jfboy2000's Xanga

seoul....

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:46:05 GMT

so, time for a short update on what's been going on in seoul, south korea.

first off, i just watched transformers with friends from my program, and that movie was CRAZY! the effects and cg animation were amazing, and just seeing another one of my childhood cartoons coming to life was awesome.
stay for some extra scenes at the end, too, btw.

the dorms here aren't great, but they're habitable. i have a roommate. he's leaving soon though. sometime this week or next week. i have AC, ptl. not that the heat's that bad. but then again, i wouldn't know cause i have ac. hehehe.

classes are looooooooong.
we have three 1 hour 40 minute classes. sometimes they go over.
the schedule is like this, monday through thursday.
9:10 a.m.~ 10:50 a.m. Current Issues in Korean Economy and Politics
11:05 a.m.~12:45 p.m. Culture and Society of Contemporary Korea
2:00 p.m.~3:40 p.m. East Asia: Democracy, Markets and Security
4:00 p.m.~ 4:50 p.m. Korean language class
5:00 p.m.~ 5:50 p.m. Korean language class

that's MONDAY through THURSDAY. crazy tiring.
friday is left for field trips and rest and catching up on reading.
and we have HUNDREDS of pages of reading to do. of course, no one's going to be able to get through it all, not unless they're a speed reader and are reading nonstop.

btw, i've been placed in the highest level of the korean language classes... interesting... it's only because i know how to write and spell though. my speaking and listening suck compared to the other korean-americans. but they say i have a good accent and pronunciation. yay ^^v

i went to kyoung-ju last weekend. it was fun. 24 of us had fun getting to know each other, on the bus and at the hotel. and the teachers paid for 2 hours of noraebang (karaoke) for us. that was cool.

last wednesday, the president of Seoul National University provided lunch for us. right before the lunch, at the beginning of the second period, one of the t.a.'s for the class comes up to me and tells me that i'm to make a welcome speech to the president.
i was like, "WHAT?"
anyways, long story short, i spent that entire period thinking about that "speech". i started out by writing in korean, but then got stuck on some formal stuff, so i ended up writing it in english and asked one of the t.a.'s to help me translate it. he did, and i tried to memorize it, but when the time came to recite it, i didn't have the confidence that i'd memorized it well, so i just ended up reading it from the paper.
when the lady introduced me for the speech, she told everyone that i had gotten a scholarship from the president of the university and that i had the highest gpa out of the entire group... which of course, led to everyone asking me what my gpa was later on. anyways, i got through the 1 minute speech without incident and retreated back to my little corner. hehe.
that was a very cool honor though. i didn't know why she wanted ME to give the speech until she introduced me for the speech. i just thought that i was the only president's scholar there. anyways, yeah.
oh and i found out that i beat out other berkeley students to get this scholarship. they didn't tell me that when i sent in my paperwork. i just sort of thought that i was a last resort and that they hadn't found anyone else who wanted to go... cool!
although now, it makes me feel like i have to study even MORE. i have to make myself worthy of this scholarship. egh. and i have to represent my school and protect its reputation. and also the reputation of the professors back at home. since this is the FIRST time that they're doing this and i don't want them to go next year and say, "egh, the berkeley student from last year wasn't so great. why should we give them another chance?"
that's how i'm thinking right now...

on another note, i went to two different churches already.
last week i went to sarang church. it was really cool, but i had to leave early cause my orientation was that day, too.
this past sunday (yesterday), i went to onnuri church. they were cool too, but i think i like sarang a little better.
i figure, since i'm in korea for only 7 weeks, i should go check out a bunch of different churches.
i want to go to yoido full gospel church next week.
these korean mega churches are crazy huge. it's cool, but intimidating and a little too commercialized, i feel. and impersonal. *shrugs*

ummmmmm... what else...
clubbox has 1 mb/sec download rates in korea! that's fast. i only get about 120 kbs rates in the u.s.
i think that's all for now...
i'll update again later.

mom, dad, ingrina, di > i love you guys and miss you all!

