The Kim Family Got It Goin' Blog

Guess what, my brother has a blog. If you want to read right wing economic and political commentary, go to it. Sometimes he crazy, but sometimes he really crazy.

http://rusingwithronestar.blogspot.com/

And my little nephew also has blog. He is the cutest. Obv. The Kim family genes are superior.

http://www.carterjameskim.blogspot.com

Holla back.

J.

Oh, and I've returned. Back to the LA life.

Life has a Cruel Sense of Humor

Finals:
I studied all night, last night, for my hardest final. I had the midterm just last week (a push back thanks to the strike) and yet again another exam popped up.
I only slept for about 4 or 5 hours, which I have not done since UCLA. And I thought those days were behind me. But of course, my genius idea to study here brought me back into that bittersweet pastime. I even woke up a little early to review what I had studied the night before. Which is pretty common in the world of final exams. Though I should not have worried about knowing all the material (since I AM taking this class pass, no pass) - I could not help but have the receiving an A state of mind. Mind you, I only need a 2.8 out of 7 (Chilean grades are numeral). Well anyway, I did my best to master all my notes and readings.
So as the time came near to finally take the exam, I ate a quick breakfast of champions (consisting of toast and green tea - classy I know) and ran out the door to my class. And to my surprise...the professor decided that our final would be, wait for it, a take home test. Kill me. Though I am totally relieved of this revelation - I cannot help but think that my time of studying was put to total waste. The take home exam is staring at me as I write - laughing, and knowing I studied so hard. But, I should stop complaining, and consider myself extremely lucky to have a great professor, totally and utterly compassionate towards the exchange students. Shout out to Professor Nash.
So now I have another 11 hrs to compose a 1300 word response for a 3 question exam. And you know what, I wont have to waste time staring at my notes to try to answer them. Hopefully. Upside. So wish me luck.

Internship:
Another quick update, 2 of my articles for the online magazine I am working for are finally up. Since I know a good hundred people (haha, its a fledgling online magazine - what can I say) are reading it, I might as well invite you all to as well. Up the total web hits per day. No?

http://www.revolver-magazine.com/live-music-scene/34-live-music-scene/596-the-grand.html

http://www.revolver-magazine.com/fashion/56-fashion-design/573-optica-bahia.html

Okay, off to my test.

Less than a Month

I have less than a month. Which comforts me a lot. I cannot wait to get back home. In a new house with my whole family. Spending time with my mom, dad, grams, bro, sis-in-law, and of course nephew.

Though I'm really excited to get back home, I can't help but worry too. As a recent college graduate, what the heck am I supposed to do in a country that is far from being repaired. I've been looking up jobs on craigslist and monster.com, but there isn't much to work with. All signs point to grad school - which I was hoping to put off for another couple of years. Especially since our Financial Aid programs are going to shit.
What disappoints me is the fact that I had this 10-year-plan and now am unable to follow through. I thought we were living in a country that facilitated opportunities and achieving self-hopes. Unfortunately, the image our country has built is all but a facade. Of course, I have pride for some of the minuscule changes we've made in the past year or so - but what took so long for people to wake up. Was it really necessary for us to have a former leader who royally screwed up in every possible way for us to finally realize that we needed change. He obviously made it really easy for the Obama team to come up with a tag line for his campaign.
I don't know why this all of a sudden became semi-political; but just goes to show you that politics does effect us in every way. I've learned that the citizens of our country tend to blame themselves for their financial and social woes. But its time to look at the people who are leading us into these situations. Self-examination can definitely be a good part of life - but it might be time to also be a little wary of the leaders that are being put into office. We need to be part of this so called checks and balances system. Rant over. (Truly fulfilling my blog title: writing on the wall, total ominous bullshit.)

Winter has finally come to Santiago. Welcome. I can see frost coming from my mouth inside my apartment. Thats how cold it can get. But, I'm probably just a LA puss. Its almost a relief to have some rain and fresh air - Santiago's smog can probably be closely compared to that of LA. And that is saying a lot. I have this killer view from my balcony, where I can see the mountains (that surround the city). But most of the time, they are entirely covered by smog and pollution. Some Chilean told me I had a million dollar view - pft yea let's put that million dollars into fixing this allergy inducing problem.

