Tuesday, April 29, 2003

I got a 100% today. No, not on my accounting midterm which I horribly on this morning.

Big thanks to Jahndee, Eileen, and Roach for warning me up to 100% tonight. Extra special thanks to Roach, who after noticing that I dropped down to 99%, dutifully warns me back up 100%.

How is the "warn" function so effective anyways? Sure, it was designed to impose punishment on someone if they said something insulting or crass, or if they did something to deserve the 5% sting. But the initial warn you give them is easily countered with an outrageous and highly unreasonable 20%. Dood, it'll make more sense if it was the other way around.

Sunday, April 27, 2003

"David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets. David said to Michal, 'It was before the LORD , who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel - I will celebrate before the LORD.' "
2 Samuel 6:14,21

"What a wonderful thing when you are so caught up in a moment when you are so lost in an experience that you forget to straighten your tie or to comb your hair. Why esteem yourself? Forget yourself. You'll have a lot more fun."
-Rich Mullins

Saturday, April 26, 2003

Decided to take down the flash movie in the previous post. Hearing that sound of the bolt rolling on that wooden plank every time I opened this page made me want to hit my speakers.

Small Group Night. Geewon’s sg (Danny, Clarence, Mike, Edmund, me) met up with Dave Lee’s sg to go eat dinner at Palace Buffet in San Jose. I indeed felt like a king once I entered through the doors of the grand palace (buffet! har har), this all-you-can-eat meat factory that offers a dozen kind of meats at your mercy. We all spent most of our time on the galbi rolls, which was seriously the best meat they had. Our table alone (Snoh, Mike, Danny, Billy, me) demolished about fifty of those meat rolls. I don't know why, but after eating so dang much, chewing the meat felt unusually similar to chewing gum. Meat-gum, someone hurry and go patent that.

Snohman was cute. He was the only guy who brought us a plate full of fruits and vegetables. He’s also the one who’s going to die early because he purposely ate the charred, burned pieces with a big, nonchalant, “don’t-worry-I-know-it’s-carcinogenic” smile.

It was getting obvious that the owners wanted us to leave. I’m sure they didn’t like the fact that fifteen hungry college guys who intentionally starved all day, came in and wiped off their supplies of food. Afterwards, the guys came over to my place and watched “Road to Perdition.” Tom Hanks is seriously my favorite actor. I had a great time bonding with my fellow bros.. thanks guys.

Fond memory: Sleeping on big beds with lots of pillows.

Thursday, April 24, 2003

Dood, this ad by Honda is nuts. No computer generation involved.. everything was planned with crazy creativity and extreme precision. The makers of this ad must have easily won first place at Science Olympiad when they were in high school.

(Macromedia Flash Player 6 required)




It's unfortunate how everything builds up nicely from the start of the commercial, but later reveals the very ugly car that's being marketed for a very anticlimactic ending.

***Sorry guys, but the flash will keep on looping once you open this page. Anyone know how to stop it permanently? To keep it from replaying, right click on the window and click on "Rewind."
I was productive more than usual at the library tonight. Maybe it was because I was studying next to Pastor Eug.. and maybe also because he had his Bible open.

Many of you know good ol' jjah jjahng myun-face Amanda. We just had a war with words, and I humbled her big time. And no, I don't pay my friends. (Amanda, a money order is fine. I'll be lenient and extend the payment deadline to next Monday.)

Tuesday, April 22, 2003

The current respiratory index for Berkeley, which forecasts on a scale of 1 to 10 how comfortable it will be to breathe, is currently a "9." The bay area weather is so good to us.




My dorm room freshman year on the 4th floor, Cunningham, Unit 2. Gosh, I loved that room. They probably converted it into a triple by now. I'm still surprised how me, Nancy, and Liz all lived on the same floor. Nancy, you had one shady roommate.




That's Sammy, Liz, Cindy and me during our senior year of high school. One fine Saturday, we spontaneously biked all the way to Huntington? Beach, which took a total of six arduous hours to and fro. But man, that was seriously a fun day. I wish I still had my bike.. why oh why did I leave it on the AC Transit.



No, we're not the navy. This is the KAMA (Korean American Music Association) Choir performing in one of our concerts eons ago. Depending on the songs we sang, we would go through multiple costumes, such as korean traditional clothes (hanbok) and the "Sound of Music" attire. And no, we were not singing "In the Navy" by the Village People when this picture was taken.



