Chinese Family Emails

(1) I successfully defend my masters thesis

(2) Aunt sends out email with attachment of a picture of me eating at a restaurant with them for celebration. Email is sent to all my relatives, including my parents.

(3) In the body she writes: We are celebrating Joses become SEXY Joses

(4) My mom replies: Why ? What ? Sexy ? ????

(5) My aunt replies: Sexy mean master degree in Chinese.

*masters degree in Chinese is pronounced "sek see"

A beach, an old woman, and an umbrella.

This story will be told in two perspectives. The setting is in a beach in Hong Kong about a year ago. The first perspective will be through my own eyes, and the second will be through the eyes of the old woman who will be mentioned in the story.

My own perspective:

"What a great day, at the beach with Wendy, Irene and Salina. Hey what's this? What is this entourage of old people walking by? Why do they all have hats and flags? Oh, they must be a tour group. Oops, one of the old grandma's there lost her umbrella. Uh Oh, the wind picked it up and blew it into the ocean. Darn it, it's now floating upside down in the water and I'm the closest to it. I hardly know how to swim, but it's not that far out. Here I go!

Uh oh.. I'm swimming, but the tide is carrying the umbrella farther and farther away. I gotta swim faster and farther, i'm almost out of energy, and I have to make sure I have enough energy for the way back too."

(Awhile later I finally manage to grab hold of the umbrella, but as the umbrella was floating upside down, water encompassed it, making it very difficult to retrieve).

"Gasp, this umbrella is really hard to pull up! Let me try twisting it around, nope not working. Let me try closing it under water, nope not working. Darn it, everyone on the shore is watching me! But i'm running out of energy yet I cant dissapoint my fans! Oh my.. I'm really starting to get tired. Good thing Wendy is here since she's a lifeguard. Oh man. "

(After struggling for another couple minutes I finally gave up)

"Ok, I am completely out of energy. Must drop the umbrella. I honestly dont know if I can make it back to the shore. I hope Wendy can see how much I'm struggling."

(After arriving back on shore)

"Wow... thank God I'm still alive...gasp.. I am out of breath. I hate that I let everyone down, but I really did try my best to retrieve that umbrella. Almost gave my life for it. What a hero I am".


(Unfortunately, to the grandma it looked different)

Grandma's perspective:

"WHY DID THAT BOY MAKE A DELIBERATE EFFORT TO SWIM OUT AND DESTROY MY UMBRELLA, WHAT A BAD PERSON"

Chicken Wings

I just remembered an incident awhile back when I sat down for wings at a restaurant:

*Waitress comes up to take our order*

Waitress: What can I get for you?

Joses: mm I'm wondering about your cajun wings here, are they dry cajun or wet cajun?

Waitress: Both, you can choose wet or dry ones.

Joses: ok thanks, i'll take the salt and pepper wings.

*Waitress and everyone else at the table looks at me funny*

A Chat with my Cousin

The following is a gchat conversation I had with my cousin (a different cousin from the one in the "dinner with aunt and uncle post"):

Bithiah: hey cousin

Sent at 12:26 AM on Wednesday

me: wai

sup!

haha

you never ended up telling me

what happened with you and the boy

Bithiah: i am in a relationship now

me: oh

Bithiah: you should blog about it

me: now you told me

Bithiah: hahahhaaaaaaaaa

me: LOL

HAHAHA

maybe i'll add it

to my post

I have fallen even farther behind!

A Man among Men

On Saturday, December 24th, 2011, I had the privilege of witnessing a man among men. On this evening, the stars were clothed in all their glory and the moon shone in the dark sky. The following is my witnessing of the events that followed:

10:00pm - People arrive at my house to watch movie. Among the introductions, I introduce a girl named Michelle to Jorge.

10:30pm - Movie (Good Will Hunting) begins.

1230am - Movie ends.

1245am - Everyone in the house leaves, except for me, Wayne Lo (who decides to sleep over), Jorge (who is sleeping at the house for the holidays), and Michelle Ku (who stayed behind to chat for awhile).

100am - Incredible conversation ensues between Wayne, Jorge, Michelle and me, and thoughts are shared.

230am - We end off in prayer.

235am - Michelle decides to go home.

236am - Michelle opens the front door.

237am - Wayne walks up to Michelle.

237am - Wayne hugs Michelle goodbye and wishes her a Merry Christmas

238am - I walk up to Michelle.

238am - I hug Michelle goodbye and wish her a Merry Christmas

239am 5 seconds - Jorge struts towards Michelle full of confidence, pomp and splendor.

240am 10 seconds - Jorge hugs Michelle goodbye.

