Airport Musings

7.83Mb/s download
7.67Mb/s upload
Toronto's Pearson International Airport has faster and better internet than UOIT, by far.
It still doesn't beat my fiber optic at home but for a public insecure wireless network, I'm impressed.

It's technology like this that makes me wet my pants (figuratively speaking of course).
As I stand in this ever-growing line of people, waiting to check-in for the flight at 12:55 Christmas Eve, I found myself with nothing better to do but blog.

Despite having signs everywhere talking advertising free wi-fi, no one else is using their computer except me. Are they just not as awesome and carry their laptops wherever they go (including the bathroom)? Or... actually, there is no alternative. I'm just too awesome. So awesome that I can write about absolutely nothing yet, using the linguistic tools at my disposal, craft a blog article worthy of being called a masterpiece... not. I'm too tired and lazy to put too much thought into writing, at least not right now.

It is often during the end a long journey that one stops to reflect on all the one has done. It is only during this brief repose at the airport check-in line that I have finally found the time to think about my semester. What exactly did I do?

I took 6 courses, including the accursed algorithms and PDP-10 filled operating systems. I've never had to work this long on assignments. I have a new found appreciation for middleware, which does all this annoying crap for you. But I suppose I learned a lot from this semester.

I also led a connect group, which was the best connect ever. I had a really cool co-leader (Amberlea) and a bunch of all-too-shy freshmen. But near the end I think everyone opened up a lot more, which is good. I sincerely hope that apart from being graced with such cool leaders (which I'm sure they all agree), they grew a lot in knowledge and depth of insight.

Working was not bad either. I admit that rather than testing software I'd much rather program, it's a nice change of pace from the normal programming that I have to do for school. Since I write scripts for my own life too, it'd be overkill if I programmed for school, work, and play.

I also made a lot of new friends. I had no idea some people liked evangelism as much as I did, it's truly encouraging. Growing closer with the people in my program was a plus too. One grows a bond with one's fellow brother in arms. Some may have fallen, but most of us survived... I think. I couldn't go to the gym as often as I wanted to this semester. But at least I went one last time with some connect members after finals. We're going again next semester, for sure.

Now, from the time of starting this post to this point, I have moved from the check-in line, passed the security, and is now waiting in front of the boarding gate, furiously typing in the hopes of finishing my blog before I have to board the plane.

基恩, 你讀到這裡了話就代表你知道我回去台灣的時間了. Too bad.

My friends in UOIT, I will return soon. Until then, do something exciting. I know I will.
I just realized how boring this blog post was, I'll make it more amusing next time. Too bad it'll be in Chinese so a lot of you won't understand. Suck it up and learn Chinese.

Tired 誒...

I feel like I am disregarding my English speaking friends like this, but I'm too tired to care.

最近一直在忙, 我從來不知道原來學校可以讓人這麼煩
是有一點累, 畢竟連續幾天只睡3-4個小時會讓人很沒有精神
但最主要的問題是壓力
誒...

我暑假(後半段)還不是每天從早上九點工作到十二點, 連周末都要做...
那個時候是身體累, 但是生活算是無憂無慮
反正就工作嗎... 不就是上班, 工作, 下班, 睡覺
就算沒做完隔天在做就好了, 或者加班把它趕完
那時根本沒有什麼壓力可言
現在有不知道做的做不了的作業, 有讀很久還讀不懂的書, 複習很久還是fail的考試, 花很多時間還是寫不出來的程式
誒...

和班上的人感情比較好了, 因為只有我們才可以完全的了解這些東西有多難
而且我還比他們多上一堂課! 他們都說我瘋了, 哈哈哈... 或許吧沒寫過電腦程式的人不知道有時候要寫一個完整的程式需要費多少時間, 腦力, 咖啡...
然後有效率的sort (n log n)一個小小的array(不能用內建library)需要花幾十個小時, 死hash table, !@#$#
誒...

Maybe I'm just dumb. All these things can't possibly be that hard. I used to think I'm a genius, or at least an incredibly smart individual.
I mean who else can master everything from foosball to integrals to multiple languages to Unreal Tournament?
Perhaps what they say about pride leading to downfall is true...
Why the heck is this in English?
誒...

我現在連中英文都沒辦法好好分清, 太誇張了
一直自我感覺很良好的超人累了, 我不太能在叫自己超人了...
誒...

但我發現我越來越依靠神了
我發現當我們人終於感受到自己的不足時 神會漸漸的被重視
如果我們人生所有東西都很順利 我們不會想到去親近神, 去請求祂幫助我們
人就是那麼現實那麼卑微的動物...
誒...

所以我很感謝神給我那麼多壓力
我感謝神在我終於渡過一個難關時給我另一個難關
我感謝神現在還是持續的輔導我, 幫助我解決所遇到的所有問題
我感謝神給我信心去相信祂, 永不離棄祂
神真的很棒, 為什麼我一些朋友不想去認識祂?
誒...

我很累, 但我有耶穌, 所以我不會有問題的

What I Hate

Pakistan Flood.

