the pursuit of perfection

dinner on Christmas day was at the oceanarium buffet and wow, what a meal. the seafood was pretty excessive and we dined beside this giant aquarium tank full of manta rays and exotic fish. pretty cool. :) and the receptionist looked cutely familiar too ;)

Boxing day started out slow too, we started our shopping at Ala Moana S.C. only in the afternoon. The late morning was spent at Pearl Harbor where we immersed ourselves in rich history. Managed to get some good buys at the shopping center though. :) pretty exciting.

Highlight of this week will probably be the Patriots and the Giants game on Saturday, 11am. The Patriots looking to go 16-0 in their pursuit of perfection. amazingly exciting stuff. and i'm rooting for Brady and the Patriots to etch this team into NFL history, forever. will be on a plane back to Ann Arbor though, so won't get to catch them. -_-


so catch them if you can.

kobe steak and dimsum

and so we had an excellent christmas eve dinner at Kobe Steak House, right by the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Entertainment was provided by the master chef and the sukiyaki beef was just cooked to perfection. We started the evening with a round of hot sake, and the shrimp appetizers were just amazingly juicy. We ended the night hanging out and counting down to Christmas at Kianleong's hotel room, not forgetting the amusing val-wears-a-coconut-bikini episode and the (extremely) bad champagne/pineapple wine. (ugh)

the day after started slow but once we eased ourselves out of bed, it was much much better. traveled to chinatown and ate a lot of dimsum (you have no idea). dimsum at hawaii's chinatown was going for $1.69 (any plate), so we just ingested copious amounts of har kau, siew mai, turnip cake, cheong fun and the like.

back from a hike to the top of Diamond Head, one of the craters of Oahu, overlooking the ocean. pure magnificence :)


awaiting dinner...

the sunrise at Haleakala

aloha and mahalo!

maui has been unbelievable.

the sun. the sand. the sea. and best of all. the turtles.

this island paradise at hawaii is nothing i've seen before. snorkeling sites lay 50 feet off the shores, where you can see many different pacific ocean fishes specific to the hawaiian reef. and of course, the turtles that come up close as they leave the sandy seabed for a gasp of air at the surface. the highlight of two days ago was the turtle encounter we had at the shore while snorkeling just 40 ft out, behind some shore rocks. that was some treat. :)

caught a glimpse of the humpback whale on its way down to the ocean floor (yes, just one glimpse) on our cruise out the day before, and it's a pity the whales weren't really active that day. so were the spinner dolphins. :) nevertheless, an awesome time snorkeling inside the Molokini crater and at Turtle Town. just kicked up all that dormant dive desires though. :) perhaps, Oahu. definitely, summer.

spent yesterday on an ardous drive down the road to Hana which was a disappointing scenic drive to say the least. Dessert at the Hana Ranch was unexpectedly good, at any rate, and we also got to hang out at the Black Sand Beach for a little bit which brought back memories of the times i've had at St. John's island--just that the beach sand's black.

and so now here we are on Christmas eve, back in Oahu, as we wait to see what else this pacific island paradise can bring. :)

keep pressing forward

so we're working on radiohead's high and dry and it's coming along pretty nicely. Great job bro! :) adding that to our repertoire of songs. ah, hopefully next semester will be less of a mad rush.

finished the first chapter of Joel Osteen's new book, Becoming a Better you, and i must say it's been great. No one determines my potential except God. and God's given me the potential i need to fulfill His calling on my life. If you only knew.

"I wonder how many times God tells us that He wants to do something great in our lives, that we are going to be healthy and well; we are going to get out of debt. We feel it strongly, but like the woman at the well, we start thinking about what we don't have, and all the obstacles in our path, and before long, we've talked ourselves out of God's best."

true. Our God is a good God. Our God is not limited to the laws of nature. What we deem impossible, He says it's possible. And when He closes doors, He always has something better in store. always. we have to keep pressing forward.

we have to believe. that He is good. yes, that good.

update

done with my 482 project. had the celebration at siam square with fez, then it was home. konked out from 8 till 12mid. never felt this rested.

had the honor and privilege of getting to know probably one of the bravest people i've known so far. hearing her story, and how God brought her through pain, was one of the highlights of this week. so many a time, really, we lament about the impossible situations we're in, and we forget that hey, y'know, God makes the impossible, possible. You spoke to me as the words were going forth. thanks.

what is it to be led by the Spirit? so much to be learnt. so much trust to be given. 'qarah'--being at the right place at the right time, is all that matters. and as we know the Spirit more and more intimately, as we trust more and more, the manifestations of this 'qarah' that God bestows on His beloved will be more and more apparent. for the path of the righteous shines ever brighter onto the perfect day. it's always looking up for us, even though we think it isn't. cos, hey, Jesus has the final say doesn't he? :D


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Now playing: Hillsong London - Saviour's Love
via FoxyTunes

as requested.

