This week's persecuted church: India

About 20 Hindu fundamentalists belonging to the RSS and Bajrang Dal stormed into Pastor Bhaskar John Poojappa’s house and beat him up alleging that he was involved in forceful conversions.

The extremists “ruthlessly beat up all the members of the family, slapped them and kicked them all over the body, and didn’t even spare the two year old little child”.

They dragged Pastor Poojappa to the Rajenkunte Police Station and made cooked up charges against the pastor and his ministry.

Thought of the Day: Sadness

Song of the Day: Hillsong-Still

Refined Taste

Last night, I was at Bar 다, and one of the bartenders came over and handed this to me. At first, I thought it was a pretty crappy coaster or something cause it was just a piece of paper. Then my friend pointed out that the picture was me! Haha.

I think it's really interesting how I actually enjoy beer now. I was truly a beer nazi whenever I hung out with friends, but it is now my choice beverage at bars (minus Korean beer b/c all it really is is water with beer flavoring). I like how it's relatively low in alcohol and good for socializing, but it can easily shrink the wallet and grow the gut too. Always gotta be moderate.

Another sign of maturity is how I can now appreciate coffee too. I'm not talking about sugary lattes or macchiatos; I'm talking about straight black Americano. I can even tell if it's good or not! The stuff that my student's mom used to give to me is gooood. The stuff that my adult student, Cynthia, gives me is gooood. The stuff that 행복 Cafe gives me tastes like swamp.

So now that I know how to enjoy these adult things, I can finally be friends with Enoch and Dinko, my two beer+donut lovers. Ironically, my two favorite beers happen to be Becks and Stella Artois, which are their favorite beers respectively. I wonder what took me so long.

What's next? Freaking golf?

Thought of the Day: X-men: The Last Stand

Song of the Day: Keane-Somewhere Only We Know

Apology for Apologetics

"If there is no God, then why is there so much good?"

-St. Augustine

"We do not speak like Paul because we do not feel like Paul because we do not see like Paul."

-John Stott

"When was the last time you walked into a church and heard a sermon on why the Bible is true? This is our problem. Our young people want to believe this, but they are not getting answers on why this is true. We tell people they are framing their lives by a lie. We have followed the truth, and the biggest question in our churches today is, 'Why is this the truth?' Why have you traded your life for what's 'Genesis 1-12 says here' and the rest of it? If this is true, then we'd better tell our young people why it is true because they can't go into their colleges and universities and just say, "The Bible says..." We tell them they are living by a lie, and we tell them we are living by the truth, and they want to know who says so. The biggest failure we are doing as Christian leaders today to our young people is we have not taught them how to defend this."

-Ravi Zacharias

I love good preaching and apologetics, but I RARELY see the two together. Reading through Acts these days, I'm seeing how evident apologetics was in Paul's teachings. As for today's preachers, I can only think of Tim and Ravi who do an excellent job in presenting the Gospel in a relevant manner yet with many reasons to believe it too. I think Ravi put it very well when he said that apologetics is the appetizer while the Gospel is the main course. Preachers, give us reason to believe what you're preaching!

Thought of the Day: 부성이네

Song of the Day: Keane-Everybody's Changing

This week's persecuted church: Nigeria

Churches in predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria are now being fitted with metal detectors because of threats of bomb attacks. Worshippers in Christian churches are also having their bags and persons searched over fears of explosives being smuggled inside. Nigerians, who give gifts frequently, are being warned that the gifts, too, can be rigged to explode. The unusual measures were precipitated by several bombing attacks against churches in the region attributed to the radical Islamic group Boko Haram. Last Christmas Eve, more than 80 people were killed in numerous attacks in the region. Just last weekend, Boko Haram killed 25 people during attacks on several beer gardens in the city of Maidugur. A week prior to that, eight people were killed when Boko Haram attacked police headquarters in the capital Abuja.

