Thoughts on Donald Sterling

If the TMZ reports are true, this man needs to go.

"Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops."

~Luke 12:3 ESV

One day in Korea, I was in the car with my uncle. I asked him if he would rather stay in Korea or America because he spent a significant amount of time in both countries. My uncle answered Korea because he has the comfort knowing he won't be discriminated by anyone there for his race.

I share this story in the wake of the alleged racist comments by Donald Sterling. Now, it's a TMZ report, so we're not 100% sure if it's right or not. They've released iffy reports before. Donald Sterling even came out saying he doesn't know if it's legit or not and it doesn't reflect his views towards blacks. It's certainly plausible that the voice could have been fabricated much like the whole Manti Te'o hoax. But then again, would he really come out publicly and admit the whole thing is true???

Suppose the whole exchange between Sterling and his girlfriend is fake. Then we move on and this blog post was a waste. Actually...either way, whether it's fake or not...

It doesn't change the fact that racism still exists in America

But if it's true, then as Ernie Johnson of Inside the NBA said perfectly, "If it's true and if it's him, there's no place in the league for Donald Sterling..."

When the initial reports came out. I just shook my head and said one word: Sad.
It's sad to see racism still alive in a country that is a blessing to live in. That promises its people equality.

Racism in professional sports isn't a new development. Recently it's happened before with Riley Cooper and Richie Incognito. The former remained with the team while the latter was cut.
In terms of dealing with an owner, what can you really do? Dealing with players seems more simple as you can just get rid of them. But what do you do with an owner who has so much wealth and power? Who owns a multi-million dollar franchise like the Clippers?

I feel sorry for my friends Coach Doc Rivers and Chris Paul that they have to work for a man that feels that way about African Americans.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 26, 2014

This will be a big test to new NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Charles Barkley and ProBasketballTalk proposed suspending/banning him for a period of time. In my opinion, Silver and the other owners of the NBA should force Sterling to sell the team immediately. But I'm not sure if they have that kind of power.
If only it were that simple...

I can't believe the NBA would let a potential scumbag like this run a team in a league that predominantly has African-American athletes. This isn't the first time where Sterling appeared as a pig-headed fool. In the past, he was sued by Elgin Baylor who claimed he was fired based on his race. According to him, Sterling said:

“...Donald said something that was very shocking to me. He said, ‘Personally, I would like to have a white Southern coach coaching poor black players. And I was shocked. And he looked at me and said, ‘Do you think that’s a racist statement?’ I said, ‘Absolutely. That’s plantation mentality.”

Baron Davis, who formerly played for the Clippers, voiced his own opinion via Twitter. When he played, he claims he was heckled and taunted by Donald Sterling courtside. 

That's the way it is...He is honest about what he believes in..Been going on for a long time, Hats off 2 the Team.. 4 playin above it all.
— Baron Davis (@Baron_Davis) April 26, 2014

All these actions alone (before the racist allegations) should tell you Donald Sterling deserves to be called one of the worst, if not the worst, owners in the NBA. After all these developments, shouldn't he feel the need to get out of this mess and sell the team?

I know my views can't represent what black people are feeling about this. But if there were a league where most of the players were Asian, and one team's owner goes out and makes racist remarks towards Asians, I'd be furious. And I'd bet African-Americans everywhere are pissed at these remarks. But you don't have to take my word for it. Here's what Snoop Dogg had to say...

I can't imagine what it's like to be a Clipper fan right now. Many are calling for his head and are no longer supporting the Clippers. I also can't imagine what it's like to be a Clipper right now (especially one who's black) playing for an owner like this. How will they play through all of this "noise" in their title run?

DeAndre Jordan posted this poignant photo on his Instagram:

Apparently, that's the actual photo. Makes you think...

It's unfortunate that the foolishness of this man is affecting the many lives of other people in a negative way. Magic Johnson tweeted that Sterling's comments are "a black eye for the NBA." Not only that, but Sterling's comments puts the Clippers now in a negative spotlight as long as he's the owner. 

