waking up

“NOTICE:

all STUDENTS WHO PAID BY CREDIT CARD MARCH 27 OR BY 2:45pm on Friday, MARCH 28:

A processing problem with payments resulted in classes being dropped Friday night. Registrar’s Office will restore enrollment and waitlist positions to affected students by Monday evening.

Don’t panic, check your studylist and FEE PAYMENT on URSA no later than Tuesday morning and report any problems (i.e, you’re not in the classes that were dropped Friday night unless you changed your mind about classes) to the Registrar’s Office at 1113 Murphy Hall.”

HA.

OKAY… great time with Moe and Robert… They picked me up from LAX and we chilled and I told em about Victoria. HA. But yeah… MY CLASSES GOT UN-ENROLLED SOMEHOW. I don’t know why but I just had to re-enroll in some classes, and I don’t even remember what discussion I was in. I emailed the people who are behind the BAR account, or the student finance thingy, or whatever. But yeah, my mom and I were there the night before it was due, and we PAID WITH HER CREDIT CARD, and there is no hold on my account, and the balance says 0, as in, PAID. SO WHAT THE HECK. But I’m cool now… was freaking out silently cuz my roommates are sleeping, but man… all up to God now.

Whew, just had HOPR (House of Prime Rib.for those of you who aren’t in the know), and boy, was it worth the wait. I just checked my grades on MyUCLA, and I got a B from the English class I didn’t even turn in the final revision for… I was all cool with it even if I got a C, but awesome-ness, I got a B. If I get an A in Philosophy, then that is my second 3.687500001 in a row. So far, this has been my highest GPA in UCLA, and this would be consecutive! Unbelievable if you ask me, because I just haven’t tried that hard. Then again… when have I ever tried hard in school? Surely not in Stuart Hall, Hoover, Lowell, or even here at UCLA. God must really love me to have allowed me to get into such a school on such a laid-back attitude towards academics. Maybe this is why I resent getting a white-collar job, because then, I might actually have to work! HA.

Anyways… big day tomorrow: Sunday worship (I am playing drums for praise), last lunch with church buddies for a few months, packing, last dinner with parents, flying back to school, sweet school.

I have been a whole bunch of lazy this vacation. Hope I can shake it off before Spring Quarter starts!

I hung out with Lawrence today… we had KFC. It was the first time I had been there in months, but I had an Apple Turnover and a 7-layer burrito… so it was still veggie. Then we went to the beach! Hahaha, what is it with our church people and the beach? Anyways, we had a good talk about stuff… as it turns out he is going to seminary this fall, and he wants to become a pastor. Very awesome, because I have known him for a long time, and have seen him grow to his state of maturity as of now. He is only four years older than I am, yet I feel like because he has graduated and worked, that he is in a totally different league. But once again, I asked kind of for guidance… basically seeking answers for myself. I came away with this: I have to be ready in all ways. I have to make sure all my bridges are burned. For example, Pastor Wayne advised him not to go to seminary last fall because he said Lawrence needed to spend more time with his dad and have a good relationship first. And sure enough, during a time of hardship, he and the rest of the family were there for him. I suppose now he is at an opportune time.

Ipin, my cousin, came to Career Fellowship. I’m so happy for her, because she always seemed so self-sufficient, not needing a Bible Study group or fellowship. But now, she has made the commitment. God works in many ways I never dreamed of. Through the things that have transpired lately in her life, she sought out God and to deepen her relationship with Him. How awesome… it just feels great to know someone by blood is becoming more and more serious about their faith.

After ACG (Alliance College Group), we went to S&E Cafe, and I saw a bunch of people from Lowell/Hoover there, so that was odd. I gave Heidi a ride home, and we ended up talking for something like an hour in my car about music and serving God. Mostly I think I needed to affirm her with her music… she is talented and sings well (which isn’t something I just say about anyone), but doesn’t really believe she can be “good enough.” I think she is wrong.

