4.0

I think I can honestly say that my whole winter break was spent anxiously waiting for the last two of my grades to be posted on myslice. I religiously spammed myslice and even made it my front page of chrome. After all that waiting and anticipation, finally all my grades came out like 30 minutes ago. Its then I realized my anticipation and anxiousness was for nought.

Its always those last few classes that either make it or break it. This semester the last two grades I was waiting just happened to be the ones that I've been most anxious for. The first class I felt like I bombed. I thought I did mediocre at best on the final and apparently I missed one report that needed to be handed in. The other class was my most anticipated "gpa booster" class. I was pretty certain I got no worse than an A just because I feel I spent most of my time into this class and produced stellar work. 30 minutes ago my world flipped upside down. I checked myslice and there they were, the last two grades. Oddly though they seemed to have swapped places with each other because there was no way I did this good in Geography and this bad in Studio. Go figure, art classes never grade fairly.

In my whole life I've never gotten a 4.0 or straight A's. The closest I've come is probably around 3.8 back in high school. I guess I'm not cut out to be a scholar. It never bothered me though. What bothered me about college is the way I anticipate a certain grade in a class and never seem to get it, be it good or bad. Thats why I absolutely (can't believe I'm saying this) love academic classes. No I'm not a teacher's pet nor am I a super student, I merely just love academic classes because their syllabi (syllabuses?) are always straight forward. 10% attendance, 30% exam, 40% final, 10% participation, etc. In the end, you can always calculate to a certain extent your final grade give or take a few percent. Art classes make no sense whatsoever. They're syllabi always states "do your best" or "we expect this level of work" nonsense. It's frustrating that "your best" gets you a B- (or some other lower than expected grade). It should just say "grades will be given according to professor's own opinion" and none of this "10% participation, 50% portfolio, 40% final" blah blah blahness. While other schools around the University have a 3.4 honors gpa, VPA has a 3.2 while architecture goes down even to a 3.0. The sad part is not many make these thresholds. Those that do are either 1) teachers pet 2) prodigy or 3) have legendary bs-ing skills. I really thought that this semester would be "the" semester for me where I could finally break the 3.6ish area. I felt like I've been doing excellent in all my classes (except Geo at the very end). The reality of studio classes came back to kick my ass again, hard. I didn't fail the studio class, just under-achieved.

I've been really wishing to achieve a 4.0 at some point but to do that I've only got one chance, one semester left. How much harder do I have to work in order to achieve this feat in an opinion-based learning environment? I'm fine pushing myself beyond my limits. Even then that'll probably net me a B+. Or maybe I should just take the easy way and level up my bs-ing skills to post legendary.

The Christmas List

I don't have a christmas list this year. I was once again reminded that I don't really need one. I love the random blessings that come about here and there. With God, its like christmas everyday. You give he takes, he takes and gives back a hundred fold. Anytime, anywhere. My parents always taught me the importance of tithing. 1/10 of your possession seems like a lot sometimes but hence we live by the faith that He will cover the rest of our expenses. Its like paying for insurance. You pay 1/10 of whatever you make and you're set for life financially. I like that idea. Last sunday when I realized I forgot to put in my weekly tithe portion of the offering. I quickly dug in my wallet and pulled out $6. $6 is a relatively small amount of money but I guess God never cares for the financial amount you put in. That day I came home with a 32" TV, way under priced. Sometimes it takes God a while to repay you but this time it was rather instant. Tis the season for giving. Fulfilling our friends' and families' christmas lists are very important but lets remember that God has a christmas list too. He just wants your two small, copper coins.

The Artist in Me

Recently I stumbled upon my old online portfolio. 

Reminiscence. 

No matter how far I stray from myself, the artist in me always pulls me back to my basics, creating art. Those were the good times where I aspired to be a great artist. Nowadays that passion is all but diminished. Passions may die, but art is forever.

Figure drawing from sophomore year in Syracuse

(This one is my personal favorite: Tribute to PreCalculus)

The 3-part study of the primary colors done in high school for my AP Studio Art "Exam" (and my college admission portfolio which ultimately got me into VPA)

One of my personal favorites done freshman year in Syracuse. Simplicity vs. Complexity.

Sometimes I wish I continued to pursue and hone my artistically trained mind. On the flip side, I'm glad I chose a new direction. 

Jacks

Recently I had a conversation with my roommates about our future. We were reviewing each others' resumes, talking about potential companies to work for, etc. The question that came up was "What is your top selling point?" It dawned on me that I've become a "Jack of all trades, master of none". Over the past 4 years I've picked up skills I never would've even thought of getting a chance to. Who would've thought that I would learn to make films, music, or even learn how to speak Java or ASCii. Who would've thought my eyes could be trained to be keen on design or that my ears could be trained to pick up every little detail that composes a song. Maybe this was my purpose for coming to Syracuse. I can't imagine picking up any of these skills had I have gone to RISD or Parsons. Thank God for more of an "open" institution.

Its nice having a wide range of flexibility but at the same time its quite limiting because "anything I can do, someone can do better". In society today, people prefer an expert, a master in a particular field of profession. No one wants to choose the teacher over the electrician or vice versa. I guess I'm screwed because I still have not found that one thing I want to/can master. As job applications pile up and the nail-biting process of opening reply mails continue, I hope I chose the right path for myself. If I had gone and pursued one skill to master would I be better off? I'd be a master in that field but I'd lose my flexibility. After being a so called "jack", I've noticed it does come with its benefits that a master cannot comprehend. It may not land me a job right away, but it does come with its perks. Jacks are pretty much shunned in the job market but who's to say Jacks can't succeed. 

Do I secretly want to be a Jack of all trades, master of none? Deep down somewhere within my subconscious is a desire to be a master of everything. I want to be good at everything I've learned. Realistically that's never going to happen so for the moment I'll humbly accept my title of Jack. 

In due time may God grant me the desire to become a master of one (or two). 

