I like this picture.

Thought of the Day: Julia.
Song of the Day: Jimmy Eat World-The World You Love

"Matilda had never once stopped to think about where Miss Honey might be living. She had always regarded her purely as a teacher, a person who turned up out of nowhere and taught at school and then went away again. Do any of us children, she wondered, ever stop to ask ourselves where our teachers go when school is over for the day? Do we wonder if they live alone, or if there is a mother at home or a sister or a husband?"
-Matilda

Thought of the Day: Polysemy.
Song of the Day: Lynyrd Skynyrd-Free Bird

How do you make a happy family? Even my mom's side of the family isn't Christian, but they have more love than many Christian families that I know. Husbands, please love your wives! Wives, please respect your husbands!

Thought of the Day: Glasses.
Song of the Day: Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) The Speech Song (Graduation-1999)

One of my best friends, Justin, sent me this in an email, and I found it to be rather encouraging and insightful.

Kurt Vonnegut’s commencement address at MIT

Note: It was actually written by a columnist in Chicago, which quickly turned into a “Kurt Vonnegut MIT commencement speech.”



Ladies and Gentlemen of the graduating class:



Wear sun screen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sun screen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.



Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.



Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.



Do one thing every day that scares you.



Sing.



Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.



Floss.



Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.



Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.



Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old blank statements.



Stretch.



Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.



Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they are gone.



Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.



Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.



Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.



Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.



Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.



Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.



Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.



Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.



Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on.



Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.



Travel.



Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.



Respect your elders.



Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.



Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.



Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.



But trust me on the sun screen.

Thought of the Day: 내성적인
Song of the Day: Jewelry-One More Time

"We're always going and going and going, and never asking where. Did you ever hear of having more than you wanted? So that you couldn't want anything else and then started looking for something else to want? It seems like we're always searching for something to satisfy us, and never finding it. Maybe if we could lose our cool we could."
Cherry from The Outsiders

Thought of the Day: 불변증
Song of the Day: YDB-사랑할거야

One interesting thing about our church is that there's a baseball stadium right across the street. As a result, we often hear loud cheering and music while we're trying to have Bible study. For example, someone will be sharing about their thoughts on the sermon and all of a sudden you'll hear, "BABY ONE MORE TIME!" But I have to admit, Korean baseball fans are really fun. Gotta love them balloons.

Thought of the Day: Doosan!
Song of the Day: Jewelry-모두 다 쉿!

"Lord, he loved to draw. Animals, mostly. Not regular animals like Miss Bessie or the chickens, but crazy animals with problems-"
-from Bridge to Terebithia

Man, if there's one thing God really did not bless me with, it's art. A few Saturdays ago, I played Cranium at a leaders' retreat. Although my team lost miserably, I take pride in the fact that I was able to make Mike laugh so hard with my ridiculous drawing of a shrimp. I have never seen him laugh like that before, and I think I never will ever again. All you artists out there are amazing!

Thought of the Day: iPod
Song of the Day: The Alkaholiks-Daaam!

I had a fantastic three day holiday.

Friday-last class cancelled (I literally played in my head: "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!")

Saturday-꽃피는 봄이오면 trip.







































































Sunday-Chung/Cho family dinner and successful reformat.

Monday-

I'm one of you guys now...except for facebook.

Thought of the Day: USB

If you've never gone noraebang with your parents, I'd highly recommend it. It's pictures like this that really makes me want to get a 디카.




Enoch, Daniel Cho, and I had no idea this movie would be in German. However, it turned out to be ok, and we were able to understand most of it, even with our poor Korean subtitle skills. The kid in the movie is a musical genius in real life! It's movies like this that really makes me want to learn piano again.

Thought of the Day: a320raid.sys
Song of the Day: Rivers Of Babylon

Another catchy Korean song.



I found out yesterday that my high school student (that badmouths me) passed all of the auditions and is training to be a singer for YG Entertainment. I was secretly jealous.

Thought of the Day: Wonjang.
Song of the Day: Epik High-One

I've never even heard of 금촌, but it seems like the place to be (thanks, Jae).

The other day, one of my high school students said some mean things in Korean about my appearance to all of the girls in our class. It was pretty humiliating to hear them all laugh while I had to feign ignorance. The next day, my slanderer complained to me in front of a bunch of elementary school boys about how they were calling her fat and ugly (Assah!).
One of those kids likes to headbutt my body whenever he gets the chance. That same day, he was headbutting my back but accidentally made contact with my elbow really hard. That was painfully funny.

Lately, I haven't been able to study any of my Korean vocabulary because I've been bogged down with so many books to read for work. However, there are some benefits to reading some good literature. For example, Hatchet had some good words to chew on:

“He did not know how long it took, but later he looked back on this time of crying in the corner of the dark cave and thought of it as when he learned the most important rule of survival, which was that feeling sorry for yourself didn’t work. It wasn’t just that it was wrong to do, or that it was considered incorrect. It was more than that-it didn’t work. When he sat alone in the darkness and cried and was done, was all done with it, nothing had changed. His leg still hurt, it was still dark, he was still alone and the self-pity had accomplished nothing.”

