What a night.
A few hours ago, Barack Obama was elected to be the 44th President of the United States of America. Barack Obama. A man of color, an African-American, is our nation's leader.
I write this for my own memory, because I did not realize until tonight just how momentous of a moment November 4th, 2008 will be in American history. And the pride and joy that I felt for my country when Barack Obama strode to the podium as the President-elect in Chicago is something I want to remember.
Just over a generation ago, there was widespread bigotry and racist hate in this country. We still have a ways to go, but this night marks a turning point and shows just how fast America can better itself.
In his campaign, Obama used the words change, progress, and hope often and openly. I originally thought that these were a little cliche, but you know what? Because of this victory, supported by a majority of the people of all ages and races, shows that change is real, that progress is real, and that gives me real hope.
Change, Progress, and Hope. It's true in America.
Now the real work begins. I look forward to seeing Obama walk the walk, and I also hope that John McCain is part of the success that this country will hopefully see. We're very lucky tonight to see two competitors gracious and empowering in both victory and defeat.
Lastly, "To all those watching from beyond our shores, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.''
And I go to sleep tonight a more inspired American than ever before.
Back in the USA. More specifically, back in Springfield. An early departure from Bangkok left me sad, since spending forty days in one place leads you to get to know some pretty great people. I'll miss some people on the crew a lot, but I hope to be back someday, on a real vacation, and not for work.
After 32 hours of travel and a quick stop to get my tuxedo fitted, I arrived at the wedding rehearsal for Katie & Tyler just in time. The wedding was the next day, and what a beautiful event. It has yet to sink in that one of my best friends is married. But he's a lucky guy and she's a lucky girl, so congratulations to Tyler and Katie Kastner!
As I drove back after the reception, I realized that the moon and the stars shine brightest in Springfield, Illinois. And they probably always will. From work to travel to a wedding, things change as we get older. But its good to know that I can count on driving the empty roads on a cool summer night with the windows down and the moonlight shining in the town I grew up in to remind me of when I was young.
Hooray first post in over four months. To recap: Chicago is awesome. I will live there some day and work in production. But for now, I am in Thailand for forty days. Work continues, but hopefully theres time for exploring and massages.
Forty days is a really long time. Come visit!
My time in the Midwest felt like a whirlwind. My first few days shivering in the Chicago cold seem like they happened ages ago, rather than a short ten days. But I guess its because I had the fortune to be placed in an environment conducive to personal growth that makes the start of my trip so distant from the end of my trip. I think its a combination of that, plus the fact that I saw so many friends in so many places that time and space seemed irrelevant. And when you don't sleep and pull two consecutive all nighters...you really do maximize life by living life two days at a time.
The most significant part of my trip was being at the LCC Retreat. More than anything else, it gave me the chance to reflect (always a plus), and through that, I believe I have figured out or restored most of my beliefs in why I am here and what I am to do with my life. In a time when many counterparts of mine are having quarter-life crisis' usually due to the "what am I going to do with my life???" question, I have been ridiculously fortunate to have a clue.
Like TAF 2007, I served as the Coordinator Coordinator at the LCC retreat. In my nightly meetings, aside from general logistics and planning, I also led studies into servant leadership (TAF!)...but based on Scripture, which I've never done before. It was pretty awesome though, for me to be able to read the Bible and see and understand clear descriptions of servant leadership, and Jesus' calling for that to be the way we all live. (It helps me to know that something I believe so much in is backed up by the God that I believe in, ya know?)
On a tangent, some of you may have heard of a book called The Purpose Driven Life. It's big in Christian literary bookstores and blah blah blah...so I read it during college. And I didn't like it at all. When I finished the book and I thought, "thats it?". I had no revelation or mindfreak. And so what I realized this past week was that, my life has already had reason for quite some time. And I learned this purpose by growing up through TAF. A place to learn and execute servant leadership.
And so, if you are a TAF camper, or an LCC Youth Group member, I really hope you can take a step back and think of how fortunate you are to be part of an organization focused on servant leadership. Just, really, be grateful and embrace it, execute it as well, and most importantly, pass it on. (btw, have you ever actually thought about how BALLER the TAF Mission and Vision statements are???)
