The United States of Richard

I Saw a Man Pursuing the Horizon - Stephen Crane

2011-08-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

I saw a man pursuing the horizon;
Round and round they sped.
I was disturbed at this;
I accosted the man.
"It is futile," I said,
"You can never -"

"You lie," he cried,
And ran on.

2011-08-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

There is something strangely wonderful about the unbeautiful trying to be beautiful.

Siblings

2011-08-14T22:44:00.000-07:00

It annoys me, because my siblings, excluding Samuel, think that I'm a fundamentalist nobody loser. While I am a fundamentalist, a nobody, and a loser, this is no way for a younger sibling to think of their older brother. My pride is wounded and since I can't change this no matter what, I hope that I can at least grow some humility from it. I always wanted intelligence but now I feel like intelligence is useless. It only helps me be sadder and more humble.

I have a lot of negative relationships with women in my life. Well, close relationships at least. I'm guessing it's spawning from my relationships with my sister. But that's no excuse. I guess I'm not too great either. I just hope that my relationship with my wife would be a healthy one.

I just want to be holier. I think the high is coming down. Now it's time for my depression drought.

'A Chip on the Shoulder' as the saying goes

2011-08-05T15:35:00.001-07:00

At the request of Simon, a dear and estranged friend of mine.

I am trying something that very few people, if any, have ever tried at Westminster Seminario de California: I am going to try to pass the test and skip first semester Greek. For those of you NOT here, you probably do not understand the grave and serious implications of this endeavor.

It means that while EVERY other first year student at Westminster is taking Summer Greek, I am at my new home, doing nothing. And if I fail this placement exam, then I will be one year behind on all my classes since Greek is so vital to a Seminary education.

Now, I've talked to several people at the seminary, both students and staff, and I cannot help but get the feeling that nobody expects me to pass and I'll be the asterisk, the guy parents point to and say to their children, "that is why you don't miss Summer Greek". So I'm studying. I'm studying hard and studying long yet I still cannot help but feel inadequate.

There is no way I can ever know enough Greek for anything. But there are pockets. There are pockets of time when I actually get some hope. Hope that perhaps, I'll be ok. Hope that perhaps, I'll get through, even if just barely. Then reality kicks in 15 minutes later and I find myself crying in the corner of my room in my corner of the house where nobody looks.

But I have no choice. I have no choice but to go and kill the monster that is Greek Placement Exam. I have to kill it, even if I can't. I have to kill it, even if I die. I have to kill it, if it's the last thing I do...

2011-07-01T09:07:00.001-07:00

Hyuk Hyuk.

2011-06-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

hyuk hyuk.

An Awesome Theatre Policy

2011-06-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

This is a video that I found on Slashfilm.com.

It has a bit of cursing but excuse it because it's awesome. This is a quote about the video from the writers at /film (that's [slash]film, get it?):

"This is beautiful. Anyone who agrees with this phone call should never go to a theater."

And I have to say that I completely agree with this statement.

New Template

2011-05-19T10:17:00.001-07:00

Looks cool. You can actually see the whole videos that I put up now. Plus it looks serene and blurry.

New Girl

2011-05-19T10:15:00.001-07:00

looks fun. Props to the infamous Jenn Chung for this.

On Sin and Accountability

2011-05-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

Me and a friend of mine set up a system of accountability which hits us where it hurts when we sin. This is a specific particular sin, but for the sake of privacy, we will just call it "the sin".

So whenever, he or I "sin", we have to pay the other $50. Straight up. This is, by far, one of the most difficult choices I have ever made in my life.

Now, you may be appalled at the seemingly legalistic nature of this system, but I assure you, it is not.

It is peculiar. I had some concerns of course: "what if the $50 turns into some kind guilt money, so after we pay, we stop feeling guilty, which would lead to us freely sinning and then just paying the other without really letting it bother our conscience."

After doing it for two weeks, I found out that this was not the case.

Now, this is why this decision was the most difficult decision I've made in forever. This was the Gospel actually manifesting itself in my life. Not theoretical. Not academic. This was practical application of Scripture. This was my recognition and realization that God sent his very own son, Jesus Christ, to die the most horrendous death that I so love to talk about, for my sins. And this decision was a physical manifestation of my appreciation and act of worship to this God.

After being on this system for 3 weeks, we came to a fork in the road. We will not be seeing each other on a regular basis because I will be gone to Westminster and he will stay in Talbot. So we had to decide if we were going to continue this system of accountability or not. The thing is, we both knew that RIGHT when we called off the system of accountability, we would both sin, almost immediately. not a doubt in my mind. And I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY want to "sin". BUUTTTTTT, we ALSO know that the Godly, Christ-centered thing to do, is to keep the accountability system on and keep each other accountable.

So, we decided to keep it on, but my sinful self, the one whom I battle with everyday, regretted the decision immediately after it left my mouth.

So this is how I came to make the hardest decision in my life because my desire to "sin" is a strong strong desire.

So I leave you with this. Pray for myself to stay away from sin. That I keep the words of 1 Corinthians 9:27: "No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

I hope I have that in context and if not, someone please correct me.

Interlude Dance

2011-05-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

What is the Interlude Dance? Only the greatest thing to hit the US since the slave trade.

One example.

May Project: Haunted

2011-05-11T00:17:00.001-07:00

Haunted from Richard Chung on Vimeo.

Our May Project. Enjoy and fear!!! :-jD

A Big Beer Ad

2011-05-04T13:51:00.001-07:00

A Survey

2011-05-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

So what should I call my band (which would just have me in it. But I like being in a band. Even if it's by myself.)

The Empiricists

The Apologists

Your input may or may not have any affect on my decision.

The Origins of the Current Calendar

2011-04-26T11:47:00.001-07:00

Our current calendar was established by a short Scythian fellow named Dionysius Exiguus. I will now explain why this is awesome.

Many calendar systems prior to mister Exiguus' were based on the reigns of kings. This was actually a pretty common practice in a variety of cultures.

Now, in order to make life simple for everyone involved, Exiguus decided to create a system based on the life of one random man: Jesus Christ. This man succeeded all previous kings and eras in which calendars were based on and just owned them all. Our current calendar is based on the life of our true king.

A couple more random facts:

A.D. is not "After Death". This isn't really a pet peeve of mine and I don't openly correct them but I just judge people who say that A.D. stands for "After Death". I'd rather not embarrass them. It actually stands for Anno Domino which means "Year of the Lord". If you think about it, it just doesn't make any logical sense why A.D. would be "After Death". That must mean there is a 30 year gap of nothingness between B.C. and A.D.
A couple years ago, some fools tried to change it to B.C.E. and C.E. Super lame attempt. It stands for "Before Common Era" and "Common Era" respectively. Pff. Nice try, dorks. Maybe in a million years when you make your own calendar system. Pff. duh.

April Project: One Bored Afternoon

2011-04-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

One Bored Afternoon from Richard Chung on Vimeo.

Daniel, Brother of Paul, of the Cho Clan tells his testimony at Chick-fil-a

2011-04-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

recorded and transcribed by Manchan the Banchan, scribe and computer programmer.

Daniel: Sometimes when you hear an explosion it’s in the distance, but this one was like really close, so I was like, right...I noticed that the first vehicle...most of the first vehicle was quiet, and then when you hear an explosion, and you know that it’s your convoy that got hit, everyone stops. Everyone immediately stops, and then you wait 2 seconds, and if nothing comes over the radio net, saying oh like “We’re okay” or “We need help,” if nothing comes over the net for over 2 seconds, then we react with what we have to do. So...

Matthew: Because the dudes died.

Daniel: We’re like, “They’re still injured,” or something about them, big ol’ [inaudible]. I’m waiting...so like by then, the second vehicle’s already pulled into his position to get his friends, to pull the people in by the side, and I was supposed to go behind, to make like a little um...

Simon: A “u”?

Daniel: Yeah, I think uh...

Matthew: A “wagon circle”?

Daniel: Yeah, like a...I can’t think of the word...

Terrance: “Cover”?

Daniel: Yeah kind of like a defensive cover [perimeter] for that vehicle. So I remember pulling up, by the time...

Terrance: Cowboys and Indians.

Daniel: ...there are people already coming out to help that vehicle. And I was already worried because I was thinking about, of Haze, the driver. So I remember, I pull up, and like when I get there, there’s like they have like a halo, kind of like a guard rail, and if you hit it any harder [inaudible], so the guard rail had full impact, and I was like kind of sitting there. Drivers are always supposed to stay with their vehicle. But [inaudible] looked up and was all like, “Uh, some people...yeah, go out and help them.” So I get out, so by the time I was coming out, they’re pulling a passenger out of the Humvee, and like all I remember seeing is his right leg was missing, like below the knee...

Group: Ooo...

Daniel: ...and his left leg was straight up like hanging by a little skin or I don’t know...

Group: Ooo...

Daniel: ...cause you know the knee only bends like a certain way but it was flipped over like...

Group: Ooo...

Daniel: They were cleaning him up, and I remember like he wasn’t like screaming or anything but was like completely like, he was like dazed...

Matthew: Unconscious.

Daniel: He was conscious, I think he was like in...

Matthew: Shock.

Daniel: Shock, he was like limp. All I remember seeing was he was licking his lips. He was like . People they put like chewing tobacco beneath their lips, and I think he was trying to take that out. So he was [inaudible] while the guys were dragging him out, and all I remember as I was going to the Humvee was, I hear screaming from someone else that didn’t sound like Haze. So I went to the guy, I pulled the door open, and he was just like sitting there like he was like what the heck just happened. He was all bloody on his face...

Matthew: Was that his blood?

Daniel: That was his blood. He was holding his hand like this he was like sitting there. So like “Haze, are you okay?” He’s like, “Little bit.” So I’m like, “What’s wrong?” So he takes out his hand like this and his thumb was like completely severed and like hanging. So I’m like, “Oh my gosh.” So I think Haze’s face was all bloody because the impact, he hit the steering wheel and so his face is all bloody, is just a mess, cause there’s like a flow coming out it’s on my left--so all right let’s go get out of the vehicle, just pass him up to like someone else over there so they could put him in an evac vehicle, and uh, I could hear screaming, and I know it’s my friend that was the gunner of that vehicle. And so gunners are always standing in the middle of their vehicle, and so I opened the rear passenger seat by the door and he was just sitting there screaming. He was all like, “Get me out of here!” and I’m like, “What’s wrong? Can you stand?” And he was like, “No--I don’t know what’s wrong.” And I was like kind of evaluating him and I see blood around his pants and I was like, yeah his legs still seem intact--

Waitress: Would you sample our new banana pudding here, okay?

Terrance: Sure.

Group:

Matthew: That’s a nice segue.

Simon: Thank you.

Daniel: Thank you.

Waitress: Would you grab one?

Daniel: Yeah.

Matthew: Thank you.

Daniel: Um...

Group:

Matthew: She just pulled us out of that scene. He was like crouched over.

Terrance: So you were gonna pull him out...

