Such Is Life

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T00:15:00.002-06:00

I got to spend Christmas with the Brooks' again. I had such a blast and an unforgettable day! And it turned out to be the very first Birmingham's White Christmas. The moment they saw the snow, they ran outside and stuck their tongue out. I grabbed my camera and took some shots.

We also had quite a surprises for each other throughout the day: Joel surprising Lauren with a really cool bike, Natalie and Georgia getting a new kitchen set in their room, and my favorite - kids (including me and Melissa) cooking bkfast for mom and dad. Caroline did a great job coming up with the idea and planning it. Thanks for a great Christmas!

NYC 2010

2010-11-04T16:36:00.002-05:00

Although this post is about 10 months late, these pictures deserve a blog post. So here it is, our 2nd Annual New Years Celebration in New York City. All shot with Lomo LC-A+ and Nikon F301, using Kodak NC400 and BW400CN.

NYC #2

2009-12-27T03:19:00.002-06:00

So I had this crazy idea of going back to NYC for New Years. Yup. Done. We're going back, with few additions. Thanks to Pearce, we'll be staying at the Double Tree Hotel in Time Square.

Here are some photos that I took last year.

2009-12-20T15:58:00.002-06:00

I've been listening to Sleeping At Last's newest album. I must say, it's pretty solid. Ever since I first saw them (they opened for Switchfoot back in 03) I was hooked. Definitely check them out.

Random b&w photos.

Mutemath

2009-12-13T02:16:00.003-06:00

Mutemath Concert.

One of the craziest shows I have ever been to.

Thank goodness I brought my Lomo with me.

More pics from Andy and Emily's Photoshoot

2009-12-06T00:11:00.002-06:00

Here are some more pictures taken of Andy and Emily. It was taken at the Vestavia Hills Baptist Church on a gorgeous day. The B&W was shot by Lomo LCA+ and the color was shot by Nikon F301, which was obtained from my parents. Apparently my parents had bought this fancy-then camera back in the 80s, while they were living in Germany. I find it funny to think that they were in to photography much as I am now.

Anyway, here are some of my favorites.

It's 2 hours until December. Where has time gone?

2009-11-30T21:52:00.004-06:00

Christmas trees. Christmas music. Christmas lights, crazy shoppers, sales, Christmas movies, Santa Claus and his gang and so on.

It's that time of that year again. (Unfortunately this slogan is stolen by ads)

I had another pleasure to take some photos for Andy and Emily. Here are some pics that they'll be using for their very first Christmas card as Mr. and Mrs. Andy Farmer. I'm still waiting on the films and it's going to look pretty sweet!

Photos - CausewayCoast/N.I./Lomo/KodakEckar100

2009-09-27T22:23:00.002-05:00

Nothing But Photos - Slieve Donard/N.I./Lomo/KodakEckar100

2009-09-27T01:51:00.003-05:00

No Pictures for this Post. Beware.

2009-09-21T01:44:00.003-05:00

Awake. Insomniac. Confused. Restless.

I really like this quote by Rudolf Virchow, a German doctor from 1800s: "The physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor, and the social problems should largely be solved by them".

It seems as though, that this is not the case today. Why not? What if doctors are the forerunner for treating social and economic conditions, such as poverty and violence?

Here are some fun quiz for you readers.

I found my dad's school website. My dad is a music professor at the Korean Baptist Theological Seminary in my home town Daejon. Go here: http://sem5.kbtus.ac.kr/html/1/3.asp and figure out which one is my dad. Everything is in korean but here is the hint: he kind of looks like me.

U2 Concert

2009-09-17T21:35:00.002-05:00

My very first U2 concert. Wow! Let's just say that this concert was one of the most fun, crazy, and breathtaking experience ever. It's a rare moment where you're surrounded by 70,000 people with a common interest - love for U2. They spent $150 million just for that enormous spaceship looking stage, with literally (no joke) hundreds of various kinds of stage lights.

