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2007.12.28 Fri - Da' Holy Land The skinny: I'm on a class trip to Israel through Talbot. 48 seminary students are all taking a routes and regions class onsite in Israel, where we'll be coving this small strip of highly contested and tension-filled land and its history. The phat: Even on the plane in LAX, cultural differences began to surface. El Al is Israel's airline and they just started flying from LAX a few months ago with a new non-stop to Tel Aviv. Security is ridikerous. Each individual is questioned while waiting in line to check in bags. Why are you going? Where are you from? Where are your parents from? Who drove you to the airport? Where are they from? Who are you going with? How do you know them? etc. Then the bus that takes us to the set apart terminal (took us at least 5 minutes to drive there) was escorted by LAX police cars. Then the plane itself was escorted by LAX police and black, El Al security personnel SUV's while our plane taxied (again a long drive) to the runway. Each time we would stop, the police cars would turn and face outwards from the plane (surrounded in the middle). Wowzers. The plane ride itself was different. There was at least one church group from Las Vegas, but many were Israelis that don't speak English. Community community community. People stand around in the aisles. Kids are running up and down the plane. Not much sense of individual space (a kid staring at me from a close distance while I worked on my laptop). This is the view from our hotel rooftop. We're just inside the Old Jerusalem wall's "Joppa Gate" in the Christian Quarter. I've been blessed.

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2007.08.06 Mon - Sightings I was at McKenna getting service done on my car. While waiting, I heard a hubbub outside the dealer in the parking lot. An Audi R8 had pulled up. The car's not even out yet. But some hotshot Audi exec had a demo car to drive around (with Michigan plates) and was visiting the owner of McKenna. I shot this engine bay through the glass rear window. Wowzers.

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2007.06.24 Sun - King of the hill, but still foot of the mountain There's something I've learned in observation, but don't want to learn as practice. If you want to discredit someone's position or argument, just think of the worst possible interpretation of their words. This doesn't mean pointing out the actual weakness of an argument, but rather a matter of shading and interpretation that you probably know they didn't mean, but makes them sound wrong/look bad anyway. This pic is from a discussion between evangelicals and Latter-day Saints @ BYU during a trip I took with all undergrad Biola students in April 2007.

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2007.06.08 Fri - Of myself: what is understandable, isn't necessarily justified. It saddens me when people don't understand me. I feel isolated. It frustrates me when people misunderstand me. I feel rejected. It exasperates me when people misrepresent me. I feel violated. It tickles me when people have common passion. I feel stirred to work. It empowers me when I minister & bless people. I feel useful & closer. It frees me when I obey His will and precepts. I feel "right as rain". This a photo of my old dream car doing my still dream thing.

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2007.05.12 Wed - Rules of Engagement This is a pic of the mothers from Lisa & Matt Onsum's wedding rehearsal. Too cute ("More ENERGY!" ha ha ha): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a96TmrxZRXY The guy's comment reminds me of CCSV youth group kids (especially you Mark Choi), "Blond hair in korea is like being a movie star or something." First the engagements... wow there have been a lot of them lately. Second, another kind of engagement, Engrish lessons for how to argue with your spouse. I especially like the last one, "Hasta la vista, baby." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrjcMJdEZIQ Lastly, on rules... Biola University on Nightline - a taste of Talbot's campus undergrads counterpart: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2010969 Ask Yahoo! article re: "Are some animals gay?" http://ask.yahoo.com/20060919.html The silly argument sounds analogous to this: If we can find animals that kill others of the same species (or of another) for no apparent reason (or for a reason for that matter), then does that mean "killing is natural" and proves that it's okay for us humans too? Aigo! Another silly statement of the obvious: "...sex in the animal kingdom isn't always just about reproduction." It never was, even in the Bible.

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2007.04.03 Tue - It's About Trends, Ergo It's Often About Future Generations This will anger some, encourage others (although I would question these), but perhaps be ignored by the rest. "Hostage drill prepares school for crisis" http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/112-03232007-1318937.html "...Two Burlington Township police detectives portrayed the gunmen. Investigators described them as members of a right-wing fundamentalist group called the “New Crusaders” who don't believe in separation of church and state. The mock gunmen went to the school seeking justice because the daughter of one had been expelled for praying before class..." What the ?!? I wrote a relatively peaceful email to the article's author: Dear David Levinsky, This is not a hate email. Perhaps I'm jumping to conclusions, but I'm guessing you're probably getting a lot of these for the article essentially complimenting the actions of the school and law enforcement agencies in mocking conservative christians. It saddens me that our country has come to this. It starts with rumors, develops into stereotypes, and ends in a blind and prejudiced society. It's not new. Your article and the reported drill are only an expected continuation of a trend our country has been on the path of for awhile now. I hope that the country's awareness would only be enlightened by this sad story, unless, of course, people are already at the stage of thinking it only natural or expected that a parent of a child expelled for praying in the classroom (what happened to freedom of religion? and expelled of all disciplinary actions?!?), would commit such a terror as Columbine, the many other school examples (which have all NOT been right-wing religiously motivated), or 911 even. It is offensive and well... sad. If you still can't understand why, then what do you think would have happened if instead of Christian right-wing "New Crusaders", a group called "Muslim Jihad" was used, or "Jewish Crucifiers" was used? Do you think the country would be expected to stay silent? Would people not be outraged at the religious prejudice and distaste? But then again, if you really do think all fundamental Christians would rise up in arms, then you ought to look a little more into the majority of fundamentals-believing Christians (or at least those that would call themselves such, like myself), and not just the violence bent crowd that the media seems to only look for and publicize. Thanx for your time and attention (if you did indeed get this far in my email). Blessings Abound, * "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, Ben Yu * whatever is honorable, whatever is right, * whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, * whatever is of good repute, if there is * any excellence and if anything worthy * of praise, dwell on these things." http://benyu.smugmug.com * ~ Philippians 4:8

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2007.02.15 Thu - Left Wanting It's been awhile since a post. On the eve of driving back up to the Bay Area for the World Christian Conference, I have some thoughts. Well, I often have thoughts, I just forget or don't get around to getting them down. I'm finally getting around to some of it. This morning, the Bora broke yet another coolant system pipe. Darn cheap plastic parts. The thing just cost me another $450+ today. But the car will run and will hopefully be able to take Doug Kang and I up to San Mateo. We're leaving at 5:30AM. Oy. We're still not prepared for the music worship. We've only practiced once altogether (last weekend). Slides to be done. Sheets to be printed out. School work has taken a lot of time, as I suppose it should at this time. Oy. Going over some of the songs, I'm realizing how little I like a lot of 'em. They leave me wanting. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but most of the current day's corporate music worship songs just aren't very corporate, musical, or worshipful. Strange. So many "I" songs, especially of the promising kind... "I will this, I am that" ...as if. A lot of these things sound the same and just don't feel like "good music". You turn on the radio and accidentally flip to a station playing the popular stuff done in churches and you'll recognize it right away. It has as a certain style, not much. CCM too is often instantly recognizable. Why is this stuff so sub-par? Why do churches seem satisfied with giving such music a lower standard to reach? If anything, shouldn't it be higher? Better? Of course, this isn't meant to be a blanket generalization. There are exceptions out there, and you can tell. How? By realizing which songs/groups are actually listened to by non-Christians. I'm not saying just "watered down" gospel stuff, but actually good music with solid lyrics. If it's good music, people will listen. If you're a master at your craft, people will respect you. Regardless. Take Michael Chang at his high point, for example. Or C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Abe Lincoln, MLK, Jr., on and on... respected. Masters of their craft. Roaring Lions. This pic is from a few years ago just after undergrad. Ben Poon, Ben Yu, Cory Penn, & Marc Rice performing a medley of John Mayer, Third Day, & Skillet as the musical act for UC Berkeley's The Movement dance troupe's Fall Showcase. We actually started on different instruments and rotated to the current positions in this pic mid-song. Fun times.