Daniel: So his legs were in like the, where like your feet are, and he was sitting at the middle part of the vehicle. So he was sitting there screaming. I’m like “What wrong?” and he’s like “Oh no I’ve gotta go.” So I’m like, “You’re bleeding. You’ve gotta get some [inaudible].” He’s like, “Tourniquet! Tourniquet!” You know? I’m like alright that’s what I’m trained to do. A tourniquet’s like a thing you cramp down to stop the bleeding. So everyone has one tourniquet off of their body so he’s reaching for mine and I’m reaching for his, and so, we just put tourniquets on both his legs. I don’t even check what’s wrong with his legs, I just throw a tourniquet on there, I like just hang it down, I’m like “You okay?” and he’s like “You’re not... it’s not good enough!” He undoes it, and does it himself on both of them, and he’s like “Alright, get me out, get me out!” So this guy’s a pretty big guy, like...

Matthew: “Quick” guy?

Daniel: “Big”...big. So he’s like, we’re about the same height, but he’s like, more built. So he has like, he’s like, big--I’m like he’s probably, he looks like 200 lbs, I would assume. So I had to pull him out with all his gear on so I remember, he was hanging on the whole time. It’s hot, it’s sweaty, like my kevlar is like all over my face, I’m just like I can’t see half the time...

Terrance: You’re all freaking out.

Daniel: Yeah, it was pretty... yeah I believe so. I remember I grabbed him and kind of pulled him out and he can’t move his legs-- screaming and screaming and like more agony. And all I remember is that half of his leg got, he couldn’t lift, I had to lift his leg high enough to get his legs clear of the leg well or whatever, so when that happened, I literally dropped him.

Group: Ooohh...

Daniel: So I picked up and then dropped him, and he still kept screaming, non-stop screaming.

Simon: He’s on the ground?

Daniel: He’s on the ground now. And he would “Get me up!” and I’m “Okay, okay” and by then my lieutenant was already on the ground now. He would help me so he would grab people by the armpits and start dragging them without me grabbing the rest of his body, and so my friend is constantly screaming...I go to pick up us legs. I grab him right where his thighs, knees are...

Group: Ooo...

Daniel: Right when I pick up, he’s like, “Woooa!” He just slapped me.

Group:

Daniel: He just sat up and slapped me. I’m like, and I tried it again. So I’m like, “Why?” He’s like “Get your f-ing...” “I’m so sorry, sorry.” So he’s still dragging him [inaudible] I just grab him up and [inaudible] and we just throw him into car, like it’s a Humvee, so we throw him in, non-stop screaming [inaudible] “Is he okay?” “I think so,” [inaudible] “Okay, get back into your vehicles and we’re going back, we’re going to evac.” Alright so also because like when that happens you’re kind of vulnerable when all that man power [inaudible] are watching you, so I’ve got to get my gig going, they notice the sergeant that got his legs decapitated, or not decapitated...

Matthew: Severed.

Daniel: Severed. He was in the back of my Humvee. And so the vehicles were like turning around to get back to the ER. And we were going, and all I remember is that there was one sergeant who was sitting back there with the guy that was injured and he just starts laughing like crazy. I’m like, “What’s so funny?”

Terrance: Wait wait the one that was injured, the one that was screaming?

Daniel: Oh no no...

Terrance: The guy who lost his legs?

Daniel: Yeah.

Terrance: Okay.

Daniel: [inaudible] and so me, my squad leader, the injured guy, and this other sergeant was sitting there with him in the back.

Terrance: And he’s laughing.

Daniel: And he’s laughing. And I’m like “Who are you laughing at?” He’s like, “Dude,” he’s like, “Sergeant ___, he’s telling me how he’s gonna go on MySpace and tell his friends about this.”

Group:

Someone: What?

Daniel: “Are you saying that...” “Yeah, I don’t know if he’s making any sense...”

Terrance: The guy who lost his legs...

Daniel: Yeah, he’s just like [inaudible] saying, “I get to go on MySpace and tell my friends about this.”

Someone: Augh...

Daniel: I was like, that’s when I [inaudible] “Oh my God.”

Matthew: I would laugh.

Daniel: So we’re just like evac’ing to like this another, smaller [inaudible] but we never been to that town before. We do a little training here and there to get familiar with the area that we’re going through but we never been to this one before, so we’re going through, and after a while we’re like, “Where is this hospital,” like the directions were like pointing this way, this way, this way, there are like all these signs. We get to the hospital area but we don’t exactly where the actual ER area is, so we stopped and we got out and it was right near the helipad and we’re like, “Too late,” cause there were guys already, my friend Haze, the [inaudible], he really thought he could come out of the car, so he started running to the hospital, so he ran by himself into the distance [inaudible] they were the ones waiting [inaudible] it was about a 100 meter stretch from they were to where we were, and so Haze was just running by himself. He was just like, he’s like running, he’s like, “Help!” And we were like, I can see him running...my friend [inaudible] broken leg guy whatever, he’s non-stop screaming, still screaming, the guys are carrying him [inaudible] and they’re taking off with him and he’s screaming. He’s like “Get me a doctor!” He’s making it so dramatic. And then in our Humvee, we have our guy on a stretcher. And so I get out, we all get out. We all take his sides, and as I’m getting out, I took like I took the back side. People brought him in in the back end as he came out, and then the thing was as we were about to leave, we started running, I was like “Wait!” and then “What?” They left his leg inside the [inaudible] so I was just like grab, put it under and we took off.

Group:

Daniel: Yeah.

Matthew: Wuh, you think you can sew it back on?

Daniel: I don’t know! I just have it. I don’t know. It’s his body, we need it, right, so, I remember, as I was about to close the door, I saw like [inaudible] oh dude that’s disgusting...

Matthew: Is it one or two?

Daniel: One. And his other one was still kind of hanging.

Someone: Oh man.

Daniel: So I grab it--you don’t really think about it--you just do it. You just grab it, everyone still has their gear on, we’re like tired and sweaty, like my glasses were just like...you know

Simon: You didn’t have contacts on?

Daniel: No. Contacts aren’t allowed in Iraq because of like a lot of dirt and dust. And when you get burned, something about the contacts melts into your eyes...stuff like that. So they [inaudible] glasses or like eye protection.

So I just remember you’re running with all your crap on because you have to have your weapons with you. So we’re running and all I remember is that I’m running and I’m just looking at his leg. Cause I don’t have to direct. I’m just following and carrying.

Terrance: Was he heavy?

Daniel: Yeah and he was heavy too. And like I don’t even feel it and then so I’m running I remember I’m watching his leg the one that’s still hanging it’s just like bouncing while we’re running it’s just bouncing bouncing bouncing it almost bounces off so I’m like put it back on and keep going. We get to the ER. We were just like going to this super bright and at that moment I was just like sooo focused on his severed leg...

Matthew: So you’re...that image is just burned into your head.

Daniel: It wasn’t like a clean cut it was like jagged and tore off kinda. So I’m like, I was like, “That was the bone, that must be like...”

Matthew: So were you in some kind of shock too by seeing that or were you like used to that?

Daniel: I’m not used to that...that was my first time seeing body parts. So I was just trying to guess. I’m like “That was like bone, that looks like muscle, maybe, I don’t know.”

Simon #2: Was this like the most traumatic experience you’ve ever had?

Daniel: Pretty much, yeah. So he gets to the ER, we drop him off, and then I almost forgot to leave the leg. So I drop it...

Group:

Daniel: While I was turning around, the doctors were like watching and like “Hey you, like stop” and I’m like “What? Oh oh, shoot...”

Group:

Daniel: So we go out, and we go out and we go outside of the entire level off [inaudible] was standing out there, and my squad leader’s like, “Dude, I hope everything’s okay.” I’m like, “Yeeaaah...” He’s like, “Cho...” Me and my friend we’re just like standing there, he’s like, “Cho...anyways, you guys take your gear off and go wash up.” And we’re like, “It’s okay I wanna wait.” He was like, “No, listen to me. Take your gear off and go wash up.” And when you look at the gear there was just like blood all over you. It got all [inaudible] and so he’s like, “Cho...go clean up.” And I was like, “No I don’t want to clean up.” So he’s like “Alright. I’m giving you a direct order to take your clothes off...”

Matthew: Why were you so insistent on...

Daniel: I don’t know! I was just showing like...I don’t know, I was just like, “No, I want to stay here. I want to stay here.” And so he told me like, “Take your top off and go wash off.” and I was like, “Okay, fine.” So I take my stuff off, and like took my toothbrush, I forget my glasses, and so my friend and I we’re walking to the hospital to wash and like people were straight up staring at us, and I was like, “Why are you staring at us?” We get to the bathroom and I immediately look at the mirror and see why he told me, there was like blood like all over. There were moments of grabbing and like [inaudible] with sweat [inaudible] so I was like “Ooh shiee...”

Group:

Daniel: I was like pouring hot water and like “Oh my gosh” and I come back out, and he’s like “So you now know why I told you to wash up?” and I’m like “Yeah.” So the remainder of that night, that guy, we were waiting, and so like [inaudible]. So I think about an hour later, there were high ranking doctors came out and he’s like, “Who put tourniquets on these guys?” and couple of us raised their hands, and he goes “If you guys didn’t do what you did these guys would’ve been dead.” I was all, “Auuww.”

Simon #2: Good job, dude.

Matthew: So what was wrong with his legs?

Daniel: His legs were completely shattered.

Matthew: The guy who was yelling...because there was like an explosion?

Daniel: No, so what happened with him, so when the gunner was standing in the turret, right in front of the legs there was like a metal radio mount, where our radios go, that place must have impacted hard, and it’s like jagged, well not jagged, it’s kind of smooth its got a sharp curve so when we got hit his legs just like full force into that thing and so the entire like shin bone or whatever I mean like hit it [inaudible]

Terrance: I want to be [inaudible] I’ll be [inaudible] too

Daniel:

Group:

Daniel: After they told us that everyone was stable, “You guys can go back to your base, rest up, and come back tomorrow to check how your guys are doing or whatever,” so that guy who had his legs severed, he pretty much lost both below the knee, so they just had to recut so it’s clean and he pretty much had a quick recovery, but my friend who had those shattered legs, he was in like non-stop agony for months because his bones had to heal.

Matthew: So he kept his legs.

Daniel: He kept his legs. I think they put like rods in them and stuff like that and so he was like in non-stop pain for like months after.

Terrance: So the guy who lost his legs, he was discharged?

Daniel: Yeah so he was discharged. Haze, was discharged because he lost his thumb. And so at the end of the year when we got back from deployment, we had our ball, like we’re celebrating another deployment. And we saw two of them: Haze, the thumb, and the guy who lost both his legs. He was on prosthetics at that time. He looks like he was already good.

Matthew: Are they like those cheetah legs?

Daniel: Yeah yeah yeah.

Terrance: Oh those are cool.

Daniel: Yeah.

Group:

Daniel: So we saw them, so I was like “Haze, how you doin’?” He’s like, “Are you thankful now that we switched?”

Matthew: Wuh was he all like...

