MiSURA

chalking on the quad to advertise our luau tomorrow.
the week before our first official large group ! =)

this is the outlook for the week.
i like color-coordinating.
i like to be specific.
i like to be on time.
i like my planner. =)

okay, this is not one of my best pictures. but i ran out of chances to take pictures. i should just strap my camera all the time. but then i'd look just weird. having a class from 545-815 is not cool. especially b/c i went to the wrong building. but good thing i have a car b/c it's freakin far from my room. i don't wanna get jumped walking back to my room.

the picture's just of the parking lot that i park in. yes, its oudoors and yes, i'm scared that my car's gonna get jacked. but i think it'll be okay. for $423.00 it better be okay.

my contemporary art class is just awesome. it's gonna be super hard. but it'll be hands-down intriguing.

i forgot to post yesterday ! but this was the pictures that i took. yoon bought me this plant and now our common room looks homier. =)

first day of classes weren't bad. i actually really enjoyed two of my professors and i can't wait to meet the rest of them today.

this was the building that I practically lived in. i took ochem, pchem, research, all my labs, and even that awful chem304. also had AXE meetings, too. good times good times. my friend, jing & i, would suffer together. haha. but now she's graduating this year and moving onto bigger and better things. well, as am i with art history and all.










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arth101: art history I
arth302: buddhist art in asia
arts210: enameling and jewelry I
arth393: contemporary art / critical directions
phed012: badminton

i'm pretty darn excited for every single class. i hope i learn oodles. =)

classes start TOMORROW !

i forgot where i read about this, but i'm gonna take pictures everyday and post my favorite one for a year. maybe it's inspiring. thoughful. or just plain cool. and hopefully my photography will improve. =] so today's picture is...








this is the left side of the posterboard that we worked on yesterday.

the 6 pictures represent the different colors of koinonia... and the craziness levels. =)

lots of things happened already !

1. hanging out w/ koinonia
whether it's at a meeting, or to pray, or at someone's suite/apt.. it always fun. just having a group of people to be with is always good. i hope our family grows this year !

2. life w/o AC
i don't understand how people without air conditioning survive. i'm sweating so much just sitting here in my room. maybe it's my computer that's emitting so much heat. but it's mad hot here.

3. living on southside
is not so great. this morning they were mowing the lawn at 7:30am and i didn't have to wake up for another 2hrs. a street is also right next to my window so even if i open it just a little, it's very noisy. the train tracks are also not so far off so i hear the train go by every now and then. until the wintertime, my window will be open and i will not be able to sleep. it's sssoooo far walking past the quad to where civilization exists. =P but i guess i'll get my exercise in for the day and be satisfied.

4. canon rebel xt
yay ! =) i got one. wanted the xti... but i'm not looking for professional pictures or anything. xt is just as good. i'm sssooo happy. i took some pictures today but i don't think i really know what i'm doing. right now, i'm just using it like a regular digital camera. soon i'll figure it out. =]

that's all. short post, right? okay, maybe one picture.






our wonderful social chairs: yoon & jess

i totally didn't buy a parking permit for when i get to school. but when i double-checked... i think first timers have to buy it after august 20th @ 830am. ssooo that's where i'm gonna be on monday morning. on sunday i'm gonna hafta attempt parallel parking.

here i go !

to another school year. :]

raven - this is my time // download HERE

Before I leave for Case. I'm so ready to go back. So so so sooooo ready ! =D

Matt Redman - Dancing Generation // download HERE


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I didn't get to update about the weekend. I was so tired from J-Gen... but there were lots of things going on this weekend.

1. Museum of Science & Industry // CSI: the EXPERIENCE
Awesome !!!! I had such a fun time. =) Driving to Chicago? Not so fun. I definitely cannot drive in the city. Unless I've lived there for a lonng time and memorized the streets. I can't parallel park so I would become bankrupt paying for parking garages. I'd do immense damage to the car b/c I'd bump the car in front and back of me. I'd grow white hair earlier b/c of the stress of one-way streets. Basically, I'm inept.

Oppa and I had a good time. I wish I could go again ! ^ ^ Before going into the special exhibit we visited the general admission part of the museum. We go to play I Spy !!!! Or "Eye Spy" rather. AHH that was FUN. =) Then we built that wooden block home which was way too easy. We need more challenging stuff. I learned very valuable information about how poop is turned into power. The food was really good, too.

The CSI: Experience was pretty easy, too. Maybe I should go into CSI, haha.

2. Catherine and Charles Birthday !
I made a scrapbook for Catherine... my first scrapbook. It was kinda plain.. -___-;; But I hope she liked it anyway. ^ ^ We went to the beach, noraebang.. and ended the night laaaaate. That was one of the most fun nights noraebang-ing. Finally 20 years old ! About time. We can enjoy 1.5months being 20 together... and then I go on to bigger and better things. Haha.. j/k. Then the next day, Catherine slept over and we spontaneously went to watch Rush Hour 3 w/ Charles & Paul and ate @ Denny's around midnight =O

3. No Special Event but as I was working on another scrapbook......
I stumbled across these "magic photos" that I took back in the day. MAN. I look so young. These kind of pictures were really popular back then, too. EVERYONE was doing it. yknow what i'm saying?




That's all ! =)
Enjoy what's rest of the summer !