I've also been thoroughly enjoying a book called The Good Earth. There's one part where Wang Lung talks to his daughter about the pains of her bound feet:

"and my mother said I was not to weep aloud because you are too kind and weak for pain and you might say to leave me as I am, and then my husband would not love me even as you do not love her."

This book has taught me that Chinese people have had it tough too. The interesting thing is that the author, Pearl S. Buck, was a white American who grew up in China for many years, which allows her to write beautifully yet with accurate cultural and historical knowledge. Strongly recommended.

Finally, I was able to watch an awesome German movie called "The Lives of Others" earlier tonight. It's been a long time since I was impressed by a movie's story and message. Although my Korean isn't being stimulated these days, I am learning and growing through the "lives of others." But one interesting thing that Mike said in small group was that "you are your own best testimony" or something along those lines. 참 신기합니다.

Thought of the Day: Retreat.
Song of the Day: Utada Hikaru-Flavor Of Life (Ballad Version)

Cherry blossoms!

AKA popcorn trees.




Happiest couple in the world.

Thought of the Day: The three S's.
Song of the Day: A Whole New World

I had the most awkward conversation class yesterday. Angelo came into class about 30 minutes into our class and said that he needed to ask a personal question to Hahn. Angelo asked me and Stephen to just continue talking on our own while he began to chew Hahn out about some problem that had happened in their work meeting. The funny thing is that they were still speaking in their broken English the entire time! Stephen and I were trying to talk about the advantages of 청계천 while Angelo was huffing and puffing away about Hahn's miscommunication about some vital information. Mind you, this is all happening in the same room at the same table.

I like this picture because it accurately describes how I felt throughout those long 5 minutes.

My student would kill me if he found out that I had this picture. Say hi to everyone, David.

Thought of the Day: The Good Earth.
Song of the Day: Radiohead-Karma Police

I had me a fantastic birthday this year! My work took us all out to the most expensive Mexican restaurant that I'll ever go to in my life. Here are some pictures of my coworkers...

We have our Filipina Berkeley graduate, Johanna,...

our very hardworking SAT teacher, James,...

our Texan alcoholic, Brian,...

and finally, their superior. I LOVE the look on 실장님's face!

Lots of food, fun, and laughter. We went to a really dope noraebang afterwards too.

One of my TOEFL students made it into an international school, so she gave me a white dress shirt and cd mix as a thank you gift since she was going away. I wrote a thank you email later that night and confessed that I was able to understand all of the mean and nasty things she had said in Korean in class. Her response went something like, "으아악!!!" Haha.

Here's the testimony I shared at church today:

My name is Phil, and today marks exactly 6 months since I’ve come to this church. I was born and raised in California all my life, so this is my first time living in this country. I came to Korea in September 2006 right after graduating from college and originally came with the main purpose of improving my Korean and knowledge of the culture. However, I ended up coming as a full-time hakwon teacher in Mokdong.

Before coming to Korea, many people in the U.S. told me that it was really difficult to find a good church in Seoul. No one could really give me any strong recommendations, so I just planned on joining a church where I would be surrounded by non-English speaking Koreans to improve my Korean. As soon as I arrived in Seoul, one of my old church pastors contacted me and asked me to serve as a bilingual Bible study teacher at his church all the way in Sanbon. For one full year, I attended a Korean service, taught Bible study in English to elementary school students, and attempted to get to know the young adults every Sunday. It was a very difficult year full of language barriers, no accountability, teaching burdens, and ultimately, no spiritual rest.

One thing that I have come to learn about Korea is that everyone is so busy from either studying or working too much. I will even admit that I have become a workaholic with little or no social life. But because of the long crazy days throughout the week, the need for spiritual rest is that much greater. I think working hard and being diligent during the week is great, but if people do not have a Sabbath rest, they are going to die in this country. This can be seen in the heavy drinking and smoking that has become a normal part of the culture. You know something is terribly wrong when you see one of your own students coming into class with a hangover and going out for smoke breaks after class.

As many of you know, being a hakwon teacher is no joke. There is a high level of work and stress that can easily discourage people. I am no different from this. But more than the disobedient students or ridiculous working hours, my number one prayer request to my friends was that I would have worshipful Sundays at my church. No matter how hard Monday through Saturday was, if my Sunday could be centered on Christ, I knew that I could be alright. By the grace of God, I was able to survive my first year in Korea without much spiritual accountability and encouragement.

