Waiting for my new phone...

Man...I can't wait for my phone to come. It's been almost one week since it's been ordered, but still nearly two more weeks before it will be shipped on June 7th. A recent Engadget article reported that the the long wait for phones is due to a shortage in the LED screens that the Incredible uses. 

 In a talk at a Barclays Capital conference today, McAdam made it clear that component shortages were to blame for the high-end Android handset's general unavailability -- specifically the Samsung-sourced AMOLED display, which is seeing duty in more phones all the time and will likely be in short supply for a while yet.  [http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/26/droid-incredible-confirmed-to-be-suffering-from-amoled-shortage/]

I can't wait for it to come. I feel like Calvin when he orders a beanie from a cereal box (comics are a bit small. control+ to make them more readable) :

Orlando Magic - Why There's Still Hope

Orlando is down 3-1. No NBA team has ever come back to win a series after being down 3-0, and after dropping three games to the Celtics, Orlando could be the first team to do it. Here are three reasons to have hope:

1.  Home Court Advantage

Orlando only needs to win one game on the road. If the Magic can rally behind their crowd and win their home games, they really only have one difficult game ahead of them in hostile territory. The home games are not given victories, as Boston stole the first two home games from the Magic, but if the Magic start thinking and playing like the monster of a team that they were in the regular season, they have a good chance of maximizing their home court advantage and winning the series. The Magic were 34-7 at home in the regular season, so the home court advantage could definitely be a big factor for them to come back.

2. Physical Youth

It's dangerous to concentrate too much on the effect of age on players, but the Magic have fresher legs both because of age and because of the long rests between the first two series. They are more equipped to handle  a long, grueling series because of younger players and (in my opinion), a deeper bench. As long as the Magic are in the game mentally, they should start winning the 50/50 balls and hustle plays.

3. Re-energized Stars

It's no secret that Orlando's star players like Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, and Jameer Nelson underperformed the first three games of the series. In game 4, Dwight went 32-16 with 4 blocks, Rashard got his first double-digit scoring game against the Celtics this series with 13 points, and Jameer Nelson finished right below a double-double with 23 points and 9 assists. If Orlando's stars continue playing stars, I have no doubt that they'll have a chance to win every game they have left. The one big question mark for me is Vince Carter. He's the only player the Magic have that can truly create for himself, and if he doesn't perform, the Celtics will be able to defend the Magic much more easily.

Despite the talent and energy of the Orlando Magic, the team has one key factor missing.

Orlando is leaderless.
Orlando doesn't have a fearless leader, a player that takes losing personally and heaps the team's burden of winning on himself. Orlando has no MJ or Kobe to will their team to win. Adversity is difficult to overcome without a strong individual willing to shoulder all the weight of the team for the rest of the players on the team to look to. This could be the fatal factor, the nail in the coffin that will make it impossible for the Magic to come back and take the series from Boston.

...but wouldn't it be so great to see both the Bruins and the Celtics suffer historic comebacks? =D


Jameer Nelson, Running Back:

My One Haunting College Decision

Michigan's ultimate team, Magnum has a long tradition of greatness, always qualifying for and doing pretty well in the national tournament. Playing on Magnum was my dream ever since the college application process. I watched the following video over and over, hoping I would have the chance to make history at the greatest university in the world with one of the best ultimate teams in the country.

[It's such a freakin awesome video, right?!]

Freshman year, I had a chance at my dream. I came into college in shape and mentally prepared to make a big splash at the Magnum tryouts, and to some extent, I did. I made it onto the B team, the Magnum reserve team, and I went to all practices and finally went to a weekend-long tournament in Ohio. It was great. I was in great shape, playing well, and enjoying playing the only organized sport I have ever been involved in.

Then I quit the team. I was on the team for a month but quit the after realizing the the time commitment interfered with a lot of the things that I had already determined would be non-negotiables. These include Bible Study, church, and fellowship. I was determined not to allow anything to hinder my spiritual growth in college. I decided that being part of AIV was more important to me than being on the ultimate team.

This decision has haunted me for years. Many of the guys I tried out with that also only made the reserve team are now on Magnum. Every time I see them, I am reminded of the opportunity I missed out on. I have no doubt that if I had stayed on the B team, I would be on Magnum by now.  Every time I see someone wearing Magnum gear, I can't help but imagine what it would look like on me. I can't help but think about how awesome it would be to play on Magnum. I imagine myself scoring, throwing great passes, and making sick lays. I imagine myself holding a trophy and high-fiving and hugging teammates after a tournament victory. I imagine myself in great shape physically and great shape mentally as I mature in leadership on the team. Too bad those are only imaginations of my mind. The adrenaline of playing organize ultimate is incomparable, the comradery unparalleled. I got a taste of it, but it was just that: only a taste.