Oh, and Brian showed me this stupid site: Ninja Burger

Wow. I slept last night at 12 AM, the earliest in a long, long time. But I woke up quite a few times… once at 6, once at 8, once at 11, once at 12, and one last time when I finally got up, at 1 PM. I felt sorta bad for wasting the day, so I thought to myself, “Wow, it’s a nice day out. I should go to the beach again and bring my camera. Maybe I’ll bring a towel and my bible and just spend the day there.” Then I thought about going to the mall and doing random things like getting my ring re-polished. Then I thought about going out with my long-time buddy Allen from Lowell. Then I thought I should go and do some walking outside.

Then I decided to just shower and eat my breakfast/lunch before anything else. And I did none of the rest.

I now realize why I tried to give up TV.

Today I met with Pastor Wayne… it was very nice.

We went to the beach and just stood at this kind of raised area made out of concrete. I talked about almost everything… and he listened. It was a beautiful day, hearing the ocean waves crash and the feeling the cool wind with bright sunshine. An interesting thing he told me when I asked him if he has ever grown as much as in college: He told me college life is extremely structured, and even more so than working life. Though you still have many choices about which classes you take, you still have a very regular schedule with coursework and such. With work, afterwards you can use your time however you please. It is during these times when you can encounter many things that have shaping capabilities. As a pastor, he believes he has one of the toughest jobs in the world. He told me that if you ask ten people in church what they think Pastor Wayne should do or be like, most likely you will get ten different answers, and he is only two or three of them. He claimed life would have been much easier staying in real estate, because the only thing there that you have to worry about is being the best Christian you can be. But, being a pastor, your entire life is under scrutiny. Whatever kind of car you drive, your family, etc. is all under scrutiny. So, an interesting perspective it is to see a pastor talk face-to-face about the differences in his own lifestyle.

He also told me about his son Joshua. Wayne used to hold him in his arm while playing piano to him with the other hand, but got a strap thing to allow him to play with both hands. After listening for five minutes, Joshua falls asleep. When Wayne has to turn the page and stops playing, Joshua wakes up, and then goes back to sleep. And amazingly, though he is only seven months old, he has learned the routine in which his dad proceeds to play piano. When held by his mother, he points to the music so she will open the book. Then, he presses on the buttons on the digital piano to imitate choosing the sounds, and then starts hitting the keys. How can a seven month old learn the particular order and imitate at such a young age? God’s creations are truly amazing, including you.

P.S. I wrote in David Crowder’s guestbook on his site, saying I missed the Bel Air Presbyterian concert because of my midterm review session, asked them to come back soon to San Francisco or LA, and then asked if he had any of the UBC “Green” CD’s laying around. Then I wrote, “HA, yeah right.” But guess what? He wrote me back and is gonna send me one as soon as I give him an address! Man… he is sooooo the man.

Wow, been a little while since my last update. Let’s recap:

Thursday night – arrived at home safely.

Friday – spent the day with Allen Joe, went to eat the best curry at On The Bridge, went to fellowship, all the guys came over and we watched “Hell House,” a documentary on a controversial Pentecostal Church’s attempt at scaring people into re-committing their lives to or accpeting Christ.

Saturday – ate Pasta Pomodoro with Brian, watched Dreamcatcher (I give it a B-/C+) with my parents, had my once-a-week meat at Pine Restaurant and had Bulgoki, Kalbi, and Chicken. Walked up a big hill and quite a few stairs… I’d say more than a hundred.

Sunday – prayer meeting at church for the war, message on faith by Pastor Wong, learned about Masterlife in Sunday School, had Loi’s Pho (meatless).

Monday – Chilled with Allen, had Pasta Pomodoro for lunch, washed his Prelude, ate with Daniel at Loi’s (meatless Pho again), went to shoot pool, then bowling at Serra Bowl with all the Lowell people form Davis.

Tuesday in the wee AM – typing because I have no life at 3 AM.

I find that my time is not so well-spent at home though I can spend tons more money. Complacency is setting in…

An excerpt of Jerry Falwell’s weekly letter:

begin quote

At a recent concert, The Pretenders lead singer Chrissy Hynde said: “Have we gone to war yet? We [expletive] deserve to get bombed. Bring it on!” Later, she added, “I hope the Muslims win!”

