Friday, December 15, 2006

"X'mas" - Trying to Take Out Christmas!

Okay, for the archaic illiterates in my church - X'mas is not some marketing conspiracy to "X" out Christmas. Yeah, yeah, I can hear you all screaming "but, Christ must!" The X is the Greek upper case letter "chi" from which the Greek word "Χριστος" or "Christos" is spelled from. This is the Greek word from which we translate the English "Christ" from. "Χριστος" means "anointed one." So please, stop the "Kill the Da Vinci Coders" and such - crawl out from under your KJV rock once in awhile and catch a breath of fresh air. So kids, nothing wrong with "X'mas," it's quite nice actually.

Friday, October 06, 2006

The Real Jesus . . . circa 1999

This is a Jesus ad from England that ran back in 1999. That's my brother! Click here for the site that begat this madness. Don't forget to check out black Jesus, bar code Jesus, and oh yeah Rasta Jesus.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Man Shot 68 Times Dead

Apparently, Anglio Freeland, became a "cop killer" (also "cop dog killer") suspect the moment he bolted after he was pullled over. After 500 officiers scoured the woods looking for him, plus 24 hours of manhunt, 9 officiers of the SWAT team pumped 110 rounds of lead at him - 68 of which were hits. That's a 61% hit/miss percentage for those keeping score at home - almost as bad as a drive by shooting (but that's another conversation). Food for thought, what caused these officiers to "cease fire"? Polk County Sheriff, Grady Judd responded with this "I suspect the only reason 110 rounds was all that was fired was that's all the ammunition they had . . . we were not going to take any chance of him shooting back."

Let's do some math here, 110 rounds divided by 9 cops = 12.22 shells/cop. Assuming they might be using the Glock 22 (.40 caliber sidearm of choice by America's finest), there is actually a 15 round mag capacity. So, come on guys, you didn't really squeeze the trigger hard enough! Where'd the 25 extra rounds go? Or perhaps they were all carrying HK MP5 A4's which would totally cut that number down, since the sub-machine gun has a carrying capacity option of 15 or 30 rounds for your clip! If we went with the 30 round clips, we are still sitting with 160 rounds or so in our chambers. C'mon Judd, was that all the ammo they had?

Note to all "would be cop killing suspects" - cops take care of their own, even if you might not be guilty. Shoot first, ask questions later - by the way that was meant for the cops.

Click here for the Fox News article.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

A Soldier's Prayer From a Writer's Pen


I believe the scene was the day before the 54th went into battle. The former slaves "freedmen" of the 54th were gathered around in the stillness before the battle. Morgan Freeman (in the movie "Glory") begins to pray the following words while in the background the humming of the tune "O Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord" is simmering:

"Tomorrow we goin' to battle.

So, Lordy, let me fight
with the rifle in one hand...
and the Good Book in the other.

That if I should die
at the muzzle of the rifle...
die on water or on land...

I may know that You,
blessed Jesus Almighty, are with me."

Men of the 54th - rest in peace.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

The "Rodney King School of Theology"


The school of thought which espouses the "Can't we all just get along?" brand of theology. Coined by Christian signer turned "theo-blogian" Steve Camp during a blog-rant-reply session here.

This is the paragraph that birthed this profound piece of theologizing:

"Let's not reduce though this discussion to the Rodney King School of Theology - 'can't we all just get along?' I find this common on Christian blogs. Nice is considered more important than truth (which I am not suggesting that you or candleman affirm). There is nothing wrong with fiery debate over key issues facing us. Where are the Christian Limbaugh's and Hannity's? That in part is what the vision for this blog is--a place where vigorous debate can occur without the touchy feely sentimentality associated with many Christian blogs."

Hey, how about the LAPD School of Theology? Espousing the "beat-the-crap-out-of-you-and-stay-the-hell-up" brand of theology? Truth is, if "the man" gots a gun, if his beatdown is hard 'nuff, I'd "stay-the-hell-up" too. Hmmmmm.

Pablo - You can be all you can be . . .


"Pablo, you can be all you can be . . . in the terra cotta army." A German art student only known as "Pablo" snuck undetected into the subterranean resting place of the infamous tomb of the Chinese terra cotta warriors in Xi'an. Pablo sure looks alot like Ben Stiller. Click here for the article.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Here's What the Pope Said

ALTOETTING, Germany (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday that Islamic holy war was against God's nature and invited Muslims to join in a peaceful cultural dialogue.

In a speech at Regensburg University, Benedict made an unusual reference to jihad, or holy war -- a concept used by today's Islamic extremists to justify suicide bombings and other attacks.

Benedict's address was about faith and reason, and how they cannot be separated and are essential for "that genuine dialogue of cultures and religions so urgently needed today."

Citing historic Christian commentary on holy war and forced conversion, the 79-year-old pontiff quoted from a 14th-century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologos.

"The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war," the pope said. "He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.' "

Clearly aware of the sensitivity of the issue, Benedict added, "I quote," twice before pronouncing the phrases on Islam and described them as "brusque," while neither explicitly agreeing with nor repudiating them.

"The emperor goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable," Benedict said.

"Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul," the pope said, issuing an open invitation to dialogue among cultures.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the pope was not giving an interpretation of Islam as "something violent," although he said the religion contains both violent and nonviolent strains.

Benedict did not touch directly on the current controversy over Islamic extremism, although it is an issue he follows with concern. Last year in Cologne, Germany, he urged Islamic leaders to take responsibility for their communities and teach their young to abhor violence.

Last week, he told a gathering of Christian, Muslim and Jewish representatives in Italy that no one can "use the motive of religious difference as a reason or pretext for bellicose behavior toward other human beings."

Benedict will make his first visit to a Muslim country in November, when he is scheduled to travel to Turkey.

Gerlinde Axmann, a 40-year-old social worker, watched Tuesday's speech on one of the large screens set up in a square near the cathedral.

"That was a very important start to dialogue with Muslims amid the terrorist threat," she said, calling Benedict's appeal to reason "a building block toward finding a way to argue with each other without using weapons."

"I think it's very important for him to bring these things up in society," she said. "Muslims aren't going to take us seriously until we become conscious of our own values. For example, they take the pope much more seriously than others in the West."

Click here for the complete article from CNN.

Note to Self: When annoyed, in doubt, underpaid, disillusioned, blatantly ignorant, disregarding of life itself . . . JIHAD!


[Indonesian Muslim protesters hold up signs during a rally outside the Vatican embassy in Jakarta September 18, 2006. The sign on the right reads, "Let's crucify Paus (Pope)". REUTERS/Dadang Tri]

For more on Al-Quaeda's official response to Pope Benedict's call to rational discourse among different faiths, click here.

Here we go again . . . burn Hollywood, burn.

Elton John says "NO" to Marriage


Elton John says he’s glad he got hitched to long-time partner David Furnish. Just don’t call him “married.”

“I hate people saying I’m married,” John told the London Mirror. “Marriage is a heterosexual term for men and women. We’ve got a civil partnership. It’s not a religious ceremony and I didn’t want to get married. I just wanted a lifetime commitment.”

