NBA playoffs 2009 Finals pick

Recap of Third Round picks:

Correct Winner:
Lakers (won in 6 instead of 7)

Incorrect Winner:
Cavs (lost in 6 instead of winning in 5)
(Really off with this pick...)


NBA Finals:
Lakers over Magic in 6

NHL playoffs 2009 Stanley Cup Final pick

Recap of Third Round picks:

Correct Winners:
Wings (won in 5 instead of 6)
Pens (won in 4 instead of 7)


Stanley Cup Final pick:
Wings over Pens in 6

NBA playoffs 2009 third round picks

Recap of Second Round picks:

Correct Winner:
Cavs (won in 4)
Lakers (won in 7 instead of 5)
Nuggets (won in 5 instead of 7)


Incorrect Winners:
Celtics (lost in 7 instead of winning in 7)




Third Round picks:

Lakers over Nuggets in 7
Cavs over Magic in 5

People I met at Toronto Alliance Church who I will pray for

Carl, Shannon, Emma, Jai, Dana, Trevor, and others
And the workers at TAC: Bill, Don, Donna, Dolores, Kristen, and others

Post HK Trip Blog Entry

The second half of my HK trip was actually four days - not three, as I've previously mentioned to people. The last three days were pretty much days I spent by myself going to various places to shop and to meet people because my brother left on the Sunday. On Monday, I had the chance to shop in Stanley for cheap souvenirs, and then go to meet with Mandy (with Nick tagging along). It was great to see how she's doing and to hear that she'll visit Toronto this summer, and also how she's doing in terms of school and what she'll do as she prepares to graduate from high school soon. On Tuesday, I spent the day going to Kwun Tong, Kowloon Tong, Mong Kok, and Causeway Bay. I pretty much went to four of the most crowded places in HK and shopped, took pictures, and just took in the urban atmosphere. I'm still amazed at the infrastructure and transportation system in HK and I keep comparing it to how bad Toronto is. Anyway, on Wednesday, I said my goodbye to Grandpa and actually prayed IN CHINESE with him before I left. Honestly, it was sad to say goodbye and I could tell he was a bit sad, but at least I had the opportunity to visit him this year and I hope and pray that he'll continue to stay strong and healthy for the next little while so I can visit him again. I also met up with Pris and Sam for sushi dinner and desserts. Once again, I love visiting friends who I haven't seen in a while and it was great to hear about how well he's doing in terms of job and just being able to live and earn money and be on his own. Anyway, that was pretty much the last thing I did in HK. I said my goodbyes to my Aunt, Uncle, and family before departing for the airport and then waiting 3 hours of my delayed flight out of HK. I admit it was sad to leave, but I was excited to come back to Toronto, especially to get back with Toronto people again! =) All in all, I praise God for the things He allowed me to experience in this short HK trip and I'm thankful for being able to visit my grandpa and hopefully a good witness to my relatives, and also for God's guidance and comfort in keeping Jon and me safe throughout the whole trip.

NHL playoffs 2009 third round picks

Recap of Second Round picks:

Correct Winner:
Wings (won in 7 instead of 5)

Incorrect Winners:
Bruins (lost in 7 instead of winning in 6)
Caps (lost in 7 instead of winning in 7)
Canucks (lost in 6 instead of winning in 6)




Third Round picks:

Wings over Blackhawks in 6
Pens over Canes in 7

Mid HK Trip Blog Entry

It's been four days since I've arrived in HK and I only have four more days here, so I figured I should recap what's been going on so far. I've spent parts of 3 of the 4 days visiting my grandpa and just talking to him about general life stuff and just random small talk. It's been great to here about how he's doing at the nursing home. It's actually quite boring to be in there because you're basically at a state where you can't take care of yourself, so you can't really do anything unless the nurse helps you. Therefore, whenever he gets visitors, it's a blessing because he can converse with non-nurses! Obviously, if you get visitors from another country whom you haven't seen in almost 2 years, then that's even more special. That was the case (almost) each and every day my brother and I visited my grandpa. You can literally see him smile whenever we approach him and he says he has been anticipating our visit for the past few weeks. I'm so happy and grateful that my brother and I were able to visit this year and to make sure he's doing fine! I really hope that he'll continue to stay as healthy as he can and just be able to manage living in the nursing home as best as he can, even if it is boring or whatever.

