When I lived in the states, I rarely visited fast food restaurants. It’s ironic because the United States is after all, the mother of fast food. I’ve never felt unhealthy, but these days, I am quite concerned about my health and my friends’.

I know a girl, who calls herself McD’s OD (overdose). WHY? Obviously, she’s been living off Mc Donald’s. Everyday she tells me that she feels the cholesterol reaching her heart and she fears an heart attack. But, if you ask her “Do you wanna go to Mc Donald’s?” She certainly won’t refuse, but say, “You know what the worst thing is? The fact that going to Mc Donald’s never sounds bad.” Hanging out with this girl, I have become closer to Mc Donald’s; somehow, I often end up there with the same person. I feel gross taking a bite of the extremely unhealthy burger, but when I watch my friend eat, I chuckle everytime. Her tray, filled with a Big Mac, Super sized fries and coke, and Oreo Mc Flurry. Her menu never changes, and the amount consumed never decreases.

I know you might be depicting her as a obese person, but actually, she is the skinniest girl in school. However, according to her, her health is the worst in school.
 

So, these days, I’ve been looking through youtube videos frequently. Then, I realized that youtube consists of many talented musicians. There are many definitely better than famous singers and some that compose amazing music. It came across me that I like listening to complete strangers singing on youtube because they aren’t famous and their songs aren’t played every where I go. At the same time, I respect them for their courage to post their videos on public websites (I would never ever do that- I’d be too embarrassed). Moreover, I’d hate to receive criticism from other people, since there are always are people who will have a problem with something you do. Anyways, it was just something that came across my mind as i was going through my itunes playlist.

Evidently, I haven’t blogged in awhile. Actually, I’ve been blogging, but not constantly. Ever since June, I’ve been trying out different blog websites and writing one here and there. Recently, I’ve tried using Xanga, something I used to be severely addicted to. Yet, I realized as much as I enjoy Xanga, it focuses more on the social network rather than a purpose of blogging. Then, I was to blogger.com to create an account, and I actually did create one. However, it didn’t work out- I guess I was frustrated from trying out too many blogging communities that I was unwilling to familiarize myself with blogger.com. Now here I am, once again, on Edublog. My final decision: re-open my original blog and start networking. 

It’s hard to admit that you only have two friends. It’s even harder to admit that you’ve changed. The hardest thing is to say both of these facts in front of a cold room full of people.

“There are two reasons why I’m standing backwards. One, because my heart is beating at the speed of light. Two, because I don’t want you guys to be scared of me.”

She admitted to the crowd that her first year in KIS, people only saw her with two friends and many people were afraid of her. Yet, she declared that she changed this year. She realized that she needs to be more involved and sociable with more than two friends in order to survive high school. This girl gave me goosebumps just by listening to her frank words. She nervously, shaking at the same time, spoke to the crowd, “It was through my friends that I’ve changed to who I am now.”

It was a moment that I realized the power of friendship. She told me I was a changer. The one word “changer” made me feel like the most accomplished person on earth. Her eyes soon filled up with tears and I felt speechless. As much as I loved her for who she is and was, there always seemed to be a part of her that was stubborn. However, that idea about her was totally broken today. It just dissolved as she frankly, so nervously gave her speech. She, one of the most confident girls I’ve ever seen had her back to the crowd, shaking and giving a speech from the bottom of her heart. She, today, made me feel worthy. I admire her for being able to accept or rather admit facts that many people including myself want to deny.

Wipe your tears because it’s these facets of you that makes you the amazing person that you are and you’ve become.

Lunch is a time to finish homework or the chance to squeeze some studying in. Nonetheless, it is supposed to be 30 minutes of stress free and socializing time. Yet, it’s the contrary. Too many students are too busy stressing out to finish the last bit of reading or homework. The students stare at the clock frequently wishing time to stop. Today, I came across an article about a school creating a mandatory course called Lunch.

