So today is the last day of February. And that means this is also the last article about love. Yay! Although there is so much to write about love, frankly, I’m getting a little depressed. So, sit back and enjoy. Next month, I’m going to talk about… prayer!
Let’s talk a little more about the results of love. I’ve touched on it a little, about the love of parents for a child. How they stop becoming selfish, and start becoming selfless. Well, that type of reaction is not just solely for parent-child relationship, or even spouse-spouse relationship. It’s inherent to love itself. The Greeks had lots of words for love, but C.S. Lewis narrowed it down to 4 as it applies to Christianity. Storge, Philia, Eros, Agape. I would contend that for each one, a person’s behavior would still change from being inward focus, to outward focus. But first, let’s talk very briefly about the 4 types. Who knows, God-willing I can discuss this further next Feb. =)
Storge – Family love. Most commonly, this term is applied to the love between family members. It is based on chance, you don’t choose your child’s characteristics, and it’s instinctual.
Philia – Friendship love. Typically, a bond formed based on common interests. It is practical, in that both people benefit from it.
Eros – Sexual love. It’s the more common form of love, dating/newlywed love. It’s love based on beauty, or loveable qualities.
Agape – Unconditional love. A love not based on any loveable qualities that the object of the love possesses.
In all cases, you want the object of that love to be happy. For family love, you try to sit down and eat as a family. Your mom remembers your favorite food and cooks it for you. When she goes grocery shopping, she doesn’t buy the flavors or snacks that you don’t like. Friends will try to make other friends happy or else they won’t hang out with each other anymore. And by virtue of their shared interests, they’re happy when they talk or do the same activities. For lovers (in the American sense), if you’re a guy, you buy flowers or give her gifts. For the girls, you dress up nicely, and do stuff that your SO likes to do. Now, agape is a little different. The best way, and the most widely-used way to describe it, is the love that God feels towards us. We don’t deserve to be loved, we sin and disobey him all the time. But He still loves us and wants us to be happy. He is the most selfless Being ever, because He sent a perfect man to die for us… for no humanly discernable reason.
So what kind of love should we have with God? That’s a question I can’t really answer for you. It’s a personal thing that you have to decide with God. But, whatever relationship you have with him, you need to understand that your life has changed. As Paul said, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph 4:22-24) Here’s what it means in a practical sense. Think upon the time when a) you began a long-term relationship with someone, b) married c) your sibling was born. If you are single and an only child, well… imagine something else. When that new love came in, your whole life changed, didn’t it? Marriage is the most drastic. You put off your “bachelor(ette)hood” and put on “marriagehood”. It’s the same way with God. And just like your spouse, God comes with rules. “Seat down”, “Roll the tube from one end”, “Chew with your mouth closed”. And we put up with them, not because we think they’re the right thing to do (even if they may be), but because we love that person and we want them to be happy. So we don’t obey God’s rules because that will get us into heaven. It’s impossible for us to obey His rules. But daily, we must strive to do so, out of love because we want Him to be happy.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
Cell Phone Danger
Kinda scary. This might be old news, it was reported in December. Now, cell phones can really kill.
Free books with ads
Ad-supported books. Now this is a great concept. I wonder how long it'll take before we see some Christian Authors that do it?
Night of Fire
Happy Monday! This video should brighten your day as you begin this glorious work week!
It is a weird, weird music video. Of course, it's from Japan, so what do you expect. Anyway, the song itself is quite catchy...
It is a weird, weird music video. Of course, it's from Japan, so what do you expect. Anyway, the song itself is quite catchy...
Friday, February 24, 2006
Red Square Game
Another relaxing game if you're stressed after this short week. Try to not let the red square touch any other blue squares on the edges. So far I could do it for 19seconds, but I'm sure I can beat that easily if I tried longer.
New Sleeping Pill
It's almost like one of those crazy infomercials you saw late at night during one of your bouts of insomnia. Not only is it a sleeping pill, but it can also increase memory! I believe it can also cut shoes as well without dulling.
Cheapest Gas
Want to find the nearest cheapest gas station near you? Check this one out! Note, that it does not include Costco Gas Stations.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Forwards (Pt 2)
Now there’s another forward type that I get that though it is well-meaning, I usually read them half-heartedly. They are the religious-themed forwards. Sure, it’s a great way to spread the message of God’s love and grace, but is it effective? The reason email scams work is because they play on Man’s base instincts. Love, Sex, Money (not necessarily in that order). People are always looking for free things, and email scammers take advantage of that fact. Email is also (relatively) anonymous, so people are free to pursue their most perverse desires. However, very few people think about religion, and probably even less about the state of their souls. It’s a topic similar to politics, where it is liable to bring arguments to unfamiliar people.
One problem I see with these types of forwards is that by their nature, they are too short to properly tell people about the full message of Christ. They have to be short, because people don’t have time to read long emails from everyone on their address book, unless it personally involves them somehow. And even then, there’s no guarantee they will read it. Believe me, I know from experience ;) Even at work, where email is vital to the communication of the company, people frequently put me on their delete list. So when I do send out important information, it automatically gets deleted. Then these same people come over to my cubicle later, mad that they never received any warning about a change in the websites or something. Then I’ll patiently show them the email I sent out, and that’s when they usually mumble an apology. So, to sum up, if you want someone to read your email, keep it short, and funny (if possible). Hmm… I wonder if that applies to blog entries as well? …. Nah!
The second problem is that I naturally don’t trust religious forwards, unless I know the speaker. The Bible is so easily misinterpreted and misunderstood. Why do you think we have all these divisions within the Church? I’m sure it displeases God to know that some of the most bitter rivalries occur within the Church itself. And pretty much all of them arise out of different interpretations of the Bible, and in some cases of just one sentence. So, if it is very easy for groups of people to get things wrong, how much easier will it be for just one person to get it wrong? I think in order for a religious forward to be effective, by necessity, it must focus on the basic tenets of the Christian faith. Thus, it will not offend any particular Christian group. But, because forwards need to be short (see previous paragraph), if they focus on one aspect of Christ, it may seem like that is all there is to know about Christ. For example, let’s say you want to encourage someone who is down. You then write up this cutesy forward, with maybe some cute pictures, and then write down a nice Bible verse about encouragement. This gets passed around, from well-meaning person to well-meaning person. And when non-believers get it, they’ll read it and think that God will always help people and He will never let them down. But guess what? You and I know that isn’t always correct. Bad things do happen to Christians, and being a Christian doesn’t mean your life will always be rosy and pain-free.
So what is the point of these forwards? Is it an easy way to let someone know you care about them without having to actually, y’know, think about it? Wouldn’t a personal letter be more well-meaning to that other person? Are the forwards supposed to offer comfort? If you mass-mail it to hundreds of your closest friends, do you think they will feel that you care about how each one is feeling at this moment? If the religious forward is meant to spread the Word, how many of you mainly just forward it to your other Christian friends? If I ever forwarded these kinds of forwards (which I don’t), then I certainly wouldn’t send them to my non-Christian friends. It’ll probably offend them and they’ll throw it away, and most likely add me to their no-spam list. And then who will I bother?
