12/30

thankful for

1) scarves.
took it out for the first time.
warm!

2) birthday gatherings.
I guess any reason to gather with friends is a good thing.

3) chocolate.
pretty much ate chocolate products for dinner.
fondue, cake, crackers.

12/29

thankful for

1) bacon.

mmm.

2) health.

been getting physical check-ups lately,

and even though I did feel fine,

it still relieves me when the doctor says that I'm fine.

had my eyes checked today,

and they're fine, it seems. 

3) service in church while in college.

got a call from someone in the church I went to in Michigan,

asking me if I can fix something in the church website.

I had made the website for the church, 

and I guess they thought I would still be able to handle it.

thankfully I was able to help--

seems some syntax became outdated when PHP was updated. 

12/28

thankful for

1) a full day.
woke up early and got a lot of things done.
tried to switch my driver's license from Michigan to New York but didn't have enough documents
(forgot passport)
and got a physical exam from the doctor.
all by lunch time.

2) good movies.
"Looper".
it had a well-thought plot.

3) praise.
went to a praise service
that had a Korean praise band (예수전도단)
leading praise.
it was the first time seeing a well-known Korean praise band,
and it was a good experience.

12/27

thankful for

1) running water.
had no water until the afternoon
probably due to yesterday's freak rainstorm.
just washing my face never felt so clean and refreshing.

2) no rain.
after yesterday's rain
and the forecast that it was going to rain all day today also,
it felt good to be walking around with no umbrella.

3) free time.
watched 2 movies and read about embedding jetty into Java.
I think I get it,
but understanding it and applying it are different.
gotta keep reading and learning.

parallel processing

put my laundry in the washer at 9:20,

only to realize that it's open until 11 only on friday/saturday

and open until 10 today.

so I have 40 minutes,

but the washer itself takes 30 minutes.

laundromat lady looks at me like

"what were you thinking"

and the only thing I could do was shrug my shoulders.

as I sat in front of the washer,

thinking about how 10 minutes of drying would do anything

and what a mess I have to go through

to try to dry all these clothes in my room somehow.

then a eureka moment.

the speed of a dryer drying clothes is inversely related to the amount of clothes in a dryer

(less clothes, faster dry speed),

and because it's nearly closing time,

alot of the dryers were available.

so once the clothes were done washing,

I split them into (hopefully) equal loads,

put them in multiple dryers,

and let them spin for 10 minutes.

the result was the equivalent about 20~30 minutes of drying in a single dryer.

doing this may sound like an obvious course of action now,

but at that moment,

I was so pegged on the normal process of "one washer, one dryer"

since that was what I had always done.

anyways,

it felt like I was applying what I had learned about parallel processing

in a.. different, yet applicable, situation.

12/26

thankful for

1) guiltless sleep.
just slept all the way into the afternoon.
felt bad that the sun was already setting,

2) barbeque ribs!
nothing would have consoled my rain-soaked,
wind-battered,
hungry self more than a full slab of
mouth-watering barbeque ribs with friends.
and these ribs were amazing.

3) a cab ride home.
great food topped with a ride all the way to the front of my doorstep? awesome.
not getting wet and getting my umbrella flipped over 5 times on the way back home? priceless.

12/25

thankful for

1) Jesus and His gift of salvation.
today we celebrate the day when Jesus was born to live a life that will bring us salvation from sin.
the greatest thanks I will ever give.

2) a whole day of spending time with people.
this was probably the most eventful Christmas I had in years.

3) group games.
specifically mafia and card games.
time just flew.

spent all night playing.
so tired,
but very happy.

12/24

thankful for

1) trying out make-up for the first time.
only because it was for the play.
downside was that it was impossible to clean it off my face after the play.
increased respect for those who put on make-up frequently.

2) children's Christmas performances.
if children are adorable,
children doing Christmas performances can only add an exponent to that level of adorable.

3) the play.
it was a really fun experience.
I also got to talk to people I had seen around church frequently
but had unable to talk to.

12/23

thankful for

1) a power nap.
it really works wonders when you're tired in the middle of the day.

2) not needing to pack up after service.
got to keep everything around for the Christmas event tomorrow.

3) meeting with the '89ers.
nothing was planned,
but somehow we all just came together
and ended up eating dinner.
good time of talking and joking.

12/22

thankful for

1)  no rain.
forecast had today as rainy,
but not a single drop.
it's getting cold,
so rain is not welcome.

2) holiday market.
despite living close to it,
I haven't gone there this year.
I happened to get off the union square station today,
which got me right in the middle of it.
just looked around.
despite my bad memory,
I was able to notice some things I had seen from last year.

3) random dig into philosophy.
one of the things that happen when I end up just surfing the internet.
read about Descarte and dualism (a soul is non-material)
and some modern thoughts that tries to believe it is wrong
(mind is not independent from the physical body).
not that I'm starting to question my stance on it,
just happened to stumble across it.
this led to a look into interesting paradox
called the ship of theseus.
the question is that if an object has all of its components replaced,
is it still the original object,
or a new object?
interesting.

12/21

thankful for

1) quiet time in the office.
coming in early and the holiday season (people out on vacation)
gives me time to just relax before the workday starts.

2) vacation days.
I am done with work for 2012.
first time starting and finishing a year working.

3) dried mangoes and green tea.
green tea just goes well with so many things.

triple threat

if it's

cold,

raining,

and windy

on any friday morning,

there exists someone in the city who's

wet and carrying a guitar, two bags, and an umbrella that's flipped inside out.

12/20

thankful for

1) break time with manager.
manager must have been tired today,
took me out to two coffee breaks.
good causal talk time.

