04/28: spring allergies. carwatching on sunset. countless tents being set up across campus for the Festival of Books. i couldnt help but long to re-experience the atmosphere of last year's spring quarter. the ECPG, which has been taking up countless hours of my time, is finally complete, and with the free time i gained, i found myself sitting on my bed reading a book and listening to internet radio, occasionally opening my friends' xangas to see what's been going on in their lives...

for those who don't know, last year during spring break my computer broke, and after several attempts to fix it with ridiculous outcomes, i forced myself to conclude that God was telling me to do something most college students cannot even imagine - spend an indefinite amount of time - maybe weeks, or even months - without a computer. for the entire spring quarter, i lived free from the attachment i once had to my computer, going to the lab for a couple hours every night to check email and do homework. with my room emptied of computer games and internet access, i spent probably no more than two hours there every day (not including sleep). the rest of my time was spent outdoors, exploring all the great things ucla has to offer.

if during our high school years, all our friends lived only five minutes (walking distance) away, wouldn't you be excited to see them regularly outside of school? and yet there there i was as a sophomore in college, with most of my friends living either right across the street or even in the same building, feeling so empty and lonely. without the ability to chat online and having email access only once a day, i decided to put my social life to the test, waiting patiently day after day to see who would call me to ask why i disappeared from the internet. the results broke my heart.

after about a week without anyone to eat with, i asked some of my friends why they stopped asking me to eat with them, and they honestly admitted that they simply chose who to eat with based on who they saw on their buddylist first, knowing they were too lazy to ask anyone else. i began to question how people could be so selfish and how friendships could be so shallow, even at a place where people are supposed to be intellectually mature. every once in a while during my afternoon ventures around the local millionaire community, i would receive an unexpected phone call, often to ask for favors and sometimes just to say hi and catch up. in my desperation i realized how much each of those conversations meant to me, and how each of those friends have become more significant to me than anyone possibly can by simply communicating online. i decided to take action myself, calling old friends and even visiting those who are near me. all of them were surprised at - and blessed by - my simple attempts to show that i care about them even when there was nothing to remind me of them.

as for the countless hours i spent on sunset boulevard and rodeo drive after discovering my interest in carwatching, i was simply too fortunate to come across something i had (and still have) so much passion in. and being one who has never followed a fad, my personal passions are much more visible than those of most people nowadays. the fact that i felt motivated to travel alone for miles on foot to see cars showed me it was a true hobby. and after making my first successful trip to beverly hills, a total nonstop walk of about 10 miles, i was left with no doubt that passion from the heart can conquer any laziness or indifference - the things that prevent most people around me from making the best out of the college experience.

the same passion was applied to my friends too. having redefined the phrase "go the extra mile" countless times, there was no distance that seemed too far for me. without the confines of laziness, my eyes were opened and i saw how beautiful simple things like a short conversation or a walk to class can be. at a campus as big and diverse as ucla, none of us can truly say that we know it so well that it has become boring. each time i look around at my surroundings, i learn something new. college life is only routine when we allow it to be so. and it breaks my heart how so many people around me give in to that attitude of indifference that begins to haunt all of us over time.

if you truly love your major, do you go to class every day for the diploma or for the education? if you truly love your friends, are you willing to walk five minutes to show them you care? if friendships are truly meaningful, does it take a machine to remind you of their existence? all these things i have answered in my life through being deprived of a single idol that changed my life forever. a few weeks after summer began, i decided i had learned my lessons well enough and had my computer fixed. since then, video games and online chatting have never again stood in front of the true passions in my life. its amazing how quickly a year has passed by, and the things i now see around me - the familar music of acaza radio, the countless white tents for the festival of books, and the vivid colors of sunset boulevard captured with my old camera - carry my heart back to that unforgettable quarter. as i sit in front of my computer now, i still feel so blessed that i can write my essays and go online without making a trip to the lab. and as i make my daily commute to class and see familiar faces around campus, i feel so blessed to have so many people in my life who will point me out in the crowd and make my day. even though right now the future of my computer is uncertain, it only serves to keep my heart open to whatever God will do in my life next. as long as my computer continues to function, i will accept it as an undeserved gift and treat it accordingly. on the day it leaves me, i will remember that God has a purpose in everything and will provide for all my needs. never again do i want to be blinded by the consequences of letting technology replace the essence of my heart. i have been set free and will continue to treasure every opportunity i have to make the best out of my time at ucla.

04/26: do you guys remember this picture i took back in Fall Quarter?

04/23: yesterday's concert (irvine) was awesome... i'll admit i felt REALLY naked on stage though, cuz i was in such a rush to come home on friday that i totally forgot my music(!!). and remember this is only the second concert with these new songs, meaning i knew i was screwed. so i had to wing it... thanks to extensive theory training with lefkowitz, i managed to get through "Stay with me" (in F# major!!!) without messing up. afterwards we went to eat @ garden cafe. i asked uncle samuel if he found my 1/8'-1/4' adapter in the mixer after last week's concert, and turns out it was IN HIS POCKET. i love how music people tend to think alike =).

church today was awesome... apparently i was the only college person there during sunday school, and chun was the only high school guy, so wilson merged us into one class. iono... i'm starting to think i want to take the high school class now hehe. you guys know i'm not a fan of categorizing people by grade... i think college students need to understand more basic things and deal with more basic problems just as much as high schoolers do, before we can move on to all the deep theological stuff that most people assume college students need. after church we had our first 'food fellowship'... i really like that idea =). thanx everyone for organizing/planning it... hopefully we'll have this many people every time.

oltbisu... remember that improved ECPG i was talking about last time? so let me make it a bit more clear - i'm going through a 3-part process to expand my gallery... 1) reach over 700 photos - achieved after Golden Triangle 09 =). 2) improved website - coming in a few days! 3) (an ongoing process) get published on more websites than just exoticspotter. this step is making me soo excited that i have to write about it now. www.exoticsonroad.de - one of the biggest carwatching galleries in the world. on friday night i saw my first picture on the site - the gallardo spyder. today all three pics of the murcielago roadster were added. and i hope there will be plenty more to come =). ok, time to shut up and do homework. bybeye!

04/20: so um... happy holidays. hehehe... severin walks into theory class today and goes 'does 420 mean anything to you guys?'. anyways, quick summary of the past few days - yesterday was fun... lunched w/ tammy at Covel cuz i think the welcome week thing is finally about done. then after class was Golden Triangle 09, which went extremely well. three new cars are now checked off on my hitlist =). scroll down for more info and pics hehe. i got back at about 6:10 and fortunately ran into sumin at the dining hall so i didnt hafta eat alone =). made it to smallgroup too... today - went to "Stripped" (catalyst) which most of you who walked down bruinwalk yesterday should have heard about, unless u rejected those free waters/sodas that IV people were passing out... it was really amazing... basically we heard from an ex-stripper who became a christian and now brings the gospel to others in the sex industry. afterwards me n tracy went to SMB to do some music stuff... and i just got back right now. so of course, yesterday's beverly hills trip deserves to have a few pictures posted... feast your eyes, cuz i know i did =)

