Ain't No Half Steppin

I had always thought this Big Daddy Kane beat was originally from Biggie's demo, 'Microphone Murderer.' I also never knew he was such a respected lyricist that even Rakim refused to battle him. But now, Big Daddy Kane is a nobody in the music business. I wonder if the same would have been the same for Biggie and Tupac. I guess we all have our peaks and primes. Just like Kobe and eventually LeBron.

It's interesting to see how my basketball peers often talk about how they 'used to be good.' They used to run faster, jump higher, and play longer when they were younger. Today, however, they complain of fatigue, aches, and fear of injuries. Less driving and more shooting from outside. The sad thing is that I can relate. Whether it's eating or balling, my body just can't keep up anymore. Ok maybe not the eating part so much. :)

Imma tear it up at the bbq tomorrow. It's great to be on vacation!


Thought of the Day: 한강 Picnic
Song of the Day: Biggie-Microphone Murderer Remix

What in the World

This semester's writing assessment was on traveling, and one of my students shared a quote from St. Augustine: "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." I really like that quote.

I've sort of made it a goal to travel to at least one new country every year ever since I visited Dinko when he was in China. I've been hoping to maybe squeeze in another country this year, but it looks like time and money won't allow for Cambodia to happen. I love seeing new places, meeting new people, eating new food, and experiencing new cultures. It's all about expanding my tiny perspective of the whole wide world.

If I had too much money and was absolutely selfish in how I spent it, I would want to stay at every single country in the world, one month at a time. That would amount to approximately 16 years of traveling, assuming I don't die along the way. I like to fantasize about it from time to time. But in the meantime, I think it would be cool to aim for a new country or mission trip every year considering teaching jobs come with paid summer and winter vacations. Definitely one of the perks of being a school teacher.

Anyway, I have a short vacation coming up this weekend, so I'm looking forward to getting out of Seoul. Ain't no Cambodia, but it'll have to do.

Thought of the Day: Can vs. Able to
Song of the Day: Sixpence None the Richer-With Every Breath

Restless

I can't remember the last time I had a full week of good sleep. I was close a couple of times around April, but I never made it a full a week. There's always something that comes up. The hamster. Convenient store drunkards. Insomnia. A fight. A text message. I wonder how much happier and healthier I would be if I got eight hours of good sleep every single day for a month. I was gonna say a year, but let's be realistic now. I guess even one month is kind of ridiculous.

But I guess that's life. We don't live in cookie cutter situations where everything is neat and pretty. Every day is a mess of confusion and events where the world doesn't just revolve around us. We're surrounded by noise and brokenness, and there just aren't enough earplugs and blinds to make them go away. And so, my sleep is messy too. I can't fall asleep at least once a week. And when I do fall sleep, there's always something that will disturb my rest. Alas. I want to sleep.

Thought of the Day: Friday
Song of the Day: Baek Ji Young-사랑안해

Brothers

Sam shared this song with me, and I fell in love with it. I think it resonates in a particularly beautiful way to brothers.

It's a new week!

Thought of the Day: 할매 닭갈비
Song of the Day: the Avett Brother-Murder in the City

Middle of the Term

Here's a funny picture I found for one of my lessons just now. Midterms have begun and I'm lovin' it. I watched Iron Man 3 last night and will watch Oblivion with my school teachers later today. Both mediocre movies, but hey. COEX is right there, and it sure beats being at school. I wish my students had to take tests more frequently.

Thought of the Day: Milk
Song of the Day: Raekwon-Knuckleheadz

i love this game!

I love the playoffs. The hard fouls. The Game 7s. The raw emotions. How can you not love this game?

Thought of the Day: Office 2010

Cheeses!

Gonna get my burger on tonight!

Thought of the Day: Hamburgers
Song of the Day: Common-The Game

Warming Up

It's getting warmer every week, so I recently started going out to the courts a little more often than usual. I'm rusty and out of shape like crazy though. I can't play till midnight like I used to, but I still have my basketball buddy who never fails me. If you need to reach me, you know where I'll be.

Thought of the Day: French Cafe
Song of the Day: Green Day-Jesus of Suburbia

Concerned?

The Situation in Korea
I think they pretty much summed up my situation as well. I have bigger concerns over getting my classroom computer's Chrome to update properly. But yeah, you never know.

Thought of the Day: Chrome Installer

Am I Wrong?

I've spent close to a total of 10 hours trying to get my dad's TV tuner to work on his computer. We got the channels and sound coming out but no picture. I've tried so many drivers and 'solutions,' and I've 'given up' so many times that I feel like I can't stop trying. I hate how much it bugs me when there's something wrong with something that ought to be so fixable. Am I wrong? Am I wrong?

Turns out that The Big Lebowski is a pretty funny movie.


Thought of the Day: 합격!

Office Space

My students are on their field trip till tomorrow, so I used this morning to rearrange my desk and move my computer from the floor to the table. Ironically, my desk feels 50% more spacious and presentable. If I can remember where I stored my usb fan, I'll even have a slightly more bearable summer at school this year. I think it was an excellent decision.

