. it was big, but not that big. it was really loud and the place was just polluted with girls. i felt so gay, being one of the few males cheering for GOD. they were pretty good live. all in all, i enjoyed the concert. my first, and probably last korean concert i'll ever go to. once again, we concluded this day with noraebang, but this time with a few more GOD songs.

friday:

i went to DONG-DEH-MOON, a popular city that sells everything for really cheap. i bought my shoes there for 40,000 won! now that is cheap!!! shopping was really exhausting though. taking hecka buses and subways is no fun ride, especially when they're packed with koreans. later that day, we also went to go buy some cds but i decided to cut down on my shopping for a bit. besides, one of my cousins promised to make us her infamous spaghetti. to be honest, it was one of the best spaghetti's i ever had in my life! i really enjoyed it even though i'm not a big fan of spaghetti. we rented John Q and watched that late at night.

saturday:

my dad took us camping to this place in the mountains. omg. there is nothing better than eating sam-gyup-sal in the outdoors. i even had my first taste of "so-joo" cause i was now a "college student." dang, i really suck at drinking. i hate the stuff. i know you're not supposed to drink it for the taste but still! soda is the way to go. anyways, it was really nice playing in the river and splashing each other with rocks. for dinner, we ate shin ramen. this crap is great outdoors too! camping in korea is just a great thing to do. it's totally different from our american style. it's nice. lots of fun.

unfortunately, i got sick that night. what i thought was a small cold slowly turned into a small fever. after taking some medicine, i slowly fell asleep as my brother was having some hilarious conversations with my friend, in-gyu.

in-gyu: shi-mons (simon). let's wrestle before we sleep!
simon: no!

in-gyu: shi-mons. lemme teach you some cuss words. do you know what "sheep-seh" is?
simon: no. but i know what "shi-bal" is.
in-gyu: oh. well, "sheep-seh" is "shi bal upgrade!"
simon: ahahaahahahahah.

in-gyu: you know, all you say is "gee-nyang" or "uh-tuh-keh." if you say use those words again, i'm going to give you a kiss.
simon: nooooooo. "gee-nyang..."
in-gyu: it's "geu-nyang." not "gee-nyang." that's it! i'm going to kiss you now!

once again, these conversations are only funny in korean. so fudging funny!

man, my dad's pc bang is so full of smoke! by now, i must've inhaled enough smoke to add up to one cigarette! today, i'm going shopping with my cousin again. don't worry i-fang. my cousins told me they have PUKA stuff here. gosh, everyday is so full of fun. i know you american suckas envy me! i know you do!!!

Thought of the Day: However, I do miss some of America.
Song of the Day: Cool-Before I Become Sad