Let go & let God*

Love is a choice?

2012-01-07T14:24:00.009-05:00

Stumbling upon another article filled with truth & conviction, I couldn't help but to put everything down and attempt to put my fingers on this...

So do we ever find the right person to marry? I couldn't agree more with Tim Keller on this in his article with relevant magazine. From culture to personal desires and to the Bible's perspective, it does seem nearly impossible to find the "right" person to marry. However, on a somewhat divergent note, these lines stood out to me most:

Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws. Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it. God’s saving love in Christ, however, is marked by both radical truthfulness about who we are and yet also radical, unconditional commitment to us.

So do you find yourself having a really tough time loving that friend, co-worker, family member or your bf/gf/spouse? Well we are pretty nasty by nature and God chooses to love us despite of our selfish behaviours. He loved us and we are called to love Him & love our neighbours as ourselves. So it's His unconditional commitment to us that calls for us to love Him & all the people around us, despite how hard it is for us... He is our great Role Model that we can look towards to & learn from.

On the flipside, ever find this continual commitment to love despite reasoning & circumstances? Well, God didn't have to love us but He chose to -- and keeps loving us continually, since we are the apple of His eyes. This is starting to make sense since we are made in the image of God in the first place after all...

So what I am getting out of it, is that love is a choice with truth. Knowing why we love and choosing to love. hhhmmmmmmmmm. (puts on a thinking cap)

-b

Hopelessness

2011-12-28T17:31:00.005-05:00

Every now and then, I wake up with a mind that convinces me everything is hopeless, and a heart that allows me to feel that way. I literally just wake up to "feeling" that way sometimes, feeling that there's no way out, no chance of getting better and the task at hand is just too great.

Today was one of those days -- I felt, therefore it was true. It took some reading, reflecting & a nap to snap me out of this. I suspect that this mind & heart deception comes from many things: my general outlook on everything, the lack of discipline to hope & trust in God and/or my personality that is shaped from my past experiences. It is one nasty one-two, followed by a hook.

Remedies? Putting off the focus on me and lay it back to God. Crazy love by Francis Chan paints the truth about God's character, His love & helped me to do that today. Life isn't about me or you -- so brothers/sister/friends, please keep reminding me.

-b

wisdom from my friends

2011-12-23T23:25:00.001-05:00

As I was browsing my notes on my phone, I found a note capturing a few quotes that my friends said directly to me sometime this year as I was in the pits. They couldn't have come at a better time as I recall each of these conversations as I re-read these quotes..

"your worth is not determined by your actions, or by what you do or don't do. grace covers you" -Jess

"we lose sight of the end goal by giving into things that bother us right now" -Pete

As I am chewing on these -- these are key reminders to all my struggles this year.. thank you guys for these insights.

I feel...

2011-07-09T20:29:00.001-04:00

...defeated. That is all.

Jin Inspiration

2011-06-12T21:48:00.006-04:00

verse 3: (~3:02)
¹you gota really focus for your goal to be seen
you either want it or you don't there's no in between
never let no man poke a hole in your dream
usually it be the ones that be low in esteem
I don't succumb to it in fact I'm numb to it
I face it then embrace it and never run from it
I get it all they're tryin' to do is slow my momentum
so I'll be stuck where they at but I don't hold it against 'em
²the ladder of maturity I'm climbin' higher and higher
certainly don't expect to see me fight fire with fire
³if it's in His will there's nothin' that can't be done
they'll try to pull you under but trust that you'll overcome

Jin's music has been on repeat for the past little while now. As I was heading home today after the gym, I felt convicted... what a smack in the face with italics #1. Yep, I agree -- there ain't nothing in between, reminds me of being lukewarm... As for italics #2, it's a quite a profound way to look at maturity, do I fight fire with fire? busted... And lastly, I think I forgot all about italics #3, lacking trust & hope that I can overcome~

#91 - chicken soup for the soul

2011-05-22T21:46:00.001-04:00

#91 - A dear friend back in grade 11 once took a chicken noodle soup book & literally wrote out all life lessons that I should "try to remember". She specifically highlighted ones that were "100% me". Boy, she definitely hit the spot. However, it was humbling to re-read these lessons and know that I have been struggling with them over a decade ago. I also realize that it'll be a lengthy process to remove these false thinking & narratives about myself. Thankfully, I have something much greater in value in me (than mere human 'principles') through His love, mercy, grace, death & resurrection.

