May 2013
1 post
Mess.
If you’d asked me, you wouldn’t have gotten a decent answer. It was true - I honestly felt like my room wasn’t that messy, everything was just…convenient to access. I could say with 85% confidence where any single thing in my room was, or so I had hoped.
Then I had company come over. Out of nowhere I felt a shock of fear. They didn’t have to say anything - I knew immediately from the...
March 2013
1 post
5 tags
Seasons.
It’s March 25th, well into springtime, and we just had a snow flurry for the majority of the day in New York. As much as I love seeing the snow fall from the 25th floor of my Times Square building, I’m starting to sense the urgency for spring. On the streets, you can just sense that winter has extended its stay for far too long. After all, no matter how many days you’ve felt...
January 2013
1 post
Cymbals.
Honestly though, can you imagine a more irritating sound than a person banging away on a drumset with no desire to play it appropriately? It sounds horrendously loud, incessantly rude, and causes my hands to fill my ears with anything that can drown the sound out.
Yet on the flip side, is there anything more powerful and driving than an experienced drummer playing to the fullest of his...
December 2012
2 posts
Theory.
(The Circle of Fifths. Music is so mathematical and beautiful!)
While in many ways I don’t consider myself established enough to be a professional musician, I pride myself in my knowledge of music theory. With it, I can predict where songs are going, replicate them after they’ve been played once, and come up with fairly decent songs simply because I am so familiar with the...
Compass.
Back in California, I was proud in my sense of direction. I always knew my frame of reference because I was accustomed to where the sun would set. It didn’t matter if I was in a remote area of California that I had never explored, I rarely ever felt like I didn’t even know which direction I was going.
In New York, my internal compass that was so finely tuned in California is now completely...
Callous.
Whenever I am involved with someone learning guitar for the first time, I usually hear the following:
“Are my fingers supposed to hurt this much?”
To which I respond: “If your fingers aren’t bleeding, you’re alright.” (although I’ve played til my fingers bled, and I thought it was hardXcore)
Then as the guitar gets put away and the fingers...
November 2012
2 posts
Sandy.
(A picture of Brooklynites waiting in line for a bus to get to work after Superstorm Sandy. Taken from this Buzzfeed post, which accurately portrays what I’m about to write about)
I’ll remember my first month in New York as the time we went through Superstorm Sandy. That week was truly the week that New York City was brought to its knees.
Houses were swept away. Over 100 lives...
August 2012
2 posts
4 tags
Beggars.
A couple days ago, my life radically changed. Finally, the clean sweep that I was anticipating the beginning of the year is happening. I found a job in New York, and I’m leaving my work here in LA. It’s not just any job though, it’s a job that looks to be a lot of fun, in a company that looks to be a lot of fun, in a city that looks to be tons of fun. Sometimes, I’m...
Corolla.
A couple months ago, my mom got a brand new Hyundai Elantra. It’s sporty, sexy, has hot curves, drives well, and has the latest technology. I remember sitting at the dealer and marveling at 1) the fact that Hyundai has come so far in car making and 2) how ideal this car was for me - stylish yet cheap, has a good warranty and drives well.
I fantasized about getting it when my...
July 2012
1 post
5 tags
LongDistance.2
Reflecting back on Deborah’s stay in California, I realized a peculiar habit of my behavior.
I recall the day of her landing, June 18th. Her flight was at 6 PM, which was perfectly timed to be right after my work. But what a drag, right? I’d have to sit through an entire day at work while knowing that Deborah’s coming in just a few hours, yet unable to talk to her at all!...
June 2012
2 posts
6 tags
Apache.
It all started with the longing to see stars. I told Deborah that Joshua Tree was one of the best stargazing places to be at. We headed off Saturday afternoon to get a glimpse of heaven when out of nowhere in the middle of an uphill, two lane highway with no shoulder, my car gave out. As I was pulling over to the side of the road, blocking one of the lanes, I saw a van begin to slow down...
3 tags
In-N-Out 2.
Oftentimes when I have a chance to think, I ponder the deep questions in life. Questions like, “What is the purpose of me being here on earth?”, “Where do I see myself in five years?”, or “If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, what would it be?” Serious questions.
I had In-N-Out for the second time in a week the other day, and I realized...
April 2012
1 post
4 tags
In-N-Out.
