and the heart of the alvinator.
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Friday, January 31, 2003 Lebron James High School Prep basketball phenom Lebron James has been just ruled ineligible by the Ohio High School Athletic Association for accepting two sports jerseys from a clothing store, worth a combined $845. His team will basically go on without him. They were ranked #1 in the nation. He was recently cleared for accepting a Hummer that his mom gave to him on his 18th birthday. He is the best high school player in the country and is anticipated to be taken #1 in the next NBA draft. Hmm...kinda' sad that he is ruled ineligible, but also kinda' a mixed blessing in disguise. Although he let down his teammates and his school, he basically has opened the floodgates for now being able to accept endorsements without worrying about being under such scrutiny. He can take care of his mom and begin to prepare for the NBA. I'm sure he knew the rules of the OHSAA before accepting the jerseys, especially with all the controversy surrounding the Hummer, but isn't it a bit selfish that he put himself above the team. posted by alvin | Friday, January 31, 2003 Thursday, January 30, 2003 Reflections This is one of my favorites songs. I'll just post the first verse. Changed By Your Glory (Andy Park) In You I see a reflection Of the one You are making me to be As I behold Your reflection I am changed by the brightness of Your glory I like this song because it talks about what we are to become. My desire is to become more like Christ every day, and this songs always brings me into reminder of that. posted by alvin | Thursday, January 30, 2003 Letting Go I strugged with understanding why a voltage divider didn't work on the board yesterday at work. [R1/(R1+R2)] * Vin = Vout. That is what I learned at school, and that is what was supposed to happen on the board...in theory of course...pretty simple. Well, it didn't work to theory, and actually, I wasn't able to root cause the issue, as to why I was seeing such a low voltage on the output. A couple years ago I would get pretty frustrated with not being to bring this issue with closure, but God has taught me just to be able to let things go, and not let them affect others areas of my life. It's been a very tough and humbling journey in that process though. My journey began back my junior year in EEC180A (digital circuits i), when we did this lab on a M-S flip-flop, lab #4. Although this was a very straight forward and easy lab, I never finished it. I redid this experiment like 15 times, using different boards and different parts...nothing worked. I lost half the points because my experiment failed. I tried the best I could, and that was all I could do. I learned to let go...take my hit in points, and move on. Don't worry, those points didn't affect my grade that drastically. Anyways, that lesson I first learned junior year helped me grow substantially. Some things in life, definitely don't go your way: career, school, family, friendships, relationships...and the list goes on. All I can say...is try your best. If it doesn't work out, it's fine, it's alright, it's okay...don't dwell and make yourself feel guilty over certain things and just let it go. posted by alvin | Thursday, January 30, 2003 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 School Don't call me a nerd, but growing up I always enjoyed the structure of school. I can't say I always enjoyed the homework, but I enjoyed the consistency in intellectual learning. Back in college, I discovered that I learned better from books than from actual lecture, but also understood that I needed the structure of class to keep me accountable in the learning process. I know that if I don't take classes, but motivate myself to study and really buckle down, I can be successful...however, the issue is the motivation. I know I need to learn Mandarin (since coming back from China that was something God has placed on my heart), but motivating myself has been hard. I need to sit-back and see the big picture. I was considering taking this Mandarin class at Mission College this semester, but it was for like 15 weeks, and growing up in a 10-week quarter-system, I'm like...wow...that's a lot of class and commitment, and I didn't do it...i'm such a slacker. I justified it because I will learn on my own. So bottom line I am going to hold true to what I said and I going to push and motivate myself to learn it. posted by alvin | Tuesday, January 28, 2003 Monday, January 27, 2003 Inconceivable As we studied at RW on fri., we did an activity in which we drew treasures in heaven and treasures on earth. Common themes from the treasures on earth were family, money, success, power, houses, cars, jewelry, marriage, and skills. Common themes from the treasures in heaven focused around the presence of God. I was reminded of this verse, from 2nd Cor. 9, "However, as it is written: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him'". I imagine the best things in this world, and what could possibly be in heaven, and I am reminded that heaven