The Revenge of the Angry Movie Goers
Star Wars opening day 10:30pm, my best friend and I were waiting in line in the cold, along with countless light sabers and Darth Vader mask donning men, waiting for the 12:01am showing of Star Wars, Episode III, Revenge of the Sith. While I’m not a gynormous Star Wars fan, my best friend and I got free tickets that day to see it, so we thought, what the heck. 2/3 of the way through the movie, just as the climax of the story was about to start; we hear this horrid thump-thump-thump noise and the movie went blank! Mass hysteria hit and “woahs” and “ahhs” and “GASPS” ringed throughout the theater. A few people jumped ship and went to another movie screen, while the rest of us sat there, hungry lions ready to devour the next poor theater worker walking into our domain. He sheepishly walked in front of the angry mob while everyone “booed” him and told us to stay still for 5 minutes while he fixed the movie reel. 5 minutes later, the same poor sacrificial lamb came into the theater, telling us that while he has fixed the problem, we would loose 20 minutes of the show. 20 minutes!? There was only 40 minutes left and we’re going to miss half of that? I don’t think so. Pandemonium swept through the theater and I was surprised that no one started a riot. People demanded to speak to the manager but alas! It was now 2:00 in the morning and no mangers were in sight. We got our free tickets and got out of the theater. I timidly looked behind me, half expecting to see Darth Vaders light sabering the theater worker’s butt, but thankfully, Obiwan from theater 2 ran out to the kid’s rescue and bloodshed was averted.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
I turn 25 today! *shudder* Am dreadful for the additional responsibilites, but am very much looking forward to my 30's. Here's a shout out to those that I love, thank you all for making my birthday a warm and loving one:

To Dana: Thanks for being the bestest best friend! I wouldn't change a thing about high school, because I spend it with you!

To K: to the forever talented: chef-baker-carpet cleaner, I love you! Thanks for being a great roommate, even if sometimes you threaten to keel over and die...

To my love: I am so spoiled. You have made loving you and spending time with you so easy and so enjoyble, I can definately get use to this.

To Minja: I don't think you know my blog address, but here's it is: I love you, even if you ARE the ultimate looooooser! =)

To M and A: I am so glad that I know you guys, and I must say, you two make such a cute couple. Wishing you many blessings and joy!

To everyone that celebrated this day with me: thank you all for a fantabulous day. Life is wonderful, because you are all in it. Loves, kisses, and hugs all around!

Bewitched!
I love reading Greek tragedies. I am fascinated by the dichotomy of choice and destiny this literary genere presents to its readers. Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex, for instance, is one of particular intrigue. Without the Oracle revealing Oedipus’s fate of slaying his father and sleeping with his mother, Oedipus’s parents would have never left the child to die, and the above foreseen events would have probably never happened. The oracle then, was the catalyst to Oedipus’s “destiny” and the entire event a self fulfilling prophesy.

I switched on the television yesterday and saw a modern oracle, Montel sitting with Silvia Browne. Silvia Browne agreed to conduct open readings to the audience and I was quite surprised at what some of these people asked and what some were willing to accept. While I beleive that true psychics exist (indeed even scripture mentions the witch of Endor), I do believe that majority of psychics are simply master people readers and precise statisticians. All the questions asked and answers given in that episode of Montel could be classified in different categories:

Category 1: Basing it on apparence and statistics:

1. A well build, athletic man asked: “will I make it to the minor leagues?” she answered confidently, “yes.” He then asked, “will I make it to the major leagues?” she answered quickly, “no.” he looked of defeat and sat down.
Seriously dude? Are you gonna take that? how about you grow some breasts and be a woman for a change and stand up for what you believe you can do?

2. A middle aged woman asked how and when she is going to die. “84” she says, “in your sleep.”

Category 2: things that can't be confirmed

1. A woman asked, “do I have ghosts in my house?” Sylvia answered, “Yes, a man and a woman." *dramatic pause* “A..A..Adam and Hillary, yes, tell them to leave.”

