Sunday... yay. I'm happy.

Random note:

Got this from another blog. She wrote:

"Men are like parking spaces. The good ones are taken and the only ones left are handicapped."

I found it funny some reason... so does that imply that all men who are dating are good? Or that if you're not dating you're handicapped? heh. Maybe I find this amusing because lately, I've been contemplating how biased are society is toward single people. It's tough to be single... I think it takes a lot of character to not be affected by the state of being single here in America.

I count my blessings that at least I don't have to worry about that for now, heh... ;)
posted by G at 12:34 AM   | (0) comments

Filled with Thai...

I'm at home home now... just got back from eating with Dave and a bunch of Cornerstone peeps (Joel, Kristin, May, Tera, Priscilla, Iman) at this Thai joint near Southcenter called "Simply Thai". Good food, definitely on par with Thai-ger Room and Siam. Besides the usual phat thai, phat se-ew, and swimming angel, I also had this interesting spicy peanut soup with mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Of course, I picked out the mushrooms... but the rest of the soup was great, yum.

The funny thing Dave and I noticed was how weird it is to be hanging out with a group that is mostly girls. I guess the both of us being CBC guys, we're used to always being in the "majority" gender... which of course, always goes back to the whole disproportionate ratio of guys to girls at CBC and the ahem, stupid rumor about us CBC guys (or as my homie Samson puts it eloquently, "Guilt by Association"). In any case, being around mostly girls reminded me of why I like hanging around mostly guys... it's easier on the ears, and a whole damn lot less strange... hahahaha. ;)
posted by G at 10:37 PM   | (0) comments

*Phew*

It's funny how some things can seem a bigger deal than they really are. My interview at Deloitte today went fine, without any of the disasters or mishaps that my sometimes over-imaginative mind conceived might happen (thank the Lord). Traffic to downtown Seattle wasn't too nasty and I actually arrived a half-hour early for the interview, which worked out fine, because I anticipated having to fill out some paperwork (application, background check consent waiver, etc.) Two people interviewed me simultaneously, asking the "usual" questions like "tell us about yourself", "what are your strengths/weaknesses?", and "how do you deal with conflict with a boss or co-worker?" I'm glad I didn't have to answer any bizarre riddles, or worst, demonstrate my tax accounting skills... hahahhaa.

Overall, I think things went very well and even if I don't get the job, I'm satisfied I made a good impression and not stained the reputations of Val and Josh, heh. The head interviewer said that I would be contacted probably a week after next week.

Coo.


posted by G at 11:47 AM   | (0) comments

Tick tock...

I'm still up, though I should be asleep. I guess I'm a bit anxious and excited for tomorrow. Yipeee.
posted by G at 2:24 AM   | (0) comments

Scouting...

I made a dry run this morning at 5:30AM to check out the office tower in downtown Seattle where my Deloitte interview is at. It's actually very close to my U-District apartment, but with rush hour traffic, I'm guessing the time it will take to get there will be at least double... the 10 minutes. I want to get there early, so I guess I also have to factor in the time it will take me to park in the underground garage and take the elevator... all the way to the 45th floor. Factor in another 5 or so minutes to navigate the building too, since I haven't been in there yet.

Whoohooo...
posted by G at 3:18 PM   | (0) comments

"One Nation Under God"

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, regarded by many as the most liberal judiciary in the country, made a 2-1 ruling that the phrase "One Nation Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional. Check this article out for the messy details.

A couple of facts I found interesting in this article:

• Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Democrat from S.D., calls the ruling "just nuts". hahaha
  
• In a 99-0 vote, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday backed a resolution supporting the pledge and instructed its legal counsel to intervene in the case while 100 members of Congress recited the pledge on the Capitol steps.
  
• Part of the opening ceremony for Supreme Court proceedings is ``God save the United States and this honorable court.''
  
• The man who filed the lawsuit, an atheist, claims his daughter was harmed by "the ritual" that is the Pledge of Allegiance. His daughter was in 1st grade at the time.

It'll be interesting to see how the Supreme Court rules on this case.

This webpage has some interesting observations about the First Amendment and the doctrine of "Separation of Church & State".
posted by G at 1:48 AM   | (0) comments

Stupid allergies.
posted by G at 4:12 AM   | (0) comments

An interesting Seattle Times article on the effects of the recent Korean World Cup phenom...
posted by G at 1:20 AM   | (0) comments

Ray of hope?