I hate how people in positions to help do nothing about the problems in the world today. I hate how when one child dies in an accident everyone weeps but when millions die in tsunamis or floods people don't even spare a penny. I hate how so many people are starving in this world. I hate how my friends don't care. I hate the problems that arise from poverty. I hate the injustices in the world. I hate how children are forced to sell their bodies to feed their family. I hate that I can't do more...

I hate it.

I hate how God is the solution to all this but yet people would rather get drunk than hear me out. I hate how over-thinking is somehow a vice in this twisted world we live in. I hate how despite the archaeological evidences, historical records, scientific contributions, eye-witness accounts, and personal testimonies, people still somehow think Christianity is an unfounded "faith". I hate how we sing so many songs about love but yet deny the ultimate act of love that was shown on the cross.

I hate it.

I hate those people who claim to love God but can't tell me what it means to be saved. I hate those religious guys who only asks for money but cares nothing about the person. I hate people who want to grow closer to God but doesn't even go to church. I hate churches that preach health, wealth, and good fortunes while disregarding the part where we suffer. I hate people who try to beat you on the head with a bible. I hate people who speaks of love but never acts on it.

I hate it.

If that's what you think it means to be a Christian, I'm not a Christian. And what they call "God", it ain't my God. And the "faith" that they have, it ain't real faith.
My God provides peace and comfort beyond understanding. My faith allows me to do things I don't think I can, or want to. My Christianity is my lifestyle, not just something I call religion.

And I'll never shut up about it. Why? Because it really is awesome and I want you to try it.

真實的自我介紹

你好，我叫做莊智超，可以叫我小超或超人或Ｔｏｎｙ。
我深信自己是將來要拯救世界的超人，就算不拯救世界也要改變台灣。
我非常的爱台灣這國家，尤其是它的夜市。
為什麼喜歡夜市呢？因為夜市東西都很便宜。
我這個人很小氣，又很不喜歡花錢。雖然每次去夜市都花蠻多的但每一個交易都很少錢，所以至少kimochi比較好。

我唯一捨得花的是電子產品，像ＰＳ３，遊戲，螢幕，ＧｅＦｏｒｃｅ顯示卡．．．
對，忘記提我非常的宅。
多宅呢？我曾經１４６個小時沒穿褲子過，能破我紀錄的人我請你喝珍珠奶茶。
我宅在家裡時大部分時間都是在玩遊戲，最近玩了很多舊Ｗｉｉ遊戲。
順帶一提，還沒玩過Ｏｋａｍｉ的人一定要去玩，超好玩的！

我以身為一個宅男而傲，我讀電腦的所以電腦厲害當然是不用說。
但我對幾乎所有北美出的遊戲都有基本了解，我知道他們要什麼時候出，最大賣點，主程式師，種種．．．
我也是動畫達人，比較有知名度的動畫我都有看過，至於ｆｏｌｌｏｗ了話我就沒那麼多時間了。我連漫畫都好久沒碰了，唉．．．
我現在只能選幾個故事看（像火影，海賊王），雖然覺得很可惜但也只好這樣了．．．

我不只是宅而已，我在家裡穿的超拉塌的。
其實我以前出去連打扮一下都不會，至少現在有稍微讓自己可以見人了。
但我也不是很帥，我只能靠無根據的自信和不ｃａｒｅ旁人眼光的態度去打造這個形象。
讀過很多心理學的我很了解人的觀點與思考邏輯，加以利用我就變型男了．．．吧？
所以如果妳認為我長的還不錯了話，是假象。

還有，我很喜歡思考，有時候會想太多（至少被別人這樣說過好幾次）。
我嚴重到會因為這樣而去批評一些其實沒得罪我的人。
有時也會因為這樣而推掉一些責任或不作一些事情。
但其實主要原因是因為我非常的膽小，我害怕失敗，我害怕犯錯，我討厭焦點在我身上。
沒錯，我就是這麼沒用的人。

我自以為浪漫，我自以為聰明，有時還會想吉他彈不錯。
但仔細想想我什麼都不是，我只是一個活在幻想世界中的小男孩而已。
在這個幻想世界中，時而單身時而有女朋友，看我當時心情。

我覺得當我女朋友會很辛苦因為我沒辦法定下來，我光光在馬來西亞就搬過六次家，更別說我在美國或加拿大的日子了。
而且我在北美讀那麼久書還畢業不了，沒出息對不對？
我對自己和身邊的人要求也很高，我媽常說這會帶給她和我將來另一半很大壓力。
我對外人算蠻和善的但有時對家人脾氣很不好，這是我一大缺點。

我對聖經蠻了解的，但我和神的關係有待加強。
我經常連開聖經都覺得好累，太不應該了我．．．越來越了解羅馬書７：１５所描述的掙扎了。
最近有漸漸回到神身邊，但持續多久就很難說了．．．

我相信我缺點應該還很多但現在暫時寫這樣就好了。
我有點懶的再打了。喔對，我非常的懶，真的。
我是那種懶到伸懶腰都懶的伸的人。

我叫莊智超，今年２３歲，單身，喜歡宅，幻想，耍白痴。歡迎有耐心讀到這裡的女性朋友們留下姓名，ｍｓｎ，夜市最喜歡的食物，和對羅馬書的認知，我會在連絡妳。掰掰～

Hi I'm Tony and I'm a workaholic.