Thought of the Day: 비밀

Song of the Day: Beastie Boys-Super Disco Breakin'

Little House on the Monday

I think I first started to enjoy reading after I started the Little House series in third or fourth grade. It didn't occur to me for a long time that these books were more geared towards a female audience. Looking back, I can't believe I had actually asked my mom to buy me all the Rose Wilder Lane books too. But in my defense, I wasn't reading these secret series out of enjoyment; it was more out of a stubborn persistence to be able to say that I had finished all that there was to read about Laura Ingalls. I think I didn't know what I was trying to prove really.

Anyway, I recently found myself having to read The Long Winter, which is one of the books in the original series. It's fascinating to read about the naivety and innocence of these farm girls who have never lived in the midst of anyone outside of their family. Once they move in to town and start going to school, the book says:

"Mary and Laura and Carrie were all enjoying school so much that they were sorry when Saturday and Sunday interrupted it. They looked forward to Monday."

I personally cannot remember the last time I ever looked forward to a Monday outside of holidays and school breaks. While Korean students, or any person today for that matter, would think that the Ingalls girls are crazy, I think there was something right and proper in their attitude and approach to the weekday.

God did not intend our studies or work to be dreadful or burdensome. But somewhere between the fall of creation and now, Monday became the epitome of the worst thing to look forward to in the average person's life. In fact, Office Space even coined the expression, "the case of the Mondays" as if it were some disease or sickness. Today happens to be Hump Day. On Friday, we thank God that it's finally here! How is it that man has turned Monday into something so terrible?

Thought of the Day: 판다

Song of the Day: 재주소년-춤추는 대구에서

This week's persecuted church: Uzbekistan

Mid-May in Eastern Uzbekistan police badly beat a woman, attacking in her home, in front of her daughter, for having taken part in Christian religious activities. Several hospitals have also refused to treat the woman, frightened by the police.

In the country, even owning a Bible can be a serious crime. The appeals court in Tashkent ordered the Christian Baptist Galina Shemetova to a fine of 2,486,750 som (about 1,015 euros, 50 times the minimum monthly pay) for having given a children’s Bible to a colleague. For this reason she is accused of proselytizing. The woman was also beaten by the police, but the court of appeals did not want to discuss the issue.

On April 14 the Protestant Anvar Rajapov was sentenced to a fine of 80 times the minimum wage because the police found religious books in his house. The Tashkent court did not notify him of the sentence, but the police confiscated his passport and threatened him with death if he appeals the decision.

On 26 May Tashkent police arrested the Baptists Amir Temur and Sergey Shilnikov: they had a Bible, two Gospels of John and two other religious texts. They were charged for having introduced and illegally traded improper religious literature.

Seinfeld & Scott Pilgrim

I didn't really start to appreciate Seinfeld until I got to the middle of the third season. It's funny because so many people can relate to the things that happen in the show.

Terrance recommended Scott Pilgrim vs. The World to me almost a year ago. I finally watched it yesterday and freaking enjoyed it. WE ARE SEX BOB-OMB!

Why do I like so many things that aren't necessarily for everyone?

Thought of the Day: 63 Building

Song of the Day: Sex Bob-omb-Threshold

Kimjongilia

I just finished watching an amazing documentary on North Korea. Make time to watch this.

"Since I've tasted freedom, I need to share it with my people."

Thought of the Day: North Korea

Song of the Day: Tchaikovsky-Swan Lake

All of the Above

11:35 AM - Phil buys a new umbrella in case current ghetto one breaks or gets stolen/lost/forgotten somewhere during this monsoon season.

5:20 PM - Phil stands underneath a building passageway to avoid rain while killing time before 5:30 class. He holds his umbrella with one hand while the newly bought one is held inside his bag.

5:21 PM - Pretty girl comes out of nowhere and stands underneath the passageway without an umbrella.

5:22 PM - Pretty girl contemplates when to run across to the other side while rain is still coming down.

5:23 PM - Phil contemplates whether or not to offer Pretty girl his (spare) umbrella.

5:24 PM - Phil contemplates awkward reaction from both parties.

5:25 PM - Pretty girl runs across to the other side in the rain and enters Mister Donut.

5:26 PM - Phil regrets not being a gentleman to Pretty girl.

5:27 PM - Phil goes to class.

