the real Beijing

One last time: So, the week before Cat officially moved out of...

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 11:28:00 +0800

One last time: So, the week before Cat officially moved out of the house, we had another infamous tickle session. The story behind this is quite strange, but I’m sure not too strange for you folk who have siblings. In HS and even more recently in college, I would barge into Cat’s room late at night and do somersaults onto her bed. As I would be extremely fatigued from studying, I’d ask Cat to tickle me. The thing is, though, I don’t take tickling very well — let’s just say, even before a person starts tickling me, but have their fingers strewn out in ready form to tickle, I just start busting out laughing. Since I would need energy boosts, tickle sessions would always do the trick. This time around, Mark was able to catch this candid moment on camera. Welcome to the family Mark!

February Update

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:27:31 +0800

I am back again in Beijing after returning home for a brief, but much needed break in San Diego. It was incredibly uplifting to see everyone and hear how God has been challenging and growing you in the past half year.

In my last email to you guys I was discouraged since I had realized that many of the lessons that God had taught me over the summer were lost as I noticed lots of complaining in my heart. Whether it was complaining about the oily food, the less than ideal weather, or even the constant threat of sickness, I was definitely not exhibiting a thankful attitude. Furthermore, the self-induced stress that I put on myself to perform to perfection in school left me in a hapless state of weariness. However, since October God has been doing a great work in my heart and I am excited to share with you guys the specifics of God’s goodness.

Since I last emailed, I finished up my first semester in China, returned home for three weeks and came back to China again for my last and final semester. All throughout the way, God has been convicting me through Scripture, through friends and the Holy Spirit that there were some serious flaws in my attitude and in the state of my heart. For as long as I can remember, I have always tried to think of worldly ways to increase my productivity. I would try almost everything, from writing little post-its to remind myself to do my best and not to waste time to creating elaborate schedules for myself that was to the minute detailed. But, time and time again I found myself falling short of these lofty goals. And, the cycle would go round and round again.

While this issue has perplexed me for years, I have finally found the answer to my problem, though it was under my nose all along. What I was struggling with was not a simple problem of laziness, though laziness was a byproduct; what I was struggling with was a deeper issue of the heart. My motivation to be a disciplined man was for merely selfish reasons, primarily to dominate school to show friends and family that I was worthy. But, time and time again God humbled me by showing me how foolish this motivation was.

Since reading Jonathan Edwards resolutions and learning about the resolve of Noah and Abraham in Genesis, I noticed that all these guys had a common motivation. They all knew of God’s faithfulness, but resolved to do things for his glory and not for their own. When God challenged Abraham to offer his child Isaac to God as a sacrifice, Abraham had to throw out his own ambitions and trust in God’s promises. In a time of futility and debauchery, Noah exhibited that he was a man of God, blameless and righteous even when everyone and everything else pointed in the other direction. Edwards, more so than anyone else, has illustrated to me how important it is to do things with a constant reminder of the Heavenly and not just for the short sighted duration of our earthly lives. What we do now has great consequence and bearing on our future lives; we cannot simply live today as if tomorrow is guaranteed.

With this attitude in mind, I have learned to live my life with a new purpose. Areas that I struggle with, such as laziness, acting on impulse, tardiness and more, are now things that I am unafraid to confront. As many of you may already know, I tend to think in terms of a world apart from reality. This has led to many lofty ambitions, but a life that has fallen short on my levels. Today, though, I am glad to share with you that by God’s grace alone, I have come to trust in His faithfulness and have began thinking everything through a Heaven-centered perspective.

One of Edwards resolves that hit me hard was “#17 Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.” In this day and age where there is constant threat of terrorism, financial crisis and the like, we are NOT guaranteed that tomorrow will come. I’ve realized that I cannot take any day, hour or even minute for granted and in the same light, I must use all my time to God’s glory, whether it be studying, hanging out with friends, worshipping or whatever.

