Kevin Kwak’s Blog

The case of the college senioritis is a whole new experience compared to what I went through back in high school. On top of the senioritis, I’m having a tough time managing my priorities because I am juggling more than I can handle. Meaning, information overload!!

Knowledge is indeed power.
Soon to be graduating college, I can proudly say that I’ve acquired a very valuable skills, a skill that I can continue to use for the rest of my life. Wondering what it is? Research. I’ve been investing a whole lot of my time doing research on many subjects in which are essential to my career goals. The library has become my weekday church. I peruse each library floors, library catalog, and the database. One subject leads to two related subjects. One discovery leads to two new opportunities. One hour visitation to the library turns into four hours. I can’t believe I am saying this but I think I will return back to school for the graduate program few years down the road. As well earn a Masters while I’m at it. 8D
Ignorance is bliss.

Stress and Golf
My acne has been uncontrollable lately. Either I am not drinking enough water, replacing my pillow sheet frequently, consuming vitamin A enriched food, and/or getting enough sleep, I know for certain the stress amount quickly accumulates every week. And when your stress level rise to a certain point, you gotta let it out.
There’s a lot of way to relieve stress. Since going to a nightclub is not my cup of tea, I found golf.
Weekly dose of golf is becoming an addictive sport. I prefer to call golf a hobby. I been to the nine-hole twice and to the range twice each week. The weather this week got better thanks to the cumulus clouds that covered the sun. The minor breeze made the game more interesting.
For the past weeks, I’ve been practicing with a seven iron. The objective was to get the golf ball lofted straight center, avoiding hooks and slices. Got most of the bad habits out of my system and most of my swings are pretty accurate now.
Overall, golf is helping me relax (relaxation prior to each stroke is key) and helps relieve stress everytime I admire my strokes. But I try to avoid playing in a course, well, it gets stressful.

There is still room for improvements. One day my swings are way off and the other, I can be Michelle Wie’s caddie. 8D I’m really enjoying the game.

Joseph (on the left) is an amazing golf player.

Joshua reminded me of Happy Gilmore when I took him out to the golf course.

There has been three incidents recently, first generation Korean-American fathers committed suicide due to financial issues. It’s shocking and stirs my anger when I read stories like this.

Fontana Father Kills His 5-Year-Old, Then Himself
A 40-year-old man of Korean descent shot and killed his young daughter and then himself Saturday at his Fontana home, a tragedy similar to two recent indents in Los Angeles involving Korean-American fathers who police say killed family members. Bong Joo…

Man Kills Wife, Son and Then Himself
An active member of a local Korean church shot and killed his wife and 8-year-old son before turning the gun on himself, police said Sunday. The 55-year-old man, whose name was not released, also shot his teenage daughter in the head, police said. She was…

Stress, Money Woes Believed Factors in Fatal SUV Blaze
By the time Dae Kwon Yun packed his two children into his sport utility vehicle Sunday, the life he had worked so hard to build had all but collapsed. The family’s once thriving T-shirt and tank top manufacturing business in the downtown Los Angeles…

The truly sad part to all these events is that the fathers took the lives of their family members along with them… they should have went alone. Why would they want to take the innocent lives of their own family members.
Many programs exists and are being offered for free or for a nominal fee to help immigrant families that are going through psychological, financial, relationship, physical, and other problems. No one is alone. Lord, please help these lost souls.

“Cho, a prominent U.S.-educated theologian, said that the two incidents occurring within a week of each other is a warning for Korean American churches to concentrate less on growing membership and “more on reaching out to those who are hurting.”

I agree wholeheartedly with the reverand’s comment.

The first time I grabbed a pair of drumstick was when I was in seventh grade at a nearby church. The bro who played the drums looked very cooljamming with the drums and I was amazed. Who would have imagined that I could pick up and play a ‘musical’ instrument. But because I am not a pleasant singer, natural instinct told me that I needed to look cool too to attract the girls with music. :p

Winter Retreat Praise Song 1 (right click and save as)

Winter Retreat Praise Song 2 (right click and save as)

Ever since, I became the next church drummer. Never got the proper instruction by a professional but I did get few lessons from the brother. Every chance I got on Sunday, I was on the drum throne trying every drum beat I had memorized early that week. And shortly after, I was fortunate enough to get my very own drum set. I was stoked! To this day, I am maintaining the drum kit in good condition with the exception of the drum skins.

There’s no way I can play the drums continuously because it has negative effects on your hearing. The loud decibel created by the cymbals (Zildjian A Custom Project Crash is LOUD) can cause substantial damage to the drummer’s ear if the ear is not protected. Ear plugs are a must! And seems like many young drummers do not care or are not informed that hearing damage accumulates, meaning that as you get older, your hearing will only get worse and never better, and eventually, will require you to get a hearing aid. So be careful drummers. Shield your ears and take some rests in between practice.

I have found a new hobby! I started learning golf this school quarter and I should pick it up quite fast. Can’t wait to go to a golfing range this weekend and a golf course next month.

Hello, hello, and hello.
How are you doing. Hope all of you are doing very well. I’m doing very good. Had a brief time of reflection this afternoon.
The following two ‘verses’ were sent by a church brother:

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
In happy moments, praise God.
In difficult moments, seek God.
In quiet moments, worship God.
In painful moments, trust God.
In every moment, thank God.

Matthew 6:25, 31-34 (College Version)
“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about college, what classes you will take or what grades you will receive; or about your future, your career. ‘Is not God more important than school, and your spiritual life more important than your GPA?’ So do not worry, saying, ‘How will I pass my class?’ or ‘Will I ever graduate?’ or ‘Will I even be able to get a job?’ For the pagan nerds run after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own.”

Random Photos

Finishing the blog entry with an afternoon reflection: I’ve changed. My personality changed and didn’t turn out as expected. Can no longer find some of the good traits that I was blessed with. It saddens me.