a day in the life

8 AM - wake up. dress.
8:10 AM - hop on the bus to work
8:35 AM - arrive at my internship
8:40 AM - 5:30 PM - work. sit in on meetings, do some reading, send emails, write letters.
5:45 PM - 7:15 PM - prepare for large group.
7:20 PM - 9:10 PM - large group meeting.
9:30 PM - 11:00 PM - late-night after large group with friends from church.
11:00 PM - 11:15 PM - hop a taxi home from the restaurant.
11:15 PM - 12:00 AM - catch up on emails at home. change clothes.
12:00 AM - 1 AM - head to the nearby bar/restaurant/shopping district. hang out with rap friends - the top emcee and radio DJ in the city. The #1 DJ in the country. Meet the top house music DJ in Taiwan and his new assistant.
1 AM - 3 AM - Wes and Marcus know a guy having his birthday party at another club. hit the club.
3:15 AM - back home. brush teeth, check emails. mess around online.
4:30 AM - sleep. prepare to wake up at 7 AM to pick someone up from the airport. tomorrow, I meet up with friends, go shopping, head to a recording studio, go out to a work dinner with my best friend, and maybe go to see Chozie DJ at a club.

All around the world...

...same song

An index of recent work gathered from around the net.

• Murders for Gold in El Salvador - protest leaders killed on behalf of an American mining company
• Hip-hop Is Saving Asian-American People... - Asian-Americans find a voice through hip-hop (later reposted on Yale's AASA Blog)
• Flex Mathews: Making Music, Having Fun. - profile of DC hip-hop artist Flex Mathews for NomadicWax.com
• To the Rulers - a reflection on Psalm 58's prophecy of vengeance on the unjust
• The Responsibility of Christians in Art. - transcript of a talk originally given in April 2009 on Christians called to art

A new beginning.

"All Good Things..." -English Proverb. Or Star Trek: The Next Generation episode.

Even the humblest of things can spring from a humble beginning; but every humble beginning must come from the end of some other beginning (it's profound. [no it's not]), whether more or less humble.

And so, I must, with misty-eyed regret, contemplate the end of a thing; and the beginning of another.

It's one of the oldest voices in the book of tragically spurned love: "I'm sorry; there's another...". But here we go: while American Dream, Chinese Hero has served as a wonderful jumping-off point for my musings, personal and professional, I now find it more useful - if not necessary - to divide the two spheres of my identity.

But this is not an end! It is a beginning!

American Dream, Chinese Hero will continue on in more or less of its present (and traditional) form: a forum for me to post shakily-taken photographs from my camera(phone), eject musings of a highly unprofessional (and undesirable) nature, and post about the latest and greatest in the sneaker/mixtape/rap album world.

But there will be no more of the wittily incisive (yeah right) commentary on race, ethnicity, politics, philosophy, or theology that have preceded it. Instead, new things arise:

1) For vague (and unqualified) sociological discourse - both personal reflections and public musings - having to do with the field of Asian-American studies, hip-hop discource, political discussions (such as Affirmative Action and Just War theory), and other academic subjects, please head to Iason De Silentio.

The title - "Jason from the Silence" - comes from the pseudonym of Danish existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, Johannes de Silentio, referencing the Biblical John the Baptist: a voice out of the silence, speaking into silent world around him. This was literal and prophetic: John came into prophetic existence in the wilderness of 1st-century Judea, far from the urban centers of his time; and his voice came into the public sphere following four hundred years of prophetic silence. John's voice - strident, urgent - was the wake-up call preparing the people for a new revelation.

Kierkegaard found himself in similar circumstances. In his 19th-century Denmark, he faced an overbearing church hierarchy, a numb national congregation, and inadequate, distant theologies. Kierkegaard's voice awoke, aroused, and enlivened his people, Church, and philosophy forever, in his role as the Father of (Christian) Existentialism.


2) For formal and informal reflections on Evangelicalism, ministry, the global Church, Scripture, and faith, I am establishing a third space, seeking my name.

Names, in short, have power: when they are forced onto us (as by a schoolyard bully), they are repugnant, hateful, instruments of spite and derision. When snatched from the lips of a lover, they are glorious, shimmering, eternal things.

