Janice’s Blog

Despite the fact that times are dark with swine flu running rampant and our economy still being.. what it is, something amazing and wonderful took place the other day -- I got to see Starfield in concert :D

They are currently on their "Reign in Us" tour and one of their stops was Horsham, PA at Yuong Sang Presbyterian Church! They actually performed here about two years ago as well, and yes, Horsham is a totally random location and the band members even discussed that amongst themselves while on stage. At one point they even made up a song on the spot about Mennonites and Koreans in Pennsylvania and the crowd was dying with laughter~ they were fantastic and lovely and humorous and I still can't get over the fact that they were RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF ME. I was breathing the same air as them!

Anyway, I attempted to take a couple videos without falling over from excitement or tumbling off the balcony -- and the quality isn't perfect, but that's perfectly alright, it shows that they were THERE and that's all that matters in my book at the present time^^

Posted by Janice at 9:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Response to this:

The pros and cons of Philadelphia Biblical University. How do I even begin to answer such a question? Therefore I have compiled a list for your reading pleasure! I purposely did not specify whether or not something was a pro or a con -- something I learned early on is that it is easy to hate something but love it so much at the same time, and what one man may consider junk is the most precious treasure to another.

When you come to PBU certain things are to be expected:
1. People hear that you attend a "Bible school" and will instinctively ask you if you plan on becoming a pastor.

2. If you answered "no" to the above, they will hesitate for a split second and then ask if not a pastor, then do you want to become a nun?

3. The fact that you are majoring in Biblical Studies may cause one of two typical reactions: they will either believe you to know it all or become suspicious and attempt to question on how extensive your knowledge really is.

4. The campus is fairly smaller than those of other Universities -- whether you plan to or not, there will come a point where you will have a general idea of exactly who belongs on your campus.

5. You may end up in what people lovingly dub the "Christian bubble". This is something that could potentially hinder you from remembering that a different reality awaits outside the boundaries of PBU, but at the same time you are in an environment that will allow you to grow and excel in your walk of faith.

6. If you live on-campus, you must have a meal plan.

7. Curfew, which once existed for all students, is now only applicable to freshman. The rules state that freshmen must be in their dorms by 1am.

8. We have a dress-code: we ask you to dress modestly.

9. Chapel is mandatory for all students. You are given 9 skips without having to worry about the consequences.

10. Many classes start off with a word of prayer. You may be asked if you have any prayer requests.

11. Parking spots are plentiful but you are restricted as to where you can park.

12. Langhorne Station (SEPTA) is literally a five minute walk from campus. PBU is a mere half hour away from center city, Philadelphia. Hopping into the city at any given moment is an option.

13. The professors will know who you are. There is no hiding from them, you WILL be a name and not just an ID number.

Posted by Janice at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This week shouldn't feel so long, seeing as how we returned from fall break and classes resumed on Wednesday.. but here I am already anticipating the weekend! Fall break was a much needed time of rest and catching up, and you could have caught me at any given time over the long weekend lounging around in my pjs while hunched over a laptop :D

Well, despite the fact that I saw quite a few faces over fall break and "re-acquainted" myself with friends I have not seen as often this semester due to my placement (speaking of which, I have this amusing video of a few of us doing karaoke that I'm still contemplating putting up~) at one point today I decided that a catch-up session was needed and so Rachel and I met up after we were both done for the day. We went and tried out this new Chinese restaurant that we had heard good reviews about, and you know, there was a perfectly good reason as to why they have raving reviews. The food was amazing and there was so much of it that we had the rest packed to-go and we're thinking that we'll eat the leftovers tomorrow!
It was just really nice being able to see a familiar face again and unwind over dinner. One thing that I really appreciate about the friendship that Rachel and I share is how we are able to be unbearably honest with one another about what is going on in our lives, both the good, the bad, and even the downright horribly ugly when it comes up. Regardless of what we are talking about it's never left at just sharing a story and that's the end of that -- but we can rely on each other to help process and really see the situation for what it's worth. It's something I am so grateful for, and she, among others, is the kind of friend I have found at PBU! Others often ask if Rachel and I are "best friends" and people are genuinely surprised when they find out that she and I actually befriended one another at PBU about four years ago. Truly God brings people into our lives that make it so that we are never quite the same person we were before them.

