your lie in April

So last year during April, I finished watching an anime series called "Your Lie in April", and I wanted to blog about this for a long time, but kept on postponing it, but I guess I should do it before April ends.

This series is definitely not from the mainstream genre in anime as it deals with the themes of sadness and suffering. The story centers on a boy who is a genius at playing piano, but later is traumatized psychologically, and it is not able to play anymore. Years later, he meets a girl (of course) who encourages him to overcome his condition so that he can become a fine piano player.

This series is excellent, and exceeded my expectations. At first, I find it very refreshing to watch a different genre, but as I watched more I started to enjoy the beautiful combination of good music, great animation, like-able characters, and a moving plot. When determining if I like a anime series or not, I put a large emphasis on the ending, and I have to say the ending episode is a masterpiece... the storytelling, the climax, the resolution, everything... one of the best 20 minutes of animation I have seen.

It actually made it to Netflix this year.

The series made me think a bit more about a truth of human life, that life is tough. I have been very blessed because as a child, my parents provided me with what I needed, and also got the opportunity to study in Canada, and now I have a job that allows me to live quite comfortably (don't need to worry about food on the table, about where to stay for the night, etc... and I can even travel). As I travel, I notice that life in other parts of the world can be a lot more difficult, and many people have less opportunities to live comfortably.

Putting that aside, what I mean by "life is tough" is more universal, that every human is susceptible to tragedies, like these ones: car accidents, incurable illness, losing a loved one. And when it happens, it is really hard to understand why it happened. One of the things that the main character of the series have to do, is to mourn, deal with the sadness, come in terms with it, and move on (that process took him a few years).

As Christians, we believe in a God who promises He will wipe away every tear when we are in the "new earth and new heaven", and that the afflictions we are going through now are just "momentary" (a little while), so we have hope that there are better days to come. God takes care of us, but that does not mean that our lives will be easy, there will be trials and tribulations that will test our faith, and that is always challenging. At least we have the assurance that God is for us. I cannot imagine how hard it is for a non-believer, who does not have God to put his hope into, since life is such a long and winding road, what is the purpose of it? Once again, we have God, and we know that we are to live for His glory and that we are created by Him for that purpose. Still, life is tough regardless.

As a young Christian, I remembered singing this worship song in Spanish back at home which resounds with some these thoughts:

"Dios no ha dicho: siempre tendreis        (God did not say: you'll always have
 sendas rosadas, cielos azul,                     roads with flowers, blue skies
 No ha prometido: sol sin calor                God did not promise: sun without heat,
 gozo sin penas, paz sin dolor.                   joy without trouble, peace without pain.
 Pero Dios ha dicho: siempre tendreis      God did say: you'll always have
 fuerzas en la lucha, descanso en El         strength in the battle, place to rest in Him,
Gracia en la prueba, Su ayuda fiel,          Grace in trials, His faithful help,
inagotable apoyo, su eterno amor"           unending support, His Eternal Love)

(note: Thanks to a comment I learned that this song is originated from an English hymn: https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/nt/720)                    

burden of decision making

Recently I have watched two movies about the use of drones in war, one of them was a few weeks "Good Kill" with Ethan Hawke, and recently "Eye in the Sky" with Helen Mirren. They are both excellent movies and very thought provoking in regards to the moral validity on using drones to target dangerous enemies.

The latter movie "Eye in the Sky" centers the dilemma on whether to justify a drone operation to kill a group of terrorists in a small village while there is moderate probability on killing innocent people who are near the area. This is about a joint operation with the US, Great Britain, and Kenya. And there are military personnel, and a few British cabinet ministers monitoring the situation. But once this dilemma arises, among the military personal and British ministers were not able to agree in the next course of action. The movie gets really tense while trying to solve this situation (to go or not with the operation), and also a bit frustrating because it starts a cycle of "decision referral" (basically trying to get in contact with a person of higher authority so that he can make the decision).

