Boy I'll tell ya, each year seems to fly by faster and faster than the one before it. 2008 definitely lived up to that billing, seems like yesterday I was celebrating the beginning of the year at the Happiest Place on Earth.
When I was in elementary school, I couldn't wait to grow up and wanted the years to just roll on by as I couldn't wait to be a teenager, go to high school, drive, graduate high school, and go to college... get married and so on. Now it seems crazy, as I've done all those things (except the marriage part!), and in fact, I'm no longer a teen. Craziness indeed. Now that I'm all of 20 and in my second year of college, I'm wanting time to slow down just a pinch as I've got some pretty major, life-altering decisions to make in the coming months really... not the least of these is deciding on a career path.
Enough of that though, I don't want this post to be an "emo" reflection of transitions goin on in my life-- cause in all honesty I'm stoked to be at where I am now and can't wait for 2009.
Here's some firsts in 2008:
--getting my first job! (after more than a month of getting denials, got so lucky that I nabbed a second one and ended up working 30 consecutive days, most of them with 13-hour days!)
--living on my own, for real (cooking for myself, tending to a house, dealing with loud neighbors has been quite an adventure)
--being chauffeured by my sister (this was also an adventure, but tons of fun as my sister was finally able to 'legally' drive me around!)
--saying a (temporary) goodbye to Disneyland (as a long-time passholder, it was a shame to say goodbye to the Happiest Place on Earth, but it'll pay off as we're going to Disneyworld in June!)
--watchin Michael Phelps DOMINATE (that was something unreal to watch, and I loved every minute of it, definitely changed my perspective on extraordinary with the many 'phelpsian feats' I witnessed)
Anyway, 2008 (as hinted to in my title of this post) has been EPIC. So much has gone down from 2007 to now. A year ago, I was waffling in my decision-making if I wanted a second year at UCSB or to pack in and transfer down to UC San Diego. Thankfully, I got stuck in and invested time in unique relationships, most notably with "mah boys" that I'm living with now. A remarkable, epic transformation in fortunes followed suit as I surrounded myself with like-minded men and women pursuing an active relationship with Jesus Christ.
There could be much more to write down here, and one of my plans for 2009 is to have a weekly tracker of my top moments for the week, and keep a list of them for the month, and ultimately I'll my favorite moments of the year mapped out. Could potentially be interesting.
For now this will be my last blog of 2008, hopefully I'll be able to improve on my paltry 21 posts for the year in 2009.
God Bless and Happy New Year!!
30 December 2008
16 December 2008
Politically Correct?
So being a Christ-follower, I'm perpetually perturbed by the enduring push for "political correctness," aka obscene sugarcoating. This is of course referring to the recent drive in our society to drive out Christmas (our remembrance of Christ's birth) as the solitary reason for the season. However, this has gone away with recently as "Merry CHRISTmas" has been conveniently replaced with "Happy Holidays." For me, there only remains one place where "Merry Christmases" consistently rain down is at church-- this is great and all, but its sad to see that it isn't openly said everywhere.
Through the years, we've become much more accommodating of each others different groups, careful not to step on the toes of the opposition. Our government used to be blatantly racist, with such acts like the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 (which I conveniently learned from my Asian studies class) and with Pres. Woodrow Wilson proclaiming "Birth of a Nation," produced by the Klan, was the greatest movie of all time.
It just amazes me how this country has shifted to try to accommodate every political and ethnic view that exists in the vast expanses of our borders. Well it's getting late, I'm sure I'll have more to blog about this subject soon...
In the meantime, Merry Christmas!
Through the years, we've become much more accommodating of each others different groups, careful not to step on the toes of the opposition. Our government used to be blatantly racist, with such acts like the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 (which I conveniently learned from my Asian studies class) and with Pres. Woodrow Wilson proclaiming "Birth of a Nation," produced by the Klan, was the greatest movie of all time.
It just amazes me how this country has shifted to try to accommodate every political and ethnic view that exists in the vast expanses of our borders. Well it's getting late, I'm sure I'll have more to blog about this subject soon...
In the meantime, Merry Christmas!
15 December 2008
Fall Quarter is in the Books!
Ah, sometime I'm gonna get my act together and start blogging more often. Someday.
Anyway, I'm back home in San Diego for three whole weeks... which is beautiful! Although the weather is looking quite bleak as we've had rain for the past couple days and we're expecting some more. But we need it so I'm not complaining.
Fall quarter just blew by this year, I was up in SB for about 3 months, and it seems like yesterday when i was moving into my house. It's been a fun first quarter, cooking for myself hasn't been nearly as bad as I first feared, and living with my housemates has been a ton of fun.
School-wise, I've certainly had better days... I haven't got any grades back but I've got the feeling I got straight B's. That's not too terrible, but since my success of high school, I hold myself to higher standards. So we'll see, I know where I went wrong this quarter and will rectify my mistakes for Winter Quarter, where I pulled off a 4.0 last year--hopefully I can replicate it!!
