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