(From this photo album)

2006.09.26 Tue - A Good Thing?

Yes I'm back (some apparently still don't know). I've been a student again for the last month at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University's graduate seminary, in the L.A./O.C. area. I know I've expressed detest at ever living down here, but so it goes with God's Will and our resistance. I'll post more about the past couple months soon... hopefully.

Back to my passions... this pic came from last weekend where I went (by myself *sniff sniff*) to test drive MB, BMW, & Lexus cars. Even though Lexus cars are sleepy (a bit boring) drives, it was still immense fun throwing a full size saloon car through S'es and slaloms. Quick rec for most any class: Want safe, stable? Get the Lexus. Want the status/image to be seen? Get the MB. Want tingles? Get the Bimmer.

I thought this photo was so cute, the antisocial Lexus cone. The MB cone is even frowning. "Come play with us!" "No!" :D

(From this photo album)

2006.07.12 Wed - And they're off!

God willing, I'll be back in a little over a month.

May God not only bless me, but my enemies as well...

...for not my will, but His be done.

(From this photo album)

2006.06.28 Wed - I shouldn't have checked bandodetective's past posts

Four jobs I've had:
1. Sushi bar waiter
2. Florist
3. Dog walker
4. Google AdWords Peon

Four movies I can (and do) watch over and over:
1. Moulin Rouge
2. Usual Suspects
3. An Affair To Remember
4. Charade

Four places I've lived:
1. College Park, MD
2. Potomac, MD
3. Berkeley, CA
4. Cupertino, CA

Four TV shows I watch:
1. Mission: Impossible
2. McGuyver
3. Will & Grace
4. Late Late Show w/ Craig Ferguson? (actually, I don't really watch TV)

Four places I've vacationed:
1. Cancun, Mexico
2. Hawaii, USA
3. South of France, France (durrr)
4. Rome, Italy

Four foods I love:
1. Japanese Food
2. Korean Food
3. Chinese Food
4. Ice Cream

Four sites I visit daily:
1. http://benyu.smugmug.com/
2. http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/
3. http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/
4. http://news.google.com/

Four places I'd rather be:
1. Häagen Dazs shop/stand
2. In the driver's seat
3. Paris, France
4. Anywhere with lovingly sharpening friends

Four random items in my bag:
1. Airborne
2. Apple Remote
3. Contacts rewetting drops (Weird because I don't wear contacts)
4. Mini NASB Bible

Four things most people don't know about me:
1. My Dad's family is Catholic
2. I was (am?) deathly afraid of performing/speaking on stage/in public
3. I have a Caucasian stepdad
4. The extended relative I've felt closest to was my white stepgrandmother in West Covina (East LA area)

Four people I tag to do this:
1. Martin Luther
2. Pope Benedict
3. George W. Bush
4. Ms. Piggy

(This is a photo of Cornerstone Church boys at church. I didn't notice until after taking it that the outermost 2 are brothers Paul & Doug Kang, then the next inner two are brothers Isaac & Mark Choi, and then finally Dan Tung in the middle.)

(From this photo album)

2006.06.12 Mon - Busy relaxin'

This weekend was the first weekend I've had in awhile to relax; so I packed my weekend full of fun things to do. ha ha...

