church: impossible

i was watching an episode of restaurant: impossible today and was wondering what it would be like if they had a tv show like this for churches.

for those of you who don't know, restaurant: impossible is a tv show on food network where chef robert irvine tries to save failing restaurants in just two days with only $10,000. he observes the restaurants and tries to find their weakest links, then goes about into updating the menu, re-training the staff, and implementing aesthetic changes with the help of his design team. basically, he's a restaurant consultant who tries to revamp the restaurants image to help them succeed.

so, i thought it'd be interesting to see a show like that, but for churches. a person would go to a church that is struggling and observe their sunday service and then go on trying to help them improve. the thing is, just like each restaurant has it's own theme and demographic they are trying to reach, a church is similar. so, it's not about which type of worship style is better (ie. contemporary vs traditional), but it's really implementing what the church's vision is.

so instead of updating the menu, it'd be updating the worship service. then you could re-train the greeters and ushers presiders and worship team and powerpoint peoples and AV peoples and even the pastor. then, this person could help with the church website, church bulletin design, and even church decor.

i know that when people usually think about church services, they tend to focus only on the praise band and the message, but i think all these other stuff are important too. now, i guess the question is, should church be a production? is it just about putting on a good show? no it's not, but i do believe we should put thought into every detail and i do think those things will help the overall service.

anyway, just some thing that went through my head as i was watching this show this afternoon.

glimmer of hope

the giants won last night in extra innings to move their winning streak to 3 games and keep their playoff hopes alive. of course, it's only a glimmer of hope as all the teams in front of them (arizona, atlanta, st. louis) all won as well. there aren't many games left. the giants need to keep on winning and hope the teams in front of them melt-down. it's highly unlikely that they will sneak into the playoffs, but there is still a very slight chance they do if everything goes right.

i don't know if i really like this feeling. a part of me hopes they will simply lose... just to put an end to the inevitable disappointment. still, another part of me roots and hopes for a miracle to happen. 14 games left. 8.5 back from arizona to win the nl west. 7 back from atlanta to enter as the wildcard. 2 back from st. louis who is also looking to get into the wildcard spot. it's not likely, but maybe. just maybe...

oh why do i torture myself? cause i'm a fan and i can't help it.

let's go giants! let's keep this streak and hope alive!

1-0

the niners are 1-0!

it's a good start, but i'm still not convinced. they beat a pretty poor seattle team and their offense didn't do much. if it wasn't for the kick-off return and punt return from ginn, the game would have been much closer.  their defense was solid and their special teams obviously came through big, but their offense was not impressive. they couldn't run the ball and smith barely took any shots down field. it was only dinks and dunks. i guess the good thing is that smith didn't make any costly turnovers, but i would have liked to see the offense open it up a bit more. oh well, i guess i shouldn't complain because they are 1-0. let's make it 2-0 vs. the cowboys this sunday!

2011 sf giants

ouch. this season was painful.

physically painful: basically everyone important on this team got injured and was placed on the dl for some point in this season. the big one of course was buster posey.

emotionally painful: despite all these injuries, the giants were in first place of the nl west for the majority of the season until they fell apart at the end. it was an up-and-down season that played with your heart. the giants would give us hope that something special could still happen, and then it was smothered.

frustratingly painful: we all knew that the giants struggled to score runs. it happened last year, but people got hot at the right moment and we got key 2-out-hits with runners-in-scoring-position when we needed it. this year, we would get a runner in scoring position with no outs, and still come up empty at the end of the inning.

sure, the giants technically still have a chance to make the playoffs, but i honestly don't see it happening. i'll be more than happy to be wrong, but the realist in me is closing the books on this season. the silver lining (if there is any) is that after all the big injuries, they still made a run at the nl west. next year, with their key players back and some talent in the farm system, they could be back in the playoffs with their solid pitching.

guess it's time to turn my attention to the niners (although sadly, i'm not expecting too much this year...)

back again

i've been off-air for a couple months now. not that there hasn't been anything happening. in fact, it's been quite the opposite. there have been many exciting things that have happened in my life. i finally finished seminary, i got engaged, and have gotten a full-time youth pastor position at the church i grew up in. God has definitely blessed me greatly! this is an exciting new chapter in my life and while there are new stresses and different challenges ahead of me, i'm looking forward to what God is going to do next. i know i've been very inconsistent in my blogging, but i'm back again to give it another go.

nba season 2010-2011

so i've been ignoring my blog for a couple weeks now. yes, i have been busy and a bunch of things have been going on, but more so, i've simply been lazy. so this post is long overdue.

the dallas mavericks won the 2010-2011 nba championships defeating the miami heat in 6 games. it was a closely contested battle, but ultimately, the mavs showed more resilience and played better team ball and had more clutch moments from their key players. yes, dirk was dirk and played great when they needed him, but i think the bigger players to have stepped up was terry and chandler. oh, and throw marion in there as well. if it wasn't for these guys, the heat probably would have beaten the mavs on sheer athleticism and tough defense. you also have to give a lot of credit to mavs coach rick carlisle. he made adjustments when needed and out-coached spolestra.

however, most of the talk was about the no show of lebron in the 4th quarters of the game and for good reason too. here are 2 of my favorite jokes about lebron:

- a guy walks up to lebron and asks him to break a dollar. lebron gives the guy 75 cents because he can't give him the 4th quarter.
- lebron should get married this summer because that's the only way he's gonna get a ring.

zing and zing. haha. yea, lebron really did play poorly in the 4th when the heat needed him the most, but the other heat players didn't exactly light it up either. i still think miami will win a championship and lebron will get his ring, but i'm glad they needed to struggle a bit to get there. hopefully this will motivate lebron more and he'll come back next year with a plethora of post moves and better jump shots. then he really would be unstoppable. and interesting comparison people have made is how lebron is more like pippen than jordan. a willing passer, good defender, and every once in a while knock down that jumper. anyway, i don't really hate lebron like many people, but i'll be honest in saying i wasn't rooting for him this go-around.

as for the warriors, their season was another disappointment. sure, they improved their record and had a bunch of setbacks with injuries, but david lee hasn't panned out yet. monta and curry did play better together, but they are still a tiny backcourt. especially since both aren't great defenders, their front court players need to play better d, and that didn't happen. biedrins disappeared and udoh is still raw. and jeremy lin was in the d-league for most of the season. we'll see what happens this upcoming season with mark jackson as their coach and see if they do make any big trades for ellis.

anyway, this past season was fun. admittedly, i didn't watch as much ball as i did the previous seasons, but the playoffs were exciting and i'm interested in who gets drafted where. i hope there's no lock-out next season.

nba finals pick

some quick thoughts before game 1 of the nba finals between the heat and mavs.