Phil is...

a) selfish

b) a coward

c) not a gentleman

d) all of the above

Thought of the Day: Visa Picture

Song of the Day: M.I.A.-There's Space For Ol Dat I See

Out of Context

My favorite TV show these days is Modern Family. I think the brilliance of this show comes from the use of ambiguity in different contexts. The misinterpretations are timed perfectly so that words and behaviors are taken out of context, thus leading to some hilarious misunderstanding. Unfortunately, many of the misunderstandings in our lives are also "timed perfectly" in a way that doesn't always lead to so much laughter. But speaking of the matter, here's a quote I recently heard by Lawrence Krauss:

"If one believes that homosexuality is an abomination because it says so in the Bible, one has to accept the other things that are said in the Bible including the allowance to kill your children if they are disobedient or a validation of the right to sleep with your father if you need to have a child and there are no other men around and so forth."

How would you respond to this statement to put everything in its proper context?

Thought of the Day: Humid

Song of the Day: 2PM-Hands Up

남이섬 and 춘천

Martin and I took a Friday off to escape life and work in Seoul to go to 남이섬.

The train to 춘천 area is awesome. 급행 and everything.

My favorite sandals finally broke on me when I tripped out of the taxi. My mom was happy I finally thew them away.

Going abroad

to Nami Republic.

We thought this was a pretty cool looking bridge

until we realized those were flattened soju bottles.

Christmas tree

made out of more soju bottles.

We wanted to explore some more, so we headed over to 춘천, home of everyone's favorite 닭갈비.

Here is a map at the station showing a number of restaurants to visit.

But we just asked the taxi driver to take us somewhere not too bad. Not bad at all.

We asked our next taxi driver to take us to the fun spot of 춘천, so he took us to a place called "명동"

which happened to be like two streets.

The End.

Thought of the Day: Closed Haircut

Song of the Day: The Submarines-Love Notes/Letter Bombs Album

This week's persecuted church: Pakistan

Police this month tortured a young Christian woman into revealing the whereabouts of the legal team helping her family after an influential Muslim family kidnapped her and her sister. Police also helped the Muslim family beat the relatives of the Christian woman on court premises and attacked the offices of the organization trying to help her family.

This family is a very influential family of the area, and they had been threatening a repeat of a Gojra carnage if their girl was not returned to them. At least seven Christians were burned alive by Muslim mobs in Gojra after the spread of a rumor of blaspheming Islam on August 1, 2009.

Thought of the Day: Wedding

Song of the Day: f(x)-피노키오 (Danger)

Just in case you were wondering,

I didn't get the job.

Thought of the Day: Cosigner

Song of the Day: Nada Surf-Inside Of Love

Daily Bread

"The most important thing in your life is your personal devotional study each day. If you fail there, you will fail everywhere. If you fail there, you will fail everywhere."

-Ravi Zacharias

I don't remember too many of my youth group Friday Bible study nights, but there was one night where our director, Allen Lee, challenged us to read the Bible once or twice a day for one week. When we regrouped the following Friday, it turned out that everyone had failed the challenge...everyone but me.

Today, sometimes people ask me how I am so "disciplined" and consistent with things like daily devotionals. I understand where they're coming from as I have my share of difficulties with setting aside time each day for the Lord. But I think more than anything, the problem begins when we view these precious times as "discipline" or even "time FOR the Lord" as if God needed us to read and pray to make Him happy. While there is worship that goes to God, we are the ones who receive the benefits and joys of being near Him.

I know that my devotional time becomes a burden as soon as I see God's Word as just some book or if prayer feels like an obligation or duty. But I also know that when I choose not to read or speak to God, I am being blatantly arrogant and living as if I don't need Him in my life. Man, devotionals are the easiest and the hardest thing to do in the world.

Thought of the Day: Happy Birthday, Snugs!

Song of the Day: Utada Hikaru-Keep Tryin' (Forever Voices Mix)

짝사랑

Leave me alone, 모기s, or else I'll have to break more than just your heart! 1:58AM. !@$%

Thought of the Day: Sprained Finger

Song of the Day: 푸른새벽-Tabula Rasa

This week's persecuted church: Indonesia

An Indonesian court jailed 17 men for up to five months Thursday for burning churches and attacking police, one of the worst religious hate crime cases to have hit the mainly Muslim country.