As Inside the NBA said, if you were a Clipper, would you re-sign with the team? Or if you're a free agent, would you want to sign with the Clippers?

In the middle of a playoff run, as the team is chasing for a championship, I hope the Clippers overcome this mess. We shouldn't be mad at the Clippers. We should be mad at Sterling. Chris Paul, Doc Rivers, Blake Griffin, and the other staff and athletes shouldn't be lumped together with this debacle. Unfortunately, people are doing so and don't want to root for the Clippers anymore. 

The Clippers have never won a championship in their 44 year-existence. Maybe it's partly because of Donald Sterling. The Clippers are now a relevant team and in the hunt for the Finals. Right when the Clippers are moving towards the right direction and starting to become something great, this occurrence might hold them back. It's sad. It's stupid. It's frustrating. It's unfair to the superstars of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. For me, I'm still rooting for the Clippers because they are a team that has suffered so much and must endure this additional problem. 

I'll say it again, if these reports are true, for the benefit of the Clippers organization...

Donald Sterling needs to go.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Review

Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo

Ratings (as of 4/12): IMDB - 8.3/10 Rotten Tomatoes - 89%

WARNING: THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS

Before watching the film, I came in with relatively low expectations because I wasn't a huge fan of Captain America: The First Avenger (the first installment of the Captain's series). By the way, if you haven't seen both films (the first and second Cpt. Americas) then I recommend watching the first before the second. This is because much of the plot of this new film makes key references to the first.

But after watching it, out of all the Marvel movies I've seen, I think this one is pretty up there. 

The first aspect of why this film is great is because of its star-studded cast. I believe the first Captain America movie did not do as well because there weren't that many stars to carry the film. Other than Chris Evans, the first had notable actors such as Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving. And that's pretty much it (no disrespect to the other actors of that film). This second film? Yes, they used most of the same characters from The Avengers, but there's Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson (playing a more integral role than the 1st), Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie, and...ah yes... the beautiful Scarlett Johansson.

How I Met Your Mother and Community fans, Cobie Smulders and Danny Pudi are in this movie too. It was pretty weird seeing them...because it doesn't matter, they'll always be Robin and Abed!

The Star Spangled Cast

Granted, just because a movie has a star-studded ensemble, it doesn't necessarily mean the film will be good. But the cast in this film was effective in that the audience empathized with the characters. For instance, when the mighty Nick Fury died, the audience became disheartened and Alexander Pierce was effectively a contemptuous antagonist throughout. Following Fury's death, I could not help but think "Man, of course the black guy has to be the first to die..." (I apologize for this stereotype, but that was honestly my thought). The other thought was, "Oh no...not Samuel L. Jackson! He's a Jedi and Coach Carter! He can't die!"

Samuel L. Jackson is a BAD dude.

The plot was very interesting as it contained many twists and turns. When the police were shooting at Nick Fury, I was very surprised. Then, you discover S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised. Afterwards, you discover that members of Hydra have been working behind the scenes of S.H.I.E.L.D. all along. Oh snap. And they were the ones who planted the seeds of chaos throughout history (since WWII) to coerce people to turn to S.H.I.E.L.D. for protection, giving up their liberty in the process. They portray stark images of dictators like Hitler and Kim Jong Un to emphasize this shocking point. They also were the ones who killed Tony Stark's (Iron Man) parents! Double snap. 

That means North Korea and other totalitarian governments were influenced by Hydra? I don't know why, but I thought it was a bit funny to imagining Kim Jong Un whisper, "Hail Hydra..." like the Senator did in the movie. (헤일 하이드라?) 

I totally forgot who Hydra was until I saw their skull-octopus emblem thing.  

Hail Hydra

Perhaps the greatest twist in the film was the reveal of The Winter Soldier's (the assassin hired by Hydra) identity. When I saw his face, I was like..."Umm....Who the heck is that?" And then they showed flashbacks and I was like "OHHHH." Like I said, watch the first movie if you haven't yet. So yeah, The Winter Soldier is Bucky, Captain America's best friend from the first film. But Bucky's memory was wiped so he doesn't remember Steve Rogers. Indeed, the best-friend-turned-enemy-development further supports the film's effective storyline.

