Speaking of ice hockey, I rejoined yahoo fantasy hockey after a six year break. Nothing crazy, just a public league with rotisserie scoring system. I decided to do a ranking draft instead of a live draft since I was not sure if I could be at my computer at a time that someone else chooses, especially now that I am working full time. When the league starts up I will comment on the progression of the NHL as it unfolds and let’s see if the offseason changes for the Leafs are enough.

During labour weekend we had our annual RHCBC Fellowship Cup softball tournament and I made a special charity pledge for a dear brother doing ministry overseas. How it works was that for each inning I played defensively and for each at bat I pledged a certain amount. If I made a defensive play or got a hit the pledge increased. There is also pledge amounts for total game score for both teams and if I committed any fielding errors. A total of $62.00 was generated for three games over two days.

For the fall season I am looking into a charity pledge for the badminton season. How this one will work by total scores. We play matches up to 21 points and 2-point victory if both sides have scored at least 20 points. We play at least twice a week and a minimum goal of three matches per day. If the average match ends 21-15 that is a combined score of 36 points.

Now if donation is set at $0.05 per point and extrapolate for the rest of the year (Oct to Dec):
1. average score of 21 to 15 per match = 36 combined points
2. 36 points x 3 matches a day = 108 points
3. 108 points x 2 days played per week = 216 points
4. 216 points x 4 weeks played per month = 864 points
5. 864 points x 3 months for rest of 2011 = 2592 points
6. 2592 points x $0.05 = $129.60 to the Kingdom (even if I lose all my games it’s still good!)

If I find a recreational ice hockey league in York Region, I will also design a charity pledge for that sport as well so let me know where is a good place to join!

Do not punch the cow.

Huntz

Exams are complete. No more paying UW tuition. No more moving a bunch of furniture around every four months. So this is what it feels like to finally be a UW alumni. Four years and four months living in the City of Waterloo and at one point living here for two years straight. I come back to the Greater Toronto Area and so much has changed to the point that I ask of places and restaurants and people look at me with a strange expression and say those places closed for a while. I have to reacquaint myself with the city again.

When I look back at all my years at the University of Waterloo, I deeply analyze how much I have changed since my frosh year. There are the obvious answers of age, family, and personal wisdom. But I have to include all the things I count as lost and what I have gained in its place. If I was given the chance to travel back to my frosh year and redo the next few years again, it would be very tempting but I would lose all the valuable lessons I picked up along the journey with some learned the very hard way.

I shared at the CCF end of term sharing night about how all sisters of the fellowship are of value to the Kingdom and to their heavenly Father above. I explicitly shared Matthew 6:26 (NIV) to accentuate my point. Over the many terms attending UWCCF, I have heard countless heartbreaking stories from several sisters of how they battle with self-worth, low self-esteem, unresolved resentment towards parental figures, or being used by relatives and boyfriends. To all the ladies out there, if only you knew how much self-respect all of you should really have and not tolerate with mistreatment, the world would be a very different place.

To my fellow brothers fighting the good fight, we have got to step up and be men rather than remaining as indecisive boys. The reason why so many of our sisters give us heck for not taking up leadership roles or serving in ministry is that they are frustrated at the lack of a masculine influence. They want to see their brothers be warriors who will lead and because they are waiting for us to make the move to court them. Some of you won’t like this part: I believe most sisters want to date real men, not boys. When we as brothers seize the reigns, then maybe the criticism from our sisters will lessen and will desire that we pursue.  Our sisters should be comfortable and safe at CCF because they know they are in the company of 50-60 brothers who will protect them from any psychotic man looking to cause trouble.

To the younger generation of CCFers everywhere, this is now your fellowship and your turn to rise up and become the salt and light on campuses everywhere. In particular for UW, last year will be the last graduating class to be born in the 1980s. From then on it will be a pure 1990s fellowship. Take everything we have shared with you and let that become your base. So that you can rise higher in leaps and bounds beyond what we could have hoped to accomplish.

Now to everyone else, I will share in point form the accumulation of what I learned and what I wish people can take away from this to enrich their own personal growth and journey.

