but I guess I'm a bit too serious...

On fire!!... almost...

2012-01-17T17:05:00.001-05:00

When someone is continually doing something right (ex: making every single basketball shot, getting consistent 100s on a test, making consistent gains on investments), we tend to use the term "He/she's on fire."

It's a new semester for me (and thousands and thousands of college students) in the US.
Before coming here, honestly I guess I felt like I needed to be ON FIRE in terms of studying and doing my best this semester.

Well, last weekend, there was a revival in my home church, and I really needed it. I realized I was too concerned about being on fire about studying and neglecting the fact that I need to be on fire with everything about me. I should first and foremost seek an intimate relationship with Christ and let everything about my life be all about that. Why? Because I remembered that a life following Christ is a blessing. It doesn't mean I'll become a millionaire and/or become famous (although*** some people do), but there is nothing else that will satisfy our question of "who am I? Why am I in the earth? Why do I live? Do I have a purpose?"

I'll admit I do not have the perfect answer. But I have confidence that in due time I will come to full realization to that. Until then, I gotta give 100% with everything.
In terms of school, it's just started. But I hope I will RUN.

***Correction: I wrote "almost" in the first entry. For one thing, it wouldn't be grammatically correct. For another, "almost some people" do not become millionaires.

New Year is coming!

2011-12-31T14:11:00.001-05:00

Well... 2011 is now coming to a close. I first decided to list some things as I reflect:

Some moments that are laughable (and quite sad as well):
-I burned my hand making ramen
-The bug incident during a church retreat (see a previous entry)
-INCEPTION!!! (it's an inside joke)
-Another "inside joke" kind of thing. Asians sleeping in the library. It's something that only some of my friends know about. I won't disclose the details.
-One particular Facebook status in February read like this: "so while people were doing last-minute shopping for heart-shaped balloons and chocolates, i went to buy soap, toothpaste, and cough drops"
-Another Facebook status. This occurred after I changed my dorm room: "In what apparently is the "fastest
room change in BU history," i found out about the room at 2pm, checked it out at 3, had it approved at 4, and settled in by 5!!
(still gotta clean tho)"
-Another inside joke from finals: ISHKABIBLE! (this was an answer choice in a practice Stats exam)

Some memorable moments/things that happened (in no particular order, simply as I remember them):

-First ever missions trip- to the Dominican Republic, from May 23 to June 4. (See previous entries)
-Having an interview with a CIO of a company as a freshman (without knowing what to really talk about) and quite simply just having a conversation (Jan or Feb).
-Got my first SLR camera (Nov). Dream of mine from High School fulfilled. Back in high school, I wished I had enough money to buy a Canon SLR. I bought a Nikon, but that will suffice.
-Going to Atlanta for Spring Break, visiting Emory University (March). I was wrestling with the decision to transfer or not, but ultimately I felt like I belonged at BU. In any case, the opportunity got [closed]. Anyways, it was hot, I was wearing shorts, ate some southern chicken, and it was good. I loved how people in the metro area had their southern accent. A few places I visited: Olympic Park, Georgia Dome, CNN building
-Getting my permit (March, also during Spring Break). I guess I am a bit late on making this happen since I got it at the age of 18.
-Buying an NKJV bible. I list this because I really wanted a different translation and the one I got has study notes. (March or April)
-BU Hockey games. Record when I went: 1-2. Won against Harvard, lost to BC and Northeastern (ah c'mon, we're better than that!!!!). Anyways, those were good hangout times with friends and it was a good way for me to feed my athletic spirit.
-Freshman year family group on Thursday. Not to say soph year is memorable too, but the memory making isn't done yet with that.
-First Red Sox game (April). Fenway Park is quite old...
-After hearing the announcement that Osama Bin Laden was killed (May), I thought it was a good idea to go to sleep. Bad idea. BU campus was flooded with students parading/going to Boston Common to celebrate.
-Earthquake shock reaches NY (sometime in summer). I was watching a movie when this happened...
-Symphony Cup. Our family group won the spirit award ;)

