MiSURA

[VENICE]

Sadly, my Venice pictures disappeared. I don't know how.. but they're gone. So I don't have any pictures. But I will write a little something-something. Venice is way too crowded. And I dunno if there are any real homes anymore. They're all hotels. Well, that's the same story w/ every big city in Europe. All I see are signs for hotels. Sometimes there are more than 4 hotels on one small street. Crazy... we really wanted to ride the gondolas but waaayyy too expensive and I think we got a pretty good view of Venice still. We walked to San Marco where these huge historic buildings were... along w/ thousands of tourists. Oh, I wish you could see what I saw. I even took video clips... =( All gone. I didn't know that man could be capable of building such amazing buildings many hundreds of years ago. How long it must've taken !! The person who may have commissioned it didn't even get to see the end result.

[PADUA]

I don't remember why we stopped in Padua, but it was only an hour away from Venice and on the way to Florence so we stopped by. And next to a giant church, there was a botanic garden and of course, I just HAD to stop by.










The pictures aren't as bright and colorful as I would've hoped, b/c the day was pretty cloudy and crappy. But use your imagination to brighten up the photos, if you'd like. ^ ^

[FLORENCE]

Florence was absolutely amazing. The hotel we stayed at was kinda awkward. The bathroom was VERY cramped, too. Haha, but that's not the point. But I like those foot-washing toilet looking things. Very handy dandy b/c we wear sandals everywhere and feet do get quite nasty & smelly. We had quite the view from the balcony from our room. Check it out. =)

There was lots to see in Florence but we focused our attention on this HUGE church or whatever it is. And a museum. The first destination is called the Piazza del Duomo. Right next to it was the Baptistery of San Giovanni and inside was just amazing. I dunno how those paintings got up there--it's just unbelievable.

I know the quality kinda sucks. That's b/c I took it with my digicam. But again.. fill in the blanks. Hahahha.. pretend that they're crisp & clear. =)

This is the Piazza del Duomo. These pictures don't even capture the entire magnificent building.








We waited about an hour or two to enter the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore.







The majority of the museum was no photography allowed. But this last picture was taken from the third floor of the museum, I think. Since there was open area I think photography was okay. ^ ^

Since Florence is not as big of a tourist attraction compared to Rome or Venice, it was nice to see some natives, too. Food, of course, is always good. If I had to choose my favorite Italian city, it would definitely be Florence. =)

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Song of the Moment : Case In Point - Isn't She Lovely by Stevie Wonder // download [here]

That's my a capella group !! This is from the Spring Concert last year. Hahaha.. there is a little bit of a mess-up. Guess which line I sang.. xP This song features all of our voices kekeke. This isnt our best but this shows off all of us. So I hope you enjoy!

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Classes are going great. I guess I can update about that later. ^ ^

Here's my schedule for the new upcoming semester.
CHEM335 - Physical Chemistry
CHEM304 - Quantitave & Analytical Chemistry
MATH223 - Calc 3, yes I'm retaking it b/c I dropped it last semester
ANTH225 - Evolution (this should be interesting)
CHEM397 - Undergraduate Research w/ Prof. Lee
PHED012 - Badminton =)

But the first week of classes I'm not going to be doing research so I can get acquainted with my schedule.

I'm also social chair of Koinonia and last night I got a taste of what my job is supposed to be like in the open. At one point during the night, I had to get up in front of the group and kinda lead them and let them know what's going on... and sure I've done this before, but even in youth group, it was with a group that I know really well. With this new group of Koinonia, I knew only half of them. My heart was pounding really hard. My mouth went dry. My palms were sweaty ... =\ But I spoke as calmly as I could and tried to keep my leg from shaking and spazzing out. For my first time, I guess it went well. =) I'm excited.

Lots of freshmen came, too ! During the leadership retreat, I received a renewed motivation to really serve them. I like being the older one in the group. Sure I like being treated, too. But I feel much more comfortable taking care of the younger ones. Maybe it's just inherent in me to be like that.

Going back to 한마당 was pretty freakin' awesome. I haven't seen those kids in forever and just got to have a good time w/ them. I forgot how much fun they have with like whatever they have in front of them. Hahaha.. it's just awesome. It's tough because one of the leaders is leaving for dental school in mid-september, but the older ones stepped up and took leadership. I want that kind of leadership, too. Since the seniors left last year, even tho I'm not the oldest one, I want to step up and assume responsibility, too.

