10/30: i was talking on the phone in the hallway while a few floormates were chillin in my room (cuz theres always people chillin in my room =) ), and when i came back they told me that last thursday they went to the farmers market in westwood and saw some really pretty flowers and decided it would look perfect on my shelf. so they bought it for me and put it in my room before i got back from class. richard totally knew about it, but when i asked all he told me was that he left the room a couple times with the door bolted, so someone might have come in during that time. pretty convincing huh? im soo gullible =/. but hey, like i said before, im not gonna complain cuz i love the flowers. very very special thanks to ANNY and TAMMY for being so thoughtful and nice =). i was speechless when they told me the flowers were from them. but yea... the mystery's finally solved. and now that i know the truth im gonna hafta take very very good care of my gift. i'll try my best to keep it healthy, even though my room gets about 15 minutes of sunshine every day =/. but yea... thanks again anny n tammy... everytime i look at that corner of my wall it makes me soo happy. i cant believe u guys are soo nice to me. thanks!! =)

10/30: im back! fall conference was sooo great! my only complaint is that its way too short. we got there friday night and left today (sunday) morning. (and yes its sunday night... again im not purposely waiting til this time to write SNUs. its just destined to be that way =) ). for the most part it was just eating, worship practice, meeting, and sleeping. sleeping on the dock was great as usual. yes it was COLD, but with socks, jeans, shirt, winter jacket (with hood), beanie, and sleeping bag, it was just right =). ohh and we all got to see the two foxes, including the 3-legged one. i was sooo close to them... probably could have petted them if i wasnt afraid of getting diseases. worship was awesome... on the first night we all met in the main deck and guess wut i found in place of the old out-of-tune piano... a KORG TRITON... 88 key one too!!! only problem, it has no pedal =/. so i had a huge dilemma - either use the piano or the triton without a pedal. i settled for the triton cuz its so special. and the people in charge of the camp actually talked to me abotu keyboard accessories so they'll have a pedal next time i'm there (whenever that may be). last night we sporadically decided to close the night with "he reigns". i dont know about the rest of the team, but ive been wishing to play this song live for a LONG time, cuz i already learned it for gospel choir but never got to perform it, and its such an awesome song. so yea, that was sooo much fun. harvey cozart's sermons were great too... i got to talk with him last night and he helped me with a lot of good advice and prayed for me too. even if the rest of the conference sucked, getting prayer from such a blessed man definitely makes it worth it. but of course, it didnt suck =). watching stars at night always reminds me of how small i am and how amazing it is that the same God who created everything around me also created me. on friday night i was lying on the beach by myself looking at the sky and i got to see, for the first time ever, a shooting star. ive always wanted to see one but never did before... they would always appear at the moments when i'm distracted and not paying attention. but not this time.. and this was a HUGE shooting star. i heard people gasping across the camp when it appeared... most people told me its the biggest one they've ever seen. it literally lit up the sky for a moment.. soo beautiful! this morning flew by really fast... woke up and packed, had breakfast, had our last meeting, and *pOoF* we were gone. and now it already seems like this whole weekend was just a dream. fortunately i brought back with me a few pieces of catalina to remind myself of all the great things that happened this weekend-

10/27: made it back from choir just in time for 'floor dinner'... then i came back to my room and look wut i found-

10/23: its sunday night again... time for SNU! and in case ur wondering, i dont purposely wait until sunday night to update... its just that this is such a convenient time. im back at school but classes dont start until tomorrow (and usually all my homework is already finished). so anyways... lemme start from where i left off after tuesday...

wednesday- i conducted! i conducted! i conducted! yupyup... kat says it wasnt that bad. i hope shes right... its sooo fun!! i made some really stupid mistakes cuz i was so nervous, but hopefully that will improve as the quarter progresses. thursday - finally bought my history textbook. yea i know, its about time huh? not my fault they keep running out hehe. but yea, just after i bought it i went to class and found out my midterm is a week away. looks like i better start catching up. ohh and im getting better at crossword puzzles!! i can actually contribute now instead of always asking other people for answers. friday - so those lil coupon booklets from the textbook store were gonna expire, and i HAD to get all my free stuff. so i went on campus after floor breakfast but the candy store wasnt open yet =/. so i ended up going to victoria's math class. yea i know, there must be something ebtter to do with my time than sitting in a math lecture im not even gonna enroll in. but hey, its been a while, and even as a music major theres gotta be a balance right? =) and its not all that boring... 1 hour lectures seem so short, and the professor is so fobby! hehe... anyways, then on the way back after my classes (ended at noon) i went to kerchoff to get my free coffee iceblend. the line was ridiculously long, and EVERYONE was holding a little coupon. but i got mine anyways =). and i got my candy too... the whole store was packed. gosh, college students and free stuff. hehe... not that im complaining or anything =). anyways, after all that i went back up to hedrick, got my stuff ready, and went home!

i shot a Mondial twice on the 405 freeway... its my first time getting high quality pictures on the freeway. one more car to cross off from my hit list =). me steph and her dad got lunch at this japanese restaurant in hacienda hts... on the way back i saw a silver f430 - IN HACIENDA HEIGHTS!!! is that crazy or what? anyways, fast forward to saturday - teaching and busywork most of the day, followed by practicing piano. yes, im actually practicing a lot now. my sightreading sucks so i desperately need to practice, especially since my lessons are now monday MORNING. so the piece i'm playing ("danzas argentinas" by Ginastera" looked easy at first, but then i got a recording and listened to it and HOLY CRAP its INSANE!!! insanity is a good thing though... rememebr how i was hoping my piano teacher could challenge me? i guess my wish came true. now its time for me to work hard to make it happen hehe... fast forward to sunday - the original plan was for me and my mom to drive separately from home and stop at Firestone to get my oil change, then she can take me to church and back to pick up my car afterwards. but then just as we got out of the house her car died! so it ended up being the other way around... after church it was fixed and we still had time to send my car in too... went to costco to develop pictures (yup, my wall pictures are finally ready!!), then went to rose hills to visit my dad. went back to get my car wen it was done, then i went to costco to pick up hte photos. ohh and i went to borders to get a FREE drink. yupyup... anytime from now til like mid november i can get free coffee (any small size drink) @ the coffee place in Borders (puente hills mall). if u want one let me konw! (i dun even have to be there hehe).

that brings me back to ucla again for a new schoolweek. i had an intense debate with tammy about vegetarianism... apparently i converted her to become vegetarian and i'm not even vegetarian myself. wut da hecK? hehe... kat came over n we went to SMB to practice/study, but it was locked! =/. but she did teach me a really realy cool gate trick to the parking lot =). we ended up studying in the sproul music room instead. then i came back here to write this update. so yea... that brings us to the present.

u kno wut i love abotu this quarter? despite my busy schedule, every week seems like its own little story. sunday night is just chill, monday isnt too bad, tuesday's when i have so much work that it kills me, so by the time the week is halfway over, im so relaxed and so happy even though i still have 8 hours of class on thursday. well maybe this week is a bit different, since my music history midterm is on thusrday. but u kno wut i really wanna do this week? if i can get ahead enough on studying, im considering treating myself to a little vacation after class on wednesday. to where? hmm... i'll give you a hint - its about 3 miles away from campus and its filled with millionaires. i wanna go this week cuz this weekend is daylight savings, meaning i wont be able to go after class anymore since its gonna be dark early. so yea, hopefully the weather will permit my trip. we'll see. anyways, its gettin late and i need to go to sleep. goodnight!

10/20:
It's been some time since I last saw your face
At the time, these were the words I thought I'd never say
The way you lived, the way you died together testify
To a glimpse of heaven's glory in my life
Greater joy my eyes have never seen
In your pain, you had the strength to smile in your dreams
Visions I can only try to see with my own eyes
Spoken in your final breath before you left this world for paradise

"The sky is clear, angels are everywhere
I'm at peace, I know I'm almost there at the end
And I'll be with my father up in heaven"
There you lay, and never spoke again
Filled with peace, until the very end of your life
Then your breathed your last and went to paradise

Even now, the feelings break my heart
Still I cry and still I wonder why we had to part
In the night, sometimes I would gaze up at the sky
And suddenly your story comes alive
There you are, shining among the stars
Wish I can be there to see how beautiful you are
No more tears, no more pain, but only joy remains
I know that there can be no better place for you than where you are today

"The sky is clear, angels are everywhere
I'm at peace, I know I'm almost there at the end
And I'll be with my father up in heaven"
Now I know that even though you're gone
You left for me, the strength for moving on in my life
Till the day we meet again in paradise

With every breath that I breathe
I want to live your legacy
You gave me a reason to believe
That in the end we'll meet again where

The sky is clear, angels are everywhere
I'm at peace, 'cause one day I'll be there at the end
And I'll be with my father up in heaven
Like a child I'll run to your embrace
We will dance to heaven's serenade every day
And forever we will live in paradise.

10/19: at last, the "for fun" part of my to-do list is longer than the "homework" part. music history essay is finally done, and i'm ready for tomorrow's keyboarding quiz too. well, i still have to practice chord progressions. but those wont take longer than 10 minutes. so yea... it feels sooo great to finally be able to completely relax again after so many days of almost nonstop work. i guess this is what i get for taking 20 units. mentioning units, my schedule for this quarter is finally all settled, so here it is-

Intro to Conducting (Music 116): Mon & Wed 11:00AM
Music Theory IV (Music 120A): Mon, Tues, Wed & Thurs 1:00PM
Piano (Music 64AF): Mon 3:30PM
Intro to the Study of Language (Linguistics 1): Tues & Thurs 9:30AM
Music History & Analysis (Music 26A): Tues & Thurs 11:00AM
Collegiate Chorus (Music 90B): Tues & Thurs 3:20PM
Discussions: Fri 10:00AM (Ling 1), Fri 11:00AM (Mus 26A)

so heres the story that my floormates are all very familiar with by now - i started off the quarter with this same schedule minus conducting & linguistics. problem was that on tuesday thursday n friday i didnt have class til 11, and on monday n wednesday i didnt have class til 1PM!! ohh and i get up for breakfast at 7:45 everyday. so that left me with so much free time that i could probably even get sick of watching cars. on the other hand, the freshmen on my floor are working soo hard and already studying during week 1. i would join them but i would jus keep on talking since i had nothing to study and i couldnt shut up. so i decided i should fill up my schedule a bit more, both to be a good example and for my own good. so i attempted to add linguistics (end of week 1) and conducting (beginning of week 2). to my surprise both professors i was actually able to enroll in both, without missing anything too important. so suddenly i realized i was taking 20 units (!!). so it might not seem liek THAT much, but its a huge challenge for me considering i've never taken more units than necessary before. now i'm taking the maximum number of units allowed. yes, i'm crazy. but then again, what surprised me most is that im actually willing to do it. i guess this whole music major thing really motivates me quite well =).

so now i'm starting to get used to not eating lunch at all (maybe a fruit if i remember to take one from breakfast), and spending as much time in class as high schoolers. and im definitely NOT used to it. worst thing is that once midterms start kicking in, i think im pretty screwed. but i've already pushed myself into this challenge and im not gonna back out. one thing i really wish my friends can do is remind me not to stress too much in case i go crazy trying to study for 394,958 midterms at the same time. oh and also please, make sure i do NOT turn into one of those people that dont do anything except study all day. my social life is no less important than academics, and i know that if i try hard enough i'll be able to juggle everything and keep a healthy balance. so yea... this is what the next few months of my life will be like. sometimes when i discover passion deep inside me, i do things that i never thought were possible. now i'm at it again. wish me luck...

