y'know, ernst & young employs some great family men. i can't help but be impressed by the miles some of these guys would go to make time for their wives and kids. it's just.. awesome.

one of whom i know is a devout christian comes in at 7 every morning (no matter where his client is) so he can head home by 4 o'clock and "watch his babies grow up." he calls his wife during work and talks to her as if he didn't see her that morning. he makes sure his boy has his hw done so daddy can check it when he gets home.

my sister's counselor.. nobody ever knows what time he gets to work. he always seems to be the first one there no matter how early you arrive. people always say voicemails or e-mails from him are received at the oddest hours - super early in the morning or around midnight.. when his kis are asleep. when asked why he doesn't ever come to happy hour, he answers, "i like to spend evenings and weekends with my kids." and as the saying, behind every great man is a great woman, i don't think his wife would be anything short of that... though all i know is that she sees him off to work every morning and calls him if she hears of any traffic accidents that he should avoid passing through.


(of course there is always going to be workaholics who can't tell from stranger to family when it comes to working. like a newlywed guy working overtime on his wife's birthday and picking something up from the mall that's worth 10 minutes of his time... or insisting that he stay at work til 10 on his first valentine's day. but why waste time on talking about them?)

it's just very encouraging and heartwarming to see these men in corporate america refuse to compromise their commitment to their families. i personally think that offering work as an excuse for compromise only goes to show incompetency because some of the most respectable accountants i know have managed to keep their high reputations in spite of their commitment to family.

i think i am stupid.


today i had to call a client and leave a message to call me back at my work number... and i couldn't remember the last 3 digits of my number for the life of me. so this is what i sounded like: "so please give me a call to discuss this. my number is 410 234 4.... (pause).... ummm... (pause)... actually, give me a call on my cell phone. it's 410 499 6433."

and just now, i called cpk to place an order for lunch, and when they asked for my number, the same thing happened. "yes, my number is 410 499 64... umm... 43." i only realized after i hung up that i didn't even give them the right number.


what is WRONG with me.

i just came across pastor iggi's brother's xanga, and i hope he doesn't mind me posting an excerpt from a recent entry of his. contrary to the simplicity and light tone they carry, i think his insights are quite englightening. (though at the same time i think they're kinda funny):

"Hmmm... the other day a friend asked me, 'So what's the best and worst thing about being married?' And for the life of me, I couldn't answer him. Too much to process. But so far it's good (obviously, I have to say that). Here though, is my really deep advice concerning marriage in the limited time I've experienced it: find someone you really like. Cuz believe it or not, marriage does not put you into an altered state of being. The bottom line is you're the same as you were before, except now you're living with this person that you're obligated to spend most of your non-working hours with. Yes, there's great joy in the spiritual union and blah, blah, blah, but it's too early right now to appreciate any of that stuff. So I say it again: find someone you really, really like being with. I really like CC. Seriously, make sure he/she is your best friend; that's not just a cliche. Oh, and find someone who's cute. Cuz the other really deep thing that I've learned is that you'll be looking at them a lot. I mean, A LOT."

i've been good and bad this week.

monday: chik-fil-a, cold stone (tried germancholocatekake... it was goooood)
tuesday: panera bread, gelato factory (butterfinger), taco bell (darn you and your beef and potato burritos)
wednesday: quiznos, snoasis (w/ marshmallow), tapas teatro (you should check this place out)
today: i'm trying to decide.. chipotle? and maybe a frozen drink from starbucks?


but like i said, i haven't been all bad. i went to the gym the last 2 days and made sure i worked off all those calories. and now i am in what chris calls good pain. i might have to call in sick tomorrow if i go to the gym again tonight.

hopefully this time, i won't leave my phone on the treadmill and have a random black guy answering my calls.

yes, it was emotional.
but i kept it in. i didn't let the tears fall.

i always wondered why people cried so much at weddings. i mean, after all, it's a joyous occasion.
but how foolish was my thinking.

as she walked down the aisle with my dad by her side and family and friends from various parts and phases of her life all standing to honor her, flashbacks of the past and the perfect plan of God that led her to that moment welled up from deep down tears that i had to try with all i've got to keep from dropping.



it was a beautiful wedding.

and walking down the aisle to the song "pretty woman" was a unique experience.

oh and i have 6 months to get married. or else i'm doomed for life. :D

getting ready

all done!!

lisa and hojung all pretty

this is what my hair looked like

mom putting on her "buhsun"


bride nervously looking out the window before the ceremony begins


more of the bride

with flower girl and ring boy

isn't this so pretty?


getting ready for the reception


the anticipation!


the back of her reception dress was beautiful


juhl to parents


catching daechoo and bahm

saturday night traffic in downtown baltimore

what would i do without this guy?

an unexpected visit by kim byung hyun, a pitcher from korea

can you believe it? the big day is just 3 days away!

the ceremony and reception will take place at Timonium Presbyterian Church.

if you are coming to the wedding, please bring lots of gifts that we can use around the house together as a family, preferably ones that can be shared with the little sister. how about some speakers for our new tv? pretty cups and dishes? nice frames for the living room? couch pillows? xbox? 12lb. weights? one of those automatic vacuum cleaners? a cd/dvd rack? a new wallet? some clothes? shoes?

oh the joys of living with a newlywed couple~

.::schedule::.

today: - (extremely overdue) oil change / continue working on folding and ribboning napkins / house cleaning - and finish swapping mom's room and sister's room / will i make it to small group? (crossing fingers)

thursday: crab feast at a partner's house (pics to come) / hair coating - i have to do something with my half-highlighted hair but don't wanna get new highlights or get it dyed, so i figured coating might help... probably at bubbles. any suggestions?

friday: body massage, manicure, and pedicure at about faces - i've never gotten any of these done in my life, so i'm super excited. / rehearsal dinner - jjajangmyun! / stay up late decorating and setting up for the reception.

saturday: be in virginia by 9am and sit through 3-4 hours of hair and make-up. / pictures before the wedding / wedding starts at 5. / reception / afterparty / clean-up / pooped

You Are 45% Normal (Somewhat Normal)

While some of your behavior is quite normal... Other things you do are downright strange You've got a little of your freak going on But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

see? i'm not so normal after all, am i?

