Rethran Realms

The 2012 Calendar: Beautiful Taipei, Taiwan!!

2011-11-06T02:28:00.000-08:00

PSY K-Pop Artist at Seoul National University

2011-10-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

...

O_C in Korea

2011-09-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

I've encountered Owl City's songs in the recent months in unexpected places. There's the occasional "Fireflies" song over the speaker at the local coffee shop. But then also, there's been O_C's songs on 2 counts of advertising commercial's. The last of these was for a telephone commercial feature one of his more obscure songs. Also, just today in the coffee shop, they were playing a really obscure O_C song from his latest album: Hospital Flowers. It's a very strange pick to play in public, but then again it is the right of coffee shops to play more "off-beat" music. It's just interesting considering this "Hospital Flower's" song includes references to faith in God.

Well, way back in the day...

2011-09-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

...I used to say that I would become "independently wealthy" for my future job whenever someone would question me about my career plan when I was still in junior high. I had liked to use that reply, because I had never found it easy to focus my interest into one field, and because I guess I assumed I would be good at whatever I would end up doing thereby not needing to worry about the money.

Well, unexpectedly--as I just realized the other day--I think I've achieved that side goal unintentionally. Having saved about $xx,000 from working as a teacher, I can pay for housing, tuition, daily and other expenses for a good while now, at least through the year's end. (I guess it helps not having to worry about a car to take care of its upkeep, lolz) I am thankful I have been blessed with this provision, and I do mean to give the rightful portion back to the Kingdom Buidling. For now, I'm thankful I can be an independently wealthy student with no need for a job for the next few months.

(Notingly, I will probably get a job anyway.)

Good-bye Letters ㅠㅠ

2011-08-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

The following is a series of good-bye letters from a few students in the academy I have been teaching at. They were written in the last week of my teaching. They come from mostly middle school aged kids, with a few elementary students as well. For the vast majority, they are unedited and remain in the original form.

I publish these to exhibit insight into how much I appreciate our students. I will miss teaching them and the special in-class memories. Some of these letters also give insight into some of our memories and inside-jokes. It's been a great year teaching students such as these.

To Mr. Cole

Hello~ ^^ Teacher? I'm purple class student Emily. I know you leave soon. I was happy, fun interesting when I learned English with you. Your class is very fun. So, I want to listen. Sometimes, I was feeling not good. But, when we finished lesson with you, my feeling is better than before class. I will miss you!! If you go to Seoul I will call you sometimes. ㅎㅎ bye-bye teacher ~!!^^

-2011.8.22-
-from Emily-

Dear Mr. Cole
Hi ~ My Name is kate How are you? I'm good. you will go to the Seoul university. Congratulations I went to UNI first. First class is you! I saw you your hair color is very strange ㅋㅋ You are so funny. you are good for teacher you will go to the university I'm feel so miss. You can do it. Fighting!!

-2011 Aug 22th Mon-
From kate

To Mr. Cole
I had one time left to study with you. I was happy when I studied with you. You are kind to listen other student's speaking. I heard that you will move to Seoul University. I hoped you will goot at in. My hometown was in Seoul, so I hope we will meet at Seoul. Thank you very much!!!!!
From Kevin

To Cole
Hi Cole? I'm Jenny.
I'm so sad because I heard you leave You & I. but I'm happy too. You are in Korea! (Just in seoul) so I belive we can meet you. When with your time, I have a happy day. why? because you are a very kind and Good for our. I'm so sorry for do not homework, not very hard in your class. I'm repent of them. I think I have meet any teacher but not like you, Cole teacher! I'll miss you forever, I spend happy time in your class. please don't forget You & I... ㅠㅠ Hope you have a wonderful time in You & I! because, i have a heaven time with you.. bye~! I'm so sad! bye..bye, bye, bye! and see you next time..

Good Bye, Mr. Cole!
Hi, I'm Betty. Soon, you will go Seoul.
I want something. That's please shave your hair. I don't like your hair. That looks ghost. Like a hairy ghost. Second, I want to see your bald head. Before you said to want to bald head. That means you will have bald head, I think. Thank you for your teaching. Don't eat a lot of butter. That makes you, butter. Good bye, and maybe I will miss you. Have a good time in Seoul. Maybe you'll make a girl friend. Good luck!

To mr. Cole
Hi? I'm Jane. I'm sad you're leave here before Setember. Your girlfriend [*PERSON'S NAME*]'s story is good. Are you love [*PERSON'S NAME*] now, too? I pray for you and [*PERSON'S NAME*]!! Your class is great! and i will missing you after you leave You & I english Academy. you're great teacher. Don't forgot me! I will remember you.
Be happy and
Good bye...
- from Jane

Hi, Mr. cole. I'm Byung gill [BOY'S NAME]
I was so happy during with you, because you are funny. now I am sad because are go out. If you go, I will miss you alot. Please, come back again. If we meet again, I want you have girlfriend. goodbye. cole. see you late

To Mr. Cole (Trashcan Teacher)...
Hello? I'm Erica. nowadays night & sometimes afternoon, the weather is cold. be careful!
If you go to Seoul, You & I will be quiet. You said "I am a Trashcan!" then you ate dirty pringle?! (프링글스) that is very amazing and funny thing. I'm excited when I study with you. you teach me then I know a lot.
If you go to Seoul then
1. Make a friends! Make a new girlfriend!
2. Study Korean!
3. Make happy days with your new girlfriend!
4. Be happy! Be healthy!
Ok? Promise!
Tuesday. August. 23rd 2011 From Erica..

Hello? Mr. cole
I'm Mac.
Thank you for teaching me.
I think you are good teacher. I hope to you teach more. When you come to Suncheon, please see to me and Aiden. Because our like you! and our miss you. We always thinkg of you. So, you don't miss we too. Good bye! teacher.
-Mac-

New Album from OWL CITY

2011-06-16T05:01:00.001-07:00

How silly of me to forget that OWL CITY RELESED THE NEW ALBUM THIS PAST WEEK!! 이제부터 난 이 새로운 노래들이 밖에 생각 안 할 거야!!

The Word "Crazy"

2011-05-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

For Koreans, the word "crazy" never, *never* fails to get some sort of a strong reaction, usually a humorous offensive one at it. This is strange to me where in the States I would say anything is crazy with no real meaning behind it.

Favorite Korean Movies

2011-04-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

The Man from Nowhere, 아저씨
He's on Duty, 방가?방가!
Joseon Detective, 조선명탐정
Oldboy, 올드보이
Meet the In-Laws, 위험한 상견례
Suicide Forecast, 수상한 고객들
The Last Blossom, 세상에서 가장 아름다운 이별

Leafie, A Hen Into The Wild, 마당을 나온 암탉
My Way, 마이 웨이
The Crucible, 도가니
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War, 태극기휘날리며
Dancing Queen, 댄싱퀸

Midnight FM, 심야의 FM
Wonderful Radio, 원더풀 라디오
The Host, 괴물
The Cat, 고양이
Pungsan Dog, 풍산개
Sector 7, 7광구
Shiri, 쉬리
Goji Battle, 고지전
Oasis, 오아시스
The Sword with No Name, 불꽃처럼, 나비처럼

Is It Called A Pet-Peeve?