2) music I'm listening to blending with the surroundings.
was listening to music on my way back from work,
and there was that moment where it felt like
the music was describing my surroundings.
not literally,
but just complementing the ambiance.

3) quick practices.
went to practice expecting to be there for several hours,
but it only lasted one hour.

train snack cart

suddenly remembered the snack cart in the trains,

especially the ones in the mugoonghwa class trains.

it seems they got rid of them when I went back to Korea couple of months ago, 

instead creating a separate food car.

it was a more fun experience with the cart.

I miss the dried squid and peanuts.

oh, those peanuts--

they weren't honey-roasted

but coated with a thin layer of some kind of sweet glaze.

I never found them outside the snack cart.

I miss them.

president

Korea has elected its next president

through an election with a 75.8% voter turnout rate--

it's a really impressive turnout (the US had ~57% for 2012),

and it is good to know that the people believe that their opinion is important.

as for the result of the election,

after looking at the president-elect's policies,

mostly centered on the economy,

I think what they are aiming for isn't bad,

and despite being the conservative platform,

it sounds like a very moderate-liberal policy with respect to US policies.

policies I've read so far

will try to create policies that will regulate the chaebol culture and prohibit any more of such structure to be formed
 - similar to a policy against "big-business", something that a conservative in the US would try to avoid in their platform. it would be hard to carry this out knowing how much influence the chaebol companies have (hearsay, but I remember something like a 20% number on their influence on the national GDP), but as long as the president pushes with small and steady changes with the patience of an ox, it it's not impossible. I haven't read any specific measures that will be taken, so time will tell.

3 times the current spending to support small and medium businesses
- I guess it will be more of how it will be spent that will make this any good, but the efficient spending of the budget was one of their other goals, so that once again will be explained in time.

increase R&D spending to 5% of GDP
- it seems current R&D spending is 3.36% of GDP. it's a pretty big shift, and it's possible that this will be a  part of the solution to the "3 times current spending on small/medium business" policy by rewarding most of these to small companies.

increase the "middle class" to 70%
- very subjective goal, unless there is a defined condition for being in this social class, and I have not found a definition yet. possibly more reasonable to say make 70% of people consider themselves middle class, but that is also very vague in how such a result will be obtained. however, this would also be indirectly achieved through extra funding of small/medium companies.

halve tuition through financial assistance; third child gets free pass to college
- addressing the need for the nation to increase the birth rate. the intention is good, but it should look at the US and definitely avoid a financial assistance program that involves loans that are interest-free only during college (long term disaster for many graduates). other than that, sounds like increased government spending like the others above.

plus increased government-subsidized retirement pensions and extended national medicare coverage.

so far, I have heard nothing about spending cuts,

which means down-to-earth policies have yet to be revealed,

unless it's going to be a straight-up tax hike.

I do remember reading that there is going to be a gradual increase in taxes,

but there definitely has to be something else to make all these plans possible.

then again,

it's possible a lot of these policies will not see light.


anyways,

it's time to be one nation again

and support the newly elected president.

hats off to you.

12/19

thankful for

1) online lectures.
MIT freely distributes a lot of the video lectures for its classes.
I've been listening to their calculus lectures,
and it's surely better than trying to re-read the textbook.

2) care packages.
thanks mom,
I now have enough sugar to last me through the new year.

3) small talk.
while it might feel like a breach of privacy/space for those unaccustomed to the culture
(not to mention the high chance of awkwardness),
I believe that the passing of small talk is one of the key characteristics of American culture.
as long as both parties are comfortable,
it becomes one of those moments that show that American culture is friendly in its roots.
anyways,
as I was waiting in the post office to get my package,
this lady/girl who was standing behind me started talking to me.
"so what are you waiting for?"
I tell her it's a package, from home.
"and so am I! I'm getting a present!"
asked her if it was for Christmas.
"no, birthday present! my birthday is this friday."
so much details, no?
asked if she ends up getting only one present because of the proximity of the days.
"no, I get little things over the course of the month, and I like that!"
she continues
"you know what I like the most? the socks I get for Christmas!"
something about that warmed my heart,
being excited for the little things.
"oh, I wish I'm getting socks!"
then again,
it could be that she's getting some sick silk socks.
couple more exchanges continued until I received my package and wished her well.

12/18

thankful for

1) getting to see some innovative projects.
it was the finals for the contest that the company held for
innovative software ideas,
and the final submissions were indeed respectable.
a finalist from the SF office had a project that was similar to ours.

2) my email account's draft folder.
I tend to write quick notes down in them every once in a while,
and I was looking at things I wrote up to three years ago.
one of them was an essay I wrote for the church program
(church program had a church member write an essay for the back cover every week).
it was an anecdotal piece that concluded with the anecdote being an analogy.
fun read.

3) acting.
somehow got in a last-minute role for this year's Christmas play,
and it's not too bad.
I actually have that urge to do better than the last run.

unconditional

read a blog post of Paul Buchheit,

Google's employee #23 and the creator of GMail.

http://paulbuchheit.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-gift.html

he talks about a life-changing moment in his life--

the death of his brother and

the birth of his daughter--

and how it defined life for him: unconditional love.

he implies towards the end of this post that he is agnostic in his religious views,

but he does explain his beliefs in an "analogy":

Human intelligence and understanding is deeply connected to stories, so I've tried to encapsulate my ideas and experiences in a little story, using the familiar characters of God and the Devil:

Long ago, the Devil boasted that he could easily gather more followers than God. God's way of gathering followers was simple: give everyone Unconditional Love and Forgiveness, nothing more and nothing less. Naturally the Devil was more devious. He knew that most people would not knowingly follow the Devil, so his plan was to lie and claim that he was the One True God, promise his followers a great reward in the afterlife, and threaten that those who didn't worship him would be sent to hell when they died. God was betting on Love, but the Devil believed that Greed and Fear are stronger than Love, and therefore even good people could be tricked into following him. 

