Comfort

There is a dormant disease within me, propagating itself in all my surroundings. As I sleep on my comfortable bed, eat nutritious meals, watch highlights of NBA games, listen to lectures, and live my daily life, this disease incubates itself to the point that I forget its existence.

Comfort.

I despise, yet cuddle thee in my arms. You are a parasite to my soul, engendering apathy and a banal perspective.


My response is not my own. Less of me, more of you.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Lake Piru

Before I moved back into UCLA, my family took a trip to visit Lake Piru.
Renting a motor boat, we steered our way around the lake and had a little picnic near the mountain banks. At one point, the boat was caught by the reeds in the water, and we were stuck for around 30 minutes. After that scary episode, we made it out alive and continued our trek around the lake. I'm a bit tired at the moment so I'll stop here.
Cheers

Obsession

It appears as though some people think I am obsessed with test scores and grades. This assumption may stem from my serious attitude towards my studies and my enjoyment of school. Please allow me the opportunity to trivialize this assumption.

I could care less what your grades or test scores are. They do little to show me who you are as an individual and what experiences you have been through. Friends, I care about who you are, not what your GPA is. A little favor I would ask of people is that they not constantly ask me my grades or my grade point average. Instead, I would love for people to ask whether I am learning and what I am being exposed to through my classes and opportunities outside of the classroom. In addition, my choice to major in economics is not a means to an end. So please stop asking what I am going to do with my major and whether I am going to go into business (the term "business" is so vague...in fact, we are ALL going into business by way of exchanging dollars for goods and services, etc etc). I am studying economics because I love what the subject entails with respects to a systems approach towards problems and resources. I understand that many students look at college as a means to a higher salary and better career prospects. We are all placed in different circumstances and face different pressures from within and family support.

Proverbs 27:1
"Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth."

I pray that my plans are in tune with God's plan to use me as a tool.


Life may not turn out the way you wanted it to churn out...but isn't that the exciting part?

El Camino Frances

One week ago I finished a journey of a lifetime. As I rest at home, it's hard to imagine that for two weeks I was walking 20 miles a day through the Spanish countryside (mostly the Galicia region) and surviving on bread and cheese.

A little background on the Camino de Santiago:
There are 3 pilgrimages that have been popularized in Christianity, to Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago de Compostela. The Camino de Santiago has a couple different routes for people coming from all over Europe: Camino Norte, Camino Ingles, Camino Frances, Camino Portugues, and I think one more. Basically all these routes end up in Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of the Apostle James are located. James journeyed to Western Europe to evangelize, and was eventually beheaded under the orders of King Herrod. His remains were then transported to the region where he had feverantly spread the gospel.

I journeyed along the Camino Frances (if you start at the origin, it takes more than a month) for 2 weeks. Life was made so simple to the point that you realize you have too much junk and start throwing stuff away to make your rucksack lighter. Since food was scarce in the countryside, countless meals consisted of bread and cheese. However, these meals were the best I have ever had. Euipped with only a bible and a journal, I spend hours upon hours every day absorbed in who I am becoming and what is really important to me. The simple cafe con leche in the morning lifted my spirits as I woke up at 5:30 every day to begin my walk. Meeting people from Poland, Germany, Belgium, France, Canada, and many other places, I was able to engage in conversation from Putin to how to react to your children's mistakes. Many of the pilgrims were limited in English, so the language barrier was an impediment to prolonged conversation. But sharing....
I just realized it would take way too long to actually express what went on during the Camino, including realizations about people, myself, and God.
Those two weeks helped me realize how little I really do know. Strangely, acknowledging how little I know has actually encouraged me and given me strength.

I embody countless human faults and failures, but that makes me all the more secure. I'm not impressed by fancy cars and pretentious behavior. Every person is special, no matter what occupation, school, family, dreams, etc.

So much happened during this journey, so I'm sorry that I can't provide a one page synopsis of the Camino de Santiago. All I can say is that we are all blessed.

