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Saturday, 16 June 2007

Tuesday, 20 March 2007

  • Facebook

    We have been away from our friends and family in HK for a few months now. Indeed in the 21st century it doesn't mean that we have been disconnected at all. I found that the communication pattern (at least with some of our friends and family members) have not been changed. We chatted in IM from time to time, we visited each other blogs, we emailed for details, and we called each other once in a while. The changes of the 21st century,  however, is not about technology. Thus, for those who could provide a communication service wins the world.

    First, it was some figures about Facebook that drew my attention...



    ... then it was the real experience in connectivity. I have joined for a day and I am learning something really simple but perhaps true in the world we are living in.



    One simple rule of the game, initiate connection with people and help people to connect with you.

    Try it yourself!

    Few more thoughts about the Facebook experience...

    A year before, when I was working with some of the young people from high school. They introduced Friendster to me. They told me this Friendster platform would soon connect the whole world together. However, when I learned the concept behind Friendster, I really had no motivation in trying...  Until a few weeks ago, I chatted with a friend working in the IT industry; he told me that more people are using Facebook instead of Friendster now. After some exploration of Facebook, I think most people would agree with me that it has similar functionality and concept as Friendster.

    Why would people choose to abandon a network that almost connected the whole world, and weave another communication web?

    Perhaps the network is consisted of multiple communication channels. Unlike the fax machine and telephone, you can only choose to use one method at a time, given that one communication channel is for only one communication device. But people nowadays can communicate the same content with multiple of communication channels simultaneously without adding any extra cost of tangible resources. The implication is twofold, first it implies that no communication platforms should exist independently. The seamless compatibility between communication platforms indeed had driven  competitors to develop partnership together. Second, these end-users will only generate content which can be used across different platforms. In other words, they wouldn't innovate anything in the closed platform.

    Another assumption is that both Friendster and Facebook have no distinct direction to generate values for its community to act or make things happen. The power of these communites are the connectivity. It also fulfill the basic need of humanity - the need to belong; the need to be significant. When people reached their connectivity limit and couldn't capture the knowledge that has been generated from the network, the momentum within the community died out quickly. Since, the required force to move a humongous wheel from a static position is excessive. Hence, a newer and smaller wheel might have the niche to collect just enough energy to slowly move forward.

    Back in the 19th century, it was the railroad and train system that connected people together and enabled the postal service and long distance traveling. The communication system then assisted people to develop operation, economy, political model, management, family structure, culture, laws, philosophy... And it was during the 19th century...

    When we compare the communication network nowadays with the communication network during the industrial revolution, we notice that we are only in the stage where the communication system has been developed. We are living in the transitional period where everything is evolving, like the WEB2.0 world - we need to rethink what is copyright, authorship, identity, ethics, aesthetics, rhetoric, governance, privacy, commerce, love, family ...and ourselves. Soon these things will affect our real life... and the changes is yet to come.

    "in a few hundreds years, when the history of our time will be written from a long-term perspective, it is likely that the most important event historians will see is not technology. not the internet, not e-commerce. it is an unprecedented change in the human condition. For the first time -- literally -- substantial and rapidly growing numbers of people have choices. For the first time, they will have to manage themselves. And society is totally unprepared for it." Peter F. Drucker

Friday, 26 January 2007

  • A long lost feeling

    Last week, I couldn't focus on my reading... because my mind was so occupied. I have this project in mind for such a long time. This is one of the reasons why I felt so excited in going back to TWU (Trinity Western University). Yes, this project, I have planned for so long,  have to do in TWU. Indeed, I wanted to make a film for my brothers in Christ, the buddies that I met in TWU. Tien however seemed unenthusiastic about my project. Anyway, I don't blame her for not being a TWU graduate after all It was last Friday, although it rained heavily and snow piling for about a foot high, I have determined to go for it. I want to make a film that document my "treasure hunt" in TWU; It is my mission to find a bottle that contained our writings back in 1999. (read more details here) For the content of the film, you can also find in the link (sorry, it's in Chinese)

    I am not intended to talk about the film. I don't think people would like the film anyway. The making of this film was unprofessional, comparatively not time consuming, rough and perhaps meaningless (to most of the people at least). However, the impact was huge in my heart. I can't remember how many times I have wept throughout the filming, editing, reviewing and simply viewing of the production. It is nothing fancy nor interesting, but it contains three young graduates precious memories. The tears I guess mainly came from the loneliness that I have, because things are not the same without my friends here.


    Dr. Choi (my boss when I was at Breakthrough) once told me that memories gave us identity. There is a book written by Pope John Paul II, which called Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium. Mark D. Merlino wrote in an amazon review said the book talks about evil, freedom, nationalism, contemporary Europe, and democracy. In his book, Pope John Paul simply talked about his life stories, and it has given the readers to know many things about him. In order to answer the question "who we are?", one shall first recall those significant moments in his/her life.

    note to ndee & nunu: I have not found the bottle, but I have found something even more important - a long lost feeling that between the 3 of us.

