123109

what
a
day

thanks
mom
dad
nick

121909

see you guys in 2010

121509

it is pretty darn cold. i cant bike anymore because im too lazy/stubborn to buy winter clothing items that covers my ears and mouth. its just too cold. is this the end? the end of my getaway from the world. getaway from beijing and entering the new fantasy world only God and I interacted?

I hope not.

with just about a week left. i have realized, time is ticking. whether you like it or not. yes. time is ticking. readers. TIME IS TICKING. every moment, you are part of HISTORY. pretty dope no?

come on ivan. suck it up. one last bike ride.

121309

as i spend my sunday evening at a cafe with two amazing people i have met in Beijing, it kinda hit me that i only have 10 more days in beijing and China. it made me think :am i ever going to come back again:

who knows.

10 days.

lets make it the best ivan.

112409

it is one thing to hate

but it is one thing to love

it is one thing to ignore

but it is one thing to acknoledge

it is one thing to discourage

but it is one thing to encourage

it is one thing to be selfish

but it is one thing to be sacrificial

it is one thing to be dishonest

but it is one thing to be honest

111409

week passes

mood rises

mood falls

but He rises

and He delivers

and that is sufficient.

What a week. : )

111009

frack.

time flies.

mood rises

mood dies

102809

what a week.

freaking emotional.

Gosh life is good.

Thank you, and you

102509

my weekend: sleepover at the GREAT WALL

who cares if it was illegal. cant stop Dr. Dre, Eminem and 50 Cent

101109

Longqing Gorge, China

100809

just like that. it is october.

funny how time flies when you seem to be short on time.

break is over. school starts again tomorrow.

but might go bungee jumping tomorrow. i hope i go.

092809

10/1-10/8

National Holiday(s)

I want to go somewhere, but i dont know where to go.

my gungho-ness kinda disappeared. im with the scholarship money i got which allowed me to go on to these trips. i dont know why im chicken-ing out with spending money. of course, its good to be concerned with my spending but at the same time im telling myself : " ivan dont be stingy, when are you ever going to come to china again. who knows ivan? just do it."

ah. 행복한 고민 (sorry ying mo) but at the same time do i really want to plan trips again? AH i dont know. i might just bike around beijing for the whole week. and i definitely want to camp illegally at the great wall of china.

readers, help me out here.

092509

CLASSES ARE FREAKING HARD

BUT I LOVE IT

091809

school starts this monday.

school

work out

read

i definitely feel the assimilation.

i bike A LOT. at least two hours per day. just go different directions. dont really know where im going though. but its very meaningful. very productive. probably the most productive activity im involved with.

oh, i joined a basketball club. there is a meeting on monday. lets see how things go.

mind isnt really there for intense blogging. bao qian

090709

Back safely in Beijing

two pictues which sum up my three-week trip in China

090109

Lijiang, Yunnan

Last Destination:

Tiger Leaping Gorge

082509

Still alive

Ruili, Yunnan
border between China and Myanmar

Secure-tunnel.com
lets thank Him

and yes my hair is long and well. no need to worry readers.

Half point check

Le Tour Traveller's Rest Youth Hostel

Shanghai, China

next destination

Kunming, Yunnan

080909

Qingdao

Shanghai

Guangzhou

Yunan

Beijing

be back in september

080309

my mind has been restless

on saturday i woke up 4 30 in the morning to go to remoted village 60 miles away from beijing that has houses back from ming dynasty along with Maoist propagandas and slogans. i hop on the bus. two hour drive. as soon as i land my first step at Chuan Di Xia. uhhh oh. forgot my SD memory card. a bit of panic mode. eff it. lets just try to take everything in.

obviously this totally failed. the place was so nice that i couldnt stop thinking about my camera.

so i just decided to take a look at the village very quickly and just take the bus back to beijing.

im going to come back.

the bus ride wasnt as smooth as the way to Chuan Di Xia. a guy who seemed to have not taken a shower in ages was sitting next to me the whole time. but it was all G. i was sweating like a mother anyways.

My orignial plan of having a quiet and soothing weekend went the other way around. as soon as i get back to the dorms, there were couple of my friends who were heading to Bei Hai 北海。(wiki it if interested with the place)

weather was foggy and humid so i didnt even take out my camera, the one that had SD memory card this time. we rented out a paddling boat and cruised around for an hour in the Sea ( mongolians named all these lakes 'oceans' because they havents seen such big bodies of water back at their place)

after Bei Hai we went to Wang Fu Jing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangfujing)

Chuan Di Xia where i wanted some quiet time of contemplation to

Wang Fu Jing, probably the most bustling place in Beijing at night time.

Scorpions i ate at Wang Fu Jing

i go with red

sometimes blue.