10/18: im sitting in front of my computer now listening to a bunch of medieval chants, since i have to write an essay comparing three of them. fun huh? its due thursday, and even though the essay was passed out a week ago i didnt have any time to think about it until now. but its ok... its all worth it. the kayne west event was awesome... of course we all had little mistakes here n there, but the good thing about hip-hop is that as long as the groove goes on, the details really dont matter that much =). this was the one thing i looked forward to most these past couple days and im soo glad it turned out well. so to sum up my life since the last update - yesterday: floor breakfast as usual (its routine but still great =) ). in theory class we started talking about chromatic harmony. its kinda confusing but it seems fun =). piano lessons turned out well too... im getting enough work to help me improve but not too much that its killing me. it was raining pretty hard on my way back to hedrick... but u guys know me well enough - if im gonna end up getting wet anyways, might as well enjoy it. so yea, i was soaked... but it was fun. (and no i didnt get sick... ive done this enough times to know that i can survive it hehe). and besides there were people much crazier than me. two girls were running barefoot in the rain. one guy jus took off his shirt and enjoyed a natural shower. i would try that sometime but only after i get a decent tan and work out a lot more hehe. dinnered @ rieber with sara yune kitty ky n swathi... lots of swipes on my bruincard but its ok hehe... one great thing about rain is that because my synth doesn't like water, i have a good reason to ask for a ride to practice (instead of walking to 449 with all my stuff). practice was great... hiphop is so fun to play. seriou5ly... we rehearsed forever and i didnt get sick of it. there was one song i didnt need to play for so i went to the sanctuary (we were @ west LA baptist) and guess wut i found... an organ!! its the really cool kind with the huge pipes on the walls. so of course i hopped on and started playing with it. its SOO FUNN!! makes me wanna learn my bach chorales very very good just so i can play it on that organ =). so anyways, got back to hedrick at like um... 11? went to sproul to do some lil interview thingy with sara for her homework. chilled with her n emily for a lil bit then visited a few other pplz in sproul. it was past midnight when i got back... i wanted to work on my essay but there was no way i could think straight at that hour, so i went to sleep =)

today - yes, its tuesday... not exactly the day to look forward to for me... but i'll admit it was an amazing day. for various reasons (past experiences) i've decided to keep all my keyboard equipment with me for the kanye event instead of having other people pick it up from my room while i'm in class. but with my 8 friggin hours of class that means i had to carry it with me to class at 9:30AM and keep it with me all day. its not really that bad... (thanx jacob for the awesome case with wheels hehe), and besides i blend in perfectly in schoenberg =). the most amazing thing is that it stopped raining just in time for me to walk to class. and i was able to babysit it very well throughout the day. oh and i'm getting better at crossword puzzles... i figured out a lot of answers today! ok anyways... fast forward until 5:30PM... i'm finally done with class and setting up for the concert. and just as we finished setting up, anny n bridget came and brought me FOOD. i was like *GASP*... they brought me dinner!! and i mean a full course meal with dessert fruit and water. that totally made my day... thanx sooo much!!! =) and then the event started... it turned out excellent considering we did NOT have a soundcheck hehe. hauled everything back to hedrick afterwards, then met w/ worship team to discuss stuff for the next big event (5th week 'worship night'). got back @ like 11. finally started my stupid essay... and believe it or not its actually getting somewhere. im soooo looking forward to tomorrow, cuz i only have class from 11 to 3, so that leaves a LOT of time to work on it (its due thursday). if i can finish about half of it today, then its not gonna be a problem. its past midnight already and im actually quite hyper right now, probably cuz of all the soda i had @ puzzles. its starting to die down, meaning i'll work on my essay for a little more, then go to sleep. i think that means i need to stop writing here huh? ok, byebye!

10/16: does anyone still remember SNU's? i didnt... at least not until today when i realized its been so long since i updated, and when i happen to finally update it just happens to be on a sunday night. so um... i guess i have to squeeze this whole past week into one entry huh? i'll try to keep it short. here we go...

sunday- finally started sunday school! im in baldwin's class... its soo great, i jus wish everyone will continue showing up regularly and not be lazy. thats wut always happens and it sucks. lets all try being committed to wut we signed up for... i know its gonna be worth it =). anyways, came back to school at night... i seriously LOVE my floor. people are always wandering around the hallway wanting to have fun. a bunch of us watched Crash... i missed the beginning but still its pretty good.

monday- "floor breakfast" as usual. did that for the entire week =). i love it! what better way to kick off the day... anyways i went to campus two hours early to take care of some enrollment business. im gonna save the details for another entry, but as some of u already know i've decided to challenge myself very very hard this quarter. its stressful, but somehow im still enjoying it =). so anyways, very special dinner - reunion of last year's dinner gang!! almost all of us made it (to deneve)... we rarely get to all hang out together anymore since we're all so busy and so far apart. (but of course, dun forget im always glad to visit people, so jus give me a call and if im not too busy i'll come!). then rehearsal for IV worship... we did "oh praise him" this week - kinda unexpected from this team, but still i love it =).

tuesday- entire day in class. literally. again, more details on classes to come later. found a new hobby in music history class - crossword puzzles. they have a new one every day in the Daily Bruin... i never bothered until this week. and apparnetly sooo many people in my class are also addicted to it. or they jus wanna kill time (two hours of gregorian chant, go figure.) at the end of the day i was SOO HUNGRY. after IV i ate like an entire bag of popcorn... a bunch of people walked up together to go chill @ puzzles. then after we sat down we realized we're ALL ASIAN. haha... so much for diversity huh? then another gang of IV peopel came - all indian! it was hilarious when we tried arranging people by race... everyone around us was cracking up too. ohh and thanx euria for the cheese fries =).

wednesday- floor dinner, smallgroup, gym. well the lil workout place in hedrick isnt even really a gym, but i guess its close enough. i went down there to run with bridget but the treadmills were full so i jus sat on the lil bike thingy and pedaled the whoel tiem. its so fun!! hehe yea i know im crazy. apparently a lot of people know that i love random opportunies to go hang out with people, even exercising. what more can i ask for in hedrick? =)

thursday - i survived severin's quiz. amazing considering how much practice i had. and i made it back for another floor dinner... im always scared after coming back from class that i would be too late... but apparently dinner is at 6 now so im not gonna miss out =). went to the gym again at night w/ anny bridget n liz... my mom called while i was biking and was sooo surprised i was exercising hehe. not that i need it anyways... meanwhile richard taught iva how to play world of warcraft. she was playing for a LONG time hehe. another addict? we'll see... anny n bridget came over n we went on a really random photo spree. that was fun =).

friday - i ate lunch at school on a friday! hehe... thanx to my floormates for inviting me to join. they got to meet steph n ernest too (since ernest came to pick us up. thanx! =) ). traffic was insane... i got back at like 3:30. some garbage truck caught on fire (exploded? there was garbage all over the place) so the entire freeway was stuck. went to teach piano then went to rose's house. we had dinner @ some asian place... "coffee break" or sumthin like that. $5.50 curry rice... good stuff =). then went back to rose's house to watch jay chou DVDs. i hafta admit its soo amazing how much work they put into one night... and its hilarious how he forgets his own lyrics and starts BSing stuff on the spot, and people cheer for him anyways.

saturday - there was some stupid parade in the morning and they closed Colima!! if anyone knows wut that was about, please explain to me cuz it totally drove me crazy. at least they shoudl get some police officers to direct traffic or put up some more clear signs. everyone naturally went through the neighborhood, only to find that it was closed too. i got off the car and asked an officer, and i couldnt even understand wut he was saying. he was jus watching the parade too. looked like a bunch of kids.. iono... ohh and i was on my way to go teach, so its not exactly the best time for stupid street closures. i kinda did a burnout right in front of the officer (yes, in my SUV), followed by some very fast driving which helped me get there only a few minutes late. but yea, wut a great way to start off the mornign hehe. went to church in the afternoon for debbie n jeffrey's wedding. definitely the fanciest wedding i've been to... they put a LOT of time/money/effort into this... we had a huge dinner reception thingy at pacific palms. choe broke a chopstick!! hahaha... we were all banging them on the plates and his just broke. but anyways, congrats jeffrey n debbie! =)

and that brings us to today - sunday school, church, usual stuff. except i came back to school right after church for rehearsal for tuesday. we're doing a Kanye West event for IV this tuesday and i got drafted to the band. walking my keys down to 449 is very tiring, but practice was SO FUN! how often do i get to play hip hop with live rappers? hehe... trust me this stuff is amazing. come on tuesday night to catalyst and see it for urself =). ohh and thanks luke for the ride back to hedrick. you saved my life! hehe... made it back just in time for dinner @ noodle planet with victoria niki rachel n their friends. then i went to kat's place to study theory & history... came back to hedrick (thanx kat for the ride. gosh i msoo spoiled!) just in time for a trip to bruin cafe. we had a huge debate over tammy's coach umbrella hehe. i told her i'll make that same pattern on photoshop. shes probably gonna march in my room anytime and ask if its done. but its ok, i'll finish writing this entry first. hehe.. i think im done now. wow, that was REALLY LONG. not that i expect anyone to read it (by the way, if u actualyl read the last entry you are crazy. hehe... ). ok, well im gonna shut up now. byebye!

10/12: My Journey to Schoenberg -

When the time came for me to fill out my college applications, I had only one idea in mind for my personal statement. Even though I applied to the UC's as an engineer, my essay reflected a part of me that I had wished to make my minor, or perhaps a double major if I really had the time: "No activity has taught me more in my life than playing the piano. I began studying music at the age of 8, much later than most people. My first lesson was on a tragic day; the whole family found out in the morning that my father had liver cancer. But it was he who wanted me to play the piano most, and despite his own troubles, he insisted that I still go to my lesson. Even though he knew little about music himself, he strongly urged me to give it a try, and after much hesitation, I eventually agreed. In no time, I discovered an unusual affinity for music that I never knew I had before. After much hard practicing, I realized that there was so much I could do with my ability."

That was the beginning of the essay which helped me get into UCLA. I was accepted as an engineering major, and even though I knew nothing about what to expect in college, it felt great to know that I was going to a school with a prestigious name. A few months before my college life began, I attended UCLA's three-day orientation program, and that was when I found out the university didn't offer music as a minor. I was a bit disappointed at first, but soon I concluded that engineering alone should already give me enough work to do.

I continued studying piano and composition over the summer and stopped only because college started and I knew I wouldn't have time to take lessons every weekend. But my connection to music didn't end there; just weeks after the school year began, I received news that I had won a Bach competition I entered in the summer and had to compete at the next level, which meant that I had to take lessons again to prepare. This was followed by several other awards and performance opportunities, including a small tour with the Chinese worship organization Passing On Mission, which fulfilled one of my biggest high school fantasies - to tour with a band while serving God.