is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo far awesomer that I can imagine. posted by alvin | Monday, January 27, 2003 Superbowl Defense WINS championships. The #1 ranked Oakland offense, vs. #1 ranked Tampa Bay defense...defense emerged victorious. Season MVP threw 5 interceptions. Crazy...However, one big point is that Barrett Robbins, All-Pro center and leader of the offensive line missed the game. Without good pass protection, Rich Gannon had lots of trouble getting enough time to make plays. So...defense WINS championships. Back when I was at HP, we had a bocce ball tournament, and this was the phrase I used. E and I had a tough match, and we were up like 14-9 or something like that (15 pts. to win a match in bocce ball), and I kept telling him, "Defense wins championships." However, as we adopted this methodology instead of our high risk attacking offensive strategy, we actually lost, like 15-14. Our defense was poor, because we specialized in offense. My point, tough defense, plays a huge role in determining championships. posted by alvin | Monday, January 27, 2003 Friday, January 24, 2003 Golden State Warriors This week the Warriors have beaten both the Lakers (on the road) and the Nets at home, 114-110 and 105-97 respectively. The Lakers and Nets were the two teams playing in the NBA finals last year. I will be going to the Warriors vs. Jazz game tomorrow night, and I am looking forward to hopefully seeing another win. The latest games have been pretty impressive for this young team coached under Eric Musselman. What I like about the Warriors is their heart and attitude. This heart, attitude and hustle hasn't been that impressive over the last couple years. Little Earl Boykins, standing 5'5" tall personifies this new intensity. Coming off the bench, he is known as their clutch scorer when the game is on the line. With their young roster, it almost makes me dream about the good things that might happen in the future. Could the Warriors be following the footsteps of the Kings and Mavericks in success? I hope so. =P. posted by alvin | Friday, January 24, 2003 Thursday, January 23, 2003 Being STILL Imagine over 600,000 Israelite men, not including women and children, leaving Egypt. Pharoah changes his mind, gets 600 of his best chariots and other chariots too and begins chasing them. How would you feel? The Israelites were scared, as I would be, and thought they were going to die. However, I am encouraged by what Moses said. "Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be STILL.'" Ex. 14:13-14 Cool...all you gotta' be is STILL. Nice. I like that. However, being STILL requires a lot of faith and trust that He will come through. One of my favorite verses, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10. Many times I am caught up in being so busy, doing this and that, that I am just not STILL. A good reminder... posted by alvin | Thursday, January 23, 2003 Depth vs. Breadth I remember Steve Hoke both at Perspectives and WCC talk on the idea of going deep with God. Many times we spread ourselves very thin, serving a lot in church, or blessing a lot of people. Our service should be a reflection of a deep relationship with God. It is when we go really deep with Him, that He reveals and teaches us many new things. posted by alvin | Thursday, January 23, 2003 Tuesday, January 21, 2003 God's Will I have heard a lot of people recently been asking what is God's will. How do I know that I am at the center of God's will? What is God's will for my life? From the study on Experiencing God, I remember that instead of asking "what is God's will for my life," you are supposed to ask, "what is God's will, and how do I align myself to His will?" I think as young adults, many of us struggle with just having a clear understanding of God's will. "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess. 5:16-18. BAM...there it is...the Bible has many verses that are specific about God's will like that. R, during our Hong Kong debriefing for summer missions, touched upon God's will. He said, these 3 things need to be taken care of. 1. Love Him most 2. Seek Him first 3. Walk humbly with Him What is awesome is that God gives us tremendous freedom in our Christian lives, and definitely still seek God for guidance and wisdom when we need to make important decisions and choices. So, in career, in marriage, in life, if we hold true to those three areas, any decision can be in the center of God's will. =P. posted by alvin | Tuesday, January 21, 2003 Sunday, January 19, 2003 Five Love Languages This book by Gary Chapman talks about how different people express and receive love in different ways. The five love languages are a) words of affirmation, b) quality time, c) receiving gifts, d) acts of service, and e) physical touch. The purpose of understanding your own love language, is so you can better understand you receive love. If your significant other (s.o.), always gave you love through gifts, but your love language was quality time...by receiving many gifts, it doesn't make you feel loved. Likewise, if quality time is important, and you receive