04/19: week 3 update. monday - the welcome week stuff thats been going on recently is driving me insane. i'm really really close to start sending complaints at how much inconvenience they cause for students - the line to covel during lunch was about as long as the lines at ackerman before a free movie screening, and it was so bad that me n tammy decided to eat at deneve instead and called everyone to meet us there instead of covel. i like how ucla is so open to the public and always has campus tours and welcome events n everything, but taking up an entire dining hall and leaving no room for students to eat is simply pushing it too far... anyways, ive been way too busy to practice enough piano this week, so i didnt exactly do to well at my lesson =/. but its ok, this week i'm definitely gonna catch up. which reminds me... i still need to buy a new key =/. for now i'll just stick with the 'puppy' room hehe. but anyways, came back at 5 to dinner with floor, then went to chill w/ worship team at 6. even though we were not meeting officially to practice, we decided to meet anyways =). chilled in becca's room then ate dinner (yep, second dinner) at covel. then we went to 449 for leaders meeting (which got moved to monday cuz of easter). yep, thats right, i went to leaders meeting for the first time after over two years of being on the worship team. for those who don't know, i usualyl cant make it cuz i'm not back to school early enough on sundays, and on the few weeks that i am, its usually cuz i have plans already. but yea... it was pretty fun. i'll try to show up more often this year =)

tuesday - worship team hangout, part two! yup, we miss each other already hehe. well its more of an open invite to whoever wanted to come. to do what? thanks to joseph, me n jen are both learning to skateboard, and others are joining us too. so joseph borrowed like a million boards... and scooters too =). i tried something i always wanted to try - doublescootering! or scooter-skiiing? wutever u wanna call it... riding two scooters at a time, one on each foot. turned out a LOT more fun than i thought - because the two scooters are independent of each other, i can actually accelerate from standstill roller-blade style, and continue going forward without stepping on the ground. and carving corners is especially fun, cuz twice as many wheels means twice the grip. so we played around in front of covel, and i got a LOT of weird looks from random people. (not that i dont get weird looks normally...) but anyways, we stayed out til like 1AM. hopefully we do this again, cuz this is definitely NOT the last time i ride two scooters at a time =)

wednesday (today) - the downside of having so much fun the previous night is that i ended up lying in bed for hours unable to fall asleep. or maybe it was the caramel iceblend that tammy gave me hehe. i've been looking forward to this afternoon for a long time - the weather has officially cleared up, which means its time for me to head out to beverly hills once again =). i'm going to class with no backpack or anything, so i can head straight there at 3PM and hopefully be back at 6ish for dinner. but as past experiences show, sometimes i come back later than planned, especially if there are abundant victims for me to shoot. so we'll see... but wish me luck =). byebye!

04/15: had a lot of fun shooting horses today - in ROWLAND HEIGHTS. i was soo tired in the morning and was barely awake to go teach when i spotted a 328GTS cruising down pathfinder where i was about to make a left turn. of course, my gun (camera) is always sitting next to me when i'm on the road, so shot it once as it passed me. then when i turned on to pathfinder a few seconds later, my commute to teaching became a chase. (dont worry, i dont drive like a maniac when it comes to chasing exotics... usualyl they either go way too fast that i know i have no chance, or they get suck at a red light for me to catch up.) i actually caught up very easily, but lost it into a neighborhood, so i u-turned and scouted every street in the entire neighborhood. and i found it on the LAST STREET i looked. parked on a driveway... shot it again, and a few more times on my way home from teaching. fast forward a few hours, and i'm on my way down the same road (nogales) to get a haircut. i was really tempted to swing by the neighborhood again (a 1-minute detour from where i was headed) but decided not to. so i went straight down nogales - a VERY godo decision. i glanced at the Chevron gas station and *GASP* there was a 360 Spider parked at the food mart! so of course, i turned inside, parked, and shot it. wow, what a day...

of course, pictures will be up on the ECPG soon, which reminds me... theres some pretty big changes taking place with the ECPG that will be added sometime in the next week or so (i already know when but its a surprise hehe). ive been working on it a LOT and i hope it turns out to be a success... those who visited me in hedrick probably saw me working on it. if not, you'll have to wait til i post it. hehe...

soo anyways, one last thing before i shut up. for those who dont know, the claymusic tour for the new cd kicks off tomorrow night at UCC (GCCI)! heres the confirmed dates so far in case you (or someone you know) want(s) to come. Sunday 4/16 - Hacienda Hts. Saturday 4/22 - Irvine. Sunday 4/23 - San Gabriel (mini concert). 4/30 (or 29? *confused*) - Chino Hills. and possibly some more in May. i'm totally looking forward to tomorrow even though im soo not ready. we'll be setting up n soundchecking all afternoon tomorrow, which means i wont be at hte baptism party (sorry!). hopefully it turns out well... ok time to go to cellgroup. bye!

04/14: week 2 update - sunday: final rehearsal with claymusic before the first concert of the tour. i still have a lot to work on, but finally things are starting to sound good =). steph lin called me from santa barbara to inform me that there was some kind of event going on and she was standing in front of a bunch of cars that "look expensive". i asked her to read what it says on some of them. "GT3". "Lamborghini" & "VT". "Viper". "308". sounds expensive to me =). then i got to hear the diablo start its engine over the phone. WOW... that made my day. thanx steph =)

monday: first meeting with the new 2006-2007 worship team(S). it feels really weird that suddenly i'm one of the oldest people on the team, both in terms of age and experience. actually wait... i AM the oldest person huh? scary... well besides mike hehe. so anyways, team 1 went to practice while part team 2 (my team... i mean, becca's team =) ) stuck around to chill. me joseph brian jen and eileen worshipped in sproul for a while then went to dinner @ rieber. met another asian guy named calvin. i like his name =) hehe.. then me joseph n jen went SKATEBOARDING. joseph is soo insanely good at skateboarding or wutever its called... those really cool boards with two wheels. he taught me n jen... we suck so much =/. i think i'll still stick with my scooter. but it was soo fun!

tuesday: class all day, then dinnered with tim ben tammy n iva @ deneve. i smuggled a really ugly banana =/. hehe... yea, thats about it.

wednesday: santa monica w/ tammy after class =). havent gone there in a while. (yes, a few weeks is a long time hehe). there was this one old lady on the bus that kept on yelling insults about korean people, japanese people, and black people. wut da heck... shes lucky she didnt get beat up by anyone hehe. and she started cussing at the bus driver. weird... ate mongolian bbq for dinner =). yum... walked around 3rd street promenade til like 7ish.

thursday: choir was pretty interesting. we had a substitute who got confused on the rhythm of one measure. i wasnt gonna say anything at first, except he started teaching the entire alto/soprano sections the wrong rhythm, so i, being the music theory freak, raised my hand. (note: almost everyone in the choir is NOT a music major). substitute didnt see me until a soprano pointed him my direction, then i told him the mistake, explaining that the entire measure is syncopated. he gave me a "huh!?" look, then stared at the music until he found the mistake too. problem is he couldnt figure out how it goes. (and i was NOT about to sing a solo to show him hehe). so he turned to eunice the pianist, who (fortunately) happened to know the correct rhythm. for the next 10 minutes, the class sat in awkwardness as the substitute frantically tried to learn the rhythm himself. and its one of those rhythms thats almost impossible to teach to a class of non-music-majors. i totally should NOT have raised my hand. but luckily most people got it right at the end. only problem is that on tuesday when paul comes back, he might make the same mistake, meaning i'll have to raise my hand again...

fast forward an hour - after dinner i walked with the hedrick gang to catalyst. sat with becca in the front to cheer on the new worship team. they're soo good =). i wonder if team 2 can be that good too hehe. afterwards the hedrick people went to BJ's for pizookies. waited for like almost an hour, but it was worth it. and i didnt complain at all, cuz not far from where we waited there was a Zimmer Golden Spirit parked along the street =). of course, i took pictures. and as i was doing so, some guy pulled over and asked me for directions to Hilgard - in a DB9 VOLANTE. sooo freakin gorgeous! i totally should have hopped in the passenger seat and let him drive me there hehe.

today - class, then went home - in the most insane traffic jam ever. it took two and a half hours (!!) to get home from ucla. i made it just in time to get gas and go teach. and now i'm finally at home in my room relaxing. its gonna be another busy weekend... but i'll write about that tomorrow =). byebye!

