Merry Christmas 2009!

Hey folks.. wherever you are in the world, whatever you're doing and whoever you're with just want to wish you a very Merry Christmas.

never too old for LASER TAG.

If you've seen How I Met Your Mother, you know that one can never be too old for laser tag. So, tonight with our younger cousins we played some good ole' fashion laser tag. Our team won, but I learned that I'm super out of shape.

Great Clip.

I was sent this by a friend today... great clip, check it out.

http://en.tackfilm.se/?id=1261504376859RA50

JawKneeYeah v. JYL v. KevJumba

About a year or so ago.. I began receiving emails from friends of YouTube clips featuring a guy named "JawKneeYeah." Let me begin by saying that I didn't find his clips all that funny. Anyways, people would send me these clips saying, you look EXACTLY like him. I don't know... aside from obvious similarities between two Asian young males, I don't see it.

Recently, I've now been hearing references to a certain KevJumba. His clips are a bit better, but still don't see it.

I want to settle this now and for all. Do we look EXACTLY the same? Let's be honest now.


Clockwise from Top Left: JawKneeYeah, JYL, KevJumba

Random aside: where do these guys get their names?

GCC '09 Digital Dance-Off

So, about a week ago I had an interesting conversation with Ify a friend of mine from college. I asked her, "who would win in a dance battle between the 09 boys and girls." She was confident in the girls taking the title. This got me thinking... if we can't have a real dance battle (cause let's face, it the logistics are just too much to handle) why don't we have a digital dance off. And that's what's going down.

This is serious stuff. We're taking it to the (digital) streets. Here is my challenge vid:

officially in love.

Love is inexplicable. It can hit at any moment and in any way... and I've been bitten with the lovebug, bad.

I don't want to get all lovey-dovey with you guys, but I've got to say it was love at first sight. I'm a little ashamed to say that it happened through the internet, but you can't choose where you find love, right? Anyways, enough build up, I'd like to introduce them.

That's right, THEM. I'd like to introduce you to Janice and Sonia. 23 year old, Korean-Australian girls, who are CHRISTIAN! Does it get any better? In fact it does, they have AMAZING voices. They are God's gift to the world. Enjoy.


I wonder how much a plane ticket to Australia costs.

I'm BACK!

Dear beloved blog followers.. sorry it's been a while.

Quick update: I'm back in the STATES!

And, now that I've got some down time.. I PROMISE I will update often. Atleast a couple times a week (I may regret that). So make sure to check back in. :D

A Week in SH!

Sorry it's been so long. As my time here winds down, I thought this video would be appropriate. Enjoy!

Xi'an Trip

SE Asia Trip 2009

Jiffy Message: Dear '09

October Travels

introducing...

EuroTrip: Vienna!

"Save" - New Heights

Euro-Trip: England Video

"Neverchanging" - New Heights

Euro-Trip: Amsterdam Video

"Hold On" - New Heights

Euro-Trip: Rome!

Here's a small taste of Rome, the most amazing city EVER.


"We are the Ones" - New Heights

Euro-Trip! Final Update

Last night in Europe, tear.

But all good things must come to an end. We're flying out of Zurich tomorrow morning. Keep visiting for new videos from each country. Thanks for all your prayers, tips, and good wishes!

EURO-trip! in Vienna, Austria

We just arrived in Vienna, Austria!!

I had no idea what to expect but now I'm pretty excited about this city because it seems really cultured. Tonight we're going to go watch a free concert on the square and tomorrow we're going to see the city and also see a performance from the summer dance festival. Also, our hostel is pretty awesome. It's very clean and has a kitchen, free internet.

Photos and videos to come.

EuroTrip: Italy!

A week late, but better late than never right?

Italy: Venice, Florence, Pisa

Euro-Trip Update

In Amsterdam now, we just completed a 30+ mile bike ride to an outer city and the beach. It was really scenic but quite a workout. I'll try to upload pictures soon, but Italy videos will have to wait. The internet is far too slow to handle it.

One more day here and then we're off to London!!

EURO-trip! Photos: Zurich, Venice

Zurich



Venice

EURO-trip! Zurich, Switzerland

Quick recap of our day in Zurich, hope you enjoy!

EURO-trip: Arrival in Zurich

Bonjourno from VENICE!!

EURO-trip! Itinerary.

If you haven't heard, I'm going on a EURO-TRIP, tomorrow. Crazy. Kind of weird because we just got back from missions, but I think it'll be good debrief still cause I'll be going with Mo and Ellen. Perhaps we'll do some outdoor evangelism.

