maximus decimus meridius

"What we do in life echoes in eternity." - Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator

Gladiator is one of the my favorite films of all times, and I really believe every man should watch it. It shows a character with so many commendable characteristics:  a man who is honorable, who is respected, who keeps his word, who overcomes great adversity to triumph, who fights for justice. I don't get bored at all re-watching this movie. It's also worth mentioning that a lot of the good deeds Maximums end up doing in the movie produce fruits that he did not get to enjoy.

I remembered when I was in university, an upper year brother challenged me to think about the legacy I want to leave behind in my years in school. This is a question that most people will not naturally think about, since school is usually treated as a stepping stone to get a job that pays well. Indeed, this is a question that I still think about today. How do I want to be remembered when I leave the "current place" I am in? If I am able to answer the previous question, what steps can I take to achieve it?

Often, we are placed in locations where we are just there temporary (5 years in school, a job placement, a full-time job, etc) and it is very tempted to do the minimum to get by or to work hard only on the aspects that will benefit us (e.g. work extra hours at a job to please my manager). But how about helping those around us (which is outside of our "job description")? How about making a positive impact on the people that I see everyday at work?

This is often challenging especially when the responsibilities of the "job description" is already stressful enough.

I have been swimming through a bit of disappointments at my current job for some time now, and it got significantly worst when changes occurred on my job management (people moving to different teams, people leaving, people getting fired). So it is easy to be demotivated and wanting to just do the minimum.

But God has called us to do our best in the work we do, as if we are working for Him (Col. 3:23) and we are also called to be the salt and light of this world (Matthew 5). And even if life is tough, we are called to do our best in all situations, walk that extra mile, and be a good witness in all. Even if the my work employers does not appreciate the work that I do, I can only find assurance and peace when I know that my efforts are pleasing our ultimate Boss, the our great Father, our great King.

so much to learn...

unlimited bladeworks

"I am the bone of my sword,
 Steel is my body, fire is my blood,
 I have created over thousand of blades"

There is a very popular anime series called "Fate Stay Night", that has 3 different stores, and one of them is called "Unlimited Blade Works". The overall story consists on 7 selected mages, and each of these mages summon a specific warrior to fight one another. The last one standing gets to win the "holy grail", which grants any wish.

One of the interesting aspects about this show is the substance in the dialogue. There is a big emphasis on elaborating on each of the characters' ideals and their reason to fight on this war.

One of the main characters, Shirou, has a noble ideal of wanting to save and help everyone, to the extend that he does not care about his well being. He has a kind heart and is always offering his help to everyone around him. When the bad guys show up, he is the first one who stands up to offer protection.

But his peers consider him to be very naive and idealistic, as it is not possible to save everyone. There is a cost associated with a choice (helping personA means I might not be able to help personB). And his peers (especially those who care for him) are irritated when Shirou becomes impulsive to help others but does not take care of himself.

But his future self, who is portrayed by another character (summoned on this timeline, don't ask me why) tries his best to stop Shirou from pursuing his ideals. The reason is because his future self has gone through many disappointments and frustrations while trying to follow his ideals on saving everyone. His future self realizes that it is not possible to save everyone with his efforts, and bitterness grows on his heart as he is not able to protect everyone from getting hurt by bad people.

The is a major dilemma in the life of Shirou, who after various internal struggles, concludes that he will continue pursuing his ideals, even if it is not realistic and may bring many disappointments, because the desire to save everyone brings him hope.

I remember when I was part of the CCF Welcome Team, that a few of us had a common desire to care for everyone (specially the newcomers), and we wanted to reach out to every single person who attended CCF at least a few times, and wanted to make sure they would attend fellowship so that brothers and sisters would look after them. We did many initiatives in order to maximize a "safety net" so that we can "save" everyone from falling off in the cracks of now been able to integrate into CCF. I vividly remember that we even made a very elaborated spreadsheet with all the newcomer's names, and information about their program and what they like to do, and their potential as leaders, etc... (now that I look back, it feels slightly stalkerish haha).

In reality, no matter how hard we tried, there would be people who might not respond to our goodwill. Some people will choose not to join any fellowship, some will get distracted by other priorities, and some might even forget and not appreciate the investment (care and time) that you spend on them.

It is very easy to become disappointed and discouraged at the lack of results when serving at a ministry. This experience has taught me various lessons about serving:

• First priority is my relationship with God. If my main focus is on a ministry, then I am valuing my performance and the results over the greatness of the love and grace of God. 
• Understanding that God loved me first, and that God's love is unconditional (no matter how much I failed or how much I tried to prove myself, His love does not depend on that) enables me to love others. If I fail do understand this, then my serving becomes more transactional rather than serving out of love.
• It is not up to me. It is up to God, His own timing and providence, to save people (God might use another servant to minister to this person). The results are not up to me (for sure God has given us wisdom to make good decisions and execute on them, but ultimately God is the one who can transform hearts). If I fail to understand this, then I would take the matter with my own hands and will grow frustrated if no results are seen.
• Persevere in prayer. Do not lose hope when good work is not rewarded with tangible results. If God has given you a vision, then let us put our trust in Him, that He will carry you through to accomplish what He intends for.

breakfast of champions

Breakfast is such an enjoyable meal!