Anyway, this is just a preview for what's to come, I've got some other things I'd like to blog about, and since I'm not buried in arduous work I should be able blog more frequently!
Cheers.
Anyway, I'm back home in San Diego for three whole weeks... which is beautiful! Although the weather is looking quite bleak as we've had rain for the past couple days and we're expecting some more. But we need it so I'm not complaining.
Fall quarter just blew by this year, I was up in SB for about 3 months, and it seems like yesterday when i was moving into my house. It's been a fun first quarter, cooking for myself hasn't been nearly as bad as I first feared, and living with my housemates has been a ton of fun.
School-wise, I've certainly had better days... I haven't got any grades back but I've got the feeling I got straight B's. That's not too terrible, but since my success of high school, I hold myself to higher standards. So we'll see, I know where I went wrong this quarter and will rectify my mistakes for Winter Quarter, where I pulled off a 4.0 last year--hopefully I can replicate it!!
Anyway, this is just a preview for what's to come, I've got some other things I'd like to blog about, and since I'm not buried in arduous work I should be able blog more frequently!
Cheers.
22 November 2008
Halloween: By the Numbers
Yeah this post is way late, but so what.
My school has the dubious distinction of being one of the top party schools in the nation. As such, our Halloween's here in Isla Vista are world-renowned, especially on the infamous Del Playa Drive. Incidentally, that's my street! So for Halloween (which lasted Thursday-Saturday) I had a front row seat of the madness unfolding before me. It was quite the experience.
The following Monday, our school newspaper had some interesting facts. From the long Halloween weekend here's some stats for some context:
We had an incredible 45,000 revelers from out of town (this is upswing of 60,000 people in a one square mile radius!)
There were 250 arrests (up from a mere 154 last year)
250 police officers from agencies around the state were in IV patrolling the streets (up from 150 a year ago)
560 citations were given (compared to 377 in 2007)
55 people were given emergency care (thankfully no deaths, which usually happens from people falling off the cliffs)
$1,000,000 in costs for police enforcement
50 cars were towed (on my street, there could be no cares parked on the street after 3:00 PM. Right after the stroke of 3:00, there was literally a dozen tow trucks driving around and towing cars. It was quite funny)
I wish I had pictures of how empty the streets were with no cars on them. During the daytime, IV had quite a festive atmosphere, which was pretty surreal to be apart of with all the out of towners descending on all the local food joints.
It was unbelievable to witness so much from the balcony of my house, with literally thousands of people on the street--solely pleasure-seeking. It broke my heart to see it, but God revealed his glory to wipe away the streets by inducing rain both Friday and Saturday night to scatter the partiers.
My school has the dubious distinction of being one of the top party schools in the nation. As such, our Halloween's here in Isla Vista are world-renowned, especially on the infamous Del Playa Drive. Incidentally, that's my street! So for Halloween (which lasted Thursday-Saturday) I had a front row seat of the madness unfolding before me. It was quite the experience.
The following Monday, our school newspaper had some interesting facts. From the long Halloween weekend here's some stats for some context:
We had an incredible 45,000 revelers from out of town (this is upswing of 60,000 people in a one square mile radius!)
There were 250 arrests (up from a mere 154 last year)
250 police officers from agencies around the state were in IV patrolling the streets (up from 150 a year ago)
560 citations were given (compared to 377 in 2007)
55 people were given emergency care (thankfully no deaths, which usually happens from people falling off the cliffs)
$1,000,000 in costs for police enforcement
50 cars were towed (on my street, there could be no cares parked on the street after 3:00 PM. Right after the stroke of 3:00, there was literally a dozen tow trucks driving around and towing cars. It was quite funny)
I wish I had pictures of how empty the streets were with no cars on them. During the daytime, IV had quite a festive atmosphere, which was pretty surreal to be apart of with all the out of towners descending on all the local food joints.
It was unbelievable to witness so much from the balcony of my house, with literally thousands of people on the street--solely pleasure-seeking. It broke my heart to see it, but God revealed his glory to wipe away the streets by inducing rain both Friday and Saturday night to scatter the partiers.
21 November 2008
Luck Is (Not) Hard to Come By
There's a relatively popular saying that "Luck is hard to come by"... and I'll be the first to refute this notion of stupidity. This may (certainly) be true for good luck, but I found it is increasingly easier to come across a streak in bad luck. Take for instance some mishaps in my life recently:
1. My camera broke. Yes, my priceless Canon Photoshot 10 megapixel kicked the can, and literally for like the 4th time in the last five months. I sent it back to the Canon service center in Elk Grove Village, IL (I only know this from having to mail it so many times!). As such, I have had the misfortune of being unable to record the absolutely gorgeous sunsets we've been having recently. After a month, I still have yet to receive it, but Canon was 'gracious' enough to provide us with a subtle replacement--a 7 megapixel Photoshot, a nice downgrade. Thanks to my maverick-y Dad, I am now being sent a 10 megapixel camera. Good riddance.