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 04:01:21 GMT

hey everyone.

just wanted to let everyone know that i'm safe in korea now. i'm at the campus using the internet. for some reason gmail's not working right now. i'll try it again later. but yes, i'm here and i'm safe!

it's hot and muggy. -___-"

till next time!

bragging rights (PTL)

Sun, 13 May 2007 17:31:38 GMT

woohoo!!!
sorry, i want to celebrate a good semester. :D

Japanese 112 (Fifth-Year Japanese)                     A
Japanese 159 (Modern Japanese Literature)         A
Korean 7B (Intro to Modern Korean Literature)   A
Linguistics 55AC (American Languages)               A
Music 142 (University Wind Ensemble)                A

Absences:
Japanese 112                   1
Linguistics 55AC Lecture   3
Music 142                         1

Tardies:
Korean 7B Section             1
Japanese 159                     2

Summer:
Seoul National University International Summer Institute (June 25 - August 4)

okay... i'm done. ^^;;

CARP

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 04:34:47 GMT

i was approached by two guys last friday while i was studying for my kanji test in dwinelle plaza. this was asuc election day at uc berkeley.

anyways, they were nice, and i assumed that they were from some christian group so i agreed to let them talk to me.

they said they were from some group that i had never heard of, but i know that there are a lot of christian groups at berkeley so i just sort of brushed that aside.

except that not once did they talk to me about God or about anything to do with christianity...

on the contrary, they asked me about my goals in life and my dreams and stuff.

they were nice, polite, easy to talk to.

they asked me for my phone number and i gave them my e-mail instead. then they left and i studied for my kanji test.

then today i get an e-mail from the one guy that talked to me. (his friend didn't say a single word. i thought maybe he was praying or something the whole time. *shrugs*)
and in his e-mail i see the word CARP, and so i look that up on wikipedia.
here's the link to the description from wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collegiate_Association_for_the_Research_of_Principles
ANYWAYS, to make a long story short, it seems like they're some kind of cult. They don't seem to have bad principles, but their recruiting methods are sketchy to say the least. The whole time that i was talking with them I kept wondering what they were trying to get from me, what they were trying to invite me to, and what their beliefs are. but i got none of that.
i searched the UC Berkeley Office of Student Life site for their listing and they're not on there. which means that they're not approved. and this causes me to suspect that the two guys i talked with were NOT UC Berkeley students.
which in the end translates to me NOT responding to their e-mail, or to me just rejecting any invitations they might send me. :)
creepy though. i think this is the first time that i've been approached by a cultish group. O_O

CalTaiko and... Soran Bushi/Yosakoi??

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 04:21:15 GMT

CalTaiko.... WOW!
i'm impressed.

now, if we could get them to play for us while we do soran bushi or yosakoi dancing... that would be COOL!
then we could perform together and travel together and everything.
is that possible i wonder?? it'd be so cool if we could get that happening.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:14:38 GMT

and he turns out to be a south korean student majoring in English...

-___-

*sigh*
i feel really bad for his parents.
then again, i wonder what kind of parents they were to raise up a kid like him...
unless he was the victim of racism, prejudice and discrimination while growing up.
it says he came to the u.s. in 1992 (15 years ago) and he's 23 now, which means that he came to the u.s. when he was 8 years old.
his late-elementary school, middle school and high school years would have all taken place in the u.s., in the middle of washington d.c. suburbia.
maybe he was the subject of racism at school or something, and that's why he turned out the way he did.
not that that's an excuse.
but maybe it can offer an explanation.

now, to see what his parents have to say will be interesting. and whether they'll stay in the u.s. or go back to korea, where it'd be safer for them.
i wonder if the guy had siblings.

this guy should have thought about the effects his actions would have on his family before he did what he did. -__-#

on another note,
facebook seriously is amazing.
i'm looking at the facebook groups for this virginia tech incident and it's incredible how the college groups are all getting together in solidarity (and yes, i DO KNOW how cliche that sounds). events are being announced all over, condolence messages are being posted on walls by the thousands, there are almost 150,000 members of the "A tribute to those who passed at the Virginia Tech Shooting" group, there are thousands of pictures of the VT logo and other college/university logos, showing unity, and then of course there are the groups who hate on cho seung-hui. the pace at which all this has been happening is absolutely incredible.

although, there was one guy in my class today who didn't know ANYTHING about the VT incident. -___-
that was really sad. i mean, i can understand it if people dont watch news on the t.v., but with the internet nowadays, news is EVERYWHERE. you think that the guy would have heard SOMETHING about this through some form of media...
anyways, watch the news people. in the morning and during the day time and at night too.