2011-03-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

One of my recent pet-peeve realizations is that it annoys me when foreigners here in Korea act like they know things about the Korean language but flat-out get it wrong. While I might not be by any means on the Korean language, I'm sure I could easily find a native speaker back me up in pointing out the errancy in these misnomers about the Korea language.

In Korean:

"There are no plurals"
"The word for friend is also the same as boyfriend or girlfriend"
"There are no prepositions"
"There is no equivalent word for 'my'"

All of these are wrong.

Foreigners here in Korea seem to like to brag about what they know about the language, and oftentimes, they'll get stuff wrong, and it all bugs me to death, but particularly their using it to have a boasting contest.

One of The Big Questions

2011-03-08T05:05:00.000-08:00

In growing up, there are fewer and fewer times when I question life result's divvied out by God or feel betrayed or letdown by Him. But recently, this happened again: where I felt and feel a letdown. What's more this time is that I'm almost certain-to-death that it was God who led me into this mess specifically, when He could have detoured me at any point of time. So, the question in my mind is why did God lead into such a disappointment. My meditations have pointed to there must be some metaphysical benefit to someone I encountered along the way in my sufferings and maybe I grew a little myself (although this last point has me little convinced). I am grieved, and can only hope the roads leads on. Time's passage makes everything transitory and short enough before long.

Korean Learning Update

2011-02-26T01:13:00.000-08:00

As always in the effort to find new ways to challenge my learning and have fun with it, I bought 3 comic books from the FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST and DEATH NOTE series at a book store here in Korea. Both are obviously written in the Korean language. Slow reading, then! But it's good. I can understand more of it than I predicted because of knowing the series so well, understanding the pictures, and knowing the language. It's really fun. Random phrases and words you'll learning reading these books. I know now how to say alchemist in Korean...I don't know when that'll ever pop in my everyday conversation though!

Korean Version of Poem Except

2011-02-10T04:56:00.000-08:00

꿈을 꾸되 꿈의 노예가 되기 않을 수 있다면,
네 일생을 바쳐 이룩한 것이 무너져내리는 걸 보가
허리 굽혀 낡은 연장을 들어 다시 세울 수 있다면,
네가 이제껏 성취한 모든 걸 한데 모아서
단 한 번의 승부에 걸 수 있다면,
...그래서 패배하더라도 처음부터 다시 시작할 수 있다면,
군궁과 함께 말하면서도 너의 미덕을 지키고
왕과 함께 걸으면서도 민중의 마음을 놓치지 않는다면,
이 세상, 그리고 이 세상의 모든 게 다 네 것이다.
그리고 무엇보다 아들아, 너는 드디어 한 남자가 되는 것이다!!!

....an excerpt from "If" by Kipling

The Places I've Been

2011-02-09T05:35:00.000-08:00

Ajusshi: Vector Tutorial

2011-01-16T17:59:00.001-08:00

Speed Art

2010-12-20T06:19:00.000-08:00

I Have Much to Be Thankful For

2010-11-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving approaching in the States (but not in Korea), it's only natural that I comment on how blessed I am this past year and how thankful I am. Indeed, Thanksgiving is most likely my favorite holiday, so I'll miss the celebrations in USA, but there was a little get-together Thanksgiving party with an assortment of food made by the group of churchgoers at the English serivce that I go to at Jeil Church here in Suncheon, Korea. But, that's beside the point except for to serve as an illustration of a blessing--the blessing of being able to feel at home many miles away from home becaues of good people and friends.

What I really want to say in the short time I have to write tonight is to describe a brief story that happed today to serve as an example of the many, many small blessings that I keep experiencing and can only conclude that God is really and truly looking out for me here in Korea because of said blessed happenings. But, anyhoo, the first half of this day, I was wrestling with negativity, bitterness, and some anger, because of graduate applications becoming difficult and because of relationship problems with one of my friends. I really tries not to think negative things, even though some evil spirit kept telling me I deserved to take offense over this and an unloving attitude. I begged God to protect me from such anger, which worked. Later that day, as I was walking to the Thanksgiving dinner, I perchance ran into one of my 3 favorite students at the school, Jake, who was just a joy to see on the streets. I never see our students in public, like on the streets. Jake is always such a joy and fun to have in class; he's a really cool kid. And seeing him on the sidewalk walking home instantly made me smile and forget my worries completely. We didn't talk long (actually he was super surprised to see his teacher walking the streets himself). But it still made my day.

I'm thankful.

New Korean Calendar

2010-11-14T05:05:00.001-08:00

Click below to access the page where you can see a calendar for the 2011 year with photography of traditional Korea as its theme, as published by myself throug Lulu.com.

Speed Art #9

2010-11-07T04:32:00.000-08:00

Ms. Son by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

New Clips from Korea

2010-10-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

Using English outside of Teaching

2010-10-25T03:54:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, my Korean friend, Jaeseok, perchance took me to the sports complex in Suncheon at night to see what it was like. We were there as a Korean car drifting team were doing their thing in their sporty cars. As we passed by, this team of car-maniacs asked me to give their team a cool English name. Jaeseok and I came up with Mass-Infecting Virus Tuning to be the closest thing to what the Korean guys had in their mind. Hmm...

I'm glad I was asked to help with my English ability outside of school.

Speed Painting #8

2010-10-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

Ink Blot Portrait by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Where Can I Find?

2010-10-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

어디서 찾니 너같이 좋은 사람, 너같이 좋은 마음, 너같이 좋은 선물.

Speed Painting #7

2010-09-26T17:51:00.001-07:00

Answer to the Where was I? Quiz:

2010-09-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

1. C
2. B
3. A
4. D
5. D
6. A
7. B
8. C
9. B
10. A
11. B
12. C
13. A
14. D
15. D
16. B
17. E
18. A
19. B
20. D

Results:

0           Fail. Somebody didn't try.

1-4        Did you even watch the video? You should've gotten more, even if you haven't been to Seoul!

5-8        Ok, so maybe the video was a bit hard, but next time try harder to make connections between 2 seemingly dissimilar pictures. The first video had all of the clues you need to solve most all of the questions.

9-11    Ok, so maybe the video was a bit hard. Blame it on me for not doing better.

12-15   Average, and actually pretty good. Maybe you don't know Seoul very well, but well enough to guess the connections between two seemingly disconnected pictures! Well done. You did as well as I had hoped.

16-17   Hmm...I'm beginning to think you fudged your score or otherwise cheated. I'd hoped that the quiz would be hard enough for few people to make it to this point.

18-19   If you made this much, you should be exceedingly pleased with yourself. You know Seoul like the back of your hand, and no one can trick you about its details.

20       No, there's no way you got all of the answers right! You can't possibly have lived in Seoul, could you? Or did you follow me through my travels!!!?!?! Even so, how did I not make it hard enough to trick everyone!!! Ah!!!

My Trip to Seoul

2010-09-24T23:16:00.001-07:00

The Extent of My Korean Vocabulary

2010-09-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

The following is a list of words and phrases that I can use in Korean. I'll keep adding to this as the list grows.