The Law School strike has finally subsided! We started going to class this last week - just 2 weeks short from the semester ending. Bad news is that my midterm and final are pushed into these last couple of weeks. I would totally be pissed, but I haven't used my brain in so long that I'm a bit relieved that I have an opportunity to. Call me crazy, but I miss studying. My mind has been so idle this past month that I've been overdosing on news. Which might explain why I just had that political rant. You're just lucky that I didn't mention the strife in Iran - because that has been the most popular running headline for a while now. I subscribed to Keith Olbermann's Countdown podcast - Iran is his main focus these days; besides the neo-Nazi killing in D.C. And I also subscribed to NPR - they are faithfully waiting for a new Health Care policy - every piece they have is about HC. Okay, sorry. That was so unnecessary. But this small piece of current event-ary might be the first time some of you guys are hearing about it - huh? Haha. I'm just kidding, I have way more faith in you guys. HAHA.

Its my nephews B-day party tomorrow - on Father's Day. Way to take the attention away from dad. :( Haha. I hear my neph is an attention whore anyhow - so its totally approriate. I'm really sad I won't be there. Its way too close from my return to not be super sad. But I wish him the best! I hope he picks the pencil/pen during the traditional Korean fate/future-telling. I want a smart, academic nephew - something a little bit different from his dad - someone who says that reading is useless. Great influence.

How can I forget this huge piece of news: Hera is coming to visit July 1st! Greatest news I've heard in a really long time. A little piece of home coming to me. I'm so excited! Literally every person in this program (minus all us colored kids) has had someone visit them - whether it be a family member, the whole family, or significant other. And I've sat there with nothing to say. But now Hera is coming, I have something to brag about. Though its towards the end of the program - when everyone is leaving and ready to go home. But she will be here for my last 2 weeks of Santiago. Its great. Btw Hera, I will have most of my hard exams done before you come - so I will have time to put mucho attention towards you. Yay!

I also got this package from Bora a week or so ago. Let me tell you it was the greatest surprise of my life. I've eaten all the snacks already, which includes: huge bag of hot cheetos with limón, shin-ramen, kalgooksu, midol (not a snack) and japagetti. What I have left: tylenol and dayquil. Thank you so much Bora, you da best!

Okay, I will stop with the boring rants and hardly-there updates.
July 14 - my return! Remind y'all everytime.

Add: You see that old school typewriter above (in my title pic) - that thing is on my wall. Literally posted on my wall. And yes, my wall is bright orange.

Not Related to Chile. Kinda.

I realize that I don't have to relate all my blogs to Chile.
So I shall post a sick video. Same guy who did Kanye's "Good Life" and Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." Enjoy yoself.

Kid cudi - Day n night 2009
Uploaded by loula95 - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

So also I heard about this remix of In Rainbows from someone a little bit ago. I wasn't that interested. But then I was reading a magazine article about it, so I decided I'd actually check it out. (Yes, I need a magazine to tell me what to be interested in. Friends telling me, lost cause.) And then I found out it was a free download. So now I have it, and you should too. Not only because its pretty tight, but because its FREE. So rare these days. Shout out to JP, download this.

http://www.onesevensevensix.com/amplive/index.html

Oh, its Radiohead, if that wasn't obvious. Its remixed by a bunch of hip hop artists. Including Zion I and Jurassic 5.

This music sesh is over.

As long as I'm here, might as well update.
So I got an internship.
I had one with this online newspaper called Santiago Times, but I quit. Reason is not needed. (Doesn't that make you more curious? Too bad.)
So I found another with an online magazine called Revolver Revista. I'm some kind of journalist. The articles are mostly cultural - music, fashion, art, events. I had my first meeting today. I liked it, a lot. SURPRISE. So, maybe when an article of mine gets posted, I will send you a link to it. MAYBE. I don't really like my writing being read by people I know. I know what you're thinking. But let me just say, this blog is different. Because, it is. Cállate.

