why dubs

Linsanity

by now, everyone who has any access to any form of electronic media should have heard of the kid they call linsanity. you've probably heard his rags to riches story a billion times. you've probably memorized his stat lines for the past five games he's started for the new york knicks. you've probably seen any one of his many media interviews. you've even probably heard his christian testimony. linsanity has hit fever pitch. he's even caught the attention of the potus.

i'm a believer. not only b/c i'm an asian-american. not only b/c i'm a life-long ny knicks fan. not only b/c i love an underdog story. and not only b/c i love to see christian athletes living out their faith. i'm a believer b/c he's all of the above and so much more.

say what you want about how he's done so well against mediocre and sub-par teams. say what you want about his inability to drive to the left. say what you want about his inconsistent jumpshot. but you can't knock his ability to ball. all he's done is lin, lin, lin. he took a struggling ny knicks team without its two stars, melo and amare, and has them on an incredible winning streak with the likes of billy walker, steve novack, and jared jeffries as his starting teammates. and he does it with such class that is refreshing. by all accounts, he's a humble, good-natured kid. they say there is no "i" in team. and he embodies that. i'm not saying jeremy lin is going to keep this up all the time, but he definitely has game. and i couldn't be any happier.

but linsanity is truly insanity. how else can you explain his ability to influence the stock market? msg stocks have soared since he's been inserted into the starting lineup. he's also become an international sensation. chinese and taiwanese people are all claiming lin as their "hometown" hero, despite the fact that he was born and raised in palo alto, california. he apparently has more than a million followers on china's version of twitter, weibo.

in the one week he's become the talk of the town, he's galvanized supporters among the asian-american community, basketball lovers, new york fans, evangelical christians, chinese, taiwanese, and corporate shareholders. might i also add that he's won over asian-american women, who generally (at least in my observation) have never been avid followers of the nba.

long live linsanity. and let's go knicks!

What Kind of Year It Has Been

2011. The year started out like any other year. Full of hope, eager to turn a new leaf. The ball dropped in Times Square, millions belting "Auld Lang Syne." There were no signs that things would be  drastically different from the past. The economy still hung by a threat, the world still at war. The struggle of ideology continued, from democracy to tyranny, one form of religious extremism to another.

And then a burning man sets a world on fire. And some of the dominos of evil begin to fall.

• 1.14.11. Zine al Abidine. 23 years. Deposed. Exiled.
• 2.11.11. Hosni Mubarak. 30 years. Ousted. Incarcerated. Awaiting justice.
• 5.1.11. Osama bin Laden. Taken out by Navy SEALs.
• 5.26.11. Ratko Mladic. Wanted. War crimes. Crimes against humanity. Captured.
• 10.20.11. Muammar Gaddafi. 42 years. Civil war. Killed.
• 12.17.11. Kim Jong Il. 17 years. Heart attack.

Who knew that on 1.1.11, some of history's most brutal tyrants and savage terrorists would meet their demise? It only takes a spark to get a fire going. And the notice is out to all remaining dictators who wish to continue to oppress their peoples and criminals who wish to terrorize the innocent: Let justice roll like a mighty river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.

giving thanks

i'm thankful for things i have and don't have, material and immaterial.

i've been blessed with things that i often take for granted when i know that there are billions of people who could only wish they had a fraction of what i have. far too often i find myself complaining about the things i lack when in fact i lack very little. i whine. i worry. and i never give thanks.

so during this thanksgiving season, i'm reminded that every blessing, big or small, is a gift from above. God reminds me that He blesses me so that i can be a blessing to others. He challenges me to now pay it forward to those less fortunate around me. and i realize i don't need to look too far.

but he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "and who is my neighbor?"

ten years later

ten years later, a lot has changed.
days have turned into weeks into months and finally years.
dhs. tsa. dni. a whole lot of bureaucracy.
wars. casualties, physical and emotional.
arab spring. colored revolutions.
from college student to working professional to grad student to working professional.
from aa to dc sprinkled with nyc here and there.
from w to change we can believe in.
the world is a far different time and place.

yet, ten years later, nothing has really changed.
days, weeks, months, years progress as they ought to.
what is this country without bureaucracy.
wars rage on, century to century.
ever hear of the american and french revolutions of years past?
ten years later, the stone walls of the five-starred building have been rebuilt.
ten years later, the freedom tower is being erected.
ten years later, the ideals of an entire nation carry forth.
and we honor our heroes, both dead and alive.

we'll never forget.

(download)

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ten-years-later-oCkcGIzkjsAwogqwtkhb.zip (34.15 MB)

Lest We Forget

Freedom is never free.

To all who have given the ultimate sacrifice, thank you.