One problem I see with these types of forwards is that by their nature, they are too short to properly tell people about the full message of Christ. They have to be short, because people don’t have time to read long emails from everyone on their address book, unless it personally involves them somehow. And even then, there’s no guarantee they will read it. Believe me, I know from experience ;) Even at work, where email is vital to the communication of the company, people frequently put me on their delete list. So when I do send out important information, it automatically gets deleted. Then these same people come over to my cubicle later, mad that they never received any warning about a change in the websites or something. Then I’ll patiently show them the email I sent out, and that’s when they usually mumble an apology. So, to sum up, if you want someone to read your email, keep it short, and funny (if possible). Hmm… I wonder if that applies to blog entries as well? …. Nah!
The second problem is that I naturally don’t trust religious forwards, unless I know the speaker. The Bible is so easily misinterpreted and misunderstood. Why do you think we have all these divisions within the Church? I’m sure it displeases God to know that some of the most bitter rivalries occur within the Church itself. And pretty much all of them arise out of different interpretations of the Bible, and in some cases of just one sentence. So, if it is very easy for groups of people to get things wrong, how much easier will it be for just one person to get it wrong? I think in order for a religious forward to be effective, by necessity, it must focus on the basic tenets of the Christian faith. Thus, it will not offend any particular Christian group. But, because forwards need to be short (see previous paragraph), if they focus on one aspect of Christ, it may seem like that is all there is to know about Christ. For example, let’s say you want to encourage someone who is down. You then write up this cutesy forward, with maybe some cute pictures, and then write down a nice Bible verse about encouragement. This gets passed around, from well-meaning person to well-meaning person. And when non-believers get it, they’ll read it and think that God will always help people and He will never let them down. But guess what? You and I know that isn’t always correct. Bad things do happen to Christians, and being a Christian doesn’t mean your life will always be rosy and pain-free.
So what is the point of these forwards? Is it an easy way to let someone know you care about them without having to actually, y’know, think about it? Wouldn’t a personal letter be more well-meaning to that other person? Are the forwards supposed to offer comfort? If you mass-mail it to hundreds of your closest friends, do you think they will feel that you care about how each one is feeling at this moment? If the religious forward is meant to spread the Word, how many of you mainly just forward it to your other Christian friends? If I ever forwarded these kinds of forwards (which I don’t), then I certainly wouldn’t send them to my non-Christian friends. It’ll probably offend them and they’ll throw it away, and most likely add me to their no-spam list. And then who will I bother?
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Email Forwards (Pt 1)
I know most of you are savvy Internet readers. After all, you’ve managed to read my words right now. It’s no small feat, really. You probably bookmarked this site (hopefully), and that involves using shortcuts or using the menu bar on your browser. Seems like a simple thing for you, but for the 60-something year old who never had a computer growing up, it can be a very difficult task. Anyway, that’s not my point. I’ve noticed something really interesting, almost a paradox in the “average person’s” view of “The Internet”. First, they somehow have this belief that this whole Internet is like one gigantic computer or something that can be turned on and off as easy as unplugging a blow-dryer. Second thing is, they trust it and don’t trust it, at the same time, which is very odd. Case in point: the media and security “experts” say the Internet is unsafe. Accounts can be hacked, your whole life can be found with a click of the button, etc, etc. So the regular person, naturally, becomes very cautious of entering any personal information. “But it’s personal, and the bad hackers can see what I type!” Sure, if you’re doing online banking on a public terminal, anything is possible and always assume everything is logged. Makes sense. Yet, it’s these same suspicious people who will give money to political refugees from Nigeria. “Ooh, he says if I give him a hundred dollars now, he will wire me a million later! Ohkay, sounds good!”
I don’t have the statistics on me, but I’m pretty sure that hackers have more luck of getting someone’s password through phishing scams rather than straight out hacking a company’s website. What that means is it’s more likely that you’re giving away your personal information, rather than the hacker taking the information. If you aren’t going to trust your own financial institution with your personal information, you should be just as suspicious of emails from people you barely talked to in the past decade, because most likely it’s an internet worm that uses an infected person’s address book to propogate itself. Be consistent, that’s all I’m saying. And be smart. Think about it, if a scammer sends out 1 million fake emails asking for money, if even 0.1% respond, that’s 1 thousand people. With a dollar a person, that’s a thousand bucks. Don’t be part of that .1 percent.
You know another thing that fools people easily? Forwards. I’m not sure why people start them. Maybe they get a kick out of fooling a lot of people. I dunno. Then again, I don’t know why shows like Punk’d and Jackass are so popular either. Most forwards I get, I junk them. There are usually 3 main types of forwards: the funny ones (or at least the authors think they’re funny), the news-worthy ones (or at least the authors think it’s newsworthy) and the sentimental ones (usually talking about how precious life is, blah blah blah). I usually read the funny ones. I dunno, sometimes they’re good for a laugh. Sometimes I like to feel smart by seeing through their dumb joke. But at least they’re entertaining.
I usually skip the news-worthy ones. Most are misrepresented, blown out of proportion or just plain wrong. Scamming letters fall under this category. They try to mix just enough truth with their fiction to make it seem legit. And then it gets forwarded to other people, spreading the lies even further. One great site devoted to stopping this type of malicious email is Snopes.com. Try it. Love it. Learn it. It’s great. And yes, this type of email is malicious because it’s utterly worthless, you can’t get even get a chuckle out of them, and when you pass it on, you are unintentionally spreading lies and gossip. If you do feel the need to pass this important information onto others, especially to me, do me a favor. Check it out on snopes first. If it’s listed as a hoax, please don’t send it. Stop the cycle!
One forward in particular, really affected my Real Life. Have you seen this one? Basically, some atheist is trying to ban all religion from the airwaves. And it is our religious and civic duty as God-fearing Christians to write in and let the FCC know about this great injustice! Somehow, some of my church deacons got a hold of this particular forward and decided to do something about it. They printed out the form that was included in the forward, and had everyone in the congregation sign it. (Well, except me, cause I heard of it before.) Then they mailed it to the FCC. Of course, it was a hoax. And I’m sure someone somewhere is laughing about it… if he ever found out what my church did.
The last ones, the sentimental ones, I sometimes read them, if I’m in the mood. They are usually the same heartwarming, “Oh you have to be reminded how good your life is” type stuff. Yeah, sometimes it makes me think, most often it makes me want to hurl, but that’s just me. It’s very comforting to know that my mom thinks of me enough to send me a card with a bunch of roses on it…. TMI? Well tough, live with it!
I don’t have the statistics on me, but I’m pretty sure that hackers have more luck of getting someone’s password through phishing scams rather than straight out hacking a company’s website. What that means is it’s more likely that you’re giving away your personal information, rather than the hacker taking the information. If you aren’t going to trust your own financial institution with your personal information, you should be just as suspicious of emails from people you barely talked to in the past decade, because most likely it’s an internet worm that uses an infected person’s address book to propogate itself. Be consistent, that’s all I’m saying. And be smart. Think about it, if a scammer sends out 1 million fake emails asking for money, if even 0.1% respond, that’s 1 thousand people. With a dollar a person, that’s a thousand bucks. Don’t be part of that .1 percent.
You know another thing that fools people easily? Forwards. I’m not sure why people start them. Maybe they get a kick out of fooling a lot of people. I dunno. Then again, I don’t know why shows like Punk’d and Jackass are so popular either. Most forwards I get, I junk them. There are usually 3 main types of forwards: the funny ones (or at least the authors think they’re funny), the news-worthy ones (or at least the authors think it’s newsworthy) and the sentimental ones (usually talking about how precious life is, blah blah blah). I usually read the funny ones. I dunno, sometimes they’re good for a laugh. Sometimes I like to feel smart by seeing through their dumb joke. But at least they’re entertaining.
