Category: Thoughts

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Reasons why I love smoked food

I love any food, especially meat, smoked. And like many, there’s a good reason as to why.

We all grew up being a bit pyromanic… right? Didn’t we? Well, I know I did. 😛 I remember memories of making my own fire crackers… putting two matches head to head and wrapping the heads in aluminum foil and heating up the foil, you had instant crackers. 😀

However, what was even more memorable was my visits to my grandparents’ place in Namwon. It is (at least it was when I was a kid) a small town about an hour away from Chonju, Soojin’s hometown, and 5 hours south of Seoul. Back when I used to visit, they still cooked food using wood. Rice was cooked in this big black pot that sat on top of fire. My (beloved) grandma used to let us feed wood to that thirsty fire, and my brother and I didn’t care how hot it was, we just kept feeding the fire to it.

Soon enough, I developed a strong liking to the smell of burning wood. When crop was good, there’d be days when my uncle would bring in peas and after they are dried in sunlight, we’d set the whole thing on fire and eat the cooked peas inside the pods. Boy were they good!

So every time I eat or smell either smoked food or burning wood, I always reminisce about the old days. Things were much simpler then… Cooking in fire was even cooler at night. Shucks… I wish I could relive that moment.

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I have my very first article published (even if it’s online!)

I came across this neat online magazine called “The Brew” thanks to Deborah. Well, I found out that it’s written by viewers a lot of times… and for the month of July, I found out that the theme was “Western” and since it has impacted me a great deal, I decided to submit an article! 😮

Here it is!! I’m honestly just giggly thinking that there’s some kind of article online with my name on it! 😀

Please give it a read and the magazine as well! Here’s my article!

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Lifebits Update

As many have been asking, Soojin is slowly getting better. She’s been able to attend Sunday services. (yeah!) She takes the kids to the local playground and some days to the local library. But she says that even these outings will tire her out.

Kids are finally missing home… and their daddy! 😀 Call me mean but I was glad to hear that. 😛 They miss their lives here in the States… and Anna is counting down the days till she returns! However, on the plus side, she has been taking “piano lessons”, which is primarily learning how to read music notes. And she’s loving it! 😮 So I am very glad to hear that she is learning something new and enjoying herself in the process… They are watching lots of Korean children’s cartoons… I don’t know how they will adapt once they return to the States… JJ didn’t want to try taekwondo. Oh well…

Speaking of JJ, he’s been showing more and more of OCD (obssessive compulsive disorder) symptoms. Even earlier on, he had to get things done just the way he liked it. He couldn’t leave windows and doors open, and would go and close them. I sure hope it’s a phase… My theory/take is that smart and intelligent people tend to be OCD as well. I know quite a lot of intelligent people and they are mostly like that. I would trade intelligence for social aptitude ANY day! Being able to work with others, and accepting others who are different, and ability to work with different people is what I consider more valuable in society. Of course, it’s not like I want my son to be deliberately failing and/or stupid. By no means! I’m just saying that between intelligence and social aptitude, I’d pick the latter… hands down. Well behaved is included in that as well! 😛

On a more personal note, I was planning on biking to work 4 times this week. However, I didn’t get up till too late on Tuesday and ended up driving to work. I biked in yesterday. But that meant that I’d have to bike in both today and Friday! 🙁 I was hoping to do two days at a time … but realized how weak my will power is. So after asking my Bible study group to pray for some will power, I just moved my lazy ass out of the bed, and dragged my butt out of home and biked in! 🙂

Changing habits is hard. We, humans, are creatures of habits. Breaking free from bad ones is tough enough… but incorporating good habits is not any easier… one day at a time… to God be the glory… and here’s biking in tomorrow (and not giving in!!)!

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Korean Word: ? (pronounced “jung”)

There was this girl when I was in Austin while I helped out at Austin KPC.  It was her last year in college and she was going to move to a faraway place to Boston for more schooling.  She had a rough year, and all she had was resentment, frustration, and bit of anger mixed into one gigantic concoction.  Her graduating class seemed so… hopeless to her.  They seemed to to be not trying… at least in her sight.  So when I had a chance to speak with her, she complained of them and told me how she wouldn’t miss Austin.  She really meant the people.

I told her then, just as I would again now if the opportunity came back, that no matter how much people had upset you and made you flabbergasted, when time goes by, you will miss them.  In fact, that you would long to see them again, and even perhaps want to relive that moment.  She didn’t think so.  I saw her briefly few years later… and she had told me that indeed, that is the case.

There’s a word in Korean language that my good friend, Professor Paul Andre Minifee, understood all too well.  ?.  There’s no English equivalent word for it.  It is similar to affection, having developed a sense of bond, of belonging, of family, and becoming a part of that person’s life.  It’s like as if you have imparted in that person(s) a part of you in them and so when they are far away, you miss them.  You long for them.