Case in Point meeting tonight, too! We're gonna decide a day for auditions! Man... another new member or two. Fun stuff in store this semester.

All the girls in the suite are also moved in! Hannah, Rachel, Joyce, Clara, Eunice, and me. This year's gonna be great even if everything else fails, because these girls are here. =D Well it would be nice if everything else went right, too. ~,^

Here I go... into the new year. Classes starting in approximately 18.5hrs.

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Song of the Moment : Rachel Lampa - If You Believe // [download here] // [lyrics here]
Encouraging song. Please listen to it. I only put these songs up for you.. duh. xP

More Europe posts to come, too.

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The Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, Smoky Mountains, whatever other mountains don't even compare to the Alps. It seemed like we were driving through it forever. There was no end until we finally reached Venice. Then we could finally see the silhouette in the background. Appa couldn't stop saying, "와... 무섭다!!!" Translation : Wow, they're so scary ! And I guess they are.. to some extent.







About 20-30 minutes into the Alps, we saw this huge lake, and decided to stop by and take some pics w/ it, too. It sprinkled on & off while taking the picture, but at least it wasn't pouring.






I think living in the Alps would be so calming & relaxing. Nothing but peace & quiet. The most beautiful sunsets & sunrises. Clean air. Clean water. But absolutely no social life. hahaha. However it does make a great place for a retreat. So maybe one day.. I will come back.





Song of the Moment : Summer Overture from Requiem for a Dream Soundtrack // download [here]

We visited Eisenach, Erfurt, and Wittenberg. There were lots of other towns we were hoping to tour, but our schedule just didn't cut it. Since we didn't visit the big cities of Germany, we got to see what the small-town life is like. It was so hard to converse since most of them did not speak English. Small town life in Germany is really cozy.







Sometimes I felt just a bit suffocated because it was too small for me. But everyone was very kind. Even though that town may not have been the most tourist-attracting spot, they were so willing to point us in the right direction. The driving was much easier since it wasn't jam packed like Rome or Paris. We went mostly to the small towns because daddy was in a search for Martin Luther places. So we saw the place where he posted his 95 Thesis in Wittenberg. That's pretty huge since that's what catalyzed the Protestant Reformation. The following picture is obviously not the paper where he wrote it on, but every sentence is engraved into that door.

This is the back of the church where Martin Luther posted his 95 Thesis.

We also visited J.S. Bach's hometown and took a picture w/ his statute, too. ^ ^




Definitely next time when I come to Germany I will go to the big cities like Leipzig, Berlin, Frankfurt, etc. We did spend a night in Leipzig.. but only to sleep. We couldn't make it all the way to Venice from Wittenberg. Wayyyy too far away.

The rest of the Germany pictures are [HERE].

I'm working on the other posts.. so gimme some time. ^ ^

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Case is really great so far ! I got back from a meeting w/ the leaders of Koinonia and I'm super psyched for this upcoming year w/ the freshmen. Just as I was treated last year, I wanna show the freshmen that Case is a great school.. and that they'll have brothers & sisters to lean on. =)

Classes don't start till next week. And once it starts.. it's gonna be crazy! Hopefully I'll get all these posts done before classes begin.

Here's another song that's been on repeat forever.
Jamiroquai - Canned Heat // download [here] // lyrics [here]
This song's from the Center Stage soundtrack if you think it sounded familiar. xP



Enjoy and have a great rest of the week!

Song of the moment : Moby - Bodyrock // [download here]

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Pictures from Europe are posted up online here. I didn't post up all my pictures b/c then it would take up too much room. Also I didn't include captions in every picture.. so if you're confused as to what picture is of what.. then I guess ask? haha. ^ ^

I'm working on uploading the video clips of the Alps, inside the Sistine Chapel, the Louvre, and other places. It's just magnificent. If you're wondering where the pics from Venice are... they disappeared. While I was transferring the pictures to daddy's laptop, they must've gone someplace else.. or I pressed a wrong button somewhere.. but they're gone. And I am very sad. But life will go on. =) So enjoy the pictures for now. I'll update more in detail later.

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I'm moved into Case, too ! And my suite is awesome. I told you. xP Clara's already here so we spent some time together. =) Of course there'll be lots more of that. My room is small (9x10) but it's definitely livable. Bigger than the rooms on Southside campus and after a long time of trying to rearrange my room, finally it worked out !