I usually skip the news-worthy ones. Most are misrepresented, blown out of proportion or just plain wrong. Scamming letters fall under this category. They try to mix just enough truth with their fiction to make it seem legit. And then it gets forwarded to other people, spreading the lies even further. One great site devoted to stopping this type of malicious email is Snopes.com. Try it. Love it. Learn it. It’s great. And yes, this type of email is malicious because it’s utterly worthless, you can’t get even get a chuckle out of them, and when you pass it on, you are unintentionally spreading lies and gossip. If you do feel the need to pass this important information onto others, especially to me, do me a favor. Check it out on snopes first. If it’s listed as a hoax, please don’t send it. Stop the cycle!
One forward in particular, really affected my Real Life. Have you seen this one? Basically, some atheist is trying to ban all religion from the airwaves. And it is our religious and civic duty as God-fearing Christians to write in and let the FCC know about this great injustice! Somehow, some of my church deacons got a hold of this particular forward and decided to do something about it. They printed out the form that was included in the forward, and had everyone in the congregation sign it. (Well, except me, cause I heard of it before.) Then they mailed it to the FCC. Of course, it was a hoax. And I’m sure someone somewhere is laughing about it… if he ever found out what my church did.
The last ones, the sentimental ones, I sometimes read them, if I’m in the mood. They are usually the same heartwarming, “Oh you have to be reminded how good your life is” type stuff. Yeah, sometimes it makes me think, most often it makes me want to hurl, but that’s just me. It’s very comforting to know that my mom thinks of me enough to send me a card with a bunch of roses on it…. TMI? Well tough, live with it!
Monday, February 20, 2006
A difference between Christianity and Islam
Happy President's Day!
Actually, what I would like to see more on my blog are good Christian articles to read. Unfortunately, I don't read too many (mainly because I don't know where to look), so if any of my 5 readers find interesting articles about Christian stuff, please don't hesitate to send them to me. I think my email is on here somewhere...
Anyway, a frequent reader sent me this article by John Piper, which is concerning the huge Muslim outcry against the mocking cartoons. Good article and it really does show one of the most fundamental differences between Christianity and Islam.
Actually, what I would like to see more on my blog are good Christian articles to read. Unfortunately, I don't read too many (mainly because I don't know where to look), so if any of my 5 readers find interesting articles about Christian stuff, please don't hesitate to send them to me. I think my email is on here somewhere...
Anyway, a frequent reader sent me this article by John Piper, which is concerning the huge Muslim outcry against the mocking cartoons. Good article and it really does show one of the most fundamental differences between Christianity and Islam.
He-Man sings 4 Non-Blondes
I had such wonderful memories of He-Man as a child. I remember rushing home to watch him. Now looking back at it, I wonder how I wasn't traumatized as a kid. All those muscular men and swords.... as the Men on In Loving Color would proably say, that show is worth 2 snaps and an around the world snap. Anyway, here's He-Man singing the classic tune, "What's Up?"
As an aside, did anyone else think the Sorceress was hot?
As an aside, did anyone else think the Sorceress was hot?
Friday, February 17, 2006
Yellow Fever!
Friday, time to relax and take it easy... After a long week of hard work, what better way to enjoy today than to watch a movie and laugh.
A pretty long video, so you prolly don't want to watch it at work unless you have a lot of free time :) But it's SOO funny, and pretty accurate, altho exaggerated for comical effect ;-) I highly recommend it.
Sent in by my sister.
A pretty long video, so you prolly don't want to watch it at work unless you have a lot of free time :) But it's SOO funny, and pretty accurate, altho exaggerated for comical effect ;-) I highly recommend it.
Sent in by my sister.
Sexy Sprites
All I can say is, this is so geeky, even for me. Although I rated some just to see more, still it's sad. It's a geeky version of hotornot, except with computer graphic people, called avatars. Check it out.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Last Man Standing
Warning: Other than the intro, this piece was written for a W4C newsletter.
Everyone has a soulmate. Or there’s a right person for everyone. I’ve heard these comforting words from many people. I’ve always wanted to say, but what if they’re in Africa? Just because there is someone for everyone, it doesn’t mean we will be able to find that someone as well. So does that mean we have to travel the entire world searching for that special person?
For Christians, it’s tougher to find the soulmate. For one thing, the pool is always smaller. If you thought finding a nice girl in Silicon Valley is hard, how about finding a nice Christian girl in Silicon Valley. Apparently fellowships are out of the question, because every one frowns on going to fellowships just to meet people. “That is so-so- unspiritual! You should be going to fellowship to talk to God,” some sisters tell me. But I talk to God every day, why do I need to spend an entire Friday night to do that? And picking up someone during Church Service? Forget it! The pastor has this weird rule of only one person talking during the sermon. What’s up with that!?!
Several years ago, I had just finished going to the last wedding of the year. It was my 6th one. It seemed like whenever my co-workers ask me what I'm doing for the week-end, my response would always be the same.
"Wedding".
"Again?!?", they would inevitably reply.
"Yeah, another one".
"What is that, like your twentieth wedding?" Then a pause. And then I see a smirk forming on their lips. I've been expecting that smirk, that's why I always watch their faces carefully. It happens every time I tell them I'm going to a wedding. EVERY TIME.
"So when are you going to get married?"
A million smart-alecky answers come racing into my brain. How about this one? No... I've used that one already. I may be sarcastic, but never stale. How about this... no, it's too mean. Eventually, I would end up retorting with a watered-down, depreciating remark like, "Oh, I can't put the cart before the horse, I need to find someone first." Then they usually reply, "Go to San Francisco. So-and-so moved up there just to meet girls." That's when I have to resist the urge to strangle them.
Even if on the days (rare) I don't attend a wedding, someone in the office would get married. (We had a lot of single guys at our place). Usually, it'd be an Indian. (we have a lot of Indians at our place.) Usually, it's after they've taken a 4 week vacation to go back to India. It's gotten to be that any time an Indian co-worker announces they are going back to India, I know they aren't coming back alone. I'm not stereotyping or anything, it really does happen that way. Happened to 5 so far. One extreme example, a co-worker went to India for just TWO weeks. Came back with a wife. Met her for TWO days, and got married. Two. I have friends who have been dating for 8 years and are still not married. Two. The day he came back and announced his marriage, I came over to congratulate him.
"Hey, congratulations!"
"Thanks", he would beam.
"So... what does she do?"
"Oh, she's a doctor!"
"Wow, a doctor! What kind of doctor?"
"Umm... I'm not sure..."
Ohhkkaayy... I simply smiled and walked away, shaking my head. Oh well, at least he's got the rest of his life to find out. Anyway, whenever a lucky newlywed shoots an email about their marriage, my co-workers just look at me. "Before you say anything, no I'm not getting married soon, no I'm not going to China to pick up a wife, and no, I'm not moving to San Francisco!" My hands start twitching and I resist the urge to strangle. Yes, this is my workplace.
Everyone has a soulmate. Or there’s a right person for everyone. I’ve heard these comforting words from many people. I’ve always wanted to say, but what if they’re in Africa? Just because there is someone for everyone, it doesn’t mean we will be able to find that someone as well. So does that mean we have to travel the entire world searching for that special person?