The person with "higher" authority within group of people monitoring the operation could not decide, so he has to refer to another minister, and so on, until they reach the Prime Minister. So basically no one really wanted to take the burden on making this decision. It is also interested how they portray the difference between the US and British on how they determine whether collateral damage is justified or not.

It is not my intent to discuss about the use of drones, as I don't know enough to comment, but I want to focus on the weight a decision have for leaders. In the above example, it is about political leaders, and though it is very entertaining to read about the US elections, it is also a serious matter as it will determine the next leader of this powerful nation, which can influence in decisions like the one described above.

On a "very lesser" (not sure about my grammar) example, when I go out for a meal with friends, it can be time consuming to make a decision on where to eat, because either no one has a strong preference or there are opposing preferences (e.g. "no fast food", "no healthy food"). On my recent trip to Japan, there was a point where we were a group of 8 people, so whenever we have to decide for food, we would stand on a circle, and each of us will go to Yelp to find options, and then we discuss about them, and so on... it takes quite a bit of time. Of course, there were times I have to make an executive decision, and though that "solves the problem", it does put a burden on me. What if the food is bad? What if the service is awful? At the end, I do feel responsible for everyone's experience with the choice I made (even though I know my friends will not blame me even if the experience was bad).

On recent group trips, I was a major part of the trip planning, and I have to admit that during the trip there were moments where I would feel relief that nothing bad happen with the decisions that I have helped made, which is kind of silly because it does distract me from enjoying the actual trip.

These last examples are kind of silly, but it can tell us a bit on how leaders feel when they make big decisions. For example, pastors, church board, fellowship executive committee, etc. I was privileged to serve on various fellowship and small group leadership roles, and it is a big responsibility because decisions we make might affect the spiritual lives of the people we serve (to a certain degree, as God's sovereignty is in the picture). I remember the wise words a good brother told me a long time ago, reminding me that we should serve with seriousness as at the end we are accountable to our Great Maker and Creator.

Osaka: capital of food

My group decided to start the trip at Osaka. So after I arrived to Tokyo, I took a low-cost carrier (plane) to Osaka.

Osaka is a pretty developed city, though there is not a lot of attractions in comparison to other cities, it does have a reputation of "food capital of Japan". And we decided to stay here for a few days, and do daily trips to the city of Kyoto (15 min train).

One of the first things we wanted to do is to watch live sumo, as there was a tournament during that time. Unfortunately, the reserved seats were sold out very quickly, so we gambled to show up early so that we can get in on the non-reserved seating (there are 100 of them). On our first day, we woke up early at 6am and try to get seats, but by the time we arrived, all 100 seats were taken. It was a bit disappointing, oh well.

Then we visited the iconic Osaka Castle:

As well walked around the city in the Dotonbori area:

As I mentioned before, the city itself does not have too many attractions, but the food is quite exquisite.

4 different "flavours" of takoyaki, this is really good.

Okonomiyaki (kind of a savory pancake), which is a very famous dish in Kansai region (where Osaka is). Many of my friends consider this as one of their favorite foods. I have to admit that I like it, but not "super" like it hehe.

Ramen, yes, I think I found my favorite ramen place, but I shall devote another post just for ramen.

They have matcha soft serve, which was very excellent, but I also tried the black sesame one, and it is equally good.

Other than the excellent food, one of the highlights about my stay in Osaka was to catch up with a good friend of mine. During my undergrad days, we were housemates for 1 or 2 terms.

For a while, he has been working in Japan as a teacher, and though I have seen him when he visits Toronto, we rarely do one-on-one catch up. So that was very neat, because we were able to easily "continue" our friendship from where we left, by sharing stories and struggles about our lives, on what God is teaching us. It is encouraging to hear that he is helping at a church by teaching bible study to a group of younger Christians. 

