Last Call...

The Urban Derivatives Acoustic Tour is OFFICIALLY OVER! Praise Jesus! Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun, but VERY stressful...the last show was tonight at Fairview Heights, IL and it was the best one yet. Interesting story however...on our way back we got a call from Derrty Ent. (Nelly's Record Label) and long story short, we rushed back to the school studios and the dude tested and observed my skills for about 4 hours with all kinds of different tracks. In the end of one of the most stressful recording sessions of my life, he was impressed and is signing my engineering for the next Derrty/Nelly Mixtape! I also got offered a spot as a traveling recording engineer on the tour bus...but get that mental picture of me in the middle of a bunch of drunk rappers smoking pot and you'll understand why I may not be taking up that offer. Anyway, exciting times...there are a couple other things going on that I'm bound by contract not to talk about but I will keep everyone posted when I can...needless to say, God is good and Rod is tired...g'night.
-Rod

almost forgot...

I almost forgot to post the life lesson that got me thinking about the other 5 I previously posted.  So here it is:

People will always expect you to expect something from them.  If you don't try to use or abuse them, they get uncomfortable.  People want to be used and feel uneasy around love or unconditional circumstance.  If you do something for your friend because you love them and just because you do, they will become upset and expect you to use them for something.

I know that seems very hopeless, but I think it's livable and if you think about it, this is true to some degree in every situation.

So, time for bed, will write more soon!
-Rod

...break your home stereo...

This weekend has been a whirlwind!  The Urban D guys are still on their acoustic tour and will finish that this Friday.  Yesterday, the show stopped at St. Peters, MO and was a huge success.  There were people offering more dates and a person that offered to invest money in the group.  On top of that, the guys rocked it, as usual.  The highlight of the night had to be when a 5-year-old boy (around that age at least) walked up on stage with the guys and played his junior guitar with the band for 3 songs.  He would have stayed longer, but his grandparents pulled him away.  I spent the rest of the night through this morning staying up working out finances and contacting important people that requested information on the Urban D guys. 

In the midst of my drowsiness (when I think the best) I felt like the Man Upstairs was telling me to review the important points I had learned in life thus far.  I did and it doesn't make life easier, but it makes you feel like it was a bit worth living.  Anyway, while I have the time, I thought I'd share those points with you:

Top 5 Life Lessons Of Rod Kim Thus Far

1.  Everyone is moody no matter how laid back you think you are.  Those who chose either to not deal with it or not control it are the ones that mess up this world.
2.  Everyone serves something.   No matter how much pride you have and how much you like to think you're in control, you will bend to something...if it's not a God, it's your lust of money, sexual desires, emotions, etc.  Come to grips with your weaknesses and move on.
3.  Living for yourself is a pointless, self-fulfilling prophecy.  If you live only or primarily for your own self interest, you are only bringing happiness to one person (yourself) for a short period of time.  You could use your time, talents, gifts, finances, etc. to help others in ways that could be longer lasting and help more people than yourself.
4.  Everyone sees things at different perspectives because we're all different and can't say that someone else's perspective is wrong without being in their shoes...except for most people who grew up in Texas, most of their views are skewed and closed minded, so the rest of the world has to learn to ignore it and let them continue to breed cults that self-implode.
5.   I am imperfect...so I can't live life so certain that I'm right about everything that I put down everyone around me that doesn't agree...people that certain in what they believe in end up flying planes into buildings.
 
That's it so far, I'm only 21, so as the years go by, this list will grow and I'll be old and 21-year-olds will be ignoring my advice.

Will write more later,
-Rod

P.S.  Here is what Mary Schmich's advice is on life...most of you will remember this:

1.  Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
2.  You are NOT as fat as you imagine.
3.  Don’t worry about the future...or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
4.  Do one thing every day that scares you.
5.  Sing.
6.  Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
7.  Floss.
8.  Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
9.  Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
10.  Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
11.  Stretch.
12.  Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
13.  Get plenty of calcium.
14.  Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
15.  Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
16.  Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
17.  Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
18.  Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
19.  Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
20.  Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.
21.  Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
22.  Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
23.  Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
24.  Travel.
25.  Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
26.  Respect your elders.
27.  Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
28.  Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
29.  Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
30. Wear sunscreen.