04/09: As I look back and reflect on winter quarter, I find it impossible to approach it the same way I did to fall quarter (01/08/2006 entry). Aside from the usual academic and social life, many things happened that do not seem appropriate on a list of events as perfect as fall quarter's.

...Adrian's passing. Taking less units than intended. Declining breakfast attendance. Academic stress. Bitterness toward instructors. Accepting the inevitable fate of my computer that may take place any moment. Insufficient time to participate actively in Hedrick small group. People saying one thing and doing the opposite. Unexpected "disbanding" of IV worship team. Forming cliques and omitting others. Overall decline of the college experience...

"Being a music major certainly does not guarantee a smooth future, and there are still countless battles for me to fight in order to fully take advantage of the path God has paved for me. Friendships are too often just a temporary high, and there will come times when it requires effort and sacrifice to turn them into lasting relationships. As much as I hate to admit it, the bliss that I currently live in won't last forever". After an amazing fall quarter that surpassed all my expectations, I used these words to prepare my heart for what I believed was to follow. It amazes me to realize how true they turned out to be. My life in Schoenberg this past quarter involved many unexpected hardships. Music history was much more difficult than I was ready to handle, and having a professor whose style of teaching conflicted with what I was accustomed to led to a decline in my academic enthusiasm. An overall lack of sleep brought this same indifference to my other classes as well. My greatest challenge was having to write my first composition in college with less than two weeks before the night I was to perform it. Never had I worked so hard for a single school-related goal. And the outcome of the performance would have been impossible to achieve without the passion that fueled me as I worked, which, in the midst of my falling enthusiasm, still continues to sustain me.

Spending countless hours outside of class in Schoenberg meant less time to spend in Hedrick. After finishing "Revelation", I felt almost like a stranger to the once-so-familiar social life on 2 North. Even though I was only busy for a couple weeks, things changed noticeably when I returned. As I had also seen in previous years at UCLA, winter quarter is the time when the overall excitement of the college experience reaches its peak. People gradually succumb to the life that has become routine over time. Laziness, stress, and individual desires begin to take priority over the once-flourishing passion to explore and socialize. A big reason for this is the shift of focus from the present to the future. As the time came to make plans for next year's housing, people began to, for the first time, think about which friendships will be long-term and which ones will end after everyone moves to different floors or buildings next year.

As for me, the changes that took place around me definitely had an effect on my own attitudes and priorities. I was no exception from the social decline; it's just that I was more aware and concerned about it than most people were. I often found myself speaking comfortably only to those that I already knew were my friends. I, too, felt bothered by the fact that not everyone I see everyday on my floor will keep in touch with me when we move away next year. At the same time, spending time with my closer friends on 2 North began to seem almost routine to me at times, and I no longer gave them the same enthusiasm and selflessness they once saw in me.

It was then that I remembered my promise to "prepare to face new challenges with the openness I began my college career with, along with the wisdom I have gained from my experiences so far". And once I placed my life back in the right perspective, everything started to make sense. I realized that winter quarter, in fact, has produced many great things that I would not have noticed if I continued to be trapped in negative thinking. Having less than enough time to spend in Hedrick taught me to appreciate the little time I had, making the best out of every moment. Academic pressure taught me to depend on God more, reminding me of the grace that makes me who I am now. Having no morning classes and still committing to breakfast every day produced over an hour of free time every morning to enjoy the peaceful silence seldom found in the dorms. Among the most memorable mornings were the ones I spent in the study room with a keyboard and a Bible, worshipping and praying. Every day I would spend time in prayer, starting with myself, followed by my roommate, my friends, and the floor as a whole. I believe God is at work on 2 North, and I look forward to seeing the great things He will do in the coming quarter.

In spring quarter of my sophomore year, I experienced freedom through not having a computer for three months - a lifestyle most college students cannot even imagine. I was forced to find new ways to keep myself occupied. During that time I grew closer to God, discovered genuine hobbies, studied more attentively, realized the countless opportunites college has to offer, and was freed from the laziness that prevents many people from experiencing those opportunities (07/01/2005 entry). That freedom became the passion crucial to making this current schoolyear my best so far. The lessons I learned about loving people and accepting hardships continue to influence me today, and with the same attitude of humility I will face my final quarter as a junior in college.

To conclude, I'm glad to say that even though this is the last quarter of my junior year, the story does not end here. Next year I will be living with Richard in Hedrick once again, continuing the vision of serving our floormates for God's glory. It amazes me to realize that I have found a roommate who is willing to live with me for a second year, and an environment that I have fallen so deeply in love with. These things, plus having so many great friends on my floor and elsewhere and having found the major I am most passionate for, make all my past mistakes worthwhile. My love and satisfaction for my life now would not be possible without the mistakes that pointed me to the right direction. But as much fun as I have had already, it is all worthless if it isn't for God's glory. So I pray that this quarter I will discover the reason God brought me to 2-North and further understand His calling for me as a musician. If my heart is too callous to the needs of those around me, I pray that I will experience their emotions as my own so that I can feel more burdened to love them as I am loved. If my life as a music major is becoming too academic and routine, I pray that my passion will be renewed so that I can wholeheartedly seize every opportunity I have to compose, perform, and worship. I want to enter this new quarter with the view of life that inspired me to write "Revelation" - an unending series of journeys pointing me towards God's will, each leading to more wisdom but reminding me to stay humble (02/28/2006 entry). As I enter the final quarter of this schoolyear, I will continue to accept every properous moment as a blessing and every hardship as a learning experience. Above all, I pray for God's will continue to be done in my life, bringing an incredible conclusion to an already incredible schoolyear.

04/07: after several days of being waitlist number ONE (!!), i finally got enrolled in my sociology class, meaning my schedule is officially confirmed =). well, except for piano lessons. but that sometimes varies anyways. this week has been pretty interesting... for the most part i've been really lightheaded due to lack of sleep from last weekend. the rain really didnt help at all, especially when i checked next week's extended forecast earlier today.

04/03: ...or not =/. we got owned sooo badly. i randomly decided to accompany sue to go to westwood to interview people for the daily bruin. there were cops EVERYWHERE... even though there were no riots, the cops were pretty close to starting some by unreasonably shutting down streets where people need to walk through to go back to their apartments. most people were either too sad to talk, too mad at the street closures, or too drunk to care. there were even about half a dozen cops riding HORSES around westwood. now thats random. someone was videotaping the horses. hahaha... just as we were heading to deneve, we ran into the exact people i wished to see - max kaplan and michael bang. to answer sue's interview questions on how they felt about the game, max said "i'm indifferent cuz i'm a musician". michael gave a lecture putting the blame on the people who put the inflatable alligator in the bruin bear's mouth. he said that they gave the gator too much air, hence it overpowering the bruin. as he puts it, a 2-dimentional alligator in a bear's mouth is weak, but a 3-D one? well... we're just asking for trouble. hahahhaa... gosh those guys are hilarious =). went with sue to chill on her floor, then went to campus and sat on a tree while she did work in the dailybruin office. as weird as it seems, i really enjoy being on campus alone at night. its just that usualyl i wouldnt bother walking all the way out there... but once im there its such a great experience. too bad theres no stars. stupid weather... apparently its suppsoed to rain until wednesday, and also next monday through whever it decides to stop. thats ridiculous... it needs to not rain so i can go out and play before everyone starts stressing about midterms =/. anyways, i'm done babbling. goodnight!