Whew, this was ten years ago at a Tae Kwon Do tournament. I was really really happy that I beat the kid who got 3rd place because he (red belt) was a higher ranking belt than me (brown II). Now that I think about it, getting that first place trophy wasn't all that prestigious. As you can see, there are rows and rows of duplicate first place trophies behind me, which are exactly like the one I'm holding. Hm, a third of all the contenders that day were first place winners.

Monday, April 21, 2003

I used to love putting pepper on everything.. fries, ketchup, burgers, you name it. Until tonight. After the softball game, me, Billy, Andy, Kwan, and John went to Denny's to eat and hang out. We played retarded games, and as for the punishment, one would have to eat a tablespoon of pepper. By the end of the night, most of the guys had about one tablespoon, but I ended up consuming three tablespoons of pepper. It was by far the worst thing I've ever tasted in my life. I seriously feel like a giant cigarette butt. Try it and you'll agree.

We talked about a bunch of stuff afterwards.. happy, sad, serious, contemplative stuff. Even though I know I'm going to be dead tired tomorrow and waking up will seem like an impossibility, it was really refreshing chatting with each other tonight. I realize that nights like these are quickly becoming a luxury and a rarity.

Sunday, April 20, 2003

The small group basketball tournament was great but tiring today. Sunburns and muscle cramps are not the greatest things in the world, but having fun made it all worth it. So let's have some fun with more pictures.

What a cheesy segue.


Picture on left: 2002-2003 small group. Taken last semester at a small group BBQ. Left to right: Rob, Mike, me, Clarence, Jack, Danny, Geewon (sg leader).
Picture on right: 2000-2001 small group. Senior banquet two years ago. Left to right, top to bottom: James, Roy (sg leader), Mike, Chongo, me, Sam Im, Chuck. SG leader Roy looks glamorous.



That’s me and my good buddy Angie who I met freshman year. We were at Billy’s birthday gathering at Faculty Glade for his 19th birthday. We had a contest of who could fit the most oranges in his/her mouth, and I obviously won… cake!



Hiyas, Hannah, Angie at the Unit 2 lounge freshman year. Nice half-open smile (or yawn?) on Hannah’s face.



Our group at this past winter’s FiCB retreat. From left to right: Billy, Sam, Fred, me. Hyewon, Sewon, Janice, Josei, Susan. We made a good team guys. ;)



Junior Retreat last semester: FiCB and FiCS Class of 2004. Sigh, graduation isn’t too far off for these guys and girls. Need to take advantage of senior year.



Me, Andy, Paul and Eug at our freshman year’s annual boat dance. There was a karaoke lounge on one of the floors of the humongous boat. Being the young, rambunctious freshmen guys that we were, we boldly sang N’Sync’s “Tearin’ Up My Heart.” I hated N’Sync after this sad, sad performance. But it was grips of fun guys.



The class guys at last year’s senior banquet. Notice the “homecoming style” poses. Most of the guys are elegantly holding the next guy by the waist. But Roach (aka “Alex”) has the funniest expression on his face for some unknown reason. I blew up his picture for all to see, but of course, with permission. Permission that was given under duress…hahah. Thanks Roach, you are seriously my hero.

Saturday, April 19, 2003

The FiCB/FiCS Good Friday service and joint fellowship at Stanford was enjoyable tonight. After the praise and message, there was a scavenger hunt activity that required us to run all over the Stanford campus. It was actually my first time seeing the entire campus firsthand, and I was taken aback of how scenic everything looked. I admit, the Stanford campus is very nice. But we have a way better clock tower, hands down.

Freshman Karen from Stanford was in our group, and she impressed all of us tonight. She basically outran all of us from place to place, and at one point, she ran so fast that she ditched us. ‘Did she not like our group?’ we wondered. It took a good fifteen minutes to find someone who had her cell number so we could contact her. Geewon commented, “Dood, I bet you anything that she did cross-country in high school.” Turns out that she did, and she ran with wearing high heels the entire night. She put us to shame.

Afterwards, Slum asked me if I could take his place and drive one of the vans back to Berkeley, and I gladly obliged. Too bad that all of my passengers were scared out of their wits (for no valid reason) when I drove. Dennis, I brought you home nice and safely. Stopped by In-N-Out and had an enjoyable dinner with a grip of people.

Pastor Eugene shared: Against the backdrop of God’s wrath, we see the radiance of God’s love displayed at the cross. We see how much God hates sin, but see how much He loves us. We should have been the ones crucified but Christ took our place. And out of all things, we call this a "Good Friday.”

There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here below.
-Charles Haddon Spurgeon


Happy Good Friday again everyone.

Thursday, April 17, 2003

Time to pay tribute to some memories.



Andy, Billy, Heuge, me.. freshman year in Unit 2 Ehrman lounge. Black and white photos are cool.