Starting my Spanish journey and recognizing a true blessing in my life: my older sister

It's 2 in the morning and I'm waiting for the laundry machine to finish its job so I can start packing up.

In the past few days I have written two lengthy papers, taken 2 back to back final exams, played basketball, ran to Granchester, went to my last formal dinner, tasted superb white wine, ate my last McDonald's apple pie (Cambridge edition), visited numerous colleges, and more. It's been quite sad to say goodbye to so many wonderful people.

In my next entry I will hopefully be able to expand more on what I have learned this summer and how I have been influenced and shaped by the surrounding environment. Until then, I will be completing the Camino de Santiago, the Camino Frances. This pilgrimage of over 200 miles (I'm only doing it for around 2 weeks) means more than just walking for 8 hours a day and soaking in the Spanish countryside. I will be given countless hours to just spend by myself, and meditate on what I plan to do with my life. With my pocket bible at my side, I look forward to the lack of distractions as I complete the Pilgrimage. I will be writing in a notepad every evening, so when I get back I will transcribe a few of my days to this blog. I cannot wait for my flight home back to the states...I'll be back towards the 2nd week of September...then it's time to begin a new school year!

Please pray for my safety and a time inundated in what happened, what is happening, and what is to come.

Before ending this entry, I would like to wish my older sister Julie a happy birthday. If you don't know, I have an older sister who has embodied what a blessing should be. She has always been supportive and encouraging, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for her. I am incredibly thankful for her constant support and love. I really love you, and I hope you enjoy your birthday.

Cheers

Dealing with compensation for work (homeless edition)

Walking around Cambridge, you are bound to encounter people dressed in torn clothes selling the "Big Issue" on countless street corners. For the past 8 weeks I have pondered at whether anyone would ever buy the magazine the people were selling, and how the business is sustainable. Well at dinner, one of the Cambridge students explained to me that the "Big Issue" venture is actually a way for homeless people to retain their dignity by selling a magazine rather than begging. Instead of relevant news, the magazine is filled with short stories, poems, and other literary works of the homeless population. By selling these magazines, the homeless people retain a considerable percentage of the profits. When the locals buy these magazines, they are conscious to the fact that they are in a way "donating" money to these homeless individuals, but receive a tangible product in return. Isn't this interesting? Before I leave Cambridge, I plan to purchase a Big Issue and satiate my desire to help these people as well as have some good reading material while on the toilet.
My question is: Would this work in the states? I doubt it due to barriers of entry that include Americans' preference to drive, perhaps a desire to give without receiving anything, ruthless competition that may exist among the homeless individuals. Without this "Big Issue" venture established as precedent in the states, homeless individuals might react to this idea as idiotic due to the possible higher expected outcome from just begging and no costs of production (printing the magazines, dispersing them, etc). However, the question that remains is how much a person's dignity to refrain from begging is worth in terms of dollars. If this can be figured out (come on econometricians!), then perhaps this venture might work in the states. Purely speculative, but hey you never know!
Cheers!

Update:
When I went to Northern California with some church friends, I was approached by a ragged looking man with a roll of newspapers under his arm. As he was pitching to sell me one, I immediately realized I was buying an American version of the Big Issue! I purchased two, one for me and one for my friend Nikhil who I would see later. As I read through the paper, fond memories of Cambridge entered my mind and I was at peace.

Wimpole Hall

I decided to take some time off from the library, and went with some friends to the largest mansion in Cambridge, Wimpole Hall. This place is huge! Surrounded by a gigantic house, expansive gardens, restaurants, farm, and much more, I witnessed a cow being milked, participated in a tomato festival (I ate a slice of 15 different tomatoes), and fed a goat from the grass surrounding me. It was a pleasant day, and ended with some Nando's (Portuguese food) and McDonald's apple pie. The McD's apple pie here is simply mouth watering. They deep fry the apple pie and make it fresh for you. Just thinking about it makes me want another one. Anyway, I'm approaching exams and have two papers to write this week, so pray for me to be diligent!
This will be my last week in Cambridge, and it has been an amazing experience.
Cheers!

