Wednesday, September 28, 2011

[FREE] Traveling

One of my biggest goals in life is to travel around the world. There are many reasons to why I want to travel the world. I find different cultures very interesting because they represent the different lifestyles of the human race. Although we are all humans living on Earth, our cultures are very different from each others.

Another reason why I want to travel the globe is because I love scenery. If I have a good view in front of me, I can easily clear my mind, it gives me a moment of peace. It enables me to get away from my world and think about my life. I would like to travel to Alaska and see the auroras in the night sky. Maybe even go to Hawaii, lay on the beach, and watch the sun set. I can list tons of places I want to visit, just to see the scenery.

I also wanted to try the different kinds of food around the world. Each different country you visit, they follow a different diet, and eat different kinds of food. Food is also a part of our culture. I want to taste all the different types of food around the world.

Although America will always be my home, I often find it boring to follow the same routine on a daily basis. Hopefully when I am older, I can move to a different country for a while, just to experience a different lifestyle than what I am used to. I want to have a chapter in my life(5-10 years) where I just travel to different continents every year and live different lifestyles. If I do this, I can honestly say that I lived a very fulfilled life.

[BI-WEEKLY COLUMN] COLLEGE ESSAY REVISION

      Since my first years in middle school, I was not very school motivated. I hated doing homework, going to school, and sitting in class listening to my teacher talk. I did not feel the need to do well academically, and I thought that it was just a huge waste of time. I remember trying to hide my report cards from my parents so I wouldn't get yelled at. Every time my mother would find my report cards, she would yell at me for hours, sometimes even show some tears. I remember days where I felt like a horrible son for putting my mom through the stress.

     During my 8th grade year, my mother decided to get me a tutor so I would do better when I got into high school. I was skeptical at first, but then I realized that having a tutor would increase my chances of success in high school. As time passed, my tutor and I grew a bond that I had never had with anyone else. He not only became my teacher, but also became a brother figure in my life. One of the many ways he impacted my mind set was the fact that he played as a role model for me, I wanted to be just as smart as him. Throughout my years with him being my tutor, I never once found a problem that he could not solve. I honestly believed that he was a genius. Even with his help, I was not very motivated to do well in my studies my freshman and sophomore year. I guess you can say that for a moment, I rejected school. I believe I went by the first two years of high school with a 2.0 - 2.6 GPA, not reaching my potential. Towards the end of my Sophomore year, my tutor informed me that he needed to serve in the South Korean army because he was a citizen of South Korea. I have not seen him since. After he left, I promised myself that the following year I would put more of my effort into my studies.

   Being of Asian decent, my parents was often judged by others because of my bad working habits and the people that I often associated myself with. Always comparing me with their "hard-working" sons and daughters that got into a good UC. Aside from the criticism, my parents accepted me for who I was, always worked hard to get me what I wanted in life, and always showed me unconditional love. I could not put my parents through any more mental strain, it was time for a change. I needed to prove to everyone, more importantly myself, that I could do well academically. Examples were set by my older cousins, who had not reached their full potential in high school and were stuck in tough situations.

     It was not until the beginning of my Junior year, where I started to exceed in my studies. I worked hard, did my homework everyday, studied for every test, and it all paid off. At the end of my first semester, I received a 3.63 GPA, higher than any of my past grade point averages. This just fueled my motivation to do even better. At the end of my 2nd semester, I received the GPA of 3.83. My Junior year was the turning point in my academic life. Now it is my Senior year, and I plan on doing even better than ever before! I can say that my first two years of high school is filled with regrets. I plan on putting all my effort into my academic studies once I get into college.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

[CE] Dozens of bodies found in Eastern Mexico.

Wow, I cannot believe how horrific this incident is.

How can the drug cartels do something so horrific and evil to innocent people?  With the increase of demand for drugs, it makes sense that drug gang activity has also increased, which also resulted in the spark of the inevitable drug wars throughout Mexico. But why kill innocent people, what point can they possibly prove by doing this? If murdering 35 innocent people(including 2 minors) isn't bad enough, they just had to take it a step further by dumping them in a middle of a busy street in broad daylight? The men responsible for this should not be considered human, they are all animals.

All of the murdered had loved ones, this event did not only effect those families, but the whole community. Although many of the families now live with much anger in their hearts, there is no way to express it because they also live in fear of being killed. If I were to see a pile of 35 bodies in the middle of a street, I would either think I'm having a nightmare, or I'm living in hell. I cannot begin to imagine the amount of anger that many residents of Mexico are feeling. I think it is about time for the Mexican government to completely crack down on the drug cartels. How can any Mexican resident live with a peace of mind knowing that they have local terrorists in their area. This video really showed me the extent that many drug gangs will go to, just to prove a point. My heart goes out to the families of the murdered.

