yeah it's my BIRTHDAY! please please read the letter below

Hello this is B (some of you know me as Bumhe or Ben), greeting and love from New York City!

As I continue my study at New York University, I cannot emphasize enough how relationships I’ve cherished with all of you have been inner guiding voices in my school, work, and social life; I really want to thank each and every one of you.

And today is my birthday! This year, instead of asking for a present and/or throwing a party I’m throwing an online benefit celebration for charity, by inviting you to PLAY A GAME called G-MAKCA which stands for Guess My Age to Keep a Child Alive.

A word about the organization Keep a Child Alive (KCA) before I explain how to play this awesome, simple, and fun game: Keep a Child Alive, with which I’ve been involved since this Feb, does exactly what it says: keeping AIDS-infected children alive by providing life-saving antiretroviral medication, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. A child dies from AIDS per minute in that region just because they can’t afford the $1/day medication, and many of them don’t get to live to their 5^th birthday.

So, in a thankful celebration of my birthday, I’m inviting you to Guess My Age to Keep a Child Alive. The idea behind the game is that now I tell you that today is my birthday, many of you will be asking, “How old are you turning?” (a classic birthday question!). Well, I want YOU to guess how old I’m turning and this is how I’m asking you to do it:

1. Please e-mail me (bh735@nyu.edu) or message me your name, mailing address (just so I can send you a big thank-you for playing the game; all the information will remain confidential), and your guess on how old I’m turning (this is a game—be playful with your guess! do you think I’ll be turning 7? 20? 50???)

2. At your earliest convenience, please donate the dollar amount of your guess to Keep a Child Alive (for example, if you think I’ll be turning 7, please donate $7; if you think I’ll be turning 20, please donate $20, and so on)

%100 of your donations will be used to purchase life-saving antiretroviral medication—which costs $1/day—to AIDS-infected children and families. Keep a Child Alive, thanks to its corporate sponsors who cover the management cost, is able to use %100 of your donations for the cause.

And you can donate through this link:

https://secure.ga4.org/01/new_r_clone_2

or by making a check to Keep a Child Alive, with “in celebration of B’s birthday” on the memo,

to:

Keep a Child Alive

45 Main Street, Suite 720

Brooklyn, NY 11201

Feel free to learn more about Keep a Child Alive as well!

http://www.keepachildalive.org

Thank you so much for your love and little care—for that’s what makes this world go around!

B. Han

678-267-4921

KCA, midnight poetry, clubs, outdoor

Noelle confirmed with the headquarter that "Don't Give Up (Africa)" is still available on iTune and proceeds still got to KCA; she also told me that while Cingular doesn't offer such thing with rington anymore, there is a similar deal with Sony BMG. I've already told ppl about this and shared my story w/ KCA and told them to buy the song. A good, small ongoing thing I can keep in mind and get it as a part of movement.

KCA at Duluth High School (first high school KCA chapter, as far as I know) myspace page will kick off in a week (if my lovely sister is doing her job well). Awesome.

Yes, it does appear that my church, in response to my partnership proposal, will make an one-time donation; I'm not sure how much or when; always takes long time to introduce an international thing to a local level; but at least it's nice that churches in US have money to offer, unlinke churhes in 3rd world--like the church back in S. Korean in my grandma's vilalge--who's barely getting by.

I personally know someone from Duke now! Well I kinda knew him already but now I know him more; and even better he's the son of the pastor that I shared my KCA story w/ and helped me w/ my proposal; so soon I will talk to him about starting KCA in Duke...or does it already have one?

I want to talk with this girl from another high school who goes to my church about starting a chapter at her school--or since she's a rising senior who will probably end up in UGA, starting a chapter there in the future. Hopefully that will go well too.

iPhone bid for KCA last time I checked was over 5k. Great. I was actually worried about that, b/c I thought whole frenzy over iPhone will overshadow anything about KCA; but seems like ppl at KCA coordinated the event pretty well. Awesome. This kinda big event pulling off thousands dollar at once actually reminded of something.