Thanks to Michael Quach, I was able to find a job in the office last week. It's a software development firm, which is nice, since I'm actually doing something related to my major now.

I didn't want to quit my job at the sushi place so I'm now holding two jobs.
It's funny how I get to find jobs so easily while actual Canadians are having trouble finding work. I would feel a sense of guilt but I'm a workaholic who doesn't have time to reflect on petty emotions now.

Here's my daily routine:
I leave for work at 8:35AM, spend the day testing the program. My job as a tester is to break the program and find every single tiny bug in there. And when I run out of things to find, maybe I can finally do some messing around with the code, which is so much more fun. Yes, programming is fun for me. They use vb.net btw.

And then at 5:00PM I leave to hurry to the sushi place, where I now cut lettuce, onions, 茄子, zukinis, lobsters, and the like. I also burn my hand with 120 °C oil while making tempura. Did you know we tear lobsters in half while they are alive? It makes them more fresh. They can actually stay alive for a minute or two in that state, pretty intense. Anyways, we close up and eat dinner at 11PM. And then I finally get to go home, arriving around 11:15PM. So that was Monday through Wednesday. It seems 14 hours isn't enough stress (I'm conducting a stress test on my self to see how much I can handle, refer to this blog post), I wonder how much my body can take before it breaks down... I'm going to ask my sushi boss to give me more night shifts.

This comic would be more accurate if there's a kitchen scene.

I feel like I have so much time today since I only worked one job. So I calculated and I'm making quite a bit of money, I like it. :D There really aren't any workaholics in this world, just people who either need or love money, or both. Why would you do nothing when you can make money? I have 16 hours a day if I count 8 hours of sleep. So I'm wasting 2 hours not making money every day!

PS. I'm not completely serious here. I won't kill myself, don't worry. I am working a lot now though...

My Epiphany

*tongue in cheek warning*
I was running late for Colluni fellowship the other day since we ate dinner late. I was still dressed in my sloppy-stay-at-home attire I had to change real quick. I started to put on my jeans and a random t-shirt. And that's when I realized:

"I need to take a dump."

I stood there for 30 seconds contemplating whether I should go to the bathroom or just hold it in. I decided to go take care of business for safety's sake. And then I did something I have never done in my entire life. I don't know why it has never even occurred to me or why no one I know has done it. This is what I did:

I put on my socks as I took a dump.

Yes, they were happening simultaneously, beautifully coinciding with one another, perfectly matching in rhythm. It's as if they were destined to be done together, a holy matrimony made in heaven. And then it felt like I heard an angelic chorus and a bright light shone on me. I reached an epiphany.

Nothing is impossible, all you have to do is imagine it and you can do it. The oddest of oddities can shatter the weirdest of impossibilities if only one would try it, despite "it" possibly being the vainest of vanities. What matters is removing the limit. And after doing so, you might just achieve something you previously thought to be unachievable... like putting on socks while taking a dump.

超人的夢境

我最近幾天都夢到一些奇奇怪怪的東西

像昨晚我夢到我是個世界級名廚, 去參加頒獎典禮

然後主持人介紹一個小孩子獻致詞

小孩上台竟然開始傳道, 而且還講的令所有人都啞口無言

講到最後他卻突然逼我們全部人都寫一張卡片給我們喜歡的人, 要馬上透過這張紙跟她/他告白

我看身邊的人都很聽話的開始寫, 有些人寫滿整張紙有些人只寫 suki desu

但每個人臉上都充滿笑容, 寫完把卡放進信封寄出去

我發現原來喜歡一個人是多麼幸福的一件事

但當我正要寫的時候一個女生突然出現說喜歡我

天啊! 怎麼會這樣!? 我那時心裡想的是另外一個人耶!

頓時我一大群朋友出現說要去打敗傳說中的大魔王

而且我喜歡的女生也在, 但她在吃火鍋, 我心就想怎麼那麼貪吃啊小姐?

後來好像有發生很多事, 我們也在魔王的城堡探險很久

而且很奇怪的我身邊只剩那個我喜歡的女生

而且我們竟然連武器都沒有, 我的白金盾呢? 我的炎龍劍呢!? 明明是我自己的夢我竟然那麼弱, 不甘心...

Anyways, 我們在城堡開始牽起手來 (因為有位拿者超大菜刀的瘋廚師開始追殺我們)

好害羞喔~ 這就是傳說中的RPG戀愛嗎!?

而且還是十指緊扣喔~

印象中她的手好小好細, 我都怕一不小心就弄傷她的手

但我還是握的很緊 (因為瘋廚師還在後面)

加上我不想放開, 我不想放掉這麼難得的機會
不對啊, 身為一位勇者她手應該不會太細才對, 算了, 夢畢竟還是夢...

後來我就醒來了

還沒存檔耶... 這樣我下次沒辦法從那裡繼續... 真可惜

Quality Control

It always seems that more Chinese readers read what I write anyways, so screw English... at least for now.

