TUMBLR

So, in the beginning, I tried updating both blogger and tumblr, but its just too tedious so im' moving to tumblr! follow me there!

jonchae.tumblr.com

Tick Tick Boom

It’s funny how Tumblr, er, just blogs in general, make people seem a lot more profound than they really are… It’s like people are trying to show off the vocabulary words they learned in SAT class, or just trying to put up a front. I mean, it’s kind of ridiculous, because anybody can use big words, but I think the true art lies in making them flow naturally. Weaving them into the sentences, to complement them, not overpower. But then again, maybe to other people, I’m the exact same? I hope not.

I still don’t really feel like writing much… it’s not because I’m all depressed or whatever. I guess the senioritis started in my brain and spread to my heart. Sort of, not really, haha I just don’t feel motivated to write. But lately, I’ve been feeling a tugging at my heart… I honestly don’t know what it is and I can’t really classify, what or why. It’s just one of those feelings where I want to go on top of a mountain, scream my lungs out, and then go do something amazing. I’ve been really into singing praise songs lately too, I feel convicted and challenged to really step up in the high school ministry. I want to do something to set up something outstanding, something that people will look at and think, “Wow, those kids really love God.” If you go to Church Everyday, you’ll know what I mean when I say this, but I’m so sick of hearing everyone talk about how crazy the junior high ministry is. Don’t get me wrong, I am totally excited about what Kevin and the teachers are doing there. I get annoyed because, guys, we can do it too. The God we worship is the same, heck, we’re even older, so shouldn’t we be capable of doing even greater things?! I mean, age isn’t a factor with God, but I just feel that, personally, I am nowhere near functioning and performing to my highest capability. And I think that my inability to do my best is really disrespectful to God. Maybe that’s what has been tugging at me lately. Or maybe I’m wrong, who knows.

And… I’m thinking about getting a different hairstyle. It’s been like 2 years since I started buzz-cutting my hair, and maybe it’s time for change? But even if I decide to change things up, I don’t know what I would do about my hair… Any suggestions?

Hello everybody. It's been a while since I posted a real entry, but once again, I have nothing really I want to write about or whatever... So I'll give you short snippets of what has been going on with me.

1. The Superbowl was pretty disappointing.

2. Somehow, sitting and talking in Tim's car is very entertaining.

3. Santa Monica pier is pretty overrated...

4. Valentine's day is coming up, and I don't really mind being alone for it.

5. This Thursday is my school's basketball game against our rivals, it's going to be intense.

6. I don't really like the new Facebook display.

7. We are the Fearsome Foursome [I just made that up now] and we're cooler than you.

Grand Theft Blog

I don't know if that's correct... I just got grand theft auto and switched blog with auto. Works for me. And yeah, I haven't really been in the blogging mood these days, but this seemed fun.

A - Age: Seventeen again.

B - Bed size: Twin, sighh.

C - Chinese Food Dish: Jja jjang myun, forsure.

D - Dentist name: I have no idea.

E - Early Bird or Night Owl? I'm more of an... afternoon eagle.

F - Favorite color: Don't really have one.

G - Gold or Silver: I go for the Gold!

H - Height: 5’11, 5'10ish?

I - Ink as in tattoo’s you have: 0

J - Job title: Unemployed :[

K - Kitchen Meal or Restaurant? Whatever tastes good.

L - Living arrangements: I own a bachelor pad on the second floor of my parents' home.

M - Month of birth: May 28, don't forget it!

N - Nicknames: Jon, Chae, uh that's about it.

O - On time or late: I'm usually on time.

P - Pet Peeve: Eh, I don't want to write them all out.

Q - Quote from a movie: "What are you?! Mobile, agile, hostile!

What is pain?! French bread!

What is fatigue?! Army clothes!

Will you ever quit?! No, we want some mo, we
want some mo,we want some mo!"

R - Right or left handed: Right.

S - Siblings: Brother-22, Sister-13

T - Time you wake up: 7 on school days.

