Here's some songs...

To follow up my post on nostalgia...

Remember when you would get pulled out of school early by your parents to go somewhere awesome? That was the best!

I frequent the office to refill my Wild Wingers Kids Club water bottle with sparklets water, and today one of my favorite 2nd graders was sitting there. I knew it was her birthday, so I asked her how her birthday was going. She said it was going pretty good, and I then asked her if she was getting picked up early because she had her backpack with her. (usually kids are in the office if they are sick or have boo-boo's)

She said her dad was coming to pick her up to go to Disneyland! So I congratulated her and told her to have fun, and then she said, "I'll see you tomorrow, right?" (it warmed my heart)

But anyways, I remember the feeling of getting picked up early from school to go somewhere cool. Either my freshman or sophomore year, my parents picked up my brother and I early from good 'ol Pacific Christian High School, so that we could go to San Francisco for my cousin's wedding. I love how all your friends ask you, "where are you going? Why are you leaving school early?" And then you tell them, and envy ensues! Ha!




Then, when I walked back to my office, this is what I heard from the boy's bathroom, "Jacob, you need to put your pants back on so you can come back outside."

I remember when I used to be really into Nostalgia...

DISCLAIMER: This post is a thought I had today, and is not a Biblical Truth, nor do I think I'm super awesome for writing it. Read if you'd like, or skip below for summary.


Sometimes it's hard for me to throw away old clothes, because I have a specific memory about them. I left a pair of old Adidas Samba shoes in Brasil this past summer, but I could barely do it with all the memories I had attached to those two things of leather and rubber. I ran in them, went to Tanzania in them, taught my first year in them, etc....

Is it possible to have too much nostalgia? Can I dwell so much on the warm memories of the past that it interrupts the possible memories of today and tomorrow?

When I was in high school, I believed Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail to be at least one of the top 3 funniest movies of all time. Very quotable, and full of silly, silly scenes. However, I watched it a few months back, and found myself laughing at maybe 20% of the jokes I used to laugh at.

Maybe a year or so ago, I was hanging out with my friend Caleb (oh what a swell time it was). He and I have been friends for quite some time, at least since 5th grade. We were talking about some of the memories we had of me spending the night almost every weekend in jr. high, playing roller hockey in his street or Josh's street, and our ska band that never came into fruition, The Speedy Snails. But he brought up a good point when he said something along the lines of: "it's great to reminisce about the old good times, but I want to make new memories, too."

Brilliant. (This guy has a degree in Philosophy, you know)

Memories are amazing. I love remembering where I got a certain t-shirt, or when that special someone got her foot caught in the seat at the hockey game, or when my brother pushed me off the couch to give me my scar on my eyebrow.

(Here comes the big 'But') ...But, I hope my remembering doesn't interfere with learning. Yes, we learn from our mistakes. Our mistakes are memories. I know not to get shampoo in my eyes because of when I did it years ago.

I just also hope that I'm ready for those new mercies every morning. I don't want to blindly say, "God, why can't life be how it was when I was younger? With Saved by the Bell and NHL 95 for Super Nintendo?"

I want to be able to be taught, use discernment, and make new memories, too.



Summary: learn from mistakes, but don't let old memories get in the way of new memories. (While using discernment)

What if...

...I updated my blog?

...there was no hope? (there is, by the way)

...thrice was a ska band?

...you could teleport? (blogspot.com does not recognize the word 'teleport')

...people had reverse curfews? (i.e. "billy, you can't come home until 11:00 p.m.")

...our fingers were like those antennae on snails, so they would retract when you touched stuff?

...you could train a bird to play the trumpet? (would it be as cool as the fact that he could fly?)

...there were killer whales in Fantasmic! ?

...there was bologna cologne? (delicious)

...david beckham's jersey had a problem, and the "c" and the "k" fell off?

...our laps were somewhere else?

...artichokes were sneaky like spies?

...we really believed all the time that God loves us? (He does, and it should blow our minds!)

...mimes sang?

...we had volume knobs for all our friends?

...that Atlantis ride at Sea World made sense?

...The Master's College was in San Gabriel?

Washington, D.C.

I got the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. with the 8th Grade class of '09 from San Gabriel Christian School, and it was most awesome. I just put some photos on my facebook, and do not want to have to go through and put them here as well, so here is a link so you can see them, even if you don't have facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=94078&id=506560828&l=07018b702e

Favorite Song lately...

is "Hallelujah, We will sing." by Tommy Walker. You can listen to it on the left. It's the one incorrectly labeled, "Do it Lord."

This song is inspired by the text of Revelation 19, and depicts Christ in His triumphant return. What a day it will be....

Things I learned in the past few days...

