|
SubscriptionsSites I Read
|
|
|
|
| By the way, does anyone wanna redo my xanga for me? | | |
| Alright, it's midnight, so time for more xanga goodness. Read carefully, you might learn something tonight
---
Allright, so it's about time that I wrote about this hilarious event. Lets start with some history:
Early June, 2006: My brother, 15, decides that he's not going to heed my warnings, and goes on ebay to bid on a phone. After losing the auction, the seller offered him a second chance offer. He decides to go for it, but doesn't go through the ebay system.
LESSON #1: Do not use ebay if you are physically (and/or) mentally under 18 years of age. It is against ebay's policy, and if anything happens, they will tell you that since you werent legally able to agree to their policy, they have nothing to do with you.
LESSON #2: Do not deal with someone outside the ebay system. It's against ebay policy, and if you get screwed, ebay will point, laugh, and say "I told you so."
So he emails the guy back and forth, and decides to pay him.... with a cashier's check.
LESSON #3: When paying for something online, use a credit card, and a credit card only. If you can help it, dont use paypal either. Why? Paypal is owned by ebay, and you are left at their mercy should any crap occur. Your credit card company's job is to fight for you should there be any issue with scamming, etc.
So I am notified of the fact that my brother has just lost $140, and has nothing to show for it. I got the address of the person he mailed the check to, and guess what, he lives on 27th street in SE Portland. For those of you who dont know, I live about 20 mins away from there. Yea. Ooops on the part of the scammer.
So I call up Sam and Hyun to go have a talk with this guy. Katsumi was there so he decided to come in on it as well. Somehow, we ended up with 9 people. So we load up in 2 cars, and head over to this guy's house. It starts around 9pm ish.
LESSON #4: When going to bust a scam, never go alone, especially to SE portland.
For those who dont know about SE Portland, it's a pretty old, ghetto place. It's kinda dangerous too, as gangs and such are more prevalent there. Barely any streetlights, crappy houses... you get the picture.
[9:20] Arrive at this guy's house. Hyun and I walk up to the door, the other 7 people are back on the driveway, somewhat hidden behind a big bush.
I ring the doorbell, and some old chinese guy is yelling into the phone, so I ask for Jian Liang (the scammer). The guy yelling on the phone turns out to be his dad or something, and soon we meet this Jian Liang guy (hereby referred to as JL). He looks about 17 or so, with a skinny build.
Me: Hey there. My brother bought a phone off you from ebay about a month ago, and you haven't dropped off the phone as you said you would, nor have you kept email contact. What's going on man?
JL: Oh uh.. ... ... I dont think I ever got the money.
Me: [Holds up paper] I have this document here that shows you cashing the cashier's check on June 9th.
JL: Oh...umm... I think I have the phone right here...
Me: That's allright, I dont really care about the phone much anyway. How about you give me the money back, and we call it even?
JL: Well, my friend does the finances for my ebay stuff.. so I can ask him tomorrow and then goto the bank or something.
Me: No, that's quite alright. If you need to goto a bank, we can go there right now. [Turns around to the bush] Hey guys, we can fit one more guy and goto the bank right?
(Ok, I didnt realize how scary that must have sounded to JL at the time, but yea... haha)
[Turn back to JL] Yea, we can either drive or walk to the nearest bank, and we can just get the money right now.
(Thing is, even though most of them were just chillin by the bush, there was a drive way light that showed 7 shadows coming from behind the bush. There was also one of the guy's playing with a huge maglite, which probably looked to JL like a big metal stick that could be used for beating someone.)
JL: Oh, um.. I think I have the money here, let me go check. Can I have that paper?
Me: No, I'll be holding onto that. You can look at it though. How about you go and do that?
LESSON #5: Dont let anyone have your evidence.
[JL tried to shut the door, but realizes I have my foot in the doorway. JL seemed a bit surprised, and hurries to go get the money. About 30 seconds later, he comes out with $150]
LESSON #6: Dont give him an opportunity to shut the door and lock you out. If you try to force yourself in after that happens, that's called breaking and entering.
JL: Here's $140, and $10 for gas/your trouble for having to come all the way over here. I think my parents got the check and didnt tell me or something... (too bad it was made out to JL, not his parents).
Me: Thanks. Lets not let this happen again. [Hyun and Chris turn around, join the others and leave, laughing].
In retrospect, I realize how scary that must have been for the guy. 8 people + the older brother of the kid you scammed drive all the way over to SE portland to get money back. It's 9:30ish at night, so it's really dark due to lack of street lights. We very well could have been a gang (even though I had a south korea's got seoul t-shirt on).
