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cmwang
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Interests: volleyball, hockey, watersports, snow skiing, music, computers, working on cars, cooking, 24 (season 4), playing drums/guitar/keyboards
Expertise: DJ-ing, DJ/light equipment, pro audio
Occupation: Computer related
Industry: Education/Research
Message: message me
Member Since:
3/18/2005
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| Thanks!A big "thank you" to those of you that came out to see "The Gospel Accordin' to Texas" on Friday and Saturday! I hope y'all had a good time and were able to enjoy seeing the gospel presented in a non-traditional way.
For those that didn't come last weekend, the final three performances will be this coming weekend. Show time is 8:15pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $15 each, $12 in a group of 10 or more, or $8 each for students with your school ID. The EmilyAnn Theatre is located at 1101 FM 2325 in Wimberley. Be aware that you'll need to drive slightly past where GPS systems will indicate that the address is at.
Last weekend some people said they didn't come because it was raining in Austin; the theatre didn't get a drop of rain. Give me a call if you're plan to come out but are unsure if the performance is still on or not.
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| The Gospel Accordin' to TexasThis is the musical I've been working with for the past few months. The last three or four weeks have been crazy, driving to Wimberley practically every day, staying until 3am or later, and sometimes pulling all-nighters. There are a couple of minor details that are still missing but overall everything looks good.
Opening weekend was last weekend. We had decent turnouts but it's always nice to have more people. Overall, I think Sunday night went the best because the actors remembered their lines, the band played well and the audience was getting into it.
GAT presents the book of Luke in a "what if it were to happen in Texas?" kind of way. It has fun with the gospel message but doesn't make fun of it. While it doesn't present the entire book of Luke (there are some minor parts that get left out), it does cover everything from Jesus' birth to His death to His resurrection. It's safe for the entire family and even non-Christians will have a good time. It's a good outreach opportunity in a non-intimidating environment.
GAT continues to run every weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun) in June at the EmilyAnn Theatre. Show times are 8:15pm because it's an outdoor venue. While it's not completely dark by the time we start, we can't push it back any later or else it won't end until after 11:15.
Let me know if you're interested in coming and I can get tickets for you, or visit www.emilyann.org to purchase tickets or for more information.
One thing you can pray for is for tomorrow (Friday's) performance to go well. We haven't done anything since Sunday so hopefully everyone will remember their lines, where to go, etc.
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| All good things must come to an end...This is the first time in a long time that I've posted an entry on Xanga so it's pretty long. I should probably add a table of contents here at the beginning so you can skip to the appropriate section, or you can read the whole thing if it interests you. 
I. Mentoring with AISD/Austin Partners In Education
II. Lighthouse Seniors '08
Ok, I guess that's only two sections... There are a lot more things I want to write about but I'll save them for another day.
I. AISD/APIE
This was the first year I mentored with AISD and APIE. Going in, I really didn't know what to expect. Aside from being a counselor in the youth group a long time ago (and also at last year's retreat), I didn't have too much experience. I was going to be mentoring a 5th grader which is something that I hadn't done before.
Coming out, I can see that I was making a difference. His teacher, counselor and principal said that he had made large strides forward. He looked forward to spending time with me even though I was only there once a week for 45 minutes to an hour.
Sometimes having a positive role model (or someone just being there for them) is all it takes. Except for a major incident during the next-to-last week of school, his behavior issues seemed to get better and things were on the up-swing.
I'd like to continue to mentor during the next school year but haven't decided whether to stay with my kid from this year (he'll be going to O'Henry in the fall), get a different one, or do both.
II. Lighthouse Seniors '08
When Nita asked me to help out with Lighthouse's music last summer, I told her I was willing to give it a try. When she asked if I would consider being a counselor during the retreat, I was a little nervous since it had been a really long time (over 10 years) since I was a counselor and really interacted with the youth group. I'd get A/V stuff for them and help out in small things here and there during the past few years but didn't really take the time to get to know anyone.
Some in Lighthouse, like Betho, I've known from before. Others, this year was my first time meeting you. For everyone, though, I can honestly say it's been a blast and a huge blessing getting to know you better.
Back in the day when I was in the youth group, things were very different. When I stopped working with the youth group, we didn't have anything close to what you have now; Lighthouse wasn't around. We didn't organize prayer meetings during lunch, have outreaches like SNL or have a separate youth retreat like you have now. Ya'll have something really special at Lighthouse. I can tell that this year's seniors are close-knit so really cherish these friendships and relationships.
As this chapter in your life comes to a close, another one begins. Cheesy, yes, but very true. Make the most of your opportunities because you never know when (or if) they'll come again. Play some in college, but don't play so much that your grades suffer. And stay focused on God - that's so important. Almost every college and university has some sort of branch of Crusade or InterVarsity. Also, if you're not going to UT Austin, find a good home church and get plugged in.
There are so many things that I could and want to say to each of you but I'll try to keep it short.