Through the extraordinary efforts of a friend, I have a job interview with Big 5 firm Deloitte & Touche on Friday. Even though the job is doing something I wasn't planning on doing (tax accounting), still it's a job at an established company with a good reputation and it might even use this "Business" degree that I have. Beggars can't be choosers, eh? I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but I definitely want to make a good impression at the interview, at least as a courtesy to my friend. I wouldn't want her reputation at the company to be hurt by my lack of a good showing at the interview.

In unrelated news, tonight was apartment dinner and another episode of "American Idol". Ryan cooked some mean meats (beef, lamb, ribs, hot dogs) and I made corn-on-the-cob, rice, and some experimental chicken, marinated in amaretto/Yoshida's teriyaki and BBQ'd over our mini-grill outside on the apartment patio. Good stuff.
posted by G at 11:02 PM   | (0) comments

"Faith is not clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart. Audacious longing, burning songs, daring thoughts, an impulse overwhelming the heart, usurping the mind - these are all a drive toward [loving the One] who rings our hearts like a bell." -Abraham Heschel
posted by G at 12:48 PM   | (0) comments

Working on my webpage again...

I'm a bit behind schedule... or not. How can one be behind schedule without deadlines? heh

Anyways, my cable connection is being stupid... so no TacOps or Starcraft right now.

Might as well do something... crazy sleeping hours...
posted by G at 4:23 AM   | (0) comments

Sunlight!

I managed to drag my carcass out into the daylight today. A bunch of apartment people plus Susan and her cousin Agnes joined us... we had an impromptu picnic at Gasworks, food courtesy of Safeway deli. Nice stuff.

In the meantime, I've been hitting up a lot of movies still. Sunday, I saw both "Minority Report" and "The Others" for the first time. I don't want to give much of either movies' plots - the mystery/suspense is what makes it good - but catch both of 'em if you can, especially "Minority Report". If you're a Sci-Fi / philosophy junkie like me, you'll like the package of special effects and story wrapped around the question of "choice vs. pre-destination". Good stuff, I haven't seen a "big budget" Sci-Fi film this good since "The Matrix"...

In unrelated news, those of you following World Cup madness might find this Korean fan's antics hilarious... I was definitely busting a gut laughing. (Read Sunday, June 23rd)

Dae Han Min Gook!
posted by G at 11:29 PM   | (0) comments

Another one bites the dust...

Got this from a friend's blog... I guess the RIAA recently won a lawsuit again Audiogalaxy. Looks like Audiogalaxy's gonna go the way of Napster...
posted by G at 3:48 AM   | (0) comments

Barbeque-age...

Today (well, technically yesterday, Friday) I went to Jason's graduation barbeque back in 'ol Carriagewood. I actually drove down a bit early so I could relax at my house for a bit and take care of some errands, like giving Mr. Darcy a ghetto carwash. At about 5:15, I went to his place thinking I was a little late, but most of the people ended up not coming over to his house until like 6:30-7:00-ish. Turns out that the directions from MapQuest were wrong a bunch of people got lost... at least most of the people who didn't know Jason back in the days of high school/junior high, heh. I got to see a couple of folks I haven't seen in awhile, fellas I haven't hung out with high school. Also, a bunch of friends from the old Korean Star-crack posse were there, like Ben and Joe, as well as usual suspects Ju and Kian. Ton of people from Cornerstone were there too, so I'm glad to see Jason's getting more involved in a church. I'm sure Amy had no small part in that, which is coo. All in all a good celebration... Jason's parents made a ton of food, including some pretty tasty short ribs and some Chinese-style salt & pepper chicken wings. As you can probably guess, I stuffed myself silly with it.

On the way back to the apartment, I had myself a little driving adventure. Almost 90% of the time, I usually take I-5 straight back, but for some reason, I took I-405 to 520. Not a good move. Turns out the 520 bridge to Seattle is closed for the whole weekend, so I had to drive back down I-405 to the I-90 junction. I wasn't in a hurry or anything, but just the fact that I had to turn around annoyed me a lot. Ironically, throughout this whole period of "waiting" in my life, I find that on certain days, my fuse is just a whole lot shorter. Maybe it's my allergies, maybe it's pent-up aggression... who knows. Hopefully I won't find myself blowing up at some poor bastard's stupid little quirks, like a grocery clerk or some random guy on the street... heh

Songs that are speaking to me:

G-Dep f/Faith Evans "Everyday"
The Kry "Take My Hand"
posted by G at 2:56 AM   | (0) comments

*Sneeze*

Damn allergies have been driving me freak'n bonkers all day.

