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.