I have been nearly married (come next June 9) seven years.  Seven freaking years.  Time just goes by.  Did my use of that f-word startle you?  Does that seem to imply that I’m not happy for past 7 years?!  Well, it would be partially true.  But only in very small part.  You see, as I have been telling whoever seems to need to hear it, we fought practically on a daily basis the first couple of years of our marriage.  It’s sheer God’s grace that we had pulled through it all.  When Soojin and Anna stayed in Korea for 2 months back five years ago, I hadn’t missed them so much (save for that stupid movie with the worst intro called “Finding Nemo“!).

However, now that we have been together for 7 years, having lived with my daughter for 6 years, and JJ for 4 years, I have developed a sense of “jung” towards them.  It just seemed like yesterday when JJ’s constant waking up at 3 am would drive both of us nuts!  It seemed like yesterday that Anna would simply just cry to put a stop to her father’s impending punishment.  And it still feels like we just fought yesterday.  Now, I miss them.  Terribly.

Funny how life changes a person.  As time goes by, through the thick and thin, you develop this special kind of bond.  I suppose this is what you call marriage.  And a family.  What used to bother me, I’d trade everything I have to just have it back!  I miss JJ snoring (like his father) at night.  Anna sleeps like a stick (or a frog, depending on her fatigue level) at night.  Soojin is… unreadable only sometimes.

I now find myself again finding God to be… a bit of a comic.  To make us as we are, I just can’t stop thinking about what He must’ve been thinking when designed and created us!  I’m not lovable by any means… but I guess God had developed a sense of ? (jung) towards us: both lovable and annoying at the same time.  It’s going to be tough three months, but we are all in a place God wants us to be…

I miss everyone … all the people I had met in the past.  I wonder if that girl, who is now married, would still tell me that she misses those people from Austin…

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Dilemmas: Presidential Election 2008

Man… I don’t know who to vote for this time around!

My liege to the Reps has been long dwindling with Bush jr.’s poor choices and performance.  The killer was his denying that we are not in a recession!  WTH?!  Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have to pay for gas and rising food cost!  😡  So anyhow, I was doubtful of it…

Then decent looking candidate arose, and his name was Ron Paul!  But alas, despite my vote for him, he lost.  🙁  Then McCain won.  Don’t get me started on him!  The deal breaker was finding out that he and his aides were behind supporting EADS in earning the $40 billion air tanker deal from Air Force!  😡  😡

And then there are the Dems!  Oh where do I start?!  Hilary?!!  Poo ha ha ha!!  And last time I heard, she’s on the losing streak… and Obama?  His very nature and sense of who he is just… bothers me!  No one can be THAT nice!  Let me rephrase that… No politician can be that nice!  And he just seems too… inexperienced… not to mention that he will kill the space program!

Oh the sheer dilemmas!!  🙁  Ron, why did you lose, Ron?!!  This is going to be a tough year… and tough 4 years after that!!!  God help us all!!

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Adapting to Life: Incorporating Biking

As I attempt to increase the frequency of riding the bike to work this week, it has introduced a new problem: lunch. Or rather, lack of ability to carry lunch to work. 🙁

I believe that in life, one has to always try hard to adapt to the changes that surrounds the person. After all, nothing stays the same forever, and getting too attached to habits of life can only bring in complacency. Last week, I just bought lunches at work cafeteria. There are two problems with this.

  1. Food taste and selection is terrible! It just plainly sucks.
  2. It is too expensive! Trying to eat healthy, chicken salad cost me $7 last week! 😮

I usually pack turkey sandwiches but the plastic container it resides in is too big! That definitely did not fit in my medium sized messenger bag that I take with me to work. It already contains my change of clothes on top of other sundry things.

To really make this healthy, green, and cost-saving habit to take full life, I had to make this lunch happen! Then this morning, it occurred to me. I could just pack individual sandwiches in its own smaller containers! It’s thinner (half the thickness) and would allow to be compact! Engineering at its finest! 😀 So I don’t have to spend too much money to buy lunch at work now! Yeah!

Even in engineering, you have to constantly adapt to different challenges, as new problems always ensue. Here’s to successful biking to work three times this week! Depending on how well this week goes, I may just bike to work all 5 days next week! Here’s to your health.

And for the last part, I wanted to thank all those that cared about my health and thus kept pestering me over and over and over… and over! 😛 That means thanks goes to Soojin, my dearest wife, my mom, and my mother-in-law!! Ha ha ha… Thanks everyone.

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Scout: Korean Movie Review & Politics

I came across this Korean movie entitled “Scout“.  It was about a guy who worked at a university as a baseball scout.  There was a up-and-coming talent from Kwang-ju.  So how can you go wrong with a sports movie, right?!  Wrong!!  🙁

Shoot… don’t wanna mess up your plot but let me point out that it does bring up and rotate around the infamous Korean massacre from 1980.  It was called “Kwangju Massacre“.  Since the Korean general Chun Doo-hwan took over the government via power and coup d’état, Koreans took it upon themselves to protest against the power.  This happened in the city of Kwangju.

I am more than furious about this … watching the movie reminded me of it… now, of late, I have been hearing how they miss both loser “presidents”… Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan did some nasty and terrible stuff and if I ever hear again how they miss some of these worst humans ever, I’m gonna explode!!  If you are willing to exchange food for people’s lives, you are …. erg.  Forget it.