Adaptation

Los Angeles has changed me. It is quite strange looking at my life now. I often compare it and use situations on how my life would be different. Currently I feel more Korean than I have ever been in my life. Has the Los Angeles Korean culture changed me? I don't know but if you were to tell me I'd be interested in Korean pop culture and would really love Korean food in Seattle, I would have laughed in your face. However, being out here has changed me. I'm adapting to the culture and K-Town/Los Angeles culture has sunk into me. I guess it is unavoidable when I live and work so close to K-Town.

First about the food. If you know me, I've never been too fond of Korean food. Sure I'd enjoy it when I'd have it, but it was something that I never craved and I would have been satisfied never eating again. Fast forward to now. I find myself craving Korean foods. I'm not just talking about 갈비 and meat but like soups and other foods. Wait a second, this isn't me..I only crave steaks, pasta, and a good old fashioned American BBQ. I have changed...As I type I don't think of a burger but I want some 부대찌개 instead. I found a KTown food buddy in James Park..haha..he can tell you crazy stories of our adventures.

If you get in my car right now and turn it on, you'll hear Korean music playing on the radio. Every Wednesday and Thursday, I look forward to a Korean drama 'Iris' to come out, on Tuesdays I look forward to the variety show 'Strong Heart' and on the weekends, I marathon a bunch of Korean variety shows. This has been my life since March. Let me share. So I had no interest in Korean pop culture at all. I think the last time I really listened to Korean music was my freshman year of high school. So I was out of the loop and I didn't really care. What changed? Josh Yu introduced me to the show 'We Got Married'. From there my interest just grew larger and larger. I was introduced to Yoona. Now if you didn't know I liked Yoona, we don't hang out enough..call me..haha..Anyways back to the subject. I instantly fell in love with this girl and started youtubing everything on her. This led me to watching more shows and I was back into the pop culture of Korea. The music it took longer for me to get into. i was listening to 소녀시대 (Girls' Generation or SNSD) stuff but the other stuff I had no interest. However, at work we have Jenni Bae, the ultimate KPop Enthusiast. If you didn't know this about me, when a song gets stuck in my head, I have to listen to it to get it out and sometimes it takes more than once to get it out. Anyways she would youtube songs I hated, songs that I found annoying. The songs got stuck in my head and slowly but surely I found myself starting to enjoy it. And that brings me to today. I have no clue how it happened but Korean pop culture is more attractive than that of the US. With this interest now, there is even more of a desire to go to Korea, but that's a different blog which is coming soon...

What was the point of this blog? Watch your environment, because sooner or later you adapt to your environment and become one with it. If I still lived in Seattle, there is no way I blog about this. Maybe I blog about Carrie Underwood or Red Robin, but that's not me anymore. I've adapted to my environment. This is the current me.

PS..everything starts with Josh..hahaha..he shows me something and I run with it..

RETREAT!!!

I write to you today from a very cold Issaquah, WA. I have come home again! It's been a 7 long months since I've been back and I must say I dearly missed this place. I do consider LA my "home" now but I was getting home sick..is it still homesick even if it isn't your home anymore??

Anyways I've been looking forward to this weekend since I booked my flight and even before I booked it when my life started killing me. This was a getaway I desperately needed. I am in full retreat from my life in LA. I'm going to spend this time to regroup and refocus my life and I'm going to have to tackle "life" again on Tuesday. Until then this will be a time of rest for me. Maybe even heal. All the nicks and bruises I've acquired over the last few months will be looked at and reassessed. When I get back hopefully there'll be a new "me", a stronger "me". So until then..I'm retreating in Seattle and I'll be "home" soon!

-Dennis Chung

Waiting for the Right Bounce

I must say that the last 2 months (Sept & Oct) was extremely rough on me. It just felt like stuff was piling on me left and right, top and bottom. Well to start off with I was sick the ENTIRE month of September. It was probably the longest cold/flu I've ever had. Not only that it seemed like everything I came across went completely wrong. School became super duper hectic, work gave me a hellish project and I was stuck on that forever, and other stuff. Even when things seemed to go in the way I wanted, the door slammed right in my face leaving bruised, beaten and hurt not to mention the loss of opportunity I've been working for. I must say that I was drained physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I was mad at myself, at the world, and a little at God. I questioned what was going on but I know that it's in these moments that I grow. I just have to realize it, even if it's the same stuff over and over again. Have I fully recovered from those previous 2 months?? To be honest, I'm not sure..I'm still looking for answers, still waiting for that right bounce to come my way. I guess that's life. Life is full of bounces..some go your way and some don't. I just haven't been getting ANY bounces the last 2 months. Maybe the next 2 months all the bounces will come my way. I just have to be ready to seize the opportunity, catch the right bounce and run with it.

Until Next Time,

-Dennis C

Blog 2.0

I'm Back!!

Hello cyber world..I'm proud to announce I am back! After major failure of updates I decided to delete all 11 previous posts and start new..so here we go!