Daniel: Yeah at the beginning of that entire mission, we had a mission brief, and initially I was the lead driver.

Matthew: Oh my goodness...

Daniel: And so during the mission my lieutenant was like, “One last thing: Cho, you’re going to switch with Haze.” And I was pissed that we were changing.

Terrance: So did you guys find out what exactly, was it an IED that exploded?

Daniel: It was a, probably an EFP, and those are called “Explosively Formed Penetrator.” Cause like an IED, it’s like a grenade: it just blows up, shrapnel goes all over. But an EFP like concentrated, it’s like directed in a specific direction. You see like these metal slugs.

Terrance: So it’s kinda like a claymore.

Daniel: Yeah, it’s kinda like a claymore, but the actual slugs are a lot bigger. And it’s like, if you watch it like technically, like in the military test rooms, it just cuts through our armor like butter.

Someone: Oh my gosh.

Daniel: That’s what happened that, that um..

Terrance: So he was [inaudible] that just shattered his legs.

Daniel: I thought he could [inaudible] target as well, but he was still he might [inaudible] When I left Germany, so because you have to [inaudible] so they won’t discharge you like not [inaudible]

Terrance: Right.

Daniel: So I think he ought to be out by now.

Terrance: Aw.

Daniel: So they just missed that whatever.

Simon: So when they were going up that bridge, there was a mine or something?

Daniel: No it was like on the side like the guard rails. Usually when, they’re like hiding behind the the guard rail, I don’t know how they do it, so there would be like a point man, or whoever might be watching, he’ll be simply watching, people might run away, and he’d like radio a trigger man that’s far away. So they just like time it perfectly. I don’t think that he missed it; he might have seen it, but [inaudible]

Terrance: [inaudible], [inaudible]

Daniel: Right.

Matthew: So what was the reason why your lieutenant switched your positions?

Daniel: Because my squad leader wanted me to be with him, or drive for him.

Matthew: Why?

Daniel: He just wanted to.

Matthew: Because you were buddies?

Daniel: He liked me. I hated him.

Group:

Matthew: You must go over it in your head, again and again.

Daniel: Yeah.

Matthew: You can’t just call it luck, because other people got screwed over.

Daniel: Yeah, I was like totally like, during my time in Iraq, I was so distant from God. I didn’t really like have a relationship with Him. I didn’t care, I didn’t pray. But still, God just watched over me. There were like [inaudible]

Simon #2: That was like the harshest thing you’ve gone through?

Daniel: Yeah. There were a lot of people praying for me, when I wasn’t.

3 Reasons Why Tron: Legacy Was Awesome Possum

2011-04-19T07:04:00.001-07:00

This post is for all the haters out there. Possible Spoilers so read at your own discretion.

1. Olivia Wilde

Not her face, but her hair and mannerisms. OHMAHGAH!!!!!

Her giggle.

Her entrancing stare.

Her kicking of the butts.

Nice.

2. Jeff Bridge's overt use of "man"

I am not nearly nerdy enough to count how many times he says "man", but he says "man" in some serious parts. Like when he's about to get killed and stuff.

3. Tron is all about religion.

If you missed out on all the religious references in the movie, then you are just blinded by something.

Flynn: "I have created a program in my own image."

Flynn: "The conditions were just perfect and the Isoes were created out of nothing."

Castor: "I used to believe in users once."

Flynn: "The thing about perfection is, it's unknowable."

A reference to the "Purge"

I have to say, the original Tron was a bit more about Theism while this Tron Legacy seems to be about evolutionism. But there IS that Jesus Christ figure at the end so, I need to take a deeper look into it.

Anywho, you really cannot have a more evident allusion to religion in a film. Behind the neon lights, the Daft Punk sound track (which is its own reason why Tron: Legacy is awesome possum), and the cool hairstyles, there is a deeper allusion to an argubly deistic/theistic worldview.

April 1, 2011

2011-04-01T10:55:00.001-07:00

So, as a running joke, I always tell my fob friends the same April Fool's Joke. This is how it went this year.

via text.

Richard: I got a girlfriend!

_____

Yoojin: shut up

Richard: :-j)

Seongmin: april fool's?

Richard: :-j)

Seongmin: that was lame

David: ...what???!! who, what, when, where, why, how? (i realize what is a little dissing)

Richard: april fools you naive little fool.

Richard: :-j)

I don't know what that parenthetical phrase means.

The Death of a Great American Hero

2011-04-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

R.I.P. my friend.

Today, Jackie Chan of Forgotten Kingdom, First Strike, and whatnot fame died. I am genuinely sad right now. He died at the tender age of (2011 minus 1954) 57, I think. Anywho, a prayer for his family and soul.

March Project: The Love Story of Hans and Gretz

2011-03-31T07:25:00.001-07:00

The Love Story of Hans and Gretz from Richard Chung on Vimeo.

Exam: A Film I Watched with UCLA People

2011-03-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last night, I had a fantastic time. I went to UCLA and we ate Zankou which was good. Then we went over to someone's apartment and watched Exam. The film was a pleasant surprise because I had never heard of it and it turned out to be a pretty entertaining film. But what distinguished this movie night from every other movie night was that they had an informal forum and we actually discussed the film. Most of the people gave some sort of input or other and I actually enjoyed the conversation.

Now I know, these UCLA folk sure know how to watch a movie. Props.

Photo of the Year: D.Money and The Emperor vs. Ducks of Doom

2011-03-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

March 17, 2011 - Daisy's Birthday

2011-03-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

We had a makeshift Birthday Party for Daisy at Berry Cool.

It was...Berry Cool... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA:

We ate at Pho House with Fefe who hails from New York.

They all wanted a photo with my glasses because they recognize.

Daisy did some things with her face that I did not know the human body was capable of doing.

Then we went to Berry Cool and played Bananagrams. Then afterwards, we started making words describing each other which led to Michelle's ingenious idea...

Game failed so we just decided to write our names out.

The Bananagram flavored Cake.

Cutting the cake.

Daisy's love affair with her cake.

Caked!

Study Session. Not really. But I don't mind.

Pasadena - March 11, 2011

2011-03-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

So D.Money, Monica, and I went to Pasadena and this a bit of our adventure.

I also realized that pictures make things look so much more fun than real life.

So this is our story of the adventure we had in the exotic land of Pasadena:

I did some before-trip mathematics inside the Biola Science Building.

Then we ate some junk sausages and junk bacon that tasted weird at the Biola cafeteria.

We saw the randomest castle in the middle of the city belonging to Mexican Druglord Don Cortez. He killed the previous Don who was Italian, Don Carzonni. It's a lie

Monica drank water from a fountain that had 42 health code violations.

When we reached Pasadena, we went to the playground because I wanted to be creepy and look at kids.

Monica Being Weird

Defacing Public Property

Then we jaywalked to a fire station where they had a beautiful antique fire truck with Gold Leafs and an even hotter fireman.

Super Hot Fireman

Then we went to a sweat shop/jean store. The cashier lady was REALLY pretty and she called us hip because we cuffed our pants. In the back, we met the 53 year old Guatemalan veteran of jean making.

D.Money and I ditched Monica to go into a place called the Workshop. I still don't know what that building was all about.

Who's Watching Who?

Then we walked around the city passing nerds waiting for I-pad2, the idol of Juicy Couture, the Pink Knight of Juicy Couture, my three ladies, and some security.

Nerds

The Pink Idol

Being Knighted by the Pink Knight

Me and My Three Ladies

Security came and reprimanded us for taking pictures in the store so D.Money sneakily took photos as a sign of rebellion against the capitalist dogma of no photo taking.

Then we went into a strange alleyway and saw many strange things. But I love alleyways.

"What is that?!"

"It's an alleyway!!!"

I realized how uncannily similar our facial expressions were.

Go, my dog. Eat all who stand in thine way.

Urban Bouldering much?

The we proceeded to Mignon Chocolate. No joke: when I ate one of their chocolates, my insides started t0 feel fuzzy in a good way. I highly recommend these Armenian chocolate makers who hail from Iran.

Then we went to Carmela's Creamery which had a bizarre assortment of flavors that just worked: Cucumbers, Strawberry Butterscotch, Brown Sugar Vanilla just to name a few. The cashier there was also really beautiful.

Then, later that night, completely unrelated to anything Pasadena, we had a fashion show at Target.

All in all, it was a pretty fun day. Peace out homies~!

Helping Me Get Through The Night

2011-03-02T01:31:00.000-08:00

The Rest - Modern Time Travel - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

My only friends.

February Video: Failure and Respekt

2011-03-02T01:00:00.001-08:00

Now Officially Online for all to enjoy.

Failure and Respekt from Richard Chung on Vimeo.

Study Time

2011-03-01T23:33:00.000-08:00

I am a Senior. At Biola. With a lot of workload.

There are a lot of freshmen here that I study with. And I just want to say...they don't know how to study for their lives. or they are REALLY efficient.

I know they probably won't be reading this so I don't care.

They have this tendency to turn the bottom floor of the library from my beloved Cave of Silent Studying into an Unbelievably Loud Pit of Study Hell where all notions of studying enter into some void created by their voices.

But I don't know what I expected. I'm learning to cope with it.

They have this ridiculous study plan of studying 5 minutes, talking about random junk for 2 minutes, then studying 5 minutes, then repeat. I just don't function that way. But I truly appreciate their company so I can't leave! So I just leave their proximity and go make a cone of silence for myself.

So I love them. But I can't study with them. And I can live with that. :-j)

I know you ain't reading this because you don't respect me or anything that I do BUT I love you guys: Alvin, Michelle, Daisy.

Top Three Movie Moments of Movie History

2011-03-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

3. In Moulin Rouge when Ewan McGregor starts singing in the love elephant shutting Nicole Kidman up.

2. In Quantum of Solace when the mysterious man getting tortured says, "The first thing you should know about us is that we have people everywhere." [then looking at one of the guards] "Am I right?" [Then guard starts shooting up the place.]

1. In Usual Suspects but I won't say for the sake of the world and haters of spoilers, the latter category is a category in which I am a member of the highest echelon. I don't even care about grammar right now to double check if that was acceptable.

168 Hours: A Film by Whitnerds

2011-03-01T09:57:00.001-08:00

Commendable. Very commendable.

February Project: Failure and Respekt

2011-02-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

Due to the copyright problems, the video cannot be posted up. Anywhere. So if you're REALLY interested, this will be the lost video that you can only view privately. However, I am still looking for ways to put it up. But it's done.

In most respects, this video was an utter failure. However, there is a certain sense of pride I have in it. Probably because I spent 12 straight hours on this video, and then went on to Ace a midterm exam. Regardless, this is our February video and we are proud of it.

These projects are difficult. No excuses for late entries and quitters guys. You know who you are. Passive aggressiveness ftw.

A Double Standard

2011-02-25T08:44:00.000-08:00

-this is long post but I haven't said anything in a while so shove it and read-

-I broke it down into readable paragraphs you butts-

Being a close friend of Simon, the Movie Wonder Boy a.k.a. Movie Critic Butthole, I recognize and appreciate a good film when I see one. Knowing him has significantly raised my standard of movie viewing and I am immensely appreciative of that.

