Free Time
Nov. 4th, 2009 | 11:29 pm
I've been reading through Numbers and it's just full of jealousy amongst leaders and people complaining to God about their conditions. God judges each of them accordingly, but I noticed He is particularly harsh towards supposed leaders. The leaders sent to spy on the promised land were met with a plague, Miriam was struck with leprosy, and Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were swallowed alive by the earth. A good reminder to those serving in churches today.
Gloria and I have also started a daily reading program through Blue Letter Bible. We're almost finished with Genesis so hopefully we're able to continue this into the new year and finish reading through the Bible. Highly recommend it as well as the website in general.
In other news, two people randomly emailed me asking about the actuarial profession on Monday. One was a classmate from college and the other was a college student I know from church. I stressed that unless you're serious about the exams, it's really not worth pursuing. I don't think even I realized the dedication required until these last few years (sad, but true) as I'd put in 200-300 hours but still fall short. A boss at work told me he realized he had to put in over 400 hours per four-hour exam, to which my boss said, "You're just now realizing that?"
For a while I've been sounding like a broken record about community service, so finally yesterday I contacted the principals at my local middle and high school about volunteering. I tried tutoring middle schoolers a few years ago through an actuarial association but it wasn't well managed and was difficult to coordinate times. I'm going to try again because teaching/tutoring is my passion. On a sidenote: the local high school is an IB school and teaches mandarin!
Also, I've really been learning more how to fix things. Since getting married, I've learned simple maintenance for our cars (thanks to an encouraging repair shop we take our cars to), how to take apart the bathroom sink, and other small but important tasks. Reminds me how I actually replaced a drum brake (with help) back in high school, and that I enjoy learning how to fix things. Now I have to actually follow through - just like everything else in this post.
Last but not least, I leave you with today's morning devotional:
A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God's work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our own weakness. When God's warrior marches forth to battle, strong in his own might, when he boasts, "I know that I shall conquer, my own right arm and my conquering sword shall get unto me the victory," defeat is not far distant. God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength. He who reckoneth on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for "it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." They who go forth to fight, boasting of their prowess, shall return with their gay banners trailed in the dust, and their armour stained with disgrace. Those who serve God must serve Him in His own way, and in His strength, or He will never accept their service. That which man doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never own. The mere fruits of the earth He casteth away; He will only reap that corn, the seed of which was sown from heaven, watered by grace, and ripened by the sun of divine love. God will empty out all that thou hast before He will put His own into thee; He will first clean out thy granaries before He will fill them with the finest of the wheat. The river of God is full of water; but not one drop of it flows from earthly springs. God will have no strength used in His battles but the strength which He Himself imparts. Are you mourning over your own weakness? Take courage, for there must be a consciousness of weakness before the Lord will give thee victory. Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up.
"When I am weak then am I strong,
Grace is my shield and Christ my song."
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Farewell, Riley
Oct. 14th, 2009 | 01:37 am
One good realization did come out of all this. If I'm tired after five days of walking/running an extremely hyper Jack Russell, I am definitely not ready for a kid.
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Month in Review
Oct. 6th, 2009 | 08:31 am
Monthiversary. So we made it to our first month of marriage yesterday! Feeling a little over-confident, I mentioned at the end of a long work day for both of us that her clothes were 'unusually informal'. I then proceeded to re-emphasize it a few minutes later in detail, to which she became very upset. I guess I haven't learned everything about marriage in one month's time.
What have I learned from marriage thus far?
(1) God reveals your sinfulness through your spouse. You never see your own childishness and bad tempers as a single guy, but when you have someone who can point it out to you 24/7? Aye, what a blessing indeed.
(2) God reminds us of His unconditional love through your spouse. Once or twice so far, I've found myself doing things for her, expecting thanks or something in return. In those instances, I completely forgot that I can't earn her love because it's something she freely gives! It reminds me that I often do the same with God, wanting to turn a loving relationship with my heavenly father into a working relationship with some impersonal diety. Lord, remind me of your forgiveness and grace such that I may show it to others.
(3) God challenges us to work out our faith with your spouse. We're continually discussing how best to use our new union for the benefit of others and the glory of God. I'll write more on this later when I have something more thought out.
