So I was hanging out with Jane and Christine last night, it was good to see them and have some dinner. Nothing like a little naengmyeon and galbi to help catch up... Anyways, afterwards we went to this cool little place to have a drink and met up with some of their friends. As we're sitting around the table talking one of the girls next to me looks over and tells everyone (in Korean) that I look like this really famous actor from American movies. Visions of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li start running through my head.

For a moment I even had flashbacks to elementary school when kids would ask me to show them karate because I was asian, and obviously if we had smaller eyes, we should have learned karate from an old drunk war vet while growing up...anyways... Then she named the actor: I clench my teeth as I hear the name Tom Hanks. What? are you serious? Then it started to make sense... She was native Korean, so I suppose if i look a little bit like "whitey" (as my other friend describes it) then sure.. okay Tom Hanks.. "But which Tom Hanks?" I asked. To which Christine responded, "the younger one." Hmm.. Tom Hanks from Big? After a few mineutes of trying to imagine the implications of being told I look like the "Big" Tom Hanks, I felt I could accept it as a compliment. Nope, too late. The actor had changed, and a couple of the girls were describing another movie... really great acting, really handsome star... yup that who I look like.. that guy.. but what was the movie? Wait for it... The Shawshank Redemption. Yup, I've just been told I look like Morgan Freeman from Shawshank :\ (maybe Elliott and I are closer than I thought?) Now I can't help but laugh... Okay.. I look over that this girl and try to squeeze out a.. "thank you?" to which she replies that it's "the other guy." Tim Robbins? My response, "thank you?" and we should call her a cab, because she needs her sleep.




I'm thankful for ridiculous comparisons from both sides of the ocean regarding we "exotic blends" ;) including the awkward situations they bring and the laughs that follow.

So it's been a while since I last threw some thoughts up into this great cloud we call the blogosphere.. I know, I generally blog during midterms and finals when I should be studying.. but this time around I didn't get a chance to study too much for my finals, so I'll make up for lost time.

Earlier this week while teaching a contemporary issues course, I found myself presented with the age old question of "Is money necessary for happiness?" Needless to say, there were a variety of opinions on the topic and it was interesting to hear the different view points from Korean students, especially the ones that come from fairly affluent families. In the course of our discussion, I referred my students to an article that simply stated that people are generally "happier" when they journal. (or blog in our cases) Either way, the article said that people who journal/blog can go back and reflect on the things they're thankful for and see how their lives have, over time changed, had ups and downs and regardless of the difficulties, these "journalers" (or bloggers) tend to appreciate their lives more than people who don't.
One thing I'm at at fault for, is not taking enough time to stop and be thankful. To fully reflect on how many tens, if not hundreds or thousands of things I could be thankful for... So starting today, I'm going to work on making it a habit...

Today I'm thankful for friends: To top the list would be rockstar. It's amazing how in a world of 6 billion people, all of who have differing personalities, desires and goals, we can find someone and be able to share our entire life with them. Rockstar and I, on many levels, are pretty different. He's creative, I try... I'm tall, he tries... He sings, I try... By the way, did I mention I was tall? ;) Anyways, in the past several months, I've had the opportunity to give to him and receive from him more that I could have imagined. Sometimes I hear people talk about "divine appointments." If you're not familiar with the term, it refers to the crossing of two (or so) paths with a destiny set by God. I truly believe with all my heart rockstar and I have that. I'm still not quite sure what we'll accomplish or how else we're going to continue to help each other, but I'm confident that we will.

Of course I can't forget people like the one and only Mr. Farmer, The Good Doctor and soon to be Mrs. Good Doctor, LM3 and ToriM3, Matt Brunk whose brutal honesty is refreshing, Mentor Tracey Beal, and the slew of friends in Korea including the gyopo of all gyopos... and the countless others...

For you all I am grateful....