Just imagine if everyone lived to serve everyone else, and everyone served you in return, only to make you want to serve everyone even more. Would that not be an amazing world to live in? Full of caring and compassion and love from our hearts, defeating selfishness and jealousy. Unfortunately right now in this world, that model does not always work because people can still be selfish or inconsiderate. But how can we get people to change? Well most of us are limited to those around us, to the relationships we already carry. But we can serve each other in close quarters, one by one, hoping that as we impact one friend, family member, or stranger, they will go on to impact another, and pretty soon everyone is positively impacting everyone else. And our goal will be met.
I think that is a big reason why I chose to work in mass media (ie: film), because I view this as THE medium to communicate with the world. I get the idea of servant leadership on the relational level, but someone needs to do it through methods of mass communication to reach mass audiences. Hopefully, this is a place where I can help. My goal is to make media that matters, and still serving TAF and the LCC and whoever else is in my life as I continue to grow up.
Cheers everyone, and I hope you've had a wonderful start to 2008.
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For my own posterity and for you to read if really bored, a log of my activities:
Alex and Bryan picked me up. We went to Best Buy. Brunch with Erin & Michelle S. on Christmas Eve. Train down to Springfield, Christmas Eve dinner with Mom and Cheryl. Christmas morning, pack back up to head back to Chicago with Tyler. See Katie briefly. Have another brunch with Brian and Tyler before leaving the city. Arrive at Michelle K's house. Play a lot of Wii, meet the rest of her family, especially a crazy three-year old named Joey. On the 26th, get picked up by Christina Chou. Meet fellow LCC Youth Group Winter Retreat 07 servants. Travel up to Milwaukee. See Roger and old friends and Youth Group kids. Travel up into rural Wisconsin to a snowy retreat center. For the next three days till the 29th, get little sleep, while being a Coordinator Coordinator. Pull an all-nighter on the last night doing slideshow. Retreat ends, head back to Chicago, get dropped off immediately at TAF New Years. See many many people. Too little time for that many people. Continue off to Chinatown. Eat more. Stay in a bubble tea place for many long hours. Go to Bettina's till 6am. Get dropped off at Roger's at 6:30am. Sleep. Wake up at 7am to go back to Milwaukee for church and to see my Korean kids again. Eat cheese curds. Travel back to Chicago, eat Lou Malnati's with Justin, Anna, and Ming. Finally get some sleep at Bryan's. Wake up, hang out with more TAFers, start a movie script, and finish off 2007.
In the recent months, I would wonder if I was too young to ponder my own mortality. I always thought of it light-heartedly though, more of a philosophical, thinking man's type of way, rather than someone who has experienced death and the heavy emotions that can come with it. Sadly, the times for light-heartedness are past. Perceptions are completely changed when the experiences hit you in real life, when the lives of others end.
Sadly, this past week marked the end of two lives for people in my world. One I have never met, but was deeply loved and deeply close to her daughter whom I care about, and that is more than enough to make my heart heavy. The other person is a relatively young man, only a few years older than myself, who lived for many causes I also live for. He even committed himself to TAF one year, to be a counselor to the young men and women in the Junior High Program. Perhaps those JH campers and others he was a counselor to, will be the children he leaves behind. And I'll take solace believing in the fact that both people made positive impressions during their time here on earth, despite both being taken before we would expect.
Most likely, I've been too young and too naive thinking that I can contemplate death. I have been watching the new Ken Burns film on PBS called "The War". The stories, mostly of sacrifice during World War II, combined with recent events, does not exactly cause me to appreciate more (though I should), but more so just feel ridiculously lucky. Lucky to be healthy, to be able to laugh, to talk to friends every day, to buy an ipod, and to pretend that I can freely think about things like mortality.
Still though, it seems we are to live not be afraid of death, but to celebrate instead. But it is a lot easier to say when death has not come around you. But what else can we do? In the seemingly infinite sadness that we may feel, life goes on, right? It does, eventually. But for now we pause and reflect. We comfort those we care for and we try to let our hearts go out to them. We give our moments of silence to simply stop and pay our tributes of respect. And I seal the memories in my heart and mind of those who are no longer here, thankful for what they've done with their time and how they have affected my being, even if in the smallest of ways.
RIP Mrs. Kiang, mother to Michelle.
RIP Keimay Yang, JH counselor, TAF 2004.
Before Traci and I left tonight, I asked her if I should bring a camera. We both figured no, since we've been here and done that, and while its okay that I didn't, I would still like to remember this night.