Feels so good to be home. Lots of things to get done before I go back. Both my best friends' birthdays to prepare for, going to CSI exhibit in Museum of Science & Industry hopefully, shopping last minute stuff for school, start packing like crazy, and a lot of Koinonia stuff to pray about.

The retreat was probably the best I've ever been to. I think being a counselor really forces me to pray for the retreat. B/c going as a student, I didn't REALLY prepare for it. I prayed for myself a couple times, but I didn't try hard enough. As a counselor, our perspective is different. We're not just thinking about getting blessed, but how the younger generation can change the world. We're more aware of the spiritual battles going on and how we're part of God's redemptive plan. As a student, I only thought about myself: What am I getting out of this, how can I better myself, what can I do different when I go home, when am I going home? haha.

The most important thing that I learned was that repentance leads to everything.
1. Repentance leads to self-awareness.
When I repent of my sins, I am consciously aware of my actions the next time I do it. And I remember how much it hurt to repent and to come before God repenting of the same things, and I try harder not to fall into sin again.

2. Repentance leads to more thankfulness.
At the retreat, I repented heavily about my selfishness and ungratefulness. I received a car this summer and as happy as I was, I wasn't totally thankful. I said I was, but my heart didn't agree. Why couldn't I get that Jetta or Civic? Why do I have to drive a PT cruiser? But repenting about things like that made me realize how lucky I am. Just like God provided the Israelites w/ the Promise Land, protected them from enemies, and gave them the best of everything, I should be joyful just for the very air that I breathe.

3. Repentance keeps your eyes on the cross.
We don't repent so we can feel sorry for ourselves and cry until we turn blue. We don't repent so that we think lower of ourselves. The real reason is to accept Jesus as the sacrifice and atonement for our sins. The reason God gives us a second, third, millionth chance is not because He thinks we can do better. But it's because THROUGH Jesus Christ we can do better. We can become better. We can work harder. Only through the cross we can find redemption and a changed attitude. Unless you think about the cross, true repentance will not come. We cannot absolve ourselves of our sins, only Jesus Christ can.

4. Repentance leads to an intimate relationship with God.
There's nothing hindering you from God anymore if you've repented. There's no shame b/c Jesus bore it for us. We come before God completely humble and naked, knowing that only God can give us the satisfaction that we desire. The relationship is defined: We live for God and for His glory. We don't live for ourselves and we are not above God.

The seminar that I attended was also inspiring. I think I might start incorporating in dance to Koinonia. I dunno what kind of interest we'll have, but maybe we'll have more interest if people are willing to put time into it. It'll also be a great way to draw in people who weren't that serious about their relationship with God and help them realize that any talent can be used for God. Even hip-hop. =) I'm excited. I really wish I took dance lessons now. I mean, really.

Alright. That's all for now. I got a lot of things to do today. I'm going to the CSI exhibit tomorrow !
SAWEEEEEEEEEEET. ^ ^

DJ Maj - Boogiroot // download HERE

Starfield - Unashamed // download HERE




Here I go !
Please pray for all the students, counselors, admin, and everyone else. That no matter what service they're doing, that they all can come back blessed and UNASHAMED. Pray for safety too. It takes about 5hrs to get to Upland, IN, so we don't wanna get lost, or even during the retreat have someone break their leg.

I'm so excited !
Coming back Thurs.

Bye bye now. =)

i've made the switch !
no longer using verizon, which is quite pricey. when we first decided to get cell phones, i thought it was all about the reception, so that's why i talked daddy into getting verizon. but now that i've been using cell phones for a while, it's not just about reception but the packages that come with it. at&t works better in cleveland, anyway. =)

i kind of liked the orange character for cingular. now my phone has an at&t symbol... i want the orange guy.

same number, so no worries.

my brother's leaving for workcamp this sat. i'm leaving for j-gen on sunday. my mom's gonna be by herself for like 4 days. for some reason that leaves me weary. last time we did that was last summer when daddy, sam, and i all went to europe for 11days. every now and then i thought about how bored mom must've been. she already keeps mostly to herself, so it's not like a party at our house all the time. buuut anyway.

i'm leaving for j-gen this sunday ! and i'll be gone until thurs. i'm going as a counselor and i have no idea what age group or which seminar i'm going to be in. so my prayers have been pretty vague. but one specific thing is for me to be invisible. if there was one thing i learned at the counselor training was that i need to be invisible. i need to be the "windshield wipers" for the students. when it's raining, you don't watch the windshield wipers.. you watch the road. and you can see the road b/c the windshield wipers are doing their job. so i need to do my job by taking care of the girls, stirring up conversation, and praying for & with them. but i am not to be in their way as to make them put their eyes on me.

and one last thing.
i wrote a song during that counselor training's prayer session. the prayer session was based on I Timothy 1:12-17 and Pastor Reggie talked about Gospel humility, gospel respect, and gospel love. that's the three parts that make up this song. but the overall theme is humility.
i guess the appropriate title would be "A Counselor's Song"

take my power and my might
i surrender them to Your hands
take my hands and my judging eyes
give me the lens of the cross

**make me humble, make me humble
make me humble to honor you

look to the young one, the next generation
marching into the world
give them the loving that they need
and the respect they deserve

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"love one another," Jesus said
love them as you love yourself
take your eyes away from your heart
love them as Jesus commands

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