He also shared with me about the "differences" in community he has experienced in Japan. In Canada, it is very common hangout at someone's place for fellowship, and usually a lot of great conversations can potentially happen. But in Japan, houses are not big, so most people hangout outside (like in restaurants), so he feels that it is challenging to grow as a community. So this is an example on how culture, society, and city-lifestyle can affect how members of church community "implement" fellowship. It triggered me to think more about what the core values of fellowship are. But now that I think about it, as I was chatting with him, we were two people with same mind and goal to "catch up" (sharing with each other about our lives,  listening and spurring one another towards love, encouraging each other), so I hope that we were in the right track of doing fellowship.

This reminded me on how grateful I am to have meet great brothers and sisters, and that even if I don't keep up with them regularly, there is the assurance that God is actively working in their lives as they serve the Kingdom, and this is a deep connection that we all share.

quick tips about Japan

Since I spent much time planning on Japan trip, here are some high level tips:

• googlemaps is a great way to find directions as it is well integrated with the schedule of public transit (local trains, subways, bullet trains), 
• but if you want more options (more alternative routes, or avoid certain railways), Hyperdia is very helpful: http://www.hyperdia.com/en/
• bring enough cash, as it is more common to pay in cash on restaurants, convenience stores, and train tickets.
•  Though credit cards are accepted in various restaurants, it is still a good idea to bring cash so that you can eat anywhere (especially Ramen, where you usually have to pay at a "order machine"). For shopping, credit cards are fine.
• get internet, either SIM card or pocket wifi. 
• There are many companies that offer affordable prepaid SIM cards for tourists (e.g. $20 for 8 days). 
• It is almost essential to have internet if you want to find directions or use google translate. Saves time, and it is convenient.
• Note that SIM cards provide only data, and no phone number (you have to be a Japanese resident), so you might want to have a skype account with money on it to make calls for any emergency.
• if you are travelling various cities, consider getting JR (Japan Railways) Pass. The basic pass allows you to travel in JR which owns the bullet trains unlimited within 7 days. I used it to travel Osaka-Hiroshima (with stops at Kobe and Himeji), Osaka-Kyoto various times, Osaka-Tokyo, so it was definitely worth it for me. Plus, you can use it for some local train lines.
• when you are not using the JR pass (e.g. taking a local non-JR train, subway), get an IC card (equivalent of "Octopus Card" in HK) so that you can enter and exit faster (not having to buy a ticket every single time)
• ask for English menu on restaurants. Probably one of the harder things is to order food since English is limited there, but most places have an English menu (eigo no menyu), so ask for one! 
• Tax free shopping, on some larger clothing, electronics, or department stores, you can avoid paying the 8% tax if you show your passport (foreigner). You will usually need to purchase more than 10,000 yen worth of goods, which can be easy for some people, but hard for others. So if you are travelling with others, combine them into one bill.
• Accommodations choice and location are important. Airbnb is usually a good choice in Japan as the places are clean and well maintained. In terms of location, it is good to be closer to a convenient train station, so that you can save time travelling and as well get back to the airport with ease.

reasons for Japan

I just came back from relatively long vacation of about a month to Asia, which included visiting Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. It was a very rewarding vacations, with both good times and challenging times. The trip to Hong Kong was mainly to visit family, while Taiwan was a short trip (mainly because I found cheap tickets) in which I actually visited two cousins who are studying at a college, and Japan was the main "meat". 

One interesting point is that the "service" I received from restaurants got better during the trip... in Hong Kong I felt that I had to rush eating so that I don't get kicked out, Taiwan was a lot more chilled, and Japan I was treated nicer that I deserved (something I blogged about a year ago).

Actually I have been planning the Japan trip for like 10 months, since I got very excited after I visited Tokyo for 5 days last year, and wanted to travel again and get to know the country more. Even when I I arrived Japan, I still felt very surreal that the trip was actually happening.