For Christians, it’s tougher to find the soulmate. For one thing, the pool is always smaller. If you thought finding a nice girl in Silicon Valley is hard, how about finding a nice Christian girl in Silicon Valley. Apparently fellowships are out of the question, because every one frowns on going to fellowships just to meet people. “That is so-so- unspiritual! You should be going to fellowship to talk to God,” some sisters tell me. But I talk to God every day, why do I need to spend an entire Friday night to do that? And picking up someone during Church Service? Forget it! The pastor has this weird rule of only one person talking during the sermon. What’s up with that!?!
Several years ago, I had just finished going to the last wedding of the year. It was my 6th one. It seemed like whenever my co-workers ask me what I'm doing for the week-end, my response would always be the same.
"Wedding".
"Again?!?", they would inevitably reply.
"Yeah, another one".
"What is that, like your twentieth wedding?" Then a pause. And then I see a smirk forming on their lips. I've been expecting that smirk, that's why I always watch their faces carefully. It happens every time I tell them I'm going to a wedding. EVERY TIME.
"So when are you going to get married?"
A million smart-alecky answers come racing into my brain. How about this one? No... I've used that one already. I may be sarcastic, but never stale. How about this... no, it's too mean. Eventually, I would end up retorting with a watered-down, depreciating remark like, "Oh, I can't put the cart before the horse, I need to find someone first." Then they usually reply, "Go to San Francisco. So-and-so moved up there just to meet girls." That's when I have to resist the urge to strangle them.
Even if on the days (rare) I don't attend a wedding, someone in the office would get married. (We had a lot of single guys at our place). Usually, it'd be an Indian. (we have a lot of Indians at our place.) Usually, it's after they've taken a 4 week vacation to go back to India. It's gotten to be that any time an Indian co-worker announces they are going back to India, I know they aren't coming back alone. I'm not stereotyping or anything, it really does happen that way. Happened to 5 so far. One extreme example, a co-worker went to India for just TWO weeks. Came back with a wife. Met her for TWO days, and got married. Two. I have friends who have been dating for 8 years and are still not married. Two. The day he came back and announced his marriage, I came over to congratulate him.
"Hey, congratulations!"
"Thanks", he would beam.
"So... what does she do?"
"Oh, she's a doctor!"
"Wow, a doctor! What kind of doctor?"
"Umm... I'm not sure..."
Ohhkkaayy... I simply smiled and walked away, shaking my head. Oh well, at least he's got the rest of his life to find out. Anyway, whenever a lucky newlywed shoots an email about their marriage, my co-workers just look at me. "Before you say anything, no I'm not getting married soon, no I'm not going to China to pick up a wife, and no, I'm not moving to San Francisco!" My hands start twitching and I resist the urge to strangle. Yes, this is my workplace.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Joke Time
Once again, it's hump day, so time for a joke to tide you through the rest of the week. I have no idea how long I can keep this up. It's hard finding 52 religious jokes.... I've told this one before, but it's still a keeper!
Jack, Paul and Louie volunteered to raise money for their church by
selling bibles. Jack and Paul were professional salesmen, but the
pastor had doubts about Louie because of his speech impediment. The
next Sunday, they reported their sales. Jack said, "I sold 20 bibles
on behalf of the church." The pastor replied, "Fine job, Jack! The
Church is indebted to you." Paul said, "I sold 30 bibles on behalf of
the church." The pastor replied, "Splendid, Paul. The church is
indebted to you." Louie silently handed the minister a large envelope.
The minister counted its contents and rejoiced. "Louie, there's over
$3,000 in here! Did you sell that many bibles in just one week?" Louie
nodded. "Impossible!" cried Jack. Paul said, "We're professional
salesmen. How could you sell 10 times more bibles than we did?" "It
does seem unlikely," agreed the minister. "What technique did you use,
Louie?" Louie shrugged. "I-I-I re-re-really do-do-don't kn-kn-know
f-f-f-for sh-sh-sh-sure. A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-said wa-wa-was,
'W-w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this
b-b-b-b-bible f-f-for t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks or wo-wo-would yo-you
j-j-j-just l-like m-m-me t-t-to st-st-stand h-h-here and
r-r-r-r-r-read it t-to y-y-you?!'"
Jack, Paul and Louie volunteered to raise money for their church by
selling bibles. Jack and Paul were professional salesmen, but the
pastor had doubts about Louie because of his speech impediment. The
next Sunday, they reported their sales. Jack said, "I sold 20 bibles
on behalf of the church." The pastor replied, "Fine job, Jack! The
Church is indebted to you." Paul said, "I sold 30 bibles on behalf of
the church." The pastor replied, "Splendid, Paul. The church is
indebted to you." Louie silently handed the minister a large envelope.
The minister counted its contents and rejoiced. "Louie, there's over
$3,000 in here! Did you sell that many bibles in just one week?" Louie
nodded. "Impossible!" cried Jack. Paul said, "We're professional
salesmen. How could you sell 10 times more bibles than we did?" "It
does seem unlikely," agreed the minister. "What technique did you use,
Louie?" Louie shrugged. "I-I-I re-re-really do-do-don't kn-kn-know
f-f-f-for sh-sh-sh-sure. A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-said wa-wa-was,
'W-w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this
b-b-b-b-bible f-f-for t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks or wo-wo-would yo-you
j-j-j-just l-like m-m-me t-t-to st-st-stand h-h-here and
r-r-r-r-r-read it t-to y-y-you?!'"
Top 11 Geeky Valentine's Day Gifts
I know it's probably a little late to help you, but here's the top 11 geeky valentine day gifts. Maybe you can save it for next year for your geek!
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Hard Love
Happy Single Awareness Day! Oh, SAD! I get it now! Sorry, my sister told me this alternate name. I didn't get it until I typed it out. Haha... not very funny. Moving on...
I was watching the March of the Penguins the other day. There wasn't anything else to rent, and I heard some good things about the movie. However, looking at the box, it didn't look appealing. For one thing, no breasts were anywhere in sight. Second, no guns, either. Third, I saw the logo of National Geographic on there. Undeterred by these discouraging signs, I paid my pieces of silver (ok, a credit card) and took it home. Popping it in, I was greeted with snow. No, not the TV snow that I had at one Super Bowl party which forced all my friends to watch in my mom's bedroom, but real snow, with glaciers and stuff. They were doing it for like 5 minutes, while Morgan Freeman's cool bass voice droned about the beginning of life and the Ice age.
Then the first penguin appeared, and I was enthralled. What followed was the annual pilgrimmage of the noble Emperor Penguin and the quest to get laid (literally!). One interesting fact was that the penguin is semi-monogamous. For one year, they are faithful to one spouse, but the next year all bets are off. And in a wonderful twist, the females fight over the males because typically there are less males than females. The movie tells you later on why that is. Despite the fact I still dozed off in several places, I still heartily recommend this movie.
However, what I learned about the struggle of the penguins didn't hit me until this past week, while doing the series on love and jealousy. And I will be giving you, lucky readers, my well-thought revelation. Love makes you do stupid things. No, I'm just teasing, sorta. Love is hard work, that's what I was trying to say. The male penguins have to walk around with an egg under their butt for 3 months. Not only did they get teased by the other male birds for doing a woman's job, they had to endure snow storms, freezing nights, and hunger. Watching all these proud males huddle together for warmth just to survive was one of the most endearing things I saw. And why did they do that? Because it was a great male bonding thing? No, it was for the love of an unborn child.
Love is such a powerful emotion. It can turn the smartest person in the planet into an idiot. It humbles the most reserved man into making the biggest fool of himself. Likewise, it can make two selfish and self-serving individuals give up their money, comfort and even happiness for someone else. In fact, it can cost up to $863,686 to raise a child and send it off to college. Back when I went to college, my dad was very fond of saying that he could have bought a new car for every year I was in the university. My mother gave up a nice job to take care of me and later my sister back before we were able to go to school. I'm sure you can think of the many sacrifices your parents had to give up just because they loved you. If not, at the very least, your mother had to endure one of the most painful moments in her life, your teenage years... err childbirth, of course.
I've talked about first love previously. However, that's actually a shallow, superficial type of love. If you find out before marriage that you two are incompatible, you can break up, and find someone else. It may hurt for a while, but it probably won't scar you for life. But once you're married, you're stuck (at least in the Christian sense). And that's when love becomes hard work, but nevertheless is a deeper sense of love. Now, there's no way out, you are one body as the Bible says. You snores, she steal your sheets. He likes to squeeze the toothpaste from the middle, you like to roll it up. Seat up or seat down? Soon, every little nagging thing that you've ignored up to now will very soon rub you raw. But you learn to deal with it. You learn to put up with the flaws, because that is what love is. Love is learning to live for someone else. It seems like a very difficult task, but hey, you gotta be glad you're not out in the snow, sitting on an egg while huddling with other strange men just to keep warm, right?
I was watching the March of the Penguins the other day. There wasn't anything else to rent, and I heard some good things about the movie. However, looking at the box, it didn't look appealing. For one thing, no breasts were anywhere in sight. Second, no guns, either. Third, I saw the logo of National Geographic on there. Undeterred by these discouraging signs, I paid my pieces of silver (ok, a credit card) and took it home. Popping it in, I was greeted with snow. No, not the TV snow that I had at one Super Bowl party which forced all my friends to watch in my mom's bedroom, but real snow, with glaciers and stuff. They were doing it for like 5 minutes, while Morgan Freeman's cool bass voice droned about the beginning of life and the Ice age.
Then the first penguin appeared, and I was enthralled. What followed was the annual pilgrimmage of the noble Emperor Penguin and the quest to get laid (literally!). One interesting fact was that the penguin is semi-monogamous. For one year, they are faithful to one spouse, but the next year all bets are off. And in a wonderful twist, the females fight over the males because typically there are less males than females. The movie tells you later on why that is. Despite the fact I still dozed off in several places, I still heartily recommend this movie.
However, what I learned about the struggle of the penguins didn't hit me until this past week, while doing the series on love and jealousy. And I will be giving you, lucky readers, my well-thought revelation. Love makes you do stupid things. No, I'm just teasing, sorta. Love is hard work, that's what I was trying to say. The male penguins have to walk around with an egg under their butt for 3 months. Not only did they get teased by the other male birds for doing a woman's job, they had to endure snow storms, freezing nights, and hunger. Watching all these proud males huddle together for warmth just to survive was one of the most endearing things I saw. And why did they do that? Because it was a great male bonding thing? No, it was for the love of an unborn child.
Love is such a powerful emotion. It can turn the smartest person in the planet into an idiot. It humbles the most reserved man into making the biggest fool of himself. Likewise, it can make two selfish and self-serving individuals give up their money, comfort and even happiness for someone else. In fact, it can cost up to $863,686 to raise a child and send it off to college. Back when I went to college, my dad was very fond of saying that he could have bought a new car for every year I was in the university. My mother gave up a nice job to take care of me and later my sister back before we were able to go to school. I'm sure you can think of the many sacrifices your parents had to give up just because they loved you. If not, at the very least, your mother had to endure one of the most painful moments in her life, your teenage years... err childbirth, of course.
I've talked about first love previously. However, that's actually a shallow, superficial type of love. If you find out before marriage that you two are incompatible, you can break up, and find someone else. It may hurt for a while, but it probably won't scar you for life. But once you're married, you're stuck (at least in the Christian sense). And that's when love becomes hard work, but nevertheless is a deeper sense of love. Now, there's no way out, you are one body as the Bible says. You snores, she steal your sheets. He likes to squeeze the toothpaste from the middle, you like to roll it up. Seat up or seat down? Soon, every little nagging thing that you've ignored up to now will very soon rub you raw. But you learn to deal with it. You learn to put up with the flaws, because that is what love is. Love is learning to live for someone else. It seems like a very difficult task, but hey, you gotta be glad you're not out in the snow, sitting on an egg while huddling with other strange men just to keep warm, right?
Monday, February 13, 2006
The biggest argument finally solved!
There has been a long controversy among newly-weds, and even people married for a long time. What to do about the toilet seat after each member of the opposite sex uses it. Finally, it's been mathematically solved! If you don't want to read the whole thing, plus it gets very geeky technical, just jump to the bottom. 2 paragraphs above the Remarks section.
My mom and dad solved it finally after about 20 years of living together... build 2 master bedroom bathrooms.
Hope that helps.
My mom and dad solved it finally after about 20 years of living together... build 2 master bedroom bathrooms.
Hope that helps.
3d Pavement Art
I've seen this page before, but I never bookmarked it. Now I found it again, and I'm sharing it with you. Aren't I nice? It's an artist's website who draws 3d illusions on pavement. It's pretty incredible.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Best Man speeches
Has anyone seen Wedding Crashers? Not a family-oriented film, but I liked it anyway. One of my favorite moments was when Owen Wilson's character was giving tips to some chick on how to give a good toast. Anyway, I found a site that does the same thing. You can buy pre-made speeches! Now you don't have to worry about making a fool of yourself in front of hundreds and hundreds of people!
Peekaboo Paradox
Well, it's Friday again. If you are at all like me, you don't really want to work on Fridays. So here's a kinda long article that I really enjoyed a lot. I think you will as well. For once, I didn't have to think of a title for this post because it's the title of the article I'm going to link for you. Every day I read the newspaper, and it seems so trite. Every interesting opinion gets edited away by the editors in an effort to please everyone, because, let's face it, the newspaper industry is shrinking before the modern and more-up-to-date Internet. So it is refreshing to read a great article without any censoring. When I read this article, I was so in awe of his prose, that when I look back at my pathetic works, I am grateful that this isn't my full-time job. Enough of my nonsensical blabbing and go read it already! It doesn't matter what it's about, because the writing is so well-done. Ok, ok, stop bending my arm, it's about a Pre-school entertainer and that's all I'm saying.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
First Love (Pt 2)
Do you remember when you first believed in God? Do you remember the excitement, of feeling like your life has just started fresh? See, I was going to get around to God eventually. For those of you who’ve been Christians for a long time, how often do you talk to God? Sure you pray after every meal, maybe before you start your car before going out, but those don’t really count. That’s like calling your friend for a favor. “Dear God, please don’t let me get into an accident.” Or “Lord, please don’t let me die from this piece of sushi from this shady sushi restaurant."
No, I’m talking about the deep prayers, just like your deep talks with your girlfriend. The kind of prayer where you talk to God and you praise Him for who He is and what He’s done for you. The kind of prayer where you pray just because you’re thinking about Him. And not those 5 minute quick talks either. You don’t talk to your SO for 5 minutes when you first went out, so why should you do the same with God? Is it that hard to talk to God for an hour? In fact, during your busy day, meeting with people, getting your work done, have you thought about God every chance you get? I’m sad to say, I don’t. Not really. From 9-6, it’s just work. Even when I’m not working, I’m thinking about other things, not really dwelling on how wonderful God is.