Thursday, 18 January 2007

  • I've been having trouble reading NT Wright (one of the textbook authors)... our TA described him as a person who can think with 6-dimensions at the same time. The hardship from my reading, I hope is more of a language barrier than my brain incapability to operate

    His epistemology, (often I have to go to the online dictionary to check for big word like this --> theory of knowledge) well explained by the TA, which is dealing with the people who are positivists (... hmm ...  a person who believe philosophically that every justifiable verified assertion can be scientifically verified and can be logically proof. Therefore rejects metaphysics and theism.) and phenomenonists (people who concentrate on their own consciousness and the objects of direct experience). What limitations do they encounter. And how does these philosophical thinking affecting the study of the scripture. What is his story-telling approach and how does it make sense to most people.... blah blah blah....

    I remember during the first week of class, when I was sitting in the classroom being inspired by the lives of these knowledgeable professors, I was so touched and was holding tears in my eyes. Coming to Regent is like a dream come true. But to be honest, this stuff is boring and more importantly it is tough! I know that I come here to study and that is my work. Perhaps I have to figure out how to think with 5 dimensions simultaneously if not 6. I need to catch up with the cultural cues and knowledge background which my fellow students may have no problems at the moment. I also need to learn how to read better and way faster. Since I am only talking 7 credits but still falling behind with my readings. I desperately need to learn how to write better in English, not to mention about the academic writing style.

    Therefore, I have attended a seminar which taught us how to read better and faster. Next week, there will be a 2-day seminar on how to improve academic writing skills. Few weeks after that, there will be another study skills seminar. It's wonderful that Regent college has all the resources handy for her students

    Speaking about cultural cues, thx for our old church buddies yo and tim inviting us to these friend-gatherings. I have been learning that...

    • The best player in Cannucks is the goalie.
    • When throwing a party, Evite is the tool to use
    • Potluck means that you have to bring more than 1 person amount of food/drinks.
    • People here do exercise at least x times more than where I come from
    • Sunset at around 4:00pm
    • We received presents rather than given them at a bday party

     When Tien told grandma that I have a lot of books to read and the readings are not easy, her response was "why study theology if it's so difficult?!" Perhaps I could answer, may be not now...

    "I am here to learn that Jesus loves me" I realized it not long ago, although I still haven't found what I am looking for...

Saturday, 13 January 2007

  • walk on

    Coming back again in Vancouver was not as easy as I thought. Auntie Gail wrote in her email: "Re-entry adjustment usually takes more time than one expects".

    During our flight to Vancouver, there were some South-East Asian women who were sick and coughing all the time without covering their mouths. Tien and I with our below average immunity unfortunately got sick out of it. Unbelievably, there was an incident on the plane that really opened our eyes to this part of the world. One South-East Asian lady was sitting behind us with a child (Poor for her that she needed to travel with a sick child in such a long flight) sticking her foot right on our armrest.  She even pushed her foot against my arm to make room for her foot. While we were wondering how to communicate with her, she realized that her foot was on somebody else's chair and put it down...

    On the first day we arrived, we felt a sense of insecurity immediately. It was well put by Josh (Tien's brother) : "without a cell phone, the new hongers find themselves stifled" We hanged in there...for a week or so after we got our cell phones =P but I don't know if we really need it? Tien & I did try to call each other in our home?!  (to test if it work properly from time to time, haha) Perhaps it was found very useful by the delivery guy from IKEA?! When we were stuck at home to wait for the delivery, the service man has actually called me a couple of times. Because everything could went wrong, did go wrong on him. We are glad that a cell number could actually offered some comforting for that young fellow =)



    Well, speaking about stuck at home. This Friday night was actually the day "we were all dressed up and have nowhere to go". We were thinking (if not reflecting =P) when we went out, often they were shopping related activities. After we got settled down at home (meaning that we bought all we need, for the moment?! Hmm...we even bought the nursery for the 16 weeks baby...) we don't know where to go on a Friday night? Perhaps we could go out for a car ride (It was a blessing to be able to use daddy's car while he was away) However, we decided not to, because we wanted to support Josh's environmental friendly campaign teehee =P

    Flashing back my memories on the first day I got on the road in Vancouver. I was frustrated for not being able to recognize the direction and places. Adding to my almost 3 years no-driving period, I have to instantly translate right-side oriented driving to the left-side.  It was stressful enough... not to mention about a lovely wife sitting beside me and spontaneously wanting to go here and there while she saw something on the fly =)


    Cultural Stock as Regent Student Handbook put it  - it is the result of the followings:

    - Being cut off from familiar cultural cues

    - Dealing with ambiguous situations over extended periods

    - Having one's own values questioned

    - Being expected to function efficiently without fully understanding the rules


    After all these working years away from Vancouver, we were longing for some changes. And when we took our time to search for the cultural cues here and now, we finally could relax and found our enjoyment in a sunny-day visit to Tien's favorite place - Granville Island. We are glad to see these changes over the years, a busy intersection at Granville Island finally got traffic lights!










    More importantly, more changes in people's life that we have witnessed. We are thankful to see Josh's changes over all these years. Especially when he was so gentle and hospitable in serving new immigrants like us. Caring from the heart and labored hard to make us felt like home. Mature as he is, relating well with the youths and being loved by the parents from the church. It was a heartfelt encounter in the past period, no wonder we found tears when he left us.

    Although there are still a few unresolved issues and continuously ambiguous situations, we got all the space and time to pray and rely on the Lord. Just like the weather in BC these past months, it was so unpredictable and sometimes devastating. However, we could always find the beauty of God's creation in the midst of all that. Afterall, we do enjoy our journey here in Vancouver.





    "Walk on! Walk on! You will never be alone!" Liverpool football club's song

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