He says he expected an outpouring of hatred from the public, but it never happened. “I thought I might get the odd flour bomb but there was no negative reaction,” he said. “It was the nicest day of my life, with all the people I love most.”

Taken from Jeanette Walls MSNBC Gossip column, click here for the article.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Notable quotes from Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin

taken from The Associated Press/Canadian Press on Tuesday, September 05, 2006



A selection of quotes from television star and wildlife enthusiast Steve Irwin, who died Monday after being fatally stabbed in the chest with a stingray's barb:

"Crikey!" - his catch phrase, exclaimed repeatedly during his television show whenever something interesting happens.

"I get called an adrenaline junkie every other minute, and I'm just fine with that."

"I have no fear of losing my life - if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it."

"I've worked with more dangerous snakes than anyone in the world and I've never been bitten. It's a gift."

"I bled a lot. I got hit across the face. We couldn't film for seven days. I got hit, whacked, underwater, across the face. I finished the shot, got into the boat and blood started coming out." - on one particularly close shave.

"Crikey, mate. You're far safer dealing with crocodiles and western diamondback rattlesnakes than the executives and the producers and all those sharks in the big MGM building." - comparing dealing with deadly animals with show business.

"Crocodiles. I've been catching them since I was nine. No problem."

"Fear helps me from making mistakes, but I make lot of mistakes."

"It is all about perceived danger. In front of that crocodile I was in complete control. Absolute and complete control. That is my profession. I would be considered a bad parent if I didn't teach my children to be crocodile savvy because they live here, they live in crocodile territory." - On the 2004 controversy in which he was filmed holding his infant son while feeding a snapping crocodile:

"To hear people say that it was a publicity stunt, that I'm just like Michael Jackson, well, it just tears me up. It makes me sick to my stomach to be compared in that way." - On the same incident.

Rest in Peace Crocodile Hunter - you OG hard core.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Who will disarm Hezbollah?

Here's an interesting look into the situation in Lebannon currently. Time magazine posted an article discussing the actual existing military framework left in Lebannon. Here's one stat for thought:

Military Budgets

Lebannon: $542 million
Israel: $8 billion or $8,000 million

Just crunch some numbers here, a unarmed F-16 back in 1998 was going for $18.8 million a piece. Back in 1998, Lebannon could have purchased around 28 fighters (not including hardware and salaries for the pilots). Israel on the other hand, would be able to purchase roughly 200 F-16s (fully loaded with air-to-air missiles, salaries for pilots and support crews, maintenence costs, etc.) - they would still have change left over for tanks. They actually only ordered 107 back in 1997 (the F-16I at $45 million per), click here for the info. The F-16I's got delivered back in 2003, their range enables them to hit targets deep as Libya and Iran.

Click here for the Time mag article.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Mel Gibson & the L.A. County Sheriffs

For those of you in the know, skip this. For those of you still wondering what happened, check it out here. Plenty of people pissed off and doing more damage than Mel did while drunk - note to self, DON'T GET DRUNK! Aside from the fact that the Bible has much to say regarding drunkenness . . . and also much knowledge gained from watching your typical Friday night party . . . late night philosophy while tanked makes for some interesting reactions.

The part that got me was the L.A. County Sheriff's "Sarge" busting out the video camera to tape the incident. Perhaps to cover his butt in case Uncle Mel freaks a "Lethal Weapon" psychotic, smackdown fest? No, I think not. When was the last time any L.A. County Sheriff busted out a video camera (in addition to the one in the squad car) just to "capture" special moments with their suspect? Come on already! L.A. County Sheriff's call their buddies and do a Rodney King when nobody is watching! As if 1 L.A. County Sheriff deputy could not handle Mel Gibson . . . "uh oh, I think I need to call for back up." This is L.A. for crying out loud - the land where the "5-0" lays the smackdown for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Gimme a break! I'm surprised the deputy didn't call in his L.A.P.D. buddies to join him in a break dance - break every bone and do the "Humpty-hump" all over him! The deputy should be arrested for giving the Sheriff's a bad name - plus, the "Sarge" probably made some good $$$ from his "youtube" of Melly Mel.

Dude should've "Mad Max'ed" . . . too bad for the drunken remarks . . . anti-semitic (or racial slurs about Chinese for that matter) remarks during a drunken rampage isn't all that bad . . . he could've killed someone while driving.

Monday, July 31, 2006

I'm Trying Hard to Like the Old White Guy

Okay, we have this old white guy preaching at our church once a month-ish. I can stand the Salvation-Army-prohibition-on-alcohol-shoved-down-my-throat, I can stand the old school high value and usage of the KJV (as though these were God's own spoke words), I can even stand the old school expectations that hymns are somehow more "acceptable to God" than praise songs. I say that I can stand - I don't agree but I can stand. What I can't stand are the blatantly "white"-centric remarks that begin each sermon. "I was born in New Westminster, when I was young it was known as BRITISH Columbia (total spoken volume emphasis on 'British') Blah, blah, blah, blah . . . it's so good to see that Chinese now know the Lord." That's where I lose it. Yeah, we Chinese used to swing on trees until you white folk saved us and taught us how to be civilized. Arrogant, self-centered . . . I don't need some old white guy who thinks he is more spiritual than me preach that he's better than me - expressed indirectly through his wrinkled "white"-centric tendencies. Funny thing is that the guy is involved with teaching ESL - perhaps I just can't stand him because he is "the Old White Guy." If I could only find a baseball bat with the words "post-colonial" written on them - I'd lay the smackdown on this bad boy.

Technical Definition of "Gossip"

What is gossip? Really, what does it mean - technically? Someone shared with me that gossip is talk or chatter that is malicious in nature. I didn't really catch the entire definition, but something about that particular definition didn't sit right with me. It sort of sounded like this: "I didn't gossip because my intent was not malicious." I disagree.

Malicious = deliberately harmful; spiteful (used to describe something: malicious gossip)

The word "gossip" does not refer necessarily to something malicious in nature.

Gossip = to talk socially without exchanging too much information; a report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people; rumor or talk about others of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature

Gossip often reflects the shallowness of character and the self-righteousness of a person's heart - spoiled kids love to gossip, stay-at-home moms tend to gossip, and people with control problems like to gossip (and often with malicious intent to demonize their opponents thereby re-establishing control in the void).

Saturday, July 29, 2006

What is a morally bankrupt government?

