While running on the track, I often contemplate about where I am headed and why I am headed to where I want to be headed, if that is even where I am headed.
If my drive is for my own glory, satisfaction and peace are ultimately elusive. I must live for more than myself. Just like what Tuba said at the last KCM general meeting, our lives must embody our mission as Jesus' disciples. I am far from being perfect, and that is exactly why I need God.
What we do and say reflects who we are...be aware.
With my dorm room empty (I moved most of my belongings back home), I am realizing how less can be more.
I am a rich and selfish fool.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Broken Hand
Early in the spring quarter of 2008, the unthinkable happened. I fractured my right hand.
My first experience of breaking a bone had to be my dominant hand. Please do not interpret this as a complaint; rather, this experience was a blessing in disguise.
How it happened:
I was eating lunch with Sarah Seong at Rendevous, and happened to come across some of the freshmen who were about to go play basketball. Despite having a slight stress fracture in my left foot (from running), I displayed my stubbornness by agreeing to play basketball at Sunset. The funny thing is that right before meeting with some of the freshmen, I had opened a Rendevous fortune cookie that told me to be wary of the unexpected. Later, Sarah and I agreed that this fortune cookie had accurately described what had happened to me. To keep a long story short, I was playing pick-up basketball and was overcome with aggressive frustration from some shady defense the other team was playing on me. So, I proceeded to punch the padded basketball pole which resulted in swelling and my inability to play the next game (we won that game by the way). So, I decided to apply ice and hoped for the best. Three days and one midterm later, I decided to go to the doctor and had my hand x-rayed. He told me that I had fractured my hand (known as the boxer's fracture), and would have to recover for the remainder of the quarter.
Showering with a plastic bag on my arm, asking someone else to cut my meat at dinner, feeling the sweat compile under my cast after biking, taking double the time to get ready for the day, being unable to type faster than 10 words per minute, using my left hand for every task, and much much more encompassed my routine.
Boy, this experience has helped me appreciate how a healthy body is an amazing blessing. My pride was again shown to be a fallacy, and I reaped the consequences of my rash actions and temper. Strangely, I was reminded of this anecdote from Rockefeller's biography,
Rockefeller playing chess…
“I’ll move just as soon as I get it figured out,” he told opponents who tried to rush him. “You don’t think I’m playing to get beaten, do you?”
Anyways, I thank God for allowing me to experience a fracture in my dominant hand.
My first experience of breaking a bone had to be my dominant hand. Please do not interpret this as a complaint; rather, this experience was a blessing in disguise.
How it happened:
I was eating lunch with Sarah Seong at Rendevous, and happened to come across some of the freshmen who were about to go play basketball. Despite having a slight stress fracture in my left foot (from running), I displayed my stubbornness by agreeing to play basketball at Sunset. The funny thing is that right before meeting with some of the freshmen, I had opened a Rendevous fortune cookie that told me to be wary of the unexpected. Later, Sarah and I agreed that this fortune cookie had accurately described what had happened to me. To keep a long story short, I was playing pick-up basketball and was overcome with aggressive frustration from some shady defense the other team was playing on me. So, I proceeded to punch the padded basketball pole which resulted in swelling and my inability to play the next game (we won that game by the way). So, I decided to apply ice and hoped for the best. Three days and one midterm later, I decided to go to the doctor and had my hand x-rayed. He told me that I had fractured my hand (known as the boxer's fracture), and would have to recover for the remainder of the quarter.
Showering with a plastic bag on my arm, asking someone else to cut my meat at dinner, feeling the sweat compile under my cast after biking, taking double the time to get ready for the day, being unable to type faster than 10 words per minute, using my left hand for every task, and much much more encompassed my routine.
Boy, this experience has helped me appreciate how a healthy body is an amazing blessing. My pride was again shown to be a fallacy, and I reaped the consequences of my rash actions and temper. Strangely, I was reminded of this anecdote from Rockefeller's biography,
Rockefeller playing chess…
“I’ll move just as soon as I get it figured out,” he told opponents who tried to rush him. “You don’t think I’m playing to get beaten, do you?”
Anyways, I thank God for allowing me to experience a fracture in my dominant hand.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
LA Marathon
A lot of things are running through my mind but I want to take this blog one blog at a time.
This blog will be for reflecting on March 2, 2008 and the events leading up to the day.
So, in the beginning of the school year I decided to run the LA marathon. Why? At first, I just wanted to add an accomplishment to my life (I know, very vain of me). I continued to run my daily routine of 3 miles, 3-5 times a week thinking I could run a marathon easily. I soon learned that my friend Peter had run marathons before so I asked if he would like to run the LA marathon with me. We agreed to run together, and even Jon Kang confirmed to me that he would like to run it with us as well. So months passed by, with little to no serious training on my part.