I remember back in 9th I was fundraising for AIDS cause for the first time, as a part of AIDS Walk. I posted a flyer on my apartment complex bulletin board, and the next day a gentleman called me and dropped by to contribute $10. The complex was really ghetto and poor, and that was the first and last donation I collected from there.

But how powerful that $10 was.

Since then I did AIDS Walk every year and it's definitely a part of my charity mindset--that $10.

Midnight Poetry: Atlanta! I literally took like 8 ppl to a park at midnight last Thursday and we read poems; there were candles too, and at the end we rode swings; everyone's childhood memories. So surreal and great.

Last weekend due to my insane friends I went clubbing two nights in a row; first some hip-hop dance club that I didn't really fit in; second a techno rave club that I so enjoyed with my glowsticks; I love raving w/ glowsticks.

And yesterday I went to this thing thinking that it was some concert but turned out to be this huge outdoor pre-July 4th festival w/ literally the entire town in attendance. Town reunion. Fireworks were beautiful.

Speaking of fireworks and what-not, I hate nationalism in terms of it being the number one driving force of wars and conflicts in 20th century and how my family and I as immigrants went under entire craps b/c we're not natives here. GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP! the rights you automatically have anywhere everywhere b/c you're humans! not b/c you're labeled according to some obscure political boundary! those rights aren't guaranteed for many everywhere in the world.

To finish off on a tangent again, I used to be very descriptive, poetic writer. But now my journalism moves pervade. I believe there is power in brevity anyway.

But if you wanna check out some of my poems and artistic writings, go here
http://www.fictionpress.com/~subliminalsquirrel

peace

DAIL Community, KCA, blood drive

Last Friday I visited Jubilate Cafe, the first Dail Community project operating in Atlanta. What the heck is Dail (pronounced Dah-ill)?

Back in 80's, Seoul, the capital of S. Korea, was a total ghetto; countless poverty-driven village with thousands of sick ppl who can't afford medicine and hungry ppl who can't afford food.

So, this pastor named Rev. Choi decided,"I'm gon' start scooping rice to ppl." ("scooping rice" in Korean is an idiom for feeding ppl; and yes ppl literally scoop rice to share)

And he did just that.

People started calling him Rev. Rice Scooper. Years later his project grew to include medical care and few years ago first-ever free hospital in Seoul was open, Dail Angel Hospital; any seriously ill ppl who otherwise can't afford medical care are treated there, the cost being funded by thousands of Angel Donors across the globe. And now Dail Community is scooping rice to the hunger in Cambodia, China, and Africa as well.

I've met him twice in last couple years when he came to start some projects in US; what a great guy; great example of how small thing grows to achieve a long-run goal; he literally started off going out to street with a spatula and a big rice bowl, and his project now continuously feeds the hunger in the aforementioned places. Definitely one of my major inspirations for my passion for charity.

Passion. Initiative. And I think it just takes some time. Oh sorry some is a bad word; much much time.

Anyway Jubilate Cafe is this little homestyle cafe that uses 100% of its proceeds for Dail.

Btw. Dail in Korean means "unity in diversity"

Jubilate opened couple weeks ago; I went there for the first time last Fri w/ my sister to attend a little promo concert the place held. As a not-profit volunteer myself, I know how it feels to have ppl come at events; one person, one face, one little step means so much. I talked with one of the ladies that work there. She said how $5 can provide a month of nutrition supplies for a kid in Africa. I shared my volunteer stories with KCA; how ARV costs only a dollar a day yet numerous kids die fro AIDS every year in Africa; she said I'm doing good thing and acknolwedges that AIDS is indeed a serious problem.

I just love these moments.

I had a brief talk with her about how I wanna start something in New York for Dail once I go back; I left my contact, enjoyed the concert (classical repertoire!), and went back.

Switching gear, poverty is intrinsically linked with AIDS; ok my Keep A Child Alive works; what's been up?