Okay, so we have a bunch of these Anti-Israeli war machine protests popping up all over the country. One of the catch phrases I've heard from the local Arab/Muslim protest guy (I think from Toronto) with the megaphone say: "Israel is a morally bankrupt government!" Alright, that kinda makes sense - but then is Lebannon a morally wealthy government? What would you do if a known terrorist group started launching shoulder held missiles at your country? Say about 100 per day? Hitting random targets along the border. And let's add that they are a political party within the federal structure of the country next to yours. Oh and by the way, their prime directive includes annihilating your nation and setting up a government next door to yours with ideology that will certainly wipe you off the face of the planet. Plus, they are in bed with 2 other neighboring countries who hate your guts - like really hate your guts. Pretty confusing? What is a morally bankrupt government? Is it one that chooses to protect it's citizens? In that case, both Lebannon and Israel are quite guilty of that - since Lebannon has allowed for Hezbollah to flourish and rearm itself financially, politically, and militarily after the Israeli withdrawal back in 2000 . . . for what reason? Perhaps to protect its citizens? How does a terrorist group such as Hezbollah develop into such a military machine similar to an army without "somebody" (think Russell Peters) allowing it to happen? They have weapons that put small third world countries to shame - firepower, they have a military rank and file - structure, they have financial backing - cash money . . . no we are not talking about Nike or Microsoft, we are talking about Hezbollah. And another thing, its quite arrogant of them to call themselves "Party of God." I'm not suggesting that there is a simple solution to this, but c'mon already - what's up with the fear mongering and the fuel dumping on a critical global firestorm?

Friday, July 28, 2006

Body Odor & Ear Wax - That "Gwai Low/Low Faan" Factor

Okay, I've heard it for years - typically from my Chinese Aunts (both from my extended family and church). White folks smell "different" from Asians. I don't even want to go there. But then again, it has been scientifically proven. Yes, can you believe that? Click here for the article from the NY Times.

But then again my mother-in-law believes that white people smell because they eat cheese. If cheese smells, people who eat cheese must smell too. Good ole' Chinese wisdom . . . good grief.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Leadership Dialogue Rant #1

Okay, I admit that I didn't expect this one coming. After "preparing" the leadership several months ago with a ream of my personal philosophy of ministry, resume, theological stance, blah, blah, blah . . . I realized tonight that perhaps they did not read any of the material when they hired me on. Which is okay . . . for now. A few highlights of the comments we wrestled through tonight:

- "Last Sunday's worship was terrible!" This was the first of a series of comments. Most of these comments were rant in nature - not the welcoming type that encourages fellowship and open sharing. Rather the type that forces everyone to clam up due to it's intensity and shock 'n' awe value. This was followed up with a ton of "back up" data composed of phrases such as "those people" or "they" or "some people." Apparently, "they" think (and the "they" represented "99%" of the congregation) that if things don't change "they" will leave. I responded by sharing that I received a few positive responses from people - statistically speaking, it is impossible that 99% of the congregation hated it. Talk about sensationalism. Maybe its just me, but I've never felt that coercion and manipulation worked - actually I did at my last church, they beat me to a pulp (but that's another story). Obviously, I was totally in the mood to sing "Kum Ba Yah" at this point - and this was just the beginning. I thought that at the conclusion to a 3 part series on worship - which emphasized that worship was not about our choice of music, style or tradition - people would be more in tune with the fact that worship is essentially about God and not about us. Back to the drawing board. I also felt that the comment was rather arrogant because it implied that someone besides God had to capacity to judge whether or not something was acceptable or not . . . or better yet judge something to be terrible. Does someone have a god complex?

- "Too many new songs, too contemporary, I don't understand why we have to sing praise songs that just repeat the same phrase 7 times." I responded by saying that if it required for me to sing hymns all day and all night in order to achieve or vision of a healthy community . . . I would. But a better way, a more Christian way, would be to find common ground. Then I was told that I better learn some hymns. I responded by saying "you can learn some praise songs." This seem to fan the flame that seem to have been burning for a few days by then. I have a problem with people who get into the whole "new" versus "old" debate. It usually involves phrases such as "our church has never done that before . . . [and it never will]." There is something so out of touch with culture in that type of an attitude. Presently, we worship in a church that is immersed in culture - the ethnic groups represented each morning, the types of instruments sitting on our stage, the different age groups, and the fact that we all have different values that shape who we are. Here's food for thought: Hymns used to be new songs, hymns were contemporary at one point in time.

- "Because of all the new songs at the summer camp, I felt like I was baby sitting!" Okay, by this time their is an obvious air of angst and frustration in the air. This is no longer about "terrible worship" it is slipping into the realm of "I'm-gonna-get-so-personal-about-this-one-that-I'm-gonna-bring-you-all-down." What does summer camp have to do with "terrible worship?" It was a different context entirely. The one reaction I did have was that perhaps I was too spiritually immature and inferior to fellowship with the "Baby Sitter" - then I thought, "gheesh how arrogant, high and mighty, holier-than-thou of you to say that!"

- "Remember, we ARE a Chinese church." Strike three - I still don't know what this has to do with "terrible worship." Is it a comment about the conservative nature of the church? Is it a blatant admission to the arrogance and racism of Chinese? What does this mean? Perhaps this was a poor attempt to insinuate "we are conversative" -what I did hear and see was "I am a legalist and fundamentalist." Perhaps we should respond by building a 12 foot wall around our compound to keep out the non-Chinese. But I chose to share about a certain Mennonite church in Vancouver that woke up one decade and realized that their neighborhood had become entirely Chinese. For a Mennonite raised in a German-speaking church, this is a HUGE thing. Think about singing, reading the Bible, preaching entirely done in German - they had to make a choice. Either the REAL God of Israel only speaks German OR God might actually know some Chinese too. Fortunately for Killarney Park, they chose the latter. I have hope that we ARE the "body of Christ" - a community that reflects the beauty and tapestry of God's creation - socially, economically, racially, psychologically, etc. I just didn't feel like getting into the whole "Chinese-really-aren't-the-center-of-the-universe-get-over-it" debate.

- "We need to address the dress code." This was an issue that provided some good dialogue. I have always felt that going down the road of "Christian leaders should . . . dress, talk, smell, look, act . . ." was the WRONG direction. This can easily lead towards the direction of legalism and shallow spirituality with no depth. It also begs the question, "what if Christian leaders do not fit the rules and qualifications you have set out?" Does the person who creates the rules have God-like powers to rewrite what should and should not be? No. Unfortunately, extreme legalism breeds a conformist mentality based on fear and guilt - there is a complete failure to truly love and accept.



Round 1. Fight!

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Invites to Join the Big Boys

Okay, if we invite one group, we need to invite them all. That's how the Taliban did it. If Hezbollah gets to join the government, let them all join as well - such as Hamas. It would seem that Israel doesn't mind contributing millions of dollars to Palestine just to blow up some of "their" buildings. I never thought I'd see the day when terroists sell out and join some government - assimilate into the system. If anything, I feel sorry for the Lebanese people - they are the only government in the region that allows for both Islamics and Christians to serve in public office together. Every other place you go to (except for Israel) you might just get shot running for office if you are a non-Islamic. So Hezbollah comes in with a seed group of soldiers from Iran, give them 2 decades or so, now they are a political party. Think of the NDP, but deadlier, with a mission to establish a militant Islamic state here in British Columbia - one that smells just like Iran. Crazy thoughts, eh?