Subtlety

Friday night was sort of an eye opener. The usual praise and prayer night where we sing songs and pray about certain topics, nothing out of the ordinary. Towards the end one of the prayer topics Jenny Ahn mentioned was praying for the people who influenced you as well as people you have influenced. Thoughts swirled around as I knelt to pray in thankfulness for the people have influenced my life. On the flip side it also made me worry about the people I have influenced. I'm a big believer in subtle influence. You don't necessarily have to be a huge impact on someones' life but in the end, anything you say or do can and will influence others whether it be for the better or worse.

Everyone wants a role model as well as be a good one for others. I'm no different. When Jenny mentioned the topic, I think I replayed my entire 4 years here at Syracuse in less than 10 minutes. I know for a fact that there are people who have influenced my life. A lot of people probably don't know that they have influenced me in very subtle ways. I guess what made me worry is that humans have this extraordinary power of influence. Did I influence people for the better or for the worse? My 2 years of being a small group leader, my 3 years of church leadership, my 4 years of being present in Syracuse, I pray they have been fruitful. I guess part of the reason I decided not to be a family group leader this year is for that exact reason. I don't want to be in that position where I can influence someone's life drastically. I rather be subtle about it.

Thanks to certain subtle influential figures, I am who I am. Your subtle acts of kindness and faith changed my life and I hope I can do the same for the future generations.

We have the power to influence people. What a scary yet reassuring thought that we have the power to carve the future.

Not Yet

Thanksgiving break is soon to be officially over. Why? Because when I look outside theres actual living forms moving on and about. Its so strange seeing all these people again. I would wake up during break and it would be completely deserted. There would be nothing but nature in all her glory tingling all my senses. It was quite a "zen" moment walking around campus with literally no human distraction. 

Its times like these you realize how fast time goes. In less than 48hrs, its back to the real world of anguish aka school. Its also times like these that you realize that you don't have much time left as a sheltered college student. On the way to Angela's for thanksgiving dinner, Zion and I were talking and I think we just realized that we're 3rd and 4th years respectively (and how damn cold my house is). Gone are the days of freshmen year where college seems like it'll be an eternity. The truth hit hards in the ass and shoves you along closer to the real world. Am I ready? Questionable. Currently I still stand confused as to where I should take my life. My life is a cliche that says "what should I do with my life" over and over again. It also doesn't help that this came up on my random playlist:

As much as I want to graduate and get out of here, I want to stay here longer. Part of me wants to dip outta here yet part of me doesn't want this to end.

Crazy talk, but its true.  My last thanksgiving in Syracuse brought on many things to be thankful for. One of the highlights to be thankful for was thanksgiving dinner at Angela's. Just the 10 of us enjoying good company while epically devouring insane amounts of food and our turkey replacement, samgyupsal. Afterwards movie marathon which turned to a napfest. 

Dear God, one thing I'm thankful for is my time here in Syracuse. Also I want to ask for a miracle. Can you stop time? Would it effect others? Am I being selfish? I probably am. But I just can't take in the fact that all good things must come to an end. All I ask is for a split second in the time-space continuum so that I can live it out for just a second more. When May comes around, can I ask for a split second? Just one little second.

I don't want this to end. Not yet.

The Fail List

Music player:

Browser:

Search engine:

Office:

Phone:

Operating System:

Company:

Dear Microsoft,

Its time to innovate.

A Glimpse of Heaven

We came to the conclusion we'd pretty much do anything to see a sister in Christ smile and forget about all her worries and stresses of the real world, even if its just for a second.

So why do we do it? Why are we willing to transcend physical and mental tiredness and the go beyond our physical limits for just one night. For me personally, I've come to realize that I find great joy in seeing my fellow bros and sisters all laughing and smiling together, forgetting about the worries of the real world. Maybe this is why God gave me certain talents. Definitely a blessing. A glimpse of heaven. I think all the bros will agree that a frown doesn't suit a sister's face.

People may ask, so was it all worth it, the blood and sweat that went into the night? Just for one night?

We'd say it definitely was.


For me, the last 48 hours leading up to Sisters' Night were sleepless and stare at my Macbook all day and night. Kudos to Zach and Dan Choi, we pulled it off, 6 videos this year! Kudos to all my fellow bros for your unrelenting devotion to making the greatest 4 hrs of our sisters' lives this year (hopefully). 

Who are we??!?!

Nothin' on You

Its times like these that I feel the most alive. Amidst so much appreciation and love for one another, its a glimpse of heaven.

God bless KCS sisters, truly. The world got nothing on you.

Lefties vs. Righties

Whats interesting about this blog post title is that if you are more dominant in the left hemisphere of your brain, you are more likely to interpret the title as right vs. left handers. If you are more dominant in the right hemisphere of your brain, you are more likely to interpret the correct meaning which is logic vs. creativity.

From a young age, especially if you're asian, you're parents have pushed you to become lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. The future belongs to a new person with a new mindset. The world is quickly changing and shifting towards the right side. Its always that one person or group that decides that logic is boring and break out of norms that change the world. Businessmen are becoming entrepreneurs, PCs users are going Mac, Blackberries are going iDroids, Google owns the world (minus China), every other electronic on college campus starts with an "i", a wizard boy and a metro vampire are pushing the textbooks off the shelf, and one of the funniest comments I heard, "as a scientist, you can win a nobel prize and no one would care whereas if a 15-yr old pop star gets a paper cut, its wildfire".

Twas a good read.

If you are a student in Visual and Performing Arts, you are constantly pounded by the fact that you have to brace yourselves for a revolution; a world shaped by right brainers. Yes, that means all the writers, designers, musicians, craftsmen, athletes, dancers, entrepreneurs, and other creatives will take over and reshape our current world. The days of the logic and analysis are fading away. 