Visually, the film was great. Michael Bay explosions everywhere. CGI was good like all other Marvel films. I wish I had a car like Nick Fury's. The film also contains many humorous jokes and makes multiple references to other Marvel characters. For instance, Bruce Banner's (The Hulk) serum saving Nick Fury or Pierce's request for Tony Stark to come to his niece's birthday party. I wish Iron Man would come to my birthday party.

Here are some random thoughts and comments I had on various things regarding this film: 

• Loved when Danny Pudi appeared as a security guard and basically acted how Abed does.
• I don't know how Captain America's face wasn't pancaked and deformed after getting punched by Bucky's metallic arm multiple times. If his arm could make a dent in freakin' concrete...
• Out of all things, my friend Eric Chung points out: "There's no way the spaceships can fly that fast." I'd have to agree.
• After the Captain saves his friend from being crushed, the first thing Bucky does? Tries to fight him. What an a...
• Bucky regains some bits and pieces in his memory regarding Steve Rogers, but Alexander Pierce? He wipes his memory again. The thing I don't get is why Bucky agrees to this and doesn't resist. "Oh, sure! I'd be glad to let you electrocute me!" What the heck Bucky.
• Is there something going on between Captain America and Black Widow? What was that conversation at the end of the film? That kiss on the cheek even though she tells him to pursue his neighbor? Foreshadowing? The two did have some sort of chemistry when they were together. What about Hawkeye, Black Widow?
• I liked Anthony Mackie's character. You can argue anybody can fly the Falcon jetpack and he's nothing without it. But I mean, Captain America isn't as great without his shield and Batman isn't as great without his money and weapons. I hope he's in future Marvel films. I wish he becomes a Captain so he can go by the name of Captain Falcon. That would be awesome. 
• Pulp Fiction is my all-time favorite movie. So you can say I loved the engraving on his tombstone of:  "The Path of a Righteous Man" ~Ezekiel 25:17. Clever of Marvel to do that.
• For the post-credits scenes: I first honestly thought the scepter was Loki's. 
• Don't know who the super-twins are, but I guess they're Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch? Girl was freaky-looking.
• The second post-credit scene: That's it?
• Wait...BUCKY EVENTUALLY BECOMES THE NEXT CAPTAIN AMERICA?!

I LOL'ed when I saw this

Overall, I enjoyed this film which is partly why I wanted to write a review for it. Yeah, my reasons for why it's good aren't that strong but...Go watch this film. This is especially a must-watch as its story will likely be integral for future Marvel films, especially the next Avengers film. 

Score: 8.5/10

Where is the Love?

I was going to write about the Jesus Culture concert. But that's going to have to wait. I just had to write about this. And I'd just want to preface this by saying I hope this blog post doesn't offend anyone somehow.

I respect all other people for their religions and beliefs and wish that we'd all be unified and at peace instead of hating each other. I'm also going to write about my beliefs about God, so please don't be offended about that as well.

So as you UCLA students all know, there have been people holding signs at BruinWalk in the past couple of days. But these signs are filled with just insane things...

Hateful things

Hateful things that are condemning other people for who they are and what they advocate. Some examples have been condemning homosexuality or other religions. I'm pretty sure there are a lot more people like this across America. And because of these signs, they've been attracting huge crowds of people. But not only the signs but the people holding them that have been just spewing nonsense. For example, some woman was saying something like people would die/go to hell if they'd watch pornography (I guess that means nearly everyone is going to hell then).

Yesterday, there was a huge crowd on BruinWalk. And yes indeed, it was another sign holder. But this time it accused Muslims, particularly the prophet Muhammad, calling him things that I feel I shouldn't even write here. And the guy holding it was getting into some heated arguments with students. He was condemning Muslims and saying they'd all go to hell. Cops were standing by. It was just crazy. 

