Today marks one year since a college friend of mine (ours) passed away.

And as I drove down to work this cool sunny morning I was thinking about the times we spent together. Laughing, playing music, arguing about who Jenny (hot girl in our dorm) liked more. I was reminded of the last time we met up, a warm spring afternoon eating chicken Kebobs at Efes on Easton Ave. Like always, he picked up the bill. We talked for about 2 hours, covering everything and anything. He encouraged me not to give up on a troubled friend (I was struggling with the notion of “cutting a person off”). To continue on my faith journey. He joked that I should attend his church instead.

This morning I pictured him sitting shotgun in my car and what I’d have to share with him since we last met. Would I have anything new to report? Would I be willing to share about what’s been going on in my life regardless of how insignificant and fleeting it may seem at the present moment. I wasn’t sure.

Staring at the dashboard I noticed a light, a sad reminder that the “passenger airbag was off”, meaning no one was there. A typical day, a typical commute, alone with my thoughts and my regrets.

But this day I’m reminded that despite a loss we are still left with so much more. He was a friend of many, and in many ways his passing brought old friendships back to light. Yes, I’ve failed to keep in touch despite my promises, but I’m reminded of them this day.

Too many times in our lives we leave behind all we consider “insignificant” in our daily conversations. When we catch up with a friend we feel like we have nothing to share unless it’s something monumental (relationship, career, birth of a child, etc). I’ve lived the past year of my life answering that “I have nothing new to report” whenever someone asked me what’s been going on in my life. I’ve summed up 365 days in a few words. Many times it feels this way, but this morning I was reminded that it shouldn’t.

So in Dan’s honor I will try my best to share what’s been going on in my life. Regardless of how pointless and miniscule it may seem. I hope that you (as a friend) will read this and feel “caught up” with what’s been going on in my life.

Will you sit shotgun?

-Last week I finally got my car fixed. I had gotten into a fender bender about 7 months ago, and after long complicated issues with the insurance company I finally got a new bumper/headlight installed. My car (which I’ve named “Blue”) looks great. However, this past weekend a strange screeching sound has been starting to emit whenever I make a left turn. My roommate thinks its the rear/right brake. So sometime this week I hope to stop by Midas and get it checked out. Owning a car is such a financial burden.

-In less than 4 weeks I will be leading a group of 14 people to serve in the Dominican Republic with the Foundation For Peace. This will be my 4th trip to that country and at the moment I’m a mix of excitement, worry, and fear. I want to come back having given it my all. Loving til I am bankrupt. I want to be emptied of everything.

-I’ve picked up skateboarding! I know… I’m 25. laugh now. But when I get that sweet kickflip down, I’ll be the envy of middleschoolers everywhere. As of now I’m still trying to ollie. I’ve gotten a lot better though. Started out in the grass, and now I can probably ollie (rolling) a small kitten or something. Not there yet, but getting there. Look out for me. I don’t want to get any scratched knees. I haven’t gotten those since… middle school.

-I recently moved to a new apartment in North Brunswick. I live with two other guys (Sungtae and Paul) and so far everythings been great. It’s a 3 bedroom 2.5 bath. I like it a lot. It’s clean, quiet, and closer to work. I no longer sleep on a bed ever since my struggles with insomnia (which is getting a lot better). Instead I “rough” it out on the floor. It’s good on my back.

-Last night I stayed up close to midnight playing Family Feud online. It’s a great game. There was one round where the question was “Name something kids love to eat for breakfast.” Out of the top 6 answers I got the first 5 (Cereal, Poptarts, Pancakes, Waffles, Eggs) the 6th one? Pizza. Who the heck eats pizza for breakfast. Funny thing is, one person we were playing with ONLY got Pizza. Everyone ragged on him in amazement. Apparently that’s what kids in Arkansas eat. Family Feud is great, but not when you have to work right after : (

-I’m still working as a spreadsheet cube monkey at Accenture. I’m looking for a new gig (been “looking” for the past 2 years. Possibly overseas? My parents are in. I’m just waiting for the right opportunity. I’m considering Vietnam, parents want China. You know learn the language of the future… haha.

-Yesterday I went to Circuit City to buy the new Coldplay CD (honestly only wanted it b/c it came with a free shirt). Soldout. I should’ve asked the sales rep as soon as I walked in. Instead of walking around aimlessly for 30 minutes until I finally decided to ask and find out it was sold out.

-This afternoon I was invited to play soccer. I can’t wait. Maybe it’s EURO 2008 fever, but I’ve been itching to get on the field for quite some time. I’ll try to score a goal, or two, for you. So if you see me point at the sky… that’s a holla. I’d appreciate a cool afternoon. Ask the big man if he can hook that up. 

Now that I think about it. I have so much I could share. Maybe we can do this more often.

I miss you dearly.

Dan KiBong Yang :  6.18.07

For the past 2.5 years I’ve kept a very detailed log of my gas consumption. What day, month, station I purchased at. How many gallons, the price of gallon, the total cost, how many miles I drove on the tank, the cost per mile and finally the selling point of all car commercials now a days - the MPG.