Personally I believe that right brainers will take over the future however, doesn't mean I believe that left brainers are gonna be long dead. It actually becomes very sickening when you hear year after year "POWER TO THE CREATIVES!!" (stupid VPA). I love how sometimes creatives are so caught up with being nonconforming that they are completely oblivious to the fact that subconsciously they've created a subculture of nonconformity in itself, conforming to being nonconformists. (Inspired from this post!)

"Right brainers rejoice for the day of revolution is here. Woohoo!!!" -Right brain power

Wonder how long it'll take to drill into that thick, egotistical skull that just like everything in nature, a good balance is key.

Man Caves

Call me lame but one of my life long dreams is to set up my own man cave.

Man Cave: A room, space, corner, or area of a dwelling that is specifically reserved for a male person to be in solitary condition, away from the rest of the household in order to work, play, involve himself in certain hobbies, activities without interruption. This area is usually decorated by the male that uses it without interference from any female influence. (urbandictionary)

Current "man cave": Faithful companion the macbook pro, Shure SRH440 headphones, KRK Rokit5 studio monitors, M-Audio es61 midi controller, M-Audio Fasttrack MKII interface, Marshall single cone amp, excessive guitars both mine and loans from friends.

Andrew's "man cave": Visio LED 26" TV, bose stereo speakers, iBuyPower custom gaming computer, xbox 360, modded wii, excessive gadgets you've never heard of.

Dream?

or this!!!!!!!

Since all this doesn't come free,  its all a dream. But at the moment lets enjoy what God has already blessed us with.


1 Timothy 6:17

And the people say...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zw2E6gM08M

Matthew 21:6

Its just who I am

This imperfect person, yet unique in my own way. 

Its just who I am.

Never suit up for an interview. Khakis and dress shirt at the most. 

Its just who I am.

Go to weddings in business casual at most. 

Its just who I am.

I rock my church t-shirts and threadless shirts. 

Its just who I am.

I rock my worn out kicks. 

Its just who I am.

Buy a new pair of jeans every 4 years. 

Its just who I am.

Buy me a Mercedes so I can test how "indestructible" it is.

Its just who I am.

PCs keep my feet warm in the winter. 

Its just who I am.

Pepsi makes good soda grenades. 

Its just who I am.

$500! $450 would be spent on new gear and $50 would be tithed. 

Its just who I am.

There's nothing "fine" about $40 portions which could get me 4 chinese buffet dinners. 

Its just who I am.

Syracuse sweatpants amongst suits and dresses in the future? Please dont be embarrassed to say hi cause

Its just who I am.

Church work > school work. Always been the case. 

Its just who I am.

Blackberries are good and only good to snack on. 

Its just who I am.

The whistling turbo is music to my ears. The roar of the V8 is the source of noise pollution. 

Its just who I am.

God created you.

Its just who you are.




Psalms 139: 13-14

Who do you wanna be when you grow up?

I wanna be an Andrew Chung, soooooooooo frikin bad
Buy all of the things I've never had
I wanna be on the cover of, Gamer's magazine
Smiling with my xbox and modded wii

Oh everytime I close the blinds, I see my games in HD light
A different system every night, oh I swear
The world better prepare
For when I'm an Andrew Chung

Yeah I would have a game like rambo
I would be the playa of, everyday game day
Give rambo your wish list
I'd probably pull an Angelina and Brad Pitt
And adopt of bunch of babies that ain't never had it
Give away a few ps3's like here baby have this
And last but not least grant somebody their first wish
Its been a couple years since he's been single so
You can call him Rambo Claus minus the Ho Ho
Get it, hehe, I'd probably visit where 50k tuition hit
And damn sure do a lot more than Cantor did
Yeah can't forget about him stupid
Everywhere he goes hes gonna have his own theme music

Oh everytime I close the blinds, I see my games in HD light

A different system every night, oh I swear

The world better prepare

For when I'm an Andrew Chung

Oh oooh oh ooooh for when I'm an Andrew Chung

Oh oooh oh ooooh for when I'm an Andrew Chung

He'd be playing wii sports with the President

Dunking on his delegates

Then he'll compliment him on his gamer's etiquette

Toss a couple speakers in the air just for the heck of it

But keep the boses, lexicons, and synergies completely seperate

And yeah he'll be in a whole new sc bracket

We in lag nation but let him take a crack at it

He'll probably take whatever cable lags and just tear it up

So everybody that he loves can have a latency free comp

And not a single gamer around him would know what hungry was

Eating free food he gives proudly

I know we all have a similar dream

Go to your computer pull out your mouse

And put it in the air and sing

I wanna be an Andrew Chung, soooooooooo frikin bad

Buy all of the things I've never had

I wanna be on the cover of, Gamer's magazine

Smiling with my xbox and modded wii

(wuddup Wayne Chen hahaaaa)

Oh everytime I close the blinds, I see my games in HD light

A different system every night, oh I swear

The world better prepare

For when I'm an Andrew Chung

-Dan

Welcome to 607 Walnut

So what is the average day like in the 607?

