It was probably the worst feeling my right thumb ever experienced. But, you know, now as I look at it, and now that the top layer of the thumb actually has completely fallen off (today was the first day that the bottom layer has been fully exposed!) I look at it and it looks really strange but very interesting at the same time. I've never seen my thumb look so imperfect like that. It looks all demented and it's formed some kind of valley and high point and it's not even fully grown out yet. But it still has a uniqueness to it. I guess that's why I look at it so much, because all my other fingers look so boring haha. just kidding.. but seriously.. you know it's crazy and I'm not going too far here with this one.. I think it's very interesting when we finally come to admit to ourselves that we're not perfect. It's really depressing when you think about it because I think at least for me I try to do whatever I can to convince myself that I am perfect, that I can do everything in the world and that nobody is better than me. I think we all try to tell ourselves that, that one day we will have advanced in our lives so that we ultimately feel better for ourselves. But then the Christian gospel comes in and tells us that our imperfections - once we come to realize them - are made perfect in the person of Jesus Christ who died for our sake. Easier said than done. Actually, now that I come to think about it, my thumb does look pretty nasty..
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
broken thumb nail
So I've had a broken thumb nail for awhile and literally it looks like someone took a hammer and smashed it repeated number of times. Basically what happened was I was at a car dealership with my sister and my mom trying to get a new car, since the other car we had been using was leased and we gave it away the week before. So here I am walking around in the dealership - mind you it was early in the morning, and by early I mean 10am, and I think I was half awake. And after I sat inside a car to check it out, I opened the door to get out of the driver's seat and I closed the door behind me. And all of the sudden I feel this warm sensation on my thumb and my hand wasn't moving in the direction that I was going. And I turn around and I realize that the car door had cut my thumb off.. hahaha jp.. no but seriously, the car door slammed right on my thumb and all I could see was red on the tip of my thumb.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
updates..
So let me share a few updates on what I've been up to.
Today, I just got back from Rome, the eternal city. I bought a handbook with me just when I got to the city and it's fascinating how much history there is in this city. I'm sure we all know that but it's really something else when you get to see it with your own eyes.
Most of the day was spent in the Vatican City, which is actually a whole separate city and country from Italy. Except it had no guards or really any fence separating it from Rome. Sorta strange. But anyways, I was able to see the graves of some of the popes, one of which was the grave of John Paul II. That was a humbling site to see. Even more than that though was the tomb of St. Peter which I saw a few moments afterwards. That was truly incredible. An experience I'll never forget.
After we saw the graves and the cathedral, we visited the Vatican museum which holds the Sistine Chapel. And after walking around in that thing, I can seriously say that Michaelangelo was nothing short from a genius. Really, you start to wonder how a human being can create something like that. I was just staring up at it and I was just both amazed and stupefied. They say his work was not only beautifully drawn, but also theologically sound. And so when he painted the story of the bible and of the gospel on the walls and ceilings, people were amazed by his artistry and also his knowledge of the bible. What a guy..
The only sour part of the trip was when I came back to the hostel and I was taking out my contacts, and I realized that the glasses that I had hooked onto my sweater at the beginning of the day was no longer there. So I had spent the last 30 minutes of the day and the first hour of the next morning looking for my glasses, but in vain because it was nowhere to be found. I even looked back at the Circus Massimo, the field on which I had foolishly ran up and down the day before, but couldn't find it there even. I had to go through the embarrassment of kicking through 5-inch tall grass as people who were walking their dogs were staring at me. And I bought a few like two months before I left for Italy. So ahk-ah-wuh.. gosh.