잘가
안녕
안녕하세요
만나서 반갑습니다
내일 보자
감사합니다
고맙습니다
사랑
나 / 내가 / 저
너 / 네
우리 / 우리들
사람
남자
여자
아이 / 아이들 / 남자아이 / 여자아이
고양이
개
집
아파트
불고기
포크
피자
도시
호수
나무
한 / 일
두 / 이
세 / 삼
네 / 사
다섯 / 오
여섯 / 육
일곱 / 칠
여덟 / 팔
아홉 / 구
팔
해
하늘
하나님
예수
하다
가다 / 가라
오다 / 와라 / 오라
주소서
동쪽
북쪽
자동차 / 차
전화기 / 핸드폰
선생
학생
교회
커피
학교 / 대학교
달걀 / 알
말
물고기
사랑합니다
죄송합니다
미안합니다
물론
사랑해요
예쁘다
아름답다
귀엽다
이게 뭐예요
이것 / 그것 / 저것
여기 / 여기요
저기 / 저기요
다시
시간 / 시
분
파란색 / 붉은 색 / 검정색 / 흰 색 / 노란 색 / 녹색
침대
의자
테이블
라면
아빠 / 아버지
아저씨 / 아주머 / 아가씨
어머
언니 / 누나 / 여동생
형 / 오빠 / 남동생
있어요 / 없어요
네 / 예 / 네 맞아요
안 / 아니요
좋아해요
컴퓨터
텔레비전
친구 / 남자친구 / 여자친구
자전거
드레스
치마
뜨겁다
춥다
명
지금
어디에서
어떻게
누구 / 누가
언제
밥
의사
간호사
바지
머리카락
손
피
비 / 비온다
먹다
맛있는
마시다
좋은
나쁜
조금 / 작다
사랑스럽다
왜요
제발
이름 / 이름이 뭐예요
바다
소주
술
김치
아이스크림
피아노
골프
테니스
축구
터널
길
버스 / 버스 터미널
택시
중국 / 미국 / 일본 / 태국 / 아일랜드 / 스코틀랜드
화장실
침실
어려업다
내일 / 오후 / 아침 / 오늘
원 / 천 / 만 / 백
가까이 / 멀리
요리 해요
그럼
그래요
탁자
창문
문
오븐
공
차
카메라
잠시 만요 / 잠깐 만요
잘자
많은
거룩하다
성령
준비
바쁜
바보
꽃
사자
생명
모르겠다
생일 / 생일 축하 합니다
어제
잘 할
쉽게
군인
어떻게 지내요?
괜찮아요
매우
북미 / 남미 / 동 / 서
오리
경제학
일 / 밤 / 오늘밤
싸다
왼쪽 / 오른쪽
가끔
말하다
영어 / 한국어
편지를 쓰다 / 편지
아깝다
버릇없는
뻔뻔스럽다
실망하다
짜증하다
가엾다
영원히
신문
구두 / 신발
병원
방
하지마!
정말
두통
돌아오다
달리다
피시방
신사
마음에들었다
나쁘지 않다
별로예요
선물 주 할 사람이 없어요
별말씀을

More Artsy Korean Photos

2010-09-14T04:58:00.000-07:00

Bright Sunny Day by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Backed into a Nightly Corner by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

A Bus Ride View by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Suncheon at Night by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Songwangsa Temple Decoration by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

K-Ad by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Temple Stone Warden by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Grungy Mirror by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Suncheon-si at Dusk by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Suncheon Open Film Set by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Korean Hymn #2

2010-09-12T07:38:00.001-07:00

On Discovering Jae-il Church, Pt. 1

2010-09-07T05:58:00.000-07:00

Not today but two Sundays ago, I had an interested story happen in my Korean experience as a teacher. What happened was that—well to start from the beginning—on a Wednesday I had just finished a movie at the theater and I went to the nearest bus station there. I saw a bus across the way as I approached, and little did I know that it was the last bus to pass through the circuit that night, so I went to the bus stop anyways. It began to rain really hard as it had been doing all throughout that day, but despite that I had not brought an umbrella with me. Fortunately the bus stop was covered, so I was in no hurry to leave to find a taxi while I waited for a bus that would never come that night. I guess I would’ve remained in that state for a good while, save for another man came to the bus stop from out of the rain sans umbrella as well, and he waited there for a while with me. We were probably there for ten minutes, me knowing I should practice my Korean but too being too unconfident. But finally, I tried to start a conversation with him. I asked about when the next bus would arrive; and after some rephrasing and rephrasing, he returned that it might be 10 minutes but he didn’t seem sure. He called a friend who revealed that the buses had finished for the day, and I kind of got the gist from the phone conversation, but the man wasn’t sure how to relay that information to me thereafter. He said something that I didn’t understand, and then we sat for another 3 minutes in silence again. I was about to suggest that we find a taxi, when he asked me where I needed to go; and I told him the Farmer’s Market. As luck would have it, he was going in that direction again, so he called his friend again and asked to come pick us up. A few minutes thereafter, I found myself sitting in the passenger seat of a customized, suped-up Korean sports car with two Korean guys who were both about twenty-eight. And the next moment, they started suggested we all get dinner (this is about 12:30 A.M. by now), and we picked up another guy (who spoke the best English of them all) and were off again to eat a meal. Over dinner, we talked about a lot of things—thanks to the translating abilities of 대열, this newcomer to the group—such as our work, religion, and goals in life. It turned out that these guys were all Christians and close brothers in Christ, the very thing I was greatly hoping to find in Korea in following with the usual item in my life.

Speed Painting #6

2010-09-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

Samonte by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Teacher, Teacher

2010-09-05T01:03:00.000-07:00

Being a teacher has some pretty sweet perks (at least teaching English in Korea). Kids and parents will stop by and give you a variety of random food to be nice. So far, I've received: peaches, donutes, chicken-salad sandwich, candy of 2 varieties, and sweet potatoes.

Suncheon Open Movie Set

2010-09-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I visited the Suncheon Open Movie Set which has been used to film a couple of Korean dramas, none of which I'm familiar. It's actually only a short 7-minutes walk or so from where I live, and it's in the same neighborhood area, which is nice. There were three areas in the set for different time periods of Korean life. I think the three sets were for the 40s, 50s, and 60s, but I could be wrong. But it was interesting seeing a pseudo-village cheaply made. Exteriors of building with their interiors empty and ugly. It brought back memories of when I tried my hand in film jobs in my studies and working for the Dallas studios and MTV. Ha! Bittersweet film work. Yeah, it was a cool set which made me nostalagically fond of it, but it was still pretty embittering. I won't ever do film work like that again, I doubt.

Anyoo, good to know there's a neat little attraction close to the house.

Chinese Proverb

2010-08-29T02:53:00.000-07:00

Today I heard a Chinese proverb that says that if you hold the chopsticks low (near the food), then you'll marry a girl near your home; and if you hold your chopsticks high, then you'll marry a girl far from home. Then first day I arrived in Korea, my manager noted how I held my chopsticks very low and near the food, but when I heard this proverb today the man commented on how I held it them high. So, as you can see there's been a shift in how I hold chopsticks which may or may not translate into marriage. Hmm...

Korean Artsy Pictures

2010-08-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

Rooftop Panorama by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Tilt-Shift 02 by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Oriental Temple by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Songwangsa Temple by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Museonsan Mt by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Yeosu, South Korea by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Suncheon Ecological Bay by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

City Corner in Suncheon-si by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Items

2010-08-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of items that would be nice to get in the mail from the USA.

Deodorant
Clothes from Mom (leather jacket, pants, and brown sweater)
Minty gum (e.g. Trident)
Snacks of any sort
Sunscreen
Shaving cream
Electric violin from Mom

Korean Hymn #1 - Guessing Game

2010-08-23T17:59:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what hymn this is, as sung in Korean?