Another part of my visit to HK has been the time spent with my Aunt, Uncle, and their four daughters. It's always lots of fun to visit my GWOO JEI, GWOO JEUNG, BIEU JEHS, and BIEU MUIS. We always go out to random places to shop and eat and it's always a blast joking around with them and catching up with the past few years. The only thing I would pray for would be their faith because they aren't Christians, and it's hard to bring the message across, and so each time we visit, we try to be good examples and somehow invite them to church. This time was no different, but once again, they were busy on Sunday, and so we'll just have to keep trying and wait until it is God's time for them to realize that there is something more to the amazing HK life they have right now.

Also, another aspect of the HK trip would be shopping and visiting friends. Shopping has been great so far, but more to come because I still have some stuff to buy. I already bought a bag and some shirts, so I'm already pretty satisfied. I just need to buy souvenirs, and there's a lot to buy! Visiting friends has been great. Got a chance to see some Toronto people who are also in HK right now, but I would have to say the best visit has been when I met up with Pierre for afternoon coffee and conversation! It's amazing to see my former high school fellowship counsellor doing good in HK, and even though he still likes Toronto more than HK, it's still refreshing to see him managing life in HK. It was also a blessing to be with him on his one year anniversary since his brain surgery operation, and it's all thanks to God for keeping him safe and healthy throughout the rehab. I pray that God will continue to bless him and his family as he continues his life in HK and hopefully his job struggles won't hinder his faith.

Lastly, I had a chance to visit "The Vine" today for Sunday service. I've heard a lot (good and bad) about this Christian fellowship / church, but you don't actually get the chance to know the church until you experience the service. I would have to say that the church is amazing. The worship felt a bit like a Hillsong concert, but the worship songs were real and genuine, and I really enjoyed worshipping with people of various nationalities (yes, you get Asians, Blacks, Whites, etc. in HK! It's just hard to spot them when there are so many Chinese people in the city!). There was one cool thing that is happening at The Vine, and that is the fact that they are preparing to move their church to a new location in Wan Chai. It's similar to the land extension project back in SCAC. Both of these projects require lots of prayer and funds and I really saw a connection in terms of what was going on with The Vine. They spent a lot of the time praying and asking God to bless their church as they undergo the time of change, and I feel that's also another thing that connected me to SCAC. Amidst the autonomy and all the issues that come along with that, we need to continue to pray for the church to be a radical force impacting what's going on in the city of Toronto. We can't just settle down and only say that God will take care of everything because even though He will, we need to take the extra step to move forward to pray for our church to continue to provide opportunities to serve the city and to expand it's missional projects to reach out to the lost. I really felt God reminding me to keep the missional focus in mind even though I'm in HK, and I feel that the service at The Vine this morning has prompted me to do even more when I return to Toronto.

Anyway, that's the recap I have so far for the first four days. I'll recap the next four days when I get home!

HK!

Arrived in HK a few hours ago.
Many interesting things to do in the next few days!!!
I hope to have at least one blog entry to recap my trip!
STAY TUNED!

NBA playoffs 2009 second round picks

Recap of First Round picks:

Correct Winners:
Cavs (won in 4)
Celtics (won in 7 instead of 6)
Magic (won in 6 instead of 5)
Hawks (won in 7)
Lakers (won in 5 instead of 4)
Nuggets (won in 5 instead of 7)
Mavs (won in 5 instead of 6)

Incorrect Winner:
Blazers (lost in 6 instead of winning in 7)




Second Round picks:

Cavs over Hawks in 4
Celtics over Magic in 7
Lakers over Rockets in 5
Nuggets over Mavs in 7