• Explore the campus, you will be surprised to find many interesting places, a cool spot to study, or the people you will meet
• Do not be picky of jobs that sound below you for co-op. I could not find a placement in my first work term and so I did a sales rep job selling kitchen cutlery (Cutco!). The experiences I obtained there helped me to land future co-op opportunities including one manager hiring me because I did something most students are too proud to try.
• Join campus clubs, job information sessions, and attend distinguished lectures to enrich your university experience
• When people suggest Arts courses when some amazing lecturers, take it! Some of the most fulfilling academic learning I have ever
• Take ECON with Larry Smith, Geoff Malleck, Kevin Hood, and Anindya Sen
• MUSIC with Simon Wood, PSCI with Kathleen Nolan
• Please join a fellowship as soon as possible in your frosh and get involved. I did not got until my 3A term and I wished I had found this second family sooner
• Be open to other viewpoints but stand for what you truly believe is right, even if it might alienate you from classmates
• Do not be afraid to say NO to your roommates or colleagues plan to do something that you know is wrong
• I believe university, not high school, is a stage of life where you define and shape yourself for the future. Continue to growth and be not afraid of mistakes. If you fall, the LORD will help pick you up and get you on your way again.
• Be accountable away from home. We think we have so much freedom away from parents, but the temptation to mess up is so great, hence why you need brothers and sisters to keep you sane and out of trouble.
• Eat, sleep, pray, and do everything in moderation. You are less effective writing an exam on a very empty stomach and no sleep in the past 48 hours.
• Appreciate every moment of university/college. For the first few years I so wanted to get out of UW. But the closer it got to my last term, I started to feel like time flew by and I will miss the campus, the city, and the people.

Some of my worst and best memories are here at UW and I would not trade them for anything else anywhere else. I think 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) sums that up quite nicely. Congratulations to my fellow graduating brothers, sisters, and colleagues. And to everyone else still in university/college, the best is yet to come!

Do not punch the cow.

Huntz

Welcome to March 2011 everyone. Three months ago I wondered what crazy things will this new decade bring in store for us. Well we some crazy hockey going on, new technology trying to amaze us, and of course several countries deciding it is time for a change at the top. Of course we still have the snow (at the time of writing this it is windy and snowing in Waterloo) and gas prices are still high.

I got around to sending out the One Hour Challenge (OHC) invites and I will find out at the end of the week how much interest is out there. I am also pondering whether or not to make a request to the CCF committee about a special presentation but I still have to finalize a blueprint for what to present, if it is appropriate, and whether it has an impact on anyone.

I am also glad to report that I finally found full time employment after I graduate from UW. I am surprised that they did want me but I am honoured to work at recognized corporation and the people there felt that I can contribute long term. The unfortunate part is that some of my relatives took verbal shots at me for aiming so low and questioned why I did not aim for something for the big fish like Microsoft or Google. I am not complaining, I am content to start work and with the people I will be workin with, I did sense some excitement ahead. I personally do not think I aimed low.

Once again, this is why I have opposition to traditional Chinese (Asian) values. There is no satisfying the expectations, impossible demands, or the mentality “the ends justify the means”. To make it more obvious, the company sent me an employee ethics handbook that all new hires must read and sign off that they understand. I read it through and I thought it all made sense and they are very cautious with all employee dealings, projects, and associates. However, when a family member asked me what I was reading and I told them ethics, they got mad at the handbook saying it is so un-Chinese and is an obstacle to making money, which they claim is the ONLY thing that matters. Maybe that explains much about how things work in Asia if that’s the mindset.

There was even a classic scenario that I think some of you have studied or answered before:

[Situation A]
You work for a design firm creating a new advertisement for a boat company. They released a model and want you to create a poster seen on streets, billboards, and subway stations. Your manager wants you to draw seven adults people on the boat having a good time. The company sends you specifications, images, and whatever you need to design the poster. You notice from safety testing and legal requirements that the max capacity of the boat is four adults at most. You recognize the problem. You inform your manager that the safety specifications limits a max of four occupants. Your manager tells you to shut up and draw seven people unless you want to find yourself unemployed very quickly. What do you do?

[1] Report this to higher authority in the firm (anonymously)
[2] Refuse to do the work and cite your Ontario Labour law rights if the manager threatens you
[3] Shut your mouth and do it

The sad part is that you can tell who has integrity and who is crooked just by asking people what they think of this question. Just recently I did a devo on Proverbs 28 and here is verse 18: “Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.” (ESV). I mean, is doing the right thing that unpopular these days? Is it that hard to do?

Let’s says you keep quiet and do the poster. People buy this boat and someone gets injured (or worse). Then lawsuits are filed and your design firm is implicated. People lose their jobs. And you try to find another job but no (competent) hiring manager will bother with an unethical person now and the future doesn’t look so bright anymore. Even if you claim to another company it wasn’t your fault, you did not speak up against it and followed the crowd. If anything this hurts everyone.

There were other similar ethical scenarios that I am sure many companies test their employees. I am disappointed that when you give the righteous answer and people give you heck for it such as, “Oh you are the government’s lapdog!” and “Go follow the rules and finish last!” And we wonder why the world is in turbulence if people can even get the basics right (sin comes to mind, and no not the FFX kind). It becomes even more important why we should all be the salt and light to the workplace in the face of uncertainty (see Luke 13:30).

Now that my schedule is a bit less hectic I can update more often. Thanks for reading and do not punch the cow.

Huntz