Haven't heard any response from my church mission committee regarding my short-term and long-term partnership proposal. Slow Southern bureaucracy. I will go to their next meeting on July 23. But I know busy pace isn't busy result; takes time to sip in. Unfortunately it's not like non-profits will run out of things to do.

As a kid watching legless people creeping in ghetto market place begging for money in S. Korea, I learned this world is a trashcan. As I started volunteering for charity, I was mad why it is still a trashcan when we have all these charity groups. By the time I reached high school, I realized this Earth can't pump shits unlimtedly hence it will always be a trashcan and best we do is distribute those shits as fairly as possible.

I was wikisurfing and found out that "Don't Give Up" cover version by Bono and Alicia Keys used to be exclusively sale on iTune and %100 of proceeds go to KCA; also found out Cingular (now AT&T) has that song on ringtone and %100 proceeds also go to KCA. Contacted the KCA headquarter to verify if these are still truths, once verified I wanna start a campaign (like low-key stuff on facebook and what-not, not to appear as iTune and Cingular promoters, lol) telling ppl to buy those.

The first high school chapter of KCA (KCA at Duluth High School, to be headed by my sister) promotion efforts that my sister and I will work on will start in July, starting w/ probably something w/ myspace (those myspace addicted high schoolers!)

Last Sunday was blood drive at my church. I kept company w/ one of my friends who gave blood while she's laying down relaxing right after giving blood. She asked, "Why aren't you giving blood?"

I was so embarrassed; I didn't think much into it; that evening when I invited ppl to join KCA facebook cause I couldn't dare send her invitation.

I don't know how much was pumped outta one person; but supposedly the blood collected from that day from one person keeps three babies alive.

As an international person (actually I hate that word international; "inter" means "between," and "between" implies there is some barrier to be crossed, and to assume that in the first place is the problem!...ok enough w/ my rant about words and some obscure concepts....here by international I mean I've lived countried besides US), it's always refreshing to know here domestically in US there are craps going on. Of course it is indeed true that babies in US have much much much better access to health care than babies in Africa and hence more and more efforts should be put for Africa; but in terms of each life itself every baby's life is equally precious.

I hate cliche and obvious statements, but any of those probably has something in truth: seems like there is more than one way to keep a child alive.

peace+love

The power of "I Know"

Besides the marketing research job, I have two side-jobs for Princeton Academy and Dream Kids.

For Dream Kids, a part of what I do is I'm teaching a 1st grader math and language; one-o-one; at his house.

First graders. They hate homeworks and stuff. This one is not an exception; he's strong; today he pulled off an entire tantrum about how he wants to get out of the study room. I pulled off my usual negative reinforcement talk "you can get out of here after you finish your work"

Not working well. Tantrum's getting intense. So inadvertently I spat out two words that proved to be powerful.
"I know" (that you want to get out of here)

The two words were magaical. It appeared that the tantrum wasn't just indicative of his desires; but also indicative of him wanting me to know how he feels and relates to him.

After I go on with that "I know" talk, he became a peaceful sheep completing his homework.

Wow. The power of "I know"; the power of interpersonal relating.

Ok, Keep A Child Alive. I presented my partnership proposal to the mission committee of my church. Overall, not much responsive. Of course we're talking about a local church whose idea of community service consists of visiting local homeless shelter and doing a can drive. Though we have mission trips to Honduras and what not, not much international element--sharp contrast to New York where just about everything is international.

What I really tried to establish was a framework for ongoing partnership; movement doesn't end with one-time swipe of credit card or signing off of one check; it has to build up, one person with another, one group with another, together. Relationships.

But it appears that the best I can get out of my church is a one-time contribution; darn it, but I realizes once the church makes a contribution the headquarter will take care of the ongoing relation--donor relations! So I feel like I've done my work.