The night air was cold. Frigid cold! In the icy prison cell sat two young Chinese men, emaciated from lack of food and light. They both had only a thin blanket to keep them warm.

The hard floor beneath them was cruel and merciless, and the shackles upon their ankles seemed to mock their pain. Yet in this arctic sanctuary of doom was heavenly warmth.

One of the two young men had a thought.

If that were Jesus next to me, would I give Him my blanket?

This Chinese man, who had but a thin blanket to keep himself warm, recognized the privilege it would be to give what little he had to the God who had given him everything. He removed the blanket from around his shoulders and placed it around the shoulders of his shivering friend.


...As a generation, we have been taught to hold on to our blankets, to secure our future even at the expense of those around us. But we fail to realize that the security of our future rests not in our blanket, but in Jesus sitting next to us. When we choose to give instead of keep, we discover a little taste of heaven on earth. When we choose to let go of what little we have and surrender it to God, it's then we receive the bounty of His kingdom.

...Extravagant love, as in every generation before us, has been ridiculed and scorned. It is seen as wasteful and reckless overspending. But extravagant love, the offering of everything, the emptying of the pockets of our life, is the essence of true Christianity. It was extravagant love that caused Jesus to give up His throne in heaven and give us the gift of life at the expense of His own life. It was extravagant love that compelled the Chinese Christian to sacrifice his only source of warmth for the benefit of his brother in prison. And it would be extravagant love that would cause you to take the blanket off your shoulders today and wrap it around the shoulders of your Worthy King.


-excerpt from When God Writes Your Love Story

which dog is the cutest?

so much to learn, so little time!


as you know from the nature and frequency of my posts the last couple weeks, work has been slowing down significantly since busy season ended and will continue to do so during the summer months. so my goal is to use this abundance of time to master the following things that i've already got my hands on:

operating a stick shift - in the past, this was a disastrous ambition. now i have a renewed determination to master this task with as much persistence and faith as it took for me to learn how to drive an automatic. (so what if i failed the drivers test 3 times.. i became much closer to God through that experience. hmph.)

bowling - my motivation to learn how to bowl (well) stems not from the sheer joy of edification but from desperation to save myself out of the punishment to come if i lose hope chapel's bowling tournament. i'll eat a cockroach before i'll dance in front of people.

racquetball - i find that running is a boring exercise activity, and as i don't want to waste a 3-year gym membership or 3 pairs of pants , i thought i'd find something more enjoyable. unfortunately, i realized yesterday that it will be long before i actually start to enjoy it though i did get quite a bit of workout from chasing the ball.

golf - i always wondered what it was about golf that gave it the ability to consume people. and though i can't say that it has consumed me just yet, i could feel a spark of it during a golf lesson i was fortunate enough to participate in last week (a very instructive one, might i add). i figure learning how to play wouldn't be a waste of time or money if i choose to stay in my profession, so i've officially appointed christopher as my teacher. if i don't become a skillful player by the end of the summer, the position will be made open to all.

**********************

i just ran into an intern looking for the conference room where the summer internship orientation is being held. she was an hour late, which is why i directed her to the back entrance of the room.

those were the good ole' days. i want to be an intern again.

my hero: 

i thought i was getting better at enduring through scary movies until i saw "a tale of two sisters." now i'm back to square one, reluctant to watch anything other than family movies or cute romantic comedies.

this korean movie (that you can find at blockbuster) was scarier when i saw it for the second time yesterday. if you saw it once already, you'll find it worth rewatching. i want to see it for the third time along with the deleted scenes, but i'm afraid it might take me awhile to be able to get myself to watch it again. after the first time, i was a bit confused with the ending, but watching it a second time made things a lot clearer. that is until i read up on it today.

i have my own interpretation as to what happened, but it's interesting how everybody gets something different out of the same movie. i think the very reason why it's so fascinating to viewers is this fact that while the director crafts a definitive ending to this movie, we are left to our own interpretations as to what it means and how it all fits together. it's one of those things that boggles your mind to figure out which interpretation successfully eliminates all possible loopholes.

i suggest you see for yourself and tell me what you think happened. then we can talk about it.

i am bored out of my mind right now. i'm almost getting ready to open up my cpa review book and start studying. can you believe i get paid to sit on my butt all day? i just wish i could sit somewhere else, that's all... like in front of the tv.. or on my bed.. or at christopher's..

y'know what i really wanna do.. is stand up and scream or sing or something to disrupt the silence of this office!!



(after taking a few deep breaths)

maybe i should go on and rant about something totally useless as i do with friends on the phone. like what it would be like 5 to 10 years from now... how we would be each other's bridemaids, have babies on the same day, have family barbecues and watch our kids play, get together with just the girls to talk about our husbands... how we can't believe we're getting so old and on and on....


wait, i smell lunch. LUNCH TIME. byebye.