And there are many types of breakfast that I enjoy:

Traditional Chinese - congee with deep fried dough rolls:

HK style - very runny eggs with milk tea

Another HK style - Pineapple bun with a "thin" layer of butter and milk tea

Classic - McDonald's Sausage McMuffin with double hash browns and coffee

The picture from McDonald's breakfast was taken recently, as I was a groomsman of a good brother of mine, and we decided to eat this on the wedding day. Actually, McDonald's breakfast has always been a choice in my experience as a groomsman. Meaning my friends are real champions as they select the best breakfast possible!

I have been groomsman six times (one for a cousin, and five for brothers who I have met in university). And I will be a groomsman again in September. Some friends were joking that I am now a professional groomsman, and some work colleagues were telling me that I will be bankrupt soon. 

(Having a hard time coming up with right words here on how I feel...)

I feel very honored that these men of God considers me a close brother and I feel very privileged that I can witness their very wedding day as a groomsman. I am very blessed that I have met many brothers who I can just be myself and enjoy fun moments together, go to challenges and struggles together, study the bible together, serve together, confide in them whatever is on my heart, and pray together. We are all appreciative of each other in this "brotherhood". Now that we  are spread around different parts of Canada, we don't get to see each other that often, but still it is very easy for us to pick up from where we left.

Life is a difficult thing, and God has placed these brothers in my life to make it easier for me. 

I have quoted this verse many times, but will do it again:

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 1:3-6

- I thank my God every time I remember my brothers

- I always pray with joy when I pray for them because we shared a special bond on partnering together in the gospel

- I am confident that God will continue working powerfully in their lives even they live far away and I don't get to see them often

the best "char siu bao" in the world

I came back from a trip to Hong Kong and Tokyo not too long ago. It was a great time of relaxation (much needed) and good food! There were many great moments, and as well insights that came into mind. I hope I can share some of those here in the blog.

Almost without noticing, the first month of 2015 is gone! Definitely looking forward on the exciting adventures and challenges that 2015 will present.

So most people I know love to eat "char siu bao" (Chinese BBQ pork bun) which is served on Chinese dim sum restaurants. I have been liking it a lot since I was a kid.

I went for lunch with an old friend from Waterloo at a pretty good Shanghainese restaurant, and after lunch he took me downstairs (it was on a mall) to a dim sum restaurant to buy a pack of "char siu bao" to go. He basically said this is the best "char siu bao". Of course I was very skeptical. After we got the box, he opened it and gave one to me. To my surprise, this "char siu bao" looked different from the traditional ones, as the outer layer looks like a baked Mexican bun (instead of the typical steamed Chinese white buns). Excited, I took a bite and I could not help but to submit to the great sensation of biting into a perfectly baked crispy bun combined with the tenderness and sweetness of the BBQ pork. Oh man, this is good, it's excellent. Definitely I agree that this is the best "char siu bao" in the world.

Another friend came later, and we offered her a bite of this "char siu bao", and told her that this is the best "char siu bao" ever. She skeptically asked, "how can you be sure that this is the best, if you have not tried all the 'char siu bao' in the world". After she took a bite, she just nodded and was convinced, hehe.

This is very similar to the question, "how do you know Christianity is the true religion, if you have not tried all other religions?" It seems a very daunting question, and I find it difficult to answer it when talking to non-believers.

A famous apologist Ravi Zacharias explains that Christianity is the only religion that can coherently answer these four questions:

• Origin
• Meaning of life
• Morality
• Destinity

Something interesting to dig into more.

you have my axe

"Aragorn: If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword...
Legolas: And you have my bow.
Gimli: And my axe.
Boromir: You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done." 
       - from "Lord of the Ring - Fellowship of the Ring" by Tolkien

This is one my favorite quotes from the Lord of the Ring series (to the point that I almost memorized it). This takes place when the main representatives of each "tribe" (elf, dwarf, hobbit, man, wizard) meets up to decide upon the fate of the one ring. The general consensus is that this should be destroyed, but who is willing to carry the burden to take this ring to the fire of Mordor? So Frodo steps up as the one willing, such powerless creature taking upon a heavy burden. Soon after, powerful allies join in his quest and they form a solid fellowship (of the ring).

Recently, a group of 15-20 people from my university fellowship (CCF) met up for a Christmas gathering. And it was a pretty sweet time as I don't get to see most of them often. It is very nice to catch up with them, to chill with them, and to hear how God is working in them. I vividly remembered how we served together in the CCF in our undergrad times, and definitely the time we spent together serving has really solidify the bonds of friendship into something deeper, a relationship that transcends time and geographical location - no matter how little we see each other, or whether we live in different cities, I know for sure my fellow brother or sister is faithfully standing firm for the work of Christ, and that when we meet up we can easily pick up the relationship from where we left.