"Those early Christians did not regard evangelism as an occasional activity. They were not content to organize a quinquennial mission. No, their witness was as continuous as their worship. And the Lord honored it. Converts were being added daily. We urgently need to return to this eager expectation." (32)
"But if the [homogenous unit principle] is legitimate in evangelism, is it also legitimate in the church? This is where the debate erupted. Should we tolerate, let alone welcome, HUP churches, that is, churches whose members all belong to an identical and particular culture? Surely not. For the Lord Jesus has broken down barriers between Jews and Gentiles, men and women, slaves and free. How then can we erect fresh barriers in the only community in which Christ has abolished them?" (40)
"Each local church is situated in a particular neighborhood. Its first mission responsibility must therefore be to the people who live there. The congregation is strategically placed to reach the area around it. Any political party would be wildly jealous of the buildings and personnel which are at our disposal." (50)
"The invisible God, who once made himself visible in Christ, now makes himself visible in Christians, if we love one another." (68)
"We want the fellowship groups to be true to their name, expressing the fullness of koinonia. So we keep asking ourselves: are we growing in Christian maturity together? Are we serving the Lord, the church or the world together? Are we increasing in love and care for one another?" (96)
The owner was very grateful and rewarded me with a little cash and a business card. Not recognizing the company's name, I returned to my cube to look it up, only to find that my friend (whom I haven't spoken to in a while) works there. I emailed said friend and it turns out she works closely with leather-bound-book guy, and that he is a manager with the company. Seeing that my dad is out of a job right now, I emailed the guy to ask if my dad could forward his resume to my newfound friend, to which he obliged.
Lesson of the story? Be a good samaritan today, and your dad may get a job offer tomorrow. (No, my dad hasn't gotten a job offer, nor do I think he's sent in his resume yet. Oh well.)
But another reason I wanted to write about this was that when I called the book owner, he said he was at "disco kroger". Now, having lived in Atlanta for a number of years I've heard this title mentioned many times and even gotten used to it as describing the Kroger in Buckhead on Piedmont. But I never knew exactly why. Ian was kind enough to look this up for me.
THE LIMELIGHT
Backstory
After his Miami Limelight disco burned to the ground in the late '70s, enigmatic club king Peter Gatien set his sights on Atlanta. Located in the "disco Kroger" complex on Piedmont Road in Buckhead, the Atlanta Limelight opened its doors in February 1980 in the former home of the Harlequin Dinner Theatre.
The Limelight lived up to its billing as the Studio 54 of the South. A large staircase in the lobby led downstairs to the infamous glass dance floor. Beneath the dance floor was a massive fish tank, which was home to two sand sharks. The club featured a 100,000-watt sound system blasting Euro disco, and thousands of mobile lights on the ceiling flipped and turned throughout the night. Confetti and snow would periodically fall from the ceiling. If this wasn't enough to get the crowd going, Gatien hired "exciters," scantily clad beauties who'd shake their groove things, urging patrons to do the same. A caged dancer would be lowered from the ceiling and land at the foot of the stage. This is how diva Pia Zadora made her entrance for a live appearance.
( Read more... )
Temporary Roommate. Gloria and I have agreed to dog-sit for her classmate who is going out of town. The pet's name is Riley, she's a Jack Russell Terrier, and she arrives on Thursday. Maybe if this goes well we'll start having kids? (Ha. Yeah right.)
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Hannah
Sep. 24th, 2009 | 11:55 pm
Hannah's awesome relationship with God is evident through her prayers. She prays when troubles arise, and she prays when those troubles have been resolved by God's hand. When she prays, she prays so honestly in her time of need that she says it's like "pouring out [her] soul to the Lord". And when her prayer to become pregnant and have a child is answered, and she follows through on her vow to offer the child up in service to the Lord, she doesn't pray a sad, self-pitying prayer, but one praising God's control over all things for His people. She gave up her only child but gained the truth of an all-powerful, loving God.
Bonus: Her prayer ends with the phrase "He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed". This latter title is "messiah" in Hebrew. As there was not yet a ruling king, this is arguably a foreshadowing of Christ. Zecharias quotes this as he praises God for the miracle birth of his son, John the Baptist (Luke 1:69).