04/03: first update of the new quarter =). (i'm still working on the quarter-transition entry...) daylight savings really sucks when its right before the quarter begins. having to go to church at 8AM for worship the next morning didnt help either. havent served with Gilbert's team for sooo long. and somehow i ended up at the piano this time. what an honor =). i tend to feel much more nervous at the piano cuz i can actually see everyone (unlike the ridiculous butt-facing-audience arrangement of the keyboard). it turned out great though... praise God =). claymusic rehearsal after church, then went home, got lollicup for dinner (boba!), and got back to school at like... 11PM? i was sooooo tired its not even funny. but of course, i still went to breakfast =). and lunch too, thanks to my new and improved schedule. its not confirmed yet, but somehow i found my way to a random sociology class, and its actually pretty fun. i'm still waitlisted but the prof said everyone should make it in. theory class was great too... believe it or not, i'm actually sad that its the last quarter of theory. hopefully i wont cry on the last day =/. hehe but anyways.. right now im jus chillin in my room getting ready for worship practice. oh and one last thing...

04/01: spring break, part three. thursday - chilled @ home most of the day, went to dinner w/ mom & carol @ souplantation to celebrate carol's bday (yesterday). friday(yesterday)- went to diamond plaza w/ stephlin & diana... lunched at noodle hut then went to chill at the mall. went home n went to teach in the afternoon/night. dropped by carol's cellgroup just in time when they took out her surprise cake =). happy birthday!! hehe... today - turns out i didnt have to teach in the afternoon, meaning i was able to go to practice with gilbert's worship team! its been sooooo long since i played for chinese worship. jimmy got a freakin M5... yes, the bmw one... the 500+ hp V10 one... he soo needs to give me a ride. hehe... after practice we all dinnered @ tasty house. i found out i could order scallop fried rice and get a free milk tea =). it was sooo good! then i went to college cell... its been so long since i went. we jus chilled n played random games... i left a bit earlier to get home and pack/sleep/write this entry. daylight savings is really gonna suck, cuz technically its already like 1AM and i need to be at church at 8 tomorrow morning. owellz... if i survived a whole quarter with insufficient sleep, i can probably pull off another day =). but for now its time to go sleep. goodnight!

03/29: i love it when God writes short stories in my life. trusting him for long periods of time isn't always easy, and it helps when He makes learning experiences short enough so that i can see the big picture and put myself in the right perspective. original plan for today- pick up steph(lin) in hacienda hts at noon, then go meet with francis in monterey park for lunch. francis and i never met before, but its not everyday i find another guy as crazy about cars as i am, so we want to meet each other. and of course steph, being the one that knows both of us, is part of the picture too. i planned to head back from monterey park at around 1:40 because i had to be in walnlut an hour later and didnt want traffic to cause any delays.

what actually happened- mom wanted me to go buy dog food at costco on my way to hacienda hts, and also asked me to buy a new set of wireless phones since she had a $20-off coupon. i agreed, assuming i would have plenty of time before noon to print directions to francis' house, go to the bank, get gas, AND go to costco in what turned out to be less than half an hour. WHAT AN IDIOT. it was already almost noon and i was still on my way to costco. found the phone and dog food and went to pay with the $100 that mom gave me, only to hear the guy at the cashier say that the phone i got wasn't the one on the coupon. he was nice about it though, and agreed to charge me for the right phone with the coupon first, then let me go grab it on my way out. only problem is the phone i got totally WAS the one on the coupon. i went back to check the shelf too, and it was the only one that was anything like the one i needed. so i went back to the cashier, who was already busy with the next customer, and told him there wasn't any other phone. he didnt know what to do, so i decided to save time and just get my money back (mom said the phone wasnt important anyway). he told some other person to take me to an empty cashier and refund me for the phone. i asked him for the coupon back in case mom still wanted it. he totally ignored my question, so i followed the other person to get my money back first. then i went back to the original guy to get the coupon. he's like 'oh, the people at the door always pass them out'. the coupon was right in front of him still... why wouldnt he give it to me? i didnt have time to argue, so i just headed out. as expected, the people at the door didn't give me jack. i knew mom wouldn't really care all that much about the coupon, but i was infuriated enough to slam an empty shopping cart into a shelf on my way out.

back on the road: ok, you guys know me well enough to understand that when i'm angry i'm not exactly the best driver. steph had already called me telling me to pick her up at wilson highschool, except i totally got the wrong directions there, and didnt realize it until i found myself in whittier and finally pulled over to call for help. all that, plus the fact that i'm already ridiculously late, and you have me driving down Colima at over double the speed limit, not giving a crap about cops, traffic, or anything.

i finally arrive at wilson - more than half an hour late - to meet with steph, who was already waiting for me at the sidewalk. she knew i wasnt too happy either, and i asked her whether or not she still wanted to go to monterey park, since by the time we got there we would only have about half an hour before i had to leave. she called francis, who, along with me, agreed to give her the final say. we decided to cancel the trip, hopefully postponed to another day.

having a passenger on my car definitely keeps me on the sane side. steph didn't want to go home so soon, and i was simply indifferent. we decided to grab lunch at golden city. it's amazing how simple and casual conversations can turn my attitude around. it's been so long since i got to really talk with steph, and by the time we finished lunch i wasn't the least bit unhappy at all. after taking steph home, i drove home myself - without feeling the need to pass a single car.

after a short break, i went to walnut high school. today was carol's track meet, and for the first time i actually got to attend. i arrived at walnut half an hour before the meet so that i could visit people after the bell rang. melody was the first to call and find me. the i found jackie and talked with her and her friend charlie until it was time for the meet. before the meet i ran into tiffany too - turns out she's on the walnut track team. the meet started, and i sat with jeanelle rebecca mark and alun, who also came to watch carol beat everyone. then suddenly i spotted natQ in the field - turns out she lives right next to walnut high and came to watch her brother who was on the walnut track team. so we talked while watching our younger siblings run. after carol finished her last race, i went to the car since it was friggin cold outside. i had about 15 minutes before going back to rowland to take her home, so i dropped by ling's house - right across the street from walnut. talked with her n her friend from sd (and played with her puppies) until i had to leave. the i picked up carol from rowland and we went home for dinner.

the rest of the night was spent mostly talking on the phone with steph, including another trip to the hilltop, followed by some time alone. many images from today flashed across my mind. one in particular caught my attention - a car accident i encountered on my way home after lunch. without a doubt, that car should have been my own, spun in the wrong direction with its bumper torn off. whether or not the driver was at fault, that pain should have been mine. i'm still skeptical about whether or not i'll ever be able to control my anger, and still can't understand why God protects me even though i don't deserve it. but i know one good place to look...