This is only possible because we are united under the same faith and love in God, and we are all redeemed by the same Christ, and empowered by the same Spirit, and entrusted for the same gospel, and hence we partner together in this great thing called fellowship.

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." - Philippians 1:3-6

the end of Naruto

So the very first Japanese manga that I consistently followed has come to an end recently. And I was hoping the end will come soon because I felt the story in the last year or so was barely progressing and really dragging quite a bit.

Naruto started with a lot of potential, and the first few arcs of the series was pretty spectacular with memorable exciting moments:

• Battle against Zabuza (this is where it really starts to get serious, and also the first time to see the sharingan!)
• Chunin Exam (one of the best arcs ever in terms of character development and battle strategy)
• Sasuke leaving Konoha (many epic battles, specially Gaara vs. Kimimaro)

Unfortunately, it is hard to reach top-ness, but it is even harder to maintain top-ness. After the three year leap, the series of Naruto went through periods of decline in its quality, to the point where plot holes and lack of innovative ideas were obvious.

Regardless, as a committed reader, I continued to follow it.

The ending was not bad, but it was not great. In a way I was looking forward to a great ending that could "fix" the series overall, but that did not happen. 

Now, I will stop about my rant about Naruto (I actually wrote an email to my Naruto co-readers and created a script for my ideal ending).

In a way, the challenge to be consistently good is very hard. I want to draw parallel comparison with our spiritual walk with God. There are times when it is at its "highs", and times when it is at its "lows". There are times that is so easy to stay complacent and avoid doing the right thing.

The cool thing is that God is gracious and it is really because of Him that we can persevere in our daily struggle with our own self. It is because of God that we can recover from our "lows" and walk towards Him, because He is faithful.

As we run this race, we are encouraged by Paul's example to finish the race well, fighting the good fight for the sake of Christ.

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:6-8

over-nerdy

Recently in a conservation in small group, we were talking about how nerdy the conversations are within our Waterloo friends. As a graduate of Electrical Engineering, these conversations can be quite enjoyable, sometimes a bit too funny (4 dimension pie, hyper-cube, black holes, white holds, rail-gun harpoon). It's always cool to pull a nerdy analogy to explain a concept.

But then one member of my small group mentioned that sometimes he thinks that our conversations can be "over-nerdy". At that moment, everyone's eyes fixed on this member and we asked him if he could explain what is this threshold for "over-nerdiness" and if he could give some real life examples. Like, is this some sort of a subjective thing? Of course, my friend was a bit reserved and probably did not want offend anymore so he tried to change the topic of the conversation. 

In many group conversations in my small group or during church, often there will be some individuals that are left out... either they are not interested in the topic or have little to no knowledge about it. So the conversation will carry one with a sub-group of people very engaged and attentive, while other individuals start swiping (either seriously or just feinting) their smart phones. It a way it creates some sort of a fissure in the act of socializing. 

We can attribute part of this "issue" that some people have a narrow variety of topics that they are interested in. So when they hear people engaging on other topic, they will just evaporate from the socializing act. I think each of us can make more effort in increasing our interest in other topics and in being curious about it. Perhaps it is not about the topic itself that matter, but about getting to know people more and enjoy a good conversation.

At the same time, for those who are very engaged in conversation, it is good that there are topics that we have a fast heartbeat toward them. But it is also important to be mindful and sensitive to the people around us, and if I get to carried on and lose half of the group's interest when I talk about the art of futbol, I should consider changing topic or steering the conversation to get others engaged.

I feel this is important because nowadays there is a lot of socializing that occurs online, and it is easy to forget how to talk and deal with people in a real way. And that is not easy of course because we will have different interest, different opinions, and there could be arguments, but that's ok. Loving is a hard thing :), but it is the debt that we owe to one another. 

So let's not be over-nerdy all the time.

the shrewd teams

There has been many surprising results in the World Cup. Big teams like Spain, England, and Italy are out of the competition already in the first round. How is that possible? 

It's true that some of these big teams have a great amount of talent and skills, that it is almost inconceivable that they will lose. But in futbol, there is another big factor that contribute to the outcome, which is the tactical formation (or strategy). In the end, futbol is a team sport and requires the effort of the entire team and not just the talent of a few.

For example:

Chile - Spain

I was not able to watch the entire game, so this article does a great job explaining: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2101884-spain-vs-chile-sampaolis-high-press-high-intensity-gameplan-destroys-la-roja

Basically, Spain is all about short passes and circulating the ball slowly. But Chile did a great job pressuring the midfield, cutting the flow of the Spanish game, and when Chile attack they are fast against the slow Spanish defenders.

Costa Rica - Italy

No one could have foreseen that Costa Rica would have beat Italy. Traditionally, Italy has always relied on their defense, but nowadays this team tries to play with short passes (similar to Spain), guided by its game maker Andrea Pirlo. Costa Rica did a great job by putting pressure almost on the entire field and surrounding Pirlo to disconnect him from the Italian play making. Since there is a big dependency on Pirlo, Italy was not able to generate much opportunities for scoring.