*Mighty to Save*- Hillsong.

added onto my songlist. enjoy!

:)

for it is finished.

Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?

the words of Jesus as He was hanging on the cross. Oh the thoughts He must have had as He hung there, enduring all. How it must have hurt. How alone He must have felt. yet, He did. for He saw the eternal joy I'll have. and the everlasting righteousness that I'll receive. This is love isn't it? in the highest. perfect. that he might, at the end of it all, victoriously declare that 'it is finished.'

Psalm 22:31 They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.

amazing. that this psalm recorded years before Christ was born, would come to pass that very same moment He gave up His spirit.

just thoughts.

been working on 2 projects concurrently these few days, not having much sleep. 10a to 1a on Saturday, 2p to 630a Sunday. yet there's much to be thankful for. much grace seen. for it's not in my timing but in Yours, that even my projects and grades i lift up to you. that You will put me in the right place, at the right time, even complete my assignments at the right time. I have seen what You can do.

finally. some results.

Learning a lot about trusting the Lord, and letting go this entire semester.

checked back on Louie Giglio's blog last night and found precious words. and awestruck by revival. Passion London now? and even Passion Jakarta? :) get ready, world. like never before, revival is spreading like wildfire, in these end-times.

"All we have accomplished, You have done for us." Isaiah 26:12b

so true.

we just have to walk into our land of promise.
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Now playing: Hillsong - God of Ages
via FoxyTunes

capture me again.

Did You rise the sun for me?
Or paint a million stars that I might
Know Your majesty?

Is Your voice upon the wind?
Is everything I've known marked
With my maker's fingerprints?

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Now playing: Hillsong United - Always
via FoxyTunes

macbook. yes?

well, apparently there's a new design coming up. not sure when that will hit the stores though. but the macbook's so pretty, i can't take my eyes off it. and it's power-packed with processing power. what a move to switch to intel chips.

been surfing the apple.com page so many times... the prices are pretty steep though. :D haha. we'll see, we'll see.

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Now playing: Hillsong - Hosanna
via FoxyTunes

startxwin.bat

just back from 482 study with fez. and got my cygwin X working. reinstalled the xorg packages and was able to do the ssh finally. and then gedit popped up. and i was surprisingly excited.

maybe i do have a dormant geek personality just waiting to surface. :D

need so much grace. so so much. eecs 482 final this thursday. project due tues. and concurrent eecs373 stuff. somehow, it feels like how i felt last semester. nevertheless, You know all things. and Your strength, is made perfect in my weakness. and so I lift it all up to You. and as i lift my eyes and draw closer, my fear, cast it away.

transcripts sent to stanford and berkeley. trusting in Your favor. statements more or less done. recommendations settled. what more can I ask for Lord? everywhere i turn i see You. teach me to trust You in full.

For the world is like shifting sand. but You, are the solid Rock.
Hey, to the friend who feels that everything changes: like I said, the only one who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, His love, endures for you, forever. :)

Rejoice, O barren. :) For your miracle child, is near.

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Now playing: Hillsong United - Hosanna
via FoxyTunes

musings

had an awesome time at smallgroup last night. :) got to know a few more people.

i listened again to pastor's sermon on the old sacrifices and the new Sacrifice and thought: it all makes sense. so why aren't people believing the truth? by the grace of God, I believe that for more and more, the veil is taken away and people are seeing clearer than ever how real God and His love is. that He gave His only begotten son so that with Him we can freely have all things. Even ancestor worship, and the tradition of sacrifice that we chinese folks have for ages and ages--they're just but a shadow of the real sacrifice that God offered for us. and I have the substance.

Unbelievable? It IS that good. I've experienced it. and now even the altar at my home's removed--something i never expected so soon. it is grace amazing, at how my folks have experienced God in such a way that their lives will never be the same again.

and upon reflection, it wasn't about me and what i did. at all. thus bringing the verse Seek first the righteousness of God and all these things shall be added to mind. truly.

thanks.