Entries for July, 2003

I heard that you can learn a lot about a guy by what's in his wallet. Interesting. Let's take a peek into my wallet, shall we?

I have in my wallet:

My El Camino Real High School ID card
My 6-year-old picture covering picture on ID card
A little gold star (the things you get when you do something good)
Library card
Blockbuster card
Shinnara Music store's stamp card
My orthodontist's business card
My optometrists's business card
My SAT prep class's business card
Driving school's business card
Art Box's CD stamp card
Art Box's $10 coupon card
Two $10 bills
My driver's permit
A fake $100 bill
Receipt for my Minidisc player from Target
A little Scriptural card that reads: "Feeling small?"
My complex's gate key
My house back door key

Wow. Now that I lay it all out, I have a bunch of stuff in there. Let's see what kind of person I am. A student at a high school, someone that buys CDs and goes to [Korean] music stores often, various business cards that tell you I have braces (yuck), contact lenses (or glasses), and go to SAT classes. 20 bucks, which means I won't starve to death any time soon, a permit, which means I can drive (to some extent), a fake $100 bucks, which shows the humorous side of me [?] A MD player, which shows I listen to music on the go, and a scripture card, which shows you that I'm of Christian belief.

Pretty cool, eh?

Written by jihwan at 09:58 PM.

3 x 0 = 0

It's final. I'm going to Korea. The humidity, the crowded sidewalks, the congested streets, the open-air fish markets, the old ladies trying to sell you silk worm coccoons and dried squid, the standing-room-only subways, the roller coasters that break down every other time.. they all await me.

I can't wait.

Written by jihwan at 03:55 PM.

I disagree!

Boy, am I fried. That Santa Barbara sun really cooks the ol' skin. I fell asleep for about an hour, and now, the front part of my body's all red, and the back part is normal. I can't wait to see myself when the sunburn goes away. I'll be one weird looking dude. From the front, I'm all dark. From the back, I'm pale. Mr. Freak man. Gah. It was a very SUNNY day at the beach.

The fireworks were great, though. And only misterlee knows what happened.

teehee.

Written by jihwan at 05:30 PM.

2 x 0 = 0

I hate Korean adults and their way of thinking. "Respect your elders," in my opinion, goes out the window when an injustice is done against you. Just because they're older, so what? Does that mean they can shove all their mistakes and faults over to the younger generation?

A certain scenario in my household: Certain relatives asked me to do something for them. I did. They asked me to revise it. I did. They sent me an email asking me to do it AGAIN. I didn't get the email. They called me up, long distance, and told me to apologize to my uncle. For not doing what I didn't know I had to do in the first place. I refused. Now, back in Korea, they are calling me a disrespectful, pompous little bastard. Not only that, They've added a few not-so-kind comments about the way my parents brought me up and crap.

Now, I know when to apologize. I know how to put aside my pride and take responsibility for my mistakes. But WHAT MISTAKES? I do what they ask me to do, out of my own time, and they want me to APOLOGIZE for not getting an email they probably didn't even send? Not only that, they have the gall to call ME stubborn? No way. I won't do it. I'm not going to be the scapegoat every time they soil their pants with their bull and need someone to clean it up.

Injustice is very injust. I would feel guilty, except I know I'm not in the wrong. I know I did the right thing, standing up for my beliefs and family.

Then why do I feel so rotten?

Written by jihwan at 11:04 PM.

4 x 0 = 0

I'm going to be the bigger person. I'm not going to hold any grudges. I'm going to accept the situation as it is, and chalk it off as personality friction. I've thought about it, and I'm not going to accomplish anything by stewing all this over and over in my mind.

My dad refers to me as the "kid with the heart of an ocean." Heh. I don't know about an ocean, but I'm working on my little pond right now. As I go through experiences and interactions with others, my ability to expand emotionally and mentally gets sharper and stronger. Pretty soon, I'm gonna have the Pacific in my chest.

Just wait and see.

Written by jihwan at 10:49 PM.