That aside, it was another day of the usual, except for the fact that I started it off with some extra productivity. I had meeting with Kok from the NewGen web team to just work on some graphics/layout stuff for the web page's next incarnation. As you can tell by visiting the link, what we got up there now is pretty bare bones. Besides web work, Kok and I talked a lot, especially about the direction that NewGen is going and I also shared some my own personal insights about serving in a ministry and issues that relate to that. Kok complimented me by saying that he felt I had a lot of good advice about the subject, but me, being the typical Asian, shrugged it off. I guess even after all these years of "Christian experience", I still feel less like an expert and more like a person who's always learning something new. Of course, I felt pretty privileged to pass on whatever knowledge I had... many other "wise" people have done the same thing for me, so I figured I'd do my part to keep things in circulation, heh.

I needed to run errands to the bank today, but my allergy affliction made me dread to go outside and compound the problem. I ended up just bummin' around the apt again, watching my BET and continuing work on my homepage. Cataloging and linking up all the photos have for my new site is taking a lot more time then I thought, but that's OK. It's not like I'm on a deadline for some boss anyways.

J.Tong is having a grad barbeque tomorrow... awww yeah, free grub. Wh00t!
posted by G at 11:54 PM   | (0) comments

Fight Against Racial Hate Crimes...

A timeline of a hate crime and injustice in the case of Vincent Chin:

---

June 19, 1982 - Vincent Chin attends his bachelor party at a bar in the Detroit area. Two white autoworkers - who blame Japan for the downfall of the American auto industry - taunt Chin, who they mistakenly think is Japanese. Chin and his friends leave the club after an altercation. Twenty minutes later, the autoworkers find Chin in front of a McDonald's and attack him. One man restrains Chin while the other strikes him with a baseball bat, with repeated blows to his head.

June 23, 1982 - Vincent Chin dies as a result of severe head injuries.

March 16, 1983 - The assailants are found guilty of manslaughter after a plea bargain and each receive three years probation, a $3,000 fine, and $780 in court fees. Neither man spent a single day in jail for beating Vincent Chin to death. The prosecuting attorney is not present and neither Chin's mother nor any witnesses are called to testify.

March 31, 1983 - Asian Americans in the Detroit area found the "American Citizens for Justice" to lobby for a federal trial for Chin's murderers. The campaign was spearheaded by journalist Helen Zia, lawyer Lisa Chan, and Lily Chin - Vincent Chin's mother. Rallies in Detroit, San Francisco and Los Angeles help spur the burgeoning Asian American movement.

November 1983 - The U.S. Justice Department, following an FBI investigation, files charges and a federal grand jury indicts the murderers on two counts - one for violating Chin's civil rights, the other for conspiracy.

June 1984 - One of the assailants is found guilty of violating Chin's civil rights but not of conspiracy. He is sentenced to 25 years in prison, but is released on a $20,000 bond. The other murderer is cleared of both charges.

September 1986 - The conviction is overturned by a federal appeals court on a legal technicality; an American Citizens for Justice attorney is accused of improperly coaching prosecution witnesses.

April 1987 - Under intense public pressure, the Justice Department orders a retrial, but this time in a new venue: Cincinnati.

May 1987 - The Cincinnati jury clears the killer of all charges.

July 1987 - A civil suit orders him to pay $1.5 million to Chin's estate as part of a court-approved settlement. The murderer, however, disposes of his assets and flees the state. He has not paid any of the settlement.

September 1987 - Disgusted with the country's legal system, Lily Chin, Vincent Chin's mother, leaves the U.S. and moves to China, where she grew up.

June 2002 - Lily Chin passes away after a battle with illness.

---

Don't think it can't happen to you or your loved ones. The hateful attitudes and ignorant beliefs that Vincent Chin's murderers had still persist to this day in our American culture. Fight the power. Educate your mind.

http://www.vincentchin.net
posted by G at 6:48 PM   | (0) comments

"An 11-year-old girl was among the dead...the dead 11-year-old was named Galila Rugla. One of her classmates, Gal Peretz, told Israeli television: 'We looked at her desk, and there was no one sitting there. So we imagined we can see here walking through the door and will start laughing, but nothing happened, and we only cried.'"