-In the middle of easter service in New York-
Me:*grabs Deborah* DUDE.
Deborah: …umm…what?
Me: TODAY IS EASTER.
Deborah: …yes…and…?
Me: I CAN HAVE BURGERS AGAIN.
And thus released my voracious appetite for In-N-Out. I thought that giving up burgers and fries for lent would be relatively easy compared to other things I could have given up, but I was quickly...
March 2012
1 post
5 tags
LongDistance.
As I bid farewell to my wonderful girlfriend for the ninth time, it struck me that the next time I would see her in California would be the two year mark for us. The funny thing is that so many people ask how in the world I could do long distance for so long, and I don’t have a very good answer for them. They say that I’m crazy for staying in a relationship for so long. Now that...
January 2012
3 posts
Bullfight.
(Start at 1:05) I’m not quite sure if this qualifies as your typical bullfight. In fact, I don’t really know much of what’s going on here. However, here’s a few things I took away from this random video I found:
Spaniards are crazy
It takes about 7 able-bodied men to calm a charging bull
Giving people relationship advice is like telling a bull what to do
I say this...
7 tags
Tebow.
There is Tebow-mania going on in the sports world and it’s incredibly polarizing. It seems that everyone has a stance on Tebow’s public acknowledgement of faith. Even people that don’t know much about football can say something about how they feel about Tebow praying after every touchdown. This is how oddly polarizing Tim Tebow is: there are non-christians who like Tebow for...
2013.
Ever since I left college and entered into the post-education world, each year was able to provide for me a very clear and encapsulating theme in summary.
2009 - Out In The Ocean. This was the year of leaving the comfortable and entering into the great unknown. I felt like I had been floating along in this gentle stream for all my life, only to be thrust into a giant, haunting, endless body of...
December 2011
2 posts
4 tags
Death.
I’m a young person. I’ve been to more weddings than I have funerals. Because of this, the concept of death is much more a foreign concept to me than it is a personal reality.
Maybe that’s why it’s difficult to swallow. When I heard the news of a childhood friend passing away, it suddenly became a lot more real. I’m enraged at the idea that my facebook world...
Lump.
A few days ago I found a lump on my body, and like most people, I checked WebMD. Also, like most people, I checked the symptoms and assumed it was the worst possible thing: cancer. Of course, the possibility of that happening is slim to none, but for some reason I had the deep-seated anxiety that my lump was the cancerous one.
Why does this happen? My heart can be so crippled with unnecessary...
November 2011
1 post
5 tags
Shooting.
Meet Deborah. This was her first time shooting a real gun, and she shot a near bulls-eye. It was pretty impressive (and a little scary), but she laughed it off as if she’d been poppin’ caps her whole life. As intriguing as her first shot was though, the rest of the round showed that she was not actually a skilled secret agent.
My results were more or less the same. Fairly...
October 2011
2 posts
4 tags
Perspective.
What is this a picture of?
Lately I’ve been wrestling with the power of perspective. It sounds like such a subjective, amenable word, when in reality it forms and shapes our entire lives. Our perspective is the world as we know it.
A lot of non-christians struggle with many concepts that have to do with perspective. ”How could a loving god send people to hell?”
...
Puzzle.
Puzzles require patience, persistence, and a keen eye. Working on this one was so time-consuming and frustrating. I mean, it’s Starry Night, which is already swirly and confusing as a single piece of artwork, let alone 1000 little fragments. Also, it was a photomosaic, which meant that each individual puzzle piece had its own pictures in it. Combine that with my tendency towards...
September 2011
2 posts
Cats.
I’ll admit it, I am a cat person. I very much enjoy cats. Not in the “Debbie” kind of way, but in the “I-find-them-fascinatingly-similar-to-humans-but-not-in-an-obsessive-manner” kind of way. I have nothing against dogs, but I feel myself drawn to cats more. How do they sneak around like ninjas? How do they climb walls like ninjas? How do they beat up dogs...
Terminal.
(One of my favorite movies.)
I learned a good lesson this past Labor Day weekend in the Laguardia airport. It went something like this:
6:30 PM: The last few hours leading up to my departure are the worst. Especially after having such an amazing weekend relaxing, playing, and living life with Deborah. So what do I do? I sneak in a little prayer. “God, if there’s any way,...
