Olympic Inspiration

 

Like a lot of people, I've been keeping up with the Olympics religiously.  There have been a lot of amazing performances, but this is a video from a previous Olympics has been one of the most inspiring for me.  Even though it's titled "World's worst Olympic Swimming trial", this video left me with a profound respect for this athlete.  Partly because I'm trying to pick up swimming myself and finding it harder than I remember, but also because he he was taking on a challenge he knew he wouldn't be able to do as well as everyone else, but still had the courage to do it anyway.  Good stuff. 

The Reverse Graffiti Project

This documentary clip focuses on an artist in San Francisco who uses pollution to create art.  It reminds me how God often takes the dirt and filth of our lives and turns it into something beautiful.

God alone is enough

Let nothing upset you,
let nothing startle you.
All things pass;
God does not change.
Patience wins
all it seeks.
Whoever has God
lacks nothing:
God alone is enough.  

-St Teresa Avila  

I'm an uncle!

 

Oliver Albert Liu, 5 lbs, 10 oz. 

San Francisco Trip

Here are some video highlights from our most recent trip to SF.

This was actually my first trip on the cable car. Ding, ding!

There's this pretty awesome fish store in SF, known for their aquascaping inspired by Japanese master Takashi Amano. Their website has a gallery of other similarly inspired tank designs. They are amazing.

What could the church do with a million dollars?

A few years back, when Francis Chan's church was booming in membership and budget, they were planning on a new $20 million dollar building project for a new sanctuary. However, one of the church's core values was modeling Christ's love for the poor. They came to the conclusion that it would be dishonoring to God to spend so much on a building when people around the world were in need.

They finally decided to build an outdoor amphitheater for much less than a huge worship facility. The reasoning was that in Southern California, the weather is beautiful most of the year, and on days with bad weather, people would be reminded of the suffering of those around the world. Today the church gives upwards of 50% of it's multi-million dollar income to the needy through organizations such as Children's Hunger Fund.

This video was made to explain their decision to the church. I've never been a big fan of mega-churches, but something about this reminds me that this is how church is supposed to be.



More about the building project.

More of my thoughts about Francis Chan at timliu.org.

Robots!

This guy makes cool robots out of junk and spare parts. 

Link

Youtube in my 'hood

Take a drive from Downtown Norfolk to a Virginia Beach neighborhood. Can you recognize the landmarks?



Land into ORF, the international airport that isn't. Hey, there's my house!


Some not-so-bad local rappers rap about VA and locations around Hampton Roads. (Two up two down! Actually pretty catchy.)

Nanking at the Naro

Nanking, a feature film about the atrocities that occurred in China during WWII is showing this Wednesday at the Naro and this weekend.  Judy was able to work briefly on this film and it covers a subject that is very close to her heart.  I haven't seen it yet, but have heard all good things.  Also, it scored a 97% on the Tomatometer.

Nanking is a testament to the courage and conviction of individuals who were determined to act in the face of evil and a powerful tribute to the resilience of the Chinese people – a gripping account of light in the darkest of times. A powerful, emotional and relevant reminder of the heartbreaking toll war takes on the innocent, Nanking tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China, in the early days of World War II. At the heart of Nanking is a filmed stage reading of the Westerners' letters and diaries, featuring Woody Harrelson, Mariel
Hemingway and Jurgen Prochnow. Through its interweave of archival images, testimonies of survivors, and readings of first hand accounts, the film puts the viewer on the streets of Nanking and brings the forgotten past to startling life.

Congrats Pira!

Our friend Pira from Judy's home church recently made his way onto Wheel of Fortune. Pira is in seminary studying to be a pastor and recently married to another of Judy's close friends, so it was great to see him take home a good chunk of change. He played a tight game representing the "yellow contestant" (ha ha), just getting squeezed out in the fifth and final round, ending up with $11,650 (a detailed recap here). You can also read Pira's official contestant diary.

Smooth Criminal Walrus

Some people may have objections to the captivity and training of animals to do things like this but ... THAT WALRUS CAN DANCE!

Ni Hao, Kai-lan, the Chinese Dora, is super cute

"Ni hao, Kai-lan" is a new kid's show on Nick Jr. featuring the adventures of Kai-lan, a Chinese American girl and her band of animal friends. It's easy to see the comparisons to Dora the Explorer as Kai-lan interacts with the viewer, even teaching words and phrases in Mandarin Chinese. The mere existence of the show reflects the undeniable growth of Chinese influence on the world and American culture.

After watching the first episode, I can't deny that the show is super super cute, down to the talking koala who wears panda slippers. The art is stunning, the animation is great, and the voices are charming. The only thing that irked me was that the continual pychoanalysis seemed a little over the top. ("Rintoo is emotionally disturbed, we have to help him!!!") The creators say that the show addresses "issues common to preschoolers such as taking turns, disappointment and jealousy and supports an emotional intelligence curriculum highlighting cause and effect thinking in the social/emotional world." Maybe its just me, but it strikes me as a little ironic, since discussing one's personal feelings is not something Chinese people as a whole necessarily embrace as a cultural value.

But in the end, it's good to see Asian American culture being more widely supported and represented in a positive way. The well-intentioned lessons and super cuteness of it all makes me want to watch more of the adventures of Kai-lan and her crazy friends. That, and to buy my own Nick Jr. Ni Hao Kai-lan Tollee Koala plush doll as soon as possible.

"Making of" Video here at Nick Jr. after the commercial.
(First episode also available on iTunes.)

Inspire Me

As I'm anxiously watching the news tickers unfold the events of Super Tuesday, I'm thinking about what has made this is one of the most exciting election years in decades. Yes, there are the issues, the politics, and the dollars, but I believe that this campaign will boil down to one thing - inspiration.

What I think has surprised everyone is the spontaneous passion and creative energy of common citizens to to stand up, to sing, to shout, and even to make ridiculous youtube videos when people find something they believe in something with their hearts and minds. The energy and excitement that comes from true hope is powerful.

Everywhere I go around town, I see handmade Ron Paul signs on trees, fences or being held up on busy street corners. This video gives me goosebumps.



Obama's "Yes We Can" is simply amazing.



Will.i.am of "Black Eyed Peas" explains how he produced this video in two days, saying "words and ideas are powerful." - Why I Recorded Yes We Can"

Drumming is life

People in Order's Age is part of a series of short films that assembles the people of Britain in a given order. In just 3 minutes, we meet 100 different people who are arranged according to their age, starting from age 1.

This creative video poignantly illustrates the inevitable passage of time, the journey of aging and the brevity of life with a simple universal truth - everyone loves banging on a drum!

Fly with me

Photos by Jan Von Holleben. More here.