Jake made me sign up for Friendster, the Napsterization of online socialization. He's the only person I listed but according to the site:

"You are connected to 27008 people in your Personal Network, through 1 friend."

That one friend is Jake. Jake, you're a beast.

Anyhow, this site is a testament to the sixth degree game. Especially for Korean Christians, I must say that this site will singlehandedly prove that we're all connected to the 3rd degree.

"Oh Snap"

I noticed that only New Yorkers say this bit of slang as an exclamation point. Californians say "Dang," and at least my friends from Philly and I said, "Dag." It's funny how regional dialects go unnoticed until confronted by outsiders. We sometimes don't even realize which things we utter are regional. Some Philadelphians pronounced water as "wooder," but when asked of it, they wouldn't know what you're talking about. I moved a lot in the northeast while growing up, so the only thing that I've known to be regional is that I pronounce orange as "ah-rinj" vs. "oh-rinj," and Sarah with the a in "Sar" rhyming with "Sap" or "Sat," unlike the Chicago "SEHR-ah." As for Southerners, they're in a league of their own.

It's a hot and muggy SAT-urday here in New Jersey; I think I'll cool off with some iced tea.

Ohhhh snap.

Yesterday, I bought the following two items at Target, on a whim: Interpol's debut CD for $10, Platoon DVD for $15.

I just finished screening the DVD after a long day of hiking at the green and rocky trails of Mohonk, dinner at a youth group member's house, and a night of fireworks at my little brother's high school. The Mohonk trails were beautiful and challenging, breathtaking and physically demanding. In the fall, I learned the foliage views are unmatched, vibrant symphonies of color. I must go again this fall. After dinner, I played Tekken for the first time in years, it was another rush. The fireworks display were well worth the time spent going to watch them; they went on for a good half hour, and we had a great view.

***

I did not expect anything out of Platoon besides it worth my being first bought DVD. I did not expect anything but justification for the Academy Award for Best Picture. At the movie's conclusion, I had satisfaction, for sure. I did think that he didn't have to state some obvious points, but I am glad that Oliver Stone created this masterpiece.

***

During authoring this blog entry, it had come to my attention that Barry White, the greatest singer of lovin', died this morning. Goodness, we will all miss that man. Here's the NY Times obituary.

2 Corinthans 5:17.
Psalm 27:1-2.

"actually i think a lot of asian guys would make beautiful women" — Sang Hee Kim

I have no comment.

"Lookin' for, lookin' for to save my.... soul..."

i wake up each day hoping that the following turn of events will be different from the previous day. i go to sleep each day disappointed that they stayed the same.

an army of ants crawl up my pants. i push them down, but one by one, still they come. armed with teeth, seething past my fingers to reclaim what they had lost. once cleansed, always cleansed, but still they climb, a juggernaut of many.

the pale glow from my computer screen bathes the room in self glory. moving pictures, static fixtures, a false electron story.

hope lies in the vision, but death in tele-vision.

"They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." — Psalm 107

my mouth is open, i wait. straightaway, i look to a city where i can settle. pizza delivered fresh from the oven to the door. lift me up from the floor.

rejuvenate, resonate, resuscitate. pluck strings to vibrate freedom, repeating in wire and silicon, speakers lifting and lilting.

stand up and fight; to arms my friend, to arms my friend. charge forth with head down, flare those nostrils. ready the sword, the breastplate, the shield of faith. to arms, my friend, to arms.

"Strange Dreams"

I dreamt that I was walking to school, talking to ***** on the phone. We were catching up on things, but much to our consternation my phone kept losing reception in the middle of the conversation. Finally, the reception seemed to be fine, until I walked off of the dock that I didn't notice.

"I'll call you back! I fell into the water!"

Jamming the phone into my pocket, I slackened my limbs and began to float upon my waterproof bookbag. The current drifted me towards the dock; seizing the opportunity, I pulled myself up onto dry ground. Everything was intact with exception of my hat, which had blown off as I had fallen in.

