December 6, 2006

This past Friday night I could hardly sleep because I was so excited about the photography workshop the next day.  I popped out of bed even before my alarm went off!  As I was driving to the workshop, I kept envisioning how I wanted the day to play out.  Well, when all was said and done, it was even better than I had hope for!  I thoroughly enjoyed my time with those in attendance.  They were so eager to learn, and the time seemed to fly by…at least for me.  We talked a lot about both the technical and artistic aspects of photography.  It was great to see everyone with camera in hand, actively participating in the workshop.  When it was time for us to end, I was kind of bummed, because I could have gone on and on and on.

At the end of the day, many of them expressed the desire to take more classes in the future.  That was really encouraging to hear!  I had given thought to that possibility prior to workshop, but I really wanted to see how this first one would go.  Well, I had so much fun that I want to give some serious thought to it now.  In addition to this general course, it’d be nice to offer specialized courses such as flash photography.  I’m going to sit down and really pray and think about this possibility. 

Btw, a huge thanks goes out to Phil for opening up his music studio to us!
 

November 22, 2006

I can’t believe the Photography Workshop is only a week and a half away!  My excitement has been growing more and more every day.  I’ve been formulating all my thoughts so that I can share them in a very effective manner.  It seems that every day, I think of something new that I want to share.  For those of you who have registered so far, we're going to have a great time!

Every photographer has his/her own style and flavor.  I’ll be sharing mine at the workshop.  This will be much more than a few basic tips here and there.  I will share my entire approach to photography, from visualizing a shot, to setting the camera properly, to my post-processing workflow.

Whether you are a pure beginner or someone who’s been into photography for a while, I believe you will benefit greatly from this workshop.  This will not be a huge conference filled with “intimidating” people.  I want this to be a hands-on, intimate setting where you can ask questions (so get them ready), try out the techniques on the spot, and walk away inspired.  Today (11/22) is the final day before the registration fee goes up, so don’t wait any longer if you’re thinking about it.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving, and please feel free to contact me with any questions about the workshop!z

June 13, 2006

I've been so busy with a variety of things that I haven't had much time to sit and write more articles for the photography section.  I'm hoping to get a new article up soon.  On a side note, please continue to pray for my wife, JoAnn.  Her kidney condition

April 26, 2006

Just thought I'd get the word out that you can get 4x6 prints at Target on sale for only 14 cents each this week.  Prices may vary depending upon your region.  14 cents is a great price!  In fact, your first ten online prints are free.  I'm always looking for a good bargain on quality prints, and I've been pleased with my Target store.  So, if you have a computer full of photos waiting to be printed, now's the time to do it.
 

April 20, 2006

I just wanted to get the word out that I'm finally part of the xanga community!  I've enjoyed reading my friends' updates, but now I can actually comment and contribute to the community.  I'll be updating both my xanga site and this site regularly, so please continue to check in regularly.  On a side note, I really appreciate your interest in our family's web page.  Your comments and encouragements over the past several months have been such a blessing to JoAnn and me.  In the future, I want to do my best to make this a more interactive site.  Stay tuned. 
 

April 10, 2006

We recently returned from a trip to the Bay Area.  I always love visiting San Francisco and Monterey/Carmel.  We have our favorites spots that we go back to every time, and yet we always seem to find somewhere new to explore.  Be sure to check back soon for photos.
 

March 24, 2006

Happy birthday to my beautiful wife!  I love you, honey!
 

March 18, 2006

Tonight, JoAnn and I watched the World Baseball Classic game between Korea and Japan with both sets of parents.  We got a kick out of watching all four of them get so animated.  I don't think I've ever seen my father-in-law get so pumped up about anything.  It was a very exciting (and scoreless) game for seven innings, and then that's when the roof caved in for Korea.  Byung Hyun Kim was tagged for a two-run home run, and then he let his emotions get the best of him by hitting the next batter.  That's when everything went south.  Final score: Japan 6, Korea 0.  Oh well, it was a great run for the Korean team! 
 

February 24, 2006

In just a matter of hours, JoAnn will be speaking to the women of UC Riverside's Asian American Christian Fellowship at their winter retreat.  This will be JoAnn's first ever speaking engagement.  I am proud of her.  She prepared diligently, and I know that God will use her mightily!
 