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2006.11.11 Sat - G'day Mate Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him. ~ 1 Kings 21:25 This verse can scare you into singleness, no? Ever wondered how different your life can be depending on whom you marry (applying to both genders)? Read the text of and INTO THE TEXT OF 1 Kings 16:30 thru 2 Kings 9. Ahab (a Jewish king) & Jezebel (a non-Jew hottie he married), & Tyndale House Publishers' "Life Application Bible" - "The choice of a mate will have a significant effect on life - physically, spiritually, and emotionally." Have you ever noticed a "pecking order" develop in a group amongst the guys and/or girls? This is in the workplace as well as amongst friends. There's almost an order to whom everyone looks up to for certain tasks, perhaps another for certain knowledge, or yet another for some other admirable trait. It could even be all inclusive in one person (the alpha [fe]male). Then there's the next "highest", and the next. When in the context of a social setting, I'm not really sure what to think of it anymore. Shall we brush it off as "just being human"? Or should we be aware (and beware) of its pitfalls, and thereby striving to avoid such an order? On a (somewhat) similar note, this pic is from last Winter during Stanfurd Tmony's 2 week L.A. Winter Break Tour. "Hi Young Sue" Jason Kim and I are modeling the peacock mating behavior (the 2 birds are blended into the background). Although I'm feigning ignorance in this pic, I really do miss him. :)

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2006.10.19 Thu - A Whole New World An old swing friend and future hotshot dentist Estée Wang came to visit SD for a conference so I took the relatively short drive down a couple of times to hang out. The second time, Jimmy Chen came along as well and we headed to Tijuana, Mexico for a few hours. It's weird that it felt like another country, and yet, didn't. Go to the album linked at the top for the rest of the pics, but some fun things to note: Coronado Island in San Diego is beautiful, especially the Hotel Del Coronado. It's an open beach, so even if you're staying somewhere else, be sure to soak it up and check out the old geezer boutiques and yummy ice cream parlor underneath. For a nice dinner, try eating at "The Sheerwater" on the beach front of the Hotel Del Coronado and get a table next to the outdoor fireplaces. *sigh* Notice which direction the security cameras are turned in this pic. It's cheaper to take the U-turn and park on the northbound side of the I-5's parking lot and walk across, than it is to park in the lot on the southbound side. I heard on the news later that 44 murders happen a year in TJ. Be careful. There's a long line to come back to the U.S. even if you're walking across (not sure whether the cars line is slower or not. At least during the day, TJ's a really nice place with fun alleyways and shops to discover. Bargain hard, but don't be a jerk. Not saving that extra $1 US probably hurts you much less than it does benefit the merchant you're buying from. Be careful when picking your taxis and busses/shuttles. A lot of them are probably just gonna rip you off than really save you much time or money, not to mention risk your safety unnecessarily. Check your car insurance policy before driving across. You may or may not be covered, and even if you are, there may be strange restrictions. For example, I was told by Allstate that I could hit only a U.S. driver and not a Mexican one, otherwise I wouldn't be covered. What the?!? You should probably bring a passport or at least a photocopy of your passport. We only went in with our driver's licenses and only had to flash it when crossing back over. But if you aren't easily profiled as a non-Mexican, better to be safe. I heard this on some late night show before, but seriously, those yellow signs on the highway warning you of people (families) running across the highway, what ethnicity do you think they represent?

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2006.09.30 Sat - My New Home Hello and welcome to my humble abode. This is a pic of the front doors, a pair of automatic sliding glass doors. The lobby is spacious and welcoming, the bathrooms are clean, and the number of books and movies can keep you entertained and educated for years on end. Food isn't allowed, but I sleep here and spend my waking hours here as well, more than any other place. Come on in, kick off your shoes (not at the entrance like most Asian households), and grab a Laz-Y-Boy chair for a nap or to admire the expansive lawn outside the floor-to-ceiling bay windows. It's just that you'll be kicked out at midnight each night. P.S. - How do you like the entranceway decor? Can you guess what it says on the inside doorway as you exit?

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2006.09.26 Tue - A Good Thing? Yes I'm back (some apparently still don't know). I've been a student again for the last month at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University's graduate seminary, in the L.A./O.C. area. I know I've expressed detest at ever living down here, but so it goes with God's Will and our resistance. I'll post more about the past couple months soon... hopefully. Back to my passions... this pic came from last weekend where I went (by myself *sniff sniff*) to test drive MB, BMW, & Lexus cars. Even though Lexus cars are sleepy (a bit boring) drives, it was still immense fun throwing a full size saloon car through S'es and slaloms. Quick rec for most any class: Want safe, stable? Get the Lexus. Want the status/image to be seen? Get the MB. Want tingles? Get the Bimmer. I thought this photo was so cute, the antisocial Lexus cone. The MB cone is even frowning. "Come play with us!" "No!" :D

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2006.07.12 Wed - And they're off! God willing, I'll be back in a little over a month. May God not only bless me, but my enemies as well... ...for not my will, but His be done.

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2006.06.28 Wed - I shouldn't have checked bandodetective's past posts Four jobs I've had: 1. Sushi bar waiter 2. Florist 3. Dog walker 4. Google AdWords Peon Four movies I can (and do) watch over and over: 1. Moulin Rouge 2. Usual Suspects 3. An Affair To Remember 4. Charade Four places I've lived: 1. College Park, MD 2. Potomac, MD 3. Berkeley, CA 4. Cupertino, CA Four TV shows I watch: 1. Mission: Impossible 2. McGuyver 3. Will & Grace 4. Late Late Show w/ Craig Ferguson? (actually, I don't really watch TV) Four places I've vacationed: 1. Cancun, Mexico 2. Hawaii, USA 3. South of France, France (durrr) 4. Rome, Italy Four foods I love: 1. Japanese Food 2. Korean Food 3. Chinese Food 4. Ice Cream Four sites I visit daily: 1. http://benyu.smugmug.com/ 2. http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/ 3. http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/ 4. http://news.google.com/ Four places I'd rather be: 1. Häagen Dazs shop/stand 2. In the driver's seat 3. Paris, France 4. Anywhere with lovingly sharpening friends Four random items in my bag: 1. Airborne 2. Apple Remote 3. Contacts rewetting drops (Weird because I don't wear contacts) 4. Mini NASB Bible Four things most people don't know about me: 1. My Dad's family is Catholic 2. I was (am?) deathly afraid of performing/speaking on stage/in public 3. I have a Caucasian stepdad 4. The extended relative I've felt closest to was my white stepgrandmother in West Covina (East LA area) Four people I tag to do this: 1. Martin Luther 2. Pope Benedict 3. George W. Bush 4. Ms. Piggy (This is a photo of Cornerstone Church boys at church. I didn't notice until after taking it that the outermost 2 are brothers Paul & Doug Kang, then the next inner two are brothers Isaac & Mark Choi, and then finally Dan Tung in the middle.)

