Friday, July 29, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Warning: If you are going to read book 6 of Harry Potter or haven't finished yet, you might not want to read this.
I just finished it and I was shocked. I won't give away too much (or maybe I will) but I will say JK Rowling has proved herself to be very un-American in this book. (not that she is American) Americans tend to like neat endings and I think abhor the death of a major character.
At least I think this tends to be true with art forms that have become as commercialized as Harry Potter has. But wow, I guess she's sticking to her guns even if half the world is going to be up in arms at what she let happen in this book. Or at least I'm up in arms! I was so devastated but at the same time it makes the story deeper, more important.
***Harry Potter spoiler over**
Anyway, I've just recently gotten back from Oregon. It was an eventful and deeply meaningful trip. It was also great to be immersed in old friendships. I was around old timer friends 24/7 which was really refreshing.
I'm going to talk more about that but I'm waiting for the breath-taking pics of our camping trip on Mt. Hood. Unbelievable beauty...seriously calendar worthy!
And I have to admit I did seriously ask myself a couple times why I'm not a tree-hugging, REI clad, bike-riding, tattoo covered Portlander instead of a pollution breathing, car-imprisoned, bullet-dodging la-la lander. (Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit...maybe)
I just finished it and I was shocked. I won't give away too much (or maybe I will) but I will say JK Rowling has proved herself to be very un-American in this book. (not that she is American) Americans tend to like neat endings and I think abhor the death of a major character.
At least I think this tends to be true with art forms that have become as commercialized as Harry Potter has. But wow, I guess she's sticking to her guns even if half the world is going to be up in arms at what she let happen in this book. Or at least I'm up in arms! I was so devastated but at the same time it makes the story deeper, more important.
***Harry Potter spoiler over**
Anyway, I've just recently gotten back from Oregon. It was an eventful and deeply meaningful trip. It was also great to be immersed in old friendships. I was around old timer friends 24/7 which was really refreshing.
I'm going to talk more about that but I'm waiting for the breath-taking pics of our camping trip on Mt. Hood. Unbelievable beauty...seriously calendar worthy!
And I have to admit I did seriously ask myself a couple times why I'm not a tree-hugging, REI clad, bike-riding, tattoo covered Portlander instead of a pollution breathing, car-imprisoned, bullet-dodging la-la lander. (Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit...maybe)
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
I just got back from spending the whole day with June and her fam at Disneyland. We were celebrating Jewel's 5th b-day. Really fun but roasting HOT.
Now I'm off to pack for my trip to Portland tomorrow. I'm going to hang out with my old college homies and take care of important family stuff. So please pray about that.
I can't believe I'm getting up at 4:30am! ahhhhhh!!!
Now I'm off to pack for my trip to Portland tomorrow. I'm going to hang out with my old college homies and take care of important family stuff. So please pray about that.
I can't believe I'm getting up at 4:30am! ahhhhhh!!!
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Why or why didn't I know about this website when I lived in West LA. :-) I really needed it...
http://www.localhikes.com/
http://www.localhikes.com/
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Just read part of an interview with Bono. Isn't it amazing that the leader of one of the most influential rock bands is a sincere believer? And not only that but he's seeking to make an impact on a global scale through advocating for Africa concerning AIDS and trade issues. Praise God for the interesting characters in unusual places that he raises up. Kind of reminds me of how God raised up Joseph in the time of famine.
Taken from: "Bono in Conversation" by Michka Assayas.
Interviewer: The son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.
Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: "Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there’s mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and let’s face it, you’re not living a very good life, are you?" There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled… It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven.
By the way, I'm reading Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life by Nouwen. So GOOD! Actually, I have a confession. I don't usually like devotional books. I often find them to be simplistic and mundane. But this baby, is good stuff. Something you can drink deeply from.
Just a few jewels...
"But real openness to each other also means a real closedness, because only he who can hold a secret can safely share his knowledge. When we do not protect with great care our own inner mystery, we will never be able to form community."
"No friend or lover, no husband or wife, no community or commune will be able to put to rest our deepest cravings for unity and wholeness. And by burdening others with these divine expectations, of which we ourselves are often only partially aware, we might inhibit the expression of free friendship and love and evoke instead feelings of inadequacy and weakness."
Taken from: "Bono in Conversation" by Michka Assayas.
Interviewer: The son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.
Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: "Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there’s mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and let’s face it, you’re not living a very good life, are you?" There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled… It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven.
By the way, I'm reading Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life by Nouwen. So GOOD! Actually, I have a confession. I don't usually like devotional books. I often find them to be simplistic and mundane. But this baby, is good stuff. Something you can drink deeply from.
Just a few jewels...
"But real openness to each other also means a real closedness, because only he who can hold a secret can safely share his knowledge. When we do not protect with great care our own inner mystery, we will never be able to form community."
"No friend or lover, no husband or wife, no community or commune will be able to put to rest our deepest cravings for unity and wholeness. And by burdening others with these divine expectations, of which we ourselves are often only partially aware, we might inhibit the expression of free friendship and love and evoke instead feelings of inadequacy and weakness."