I realized yesterday was 6th anniversary of me coming to US. Gosh my dad.....his mom (my grandma) still in S. Korean half paralyzed in a hospital all by herself with no family; and my dad can't visit him because he still doesn't have his permanent resident card due to the immigration stuffs being carried out horribly by our infinitely wise president and Congress. He can go there, but he can't come back; that's the issue, and it's not like given the family situation here he wants to leave US for good.
Dream Act now!!!!!

Uganda?

I usually have my entire blog in my head before I write it down. But this blog will be freestyle.

I received an e-mail about volunteering opportunity in Uganda. This doctor couple is running a hospital, nutrition program, and schoo as a part of World Harvest missions. And they need two males in 2008.

I sent a request for further info, so until I receive that this would be just preliminary reflection. So obviously the question is: am I going or not?

Besides the hospital, I know Uganda has a KCA site and is a country with the most successful history of AIDS remedy in sub-Saharan Africa; so I really wanna learn more about that too.

The cost is obviously a drawback. I don't know how much of the cost I will have to cover myself; but probably a major portion. Will that money be better spent as a donation to KCA?

But then experience is so much; I so know it's not just about money; the experience and social network will be priceless, and in the long run are probably more valuable than a one-time donation.

Plus, my life philosophy--especially at this young age--is try everything, anything, something; and Uganda would be a definite everything, anything, something.

School comes as a drawback as well. I plan to get my degree in Dec 2008, and spending a year or more in Uganda would obviously delay that; is this something I wanna try after graduation? Opportunities like this are surely to come again. But then, after graduation even if something like this comes up what if I'm so caught up with life and job I can't even make it? Is student-time the best and only time to gain this experience?

Parents. That's another consideration. My dad is a definitely yes; my mom, probably yes, although she would not like the idea.

All these will be reconsidered after I receive more info.

Meanwhile, tomorrow I'm making a proposal to the mission committee at my church to partner w/ KCA--short-term and long-term. Please let that go well!

And I'm glad my sister is interested in starting a high school chapter of KCA. I talked her into it but she seems to have an interest of her own and she's a good leader and has many friends. I really appreciate that.

Fight the virus with virus!

peace

Environment and Marijuana

I don't work for the Fund for Public Interest Research any more. The group, as a part of Campaign to Save the Environment, has been helping out Environment Georgia, and I'm not part of it any more.

I joined the Fund b/c I felt like I haven't done much of environmental activism and wanna learn more about the issue. And as I started working for them I actually realized how clean our environment it. Plus, it seems trivial to talk about trees and air (although I do love them all) compared to, for instance, saving lives from AIDS.

But then I think again; will I be able to say this if I have lost a loved one due to environment-related disease?

Bottom line is, when it comes to public-health related issues, all of them eventually have some life-to-death component to it. Yes some issues are more direct and wide-spread in its life-to-death implication, but for the sake of one lost loved one of someone it is worth the effort; each and every life is precious, and it seems wrong to compare what is more worth effort; for whatever public-health issue, imagine you lost your parents to it, and for someone that's probably true.

Although appreciating this reflection and another valuable activists network I gained, I still didn't feel like I was passionate enough about the environment issue; so I don't work for it any more. So I'm focusing on my other job--marketing research for G2K--and working for Princeton Academy as well.

I think KCA at Clark Atlanta University has no summer activities; I e-mailed the president more than a week ago she hasn't responded; hopefully she will. I also plan to get my church involved w/ KCA and convince my sister to start a high school KCA chapter; hopefully all the effort will go well.

Shifting the gear, yesterday I was driving and saw this house and remembered what house was it distinctly; it was a house, back in my fresman year in high school, where I had first second-hand experience w/ marijuana; since then I have had bunch of those kinds of exposures b/c I once wanted to become a pastor who guides these debauch youth in US and sort of hanged out w/ them bunch to get inside the mind of these people. Although I put aside that dream (I realized spiritual/life guiding isn't really my forte and I myself am too horrible in many ways), it always makes me sad these young people in US who have so much potential to do good things are wasting away due to drugs and other problems.; across the pond people are dying b/c they have way too less drugs, here people are dyinh b/c they have way too much drugs.

