one way or another

i haven't been up this early since... well, i can't even remember. when i woke up this morning, i felt alive again.

alive

there's something about the morning that brings me back to the basics. maybe it's because i was forced to wake up early in the morning B.C. (before college). the early mornings remind me of waking up at the crack of dawn for high school, back when i was ambitious and had dreams of traveling the world. upon arousal sans alarm, i felt like i HAD to be somewhere else. the urge to be a wanderlust. those once familiar feelings of freedom and self-empowerment while meandering through the streets of another country. i've got to get back out there. i'll find a way. one way or another.

all photos by me. don't steal them without my permission!

the 2nd and 3rd picture are my argentinian friends florencia and cami. i met them randomly in northern spain in a city called irun. we were all trying to get to barcelona that night but we missed the train because the tickets sold out right before we got to the window. so guess what we did? we rented a car and roadtripped for 6 hours to barca. yes, we are that cool.

oh and the 4th picture is a random group us walking to in-n-out in la. i like the sun setting behind us. photo creds to mr. john cho...oppa...lol

life is dandy. getting kinda nervous about the internship and job hunt.

also, my best friends linda and katie are the fucking best.
like i'm amazed at how they know me oh-so-well.
and it makes me happy. i love them.

lately i...

turned 21

hung out with dumbfoundead backstage

went to a cool art exhibit

ate amazing korean fusion BBQ

saw alesso and got birthday caked at opera

shot a music video at georgia tech 

ate samgyupsal and drank makgulli with david choi

watched my cousin get married

went shopping with my two best friends

relaxed in destin for a couple of days

danced the night away with the kollab family

celebrated mingie's 21st

 got a second chance to see alesso

danced and fistpumped in the rain

all in the meanwhile, preparing for this!

i feel different.

last time visiting downtown before i left europe

metz, france, august 2011

i was talking with my circuits lab partner yesterday who has done a fair amount of traveling himself. we were talking about how when we're traveling, we become a totally different person. not in a sense of masking who we really are, but of finding this alternate being within yourself. someone who is capable of so much more than ourselves in our own comfortable homely environments. it's like being in foreign territory brings out the best of me. the more daring, honest, self-starting, diligent, adventurous version of me. i don't know. i've just been thinking since i got back from last summer. a day doesn't go by when i don't look back and yearn to be back in europe. i want to be that person again. i know this is cliché but i really do want to live my life as best as i can without regrets.

YGTLC 2012

january 2012, golden gate bridge, san francisco

i was in san francisco, california this past weekend for the annual technical and leadership conference, YGTLC hosted by KSEA. i had the opportunity to meet amazing speakers, young professionals, graduate students, medical students, and other undergrads from all over the nation. i felt so inspired by the loads of intelligent, driven, successful, passionate, and ambitious korean-american people i met. i listened to inspirational talks from renown physicists and biologists, one of the first 200 employees of google, a computer scientist who works at disney, the department head at youtube, etc. i met a famous robot scientist, a former olympic swimmer, leaders in technology and research, successful businessmen and businesswomen, a person who has their own talk show, intelligence government workers, and so much more. not only did i have a lot of fun at the workshops, learned about how to succeed, listened to technical posters and presentations, toured a wonderful and extremely beautiful city, and partied with the most well-rounded people i know, i learned so much. the most important thing i took away from this conference was motivation. last semester, i had a really difficult time focusing on my schoolwork. i was emotionally and physically drained after returning from an amazing summer in europe. i really wanted to just quit school and travel. i had goals but i didn't know how to even start to work toward them. this conference made me realize the great potential i have. next to these people at ygtlc, i honestly felt insignificant and felt that i had done nothing with my life so far. with that, i will be working extra hard this semester. no more distractions!

first time at in-n-out!

golden gate bridge with the atlanta girls

hehe, kisha is such a cutie

 hotel window

  some of our new friends from virginia

 the city from lombard street  

 riding to downtown on the BART

street food at fisherman's wharf

 golden gate bridge at sunset

the cutest teddy bears! (i took a business card from the 

lady who makes these so i can buy one later, keke)

 kisha and i got handmade rings made by a chinese 할아버지

went to the famous hog island oyster co. with donna & kisha

 musee mecanique, a vintage arcade (so cool!)

 a night time trolley ride to union square

"But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame, like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth."

-Rocky Balboa

kisha, me, and hara, our roommate from london

 our new friends :)

2011 in retrospect

january vowed that i would be more active and creative in 2011

february made a lot of new friends and invested my time in making memories with them

march helped put on an amazing Kollaboration show

april went on a one-month concert and show frenzy

may flew over to europe for three months abroad in metz, france and 

traveled to brugge and brussels, belgium and munich and dachau, germany

 

june went canyoning in switzerland, rode a boat to copenhagen, spoke 

french in paris, and ate gelato in florence, pisa, cinque terre, and rome

 

july roamed the streets of prague, relaxed on the beach in cinque terre, watched the last harry 

potter movie in london, ate amazing local food in milan and venice, and had a girls' night out in paris

august visited the red light district and had fresh beer at the heineken 

museum in amsterdam, went jamon in barcelona, and flew back to america

september a month of reminiscing, catching up, and enjoying the american luxuries

october more concerts, good friends, and getting into YGTLC in san fran in january!

november had the best time at KUSA olympics after months of training

december spent a wonderful break with friends and family

at the beginning of 2011, i read somewhere that people who spend their time and money on experiences, rather than material objects are much more happier than people who "treat" themselves by buying gifts for themselves. i think i really lived this year keeping that in mind. 2011 has been one of the best years ever. i will never forget the places i went, the friends i made, and the memories i created this year. bring it on, 2012!