Anyways, in case you're interested, here's a glimpse of our itinerary. Kind of crazy, I know. Hopefully we'll get patches of internet along the way and I'll be able to keep y'all updated on this blog.



Post Europe
August: DC/Philly/KS
Sept-Nov: Shanghai
Dec: Korea/KS

a bit late.. but ALOHA!

In case you have yet to see it, here is the full recap of the Lee Family winter break trip to Hawaii:

Lee Family in Hawaii Link

Peru 09: We're Back!

Missions Training: Final Week

I can't believe it, but we leave for AMI Revolution today and Peru next week. Here's a brief video of our team and our last week here. Hope you enjoy it and I hope it reminds you to keep us in your prayers.

Missions Training Week 3

Just to give y'all another quick update. Here are the highlights of my past week in Philly. There is not much footage from actual training because we're so focused during that time, but here's a taste. Enjoy!

transformation

I know many of you (including my mother) were quite sad about my hair mishap. To make a long story short, never go to Aveda (the hair school) to get a haircut, EVER. Not even for a trim.

Anyways, with missions coming up I figured it'd be a good time for complete change. I'm pretty certain I can cut hair much better than my barber at Aveda. This is my first attempt at editing videos, but hopefully more to come. Enjoy.

i LOVE lovestories.

In case you didn't know... I'm a sucker for love stories, chickflicks, and love in general. I guess I'm a hopeless romantic. Recently, I've learned that a old noona of mine from way back in the day has gotten engaged!

I wanted to share her love story with you. Also, it'd be great if you could vote for her story so that they could win a photography package. Check it out here: http://www.wayneyuan.com/love-story-3-yuri-kee.html

Once you click vote scroll to the bottom, and make sure you include your FULL NAME to vote. Enjoy!

quick glimpse.

Missions training began over a week ago now, but here was a quick video to test out my camera. There was a lot of sunlight so it's pretty washed.

kansas represent!

In case you have never tuned into a Scripps National Spelling Bee, they are FASCINATING. I love it. Makes me feel not so nerdy. Anyways, today a young girl by the name of Kavya Shivashankar won. And guess where she's from... that's right KANSAS.



While this is quite an exciting moment for me and the bee, my favorite is still this incident. Classic.

no place like kansas.

Having been here about two weeks now, I've come to realize a couple of things I'll miss about Kansas:

1. Everyone waves. It could be the golf Marshall on the course, the boy walking the dog down the street, or the old women doing her gardening... everyone waves. That most definitely does NOT happen on the East Coast.

2. Seeing a freshly cut lawn. There are few things more beautiful than a freshly cut lawn. Back in high school my brother and a friend had a lawn mowing business. We used to do several lawns, weed wack, and edge cutting. All you city folk have no idea what I'm talking, but I know all you suburb kids understand.

3. The Open Road. Right around midnight, the roads are wide and quiet. It's great rolling down the windows, blasting the music, and taking a drive.

4. BBQs. For all those who don't know, Kansas City is the BBQ capital of the world. Think about it KC Masterpiece... that's right "Kansas City" Masterpiece. It's best going to a friends house and just grilling out on the back porch.

5. Babies. Suddenly all the young adults in our church are popping out babies. This awesome because this makes me "Uncle Jason" to a ton of little toddlers. I get to play with them and have fun, but without the responsibilities.

Seriously getting old.

Today I called up an old friend to play some tennis. He and I played a lot through H.S. So when began I said, "Oh, let's play best of 5 sets." Quickly that became best of 3 sets...

We ended up playing only ONE set. I lost 6-6 (5-7 tiebreaker).

Now I need to go ice my back. It's becoming readily apparent that I'm no longer a high schooler, or a college student now for that matter.

what i'll miss about college...

Late night madness.

Thank you Harrison102. You've been wonderful to me and my fam this week. :D

to my beloved Mother... Mama Lee.

Here's an old video Eddie and I made from 2008, but just I wanted to share it again. To the best mother in the world, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Thank God for mothers :D

to my beloved brother...

YOU'RE GETTING OLD. :D

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting my brother, let me introduce you to Eddie. He's an amazing older brother, the best friend ever, and simply a remarkable person. Ladies, before you ask (because they always do)... he IS single.