A month before the actual marathon, Jon and I decided to do a test run of about 14 miles to Santa Monica Pier (by way of Sunset Blvd.). I immediately agreed and easily ignored the surprise many people had about our test run. So, we geared up one Friday afternoon with waterbottles (2 for JK, 1 for me), and went on our way. Keep in mind this was during the winter so the sun went down at around 5pm. So, we ended up running in the dark after 4 miles in, and my body was feeling good. At around 5 miles in, I began to feel a rash forming where my thighs brush past (I don't want to get into any details). Basically, I realized that I would never wear boxers, only briefs, on long distance runs. We stopped by Ralphs for a bathroom break, and continued up Sunset Blvd (basically it was uphill the whole way). Reaching the beach after 2 hours, I was exhausted. This was the furthest I have ever run in my life, and my legs were giving out. A lot of people say they are scared when they can't move their the bodies properly while running away in dreams; this was exactly how I felt upon arriving at the beach. I began to realize that a marathon was truly going to be a mentally and physically draining test. As we jogged along the beach, I told Jon that this trial run made me respect the marathon, and conquering anything requires respect. After arriving at the pier, we decided to take the metro back to UCLA (everything is a little fuzzy after that except I remember ordering pizza and watching Shawshank Redemption with my roommate, Rohit).
After experiencing probably the most depressing and debilitating run in my life, I reacted with a vengeance. Every day for the next 2 weeks I restricted myself to a diet of yogurt, cottage cheese, oatmeal, milk, orange juice, chicken breast, pasta, salad with a wide variety of veggies, and few if any sweets. Along with this diet, I also committed myself to run 25 miles a week (restricting the last week to 14 miles). A few days before the marathon, Jon, John Jung, and I went to watch the Marathon Movie at the Culver City AMC. This movie was a one-time showing specifically geared for those running 26.2 miles in a couple days. Rallying around the grandfather in the movie and Daniel Jenga (a guy from Kenya), we were ready for the marathon.
One day before:
We headed over to the Convention Center to pick up our bibs and get a t-shirt and a bag of goodies from the LA Marathon Committee. We also purchased uniforms for the marathon (basically, neon colored outfits that would help us stick out).
Later that day, Peaches, John Jung, JK, and I feasted on bowl upon bowl of pasta from Covel Dining Hall. After our amazing meal, we packed peanut butter sandwiches and prepared for the next day by playing Super Smash (I actually watched Survivor Micronesia episode 3).
Marathon Day:
I woke up ready to run. At 5AM I took my morning dump, and ate a breakfast of a peanut butter sandwich, banana, and protein bar. At 6AM JK picked me up and waiting for a sleepy John Jung to come out. When he finally came, we headed to Peter's house and carpooled with his Mom, his brother, and his brother's friend. By the time we approached the start, it was almost 7:30AM and there was major traffic on the freeway. We actually got out of the car(on the freeway) and....I have a crazy story, so just ask me and I'll tell you. So, we as we walked to the start, we smothered ourselves with vaseline and stretched out our muscles. After starting the marathon, I could not help but be amazed at the number of people in the crowd and other participants. It seemed like hundreds of thousands of people were partaking in this: including groups of Korean adults, business executives, advertising people, college students, runners, and an army of SRLA students. In the beginning, we joked with each other, throwing ice and water at each other while running. After a couple of miles you could easily notice that we were getting a little tired because the conversation and horse-play had ceased. Passing by the Hollywood Bowl, Kodak theatre, Rosa Parks Bridge, Hancock Park, East L.A., Koreatown, (just imagine running past Han Nam Chain in the middle of the street!) Coliseum, a bridge that I never knew existed (this bridge was like a mile long and had an amazing view of all of LA). At mile 16, I began to become fatigued and bored. But a supported began playing a song which had some lyrics that I distinctly remember, "Go get it." I realized that nobody was going to give me anything (other than the amazing supporters who supplied gatorade, bananas, oranges, and water...but that's not the type of giving I'm talking about). If I wanted something, I need to go get it...there is no such thing as entitlement. With that in mind, I persevered onward with a renewed spirit. Reaching mile 20 was a blessing and a struggle, and the next 5 miles were extremely tiring. For the last mile, John Jung and I sprinted and probably ran it in 6-7 minutes. Out of energy and waiting for JK and Peaches, I could not believe I was .2 miles away from finishing (the last .2 is after a corner you turn). When JK and Peaches met up with us, Peaches was limping because of a Charlie Horse in his leg. I began to laugh because he had made it so far, but at the end he couldn't run. Suddenly, my leg began to harden and my smile transformed into a grimace of pain. I was now suffering from a charlie horse as well! What goes around, comes around eh? So hand in hand, the 4 of us walked towards the finish. Out of nowhere, my UCLA workshop partner and awesome friend Bernie shouted out my name from the crowd. Surprised and ecstatic, I ran to him and saw that he had also come with 2 of my students in a discussion section that Bernie and I had led. He told me that he had been waiting for hours and was following me throughout the race. Encouraged and blessed, I continued to finish the race and everything from that point on was full of euphoria. After having the medal put around my neck and taking a multitude of model shots with my buddies, we walked to Peter's car and went to Family House to eat dduk bo sam.