#92 - New hobbies

2011-05-17T22:48:00.002-04:00

#92 - When I started school in gr. 4 at Cresthaven, two things that I looked forward to most: baseball and dodgeball. I played outfield for the gr. 4 team and for a little asian boy, I apparently had a sick arm. I literally cried for a whole day when the baseball tournament was cancelled... : (

And the baseball team was no more starting in gr. 5... double : (... I was so sad.

#93 - Sacrifice

2011-05-15T14:39:00.005-04:00

Surprisingly, this 100factsaboutme is much harder than I expected. Maybe I am too picky about what to post but I think I will follow the trend... which are facts about me chronologically... that may help.

Continuing from #98.... #93 - From what I remember, my parents gave up pretty promising job (especially my mom) so we can have a better education in Canada. I often forget that & I don't think I thank them/appreciate them enough. Thanks Mom & Dad...!

#94 - VeeDeeO Games

2011-05-13T18:45:00.004-04:00

#94 - Some of my all time favourites include:

Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 8,10,13
Starcraft I & II
Warcraft 3
Half Life 1,2
Chrono Trigger
Secret of Mana 3
Counterstrike (which Asian kid didn't like this game/mod?)
Front line force (another mod to HL which I got really involved in)
DoTA
Mario RPG
Grand Turismo (all)
Halo

And that's about it... I think!

#95 - Notetaking

2011-05-12T00:06:00.000-04:00

#95 - Notetaking - For those that know me, I love carrying around my notebook and take notes on it whenever I get a chance. If I'm reading a book, I will be taking notes on the computer. If I hear something interesting/profound, I would pull out my Blackberry and send myself a note...

Looking into my notebook and my e-notes - I've compiled a lot of different thoughts & I'm glad I did that... because I love revisiting the past** - so here's one that I stumbled across tonight from the book, Courage & Calling:

The only way to respond to change is to face it honestly and see change as opportunity.... [to what? boo to incomplete sentences :(]

#96 - Top 5 before 30

2011-05-09T14:41:00.007-04:00

#96 - Top 5 adrenaline activities that I want to do before I'm 30 - No particular order:

1. Snowboard on a 2000+ feet mountain out on the west coast or in the States

2. Drive a rally car in Australia

~~3. Drive one of my dream cars on an enclosed track~~

4. Skydiving

5. Go to a shooting range & fire a sniper rifle

#97 - Sauces

2011-05-03T08:24:00.010-04:00

#97 - My favourite Sauces/Condiments/Soup base includes the following, sorted by where it can be found:

Chinese Dimsum - Mustard (perfect for them ha-gaos)
Korean food - Bibimbap Sauce
Japanese food - Wasabi
Cora - Hollandaise Sauce (Found on the egg benedict)
HK style cafe - Garlic Sauce (on the metal plates)
Malaysian - Laksa (curry based soup with coconut milk?)
Greek - Tzatziki
Arab - Hummus
Shanghai - Soup base found in Dam Dam Mein (Peanut based)
Burgers/Fries - Ketchup!
... and probably lots more

Just no weaksauce! haha -_-"

#98 - Family

2011-05-01T21:27:00.003-04:00

My immediately family includes my parents, my older brother+wifey & my most beloved grandma who passed 3.5 years ago. Miss her tons

#99 - Origin

2011-05-01T01:24:00.002-04:00

#99 - I was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada when I was 8 & 1/2. Below is my first class photo in Canada~

Old School Me: #100factsaboutme.

2011-04-29T23:24:00.004-04:00

As techy I claim myself to be - I think I'm going to stick with the basics, blogging. I'm down with Youtube, Facebook but I just don't get twitter. So instead of putting this up twitter - I'll blogger it up instead. Maybe this will kickstart my blogging and/or writing habits.

So! 100 facts about me - updated daily. In no particular order & hope y'all enjoy.

#100 - God loves me & God loves you, no matter who. Did you know that?

Encouragement

2011-03-12T20:53:00.001-05:00

A highschool friend's baby passed and the funeral was today. I have never met the baby but she looked adorable from the pictures and videos. According to the parents, she was quite the fighter and she smiled tons despite what she had gone through. She must have been so precious....

During the funeral service, the pastor shared his message from 2 Corinthians 4:13-18

...because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence

Eventually, the one who raised Jesus will raise us with Him...! That was quite the wakeup call... Then the pastor reminds us that.. during our troubles... suffering... and trials we...

...Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

As we age and we feel like we're older by the day... we are actually renewed day by day when we're walking with God! I can definitely say that I don't feel that way everyday and it's easy to overlook.. because I focus on my troubles.. but Paul says:

...For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Simply amazing...

Change

2011-03-10T23:03:00.002-05:00

...is hard. Very hard. And if we try by our own strength and by our own ways, we are bound to fail. We may gain a little ground, but it's so easy to slide. But thank goodness it's not the end for us, we have His hope and strength - for my strength is made perfect in weakness

Just words...

2011-03-01T08:47:00.002-05:00

Pastor Tom walked us through Song of Songs this Sunday and I loved it. A lesson on love. It might seem like love between a man and wife - but on a deeper level, its God's love for man. Although this concept is really hard to grasp - the imagery is quite powerful!

One thing Tom said that stood out to me was: "If you don't have love, it's like clanging gongs", and by that he meant words without love... so before I had to look it up - I found this verse on my BB:

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1

Feelin' miserable?

2011-02-27T23:36:00.004-05:00

It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him - Abraham Lincoln

Saw this quote from my friend's fb (thanks Clara!) page and this quote totally blew my mind. There are good days and there are bad days. When a bad day rolls around - I tend to feel quite miserable about myself... about how I am not good enough or simply upset at myself for being . But this is totally inline with what I have been studying in my Small Group. How our identity is not wrapped around who we are, what we do, but Who dwells in us - it's so awesome...

Perfecting love

2011-02-14T23:38:00.003-05:00

I was digging some old journals and I found this out of my journal:

We spend too much time looking for the right person to love or finding fault with those we already love - when instead, we should be perfecting the love we give.

guess Who gives us perfect love?

Natural progression - TG Day4

2011-02-05T11:56:00.001-05:00

Isaiah 41:20 - o that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

One of the questions from my Bible study was: Explain how these actions lead to the appreciation of God's deliverance. How does the sequence of verbs help you see God's deliverance and provisions in your life?

See, know, consider, understand - I was completely blown away. I can vouch for this natural progression. I see God in other faithful Christians around me, I came to know (of) Him through church and others around me. I considered following Him and when I have made my choice to, He allows us to understand Him through the character of Christ in His Word with the help of the Holy Spirit.

A mutual Friend - Day 3

2011-02-04T11:43:00.000-05:00

Sometimes all it takes to turn a sour day into a sweet one is that one conversation -- with a family member, friend, co-worker or even a stranger.

Monday night, I had a chance to chit chat with a buddy of mine from my Bible Study group, shared our lives a little and talked about what's going down in our lives.

All thanks to our mutual Friend, we can have relationships with one another and have chats like these - it's just awesome.

A beautiful mind - Day 2

2011-02-01T18:53:00.001-05:00

Today I thank God for the gift of our minds. He provides us with the ability to think.

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind

Sunday night I was stuck in my car in the freezing cold without my phone (long story) but fortunately, I had a laptop, came up with the idea of stealing some wifi - used my free skype calling to get out of the bind that I was in. Thank goodness.

Thanksgiving - Day 1

2011-01-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

Going to start this a new exercise from one of the books I am reading recently -- and that's to give thanks everyday for something that I have been blessed with. I realize I am not a very grateful person with a tendency to point out all the negative things in my life of the things. So this is gonna be my fight - fight to get out of this slum!

Today... I am thankful for patient friends - who bare with me when I blow up on them, when I am unreasonable with them and remind me to take a breath when I am stressed/worried about something that I don't need to worry about.

Insanity...

2010-12-06T01:08:00.003-05:00

according to Albert Einstein is... doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results -- pretty simple concept yet I (or I say confidently, we) fall for this all the time. I mean, if we do the same thing over and over again.. how can we expect different results?

It's so natural for me to think about the negative things... just my personality... such as a deadly cycle of doing bad habits over and over again... how can I expect not to suffer from it? However, the opposite is just as powerful as well now that I think about it. If we do the same good thing over and over again -- we can hope (or even expect) that goodness will consistently return!

anyways -- that was my thought of the night, this lai chai (HK style milk tea) did a good job keeping me up alright. Time for bed!

and I miss how good it feels to ... just write, should def do it more often.