My college life began with an open heart; I admitted to God that I didn't deserve to be at such a great university, and that I was willing to let Him lead me according to His will. In no time, my first quarter at UCLA was over, and even though I had a great time, there were a few disappointments, including a D in chemistry. During winter break, I went on UCC's annual winter retreat in the mountains. It was always one of my favorite times of the year, because I tend to feel closest to God when I'm far away from life's distractions and humbled by His beauty all around me. That year I went up the mountain confused, unable to understand why God brought me to UCLA to receive my lowest GPA ever. But my heart was still open, and I asked Him to meet me during those few days and give me direction in my life. And that's exactly what he did; during our daily quiet times, I read the devotionals that were included in our camp booklets - two chapters from Rick Warren's "The Purpose-Driven Life", both of which touched my heart. I had never been a fan of reading (not even the Bible, to be honest), and until that point I had never bought a single book that wasn't for school or didn't have pictures in it. But after returning from the retreat, I was very determined to know what Rick Warren had to say in the rest of his 40-day devotional. On the first day of the new quarter, I went to Borders and bought the book. And it was that strange motivation to read that told me what I was about to learn must be from God.

From the day I read chapter one, my life began to change. I began to treasure the idea of a "solo time", when I would isolate myself in secret places and seek wisdom from God. Even though in the past I only sought God so intimately during my most desperate times, it eventually became an almost daily activity. I would sit by myself in a garden or under a tree and spend hours praying, meditating, reflecting, worshipping, and reading "The Purpose-Driven Life". Slowly God opened my eyes and helped me see from new perspectives. I realized that even though I was proud of being a UCLA engineer, I wasn't enjoying the field and had no motivation at all. As I continued to seek the purpose that God made me for, many things that I once treasured began to lose value in my heart - pride, acceptance, and even wealth.

In February, I found out that I had won the MTNA regional competition for a composition I wrote. That competition was the last thing I did before I stopped taking lessons, and even though it wasn't the first year I entered, it was the first time I won. On the night before the winners' recital, I had a long talk with my mom, and we both concluded that all the opportunities I had to showcase my musical abilities after I went to college must have been signs from God, telling me that music will always be a part of my life. I had already thought about the possibility of music being the purpose that I was searching for, but as much as I loved it, I figured that it must simply be a fantasy, because the reality is that a degree in music is far too impractical compared to the engineering degree I was already working for.

It wasn't long before I received the news that my composition had been submitted to the national level, and that I had been selected as first place in the nation. Even if all my previous awards were merely coincidences, that one was definitely an exception, because not even in my fantasies did I dream of winning something that big. I was invited to attend MTNA's national convention in Kansas City, which included the winners' recital. It was during spring break, which was still over a month away. But already there were some problems I had to face; I was responsible for hiring the six musicians needed to perform my piece, and it was far more expensive that what I could afford. While I was allowed to play a CD recording of my piece at the regional recital, it wasn't acceptable at the national level. My mom and I came together one night to pray for a final sign from God- if He would provide an affordable means of letting my piece be performed in Kansas City, it would symbolize that He would provide for all my needs if I leave the engineering school and dedicate my life to music.

I finished reading "The Purpose-Driven Life" just before the quarter ended, and at that point my desire to chase after my love for music was stronger than ever before. On the other hand, my second quarter as an engineer ended with an even lower chemistry grade than the previous quarter's. But by then I was already so detached from those subjects that even an F didn't really bother me. I knew that I could not survive the rest of my college career if I remained in the engineering school. But the idea of being a music major still didn't seem right to me. Even though I clearly loved music more than anything else, I didn't want to risk spending the rest of my life without a stable, high-income job. After desperately searching for new majors to escape to, I concluded that I wanted to double-major in music and psychology, because I had just taken an introductory psychology course and found it very interesting.

Spring break began with me getting into a car accident - the first scar on my perfect driving record. I was extremely frustrated, because my driving record was something I had taken pride in. When I finally calmed down, God reminded me of Romans 8:28, which I had studied in "The Purpose-Driven Life", and I realized that He allowed the collision to happen because I had been so busy going out and having fun that I was forgetting to take my life seriously, and that there was something He wanted to teach me. So I decided to cancel all my plans for spring break and stay at home for an extended solo time. After several days of prayer and meditation, I went out for the only activity I didn't cancel - the MTNA winner's recital in Kansas City. As for my piece, I ended up deciding against a live performance, but was instead allowed to play a previously recorded video of my piece. Of course, I was a little disappointed to be the only winner without a live concert. But God reminded me of what my mom and I prayed for regarding this performance. And He answered that prayer by telling me that even though life as a musician won't be easy and things won't always go my way, He will always have a solution to every problem as long as I trust Him. During my stay in Kansas City, I was given a free pass to attend the annual convention, and there I realized that my musical abilities are truly a gift from God, and that there is really no reason I should hesitate to become a music (composition) major.

Spring quarter began, and because my heart was no longer in engineering, I stopped taking math and science courses, and began focusing on completing my GE requirements. I visited the psychology department and submitted a petition to switch majors, but I never heard back from them. Amidst that hopelessness I came to realize that the reason behind my wanting to become a psychology major was simply to please my discomfort at the thought of studying music alone. And I knew that if I really wanted to chase after God’s will, then that, too, was something I had to give up.

During spring quarter, I took my first class in Schoenberg (the UCLA music building) - History of Beethoven - to experience a college music class while fulfilling a GE requirement. Even though I'm not much of a history fan, simply seeing a lecture hall with a piano on the stage was enough to put a smile on my face. I found out that my professor had also been a composition major, and went to him to seek advice about my own future - something I had never done in the past. He briefly explained how the application process works, and told me that I have to wait until the next schoolyear to apply for a major transfer, because the filing period for the current year was already over. I agreed to wait, and as the quarter progressed, I decided at last that no matter how other people feel about me becoming a music major, there was no escaping the deepest passion of my heart and the purpose for which God created me.

Around the same time I made my final decision, my aunt, who had always loved to sing, began to record her debut Chinese Christian album. She met many friends in the music industry, including Jacob, sound engineer and bassist, who she later brought to church. He had heard much about me, including the national prize I won, and really wanted a chance to meet me. We finally got to meet one day at church, and we became friends right away. I was a foreigner to the music industry and needed someone to mentor me. He was in search of dedicated college-aged musicians who were willing to invest in advancing their talents. We both knew without doubt that God had placed us in each other's lives.

In the summer, I had the privilege to play keyboard for the ClayMusic (my aunt's organization for her CD) tour. We began rehearsing months before the first concert, and I had to learn the piano parts from the CD, which was recorded by professional musicians. It was one of the most challenging musical tasks I ever encountered, but in the end I was successful. In the past I had only played for worship teams at church, and never realized I had the potential to expand my abilities. Even the tour I attended the year before was simply a fixed set of worship songs with little musical sophistication, and I knew that ClayMusic was clearly God's answer to the cries of my heart.

Jacob and I spent a lot of time together, and even though he isn't any wealthier than my family, he invested whatever he could to help me grow musically. When I told him I couldn't afford a good keyboard, he showed up at my door with his own keyboard so I could use it. His generosity transformed my life, and I spent countless hours in my room playing and writing music for fun. Jacob organized a group of musicians to meet every weekend and jam, and I was exposed to playing various forms of jazz, which I knew very little about but had always wanted to learn. Mastering my parts took hours of practice, but each note I played only stirred up more passion in me, and all the new techniques I learned, plus Jacob's countless words of encouragement, together convinced me that I was much more than just an ordinary keyboardist.

Before the new school year began, I spoke to Al Bradley, undergraduate advisor of the UCLA music department, for the first time about my plans to switch majors, and he told me to take a placement exam for theory. He said, however, that fall quarter's theory class was full already, so I should wait until next quarter to sign up. With my mind set to become a future music student, I decided to pick my classes as if I was already in the School of Arts & Architecture, so that when I do get in I won't be so far behind. Even though I was still declared as an engineer, I knew that God would eventually help me transfer successfully, and so I used fall quarter to get a head start on my future GE requirements.

Only days after classes began, I was kicked out of my Spanish 2 class simply because the department thought it was "too easy" for me, even though I was technically allowed to enroll in any level I wish (I chose Spanish 2 because I already forgot what I learned from four levels of high school Spanish). I had to talk with the Spanish department and file a petition, and the advisor told me honestly that it was very unlikely for me to stay in my current level. After much prayer, God told me to petition for Spanish 3 instead. Even though it was more challenging, I agreed, and to my surprise, the petition was approved. Unfortunately, it was already a week into the quarter, and all the Spanish 3 classes were already full. Both teachers were very unwilling to even talk to me about whether or not I could enroll, and their attitudes drove me away, knowing I would have a bad time in their classes even if they did let me stay.

By that point in the quarter, almost every class was full already, and whatever I enrolled in, there would be a good chance that I already missed the first few assignments and would have to start with an F. My heart cried to God for help, unable to understand why such things happened to me. But He reminded me of the promise in Romans 8:28 and told me that despite how afraid I was, everything would work for the good of His plans, which are always better than my own. Back in my room, I desperately searched the enrollment website for open classes, and suddenly stumbled upon the list of music classes. And that was when God began to reveal his promise; apparently Al Bradley had overestimated the number of students taking theory, because when I checked, there was still plenty of space. The class took up a great amount of time - four days a week, two hours each day, and it conflicted with another class I was already enrolled in at the time. But I knew that as a future music major it wouldn't hurt to get a head start, and at the very moment I found the open theory class, my heart was already there. Immediately I went to Schoenberg to ask about my placement exam. When I told Al Bradley my name, I was surprised that he actually remembered me, because I scored very high on the exam. However, in order to get a PTE (permission to enroll) number, I would have to talk with Professor Lefkowitz, who teaches the class, and he would be the one who decides if I could enroll.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to reach Professor Lefkowitz until the next week (during class), but in the mean time I had to find a replacement for my other class which had a time conflict with theory. Back on the enrollment website, I found another class that fulfilled the same requirement as the one I had to drop in order to make time for theory, but it was already full. However, I felt a strong urge to give it a try, and after realizing the discussion was happening at the very moment I was on the website, I immediately left my room to go talk to the TA. My interruption halfway through the class gave everyone a good laugh, but the TA was extremely kind and not only gave me permission to enroll, but helped me catch up on everything I missed in the past week.

The next Monday, I went to theory class for the first time. After attending the lecture, I told Professor Lefkowitz that I wanted to enroll, and explained that I found most of the information familiar (since I had studied theory before) and that I would accept zeros on all the assignments due before I came to the class. To my surprise, he told me he would allow me to turn in the more recent of the two assignments I missed for partial credit, and that because he would drop everyone’s lowest homework score for the final grade, the first assignment was excused. I agreed, and walked out of Schoenberg gladly with the PTE number that would finally settle my schedule.

I had one day to finish the late theory assignment, and I put my every effort into showing Professor Lefkowitz that I really wanted to be in his class. As promised, I brought the finished work to his mailbox the next day. That afternoon was the first of two weekly discussions for the class, and only after I arrived at Schoenberg did I realize I had forgotten to ask where we were meeting (since it was different from what the course website said). I wandered aimlessly around the hall, until I ran into Tiffany, a classmate who recognized me only because we talked to the professor at the same time the day before and she was also given the privilege of turning in her homework a day late. She told me she was looking for the professor's mailbox, and I brought her there. Then she brought me to the lab where our class was, which I would have never found on my own.

I was amazed when I opened the door; it turned out the discussion was a keyboarding class, and each student had a keyboard with headphones. The atmosphere brought me back to the time when I first began learning music in group classes at Yamaha, and I found it hard to believe that the same joy I felt back then could be intertwined with my college life. The two hours of class passed by in what felt like minutes, and I knew that I had a lot to look forward to in the rest of the quarter, and that God had kicked me out of my Spanish class only to lead me to a better place.