Stop the madness. Children are always the real victims of war, both physically and psychologically. One can only wonder what worst things will happen when Israel's military strikes back in vengeance.
posted by G at 5:18 AM   | (0) comments

Back in the Maplewood 'hood...

Well, I'm back in my apartment after a few days of visiting my Mom. This past Father's Day weekend was an OK time at home, though most of its best moments were spent out of the house.

I went to Josh's graduation for his Masters of Professional Accounting this past Saturday evening with his GF Val and his parents. Though the ceremony itself was non-descript, it did have a free bar afterwards... heh. Actually, I enjoyed going to support Josh. Looking back at my own decision to not go to my graduation ceremony, I can see that I probably should have considered my family and friends. I think my Mom was a little disappointed I didn't walk, but oh well... we're having a "get together" to celebrate my graduation later in a few weeks. In a way though, the going to Josh's ceremony gave me a sense of closure as well too... Josh and I entered the UW the same year, and now hey... we're graduating from it together now too. Good stuff.

In other random news, I saw something disturbing on the local news this past night (Tuesday night). Apparently some white d00d threatened the "Real Change" man by Roosevelt Safeway (AKA ghetto Safeway) with a hand grenade. When Safeway security attempted to confront the guy, he ran off. How messed up is that? That old "Real Change" guy is one of the nicest people around, practically a fixture of the U-District. Sad that somebody would threaten him.
posted by G at 1:19 AM   | (0) comments

I'm disappointed with a friend I have.

I've known him for a long time, but I think it's only in the last six years of my life that I've considered him a real friend. I'm not the only person that knows him - my father knew him, my mother knows him, some of my friends even know him. Actually a lot of people probably know my friend, though not nearly half as many that claim to know him. Lately, I find myself constantly thinking about our friendship, because of things that have been happening recently. It's not that he's a bad person... actually, it's quite the opposite. He's a great friend to a lot of people and through their friendships with him, I've seen some pretty amazing things, some really good stuff happening... miraculous stuff that at times, confounds my ability to explain. All in all, I don't think anybody could ask for a better friend than he already is and yet, I don't feel very much like he's my friend right now.

I've given up a lot of things for my friend, and being a man of small wealth, I find the great gift I often gave is my time. Of course, friendship is more than about "things", but there's a small voice that questions whether or not it was worth it, especially looking back on these past few years. While other people I knew spent their time pursuing the good internships, working high-paying jobs, and enjoying the proverbial sleep-in, I devoted myself to spending a lot of time with my friend - time spent getting to know who my friend is and serving him in the priorities of stuff I knew he felt was important. Now when I say "serve", I mean volunteer... never asked for money from my friend, never wanted it, 'cause my friend would always write to me and tell me not to worry about that. I did everything willingly and happily for my friend, and yet in that sacrifice, I contemplate now a pit in my soul, the nagging pain that somehow my efforts were a waste and in vain. So often my friend would write to me to tell that my reward for doing so would be great, I look around and still behold the wasteland of this world. It's hard not to worry when bills start piling up, your savings are drained, or you go without eating somedays to stretch a dollar. I know my friend knows about these things, because I've told him about them. I never cursed my friend for it, and I've never asked my friend for anything big; not because I didn't believe he couldn't grant it (my friend is pretty rich), but because in my humility, I believed what he told me and I only desired what was fair - I've never asked my friend to spoil me or even give me an unearned handout, yet I find now my friend to be distant, and his help in just my simple needs to be... well, absent.

It's this absence that bothers me the most. My material needs pale so much more in comparison to the need I have for emotional and spiritual support I've looked to my friend to provide. To have the simple comfort of his presence, the re-assurance our friendship and a future of hope... my friend is good at encouraging people and giving them purpose. Yet even in this "post-graduate" time, I find my friend to be unreachable. I go to his house when I can (at least weekly), but I rarely get spend much time when him because he's always on the way it seems to meet somebody else or be somewhere else. I call him often, even leaving messages, but I find my calls are rarely returned, and when they are... well, to be honest they haven't been returned lately at all. It's frustrating, because quite often I'll talk to my other friends, who still see him and hang out with him often. It's almost like he avoids me and spends time when them. I'm not trying to be the jealous busy-body housewife, but friends at least talk once in awhile, right? I know I shouldn't compare my friendship to him with the friendships that other people have with him, but lately I have to admit I envy other people's relationships with him. My friend speaks with such clarity to them, delivers such wise counsel, and seems quite generous in helping them out in any and every which way. Honestly, I crave my friend's advice, but as of late, he seems reluctant to give it. He's been quiet... very, very, very... quiet.