i am rooting for dallas to win. i think dirk and kidd deserve a ring, but my mind says the heat will win and lebron gets his first ring. the matchups are going to be pretty interesting. who's going to guard dirk? i don't think bosh can stop dirk. lebron might be a better matchup because he's stronger and more athletic, but if dirk can keep hitting his one-legged fade away, it's going to be a long series for the heat. the mavs bench deep and it'll be interesting to see how much spolestra plays his bench. if the mavs bench can keep providing the points when their starters rest, then they will be in good shape. the problem is that i really don't see them being able to stop miami's stars. marion will have his hands full with lebron, but i can see him slowing him down just a bit. and they have enough big bodies to throw at bosh. but the big problem i see is that no one is gonna be able to slow down wade. i think that he's going to have a big series and be finals mvp.

some other thoughts. my predictions for this year were pretty off. i thought the mavs would get bounced by portland, but they've been playing amazing team ball. their defense has stepped up as well, but the bigger thing is that they've shot the ball so well. they hit a lot of 3s too, so if they've got that going, they have a chance to win. i thought miami would make the finals, but i didn't think they'd be playing as well as they are. they play really solid defense and rotate really well. you know what they say. rebounding and defense wins games. dallas is good on the boards, but miami's defense is better.

my pick: miami in 6

bang! bang!

 

i went to the shooting range for the first time with a couple of peoples last night. it was a fun and neat experience. i was a bit nervous at first simply because i knew that we were shooting a real gun and not just a bb-gun or some toy gun. since 3 of us were first-time shooters, the guy working at the shooting range gave us some tips. when he first opened the case of bullets and pulled one out, i think my heart actually skipped a beat. just seeing a real bullet and knowing that it can hurt and kill you was a weird feeling. anyway, we got our gear ready (earplugs/eye proctection), grabbed the targets and guns and went into the range.

i got to shoot a glock 17 (9mm) and m1911 (.45). i started with the glock and felt pretty comfortable with it after a few shots. then i tried the m1911. i could definitely feel the difference between the two guns in both weight and amount of kick. the m1911 had much more punch and i felt like it shot straighter than the glock. but, the glock did feel easier to handle. however, i really don't think i'd ever buy a gun. i would be too afraid to have one around the house. heh.

the other thing i was reminded of was just all the action movies that i've seen in the past. after shooting a real gun in the range, it just showed me how much more ridiculous those action movies are. much harder in real life. haha. but, they are what they are and they are still fun to watch :)

anyway, i did have a fun time. a bit pricey, but i wouldn't mind going again.

nba playoffs: conference finals picks

the bulls got the first game of the eastern conference finals with a dominate performance from the bench and their bigs. all year long, the weakness of the heat were their play at pg and their lack of size inside. and it showed here in the first game. the bulls out-rebounded the heat and pounded the ball inside and they also hit some key 3s. their length and athleticism really gave the heat problems. however, i believe the heat will make some adjustments and the bulls won't be able to hold lebron and wade to their poor shooting. still, it's gonna be a close hard fought series.

my pick: heat in 7

dallas is the oldest team left in the playoffs. the thunder are the youngest team in the playoffs. will youth and athleticism win out? or will it be the experience and veteran savvy that prove more valuable? the thunder are a fun team to watch. they get up and down the court and play good defense, but they do make a lot of mistakes and do get caught up in the emotions. the mavs have been called soft and chokers, but this year they are proving their doubters wrong. they are finishing games and shooting the lights out. i really didn't think the mavs would get so far, but they have been playing really well. i thought the thunder would dominate more, but they've had their struggles as well. still, i'm gonna go with the young guns of okc to eventually win.

my pick: thunder in 6

upcoming movies

i recently watched thor. it was fairly predictable and kinda cheesy, but also had funny moments, visually nice to look at, and overall entertaining. i don't think it was as good as iron man, but it wasn't horrible either. probably didn't need to watch it at night and paid the full price admission, but it was an impulse thing where i wanted to watch something and so i went with my gf.

one of my favorite parts of going to the movies is seeing all the movie trailers. there were a lot that i forgot were coming out. there were a bunch of other superhero movies (of course that makes sense because we were watching a superhero movie. haha). i'm still a bit hesitant regarding green lantern, but do want to watch captain america and x-men: first class. i want to be more excited about the new pirates movie, but as of right now, i'm not so much. i dunno, maybe it's because i have a feeling it'll be hard to understand them. just from watching the trailer, they all have the weird pirate accent. haha. i'm also on the fence for super 8. i do want to watch cowboys and aliens though as well as the last harry potter movie. oh yea, there's also the new transformers movie.

i guess this is just to say that there are too many movies coming out this summer that look interesting to me. i'm gonna have to pick and choose which ones to go watch. dunno what to do. haha

changing of the guards?

with the spurs, lakers, and celtics now out of the playoffs, it looks like it's the time of the changing of the guards in the nba. it is interesting to note that in the past 12 years, only once has the lakers, spurs, or celtics not play in the nba finals. and that one year ('05/'06) it was the heat and mavs with wade and dirk as the stars. there is still a good chance that there can be a rematch of that '05/'06 finals this year, but what we've seen during this years playoffs is that there are a lot of younger teams to be reckoned with. 


i saw this from hoopism.com and thought it was a neat graphic. it broke down the average age of each team and age weighted for minutes played per each team (meaning the age of the players who play the most minutes per game). here are the teams that made the playoffs this year and their average age (per minutes played):


[east]
chicago bulls: 27.01
miami heat: 29.48
boston celtics: 29.96
orlando magic: 29.07
atlanta hawks: 27.83
new york knicks: 25.78
philadelphia 76ers: 25.11
indiana pacers: 25.4


[west]
san antonio spurs: 29.36
los angeles lakers: 30.6
dallas mavericks: 31.5
oklahoma city thunder: 24.11
denver nuggets: 27.72
portland trailblazers: 27.21
new orleans hornets: 26.84
memphis grizzlies: 25.51


and the remaining teams left along with the age of their stars:


[chicago bulls]

derrick rose: 22

carlos boozer: 29

luol deng: 26

[miami heat]

lebron james: 26

dwyane wade: 29

chris bosh: 27

[dallas mavericks]

dirk nowitzki: 32

jason kidd: 38

jason terry: 33

[oklahoma city thunder]

kevin durant: 22

russell westbrook: 22

serge ibaka: 21

the mavericks are the oldest team and they are playing the youngest team in the thunder. it'll be interesting to see if the young legs of the thunder team will out last the veteran mavericks. out east, the heat and bulls are fairly even in age with the slight youth going towards the bulls. 

i still think that the "older teams" of the lakers, spurs, celtics may have one more run at it (as well as the mavericks if they lose this year), but the shift is slowly occurring and new stars are starting to shine.

la lakers

after watching the lakers get swept by the mavs, i felt like i needed to write something.