The thing that makes my blood just boil is that people like this guy are misrepresenting who God really is. The man was wearing a shirt that had Jesus Christ's name on it, yet he is making that name seem like a name filled with hate when it isn't. People will have negative views towards not only that sign holder but Christianity as a whole. Some will go on to assume that Christians are like those sign holders.

And I'm here to say we're not. Not even close.

So I was pretty pissed and felt I had to talk to this guy. I knew I wasn't going to get any message across, and I was right. It was like talking to a brick wall. A titanium wall.

From the beginning he proclaimed he was a saint and was made perfect because he believes and follows God. So...by that logic, all Christians are perfect and saints which is not true. Nobody's perfect except God. Romans 3:10 says: There is no one righteous, not even one. and verse 23 says: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So he just lost all credibility right from the start.

I told him what he thought about the need for us to love others as Jesus told us to.
He said, "This is showing God's love by rebuking others".
I replied, "How is this loving others? This isn't showing that God loves everyone OR 'loving your neighbor as yourself'"
He argued, "Show me a passage where Jesus/God said 'I love people.'"

I said, "Uh, John 3:16???...for God so loved the world???"
He fired back, "Jesus said that to Nicodemus, show me a passage where Jesus said He loves people in public." Wait...what difference does that make whether he said it in public or not?!

At the time, I had no scripture ammo to fire back. I could have mentioned John 13:34: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." But I know he'd have argued back "Jesus said that to his disciples, not in public."

So I then say, "Well, show me a scripture that God hates people." He gives me a Bible and says, "Look up Psalms 5:5." He gives me a KJV bible, which writes: "The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity." I read it, and he goes, "See?! See?! thou HATEST all workers of iniquity! God hates all workers of iniquity! In the NIV, that translates to: "You hate all who do wrong; you destroy those who tell lies." I mentioned while this may be right, what about all the verses that say about love? Then he goes back to the: "Show me a passage where..." You get the idea. The argument was repeating itself. (Then again, that scripture he quoted was written as David's prayer to God so...whatever, he wasn't gonna listen anyway). 

Then other students chimed in. And they were rightfully pissed. To the non-Christians, he said pretty much "You're going to hell!" I told him I disagreed with him saying that. Then he told me to tell a Muslim standing next to me he is going to hell to his face. I obviously couldn't. He then calls me a "spineless little twerp with no backbone." Woah. Ok buddy. His face just looked so punch-able at that moment (sorry but it's true). He said we were all living in a fantasy...But pretty much everyone was disagreeing with him, even Christians. I guess the one that's living in a fantasy is him.

So yeah, these are just examples of this almost-pointless argument I had with this ignorant, pig-headed, immature man that wasn't even willing to listen to people. It was like Skip Bayless times a thousand. I'm pretty sure the man has said a lot of more dumb things if you asked other people.

I heard a student yell, "We don't want to be Christians!" Others were making fun of Christianity. I bet some were thinking "After seeing this, I don't even want to entertain the idea of being a Christian." There was even a guy dressed up as Jesus and smoking pot nearby. And to all this, I just shake my head.

What just makes me so angry, that makes me just clench my fists in anger, is that there is nothing we can do to change the opinions of people like him. And because of free speech, there's nothing we can do to stop them. I mean, they are right in some ways, but they're also very wrong too. Especially in the way they are taking something that's supposed to be good and spinning it in such a negative way.

 To me, the God I know is loving. Yes...I believe that if you don't believe that Jesus is your Lord and Savior and that he died on the cross, you won't go to heaven. BUT, even though you may not believe now, you always have the chance to go to heaven if you believe. This is different from saying to someone: "You're going to hell for not believing (or what you believe in)" which gives the impression that they can't be saved and that there is no option besides hell. The statement is also filled with just anger, condemnation, and vitriol. No one is going to take that well.

Also, I know this might be wrong to say, but do we really know as humans whether or not people go to hell? Only God knows that and has judgment over that. We don't.

