johnehlee's Xanga

Fantasy Baseball

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:03:06 GMT

Baseball season has begun! Anyone want to join my Fantasy Baseball League? Please message me or email me if you want to join! It's my first time running and playing Fantasy, so if you want an easy win, sign on up!

Poll: Is Xanga DEAD?

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:45:04 GMT

I just want to know if you guys think Xanga is dead... there has been virtually no activity on most of my subscriptions... there are only 3 guys who update regularly compared to the tons of ppl who used to post short updates.

So, has Facebook taken over? Is Xanga past due?

Pinkberry in Chicagoland: Very Berry

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:52:19 GMT

Okay, so I'm sure pretty much everyone has heard of PinkBerry by now... When Jeannie and I went out to LA before Thanksgiving, we fully immersed ourselves in the PinkBerry experience. When we came back to Chicago, I was wondering how ever was I going to get my fro-yo fix (alas, PB is pretty much only a West Coast phenomenon)!

Fortunately for me, when I first tasted the tart, yogurty goodness of PB, it reminded me of something I had tasted right here in Chicagoland! There was a cafe near the Korean BBQ place Kum Kang San in Arlington Heights, IL that had just opened up in the summer called "Red Mango"...

J and I had dinner with D and S and their parents at said Kum Kang San. As we were leaving, they were giving away $1 off coupons for Red Mango and we decided to try it again (it was actually our 2nd time going). While there, we tasted their frozen yogurt for the 1st time - it was a cool, creamy, tart, yogurty taste (kind of reminded me of mild ricotta cheese, actually).

"Red Mango" is actually the progenitor of PB and is a very popular chain in Korea (whereas PB is mostly a US West Coast chain - with some locations in NYC). This Red Mango, however, had no official affiliation with the Korean company, so they had to change their name - unfortunately "Red Mango Cafe" just didn't work either... so, they eventually changed their name to "Very Berry"...

So, if you're dying to see what all of the hype of PinkBerry is all about, I highly recommend hitting up Very Berry and trying their frozen yogurt! You get toppings with your fro-yo, so make sure to get the rice cake topping (mochi duk) and 2 other fruits - I suggest Mango, Strawberry, or Banana (since it's winter, fresh fruits aren't readily available, so I think their management has resorted to using frozen fruit with syrup - this is a PB cardinal sin!).

So, check out Very Berry! It's located in the same plaza as Kum Kang San in Arlington Heights (btw, tell them John and Jeannie sent you!):

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;small&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a target="_new" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-align: left;" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;geocode=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;time=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;date=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ttype=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;q=red+mango+cafe&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sll=42.146064,-87.993279&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sspn=0.007987,0.028625&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ll=42.148578,-87.984352&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;spn=0.031562,0.058365&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;t=h&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;z=14&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;iwloc=A&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;om=0&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;cid=42139120,-87988593,7781039802963359926&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;source=embed"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;View Larger Map&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/small&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

The Time Has Come

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:17:29 GMT

For most of the 4 years that we've been here in Chicago, Jeannie and I have called Hebron Community Church (now known as New Community Presbyterian Church, Schaumburg) our home. We came to the area not knowing a single person - no family, no friends. During that time, we got a chance to meet a lot of wonderful people from HCC and even when I was jobless for many months, HCC offered to create a position for me to serve in (part-time worship pastor) so that we could be a part of the the ministry. Year after year, we saw our church grow and take bold new steps into the future... we were so grateful for the family and community we found here.

Last week, we had many late nights discussing our future here in Chicago... after a lot of thought and prayer, we have decided to leave our church. It has been an amazing time and a wonderful experience getting to know our brothers and sisters - we will continue to value our friendships and relationships with our friends and family here... to everyone out there, thank you so much for your love and support through these years!

It's such a weird experience for both of us as we have never "left" a church before - at least for any reason other than relocating to a different state or province. But ultimately we feel this is the right decision for us as we now prepare for our move to Los Angeles next summer. Again, thank you to everyone who has been our strength and inspiration these past 4 years!