One of the fruits that I have seen in my new perspective thus far is an attitude of thankfulness. For much of last semester, I noticed that I was not being a good witness of Christ, when I would be in a constant state of complaining. Too much homework, unfair grading, more cafeteria food? The complaints were endless. Even being disciplined led to a great sense of stress in my heart, since I dreaded doing homework, using every minute to the fullest, and completing responsibilities. Today, my teacher asked us what the most “麻烦(mafan)”/problematic part of life was for us. For a while, I couldn’t think of anything. This shocked me, since in the past I didn’t even need to think of complaints, I was full of them. Now, I found myself in a state of thankfulness and contentment in the Lord. Although I later shared with the class that growing up, leaving my parents for the time being, and seeing my sister move on to a new chapter in life have been the tougher parts of life as of late, even those seemed to be a blessing from God.

I am anticipating a challenging quarter, but with a new attitude of God-centeredness in all aspects of life, I have made some active changes in my life. I have been getting to bed early and waking up early to study His word (this is tough for a college student), I have been prompt to appointments/classes/etc, I have taken respnsibility for my mistakes and sins instead of making excuses, and I have been committed to not delay things til “tomorrow.” However, please don’t mistake these changes as the cause for my transformation, for they are all merely fruits of God’s goodness.

For those of you who had the endurance to read through my long-winded email, thank you; I simply cannot help but sing praises of how good God is. I earnestly hope that the work that God has done in my life can be an encouragement to you. Lastly, I have to thank you with all my heart, because your prayers have been tremendous in growing, strengthening and sustaining me while I have been in Beijing. God is faithful, all the time.

You Say What?? - Taxi Drivers

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:38:00 +0800

So today my friends and I hail a cab on the way back from a bomb-dig dinner we have with our study abroad program. My friend, who is a good 6-foot plus and carries a strong 200 pounds sits up in the front-passenger seat, which happens to be pushed up pretty far up to the dashboard. We go no further than 10 feet when the taxi driver abruptly veers back to curbside and says (in direct translation) “you’re too fat, it’s disturbing my driving skills. go sit in the back” I mean, for all of the work that China did for the Olympics, yellow-polo shirts and all that English jazz included, this is just incredible.

We come up on a red light and it’s a really quiet 2-3 minutes, awkward and quiet. Once we get inside campus, the cab driver gets going again. This time his road-rage is directed toward the students on campus. In between honks at 2-second intervals he keeps mumbling, “Stupid students, I thought this was a world-renowned university. You all are going to get run over walking like that.”

Updates

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:59:55 +0800

Since I haven’t blogged in a while, a bullet-point update seems most suitable.

The weather has been an absolute beast—I can’t say that I was prepared for the inevitable cold temperatures—which included a dip into the single-digits this past week. A usually brisk, but conquerable bike ride from school to church this past Sunday turned into a mortifying experience as I warded off numbing lashes of wind and a faulty bike that rendered my quads jello-y.
Speaking of my bike, which only by the grace of God made it through the past 5 months, has been out of commission for the past week. I’m in the midst of getting her chain re-chained, but since a friend recently returned for the States and donated his bike to my cause, I may decide to retire my bike, in order to avoid a disastrous collision.
For those who read about the posts on campus food, I have officially hit a wall. While the wonders of 5 kuai meals still continue to amaze me today for all its bao-zi, chao-fan, and jiao-zi goodness, I miss home food. Since our campus sits conveniently next to a predominantly Korean community “Wudaokou,” I have come to appreciate the awesomeness of Korean food.
By God’s grace, I landed an internship last week with a company that consults companies who want to start manufacturing in China. Besides the fact that I’ll be gaining valuable work experience in China, the silver-lining is that the company, which employs both local Chines and expatriates from the States, is founded on the “Business as Mission model (BAM)” which emphasizes spreading the light of the gospel through business.
I’m still practicing with the PKU basketball team, although less frequently now that my cup is full with preparation for finals, internship and my independent study paper. I’m currently working on my final paper for my study of the development of basketball in China—the main question I am trying to answer is “What are the main factors that prevent China from succeeding in teams sports?”
My small group at my church BICF, continues to be an encouragement for me daily. Comprised of students from Canada, Korea, US, we certainly have an ecclectic group—to have the opportunity to worship as a body of believers here in Beijing, and have a prayer-support group has been something that I am truly thankful for. We recently studied through Colossians, learning about the faithfulness of servants such as Paul and Epaphras, the importance of giving thanks to God all the time, the necessity to be Christ-centered 24/7 (the opposite being circumstance-driven), learning to pray earnestly, faithfully and with a heart of perseverance, to seek the wisdom of God through the broken community of Christ by serving one another and learning to love one another.
Chinese continues to challenge me daily. Finals are coming up soon!
I’ll be home on January 14. I cannot wait to see all of you. Here’s a short summary of my schedule while in California.