2. My cell phone broke. This has been an ongoing problem with my stupid LG 8600: everytime I would get a call the screen would go blank and I would have no idea as to who was calling me. So I had the bright idea to press against the screen (in the hopes that it would help) and proceeded to crack it! So I went about a week without a phone, but thankfully my contract was up and proceeded to purchase the LG Envi, and I absolutely love it!!
3. Single-vehicle crash: Yep, I'm a moron. I was on my bike the other day, lookin pretty cool riding around with no hands (like always) and got cocky. Literally 50 yards from my house, I decided to be 'smart' and unlock my U-lock... well that didn't go to well and ended flying off my bike with it landing on top of me. So embarrassing! Yoikes.
There's been other nagging things getting me down, but then I happened to read this verse in the book of James 1:2-4-- "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Upon reading this verse, my attitude in general about things drastically improved. In fact, in each of the above situations, everything worked out. Through persevering in the tough times of not having a phone or without a camera, I have viewed other aspects of my life more positively and have relied on God to get me through it, which has been acutely rewarding.
More posts to come...
1. My camera broke. Yes, my priceless Canon Photoshot 10 megapixel kicked the can, and literally for like the 4th time in the last five months. I sent it back to the Canon service center in Elk Grove Village, IL (I only know this from having to mail it so many times!). As such, I have had the misfortune of being unable to record the absolutely gorgeous sunsets we've been having recently. After a month, I still have yet to receive it, but Canon was 'gracious' enough to provide us with a subtle replacement--a 7 megapixel Photoshot, a nice downgrade. Thanks to my maverick-y Dad, I am now being sent a 10 megapixel camera. Good riddance.
2. My cell phone broke. This has been an ongoing problem with my stupid LG 8600: everytime I would get a call the screen would go blank and I would have no idea as to who was calling me. So I had the bright idea to press against the screen (in the hopes that it would help) and proceeded to crack it! So I went about a week without a phone, but thankfully my contract was up and proceeded to purchase the LG Envi, and I absolutely love it!!
3. Single-vehicle crash: Yep, I'm a moron. I was on my bike the other day, lookin pretty cool riding around with no hands (like always) and got cocky. Literally 50 yards from my house, I decided to be 'smart' and unlock my U-lock... well that didn't go to well and ended flying off my bike with it landing on top of me. So embarrassing! Yoikes.
There's been other nagging things getting me down, but then I happened to read this verse in the book of James 1:2-4-- "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Upon reading this verse, my attitude in general about things drastically improved. In fact, in each of the above situations, everything worked out. Through persevering in the tough times of not having a phone or without a camera, I have viewed other aspects of my life more positively and have relied on God to get me through it, which has been acutely rewarding.
More posts to come...
05 October 2008
School stuff
I believe this year of college is going to be a defining one for me, I'm taking my first upper div comm classes and I'm trying to find a subject with which to double-major. On top of that, I'll be holding two jobs: tutoring and working at the copy shop for the time being. But the best part is I'm looking forward to all these challenges so much!
My two comm classes are especially engaging and as a result, I think I may be blogging about the course content in the future. This will help me apply elements from the course for sure. My first class is Intergroup Communication, and my prof is Welsh-born, but he is an American citizen. He's very well respected in the international communication community, so it is a unique honor being in his class. He's very down to earth, evidenced that he insists we remain on a first name basis, so when i go to his office hours I can call him Howie instead of Dr. Giles, which I think is pretty cool!!
My other comm class is a Media Literacy course. The prof has a dry sense of humor, but he seems like a likable guy. Considering he wrote the textbook for our course, he definitely knows what he's talking about. He provides a unique outlook on media literacy, and he claims that because there is so much easily accessible information out there in the forms of music, online media, TV, and even blogs like this, that we need to exercise discernment and filter out unnecessary messages. This class has provoked my interest, and I will surely be blogging in the future about items concerning the media.
On another note altogether, I went on a run today to the Coal Point Preserve on campus and ran up the beach passed a fenced-area and discovered a host of trails up on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. I believe I have found a new and improved spot to take some awesome pictures from!! So maybe in future blogs I'll have some neat pics.
Okay that's enough for now, I'm still trying to build up my stamina to hold a steady blogging mentality. Ha!
Cheers.
My two comm classes are especially engaging and as a result, I think I may be blogging about the course content in the future. This will help me apply elements from the course for sure. My first class is Intergroup Communication, and my prof is Welsh-born, but he is an American citizen. He's very well respected in the international communication community, so it is a unique honor being in his class. He's very down to earth, evidenced that he insists we remain on a first name basis, so when i go to his office hours I can call him Howie instead of Dr. Giles, which I think is pretty cool!!