Augustana gets better every time I see them. Jack's Mannequin, and therefore Andrew McMahon, is actually quite good live, can sing, and rocks it out on the piano. I've never been a big Dashboard fan so Chris Carrabba's set was only meh for me. But yea. Augustana great. I look forward to their new upcoming album very much. And I'm gonna wanna listen to more of Jack. And hey, partying with rock stars is always fun too right?
But in the end, the reason I want to remember this night is because I witnessed a lot of creativity, a lot of art, and a lot of talent, in front of my eyes and through my ears. I guess a camera still wouldn't have really mattered then.
What a great sporting weekend it was for me. The Cubs clinched a playoff spot, Illinois upset Penn St., I got to play my first organized game of baseball with live pitching in ten years (damn that's a lot longer than I thought), and I won my fantasy baseball league.
The fantasy baseball victory is perhaps the most impressive, if you knew baseball and knew my team (not that great on paper) and the three teams I beat in the playoffs (ridiculously good on paper).
But in the end, my small-ball style of fantasy baseball won out in the end. Hooray hooray hooray!
I clicked this link in a facebook advertisement, and is it just me? Or does anyone else think its rather...stupid.
http://coolchicktalk.org/who-will-i-marry.php
Some sample advice from the website, "Beware of friendly, outgoing guys."
Right.
I haven't been listening to as much music in the past year, which makes me sad. A casualty of this is that I also do not listen to many of my past favorites. But as I sit here and make a super cool American mix cd for Jing, I am reacquainted with songs I once loved. In return, they remind me of past thoughts and hopes I had for myself, my life, loved ones around me, and humanity in general. Music has that innate way of getting to you and your past, doesn't it? The songs you love are always a little more poetic than you wish you could be, and the just make me want to live more.
Anyways, the two I am listening to again are Run and Best of Me. Run is always great. Best of Me though, reminds me of JH last year, and all of my campers, and the hopes we as the JH Staff had for you all. As I listen to it right now, its a little wistful, a little emo, but a little hopeful and positive as well. And I hope that it makes you feel the same way. The world can be a rough place, but there are hopeful things to look forward to, positive things to focus on, feeling and thoughts to be shared, relationships with people to be forged, and love to be spread.
So in ten years, I hope this song comes on randomly on your playlists, and it reminds you of happy times in your youth, but not better times. Because our hope is that only better days lay ahead for us all.
Slideshow songs this year:
1. Alphaville - Forever Young (Dan Hamel mix)
2. Lifehouse - First Time
3. Syntax - Pride
4. Rob Thomas - Little Wonders
5. The Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight
(Tonight, Tonight's repeated lyrics are "Believe in me". I believe in everyone, but dear, I believe in you a little bit more because you mean a little bit more).
Honestly, I don't know if I'm right about this. But if I'm wrong, I fear the outlook for mankind becomes a lot less bright and a lot more bleak.
Other than that though, life is, as it always should be, good.
Getting It
Part 1
Part 2
Before reading my three cents, you should check out Tim's note, followed by Tiffany's note. I'm piggybacking onto them, and just want to reiterate one point that the speakers said all week, that anyone can be a leader.
Tim pointed out that he was the camper in the spotlight when he was in JH. In Tiffany's note, she pointed out that she was the camper on the sidelines in JH. And me? I definitely wasn’t in the spotlight, but I wasn’t necessarily on the sidelines. Perhaps I was somewhere in the middle, and I grew into the light a bit more.
Using the three of us as examples, we clearly have different paths to our leadership roles and the styles that got us there. But one thing keeps us the same, and that is at some point realizing that you’re going to get more out of your time by serving and empowering others. Somewhere and somehow along our lines of development, we started to get a taste of “getting it”. And no matter where you think you stand now as an individual, you’re somewhere in-between the shadows and the spotlight.
And that shows anyone can be a leader.
We truly do all have it within our minds and bodies and hearts. I've seen it in many of you at TAF. It is just up to you to use it. Hopefully we spark the realization of your own potential and how much promise lays ahead of you in your lives. We all have wonderful strengths and qualities to share with not just TAF, but the world, that can make positive impacts on mankind, in unique and compassionate ways. Get it?
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The Slideshow
The songs we used, in order, were:
1. Alphaville - Forever Young (Dan Hamel mix)
2. Lifehouse - First Time
3. Syntax - Pride
4. Rob Thomas - Little Wonders
5. The Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight
The version of Forever Young used was randomly heard on NPR evening radio, which I was listening to because my iPod had died that morning. This was Wednesday night before TAF. I had just started to think about the week ahead when this song came on. I took it as a sign. Some things are just meant to be.
