San Diego day 1

First time in my life that I have missed a plane...

What a day... 6 hrs drive to Seattle... stuck 2hrs in Richmond... Almost had to drive back to Vancouver and miss the whole conference.

Thanks God for hearing my prayers, and for the wonderful and amazing Alaska Airlines woman who helped us get the plane for the next morning... Everything worked out so well in the end that all four of us had such a great laugh at what had just happened. So many stories to tell when we get back, haha.... So grateful to have such wonderful friends. No blaming, just everyone trying to solve the problem together.

Also first time to present a research poster, was a good experience! But next time need to remember making the words bigger...

So far so good in San Diego!! The sun is just too comfortable. Oh yeah, and Ghirardeli's ice-cream is just sooooooooo yummy.....

Free - Hillsong

Very inspirational lyrics :)

Would you believe me if I said...
That we are the ones who can make the change in the world
Today

Would you believe me if I said...
that all of the dreams in your heart can come true
Today

Would you believe me if I said...
that life could be all that you want it to be
Today

And if I had wings I would fly
'Cause all that I need, You are
And if the world caved in around me
To You I'd still hold on
'Cause You're all that I believe
And the one that created me
Jesus... because of You I'm Free

Would you believe me if I said...
That God can make miracles happen
Today

Would you believe me if I said...
That you don't need to wait for the answer before
You step out in faith

Would you believe me if I said...
That nothing is ever impossible
For God

Just live your life with God inside
You won't regret one moment of it
And give all that you can for God
For God

好大雪啊...

From SFU Security:

Road and Traffic Report - Burnaby Campus

The University is: Closed

University Roads: SNOW(beware of possible ice)

Adjacent Roads: Use extreme caution

Classes are: CANCELLED (All Classes)

The Library is: CLOSED

The Daycare is: CLOSED

Translink Buses are: DELAYED

Exams are: POSTPONED

and a side note: "Bear sighted on the side of Gaglardi Way near the tennis courts."

Haha... maybe they should make it into a skiing resort...
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Outside my window:

教會原來臥虎藏龍...

Alpha 之後, 我決定了去大堂用那部 Grand Piano 來試一試彈奏剛剛在家練習的一首歌... wow, 間直太爽了!! 原來真的可以這麼大分別... 我已經決定 jor, 我未來的屋一定要有一部 Grand piano。

彈下彈下, 不知不覺原來有兩個年輕人悄悄進了來, 搞到我嚇了一跳... 原來他們聽到有人彈琴所以想 join 埋一起彈。Grace 和 Yan 我以前都從來沒有見過, 原來兩個都在國語堂裡做詩琴, 最搞笑的就是當一個彈的時候, 另外一個就負責翻歌譜, 真的最好拍檔 ~ 我們粵語堂是怎麼做的? 真的令人費解...

Anyway, 之後就好玩了... 我只示範了一次, Yan 已經可以輕易地沒有譜就能夠原原本本的彈一次, 真的令我佩服... 更令我佩服的就是他從來沒有跟人學過, 全都是他自己學的, 可見得神給他的恩賜是何等的大。加上他的嫌虛真的令我看到為什麼神這麼祝福他... 跟著 Grace 吹笛, Yan 彈琴, 我彈結他, 一起唱詩歌, 那種感覺實在太正了...

真的感謝神給我這麼偶然地認識到兩個這麼愛祢, 這麼有恩賜的朋友。不知道為什麼神最近對我那麼好, 讓我在不同地方都認識到那麼愛主祢的朋友... 真的是一種福份。

I am ready for my Master's

I've heard this a few months ago, but I really want to say it for the record:

"When you think you know everything
You get your Undergraduate Degree;

When you realize you know nothing
You get your Master's Degree;

And when you realize your supervisor also knows nothing
You get your PhD Degree."

Haha... I think I am really ready to get my Master's... to the point where I am already beginning to feel really inadequate... This is not good :(

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I remember this other saying at Oxford:

"The more I study,
The more I know.

The more I know,
The more I forget.

The more I forget,
The less I know.

So why study?"

That's the eternal paradox...

To: the little prince

今天終於交了 Samaritan's Purse 的鞋盒... 在臨封盒的最後一刻, 終於把我心愛的 The Little Prince 也放進去了。我真的希望, 在那遠遠的角落, 那個希冀地等待著聖誕節禮物來臨的小朋友, 能像小王子一樣知道, 生命上什麼才是最重要, 不要像很多人一樣, 只懂得眼能看見的東西, 卻忽略了其實往往眼看不見的才是最寶貴。

Always an elephant inside boa constrictor!! :)

我真的相信今天晚上不是偶然... 你也感覺到嗎?

多謝神今晚所有發生的事, 特別是... :)

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在整個音樂會裡,我最喜歡就是「若沒有愛」這首歌。一聽下去就好像古典音樂,原來原曲真的是19世紀 Gustav Holst 所作的 Jupiter, 其中的小提琴實在太美妙了... 但最喜歡的都是裡面的歌詞,它講到,我們可以唱盡所有悅耳的詩歌,給人說所有關於耶穌的故事,所有聖經的道理,但若果沒有了耶穌當初為我們捨身的愛,更沒有了我們對神和身邊的人的愛的回應,那所有唱的、講的都是空的...

若沒有愛

若我可向萬人說講他方他鄉的說話
獨欠主偉大憐愛心 彷彿祇有字韻

若我懂以道來見證經裡所寫說話
若沒有他偉大憐愛心 空空祇有聲音

我默然聽你指引 渴求從上愛心,
唯願你賜下憐憫 開啟重燃內心
若這生靠著人各恩賜 所作的總有限
若有主赦罪憐愛心 終生可作妙韻!