2. Another woman asked, “I never really knew how my father died, can you tell me?” Ms. Browne answered, “congested heart failure.”

Category 3: things that are simply not true but you say it confidently like you know it anyway

1. A woman asked if her grandfather ever comes to visit her. Being overtly ambitious, Sylvia asks, “who’s Joseph?” the woman searched her brain and told Syliva that she does not know a Joseph. “well your grandfather knew a Joseph,” Sylvia said, “and I saw Joseph with your grandfather when he stood next to you.”
Heck, I think 99% of Americans at one point or another has encountered a Joseph, and how nice that no one can confirm what she can and cannot see.

2. A young man of about 21 stood up, a white boy trying to pull a gansta, telling her that he’s got no directions and wanted to know what he should go into. “music”, she said without hesitation. When Montel followed up and asked the young man what instruments he likes to play, he answered that he does not know how to play any instruments.

As I sat there watching, I couldn’t help but wonder, how many of these will become self fulfilling prophesies? Will the athlete never try out for the major league? Will the middle aged woman be fearful every night that she’ll never wake up in the morning the day she turns 84? Will the young man now try to learn a musical instrument?

If Sylvia Browne is providing any kind of service, perhaps it is giving people closure by telling them that their loved ones are still with them, or that they were not alone when they passed away. But ultimately, I believe she is doing a disservice. As for me, I enjoy making my own destiny, and I would try out for that major league if my heart is set upon it, and there wouldn’t be anyone out there that can say or do to discourage me.

Dream – Interpretations are Welcome

Last night I had this funny dream, I wonder what it means:

Chris tells K and me that the McDonalds 21 miles away from our house offers free showers for people to use and gives people free food everyday at certain hours. An unascertainable amount of time later, K and I were in her car, she was driving. I suggested that we go to McDonalds and she indignantly mutters under her breath saying how Chris gave us the wrong information and that she went there for a free shower yesterday and didn’t get any. She then proceeded to tell me that McDonalds didn’t offer free food either. Disappointed and confused, I shouted, “WHAT? But that’s my backup plan in case I fail law school!”

I wonder what this says about our relationship, I worry…

It was a pondering kind of afternoon and I thought about all the wonderful girlfriends that I have. I promptly called my roommate to tell her that I appreciate her and the following is the exchange:

Me: Hi K! I appreciate you!

K: (suspiciously) Why?

Me: ..nothing! I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate you, you’re such a good friend!

K: un-huh

-----silence-----

K: What do you want?

Me: NOTHING! I just wanted to tell you that you’re appreciated!

K: …riight...ok.

Close to My Heart

In researching a paper on religious persecution in China for my International Human Rights class, I am deeply moved, humbled, and saddened by the struggles of the Chinese people oceans away. In their world they are tortured, they are raped, and they are murdered because they believe in God. In their world they must hide, run, and uproot to exercise their right to worship. And yet they are not afraid to fight forces much bigger than them, because they know that justice will be done, and they know that they are fighting for something bigger than them all. As an American of Chinese decent, and as a Christian, this topic is close to my heart. These people across the globe are my blood. We share the same history, the same ancestry, the same God. It pains me that my fellow brothers and sisters are being tortured, but it gives me hope that someday our God will prevail, and the torturous authorities will fall.

The following is an excerpt from my paper:

"The Chinese government allows only five kinds of religions in China: Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and Daoism.While all other forms of religion not among the five recognized are considered “cults” (e.g. the well documented persecution of Falun Gong practitioners) and are subject to governmental sanction, harsh restrictions are imposed on the recognized religious groups as well.Presently, all five recognized religious groups are required to register with the government and operate under governmental purview.In 1950 all protestant denominations were forced to merge and the Catholic church in China is forbidden to recognize the authority of the Vatican or the Pope. These recognized groups are monitored by the government on a regular basis and are subject to annual investigation by the Chinese government.When Shi Yun-Chao questioned the police authorities the reasons for categorizing his church as a part of the “Shouter Sect” (a “cult” outlawed by the Chinese government), the officials of the Religion Bureau replied:

“You are Shouter Sect if you shout loud; you are also Shouter Sect if you lower your voice shouting. We think you are still Shouter Sect even if you mumble words in your mouth! The Shouter Sect is counterrevolutionary.”