I would probably have prayed that $10 in gas money was enough to stop the guys from beating me up or something. Haha. Lesson learned.
| | |
| Whew, it's been a while.
Just got back today from driving to Eugene and back... trip began at 6am Thursday, and ended today. Purpose? Save my friend from being completely lost at her freshman orientation.... only to have to go back in 10 days to my own "transfer student" orientation. At least I got to stop in Corvallis and have dinner with the lovely ladies: Kyunghwa, Eunice, Jinju, and the somewhat violent Jess Ho. Man, after figuring out where things were in Eugene, I really miss Corvallis. After seeing my beloved campus again, I really really reallyyyyyy miss it. *Ahem* Anyway...
Must sleep... work tomorrow... boo... screw it. Xanga rant time.
---
Man, I hate the feeling of cutting checks in huge amounts. $800 went out today for my deposit and first month's rent at my new studio in Eugene. I'm living alone in #7 in Alderwood Manor. Yes, that's right, alone. Why? The guy who was supposed to be my roommate pretty much screwed me over. We had decided on a place, I had my couch and bookshelf down at his apartment to get ready for moving into our new place, and then he calls me up out of the blue saying he signed with some other guy.
That's pretty gay.
Oh but wait, wait! He says it's not screwing me over. Why? I have the whoooooooooooole summer to look for someone else. WHO THEIR RIGHT MIND LOOKS FOR ROOMMATES IN THE SUMMER?! Everyone is pretty much paired up by then, and that leaves me stranded and having to pay more for living on my own. Then this kid has the balls to say that I "shouldnt have trusted him in the first place". His exact words. Haha.
Funny, how his first email to me about rooming was that I be a non-smoker, partier, and that it was really important that he find someone that's Christ centered, as his faith is very important in his life. Those terms sounded pretty good to me. I dont think that Christ would have screwed over someone and told them that they shouldn't have trusted him. Man, it's so messed up that it's amusing. Hah.
Well, despite how I feel about this particular person, I am choosing not to do anything about it. Especially as a Epic leader, and well, a Christian in general, I know it's not right for me to bear anger against him. My human nature has a problem with that mindset, but it's (and he) is something I've got to be patient with. God's been testing me alot with that lately. I've gotten a bit better, but there's still that point in which Chris Kim no longer exists, and Dr. Perry Cox (from Scrubs) comes forth to serve a nice big slice of scarcasm pie.
On the bright side, I can now freely open my living space to whatever Epic functions we might do outside of general meetings, and that's all I really cared about in my choice of living space. Oh, and I have a theater system, lets watch movies =).
---
I, Chris Kim, shall be calling forth all my cooking ability, to serve up a nice italian dinner for those close to me.
Hyun, Sam, Junghwa and I were talking about it, and I think if everyone pitched in a few dollars we could go and buy all we need for me to whip up the best italian dinner you've had.... well, at least lately. More details on that later.
Ok, that's enough of my mind for now. I guess I should write about SCAMBUSTING last monday. Haha...hahahahaha. It was so funny. I bet you cant wait.
Good night everyone. Chris Kim, over and out.
| | |
| Muhwahahha we sooo wasted Togo today.
I thought it was hilarious when both teams filed out onto the field, and they accidentally played Korea's anthem twice. Hahaha the Togo players looked so confused and lost, and the Koreans in the crowd didn't help much, they just sang the anthem again even louder. 
I was up for a good 28 hours straight when it came upon 6am, and I decided to screw studying anymore. We dont have extended cable at out apartment, but I turned on the tv and I see "Corea del Sur vs Togo" on the TV guide channel, so I immediately flipped to the game.
I got to watch the first half of the game in Spanish commentary.. and it was AWESOME. haha
I forgot all my spanish to make room for Chinese, so I had no idea what they were saying with the exception of the words "togo" and "corea"... oh yea, and when they yelled:
¡GOL! (Read: Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooallllllllll!!!!)
I swear they held it out for 2 minutes. I have it on tape if you dont believe me.
Soooo much Korean pride right now, and rightly so. We're the best. hahahahaha
I have a Korean flag in my window too. Yea that's right. You better be saluting when you walk past my apartment.
Next game, Korea vs France. France took 1st in 1998, and then took LAST in 2002. I dont know how to feel about this one... hahaha. If anyone wants to come over and watch the game, call me up. We're gonna project it on my wall in the garage... 200 inches of world cup goodness. mmmmm.....
Crap. Last final in 7 hours. I should probably study.
| | |
|
|