When the guy said to the girl "You're going to hell!" He did nothing more. I thought we were supposed to "Make disciples of all nations" but after condemning them, he just let them go in a state of frustration and anger. How is this an effective way of spreading the gospel in any way??? He said, "I'm doing the job you Christians aren't doing." Well, you're making our "job" as Christians in making God's name known a lot harder. Because of people like you, some people are now completely turned off by Christianity. It makes me wonder how many people have been saved through their methods of rebuking and hate. 

I firmly believe in Numbers 14:18, which says: "The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion..." Sure, there may be scriptures about God's hate of certain individuals, but I think God is being more just than hating on people. I think God hates the sin vastly more than the individual. When God punishes people for their sins, it's not only because of his justice, but I think he punishes to correct people out of his ultimate love for them. 

Overall, I believe God's love is unconditional... no matter what you do, whether it's have sex constantly, do drugs, are homosexual, or murder people...no matter what you believe whether it's Buddhism, Islam, Atheism, WHATEVER IT IS....God loves you. We all make mistakes and aren't perfect. Even Christians have a checkered past. I've known pastors who've made mistakes in their life, but what their stories have revealed about God, again, I repeat...

God loves you no matter who you are or what you do

If God created and intended us humans to condemn and hate others for their actions...the world would be a scary place. And I don't think God wants that at all.

To my brothers and sisters out there, rather than talking to the people with the signs (seriously it's a waste of your time and will only give you stress), talk to the people watching. They are willing to talk. Who knows, there might be people who are taking their claims seriously or others who generalize and say the sign holders are speaking for Christians (which I really hope there aren't). 

So rather than hating on people and focusing on condemning others, those ignorant individuals should be showing more of what God's really all about which is his love. And NOT spewing out nonsense and bitterness which clouds people's perspectives on Christianity. To me, the whole thing is just sad. But I think God's using this tragedy as motivation for us to take a stand somehow. This certainly got me all riled up to write this post. But it's because of things like this there's hate and violence between people. I mean, the potential for that was why cops were there. Not to be cliche, but can't we all just get along?

Sorry for this post being very long, but I thank you for taking the time to read this. I know what I wrote was on such a controversial topic, but I hope I didn't write anything wrong or something that offended anyone. Also, my knowledge about God isn't a lot; I'm still learning. So feel free to chime in about anything I have said. And if you can, I hope you can teach me and others what to say to these sign holders and to the bystanders affected by these people. Hope this message gets across to people. God bless you all.

And to discriminate only generates hate 
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
Madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love y'all

~Black Eyed Peas - "Where is the Love?"

The Lego Movie Review

When I first saw posters of this movie, I thought it was going to be a failure for some reason. I thought it'd be the next The Smurfs or Garfield or something, where the things we loved as children become disasters as movies.
Then I saw the reviews, and I was shocked. 96% on Rotten Tomatoes?! 8.5 on IMDB?! That's almost Dark Knight/Inception territory. Guess I had to watch this movie...I was pretty excited to see what the hype was all about and if this movie in fact deserved such high praise. So I watched it and...

For those of you who think this movie was horrible, I completely disagree with you.

From the beginning of the  movie, I was immediately captivated by the (as critics like to say) stunning visuals. From the animations of the flowing waters of the Lego ocean to the characters' frantic construction of spaceships and motorcycles, I was just truly amazed at how awesome the animation was. I wondered how in the world did the artists put this movie together? I was immersed in another dimension and felt like I was part of the Lego world. In my opinion, this is probably one of the greatest artistic films strictly in terms of animation I have seen.

How did they animate this stuff?

Sure there are some blemishes about this movie. The story could have been better and it seemed as if the emphasis was more on the art and humor of the film.
But keep in mind that the target audience of this movie is children. It doesn't necessarily have to cater to an adult audience. And I'd say that this is a pretty darn good kids movie. But the various jokes throughout the movie garnered laughter even from adult viewers so...

I'm trying as hard as I can NOT to be biased by the RT and IMDB scores. Yes, I agree that 96% is a bit too high for this movie. But to say this is an awful movie is inaccurate. The Hangover Part III and After Earth are bad movies. And I don't think this movie belongs in that lower echelon at all.