So, I already got Eddie a birthday gift, but I won't say what it is because apparently it's very nerdy and typical of the Lee brothers. But I thought that a nice supplement gift would be giving him a full blog post listing. Here it is:

Name: Eddie Lee
Ht/Wt: 6'1 180lbs (?)
Born: Michigan, 1986
School: Tiny little school in Boston that Koreans refer to as "ha-bu-deh"
Occupation: Soon to be Senate staff worker
Enjoys: long walks on the beach, swimming, playing golf, producing videos, spoken work, chilling with his bro
Interests: politics, human rights, sports
Ideal Date: Begins by attending an Obama rally together, then saving the world, and finish it off with some ice cream in the park.
Ideal GF: Someone who is Christian, passionate, beautiful, and takes really good care of his younger brother.
(In case you want some additional references: Crimson article, KoreAm piece)

I will be accepting applications throughout the week. Happy birthday Hyung, love you.

introducing... Wong Fu and David Choi

In case you've been living under a rock and have yet to experience the Wong Fu or David Choi phenomenon, let me be the first to introduce you. David Choi - he's a YouTube artist that has picked up a lot of popularity. Wong Fu - production company of guys who make awesome short clips.

Now they've collaborated with this music video:


But I find this video so much funnier:


Here's an awesome WongFu clip that may get you started down the rabbit hole.

how HARDCORE are you?

A lot of people like to throw around the term "hardcore" during finals time. For example, "I'm studying hardcore" or "You're so hardcore." But I've come to realize that there are many different definitions and degrees of hardcore. Also, I believe that some of us fluctuate along this scale depending on our mood/circumstances. So, I figured that I should make a hardcore scale to objectively measure hardcoreness at any given time.

H-Core Scale
10 - Hardcore^Max: Studying is no joke. Often studies alone in the stacks. No gchat, no music, no study breaks. Rarely sighted because they are so hardcore they are hibernating. (ie: JYL circa Sophomore year)

8 - Super Hardcore: Hardcore with a vengeance. Rarely willing to study with others, and if they do they often tells you that you are typing too loudly, breathing too loudly, or listening to music too loudly. (ie: Jon Lee, Mo)

6 - Respectably Hardcore: Knows how to get things done. Is willing to study with others, but never begins study breaks and sometimes shoots the "Can't you see we're studying glare" at others who are talking too loud, but won't go as far as to mention it. (ie: JYL junior, PNak, Marcos, Albie)

4 - Hardly Hardcore: You can never tell whether this person is studying or chatting. They leave often for study breaks or to take calls. But for the most part they're not too much of a distraction. (ie: ADy, JYL senior second semester)

2 - Weakcore: This person is definitely not hardcore. This is the person who is more likely to be playing a game on OmgPop, streaming fringe on Hulu or watching a clip on Youtube than studying when you look at their laptop. You can easily identify them if they are laughing at their laptop, or by the 10 gchat windows open. (ie: Slim, JJ Lee, many of our beloved Frosh, CHAderick)

0 - Hardcore Kryptonite: This is the person who is not studying and wants to take everyone down with them. They strike up conversations with anyone and everyone. They're the ones that not only stream videos and play games, but they crank up the volume so that everyone joins them in not studying. They may or may not go into other people's rooms to watch Gilmore Girls while they are studying. (ie: E^3, IYP, Iff-meister, Soo, Chaz)

:D I got opinions from others when rating, but I hope no one gets upset by this. I am definitely generalizing people and I think that there are both good and bad things to being anywhere on the scale. Let me know if you think you should be moved, or if you have an opinion about anyone else.

study break: YouTube

Preface: If you should be studying... STUDY! Otherwise, enjoy. :D

Finals time is here.. that means: basketball shorts, zip-up hoodies, locking myself in rooms for 12 hours at time, going to bed at 4am, waking up at 11am, and of course discovering all the different ways I can take a study break.

Here's a great one, YouTube. Sometimes I wonder how much higher GPAs would be if it weren't for the advent of YouTube.. but hey, we all need a break sometime right? Here are some clips I've been watching.

Hello SamuelOck. (He's incredible)

Nothing from Nothing (Cover)
How was it Supposed to Be (Cover)

Overflow Archive.

The Father's Love

Random GCC.

GCC '06 Year in Review
GCC '07 Year in Review

Mama and Papa Lee.

I recently came across this old photo of my mom and dad and I wanted to share it with you. It makes me really happy to see them as a young couple. I think they were a pretty cute couple, no? People tell me that I look more like my mom.

Well, many of you will be able to meet them quite soon.

Hey DAY!

HeyDay came again! And this time we were on the giving end, not the receiving end. You may remember my heyday post from last year. This year was just as fun loving our Juniors.