1 x 0 = 0

Today, I went to the hospital for community service. I got to talking to this guy that worked there with me. His name is Trevor. The thing about Trevor is, he was born with a speech disability. He covers it nicely with a cool British accent, but it's slightly noticeable. Anyway, we got around to talking about our college plans. He's going into his senior year, and i asked him to which colleges he was planning to apply.

Trevor is going to apply to Princeton, Harvard, Cornell, and possibly Amhearst, among others, and is planning on a law degree while minoring in History. This guy. He's amazing. A 1490 on the SAT I, 800s on both History SAT IIs, and straight A's. Plus, he's such a cool guy.

I don't think that, under the same circumstances, I would have the self-confidence in myself to even think about goals that high. I don't know. From my standpoint, he just seems so.. what's the word.. so.. brave. And I realized something about myself. I thought I'd had obstacles and roadblocks on my path to success. Jeez. Talk about naive. If Trevor can see past his own hindrances and shoot for top-notch goals, why can't I, with all these God-given abilities, be spurred on to try my best for my own goals?

How cool. My very own real-life inspiration. I doubt he knows it, but Trevor made me rethink my mindset on goals and obstacles. Thanks, Trevor.

Written by jihwan at 11:30 PM.

I disagree!

I'm in the midst of a storm. Raging, howling, deafening. However, I think I am currently in the eye of the storm, riding out the tough part of the vicious attack on my dignity and character.

I don't know why people would blatantly hate because of a personality dislike. I really don't. It's strange, yet amusing, in a way. I know I'm making progress toward success. In contrast, those who rely on their "connections" and trust their backers to support them no matter what they do are in for a nasty blow to the head. In reality, what it all boils down to is yourself. In the end, no one's going to pull you out of the rut you plunge yourself into. And I will laugh sadistically when they find they can't extricate themselves from the mess they've crawled into.

Bottom line: attack me; I'll have the last say.

Written by jihwan at 12:48 AM.

5 x 0 = 0

Today was great. I went to another CC leadership meeting. All the members weren't there, but we had a great time. Nice worship, nice Bible study, nice fellowship, nice food (ribs, hot dogs, kimbap, cheesecake, fruitcake..) We had an awesome time just gathering to grow closer to God. All the leaders who missed it, you guys are gonna regret it.

Wish we could have them more often.

Written by jihwan at 12:24 AM.

I disagree!

I've been playing the violin for about seven or eight years. When I was younger, I used to practice often, and thus progressed very quickly. But I've noticed that soon after entering high school, my time spent practicing was greatly reduced. I would tell myself I'd need to practice, that I wouldn't get any better without consistency. My teachers also said so, with slightly different word choices.

I wanted to believe that it was the tough high school curriculum that was hindering me from practice. I knew I wasn't fooling myself. After pushing the nagging thought away for months, I finally faced the fact that maybe, just maybe, I was getting tired of the violin.

When my teacher moved to San Diego a couple weeks ago, I was supposed to continue lessons with a new teacher. I didn't call her. Now, as I sit here writing this, my violin has spent another lonely day in the corner of the living room. I have to make a decision. If I decide to continue with violin, I must ingrain in my head the sheer importance of daily practice. If not, well, nothing happens. No more lessons. No more last-minute cramming the scales and arpeggios 10 minutes before the lesson. Plus, with the approach of Junior year, I would theoretically have more time for my studies. I have to choose one. All the time, money, and effort put into the years could end right here, right now.

I don't know what to do.

Written by jihwan at 12:34 AM.

I disagree!

In one short month, I am finally going back to the homeland. 12 years since last I've set foot on Korean soil. I wonder if I'd be able to recognize anything. I still have ragged memories of random places from when I was 4 or 5 years old, but I'd really like to revisit all the places I can scrape together from my spaced recollection.

I'm gonna see my grandparents, my aunts, my uncles, all the little cousins that were born after my move to America. I wonder what I'll say to them. I wonder what I'll do, what I'll eat, where I'll sleep, where I'll go. I wonder if I could become lost in the streets of Seoul. I think the strangest part would be seeing the whole freakin country filled with Korean people. That would be a sight.