[RE] Joseph's Neighborhood

"Althought so many fail to see it, Oakland actually has an artistic side rich with culture and soul."

This quote was stated by Joseph in his recent blog post. He describes his own emotional attachment  towards the city of Oakland, regardless of what many people view it as. I have to say, I really thought that his post truly came from the heart. Although Oakland is notorious for its high homicide rates and gang violence, Joseph paints us a picture of his own personal image of his home. Apart from the violence that goes on within the streets of Oakland, he realized that Oakland, in its own way, is a beautiful place. I do believe that many people incorporate Oakland with nothing but crimes and gang violence, without realizing that Oakland actually is a city with a long history.

It truly is a shame that many people, even kids that havent reached adulthood, lose their lives trying to survie in the struggle. Joseph's blog really made me think about the number of lives lost in Oakland every year, how much wasted talents there are in the streets of Oakland. Many people are quick to judge the residents of Oakland, just because they are from a  "ghetto" neighborhood, without knowing what they have to see on a daily basis. Having to always keep your guard up and always live with a fear of getting hurt, maybe even shot by a stray bullet. Despite the struggles and hardships that comes with living in Oakland, Joseph still considers the positives and the beautiful aspects of living in Oakland. It is true that the media often associates murder with Oakland on a regular basis, which results in a never ending series of bad images towards the town. I hope that with time, Oakland can achieve the positive reputation that they deserve.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

[FREE] Future

So, throughout the last couple of years, I have been listening about people's ambitions and what they want to do with their lives when they are older. Whether they want to be become a doctor, a lawyer, a pediatrician, or any other career path that they want to pursue. It actually makes me disappointed in a sense, because I have no idea what my ambitions are or what path in life to follow after I graduate high school. Not to say that I'm completely clueless, but thinking about the future is definitely not my cup of tea. I actually have several options in mind, but I have not yet been dedicated enough to pick a plan and stick with it.

I was thinking about going straight to a 4-year college, like SJSU, but honestly money is always an issue. I dont know how I can come up with the money for dorms, food, and just living in general. Another option that I had was enrolling into a community college, while trying to keep a job on the side, but that is easier said than done. If I decide that I want to just get away from everything and see the outside world, I was thinking about joining the navy and hopefully I will be stationed somewhere on the other side of the world. I am mind blown at the fact that we are all almost adults. To be honest, I still feel like a kid inside and I wonder if I can make adult decisions that will effect the rest of my life. I guess its time to man up, I cannot kick back and live like I have no responsibilities. I need to just try my best and hope for the best.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

[RE] Alison's "Swept Away" post.

"An ordinary day for one person may be a tragic one for another. As we live our lives, we don't think about the people that are suffering around the world, or the ones dying every second."


This quote was stated by Alison in her recent blog post. She expresses her feelings towards the people that were effected by the recent tragedies that had struck Japan 6 months ago. I have to agree with her thoughts on this situation. Many people go on living their lives being selfish and stuck-up, without knowing how much they are taking for granted. Imagine people you live next to, your friends, your family, all being swept away in the matter of hours. I don't know how I could possibly deal with my home town being completely destroyed, along with the people that lived in my own community. I can't begin to imagine the amount of emotional strain that these people must be going through on a daily basis. 


While one is having the time of their lives, another is meeting their demise, how ironic is that? Life is just hard to predict in general, anything can happen, at any moment. In the video, a man walked the shoreline, everyday, for 6 straight months, all in hopes to find his wife of 40 years. I cannot imagine how hurt this man is, and yet he still had the strength to keep a straight face in front of the camera. It really moved me when the man said "I will never quit looking for her, it doesn't matter whether I find something or not, it is my duty." Wow... if that isn't love then I don't know what love is. It is obvious that she was a great woman, although her own life was at risk, she still spent the time to help other escape the disaster. I hope that she is in a better place, if not I hope that his man somehow is reunited with her. A large number of lives, changed in a matter of hours. My love and support go out to the people of Japan.



[CE] South Korea's E-SPORTS

I was searching for a video to do my Current Events post and I came across this video that describes how much computer games have impacted the South Korean community.



Being born and raised in Korea, I found this video fascinating. It is unbelievable to think that there are actually schools that base there whole curriculum off computer games. Growing up, I spent a lot of time playing computer games (must be in the blood), I also often watched my older cousins play computer games for hours on end. Other than the fact that I never knew about the computer gaming schools in South Korea, this video was of no surprise to me. The Korean people actually are known for their gaming addictions.