Couldn't resist

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:51:18 GMT

I've recently updated our re:charge website with updated pictures and mp3s from the June 9th event... I spent some time remixing the mp3s (I actually want to work on the 2nd song some more), so tell me what you think...

Also... Youtube these days has become somewhat of a haven for me during this difficult time (herniated disc)... Check out the video below - there's a whole slew of these videos that are all equally quirky, hilarious, and bewildering! (by the way, I'm pretty sure these are the commercial grade blenders that make all of our Frappucinos and Mango Chillers!)

Check this one out, too... I saw this in a video game once and never thought I would ever see this kind of dunk in real life:

Awesome YouTube Vids

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:17:33 GMT

Hey everyone, I know it's been a long time... I was very busy with re:charge. But now that it's over (for now), I wanted to share some awesome YouTube videos I found:

re:charge

Fri, 25 May 2007 14:33:08 GMT

Time is running out! For more than a year, I've been wanting to put together a joint-church worship event and we're finally doing it! We have been meeting periodically over this past year - either just for fellowship and planning, or as we have the past couple of months - for worship practice!

A lot of people have put great effort into making re:charge possible, so please check out their work on our webpage: www.re-charge.org

We also have a Xanga page, too... nothing much to see, but cool to subscribe to.

Come on out, it's going to be a great time!!!

Event Details:

Where: First Korean United Methodist Church (655 E. Hintz Rd. Wheeling, IL 60090)
When: Saturday June 9, 2007; 7 - 9:30 PM
Who: Pastor Yun Choi from New Life Community Church will be our guest speaker
What: Time of worship, fellowship, and Networking including a message as well as our local ministry highlight
How: Brought to you by volunteers from several local 2nd Gen churches

Check out our Church Promo Video:

On a cheerier note

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 18:28:24 GMT

Yes, it appears as if summer is almost here in Chicagoland... and with every summer, you have the epic struggle between the Cubs and White Sox fans... I personally root for whoever's winning... haha. To honor the boys of summer, I'd like to start a Fantasy Baseball league to add to my collection of Fantasy Leagues. If anyone is interested, please either email me or message me through Xanga!

VTech Tragedy and Reflections on Korean Culture

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 17:05:01 GMT

It's been a week since the tragic events unfolded at Virginia Tech University. Once I heard one of the witnesses describe the shooter as an "Asian male," I was fully expecting a backlash against Asians, let alone us Korean-Americans. Fortunately, I can honestly say that of all the people I work with (mostly Caucasians), NO ONE has even hinted at any blame towards me or Koreans, or Asians in general. In a way, I feel more ashamed for suspecting the backlash than I do that the shooter was Korean. I was horrified at the senseless brutality and the brazen manner in which Cho Seung-Hui (I haven't even spoken his name, referring to him as "the shooter" - I just can't bear to utter it) murdered so many innocent people... and I DO feel guilty that not just a Korean, but a Korean-American will go down in American history as the most prolific mass shooter. What gets me is that it wasn't racially motivated either... he killed all kinds of people too... it was truly senseless.

What is interesting is that the widespread news coverage mentioned several times that his parents went to a local church and even that his sister spoke with her "spiritual advisor" (my bet is that she spoke with her college pastor) at Princeton. To me, It paints the picture that his family was intimately acquainted with the Church, as is the typical Korean immigrant experience. So, that leads us to the question "why wasn't the church effective at reaching out to Cho?" Not that the Korean church is to blame, but in many ways, I can see his whole family just hiding his problems instead of being open and honest about them and seeking help. But then again, one area the Korean culture could improve upon is its view and treatment of mental health issues. I wonder, if we weren't so much about "saving face" (and I really believe that also includes us 2nd Geners), could this disaster have been avoided?

Still in shock!

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 21:42:30 GMT

We're still recovering from the shock of having to move to LA in just over a year... but I think it's going to be a blast. I've always wanted to live out West - I just never thought it would happen! In the meantime, I got a new toy called the Digitech JamMan... check out this loop I made with my guitar and my effects unit... unfortunately there is no repeat option for audio on Xanga, but use your imagination...