The idea behind this story is quite simple. If a God promises to reward you with 72 virgins in paradise in exchange for flying an airplane into a building, it's a false God. If a God threatens to send you to hell for loving the wrong person, it's a false God. If a God tells you to coerce people into worshiping him, it's a false God. If a God promises protection in exchange for doing his bidding, it's a false God (or perhaps the Mafia). God brings union through unconditional love. The false Gods bring division through fear and greed. 

Genuine, unconditional love is a gift that must be freely given and freely accepted, with nothing expected in return. Love can not be delivered at gun point, or with the threat of eternal damnation. That's more like rape.

this is an opinion, of course,

but it was one of those "well said" pieces,

from a software developer, no less.

the valley

somehow find myself in the entrance.

I know there is nothing to fear,

but I guess I will be facing things that are worth fearing.

but You will be with me,

with Your rod and Your staff.

12/17

thankful for

1) umbrellas.
and not forgetting it when I left work.

2) craigslist.
bought something from there for the first time--
a full-length mirror.
it's plain, simple, and nice.

3) wikipedia.
learned so many trivia from it.

"gift of death"

interesting blog post about the economy, some politics, media, and the environment:

http://www.monbiot.com/2012/12/10/the-gift-of-death/

12/16

thankful for

1) mta bus.
arrived at church at a relatively alright time.

2) Christmas carols.
I guess it's already a legitimate time to sing them.

3) movie with Efrain.
watched a movie called "safety not guaranteed,"
an indie-styled movie.
it was great.

really need that vacation next week.

timing

I swear,
I miss the train that comes once in ten minutes
by 30 seconds
every week
man

12/15

thankful for

1) getting to wake up late.
it feels like it's been a while since I got to leave home after 12.
all the people in santa costumes for santa-con was interesting also.

2) homemade coffee.
wish I have time to make them every day.
I did make too much today--
drank everything in one sitting
and it kept me awake for the whole day.

3)  brother's new start.
he found a new place,
packed all his things up,
said his goodbyes,
did all of his graduation exhibits,
and finished his last finals
in one week.
tomorrow he works.
I don't know how he managed to do all that in such a short time.
he's really happy though, and so am I.
and I get a place to stay in the middle of Seoul.

12/14

early fill today--

thankful for

1) the morning determination.
during the semi-conscious struggle to choose between
an extra hour of sleep and going to service,
did the right choice.

2) ramen at hide-chan.
the super-rich pork broth gets really 느끼해
by the time you're done with the noodles,
but I really do miss it every once in a while.

3) corporate benefits,
was able to treat Efrain with an entrance to the MoMA.

12/13

thankful for

1) clean running water.
water stopped running the day before,
and it was gushing out some brown gunk in the morning.
had t go to work early, but this prevented it.
clean water eventually came out,
and what a sight for sore eyes it was.

2) company year-end party
at the hard rock cafe on times square,
good time talking to previous managers
and everyone around me in the office.

3) having old friends visit!
Efrain came from Seattle today--
spent time talking,
it seems he went through a lot after graduation.
짜식, 전에 좀 말해주지.

12/12

thankful for

1) finishing the presentation.
team members were beleaguered with unexpected production issues,
making us unable to practice beforehand,
but we did alright considering that.

2) walking down the Upper West Side.
went to mike's to borrow a sleeping bag,
and decided to walk down a bit before getting on the subway.
such a nice atmosphere--
it feels like Christmas.

3) blues.
Eric Clapton has soul.
he can play the blues,
and he sure can sing it too.

space

for someone who talks to only a few,

(you know, more than just "hi" and "bye")

the absence of just one person

who you frequently converse with

really leaves a vacuum.

but if that's how it's gotta be,

I'll deal with it.

didn't think it would be easy,

and it surely wasn't.

12/11

thankful for

1) gamjatang.
now I cannot deny that at least one of the things I'm thankful for
is always going to be food.
it only proves that "먹는게 남는거다"

2) two monitors.
I can watch a show full screen while working on my presentation materials.
had to pause a lot so that I can concentrate though.
man, have to become a better multitasker.

3) something to be motivated about.
recently my brain has been shutting down for any useful operations around 1:30,
but the fact that I'm up right now doing something meaningful is refreshing

12/10

thankful for

1) staying late at work?
more for being able to stay late without feeling bad about it.

2) teamwork.
developing a software with a team,
and good chemistry just feels swell.

3) "seinfield."
for a show that started in the '80s,
it's such a great show.
and just like "friends" and "how I met your mother,"
it's based on New York City,
so it's nice to hear familiar references.

12/9

thankful for

1) the accidental short nap that thankfully didn't become a whole night's sleep.
didn't want to just let the rest of the day pass by,
but I was really tired and just fell asleep.
I guess the posture wasn't so great.

2) the time to watch a movie.
haven't watched one in a while.
movie was "127 Hours",
starring James Franco.
considering the whole movie was about a man with his hand
stuck by the rock on a canyon,
it was a good movie.

3) online QTs.
the one I used to use stopped offering theirs
about a month ago,
and I was without a good source.
seems living life offers theirs online also.

12/8

thankful for

1) long sleep.
though unintentional
and made me late,
long sleep is long sleep.

2) barbecue.
I've been blessed with food lately.

3) barbecue.
See what I mean? blessed with food.
ate barbecue for lunch and dinner.

12/7

thankful for

1) gom tang.
suddenly craved it in the morning,
and it was as good as I thought it would be.

2) free pizza.
from the boss to the team.
I guess today is a good day for food.