Still, Pirlo managed to generate some really exquisite passes to Balotelli, who unfortunately did not had a good day and missed a couple of key chances. Eventually, Costa Rica found a way to score, and Italy was never able to overcome Costa Rican strategy for the rest of the game.

Iran - Argentina

On a piece of paper, Argentina has tons of talent on the offense, but Iran surprised many of us by being able to hold the score 0-0 for almost the entire game. Only the best player of the world, Lionel Messi, was able to defy the tactical formation from Iran to bring victory to the Albiceleste. 

But what Iran did, deserves the applause of many, as it is a team with many limits (skills and experience). It's true that they put almost 8-9 people on the defensive box, but it is not easy to keep focused and organized throughout the entire game to maintain the lock. They really put much effort onto it, and even they were able to generate some counterattacks that could have resulted on a goal.

But yes, the point is that big teams with big players do not always guarantee a victory. A "weaker" team can achieve victory if they play smarter. So there is room for shrewd teams in futbol.

Luke 16 talks about one interesting parable about the "Shrewd Manager", and I was always confused at the passage because the manager was dishonest and somehow he was commended at the end. I am not planning to do an in-depth study of the parable, but more a concise take home message. 

The manager was not commended because he was dishonest, but that he was shrewd (Luke 16:8). Basically, the manager was in trouble because he was wasting his master's possessions, so he decides to give a discount to those people who owe money to his master. I guess his intention is to come in good terms these debtors, so that in the case that he gets fired, he can find people to help him out. 

The point is that, the manager (in his worldly ways) is thinking on smart ways to secure a better future for himself. So similarly, we as Christians should also be thinking on smart ways to be more effective on the Kingdom work. On a more practical level, this could mean be more creative in bringing the gospel in our conversations with coworkers and classmates. The value (I think) is to be constantly mindful and engaged in the Kingdom affairs and not be complacent about it. There is always more things we can do to show God's message of the gospel to others.

la Argentina

I woke up very excited on Saturday morning to watch Argentina on its match against Iran.

Most people was expecting a very one-sided match since on paper Argentina is an agglomeration of talent, and Iran is fairly limited on its futbol skills.

With the passing of the time, it was clear that Iran was planning all along on defending with all their might, while Argentina takes the ball possession and the initiative to attack. But that was pretty frustrating for an Argentine fan. Iran placed pretty much 8-9 players on the defensive box, and was very organized and focused on blocking any attack from Argentina.

Second half starts, and not much really change, other than Iran actually had a few counters that resulted on chances to score, and that instilled fear because Argentina is known for its vulnerability on defense. When there was 20 min remaining, I just could not help but to stand and watch the match with a great sense of nervousness.

Argentina kept on attacking, crossing, passing, shooting, but it was pretty futile against the well organized defense of Iran.

Iran did a magnificent job, and they were close to get this historical draw, until the couple of minutes on the match when the best player and the captain of the team, Lionel Messi takes a shot from the outside of the box that went through all the defense and was able to beat the goalie. It was extraordinary, spectacular. I did not really have the energy to shout, but I just fell to the coach on relief that Argentina was able to get the 3-points from the match.

In this match, Argentina had to rely on its best player and leader to score. This might work on the short term, but it is clearly an issue on a longer run, as a team cannot just rely on a single player to win all the matches. They definitely need to work on many things if they want to go far in the tournament.

Reminds me of a Dragon Ball Z movie, where Goku says something like "if I don't do it, who will?" Basically, only Goku can save the day, similar to what Messi did.

This reminds me of an important lesson learned in leadership, about mentoring and empowering others. In my experience, I find it easier to do everything myself instead of teaching someone else and encourage them to do it. That will require more time investment, and probably I can do a better job myself. But this will just create a dependency on me in the functionality of the organization (fellowship, small group, etc) and so on the day that I leave, maybe no one else will be equipped to take over.

A brother taught me a while ago, that once we step into a leadership role, my first task is to find a replacement for myself, someone I can mentor.

Hence, the emphasis on leadership is to really not to do everything ourselves, but to encourage, guide, challenge, and equip others to be more effective to the cause that we are fighting for.

matches to pay attention to

The final matches on the group stages are happening on the next 4 days, and there has been many surprises and a great number of goals. These final matches will be intense because it is pretty much "now or never" where teams will be playing with all they got.

In my opinion these are the matches to pay close attention to:

Chile vs. Netherlands:

Both teams already passed to the second round, so the only thing at stake is to end up first in the group, which could be pretty important if they want to avoid to face Brazil on the second round (ideally you want to avoid playing against the host). The beauty of this match is that both teams have an attractive and swift offensive play.

Croatia vs. Mexico:

Whoever wins will pass to the second round, though Mexico can go on with a draw. Croatia seems to possess more talent on the midfield, and have a good striker, but Mexico does have a great goalkeeper and they are very patriotic so they will fight until the last minute.

Italy vs. Uruguay:

Italy can pass with a draw, Uruguay needs the win. Very tight match. Italy has more technically skill, but Uruguay are warrior-like players that will give it all out. It will be intense.