As a Christian, one of the things to which I cling dearly - desperately - is the thought that my name - given to me not only by my earthly parents, but my eternal Father - is written "in the Book of Life", a book within which no hand could ever dare raise the power to blot or inscribe a single character.

The Biblical conception of naming is an interesting thing: not only does a name describe who we are, a well-chosen name - a true name, as it were - prophecies (tells the truth) about who we will be. Names are not only references, but serve as stories - signifiers - prescriptions.

As a young, immature man seeking - seeking Christ, God, Grace, and Love - I think, ultimately, I and all others who are on a journey of faith are simply seeking our names. Our true, eternal, right names.



The long and short of it:
-3 blogs:

1. American Dream, Chinese Hero - an informal personal blog: photographs, personal updates, and my music.
   
2. Iason De Silentio - a formal ethnic studies blog, particularly touching on current events, Asian and Asian-American studies, hip-hop culture, and philosophy (primarily ethics) blog.
3. seeking my name - A reflective and contemplative faith and ministry blog, discussing Christian living, Evangelicalism, Scripture, and theology.

Florida; stay laced.

There is a long history, within most religious traditions, of voices speaking into (and out of) silence.

This photographic entry finds its position within said storied narrative.

There are others; there are many others, and their stories will be told. But their timeliness is, at the moment, of rather dubious value; as opposed to these pictures, who still find themselves unpickled, fresh.

Wednesday10.28.2009

For the past week (10.26-11.3), I found myself in Sandestin, FL, at
The Navigators' biennial National Collegiate Conference.


I haven't been on the beach since some point vaguely located
within my high school years.


Windswept is rarely an apropos descriptor for my life; here, it
served well.


Jason Macneille's award-winning (really) elephant.


Mammoth, even.

Thursday10.29.2009


Lisa & Leah.

Friday10.30.2009


Ser Landelot.


Mein Doppelgänger, Jason 朱.


Capt. Joelee.

Tuesday11.03.2009

Upon my return to the Northeast (a genuine city skyline? Sight for
sore eyes!), after a lengthy and eventful day of travel, I was
greeted by a plethora of packages awaiting me, desktop.


Among them was my first pair of Creative Recreation kicks, a
complete and utter surprise gift from Mr. John Shen, a true brother
in the faith and in the flyness. A muse, of sorts, in many ways.

Thanks - deep thanks - for the hookup, 哥们儿.

Thursday11.05.2009

My parents' Xmas present arrived early, fresh off the
DHL courier from Karachi, Pakistan. As it's a custom-
made piece, I gave it a quick try-on to ensure that
the measurements had been transmitted properly,
and that I wouldn't have to avail myself of the tailors'
generous - if time-limited - return policy.


No such concerns!

Then back into the closet it was, to mellow and
mature until the coming Christ mass.

Oh My

For the duration of my senior year at Yale, I drank approximately 3 16-ounce cans of MONSTER Energy Blue (Lo-carb!) per week: two servings, three times a week. In the same way that some have a morning cup of coffee, I would wake up, snap open the top, down a serving, doze off, and then finish off the rest on my way to class. I did so with such regularity that an "energy drink" provided little more than a vague and passing morning flavor, and evoked barely any energetic response in myself.

Since graduating, I can't recall having imbibed a single time.

After a long church event tonight, I decided, upon looking at my timetable for preparing this Sunday's sermon, to buy a can or two, to last me through tonight and tomorrow's work.

Apparently, a year and a half is well more than enough time to completely lose one's tolerance for caffeine, L-Carnitine, Taurine, Ginseng, B Vitamins, and the other assorted ingredients of a Monster Energy Drink.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Edit (2:11 AM): I FEEL SO ALIVE.

Realization

I've noticed over the past few days that I conclude a lot of conversations/meetings with people by saying "I love you". I don't think I used to do this; this isn't normal.

Is it good?

going down the only road i've ever known

the last time I woke up, I was in Ilsan, South Korea, at a co-worker's apartment;
the time before that, I was in the south of Beijing, at Paco's apartment.

As this morning dawns, I arise at my parents' house in Delaware; and, tonight, I'll be laying my head to rest at my new apartment in New Haven.