romans 6 and 1corinthians 13. those words are so familiar, yet so foreign, buried over time by my own selfish desires. over a year ago steph and i used to recite those passages to each other on a daily basis. perhaps we had reached a point where memorization became more of a routine than an application, hence the gradual decline of our daily phone calls. today steph called me out of nowhere and revived the very words that brought our friendship where it is today. we had both forgotten most of what we memorized before, but i'm sure it will become familiar again if we decide to keep up with it. having to stop after every few words prompts me to think about what i'm reciting. if i died to sin, how can i live in it any longer? how can i let sin be my master if i'm not under law but under grace? under law, i deserve far worse than what i got. but under grace God spared me from what i deserved, and i can't just go on every day taking advantage of His ever-sufficient grace.

on a lighter note, rewind back to my little experience at costco today. amist my frustration i failed to realize one thing - the guy at the cashier charged me for the phone at the coupon price, assuming i would go and find the right phone afterwards. but when i got refunded a few minutes later, i was given the full price of the phone - meaning that the change i got back was MORE THAN the $100 i started with, not to mention i got the dog food ($16.99) for FREE. yea i know, its kinda wrong for me to just take the free money and leave with it. but i didn't realize it until i was counting the change after getting home. and it's mom's money anyway. i told her about it, so what she decides to do with it is up to her. to me, it's simply an accident worth a good laugh.

in closing, i just want to thank everyone around me for being there for me - whether to encourage me or simply to hang out. too often i find myself trapped in my own struggles, and all it takes is a few minutes of socializing to put me back into the right perspective and make me realize how big of an idiot i can be. and of course, i apologize to francis for backing out on him today. hopefully we'll be able to meet sometime and go watch cars together. with all that said, thank you God for protecting me when i lose my mind and humbling me when i calm down. spring break has been awesome so far, and i know it will only get better...

03/28: spring break, so far. monday: note to self, don't assume people are gonna meet you for lunch without making sure they said yes. i was just too stupid and too bored so i gave it a try, and sure enough i ended up sitting on the car for half an hour, entertaining myself with paperwork followed by a cup of boba to cheer myself up. so turns out it was just a big miscommunication, and everything's was taken care of.

today: my first confirmed "spring break event" - lunch w/ rebecca(chen) @ quickly's. turns out it was late start day so we met later than expected, not to mention that quickly's was closed. luckily there was lollicup across the street, where we treated ourselves to some awesome fried goodies =). my "medium spicy" order turned out to be insanely ridiculously super spicy, and i was literally dripping sweat on my way to the car - in the rain. it was still good though. and thanks rebecca for the boba. yea i know, i got 3 bobas in 3 days =).

fast forward to nighttime. went up to the hilltop to call a bunch of people, none of which answered my call. i wasnt content with wasting a trip, so i ended up staying there for an additional half n hour. even though it was still raining a little and everything was wet around me, something about the hilltop never ceases to amaze me. everytime i'm there i get refueled with peace, sanity, and wisdom, as long as i'm willing to open my heart to it. and tonight was one of those times when i was left with no other choice.

i must admit that so far, spring break has been very very disappointing. perhaps my expectations are simply too high... i picture myself spending the entire week with my family and friends having fun, when in reality everyone has their own stuff to do. God reminded me of the highlights of my past spring breaks, namely a car accident, a trip to kansas city, and a court case. it seems like every year spring break is the time when God surprises me and humbles me for his glory. i was reminded of the three months after spring break last year that i spent without a computer, and all the lessons i learned from that experience. as time passed, it seemed like everything just slowly went back to "normal". suddenly it became clear - while i was busy worrying about who to hang out with and being so disappointed that i couldnt appreciate all the great things i already had, there were many people that i hadnt talked to for the longest time, and i simply wanted to remind them that i still cared. just having the free time to talk with people and having so many people to talk to can satisfy me more than hours of having fun and hanging out that i can't appreciate.

with that in mind, i went back home truly satisfied for the first time in these past few days. i talked to a bunch of old friends, not because i had anything specific to tell them but simply because i wanted to say hi - just like people did to me during last year's spring quarter. every conversation, long or short, was from my heart. to make things better, the people i called ended up calling me back too. as for hanging out, let's just say the rest of the week is almost entirely filled. the later half of the night was spent playing Tetrinet with sue stephanie n scott - most of the usual tnet gang. its past 1AM and we just finished playing. i had so much fun, whether winning or losing. the satisfaction i feel right now makes all of my complaints insignificant. thank you God for putting my mind in perspective once again. goodnight!

03/26: went to luis & katherine's wedding yesterday... first time going to the crystal cathedral. i love that place sooo much... they have the most enormous surround-sound pipe prgan... i wanted to jump up there and play. reception/dinner at orange hill restaurant was awesome too... and of course, congratz to luis n katherine! =)

feels like its been so long since i went to church. lunched w/ ken at q-noodle n chilled in the parking lot afterwards. didnt get to really talk to him in sooo long...

the most amazing thing happened for dinner today. i got... *drumroll...* my first BOBA in three weeks!!! 3 weeks without boba for me is like death. gosh that felt soo good =). soo anyways, most of the coming week is still free, so if anyone wants to hang out i'm totally up for it. dont forget to invite me yea?

03/23: wow... i'm all done. no more finals... theory wasnt too bad. the analysis part wasnt as intense as i anticipated based on lefko's description... but thats a good thing =). so let me rewind to tuesday... an entire day of nothing to do. well except studying hehe. there wasnt that much to study for theory though. but seeing other people study always motivates me to study, so i spent almost the whole afternoon in the box with victoria michelle n tayeba. (and niki, but she was done with finals already so it doesnt count hehe). with the help of multiple smoothies, i actually got a LOT of studying done. continued studying at night, with computer game breaks that occupied more time than the actual studying. but i allowed it cuz i was pretty much ready. went to sleep at midnight cuz the theory final was 8 in the morning =/.

wednesday (yesterday): woke up at 6:30AM (!!!) to get breakfast with richard n bridget. then we went to take our finals (come on, why else would we wake up so early?). then in the afternoon i went on vacation. can u guess where? is it really not obvious enough? so yea... about Golden Triangle trip #8... simply amazing. not sure how it compares to the Santa Monica trip, but this is definitely the best Golden Triangle trip so far. (yes, even better than trip #7 with the carrera gt). lets see...

Spotted & Shot: Bentley Azure, Bentley Continental Flying Spur (x2), Bentley Mulsanne, Ferrari 360 Spider, Lamborghini Gallardo (2006 version with the glass engine cover), Lotus Elise, Maserati Coupe (2006 version), Rolls-Royce Corniche, Rolls-Royce Silver Spur. doesnt seem liek a big deal yet, but thats cuz i always save the best til last - with pictures too. enjoy yourselves...