In my couple previous visits to Korea, I noticed there were tons of PC rooms, which I had spent a lot of my time in. No joke, there is a PC room in almost every block. People go there with their group of friends to play multi-player games, eat food, and smoke cigarettes. This is actually a typical day for many  South Koreans. Don't get me wrong, there are tons of other activities to do, but I guess you can say that gaming has slowly become apart of our culture. Every time I would watch T.V. in Korea, there would always be a channel that are strictly for computer games. It is a show where professional gamers get together and go head to head on different multi-player games, the winner was often rewarded prize money. Can you imagine that? Playing video games as a career, now thats the life. I often found it humorous whenever the announcer would go crazy when one team scores a point on the other. It was like a gaming version of America's own ESPN channel.

I feel that this video kind of gave a bad image to the Korean education system. In a recent study, it was estimated that the majority of South Korean high school students actually spent 14 hours a day in some form of education and got about 5 and a half hours of sleep every night. I don't know about you, but I would just quit school if it required me to be dedicated for 14 hours throughout the day.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

[BI-WEEKLY COLUMN] COLLEGE ESSAY.

     Since my first years in middle school, I can honestly say that I was not very school motivated. I hated doing homework, going to school, and sitting in class listening to my teacher talk. I did not feel the need to do well academically, and I thought that it was just a huge waste of time. I remember trying to hide my report cards from my parents so I wouldn't get yelled at. Every time my mother would find my report card before I got to hide them, she would yell at me for hours, sometimes even show some tears.

     During my 8th grade year, my mother decided to get me a tutor, so I would do better when I got into high school. I was skeptical at first, but then I realized that having a tutor would increase my chances of success in high school. As time passed, my tutor and I grew a bond that I had never had with anyone else. My tutor became not only my teacher, but also became a brother figure in my life. One of the many ways he impacted my mind set, was the fact that he enlightened me with the word of god. He was a pastor at a church in Fremont and had a deep connection with God, he took me to a church retreat, where I met many good people and learned more about the loving Christian community. Throughout my years with him being my tutor, I never once found a problem that he could not solve. I honestly believed that he was a genius. Even with his help, I was not very motivated to do well in my studies my freshman and sophomore year. I guess you can say that for a moment, I rejected school. I believe I went by the first two years of high school with a 2.0 - 2.6 GPA, not reaching my potential. Towards the end of my Sophomore year, my tutor informed me that he needed to serve in the South Korean army, because he was a citizen of South Korea. We had one last dinner, and said our goodbyes. I have not seen him since.

   Being of Asian decent, my parents was often judged by others because of my bad working habits and the people that I often associated myself with. Always comparing me with their "hard-working" sons and daughters that got into a good UC. Aside from the criticism, my parents accepted me for who I was, always working hard to get me what I wanted in life. It was time for a change, I needed to prove to everyone, more importantly myself, that I could do well academically. Examples were set by my older cousins, who had not reached their full potential in high school, and were stuck in tough situations.

     It was not until the beginning of my Junior year, where I started to exceed in my studies. I worked hard, did my homework everyday, studied for every test, and it all paid off. At the end of my first semester, I received a 3.63 GPA, higher than any of my past grade point averages. This just fueled my motivation to do ever better. At the end of my 2nd semester, I received the GPA of 3.83. My Junior year was the turning point in my academic life. Now it is my Senior year, and I plan on doing even better than ever before! I know that my first two years of high school have really hurt my chances of getting into a UC, and I can honestly say that those two years are filled with regrets. I plan on putting all my effort into my academic studies once I get into a college.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

[FREE] Time Flies

Damn, I cannot believe how fast time has went by. It seems like last month we were all freshman and now we have one more year left. When I was younger, I would always view high school kids to be so grown and intimidating. Now I am a Senior in high school, I still can't believe it. What I would give to relive my life as a child, when things were so much simpler. It's crazy to think about how much responsibility one has to deal with when they become of age. Friends, some that I have known for years on end, are going off to college soon. I regret not reaching my full potential academically during freshman and sophomore year, or else I would also be on my way to a good school. Instead, I am forced to go to a community college and transfer. People say that the first two years in college is the best experience, too bad I'ma spend my first two years working my ass off, juggling school and work at the same time.

Its overwhelming to think about that once we graduate, life as we know it will change dramatically. Some of us will probably never see each other again, and go on our own path. It truly is a bittersweet moment when one graduates high school. Some will go off to different states, different regions within a state, and probably even different countries. It is time that we realize that we are adults and we will be on our own after high school. No one will take the time to baby us anymore, we have to make decisions for ourselves, and put ourselves on the path to success. If you're like me, and not sure of your future, don't worry, everything will work out fine. To those who are attending a 4-year college within California, good job guys, I'm proud of you all. To those who are going out of California or even out of the country, good luck, I truly envy you guys, Im sure that all of you will have a great experience. Now that we discussed life after graduation, LETS ENJOY SENIOR YEAR! Its our last year at this school, our last chance to make life long connections, our last chance to make memorable high school memories, and most importantly, our last chance to bring unity to the class of 2012. I wish the best luck for all!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Response to Nathan Tieu's Revenge Attacks

 "I find that these ‘revenge attacks’ horrendous because this is more of a reason for more violence." 