lots of words of affirmation, but not a lot of time, then you won't feel loved. One question you are supposed to ask your s.o., "How is your emotional love tank?" The book talks about having primary and secondary love languages. However, I discovered, that even for myself, I have multiple languages of love, and it is necessary to fill multiple tanks so I can feel loved, but at different times and circumstances, I feel loved and need love in different ways. For me, my love languages in order are a) quality time, b) words of affirmation, and c) physical touch. My outgoing love languages (or easiest ways for me to show love) are a) acts of service, b) quality time, c) words of affirmation. posted by alvin | Sunday, January 19, 2003 Friday, January 17, 2003 Prayer of Detachment I first learned this prayer at WCC 2002, and still pray through it occasionally. Any person wanting to die to the things of the world, should pray this. Deliver me, O Jesus from the desire of being loved, from the desire of being extolled, from the desire of being praised, from the desire of being preferred, from the desire of being consulted, from the desire of being approved, from the desire of being popular. Deliver me, O Jesus from the fear of being humiliated, from the fear of being despised, from the fear of suffering rebukes, from the fear of being forgotten, from the fear of being wronged, from the fear of being ridiculed, from the fear that others may be loved more than I. Jesus, grant me the desire that others may be esteemed more than I, that in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, that others may be chosen and I set aside, that others may be praised and I unnoticed, that others may be became holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should. - John of the Cross (1542-1591) posted by alvin | Friday, January 17, 2003 Thursday, January 16, 2003 Barometers at RW we have been going through a series on the sermon on the mount in matthew. we have studied the first 18 verses in Matt. 6 and one take away theme was on acts of righteousness. bottom line...our private life with Christ is our true spiritual barometer and not what is shown on the outside. that has been a good reminder for me. posted by alvin | Thursday, January 16, 2003 Swing Dancing i just tonight completed my 2nd lesson of beginning lindy hop at alberto's . honestly, it makes you quite dizzy when you keep doing the swing-out from open basic step a repeated amount of times. during the lesson, i did like 20 in a row. dizzy... anyways, i started learning east coast (single and triple step), last year in 2002 for 8 weeks, and then started this lindy hop stuff. it's quite a workout. anyways, i never had the opportunity to learn how to swing dance during college, and finally had the opportunity to last year. i have enjoyed the opportunities for personal growth through dancing. if you knew me in college, and my college buddies can attest, i would be the last guy you would see on the dance floor. =P. anyways, a couple thoughts on dancing and life... guys are really insecure when it comes to dancing, and most guys won't dance because they aren't good at it. the male ego is a very tricky thing. i encourage you, especially guys out there, to try it. it doesn't hurt to try. dancing has helped my humility a lot, but has also built my confidence. you can observe that there are lots of guys who are better than you, and you just accept it, and try your best. i keep a better perspective on where the source of my confidence comes from (being a child of God)...and not on my abilities or accomplishments. dancing parallels a lot about relationships. as the guy...you are supposed to lead...what is interesting that is when the girl tries to lead...things usually get messed up, but you can still have a good time. leading is a privilege and an opportunity to serve another person, if you do it well. girls aren't born followers. they can follow when the guy is a good lead. when the guy is a good lead, and the girl is a good follower, it's a pretty sight to watch. that's how it is supposed to be in a marriage: the guy being an effective spiritual leader. being an effective spiritual leader isn't easy...just like dancing isn't easy...it takes work, practice, humility, and definitely refinement. what i appreciate is that as i'm learning how to dance (i'm not very good), the girls i dance with are usually pretty patient and understanding, and pretty encouraging. that has helped a lot. i desire to be a great spiritual leader...one whom a girl can easily follow, and just like dancing, all i can do is try my best. i realized i need a helpmate that is patient, understanding and encouraging to me. posted by alvin | Thursday, January 16, 2003 Engineering back in high school, i didn't know what being an engineer entailed. i thought i might be driving trains for a living. all i knew is that my dad was an engineer. as i grew up, i always wanted to become a pediatrician. however, once i realized that doctors had to go to school for like 4 more years after college, plus another 3 years of residency...i