as i've written before, the lakers were my favorite team growing up. even though i grew up in the bay area they were the team that was always on tv and they had an exciting fun team and were good and winning championships, so it was easy to root for them. i'll admit that i was a bandwangon fan to start and simply kept on rooting for them. however, at the start of this nba season, i decided that i was going to turn in my lakers fandom and go back to my roots and root for the warriors. my gf didn't get how i could just do that (to just drop a team like that), and honestly, it was a little weird since i basically followed them for most of my life.

but i guess for me, i've always been a bigger basketball/nba fan than my individual team fan. so even though i rooted for the lakers (and now warriors), it's easier for me to see the good and bad sides of the teams. i watch for good basketball and enjoy analyzing the plays and commentating on the game. my emotions don't get as caught up as other folks and if my team got destroyed, then it's easier for me to give credit to the other team and move on.

which brings me back to the lakers game yesterday. they got punked. they simply got outworked and outplayed. their defense and rotations were lazy and the mavs made them pay by draining 3 after 3. i know what it's like to be frustrated when your game isn't going well and i know emotions run high. it's no fun to see a team blow you out, so i could see why bynum and odom did what they did... but still, what bynum did was cheap and uncalled for. there's one thing to play tough and passionate, but another thing to try and hurt a guy. if you lose, lose with class. that doesn't mean you turn over and give up, but you still gotta keep your emotions in check. and if not, at least show some character afterwards. i didn't like what bynum had to say after the game. made me loose a little respect for the kid. but, he's still young and hopefully he'll learn.


what was interesting for me though, was that now i'm on the other side of not being a lakers fan, i could see why people don't like lakers fans. i read a bunch of sports blogs and so i see peoples comments. and sure enough, it's the lakers fans that come off as arrogant and sore losers. i guess it's cause they have been spoiled by so many years of winning that they don't know how to handle losses. they get too emotionally caught up in their team that they have a hard time giving credit to where credit is due. i know it's not just lakers fans that are like that (and not all of them are that blinded), but that's just what it seems like. they're not as humble as can be.

but as for the lakers themselves, people are talking about blowing the team up, and i think that's crazy talk. yes, they are old, but they are still talented. and i'm pretty sure they'll land a big free agent (cp3 or d12) and they'll continue to be big bullies in the league.

anyway, it's been an entertaining playoffs so far. definitely not what i expected. and that's a good thing!

sf giants 2011

the start of the new sf giants season has not gone the way we hoped. it has definitely been disappointing so far. we came in with high expectations of having similar success as last year. we were going to prove that last year wasn't a fluke. that it wasn't just luck.

and things were looking up for us in spring training too. we had another young stud in brandon belt coming up from the minor leagues. he was going to give us another bat and win the rookie of the year award. pablo came into camp dropping 60 pounds and his swing was back. we brought back basically the same roster that won the championships last year, but this time, we get a full-year of buster and cody and burrell. look out!

yes, things were looking up. we were excited. but, sigh, things aren't looking so good right now. we're back to looking like the team that can't get enough runs. we can get men in scoring positions, but can't drive them home. and people are starting to clamor for needing that "big bat" again.

it's tough to be patient. i know that this is a long season. that it's better to have our struggles early, than late when it matters more. better to get this slump out of our system now. i know that we've had our injury woes. but still, it's tough to sit and see how poorly we're hitting.

but things can turn around! i still believe that the giants will get back on track. guys will start hitting. we'll start getting those key hits. we still have our pitching and bullpen. give me another month... and if things are still the same, then i'll start to panic. heh

nba playoffs: round 2 picks

so the first round of nba playoffs are in the books. my upset picks of the knicks and blazers didn't pan out. knicks had opportunities in the first 2 games to get victories, but just couldn't execute down the stretch. having billups and amar'e injured didn't help either. the mavs simply outplayed the blazers. it was fun to see roy go off in one game, but he's definitely not his old self. the big upsets were the grizzlies beating the spurs. the spurs finally looked their age as the young guns of memphis came through. the other upset was the hawks beating the magic. dwight could only do so much. the rest of the team didn't show up to play. the same could be said with cp3. he could only do so much before the lakers finally went inside and took their series. okc/nuggets were a fun up-and-down game, but the thunder were just too talented for the nuggets. the heat and bulls took care of their pesky opponents as again, talent simply was too much for the 76ers and pacers.

the second round looks to be just as entertaining as the first round. here's my picks:

[chicago bulls vs. atlanta hawks]
the bulls have been relying on derrick rose to carry the team and he has done so so far. hinrich was injured in the last game and that's gonna be a problem for the hawks. he's a feisty defender, but now that he's injured the hawks really don't have anyone on the perimeter who can slow rose down. but, the bigger problem for the hawks is that they have a hard time focusing for all 4 quarters. and to ask them to do that for 4-7 games is even more of a task. i think that the bulls are just more disciplined and play smarter and better defense and will be too much for the hawks.

my pick: bulls in 5

...

[miami heat vs. the boston celtics]
i think that this is going to be a fun fun series. a lot of stars here in this matchup. you have the previous big three in kg, pierce, and allen vs the new big three of lebron, wade, and bosh. of course, the celtics also have rondo. but the heat are more athletic and boston is looking old. yes, they were able to sweep the knicks, but they barely beat them the first two games and the knicks were playing injured. still, last year, everyone was counting the celtics out and they were 1 game away from winning it all. however, i still think the heat's talent and athleticism win out. it's gonna be a close one, but i'm picking the heat.

my pick: heat in 7

...

[los angeles lakers vs. dallas mavericks]
i honestly think the lakers got lucky to play the mavs rather than the blazers. but, the mavs have been playing better than i expected them to play and the lakers aren't looking as sharp. dirk is still a handful and chandler is playing some really good defense. kidd is raining 3s, marion is a good perimeter defender, and they have terry off the bench to score more points. the lakers finally put things together in their last 2 games and went inside to destroy the undersized hornets. the mavs have more height, but the lakers should still dominate down low. bynum has been playing out of his mind and artest has been playing a lot better offensively as well. fisher and kobe are vets and the pressure doesn't faze them at all. they have their own spark plug off the bench in lamar and the rest of their "killer b's." the big question mark is pau. what happened to him? he looks out of it and they really need him to show up. after seeing both teams play, i think it's gonna be closer than people think. still, i give the edge to kobe and the lakers.

my pick: lakers in 6

...