03/20: history final is over!! i'm sooo happy and relieved... im sure most people have heard me rant about this class at least once. but if not, then it might be helpful to know that prof. bloechl (or "blotch" as i call her) is one of those people who are super passionate about what she teaches (which is a good thing) but expects everyone else to either love it as much as she does or fail the class (which really sucks). heres what a typical day in class is like - student: "what key is this piece in?" bloechl: "lets try to figure it out together. this chromatic pitch was added because the piece is in this mode, which is why this other pitch isnt used, because the chromaticism is supposed to give a feeling if ecstasy, and the composer uses it for word painting to match the text which was written by some ancient greek poet who was excommunicated from the catholic church by king louis the 9034809853th...... .... ... .. . . . ". (half an hour later) student: "so, what key is it in?". ok so you probably get the picture. im glad the final wasnt nearly as hard as i expected, meaning im sure i passed the class =). and i was the first one to finish too... i worked soo fast cuz i wanted to get outta there as soon as possible. it only took about an hour, and i made it back to hedrick in time to have lunch with ran and tammy. after lunch is when the real fun begins...

soo, believe it or not, this entry was not meant to be a rant at all. in fact, today was one of the best days of my life. long story short, today i decided to attempt a brand new carwatching expedition - a gruesome six-mile scooter ride to Santa Monica via westwood blvd and santa monica blvd. before you think i'm insane, the entire journey is either flat ground or downhill. all i had to do was stand there and enjoy the breeze. so why santa monica? after so many trips to 3rd street with my floormates, i began to realize there were many unique little car shops along santa monica blvd, and wanted to get a closer look. so that's exactly what i did today. and trust me, this is definitely the best so far.

first, lets not forget that today is (coincidentally) exactly one month since the day i shot the red Carrera GT. that should be a hint ;-). lets start with some "basics". stuff i didn't shoot due to lack of need - bentley continental GT (at least half a dozen), aston martin db7 vantage volante, acura nsx, bentley continental flying spur, ferrari 360 modena. stuff i shot but won't post here - bentley brooklands, ferrari f355 spider (two of them), ferrari testarossa, and of course, a porsche carrera gt.

question of the day: what's more exotic than a brand new multi-hundred-thousand-dollar supercar? answer: the same supercar several decades later. as the years pass, most exotics are either traded in for newer ones or sold to a series of owners until they eventually end up in a museum, never to roll on public streets again. those little streets along santa monica blvd may not seem to have much potential, but a closer look shows that they've got some reeeeaaall BIG MONEY. before you get any bored of this entry, lets look at a few pictures.

03/18: wow... i cant believe its over. the choir concert went pretty well, with a couple little problems in each show hehe. in the 7:00 one people werent watching the conductor so we were a little off. in the 9:00 one everyone sang/played well, but we had a "lost baton incident" hehe... its ok paul, everyone still followed you so thats all that matters =). chilled with my fellow basses during the break between the two shows. too bad most of them wont be joining next quarter =/. its gonna be so lonely... hope they come back next year.

this morning before rehearsal, i went to get breakfast at deneve and wanted to get a smoothie before going to SMB. so i went back up to bruin cafe, and guess what, it was closed. im such an idiot... how could i forget that bruin cafe and puzzles are both closed on saturdays? well at least puzzles opens at 8PM, but still, i had over 30 swipes left and nowhere to use them. that sucks. so earlier tonight i decided to make up for everything i wanted today that i didnt get. i went down to puzzles with a crate, and stood in the line that went all the way to Hilltop (seriously, they need to open bruin cafe on weekends. when it was my turn to swipe, i decided to treat myself to a once-in-a-lifetime experience....

"ONE OF EACH SMOOTHIE, PLEASE".

i'm not kidding. the swiper guy didn't even look up... he jus took my card, pressed the button, swiped the card, pressed, swiped, pressed, swiped, pressed, swiped, pressed, and swiped again. people behind me in line were already giving me weird looks. then i went to the smoothie counter and gave the guy my receipts. luckily there werent many people getting smoothies, so i didnt have to wait too long. but it was heck of a fun wait... standing at the counter with a huge crate in front of me, gathering every smoothie that comes out of the blender. people behind me were giving me really weird looks. i didnt even look back. got all 5 of my smoothies and proudly left them in the crate while making a huge cup of coffee to add to the display. i had so many straws that people were taking them from my crate instead of the actual counter. when i got everything i wanted (and replaced the missing straws), i began the walk back to hedrick. there were curious faces all around me, and i heard plenty of 'whoa...'s and 'wow!'s. when i was going up the stairs, some random guy even gave me an "oh my god!". it was such an awesome experience that when i got back i decided to take a picture of it.

03/17: piano recital was great... i slipped every once in a while, but not enough to effect the overall performance. this quarter i think piano was probably one of my favorite classes... theory was fun but getting a bit routine... by the time chorus came i was always too tired to concentrate and enjoy it. this recital definitely served as a great end to the quarter. now its time to focus on finals...

went to santa monica with tammy after class today. ate at the mall for lunch then shopped around for a while. tammy didnt buy anything... isnt that amazing? hehe.. went to diddy riese afterwards, got a bunch of cookies, and hiked back to hedrick. then i went to chorus rehearsal (concert is tomorrow, see below) and piano recital. and now im' back in my room chillin =).

soo anyways, some upcoming events: MOZART CONCERT, saturday (tomorrow) 7:00PM and 9:00PM at Schoenberg Hall. the chorus will be singing the Missa Brevis and the chorale will sing the Requiem. $3 for student tickets... let me know if ur coming =). MIDNIGHT CAFE, presented by the Hedrick IV community. free pizza, snacks, and tea for anyone who comes. 11PM to 1AM, Monday night at 223 (iva n doris's room) and Wednesday night at 216 (me n richard's room). everyone can use a little break while studying, so feel free to swing by anytime =). ok, thats all. byebye!

03/15: back in my room after a great time of worship with GIG people... this week has definitely been awesome so far. i realized its been a very long time since i had free time to spend on the floor, so i'm learning to cherish it more and more. every morning i spent about an hour with God, praying and worshipping and reading devotionals. playing piano in 216U with the lights off is such a great experience... i often found myself no longer aware that i was still on 2North. and kicking off the day with God definitely sets things straight for the rest of the day.

soo quick summary of the week so far - monday: breakfast w/ anny chris n sumin. yep, sumin came to breakfast. amazing huh? hehe... went to my "class"... so when i called anny she was like 'lemme guess... your class got cancelled." i had lunch with anny anabelle (annys coworker), victoria, ran, and emily (anny n ran's ex-floormate). did some transcribing (claymusic stuff) in my room until dinnertime, then went to worship team meeting - our last meeting of the year. we talked about plans for how things will look next year (basically starting next quarter when the new teams begin. yes, i said teamS. hehe....). ate with mike @ puzzles afterwards n talked about my role in the worship team. more details on that later.

tuesday: full day of class, but nonetheless interesting. dwayne's final was kinda hard... i still dont know why i lost points for sightsinging... but its ok. im sure it wont change my grade much. (and yes, my goal for the class is an A+. anything less than that will leave me very dissatisfied)... chorus was awesome too... we got a very big surprise - paul told us at the end that he decided we weren't gonna rehearse on thursday, but would instead wait for the dress rehearsal. very very bold decision... the whole class was shocked. so yea... the next time i see the chorus people, we're gonna be in schoenberg hall rehearsing for the concert. last thing before coming back to hedrick - piano lesson! the last lesson of the year. i'm reviewing ginastera (all 3 movements) to play at the class recital on friday... i must admit ive been pretty disappointed with my progress in my lessons this quarter. after playing lucy's recital i was so confident and knew i could do an amazing job... but for some reason i never reached that level once when playing at school. i never even mentioned the recital to ruby, cuz from what she has heard me play i was nowhere near ready to perform. this week's lesson was the first one that really really satisfied me. i did as well as i expected, and the first thing ruby said was 'wow... you've come a long way'. what a great way to end the quarter =). after my lesson i had dinner w/ anrea and josephine from 4N last year! finally got a chance to eat with them =). and for some reason they chose Hedrick. hehe... we seriously need to do a 4N reunion sometime.