I'm sure there are other times that made this year unique in its own way. Overall, college is becoming a huge transition phase in my life as I am trying more new things than I have ever done and crafting myself for the "real world." But I always feel I can do so much more: I feel like I can make more efficient use of my time, study better, play better, and live as a stronger man of God.
What do I expect going into 2012? Just that I would be better than ever before, and just for greater awareness of myself and the world around me.
And I guess as a side note, to make this blog live up to its name (that is, unless I change the name).

yea... got to have humor...

2011-12-21T22:03:00.000-05:00

The week was rough, exhausting, challenging, crazy, and just downright difficult.

Finals Fall-2011

2011-12-11T19:28:00.000-05:00

Wow... it's already that time?

This semester moved very quickly. But this has been mentioned so much that the phrase is a cliche now.

This week was largely spent finally taking a breather from schoolwork, though I have one project and one paper due tomorrow.
Nonetheless, I've been still battling health issues for some reason and I am contemplating being a vegetarian for a month. Which is almost impossible for me because when I was young, I HATED vegetables (including kimchi, even though I am Korean and born and sort of raised in Korea). I'm much more fond of them, but I can't imagine myself eating just greens for 30 days...

Well... that isn't what's primarily on my mind right now though. Obviously, as the title suggests, finals are taking a huge chunk of my life now. Nonetheless, I hope to find balance in my life. Will update on that I guess after finals!

Laughing in the midst of trials

2011-12-04T17:01:00.004-05:00

Question: are you able to find joy even if you're going through a bad day, or a bad stretch, or just something in your life isn't going quite right?

My answer: I think yes.

This week was somewhat of a challenge for me. I didn't have bad days, but I spent this entire week "battling" diseases/health problems. I bit my lip (with my canine teeth!!), causing a canker sore. I must have had some kind of an allergic reaction, so my skin broke out in rashes (though the outbreak happened a couple weeks ago), and I had a headache in the middle of the week.

Friday, I had a presentation for my Organizational Behavior class. I thought our team did pretty solidly, though I guess there's always room for improvement. So that was what really occupied some time this week.

I left NY on Sunday evening, and the traffic in NYC was ATROCIOUS. Luckily I met a couple people from my church in Boston, and sort of traveled with them. So back to school it was, and it's weird because there are 6 more days of school, and then FINALS @.@

Anyways... yea, it was really the whole health stuff that was getting to me. I wasn't emotionally distressed or anything, but I was occasionally bothered. (Editing note: now that I think about it... this bothered me way more than I should have...)

In the midst of that, I turned to the Bible and into the book of Job, chapter 2. Basically, Job was covered with all these "painful sores" all over his body, which was sooo bad that his friends could hardly recognize him.

His wife exclaimed, "are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!" (NIV)

But this remark by Job was encouraging for me, and I hope it encourages me in future trials:

"You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" (NKJV)

The Christian God (who as a matter of fact is the Only God) isn't a genie. But.. He will work for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Scoring a turkey in bowling

2011-11-24T19:16:00.000-05:00

Ahh... thanksgiving. And what am I doing? Being on the internet >.<

On Wednesday morning, I left Boston to go back to NY. Monday and Tuesday was spent going to classes, work, and finishing a project!! YAYY!! Anyways, yea, I got back to NY and I was just really exhausted from the traveling. And... today, my family decided to go bowling for a bit... it's kind of funny because my dad got a "turkey" in bowling, which is when you score three strikes in a row. The moment I saw that, I thought in my head, "fitting."

It's good to be back with family; and yea I take it so much for granted. It's the first "institution" that ever existed in the earth... before businesses, churches, non-profits, governments, nations... there was Family.

What am I thankful for? Honestly, I haven't really thought of things as much as I should.

I can come up with a list by thinking, "what if I didn't have them?"