Moving on:
I'm taking 1 serious class here, at the Law School. Its a human rights class. Its the only class I actually study for and what not. But 2 weeks ago, they went on strike because of a new constitutional law that is being processed about public education. I'm not really clear on all the details. And have no desire to look it up. But the most important part of this strike is that classes have been cancelled. So I haven't had this class for the past 2 weeks. Its my earliest class (time-wise) - I don't know why I felt it neccessary for me to explain that with the parentheses, but I did. It starts at 12:30 - which is hardly early. But, now I can sleep till forever. Which I don't, fortunately, sorta.

So it seems as though the most commonly asked question by my friends (you all) in the States is, when will I be back? Thank you all for anticipating my return. Its much appreciated. So now I shall DOCUMENT it here, so you all can stop asking me every week. I tell you, and you forget. So next time you're curious, COME HERE and you shall know.
The official date (drum roll please):
July 14

Oh yea, I forgot. It was my birthday not long ago. Couple days ago. Thanks to all you people who showed me mad love. And those who didn't, screw you. Thats right. I'm 23, I expect to be acknowledged for it now.
Unfortunately, most of the love I recieved was via Facebook - the bane of my existence. But, I've come to terms that when I'm in a far away land, FB is the most accesible form of communication in this day and age. Horrible - but true. This is what we've become people.
The most interesting thing about FB birthdays are what type of people decide to wish u a HBD on your wall. People you never speak to decide to pop out of no where and ask how you're doing. Thanks, but no thanks. If we cared about each other, we would have open lines of communication - but we don't. So come to your own conclusion with what was previously said.
As a 23 year old, I decided, its time to KEEP IT REAL x10.

Also...
I've been told that packages are coming - which I am excited for. But all I can say is, Chilean mail cannot be trusted. I pray for those packages, wherever they are. Thanks to you all for making that effort.

So, for my bday, I hung out with friends. Nice dinner. Drinks after. But no drunken stupidity. I'm old...no aged and classy now. No time or energy for such shananigans.
I didn't really take pictures. But one of my friends did. So those might get posted later. We'll see.

Wow, I've written more about my bday than any other topic today. 23 means being more narcissistic. I won't lie - I'm down with that.
Which is a good transition to the next statement. Blogs are pretty much narcissitic. Lets not lie to ourselves. So as a narcissistic, keepin it real x10 23-year-old, I am going to try to blog more often. If its said, it shall be done. Maybe.

J.

Chileans can write!

So for my program, I am required to take a Chilean Culture and Politics class. We have a decent amount of reading. The lectures are boring to say the least. I dont really ever pay attention. But lo and behold, an essay has inevitably crept up. And that means catching up on readings.

Today, I packed up my comp and some other essentials to go to a cafe in my neighborhood. Because I cannot get any work done at my own apartment (duh). And I was SO prepared that I did not even bring my reader. I am obv a great student. So I was sitting in the cafe (already ordered coffee and a sandwich) like a jackass thinking about how dumb I was. But because I am a genius, I sat there thinking about the lectures - we go over all the readings and poems or whatever. And remembered a poem that was in the book and looked it up online. Thank goodness for wifi and my oddly selective memory. (Side note - I seriously cannot remember a damn thing when it comes to funny memories, etc., ask anyone, especially Bora - because shes the MASTER of ‘remember when‘s.) So the poem I remembered was Gabriela Mistrals, Todas Ibamos A Ser Reinas, and it was beautiful. If you can understand spanish, this is one poem you must read. Okay. For me, poetry...sucks. Okay, not sucks, but I dont really enjoy it. Go ahead and judge me, all you idiot stuck up poetry lovers. But Im going to give Mistral a big thumbs up. The poem is in her collection called Tala. Because I know you all are very curious...
Mistral = Definitely a suffering soul. If you are into that stuff.

