2011 JISAN VALLEY ROCK FESTIVAL

Believe it or not, this is Incubus

When I openend my eyes, I immediately sensed that it was early in the morning and I needed to go back to sleep. But I simply could not because I was so stoked already. Looking at the cell phone with a digital clock on it, I, as always, turned my lap top on and started to get ready.

Around 10 am, it started to drizzle. Not a good sign. Oh well, what can I do. I left the house, picked up some water, chips and bread for my entourage. Then, my buddy Insun picked me up and headed to pick up others. And of course, someone was running late.

We finally arrived. Dirty. It was my first impression. Koreans.. where is your common sense. Grant it, it was raining and all muddy. but seriously. Bring your own trash and just toss it in the trashcan near you.

The place was packed with not only Koreans but also foreigners. The mistly atmosphere gave the whole thing a very mysterious and calm ambience. I liked it. It was not too hot. Five of us aimlessley wandered around, checking out some bands' performance. Graudally we were getting ready to rock and roll.


Jimmy Eat World.
Jangkiha and Faces
Incubus



Jang Ki Ha and Faces



The whole time it poured (mostly) and at one point, I found myself shivering. But it failed to stonewall my excitment and passion for the music being played before me. Even if we all were standing on the front row and surrounded by many people, I think in a way, in a concert, the crowd creats his or her own zone. The room where an individual sings, dances, jumps and just throws him/herself off in whichever way one hopes and wants. The room that no one can invade. The place of utmost excitement and yet inertia.

I wish I could describe what I experience that night, but rather I not. It is beyond my description- You just have to be there.

Sadly, this event is something that I have lived for this summer and it is over now. I am aimless. What now, then?

Anxiety

I am anxious. But it is pointless now.

So, my workplace, I meant the company that I belong to has been shaking things up thesesday. They created a whole new department related to the convention industry for which I was hired. But, since I, on a provisional basis, work somewhere else until the end of this year, someone else took over and he did all the work to accomplish the mission. I meant, my company has been working vigorioiusly and painstakingly to branch out another department.. so that my company can get bigger, hire more and thus become untouchable. And it kills me that I am not there for the moment.

Anyways, sometimes I think I have nowhere to go back to at the end of this year. Of course, the team that I used to belong to will probably have me back. But, after I moved to this company, they have been solid.. they have been doing excellent as always without me.

Of course, I never thought that the company would not function without me. If you are one of those thinking that your company would not work without you, it is a big misunderstanding. The world runs fine without you no matter how talented, smart, powerful you are at work.

So, I keep thinking which assignment I will be responsible upon my return. That I don't know. I still have about 5 months to run, but seeing my company going thru such changes makes me somewhat feel antsy about my future.

I will probably have a talk with the head of the team and the department in December as to what I would like to do once I come back. I guess, I need to just wait and see. You see previously, I wanted to go back to my originial team.. the toughest of all.. the team where I orginally belong.. with so many opportunities to go overseas .. to learn from my previous awesome colleagues.. and yet it seems like there is another door open.. another team.. another opportunity... something new...

I don't know. A close colleauge of mine said yesterday that I should be worried to much. Well, I guess he is right- There is, at this point of time, nothing I can do to affect what is going on and what is going to happen. Sometimes I think too much about what is ahead of me. I need to refrain myself from doing that.

What a day

Over the lunch, I picked up some cartons of milk and biked home. With the paperbag dangling on the handle, I was going up the hill. Then, the bottom of the bag got torn and 2 cartons of milk imploded. Of course, the milk was all over the asphlat. Thankfull,y I save the rest two cartons.

10 minutes out of 60 minutes has already passed and it was humid and hot. I was in my suit and thus perspiring like a pig. I stopped my bike, took care of the milk and went home. But, the milk that I spilled was still on the asphalt and it was going to rotten and smell bad.. although nobody would care. So, I went back outside with a paperbag and cleaned up the mess with the sun beating down on me. After like 5 mins, it was already 12:20. I needed at least 10 mins to cook up spaghetti and whatnot.

Subsquently, I ran up the steps and opened the door. The moment I was swinging open the door, I knew something was wrong. The tv which I do not own was on and there was sound coming out of it. Yes, it was someone else's. One floor down from crib. As I was shutting the door, I saw the lady lying on the sofa slowing getting up. I sped and shut the door and went upstairs without even saying sorry. At this point, I was literally drenched in sweat and frustrated. My hands were dirty. The past was already boiling.

I calmed myself down by washing my hands first and setting up the table. The eating was okay. But I had to take my shirt and pants off since I was sweating a lot. Yes, I was eating butt-ass naked.

Afterwards, I did the dishes, put the clothes back on and jotted down an apologetic message on a piece of paper for the neighbor downstairs. While putting back the spaghetti sauce in the fridge, the cap fell off and the sauce splattered all over the floor. It has been only 5 hours since I got up. This is too much.

I have almost 10 hours before I go to bed. What is ahead of me? What does my daily horoscope say about today? I should find out-

D-6

It is monday morning. I have only 6 days left before the rock festival. This week is very important because it is going to be the prime time for my work out routines.

Usually, my routines consist of 3 sets; chest, shoulders, tri-cep (Mon/Thr), back, bicep(Tue/Fri), legs(Wed/Sat) coupled with daily abs and 10 mins of cardio (or longer). But since the Rock Festival falls on this Sunday, I am going to mix it up a bit. My legs will be burned out on Monday and Thursday whilst I will work on my chest, shoulders and triceps on Wednesday and Saturday, so that I can boast my muscles if there is any :) I am even considering taking my top off during the concert.. haha. I don't have a six pack.. if I caught heavily, it might appear very subtlely :) Otherwise, it is well kept hidden.

