i saw that it was difficult... but

i also saw determination to grow.

hope in God.

within two months of prayer, we found true community, worship... of two, growth; among many, the reflection of our common yearning for God's glorification

and there's so much more than even this to be thankful for.

and that'll be enough to keep our friendship going.



let's keep chugging ^^

from xanga. i still have no system for posting :(

when we believe in others, we can spur them to betterment.

example.

brilliant melodies ribbon out of Leon's instrument as he flawlessly breezes through Zigeunerweisen. it is a gorgeous piece... the music will take your heart, put little wings on it, and allow it to soar out of your body (an out of body experience!! hehe)... if it is played correctly. which is what my friend did. now imagine Leon placing the sheet music in front of you, a mediocre violinist, and telling you to play.

what?

i reluctantly picked up my beloved Forrest and Gump (violin, bow) and gave an honest try. they say honesty is the best policy, but i wish i could lie here. i wish i could tell you that there was something redeeming to my playing, but alas. each incorrectly placed finger made me wish i could retract my head into my body and stop playing, but my self-proclaimed teacher withstood my profuse apologies and refused to let me quit until the first page was complete.

jin: i'm so sorry. are you sure i can learn this within the summer?
leon: (you have to know him to see him saying this cheesy stuff non cheesily) i'm so sure. i believe you can do it.
jin: heh. skeptical.

haha. who knows. but if you had been there to experience my dejection, perhaps you could grasp how much that belief really took root in my previously self-defeating attitude about my own skills. not wanting to let my buddy slash teacher down, i picked up my violin the next day absolutely determined to show improvement... and surprisingly, within the next two hours, there /was/ improvement. i'm still no virtuoso, but that's to be expected. encouraging, to say the least. amazing, too, how this philosophy can be applied to so many other situations. i tend to forget how much potential God stores in people that comes out with work, and how much work went into God showing us this belief. perhaps i should have realized the former when i learned in physics that potential energy is the opposite of kinetic energy, which is work. even beyond the difficult personal goal of trying to stop being so mean to people, it's time also to stop being afraid of the power in people and to start expressing my belief in them... all. of. them. (and please pray for the best as i apply that tomorrow.)

hopefully, Leon's belief is well-informed enough to be right. whether it is or not, there'll definitely be huge amounts of improvement...i guess we'll find out from the results in september :)

forget mcats for a minute... or more

wouldnt it be awesome to buy a huuge huuge hat...

one of those whimsical floppy straw hats that you'd see on a woman gardening or walking on the beach

completely ridiculous

but pretend...
wearing it and
nurturing, trimming beautifully flowering hibiscus (wouldn't that be gorgeous?)
skipping down the street with arms spread
collecting seashells
biting into a cold, juicy watermelon
picnicking to jazz
reading under a tree
paddle boating on the lake, feeding ducks

m....

let it hang
tilt your head back
and let the beautiful day blow you away

or retreat under the wide brim
watch the world
and smile


[and think to yourself...
what a wonderful world]

i think that would be awesome

oh major decisions

joshua. funny that the verse i think of comes from that book :)

joshua 1:9.

a starbucks vanilla latte kept me awake in class this morning... as i studied this afternoon... attempted/ stumbled through/botched not even the first page of zigeunerweisen... but began puttering out as i mindlessly entered data into a computer... sigh. you were good while you lasted, vanilla latte :P

jay chou's secret with charley was so different...

oh gosh

i feel like i'm getting so serious sometimes

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080603/ap_on_re_as/china_earthquake

i hope the past weeks of protests will lead to a step in the right direction for china. i've never been super political, but at times like these i see the good in democratic process.