240am 15 seconds - Jorge's face gets closer to Michelle, Michelle's face gets closer to Jorge.

240am 20 seconds - Wayne and I get scared because of the closeness of their faces.

240am 25 seconds - Jorge plants a kiss on Michelle's cheek. Michelle plants a kiss on Jorge's cheek.

240am 26 seconds - Wayne and I stare in disbelief. Wayne think it's not fair.

240am 40 seconds - Wayne and I are shocked and don't know how to react.

241am 40 seconds - Wayne and I are still confused, and are holding our heads with our hands in disbelief.

242am - Wayne thinks to himself: "You're allowed to do that?? I wish I knew that years ago!"

243am - I asked Jorge what just happened.

244am - Jorge replies: "It's normal"

245am - Josess and Wayne: ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Hong Kong... Nature?

Whenever I speak of how much I love Hong Kong's nature, I get made fun of with comments such as: "A stand alone tree does not constitute nature".

Here is a tiny list with links (click on the names) to prove people wrong.
Places I've been to in the last two years:
Sai Kung
Cheung Chau
Sunset Peak
Repulse Bay
Stanley Beach

Places I REALLY want to go to:
Tung Ping Chau
Nei Sham Stream
Any of these twelve special rock islands
Cheung Po Tsai's famous cave (which you can go inside)
Coasting in Tung Long Island
Double Dragon River
Sheung Tam Stream
Pui O

Tung Lung Chau

Silvermine Waterfalls

Snake Bay

Kadoorie Farm

Sharp Peak

So forget the spending, the city walking, the shopping, the movies, the arcades, the drinking, the eating (ok maybe not the eating), and go be entertained with God's natural wonders, whilst learning to be human once again!

***

useful guide I came across

Mother's Day

Today at Lincoln Road Chapel, we celebrated Mother's day. After singspiration, a message, communion, and announcements, a cute and brave kid was invited up to the stage to share a mother's day poem he wrote. He spoke with a youthful, childish, but mature voice as he read out his poem, stuttering a little bit here and there.

Some of the phrases echoed in my mind: "Wow, what a great mom!"... "She buys groceries and cooks for me...", "She drives me to hockey because.. well.. I cant drive". And then, there was a slight pause. A slight tremor then followed in his voice, and he began to choke on his words. Finally, with a tear falling from his eye, he took a deep breath and finished the last line of his poem in a trembling voice:

"... And if God was to give my mom a gift for Mothers' day, it would be to bring my Dad back to earth..".

Dinner with my Aunt and Uncle

19:00- Dinner is ready!

19:05- High school cousin gets ready to leave the house

19:06- Aunt shouts and asks, "your girlfriend is here here to pick you up already?"

19:07- Cousin says, "yeah, gotta go now"

19:08- I say, "WHAAAAAAT?"

19:09- I complain to my aunt and uncle, "since when did he get a girlfriend!? How come he got one before me!"

19:10- Aunt and Uncle tell me how "yeu" I should feel. Even with a car and currently studying Masters degree, I am still single.

19:11- I complain that it's because the car they are lending me is not nice enough. They shoot me down saying my cousin doesn't have a car, and in addition to that he gets rides from his girlfriend.

19:13- I complain saying that my house isn't nice enough, but of course, my cousin lives in this house too. Shot down again.

19:16- My uncle tells me the whole family and extended family are all waiting on me (apparently I'm the only one who doesn't or didn't have a girlfriend before).

19:18- My aunt and uncle start making excuses for me out of sympathy, saying that maybe I don't have a girlfriend because I am too popular, thus girls are scared that I am very 'fa sum'.

19:20- My aunt starts telling me about a friend she knows whose son was healthy, gifted and talented, and just turned out to be gay recently.

19:30- My aunt asks very sincerely......

"nei hai mm hai gay ah?"

Lights

Lights. What a beautiful concept.

At the flick of a switch we can manipulate the environment to suit our needs.

They help us to see clearly.

But sometimes,

They help us to see too clearly, that we focus only on that which is lit.

Leading to an ignorance of the peripheral.

- anonymous -

I remember driving back from Hamilton, each snowflake haphazardly making its' way down to the planet we live on. Darkness shrouded the sky, and furious winds were shooting across the highway roads. It continued to snow, but the snow was unseen for it was entangled in the darkness.

"It's dark, turn on your high beams, it'll help you see the road clearer".

So I did. And what a sight! The beams of the car lit up each falling snowflake, giving them a white glow as they fell. It was as if God was throwing down pieces of heaven from the sky, proving his existence in a most majestic manner. To think that such beauty permeated the sky I was travelling under, but would not have known if I had not turned on my high beams. The light helped me to see the beauty.