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Justice is Served

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justice-is-served-dkeAGeufCuquhqhdamcd.zip (1.11 MB)

09.11.01

a great people has been moved to defend a great n ation. terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of america. these acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of american resolve. america was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. and no one will keep that light from shining. today, our nation saw evil--the very worst of human nature--and we responded with the best of america. with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could.

09.14.01

we can't hear you. i can hear you. the rest of the world hears you. and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.

09.20.01

my fellow citizens, for the last nine days the entire world has seen for itself the state of our union, and it is strong.

we will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage. we will not tire. we will not falter. and we will not fail.

05.01.11

we are once again reminded that america can do whatever we set our mind to. that is the story of our history, whether it's the pursuit of prosperity for our people or the struggle for equality for all our citizens, our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place. let us remember that we can do all these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

lest we forget. 9.11.01.

Giving Instead of Condemning; Praying Instead of Mocking

What is it about tragedies and catastrophes that bring out some of the worst in people? There was the Kanye West accusation that President George W. Bush hated African-Americans for his administration's perceived lack of response to Hurricane Katrina. There was the Pat Robertson quote, where he said the devestating earthquake that hit Haiti was the "curse" of "a pact made with the devil." Glenn Beck (what else is new?) finds himself in controversy with his remarks about the earthquake/tsunami that continues to wreak havoc in Japan. The voice of the AFLAC duck was fired for his jokes regarding the earthquake/tsunami in Japan. Now, the pastor of the world's largest church, Pastor David Yonggi Cho of Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea finds himself in trouble for saying that the earthquake in Japan is a result of the Japanese people shunning God and is a warning to the people.

 ³⁴ Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:34-40 (emphasis mine)

Instead of throwing stones at and condemning those who have lost everything, I say let us throw them as many ropes as we can possibly throw.

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:31-40 (emphasis mine)

Please, PLEASE consider joining me in giving at least SOMETHING to help the victims of this tragedy. Even $1 can go so far in instances like this. American Red Cross and World Vision are two well respected organizations known for their response to disasters and humanitarian crises. I, and others, are also helping the Jubilee Project in sponsoring a video to raise funds for World Vision Japan. We'll be donating 3 cents per view, so at the very least, please click on the youtube link below, watch the video a few times, and forward to your friends and famiy.

Lastly, please join me in praying for the victims and their loved ones. Pray for the escalating nuclear meltdown crisis that can cause enormous short-term and long-term human, economic, and environmental losses as well. Last but not least, we should pray that the people will turn to Christ through this tragedy and that there beauty will rise from the ashes.

Praying for Japan

The pictures and videos are just frightening.

May God be with the people who have lost so much in Japan. Please consider giving to the humanitarian efforts: 

American Red Cross

World Vision

for more photos, check out The Big Picture

Bandwagon Fans

The Knickerbockers of New York are back, back to relevancy at the very least. I'm not naive. I'm not gonna predict that the Knicks are gonna win it all this year or maybe even next year. But it sure feels good to be playoff-bound and no longer a laughingstock of the NBA.

Welcome home, Carmelo Anthony. Welcome to the mecca of basketball.

Now, all of a sudden, you have all these supposed Knicks fan coming out of nowhere, notifying the world that their allegiances are to the Knicks via Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. These "fans," if you will, are what we would call "bandwagon fans" or "frontrunners" or "fair-weather fans." Where were they when the Knicks were at the lowest points in its rich history? Where was their support when Isiah Thomas and Scott Layden ran the organization to the ground? Where was their loyalty when Frederic Weiss was drafted over local homegrown talent Ron Artest? They were nowhere to be found. Now that the Knicks picked up Amare in free agency and traded valuable assets for Melo, these people want to be recognized as legitimate Knicks fans? I have no respect for such people because it reveals their real character.

The Knicks fans I know and respect are the ones who valiantly bled blue and orange even when that invited mockery. We endured the scorn of all the Michiganders when the Pistons seemed to be the model organization in the early 2000s. We lived through the dominance of Kobe and company out in Tinseltown. We took the beating by even the lowly cross-town "rivals" with the Jason Kidd-led Nets. We were still proud to be a Knicks fan, despite the geniuses who ran the show.

True fans are the ones that stand by their team, even when they are at the lowest of valleys as much as when they are at the highest of mountains. And no one can call me a bandwagon fan. Like I've written before, I have endured the worst in all the teams I follow in all the major sports and have lived through one single professional championship in my lifetime. And I will continue to stick by those teams, for better or for worse.

Biggest Regret in Life

i don't have any just because the things that i've done in life is what makes me who i am today.

i don't have one. i love my life. and i have nothing else to say other than to say that i'm happy to be alive. no regrets.

there are those who live always looking backwards, thinking about what could have, should have, would have been if...

then, there are those who take life's punches and move on, thankful for all the experiences because those have made them who they are today.

and a plug for the jubilee project's benefit concert: