“Fish on!”, the one term I took away from dhung’s bachelor party. Actually, the entire deep sea experience is going to a be memorable one, from waking up at 4 AM, to falling asleep and neglecting our fishing poles, perhaps to the disdain of the seasonal fisherman next to us. Aren’t we a bunch of city slickers out in the deep sea? Well, I’m not sure how deep, but it was a long boat ride – 1.5 hour.
It was definitely a good time, much different than conventional fishing. Instead of casting the line, you drop the line and measure the amount of line you unwind – prevents adjacent lines from tangling. As the boat circles around a specific fishing region, the bait eventually lures and hooks a fish. When the rod vibrates frantically, you yell, “Fish on!” Very quickly, the handlers come to help, clearing the nearby area, and positioning the pole so you don’t lose the fish. The boat is even spun around itself, so the fish doesn’t go under the boat. ( I think that’s the reason) At this point, the handler hands the pole back to you, and you reel in such a fashion that minimizes any slack in the line. When the fish gets close to the boat, you dip your pole down and jerk up, while the handler skillfully places the net below the fish and catches it. What a rush? I caught the second fish on the boat :)
For me, more than fishing is the certain immediate community you feel part of. Everybody is pretty considerate, and helpful. The handlers are especially down-to-earth, always encouraging you and making you feel accepted, even though you may be clumsy and clueless. I always enjoy these types of environment where ppl are bonded by a simple and common task.
Some hilarious highlights:
While trying to catch my first fish, the second overall in the boat, I tried to hand Victor my camera. The handler to concentrate, get rid of the camera and grab the pole. Yep, city slicker!
While Victor was sleeping, the seasoned fisherman yell “Fish on” for Victor. Startled, Victor jumped up frantically, awkwardly transitioned from sleep to action; began reeling the fish in only to lose it. But man, it was a great laugh, to see him look so stupid, falling asleep and jumping up to grab the pole. City slicker!
Though Dan caught 4 fish, we hazed him like crazy while he attempted to reel in his fourth. The ppl in the boat probably thought we were bunch of goofballs, hazing a man while he is pulling in a fish. But we got a good laugh. Yeah, we told Dan to smile while he reeled instead of looking all serious. City slickers!
We saw an sea otter, and in response, I directed the fishing pole in its direction, and said, “Otter on!” Only some city slicker would say something so stupid, and only his friends would laugh!
Summary:
Dan caught 4 salmons, and Victor and I caught 2 salmons. Dan caught the biggest fish, while Victor’s catches were the smallest.
Yeah, too bad, my camera battery ran dead. I was only able to take a couple of pics. I’ll post them soon.
Oh yeah, another highlight of this weekend: our dodgeball team took third place in the City Church dodgeball tournament. Yeah, I can’t believe we goofballs actually won two games!
gear
Wow! I love the quotes from the City Church bulletin this past Sunday.
It reflects an understanding of a God who stresses His mercy towards us:
His grace and His presence. It doesn't focus on the skewed motivation
that stems from measuring ourselves in what we don't do, our performance
or lack of it, but depicts the mechanics of knowing God to such extent
that it explodes into service. Whether it's social justice, missions,
or whatever, it's an explosion of outwardness of Him in us, the fire
that spills over in service. Man, I love it!
Check out the words used that are simple yet so appropriate: "advance
copy of the new world order it preaches." So eloquent!
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Mission begins with a kind of explosion of joy. The news that the
rejected and crucified Jesus is alive is something that cannot possibly
be suppressed. It must be told. Who could be silent about such a fact?
The mission of the Church in the pages of the New Testament is more like
the fallout from a vast explosion, a radioactive fallout which is not
lethal but life-giving. One searches in vain through the letters of St.
Paul to find any suggestion that he anywhere lays it on the conscience
of his readers that they ought to be active in mission. For himself it
is inconceivable that he should keep silent. “Woe to me if I do not
preach the gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16). But nowhere do we find him telling
his readers that they have a duty to do so.
— Lesslie Newbigin
The Gospel in a Pluralist Society
Let people know that by giving their allegiance to Christ they will be
embarking on a great campaign to banish war and poverty and injustice,
to set up a life where love and service and justice have taken the place
of selfishness and power. Let people know that the church that sends out
this manifesto plans to be an advance copy of the new world order it
preaches.
Harvie M. Conn Evangelism: Doing Justice & Preaching Grace
In the context of hip-hop, what defines a good dancer? Admittedly, I see very few good dancers in my limited exposure to clubs or whatever. For the most part, “good” is reserved for those few individuals that flow with the music, not just dance to the beat. It’s a person with a repertoire of moves, instinctively utilized and timely injected in such manner that makes the person seem unpredictable, yet fluid. It’s like that wavy screensaver thingy that flows with the music on Media Player. For the most parts, I would say there are definitely more girls than guys that have this skill.
What brought about this blog? I was talking to dlu about dancing, and told him how I didn’t think I was any less of a dancer than him - objectively. He said I was crazy, and gave me a face like I was delusional or something. Hmm…I don’t think I’m that far off.
Let’s face it, most dudes dance in same predictable pattern. It’s like running around in a circle, or counting the beats in a measure. It’s the same thing over and over again. Hey, I don’t claim to be a great dancer b/c I do that myself, but I look around the room, and other dudes seemed to be doing the same thing I’m doing. The only difference is the air the dudes give off; it’s not like anything super mysterious, but more like trying to be hard up. It’s about fronting, to play the coolness. If that’s what defines a good dancer, than yeah, I suck at dancing. I’ll admit it, I don’t give an air of confidence, seem a bit self-conscious, and am pretty goofy about the whole thing. Hmm…that’s probably why I’ve always had a preference for dancing at weddings and such. I’m not going to compete w/other dudes in the area of being hard up.
Back to my point, does it make sense? I’m talking about the evaluation of dancing, objectively of course. Or does good dancing really involve a sense of presence?
I love the psychology term, “cognitive dissonance”, which means something like "When your perception of reality is incongruent with reality. It leads to behavior that maintains this perception, impairing the individual from seeing things as they are."
k…so am I suffering from cognitive dissonance or are hard up guys who think they’re good dancers really just hard up and regular at dancing suffering from cognitive dissonance?
I’m going to say it straight up; you better bring it if you say you have it. I don’t have it, but I don’t think I “not have” it any less than those who claim to have it. Now, I’m talking in circles, just like guys dancing in them!
gear
Btw, this sure is a waste of time writing about this.
i had a rest-filled weekend. spent friday chilling with christina and friends at ray's place. good ppl, good food, and good conversation. i totally dig like low-key events, or more suburban type activities. :)
christina recently got back from a 9 month missions trip in the Philippines. it seemed like a very humbling and growing period for her. i had a thought about her the next day, that she reminded me of princess di. she is very polished, and clean, yet has a golden heart for the poor and less fortunate. i think that's a rare combination, ah?
speaking of clean. i've been asking ppl this question all week. it stemmed from a conversation christina and her sister had about this family run focaccia place in north beach, where the owners exchange/touch money, and serve/touch the focaccia without washing their hands. both of them thought that was pretty gross. huh...it doesn't bother me at all, touching money and focaccia. yeah, i probably wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't brought to my attention. after asking around, most ppl found it pretty gross. hmm...besides me, only one person wasn't bother by it. what do you think? i'm going to either find out that i'm really more ghetto that i realize and abnormally dirty, or that i am of the majority and my friends are simply abnormally clean - nothing wrong with that though. :)
i spent the rest of the weekend moving a bit, and trying to figure how to redesign a kitchen. anybody know how to design a kitchen? i downloaded the ikea software. it's pretty cool. it has a cool 3-D tool. who needs autocad? k..i guess i should go back to work. "monday, monday...i wish it was friday." isn't there a song that goes something like that?
gear
Another song I find very poetic. Man, I'm going to create a separate category for songs/poem/quotes on my blog. But yeah, this is such a beautiful song.
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Jesus, I Come ©2000 Greg Thompson.
Words: William Sleeper.
1. Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Jesus, I come; Jesus I come.