But I think it's time to move off from that immature thinking. Yes, I use the word "immature." (Not because it's wrong, but there's a higher level of thinking).

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says we should "give thanks in all circumstances."

It doesn't say "in spite of." It's not in spite of what I own. Or what I don't own

I just have to be thankful as I am.

Btw... I said in my previous entry that I'll talk about that "Answer."

I think it might be obvious, but I wish that most people who read this will really think about it.

And this is what I believe, that perfection comes from "Jesus."

Admittedly, everyone is "imperfect." So am I. I do a lot of foolish/stupid stuff. Even those that seem to be the most "perfect" or most "accomplished" have shortcomings. But naturally as humans, we have something called "pride." How is this evident? Well, have you been angry when someone tells you something that's wrong about you, and they're right? Or... have you used defense-mechanisms such as rationalizing? Or maybe you think you're deserving of something and you don't get it?

Well... people can be free of those things. They can be free of imperfections, or putting on a mask of pride... because Jesus accepts anyone as they are, as long as they are willing to open up as well. I think I'll have to write about this later, when I organize my thoughts more...

Anyways, to conclude... I'm going to spend the bulk of this weekend just doing a lot of reflecting... haha.. hermit John.

Btw... good start by thinking about how I should watch where I go/move. (HERE'S SOMETHING HUMOROUS FOR ONCE) When going on the bus from Boston to NY, I was moving towards my seat when my head just jerked back. It just turned out that I banged my head against the overhead bins on the bus. I wonder if anyone that saw me laughed. Haha... I'm laughing now at myself...

Interesting words

2011-11-13T19:32:00.001-05:00

"So... when in the world was there ever a superhero named... Kevin??"

"Yew Nork" - instead of saying New York

Frankly... I'm not the smartest person in the world. But that's ok.
I am not the most talented person in the world either. That's ok too.
And well... like the second quote... I say a lot of silly things.

Shortfalls and weaknesses don't have to be the lament of life.
But there is something that makes me perfect... something that makes everyone perfect... but if I were to write the "secret" down here, most people would probably think "what? really? huhh?"
That's because I think there's a huge load of misunderstanding behind that. I'll try to cover the "Answer" on my next post, but until then...

Anyways, on to the week.
I realized I've been wasting too much time watching YouTube videos. And I realized I check the "Hot Stove" on MLB a lot. So I'm hopefully trying to wage a war against my use of the internet. Hopefully, the time I spend on the blog goes up though, because I really hope to keep track of my daily life and reflect on the ability to find joy even in the midst of my own imperfections, silliness, and awkwardness (YES... I am a VERY VERY awkward person).
I also didn't do as well as I wanted on one of my exams. I was really frustrated after I got the results back. But I decided to think through it during work, and I felt like I need to push myself more (and like I said above, stop using the internet for purposes that will do me no good). And yes, I can't do this by my own power, so I am going to believe in miracles...

Checkpoint

2011-11-05T17:49:00.000-04:00

So today, I went to a reunion for those who went on the Dominican Republic mission trip from May-June (refer to an entry way back). It was a good refresher for me to get together with friends I have not seen in a long time so that we can just catch up, give updates on each others' lives, and also think about what are some things that have stuck with us and what are some things that haven't.

Definitely I need to work on a lot of stuff that I thought would stick with me. For one thing, it's easy to get lost in the "abundance" here in the US. One can easily indulge in unlimited food at a buffet (or a college dining hall), while a "poor" family might have to live with just spoonfuls of rice and potatoes. But I sound pretty cliche talking about all of this. The problem is: what am I going to do about this? It's not enough to just feel sorry for those people..

The other thing is... I really need to work on this blog more often!

The ultimate FAIL

2011-10-25T21:59:00.003-04:00

... occurs when you say "yeaa... that's right" or "that's true"... and you don't live out what you agree with.