It was a little bit more dramatic this year because we had a run in with the cops and the administrators who tried to scare us with legal implications and the threat of not graduating. But when the time came, our love for the Juniors was just too great.

That said, I hope I still graduate. :/
Happy HeyDay Juniors!!

Get Dropbox!

I'm not sure if I've told you about Dropbox yet, but if not let me enlighten you. Probably one of the most useful programs online. It works as an extra drive of memory that is stored online. So, once you upload documents onto your dropbox you can upload it from any computer. Also, it shows up as a common folder on your computer. Better yet, you can share folders with family and friends online.

It's an amazing tool. Great for sharing music, photos, movies, etc. Anyways, they've got this great referal thing going on now, so... if you register here: https://www.getdropbox.com/referrals/NTExOTk you and I will both get more memory!

Oh yah, the coolest thing about it is that I know one of the founders. Arash (you can see his profile online). He taught me html in middle school, haha. He dropped out of MIT to start this company and is now a millionaire.

movie lovers, trade?

Calling all movie lovers, how would you like to trade for a brand new, unopened dvd?

I've got three different ones that I'd like to trade separately.

1. Friday Night Lights (movie)

2. The Pursuit of Happyness

3. Memoirs of a Geisha (I may be trading this one already)


Get it while it's hot. My assignment ends this Tuesday!!

shivers.

Sometimes I just get shivers listening to people sing... being amazed by talent.

Check it out:
Susan Boyle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Shaheen Jafargholi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju_kuxln9-M
He's going to be a star.

New Heights

I want to introduce everyone to another band I can't get out of my head, New Heights. They're based out of Seattle, have awesome songs and are really cool guys. (Christian too!) Anyways, I know Travis and Chris through Eddie, but you should check out their music.



Here's a video about them:


Here's their myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/newheightsmusic


Enjoy!

gamers and chillers, trade?

Hey folks... so now I've got an adjustable black/red chair that looks like a racing seat. It's pretty cool and very comfy too. Perfect for lounging, chilling, or gaming. Let me know if you're interested, ASAP. My coming to the final days of my assignment.


It kinda looks like this except without the boombox and adjustable.

Ladies, trade?

Girls I have now obtained two H&M button down dress shirts size 4. One is black and one is white with faint stripes, quite nice actually.

Let me know ASAP if you're interested and have something you'd be willing to trade!!

trade? Bottle of shampoo.

Hey folks,

Quick update from my red paperclip post. I'm at a new bottle of Pantene ProV Shampoo now and I'm quickly running out of time, but need to execute several trades. Please let me know if you're interested!!

kids crack me up.

This is from my younger cousin in a conversation with Eddie...

"o and also about harvar i want to go there so much i bought a couple of different harvard boxers"


I'm going to have to buy him some Penn boxers. :)

check out my brute.

The most pointless, but addicting game ever...

http://imjase.mybrute.com

Feel free to join and we can fight!

Happy APRIL FOOL'S DAY!!

Just to clear everything up once in for all.. I'M NOT DATING.

To those who were tricked, I hope you're not angry or upset... this was all done in good fun. To those who went along with it, thanks for your help I couldn't have done it without you. This certainly has been an interesting and exciting 24 hours. Also, this became a much bigger deal than I anticipated. Here are some random thoughts:

1) Why is it so hard for so many of you to believe that I AM dating?? Haha, one of the first reactions always (even when they didn't realize it was 4/1) was... "NO WAY! Jason dating? No Way!!" I'm a little saddened that this is so hard to believe.

2) Mama Lee called me three times in the span of 30 mins (while I was in a prayer meeting, unable to pick up). When I finally do she's like, "Who is this girl?! What is this news?!" I explain to her the concept of April Fool's Day, but it took another 5 minutes on the phone for her to accept it. Perhaps it's not a good idea to be facebook friends with your mom.

3) Some of my friends are ridiculous. They send photos around and make entire facebook albums with pictures of you and your gf. Caleb Li, I hope that you do this with all of our other friends who are dating as well.

4) To all of Annette's suitors... I'm sorry we broke your hearts for a day but don't worry, she's still available. She was a great gf for 24 hours and an awesome friend. I know that she'll make someone very happy one day.

5) As for myself. I'm not dating. Haha, I get the feeling that once I actually do start dating now, no one will believe me.

our story.

People continue to ask me how it happened. So here it goes.

We met at Phillips Academy '03.

I guess that's where it all began.