After 77 days in South Korea - 55 days of work - and 7 days' vacation in China, it's time to go back to school.

what will this year be called?

Dénouement

For the past work week, I've had a steady tension building, a bubbling froth in the pit of my stomach that sends my mind into a joyfully-wound knot. I'm a kid on Christmas Eve.

There's a saying among certain circles of society, memorialized in The Wire as such: "There are only two days you serve in prison: the day you go in, and the day you get out."

My bags are packed: one lies in a co-worker's apartment, awaiting my return to Seoul eight days hence, and another, half-empty, lies open next to my door. My passport, wallet, and ticket information sit, stacked neatly, on my desk. I've long since stripped my bed of its accoutrements, tucked away in the former piece of luggage, and I lie on the comforter provided, alongside the mattress, by my company.

Reflexive soul-searching will seize its own kairos; for now, I'm just chilling out.

I can't remember the last time I felt this roiling anticipation: probably last summer, preparing to leave for China. Of course, this time, there's an additional tool thrown into the machinery: the palpable, albeit slim, chance of China's vigilance in public health abruptly shutting down my hopes of a leisurely week.

And before that? The strongest association which I can provide is from my youth: the hour before arriving at a beloved summer camp, driving our way out of Delaware, stopping in Philadelphia for lunch, approaching on the winding Pennsylvania foothills. Me barbaric with a pent-up boil of preparation, banging on the ceiling of our old Volvo sedan, ecstatic. So.

In approximately 8.5 hours, I fly out to Beijing; God willing, I'll make it through customs with no hold-up and emerge on the other side of my 7 days off before returning to the States. I've heard that China has started blocking blogspot; if so, communication may be infrequent. So, for now

I lay me down to sleep

Visions of Seoul II

Signs that the end is near:

During my work hours, I have begun to refer to myself - and request that my students follow suit - by an ever-lengthening series of esoteric pseudonyms, of increasing complexity.

At first, it started by requesting that my students refer to me as "J-dogg"; after which, it was followed by "the J-dizzle". Today, I called myself "Big Teacher J".

Extrapolating, by Friday, I will have assumed an entirely new alter ego.


Additionally, I have begun referring to myself in the third person. I.e. "You know the J-dogg don't play like that." "Yall now flying with the big J-dizzle, a/k/a Big Teacher J."


Edit (7:28 PM): I thought of another one this afternoon.

They can also call me "The J Train".

Edit (Friday, August 21): Plan succeeded admirably. Students have taken to calling me J-dogg. One student even wrote it in his essay.

bene dicta, magister

It's 8:34 AM, and the streets of Ilsan are covered in a fine mist, rendering the pavement slick and slightly cool. Passing cars and buses scatter the puddles, tossing minute particles of water two or three feet into the air.

I'm out for a morning jog. Sequestered for the night earlier than I had planned, thanks to the compound effects of jetlag (despite my casually swaggering boasts of having grown accustomed to international travel, I am still impacted by the long reach of geography) and an afternoon spent out with friends, I woke at 5 AM. Completing some long-overdue tasks and emails, I decided to head out for a run, to clear my head and stretch some sorely-neglected muscles.

As I run, my mind drifts; 36 hours ago, when I was a knotted bundle of anxious tics: would my luggage clear through San Francisco onto my Seoul flight? Would the laminar plywood of my forcibly-checked skateboard (intended to be carry-on baggage) crack under the shifting mounds of luggage deep in the hold? Would my computer, with its finicky wireless connection, work in Korea? (Yes; No; Yes.)

My mind worries back and forth; 2 months ahead, with a host of invented complaints and light neuroses: will I grow prematurely bored of a repetitious summer, as I did my second summer in 北京? Will my students respond, grow, respect in the same way that they did (or did not) last year? How ought I - how must I - speak to them in such a way as to grasp at their attentions, or earn their mustered approval? What does it mean, to speak well?

The Benediction is the closing prayer of the Christian worship service, the opportunity for the presiding clergy to invoke the grace, mercy, love, and care of God for the congregants. Its roots: bene + dictio, which serve as a verbal phrase: adverb + verb: to speak well.

Context. One of the fundamentals which I've already begun drilling into my students, with which they will be well - and perhaps frustratingly - familiar by summer's end (or so I hope). What is the context of a speech made well?