Dirt on hands and feet

2011-10-10T20:34:00.003-04:00

Weekdays = the usual. School, work, trying to be active on campus, etc...
I had my first class presentation this academic year, though it wasn't formal like the ones in the past; I guess because it didn't count for much, everyone decided to do it in a very chill way (like having storytime!!)

Saturday was something called Symphony Cup. Basically my church in Boston had a "competition" to see which family group (or small group) is the "best." (Note that I put quotation marks, because we're not trying to foster competition, but we're just trying to have friendly matches and just enjoy a day together as a church).

Well, I originally planned on participating with my sneakers on, but we as a team (family group) decided to go barefoot!

And... this is what happened...

(btw, I notice that I've been writing so much more about my weekends than I have about my weekdays. I think I'm definitely finding so much meaningful time spending time with people who care about me, whom I care about, and who invest in each other)

9/26 - 10/2

2011-10-02T17:23:00.000-04:00

It's a bit annoying to update the blog, but actually it's so refreshing. The whole month of September, I felt like I could never update my blog because of my "busyness." But really, as long as I can manage my time correctly (and decrease any "idle time" that occurs in my life), I can really slow down myself.

On Friday, I went to a retreat with the church I attend in Boston, called Symphony Church. The theme was "Deeper," and for me, I went into the retreat feeling like I needed a break from the "real world" and also to regain my sense of God actually being real in my life.

Honestly, most people wouldn't believe in a divine or higher power unless we can see evidence of it. No one wakes up one day and says, "Ok, I believe in God." But God is gracious enough to reveal that He is real, but only if we are open and willing to delve deeper into this question. And yea, it doesn't happen by logic. Often I try to explain a lot of things by logic, and to a certain extent it had created some blind spots in my faith. But the retreat definitely helped me to once again refresh myself on how real God is in the world, and on a personal level, how He is with me and in the midst of everything I do.

For some reason, another thing I was thinking about in the middle of the retreat was this one part in Bruce Almighty. "God" talks to Bruce about a miracle, and "God" mentions one example: a single mother who works multiple jobs but still finds time to spend time with her children.

I hope I would find that kind of a miracle being fulfilled in my life.

I end with this- the part where "God" talks about the time thing. It's a miracle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88Pfk79SgQU

September...

2011-09-25T16:50:00.000-04:00

It's been almost a month since I wrote here... I've been very busy just being at university, doing lots of boring, fun, and wild stuff. It's not easy juggling studies, work, serving at church, and involvement in several different student groups, but I actually think it may be a blessing in disguise.

It's a pretty funny thing; here's why: I have never been this busy in my life, and my mentality is that I cannot go on wasting a single moment of my days/life. Time was always something precious to me, but how my life is right now makes me really put every single second into use. (Sleeping/resting counts b/c you have to get recharged!!)

I just wanted to end by mentioning the surprise I got on 9/16, which I think sums up how it's been for the first month back at school:

I started class at 9 and ended at 12... then a good friend treated me to lunch. Afterwards, I just went back to my apartment to chill for a bit, after which I left at 5 to go to a Christian fellowship (the meeting starts at 7, but I had to help set up). After all the hustle and bustle, and as the meeting was wrapping up, a couple of the people from the fellowship brought CAKE!!
Everyone in the room sang Happy Birthday as I sat, not knowing how to react.

Even a "long" day is full of surprises.

Some Fail Moments...

2011-08-29T22:47:00.002-04:00

Well... I can start off by saying that the hurricane didn't do a whole lot where I lived...
there were some blackouts in certain areas, and there were a bunch of trees that fell, but otherwise everything turned out fine... Of course, there are some areas that weren't as fortunate so hopefully they can be restored soon...

Well, I've been thinking lately that there's been a good number of "fail" moments in my life the past couple weeks. So I decided to list them=

-I made this thing called gae-ran-bap (계란밥, which is basically rice with eggs). I used two eggs... well, actually, I would've used only one but then I ended up BURNING the first egg. The second egg was flawless...