[oklahoma city thunder vs. memphis grizzlies]
you gotta give a lot of credit to the grizzlies. most people didn't really give them a chance, but they took care of the #1 seed spurs and they weren't lucky wins either. they played hard and played better than the spurs. z-bo and gasol dominated that front line and conley did a good job at point. tony allen and battier are their perimeter defenders and can knock down a key jumper when needed. they are young and athletic. the problem is that they are playing a thunder team that is just as young and athletic and have the key pieces to shut them down. i think that perkins and ibaka will shut down memphis' front line and that is where most of their offense comes from. westbrook is gonna give conley headaches and even though battier is a great defender, durant is just that much better of a scorer. thabo is a good perimeter defender and harden off the bench give the thunder that extra punch. i think this is also gonna be a fun, exciting, close series, but the thunder win it in the end.

my pick: thunder in 6

g.o.s.p.e.l

saw this video from my friend steven.

g.o.s.p.e.l
God. our. sins. paying. everyone. life.

with easter in our back-view mirror, it's easy to simply go back to our everyday life. back to the way it was before. similar to retreat or praise nights, a one time event. but i don't want to forget. i don't want to let this truth go in one ear and out the other. God set His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins, which paid the penalty, so that you, me, everyone, may have eternal life with Him in heaven. this is the good news. this is the gospel. amen.

easter sunday (re-post)

i wrote this a couple years ago. thought i'd repost it here :D

...

-passion week-

[sunday]

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

death overcome

satan defeated

sins forgiven

past

present

future

forgiven

cleansed

white as snow

freedom

salvation

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

passion week: saturday (re-post)

i wrote this a couple years ago. thought i'd repost it here :D

...

-passion week-

[saturday]

i was confused. scared. but most of all, angry with myself. i had failed Him... again. i sat in the corner of the room replaying the past day in my head. He had told me clearly that i was going to deny Him three times, but i couldn't believe it was actually going to happen. i had promised Him and myself that i was going to stay by His side. i was going to fight till the end. i was going to be willing to die for Him. but when push came to shove, i backed down. i ran. i hid. i was embarassed. i had failed Him. would i ever get a second chance?

…

I saw them run. I saw them hide... they were demoralized right now. they were confused. they couldn't understand what was going on, but tomorrow, things will change. the big picture will be revealed. then, they will see the glorious plan. they just needed to wait a little longer. a little patience... as hard as it is, they would need to wait... tomorrow, everything will change... tomorrow.

and yes peter, you will get a second chance.

passion week: friday (re-post)

i wrote this a couple years ago. thought i'd repost it here :D

...

-passion week-

[friday]

torn. emotions ripped through me. anxious. nervous. scared. sadden. yet, calm. prepared. confident. joyful. today was it. today was going to be the craziest day of my life. thirty-three years here on earth was all leading up to this one day. today was the day. i knew it was going to happen eventually, but now that it was finally here, my emotions were playing tricks on me. but the will of God was going to be done. i knew my purpose. i knew what was going to happen. i knew this had to happen. and i had prepared myself. i was ready. ready to finish this race.

the night before, i had spent hours on my knees praying, talking, with God. i asked Him if He was willing to take this cup from me; yet not my will, but His will be done. i knew the answer already, but i asked anyway. and knowing the answer i asked for strength. i asked for peace. and He comforted me. He gave me strength. He gave me peace. and we talked. we talked for a long time. just me and Him.

the world around me faded away.

ok. it is time. i took one more big breath and stood, wiping the dirt from my cloak. i glanced to my right. peter, james, and john lay curled in a ball, asleep. i understood them. they were tired. it had been a long day. but, i was still slightly disappointed. i woke them with a gentle nudge. we went back to the rest of the disciples, all whom were asleep as well. "are you all still sleeping and resting? look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. rise, let us go! here comes my betrayer!"

they were still groggy from being waken up so suddenly when judas arrived with a large crowd, armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. judas slowly walked towards me, avoiding eye-contact. "greetings rabbi." he trembled when he kissed my cheek. i turned and looked at him, but he looked away. "friend, do what you came for." at that moment the men stepped forward and threw me to the ground. my shoulder hit the ground. dirt kicked up into my face. peter exploded, pulling a knife from his cloak and swung at one of the men, malchus. he cut the man's ear off. i think he was going for his face. i stood and rebuked peter. "one day he will learn," i thought to myself. healing malchus we left the mountainside.

the rest of the day was long. very long. they dragged me from place to place trying to convict me of a crime i didn't do. they told lies. they had false witnesses. they twisted my words. they tried, but kept failing. so we kept going around and around. finally we came before pilate, the governor. again, he knew i was innocent, but by now the chief priest had gathered a crowd to support them. and the power of the mob slowly swayed him. the chief priest and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for barabbas, a notorious prisoner, to be released in return for me. i heard them shout. i heard my sentence. they wanted blood. they wanted crucifixion.

i gritted my teeth as the first lash came across my back. pain. ripped flesh. they waited to strike me again as to tease me. i cried out as the next lash came. and the next. and the next. my body went numb. blood splattered across my face. they mocked me. spat on me. called me names. flogged me some more. i threw up. they picked me up, just to throw me down again. i don't know how long they beat me for. it felt like eternity. they dragged me across the burning sand. but i was cold. a crown of thorns was placed on my head. they rammed it into my skull. blood streamed down my face. the soilders laughed.

forcing me to carry my own cross, i stumbled my way up the road to golgotha. the crowd jeered and continued to hurl insults. some hurled stones. i saw some weep. but most of the town was filled with hate. spite. anger. the same faces that once yelled "hosanna" now cursed me. more insults. more stones. the heavy beam buried into my shoulder. the wood aggravating my open wounds. my legs were heavy. my arms weak. slipping on loose rock, i stumbled forward. gravity pulled me towards the earth. umph. i hit the ground hard. i was tired. i didn't want to get up. a solider whipped me, but i couldn't move. he whipped me again. then, the beam was lifted from my shoulders. simon, from cyrene, was forced to carry this cross for me. we kept going. step. step. step.

the flogging. the cursing. the humiliation. the painful journey to golgotha was nothing compared to what i had to experience next. i felt my arms stretched out. they kept pulling. i don't think they could stretch it much farther. *pop* i think my arm was dislocated from my shoulder. i gritted my teeth. turning my head i saw the inevitable. spikes. the first was driven into my wrists. pain like you could never image ran through my body. *clang* hammer hitting nail. *clang* i tried to scream, but i couldn't. *clang*

they resurrected the cross. i couldn't breath. i was thirsty. they mocked me. two other men were hanging on crosses beside me. one recognized who i was. the other didn't. he who had faith would be saved. the soliders mocked me some more. i forgave them. they did not know. one of the men beside me spoke out. but i couldn't hear him. the pain was too much. i gasped for air. and then it happened. i felt the weight of the sin on my shoulders. the heaviness. the darkness. the disgusting horrible stench of the sin of mankind wrapped around me. i looked to heaven. i called out to God. but He turned His face from me. He could not bear to see the sin. and for that brief moment in time i was alone. i went through more pain than anything the soliders did to me that day. when i was separated from the presence of God, i wept... tears mixed with the blood and flowed down my face... i cried out and took my last breath. "Father, into Your hands i commit my spirit."

it is done

more playoff thoughts

after each series has played 2 games, we can still say that this has been one of the best 1 round playoffs in recent years. a lot of close games = a lot of drama = a lot of fun (for a basketball fan :D). here are some thoughts on the first round so far...