Rowing

High tea in the Thomas Grey room was pretty relaxing. 4 cups of tea (the British like milk tea), small sandwiches, scones bathed in butter and jelly, and rich chocolate cake. The dress code was formal, so everyone was dressed quite sharp. Moving on...
So, just when I think I'm done with class and going to my room to prepare for the formal dinner, Livvy and Jon come up to me and persuade me to participate in the rowing event for the Cambridge School olympics. I end up going to an underground room at Pembroke, and race on those rowing machines in front of 30 visiting Japanese students. Keep in mind, I'm wearing a polo shirt along with skinny jeans. I end up falling off my seat twice and sweat through 2 exhausting minutes on the rowing machine representing King's college. This has to rank as one of the most embarrassing experiences in my life. After my embarrassing race, I ran out there to get ready for the formal dinner (later I found out that I actually had one of the best times out of all the competitors). I finally make it to the formal dinner after changing into a suit, and make it a priority to get my glass of white wine and explain why beads of sweat are coming down my face. After a pleasing dinner of lamb and red wine, I felt a lot better about the rowing...but still, traumatizing.

After spending the day in the library, I went to play baseball with some friends and visiting Japanese students. It was quite interesting because the British chaps didn't understand the count, strike zone, and some other minute details. After the friendly game, we headed over to the Giraffe where I ate enchiladas for the first time in England. The dish was actually quite pleasing and unique. There were salami pieces and a type of marina sauce covering the "tortillas." Anyway, I'm going to be working tomorrow but I will update after I visit the Cambridge Mansion (Wimpole Hall) on Sunday.

Cheers!

3rd Week

I just came back from an amazing and exhausting experience learning Scottish dances. Imagine, 2 hours in an enclosed room with 50 people sweating and breathing passionately. King's College hired a Scottish band and a dance instructor to teach some of us Scottish dance routines. Wow. With dances like "strip the willow" (basically I danced with 20 different ladies by swinging them around), and 8-step cave...I am thoroughly exhausted. I planned on initiating the outline process for a paper on risk aversion and wealth, but I think I'm going to rest instead.

So, what have I been up to these past few days?

During the weekend I watched The Rock, I am Legend, and National Treasure 2 in the basement of my apartment. I also went punting, failed to catch a train to Stamford, watched a meager 20 minutes of USA basketball shown by BBC, and ate an amazing brunch at Pembroke College. During the week I have had 2 failed attempts to play basketball (bloody rain...I've never experienced such mercurial weather), made further progress on planning for my backpacking adventure in Spain, and discovered a financial book that I have been buried in for the past 3 nights. It's called Money Game, and the first 2/3 of it is actually pretty fascinating.

This weekend will be quite busy with High Tea, Formal, London, and two extensive papers I need to write. I'm meeting with Professor Vlamis tomorrow to brainstorm on my risk aversion paper (I basically want him to say "well done, that's bloody brilliant...now find your sources"...and then he'll help me find sources to cite...citations can be tedious, but credit must be given where it is due).

I'll probably be updating again after London, so until then
cheers!

By the way, there is a girl at King's who is the most beautiful young woman I have seen in England. I'm quite shy, so when I see her I find myself awkwardly making the hi motion with my hand with no words coming out of my mouth. Yeah, so there's a peek at my shy and trivial romantic life in England.

BBQ, Bletchley Park

If anyone mentions a summer BBQ, images of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers with people playing football and frisbee come to mind.
The only thing that was consistent in a summer BBQ in Cambridge were the grilled hot dogs and hamburgers.
At around 6pm with around 40 people eating their grilled dishes in the park, the heaviest rain to ever come down in Cambridge summer history poured down on us. I felt as if I was experiencing a rainstorm in Costa Rica. Tents were flown around, people were running, hail managed to intermittently fall form the sky, clothes were drenched in seconds, and complete chaos. This was the craziest rainstorm experience I have ever had. This cold and wet experience made my Shin ramyun and quesadilla taste amazing. Followed the delicious meal with some green tea and the movie I am Legend. My point is that I will never forget my first English summer BBQ.