Church retreat

2010-08-29T22:54:00.003-04:00

Awesome retreat, even though I was only able to make 1/2 of it. Great sharing, convicting & inspiring messages from Pastor Tom but the highlight was this: The song Surrender.

I can honestly say that I've heard this song over 50+ times at service, fellowships, praise & worship nights - but it has never meant so much to me until today:

Surrender -

I'm giving You my heart, all that is within
I lay it all down, for the sake of You my King

I'm giving You my dreams, laying down my rights
I'm giving up my pride, for the promise of new life*

And I surrender all to You, all to You
And I surrender all to You, all to You

I'm singing You this song, I'm waiting at the cross
All the world holds dear, I count it all as loss

For the sake of knowing You, for the glory of Your name
To know the lasting joy, even sharing in Your pain

And I surrender it all to you, all to You

The reward for keeping a journal...

2010-08-13T01:12:00.003-04:00

"Here's something that I digged up while scrolling my journal... Totally forget the source... EmailMinistry? A website? A friend? But wow this hits home right about now...

I've learned- that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I've learned- that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you are to learn to forgive yourself.

I've learned- that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned- that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I've learned- that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change."

he's a sneaky one

2010-08-10T15:39:00.009-04:00

As I was chilling last night after dinner, right before picking up The Transforming Power of Prayer book that I got from Paul, I stumbled upon my friend's fb page. It was his birthday yesterday and to me, he received the warmest birthday wish a father can possibly give to his son.

At that very moment, I felt this sadness - because I thought (and agreed to the fact that) I will never receive that kind of affirmation. So I decided to drop everything, (including my plan to read and organize myself after a busy weekend) hop into my bed and feel bad about myself.

After a few minutes, I called up a friend just to catch up - and I end up not saying anything for a very long time. Still feeling hurt -I kept quiet, thinking it would be better that way. After exchanging a few comments here, brushing off some of her comments there - I started to feel bad for being so quiet and dry and from there, other agreements about myself creep up. I tell you, this whole thing is an endless cycle. Although my personality plays a big part, I believe he is also responsible for this.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

From a message full of love, he can twist it into a lie that got to me. And from there, after puncturing a small whole, he breaks through with a whole bunch of other lies. What a sneaky one.

It's already Tuesday afternoon and I am still suffering from the consequences of the events last night. Feeling heavy and burdened. And also, I'm on bad terms with my friend. I truly hope we can make up soon. What a struggle. Sigh.

The mother of all reactions indeed, even from me!

2010-06-13T18:52:00.008-04:00

Weddings weddings weddings! Hear so much of it in the past... couple months! I recently went to my brother's wedding (and it was awesome :) and more to come next summer! So it really got me thinking... what would my wedding be like? so many ideas, so many possibilities... but in the end - I believe it's all about the story! And this one is full of love and wayyyy too seaaawheeeaaaaatttt (sweet):

(Note: Right click on the pause button to full-screen the vid! & my bro had his reception at the same place - Shangri-La, quite the beautiful place :)

TVB 個 B...

2010-06-12T18:35:00.003-04:00

談情說案:

Raymond Lam: 怎麼樣,還是那嗎?
Kenneth Ma:什麼? 什麼怎麼樣?
Raymond Lam: <你門兩個> 還是介乎朋友和戀人之間, 什麼都可以聊, 但是又不算深入 - 還不是你的另一半...

Fly me to the moon...

2009-12-10T13:17:00.004-05:00

and let me playyyy among the stars...

now wouldn't that be a sweet dream.... Honestly, I have been dreaming every night for the past few nights and they were all oh-so random. Last night, it was about me being on the phone and then having 3 other incoming calls at the same time and I was like AHHHHH PPL STOP CALLING ME and then i woke up -_-" (random I know...) The night before, I dreamed about having no breaks in my car and I had to drive up someone's driveway/lawn in order to stop my car!! What the? But regardless, please be safe on the road everyone! the weather's been crazy for the past couple of days...

Had a boys night at jon's place with Mike & Simon... can't believe 2009 is almost done! NYE party at jon's place felt like it was last week and bam - 2009 is coming to an end. But this year, 2009 is going to end in an awesome way - urbana09! I really hope for lasting transformation and a new lead/direction for my career! Can't wait :)

Fill my heart with songggg
and let me singgg forever moreeee...

All I want for Christmas....