For those of you that are wondering, I’ll be coming back in the States
from January 14 - Feb 7. While the past semester has been full of ups
and downs, God has been faithful in leading me through the thick and
the thin. I really can’t wait to come back and see all of you guys and
share with you how God has been working in my life. So if you wanna
hang out, email me, msg me, whatever. Let’s make it happen!

Wed, Jan 14 (12:20pm) - Return to sunny San Diego

Fri, Jan 16 - Visit College Life

Sat, Jan 17 - Mark’s Bachelor Party

Sun, Jan 18 - Visit GCCSD

Sat, Jan 24 - Mark and Cat’s Wedding

Sun, Jan 25 - Visit LBC

Fri, Jan 30 —> Sun Feb 1 - Arizona trip with my parents

Sat, Feb 7 - Leave for BJ through LAX

Merry Christmas from Beijing!

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:20:06 +0800

Merry Christmas from Beijing!

妈妈的来信

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 11:16:00 +0800

妈妈的来信

Photo

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:27:26 +0800

Photo

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:26:42 +0800

Evanescent Basketball

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:14:00 +0800

In many ways he was much like the other boys. Clad in oversized basketball tees, baggy basketball shorts and matching baby-blue Melo’s, it was hard to tell the boys apart. Just like the rest of them, he absolutely loved the NBA and you could tell right away. If their attire wasn’t an automatic give-away, then their self-proclaimed English names were sure to convince you that they were basketball fanatics. When Jordan and the other boys realized that I followed the NBA too, they immediately surrounded me in a tight circle and bombarded me with questions.

“Who’s your favorite player?” “Who’s the best player in the NBA?” “Have you ever been to a real NBA game before?” The only time when the boys were not inundating me with basketball related questions was only when they were scarfing down food during meals—even then, I could tell they could barely contain themselves—food was only temporarily, basketball it seemed was life itself.

Through the course of the week I realized how different Jordan was from the rest of his friends. Sure, he loved basketball more than anything in the world; but I noticed that there was more to him than basketball. In retrospect, I now know that I was right.

For one thing, he was much quieter than the rest of the boys. When the rest of the boys were raucously laughing and being typical 14-year-olds, he was calm and collected. I remember on one particular occasion I told the boys to quiet down. He gathered the guys and told them to pipe down. While his words didn’t prove to be particularly effective, I noticed that he continued to lead by example. When I think about the pain that he suffered in his last moments, and his willingness to accept Christ as his Savior, I am not surprised at all. For a typical 15-year-old it should be shocking, but Jordan was not a regular kid.

I still remember the first time I took the guys out to play ball. As we trekked out to the courts in the midday heat of Sichuan, I could tell they had been looking forward to this time for a while. It didn’t matter how hot it was outside, we were going to play basketball. I gave the guys a few pointers and ran some drills with them. As I offered more pointers, some of the boys grew a bit impatient. They just wanted to play. I remembered what it was like being a 14-year-old, so I just let them play. As I stood off to the side and let them have some fun, I noticed Jordan. He was one of the more fundamentally sound players, but I didn’t notice him because of his skills, instead I was impressed with his focused effort in applying what I taught him.

For the most part the boys learned basketball on their own and it showed. In China, unless you are abnormally tall for your age-level or show some extraordinary potential, there simply aren’t many opportunities to hone your game. Earlier I had showed them the footwork to a layup. From the right side, right foot, then left foot in stride and then take off. I saw Jordan as he was practicing with the rest of the boys. Right, left, jump. Focused. Determined.

