4 posts from 2006

January
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March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Different Crowd

Dec 25, 2006
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Due to work, I'm spending this Christmas in Austin without any family around. I feel fortunate that there are others here in Austin that treat me like family. I got to spend sometime hanging out with the Tsangs - Gid's parents, Gid's family, Wey's family, and Gid's sister (Hannah)'s family - funny little kids running around. It's more entertaining than anything on TV or any show on Earth. The boys are bouncing off the walls. Naomi is just a shy little cutie - dressed up in a nice dress and minding her own business (either that or her head is in the clouds).

After I got work on Christmas Eve, I was going to check out a Christmas Eve service at a local church, but they were all over by the time I got out. Holidays do two things - heighten the feeling of being alone and heighten the feeling of being cared for. Scripture speaks of - when 2 or more are gathered, that God is there. I think there's that drive for community. I think it means something that when you grab a meal with someone - that God has blessed the moment. The food of course is a given. The community though - that's a God thing. Unless I've got some set meeting, I don't plan my conversations that I have with people over meals. We just start chatting and laughing.

I just love how God stakes claim to those good times in life. The really good meal that leaves you with a lot of awesome leftovers and a food coma. The connections you make in conversation. In my mind, I have this picture of a meal being prepared. Once it is done, it looks nice, but still missing in a piece. Then, someone walks in the door (accompanied by God), and then the meal is ready to be devoured (not eaten, devoured).

May everyone eat well and with good company.

Silly words

Dec 23, 2006
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The holidays are a funny time of words. A few friends and I were discussing it - asking stupid questions, proposing silly answers - all because of how we have decided to coin phrases. Although "Christmas" is a "religious" holiday and we're not commercializing it, those that do not believe in Christmas are to accept being told "Merry Christmas" as people part ways. We say "Merry" instead of Happy. We said "Happy Holidays," but only during this time period. Wait until Memorial Day, Labor Day or even July 4th to say Happy Holiday. You'll get a weird look from people. Top that off with saying "Seasons Greetings on June 21st - yes, welcome Summer. We are such foolish and silly people.

Clean or explicit

Dec 21, 2006
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There are so many "versions" of things out there today. You can get the unrated version of movies on DVD or the one that you saw in the theater. You can get decaf or caffeinated. The default in life as an asian is choosing whatever gives you more. So when I can get the clean version or version with explicit lyrics of a song, what do I do? I get the ones with the "real" words. I found it interesting that a few weeks ago, Gid asked some of us to listen to this podcast - it was from a Christian discussion group - yet it happened to have to be labeled "Clean." It'll be interesting when you'll have the choice of the explicit or the clean version of Christian sermons.

Then again, there are the people that I talk to in one set of verbage and another group with whom I am more "explicit."

21 grams - remember?

Dec 21, 2006
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I watched the movie 21 grams today. It's an interesting combination of styles - think about Memento and Crash combined. The one thing that is bugging me is that I know Gid made reference to the movie a long time ago. I just can't remember what he had to say about it. A bunch of other guys remember the reference to the movie, but nothing about the talk - dang, we suck.