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Re: Being Special & Aimlessly Wandering

Had an interesting conversation with a fellow this morning. Hooked up late in the morning at the neighborhood Tim Horton's to do a meet-n-greet customary for new pastors integrating into a new community. Anyhow, everything about this conversation revolved around one thing - nothing deep or philosophical, just the same ole' plain thing . . . "I know what I should do but I'm just lazy." Yep, that's the whole conversation - all 3 hours worth. There is a ton of stuff that any of us could probably stuff into our melons for whatever it is worth, but if you are just lazy . . . does it even matter? So I sat across from the fellow thinking weird thoughts . . . such as, "gotta grow up already" or "that's life buddy" or "just do something man, anything would do." Anyhow, we somehow got on the topic of architecture . . . sure enough, the discussion found its way to the phrase "form and function." If memory serves me correctly, the actual phrase is "form follows function." The fellow across from me adamantly added ". . . AND meaning." Whoosh, like a speeding bullet - what the?


"And meaning?" I responded by saying "if you have form and function, doesn't meaning just emerge?" Aside from the fact that I questioned whether or not the lazy mind would even thoughtfully consider meaning . . . I can already hear it, "putter-putter-spew-spew-cough-cough" (sound of mental engine stalling and seizing). I don't remember ever hearing a response. I didn't think that it was time to engage in the finer points of existentialism. Then again, being lazy could be similar to the sense of alienation experienced as a result of being unique in the indifferent "crowd" or "others."

Monday, June 19, 2006

Greater Vancouver Area AYCE Sushi

Alright, it's about time that I documented my exploits. I don't even know how many AYCE (all you can eat) sushi places we've hit since coming here. Let me recap the past 2 months:

Richmond Sushi (lunch visit in Richmond)
Sui Sha Ya (dinner visit in Coquitlam)
Top Gun Sushi (always lunch visits at the New Westminster Quay)
Taisho Sushi (lunch visit in Burnaby's Metro Town)
Fish on Rice (always dinner visits in Burnaby off Willingdon & south on Kingsway)

We've been back to Top Gun Sushi's lunch several times within the past 2 months. They are quite consistent - service and quality of food. Judging by the PDA Bluetooth hook ups with the kitchen and layout of their menu I would guess they were run by the same guys at Richmond Sushi (which is just as techno freakie). The Quay is nice to visit, not much to look in the Public Market - definitely a place I would not visit if Top Gun wasn't around. Don't forget to get your "2nd hour free parking" voucher. Bathrooms are clean. Funky smell sometimes - bleach mixed with funk from paper mills outside. 8 out of 10 bones.

Richmond Sushi is efficient and consistent as well. This is a no brainer for lunch. Technology offers accurate orders - but then again, I have been conditioned by the Sushi joints to ALWAYS miss a few items from my original order. Always an 8.5 out of 10 bones.

Fish on Rice is scoring at the top of our "best place for AYCE sushi dinner." They have a good variety of sashimi, sushi, robata, and yes they also have soft drinks on their menu. By far, the most variety on a menu - yes we did a cross comparison with the other places listed above. We especially enjoy the rock cod robata, toro nigiri, and most definitely the tuna and beef tataki. Always a solid performance, good portions, and consistent taste. However, don't bother using the facilities though. 8.5 out of 10 bones (because of the rest rooms).

Sui Sha Ya in Coquitlam was a pigsty. The place was sticky and dirty - which normally does not concern me - but this place was Taiwan, mildew, humid nasty. The bathroom was worthy of shutting the place down. The service was horrible - I just can't stand hunting down a server visually with the "pissed off WWE superstar stare." A few times we even spoke directly to the servers and they just ignored us - totally deserving of the smackdown! Believe it or not, the California rolls actually tasted decent - which my 2 year old scarfed down. Aside from that, nothing of concern or importance - nothing, nada, zilch. Bad service, bad food, bad experience - I strongly recommend staying away from this place. For the desperately famished, 5.5 out of 10 bones. Yeah, I know they have multiple locations - more places to spread their nastiness.

Taisho Sushi had one redeeming feature - it was in the mall. Bathrooms were okay - way better than Fish on Rice or Sui Sha Ya. Lunch rush consists of self-service pickup of sushi from one of two belt driven sushi movers. Limited sushi selection - not too sure if any of the sushi is made to order . . . 2 hours earlier? Menu is difficult to navigate, not user friendly. The menu was not balanced - nothing was consistent except for the tough beef ribs and old dynamite rolls - well, the salmon and tuna nigiri were no miss. I give them a 6 out of 10 bones.

Note that if any place scores under a 5, they aren't even making sushi. A 5 out of 10 simply means that they have passable sushi and barely legitimate "others" on their menus. I scored these places based on taste, quality, cleanliness, service, and variety.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Vancouver 0 - Calgary 2

Okay, here is another one of those posts that just reflects my Calgarian sensibilities post-relocation to the Lower Mainland. Fortunately, I must say, I live in the wonderful city of Surrey. The Province will go ahead with a "controversial" plan to widen Highway 1 and twin the Port Mann bridge. So far, so good. Now, this might cost commuters a smacking $2.50 big ones for a one way trip . . . alright, I still need to think about that, but no serious red flags yet. The Province even tossed in recent survey data that put commuters at a whopping 70% support rating if tolls were either reduced or even eliminated during non-peak hours. Okay, that still sounds within the bounds of reasonable. THEN, we hear from the Dog Pound from Vancouver's city hall . . . "uh, duh, if we widen Highway 1 it will clog our Vancouver city streets with more cars . . . uh, duh." WHAT?!?! Click here for the article. Are you guys whack or WHAT? What gives with all the weirdness from Vancouver? Dudes, have you been on 1st Avenue during traffic hour? Or Hastings? HELLO doorknobs from Vancouver city council, are you budheads still puffing? I'm in no way claiming to be a professional civil engineer/planner by any stretch of the imagination, but it just might help the yaks at Van-city Hall to get with the program and make it less stressful for all the outer lying areas (e.g. Burnaby, Co, PoMo, PoCo, Surrey, Langley, etc.) traveling to and from work - who in turn put cash into the pockets of the Van-city regime!!! Gheesh, what kind of logic is that??? Widening Highway 1 JUST might relieve some of the traffic congestion that STARTS in the city of Vancouver and eventually bleeds east of the city! For a bunch of Granola loving, Eco-pushing, tree-hugging, try hards . . . you would think that they MIGHT or WOULD lean towards an initiative that would reduce greenhouse emissions . . . ARGH! Vancouver TRY HARDS!

Just for the record, here are the actual BC Stats for population of municipalities as of 2005 (also cities affected by the widening of Highway 1, not including Maple Ridge: 73,280; Mission: 34,742; Chilliwack: 70,522; etc.):

Burnaby: 204,324
New Westminster: 57,480
Coquitlam: 121,973
Surrey: 393,137
Langley: 25,716
Township of Langley: 97,125
Abbostford: 127,434

roughly: 1,027,189 people

VERSUS

Vancouver: 583,267 (guesstimate 1/3 of this for the east side affected areas)

Thursday, May 25, 2006

So You Want to Buy a House?

