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friends from all overAlthough this is by no means an exhaustive list of my friends (which would be nigh impossible to create), it is a place where you can meet some of them. Each person on this list is special to me for different reasons. My profound apologies to anyone who thinks they should be on the list, but isn't yet. Please drop me a line and I'll be sure to dig up an embarassing picture of you to put on this page! |
I've tried to make my webpage cleaner over the past few years. Here's another attempt to do so. If you have a DHTML-enabled browser, you should no longer see a huge list of names to navigate through. If not, the list should still be there because it's important to me that you meet my friends. Either way, click on a name to proceed.
Much thanks to webreference for providing the base of this handy script.
Abigail was the first person to get me interested in HRAACF and for that I will be (literally) eternally grateful. Of course, my initial interest was primarily due to the crush I had on her, which led to some rocky times in our initial friendship, but, thankfully, we've come a long way from those days. She's now married(!) to a guy named Andy Wen. He seems like a really great guy and I'm excited for the two of them.
I first met Alex in my freshman year at the HRAACF fall retreat. I didn't really get to know him, though, until my junior year when he joined Under Construction and we were paired together as prayer partners. Alex is unafraid to voice his opinions, which made him a valuable member of our group.
There are few people that I'd rather spend time with than Amy Chen. That wasn't always the case--when I first met her I was a little put off by her aggressive friendliness. But during my volunteer staff year I found a wonderful friend in her and I always look forward to our talks--but she's so busy!
Andrew Chung is one of those people who just makes you feel good. You know the type. He's always got something encouraging to say, and always is looking at God in his life. We didn't get to know each other too well during college, and yet I am grateful to have known him at all.
Everyone should hear Andrew's Wakko voice--he's really good. You can often find him in Quincy House playing Samurai Showdown--he's really good at that, too. Watch out for flying scarves, though!
Andrew is sort of psycho. He's got a crazy, infectious love of God and worship. He's also really great at guitar, having spent most of his waking hours noodling around (or so I believe). I really appreciate the ways in which he tries to make God first in his life.
I remember Andrew when he first showed up at Under Construction auditions. Great voice, great ideas, but, man, what an ego! However, as the years have gone by and our friendship has grown, I've seen him develop and mature into a wonderful person--he still has a great voice and great ideas, but now I can really see him seeking after God's will in his life.
Billy Moss is hardly ever without a big grin. He is very friendly, but he also has strong opinions which make him a force to be reckoned with.
I've never quite figured Brandy out. Most of the time she's a tough, no-nonsense sort of gal, but every now and then I see her sensitive side. I think it's both parts working together that makes her so special.
Charles is better than his web page. Seriously, though, Charles is very enthusiastic about a lot of things, including social justice, and he tries really hard to make his life coherent with his beliefs. Plus, he's a really nice guy.
My little bro Chris...I don't think I know anyone with more passion. He tries very hard to live a faithful life, but often struggles with what that means. He is also often overcommitted, wanting to serve in more ways than a sane person ought. I've really appreciated our many conversations--he says he gets a lot out of them, but I think I learn just as much, both as I learn about his struggles and in the way he asks insightful questions into my own life. He loves movies and quoting, and is not particularly self-conscious. He is quite good at impersonating a raindrop.
Christie is one of the most child-like people I know--but I don't mean that in a bad way. She looks at the world with an innocence and joy that most of us have lost. Right now we work together at ZEFER where we're trying to figure out what it means to follow Jesus in the "real world."
For the last couple of years, Collin Tadao Tomikawa has been the beloved leader of HRAACF. His wisdom, his hospitality, and his sense of humor have blessed each of us. And his speech patterns has infected many of us. He loves leading Bible studies and is a great teacher--but you might not want to have him in one of your studies. I was honored to be present as he committed himself in marriage to Priscilla Tuan.
The Hip Hop Kwonsta is always ready to break into a rap. Connie is a sweet, slightly gullible, and thoroughly wonderful girl.
Dan is an amazing photographer and isn't half bad at singing either. He's very quiet until you get to know him, but when he opens up, he's pretty wild and crazy. I've been glad to get to know him this year in an accountability group.