A 1,500-strong mob of angry Muslims set two churches alight and ransacked a third in the Central Java town of Temanggung in February as they demanded that a Christian man be sentenced to death for insulting Islam.

The incident began when mayhem erupted inside a court and spilled into the streets, where protesters set a police vehicle ablaze and threw stones at officers, who responded with tear gas and warning shots.

Four panels of judges at Semarang district court convicted a total of 17 Muslims in connection with the violence, sentencing 16 of them to five months in jail and the last to four months.

"They are legally and convincingly proven guilty in destroying public properties and carrying out assault," one of the judges said.

The terms were lighter than the 10 months sought by prosecutors as the convicts had been co-operative during the trial, he added.

One of those convicted, Supriyanto, was found guilty of sending text messages to several people a day before the Christian's trial, on the orders of a local Muslim cleric.

"Based on evidence and witnesses' testimonies, Supriyanto incited people to take part in the attack in Temanggung," another judge said.

Nine more defendants, including the cleric said to be the "mastermind" behind the attack, will hear their verdicts next week.

Indonesia's constitution guarantees freedom of religion but rights groups say violence against minorities including Christians and the Ahmadiyah Islamic sect has been escalating since 2008.

Thought of the Day: Charley/Joe Birthday
Song of the Day: Chris Tomlin-Famous One

Out of Time

Many of my students find it very interesting how I always come on time. They ask me if all Americans think keeping the time is important. I've always thought that I was a relatively punctual person (occasional exceptions aside), but maybe it's just the American in me. When I ask about when their other teachers come, they say usually 10-15 minutes, sometimes even 30 minutes late. Freaking Korean Time.

The thing that really amazes my students though is how I don't even come a few minutes early or late; I'm always right on the dot. It's to the point where if I am a few minutes late, they ask me if something had happened to me. Haha. What do they call that again? Type A personality?

I promise I'm more of a Type AB!

Thought of the Day: Match Point

Song of the Day: TheThe-못믿을 사람

My Last Many Weekends

After publishing the previous post, I realized that my life kinda disappeared from this blog at some point. So here are some brief summaries of some of the eventful weekends I had in the near past.
International Festival with Nate and Meen. Korea is the only place in the world where they'll have alcohol as prizes.
Homeless outreach on Sunday nights in Seoul Station.
Informal Samsung penthouse party where I had my first experience of African food. I literally ate like five plates.
One last dinner with my favorite cousin and his soon to be wife.
Finally, a water balloon picnic at Han River. Consider yourself updated.

More Wise Words

"...do you realize that your imagination of the future, which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind, rarely, if ever pictures me there with you...it is your desperate attempt to get some control over something you can't. It is impossible for you to take power over the future because it isn't even real, nor will it ever be real. You try and play God, imagining the evil that you fear becoming reality, and then you try and make plans and contingencies to avoid what you fear."

-Jesus from The Shack

"Don't judge a philosophy by its abuse."

-St. Augustine

"If you have to deal with bad characters, you must come down to them, not in their sin, but in their roughness and in their style of language, so as to take hold of them."

-C.H. Spurgeon

Thought of the Day: X-men: First Class

Song of the Day: Big Bang-Tonight

This week's persecuted church: China

More than 20 members of a Beijing illegal church were arrested May 29 as they tried to gather for an outdoor service in what was the eighth straight week of public confrontation between the congregation and the Chinese government.

Police arrested at least 22 members of Shouwang Church, which has been trying to meet outdoors after the government forced members from their indoor facility. Many more likely would have been arrested had police not placed most of the members under house arrest since Friday, preventing them from even leaving their house. The church has nearly 1,000 members. Twenty-one of the members were released by midnight, and the final one released the next day. All the church's leaders have been under house arrest for weeks, and some members have lost their jobs and been forced from their homes as the government pressures employers and landlords.

