The miracles of Mr. Clean
Before coming to SoCal, I stopped by at 5824 and I saw Jason washing his car. Jason the king of TV products, was washing his car with the Mr. Clean car wash doo-hickee. He greets me with "This thing is freakin' awesome." The seeds were planted.
Two days ago, I notice that my car is in dire need of a washing. For reference, I had not washed the car ever (about two months/two trips up and down I-5). Remembering Jason's infomerical like plug, I go to Target, buy the product, and rush back home to try it out.
It was great. I know many of you are skeptics, but I would whole-heartedly endorse this product. Clarification: The product is a hose attachment. It has two replaceable parts... soap and a water filter to produce de-ionized water. More on this later. This hose attachment has three different settings. From here the instruction pamphlet describes it best:
Set dial to RINSE and wet car. Set dial to SOAP and spray car. Soap car with mitt or sponge. RINSE again to eliminate all suds. Set dial to Mr. Clean AutoDry (delivers de-ionized water spray from filter). Spray entire car, starting at the top. Stay within 1 foot of car while spraying back and forth until regular rinse water has been rinsed away. Watch the water dry spot-free before your eyes!
My first time... total time 45 minutes. The job can easily be done in 30 minutes if you know what you're doing. Lovin' it.
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Monday, November 15, 2004
It's been a while...
And another midterm has passed. Results are pending. So is the toga.
Hoping to "resurrect" my webpage by adding new photos and writing a new series of newsletters regarding my adventures in SoCal and seminary.
Surprised by the number of responses to my last post. I've been intrigued by the comments and the back and forth.
And another midterm has passed. Results are pending. So is the toga.
Hoping to "resurrect" my webpage by adding new photos and writing a new series of newsletters regarding my adventures in SoCal and seminary.
Surprised by the number of responses to my last post. I've been intrigued by the comments and the back and forth.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Grrr: The Bitter Diatribes of a Liberal Evangelical Christian
Yes, I'm an evangelical Christian. Yes, I'm a registered Democrat. I just thought that I should preface everything I'm about to say with that.
Repeatedly, over the years, I've been asked (mostly from fellow Christians) how I could be liberal and an evangelical Christian at the same time. To which I usually ask, "What makes you think that Jesus is a conservative?" Time and time again, the issues of gay marriages and abortion come up in supporting the idea that conservative standpoints are inherantly Christian. Bible passages usually spring up further bolstering this ideology. And I won't deny (to some extent) that when it comes to gay marriages and abortion, that conservative viewpoints match up with Christian viewpoints (though I don't agree with conservative means of propagating this ideology). The morality of these two issues is a common point for conservatives and Christians.
What I don't understand is why many Christians, on the basis of these two issues, gay marriages and abortion, then deduce that conservatism equals Christianity. Or would go even further to say that George W Bush's stern denunciation of these two issues therefore shows "strong moral character," "courage," or "integrity." Integrity is a character that is shown in action. On the issues of gay marriages and abortion, all George W Bush has done is give a verbal denunciation. In other issues however, he has 1) made the rich, richer by making them the biggest beneficiaries of the tax cuts he has put in place, 2) set a new U.S. foreign policy precedence of preemptive strikes (by the way it can be argued that Pearl Harbor was a preemptive strike and that 9/11 was a preemptive strike), 3) allowed big corporations to ignore previously applied environmental laws protecting natural habitats around the world (we backed out of the Kyoto Protocol in 2001... who was President in 2001?), 4) increased military spending in a nation that already far outspends any other country on weapons (including WMDs), 5) lied about the reason why we're in Iraq, still doesn't concede that he made a mistake (some call that integrity, I call it bullheadedness), and numbers of US and Iraqi casualties are the result of this war that never should've started... that we continue to maintain.