Speed Painting #5: Scott Myers

2010-08-21T21:58:00.001-07:00

Scott Myers by ~KingCole10 on deviant ART

Owl City as Learning Material

2010-08-19T00:30:00.000-07:00

So, the last few days, I've been doing lesson-planning centered on the lyrics of my all-time favorite musician, Owl City, as the learning material. Does this make me obsessive over Owl City music?...I hope so. Anyway, I also think his songs' lyrics aren't bad material for learning English, and the following is why.

First, Owl City's lyrics tend to be fairly vivid pictures that create stories in the audience's mind. For example, Strawberry Avalanche is about him dreaming about getting buried by a mountain of fruit while camping; The Christmas Song is about him meeting a stranger and going for a walk in the snow; and The Hot Air Balloon is about him getting for a ride with his friend in a hot-air balloon. I believe that stories are a great way to learn a language, because the story itself offers help in translating the ambigous words into meaning. He's going for a ride in a balloon, so what do they see? might help you translate the words of what the protagonist sees.

Also, Owl City has some good word usage in the way he compares one idea to another that helps make the material fresh, I think, and thus beneficial to learning. Such that, he compares himself to the colors of the rainbow in The Technicolor Phase, which I could use as a way in not only learning about colors but also about applying colors to a more complex concept in the metaphor.

I guess, in a nutshell, what I like about Owl City that gives his songs decent potential in being fair material for learning English is that he present complex ideas in simple words. A good example is in Strawberry Avanlanche, where he describes a crazy fantasy in terms of fruits, mountains, stars, and so forth--simple objects and fairly basic vocabularly, but the message and theme is complicated as to make the audience stop and contemplate the material, so hopefully as to not take the vocabulary words lightly but to memory.

So here is a lesson I came up with including the lyrics to The Christmas Song by Owl City on the left and some discussion points for a beginning English student on the the right.

THE CHRISTMAS SONG

BY OWL CITY

It’s Christmas,                                            When is it? or What day is it?
And we walk alone:
Two strangers with no one to miss us,         How many people are there?
On our own,                                                                Are they friends?
Out in the cold,                                                       How’s the weather?
                                                                      What is the weather like?
Trudging onward,
Braving a harsh winter storm.
You and I met passing by
And now our spirits feel warm.

I don’t have anyone at home to talk to,                 Who does he live with?
And you don’t have anything to do,
So I'll spend my Christmas with you.
I'll spend my Christmas with you.                    Why do they walk together?

Its Christmas,
And we are in love                                            What do they love or like?
With the way that soft snowflakes kiss us
From far above.
The blustery breeze,
Trudging onward,
Braving a harsh winter storm,                                         What season is it?
You and I met passing by,
And now our spirits feel warm.
I believe that Jesus is the only Way,                    Who is he talking about?
                                                                             or What’s his name?
And I celebrate Christmas because it’s his birthday.     What is Christmas?
I don’t have anyone at home to talk to,
And you don’t have anything to do.
So I'll spend my Christmas with you.

Today in Church

2010-08-14T23:37:00.000-07:00

When I wen to church today (the second time to the same church here in Suncheon, Korea), someone asked me why I went to their church since they don't have any English spoken there. I replied, "I just want to go to church." It was a slightly strange question to me, although maybe my presence is stranger to these Koreans still. I'm definitely not the first young adult from America to be teaching in this area in Suncheon, but I may be the first to go to church consistently. A fair number of the foreigners who are here teaching English aren't Christian; and on top of that, those who are face the intimidation of not having an English church to go to, so would rather not go at all. So, I suppose that this has made a culture among foreigners to not go to church at all or to do touring on Sundays. But I told my church-guide that going to church is important to me, and I don't care if there's a lack of English. I can understand Hallelujah and Amen and Jesus and God in Korean, and to hear the congregation interact with the pastor during the sermon with loud Amen's and to eat lunch with the body after the service is enough to encourage my spirit for now. It's better than nothing. And, maybe by the end of this year, just maybe, I'll be able to understand much more of the service than I do now.

On another subject, here's a still-life video of what went on for 6 minutes outside my window while it was raining outside one afternoon before I went to work. It was the first real rain since I've been hear, so I had to film it. There's a song after a minute or so into the video that you might enjoy, so don't be put off too soon by the mundane-ness of the video. I did purposefully distort to the sound of the song to help it match with the rain ambience. You can search for the song, "Love, Love, Love" by Epik High, if you want a high-quality version to hear. :)

KOREA WEEK 1 Video

2010-08-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

The Korean Driving System

2010-08-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

So, by now, after only a few rides in a someone's car on Korean roads--through town, highway, and rural traffic--I'm now convinced that the Korean driving system was modeled after something like Mario Kart. And, I do say that flippantly, but there really is some amount of truth in the parallels between the two systems.

First off, many of the cars here in Korea have handling features that American counterparts lack, such as a mirror mounted on the rearview window that allows one to see the very edge of the back bumper for those close quarters (because, after all, Korean parking spaces are small and few) or a rear-view camera. But what's more is that (and this just might be because the car is expensive and not necessarily a fair draw from the pool of your typical Korean Hyundai or Kia or Daewoo) the Korean car I am most familiar has the capability to basically communicate with the road, much like the HUB system of Mario Kart video game. This makes the American GPS system look weak indeed. Because, this computer-powered system displays a map with one's current location much look the smart cars of America, but it will also tell you when road bumps are up ahead, or what the speed limited is and if you're exceeding it, or where the police cameras are. It'll also make Mario-Kart-esque beaps and noises when an event happens, like if you miss your turn or make your turn; thus it feels like a video game, audio-wise. And, one last point--which is probably the coolest overall--is that there really aren't highway cops along the roads, especially highways. In Korea, they have cameras or monites or whatever-machines, that watch the highway maybe every 15 miles or so (so fairlly frequently); and if you speed too much, they'll catch you doing it and ticket you automactically. And, supposedly, you this happens 30 times, your liscence will be suspended. So, it would be weird and difficult to imagine not having highway cops in Texas or the USA. But, despite the benefits of this systems, one would have to wonder why we still have personnel on our ways, as it would imply there are benefits to our system. But, I'm probably too used to our system to realize the benefits of highway cops, and would notice if they weren't there.

First Week of Korea

2010-08-08T03:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess this is my first real blog-esque posting since I've been in Korea...now for what? 8 eights. It's been busy here, really busy and exciting. And even though I've intended to be posting more information online in the form of photos, videos, and these stories, I won't deny that it takes a good amount of effort and time for me to do so, and time is very valuable lately, as I am so eager to experience everything here and get the most out of my first month here. So, we'll see how far I get in this post, but no doubt by the end of this I still won't have written out everything that could be said, for there comes a time when everything ends.

First off, let me say that I arrived in Suncheon-si safely and without too-o much trouble. Although, because my first flight was late, I did miss my connecting flight to ICN in Los Angeles coming from Dallas. So that ended up making me wait an extra 2 hours in Dallas, and then another extra 6 hours in LAX to wait for the next flight out. When I got to Incheon, S. Korea, it was not quite 5 AM. My next task was to find the bus to Gwangju in the southern part of Korea. I went outside the terminal and was approached by a pseudo-taxi driver who tried to pay for what would be an expensive taxi ride to the bus station where I could just walk. Nearby was a guy who looked about my age and pulled me aside and gave me tips on how to get around the city. He was really helpful; and simply for the encouraging advice, I owe him one. I got his phone number, so hopefully I'll be able to contact him again when I visit Seoul.

