bare necessities

almost done packing,

I'll probably be able to finish tomorrow.

because

gran torino

started packing a little.

had a dvd of gran torino lying around so had that playing.

goodness, I'll die a happy man if I become half the man Clint Eastwood is.

no internet

seems like I won't be having internet for the next week and a half.

thought I'd spend the extra time on something productive,

but I ended up using it all on sleep.

there's always tomorrow, I guess.

good feeling

good feeling

won't you stay with me just a little longer

it always seems like you're leaving

when I need you here just a little longer

dear lady

there's so many things that I come to fear

little voices says I'm going crazy

to see all my worlds disappear

vague sketch of a fantasy

laughing at the sunrise

like he's been up all night

oh, slipping and sliding

what a good time

but now have to find a bed

that can take this wait 

home alone

roommates all moved out.

I can actually hear echoes from this small space.

quiet and peaceful,

but the internet is going to be cut starting tomorrow.

I guess I should start finding boxes and plan my move also.

my hand

messed up.

used to be just one finger, now it's both hands.

my internet self-diagnosis has concluded that it's an eczema that only occurs in the palm and fingers, probably from using certain soaps/detergents ("housewife's eczema").

all other causes are allergic/hereditary, which are not as likely as I've never had this before.

on the plus side, it means that I've been doing a good amount of housework?

apparently I have to go find steroid cream.

if that doesn't work, I guess I'm off to the dermatologist.


... who, according to the internet, will just prescribe you with steroid cream.

batman

it's been a while since I watched a movie where the audience claps in the end. 

Christopher Nolan, you're a great director, and the batman trilogy was a fun ride. 

fresh air

living in the city makes you forget how beautiful nature is sometimes

panorama series (6)

the heart and soul of Michigan spirit,

the Big House, during "The Big Chill," 2010:

the biggest stadium in the country,

official seating: 109,901. 

normally passes 110,000--

that's about double the population of Saipan.

this particular picture was taken during the first outdoor hockey game held in the Big House,

dubbed "The Big Chill" (at the Big House), 

stood out in the cold to watch us beat the michigan state spartans. 

I would love to come back here to watch a football game.

samgyetang

happened to eat lunch at a korean restaurant today,

and it served 삼계탕 (samgyetang, ginseng chicken soup), 

just the thing for 초복 (chobok, the first of three days designated as the hottest days of the summer).

panorama series (5)

it was one of the places I always wanted to visit,

but it wasn't as great as I hoped,

mainly because of the weather.

san franciso, 2010:

pier 39, a nice marketplace area

the pier in pier 39

the harbor. nice little old couple to complement the the picture. wish the weather was better for them.

as you can see, the weather was pretty bad.

cloudy skies and a light november rain made the area very gloomy.

I do believe this didn't do san franciso justice, 

so I will definitely go back there.

new dwelling place

finally submitted an application for housing.

there's not much reason for it to be rejected,

so it'll be final by the end of this week.

another year in east village.

room is slightly larger than my current room (fits 2 windows), so that's good news.

like looking at a mirror

I always take time to write my thoughts,

but a lot of them don't make it through the "publish" button.

it seems that whenever I re-read things I write based on thoughts associated with emotion,

it usually sounds foolish on a second read-through.

some do make it through,

but that's basically a few of many.

panorama series (4)

not too much left that's significant for display--

this time it's the "maize craze", 2010 :

it's like a "school spirit day" of sorts,

with small events throughout the day

and student athletes/coaches making appearances and hyping us up.

the buildings in the back are dorms,

Couzens Hall, Alice Lyod Hall, and Mosher-Jordan Hall, from right to left.

not the prettiest of the dorms--Mosher-Jordan at least shows some effort.


most of the apartments that I lived in throughout my time in Michigan was near this field,

so I used to walk around this field a lot during the night for some good fresh air.

matthew 25:14-28

read the parable of the talents of gold for qt.

I've read it before, 

about how God gave everyone a specific "talent of gold,"

but the commentary for the passage emphasized how,

just like the parable,

our talents of gold are always, and always will be, of God's,

and we are merely "entrusted" with them, not just given to us. 

so simple and obvious an observation--

I don't know how I didn't pick it up before.

it makes more sense why I should use any abilities that I have for Him. 

panorama series (3)

one last solar car panorama:

during times when the solar cars aren't racing,

the tops of the solar cars (the "upper"),

which has solar cells,

are tilted facing the direction of the sun in order to receive maximum sunlight.

our solar car is the yellow one in the middle. 

coincidentally, 

the solar car race for 2012 is happening right now.

seeing a lot of facebook status updates from current and former team members about it.