What also makes this movie awesome is the various voice actors of this film. If you told me Morgan Freeman AND Liam Neeson were voice actors for any film, I'd watch it in a heartbeat. Those two can read me bedtime stories every night. I found it funny to hear their charismatic, iconic voices saying cheesy/humorous lines, especially Liam Neeson when he takes the role of Good Cop/Bad Cop. But pile on top of that the voices of famous stars including: Will Ferrell, Charlie Day, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Key from Key & Peele, Shaq, etc. A truly star-studded cast. Though I wish Batman was voiced by Christian Bale and Gandalf was voiced by Ian McKellen...
Oh yeah, you will see the ending is pretty cool too and will change the way you see the movie and the power of imagination.

I wish I had his voice

But perhaps one striking aspect of this film was the character Emmet. He's a protagonist that has none of the qualities of a typical superhero. Throughout the film, people constantly give him crap for being useless and not being good at anything and not being special. They criticize him by saying he shouldn't have been the chosen one. Even Emmet has his moments of discouragement and feels like a burden to his team. To me, Emmet's character appealed to me because I could identify with him so much. I mean, we all could. I've often felt inadequate and discouraged when I do things and find that other people are significantly better at those things than I am. Like sports or music or whatever. I ask myself sometimes whether I am good or talented at anything. I found myself envying the skills of other people. And it certainly doesn't help that being the height that I am. Sorry I'm sounding pessimistic all of a sudden.

For me, I think the lesson to learn from this movie is no matter how average you feel, God created you in a unique way. You are not an accident. People might be better than you at certain things but they have weaknesses as well. Nobody's perfect. God doesn't want us to envy other people. He doesn't want us to feel useless and inadequate. He wants all of us to be like Emmet who stays positive and uses his strengths to help others. Despite all the criticisms, (hope this doesn't spoil) Emmet rises up as the hero of this movie. Rather than focusing on what he can't do, Emmet focuses on what he can do in order to help his friends. And he does it with a constant, goofy smile on his face.

So rather than being in a "woe-is-me" mentality, I need to be thankful for being created this way in God's image. Feeling insignificant will only discourage me from the things God wants me to do. And through Him, weaknesses can become strengths. Actually, it doesn't matter whether or not we are good at anything. The only thing that matters is what we can do to glorify God.

This is some pretty deep and heavy stuff to take from a kids movie. Sorry about that.

Anyways, if you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend you watch it. This is a movie that is meant for the big screen and NOT to be watched on a computer. And I usually don't like watching movies in 3D because it makes my head hurt. But this movie is an exception. The 3D actually makes it a better viewing experience. So don't pass up this opportunity. Spend the extra money and go watch this movie in 3D before it's too late. If you played with Legos as a kid, you will be in for a real trip down memory lane. 

SCORE: 8.8 / 10

I'm Not a Businessman I'm a Busyness...Man

I've been so busy...Something I never would have expected before this winter quarter started. And I don't even have a job or an internship. Maybe it's because I'm taking 4 classes (18 credits) I don't know. Yesterday I spent Presidents' Day waking up at 5am in the morning to be a production assistant on a film shoot that lasted until 7pm.

I know, I know. You might say, "Oh that's nothing...I do this and that. Don't talk to me about busy." and I get that. But I recently am finding I have no time to do the things I usually do. I have no time to go to the gym, no time to work on my career development (resume/cover letter), no time to do homework, no time to Facebook or blog, no time to check ESPN, and no time to sleep. And I love sleep. I need at least 8-9 hours. Yeah, I'm pretty weak. I've just feel fatigued and exhausted throughout the day.

Yes, if I managed my time well, I would be able to do all these things, but this weekend I did NOTHING in terms of studying for school. And we all know those books we have to read and those assignments get piled up and eventually have to get done if we choose not to do them. Ugh, this is going to be a busy week.

But I also find I have no time to read the Bible, let alone communicate with God at a sincere level.