My other comm class is a Media Literacy course. The prof has a dry sense of humor, but he seems like a likable guy. Considering he wrote the textbook for our course, he definitely knows what he's talking about. He provides a unique outlook on media literacy, and he claims that because there is so much easily accessible information out there in the forms of music, online media, TV, and even blogs like this, that we need to exercise discernment and filter out unnecessary messages. This class has provoked my interest, and I will surely be blogging in the future about items concerning the media.
On another note altogether, I went on a run today to the Coal Point Preserve on campus and ran up the beach passed a fenced-area and discovered a host of trails up on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. I believe I have found a new and improved spot to take some awesome pictures from!! So maybe in future blogs I'll have some neat pics.
Okay that's enough for now, I'm still trying to build up my stamina to hold a steady blogging mentality. Ha!
Cheers.
27 September 2008
On the other side of the counter
Since moving up to Santa Barbara I've been on a mission... a job hunt of sorts. I learned from my mistakes in the past, and I applied to as many places as possible. I applied at the campus bookstore, library, rec center, and a couple places in Isla Vista (where i live).
Thankfully, after just a week of searching, I found a job! I started last Monday at the Alternative Copy Store, where students come in to pick up their readers for classes. For the past two days there it has been an absolute nuthouse with people coming in to grab their readers. I work at the cash register, and now I'm a pro at charging via credit or with cash, which is a useful skill for potential jobs in the future. It has been quite interesting being on the 'other side' of proceedings and asking for people's id and conversing with them casually. To be honest I like it, and I've got to say Comm majors are by far the most friendly customers, especially the ladies ;)
All in all, I'm quite pleased that God was able to provide me with a job so quickly. I need the money thanks to buying my own groceries and other expenses I didn't need to deal with before.
That's it for now, I'll blog about other topics some time real soon.
Until then,
Cheers!
Thankfully, after just a week of searching, I found a job! I started last Monday at the Alternative Copy Store, where students come in to pick up their readers for classes. For the past two days there it has been an absolute nuthouse with people coming in to grab their readers. I work at the cash register, and now I'm a pro at charging via credit or with cash, which is a useful skill for potential jobs in the future. It has been quite interesting being on the 'other side' of proceedings and asking for people's id and conversing with them casually. To be honest I like it, and I've got to say Comm majors are by far the most friendly customers, especially the ladies ;)
All in all, I'm quite pleased that God was able to provide me with a job so quickly. I need the money thanks to buying my own groceries and other expenses I didn't need to deal with before.
That's it for now, I'll blog about other topics some time real soon.
Until then,
Cheers!
18 September 2008
Change in Blog
So over the course of the Summer I've been thinking of changing the title of this blog, cause "Into the Deep" sounds really heavy and serious. I want to blog about the lighter things in life, but I won't neglect some serious business rolling around in my noggin.
I'm gonna be keepin it real--no masquerade business here. This blog is a work in progress (just like me) so the name might change if I can think of something better.
Welcome to Real Time.
100% real. 100% of the time.
I'm gonna be keepin it real--no masquerade business here. This blog is a work in progress (just like me) so the name might change if I can think of something better.
Welcome to Real Time.
100% real. 100% of the time.
Summer That Was
Well I'm back up in Santa Barbara, which can mean only one thing-- School's about to start. Although it doesn't quite feel like that yet, because every morning I wake up to eat breakfast on a balcony with a beautiful ocean view. I watch the few people that are getting started on their day and observe the surprising amount of hummingbirds and bumble bees we have flying around a tree next to our house. Yeah life's quite rough here, I'm gonna just barely scrape by I think.
My summer back in San Diego was great, I really missed the comforts that Home had to offer. I read the Shack -which I will try to reread before school starts up- and started looking for jobs when I got home. It was quite an epic adventure finding work, let me tell you. I worked as a manual laborer for a couple days, and other than that I was striking out. I had two interviews with a Vans store and 'just barely missed the cut' and an embarrassing one at Sammy's Pizza that lasted all of two minutes since I never had eaten there before. Haha. But after waiting, I finally picked up a job working at a dog kennel. My sister worked there and told me they were hiring, so I jumped at the chance with desperation. Then a couple weeks later I picked up a second job at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. So on days when I had both jobs I worked over 13 hours a day! But it definitely helped to make up for the time I lost not working.
The coolest moment I had this Summer has to be when the four of us made our monthly visit to Disneyland. We stayed for a couple days at the Paradise Pier Hotel and it had a great view of the park. We ate at the Blue Bayou restaurant and it was exquisite! All in all, I'm so glad I was able to make the adjustment of living at Home again and I'm so thankful for my family... which is something I'll never take for granted.
There's so much more I could write, but I'll hold off or else this blog will be ridiculously long. Hopefully I'll be on here soon.