7:00am - The producer wakes up
7:05am - The producer showers, brushes teeth, does hair
7:07am - The producer goes back to sleep
7:45am - The engineer's alarm clock wakes up the whole house
8:00am - The engineer's alarm clock is still ringing...
8:03am - The producer wakes up again
8:05am - The producer showers, brushes, teeth, does hair...again
8:10am - The producer heads to class
8:13am - The engineer wakes up
8:15am - The engineer runs to bathroom
8:35am - The engineer exits the bathroom
8:40am - The engineer falls back asleep
8:50am - The engineer lingers out the door
9:00am - The rambo "wakes" up
9:01am - The rambo falls back asleep
4:30pm - The producer comes back home and wonders where his roommates are
4:31pm - The producer needs to go to the bathroom but is occupied by the rambo
4:40pm - Still occupied...
4:45pm - Still..............
4:46pm - The rambo comes out with manga
4:47pm - The producer runs to bathroom
4:48pm - The engineer comes home and runs to bathroom
4:49pm - The producer comes out and and the engineer goes in
5:00pm - The producer and engineer enjoy their afternoon estimating electricity costs while the rambo watches the korean drama
5:30pm - The engineer starts to his work and the producer goes to bother the rambo
5:35pm - The producer is finished bothering the rambo and they play a round of dota
6:00pm - The rambo and the producer finish their game, goes to the engineer's room only to find him passed out
6:01pm - The rambo and the producer play paparazzi
6:05pm - The engineer wakes up and both the producer and the engineer "rape" the rambo
6:17pm - Rape session cut short due to physical abuse from the rambo with his massive thighs
6:18pm - The engineer and the producer pop the "Geu let JJUH!!!!" line...
6:19pm - They are both running for their lives
7:00pm - The producer makes dinner
7:03pm - The producer eats half of the dinner while cooking
7:30pm - Dinner is served!
8:00pm - All three go to the rambo's room to chill
8:01pm - Rambo rapefest round 2 commences
8:04pm - Rambo rapefest round 2 cut short due to bloating
8:05pm - Engineer and producer fall asleep on rambo's bed
8:06pm - Rambo yells "get off my bed!!!!"
8:30pm - Still yelling "get off my bed!!!!"
8:31pm - Rapefest round 3
9:00pm - Bumfest
9:02pm - Rapefest round 4
9:05pm - Bumfest
9:05pm - 11:30pm - rinse and repeat previous 4 steps
12:00am - good night!!
1:00am - the engineer's alarm clock wakes up the whole house...again
1:02am - Engineer rapefest......
1:05am - goodnight.....

Senioritis...

...is actually not kicking in this time around. Surprise.

So far its been pretty cool. I thought that 19 creds + job + church + job searching = death, it actually isn't. I'm surprised that so far I've been the most productive ever in my 4 years here in cuse. Everyday and every minute has been well spent whether its doing my homework early or running errands for Bird Library. I have to admit though, the weather is probably the thing that will be the death of me. This mid 80s - 90s is not cutting it. Now that I live off campus, I'm feeling the burn in my legs from walking back and forth to and from campus. Its giving me my much needed daily exercise so I can't complain. The only thing is that the hotness leaves me pretty much dead when I hit my house.

I actually cooked dinner for the first time in college couple of days ago. Spam + eggs + soy sauce + sesame oil + more spam + mystery meat = awesomeness. It was pretty damn good for a first try. I also have this obsessive personality when it comes to cleaning. Ask my roommates. Everyday I've either scrubbed and sanitized the bathroom or vacuumed and dusted the whole house. Some people would never expect that of me but hey, I'm an obsessive-compulsive clean freak. Since its my last year at cuse (hopefully), I've decided to just go balls out and work my ass off in whatever I do. I was tempted to get a 2nd weekend job or weekday job but with senior thesis projects coming up I've decided against. Still I'm pretty happy with my current schedule. It keeps me busy. Internet at our house is still...not working properly so job searching is on hold at the moment.

Senior year is gonna be a blast. I can feel it. Over the summer I dreaded the workload that is bound to come but it looks manageable. Doesn't mean I can slack on church work either. My priority still stands as church > school. It always has in cuse. But this time around, I'm gonna go crazy and push my physical and mental abilities to the limit. Why? Its my last year of formal education. Ever. Might as well make it a good one.

So here's to the last year of college and the last time I'm ever paying 50k.  Cheers!

Best Friend

I got him in 2000. A friend of our deacon was leaving the country and she could only bring one dog with her. Knowing that I've always wanted a dog he considered us to be his new owners. Of course I was ecstatic when I heard the news. When the fateful day came and this energetic little critter stepped into our house, chaos started. I remember my exact first impression; wth?! I was expecting your everyday lab or golden or maybe even a beagle. Instead I got this boston terrier which I was hesitant to keep at first. His first impression he gave me, other than being ugly was his super energetic personality. I've never seen such a dog with so much energy jumping and running around my house making chaos. To make things even more interesting, his name was Pinky. The owner gave us no particular reason for choosing that name other than when he was born his nose was pinky. So he became Pinky. So I became the new owner of Pinky from that point on. I never would have thought back then that he would be one of the greatest blessings of my life.

If you've ever read or watched Marley and Me, you know my story for the first year. Out of control dog, barking at night, tearing up couches, the typical misbehaved dog. One of the things he was always forbidden to do was jump onto the bed cause he would shed and make a mess.

In the end that rule became nonexistent (and this wasn't my room so don't judge the floral blanket) xD

Over time Pinky calmed down and I guess it was because he adapted to his new home. He became a lot more manageable. Interestingly though, he rarely made a poopoo error in the house. Well trained I suppose. He also became bilingual because we would talk to him in english and korean. He understood words like "bab muh guh", "mok yok", and "jib ae dul uh ga" which signaled for him to go into his little crate when we had guests. I've had a good number of experiences with Pinky. We recked the neighbors yard multiple times, wrestled till nearly passing out, got lost in the 4 feet blizzard of 2003, messed up all the leaf piles in autumn, and the little patches of catch here and there. All memories now. 

One thing I definitely learned over the years is that dogs are sensitive to their owner's feelings. When I'm hyped he was hyped, when I was down he was slumped as well. I admit, I talked to Pinky about my problems. You know going through highschool and all that good jazz, sometimes it got overwhelming. He would just sit there and look cute. When I was done talking he would cuddle up next to me. Heartwarming. 

Definitely grew so attached to each other (although he would disregard me when there were "female" guests).

If all was perfect, he'd still be with me. Circumstances changed and during my sophomore year of college I had to give him away. I think thats why my sophomore year was my worst year. Was pretty much in the dumps. I guess its hard to understand if you've never had a dog but after 10 years together it wasn't easy giving him away. I requested that the original owner take him back and she agreed. She would be back in the states a couple of months so I left him to her foster parents. Its embarrassing that I'm getting somewhat teary eyed writing this but he was just that special to me. 