2009-11-29T22:46:00.003-05:00

and the next long while - is this love. I've gots so many things to be thankful for. The peace that I am starting to discover by abiding in Him; my friends that are ever so fun and supportive; all the new friends that I have made in the past year; all the activities, small groups and ministries that I am doing; the ability to enjoy my time off and picking up guitar all over again; and the ability to heal (for my damaged ankle) as well! These are all the blessings from the One and only! :)

For the past couple of days, I have been reading Emotionally Healthy Spirituality & Walking with God and I've been thinking - I couldn't visually picture in my head how Christ looks. I have seen pictures in books, paintings, on the internet... and even in movies... (but I consider them as unreliable sources...) so on friday night - I went to bed honestly feeling a little bit frustrated... Fastforward two days, 2 hours of walking through the dead sea scrolls exhibit at the ROM, at the very end - there was a section on Bibles! In the second last display, there was a 11th century Greek gospel book (that I consider an authentic source) and the page was flipped to John 1 with a very crisp and clear image of Christ! I was blown away by that, and I felt like God was saying - this is Me... :)

Wedding Dress...

2009-11-16T17:48:00.004-05:00

Beautiful piano piece, intricate choreograph (by my favourite Shaun Evaristo AND Lyle Beniga!! especially at 3:26 - the wedding march remix), cute but sad story, very attractive MV girl, great fashion on Tae Yang... hhmm this makes a complete kpop vid haha... its been on billayyy's replayyyy for awhile now! - enjoy!

Can't help but wait...

2009-11-11T10:44:00.007-05:00

Totally feeling this remix in everyway... the acoustic, the songs, the lyrics and the vocals... mmmm classssiccccc - enjoy!

On a more serious note, if you were asked to "wait patiently" for something, what would that mean to you? What are some of the things that we should "wait patiently" for and what are the things that we need to constantly get off our seats and chase for? Honestly, if I was to answer this question with my own knowledge or what is "acceptable" in this day and age I would say "wait patiently" is for cowards. Waiting patiently is a standstill, not going anywhere, not forward nor backwards. It would demonstrate the lack of proactiveness and initiative to at least try for what I want to achieve. That is how I truly feel... but I'm glad, that there is the Bible, the very Word of God, that reminds me...

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

Thanks be to God, for reminding me that His purpose prevails... not what I want to do, not what I want to achieve or gain and definitely not my plans for my own personal gain.. but instead, I must patiently wait upon the Lord for His plan... And no, that does not mean I will sit around, do nothing and it will be done.

Soooooo, what does this mean practically? I am still figuring that out but I know one thing: to love Him and to love others - finding work and build relationships that reflects my calling as a Christian.

Feelin' alive. . .

2009-11-05T00:46:00.007-05:00

I still remember the question from small group: What is your dream job? I remember sharing w/ my group that I wanted to be a....

1) Prostar volleyball player
2) Prostar paintball player (haha)
3) Prostar snowboard racer
4) Prostar track racer (drifter?!)

but giving it more thought... I wish I can replicate myself (kage bunshin! hahaha) and just be at multiple places...to spend awesome catch up time with different people... I think that's when I truly feel "alive"....

One noteable mention for the weekend was: I realize I can learn a lot by listening patiently & putting myself in other's shoes. By having these heartfelt conversations, I can experience & 'feel' for their pain, struggles, difference in opinion, anger, disappiontments and doubts... What a high emo past coupla days BUT its time to settle down and get back to business :)

Happy early 24th tiffie, I had a great time hangin' and I hope you're not burnt out from hearing my vents haha

Why hello there

2009-10-30T18:20:00.004-04:00

Just reading my last blog, it was still nice and sunny - coming back from a weekend of camping. Nearly 4 months later - the leaves are yellow and its always dark and rainy... I have to admit, it depresses me (quite) a bit

However, it seems like my (general) mood has been inversely proportional to this gloomy weather... I am taking more of an initiative to look for work (although I have yet to get anything), do a lot more reading, learning about my faith and who I really am. I am learning to make good use of this time that I have "off" to do things to get myself prepared for the work life. To build up myself up mentally, emotionally and spiritually. What about physically? No dice. I roughed up my ankle a couple weeks back and now I'll be MIA in sports for quite sometime... I hope I heal in time for the snowboarding season!

For those who check this blog occasionally, thanks for coming by. Unlike before, I'm not going to make anymore "promises" for updates or go into a "I-am-back-for-good-and-I-will-update-tons" mentality. Instead, I hope to use this blog to just write things that I truly think and feel. The authentic & true me.