-Looking all over my house for my vacuum cleaner when it was right under a small table in my room...

-Wondering for a minute why sound wasn't coming out of my speakers when the volume was set at 0 the whole time.

-Trying to put a Facebook post and prematurely clicking "Share." The status was supposed to say, "?? An ice cream truck passing right before a hurricane?" or something like that, but the status read "?? An ice cream trucking pas" or something like that. I ended up not sharing the status at all though.

-Burning my thumb while using a lighter to light a candle. (I am not a smoker)

-Thinking lotion was shampoo and rubbing it around my hair during a shower......

Hurricane Irene!

2011-08-27T11:44:00.002-04:00

I live in Long Island... it's pretty calm at the moment but the grocery stores and other food stores are pretty packed...

Let's see what happens...

Kicked out... of a playground!???

2011-08-04T23:11:00.000-04:00

So today at Summer School, the students got kicked out of a playground by the guy who takes care of the park, saying that too many of them were on it (20 of them on a 50ft long playground), they were too wild (they were playing tag), and that some are too old (11 years old)...

Is that even... logical??

(By the way... everything I wrote here is just about 100% factual. I did not exaggerate the guy's words, nor did I exaggerate/underestimate the facts like the kids playing tag...)

July 25-31

2011-07-31T23:48:00.000-04:00

What an awesomely busy week!!!

Monday - Friday = teach at summer school. It's fun stuff but sometimes I go crazy... One of the days there was a hornet that entered our lunchroom, so this guy and I went off to kill it (and all the kids encircled us as if they were watching a real execution or something... thanatos kicking in??)

Special things in particular:
Monday = meeting with some people to practice instruments
Tuesday = hmm... what did I do?
Wednesday = stay at home, relax
Thursday = field trip w/ summer school. We went to the NY Aquarium... kiddies had mixed results. Some said it was alright, some said it was boring. Personally, I like animals so I wasn't bored at all... I tried to make it entertaining for the students I was watching..
Friday = chill...
Saturday = I made my very first music recording!!

And today... after church, I went to a wedding reception... (almost wrote WEEDING reception..)

In the meantime, I have to admit the fact that I'm sort of a concerned Mets "fan." Ugh... hate admitting it, but I'm concerned for them. I didn't like the Yankees simply because they always won and subconsciously I think I saw some of the players (like Derek Jeter??) as people with a huge prima-donna attitude... haha, I don't know where that came from, but I simply didn't like the Yankees...
However... my favorite is the White Sox :p. Why? Because their announcer is such a biased beast... haha... he always says "you can.. put it on the boarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd..... yyyyyyes!!" every time a White Sox player hits a home run.
(this is an example of his reaction when the opposing team does well... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0x1AAPHn1g)
I also like how they're a talented bunch... except they just can't win against the Twins! What in the world is up with that!??

And yes... I am a crazy baseball guy....

Retreat 2011- Part 2 of 2

2011-07-24T22:48:00.000-04:00

My previous entry's title had a "?"

That's because I wasn't sure how many entries I would write about retreat, and because I wanted to think about how much momentum carries off from the retreat.

So... I started work at a summer school. It's pretty tough but it's fun. I think the biggest challenge for me as I work is the fact that I'm not just training the students to be good academically, but also be good, ethical people.

Other than that, I've also been trying to become more musically knowledgeable..

But now referring to the retreat, it seems like the retreat was a long time ago. Not good, is it?

Retreat 2011 - Part 1 of ?

2011-07-04T21:53:00.001-04:00

My pastor giving a sermon, a humongous insect is flying near Paul.
He flinches, causing the insect to fly and land on my left hip. I sit still, arms purposely crossed. From the corner of my eye, I see Alex taking a book(?) and approaching me..
*BAM*
I feel the book hitting me, though I do not know what happened to the insect.