Why would I be excited about Japan? Here are some reasons:

• food is excellent (this is good enough reason for me to go back again)
• interest in culture
• this is mainly due to my interest in reading manga and watching anime, as it's kind of neat to see in real life the cultural aspects portrayed from manga in real life (both old and modern culture)
• also, I think the extreme politeness from Japanese people is something that interests me,
• cherry blossoms 
• it's actually cooler and prettier than I thought
• "technology and efficiency"
• it is the country that builds very reliable cars and also builds a huge array of consumer electronics
• public transportation (really enjoyed taking many forms of trains)
• toilet with bidet 
• final fantasy games

Moreover, I have many friends who share in these common interests, so I am grateful to travel with these friends (in total, there are 9 other people who traveled with me, in different stages of the trip).

I am very grateful to God, who has blessed me with opportunity to travel, including finances and flexibility from workplace, as well for the smoothness during the trip. It is a real blessing to be able to travel, and though most of the focus is on enjoying the vacation, I also think travelling is an opportunity to learn. I really appreciate observing how people from other countries behave and work, how their society works, and learn from the good and bad things. Sometimes it can be a mind-opening experience, and sometimes it can be a source of inspiration.

On a more personal level, I decided to go on such trip as a "small sabbatical". In a way, it is a break from work, that has driven me to some mental exhaustion. But also, a break to reflect. I think that the busyness and routine of work has made me too comfortable and detracted me to think more about my "vocation".  So really, the main goal was to get away, and spend time to reflect about my life and my future pursuits. By talking to family, spending leisure time, and learning about new culture, have given me some thoughts, and I hope to refine and consolidate them in the next few weeks. 

It is always challenging to discern what God has next for me, I feel that a clear answer might not be given, but might be a journey of searching and having faith in midst of uncertainty.

the force

so yeah, many people have been in crazy joyful mode since "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" came out. Many fans were crazy about it, and I even got to enjoy a 85% day off because of a Star Wars event at work.

The three original movies were a classic, achieving a legendary status, and revolutionary on the time that were released. Then there were some fake movies that came out later, but that was catastrophic, and the only redeemable thing that came out of it was this: http://winterson.com/2005/06/episode-iii-backstroke-of-west.html

The new movie got very positive reviews. I will abstain on taking too much about it, but I have to admit, it is very entertaining and fun, but the more I analyze it, the more I dislike it.

I want to expand on the concept of the "force", which plays a very major role on the Star Wars story. The force is this impersonal power that seems to be everywhere, and certain individuals can use or control part of it to do cool stuff (psychokinesis, mind control, reading minds, fighting abilities, etc). It seems that individuals must concentrate, focus, and train to use the force. But the force can be used for either good or evil purposes, depending on the user. There is a light side, and there is a dark side. A great deal of the story from the movies is to show the battler between both sides, and how an user from the light side can be tempted to to the dark side.

The idea of the force is very influenced by the worldview of "Pantheism". It is not my intent to describe this worldview in details, but I just want to point out a couple of key points on it:

• Pantheism describes"god" as an impersonal "force"
• The goal of man is to become one with the "force", and that is usually accomplished by denying one's individuality (via meditation, mantras, chants, etc)
• the concepts of good and evil does not really have a standard, other than favoring the process of becoming one with the force, as a "good" think (e.g. karma is considered good, as it helps me to be closer as one with the "force")

There are issues with this worldview, the major one been the classic issue of ethics, where there is no absolute standards that defines what is good and what is evil. Plus the concept of an impersonal god (consistent with the lack of standards of good and evil) is not very hopeful for a purposeful life, and the assurance that a "god" is watching over us.

In Christianity, we have a personal God, who is almighty, all powerful, and is loving and just. The fact that He is personal, and that He has created us in His image is very encouraging, because our lives are made with a purpose, and we are most satisfied when we reflect His image in our lives. This is a much more hopeful and worth "worldview" to live for. Due to God's character, there is a clear standards on what is good and what is bad, and there are instructions on how to walk in holiness.

We praise God for what he has done, by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our transgressions, so that we can find forgiveness and be reconciled to Him, so that we can live in eternity with Him.

Merry Christmas!

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...