Did I make make the right decision? Was choosing AIV over Magnum the right choice? Thinking back, there are many negotiables that I confused as non-negotiables. For example: even though I was committed to going to a small group, I didn't necessarily have to go to the small group that interfered with my practices. I could have switched small groups (or even switched fellowships) if needed. In the end, I decided that AIV and the Stockwell small group were more important to me than Magnum. If I could change that decision, I might.

The mental stimulation and adrenaline of organize sports cannot be felt anywhere else. The exhilaration and joy of winning cannot be compared to winning in any other arena. The comradery and unity of the team cannot be matched, even in a healthy Christian community. I have passed up my last opportunity in organized sports, and I might live kicking myself for not jumping on this opportunity.

I chose AIV over Magnum, and I'll never know if I made the right decision.

The Illusion of Online Privacy

An obsession of privacy is an irrational, futile endeavor.
I find it interesting when people set their Facebook (and other web application) settings to have all sorts of privacy settings. They are creating for themselves an illusion of privacy. In the end, very few things on the web are truly secure, and if someone really wanted to steal your information, they really don't need Facebook to do it. In fact, most of your precious Facebook profile information can be found through a search in a phone book or directory.

To me, setting your Facebook profile sittings is like locking the front door of your roofless house. Sure, the casual observer wont be able to get into your house, but when someone really wants to steal your TV, locking the door won't matter. But people want to live in their illusion that what they put on Facebook cannot be found elsewhere. Sure, photos and stuff probably won't be elsewhere, but what exactly are you protecting, and why are you protecting it?



The REAL Facebook Controversy

Most of the people with opinions worth anything know that the real issue in this Facebook privacy controversy is NOT that it is now "less secure" but that Facebook dramatically changed their privacy policy 1) without really notifying users and 2) making it very difficult to change back to the original settings. These are the true questions that Facebook has to answer, not about why privacy sucks, because the truth is, privacy sucks in almost every application available.

Why does no one have an issue with Twitter? Is it because privacy is emphasized by Twitter? Of course not! Nobody complains about Twitter because they don't expect it to be private. When you use Twitter, you have a certain expectation of lack of privacy. This also applies to Blogger. People aren't furious that when they create a profile it's viewable by the entire internet. The issue for Facebook is this: they changed, and nobody knew it.

Random funny photo:

Phillies runner Tazed

How Pathetic

Cleveland is pathetic. While this video is kind of cool and a little bit cute, in the end, the city of Cleveland really is a weak, needy subject of the King. An entire city is throwing itself at the feet of a single player, a single person:



If Kobe were to leave Los Angeles (which, classy as he is, he probably wouldn't), do you see the city of LA falling on its knees, begging Kobe to stay? Would its government officials serenade the star? Would its radio personalities try to woo him to stay? Certainly not! The sentiment would probably be more: "If you don't want to be here, be don't want you to be here either. But thanks for the many great years and titles."

Do you see Miami's men in sackcloths and ashes and their women wailing in the streets because Dwayne Wade could be leaving? Has the city crumbled at the thought of their superstar signing with another team? No. Because Miami isn't pathetic like that. They know that their city is great enough to create another superstar, that the franchise is strong enough to bounce back despite losing Dwayne Wade.

Not so with Cleveland. Cleveland knows that if Lebron leaves, they shrink back to obscurity. Their non-existent economy will become even more non-existent. Kids will stop going to school and crime will take over the city. Buildings will collapse, and the population will start to die off from tainted water. Government will officials have no choice but to cower in their homes, begging a new King to come and reign over the city. Even the baseball team will leave, leaving Cleveland only the perennial superpowers of the Browns and the Cavaliers. The city will be in ruins.

I truly believe that the entire city of Cleveland believes this. Why in the world would government officials sing in the song? It's one thing for radio personalities and fans to come out and publicly declare their love for Lebron, but it's another thing for the mayor and the government itself to come out as well. The city of Cleveland was, and will continue to be insignificant before and after Lebron James, and they know it! They are making a public statement that Lebron is what makes the city great, which frankly isn't very much. Cleveland itself has nothing to offer, so it is in fear that the one thing it does offer is now leaving. Cleveland sucks.

Pathetic. Just Pathetic.

In a more positive light, here's something much, much classier.