saturday

headache's been around since the last time,

mild during the day but gets more noticeable as evening approaches.

need to do some house searching today though.


heard my roommate playing a video with howie day's "collide" from his room,

remembered how I liked the chorus:


even the best fall down sometimes
even the wrong words seem to rhyme
out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find you and I collide

not out of habit

some things are good to get a habit of,

like waking up on time

or boiling eggs for every morning,

but there's definitely things that,

no matter how often it is done,

need to be done with the question

"tell me again why you are doing this." 

headache

started having a headache after lunch--

one hand one the keyboard/mouse,

other on my head..

working with a headache sucks.

restaurant week

it's restaurant week beginning next week.

would have liked to take someone somewhere nice.

panorama series (2)

didn't do much other than work,

I guess I'll continue on with this today.

topeka, 2010

ah, solar car.

being in the race crew for Michigan for the american solar challenge was a wonderful experience.

different kids from different majors working together to race a solar car,

stopping and sleeping in whichever place we were at once the sun set.


had to go up and down the race course,

from tulsa, oklahoma, to chicago, illinois,

3 times that summer--

once as the scout team to scout the route,

once as a whole team for a mock race (driving the actual solar car through the whole course),

and once during the actual race. 

this picutre was from the mock race,

seeing how we aren't in "team shirts",

during an end-of-day meeting.

everyone has a relatively rough face due to having been inside a car for about 8+ hours.


might as well throw in this panorama also.

somewhere along the mississippi river, in the border between missouri and illinois.

panorama series (1)

found a folder of panorama shots that I took during a past couple of years,

thought it'll be nice to post them up every once in a while.

first up,

the panorama with the earliest time stamp,

seattle, 2010.

pike place to be exact--

home of the first starbucks.

this scene was probably the reason why I started taking panorama pictures. it's a pity this blog shrinks the picture..

to the right, there are snow-capped mountains in the horizon.

I still remember just staring at them in awe.

the people in seattle must be lying about the endless rain so that they can keep this view to themselves.

didn't get the internship, but this made up for it.

navy pants

bought myself a pair of navy pants,

took the longest time to decide which shade to buy.

laughing matter

eating lunch with coworkers,

subject of dating comes up.

I shared my belief that

once a man likes a person, 

he should continue to like the person for a period of time

or at least not find others for as much a length if you decide not to, 

which will respectfully show how he truly likes the person. 

they laughed. 

understandable, but it doesn't change my thoughts. 

do my best

to kick out my ego,

fill the void with Your love,

and use it to embrace and protect those I love.

sunday

got to help move the church's mission center to a new place--

larger space and a terrace that's full of opportunities--

then went to a co-worker's birthday party.

he lives in a nice apartment with a stunning view of manhattan,

I mean, stunning. 

reasonable price too,

but he's thinking of moving out to some walk-up.

goodness, I hope he comes to his senses. 

mid year resolution

once I get a place and move,

I should get myself a gym membership

and sleep earlier so that it won't make me oversleep for work.

summer sleep

sleeping on a hot night--

window open,

fan on--

brings back memories of sleeping

back at home,

at grandma's during a lot of my summers,

and during solar car racing.

good memories that drown out the heat.

july

I guess it's going to be a quiet month.

patience

the L train runs every 10 minutes in the morning,

typically during every 10's (10, 20, 30..).

so when you arrive in the station at 6:28 and see the train just leave,

it's frustrating. 

but then I have to get myself together.

if I'm going to morning service for God,

I should have the assurance that God will lead me there at the proper time.

so there's no reason for me to be frustrated--

doing so would only mean that I'm questioning His abilities.

good day

good food at a good restaurant,

short walk around soho,

potential house found--hope it doesn't get taken--

vacation day well spent.

arduino uno

constantly thought about buying one of these for the past year,

finally bought it.

my first step into making.. robot monkey servants..?

"it isn't, but it can be"

from the first episode of "the newsroom"

I'm not American, but this still touched me.

great show so far.

vacation days (2)

took thursday but not friday off.

do I have anything planned? nope.

am I going to regret it later when I'm short of a vacation day from going somewhere awesome? maybe.

but I already clicked the submit button.

what's done is done.

bonus

the manager I report to vacationed in Korea last week.

today he comes by and says,

"here's an early bonus,"

and hands me a 10 won coin.

vacation days

I get one day off during independence day,

but it's on a wednesday.

wondering whether I should take thursday and friday off as well.

as soon as I find something I can do on those days,

I'm logging in my vacation days.

I don't know the situation--

it's always the question--

but I'll stick around the best I can,

and pray to God for guidance.