What did I do over Easter vacation?
I went to Mendoza, Argentina. That country seems to call me back. I went to Buenos Aires less than a month ago; definitely was awesome. But this city was...alright. I definitely feel bad for people who write for travel books. I wouldnt be able to find enough bullshit adjectives to describe a city that is less than mediocre - which Mendoza was. I mean the most animated part of the week was the Bike and Wines tour. We basically took a taxi 20 minutes outside of the city to a small area that consists of vineyards. We rented some bikes from a really shady company, who then gave us a map telling us where to bike to (vineyards, chocolate factory, etc.). We went to a total of 2 places, because I am in the worst shape of my life and could not for the life of me bike any more than 5 km. (Yes, Im using metric system you North American snobs). Anyway, this was probably my 3rd time officialy biking, and it was not easy. On our way back home, after putting back a couple bottles of wine (not by myself, geez), I was feeling pretty confident about my biking. I mean I was obv getting used to it. So I was riding pretty quickly. And trying to avoid the rocks and cars whizzing by. But there was this odd part of the trail that had this 5 cm dip from the cement road to a sandy area. And of course I could not bike straight - and obv this is turning into a painful fall story - and curved towards this 5 cm dip and ate the sandy floor. The thing is, I was doing my best trying not to fall - I literally stayed on the bike for a good 20 seconds before I gave up and fell. I scraped my knees, hands, whatever. I literally hit the ground face first. It was not that embarrassing because I am THAT confident. Haha. But the stupid part was that I fell right when a police was whizzing by us. He of course stopped and asked if I was okay and if I drank a little too much (which was not the case). We tried to convince him that I was ok, but he called for back-up anyway and followed us home. WOW. How awesome.
So by then, I was obv really cautious about everything. I was going slower, and a lot more nervous. Which is really not the best state of mind when biking. We come towards a flatter area, and also a place where there is an actual bike path. But all of a sudden a bus stops right in front of me. And I cannot stop quick enough and again BOOM. Fall on the cement ground, scrape my tights (that rip at the knee, which I eventually threw away), and get more bruises and scrapes.
Greatest day of my life. I was exhausted.

Anyway, we went home and I took a nice shower, and the fattest nap. We woke up at around 10pm to get some dinner. We went to a nice steak restaurant (Argentina is famous for this, because they have an influx of cows - which mean cheap steak and leather). I ordered a plato of steak which cost about 35 Argentinian pesos, equivalent to 10 dollars. Pretty pricey for a Latin American rest. So Im expecting a pretty fat steak, and after 30 minutes the waiter finally brings it. Lo and behold the plate comes with 2 fat steaks and a kabob of meat. LOL. I was seriously -_-. And could not at all finish it. Nice end to the day I would say.

Okay this update was obviously written because Im procrastinating. Im in a cafe writing a paper. The one about Gabriela Mistrals poem.

Btw, jumped on the bandwagon and got Twitter. Far superior than Facebook. Less complicated, more to the point. Highly recommended by me, worst enemy of all social networking mediums.

This picture has nothing to do with my trip to Argentina. But I thought I would just post more pics from my trip to Patagonia. And Im obviously such an egoist that I must end every post that has pictures, with a picture of yours truly. Me, after I conquered the hardest hike of my life - Los Torres - the towers. Isnt it obv why its called that?

Ciao,
J.

OMG. Another Update.

I just did an update yesterday. But here I am doing another one! What is happening to me? No, but seriously I came across some very interesting pictures from this Chilean diario that I thought that the US should see. Not that all of the US reads this...

http://www.theclinic.cl/2009/02/07/negros/

and

http://www.theclinic.cl/2009/01/30/white-house/

Youre welcome.

Who reads this anyway?

Hello All. I have had a lot of time to think while here in Santiago. And Ive come up with a lot of new realizations. Not good ones. So prepare yourselves.