Anyways, other things have generally been good. I'm going to start playing in a soccer league tomorrow, and I'll eventually win. Whatever it takes, I tell ya. (sorry I haven't played competitive sports on an actual team in awhile.) So watch out all you other teams (including you Gracie!)....... The food is pretty good. I'm learning to appreciate it, though I'm still pissed off at NYU who I just recently found out does not disclose their budget. Money-grubbing-w----, as my roommate calls them haha........ Listening to a few good songs: 23 by Jimmy Eat World, I So Hate Consequences by Relient K (acoustic version on youtube, check it out!), Loveliest Sound by Starfield...... And I'm learning how to live out this new phenomenon, that is being yourself........ My friends back when we were in middle school used to call me "drama-queen". I have no come to realize that they were right. Life is more real, and practical than I thought.
best,
Phillip
Today, I just got back from Rome, the eternal city. I bought a handbook with me just when I got to the city and it's fascinating how much history there is in this city. I'm sure we all know that but it's really something else when you get to see it with your own eyes.
Most of the day was spent in the Vatican City, which is actually a whole separate city and country from Italy. Except it had no guards or really any fence separating it from Rome. Sorta strange. But anyways, I was able to see the graves of some of the popes, one of which was the grave of John Paul II. That was a humbling site to see. Even more than that though was the tomb of St. Peter which I saw a few moments afterwards. That was truly incredible. An experience I'll never forget.
After we saw the graves and the cathedral, we visited the Vatican museum which holds the Sistine Chapel. And after walking around in that thing, I can seriously say that Michaelangelo was nothing short from a genius. Really, you start to wonder how a human being can create something like that. I was just staring up at it and I was just both amazed and stupefied. They say his work was not only beautifully drawn, but also theologically sound. And so when he painted the story of the bible and of the gospel on the walls and ceilings, people were amazed by his artistry and also his knowledge of the bible. What a guy..
The only sour part of the trip was when I came back to the hostel and I was taking out my contacts, and I realized that the glasses that I had hooked onto my sweater at the beginning of the day was no longer there. So I had spent the last 30 minutes of the day and the first hour of the next morning looking for my glasses, but in vain because it was nowhere to be found. I even looked back at the Circus Massimo, the field on which I had foolishly ran up and down the day before, but couldn't find it there even. I had to go through the embarrassment of kicking through 5-inch tall grass as people who were walking their dogs were staring at me. And I bought a few like two months before I left for Italy. So ahk-ah-wuh.. gosh.
Anyways, other things have generally been good. I'm going to start playing in a soccer league tomorrow, and I'll eventually win. Whatever it takes, I tell ya. (sorry I haven't played competitive sports on an actual team in awhile.) So watch out all you other teams (including you Gracie!)....... The food is pretty good. I'm learning to appreciate it, though I'm still pissed off at NYU who I just recently found out does not disclose their budget. Money-grubbing-w----, as my roommate calls them haha........ Listening to a few good songs: 23 by Jimmy Eat World, I So Hate Consequences by Relient K (acoustic version on youtube, check it out!), Loveliest Sound by Starfield...... And I'm learning how to live out this new phenomenon, that is being yourself........ My friends back when we were in middle school used to call me "drama-queen". I have no come to realize that they were right. Life is more real, and practical than I thought.
best,
Phillip
Monday, February 2, 2009
firenze
It's been awhile, I know. But I'll try my best to give you guys a real quick update on how it's going over here in Firenze.
Classes have been cool. I'm taking two literature courses - Postmodern Fiction: An International Perspective and Inventing the Renaissance - both of which are pretty cool. I'm also taking a Gardens class (haha I know) called "Gardens and Landscape in Tuscany." I'm hoping by the end of the semester I'll be able to tell a lot about a person just by looking at their garden. I'll start with my own. And my last class in an intensive class in Italian - I'm really enjoying this one. So all in all, classes have been okay but I had a minor crisis today because it was my last chance to change my classes and I wasn't sure if these were the right ones. But I ended up just keeping these.
Food has been alright.. Surprising? You would understand if you were here, for two reasons: they serve the same food everyday which is pasta, meat and bread, and korean food is not one of them. But thankfully, my aunt packed an assortment of korean ban-chan (korean side-dishes) before I left so I've been munchin' on those every so often. Actually, it's been awhile since I ate some of it. And it's also been awhile, and by that I mean like a few days, since I listened to my man, the one and only, Taeyang. Dude, seriously, this guy's the man. He's what I think one of the most talented artists in the korean music industry today. Not that I've heard all of them, but from what I'm hearing from this guy, he's legit (as Jen would say haha). No seriously though, I really like this guy. I feel like he's genuinely interested in his music and he performs music from the heart. Good stuff.