It’s hard to think that Jordan isn’t around anymore. He’s not having fun like a regular 15-year-old boy and following his passion for basketball. He’s not going to grow up, go to college, and start a family. It’s hard to accept that. But, Jordan was just not a regular kid. I hear that his last hours were painful. He fought blindness and excruciating pain, but he heard the Gospel out, accepted it, and was baptized in his last moments. When they asked him if he remembered the camp last year, he muttered “记得.” (I remember) I’m going to miss him, but now he’s in Heaven with the Lord and I’m sure he’s having a heck of a time right now. Jordan, 我也记得你！Gonna miss you bro!

北京的公交车好拥挤

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 01:13:15 +0800

北京的公交车好拥挤

秋高气爽（qiu1gao1qi4shuang3）

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:54:00 +0800

It’s been a while, but here it goes.

Classes are in full swing right now, with our first midterms just around the corner.

The campus at Beida is absolutely amazing; besides the lake (未名胡), which is by the way a popular spot for smooching (mostly locals), there are rustic Chinese buildings, prominent maple trees and bicycles-galore. Every time I walk outside, I am reminded of how blessed I am to study here at this university. Winter is slowly creeping closer, too, but the weather has been capricious, one day brisk, the next day warm. But, one thing is certain, the skies have been remarkably clear. Autumn is here!

Recently I’ve started an independent study. I’m still working out the details, but so far I’ve decided that I will be studying China through the lens of team sports (most notably, basketball). It is no doubt that the Chinese have made significant strides in sports as of late—but, the fact remains that the Chinese still have a ways to go in team sports, most notably in basketball and soccer. It’s fascinating to see the rapid growth of China first hand; at the same time I think the question of whether this growth is sustainable long term can be ascertained through other mediums, such as sports. Anyways, I will keep you all posted on my findings.

While I am thoroughly enjoying my time here in Beijing, I can’t help to think about home often. Conversations like the ones below keep me young.

Intro: My Mom likes to test me often.

Mom: “Vin, what are the three things you are never supposed to do?”
Me: “Uhh… I’m not sure.”
Mom: “Okay, I’ll give you a hint, I’ve told you before.”
Me: *puzzled*
Mom: “Alright, I will tell you. Don’t do drugs. Don’t join a gang. And, don’t gamble.”
Me: “Err, okay, mom. I won’t.”
Mom: “Do you understanddd?”

煎饼 goodness in 北京

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:44:41 +0800

煎饼 goodness in 北京

Ever see male pantyhose, well now you have. I guess it’s a...

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:01:49 +0800

Ever see male pantyhose, well now you have. I guess it’s a pantyhose sock. (this was on the train from Hangzhou —> Beijing)

Reflections from Hangzhou

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 19:55:09 +0800

I got back to Beijing about a week ago and I started classes at Peking University this past Thursday. Hangzhou was such a productive time of learning and it was hard to leave, but things have really picked up here in Beijing. Here’s a short bit I scribbled on the train.

“Just like that another chapter of my life, over and done with. I don’t mean to sound so blunt, but this is how life has felt recently. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been learning a lot about my faith, my character and life in general. It’s just that everything has felt like a blur as life has taken off in a hurry. I really haven’t had a chance to take a breath and soak in all this learning and growing.

It’s particularly difficult for me as I get acclimated to new places since I get attached easily. I guess I am one who takes some time to open up to new places and new people, but once I get comfortable, it’s hard for me to let go.

Coming to Hangzhou I really didn’t’ know what to expect—actually I didn’t really expect much. All I came with was eagerness and an open mind to learn and grow. Who knew that my time in Hangzhou would be one of the best experiences of my life? God has provided bountifully, from Pan Gege to Dinghe Law Firm and everything in between. Living with a Hangzhou native, I was able to fully immerse myself in the Hangzhou that tourists don’t see on a casual vacation. I’m talking about the small stinky alleyways lined with barbershops, fruit stands, 网吧, motopads and pedestrians; all the desirable and undesirable aspects of China mixed on a quarter mile alleyway. Walk a couple steps down and there’s another alleyway, with a different flavor, but many of the same commodities. The beauty of Hangzhou also left an indelible mark in my mind. Hangzhou has the feel of a big city without all the negative realities of big city life, well at least most of them.