3) video games, but not really.
don't play it that much,
but when I do,
I remember why I don't/shouldn't play.

12/6

thankful for

1) a good day of coding.
working on a new project from scratch is refreshing.
not to mention so much progress in such a short time.
time just flew today.

2) songs of praise.
additional thanks to the praise team--
I'm always given a playlist that I can listen to throughout the week.

3) Dave Brubeck,
a famous jazz musician,
who I just found out through news of his death.
such relaxing music.

12/5

thankful for

1) getting a lot of work done today. 

going to be working on a special project for the rest of the week

and wanted to get my current work finish up.

almost done (I think).

2) podcasts. 

specifically this one podcast that I listen to every once in a while about history,

called "hardcore history."

the host, 

someone named Dan Carlin,

talks about history with such enthusiasm 

that it's not hard to just breeze through his 1-2 hour podcasts.

very detailed explanations

and insightful opinions.

3) green tea.

I've been drinking a cup before going to sleep for a couple of days now.

12/4

thankful for

1) five guys burger. just can't get enough of it.
and best fries ever, seriously.

2) the opportunity to walk around outside during work.
left the desk for a bit to go pay rent
(and also to pick up my phone, which forgot at home),
and the weather was great.
I went to a little coffee bean store that I always pass by to go to work that
also sold coffee to-go,
and tried their americano.
sipping coffee and walking through East Village was refreshing.

3) chocolate-covered raspberry creme thin mints.
I was reaching that point of sleepiness at work,
and every time I popped a couple of these in my mouth
I was functioning again.
it was my steady flow of sugar today.

12/3

thankful for

1) 6 hours of sleep. it was so wonderful. no bouts with sleepiness during work. why can't I do this more often.

2) madelines. manager brought some from France, and they are just wonderful with coffee.

3) having a elementary/junior high/high school friend in the city. met him after work and watched monday night football. caught up with life as we watched. it's just nice how I can just talk to this guy as if I had been meeting him always.

lend me your ears

suddenly remembered a Shakespeare piece and started reading it,

from "Julius Casesar":

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones;

So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus

Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it.

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest -

For Brutus is an honourable man;

So are they all, all honourable men -

Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me:

But Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome

Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:

Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

You all did see that on the Lupercal

I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And, sure, he is an honourable man.

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,

But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without cause:

What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?

O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,

And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;

My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,

And I must pause till it come back to me.

I've never heard this acted out,

but as I read it, 

I could just feel the sadness that pours out of the speaker. 

his sarcasm when he calls Brutus "honourable" is biting every time,

and his delivery of counter-examples of Caesar's "ambition" comes out in force. 

and the last part,

"bear with me, my heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and I must pause till it come back to me"

made me pause in awe.

haven't read Shakespeare in a while,

and when I did, I didn't feel much for it,

but this makes me think about reading some again.

12/2

thankful for

1) the 30 minute nap I got while waiting for the 1st service sermon to end. I really needed it

2) my small group. nice kids, and they're involved in the discussion

3) being home before 7. it's been a while

12/1

thankful for

1) 2012. thought it'd be too cliche if I wrote this on 12/31. I'll probably get into detail with specifics in time

2) the praise team. practicing all day is actually not bad now. good people to be around with

3) my guitar. I thank my past self for shelling out my life savings at that time to buy it, just because I saw a cartoon about it and thought it was cool.

I won't be exaggerating if I say that it is what brought and kept me close to God since leaving for college. 

11/30

thankful for

1) this scene

a full moon in the early morning.
I'm supposing that it's shining really brightly because the sun is almost up and therefore giving more sunlight to reflect.

2) staying awake at work when I don't really deserve it. I really should get more sleep

3) the boss' blessing of a week well done before heading out for the weekend

11/29

thankful for

1) getting to leave work slightly early for team outings

2) anecdotes -- most memorable was a story about the managing director's daughter and tooth fairies.
the daughter
(who believes in tooth fairies)
lost a tooth when she was in a trip to japan with her mother,
and despite tucking it under her pillow,
did not receive her prize (mother forgot).
the daughter apparently told the managing director about this when she came back,
and the managing director told her that
it was because japan didn't give the tooth fairy a visa.

3) the scenery during the walk back home.
the trotting passers-by,
the blazing lights of passing cabs,
the starless, but peaceful, sky
and the shuffled batch of walk-ups that line up before me

11/28

thankful for

1) another prayer answered, hallelujah! brother has received a job offer! 

2) the kitchen oven. bought unsliced samgyupsal on my way home, and instead of frying it, I decided to try using the oven. the result was some amazing samgyupsal

3) getting to read stuff like this. you'll have to read the next one (ep 4) to get the full picture. beautiful

11/27

thankful for

1) red bull -- really gave me wings today, and quickly too

2) being able to help someone with programming. tried programming something (though simple) in python for the first time today

3) Steven Colbert -- gave me a "oh no you didn't" moment.
    he was talking about the pope, specifically about a book he recently wrote about the birth of Christ.
    among other things ("angels didn't sing, they just talked") it seems the pope wrote that because there were no mention of animals in the Gospel,
    there were no animals in the manger.
    Colbert then says "you know what's also not in the Bible? (pause) the pope."
    and he himself is a catholic too.

11/26

thankful for

1) getting to try Lombardi's Pizza for the first time. the pizza was indeed pretty great

2) seeing my prayers for others being answered in the affirmative

3) able able to pursue my interest in computers. learned something new while playing around with them today

cocoa puffs

seriously craving cocoa puffs cereal all of a sudden..

made eating breakfast slightly enjoyable back in middle school.