February 9, 2006

Congratulations to U2!  It was a huge night for my favorite band.  They took home five Grammys, including the biggest one of them all, Album of the Year.  Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own also won for song of the year.  I still remember back when the album was first released.  After listening to it over and over again, I rushed home and told JoAnn she had to hear Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own.  I sat her down on the sofa, gave her the lyrics, and turned on the song.  It brought tears to her eyes.  It's a powerful song.  It's a powerful album.  I couldn't be happier for U2 after tonight's Grammy Awards!
 

January 17, 2006

Wow, a lot has happened since my last update.  Christmas came and went.  New Year's came and went.  I, for one, am thankful that the holiday season is behind us.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the Christmas season, but this year's holiday season was a little more hectic than I normally prefer.  On top of the busy family and church calendar, every one of us in our family was sick at one point or another.  We definitely suffered through the cold/flu season.  But praise God that He sustained us through it all!  I'm excited for 2006, and I'm looking forward to deepening my relationship with God, my family, my church, and my friends.
 

December 20, 2005

It's 3:06AM, and I'm wide awake. I can't sleep because I fell asleep earlier tonight from 9PM-1AM.  The kids and I have been sick. It's definitely a miserable feeling.  And poor JoAnn, she has to take care of all three of us.  My daughter woke up at 2AM asking for chocolate milk, so I went downstairs and made her a cup.  She drank about half of it and then fell asleep on the sofa.  I should move her back to her room soon.  I hope I can fall back asleep tonight, but in the meantime, I thought I'd pass the time and update our site.  For the past few days, we've been having our house painted.  It's amazing what color on the walls can do for a person's mood.  Our house definitely feels much warmer.  The house should be completely painted by the end of today, so it'll be nice to finally get completely settled in.  Okay, I'll wrap it up for now.  I should try to get some sleep.  Good night...or good morning, I guess.
 

December 14, 2005

Earlier today I went to the post office to mail Christmas gifts to my nephew and niece who live on the other coast.  I walked into the post office with package in hand only to see about forty other people sitting and standing throughout the room with packages in their hands.  I also noticed that they were all holding a small piece of paper, so I quickly figured out that they had all taken their respective numbers.  I walked over to the other side of the room and took my number, which read 78.  Then I looked at the electronic counter on the wall, which read 43!  No wonder everyone looked so sad.  Thankfully I had my laptop in the car, so I went out to the parking lot and brought it back in and got a good 50 minutes of work done until my number was called.  Yes, I waited nearly an hour to mail off my package.  Waiting at the post office today reminded that the Christmas season takes a lot of our time and energy.  There are more things to buy, parking spaces are harder to come by, and lines are longer.  Today also reminded me that I should be spending more time with God during this Christmas season.  After all, as the saying goes, "Jesus is the reason for the season."  I pray that you are finding wonderful fellowship with Jesus Christ during this busy time of the year.  God bless.
 

December 6, 2005

Every time I get frustrated or upset with my children, I feel miserable afterwards.  And when I've had a chance to cool down, I am reminded of how much I need to grow as a parent.  It is during those times that I also think about God's love for us.  I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for God to see His children making the same mistakes over and over.  And yet He continues to wait patiently for His children to learn and grow.  I so desire to be a better father.  I want to be more patient, more compassionate, and more understanding.  Lord, may I demonstrate my love for my children as You do for me.
 

December 5, 2005

I celebrated my birthday this past weekend with both my family and JoAnn's.  We had a great time hanging out in our new home and watching all the kids play.  Each birthday is special for me.  This one was very nice because my son is at an age where he can write his own birthday card to me.  And my daughter can at least sign her name.  The gifts were great, the food was great, and the company was the best.  Thanks, honey, for a great birthday party!
 