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2006.06.12 Mon - Busy relaxin' This weekend was the first weekend I've had in awhile to relax; so I packed my weekend full of fun things to do. ha ha... 3 movies in 2 days ~~~ "Cars" w/ Philip Pan & friends ~~~ Cute & funny, but I would say save your money for DVD rental. I kinda' felt like more could have been done with it, but maybe it's just 'cuz I'm not that into Nascar. :P ~~~ "The Omen" w/ CCSV kids ~~~ Ummm... don't bother renting the DVD even. ha ha... I think we laughed during the movie more than were scared. Just very... corny. ~~~ "The DaVinci Code" w/ Hoomes, Isaac Choi, & Wing Ho ~~~ Sorta' random group of people to watch the movie with. Movie was... ok. I'd say wait for DVD, and even then, maybe only watch it if you're into that kind of stuff and/or you read the book. Perhaps it's just a hard book to convert to the screen, but there was a lot of dialogue/flashing back just to give the audience quick history lessons that probably ended up being more confusing than informative if you can't rewind and play the scene again or if you haven't read the book. As a quick response to the hype: Like the book, if you're gonna watch it, take it with a grain of salt. 1) Dan Brown doesn't have all of his facts right and 2) people who think this book/movie actually means anything significant are only ignorant/uninformed. Dan Brown's facts are long known and have never been hidden, while his fictions/falsities are long known and well refuted. Just check wikipedia.org, www.jesusanddavinci.com, or the many other sites. Since I'm on movies, this post is another one. The Drama Ministry at EFC/Harvest Berkeley had some good stuff going, whether skits to advertise for a retreat, or videos like this to make a point/teach something. I wish I had all of them, but here's all I could find so far. Make sure to watch the "other version" in the same album as this one (click the album's link above). Pretty funny "bloopers". :D Coffeehouse'ish performance @ Katherine Huang & Daniel Chang's fundraiser thingy. I brought some of the CCSV boys with me to accompany. I miss performing in public spaces. Too bad we weren't more rehearsed. :-P "But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness" ~ 2 Timothy 2:16 ~~~ I've wondered how this plays out in real life. Taken far enough, most of what I say is worldly and empty chatter. (e.g. - "Did Cal win?", "Yeah, I prefer Mac OSX to Winblows.", "I need to poop real bad.") And that's not even really having to take it all THAT far. King James version says: "But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness." Does this only apply to cussing? The verse right before (since this verse starts with a "but") says "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." Hmmm... "accurately handling the word of truth." So maybe it means not to defame God's Word, or use it for worldly gain, or argue/talk about it in a way that doesn't lead to anything helpful? I dunno. But it does make me wish I held my tongue more. I wish I would think things through more thoroughly before I end up slapping my forehead "Doh!" Like other "Bible instructions", do I look for how much I can do/say before I cross the line of "being bad"? I hope not. 'Cuz that only shows my spiritual immaturity and evil heart. I get pissed at certain injustices. I noticed one such pet peeve this past weekend, namely when people use other people for selfish desires/gain. (I hope not to gossip or cause harm in this story but to hopefully build us up. I'm guessing no one there will be reading this anyway.) A guy sits between two girls at a scary movie. The girls grab for each other during the scary parts. Since he's in between them, they're reaching over/across him. They ask to switch seats with him so they can do their girly thing (heh). He refuses. I notice and am a little peeved. Why? It's not so much the girls not getting to sit next to each other like they'd asked, 'cuz like they said later, it didn't really matter to them that much. What bugs is that I think he refused to switch 'cuz he liked having the girls around him, reaching over him, physical contact, etc. I made kind of a big deal about it during them movie by asking him repeatedly to switch, then after the movie pulling him aside to confront him about it. I'm hoping I didn't get his motives wrong, but he didn't argue with my suspicions nor volunteer any other reason for his stubbornness. Girls aren't objects. People aren't objects. Even if it's "OK" with them (like flirting). Of course, the degree varies according to various variables. Many times I just let it go. I think I know why I don't have especially close friends that I actually see a lot. Either I see you a lot, or I don't see you much but when we talk, it's really close. Never both. I'm very "inconvenient" at times because my threshold for confronting/bringing something up is lower than most. If I see something messed up/shady, and I care enough about you, etc., then I'll bring it up. As a result, with me around, it's harder to hide things, bury aspects/character traits you're ashamed of, etc. I long for "inconvenient" friends. Not people who will tell me off to make themselves bigger, make me smaller, or for jealousy/pride reasons, but out of love, they sharpen me as "iron sharpens iron" (Proverbs 27:17). Ignorance is NOT bliss, it's just ignorant. Doesn't anyone else desire the same? Weird.

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2006.06.06 - Omenless As a child I was very superstitious. As an adult, I try very hard to not be, but it still creeps up sometimes. I don't care about walking under ladders or before black cats anymore, but I make some decisions weirdly. e.g. - I'll sit at a stoplight where I would usually go straight to get to wherever I'm going, but sometimes I'll countdown from 16 or 12, then make a right turn if the opposing light hasn't turned yellow yet. This isn't terribly superstitious, but sometimes I'll think to myself, "this will happen" or "that will happen" if the light turns before I finish counting down. The logic? Lacking. It's just a game-turned-fortune-teller I would play as a child while riding in my mom's car's back seat. I used to countdown from 10. Why 16 or 12 now? Musical phrasing. A couple of years ago (recent in this countdown history), I noticed how annoying it was to end the countdown in the middle of a musical phrase. So I switched it to 12 or 16, depending on what rhythm/beat feel you use. If you don't understand, then ask someone who's familiar with musical phrases in powers of 2. :) It's amazing how math, music, human "feel", etc. are so intertwined. :) Do guys ever not unbutton/unlatch their pants and only unzip to pee at a urinal? I have never, for fear of pulling a "Something About Mary" moment. Ouch. Pretty in pink: This is my first (and only) pink shirt. It's the first one that I felt actually matched my skin tone (relatively dark). I bought it while shopping with a gay couple. How fitting. Ok I'll stop now. This pic was from last week. I didn't tell many people, but I went home for 2 days, or more like a day and a half, just for my lil' bro's H.S. graduation. I'd forgotten how muggy Mary's Land can be. Although the stickiness wasn't pleasant, I really miss 4 seasons (instead of just the 2 of Cali: dry & wet). You can always click on a blog entry's heading for the album the pic came from, but here are some of my fav's: Candid shot of my fam and fam friend. Wayne Yu fans trying to stay cool in the sticky heat. The siblings. The mystery of the Trinity (God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit) is less about who God is, as it is about how they reciprocally relate with the community of believers. Marriage is less about the two people getting married, as it is about how they reciprocally relate with the community of people around the two. This perspective can change our understanding of the Godhead and of us. I'm playing/singing at a coffeehouse type fundraiser up in Richmond if anyone's around. I think they're looking for more musicians too if you're interested in performing a short set (10 - 15 min's) amongst chit chatting coffee drinkers. I noticed changes of skin color during this short trip to MD. My first flight to Atlanta from SF was pretty much all White. Then the leg from Atlanta to Baltimore was mostly Black. My flight coming back from Baltimore directly to SF was mostly Yellow. Interesting. I'm scared of flying still. I've yet to take a flight where the seatbelt sign stays off for the duration of cruising. Turbulence scares me. A lot. When planning trips, I try to take as few flight legs as possible. I'm thinking accidents usually happen during take-off and landing, so I try to minimize how many I need to go through. For most drivers, I'm scared of riding in their car. I just don't trust other drivers. I've been told this is 'cuz of the big car accident from 8.5 years ago. Even before then, I still preferred to be the driver. But I don't remember if that was just 'cuz I love driving. I'd like to think it's not a control-freak thing.

