taxi driver

took a korean taxi a couple days ago,

driver was an old man, probably in his mid 60s.

had a good conversation with him.



when I asked him when he came to the US,

I was pretty surprised to hear that he came in 1970--

one of the earlier korean immigrants to the states.



one of the things he told me was about his first time in an airplane,

how the flight from japan to america was with a dinky plane,

while the domestic flight from san francisco to chicago was with a majestic 747,

decked with a grand piano inside for passengers to play--

think about that, a grand piano in the plane.



as we reach our destination,

he tells me that he wants me to offer me a humble advice:

don't smoke and drink,

telling me that aside from his own personal experience,

the things he sees at this time is pathetic.



thank you for the talk, taxi driver sir.

awake

didn't get much sleep at all,

but oddly enough,

today was the most awake I was in a while.

the qualities (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

love is patient,

love is kind.

it does not envy,

it does not boast,

it is not proud.

it does not dishonor others,

it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs.

love does not delight in evil

but rejoices in the truth.

it always protects,

always trusts,

always hopes,

always perseveres.

love never fails.

just got reminded of this verse.

thank You Father, 

always remind me this as I live.

if happy little bluebirds fly

above the rainbow,

why, oh why can't I

ukulele

hey there, ukulele,

sitting in my corner,

it's the time of the year

when the weather's right,

so let's get that dust off

and sooth my soul

by speaking through you.

espresso pot

got the espresso pot

I guess I did what I set out to do for today.

the met

huge, awesome place,

but it's not that great going around it by myself.

left after seeing a couple of rooms.

memorial day

don't really feel like doing much,

but to make this day of no work worthwhile,

probably going to head out to a park or a museum,

maybe stop by a store and get myself an espresso pot.

redeemed

Father,

every time I realize how much of a sinner I am,

reminded of the things I have done against You,

I am awed by the love You have for me.


every sin I confess is a sin that I am able to acknowledge that You have taken for me.

the more I confess, the more Your love grows in my comprehension.

rain

for some reason,

watching the rain reminded me of home. 

looking at the rain falling from a window,

I couldn't help but remember that couple of years ago,

the scene on the other side of the window wasn't buildings and streets,

but trees and vines. 

internal clock

I don't think my body has let me sleep past 12 for a very long time.

no matter how late I sleep, I end up waking up 11-something.

nice

enjoyed it. 

would like more of that, please.

morning service

1 Chronicles 24:1-19.

passage was a family tree passage.

message was of how David,

after having been told by God that he will not build the temple himself,

still did all he can by getting everything ready for the building of the temple,

in this case the division of roles of the Levites.

David still put all of his trust in the Lord,

shown by the casting of lots for the division of roles.


the point of the message was that following God's will,

doing His work,

involves all our effort,

then putting all our dependence on Him.

healed

the right ring finger is almost completely healed now.

it's interesting how something that didn't seem to recover at all for 2 weeks

just healed in a single day.

meeting

in a meeting,

(paraphrased)

md: "..we have to get these ----ing things done by this week.."

md: "oh, and by the way, think of a way to penalize me for saying bad words"

I was thinking that hr had said something about his language,

but no:

md: "Penelope [daughter] is starting to talk, and I don't want her to follow me say these things"

awww.

couple of sentences later

md: "..we have to get this ---- done- damn it."


wish you the best md,

might take some effort, old habits die hard

weight

checked my weight for the first time since coming to the city,

with what I remember of my last weight measurement,

I think I lost 8~9 pounds over the past year.


nothing to worry about, I guess--

still, don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

flowerpot

after the grind,

the song just got on my head on the way home.


난 그대 작은 창가에
화분이 될께요
아무 말 못해도 바랄 수 없어도
가끔 그대의 미소와 손길을 받으며
잠든 그대 얼굴 한 없이 볼 수 있겠죠

thank You

for helping me finish what started as a crappy day

into a good one.


just seeing the smiles was enough.

creed

to love

unconditionally;


to love

for the sake of the joy of the other.

books

I should start getting back into reading books.

should have a "great books" list from high school somewhere..

drive

suddenly miss driving.

I think the most memorable drive was..

Seattle. 

got the rental car from the airport,

and realized that the GPS I borrowed from a friend was not working.

somewhat startled,

(first time driving a rental car by myself, second time driving in the US)

I drove out of the airport with no idea of where I should be going.

but when I entered the highway,

I was shown Seattle's skyline.