Then we kept in touch and she visited periodically... in Philly, Korea, NYC.

Then finally at KASCON.

Not that sappy... but that's how we met. :)

newest member of Shinee?

So, lately everyone's been commenting on the length of my hair. It's always the same comment, "Wow, your hair is long." It's almost as if people expect my hair to stay the same length. Undoubtedly that question is followed by, "Jason, you should cut it." (girls) or "Jason, I like it." (boys).

I've just been telling people I've been growing it out just to grow it out. To stick it to the man. But it's time I confessed. I'm growing out my hair so that I can become the 6th addition to the Korean boy band "Shinee" (Pronounced Shiny).



Or maybe I can take the place of the guy second from the left, with the mushroom hair.

pwned and taken over.

Every year Wharton engages in an activity called "Hostile Takeover." Essentially, it's a huge game of assassins with hundreds of students from the school. I decided to partake for the first time.

I was really excited because I had this elaborate plan and strategy to take out my target (a sophomore girl at Wharton). I was going to get her this afternoon as she flyered on the walk. But last night I got pwned at the intramural basketball game. It began around dinner time, when I started receiving calls from a restricted number, except there was no one on the other line (or so I thought). Then, later as I headed to the game I got a message saying "Are you at the game yet?" from an unfamiliar number. I responded saying "Almost there, who is this again?" No response.

Finally, I took my seat at the Palestra, and this random guy walked up to me, "Hey, Jason." And then he tagged me with the HT ball. Long story short, I got pwned. Later I learned that my assassin had spent several hours waiting in my hallway before taking me down at the game and had done extensive research on me through facebook. Kind of creepy, but props to him.

superheroes DO exist.

Came across this story on another blog, it's so cute I had to share it.

spider-man rescues autistic thai boy

This is an awesome story out of Thailand... This week in Bangkok, a fireman dressed up as the wall-crawling costumed superhero Spider-Man to coax a frightened autistic eight-year-old from a balcony: Thai fireman in 'spider-man' rescue of autistic boy.

Teachers at a special needs school reportedly alerted authorities when the student, scared of attending his first day at school, sat out on the third-floor ledge and refused to come inside.

Upon hearing about the boy's love of superheroes, fireman Sonchai Yoosabai jumped into action. He dashed back to his fire station, made a quick change into a Spider-Man costume and returned to the boy, urging him to come off the ledge with no problem.

Spidey saves the day. The question is, what is the guy doing with a Spider-Man getup in his locker? He apparently keeps the costume, along with an Ultraman outfit at the station in order to liven up school fire drills.

Update: Many Colors, One Harvard

I'm on the BoltBus now making my way back to Penn for my first class, and it's been a crazy past 24 hours. I left Philly Wed at 5am by Train to Boston, caught the rally, met up with several friends, had dinner with my brother and friends, had a layover last night in NYC and will be making it back for class. It's been an adventure to say the least.

The event was a great success. They had about 200 people show up! It was nice just to go out to Boston to support the cause and my brother.

Here's the Crimson article:
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=527266

Here's a video slideshow:
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=527270
(Eddie's the 3rd/final speech)

Many Colors, One Harvard

EDIT: I've decided to head to Boston for the event - hopefully it'll be a great success.


"The Harvard community has witnessed a series of discriminatory incidents in the past few weeks. The racial slurs written at the Chinese Students Association's Graffiti Party, the negative reaction to the appointment of Professor Jim Kim as Dartmouth's new president, and xenophobic comments on the Crimson's website are only the most recent of many events demonstrating that discrimination still presents a real challenge, even here at Harvard."

In response to such outrageous events, my brother and some others decided to hold a rally and speak out against it. It's entitled: "Many Colors, One Harvard."

Please let your friends in the Boston area know about it. This is what I call eloquent action.

life soundtrack... introducing Mr. Grammer.

Life is so much more interesting with a soundtrack. Throughout my life, so many of my memories and phases are associated with a particular song. Sometimes the songs are so powerful/memorable that they can bring you right back to that particular moment or time. Here are a couple of tracks from my life.

Elementary School = Waterfalls - TLC
JCA Summer School '04 @ Stanford = Hey Juliet - LMNT
Middle School = Crash and Burn - Savage Garden
Freshmen year = Changes - 2Pac
Korea Summer '06 = Butterfly Grave - TAKE


I spent this week in Puerto Rico for Spring Break and I'd probably say that the soundtrack for the week for me was "Where Are You" by Andy Grammer. This guy is pretty sick, I saw him live in concert and was impressed enough to buy his cd. And slowly he grows on you.