Sure, I pray to God, but it all feels rushed. Everything feels rushed in my life. Even as I am writing this post, I'm desperately trying to get this all over with. I'm pretty much feeling burdened and stressed out, thinking of the upcoming things I have to do, saying, "Ah crap, I have to finish that assignment or read that book." I've had hateful thoughts towards things and people who are wasting my time because for some reason, my biggest pet-peeve is unnecessarily wasting time.

It feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders sometimes.

But is this what God wants? I don't think so. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says: 

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

I know this is easier said than done...but I don't think I even tried to stop and really commit to surrendering everything that's on my plate to God. For me, God wants me to let it go and let Him do the work. 

Sorry...I couldn't resist.

I mean, He sent His one and only Son who took all the burdens of mankind. I would think He'd know what it's like to be in our situation but multiplied by a million. It's like He's telling me: "I got you." There's a story my high school teacher told me of how people hunted monkeys in the wild. They'd place a jar with a treat inside and a monkey would come and put its hand inside to get it. But no matter how hard they tried, they could not take it out. They could only take their hand out without the treat. But monkeys would be too stubborn to let the treat go, and they'd end up getting caught. Hope that made sense.

So I guess if there's one thing to do, it appears it's the one answer to all our problems: Trusting in Him.

I just need to surrender everything and let Him do His thing. I mean, God is infinitely more powerful, wiser, and loving than we are. We know this, yet it feels like we don't feel it or believe it sometimes. 

He has dominion over all the earth. He controls the tides of life. And I need to trust that even though things are overwhelming right now, this is all going to be ultimately overcome through God, for God is with us. PTL

We Did It...

I wish I made this post yesterday. If only I didn't sleep that entire day because I slept Monday at 4am.
Even though it's two days after the event, one thing hasn't changed...

The Seahawks are world champions. 

And I'm still sitting here smiling as I write this. Yesterday, in the enemy territory of LA, I walked around UCLA with my Russell Wilson jersey proud to be a Seahawk. It all feels so surreal that this team I have followed and supported for officially 8 years since its last Super Bowl has finally won. I can't imagine how this must feel for the fans since the team started in 1974. 
Reminder to those Seahawks bandwagon fans: once you get on, there's no getting off.
I DO NOT care if it was a boring game. Would it have meant more if it was a closer game? Honestly, yes. I probably would have cried or fainted. The point is, the Seahawks put a good old-fashioned booty-slapping (?) on the Denver Broncos and made them look like a JV team. You'd be lying if you said you weren't surprised by the outcome of this game.
This was the Seahawks' way of giving the middle-finger to the doubters and national pundits who said there was no way they would stop Peyton Manning. 

This is what happens when you doubt the #1 defense, who, after this game, has surely cemented itself as one of the greatest defenses of all time. 12th Man, you were heard in the stands of MetLife and people say it was the loudest the stadium has ever been. If there were a fan base that deserved a championship it would be this one. And there were no stupid "Omahas" this game thanks to all of you. 
Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith said it best:

"We kind of have a chip on our shoulder, a lot of guys got overlooked, a bunch of misfits, a bunch of guys who it was said wouldn't be anything.'' 

Malcolm Smith was a 7th round pick who didn't get invited to the combine and was a back-up linebacker.
Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman were 5th round picks. Byron Maxwell was a 4th-string cornerback.
Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse were undrafted free agents, yet they both caught touchdowns in the Super Bowl. UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS.
The list goes on and on for the individuals on this team who had the biggest chip on their shoulders.
Oh yeah...and Russell Wilson was a 3rd round pick because he was 5''10 & 3/4 inches tall.
WHERE ARE YOU MATT FLYNN SUPPORTERS NOW?!
John Schneider and Pete Carroll are freakin' Jedi masters for assembling this team. And they were criticized heavily for their drafts.