I've been learning a lot about myself too and thinking about a lot of things, things back at home, things about my family. I think being in a very unfamiliar context has been allowing me to sort of begin to understand myself better. For this reason I think it's been a little tough in the beginning. A lot of questioning about things, my past, where I'm at and where I'm going. Something tells me though that I just need to do my work and do my job while I'm here and stop the thinking. I feel like I have an obligation to have fun here too. But one thing that has been sticking in my mind the most is this feeling that I owe it to my family to have a good time, to do my best, and to bring up my damn GPA. I really miss them. It's an exciting and scary feeling at the same time, knowing that my family's investments in me have been sort of fully made in the sense that as a kid all the way through high school I was poured into and nurtured and paid for all this time. And now, it's like my job to give back to them and to society I guess. A lot of thinking about career goals and options too. I've been feeling very powerless with my future being that I don't exactly know what to do career-wise. It worries me; probably worries my mom 100 times worse. But, I guess all that's left to do is pray. Also, God has been good. He's been blessing me and speaking to me in very real ways. I've been realizing that the reality that someone - be it God or a person - loves you, has the power to radically change your life.
I'll try more to write more about Florence next time and not about my thoughts too much.
caio,
Phillip
Thursday, January 15, 2009
first three days in florence
The first three days in Florence has been a really new experience for me. I'm trying to take it in as I go along but I can already feel a sense that I'm falling behind which means that I'm just not able to make sense out of everything that's happening. I probably won't be able to talk about everything but I'll try my best.
The first day was made great by a good idea but horrible execution. My roommates who I met for the first and really got along well with from the very beginning and I decided to go into the city to just go out and get a drink or something but ended up getting lost and walked around the city for three hours trying to find our way back to La Pietra, our campus. It was pretty bad at one point because it was raining and we really had no idea where we were going. But it ended up being a funny experience.
The orientation has been sorta slow but really informative. I really like one of the assistant directors for the program here. She's a woman and I really get the feeling that she really cares about this program and its students. She's also very funny and smart. Haha don't worry folks I won't do anything stupid or "inappropriate." She's just genuinely a hard worker and everyone here seems to admire her.. ANYWAYS.. one of the sessions for the orientation was a crash-course in Italian language and I really enjoyed it. I realized that so many times I try to learn to do better than another student or be the number one student in the class. But then I thought to myself what would it look like if I always just tried my best and was confident that my best was enough.
2bcontinued..
Monday, January 12, 2009
switzerland
I'm going to Florence from Switzerland tomorrow so I thought I better update before I leave here. I had a very good time with my family in the past two weeks. We all just had a very good time and at the end of the two weeks, watching them leave was both sad and profound.
We visited a lot of places and did many things. The second day we got here, on the second day of the year, we went skiing at a place called Champery in the Swiss Alps and it was just beautiful. I enjoyed it a lot better this time around and I think it was because I made a conscious effort to just ride the slopes, rather than just go down the mountain. Also, it helped to follow my pro-snowboarder cousin Tommy. It's really neat to ski above the clouds. I made a goal for myself to become a really good skier before I left Europe. So I'll let ya'll know how that goes.
We also went to Paris and that trip was filled with lots of shopping. A couple of my family members and I got sick so that was not that pleasant. And it sucked not having a guy family member with me, since I went with all the female members of my family - my aunt, mom, two sisters, and cousin. But still I'm thankful that I got to be with my family before they left for the states.
I think I've been subconsciously really stressing out about my gpa and future. At one point I very was sure of what was going to happen in the years to come. Although, now, I feel very unsure and apprehensive. I had a conversation though with my cousin and the topic was about making more decisions for yourself and sort of claiming your own future. And that sort of helped me to come to a realization that sometimes, if not all the time, I need to live in the present and make decisions based on the present and not on the past or the future.