Driving up to my driveway today I was greeted by salt and pepper colored flecks floating through the air. I sat there perplexed as my windshield was quickly covered with what turned out to be the ashes of a fire here in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Yeah, at first my roommate and I were a bit freaked out. But then after watching wealthy home owners with garden hoses on the news for a while, we decided it was far enough away that we didn't need to worry about it too much.
So don't worry...we're okay.
Yeah, at first my roommate and I were a bit freaked out. But then after watching wealthy home owners with garden hoses on the news for a while, we decided it was far enough away that we didn't need to worry about it too much.
So don't worry...we're okay.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Apparently, Hermosa Beach has citywide free wireless. Because right now I'm sitting watching the suburbanite monsters try to drown each other in their cousin's pool while surfing the net.
Their cousin told me that Hermosa had 50,000 left over in their budget one year so they decided to give all of Hermosa Beach free wireless. Crazy. He says it's strongest at the beach. Right now I'm getting a low signal from his backyard but hey, it works.
Good thing that I just so happened to have my laptop in my car today. Otherwise I wouldn't have made this fun discovery. Now when I go biking from Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach, I'm going to strap my laptop on my back. ahh...maybe. :-)
But yeah, I'm nannying this summer. Thought it would be a fun summer job while I waited for school to start up again this fall. So far it is.....um....not exactly fun but how about an interesting social observation project.
Their cousin told me that Hermosa had 50,000 left over in their budget one year so they decided to give all of Hermosa Beach free wireless. Crazy. He says it's strongest at the beach. Right now I'm getting a low signal from his backyard but hey, it works.
Good thing that I just so happened to have my laptop in my car today. Otherwise I wouldn't have made this fun discovery. Now when I go biking from Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach, I'm going to strap my laptop on my back. ahh...maybe. :-)
But yeah, I'm nannying this summer. Thought it would be a fun summer job while I waited for school to start up again this fall. So far it is.....um....not exactly fun but how about an interesting social observation project.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Happy 4th of July everyone...
Yesterday I had the best time adventuring Palos Verdes and San Pedro with Bindu. We took a long ride along the coast in Palos Verdes and then ended the day at Shakespeare by the Sea, a live outdoor Shakespearean performance literally "by the sea". Great fun. If you live in the Los Angeles, you should check it out.
http://www.shakespearebythesea.org
Yesterday I had the best time adventuring Palos Verdes and San Pedro with Bindu. We took a long ride along the coast in Palos Verdes and then ended the day at Shakespeare by the Sea, a live outdoor Shakespearean performance literally "by the sea". Great fun. If you live in the Los Angeles, you should check it out.
http://www.shakespearebythesea.org
Friday, July 01, 2005
Oh my gosh! It's July 1st! Whoa, time flies. In a couple days I will have been the US for a year. I'm not sure how I feel about that. To be honest, I still feel that I haven't completely acclimated back to American life. My internal frame of reference still tends to be Korea.
Well, I wasn't going to blog about that right now. I just wanted to post a portion of this article on blogging. It mentions that even though blogging is a huge movement, at the same many people don't really understand what blogging is. It tends to be one of those words people have heard but often don't really understand. I am frequently explaining to people what blogging is.
What a strange and amazing technological revolution we are apart of...
"It was Merriam-Webster Online's No. 1 word of 2004, and Fortune magazine named it the No. 1 tech trend for 2005. Two surveys by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in November 2004 found that 8 million people say they have created one and almost one-third of Internet users say they read one. But it's still a mystery: Six-of-ten Internet users say they don't know what "blog" means.
A blog, according to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, is "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks provided by the writer."
Bloggers write about their lives to keep friends and family up-to-date, talk about their industry, discuss hobbies or rant about their favorite reality TV show. But posting pictures of you at work, disclosing confidential information about your employer, or bad-mouthing your co-workers could get you in hot water for committing inappropriate behavior."
Well, I wasn't going to blog about that right now. I just wanted to post a portion of this article on blogging. It mentions that even though blogging is a huge movement, at the same many people don't really understand what blogging is. It tends to be one of those words people have heard but often don't really understand. I am frequently explaining to people what blogging is.
What a strange and amazing technological revolution we are apart of...
"It was Merriam-Webster Online's No. 1 word of 2004, and Fortune magazine named it the No. 1 tech trend for 2005. Two surveys by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in November 2004 found that 8 million people say they have created one and almost one-third of Internet users say they read one. But it's still a mystery: Six-of-ten Internet users say they don't know what "blog" means.
A blog, according to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, is "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks provided by the writer."
Bloggers write about their lives to keep friends and family up-to-date, talk about their industry, discuss hobbies or rant about their favorite reality TV show. But posting pictures of you at work, disclosing confidential information about your employer, or bad-mouthing your co-workers could get you in hot water for committing inappropriate behavior."
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