最近一直在工作, 一天12小時的在日本餐廳努力賺錢
下禮拜如果萬事順利了話會更忙
嗯, 太好了, 我想知道我自己到底能被操到什麼程度
這就是所謂的product stress test 吧
如果不去測試一個產品所能承受的psi, 它能持續運作多久, 以及其他品質控制會做的種種,
產品的最高效能就不會被提升, 客人也有可能不會滿意...

這就是我想把自己搞到累垮的原因, 但看來stress還不夠...
我這樣的思考模式會很怪嗎? (No, 我不希望你回答)
我這樣做是為了提升自己, 不是masochistic (我知道有人一定會這樣說我)
真的, 請相信我

嗯...
I will cut better, I will cut better, I will cut better...

昨天去考加拿大的駕照, 一次考上! Muahahaha
楓葉卡也在幾天前拿到, 醫療卡也去申請了
我身上屬於加拿大的ID已遠遠超過台灣了

In other news, at small group and fellowship yesterday, we talked about how to serve in a greater capacity.
In order to serve better, one has to be put in a position where one has the need. This further illustrates my long time view of how leaders are grown, not born. If you want to lead, put yourself in a position to do so and God will do the rest. If you don't have God in your life and the Holy Spirit leading it, ask yourself why and what you are missing out on.

啊! 我昨天做了很奇怪的夢, 下次在寫吧

New Uniform + Random Happenings

So we got new uniform at work a few days back.

Oh, for those that don't know yet, I've started to work a while back (almost right after I got my social insurance number). I work in the kitchen at this Japanese restaurant, the type that sells sushi, udon, and other miscellaneous Japanese food. I'm officially working as part-time even though I'm putting in full time hours. I think this allows the owner to not buy me insurance or something. Hope I don't lose a finger anytime soon, I already have a crack in my nail from bad cutting.

Speaking of cutting, I have never cut this many carrots, cabbage, potatoes, etc. in my life. And yet I still suck at it... I don't think I'm THAT slow, it's just that those guys are way too fast. According to "shifu", I'm only gonna cook when I get better at cutting.

Anyways, we got new uniform yesterday. It's this white jacket with black buttons and black sleeves. With this we actually look like chefs in a hotel as opposed to mere kitchen workers in a small restaurant. The black lower apron didn't change, but no one can see that anyways. Oh, one thing I should mention, I'm still wearing the "trainee" uniform, which sucks. It's not like I can't cook, he just won't let me, at least not the "hard stuff". If you come at lunch though, I make the easy stuff and you can try it.

On an unrelated note, a few of us from church went on a retreat last weekend. We hung out, played foosball half-watched two movies, went to the pool, and discussed predestination. Fun stuff. Hard to swallow at times, but awe-inspiring nonetheless. Oh, I heard Tears in Heaven on the guitar again on the retreat, so it's not just Conan who plays it... After going home and practicing, now I can play it too.

Side note: My dad hurt his lower back/hip a few days ago (閃到腰). I just got off work and saw him on the floor, apparently he could not even move. From his contorted figure, I could tell he was in agonizing pain. He's better now, but pray for him. He also audibly prayed to God for the first time, that's pretty sweet.

工作心得

為什麼沒有男性絲襪?
男生需要站一整天腳就不會酸是嗎?
化妝品啊, 假睫毛也是, 適合新新都市男孩的假睫毛勒?
我並不是想用, 但我希望至少可以有選擇...
男女根本一點都不平等嗎...

最近開始在一家日本料理店工作, 而且在廚房, 以後我廚藝會大大增進吧 :D
我發現站一整天真的會累, 大概是我從來沒有站那麼久沒休息過吧
12小時有點違法吧...
回家時小腿超硬的, 我覺得可以去跟大理石比

嗯, 累歸累但我還學習到蠻多的
這是一些我和師父的對話:

他: 你切太粗了, 很醜啊. 小心點, 慢慢來
我: 喔, sorry
他: 動作太慢了, 在餐館業要動作很快的...
我: sorry
OS: 我沒辦法像你一樣快狠準, 對不起我那麼沒用 T T

他: 刀子和你又沒有仇, 不要那麼用力, 這樣刀很容易壞的
我: 喔, 好的
下次劈魚頭時...
他: 不要用兩隻手, 用力就好
我: 我... 切... 不動
他: 哎呀, 長那麼高大是幹麼的... 像這樣
師父很man的示範單手劈超硬的魚頭

他: 你有沒有兄弟姊妹啊?
我: 有, 一個哥哥
他: 我們距離越來越遠了
我: 但我有很多表姊表妹
他: 我們距離又變近了

師父我會加油的... 雖然好累...
被罵是正常, 被罵是為了要成長, Tony你沒有那麼沒用, 要有自信點
Tony你不會被打敗的, 你切的菜沒有那麼醜... 這都是學習過程
Tony你真的沒有師父說的那麼沒用, 相信自己, believe... fighting!

之前是早上十一點到晚上十一點, 雖然closing完都十二點多了... 回到家也不知道幾點了...
還有昨天因為洗碗的沒來所以我沒有休息的洗了六個鐘頭的碗, 我的手要爛掉了~

現在師父說我晚上幫不上忙 (晚上菜還不讓我做, 中午也不太會其實), 所以幾乎都是五點就下班了, 除了特別忙的幾天
這樣我晚上就有空去starbucks工作摟... 趕快找...