While that was the song that captures my spring break trip, this next one "Numbers" has a great message and is probably one of my favorites. Make sure to listen carefully to the lyrics.

Puerto Rico '09

I have just woken from a 5 hour nap recovering from Senior Spring Break '09 in Rincon, Puerto Rico. And honestly this week feels like a dream.

It began with KASCON which was a weekend of no sleep but amazing experiences. Then I found my self in PR. We did everything from snorkel with puffer fish, to fall asleep on the beach, to bbq on the roof. The week literally FLEW by and now I'm back at Penn second semester senior after spring break. It's amazing how quickly time can fly with good friends, fellowship and blessings. Kind of reminds me of these past four years.

KASCON is finally here.

After over a year of preparation, countless sleepless nights, heated arguments, joyful moments, suspenseful calls... KASCON 23 is finally here.

The conference kicks off tomorrow and I am so pumped. It's been really exciting and a privilege to be a part of organizing this conference and I believe that it will be really impactful. While I wish I could sit back and watch all our hard work come into fruition, but I'll be running around all weekend.

In case you want more info go to our website: www.kascon.com

After KASCON, I'm headed to Puerto Rico where I will sleep on the beach for days and days.

final praise night.

Tonight was my final praise night of GCC. As always, it was a great night full of passion and laughter. Oh how they have flown by. Here's a brief recap of my thoughts regarding praise nights.

[Freshmen] This was when I was introduced to the awesomeness that is praise night. My fg did a skit called "Oregon Trail" which was possibly the most unintentionally funny skit ever until the final minute which was super intense and made folks cry. Overflow also made its debut. We did a dance to Missy Elliot's "Lose Control." In retrospect, there was no real message, but that marked the birth of a great ministry.

[Sophomore] Oddly, I don't remember that much from this one. My fg did a skit called the Judgment. Also, Overflow did a piece called "The Father's Love."

[Junior] This was a great praise night. There were many great moments involved. My fg did a skit called "Grace House." It was remarkable because even though we had run it hundreds of times during practice I was still moved that night as I ran the music in the back. Overflow also introduced the piece "HiStory" which I think was quite powerful as well. And this was the night of the infamous Debbie's Hoodie Fiasco.

[Senior] Quite possibly the best praise night yet. The skits were really powerful tonight. People's creativity and talent really astounds me sometimes. It reminds me of how great a God we really have. My fg did a skit called "Paid in Full" and Overflow did "Second Glance." Tonight was one of the nights that I realized how much I'm going to miss Penn and GCC.

I hope everyone was blessed tonight. And as I just reminded Overflow, please remember that our praise shouldn't end with Praise Night. Our lives should be worship to God.

break out and dance.

Gosh, sometimes I just randomly feel like breaking out in dance.


These are the things that happen in my dreams. I wish this happened in real life... that'd be so sick.

lent season.

begins tomorrow...

Some people get hooked on cigarettes, others on sweets, I get hooked on news. I probably check news sites about 10+ times a day. I think I'll probably be giving that up for lent.

Quick word: I always think it's funny when we "sacrifice" things only to fill that void with something else just as bad. The purpose of lent is to give up something so we can be reminded of his sacrifice and spend more time reflecting on Christ.

Point being, don't give up chatting, but fill that time instead wasting away in front of the tube.

the power of words.

I've always believed that words are powerful. I'm reminded of this everyday by the words of great thinkers in my textbooks, the words of our President Barack Obama, and the words of friends/peers like Ben Alisuag.

In case you don't know Ben, he's a sick spoken-word artist, a student at Penn and a great representative of the AA community. Check out this clip, (begin from 3:00 if you're impatient). He's the one on the left.

Nailbiter

Update: Wow, it's a nail biter.. still down 51-45. So make sure to get out and VOTE.

Come from behind victory?!

So a couple weeks ago I wrote a post about my friend's website Daily Gorilla. I told you to go visit often, but also to vote for my Haiku. That week many of you came out in huge numbers and I had a landslide victory to become Haiku King.

Since then, I've retained the title for the last few weeks, but it looks as though I may be dethroned this week by a good friend of mine from high school. All of the sudden, she's smoking me 31-17. Let's try to win yet another week with an incredible come from behind victory... PLEASE VOTE HERE.

i want to be a dad...

(disclaimer, this video has made several people cry. please don't watch during class or in a public setting)

kind of makes me want to become a dad...