However, there are those films that I have come to love which, I admit, are horrid films. Here you ought to be asking, "How can I love a film that is not a good film?" I honestly don't know.

After obtaining this higher standard of movie watching, I realized that I just could not watch bad movies in the same way as before. Before, I could watch a bad movie, and say, "whoa, that was weird and still leave the film satisfied that I came into contact with that movie. Nowadays, if I watch a bad film, I want to massacre the crew of the film for shaming the art of film-making and making a bad name for everyone who enjoys/works in/or lives by films. (that last statement is an hyperbole, but...)

This inability to even enjoy a bad film in the slightest kind of got me sad, because sometimes, I want to enjoy films which may not have the best character development, or storyline, or directing, or acting, or continuity, or whatever. I want to enjoy a cool film as it is. Two prime examples are Operation Endgame and Smokin' Aces. These are awesome movies, but absolutely horrible.

So how can I reconcile my higher standard for films with my desire to enjoy cool but bad films? SIMPLE! Create for myself a double standard! When I watch normal films, I will put on my critical douschebag glasses (yes, I spell my dousche with an "s" hence further proving my douscheness) and enjoy a good film as it meets all the criteria for a good film. AND when I watch a film just for the coolness value of it, I turn off everything in my brain that tells me whether this is a good film or not, and just enjoy it completely for the characters, action, and corny dialogue.

Now, this idea of a double standard got me thinking about double standards in other areas of my life. What if I apply this concept of double standards into a more important area of my life, like-I don't know-my faith. What would happen? What if when I chilled with Christians, I put on my Christian standards, talking about Christian things, loving them, and knowing more about theology. Tying it to my analogy, this would be the higher standard. Because here, you are involving the ultimate Truth in your life. You are speaking about, relating to, and immersing yourself in the ultimate TRUTH, which is God.

Now, let's say you go talk to your pagan friends. Here, what if I now lower my standards and take out the ULTIMATE TRUTH in the conversations and I essentially give less to my pagan friends than to my Christian friends. Then, I think you are loving your non-Christian friends a buttload less than you are loving your Christian friends. (yes buttload is a legitimate adjective, I'd cite my sources but this isn't an academic paper) Why do you pagan friends not deserve your best? WHY NOT?!

Now, I am just talking abstractly and I am not providing any real ways on how to do this but I just want you to think about it, (all five of you readers, unless my follower in Sweden died or got bored of me, in which case, all four of you) and try to bring the ULTIMATE TRUTH!!! with you everywhere you go. AND YOU BETTER FREAKING NOT TRY TO HIDE THAT LITTLE LIGHT OF YOURS UNDER YOUR STUPID BUSHEL OF EMBARASSMENT OR SHAME.

Now, it's time for me to not listen to my own rant. right?

Lost Bruce Lee Interview

2011-02-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

This is fascinating. Seriously. There are talks of the philosophy of violence and whatnot.

Bruce Lee "The Lost Interview" 1971 - Be like water my friend - Pierre Berton Show from Maximilian on Vimeo.

Top Three Most Anticipated Films of 2011-2012

2011-02-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! I'm a man of action and few words. So here we'll go:

1. Sucker Punch (2011)

This film literally has almost everything in this God-forsaken world that I love: Nazis, samurais, Robots, insane humans of the female persuasion, action, cool characters, blonds, suggestively racy outfits, and a world that is not bound by stupid things such as science, physics, historical accuracy, or reality. It is also by Zack Snyder whom I love. A trailer for lame people who can't read for too long.

2. Superman: Man of Steel (2012)

Once again, Zack Snyder's take on Superman. This is also produced by Christopher Nolan. No trailer, you hobos.

3. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Not sure what to expect but I know it'll be awesome. Just cuz.

a sorrowful prayer

2011-02-21T21:45:00.001-08:00

Father,

I pray for my brothers and sisters,

they crashed in a bus,

and many were injured and one died.

Strengthen them and guide them

through this time of hardship,

and allow them to still see the love of God in their lives

Amen

January Project: The King and the Lonely Man

2011-01-31T16:06:00.001-08:00

8 hours on this thing. Eww. I set the bar low so I can surpass it easier. :-{)

Great thanks to Yoojin for his acting and I-Pod, Jonathan Barker and D.Money for helping me so much, and Terrance for the idea of wasting 8 hours on videos for a year.

Squeezing Eternity Out of Hugs, Cannibalism, Favorite Insults, and Larry King

2011-01-26T10:17:00.000-08:00

I should make a song entitled that.

Anywho, I realized that whenever I observe my brother, I am filled with an irresistible desire to embrace Sam and just hold him forever. I also realized that my brother does not.

This got me thinking about other instances when I want to just eat a child. I know this sounds horrendous but you know what I feel. It's the feeling you get when you see a little kid SOOOO cute you want to connect to him in any way (which may include consumption of said child).

Anywho, since I cannot embrace anyone forever and I don't think I can eat him (oh man that must be a very special connection), I found a way to squeeze eternity out of the few seconds that I hug a person.

This is what you do: you embrace the person with your whole being. Since you cannot suck everything from the person you're hugging, you give that person your everything and you build the connection. Then after you end the hug, then you can go back to the little piece of yourself that you left in that hug with that person. Sadly, I realized this too late and I did not do this in Paraguay with Laura, BUT I do think that she had a lot of love for me and so I can still kind of go back to it.

The only thing about this is that it fades over time no matter how strong the connection.

If none of this makes sense, then you need to broaden your imagination and stop being so close-minded. :-{) hyuk hyuk.

___________________

Back to cannibalism, this thought came to me WHILE I was writing this post but what a special and unique relationship a eater and the eatee must have. right? Nobody can physically be closer to you than a person that eats you. NOBODY! Enough creepiness for you. :-{) hyuk hyuk.

___________________

Favorite Insult: "SHUT YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU'RE TALKING TO ME!" :-{) hyuk hyuk.

___________________

I was watching an episode of Conan (Conan O'Brien show) with Larry King as the guest and I truly realized the charisma of that old man. He completely changed the mood of the show with one question to Snowboarding Carrot Top, Shawn White. It was fascinating to see.

I had more to say but I forgot. :-{) hyuk hyuk.

Jjimjilbang with the Family minus Shinae the Fool and Rhami the Triangle

2011-01-22T23:24:00.000-08:00

So I went to jjimjilbang today with my family and it was quite an experience. More than anything, I learned about the relational aspects of people through a thorough observation of my brother.

Towards the beginning of the stay there, there were these piece of trash kids who flipped a birdy at my brother, tripped him while he was running, and almost beat him up if I didn't show up at the right moment. I was watching from a distance wondering why my brother would bother with people who were below him, but let him be because he deserved to learn that there were just some people not worth befriending. They reminded me of some people from my past and they are probably what a majority of the people in the world were when they were kids. I try my best to associate myself with people who were not completely asinine when they were children. I don't know how I gauge this but whatever.

THEN those little demon children went back to whatever hellhole they spawned from and a new group of kids came. These were phenomenally friendly to my brother. It was a beautiful 3 hour friendship.

At the end when we had to go home, I knew that my brother would never see his dear friend again. The truly sad thing was that my brother seemed to know this as well. Before the other boy's family left, my brother went and shook his hand to end the wonderful friendship they shared for the night. My brother was sad and in an attempt to console him, I told him, "I know you will never see him again, but I will always be here for you."

Now, there is a running game between my brother and I. I call him Captain and I am called the Magic Man. And I told him that Magic Man will forever be there for him because I am the Magic Man. And his face brightened instantly and all was good.

And then I got home, and then Simon bothered me about some quarters.

Japanese Stuff, Dark Knight Rises Stuff, Korean Stuff, and other Random Stuff

2011-01-19T10:36:00.000-08:00

I was watching Muhandojun and one of the commercials that they shot was really cool so I decided to post it up here. It also helps that it's all about the foods.

__________________________

So the Dark Knight Rises villains are decided. Anne Hathaway will play Catwoman and Tom Hardy will play Bane. Again, I cannot see the compatibility of the actors and the characters but Christopher Nolan sees things that we mere mortals do not. Case in point, I would never have imagine Heath Ledger as the Joker and he was beautiful.

__________________________

I have recently been on a Japanese film binge because I've come to deeply appreciate Japanese philosophy on life and whatnot. It's extremely nostalgic. I have see Summer Wars, Paprika, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time which are all animated films and they were all amazing. Also, each film kind of expressed the underlying attitude that the Japanese have. That the world is a dream reality. It may not be true, but that's the gist of the feeling I got from those films.

After watching these animated films, I went on Japanese movie hunt. I've found one film of interest: Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge. Yes. Is that not the coolest title for a film. I've always been fascinated with the Japanese ability to come up with the most amazing names ever. Crying Out Love in the Center of the World ( a film) and the amazing Thee Michelle Gun Elephant with their song Deadman's Galaxy Days.

I'm really sad they don't let me embed the video but here's the link. Check them the crap out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKvRl6DJaQM

Obviously, as a lover of awesomely peculiar names, Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge would catch my attention. I watched the film and it fascinates me because everything about the film is mysterious to me. Synopsis of the film: Everynight, the chainsawman comes to fight Eri who has to kill him for some mysterious reason. Within the film itself, there is a Chainsawman whose origins are never revealed and they don't even tell you why or how he got there. It doesn't tell us why she has to fight him or who she can kill him, seeing as to how he's impervious to knives and stabs to his heart.

This is not the only thing that fascinates me. The fact that it is marketed in Japan as if it's pretty normal to have a name like Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge blows up my mind. Anywho, I really enjoyed how this film made me feel in terms of the wonder and mysteries this world holds. The thing about films like these is that I don't think they mind being unreasonably mysterious and in that sense a bit realistic. Tom Clancy said that the difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense. I've come to truly appreciate this because reality doesn't make sense in letting us go to heaven. (religious plug :-jD)

12 Videos in 1 Year

2011-01-18T13:40:00.001-08:00

This is a respond to the challenge foolishly concocted by the late and great Travel Panda.

Actually, this is just a bitter attack on him because he didn't let me join his little club thing. Anywho, I decided to retaliate and take it a bit overboard by bringing in two masters of disasters: D.Money straight out of war-torn Bosnia and J.Barkey-Barkey recently returning from his exile to Siberia. After many hours of deliberation and thought, the name I came up for my crew will be:

Supergiant

or more famously in 18 Spanish speaking countries and 1 German speaking country:

Los Gargantuanes

And, yes. The rumors are true. We ARE banned from Japan, Paraguay, the Congo, and the Silicon Valley. Look forward to our junk ya'll.

Matilda by Roald Dahl

2011-01-15T20:58:00.001-08:00

I've completed this book and I only have one thing to say: This is not a children's book.

The weird thing is that it is. It is something that only children can innocently enjoy without feeling something immensely wrong with the overall events in the book. Only someone with reason who picks up this book realizes that something is very very wrong with the world inside. Yet, somehow, Roald Dahl gets away with it because he is such a wonderful writer with an even more wonderful sense of humor.