Since we had the general admissions ticket (which means first come first serve on the field), we started waiting in line at 7:30 a.m. that morning. It was shocking to see about 600 people already there, someone of them whom camped out since 3 in the morning. We brought stuff that we knew we would throw away: old pillows, $1 monopoly bought at the Salvation Army, food, and an old blanket/rug which has drawings of some french comic. (pink elephant, pink people, etc...)

Hearing others about their experiences with previous tours and concerts were really interesting. One guy had gone 50 U2 concerts. Another guy went 70 shows. One particular guy, whom traveled by himself from somewhere out east, told us that he had just received a call from someone whom he made friends with during the previous tours. He said, "I havn't seen her since (whatever tour they met before), I'm going to say hi to her". Hilarious!

We made it into the inner circle, and about 20 feet away from the stage. It's really hard to describe the show. It doesn't do justice explaining it. The 360 degree screen which at times lowered to the stage and even expanded into smaller screens, hundreds of lights, special effects, Bono being Bono, Edge with that guitar (man!), and some great music! It blew me away. And of course, it's their music that we love so much. After seeing the site of the "Sunday Bloody Sunday" in Londonderry in Northern Ireland made singing it more special.

Where the streets have no name!

The whole concert was a visual overload. The main stage, Bono at the catwalk behind us, really cool video that went with the music, Edge on the moving bridge that were on top of us, crazy lights, sounds, and fog machines. I brought my lomo with b&w films and shot some photos.

yay! after 12 hours of waiting!

So I did not realize that being in the inner circle was life and death situation for some people. We had to run, just to keep up with rest of them, whom were so desperate to get the perfect spot. The moment we were inside the stadium, wow! This was what we saw, and I managed to take a photo while running to the inner circle. That stage was a monster when I first saw it.

There's the inner circle. Waiting in line for 12 hours definitely paid off.

One of eight speakers. This one was right above us. Thankfully, it stayed intact.

That huge 360 degree screen. It's quite impressive. You'll see in the later pictures, it comes down and it even folds out.

Here's the bridge that I was talking about earlier. This bridge was originally at the side, but it can move. It was right above us for one song, which Edge was right above me, and then it moved again to different positions throughout the song.

They did a really cool video along with the remix version of one of the song from the new album.

We turned around, and we happened to see Edge and Larry on catwalk. Seriously, talk about sensory overload. It was like this the whole show. They were everywhere.

Only Love, Only Love Can Leave Such a Mark But Only Love, Only Love Can Heal Such a Scar

2009-09-14T21:33:00.003-05:00

Only love, only love can leave such a mark! But only love, only love can heal such a scar!

Magnificent!

Bono and his 65,000 crowds sang these words on Saturday. My thoughts of the U2 concert will be posted later this week, along with photos.

More and more, I feel that I want to get out of Birmingham.

I'm 23, and time is flying by. How do I seize the day?

It's not that I'm tired of Birmingham, but I want something new, something totally different.

It's funny, because I want to start med school and get through with it now, but at the same time, not really.

Ha, only thing about moving is that I suck at adjusting to the new environment.

What the? Am I going to be single rest of my life and live with bunch of old people?

I began the long process of scanning all the negatives from the N.I. trip. You probably are tired of NI. Here are some of my favorites.

U2

2009-09-10T23:11:00.003-05:00

It's simply amazing. I have been waiting for this my whole life, it seems like. I expect something like the Rattle and Hum DVD. Thousands and thousands of crazy people, all crammed tiny (huge) stadiums, dancing to the beat of "Where the Streets Have No Name".

The set looks pretty incredible. It's a 360 degree stadium, with four "claws" that supports the central mount. Apparently, the set costs $150 million and there are two more replicas, one for the show, one for tearing down, and one for transporting in 18-wheelers.

Members in our pilgrimage:

1. me

2. Andrew Pearce

3. Ben Davis

4. Trent Weaver

5. Jonny Waite

6. Daniel Ballew

Our goal is to get in to the inner circle. Only way to do that is to camp out starting at 7 in the morning. We're bringing bunch of stuff that we will be using, and only to throw it away afterwards.