Night view of 王府井

this was only saturday.

on Sunday, after i come back from Church( separate update ) expecting a calm day with some reflections and DVD's i bought for $1 (He's just not that into you, CHE)

same group of friends were heading to Summer Palace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_palace)

it was a beautiful day. sun was not. hard to find any clouds.

everytime i go somewhere i have this ideal mindset that im going to be the only person in the area touring. WTF am i thinking? THIS IS CHINA

serioulsy... my readers. when you hear those "1.3 1.5 billion chinese people"

IT IS TRUE.

let me tell you. you will NEVER i mean NEVER be alone in China. some random pictures i took just for this post.

when i say people. i mean people.

anyways,

throughout the day i was able to get to know some ppl from the program a bit better. i thank Him for putting me in situations where im not use to. where im uncomfortable. where im astranger 陌生人。its a good opportunity to interact and just get to know them. chill time.

some pictures from Summer Palace

what a weekend

wait for next weeks update.

thank you avid readers ELee, CCho, and those quite invisible ones without no comments for keeping up with my China trip

if im alive.

072709

it has already been a month

time really flies.

last weekend i went to Shandong. to be more specific

Taishan 泰山 - 태산

Qu Fu 曲阜 - hometown of Confucius

it was an awesome trip. friday afternoon we left to the train station in beijing to leave.

one thin im ALWAYS amazed about here is....

THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE

it is like people over people over people. we had to wait inside for like 20 30 minutes before the actual train. NO a/c or maybe there was. just overpowered by people body heat

anyways. got on the train. the train

it was such an awesome experience. some ppl did their usual party train thing but i was just trying to take everything in. a good 5-6 hrs of contemplation. esp about china.

once we got to Tai Shan station, checked into the hotel,

and off we were to Tai Shan.

if you have any experience living in korea or just having a korean background. there is an old sayings(속담) about Tai Shan

티끌모아 태산 - many drops make shower

the mountain itself isnt really high. Hanla mountain is taller than Tai Shan. but the steps were definitely a lot steeper. some pictures.

it was a good hike. confucius talked a lot about Tai Shan... i guess?

so after the hike we took the cable car down the mountain.

next stop: Confucius' Crib: Qu Fu

to be honest, it wasnt that fascinating. we went to his temple and his mansion,where his descendants lived but it just didnt cut it. so no pictures.

YOU KIDDING ME? its confucius

one of the most, if not probably the most important figure in asian civilzation.

Confucius' tomb. WAY TOO MANY PPL. can i get a decent picture ANYWHERE?!?!

Analects of Confucius (論語)

that summarizes my three day trip to shandong. to be honest. i wish time just stopped right now

072409

this weekend's destination

Shandong 山东

[wiki.]

071909

just came back from inner mongolia.

amazing

truly amazing.

riding horses, atv-ing, shotting arrows.

fun

but it was not about that.

after the bondfire, after all the lights, after all the commotion, after everyone left.

i looked up the sky.

amazing

infinite number of stars. shining so brightly.

such a moment. havent been so emotionally touched by nature in a very long time.

"God, thank you for your creation. thank you for the sight you have given me. thank you for giving me the ability to appreciate your creation."

today marks the third week of my stay in china.

i love it here. maybe this is how white people feel when they go to korea and use their guide-book korean to koreans who dont understand a thing they are saying. every moment is a learning experience. language and most importantly life.

now that im 6000 miles away from LA, I have to do it. I have to say it. I have to make adjustments.

im not use to it

but i like it.

071409

i have been journaling a lot. when i move to different locations

when some kind of thought pops up. i write it down. or whenever i feel knotted inside. i just write it out. i always tell myself i would blog it but i never do it and "updating" my blog by simply copying what i wrote on my journal is not the way to go.

so here it is. what ive been freshly thinking for the past couple of minutes, hours.

i just came back from my listening instructor's office hours. im not too bad at reading comprehension. but when it comes to speaking whatever is in my head just doesnt come out the way i want it. many times ppl in my class give me that WTF look, as in what the hell is he talking about. it happens a lot in english too. i just dont know what i am saying, and i just leave my friends hanging with a confused look eagerly searching for the next conversation topic before it hits the awkward stage.

if its bad in english, imagine how bad it would be in chinese. its literally WTF

funny thing is, it doesnt discourage me at all. it gives me more energy to try. and i believe that is what matters and that is the spirit and mentality i need to improve on my chinese. and i will.

when i came back to the states '02, i was already far behind. since then i picked up the mentality " eff talents, i have no talents, time to be gritty: grind it out. put in 150% when others put in less. be the worker who puts in extra hours.

and honestly that did pay off. i somehow got into a very prestigious( really dont know how ) school and have friends who are probably going to be very successful in the future.

this post is not looking like what it was suppose to. but eff it

my point is. i need to work hard. if i dont put in the work, i cant get nowhere.

if i were to be stuck in jejudo and just go to its local college and become a tangerine farmer: maybe not.

but that is not the case. im at a school where ppl are very competitive. right now im at the heart of a nation that is making a big impact globally. everything is moving. everyone is moving. life goes on

and at this point, really, ivan, there is nothing to lose.

end justify means vice versa who CARES!

i am going to live life. and live

shiz i got the biggest BACKUP in the world.

that G never runs out of GAS

and thats the way its going to be.

if maxiell can earn 3 years 15 mil with a small ass body guarding dwight howard and his fat ass guarding LBJ, i can do the same. i might not win but if i give my all

i will be satisfied.

so ivan, dont make excuses. if you dont put in the work. you deserve it.

if you do put in the work. thats that.

and the same goes for my readers.

lupin

070709

its been about two weeks now.