God gave me everything I needed in theory class. Before I even thought of asking, Jacob told me to bring his keyboard to school, despite me telling him I didn't want to risk it getting stolen or broken. When I prayed to meet some friends in music, God answered immediately. Tim, who I had met but didn't know very well yet, surprised me one day by asking me to accompany him on piano for his violin class. It was a lot of work (since my sight reading wasn't nearly as good as most music majors' and I had to learn the music well beforehand), and unlike the music majors I wasn’t getting any units for my participation. But simply having such an opportunity was good enough for me, and I agreed gladly. One day during class Tiffany was looking for someone to help her study, and I volunteered. She came over to my room that night, and through our conversations I learned much about how things worked in Schoenberg. The more I found out, the more I loved it. In the weeks that followed, my grades helped me to slowly earn respect among my classmates. I befriended everyone who talked to me, and whenever they needed help, I tried my best to help them, knowing that it was God who helped me first.

Fall Quarter soon approached its end, and as so many people stressed over the theory final, I gladly agreed to study with anyone who wanted to study with me. One afternoon I was at the music library with a large group of classmates, and it was then that I announced publicly for the first time that I was not a music major. Until then I had kept my identity a secret because I wanted to see how well I could blend in. After spending a quarter in a class that was generally open to only music majors, I knew that I was successful. Everyone was extremely surprised to find out that I was an engineer, and I told them about my desire to become one of them. Never before had I taken a class that stirred up such a deep passion inside me. And that passion was clearly reflected through my grades - music theory gave me my first solid A since I came to UCLA.

During winter break, I went to UCC’s retreat and met with God in the mountains again. On the final night, everyone went around the room praying for each other. I was surprised at how many people knew my needs and prayed specifically for the success of my major transfer. Back at home, I finally began the process of applying to the music school. Unlike most major transfers, this process was an extremely tedious one. First I must fill out an application, which included a questionnaire, personal statement (a revision of my original essay), and portfolio of three compositions, and submit it on the first week of the new year. The applications would be reviewed by the music department, and the best entries would qualify for an interview. From there, the selected applications would then be forwarded to the university, which would give the final word on whether or not I would be accepted. My application was to be reviewed alongside those of incoming freshmen, which meant that it could take until April before I found out about the final decision.

On the day after I returned to school for the new quarter, I brought the yellow envelope with my application to Schoenberg, and after having prayed countless times over it, went to the office and dropped it off. My next step would be to wait and see whether or not I get selected for an interview and audition. As much as I believed that a national first prize would make me a top choice among all the applicants, there were other issues that I was worried about, especially my grades. Having failed chemistry and been put on academic probation, chances were very small that any department at UCLA would accept me. Some friends in theory told me that a low chemistry grade wouldn't matter to the music department, but because I knew my application must also be approved by the university, I remained skeptical. All I had to prove my worth academically was my theory grade from the previous quarter, and all I could do at the moment was pray that the A, along with my résumé, would be enough to overshadow my many flaws.

Winter quarter began much more smoothly than the previous quarter. I enrolled in Spanish 3, and even though they attempted to kick me out again for the same reason, I still had last quarter's petition, already approved by the department, and it easily allowed me to stay in the class. My teacher was much better than both of the ones I spoke to last quarter, leaving me with no doubt that it was clearly God's will that I couldn't take the class before. Theory class was back in session too. One thing I love about music classes is that I have the same professor, TA's, and classmates every quarter. Such a system had caused many to complain, but to me it only made the class more enjoyable. I had everything a student could ask for - good grades, good friends, and most of all, an ever-increasing passion for what I was learning. Most of my friends could not understand the smile on my face during class; perhaps theory was only fun compared to all the other non-music classes I have taken. But that idea only increased my curiosity towards how much greater the other music classes must be.

A couple weeks into the quarter, I stayed at school over the weekend because Intervarsity, the campus fellowship I attend, was having a conference to study the book of Mark. Halfway through my freshman year I joined the worship team, wishing it would move me toward my goal of being more active in the IV community. But it was through conferences like this that quieter people like me get noticed easily. During those few days I had countless conversations where I spoke of my need for prayer regarding my major transfer, and the word spread throughout the community. From then on, people from IV approached me frequently to ask me how the process was going, and each time I honestly admitted that I was afraid, they replied with encouraging words that touched my heart.

As the conference came to a close, a struggle deep inside my heart began to surface - recently I found out that I was being sued by the family whose car I hit last year. Apparently they were not satisfied with my insurance company's payment and wanted more. The trial was only days away, and it brought me much stress to think that I would have to show up in court with an almost criminal-like position and defend myself. I could not understand why I had to go through such things, and I could feel uncontrollable anger starting to boil inside me, ready to erupt at any moment. I must confess that I had long been struggling with controlling my anger, and at times it was so bad that I would often find myself intentionally searching for enemies to be angry at, and using them as an opportunity to build up my own pride. Yes, the accident itself already taught me a lesson of humility. But it turned out to be only temporal. In fact, I was getting worse day after day. I knew that if I lose the case, there would be a good chance I could take my anger to a new level, and possibly do something I would later regret. Such ideas filled me with fear, yet I was unable to control them with my own power. But I received a strange revelation from God on the last day of the conference - there was a connection between the trial and my major transfer. Such an unexpected idea caused me to further seek wisdom from God, and after hours of thinking and praying, I concluded that the connection did indeed exist. It was through the car accident that I was able to calm down and let God work in me, and only after several days of complete humility was I sent to Kansas City to understand and confirm my destiny in music. Surely then, the family whose car I hit must have been brought into my life for God's purpose. And if that is true, then God must also have a purpose for sending them back. He showed me that purpose too - my anger has shown that even though I claimed to be humble after spring break, the bitterness in my heart was still not done away with, and that's why it was able to grow and take control of me once again. The trial would simply be a test to see if I could really accept complete humility, because it is a skill I must master in order to become a great musician. From the many pages of scripture I studied at the conference, there was one line that stood out to me - "I believe, help my unbelief". Those words became my own prayer, and it was through them that I was able to humble myself and allow God to transform my attitude towards the trial.

The many things I learned at the conference made me reconsider my desire to take revenge. I spent many hours in prayer, until I was able to free myself completely from worrying about the trial. By the time I left home to go to court, the judge's decision no longer mattered to me; the only thing I was concerned about was letting humility control me, and letting faith be the true judge. The insurance company sent a paralegal to accompany me, and she helped ease most of my fears. I did end up losing some money, but the ruling was very fair and left both sides with no complaints. When I left the courthouse, I was filled with joy, not only because the trial was finally over, but because I knew deep in my heart that in the same way God used the car accident to do something big in my life, the same would happen now that I have faced and passed this test.

The first of the two consecutive audition/interview weekends was only days away, and still I did not hear back about whether or not I qualified for an interview. My friends in theory class told me not to worry, and suggested that I go ask Al Bradley about it. I was extremely scared, and it took me several days to finally work up the courage to face the truth. That morning I cried out to God in my room, asking Him to help my unbelief. He responded with a verse from Joshua- "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." With that in mind, I stepped into Al Bradley's office. And God proved Himself faithful. Al Bradley remembered my application and told me that I had been selected, but that he wasn't able to notify me earlier because he didn't have my contact information. I gave him what he needed, and by the time I returned to my room, he had sent me an email to confirm my interview slot on February 5 at 10:00AM.

That weekend I went back to taking piano lessons again, since it had been months since I last practiced classical music. I had a full week left to prepare before my audition and interview, and I spent hours in the practice rooms every day perfecting my repertoire. Never had I practiced so wholeheartedly before, because I knew that a week was a short amount of time, and that at that point every minute could make a difference. On the night before the big day, I went to a secret place to say a final prayer for my audition and interview. Then I went to sleep, and woke up the next morning to face the moment I had worked so hard for.

The hallways of Schoenberg didn't look the same that day; many tables were set up with names of students who were auditioning, and the building was filled with students in formal attire, most of them accompanied by their parents. I found my way to the composition table, and after checking in I was assigned to a practice room, where I went over my pieces one last time. Then I went back to the hallway to wait for my turn to be interviewed. The door opened, and I could not believe who greeted me and called me inside - Professor Lefkowitz. It turned out he was the one in charge of composition interviews, and it was then that I finally told him I was an engineer trying to become a music major. He didn't have much to ask me, because most of his questions were already answered through my progress in his class. After only a few minutes, the meeting was over. I felt very relieved, because I thought I had finally completed my part in this journey to become a music major, and that all I had to do from that point on was pray and wait patiently for a month and a half.

To my surprise, the period of peaceful waiting was interrupted less than a week after the interview. I soon found out that there was another envelope from the court waiting for me, with a summons to show up for another trial for the same purpose. Apparently the plaintiff was still not satisfied after the last decision and was asking for even more. My immediate response was anger, so much that I was barely able to maintain my sanity for the rest of the day. But amidst the chaos there was a hidden glimmer of peace, because I knew that God had a reason for making this happen. The trial was at the end of March, a week before the deadline to finding out if I was accepted to the music school. Each time I met with that family, God gave me a test, and after each test came a miracle that brought me closer to my future major. At that point, I needed only one more miracle.

I realized then that I still had plenty of work to do before God would let me become a music major. There were so many flaws in my own character that needed to be corrected, so that when I did transfer successfully, I would be able to fully take advantage of the new opportunities opened to me. In fact, my initial anger was enough to prove that I had still not forgiven my enemies. My lack of patience, faith, forgiveness, and love would hinder my ability to live out God's purpose to the fullest. The month that followed, which I originally expected to be a long period of waiting, turned out to be barely long enough. God revealed to me countless flaws that needed correction, and one by one I offered them to Him so He could change me.

As the quarter progressed, I realized that I had already prayed so much for my major transfer that words could no longer describe my feelings. I began to spend time every day at the piano, playing whatever notes came to my mind. The music flowed like speech, and I knew that it was the desperate cry of my heart to God, screamed by the dancing of my fingers and understood only in the spiritual realm. Those moments eased my fears and gave me strength to continue trusting in God.

When my friends in theory class told me that the admission results may be available already, I decided to ask Al Bradley for the latest update on my status. Just like the last time I stepped into his office, it took a lot of courage and a lot of prayer. But one thing remained in my heart - "I believe, help my unbelief". I prayed those words over and over again until I found myself standing in front of the advisor ready to hear what he had to tell me. He told me that I had arrived just in time; the music department had already accepted me, and there were some papers waiting for me to sign which would be submitted to the university for final approval. Al Bradley told me I was already "95 percent in", then congratulated me with a smile. His tone assured me that there was nothing to worry about, and he said he would notify me of the final result before the next quarter.

Meanwhile I still had plenty of work to do, and I used Al Bradley's words as an encouragement to not give up. I continued to maintain one of the highest grades in theory and to love my friends and classmates as much as possible. Although a few occasional conflicts arose, I knew that God was simply preparing me for the realities of Schoenberg life, which, as much as I love it, is still far from perfect. I didn't let the conflicts discourage me, and continued to make the most out of every experience I had. One day during lunch I ran into my friend Kay who also applied to the music school, and she told me she already got in. I told her about my 95 percent status, and knew that God was intentionally delaying my admittance because there was still one event I had to face first - the trial.