So what do I remember from the marathon other than being able to litter anywhere for the first time in my life, being sore for the next week, running with thousands of people, and thousands of people cheering for you on the sides?
I remember the smiles, the inner struggle, and the team work it took to finish. It would not be right for me to say that I finished the marathon; it would be more correct to say WE conquered it.
Praise God for giving me friends, a healthy body, and great support in order to be part of the LA Marathon.
This blog will be for reflecting on March 2, 2008 and the events leading up to the day.
So, in the beginning of the school year I decided to run the LA marathon. Why? At first, I just wanted to add an accomplishment to my life (I know, very vain of me). I continued to run my daily routine of 3 miles, 3-5 times a week thinking I could run a marathon easily. I soon learned that my friend Peter had run marathons before so I asked if he would like to run the LA marathon with me. We agreed to run together, and even Jon Kang confirmed to me that he would like to run it with us as well. So months passed by, with little to no serious training on my part.
A month before the actual marathon, Jon and I decided to do a test run of about 14 miles to Santa Monica Pier (by way of Sunset Blvd.). I immediately agreed and easily ignored the surprise many people had about our test run. So, we geared up one Friday afternoon with waterbottles (2 for JK, 1 for me), and went on our way. Keep in mind this was during the winter so the sun went down at around 5pm. So, we ended up running in the dark after 4 miles in, and my body was feeling good. At around 5 miles in, I began to feel a rash forming where my thighs brush past (I don't want to get into any details). Basically, I realized that I would never wear boxers, only briefs, on long distance runs. We stopped by Ralphs for a bathroom break, and continued up Sunset Blvd (basically it was uphill the whole way). Reaching the beach after 2 hours, I was exhausted. This was the furthest I have ever run in my life, and my legs were giving out. A lot of people say they are scared when they can't move their the bodies properly while running away in dreams; this was exactly how I felt upon arriving at the beach. I began to realize that a marathon was truly going to be a mentally and physically draining test. As we jogged along the beach, I told Jon that this trial run made me respect the marathon, and conquering anything requires respect. After arriving at the pier, we decided to take the metro back to UCLA (everything is a little fuzzy after that except I remember ordering pizza and watching Shawshank Redemption with my roommate, Rohit).
After experiencing probably the most depressing and debilitating run in my life, I reacted with a vengeance. Every day for the next 2 weeks I restricted myself to a diet of yogurt, cottage cheese, oatmeal, milk, orange juice, chicken breast, pasta, salad with a wide variety of veggies, and few if any sweets. Along with this diet, I also committed myself to run 25 miles a week (restricting the last week to 14 miles). A few days before the marathon, Jon, John Jung, and I went to watch the Marathon Movie at the Culver City AMC. This movie was a one-time showing specifically geared for those running 26.2 miles in a couple days. Rallying around the grandfather in the movie and Daniel Jenga (a guy from Kenya), we were ready for the marathon.
One day before:
We headed over to the Convention Center to pick up our bibs and get a t-shirt and a bag of goodies from the LA Marathon Committee. We also purchased uniforms for the marathon (basically, neon colored outfits that would help us stick out).
Later that day, Peaches, John Jung, JK, and I feasted on bowl upon bowl of pasta from Covel Dining Hall. After our amazing meal, we packed peanut butter sandwiches and prepared for the next day by playing Super Smash (I actually watched Survivor Micronesia episode 3).