(props to mr. jp)

perhaps, this is a taste of what it's really like to be a dad...

(props to mr. squirrel)

another good one... :)

(props ms. crawford)

Red Paper Clip Experience, pt. 1

I'm currently taking a course advanced negotiations and we have an assignment called the "Red Paper Clip" experiment. The point is that I begin with a red paper clip and I have one week to barter/trade to get something more and more valuable each time.

So please join me in this experience. Question is... what would you be willing to give me for ONE red paper clip? Let me know soon, I've got to start bartering.

I'll keep you updated.

Edit: 1:49 am - said paper clip has been traded for a black fender guitar pick by Mark.


Edit: 2:01 am - said pick has been trade for a stainless steel spoon by Ms. Ryu.


Any takers?

KASCON23 - "Don't Go"

Watch it, send it to atleast 3 friends, then register for KASCON!!

A Memory I'll Cherish... pwning.

Every couple of years, something magical happens: snow begins to accumulate on the ground, campus begins to glow, and people begin to come out from behind their books and library stacks to meet in a winter wonderland. It happened twice my Freshmen year and it happened again tonight.

I'm just beginning to thaw from an all-out no-mercy snowball fight on the green. Anytime you have a bunch of great friends and several inches of perfect snow it's a guaranteed good time. It's moments like this that I'll look back and smile about. This is the reason I love college.

My advice to the young'uns: Study, study hard. So that when circumstances like this come around you can drop your books, run out, and make a memory (also pwn some people in the process).

the science of napping.

In case you need some tips on napping... this is SO informative.

In fact, I think there should be a class on NAPPING.

(Click to enlarge)

vote for my Haiku!

I've always had a passion and talent for Haikus. Some of you witnessed this during Grad night '07. Now I have an outlet for my creative energy. (being facetious, btw)

Recently my friend began an online magazine called the "Daily Gorilla." Based on a simple idea and great content. Their objective is to feature one good article everyday. He's a great writer and I think DG is great -- so make sure to spend time procrastinating on the site.

Additionally, one of the features on DG is something called the "Dueling Haiku. Every week two Haikus are chosen to duel (using votes) and one is chosen as the Haiku King. Then the next week the king is challenged. This week my Haiku was selected, and I'm challenging my good friend for the throne. So click here and vote for mine!

It's looking kind of close at the moment, but hopefully I can pull ahead. I hope you appreciate the tribute to Philly.

frustration

frustration = listening to a song for 3 hours but not being able to choreograph a single move.


perhaps i need to watch some step up for inspiration.

Inauguration 2009.

I waited some time before writing this post because I wanted some time to think and reflect on this past weekend when I went to D.C. I think it goes without saying that it was a historic occasion. An occasion I will never forget and proudly tell my children and grandchildren about. Perhaps, an occasion that I don't yet fully understand the gravity and significance of now. Nevertheless, I am proud to have been a part of this historic campaign, and I'm proud to have watched our 44th President get sworn in.

"Purple Gate"
I'm not sure if you heard much about the inauguration and how crazy D.C. was, but let me tell you... it was absolute chaos. The mall was separated into various sections marked by colors. The majority of ticket holders had silver tickets, but we had purple tickets. The section is a bit closer and being purple felt slightly special. Let me tell you now, there is NOTHING special about the purple ticket. In fact, I think that thousands other also showed up with a purple ticket feeling just as privileged, but didn't actually get in. Luckily we got in, but it was a challenge. We stood for 2 hours in a crowd packed with people. The highlight was when Rev. Jesse Jackson suddenly appeared and began wading his way through to the front. He pretty much cut us all.
Here's a video so you can get a sense for what I'm talking about.

"Youth Ball"
Watching the inauguration was really special, but the Youth Ball was a lot of fun. Eddie and I got our tux and bowties on to hit the town. We got to see Kanye, Kid Rock, Fall Out Boy, Ashton/Demi, and Rosario Dawson. So that was pretty exciting. Also, apparently we were on CNN for a good chunk of time as well. Still haven't seen any clips of that, but let me know if you happen to stumble across that.

"Change to come"
This is an amazing time in our country's history, also quite a difficult time. While I realize that the road ahead will be difficult, I believe that we will be led by a man of character and judgment. I look forward to the Change that's to come.

full circle.

It's funny how life works some times. I love how sometimes things just come full circle. When I was a Freshmen, I received so much love and food. Now, I try to give as much love and food as possible.