11/25

thankful for

1) the nicely-timed subway trains that got me to church quickly despite heading out late

2) feeling relatively warm in the cold weather

3) getting the chance to listen to some classical music performances

11/24

thankful for

1) school rivalries, for something to look forward to and get excited about every year (but we lost today... it was the Game for goodness sake)

2) today's lunch, a beef brisket sandwich. it was a pretty awesome sandwich

3) heating in my room, the day got really cold and it's finally doing a good job with keeping the room warm

ghost

watched one episode of a Korean drama called "Ghost,"

which centers around cyber investigation,

which naturally includes scenes of

computer backups,

network tracing,

hacking systems,

and other computer-related things.

every time a reference to such things came up,

I ended up pausing the show

and think about the plausibility of what just happened.

overall, I would say that

they did try hard to make things accurate,

but it's cute.

maybe I'll write about it more if I get time.

11/23

thankful for

1) fresh morning air, always brings life inside me (but then I crash when I get back inside..)

2) USPS, despite being really slow, they still deliver

3) college friends visiting, brings back the good times in college

work

came to work early on black friday,

only to find my manager already in.

hardcore.

11/22

thankful for

1) friends to celebrate a holiday

2) pigs, for providing samgyupsal to the world

3) cards, for hours of fun

happy thanksgiving!

future

"a society grows great

when old men plant trees

whose shade they know

they will never sit in"


saw it in the internet,

thought it was a neat thing.

11/21

thankful for

1) like 20 alarms in 3 different alarm clocks, helps me get to work on time despite sleeping late.

2) a random comment on the code I was reading though at work, saying "what that hell!" made me laugh and somewhat felt what that person was going through.

3) 24-hour mcdonald's 3 minutes away. ah, the joy of a mcchicken past 12.

11/20

thankful for

1. easily accessible international communication, as I am able to hear from my brother whenever possible

2. vodka sauce--used it for the first time, and it's going to be a good addition to my cooking ingredients

3. chocolate raisins after lunch--guilty delight, and the chocolate+raisin sugar rush packs such a good boost

11/19

thankful for

1. the quick local-to-express swap in the subway

2. curly fries that a co-worker offered during lunch time

3. last-minute run for japanese bread only minutes before the bread shop closes

11/18

thankful for

1. MTA weekend bus schedules, for coming around more often than the weekend subway trains.

2. sunday morning breakfasts, specifically the bagel cream cheese and the coffee

3. self-service checkouts, really convenient stuff.


will I be able to continue this? let's see.

gotta start to find out.

free

first saturday in a while where I am free to do as I want (until the night, at least).

woke up with no alarm,

watched a Michigan game for the first time in a while,

got to do saturday laundry

and walked around in pretty good weather.

relaxing-- feels great.

"하나님 아버지"

하나님 제겐 참 두려운 게 많습니다
잘 모르는 것도 너무 많습니다
부끄러운 일은 헤아릴 수도 없고
지치고 힘든 때에도 그 때도
의연한 척 해야 할 때도 있습니다

그래도 하나님 아버지
하나님을 아버지라 부를 수 있어서
난 참 좋습니다

awww

just something scrapped from the web.

when I have kids,

I'm going to record them so much.

not to post on youtube,

but for them to see when they grow up.

I had so much enjoyment just seeing pictures of myself;

videos would be priceless.

french foreign legion

read about the French Foreign Legion,

a branch of the French military that accepts non-citizens.

as it is comprised in its majority by non-citizens,

the French sends it to any place that it has an obligation or interest to have a military presence--

warzones where France has promised to send troops,

peacekeeping in its own territories--

without hesitation, as their deaths have little significance for the nation.

however,

the Legion grants those who serve for at least 3 years

French citizenship if desired,

and is also allowed to change their name--

a kind of new beginning.

therefore the Legion attracts those

who want to leave their pasts behind

and have a new start,

in addition to those who want the adventure

or just want a decently paying job.

I've heard of it while learning modern history,

but I didn't know specifically what it was.

it's like one of those organizations that you only read about in stories,

where people can escape reality and find adventure.

however,

I can only assume that the reality of being in the Foreign Legion

would be less romantic as it sounds.

playlist

there's a coworker with headphones

that leak noise really generously.

his music playlist has been really funky,

ranging from what sounds like indian pop to katy perry (like one after another).

it appears right now he's listening to the theme of ghostbusters,

which I have to say is the song that threw me off the greatest so far.

the question

guest pastor during sermon today

made a side about the right/wrong about drinking/smoking/sensitive stuff.

he said that the focus shouldn't be on whether it's right or wrong ("people tell me there's no mention of smoking at all in the Bible"),

but more on what choice that can be deemed more righteous.

I can't say I haven't thought in this perspective before,

but it did give me a "you got a nice point" thought. 

sometime during the crossing,

I find out that

what I thought was the Styx

was actually the Rubicon.

recording

amongst those random pile of songs,

there happened to be a set of recordings from what I assume to be my brother's mp3 player.

by what I can tell.. around high school. 

one of the recordings have me talking to my brother,

telling him the plot of the book I was reading. 

it was the beginning part of the book, 

and hearing about meeting a prisoner in a field and  having a sister with a blacksmith for a husband, 

it must be Great Expectations. 

I can now tell that my English definitely had an accent of some sort (island influence),

and my Korean pronunciation is more muddled and crappy. 

I also pretty much snapped back at my brother every time he said something to me,

I was pretty surprised when I actually started telling him about the book when he asked. 

but yeah, time changes people.

greeting

walked past a convoy of parked military vehicles,

with soldiers standing around it.

I passed by one whose face was wrapped for warmth.

my intention was to say 

"thanks for coming around to help us during these difficult times"

but my words came out as 

"cold night, isn't it?" 