I hear that people who have gone to previous u2 concerts have told me that it is a life changing experience.

The first 360 tour in North America, Chicago at Soldier Field, here we go!

Northern Ireland 2004

2009-09-06T23:04:00.007-05:00

Whoa. I have so much free time. I don't know what to do with myself.

Today I played for my good friend Kelly's wedding. It was such a blessing to see kelly and Dan getting married before their family and their friends. For me, it was both Shades Mountain Baptist Church and Samford reunion.

Man, it would seem like playing in the wedding more and more would be easier, but it's getting harder. My seventh wedding to play. It's getting up there. I think it's only going to get more and more.

Congrats to Kelly and Dan! What a beautiful wedding!

Speaking of Shades, I was talking to one of the Shades people, Wendy Wiltshire, and she reminded me about the first Northern Ireland trip we went in 2004. I went as a part of student praise band, which also consisted of Wendy, Kelly Pittman, Preston Lovinggood, Philip and Justin Allman, Jenny Mitchell Bensinger, Chris Adler, Lilly and Woodson Seay, Caitlin Huie, and Andrew Pearce.

One night, we went on an adventure and this turned out to be one of the most memorable moments in my life. Many people refer to this as the Infamous Cow Chase. Enjoy the video.

Guys, this is a herd.
Young-Bin, come back!
We do not mess with cows. Cows are our ancient ancestors.
Somebody take pictures of this. This is going to go on his funeral.
Young-Bin, come back! I'm in charge of you.
Young-Bin, it's a death wish. Somebody go get him!
Moo!!!!
I'm from Texas and I'm not even doing that!
Young-Bin, you have red shirt on.
Don't run back. Walk back.
Young-Bin, come. Oh crap.
Don't chase them.
Oh my gosh!
Let's go cow tipping guys!
(Cows are people too!)
Young-Bin, you're running them into us.

2009-08-20T21:26:00.004-05:00

A week since I've been back from Northern Ireland. I still daily think about that place. It's all the little stuff that makes me want to go back. Cool breeze that reminds me of the fall season, the way that they say things differently, the beautiful green pastures everywhere I look, amazing and delicious Coleraine Cheese, the water diluted squash (juice), the passion and loyalty for their club football team, intense looking clouds and sky which seems bigger and closer to the land, and many many more - all these things continue to remind me how much I enjoyed the trip.

I will go back and live there one day.

"Escape to the water, and stare up at the stars and moon and sky. I was lying on my back with my fingers in the sand. Alone in Miami, it sounds so funny and yet here I am. It's funny how life is seldom what you plan"

Well, here are more pictures. I still have not developed the LOMO films, but that's after the MCAT. Everything is after the MCAT.

Shot in the van at Ballykeel. The kids waited for us and right as we pulled in, they jumped on us.

more shots of Slieve Donard

on top of Slieve Donard

Causeway Coast. Simply beautiful. You can see the boat coming towards us in the distance.

Funny story revolves around this pic. Andy Byers, our fearless leader, decided that we were going to take a scenic route. When we turned in the scenic route, the warning said no vans or buses. Well, this is a minivan, it'll be ok. That's what we thought. Anyway, the road is no wider than 10 feet and some parts was literally terrifying (and beautiful at the same time). We drove through inches away from cliffs, huge slopes and steep steep down hills. Andy kept honking on the horns to warn the others, while all of us in the minivan were screaming at incoming cars. I stuck my camera out the window and shot this photo and bunch of others.

Mussenden Temple. Probably my favorite place. This is somebody's library. Not bad at all.

On top of Slemish

Northern Ireland 09 Update #5

2009-08-14T08:33:00.002-05:00

August 13, 2009

It’s hard to believe that we’re back. It has been a great trip – a time of rest, work, and fun. I already miss it.