Under the lofted bed. I had to stuff half of my clothes in a container b/c they wouldn't fit in the closet.. >,<
And I love Famous Amos cookies. =)
The dresser fits just perfect under the bed.

The bookshelf also works as the dresser. Haha. I miss the dresser & mirror from last year. I also had storage above the closet and like 5 drawers... O well.

My tiny closet. There are two small drawers towards the bottom, too.

A bulletin provided already. So I shouldn't have bought my own. Dangit.

My small desk. But it's the same size as the one from last year. I'm glad I got that shelf on the top, too. The keyboard has to be on top of the desk instead of that little slit b/c the a small part of the desk is behind the bed.. and I can't take out that sliding thing all the way.. pooo.

My savior from the heat. x) Even though right now it's pretty chilly.

My bed =) A little high. I can't exactly "roll" outta bed, but I can do a small leap.




It took me all nite to unpack. My parents drove back after having dinner w/ me & Clara. I've got a lot of things to work on this year. Too many things to name. I thought I changed last year.. but maybe it wasn't for the better. Lots of prayer needed, too. Thank you for always being there.

If you want my address here it is :

Bokeum Ra
1596 E. 115th St. #703C
Cleveland, OH 44106

Europe is too different. After the trip was over, I realized that I don't think I really can live there.. for like ever. Maybe for a few years. I need my free water & lemons @ restaurants, I want clean bathrooms, I want clean drinking fountains, I want the AC, escalators... but there are still so many things that I loved about Europe. All the things I just listed were just things that makes life in America comfortable. We certainly are lucky. I think I lost like 5lbs just from walking everyday and I gained some massive calves climbing up the Eiffel Tower. haha. Anyway! I'll update about all of this laterrr. I didn't get to journal everyday, so sadly I'm already starting to forget. The entire trip seemed so fast and it just whizzed by !

But anyway, I'm back and tomorrow I'm leaving for Case. So for all you Chicago people, I'll be back for winter break. =)

I'll definitely update when I get a chance w/ the pics, video clips, and my experiences. kakaka. Byebye, for now. ^ ^

Eurotrip. [click me]
or more like whiz-through-europe. kakaka.


Here is my schedule. You'll realize why I say whiz-through-europe rather than an actual trip.

DAY 1 (Aug. 9th)

• Arrive in Frankfurt, Germany (9am)
• Eisenach (home of J.S. Bach)
• Erfurt (wherever that is)

DAY 2 (Aug. 10th)

• Leipzig, Germany (still in Germany?!)
• Wittenberg (Martin Luther.. remember him?)
• Augsburg, Germany

DAY 3 (Aug. 11th - my brother's birthday!)

• Salzburg, Austria (reminds me of Sound of Music)
• Venice, Italy

DAY 4 (Aug. 12th)

• Florence, Italy

DAY 5-6 (Aug. 12-14th)

• Rome, Italy

DAY 7 (Aug. 15th)

• Milan, Italy
• Geneva, Switzerland

DAY 8-9 (Aug. 16-17th)

• Lyons, France
• Paris, France (AHHHH!!!!!!!)

DAY 10 (Aug. 18th)

• Worms, Germany (back to Germany)
• Heidelberg, Germany

DAY 11 (Aug. 19th)

• Frankfurt, Germany (and back to the U.S. of A)

The dates and times are kinda subject to change after Milan. We're not sure of how long it would take to get to each city (since we're driving.. no train business) and all that stuff. Sooo.. we might stay an extra day in Paris and just drive straight to Frankfurt.. or not sleep on the 18th and drive straight to Germany (b/c our flight is pretty dang early) and just sleep on the plane. We're not sure. [Shrug] We'll see.

I love traveling. I don't think I'm gonna wanna go back home.. =T

I also made my first animated banner ~~~ ch-ch-check it out. click [ME]

1. Throw away your pride
--So many times this summer I thought I was right. In almost every arena. With relationships, friends, family, school, church, whatever. I only considered my opinion. And since I only considered that one opinion only, I convinced myself that I was right--always right. Getting the picture? But how arrogant of me, isn't it ?! Who's to say that I know everything and that I am the wisest of them all? I know I'm not. So why do I pretend like some charlatan? Many of my friends were telling me the same things.