I found a great cache of archives from CBC Radio entitled "Get Smart with Real Estate." Check them out here. I haven't had time to go through all the broadcasts yet, but the one I listened in on was well worth it. "Is Vancouver in a housing bubble and what is a housing bubble?" Check that one here. BTW, you'll need a Real Player to listen in on the goods.

On another note, when we signed our initial purchase contract and placed a downpayment on our apartment, the sales person had an interesting comment for us. "So you are 'real home buyers'?" She must have said this three times - as though she were staring right into the elusive eyes of Sasquatch for the very first time in her life! We were the first actual home buyers she'd ever met - not some yahoo investor rep/standin guy. That very same week, a bunch of real estate agents we contacted to assist in finding a home in our price range, called us back and gave us grief for not signing on with an agent. After some confusion, I discovered that there was a spot on our sales contract that had a space for a real estate agent - opps, we just buy things back in Calgary. I didn't know we needed someone to represent us on getting new digs, in Cow-town when purchasing new you just hit the builder for the bill - yeah, pay some kook to buy slurpees for me . . . right. Perhaps, I was just turned off by the all-too-common-turn-down attitude of most Lower Mainland realtors. I don't even think they want business - seriously. Back in Calgary, we had roughly 1,900 listings in a city with 4,000+ realtors. Heck yeah, they'll work for your business. Vancouver, you need to wake up! Props to y'allz in Cow-town - you deserve the gold!

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Tory Budget

Okay, I never really took notice in the past, but now it's personal. Since we came to Surrey, we've been noticing this PST on some of our receipts. Ouch! Thanks to the new Tory PM, we might just see some 1% cut off from our current GST (currently sitting comfortably at 7%). That's a whopping 6% GST (Goods & Services Tax for those of you still wondering)! I guess for those of you with kids are also quite happy - come July 2006 we will see a universal child care benefit that will put $1,200/kid under the age of six in the pockets of parents . . . apparently, this is still taxable, but to whichever spouse earns the lower income. Dude, it's nice living in Canada. If you are still going "huh"? Check out a summary of the 2006 Federal Budget here.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Kicking it in Surrey

Great experience the other day. Wife went in to the local bank for some change for the laundry room. A few of the other customers with her included: an Islamic woman wearing a head covering dressed quite modern and stylish, 2 Vietnamese men attempting to wire a load of cash, and a few East Indians. She felt quite comfortable being a visible minority for once in her life (especially one from suburban Calgary). I thought that was neat, I like that.

FYI, "Population by Ethnic Origin in the GVRD from 2001 Census" data - click here. Interesting data.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Weapons of Mass Productions



Do you have:

Shills in the shrine?
Commerce in the cathedral?
ATMs in the apse?

Forget the tedium of fashioning a whip of cords, which may require multiple applications before being effective! Stop shouting yourself hoarse about the Lord's house becoming "a den of robbers!" Quit crying about not being strong enough nor angry enough to turn over tables!

Let the TEMPLE KLENZERTM do the work!

The TEMPLE KLENZERTM emits a powerful pulse of electromagnetic energy, instantly disabling the computer circuitry of any cash register, cash machine - or any other cash cow - that may have invaded your sacred space.

As an added bonus, the TEMPLE KLENZERTM also disables most cell phones - no longer will your prayers be interrupted by ring tones of the theme from Beverly Hills Cop!

ORDER NOW AND RECEIVE A HANDSOMELY ENGRAVED PLAQUE OF THE BEATITUDES ABSOLUTELY FREE! Perfect for posting in your local courthouse, public school classroom, or military recruiting office! (Gospel of Luke version - includes both "blessings" and "woes"!)

*Results may vary. Do not use TEMPLE KLENZERTM if you wear a pacemaker, are pregnant, may become pregnant, or know anyone who has ever been pregnant. Side effects may include ringing ears, nausea, dry mouth, drooling, weight loss, height loss, loss of appetite, blurred vision, weight gain, dizziness, fatigue, hyperactivity, shortness of breath, prickly heat, boils, frogs, locusts, and darkness.

Courtesy of Sojourners Magazine. April Fool's! =)

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Frank Shamrock / Cesar Gracie Knockout Clip

The two fights that pumped me up the most were the Shamrock/Gracie and Hughes/Gracie matchups. I found the video highlights to the Frank Shamrock/Cesar Gracie fight here. Frank sure looks good in the standup - guess his time with Cung Le has paid off. Well that fight's over. After Royce's classic line to Matt Hughes "this is my house [referring to the Octogon], I built it", I hope his fight lasts longer than his cousin's (upcoming on UFC 60 May 27). BTW, it is interesting to note that Matt Hughes placed Psalm 60.12 on his official website:

"With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies" (NIV).

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Favorite TV Shows

I don't know why, but someday I will reflect back on this post and soak up the wisdom and growth that occured between then and now. Here's my list of favorite TV shows:

The Unit (CBS) - a special ops army unit that answers only to the president
NCIS (CBS) - Jethro Gibbs, former Marine sniper, cool as ice
E-Ring (NBC) - everything Special Forces, the Pentagon, and politics
Battlestar Galactica (on SciFi or Space) - raw, fracken raw
Restaurant Makeover (Food TV Canada) - kooky jingle polka music
Holmes on Homes (HGTV) - "If you're gonna do something, do it right the first time!"

Now you know what I'm about, peace.

Monday, March 20, 2006

Watch March Madness for FREE!

Okay, everyone calm down. CBS has finally done it, they have FREAKED out! Yeah, that's right they will offer FREE streaming video of the NCAA Men's Basketball Finals FREE! Did I say Free, yes I did say FREE! "All 56 games from the first three rounds of the tourney will be available for FREE!" Get the message? For you bad boyees at work in some cubicle someplace, somewhere - bosses beware! HA, click here for the dealz. Man, that's just crazy!

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Calgary Housing Market Getting Hotter

Taken from the CTV News site

"It's almost hard to believe, but Calgary's housing market is now even hotter. It's great if you already own a home, because prices are still going up. The average sale price of a single family home in Calgary hit $342,000 last month, up 29 per cent over last year. The price of condos is also way up. In February, the average price was $217,000, up 22 per cent from the same time last year. The skyrocketing prices are making it hard for first time buyers to afford a place. Ironically, the hot market is also making it tough for realtors. There are approximately 5,000 agents in the city, clamoring for between 1,500 and 2,000 listings."

All I can say is . . . wow and darn. I'm moving into the highest real estate market in all of Canada (Greater Vancouver Area), click here for their real estate market stats. I also found a great blog - the Vancouver Housing Blog - that offers good, thorough market insight into the Vancouver real estate bubble.

A side note on this real estate boom - healthy province (thank you Uncle Ralph), healthy city (thank you 25,000 people moving into Cow-town a year), healthy economy (naturally a money maker . . . I also know that gas and oil won't last forever). Calgary has all the right ingredients for a healthy real estate market at this time - it makes good sense for it to boom. But what's up with Vancouver? Is it truly a developer's paradise? What gives in Van-city?