- derrick rose is still a beast. it's amazing how quickly he can get into the lane. but what happens if rose doesn't score 30+ points?
- dwight howard is still a beast. he's putting up huge numbers.
- no chauncey. no amar'e. no good for the knicks. melo put on a show in game 2, but lack of execution down the stretch cost them the game. guess my upset isn't going to pan out.
- boston still looks old. they barely beat a team of melo and 4 scrubs.
- same goes with mavs/blazers. blazers got shut down in the 4th of game 2. yes, they match up well against the mavs, but i guess it goes the other way too. heh.
- can kidd continue to shoot this well? can't call him "ason kidd (cuz he got no j)" anymore.
- miami showed up. now that was a clinic. if they can continue to play like that, watch out.
- yes the lakers won, but i still haven't been too impressed with them.
- cp3 still showing people that they shouldn't forget about him yet.
- manu back, spurs win. but it still looks like the grizz are gonna give them all they can handle.

and this is only the start of the 1st round!

passion week: thursday (re-post)

i wrote this a couple years ago. thought i'd repost it here :D

...

-passion week-

[thursday evening]

talk about being blindsided. it happened so quick that i wasn't ready for it. one moment, Jesus and the rest of us disciples were reclining at the table about to partake of the passover meal when Jesus told us that one of us was going to betray Him! one of us?!? how could that be? this caused an immediate uproar. peter stood up right away, "who is this betrayer?!?" john sat there stunned, "it surely can't be one of us!" but Jesus replied that "it is one of the twelve." more arguing. more questioning. more confusion. i couldn't believe what i was hearing. i couldn't understand why anyone would want to betray Jesus. after seeing what He had done. hearing Him teach. just being with Him we knew that He was Lord.

in the midst of it all, i heard judas ask Jesus if it was he that would betray him. i didn't hear Jesus response as andrew slammed his fists on the table. however, i saw judas demeanor change, get up from the table and exit the room. it took us awhile to finally settle down and a couple more minutes for us to realize that judas was not actually coming back to join us. supper was quite tense as we ate. there wasn't much talk as Jesus didn't want to talk about his betrayer. halfway through eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to us, saying, "take it; this is My body." then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to us, and when we drank he said, "this is My blood of the covenant,which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." we ended dinner with our favorite hymn and went out to the mount of olives.

the cool air was refreshing and we quietly talked among ourselves as we walked. we knew that something big was going to happen. we could sense it. we didn't know what exactly was going to unfold before us, but it would be something big. when we arrived at the mount of olives we gathered around and Jesus shared a parable about a shepherd who will be stuck down and the sheep scattering from their master. after spending 3 years with Jesus, we got a good sense of what this parable meant and it struck to our hearts.

peter, being the bold one as usual, stood up and said "even if all fall away on account of You, i never will!"

but Jesus responded with something that we were shocked to hear. He said, "i tell you the truth, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."

i could tell that peter was hurt, but his pride wouldn't let him back down. "even if i have to die with You, i wil never disown You."

and we all agreed.

Jesus asked us to pray with Him, but it was late and we had a hard time staying awake. but He prayed. He prayed for a long time. He prayed hard. i wanted to pray like He did. i wanted to show Him how much faith i had. i believe we all wanted to stay up with Him. but it was late and we were tired. even the cool air couldn't keep us awake. it had been an emotional and eventful evening, but unknowingly to any of us, this was only the beginning of the longest day of our lives.

passion week: wednesday (re-post)

i wrote this a couple years ago. thought i'd repost it here :D

...

-passion week-

[late tuesday night/early wednesday morning]

the cool wind whipped around me. i pulled my cloak tighter around my chest, trying to stay warm. the small pebbles crunched beneath my sandals as i made my way to his house. i didn't really know why i was going or what i was going to say, but i kept walking anyway. i quickly glanced over my shoulder making no one was following me. i didn't want to be caught doing what i was going to do. i finally arrived at the door and paused. what was i doing? i couldn't do this! i turned to walk away, but didn't move. it was now or never. i whipped back around and knocked on the door... silence... i knocked again... silence... maybe i should go. but then, the door opened a crack and he looked out, shocked to see me. he looked past me, obviously trying to find out if this was a trap or not. but, i was alone, and so he opened the door.

"what do you want, judas iscariot?" he asked.

"i have a plan that might interest you," i replied. "can we talk somewhere more private?"

"why don't you come back another time? it is quite late."

it was obvious he didn't trust me, so i blurted it out. "i have a way you can get rid of Jesus."

that woke him up. he took a step back and looked at me straight in the eyes. i couldn't bear it, so i looked away. "what do you mean you have a way?"

"well, for the right price, i may be able to lead you to Him. and when He and His disciples aren't ready, you can go and arrest Him. there will be no crowds to support him. just us."

"Him and His disciples? aren't you one of His disciples?"

"n-no. well, yes. but that's the point. no one would expect it." i was getting cold standing outside. "look, can we go somewhere more private to talk?"

he thought about it for a moment, then agreed. he grabbed a cloak and we headed out towards the temple.

he decided it would be best to bring in some more people into the discussion. i didn't like it, but he wouldn't budge without them being there, so we went and woke up two of his friends. both were quite angry at being waken up at such an odd hour, but both smiled when they heard what i had to offer them. in the shadows of the darkened temple, we talked and planned and of course came up with a price which they would have to pay me if i could get the job done. 30 pieces of silver didn't sound like much, but i couldn't get them to go any higher and by this time, i was tired and just wanted to go back. we agreed, shook hands and went our separate ways.

it seemed colder as i walked back to the place where Jesus and His disciples were staying at. what have i done? how did this happen? i thought back to when Jesus first called me to join Him. it was exciting. it was wonderful. but, things weren't going exactly as i thought it'd be. i thought we would be rulers of this kingdom. we would be powerful. we would be rich. but no, Jesus talked of humility and compassion and while He promised us that He would reign on high, i wasn't seeing it happen. yes, this decision to betray him was not a last minute thing, but something that was building for a long time. and it was the last event that was the straw that broke the camel's back. mary had wasted expensive perfume just to wash Jesus' feet! and He approved!!! what a waste. we could have made so much money from that perfume and give it to the poor... well, at least that's what i told Him. but He said something about His death. His death?!? i thought we were going to be rulers? now He's talking about dying? i wasn't ready to die. no, if He was going to go down, then i was going to make sure that i got something out of it.

i finally arrived at the house where we were staying at. how about if i get caught? the other disciples would kill me. especially peter, he was a hothead. couldn't trust him. maybe i should go spend the night somewhere else... no! i can't think like that. just push that thought aside. just play it cool. no one will know. and so i snuck back into the house. everyone was asleep now. i tip-toed back to my spot and was about to lay down when Jesus stirred from His spot. i froze as He rolled over and looked at me straight in the eyes. I quickly looked away and lay down. "He doesn't know anything," i kept saying to myself and forced myself to sleep. but His eyes, a mixture of sadness and compassion, was burned into my mind.

passion week: tuesday (re-post)

i wrote this a couple years ago. thought i'd repost it here :D

...