PS. 師父跟我要台灣女生的照片, 我手機就那幾張所以就選了XXX的照片給他看
請原諒我, 師父逼的

I'll semi-translate this later...

Who am I?

I am Tony.
I used to be an international student in Canada but as of yesterday I have become a permanent resident, which means I'm a local student... I think.
I like eating, sleeping, playing, and thinking. Je pense, donc je suis.
I seem to have an affinity for languages; besides the myriad of computer languages in my arsenal, I know a few other "common" languages.
While it may seem like a blessing, often it confuses me. It changes who I am.

從小就生活在多文化的環境中: 東亞, 東南亞, 印度, 北美, 歐洲, 澳洲, 大家都有好多不同的特徵.
有時候發現自己融合了他們的眾多習性會讓我微微一笑.
像我這"gentleman"的個性 (可以叫個性嗎?) 是到台灣才發現我擁有的, 幫別人開門拿東西應該很普通啊! 一定是現在台灣年輕人太以自我為中心了...

腓2:4."不要自私自利，也不要貪圖虛榮，只要謙卑，看別人比自己強"

如果全世界的人都這樣多好...

Peut-être je devrais utiliser fraçais aussi. On pense que je parle français couramment après tout. Malheureusement, par rapport à mon anglais, je suis comme un bébé en français, un gros bébé asiatique... qui pese environ 65kg... J'adore les bébés.

That proves it, I am completely different when I think in different languages. The question is, who do I like the most? No, who do people like the most? Actually, who does God find the most pleasing?
I cannot be multiple persons, I cannot make everyone happy. What one person can understand another can't. So does that mean I translate everything I write? Do I ignore my uni-lingual friends and write in Chinese or do I use English even though that means a big majority of my writings will be either skipped over or misunderstood. I don't mean to show off or piss anyone off, but it's hard to stay in one language... It's like I phase in and out of different worlds constantly...

我真的希望我世界各地的朋友都可以看的懂我寫的每一篇文章, 但這好像不太可能發生. Tower of Babel 真的是好事嗎?
當然我也希望全世界的人都可以信主, 看到祂的真實, 接受祂的禮物... 但這種想法太天真了嗎?
現實難道真的就是要拋棄一樣東西才可以擁有另外一樣嗎?
我不放下台灣就沒辦法好好在加拿大生活嗎?
他們到結婚生子又闖了一番事業才肯回台灣是他們的事, 其實這已經不叫做"回台灣"了, 這變成"去台灣度假".

I don't want to wait until I'm old to go back to Taiwan. I have food to taste, places to visit, girls to meet, people to save...
I love Taiwan. I love the people there... especially those I know... and some more than others.
The same goes for my friends here, which means I am again stuck between two worlds.

This probably makes no sense to most of you even if you can read all of it...
我自已都不太懂自己要什麼...
至少我有一個固定在耶穌裡不會改變的身份. I am His ambassador. 我是祂的兒子.

Time...

Time...

The speed at which it passes caters not to the whims of our desires, but rather to the flow of our routines.

Slow, fast, they are all but relative adjectives acting as powerless sedatives to our monotone lives.

A day may seem like a thousand years to one whose activities consist of waking, eating, playing, and the oft inadvertent sleeping.

Vanity of vanities says the preacher, all is vanity.

A verse commonly known but rarely understood. A cry for rescue from an existence defined by nothingness.

A deep resonance with a kindred spirit like me. A truth revealed for the world to see.

Time...

An hour spent in solitude passes slower than a day with her.

The beauty in the moment lies completely in the fact that it is fleeting.

And only when it dissipates does one meditate on its value, too little too late...

Time stops for no one. Time waits for no one.

Running out of time remains a problem for both myself and countless others.

Time, thou art a cruel mistress. Wherefore must thy sting hurt so?

Word of advise: do not flirt with time lest you find yourself wasting away in the cesspool of its victims.

Time flies...

For every moment that wastes and decays, another one enters the fray, then flies away

Those I try to capture, but to no avail.

I am often left with just memories to reminisce, bits and pieces of a time once had.

Time irreversible, pieces irreparable, but memories unforgettable...

But alas, I lie to myself, unwilling to admit the sobriety of my timidity.

To be honest, not a day passes that I don't think about how the year that splits our meeting leaves me helpless, alone, and... missing...

直接

遇到一個真的很笨的人開口說他白痴不太好...

朋友提出計畫很久的行程然後直接說行程爛也不太好...

親戚的小baby長的比科學怪人還醜好像也不能太直接說什麼...

最後正常人都會以欺騙來帶過這些狀況

那如果是遇到喜歡的人呢? 討厭的?

電視上和電影裡似乎都教我們如果遇到有好感的人就大膽的去愛吧

壯觀的放手一博真的比小心翼翼的三思而後行好嗎?

如果遇到醜baby不應該直接說實話那換成我們的感情生活呢?

陶喆, 爱最好就很簡單

還有當我們朋友在錯事或毀壞他的人生(簡稱"罪"), 我們應該很直接的反應嗎?