But the beauty was so alluring and charming that it proved to be dangerous. The snow flakes glowed so much from the high beams that I could not see the road any longer. So I turned off my lights, as I could not contain the light.

For when the light shone I could not see the road. And when the light was dimmed I could focus on my goal. The light and its beauty is overwhelming, and I cannot contain the light.

Journey for Beauty

He hung there among the misty rain, not a care in the world. Time seemed to stop. He felt no sense of danger.

He walked up into the mountains, the mountains so glorious they seemed to both quench and fuel the curiosity of human nature. Accompanied by his loyal and trustworthy companions, they continued to tread up the icy paths that posed a risk to all who dared to venture. More often than not, these brave travellers would make their way up an icy slope, only to be denied by its slippery surface, sliding uncontrollably back down only to start once again from the beginning.

Then they came to the staircase of great torment, with a 90 degree bend which pointed straight down to the depths of the unknown. But there was an option, as there always is. In order to capture with their eyes the undeniable beauty of the half frozen rushing waterfalls, they would have to descend past the staircase of great torment. But you see, this 90 degree bend had only one railing, which sat itself about 5 feet above the ground, making it easy to fall under the railing and off the side of the stairs into one’s doom. Frozen with a layer of ice, and complete with a rope, the three of the four males, with bravery and strength, surpassed the terrain and ran to the sight they were searching for.

The fourth male also passed, but stopped to look back before rushing to behold the glory of the natural wonder. With a kind and sincere heart, he delayed his excitement in order to help the females cross the stairs as well. Chivalrously and honourably, he decided to retrace his steps, and to stand at the 90 degree bend so that the females would not have a chance of falling through, should they choose to pass the staircase of great torment. Oh what a sacrifice, that he would once reverse his progress and risk his life yet again for the sake of others! How noble!

However, just as no humans are perfect, so he wasn’t perfect either. In his bravery, he unfortunately (and unavoidably) stepped onto a spot that was extra slippery. With his arms backwards leaning on the railing, he skilfully ran in spot for a couple seconds in an attempt to regain his balance. However, the power of nature was too overwhelming for him. And so his legs slipped off the side of the staircase. And he began to fall.

The females looked and were too overcome with fear to say or do anything. Their legs froze in place. Had it not been for fear, they would surely have ran to rescue him, the one who so nobly put his life at risk for them! But of course, it was only the sudden fear and shock that was holding them back, nothing else.

As his legs slipped off, and his body started sliding under the railing into the depths of the unknown, he remembered that there were things he had to accomplish in his life. With the intensity of burning magma, the fortitude of the blazing phoenix, and the strength of a thousand suns, he threw his arms up and caught the railing by his own two hands. There he was, dangling above death.

He hung there among the misty rain, not a care in the world. Time seemed to stop. He felt no sense of danger. And, once again, with strength unparalleled by all the beasts of the field and birds of the air, he pulled himself up to safety. What a sacrifice, to risk his own body to let the females know that it was dangerous for them to attempt to traverse the stairs of great torment. What a sacrifice.

His name is Joses Wong, and he is from Halifax.

44

Forty Four left!

Life and Turtles

Life isn't always easy. Life is not meant to be easy either.

When life is especially low, there are options to choose from. These options are not exhaustive but are the ones that I feel like pointing out:

(1) disregard what is 'right' and indulge

(2) distract yourself with things you have to do or want to do

(3) keep hoping

(4) forget hoping

(5) compare your current state with your original state.

I want to focus just a bit on option #5.

Sadness is usually the result of the discrepancy between a current state and a past state or future 'wished for' state. It is interesting to think that your original state and your future state may be exactly the same, but that the emotions can differ so dramatically. Let's give a quick example here:

(a) Man does not have turtle, man is content

(b) Man buys pet turtle

(c) Man has turtle

(d) Turtle dies

(e) Man does not have turtle, man is not content

What is it that changes from step a to step e? Is it possible for one to think of their original state and be content during the 'after' process?

That's all folks,

Cheers,

Joses Wong

The Boy and his Sensei - Disclaimer

Disclaimer:

As wonderful as my literary skills are, and as creative as you readers view me to be (I wish), I did not make up the story in my previous post. Rather, it was taken from a sermon I heard in North Toronto Chinese Baptist Church by Pastor Ted. Note that everything I wrote was indeed translated from my ear to my keyboard, and I could have easily missed important details (and I also probably added plenty as well).

The main lesson of the story is that God can turn your weaknesses into strengths.

The secondary lesson (so I think) is obedience and discipline to God though you may not understand at the time.