I recommend it.

2011-01-09T19:12:00.000-08:00

After reading a paper written by my dear sister (Rhami), I learned two things: my sister has horrendously horrific writing and her spelling is garbage.

Dostoyevsky and I

2010-12-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

I have officially passed the half way point of fulfilling a life long dream of mine: reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Obviously, I must blog about this tremendous event.

There are two observations that I have made while reading Crime and Punishment. One is that I really like saying out loud Russian names. Whenever a name comes up, I say it out loud where ever I'm reading. I think I can decently do Russian accents because of this and I am happy.

This book also made me think about the thin line between sanity and insanity. If you are the only sane person while everybody else in the world is insane, then are you really sane? I know that this is a pretty cliche question, but from my future occupational point of view, this is actually new and interesting. If I am the only sane person who sees that Hell awaits us and the only way to get out is Christ and I believe with my whole being that this is the truth, and everybody else does not, then am I sane or insane for believing in resurrected ancient dead men and an invisible being in the sky?

Also, on a less biblical note, I consider myself normal but a lot, ALOT LOTLOTannoyinglyLOT, of people tell me to "calm down" (this is a pet peeve of mine and I will destroy you if you tell me this), which assumes that I am not in a state of being permissible for the current situation and that I need to alter that state in order to be deemed acceptable to society. Now, why would a normal human being have to change the way they are to be accepted by loving friends and family? So this brings me to a hypothesis which I refuse to accept; that perhaps, I am a little weird (not sure if that semi-colon was properly used). (do periods go outside the parenthesis?) (whatever) So, I conclude that I am not weird. But what happens when you can visibly see that everybody else is different from you? Of course, the logical conclusion is that THEY, not you, are the weird ones. Even if "THEY" includes every other human being on the planet, they are the weird ones that refuse to listen to normality. If everybody else in the world wants to deceive themselves and believe that nothing happens after death, then they are crazy because terribly horrendous things will happen to them and they do not even recognize the possibility. If everybody else wants to conform to the strange customs of "culture" and Cultura Americana and Cultura Koreana and Cultura Russiana, then I say let them. I don't think weird people are generally bad. If I did, then I'd think that all my friends, my entire family, and my favorite celebrities are bad things. No, weird does bring about some good things which I like to recognize.

I say read this post in chunks because I don't know when I'll be back because

I'm leaving on a jet plane,

I don't know when I'll be back again

I'm leeeeeaaaavvvvvvvvving ooooonnn a jet plane,

I don't know when I'll be back again.

sniff.

______________________________--

Random junk because I didn't blog in a while:

I watched Armageddon and I cried. Great film.
I watched Toy Story 3 and I cried. Amazing film.
I watched Titanic and I think I teared up. Stupendous film.
Don't tell me to "calm down" or I will cut you. With my mind. In my brain.
The girls from Despicable Me are adorable.
Yo necessito un auto.
A Parable: "Never use anything that uses you back" - Reggie Watts
Finally got more pants. :-)
Now, the inimitable Reggie Watts!

Dancing to Kids by MGMT

2010-12-15T22:43:00.000-08:00

I love this song. But even more than the song, I love dancing to the song. It is exhilarating. After finals, let's have a dance party with just this song playing for like an hour. You should try it.

God says, "Who do you think I am?"

2010-12-14T01:13:00.000-08:00

I was reading Genesis 22:1-19 and I came across something extremely interesting and awesome. Try to read it and see if you catch it.

...reading reading reading...

Ok. Congratulations for those who caught it and for those who didn't, I will tell you now.

In Genesis 22:16, God swears...in himself. He decides to call upon the highest power to be a witness to the covenant he lays upon Abraham and he's like, "...and...that's me!"

He does stuff like this several other times. He's allowed to be righteously selfish because a human being selfish is taking the focus off God. And since God IS God, he's allowed to put the focus on himself.

Haha. If you're God, then I guess you get a little bit of that special status. :-D

What was That? - SNL Digital Short

2010-12-13T09:27:00.001-08:00

I really really liked this. I was thinking about the pointlessness of wars and it just rung a bell. Let's dance!

Arthur Christmas

2010-12-06T14:18:00.000-08:00

I am putting this up because an associate of mine is working on the movie. I think he's the director or something. I jest. He's just a lowly animator but I still love him. So check it out and go support him by watching it. In theatres. For money.

If embed don't work, here's the link.

http://www.sonypictures.com/previews/movies/arthurchristmas/clips/2745/

2010-12-04T14:43:00.001-08:00

Harry Potter and 6 Others

2010-11-22T23:19:00.000-08:00

Today, I set a new record for movies in one day. My previous record was 4 movies. Today, I watched 7. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Valhalla Rising
Smokin' Aces 2: Assassin's Ball
Sorcerer's Apprentice
Adventureland
The Squid and the Whale
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Cool People and then some

2010-11-21T17:51:00.001-08:00

So I was taking a look at my definition of cool and what it means to be a cool person. For me, it was the ultimate trait, in its simplest form, was not caring. Not caring what others thought. Not caring what parents thought. Not caring what the authorities thought. So I tried this. I just tried to stop caring about everything. This has caused me to go down a devastating spiral of not caring for grades, not caring for my future, and, worst of all, not caring for my friends and family. This has caused me to lose many good friends, lose my sister, and lose the cool image I had of myself because I stopped caring about how I looked and I didn't take care of my hygiene too well. I'm saying that I stopped showering for long periods of time.

Anywho, this is when I realized that not caring IS cool, but if you overdose on not caring, that turns you into something else entirely, a dooshbeg. You all know what it is so I

don't have to spell in properly. I don't like being a dooshbeg. So I tried stopping and now I am a very negative and bitter man who is poisonous to the environment.

I know this sounds like I'm being very negative and bitter but WAIT. LISTEN! I am admitting this. I'm not being negative. This is just truth. and I am expressing the desire to change. So don't judge me!!!!! RAWR!!!!!!!!. :-) ok. Anywho, to end on a positive note, I've realized that most of the people I think are cool aren't the people that don't care, ironically. They are the people who care about the right things, and then a few preposterous things. People who care

about people are cool. People who care about people and what the zombie apocalypse would be like, are SUPER cool. Here's a little picture to relieve thine eyes from all these words.

hyuk hyuk.

A Commercial by Ash Bolland

2010-11-20T11:20:00.001-08:00

The End of My Fast, a T-Mobile Phone Search, and More

2010-11-19T22:58:00.000-08:00

Turn away all you who are too busy to read about my life. Reader beware~!

:-{|

So I ended my fast today. After a week of depriving myself of television shows, leisure browsing, and games, I think I ODed on all three today. I feel so garbage-like. Anywho, I am kind of glad. I don't know if I got the intended effect. I wanted to grow in Christlikeness, but I just came to appreciate my tv shows, games, and leisure browsing. One very depressing thing I found was that I have no friends to call when I'm bored. I am very lazy and I find it hard to keep contact with friends. So I don't because I have Community, The Office, Zombieland, and Left 4 Dead to keep me accompanied when I'm lonely or bored. However, without any of these guys, I was left to fend for myself in the jungle of solitude. I played solitaire with a deck of cards at least 10 times and I got tired of it really fast. I learned three things from this fast:

I am completely and utterly depraved; a sinful man is what I am.
I need to work harder on my relationships.
I need a girlfriend.

________________

I am also desperately looking for a T-mobile LG Phone. I know I am the only lame human being on this earth that uses T-Mobile, but I hope you can be so kind as to ask your neighbors, fathers, mothers, brothers, wives, husbands, dogs, kind strangers, mean strangers, the village idiot, your racist friend, your crippled friend, your turtle's sons. Anybody really. I just really need a better phone. T-mobile and LG are the only two requirements. In fact, forget LG, just do T-mobile. Please. I implore you to go on this hunt with me.

If you DO find a person with an extra T-mobile phone, do the following: thank him, lecture him on why he should switch to Verizon, and take the phone.

__________________

One night (during the fast, this was a time in my life when I was depraved of a useless, BUT huge, portion of my life, and I was getting depressed as a Christian because I did not feel any holier despite my fast. I did not feel more Christlikeness.), I was laying in bed and wondering what it would feel like to feel something that I am currently incapable of feeling. I was thinking, what does it feel like to be in a state of drunkenness? Would I even be having fun? Would the hangover be worth it? What would it feel like to take LSD? Would the demons consume? Or would I make better more wonderful music? I decided that I was gonna get drunk eventually when I'm off contract. Now that I am here, consuming myself with "media", I don't think I would. I don't really feel the urge to.

But that got me thinking, "what if I DID do drugs and get drunk?" That would officially turn me into one of those "bad people" that I never was. I would not ever be able to be judgmental because I DID those things. Wouldn't that put me in a humbler state? Wouldn't that make me a better Christian?!

I thought of all the people who weren't as self-conscious as me, and COULD do those things without thinking, and just regret it later. I thought, what makes me different from them? I think about these things too much to do it by "accident". So I hypothetically developed the mindsets of [I'm already this bad, why not?] or [God will eventually forgive, if not immediately, in fact that's what I prefer, because it would be too weird if he forgave me too soon.] or [I don't even care.]. I think I was roughly around 45% serious about this.

But God is so good, even when I don't feel like God is working in me. He did not let me get to 50% serious. Also, he provided me with absolutely no access to LSD, crack cocaine, marijuana, beer, ecstasy, or even a cigar (cuz i go big or go home, no little cigarettes for me! but I still didn't have access to this). God is truly providential. If he did not put me in this stupid Christian university, who knows what I could have found in my roommate's desk? or my neighbor's? or my friend's? God works in me like a firework (reference to Katy Perry song, it makes no sense). God damns the wicked. I'm so glad Christ made me right, because i am so very wicked. It's fascinating how many times I forget that the only thing between me and damnation is a man who came and died for me on the Cross 2000 years ago. It's a very thick thin line. No typo there.

If you have read this far, you care for me much more than I deserve. Or you are retardedly bored, in which case, I urge you to go out and find an LG T-mobile phone for me. Thank you for reading what i emote.

Raising Hope: The Only Hope I Have in This God Forsaken Wasteland

2010-11-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

This may be a gross overstatement and actually rather false. But anywho, in light of the recent broken ankle/sprained ankle controversy in my life, I have been getting a lot of advice on medicine. A lot of "You should xray that dood"s and "You need a cast man"s. But, alas, I cannot, because I am poor and I don't have insurance. Yes. I think this is why I bag on Terrance's occupation a lot. (He is an insurance salesman) I apologize for all those times I put you through pain Terrance.

Anywho, I've watched the latests episode of "Raising Hope" which filled me with a lot of hope. Here's the quote that did it for me.

Virginia: It's the circle of life. You get sick. You heal. You get sick. You heal. You get sick. You die. It's just how it happens.

I was strangely comforted by this.

Besides, I decided to trust in the professional expertise of a master of Eastern Medicine. A Korean Acupuncturist whom I dubbed Heinrich Wilhmer.