Fortunately, in October 2007, God brought me to this church where I really felt like I could worship Him. I believe that this English ministry is really unique with its various age groups, English and Korean levels, and people constantly leaving or coming into Korea. To be honest, I felt really out of place in the beginning and felt like I could not relate to anyone just as no one could relate to me. However, the beautiful thing about the Church is that we can embrace our diversity because we also have unity in Christ. Even though my Korean is lacking or some people’s English is not as strong, I can still encourage and be encouraged by others because we all speak Christ.

I have been blessed by this church in so many ways. Through small groups, I have amazing accountability that I have never had before. I have been so encouraged by all of the native Koreans who are learning and worshiping in English as I know how hard it can be sometimes. I love the fact that Mike does his best to preach and teach God’s Word faithfully every week. But most of all, I praise God that I am able to worship Him no matter how busy or difficult my life gets in Korea. Church of Christ, “let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Thank you.

Thought of the Day: Nara.
Song of the Day: Lift Your Voice

Earlier tonight after I got off work, I was walking to David's house and saw two drunk men walking on the street holding hands. Now that's what I call a Korean Kodak moment. Speaking of David, his TOEFL score comes out later today in the afternoon. Scary stuff.

I saw this clip on Eddie Park's xanga a while back.


Thought of the Day: Discuss about.
Song of the Day: Hamasaki Ayumi-M (Above & Beyond Remix)

Did you know that 김밥천국's 김밥 went from 1,000won to 1,500won? They first hit Mokdong. Now Shinchon has gone mad.

I visited Seoul National University for the first time today.


This is where every visitor takes a picture.


The thing behind me is supposed to a combination of Korean letters that spells out the university's name or something.


Awesome choco waffle for dessert.


This is where my good friend, 종성, spends the majority of his life studying for his crazy test. Look how encouraging the building looks.


I had the craziest subway ride tonight. This seriously DRUNK guy was swaying left and right while trying to keep his balance and finally took a seat. After a few minutes, he was bent over in vomiting position. While I was stealing glances at this suspenseful scene, a midget came into the train. A few minutes later, drunkard was blowing chunks and causing everyone around to scatter. After another few minutes, the midget yelled out something in Korean, bowed to the man sitting in front of him, and ran out. People laughed. More minutes went by and an angry passenger stood Mr. Vomit up and told him to get out of the train. After showing some reluctance, the angry man pushed Mr. Vomit out the open doors.

Unfortunately, I had to transfer trains to one that would take me all the way home. After getting on a new train, there was a girl who sat down next to me. However, the oil from her shower-less hair was so pungent and strong that I could not concentrate on my book. To make matters worse, she kept scratching her scalp, which only upgraded the odor. Finally, after my train had arrived at Hongdae, everyone got out since it was the very last stop of the night. I turned to look at shampoo-deprived girl only to find out that it was a guy the whole time. I really should have gone towards Jamsil, Jae.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Every Sunday ought to be an Easter Sunday. Happy Sabbath!

Thought of the Day: Small Group Leader
Song of the Day: Dashboard Confessional-Vindicated

What do you call a guy that's left-handed, deaf in his right ear, and hungrier than you'll ever be?

Answer: Terrible 24 Turned Terrance.

Thought of the Day: 한국에 꼭 나우세요.
Song of the Day: 2Pac-Dear Mama

A French woman severely disfigured by facial tumors is found dead just two days after a court rejected her request for an assisted suicide. It was not immediately clear how 52-year-old Chantal Sebire died but her case has prompted nominally Roman Catholic France to reexamine its stance on euthanasia (CNN.com).

She was the same age as my mom. We often take our health and APPEARANCE for granted. We want to be taller, thinner, stronger. We want bigger eyes, clearer skin, and better hair. If you had to choose between being blind or deaf, what would you choose? I would choose being blind, so I wouldn't be so concerned with physical beauty. I'm sure that more than the physical pain, Chantal Sebire probably suffered more psychologically and emotionally. God, save us from vanity!

Thought of the Day: Angu.
Song of the Day: Loveholic-신기루

You guys remember this?



Thought of the Day: You are very honest.
Song of the Day: Loveholic-너는

Remember these guys? These past several months, I must have read Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" about four different times. Elite even has a drama class where the kids memorize and act out different plays written by one of our brilliant teachers. Anyways, I also ended up teaching a "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" play to two different classes too. After reading and teaching it week after week, I am officially tired of this scrumdiddlyumptious story. I didn't think that could be possible.

Today, my private student told me that he didn't want Jesus to come back until he was married and had a family. I told him that every pleasure and happiness that we experience in this world is nothing but a glimpse of what we'll have in heaven. I felt really proud of my knowledgeable response. But now that I think about it, I don't really live like I know it. Too often, I'm focused on fleeting goals and purposes and forgetting eternal and glorious things. You guys need to help me to recognize.

Thought of the Day: Borrowing clothes.
Song of the Day: Lupe Fiasco-Never Lies