edit:
i just checked that facebook group again and it has surpassed 200,000 members.
and this all since noonish yesterday.
AMAZING.
and i have the feeling that it'll keep on growing.
i'm estimating that it'll peak at near 500,000. let's see if i'm right...
though if i'm going to predict that, i should join it, too... hehe

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 04:20:36 GMT

awwwwww.....
not good...

this might be a little bit insensitive...
but i hope that people don't start hating on asians if that shooter at virgina tech turns out to be a chinese guy from shanghai...
egh...
i realize that this is not the time to be concerned about the asian reputation in the u.s., but i can't help but think about it...

on another note, facebook is really amazing.
i started watching the news this morning and first thing i hear about is a posting on facebook.
of course, the announcer got the terms wrong and stated that the student had posted a note, when he had actually wrote a posting on the wall of the virginia tech network...
posting a note is different... hehehe
anyways!
it's interesting how fast information travels nowadays.
people use their cell phones to film and take pictures.
people send text messages to warn people IMMEDIATELY, not hours after the incident begins.
people use facebook as a way to find out if people are hurt or safe or missing.
people use facebook to spread information about events right away.
i felt like today, facebook got a lot of traffic because it was the most effective way of contacting people.
and i thought it was funny that a good 100 people or more joined the virginia tech network today. i can't help but wonder if a lot of those who joined were journalists trying to get access to the walls, notes, profiles of the students at virginia tech. those who resorted to stalking on facebook, i give you props. it's clever.

that's all.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:44:48 GMT

yesterday in my japanese class we were discussing our plans for the future regarding marriage and children.

People in the class told me that I think like a Chinese man 2,000 years ago.

Apparently, I'm VERY traditional. hahaha

But I think it's reasonable to tell your kids that they need to support you when you get old. After all, as a parent, you worked so hard and sacrificed so much for THEM so it naturally follows that they should care for you when you're old. I expect my kids to take care of me in my old age and not to send me to a convalescent home, just like I'm going to take care of my parents (and my in-laws if necessary) when they retire and are old. It's filial piety.

Ah, there's the word.

Filial piety.

The fact that I believe in the virtue of filial piety in this day and age makes me old-fashioned and traditional in the eyes of modern men. And women.
"Welcome to the 21st century."

But I think that my way of thinking can still exist in this society.
I want six kids. I want a big family. I think that having more kids will also help to lighten their burden when they have to take care of us in our old age.
Of course, I would only have as many kids as I can afford to raise, but still, I want around six.

Anyways, that was an interesting discussion.
I'm old-fashioned, traditional and conservative, and I bear that proudly, even in the 21st century.
^^

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 06:01:48 GMT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!! ^^

If i had a picture, i'd put it up, but i don't have one on me... :(

Friday, April 06, 2007

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 04:26:46 GMT

aaahhhhhh!!!!!

soooooo busy!!!!!!

paper for japanese language class.
group translation for japanese lit. class.
research for prof.
paper for linguistics class.
concert for wind ensemble. -___-#
thinking about telebears and schedule for next semester.
figuring out what i'm going to do during the summer.
the only thing i'm not busy with is my korean lit. class.
aigoooo.
ayaaaaaaaa.

i found out the other day that i'm a horrible swimmer. hahaha. well, i can swim, just not very long, and not very elegantly or well. and i need glasses cause i can't open my eyes under water.
nuh moo apah.

and i feel like my appetite has shrunk some?? i dunno why but i'm unable to finish meals that i was able to finish a couple months ago... weird...

OOOH!!!
for those who have ANY idea what i'm talking about...
i have dled DS9 seasons 1-3, 5-6, TNG seasons 1-6, V seasons 1-7, E seasons 1-4, and ALL 10 MOVIES!!!
WHICH MEANS that i only have left to download DS9 seasons 4, 7, and TNG season 7!!!
I don't care about TOS. Sorry. TOO old for me. I didn't grow up with that. and i can't stand such horrible effects. The first few seasons of TNG are already hard to take.
if you don't get the acronyms, you're not a fan, and so it doesn't apply to you. :D
as far as I know only... 2 people would understand... i might be wrong though. hehehe.
anyways, when i get it ALLL, it'll be a marathon... woohoo!!!