A high school in New York, a leading school, realized that too many students don’t go to lunch, but rather rush around the hall ways to grab something speedy and run to the library to finish studying. The principal realized that this is only going to make the students more stressed and do harm to their health. He came up with an efficient resolution, making lunch a class. Now, a little bit of class time is reduced and put into resting time for the students to relax and just hang around. It is a mandatory class. The students at Briarcliff High School now have an additional mandatory course. Now, the capacious cafeteria won’t be deserted. Just like Briarcliff High School, there are several high schools nationally. These schools are trying to create stress reduction programs for the students to catch a breath from their packed AP classes and such. In Korea, where grades seem to be the only concern of too many parents, these rectifications should be made or rather the schools should set up programs to limit the stress. I mean, what’s the point of succeeding academically if you’re not happy?

Image from Flickr.com

two more weeks. no sunshine. where’s the sun? when’s summer? shorts and flipflpos. breathe breathe. tired. 4 A.M. lack of sleep. stacy is funny. too much to do. can’t think. i really like this song. scar tissue. iis mun today. resolution’s not good enough. will it even have any chance of passing? i put effort in it. my nose is stuffy. human rights. ap world history. finals. imovie. this weekend isn’t a weekend. facebook is boring. today is hat day. why don’t i have a hat? give me a stamp. my usb stick doesn’t work. ugh, i need to return it. i am not hungry. why did i eat so much yesterday? dunkin donuts= fattening. fly away. happy prince. crazy. hippie last night. oh my gawsh. text me right now. no no no no. what no? math grade. pull up my grades. let’s be happy. i never loved nobody fully. regina spektor love- lovely. m.i.a- paper planes. i feel dead. am i dreaming? dabin is working hard. i need to step up my game. be diligent. can’t wait to get the yearbook today. it’s gonna be so heavy to carry. how long will it take to iis? i feel like something is clogged in my chest. i want soda to digest all these emotions. i don’t even know what i’m thinking. i feel full of thoughts. i wanna digest my thoughts into action. what to do, what to do? gmail is better than hotmail. is this even

stream of consciousness?

just let me sleep. my eyelids close. my brain spins. i’m in school. find the sunshine in this gloomy weather.

mmhm

sneeze coming through,

Image from Flickr

The PGC concert was enjoyable. Under ground dark club. The lights in every color, and the volume turned on to the maximum. No AC. It was hot and everyone was sweating from jumping around and singing along. Let’s say it’s a time that the student were surprised by the teachers’ talents in music and visaversa. It was a bonding time in the darkness, but coming together with music. Yet, not everything as so sweet.

Going home was a nightmare. Hongdae was terribly crowded by the time we left the concert, 8:30 P.M. It was an army of ants marching and searching for food. I saw no space, but an influx of people. Pushing through to get out, I bumped into many people. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Everyone was too busy trying to get to their destination without caring about other people they were running into or bumping into. It was a time of selfishness, and I wished I had some independent space. I felt like my space was invaded and conquered. I was literally dying to fly out of the place. It took me and my friends 30 minutes to just get to the nearby subway station. It was a tiring night. The subway station wasn’t in a better condition than the streets. The stairs was filled with people and I couldn’t even watch the steps. People wouldn’t stop coming out. Again, I just had to push through to get on the subway. From there, it took and hour to get to a bus stop. From the bus stop, it took another hour to get home. Terrifying, I know. By the time I got home, I felt like an 80-year old granny with back problems. My body was aching and I felt gruesome covered in everyone’s germs. PGC concert was great, but the location wasn’t too great. It was far far away from home- a long journey.

Picture taken by Lynn Hong

yj

What’s more pleasing than having a bite of a frosted cupcake? In Korea, it’s hard to find heavily frosted cupcakes because Koreans prefer less sweetened pastries. Although I’m a Korean as well, I sometimes have a strong crave for something extremely sweet,but something small in size so I don’t get a stomach ache. What’s more perfect than a small cupcake adorned with ample frosting?