August 2011
2 posts
3 tags
Ab-hancer.
Check out the bod on this guy!
This “product” makes for a great gag for many reasons, but the main reason why we laugh is still the same. We laugh because we know that this is a devastating example of the lust for instant gratification. It’s ridiculous to think that we can attain the chiseled abs of a bodybuilder without…building our body. As I’ve grown up and...
Hanabi.
One year ago today, I was in Higashi-Murayama, Tokyo. I took this picture on the subway during the gorgeous, 3 hour Hanabi (Fireworks) Festival. It was stunning, to say the least. This picture means a lot to me because it represents how suddenly and beautifully my mind and heart changed during my stay.
Before, I thought California was the best place to live. Now, I’m not too...
July 2011
3 posts
Smash.
This game completely took over my life back when I was in college. I devoted at least an hour or two every day, learning new techniques, sparring against friends, or playing at tournaments - and I actually did well. Although playing video games isn’t technically a sin, my obsession with it drew me away from things like reading my bible, being a part of a fellowship, or other more holy...
3 tags
Google+.
Upon receiving my invitation for Google+, I realized a few things about myself.
There ain’t enough room on the internet for two major social networks. Think about it…
I’m getting old. I make fun of my mom for not wanting to learn how to use a computer, but here I am, begrudgingly learning the new format of Google+…what’s next, my back hurting after I jog? Oh...
Field.
There’s this small plot of land available in Baja, Mexico, and I think I want to get it. Sounds like a good deal, right?
Spacious, friendly neighbors…who wouldn’t want to buy this land?
I walked by this piece of property during my stay in Mexico and just had to take a picture. I don’t know why, but it seemed so crazy that someone would look at that sign, call that...
June 2011
1 post
Coasting.
As I was driving along the 15 freeway (this isn’t the 15 freeway, but close enough) from another amazing summer retreat, I realized a few things. One of them was that I probably should’ve asked someone to ride with me after having little sleep over the weekend. However, the more profound point was this:
In the road of life, I’m currently coasting on the stretch that seems...
May 2011
2 posts
3 tags
Doomsday.
Everybody’s laughing.
The atheists are jeering.
The christians are mocking.
Even most of the employees from Family Radio never believed in Harold Camping’s prediction that the rapture would come at 6 PM today. Where does this leave us?
It leaves non-believers with another reason to “validate” their beliefs about christianity. Christians are now poorly...
3 tags
Thor.
There’s something incredibly emasculating about watching Chris Hemsworth walk around with his shirt off. Apparently people were saying that he was too buff and had to tone down in order to fit in all of his costumes and whatnot. Ridiculous.
Anyway, everybody hopefully knows that a string of superhero movies done by Marvel are linked together, ultimately to become one ridiculous...
April 2011
1 post
2 tags
Comfortable.
What do you think of when you think of the word “comfortable”? This man in the recliner chair? A soft bed with fresh sheets? That one strange position that you have to sit in or else it won’t feel right?
I won’t forget the massage chair that I sat in while I was in Tokyo. After a whole day of walking around in Tokyo summer humidity and heat, I found myself in a large...
March 2011
2 posts
3 tags
Canker-sores.
(not gonna post a picture of this one. You’re welcome.)
I have a gnarly cankersore on my tongue right now. The affected area somehow managed to grow from the bottom of the tongue all the way to the tip, so doing virtually anything that involves my mouth is painful. Cleaning, feeding, and speaking are all suddenly difficult, intricate tasks, and as a result, I’ve gotten lazier with...
3 tags
Prince.
The original “Blue Steel”.
Anyway, I’ve been working at Warner Music for a few months now, and that means I’ve seen tens of thousands of track titles and artist names. Some of my favorite include,
“The Duchess of Coolsville”, “WHOOMP! THERE IT IS”…
and my personal favorite, “Ka-Ding-Dong” in the album, “Sh-Boom” by...
February 2011
1 post
3 tags
Cheating.
I’ll admit, I don’t know first hand what it’s like to be cheated on. I definitely hear stories about it, not just on Jerry Springer, and I even know of a couple bad stories with people that I know and care about deeply, but I’ve never experienced it myself. I think it’s a good thing that it’s never happened to me before, but I do know what it’s like to...
January 2011
2 posts
4 tags
Mexico.