(there's gotta be) more to life...thank you ms. stacie orrico...

The past week has been really encouraging...Tripp, one of the rappers for "Urban Derivatives" has found a wider world than the hood.  We just finished this tune called "You Live And You Learn"  and it has been a real change from the Parental Advisory Rap that looms the clubs.  Today we talked and he thinks he may even go totally into Christian rap.  The rest of the summer has been alright, but I've been producing this very explicit rap music and felt like I was supporting the life I was against.  But I think now I'm seeing my small part in the growth of some influential people.  Take a listen to "You Live And You Learn" and find some deeper lyrics than most rappers can even imagine.  I need to get to bed, but I'll try to post more in the morning...
-Rod

Kamikaze Seagulls, Crayons, Water Ice, TastyKake, and Call Elizabeth @ 9

This week has been incredible...I just flew in from Jersey and I'm back in Greenville. Among many interesting stories from the East Coast, here's a highlight:

I was walking down the Boardwalk in Jersey thinking to myself if some decisions in my life were the best and worrying about how to continue either way...right about then a seagull was flying at me and just missed me but dropped something at my feet. I looked down and saw it was a crayon. My first thought was, "Honestly, when do seagulls carry crayons and what were they planning on doing with it?" And that's what I told my buddy Nick who was walking with me. We turned around to go back to the car and I couldn't help myself, I had to go back and get the crayon. I picked it up and I said, "It's goldenrod!" Then I stopped and thought about it...hmm, it is golden, Rod...things are fine and I worry too much. So I kept the crayon as a reminder.

I had water ice everyday on the east coast...which is it's own monster. It looks like ice cream, it comes in ice cream flavors, but it's ice...imagine processed ice. Here's a pic...


Before I left the coast, Nick said I had to buy TastyKakes...which is like the Little Debbie of the east coast. Check it out...good stuff...

Tonight I called Elizabeth at 9...haven't talked to her in a while...it was good to hear her voice again...I'm always encouraged by her and she's always so supportive. It's people like her that keep my chin up and I'm very grateful...I found out she lives 30 min. away from Tyler, Texas now which is where Josh, the guitar player for Urban D, is from! So I may have to visit her soon...

Anyway, it's time for bed, so g'night all, thanks for the incredible support...
-Rod

Pictures from Delaware...

This is me having a blast in the ocean water...


The WAVE caught me!


This is my good friend Nick in the ocean...


Me, walking away against the boardwalk sunset...

Tried to fall in love last week and I missed...

So it has been a whirlwind since I woke up after my last post. I got up and Nick took me on a tour of South Jersey, swimming in the ocean for the first time, and working for Brandywine Electronics.

This vacation has been good for me...I still have a ways to go in my somewhat of a spiritual crisis, but things are at least going a good direction. To clear up some details, a really good friend of mine and myself had a long conversation and I was convinced by them at the end of the conversation there was nothing to live for. The biggest part of the conversation was his comments on pre-destination and how we all were cheap entertainment for God. We're a huge joke, like God says that something is wrong and then creates a person that can only do that wrong and punish them for it. It kind of takes away the "love" part of the equation. Between that and a stressful school/work/studio schedule...I was torn.

When I was out on the shore a couple days ago, I stepped in the ocean for the first time and it was a great feeling and kind of scary. The ocean looked like it went on forever, and I didn't know what was in it and how deep it went. I was finally waist deep in salt water and it was a great feeling. Then I slipped (yes, I know, leave it to me to slip on sand in water) and it freaked me out because I can't swim and the currents were kind of strong that day. As I was falling, a wave rushed up behind me and caught me and pushed me back up. I was kind of stunned and excited like a child at that moment. If I'm not making sense, think about this...I'm in unknown territory and falling...and something way bigger than me catches me. He's still up there catching me even though I'm down here still screwing up. And I'm responsible for consequences of my mistakes, He just makes the best of them. He's up there taking care of me, not puppeteering and laughing...thanks be to the Man Upstairs.
Soli Deo Gloria,
-Rod
P.S. There will be pictures soon...