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My Birth
I was born on this day at the Abington Memorial Hospital. I was approximately 10 pounds and 21 inches. Nearly everyone on both sides of family arrived to see me. Even my family members from South Korea came to welcome me to the world. After my birth, I became well known among my extended family members because I am the firstborn of the firstborn of the first to have a firstborn son. In other words, I hold my family's name for the next generation so I have responsibility to carry for the future. -
9/11 (wikipedia.com)
The events on September 11 were very tragic. Four planes were hijacked and two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon, and one into a field in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania though the initial target was in Washington D.C. The terrorist group responsible for these attacks was Al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden. About 2,996 people died and 6,000+ injured. Ever since this day, the U.S. bumped their security up, making America safer than ever before. -
War in Afghanistan (wikipedia.com)
Following the events of 9/11, the U.S. declared war on Afghanistan because Al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden, were stationed there. There the U.S. intended to destroy Al-Qaeda and to remove the Taliban from power. On May 2, 2011, U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 killed bin Laden in Pakistan. Soon thereafter, President Obama declared the withdrawal of the U.S. Army from Afghanistan. This was a mistake because without the U.S., ISIS was formed and it threatens the freedom and liberty of America today. -
Invasion of Iraq (wikipedia.com)
The U.S. declared war on Iraq after receiving information regarding its president Saddam Hussein using weapons of mass destruction against his own people posing a threat with these weapons to America. These weapons included deadly biological and chemical weapons. However, near the end, the Iraqis buried the weapons in the desert, clearing all evidence. The weapons are still there today. In the end, no weapons were found and President Bush 43 received heavy criticism for this military action. -
First Time Swimming
My mother signed me up for swimming lessons at the YMCA when I just turned 3 years old. At first I was afraid of going into the pool. In fact, I didn't exactly go into the pool until the second or third lesson. Now, I love being underwater and being in water. Just like the violin and music, I've learned to enjoy swimming. Though I do not swim for a team anymore, it is still important to me for to me because it helps me be calm and relieved from stress from school and other things. -
2004 Presidential Election (wikipedia.com)
President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney ran for reelection against the Democratic candidate Massachusetts senator John Kerry along with his running mate John Edwards of North Carolina. President Bush won in both the popular vote (50.7%-48.3%) and in the Electoral College (286-251). Bush's margin of victory was the smallest ever for a reelected incumbent president. Since his reelection, Bush has carried out things that would eventually lead to the Great Recession of 2008. -
First day of Korean School
I went to the Korean school at my old church, the First Korean Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia. Because I'm Korean, I was culturally obligated to learn it. However, as I began to learn the origins of the language, I could not comprehend any of it in my young mind. I was under the teachings of nearly all the teachers and could not learn properly. As a result, I dropped Korean school and to this day, I speak adequate Korean, a sufficient amount to get around in Seoul. -
Fast and Furious Scandal (wikipedia.com)
President Obama and US Attorney General Eric Holder send 2000 firearms to Mexico with tracking devices in them, hoping they can locate drug cartels. However, only 710 were recovered and the rest were used to shoot down the U.S. Border Patrol. Not only that, no drug cartel figures were arrested. This plan was an absolute failure and lives were taken and firearms were needlessly given away. Relations with Mexico were shaken. Holder became the first Cabinet member to be held contempt by Congress. -
First day of school
It was my first day of school at Highland Elementary School. I was in Ms. Sleigh's class and she gave me a warm welcome to my new school. It was hard to make friends because back then, I barely spoke to anyone. In fact, I was so quiet and shy that the school made me go to ESL because they thought I could not speak English. In all reality, I could but was too afraid to speak around so many strangers. Kindergarten was rough for me and so were the next 5 years without saying anything. -
First time playing the violin
I first picked up the violin when I was 5 years of age. My parents thought it would be a good idea to play a musical instrument at a young age. My aunt, who is a violin teacher, taught me the basics for nearly 7 years. I played many pieces of a variety of composers such as Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. As I grew older, I began to see playing the violin as a time of enjoyment rather than a pain to practice needlessly. -
The Great Recession (wikipedia.com)
The Great Recession was a period of economic decline in the United States and around the world as well. This recession came about due to the Financial Crisis of 07-08 and the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis of 07-09. This recession resulted in the collapse of the private sector and the scarcity of valuable assets in the market economy. This is widely regarded as the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930's. The Great Recession officially ended in June of 2009. -
2008 Presidential Election (wikipedia.com)
The Democratic candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama and Delaware Senator Joe Biden ran against the Republican candidate Arizona Senator John McCain and former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin. Obama won in both popular vote (52.9%-45.7%) and in the Electoral College (365-173). Obama is the first African-American president in the history of America and Biden is the first Roman Catholic to be Vice president. The two reshaped America into having liberal ideals which have a serious impact today. -
Moving to a New Church
Because of the corruption at my old church, FKPCP, my family and I had to move churches. Fortunately, we were welcomed by my aunt and uncle at Yuong Sang Presbyterian Church in Horsham. After two weeks, my family decided for us to call this our new church. To me, it was difficult to simply leave everything from my old church and to transition to a new one. I was raised in FKPCP ever since I was born and I grew up there. Here I realize the hardships of moving on from memorable things in my life. -
Obama and Solyndra (wikipedia.com)