如果真的關心這個人了話不是應該當他的面勸告他嗎?

就算他會恨你嗎? 腦海浮現翻唱歌(Cause I~ hate~ you, 我就是恨你baby~) XD

什麼時候該直接什麼時候該小心?

要直接的時候該怎麼去面對, 要小心的時候又該怎樣去應變?

唉~

我一直以來都很欣賞那些有話直說的人, 我認為好豪爽啊

高興就請大家出去吃飯, 生氣就翻桌二話不說走人

跟這種人當朋友的好處是他不會跟你耍心機, 那壞處呢...

可能有時候會不小心傷害到他所關心的人吧

然後當發現的時候已經太遲了

直.街.

Mormons Are Coming

So I met with Mormons twice already.
When they called me and said they were with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints it didn't actually register to me that they were Mormons. I mean what kind of church or organization would put two of's in its name. It's not that it's grammatically unsound, it's like equipping two carts to an ox. Why would you do that to an ox? What did the ox ever do to you? It's bad enough putting on cart, but two!?

Anyways, they said they really wanted to meet with me and since I wasn't doing anything I let them. I was too lazy to go anywhere so I said they could come to my place. Two people ended up coming that first time. They started to small talk about crap I didn't care about. Why is it that people insist on having small talk? I know why they came, they know why they came. Small talk is reserved for unfamiliar acquaintances and awkward moments.

In any case, a few questions about my house and my hobbies later, and a Crazy Train riff later, I asked them out right, "So tell me what you want to share." I learned a few things that day about what they actually believe. I know about Mormonism, but everything I know are derogatory and downright mean. I wanted to hear what they have to say themselves. It's only fair. They shared about the basics that day and what they believe about the resurrection, Jesus, and the church. It wasn't until the second meeting that they shared with me their plan of salvation.

Let me tell you, that plan is messed up. Apparently all the souls has always existed since before the beginning of time, and God had a perfect physical body. Then we have the current life, then death and three heavens waiting for us. Oh, they have no hell. What the hell? What irked me the most was how they never even mentioned how to convert. Were they intimidated by me? I wasn't aggressive at all! I was playing the "shy curious guy" card.

Not the guys I met with, just a picture of Mormons.

I didn't want to bash them so I instead just asked them questions:
1. So the founder Joseph dug up these golden tablets (which was buried around 400BC, it'll take an excavation team to dig up something from that time). And the tablets were written in the alternate Egyptian hieroglyph (which linguists have deemed non-existent and even inconsistent with itself based on supposed translations). So after Joseph translated with the help of God, an angel came and took it away. So no one has seen the tablets except him. Care to explain?
2. How do you know your modern day prophet is real?

I have respect for Islam because their teachings have a source that we can trace to. Everyone can scrutinize their religious text in its original form. The same could be said for Hinduism and Buddhism. Christianity also has records from as far back as the Dead Sea Scrolls (or probably further, my archaeology is a bit rusty). Good science allows other scientists to repeat the same experiment. Good history has multiple manuscripts supporting its accuracy. I have no sympathy for something that correlates to neither.

They are coming here again today. Let's hope it goes well. They are perfectly nice people and easy to get along with. I don't wish any harm upon them. This is precisely why I'm sharing what I believe and also the foundations I have for those beliefs. Contrary to popular opinion, faiths are not blind and have a foundation. Mine is stronger and thicker than 25,000 original manuscripts piled together.

暑假好~~悠哉啊~

我好久沒有寫部落格了...

其實我也好久沒有寫中文了...

我覺得我應該更常update一下我的生活, 畢竟我真的有做蠻多直得分享的事情.

比如說...

我上上禮拜從學校搬到Toronto附近, 雖然搬家很累但我有好多人幫我喔

要不是我臉皮厚的不像話可能會更累吧; 因為不只是朋友, 我好像連朋友的家長都拉來了

然後上個禮拜我辦了一個小小housewarming party, 到後面搞到有點失控就對了 XD

可以去我Picasa或Facebook看照片

再來呢... 最近開始自己煮飯

以前都是偶而弄個簡單的pasta或者是微波爐便當, 但因為現在是長期需要煮飯而不是當懶的出門才煮, 所以必須注意每一餐的營養成分

要確定自己有足夠的肉, 要不然protein會不夠, 這樣肌肉就沒辦法繼續成長

Carbohydrate雖然容易填飽肚子但吃太多會很容易胖

蔬菜水果更是每一餐都要有的...

"要愛護自己的身體以後身體才會愛護你" -莊媽媽明言

如果有兩個人了話其實會比較好煮菜, 不需要每餐都只弄一點點東西或放冰箱隔天吃剩菜

加上每天都要去想該煮什麼該買什麼, 好煩好煩喔~ (sarcasm)
我也有在Picasa和Facebook放food diary :D

我是不是很幸福? 至少到六月之前, 每天就是看動畫, 玩遊戲, 彈吉他, 去廚房嘗試新料理, 睡覺, 偶而洗個澡.

還有很多時間去讀經, 禱告, 跟教會的人打籃球 (我被稱為籃板王喔)

尤其是看到一些masochistic的朋友天天忙著工作或實習, 回到家也不休息, 我真的好幸福喔...