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2006.06.02 Fri - Teaching A funny ad for my summer services: Got Engrish? ha ha... This summer I'll be volunteering as an English teacher at a summer camp in East Asia. I'm anxious, excited, and hoping to do a good job of teaching with Excellence and Loving my students and fellow teachers. If you'd like to help support this summer volunteer endeavor and/or receive updates, please lemme know. :D I have great respect for teachers. Many of my jobs ever since high school have been some form of teaching, whether it was teaching English to non-native English speakers, teaching teachers how to usefully incorporate computers in the classroom, teaching guitar lessons, teaching computer classes for Berkeley faculty & staff, etc. I even applied to be a private school music teacher a couple of years ago. I ended up turning down the position though, 'cuz I really don't wanna be a teacher for life. It's hard. Teaching enthused students excites me. Starting beginners on a potential path doesn't. I've had major guilt about that for years, but I'm more ok with it now, thinking that my place in this world is with pushing those that are already of passion. This pic is Julie (Hu) Chen and her friend Ankit, in her 5th grade classroom down in SoCal back in Fall of 2001. I cannot say it enough, that I have a high respect for the likes of her, Lillian Yow, Audrey (Chiang) Wu, Eileen Fung, and many others that have taken up teaching. I dunno how you guys do it.

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2006.05.30 Tue - Breaking Others Down or Bringing Others Up Since I had driven up to pick up my last boxes of stuff from my old EmeryBay apt (after almost a year), I met up with Po-Wei Chen yesterday while up in Berzerkeley for boba. I really enjoyed it. He's really changed, and yet in some ways he's still the pigeon-cooing, toe-obsessed weirdo I met when he first came to Cal almost 5 years ago. It's nice to be affirmed that at least some of the hassling and upfrontness from years ago actually went into molding someone's character and (hopefully) maturity. It's also nice to know what I should do differently next time around. I learned many years ago that I work out theology, philosophy, reflections on mistakes, and thought exercises out loud by talking my thoughts through with some people. I noticed only recently that I don't really have any of those types of friends around anymore and I miss my sounding boards. :p It's nice to have another's pair of ears without worrying if they're bored/annoyed by your thoughts. Otherwise I'd probably be talking to myself like a mad man. In recent weeks, Stanfurd's had a few muggings on campus near the dorms. Suddenly, students are all making sure others aren't walking home alone. Poon and I (Cal grads) were like, "...", then "You mean you don't usually try to walk home with others at night? and mugging incidences are big news?" What sheltered Trees are these. :D I was once held up at gunpoint while still living in Berkeley. It was me and this big Korean guy. The perps were a black kid and a white kid, neither of whom looked older than H.S. More than anything, my Korean friend and I were just annoyed. The fear didn't kick in until we got away. It's a longer story, but the perps ended up getting nuthin' from us. :) Wow. Praise God, for He blesses abundantly. Learn to gain self-esteem by building up yourself to (or surpassing) the standard/level of others, and not the copout-break-others-down-to-my-level-so-I-don't-feel-inferior method. It's hard, and the cowardly easy way out is commonly used, but come on... This pic is from Spring of 2003 when I was in The Movement dance troupe at Berkeley. This is only one of the swing troupes (Movement has multiple hip-hop, jazz, & swing troupes). I'd already graduated, but was still doing student activities at the time (working on campus part time, working at Moe's Flowers part time, singing in 2 a cappella groups). We mainly only performed our dance routines at campus events, but still seemed like such a big deal and was a booty load of fun. :D My lil' bro' Wayne Yu is graduating from high school on Thurs. ?!? HIGH SCHOOL!!! My gosh he grew up fast. Congrats Silo. Go Terps! :D

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2006.05.24 Wed - Ogling Ladies, doesn't it irk you when you notice that a guy your walking down the street with, driving/riding in the car with, sitting at the restaurant/cafe with, diverts their attention from you because they're noticing/ogling at a girl walking by or at another table? ...especially if you're saying something to him? ...ESPECIALLY if he's your bf/hubby? For many years now, it would piss me off when guys would do that, when girls would do that (noticing a boy; I don't mind so much when it's a girl... competitiveness?), and especially when I would do that. We've probably heard it said, "well, guys are guys." What a load a' crap. That's the lamest excuse to dishonor one another as ever. No one's saying you can't be attracted to guys/girls. Rather we should honor one another by how we react to/deal with such attractions. Especially as summer's coming along (and less is being covered), consciously try this for a few weeks and see if it doesn't change you (and get friends to call you on it when you slip): when you see someone of the opposite gender that 1) is attractive in your eyes and/or 2) is attractive in society's eyes (these can be different), try looking away, or intentionally STARING at the person you're having a conversation with. Holiness doesn't happen overnight, but the first steps (and even if just the first steps) to growing attitudes and character that loves others as ourselves and honors others above ourselves, can begin now. I ogle at oncoming and neighboring cars. It's not even the exotics that I care about. It's the sleepers: cars that most wouldn't notice and don't try to look fast, but due to an emblem, a small cosmetic difference, but there's something different under that body. Now THAT'S hot. :p Many a close call have I missed. It's not about rules or restrictions. It's about freedom and living a life free to love fully. The biggest difference I've noticed between European & American/Asian driving behavior is communication. You aren't only responsible for what vector your car is heading and if you're clear of hitting anything, you should be responsible for how your vector and position affects other drivers. I rarely see that here, hence the more senseless accidents. It's not that Europeans are necessarily better at maneuvering their own vehicle, but that they're better at minimizing the opportunities for other drivers to make mistakes. How true this is for all relationships and communication. Yesterday was relatively uneventful. Each year things become less and less a big deal and I've learned to just be more laid back and chill about things. I don't think I've "really celebrated" for a few years now. I'm not sure if I'm sad about that or not. Had work as usual. Sold my old iBook for $600. Not bad considering the new MacBooks that have replaced the iBook line. Had dinner with Katherine & Daniel. Thanx for the Japanese food. :-) Had drinks and watched the movie, "Nothing", with Hoomes. A movie from some of the same people who made "Cube" & "Hypercube". Came home and did laundry. Yippee. :p Thanx to those that called or remembered otherwise. I know I try to play it down each year 'cuz I wish I was more constructive with it, but the pridefulness in me still likes to be remembered/acknowledged. :) Thank God for more years than I deserve. These two Jettas are pics I saw on a local NorCalVW forum. So purty. Does anyone have a nice dig cam? Like at least a pro-sumer DSLR that I can either use for an hour or wouldn't mind coming along to shoot some car photos? URPAID4 & INFULL need some lovin', but I wanna get some pics posted in the meantime. :)

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2006.05.22 Mon - God Is Good... ...all the time. The rain clouds threatened. Droplets even fell only minutes before we went on. But God held back what would have ruined my new $200 suit. OOoooo... ha ha. Free catered food, wine, & ice cream was yum. The scenery and ladies were beautiful. The free photo booth was a laugh (shoulda' used it more). The live music provided by "Blue Moon" was good. The dancing with rich women was fun. The performance coulda' been worse (I moved us a little outta' position by the middle of the routine). The croqueting crowd was welcoming. The rolling hills of young grapes was quite a sight. But the company was fantastic! Thanx to Kevin & Carla's performance troupe for letting us join the fun for a day. :D Another fav photo with Yon.

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2006.05.21 Sun - Senseless Traditions of Male Bonding Don't get scammed by phishing attempts. Get in the habit of never clicking through on emails that ask for login/personal info. You get an email that your statement's ready to be viewed online? Ok. Delete it, open your web browser, and type in/select your bookmark for the bank's URL. If you're into the sport of toying with scammers, join these guys: http://www.419eater.com/. It's petty and even pitiful when someone or some persons defame or bring down others as a way of making themselves feel better or bigger. Just sad. It happens more often than we're probably aware of, especially when we're the guilty party. About 10 years ago, I started purchasing Eddie Bauer clothing and products because their fragrance for men was called, "Balance". I passionately strive for the medium ground between extremes. (Imagine a 2D scale, the X-axis being "extreme left vs. extreme right views", the Y-axis being "passion" or "hot vs. cold" (Revelation 3). Ideally, I'd imagine most circumstances would call for the middle on the X-scale, and higher rather than lower on the Y-scale. What picture does that make? :p heh heh) This is a video of a favorite EFC/Harvest Berkeley past time, dogpiling the birthday boy. Many have resisted, many have run, but all have been taken down for the count. This victim is Wing Ho for his 23rd birthday in the fellowship hall at church. I love being one of the last ones on so I can pull the "death from above" move. :) Apparently starting in 2003, the girls started dogpiling the girls on their b-days as well. One year my birthday landed on a Friday Night Fellowship that EFC would hold on campus at the Campanile lawn. I prepared for the dogpile danger by borrowing a friend's Super Soakers, loading them up before hand, and leaving my trunk slightly open for easy access. Towards the end of the night, my paranoid eye noticed the circling predators coming in the for dogpile kill. I ran for my car and grabbed the guns, firing away at my pursuers. This held them at bay for the moment. As I was about to get in my car for a quick getaway, some girls brought a peace offering of a baked birthday cake. Although suspicious, I hesitated and stood there for a bit. Then screams came from behind, as I realized guys had taken the opportunity to sneak around the bushes to the back. The water guns didn't stop anyone anymore. :(

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2006.05.17 Wed - Life Is A Series of Transitions In first grade, I went to Lanham International private school (the only year of private school I've been in). I dunno if it had much to do with the name, but my best friends were a South Asian Indian girl and an African American boy. I wonder if people were amazed at our color mix as I am, now looking back at how close we were. I'm sad that I don't even remember their names. Music or (good) cologne is always nice, but I'd rather serve alongside people, or at the least be spending time with you. You can tell a lot about people by how they treat others who are NOT their friends. How do you tell if someone genuinely cares, or if 1) they just want/need something from you or 2) they mainly care about whether they are a "good" person (although there is no such thing)? Google Notebook debuted yesterday. Good idea, but I wonder how useful it'll be. Hopefully it'll improve. I'm performing a swing lindyhop routine this Saturday at a Sonoma Valley winery for a "Make A Wish Foundation" benefit. They're really an amazing organization. Imagine if your job brought huge amounts of happiness and tears of joy from kids. Perhaps I'm only looking at the good side, but I imagine I'd love to go to work, and I'd come home happy. Come watch! You only need to come dressed in your croquet white and pay $200 a person... *gulp*. Here's a rough version of what we'll be performing... We need work: "Jam Session" @ Golden Gate Park with Yon Na This photo was taken almost 2 years ago when Melody Cline & Estée Wang were still around. This night, we were at the "Top of The Mark" lounge on the top floor of the InterContinental Mark Hopkins hotel in SF. They have (had?) live swing music and a small floor there every Thursday night. It's not like we 3 even had that much in common. I'm a boy, they're girls; Melody's white, Estée & I are Asian; Estée's from the West Coast, Melody & I are from the Best Coast, etc. ;) But yeah, we would just go swingin' a lot, like 4 times a week sometimes. I miss 'em. Estée's now at Harvard (wow), and Melody's back in Delaware gettin' married (WOW). I doubt they'll ever see this, but May God richly bless you two, His beloved.

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2006.03.09 Thu - Upcoming Stanfurd Testimony Christian A Cappella CD: "Accelerate" Shameless self promotion: Click on the pink heading above for various clips, download this one, or check my Xanga page background music. It's majorly processed, but still a lot of fun to hear/sing. :) CD's will be on sale starting at our May 6, 2006 show (officially that is, 'cuz they may be available earlier). Pre-orders can be made now from the tmony website linked above.

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2006.02.13 Mon - Deceit Aww, look at this cutie. Her name is "Baby" and I was cat-sitting her. Only problem was, I hadn't gotten around to asking the owners of the house I live in until AFTER I'd already taken delivery of the cat (to help out an acquaintance in need). Woops. So when I got around to asking, I was told, "Our family is allergic to pets. Please do not bring a cat into the house. Oh yeah, and I'm flying in tomorrow afternoon." ?!? I scrambled to have the cat taken away, and spent the night cleaning, scrubbing, vacuuming away. *sigh* But alas, I ended up telling the owner a couple of weeks later about it. A guilty conscience is sometimes all we have visibly left of the Holy Spirit when we're living in sin. Hopefully discipline will mature me into not having to do such silly things later in life.

