Bloggy Blog

Sunday, June 08, 2008

  • Long Overdue...

    Hello xanga friends!  My my it's been way too long since I've posted, but fear not, I will return to xanga soon - possibly with another blog for other stuff as well!  O_O

    Sometimes I am just amazed by how our God works in very unexpected but totally awesome ways - it's in those times you see that He IS faithful and He DOES love you =D

    More to come!  But it is bedtime and I'm going to my home church in the morning gah!  But staying up late was well worth it =]  Thanks Dad!  You rock!

Sunday, April 06, 2008

  • Currently Reading
    Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing
    By C.J. Mahaney
    see related

    "What God Understands"

    So two nights ago I woke up at 4am in the morning with a very uncomfortable pain in my stomach.  After tossing and turning for a few minutes, I finally got out of bed and, already awake, headed to the bathroom.  The next hour and a half consisted of sitting on the toilet with the most unbearable pain in my stomach and abdomen that I've ever felt - the pain would come and go every few minutes but each time was just as terrible as the last time.  While I was in the bathroom wondering if the next time the pain came I was going to live past it over and over again, even amidst the pain, God was speaking to me.

    The day before I had just read a chapter out of C.J. Mahaney's book "Living the Cross Centered Life" entitled "What God Understands."  Nathan and I have been reading through this book for our meetup times on Fridays at noon & time and time again I have been blown away by being confronted with the Gospel - the depth and majesty and beauty of the Gospel is drilling deeper and deeper into my heart and soul, and I've still only just scratched the surface.  It's definitely understandable when a brother in Christ like David Prior says, "We never move on from the cross, only into a more profound understanding of the cross," or Martin Luther says, "The gospel cannot be preached and heard enough, for it cannot be grasped well enough," or when Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:16 says, "Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach.  Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!"

    Something that CJ points out in these last couple of chapters that Nathan and I have been reading was this: Jesus encountered an unbearable amount of physical, mental, and spiritual pain, dejection, and suffering in the garden and on the Cross so that all of us, including myself, might be righteous in the sight of God - that we may just be with God.  As Jesus was in the garden & as He made one cry out to God while on the Cross - "My God, my God!  Why have You forsaken me?" He made it entirely clear to all of us that the most important thing in Jesus' life was - that He, Jesus, was with His Father wherever He went - and that this should be, above all else, our most important life's focus as well.  Jesus paid for us to be with the Father forever, wherever we go.

    CJ points this out in a few ways:

    "[Jesus is] experiencing on the cross what no one in human history ever has or ever will experience.  He's receiving what you and I should be receiving - His Father's full and furious wrath.  He's experiencing what ever other human being in history deserves and what He alone does not deserve.  And He's experiencing it alone.  Have you ever felt TRULY alone?"

    "He's alone so that we might never be alone.  He cries out to God, 'Why have You forsaken Me?' so that you and I will never have to make a similar cry.  He was cut off from His Father so that we can boldly say, 'Nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.'  He's forsaken so that we might be forgiven.  Please don't ever grow overfamiliar with forgiveness.  What a miracle it is!  What a gift from God!"

    "However, as we look to the cross and Gethsemane for this preparation [for suffering], there's a distinction we need to make: Our suffering does not truly compare to His...You and I will never be given this cup [that Jesus took] to drink.  Moreover, you and I have never been, and will never be, abandoned by God.  I know sometimes it feels that He's abandoned us; I've felt that way.  But those are deceptive feelings, because the One who drank this cup says to you and me, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'  We may occasionally feel alone, but we never truly are alone.  And yet His suffering does become the highest and best source of comfort in our own distress.  For if He endured so much more than I'll ever have to, then can't He comfort me [and others] in my lesser suffering?  Yes, absolutely.  So we read Hebrews 4:16 with new appreciation: 'Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need' -- in our own dark hour of suffering."

    So, as I will sitting there on the toilet, worrying if I was literally going to die from the pain and feeling so alone, God was still with me as He always is wherever I go - because Jesus paid for and already endured that on my behalf, even while I was still in sin and continue to be in sin.  Today that revelation about my pain and suffering two nights ago hit me, and God is using it to make me tell everyone else this: people need the Cross - everyone in this world needs the Gospel, and it is the Cross that can save a human life from the distress and suffering of this world.  If you ever are seeking wisdom, turn to the Cross - find and know the fear and wonder of God through the lens of Jesus.  If you are ever seeking or giving counsel, turn to the Cross - Jesus knows exactly where you or another person is at.  This is why we must be Gospel minded and Gospel living - we need to know and understand the Gospel to depths that we have never understood before so that we indeed can show and live out Jesus to the world, and we need to continually time and time again, daily, read the Scriptures revealing the Cross, hear testimonies of people's lives being transformed by Jesus, and always draw near to God each day in much prayer, submission, obedience, and grace.

