October 24, 2001

I went to Super K on High Street for the first time today. That place is huge. To quote a friend: "It's the place to go if you ever need to buy underwear, a tv, and a chicken."

Belinda and I were looking at some random stuff. We found this stuff in the toy section that tints your bath water. So, when you put your kids in the bath, you can add these pellets and turn the water different colors. The funny thing was that on the cardboard display thing, it said "Will not stain kids or tub." KIDS!? But on the actual product, the label says, "Caution: may stain carpet or clothing." How is it that this stuff will stain your carpet but not your kid!?

Later on, we were walking through another part of the store (that was probably miles away from where we'd entered). As I'm walking this dad and his daughter pass us in the narrow aisle. So, I step aside and let them pass. While I'm about to step back to my original path, I hear this little squeeky voice say "excuse" from behind me. I step aside, and as I look, I see the cart going by. I expect to see an adult or something pushing the cart. But when the pusher passes, I look down and see a 6 year old boy who can barely see over the cart. It was hilarious because all he said was "excuse" like the "me" had been censored out or something.

I'm sure there were more odd things that happened in K-Mart, I just can't remember them. Just a strange day all together.

Any girls looking for a roommate? I'm looking for someone either to look with me for a place in the East Bay or to follow-up on a few leads I have. Let me know via e-mail soon. OK, enough of my shameless plug. Hey, it's my thoughts page.
I just bought a new DVD player. It was dirt cheap.

Yet I'm still using a television that is older than I am. Hmm...

October 22, 2001

I slept 12 hours last night. I haven't slept even half this much in the past 2 months.

woohoo!

October 21, 2001

bleh. I'm sick, very sick. I think I'm gonna call in sick tomorrow morning. bleh.

Dave Matthews is a quality musician. I saw him last night at the Bridge School Benefit XV. He played solo. He played acoustic. Yes, I firmly believe that Dave Matthews still needs to be Dave Matthews Band. Bev and I were really worried that he was gonna suck solo. But, he really surprised us. He played Crazy, When the World Ends, and then a bunch of random songs. He played a new song which he said he just finished writing "the other day." (whatever that means). It's probably called "Where do you go" or "Where are you going" something like that. It was outright sappy. It was actually a really good song. Made me swoon =) heehee. But, it was a bit of a sell-out for Dave Matthews. Ever since he's been with this new producer, his lyrics lack the subtlely and wit they once had. Musically, he's a little too "packaged" now, a little too polished. He's lost the "garage band" roughness that he once had. I guess he's trying to make it mainstream.

Dave's quality. So are Tracy Chapman and Ben Harper. Slide guitar, baby! What an amazing show. Pearl Jam was also there. This was the first time Pearl Jam had played together in a year. The last time they played together was at Bridge School XIV. They did one song with Ben Harper. Seriously, the Bridge School Benefit is an amazing show. It's 9 hours of concert. The line up this year was: Neil Young (he puts on the show every year), Billy Idol, some no-name girl, Ben Harper, Tracy Chapman, REM, Dave Matthews, and Pearl Jam. This is probably the best $40 I've ever spent on a concert.

Ok, this was a boring post. Maybe I should've written about Survivor or something. I'm surprised you've read this far.

Go read my sister's page or something. Guys, stay away from her; she's too young. I love my sister. She's awesome. Interlude

It was really cool seeing my old high school friend, Jenny, at church today with Sam Wu and Steven. I haven't seen her since she transferred from Cal to Harvard. She accepted Christ while at Harvard. It was really exciting to see her today.

Ok, going back to sleep.

October 15, 2001

Vine's Expository Dictionary defines "redeem" as:
A. Verb. lutroo. to release on receipt of ransom. To release by paying a ransom price. Christ is stated as the means of redepmption. Lutroo signifies "deliverance," the setting at liberty.

I saw this movie today that had this scene that made me think about redemption. It was a flashback scene in which this young woman remembers her life as a whore. She is being scene by a doctor when her next client arrives. She is ill and does not want to turn any tricks. She is then harshly reminded that she is whore and that she must service this man. The doctor steps in, hands over 3 pieces of gold, saying, "I have now redeemed her." She looks up at the doctor in a mix of shock, joy, and gratitude.

...knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18,19

What a concept! Not a new epiphany. Just relearning an old truth. I have betrayed Christ in my sinfulness; I am unholy. I am an adulteress. I have given my loyalties, my love, my devotion to things, to stuff, and to people. Christ has redeemed me. He has paid the debt that I once owed. But, He didn't just buy me out with money; He paid for me with blood that was unblemished. How undeserving am I! It's interesting because Vine's makes an interesting distinction between 2 different greek words for redeem. The other word exagorazo denotes "to buy out." There is more of an idea of transferring ownership. But, lutroo (which is used in 1 Peter 1:18) is all about freedom. Christ has paid for me; He has redeemed me. But, He has not brought me into more bondage. It's not like I am slave that has been sold to a new master. I have been bought so that I could be set free.

Now, what do I do with this freedom? How do I respond? I think of the woman in the movie. She is grateful, and she dedicates her life to the doctor. She also knows that she cannot make a better life for herself because of her past. And I know that, too. I need Christ so desperately. I cannot make a better life for myself because I am a sinner. And I want to surrender fully to Christ. That seems like a response that isn't even close to being worthy of what I should repay to Him.

How ungrateful I am. I pray for a heart of gratitude.

October 7, 2001

I just had the best meal of my life. Debbie and I went to Moose's in San Francisco to celebrate Debbie's completion of the LSAT. Here's their website.

Drinks: Water with lemon. (Yes, we're cheap..but we made up for it later)

Starter: the free bread and butter.
The bread was a fresh wheat based bread with a crunchy crust. It wasn't so hard that you would hurt yourself, but it provided the perfect contrast to the doughy interior. The butter, served cleanly in a small dish was soft and light.

Entree: Grilled Sea Scallops over Green Bean Risotto in a Garlic Cream Sauce.
This was exquisite. I love scallops, but these scallops were plump, juicy, and well flavored. The exterior was grilled to a crunchy perfection. The risotto was well flavored. The green color of the risotto contrasted perfectly with the light yellow of the sauce which surrounded this beautiful dish.

Debbie ordered Roasted Duck Breast which was cooked to perfection. The skin of the duck was crisp while the meat was juicy. The flavor had a strong body. The duck was paired with a potato tarte. The Duck and the Scallops were a nice pair as we shared food.

Drink: Slaskel Ice Wine, 2000.
An excellent, yet inexpensive dessert wine.

Dessert: Profiteroles with Chocolatte Mousse served with a Mixed Berry Compote
The mousse was superb. It was light and sweet without being too overbearing. The bittersweet chocolate was juxtaposed nicely with the tart berries

Debbie ordered Classic Creme Brulee with Champagne Cookies. The sugar was perfectly carmalized on top without being burnt. I didn't try any, but Debbie says it was excellent.


All in all, this was a wonderful evening. The presentation of the food was astounding. Debbie and I ate in almost complete silence as we relished our food. The high vaulted ceilings and beautiful interior decorating added to the ambience created by the live pianist.

What made the evening perfect was that we found parking after only circling the block once. On average, I spend about an hour looking for parking everytime I go to the North Beach area.

Mmm...still relishing =)

October 3, 2001

When do we forget? How do we remember? How do we not forget to remember?

At what point in time do short term memories become long term memories? There are different parts of the brain responsible for each of these. How does this shift occur? We are creatures of habit. Maybe if we repeat something with enough frequency, we can store it in long term memory. We condition ourselves.

How do flows of information and facts into our brain become matters of the heart? Where does that transition occur? At what point do we start to feel what we know? Is it when we have "felt" that we say that we're truly living and experiencing that event?

What does it mean to remember? At what point do the events of September 11 become a memory? Are we truly as changed of a nation as people say we are? Am I as deeply affected as I thought I was. When do we stop mourning and start moving on again? Have we already done so? How do we return to life without forgetting? Can we even do that? There's no room in our "previous" livelihood for events of this magnitude. So we return to a somewhat morphed version of our lives. But, have our lives changed enough that we remember?

Will we continue to weep for a sinful land and a sinful nation like we did the night it all happened? Do our hearts break like the prophets of old? Or do we return to the normal hustle and bustle? How can we not return to our lives? We're not meant to totally come to a permanent halt. That would be such devestation. So we have a period of mourning; flags flown at half-mast for 11 days. And then we return.

Has anything changed? Should anything have changed?

Just a lot of questions with no answers.