A Graduation Story

This is the UCLA Seal on the floor of the entrance to Powell Library. It has much meaning and significance. I remember during orientation, they told us never to step on this seal. "Avoid it at all cost!" They said that every time you stepped on it, you would fail a midterm, final, and/or be held back an extra quarter. As a freshmen, I remember glaring at it thinking... better not step on that... ain't risking it... shoot! Of all the places to put that, they chose the middle of the entrance?!

Heh. So you think the story ends there? No way.
















This is my foot on the UCLA Seal in Powell Library. Before every midterm, before every final, and before every study session in this library, I made sure of one thing - to come to this seal and step on it, stomp on it, and/or jump on it. I was resolved to show the seal who the real boss was - I was absolutely determined to step on it and still get the A, to stomp on it and still graduate in time. Graduating 2 quarters early with a Magna Cum Laude Latin Honors GPA, I would now like to take this time to declare something to my longtime archenemy, the seal - BOO-YA! VICTORY IS MINE!

After my last final, the first place I went to was Powell Library - I stood outside for a few seconds to admire the beauty of the building. Then I walked in, stopped, and smiled at the seal. The security guard started watching me. I pridefully walked on, stomped on, and jumped on the seal. The security guard thought I was hella weird, but I didn't care. And then I took the 2 pictures that I put up in this entry. The 2nd picture is off-centered because the security guard looked like he was starting to get up so I just boned out (haha). As I boarded the shuttle to go back to my apartment, there was only one song that I could play on my phone, on repeat, repeat, and repeat all the way till I got home - All the Way my Savior Leads Me.

It was a long yet short journey, and I persevered with diligence and I beat the seal, but I humbly acknowledge and admit... all the way my Savior led me. My Savior was my strength when I was strong and my strength when I was weak. When I wanted desperately to give up my Savior was my hope to endure. It was He who gave me the opportunity and experience to learn and grow this much at UCLA, and it is He who supplied the willpower, ability, strength, and all else for me to come this far. Thanks God! Yay for graduation. Onwards towards the rest of life!

Something to think about on Christmas

"In the creation, man was made in God’s image; in the incarnation God was made in man’s image. . . . He took our flesh that He might take our sins, and so appease God’s wrath. . . . Christ’s taking our flesh was one of the lowest steps of His humiliation. For Christ to be made flesh was more humility than for the angels to be made worms. . . . He stripped Himself of the robes of His glory, and covered Himself with the rags of our humanity."

- Thomas Watson

(Taken from defendingcontending.com)

Merry Christmas Y'all.

Las Vegas vs Los Angeles

I don't know where to call home... Las Vegas or Los Angeles! But I do know that there are pros and cons of each city!

Las Vegas - Pros
-Amazing great SMOOTH WIDE roads
-Free parking everywhere (except downtown... but who goes there?)
-Very clean China Town
-Best pho on the planet
-Best tea/snack places
-Best buffets
-New nice clean Korean market - with nice parking
-The strip
-AWESOME lights (especially during Christmas season)
-Opportunity Village's Magical Forest (Christmas season)
-Red Rock Canyon
-Lots of nice business parks/plazas
-Nice cold winters! (I love cold weather)
-$1 bowling after midnight
-$3.99 steak, eggs, toast, hash browns after midnight
-Everything's open late night

Las Vegas - Cons
-SIN City (lots of temptations)
-STATIC ELECTRICITY! I Average 10 shocks a day... amazing....
-CHAP lips, DRY skin
-HOT summers

Los Angeles - Pros
-Sports teams!
-Nice weather for the entire year
-K-Town
-UCLA
-Korean Food Heaven
-Mexican Food Heaven
-Beaches
-Jason Lee

Los Angeles - Cons
-No Parking/Bad Parking Situations
-Too much traffic
-Rough bad horrible roads

A Familar Voice

Yesterday, after a long tiring day, I sat down in the shuttle bus that so faithfully takes me to my apartment - the good old Wilshire Express - Oh the comfort of consistencies. Exhausted, yet talking amongst some of my fine friends I received a phone call from an UCLA office number. Confused, I picked up to find someone saying something among the lines of...

This is UCLA Murphy Hall's administration - is this Cho Yim? Yes. We need you to come in to discuss your graduation requirements. It seems we may have missed something and we need to discuss your possible staying of one more quarter.

As you can imagine, I was pretty furious and outraged. My entire extremely well-thought out plan to graduate 2 quarters early... my set agenda to save $25,000+ of UCLA out-of-state tuition....

"You know that's going to cost me an extra $10,000+ ...right?! How did you guys mess up?! Where? Okay - when can I come in? I'm on the shuttle right now but I'm going to drive there as soon as I get back. I'm coming in right now so someone better be there." I was pretty much set and ready to beat down the entire system, show up, and pull a crazy. Anger, frustration, confusion, sadness, madness, and sin ran down my spine, all at the same time.

And then it hit me... or at least I thought it did. Hmm... a familiar voice... I sure hope its a familar voice. I thought harder and listened harder... and then I knew it - I recognized this voice! But I couldn't be sure... the situation was too drastic, the cost of being wrong too high. So I had to ask... "BILLY?! BILLY IS THAT YOU? THIS BETTER BE YOU BILLY!"

At the sound of his voice and his response I was so relieved. My burning heart cooled down, my anger seemed to quickly fade away. I had nothing left but relief... pure relief and a calming comfort.

Talking to Billy and even me looking back at it, we're both somewhat surprised that the prank went that far. I mean sure, Billy called from work with a UCLA #, but as one of my closest friends... I did not recognize his voice.... When the first sentence, the first word, the first utterance from his distinct voice should have caught my attention and given him away, it did not....
I sure hope that when God speaks to me I can recognize his voice right away. Because it seems to me that when you don't, it can lead to a whole lot of misunderstanding, trouble, and grief.

Dear God,
May I read, love, and study your word. May I soak in your presence, your fellowship, and your love. May I lay at your feet and bow to your throne. May I take in your grace and reflect your glory. May I know you more and more and more and more and more so that I never ever miss your voice. That out of all voices I hear, Yours would be the most familiar of them all - please don't ever let me miss your familiar, comforting, loving, true word.

Must Have CDs for Long Drives

My List
E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) - Black Eyed Peas
The Wicked Soundtrack - Wicked
Epic Movie Soundtracks - Including the Rocky Soundtrack!
Call Me Irresponsible - Michael Buble
It's Time - Michael Buble
Lion King Soundtrack - Disney
Sarah Chong's CD Mix

What's your list?

*How could I forget?! I added the infamous Sarah Chong Mix!

The Valley of Vision

LORD, HIGH AND HOLY, MEEK AND LOWLY,
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;
Let me find thy light in my darkness,
thy life in my death,
thy joy in my sorrow,
thy grace in my sin,
thy riches in my poverty
thy glory in my valley.

Quarter-life Crisis

Quarter-life crisis... who would have thought I'd be going through it?!

God is Sovereign... God is Sovereign... when one person said that to me, I brushed it off even though I knew it was true. So cliche. When a second person said that to me today, it hit me as comforting. So true!
Sometimes we need multiple reminders from multiple people.

God is Sovereign.
Its not cliche if its really true =]