David is known as the "guru" because he's one of the smartest people around.
Dave is a great guy, although I've heard he's not so great at navigating, but that's okay because his family has a car with that funky global positioning system.
I think Dave spends all of his time thinking. He's very serious although he acts a little strange sometimes. Dave has really good intentions, but sometimes his ideas outpace his common sense.
Emilie is a lot of fun. She's a pent-up (or not-so-pent-up?) ball of energy that is always ready to burst into zany activities.
"There once was ma-an who loved a woman . . . but as for me-e-e, I love you more." I think Emily spent too many late nights in the Science Center, but she's managed to keep a modicum of sanity--depending on your point of view. She has a wonderful elephant with a wrinkly nose.
Esther makes me smile. She's pursued God's will in many ways in her life, but she's very humble about it.
Francis is one of the most thoughtful and considerate people that I know. I really appreciate the way he seeks after God's will in his life and how he tries to serve his friends.
grace will always be very special to me. She taught me a lot about how to care for people. I call her Piglet because she is small (and sometimes unsure of herself), but has a lot of courage.
Helena is random, wonderful, wonderfully random, and randomly wonderful. I met her on Friday, October 8th, 1999, just one day before she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, during a retreat I had originally not wanted to go to. It has been exciting and convicting to see how she is growing in Christ and she is quite definitely one of my favorite people of all time. She spazzes when listening to music and is a lot of fun to be with! I sometimes wish, though, that she weren't quite as busy with so much work. She challenges me by her faith, and I am blessed to know her. I am very grateful to God for this friendship. She is truly a gift.
Howard and I go from way back in the days of Chinese Aab, through the many lectures of biomedical engineering, and into the exciting future of volunteer staff with HRAACF. I've always had tremendous respect for this Chinese football player and Presidential Scholar from Alabama, but the more I learn, the more there is to like.
Jane is loving and compassionate. She cares deeply about many things and is always a blessing in my life. She has a great sense of humor and great acting ability as well.
I first discovered that Janice was my little sister during Christmas break of my junior year. I am very grateful to God for giving us each other during that time of need. But nowadays I wonder how I got stuck with such a brat. Just kidding!
Jason Chen is often found in the chemistry labs. He has a deep and profound love of research (and how God reveals Himself in science), but sometimes neglects himself in the pursuit of discovery.
Jeff and I spent our summer at BUI watching "The Simpsons." Well, we did other stuff too (a lot of other stuff), but we rarely missed an episode if we weren't busy with something else. It was a lot of fun.
Jean is a wild and crazy girl, very talkative, very engaging. She has a deep passion for people and a self-effacing disposition.
j-y-cho is a wonderful person with a love of Scripture study and a love of sweets. She's definitely an L.A. girl, and I love to tease her, but she's good-natured enough to take it all in stride.
Jenn and I discovered that we were brother and sister during our freshman year of college. Since then we have had a somewhat rocky relationship, but in the end she will always be my sister.
I got to know Jen a whole lot better during my senior year as both a friend and a ballroom partner. Everyone loves a visit from Jen because she's one of the best bakers around and she's often making goodies for us.
Jess probably procrastinates more than any other person I know, and then works like a fiend to do all the work she waited to do.
Jessy is quiet and thoughtful. She also has a great artistic sense and an odd sense of humor. What more could you ask for? She's passionate about God and God's word and has a good head and heart for shepherding.
Jill understands the value of sleep, which is really great beacuse the vast majority of Harvard students don't. She also believes that bad grades build character, although I'm told that she's never been able to test that theory with an actual bad grade.
Jimmy's a really neat guy. Collin has said of Jimmy that he is the only person who could do his (Collin's) job better than he himself could. In my book, that's about the highest praise someone can get. He also has one of the choolest jobs in the world--he gets to hang out with college students and talk with them about Jesus. And they pay him for this. I appreciated Jimmy's wisdom during our time together at college, and I'm really glad that he'll continue to bless the students there.