I still meant it as a friendly gesture,

but after saying it,

I'm thinking that the man might have taken that as a tease. 

I'm sorry, sir, and thank you for sticking around.

the prayer

Lord,

make me an instrument of your peace.

where there is hatred, let me sow love.

where there is injury, pardon.

where there is doubt, faith.

where there is despair, hope.

where there is darkness, light.

where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

for it is in giving that we receive.

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

light

downtown manhattan is back with power.

hot water!

the last couple of days were a good experience--

I'll never forgot walking in the darkness amongst rows of towering buildings--

but I hope no one will have to go through that in the future.

up

police: what bus do you need to take?
me: anything that goes up


filled my biggest cooking pot with water

and boiled it to get some hot water for washing in the morning.

power

apparently power will come back by 11pm saturday.
much longer than I expected.

postmortem

lost power,

and the area around home lost cellular reception.

apparently it will take at least 3 days to get power back..

I'm hoping that day 1 was the night we lost power,

but I'm pretty sure they don't count that way.

there's still running water,

but it's colder than the weather and is rich in chlorine.

there's still gas, and I was able to cook,

but I'm afraid yesterday was the last day I could use any of the food in the fridge

without worrying about spoiled food.

work wasn't mandatory today,

but came anyway since it's better to work than to roll around at home without power.

subways are also not functional,

and the buses that began to run today have been packed.

traffic is not much of a relief.

but all is well.

I am fine,

and the people I know are fine.

hurricane sandy

working from home tomorrow.

not really fully stocked with food, 

but I'll be able to go through about 2 days as long as there's power and water. 

went out for a walk around town with my roommate,

and the place is pretty empty.

news says it'll be pretty strong. 

hope it's not too much.

saturday

during practice,

the leader told us that

with his own will,

he would not be able to put up with the time spent on the church activities he serves.

it is only because God makes him able

that he is able to do all of this.

he is therefore thankful to be doing all the service he does for the church.

I also am able to do this only because God allows me to do it,

and I am grateful.

freetempo

house music,

up-beat, and no lyrics for me to be distracted with 

(there's times when my brain just constantly tries to listen to the lyrics)

when working.

found a couple of albums from this artist in the pile,

so here goes. 

loveholic

vocal's voice is so soft and milky.

ah.. music and coffee spike is a good combination. 

peanut plain

you can't call something

cranberry almost delight

then put more peanuts than cranberries and almonds combined.

weekdays

mondays aren't as undesirable as it used to be

since the weekends are busier than the weekdays.

taking of pelham 123

movie with a plot about the hijacking of a 6 subway train,

right between Grand Central and 51st St.,

where I get off to work.

interesting to watch a movie when it shows places that you pass by almost every day.

in-state rivalry

michigan 12 - 10 michigan state

we finally beat little brother after 4 years of embarrassment.

gotta watch the highlights when I get back home.

Go Blue!

matthew 15:21-28

the story of the canaanite woman 

who asks Jesus for the cure of her possessed daughter.

when Jesus signs a cold shoulder with 

"I was sent to the lost sheep of Israel"

and

"it is not right to take the children's and toss it to the dogs",

the woman, 

with humble wisdom and faith,

replies

"even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table."

she had the humble faith of

knowing that we do not deserve anything

and grateful that despite that,

God will give us everything that is good for us. 

future

not so much being rich,

just want to be in a position

to have a say in a decision that affects society/culture.


not on things I have no right to make decisions on

but on things I am to be considered knowledgeable.


let's keep fueling myself.

vote

politics is interesting indeed.

wish I can vote..

heavy lifting

[after finishing giving blood, to nurse]
lady: "so, heavy lifting, running around, no liquids--am I right?"

[giving her the "haha, funny" face]
nurse : "exactly the opposite"

lady: "oh, of course. but can I drink? you know, drink?" 

either I didn't hear the nurse's reply, or she just didn't.

goldilocks

24 is

not that young an age,

but also not old.

so,

is this the "just right" age?

dream

I was asked what is my dream,

and,

indeed having one,

said what it is.

then the next question was

"what are you currently doing

right now

that will get you closer to it?"

and then I couldn't answer.


I feel like I'm so far from it right now,

but I should at least do something,

that will keep me facing that direction at least.


but grad school is an almost necessary step for this..

let's do things that will keep my options open.

weekend

great to see some faces,

but goodness,

my weekend is going to be pretty sad for a couple of months..

bells

never was around home during to day

to notice that the church in front of my place

rings its bells every hour.


something about hearing it in my room

while sipping on some homemade coffee

is noticeably calming.

another find in the pile of music

the shuffle today has led me to someone named

priscilla ahn.

musical style not unlike jack johnson

and an amazing voice.

now that I think about it,

this must be the kind of voice I like.

coffee

coffee becomes from best friend to a dick

when it gets on your hand.

and the day starts.

salty eyes

once again riding the wave of shuffled music

thanks to the cacophony of my surroundings.

this time,

bumped into a song that I listened to during high school.

"salty eyes" by the matches.

emo, punk-y, upbeat with a "I'm hanging by thread" lyrics.

ah, high school.



do you belong to a song--
does it drag you along by the tongue
at the top of your lungs?
are you drunk--have you been drinking?
do you, below the overpass, go
with a fifth in your fist
reminiscing the kiss of a love
that just didn't love
as much as you did?

please don't give up, dear walls
don't let the ceiling fall
when you belong to a song--salty eyes,
you belong.

and so on.

vodka rain

found out that my pile of random songs

had a handful of songs by vodka rain.

such a great band.

songs that make me want to feel exactly what they were feeling when they wrote the song.

random impressions of this trip

you know,

those images/things/names that you unconsciously assign to a certain event/timeframe,

so that when you approach them again

you suddenly remember it. 