today: breakfast w/ anny chris n sumin. didnt have conducting class but i walked to SMB with tammy anyways cuz i wanted to practice. met with anny and her co-workers for lunch @ covel. went to theory (my only class today), took a quick walk on sunset blvd (havent done that in a long time) and came back to chill in hedrick. dinnered @ 5 with floormates, went to Food for Finals @ 8, followed by meeting with IV people. ruth announced that shes not gonna be around next quarter =/. we're all gonna miss u!! a puzzle's run for cheese fries left everyone in a good mood though =). anita came over to lead worship... i always love worship in the dorms. such an amazing experience.

speaking of worship... next year's plans for the intervaristy worship team are starting to come together, and it's looking very very good. first of all, we WILL have amplified sound once again, thanks to a new room contract without any more miscommunications. week 1 of next quarter will be the last time for the current team to lead (since we don't get to say our goodbyes this quarter). after that, its all gonna be new stuff. about the new teams - amazingly enough, it turns out exactly the way i wished for it to be. most people that auditioned did very well, meaning we have enough people to form two worship teams that will alternate. so i'll still be playing another year, but just with one team. as for who's in who's team, you'll find out later =). anyways... right now i'm just sitting here writing this thing before going to sleep. and i think i'm about done now, so goodnight!

03/13: some classes can be such a joke that they deserve their own entry. in my case, its conducting class. besides the fact that professor lee does not believe in exams and grades the class for effort and attendance alone (i still try my best though), it never fails to amuse me how often class gets cancelled. as u probably guessed, i'm writing about this today because class was cancelled again. and its gonna be cancelled wednesday too.

so lets see... the class (supposedly) meets every monday and wednesday, so that makes a total of 20 class meetings this quarter. but reality proves otherwise- 1/9: class dismissed in 15 minutes. 1/16: no class (martin luther king jr day). 1/30: class cancelled. 2/1: class dismissed in 15 minutes. 2/8: class cancelled. 2/20: no class (president's day). 2/27: class cancelled. 3/8: class cancelled. 3/13(today): class cancelled. 3/15(wednesday): class cancelled.

so technically the class only met 11 and a half times. oh and some of you may recall me mentioning an essay i have to write for this class. it is (supposedly) due on the last day of class, which is apparently going to be cancelled. earlier tonight the TA sent an email to the entire class -

You're off the hook! No conducting paper. --Rick

that clarifies everything. conducting class is over - forever... and i'll admit i'm gonna miss it. working with professor lee, the TAs, and my classmates has definitely taught me many valuable things. and i wish the professor, who cancelled class today because he was sick, will have a quick recovery. im sure he didnt want to be absent on the last day of class. but i dare make the claim that this is possibly the most frequently cancelled class in UCLA this quarter.

whether or not cancelling class is a good thing, it definitely gave me several valuable hours of practice time, including this morning. only problem is that without my key (still didnt find it yet =/ i think i'm gonna buy a new one next quarter) i only have access to the blue rooms (the crappiest ones). most of their pianos are out of tune or have messed up keys, and a lot of the paint on the walls is peeling off. this humongous clump of paint chip was particularly amusing to me...

03/12: time for a SNU =). yesterday was a really weird but awesome day. first of all, the weather was insane. on friday night yahoo weather said it was gonna SNOW in diamond bar and rowland heights. what da hEck?? well... apparently it did snow a little bit in walnut. it did hail in rowland hts though... after i left tutoring @ ivy's house, my car (hood and roof) was covered in little icecubes. how cool is that!? meanwhile carol was at a track meet and mom went to serve at an outdoor homeless shelter... and at both places it wasnt raining at all. i guess God knew they needed the sun more than i did hehe.

went to lunch w/ stephliang @ genki living. its been forever since i went there... and of course i still love their nutellas =). steph ordered a bunch of food and i ate like half of it. met her friend jiawa who came to join us (but refused to eat at first until she finally gave in to temptation hehe). out of nowhere i spotted a yellow Modena (yes, at diamond plaza!) so i ran outside and shot it. i wonder if that guy knows jimmy hehe. after lunch we went to... Cue. what a surprise hehe... actually only me n steph went, cuz jiawa said she wasnt 'prepared'. pshh... if anyone was not prepared it was me - i'll post the pics up after i scan them. i look like i just woke up =/. haha owellz... it was fun. Cue is always fun =). anyways... went to chill@ hongkong plaza afterwards then came home for dinner.

at night i went to HOC for a praise night. thats right, a praise night. for the first time in years. lotsa ucc/gcci/'gucci'/wuteveruwannacallit people showed up. most of the current highschoolers werent around back when we had multiple praise nights every year. on the other hand, those (like me) who have been to most of the praisenights have almost forgotten the feeling of excitement we get. ok so maybe we went to praise nights just to have fun and sing and dance instead of actually worship. but looking at it now, how often do you get to be in a room celebrating with hundreds of other Christian youth with such enthusiasm? regardless of how strong our individual walk with God is, i'm sure we all learned something last night. and that in itself is worship in God's eyes.

today - claymusic practice after church again. for those of you who didnt know, the second album is coming out soon, and we'll be kicking off with three promotional/evangelical concerts (4/16, 4/23, 4/30). of course, a new album means lots of transcribing/practicing/rehearsing/planning/etc. i'll probably be spending most of my free time next week transcribing stuff from the CD. and yes, i actually enjoy doing this stuff. call me a nerd, but i'm proud of it =)

back in twosixteen right now... its almost midnight, and me richard lisa anny n diana just finished watching the Passion of the Christ in our room. i made it back to school for the second half, and at first i didnt even want to go into the room cuz i knew it would instantly change my mood. but i went anyways... its my second time watching it, and i still have to force myself to keep my eyes open through every single scene. sure its too bloody for my taste and might give me nightmares... but what better nightmare to have then one about the reality of Jesus dying for me? its one of those things thats hard for me to grasp cuz its so far out there. but being reminded of it always helps, and i hope it will help me focus more on God for the rest of this quarter.

so this has been a really random entry, going from Cue pictures to Jesus's death. but like i said, its been a weird weekend, which i see as a good thing =). since its getting late, im gonna get ready to sleep to prepare for a new schoolweek. gosh, its alredy week 10. thats friggin crazy... oh and by the way, the ECPG is updated =). ok, thats all for now. byebye