Here’s another quick question. Have you ever prayed really hard to God when you want something or when you’re in trouble? I mean, get down on your knees, promising to be good, pleading with Him? Do you pray that hard when you’re not in trouble? Don’t get me wrong, God loves for you to turn to Him during times of trouble. He wants you to trust Him when things look bleak. But He also wants you to pray to Him when you’re not in trouble. Just as you would your SO when you guys first went out. Remember how you thought about that person all the time, wondering what they’re doing now. You should be doing the same with God. Just pray to Him even when you don’t have any favors to ask, just talk with Him.
Let’s see, what else…. Gifts. If you’ve been in love, then I’m sure you’ve given lots of gifts to each other. Sometimes, you don’t even need an occasion. You saw something that you knew your love would like, and you buy it. You should be thinking the same way with God. You see something that inspires you or stirs up something inside of you, you should give thanks to God for creating it. Give an extra donation to the church, or the homeless shelter. As Jesus said, if you clothe the homeless, you’re clothing Him. Shower Him with praises, and do it from the heart, because you love Him. I hear He really gets a kick out of that.
My point is, you should always treat God as your first love. And by first love, not only do I mean the most important love, but literally like a first love, like you’ve fallen in love with Him for the first time. Do all the things you did with him when you first believed in him. Continue doing it, and your spiritual life will continue to grow and flourish. Remember the warning against the church of Ephesus in Revelations and do not forsake your first love (Rev 2:4).
No, I’m talking about the deep prayers, just like your deep talks with your girlfriend. The kind of prayer where you talk to God and you praise Him for who He is and what He’s done for you. The kind of prayer where you pray just because you’re thinking about Him. And not those 5 minute quick talks either. You don’t talk to your SO for 5 minutes when you first went out, so why should you do the same with God? Is it that hard to talk to God for an hour? In fact, during your busy day, meeting with people, getting your work done, have you thought about God every chance you get? I’m sad to say, I don’t. Not really. From 9-6, it’s just work. Even when I’m not working, I’m thinking about other things, not really dwelling on how wonderful God is.
Here’s another quick question. Have you ever prayed really hard to God when you want something or when you’re in trouble? I mean, get down on your knees, promising to be good, pleading with Him? Do you pray that hard when you’re not in trouble? Don’t get me wrong, God loves for you to turn to Him during times of trouble. He wants you to trust Him when things look bleak. But He also wants you to pray to Him when you’re not in trouble. Just as you would your SO when you guys first went out. Remember how you thought about that person all the time, wondering what they’re doing now. You should be doing the same with God. Just pray to Him even when you don’t have any favors to ask, just talk with Him.
Let’s see, what else…. Gifts. If you’ve been in love, then I’m sure you’ve given lots of gifts to each other. Sometimes, you don’t even need an occasion. You saw something that you knew your love would like, and you buy it. You should be thinking the same way with God. You see something that inspires you or stirs up something inside of you, you should give thanks to God for creating it. Give an extra donation to the church, or the homeless shelter. As Jesus said, if you clothe the homeless, you’re clothing Him. Shower Him with praises, and do it from the heart, because you love Him. I hear He really gets a kick out of that.
My point is, you should always treat God as your first love. And by first love, not only do I mean the most important love, but literally like a first love, like you’ve fallen in love with Him for the first time. Do all the things you did with him when you first believed in him. Continue doing it, and your spiritual life will continue to grow and flourish. Remember the warning against the church of Ephesus in Revelations and do not forsake your first love (Rev 2:4).
The souls of Bill and Ted live on!
Remember the way the future people greeted Bill and Ted when they accidentally transported to the future? Well, it looks like the future is here! Sorta. Anyway, if this becomes mass-market, expect a lot more worship leaders ;) Or not.
Fun with movies
See how many movies you can get? According to the website, have MORE fun... play with friends... by laughing at them when they get it all wrong!
BTW, this really is hard!
BTW, this really is hard!
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
I wish it was I
This will probably be the closest I will ever come to writing a love poem. When I first started writing poetry, one thing I vowed never to do was write love poems. One, they're hard to do without them being sappy, and two, every teen filled with angst and aspirations of being a poet always writes love poetry. Third, you can't write what you have never experienced.
So anyway, in light of Valentine's Day coming up, here's a pseudo-love poem for you.
Enjoy.
at the other end of the phone,
who made you smile
the way lovers do,
when sharing a secret private moment,
that kind of wistful smile
with a hint of longing to be
next to one another instead of
hearing the digital voice …
and the way you crook
your neck around the receiver
reminds me of the way swans
entwine their necks
around each other,
a symbol of eternal love.
I wish it was I
holding your hand
instead of your lover’s
as you both walk down
the rows of shops lining Broadway,
the small curio tourist shops intermixed
with the trendy franchises.
and every so often
you would squeeze your partner’s hand
and point at something you thought
was cute
or just plain
cool
and you’d draw close to each other,
your love leaning in to whisper
some endearing comment
that makes you laugh.
I wish it was I
who held your gaze,
those dreamy eyes
that speak words of love more eloquently
than any sonnet or ode.
I watch the two of you sit
across from each other alone
even in the midst of friends
in a noisy crowded restaurant.
Somebody would make a comment
and while everyone is laughing,
you would glance at each other
and both smile,
sharing a private joke
that nobody else notices
except me.
Why won’t you look at
Me
the same way you do with your lover?
Didn’t you promise your life to
Me
when you were dressed in your Sunday best,
while standing at the shallow end
of the swimming pool?
And how can you say, “I love you”
to another
with the same passion you said to
Me?
Do I linger in your thoughts as often
as your love?
I gave you life,
nurtured you as you grew up,
comforted you when you broke up,
blessed you with a better person.
Is it too much to wish that I
be
your primary love?
-Nathaniel Kwok
So anyway, in light of Valentine's Day coming up, here's a pseudo-love poem for you.
Enjoy.
I wish it was I
at the other end of the phone,
who made you smile
the way lovers do,
when sharing a secret private moment,
that kind of wistful smile
with a hint of longing to be
next to one another instead of
hearing the digital voice …
and the way you crook
your neck around the receiver
reminds me of the way swans
entwine their necks
around each other,
a symbol of eternal love.
I wish it was I
holding your hand
instead of your lover’s
as you both walk down
the rows of shops lining Broadway,
the small curio tourist shops intermixed
with the trendy franchises.
and every so often
you would squeeze your partner’s hand
and point at something you thought
was cute
or just plain
cool
and you’d draw close to each other,
your love leaning in to whisper
some endearing comment
that makes you laugh.
I wish it was I
who held your gaze,
those dreamy eyes
that speak words of love more eloquently
than any sonnet or ode.
I watch the two of you sit
across from each other alone
even in the midst of friends
in a noisy crowded restaurant.
Somebody would make a comment
and while everyone is laughing,
you would glance at each other
and both smile,
sharing a private joke
that nobody else notices
except me.
Why won’t you look at
Me
the same way you do with your lover?
Didn’t you promise your life to
Me
when you were dressed in your Sunday best,
while standing at the shallow end
of the swimming pool?
And how can you say, “I love you”
to another
with the same passion you said to
Me?
Do I linger in your thoughts as often
as your love?
I gave you life,
nurtured you as you grew up,
comforted you when you broke up,
blessed you with a better person.
Is it too much to wish that I
be
your primary love?