Awesome Call of Duty Trailer

2010-11-09T21:59:00.000-08:00

2010-11-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

There is nothing more important than knowing God. - John Frame

Answered Prayers and Broken Ankles

2010-11-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

I've had the same recurring prayer request since school started. I wanted to develop my attitude towards my life and the monotonousness of it all. I always had the exact same schedule and the same friends to chill with and the same work to do at the same time every week. My spirituality was suffering due to the extremely dull monotony in my life.

Then, God answered my prayers and broke the seat on my bicycle as I was going. This caused me to fall on my ankle and break it. Now everything is different. My work feels different as I move around the store with my crutches. My eating time is different because I always have to eat with people and not alone, which was the norm. My class times are different because I get extra sympathy points from fellow class mates and teachers. My social interactions are different because my ankle becomes a common topic of discussion.

The only thing that is not different is my spiritual life. I stopped dreading the monotony of everyday life and now I am focused on my ankle. God has no place in my heart and it sucks. However, there are two things that I just kind of realized which I will end with.

My ankles are not my ankles. They are God's ankles and if He takes it away, so be it.
I miss my skinny jeans.

Quote from Greenberg

2010-11-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

Man A: Youth is wasted on the young.

Man B: I'd go further. I'd say life is wasted on...people.

Misconceptions on Intelligencia and Faith

2010-11-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

I always had the idea that the reason a lot of smart people weren't Christians was because they were smart and they knew something that I didn't and I was glad to be an ignorant believer because it made me happy.

However, lately, I've realized that there are a lot of REALLY smart Christians. Not like, "oh, you aced that exam? shoot, you're smart." More like, "You figured out how to make a chemically induced explosive device all on your own when you were 12 years old?" smart.

That said, I do think that there is a correlation to being smart and having a smaller chance of being a man of faith. It's not intelligence. It's pride. Smart people have a tendency of relying on their intellect a lot. Now, when they face something that basically tells them, "You will never know all of me even if you extensively study me for all eternity", is a bit daunting and difficult for them to accept. It's really a shame how people can hold on to their pride for so long. :-j|

Lennart Green

2010-10-27T23:35:00.001-07:00

A very entertaining half hour.

A Parable by John the Piper

2010-10-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

Once there was a land ruled by a wicked prince. he had come from a foreign country and enslaved all the people of the land and made them miserable with hard labor in his coal mines across the deep canyon. He had built a massive trestle for the trains that carried his slaves across the canyon to the mines each morning, and it was heavily guarded.

Two men were still free in this kingdom, one old and the other young. They lived on an inaccessible cliff overlooking the trestle. They hated the trestle. At last they resolved together to blow it up and destroy the slave labor of the enemy prince. They planned and they prayed and they reminded themselves of the reality of heaven.

The night came when the deed would be done. their hearts were pounding with joy. It was a hard plan. It would be possible to time the trek of the trestle guard so that the explosive could be carried quickly to the vulnerable spot on the trestle. But there would be no time for the carrier of the explosives to return. It was certain that he would be seen and the plan foiled if he tried to return. To make sure the trestle blew up the two men agreed that the young man would detonate it by hand on the trestle. He would blow up with it.

But they believed in heaven, and they loved the people of the land. And so the honor of this sacrifice made their hearts leap with joy. The hour came. They folded up the map of their strategy, stood from the table and embraced each other. When the young man got to the door, he turned with the explosive strapped to his back, looked at the old man, and said, "I love you, Father." And the old man took a deep breath, with joy, and said, "I love you too, Son."

The BIOLA Bike Venture

2010-10-23T10:13:00.001-07:00

Los Chupacabras de Tampoco shown here minus the Paraguayan.

Los Chupacabras de Tampoco (The Biola Crew including Daisy Kim, Alvino, the Paraguayan, and I) went on an amazing bike ride! The only people that didn't go were Daisy, Alvino, and the Paraguayan because they were lazy bums at 6 o' clock in the morning. But it was totally worth it. I don't think my Saturdays will be free for a long time due to Artesia Outreach so I wanted to end it with a bang.

Don't worry lame Biola peoples, I am not bitter at you, it was a long and arduous ride that I'm pretty sure Daisy would have had a lot of trouble with plus it was raining so I think this was for the best.

Also, I made an epic poem (that's the name of this type of poem, I'm not lamely using epic to make everything sound cooler) on my way there towards the beginning of the ride:

A Long and Lonesome Journey

Think not, my mind, of how long the road ahead is

Fail not, my legs, for you fuel your master's ride

Stay steady, my hands, for you guide the rest of us

Fortify yourself, my body, for this will be long and difficult

Look forward, my eyes, to the beautiful sunrise you will see

rising up from the ocean horizon, illuminating everything around you

Stay strong, my bike, for if you break, that is the day that we die.

(upon reaching the riverbed entrance by the freeway)

Welcome to the gates to the End of the World

(Going under a huge freeway dip in the riverbed)

I pass the underworld, though the demons scream and moan

Long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long straight away

I have reached the River's End

I think I'll eat a steak and some eggs,

Ooh, some potatoes and butter-soaked English muffins too!

Now, I must go back the way I came to Biola.

End Epic Poem.

____________________________

So, ye. I know that right when I came back, I was thankful to the Father that I had the legs to get tired with, the bike to ride, and the ability to waste a Saturday morning enjoying His creation in the form of a polluted beach and a steak for breakfast.

Dreams

2010-10-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

I had a dream that Philip Seymour Hoffman was doing Korean stand-up comedy on television in Korean. It was really weird. He was doing a lot of pun jokes. No one was laughing.

Decisions Decisions: Cars

2010-10-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

So, there are five cars that are in the running for my next car:

1969 BMW 1600 (used)

Toyota Prius (new)

Toyota Camry (new)

Honda Civic (new)

Smart Car Fortwo (new)

1969 BMW 1600 (used)

Upside-

Cool Factor: 13.74/10

Authenticy: 12.19/10

Design: 13.28/10

Price: $400

Uniqueness: 9.2/10

Downside-

Gas Mileage: 2/10

Probability that it'll make it to my home from wherever it is that I am getting it: 4%

Amount of "Uncertainties" with this car: roughly around 52

Toyota Prius:

Upside-

Gas Mileage: 10/10

Downside-

Price: Expensive

Actual Price: $22,800 give or take.

Cool Factor: 0/10 (Environmentally friendly)

Ridiculous name

Toyota Camry:

Upside-

Gas Mileage: 7.8/10

Commonality: 10/10 (every other car is a Camry)

Cool Factor: 6.7/10 (every other car is a Camry)

Downside-

Price: A Bit Pricy

Actual Price: 19,720 give or take.

Probability of it bringing up bad memories by reminding me of my first Camry which I destroyed: 94%

Design: 5/10

Uniqueness: 0/10

Honda Civic:

Upside-

Gas Mileage: 8.4/10

Commonality: 9/10 (if it's not a Camry, it's probably a Civic)

Cool Factor: 7.2/10

Price: Cheaper than Camry but a still a bit.

Downside-

Actual Price: 15,805 give or take.

Level of Uncomfortability buying a car from a company named after Street Fighter Sumo Wrestler: High Level

Design: 4.9/10

Uniqueness: 0/10

Smart Car Fortwo:

Upside-

Gas Mileage: 9.7/10 (Second Only to Prius)

Cool Factor: 8.7/10

Price: Beautiful

Actual Price: 11,990 give or take

Uniqueness: 10/10

Downside-

Probability of People Calling me Gay: 100%

I really want a Smart Car Fortwo, BUT that one stupid downside. Argh.

St. Anger - Metallica

2010-10-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

This is a taste of my youth for those of you who wish to know me a bit better. I grew up on the album St. Anger by Metallica back when I was an angry child. Enjoy.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

2010-10-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling really nostalgic tonight. I think I love Karen O.

Maps. Old School Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Not really New School, but not really Old School Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

I love both of these songs.

"They don't love you like I love you."

Mention-Worthy Upcoming Films

2010-10-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Omgah. I am so excited to watch this film. First, the script is written by Bill Shakespeare, who's pretty decent. Second, Hellen Mirren, KYAH!!!

Also, there is an upcoming Superman film...wait for it...produced by Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Knight), directed by Zack Snyder (Watchmen, Dawn of the Dead), and scripted by David Goyer (...I don't know who he is...). So yes, I'm super excited for this one.

The Facebook Authentification Test

2010-10-06T09:34:00.001-07:00

So I was trying to sign into facebook today and I have to take a test to get into my account for some reason. Now the test consists of me looking at tagged photos of friends and identifying each tagged friend. And then...I got these photos.

what the gay... I hate you Chung Lee or Jennifer So-Yoon Kim or Grace Cho or Jane Y. Tae or Elizabeth Teo or Leah Nkaujnag Lee. You almost made me fail the test. >:-{( (new moustache man)

On the Way to Work

2010-09-30T12:34:00.001-07:00

Lately, I've been biking to work for several reasons.

So I can get to work.
For a little extra exercise.

I somehow got way fitter in one week. Last week, it took me sixty minutes to get home. Today, it took me forty. I shaved off twenty minutes. cheese.

Anywho, on the way here, I saw some fellow cyclists. Two Mormonese fellows. It was a rather pleasant exchange of words.

Me: Excuse me. :-j) (mustache me)

Mormon 2: no problem. (|:-) (helmeted Mormon)

PostScript. I just realized that I've been spelling "mustache" wrong the whole time. I spelt it "moustache". Peculiar...

Tuesday Night Study Night Blog Entry

2010-09-28T21:31:00.001-07:00

A Conversation (or a short story, whichever you want)

Characters:

President of SMI (Sexual Minority Institute for Gays, Lesbians, and Transgender People)

Richard The-Emperor Chung

President: So we will set up a new institute for sexual minorities.

Richard: How about Larry and Steve

President: F*** you.

(Larry is a pedophile. Steve is a necrophiliac.)

__________________________

A Quote

"I think all women should marry pastors. And I think all men should be pastors." - Anonymous

__________________________

The abortionist movement decided to have a debate with the non-abortionist movement. In order to make themselves look cooler, they called themselves Pro-Choice and the opposition Anti-Abortion. Everybody likes "pro-", no one likes "anti". Very strategic. But how about this?

Pro-Choice vs. Anti-Baby-Killing

President (also a pro-choice advocate): F*** you.

Indie Film: A Thousand Words

2010-09-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

A Thousand Words from Ted Chung on Vimeo.

Awwwww.

Welcome Back Glee

2010-09-22T13:55:00.001-07:00

"Female football coach, like a male nurse. A sin against nature."

Best line. Ever.

A Conversation and a Game

2010-09-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

A Dialogue?:

Terrance: I am very observational. :-)

Me: It's observative, you idiot. >:-jO

?: it's observant...

_______________________________________

Also, one of my professors played the Truth-Truth-False Game with us where you have to state two truths and one false fact about yourself. His were the following:

Top 2% of his college. (He attended Michigan Tech, majored in Chemical Engineering)
In highschool, contemplated suicide.
Committed a crime that was investigated by the FBI

Half the class, including I, voted for number 1 as the false statement. The other class voted for number 3.