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Devotional
Sep. 24th, 2009 | 09:15 am
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
What a state of privilege! It includes our justification before God, but the term acceptance" in the Greek means more than that. It signifies that we are the objects of divine complacence, nay, even of divine delight. How marvellous that we, worms, mortals, sinners, should be the objects of divine love! But it is only "in the beloved." Some Christians seem to be accepted in their own experience, at least, that is their apprehension. When their spirit is lively, and their hopes bright, they think God accepts them, for they feel so high, so heavenly-minded, so drawn above the earth! But when their souls cleave to the dust, they are the victims of the fear that they are no longer accepted. If they could but see that all their high joys do not exalt them, and all their low despondencies do not really depress them in their Father's sight, but that they stand accepted in One who never alters, in One who is always the beloved of God, always perfect, always without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, how much happier they would be, and how much more they would honour the Saviour! Rejoice then, believer, in this: thou art accepted "in the beloved." Thou lookest within, and thou sayest, "There is nothing acceptable here!" But look at Christ, and see if there is not everything acceptable there. Thy sins trouble thee; but God has cast thy sins behind His back, and thou art accepted in the Righteous One. Thou hast to fight with corruption, and to wrestle with temptation, but thou art already accepted in Him who has overcome the powers of evil. The devil tempts thee; be of good cheer, he cannot destroy thee, for thou art accepted in Him who has broken Satan's head. Know by full assurance thy glorious standing. Even glorified souls are not more accepted than thou art. They are only accepted in heaven "in the beloved," and thou art even now accepted in Christ after the same manner.
Evening Reading
"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe." — Mark 9:23
A certain man had a demoniac son, who was afflicted with a dumb spirit. The father, having seen the futility of the endeavours of the disciples to heal his child, had little or no faith in Christ, and therefore, when he was bidden to bring his son to Him, he said to Jesus, "If Thou cast do anything, have compassion on us, and help us." Now there was an "if" in the question, but the poor trembling father had put the "if" in the wrong place: Jesus Christ, therefore, without commanding him to retract the "if," kindly puts it in its legitimate position. "Nay, verily," He seemed to say, "there should be no 'if' about My power, nor concerning My willingness, the 'if' lies somewhere else." "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." The man's trust was strengthened, he offered a humble prayer for an increase of faith, and instantly Jesus spoke the word, and the devil was cast out, with an injunction never to return. There is a lesson here which we need to learn. We, like this man, often see that there is an "if" somewhere, but we are perpetually blundering by putting it in the wrong place. "If" Jesus can help me—"if" He can give me grace to overcome temptation—"if" He can give me pardon—"if" He can make me successful? Nay, "if" you can believe, He both can and will. You have misplaced your "if." If you can confidently trust, even as all things are possible to Christ, so shall all things be possible to you. Faith standeth in God's power, and is robed in God's majesty; it weareth the royal apparel, and rideth on the King's horse, for it is the grace which the King delighteth to honour. Girding itself with the glorious might of the all-working Spirit, it becomes, in the omnipotence of God, mighty to do, to dare, and to suffer. All things, without limit, are possible to him that believeth. My soul, canst thou believe thy Lord to-night?
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What on earth?
Sep. 24th, 2009 | 07:57 am
While it looks like I froze my own vomit, this is actually a delicious three-basil pesto! Because it's frozen, it stays fresh longer (the recipe says up to three months!) and because it's one thin sheet you can easily break off however much you want to cook!
Thanks to Jo for the recommendation on this very nifty, time-saving trick!
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For Free
Sep. 22nd, 2009 | 08:03 pm
This "liberty" makes us free to heaven's charter—the Bible. Here is a choice passage, believer, "When thou passest through the rivers, I will be with thee." You are free to that. Here is another: "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee"; you are free to that. You are a welcome guest at the table of the promises. Scripture is a never-failing treasury filled with boundless stores of grace. It is the bank of heaven; you may draw from it as much as you please, without let or hindrance. Come in faith and you are welcome to all covenant blessings. There is not a promise in the Word which shall be withheld. In the depths of tribulations let this freedom comfort you; amidst waves of distress let it cheer you; when sorrows surround thee let it be thy solace. This is thy Father's love-token; thou art free to it at all times. Thou art also free to the throne of grace. It is the believer's privilege to have access at all times to His heavenly Father. Whatever our desires, our difficulties, our wants, we are at liberty to spread all before Him. It matters not how much we may have sinned, we may ask and expect pardon. It signifies nothing how poor we are, we may plead His promise that He will provide all things needful. We have permission to approach His throne at all times—in midnight's darkest hour, or in noontide's most burning heat. Exercise thy right, O believer, and live up to thy privilege. Thou art free to all that is treasured up in Christ—wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It matters not what thy need is, for there is fulness of supply in Christ, and it is there for thee. O what a "freedom" is thine! freedom from condemnation, freedom to the promises, freedom to the throne of grace, and at last freedom to enter heaven!