Compare and constrast

2009-07-12T17:36:00.011-04:00

It was a fabulous weekend of camping at balsam lake. Lots of great food, good times & I absolutely loveeed the campfire. It's a pity that the beach wasn't so nice and the sun wasn't out much either... Frustrating! why? because 1) Don't like the rain much & 2) no sun to tannnnn, and for those who don't know, (one of) my summer goal is to get rid of my ~~glowstick~~ pale legs haha...

Come to think of it, it's been four years now since the last time I went camping. I went to Algonquian with JAC for summer retreat. I could remember how simple life was. I had a great time just sitting & talking to people, hiking, playing beach volleyball and canoeing. As these memories continue to replay in my head, I can't recollect much spiritual substance back in the day. It was really only about doing ~~well~~ okay in Uni, finding co-op placements, hangin' out to have some fun and going to church.

I still remember, church was about singing praises and listening to sermons. I loved listening to the messages and I even had a sermon notebook (which was quite empty). I enjoyed learning about God on the sidelines, not acting upon what I heard, like a spetactor watching a wild foodfight - not joining in. In hindsight, I just didn't know better to dig deeper about my faith and I did not know how to apply what I learned into everyday living.

Fastforwarding four years, I've matured into a person with a curious and thoughtful mind, often struggling with dreams, desires, worries and doubt about many things. Things such as career, work, family, friends, and love.

Fortunately, God has been faithful and patient with me. With much reading, searching & praying, God has revealed the to me many assurances! Slowly and surely, I'm starting to learn what is important; how to act; reminds me of the hope that He has promised to me!

I know and feel - that I'm heading in the right direction, this feeling is totally awesome! And the Bible is my best frieeeend! :)

P.S. - Totally stole this picture from Miranda/Jon - this is balsam lake beach :) good times!

Haaalo!

2009-07-07T18:59:00.005-04:00

The month of June has been great, if not awesome. Some great family time; tons of reading; going out/bonding time; (tried) smashing some volleyballs; seeing dear ones - and the list goes on.

I would list allllll of the fun things that I've been doing but it would feel like an essay, but one notable mention is all the reading that I have been doing...

With all other skills/hobbies/habits - I notice if I do it enough, I will eventually fall in love with it... and I can not believe this happened with reading (i know!!!) I can honestly say that I spend my days reading 3 different materials: the Bible, Purpose Driven Life & The 7 Habits of Highly effective people.

I never really put so much effort and thought into books before because I was ignorant about how much I can learn from reading... I was always the movie/drama/anime guy and not so much books/comic - but really, I'm kind of addicted! All this material that I'm reading is so fascinating and now I can understand how someone can flip through a book in days!

Anyways, I recently found a quote that totally went up to the top of my list and it goes like this: "The best use of life is love, the best expression of love is time and the best time to love is now" PDL extract - Rick Warren

Any comments on that quote? maybe I'll write about that next post :)

Convocation!

2009-06-12T15:51:00.003-04:00

Finally, I'm done my undergrad!

Although university diplomas nowadays are very much like high school certificates decades ago, I have to admit - it wasn't easy to get!! After five years of struggles, (semi) hard work and all the fun surrounding university life - it's finally over! Farewell UW!

Purpose Driven Life...

2009-06-09T23:55:00.004-04:00

is the novel that I stashed in my basement bookshelf which I did not see nor touch in the past five years...

Five years ago, I started reading this book with my partner (recommended) and unfortunately I only got through 27 of the 40 (daily) chapters... but reading the commentaries and notes I've made all over the book, I realized I had a lot of questions but also very "fired up" about God at that time...

Although I have tried (many times) to take the lead in my life - walking away from Him, God's love and grace is so great that He constantly draws me near to Him... because He remembers us by the time when we loved Him:

I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown... Jeremiah 2:2 NKJV

This verse totally hit home because for the past month away from home, I've been feeling spiritually dry, but thanks be to Him who only remembers us when we loved Him!

Now, wouldn't it be great if we remember our loved ones by their wonderful personalities or the things they have done?

---

Wait, I thought I was going to talk about the novel...? hah maybe next time :)

Love conquers all...

2009-06-07T20:11:00.006-04:00

No matter who we are, what circumstances we are in, I truly believe love triumphs over all...! (Note: The nerdbox in the picture is the one she's in love with)

Home sweet home...