The bus ride down to Gwangju should've taken about 4.5 hours, but mine ended up taking more like 6 hours, because of the really heavy holiday traffic in the area surrounding Seoul. But, once in Gwangju, I immediately went on another bus straight to my own town of Suncheon. (Indeed, I was expecting a short stay in Gwangju, but because of my delayed arrival I suppose that I had to immediately go to Suncheon-si.) So, after another 1.25 hours, I finally arrived in my ultimate destination of Suncheon-si, S. Korea (If I understand correctly, there's also a Suncheon in N. Korea; hence the distinction here).

I arrived very tired and very hungry and very much with a case of information-overload. I was met with several discomforting surprises as far as job and living arrangements. But these really went away and were only troubling because of being unexpected. By the second, I defintely felt like more on my toes, and full eagerness for life returned by the third day.

The food's good, the weather isn't bad or rainy really, the people are decent, and the kids smart.

Here, I must end for now, but perhaps another time I'll get around to describing the food I've had (eel, squid, soup, beef, and fish), hiking a small mountain, the city, people I've met, going to church, and so forth. [That last sentence, I realize, was not at all grammatically correct.] However, by for now!

Suncheon-si, S. Korea Panorama

2010-08-07T02:31:00.001-07:00

Click on the picture above to bring up the full-size version.

My Top K-POP Songs

2010-08-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

너 같은 사람 또 없어 (No Other) by 슈퍼주니어 (Super Junior)
One by Epik High
하루하루 (Day by Day or Haru Haru) by 빅뱅 (BigBang)
Houki Boshi by Younha
Sorry Sorry by 슈퍼주니어 (Super Junior)
행복 (Happiness) by 슈퍼주니어 (Super Junior)
슈퍼걸 (Super Girl) by 슈퍼주니어 (Super Junior)
Love in the Ice by DBSK
Tell Me Goodbye by 빅뱅 (BigBang)
Gee by 소녀시대 (Girl's Generation)
미인아 (Bonamana) by 슈퍼주니어 (Super Junior)
Umbrella by Epik High
Love, Love, Love by Epik High
Rainy Day by Loveholic
Nobody by Wonder Girls
Cat and Me by Casker
런데빌런 (Run Devil Run) by 소녀시대 (Girl's Generation)
링딩동 (Ring Ding Dong) by 샤이니 (Shinee)
오 (Oh) by 소녀시대 (Girl's Generation)

I'll keep updating and adding to this list as I come across good songs I like from K-Pop.

I Can Rank Owl City's Song List...See?

2010-07-27T16:11:00.000-07:00

If My Heart Was a House
The Saltwater Room
Fuzzy Blue Lights
Fireflies
The Tip of the Iceberg
Vanilla Twilight
Cave In
On the Wing
Meteor Shower
Air Traffic
Strawberry Avalanche
The Christmas Song
West Coast Friendship
Umbrella Beach
Hello Seattle
The Technicolor Phase
Designer Skyline
Sunburn
Butterfly Wings
Dear Vienna
Hot Air Balloon
The Bird and the Worm
This Is the Future
Rugs from Me to You
Dental Care
I'll Meet You There
Super Honeymoon
Sky Diver
Rainbow Veinns
Swimming in Miami
The Airway
Panda Bear
Tidal Wave
Earlie Birdie
Captains and Cruise Ships

Owl City's on My Mind

2010-07-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

나는 올빼미 도시를 지금 경청한다

Photos from Corpus

2010-07-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

Speed Art #4

2010-06-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

What I Like Most about Owl City

2010-06-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

As I consider the music of Owl City and it being well certain my favorite artist of all time, I ask myself why I like it so much.

10) Indie-ness
9) Adam Young - a guy you like to cheer for.
8) Synth-pop style/genre
7) Concert Performance
6) Positive/almost religous messages
5) Puns/whitty words
4) Nostalgia
3) Reoccuring themes (home, personal bonds, imagination)
2) Artistic
1) "If My Heart Was a House"

Most likely my favorite song of all time, despite that being a bold statement. But, this song coupled with the many, many Owl City songs that I like set this artist clearly in my mind as the best of all time.

Speed Painting #3

2010-06-10T13:48:00.001-07:00

Speed Painting #2

2010-06-03T00:06:00.000-07:00

Here's the second speed painting I've done in my series. This time I was going for a photorealism style as opposed to the expressionistic style of my last piece. This is of Adam Young, my all-time favorite musician, aka (Owl City).

Here's a still of the final picture.

The Making of White Cat #1

2010-05-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

Speed Creation #1 - Ryan Pryor

2010-05-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

Econometric Regression Estimate

2010-05-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

If Disney were to release Toy Story 3 in South Korea this next year, I estimate that it would make about 10.7 million USD in box office revenue, assuming it makes the same amount as its predecessor in the United States.

In Recent Times...

2010-04-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

...I've been looking into applying to teaching English in Korea and to promote my newly finished short in film festivals across the globe. It's Easter Break now, fyi. I guess that's why I'm taking the time to post now: free time [yay!].

This Past Week in Review

2010-01-18T12:48:00.000-08:00

- I like statistics, as it turns out, having just started my first stats class and having never had one before.
- Econometrics will be an epic nightmare, but I think it'll be do-able, based on my quickly picking up stats (which is a new mathematical concept to me).
- Hard work and dedication accomplishes a lot in most areas of life [except for relationships, it seems].
- I love economics.
- I came to a realization that, though I love art, I hate working in film production. I hate the people, the work, and the environment. I'm a lone-wolf artist, not so much a film-crew guy...for the most part. This is not to say that I can't do it if I need to: because I'm always the one "[t]o strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
- I'm amused with the seemingly random dictation of who does and doesn't appear with each semester. For example, this past week I probably ran into about 60% of the people I met in classes and other functions last semester who don't have particularly strong ties to me despite my desire to see them more, which I did. Thus, to say, I gratefully came across people I didn't think I would see again but by Divine grace did.
- I tend to get slightly sick at the beginning of the semester and not at all thereafter.
- For the first week being back, it sure was busy: 3 nights at the library staying up until midnight.
- It's not going to be a cake-walk semester.
- "Z's" have a terrible curse of poor decisions for matching.
- As a ghastly understatement: I'm decent at Photoshop, or I can do a thing or two with it.
- My prayers go out to Mike.
- "Whenever, wherever"

How the Decades Fly!

2009-11-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

Today, in working on a research paper for my Urban Economics class, I came across an odd article in an economics journal. Having found the article through an electronic search in the university's database, the article seemed to match the topic I had in mind: something along the lines of how telecommuting is affecting the population distribution in America or, simply, how stuff of today affects where people decide to live. This paper claimed to be reviewing the differences in commuting behavior between the 1990s and the 2000s, but this wasn't where the oddity occurred, as you might already jumping-the-gun in guessing based on this post's title.

No, what was weird about this incident that warrants a write-up (an allocation of my valuable time doing some other productive work this late at night, thus setting a high value for this action) was that the sort of language that this article used in describing the 90s and this past decade. It was so odd that I checked when it was written, and it turned out to be published in 2002.

