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.

stop being so cautious.

so the other day, i got into some trouble. not like law trouble. nothing serious. i'm just being vague about it but trouble nonetheless. it really made me think about how anything can happen at any time in your life. you think you're so prepared for what's going to hit you but you're not. it seriously made me reconsider a lot of choices i've made and i would make in the future. life is so so so short. it just sucks that it takes an event to remind you of that. we should think and act like that every day of our lives.


you're on a different road i'm in the milky way you want me down on earth but i am up in space you're so damn hard to please we got to kill this switch you're from the 70's but i'm a 90's bitch
going to LA in a couple days! wooooot~  see ya later alligator ;)

to do list

• 보령 mud festival
• climb 한라산 in 제주도
• beach in 부산
• sensation korea 2012
• 유성 오천 in 대전
• UMF korea with tiesto, steve aoki, skrillex, and carl cox
• party it up in 홍대
• YGF conference

just a couple of things on my to do list for this summer. i'm gonna do everything! T minus 18 days!

tragedy. oh wait! just kidding.

i want to be in a tragic accident that results in me going into a mini-coma where all of my teachers give me A's, i wake up unscathed RIGHT after finals are over, and then i pack and leave for korea. the end.

this is how i feel. lethargic. blarg.

oh yeah. by the way, i'm leaving for korea in three weeks for the whole summer, and i am stoked! haven't been to the motherland in 9 years. i just booked my flight today so everything is becoming all too real. it's really bad actually. i cannot seem to focus on my studies and my lab report due tomorrow. smh at myself. sigh.

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 :)

free as a bird

i have a home that i cannot appreciate. every day, i long to be out abroad. i don't feel 

like i belong. i just want to travel everywhere and not have to deal with shit here. i'm

missing traveling like no other. i hate being trapped here. i want to be as free as a bird.

ricky mereki

meet ricky mereki. ricky spent 44 days taking 18 flights to 11 countries.i recognize and remember being in the same exact spot in some of theplaces he went to. man, he's living my dream life. travel, eat, learn ♥

contact!

i went on a roadtrip to PCB with some jca sophomores plus a few other unmentionables, hehe. twas a jolly trip! minus the scenic detour. what an awesome group. thank you God! next year: NEW YORK CITY!

pictures by moons and me and edited by me