I think my sister's right when she says our youth is suppressed with the coming of age but I will say that it is still not lost. Other recent updates in my life: I realized one of the things that I enjoy the most is hanging out with family in the house while listening to korean music in the background. I've been falling in "love" with this one korean singer named son dambi. I think she's really pretty and also a hard-worker. I watched one too many youtube videos of her one night. I realize that my infatuations with people can go pretty far but are at the same time temporal.
Okay, anyways, before I say any more ridiculous things in my very tired state of mind, I will say I want nobody nobody but you. Nobody, nobody but you.. haha just playing. I can only honestly say that about jacob and my family right now. But for ya'll, take care and also someone please tell me how to blog.
au revoir,
Phillip
We visited a lot of places and did many things. The second day we got here, on the second day of the year, we went skiing at a place called Champery in the Swiss Alps and it was just beautiful. I enjoyed it a lot better this time around and I think it was because I made a conscious effort to just ride the slopes, rather than just go down the mountain. Also, it helped to follow my pro-snowboarder cousin Tommy. It's really neat to ski above the clouds. I made a goal for myself to become a really good skier before I left Europe. So I'll let ya'll know how that goes.
We also went to Paris and that trip was filled with lots of shopping. A couple of my family members and I got sick so that was not that pleasant. And it sucked not having a guy family member with me, since I went with all the female members of my family - my aunt, mom, two sisters, and cousin. But still I'm thankful that I got to be with my family before they left for the states.
I think I've been subconsciously really stressing out about my gpa and future. At one point I very was sure of what was going to happen in the years to come. Although, now, I feel very unsure and apprehensive. I had a conversation though with my cousin and the topic was about making more decisions for yourself and sort of claiming your own future. And that sort of helped me to come to a realization that sometimes, if not all the time, I need to live in the present and make decisions based on the present and not on the past or the future.
I think my sister's right when she says our youth is suppressed with the coming of age but I will say that it is still not lost. Other recent updates in my life: I realized one of the things that I enjoy the most is hanging out with family in the house while listening to korean music in the background. I've been falling in "love" with this one korean singer named son dambi. I think she's really pretty and also a hard-worker. I watched one too many youtube videos of her one night. I realize that my infatuations with people can go pretty far but are at the same time temporal.
Okay, anyways, before I say any more ridiculous things in my very tired state of mind, I will say I want nobody nobody but you. Nobody, nobody but you.. haha just playing. I can only honestly say that about jacob and my family right now. But for ya'll, take care and also someone please tell me how to blog.
au revoir,
Phillip
Saturday, December 27, 2008
packing
So I'm leaving for Europe to go on a family vacation and to study in Florence, Italy for the spring semester of 2009. And I promised to write a blog to keep people updated on the happenings of my life as I'm there. So I am writing this first blog post to sort of kick things off in which I will share with you all my experience packing.
I'm getting ready to leave for the trip. To start off, I laid out all my clothes on the floor including all my jackets, sweaters, dress shirts, collar shirts, t-shirts, shorts, pants, sweats, boxers, cargo shorts, and ear muff. I stopped there to go and scare my mom and sister as they were brushing their teeth after they just got home. After that I started watching tv, I told my mom I had to go to the dentist because of my cavity, and now I'm here, staring at my clothes on the ground and writing this blog.
I'm wondering how it will be in Florence. Wednesday, I leave for Switzerland. From Monday to Wednesday, I'm at a retreat as a teacher for my senior high youth group. Until I post again, have a good one everyone.
blessings,
Phillip
I'm getting ready to leave for the trip. To start off, I laid out all my clothes on the floor including all my jackets, sweaters, dress shirts, collar shirts, t-shirts, shorts, pants, sweats, boxers, cargo shorts, and ear muff. I stopped there to go and scare my mom and sister as they were brushing their teeth after they just got home. After that I started watching tv, I told my mom I had to go to the dentist because of my cavity, and now I'm here, staring at my clothes on the ground and writing this blog.
I'm wondering how it will be in Florence. Wednesday, I leave for Switzerland. From Monday to Wednesday, I'm at a retreat as a teacher for my senior high youth group. Until I post again, have a good one everyone.
blessings,
Phillip
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