So Im an American in Paris, wait no Im not. Im a Korea American in Santiago. I actually dont know which is worse. An American in Paris probably has no shot in hell bumping friendlies (if one had no knowledge of the French language) with those, not so friendly to foriengers especially Americans, people. But at least you would wake up and have a decent view, historical culture, and a damn good croissant. But a Korean American in Santiago, has a little more than a no shot in hell, bumping friendlies with a Chilean (+1 for Santiago, maybe). Let me explain the maybe. Whenever I meet someone new, of coures theyll ask me “Where are you from?“ and of course I answer “Los Estados Unidos.“ And you can just see it in their eyes that that was NOT the answer they were looking for. And you know, when youre in the US and you are some color that an obviously white American cannot put a finger on (any type of Southeast, East, South Asian or Middle Eastern color to be more specific), and you tell them that you are American and they give you that look like, “come on, what are you really?“ Yea, thats the look I get all the time. So how do I respond to this? There are two options, I can just leave them wondering and not give into their stupid expression and let them assume that I am Chinese (which is what every Asian is in this country is according to them), OR I can give in and explain to them how Im ACTUALLY Korean and am basically a lucky biatch who got her American citizenship. All I can say is that Ive never felt so damn Asian in my life. Thank you UCLA for NOT preparing me for this. Stop accepting so many damn Asians. Just kidding. Power to the people...
So that should give you a taste of how comfortable I feel in this country. And on top of that I have some nasty broken Spanish that Im still uncomfortable with. But I will say, Im getting more comfortable with my uncomfortableness. If that makes any sense.

So Ive also realized why I came to this country. I mean besides the fact I wanted to get fluent in Spanish and didnt want to go to Costa Rica or Spain which were the only 2 other options and blah blah blah. Ive actually come here to put off my eventual pending doom of a future. Seriously, I will be going back to a country with an absolutely succesful economy and a place full of opportunity and opulence. I wont know what to do with myself. I have the worst time making decisions - so I mean there is no way I can choose what to do! Should I take that perfect job with a 6 figure salary, or that other perfect job with a 6 figure salary that comes with a diamond ring bonus when accepted. COME ON! Give me a challenge people.
But seriously, Ive been looking up jobs and there are absolutely NONE. I mean I do not want to be stuck in an office all day hating life. I freakin did that job in college (UCLA law school slave for 1.5 years baby). And I can feel those loans creepin up on me people. I just recently got a letter from SallieMae saying that I no longer have any opportunities to get semi-free money in order to f*** around in undergrad. So even if I wanted to stay in this gawd awful country for 6 more months, I have no government funding to help me! Tragic...
People say that you should try to stay in college for as long as possible, and the government just cut that opportunity off for me. Not that I want to be a 5th or 6th year like a lot of really motivated people I know. But seriously. My trust fund has been soaked to its last bone. But you know what, Im glad I used as much of it as I possibly could. Id really like to thank them for giving out free money to people like me. And also making it less and less valuable every year when our tuition got jacked up higher. That was also really awesome.

But seriously, I have no where to turn. Im actually thinking about that program everyone does in Korea. Teaching or whatever. And getting a miniscual amount of money doing it. I honestly didnt think I wanted to live in that country for more than a tourist wants to (2 weeks at max). But after coming to this country, it would be nice chillin with a bunch of my people for once. Damn. And you know what, Korean kids are the best. They are hilarious. Im just speaking from the fob kids Ive met in my lifetime. I dont know if thats a good representation of all kids in Korea. But whatevs.

Honestly people, if youve got money to spare and you are graduating, GO TRAVEL. That is the best thing to do. I think my most memorable and best experience Ive had so far, is travelling for 2 weeks. And soaking up some good old fashion culture and nature. Ive learned way more (about Chile and myself) travelling than taking lame ass classes at the University. As interesting or informative a class MIGHT sound, its always a boring ass class.

I am signing out. But I shall leave you with some more pictures from my adventure to the edge of the world, which I am now nostalgic for. Sigh.
Nevermind. I dont know how to use this...Sorrs.

Peace. J.

EDIT: Do u know where I wish I was? (Obv rather than here). Or wish I went to? SXSW. Dammit.