Perhaps I'll meet up with a nice girl on the subway. Maybe I'll make some friends while I'm at the open-air market. I should teach English at the schools. Make some spending money while I'm there. I wonder if I'll blend in with the people of Gookland, or if I'd stand out like Enrique's mole? Would they be able to tell me apart from "Homeland Gooks?"

I wonder if they have any decent amusement parks there. I've heard that they're nothing compared to Six Flags. Probably true. I wonder if they have better Korean food there than here. I wanna try some Boshintang [dog soup; oh, shut up.], Heugyumso tang [black goat soup; sounds good], and maybe some Bbundaegi [marinated silkworm cocoons; crunchy?].

I wanna take a trip to the house I used to live in all those years ago. I don't know if the people that live there now would let complete strangers walk around their house screaming "OH! That's the place where I peed on the wall!!" I wonder if I'll be able to go to a concert. That would be cool. I wanna meet some stars. I wanna rub elbows with some celebs, man. I wonder if my grandparents are going to be as happy to see me and my sister as we will be to see them. I'm half excited, half giddy. Wait. That would make me 100% excited. Or 100% giddy. Or, by some strange warp of the principle of percentages, I'm 200% both.

I'm feeling a bit lightheaded. Maybe it's the 3 cups of iced coffee I drank to keep me up all night so I can finish my Chem paper outline and get some more research done. Maybe it's because it's 12:40 at night and it's 80 degrees outside. Perhaps it's because I've been staring at the computer screen for 8 hours straight. Whatever it is, I'm just way too tired. Forget the test tomorrow [technically, this morning]. I'm gonna hit the sack.

I hope the caffeine doesn't kick in anytime soon.

Written by jihwan at 12:36 AM. Filed under Rants.

I disagree!

I don't usually post something I've posted somewhere else [ theLabs.net], but I just wanted everyone to know what to expect when I am the supreme ruler of planet Earth.


-I would end world starvation by raising Federal taxes so that people like Vin Diesel would use 95% of his income to feed all the hungry souls that line the streets of Alvarado, Los Angeles. Yes, he will pay dearly for "XXX." Double for "The Fast and the Furious."

-I would force overpopular celebrities to have plastic [mutilation] surgery. No one can build up enough popularity to threaten my reign.

-I would have a full host of mythical nymphs at my beck and call. They are so cool.

-I would fill a swimming pool with Jell-o. No explanation needed.

-I would designate a large site [West Virginia, perhaps] for dumping the dregs of society there and making them resort to cannibalism. All this would be captured on camera, and will be aired with the title "The Real World." Too bad, MTV. Stop whining.

-I would ban MTV.

-I would hold reality "Celebrity Deathmatch." Who wouldn't want to watch Riki Lake battle it out with Oprah? How about Keanu Reeves v.s. Arnold Schwarzenegger? Let's see you "Matrix" your way outta that one, NEO!!! HAH!!

-I would make computer games a requirement for college admission.

-I would demolish all types of street racing cars. All "fixed up" Civics and Integras get sqashed to a pulp. They just make too much freakin noise.

-I would have every child pass an intelligence test at age 5. If they don't pass, I'm going to fulfill Jonothan Swift's ambition. Kid soup, anyone?

-I would have all mosquitos, cockroaches, and flies incinerated. Those filthy, disease-spreading, garbage-eating, bloodsucking, bacteria-infested plagues have no place in my world.

-I would confiscate all weapons in the world and put them under my bed. No one's asassinating me.

-Anyone that looks at me cockeyed gets his balls cut off. In the case of women, I'm gonna stick them in a really messy room and chain them to the wall. Nag about slobbiness, will you?!

There are lots more. However, I must depart and put my plans together for tomorrow night. What am I doing tomorrow night? The same thing I do every night. TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!

Written by jihwan at 11:56 PM.

2 x 0 = 0

I got my braces off.

yeehaw.

Written by jihwan at 06:54 PM.

2 x 0 = 0

With all the joys of summertime [105 degree weather is the best..], something about California summer annoys me to no end.

The bugs.