This morning I purchased a gallon of regular gas for $3.63…

This is the most I’ve ever spent on gas. Exactly a month ago today I purchased a gallon of gas for $2.99. A month! A year ago today (5/14/07) $2.82!

Prior to this month I laughed at the possibility of a $4 gallon. Now it’s a reality. Mid August perhaps?

Since majority of us require the daily use of a car. Here is a short list on methods/techniques to make the most out of your gallon of gas.

*I will avoid things like “buy a hybrid” or “drive a manual transmission car”. This list is for all that drive, regardless of your make, model, year.

10) (Mentioned in a previous post) Keep you car well maintained - Make sure you replace your air filters when needed (at least once a year). A dirty air filter will restrict air flow and cause a huge dent on your gas mileage. Make sure your tire pressures are at the recommended levels (look at the wall of your tires it should say something like “Max PSI 45″). It costs a few quarters to fill up - I try to do this at least once a month.  Be diligent in getting an “oil change” every 3-5,000 miles. Frequent oil changes = happy engine. Happy engine = good gas mileage.

09) Remove excess weight from your car - I wouldn’t recommend leaving your spare tire at home (you probably need that). But far too often I see my friends lugging around golf clubs. Unless you plan on golfing everyday, there should be no reason to carry them around. Leave them in your garage and load them on the days you play golf. If you frequent the driving range, just carry a Driver and a Putter. Open up your trunk and pull out the things you really don’t need. ** When it snows: Make sure you knock out those dingleberries of dirt/snow that hang from the wheel wells. Those things can get heavy. Every little pound counts.

08. Minimize Idle time - Look it up if you don’t believe me. But the need to ”warm up the engine” is a myth. None of us drive (cars with) high performance engines. Our engines are good to go after 20-30 seconds (Even during the winter). Once again… Look it up if you don’t believe me. Say you’re picking up your girlfriend from her house. If she has the tendency to take longer than 5 minutes to come out then just turn off the car. Save some gas. But this doesn’t mean you should turn off your car at every possibility. My general rule of thumb is about 3 minutes. So I might leave the car running if you’re going in to pee, but if you’re ”takin’ the Browns to the Superbowl” I’m shutting it off.

07) (From Namo) Fill up in the morning/night, when it’s coolest out. I don’t really understand the exact science of this tip, but I’ve seen it mentioned in a lot of places. Apparently gas pumps measure gas sales by volume not density(?) of fuel concentration. Therefore when you pay for your gas you’re paying for the “volume” - meaning gas in liquid and vapor form. When it’s hot = a lot of gas vapor, meaning pay more for less gas.  Once again, can’t really explain it. It makes enough sense for me to follow it.

06) Chill out Speed Racer! - If you frequently find yourself with road rage chances are your driving is erratic and not gas friendly. Driving should be seen as a marathon not an NFL combine (40). Therefore avoid very fast accelerations only to come to a full stop a 1/4 mile away. This is probably the hardest thing to do as it requires you to change your driving habit as a whole. But trust me, not only will you be a gas friendly driver, but a safer driver in general.

05) Run a half marathon - Training for a long race has given me new insight to the distances people drive to. I realized that many of the places I’d drive to for food, hanging out, etc were less than a mile away. This is hard to do. But if it’s nice out (or if you have a ride back) then just walk. You a) save gas and b) exercise. Win-win. *Or buy a bike, skateboard, what have you.

04) Organithe - I deliberately spelled it that way to imply a lisp. Why is it that some people see organization and planning as a nerdy/gay quality? I don’t understand it. Don’t be afraid to be organized in your activities. Meaning: Arrange car pools when possible, or plan your trip (when running errands) as to minimize driving and maximize gas economy. Check traffic reports to avoid congestion and stop and go patterns.  * Time management also adds to this. Meaning: Leave on time = no need to speed = arrive on time = no gas wasted on driving like Jeff Gordon.

03) Order in - Do they deliver? If so, why have all 8 of you hop into two cars and drive over to eat. Let THEM pay for the gas. But tip well. You would’ve paid for tip there no?

02) Cash back - I recently signed up for the Citi Cash Return card. It offers 5% cashback on all purchases until July, and 1% thereafter. I’ve seen cards specially designed for Gas/Grocery purchases up to 3%. In the short run it seems like it makes no difference but if you realize that the difference between paying $3.50 and $3.68 a gallon is 5% then it does. Knowing you get (even 1%) back is nice. In 2.5 years I’ve spent $3876.59 dollars on gas. Had I had this card (at 1%) since then I’d have $38.76 dollars in cash back. That’s like “one free fill up”. 

01) Pray - $4 a gallon is ridiculous. Should we expect $5 next summer? Should we switch to corn based ethanol? But then it creates a food shortage - which means the poorest of the poor suffer. How about invading an oil rich country like Iraq? Cut a deal w/ Venezuela? What can we do? What should we do?

What will we do?