Okay.

So, 2002 wasn't that long ago. Really. On my thought, it wasn't that long ago. There is that rule of thumb that for resources for such research papers, one shouldn't use sources more than 5 years old. So, 2009 - 2002 = 7 years differences. --That's not too far fetch to warrant dis-use, especially if the article's good and still relevant. 2002--I was in 8th grade back then. Wow! Hey, but that's not too far ago. ; p.

But yet, somehow in the writing and description used in the article seemed to be from some distant decade, a long-gone era. When I check the article's research and sources, I found that they were primarily from 96-98! And then, that's when it put me into perspective! This is an old article! 2002 is an old year! We were still a part of the 90s then, not having yet transitioned into our 00s culture. The worldview was different. Religion was different. Philosophy. Ideology. Majorities. Diversity. Demographics. We were a different people then. Everything was different. This was basically a 90s' article.

And so, I was reminded how far we've gone away from those times to the state of ambiguity that we are in now. It's been a long time since I was in grade school.

~ o ~

Speaking of a blast from the past, here's a song from the 80s that sings about foregone love in past times. Coincidently, this song has been going through my head this past week. Partly, it is because I'm feeling nostalgic and "blue" about the semester ending. And this was a major song in my social dance class that we used to swing-dance to. So, it resounds my experience this past semester. (Also, it makes me think of the two relationships that didn't go so well this past semester. Too bad...) But here's the song of the week! "For the Longest Time"

Post #56

2009-11-08T22:07:00.000-08:00

DISCLAIMER:

Due to high opportunity costs (that is, my time is highly value, and there exists several other activities that I am giving up doing (as a cost)), I claim the right to make grammatical and spelling errors, and otherwise be incoherent up to the point where all meaning is lost in the blog posts. This is especially bolster with the fact that no one reads my words, therefore the benefit that these post render are really only for me externalizing my thoughts, marking down notes for historical reference, or any other number of causes that are internal to me alone. Thus, there is no real reason as of today for me to be diligent in providing that these post can be easily interpreted by the mass.

University: The Great Lesson Learned

2009-10-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

Looking back on my years at college, based on this past spring, summer, and fall, it is apparent to me the grave lesson that marks my time in college: Don't trust anyone. I don't say that to be melodramatic, but in this idea I stand corrected. Truly this is the greatest lesson I've learned. Academics were easy, and I learned little there. And lessons from life taught me nothing more significant.

The opposite is what I would prefer: to trust people unconditionally and unassumingly. But where I face discouragement, discontentment, depression, dejection, and disillusionment these past 3+ years is in giving too much trust to everyone.

Believe me, I would rather live where I could trust people, and I hope to still do so. But the years have taught me otherwise. The deep-set ideals that define my character/persona/being are those that value loyalty, friendship, family, love, perfection, maximization, individualism, freedom, and perseverance--but above all else: loyalty. Honesty is a good thing, but I value loyalty tenfold over honesty. I'm not the most honest person ever, as I'll admit I'll bend the God-honest truth or lie; but I would kick myself hard if I found myself going against the loyalties to which I subscribe.

Years ago, even coming out of high school (which you think that time of my life would have taught me of all times!), I consciously chose to stand for loyalty: that I would find those future friends and stick with them through whatever. Life has taught me not to assume that your friends do not share the same values of loyalty, and possibly not even family. 'Tis a shame.\

I wish I could surround myself with such genuine people who value loyalty above all else as I. But, in this world, loyalty is placed on a wrung pretty far down in everyone's list of values. Don't tell me otherwise, for to do so is to say that life's experiences lie! I have seen far too many times where people place money, time, selfish desires, ego, security, freedom, justice, and even kindness above loyal friendship. They are the ones who would sacrifice devoted friendship for these tertiary values.

There is value in security, freedom, justice, kindness, and even wealth; I just don't understand sacrificing loyalty to these ideals.

The world is not to be trusted; humans do not assume to stick with their so-called "friends" for eternity, whereas I do. Lord, give me strength to still do. Although, the weight of this world upon my devotion renders it difficult to do so.

JP and Mike are as adopted brothers of mine--for many years now. I had originally hoped to find more brothers at Baylor, and I did. But, I cannot quite add anyone else to the first tier of "Brotherhood" in my mind. In response, I defined tiers #2 and #3 for grouping people of how "loyal" my inclinations to them are.

Even the loyalty towards my family has been called into question, but I won't go into those complications. My mind waivers from extremes: changing my name and starting "anew" in this world to just persevering. Here, I will withhold my speech.

I never did believe in the goodness of man. Man is innately evil. But, I always wanted to be loyal to mankind. I see now man truly is flawed.

JRC

SONNET #3 – Falling from the Tree

2009-10-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

If I drove through long-gone Cincinnati,

Drifting as a leaf on the great river,

And a letter long-ago delivered

You’d found in the basement from granddaddy

And hid it to yourself—my heart would drop.

(Don’t we exchange postcards and photographs

Detailing out where we go on the maps?)

And I’d have to pull o’er at a rest stop.

The cool breeze blows west, but it bothers me:

The black, sun-cast mantle o’er all the miles.

As two brethren blossoms fall from the tree,

Each moment the breeze parts them farther still,

Who knows whither they will land finally?

Don’t let our hearts grow distant in the while.

The Poets of Olde Had Some Really Good Words to Say

2009-10-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

I freakin' love this poem, having only recently discovered it with my British Literature class. If only I had such mastery of language as to put these words together to express a theme I already know, ah well.

When, in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

- William Shakespeare ~ 1599

Of Death and the Immortality of the Soul

2009-10-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

Today in the British Literature class, my professor, Rachel Moore, said something that rekindled a line of meditative thought that I had been wrestling to piece together to some sort of reasonable conclusion ever since the death of my late Grandpa Cole back in April, 2008. A long time ago, when I was in the elementary grades, I had a Sunday school teacher who was describing life-after-death in relaying her experience at her own grandparent's funeral, describing how cold the corpse was when she touched it. That story made an impression on me ever since, as I pondered the radical difference between a living being and a dead one.

Fast forward a decade to the day when I was faced with my grandparent's funeral--the thought of death confronted me again head-on. As I stood before the coffin, it wasn't quite sadness that I felt. No, it was a strange feeling of anger almost, as if I had been cheated. At the time, it didn't quite click as to why I felt such resentment over feeling cheated. But, today's words from the professor somehow pieced it together for me.

Death is such a weighty issue, such a dread. On one level, I realize in confidence that such people who profess Christ as their Savior should not fear Death, for ultimately they will be raised in new bodies. That is the message of Christianity. On other levels though, Death cuts life short; it's a blackness in which humanity loses itself. I picture in my mind a tunnel in which a blue train enters and then comes out on the other side as a brown wood-worm--you lose your identity, maybe your memory, maybe your personality and whole being. Assuming that immortality is a true assumption, then what would it count if the soul loses itself to become something completely un-authentically different?

So, looking at my grandpa's body, I thought to myself indignantly: This is not him! They say "He's dead and gone." But, this can't be so! It's not like his soul just decided to crawl into the deepest regions of his body to hide from us because it doesn't want to live in this world with Alzheimer's anymore! I thought of that teacher who described the cold lifelessness of a body. I had already touched the body of my great granddaddy, so I knew the validity of this. I did touch his jacket-coated chest: stiff as a piece of wood. Now my gramps wasn't the most energetic man; he was pretty calm and quiet of spirit most of the time like me, but even his dead body seemed overwhelmingly cold, quiet and dead compared to his life alive.