And then the sound of Alex smacking the insect (possibly two more times) reverberates throughout the room.. BAM... BAM...

I turn, and I see the insect on the floor, defeated.

June 20-26 = about Trust

2011-06-26T21:33:00.000-04:00

I think I need to delete this blog and then create a new one, because I feel like this blog is not about the fact that sometimes we "gotta have humor."
Why? Well frankly, life is actually serious... though we have lots of unexpected twists..

As a Christian, we are to trust in God... but is it easy to trust even in times of trouble? Is it easy when there is brokenness?
Often times, faith shakes when God doesn't seem to give us what we want, even if we ask with good intentions.
And when God does, we say "Yes! I believe! I will follow!" but do we really sustain this attitude?

What is needed, is simply Trust.
God promises us in the Bible that He WILL lead us in paths of righteousness for His name's sake (Psalms 23) and that He has a plan and He will not harm us (Jeremiah 23).

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.
-Isaiah 40:30-31

This week, I've been getting ready for work at a Summer School (I will be working as a teacher but will also do administrative stuff like staff directing/trip planning) so that's really preoccupied me recently.
But on Thursday afternoon, I left NY and went to Philadelphia for a church conference. This is where I was really challenged to let go of myself and simply trust... it's like playing the game where a person stands behind you and you fall backwards without bending your knees...

Hopefully we don't do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a8xuu4UlLY

Dreams

2011-06-21T14:57:00.000-04:00

The CDC recommends that travelers to the Dominican Republic get vaccinations for malaria.

Well, it so happens that I took weekly pills (and I have to do one more week).

For some people, the weekly pills cause vivid dreams.. which was sort of the case for me as well.

This morning, I had a dream (and I don't exactly remember what it was), but I think I was fooling around with someone.

It just so happened that when I woke up, I was in the middle of throwing my pillow to the floor, and the momentum was causing me to (almost) fall off the bed...

Beware malaria medicine...

On June

2011-06-19T23:30:00.001-04:00

Dang... I have not done a "weekly recap" in a long time. Not good, not good.
Well, this week was largely spent catching up with some friends, sporadically reading books, updating my journal, and working out!! Oh dear, I got to get rid of the fat on my belly >.<

I'm also working at a summer school so I've been preoccupied with planning for it...

Anyways, here's something I thought about..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg

Back from the Dominican Republic!!

2011-06-07T22:16:00.004-04:00

Update: PICTURES!!

the base

the second way of helping out in the community, we stopped by a pig "harvesting" shop.. well, you can guess what happened to this pig...

One day, we hosted a Mother's Day Conference. This is just a picture taken while setting up.

There are lots of stray dogs in the DR. This little one happened to come inside a house that I was eating dinner in.

In some rural places, the roads are like this..

Children going to school! I, along with a few others, worked around this community as well. The school was started by SI, the organization I went on the missions trip with.

Can you see the lizard?

on the way back to New York...

Wow... I have not written here for an "awesome-load" of time!

Well, as I had mentioned on my previous entry, I was out of the US (and away from internet access) as I was in a missions trip in the Dominican Republic.

If I were to sum up the trip in one sentence, it would be that "the trip was fun, heartbreaking, and perspective altering all at once."
Over the course of the next couple weeks, I will be talking about the trip, but here are some of the big things that happened:

So I went with a team of 10 people, consisting of mostly college students in Boston.
We arrived at an airport in Santiago, and then traveled to a place called Jarabacoa, which is where Students International's base is. (Students International is the organization which hosted the missions trip; you can find out more about them at www.stint.com)
I, along with two others (Dave and Ran), was part of a Microfinance team. It was led by a guy named Ryan (hollowayministries.blogspot.com) and a national staff worker named Miriam.

