SOMETHING I DIRECTED FOR OUR UPCOMING WEBSITE AT WORK

YFC CONFERENCE 2006: Montreal

I write this blog with every intention to pass on to whoever reads it, some idea of what I experienced at this monumental event.  God works wonders, there is no doubt about that, but he also works in mysterious ways. Some in which we cannot fully comprehend or reason...but rather, quite simply, put our faith into.  To all those that attended YFC Conference 2006: I AM CHOSEN, you all know what I mean by this...what we all went through that weekend was nothing short of another example of God's miraculous work.  Brothers and sisters, to say that you did not feel something would be preposterous, as the many wonders he made happen were unlimited. 

This was my first conference.  Joining back in 1996, I had only visited a conference in Vancouver and would usually hang out with everybody afterwards.  11 years...and not one Conference on my attendance record!  Not that I never wanted to go to one or anything, but it would always be that the date and time of such events would conflict with my school/work schedule OR the venue was too far and money was scarce.  However, God truly blessed me with a perfect time and place for my first ever Conference.  May God be praised! 

Let me be the first to say that YFC has drastically changed from back in my day.  And I mean DRASTICALLY.  Everything has evolved.  New competitions, new events, new praise songs, new logos, new artwork and let us not forget, new faces.  If there was one message that the organizers of this Conference wanted to imprint in our minds...it was definitely this: change.  The Force of Change.  It was fitting in how the creative team put together that segment where the old generation of YFC took the stage with the new generation...sort of a "passing the torch" if you will.  Brothers and sisters, through my eyes I saw something special in this...and it honestly touched my heart.  Change is inevitable...those of us, especially the older generation, won't be in YFC forever...but it is comforting to know that the spirit of YFC will live on when and long after we leave.

Worship was spectacular.  So amazing that I did something that I never actually did before, now that I think about it.  I raised my hands during worship. HAHA...I can imagine all of you out there laughing at this statement.  Oddly enough, it is true.  Once again, God works wonders.  It also made me do something that I NEVER would do in a million years...it made me sit in the front.  We all know that if you plan to sleep or close your eyes for abit, then you never want to sit in the front...but yes, I am also proud to say I was able to stay awake, for the most part anyway *winks*.  Also, "From the Inside Out" is now my favorite worship song...so powerful and moving.

Another blessing God bestowed upon me during Conference weekend was being able to see PACIFIC REGION again after 3 long years!  I think this was the highlight of my weekend...to see my brothers and sisters in Christ, both old and new, and reunite once again.  Although I moved, and have been living and breathing METRO REGION for the past few years, I will always be PACIFIC.  It was truly an honor to spend the weekend with this wonderful delegation and represent the West Coast among such people as Charlene, Stephanie, Jamie, Razel, Ed, Mark, Richie, Antonio, JJ, Paula, Vanessa, Benjie, Renee, Jom, John, Lorna, Criselda, Pio, Missy, Gerald and many many many more.  To be able to pray among you all during the massive pray-over was one of the most powerful experiences in my life thus far...and all I could think about was how far everybody has come up physically and spiritually.  May God be Praised!!

In the end, I felt renewed and I truly felt CHOSEN.  I was already planning what I wanted to contribute to next year's conference (although am stuck as to which Conference to go too? Vancouver or Toronto?).  Alot of the creative team's ideas as well as the many video skits Montreal put forth were my inspiration.  It never feels good to say your goodbyes, but I had comfort in knowing that this wasn't going to be the last time I will see everybody again. 

In conclusion, God has really humbled me during this Conference.  He has taught me to value all the friendships, the hardships, the trials, the laughs, the tears, the joys, the prayers, and all that I hold dear in my life.  He took away my pride and replaced it with something so much more better: he consumed me from the inside out.  For this Lord, I am eternally grateful.

END.

Currently Watching Superman Returns By Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden, Parker Posey, Frank Langella, Sam Huntington, Eva Marie Saint, Marlon Brando, Kal Penn, David Fabrizio, Tristan Lake Leabu, Ian Roberts (VII), Vincent Stone, Jack Larson, Noel Neill, James Karen, Stephan Bender, Peta Wilson, Jeff Truman see related

in commemoration of watching this movie for the 4th time, i have finally decided to post my review of this motion picture.  (contains spoilers)

yes, it is no secret that superman is my all-time favorite superhero, and of course, my opinion might be bias...but in all honesty, i truly feel this movie IS the best superhero movie of all time.  other movies such as batman begins, xmen 2 and spiderman 2 are respective in their own right...but the way bryan singer handled this movie was nothing short of brilliant. 

there were so many ways/directions to take the superman mythology, and bring it back to the big screen...some interesting, others absurd...but for singer to go back and tie in his new movie with the original superman movies was a unique way to go about it...yet very risky.  die-hard superman fans (especially christopher reeve fans), probably had mixed reactions to this...as they didn't want another remake of donner's superman.  however, singer was able to use the original superman movies as the backbone to his advantage, without stepping on donner's version or simply remaking the original.  instead, we are left with a completely fresh story, with some hints here and there of the originals, and some added twists...all set behind a love story, which is what singer was aiming for in his movie above all else (even the action).