If I had to pinpoint one of the more penetrating lessons that I learned from Hangzhou, it was learning to adapt to new things. Even in my younger years, I tended to be hostile to the thought of new things, ideas or people. For instance, I would only let my mom hold me when I was little; I rejected new vegetables or food that my parents encouraged me to try. On the other hand, I had a strong penchant to hold dear to people and things that are comfortable. In Hangzhou, I began realizing this negative trend and made some impactful changes in my life.

Living conditions were certainly far from the level of comfort that I am used to. Actually, I don’t think I took one thorough shower in the three weeks that I was there. (The showers consisted of dumping water on yourself with a bucket) Instead of complaining about the peripheral discomfort, I began taking notice of the beautiful place of Hangzhou and the life lessons that were coming from all directions.

It was in Hangzhou where I realized how hard life is for some people. Most people are up by five or six o’clock A.M. and have no vacations throughout the year (weekends included). While my conditions were not nearly as difficult, I took an appreciation for life without all the external comforts of life—warm showers and instant Internet access included.

It was also in Hangzhou where I realized how dependent on others I am. I think it starts with my dependence on my parents and somewhere along the way stems from a tendency to trust in others more than myself. While this isn’t inherently bad, I realize that I am overly dependent on others. In the past if someone were remotely more capable than me, I would defer him or her. In Hangzhou I had to figure things out for myself. This includes jumping on ultra packed busses to find my way to work, exploring the city of Hangzhou, and interacting with new people that I met.”

Enjoy Hangzhou in 3 Easy Steps

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:25:50 +0800

Enjoy Hangzhou in 3 Easy Steps

This is what I see everyday (西湖)

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:24:56 +0800

This is what I see everyday (西湖)

A typical meal on the street in Hangzhou. This place is...

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:20:58 +0800

A typical meal on the street in Hangzhou. This place is delicious!

Let me tell you, the bus is an interesting place… so the...

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:34:00 +0800

Let me tell you, the bus is an interesting place… so the other day I was haphazardly looking out the window on my commute to work when whabam! I spot “the longest pinky nail” in Hangzhou, period. It’s pretty hard to capture images of someone’s pinky without them noticing. First of all, the bus kept bouncing, and the lady kept moving her long pinky too. But in the end—despite some early failures—I managed to capture this historical moment on camera… all for my faithful viewers.

Things to Remember from Hangzhou

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:09:00 +0800

- Ripping my hands open from carrying my luggage through 北京站 and 杭州站 ; I’ll remember to pack lighter and bring a rolling suitcase next time.
- Fighting for my life each morning on the bus
- Eating 包子, 饺子, and 馒头 for breakfast
- Afternoon naps at work… I was made for China
- Flushing poo manually… poo, fill up bucket and swish!!
- While we’re talking about poo… mastering the squat; It’s an acquired skill; I’ve learned that you need to get low enough that you are in a squatting position (this is to ease the flow of the poo), but high enough to avoid any unecessary physical encounters with the toilet (mind you, the toilet probably has many forms of disease)
- Riding on back of motorcycles
- Singing 北京欢迎你 at KTV
- Eating dinner in the alleyway restuarant without a shirt (Local status)
- Doing laundry 3 times and having it rained on 3 times
- Being called “Xiao Liang” in the office… I’m told it’s an endearing term

Cruising in Hangzhou… a close call. This is only funny b/c...

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:21:29 +0800

Cruising in Hangzhou… a close call. This is only funny b/c my camera is still alive. Thank you God for quick reflexes.

the real Beijing

One last time: So, the week before Cat officially moved out of...

February Update

You Say What?? - Taxi Drivers

Updates

Merry Christmas from Beijing!

妈妈的来信

Photo

Photo

Evanescent Basketball

北京的公交车好拥挤

秋高气爽 （qiu1gao1qi4shuang3）

煎饼 goodness in 北京

Ever see male pantyhose, well now you have. I guess it’s a...

Reflections from Hangzhou

Enjoy Hangzhou in 3 Easy Steps

This is what I see everyday (西湖)

A typical meal on the street in Hangzhou. This place is...

Let me tell you, the bus is an interesting place… so the...

Things to Remember from Hangzhou

Cruising in Hangzhou… a close call. This is only funny b/c...

秋高气爽（qiu1gao1qi4shuang3）