My thoughts flow: a story. Bono, gregarious and irrepressible frontman and lead singer of U2, got his name from a music shop in his Irish hometown. He and his gang of youthful, gregarious, irrepressible friends used to hang around in the streets, staging absurdist plays and existentialist physical comedies. On one of the streets lay a music store, Bonovox; and so his mates began playfully referring to him as Sir Bonovox. The young Paul David Hewson disliked the moniker, at first, until he discovered the latinate roots of the word: Bono + vox, adjective + noun: good voice.


Actions speak louder than words. - American Proverb.


It occurs to me, that the phrase, "speaking well", possesses in itself two meanings: transitive and intransitive. To speak well, intransitively, means simply to speak skillfully or convincingly. "He speaks well", as synonymous with "he's a good speaker."

To speak well, transitive: in this case, however, speaking well of another. "He speaks well of her," as synonymous with "he praises her" or "he admires her."

My life is, of course, ostensibly one endowed with a career of speaking well of another: the most beloved condensation of the Christian creeds, to me, is the old chestnut, "To know Christ and make Him known". To proclaim Him; to speak well of His love for me. And it occurs to me, that, in this case at least, the transitive and intransitive uses of the verbal phrase dovetail: to speak well to those with whom I am surrounded for the summer, the most purposeful preparation is, quite simply, to speak well of the one with whom I have grown - am growing - more and more acquainted.

in nomine patri, et filii, et spiritus sancti

Prologue

I begin this work in 5 minutes. Time to get focused.

Our Father Who art in Heaven;

Guide my attitude, that I might not sin against these little ones.
Guide my words, that I might teach them well.

Sanctify my heart; purify my mind; enlighten my soul.

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam, Amen

to do

2:27 AM, remaining to-do list for the night:

clean shoes (3:51 AM)
shower (4:15 AM)
brush teeth (4:05 AM)
prepare/print second-year fundraising letter
pack for conference (3:57 AM)
write 3 emails: B.p, G.f, R.p (2:52 AM)

This was March.

We stay fly, no lie, you know this/
bloooooooooggin!

What up, party people? In the place to be,
Nah, who am I kidding? Blogs are not the place to be no more. Everyone and their momma is twittering away (literally; i'm expecting my momma to pop up on twitter anyday now... except I know that her attention span isn't attuned to the 60/60/24/7/365 internews cycle just yet) and the blogspots and wordpress accounts lie vacant. You know it's hard out here for a blog when your younger cuz rolls in all tiny and cute with teh microbloggin' in full effec'. We are primed for 140-or-less characters now: this is the txt/sms generation, after all. Gen teXt (if you use it, give props to the originator, word).

Anyways, if you don't know, now you know (you know?): I'm back on my b.s. (no Bussa bus... except maybe Bussa bus). And if you caught any of what I'm throwing out there, you're either Dallas, Rafi, Combat Jack, Prof. "Xavier" Conway, Sooey ajumah (ha! just playing 여동생), or Vic.

So then, for what it's worth: here's March through my camera. April to follow.

Tuesday03.03.2009

Waiting in Silliman to meet a student, I caught a sight of old glory, and I'm
not talking about the American flag.


Some faces on there I haven't seen in a minute... including a face that's
gonna be the visage of a married man soon.

Thursday03.05.2009


Vic had a little mishap; son tore hisself up on the court! Still he pushes thru
like a champion. Or like a bawse (nah it never gets old!).


After kicking it (in all senses but literal) with Vic, I
headed over to Living Water rehearsal. Jesse was
wearing this jawn.

Sunday03.15.2009

After a week traveling & singing with Living Water, I
headed back to New Haven for the span of a single
night (<12 href="http://www.greenecountyhabitat.net/">Greene County
Habitat for Humanity site, a 10-hour drive away in
Southwestern PA, for the next week.


KVE stickers, in front of HGS, York Street, New Haven.


pd sticker, in front of HGS, York Street, New Haven.


EGO86 sticker, in front of HGS, York Street, New Haven.
From the days back in the reign of terror... aka freshman and
sophomore years... relics still remain!


Josh snoozing on the lengthy drive.