I remember something inside me awoke,

and, with delight, I stepped on the gas,

just drove towards that skyline.

GPS started working eventually, and I was able to get to my accommodations.

I don't know why,

but that drive felt magical. 

makgeolli

never thought I'll find a liquor store diverse enough to sell makgeolli but not soju.

isn't soju supposed to be more well known here?

argh

had what looked like a small rash on my right ring finger,

had it band-aided for a week or two,

but only got worse.

finally searched the internet.

it may be that I have a minor form of "pompholyx"...

treatment says avoid water, soap, acidic stuff and use hand creams--

exactly the opposite of what I have been doing.

now that I know, let's get to healing.

your way

Father,

always remind me not to act on my own ways,

naive, 

short-sighted,

but act through You,

Your love.

if there's one thing I can promise:

with God's help,

I'll be true.

answer

thank you Father,

for listening to my prayers.

I know You are always listening,

but it's great to get confirmation.

rare

one of those rare times

when I actually feel like I'm about to get sick.

tonight's sleep will decide my fate.

Psalm 20

morning service message, relevant with what I have been reading in Deuteronomy:

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
    may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and grant you support from Zion.

May he remember all your sacrifices
    and accept your burnt offerings.

May he give you the desire of your heart
    and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy over your victory
    and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

Now this I know:
    The Lord gives victory to his anointed.

He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
    with the victorious power of his right hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

They are brought to their knees and fall,
    but we rise up and stand firm.

Lord, give victory to the king!
    Answer us when we call!

parent's day

I had sent my parents a Parent's Day (5/8) card,

a week before so that it may arrive to them at a reasonable time.



I bought a Mother's Day card,

as Parent's Day was not observed here,

and wrote "& father" as close in size and style as I can wherever "mother" was written.



wrote a short message too.



it's actually the first time sending them a Parent's Day card.



it won't be the last; they deserve so much.

bug

our team is to release our software update tomorrow,

but as the end of the day approaches I am told that one of the code that I programmed is buggy:

there's an error. 

when I confirmed that this is true,

and that it's not a small one,

the thought of having to change a big part of code,

test it through by myself,

then get it confirmed with the testers,

a day before it is to be released...

annoyance that I might have to stay late,

a bit of fear that I won't be able to get it fixed by tomorrow,

frustration that the bug wasn't given to me earlier (despite it really being my fault for the mistake)

just started sinking in,

but then I saw the time--

5:55.

still playing that "clock game,"

prayed for composure along with the things I pray for continuously,

and right now, 

I think it's going to be all right.

on crossing the jordan

"You have seen with your own eyes all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings.
The LORD will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going.
Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you." (Deut. 3:21b-22)

in every uncertainty that we cross over to,

our Father fights for us.

guide me to become more like You,

to be the hand that is not seen.

replay

people should sometimes

take some time and listen to what they say,

repeat the things that they're planning to say before they say it if it helps.



but then,

I guess it might not matter if what they're saying is totally fine in their ears..

"you have a dream"

pastor at church singing with his little ones, Sarang (love), Somang (hope), and Mideum (faith)



got teary listening to this.

would want to sing it with my kids someday.

surfing

someone posted a video about saipan,



I can somewhat relate to the jumping around, but oh man, surfing?

I only heard of people doing it during a typhoon, when the waves were big but dangerous,

but if I had known that it was possible in normal times...

gotta go back someday

not by chance

God has brought me here.


everything that happens

and everyone I meet--

He wanted it to happen to me

and wanted me to meet them.


let me be happy in every situation

and let me treat those I meet as if I am meeting You.

subway

the lady in the register in subway gave me a free cookie;

it never hurts to smile and say "hello! how are you?"

programming

I noticed that I am very enthusiastic when I discuss about programming,

about how wonderful it is,

and how once you learn it, it opens up a world of possibilities.

I encourage anyone who shows interest to try to learn it,

offering to help them if they decide to do so.

Father,

if I am able to talk about programming like this,

it shouldn't be a problem for me to talk about You in this manner.

guide me step by step to help me be able to do so.

may

april has gone away--

welcome may.

no fountain

a guy in san francisco kept me later than I wanted to.

after work,

thought the fountain would be soothing to see,

but it seems it's not its time to blossom yet.

not just in victory

let me always be able to say-

my source of strength

my source of hope

is Christ alone.