Part of the problem definitely is the lack of love and affection in this too-much individualistic society; so let's keep love on, knowing that litte things we do, say, and respond matter so much.

peace

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is tomorrow. I received an e-letter form Keep A Child Alive about how while this is the day of celebration for many mothers, around the world many mothers have to watch their children dying from AIDS.

So true. This ever saddening disparity of this world. And in letting people know about this KCA is amazing; in fact KCA is the best organization I've ever worked for, and I plan to work for them till I breathe my last; of course my hope is KCA and other organizations will successfully spread the virus of ARV to stop the virus of AIDS; but I know this is just a cute idealism.

With the limited resource this Earth has, human suffering will persist, in one way or the other; the best we can do is try to distribute that limited resource as fairly as possible.

My mom says I'm a socialist; yes in idea socialism, communism, all good to me; it's sad human's selfish nature is not in accord with them.

I'm thinking about starting to give 10% of my income to KCA; the way people make tithing to church; yes I love Christ and try to make Christinaty the center of my spiritual life, but churches in US have way too much money already; it would glorify God more to give money for AIDS drugs for dying children in Africa than for toys for healthy pre-school kids in US.

My parents' church is fundraising 15 million for new building; I'm always ambivalent about church's expansion; yes in long run improving people's spiritual life would enhance society and the world because hopefully people will feel blessed more and start giving more; but on the other hand with all these money churches in US have, can they give more to other life-to-death needs, like ARV drugs? But then it will create a whole list of life-to-death needs and churches can't pump money unlimitedly; so instead they focus on collective, church-oriented goal like expanding church. I just hope with all these blessings people earn through church in US they will give more to life-to-death needs. What can be more important than preventing people from dying?

Speaking of US churches having way too much money, more money should be given to chuches around the world that really need money; my parents have contributed to a church in a farm village in S. Korea.

Wow. My Mother's Day reflection has turned into a glimpse into my social vision. Back to Mother's Day I'm trying to make my gifts to my mom as not obvious to my dad as possible; seeing I and my sister doing something for mom, dad will feel sad he can't do anything for his mother; because she's in S. Korea; he hasn't seen her in like 6 years, and won't see her till he gets his permanent residence card; waiting for Dream Act and immigration reform but Bush the dickhead has restricted all that; immigration reform now!!!! My grandmother has a stroke and half-paralyzed and she's in S. Korea by herself; it doesn't make sense that people like my dad who has contributed so much to US economy business-wise journalism-wise is not given green card; it was supposed to come out long time ago anyway, except that Bush the dickhead has done some useless ineffective reforms about immigration that delay the whole process. Again, immigration reform now!!!

Ok, from Mother's Day to AIDS to immigration; I've said too much.

peace

back home?

So I'm back "home" in Georgia; I've never had a strong sense of "home," having moved something like 10 times in my life so far (not including moving for college); in fact I lived at my place in NY way longer that I've ever lived in my current house in Atlanta, b/c last fall right around I moved to NY my family yet moved again; so during the winter break when I came home it was like "oh, I'm back home....I've never slept here before!" Places in S. Korea, places in Georgia....urban, suburb, farm village, one room tenement w/ 4 people (not one room apartment, like literally one tiny tiny room), etc, I 've lived them all.

So wherever I happen to be is my home and I cherish those moments; this summer I will be working for Campaign to Save the Environment (an environment lobby agency affiliated w/ Sierra Club etc); so sad I didn't get AIDS-related job but hopefully I will learn experience to bring back; and I will be involved w/ KCA college in Atlanta, w/e they're doing this summer.

So happy; so blessed.

Some people have romanticized view about third world country; those people who were born and raised in US will never understand what is it like to actually have lived in third world for like 13 years; living in broken-down one room tenement w/ 4 people for months and all, for instance.

peace