The true false statement was...number 2. I know, nobody got it right.

Technology and Friends

2010-09-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

(only time one ought to text)

I've decided. I'm going to try everything I can to never text in the midst of friends ever again.

Today, a speaker came to Biola to talk about technology and junk. One thing he said stuck out to me: "In this day and age, technology is helping us get closer to those far away from us. And it is also helping us push those close to us far away." (paraphrase)

I was like, "whoa. That's so true. :-jo" (this is moustache me)

I've thought back at the times when I chilled with friends where it literally felt like I was close to them when they weren't with me. Whenever we chilled, they'd be texting someone else. And whenever I was at work or something, I would text with them, probably while they were with some other friends. I don't have these kinds of friends anymore because I didn't think these were healthy friendships.

Anywho, I think even if you're physically there, if you're mentally absent via texting someone else or something it is a) extremely rude and b) an awkward moment generator. I don't like either one of those so I'm gonna try to stop.

So, if you text me and I don't respond it's because I'm with friends.

And in case you think I'm being rude by not responding to your text and making you wait 4 hours for a response, HOW DARE YOU THINK THAT THE TIMES OF MY FRIENDS ARE LESS IMPORTANT THAN YOURS! I'LL CUT YOU!!! RAWRRRRR!!!! >:-jO (angry moustache)

Guns and Talks

2010-09-16T00:15:00.000-07:00

So today I've been talking about guns with Shingosan, who is going to be a popo (police officer), and one thing struck out to me as he was explaining to me all the crazy guns that were out there.

That thought was this: there really is no point in the existence of guns, except to inflict violence on people and continue wars. Ok. maybe not continue wars since you can easily kill a man with a sword or Shaolin Spade, but it certainly makes killing a lot easier.

To me, guns are a symbolic representation on the fallen nature of this world. It sucks. Peace and Love yo. Peace, Love, and Christ.

I think I've matured enough now to let things like this disturb me a little bit.

God is in Hell

2010-09-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

For those of you whose eyes have been caught in my trap and are currently reading my blog because of the title of this post, hohoho, welcome. Now before you brand me as a heretic and destroy me, let me explain my statement above in two points. Here we go:

I think it is rational for God to be in Hell. I know people say, "Hell is the absence of God." But I think that's jibberish. Rather, in the words of my professor, "Hell is the absence of a relationship with God." BUT I'm going to take it further and say, "Hell is the absence of a loving relationship with God." Which takes me to my next point.
Who else, can punish sinners doomed to ETERNAL punishment but an eternal God? Satan?Not at all. Satan cannot hold a candle to God in terms of dealing out punishment. What can Satan do, in light of God's ability to punish? Plus, Satan will be punished soon too. What we will see in Hell is God in His wrath, His justice, His holiness. We will never see God's wrath in Heaven. In heaven, we'll have nice things like God's love, God's grace.
Also, how can Satan, who is the Evil one, execute an action that is just? Punishing sinners is the right thing to do. How can we expect Satan to do the right thing?

Anywho, there are more, but these are the reasons I wanted to lay out for my defense that, "Hell yeah, God is in Hell." It would be problematic if he wasn't.

I am not even sure where we got the notion that Satan was the ruler of Hell. (this last statement, I'm a bit less confident on, so if you can provide philosophical, historical, or scriptural support on why I'm wrong, I'll be happy to change my stance on this. Though I think I may be right.)

BIOLA and the SDB

2010-08-28T15:57:00.001-07:00

It's what we do, yo.

Mumford and Sons

2010-08-26T12:09:00.001-07:00

this band has enraptured my heart lately. I am in love with them.

Newest Fashion Object, First Day of Class Quotes, and Personal Favorite Phrases

2010-08-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

hyuk hyuk

So I've found a new fascination with jorts. Which are jean shorts. But only on women. Man Jorts are gross and disgusting. I like nicely little cuffed, or cut-off, jorts. Prolly cuz women legs are so much nicer and smoother than hairy man legs.

Also, this is proof that the Old Testament is awesomer than people think. A quote from an academia.

Professor Volkmer: Did you know that the ancient church grew exponentially without the book of Romans?!

Anywho, this is my new favorite quote concerning all things God's epicness.

"You cannot hope to imagine..."

Just take a look at how deep this phrase goes. An analysis of the quote above.

"You cannot" - means that you are utterly incapable of

"hope" - means that you are unable to even want to

"to imagine" - means that you are unable to even want to guess

a paraphrase - "You are utterly incapable of even wanting to guess..."

This is called the Incomprehensibility of God. A quote by Nic concerning God's incomprehensibility.

Nicolas of Cusa: The intellect knoweth that it is ignorant of Thee because it knoweth Thou canst not be known, unless the unknowable could be known, and the invisible beheld, and the inaccessible attained.

Fundevogel

2010-08-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

"Fundevogel, never leave me, and I will never leave you."

"Neither now, nor ever."

Thanks to Michelle Park for letting borrow this book finally.

My Favorite Discussion Topics As Of Late

2010-08-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

guess what these two are talking about

zombies (always), dreams, alien theology, old testament theology, films, the fourth dimension

current favorite discussioners: Terrance on zombie related incidents and scenarios, Alvin on just about anything. These men have imagination.

Simon on films and some zombie stuff. Anyone on theology except people who don't care.

Imagination

2010-08-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

Imagination is vital in order to stay young. Without imagination, you are just an adult. Which sucks.

Injuries at Work

2010-08-21T00:35:00.001-07:00

Art by a high flying danger to society.

Today, I elbowed dropped my female co-worker from a ladder.

A Question For the Masses (Concerning Beauty)

2010-08-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

Art by Blogger

Which is more beautiful of the two?

To be so beautiful that shallow people cannot comprehend the beauty?

To be so beautiful that EVEN shallow people can understand the beauty?

Hrmum.

I think I may have to go with the first. But my stupid mind SO wants to say option B.

Drought Week

2010-08-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

So recently I have been typing down my morning prayers in poem format. I spend a bit of time writing the poem/prayers and I make sure to rhyme it and junk, and then I would "recite" it after I finish in a proper knelt down position in my feeble attempt to show the most respect I can to God. Of course the prayer time is accompanied by scripture reading time.

Now recently, I fell into a spiritual dry spell for a while. For a while, I felt too guilty or too lazy or whatever to type down my prayers and pray or even read scripture. So I stopped for a while. Every day I woke up, did "fun" things, like watch shows or play games and I something definitely felt off.

After constantly failing to pray and read scripture, I just felt like my life was not right. Something was wrong. So finally, this morning, I smarted up, and sat through a prayer session. And the surprising thing was, that I did it in pure joy. I didn't feel forced to pray or anything, I just went through it.

After I finished my prayer session, I wanted to know how many months I had gone without prayer. So I checked, and the last "entry" was August 8, 2010. Yes. It has "only" been a week. I say "only" because even a week without prayer is a lot, BUT from my expectations, it's a lot less than I thought it was.

Now, I'm trying to get my brain to stop thinking, "It's only been a week, whew, I'm pretty sure God wouldn't have noticed my absence for merely a week." And I'm trying make it think, "OH miserable wretch am I, death and misery is too good for a sinner such as I. Wilt Thou forgivest me father for sinning against Thee and neglecting Thee for an ENTIRE week?!"

I truly am relieved that it was only a week, but I shouldn't be.

But God is good who accepts me after I fall.

Soccer on the Yard, Finances, and My Current Weight

2010-08-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

Art by me

So today, I came back from work and I decided to work out a bit. So I got my soccer ball and just started juggling it a bit. Then I got a glimpse of the house across from me and the guy there was also juggling his ball. Then, my neighbor's son came out and started juggling as well. So all three of us were juggling soccer balls. We didn't talk to each other but I felt a connection. It was nice.

I also got my paycheck today and I found out that I saw my finances as a game. I really like it. Whenever I get money, I think of it as a game that I'm playing and my goal is to get as much done with my money as possible.

My weight has reached a whole new high. I am officially around 190 pounds. I am a fat pig. :-(

Ninja vs. Ku Klux Klan

2010-08-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Art by yours truly

Oh, the things I watch. Today I watched a film entitled Ninja Vengeance. It is about a white ninja who fights the Ku Klux Klan. It was terrible. It far surpassed the "so-bad-its-good" genre. It was just terrible. Why do I do these things?

The Empiricists Tour in Europe

2010-08-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

I am planning on changing the name of my band from A Bird In The Empire to The Empiricists. I hope Rebekah would accept the change. Anywho, I was thinking lately, and I felt particularly hipster on one fine sunny afternoon, and I thought, "hey, I can totally perform my music in Europe!"

I was walking around the streets outside UCLA, and I saw a man playing the guitar so I stood by and asked him to play me an original song. Then the thought came to me, "I could totally play my songs in Europe." Then I would be really hipster. And my journey to Europe would be a musical journey. :-D I hope Rebekah says yes! But if she says no, then...I don't know what I'll do. Don't tell her, but I think I'd be a bit depressed. :-( I don't want to pressure her into going. harharhar.

Some ABITE News

2010-08-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

ABITE stands for A Bird In The Empire. I am considering a name change to sound cooler. But I have to think about it. Anywho, here's the news.

Someone subbed one of my videos. hahahaha. I know, insane. Now the French know what my song is about.

They are both the same. It's just that the second one has French subtitles. I'm glad I have fan(s) in France.

Original:

Subbed:

Darth Schwarzeneggar

2010-08-09T09:07:00.001-07:00

Richard's Thoughts on Dreams

2010-08-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

In light of Inception and Paprika, I've been thinking a bit about dreams lately.

So I was lying awake last night taking a look at my life and I really wanted an escape. I wanted to escape back into the dream world. Where I could have as many adventures with as many people as I want. I just wanted to go there once again.

Anywho, like I said before, we all have dreams every time that we sleep, it's just that we don't remember them. And I can't help but wonder if it's a defensive mechanism in our brain that causes us to forget our dreams. What unimaginable horrors await us there? What immeasurable pleasures do we experience when we dream?

I calculated it. And I have had roughly 7,665 dreams AT LEAST. I'm pretty sure I dream more than once a night so roughly 15,330 dreams have eluded my memory.

I think one very interesting premise for a show or a film would be a day in the life of a man who was stuck in Dream Island (see CS Lewis' Voyage of the Dawn Treader of the Chronicles of Narnia series). The premise is that Dream Island is a place where all your dreams come true. And CS Lewis does an interesting thing with this.

SPOILER ALERT

Basically, every sailor that hears of Dream Island, start panicking and trying to get away from Dream Island. Curious, Edmund or some other ask, "What's up? Who wouldn't want to go to Dream Island where all your dreams come true?" The sailors answer, "Yes. Exactly. ALL your dreams. Your dreams do not only consist of happy dreams. This island can make your most horrifying nightmares come to life as well as your dintzy happy dreams." After hearing this, Edmund gets scared as well.