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Dr. Wafa Sultan: Freestyle Battle #?

Anyone ever heard of Dr. Wafa Sultan? Well you should, the Arab-American, Syrian expatriate took on a certain Algerian Imam Jihadist named Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli on Al-Jazeera TV (February 21, 2006) in a freestyle battle of the intellectual type. Did I mention that Dr. Sultan is a woman? All I can say is . . . she got MAD skillz YO?

Click here for the video clip.
Click here for the transcript.

Monday, March 06, 2006

You know the world is different when . . .

I recalled a quote I heard a few months back with Chris Rock,



"You know the world is different when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the US of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the 3 most powerful men in America are named 'Bush', 'Dick', and 'Colin'!"

Yo Chris, how much fo' jus' one rib?

Saturday, March 04, 2006

What's Your Vocation Worth?



I finally found something that substantiated a theory of mine regarding the low investment and high expectations of pastors. Unfortunately, this theory is now a fact. Keep in mind that Canadian Chinese churches consistently come well under the average in terms of pastoral salaries and packages - this is yet another fact that my denomination has made yearly reports on (from time to time, our denomination's districts will collect info regarding pastoral salaries and benefits for reporting purposes).

Anyhow, aside from the fact that most respectable Chinese parents will not allow their children to pursue liberal arts degrees (and just because 1 parent out of a thousand releases their child into Bible school doesn't justify the disillusionment of the 999) - let alone chase dreams of full-time Christian ministry - what kind of a message are we sending to our next generation (a message that has been repeated a few generations already)? Low pay, a hostile and discriminatory view of ministry, the added parental guilt and manipulation of financial success . . . end result, a non-sustainable and underdeveloped vision for local-born Chinese ministry . . . in other words, no future.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

2006 NBA Slam Dunk Champion

Nate Robinson, 5'9" 180 lbs. of raw NY Knicks GUARD skillz won the 2006 NBA Slam Dunk contest. Despite some controversy and suspicion, Robinson's mad skill singed spectators at the Houston Toyota Center by jumping over 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Champ 5'7" Spud Webb.

Check out some of Robinson's earlier "dunks" from the highlight reel. Can you say "Boom-shock-alaka"?

Friday, February 17, 2006

“Dont Steal Mac OS X.kext” Poem

Here's the poem everyone's been buzzing about:

Your karma check for today:
There once was a user that whined
his existing OS was so blind,
he'd do better to pirate
an OS that ran great
but found his hardware declined.
Please don't steal Mac OS!
Really, that's way uncool.

(C) Apple Computer, Inc.

Apparently written for all the would-be Mac OS hackers out there - quite poetic.

Cartoonist BEWARE!

Okay, has this gone far enough yet? Mohammed Yousaf Qureshi, a Pakistani Imam, announced that the historic Mohabat Khan Mosque and the Jamia Ashrafia religious school he leads would offer 1.5 million rupee (roughly $25,000 USD) and a CAR (Fuggedaboudit!) to anyone who will kill the Danish cartoonist of the original prophet Muhammad cartoons that appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. The outrageous Imam further stated that an additional $1 million would be contributed to this pot by the Peshawar Jeweler's Association to fatten the "hit purse" for potential takers.

What kind of car are we talking about here? Are we talking about the infamous Pakistani made Sitara City Cart?

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Stress Reduction Exercise

Cartoonists Reaction to Cartoon Rage



Cartoonist Daryl Cagle has compiled a portfolio of artistic reactions from the global cartoonist community to the recent Islamic cartoon rage. Click here for "Cartoonist Reactions" cartoons.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Thoughts on Recent Global Islamic Uprising

Here is an up-to-date report on this round of Islamic destruction so far. I don't know what else to call it - perhaps Islamics globally are suffering from a severe case of "headlights-on-deer" delayed response, didn't the cartoons originally get published back in September? If I didn't know better I'd think that Islamics just sit around for a reason to go out and burn things. First it was the Danish embassies, then the embassies of other European Countries who also printed the cartoons, then the EU offices, and now they are firebombing anything Western. I watched a documentary a few nights ago that discussed the reason why young educated Arab men would join the ranks of Al Qaeda - in short, most Arab men are quite secular until they leave home for school abroad (mostly in Europe). While they are home sick they naturally find havens of rest within the local Muslim community . . . where they are exposed to and brainwashed with extreme, fundamentalist teachings . . . actually this was according to an interview with the sister of a "suspected" terrorist operative. Anyhow, as the Western world is quite prejudice towards Islamics (especially post 9-11), apparently Islamics are quite prejudice towards Westerners (gee, who would have known?). In the view of the Islamics interviewed, Western powers exist to destroy and terrorize Islamics . . . and with that thought, this will never end. Then again, why don't we ever read in the headlines about some great Imam or even Bin Laden himself strapped to a bomb committing an act of Jihad - Islamic hypocrisy? Perhaps the Islamic power mongers aren't as stupid as we think.

On another note, conservative evangelical heavyweight John Piper weighs in on the controversy with an un-politically correct apologetics article entitled, "Being Mocked: The Essence of Christ's Work, Not Muhammad's."

Postscript

Nothing new here, more firebombs, more violent protests, more reasons to burn. On the media front though, the Iranians have come up with a creative idea to vent their frustrations - a "Holocaust Cartoon" contest! Apparently in yet another move to improve their political standing in the global community, Iran will officially integrate their "Anti-Holocaust" (or the "Holocaust, what Holocaust?" position) into their media. Why is it that when an extremist Islamic group takes power stupid things just happen? No, I mean REALLY stupid things happen? Just wait and see with Hamas, I told you so. Don't get me wrong, this is not another pro "Islamaphobia" position I'm ranting. It's more of an "Extremist Islamophobia." If you notice the "about us" section of the previous link there is interesting language used in describing Islamophobia:

"Islamophobia, as a racist tool of Western Imperialism, is strongly advocated by the political right but has also found an echo in the left, particularly sections of the left in France and the countries that make up the United Kingdom."

Yes, the racist ideology of Western Imperialism . . . hmmm, I wonder how racially multicultural and ideologically tolerant the Taliban or the Iranian regime is nowadays? And if France and the UK are so Islamophobic, why do we keep finding terror suspects in their countries?

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Yellow Fever

This is a hilarious video made by a group of UCSD students (of the Chinese Christian variety I suspect), reflecting on the finer points of "why do our Asian women dig the white guys?" Check out this profound piece by Wong Fu Productions. Props to Sarah for the email.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Super Bowl XL Bust

How I waited in great anticipation for the greatest show of athleticism and strategy . . . only to have watched a disaster in the making. Click here for SI's Andrew Perloff's rundown of the Super Bowl Bust. Some have suggested that the XL stand for "eXtra Lousy." The highlight of Super Bowl XL was not even the game itself, but the pre-game interview/analysis with the head coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick. Incredible look and listen into the mind of a master tactician and leader . . . the guy truly represents the deep thought and complexities of the game.