3 movies in 2 days
~~~ "Cars" w/ Philip Pan & friends ~~~
Cute & funny, but I would say save your money for DVD rental. I kinda' felt like more could have been done with it, but maybe it's just 'cuz I'm not that into Nascar. :P
~~~ "The Omen" w/ CCSV kids ~~~
Ummm... don't bother renting the DVD even. ha ha... I think we laughed during the movie more than were scared. Just very... corny.
~~~ "The DaVinci Code" w/ Hoomes, Isaac Choi, & Wing Ho ~~~
Sorta' random group of people to watch the movie with. Movie was... ok. I'd say wait for DVD, and even then, maybe only watch it if you're into that kind of stuff and/or you read the book. Perhaps it's just a hard book to convert to the screen, but there was a lot of dialogue/flashing back just to give the audience quick history lessons that probably ended up being more confusing than informative if you can't rewind and play the scene again or if you haven't read the book. As a quick response to the hype: Like the book, if you're gonna watch it, take it with a grain of salt. 1) Dan Brown doesn't have all of his facts right and 2) people who think this book/movie actually means anything significant are only ignorant/uninformed. Dan Brown's facts are long known and have never been hidden, while his fictions/falsities are long known and well refuted. Just check wikipedia.org, http://www.jesusanddavinci.com, or the many other sites.

Since I'm on movies, this post is another one. The Drama Ministry at EFC/Harvest Berkeley had some good stuff going, whether skits to advertise for a retreat, or videos like this to make a point/teach something. I wish I had all of them, but here's all I could find so far. Make sure to watch the "other version" in the same album as this one (click the album's link above). Pretty funny "bloopers". :D

Coffeehouse'ish performance @ Katherine Huang & Daniel Chang's fundraiser thingy. I brought some of the CCSV boys with me to accompany. I miss performing in public spaces. Too bad we weren't more rehearsed. :-P

"But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness" ~ 2 Timothy 2:16
~~~
I've wondered how this plays out in real life. Taken far enough, most of what I say is worldly and empty chatter. (e.g. - "Did Cal win?", "Yeah, I prefer Mac OSX to Winblows.", "I need to poop real bad.") And that's not even really having to take it all THAT far. King James version says: "But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness." Does this only apply to cussing? The verse right before (since this verse starts with a "but") says "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." Hmmm... "accurately handling the word of truth." So maybe it means not to defame God's Word, or use it for worldly gain, or argue/talk about it in a way that doesn't lead to anything helpful? I dunno. But it does make me wish I held my tongue more. I wish I would think things through more thoroughly before I end up slapping my forehead "Doh!" Like other "Bible instructions", do I look for how much I can do/say before I cross the line of "being bad"? I hope not. 'Cuz that only shows my spiritual immaturity and evil heart.

I get pissed at certain injustices. I noticed one such pet peeve this past weekend, namely when people use other people for selfish desires/gain. (I hope not to gossip or cause harm in this story but to hopefully build us up. I'm guessing no one there will be reading this anyway.) A guy sits between two girls at a scary movie. The girls grab for each other during the scary parts. Since he's in between them, they're reaching over/across him. They ask to switch seats with him so they can do their girly thing (heh). He refuses. I notice and am a little peeved. Why? It's not so much the girls not getting to sit next to each other like they'd asked, 'cuz like they said later, it didn't really matter to them that much. What bugs is that I think he refused to switch 'cuz he liked having the girls around him, reaching over him, physical contact, etc. I made kind of a big deal about it during them movie by asking him repeatedly to switch, then after the movie pulling him aside to confront him about it. I'm hoping I didn't get his motives wrong, but he didn't argue with my suspicions nor volunteer any other reason for his stubbornness. Girls aren't objects. People aren't objects. Even if it's "OK" with them (like flirting). Of course, the degree varies according to various variables. Many times I just let it go.

I think I know why I don't have especially close friends that I actually see a lot. Either I see you a lot, or I don't see you much but when we talk, it's really close. Never both. I'm very "inconvenient" at times because my threshold for confronting/bringing something up is lower than most. If I see something messed up/shady, and I care enough about you, etc., then I'll bring it up. As a result, with me around, it's harder to hide things, bury aspects/character traits you're ashamed of, etc. I long for "inconvenient" friends. Not people who will tell me off to make themselves bigger, make me smaller, or for jealousy/pride reasons, but out of love, they sharpen me as "iron sharpens iron" (Proverbs 27:17). Ignorance is NOT bliss, it's just ignorant. Doesn't anyone else desire the same? Weird.

2006.06.06 - Omenless

As a child I was very superstitious. As an adult, I try very hard to not be, but it still creeps up sometimes. I don't care about walking under ladders or before black cats anymore, but I make some decisions weirdly. e.g. - I'll sit at a stoplight where I would usually go straight to get to wherever I'm going, but sometimes I'll countdown from 16 or 12, then make a right turn if the opposing light hasn't turned yellow yet. This isn't terribly superstitious, but sometimes I'll think to myself, "this will happen" or "that will happen" if the light turns before I finish counting down. The logic? Lacking. It's just a game-turned-fortune-teller I would play as a child while riding in my mom's car's back seat.

