Thunderstruck

The great realizations in life do not come by one's own longing for the past, nor does it come by one's willingness to pursue that which brought him to his present state.

Sometimes, perhaps as I write this, I find that such a realization is being made before the achievement. A person once said, It's not about having the will to succeed, but to have the will to prepare.

The laws of man are not always the right laws. Do not see that last sentence as a self-righteous statement that attempts to exclude me from the norm. Rather, it is intended to be a reflection of how striving to conform and fit what "society" deems as right may not be so right, but rather, so wrong.

School's in 2 days.

Now if you'll excuse me, my foot is hurting.

Blog Location: New House, University City, CA
Song Mood - Kansas - Carry on My Wayward Son

Yes, Another Survey!

10 years ago I was: on the verge of starting my greatest academic year. (IE, the closest I've ever been to straight A's...missed it by 5 pts)

5 years ago I was: wondering how I was going to survive with my schedule (Orchestra, Cross Country, Calc, Physics AP, Econ AP, English AP), and where I'd be applying to college.

1 year ago I was: Just starting my senior year at Indiana, refocusing my career choice yet again.

Yesterday: I mowed the lawn with my brother, studied some Chem, prayed, ate food, typed up my sister's homework. Ah, the life of the older brother.

5 snacks I enjoy: Snickers Bars, Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, Beef Jerky, Ice Cream Bars, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish

5 songs I know all the words to: When Can I See You Again (Babyface), I Give Thanks (Brian Thiessen), My Cherie Amour (Stevie Wonder), Fly (Sugar Ray), She Bangs (Ricky Martin/William Hung)

5 things I would do with 100 million dollars: 1. Tithe 2. Donate 10% to the IU Asian Culture Center so that they could get a nice building (with the condition that they raise the same amount in 5 years) and attract some quality Asian American faculty for the AAS program. I think that plot of land across the street from Wright and Teter and Ashton would be perfect! 3. Take care of my educational expenses, along with my sister's. 4. Go to the kiosk next to Ballantine Hall and toss a bag of dollar bills into the sky in the middle of students walking to class. 5. Put the rest in stocks, and pray it grows enough so that I can buy the Dodgers! (:-P)

5 places I would run away to: 1) where the streets have no name. 2) Cliffs by the ocean 3) The countryside on Jeju Island 4) San Diego 5) Bloomington

5 things I would never wear: "anything that doesn't serve a good purpose"...Good answer Won (http://www.xanga.com/wonseok)

But for those who want specifics: 1. Anything pink. 2. A dress. 3. A Skirt 4. A halter top. 5. A UCLA sweatshirt.

5 favorite tv shows: 1. Baseball Tonight 2. The Simpsons 3. Jeopardy 4. Law and Order 5. Sportscenter

5 Bad habits: Keeping my desk clean, not calling home often enough, letting work accumulate to the last minute (especially anything involving writing), expecting less from others because of my own faults, blogging

5 biggest joys: The Goodness of the Lord, Dodger Baseball, Being able to Run, Being able to Dance, Being able to Love (I guess being able to eat helps too!)

5 favorite toys: My siblings (oh, you said toys, not pets, whoops!) My Car, My Ipod mini, My digital camera, my cell phone, my teddy bear

5 fictional characters I would date: Holly Golightly (Breakfast at Tiffany's), Jeon Ji Hyun's character in My Sassy Girl, Gadget from Chip n' Dale's Rescue Rangers...sheesh, can't think of any at the moment.

5 People I tag to do this: Carol Liu, Jon Lee, Saemina Park, Liz Rakphongphairoj, Linda Szeto (probably because they're probably the only people on the planet that read my blog that have blogs too) Heck, if you read my blog, DO THIS!

Checking In

Song Mood - Mary Mary - Praise You

Blog Location: Ridgecrest, CA (in the desert, about 3 hrs north of SD, 3 hrs north of LA, 3 hrs south of Mammoth)

Well, I'm back in Ridgecrest. Can't say it's San Diego, but it's home, and home's good too. To think, all the amenities I have- Mom's cooking, pristine mountain views from my house, the opportunity to play the cello with my sister and my mom. Looking at my old scrapbooks and pictures.

Probably the thing I get most from Ridgecrest is the fact that I'm able to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I have time to read...for fun. I don't have to worry about driving and hoping there's no traffic. Being with my family, surprising for me to say sometimes, allows me to be centered and humbled. Especially when I see my siblings-they give me a lot to think about, and provide me with the best opportunity to make a significant impact on their lives.

I've been back since Tuesday, and I'm already leaving Friday for San Francisco to attend the California Dental Association meeting with my dad. It's the first meeting I've been to since high school, which means it's also the first meeting I'll be attending where I have interest in becoming a dentist. I'm gonna make the best out of the event and try to imagine myself in certain roles as I go through the exhibit halls, visit the dental school tables, maybe walkthrough a lecture or two.

I should be back in San Diego around the 19th, just in time for fall quarter, getting my new place moved in properly, making final preparations for classes, and saying hi again to all the people I've missed at church, particularly the missions team to Panama that left tonight and for whom much prayer is needed.

I would love to talk much about retreat last weekend, but I will try to save it for another time. It definitely left me with much to ponder, especially about truly surrending myself to God's will, and understanding what it means to serve others.

To my LA and Hoosier friends, I miss you guys immensely!