I think for these couple of weeks,

it's these:

what I'll remember if I think about this trip:

- cafe bene (they were everywhere..)

- anipang (this smartphone game that everyone--everyone--was playing) 

what will make me suddenly remember this trip:

both songs, actually. I think music has always had a strong impact on these kind of things for me.

- g.dragon feat. kim yuna - "maybe I'm missing you"

- psy feat. park jung hyun - "어땠을까"

the first song was very catchy. had a very smoothing melody (chorus was stuck on my head while there), but it seems the lyrics doesn't reflect that.

the second song I just heard once on TV while there, but something about it (probably the chorus again) made me like it, and it stuck also.

I guess I'll attach one of them.

jet lag

overcoming jet lag in a day is more challenging than I thought.

in the plane

solitude.

remembered how great a companion it is

when you're armed with a book.

read for a first time in a while.

and it felt great.

the immersion into the text transcends that of a movie.

day 15 + last day: wrap

day 15

went to an outlet and bought a couple of jackets.

met my brother who came up to Seoul and ate dinner.

bid farewell at the bus terminal.

felt fine until the bus terminal,

then teared up a bit as I saw him being driven away.


last day

church,

then airport.

barely got in time to check in,

but all was well.

missed the connecting flight in San Francisco,

but I was able to get another flight in the same day.

arrived late at night in Newark due to the changed flight,

somehow managed home.

and the trip was done.

이제 회피하지 않고

I'll settle this.

day 12 ~ 14 - trek back up

got too backlogged,

so I'll have to wrap this up

in stone-cold report format.


day 12,

spent time with relatives,

also was able to meet a college friend who lived in Busan,

left on the night train to Daejeon with my brother

and spent the night in his dorm.


day 13,

ate lunch with brother and girlfriend

then got on a train back to Seoul.

put luggage in the Seoul station lockers

and walked around the city a bit (Myeongdong (명동) in particular).

ate dinner in Gangnam with the hometown nuna I met last week

and got back home.


day 14,

walked around Insadong (인사동) by myself,

(ain't the most exciting thing)

met college church people I met last week again

and ate dinner at Jongro (종로).

walked around the area

and went back home.

ah

now I understand--

I don't really want to leave this place. 

day 11 - busan

started to get really backlogged with these trip updates--

been moving around a lot.

besides,

I think I enjoy writing thoughts more than reporting happenings.


but I have to finish what I started.

then again,

I don't have the pictures for this day uploaded to the computer.

sigh.


headed to Busan after lunch,

said my good-bye's to my grandparents.


now,

I've been to Busan every time I visited Korea,

but I realized that I had spent most of the time indoors,

because wow,

I only now realized how beautiful a place Busan is.

first went to the Haeundae beach (해운대 백사장),

and the water was much bluer than expected.

[ picture of a part of the city overlooking the beach ]

having not much tourists definitely helped keep the water pristine.

next stop was Dalmajigil (달맞이길),

which had a breathtaking view of the city and the ocean.

[ panorama of above statement ]

we had dinner in the Chungsapo (청사포) area

[ picture of the Chungsapo lighthouse? ]

then went to Igidae area (이기대) and saw the night view of the Gwangandaegyo (광안대교).

[ picture of Gwangandaegyo ]


with the winding roads up and down hills,

and an iconic bridge,

Busan can be very much like San Francisco.

and I'd say it would be a very pleasant city to live in.

day 10 - eating business

[pictures issue resolved, will replace placeholders when possible]

ate breakfast,

table getting ready

more sit-down-talking with the uncles until lunchtime,

eating side food during all the conversation.

still proceeded to eat lunch.

soon after, one of my cousins decided he wanted to eat chicken intestines (닭똥집)--

apparently Daegu is known for it.

I think I tried them before but didn't remember the taste.

it was great.

maybe because it was fried, but it was great.

that was pretty much dinner,

but later at night,

same cousin decided that he also wanted to eat pork stomach (막창) before leaving Daegu.

and off we went to eat.

 place had a retro theme,

old electronics

old movie posters

and the food was great.

first time trying 막창,

it had a rich flavor that made it good.

add to all this a good conversation,

and all was well.

day 9 - chuseok

ate a good breakfast.

also have to add that in between meals,

there were a constant serving of fruits and songpyeon (송편, rice cakes eaten during Chuseok).

[probably a picture of food]

visited our grandfather's grave once more,

this time with the whole family.

(yesterday was just grandma, me, brother, uncle)

[picture of the area around the grave]

came back home and ate lunch,

after which my brother and I packed up and headed for the city of Daegu,

where our mother's side was.

rode the bus again,

and considering it was Chuseok,

the traffic wasn't too horrendous.

[picture of scenery from the bus]

arrived in Daegu and was greeted by a large family that was my mother's side.

first spoke with my grandparents.

it was good to see that they appear not to have aged since 4 years ago,

and they were glad to see me again.

I then sat with my uncles and talked.

we talked about work and life in New York,

and they gave me good life advice.

my little cousins were not so little anymore.

goodness,

the little squirt that barely connected words the last time I saw her

was now quite the witty kid.

my aunt's family that I stayed with in Seoul came pretty late,

so there was more talking once they arrived.

[probably some pictures in between. probably didn't take much during this time]

day was full of meeting loved ones and talking to them.

day 8 - uncle (작은아버지)

stayed home until lunchtime,

and uncle's family came.

Dad had one brother,

so this completed our father's side of the family.

one of my cousins couldn't make it because he was getting ready for college entrance exams.

ate a hearty lunch,

[do I have a picture?]

and went to our grandfather's grave to cut the grass.

came back home pretty tired,

fell asleep until dinner,

in which we ate another full meal.

at night, went to the theater and watched a movie.

intermission

Korea hasn't changed to a point that would take me aback,

but there definitely have been small changes that made life more comfortable.