Saturday03.21.2009

After a week of moderate labor, lengthy rest, and plentiful church food,
we again made the (all the more grueling the second time) 10-hour trek
back via roadway from Waynesburg, PA, to New Haven, CT.


While we stopped for gas, it only made the best of sense that I would
have the worst of luck to select a gas pump that was actually and
openly rejected under the standards and statutes of the State of
Pennsylvania.


At another rest stop; josh, burdie, and joe lee.


moh lei knocked owwwwwwt.


lill & kg.


Burdie. =)


Josh, pointing at the sleeping l & kg.

And after it was all said and done... two weeks on the
road, moving from place to place, singing and
hammering, and these remained:


A dog tag with a verse written on it, from the people of
Williamson First Baptist, in KY; ear plugs and spent
.22 cartridges from a nail gun in PA; an unused carry-
on luggage tag from the flight down to Louisville.

Sunday03.22.2009

First Sunday back to New Haven! The occasion
warranted a fresh spring look.


Play cloths season 1 at 25% off... more true-to-size fit
than I'd expected from a streetwear line. The rumors
about quality are all true, though: definitely a dope
piece.


The items from my last night's picture weren't the only
reminders of my Spring Break touring; this blood blister,
acquired on the penultimate day of Habitat work,
lingered tenderly until I finally shed it, some weeks later.

Monday03.23.2009


In anticipation of my upcoming birthday, while I was
traveling, I ordered a BAPE tee off eBay from my man
Kalvin (a/k/a Monkey Monster clothing). This joint
arrived over the course of my travels, and I waited, a
good kid, until the-day-of before breaking in & flossing
out.

Amy Jones needed to go shopping for some new shoes, and I, naturally,
felt obliged to provide an escort to downtown New Haven. For, you know,
safety.


The AJF5... Amy's brother has a pair of these back in Louisville... fire.

Then I discovered the baby shoes and it was all over... yo if I ever have
a little man running around, he is going to stay straight laced up!


These are the Skittles Dunk mini-highs.


More AJF action... XII's... greenbean? awh nawh.


Air Max boots? Wale somewhere out there shakin' right now, he's
fiending for these, i know it.


Ahhh with the premium tongue label! 熊猫, 中国文化
whaddddup? James Kim these are for your kid some
day!


And on my way back to Vic's place, from a quiet dinner with a couple of
buddies, we ran across the last and dirtiest snow pile in the city.

Tuesday03.24.2009


Headed out the door jogging... still too cold to run in
anything less than 4 layers!! Dang.


Just noticed, as I was running along, that Yale installed some new green-
friendly energy sources, including windmills on the top of Becton, our
engineering building.


Sure, why not?


Later on, wandering around Old Campus with some of the boys, we
came across a vacant (and longtime so, hopefully) bathroom in CT
Hall.

Wednesday03.25.2009


Knit ties are in this year, I'm calling it now.

And what's this????

On my way out the door I noticed a package at the front
door, addressed to me, from my boy Joe D (of NV$N
streetwear and internets fame).






He ain't lyin neither...


Joe is the king of vintage BAPE... he and I started kickin it back when I
copped a pair of 2003 (or was it 2001?) bathing ape selvage denims
from the kid... sonn is nasty with his game, he gets rid of more hot
gear than I think I might ever own, period.




Much appreciated, bro. Hope u figure out that MIDI controller & start
slayin em on the beats again!! Make sure Barry hollas at'chu!

Thursday03.26.2009


SOLE sticker, corner of High & Elm, New Haven, CT.

Monday03.30.2009

Monday nights I generally head over to kick it with homeboy Justin and
his buddy Aaron... this night Aaron couldn't make it, but I whiled away
the night with my (expected-to-be) future roommates.


Justin fixed dinner... I am gonna have to learn from him at some point.


J.


Le le.

Josh was there, too, but the only pictures I got of him
were pretty much embarrassing shots of mad eating
going on, so I felt like sparing him the internets
celebrity of that.

Next to come: all of April, and I ain't talkin bout that reporter that hung with the Turtles.

it's been a long time

i shouldn'ta left you/ without a hot blog to get through

you know how it is, this is the life, right? I done been staying moving for the past 2 weeks nearly non-stop:

for the first week of Yale College's spring break, I was on tour with Living Water in western West Virginia (holla @ Williamson) and Kentucky.