Microfinance is an entity which gives small loans to people in small/poor communities so that they can start small businesses. This could be food stores, a hair salon, or even a chicken "processing" plant (gulp)
As Christians, we are called to serve God and also serve people. Microfinance is a way to do this, not just by giving loans, but establishing personal relationships with the borrowers.
Through Microfinance, I was able to see how micro-lending works, be involved in the "bank meetings," and also help out some borrowers (ex: Dave, Ran, and I helped a woman peel yucca, which is a potato kind of thing in the Dominican Republic).

Here are some things I've learned through the trip:

How "rich" I am= I began to understand how blessed I am. Many people in the world live on less than $2.50 a day. This is significantly lower than the minimum wage in the US. Miriam pointed to some houses and said that people living there have no idea if they will have food on their tables the next day. That's how "poor" they are.
What does it mean to be "rich" and "poor?" Most of the time, we look at this from a physical perspective, like how much money someone has, or how many material possessions they have. But there are so many people who are "rich" in a different way; a family may be living in a shack, but because they love each other so much, they are not weighed down by the fact that they are living in poor conditions.
Business rules= they do not always apply in third-world//developing countries. For example, there's the idea of corporate governance (ex: GAAP, auditing, etc). But is this easy to do in developing countries, and in places like the Dominican Republic, where someone's address literally is "the green house across from the school?"
There are so many LIES in the world.

I don't know about you, but I believe God exists in the world. Why? Because I've found out that God isn't just someone who made the earth and everything in it, but He is someone who wants to have a relationship with you.
I will get to the "lie" part from here. The things of the world make us forget the fact that there is God. That's one lie. Here's the other= it seems easier to do sin than to follow God and keep His commandments. But the Truth is that it seems easier to sin but only in the short run.
Is God mysterious? No He is not! If God is our Father, who loves His children, would He not reveal Himself to us? And how does God reveal Himself? Well, there are many ways, but He reveals Himself to those who trust Him, and those who dig through the Bible. We have to just open it and read while asking questions and seeking wisdom on it.
One more question. Is a child more likely to listen to his father, or a stranger? Of course, a child would listen to his Father!And so, if we are God's children, isn't it easier to follow God than to do sin?

Needs don't just exist in developing countries. They exist in our homes, our schools, workplaces, churches, etc. Whether it's helping clean the dishes, teaching baseball fundamentals, or listening to a friend, we need to love each other and serve each other.

Based on all this, I came back wanting to love and serve my communities more.
So, the journey continues back at home...

Leaving...

2011-05-21T08:46:00.001-04:00

I'll be going to the Dominican Republic this Monday, and will have no internet access.
I am returning June 4th, so I'll keep you updated.

Second Week of May

2011-05-15T20:30:00.001-04:00

Ahhhh... Finals...

This past week, a blood vein in my eye "popped," I read hundreds of pages of notes, and slept late, woke up late.

But at the end of it all... I am home in NY.

I'm pretty exhausted, and right now I'm trying to clean up my belongings, but I wanted to point out an interesting observation I made.

I was looking at a Jamba Juice cup, and saw the sentence in the 2 pictures below (It's hard to frown with a straw in your mouth).

Can YOU frown with a straw in your mouth?

some humor for once

2011-05-10T17:58:00.001-04:00

So I named my blog "gotta have humor," but I think I've had a serious tone all this point.
My intent has been to use this blog to document my life, but also take notice of weird/interesting/funny occurrences of everyday life.

I'll try to have something interesting at the beginning of each post.

So to start off, I wanted to point out a weird fact about me.
Often, when people mess up something, or are disgusted by something, they say "Ah crap." (and then there are more severe remarks involving profanity, but those don't float my boat).
Well recently (within the last year), I found myself not saying "Ah crap," but... "Ah butt."

Weird... I don't know when/where I started using this remark...

In other news:
Took my first final of Spring 2011. It was pretty tough...

First Week of May

2011-05-08T21:58:00.001-04:00

So, every Sunday, I'm going to try to give a recap of the week.

So it was a pretty long week; it was the last week of classes. I had a hard time getting up early in the mornings...