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2006.01.14 Sat - Looking Ahead Haven't posted anything in awhile, so I'll just spit out random thoughts: Interesting article: One logical article re: Evolution vs. Intelligent Design and interesting site in general. Interesting site: Apologetics and questions about Christianity and truths I think I'll be out of the Bay Area (after 11 years) by the end of this summer. Seminary or overseas short term missions (1 - 2 years initially) would be where I'm going. Restlessness due to lack of close friends in the South Bay and a number of serious temptations distracting me and taking up brain time are some of the reasons why I'm going. I came to UC Berkeley for school despite my dad's desire for me not to and my family's hard financial situation, just so I could be relatively close to a gf who was going to go to Stanfurd (instead of staying at the much cheaper in-state school). I was spending hardly any money this past year (didn't buy new clothes AT ALL for the whole year except for one sweater from BR). But now I'm spending again (new computer, missions conferences, car repairs, clothes), please pray for responsibility and good stewardship. I sang at an ex gf's wedding last May. I was so honored and humbled by her and her fiance's request. Four of my ex gf's are now married. Yesterday, another ex gf asked if I'd be willing to be in her wedding party. ?!? I didn't know guys could be on that side of the wedding party, but I'm honored and humbled all the same. This picture was the Berkeley Mosaic church's drama/skit team at 2 years ago's medical missions trip to Ensenada, Mexico. I miss them. I miss the life I had in Berkeley. It's not there anymore (most friends have left the area), so I'm antsy to find it again somewhere else. I once gave up a job to live with and work for Jet Li 'cuz of a gf that wouldn't be able to travel with me. For years now, I force myself to say "I love you" at the end of phone conversations with my lil' sis', lil' bro', or dad. I'm hoping it'll one day be natural. I still haven't done so with my mom, stepmom, or stepdad. Especially with girls, I talk about ex gf's a lot partly 'cuz I hope it'll help keep me single. I'm tired of being single. I'm scared that I'm not ever gonna feel ready to date again. I pray for celibacy. I'm definitely still not celibate. I fight such internal battles all the time because I must be honest with who I am, but never satisfied until I'm perfect in Christ, ever striving towards the prize and goal. I don't like cars as much as I'm crazy about the act and art of driving, especially with others (follow the leader or laps on the track). I get tingles when I take a turn just right. I don't like women as much as I'm crazy about how people (with men or women) relate. I get tingles when I connect with someone (whether a girl or guy). I don't like listening to music as much as I'm crazy about creating it with others. I get tingles when jam sessions or circle songs (a cappella) take on a life of their own and afterwards, we're all like, "woa..." I like tingles. But a good friend that knows me well is scared that I'm losing that "butterfly in my stomach" and "in the moment" spontaneity. I think I just need to grow up. I've been considering missions for years now (since I went to Urbana '96 missions conference), but debt and gf's have been what hold me back from going. I see nothing wrong with moving across the country or world to be with a girl/guy. That would be the "butterfly in my stomach" Ben speaking. The new BMW SMG transmissions are great from a performance/numbers perspective, but the "ultimate driving machine" requires a clutch. The new M5's only come with an SMG. Boo BMW. I miss driving in Europe. I miss Marc Rice (who I'm pretty sure won't see this). He's one of the few (if only) males I've been able to connect with on so many levels (beliefs, musically, relationally, jokingly, driving). But I'm glad he's growing up, even if it means leaving me behind. Congratulations dude. Jasmine's a lucky gal'. I know that I'm not bad but also not that good at any of my passions (understanding His Word, creating music, driving cars, dancing, loving people). My major in college (Cognitive Science) speaks volumes about me: "Jack of many trades, master of none." I need to repair my relationship with my mom, but don't know how. God help us. I love my dad, but I feel like we don't have a father-son relationship. I feel like my mom robbed me of that. I've hurt my mom a lot in the past by "siding with my dad". I was never homesick when I came to Cali from Mary's Land for college because I hated my mom's home and I never was really a part of my dad's. I hate divorce. If I could only succeed in one thing, I hope it would be in loving and raising a godly family. I'm naive. I've thought a lot about marriage since I was in kindergarden. I remember playing tag in kindergarden and I would run slower whenever she (I forget her name) was "it" and was chasing me. more later...

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2005.12.01 Thu - College church? friends? same difference? This is a poor quality version of the EFC/Harvest Berkeley class of 2001 senior night video. (Smugmug limits the file size, so let me know if you want the higher quality version). Anyhow, for old Harvesters that wanna reminisce, I've uploaded a bunch of old videos, mostly from Andy Wu's archive CD's. I know there are more around somewhere, so gimme gimme so I can post 'em as well. Mike Lee & Amy Lu are now married down here in South Bay, Andy Wu's married and in Taiwan being a house-hubby, Luke Tso's at pharmacy school, Christina Fu's was until recently serving in the missions field in South Central LA, Annie Chang's still in Berkeley at optometry school, Bernice Ng's at med school, and Betsy Wang's at seminary up in Canada. The entry heading links to Betsy Wang's homepage. I miss Betsy. :) More videos: http://benyu.smugmug.com/gallery/831913 http://benyu.smugmug.com/gallery/831904 More videos, mixed in amongst the photos: http://benyu.smugmug.com/gallery/799701 There are other albums with videos too, but I'm too lazy to search for 'em. :p

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2005.11.25 Fri - Minus the booze and the dancing (This pic is from years ago what used to be called The Bellagio in SF...) Like an open bar at a K-club, the Banana Republic Factory Store at Gilroy's Midnight Madness was packed with Asians and BR clothes: In short... Turkeys eaten for Thanksgiving lunch while at work: 1 (Microwave Turkey Pot Pie) Turkeys eaten for Thanksgiving dinner: 0 Boba drinks consumed before AND after dinner: 3 Friends I ate Thanksgiving dinner with: 1 Cars driven to get to the Muslim Chinese restaurant: 2 Friends I drove to Gilroy Outlets: 3 Minutes past midnight (start of sale) we arrived: 15 Cashiers processing sales at BR Factory Store: 6 People packed into BR Factory Store: 400 (approx.) People in line to pay for items at BR Factory Store: 300 Minutes standing in cashier line at BR Factory Store: 140 Heads I was tall enough to see over at BR Factory Store: 395 Non-East-Asians in BR Factory Store: 5 Total Gilroy stores visited: 5 Hours total spent at Gilroy: 6 Total clothing items purchased by friends: 12 Total items purchased by me: 0 Hours late I arrived for work the next morning: 3 A silly night of shopping until past 6AM the morning after Thanksgiving: I wouldn't quite say 'priceless', but definitely a lot of fun. :)

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2005.11.24 Thu - Way out of context "...And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will. On the same day it shall be eaten; you shall leave none of it until morning: I am the Lord." ~ Leviticus 22:29-30

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2005.11.22 Tue - Gainful Employment I thought this was pretty cute/funny. Thanx to Xiaowei for the junk mail. Although I don't personally play games while at work (except for when I'm sitting on the throne with my cell phone games), but this is definitely fitting for some I know. :D ha ha... 2005.11.22 Tue - Digital Age and Soft Projects fraud As a warning, CHECK YOUR CC STATEMENTS for relatively small charges from "Soft Projects LLC" and/or "Digital Age". I got hit a couple months ago by two fraudulent charges and almost didn't even notice until yesterday. They're relatively small charges which is why they have a better chance of sneaking through undetected, but they may try to hit your account multiple times over some months. Here's an article with more names which the fraudulent charges could be under. Apparently this is thought to be a result of the major theft of credit card accounts some months ago. I guess at least one of my cc's was one of those 40 million or so accounts. Doh. Anyhow, the credit card companies seem to know about this so they easily took the charge off my account without fuss and said I didn't need to change my acct. number since I'm not liable for the charges. But this makes me wonder why they don't just block it in the first place. Mreh... shady.

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2005.11.15 Tue - Man Jose San Jose's Silicon Valley area's single young adult population has a reputation of having more males than females (engineers and such), hence the nickname, "Man Jose". Maybe what this town did is the solution. :-D This pic is from my first semester's Artists In Resonance concert. Joel Slotkin's getting stripped during his solo in George Michael's song "Freedom '90", so I figured it would be fitting for this video link. Heh...