Today I went with some classmates and my professor to Bletchley Park, the place where German codes were deciphered during World War 1. This is where the founders of the CIA learned their craft and served apprenticeships before transferring their skills to the Unites States' secret intelligence agencies. I also managed to visit an American war cemetary, and learned that there are numerous vast American war cemeteries across mainland Europe. In addition, many of the aerial attacks on Germany began from air sites surrounding Cambridge. Since the secret intelligence community recruits actively from the University of Cambridge, there is a lot to learn from the faculty here. Something interesting I noticed about the Anglo-American relationship is that the British perceive Americans as sort of like the little brother who surpassed the older brother (Great Britain) only with the help and guidance of the older brother. There's no resentment or jealousy; however, it seems as if the British are proud of how their little brother has grown.

I definitely miss the peace of my home and just lying on my belly to read a book. Friends, family, Henry (my dog), and of course Inn-n-Out. It's going to be pretty surreal when I head back home in a month. People will be driving on the right side again, rodes will be wider, sidewalks won't be tripping hazards (the sidewalks here are cobblestone, so it's hectic), and everything will be half-price! This coming school year will be my last full year of my undergraduate career spent at UCLA (If everything goes to plan, I'll be at UCLA for the last quarter of my 4th year). Only two years have passed since graduating high school, yet it feels as if high school was another lifetime ago. Go Bruins!
Cheers

Breast Cancer Fundraiser

My older sister is participating in the Avon walk for breast cancer. Please support her through prayer or if you can, a monetary donation.

This is her personal page: http://walk.avonfoundation.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1650&px=3965662


Cheers!

Finance, Secret Intelligence

Quote of the day from my finance professor:
"Stocks are like cows."
Explication of this quote revolved around market momentum, herding effects, anomalies, and more. Basically, stocks are like cows.

Learning about the utility of secret intelligence from the British standpoint is fascinating. World War 2, Hiroshima, and other world events will never be the same for me. Little did I know that the secret intelligence communities recruit students from the University of Cambridge.

I'm about to go to a wine & cheese session with some visiting Japanese students. My main incentive is to have a glass of red wine and some cheese before starting my paper on the achievements of MI5 from 1909-1918.

All right, I must get back to work. Cheers

Chapel, Bath

Climbing the stairs of King's Chapel, I ended up at one of the highest points in Cambridge. Amazing.

On Saturday I headed to Bath for a short weekend getaway to see the famous Roman Baths and the place where England's first king was coronated. If you are a Jane Austen fan, then you would know bath from the novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. The storyline in these novels are based in Bath and I even had the opportunity to go on a Jane Austen walking tour. The Roman Baths are amazing because it is the location of the sole natural hot springs in all of England. I could actually see the steam coming from the water, and the effects the hot water has on the surrounding rocks. Bath is definitely my favorite city that I have visted so far (other than Cambridge...which doesn't count because I live here). The atmosphere of the city is calm, relaxed, yet enjoyable. The small farmer's markets and quaint shops are quite appeasing to the eye. O yeah, I also visited Stonehenge which was pretty cool. Stayed at the YMCA hostel and ate the best fast food in Bath hahaa.
Overall, an enjoyable experience.