I'm not quite sure how to interpret my friend's quietness. What is behind his silence? Other people have tried to offer their opinions and theories to me about my friend, but in the end, I find the problem (and its solution, probably) can only be born by myself. In my melancholy, I find it difficult to dwell on anything but the short comings in our friendship, especially nowdays. I still remember a promise my friend made to me when my dad died that he'd around to take care of me, or even in the very least, recommend somebody to myself for the small bother of raising me... a "father to the fatherless" is what he told me. Well, it's been about 13 years since my father passed, but as this latest Father's Day approaches, I contemplate again the unfulfillment of that promise and again, the absentee-ism of my friend. No, I'm not trying to badmouth my friend, but is it wrong to have such high expectations of him? Doesn't my friend know that the unfulfillment of an important promise tends to cast doubt on every other promise in the relationship? Doubt eats away at trust... and trust is pretty much the basic foundation of a real friendship, including ours.

After all, like I said... I've seen my friend do some pretty spectacular things... and I admit, most of the truly marvelous stuff, I've only heard or read second-hand. I don't doubt my friend has a great heart, but I find I have difficulty just being at peace with this conflict between who I know my friend to be, what he's doing now to me, and who he tells me he is. There's an incongruence my heart just can't accept, and of course, it's affecting how I view our friendship. I mean, how can you trust a friend who isn't there when you really need him?

Anyways, I'm tired... and ranting about all this to myself makes me more tired. Maybe I'll try giving my friend a call before I go to sleep.

Maybe.
posted by G at 5:15 AM   |

Good movies...

I finally got to see the movie "Black Hawk Down" yesterday after the prayer meeting for the JEMS missionaries (Mel/Kristie/Dan) and helping Evan move his stuff from his dorm to Maplewood. The movie definitely lived up to the hype and while it was a "war movie" with some fantastic action sequences, what really got my attention in the movie was the character aspect/drama. The movie did a good job of showing the humanity behind the conflict in Somalia and how in complex situations, it's not quite as easy to label the sides "good" and "bad". Seeing "Black Hawk Down" reminded me of a lot of the things I admire about some people in the military, their courage, their willingness to do their duty, and their self-sacrifice for each other ("Leave no man behind"). These are qualities that I think are often sorely lacking in the "civilian" world, which of course makes the military all the more attractive to me. Of course, there's nothing to romanticize about the grim reality of war, killing human beings, and watching people die. Much to its credit, "Black Hawk Down" didn't pull any punches in its portrayal of the American soldiers as regular human beings, not invincible superheroes. When people get shot, they do die. In reflecting about the possibility of dying yesterday, I often reflect about what the Apostle Paul wrote about being torn - on one hand longing to for the privilege of being Heaven with God, and on other hand, having that will to live simply to because being alive in this world means that one can still comfort and help those in it.

Today, I also caught "Undercover Brother" with my old friend Josh after lunch at my favorite Fairwood-hood teriyaki joint, Miako's. In the words of Undercover Brother himself, this movie is SOLID. I couldn't stop laughing... pretty hilarious. I don't think I've laughed at a movie so much since I saw "Dumb and Dumber" in the theatre... heh.
posted by G at 4:26 PM   | (0) comments

Insomniac.

I keep waking up for no good reason. Yesterday was a pretty eventful day... at least eventful as my days go, heh. Myself and bunch of other people, mostly Maplewood folks (plus Helen-O and Susan), went to see Abe's exhibit/portfolio at an open house of the VCD (Visual Communications Design) department. Lots of really cool stuff was there and I have to say I was in awe at the creativity of some of the projects. Some of stuff that caught my eye:

• A design layout for a study bible, using the gospel of John as an example.
  
• A multi-function/transformable piece of furniture that can be a pillow, recline-rest, table, etc.
  
• A specially shaped device for children that is a PDA/Tamagotchi/911 caller.
  
• An egonomically shaped backpack with various form-fitting pouches for things like CD players, water, etc.

After the show, the whole lot of us traversed to Kiku's to grub and celebrate... I had my favorite tonkatsu with egg/onion sauce over rice. Yum.
posted by G at 6:04 AM   | (0) comments

Webmonkey-age...