    I was blown away by the testimonies of God's grace through Jesus working in the lives of the people in Nicaragua by the Living Water missions team - praise God for how He answered prayer and have brought new lives into the kingdom to worship Him - lives that were broken, but have been made whole by the blood of Jesus.  Ask John, Alice, or anyone else from the Living Water missions team how things went - I'm sure you'll be blown away as well.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

  • On the road again...

    Tomorrow (or rather, today I guess...eesh I should get some sleep soon) I'll be heading back up to NorCal for my LAST SEMESTER! But before that, there are going to be two awesome retreats for God to continue to reap more glory. This winter break has been one of the most encouraging breaks of my college career, but it sure has been different. I think I spent most of my time not hanging out with socal friends, brothers and sisters from church, or aacf family, but spending it with (or at least around) family at home. And you know what? It was a real blessing. I mean, there were definitely things that could have gone better, but God has been doing some real work around my family and down here, and I hope I don't forget that and just put it "out of sight, out of mind" once the semester begins. And it made the time I did have to hangout with everyone else that much more awesome and special!

    Here are some random pictures highlighting my last winter break ever (aww, but there's bound to be more awesome times ahead =D)...


    Driving around with  my mom on Christmas Eve to look for Christmas lights, and we stumbled upon this insanely decorated house.



    My mom & the Lucky dog =]



    Lucky unwrapped a lot of gifts on Christmas Eve =P



    My dad & bachan on Christmas Day



    Bachan & Leslie (my cuz) - Leslie cooked us Christmas dinner!



    Hangout with AACFers!  When I hangout with these old guys, I feel so young =D



    Disneyland 2008!  This is the BEST picture-in-reflection-of-Christmas-ornament EVAR.



    Yay (minus Alyssa)!



    82.5 + the extra 27.5 being a bit...weird =P



    Two-fourths of core at core retreat!



    Another fourth of core, and this one knows how to use a cell phone too!  Look how techie we are =P



    Aww, I had to put this one on there.  Lucky is sound asleep one morning on my mom's bed =].

    See some of you soon!  And yeah...a bit more foresight & consideration.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

  • And the Word became flesh...

    Tonight my mom had me drive her around to look at lights on the houses with her.  When we got to one house that was decorated very extravagantly (it even had a ferris wheel with little stuffed snowmen on it), my mom said very cheerfully, "Aww, now they sure know what Christmas is all about."

    Five years ago I would have agreed with her.  The bright lights, santa claus, visions of sugarplums, Christmas trees, and of course presents upon presents...that's what Christmas was all about.  It was a time for family to gather together, for children to wait in anticipation for their surprise gifts, for big meals to be eaten, for big spending sprees to buy gifts for each other.

    I still participate in all of the festivities of the holiday with my family as I once knew it.  Tonight I had a big meal with my mom, went out looking for Christmas lights, gave and received presents, and watched The Christmas Story on TBS.  Tomorrow I'll do the same at my dad's house with my dad and grandma, and then have a meal with my aunt, uncle, and cousin who live down the street.  It's still exciting to give presents to people, and I'll say that I do like receiving gifts too.  Even more so, it's still great to spend time with family and I know my mom especially enjoys having me home.

    But, five years ago my life changed and Christmas took on a whole new and truthful meaning.  Christmas at home is still a blessing, don't get me wrong.  God blesses me with time with family, gift giving and receiving, an abundance of food, and little other happy moments amidst these days.  However, every year my heart longs more and more for my family to embrace and treasure Jesus and to be able to celebrate and "know what Christmas is all about."  It's frustrating at times, especially when I see how much apart of the world my family still is, how the world silently destroys their lives, and the hypocrisy in which we live, fully knowing that my flesh still is in this world too.

    What is it like to have a Christmas with family where the things you do on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day actually celebrate the birth of Jesus rather than the commercialism of gift-giving or how much better you are than other families who don't cherish "family" around the holiday times or...?

    I love my mom, dad, and grandma so much, but at the center of that love is God Himself, and what better way to love than to show them to our Emmanuel?  But the darkness still does not know the light, even though the light pushes back the darkness.