The Boy and his Sensei

Once upon a time there lived a little boy around the age of twelve. Now one thing you should know about him is that he was involved in a car accident just a couple of years earlier. This accident resulted in him having to amputate his left arm. However, the boys spirit was not lost and was a great spirit as most boys spirits' are, resulting in a desire for the boy to learn Judo.

So the boy began to look for a sensei (master), but this was a harder task than it seemed. For who would want to adopt the little one armed boy as a student? For although the boy lacked his left arm, he was also smaller and thinner than most others. Not very impressive at all I would say.

After weeks of searching, the boy finally found a sensei who was willing to teach him judo. As the classes began, the sensei took him aside from the rest of the students, and, as if discriminating against him, told the boy to stand off by the side and wait. Once the class got into their practice routine, the sensei finally approached the anxious boy.

"Why does everyone get to do all sorts of activities while I am stuck here in the corner?" the boy asked the sensei. He replied: "there is only one move I am going to teach you, practice it well". For the next couple months while all the students engaged in their judo training, the boy practiced that one move. At times it seemed monotonous and at other times unfair. But despite the thoughts that went into his head, the boy continued, with practice and perseverance, in order to perfect this one move.

Then, one day, the sensei approached the boy and said: "I have enrolled you into a Judo tournament". Needless to say, the boy was shocked. And the day of the tournament arrived.

Round 1: Nervous and shaking the boy entered the ring. The opponent, although not impressive looking, had tons of experience under his belt, while the boy had none. The opponent charged, and the boy, using that one move, pinned him down and won the match.

Round 2: This time, his opponent was a lot bigger. With muscles the size of the Eiffel tower, he rushed towards the boy. Again, the boy, although fearful, performed his one move on his opponent, and won.

These easy victories continued on and on again until the boy reached the finals. Throughout, the boy was wondering, "how could these victories be so easy? All I know is one move while others have a lot more experience and a lot more tactics!"

Final Round: His opponent was as tall as a seven and a half foot tree, with muscles the size of two Eiffel towers. As the match began, the frail little boy stood his ground. How could he ever win against such a monstrosity? Their feet shuffled back and forth. Many times his opponent would get him into a hold, but the boy was barely able to get out of it. Hopelessly one-sided, the audience all wondered how the boy got to the finals. Then, with a final blow, the opponent ran towards him, with his arms grasping out in ferocity. But the boy, with his one move, was barely able to grab him, and pin him down for the victory. The crowd went wild, and in disbelief the audience roared. How could this boy who was missing his left arm possibly win?

On the way back to the dojo, the boy could not resist, and finally humbly asked his sensei. "Sensei, I only knew one move. How did I win?".

The sensei replied: "There are two reasons you won.

The first is that the move that I taught you is the most advanced move there is in Judo.

Secondly, the only known defense against it is to grab your opponents left arm".

Cambodia: 2003

The manner in which my discourse is presented in these blogs is often a reflection of the music that is surrounding my current atmosphere. Currently I am listening to Jade Kwan's "We Will Worship" song, (for those fans of Jade Kwan out there, me and her used to go to the same church back in Hong Kong). Anyhow, the lyrics and tonality of the song when mashed with my current state of (internal and external) being produce a moment of reminiscence. So here goes:

For those of you who have been talking to me over the past while, you probably would have heard me mention my trip to Cambodia last summer. But what you probably didn't hear me talk about much is my trip to Cambodia in 2003. I remember when I was back in 11th grade, still young and foolish (and of course now the only difference is I am old and foolish). Back when all that mattered was the company, when food was mysteriously cooked and put on a plate in front of you each evening, and when a ten page essay was considered long.

I remember sitting on the plane to go to Cambodia. No one was on the plane except for our group of people which consisted of two teachers and approximately 15 students. Thus, I clearly recall the pilot coming out and offering to showcase the cockpit to us.

I remember meeting the students at Logos on the first day. Unbounded, unrestrained, and free, what usually starts as an awkward silence instead started with roars of laughter and poking fun of each other. Surprisingly, Chinese chess was a great "interaction" starter (I hesitate to use to the word "conversation" starter because back then we weren't interested in merely conversing, but instead we were interested in interacting).

I remember climbing up Angkor Wat early in the morning (5am?) with the eerie musical instruments being played by locals on the side as we went up.

And most of all, I remember being on top of Angkor Wat. The fresh crisp morning air dancing about the morning rays of the sun. As if God was holding the universe in his hands while the radiance of his being shone through the clouds. This was a space where each person was free to be who he was. Each person was able to be attuned to nature and be free. The children skirmished around the rocks and challenged each other to see who could perform the greatest stunt. The monk sat on the broken pillar beginning his day with cigarettes and beer. The tourists smiling and posing for pictures on top of Angkor Wat, declaring their accomplishment for making it up.