Superstar Billy passionately singing in my dorm room freshman year. Adorable John on ice skates at the Frosh/Jr. fellowship last semester. If you're wondering why the temperature in your room just rose twenty degrees, blame it on their good looks.



Why is Heuge so happy here? What is he doing with that cue stick?



Freshman year, Unit 3 lounge. Andy sleeping on Paul sleeping on me sleeping on Billy. I remember feeling so incredibly comfortable in that position.



Sophomore year at Stanford. I think everyone committed themselves to fast for an entire day before Easter. But once it turned midnight, everyone lunged for the nachos and the box of Oreos that Rob is holding. Look at the angry/ugly expression on Paul's nacho-filled face.



Brother's Appreciation Night last December. I don't think I really need to explain this one.
Helping out Janet's Fresno youth group retreat these past few days was truly a blessing, even though I particularly had no idea what to expect. The kids rented out a really run-down, old building in San Francisco (near Daly City), which continues to house missionaries from all over the world. Because the building desperately needed some remodeling, their main project over the duration of the retreat was to coat the entire exterior of the building from top to bottom with fresh paint. By doing so, it would be their hopes to attract passer-bys to approach the kids, who in turn would hopefully get the chance to initiate a conversation about Christ.

But these kids, gosh. Seeing their paint-streaked faces and disheveled clothing was a memorable sight. But I never met a bunch that played so intensely, praised so loudly, and welcomed us so warmly than these guys. An attempt to describe their hilarious/meaningful skits they performed tonight would be inadequate. So I won't but just keep it as a fond memory. But I truly thank all of them for humbling me as well as all the other counselors with their love for Christ. Thanks guys.

I was looking through stacks of old pictures late last night. So many memories.. but it's hard to imagine that I still have more than two-thirds of my life that I have yet to live.

Tuesday, April 15, 2003

Weather is depressing.

So I'll put up a happy picture of the junior class at the FiCB-wide winter retreat this past January. I'll try to post more pictures up from now on, just because pictures simply say a lot more than words.



This is about less than half the people in our class. Lots of smiley faces. Notice Slum on the way left in a really provocative stance. For some reason, I’m clinging onto his bare thigh. Rob (middle in white) looks like he has two long bangs, but those are actually strings from Andy’s hood dangling over Rob’s forehead. And Kwan is once again surrounded by girls.

Monday, April 14, 2003

Pleasant surprise of the day:
Discovering $14 in your other pair of jeans.

Embarrassing moment of the day:
Having your roommate walk in on you while you're singing at the top of your lungs.. as he remarks, "Didn't know that you were holding a private jam session.. HAHAH!"

Sunday, April 13, 2003

Church was a blessing today.. enjoyed the message, the praise, the people. But near the end of the service, I humbly learned about the importance of communication with your fellows under high-pressure situations. Those who went to KCPC today should know what I'm talking about. However, things always seem funny in retrospect.. hope God has a sense of humor. ;)

Afterward children's ministry ended, a bunch of the teachers and Pastor Eugene went to Fuddruckers to have lunch. It was my first time at a Fuddruckers (I always thought it was an ice cream shop), so I carelessly ordered a 2/3 lb. Swiss Melt burger because I was pretty famished. I didn't realize how a 2/3 lb. burger could be so huge (it was about the size of little Jenny's head), so Pastor Eug helped a poor guy out.

Me, Kwan, Pastor Eug, Sam, Albert, Jane, Jenny, and Brian also had a really fun talk about relationships, which prodded a lot of thought-provoking questions. How young/old would you want your spouse to be? Would you consider dating outside of your race? How long would you wait till you decide to have kids?

And lastly, Would you marry a girl who was covered with thick hair all over her body, or a girl who honks like a donkey whenever she laughs?

Hahah, I would marry the girl with the donkey laugh, but make sure to never tell jokes in our marriage. Ever. ;)

Saw a beautiful weather anomaly in action today. When it's raining intensly, but you look up to only find a clear blue sky with the puffiest clouds.

Saturday, April 12, 2003

feelin' colorful.

Friday, April 11, 2003

With our hands lifted high to the sky
And the world wonders why
We’ll just tell them we’re loving our King
We’ll just tell them we’re loving our King.

Thursday, April 10, 2003

Had a hilarious conversation about children's books yesterday. It's unfortunate that we don't read college textbooks with the same zeal or diligence as we did with children's books. College textbook writers should take a hearty lesson from Louis Sachar, Jerry Spinelli, and of course, Stan and Jan Berenstain.