November 22, 2005

Well, we've been in our new home for about three and half weeks now.  I'm gradually becoming more and more adjusted to our new environment.  The first week or so was difficult for me, but now I'm beginning to really appreciate our new home.  We are still unpacking things little by little and making our regular trips to Target and Home Depot (just to name a few stores), but this place is feeling more and more like home to me.  One of the many blessings about our new place is our son's school.  He really enjoys his teacher and fellow classmates.  When we took him to school for the first day, JoAnn and I had a really good impression of his teacher and the overall school environment.  He'll actually be changing schools in about a year once the new elementary school in our community is completed.  In the meantime, he takes the bus to and from school every day!  Can you picture this little kindergartener getting onto a big yellow school bus every morning?  The funny thing is, his bus driver knows so much about JoAnn and me because she listens to our son describe our family every morning on the way to school.  Hopefully they're all nice things!
 

November 8, 2005

Last night JoAnn and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary!  Has it really been that long?  Wow, ten is just around the corner.  So, how did we celebrate our anniversary?  We had a nice cozy dinner at home with the kids.  Actually, we would have done something nicer, but we have been so busy with getting settled into our new place.  God has been so good to JoAnn and me.  He has blessed us immeasurably!  Even through the difficult times and trials, He is strengthening our faith in Him and our love for each other.  Honey, happy seventh anniversary!  I love you very much.
 

November 3, 2005

Moving is exhausting!  It's no wonder that it is one of the most stressful experiences a person can experience.  JoAnn and I have moved a number of times in our marriage, but this one was definitely the biggest one so far.  It's amazing how much stuff a family can accumulate with two young kids.  And beyond just the "stuff," we are adjusting to a new environment.  A move can bring an unsettling feeling, but I'm sure things will begin to fall into place as soon as the dust settles (literally).  In the meantime, we are still living out of boxes and trying to find our way around our new environment.  Once things get back to a routine, I'll start posting more photos!
 

October 17, 2005

It's over.  This was the most stressful weekend of baseball that I've ever witnessed.  How could the Angels lose three straight games at home?  How could they hit only .175 as a team in their five games against the White Sox?  How could Vladi end up with only one hit in the entire series?  This was a very disappointing end to what was otherwise a very good season.  Oh well, the good news is that I won't be talking about the Angels until Spring Training 2006!
 

October 11, 2005

Wow, so much has happened since my last update...and it's only been five days.  U2 was awesome on Late Night with Conan O'brien last Thursday!  My family enjoyed a wonderful retreat with our church this past weekend.  We celebrated JoAnn's father's birthday on Sunday evening.  And the Angels beat the Yankees in the division series on Monday night!  In fact, they won their first game against the Chicago White Sox earlier tonight!  All in all, it's been quite a hectic, but enjoyable five days.  btw, I have a new article on our Photography page.  If you have some time, please take a look.
 

October 6, 2005

Hey all you fellow U2 fans, check them out on Conan O'Brien later tonight (Thursday).  They will be Conan's guests for the entire hour!  This is the first time anything like this has been done on Late Night.  I can't wait!  P.S. Angels 5, Yankees 3.  Series tied at 1-1.
 

October 5, 2005

If my recent updates sound like an Angels forum, it's just that this is October, and playoff fever is in the air.  I promise I'll talk about other things once the Angels win the World Series.  I had the opportunity to go to Tuesday night's game between the Angels and the Yankees.  The game started out promising enough as Bartolo Colon got the first two batters out, but then it all went south from there in the first inning.  Several batters later, the Angels were in a 3-0 hole and hadn't even come up to bat yet.  Colon eventually settled down, but the offense couldn't get it going.  Let's hope the Angels head out to New York having tied the series 1-1.
 

October 2, 2005

We have a few new articles and recommendations on our Photography page, so if you have any interest in taking pictures, be sure to take a look.
   

September 28, 2005

American League West Champs!  The Angels have won the west for the second consecutive year, and both times they did it against the A's on their home field!  The Angels are hitting their stride at just the right time.  It should be a fun playoffs.
 

September 27, 2005

Tonight the Angels have a chance to clinch the American League West Division with a win over the Oakland A's.  Barring any major collapse in the final six games of the regular season, the Angels should be headed for the playoffs.  I love this time of the year, and I can't wait until the Angels make it to the World Series!
 

September 21, 2005

Today we officially launched our family's website!  We thought this would be a fun and convenient way for us to share about the goings on in our family.  It's also a great way to share photos from family gatherings, birthday parties, vacations, etc.  We'll continue to develop and expand this site in the days to come, so we hope you'll come back regularly.