03/10: back at home again, for the last time before spring break (i'm staying next weekend cuz of the chorus concert, just like last quarter). soo anyways, summary of week 9. wednesday - no conducting class, and no surprise either. i already lost count, but its safe to say at least 1/4 of our class meetings did not happen. thats a LOT. hehe... except this time prof. lee actually told us ahead of time, so i made other plans for the morning, namely Golden Triangle Carwatching Trip #7. i just wanted to get a glimpse of morning life in 90210... turns out its not nearly as good as the afternoon/evening, but i still had plenty of fun. highlights of the morning - laforza magnum edition (still researching, but i know its VERY rare), rr silver cloud iii, am vanquish with custom rims. made it back to hedrick for a shower before lunch w/ anny... then went to theory - my only class! after class me anny n tammy went to westwood... just like the good old days =). i'm glad this quarter is ending just like it started hehe. tammy had to buy some $30 dvd for opera class so we walked to borders. and for those of you who have been spoiled by the bus, its really not that far... just dont keep thinking that you're walking a long way, and before you know it you'll be there =). i actually had a bit more fun on the way there than i expected, specifically when i spotted a brand new yellow Elise in front of jamba juice. as the "cheapest exotic", it definitely stayed on my hitlist for a LONG time, since i never managed to shoot one - until now =). but trust me it only gets better. after borders we went to diddy riese, only to realize that the premiere for 'she's the man' was just about to take place. and anny, being the biggest amanda bynes fan on the planet, decided to stay. and tammy, having an excuse to avoid doing her essay, also stayed. hehe... i only stayed for a lil while cuz i refused to ditch smallgroup again... i've only gone like twice this quarter. so anyways, we ended up getting food at in-n-out, and on the way there i heard an amazing sound across the street at the gas station. sounded like um... a dozen cylinders. loud, italian ones. hehe... a few seconds later it appeared behind an SUV also getting gas. a friggin MURCIELAGO. so i croseed the street (jaywalked... whatever...) and shot some pics. the fool backed up the car with the door open... what a showoff hehe. not that i'm complaining. and after a little research, turns out its not just an ordinary murcielago. more details later. anyways, went back to hedrick in time for smallgroup. at night i got a call from dianne... she and lily came over for *drumroll* a tea party! is this becoming a weekly routine? we'll see... hehe... and guess what she brought - a 12-pack of korean instant noodles - for me!!! apparently its an 'early birthday present'. hehe... thank you soo much!! =). so we chilled and ate/drank til like 2AM. i was so tired but it was so fun =). so yea... that has been simply the most unhealthy day of my life. for lunch i had fries @ covel. then i had fries well done at in-n-out. i thought that was all, until me iva and tammy went to bruincafe/puzzles after smallgroup and iva got cheese fries (!) with a side of curly fries (!!)... and decided to eat it in my room (!!!). so i had like half of it =). then came the instant noodles. go figure hehe...

thursday - piano lesson in the morning, followed by usual classes. after chorus me tammy n ruth went to the farmers market again! yupyup... peruvian fried rice. amazing stuff =). anny n tracy came to join us too... had a big feast around a table - with no chairs. hehe... went back just in time for catalyst. the speaker was great... i always love it when we have guest pastors - actual adult pastors. thats one thing our fellowship needs. not that our leaders arent good or anything, but its just that older people have a lot more wisdom to share with us students. i left catalyst just in time to go to another concert at SMB - this time the faculty composers recital. i got to hear a lefkowitz' composition for the first time =). i really like his style... ohh and the the christmas songs one (bourland i think) was hilarious! if anyone has the words please send to me! hehe.. after being away from the dorm area for over 13 hours, i decided to swing by Sproul on the way back, just to say hi to some people. chilled in sara's room for a lil while, then visited last year's 4N gang. too bad most people weren't there, but i left a message on their doors hehe. and apparently bridget (chang) lives in sproul too. right by josephine and andrea's room. its so weird that a bunch of my friends (who don't know each other) are all on the same floor hehe. ran into david and melissa too... visiting sproul always makes me feel so special =).

so anyways, that brings us to the present once again. i finally got to spend the morning in hedrick... havent done that in a long time. devotionals/praying are always great ways to start off the day =). after breakfast & class, i'm now back at home chillin before leaving to teach. and i'm really really hyper right now, after finding out details about that murcielago from wednesday. so first of all, let's start with some pics..

03/07: history quiz is over!!! that means i'm officially done until finals. im pretty sure i passed hehe. this week is actually a lot more busy than i expected... theres a concert like every night. last night was symphony orchestra... tonight was grad composers... and i went to both hehe. tonight somethign changed my life - FL studio 5! special thanks to sumin for hookin me up... that thing is AMAZING. i'm gonna have soo much fun playing with it. oh by the way, i can now practice chord progressions ON MY LAPTOP. how cool is that??/ hehehe...

piano lesson got cancelled today. thats definitely a good thing considering how unprepared i am with my new piece (copeland - passacaglia). a couple extra days to practice (lesson is moved to thurs morning) will definitely help =). no lesson means i got to catch dinner with the 5:00 gang, followed by dinner at 6:00 with the floor. at 7 we took our floor picture.. i'm definitely gonna buy one this year =) . then i went back to SMB @ 8 for teh concert. thank God for scooters...

soo its that time of the year when everyone's starting to worry about where to live next year and who to live with. i'm glad to say that my decisions have already been made. but i wont say anything until after sign-ups tomorrow. hehe... i cant imagine the dorm area without sproul. its gonna be sooo different... is bruin cafe closing too!? i need my smoothies!! oh by the way, i still have over 70 swipes left =). its time for daily bruin cafe runs again hehe. anyways its gettin late so i shoudl go sleep now. conducting is cancelled tomorrow, meaning i have no class til 1 =). and i have a feeling i'm gonna be spending my morning away from campus with people much richer than i am hehe. not sure yet but if i wake up early enough then we'll see... for now its time to sleep. goodnight!

03/05: time for a massive S.N.U... lets rewind back to the composers recital. special thanks to everyone who came to attend. afterwards the reception was awesome, since i hadnt eaten all day. sandwiches, dumplings, and wine =). good stuff... walked back with kat yolanda and tim. started to catch up with all the stuff i hadnt had time for in the past week... phone calls, emails, homework, etc...

wednesday - i finished my concert, and tammy finished her last midterm. how about a little celebration... in santa monica? =). yupyup... another awesome wednesday night venture to third street. we ate manchu wok this time... good stuff even though its not as asian as rowland heights food hehe. went shopping afterwards and ran into niki and rachel! what are the chances... running into floormates several miles away from campus on a wednesday night. waiting for the van to go to hedrick took forever... we almost gave up. but it still came at the end =).

thursday - severin made me do rhythm dictation on the board (!!!). luckily it wasnt some crazy pentuplet-meter stuff. choir was cancelled today (since paul went to a wedding in another state), so i spent the free time wandering bel-air, westwood, and sunset blvd. went to the westwood farmers market w/ anny tammy and ruth... my first time there. peruvian fried rice is sooo good!!! got sushi and diddy riese afterwards then went to catalyst. after catalyst i chilled with a bunch of rieber people at puzzles... then more hedrick peopel came and took over hehe... then we finalyl left cuz it was too cold. and i couldnt find a trashcan to throw away my cup of ICE =/. haha... dianne called at night to have a tea party. so i brought my whole box of goodies and went over to rieber. met a bunch of her floormates and drank lots of good tea. then dianne busted out the korean instant noodles. omg that stuff is crazy good... i ended up eating til like 1:30AM. dun worry, i know its bad for me but i rarely eat it. its ok to indulge every once in a while right? =)

weekend - spent most of my time napping and/or teaching. went lasertagging with college cell on saturday night. havent done that in years... its soo fun! too bad we only had time for one game. i would have played lots more =). gordon is crazy at DDR. car-talk with nolan was fun. everyone was jealous that i saw a carrera gt =). today after church i went to claymusic rehearsal... its gonna be this way until april cuz we're doing a series of promotion concerts for the new cd. i have a LOT of stuff to learn... but its gonna be fun =). so anyways... now im back at school and its time to start cramming for tuesday's history quiz. its the last of the three quizzes... i cant wait to get it over with. anyways, im gonna shut up now. byebye!