Odd Pics
It's pretty fun to flip through friends' online photo albums and discover interesting pics of self. Here are two that I came across:
Do I always look this angry when I play? ^_^ It appears that I was about to throw the controller at the TV, hahaha.
This one is from a year ago after a looooong Giants game. I knew I was dozing off . . . apparently, I was tossing back and forth violently.
My Personal DNA
Okay, this result is quite interesting, and it surprises me a little. Let me know what you think.
My Personal Dna Reportabout you
You are a LeaderYour solid grounding in the practicalities of life, along with your self-assuredness and your willingness to appreciate new things make you a LEADER.
You're in touch with what is going on around you and adept at remaining down-to-earth and logical.
Although you're detail-oriented, this doesn't mean that you lose the big picture.
You tend to find beauty in form and efficiency, as opposed to finding it in broad-based, abstract concepts.
Never one to pass on an adventure, you're consistently seeking and finding new things, even in your immediate surroundings.
Because of this eagerness to pursue new experiences, you've learned a lot; your attention to detail means that you gain a great deal from your adventures.
The intellectual curiosity that drives you leads you to seek out causes of and reasons behind things.
Your confidence gives you the potential to take your general awareness and channel it into leadership.
You're not set on one way of doing things, and you often have the skills and persistence to find innovative ways of facing challenges.
You are well-attuned to your talents, and can deal with most problems that you face.
You have a strong sense of style and value your personal presentation - friends may even seek your style advice from time to time.
If you want to be different:
There's more to life than the practical - take some time to daydream and explore the aesthetic sides of things.
how you relate to others
You are Advocating
Being social, empathic, and understanding makes you ADVOCATING.
Some people find being around others exhausting—but not you! You are energized by spending time with friends, and you are good at meeting new people.
One of the reasons you enjoy conversation as much as you do is that you often learn about yourself while talking things out with a friend; you realize things about your own beliefs while discussing them with others.
You have insight into what others are thinking and feeling. This ability allows you to be happy for others, and to commiserate when something has gone wrong for them.
You are highly compassionate, and being conscious of how things affect those close to you leaves you cautious about trusting others too hastily.
Despite these reservations, you are open-minded when it comes to your worldview; you don't look to impose your ways on others.
Your sensitivity towards others' plights contributes to an understanding—both intellectual and emotional—of many different perspectives.
As someone who understands the complexities of the world around you, you are reluctant to pass judgments.
You have a strong sense of style and value your personal presentation - friends may even seek your style advice from time to time.
If you want to be different:
While it's important to think about others, don't forget to take some time for yourself, and occassionally to put yourself first.
Take some time to spend with a few close friends; although it's difficult to find people to trust, it's worth the effort.
When you have great ideas, it can be hard to relinquish control, but it can also feel good to take the pressure off and enjoy someone else leading the way.
He is risen!
Praise and greatest glory be to God our Lord!
Good Friday
This day is probably the darkest day in the history of mankind, where men crucified their own God, who loved them. Behind the scene, however, the biggest miracle was happening, as the death of Christ on the cross took away the sins of all those who believed in him. Darkness and despair turned into joy and hope. For me, living for Christ gives me a fulfilling purpose in life--the only fulfilling purpose, really--which came at a huge cost, the cross.
Skip Heitzig, a pastor who speaks every morning on the radio program
Connection Online, once said that the only man-made mark we will see in heaven will be the marks of crucifixion on Jesus's body. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about that. On one hand, I'm deeply ashamed and saddened that the only permanent mark that we made is only of the gravest sin. On the other hand, this mark reminds me eternally the perfect sacrifice made by our holy, eternal, and gracious God, and that knowledge brings me joy. I suppose that's the paradox of the gospel--a reminder of how ugly we are, and how perfect and loving our God is.
Thinking about the easter weekend, this song came to mind. I first heard it when
Living Water sang it, which was beautifully done. I'll end this post with the song lyrics:
And This is LoveAnd this is love, not that I have first loved you
And this is love, that you have first loved me
And you gave up your life, one perfect sacrifice
And this is love, that you have first loved me
You did not wait for me to make myself a worthy man
You did not wait for me to make a righteous stand
For there was nothing I could do, in sin I had died
But your love conquered death and raised me to your side
And this is love, not that I have first loved you
And this is love that you have first loved me
Selling a Car on Craigslist
This task turns out to be quite an adventure. I already got over a dozen responses for my car post during the first day. Many of them are probably from people who buy and resell cars. How do I know? I used their contact information as keywords to search Craigslist, and I found matches for posts that are ads for other car sales. I will probably deal with these people last, as they will likely try to offer very low prices. Next come one or two email responses that look like nothing but scams. One lady offered right on the spot to mail me a check and to pick up the car via a shipping service. I hadn't even mentioned letting her see the car, yet. In the end, though, after sorting through many email replies, I did find some legitimate ones. I look forward meeting these people. I think this car ordeal has already taken a lot of my time. I hope that it will soon be over, as I find a good and honest buyer who is willing to purchase the car at a fair price.
Mozart Requiem
Inspired by a recent performance of the Mozart Requiem by John Eliot Gardner and the Monteverdi Chorus, I cannot resist
this wonder opportunity to sing the same piece myself.
I sang with the Stanford Symphonic Chorus for a year from 2004-05. I really enjoyed the music and the experience of singing harmony--choral music is simply heavenly. What bugged me, though, was the fact that there was very little time to get to know people at chorus rehearsals. Most of the two-and-a-half hours of the rehearsal consisted of singing and no talking. There was usually a ten-minute break, but that was hardly enough time to socialize. I felt as if I got together with one hundred random people to sing for a year, and after the year, they were still random people. This social boredom was actually why I decided to take a break from the chorus this year. However, the Mozart Requiem is simply too enticing, so I'm willing to endure the social isolation for the love of music.
Here is a photo from a 2004 concert. Can you find me?
Do I always look this angry when I play? ^_^ It appears that I was about to throw the controller at the TV, hahaha.
This one is from a year ago after a looooong Giants game. I knew I was dozing off . . . apparently, I was tossing back and forth violently.