2009-06-06T10:07:00.002-04:00

Although I've only been away for 5 weeks - I have to admit I was homesick already! I miss the weather, clean air, the people, the space and my car haha!

Well now that the vacationing is over, don't exactly know what's next but I'm pumped for whatever that's coming! More pictures to come soon :)

Mother's day...

2009-06-04T02:45:00.000-04:00

was day 17 - it is not the greatest idea to go drinking the night before mother's day, especially its our 1st celebration in two years...

After my speedy recovery, my mom, uncle, aunt and I went to spaghetti house for supper. The food was great and we had an awesome time. But what made mother's day so special year wasn't the dinner. It was during the commercial time of beautiful kitchen (awesome show btw) - where we shared our points of view about things that truly mattered: family, health & work. For the most part, I'm glad we were on the same channel about the things we discussed and we were able to mutually explain, discuss, understand and accept our differences!

In soontime, I'll be coming back to toronto and heading to my convo! If anyone has extra/spare holidays and would like to come and see me get convo'ed - gimme a heads up! :)

Day 13 - 16

2009-06-01T02:56:00.003-04:00

Day 13 - The sightseeing continues - went to TST (尖沙咀) and took pictures of the harbour and the mini-park there... some of the pictures turned out pretty good!

Day 15 - Went camera equipment shopping that day in MK and coincidentally found the stores where they sell BB guns and other gear! I used to go there pretty often as a kid (not knowing it was in MK...) it was some crazy wayback playback!

... Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. EPH 5:18

Day 16 - First karaoke experience in HK & as I expected, pretty much like karaoke-ing in toronto~ except I haven't drank since Jan! guess what I was doing for the next few hours when I got home...

...more to come!

Replay of Day 12

2009-05-30T19:52:00.000-04:00

Day 12-May 5: After deciding to explore a little bit, I took the Ngong Ping 360 cable car ride to Lantau Island. The view was spectacular! There were people fishing in the lakes! Throughout the day, the weather was gorgeous and it was my 1st day getting a full use of the DSLR!

I have to admit, although I wasn't a fan of the idols and the temples, I did enjoy the hiking and the scenery... it was simply stunning! By the way, see the gramps at the end of the slideshow? I stopped by to buy a drink from her store and ended up chatting with her for a good half hour! She started telling me about the homeless dogs and eventually went onto her family... She was so sweet and she gave me mad discounts on the souvenirs that I bought!

On my phone, with very broken english, it writes: gr8ful 4 healthy body 2 hike, eyes 2 c, ears 2 listen...

Apologies...

2009-05-28T23:29:00.000-04:00

to those who actually came here and wondered how I was doing; to see the awesomeness of Hong Kong (and Thailand) through my amateur photography skills; or came here simply just because you miss me (harhar)

I'm going to skip the I-had-no-internet-access-or-I'm-too-busy-to-write BS. I simply like to keep quiet when I have nothing nice to say - because I personally despise those who hate and complain all day.

Fortunately, I've kept tabs on my daily activities since my last post on my cellphone - so let the replay begin!

Sugar-free

2009-05-04T22:45:00.006-04:00

Today's my 11th day in Hong Kong and lots of people have been asking me how I'm enjoying it. . . and to real with y'all - I'm not having a good time in HK. . . thus far. . .

Why? Mainly I'm not the kind of guy that's amazed by lifestyle offered by HK. The ridiculously tasty+fatty foods, the shopping and all other things surrounded by materialism.

But ironically, that's all I've been doing.

I've walked around in countless malls, plazas and stores, picking up good deals and stuffing my face with (tasty) foods. . .

Don't get me wrong, the food was amazing here but it just doesn't... hit the spot you know? the best way to describe it is that the 'marginal utility' that I gain from the shopping and eating is extremely low. . .

But as Jon-ster would say, (yes you Jon Cheng lol) it's time to explore and take risks! therefore its time to head over to lantau island [by myself :(] and check it out!!

A quick update

2009-04-28T22:37:00.006-04:00

Its been less than a week and I swear I put on 5+ lbs already - not cools. On the brighter side, I wake up exactly at 7:30am, everyday - I don't exactly know why but I wish it was like this everyday back in Toronto...