After catching a midday flight back last Saturday, I got back into New Haven at 11:30 Saturday night, with just enough time to unpack, catch some sleep at home, wake up, pack, and head out for a full day of driving to the UCW Habitat for Humanity 2009 site, in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania (holla @ Greene County and my people in Waynesburg).

After a week of building (a brick....) howwses and such, we took the 10-hour drive back yesterday, I spent ~4 hours fixing my computer which got infected by the Trojan.Vundo rootkit, slept, went to church, and spent a thoroughly joyful evening watching tv, napping, and thinking about streetwears and hip-hops, right where i now sit.

bidda-yow.

Big ups to the NV$N brand, Rich Long, dallas to the penn, kalvin trancao for the busy works tee, edem glover the realest hip-hop head in Berea, living water, Darlene "Dusky" O'Toole, Peter Van der Beek, "Hank Leigh", Big Ray, Lil Ray, Bobby Ray, janice wong, and time to stay moving.

more to come, but for now a quick overview of all that i had going on over the few weeks immediately preceding my travels (2/2 - 3/3/2009):

Thursday02.05.2009

In mid-January, Niche started stocking Head Porter both
in-store as well as online, making them one of the few
stores on this side of the Pacific (if not the only store) to
do so. Having recently misplaced my old Manhattan
Portage cell phone case, I seized on their January free
shipping offer and copped my first Head Porter item.


"My Philosophy" (c) KRS-ONE.



Friday02.06.2009


"ALL YOU SEE IS... CRIME IN THE CITY"

Tails! tags at the corner of Wall and Temple, New Haven.

Saturday02.07.2009

I love to see it when my people get put on...


Jess Chang and I been down since my freshman year
at school. She is a real up-and-coming talent on the
burgeoning (?) classical music scene, and her string
quartet is making big moves... it don't stop!!


B and I lived together for two of my years in Morse, and he is captain
of the Yale track team this year!!! Sonn be lookin good [||] on that poster,
doing what he do best.

Sunday02.08.2009


Sighted at church: design FAIL.

"Halls" be lucky that Hallmark isn't more litigious than they are... or
are they??


SHERLOK and SOLE stickers, New Haven.

Monday02.09.2009

After kickin it with him for a while, I crashed at my boy
Ray's downtown place Sunday night; i emerged to find
the weather crisper'n a pair of white nikes.


I dare anyone to complain about Morse college's looks!!
This is proper, nah right?


Just a good day - I kicked it in the library all afternoon, just getting
some work done and enjoying the view.

Tuesday02.10.2009

More birthdays: both David Chen and Iris Yang. Chea!


You know how we do, got the mad mad crew up in the house (c) KRS.


Green


Before they were a couple... but you can see it right?


One of my favorite Hawai'ians






Don't never say the kid doesn't still have the wild style! Holla BACK!


Birthday cake pt 1...


And pt 2.






Bday kids

Wednesday02.11.2009


I stay fly with mad styles, but you already knew that,
didnt you?

And just as I was headed out the door dressed like that,
a package I been waiting for with anticipatory and
bated breath showed up on my doorstep! So you know I
had to take that, rewind it back... (google it)


Chea!


Man... Staple even has customized packing tape...
This sort of attention to the details is just one of the
many reasons why they are absolutely killing the
game right now.


What's inside??? let's see... stickers...


Thanks Jeff!


Oh... aiight... that's what's up... and all in my size, too.


Word!! Pretty much every CD out on Staple Sounds right now,
including some live CD's of Hiroshi Fujiwara (!) jam sessions.


Another pair of my favorite denims, the Stapleton
1975. Levi's 501 cut, 14.5 oz Italian denim. No details,
no branding except for a leather hip patch, just good
jeans. I bought a pair as soon as they first came out
two Fall seasons ago, and have worn them ~2-3 times
a week, almost every week, since... good thing that i
copped when i did, too, because the price has since
jumped from extremely reasonable (120) to what they
probably deserve (170-190, comparable to APC)...
but the price for these = $0!


And more... the DJ Muro collabo tee, and a short-sleeve... in the current
Springtime weather, this is gonna get some wear, you know it.