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The TAF Video
Keep an ear out for it. Hopefully it'll be ready in a few months.
I SPELLED TORTILLA TODAY IN LITERATI. IT WAS AWESOME.
No really. I'm awkwardly incredibly happy about laying down unique words like that without having to use an S or -ERS or -ING's. (395 might be my highest point total ever too)
Also, this doubly taunts Justin because a) He has cravings for Mexican food in Shanghai and b) he can't get on Yahoo! right now to play Literati. SO MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST MOVE BACK TO THE STATES JUSTIN.
But then again, he won't know this because China blocks Blogger sometimes...
Damn. We all lose in the end then, don't we?
(I just realized 2 of my last 3 posts with images have been about me playing word games. I'm so hot.)
GIMPING!
After 5 days I finally decided to take pictures of my left ankle. And for the first time, I looking on the outer side and it was much more bruised and purple than I imagined.
This is the inside of my left ankle, which is what I pretty much only see. Based on the deep bruises and initial swelling, I kind of just assumed it was the worst part of the sprain. Apparently not!
The outer side of my ankle. ITS SO BIG AND PURPLE. The flash from my camera might mask some if it, but yea, its sick.
And lastly, the size difference between my left foot and right foot. Let me remind you, this is after 5 days and a considerable amount of swelling has gone down. Hah. I GOT OWNED.
I had the wonderful opportunity to take part in a TAF conference call tonight. As many of you know last year was my final year as PD, so it has been a little odd for me to not be thinking about TAF and JH 24/7 this time of the year. Normally I would be having conference calls all the time, but this has been my first TAF one in well, almost a year.
I spoke to the ED and PD's about what I could potentially do this year for TAF (if I can go), and then I hung around for a bit of their conversation afterwards. It was the smallest thing that touched me, but the PD's had a conversation over which 30-minute block of the morning schedule was the right one for breakfast. That is such small and minute detail in the grand scheme of a camp focused on growth and personal development, but this is what PD's do, two months before TAF no less. They spend their nights carefully crafting and shaping your experience.
And once you're like me and done as a PD, it's great seeing the other PD's caring and planning as much as you did. Lot's of love over those telephone lines.
Today is the one-week anniversary of me and my apartment. I've already had 5 overnight visitors, the Yang's, Roger, and Carolyn. It's been busy with work and hosting, but whatevs. I AM THE HOCHIE OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. YES.
Also, it took about four weeks, but Michelle and I finally solved the Bill Clinton Sunday Crossword from the New York Times. BALLER.
For my own memory, I would just like to note that tonight was the night that Lebron James got ridiculous all over the Detroit Pistons. And that my uncle fell asleep, didn't see the game, and still is not impressed by Lebron.
But oh my. Lebron. You crazy.
I played a lot of Text Twist today.
I was originally aiming to break 200,000 points but I guess I overachieved. I think it is funny that I lost on the word "STYMIE". I thought it was that, but I kept hopelessly punching in STIMEY or STEIMY repeatedly to no avail, as the seconds ticked away. For those of you who don't know what it means -
sty·mie /ˈstaɪmi/[stahy-mee]
2. a situation or problem presenting such difficulties as to discourage or defeat any attempt to deal with or resolve it.
–verb (used with object)
3. to hinder, block, or thwart.
Perhaps the game was telling me to stop playing and sleep.
Tonight (in between rounds of Text Twist) I went to the Gilbert Ping Pong center in LA, because Will really wanted to play. On the drive there, I noticed my impending dilemna; Do I play hard and beat my boss in ping pong, or do I let him win and set him up for slams so he can feel even better?
I have played Will before, who is apparently good, and I beat him fairly well. But he really must have been rusty back then, so luckily my dilemna was solved in the fact that Will easily beat me all night. Yea. I'm a great employee.
Lastly, I am moving into my new apartment this weekend. In the shower just now, I realized that my life here in California so far has been akin to...The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air! Disregard the fact that I'm not from West Philly nor did I get into a fight with shady characters, but Uncle Terry is definitly an Uncle Carl, Aunt Lily is not only the Aunt BUT ALSO Jeffrey, and Mei Mei could be Tatyana Ali! What fun. Though I must say, Andrew is a little cooler than Carlton. So I guess these last two days are like the series finale. Though I'll be back for holiday specials (and laundry!).