Last three days, we spent our time at one of the Catholic estates called Dunclug. It was great to see the kids that I met last year – Abigail, Philip, Dane, Rebecca, Steven, Anthony, and Decklan. I played a lot of football (soccer) with them and I got my butt kicked. We sang songs, shared bible stories, memorized bible verses, and did crafts. It was very hard to leave them once again, spending only three short days with them. I talked to one of the mom’s one day, and she told me how her kids (Philip and Dane) look forward to this every year. She told me that they look forward to every summer hanging out with the Americans. That meant so much to me, even when I think hanging out with the kids seems unproductive and meaningless.

I usually don’t talk about Christian beliefs, for whatever reasons. But I had a conversation with Steven, a 12-year old kid whom I met last year.

YB: What do you think it means to be a Christian?

Steven: Someone who doesn’t smoke, do drugs, or drink. Someone who is perfect.

YB: Do you think I’m perfect?

Steven: Yeah, all of you Americans are perfect. You guys don’t smoke and don’t do drugs.

YB: I’m not perfect. I still do bad things. To me, being a Christian doesn’t mean doing this or that. It’s about trusting God and asking forgiveness for what I have done.

Steven: You’re still perfect.

YB: No I’m not.

Steven: Yes you are.

YB: after slapping his head. Am I still perfect?

Steven: Yeah.

Ha, I wanted to punch his face, just to prove that I’m not perfect. But then I realized I didn’t want to traumatize him forever. What else could I do?

Here are some more pictures:

We went to the beach in Portrush Sunday and hung out. The water was freezing and it started raining, but nevertheless, we had a great time.

Also we climbed Slemish, which is about 30 min. away from where we stayed. It was a small hike up compared to Slieve Donard, but it was so amazing to see miles and miles of green pastures. And Sheep!

We played foot-tag on top of Slemish.

Northern Ireland 09 Update #4

2009-08-12T04:06:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe that today is the last day.

See you on the same side.

Northern Ireland 09 Update #3.

2009-08-10T04:28:00.005-05:00

Hiya. Past three days, we have been traveling to different parts of Northern Ireland. Day 1. Slieve Donard It was quite a hike up to the mountain, but it was so worth it. On the top, you could see the ocean and miles and miles of green pastures. Day 2. Causeway Coast - Giants Causeway, Carrick-a Rede Rope Bridge, and the Dunluce Castle It was quite touristy. My favorite by far is the Dunluce Castle. Day 3. Mussenden Temple My favorite place by far. This temple sits on the edge of the cliff, and it served as a library. Anyway, I won't write anymore. enjoy the pictures. These are taken from my digital. I can't wait for my LOMO films.

Northern ireland 09 Update #2

2009-08-07T02:52:00.003-05:00

Hello from Northern Ireland, August 5, 2009

Today is our last day to go to Ballykeel to see all of the friends we have made there. It’s been good being able to see all Reegan, Jordan, LeJay, and Katie – friends that I met last year and have hung out with this year as well. I have been amazed at the difference in behavior this year. They are surprisingly well behaved and (mostly) attentive to us as we share songs and stories from the Bible.[1]

That same afternoon…

Weather has been great so far - cloudy and breezy. Oh man. I love it! Cool weather and Irish people makes me so happy. Oh, here are some phrases/words that are different from here.

Biscuit – cookies

Crisps – chips

Squash – juice: I told one of my co-workers this, and she asked me, “And then what do they call squash?” You know, I still don’t know.

Pants – underwear

Funny story:

During the VBS story time, Andy Byers talked about God’s creation. Reese, one of the kids who did not cooperate with us, kept messing with Andy while he was trying to tell the story. Andy said, “And do you know what God created? He created Adam and Eve. And the animals.” And Reese whispered to Andy’s ears, “And your shit!”

Today was our last day at Ballykeel and oh man, they sure did waited till the last day to show their ugly side. We became targets of BBs, water balloons, dirt, and various sports equipments. You know, as much as I wanted to discipline them after getting hit by a football, more and more I realized that I needed compassion and patience. I am no different from these messed up kids. I am just as horrible as them. I may not be punching people’s faces or shooting BB guns just to annoy them, but I sit back and realize how good I am, thinking I am somehow better than them. Pride consumes my thoughts and reasoning. I need God’s grace and mercy just as much as them.