Cheers
My summer back in San Diego was great, I really missed the comforts that Home had to offer. I read the Shack -which I will try to reread before school starts up- and started looking for jobs when I got home. It was quite an epic adventure finding work, let me tell you. I worked as a manual laborer for a couple days, and other than that I was striking out. I had two interviews with a Vans store and 'just barely missed the cut' and an embarrassing one at Sammy's Pizza that lasted all of two minutes since I never had eaten there before. Haha. But after waiting, I finally picked up a job working at a dog kennel. My sister worked there and told me they were hiring, so I jumped at the chance with desperation. Then a couple weeks later I picked up a second job at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. So on days when I had both jobs I worked over 13 hours a day! But it definitely helped to make up for the time I lost not working.
The coolest moment I had this Summer has to be when the four of us made our monthly visit to Disneyland. We stayed for a couple days at the Paradise Pier Hotel and it had a great view of the park. We ate at the Blue Bayou restaurant and it was exquisite! All in all, I'm so glad I was able to make the adjustment of living at Home again and I'm so thankful for my family... which is something I'll never take for granted.
There's so much more I could write, but I'll hold off or else this blog will be ridiculously long. Hopefully I'll be on here soon.
Cheers
27 June 2008
It's Summer Time
Well this post is two weeks late, but better late then never. Officially, I have been home from Santa Barbara for two weeks now. Its been an adjustment of different sorts, as my family structure has changed a lot in just the 9 months I've been away. I'm still getting used to being here abiding by the house rules, and they're still getting used to me being obnoxious. Haha.
I'm proud to say that I survived my first year at UCSB with all of my values intact. I went to parties, but as a witness to my faith, never drank. It would have been all too easy for me to indulge with the majority of my peers, but I stuck to my guns and I am so happy that I did.
On the schoolwork front, I wasn't as prolific as I thought I was gonna be, but next year I have something to shoot for. I got a 3.43 fall quarter, a 4.0 Winter Quarter, and a 3.57 for Spring Quarter. Overall, I have a 3.65 GPA, which is pretty decent and I'm proud of it. Next year however, I want it above a 3.8, so we'll see if I can step it up a notch.
Well for now that's my first post of summer, but I'm in a blogging mood so I'll continue soon. This blog will be experiencing some changes, to reflect my changes since last August when I started this thing. You'll see.
For now, I get to watch the emasculating Enchanted movie cause we're learning about it on Sunday at church. Ugh.
Adios for now
I'm proud to say that I survived my first year at UCSB with all of my values intact. I went to parties, but as a witness to my faith, never drank. It would have been all too easy for me to indulge with the majority of my peers, but I stuck to my guns and I am so happy that I did.
On the schoolwork front, I wasn't as prolific as I thought I was gonna be, but next year I have something to shoot for. I got a 3.43 fall quarter, a 4.0 Winter Quarter, and a 3.57 for Spring Quarter. Overall, I have a 3.65 GPA, which is pretty decent and I'm proud of it. Next year however, I want it above a 3.8, so we'll see if I can step it up a notch.
Well for now that's my first post of summer, but I'm in a blogging mood so I'll continue soon. This blog will be experiencing some changes, to reflect my changes since last August when I started this thing. You'll see.
For now, I get to watch the emasculating Enchanted movie cause we're learning about it on Sunday at church. Ugh.
Adios for now
03 April 2008
Pics from Another Sunset Here in SB
Well God continues to provide me with absolutely gorgeous sunsets... here's a couple pictures. I'll post more later on...
Cheers!
31 March 2008
Back in Santa Barbara
Well I'm back up here in the sunny Central Coast, although it has been quite chilly today compared to the nice heat in San Diego. My Spring Break couldn't have been more perfect, very relaxing and refreshing to spend time with my family. Unfortunately, it reminded me of how much I miss the comforts of home!
Oh well... now I'm a big bad Junior at UCSB. Yep you read that right, I'm a first-year JUNIOR at a prestigious university. Pretty darn cool that all that work in high school paid off. Though I'm a junior already, I'm still not entirely sure if I'll be able to graduate a year early. But boy oh boy I would love to do so if possible.
Later on in the week I'll prolly post a few pics of my Spring Break, which included stops at Disneyland and the surprisingly beautiful desert. The desert was actually green and just about all the cacti were in full bloom, it was quite a sight. Of course, we were only able to spend about half a day out there as the winds chased us out around 9 that night.
Well I'm getting ready to have some delicious food from the dining commons so I'll be able to blog a little bit later on.
Adios for now.
Oh well... now I'm a big bad Junior at UCSB. Yep you read that right, I'm a first-year JUNIOR at a prestigious university. Pretty darn cool that all that work in high school paid off. Though I'm a junior already, I'm still not entirely sure if I'll be able to graduate a year early. But boy oh boy I would love to do so if possible.