Germany vs. U.S. and Ghana vs Portugal:

The reason why these 2 matches are together, it's because none of the teams are secured to pass, and there is a bunch of dependency, and these are some possible scenarios:

• Germany and US will pass: if they both draw, or if Portugal and Ghana draws
• US will be eliminated if it loses to Germany, and there is a winner in Ghana vs Portugal match, such that the winner ends up having a better goal difference than the US.
• Germany will be eliminated if it loses to US, and there is a winner in Ghana vs Portugal match, such that the winner ends up having a better goal difference than Germany

curse of the champion

It has been one week since the start of the World Cup, and I am definitely feeling its effect as my productivity at work is slightly compromised =P

There has been quite a few surprising scores, especially having the defending champion, Spain, losing its first two matches and been eliminated from the tournament.

Was this really unexpected? Well, not totally, Netherlands got second on last tournament and they have strong individual players in the offense, while Chile has a good set of players that play on important European clubs, so it was not an easy group to begin with.

Was this unprecedented? Nope, Italy was the reigning champion from 2006, and they got eliminated on the first round in 2010. Same occurred with France in 2002.

What are the reasons of the Spanish defeat? Futbolisticamente speaking, Spain have a very talented midfield but they lack the surprisingly factor on the offense, so it is not too hard to predict their game. Also, none of their forwards are on top shape (Villa is getting old, Torres barely scored this season, and Costa is too new on the team). Plus their defense has grown weaker and vulnerable to fast breaks. Another thing to add is the stubbornness to change, even when they needed two goals on the game against Chile, they never considered putting more forwards or consider other options of attack.

Outside of the "futbol aspect", there are factors why a champion has a tough time repeating a success. First, many teams want to beat the champion, so the opposing teams will have extra motivation to play well. Second, the thirst for victory might be absent, since they already experienced the climax of getting the most important title in futbol, it is hard to get that motivation to do it again. Third, it is easy to be complacent and not wanting to improve.

In a sense, this is a bit similar to our spiritual walk. When things go really well, it is easy to have the tendency of wanting to be complacent, and a tendency on relying on God less. As well, the enemy is waiting for opportunities to put us down with lies and deception. Hence it is really important to not lose sight of the precious things of God even when we are doing quite fine.

world cup

So this week, specifically on Thursday, the World Cup 2014 will begin, and it will be a one-month party of the most important futbol tournament of the world. I honestly have not caught up to the excitement due to the busy-ness of life, but yeah, this is one of the most favorite events to watch. So I foresee a lot of "coffee breaks" at work.

This post is just a random "dump" of thoughts about the different teams participating.

Top teams

Germany - well rounded

If there is a team that is reliably good on all its lines (goalkeeper, defense, midfield, offense), it will be Germany. They have the base of one of the best club at the moment (Bayern Munich) that won the UEFA Champion League last year. Plus they have a team hungry for victory, since this generation of German players have not won any international cups with the national team, and now they have acquired a great deal of experience and maturity.

Brazil - double edge

Home team advantage can be a great factor. Being accustomed to the climate and food, and having the support of the fans can potentially make a difference. But the pressure is also great, as there is a extremely high expectations for them to win, so a key point will be whether they can master this pressure and use it to their advantage. They have the young start Neymar who is not in his best shape with his season in Barcelona, but if he focuses well, he can make defenders go crazy.

Spain - defending champion

It's not unknown to people that does not follow futbol that Spain is a beast. They have won the last 3 international tournaments they participated (1 World Cup, 2 Euro Cups). They are still good but many of their key players are getting older and are not on their prime (Xavi, Villa). They do play very beautiful with nice passes since their midfield is still all-star, but I think they will have trouble scoring since none of their forwards are in their best (maybe Costa is ok). Another factor is that they already won a lot, so they might not have the same hunger for victory as before. I doubt they can make it pass the Quarterfinals.

Argentina - the dream

I might slightly biased, since Argentina is my all-time favorite team. I have been disappointed at their performance on the last couple of world cups since they do have a team that looks fantastic on paper, but they were not able to play as one team. Now, I think their current coach is good that he is down-to-earth, and he has been working hard in making this team as one, and maximizing the game of the best player at the moment, Lionel Messi. They have an arsenal in their offensive (Messi, Aguero, Di Maria, Higuain), but there are concerns on the defense and the goalkeeper, so a key point will be maintaining a balance in their midfield to ensure their defense do not get exposed. If they can achieve this balance, they can fulfill the dreams of a nation that has not lifted the world cup since 1986.

Surprise teams

Usually there is a surprise team will exceed people's expectations, especially because they are not well-known. Bulgaria (1994), Croatia (1998), Turkey (2002), Uruguay (2010) were teams that went to the top 4 without anyone expecting it.

I think special attention will be placed towards the South American team as they are playing close to home, and I specially like Chile (since they have one of the most complete players, Vidal) and Colombia (plays very well, but their best player is injured).

African teams can always give good surprises, and a team to be careful is Ivory Coast, as they have very good players like Gervihno and Yaya Toure (definitely a big factor on why Man City got the Premier League), and they do have a veteran striker who can make a difference (Drogba).