U - Urgent thing on your to do list: Finish my financial aid crap for college.

V - Vegetables you dislike: Asparagus...ew.

W - Wishing for: A lot of things.

X - X-rays you’ve had: So many... one on my throat/nose, teeth many times, wrist, ankle, back, and appendix.

Y - Yummy food you make: Pasta? Haha, but I'll let you be the judge of that.

Z - Zoo Favorite: Haven't gone in a while... but I just like the zoo in general!

Funk and Wolfgang Puck

As you may, or may not, know, I’ve been in sort of a funk these days. I can’t really put it into words, it’s just something feels like it’s missing. And I hate to say this, but I think it might be a someONE that’s missing. But, I choose to just go with the flow, see who comes along, and just have fun, I mean it’s second semester already, and I won’t be sticking around for much longer anyways. And honestly, it’s not like i’m SAD, it’s just… I’m just so sluggish and uninterested in everything. Bad bad bad, Jesus help me. Yep, I realized a while ago that I shouldn’t fill these voids with girls, but with God. God > girls.

Most of my posts, I’ve realized, have to do with food or restaurant reviews. And I don’t know if I said it on my other posts or not, but I think I would like to do it as a job haha. Anyways, all of the places I wrote about were new joints that I had never tried before. Well, the one I have for you today is a classic. For all you valley-dwellers, I’m sure you all know where the Northridge Mall is, and if you do, you should know about the other plaza across the street from the movie theater. There is a Rubio’s [great restaurant by the way], Jamba Juice, Starbucks, etc etc. There is also a Gelson’s Market, and within the Gelson’s, there is a Wolfgang Puck To-Go counter. From appearances and the menu, it doesn’t look too promising, but the food is actually really good. I remember when my brother first brought it home, I was pleasantly surprised. They have salads, pizzas, and pastas, but I’ve only tried the Chicken Caesar Sandwich and the Rigatoni Bolognese. The chicken sandwich comes with bread, roasted chicken, pesto, melted cheese, tomato, red onions and some caesar salad. All the ingredients are fresh, the sandwich is made when you order it, but the kicker is the bread. They actually bake it in an open oven, fresh for every sandwich. The bread may not seem like a very significant ingredient, but when it’s fresh baked, it’s crispy on the outside, and light and moist on the inside; perfect.

The rigatoni bolognese was not as impressive. The pasta was a bit under cooked, it was kind of tough and chewy, and the sauce was a little too bitter for my liking. Nothing much else to say.

So overall, I’d say that Wolfgang Puck’s is a pretty sound choice. The only downside is that the prices might be a little too high, pastas, salads and sandwiches are all about $9. If you’re going for the first time, I highly recommend the chicken caesar sandwich! If I hadn’t tried the rigatoni, the score might have been a bit higher, but I give it a 7/10.

Side note: I realized I put more time, effort, and passion into writing these stupid blogs than I put into writing my articles for the school paper. Yup, that’s how much you blogging means to me. I need a life, or a girlfriend.

The proxy/firewall on my school computer system is down, so what do I do? I blog. I don’t really have much to say now either except I came across a realization: moving on means leaving some things behind. Because if you take every single thing and person with you, then it’s not really moving on. I might be right, I might be wrong, but that’s the way I feel right now. Another short post, take care guys.

bleh

A lot happened this past week and I actually have a lot of thoughts and stuff I'd like to blog about, but right now, I just don't feel like it, don't really feel like doing much actually. Hm yeah maybe I will later on, but for now, goodbye.

Food Fit for a King

So as all of you valley-dwellers should know, we've been hit with heavy rainfall, an uncommon occurrence. I honestly don't know the last time I saw this much precipitation in the San Fernando Valley. But then, in an instant, the clouds dispersed, the rain ceased, and sunshine once again flooded the skies. Strange weather California has.