When I was in Japan, people asked me about these 5 issues and many others that I can't seem to recall. What's more is that the Japanese know that George W Bush is Christian because he blares out his faith in word with a bullhorn. Naturally, they asked me one of two questions. 1) "Is George W Bush really a Christian?" 2) "Are George W Bush's decisions based on his religion?" My biggest tiff with Bush is that he was a roadblock to my sharing my faith. Because he's so publicly Christian, many people around the world equate what he says and does as Christian. Many countries naturally assumed that already with America's policies pre-Bush, but with Bush announcing his faith in very direct manner, more people are taking note. By observing Bush's policies, many I came across came to the conclusion that to be Christian meant that 1) you don't care about the underprivilaged, 2) you support the concept of war, 3) you don't care about the environment, 4) you want to be the king of the hill, 5) you stick to your guns even if you're wrong (overly simplistic, I know). Is this integrity?
All that said, I'm quite angry at the Democratic Party. Never before have I felt so alienated by the Democratic Party. I can understand why there's been such a backlash from evangelicals against the Democrats. I have felt belittled and ignored. Democratic think tanks threw faith out as a non-issue years ago, and have been paying the costs since then. In their books, people don't make decisions based on their faith. How terribly wrong they've been. The black Christian vote switching to the Republicans this time around is as clear an indication of that as you can possibly get. Instead of downplaying the gay marriage and abortion issues, why not highlight their civil service policies and show the connection to the life of Jesus? Why not highlight environmental issues and point the way to Bible passages that support such stances? Why not show how morally unacceptable this war is instead of engaging in a back and forth of who's right? If the Republican party wants to go on a values war, show America your guns.
Micah 6:8
Yes, I'm an evangelical Christian. Yes, I'm a registered Democrat. I just thought that I should preface everything I'm about to say with that.
Repeatedly, over the years, I've been asked (mostly from fellow Christians) how I could be liberal and an evangelical Christian at the same time. To which I usually ask, "What makes you think that Jesus is a conservative?" Time and time again, the issues of gay marriages and abortion come up in supporting the idea that conservative standpoints are inherantly Christian. Bible passages usually spring up further bolstering this ideology. And I won't deny (to some extent) that when it comes to gay marriages and abortion, that conservative viewpoints match up with Christian viewpoints (though I don't agree with conservative means of propagating this ideology). The morality of these two issues is a common point for conservatives and Christians.
What I don't understand is why many Christians, on the basis of these two issues, gay marriages and abortion, then deduce that conservatism equals Christianity. Or would go even further to say that George W Bush's stern denunciation of these two issues therefore shows "strong moral character," "courage," or "integrity." Integrity is a character that is shown in action. On the issues of gay marriages and abortion, all George W Bush has done is give a verbal denunciation. In other issues however, he has 1) made the rich, richer by making them the biggest beneficiaries of the tax cuts he has put in place, 2) set a new U.S. foreign policy precedence of preemptive strikes (by the way it can be argued that Pearl Harbor was a preemptive strike and that 9/11 was a preemptive strike), 3) allowed big corporations to ignore previously applied environmental laws protecting natural habitats around the world (we backed out of the Kyoto Protocol in 2001... who was President in 2001?), 4) increased military spending in a nation that already far outspends any other country on weapons (including WMDs), 5) lied about the reason why we're in Iraq, still doesn't concede that he made a mistake (some call that integrity, I call it bullheadedness), and numbers of US and Iraqi casualties are the result of this war that never should've started... that we continue to maintain.
When I was in Japan, people asked me about these 5 issues and many others that I can't seem to recall. What's more is that the Japanese know that George W Bush is Christian because he blares out his faith in word with a bullhorn. Naturally, they asked me one of two questions. 1) "Is George W Bush really a Christian?" 2) "Are George W Bush's decisions based on his religion?" My biggest tiff with Bush is that he was a roadblock to my sharing my faith. Because he's so publicly Christian, many people around the world equate what he says and does as Christian. Many countries naturally assumed that already with America's policies pre-Bush, but with Bush announcing his faith in very direct manner, more people are taking note. By observing Bush's policies, many I came across came to the conclusion that to be Christian meant that 1) you don't care about the underprivilaged, 2) you support the concept of war, 3) you don't care about the environment, 4) you want to be the king of the hill, 5) you stick to your guns even if you're wrong (overly simplistic, I know). Is this integrity?