I could go on, but I think this is enough for now.

In the end it is really hard to predict what will happen, so I will have to sit back and relax.

what's amazing about spider-man 2?

Note: there will many spoilers of the movie "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" so read it at your own risk

Summer is always a nice time to go to the movie theaters because many blockbuster movies come out. In the recent years, there have been a huge number of superheroes movies.

Among all the Marvel superheroes, Spider-man is my favorite. That's why Spider-man movies will have a special place in my heart (haha). I remembered watching the cartoon as a teenager, and I really liked it. One of the reasons why I like Spider-man is because he is easier to relate to when comparing to other heroes. He is a college student that struggle with girlfriend, earning money, job stress, family stress... so very realistic stuff.

I really enjoyed the "old" movies with Tobey MaGuire. So watching the reboot of the movies is kinda strange. I did enjoy the first movie from the newest series, and I recently watched the second one.

Most people criticized this last movie because of the overload of the plot line (there are 2 major villains, and 2 pseudo plot lines happening). In some sense I agree that the plot could have been simplified, and perhaps should have invested more time in the friendship between Peter Parker and Harry Osborne, and develop the Green Goblin better. I feel that Electro was way too over-powerful, but he lacks the character of a good villain.

Still I liked it. It was a pretty enjoyable movie to watch. Ok, I will try not to be biased, but these are the 2 major reasons why I like it:

1. The death of Gwen Stacy
1. Ok, let me explain. It's not that I dislike her. On the contrary, it was very painful to watch her die. Mainly because both actors had a great chemistry portraying the relationship between Peter Parker and his first love, Gwen Stacy. Even the non-romantics would have been cheering for this couple. This follows the comics pretty closely, because Gwen Stacy did fell from the Brooklyn bridge after been captured by Green Goblin, and then on a desperate attempt to save her, Spider-man shoots the web... but it was not enough, and our heroin dies. It's not that I like this outcome because it follows the comics, but because it takes boldness to have a major character die in a series. And this moment will mark Peter's life, and will strengthen his character for the future.
2. The dilemma of Peter Parker
1. For his lifetime, Peter/Spider-man will always have this dilemma: being Spider-man to do good is great because "greater the power, greater the responsibility", but it will also put Peter's  dear ones on great danger if his identity is exposed. This is the inner battle that he will always face, and that will test his resolve whether he should continue doing good at his expense. Being Spider-man also means that he gets to spend less time doing less stuff: working on normal hours, spending time with the dear ones, play games, etc. There is a cost for being Spider-man. And I think the movie did a decent job bringing this theme up.

In a similar way, there is a cost of being a follower of Christ. Perhaps many of us don't face the challenge of having our dear ones being in danger because of our faith but the reality is that when we choose Christ, we give up our personal desires, ambitions, plans. This is a struggle because it is not easy to give up our "things", but by faith we know that there is something better, and hence we persevere. 

kingdom

Recently I stumbled upon a manga called kingdom, and it is crazily excellent. It reminded me of the old feeling of reading epic series like FMA and Rurouni Kenshin. The story takes place on the 6 warring estates in China (not on the 3 kingdom, but the period before that), and it tells the story of the king of Qin that will eventually unite China under one dynasty.

There are so many positive traits of this series including the manly battle scenes, fine character development, strategic battles, unexpected plot twists, very good pace in storytelling, like-able characters, powerful villains, and I can go on... I actually spent way too much on it, so I need to exercise some self-control.

One thing I really like is that what unites the two main characters, that both of them have a strong vision that fuels their desire to move forward no matter what opposition they face, and helps them persevere through the tough time. And its because they hold dear to this vision that they are able to overcome all sort of struggles and excel on who they are.

I remembered the very first bible study I ever help prepare in CCF was during a Fall leadership retreat in 2007. It was on the book of Nehemiah. And since then I have always loved Nehemiah for the valuable leadership lessons. Nehemiah exhibits so many great leadership characteristics: taking action, gathering comrades, planning well, good foresight, courageous, man of prayer, dependence on God, persevere in struggles, not afraid of opposition. All started in chapter 1, when he heard of the depressing state that Jerusalem was in, and God gave him a vision about the restoration of the walls, and he took action upon receiving the vision.

Now that I am in the work life stage, it is really easy to live life by following the routine and lose sight of the things that God has burdened me with. It is so easy to become complacent about life. My prayer is that I will hold dear whatever God has put in my heart, and that this will fuel me to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

music is nice

A couple of weekends ago, I went to Montreal with a group of friends to attend a concert from "Distant Worlds" which plays orchestra music from a famous RPG game series called "Final Fantasy" (FF).

I have only played FF7, FF10, FF12, and currently playing FF6, but I am growing familiar with the soundtrack of the other FFs. The first time I attended the Distant Worlds concert was about 2 years ago in Waterloo, and I really liked it since this is a game that I really enjoyed and music is great, and in the projector screen they show videos of the actual game.

On this second concert in Montreal, I was very excited because this time a choir was present (there was no choir in Waterloo) which makes a significant difference. While sitting down, we noticed some people cosplaying as FF characters (black mage, white mage, Fang, Aerith) which was kinda neat.