This quote is from Nathan's recently posted blog. In his blog post, he explains how he feels that the "revenge attacks" are pointless and only brings forth more violence. I have to say that I completely agree with his opinion in this matter. To be honest, only uneducated idiots would think about getting revenge on innocent people. First and foremost, the man that was murdered was NOT Muslim. Secondly, the man was Indian, not even of middle-eastern decent. It amazes me that the murderer would actually shoot an innocent human being just because he was wearing a turban.... seriously? Did he think that killing another human being would justify anything? 




Another thing that pisses me off is the fact that the media always links "muslims" and "terrorists" together. Over the summer, I got a sort of enlightenment from one of my muslim friends who actually practices the religion regularly.
He explained to me that in the muslim religion, whoever defies the creed after knowing it, will go to hell. Having stated this, does it make sense that terrorists are labeled to be "muslims" when people of the Islamic religion are actually a peaceful people? In fact, the words "terrorist" and "muslims" actually contradict one another. Some terrorists do label themselves as muslims, which means they KNOW the creed, have taken lives, and will ultimately end up in hell.


Because of this, we decreed for the Children of Israel that anyone who murders any person who had not committed murder or horrendous crimes, it shall be as if he murdered all the people. And anyone who spares a life, it shall be as if he spared the lives of all the people. Our messengers went to them with clear proofs and revelations, but most of them, after all this, are still transgressing. - Quran Sura 5:32


This Quran verse clearly states, "We decreed for the children of Israel that anyone who murders any person who had not committed murder or horrendous crimes, it shall be as if he murdered all the people." So again, murder is definitely NOT a positive thing in Islam. Why does the media label terrorists as muslims, without having any knowledge of the religion. You would think they would do more research on the second biggest religion in the world   before disgracing the name of the Muslim people. Hopefully one day people will forget about the stereotypes and be more accepting torwards Islam. To all my Muslim people out there, I FEEL FOR YOU!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Things I want to do before I die. (Free Post)

Alright, since this is a free post and I am allowed to write about anything that I want, I wanted to write about the things I wanted to do before I reach my inevitable death. Many people will tell you over exaggerated goals in there lives that they will probably never live to see. I tried to break all my goals down realistically.

First and foremost, I WILL make sure my parents live a lavish lifestyle, they have honestly worked hard to give me a good life and nothing I do can ever repay them back..... but I can try!
I want a nice sized house, a nice car, a beautiful wife, and beautiful children.
I want a job that I actually enjoy doing and not a job where I wake up in the morning and say "UGHH, work again!".
One of the things that I want to do is visit every continent in the world, I can honestly say I may find a passion in traveling the globe.
I also hope to skydive sometime in the next 5 years (although I'm scared of heights) just so I can get that adrenaline rush throughout my body.
This is obvious, but I want to reach a point in my life where I can say that I am truly happy, satisfied with many aspects of my life.
I want to have a circle with TRUE friends, people I can count on like family, people that would take care of my children if I wasn't able to for whatever reason. Ride or Die type friends.

This doesnt explain all of my life goals, but I guess you can say it is an outline. Hopefully I will be able to complete all these goals before my time.

9/11 Changed life. (Current Events post)

So, 9-11 is coming up, so I wanted to do a video response post on a man who decided to join the emergency services after helping clean up the rubble from the 9-11 attack.



I would like to start off by saying that I am truly amazed that this man found a career path that he is passionate about, from such a horrible event. I give out my respect to the families who lost a loved one on 9/11. I believe that this country can never get enough people who dedicate their lives in helping and protecting others. Having more people like this man shown in the video will ultimately result in less lost of lives in our countries next casualty. This goes to show that even in the worse case scenarios, someone will benefit from this. Yes, 9/11 resulted in the lost of innocent lives, but it also helped people appreciate their own lives.

I also feel that life is very unpredictable. Not only speaking for the people who lost their lives on 9/11, but the man shown in this video as well. He was on the path to becoming an actor, and yet this event changed his whole career path, while also providing him with a new passion. It is people like this man that will save lives in the next catastrophe. Although it is depressing, casualties in the future is inevitable, but it is reassuring to know that there are people out there who really care about our lives. Knowing that people are willing to risk there own lives to save yours, gives you a sense of courage. I have a tremendous amount of respect for people who work to serve and protect the population.

I hope that the government tightens its security so we wont have to deal with any terrorist attacks again.