The efforts to clean out my old web account are paying off and I'm almost done with my new site... it'll probably be done by the end of the week, wheeeeeee! Back to work, I suppose...

Songs of the Moment:

Styles P f/Pharoah Monche "My Life"
Blackalicious "Feel That Way"
posted by G at 4:17 PM   | (0) comments

John Gotti died today (er, Monday). A lot of people are saying it's "the end" of the mob, but I have a feeling the real people behind organized crime will never be caught. Heck, I bet more than half the large corporations here in America engage in as much criminal behavior as mobsters do...

Anyways, a friend sent me a link to an interesting site about John Gotti's life and I thought this particular chapter of it to be pretty interesting. Boy, never kill a gangster's kid... that's asking to be sleeping with the fishes...
posted by G at 2:50 AM   | (0) comments

Lazy summer days...
posted by G at 8:04 PM   | (0) comments

Sunny day of a Sunday...

...is of course, allergy-inducing hell of sneezing and itching eyes. Grrr.

Random note:

Just read this pretty cool article about the current trend of "multi-ethnic" heroes, like the Rock (half-Samoan, half-black) and Vin Diesel (part-Italian, part-black?). A good read, but it left me with this inevitable question: How long will the trend actually last as long as the majority of major film studios remain dominated by only ONE racial group AKA European Americans?
posted by G at 7:39 PM   | (0) comments

This is funny... pretty damn funny.
posted by G at 3:56 AM   | (0) comments

Bah, I thought I got rid of the insomnia... stupid MOO2.

The first one was so much better anyways.
posted by G at 5:44 AM   | (0) comments

Man, one of my goldfishes, Biggie (short for Notorious BIG) just died. I thought he was doing so well... been raising him and his brothers (2Pac, Eazy-E, and Freaky Tai) since this last February. I got him at my church's kids carnival as an "extra bonus" for helping to run one of the booths. Most of everybody else's goldfishes are already dead, so I was pretty proud that I was taking good care of Biggie, 2Pac, Eazy, and Freaky. =(

RIP in fishie heaven, Biggie...
posted by G at 10:33 PM   | (0) comments

Random note:

"Mommy, does my Desert Eagle have to look like everyone else's?"

"Why no, dear... you can pick from eight distinct colors and styles!
posted by G at 3:51 PM   | (0) comments

Food, friends, & fellowship...

Last night was the AACF Senior Sendoff and man... there was some seriously good eating going on there! Athena Pang's Dad, a master chef, whipped up a spectacular 6 courses of Chinese food... all by himself! Bomb.

Of course, there was the other stuff that makes Senior Sendoff fun... the games, the tributes to the seniors, the memories. It's definitely different being there as a person who's already graduated, as opposed to being a senior (like I was last year). The tributes were especially nice... a lot of laughter, a lot of sincere well-wishing, and yeah... more reminiscing about memories. Grace managed to warp herself via magic of a VHS tape to do Amy Nish's tribute, and that was a lot of fun to watch. I recognized a lot of the photos, most being from the site of my friend and old CORE partner-in-crime, Ray Choi.

Ah, memories... they're a strange thing. But as good as they are, I don't want to live in the past... the present, the moment, and the future is on my mind these days
posted by G at 12:32 PM   | (0) comments

Stupid AT&T cable...

I pay about $70+ every month to these guys... still, our service is often sloppy. Both our cable TV AND our cable modem have been acting up, which really ticks me off. No CNN, no BET, no Cartoon Network... corporate money grubbing bastards. GRRRRRR...
posted by G at 3:25 PM   | (0) comments

Full... of... food.

Apartment dinner tonight (er, Tuesday night) was held in honor of Jen, so everybody got dressed up in their fancy duds to hit up this Italian joint named "Ciao Bella". Menu was definitely pricey, but the food was oh-so-worth it. I had a tasty rigatoni with ground Italian sausage and spinach, covered in a spicey marinara sauce. Mmmmm...

Random note:

Coming signs of the apocalypse: A (sell-out) Asian women is teaching a class on "How to Attract and Date Asian Women". I bet every American man with an Asian-fetish is signing up right now... disgusting. As if AA community doesn't have enough problems to deal with besides non-Asian men pretending to be "down" with Asian culture so they can get what they think is a kinky and easy lay. >=(

Some disturbing testimonials from the class' teacher's website:

"You gave me advice on getting my Chinese friend to be my girlfriend. Well..........it worked!!! I told her exactly what you told me to tell her. She was quite impressed. Then she said yes when I asked her to be my girlfriend. Thank you for all your help. It really means a lot to me."