-passion week-

[tuesday morning]

i paced back and forth fuming. how could He have said such things? how could He have claimed to be who He was? ever since He arrived a couple days ago, things were going south. i knew this time was coming, but i wasn't prepared for it. sure, this Jesus character had given us sadducees trouble in the past, but for the most part He would do His own things, and we would do our own things. the biggest thing i couldn't get over was the fact that He was superseding our authority. we were the teachers of the law. i had studied and restudied the old testament laws for so many years, and here He comes in, and turns everything upside down. He was claiming to be above the law! He was claiming to be the Son of God! He was claiming to be God!

no! no! no! we could not allow this to happen. yes, i was aware that the prophets of the old testament said that the messiah would come and yes, Jesus did fulfill a lot of the prophesies, but still, He was taking authority away from us, from me, and i wasn't going to go down fighting. He surely couldn't be who He claimed to be... and so i continued to pace back and forth wondering what to do. we had tried to question Him before, but everytime we did, He would quote scripture back at us and the crowds, oh the crowds, they would listen to Him, not us!

i had never felt so weak before. people used to come to me for questions, for prayers. now, they were going to Him! what can i do? what can we do? we needed to trap Him somehow. we had to figure a way to have Him slip up somehow. it shouldn't be too hard, right? i mean, He is only human. He can't stay perfect forever. He's got to have a weak spot or something. He's got to have some flaws we can point out to the people. He was getting to powerful. someone needed to stop Him. what to do? what to do?

and then it hit me. i knew what to do. previously, we would only question him a couple of us at a time and each time He was able to reply. but, maybe if we overwhelmed Him with questions and give it to Him, He wouldn't be ready. this was it! this was the time! since coming into jerusalem two days ago, overthrowing the temple yesterday, today was going to be the longest day of His life. i was going to make sure of it!

and so i rallied the best of the best. the chief priest. the teachers of the law. the elders. my other sadducee friends. and we went to find Him, which wasn't too hard... we just had to follow the crowds. the more we talked as we walked towards Jesus, the more excited i got. we were going to finally show the crowds who was boss. we were coming up with great questions to stump Him. we were going to make a fool of Jesus!

[tuesday night]

i guess things don't always go as planned. that night, i was more discouraged than ever before. we had questioned Jesus authority like no other. we had given Him our best shot, and it was our egos that ended up battered and bruised. it seemed like He was always one step ahead of us. He would answer our questions with ease. and what hurt the most was that He would answer with compassion in His voice, like a father correcting a child, He was full of love. but, there was no love in our questions. we grilled Him for hours, and never once did He slip or fall. and the more we questioned and the more He answered our questions, the more the crowd got excited about Jesus and sided with Him.

there was no hope. all was lost. maybe i should just accept the fact that Jesus really is who He claimed to be. maybe i was too narrow-minded. maybe i was wrong all this time. my wife had told me that she hadn't seen me so angry before. she told me i was turning bitter and cold. why was that? it was probably because of my pride. i couldn't stand losing. i couldn't stand being wrong. Jesus was speaking truth and i, of all people, couldn't handle the truth. guess it was time to finally see Jesus for all He was... i got down on my knees and looked up towards heaven. i hadn't really prayed in such a long time. maybe i should start again now.

but just as i closed my eyes, there was a knock on my door. who could be here at my place at such a late hour? probably just a random passerbyer. but there was a knock again. my wife started to stir from the bed. i better open the door before this person wakes her up. so, i got up from my knees and walked over to the door. opening it, i was shocked to see who was standing there. why was he here? what did he want? i glaced by him. he was alone. he looked nervous, anxious, but not harmful so i opened the door a little more and asked,

"what do you want, judas iscariot?"

this is what playoffs are all about

people were saying that this year's nba playoffs were going to be really fun and exciting. guess what? they were right!

in each of the first games, all the lower seeds either won or had a chance to win with a few minutes left in the game. i didn't get to watch all the games, but here are a couple of thoughts on the games:

- derrick rose. wow! talk about a guy who can get to the rim. he looked unstoppable. took his game to a whole new level.
- can the bulls continue to survive with only rose doing all the work? deng stepped up for a short stretch, but they're gonna need more.
- 76ers need to learn how to play against the zone.
- heat won, but it wasn't an easy win. they need to tighten up that d for all 4 quarters.
- dwight had a huge game, but no one else showed up. okay, jameer for a stretch, but where was everyone else?
- celtics needed a huge defensive game from jermaine o'neal to win. not a good sign.
- how bad is chauncey's injury. if he's out, it won't look good for the knicks.
- let's wait for manu to come back before burying the spurs. still, it was good for the griz to take advantage and get the win.
- lakers need to use their bigs more. they clearly have the size advantage down low.
- cp3 looks like the old cp3. fisher has no chance to stay with him.
- mavs needed 6 kidd 3s to win the game. doesn't bode well for them.
- okc. looking solid.

yay! now this is what playoffs are all about :D

...

fyi: my full post-season picks (la already messed up my first round prediction, but it's okay. we'll see how the rest of the series turns out).

first round:
- chicago in 4
- orlando in 6
- new york in 7
- miami in 6

- san antonio in 6
- okc in 6
- portland in 6
- la in 4

...

conf. semis:
- chicago in 5
- miami in 6

- okc in 5
- portland in 7

...

conf. finals:
- miami in 7
- okc in 6

...

nba finals:
- okc in 7

passion week: monday (re-post)

i wrote this a couple years ago. thought i'd repost it here :D

...