One of the highlights of my Freshmen year was when my family group Second Serve went on a snowboarding trip. So, this year Mo and I decided it'd be appropriate to allow our frosh and fg to have the same experience.

Check it out: Sunny :D! + Target Ski Trip
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1026248824680
Props to Ms. Bak.

Btw, I'm pretty sure I got at least like 4 ft on that jump. Haha, maybe more like 4 inches.

Dear theeloquenceofaction.blogspot.com,

It's not you, it's me...

I've returned from D.C. inspired by change and I've since found someone else. (imjase.blogspot.com)

Some good things aren't meant to last forever. Let's remember the good times we had. Thanks for being so faithful for the past two years.

Sincerely,
jyl

More updates and changes to come.

the big TWO-ONE.

I guess I should acting more adult-like now.


Thanks again to everyone for your Birthday Wishes!

Cross-Country

Imagine throwing a boiling pot into ice cold water.

That's how I feel. I left the burning hot Hawaiian sun and 17 hours later I was greeted by the chilly Philadelphia wind.

Yesterday I was on the beach, tomorrow I'll be on the slopes. Can't complain.

aloha.

from Hawaii.

airports.

Let me begin by saying that I hate airports.
Let me continue by saying I hate Orbitz.

This morning I woke up at 6:30am to catch my 9:00am flight. Only when I got there around 8am I learned my flight had been changed to 8:15am and the doors had closed. Of course there were no more free flights to Denver connecting to SF to Hawaii.

My options were to 1) come back the next day and join my family a day late or 2) stand-by for flights to Denver and then to SF.

Being risky, I decided to take my chances, which I why I'm still in the Kansas City airport. If all goes well I can catch my afternoon flight from SF to Hawaii. But more likely I'll be spending a night in SFO or Denver. Wish me luck!

(UPDATE 12:15pm CT)
Good news!

I just got a stand-by ticket to Denver! Hopefully, I'll get lucky with another stand-by flight to SF.

Keep your fingers crossed folks.

(UPDATE 5:10pm CT)
Terrible news. So I arrived in Denver, but I've been waiting here for 4 hours. There are literally hundreds of angry passengers trying to get to the West coast, which is unfortunately where I'm headed as well. Thus, I've missed my stand-by flight to SF and my connection to Hawaii. It looked as though I was spending the night in the Denver airport but the nice flight attendant woman pulled some strings so I'll be flying into Santa Anna tonight and I'll be leaving for Hawaii from LA in the morning.

Sigh. It's been a long and frustrating day. Thank God for free airport WiFi.

Only have to wait 4 more hours before I can head to Cali.

(UPDATE 7:20pm CT)
Today is the longest day of my life, both metaphorically and literally. I'm slowly making my way West and the time is getting earlier and earlier.

This is one of those days that I wish there were less hours in the day. I just want it to end.

Aloha!

Hopefully this time tomorrow, I'll be sitting on the beach looking at this view.

That's right folks, Lee Family's flying out to Hawaii tomorrow. It's going to be our first family vacation in 8 years. And, of course, the only reason we're going is 'cause Mama Lee has business out there. While she's speaking at a conference the Lee men will be hitting the golf courses. It'll be a short trip, but a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to chilling out on the beach, playing some golf, and seeing the volcano.

I'll be sure to post pictures later and I'm sure Eddie will make a video documenting our trip.

Nerdy Nightmare

Last night I had a nightmare, a recurring nightmare that has plagued me for years. This is how it goes. I find myself in my high school building, several familiar faces and classrooms. But I realize as I'm sitting in the class and listening, that I've somehow forgotten to do my homework. Then the course ends and I begin looking for my next course, but I realize that I don't even know my course schedule. So I begin wandering from classroom to classroom trying to find my class while the clock ticks down. Soon, I'm running through the halls of my high school frantically worried that I'm missing a critical lecture and forgetting more homework assignments.

I run faster and faster and until finally I wake up and the concerns of missed lectures and forgotten homeworks fade away.

Nerdy, I know.

Turning the Page: 2009

It's hard to believe that yet another year come and gone. Life is like a rolling stone; it just continues to gain momentum with each passing moment and before you know it we'll be at the bottom.

2008 was a great year. It was a year in which I got a glimpse of the real world and a trial-run at adult life. It's interesting though, the older I get the more I realize I have to learn. I have so much more to learn about this world, about life and about myself. Sure I've lived almost 21 years, but there are so many mysteries and wonders yet to uncover. I think that's at the heart of my new years resolution this year.

Happy New Years!