A Visionary
April 11, 2009 § 2 Comments
I asked him to meet me in the Fine Arts Building, where I go regularly to use the pianos in the numerous practice rooms on the second floor. We had met once before, as part of the music team at my church. He had told me that he used to lead worship for the IHOP in KC, which were some pretty impressive credentials [especially for a freshman in college], and his guitar playing reflected enormous talent.
We were meeting because he had asked me if I was interested in joining his BHOP music team; the idea appealed to me but I needed more details. Our chat didn’t exactly turn out the way I expected, though.
Throughout our meeting, he threw out all kinds of ideas that I had never really considered [or just considered minimally]. The first was that apparently, the vision of IHOP is based in Isaiah 56, which he showed me in his Bible after asking me if I read mine. Awkward question, but he said, “Some Christians don’t read their Bibles…” by way of explanation.
I don’t know if he was nervous or just wanted to placate any apprehensions I might’ve harbored, but he used that phrase a lot. At one point he asked me how I felt about speaking in tongues, and then about physical healing through prayer [growing back fingers whaaat??], then something called “slaying in the spirit”, and followed them all up with an apologetic “some people get freaked out by that stuff” as if I would be immediately abhorrent of such activities.
Discrimination Has A Face
April 10, 2009 § 2 Comments
Our AAA president sent us a link to an article this morning about a state representative from Texas, Betty Brown:
A North Texas legislator during House testimony on voter identification legislation said Asian-descent voters should adopt names that are “easier for Americans to deal with.” […]
Brown suggested that Asian-Americans should find a way to make their names more accessible.
“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said.
Brown later told Ko [a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans]: “Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”
What the freak?!
Asians and Asian-Americans [as well as people of other nationalities] have been changing their names for generations. My legal name was finally changed from 晓京 [Xiao Jing] to Laura during high school, though I had been using my English name since kindergarten. But that was a personal decision [made by my parents, I guess]; it is completely out of line to suggest legislation that would require this type of thing.
Gross. Here is the video of how it went down:
What’s sad is that as usual when dealing with racially insensitive remarks towards Asian-Americans, the perpetrator denies any wrongdoing. What will it take to change people in this country?
Mario Goes To Chicago
April 8, 2009 § 1 Comment
A malfunctioning warp whistle blows Mario to a land unknown…otherwise known as Chi-Town:
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Other Side Of The World
April 6, 2009 § 1 Comment
I’ve come to realize that Korean music is pretty awesome. It started with Jung Hyun Lee, who my cousin in China loved [she would copy her pinky-finger-point while singing & dancing during karaoke], and then I started listening to Loveholic, Wonder Girls, BoA, DBSK, and others. My favorite has to be Tae Yang, though, due to sheer sex appeal. The boy is fiiiiine [and he’s in my age range!]:
When I first saw the music video for Prayer on ONTD last year, I dismissed him as some random Asian dude. I don’t remember how exactly I rediscovered him, but I am immensely glad to have done so.
His song 죄인 [translated as either Prisoner or Sinner…it’d be helpful I could read Korean] has always been a favorite of mine, but I didn’t think to look up the English translation until recently. I originally mistook it for a love song, but boy was I wrong. In fact, the lyrics resonate with me much more than I thought:
Now if only China could manufacture some quality dance music [I’m open to suggestions!], I’d be set.
auradis 