Later on in the week I'll prolly post a few pics of my Spring Break, which included stops at Disneyland and the surprisingly beautiful desert. The desert was actually green and just about all the cacti were in full bloom, it was quite a sight. Of course, we were only able to spend about half a day out there as the winds chased us out around 9 that night.
Well I'm getting ready to have some delicious food from the dining commons so I'll be able to blog a little bit later on.
Adios for now.
13 March 2008
Some stuff floating around in my head...
Wow, I've been in the blogging frame of mine I guess these past couple days. There's been some stuff floating around in my noggin, for quite some time actually. I've had a sticky note posted on my desk since before Christmas to blog on this, so hopefully I can write it down so it sounds halfway decent.
Okay, so going to UCSB (or just about any college I imagine) I've been exposed to A LOT of stuff that I never had to even contemplate about before school started. It's very rare for my floor if there are no random girls running into guys' rooms, people drinking in the rooms, and recently I've been hearing people are moving on to hardcore 'psychedelics' to tickle their fancy. Wow.
Anyway, that's besides the point, the key thing that I'm interested in is the rationale behind these behaviors. Ready? Cause it's is not totally revolutionary... their rationale is the saying 'you only live once and that's it.' So in their view, we've got one shot at life and its up to us to make the most of it and experience as much as we can. One guy on my floor, who calls himself a 'fervent atheist' says when he's on the hardcore drugs, his entire body tingles from the 'top of [his] head, to the bottom of [his] feet' and he fears absolutely nothing, not even death. He says he's not afraid because once he dies that's it, and that would be good enough for him.
As I was sitting in the lounge listening to the above conversation while it was taking place (the atheist guy was conversing with another guy, both of whom were on something because they said the couches were 'breathing'), I was trying to visualize what it would feel like to feel this raw energy pulsing through me with no worries in the world. To be honest, my initial reaction was 'wow that would feel pretty good,' and at that point I nearly slapped myself for thinking that. Yeah, it probably provides a potent, yet temporary relief for life's struggles, but it certainly does nothing to wipe them away completely. At this point, I realized that God can provide that legitimately, and if I can learn to put things out of my worry and into his immensely comfortable hands, I won't feel as stressed and I won't see things 'breathing'--which would be pretty trippy I think.
This entire situation that is occurring not only on my environment, but just about everywhere else on the planet, is downright... sad, depressing, even a little pathetic. I know that sounds pretty harsh, and I feel that way only because I've been supremely fortunate enough to have grown up in an environment where I realize life has so much more to offer. I attribute this attitude to my family and my faith, and both have grown to become the cornerstones of my life.
So what I'm going to talk about is why I don't feel the need to go 'all out' throughout life, and I hope other Christians uphold this view too because it is quite important.
Okay, here goes.
For God-fearing, Bible-believing Christians, our life on earth is only temporary and if we can live by the tenets of the bible, by inviting Christ into our lives and accepting him as our savior who died for us so that we could live eternally, we will join Him in heaven. What a day that'll be eh? Anyway, I believe that is why (for me at least) the urge to go all out and experience things like the 'typical' college experience isn't there for Christians as much. I can draw a bit of consensus, cause, fortunately, the guys I'm living with next year feel the same way, which is such a blessing. And because Christians realize there is so much God is wanting to offer us, it makes it a little comforting to know we don't have to conform to the world's standards.
It's kinda cool to think that the reason I don't do these things is cause 'I might get in trouble' but instead, because I don't want these things to get in the way of my Walk and deviate from God's plan. It's a comforting notion, and I wish I had this attitude 24/7 because then I would always have a positive outlook on things, no matter the circumstances.
So hopefully the majority of this made sense, I've been battling a persistent headache for the past 2 days and now its starting to be a bother.
Hmm... now I guess now I can finally take the sticky note down, 'bout time too.
Cheers!
Okay, so going to UCSB (or just about any college I imagine) I've been exposed to A LOT of stuff that I never had to even contemplate about before school started. It's very rare for my floor if there are no random girls running into guys' rooms, people drinking in the rooms, and recently I've been hearing people are moving on to hardcore 'psychedelics' to tickle their fancy. Wow.
Anyway, that's besides the point, the key thing that I'm interested in is the rationale behind these behaviors. Ready? Cause it's is not totally revolutionary... their rationale is the saying 'you only live once and that's it.' So in their view, we've got one shot at life and its up to us to make the most of it and experience as much as we can. One guy on my floor, who calls himself a 'fervent atheist' says when he's on the hardcore drugs, his entire body tingles from the 'top of [his] head, to the bottom of [his] feet' and he fears absolutely nothing, not even death. He says he's not afraid because once he dies that's it, and that would be good enough for him.
As I was sitting in the lounge listening to the above conversation while it was taking place (the atheist guy was conversing with another guy, both of whom were on something because they said the couches were 'breathing'), I was trying to visualize what it would feel like to feel this raw energy pulsing through me with no worries in the world. To be honest, my initial reaction was 'wow that would feel pretty good,' and at that point I nearly slapped myself for thinking that. Yeah, it probably provides a potent, yet temporary relief for life's struggles, but it certainly does nothing to wipe them away completely. At this point, I realized that God can provide that legitimately, and if I can learn to put things out of my worry and into his immensely comfortable hands, I won't feel as stressed and I won't see things 'breathing'--which would be pretty trippy I think.
This entire situation that is occurring not only on my environment, but just about everywhere else on the planet, is downright... sad, depressing, even a little pathetic. I know that sounds pretty harsh, and I feel that way only because I've been supremely fortunate enough to have grown up in an environment where I realize life has so much more to offer. I attribute this attitude to my family and my faith, and both have grown to become the cornerstones of my life.
So what I'm going to talk about is why I don't feel the need to go 'all out' throughout life, and I hope other Christians uphold this view too because it is quite important.
Okay, here goes.
For God-fearing, Bible-believing Christians, our life on earth is only temporary and if we can live by the tenets of the bible, by inviting Christ into our lives and accepting him as our savior who died for us so that we could live eternally, we will join Him in heaven. What a day that'll be eh? Anyway, I believe that is why (for me at least) the urge to go all out and experience things like the 'typical' college experience isn't there for Christians as much. I can draw a bit of consensus, cause, fortunately, the guys I'm living with next year feel the same way, which is such a blessing. And because Christians realize there is so much God is wanting to offer us, it makes it a little comforting to know we don't have to conform to the world's standards.
It's kinda cool to think that the reason I don't do these things is cause 'I might get in trouble' but instead, because I don't want these things to get in the way of my Walk and deviate from God's plan. It's a comforting notion, and I wish I had this attitude 24/7 because then I would always have a positive outlook on things, no matter the circumstances.
So hopefully the majority of this made sense, I've been battling a persistent headache for the past 2 days and now its starting to be a bother.
Hmm... now I guess now I can finally take the sticky note down, 'bout time too.
Cheers!
11 March 2008
Still more pics...
Earlier today, I was working on an 8-page paper under the shade of a palm tree. How cool is that? There are very few kids in the entire nation that can say that. It's just mind-boggling.
Well tonight I had the sudden urge to go take pics of the sunset, and boy was I rewarded. It still blows my mind that I actually get to go to a school as beautiful as this.
Anyway, enough of me typing here... here's some of my beautiful photography. Not to sound conceited, but I'll wager they look pretty da*n good. Of course I meant 'darn,' not the other word. Haha.
My personal favorite is the last one with the sun behind the ivy. I looked like a total dork lying down taking this shot, but I think it looks pretty cool. There are a couple more pics that could be uploaded, and maybe they will in the future.
Okay, enough blogging for today. Maybe I'll blog again soon!
2/3 of the Way There!
So right now I'm in the 10th week of my Winter Quarter, which means I'm one week away from finals and Spring Break!! And that means I'm 2/3 of the way done with my first year in college!
This quarter has been going quite smoothly, as I'm only taking three classes. And as a result, I'm looking at A's across the board as long as I do well on my finals. So my first 4.0 would be a pretty sweet way to start break.
I'm excited to get out of the dorms, its been nice living on campus because everything is pretty close to where I'm living, but it will be so much better living with 5 other legitimate Christian guys. For many reasons, I've never been able to click very well with most dudes, but with these guys I think I'll be able to share a brotherhood that could last a lifetime and I'm so stoked for it.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting other Freshmen Christians on campus, and had a great time. I didn't know anyone except my housemates, and they knew pretty much everybody else because they go to Real Life (our Christian group on campus) on Thursday nights. I'll be joining them next quarter because I won't have class on Thursday nights!!
Anyway, we played this intense game called 'kajabe' (pronounced ka-job-e) and I won the first one, got second in the second round, and third in the third round. So by the end of the rounds, everyone pretty much knew me and I got a chance to impress the ladies. ;) We also played volleyball and other random games. All in all it was a ton of fun.
The pic to the right was taken at what's called Campus Point, overlooking the entire Pacific. We did worship there for the sunset and it was freezing cold! But it was pretty awesome, and reminded me when I got up for the sunrise in the desert with my youth group junior year to do worship.
After worship, one of my housemates (his name is Wade and I might be rooming with him next year) gave a short message on Unity and the importance of leadership. So I'm really really looking forward to get involved in this and I think the Freshmen class has a unique opportunity to grow pretty close in an environment that is in desperate need for more god-fearing individuals.
This quarter has been going quite smoothly, as I'm only taking three classes. And as a result, I'm looking at A's across the board as long as I do well on my finals. So my first 4.0 would be a pretty sweet way to start break.