MAJOR props to jeffstaple, the reed space crew & staff, and twitter (i
guess...). This is how you build a client base, for life.

Friday02.13.2009

James' sister hit town and we went out for Thai Food, along with
other UCdubbers.



Sunday02.15.2009


Esther Lee's phone is adorable, that's all I wanted to say here.

Monday02.16.2009


Some stickers... SOLE is gettin up...


I unboxed my ALIFE "Frog Pack" Everybody Hi's
on account of the weather being so fresh that day.


Joints scraped my achilles tendon region all raw.
Moral of the story: either break in the kicks first,
or wear something OTHER than low-profile athletic
socks.


Some of yall get this.

Sunday02.22.2009

Having not taken a day off in about two weeks, I still had a long
week of intense work to look forward to, which unfortunately
included succumbing to illness, working through it, my condition
steadily decreasing, and ultimately, starting Thursday night,
deciding to spend the following 50 hours in my room in order to
recuperate and scramble together a sermon for Sunday. At some
point during that time, I decided to bounce to New Yiddy after
church on Sunday, to kick it with the fam out there.

First night I hung with Steve Yu.


Late-night dinner..... falafel in midtown... yea!


One of the dudes I look up to and have relied on the
most, no lies.

Monday02.23.2009


Steve and his roommate have a solid place in the midtown housing
jects

After an afternoon kicking it with an old man (blee), I headed uptown
to Harlem House, home of some of the rawest dudes I know in the
City: the NYU Navigators.


You know how they get down in the city!!!


After linking up with my boy Lando Schelrissian at
the house, we headed downtown towards NYU to
his evening Bible discussions and a leadership
meeting.


Shopping with big L


He takes care of his kids way bettern I do

Tuesday02.24.2009


Uptown baby, we gets down baby, for the crown baby...

St. Nicholas Place, Harlem! It's rough in the skreets!

before heading out of town, you know I had to drop
by SoHo... but I only had about an hour of downtime
before my train left for New Haven, so I had to
choose wisely... you know UNIQLO never ever
disappoints!


This is how they're displaying the upcoming S/S 09
line. In miniature!

After finally copping the short, light, well-fitting pea
coat that I've been looking everywhere for (but
finally found in Uniqlo... sadly in canvas, not wool),
I headed back to New Haven, refreshed.

Wednesday02.25.2009


POO. Best tag.


Nobu and I straight kicking it.


Nike SB "November Rain" Dunk Mids.


"In the Chaplain's office, there are no right answers
about religion, only really good questions" <= Public image FAIL. I've noticed that they've since changed that line in their printed materials.... good for them.

Thursday02.26.2009


You said it... i guess?


The colors are pretty ill. It seems that all of em (except blue?) are
representing on this plate. Way to go James!


Tiffs & Staple design denim & jacket.


My roommate David was kind enough to bring me by
the New Haven post office... I copped a NIKE SB suit
vest (yea they made those) and the seller made the
obvious gaffe of ordering signature confirmation. So
I had to haul myself out of my little world of foot
traffic and hoof it out there thanks to David's coupe.

Let me just put this out there: NO ONE who works is
gonna be home in the middle of the day to sign for
your package!!! [||]. Come on, people.

And having copped a sweet vest, you know I had to go
all out afterwards.




Oh yeah it's like that.

Frisday02.27.2009




My Sun Chips got wedged into the Berkeley basement vending
machine. The first time in years that I used a vending machine
wound up costing me a gold dollar and aggravation. SMH.


Moh lei made a cake for Ben's bday! Ausome.

Saturday02.28.2009


As I passed the Grove St. Cemetery, I noticed these
little birds. All chillin' and such.




Andrea hard on the grind...


Waiting for the bus back home, I noticed for the first time that Yale's
recycling bins are specially branded for them. Nice touch.

Sunday03.01.2009


AISON (?) tag, New Haven.

Tuesday03.03.2009

For my upcoming birthday, my parents copped me an
H&M slim fit suit, seeing as how ive been both getting
into more growed-up wears (don't worry, streetwear is
still the default!) and also seeing as how even so-called
tailored suits are usually too large for me.




Thanks mom & pops.