Anywho, I think it is an awesome premise for a film and I'm considering making a film about dreams. :-jD (the artistic moustache smile!)

A Dream

2010-08-02T07:43:00.001-07:00

This is the first dream I've remembered in a very long time and it has a lot of feelings behind it.

This is what I wrote, right after I woke up. I was told that if I want to remember a dream, I have to write it down immediately after I wake up.

So this is what I wrote:

I had a dream that I finally got a girlfriend. I forgot who.

She confessed to me, that she liked me.

But I said, no.

Then she cried and went away, so I went up to her and told her to let me think about it.

Then I told her I’ll call her in two days.

But my feelings for her started developing and I grew to like her more and more.

So I went to her and it seemed like she already knew.

Then it turned into a retreat setting.

But after a couple hours, she told me she liked someone else.

And she got together with him.

Then there was a machinegun shoot out.

And both she and her boy got shot by friendly fire, or so I thought.

And I was sad but kind of happy.

I told SimonI finally got a girlfriend for like ten seconds.

I told him and he judged me that I would use retreat as a place find a girlfriend.

Then I saw her a bit later and I got super depressed.

There is a certain significance to this dream which I would gladly tell you in person. So ask.

The New Set of Films To Look Forward To

2010-07-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well...not only films.

In light of Comic Con recently, I decided to post about upcoming films and junk.

So these are a few films and shows that I'm really looking forward to.

Tron Legacy, Thanks to both Joe Chong and the new Tron trailer. I love futuristic night club action.
Sucker Punch, Zack Snyder has done right by me and I trust him by now. Plus, I love attractive young women and guns. I know. I'm disgusting. I AM MAN!!!
The Walking Dead, This one is actually a show... ABOUT ZOMBIES!!! 'nuff said. *edit* No. Not 'nuff said, I just watched the trailer and I have to admit, the trailer is pretty terrible. Let's just hope the show does so much better.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, ye, I put up a trailer for this film up a while ago. and yes, I'm into this kind of stuff.
Priest, Some of you may be surprised that I would look forward to this particular Vampire vs. Holymen film, but I ask of you, "is it really that shocking?" I mean, I did mention that I am a sucker for religiously themed junk. Or did I? I don't know. Anywho, if you weren't surprised or shocked, then you should get to know me a bit better. Shame on you.
Red, I love John Malkovich, I love Bruce Willis, I love Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman (But they don't deserve their own spot, they have to share), and I love assassins. I hate Mary-Louise Parker but this is a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Things I Am Not Looking Forward To, Though Perhaps I Should Be:

YES, This is an extra treat for those of you have read this far. An extra list. These are things that I think I should look forward to, but for some strange reason, I am not.

1. Let Me In

Why I Should Like It: I loved the original Swedish film, Let the Right One in, and it has my beloved Chloe Moretz in it. Not to mention it was directed by the same guy who directed Cloverfield, which I kind of liked.

Why I Don't: I despise "translated" remakes of great films. "Translated" remakes are films that are remade like right after the original was made. If someone remakes it in like 50 years, I'm pretty sure I'll have no qualms about it.

2. Iron Sky

Why I Should Like It: Nazis. Everywhere. Even on the moon. Yes, you read it correctly, the film is about Nazis who went to the moon for a strategic retreat during the closing of World War the Second. Now, they are back, and I don't really care what happens much after that.

Why I Don't: Because I DO care what happens much after that. I know that they'll eventually just die due to heroics of Nazi-haters everywhere. As films have taught us over and over again, the only point of putting Nazis in a film, is to kill them all violently. :-(

3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Ok, before I go into things, I know I need to explain, why this film is on any list even remotely close to me, especially since I've expressed my utter disgust at the ending of the first film, and the entirety of the other films, in the same franchise. However, I've included it for two reasons. I hope you are understanding.

Why I Kind-of Should...umm...Like It?: The trailer, unlike the horrid The Walking Dead trailer, was pretty fascinating. I liked Jack Sparrow, much like everyone else in the world, in the first film. Then, he said, "zombies", that word alone, almost got me completely hooked, and I almost put it in the list of films that I am looking forward to. Then, I quickly came to and shoved it on this list for several reasons.

Why I Definitely Don't (Just to defend my manhood): I am extremely tired of Jack Sparrow and how he is. His behavior now seems a bit forced, it feels like Johnny Depp is tired of doing Jack Sparrow and I just don't like his personality in general. I know, this maybe working against my manhood, but whatever, I give up. I also remembered that ultimately, this was a Disney movie. And whatever attempt at zombies, that Disney is going to make, I'm pretty sure it'll end up in utter failure. Don't get me wrong, I think the zombies might look awesome, I will give the Disney design team that much credit. However, the personalities of the zombies, (yes, I just used personality again, and yes, I just ascribed personalities to zombies) will be utter rubbish. I wouldn't even be surprised if they'll be weird vegetarian zombies or something.

4. Drive Angry

Why I Should Like It: In order to understand this, you first need to grasp that I love Nicolas Cage. Don't ask me to explain I just do.

Why I Don't: As painful as it is, it just seems kind of boring.

5. The Expendables

Why I Should Like It: I am a man. And it is in the running against Eat, Pray, Love, which surprisingly I don't like, despite the word "pray" shoved in there. It also has every action star known to man in it plus some more to boot. It has china kung fu man, Jet Li. It even has a freakin wrestler in it, Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Why I Don't: They just chose the wrong man to play the villain. When I see a villain, I want to tremble in my chucks and just jump up and down clinging onto a metal bar like a monkey. I want my skin to tingle EVERY time he opens his mouth. Gary Oldman (Ivan Korshunov of Air Force One, Norman Stansfield of Leon The Professional), Alan Rickman (Hans Gruber of Die Hard), John Travolta (Castor Troy of Face Off), Nicolas Cage (Castor Troy of Face Off), Javier Bardem (Anton Chigurh or Crazy Guy of No Country For Old Men), Hugo Weaving (Mr. Smith of The Matrix), even Arnold Freakin Schwarzeneggar (The Terminator of The Terminator).

You need a man of at least this caliber to fight off against every action hero known to man. Not David Zayas (Angel Batista or incredibly adorable Cuban popo fellow of Dexter). Ugh, the casting choice they made makes me angry. I need a villain who kind of makes you question who's gonna win. Not ANGEL Bastista. HIS NAME IS ANGEL!!! THE NICEST THING I COULD POSSIBLY THINK OF! argh!!!

Well that was two sets of things that were on my mind. It went a bit longer than I thought it would but whatever.

Morning Devotionals with Scottish Song

2010-07-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

So imagine this.

I'm sitting on my "bed" in my garage. I am singing, not reading, singing Job chapter 1 for the first time ever in a Scottish accent and a catchy tune bobbing up and down in my short shorts.

Then I come across this verse:

(paraphrased) And after Job's sons and daughters partied, Job would consecrate them. Job rose early in the morning and offered burnt offering for them all. For Job said, "It may be that my children sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.

This immediately shut me up and I just laid down to contemplate what it is that I just read.

A little background: I do not want children of my own flesh and blood. I would adopt a thousand kids, but I really do not want to have a child come from me and my DNA. The reasoning behind this is pretty unbiblical so don't judge me, but it is because I have a very negative view on humanity and children. I personally feel like, I am a pretty decent person. I'm a pretty decent Christian and pretty kind human being in general. And EVEN though I am this kind Christian, I know EVERYTHING that I have EVER done and thought and I know, that I am a disgusting, evil, unholy creature.

Now, if I am this awful subhuman creature, I know that within my own DNA, I have the ability to clone an exact replica of myself or possibly even worst, and my son would be that result. So I have no hope for my son, because I know what he'll do, and what he'll be capable of doing.

Ok, so this is where this passage fits in. IT IS NOT ABOUT ME!!! NO ONE SINS AGAINST ME WHEN THEY DO EVIL! THEY SIN AGAINST GOD!!!!! Job realized this. The first paragraph taught me how holy Job really was. I mean, I heard stories of how holy he was, but this is the first time I kind of caught a glimpse of Job's goodness.

And now, focusing on a God who created this "holy" man, if we sin not against the "holy" man, but against the HOLY GOD, then every time we sin, we are curb stomping Jesus Christ on a curb covered in feces and dog guts. Is the imagery too harsh? Because it's not. I use this imagery in order to lighten it. This imagery is a euphemism for what we really do to Christ when we sin. Because Jesus has gone through so much more for us to be "Christians".

Back to me and my fear of having children. Job's actions in the passage really showed me that my fear of my children sinning against me and making me sad and making me depressed was really a worthless concern. My concern should be that my children will sin against God and make Him sad and make Him depressed. I was worried about a parasitic bacterial speck when instead, I should have been worrying about an infinite and eternal God of all creation and the furthest reaches of the universe. Even in symbolic comparisons, I cannot really compare God to anything less than He is. It just doesn't seem right.

I love you all.

Today I Applied To Blogotheque

2010-07-19T01:35:00.000-07:00

By the suggestion of one, Brian Han, I applied to a website. Blogotheque. :-D

I hope they hire me on the shear idiocy of my application process.

An Interesting Fact From Chinese News

2010-07-17T10:09:00.001-07:00

My friend, Rui Guo, slept over today and in the morning he has a tendency to watch the Chinese news in the morning.

In today's news, they showed the one phrase you can say to your boyfriend or husband that'll wake them up immediately:

"I read your text messages."

hahaha. It showed the boyfriends immediately wake up and reach for their phones. One guy even said, "Did you see the pictures?!"

hahahahaha.

Oh, crazy Chinese news people and cheating boyfriends.

An Observation Regarding Humpty Dumpty

2010-07-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that it never states that Humpty Dumpty is an egg.

I wonder where we got THAT preposterous idea.

The Devil

2010-07-14T13:48:00.001-07:00

"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he didn't exist." - Verbal Kint

Freakin Keyser Soze.

A Dulux "Colour the World" Commercial

2010-07-13T23:06:00.000-07:00

Samuel Chung Quote of the Day

2010-07-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

Samuel: There is Bakugan movie! (google it)

Me: Really?!

Samuel: Yeah! But it's boring.

Me: Oh.

Samuel: But I like boring stuff!

World Cup 2010: After Korea's Lost

2010-07-06T21:54:00.000-07:00

I really do not care much who wins at this point, but there are four teams that I REALLY wanted to see lose.

Brazil
Argentina
Uruguay
Spain

I just wanted to see Brazil get off their high horse, which Netherlands executed beautifully.

I wanted to see Maradona The Hand of God cry because he was a pretty bad coach carried by a team of beautiful players.

Uruguay is just revenge for South Korea and Ghana, though both South Korea AND Ghana deserved their defeats. But revenge does not necessarily have to make sense. REVENGE!!!

And I just want to see Spain lose because I feel like their too arrogant. Actually it might be because Brian Han likes them so much. I just want to see Brian angry. By tomorrow, you will see either Richard The-Emperor Chung or Brian Han very angry. Avoid one and flock to the other depending on the outcome of that game.

Godspeed Germany! Complete my list!