So as I blogged about before, Thursday was probably the longest day this week. It's sort of the microcosm to what happened this week.

But besides that, I spent the week meeting some upperclassmen and feeding them (go freshman!!), and been trying to study since the last day of classes. Though I got to admit, I wasted some time trying to buy books on music from Amazon.com.

On Friday, some of us from Symphony got together and jammed. At first I felt awkward because we were just doing our own things and the sound didn't mesh together. Well, sound-wise, it stayed that way, but it was a fun 2 and a half hours.
I learned I need to seriously improve...

Saturday I basically studied all day, and Sunday I did the same after going to church.

I wish I could post some pics, but I didn't take any during the week :(
I guess I'll just post some random pics I've taken recently in Boston..

Fenway Park: I went there a few weeks ago while Boston was still freezing... Always remember a jacket when going to a baseball stadium in the East Coast!!!!

Charles River. MIT is in the foreground.

I like sushi. And I like salmon sushi. :)

P.S.
I realize I don't have too much humor when I'm writing...

A Thursday of "Lasts"

2011-05-06T00:55:00.001-04:00

So today was rather a special day... on memorable days like this I'll write here as if this blog was my daily journal.

Last Writing Course
In the morning, I put the finishing touches on my final writing portfolio.
At 9:30, I went to my very last writing course with a printed copy of my portfolio in hand. Hurray!

Afterwards, I met a special friend and went to the GSU (for those who do not know, it's a food court/student center in BU).
Then I went to my room... and I forgot what I did. I think I was writing something.

Last Class of my Freshman Year
I started walking from my dorm to the very last class of the year: Personality Psych. As always, we talked about these crazy psychologists; most of them are geniuses, but they certainly have done wacky things as well.

Last InterVarsity Meeting//Senior Appreciation
I'm involved in a Christian fellowship in my campus. It's a way for people to interact with each other, to learn about who God is, to encourage each other, and do fun and sometimes extraordinary things (there are some in the group who go to the city every weekend to buy food for the homeless and also interact with them).

Anyways, today was the last meeting of the year; it was also the day when we could appreciate/send off the seniors. I, along with another friend, picked up audio equipment and hauled them by foot from South Campus to a building called KCB (must have taken almost 15 minutes to do that). Turned out, we didn't need them at all!! :(
But I was there early, along with a few others, as we decorated the room. I particularly am not so great at decorating, and at first I felt a bit overwhelmed with the preparations. Eventually I had to attend to other matters.

Well, we started the event, and there were lots of funny moments, but also some tearjerking moments. Honestly I have to say during a couple farewells, I felt my eyes fill up with water, but it stayed there.

Otherwise... man, I am privileged to have been around the Class of 2011.

Last Family Group
My church family group (that's like our form of small group) had its last meeting today as well. As soon as the IV Senior Appreciation ended, I tried to get to the bus stop ASAP. Well, the BU shuttle wasn't running, so that disappointed. I didn't want to pay, but fortunately, I met up with a friend and we fast-walked from East Campus to West campus. We walked like a mile in less than 15 minutes! (We didn't run; we WALKED).

We arrived only as my family group was wrapping up the meeting. xP.
But it was still great to see all of them. And it must've been funny because I was all dressed up from the IV event...

First Post!

2011-05-04T15:06:00.000-04:00

So creating a blog had been on my mind for a bit; I thought about tumblr, using Facebook notes, twitter, but I think this might be the best thing to use.

#1 reason why? I actually write... a LOT.

And then there are a few other reasons like wanting to keep track of my life, reflecting on the funny (and the sad) in life, but most importantly... for YOUR enjoyment.

I guess to start off, I'll post a picture of NYC... (I live in Great Neck, which is like 30-45 min away from the city. But I took this picture while descending on a flight from Atlanta to NY)

Click the pic to see a bigger view. You can identify some of the buildings from the bigger picture.