別懷疑, 我是在說妳蔚翔

妳很累吧, 我好像是應該說加油之類的話, 但我聽膩了這套互相鼓勵的話.

保羅是怎麼鼓勵教會的, 彼得呢? 神又是對約書亞說什麼? Be strong and courageous...

古人說我們人都是在苦難中最能經歷神, 古人是對的.

嗯... 不知道說什麼... 加油摟~ (弱掉)

放心, 妳很堅強的, 加上有超多人為妳禱告的不是嗎?

說到禱告, 我有個叫韡承的朋友

韡承啊, 你不要給我一直忙東忙西然後閒沒人關心, 我要找你都找不到耶! 聊天那麼難嗎?

Anyways... 他是一個又帥又穩重的一個真男人, 他很會關心別人, 有穩定的工作, 加上他會Java!

為什麼提到他呢? 因為我上次跟他見面時有問要怎麼幫他禱告, 當然他是先提到團契(但這是預設帶禱事項所以不算). 之後他就提到另一半和他的一些希望...

說到另一半, 馬修先生啊... 禱告...

其實好多人都在煩惱這件事, 我不煩惱會很怪嗎? 難道是我還沒長大!

我是唯一覺得單身很幸福的人嗎!?

台灣... 大概是因為我長期在很多國家中移來移去, 我習慣了長時間不會遇到很多人這感受

所以"想念"並不是一個經常發生的事, 但每當我開始去聊到想到或寫到一個人就會開始想念這個人. 所以現在腦海中浮現眾多台灣的朋友們代表...
喔對, 還有我的親愛的家人和可愛的親戚 :D

有點想回台灣... 或著是台灣可以過來

PS. Amy小姐, 加拿大之旅計畫如何?

PSS. 快見到爸媽了

不是我畫的

Need Furniture

As some of my Canadians friends should know, I have recently rented a house in the greater Toronto region to live in over the summer and also for my parents to live in when they come over from Taiwan/Malaysia. It is an empty house. When I say empty I don't mean that it actually does have a lamp, or a bed, or a flat screen TV. When I say empty, I mean empty. Though it does have a kitchen with a fridge.

Click this to see a picture of the empty living room.

In the spirit of resourcefulness, I'm trying to acquire furniture through the most financially sound means conceivable. In other words, I'm cheap and would like free furniture that you guys don't want. I'll also pay for stuff too if asked just to be fair. I may be cheap but I understand that there's no such thing as a free lunch. So if you see any good prices and listings or shops, let me know.

Below are what I need, or at least what I can think of right now. They are for your reference and also for mine when I go shopping after moving in.

These are what I have already gotten as of now:
Dining table
TV stand
A set of leather sofa

As for what I need:
Queen size bed and stand for parents
Mat or something that I can use to sleep on, futon works too
Coffee table, for the living room
Desk, for my computer
Chairs and/or barstools (for granite kitchen island)
Extra couch/sofa?
Curtains, 2 sets I think
Plates, bowls, and silverware. Pans and pots too. I'll probably just buy these.
50" HDTV with optional PS3 (games accepted but not required)
Other things that I may have missed but are usually found in an apartment
爸媽, 我忘記什麼了話跟我說一聲

Please let me know if you, your parents, your neighbor, or your rich uncle has extra stuff to give away.

I also still need help with moving and also shopping for extra furniture after moving in.
I'm planning on moving either May 1st or May 2nd, from my current residence on campus to Markham (Pacific Mall region).

You can't refuse this now can you? Pretty please? Leave a message and help a poor, international university student out.

How I Met Your Mother

I've been watching this show called "How I Met Your Mother". I just finished the first season as a matter of fact.

It's got a cast of wildly funny and interesting characters, often witty dialogues, ludicrously bizarre situations, and to top it all off: a guy called Barney. How often is it that you see someone called Barney in a show, or a movie even? Barney just isn't used anymore!

Anyways, it's a sitcom set in New York, the big apple. For the characters we have Ted the overly romantic single who is craving someone to marry, a bit like a friend of mine (except the romantic part), Marshall the supporting friend who always knows what Ted needs, Lily the best friend's girlfriend who fits every description for coolest girl ever, Robin the hot friend that Ted is crazily in love with, and of course Barney the lovable jerk who hits on every girl he talks to... and their moms.

The show is basically a story of five friends doing stupid stuff in New York. Each episode is another recollection of an act of complete idiocy by Ted as he continues hopelessly to find the girl he is destined to marry, filled in by more insanity from his friends, and finished with (sometimes over 2 episodes) Ted being alone and single again.

It makes me wonder, people try so hard to get girls, constantly thinking of ways to attract them, going to the gym to get bigger guns to impress them. And at the end of the day, they just become single all over again. The relentlessness of desperate (even though they want admit it) single guys never ceases to astound me. You can tell by the way they wear their hair that they want girls to look at them twice. By the way they stalk girls' facebook profiles so that at the very moment the relationship status becomes "single", they swarm in with statements like "hey whaat uP!! how hav u been, we shud hang out somtime now tht u r single again" (all the while unaware of how a fourth grader in China could spell better than they can).