-Nathaniel Kwok
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
First Love (Pt 1)
Have you ever been in love? I don’t mean school crushes, love of your parents, but the romantic, passionate kind of love? The ones they talk about in movies, books and songs. And not the present-day kind of love where marriages last an average of 6 months (at least in Hollywood). No, I’m talking about the kind of love where the guy flies across the country, swims across the coldest lake, climbs the highest peak, just so he can get the one rare flower that will win his sweetheart. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating, just a little. Sad to say, I haven’t experienced it, but that’s not going to stop me from writing about it!
Even though I haven’t experienced it first hand, I’ve seen it more often than I can count. My college roommate was in love. And boy did that cramp my style. I basically had to move out of my room for a month while she visited. So, I know what being in love is like, because I’ve experienced the unfortunate side-effects. Here’s how it went down. Roommate met girl online. This was a problem because roommate didn’t have a computer. Guess who’s he used? Yup, you guessed it.
Him: “Oh, do you mind if I use your computer for an hour?”
Me: “Well, I kinda need it to write this 10-page paper due tomorrow.”
“Please? I’ll just be on to check my email.”
(stupidly) “Just checking email? Ok, I’m going to get some snacks.”
10 minutes pass. I’m back and ready to go. He’s got a leg up on my chair, while he’s typing away “clickity-clack” while he chews on his crown filling. (Yeah that’s pretty disgusting, but that’s what he does while he types)
“I’m back, how much longer?”
He doesn’t notice me.
“Hello?”
He laughs at something he just read. I give up and go to my friend’s place to play some video games. I come back after about an hour, and yup, still on my PC. I finally finish the paper at 1a in the computer lab, when of course, the printer breaks down.
Anyway, after email, he graduated to phone calls. That wasn’t so bad, since no one really calls me anyway. But it’s a little annoying when I’m trying to sleep, and he’s whispering and laughing under his covers. Eventually I cram enough cotton in my ears to fall asleep. Unfortunately, I think some of them are still stuck in there. What? I can’t hear you!
It was a quick jump from phone calls to letter writing, where nearly every day he would get a letter from her. And of course, the pictures.
“Isn’t she great? Isn’t she just so cuuute?”
“Yeah, she’s lovely. Does she have a sister?”
He glares at me.
“And she’s so smart too… And she…”
I tune him out while I walk out of the room.
Finally came the day I dreaded.
(Looking sheepishly): “Can I ask you a big favor?”
(Still stupid): “Sure anything, what?”
“Well, she’s got a couple of weeks off for break, and I was wondering if it’s ok if she stays here.”
(Still not getting where this is going): “Sure, I’d love to meet her. Where’s she going to stay?” “Umm…. Here? Would you mind sleeping in the other room?”
Some more info might be useful here. We actually live in a 3 bedroom suite. But one of the guys left after the winter semester (probably from bad grades) and no one replaced him. I have a feeling that I was the lucky one, cause if there wasn’t an extra room, I had a sinking feeling I was going to sleep on the couch outside (no, we didn’t have a living room, I mean outside in the dorm rec room).
(hesitantly): “Uh…suuuurree.”
And before I could finish speaking, he had already gotten most of my bedding off my bed and into the new one. And then it was 2 weeks of sleeping in a empty room, with worse, no computer, and no TV. Plus all my clothes were still in my room, so I had to basically figure out what I wanted to wear the day before and then stash it in the extra room.
Well, to make a long story short, he proposed to her, but he got shot down, and now he’s living the good life dating doctors or something. Yet, despite all he put me through, we’re still good friends.
So, what have I learned about love? It’s very time-consuming. I don’t think he spends an hour without thinking about the girl for a little bit, wondering what she’s doing now. People in love tend to talk quite a bit with each other, either phone, email, letters… They talk for a long time and often. They do things for each other, he gives her gifts, while she… well, never mind. And when they are together, they make disgusting googly eyes at each other that makes you want to vomit your lunch. They also are more tolerant of each other’s flaws. I guess the shorter the time you know someone, the less annoying their habits are. Even if everyone else sees it.
Even though I haven’t experienced it first hand, I’ve seen it more often than I can count. My college roommate was in love. And boy did that cramp my style. I basically had to move out of my room for a month while she visited. So, I know what being in love is like, because I’ve experienced the unfortunate side-effects. Here’s how it went down. Roommate met girl online. This was a problem because roommate didn’t have a computer. Guess who’s he used? Yup, you guessed it.
Him: “Oh, do you mind if I use your computer for an hour?”
Me: “Well, I kinda need it to write this 10-page paper due tomorrow.”
“Please? I’ll just be on to check my email.”
(stupidly) “Just checking email? Ok, I’m going to get some snacks.”
10 minutes pass. I’m back and ready to go. He’s got a leg up on my chair, while he’s typing away “clickity-clack” while he chews on his crown filling. (Yeah that’s pretty disgusting, but that’s what he does while he types)
“I’m back, how much longer?”
He doesn’t notice me.
“Hello?”
He laughs at something he just read. I give up and go to my friend’s place to play some video games. I come back after about an hour, and yup, still on my PC. I finally finish the paper at 1a in the computer lab, when of course, the printer breaks down.
Anyway, after email, he graduated to phone calls. That wasn’t so bad, since no one really calls me anyway. But it’s a little annoying when I’m trying to sleep, and he’s whispering and laughing under his covers. Eventually I cram enough cotton in my ears to fall asleep. Unfortunately, I think some of them are still stuck in there. What? I can’t hear you!
It was a quick jump from phone calls to letter writing, where nearly every day he would get a letter from her. And of course, the pictures.
“Isn’t she great? Isn’t she just so cuuute?”
“Yeah, she’s lovely. Does she have a sister?”
He glares at me.
“And she’s so smart too… And she…”
I tune him out while I walk out of the room.
Finally came the day I dreaded.
(Looking sheepishly): “Can I ask you a big favor?”
(Still stupid): “Sure anything, what?”
“Well, she’s got a couple of weeks off for break, and I was wondering if it’s ok if she stays here.”
(Still not getting where this is going): “Sure, I’d love to meet her. Where’s she going to stay?” “Umm…. Here? Would you mind sleeping in the other room?”
Some more info might be useful here. We actually live in a 3 bedroom suite. But one of the guys left after the winter semester (probably from bad grades) and no one replaced him. I have a feeling that I was the lucky one, cause if there wasn’t an extra room, I had a sinking feeling I was going to sleep on the couch outside (no, we didn’t have a living room, I mean outside in the dorm rec room).
(hesitantly): “Uh…suuuurree.”
And before I could finish speaking, he had already gotten most of my bedding off my bed and into the new one. And then it was 2 weeks of sleeping in a empty room, with worse, no computer, and no TV. Plus all my clothes were still in my room, so I had to basically figure out what I wanted to wear the day before and then stash it in the extra room.
Well, to make a long story short, he proposed to her, but he got shot down, and now he’s living the good life dating doctors or something. Yet, despite all he put me through, we’re still good friends.
So, what have I learned about love? It’s very time-consuming. I don’t think he spends an hour without thinking about the girl for a little bit, wondering what she’s doing now. People in love tend to talk quite a bit with each other, either phone, email, letters… They talk for a long time and often. They do things for each other, he gives her gifts, while she… well, never mind. And when they are together, they make disgusting googly eyes at each other that makes you want to vomit your lunch. They also are more tolerant of each other’s flaws. I guess the shorter the time you know someone, the less annoying their habits are. Even if everyone else sees it.