The concert started with the FF Prelude and I was ecstatic, and really realize how beautiful music (in general) can be, and what great music accompanies each version of this famous game. Other great songs that were played: Don't be Afraid (battle theme FF8),  Zanarkand (FF10), One-Winged Angel (FF7). One of the most memorable one was the arrangement of "Battle Medley" which include 2 of my favorites (Clash on the Big Bridge and Those Who Fight).

Then I started wondering how much does the music influence the game. Like there are times that I play the game in mute (so that I don't wake up my housemates when I played late at night), and it is still ok. But having this great music accompanying the game during the battle scenes, going in-and-out of towns, cut scenes, boss fights, etc... really make the game so much more enjoyable. Like the music is not the main component of the game, but it does make the experience much more better.

When I think about musical worship, I understand that it is very essential to focus on the lyrics of the songs that tells us truths about the greatness of God, because these truths touch our lives and made us want to sing more about how great our God is.

Though it is not the main aspect, the music that accompanies the lyrics can help make the worship experience better for the congregation. I was involved mainly with AV (Audio Visual), and it is easy to look down on AV because nobody really knows who is doing it, and the task seems that it does not require a lot of skill. Though those statements are true, I think that when an AV person does his/her job well (worship slides are readable, change of slides are correct, the vocals are clear, the volume of the instruments are not loud or soft) it makes a huge difference compared to when the job is not done correctly. So as a fellow AV, I encourage each of us to continue refining your skill to serve the church congregation to facilitate a better worship experience with God.

God is good

December is already here, and there are many great things to speak about this special month where we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As Christians, we read the bible and learn more about our great God, and we always emphasize these attributes: God is love, God is gracious, God is merciful, because we often fall in sin, and experience at first hand that God is loving and gracious.

Sometimes we emphasize on the Holiness of God, on how we ought to be holy as we are set apart to live for Him. On occasions, we also speak about the wrath of God, as the great lyrics of "In Christ Alone" speaks about it:

"Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied "

Because we understand that our sin has offended the just God, and in order to satisfy His wrath, the death of His only Son was necessarily.

It's extraordinary how our worship to God is more refined when we know Him more and more.

A particular aspect of God that we should also speak is the "goodness" of God. I guess we often associate God with being good, and don't really ponder about it too much.

Recently I have been reading a Chinese manga series called "Feng Shen Ji" that takes place in the days of the last emperor of the Shang Dynasty (Chinese history oh yeah). In the story there are many gods that govern everything and puts mankind into slavery, so the emperor starts a rebellion against the gods to give dignity to the humans. It is a very cool fantasy with manly fight and honorable fight scenes. But it made me think about what would happen if our God is not good, and does not always intend to do good to us. The reason the emperor is starting this rebellion is because the gods of the story are only looking after their own interests, and treat humans as toys.

The classic passage of Romans 8:28 assures us that God works for our good no matter what the circumstances are. There is really no reason for All-powerful Almighty God to be good to us, but this is our God, and His goodness compels us to worship Him more.


 

An offer you cannot refuse

So I recently re-watched the movie series "Godfather" which is considered one of the greatest movie films. There is a famous quote which is "I gonna make an offer you cannot refuse", which is what the head of one of the mafia family (the Godfather)  says to accomplish what he wants. The Godfather has so many power and influence that he can make anything happens. He does that via intimidation and threats. So people will yield to his wishes.

This makes me think about what compels people to follow their "religion". What motives people to follow the "god" they believe in? Some might do it because of fear (if I don't meet the requirement then I cannot make it), some might do it just because of family tradition, some might do it because of physical rewards, etc. What makes Christianity unique (in my opinion) is that we don't obey God because we are forced to or by fear or threats, but we do so because we are willing.

We follow Jesus because we have received a precious offer that we cannot refuse, which is the gift of eternal life that is available to us through faith in Christ because of His death on the cross as an atonement for our sins, and His resurrection. This offer is so gracious that we don't do anything to deserve it, but it's freely given to us. This offer restores us to live in the way that we were meant to live, in our original purpose, which is to glorify our Creator!

However, to follow Jesus is not an easy task, as there will be many struggles since Jesus Himself suffered and was rejected, and as His followers, we should not expect anything different. But the joy to walk with Christ, the sweetness of fellowship, and the constant bombardments of God's grace keeps me motivated to follow Him.

"For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." - 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

I don't need a gunbuster machine

Recently I watched an anime series called Gunbuster 2, which is about giant robots (called Gunbuster) fighting alien monsters. Well it's more than that. It is pretty enjoyable as there are some epic outrageous fights that are very memorable, and the series emphasizes the importance of hard work, self-confidence, and friendship.

The pilots of these Gunbusters are pilots gifted with special mental abilities that allow them to crazy things (like tunneling), but they are also arrogant and full of themselves because they are the only ones able to fight the monsters. So people see them as a the top of the society class. Unfortunately, their special powers are temporal, so once they lose them, they become devastated.

