Thursday, July 31, 2003
Feeling like a zombie right now. Been working past midnight for the last three days. There's a slight possibility that I will be staying up all night tonight. The good thing is, it is not stressful kind of busyness. I am doing this because I choose to. God be the source of my strength.
Monday, July 21, 2003
Top 10 things that made my heart beat a little faster.
1. Tandem skydiving in Hemet
2. Jumping off Santa Barbara Pier at 2 in the morning
3. Snowboarding down black diamonds
4. Rappelling at Moaning Cavern
5. Riding my motorcycle at open track days at Laguna Seca
6. River Rafting down Middle Fork (Class IV)
7. Driving in Taiwan
8. Climbing Half Dome w/o cables being up
9. Snorkeling in Hawaii
10. Paint Balling at Close Encounters
Of course, these pale in comparison to Rick Johnson's story of his encounter with a huge anaconda in the Amazon..
1. Tandem skydiving in Hemet
2. Jumping off Santa Barbara Pier at 2 in the morning
3. Snowboarding down black diamonds
4. Rappelling at Moaning Cavern
5. Riding my motorcycle at open track days at Laguna Seca
6. River Rafting down Middle Fork (Class IV)
7. Driving in Taiwan
8. Climbing Half Dome w/o cables being up
9. Snorkeling in Hawaii
10. Paint Balling at Close Encounters
Of course, these pale in comparison to Rick Johnson's story of his encounter with a huge anaconda in the Amazon..
Moaning Cavern. Saturday, Freddy and I went to our first cavern adventure experience. The cave is about 3 1/2 hour drive from El Sobrante.
New vocab:
Rappelling - The act of lowering yourself by sliding down a rope like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible.
Spelunking - The act of exploring caves by climbing and belly crawling like a snake through extremely tight passages.
The first part of the adventure was rappelling 165 feet down to the base of the cave. Even though, we had on harnesses, gloves, and helmet, it was daunting when the rope got all tangled up and there's no one around you and you are at least 50 feet off the ground. The rock formation in the main chamber remind me of Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones. According to the guides, the chamber is big enough to fit Statue of Liberty. Of course, I got down safely, with sweat dripping down my helmet.
The second part of the adventure is the exploration of the passages below the main chamber. We crawled through passages such as Meat Grinder, Pancake Room, Roach Motel, Godzilla's Nostril and Bust-A-Nut.
The highlight of the trip was when I became too confident and got stuck in Column Squeeze and had to ask the guide to pull me back out.
All in all, I thank God for a safe trip and for a memory that I can think back and laugh. I don't know why I always have neat stories to tell, but I am definitely looking forward to my next adventure.
New vocab:
Rappelling - The act of lowering yourself by sliding down a rope like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible.
Spelunking - The act of exploring caves by climbing and belly crawling like a snake through extremely tight passages.
The first part of the adventure was rappelling 165 feet down to the base of the cave. Even though, we had on harnesses, gloves, and helmet, it was daunting when the rope got all tangled up and there's no one around you and you are at least 50 feet off the ground. The rock formation in the main chamber remind me of Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones. According to the guides, the chamber is big enough to fit Statue of Liberty. Of course, I got down safely, with sweat dripping down my helmet.
The second part of the adventure is the exploration of the passages below the main chamber. We crawled through passages such as Meat Grinder, Pancake Room, Roach Motel, Godzilla's Nostril and Bust-A-Nut.
The highlight of the trip was when I became too confident and got stuck in Column Squeeze and had to ask the guide to pull me back out.
All in all, I thank God for a safe trip and for a memory that I can think back and laugh. I don't know why I always have neat stories to tell, but I am definitely looking forward to my next adventure.
Friday, July 18, 2003
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Blessings.
- Last week, promoted to senior engineer. Overwelmed by God's love for me.. I know I don't deserve such a position and such a pay.
- Saturday night, coming home after Ben Kuo's sharing (our missionary in East Asia), I was shocked to find the burner on and no one around. The pan on the burner was almost dry because it had been cooking for over 3 hours. I can only imagine what could have happened. God's mercy is great.
- Last week, promoted to senior engineer. Overwelmed by God's love for me.. I know I don't deserve such a position and such a pay.
- Saturday night, coming home after Ben Kuo's sharing (our missionary in East Asia), I was shocked to find the burner on and no one around. The pan on the burner was almost dry because it had been cooking for over 3 hours. I can only imagine what could have happened. God's mercy is great.