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Be like Mike? No thanks
Sep. 18th, 2009 | 11:11 pm
By Rick Reilly
ESPN The Magazine
Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame talk was the Exxon Valdez of speeches. It was, by turns, rude, vindictive and flammable. And that was just when he was trying to be funny. It was tactless, egotistical and unbecoming. When it was done, nobody wanted to be like Mike.
And yet we couldn't stop watching. Because this was an inside look into the mindset of an icon who'd never let anybody inside before. From what I saw, I'd never want to go back. Here is a man who's won just about everything there is to win -- six NBA titles, five MVPs and two Olympics golds. And yet he sounded like a guy who's been screwed out of every trophy ever minted. He's the world's first sore winner.
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Honeymoon Photos
Sep. 14th, 2009 | 04:04 pm
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6 Days?
Aug. 30th, 2009 | 07:45 pm
Anyway, a quick update. Work is good but busy. Studying is good - learning and understanding more than I did last time. Wedding stuff is good too - pretty much everything is set now except for a few small things during the reception.
One big thing that I thought I'd share was something taught/learned during pre-marital counseling. Gloria and I were talking about our spiritual journeys thus far, especially during our low points. The pastor asked us how we felt our relationship was with God in those times. Gloria said 'distant' and I said 'berated'. The pastor, swapping his counselor hat for his pastor hat, told us to study the parable of the lost son (only available in Luke 15).
So the night before the next counseling session, Gloria and I began discussing. What did the pastor want to teach us? We figured he was trying to remind us about our heavenly father's love.
But that's when our discussion took an interesting turn. Gloria posed this question: If the youngest son were to do it again, would the father welcome him back with hugs and kisses?
My reaction was a swift "no", because (a) it's not possible to receive a second inheritance, and (b) it just seems wrong. What the youngest son deserves is a thorough beat down! But as we talked it through, I realized that although I understood in my head that the parable of the lost son applied only to repentant non-believers and not repentant believers, I didn't understand in my heart that God really is that compassionate towardand loves us that much.
Wishing to share this reminder to yesterday's youth worship service, I studied the passage and came out with some very cool insights. Two sources that helped me I now cite for your reading pleasure:
(1) David Guzik concisely compares the three parables in Luke 15.
(2) Dr. Edmund Clowney's "Sharing The Father's Welcome" adds an additional character in the parable that has plenty of applications.
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Two Funny
Aug. 7th, 2009 | 04:58 pm
Two. I just saw an article on ESPN saying Ben Wallace is back with the Pistons after signed a one year, veteran's minimum contract. This after he left in the summer of 2006 to the Bulls because they refused to match Chicago's four-year, 60M offer. What's Ben's role now that he's back in Auburn Hills?
Backup to Kwame Brown.
All of a sudden, my job looks very, very good.
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Greatly Beloved
Jul. 28th, 2009 | 10:05 pm
"A man greatly beloved." — Daniel 10:11
Child of God, do you hesitate to appropriate this title? Ah! has your unbelief made you forget that you are greatly beloved too? Must you not have been greatly beloved, to have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot? When God smote His only begotten Son for you, what was this but being greatly beloved? You lived in sin, and rioted in it, must you not have been greatly beloved for God to have borne so patiently with you? You were called by grace and led to a Saviour, and made a child of God and an heir of heaven. All this proves, does it not, a very great and superabounding love? Since that time, whether your path has been rough with troubles, or smooth with mercies, it has been full of proofs that you are a man greatly beloved. If the Lord has chastened you, yet not in anger; if He has made you poor, yet in grace you have been rich. The more unworthy you feel yourself to be, the more evidence have you that nothing but unspeakable love could have led the Lord Jesus to save such a soul as yours. The more demerit you feel, the clearer is the display of the abounding love of God in having chosen you, and called you, and made you an heir of bliss. Now, if there be such love between God and us let us live in the influence and sweetness of it, and use the privilege of our position. Do not let us approach our Lord as though we were strangers, or as though He were unwilling to hear us—for we are greatly beloved by our loving Father. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Come boldly, O believer, for despite the whisperings of Satan and the doubtings of thine own heart, thou art greatly beloved. Meditate on the exceeding greatness and faithfulness of divine love this evening, and so go to thy bed in peace.
Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, October 2, Evening ReadingLink | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend
Post-Worthy
Jul. 15th, 2009 | 03:53 pm
That said, I do enjoy the occasional ridiculous story. Below is one example along with some hilarious user comments.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Gasquet cleared to resume playing
Associated Press
LONDON -- Richard Gasquet escaped a lengthy doping ban Wednesday when the International Tennis Federation ruled that he inadvertently took cocaine.
The 23-year-old Frenchman, who was cleared to resume playing after completing a 2½-month ban Wednesday, convinced an independent anti-doping tribunal that he ingested cocaine by kissing a woman he met at a nightclub in Miami.
The tribunal panel of three lawyers said Gasquet consumed no more than "a grain of salt" of the drug, and a long ban would be an injustice in a case which was "unusual to the point of being probably unique."
"We have found the player to be a person who is shy and reserved, honest and truthful and a man of integrity and good character," the tribunal said in its ruling.
( Read more... )
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The Golden Calf
Jul. 1st, 2009 | 06:59 am
The first few times I read this story, I missed a lot of what was going on. I thought it was as simple as people people getting into a rowdy good time of idol worshiping while Moses was away; but, of course, it's not.
The people, impatient to get to the promised land, wanted to forge ahead through their own devices. They said to Aaron, "Come, make us gods (or a god) who will go before us..." (v1), to which he responds by fashioning a golden calf to be their image of God. (Who can forget Aaron's humorous excuse in v24 - "...they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!" Haha...) In doing so, Aaron and the people ignored the first two commandments they just received as well as specific instruction to not make any golden idols (Ex 20:23).
This entire story resonates with me. I, like the Israelites, prefer the easy way out when things don't go my way - and especially if not according to my timing (see most recent exam fail). Still, I don't want to lose the appearance of a faithful Christian. Look at the Israelites after Aaron crafted their idol: they woke up early and actually sacrificed and gave offerings to God. Looks and sounds good, right?
"Worship, to be true, must be based on a right perception of God." - T. D. Alexander
We must have the right perception of God, and by extension His promises. The Israelites turned God's covenant relationship with them into a tool for what their flesh desired. They turned the promised land, a symbol of this relationship, into the end goal, seeing nothing beyond it or above it. They wanted the blessings from God without the relationship (and thus its rules). (In contrast, Moses remembered the covenant and uses it to plead on the Israelites' behalf in verses 13-14.)
How often do I come seeking God when I only seek to fulfill my selfish desires? Is my prayer so easily answered by the silence of my idols? And what are my idols - the desire to finish my exams or a continued prosperous lifestyle?
Dear God, forgive me for taking You for granted. Mold me and shape my heart so that it responds to you alone.
Jeremiah 10
5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch,
their idols cannot speak;
they must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them;
they can do no harm
nor can they do any good."
6 No one is like you, O LORD;
you are great,
and your name is mighty in power.
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The Long Road
Jun. 29th, 2009 | 03:33 pm
mood: 
disappointed
*sigh*
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ROIP MJ
Jun. 26th, 2009 | 09:22 am
Now I know most of the kids nowadays only know of MJ as the weird white guy parodied on South Park or the accused child-molester, but to me and the older generation who grew up with his tunes, his music was always playing and always applicable for whatever was going on in your life. You had the moonwalk and Thriller lean for the dancers, you have Billie Jean for the outstanding paternity suits, She's Out of My Life for the heartbroken, Black or White for those caught up in race wars, and The Girl Is Mine (w/ Paul McCartney) for Beatles lovers who need a reason to listen to MJ.
Thank you for all the good tunes and memories.
Rock on in peace, MJ.
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Lately
Jun. 16th, 2009 | 11:29 am
Registry Mania
Gloria and I originally intended to set up one or two registries for our wedding, but we had such a bad experience in one store, combined with our really "lacking" about $300 worth of goods, we figured it best to just direct people to give to Christian charities and accept whatever people would give us on top of that.
If we end up not getting as much as we would've otherwise for the sake of charities, there are worse ways to be shortchanged.
The Prestige
I know this is a strange place to write about a movie but I just haven't had the time to blog about this so I'm grouping it into this entry.