Thought of the Day: The Shack

Song of the Day: Erik Satie-Trois Gymnopedies

Spanish Proverb

"A man who loves one woman loves all women. A man who loves many women doesn't love any of them at all."

Thought of the Day: Netbook

Song of the Day: (500) Days Of Summer (Promo Score)-Things Were Going So Well

This week's persecuted church: Sudan

In a northwestern region, a woman was arrested on May 9 and accused of possessing and distributing Bibles to others in a camp for displaced people, including children. She could also be tried for apostasy, which carries the death sentence in Sudan. She has been transferred to an unknown location as she could be tortured as she was detained and tortured for six days in 2009.

Thought of the Day: Samsung Party

Song of the Day: Jay-Z-Brooklyn's Finest

*Phew*

My cheap bag strap ripped last Saturday.

Coming home, things were emptied right away.

But two things that were completely missed

Hand sanitizer and digital camera were not on the mind's list.

So the bag was thrown out for the garbage man to take

While I had no idea what had been at stake

But my thoughtful dad had decided to take one last look

In case I had left a pencil, notebook, eraser, or book.

Behold! The two missing items were still there!

This entire time his ignorant son was not even aware

Until he came home late last night,

And his mother decided to stir in him a fright

By asking if she could borrow his camera for the morrow,

Awaiting his look of surprise change to sorrow.

The boy opened his drawer where the item was usually found

But then proceeded to his other bags to look around.

So his mother watched him search in vain

Until the frustration inside could no longer remain.

"You, my son, have lost your mind!

Your father found what you now cannot find."

With confusion and embarrassment he took in his hand

The lost items she placed as he began to understand

Her words of rebuke, nag, and scold.

The succinct lecture to him was told,

"Today, we've just earned a lot of money.

Be sure to say thanks to your father, sonny."

I felt too stupid and embarrassed to thank him though. I never lose things, but I don't know why I'm so prone with digital cameras!

Thanks, Dad.

Thanks, God.

Thought of the Day: Stinkin' Heat

Song of the Day: 푸른새벽 Discography

This week's persecuted church: Laos

Lao and Vietnamese troops killed four Christian women in front of their families during a crackdown on "dissidents" in Laos. The Lao People's Army, supported by soldiers and secret police from Vietnam, seized a group of Hmong and confiscated their Bibles. Soldiers then shot and killed four of the women, after repeatedly raping two of them. Their husbands and children were reportedly beaten, tied up and forced to witness the killings in mid-April. It is not not known where the survivors are now.

Many people have made various images of Jesus throughout cultures and history. Last week, Sam showed us "The Tortured Christ" made by a man named Guido Rocha who himself underwent severe torture. While I post up different news about Christians who undergo torture, abuse, or death to spread awareness, we should also remember that we have a priest who sympathizes with his people in every way. While Paul says that we may be "afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed," we can share in the same words only because the tortured Christ WAS crushed, WAS driven to despair, WAS forsaken, and WAS destroyed...so that we wouldn't be.

Thought of the Day: Umbrella

Song of the Day: Cracker OST

More to the Roster

A couple more nicknames that I forgot to add last time and a couple new ones:

Dancer

Homeless Guy

Spiderman

Canada

I finally learned that I cannot sleep well when my body is over fatigued from exercise, or basketball in my case. Last night, I got to the courts around 7:30 and left a little before 12:30. When I tried to tell my friend that if I continued playing, I wouldn't be able to sleep. He simply replied, "괜찮아." Haha. And that's really all it took for me.

I keep telling him that we have a disease!

Thought of the Day: Matthieu

Song of the Day: Justin Bieber feat. Sean Kingston-Eenie Meenie

This week's persecuted church: Bangladesh

Muslim villagers beat a 22-year-old Christian man last month for defending Christian girls against routine harassment and bullying, sources said. Sipon Mondol was beaten on April 20 while returning to his native village. On April 15, at a cultural event to celebrate the Bengali New Year, Poresh Mondol said his son had defended Christian girls against the slurs of a group of young Muslim men in an exchange that led to a gang fight.

“They were making some suggestive remarks to our girls at the program,” Mondol said. “Some Christian boys, including my son, protested against it. A brawl between Muslim boys and the Christian boys followed the protest. They tried to drag my son to their village by getting hold of his shirt collar.”

The Mondol family informed the young Muslim men’s parents, and village elders assured the Christians that they would resolve the long-standing problem, telling them that such harassment would not happen again, he said.

“After the complaint, though, those Muslim boys became more predatory,” he said. “They beat my son on his way home from Gangni town on the evening of April 20. He was severely beaten. He was treated in the hospital for one day and released on April 21...to tease our girls, they use such filthy words in their speech that it leaves us feeling absolutely shattered. We suffer shame in front of our family members,” the elder Mondol said.

A case was filed against seven young Muslim men at nearby Titla village, asserting that they constantly harass Christian girls at Christian programs. Lok Mondol, general secretary of the Church of Bangladesh in Meherpur district, told Compass that harassment of Christian girls at social and religious gatherings was a perennial problem. Mikha Mollick, a Christian belonging to a local Church of Bangladesh congregation, told Compass that continuous bullying of the Christian girls was an effort to gradually weaken Christians’ social standing.

Thought of the Day: Original Sin

Song of the Day: MercyMe-God With Us

Q&A

Question: Why do we have creeds?

Answer: Heresy was rampant in early church history. The creeds were ways to remind and affirm the church of its biblical truths.

Question: Why do many churches practically never have communion?

Answer: Early Christians reacted to the improper use of the Lord's Supper by having it less frequently, which eventually turned into tradition and common practice down the centuries.

Question: Why do some pastors wear special robes on Sunday (like Pastor Sam)? =D

Answer: These robes are intended to cover the pastor's outward appearance that may suggest poverty or wealth to protect people from distraction and judgment on the pastor.

These are just a few of the questions that I often wondered about. Why does the church do what it does? As I've been going through Leviticus for my devotional time, more questions just seem to muliply with every chapter that I read about why God was so particular about offerings, regulations, unclean animals and conditions, and even punishments.

I think there were many reasons and purposes for the various statutes, but one of them was to distinguish and protect God's people from the ways of the Egyptians/Caananites and false gods. Even with the questions above, many common practices and changes we see today are a response to the various forms of sin that can (and have) entered the church. I think Leviticus similarly gives us strong warnings but also clear exhortations to be set apart.

But like all of scripture, all of the questions and answers that we have point us to a Savior who practiced everything completely and perfectly. Tim Keller points out that God didn't give the Law to His people before He delivered them from Egypt; rather, God delivered them and saved them and then asked them to obey.

Here's one last Q&A from my other favorite thinker:

"Have you ever read the book of Exodus at one sitting? You know, it's alright, it's alright until you get to about chapter 27. And then from chapter 27 to 40...I think it is palatable. I think it can be taken until Moses comes down and says to the people, 'We are going to build a tabernacle.' So long and no longer, so wide and no wider, so high and the whole thing...and I said, 'Lord, there's something going on here that's eluding me for Moses could have solved this whole problem with one sentence: 'Dear reader, what you have just read, so we did. Ditto.' That's all. But Moses didn't seem to do that, did he?'...For God says to Moses, 'There I shall meet with you. There I shall commune with you.' It is vitally important to God how the house is built and how it is maintained where God himself is going to, in some limitation, dwell. Brethren, if God took 14 long chapters to express to these people how He wanted that house built, do you think He is not concerned about how you and I maintain this body now?"

-Ravi Zacharias

Thought of the Day: Loud Kina

Song of the Day: 2NE1-Lonely

0-4

Thought of the Day: Memphis!

This week's persecuted church: Vietnam

In an interview with Human Rights Watch, one Montagnard described his treatment at T-20, the provincial prison in Gia Lai, after he was arrested for participating in a protest calling for religious freedom and land rights:

He said, “They questioned me at any time, even midnight. The police would get drunk, wake me up, and question me and beat me. They put me in handcuffs when they took me out for questioning. The handcuffs were like wire – very tight. They used electric shock on me every time they interrogated me. They would shock me on my knees, saying, ‘You used these legs to walk to the demonstration.’”