    I hope everyone is able to have a wonderful time celebrating our Lord's birth these few days, and when you think, "What a blessing it is to be with family and friends" or "I'm so thankful for these gifts and the abundance of food" or whatever it is that our God has been blessing you with this time of the year, and really anytime of the year, take a moment to step back and remember what the center of it all really is.  God deserves our attention, our lives, and all glory.  Sometimes we can get so caught up in being thankful for how blessed we are and all the blessings we have (even to the point of flaunting it before others, though that's usually not the heart behind it - I am guilty of that many times), we forget that there is one central thanks to be given to the blessER and creatOR and LORD of all things. 

    Dad, thank you for who you are and all that you have done.  No words or actions that we can perform could express enough thankfulness for you as our Lord, King, Savior, and Friend, however we know that even there Jesus fills in the gap.  Thank you for your Son, your precious son Jesus, that He was born on this day 2000 years ago so that one day five years ago I could pray for Him to save my life.  To me, that's amazing, that the glorifying plan of redemption you laid out from the beginning of time could affect the very lives of people living even now, however we know that to you Dad, all of eternity is in the palm of your hand.  We love you Jesus, we love you Dad.  Thank you so much for life, redeemed.

    "And I celebrate the day that You were born to die so I might one day pray for You to save my life."

    "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth..."

    Merry Christmas everyone =]

Saturday, December 15, 2007

  • Wow...I just realized...

    ...tonight will be my last eecs final...ever!  It's also weird to see "You are on the Degree List for the SPRING 08 semester" on my telebears too, and to know that I will be starting work at Cisco on August 4th, 2008 (for those of you who didn't know, now you do =D).  I still will have to work on a project for cs285 (solid modeling) which is due next Thursday (I'll have to put a lot of hours/work into this one...I really dislike modifying other people's old code without good comments or a design doc) and will be heading down to socal on Friday, December 21st early in the morning (hopefully).

    Oh, and seeing the results from the previous post's question, there is no correlation between being an eecs student & liking dark chocolate in this OH SO controlled experiment (right leslie? =P)...there seems to be a pretty even distribution (except for Greg, who is just a girl...period =P)...but I agree with Jeff (my future housemate!)...DARK CHOCOLATE FTW!  You milk/white/no chocolate people are cool too, but you're missing out!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Saturday, November 24, 2007

  • Thanksgiving Weekend Update

    You know, there's always so much I think that I want to say when I come to xanga, but when I get here, my thoughts are all jumbled up and I don't know what to write anymore. Maybe by the end of this post I'll have something to write, but for now here are some pictures from today!


    So today I got to hangout with these awesome brothers & sisters =]


    We ate at Sea Harbor Seafood Restaurant in Rosemead. Look how happy they are!


    Angel Lu was there too! I haven't seen her in foreverrrr!


    We went to shop for sandals for Vicky at Big 5 and Payless. I love candid shots =P


    Jeff was giving Vikcy a helping hand...err...foot.


    And look at the thanks he gets for helping! Sheesh =P


    Oh and Whit loves the color accent function on cameras =P


    Afterward we went to Life Plaza to play Bang & get some boba. This is Angel's first time playing and she did really well!


    When I got home I found out my grandma had finished her puzzle! Woohoo! It looks really nice too!


    I <3 my family =D
    Oh, and it's my mom's birthday on monday and I'm going to take her to dinner on Sunday night. Any ideas of where to go in socal guys??


    Yayy for Picasa =D

    Actually, after talking with some awesome sisters tonight, I've been very encouraged and looking forward to putting together the t-list (thankful-list) again =].  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6)

    Totally thankful and praise God for...

    * Family...I see them less and less each year, and yet every year God grows my heart and love for my family more and more.  I think God is teaching me that, in order to learn how to be and grow in being a disciple of Christ, I also need to learn how to be and grow in being a son in my family.  Also, He's opening up more doors than ever before to make the Gospel and Jesus and saving grace known to my grandma, dad, and mom.  Plus, it's just good to know and remember that my family loves and supports me no matter what...such a reminder and glimpse of God's own love for us.

    * My dad's financial support for my education up at Berkeley and his advice in what to do about choosing a job, career stuff, and future financial & life matters.  Also, he's excited for me getting offers from Cisco and Yahoo.  It's cool to have my dad be more part of my life, seriously.  He's even thought about moving up to the south/eastbay to be around!