After school, my friends and I had time to burn before the basketball game, so we decided to eat at King's Burgers. This joint has been around the valley for a while now, located on Reseda, and I always wanted to try it, but never got to until today. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was there freaking huge menu. They serve everything, from pancakes to sandwiches to salads to even gyros and sushi, and of course, much much more. I am a pretty big fan of gyros, so I ordered their beef gyro, no tomatoes. My friends ordered the King Special, Chicken Teriyaki plate, a Philly Cheesesteak, and a double bacon cheeseburger. The food came out relatively fast, surprising since King's isn't a fast food place [it's more dive-styled]. My gyro was delicious. The pita was perfectly soft and warm, there was a satisfying portion of beef, which was delicious as well. The Tzatziki sauce was great too, enough flavor to make me savor every bite. And the onions offered a nice crunch and texture to the whole sandwich.

Likewise, everybody else was pleased. The King's Special is a burger with a juicy beef patty and a heaping pile of pastrami, and lettuce and tomatoes. The chicken teriyaki plate also came with a generous portion of meat, rice, and veggies [salad included]. The other half of our group was sitting at a table, so I didn't really get to see the Philly or double bacon up close, but from what I saw and heard, they were both pleasing.

Of course the food is the most important part of a restaurant, but what really got me, was the prices. Everything that we got was around $4-5. For a high school student, that's a great deal. So in conclusion, I guess the total ranking I'd give King's is a solid 8/10. It's a great place to eat, so if you haven't already, I suggest you go!

Los Toros and Gangs

On this rainy MLK Day, I headed to Arthur’s house until the rest of the guys got there. Soon, we were playing Mario Kart on the Wii, but we all got hungry. After a short discussion, we agreed on my suggestion: Los Toros. I personally had never gone, nobody in our group did, but people at my school raved about the place, so I thought it was a good candidate. The place is located on Devonshire and Topanga Canyon, in Chatsworth. When we got there, the place looked pretty big on the outside, and the inside was dimly lit with the usual Mexican decor. The A La Carta menu was comprised of burritos, enchiladas, and tostadas, all for around $5-6. The chips, bean dip, and salsa they offered as a service were good, and they gave me high hopes for the service and entrees. We went with a group total of 9 people. 4 people ordered the beef and bean burrito, 3 people ordered the pork and bean burrito, 1 person ordered the chicken burrito, and 1 person ordered the enchilada plate. The first thing I, and I’m sure the others did too, was that my burrito was LITERALLY a beef and bean burrito. It was tortilla, beef, and bean; no joke. The beef was very tender, which is a good thing, but after the first couple of bites, I got sick of it. The other beef-and-bean people agreed with me. I think the pork burrito may have been better because it at least had a green sauce, but the chicken burrito person, Sam, said that it was horrible and was a pain to consume. Now, at first, the waiters seemed nice, prompt, and knowledgeable, but as the meal progressed, they weren’t so nice or prompt. Another pro is that the burritos came out within 5 minutes, but the other service was disrespectful and slow. When we asked for hot sauce, the first waiter didn’t bring it, so we had to ask a second time. And when we asked for another batch of chips and dip, the waiter did so with a great amount of attitude. So overall, I’d say I was disappointed. Overall rating: 6/10. The best part was the bean dip; it’s said, I know.

Los Toros’ main entrance is in the rear, so the only way in or out is through an alley way. After our meal, our group headed towards the cars. And this is what happened:

A black Honda CRV pulls up.

Passenger opens the window, and says: Excuse me.

We all turn around.

Passenger: Hey, you guys bang?

Us: Uh, no.

“Gangster”: Mutters some inaudible threats and claims to be part of some gang.

Car drives off.

Needless to say, we were all confused about what had just taken place. But after reality kicked in, some of us got a bit flustered, while the rest of us joked at the stupidity of the series of events. I know I don’t know what it’s like to be in a gang and I am in no way a professional on these matters, but I find it extremely annoying and stupid that these people would randomly ask us that, with the intentions of fighting. What a way to ruin a perfectly good night. With that, I will close this entry. Thanks for reading guys [even though I really have no way of telling if anybody did or didn’t].

Girls, Barbecue, and Senioritis

First topic: girls.