The flight to HK was tiring - I sat in a Bombardier Dash 8 Q4000 propeller jet from TOR to NJ and I almost puked everytime there was a slight turbulence... Then I sat in a Boeing 777 and it was very comfortable... except I sat in the last row right next to the washroom! too much flushin' for my likin' -_-"

I helped my mom move to our new place over the weekend - the place is very nice but its located at a relatively busy intersection so its mad noisy. I wake up to the noise every morning at 7:30

As for my general update in HK, I've been eating and shopping lots. I've never shopped for 3 days in a row before! The super bummer thing is that I can't get my travel pass to china despite having the HK citizenship/ID, that means I have to pay for visa everytime I go! (and its mad expensive!) Anyways, when I get the chance to take more pics, I will make sure to post em' up!

Hello from HK!

2009-04-24T11:34:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone, just arrived & blogging in HK! The plane ride was pretty brutal (1.5hr from TOR to NJ & 15.5hr from NJ to HK)

I'm staying at my mom's new apartment and I love it. Very cozy, clean and tons of food/convenience stuff around. And most importantly, over 25+ WiFi networks and a few unsecured ones for me to "borrow".

Anyways, I want to share a story when I was waiting for my flight in Pearson. So I sat across a Caucasian man in his fourties. He was quite stylish and he had a businessman look, except he had head full of nice blond hair (LOL I know what you're thinking and I'm not) He wore a brown striped dress-shirt, black dress pants and he had an BlackBerry 8800 world edition (haha I love to observe what kind of BlackBerrys people like to use)

After sitting for awhile, its 11:30 and it was time to board. As I'm gathering my stuff, he receives a call on his BB. "Hey" he says, after a short pause he says again: "Yeah, aight babe. I will. Drive safe & love you." He hangs up, holsters his BB and starts to gather his stuff with a small grin on his face.

So much love, right there. It makes my heart warm.

Pleasant Surprises & Off to HK!

2009-04-21T13:29:00.009-04:00

I love em. Last week my dearest gave me a farewell card & present despite the fact that I'm going to see her in 5 days.. its a digital picture frame in an egg shape form... its so cute! I'm gonna put it in my car somehow...

I received a lot of encouragements + gifts for my baptism.. there's gonna be TONS of reading for the next little while! talk about info overloadddd

Watched Wanted couple nights back, seriously the trailer looked so lame - but it was... pretty good! haha haven't seen Angelina in a long time and I almost forgot how attractive she can be...

After yoga I convinced Nat + sisters to teach me how to make cheescake on monday night... Had a blast watching & learning the whole process and it turned out GREATTT =D

well I'm off to HK! expect many updates from the other side of the world :)

A new perspective, a new title

2009-04-16T22:48:00.003-04:00

"Babysteps" was the old theme of my blog. I believed by taking babysteps towards a goal or dream, I will eventually get to where I wanted to go, to the point of 'success' defined by myself.

I think this attitude worked pretty well when I was focused. But for those who know me, my hobbies/career goals have been changing like the weather these days. This makes it extra hard for me to focus my time & energy on something because by the time I see any results, I've moved onto something else. So in reality, its not really working for me...

Fortunately, I've found God who is unchanging. He has a plan for me and He knows what's best for me. Therefore by following Him, with authentic and genuine faith (more on that later), He will lead me to where He has designed me to go! How awesome is that :)

A Clean Slate

2009-04-14T18:49:00.006-04:00

This Sunday, April 12th of 2009 marked the biggest day of my life thus far, which was my baptism.

My Journey to Christ, in my own simple words...
Going through periods rebellion and denial, I conclude that I'm a sinner. Meaning that I have selfish & evil desires created from my heart that results in (sinful) actions. And by committing sins, I would be a slave to these sins, forever. Sins of power, materialistic wealth, greed, lust and etc will eventually lead to conflict with others and destruction for myself.

However, I discovered that God loves us too much to let us perish. Because of his unfailing love, grace and mercy - He sent Christ, who died for us, while we were still sinners. His death (a perfect, unblemished sacrifice) on the cross wiped all my sins away. Past, present and future, allowing me to reconcile with God and have life again. A clean slate, a fresh start.

You may wonder, am I suddenly & magically a different person altogether? Yes and no. I am different now because Christ is in me. However, I still inherit many of my old ways, which require lots of work to get rid of...

But going forward, I will put all my trust in Christ and be obedient to Him. I will attempt to live a consistent life that reflects His teachings, in the Word (The Bible) and most importantly, love one another as He did.

Thanks be to God.