I used to countdown from 10. Why 16 or 12 now? Musical phrasing. A couple of years ago (recent in this countdown history), I noticed how annoying it was to end the countdown in the middle of a musical phrase. So I switched it to 12 or 16, depending on what rhythm/beat feel you use. If you don't understand, then ask someone who's familiar with musical phrases in powers of 2. :)

It's amazing how math, music, human "feel", etc. are so intertwined. :)

Do guys ever not unbutton/unlatch their pants and only unzip to pee at a urinal? I have never, for fear of pulling a "Something About Mary" moment. Ouch.

Pretty in pink: This is my first (and only) pink shirt. It's the first one that I felt actually matched my skin tone (relatively dark). I bought it while shopping with a gay couple. How fitting. Ok I'll stop now.

This pic was from last week. I didn't tell many people, but I went home for 2 days, or more like a day and a half, just for my lil' bro's H.S. graduation. I'd forgotten how muggy Mary's Land can be. Although the stickiness wasn't pleasant, I really miss 4 seasons (instead of just the 2 of Cali: dry & wet). You can always click on a blog entry's heading for the album the pic came from, but here are some of my fav's:

Candid shot of my fam and fam friend.
Wayne Yu fans trying to stay cool in the sticky heat.
The siblings.

The mystery of the Trinity (God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit) is less about who God is, as it is about how they reciprocally relate with the community of believers. Marriage is less about the two people getting married, as it is about how they reciprocally relate with the community of people around the two. This perspective can change our understanding of the Godhead and of us.

I'm playing/singing at a coffeehouse type fundraiser up in Richmond if anyone's around. I think they're looking for more musicians too if you're interested in performing a short set (10 - 15 min's) amongst chit chatting coffee drinkers.

I noticed changes of skin color during this short trip to MD. My first flight to Atlanta from SF was pretty much all White. Then the leg from Atlanta to Baltimore was mostly Black. My flight coming back from Baltimore directly to SF was mostly Yellow. Interesting.

I'm scared of flying still. I've yet to take a flight where the seatbelt sign stays off for the duration of cruising. Turbulence scares me. A lot. When planning trips, I try to take as few flight legs as possible. I'm thinking accidents usually happen during take-off and landing, so I try to minimize how many I need to go through.

For most drivers, I'm scared of riding in their car. I just don't trust other drivers. I've been told this is 'cuz of the big car accident from 8.5 years ago. Even before then, I still preferred to be the driver. But I don't remember if that was just 'cuz I love driving. I'd like to think it's not a control-freak thing.

2006.06.02 Fri - Teaching

A funny ad for my summer services: Got Engrish? ha ha...

This summer I'll be volunteering as an English teacher at a summer camp in East Asia. I'm anxious, excited, and hoping to do a good job of teaching with Excellence and Loving my students and fellow teachers. If you'd like to help support this summer volunteer endeavor and/or receive updates, please lemme know. :D

I have great respect for teachers. Many of my jobs ever since high school have been some form of teaching, whether it was teaching English to non-native English speakers, teaching teachers how to usefully incorporate computers in the classroom, teaching guitar lessons, teaching computer classes for Berkeley faculty & staff, etc. I even applied to be a private school music teacher a couple of years ago. I ended up turning down the position though, 'cuz I really don't wanna be a teacher for life. It's hard. Teaching enthused students excites me. Starting beginners on a potential path doesn't. I've had major guilt about that for years, but I'm more ok with it now, thinking that my place in this world is with pushing those that are already of passion.

This pic is Julie (Hu) Chen and her friend Ankit, in her 5th grade classroom down in SoCal back in Fall of 2001. I cannot say it enough, that I have a high respect for the likes of her, Lillian Yow, Audrey (Chiang) Wu, Eileen Fung, and many others that have taken up teaching. I dunno how you guys do it.