Just today, I've killed 14 bugs [not including those ants that were crawling all over my bookbag, those little bastards]. I've smashed 5 moths, squashed 2 flies, smooshed 4 mosquitos, and sprayed 3 cockroaches. That's just way too many bugs for a guy to kill in one day. Not that I'm keeping count or anything.

What is it with summertime and insects? Especially in my garage. After a day of "Valley weather" [extra hot because mountains block the Santa Monica winds from getting anywhere near our homes], the garage tends to be a bit hot and humid. The perfect condition for flies and roaches alike. Under and between the safety of the paint cans and other useless objects, those little vermin reproduce like it's insect Mardi Gras.

Shudder. Roaches make me jump back 10 feet and shriek like a friggin banshee. I'm not talking about the little brown ones, either. I mean the big, disgustingly black, fat, plump ones that can FLY. UGH.

I hate summer for that reason.

Written by jihwan at 12:17 AM.

2 x 0 = 0

I'm slowly but surely digging myself into a hole that I'm not going to be able to get out of. Procrastination is a huge problem for me. My summer school Chemistry teacher piles load on top of load of work, and here I am, watching Korean dramas, eating jjapagetti, and laughing my ass off at the fools that call themselves actors. The thing is, I can't fully enjoy myself. In some remote, forgotten part of the dustbin I call my head, I know that the longer I postpone doing something, the harder it is going to be for me.

Reminds me of that one inspirational story. Here goes: There was a kid. He was a pretty smart kid, and a responsible one at that. His grades in school were good, and he listened to his parents. He even went to the old folks' home to help out a few times a week. But then one day, he procrastinated when he should've been doing his work, and when he tried to make up for lost time, he died. The end.

I have a feeling I should learn something from this.

eh.

I'm gonna go watch some more dramas. See ya.

Written by jihwan at 06:36 PM.

I disagree!

Why is one class in summer school thrice the work than six during the normal school year? It's been two weeks into the first semester of Chemistry A. This would be the last week of semester one, and the work is staggering.


Monday:
Ionic Compound Quiz

Tuesday:
Test #2 [Ch. 5 - 8]
Homework Set #2 Due
CPS 6A, 6B Due
CPS 7A, 7B Due
CPS 8A, 8B Due
CPS 9A, 9B Due
Test Review #2 Due

Wednesday:
Lab Test #1
Crystals Analytical Research Paper Due
Crystals Posterboard Due

Thursday:
Lab Notebook Due
Lab Test #2
Lab Test #3
Homework Set #3 Due
Test Review #3 Due
CPS 10 Due
CPS 11A, 11B Due
CPS 12A Due

Friday:
Test #3 [Ch. 9, 11, 18]


Then it's on to semester number two. It looks like I'm not going to be sleeping for two days, at least until I finish my project.

They say caffeine stays in your system for up to 6 hours after you consume it. Theoretically, then, I should be drinking a coke and a cup of iced coffee every six hours for 48 hours.

They also say caffeine stunts your growth.

Crap.

Written by jihwan at 06:34 PM.

I disagree!

It's three-thirty in the morning. Why the heck am I up? Read the previous post.

Some things I notice when I've been sitting at a desk for 8 hours straight, drugged up with caffeine:

I'm so lucky I have a comfortable chair. It has a little knob on the bottom for height adjustment. I didn't realize that before. Up. Down. It makes this really cool swooshing sound. Swooooooooooosh. Up. Down. Swooooooooooosh.

That mosquito is just WAITING for me to fall asleep so it can suck my precious blood out of my system. Yeah, I hear you snickering. You think you're so clever because you're in the one corner of the room where I can't get you? Do ya? DO YA? I'll get you. You wait. *glares*

I didn't know that my pen was this cool. The simple, yet extremely effective design of the Pilot G-2 07 pen blows my mind. Click. Click. Clickclickclickclickclick.

There's this monstrous zit on my back. Any bigger and it looks like it could be used as a megadome for the American Gladiators arena. Too bad I can't see it without the help of my webcam or a mirror.