It's the little things that give them away. They cannot stop talking about girls and their supposed indifference towards them. For them life is an unending parade of different girls. They write blogs about how they hate people who never stops thinking about girls. Wait... Not the last part. The point is, every guy wants a girl he can love. Some do it with style while others just think with their penis. Whatever happened to sports, philosophy, and purely platonic relationships (in the modern sense)? Have we cast away the beauty and meaning behind friendships in exchange for someone we can hold onto at night? Have we thrown out the idea of an eternally loving God for a fleeting moment of being loved? Girlfriends are good, it's just... priorities people!

Me? I'm in Canada, nothing against Canadians, but I just have no one I want to impress here. All the girls I know are either taken, gay, or way too normal for me. Normal... can't have that can we? Oh, and no Taiwanese. Seriously, where have all the Taiwanese gone? (none of that CBC stuff) The only Taiwanese I met was some guy in a suit. Who wears a suit on campus? Actually I did one day... Crap.

想家想到宣教

好久沒有寫部落格了, 更不用說用中文寫... 噢買尬, 我真的變懶了!

其實最近真的發生蠻多直得下筆的事情:
上週末我兩天花25小時寫一個Java的程式, 而且到最後還沒寫完...
上個禮拜是我們這裡的reading week, 也就是一個禮拜的休假, 我宅到要發霉了...
初二時我在台灣的眾多表親聚在一起...
他們竟然趁我不在的時候玩的那麼高興, 你們怎麼可以這樣對我? T T

突然又感受到加拿大的冷, 殘酷的現實, 離家的孤獨
我在美國的三年多從來沒有真的想家過, 起碼想吃臭豆腐和牛肉麵
現在的我也不是真的想家, 但我想見台灣那群可以稱的上我家人與朋友的人
我沒有傷心或難過, 只是更深的體會家裡的好
我不會時時刻刻掛念某個人或地... 欸, 但我為什麼忘不了台灣?
一個人怎麼可能那麼爱一個國家?

我看得非常清楚台灣醜陋的政治, 淪陷的社會, 拜金的生活, 噁心的大男人主義, 那些只懂得讀書而不懂道德的學生... 其實老實說全世界都是如此, 但我在台灣看到另外一樣東西: 希望.
信仰不只是一個幫助我們度過難關的精神支柱, 基督教不是一個只想要你的錢的宗教, 神不只是平衡宇宙的力量, 耶穌不只是一個33AD死掉的猶太人, 他那革命般的愛更不是開玩笑的.

台灣有很多問題, 相信耶穌是答案有那麼離譜嗎?
不相信歷史的見證看看我的生命, 我的目的, 我的信念
我真的很愛台灣, 你在讀這文章了話我大概也關心你, 找一本聖經讀約翰寫的那篇吧!
對不起, 這本來不是我想要寫的... 但不知道為什麼情不自盡的就跑出來了...
請原諒我, 我回台灣送你巧克力好嗎? (要提前跟我說好讓我準備)

First Week back to Reality

It's been too long since I wrote on my blog, which btw gets linked to facebook. So if you see this on facebook, that's why. People tell me I should write more... So here I am writing.

~~~
I came back from Taiwan about a week ago, feeling completely exhausted from seeing all those friends and family but already longing for my next visit home. I miss those guys already... So that's what it feels like to be hammered back to reality... I could write about what exactly I did in Taiwan to make it so memorable, which would definitely be worth recording as it was one intense roller coaster ride: it was the most fun I've had in a while but over before I knew it... That will come later, though most likely in Chinese, sorry my English friends. Et pour mes amis qui parlent français, quoi!? Oui! Je me souviens de vous et vous me manquez toujours. Even now I wish I could be back home in Taiwan, but I know I've been put here for a purpose. It seems God wants me to focus on Him now more than ever, to once again go back to being the wide-eyed adventurer seeking truth. After Campus Church's worship night on Sunday, I'm even more sure.
~~~

In other news... I hit the gym on Thursday, and being the first time I worked out in almost four weeks, I found out I got tired really fast. Halfway through the third set for my chest workout, my muscles decided that they've had enough and completely gave out. Most people ease into their workout after an extended period of rest. Well not me! How dumb...
I only felt sore for about two days and I would've gone to the gym again if not for my chronic laziness. During my days of rest I played more than my fair share of video games, saving the world from the menace of both the Soviets and evil corporations. That's right, I'm awesome like that.

Apart from decimating evil people, I've been playing guitar. In fact, just today my friend Conan came over and we jammed for what felt like a really long time (big shout out to Tiff for her guitar). It really wasn't that long at all (2-3 hours?) but when you have two guitars, time gets distorted. Perhaps it playing that D-minor chord too much, but the pain actually got through my blisters. We played things like "I'm Yours", "Sweet Child O' Mine", "Numb", "Canon in D", "梁山伯與茱麗葉", "Blessed be Your Name", "Lucky"... Speaking of "Lucky", that's a good song, I can relate to it well.
Go listen to it here on youtube.

My guitar is the one on the right.

~Now do you hear me, talking to you
Across the water, across the deep blue ocean~