Beijing is pretty nice. the weather might be a little uncomfortable but everything cant be perfect.

I finally started to put my hands on the street vendor food. all the food taste pretty good. but not your stomach the next day.

a lot of ppl ride bikes. there is no such called right of way. its interesting how ppl dont follow the rules. its a interesting mixture of psychology and sociology, i think.

school work is not too bad. i feel like im continuing from where i just left off from ucla

after school one day i went out to explore the china china.

under a bridge ppl just cutting?shaving other people's hair. pretty cool

these little doors are HOUSES. very narrow "sidewalk." good reminder how blessed i am.
dad went inside to go eat lunch. poor kid had to make sure ppl dont take her dad's watermelons that ppl are not buying.
can someone donate a trash can for these people? wherever you walk, this kind of site could be common. not in the big streets but where ordinary ppl live and work.
lunch break. yea who would want to work under the blazing sun. we all need rest. only if he knew how to rest in him.

awesome day. rare from beijing. only if we all appreciated more. the world we be such a better place.

i checked out BICF. its pretty nice. different ethnic groups praising Him together. pretty dope stuff. ive been very aloof from the EAP program ppl. just been thinking a lot lately. i should be more involved and be out there. but at the same time dont we all need a time of solitude? but timing though. definitely. i dont know where ive been spending my time lately

i max

070109

FIRST DAY OF CLASS

not so soon.

my roommate got sick yesterday night so he went to the hospital

the next thing i know i am semi-quarantined in my room.

one boring night. watching chinese tv i can barely comprehend. at least they were showing the

magic-lakers game the magic won. eh

after i woke up i just couldnt bare the hunger. screw staying in my room starving. went out with

my cool mask on get my ipod and i went to Mc D's

after two hours. my roommate came back. THANK THE LORD. no N1H1 whatever they call it.

CHINA

Beijing Normal Univeristy

So i arrived here last friday. the airport was very modernized. aiport people were very concerned with the swine flu so after we arrived at the airport they took temperatures of each traveler.

after i got my luggage i got on the taxi. the drive was about an hour. the driver was very nice and friendly. i was able to use my not-so-good chinese along the way talking about the weather,family,olympic etc. i would say he has made the biggest impact so far. if i i have met rude driver, i would have been intimidated to start a conversation or even practice my chinese. the driver encouraged me a lot and gave me tips how to improve with chinese quickly.

after i checked in to the dorm and settled down, i just got way too tired. knocked out. day 1

the next day i met up with christina at a bustling street called wudaokou. first time ordering chinese food. wasnt too bad tofu and chicken.

AND then we went to a cafe to drink some coffee/tea

this WAITRESS. updates coming soon.

sunday i met up with tuna to go to church called BICF. foreigners are allowed with their passports. it was a different experience. after going to a korean church all along. black,asian,white all kinds it was kinda cool

yall know me. i love chowmein. and for lunch after church i ate CHOWMEIN.

it was so bomb.

afterwards, i played ball.

best way to make friends and learn chinese. exercise.

people hear me. CHINESE PEOPLE ARE FREAKING HEALHTY.

everybody comes out and exercise. i mean everybody.

campus is open to public so ppl around the vicinity come exercise. maybe americans should learn from them. i made a friend. name: ZHENG physics graduate student. we gonna ball together for life.

and let me tell you about Mc D

24 hour stores. so many people. SO MANY PEOPLE. stop eating. GO EAT YOUR RICE

$3 Big Mac meal. sounds appealing?

so yea i really like it here. ppl know im from a foreign country so they try to help you with conversation and all that. some try to jipp you. gotta watch out.

i talked to a random grandpa yesterday asking him if he can help me with conversation every other day. he said yea its cool. so im looking foward to that.

lupin

063009

thank the lord for vpn

i am able to go through the "tight" chinese security and write this blog.

yea many sites are blocked. YOUTUBE. but its okay vpn for the rescue i wont be missing maxiell's domination next season.

Just a Thank You note.

school starts tomorrow. ill have the updates tomorrow.

lupin

062609

at the airport.

free wireless. how cool

its funny.

im actually leaving

He will prevail.

weird.

bye korea. Hello China

[reminded me of tokyo drift. dont ask how]

061809

another year

things to look foward to:

Traveling

Recomm

MY JIP

and Him

See you guys in China! ( unless there is another post in Korea )

061309

Graduation

-Goodbye- leads another channel to -Hello-

061206

i wonder a lot.

Brian McKnight - Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

I usually have a progressive mindset. rarely do i think about the past

BUT somedays. i look back.

and for the past three years. it has been this one day. 12 June

God is Good. He is Love. Things Happen for a Reason