After dinner Rachel and I took the liberty to go visit the pet store. There, I fell in love with a 9-week old puppy. Take a look! (but if you fall in love too I cannot take any responsibility for such)

Posted by Janice at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

DEAR EVERYONE,
HAPPY CHUSEOK! TODAY IS KOREAN THANKSGIVING AND ALSO CRIMSON CELEBRATION (HOMECOMING) :D

Usually my extended family gathers for Chuseok, but this year it was just not possible as we are presently scattered all over the place. My mother called this morning to wish me a Happy Chuseok though, and after we hung up I went out and bought some songpyun -- a kind of rice cake that is typically consumed during Korean Thanksgiving~

Many Korean celebrities also dress in the traditional Korean clothing called hanbok and express their Chuseok greetings to their fans~ as an example and for your viewing pleasure I have selected the following!

First we have a newer girl group, courtesy of SME, called f(x):

Then we have Yunho (leader/singer/rapper of renowned Korean boyband, TVXQ) who recently made his acting debut alongside the beautiful actress, Ara:

Last but not least, and not having anything to do with hanboks in particular, we have 2NE1. In this video they cover "Last Farewell", a song by their senior and male counterparts, Big Bang:

Oh, and homecoming was fun too! It was supposed to rain and be all disgusting out today, but after a quick rainshower the sun came out and it hit 77 degrees~ it was lovely weather for a lovely time, and I ate a snowcone. Cherry, if you must know.. courtesy of MuKappa. I also gave a tour earlier this morning, and two prospective students gave their best hit(s) at the car bash. It was really funny because I kept thinking of how maybe when they returned home later today, other family members or friends might ask "So what did you do at PBU?" and their answer would be something like "Got a tour.. and smashed a car. Yeah."

Posted by Janice at 6:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alright, readers of the world. As you may or may not know.. guess who's coming to PBU today?!

I'll give you a hint -- his name starts with "T" and ends in "-im Hawkins" :D
AND I'M SEEING HIM TONIGHT! This is like Mr. Groves coming to PBU all over again, I'm hyped~ tickets to his show(s) tonight are pretty much sold out, and even landing a ticket to see him was miraculous. I had a connection who hooked me up and ohhh I am so excited. I watched a few of his clips on YouTube and afterward I contemplated doing facial exercises before going to see him tonight because I seriously think I'll be cracking up the whole time -- and having a cramp in my face from laughing too hard would be just.. silly.
It's amazing how some of these big named people end up coming to PBU. When I first came here I never imagined I'd see half these people here on my campus. I think my first recollection of someone relatively well-known was Michael Card, and I almost fell out of my seat from shock because I had his CD back home and it was something like "HEY YOU'RE THE FACE ON THE CD THAT I HAVE. AWESOME."

With that said, right now I'm using a Mac.. and it is seriously the hardest thing to figure out. There's a picture on the desktop I want to upload but can't find what would be the equivalent to the paint program. There's iPhoto but my Windows-biased brain doesn't comprehend the purpose for it and it's really quite sad. (Side note: I was just told that Macs are far superior and that they're known for their paint program? WELL SHOW IT TO ME! Please.) Anyway, the picture I WANT and eventually will update later to show is a picture of the BJ's gas station, which is where I have pumped my gas every single time since having to do it on my own. It might have something to do with the fact that it's considerably cheaper since I have a BJ's membership, or maybe it's because it's where I learned to pump gas from my dear, dear friend -- and now I'm secretly convinced that I won't be able to pump gas anywhere else :P

The point of this entry actually nothing to do with anything I rambled on about above. Well, maybe except my excitement over TIM HAWKINS COMING TONIGHT!
Okay, so today I wanted to talk about compliments and how to handle them. One thing that I've encountered over the course of my lifetime (the longest 22 years I've ever experienced.. haha) is people's unwillingness to accept compliments. If the compliments are a little more subdued like "Oh, I like your shirt today!" then there is a more immediate response of "Thanks!" but anything beyond that people start to blush and brush if off. Why? I find myself doing that at times too, someone will pay me a ridiculously lovely compliment and I'll dismiss it quickly. Which is not a good thing because I get frustrated when I compliment others and they refuse to acknowledge what I said -- and maybe they do it to seem more humble or maybe they do it because they don't think I'm being sincere. I haven't quite figured it out yet.

Maybe this is something I need to set by example. When compliments come my way I will receive them in a manner which I would deem gracious and accepting~ and then can only hope then when I return the favor they will mimic my example :)

..not that I receive compliments every day or anything of that sort?

EDIT.
Even if I did not take this picture myself, I swear that it looks exactly like the BJ's I pump my gas at. Note the line of cars, it's always there.. all the more reason to feel awkward when I get in and out of my car half a dozen times or so.

Posted by Janice at 9:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)