All that said, I'm quite angry at the Democratic Party. Never before have I felt so alienated by the Democratic Party. I can understand why there's been such a backlash from evangelicals against the Democrats. I have felt belittled and ignored. Democratic think tanks threw faith out as a non-issue years ago, and have been paying the costs since then. In their books, people don't make decisions based on their faith. How terribly wrong they've been. The black Christian vote switching to the Republicans this time around is as clear an indication of that as you can possibly get. Instead of downplaying the gay marriage and abortion issues, why not highlight their civil service policies and show the connection to the life of Jesus? Why not highlight environmental issues and point the way to Bible passages that support such stances? Why not show how morally unacceptable this war is instead of engaging in a back and forth of who's right? If the Republican party wants to go on a values war, show America your guns.
Micah 6:8
Monday, October 25, 2004
My Greek class runs from 8AM to 1PM. In between, from 10 til 11, we have an hour long break. Today, I went down to the school cafeteria which has probably the best breakfast deal on the face of the earth: One egg, potatoes, toast, 2 pieces of sausage, and some fruit for $2.25.
Anyway, today, I see some classmates, and so I sit with them. The topic on the table is relationships... except they talk about marriage proposals, what the first few years of marriage is like, plans on getting married, etc.. Me? I was completely silent. Not so much that I had nothing to say, as much as it was that I was stunned. It was just one of those moments (and I've had many) when I realized that I'm not in undergrad anymore. I'm not 19 anymore. You'd figure that not being around super-competitive pre-meddies all the time would remind me.
I also found out that a classmate of mine got married after seven years of being friends. That is... they were platonic friends for 7 years, and then one day they decided to get married. I read about people like them. Now I know some.
Anyway, today, I see some classmates, and so I sit with them. The topic on the table is relationships... except they talk about marriage proposals, what the first few years of marriage is like, plans on getting married, etc.. Me? I was completely silent. Not so much that I had nothing to say, as much as it was that I was stunned. It was just one of those moments (and I've had many) when I realized that I'm not in undergrad anymore. I'm not 19 anymore. You'd figure that not being around super-competitive pre-meddies all the time would remind me.
I also found out that a classmate of mine got married after seven years of being friends. That is... they were platonic friends for 7 years, and then one day they decided to get married. I read about people like them. Now I know some.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Friday, October 22, 2004
LA drivers.
Just a few days back, I stopped behind an SUV at a signal on Valley, a four lane road. I'm sitting there listening to my music when the SUV's driver door opens. And then the driver gets out of his car. This is a four lane road... a busy road with crazy Asian drivers all over the place. And he gets out of his car, and onto the road... the asphalt. Not an island separating the lanes. But just plain asphalt. And why would he do such a crazy thing? He gets out of his car, takes off his jacket, folds it, reaches across the driver's seat to the passenger's seat, places his neatly folded jacket on the passenger's seat, gets back in his car, and closes his door.
Granted, he made it back into his car before the light changed color, but who does that?
Just a few days back, I stopped behind an SUV at a signal on Valley, a four lane road. I'm sitting there listening to my music when the SUV's driver door opens. And then the driver gets out of his car. This is a four lane road... a busy road with crazy Asian drivers all over the place. And he gets out of his car, and onto the road... the asphalt. Not an island separating the lanes. But just plain asphalt. And why would he do such a crazy thing? He gets out of his car, takes off his jacket, folds it, reaches across the driver's seat to the passenger's seat, places his neatly folded jacket on the passenger's seat, gets back in his car, and closes his door.
Granted, he made it back into his car before the light changed color, but who does that?
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Studying for my first midterm in a while. It's an interesting feeling. Well, at least I'm ready for this one. I'm on top of this class... oh yeah. Pow, big ol' punch in the face of Greek.
What the... it's raining right now! This may be the first time I've witnessed rain in LA.
