Saturday, June 18, 2005

reflections v4.0

21) Who/what about college will you miss the most during the summer?

i'd have to say that this is a much-needed summer. i definitely need some time away from UT, but of course, i will definitely miss the people i won't be seeing this summer, namely, everyone who doesn't live in sugar land. so all my st. louis, plano, austin, syosset, jersey village, taiwan, whoeverelsei'mmissing friends, take care over summer, and i'll see you in a couple months.

22) What is your favorite conversation you have had this year?

wow, talk about an impossible question. it's impossible to really narrow it down here. i've had so many opportunities to get to know people and really gain wisdom from folks that i couldn't possibly pick one. however, the following aim convo would have to rank up there:

mok says: do you know how to make dough?
philphil789: ?
philphil789: money?
mok says: no like, dough for bread
philphil789: oh
philphil789: water
philphil789: and flour
mok says: oh, alright
mok says: thanks
philphil789: np

23) What are your favorite TV shows and movies of sophomore year?

TV shows..well, i basically left espn on 24/7. maybe i'll have more variety next year. LATELY i've been stuck on 24, so perhaps that will continue. my favorite movies i've watched this year would have to be hotel rwanda, shrek 2, the truman show, and some other ones that i can't remember right now. OH, and of course, the sound of music.

24) What were your favorite “chill spots?”

mainly stayed within my hallway. either mine or davidpark/scott's or xiao/eric's room. 151 was cool too. i don't really know what chill spots are, to be honest.


25) Where is your favorite place to study (if you study at all)?

"study" is a very broad term. if this pertains to everyday schoolwork and stuff like that, i did most everything in my room. if this pertains to hectic, stay-up-all-night-drinking-bawls studying that accompanies finals week, then that would be the pcl.

26) How have your habits (eating, sleeping, studying, playing, etc.) changed?

EATING: i ate more at j2 this year, but somehow i still managed to run out of dine-in dollars with a month left of school. a little less late-night eating, but still enough to brag about, and more "cooking" in the room with the convenience of tiffany's toaster oven.


SLEEPING: i think i got more sleep than last year, which isn't really saying much. first semester i had 8:00 and 9:30 classes monday through thursday, so that didn't help much. i told myself i would sleep by midnight on days where i had an 8:00 the next day, but that didn't last long. actually, it didn't even start because i could never fall asleep that early.

STUDYING: i procrastinated with studying once again, but it seemed to work out okay in the end. i got a 4.0 for the year, so i'm pretty happy about that.

PLAYING: all work and no play makes jack a dull boy, but then again, all play and no work makes jack a stupid boy. i think overall i found a pretty good balance between recess and work time, so yay for me.

27) What bad habits have you made/maintained/broken?

one bad habit i can think of right off the top of my head is going to play ball when i have work to do. i remember a couple of times i would even bring a book or 2 to gregory, telling myself that i would read/study in between pickup games. even worse, i told myself that God wanted me to study, so He would make me lose a game or 2 so i could do my work. unfortunately, when i lost a game, i couldn't concentrate enough to study, and when i won, i would just keep playing.

my quiet times were also quite inconsistent, to say the least. i don't know, it just seems like i never had time sometimes, which sounds terrible. hopefully this will change, starting now.

28) What was your average wake up/go to sleep time? How has this changed from freshmen year?

average "wake up time" was 15 minutes before my first class; average "go to sleep" time was about 2:00 AM -- earlier compared to freshmen year.

29) What were some things you gained/lost interest in?

monkeyball had its time of glory fosho. that was definitely fun, playing everyday to determine the "monkeyball champion." i also gained interest in volleyball cuz stacked with scrubs was awesome.


i lost interest in loitering. that's about all i can think of right now.

30) Do you have any newly acquired skills (or lost skills)?

NEWLY ACQUIRED: i think i can shoot better than i could last year. i can play G chord on a guitar. thanks to the jackson spring break trip, i now know a thing or two about foosball. i get embarrassed even less easily now, which further indicates my lack of shame.

LOST: my skills are quite limited, so whenever i acquire any, i make sure i don't lose them.

31) What are some new phrases, words, or actions that you began using?

- you lil wanker
- who are you?
- shoota
- you idiot
- ridiculous
- you know how we do (recent addition, thanks to mr. jason wang)

32) How have/haven’t you matured?

i'd like to think that i mature spiritually every year. specifically, i've learned to just trust that God is good -- through thick or thin, God never changes.

i don't know any other areas where i have matured.

33) How do you think you have changed physically?

weight is about the same. lost definition since i stopped working out. grew a couple millimeters taller. got darker because of freakin' canoobq.


34) How do you think you have changed spiritually?

i've learned to trust Him more. it's been a difficult year spiritually, but i think i'm starting to see why i had to go through it. just need to keep in mind that i don't need to worry about anything cuz God's in control. cliche, sure, but sometimes it's the things you've heard all your life that really need to be taken to heart.

35) What is your dream job at this point in your life?

NBA basketball player. stop asking this question.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

scandinavia trip

12 days of much-needed vacation time on the other side of the globe. what happened? let's see..

well, they say pictures are worth a thousand words, so this post is gonna be over 3,000 words long.


no one knew who this guy was, but then again, no one really seemed to care. fobby ignorant tourists..


jumping into a freakin' cold lake before shutting myself in a nearby sauna -- crazy swedish style.


this was at a public park where all the statues were nude for some reason. i finally convinced jason to just do it. no shame, right? especially not in a foreign country where no one could possibly identify you.

well, they also say that actions speak louder than words, and while that phrase may not fit this situation at all, i don't care.

there was some sort of national holiday in sweden, and we just so happened to be in downtown in a major town, so there was a royal procession that day. apparently, the king and queen were on their way, so i decided to do my part in celebrating their upcoming arrival.


on that note, i'm back home! time to figure out what's happened in the world in the past 2 weeks..

Sunday, June 12, 2005

A Few Questions
- Clay Walker

How in this world can we put a man on the moon,
And still have a need for a place like St. Jude's?
And why is one man born in a place where all they know is war,
And a guy like me has always been free?

And how can two people who've built a loving home,
Try for years and never have a child of their own?
And somewhere out there tonight there's a baby no one's holding tight,
In need of love, to me that don't add up..

But I wasn't there the day you filled up the oceans,
I didn't get to see you hang the stars in the sky;
So I don't mean to second guess you or criticize what I don't understand,
These are just a few questions I have..

And why did my cousin have to die in that crash?
A good kid only 17, I still wonder about that;
It seems unfair to me some get the chance to chase their dreams,
And some don't, but what do I know?

I wasn't there the day you filled up the oceans,
I didn't get to see you hang the stars in the sky;
So I don't mean to second guess you or criticize what I don't understand,
These are just a few questions I have..

Why do I feel like you're hearing these prayers of mine,
When so many oughta be ahead of me in line?
When you look down on me, can you see the good through all the bad?
These are just a few questions I have..


this song just embodies everything that has been on my mind. anyhow, still in sweden at the moment, be back on thursday.