Jason's opinion on...

the costume : when i first saw the new costume online before the movie came out, i really hated it.  however, after seeing it on film, it actually looks surprisingly awesome, especially in the scene when he was lifting the "krypton island"...if you actually look at it very closely, the suit is covered in very tiny superman shields all over the costume. it got a lot of slack for a lot of things, such as the darker color (which was more what the evil superman wore in superman 3) and the smaller s shield...but in actuality, it is more faithful to the original superman costume of the 30's/40's, while still providing a more modern look.

the cast : i enjoyed kate bosworth's performance as lois lane...gave a very emotional and very different take on lois as opposed to margot kidder's lois lane in the donner version.  people said she was too young for the role, but she emphasized a strong, independent and emotional lois...and did it well.

kevin spacey's take on lex luthor really hit the spot for me...as we all saw a more darker and sinister performance in contrast to gene hackman's more comedic/wisecracking portrayal of the character.  he was very cold and calculating in his character and it worked very well.

the one thing i was afraid of was brandon routh's portrayal of clark/superman.  he had BIG SHOES to fill after christopher reeve.  one thing i could not get over was how much he looked AND sounded like his predecessor!  even those small things like how clark pushes his glasses up with his finger while looking down (which chris reeve did frequently), you could really tell mr. routh did his homework...i kinda wished for more scenes with clark in this movie...as i really liked the clumsy, awkward character he brings about.

i thought i was going to hate kitty's character, but she really brought out some needed comedy in certain scenes...and i found myself liking her character.  very similar to what miss tessbacher did in the original superman.  the one thing i dispised was why on earth did bryan singer cast kal penn of all people in this movie???  totally did not fit the bill as a "thug", and everytime i saw him on screen, all i could see was kumar.  thankfully he only had one line in the movie.

the story : the love story thing worked well for this movie...considering it involved the 5 year absence of superman, and how lois has moved on in her life.  very emotional and moving during certain scenes...most specifically when superman apologizes to lois for leaving her after taking her up in the sky, and in the plane scene when superman says goodbye to lois and she wants him to stay for fear of his safety.  the whole take on the krypton crystals was very interesting and refreshing, as i would have never thought what would or could happen if you put crystals in water or when you merge both kryptonite and the crystals.  the whole "krypton island"  thing probably will play a role in the sequel storyline...

now, the whole superman lois kid thing....i have mixed reactions to this.  i am very curious to see how and where they go with this storyline in the sequel(s)? although i was very excited during the whole "piano" scene, involving the boy, lois and the thug...and just the fact that superman has a son!! it took awhile for that to sink in. even the fact that the kid's name is JASON...hahah that made it all the more cool for me.  however, there is a major plot error with this.  in superman 2, clark gives up his powers so he can be with lois...in which they sleep together.  keeping in mind that clark was mortal and had no powers at the time...how is it possible that jason has any powers??? hopefully they address this somehow, because that was one of the things i was disappointed with.

the sequel, when it is greenlit, promises to give more action...along with an "alien" villain (hopefully brainiac).  singer himself promised (and i quote) that the sequel will "allow him to go all "wrath of khan" on it".  wrath of khan for the uninformed refers to the star trek sequel that surpassed its predecessor as it involved more action/fight sequences.

there were a lot of other tidbits about this movie that were very interesting to catch, although many people might have missed it.  many religious references were made in the film...the most prominent being when superman "dies" after pushing "krypton island" out into space, and is in a stance almost identical to how Jesus was when he was crucified.  others include how jorel talks about sending his only son to protect the human race and be their "savior"...representing God sending his only son to save the world etc.  anyone catch the mr. atlas pose superman does when carrying the daily planet globe?  or the pose he does when lifting the car (which was the same pose on the cover of action comics #1)?  there are many more hidden gems that can be found in this movie...

oddly enough, the critics all praise this movie...and various movie review websites all give a 76% approval rating....yet, i always hear mixed reviews from friends, their friends or friends of their friends.

even more interesting...the critics all hated pirates 2...and it got a D+ rating from entertainment weekly...yet, i hear everyone liking it, and its close to the $400 million mark in gross earnings.  Pirates 2 was a crapball of a movie in my opinion...nowhere near as exciting as the first one...and it dragged like you wouldn't believe.

the final verdict : 4 stars out of 5

Pat and I scaring our co-Manager at Childrens Place