-3rd Grade boys can eat foot-long sandwiches from Subway.
A few months ago, my work had this big auction/raffle/dessert night, and one of the raffles was, "Win a lunch with Coach Hoover and a friend." So, parents could put their tickets into the bag, so that their students could pick one friend, and I would treat them to lunch. The winner ended up being a third grader, and he picked his 5th grade cousin to come along. He decided he wanted Subway, so I bought them each a foot-long and chips (they didn't want soda, we all elected to get water). I was very impressed to see the third-grader finish his entire foot-long, as well as some flaming hot Cheetos. (note: the fifth grader did not finish his whole sandwich)

-We (including myself) as sports fans often get carried away.
My favorite hockey team recently advanced to the second-round of the playoffs, and I did some gloating over the internet phenomenon, Facebook. A friend of mine and I went back and forth a little bit (all in good nature, i think) over the topic, and it got me thinking. It is really funny how much pride I take in a sports team. About 90% of the players are different from the roster 6 years ago, and I don't know any of them personally. I didn't do anything at all to help their victory, but still I will gloat in their achievements. Of course, we all take pride in our sports teams, but it's just funny if you think about it. "Ohhhhh, this group of individuals that are near to me locationally hit the puck into the net of the group of individuals that are near you!" I didn't help them in any way, but I take pride in their accomplishments. Weird. Go Ducks.

-Roommate Disneyland Days are fun.

-Sometimes, school is sooooo long. (But it's good for you, I hear.)

-Cool weather and good music really help me when I run.

-The Documentary, The Lost Boys of Sudan is really good. Sudanese refugees come to America to get jobs and education, and they quickly try to adjust to the "hustle and bustle" lifestyle that is America.


-"Be still, Cody."

-Overtime is exhilarating.

-Exhilarating is kind of hard to spell.

-Mother's Day is coming up.



See ya.

One of my favorite hockey fights...

I was watching hockey videos on youtube, which is something I never do, and remembered one of my favorite fights. So I looked it up, and was wowed once again.

The two combatants are Travis Moen (who was a Duck), and Shea Weber (Nashville Predators).

The reason I like this fight is because Travis Moen gets his jersey pulled over his face, but still delivers the ultimate punch. You rarely see KO's like this in hockey fights, and he does this with his jersey over his face. Have a look see.



Way to go, Trav.

...and Rain will make the flowers....grow.....

(10 points if you know what the title of this post is from.)

Yesterday, I got to see the Beatles play live, sort of. Ok, maybe I didn't, but I did get to see Rain at the Pantages. Rain is a Beatles cover band, and they play the songs exactly like the Beatles, dress like the Beatles, have the same tendencies as the Beatles, and are just a plain good time. Here's a clip:


I went with Aubrey and Zack, who are big Beatles fans, and just cool people in general. Zack and I saw another Beatles tribute this past summer at the Hollywood Bowl, where CheapTrick played the entire Sgt. Pepper.. album. (Billy Corgan was there, too. Aubrey missed out.)


We also met up with my friend Rob, who is my reference and source for any Beatles knowledge I need to know.

Matching. Music.

We had free dress day the other day, a monthly event here at the school I work at. There is a 6th grader named Johnathan who shares the same passion and fervor for the Anaheim Ducks as I do. We figured out we have a lot of the same t-shirts/jerseys, so we've decided to match for the next few free dress days. Here are some evidences...

I'm standing kind of weird.


We even had the same ducks shirt underneath. We're so cool right now.


Also, my roommate Chad helped me install these cd holders in my room. We got them from ikea, and if you hang them vertically, they are dvd holders.



I've also been writing a lot of lyrics for my friends band I'm starting to sing with. So, that's been fun lately.

#9

Gordie Howe was #9.
Wayne Gretzky wanted #9 (but it was taken, so he settled for #99).
Bobby Hull was #9.
Maurice Richard was #9.
Mike Modano is #9.

My favorite player, Paul Kariya, wears #9 on the St. Louis Blues.

He used to be a Duck.

For the first time since Paul Kariya left in 2004, the Ducks have given his #9 to a new player, Bobby Ryan.

I'm a Bobby Ryan fan, but #9 on the Ducks will always mean Paul Kariya to me.


Who else is/was #9?
(I wore #9 in hockey, #13 in soccer)

Where I live.

A few weeks ago, I moved out from where I had lived for most of my 23 years of life. (I lived in Alhambra for 2 years, and in Slight for 3 years.)

Anywho, here are a few rough "photo booth" pictures from my computer:

This is what you see when you walk in. The apartments are called the Wishing Well apartments.


Here are some living room pictures:


My dad said, for a bunch of guys, we're ahead of the game, since we actually have furniture. He expected to see us sitting on crates and boxes when he came over


Our little table that D brought. It is most excellent for watching the sky get bright in the morning whilst eating breakfast at 6:38 a.m.


D, Chad, and I don't necessarily know our way around kitchens as well as that really good chef. Luckily, our kitchen is really small, so we don't get too lost... yet.


This is one of the two features that really sold me on this place.
A CLOCK ON THE BACK OF THE CABINETS!


AND (you can't see it too well here, you must come see it in person)
A LITTLE AWNING, AS IF THERE WERE A SEPARATE ROOF OVER THE KITCHEN!


D's room.


Chad and Donny's room.


Chad and Donny's room.



Those are few pics. It's a jolly, jolly place to live and eat and sleep. Come on over and we'll play chess, eat oranges, or watch some hockey dvd's.