It is so great to see that in the midst of brokenness, there is still beauty. There is still hope. There are many times when I think that this kid has no hope of turning their life around – away from drugs and whatever and trusting God and turning to Jesus – but I think that’s why I wanted to come back for second year. I wanted to believe that there is still hope for these kids. Yes. There is still hope.

August 6, 2009

We just climbed Slive Donard. I'll tell you more about it, but it was incredible. Here are some pictures from Ballykeel.

We started a drawing contest. I started my version of evil penguin and they followed.

[1] Commentated by Erin Eades

Northern Ireland 09 Update #1

2009-08-04T06:35:00.003-05:00

We made it back safely. Our plane from ATL to Newark got delayed, and there was a point where we might be spending the night at one of the airports. We arrived in Newark and had 30 minutes to get to our next plane. We ran to our next gate and had to convince them to let us in, even though the gate just closed. Thankfully they let us in and even delayed 10 min for our luggage.

It was such a good sight to see Ballymena again. It is such a little, lovely town. We spent our afternoon at Ballykeel 2, which is one of the government built estates. It was so good to see kids from last year, such as Reagan, Amy and many more.

I love the weather. Cloudy and cool weather.

Pray for us, as we go back to Ballykeel today and tomorrow.

Pictures and more in-depth updates to follow.

Claire and Brandon's Wedding

2009-07-31T23:58:00.005-05:00

Couple weekends ago, I had the pleasure to play for Claire and Brandon's Wedding. It was just a great wedding. Even playing for the wedding was a blast. Usually, playing in the wedding can get easily stressful and frustrating. Timing has to right, and of course right notes, right music at the right time, and everything else have to come together just right.

One of my favorite part of the wedding, beside the whole wedding itself, was playing Sufjan Steven's version of Come Thou Fount. Sarah H. and Jess H. also helped lead and it was just wonderful. It was a good reminder for me while playing that song, that the wedding wasn't entirely about Claire and Brandon, but it was really about God's love for us.

In addition to playing, I followed around the photographers with my Lomo LC-A+. Let's just say I'm pretty much digging it. I love the vignetting and the soft blur look, or as they call it the signature "Lomo look". Here are some of my favorites.

Northern Ireland Pic #182859

Yay! You can view the whole album at here.

Such is life 2.0

2009-07-28T23:20:00.000-05:00

I was talking to somebody today. And she said, "Such is life".

Such is life. Whatever that means.

I feel that so much of my life has changed. Such is life back then is no more today.

I work everyday in the greatest hospital in the world. That was suppose to be a joke. Well, sort of. I love the hospital, the staff, doctors, nurses, and everyone in between. Sometimes I don't. Sorry. I'm being very vague.

I'm also a full-time MCAT study person. I hate it, many times, but I realize that this is the last leap to the "finish line".

Holy moly! I'm going to Northern Ireland Sunday. That is still shocking. I still deny it. but I am ready for the cool weather.

More and more, as I'm cleaning the stretcher, transporting patients, and doing meaningless chores around the OR (well, it's not meaningless, but compared to what I want to do - performing surgeries that save lives - it seems so worthless), my desire to be a doctor grows each day. Whoa. Until now, I was always skeptical about why I want to be a doctor. Now, it seems like someone turned on a light. I can see. I can see myself performing surgeries. This is crazy. It has never been this clear. It's right here, every time I go into the operating room, with the smell of burning flesh, blood, and other scents. This is what I want to do.

Ahh! Here is the most depressing part: I have at least 5 years to do what I want to do, not until I get into residency. And before that, I have to get into med school, pass the boards, and get into the residency program that I want. Patience. I keep telling myself that. One day, it will happen.

Northern Ireland Update 2

2008-07-24T11:15:00.000-05:00

Hi friends, Hi Mom and dad and sis,

Hello from Northern Ireland. After a long travel, we finally made it here to Coleraine. I am still getting used to jet lag. Sunday and Monday were so miserable for me because I stayed up all night packing and we lost a night between Sunday and Monday. Living here is quiet an adjustment. I still wake up at 5 in the morning, wide awake. Also here in N.I., sun sets at 10 at night and it does not go dark until midnight. It completely throws me off because I would get ready for bed as the sun sets.