Thomas Jones, though far from a superstar, put up superstar numbers while he was on the New York Jets. He was released by the Jets (which was retarded, in my opinion), and signed by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Jets then paid for a full-page ad in the Sunday edition of the main section of the Kansas City Star (on page A11) to appreciate Thomas Jones:

I know that there are a lot of differences between this situation and Lebron's situation, but the Jets both maintained their integrity as a franchise and also appreciated a player who had given them so much.

Kobe vs. Lebron

This won't be a long post.

Kobe scored 40 tonight. He's a cold-blooded killer. He played physical getting the hoop, but he also burned Phoenix with jumpers from all around the court. He was unstoppable. Kobe doesn't always shoot lights out and he doesn't always get to the hoop, but his mentality and his drive pushes both himself and his teammates to never back down and never give up despite difficult situations. This is what allows Kobe to drain buzzer beaters and come back from huge deficits. This is why Kobe is still the best basketball player in the NBA. Kobe is a mental freak (mental meaning psychological, not retarded).

Lebron is the NBA's best athlete, hands down. He has the most potential and he's probably the most intimidating to guard (Dwight's being owned by Sheed and Shaq is mad old). When he drives to the hoop he's like an unstoppable bowling ball, knocking down all players in his path (whether or not they have their feet set outside of the restricted area). On defense, he's the most feared trailer on fast breaks and is an excellent on and off ball defender. Simply put, Lebron is a physical freak

The mental game of NBA is not emphasized as much as the more tangible physical traits of the game. This is where Kobe's main advantage over Lebron is. Kobe is a second coach on the floor, directing traffic and teaching players where to be both in-game and during practices. Lebron, though an individually intellectually gifted player, does not, probably because he cannot, coach the players around him.

In sports, outside of injuries, physical ability doesn't drop off cliffs. Players have on and off nights, but in the end, they perform in the same general area due to mere physical ability. On the other hand, mental composure is much more fickle. Consistency in sports is derived from a strong mental game, as embodied by Derek Jeter, Kobe Bryant, and Peyton Manning. They never lose their cool, never get flustered, and most importantly, they always believe that all situations are beatable. This is why to a certain extent, mental composure can be more important than physical ability.

Lebron lacks the killer instinct that everyone talks about, and I truly believe that until he develops that killer instinct or plays with a player with that killer instinct, he will never win a championship. Even if Lebron plays players with lesser physical ability than he (almost all others will), he will run into teams with a stronger mental foundation and a belief in themselves that will overcome him. Lebron gave up in the series against the Celtics; he gave up shamefully.

Biggest difference between Kobe and Lebron, as Tweeted by Skip Bayless: "When Kobe takes a game-winning shot, he really believes it's going in. Not so with Lebron."

To sum it all up:
Kobe's a psychological freak. Lebron is mentally challenged. 

Not So Random Photo: Take that, you stupid flopper!

Being Home - Demons of the Past

Being home brings out a lot of the worst of you. When you're home, you become the person that you used to be at home, and a lot of the character changes that you've developed outside of home suddenly fly out the window. Home has this mysterious power of causing your personality to travel back through time to who you used to be.

Don't get me wrong - being home is awesome. The familiarity of home brings ease and comfort and the love of family brings warmth and memories. However, this familiarity is what brings back those nagging character flaws that you have been working on for years. The comfort of the environment of home causes you to let down your guard against your demons of the past and the familiarity of home triggers you to be a different person.

My mom first pointed out this phenomenon to me when we visited Taiwan a few years ago. My parents argue a lot more when they're in Taiwan living with family because suddenly all of the hard work they have put into their marriage disappears. All the things they have changed about themselves to accommodate the other are gone, making arguments inevitable. The good thing is that they've recognized the problem, allowing a joint attempt at preventing it as much as possible.

Here are some of the character flaws that are more pronounced at home:

Me: Laziness, Slothfulness, Meanness
Iris: Dependence, Irritability, Laziness
Dad: Messiness, Apathy
Mom: Pride, Loudness, Argumentativeness

What about you?

Faith in Relationships

Yesterday, two great things happened with two different people.

1) Reconnection 

I had a pretty great conversation with an old friend of mine that I haven't talked to in years. We used to be really close, and it was really great being able to catch up with her. Most of the close friendships that I've had ended in conflict or in tension, but this friendship just ended because of circumstances, as we just grew apart. It was refreshing to talk to her, as the conversation was without assumptions or expectations. It made me happy!

