Being the self professed technology "geek" that I am... I have found South Korea's lack of free wifi quiet saddening. Seoul in particular, if jam packed with coffee shops galore. There are literally dozens stacked on top of each other, while major chains such as Starbucks and TOMNTOMS have upwards of 6 or 7 within a few mins walking distance.

The challenge is, many of these major chains don't offer free wifi, and many of the littler chains that do offer free wifi also serve beer. Have you ever tried to read a book or study in a packed coffee shop that serves beer? (maybe something for law schools to consider!)

Either way, yesterday I was told by a friend that Starbucks and Google, the infamous search giant have teamed up to offer free wifi Korea's Starbucks. (Wonder why Google would do such a thing? 4% market share). Anyways, I haven't tried it out yet, but you'd better believe I will...

Here's a link to the story

From flickr

So I saw Esther yesterday and the first thing she says is "omg... Your hair is big..." Translation: time for a hair cut. So I go to the hair place today and after cutting my hair, the gal asks me how I like it "styled." My first response was "sexy," but decided to just give the typical "you know.." guy response. So after throwing some wax in there and asking me to do my thing... She tells me that my hair is "pc" ? Huh? PC? Like Political Correctness? Yup. Just like that. She continues, "you know, some people want their hair all kinds of crazy, while other people go for the poindexter look. You on the other hand, you go a bit crazy but keep it within the limits... That's 'pc'" Hmmm.. the guy sitting across from me at starbucks, just ripped a nasty one. I glance up, and he gives me a wink... :\ I think this post is done now.

Blogging for the new year.

Today is December 31, 2007, it’s a Monday and I woke up at 7:30AM. I must say that I feel particularly different about this new year, different than I’ve ever felt. Over the past two days, especially yesterday after hitting up Dr. Fredrick K. C. Price’s church with Elliott, I had an intense urge for solitude. I was slightly torn because I feel like I have a commitment to the guys (rockstar, big love, and bradly) to stay engaged and interact with them during this road trip. At the same time, I feel an unprecedented desire to plan, reflect, and consider. This morning rockstar and I woke up early and headed to the beach. It was a the nicest of mornings, the weather was perfect, the beach was virtually empty, except the dedicated surfers out catching the occasional ridable waves, and the sky was blue. (At least as blue as it can be in Los Angeles) I’ve been dealing with two major issues this year in my personal life: the Sovereignty of God, and change. The first, which I started blogging on before, is something that goes hand in hand with the second.

As we sat on the beach, eating our bagels and drinking our respective favorite Starbucks concoctions and talking; the topic of our futures and the current moment and places in our lives saturated the conversation.

I can’t help feeling like so much has happened this year. As I sit here now in our room, big love, rockstar and I, all blogging while bradly is fighting off his cold, I can’t help but seeing a year full of very high highs and heart wrenching lows. The roller coaster of events, I could not have predicted in my most wildest of imaginations; not just me, but even within the “circle of trust” that I consider those dearest to me, we were all taken for a ride. ... For the first time in my life as I look at this past year, I can say that I feel a sense of movement. My first choice of words was “accomplishment” but I’m a bit hesitant because I don’t know that I feel like I’ve necessarily accomplished anything. But I am quite certain that I have started. For those of you who know me, I’ve always been the mover and shaker. Always doing, moving, working. Isn’t it strange that with everything I’ve done and always seem to be doing, that everything we all seem to be doing, so often we don’t make any headway, no achievement, no advance. We seem to accomplish so many things and yet can’t say that we’ve made any progress of worth. 2007, while by many standards I haven’t accomplished much if anything, I feel like I’ve made movement.

The second area I’m dealing with, change, is the area in which I see the most movement. I’ve been dealing with a lot of change this year. Applying to law schools, two and a half months in DC, mending broken friendships, changes in family, four months in Korea, and immense change within the “circle of trust.” I can’t say exactly when I started feeling it, but it seems like one day I looked up and there it was: CHANGE. As rockstar and I were talking at the beach, we couldn’t help but chuckle at some of the situations we’ve been involved in this past year, and while many were and are still very difficult to close, they seem to be necessary to teach us. For me, the biggest lesson I learned this year, might be simply: I need to change. I wish I could say that many years ago I had this realization, but I can’t. No, it was only in the past 12 months, through a number of unpredictable events that I found myself accepting of, perhaps even longing to be changed. Having just realized this at the age of nearly 27 (or 28 if if we’re discussing my Korean age) I realize I have so far to go, and while my movement in 2007 has been measurable the distance that lies ahead seems just the opposite.

Another first, I can say with all certainty, that I am uncertain of what 2008 holds for me. And at the same time, I am more confident of 2008 than I have ever been of any upcoming year. The “ifs” of 2008 seem daunting so I’ll begin this new year with one of my resolutions and areas of development... WORRY LESS, TRUST MORE...

Happy New Year... God Bless

So much has happened in the past 96 hours since I've been back in the states. I've had breakfast at Parsons three days in a row, been to starbucks twice, and the mall once. It doesn't seem much like Christmas this morning...as a matter of fact yesterday felt more like Christmas; yesterday when I was on the phone with my cousins and friends from Korea. It's interesting how much things change in a short span like four months. I was having coffee with rockstar the other day and telling him that for some reason I don't feel like Arizona is my home. Don't get me wrong, my family is here and perhaps someday I'll be back here to settle down but, in the mean while I feel like I'm a traveler, as if there's so much for me to learn and explore.

My experience in Korea seems to change more everyday than I could have imagined in the whole of the year I'm supposed to be there. I've made a new little sister, Gong-Shan from China, I've made a slew of good friends and even a really great friend. I've met amazing family like Do Yoon and Peel Ju and Hyun Ju; my uncles, aunts, and other cousins have blessed me and introduced me to an aspect of my life and heritage that I could not have imagined possible in a hundred years... and for this I am greatful to God.

In the past week, I've also had an amazing time getting to see the working of a soveriegn God in ways that I had forgotten that He works. I hope to blog more on this topic later today. But right now, Christmas brunch is about to be ready and I should go get ready...

Merry Christmas and Happy Advent.

Hmmm. rockstar's not surprised, "I knew it would happen, it was just a matter of time..." or so he said. And no, I'm not talking about that which he presumes I'm talking about, what I'm really talking about is the "finals" atmosphere that seems to envelope everyone and every thing around here. I mean finals week in the US is one thing, but here they've taken it to another level. You have to show up before 9:00am if you plan on getting one of 2000 electronically reservable study desks at the library on the weekend! My cousin spends hours a day at the library while my housemates do the same. Me? Finals start next Tuesday and yes, tonight, a Friday night, I could be found at Starbucks...studying. And while it's not the school library, I consider it just as bad. What's even CRAZIER is that I'm up past 10PM!!! (I wonder just how Korean I'll become? )

Today was a productive day.  And by productive I don't necessarily mean that I left my room, although I did.  I showered, had some qt, ate kimbap, ate some brown eggs (and I really mean brown, as in the eggs whites were egg browns... and it was a bit chewy, and the uhh "browns" had a flavor.. my housemate told me it's because of the way it's cooked.  Right.) I did some laundry, did quite a bit of homework, even got out of the house a bit to venture to starbucks.  So this is where I begin my blog.. (after which I will hit the books again).