願我主賜下愛心 終生可證主恩

"If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us." - Herman Hesse

How true this is... let us not judge people too easily.

今天打了去撞我車那個女人的 Daughter-in-law 屋企 (因為她才是車主...), 告訴她驗車出來的報告: $1,500。其實我也替她可憐, 因為她 22 年來沒有一個意外, 卻因為我的緣故可能要從此加保險費。所以都期待她會對我冷淡...

但她的回應真的令我意想不到。她不但像沒有埋怨我當初沒有跟她私人和解, 還能放低自己, 替她的奶奶跟我說: 「衷心的對不起, 我承擔 100% 責任」。她還很體諒我的心情, 說明白到那是新車, 還要我 "go through so much trouble" 來修理架車。

說了那番話令我一時之間不知怎麼招架... 唯有說我真的很 appreciate 她的道歉, 和告訴她我真的、真的沒有再擺在心中。若我那時還埋怨, 我真的不是人... 其實真的很欣賞這個女人的人格和勇氣, 因為她是最無辜的一個。幸好, 因為她的良好開車紀錄, ICBC 不會加她的保費絲毫。所以, 今次意外可以說是大團圓結局。:)

聽我身邊的人說意外經歷, 哪個不是令人互相猜疑, 說謊, 被人欺騙? 這麼好的結局, 真的值得感恩。

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今天溫哥華呼籲市民不要飲水喉水, 因為幾日的連場大雨竟令泥土混入了各個水塘, 感染食水。連擦牙都要用滾水, 真無奈... 都不知個天發生什麼事... 也許是 Global warming 掛...

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Oh, 還有, 今天幫我 supervisor 慶祝生日, 幾難先 "候" 到她得閒... 蛋糕是 Dan 買的義大利蛋糕, 都幾好食, 但實在太甜了...

看她幾 surprised!

老婆毀容了...

還未結婚, 又何來有老婆呢? 現在的老婆, 當然是指我最心愛, 每天出生入死的 Honda Civic 啦...

唉... 昨日漂亮的身段, 現在沒了一忽... 唉...

話說上個星期日 7:45am, 正當我泊好車, 準備轉身走入教會的時候, 突然聽見背後一聲 krrrssshhh 的聲音... 那個時候真的很想當作沒有聽見, 因為我離開我的車時正看到一駕車想泊我車的旁邊.... 是誰也估到發生甚麼事...

料就料到發生甚麼事, 但真的估不到傷得那麼厲害... 真的整個角落頭幾乎沒了... 好像一塊面沒了整個面豬 done 一般...

其實當時真的有如心如刀割, 還有點埋怨那個女人到底識唔識泊車。我想當時可能真的黑了塊面跟她拿資料... Worship 的時候, Grace (恩典) 這個字不知怎的常常浮現在腦海中... 不如放人一馬啦, 畢竟人與人的相處遠比一件死物重要... 想通了, 整個人當堂都輕鬆曬...

其實, 我真的好感恩, 因為神似乎給了我性格上一個很好的恩賜, 就是很快就可以想通一件不快樂的事, 這全都是神的恩典。也可能因為這樣, 很多朋友都說我沒有脾氣, 都不似正常人... 人地撞了你的車, 發一下脾氣都好正常掛? 其實我不是沒有不開心, 只是不知怎地我很快就可以想通, 心裡很快就會恢復平靜。換轉如果是我認識的某一些人, 可能個心 "eng" 住幾個星期, 或者已經 grill 了那個女人... 難道這就是好?

Your playing small doesn't serve the world

For those who are fighting against insecurity, like me.

Nelson Mandela said this in his 1994 inaugural address:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are we not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others."

Taste and See <=> Salt and Light 甚麼意思?

前一陣子很多人問我的 msn 名甚麼意思...

其實這是一個我最近在聖經裡面發現的一個很漂亮的啟示。

在 Psalm 34:2, King David 這樣唱到 :

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"

但 2000 後，耶穌來到世界，教導人說：

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:13-16)

Taste and See <-> Salt and Light...
Taste and See <-> Salt and Light...
Taste and See <-> Salt and Light...

David 說 Taste, 耶穌說我們就是 Salt...
David 說 See, 耶穌說我們就是 Light .... 真的這麼巧合?

相隔 2000 年，耶穌仿似在和應 David 所說的話; Oh, 如果你想你身邊的人品嘗一下神是怎麼樣的滋味，要他們看看神的愛和公義，你不用再四頭望了，因為你就是鹽，你就是光 ! 你就是鹽，要令你身邊的人對那生命之水口渴; 你就是光，要讓你身邊的人看到與這黑暗世界的對比。耶穌在生的時候，祂是鹽，也是世界的光。但現在，這個職責就臨在我們身上。

我們常常說 「傳福音」、「傳福音」，卻常常忽略了，其實讓別人看到你充滿愛、充滿朝氣和豐盛的生命而口渴才是讓他們嘗到神最好的方法。

其實，對於一個基督徒來說，最好的稱讚也莫過於當別人說能夠從你身上感覺到神的愛。我記得Carrie 也說過，她最開心就是聽到陌生人問她: 「你是不是一個基督徒?」 How true this is...

So, let's Pass the Salt and Turn on the Lights!!

還是覺得 Google 最好

Just as I was starting my first post at Microsoft Live Spaces, there goes Google offering me to try out the new Beta Blogger... Oh my, this must be a sign of some sort.

So here it is, my blog without regrets. Google just rocks my world. I am going all the way ~