Happy, happy.

Dearest Junho,

Happy birthday!

Thanks for always being such a great friend.

Dear literary agents and book publishers, wouldn't you like to read my book proposal? Pretty please with cherries on top?

Yeah, Queens!

My first week back home has been amazing so far.

When you have good people in your lives, nothing else matters.

It's time to get serious.

After 3 years of wandering and living away, it finally felt like the right time for me to move back to NYC.

In total, I spent 6 months in Korea, 2 years in Thailand, and another 6 months in LA. Each place had its own charms and annoyances, but I can honestly say that living in Thailand's capital city of Bangkok was my favorite. The two years I spent there living alone was really a nice chunk of time for me to just clear my head and figure some stuff out. I truly feel like I've returned much wiser with a better understanding about myself, other people, and how things in life work---and I'm so humbled and grateful for that.

Words can't describe how happy I am to be back in NYC with my family and close friends. And now, it's time to start over once again---but thankfully this time I'll be doing it in my hometown.

Also, thank you so much to my friends Jenn and Daniel for everything in LA---you guys are truly the best.

It's so nice to be home.

NYC, I'll never leave you again!

Change.

What's going on?

There's nothing wrong with an honest day's work.

Words matter.

Anything is possible.

I'm a changed man...

Turning 30 is proving to be pretty eventful so far.

I can't wait to see what lies ahead.

It's nice to come back to this Carr's on Northern Lights Boulevard after 15 years away.

This supermarket was close to my uncle's store as a kid, and it's also where I had my first magazine purchase ever in my life.

Ah, Anchorage---you'll always hold a special place in my heart.

Life is truly so amazing.

Sleep, where are you?

Happy 4th of July, America!

큰아빠, we all miss you so much.

Celebrate life.

Purpose.

In about 6 hours, I'll be boarding a flight for Anchorage, Alaska.

The circumstances of my visit are saddening, but I look forward to paying my respects to my uncle.

Along with a lot of relatives, I'm also going to be reunited with my parents for the first time in over three years since I left NYC for Asia. They're currently living in Chicago and their flight will be arriving within minutes of mine, which should make for a nice meeting at the Anchorage airport.

It's been 15 years since I last stepped foot in Alaska. My family---along with practically all relatives on my father's side---have some sort of roots and connection to the state. I myself lived there from the 3rd-7th grade, and my memories of that time are very fond and often something I enjoy reflecting upon.

Returning after such a long time away will be nice.

"It feels so good,
When I think of you."

From the song When I Think Of You by Janet Jackson.

Life happens.

Purge.

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night,
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see.
All your life,
You were only waiting for this moment to be free."

From the song Blackbird by The Beatles.

Waiting tables again has been fun so far.

"In a pair of major victories for the gay rights movement, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that married same-sex couples were entitled to federal benefits and, by declining to decide a case from California, effectively allowed same-sex marriages there.

The rulings leave in place laws banning same-sex marriage around the nation, and the court declined to say whether there was a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. But in clearing the way for same-sex marriage in California, the nation's most populous state, the court effectively increased to 13 the number of states that allow such unions.

The decision on federal benefits will immediately extend many benefits to couples in the states where same-sex marriage is legal, and it will give the Obama administration the ability to broaden other benefits through executive actions."

From the June 26, 2013 New York Times article, Supreme Court Bolsters Gay Marriage With Two Major Rulings, by Adam Liptak.

Decisions must be made.

My neighborhood here in LA has been on lockdown all morning. 

Two police officers at a nearby precinct were ambushed with gunfire early this morning before sunrise, but managed to survive the attack. The LAPD have been on the hunt for the gunman since, and that explains all the helicopters that have been constantly hovering above in the sky. It's funny because it seems like LA already always had helicopters continually in the sky, but what's going on right now is like that situation on steroids. The street I live on is also closed off by police officers, and some from the parked cruiser at the end of my block even told me to get back in the house earlier before when I went out to walk Madden.

This police precinct the shooting happened at is apparently much larger and important than I imagined because it covers a lot of different parts of LA. Knowing of its proximity is comforting I guess. Anyway, it's my day off from work, and I wanted to go to yoga this morning but oh well. Guess it's another day of staying in.

*Insert Observation*

Appreciation.

A cloudy Monday morning is a great way to start the week here in LA.

"Because there's beauty in the breakdown."

From the song Let Go by Frou Frou.

Pay attention.

The mind seems to race faster when vacuuming.

"It's the skins, have you seen them?"

From the song The Skins by the Scissor Sisters.

Magazines are magic.

"Thank you for being a friend."

From the Golden Girls sitcom theme song.

Uninspired.

No one likes a sweating waiter.

Time to work brunch.

"You need someone to love you,
You need someone to hold you,
Tonight."

From the song Need Someone by Mary J. Blige.

What a beautiful song.

We all need something to look forward to.

"The song 'Happy Birthday to You' is widely credited for being the most performed song in the world. But one of its latests venues may be the federal courthouse in Manhattan, where the only parties may be the litigants to a new legal battle.

The dispute stems from a lawsuit filed on Thursday by a filmmaker in New York who is seeking to have the court declare the popular ditty to be in the public domain, and to block a music company from claiming it owns the copyright to the song and charging licensing fees for its use."

From the June 14, 2013 New York Times article, Birthday Song's Copyright Leads to a Lawsuit for the Ages, by Benjamin Weiser.

I need to play the game.

Ahhh, LA... hahahah.

Vice versa.

Happy birthday, Anne!

An adjective makes all the difference.

I believe in full sentences.

"Cause a chick got to live."

From the song All N My Grill by Missy Elliott.

Seriously! 

It's my day off and I don't know what to do.

"This will be our year,
took a long time to come."

From the song This Will Be Our Year by The Zombies.

"There was a time
when everybody was around
and I was dancing with you."

From the song Heartbeat by Annie.

Edit, edit, edit.

It's past 1am and I just got home from work.

One thing I forgot about working in the service industry is the fact that the adrenaline from just having finished working a shift can stay with you throughout the night.

And now I'm home, pretty wired and channel surfing.

Ah, yes...

Smile.

:|

A beautiful receptionist.

Delusion.

Cleaning is so therapeutic.

Bliss.

"Sometimes I think about you,
and I remember all the things we went through."

From the song Fallin' In Love by Faith Evans.

Ohhhhh, LA.

LA's pride celebration is this upcoming weekend.

I'm definitely curious to check it out, but we'll see.

We all have a story, and this is mine.

"Let me tell you the only way you can get up a lot of these mornings is if you can't wait to see what's around the bend."

Said by Diane Sawyer in her episode of Oprah Presents Master Class. OWN Network.

Counter-culture.

The baby kittens have disappeared.

I haven't eaten Korean food in over a month...

Unprofessionalism is beyond annoying.