No matter how much you dislike or hate your dog, even abuse them, they will always love you and remain loyal to you no matter what. Even to their deaths. 

This was our last minute together. Then we parted. I opened the double doors and closed it forever. The caretaker emailed me and told me how Pinky never moved a foot from the door for 2 days straight; that he was constantly staring out the door. Heartbreaking. He is now happy with his original owner and I pray he lives out the rest of his life as he always did, joyful. Its been 2 years now and the memories of Pinky are well etched in my heart. God's purpose through him was fulfilled so I guess it was time to say good bye. Sadly good things always come to an end. Lessons however, never cease to impact your life:

He taught me to be patient and to love unconditionally.

Heres to Youtube: Streaming Inspiration and Dreams

So another storm swept by and left me internet-less for a week hence the delay on this post. But I've decided against what I originally was gonna write about cause its more embarrassing then I thought.

So...during the internet-less days I've just been youtubing on my iphone. Over the past few years I've actually gotten a lot of inspiration from youtube videos. Its like the delivery man in between me and God. He inspires me thru some videos I watch and in return I (try........) to return that favor thru youtube. Granted I don't have the multimillion subscribers as others do but some people out there are watching. (right..?)

I secretly love watching and listening to youtube musicians. I actually get a lot of inspiration from them. Having had a taste of the production biz, I know it takes quite some time to get that 5 min youtube video up. Whether you're making a film or producing a song or both, it doesn't come in a flash. I don't have a set musician I follow because I tend to scramble around from one related post to another random cover search. However I always check out David Choi, Jayesslee, and Ahmir's newest covers. My inspiration comes from these random videos that I fatefully stumbled upon. Wongfu got me into filmmaking and JerryC made me pick up an electric guitar. Quickquickdagger inspired me to create my own Jaysean Down cover while many other "nameless" cover artists give me a good listen every so often. The only bad part is that I feel like I'm spread thin. I guess thats my personality. I like to pick up new skills but I never tend to master a single one. (Btw, don't worry Jennifer Kang, we're pretty much on the same boat). In all honesty, I'm pretty greedy. I have this part of me that wants to be the best at everything I do whether its filmmaking, playing the guitar, designing, playing a sport, (insert random hobby here). I remember I even tried to be "good" at origami and then I met Sabrina...gg no re. 

Going to be entering my senior year at Syracuse this month and it's hitting pretty hard. I still have no clue where I wanna go with my life. A close inspection of Dan Ahn will tell you that you'll never see me anywhere near numbers (accounting, management, etc.). I always pray to God that He may show me a glimpse of my future plans but no dice. It's still dark as night. Well judging from all these random skills He made me pick up along the way, its somewhere creative/musical (hopefully). It's always a roller coaster inside of me because whenever I feel like I'm mastering a particular skill, I go on youtube and find that someone has already done a better job at it. Why does he have 100,000 views and I have only 10,000? Then I get inspired and motivated to do better. Damn you youtube, you inspiring dream shatterer (ironic isn't it). 


But at the end of the day, "if there's someone out there who has a better day because of me, then I've succeeded". Wongfu's motto has become my inspiration to go on producing no matter what. 

"Even if no one views or listens to my work, God will always be a subscriber". 

Unashamed -Jayesslee

One of my favorites covered by one of my favorites. Yes I have a semi-crush on them but don't worry, Sabrina already knows. xD

Take it to the computer

I'm going to assume you read the last post so here's part 2.

Trash talking!!

We all do it in the gaming world. I've done it, he's done it, she's done it, everyone's done it. Its weird how people who are generally calm and shy irl have a sudden change of character online. Its probably because of two things:

1) You really do get frustrated when another player is doing horribad (yes, apparently thats a word) so you just cant say it to his/her face so you type it. Usually comes in the form of noob + insult + @#$%V #@^%^$%@#^&%%#@#

2) Players have the ultimate protection against oncoming attacks or threats that otherwise irl would be life threatening; the computer screen. People have this thought that since the other person cant physically hurt me, I can b!tch all I want at them. Sticks and stones may break my bones and words may hurt me, but a computer screen is all I need. Sad truth.

Recently though I havent seen that much trash talking. I think in RTS games theres less trash talking except for the occasional "noob" comment but in games where you have to kill the other player (ie. counter strike, world of warcraft, dota, half life, etc), trash talking is part of the game. I guess its absolutely necessary to flame someone for being inferior. You kill, you talk trash. You die, you get flamed, you talk back. Rinse and repeat for the next round. I can bet that probably 70% of trash talkers are immature kids/teenagers who think they rule the world, or think they are the pros. I can testify that I literally overheard some language from a elementary school kid that I never knew when I was his age. Something about "OMG YOU SUCK @#^%&#^^@(*#^@&#^^&%%$%$!*&$". What that kid is doing at PC bang in the first place, I dont know. The next 30% comes from the people who just want the attention. Its kind of sad that they have to start up a heated argument just to get some attention. Its not even "real" attention. They would start topics like:

-This character vs that

-Im better than you

-I can kick your ass irl!!!

-Boobs vs. ass

-Obama vs. McCain

-McD vs. BK

-Raping moms/sisters/gfs

-Getting laid

-Any other sexual innuendo about others' gfs

-etc etc etc you get the point

Since like 85% of the online gaming world is probably comprised of males, these little things occur quite commonly. Also notice the amount of sexual/vulgar comments. I guess everyone becomes a horny bastard when they go online to play. Its one thing to get dissed irl but its another to get dissed by someone on the other side of the world through a computer screen. I love watching these people duke it out with each other. They come up with the most obscure uses of modern day insults. These "cyber bullies" know that unless they know the person irl, they cant do anything to harm them. So they just yap it up on the computer screen feeling all proud and mighty. Catch them irl and they are probably a completely different person. I'll have to admit, I've done my fair share in the past. You may not know if you dont play games, but getting dissed on screen is probably worse than getting dissed irl tenfold. 