Into Thy freedom, gladness and light, Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my sickness into Thy health, Out of my wanting and into Thy wealth, Out of my sin and into Thyself, Jesus, I come to Thee.
2. Out of my shameful failure and loss, Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross, Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of earth s sorrows into Thy balm, Out of life s storms and into Thy calm, Out of distress into jubilant psalm, Jesus, I come to Thee.
3. Out of unrest and arrogant pride, Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into Thy blessed will to abide, Jesus, I come to Thee. Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above, Upward forever on wings like a dove, Jesus, I come to Thee.
4. Out of the fear and dread of the tomb, Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into the joy and light of Thy home, Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the depths of ruin untold, Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold, Ever Thy glorious face to behold, Jesus, I come to Thee.
I went to this fellowship where this girl shared about her journey that led up to a commitment to be overseas. The sharing was clear, honest, and real. I could identify with many of her points and struggles. It was encouraging testament of a God who heals, restores, and inspires.
So I can’t sleep as I’m sitting up in bed kind of revaluating my own life, and the times I felt most free, moved, and inspired. Actually, I realize I don’t reflect on all those times as much b/c it brings to the forefront my real struggles, that of my own control and that of freedoms in Christ. My careers decisions reflect this tension; that I vacillate between secure professions in medicine, optometry, even computers and my passions in missions and life. As a result, I think people may misunderstand me. I express seeming interest in one area, a practical one, and another interest in completely unrelated area, a more passionate one. Yet it is not that I’m so much all over the place as I am divided. At the core, I know my passions, but I find it hard to pursue them b/c they lead me further away from the “norm”, away from comfort, and away from my peers; and thrust me into God and the fuller reality of pain and hope, of death and life. I find that you cannot enter the fullness of God in this life, without being called into the darkness of this world, even my own life. Yet in the midst of this darkness, my hope in God becomes the only hope, the only light, and the only answer.
My short-term missions trips have provided these fuller life experiences. Instead of completely working through those experiences, I somewhat quickly readapt and conform to everyday life - though subconsciously I knew I had been forever changed. After the trips, I always have trouble sleeping partially b/c of the jet-lagged, but primarily b/c of the experienced freedoms that made so much sense over there, yet made little sense back here. I would shed tears, triggered by the immediate nostalgia and memories: teammates, students, and in general, people. It is broader perspective of life that we as Americans have been shielded from; one of pain, of simplicity, of need, and of hope. The faces of people flashed through my consciousness; people that I walk pass in the streets, many of whom walk to and fro with structured lives to coup and survive. They are distant from their pains, and very close to their joys. All the while, they are completely human, perhaps even more so than us prosperous and well-to-do Americans. Indeed, they have seen a lot of life. Yet they know not fully the answer to life, and have eternity unresolved. Yeah, I never intentionally looked at my previous pictures from my trips, b/c it vividly reminds of what I’m passionate about, and at the same time, what I find unresolved in my own life. It’s funny when you look at life, it not only tells you about life, about others, but it also tells you about yourself.
This year has been restoration year. I feel renewed, wanting to forgo the security of my profession, even my own abilities to acquire a different and more secure profession, and to attempt to enter the fullness of life. I want to slowly remove the barriers that “closes my eyes” to reality, to life; in hope that it will push me closer to God for strength and perseverance. All those considerations of medical school and moving to NY are forms of escapes. I no longer want that. I want to see and have all the Lord wants for me.
What does that mean? Hmm…I won’t get into details. Maybe I’ll blog about it later.
gear
to take hold of all the Lord has for us (that He secured/taken hold for
us) is not limited to doing/tasks, but includes primarily taking hold of
us as His. e.g. we need to take hold of our personal and rooted
identity as His - that I am His...wonderfully His. perhaps this is the
hardest thing to grasp in the Christian life, especially for the
Western/human mindset focused on value derived from his/her own
performance and accomplishments. when we surrender one identity to take
hold of His identity, then we will be come to a state of understanding,
and fully receiving grace. it doesn't mean that we disregard doing, but
it does mean "taking hold" must be internalized before it is
externalized.
Phil: 12:10-12
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made
perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took
hold of me.