There was no question in my mind that his soul/spirit/existence was just not here anymore; it was something else. Not in that pathetically lifeless body! And that for me is proof enough in the immortality of the soul. I fight against the idea that the soul crawls inside of the body to die with it upon Death. That body resembled very little of my gramps, and so I think he took with him his memories, personality and being.

I'm obsessed, always trying to rationalize the existence of God and life-after-death. Here, I don't see I could reason God's existence with a human being dying, but I want to say that souls appear to be immortal and whole.

What Pr. Moore explained today was William Wordsworth's own view on the nature of the immortality of souls, humanity, God, and nature as a way humans relate to God.

JRC

Paranoia Agent, Wow!

2009-10-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been going through the anime series, Paranoia Agent. It's really good. If one checked my top anime list that I consistently update with each new anime I see, one would see that this show has made it well within my top 10 favorites. The show is by Madhouse, which I rank as The Best Animation Studio in Japan, and this show only goes to support that. Directed by Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers, and Millennium Actress), this show goes a long ways to show this man's talent for suspense. One can spot many devices and techniques used in his other movies in this anime of his. Like his movies, this show's post-modern philosophy is pretty stark and serious. The basic theme is about characters, vaguely connected to each other, with their own "deadly sins" looking for a way of redemption. How does one erase the garbage in one's life? Indeed this show is not for a young audience. Adult themes: nudity, prostitution, political corruption, violence, blood, disturbing images--many forms of human vices are featured in the series, especially in the early episodes. However, I feel this show has a good heart, as it looks into the nature of man trying to find redemption in this post-modern world of meaningless triviality and nuclear weapons. How to find redemption in an amoral world. At the very least, this show provides a better understanding of the spiritual life of the Japanese culture: their atheistic amoral-ness and void of spiritual direction."Everything's a copy of a copy."

JRC

JCBYB Codex

2009-10-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

The fox leapt over the lazy dog. = Ijuv zug viequam swiu ijav aebum hufa.

=>

f(l:3;3:5,6;5:3;6:4;7:4)

~

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Finished First Diary

2009-09-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

BAM! I just finished my first volume of my collection of diaries: a small brown book that I had been writing in since November 28, 1997--the date of the first entry into the diary, over ten years ago! Wow! To think, I had been keeping records in that little thing for over a decade! And now it's done, and I shall start a new volume for another ten years of living! Let's see what comes along.

November 28, 2007 - September 30, 2009 Volume #1

Reviewing the old entries, it appears that I averaged writing an entry every three months: with periods of 6-8 months of no entry and then times when I would write almost every day for a few weeks. Lots of memories. Lots of stories.

It's weird to see how my mindset changed over the years. You can clearly see how I went from thinking like a boy of almost 10-years-old to the quasi-adult that I am now.

Mostly this diary reflects my life as it used to be. Most of the entries are pre-Baylor, an event that played out to be a huge transition in my life when I did away with many old traits of my self and set out on a journey to create a new life for me, a goal that has been only partially realized, and maybe once I graduate I will set out of that journey once again to re-establish myself on my own ground, letting loose of the past. Maybe I'll move to Cincinnati??

At any rate, because much of this work does not hold to my character nearly as much as it used to, the entries that were once embarrassingly personal (because you know I get very embarrassed when anyone starts to get a glimpse of my inner self) are not as such anymore. I might even post on this blog the entries of what I said at various times throughout my literate life of my schooling years.

It is good that I've finished this diary on the eve of my graduation. Almost like a good coincidence, I'll be able to start a new chapter and a new story that will evolve much like the first volume as I grow into a more mature adult.

Times change. The years go by fast. The speed increase.

I must say, though--and it makes me smile when I think of it--I did draw and doodle, make designs, maps, and puzzles together with the writing. So, the writing, alone, isn't nearly as precious as everything combined. The whole book is a work of art into my psyche, which I boast in my pride of it. It is a code to me, which I translate and understand my younger years. And, I did code a lot in the journey. Cryptic messages and words. For, I always expected for this book to be passed on through the years and be made available to other people in the family to read. After all, what's the point of recording your life if it's for your eyes only? No, but instead for the more painful or private ruminations of my thoughts, I would cryptically jot down as to hint to the deeper happenings.

I did end the diary with something of me trying to draw a conclusion from my life and how it would testify to God's existence and His Son, for ultimately that is what is important in my life: to point to God's existence. And while my testimony, as you will see, is incomplete as of yet, I tried to make sense of what has happened and what might happen in the future if God wanted to make a testimony money for what happen's passed. Only He knows, and I trust that what unexplained mysterious of life to me will be answered to His honor.

I will try to post some of these entries, as I had said, especially this last one, because I think it was particularly meaningful, but I may have to encode it, because I want only those who are willing to crack the code, as a sign of their true unprejudiced curiousity, to read it.

Time will reveal.

JRC

Thoughts on Post-Graduation

2009-09-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

I don't know where the Almighty is going with this life, but the smoke signals read that He really has something up His sleeve.

Here's one of my all-time favorite contemporary worship songs--not that I have a problem with the ol' hymns. No, they happen to be among my favorite songs for worship, but I really do like this passionate cry to the LORD.

Break from Studies

2009-09-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

I'm studying tonight. ' got 3 tests tomorrow. One of them I'm not going to study for until right before class tomorrow--Christian Heritage. Hey, I'm not wanting to study for all three tonight: information overload. Besides, I'm a big fan of sleep when it comes to preparing for tests. But, right now, I'm in intermission, allowing my mind to clear and relax in between cramming sessions.

Here's a picture I did, imitating the Vino or Claire Stanfield character from "Baccano." But, I re-did the character to resemble me. I call it: This might be what I look like if I were an anime charcter....

Filler Post: Project Update

2009-09-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a Friday, and I'm here sitting at work with absolutely nothing to do, deadened from hours of waiting for a job to come in. But, nothing will happen: it's Friday! People send in print-orders on the last day of the week for fear of not having it done in time for the week. So, I figured a blog-update is in order.

Yesterday, I was reviewing the progress I have been making on the year's short film project, Whte Cat. The summer ended with production significantly behind schedule due to various reason: overexpectations and low productivity and work-distractions. Then, the new school year kicked in, a change in schedule, daily habits, responsibilities, and a revised production schedule to take me through the end of December.

Now, nearing the end of September, the semester is a decent ways in progress, so an examination of the project's productivity was in order. As it turns out, this fall semester started with me, again falling behind schedule, which I noticed and was becoming distress about. But then, recently, with a good streak of empty afternoons, I've made a good bit of progress, catch-up, so that I just might be able to catch up to were I should be.

In which case, I should be able to complete "White Cat" by Christmas.

9 SHOTS TO GO in the animation step...

I'm just nervous about completing two specific shots that I know will be hard, and perhaps impossible to do now in the original vision. I might have to change the final cut.