So, yes, girls have been, are, and always will be very perplexing, confusing, vexing, unfathomable, unpredictable, frustrating individuals. Just when you think you have them figured out, you come across another wall that they set up. Can’t live with them, but can’t live without them. I know I only have 5 or so months left in the valley, and I’m going to go off to college. And of course it is impractical to say that I want to get in a long-term relationship, for as naive as I am, I know that it wouldn’t last. But I can’t get over the, giggly, warm-and-fuzzy, tingly, can’t help but smile sensation that she makes me feel. Be strong Jon, don’t get your hopes up, and heed the advice of your peers.

Second Topic: barbecue.

If you have read my previous posts, you will know that I’ve recently developed a mini-obsession for good BBQ. I’ve tried Outdoor Grill [not as great as expected], and I took a look at Bear Pit’s menu and it was too expensive for my unemployed budget. So, that being said, I guess the next best option is to do it myself. I’ve always attempted, and enjoyed, cooking. And I hosted a barbecue for my friends before, it was a good time of hanging out, but I must say, I was a bit disappointed with how my burgers and steaks turned out [it’s pretty hard to mess up a hot dog]. So, I’ve decided to host another one to redeem myself, don’t know when, but yeah. And if you’ve hung out with me a lot, you’ll know that I make up puns [hopefully they’re not unbearably lame] at the spur of the moment, and I just thought of one right now.

What did the boy rib say to the girl rib he met at the grill?

Hey babe, you’re barbeCUTE.

Lame, yes, but I pride myself in my jokes, no matter how un-funny they are.

Third topic: senioritis.

I think I first started off with junioritis, as my grades in the eleventh grade dropped, in comparison to previous years. But boy, they weren’t kidding when they said senioritis hits hard. Even though first semester still counts, I totally DGAF’ed and did no homework or any intense studying. Once second semester rolled around, I think I got into the final and worst stages of it. I absolutely have no concern with school whatsoever. And now, I find myself at home after school with nothing to do and oodles [yes, oodles] of free time at my disposal. So, I am declaring on the internet so that you, my readers, may keep me accountable, that I will begin exercising and lifting. Also, I will apply to the following places for a part time job:

Toys ‘R Us

CVS Pharmacy

Subway

Whole Foods Market

Donut Shop

Target

Hallmark

So yes, my plan is to apply by the end of next week, and see who calls me back and what not.

I know this has been a long post, I’m sorry, but I guess this is a result of topic #3.

Outdoor Grill

As you may, or may not, know, there is a show on the Food Network called Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. It is a great show where Guy Fieri, a Food Network chef, travels all around the States, looking for great diners, drive-ins, and drives [which is the shows namesake]. Many of these are small, family owned joints, that offer homemade meals. They are definitely far from the 5 star restaurants of Hollywood, but the made-from-scratch meals definitely are worth more for your buck. The places shown offer a lot of different types of foods, from Italian to Mexican to Chinese and of course, good ole American food. The majority of these places offer great barbecue, and after watching 3 straight hours of it on Saturday night, I had a great craving for some barbecue. Now, being on the west coast, the valley nonetheless, there aren’t many barbecue joints. So, I resorted to KFC. Sure it was alright, but it didn’t satisfy me. So today, I decided to finally try Outdoor Grill, next to LA Fitness. I had high hopes, as many people have testified to its taste. When my tri-tip plate came out, I was disappointed. They gave me 3, slim slices of the meat, with dry mac and cheese, and average mashed potatoes. Not only was it lacking in taste and consistency, the quantity left my hunger unsatiated. I give it a 6, maybe 7, out of 10.

If you guys like Outdoor Grill, that’s good for you. But personally, it was a fail. Besides that, my life is pretty good. School’s chill, although I’m always tired. Take care y’all.

Bleh

For a while, I couldn't wait to blog, and I wrote prolifically. Now, I don't really feel like it. I need a date for winter formal. What to do.