The day when all gamers play in peace with each other is what we all indirectly wish for but at the same time we all know it'll never happen. As long as there the immature little kids/teens and the attention whores, or just plain assholes, let the flaming commence. Online.

PS: Helvetica is the new font for my blog now

Next post: Prepare for [From Wannabe Thug to I Don't Even Know Anymore: The Evolution of Dan Ahn], actually debating if I wanna dive back to my past again or not. Save some embarrassment. 

Noob on our team, l2play with 1337s!! QQ, gg no re

Obvious to some the title of this entry will be like code and to some it'll make you giggle. Its definitely english but to some and a large percentage of my female readers/females across the world in the information age have no idea what it means. This is an example of the phenomenon known as the Gamer's Language or 1337sp34k (leet speak). This entry is to give people some insight into the Gaming World that has become a culture in our world today.

Btw, the title roughly translates to, "We have a horrible player on our team, learn to play with elite gamers!! Cry cry, good game no rematch".

[an intense match of starcraft 2]

I would classify myself as a gamer. Its like a 3rd unofficial job of mine. Whether it be juking players in dota, attending 4+ hrs of raid time in WoW, or bunker rushing in sc2, no night would be silent on my computer. First off, I would classify gamers into levels:

Leisurely Gamers: People who play once in a while to have fun, spend some free time, play with friends, mostly your regular civilian.

Average Gamers: People who dedicate a certain time to play or take the time to finish the game, level up, get extra items, etc.

Advanced Gamers: People who play everyday as soon as time allow doing the best they can to progress in rank. Also does some background research to improve their play.

Hardcore Gamers: Eat/sleep/games/bathroom. These people most like build their own computers from scratch with the best parts for their particular game. Some even build multiple computers for different games. Does extensive research reading forums, participate in gaming debates, attend leagues/tourneys, and keep up with gaming current events. 

As like any language, theres vocab. This is a list of probably the most common gaming languages found across all platforms.

GG: Good Game. Usually said at the end of a match or level. Can also be used to replace "fml" or "hopelessness" (ie. The power went out so I could not play my new sc2...gg)

Pwned/Owned: Used when a player kills another. Can also be used after a diss (ie. your mama so fat ...blah blah...owned)

GL HF DD: Stands for good luck have fun don't die. Glhf is said in the beginning of the match to be polite.

CD Key: The serial number of a game. Your unique CDKey allows you to access multiplayer.

FPS: First Person Shooter games or Frames Per Second (ie. 45 fps = 45 frames per second. The higher the smoother the graphics)

Hack/Hacker/HAXZOR: Basically a hack/cheater.

Kick: To boot a player from the game.

HP/MP/Mana: The basic life/magic points of a character.

Lag: The infamous reaper of gamers. Lag is caused by a weak internet connection, bad weather, or too much graphics for the processor to handle resulting in a momentary freezing of the game. Hated across the whole gaming world. Often used as an excuse for poor performance from the player.

Ladder: A ranking system for guilds and clans or individual players.

Juke: If basketball has the pump fake, gaming has the juke. Same concept of faking a player out or in this case juking a player out. 

Noob/Newb: Supposed to mean a new player but it is almost the f-bomb of the gaming world. Very derogatory towards a player when used as an insult. 

Ping: The latency of a player measured in milliseconds. The lower the ping, the faster the player's character will react in the game to commands.

Pubs: Public game. Can be filled with noobs and QQ'ers.

Pro: Professional. Used often for ppl who think they are awesome. Mostly not. Can be used as adjective. (ie. That juke he did was pro)

Ventrilo: Or vent for short, is a third party software that allows players to talk to each other via headset or computer microphone.

QQ: Makes a crying face. Used to express a complaint (ie. my lag is making me die qq). Can also be used in the form of "qq more" to insult a player who is a noob or complains a lot.

AFK: Away from Keyboard. The player is not currently present.

IRL: In Real Life or simply "RL" for Real Life (ie. Player Sofakingrambo is a RL friend).

There are tons more but these are generally the most common words found in the gaming world. Use these terms on any website, forum, or facebook, gamers across the world will understand and accept you as one of them.

...and believe it or not, gamer's have rules and regulations to play by as well. The following are the 10 Commandments of Gaming:

1) Online gaming is serious business - live or die by it

2) The girlfriend is deadlier than all things in game - choose between owning a player or getting your nuts owned

3) Everyone is either a n!gger or gay - the most commonly used fill-in words. Works for any situation

4) Singing in vent is not allowed in any circumstances - not even if you're the next American idol

5) Lag is the excuse for everything - the pros still pwn with lag

6) Act your age when you play - if you're 10 yrs old don't think you're all tough when you can talk trash behind a computer screen

7) Noobs are scum - we all hate playing with one

8) Hacks are for noobs - you suck if you have to hack to win

9) Trash talking is completely normal - this way even the weakest can feel like the strongest

10) Kill stealing is the single worst crime alive - it tops rape and murder

Gaming has become a culture on its own and it is one of the fastest growing phenomenons out there. Now all of you are considered leisurely gamers because you know whats up with this whole gaming world frenzy. Next time someone pops some gaming language on you, you can actually understand and respond. 

Remember, gl hf irl!

Next post on Cyber Bullies, stay online and don't lag out ;)

Who doesn't like presents?

If you look at the picture on the right, you know whats coming. Spiritual Gifts. This topic has always fascinated me and one of my best moments in life is to watch people execute them.


Fact: There are numerous spiritual gifts known to this day.
Just to name a few in the bible:

Romans 12: Exhortation, Giving, Leadership, Mercy, Prophecy, Service, Teaching
1 Corinthians 12: Administration, Apostle, Discernment, Faith, Healing, Helps, Knowledge, Miracles, Prophecy, Teaching, Tongues, Tongues Interpretation, Wisdom
Ephesians 4: Pastor, Apostle, Evangelism
Misc. Passages: Celibacy, Martyrdom, Missionary, Voluntary Poverty, Hospitality

I doubt this list stops here as times have changed and technology and minds have advanced. But many people can fall within these categories. Personally I'm a believer that everyone has a spiritual gift, maybe plural. If you've been at the Grove for some time now, undoubtedly you've taken some spiritual gift tests that Keith seemed to love. Whether or not you believe in your results is your personal matter. You may think your gift is pretty minuscule in comparison to those around you. However, the stories below have characters that probably had the same thought as you.