Dublin + afterwards

Recovering from a slight cold, I can commence my blog once again. As you can see from the pictures above, I flew to Dublin, Ireland and stayed at the Marlborough Hostel for 2 nights (3rd night slept at Starbucks and got kicked out). During my first day in Ireland, I took St. Kevin's bus out to Glendalough, located in the Wicklow Mountains. Eating a Quiznos sandwich with the sight of a lake trapped by two mountain ranges was breathtaking. A group of friends and I hiked for about 4 hours (I've never been that tired from a hike) into the beautiful mountains and stopped by some monastic ruins. Supposedly, the ruins are from one of the first churches in Ireland that happened to be attacked by the Vikings repeatedly.
Chilled in the Temple Bar area for a while before hitting the sack at 3 in the morning. Marlborough Hostel was a great place to stay because they have hot showers, locks to the doors, a personalized locker, free internet, a Tom Clancy novel (Teeth of the Tiger if you were interested), free breakfast (toast and butter), and a pool table. So basically, a 5 star hostel.
Anyways, spent the next day exploring Dublin after picking up my baquette at the local bakery. Went to kilmainham goal, a famous jail in Ireland, where I was lectured on Irish history (they had a civil war!). Then off to the famous Guiness Factory where I learned that the water used in the process of making alcohol is called liquor, Guiness is supposedly good for you (false advertising), and loads more. After climbing 7 floors you end up at the bar where they give you a free pint of Guiness or some fanta (I drank the fanta because fanta over here is delicious). I had a great time in Ireland, with many crazy stories to supply from there. That place is sin city.
Managing to operate off of little sleep, I arrived back in Cambridge in time for class (which takes up like 7 hours of my day). Immediately after class and barely awake, I went to the Pembroke formal dinner where I was confused with all the traditions. For example, standing up every once in a while when a fellow (a tenured professor) stands up to leave. The 4 course dinner was great, and the espresso was amazing (maybe this was because I was exhausted). I had a great conversation with a professor specializing in leisure activities and researching the political and economic effect sports has on the European Union. Tried to watch American Gangster afterwards, but ended up falling asleep.
Today was actually a basketball tournament, and my team won the whole thing! We dominated. Since I'm sick, I would like to think of my role as Michael Jordan in the NBA finals when he played despite sickness. Although his sickness was a little more severe, I would like to congratulate myself on playing 3 hours of high quality basketball. My professor ended up showing up after the tournament, so I played another game with him. Since my team had won the tournament, we went with Ryan and Claire (two King's students) to the local Japanese restaraunt to eat some food. Ended up consuming an incredible Miso Ramen dish with Duck Gyoza. O yeah, random obserations:
1) I'm forgetting about many things back in the states... for example, the name of the residence hall I am living in next year.
2) I say "cheers" when I mean to say thank you or good bye.

Anyways, off to sleep before another busy day tomorrow. Cheers!

Morning Jog

You may or may not know, but there is a vibrant countryside that completes Cambridge. On my occasional morning jogging sessions, I run through land owned by King's and pass by all the landmarks you see in the photos. I would like to point out the Mercedes A class and the dinky red car I have never seen before in the states. As you can see, there is a chemist (pharmacist) on the way to the countryside. And to last AND least is the acronym USC. But here, USC is the University Social Club. That's right, USC will always have an identity crisis, in the states and abroad.

Moving on to contemporary role models...
Since there is no perfect human (except Jesus), I am going to identify three individuals who portray great qualities I respect and strive after. Please do not interpret this as me saying that I don't respect other people's characteristics...I am merely identifying three individuals who have been on my mind in recent times.

First, Warren Buffet. His blatant identification and scrutiny of the class struggles that exist in the world is strange for the richest man in the world to do. He appears to actually care about what is happening in others' lives and how his blessings can be used as tools for positively influencing lives. I also love his statement, "Price is what you pay. Value is what you get."

Second, Kobe Bryant. Before you start accusing me of supporting adultery and other infidelities, let me say what I respect about the man. First, he is a man and an imperfect human being. But, so am I. Despite being the best at his respective skill set, he continues to pursue excellence. His constant pursuit of defining and improving his already excellent skill set is what marvels and inspires me.

Last, but definitely not least. My father. Knowing this man up and close for my entire life, I have been able to scrutinize and identify what a man should embody. His constant sacrifices and willingness to live for others have inspired me my whole life. Humble and extremely diligent in what he does, my father has and will always be my role model. Of course he is stubborn and ignorant of social situations at times, but he may be the most genuine and good-hearted person I know. As a result, I can only hope I become half the man my father is.