was like..."umm...i'm not sure i can handle that much school." so, after medicine was not a choice, i pursued engineering. i started out as a computer science and engineering major at ucdavis , but i didn't really understand this major too clearly. from the h/w to s/w spectrum, there is electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science and engineering, and computer science. so, after deciding i wanted to pursue the h/w engineering route, i went ahead and changed my major the 3rd quarter to EE. i came out of college not sure what i really wanted to do, but what i am doing now, really fits me well. i am a board designer...in a nutshell, if you look inside your computer and see the green thing...that is what i help to build. i really enjoy hands-on type of work, and solving problems, debugging. in my current job, since i do reference board design there are also opportunities to work with customers, so that definitely helps to grow my people skills. but is engineering what i am totally passionate about...can i see myself doing this the rest of my life? i have been contemplating this question lately, and quite honestly...i don't know...i am passionate about what God wants, one day seeing all nations worshipping Him...and if engineering is where He wants me to be to do that...totally, i'm there...but i sense there is definitely something more...what that is...i don't know, and i pray that He will show me the way. posted by alvin | Thursday, January 16, 2003 Tuesday, January 14, 2003 Personalities... in my relationships with people, much discussion has centered on meyer's briggs personality characteristics. four letters can define a person pretty well, and who they are supposed to be with. however, one of my favorite disclaimers is that two developed people can still lead to a successful relationship. well, for me, I am proud to say that i am an INTJ. read about all the personalities at www.personalitypage.com. some people have felt that these 4-letters tend to put people in boxes. instead of looking at it as putting people in boxes, it should be looked at by providing a reference point for a person and their personality. as you get to know people at a deeper level, you can validate or invalidate these personality characteristics. obviously, not all of the described characteristics of a personality will fit a person, but in my overall opinion, i feel that they can describe a person fairly well. the letters are something we can use as a tool to better discover what areas of our character we need to grow. posted by alvin | Tuesday, January 14, 2003 Decision Making After I got laid-offed HP, I was considering heading over to China. The following was from J.R. McGee, the director of Gift of Joy Community Training Center after I told him I found a job with Broadcom. "This world doesn't need more people in China. This world needs more people totally abandoned to God. So we totally support your decision because we trust your heart!!!" I like that...totally abandoned to God wherever we are. =P. posted by alvin | Tuesday, January 14, 2003 Monday, January 13, 2003 Bandwagonning it is an interesting phenomenon. from Webster's dictionary, bandwagon is defined as "a cause or party that attracts increasing numbers of adherents." i was trying to better understand the "social" tendencies of groups, and my own social tendencies. so...i was thinking about this bandwagonning concept a bit. m asked me, "would you go play bball with RW if there would be only girls there?" i told m, "yeah, as long as there are 5s going on. i don't really mind if there are girls or guys as long as there is enough to play full court." i wanted to come to a conclusion, that it doesn't matter to me who's going, and i won't be swayed by others. well, after discussing with m, i thought about it some more, and wanted to say, that yeah, to me, it doesn't matter who really goes to things, because if i really want to go to an activity, i'll still go and don't need to make sure that others will be going to. however, i did realize, that for events where i am borderline interested, bandwagonning plays a huge role. i remember watching this movie, "my sassy girl," and i called c before i headed over to his place and asked him who was there and going...he responded, "it doesn't matter...just come over." my initial gut reaction was to ask him who was there. so, i have to say that there is a balance in things. bandwagonning helps in borderline interest activities, while in things you are passionate about, bandwagonning doesn't play a role since you have so much passion about something, you will do it anyways. posted by alvin | Monday, January 13, 2003 Welcome hmm...so i decided to start posting some of my thoughts to the internet. these are my opinions and thoughts, and of course, i don't expect people to agree with everything i post, so i definitely open to feedback and your thoughts. you can e-mail me at al_wu@hotmail.com to get in touch with me. i would love to hear from you. posted by alvin | Monday, January 13, 2003 |
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