2006.05.30 Tue - Breaking Others Down or Bringing Others Up

Since I had driven up to pick up my last boxes of stuff from my old EmeryBay apt (after almost a year), I met up with Po-Wei Chen yesterday while up in Berzerkeley for boba. I really enjoyed it. He's really changed, and yet in some ways he's still the pigeon-cooing, toe-obsessed weirdo I met when he first came to Cal almost 5 years ago. It's nice to be affirmed that at least some of the hassling and upfrontness from years ago actually went into molding someone's character and (hopefully) maturity. It's also nice to know what I should do differently next time around. I learned many years ago that I work out theology, philosophy, reflections on mistakes, and thought exercises out loud by talking my thoughts through with some people. I noticed only recently that I don't really have any of those types of friends around anymore and I miss my sounding boards. :p It's nice to have another's pair of ears without worrying if they're bored/annoyed by your thoughts. Otherwise I'd probably be talking to myself like a mad man.

In recent weeks, Stanfurd's had a few muggings on campus near the dorms. Suddenly, students are all making sure others aren't walking home alone. Poon and I (Cal grads) were like, "...", then "You mean you don't usually try to walk home with others at night? and mugging incidences are big news?" What sheltered Trees are these. :D

I was once held up at gunpoint while still living in Berkeley. It was me and this big Korean guy. The perps were a black kid and a white kid, neither of whom looked older than H.S. More than anything, my Korean friend and I were just annoyed. The fear didn't kick in until we got away. It's a longer story, but the perps ended up getting nuthin' from us. :) Wow. Praise God, for He blesses abundantly.

Learn to gain self-esteem by building up yourself to (or surpassing) the standard/level of others, and not the copout-break-others-down-to-my-level-so-I-don't-feel-inferior method. It's hard, and the cowardly easy way out is commonly used, but come on...

This pic is from Spring of 2003 when I was in The Movement dance troupe at Berkeley. This is only one of the swing troupes (Movement has multiple hip-hop, jazz, & swing troupes). I'd already graduated, but was still doing student activities at the time (working on campus part time, working at Moe's Flowers part time, singing in 2 a cappella groups). We mainly only performed our dance routines at campus events, but still seemed like such a big deal and was a booty load of fun. :D

My lil' bro' Wayne Yu is graduating from high school on Thurs. ?!? HIGH SCHOOL!!! My gosh he grew up fast. Congrats Silo. Go Terps! :D

2006.05.24 Wed - Ogling

Ladies, doesn't it irk you when you notice that a guy your walking down the street with, driving/riding in the car with, sitting at the restaurant/cafe with, diverts their attention from you because they're noticing/ogling at a girl walking by or at another table? ...especially if you're saying something to him? ...ESPECIALLY if he's your bf/hubby? For many years now, it would piss me off when guys would do that, when girls would do that (noticing a boy; I don't mind so much when it's a girl... competitiveness?), and especially when I would do that. We've probably heard it said, "well, guys are guys." What a load a' crap. That's the lamest excuse to dishonor one another as ever. No one's saying you can't be attracted to guys/girls. Rather we should honor one another by how we react to/deal with such attractions. Especially as summer's coming along (and less is being covered), consciously try this for a few weeks and see if it doesn't change you (and get friends to call you on it when you slip): when you see someone of the opposite gender that 1) is attractive in your eyes and/or 2) is attractive in society's eyes (these can be different), try looking away, or intentionally STARING at the person you're having a conversation with. Holiness doesn't happen overnight, but the first steps (and even if just the first steps) to growing attitudes and character that loves others as ourselves and honors others above ourselves, can begin now.

I ogle at oncoming and neighboring cars. It's not even the exotics that I care about. It's the sleepers: cars that most wouldn't notice and don't try to look fast, but due to an emblem, a small cosmetic difference, but there's something different under that body. Now THAT'S hot. :p Many a close call have I missed.

It's not about rules or restrictions. It's about freedom and living a life free to love fully.

