Post-Korean blog. The first of many...

Well, I've been wanting to really start blogging for a while now, but Korean just kept getting in the way. And now that's no longer the case! Learning this language has been the biggest challenge for me. You know how you're about to take a test or do some other feat that will measure your abilities, and deep down you know you'll be fine but you tell yourself and others that you are worried just for the sake of modesty or 'just in case' of the unlikely event that you don't do as well as you think you will? Well, that was never the case for me while learning Korean. There's no doubt that I worked my ass off to pass the DLPT, but despite that I new I was working hard to achieve my goal, there were so many times when I just didn't feel like I could do enough. So many times I felt that failure was inevitable. It was the worst feeling. Everytime I thought about my approaching graduation date, I kept feeling as though I was on the good side of a catastrophe. It's such a relief to find out that I was actually on the sucky side of achievement. And now that I am here, I feel such gratitude to my family and friends for their faith, and to my teachers for putting 200 percent of everything they have into our class. It nearly brings tears to my eyes. As I continue to pursue my college degree, if I am blessed to have professors with only half the talent, skill, enthusiasm, and encouragement as any one of my teachers, I will truly be a lucky man.

Now that I have some extra time on my hands, I have taken to watching all the movies I've wanted to watch, but didn't have the time; playing video games; hanging out with my buddies; and reading the books that I've been wanting to read. I just finished an excellent book called "The End of Faith", it was recommended to me by Liu ('Alex' in my myspace list of friends), and whether you agree with the author or not (I do, for the most part), it is extremely thought-provoking. I plan to reflect further on it and write a blog about it in the near future (so stay tuned!). I have also tried to read an Ann Coulter book ("Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right"), but it just isn't keeping my interest. I have a hard time respecting a person who slams people ("liberals") for doing the exact same thing that she does (insulting and lying about people she disagrees with). I also shake my head at these people who believe that there are only two groups of people in America: Liberals and Conservatives. In my own experience, each individual (including myself) is at least a little of both. And I think that the myth of the Conservative vs. Liberal conflict is contributing considerably to the social problems in this country. But those are just my thoughts on the subject.

Anyway, I'm out for now. Thanks for reading! Responses are always welcome...

Reading: The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris