My name is Andrew. I was born in Sacramento, California. I am the fourth of five kids and the first American born. My family relocated from South Korea. My father came to the U.S. in the early 60's. My mother and my older brother came in the late 60's. My grandmother and the two eldest siblings, sisters, came in 70'. I have one younger sibling, a sister, also born in Sacramento. We first lived in Midtown Sacramento before moving into a more affluent area in East Sacramento. I also spent much of my early childhood living with my grandmother in several places around downtown. An influx of South Koreans moved to the city years after our family had settled there. I have since moved throughout California. I went to the University of California, Davis and graduated with a degree in Organizational Studies and a minor in Economics. I then lived in San Francisco for a few years before settling down in southern California. I lived briefly in Los Angeles and now reside in the city of Fullerton. My Korean heritage, college campus life, a diverse group of friends, and living and working in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco - both which are truly a large melting pot of ethnicities and culture - are reflected in my varied taste in music, film and, of course, food. I enjoy food immensely and think I'm fairly adventurous when it comes to trying new things. It has helped me develop a discerning palate for all kinds of cuisine. For some time now, I have tried to live my life by certain key principles. My motto and outlook remains virtually unchanged. These are to keep disciplined and discard unproductive thoughts and vices, show resolve in the mist of pain or disappointment, always have hope, seek and remain faithful to God, show character and patience, and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. The mind, body and spirit must be balanced and in harmony with each other in order for me the individual to function at full capacity; they all need to grow or be strong, not polluted and never stagnant. This is why I believe it is important to exercise some discipline in my life. I have trained in various forms of martial arts for many years, due largely in part because of my father. My dad is a grandmaster in tae kwon do, aikido and judo. He has taught thousands of students and I was one of them. In fact, my dad has owned and operated his martial arts studio since the early sixties! I have also practiced several other disciplines of martial arts, including jujitsu and muay thai. Perhaps the one form of hand to hand combat I have spent the least amount of time learning but feel almost equally adept in is boxing. It is still one of my favorite sports to watch. Injuries and age have relegated me to other forms of exercises and recreational activities. They are far less taxing on the body than combative sports but equally beneficial. I still place a high value in health and fitness. I try to workout at the gym everyday. And I enjoy cooking my own healthy meals. My other hobbies include reading, blogging, traveling, listening to jazz, blues or traditional pop music, watching classic and mostly Asian films, trying foods from different cultures and regions and picking up a new hobby every year. I want to learn Spanish and improve my Korean. Hobbies I vowed to pick up in the past few years have included mixed martial arts, cooking Thai food, surfing and learning to play the guitar. I have enjoyed learning them in various levels of success. I also plan to pursue a Masters degree in either Business, public policy or psychology. It has been a goal of mine for some time. My family and I believe salvation comes by God's grace. We have all placed our faith in Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior. I go to a Four Square church in Anaheim called the Rock and serve in different ministries there. I would like to travel to Asia again. My trip to Korea in 2009 was my first trip outside the U.S. and only my second time traveling out of the continental states. I thank you for visiting my page and allowing me to share my thoughts and my world with you.
On the dawn of our nation's 250th birthday, these images prove the United States of America is not only the greatest, strongest, but arguably the most beautiful country on earth.
One of the under appreciated aspects of Marilyn Monroe is that she was an avid reader. Over the course of her career, more than 100 pictures were taken that feature her reading a book, often candidly in/between shoots. She owned a personal library of more than 400 books and in her letters expressed an interest in the poetry of Yeats and the writing of Thomas Mann.
In the picture above Marilyn is photographed reading James Joyce’s Ulysses. Was it staged? According to the photographer, the legendary Eve Arnold, she recorded Marilyn reading as a genuine moment while she took a break.
“I asked her what she was reading when I went to pick her up (I was trying to get an idea of how she spent her time). She said she kept Ulysses in her car and had been reading it for a long time. She said she loved the sound of it and would read it aloud to herself to try to make sense of it. When we stopped at a local playground to photograph she got out the book and started to read while I loaded the film. So, of course, I photographed her.”
The fact that Marilyn Monroe loved to read can be surprising for some people. Indeed, so strong is the prejudice that being beautiful and intelligent are mutually exclusive, that many critics refused to accept that Marilyn wasn’t “faking” an interest in literature to counteract her “dumb blonde” image. Even today such sexism persists. Why do we find it so difficult to accept that people can contain multitudes?
I have to admit that I was surprised to encounter these images. Apparently they’re very rarely reproduced. But they show a completely different side of Marilyn Monroe. And it made me realize how many legendary writers and poets she became acquainted with, including Truman Capote, Saul Bellows, and Norman Rosten.
And she didn’t just enjoy reading. Writing was also a key component of Marilyn’s life. Some of her reflections, notes, and poetry can be read in “Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe”.
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