John D. Rockefeller, history's most richest man. Born and raised in poverty, his mother taught him to always no matter what, give your 10% tithes to God. He listened. He never failed at giving his small tithes. Result. If he were to give a tithe in 2010, he would offer up 10% of his $663 billion. He alone held 1.53% of the money in America. Gift of Giving.


James Cash Penney, born to a minister, was a well off businessman in the early 1920s. With the coming of the Great Depression, Penney saw his financial empire fall to ruin. This event caused Penney to become ill and had to stay at a hospital. He heard the hymn "God will take care of you" in the hospital chapel and he became a born-again Christian. He has since recovered and regained his financial success. Ever since then, he has been involved in numerous charity acts until his death in 1971. To this day, the secret meaning behind the massive JCPenney malls is: Jesus Christ Penney. Gift of Administration


In the late 1800s, certain American Presbyterians entered a little country where Christianity was pretty much no where to be found. They set up schools, medical facilities, and evangelized the noble families. This war-ravaged, under foreign control country discovered new found hope in Christ due to these missionaries. In present day, this country is now #2 in sending missionaries worldwide (#1 being America). From a GDP similar to Congo in the early turn of the century to one of the economic powerhouses within 50 years, this small country is now home to a Christian majority in the face of Buddhists and Confucians. All thanks to the certain missionaries a century back, South Korea has become the miracle nation in terms of financial growth and a stronghold for Christianity. Gift of Evangelism.


Don't think small of your spiritual gifts. It can change the world. If used in the correct way, God can certainly show you a miracle. When you receive a gift from someone, right away do you shove it in a corner and forget about it? Hopefully not. Gifts are meant do be for you. It's not even worldly right to deny a gift. Since we received a free gift from God, shouldn't we share it, express it, use it to its limits and not keep it shoved in the back corner of our hearts? Its a present, by all means have fun with it! Go change a world or two with it.

15 Seconds of Cease-Fire

I love Calvin and Hobbes. Its hands down my favorite comic series and I have a good collection of treasuries that I read over and over again. Its such a simple strip that shows the true side of childhood. Who doesn't like mischief when you're 7 years old. The picture on the left is a typical scene you will find in the comic. Calvin always ends up arguing with Susie Derkins, the usual "I'm right and you're wrong" situations when you're a kid.

I for one used to love arguments. I would start some just for the heck of it. I thrived in the nature of belittling people and feeding my ego. This is probably typical of most people. The average person has something called pride and no one likes to take a blow to it. Especially, us Koreans, our ego and pride is our code of life. Guys especially cannot take a single smudge to their pride, it awakens the egotistical beast within.

Ever since 2006, I never had a serious argument. Why? I generally avoid them at all costs. I actually hate arguing now. I've never argued with my parents my whole life but I've argued with my youth pastor and classmates a lot so I have my fair share of that experience. Recently though my argumental side was revived on couple of occasions. This time it wasn't my youth pastor, it wasn't my classmates, it's always with my girlfriend.

Sabrina and I have been together for I forget how long but in that time we've had our fair share of arguments. Even though we bicker all the time, it never gets serious. When we do argue though, its a different story. For one thing, the very very rare times we fight, it always lasts a long time. 2 hours min and no maximum. Sometimes it spans days. Certain qualities come out that I regret but thats pretty normal during arguments. Our fights have always been very biblical as well. In that sense they get pretty damn intense. If I was a bystander watching in on our fights, it'll probably hinder my faith thinking "how can christians fight like this??". I've noticed that for the first hours of the argument we both are blinded by our pride and unwillingness to give into the other opinion, let alone hear it. It starts off with a disagreement, elevates to a new level of stubbornness, escalates by getting very biblical, plateaus back and forth with "I'm right, you're wrong", and suddenly dips into mutual agreement and reconciliation. Even though these are times I wish I could go back and erase from my life, I'm very grateful for these instances. The rare 2 or 3 times we've fought, bring out our worst, trying to topple one another have in fact built my character. When I killed my pride and actually listened to what she was saying, it was all making sense, it sunk in. Vice versa she realized it as well. In the end, its always something very stupid. You realize you could have saved yourself from all this trouble just by killing your pride for 15 seconds.

Pride is the root of all sin. Yes indeed it is. If you take a step back and analyze every situation without your pride, its plain simple to solve. 100% of the world's problems would be solved if people would give 15 seconds of cease-fire. Yet we human beings are incapable of letting our pride sit for 15 seconds. I wish for a day that all people can get rid of their pride and listen to each other. Then the world would be such a better place. But that day will never come so as long as Satan has a grip on this world. Not everyone will agree with 15 seconds of cease-fire, but it definitely changed my life.

Maybe even your's.

"Pride goes before destruction" -Aesop


"Arguments are not about who's right, but what's right" -Anonymous 

We're gonna change the world

Amazing how such a simple children's sing along song can have such a powerful statement.
Recent as many of you may know Lodi missions has come to an end. I know that all who helped out were blessed by the experience. Me however, was blessed more during the editing process of the video. I never had the thought to go to Lodi missions but last minute, God literally shoved me in there.

Me: I cant teach...
Me: I cant deal with kids...
Me: Its too far...
Me: Its not gonna be a place where I can serve...
Me: I really cant handle kids well...
Me: Did I mention I cant teach?
God: But you CAN make videos, cant you?
Me: Oh...

Thats pretty much how it happened. Literally.
I'm not gonna write my whole testimony down here. Maybe later on I will but at the moment, I've never been so satisfied ever after completing a video.