Goodbye Muscatel, Hello-tus.

I moved .5 miles away from home, to a street called Lotus.

Documentation to come.

Come, Unity.

1 Corinthians 12!


Let's do it!


commUNITY!


(this is what we learned at college and post-graduate retreat)

A Little Help from My Friends...

"Capping an acoustic benefit concert for non-profit To Write Love on Her Arms, the assemblage of pop-punk and emo frontmen shuffled out with a few guitars, an upright bass (played sideways), and the ubiquitous tambourine to perform the classic rock'n'roll anthem, a song whose chorus echoes the organization's mission statement of presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.

Watch the video here -- which, for the record, features Jon Foreman (Switchfoot), Aaron Gillespie (Underoath/The Almost), Dustin Kensrue (Thrice), Anthony Raneri (Bayside), Josh Moore, and Zach Williams."



This was too cool not to share.

A few BFC photos...

Here are a few photos from Bulldogs FC from the past few games courtesy of the Girls team coach, Heather.
(I don't know how to make some of these fit, so you can see the whole photo if you click on it)

At the end of every practice, before games, sometimes at half-time, and after games, BFC circles up with our arms around each other, and I essentially say the same thing every time. I remind them how we are so blessed to be able to play soccer, and that the main reason we work hard at it is to glorify God. He is the ultimate reason we go out on that field, and regardless of the score, if we work our hardest for Him, we can bring glory to Him.

We say a few jokes sometimes, too.


Coach D-ram and myself. One of my favorite parts of having David be my assistant coach has been the fact that I get to hang out with him more often. He and I have been able to have some good talks after practices, on the way to games, and it's been really good for us to be together in light of the recent events in our lives.

Here are the guys! (most of them, anyways. Some of them are behind each other, like the crazies they are)
They are a great, great group. That's all I'm going to say without getting too sentimental or emotional.


Whew. I am blessed.

If you have a blog,....

...do you ever sing Dashboard Confessional songs in your head when you click the "Dashboard" link?

I do.

Today is my Dad's birthday!

...and we are celebrating by going to see Ducks vs. Sabres on Monday! I'm very excited. Going to Ducks games are kind of our "thing" we do together. So I'm looking forward to bonding Father-Son time.

Here are things that have gone on or things I've learned in the past week:

-Making new friends is a great thing to do. Hanging out with the old ones is great, too.

-Bulldogs FC is a team that is fun to be around.

-Playing a night soccer game under the lights is so fun! Hats off to BFC for their effort this past wednesday night. They made me proud.

-The Word of God is living and active!

-Free-dress Fridays are so joyous! Not only is it friday, but everyone is wearing clothes they chose to wear, conveying themselves a little better.

-Some days, you may approach situations where you anticipate one ending, but come into another. The two general choices for response are, "ok, I guess I'll do something different," or "I guess I have to try harder to do better next time."

This was the case for me 4 and a half years ago, when I tried out for The Master's College Chorale. Many people assured me I would make it, but I did not. I was devastated, as I had planned on "making it," being with my brother and friends, and going on tour to Israel. However, all those plans were quickly washed away as I walked over to the music rooms at 10 p.m. one night to see the list of who made it.
I could have tried for a different music group, or decided to keep practicing in order to make it next time they had auditions, but I didn't feel that would be for me.

I decided just to trust that God had something else in mind, and He did. I had an amazing first year at The Master's College, and a lot of the things I did and friends I made probably wouldn't have come into place if I was in Chorale, what with their rehearsals and performances and the like. I thanked God I did not make Chorale. Not only was it a humbling experience, but I got to experience that which I would not have if I were in Chorale.

So, if you encounter a trial like that, perhaps you should evaluate and see if it's a "try, try again" situation, or a "try something else" situation.

p.s. I need to get more photos on here, but my camera battery dies every minute and a half. sorry.

p.p.s. I'm looking forward to seeing Phantom of the Opera this Tuesday, and then seeing Rain on April 5! (Both at the Pantages Theater)

Happy January 26th!

Here's something to celebrate the "Great One's" birthday.



Gretzky was better at hockey than any other athlete in their sport.


Yes, I just said that. Or wait, do any other athletes share or hold 61 of their league records? (nope)

January 24th

January 24th is not only two days prior to a very special day (Jan. 26th-Wayne Gretzky's birthday), but it is also Saturday.

Here are a few noteworthy things:

-3 games in 3 days for Bulldogs FC this past week. We went 0-2-1 in those games against some very good teams. That's a very tiring schedule, I must say.

-I reunite with my old roommate Chad White today, as he moves in with me. (And then we move out again, coming soon).

-A few of us are going to see The Cutout Casuals, our friend David's band, at the Whiskey in Hollywood.

-I went to Amoeba Records again last night, only buying two cd's (Dashboard and Jon Foreman) for $10. That's self-control.

-Bo threw up at least four times the other night. Something did not agree with his stomach.

-I watched another episode of Planet Earth today. *speechless*

-How are you?