Sentenced to five years in prison for “violating national solidarity,” he remains partially deaf from repeatedly being boxed on both ears:

“They would stand facing me and shout: ‘One, two, three!’ and then use both hands to box both of my ears at the same time. They would do this three times, the last time putting strong pressure on the ears,” he went on to say. “Blood came out of my ears and my nose. I went crazy from this. It was so painful, and also the build-up made me very afraid and tense.”

Thought of the Day: Memphis

Song of the Day: Humming Urban Stereo-넌 그날 (Gros Câlin Mix)

Readiculous

I gave the first three Percy Jackson books to my student last week. Today, I finished the fourth book on the subway and was planning on giving it to my student to add to his 1000+ pages of reading he would have to do for the next month or two. But it turned out that he had finished all three books in less than a week.

Daniel: I finished the first book in two days, the second one in one day, and the third in one day.

Me: Uh...I brought you the fourth book today.

Daniel: Where's the fifth book?

Me: I'll...bring it next week.

This kid's a freak. I swear he's already done with the fourth book by now. I'm scared I'll lose my right arm when I hand him the last book. I'd better get reading.

He's only in fifth grade!

Thought of the Day: 가로수길

Song of the Day: Clover-La Vida Loca

Problem Child

In the summer of my freshmen year of college, there was one Sunday where I had a particularly good meal at VIP. I remember the 짜장면 making me so sleepy on the road that I fell asleep as soon as I had gotten home. That turned into a five hour nap, which is the longest nap I've ever taken in my life, if you can even call it a nap.

Fast forward eight years to my super senior in Korea. Yesterday, I finished a 고빼기 짜장면 with 탕수욕 at my favorite 짜장면 place in 영등포. The crazy thing is that I had taken a nap before eating this. The even crazier thing is that I fell asleep again but didn't wake up til 5 this morning. And it was only because a mosquito was eating on my face. Anyway, that's my superfluous introduction for yesterday's annual Children's Day.

It never occurred to me why this country even has a day dedicated to children. There really isn't anything special that a child does that merits their parents' (or teachers') gratitude or care. I'm definitely all for Parents' Day and Teachers' Day (yes!), but Children's Day where millions of kids expect another undeserved gift from an adult? I don't see the reasoning.

I feel even stronger about this conviction after my newest student of two months acted up during our last class. He'd been whining and sighing loudly for the past couple of weeks throughout our lessons, but he finally "blew up" after he refused to answer any of my questions and just sat there in pout. That's when I had to bust out my broken Korean and analyze the situation for him until his tears finally started to come out.

After our class was over, I asked his mom if we could push back our class to 30 minutes earlier due to a scheduling conflict. But because this would take away some of my student's playing time after school, he shouted and slammed the bedroom door. I guess expecting a proper goodbye from little Jeff would make me a fool. Can't we just replace Children's Day with a Teachers' Day #2?

Thought of the Day: Ron Artest

Song of the Day: Big Bang-Love Song

"농구해야지!"

That's the text that I get from my basketball buddy about four times a week. He and I have nicknames for various people that we know at the courts. The Rat. Korea 형. Iverson. Ginobili. Garnet. 잔존 (John Zone). 뚱뚱이. The guy who talks too much. Haha. But we have a special name for a group of guys that always play together that we really dislike. The Bulls. They all wear Chicago Bulls jerseys and have beaten us countless times with their overpowering heights and abilities (the sheki who cracked my rib last summer is on this team).

So my buddy and I always joke about how we need to redeem ourselves and particularly wish that the Bulls had come to play on the days when we were playing well. Well, we hadn't seen them all winter and spring...until last night. Although they still played pretty well, our team dominated by killing them with a 10 point difference. My friend was so satisfied that he said he could now retire from basketball. Of course, that's a lie cause he's a basketball freak.

In other news, Iverson seriously injured his already injured knee that the doctor had warned him about.

Growing up in the states, I really feel like I bring shame to the game though. I wish I was so much better. Curse these weak calves and flat feet!

Thought of the Day: Bin Laden

Song of the Day: miss A-Love Alone