Just like last year's spring break began with the car accident, this year's break began with the trial. And I knew that just like last year, God was going to do something amazing. By this point I had already learned countless lessons about faith, love, and humility, and was ready to face whatever God had in store for me. On the night before the trial, I went up to the top of the hill to seek wisdom and peace. I brought with me a paper, folded and sealed, which contained information I wrote months ago about possible plans of revenge against the people I was to face the next morning. Down on my knees, I told God that my true enemy wasn't the family suing me, but rather it was the wickedness inside me making me feel ashamed to face them. And after a long prayer, I wandered around the dirt path and found a lighter, and burned the paper to ashes. The next morning, I went to court with no shame or bitterness, and left with an even better ruling than the last trial. I drove home filled with joy, because I knew that I had passed the final test, and that I was finally ready to complete the year-long journey.

A few days later, I received my first letter from the School of Arts & Architecture, telling me that my petition to switch majors has been approved. It was almost expected by that point, but nevertheless it was still a miracle. Everything I sacrificed for this goal suddenly became worthwhile, and I was more certain than ever before that I have found God's purpose for my life. Spring quarter began, and on the first day of class I went to the Arts & Architecture office for an appointment with the counselor, where I learned all the requirements of the school (since they are very different from those of the engineering school). Because I have already taken two quarters of theory and have completed almost all the GE requirements, I'm not really behind at all. In theory class, I announced to everyone that I am officially a music major, and the entire class applauded my success. Later that night I sent an email to the Intervarsity community thanking everyone for their prayers and encouragements. I received about a dozen replies, congratulating me and praising God for what He has done in my life.

After winter quarter I surprised myself when I found out that I had set the curve on the theory final and finished the class with an A+. Even though the extra points didn't change my GPA, what matters most is that for the first time since middle school, I felt encouraged by my grades and was once again motivated to work hard. My first quarter as a music major wasn't much different from previous quarters, since the majority of my new classes wouldn't start until after summer. But I must admit that there were many things I had to adjust to. When I looked on my UCLA webpage and saw the word 'Music' where it used to say 'Materials Engineering', I felt a sense of emptiness, because I have given up a spot that so many people wish to fill. Sometimes I found it hard for me to tell people my major confidently, especially when talking to adults, because I have done something that many Asian parents would never allow their children to do. But then again, it only makes me more thankful that I have been placed in a world where following God's will takes priority over everything else.

Another summer has passed, and now I'm back at school for my first full year as a music major. Living in Hedrick Hall with many freshmen only adds to my desire to explore the new world. In fact, seeing the determination of my floormates made me realize I had far more than enough free time this quarter, and so I decided to take 20 units, the most I've ever taken in a single quarter. Aside from beginning music history class and continuing theory, I'm also taking piano lessons (which I've always wanted to take alongside composition) and several other courses at Schoenberg. When I entered the building on the first day of class and was greeted by the countless voices of my friends who I hadn't seen all summer, I knew the year was off to a great start. Even though taking 20 units is extremely challenging for me, I feel more motivated than ever before to strive for academic success. Tiffany once told me that music majors are "beautiful people", and through the already countless hours I spent in Schoenberg, I'm starting to understand why. Many college students choose their majors based on what other people want them to do or how much money they can earn with their degree. But because of the potentially limited future of a music degree, the only force telling people to study music is love - a passion that overshadows its consequences and places joy and satisfaction above success. That's the force I discovered when I asked God to show me His purpose for my life, and in obeying His call and letting Him lead me to Schoenberg, I too have become "beautiful".

Many people ask me what I plan on doing in the future with a music degree, and to tell the truth, I don't know. But I don't need to plan out the rest of my life right now, because what I want most is not a wealthy, successful future, but rather one filled with love and happiness. And by taking the road of life one step at a time and trusting God with every move, I know that I am living my life to its fullest, because there can be no better place for me than that which He leads me to. This was most honestly expressed at the end of the revised personal statement that helped me get accepted as a music major. "Even though I treasure every single award I have won, they mean very little to me compared to what music has given me deep in my heart. I play the piano in times of joy and sorrow alike and enjoy composing tunes that match my mood. Every time I sit at the piano and improvise, I am reminded of what a casual decision in elementary school ended up giving me. Not long after I began taking piano lessons, my father passed away, and he never got to attend any of my recitals. But each time I perform, I realize that if he were still here, he would be seeing his dream come true. Not only have I learned to appreciate music, but life as a whole. Some people think that the year I spent as an engineer was a waste, but I believe that my mistake only helped me to further realize how empty my life can be apart from music, and prompted me to turn around. I now understand that there is no better way to success than to chase after what my heart is most passionate for."

10/08: finally got to experience wut its like to have 8 hours of nonstop classes... havent had this kinda feeling since high school hehe. and i start the day with linguistics ("big red balloon, not red big balloon. why?") ("who cares!?" hehe), and music history (two hours of GREGORIAN CHANT. go figure). the most fun stuff comes in the second half - keyboarding w/ severin... he finally decided to do a sign-up sheet for the order we play for him... only problem is that it's gonna be the same order for the rest of the quarter. and thats a problem cuz i'm first (!!). i usually dont mind going first cuz i can cram before class, but not anymore cuz i'll hafta recite bach chorales immediately after four hours of class. but at least that means i'm the first one to leave, so i'll have at least an hour break before choir. (lunch? carwatching? maybe both =) ). choir is a lot of fun too. i'm getting some desperately needed training, and since ive never been in a large performance group like this its definitely very very exciting. ohh and apparently im a BASS. i wonder wut everyone in theory class will say when i suddenly switch parts during our next sightsinging section.

so about my classes... i'm expecting everything to be settled by monday. some pretty amazing stuff has been happening this past week, and to sum it all up i'm turning from a chillaxin slacker to a motivated nerd. and yes thats a good thing... dun worry this will NOT effect my social life in any way. seriou5ly, all u guys on my floor know i have way too much free time. theres one last class im waiting on right now (wait list) so i'll hafta talk to the professor on monday and see if i can get in. not a very big deal though, so im basically jus chill about it, knowing if God wants me to take the class then the professor will definitely let me in. but yea, i'll write more about my classes/schedule once everything's settled.

thursday evening/night - after finishing those 8 hours of class, i made it back to hedrick just in time for floor dinner =). well, that is if you consider christine part of 2N hehe. went to the computer lab afterwards to print some stuff, and i took the long way just for fun, namely sunset blvd. saw a modena spider in the dark... pretty cool =). even better, i saw a murcielago!!! no pic though, it was dark and hard to see and it was REALLY fast. but still, such an amazing sight. so anyways, my floor was having some game/tv/movie/food night thingy in the lounge n they were gonna watch the OC but it got cancelled cuz of baseball or sumthin so everyone was confused about wuts going on. so we had a bunch of little hallway parties - right in front of my room! gosh i LOVE my room =). people just come and go, joining our conversations. i can sit out in that hallway forever =). ohh and jennifer ("asian jenny" hehe) gave me green tea ice cream!! yummy =). thanx! hehe so yea... chilled for the entire night, plus a walk to bruin cafe. ran into the IV Sunset gang.. they tried to trick me into joining them and sitting on a pool of water. soo mean! =/ hehe so anyways fast forward the next 6 hours or so (which i spent sleeping), and i'm up at 7:45 for breakfast! apparnetly we have "floor breakfast" every morning now. not that i need to be up so early, but its fun =). so yea, anybody wanna join meet us at the elevators at 7:45. okee, im basically done babbling for now, but let me end with this-

10/05: lets play "name that car". hints: (1) a modern american exotic, (2) company founder's first name is carroll, (3) it's NOT a cobra. (scoll down for answer). so anyways it's only been three days into week 1 and i'm already plenty satisfied. carwatching update so far - MON: Nissan Cube (yes, the asymetrical box car thats not sold in america. is that random or what?), Bentley Continental R (the same one i saw at westwood last thursday.. this time an up-close photo!). Not caught on camera - LaForza. TUE: Aston Martin Vanquish (the really cool one with custom rims.. remember how i tried taking a pic of it but missed? well now i got it =) ), Dodge Viper SRT/10 (exact same spot as the vanquish, about 3 seconds later. literally). WED: Maybach 62 (finally an up-close clear side-rear shot!), Ferrari 360 Spider (gray one!), Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, Ferrari 550 Maranello (with custom rims... prolly same one from my first beverly hills trip), and the "name that car" answer. see for yourself-

10/03: excuse my blasphemy, but apparently the rowland heights area is becoming just like beverly hills. yesterday after teaching piano in fullerton i was going north on harbor and saw a DeTomaso Pantera GTS pass by the opposite way. so i u-turned and followed it. yes i know i have no life hehe... but since it's going on local, chances are its gonna be stopping somewhere soon. and luckily it did - at a gas station. and i stopped there too to catch some pics =). fast forward to today - after church i was having lunch w/ ken at garden and since the parking lot was crowded i decided to jus settle with a far parking space. and just as i turned in guess wut was parked right across from me - a Viper GTS!! silver w/ blue stripes. took a bunch of pics. then after lunch i was driving home on colima and just as i turned right on nogales i saw... (and im totally not kidding... look at the pictures for proof) a Diablo 6.0!! since when did someone around here have one of those!?!? simply amazing... of course i pulled into the nearest parking lot and ran out to the street with my camera. ohh and there were two porsches behind it - a turbo cabriolet and a "GT2" cabriolet. is there such thing!? it has a full gt2 bodykit but im guessing its fake cuz i never heard of a gt2 cabrio. correct me if im wrong. but yea... that definitely made my day =)

anyways, im back at school again right now. i love my room... so conveniently located near the study lounge where everyone passes by... 5 minutes after i got back there was already a party in my room =). victoria and i have SO MUCH in common its not even funny. she's also a car freak (!!!) and she loves photography. maybe she'll join me on sunset blvd sometime? hehe... so anyways i went down to bruin cafe w/ victoria christine nikki n sumin... sumin asked us about our political views (and no, "buddhist" is not a political view! hahaha) and we got into a huge talk about abortion and homosexuals and everything... very interesting. i love it when people actually want to talk about these things instead of thoughtlessly saying "yes" or "no" or "i hate bush". so yea... anyways then we went to "study" at the lounge... ok they actually studied. i had nothing to study so i was drawing =). but yea... we were basically all talking the whole time anyways. come on, its only week 1! hehe... ok anyways, its getting late and i should shut up and go to sleep, so goodnight!