    * My obaasan (grandma, bachan) always cooking for me when I'm home (yummy mochi, eggs, & fruit for breakfast...yummy lunch & dinners too) and sowing/patching up my clothes.  Her heart is so sweet and golden...I can't wait until she knows Jesus personally.  That's going to be an awesome day.

    * A Japanese church that meets in Long Beach...I'm going to try going there with bachan tomorrow.  We'll see what happens huh.

    * My mom...whenever I come back home, things are usually just how they were when I left.  Sure there are things here and there that have happened, but it's actually kind of refreshing to have my mom tell me to do the dishes after dinner haha...who would have known =P.

    * My dog, Lucky!  I love dogs so much, and I wish I had Lucky or another dog up in Berkeley.  But Lucky is one dog that you cannot replace.  Her personality is seriously just like she is a little sister in the family.  She knows what's going on in the house and often gets involved in family matters =P haha.

    * Being able to have Scripture right next to me when I'm working or playing on the computer.  I don't have it there enough, and I don't take enough breaks, but gosh it sure is good to have God surprise you by saying something when you least expect it.

    * A new camera to capture awesome moments in life (Canon SD1000).

    * The Hillsong concert, if you could wade through the merchandise spots & mosh pit & rock-ish songs.  Like jenna had in her away message, that's gotta  be a little tiny taste of what heaven will be like.

    * Music, and wonderfully talented friends, brothers & sisters who play and sing at their heart's content =D...you know who you guys are =P.

    * Good food, an abundance of it, and sharing it with family, friends, and strangers everyday.

    * (as many people have pointed out to me) having the opportunity to choose between two job offers, Cisco and Yahoo, and not having to interview anymore!  Oh, and also being able to move in with jeff & steveo too =D.

    * An extremely light schedule for my last semester...and all the blessings that come with that!  Who wants to travel?  Who wants to learn maya or how to play another instrument with me?  Who is free for lunches and dinners and doesn't mind me experimenting with cooking?

    * Still having awesome older brothers & sisters around, even though I'm a senior and they've graduated.  Whether it's lunches, dinners, random hangouts, one-on-ones, throwing around, golfing, online conversations, jamming, gaming, or just hearing about how all of you are doing, praise God for how He still uses all of you in my life =].

    * "We don't have to be friends...but we're always brothers and sisters in Christ" - Friendship is an added bonus and blessing in this life, but through Christ we have  been released from all bondage to needing friends or requiring to please people for our gain because we have the family of Christ.  We don't need "friendship" in the worldly sense, but have an even better bond through Jesus.  Even so, it's our freedom to love and care for and uplift and encourage and gently rebuke others.

    * Small group (I <3 the freshmen =D), s-team (I <3 leadership =D), core, aacf, urban grace, and all the people that make up these communities of grace & truth without walls.

    * For brothers who continue to fight alongside me and will not allow me to keep messing up, slipping, and backsliding out of sight.

    * Our God is absolutely amazing, and Jesus grows to be more of a treasure each day.
  • Currently Listening
    All That Is Within Me (Deluxe)
    By MercyMe
    see related

    Thanksgiving Break Update

    Ahh, I <3 home. It's like a retreat, only so familiar...I guess because I lived here for 18 years of my life =P


    I had lunch with my mom @ Embassy Suites...and it was a buffet!


    Yumm...plate #1


    Yummmm...plate #2 (this one is more colorful and the strawberries were AWESOME)


    My aunt & dad in the car on the way to dinner...see the resemblance? =P


    Our favorite place to eat Thanksgiving dinner at...Katella Deli!


    My dad looks craaaaazy =P haha.


    I <3 my obaasan =D


    Ooo look, I can embed the slideshow directly in my xanga! Sweet!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

  • Papa D's 170

    Warning...nerdiness ahead...

    So today in cs170 (as many other days in 170 lecture), professor papadimitriou (aka Papa D) did the following...

    As he was explaining why all problems in NP reduce to 3SAT, he got to the point where he was going to explain how every algorithm can be described as a circuit and what the implications to describe the algorithm would be.

    Before he began though, he proceeded to take off his jacket like two guys getting into a fight would or as if he was going into battle.

    Beyond that, when he took off his jacket he accidentally had the mic still clipped to the jacket, and when he was alerted of this, his quick-witted self came up with the remark, "I was in the heat of the battle."

    And then we got our midterms back...haha.

    Oh Papa D, I'll miss you when we leave.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Top Tags - Weblog

[no tags]