I'm going to find a reason to show this video to my classes.

Thought of the Day: Power Cord!
Song of the Day: 장기하와 얼굴들-좋다 말았네

The D is Silent

I had been waiting for Django Unchained for so long that the hype and excitement for the movie died within my heart, especially after the much later release in Korea. But that only made me enjoy the movie so much today that I currently consider it even better than Inglorious Basterds. "I'm curious what makes you so curious." Joe and I were the only ones in the theater laughing throughout the movie. Loved it!

Happy Birthday, Terrance.

Thought of the Day: Exhausted
Song of the Day: De La Soul-My Writes

This week's persecuted church: Mali

This month, Christians from a church in Diabaly gathered for worship amongst bullets on the ground and graffiti on the church wall that reads "Allah is the only one." A few days before that, the church was doubling as a military base after Islamist rebels had been ousted, following a period of violent occupation.

After the occupation was overthrown, Christians returned to their homes. But one pastor believes that the Islamist groups had been tipped off about the church by local support. As a result, neighbors who once lived together in harmony are now suspicious of each other.

Thought of the Day: 17!
Song of the Day: Fun-We Are Young

This week's persecuted church: Nepal

About 30,000 people live in the city where Bilal’s family live, but there are only four or five Christian families. When Bilal died, radical Hindus tried to take his body for cremation, according to Hindu custom. Death, along with birth and marriage, is one of three significant milestones in Hindu culture. By cremating Bilal’s body, the Hindus hoped to erase his Christian testimony. Cremation would be a message in their culture that Bilal hadn’t really been a Christian, that in death he’d returned to Hinduism. Conversely, a grave would be a permanent testimony that this man had died a Christian.

Bilal’s family refused to turn the body over to the Hindus; they wanted a Christian funeral and burial. The family was at home making funeral arrangements with their church’s pastor, Pastor “Sabal,” when they heard shouting outside the house. A large Hindu mob had gathered, shouting threats and demanding the body in order to perform Hindu last rights and cremation.

Sabal told the Hindus that Bilal was a Christian and that his family wanted a Christian funeral. The mob then became enraged, grabbing Sabal and two other Christians and beating them with sticks and their fists. The Christians tried to flee on their bicycles, but the mob continued to attack.

Thought of the Day: Bag
Song of the Day: Jewel-Pieces of You

B-girl

I've seen a lot of breaking in my day, but I've never seen anyone so...

small girl.

I've never seen anyone so small girl!

Thought of the Day: Bitterness
Song of the Day: Jewel-You Were Meant For Me

This week's persecuted church: Somalia

Two masked men killed Ahmed Ali Jimale, a 42-year-old father of four, on Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. as he stood outside his house in Alanley village, near a police station, they said. The killers were suspected to be members of the Islamic extremist Al Shabaab, a rebel militia ousted from the area four months ago but still engaging in hit-and-run tactics. A few of the four rival clans in Kismayo, 328 miles southwest of Mogadishu, are said to be housing members of Al Shabaab.

A businessman, teacher and medical consultant well-known in the area, Jimale ran a pharmacy in Kismayo. He would give private lessons on medicine and first aid, and as an underground Christian – as are all Christians in Somalia – he highlighted the teaching with discussions comparing the Bible and the Koran, sources said.

The students would share these lessons with other children, and this teaching, along with his close work with a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that provides aid, appeared to have caught the attention of the Al Shabaab extremists, said a source who worked with Jimale but is no longer in the area.

Thought of the Day: 삼겹살 Day
Song of the Day: Be Still My Soul

Busy Vacation

House searching.
Tax filing.
Application submitting.
Money ordering.

It's all finally done. It's been a busy vacation. Let's start March already.

Thought of the Day: Registration Number
Song of the Day: Deli Spice-고백

Ned Flanders = Walter White

I search through hundreds of pictures whenever I make a powerpoint lesson. Sometimes, I find some pretty interesting and unexpected pictures.

Thought of the Day: 생활 규정
Song of the Day: Eric Satie-Gymnopodie No. 1

This week's persecuted church: Pakistan

On February 17th, when Saba BiBi was working in fields of Landlord, there appeared one Muslim man namely Muhammad Akram (also known as Amar) armed with Pistol and forced her to take some secret place with intention of rape and she started to weeping and crying loudly. The culprit also torn her clothes and made her naked, “told Naziran Bibi her mother".

The plight of Christian girls and women who have been forced for conversion to Islam, kidnap, abduction,rape and sexual assault in Pakistan has been on large number published and confined to run-of-the mill articles in the local and international press, sluggish cases in the courts, and common expelled charges due to bribes and personal influence, threats of further violence and family pressure on the victims to avoid at a great distance ‘remorse’.

Thought of the Day: 대동

Poor Ankles

I didn't know he made another one.


Thought of the Day: Productive
Song of the Day: Living Sisters-How Are You Doing?