Conservative columnist Laura Ingraham responded: “It’s easy to write off much of what comes out of the mouths of Hollywood leftists. They repay the country that made their wealth and privilege possible by trashing her traditions and institutions. They side with countries that resent us, and trust dictators like Saddam or Fidel more than the American voters or the president they elected.”

This sentiment is not limited to the entertainment industry, though.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle also recently launched a choreographed attack on President Bush’s Iraq policy. But it backfired on him.

Consider this: During the Clinton Administration, Sen. Daschle lobbied for a congressional resolution to take “all necessary measures” to respond to the Iraqi threat. “We have exhausted, virtually, our diplomatic effort to get the Iraqis to comply with their own agreements and with international law,” Mr. Daschle said. “Given that, what other option is there but to force them to do so?”

However, now that President Bush works in the Oval Office, Mr. Daschle’s values have peculiarly changed. He recently accused President Bush of “fail(ing) so miserably at diplomacy that we’re now forced to war.” He actually suggested that Mr. Bush should be blamed for any deaths of U.S. soldiers, asserting that he’s “saddened that we have to give up one life because this president couldn’t create the kind of diplomatic effort that was so critical for our country.”

It is apparent that hatred of President Bush is behind Mr. Daschle’s political gamesmanship. I believe Americans are tired of these perilous political games, especially when they come at a critical point in our nation’s history.

“The bottom line,” said Gary Bauer, “is that Sen. Daschle prefers the foreign policy of France, which seeks to tie America in knots, versus the foreign policy of America, which seeks to eliminate a brutal dictator.”

Shame on Tom Daschle for playing crude political games while American men and women are laying their lives on the line in Iraq to advance the cause of freedom. And shame on Hollywood liberals, militant academics and other so-called peace lovers who have taken to the streets to oppose war in Iraq, while not long ago they were sitting on their hands while Bill Clinton was launching military actions – without U.N. approval.

end quote

Just had a nice night with James and Moe. We had BJ’s, and I got my favorite Spinach Artichoke Dip… mmmmmm. Then we came back and I introduced them to Jaco, and we listened to some Stevie Ray Vaughan. Then I gave Moe a nice, long, guitar lesson mostly on basic strumming technique whiel James studied/slept. I think so many people, when they start out, keep asking for chords and more chords, yet they have yet to master right hand technique. Strum-muting, keeping your hand moving with the beat, string choice, whatever…

But yeah, it was nice. I’m glad to help out Moe when he has been such a great friend. He has brought me the stuff I left in his car once because I had a midterm the next day, and I stood him up for early practice before church once because I slept without setting my alarm. Now I can repay the kindness.

Look at my away message today:

“i missed my final… now i am screwed and looking for God’s mercy i have found God’s mercy and am taking the final make-up at 2 tomorrow”

I pulled the all nighter, did half of the English paper, wrote my English professor instead telling her how much I appreciated her class and didn’t want to turn in a crappy revision, and will take the lower grade because the good stuff just wasn’t coming to me. I spent a few days pondering my thesis and did all the readings, but I still could not get the right essay pumped out, and by 4:45, I decided it was enough to call it quits. I went to morning, and Mike led today. I was pretty awake yet I lost focus continually, but regardless, prayer was good. I came back, slept at 8, and set my alarm for 10 (my final was at 11:30). I must have woken up, not thought about my final because I was too sleepy, and then just hit my alarm and gone back to sleep all while semi-conscious. So, you can imagine me waking up at 2:30, the exact time my final ended, and stammering to myself, “Oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shoot,” I got out of there real quick, used the stairs instead of the elevator, and went as far as the top of Bruin Walk when I gave Dean a call and told him. Immediately I saw John (my roommate also in Philosophy 7), and he told me to go back and find out where the office is. I went back, got the info, left, and got to the building. Daniel Kim called me on the way and said Dean called him, and basically they both prayed for me. And oh, how prayer works. Of course, my initial reaction was stress and disbelief of how I could be so irresponsible, but along the way, walking to class, I kept a light heart about it. I was calm.

I arrived at Dodd (and the Philosophy office), and saw all the TA’s and professor just talking. I get to take my final make-up tomorrow at 2, but will probably have to re-schedule my flight home. Man, I am really… speechless. You amaze me.