"Thank you, Ming, it is so difficult to find sites where Caucasians can find Asian women...you changed all that with your site!"

Somebody shut this lady down, please.

Oh yeah... Forrest, if you buy her book, I will ridicule you for an eternity.
posted by G at 12:50 AM   | (0) comments

Allergies suck.

Song of the moment:

Royce the 5'9 w/DJ Premiere "Boom"... Primo always cooks up the phattest beats...
posted by G at 3:05 PM   | (0) comments

Servanthood seems to be a common sermon topic of late.

Yesterday was the NewGen rally and it went off without any major snags. Its good to see a bunch of the CoHi kids getting interested in being in a small group/discipleship. Pastor Joey Locke spoke on the importance of servanthood and gave a good message, especially in regard to a big stumbling block of servanthood for most people - the fact that true servant is often undistinguished, unnoticed and definitely NOT glamorous. Part of his talk discussed how for "our generation", it's a challenge for most of us to serve in roles that are menial and behind-the-scenes. Today, Pastor Kronstad had a similar message, though his sermon focused on servanthood in the role of deacons/deaconesses in the church. To put the situation of servanthood in the modern church in a musical analogy - everybody wants to be on center stage under the spotlight, singing lead vocals - nobody wants to be working the lights, soundboard, or stage crew.

Anyways, I'm feeling a bit tired right now... must be getting old. Time for a nap. More later.

Random note:

Airport security? Yeah right... check this out.

Random note #2:

Want to know what makes living in England dangerous? Ironically, a lack of guns...
posted by G at 6:09 PM   | (0) comments

FISH barbeque... yum.

It's late (or early, depending) and I find myself contemplating Friday night. I went with Shiv to her church fellowship group meeting, FISH, and enjoyed myself - not just eating the barbeque (fried chicken, salmon, polish sausage, oh my), but Yun (of CoHi 'Gilligan' fame) gave a great message on the meaning behind one of God's names, "Jehovah Shalom" (God of Peace). The name appears only in the Old Testament, in the book of Judges where the judge Gideon constructs an altar after encountering an angel of God. Yun had a lot of great points, but what stuck with me the most was this: that true peace (AKA shalom) occurs when we are living and acting in accordance with God's plan. Thus, peace is something that can exist in ourselves regardless of external circumstances, as long as we keep to that one single principle: that we abide and live in a manner that is consistent with how God wants us to. However, Yun also astutely pointed out the obstacle most often blocking this is our own selfishness. I made a note in my notes there herein lies a great irony: that although it is in our best self-interest to obey and follow God, we act selfishly and do not... meaning that while we think we are acting in our best interest, we are in reality acting against our interests.

I can relate to a lot of this because I see it so prevalent in the lives of some people around me... people continually looking out for themselves, only concerning themselves with their own appetites and wants. They whine, fuss, and complain when their cups are empty and their plates are bare, even after they've already eaten more then their fair portion. Ministry and good deeds for them is less about godliness and more about what they can get from it. For them, the future is always the next trophy girlfriend/boyfriend, the next job... it's an attitude that I see beyond just those in the good 'ol business school, it's everywhere. I don't think they even see it themselves, which I suppose is pretty sad. I feel sorry for them, I wish I could open their eyes to the gaping flaw that is in their character, but... oh well. I guess I don't have much to really say to them at all and they'll have to learn the hard way that life doesn't revolve around them.

Of course, on the opposite end, I'm am continually amazed by the selflessness of some other people. People who out of love for God and others, seem to somehow still give even when the well is dry. It's a magnificient thing to see, and in their humility, I never see them complain... even when their talents are continually called upon, time and time again, to the point of painful repetition. I aspire to the level of servanthood that they have attained, because it is righteous path they walk.

Wish more of the latter kind of people than the former were around, but the world isn't quite like that...

All the more reason that we all need Jehovah Shalom... to cultivate more givers than takers.
posted by G at 4:26 AM   | (0) comments

in?scrip?tion (n-skrip-shun)n.
1. The act or an instance of inscribing.
2. Something, such as the wording on a coin, medal, monument, or seal, that is inscribed.
3. A short, signed message in a book or on a photograph given as a gift.
4. The usually informal dedication of an artistic work.
5. Jeremiah 31:33