NOTICE: I'll be driving to NorCal on October 29th. I'll be driving back to SoCal on October 31st. I have three spots in the car. Anyone need a ride?
What the... it's raining right now! This may be the first time I've witnessed rain in LA.
NOTICE: I'll be driving to NorCal on October 29th. I'll be driving back to SoCal on October 31st. I have three spots in the car. Anyone need a ride?
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Ben and I have taken up a little friendly rivalry.
We started playing NBA Street on PS2 against each other. I took Game 1 and I haven't looked back since. Of course, we've only been playing since yesterday. Then again, the tally as of the end of today is 15-11. Yes, that's 15 games to 11 games. And yes, we've played 26 games since yesterday. Through all the screaming and yelling, mostly on my part, we're having a good time. But then, I might be biased because of the current outcome.
We started playing NBA Street on PS2 against each other. I took Game 1 and I haven't looked back since. Of course, we've only been playing since yesterday. Then again, the tally as of the end of today is 15-11. Yes, that's 15 games to 11 games. And yes, we've played 26 games since yesterday. Through all the screaming and yelling, mostly on my part, we're having a good time. But then, I might be biased because of the current outcome.
The second week of classes
Has it really only been a week of school? I don't know what it is, maybe it's the 5 hours of Greek per session, maybe it's the hours of studying outside of class, maybe it's just being in LA, I don't know, but this last week has felt like at least a month... and apparently my Greek classmates feel it too.
I'm doing well in my classes but I started thinking (with Seri), "Is it bad to just settle for a B in Jesus school?" I mean I want to do well, don't get me wrong. I just find added pressure to get A's in seminary. I mean, would it be unworshipful to get something less especially in this context? And besides, how would you feel if you found out that your pastor got C's in exegesis and ethics?
Has it really only been a week of school? I don't know what it is, maybe it's the 5 hours of Greek per session, maybe it's the hours of studying outside of class, maybe it's just being in LA, I don't know, but this last week has felt like at least a month... and apparently my Greek classmates feel it too.
I'm doing well in my classes but I started thinking (with Seri), "Is it bad to just settle for a B in Jesus school?" I mean I want to do well, don't get me wrong. I just find added pressure to get A's in seminary. I mean, would it be unworshipful to get something less especially in this context? And besides, how would you feel if you found out that your pastor got C's in exegesis and ethics?
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
The marathon day.
My class schedule runs like this:
Greek: MWF 8-1PM
Foundations: W 6:30-10PM
The foundations class, however, only meets three times in the entire quarter. And of course, today is one of those Wednesdays. So, what does that mean? Today, I have class from 8AM til 1PM, and again from 6:30PM til 10PM. It is 3:21PM right now, and I'm at the school library at one of the computer stations typing this blog because I don't want to do my homework right now... and because I have 5 1/2 hours of wait time between classes. Why not drive home? Because A) I get more work done when I'm not at home (as my blogging now clearly indicates) and B) I'm running low of gasoline right now, and I don't want to fill up another tank (basically, I'm cheap).
What have I done so far in the last 2 1/2 hours? I finished my Greek homework, went poo poo, caught up on my emails, and now, I've blogged about my exploits on this Fuller campus today. Hooray for me.
My class schedule runs like this:
Greek: MWF 8-1PM
Foundations: W 6:30-10PM
The foundations class, however, only meets three times in the entire quarter. And of course, today is one of those Wednesdays. So, what does that mean? Today, I have class from 8AM til 1PM, and again from 6:30PM til 10PM. It is 3:21PM right now, and I'm at the school library at one of the computer stations typing this blog because I don't want to do my homework right now... and because I have 5 1/2 hours of wait time between classes. Why not drive home? Because A) I get more work done when I'm not at home (as my blogging now clearly indicates) and B) I'm running low of gasoline right now, and I don't want to fill up another tank (basically, I'm cheap).
What have I done so far in the last 2 1/2 hours? I finished my Greek homework, went poo poo, caught up on my emails, and now, I've blogged about my exploits on this Fuller campus today. Hooray for me.
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