All the NI memories 4 years ago came back as I walked out the Belfast Airport. I was so glad to be back. The place we are staying in Coleraine is called the Exodus. The Exodus provides living spaces (rooms with bunk beds, kitchen, common area, shower and bathrooms) for group like ours who come and do mission work in NI. Our typical day goes something like this: Wake up in the morning and we meet up for devotions and preparing for VBS. We eat lunch and then head over to the location to do VBS. We come back for dinner and go back out there and hang out more.

It seems like so far, our group is getting along. I really do enjoy getting to know my group members. It has been really great.

Living here has been so amazing. I love to walk around shops and restaurants, and experiencing the N.Irish culture. I love to talk to them because I think their Irish accents are facinating. Today, our group was responsible to cook dinner for our team, so Audrey and I walked to a grocery store and bought foods for tonight. How cool is that? I went grocery shopping in NI. Everything about shopping in NI was so cool because everything was labeled in metric system and in pounds. Tongith we cooked stir fry with rice, the recipe I learned from Mrs. Waite (Mrs. Waite, you would be so proud of me). Everything went well, and it seems that most of them enjoyed the food a lot.

Because of transportation difficulties, we have been going to Juniper Hill instead of Ballymena. Juniper Hill is one of the costal cities, about 20 minutes away from Coleraine. Juniper Hill is a vacation trailer park, where many families spend their vacation in trailers. Because it is located right on the coast, it is a breathtaking site. Many sail boats and visible in the ocean. Oh yeah, the grass is so green! While I was sitting on the grass today, I pulled some grass, cut it into tiny pieces, and then I let it go. This is a ritual I learned from my friend Hannah. It's really fun. You should try it. Except here, it's even better because the breeze carry the grass far, far away.

VBS has been great. I have two responsibilies: I lead worship by playing the guitar and I act goofy, funny, weird and awkward.

Playing soccer has been my one of my favorable moments so far because I get to connect with kids through playing soccer. I always have a hard time talking to random kids, but whenever I act crazy and goofy, they seem to like it a lot. It gives me more confident to talk to them. It has been slow building relationships with them, but I continue to pray that I would be bold and brave.

Please continue to pray for me. Just like what Connie said today during team meeting, we need to show them that we need Jesus as much as they do. And hopefully by playing soccer or doing crafts or singing, they would see Jesus in us. I hope that I won't hold anything back, just as what Jonny told me.

Two more days of VBS and then singhtseeing on Saturday. We are staying here in Exodus for another week. Next week, we are going to inter city of Coleraine.

Thanks again. Thanks for praying. Thanks for reading. Thanks for caring.

ybs

Northern Ireland Update #1

2008-07-20T02:55:00.000-05:00

Hey Friends.

Today is finally here. It is hard to believe it. My minds are still playing tricks on me. I do not even know why I am packing. Maybe I need to get some sleep.

I am going to go ahead and apologize for bad grammar and sentence structure. Sorry. I stink at writing.

I am really excited about this trip. I have never been this excited before. Knowing that I'll be living in N.I. for four weeks is pretty exciting. Knowing that not only I'll be living there, but I'll be hanging out with the kids, sharing the love of Jesus for four weeks, is even more amazing. To tell you the truth, I am also thrilled about getting away from Birmingham for a while.

Once we arrive to Belfast, N.I., I think many interesting events will happen (and scary too) because the person who is driving our van from the airport to Coleraine (I think couple hours of driving) has no experience with: 1. driving on the left side of the road, 2. driver seat on the right side, 3. roundabout (crazy dangerous, I hear), and 4. (most scary of all) driving a manual transmission. I hope that we would make it.

I hope that you would pray for us. Thanks for reading. Thanks for caring.

Because of Jesus,

Young-Bin

2008-06-12T19:56:00.000-05:00

to paul and sam.