Craving for a “American” style cupcake, my friends an I, started a journey in the search of a cupcake store. We went through the busy streets of Apgujung-Dong and the crazy cars on the streets. Turning right and left here and there, going into this street and that street, we finally arrived. Destination found. We didn’t know the bakery’s name, but we just knew how to get there. It wasn’t hard to recognize the store because of its appealing display of cupcakes. After the “oh my gosh” moment, we hopped inside the bakery. It smelled like Magnolia Cafe in the States. It had been a while since I’ve smelt this sweet bakery smell. It felt like home or heaven maybe. As if the smell of sweet cupcakes made us hyped up, we were laughing and dying of ecstasy. There were four different kinds of frosting- chocolate, red velvet, lemon, and raspberry. It was an indecisive moment, but since we were three we found a way out. Each one of us chose a different flavor so that we could try three out of the four different cupcakes. The cupcakes weren’t cheap, but worth it. It was $5 every small cupcake, but every single bite was joy. Pure pleasure. Trust me, at the end of our pleasing eating time, there wasn’t even a crumb left of the small cupcake. Not to mention how we stayed after finishing the cupcake for about 20 minutes just staring at the cupcakes making promises to come back and try other flavors. We were still amazed or glad that we found a “American” style cupcake bakery. Leaving the place was hard, so we all took our phones out capturing the cupcakes- not wanting to say good-bye.

article from Korea Herald

Too many people care about weight, but has anyone paid attention to their brain? It’s not time to care about the outer looks, but rather the condition of the inner organs. As people grow older, their memory gets worse and worse. It’s scary how people can forget the simplest things. Not only old people, but also teenagers are now pretty forgetful as well. We define is as “clumsy,” but nobody really takes it seriously. However, it should be taken into consideration. Many people are actually consulting about their brain’s fitness. It sound funny, but it might save your memory. There are simple ways to fitness your brain such as playing nintendo games that require thinking and the ability to remember objects. It may sound pathetic, but it’s just like spending time on a treadmill. As the awareness of the loss of memory increase, there are now edible products that are supposed to prevent or slow down the process of the brain’s decaying. Believe it or not, the decaying of your brain isn’t just a story about other people, but it probably applies to you as well, although it’s more common for the boomers. It is a common issue and now there are many companies, who help out the people in need of brain exercise. Find something you enjoy doing and constantly be active in any activities from knitting to playing a piano. It is preventable and fixable, but it’s all depending on the individual’s effort to take the time. Wouldn’t it be scary when one day you wake up and all your friends vanished from your memory? Without memories, there’s no record of your living. As the New York Times mentioned, it’s time to care about the fitness for brain.

“Our memories are who we are. And if we lose our memories we lose that groundedness of who we are.”

Picture from Flickr

Starbucks is the hot spot for gossip. Pushing the glass door, the coffee aroma rushes into my nose. I told myself that I’m not going to drink coffee today, but it’s impossible to bare the smell of Starbucks coffee.

As usual, we order a vanilla latte, caramel frappucino, and a caramel macchiato. Waiting for our drinks, we smell the coffee beans. Yet, as soon as our drinks are ready we rush up stairs to find a comfortable seat. Mina as usual wants to sit on the couch and she does. We start taking sips of our incredibly tasting coffee. Soon, the coffee brings us together in our own little world. Looking foolish, we sit there laughing for the oddest things. Talking loudly, we gossip like no other girl. It’s a coffee break, the time we update each other on the “latest news.” Moreover, the time we laugh at everything. Thinking about it now, there’s so much told at Starbucks, the current events. It’s surprising because life seemed just same old life without anything new. Sitting with a cup of coffee and two best pals just made life interesting. Explaining about our day or days makes time fly away. There seems to have been many new things that happened for the past few days. In a way, boring happenings in life become the funniest things in life. Yeah…not sure how it happens, but it sure does happen every hangout. Just a little amazing how a cup of coffee can spice up life immensely..or is it the sugar in the coffee that just hypes us up? Oh well, as long as we’re happy the cup of coffee is worthy. I’d say……

starbucks=ecstasy