"My BABY!" screamed a thirty-something woman. The toddler had just fallen into the dock as well, her last known words being a cheerful, "I love you, mommy!" The woman had sat absorbed in her studies until she heard her baby's splashing.

I stood thinking of the person with whom I had just been talking. I walked to my campus, found a spot with good reception and gave a call. Ring one. Ring two. Ring three. I can't believe this person would be mad at me, when I had just risked drowning. Ring four. Ring five, and the phone picked up.

"Hello? Hey, I had fallen off the dock, I had to rescue myself from the water!"

No answer greeted me but the sounds of a group of friends aimlessly chatting.

"Hello? Are you there?"

I gave up after a couple more tries, and walked to my dorm. The RA greeted me.

"Tim, you fear that you don't have any skills, that you had wasted all of your time here, but I believe in you. We're going to hold a meeting soon to campaign for the school to abstain from knocking this dorm down next year."

Nodding, I walked to the dorm lounge and sat at the bar counter. The residents piled in and sat in a circle. We had our meeting, and I requested we close with our respective prayers. The Jewish guy next to me sneered and told me to refrain from shoving my belief in Christ upon them. Startled, I sat back, but we still had the time of prayer.

I am going to change my site around. I don't know when, but the added intro to my site is the first step.


Job search... goodness.

1) Please visit this site for a new Fox TV show and give me your opinions. Is it racist? Is it not? If it is racist, what should be done? Visit the "angry asian man" link in my link list to the right.

2) Here is an article on "white privelige" in America. I found it to be an interesting read.

3) I'm not an Asian rights activist. However, there are times when I see that I can't avoid these issues. I can't forget episodes in which I was negatively singled out for being Asian in a historically non-Asian atmosphere. I understand the people's reactions now, but as a kid it wasn't easy for me to understand. While it took me a while to forgive, there always be cultural reminders that don't let me forget. For example, last weekend a black kid on the subway asked me if I knew martial arts. Was it an innocent question, or was it a question formed by her parents' and cultural training? I'm not so sure, but either way, it reminded me of the same questions specifically rising from racist attitudes in the past experiences. I don't think it's an issue I can ever forget in this lifetime, because there will always be reminders.

After waking and going through morning routines, I jammed a bit on my electric, then carted myself off to New York again. Earlier this week, I had found out about this really interesting theatre troup, New York Classical Theatre. They perform for free in Central Park for a couple of months in the summers. This troupe isn't the traditional "Shakespeare in the Park" that people know about, and they don't perform in the Delacorte amphitheater. They perform on the ACTUAL PARK grounds! It was really a sight to see and follow, as they moved throughout the crowd and used the park landscape as their stage and props. Some of the fun was in watching the decent acting. It was not the best, obviously, but good for what you pay: nothing! However, the real fun was in the guessing of where the next scene would take place, rushing to get the best view, and sometimes discovering that the actors would be moving through the crowd right by you. And, suprisingly, they were very clear and audible, considering the impossibility of using any sort of amplification.

This production is a great way to relax and have a good, carefree time amidst the din of the city. Sunday, June 29th is the last performance of the current production, "Much Ado About Nothing," so if you read this before 7 PM, check it out! They're going to then put on another play during the month of August, so keep your eyes peeled if you happen to amble through northwest Central Park on a clear weekend evening. :-)

****

The other reason I like to go to New York is the precious solitary enrichment I receive. I get some of my best journaling and thinking done on my solitary New York sojourns, thanks to observing the plethora of material that pulses within the city, and thanks to the times of reflection as I take the train in and out of the city. During the train rides in, I read and reflect upon what has happened to me up until that point in life. During the time in the city I observe the people of all races, purposes, and backgrounds, the visual cacophany of urban architecture, and the cultural resources. And, finally, as I return from the city, I take in all that I had expected coming in, what I had received during my stay, and where I should go next in life. I appreciate every moment; thanks, God.