09/30: welcome week, part two. wednesday (the last day of summer!) i went to breakfast @ 8:30 (apparently they close at 9 this year, so if i wanna eat i hafta get up early... not that i really mind hehe) and ran into anny liz n nan (all 2north people!) so i joined them. went carwatching after that for the whole morning (more details on cars later)... lunched w/ sara ky & emily @ deneve - first time eating at deneve this year! made a mocha frappachino w/ marshmellows n whip cream. soo good! gotta make that more often =). emily had to go to murphy and i had to turn in stuff @ schoenberg so we walked to campus together then went to westwood to get her course reader. then we were jus walking around at a random store and saw jen n van! havent seen them in forever! hehe... made it back to hedrick just in time for floor dinner. and i did NOT get ditched this time =). hedrick dining hall was insanely crowded so we ended up having a PICNIC (eating in a circle on the floor!) until we had to get up cuz we were a 'fire hazard'. hahaha... anyways then i went with my floor to deneve for the comedy improv show thingy... there were so many people!! we stayed for the first half... i went to sproul to give emily her jacket cuz she left it in my backpack after westwood, and i ended up staying in sproul for an hour n a half visiting my floormates from last year! basically the whole room407 gang - candace carol liz n diana (on 6north) and andrea n josephine (on 5north). ohh and on the 5th floor i went through the wrong hallway and somehow found myself in front of jeewon's room! gosh im running into soo many english 4w people these days... i saw jeewon three times that day (and we're in the same music history class cuz shes a music history major now! =) )... also jennifer (emilys roommate)... ohh and i ran into rita this morning @ the housing office! and of course judy who i still keep in touch with and expect to visit me soon =) hehe... so anyways, that was the end of a wonderful summer =)

thursday (yesterday) - the first day of class!! ran into dena n emily @ breakfast... they didnt know each other but now they do =). ate lunch with... waitaminit, what lunch? =/ see this is wut sucks about being a music major... two years of history and two years of theory means class every quarter from 11AM to 3PM on tuesdays n thursdays. even if i jack food from the dining hall there's no time to eat it! =/ hopefully i'll work sumthin out... im sure i will =). hehe so yea, my classes... what can i say... i love my life! sure i'll get tired of sitting for two hours, but somehow i always feel so alive at schoenberg. and having so many friends sitting in the same room always makes it better. kicked off the day on campus with my audition for you-know-what. hehe... apparnetly it wasnt as bad as i thought. professor neuen said i'm guaranteed a spot already, but i hafta wiat til monday to see which group i end up in. either way, im satisfied already =). the history classroom is NOT gonna hold all 60+ people... i need to go to class earlier next time to get a good seat hehe. lefko gave homework already! =/ but hey, its harmonic analysis. i actually lik ehtat stuff =). u kn owut sucks though? we need a course reader for history... i was jus there the day before! and i had to go again =/. but luckily dena agreed to go with me =). so i chilled @ sunset/hilgard (carwatching) while she practiced for audition, then we went to westwood and back. this week's weather is INSANELY HOT. plus the fires... the smoke... i was dying by the time i made it up the hill... thanks soo much dena for the gatorade =). but still i was pretty much dead when i got back to my room so i decided not to go to progressive dinner (more walking to landfair)... instead ate with nicole kelly n marina @ hedrick. the ice machine was on crack and it wouldnt stop so there was a huge mountain of ice in the tray. it was hilarious watching everyone's faces when they tried getting ice. spent the night watching the Incredibles with my floor (in the lounge). then played mafia w/ lisa bridget mike anny ran kevin doris jeff n liz. i suck as usual but its ok... ran keeps on wanting to kill everybody in the room except himself hehe. but yea, the game was sooo fun!! we need to play again soemtime! and yes, school started already, but that duznt mean we can thav efun anymore!

today - ran into wade & craig (his brother) at breakfast... this is one of the things i love most about welcome week... even when ur sitting alone in the dining hall people just come n sit by you. after that i went out for more carwatching then went to history discussion. and after that i went home =)

so yea, now i'm back @ home again. feels really weird to be sitting in my own room after such an eventful week. what can i say... welcome week was simply amazing. i got everything i could possibly ask for - met so many new friends, reunited with old friends, live in a great room, great roommate, great floor, even great classes! the list can go on and on and on forever... ohh and one more thing - great cars. yes, i spent a LOT of time on sunset blvd this past week. didnt have much time to write about it... but i guess i'll jus put up a quick summary...

Photographed exotics, week 0 - MON: ferrari f355 spider, bentley brooklands, ford gt, maybach 62, bentley continental gt, bentley arnage. WED: maybach 62, detomaso pantera, bentley azure, rolls-royce phantom, maserati quattroporte, '60s rolls/bentley coupe. THU: maserati quattroporte, aston martin vanquish, bentley arnage, bentley continental gt, bentley continental r. FRI: ferrari 456, aston martin db9, ferrari 550 maranello. Other sightings (not photographed) - Panoz Esperante, Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, Porsche 996 GT2. how's that for one week? hehe... i didnt even THINk about going to beverly hills yet cuz there's simply no need. and i still have a lot to learn regarding how to use my camera. but yea... photos are all on the ECPG already (almost 30 photos!) so go check them out =). other than that, i'm done talking for now. byebye!

09/27: wow, its my first time writing from my new dorm room (hedrick 216). i would have updated sooner but these past few days were so eventful there was simply NO time for me to write hehe. soo lemme rewind to sunday night - moved in at like 9PMish, unpacked everything, met some floormates, went to sleep. monday (yesterday) - woke up at 9 for breakfast but turns out this year breakfast ends at 9 again =/. so yea... i went straight for a walk down sunset blvd =). saw some pretty neat stuff, the hightlight of the morning being a ford GT. yup, its only the first day and i've already checked off one car on my hit list. then i went to sproul just to walk around each floor to see if theres people i know. ran into jessica (her door was open! =) ) and ended up having lunch (my first swipe!) with her and her floormates. then went back to sproul turnaround to meet with emily... helped her move in, then went to lunch (yes, i ate AGAIN haha) @ hedrick. it started raining.. wut da heck!? soo wierd hehe then after lunch we went to chill @ my room... then went to sproul to see sara n ky. on the way down we ran into emilys friend jason who had an awesome remote control airplane. we asked him to fly it and it drew a lot of attention =). went to chill @ emilys room... met her roommate jennifer who actually knew me from english 4w last year! meanwhile the freshmen welcome bbq was going on, so i made my little pilgrimage down there to stock up this quarter's supply of fruit punch and lemonade. definitely got enough, but walking them all back to hedrick really sucked. its worth it though =). went back to emily's room, dinnered with emily sara ky jennifer and emilys highschool friends ben vicky n tina. basically emily's whole world - her highschool friends, college friends, and roommate. hehe... made it back to hedrick for the floor icecream social... thats when i finally met most of the people on my floor. then floor meeting and all-hall meeting. then spent the rest of the night in the lounge. first we played Cranium... my first time playing, its soo fun! i suck though =/. and i mean really really suck. actually i didnt stay in the lounge the whole night cuz the fire alarm went off. some moron overcooked popcorn and set off the alarm. wut da heck!?!? lets just hope its not as bad as last year (3 malfunctions in one week) hehe. so anyways, after cranium we started playing all these brain puzzle games... i figured out most of them but still... soo tiring! especially cuz we played til 3:45AM. yes, i stayed up that late. haha... i figured since its zero week might as well sacrifice a bit of myself and make more friends. so at the end it was marissa lisa me doris christine victoria sherri liz n boris sitting in a circle driving each other insane with all these puzzles. it was fun though =). if anyones gonna chill in the lounge tonight i'm definitely up for it. hehe...

so yea, i'm running on less than 5 hours of sleep, and amazingly enough i'm still really awake. i think all the enthusiasm around me definitely helps keep me pumped throughout the day. so anyways, went to breakfast today at 8:30, met a guy named wade n we ate together n talked. came back to hedrick to grab my stuff then walked with anny n liz down to puzzles... then i went to schoenberg for the music majors welcome meeting. its basically for freshmen n transfers, but i think i'm the only weird one hehe. its ok, im finally starting to understand how things work in the music department now. and yes, i hafta audition for you-know-what. seriou5ly im so dead. haha... thursday morning... wish me luck =). so anyways, meeting ended at around noon... then i went to join the intervarsity people for the welcome bbq. lotsa fun... there were a lot of hedrick people =). played games afterwards, then i went up to deneve to visit serena. gosh its so weird how we go to the same school now cuz before she lives soo far away and we only actually met in person like 2 or 3 times. after that, dinner with my floor. its pretty much my first time eating with my floor... but i dun wanna disappear too often hehe. they totally left without me though and i didnt know until i ran into liz in the hallway and we concluded that everyone was already gone. so yea, we found the rest of our floor but there werent enough big tables... we all split up all over the place... i ended up sittin with stephen n austin. they thought im a freshman =). hehe... lotsa people did. nothing wrong with that... ok anyways then back in my room - richard's playing world of warcraft while im jus sitting in front of the computer typing up this thing. meanwhile ran was goin crazy on the other side of the hall cuz they were playing music outside for some festival thingy and the person could NOT sing. so he came n camped in our room hehe. warcraft definitely gets a lot of attention hehe. so everyone was jus kinda wandering around doing nothing (except richard whos computer could keep him busy for the rest of the month hehe) and liz n anny asked me to go to wooden center so im like sure... not that i really need the workout, but zero week is really jus all about goin out n chillin, so why not go? hehe... half n hour on that treadmill was such a killer. and the walk back up to hedrick. dun worry, i'll get used to it hehe. ran into mike eubanks on the way out... i wonder wut he thought when he saw me. (what? calvin's in the gym!?!?) hehe so anyways, now i'm back after working out and showering and once again continuing to type this thing. and i think im jus about done for now. time to go walk around the hall/lounge n talk to more people =). byebye!

09/25: soo... another summer has come to an end. its been a pretty long summer, in the sense that so many things happened it's hard for me to remember them all. and that's definitely a good thing. whether it's having dinner with my friends or earning my income from teaching piano, this summer has definitely been eventful. in the past for me it seems like every summer had some kind of central theme to it, whether it's getting work experience or preparing for college. as this summer came to an end, i found it extremely difficult to pinpoint its significance. but one thing i know is that amidst spending so much time hanging out with my friends, there were several moments that mean far more to me than simply having fun. and all those moments can only be summed up with one word - love.

i learned love in the form of honesty. i met a friend who was honest enough to tell me the things i did that hurt her. even though the confrontation was painful, i admire her willingness to help me become a better person by pointing out my mistakes, knowing that a true friendship only becomes stronger through such pain. sometimes i'm so busy having fun that i forget to think from the perspectives of those around me to see if i'm doing the right thing. and sometimes i'm so immune to being selfish that i don't even realize what i do is wrong. but i'm so glad there's someone who cares about me enough to tell me my mistakes so i can become a better person.

i learned love in the form of shamelessness. as i watched several friends go through a summer full of hardships, i couldn't do much more than simply listen and walk with them through their troubles. but apparently the little i did actually helped them. and by helping them i was able to help myself just as much; my friends set an excellent example for me by showing me the power of bringing problems to the surface and telling them to trustworthy people. i've been told several times this summer that its amazing how i'm always happy and optimistic. im pretty sure thats a good thing, but the truth is that i'm not any more perfect that others. its just that i was doing a good job of acting out the ideal personality i want myself to be. and by seeing the examples my friends have set for me i realized it was important for me to comfront my own problems too.

i learned love by accepting myself. until this summer i had always thought i could deal with all my problems by myself with God's help. but i failed to see the importance of the many brothers and sisters that He had sent to help me fight my problems, namely my struggle with controlling my anger. i won't go into details here, but after joining the college cell group i began to accept and admit my own weaknesses by asking others to pray for me. and they not only did that, but even kept me accountable. i've always tried to play my role as a good friend by praying for people and listening to their problems, but it wasn't until this summer that i finally understood that love is reciprocal - i can't keep giving it out unless i receive it too. and thanks to my friends and family who listened to me and guided me, i can now use this love to help both myself and others.

i learned love by accepting God. even though i've been a Christian for a long time, it wasn't until this summer that i began to really understand the concept of forgiveness. i guess much of my biggest struggles have to do with not knowing how to forgive. this summer i accompanied a friend as he responeded to an altar call of rededication to God and asked me to pray for him. standing amidst a sea of people who have just been freed of their sins made me feel out of place; i knew my life was far too imperfect to stand in God's glory. as i slowly began the process of accepting my own weaknesses, i realized that of the countless moments i spent alone with God, i felt most touched by Him during the times when i have done something i'm ashamed of. suddenly the concept of grace and forgiveness began to make sense. this is just the beginning of the lifelong process of becoming more and more like Christ. God knew that i needed direction form Him; i honestly told Him that if He doesn't help me, my weakness would lead me to do things i will deeply regret in the future. and thankfully He gave me just what i needed.

sometimes i'm so busy trying to figure out God's plan for my life in terms of school, friendships, career and other things that i forget what's more important than all those things - His love for me as an individual, regardless of what i do. this new schoolyear is my official start as a music major after a long and successful journey that led me to what i believe is God's purpose for my life. and once again, God was one step ahead of me by using this summer to remind me that there's much i have to deal with before being able to truly receive and obey his command. every activity this summer, whatever its purpose may be, is ultimately a lesson learned. and i pray that as i transition into the new schoolyear, i will be able to continue all the great things i left the previous year with, while keeping my heart soft so God can continue to work in me.

with all that said, i want to thank everybody that contributed in any way to making this summer as great as it is. for those who don't go to ucla, don't forget that just because i'm starting school it doesn't mean i'm gonna forget about you - if you're my friend now, you're still gonna be the same friend even though i'm at school. i'll still have time to talk, and i'll still be back home every weekend. for those who are Bruins, i'm definitely looking forward to seeing you all again. lets make this another great schoolyear for all of us. seems like the rest of the world has already started school a long time ago, and it's about time i do the same. goodbye summer, hello schoolyear!