Wednesday, April 09, 2003

Excerpt from a website

"My sister-in law is from Oklahoma and has a slight accent. She has cats
and when she lived in the south she would take them to the groomers and
have what is called a Line Cut. To her a line cut is when all of the fur
hanging down below the cat's tummy is taken off (because it gets matted or
snarled).

When she moved to Chicago with my brother, one of the cats fur got all
tangled up during the move so she took it in for a line cut. She was
quite surprised when she heard the price as it was twice as much as it was
down south. She confirmed with the groomer that he understood what a line
cut was and he said "yes, I know what a LION cut is." It seems her accent
came out sounding like LION not LINE and this is how her cat was returned
to her. (see PHOTOS) She cried for a week...but not as much as the cat. It
was November in Chicago and the cat needed all the fur it had."

Gas in car to go to groomers $4.50
Cat car carrier $32.99
Grooming fee $80.00
Getting the look from one seriously pissed off cat: Priceless.




All the more reason to not be a cat lover.. kittens are okay, but no cats. Dogs all the way.

Kristy and Sewon, I hope you would consider giving your cat a cool haircut like this one!

Tuesday, April 08, 2003

Hung out at Paul/Billy/Andy's place last night after Berean.

::Played newly-strunged guitars with Andy and Paul.
::Paul was practicing his speech in front of us which he diligently prepared for an upcoming oral presentation, but we kept on commenting on how lame he sounded.
::Paul therefore biting me and Andy.
::I saw Billy shirtless. Don't be jealous.
::I also heard Billy call Andy, "hyung." That took us all by surprise.
::Had a refreshing talk with Andy about life.
::Dennis drew his name on a piece of paper in big bold letters with a black marker, but the ink seeped through and stained the kitchen table. He was halfway through writing the rest of his last name before he realized what was happening. Now you can see a very visible "DENNIS CH" on their table. Besides a horrified Andy, we all had a good laugh.
::Conked out on their futon.

Spontaneous sleepovers are fun.

Monday, April 07, 2003

I have this crazy urge to go take a nap underneath the warm sun at Memorial Glade.
Watching "The Pianist" makes you wish that you took your childhood piano lessons a little more seriously. The soundtrack is captivating. What a wonderfully-made film.

It's a milestone day when someone is fortunate enough to come across a genuine inspiration. Most of the time, inspirations can be sparked by something surprisingly simple.

Friday, April 04, 2003

Played so many intriguing riddles with Jess and TKD Albert at the library tonight. Walked in the pounding rain, with thunder cracking less than a mile away (I know, because I counted the seconds right after the lightening). What a good night. I felt like I was on top of the world.

Chopin is a fabulous pianist/composer. A good buddy of mine recommends "Ballad No. 1 in G Minor, op. 23."



"God gave us music so we can pray without words."

Thursday, April 03, 2003

What a nice surprise. I just discovered that my ol' Toyota Corolla got broken into, probably sometime over spring break. I know, the car's been sitting in my parking lot for months now, and I guess someone probably took notice of that. The rear triangle mirror on the left side was completely smashed open, making it possible to reach in and unlock the door that way.

I put my key in the ignition and tried starting up the engine, but nothing happened. I looked under the wheel to see if they tried to hotwire the car, but that was untouched too. I had transmission problems with the car before, but that's no reason why the car shouldn't even start. I think it's a valid assumption to say that they probably lifted the hood and tampered with it.

As for items stolen in the car, they didn't take much. They just took all the change, which was all neatly placed in a little tray in the front, that I accumulated when I first bought the car. Still had the flashlight, car registration documents, and the roll of toilet paper I had in the glove compartment. Still had the cheap cassette tape deck that deceivingly looks like a pretty cool CD system, which disappoints most people when they find out it's not. I even had a brand new bottle of water sitting in the back seat, but I guess the job was too easy and didn't make them hot or thirsty enough to take it.

All in all, I'm not too worried about it, but I hope the insurance company takes care of this situation nicely. I felt like today's weather was compassionately refreshing. I hope that makes sense.

Wednesday, April 02, 2003

I hear birds chirping outside. Nature's rebuking message that's telling me to stop cramming, take a break, brush your teeth and go hit the hay.

I think I was listening to the same piano piece for the past four hours.

Tuesday, April 01, 2003

That's it. From now on till the end of the semester, I'm going to wake up every morning at 6am and sleep by 10pm. I will also eat three well-balanced meals daily that contain more fruits and vegetables than meat. If I keep these challenging goals, I will shave my head and become a Kings fan.
At the library last night, I learned that David Wee is an innocent and funny guy. Innocent.. but FUNNY. =D