TGIF

So, today marks the end of my first week back, and my first week of second semester. So far, it's been pretty fun and relaxing, but nonetheless, I am looking forward to this weekend.

Oh by the way, Happy Birthday Jane Ryu! I highly doubt you'll read this, but like you said, it's the thought that counts right? Okay well, I just wanted to post a brief entry before the weekend officially kicks off. Have a good weekend guys!

Dear Life,

I know we've had our ups and downs. You've slapped me across the face many times, and I can admit that I've had very strong feelings of animosity towards you in the past. You wouldn't just give me lemons, you would chuck them in my face, one after another, not giving me enough time to recover from the previous barrage. I've cursed you out, claimed to have hated you, and wished I could exchange you for another. But, let's put all that behind us, because I love you. Honestly, you do suck at times, but when we work things out, it feels great. I love you, life.

Jeez, I'm posting these entries everyday. Yikes, I really don't have a life. Oh well.

so naive!

Hm... So, I started my final semester of high school yesterday. And now that I don't really care too much about school, and don't have to worry about SAT's or applications, I have a lot of free time on my hands. So why not blog a little bit more? I mean, I like putting my thoughts and feelings somewhere tangible, somewhere I can come back and re-read and re-think my thoughts. And shout out to Andy Otis and Joanne Choi, two people who motivated me to write more often. [Andy doesn't even blog, but he told me that he enjoys reading them, and Joanne says I inspire her]

After a week or so of hearing girls rave about Justin Bieber, I finally decided to check him out. I watched/listened to his songs "One Time," and "One Less Lonely Girl." Now, I heard that he was like 15 years old, but wow, the kid looks like he's still in junior high. Sure his songs are catchy, but they're pretty cliche. His voice hasn't matured and it's strange to know that a little CHILD is saying all that stuff. I mean, how silly does it sound for him to offer a girl everything in the name of his "love."

This brings me to my adolescent escapades. Yes, I can admit I genuinely had feelings of infatuation and attraction. And even though I wish I would have done things differently, I can't say I regret anything. But, I think it was pretty naive of me to think that I would marry a high school sweetheart, let alone a junior high fling.

And the way I was dealing with this one girl was completely wrong. But now that I realized, I know that we will be good friends, and I am completely fine with that.

So far, I am enjoying my economics class greatly. Since business is what I might want to major in, my interest and knowledge in the class grows more and more. I sound like a nerd.

Life is good to me, and I in turn am trying to be good back. There are of course minor setbacks and annoyances here and there, but for the most part, I am content. Stay tuned for another post soon!

COULD IT BE?

i think i found the girl with the yellow umbrella...

2009/2010

Like everybody else on blogger, I've decided to write a post about my past year. Here it is:
2009 started off terribly.
2009 was bad to me.
2009 ended nicely.

There it is, short and sweet, so let's not go into details. BUT I do want to talk about the year 2010, as I am very hopeful and optimistic about it. So, as of now, these are the resolutions I have made:

1. Stop biting my nails.
2. Run/work out every week.
3. Strengthen and maintain a personal relationship with God.
4. Use proper grammar when writing blogs.

They seem pretty stupid, but I think they're all pretty important. Here's why:

1. Nobody likes ugly fingers. Plus it's a pretty dirty habit.
2. I need to lose weight. [Please, no remarks on my weight -_-]
3. Life without God is unbearable.
4. Practice makes perfect, right?

In 2010, I want to become the person I want, and should, be. The type of guy that I always longed to be, to have the outlook on life as positive as my relationships with others. In 2010, I'm going to graduate high school, and [hopefully] begin my college career at a college [hopefully, again] relatively far away from home.

It's pretty crazy to look back on my Junior High days, and realize that it's been FOUR years since then. And as cliche as it sounds, it seems just like yesterday. High school DID fly by, but I'm not sad. Of course I have my regrets like everybody else, but I find solace in the fact that I didn't do anything THAT dumb.

To 2009 I say good riddance. And for 2010, I lay out my welcome mat and embrace it with open arms. Here's to another year!