09/25: finally got to join steph's worship team again hehe. its been soo long. we practiced yesterday morning then me n steph went to join our families for dim sum with harry! we ordered WAY more food that we could eat and had like 7 boxes of leftovers hehe. but the fried crab was so good!! =) anyways, spent the afternoon packing then went to cell at night. fast forward to today - after church we went to thomas burton park for a picnic! well its more get-your-own-food-and-bring-it-to-the-park... close enough =). i got attacked by middle schoolers haha... they tried to pour water on me. we played dodgeball... kinda sad when at the end it was just me erica n janelle left and i had no idea wut i was doing =/. still fun though... and now im back at home finishing up the last bit of packing. leaving for school tonight, getting there around 8. come visit me when i'm there! =) okee, i'll shut up now bye!

09/23: irvine was awesome... and yes i made my little detour on the way there - the orange county lamborghini dealer! very random i know, but i just found out the day before that it was right next to the freeway on the way to uci, so i jus couldnt resist. there were two gallardos on display in the front (yellow & silver), then i walked into the side parking lot and just as i was going in some guy pulls up in a blackgallardo. amazing engine sound =). the gate to the lot was open so i looked inside. stuff i saw in the parking lot - mercedes S65 AMG, the 600 horsepower v12 version of the s-class ($170,000). since nobody was there, i followed behind that gallardo and walked inside the gate... right behind it was an alfa romeo spider - the current model, the one that was never sold in america! then around the corner to the repair/service area - there were about a dozen cars under covers, all exotics (their height gives it away hehe). one of the covers was open on one side and you're not gonna believe wut it was - a jaguar xj220!!! it was damaged too. i was gonna cry =/. but still i took a picture of it, as well as all the other cars mentioned (they're all on the ECPG already).

then i went over to uci... met with ken at his apartment and he took me to where i could park... then we went back n he cooked fried rice for lunch. good stuff =). took the shuttle to campus, walked around, visited priscilla =). walked around some more, went with priscilla to lee's so she could get some food. then went back to ken's place to chill for a while... then we went to the lambo dealer again... this time the door to the showroom was open so i took a peak inside. and there in front of me was the car that made me decide to go to the dealer in the first place-

09/21: i woke up at 5:45AM today!! haha... crazy huh? well not really... its all worth it cuz i went to diamond bar high for see you at the tree! i mean, pole... but everyone was in a circle around a tree, not the pole. haha... so anyways, that was fun... lotsa worship/praying... saw lois albert emily grace and lotsa people i know... and rebecca lee but she was late to class hehe... then afterwards when 1st period was starting (8AM) i was gonna leave but there was so much traffic so i jus sat in the car n waited. then suddenly i saw tiffany (from chaparral)!! she was at syatp too... but i thought she didnt see me at first until she said hi afterwards... then she invited me to join her n her friends for breakfast @ dennys. such a surprise, but of course i went =). got to meet karen erica and johnny, all ucla/ucr people =). and i had SO MUHC FOOD hehe.. never realized a breakfast order was so big. but its ok, cuz i loved it =). then went home, wrote letters, and did some more yardwork, and all that happened in the morning! its like unbelievable, cuz usually i wake up at like 10 these days so i wasted half the morning already. but yea, i'm done with the hardest part of the yardwork now... all that needs to be done is painting. hopefully i'll start on that soon.

going to uci tomorrow... soo excited =). might make a couple little detours on the way too. not sure yet, but i'll post about that after it all happens. so yea... ok im done babbling now. byebye!

09/20: sorry to everybody i was talking to online last night and i suddenly disappeared... the connection was so bad that it was literally impossible to have a conversation so i eventually gave up trying. and yes i was really really pissed off... i thought i already took care of these ridiculous internet problems once and for all. lets hope the same thing doesnt happen again...

so anyways, this whole thunderstorm thing is SO RANDOM! yesterday evening i was just walking around the backyard and suddenly it started raining. problem is that now i'm a whole day behind on the yardwork, meaning it might not be done before i leave for school =/. but itsok, i'm gonna be around on the weekends anyways...

so um... i had a little adventure earlier this afternoon. (wut da heck... the sun just came out right now as i'm typing. soo weird!). ok so my little adventure - i just finished getting a haircut and decided to walk over to the 99-cent store (in the same plaza) to buy some 99-cent earphones (trust me, those can be really useful sometimes hehe)... and i as i was looking for the earphones i just happened to glance out the window and see an Elise drive by on the street. so i left the store... ran... in the rain... and i got to the street just in time to see it make a left turn - exactly wut i wanted, cuz its a dead end street with parking lots on both sides (ts emporium and bank of america). so then i ran back to my car and went there to find it. there it was parked right in front of the bank. what a coincidence... i was gonnna go to the bank right after leaving the 99-cent store. but yea, it was NOT easy taking pictures while trying to keep my camera dry. but still... ive been wanting this picture for sooo long so i simply had to catch it. and i did. here it is-

09/19: this is simply ridiculous...

09/18: wow.. soo much to say in this one entry. hopefully it wont go TOO long... soo picking up from where i left off in the last entry - after having boba AND taking pictures of a viper, i later went to teach piano... swung by david (liu)'s neighborhood again and finally got the shot i've been wanting for the past few weeks -

09/16: i dont think i've ever had as much fun at an arcade as i did yesterday... i can probably count the number of times i've played at arcades in this lifetime, mostly cuz i dun wanna spend so much money and then get addicted and spend even more money. but this deal is just too amazing - $10 for unlimited arcade games all day @ speedzone (tuesdays n thursdays). best of all it includes just about every game... DDR and Initial D included =). and since it was a thursday there were like no people, so we could literally sit at a game and play til we're sick of it. jus keep pressing start and play over n over again... no extra money required. how great is that? ohh by the way, "we" refers to me esther n rose, and jimmy who joined us later. we got there at like 1ish and played for a few hours... i still suck at DDR, but at least theres not a lot of people at the arcade so it wasnt all that embrassing hehe... esther kept owning me @ motorycyle racing... but i beat her high score on cruisin world. rose kicked my butt in daytona racing and some sledding game. ohh and it was the first time i actually tried driving stick, cuz usually i would be scared to mess up and lose badly... but hey everything's already paid for, so wut is there to lose? =). anyways, the four of us went to have "dinner" at life plaza at like 4. haha... sooo early but fried rice and boba is always good =). ohh and i saw an aston martin (db7 vantage) on fullerton rd. wut da heck?? since when were there astonmartins in rowland heights!? not that im complaing or anything hehe... anyways then after lunch we walked around for a little then went back to speedzone for more arcading. i left after 7 for claymusic rehearsal, after having more than enough fun playing more videogames then i ever did before in a single afternoon. hehe...

during break from practice i was on the phone with steph (lin) outside in the church parking lot and suddenly i see a OPOSSUM. wut da heck?? soo random... too bad i didnt get a picture of it. owellz... got home at like 11ish... tried fixing the printer which broke down... yes, the new printer broke!! ò.ó n then called christina n talked for like 2 hours... gosh it seems like its been so long since i had a good long phone convo. but yea, that was fun =).

anyways, this morning i called hp support and they couldnt fix the printer either so we (me n mom) went to exchange it at office depot. i asked my mom to take me to speedzone real quick cuz i wanted to pick up something i forgot to get on my way out yetserday... then right when we turn into the parking lot guess wut i see -

09/14: surprise visit from ken & jay... well not THAT surprising since i heard jay's car from my window hehe... watched a bunch of random top gear episodes... played a lot of uno hehe. i won the first two games so then jay n ken both teamed up on me haha... at the end it got soooo intense especially when theres two people left and we kept stocking up on the power cards. soo fun =). anyways... thats about all i hafta say. speedzone w/ esther n rose tomorrow =). $10 all day arcade. not that im any good at arcade games (except table hockey hehe)... but its gonna be fun. ok, i'll shut up now... bye!

09/13: found out this morning that my uncle passed away... pretty amazing after thinking about it - after fighting cancer for a couple years, he and his wife went to atlanta (from taiwan) for another chance of recovery. after realizing he was in critical condition, they immediately booked a flight back to taiwan. my uncle's only wish was to get to talk to his kids and his parents again. it was already a miracle that they were allowed on the plane, not to mention successfully returning to taiwan. he was immediately sent to the hospital, where his one last wish was granted; his parents and children were all there, along with his brothers and several church friends. soon after that he lost consciousness, and took his last breath early this morning. please keep his family in your prayers, especially those who don't know God or are weak in faith. i'm definitely going to miss my uncle, but i'm glad that he is now reunited with his older brother (my dad) who left this world almost 11 years ago, and no longer has to suffer anymore. it's great to think that they are both watching over me from heaven right now, and even greater to know that one day we will all be reunited again in paradise.

09/11: soo... yesterday was a very very fun day. me jackie kelley n rebecca decided to go hang out before the luau. if that particular list of names sounds familiar, its cuz they were the people i used to hang out with at church every sunday four years ago! ever since rebecca left ucc its always been my wish to have a reunion like this, and i'm soo glad that four years later we're still friends =). anyways... kelley suggested going to Cue, so thats wut we did. took some fob pictures, which i will scan and post as with all my sticker pictures. then went to the mall... jackie was sooo busy going into all the stores and buying something at each store hehe... we walked around n talked til the luau was almost starting then we went back to church. met chris outside, and that kept jackie occupied for the rest of hte night hehe... kelley had to leave to go work @ yoshinoya =/. ken came to find me and busted out his new Porsche Design wallet. gosh someones too rich hehe... then esther ally and betty came too =). luau started... thanx to ken our table got to be first for food =). and the food was soo good!! afterwards ally n betty took like all the leftover candy from every table hehe... then everybody went upstairs for the videos/sermon/worship... is it just me or are all of this year's videos really trippy? thats not a bad thing by the way... its jus trippy in a really funny kind of way. lotsa randomness =). wilson read a bunch of love poems... i should have videotaped that hehe... went with esther to 7-eleven cuz she had to buy some stuff.. made it back in time for worship, which was awesome too =). then took jackie home afterwards then i went home too... so yea... very very fun day. i was so surprised at how well the luau turned out, especially cuz everything was all kinda last minute. thanks to everyone that helped organize and decorate =).

today - went to church in the morning... i missed the prayer meeting AGAIN though =/. woke up to some unexpected stuff which took a lot of time, so even if i went to the prayer meeting i would be half n hour late (and u guys know how much i hate being late). didnt go out to eat after church cuz i had rehearsal for saturday's claymusic concert in alhambra. i got to play with luis' electric drum set. they never sound as good as real sets, but its still fun to play with =). ohh and we all got boba!! *soo happy* hehe...

on a more serious side, please pray for my uncle frank... he's been fighting cancer for a long time and is in really really bad condition right now. hes currently on the plane going back to taiwan hoping to see his family again. please pray that God will heal him if he is willing, and that his whole family can stand strong through such difficult times. thats basically the news i woke up to this morning, so instead of going to prayer meeting at church me n my mom stayed on the car to pray for uncle frank... please join us and do the same. thanks!