And us? Well, we sang.

Forrest Gump

The feather traveled far and wide,

Through the winds of Autumn breeze.

There it landed by my side,

as I looked upon the trees.

There existed a most beautiful name,

the times i thought of her were plenty

Showing my love I am not ashamed,

Oh oh oh the name is Jenny.

For her I went to play football

and went to war in another country

I caught some shrimp in my overall

after I joined the worship ministry

My name is Forrest i'm not from Hong Kong

I went to play some hardcore ping pong!

And so the story came to an end,

the feather left my side again.

Poem by:

Jasmine Tong,

Salina Chan,

Jacky Chang.

(and Joses... sorta)

AKA: I watched Forrest Gump today

God's Will

What is God's Will for us?

People these days "spend money they don't have to buy things they don't need to make impressions that wont last on people they don't care about". - Tim Jackson

The above quote, in it's entirety, is a description of the average American, presented at a TED talk by Tim Jackson, a professor of the "Sustainable Development and Director of the Research group on Lifestyles, Values and Environment (RESOLVE)".

Although not quite an adjective for the common folk within my circle of friends, the quote isn't completely untrue either. In my peripheral and in my life as well, I often see a lot of truth in the 2nd and 3rd points. In other words, we buy what we don't need to make impressions that wont last. The problem is: more often than not, we don't know it.

A merchandise which serves as the epitome of the two points is buying clothes. We always "need" clothes, and always have a reason to buy more. Here are some of the excuses I have used in the past:

(1) I am out of fashion.

(2) Need some nicer clothes for semi casual events or casual interviews.

(3) My shirts are my limiting factors to do laundry, but buying more shirts I can save money by doing less laundry loads.

(4) I need to impress that girl!

(5) My mom would want to see me in new clothes and look nice.

Needless to say, of course there are situations in which purchasing certain items are indeed necessary. But too often our desire creates a reason (instead of reason creating desire) which leads to a conscious decision of throwing more money away for the sake of a temporary boost in image (as is mostly the case).

As Romans 12 puts it: Therefore, I urge your brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will.

The answer to the question is right there: to transform your mind so that you live in a world higher than the earthly world. To no longer live, but to have Christ living in you. That then, I believe, is how you can figure out God's will for yourself.

2011

With this third post, I am well on my way to beating my old record for keeping my blog alive. (I believe in my old blog I only had three posts over the span of around 2 years). Anyhow, I wanted to give kudos to Salina Chan for helping me set up this "simple and beautiful" blog, even though we both agree that the title sounds kind of lame (JOSES FROM HALIFAX).

2011

It is always a blessing to be able to sit down, relax, and realize that another year has passed. Many, many unforeseen events occurred in 2010. For all of you reading this, regardless of whether these events have been good or bad, it is my belief that we can all lift our chins up high and proclaim with a sense of triumph: "We made it". We made it as a community of believers, we made it as an earthly family, we made it as a brother/sister, doesn't matter, we made it.

Personally for me, 2010 has been a year of change. Here are some of the major events that occurred.

1. Graduation

2. Accepted to Masters in Waterloo

3. Trip to Hong Kong to see family

4. Started a fellowship with high school friends which is still running strong today (known as Fruitloops)

5. Went to Cambodia for 6 weeks for missions (by my own accord and by myself)

6. Started Masters

7. Passed my first term of Masters with flying colors =)

8. Spent a lot of Christmas break with NTCBC folks, (it was nice to finally be able to hang out with them a bit more consistently, aka showing up to a lot of the events).

9. The ability to occasionally beat a Korean in a blizzard game (Starcraft 2).

Now that 2011 is still in its infancy, the year 2012 seems a distant future away. At times it may seem like we'll never make it so far. But in reality, in the same way 2010 passed by in the blink of a eye, so 2011 will also fly by. Pretty soon, we will be able to look back at the year 2011 and say: "we made it, again".

Matthew 27:56

Flipping through the pages, I stared intently at the hopes of a continued existence. Glancing down the passage, 52..53..54..55..... I was almost there. My heart throbbed and a chill was felt down my spine. Nervously, and with sweat trickling down my cold limbs, my eyes slowly but gracefully continued to wander down. Remnants of my past raced through my mind, and, with all the courage I could muster, SWOOP, 56!

I stand here today to proclaim this news of sadness. No more can I tell people that my name is from the bible. All because of the newest 'new international version' (2010). What a great way to start off the year 2011.

Blog Name

I need a better blog name. Please suggest names for me!