-passion week-

[monday]

they were calling Him Messiah. Savior. Lord. you know what i think about that? bah! i could care less about him. i bet he is just a man trying to get attention. yesterday, there was this huge uproar as this man called Jesus entered into the town. all these people went to see him, but i knew better not to go. why? because the more people went to see him, the better spot i could get setting up my mercahant table at the temple. and the more people went to this parade, i could get more customers which meant more money for me. and more money for me is a very, very good thing... well let me explain to you what i do:

i sell animals… specifically doves. now i know what your thinking? doves? really? how many people want to buy doves? well let me tell you. it is a very lucrative business. you just need to know who your audience is. the jews were required to make sacrifices in the temple courts for forgiveness of their sins. doves were one of the animals they bought for sacrifices. so, they would come and purchase some from me. it was a pretty good living. and of course i could set the prices as high or as low as i wanted.

i wasn't that greedy. i mean, sure, i raised the prices a little during this time, but that is what everyone does. and besides, i need to provide for my family, right? i was just doing business, so there's nothing wrong with that... but something crazy happened today. i had gotten up early and found the perfect spot for my table. right in the entrance of the temple courtyard area. apparently, other people were too tired from yesterday's events. well, their loss. my gain... or so i thought. this man Jesus and his disciples came to the temple today. since i had the best spot, i saw them walking toward the courtyard. at first i thought they wanted to buy something. a sacrifice like everyone else. so i put on my best smile. hey, even though i didn't care for this man they called savior, if i could make some money from him, it would be worth it.

but right when he got to the courtyard, his demeanor changed. he was no longer smiling... now, i'm a pretty big guy and not much scares me, but for some reason i was afraid when Jesus walked right at my table. "w-w-would you like to buy..." i started to asked nervously, but even before i could finish he had turned over my table and threw my bench against my stand. all i could do was stand there is shock. he went from table to table overturning them and yelling, "it is written, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers!" ... there was quite a mess of animals freed from their cages, overturned table, and money on the floor.

then, people started bringing the blind and lame into this temple area and i saw amazing things. these blind people were seeing. the lame were walking... no, they were dancing! how could this be? people and children were shouting "hosanna to the Son of David!" but as they were doing this, chief priest came in and were very unhappy. they were mad that the children were calling him savior, but Jesus calmly replied that "have you never read, from the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?" i didn't know what he was talking about, but i overheard one of the chief priest mention something about Jesus quoting the prophet jeremiah. they started accusing Jesus of being a false prophet... so that's what the big commotion was. Jesus was claiming to be something more than just a man. and he was referring back to old scripture probably trying to prove that he was the Messiah.

after Jesus and his disciples left, i didn't know what to do. my merchant stand was in ruins. my doves flown away. i gathered as much of my stuff as i could salvage and went back home. that night, i lay there trying to sleep, but i couldn't do so. i laid on my back staring at the ceiling... the chief priests couldn't be wrong, right? he surely wasn't the messiah. i mean, he was so angry... and i had done nothing wrong, right? ... i started feeling a little guilty for what i had done in the past, but i quickly pushed those thoughts aside. no, Jesus was just a man. nothing more... ok, maybe a man who could do some magic tricks and "heal" people, but he was surely a fraud. he probably brings this same act from town to town. yes, that must be it! it was all a show. i was a little more satisfied with that answer, so i turned over and closed my eyes. yes, Jesus was just a man. nothing more... nothing more...

but something nagged me the whole night

passion week (re-post)

i wrote this a couple years ago. thought i'd repost it here :D

...

-passion week-

[sunday]

i had a feeling that today was going to be different. i didn't know why, but something just felt different. for some reason there was a buzz around the town. a murmur. then, all of a sudden, it happened. i was helping my father out in the fields when our neighbor ran up to us waiving his hands wildly with a huge smile. he told us that the man they called Jesus was coming into town. people were saying that the was the Messiah. the Savior. some were even calling him Lord! i had never seen my dad move so fast before. he dropped the plow right where he was and started running towards the city gate. i followed behind, confused at what was going on.

as we approached the city, we found that we weren't the only one's who had heard that Jesus was coming into town. the streets were packed with people trying to see the one whom they called Messiah. some were angry. muttering that He wasn’t who He said He was. that he was blaspheming God. others confused. who was this person? still other, simply curious like i was.

i pushed my way to the front of the crowd and saw something i had never seen before. people had cut down palm branches from the side of the road and were waving them and shouting "hosanna to the Son of David! blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! hosanna in the highest!" other peoples were laying their cloaks and palm branches on the road making a path. as these people passed me by i looked toward the gate and saw these men smiling, obviously very happy. they were big men, probably fishermen, which was something funny to me because i had always thought fishermen were these rugged people. but here, they were smiling.

then i saw Him. i knew who He was right away. something was different about Him. it wasn't just the fact that He was the only one riding on a little colt, but there was something i saw in His eyes. and then the weirdest thing happened to me. He looked at me and smiled. at that moment, my knees buckled and i fell to my knees, face to the ground. He was more than just a prophet that people were saying. i started crying and worshipping God from the bottom of my heart because at that moment, i experienced His love like never before. i quickly got up from the ground grabbed a palm branch from the ground and ran ahead with the others praising God. He was here! our Savior! the Messiah! Lord!

this was going to be the best week of my life! nothing was going to go wrong. how could it? ... right?

nba playoffs

*ahem* testing. testing. one. two. three.

hello there. been off air for some time now. it's not that there has been nothing to talk about about, but i've just been a bit lazy in posting stuff. but with the nba playoffs right around the corner, i'm back with my playoff picks :D

so, without further ado, here we go!

...

[chicago bulls vs indiana pacers]
the bulls have been red hot coming down the stretch and derrick rose is the reason why. he really has carried this team all season long and seemed to take it up a notch at the end of the season to help the bulls secure the #1 seed overall. with everyone finally healthy, them playing solid defense, and the outstanding play of rose, it's gonna be tough to take down this team.

the pacers had an good season. hibbert and collison did fairly well and granger is still their go to guy. they have a bunch of good hustle players and work hard on the glass, but they really don't have the athleticism or "wow" factor when you look at their team. i don't see them doing too much against the bulls. maybe if they can slow down rose (or if he just has an off day) and granger goes off will they have a chance, but i think it's slim to none. i'll take a quick first round exit for the pacers.

my pick: bulls in 4

...

[miami heat vs philadelphia 76ers]
miami had stretches this year where they looked unstoppable, blowing teams out by double-didgets. then, there were stretches where they looked really out-of-sync and weren't playing on the same page. also, if one of their big 3 are struggling, they don't do too well either. can lebron, wade, and bosh all show up at the same time? if they do, and the role players actually knock down some open j's, they will be hard to stop.

when you look at the 76ers roster, no one really stands out. they play good team ball and igoudala has emerged as one of (if not the best) perimeter defenders in the league. so, if he could shut down lebron or wade and brand has a good series against bosh, they have a chance. however, i don't think they match up very well against the heat.

my pick: heat in 5

...

