I don’t know how the days so quickly passed but I am only two and a half weeks away from leaving the States. I think the reality of everything is finally beginning to sink in! I can’t believe that I’m really going…it all started so small just a few months back and now it’s snowballed into reality. But, God is so good and faithful and I am excited to see where He leads me in these next adventures in Manila, Philippines and Yilan, Taiwan.
All of the logistics are finally starting to settle down, which I praise God for. My SIX international flights have all been booked, I’ve applied for both of my visas, and I was recently attacked by some vaccination needles. I have also been preparing by reading some really interesting articles about urban poverty and a book I’ve blogged about before, The New Friars. For you prayer warriors out there, here are some of my praise and prayer requests as I leave: continue reading »
May24
I’m not really a fan of Starbucks, but I can’t deny that they have the most convenient hours and locations. So, I went to Starbucks to get some work done while getting my daily dose of caffeine and ordered a grande iced coffee. There I am, sitting next to the window just doing some work, minding my own business, when the lady that rung up my order comes over to talk with me. In appearance she seemed Chinese and somewhere between her mid-40s to 50s (you can never really tell with Asians, seriously). She asked where I was from and I shared how I don’t speak Mandarin because my mom and dad speak different dialects of Chinese and she shared how she understood Cantonese and Mandarin.
Next thing I know, she’s offering me a free refill on coffee. I politely reply, “Oh, it’s okay, I don’t want too much caffeine” (true story, by the way, since Starbucks basically injects extra caffeine to keep Consumer USA up and running). She then offers that the next time I come to Starbucks she can give me a drink for free. I thank her and then go on doing my business. I turn around, and she’s back, offering me a complimentary lemon tart (which was pretty delicious, too). I was so taken aback by my interaction with her; if she weren’t an old Asian lady, I’d say she was hitting on me!
From my small conversation with her, there was a sense of minority connection–or more specifically Chinese connection. We didn’t even exchange names; although, in hindsight I regret not asking. But, I really have been noticing one of the great blessings of Chinese culture is that sense of family ownership. I mean, think about how pretty much every Taiwanese living in the DC metro area knows every other Taiwanese person here. There was some immediate sense of almost shared experiences and community just because of our Chinese or Taiwanese heritage.
The past few weeks, I’ve been reminded of a conversation I had about cultures in God’s kingdom with a friend. Sometimes I don’t think we see our culture or race or heritage as a blessing from the Lord or even something that should be seen or discussed. But, just as our gender has a role in God’s kingdom, so does our race and ethnicity. They are purposeful blessings that we should use to further God’s kingdom not just ignore.
May18
As many of you know, I love coffee and espresso. I enjoy a fresh cup of coffee or a carefully pulled espresso coupled with exquisite steamed milk pouring. The art of pouring the hot steamed milk on top of the espresso is often referred to as latte art. Rosettas and hearts are very common depictions. Many, possibly bored or adventurous baristas, have also tried other forms like dragons, bunny rabbits, butterflies, etc. All delicious & tasty.
But apparently that wasn’t satisfying enough. It seems that the next step, soon to be introduced, is the Latte Art Printer, patented and developed by OnLatte, Inc. continue reading »
May14
Okay. So I’m all for Web 2.0, seriously. I love the idea of blogs, social network platforms like Facebook, etc. But, seriously, I just do not understand Twitter. Something about knowing exactly what one is doing at every moment of their life and wanting to let the entire world know exactly what you’re doing at every moment of your life is creepy.
Look, I know I’m your friend and all but I seriously don’t need updates on your life every 5 minutes. And something about the fact that the entire basis of this platform is just so that you can update every person in your life the moment you go potty or the minute a random thought that you probably shouldn’t share with any other person in the world pops into your mind, just doesn’t make sense to me. I love you, kiddo, but I really don’t need to know that you just walked your dog at exactly 8:34 PM. Honestly, I find most personal blogs boring because they’re just a regurgitation of one’s day: “I went to school. We got a new assignment. I did my homework. Yay. Now I’m sleeping,” so why do I need the minute-to-minute update of this anyway?
Also, it’s sort of ironic to me that all of these celebrities are buying into this tweeting business. All of ya’ll complain already that people need to butt out of your life, so why give them the quick updates? Why give stalkers more ammunition?
So, someone please enlighten me as to why Twitter is “the next big thing” because I really just don’t see it.