Song of the Week: "Husvagn" by DiscoCrew (Swedish, dance-pop band)

SONNET #1 – I Am for Texas

2009-09-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

Perhaps, no god tilled my yellowed grass-fields.
To say the sun too greatly shines stringent
And singes, they in shadows hide concealed.
And yet, is cost on trifles contingent?
Manhattan, clothed in all her showy lights,
Forged such marvels as radi-o.
Holl’wood has stars enough to fill the nights,
And grass grows green in old, sweet Ohi-o.
I’ve been to that city with bleak titans
And to plastic hilltops, masked with perfume,
Where toy dolls toddle, heads placed too high. And,
Ohio’s rain drowns her spirits with gloom.
But, this I hold certain: I’d rather beg
In Texas than lord over someplace dead.

Hammey Money

2009-09-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic of the money-prop to be used in my current short film project. It's 1,000 bill for the world's currency.

I'm displaying this especially to show my lil bro who designed the portrait of the rodent within.

Here's this week's song: "Angels Fall First" by Nightwish, a really sad song that I've been listening to quite often. It's pretty sad.

Vampiric Love Stories - An Analysis

2009-08-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

First there was The Lord of the Rings. Craze over this epic fantasy lasted a good three years.Then there was the kiddish, mystery-fantasy Harry Potter, which also had about three years of its own craze. Now, for the past year, there has been a lot of commotion and talk over the vampire-romance vein of the fantasy genre. Of course, there is the infamous Twilight series to act as the centerpiece for this the vampire-romance sub-genre, but there are other works to cause talk within the mania, such as Blood +, Trinity Blood, Let the Right One In, Van Helsing, Hellsing, and Vampire Hunter D. In contemporary stories, japanimation has more or less the monopoly on this sub-genre, as can be seen from the previous list, with Twilight appearing to have sparked some of this mania to the USA.

But why the mania for romancing vampires? I think modern vampire stories--and by this I refer to the vampire romance genre--has shifted its core theme from the primal, animalistic emotions of humans to themes of narcissism which seems to be more prevalent in today's society. And, I will explain:

Older vampire stories (the Dracula legends and early 20th century novels) have their origin in examining the innate, primal fears in humans: where do they come from? and so forth. But I see a shift in contemporary vampire stories to a fundamentally different theme in their stories, as is expressed through the vampire-romance sub-genre.

I do think that today's generation is more narcissistic that older ones, although "narcissism" is not quite the word for it. Indeed, I think teenage angst and self-absorption has been a universal thing since way-back-when. I doubt it's anything new. But I do think modern tools like Facebook and social networking, the instant communication of cell phones, materialism, the ability for endless customization in almost everything, and other issues amplify the self-absorbed tendency in young people of this generation in comparison with other generations. By "narcissism" and "self-absorption," I'm not saying that there is no sense of empathy and sensitivity towards their fellow man in the youth of today. (Indeed, some trends, such as the growing "coolness" for community service suggest otherwise.) It's just that people these days are made much more aware of their own lives, the uniqueness of it, and they want to make that known and certain.

Hence, it's more an issue of elitism, I think, in Gen Y, where we realize that our lives are unique. We're the masters of our lives, something that no one else has the qualifications to control. We're the unique ones that are always misunderstood by everyone else. That's the elitism that I'm talking about. People are elite in that only the individual has authority over their personal life, making them somehow superior above everyone else.

This is where the character of the vampire-lover comes in. Vampires are misunderstood souls of the dead, so I think the transition of relaying this "elitist" theme through the character was an natural one. Vampire have super-human powers. They are tortured, independent loners, seeking to be understand by a human lover, though they would never admit that being as they are vampires. In fact, they would probably deny it out right. Also, they are caught up in a morally ambiguous role that traditionally has been evil but with today's new take on the matter has warped them into something of a protagonist.

Thus, the a new character evolves to take hold of the American conscious.

19 Hours and Counting

2009-08-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

So by now, I've spent almost 20 hours trying to restore my laptop to its former self before Baylor's software caused it to freak out and become unusable. I've been downloading updates, installing software, and adding all my old Photoshop plug-ins, so it's taken a good while.

Presently, while not back to tip-top shape, I've gotten the computer to where its able to work on the animation project, White Cat, like it did before. Still, this machines has a good ways to go before it's back to "normal."

How am I going to regain all of the iTunes songs I had paid for? I doubt the "wonderful" Apple company will give me back my purchased songs without paying for them again. Though I think competition is a wonderful thing, I'm not a big Apple-fan.

While my head phones are beginning to crap-out, even in this moment, here's the song of the day for me: "People Are Crazy" by Billy Currington.

F/M BAYLOR NETWORK

2009-08-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

Well, here goes the first blog post for me since I've been back at Baylor University for my last fall semester of my last year. (Forgive the theology there; for nothing is ours but ultimately God's, and I did write that with the intentions of being possessive.) Anyway, I'm sitting here at, what?, 11:07, at my computer in the library, which is a couple of blocks from where I live.

Also, I should add that I'm listening to Modest Mouse right now, with their song, "Ohio." This may not seem significant; but knowing me, it is. It would be different if it were another song or Relient K's "Ohio"...not that they have a song called that, but still. The song's quirky tune is angry, abrasive, brash, head-strong, and sad at the same time, and relatively appropriate right now. Now, I must stop myself from getting off focus in my ranting. Because, that's what I feel like doing: ranting a whole lot.

Ohio - Modest Mouse

"What's the issue?"

I'm glad you asked.

In moving into Baylor's housing on campus, one is required to install the virus protection software on the computer and install Baylor's protection software in order to connect to the campus network...and consequently the Internet, which is such an important tool that who could exist w/out it in today's society, I ask? Well, much less me.

My computer hated this software, and the first few days it gave me grief over it. Also, I should mention that it took aproximately an hour to get the software installed and working in the first place! So then, finally, the other day, my computer crashed, so much so that I couldn't reboot it unless I reset the computer to a previous restore point.

Which means: I just lost a whole bunch of data. Ugh.

And who wants to start all over on a blank computer after having it and built up data in it for the past 8 months?!? Granted, I hadn't had this computer and the same amount of data as with my older desktop, which has been around for almost six years now.

Fortunately, however, just the day before I left for Baylor U., I backed all of my movie data for my movie project, White Cat, on a separate external harddrive. So, thankfully, following protocols for data precautions paid off for me. Because I know all too well how much it sucks to lose a whole movie project to a haphazard data swipe or loss.

So, White Cat is safe for now. My production has just been set back another week because I'm having to juggle reinstalling my production software, downloading photoshop brushes and other adobe resources, and amongst other things to get the computer back to a "normal" state of being. And, that's what I'm doing this late at night right now. I'm overseeing my computer regain all of its lost software, like teaching a wreck victim to regain his life's memories.

I blog as I wait. I wait for the computer to install, load, and download Megabytes of information. And the more I type, time passes, and the computer remembers, and I feel better about this whole incident.

I must say that with my external harddrives, the ancient guardians of my files, I am constantly surprise with what information they do possess. For, when I knew I would have to wipe clean this laptop's memory, I braced myself to accept the likely possibility of losing everything: New York pictures, old school papers, artwork, music, programs, videos, etc. However, there are at least some surviving files, besides the White Cat data, that exist on the hard drives that I had put there for who knows why, and I'm glad some still exist.

DO NOT PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET.

Use the Internet, external harddrives, servers, flash drives, and whatever else to spread out your data and retain copies in case a Katrina should wash away the population of one region.

WHITE CAT: Rough Cut # 1

2009-08-21T10:14:00.000-07:00