I finally got around to watching this and it was pretty darn good. The acting was good, the plot intense, and the ending completely not what I expected. All in all, one of the best movies I've seen in a while (though that's not saying much because that's probably one of three movies I've seen in the last five years).
WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD
One last thing - the guy that I wanted to win in the end didn't. I was kind of upset about that but when Gloria and I started discussing why I wanted "my guy" to win, it was basically because I liked him and disliked the other. But from Gloria's vantage point, "my guy" was the more immoral and corrupt, a point I conveniently ignored. And I thought I was a pretty good judge of character too. Heh...
New Core Exercises
So apparently the core exercises I've been doing for years can cause disc herniation over time. NYTimes had a video clip showing some nice exercises to replace the old ones. The last two I was already familiar with but the first two I wasn't.
(1) So instead of usual back-on-the-ground crunches which place too much pressure on your lumbar region, bend one knee and let the other lay flat, place your hands under the lumbar region, and contract the abs while maintaining a straight line for the upper body. It only looks like you get off the ground about two inches but it looks effective.
(2) The second one replaces the usual back-on-a-exercise/swiss ball crunch exercise by turning you around to have your elbows on the ball, hands clasped together, moving your arms around as if you were stirring a pot. Your feet are apart slightly wider than shoulder width, though I'm sure it's basically whatever is comfortable for you. It's kind of a variation on the flat body plank exercise. Again, looks good and doesn't use anything except for your own body weight.
(3) The third one is the side plank. They show it with the top foot out front slightly instead of on top of the bottom foot, and with the unused arm holding the shoulder in.
(4) The fourth and last one is the balance exercise where you're on all fours and lifting opposite arm/leg in repetitions. They add a cool variation where you actually get some sideways action instead of purely up and down in one plane.
How to Live
I recently heard a Cornerstone sermon that sums up nicely the picture I feel God is calling us to live our lives. The missionary speaking credited this idea to someone but I think that credit goes to Bryant Myers at Fuller.
The idea is to envangelize by living our lives such that it demands an explanation. You don't need to go around Bible thumping (which is good since I have tendonitis in my Bible-thumping elbow) but rather allows others to initiate conversation and question us about the way we live, which allows us to direct them to the gospel. I think more often than not that was the original idea but we've exchanged obedience and faith for comfort and complacency.
I want people to look at my life and think, "That's crazy!", but still be curious about what is inside and behind me and even instinctively feeling like I might be on to something.
I know this takes time and commitment. It's not something that will be wrapped up neatly in one-year goals and mission statements, nor will it always have a clean resolution (or even a resolution at all), but I want to live more and more for God. I don't know what this will look like, but Gloria and I just started praying about it so we'll see in time...
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Family Pic
May. 27th, 2009 | 06:00 pm
Two highlights:
- We flew United Airlines and we probably won't ever fly them again. Upon arriving at Hartsfield, we were informed that the leg from Chicago to Narita was delayed due to mechanical issues so we would miss our connecting flight from Narita to Taipei. We were told our hotel would be covered in Narita as we would have to stay overnight.
Upon arriving in Narita, we were told that no hotels would be paid for because the plane delay was due not to mechanical issues alone but rather due to lightning hitting the plane. The next night after getting on board our flight to Taipei, we sat for five hours in the plane, all the while getting constant announcements that it would be "another twenty minutes or so" before they would know if we could take off or not. After five hours, they called it quits and shuttled us to hotels (paid for, thankfully). This was not before sitting us in the airport gate in the dark while they supposedly went to find our luggage. Then the next morning as we arrived to take Japan Airlines out to Taipei (they switched us over to JAL), JAL informed us that we had missed our flight; apparently, United booked us for one flight (an earlier one) then told us we were to take another one (a later one). They squeezed us onto the same flight (thank God) and eventually we arrived in Taipei, two days later than intended.
Long story short - don't ride United unless you have no other choice.
- The trip was stressful mainly due to the United mixup but there were other times when cooler heads didn't always prevail. At times, I found myself frustrated and with very little patience, and sometimes it affected how I interacted with Gloria as well. Through it all, I was reminded again and again about how selfish and prideful I am, always wanting things to be the way I like it, always wanting myself to gain the glory. Two big, big sins that separate me from the one true God...
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The 2009 Time 100: Scientists & Thinkers
May. 1st, 2009 | 03:05 pm
Nouriel Roubini