The Chem book thinks it can boss me around. "List the steps you would take to calculate the molar mass of any compound." What if I don't want to? Huh? What're you gonna do? Bite me? ... Ohhh. I need YOU to do the homework? Very well, "your Majesty." [makes those little quotation marks in the air with fingers]

The mouse looks like a mouse. Just add a little nose and some eyes, and little padded feet, and BOOM. mouse. Perhaps a little construction paper..

I've gone to pee 7 times now. I think it has something to do with the caffeine. Maybe I should collect my pee and present it for my project. "All the blood, sweat, and pee that went into this presentation..."

This white-out tape thing is making me angry. Easier, faster, cleaner?! I object! It doesn't work properly!! I want a refund!! Oh, wait. How'd it get all twisted up? Maybe I shouldn't have been pretending to be Spiderman. Go, web!!

Look at the widdle spots.. Let's catch the cute widdle spots.. Get back here.. oooo.. if I rub my eyes, the spots get BIGGER and they kinda swim around.. Swim, spotties!! Swim like you've never swum before!! weeeeeeoohhh...

Caffeine!! ehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe!!!! w00t w00t caffeine!! ehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe-BOOM!!! More. MORE!!

Written by jihwan at 03:28 AM. Filed under Rants.

3 x 0 = 0

As opposed to last night [what the heck was I smoking?], I feel a bit calmer spending the night working on my project. Once more, I witnessed the sunset, and braved the dark, lonely night to rejoice in the sunrise.


I'm surprised at myself. I finished a close-to 40-page paper on the formation of crystals with two outlines and a date log, and a posterboard for my presentation. All in.. 10 hours. Straight. During the night. With nothing but a Costco-sized bag of Famous Amos cookies, a can of coke, some pastries, a bag of curly Cheetos, a few cups of apple juice, a few of milk, a bowl of Jjapaghetti, and multiple showers. woo.

I think I'm over the stage of all-nighters where you can't keep your eyes open. Maybe after one night, the second one is easier. So I'm going on 52 hours without sleep. And I'm not tired. Not yet, anyway.

Whoops, I should be getting ready for school. 4 hours of school. After that, forget SAT classes. I'm coming back home and getting me some sleep. A solid day of sleep. I'm not gonna wake up till tomorrow morning.

I'm ranting again. Goodbye.

Written by jihwan at 05:43 AM.

1 x 0 = 0

HAH!! I have discovered the exact formula to create an immunity to a weakness we all have. I no longer require sleep. Yes, it is a scientific marvel, yet here I am, sleepless.

If you've read a couple of my latest posts, you may remember that I have not gotten a digit of sleep for approximately 60 hours. And now, I am not sleepy. Wouldn't you get a lot more done without needing to take 7 hours out of your day sleeping? I can personally think of numerous things to do instead of wasting my time in a comatose state, such as reading "The Babysitters Club - Logan likes Maryanne!" or contemplating one's corrugated ceiling.

Without further ado, here is the recipe [note: one serving per night]: two or three 42-ounce cups of cappucino, periodic cold-water showers, multiple bars of chocolate, and a partner to hold a 10-hour conversation with. Repeat this process for 48 hours watching video clips such as this to confirm your sanity. After a couple days of forcing your eyes open, voila!! no more need for slumber.

Congratulations. You are a certified insomniac. Now, go out there and enjoy the night life!! Go bat-watching!! Explore the woods filled with cute, cuddly animals like bears and wolves!! Attempt to drive through the hillsides with no headlights!! Now that you are a superhuman, your imagination is your limit!!

Written by jihwan at 12:37 AM.

2 x 0 = 0

Scary. I can't imagine a world without bananas. But this article seems pretty well-supported. I always wondered what those little black things in the middle of the banana were. They're the trace of seeds that were formerly in the banana. The things you learn off the internet...

Jeez. We humans are responsible for the darndest things. But the most important question still remains:

WHAT WILL THE MONKEYS DO? Will they go on a rampage, killing everything in their paths, forever searching for their beloved yellow fruit? Will they give up hope, and sit in their banana trees, devoid of the sweetness of their stereotyped staple food? WAKE UP, HOMO SAPIENS!!! THINK OF LITTLE CURIOUS GEORGE, OR THOSE LITTLE CHIMPS WITH THE BELLBOY HATS, SITTING IN THE STREET, WAITING FOR THEIR DUE!!!

