The many lives within me...

That on the way left is me. My dad is in the middle and my older brother, Scott, is on the right. This is the only family picture I have with me. I grew up looking at this picture, hastily shuffled away within a drawer full of pictures. Taken after my mother had passed away, this was a picture that my father decided to take right before my brother and I were about to leave for the United States to see our grandmother. A picture truly speaks a thousand tales. I remember this picture, and that frown you see is actually a smile, forced upon by the photographer. I thought that expression would be captured as a smile. And my brother was oblivious, as was I, to the

reason this picture was taken. My brother and I were going to the US, because our grandmother wanted to raise us, after her own daughter had died. This picture was taken for my father, so he could hold onto his children and leave a memory with him. Even though he would not give up his children with a fight, deep down inside, he had feared that this photograph would be the only figment left of his children. With that thought in mind, I can't help help but see this picture a fundamental part of my life. It captured not only what was left of my immediate family, but of the actions a father took to hold onto what he could of his children. Had he not put up a fight for me and my brother, and had he not come to the US to claim his children, my brother and I would be living very different lives. We would have grown up in the US, and would know neither of our father and our mother. This love a father had, for it I can't help but oblige a silent and tearful smile to the life I am leading. Thanks dad. I love you.

I'm on the left and my brother is on the right. I'm not entirely sure, but I believe this picture was taken the night before my brother was to enroll in a Korean pre-school. He was very happy to be enrolling in school that he couldn't take off the issued yellow pre-school bag. And as for me, I was probably just happy and giddy for the sole reason that my brother was excited. You know how little kids are, it doesn't take much to make them smile, and they'll smile for no apparent reason. Well at least that's how they used to be. It's always good to see two brothers smiling, and if it's an old photograph of them as smiling as youngsters, it's even nostalgic. And considering that through the adolescent years my brother and I haven't gotten along all that well, this picture always captivates the feelings of "what once was."

I was always a happy child, being second born

That's my biological mother on the left. This picture is the only picture I think that exists of my mother and her face. At least for our family that is. I think this picture was taken for her passport. Although I have a few lingering memories of my mother, when I look at this picture, it only saddens me that a person stares at the face of his/her mother, only to have a stranger look back. But with the firm belief that this person was a kind and loving mother, I can only but feel relieved. How do I know this? Because of the one and final memory I have of her before she had past away. Her final words of maternal love, her tears of guilt, and her last attempts of leaving her traces for her, what else can that be but of maternal love?

My brother was a rascal growing up. And I was the more shy one. By looking at these pictures, it was evident that I grew up looking up to my brother. I would copy everything he did, and say everything he did. But I wasn't too comfortable saying or doing what he did and say, but in the end, I would only oblige, and to this day I don't know why. But it is positive that I grew up looking up to him. Through the years, we've grown apart, but since he had left for college, I've come to appreciate his presence, or the lack thereof. So needless to say through the years, we've come closer, but there is still a long arduous road ahead for the relationship I'm sure the both of us would want. By the way, this is the only time you guys will see a pic of my ass.

Marion smiles on the left, and Daisy smiles on the right. I've grown to love Marion as a friend, and closer as a half-sister. No we're not really related, but we might as well be, considering how we treat each other. She's half korean and half german american, just like I am. We went to the same pre-school. Our families know each other's. We're both army brats. We became close starting in High School. And, if it wasn't for our failed experiment to stardom, we wouldn't be where we are today. So in a

and the youngest, it was obvious that I'd get most of the attention, as things usually sway that way. A mother's affection, a father's twinkle, and all the toys to play with during the endless days of childhood, why wouldn't a child like me so giddy?

This is another picture of my brother and I a little bit older. Isn't his face just plastered with "rascal?" Back then, I was a tad bit camera shy, and even in this picture you can see that I'm trying to act cool like my brother. Now, I love taking pictures, having my picture taken, and I can confidently say that I don't try to "act" cool, or anything that I'm not comfortable with. If people can't accept me the way I am, then I say, "Fuck it." That just means that they can't appreciate the way my friends and family have molded my life. That doesn't mean that I'm inconsiderate and won't learn to change for others, but it just means that I don't like it when people reprimand my behavior merely as socially "acceptable" or "inacceptable." For those out there that feel that they must be accepted into and be recognized by everyone and be liked, I have one thing to say. You're not living your own life, you're living within the constraints of what others want you to be, and that will never allow your true potential to grow. Let your own light shine.

Me and my two princesses again. The funny thing is, their personalities are so different, and yet they get along just fine. The only embarassing thing is that everytime I am with them, well during the summer of 2000, all they kept arguing to me and asking me was, "Mike, my boobs are smaller than hers, huh, huh, right?" How in the hell should I argue with THAT?! Well maybe this would help. Ladies, I think both of you have very nice breasts and you are very fortunate to have such nice breasts. It's not the size, it's the attitude. You got nice boobies. Now please stop asking me whose is smaller and I don't need to know. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.

The girl in the middle of this gigantic paragraph making all those faces is my old roommate and still closest friend, Hee Jeong. I met her at Clark the second semester I had enrolled, and at first I must say that we didn't really like each other. But within a few weeks, we became...the absolute best of two friends. We feel a sense of care for each other, and though I haven't been able to do for her half the things she has done for me, I believe that we still are two of really good and close friends. She is still in Worcester, MA (still, July 18, 2001) but plans to join me

Hee Jeong has this way of being extremely funny. She's witty, smart, and very very kindred. Soft natured, she really cracks me up at times. Spending my time with her is without a doubt the best thing to have happened to me ever since I have left college. Here are some more pictures of me and her and a bunch of others...besides, I think I'm writing myself to death.

That other boy you see in these pictures is Chris. He went to Clark for a bit and transferred to Pratt or something. A really good kid. Very fun to be with. Wonder what he's up to now........ Kuricho. That's what he was called, but I for some odd reason kept calling him Kuri Guri. Whatever he's up to in New York, I sincerely wish him the best of luck in the design major he has chosen. And it doesn't hurt to call me up and drop me a line telling me that you're doing...ok...

That's me on the top left, advertising one of my favorite drinks, Gogo no Kocha, and to the left of me is hiori, and then Chris, then Hee Jeong. The girl in the way front is Moon Young, Hee Jeong's little sister. I like Moon a lot too. Very smart and extremely talented, I see her as my own sister at times. Most all sticker pictures of here consist of Moon making a surpirsed face. It's quite amusing. I think this pic was taken in Boston in I think 1999. This was when I didn't really have many of life's stresses......ugh...

From left to right, that's Dennis, Joseph, Danjen, Me, Shane, Dan, Sam, Paul, Warren (back), Roger (fore), and Eugene. This was taken outside of a Korean restaurant in Boston. We have had this annual Thanksgiving get together and in 1999, it was in Boston. Very powerful stuff to meet all my HS friends again under one roof in one city. Dennis had gone to SIS. But he's still kool.

This was taken in Taiwan in 1995. It was one of our mini week trips, and I thought it could have been cooler if the teachers weren't such idiots. From left to right, that's Dan Moon, Brian Choi, Mark Kye, Bobby Chung, me, Sam Kim, and Shane Hahm. This picture.....gosh we look so so so young....it's frightening...

That's me...taken around 1998. Very young...very....funny. nan took these piccs, and she wanted me to be topless, but it's so hard for me to do that in front of people....but she managed to get one pic outta me like that. Kept saying these shots looked very Calvin Klein-ish. I think she was going for the Liebowitz look though...(spelling?)