[orlando magic vs atlanta hawks]

the magic made a bunch of trades at the deadline and shook up the roster, but i don't know if that really helped them or not. they still seem like the same kind of team. they rely on dwight to have a big game inside which will open things up for their outside shooters. if they are making their 3s, they will be hard to stop. if they are missing, however, it won't be pretty for them. still, dwight has continued to be a beast down low and he's actually making a higher percentage of his free-throws which is bad news for his opponents. 

on paper, the hawks should be a much better team than they are. they are athletic and have shooters and a good post player in horford. but for some reason, they just don't seem to execute when they need to and make stupid plays. skeets from tbj is actually picking the hawks to win because he believes that collins can and will play dwight one-on-one so the other defenders will stay home on the shooters and they won't be able to make many 3s. they hawks did beat the magic 3 times out of 4 in the regular season, but i think things will change in the playoffs.

my pick: magic in 6

...

[boston celtics vs new york knicks]
what happened to boston? it seems like after the trade deadline and the team trading perkins, the team has gone downhill from there. rondo especially looked like he checked out of the final few weeks of the season and maybe they are just coasting to the playoffs. last year, they weren't play well either and then they "flipped the switch" and was one game away from winning it all. they have the veteran players who knows what it takes to win, so it's hard to pick against them.

the knicks are an exciting offensive team and they will put up points. melo and amare are amazing offensive players who can make shots, but their defense is lacking. the knicks also traded away half of their roster to get melo so they aren't a very deep team. if they can keep the games close, watch out. melo is one of the best closers in the game and can make the clutch shot. but, will they be close enough to make it happen? i'm going out on a limb and saying "yes." the celtics are looking bad and i think the knicks will step up their defense in the playoffs. i'm picking an upset.

my pick: knicks in 7.

...

[san antonio spurs vs memphis grizzlies]
similar to the celtics, the spurs are on their last legs as a championship contender. duncan, manu, and parker have all the veteran savvy you can get, but they are an old team. still, they have the best record in the western conference for a reason. they don't make many mistakes and they don't get flustered. they play their game and if their bench can provide enough of a spark to rest their stars, they can make a deep run.

memphis is another one of those teams where everyone knows their roles. they are actually really balanced in terms of where they can get their points. they play good defense and work hard. the big thing is that they have never been here in the playoffs, so this it'll be interesting to see how they come out. things slow down in the playoffs and it becomes more of a grind-it out type games, and that is exactly how the spurs like to play it. i think the grizz will play hard and get a couple of games, but that's it.

my pick: spurs in 6

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[los angeles lakers vs new orleans hornets]
the lakers had an injury scare, but it looks like bynum is gonna be okay and will start on sunday's game. the thing that people always talk about, when they mention the lakers, is their length. at times, they can have a 7' bynum, 7' pau, and 6'11 odom on the floor along with a 6'8 kobe. not only are the long, but fairly athletic too. the lakers are the perennial favorites to win it all and it's gonna be tough to take them out. their bench has been spotty this season and down the stretch it seemed like they didn't really care either, but once playoffs come, you know they will also "flip the switch."

the hornets had a decent year, but with david west, they really don't have that post presence. i still think chris paul is one of the top pgs in the league and he will cause havoc against fisher. ariza will come out and play hard and try to shut down kobe and if kobe goes into mamba mode for too much of the game, the hornets have a chance. still, i don't think they have much of a chance. they lakers are too deep and too talented.

my pick: lakers in 4

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[dallas mavericks vs portland trailblazers]
dallas is solid team. they have their star in dirk. a their hustle players in marion and chandler. a pg who can handle and pass in kidd. and a spark plug off the bench in terry. however, every year, they get to the playoffs and they get bounced in the first round. it seems like they just always get teams that match up very well against them. and i think this year is the same.

i think the trailblazers made one of the better trades this year by getting gerald wallace from the bobcats. he brings that athleticism and energy that they were lacking. lamarcus has had an amazing year and really took the next step in becoming a star in this league. roy is back from injury and while he's not as explosive as he once was, you still have to account for him. i just think this team is fairly deep and they will cause problems for the mavs.

my pick: blazers in 6

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[oklahoma city thunder vs denver nuggets]
the thunder have been the sexy pick to win it all this year. they are young. they are talented. they are athletic. and they are fun to watch. they have their star in durant who can match anyone offensively. they have their quick and athletic pg in westbrook who has had a great season. they have their perimeter stopper in thabo. and with the addition of perkins and ibaka coming into his own, their defense is solid down low. oh yea, they also have their scorer off the bench in harden. it's easy to see why people like this team so much.

the nuggets really surprised me. after trading melo away, they actually improved and really came together as a team. there is no "superstar"on this team, but a bunch of talented players who want to prove to everyone else that they don't need melo. jr smith can make the big shot, but he also takes really bad shots too. gallinari can score too. wilson is a good hustle player. ty lawson and felton are a good combo at guard. and nene continues to play big for them down low. i think this is going to be the most exciting series and it'll be close, but the thunder will win at the end.

my pick: thunder in 6

love

love is coming over at night to see how i'm doing.
love is helping me scrub and wash and clean my barf-filled car.
love is holding me when i am weak and tired.
love is buying me medicine and special request gatorade flavor.
love is staying by my side even though i'm sickly and gross.
love is taking care of me when i cannot do it on my own.

i am much loved!

wonderlic test

the nfl combine just finished up this past weekend. many athletes were out to impress scouts and GMs in hopes that they would be drafted higher. they were tested on many things, but the main topics of conversations were their 40 time and wonderlic test score. the 40 time test how fast an athlete can run the 40 yard dash. the wonderlic tests their intelligence. there was a sample of the test you can take online, so i figured, why not. the result? i got a 35. not bad, i guess. but then again, i can't run a 4x40. haha. anyway, here's the sample test if you're curious: wonderlic test.

oscars 2011

a bunch of church members got together last night to watch the oscars. we brought our oscar food dishes such as "true grits fritters," "the kids are fried rice," "black flan," "natalie port wine" and many other punny fun food. i brought "potatoy story." haha. the food was good and it was fun getting together, but unfortunately i felt like the oscars were pretty bad.

james franco seemed really disconnected or tired or something. he wasn't funny. he just kinda stood there and said his lines. no charisma at all. anne hathaway was on the opposite spectrum. bubbly and over-excited "woo-ing" at all the presenters she presented. at first i thought they would do well, but they just didn't click and the night just seemed to drag on and on. my favorite part was when billy crystal came out and for a brief 2 minutes or so, you could see why he was asked to host multiple times. the other funny part was the auto-tuned musicals. i enjoyed that. and i was pleasantly surprised to see zachary levi (chuck) sing with mandy moore.

as for the results, i didn't agree with the academy on all their picks. i still think hailee should have won best supporting actress. i thought inception should have won best picture and best original screenplay and that christopher nolan should have at least been nominated for best director. but i did agree with colin firth winning best actor and christian bale winning best supporting actor.

all-in-all, it was a fun night being with friends, but the oscars itself weren't really that great.