Just as the song says, "We're gonna change the world!"

On the March - Hillsong Kids

Unofficial Rules of the Road

I rarely lose my cool. I rarely if ever get pissed off. I rarely show pessimism. However, the road makes the worst of me come out. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually one of the most considerate drivers you'll meet. I'll let you butt in front of me in traffic. I'll always let you go first on a turn. I'll always signal if im feeling impatient to cut in. I'll always give right of way to you pedestrians ONLY IF you guys are not douchebags.  However there are some unofficial "rules" that are in play on the streets. Especially in the busiest hours. If you can't follow them, please do us all a favor and get off the road or find another driver for you. No need to take up space on the road with your "dangerously safe" driving.

The Unofficial Rules of the Street:
1) As soon as the light turns yellow, its time to speed up, not slow down. If its been yellow for about 3 seconds, THEN and ONLY THEN you slow down.
2) If it says no turn on red but no ones there...go for it.
3) Never go at or below the speed limit or face the consequences from the rest of us.
4) If you think you're an awesome multitasker, save it for the office and not the blackberry in your car.
5) Music is meant to be played to your consent. I'm all for blasting with windows down. But at a red light, lets be considerate.
6) If your car has an exhaust problem and we can actually see the damn smoke coming out of your pipe, I'm no green freak but lets get that fixed. Asap.
7) If you think your all cool with your riced up pieces of junk, dont feel embarrassed when a minivan out runs you on the straightaway.
7.5) If your car makes a sound that is related to an a/c on steroids, a cry of a slaughtered lamb or goat, or the sound that comes out of your rear before a massive diarrhea bomb, go stick your head in your own exhaust pipe and suffocate please (cuz im pretty sure you could since those exhaust pipes are damn huge).
7.75) If your car's engine is just that powerful, don't be afraid and just let the beast out.
8) Stop signs are only there for when there are two or more cars in the scene.
9) The left lanes are called fast lanes for a reason.
10) If something goes wrong...lets not panic. 90% of all accidents can be avoided if people would stop panicking and think straight for just a second.
11) If you've never driven in the snow before, slow and steady wins the race.
12) Your learner's permit doesn't grant you invincibility.
13) Parking lines are there for a reason.
14) Street racing is perfectly fine as long as the parties involved know what they are doing.
15) Speeding never kills anyone, the sudden braking does.
16) Car horns can do many things from avoiding accidents to pissing off your neighbor.
17) Unfamiliar with the area? Pull over and use your map or gps and stop going 10 mph trying to find the location.
18) You slowing down to check out the accident on the curb slows the whole road down, horribly.
19) Be courteous and let tailgater pass. They are tailgating for a reason.
20) Enjoy your driving experience.

Please obey the rules :)

Minimalism

I am the definition of minimalist.

Minimalist: being or offering no more than what is require or essential.

Ever since freshman year of college, my stuff has decreased tremendously. I went from bringing my whole house my freshman year, to weeding out the extras during sophomore year, to bare essentials junior year. Those that have visited my room in Ernie Davis this past school year know what I mean when I say "bare essentials". My room consisted of the furniture that was already there + a bunch of randomness put together to call it a room. Those at church probably know my trademark outfit by now. 

Look Familiar?

Yeap, its the good ol' Syracuse sweatpants. In fact, this year I've bought another pair of sweatpants just so people dont think I never change. As many have voiced concerns and questions about my attire of choice, I am here to assure everyone that I am a very clean person, probably more obsessed with cleanliness than 95% of the population. 

My room in 823 Davis was quite the sight. Emptiness at its fullest. Empty to the point of echos. My desk had my laptop and printer, 3 outta 5 drawers were filled and the other 2 were empty, closet had 5 pieces of clothing hanging with 5 pairs of shoes on the bottom (still wondering why I brought so many), walls were as white as snow, and the fact that it was hardwood floors didnt help the emptiness look. 

When I was packing to leave for home, I realized my senior year I can get rid of more stuff. Screw the 5 pairs of pants that I seldom wore, cuse sweats are where its at 24/7. I had a good whole drawer filled with shirts but again I only wore my hoodies. People always asked me before I left "gee isnt it tough packing?", and I would answer "I got my guitars and a duffle bag to bring home, yep its pretty tough". They would give me the wtf look. Still I thought I had too much stuff so I trashed all the unnecessary junk that was taking up space in my room and it boiled down to 1 amp, 1 guitar, and 1 duffle bag to bring home. In the back of my mind I still feel I had too much stuff. Why travel heavy?

So why am I going on about being a minimalist?

For the past few weeks ever since I got back home I've been moving to my new home and helping others move as well. Its a pain. When I saw all the boxes and boxes of stuff people had I had to wonder, do you really need all this? My room was finished within the hour of moving. Good guess, I had minimal stuff to move in. My parents, not so much. Took the whole week just to get rid of old books, sermon notes, packing all the 15 tons of books into 9 bookshelves, and the out of tune piano. After a good coupla weeks of suffering from the pains of moving and the experience of moving everyones stuff to Uhaul and Patrick's after spring semester 2009, it just comes to me instinctively to ask:

Do you really NEED all this stuff??!?!?!?!?!?!!


Dear College Students,
You're going to live here for less than half a year. Do you really need your whole house? You only spend that much more time agonizing about packing.

Dear Adults,
Old means old. Malfunctional means malfunctional. Outdated means outdated. Yea yea it has sentimental value, so much that it was found in the dust covered box in the corner of the basement storage.

Dear Kids,
You are (insert single digit # here) years old. You dont need 3/4 of the stuff you have in your room. They are plastic and serve no functional value other than "look pretty". In a couple of years they're going the salvation army anyways, why not start now and save some trouble :)

Again I'm probably coming off as harsh to some. But in all honesty...

Do you really need all this stuff?


A pair of sweats and the number to jimmy johns works for me.