Poor guys. The future looks bleak, people. You might as well go hang yourselves. Or, better yet, go to the nearest zoo, let yourself into the gorilla enclosement, and tell the dominant male what you just read in this article. That way, you can die with the consolation of having given one primate an outlet for its sorrow.

Written by jihwan at 01:39 AM.

4 x 0 = 0

I always wondered what people meant when they said my friends and I were weird. Now I know. I was in a chat room with some of my friends today, and I suddenly heard nature beckoning to me with its soothing, maternal voice [it's mother nature, remember]. When I came back, it seems like my buddies had been having a nice little conversation on crap.

Literally.

---

Jihwan: Gotta take a dump.

Sark: Does it feel like a boner up your ass? Or coming out of it?

Alex: Blah. Don't prarie dog it. It's not healthy for you. Or your underwear.

Sark: Haha.. Do you use massive amounts of toilet paper when you wipe your ass?

Alex: Sometimes.. Brian? Any comment on the usage of toilet paper?

Brian: Nope. Toilet paper is toilet paper. And crap is crap.

Sark: Huh? I'm asking if you use a lot, or if you use a little.

Brian: Eh, I use enough. Don't know what is a lot.

Sark: Thats very sly.

Alex: If you're king kong, that's a lot.

Brian: Don't know what is little.

Sark: A lot is when you clog the toilet, A little is when you get it on your hands.

Alex: Toilet paper doesn't clog my toilet, my shit does.

Brian: Yep, the toilet paper goes down easy.

Sark: If you use too much, it clumps into a ball. And you would assume it would clog.

Brian: The crap gets stuck in your throat like a fish bone, but you need like half the roll to do that.

Sark: Wait. Brian, are you telling me that you get crap stuck in your throat?

Brian: I'm referring to the toilet. It was supposed to be a metaphor. But I got lazy, so I didn't change it. Crap stuck in my throat? Never happened..

Jihwan: A very nice dump that was, sir!!!!

---

Our intelligent conversations. Very normal.

Written by jihwan at 11:26 PM.

1 x 0 = 0

I am the ultimate Red Bull guzzler on this side of the Mississippi. Energy drink. Yeehaw!! The taste isn't the best there is. It's just the rush of synthetic adrenaline that this drink can provide.

Red Bull is supposed to be really bad for you. As of now, My liver is being corroded away by the concentrated Taurine, Pyridoxine HCl, and Pantothenate. My kidneys are becoming attacked by the excess sodium citrate and are acidically decomposing. My stomach acid is mixing harmfully with the extreme Niacin concentrate, and my stomach lining is becoming dangerously eaten away.

Knowing all this, why do I keep chugging these lightly carbonated Australia-imported tonics?

Red Bull gives you wings.

Written by jihwan at 03:23 PM.

1 x 0 = 0

There's a gremlin inside me. No kidding. Sometimes, when I can't fall asleep at night, I can hear it, scrabbling around in my head. I can hear its high-pitched laughing, and it chills me to the bone. I yell at it to go away, but it just laughs even harder, in that voice. The voice that gives you the feeling of fingernails on chalkboard while having steel slivers shoved slowly under your own fingernails.

Today, Jeb [that's his name] forced me to do this. I'm sorry.

It wasn' me, mama!! Ah swears it!! Ah be just settin' ova deah when dis fillin' jess came ova me, mama!! Ah'm sorry, mama!! NOOO, mama!! Not de whip!! Anythin' buh dat, mama!! MAMA, NO!!!!

Written by jihwan at 10:22 PM.

1 x 0 = 0

It's amazing how God works sometimes. He always reminds me that I am His child, and that He loves me. Nowadays, I've been a bit [a LOT] stressed over everything, and nothing seemed to click for me. On the back flap of my Bible, there's a list of life's problems and temptations, and corresponding verses to help you through those times.