Joey and I spent much time together our freshman and sophomore years, developing a friendship and then trying to run Under Construction together. It is always good to see him and to talk about the "good ol' days."
I am grateful to have been able to spend the summer of 1999 with my brother at his apartment in Mountain View. Although our conversations were few, and although he'd never use any Street Fighter besides Chun-Li against me, being able to spend time with him has helped us to grow as brothers.
Karen is very serious about everything she does. She tries really hard to do everything to the best of her ability. She is also very sensitive to the needs of others. She loves the blue bunny.
Katy is a buddette from both Under Construction and BUI. We had some great conversations that summer and I always like hearing from her.
Li-Chung has a dizzying intellect and I am amazed that he manages to find classes at Harvard that challenge him, but he certainly does manage to find those toughest courses. He also has a heart of service and is devoted to making HRAACF a welcoming place for all.
Liza is a wonderful person, although a bit scary when she's on the road. Well, it's true that she's never been in an accident, but still... She also reads UNIX man pages (rather than simply using them as references) but is vehemently opposed to concentrating in CS. Go fig.
Michael loves teaching organic chemistry. It's a passion that I'll probably never understand, orgo being low on my list of favorite subjects, but I'm glad that he enjoys it so much.
Mike (who is never to be referred to as Mike Lee) was a big brother to me my sophomore year, a year that I really needed him.
Melissa has been working at a mental hospital, and has been trying to convince me that she hasn't been staying there. Seriously, though, Melissa is pretty goofy, but that's just part of what makes her so much fun to be with.
Patty is a wonderful gal, but highly frustrating. She is very opinionated and talkative. Beneath her brash exterior, however, is someone trying to make sense of a senseless world.
I remember when I first met Peter outside of the Science Center. I told him that I'd heard all about him. I'm surprised that we're still on speaking terms. Peter's got this ear thing which I find really strange, but which I suppose I can tolerate for the sake of our friendship. He is still a little insecure in his authority as pitch of Under Construction, but that's the best way to be.
Peter is infamous for posing as other people on ICQ. But he's well-loved for the ways that he became part of the HRAACF family during his brief stay in Boston.
Sandy has a wonderful motherly instinct which has constantly blessed me and others. She wants to be a "friend to the frosh" next year--I think she'll make a great one.
Sheila is a really great friend, even though she's about as sarcastic as a person can be (despite her claims to innocence). She always has an encouraging word and is very serious about living out her faith. Although she is young, she is wise and has a great heart. I always enjoy talking with her--she has been a blessing in my life in more ways than I can measure.
Shin is the Punk. He was my roommate for three years but I rarely saw him because he was always running, practicing kung fu or studying. But seriously, some of my favorite memories of college were our many conversations on theology.
Spencer has a heart for the homeless which I sometimes envy. On the flip side, however, he has also inherited the inner city's lack of punctuality. Spencer tries very hard to care for his many friends--a daunting task, but one he undertakes with great heart.
Hey! If you hear a "plaintive" hey, you can be sure that Stephie is not far behind. She's a really sweet girl who's a little technologically challenged, but otherwise wonderful.
Susie is probably the sweetest girl I know. Some might call her somewhat gullible, but her innocent way of caring makes me very proud when she says I look like her father.
Richard is wise beyond his years. He has a heart for prayer and for the inner city as well as a deeply introspective personality.
Teresa is my beloved youngest sister. She was an immeasurable blessing during our time in Western China in the summer of 2000. We spent many happy hours hanging out, singing songs, and playing Set.
If the only thing Thanya had given me was her recipe for Pretzel Jello, it would have been enough.
My favorite memory of Tim Shiau is that night at BUI when we stayed up most of the night working on a jigsaw puzzle. Well, that and the many times he'd whip up a batch of fried rice for us.
Tom is married. Weird. He's working with Child Evangelism Fellowship, and helping provide resources for youth ministry here in Boston. He and his lovely wife now have a son, Hudson.
Vicente was my roommate of three years, accountability partner, friend, and brother. We come from very different perspectives, but by the grace of God have been made brothers. Possibly his only flaw is that he is a big supporter of Microsoft.