To this end, I even purchased 4 loads of chicken breast in order to load up on protein coupled with 4 cans of canned tuna, a bundle of bananas and some milk. I am excited to go to the gym and get all pumped out. Luckily, this week is a vacation week, so I don't think the gym will be crowded at all.

So far, I've dropped about 2.5 kgs (11 lbs). My jeans don't fit anymore because the unwarrnated fat around my waist has been eradicated. I need to punch a new knotch on my belts.

To some degree, my life has no solid golas at this point. Mainly, this is so because of my current job. And yet, it is good that I need to accomplish something and thrive on it. But the question still remains; what's next after this, then? What should I or what do I want to accomplish?

Sleepless Night

I am Leo. No, it is not my name. My zodiac sign is. I was born in the middle of summer, 1980. And this is probably why I like summer and detest winter. And yet, it is a bit tricky to get a good night sleep thesedays.

I am not a big fant of an air conditioner. So, I would rather not have it on while sleeping. But last night, I had to cave. But still, I woke up in the middle of night, pissed and went back to sleep.

I've been thinking of moving out and getting a bigger or a better apartment. But moving is just a great pain in my neck and I don't want to deal with it now. Well, my landlord hasn't said anything about jacking up the rent. I need to sit with him and talk about the details. I have need to put down more money, I might consider moving out and start hunting. Otherwise, I might just extend another year, save up and THEN move out.

Maybe I should get rid of the big couch sitting in my room to secure more space. My folks are not happy with my living conditions. Again, it is not that I CAN'T afford, but I won't. It is a luxury to me. I CAN own a car, but I won't because I don't need it at this point of my life. I CAN (well probably will soon) own a house but with my own money that I've been painstakingly saving up.

Anyway, it is hot.. but durable hotness it is.

Sign

Is there such as thing as "sign"? I am not referring to traffic signs but an entity highly suggestive of futuristic/present or past events or antities that one can relate to. I usually do not believe in signs since, well you know, you can not prove them. To me, they are just delusional ideas that a person want realized in real life or it is just a distortion of a reality or a phenomenon.

The reason today's topic is sign is because of what happened an hour ago. As I was biking back to work after lunch at home, I was waiting for the traffic signal at a crosswalk. Then, I was thinking, watching random pedestrians, "What are the odds that I run into someone that I know amidst the crowd in the middle of day?"

Then, I felt something in my pocket and it was my cellphone with a text message from a coworker of mine "Hey, Mr. Oh, what are you doing in the middle of day in this area?" I guess she was on her way back to the office after having lunch with her colleagues. Subsequently, we texted each other.

But, there was another reason why I contemplating what I was thinking. About 2 hours ago, I was surfting on the web and happened to land a blog about Korea. And there, I saw my ex girlfriend's picture. That was my first time since.. hmm.. when was it.. Septeber last year. Apparently, the blogger was this guy that she used to mention while we were together.

We broke up last year and since then have had no contact. No fb stalking, no late night calls or whatever. I have completely disconnected any ties with her. And I always thought that she would be back in the state by now as she said when we were breaking up. And yet, she is still in town and we are only 2 miles away from each other. Of course, since then, we have never talked and never ran into each other and never will. And this made me wonder what the odds are that I run into someone in the middle of the street in the middle of day.

Signs.. are they just a simple and naive intrepretation of a certain phenomenon at your own convinience or it is something that the world is trying to say that you need to do something about what is on your mind?

A phone call

This past Saturday, I was sitting at the office, doing nothing. Well, in order to fulfill my monthly overtime quota, I do this from time to time. Anyhow-

My phone started to vibrate and it was one of my aunts. I met her last month at my cousin's wedding. I never met her before. I think I am a second cousin removed to her. My cousin who is 33 years old was getting married, and every relative there talked about when I am going to tie the knots. To save my parents' from being embarassed, I just told them as soon as I find someone compatible. And of course that was not true.

Then, my mother kicked it up a notch by asking aunt if she knew anyone to set me up with since my aunt is a public school teacher and thus has many single female colleagues and most importantly, a public school teacher is one of the most popular marriage material in Korea. This is so because they tend to have 4 month long vacation, get paid well and come off smart a bit. And in Korea, this working condition is nowhere to be found.

As a result, my aunt and I exchanged numbers and she said she'd call me sometime. And the phone call that I have been dreading finally was made.

And I let it go to the voice mail.

To be completely honest, I did not want to get set up. Well, I think it would be correct to say I don't want an arranged marriage primarily because of my parents. So, my grandfather (dad's) used to run a grocery and my grandmother (mom's) used to be one of the regulars. And they cozied up to each other and realized that had a single son and a single daughter.
This is how my parents met and exchanged vows.

I love my parents to death. But sometimes, the way they communicate and interact with each other makes me think about marriage in general. They are so opposite.. very different. But rest assured, it is not like my parents are unhappy. Just like any other couples, they, nay, WE have good times and bad times. And being the go-between and the only child, I also have my own share of happiness and hardships.

Sure, I can put the size of my (well, my parents') fortune in numbers. 3 is the number of houses that my folks poessess. Some million or more is what I make annually. 6 (foot) is how tall I am. (since Korean girls LOVE guys over 6 foot tall) But these are all numbers and are NOT indicative of who I am and what I am. And yet, it is what decides whether I am going to marry the girl set up with me. And this is NOT just right.

Should I give my aunt a call back? Probally I won't. What if she calls back, I will come up with some excuse. Aunt, I really appreacite your intentions, but no thanks. And no thank you, some of my co-workers trying to fix me up as well! I am good for now-