"I think coaching is getting the player to do the right thing in the right situation, and, make the right judgment . . . It's about decision-making. That's read, recognition, and decision-making."

- Coach Bill Belichick addressing the media during his press conference at Gillette Stadium on November 17, 2005

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Carlson Gracie Sr. R.I.P.



Mestre Carlson, your legacy lives on through your students. Obrigado . . . rest in peace. Jiu-jitsu!

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Dear Prime Minister Harper

A letter published in the Ottawa Citizen written by Deborah Grey who served as a member of Parliament from 1989 to 2004.

It is done.

The election is over. Thanks to the networks everywhere, we too have useful visuals to assist us in understanding "who won what?" and "where did they win it?" It is interesting that "deep blue" represents the Conservatives while "Loyalist red" represents the Liberals. Somehow the NDP's got stuck with "bland orange" while the Bloc got their "Nordiques blue" (the NHL team formerly known as the Nordiques now known as the Avalanche and also a lighter shade of blue). After seeing the final results, I will never understand why Vancouver votes the way it does . . . I don't think the people who live there even understand. CBC has worked hard to give us great informative and visual coverage of the Federal election, click here. In the coming weeks, will Albertans be referred to as a "blue province"? It is done . . . at least for another 18 months.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

The Samurai Personality Quiz: My Results

vsvsv
Justice and Morality: You believe in doing what is
right for others and maybe even for yourself.
People would consider you one with good morals,
and someone who would not let them down.


Which Characteristic From the Samurai Code Matches You Best? (You may find out your best trait)
brought to you by Quizilla

Thursday, January 19, 2006

The Liberals and the Others

Since our federal election is right around the corner, I thought I would do some surfing to find "an alternative" (Stephan Harper's campaign office is 1 block from my front door). Interestingly enough, I found a few such alternatives . . . though I have not had the time to comprehensively review their platforms, their party names capture my imagination. Check 'em out: the Separation Party of Alberta, the Western Refederation Party of British Columbia, and the Western Block Party (yes there is also the Marxist-Leninist Pary of Canada, not to be confused with the Communist Party of Canada, or the Animal Alliance
Environment Voters
Party of Canada
). Some other rambling, if anyone out there understands all of this, how is the Bloc Quebecois able to remain "Charter-free" with membership as a federal party? BTW, I tried to see if the BQ site had an English version, no luck. I wonder if there are any BQ candidates outside of Quebec?

Friday, January 13, 2006

Resurgence Missional Theological Cooperative

Finally someone (actually there are many within the Emerging conversation who are like this) who understands the terms "missional, postmodern, contextualization, innovation, and community" yet maintains a bold, firm stance within evangelical theology. After distancing himself with the theological tinkering of Brian McLaren and Tony Jones, check out Mark Driscoll's new blog (lead pastor of Seattle's Mars Hills Church). But then there are the folks who are dug in with their ammo ready to fire at anything that says "postmodern."

Postscript

I have sporadically followed the growth of Mars Hill since its inception in the 1990s. It was during Bible school when I found them online (while doing research for a class "Implications of Computers in Ministry" or something like that). Mars Hill had a unique bent on its views and values - since then we categorize such communities as "postmodern" or "emerging church." I think that it is important to note (as I did in an earlier blog), that Mars Hill is one of the more conservative communities in the "emerging church" bunch. After visiting Vintage Faith, I would say that Dan Kimball is also of a similar theological flavor (Perhaps the result of rich traditions of being in a Bible church which emphasizes evangelical beliefs? Not to say that there are not other rich theological traditions out there as well!). Again, this is yet another reminder to me of my bad American habits - remember the red and blue states? I can hear them now, "you are either for us or you are against us!" As NT Wright so insightfully points out in a presentation regarding "Women in Ministry": "We have to claim the freedom, in Christ and in our various cultures, to name and call issues one by one with wisdom and clarity, without assuming that a decision on one point commits us to a decision on others." Though Driscoll may not agree with McLaren or Jones, he still considers them friends - call that revolutionary!

Multi Level Marketing Nightmare

This is a rant - no thanks to Andrew's email and the conversation with Keith. Back in the late 80's, while I was still in LA., my brother and I stumbled (more like suckered) into a Pyramid Marketing scheme known as "NSA" (National Safety Associates). We ended up peddling air/water filters to as many of our friends, friend's friends, and their friend's friend's friends as possible - get the picture? Soon, it felt like we had entered bizarro world (as a kid I read Superman) of the cheesiest type of sales people you could think of. We even attended this big NSA event at one of the downtown hotels that showcased ordinary people who were transformed into million dollar machines - a huge "pep and pump" talk to make the underlings sell more. I remember sitting their among the throngs of well wishers wanting to hop on the next get rich scheme . . . "Hmm, I wonder how these guys make money . . . really? No really, how do they do it?" Needless to say, I have left the organization and have since dumped the water and air filter biz.

Fast forward 15 years, out of the blue, pretty much out of nowhere a "out-of-touch" friend emails me this "Hi, how have you been doing? I heard . . . blah, blah, blah . . . bait, hook, line, sinker . . . have you ever considered working out of home?" It turned out that this "out-of-touch" friend (out of touch with reality and common sense) was peddling health products and more importantly (for himself) a multi level marketing scheme that required for him to get people onboard his wagon and the wagon of the guy on his upline (aka. "His Mentor"). All of this was fine until, "out-of-touch" (for the remainder of this rant this is how I will affectionately refer to "used-to-be-friend") decided to kick up the steam a little - I think he realized that I wasn't buying his sensitive and understanding baloney regarding the "future-I-could-have" and the "you-can-be-financially-independent" bunk after that. He pulled out one of the dirtiest tricks . . . the "my-associates-and-I-are-Christians-now-can-we-meet-with-you?" Alright, I lost it. I wanted to give him the "I am your worst nightmare" speech with theatrics, but fortunately with some wit and care I dismissed him as quickly as he began emailing me. What is the deal with that? Do these guys know that when they sell their souls, life stinks after? "Out-of-touch" even tried to get another friend onboard using an even lower tactic - our mutual friend had serious health problems and "out-of-touch" tried to peddle his meddle to her using her crutch as his treasure! Times like this, I wish I were a sniper. "Out-of-touch" you need to get your act together!

On another note, for the Mary Kay dealers, check this Mary Kay Survivors Rehab group.

Monday, January 09, 2006

Practical "Kakalogology" - An Evangelical Theology of Cussing

Alright, I've have heard it, read it, and at times used it (usually in thought form - Jedi mind tricks). But what is appropriate and proper usage/non-usage of cussing? I found an interesting article that served as an intro on the subject. Here is another site that deals more with the etiquette and manner of profanity (or lack thereof): "Cuss Control Academy." Which reminds me, why on earth did I leave the television on during the debates?