So one humble girl was able to join their team of pilots because she had the potential to acquire these special abilities. But since she didn't have these abilities, then all the other pilots look down on her, and avoided hanging out with her. So this girl goes on a journey to get herself a Gunbuster machine because she wanted to be recognized by another pilot (who she looked up as an older sister). For the sake of making the story short, the pilots are ambushed, and this girl suddenly comes back and "awakens" her true power which is like thousand times more powerful than the current Gunbusters.

What is awesome is that she realized that having a Gunbuster or not, it is not important, that she is not defined by what she has or by what she can do. Her worth is based on her inner person, and she works hard to cultivate a stronger character in her.

Many times, I struggled with the fact that I tend to define myself with what I can do in school, at work, and in church. And I am driven to do these things so that I can accomplish something and that I can find my worth based on what I have accomplished. This often has led me to be over-worked, exhausted, and burnt out.

Truly, I always need to be reminded on my identity as a loved child of God. Christ has shed his blood for me, so my identity is based on Christ! I don't have to accomplish stuff to prove my worth, because God has already ransomed me at a very high cost. So instead of working hard to prove who I am, I should focus on working on my inner character with the help of the Spirit, so that more of Christ can be manifested in me, and accomplish great things so that people can give glory to God.

Barcelona 0 - 4 Bayern Munich

So a couple of weeks ago, my favorite soccer team lost very badly against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League semifinals. It was a very shameful lost. The game is played in two matches, so Barcelona lost the first match 0-4, and lost the second one 0-3. After the first match, I knew the chances to revert it was very low, but I was hoping that Barcelona would lose in a more dignified way.

There are many reasons why Barcelona lost so badly (injuries, long season, lack of key players in certain positions), but simply Bayern Munich is the better team at this point in time.

And many critics saw this defeat as an indication that Barcelona winning cycle is coming to an end. Barcelona has been the most dominant team in the last 5 years, and it is considered one of the best team in history. But I am confident that this is just a "small defeat", and that Barcelona will come back next season as one of the favorites to win the title. Of course, Barcelona will have to make some readjustments like strengthening their vulnerable defense, and find players that can take the team on their shoulders when Lionel Messi is not there.

As I think about my spiritual walk with Christ, I have experienced many defeats in my battle with sin. I often feel that Romans 7 reflect my life very well, I know what is the right thing to do, but I end up doing the contrary. It is really because God's steadfast love and mercy are new very morning, and His grace unfathomable that I can keep on walking with Him.

Whenever I feel down and ashamed of my sins, I am reminded that God loved me while I am a sinner (Romans 5:8) and that He has taken away the sin from me (Psalm 103:12) by the death of Christ on the cross. The constant reminder of the gospel, which is full of grace, compels me to keep living my life for the glory of God!

There are times when we need to make readjustments in our lives, so it is good to spend time reflecting how my walk has been with the Lord, what are the areas of my life that I need to submit to Christ? Was I able to know God more in the recent months? What I have learned from Him lately? Some good questions that I asked myself once in a while.

When we experienced a defeat, it's ok, as God is with us. His love never changes, and He is faithful.

Tim Keller posted something based on John Newton's "Blemishes of the Christian Character": http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/05/24/forgive-us-these-faults/, which I think it is a good read because often we are blind to our own faults while we think we are acting in a Christian way.

will of the fire

So I have been quite busy with work that I am neglecting this blog a bit, but I cannot wait to write something about one of the first manga series that I started to follow, which is the famous ninja series Naruto.

This series is often criticized because there are many ups and downs, and sometimes it is just ridiculous. But there are certain aspects of it that I really like it. There is a common theme throughout the series, and that is the "will of the fire". Perhaps it is not explicitly portrayed, but it comes out on almost every arc.

The main village is from the Fire country, and it is ruled by a leader (called Hokage) which main job is to ensure the peace and safety of the people under his rule. It starts on episode 1, when we are told that the 4th Hokage dies protecting the main village against a fox monster. So the sub-themes of becoming strong to protect your town, become self-less for the sake of your friends, and living in harmony with others are very apparent in this show. And this overall idea is called the "will of the fire" and it is passed down from generation to generations, through example where leaders live it out, and the young ninjas are inspired by them.

It makes me think about one aspect of fellowship, where we meet up to encourage one another in our walks with God. For sure there is relationship-building and mutual support in fellowshipping, but there is also the aspect of being partners in the gospel, to live our lives serving God.

One thing that I want to see through a fellowship, is that the love (manifested through caring, actions, service, gifts) that we have for one another does not end inside the fellowship, but that each member will carry this "will of the fellowship" wherever they go, so that the gospel lifestyle can be experienced by others.

Recently, the pastor John Piper retired from being the preaching pastor at his church (he is transitioning into other ministries). It is encouraging to see the video that his church prepared based on his faithful service:http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-legacy-of-john-piper-in-the-lives-of-real-people-video-tribute

A joy to see that the passion that John Piper has for living our lives for the glory of God, and enjoying ourselves in Him, is impacting the people at church in multiple facets.