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2005.11.05 Sat - My First Love We seem to be raising a generation of whining babies. I'll write more about that some other time, but for now I'm gonna whine like a baby: I'm having more of these days as of late... the tough ones. Maybe I'm not having more of them, but they're harder to bear and get me down more easily than before. I'd fallen asleep at the wheel a couple of weeks ago, resulting in a bent suspension. It could have been worse I know. I have been more careful the last few years about driving while drowsy, but it took this one short trip in which I was careless and thought it wouldn't be long before I got home. I'm spread way too thin. It's not so much the lack of sleep as it is the nonstop pace of every waking hour, everyday of the week. I'd hit the center divide on the highway and bounced off. When I got home I was scared to look at my car. Amazingly, the body (and the mirror) wasn't even scratched. The wheels had taken the full force of the impact, which was so hard, stuff in the passenger side door pocket ended up thrown into my lap. Lucky (by the Grace of God). Alas, some parts of the suspension needed replacing. But I digress. This morning I took my car in to get the alignment checked again after getting the car fixed at another shop. They told me an hour. "OK, I'll wait." I had Harry Potter 6 with me anyhow. More than 3 hours went by before I finally got my car back, and it still wasn't fixed. "You need to replace such and such still before the rear can be aligned." *sigh* Saddened by the outlook of more money to have to spend, I rushed off 'cuz the extra 2 hours it took had made me late to a driving thing up in Alameda. I wore a hat today 'cuz my hair was a mess. Wearing a hat limits my visibility a bit, including the rearview mirror. I didn't see the cop behind me until his lights were flashing. 85 in a 65 zone. He was a new cop being trained too. Interesting. I think he wanted to let me off, but the other cop wanted him to practice writing a citation. *sigh* Due to being late in the first place and getting pulled over for a speeding ticket, I didn't make my time slots for my runs. Wasted trip. Wasted gas. I drove the 45 miles back home with nothing to claim for it. On my way home I heard scraping from the right side (other side of the car from the suspension problems). "What now?" I pulled off and found that the plastic wheel well shell had come detached and was scraping against the tire. I burned my finger touching a metal screw that had heated up by rubbing against the tire at high speeds. I didn't care anymore 'cuz of the rough day and grabbed my pocket knife and just cut the excess plastic off. "Too bad." I was grumpy. I continued home and about 5 min.'s later, the ABS warning light turned on. "?!?" *sigh* I got back to South Bay when a friend called me up for dinner. It was nice to hear from a friend. I got there pretty down and didn't care if it showed. It came up and I started to share, but they seemed distracted. They said something to the waiter during my retelling of the day so I stopped mid-sentence. I didn't restart. She didn't notice. Gee thanx. That was the last straw. I didn't wanna be around anyone anymore. That's unusual. I don't ever mind being alone, but I've hardly ever desired to be alone. I'm posting this picture 'cuz it reminds me of friends I used to have (old pic of the EFC/Harvest Berkeley Class of '99). Since then, 5 are now married, one guy has passed away, and I hardly ever see any of the rest anymore either as most are not in the area anymore. I try not to dwell in the past, but I still find myself remembering that those college days together were nice. I realized after parting with my "friend" today that I don't have anyone anymore. Since moving down to the South Bay, there's no one I feel like I can just call up out of the blue, or just show up at their door like I used to do all the time with many friends. There isn't anyone within driving distance that I have that sort of friendship with anymore. Everyone I've invested in in the past is out of my life for one reason or another. For some, it's because I'm pretty bad at keeping in touch with people not within driving distance. With others, well, there are other reasons. This is a pattern I've realized about my life since my first memories of friends or of family members. I'm tired and don't really feel like investing again if this is what ends up happening. The heading title is because I've found myself with only my First Love again. Alone. No one else is here. I don't find comfort in Him as much as I find hope and reason to persevere. My faith in that hope and reason is based on past experiences and His promises evidenced by such experiences. The linked heading is because I kinda' wanna just leave for a place where I don't know anyone and can start life over in a sense, and because I miss Paris. Yeah, I know that's a pretty whiny thing to say and want. God's placed me where I am and when for good reason. I know why I'm here. I'm assured of that. I know who I'm here to serve. I just don't have anyone here that serves me anymore. There are those that try, but it feels more like pity, or like people who think they know me, but really don't help. Wow, what a drama-queen'ish thing to say. P.S. - I hate pity. So please don't give any. It only gets me more down. I'm recording/posting for future reference and for the benefit of others that may ever feel the same. But, intelligent commentary (especially Biblical truths) is always appreciated. Peace.

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2005.11.05 Sat - Does Windows come with this? Check out my screen shot. That's a built in, OS level dictionary (and spell check). So you have it in any Mac OSX application. You just double click a word to select it, then either right click and choose "Look up in dictionary..." or hit Ctrl-Command-D. And it's so pretty. A nice popup window that looks like it's attached to the word you selected, with Oxford's Dictionary and Thesaurus. Click on "More..." and it opens the full dictionary/thesaurus app.

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2005.11.02 Wed - Hungry and thirsty for something fresh Anyone else in a church/fellowship feel like most music worship songs written these days are generally the same Christianese catch phrases and words recycled to different tunes? Sovereign Grace Ministries seems to have a start. No big surprise they aren't especially well known. And anyone else tired of hearing the words "really", "truly", and "just"? (and no I'm not talking about in songs necessarily) arrrg...

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2005.10.30 Sun - I wish... ...someone would buy 2 mp3's for me 'cuz iTunes doesn't have 'em for individual sale and other sites I find that sell mp3's sell some annoying format (wma or rax). These would be Melanie Thornton's "Wonderful Dream" (sounds like an old Coca-Cola commercial jingle) and John Townsend & Rosemary Butler's "It Ain't Over 'Till It's Over" (not lookin' for Lenny Kravitz version). ...you would remember to set your clock back an hour. DST is over. :( P.S. - The photo is random. I just needed to make a new post. This was on the wall in the Ellis/O'Farrell parking structure in SF financial district near Union Square. ...thought it was hilarious so I snapped a pic.

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2005.10.21 Fri - MIDI Singers Hey a cappella arrangers, ever wish you could get your arrangements to sing the lyrics rather than some dinky "ooh" or "ahh" patch? Check it out. A MIDI program that actually sings your lyrics! Yes it still sounds like a computer voice, but the English lyrics are intelligible. Here's a sample. The reason I came across this is 'cuz I'm looking for a simple and free (iTunes plug-in would be great, but don't think iTunes allows that) app to pitch bend/tempo stretch mp3's (and mp4's/AAC's if possible) for Mac OSX. Anybody know of one? I had a simple WinAmp plugin on my old PC. Thanx.