I definitely forgot how clean the subways were--

I don't know how I'm going to receive the New York subways once I get back.

things feel more accessible,

and there's so much to see.

definitely too much to see in 2 weeks time.

in the whole "5/10 years down the road" thought,

I don't want this place out of the equation.



ps. I like these radio stations that read out people's stories. very sweet to listen to.

day 7 - grandma

ate brunch with the brother and girlfriend at a park,

and got on a bus to jinju.

the bus was pretty packed due to it being Chuseok season.

[picture of scenery through bus]

went to grandma's place once we arrived.

on the way there,

I was able to recognize a lot of the surrounding areas.

haven't changed much.

grandma greeted us with gladness

and a lot of fried eel,

something she's always done.

took a walk around town at night.

[picture of brother and grandma walking at night]

I guess I'm achieving my goal for coming to Korea--

spending time with relatives.

got tired after the walk,

so slept relatively early.

day 6 - brother

still having issues with the pictures, but I'll write on.


finally got myself a cellphone number in the morning.

after making some final preparations at home,

went to eat soondaegook with my cousin.

he told me he knew a good place, so I followed his lead

[picture of a savory bowl of soondaegook]

after lunch, went to Yongsan station to board a train bound for Daejeon.

[picture of Yongsan station's departure area]

the KTX-class trains were sold out,

so I had to get on a Moogoonghwa-class train.

the views were still relaxing.

[picture of the scenery from the train, if any of them were good]

it was a bummer that they stopped having the snack cart service,

which the PA said was replaced by the snack train car.

[picture of the snack train car that replaced the poor snack carts]

when the train arrived in Daejeon,

I was greeted by my brother as soon as I got out of the train car.

we first went to get my haircut,

and as I finished,

I was able to meet my brother's girlfriend for the first time.

[one of the many pictures that my brother took with my camera]

the three of us ate dinner and went to a park and walked around.

we also went to the KAIST campus and looked around there also.

[picture(s) of KAIST at night]

good times with my brother.

day 5 - rest

(I'm having issues getting my pictures into my computer-- I'll be attaching pictures in the near future)


woke up late,

got a notice that my passport will be delivered in the afternoon,

so I just waited at home,

spending time organizing my situation--

calling parents,

making travel plans to Daejeon,

internet (really haven't had time to use it since I came here).

went out on a walk with my aunt and cousin in the evening.

talked about my times in school,

and listened to what my cousins have been doing lately.

spent the rest of the night resting,

and packing up for Daejeon.

day 4 - friend

ate some street food with my cousin for lunch.

left for Gangnam in the afternoon to meet my friend since elementary.

he had a car so we moved locations at will.

so, what would two guys who met after 3 or so years do:

didn't really take much pictures after this.

anyways, 

talk over food,

talk while walking around,

talk over a couple of drinks,

talk while playing darts--

just kept talking. 

all night. 

it was good to see that he was doing well,

ambitious as always,

and confident.

day 3: jeongjadong then home

met a nuna I knew from Saipan in Jeongjadong.

nothing really notable about the area itself, 

just talked in a place that had this view.

took a bus from Gangnam back home,

and it wasn't pretty:

nevertheless, 

I was back home eventually.

day 3 - samcheongdong and bukchon

all that stuff I wrote for day 3, and it's only beginning.

Samcheongdong was right beside Gyeongbokgoong,

so walked there.

I got the idea that I was there when I saw a starbucks sign written in Korean.

began my trek through the winding streets,

my eyes enjoying the view that only Korea is able to offer.

classic treats

inside some old book store/print shop

shop in an angled slope

got really thirsty,

grabbed an iced americano from a small coffee place in a corner.

nice little waiting area

"커피 방앗간"

kept walking around,

until I found a cafe that was recommended to me when I left for Korea.

"slow garden"

the interior was very relaxing,

and I really needed a good sit-down time,

because my feet were killing me.

got myself a waffle dish.

as I waited, I organized myself,

recalling the things I did so far.

having no internet or cell service,

I had to rely on the time-tested, classic method of paper maps.

waffles were great,

and I was refreshed to start walking again.

--------------------------------------------------------

starting walking towards the Bukchon area.

started with some nice path of stairs.

thinking about it now,

they weren't hard to walk up at all,

or at least they were really enjoyable to walk up with.

just thought it was pretty

as I walk past a couple of streets,

a hanok (한옥, traditional Korean housing unit) residence area appeared.

the old with the new in the background

everyone seems to have come as friends, couples, families

after some walking, ended up in a area called Gaedong (계동),

another street filled with old-style shops and other views.

got myself some rice cakes as they looked so delicious.

I saw this in a blog about Bukchon before coming to Korea. somewhat gave me confirmation that I was in the right place

I was soon back where I started,

but that was not the end of the day.

next stop was some place called Jeongjadong,

which I now know is pretty far from home.

day 3 - gyeongbokgoong

now off to my own ventures.

first stop, the most visible landmark in the embassy area --

Gwanghwamoon (광화문, Gwang Hwa Gate) and Gyeongbokgoong (경복궁, Gyeong Bok Palace).



Gwanghwamoon

I was just going to take a quick glimpse,

but as I came in, they began to do a "gate guard exchange ceremony."

after that,

just decided to take a look at the whole palace,

since I never did take a tour before.




aww, kindergarten kids on a field trip

  palace was nice.

had my dress shoes on so my feet weren't too happy,

but this was just the beginning,

so I told it to man up and walked around.

next stop,

Samcheongdong.