Marathon Day:
I woke up ready to run. At 5AM I took my morning dump, and ate a breakfast of a peanut butter sandwich, banana, and protein bar. At 6AM JK picked me up and waiting for a sleepy John Jung to come out. When he finally came, we headed to Peter's house and carpooled with his Mom, his brother, and his brother's friend. By the time we approached the start, it was almost 7:30AM and there was major traffic on the freeway. We actually got out of the car(on the freeway) and....I have a crazy story, so just ask me and I'll tell you. So, we as we walked to the start, we smothered ourselves with vaseline and stretched out our muscles. After starting the marathon, I could not help but be amazed at the number of people in the crowd and other participants. It seemed like hundreds of thousands of people were partaking in this: including groups of Korean adults, business executives, advertising people, college students, runners, and an army of SRLA students. In the beginning, we joked with each other, throwing ice and water at each other while running. After a couple of miles you could easily notice that we were getting a little tired because the conversation and horse-play had ceased. Passing by the Hollywood Bowl, Kodak theatre, Rosa Parks Bridge, Hancock Park, East L.A., Koreatown, (just imagine running past Han Nam Chain in the middle of the street!) Coliseum, a bridge that I never knew existed (this bridge was like a mile long and had an amazing view of all of LA). At mile 16, I began to become fatigued and bored. But a supported began playing a song which had some lyrics that I distinctly remember, "Go get it." I realized that nobody was going to give me anything (other than the amazing supporters who supplied gatorade, bananas, oranges, and water...but that's not the type of giving I'm talking about). If I wanted something, I need to go get it...there is no such thing as entitlement. With that in mind, I persevered onward with a renewed spirit. Reaching mile 20 was a blessing and a struggle, and the next 5 miles were extremely tiring. For the last mile, John Jung and I sprinted and probably ran it in 6-7 minutes. Out of energy and waiting for JK and Peaches, I could not believe I was .2 miles away from finishing (the last .2 is after a corner you turn). When JK and Peaches met up with us, Peaches was limping because of a Charlie Horse in his leg. I began to laugh because he had made it so far, but at the end he couldn't run. Suddenly, my leg began to harden and my smile transformed into a grimace of pain. I was now suffering from a charlie horse as well! What goes around, comes around eh? So hand in hand, the 4 of us walked towards the finish. Out of nowhere, my UCLA workshop partner and awesome friend Bernie shouted out my name from the crowd. Surprised and ecstatic, I ran to him and saw that he had also come with 2 of my students in a discussion section that Bernie and I had led. He told me that he had been waiting for hours and was following me throughout the race. Encouraged and blessed, I continued to finish the race and everything from that point on was full of euphoria. After having the medal put around my neck and taking a multitude of model shots with my buddies, we walked to Peter's car and went to Family House to eat dduk bo sam.
So what do I remember from the marathon other than being able to litter anywhere for the first time in my life, being sore for the next week, running with thousands of people, and thousands of people cheering for you on the sides?
I remember the smiles, the inner struggle, and the team work it took to finish. It would not be right for me to say that I finished the marathon; it would be more correct to say WE conquered it.
Praise God for giving me friends, a healthy body, and great support in order to be part of the LA Marathon.
Friday, May 23, 2008
First Entry - Friday after Second Round of Midterms
Relaxed. After completing a stressful week of midterms, I can finally take a step back from pondering over tacit collusion, cournot models with varying costs, product differentiation, asymmetric information, and standard deviations. Thus, I can begin my blog with a free mind and a lack of inhibitions regarding anything.
So, I am 3 weeks away from completing my second year at UCLA. I have to say that my mind captures the year in periods of 10 weeks each. This is because of the quarter system which results in me never knowing the exact date or month, just the week I am in (for example, this week is the end of week 8 spring quarter). Every quarter seems like a year in high school in itself due to the incredible number of experiences that happen. Every day seems like a week in high school. I rarely remember at the end of the day what I did in the morning. After every quarter, I write a reflection journal regarding what had happened in the quarter and sometimes a reflection for each week. I may post these reflections in future blogs.
So, why a blog? I've been thinking about making a blog for a long time, but I never took the initiative until Shalom told me today that a blog would be the best way for me to tell people of my adventures this summer. If you don't know, I will be traveling to Cambridge, United Kingdom at the end of June to participate in an education abroad program at King's College (alma mater to John Maynard Keynes). I am very excited because of the many opportunities available there, including my individual research supervision with a faculty member there in economics.
O, and a random comment I would like to add is that I broke my hand this quarter so it is kind of difficult to type and my hand is getting tired right now. So, I'll cut this entry short and hopefully post again soon.
Go Lakers!
So, I am 3 weeks away from completing my second year at UCLA. I have to say that my mind captures the year in periods of 10 weeks each. This is because of the quarter system which results in me never knowing the exact date or month, just the week I am in (for example, this week is the end of week 8 spring quarter). Every quarter seems like a year in high school in itself due to the incredible number of experiences that happen. Every day seems like a week in high school. I rarely remember at the end of the day what I did in the morning. After every quarter, I write a reflection journal regarding what had happened in the quarter and sometimes a reflection for each week. I may post these reflections in future blogs.
So, why a blog? I've been thinking about making a blog for a long time, but I never took the initiative until Shalom told me today that a blog would be the best way for me to tell people of my adventures this summer. If you don't know, I will be traveling to Cambridge, United Kingdom at the end of June to participate in an education abroad program at King's College (alma mater to John Maynard Keynes). I am very excited because of the many opportunities available there, including my individual research supervision with a faculty member there in economics.
O, and a random comment I would like to add is that I broke my hand this quarter so it is kind of difficult to type and my hand is getting tired right now. So, I'll cut this entry short and hopefully post again soon.
Go Lakers!
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