Sunday, January 08, 2006

"The Church in Emerging Culture" book . . . uh . . . comment

Michael Horton writes a mean chapter (entitled "Better Homes & Gardens") dropping names like Shaq's missed free throws (all over the place) . . . Descarte, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Heideggar, Gadamer, Ricoeur, Levinas, Schleiermacher, Fichte, Schopenhauer, Feuerback, Oktoberfest, Weinerschnitzel, Volkswagen (brought back bad memories of my Intro to Philosophy course back at school). Reading the chapter, which I have just begun, reminds me of a conversation I had with a certain Ph.D. (oh so tempted to put a link here) a few years ago. During a casual conversation while attending a "Missions Conference" Ph.D. said to me, "Oh John, you'll never understand . . . you are not a Ph.D." My simple world suddenly was cracked wide open, I realized that I was indeed a moron hidden away in the dark closet of stupidity unable to see the light of liberty that was shining so brightly from the ivory tower of academia.

Then I remembered a corny joke I once heard from Dr. Stanley Grenz,

"How do you know that God is not a Ph.D.?

1. He had only one major publication.
2. It was in Hebrew.
3. It had no references.
4. It wasn't published in a refereed journal.
5. Some even doubt he wrote it by himself."

Friday, January 06, 2006

The Lineage of a Wanna-be Samurai

The myths and legends are not true, my hands are not registered as "deadly weapons" with the state of California. It all began with a whim and a chance meeting - providentially enriched? Somewhere back in 1991 or 92, I hooked up with this Kun Tau guy named Luis Mayoral. He just opened up shop in Alhambra and I just so happen to notice his sign. I took a few classes got a free gi . . . then it happened! I was working at Ralph's at the time when I met up with a guy who would forever change my perception of martial arts and self-defense . . . Mike Stackowski, one of the store managers. He was a Hapikido drop-out turned Wing Chun disciple under Will Duvall (Robert Duvall's cousin), who was a LA Chinatown original from the Bruce Lee school (so I was told). Will was well connected with the LA martial arts community. Anyhow, Mike took me under his "wing" (no pun intended) and began to show me the finer points of Jeet Kune Do Concepts (or Jun Fan Boxing or JKD or whatever you want to argue is proper according to the JKD Nucleus - are they still around?). Soon I was exposed to the foundations of JKD, the 4 ranges of fighting according to Lee: grappling, trapping, punching, and kicking. Each range consisted of a different regimen of training. For grappling, we used judo and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu techniques, for trapping, we used wing chun, and so on and so forth. Through Mike, I was introduced to David Tice Sr., a Spanish high school teacher with a huge appetite for learning anything related to martial arts (a black belt under Shorinji Ryu Jujitsu master Kenneth Penland, chief instructor of the LAPD's only Aiki Jujitsu & Defensive Tactics Dojo). Dave introduced me to all sorts of weirdos, actually pretty nice guys . . . such as Sensei "Judo" Gene LeBell, Sensei Gokor Chivichyan, Marco Ruas (and Pedro Rizzo and Beverly Hills Jiu-jitsu club company - I remember when Genki Sudo was still a newbie, at least I think it was Genki training under Pedro and Bas), and last but not least Larry Landless (who is now a UFC and King of the Cage referee, along with Herb Dean who hung out with the old Will Duvall group). Mike and Dave kept my diet of grappling full for those early years (good connections with friends who trained with Larry Hartsell, Gene Lebell, the Machados - Jean Jacques is amazing). Fast forward a few years, I spent my summers training with Larry's Submission Factory crew back when they were hanging out at the Rosemead Boys and Girls club off Garvey. Larry used alot of his wrestling background in his techniques and experiences with the Lion's Den (these are my suspicions). By the time I moved permanently to Calgary, I found a good friendship with Alex Roque (a Brazilian born immigrant of Italian descent - great guy). He was hooked up with Marcus Soares (black belt under Carlson Gracie), who was the first guy to ever test me. Now fast forward a few more years and I am a couch potato, more specifically a "mouse potato" . . . Alex still keeps me up to date on the "haps" - he is now associated with Jose Mario MacCord Queiroga (an Alliance BJJ black belt and mundial champ; aka "Ze Mario Esfiha"). Just in case you are wondering, I do have too many stories to tell . . . for instance, Marcus Soares loves all-you-can-eat sushi . . . such as Granville Sushi back when it was good and has since been closed down, the guy is a BJJ historian with an attitude. Anyhow, that should do it, I cannot fight and will not, unless we are talking about who gets to man the BBQ grill! Then again, I do like to roll around once in awhile . . . "when in doubt, choke 'em out."

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Comments from a Campus Crusade Staffer

I think I've mentioned too much already - but here it goes. I was on the phone with a friend whom I haven't spoken to in some time. He is a recent graduate from a particular school out east currently Campus Crusading in the region. Anyhow, the part of the conversation that caught my interest was when he said, "dude, postmodernism is bunk [or bogus - I just caught the underlying message]." After that he went on a Brian McLaren rampage [boy I loved playing King Kong in that game - bam, bam, bam]. What was interesting about this conversation was the fact that I was speaking to a 20-something from the east coast, who worked with other 20-somethings, who was completely turned off and seemingly pissed off about the "emerging church" and company. As far as I know, participants of the emergent conversation represent a broad spectrum of theological backgrounds - ranging from conservative to liberal . . . right to left . . . mainline to evangelical. The distinctive that makes this group [from the list of authors from the link: a Bible Church guy, 2 Baptists, a Presbyterian, a former SoCal mega-church evangelical, a non-denominational, and a 3rd generation Baptist pastor] unique is its willingness to agree to disagree . . . rather than demonize and chastise . . . a willingness to engage in dialogue and acceptance rather than division and segregation . . . and still maintaining their individual theological convictions and values . . . taking the narrow road is meant to be hard [takes less work to play Rampage] .

Rose Bowl at SFO

As Carolyn and I dragged our sick bodies through the airport with our 2 kids in hand, she heard an interesting announcement come over the intercom by one of the gates. "Attention passengers, we are now boarding . . . we will not wait for passengers watching the Rose Bowl, again we will NOT wait for passengers watching the football game." Since we have been married, I have not watched any college football games on the tube - too bad for SC. Nonetheless, Pac-10 all the way!

Monday, January 02, 2006

X'mas in Foster City

The family and I spent X'mas in the Bay area (Foster City/San Mateo) with my folks. It has been a stormy time here - tons of wind and tons of rain. Fallen trees and branches scattered all over the freeways . . . bad visibility . . . but hey, no snow! Had the opportunity to visit two churches this past Sunday. Highway Community, which meets at Palo Alto High School across from Stanford, and Vintage Faith, located way over the treacherous hill in beautiful Santa Cruz. Both of the worship gatherings we visited left us inspired and refreshed. We even participated in communion and prayer at Vintage - truly a remarkable experience (Tom prayed over us at the Prayer Cove). It gave me something tangible to reference "alternative church" from - resonated well with my soul. As the future lies in the balance, we are desperately seeking discernment and divine "spatial placement" from God.

Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.