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
Weakness. These few days have been tough for me at work. I have to admit, I do not react well under pressure. I was trying to meet an impossible deadline. The hard part is trying to keep the right attitude admist the frustration. How do I stay joyful and praising God when I feel all stressed out and just want to pull my hair? Then I came across two encouraging scripture verses:
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Few thoughts that calms my frustrations:
1. In my weakness, God's power is revealed. It reminds me not to rely on my own strength but in God's awesome power.
2. Today may be tough, but tomorrow morning, I will see new mercies from God.
3. I may have been dealt a bad hand, but certainly, I do not have the worst hand. Someone would wish that they were in my position.
4. If I have God's perspective in mind, I will be joyful because I would be confident that God's plan is for my good. Trials allow the possibility for growth. In James 1:2-4, it says that in trials, faith leads to perseverance which leads to complete maturity.
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Few thoughts that calms my frustrations:
1. In my weakness, God's power is revealed. It reminds me not to rely on my own strength but in God's awesome power.
2. Today may be tough, but tomorrow morning, I will see new mercies from God.
3. I may have been dealt a bad hand, but certainly, I do not have the worst hand. Someone would wish that they were in my position.
4. If I have God's perspective in mind, I will be joyful because I would be confident that God's plan is for my good. Trials allow the possibility for growth. In James 1:2-4, it says that in trials, faith leads to perseverance which leads to complete maturity.
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Lassen. After working long hours trying to meet a deadline, it is a blessing to be able to drop everything and just hit the road. =) Usually, the family would join the July 4th celebration by watching the fireworks at Pier 39, but this time, we decided to stay away from the crowd and go to Lassen Volcanic National Park. (Partly because my dad recently got the Golden Age Pass, which entitles him "unlimited" visits to all National Parks!)
Highlight of the trip:
- Snow in summer?!?! Yup, in one section of the park, you would see steam vents, mudpots and boiling pools.. Few miles down the road, snow. In fact, some people brought their skis for some cross country action. Even some of the smaller lakes are covered in snow with a layer of bluish ice surrounding the perimeter.
- Part of the adventure was getting to the Cinder Cone trailhead. Since the trailhead is not reachable by the park road system, we had to take the Odyssey for a 6-mile off-road driving. Yup, we all got a good back and butt massage.
- Cinder Cone is a 750 foot high mini-volcano. From afar, it looks like someone had piled up the volcanic debris neatly. It is definitely a unique landscape of its own. There is a steep trail leading to the top. From the top of the rim, you can see painted dunes, lava beds, forest, and Butte lake. The whole hike is about 5 miles which is a cinch compared to Half Dome.
- While we were admiring the reflection of the sky on Manzanita Lake and watching people standing in the water at waist level doing some still-water fishing, a young lady who was sitting on a beach chair from a distance came and asked if we wanted a family picture. The small act of kindness made us to think, wow, we should make a point to exhibit friendliness to the people around us.
- In the evening, it was still hot back at the hotel. My dad and I took a dip in the cold pool. It was rejuvenating after a long day's hike.
Oh yeah, don't ever leave dumplings in the microwave unattended for 2 days. Otherwise, you will find extra toppings on the dumplings. YIKES.
Highlight of the trip:
- Snow in summer?!?! Yup, in one section of the park, you would see steam vents, mudpots and boiling pools.. Few miles down the road, snow. In fact, some people brought their skis for some cross country action. Even some of the smaller lakes are covered in snow with a layer of bluish ice surrounding the perimeter.
- Part of the adventure was getting to the Cinder Cone trailhead. Since the trailhead is not reachable by the park road system, we had to take the Odyssey for a 6-mile off-road driving. Yup, we all got a good back and butt massage.
- Cinder Cone is a 750 foot high mini-volcano. From afar, it looks like someone had piled up the volcanic debris neatly. It is definitely a unique landscape of its own. There is a steep trail leading to the top. From the top of the rim, you can see painted dunes, lava beds, forest, and Butte lake. The whole hike is about 5 miles which is a cinch compared to Half Dome.
- While we were admiring the reflection of the sky on Manzanita Lake and watching people standing in the water at waist level doing some still-water fishing, a young lady who was sitting on a beach chair from a distance came and asked if we wanted a family picture. The small act of kindness made us to think, wow, we should make a point to exhibit friendliness to the people around us.
- In the evening, it was still hot back at the hotel. My dad and I took a dip in the cold pool. It was rejuvenating after a long day's hike.
Oh yeah, don't ever leave dumplings in the microwave unattended for 2 days. Otherwise, you will find extra toppings on the dumplings. YIKES.