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2005.10.20 Thu - The Importance of Clear Communication Coming back from Stanfurd campus a few days ago (during daylight), I was driving up Stanford Ave. to Junipero Serra Blvd. when an oncoming Toyota Highlander turned its headlights on/off repeatedly. I reacted by slowing down to the 25 mph limit and saw a car catching up in my rear view that wasn't slowing down. Sure enough, a couple of cops were sitting around the next bend, radar gun in hand. I passed with no problem. The car behind me was signaled to pull over. So, I'd like to take some time to review some useful vehicle-light communication, some of which I learned here in the U.S., some while driving around Europe, but none-the-less, useful and sometimes necessary to make roads safer (one reason why American drivers are considered the most dangerous thing on European roads). 1) Daytime: low-beams turn no/off/on/off/etc. = Po-po up ahead, better slow down 2) Nighttime: low-beams turn on/off/etc. = your headlights aren't on. Turn 'em on. Otherwise cop up ahead, better slow down 3) Vehicle in right lane (and slightly behind) low beams on/off/etc. = vehicle in left lane (and slightly ahead) is clear to merge into right lane 4) Vehicle that just merged into right lane on/off/etc. parking lights or hazard lights (both turn signals) = Thank you to vehicle originally in right lane. 5) Hazard lights are suddenly turned on while vehicle is in motion = hazard up ahead, emergency vehicle's coming through, and/or traffic is coming to a sudden slow-down, so heads up and turn on your hazards for the drivers behind you to notice too 6) On a two-lane road (one lane going in each direction), vehicle in front turns on right turn signal once = it's clear on the other side of the road now if you want to pass me 7) Vehicle in left most lane approaching slower vehicle in same lane with left turn signal perpetually on = You're in my way and I know it's generally dangerous to pass on the right, so get outta my way and change lanes to the right. 8) Nighttime: high-beams on/off/etc. = your high-beams are on. Turn 'em off. Otherwise the general "screw you" signal. Two last notes (that doesn't have to do with light signals), please don't hang around other drivers' blindspots. It's considered obvious in Europe, but hardly practiced in the U.S. And go easy on the road-rage, 'cuz all drivers make mistakes, no matter how good or bad. And even if they are a bad driver, that doesn't mean you have "the right" to get pissed at 'em. There are better reasons for road rage, so save 'em for then.

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2005.10.19 Wed - Page Rank at its best (From Xiaowei:) 1) Go to Google. 2) Type in "failure" without quotes. 3) Click on "I'm Feeling Lucky" (NOT the normal search button). Note: If you know me, then you know that I'm not anti-Bush ("He's not my president" is an ignorant claim), but I thought this was pretty funny all the same.

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2005.10.10 Monday - My Lil' Sis' is kewl (Click on the photo to watch the video. It takes from my bandwidth allowance so please be nice. :D) This was taken a couple of months ago in my sis' dorm room at MIT, or The Michigan Institute of Trucking (anybody remember those commercials?). :p Yes, she brought a zither from home to her school dorm, and yes, that's her playing, and yes, I know I tried to be artsy fartsy with the filming. So sue me. What if... Hey look, a "more successful" version of me that's kinda' near where I live/work right now. (Yes, I feel the Asian pressure and am somewhat bitter.)

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2005.10.06 Thursday - I Heart iTunes I went on an iTunes shopping spree yesterday: 10 songs. I love how I don't have to buy whole CD's just to legally get single songs I want off of them. $10.89 for many missed songs: All Out of Love - Air Supply Every Breath You Take - The Police (the stalker song that Puff Daddy covered since he doesn't seem to come up with much good stuff on his own) Take My Breath Away - Berlin (think Topgun with Tom Cruise) Right Here Waiting - Richard Marx (the first song I remember figuring out by ear on the piano when I was young) Drive - The Cars Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye (Bwahaha...) How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees (on Saturday Night Fever soundtrack - "Four dollars? You know what four dollars buys today? It don't even buy three dollars!") Naughty Girl - Beyonce Crazy In Love - Beyonce (ok so my tastes are varied) In Da Club - 50 Cent (Like I said...) Bye Bye Baby - TQ (talent hardly praised) ...and last week I got a bunch of "Ace of Bass" songs. It was shocking to hear people in Stanfurd Testimony say, "That was so 4th grade!" I remember it coming out in time for senior prom myself. Dude... And to close, I love Bible humor: "But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy." -=- Revelations 3:4

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2005.09.28 Wednesday - A Disservice To The Gospel Although a generalization, I'm learning that good people are a hindrance to the Gospel. A clearer way to say what I mean is something more like, "people who desire to be good people are a hindrance to the Gospel, regardless of whether or not they are Christian." to be continued... [Copied from Xanga:] When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. -=- 1 Corinthians 13:11, 12 I'm not sure why things must happen together ("when it rains, it pours"), but it's turning me into a bitter man (I pray that He would keep me from jadedness). You'd think that after enough validated hunches, people would start believing you. I feel like Jeremiah... once again. "So Lord, please keep me in my place, that is of a servant that honors others above myself and loves others as myself, making sure my words are spoken in love. Amen." Why can't people care about more than just their own desires and their own innocence? If you care about being a good person, then you're a hindrance to the Gospel. God doesn't want good people. He doesn't want people who just have peace of mind that they're "a good person" or even "a relatively good person." He wants mature and obedient ones... Mature in the Word; Obedient to the Word (obviously hard to be either unless you have Knowledge of the Word)... and not some bunch of whiners that just wanna get to heaven and while on the way there, wanna be praised by others. Anyone can surround themselves with people who approve of their decisions/desires (in politically correct Christianese this is falsely labeled as "encouragement"). The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray. -=- Proverbs 12:26 Many would rather hide the flaws and blemishes from sight by keeping naysayers at a distance (in p.c. Christianese these are falsely labeled as "discouraging"). It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man Than for one to listen to the song of fools. -=- Ecclesiastes 7:5 No wonder the world often assumes Christians as silly hypocrites. You don't need Christ to be "a good person", which is probably why so many don't feel the need for Christ (seems obvious, doesn't it?). We all probably know plenty of non-Christians that are much "better people" than most Christians we know (or all for that matter). For the most part, we (who label ourselves as church goers) stand for nothing except an inner circle of morality-snobs who think we know better than everyone outside (sound familiar? hint: elite group of the religiously respected). And when someone thinks they're in "The Right", they can then do some crazy things as a result of such foolish confidence. (Hopefully obvious, but this applies to non-Christians too. Humans were created to worship something. Everyone believes in something. Atheism is a religion and world-view too. Some religions have 1 god, some have many, and Atheism is just a religion with no claimed deity god, e.g. - will instead substitute with worship of self, money, fame, power, wisdom, etc.) PuhlEEz do the Kingdom a favor and start over, from the basics, rebuilding from the ground up, etc. Humility is a good thing. It's no wonder the Word warns against a lack of such. His Grace is the only thing sufficient. Our own worth will never be. Let's grow up and at least start with preaching the correct Gospel (Galatians 1), and worry about living it out 'till after we've got the foundations/beginnings of understanding down. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. -=- Ephesians 4:14-16 "I've got to find her... She's just what I need... Her name is Wisdom, and she's calling me." - Kepano Green

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2005.09.26 Monday - Bandwagons And Publicity Stunts Were the hippies of the 60's right? The Weathermen/Underground? Black Panthers? Women Liberation Front? What was wrong, if anything, with what they did/said/stood for? How is it the same as or different from movements such as Cindy Sheehan's? "I would like to say to Cindy Sheehan and her supporters: Don't be a group of unthinking lemmings," said Mitzy Kenny of Ridgeley, W.Va., whose husband died in Iraq last year. She said the anti-war demonstrations "can affect the war in a really negative way. It gives the enemy hope."

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2005.09.19 Monday - Content Relevant Ads Coincidence or image processing technology progress? While reading the news online, I came across this article re: current events in Germany and the EU. I noticed the ad on the side. Then I noticed the two pictures at the top of the article. No way... :D update: I'm just joshing, 'cuz after refreshing, I got some ad for online universities instead.

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