Today, I looked under "Weary," and I was referred to this verse.

-Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
-Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
-For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

-Matthew 11 : 28-30

You know what? That's all I have to do. I just have to put my worries and troubles onto Him, and he'll take care of everything. Too often, it seems, we attempt to take our lives into our own hands, and we stumble. All it takes is a few verses from the Word of God, and we can just sit back and watch Him work.

Praise be to God, my Father, my Christ, my Savior.

Written by jihwan at 11:25 PM.

1 x 0 = 0

Teenagers are utterly impossible. I hate them all, and I hate myself for it because I have no choice but to include myself in that category. Why is it that teens are so damned stubborn and self-righteous? The way we carry on, it'd seem as though we've lived through everything life has to throw at us. The words of adults don't even scratch our surfaces. Quite the contrary. Helpful advice and tips from the people who have REALLY been through it actually pushes us away from establishing a real connection from anyone outside our genre. In fact, it separates us from ourselves, if that's possible.

Too often, I hear teens complaining about having no one that "understands" them. We are so wrapped up in our own petty problems and lives that we simply do not see the big picture: we are blocking ourselves out. By labeling the world as a cold-hearted monster, we fail to realize that it is really us that forsakes time-tested principles and morals. By adamantly saying that no one "understands," we are building a wall between society and ourselves.

Also, teens seem to be captivated by and completely saturated by the words "fitting in." Not that all teens are like that, but the major flow of teenage society is intensely focused on being accepted by their peers. It's funny how we try so desperately to be in sync with the very people that we claim "do not understand." Is it the insecurity of not having a solid foundation in life? Is it the fact that we subconsciously crave the teat of outside influences?

The phrase "I just want to be an individual" pops up very often. What an unbelievable paradox. If not an individual, what are you? What single organism on this planet is YOU? By stating that you are an "individual," you are actually stepping backward from the point you claim you wish to get. EVERYONE "wants to be an individual." You'd think that after a while, the category of "individuality" would be so filled that it would cease to be a minority. Where's your individuality then? Why can't we be content with who we are, instead of sacrificing time and effort into an attempt to pull a transparent blindfold over everyone we see as "mainstream?"

People, in my opinion, are not the reason teens are the delinquents of society. I personally blame the MEDIA. It's the media that tells us what's ok to buy, what's cool to wear, what's "in," what's "out," what's the correct way to live our own lives. It's the media that flaunts Pop culture around to the point where it becomes the standard of judging life. Teenage girls starve themselves and develop physical and psychological disorders. Guys become involved with gangs and grow to be completely saturated in culture as Popular culture sees fit.

Why? The people with the money and power, the very people that could be turning the world into a place of progression, is instead using its influence to brainwash the young minds of society into their own little army of mediocrity. Who controlls the future? Teenagers do. Who controlls teenagers? Popular culture. By simply changing and adjusting their own message to the world, the media is slowly but surely taking over the future with an iron grip. And what are teens? Pawns. Fool yourself into thinking you're an INDIVIDUAL. Go ahead. You may even fool everyone around you. But let's see how individualistic you are when you're the dirt of society.

Think about it.

[and props to anyone who read this the whole way through without falling into a comatose state.]

Written by jihwan at 11:21 PM. Filed under Rants.

9 x 0 = 0

I had a rather interesting Physics lesson in the middle of my SAT math class. My teacher's from Indonesia, and he's one of those math prodigies. He posed that question to us out of the blue. We each replied with a "I don't know, why don't you cut the crap and just tell us" look.

As we all know, our perception of objects is simply light reflecting off the object and reaching our eyes. Our witnessing the second hand click by is the result of the continuous barrage of light bouncing off the clock. What if, then, you moved backward, away from the clock, at the speed of light? The light that reflected off the clock would never quite reach our eyes. Therefore, the very last photon of light to hit your eye [before you began to move back] would be the image ingrained into your head. Theoretically, then, time has literally stopped for you.

What would happen if you moved backward at a speed faster than light? Time would go backwards. Cool.

Written by jihwan at 09:18 PM.

3 x 0 = 0