• "Just talk to that freakin' person. What do you have to lose?"
• "Go apologize to that person, even if it wasn't your fault."
• Here's this website. What you said was completely wrong. <-- Haha, I love this one.

And lots of other examples. But the lesson is learned. For sure.

2. I'm not an avid reader
--I only read when I have time. Since summer school was over, I didn't have to sit on my butt for an hour on the train and read. Honestly, I kind of miss reading. But I seem to choose the wrong novels. The last three I chose were really odd and didn't capture my attention at all. I have books on hold @ the library, too, but now I don't have enough time to finish them. But now I'm just blabbing. So yes, I am no avid reader.

3. I like being in control
--I realized this when we were swing dancing last Friday. There were lots of women present during the lessons so Sarah Cho & I hopped over on the leads side (where most of the guys are leads) and we learned how to play the guy's part in the dancing. As I was dancing with diff. women present, I realized that I liked leading them under the turns. I wanted to control which move we would do next. I wanted to be trusted and relied on. I think that's why I didn't dance with other random men b/c I kinda don't like how the ywould dance however they wanted. And I dunno how they exactly dance b/c it's not like I check 'em out before they ask me. Also, even when I was teaching the guys some turns and random moves I realized that I was really controlling which move they would do next. Granted, they were just in the learning stages, but I knew that they were depending on me to teach them something new to keep the dancing going. Haha, I'm not trying to demean those guys or anything, they're good and have lots of potential. But I'm just saying that at that time, I felt like I was in control.. and I liked it.

That's why I like driving so much. Even though it does get tiring and whatever, but I really do. I like being in control of what kind of music I listen to, how fast I can go, etc. I like singing as loud as I want and dancing as hard as I want while the music's blasting.

I like power... that is essentially why I like control. Muhahaha. Don't be scared.

4. I'm more artistic than I thought
--Ever since I picked up Photoshop, I realized the artistic capabilities I have. I know it's nothing compared to actual web designers and photographic geeks, but granted that I can't draw anything besides organic molecules and the closest thing to painting is coloring inside the lines.. I think I'm pretty darn good. =) I still have lots to learn.. but I'm looking forward to it!

5. God .. is just amazing
--I've witnessed friends stray away from God.. and come back.. stray away again, and then finally realize and accept that Jesus is truly their Savior. It's encouraging to see them finally believe in something even though the cost is great and sometimes it doesn't seem like it's worth it. But I love hearing the words from them, "It's worth it. My life is worth it. To live for Him." Thank You, God.

Reading the testimonies of the Youth Group Cambodia Team, one of the girls mentioned that she couldn't believe that God would use someone as insignificant and small as her. She doubted His power and didn't realize how much He was capable of. As I was praying for the team, I wanted God to really move in their lives. That they will come back w/ encouraging testimonies and that they would experience that the rest of us here @ home would be itching to experience. And now that they're back, and listening to some of them share about their short term mission trip.. I'm more than thankful that God chose them for His plan.

I dunno if I grew any more spiritually, but the sermon series @ church on Sunday mornings have been a constant reminder that what we have as Christians is something precious and we cannot waste it. The inductive Bible studies on Friday nights were especially helpful b/c I've never really studied studied the Bible. I just kinda read thru it and try to interpret it. But I never look at the little things like what kind of words are used, what tenses, etc. I've never read a direct translation of the Bible b/c they were always confusing. But being able to decipher it with a group of people was helpful.

6. Fall06 will be a killer
Here's my [schedule]. Please pray for me. For strength every freakin' day. For the motivation to work, to research, to be organized, to go to class, even. On top of this, I have Koinonia every Friday night, Case in Point rehearsals, and if I get to be a tour guide.. then I'll probably do several tours each week. Just in case you're curious about my future plans, junior year I'm going to apply for the MS/BS program which means that senior year, I will be working towards my Masters Degree so when I go to grad school I will go straight into getting a Ph.D. That means I gotta pull up my grades from those bad B's to amazing A's. Haha. ^ ^;; But really. No more fooling around, really.

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Well, that's enough talking for me, today. Some last minute things to do is school supply shopping, start packing everything except for clothes for school, meet up w/ a few more people, then I'm off to europe 6 days. This Sunday's the last chance to say bye to me, b/c I'm not gonna be able to see you when I come back from Europe. And then I probably won't be back home until wintertime. So if you wanna say bye.. you better go to church. haha. xP

I'll leave you w/ another one of my creations... =)