09/09: wow long time no update. yes, 4 days is a very long time for me hehe. but yea... these few days have been so eventful that i almost had no time to go online at all. so um... lemme begin with some random things...

carpentry is a lot more difficult than it looks. this week i finally started fixing up what's left of the gazebo in my backyard. yea i know i said a long long time ago that i would post pictures... dun worry i didnt forget, and i'lll post them as soon as im done with it. but yea... apparently sawing wood takes a lot longer than i expected... im doing a little every morning/evening when its not too hot... hopefully i'll finish it within the next week. HOPEFULLy. wish me luck =).

at last, the long-awaited 1/4inch-to-1/8inch adapter has arrived!! special thanks to uncle samuel for hooking me up. why do i want that adapter so much? now i can record myself playing piano directly into the computer without outside noise. now i can plug any audio device (computer, ipod, etc) into the keyboard monitors and blast it really loud. ohh and i can record other stuff other than piano too... guitar, vocal, wutever... anything that plugs into a 1/4 inch cable. how awesome is that!? these last few weeks of summer are gonna be very very fun...

grasshoppers. really cool insects... so over a week ago my mom was trimming flowers and found a small (inch-long?) katydid (green grasshoppers) in one of the flowers. it stayed on that flower forever... n then earlier this week my mom went to see it again and *pOoF* it was brown!! wut da heck?? since when did katydids change colors?? very weird... few days later i went outside to see it again and it was like a brownish-greenish color. so i told my mom it was changing colors.. then my mom came out n pointed out there were actually TWO grasshoppers on that same flower, but i didnt see the brown one cuz it was camoflauged. ok... so apparently they didnt change colors. but still, i have a feeling there's a whole family of those things in that bush. lets hope all my hammering and sawing doesnt scare them away...

my car was hospitalized again... just for one day. my front right brake caliper was completely scraped to the metal and needed to be replaced. there goes another 200 bucks... but its for a good cause, cuz i dont think i would enjoy driving a car knowing the brake doesnt work. but yea... its all good now =).

okee, enough randomness. soo what exactly made me so occupied this week (aside from the backyard work)? got a call from rose on tuesday. yup shes finally back!! and she called me the day she got back *feels special* to go hang out the next day! =). typical routine - i went to pick up rose n esther... went to diamond plaza to get crepe (my first nutella all summer!). ran into kevin n tiffany who were really surprised to see us since they didnt know we knew each other. haha... then we went to that comic book place by hong kong plaza... i went to the bathroom and came out and guess what was right in front of me - jimmy in his 360 modena! of course, my camera was in my pocket =). next stop - diamond plaza. AGAIN. hehe... we went there cuz rose n esther wanted to shop at life, but the funny thing is that jimmy left hte comic store a few minutes before i did, and i totally knew he was going to diamond plaza, and i was right! hehe... watched him drive away and get on the freeway. *siGh* such a beautiful car =). ok anyways... walked around life plaza for a while, then we went to the arcade @ speedzone. watched esther go crazy on the ddr machine... i owned both of them in table hockey =). then we went to... any guesses?... DIAMOND PLAZA. for the THIRD time. hahaha... hey wut else is there for three asians to do on a wednesday night? haha... this time we went to the pool hall - my first time there actually. i suck, but owellz... it was fun. jimmy (esther's bf, not the guy with the modena hehe) came to meet us there too... then we went downstairs to life n chilled there til it closed. then we went home. the whole time i was driving i was praying soo hard cuz i already knew there was something wrong with the brake. but luckily nothing happened and i made it home safely...

yesterday - another awesome day - me ken jay n dewey went to ontario mills! we went in jay's eclipse... my first time in a rice rocket. and thank god it's a GOOD rice rocket. in other words, jay actually knows wut hes doing with his car, and plus he didnt drive like typical idiot ricers. awesome car though =). several times throughout the day ricers passed by us and were humbled. heheh... so yea, ken did a lot of shopping hehe. we went to gameworks for a bit... the new initial d simulators are freakin insane. then we went to dinner @ the boat (my 4th time at diamond plaza in two days. i'm SUCH AN ASIAN). then we were gonna go watch a movie but there wasnt anything good (at least not at good times) so we jus ended up walking around the mall. ohh and i got to see betty at that pretzel place she works at. finally!! after visiting 493058345 times she sfinally there =). and i would have ordered something except we were all really full from dinner. (as jay says, we're definitely ricers when it comes to food hehe). then we chilled outside my house n talked for a long long time about some awesome stuff =). so yea... that brings us to today - picked up my car in the morning, went to teach piano in the afternoon, did some wood work, and now im sitting in front of the computer =). ok, this update is too long. time to shut up.

oh wait... one more thing. LUAU TOMORROW!!! i cant wait... its gonna be so much fun, and on top of that its gonna be a reunion for my church friends from like 4 years ago! how cool is that!? u guys know who u are... dont be late! hehe... but yea, luau will be soo great. if ur still deciding whether or not to go, GO! haha... ok, now i can really shut up now.. bye!

09/05: jus got bak from family dinner w/ grandma @ souplantation. i ate sooo much... *buRp!* hehe anyways ken n kelley came over this morning n we went to palos verdes jus for the heck of it hehe... basically jus driving around n looking at stuff, stopping for lunch @ macaroni grill =). there was a LOT of stuff to look at... the beach, the nice houses, the cars... yes, cars! two elises, an f430, a 360 spider, a corniche, and supposedly a gallardo (which ken n kelley both saw but i didnt cuz i was too busy staring at the elise already)... got pics of the 360 and corniche (see exotic car photos site)... ohh n we all stopped at the beach (or is it a cliff? hehe) to take pictures... so i'll post those online soon. ohh n afterwards me n ken discovered we were REALLY close to this one place that we talk about a lot *cough* haha... so yea... fun day today. ok thats all... bye!

09/04: yesterday was one of those weird days when i thought i was gonna be going out lik ethe whole day but ended up with no plans... pretty sad feeling, until i went to buy stuff with my mom and she bought me a boba AND shave ice =). usually when i say boba always makes me happy its kinda just a joke... but i guess there is some truth in it after all... between that and dinner i played yahoo chess with denise. its been sooooooo long since i played chess. still remember the old days with hans n how i kept getting owned hehe... gosh i miss those days. chess is fun... yea yea everyone says its for nerds... but thats only the super hardcore chess players... im jus playing for fun. (come on, im a music major! do i look like a nerd to you? hehe). i ended up with like soo many queens hehe. but i feel soo bad cuz i forgot denise never played before n she didnt know pawns can become queens. i'll be nicer next time if she forgives me this time hehe...

cellgroup last night - awesome as usual... celebrated eugene n priscilla's bdays... afterwards me ken wilson n priscilla were playing super smash bros. yea i know i totally suck at that game. i only use kirby and i only know two moves haha. sad huh? and pikachu *ahem*priscilla*ahem* was soo mean to me!!! called me a marshmellow! =/ haha anyways.. went home at like midnightish... went to sleep right away. why? see next paragraph...

today - ur not gonna believe it... i went out to breakfast! haha... this is the first time ive been out for breakfast with my friends since um... at least a year or two ago as far as i can remember. last time was when choe took me to mcdonalds before church hehe. so today i went with a bunch of SOLD people - andy nina julia albert steven and... *drumroll* catherine and debra!! havent seen them in a year =/. i was soooo surprised when catherine called me earlier this week n said shes back from minnesota. but she left for school again like a few hours after breakfast =/. still... at least we all got to catch up. we ate at this place by hong kong supermarket... yummy azn breakfast hehe. got to church just in time for service. yea its just "service" now... no more "reality" or "xperience". haha... yea, for those of u who havent been there for a while, the two services are combined now!! prayer meeting 9:30-10:30 (sunday school starting next month), then service @ 11. it was great... soo many people. iono... i always like it when theres younger people in the room cuz it helps lift the mood. hope this new plan continues working as well as it did today.

after church - chilled with ally n esther in the childrens classroom... then joined everybody else to go have lunch at Lucille's! why such a nice lunch? congratz to the ucc basketball team for winning the championship!! of course we need to celebrate right? well actually i didnt make it to any of the games =/. but hey, im still part of the church so i totally support u guys =). lunch was amazing... i sat with alun lawrence albert n daniel. the word "pandemonium" came up way too many times. hahaha... ohh and albert asked the waiter to put a cherry in his rootbeer but the waiter forgot and albert had to ask like 5894854 times! hahaha soo random but soo hilarious =). took some pictures too... should be online soon after i get them from various people's cameras.

afterwards ken sent jeff home (in chino! haha) then went to drop sumthin off at alex lan's house. gosh havent seen alex in forever too... the last time i remember seeing him was like when we first started college. its always great to see old friends again =). me n ken were only there for like 2 minutes tho cuz ken kinda parked in the middle of the street. hahaha...

sooo anyways, another week coming up... holiday tomorrow... gonna be out all day =). details to come later. if anyone wants to hang out during the week dun forget its still summer for me! hehe... ok well its time for me to go drool over this week's exoticspotter pictures... byebye!

09/02: these past couple days have been much more eventful... me ken steph n chris went to wilson high school last night to see christina's band concert... then me n ken went to mcdonalds for a late dinner. and of course, after that was another 'parking lot conversation' =). today - went to chill @ david liu's house. gosh... havnet seen him in the LONGEST time. but hey, when a music student & car freak meets another music student & car freak, we can never run out of stuff to talk about hehe... we watched a bunch of Top Gear episodes... he gave me a copy so i'll be using them to entertain myself frequently =). talked about the way music classes work at our schools (conservatory vs public school)... soo different its amazing. ohh and david told me about some guy in his neighborhood who has a ferrari 308 and always leaves his garage open. thanks for the info, cuz a few minutes after i left his house i was already putting my camera to good use =). didnt get the best angle shots though, so maybe i'll go back there again next time i pass by. (but todays pics are already up on my carwatching site if u wanna see =) ). actually i saw that car before... parked on someone's driveway... and i was REALLY tempted to go home n get my camera then go back for pictures... but i got lazy that time =/. who would have guessed i would run into it again? =). and its a WHITE ferrari!! how often do u see one of those!? as far as i can remmeber this is the only white ferrari i've ever seen. everyone knows i miss sunset blvd / beverly hills a LOT during the summer... but apparently i'm still getting enough eye candy to survive =). ok well anyways i have nothing better to say so i'll shut up now. bye!