In another instance, the Chinese police arrested pastor Li Chang-shou because pastor Li Chang-shou preached “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.”While this biblical passage from Galatians is commonly heard in American churches, pastor Li Chang-shou was arrested for the crime of “deifying” himself,a defining characteristic of a “cult”."

The founder of the New York based Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China Mr. Li Shixiong was imprisoned and tortured for 19 years. He says, “I love my country and people. I believe in God. Because of this, I'm not scared of the strong evil power and dare to make it known to the world the facts of how the state terrorists persecute the people.”

Let’s fight for the Chinese people’s right to freedom of religion. Please visit www.china21.org and click on the English Version for more information on this topic and let’s make a difference.

---

2 To Two

Two things I will no longer do:

I will no longer question how the homeless person will spend his/her money. Sometimes the best kind of kindness is the one without conditions.

I will no longer refuse to take flyers from the people passing them out. It is their job to pass out papers all day long, and every “no, thank you” is a rejection, I would hate to be rejected all day.

Two things I realized about helping others:

It can sometimes be a thankless job. But serving justice and righting a wrong is rewarding all in itself, even if the person that you’re helping yells at you every time you speak with her.

Sometimes lending an ear to a client’s ramblings is the best way you can help them. Like a good apology, having someone there to listen to your woes is priceless.

Two things I am glad about leaving the organization:

More time for me. I can now watch “The View” in the morning instead of rushing to work.

More time for me. I can now take in the quietness of the morning instead of the ambitions of downtown professionals.

Name Calling

Study buddies and I have been playing cards in between studying and making fun of the looser of each round cruelly. After laughing and pointing at my roommate and calling her the "Ultimate Looser", Chris expressed his disproval for my behavior and the following is a well thought out, intellectual discourse on gender classification:

*M is the other study buddy.

coffeebeanSD: we've begun calling K the "Ultimate Looser", is that bad?
chris: I dunno, does K think its funny?
coffeebeanSD: ULTIMATE LOOOOOSER! ULTIMATE LOOOOSER!
coffeebeanSD: MUHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA
coffeebeanSD: so funny...
chris: ha....ha....ha... ... ... ...
coffeebeanSD: do you not think it's funny becuase you wound't like it very much if your firends did that to you?
chris: ummm, yeah my friends and I wouldn't normally play like that
coffeebeanSD: i think that shows that women are tougher and can take more dishin
coffeebeanSD: more support for a superior woman president
chris: or that men have better manners, better diplomats =-O
coffeebeanSD: seriously though... men are waaay too sensitive sometimes
chris: HAH! If that's not the most ironic thing I've heard all day...
coffeebeanSD: see right THERE!
coffeebeanSD: you're... SEN-SI-TIVE SEN-SI-TIVE SEN-SI-TIVE
chris: au contraire -- see right THERE!
coffeebeanSD: no, it's really right... THERE!!
chris: BUT WAIT!
chris: LOOK RIGHT...
chris: THERE!!!!!!
coffeebeanSD: ...
coffeebeanSD: i rest my case
chris: in other words, you lose
coffeebeanSD: dude, RIGHT THERE!!!!
coffeebeanSD: BAM!
chris: too bad you missed right....
chris: THERE!!!
chris: MOTED!!!
coffeebeanSD: BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!!!!
coffeebeanSD: RIGHT
coffeebeanSD: THERE!!!!
chris: nah, sorry, mine was better
chris: Since mine was better, I've got a great story for you...
coffeebeanSD: yes?
chris: THERE!!!!
coffeebeanSD: omg...