I didn’t really get a chance to share much about my stay in Mexico on tumblr, but you’d get a lot better picture of what happened if you went to my facebook album or simply just asked me about it. In short, it was a life-changing experience for everybody involved, and I know I’m going to go back there simply because it taught me so much.
This picture is when we finished...
3 tags
Crush.
(I don’t have any pictures that are relevant at all to this topic, but here’s a picture of emo me in high school. Enjoy.)
Back in the days when I was an underclassman in high school, I had the biggest crush on this girl (and kind of her sister. They were an attractive family okay?!). She was THE senior girl, and it was like I never knew what a girl looked like until I met her. I...
December 2010
2 posts
Marijuana.
I know that there’s a lot of people who think marijuana is okay. They say, “If you use it in hospitals, then it can’t be that bad for you, right?” But having known people go through the effects of marijuana and harder drugs, I must believe that marijuana is a gateway drug. Not so much because of the addictive attributes of the drug, but because of progressive tolerance...
Mirror.
It’s been a tough few months. Pent up in my room, I feel trapped in this place, not wanting to get out for fear of wasting time/money. I’ve found myself doing a lot of dumb things because of that. Some of these things include…
Not hanging out with friends as often as I used to.
Not eating as well as I used to.
Not being as active as I used to.
Despite all this though, I...
November 2010
4 posts
Droid.
Let me set the stage for this story.
My mom calls me the luckiest child on earth, just because everything seems to be going my way in life. I had a great childhood, was never really poor, got into the college of my dreams, am blessed with the gift of music, so on and so forth. When I moved out of the house and decided to sustain living on my own, I realized that luck is fleeting (but God...
Acting.
Upon the release of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in 2001, there were two things on your mind. Two things that I know crossed through your thoughts, and there was no escaping it.
“Wow, Daniel Radcliffe looks exactly like (what I imagined) Harry Potter (to look like)!”
and
“Man, Daniel Radcliffe will forever be known as Harry Potter.”
...
Wind.
One of the biggest qualms of the Christian faith is the idea that a non-believer can do virtually anything a believer does without believing in God. It doesn’t take a miracle to make someone serve at a soup kitchen. It’s not surprising when people get into worship sessions, I mean, it happens at normal concerts all the time right? Even prayer feels like sometimes it’s just a...
Jumblingtowers.
In the late hours with TPC, long after most of the kids are gone on friday night, a new movement has been sweeping our church. Out of something seemingly normal and plain comes something revolutionary. It has completely taken over the way that we view friendship, struggle, sacrifice, and war.
Of course I’m talking about Jumbling Towers, the revolutionized way to play with...
October 2010
4 posts
Music.
More and more I’m realizing that the life of a musician is different and difficult. Maybe I’m making excuses for myself, but I just can’t sit behind a cubicle and do the 9-5. I can’t go out and sell cases of life insurance, even if it pays big money. All I can do is write songs out of nothing and hope that people will be moved by it.
The most mind-blowing thought to...
CPR.
I remember back when I was an RA for Upward Bound, one of the requirements that we needed was to have completed CPR training. It was pretty sweet knowing that when someone’s life was in danger, I had the capability to save them from it.
One of the most shocking facts that I found out from this training was that I wasn’t just able to save people, I was legally responsible to save...
Tattoos.
Shameless plug for 1040. Watch the movie, it changes the way you view Christianity, the power of the Holy Spirit, and your mission. Fun fact: I did the music for that trailer (and for most of the movie)!
I was never really a big fan for tattoos, but i dig this picture and Jin’s tattoo, even though I don’t know what the chinese means (anyone have a guess?). Part of the rush of...
Stepford.
Have you seen the Stepford Wives? I haven’t. But I know enough about it to make a tumblr post, so deal with it.
The movie is about husbands in Stepford, Connecticut who turn their wives into robots so they always obey their husbands, making the “perfect wife”, both submissive and beautiful. Sounds like a foolproof plan, right? You might say yes, but the reality of it is...
September 2010
13 posts
Defense.
HAHA funny picture.
One thing I realized about playing basketball with Christians is that your attitude has to constantly be in check. It’s one thing to play competitively, but it’s also another thing to completely demolish a girl’s shot when she’s a foot shorter than you. It’s one thing to play to win, but it’s another thing to beat your team 13-0. What...