Monday, February 06, 2006
New Back to the Future trailer
Warning: Watching this may change the way you view Marty and Doc forever.
Pool shark
An interview with what could be the best trick shot player in the world. The dime in the shotglass trick is just awesome!
Friday, February 03, 2006
Fear of Girls!
Kinda long movie, (11 min) but very funny, if you ever knew anyone who gamed... Plus it's got a Christian reference in it!
Boy... takes me back to high school... uh, I mean, when I beat them up for fun! Yup... me game? What kind of nerd do you take me for?
Boy... takes me back to high school... uh, I mean, when I beat them up for fun! Yup... me game? What kind of nerd do you take me for?
Support the Browncoats!
Ok, I don't often talk about my personal hobbies, but I just have to spread the word! Long live the Independents!
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Jealousy (Pt 2)
You know that God is Love, right? But did you also know that God is Jealous? “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Ex. 34:14) Everyone nowadays always talks about how God is love, God loves the whole world, God loves you, etc, etc, etc. ( I was going to say blah blah blah, but I didn’t want to sound cynical. (Even though I am)) But like everything else in the Bible, God is balanced. It’s not just that God is a jealous God, like He’s sometimes jealous and sometimes not. No, in the Bible verse above, He personifies Jealousy. Read it again, look at the conditional clause, “whose name is Jealous”. As much as He is Love, likewise He is Jealous. So obviously, jealousy is not an “evil” emotion, because in God, nothing is evil.
But that’s not the point of this essay. I know, you’re probably wondering to yourself, “Do any of his essays have a point?”, but in this case, yes, I do have a point. And I’ll share it with you… in a minute. So do you remember how I described our mortal feelings of jealousy? How angry we are when we get jealous of someone? How we just want to kick, claw the other person for even looking at your honey, your sweetheart? Well, guess what? God feels exactly the same way. “I will say to those called 'Not my people,' 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.'” (Hos. 2:23) Well, that verse was given primarily to the Jews during the time of the Occupation. Hrm…. Here’s a more NTy verse from Paul. “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor 6:20)
Jesus, who is God, bought us with his blood. We are His Church, which is the Bride. And since each individual member is part of the Church, each one of us is to be married to God. So, just as how we would feel if our SO were to dally with someone else, Jesus will be just as jealous when we stray. And who is it that we stray to? Another handsome devil named, well, Devil, or Satan. Can you imagine how Jesus is feeling, every time we make googly eyes at Satan? It’s like, not only is your SO flirting with someone else, your SO is flirting with your mortal enemy, your arch-nemesis. It’s like Lois Lane kissing Lex Luthor in front of Superman! It’s not like we can hide from God, meet the devil in the back alley, and while Jesus is glued to the football, have a quick one! God sees all (for better or worse) and he can’t close his eyes, and stick his fingers in his ears and pretend that he didn’t see you with Satan. That would drive me just insane.
“When did I ever kiss the Devil?” you may ask, innocently. I’m sure God’s got the stack of DVDs all set up for you to see. I’ll give you the short answer, “Every time you sin”. Yup, that little white lie you told your co-worker about how you don’t feel well, that’s like French-Kissing Satan, right there. And don’t even go into how you lustfully looked at the Victoria Secret commercial, that’s like rubbing the Devil’s thigh. Every little thing we do, as small and harmless a sin may seem to us, is like a huge alarm sign to God that you aren’t thinking about him and are thinking about the enemy.
But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. (1 Jn.3:5-6)
This he is referring to Jesus. He had no sin in himself, because he’s totally in with God. God completely cannot abide sin at all, it’s anathema to him.
And hopefully, you can see why God is a jealous God. He loves you so much, and yet it hurts him every time He sees you consorting with the Devil. I know you can’t help it, I can’t help it either. This entire world, the mortal world is Sin, much like God is Love and Jealousy. The only way we’ll truly be sinless is when we die and go up to Heaven. There, we’ll be in the full presence of His Glory, and we’ll have no problems resisting the Devil then. But for now, while we’re on earth, we have to rely on Jesus’ sacrifice, His blood, and the Holy Spirit. We’re going to sin, it’s a given. But thank Goodness that he will always forgive us, if we believe in Jesus, believe in his sacrifice, believe in his resurrection, and of course, we repent and confess the sins.
Peace out.
But that’s not the point of this essay. I know, you’re probably wondering to yourself, “Do any of his essays have a point?”, but in this case, yes, I do have a point. And I’ll share it with you… in a minute. So do you remember how I described our mortal feelings of jealousy? How angry we are when we get jealous of someone? How we just want to kick, claw the other person for even looking at your honey, your sweetheart? Well, guess what? God feels exactly the same way. “I will say to those called 'Not my people,' 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.'” (Hos. 2:23) Well, that verse was given primarily to the Jews during the time of the Occupation. Hrm…. Here’s a more NTy verse from Paul. “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor 6:20)
Jesus, who is God, bought us with his blood. We are His Church, which is the Bride. And since each individual member is part of the Church, each one of us is to be married to God. So, just as how we would feel if our SO were to dally with someone else, Jesus will be just as jealous when we stray. And who is it that we stray to? Another handsome devil named, well, Devil, or Satan. Can you imagine how Jesus is feeling, every time we make googly eyes at Satan? It’s like, not only is your SO flirting with someone else, your SO is flirting with your mortal enemy, your arch-nemesis. It’s like Lois Lane kissing Lex Luthor in front of Superman! It’s not like we can hide from God, meet the devil in the back alley, and while Jesus is glued to the football, have a quick one! God sees all (for better or worse) and he can’t close his eyes, and stick his fingers in his ears and pretend that he didn’t see you with Satan. That would drive me just insane.
“When did I ever kiss the Devil?” you may ask, innocently. I’m sure God’s got the stack of DVDs all set up for you to see. I’ll give you the short answer, “Every time you sin”. Yup, that little white lie you told your co-worker about how you don’t feel well, that’s like French-Kissing Satan, right there. And don’t even go into how you lustfully looked at the Victoria Secret commercial, that’s like rubbing the Devil’s thigh. Every little thing we do, as small and harmless a sin may seem to us, is like a huge alarm sign to God that you aren’t thinking about him and are thinking about the enemy.
But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. (1 Jn.3:5-6)
This he is referring to Jesus. He had no sin in himself, because he’s totally in with God. God completely cannot abide sin at all, it’s anathema to him.
And hopefully, you can see why God is a jealous God. He loves you so much, and yet it hurts him every time He sees you consorting with the Devil. I know you can’t help it, I can’t help it either. This entire world, the mortal world is Sin, much like God is Love and Jealousy. The only way we’ll truly be sinless is when we die and go up to Heaven. There, we’ll be in the full presence of His Glory, and we’ll have no problems resisting the Devil then. But for now, while we’re on earth, we have to rely on Jesus’ sacrifice, His blood, and the Holy Spirit. We’re going to sin, it’s a given. But thank Goodness that he will always forgive us, if we believe in Jesus, believe in his sacrifice, believe in his resurrection, and of course, we repent and confess the sins.
Peace out.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Intelligence Tests
For once this isn't a funny link. It's an "intelligence test". But boy it's pretty hard. I saw one like this before, but this one is cool because it will let you know immediately if you are right or wrong.
Take the IQ Test, if you dare!
Take the IQ Test, if you dare!
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