Solyndra is a manufacturing company that makes solar panels for renewable energy uses. In 2009, Solyndra receives a government loan of $535 million from the U.S. Energy Department as an initiative of Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In 2014, the loan had been wiped, resulting in a $528 million loss from Solyndra and had to pay a $25.1 million tax. Because of this, Solyndra ended in bankruptcy in September 1, 2011 due to President Obama's government intervention. -
The Death of my Great-Grandmother
My great-grandmother was one of my closest family members. The day she passed away became one of the saddest days of my life. It was very difficult for me to move on with life without her. She was lying on the hospital bed and when there was a long beep sound, chaos erupted and I saw it all from the back of the room. I was in absolute shock . No day has ever passed without me thinking about the memories with her. Facing the hardships of losing a loved one has been a struggle, even to this day. -
Budget Control Act of 2011 (wikipedia.com)
The Budget Control Act of 2011 was signed by President Obama. This act reduced expenses and ended the U.S. debt-ceiling crisis of 2011. This was approved by predominantly Republicans. However, as soon as this act was enacted, the debt rose to nearly $16 trillion. Also, this act has reduced spending for the U.S. military. Overall, this act is a absolute disaster for it raised the national debt from $13 trillion to $15 trillion and has weakened the American military by cutting military spending. -
The Benghazi Attack of 2012 (wikipedia.com)
Two U.S. government facilities in Benghazi, Libya were attacked by the Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia. The U.S. ambassador, one information officer, and two CIA operatives were killed that day and no help came to them. The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that the group responsible for this attack did this because of a YouTube video. However, the American public went against that false claim. Clinton still faces criticism today for her lies from this act of terrorism in Libya. -
2012 Presidential Election (wikipedia.com)
President Barack Obama, along with incumbent Vice-President Joe Biden, ran for election against Republican presidential nominee former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate Wisconsin representative Paul Ryan. President Obama won in both the Electoral College (332-206) and in popular vote (51.1%-47.2%). Also, Congress is now divided; the House is majority Republican and the Senate is majority Democratic. The impact Obama has made in his 2nd term has been dramatic for the U.S. -
IRS Scandal (wikipedia.com)
President Obama and the IRS purposely targeted many non-profit conservative organizations who applied for tax exempts simply because they had a different political view and theme. The U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called for the FBI to investigate. However, they claimed that no evidence has been found and in 2015, the Justice Department announced that no files will be charged against the IRS. This outraged many Republicans, conservatives, and Tea Party members throughout the country. -
Receiving my First Presidential Award
I was at the Highland award ceremony, where I won the presidential award for academic excellence and the gold award for service learning. I felt honored to receive two prestigious awards from the White House. The news spread to all my family and I got all kinds of praise from my family members around the world. There I realized that with hard work comes great rewards. This day inspired me to try my best in all I do and good things will follow and this has been my motivation ever since. -
First Day at the Junior High
I was extremely nervous about going to a new school in the next phase of my life. As soon as I entered through the front doors, I had to climb the monstrous stairs to the third floor. By the time I reached Homeroom, I was exhausted. I remained shy and quiet throughout the day unless I saw someone I knew from the past and knew my way around the school. At the end of the day, I was so relieved to get out. Over the years, I enjoyed life there, with straight A's and the best of friends & teachers. -
Clinton Email Scandal (wikipedia.com)
As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton used her private email server to keep classified information and official communications. She then deleted her emails. However, nothing on the internet can be officially deleted. About 30,000 emails were recovered and claimed to be classified by thorough investigations of the FBI. This past summer, the Justice Department deemed her free of charges. This email controversy is and will always be her legacy for she put the safety of America in jeopardy. -
Iran Nuclear Deal Announcement (wikipedia.com)
The U.S., along with the United Kingdom, Russia, France, China, Germany, and the European Union, has made a deal with Iran, where America will pay millions of dollars to the Iran in order to prevent Iran from ever attempting to obtain a nuclear weapon by reducing the number of nuclear facilities. This deal puts Israel in danger for the Iranians will use the money to finish constructing a nuclear weapon and wipe Israel off the map and potentially putting every country in imminent danger. -
King v. Burwell (wikipedia.com)
King v. Burwell was a case in the Supreme Court regarding the Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court had to decide whether or not it is indeed constitutional. In the end, it was 6-3 and Chief Justice John Roberts said that it is constitutional and hoped to reform health care insurance. However, this meant that the number of people buying insurance declined due to ACA forcing people to buy it and that insurers left the market entirely. But in reality, ObamaCare, in its core, is unconstitutional. -
First Musical Audition of District 11 Orchestra
Last winter, I auditioned for the District 11 orchestra. I played Bach's Violin Concerto No. 2 and had prepared for it since June. I practiced extensively for this as if my life depended for it. However, after waking up at 6 A.M. for this, I unfortunately did not make it. I was ranked 48 out of nearly 120 violinists and the cut was 40 .I was not only angry but devastated. As a result, I saw music as a hobby, not a potential career due to the competition and difficulty of finding a good job. -
The Death of Justice Antonin Scalia (wikipedia.com)
Justice Antonin Scalia was a Republican Justice who served on the Supreme Court of the United States. He was pronounced dead at Shafter, Texas for he was on a trip there. His physician said that he had a history of high blood pressure and heart trouble and that he died of natural causes. His death led to an equal Supreme Court, 4 conservative and 4 liberal judges. Now, it is up to Congress to prevent President Obama's decision for a replacement or allow the next president to decide.