I'm excited to get out of the dorms, its been nice living on campus because everything is pretty close to where I'm living, but it will be so much better living with 5 other legitimate Christian guys. For many reasons, I've never been able to click very well with most dudes, but with these guys I think I'll be able to share a brotherhood that could last a lifetime and I'm so stoked for it.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting other Freshmen Christians on campus, and had a great time. I didn't know anyone except my housemates, and they knew pretty much everybody else because they go to Real Life (our Christian group on campus) on Thursday nights. I'll be joining them next quarter because I won't have class on Thursday nights!!
Anyway, we played this intense game called 'kajabe' (pronounced ka-job-e) and I won the first one, got second in the second round, and third in the third round. So by the end of the rounds, everyone pretty much knew me and I got a chance to impress the ladies. ;) We also played volleyball and other random games. All in all it was a ton of fun.
The pic to the right was taken at what's called Campus Point, overlooking the entire Pacific. We did worship there for the sunset and it was freezing cold! But it was pretty awesome, and reminded me when I got up for the sunrise in the desert with my youth group junior year to do worship.
After worship, one of my housemates (his name is Wade and I might be rooming with him next year) gave a short message on Unity and the importance of leadership. So I'm really really looking forward to get involved in this and I think the Freshmen class has a unique opportunity to grow pretty close in an environment that is in desperate need for more god-fearing individuals.
03 March 2008
Quick Update...
Man oh man I wish I was more disciplined to go on here more often. Lots of stuff has been happening the past few weeks.
One of the biggest pieces of news is I now what I'm going to be doing for housing next year and I couldn't be more excited about it. I'm going to be living on what is known around here as DP, Del Playa Drive, which runs right along the cliffs of the beaches in Isla Vista. Though its absolutely gorgeous, DP has the glowing reputation as being the wildest and best place to party in Isla Vista. With that said, I'm living in a mini Christian community on this famous drive and it provides a unique missions field.
I'm going to be living with five other devout Christians next year, four of which are in my bible study. The guys in my bible study (Wade, Clay, Jon, and Raj) are all pretty cool guys and I'm excited to live with them for next year. The other guy is named Andy, and I've only met him a couple times, but he seems like a pretty cool guy too. We're living next to Isla Vista church, which is just another regular house on DP, though its different because they have services.
The house itself is a two-story duplex, and we're going to be on the top floor!! We have a little patio on top, which has ocean views... so pretty sweet. And that's only the beginning of the goodness of this house.... beach access is about a good thirty second walk out our front door and there is a little park area directly across from us. In addition, we have a prayer shed on our property and a study room shed... both of which are at least 500 square feet I'd say. And, we have laundry and parking off the street for our house as well. So to sum it up... I'm stoked!!! Oh, I also forgot to mention, every Friday night from 10:30-1:00 in the morning, the Christian community in Isla Vista meets up at our house and cooks burgers to give out to all the drunks running out on DP, and it provides a way to evangelize to others. It's looking like a pretty sweet deal!!
24 January 2008
45? No Way!
So the scraggly guy on the left is actual my very youthful Dad, who incredibly turns 45 tomorrow. Of course you wouldn't know it considering how he carves up snowy slopes while snowboarding and his immense strength to bully a 500 pound rock out of the ground. Not to mention he still probably beats me in a 200m sprint, though with a 2 second head start. ;)
When I get to be that age, I hope I can do half of what he does because after all, he is 'Christ-man.' Haha.
Anyway, Happy Birthday Dad!!
--Love Christ-Boy
Pics of UCSB...
Well, to fulfill my goal of 10 posts, this one I'm going to dedicate to some awesome pics I have taken here at SB. Actually, a couple of them I took just this week. Amazing how we get to enjoy this type of scenery up here... hmm I wonder if Berkeley or UCLA get to enjoy this.
It's been awhile...
Yep it sure has, loads has happened from the tail-end of October. Yikes!
In that time, I completed my first quarter at UCSB by the skin of my teeth, enjoyed Thanksgiving and a lengthy Christmas break, and even picked up my first collegiate girlfriend along the way. So yeah, lots of stuff has gone down.
As one of my late New Year's resolutions, my goal is to blog at least 10 times a month. With a fair amount of commitment I think I'll be able to accomplish it. So we'll see.
I'm going to keep this one short for now, but rest assured more will be on the way.
And it won't take me another three months to produce another post, I guarantee it. ;)
In that time, I completed my first quarter at UCSB by the skin of my teeth, enjoyed Thanksgiving and a lengthy Christmas break, and even picked up my first collegiate girlfriend along the way. So yeah, lots of stuff has gone down.
As one of my late New Year's resolutions, my goal is to blog at least 10 times a month. With a fair amount of commitment I think I'll be able to accomplish it. So we'll see.
I'm going to keep this one short for now, but rest assured more will be on the way.
And it won't take me another three months to produce another post, I guarantee it. ;)
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