2) Reconciliation 

Reconciliation happened, and it wasn't because of me. I'm non-confrontational, so I'm rarely the bigger man in reconciliation. I almost never initiate, and when others don't, I just wait until time fixes things. I guess I'm reminded of the joy and the blessing of forgiveness in reconciliation. I feel like a huge burden has been lifted, and today I felt like I've been floating all day. I really appreciate it.

All in all, yesterday has taken away a lot of the cynicism that I've built up toward relationships, giving me more faith in the good of others and the good in relationships. I feel like a changed man. 

Yesterday's events leads me to two key observations on what has been missing/wrong in my life:

Lack of faith in God leads to lack of faith in relationships

My lack of faith in God and his creation and plan for me makes me believe less in relationships. To me, relationships are doomed to fail because of our fallen nature, but I failed to recognize the redemption that God has brought to relationships. Because my approach to friendships isn't God-centered, these relationships never live up to my expectations.

Lack of faith in relationships can lead to a lack of faith in God

Past hurts led to my lack of faith in friendships and dating relationships. The (mostly subconscious) bitterness that built up caused me to lose sight of the good that God created them for. It made me doubt God's goodness to me and his faithfulness in life, becoming a wall between me and God. 

"Abba", "Ba Ba"

Romans 8:

And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

"Abba" is an intimate word that Jews used to refer to their father. In the English-speaking world, "Papa"  or "Daddy" are also commonly used. In my family, it's "Ba2 Ba2" (for everyone who doesn't speak Chinese, I bet they think we sound like sheep loll).

I have struggled calling God this most intimate word for "father." It's easy for me to call him "Father" or "Heavenly Father", but it's much more difficult for me to call him something more intimate to me. The thing about "dad" and "daddy" is that those words mean very little to me. I don't call my dad "dad", and when I think of him "dad" isn't the word that crosses my mind. "Ba ba" is. "Ba ba" is my dad, and my dad is "Ba ba".

But to me, I can't call God "Ba Ba". And I don't know why…but here are a few possibilities:

Maybe I idolize my dad: My dad is great. He is awesome. I love him. Of course I think he's the best dad in the world. Sometimes I idealize him, but as sons, aren't we supposed to? I think it's possible that because of my love for my dad, I find it hard to believe that there is someone who can love me and provide for me better than he. I find it hard to believe that there is someone wiser and smarter. I cannot accept that there is someone who can be a better "Ba Ba" to me than my dad.

But God is all those things. It's obvious to me how it would be easier for kids that come from broken families without fathers to see God as a father. But what about me? I already have one…one that I've very happy with that I don't think can be replaced! I know that God isn't meant to replace my dad, but why then should I call him my dad? It doesn't make very much sense to me. This brings me to my next possibility.

God isn't meant to be called "dad": I know that God is our Heavenly Father, but what is his role as a father in my life? Is he really my father or does he just represent a father figure, having fatherly traits?

Maybe, because God's traits are so all-encompassing, calling him a "father" just doesn't do him justice. While I realize that words can't fully describe God, maybe I see him more like a King or Creator than I do a father. To me, his other traits seem to dominate his fatherly traits.

I guess that for me, I need to learn to appreciate more of God's fatherly traits. I guess it's just part of understanding who God is. I guess that the thing for me is that I don't really understand God's fatherly traits…what exactly they are and how they are different from his other traits. I don't really see his provision and his love as purely fatherly traits, as that's also part of what a good king is and a creator is. 

God's Family-Restoring Power

I come from a near-perfect family. At least now, it's near-perfect. We've had a lot of difficult times and difficult arguments in the past, but praise God, I don't see how our family could be more perfect. My parents love each other, my sister and I are close, and my parents try very hard to accept Iris and me even if they don't agree with everything we decide. I love my family.

My parents come from radically broken families. My dad's dad was a multi-millionaire, but he left my dad's family for another woman , leaving my dad's mom and siblings dirt poor. My mom's dad was a military man, always away at sea and rarely at home to be with the family. My mom's mom wasn't a very good mom.

I've never really thought of the two together and how amazing the transformation really is. My mom always tells me and Iris that we should be grateful to our dad, that even though he's imperfect, he's a pretty damn good dad for a guy who didn't really have a good father figure. Even though my mom never said it, I feel that it applies, if somewhat lesser so, to her as well.

God's work of restoration in both my mom and my dad is incredible. God really has the power to mend broken families. As I grow in appreciation to how great my family is, I am also beginning to grow in appreciation of the amount of heart work and transformation and restoration that God has brought to both my mom and a dad. How could people from so broken of homes be such great parents? Jesus died and rose again so that I could have a great family, and I should never forget that.