Beffo, I think you're the only senior that I've known from before. You're very athletic (at least in vball and skating) and you care for other people. One question - how come you're always the one getting hurt and/or being redeemed in the skits?
Peter, like others have said, you're extremely talented and gifted in the areas of music and speaking. It's been great doing music with you (and some of the noobs) this year. Your summary of SNL was great! Are you sure they didn't tell you to prepare something beforehand?
"Big" Al, one of (if not the) mastermind behind SNL. "Wow!" doesn't even begin to describe it. The shortest one but you more than make up for it with your huge heart.
Jenn, always smiling when I see you. Also the youngest of the Huang clan (I think). Did you come up with the "Bucket of Destiny"?
Jie, I got Brownies to work but still need the Nationwide commercial. Seriously though, it's been good doing a little bit of music and SNL with you.
Helen, could you please stop being so beautiful? kthx. Haha, j/k. Any time you want to give some of that beauty to me, I'm ok with that. It was awesome seeing you get baptized this year. Oh yeah, we pronounce our last name "Wang" and not "Wayne" 
ATam, the first memory I have of you is "Sssssssss..." I'm really glad it didn't end there. 
Em, one of the most violent senior girls I've ever known, but also the only one that I know that likes hockey. Hmmm, I wonder if those two are related...  Keep practicing the guitar!
Matt, it was fun doing music with you. It was weird seeing you at MaFu's the first time 'cuz I was like, "Hey, I know you!"
I'm sure I'm forgetting some other seniors, but these are the only ones that I have as Facebook friends.
Nita, Josh and Char - ya'll have done an awesome job with the kids! Keep up the good work! I hope to continue to work with Lighthouse in the future. If there's anything else that I can do to help you out, please let me know.
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| Why you shouldn't listen to your iPod/mp3 player while crossing the street...or at least pay attention to what's going on around you...
I went to Guitar Center at Northcross Mall last Thursday after work. Coming out of the parking lot, we (me and the truck in front of me) were waiting at the red light to turn left (westbound) onto Anderson Lane. A girl walked in front of us, then dodged some cars and crossed halfway to the median on Anderson. She was on the median when the bus she was trying to catch went by without stopping because there was nobody at the bus stop and nobody needed to get off the bus. She was trying to flag the bus down and stood in front of a car that was waiting to turn left into Northcross for a few seconds (the car didn't go because traffic was still coming eastbound) and the went back to the median. Apparently disgusted, she looked up at the traffic lights, then decided to walk back in front of that car that was stopped.
Inexplicably, she then continued into the westbound lanes even though they still had a green light. It's one of those moments where you think to yourself, "Is this really happening? This is an accident waiting to happen!" Yelling at her doesn't do any good because you're inside your vehicle and she obviously wouldn't be able to hear you.
Then a car in the inside westbound lane struck her. Although it was only a glancing blow with the driver's side mirror, the force of the impact knocked her down and she was in the middle of the left lane for what felt like an eternity but was probably only about 10 seconds. Fortunately there weren't any other cars following that one. One person helped her back up and got her to the other side of the street. About six of us saw what happened and we all turned into the parking lot across the street. The impact also broke the mirror off of the car so someone went to retrieve it.
The driver of the car didn't have any time to react. It didn't look like he was speeding since the speed limit was 35. She was probably hidden from his view because she came out from in front of the stopped car that was waiting to turn left into Northcross. It was also approaching dusk so there was some (but not much) light left. He called 911 and we all waited for the ambulance, fire truck and police to arrive on the scene. We gave our statements to the police officers after they had assessed the situation. The drivers and passengers all saw the same thing - she tried to cross while she had a red hand instead of a green pedestrian, and east/westbound Anderson Lane had green lights.
Moral of the story: Pay attention to the traffic lights, especially if you're listening to your media player. Better yet, take your earphones out when you're approaching or at an intersection and you'll be able to tell what's going on around you. If you miss the bus it's not the end of the world, although for her it very well could have been, and I'm glad that she's still alive. It would have been much worse if she had been crossing the street for one more second (would have been run over by that car instead of getting hit by the mirror), if there were any cars following that one (would have been hit by the following cars), or if his car was any bigger than it was (it was a little Mazda 3 so the mirror hit her thigh - if it was a truck or SUV she would have gotten smacked in the face and that would have resulted in more injuries).
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| To gas or not?No, not that kind of gas... 
My Tahoe is a flex-fuel vehicle. As an experiment, I've been using E-85 for the past few weeks and have noticed the following:
1) E-85 is about 10% cheaper, making fill-ups less expensive 
2) Fuel mileage has gone down almost 30%, making fill-ups more frequent 
3) A different smell coming from the exhaust due of the ethanol content
4) A little less throttle response
From a purely economic standpoint, it's more expensive to use E-85. Does anyone know if the environmental benefits outweigh the costs?
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