The biggest difference I've noticed between European & American/Asian driving behavior is communication. You aren't only responsible for what vector your car is heading and if you're clear of hitting anything, you should be responsible for how your vector and position affects other drivers. I rarely see that here, hence the more senseless accidents. It's not that Europeans are necessarily better at maneuvering their own vehicle, but that they're better at minimizing the opportunities for other drivers to make mistakes. How true this is for all relationships and communication.

Yesterday was relatively uneventful. Each year things become less and less a big deal and I've learned to just be more laid back and chill about things. I don't think I've "really celebrated" for a few years now. I'm not sure if I'm sad about that or not.

Had work as usual.

Sold my old iBook for $600. Not bad considering the new MacBooks that have replaced the iBook line.

Had dinner with Katherine & Daniel. Thanx for the Japanese food. :-)

Had drinks and watched the movie, "Nothing", with Hoomes. A movie from some of the same people who made "Cube" & "Hypercube".

Came home and did laundry. Yippee. :p

Thanx to those that called or remembered otherwise. I know I try to play it down each year 'cuz I wish I was more constructive with it, but the pridefulness in me still likes to be remembered/acknowledged. :)

Thank God for more years than I deserve.

These two Jettas are pics I saw on a local NorCalVW forum. So purty.

Does anyone have a nice dig cam? Like at least a pro-sumer DSLR that I can either use for an hour or wouldn't mind coming along to shoot some car photos? URPAID4 & INFULL need some lovin', but I wanna get some pics posted in the meantime. :)

2006.05.22 Mon - God Is Good...

...all the time. The rain clouds threatened. Droplets even fell only minutes before we went on. But God held back what would have ruined my new $200 suit. OOoooo... ha ha.

Free catered food, wine, & ice cream was yum. The scenery and ladies were beautiful. The free photo booth was a laugh (shoulda' used it more). The live music provided by "Blue Moon" was good. The dancing with rich women was fun. The performance coulda' been worse (I moved us a little outta' position by the middle of the routine). The croqueting crowd was welcoming. The rolling hills of young grapes was quite a sight. But the company was fantastic! Thanx to Kevin & Carla's performance troupe for letting us join the fun for a day. :D

Another fav photo with Yon.

2006.05.21 Sun - Senseless Traditions of Male Bonding

Don't get scammed by phishing attempts. Get in the habit of never clicking through on emails that ask for login/personal info. You get an email that your statement's ready to be viewed online? Ok. Delete it, open your web browser, and type in/select your bookmark for the bank's URL.

If you're into the sport of toying with scammers, join these guys: http://www.419eater.com/.

It's petty and even pitiful when someone or some persons defame or bring down others as a way of making themselves feel better or bigger. Just sad. It happens more often than we're probably aware of, especially when we're the guilty party.

About 10 years ago, I started purchasing Eddie Bauer clothing and products because their fragrance for men was called, "Balance".

I passionately strive for the medium ground between extremes. (Imagine a 2D scale, the X-axis being "extreme left vs. extreme right views", the Y-axis being "passion" or "hot vs. cold" (Revelation 3). Ideally, I'd imagine most circumstances would call for the middle on the X-scale, and higher rather than lower on the Y-scale. What picture does that make? :p heh heh)

This is a video of a favorite EFC/Harvest Berkeley past time, dogpiling the birthday boy. Many have resisted, many have run, but all have been taken down for the count. This victim is Wing Ho for his 23rd birthday in the fellowship hall at church. I love being one of the last ones on so I can pull the "death from above" move. :) Apparently starting in 2003, the girls started dogpiling the girls on their b-days as well.

One year my birthday landed on a Friday Night Fellowship that EFC would hold on campus at the Campanile lawn. I prepared for the dogpile danger by borrowing a friend's Super Soakers, loading them up before hand, and leaving my trunk slightly open for easy access. Towards the end of the night, my paranoid eye noticed the circling predators coming in the for dogpile kill. I ran for my car and grabbed the guns, firing away at my pursuers. This held them at bay for the moment. As I was about to get in my car for a quick getaway, some girls brought a peace offering of a baked birthday cake. Although suspicious, I hesitated and stood there for a bit. Then screams came from behind, as I realized guys had taken the opportunity to sneak around the bushes to the back. The water guns didn't stop anyone anymore. :(