These "misfits" who people said wouldn't amount to anything, who people said were "pedestrian" and "appetizers" just won the Superbowl.
There could not have been a better team to represent the city of Seattle. We were a city of misfits and losers who hadn't won a major sports championship since 1979. We were the butt of jokes and people (*cough* 49ers fans) would resort to asking where our rings were.
By the way, you say you have more rings than us, but you haven't won a championship in 20 years. Kinda like bragging about all the girlfriends you had in middle school.
But now we can proudly say we DO have a ring. And there's surely more to come in the upcoming years.
I said before, if we win this game, get ready for a dynasty to come. Be excited that we have one of the youngest teams in the NFL and another draft+free agency to boot. This team has the potential to be even better next year...But let's not get too ahead of ourselves here.
For now...let's enjoy the fact that we are no longer the team without a ring. We are no longer a city that is "cursed." We are no longer Cleveland or Detroit (no offense to those cities, hope they join us someday).

THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS.

And NOBODY can take that away from us...

The Greatest Sword vs. The Greatest Shield

I'm not going to take away the accomplishments from the Sonics' championship in 1979...
But that was 35 years ago.
Many people were not even born or they were really young around that time. Heck, my parents were teenagers. But tomorrow is going to be the biggest game in Seattle sports history.

Why? It would be Seattle's first championship in 35 years. Yes there's the Seattle Storm, no disrespect there. But I don't remember seeing the masses freak out over their championship wins.

This game tomorrow is for all the marbles. The #1 offense vs. the #1 defense...

The Greatest Sword vs. The Greatest Shield.

You can make an argument for either team winning this game and you wouldn't be called crazy. No matter what team wins, it's not going to be much of a surprise. Some say this is going to be the greatest game to watch in many years.  

You probably know who I'm rooting for in this game though. 

And also, this is a must win game.

Ok, that's a pretty obvious thing to say. But I say that because I don't want to hear people saying: "Yeah, it's ok if we lose. We can always win next year" Uh...NO. You can't bet on beating 31 other teams every year. The NFL is just too competitive. Ask the 49ers who lost the Super Bowl last year who aren't even playing this year (that's a shame...). Seahawks fans have to treat these Super Bowl trips like it's their last. Look at the NFC Championship: A more accurate throw to Crabtree and the Seahawks would have lost. Seattle was literally inches from seeing Jim Harbaugh and his khaki pants and Kaepernick with his Beats headphones flying to New York instead.

Since 2000, only ONE team has lost a Super Bowl to come back and win one in the future: The New York Giants lost in 2001 and finally won one in 2008. And I'm not gonna wait any longer for a championship to come. It's now or never time for the city of Seattle. For our city. 

To the 12th Man going to MetLife stadium: I want to hear you. People say that there are many more Hawks fans than Bronco fans in New York, so show the nation what you are capable of. Make MetLife Stadium like CenturyLink field as much as possible. To the Seahawks, stop Peyton Manning from his quick releases. Stop his Omaha calls too. Make it a nightmare for him like the Giants did to Brady. 

If the Seahawks play their A-game tomorrow, get ready for the Lombardi trophy to come to Seattle. 

Do you know the implications of this game?

This game is our chance to cement ourselves in the upper echelon of great defenses that won the Super Bowl: the Steelers in the 70s, the 85 Bears, the 2000 Ravens, and so on. This is our chance to prove the pundits wrong that you need a QB who throws for 300+ passing yards to win championships. This is our chance to silence all those critics. This is our chance to bring a championship to a city that has been desperate for one for 35 years. This is our chance to not win just one Super Bowl, but to build a dynasty here in Seattle...

This is our chance to WIN FOREVER.

GO HAWKS...Make your city proud. 

"Give them nothing...But take from them EVERYTHING" ~ King Leonidas

Prediction: Seattle 27 - Denver 23

Taking the first step

Hey guys! If you don't know me, my name is David Haram Kim...

I've always wanted to start a journal, but I thought a blog would be a lot easier and more convenient.

My blog will talk about various topics: sports, food, God, film/TV, life, you name it! Hope you're interested in at least one of those things! 

I feel there's great therapeutic benefits when you write down stuff, so I hope that as I share things about my life that you guys will be impacted somewhat when you read. I don't know if this blog will lead to anywhere, but it'd be awesome if that were the case! Hope this will be the first blog post towards greater things down the road! Also, if you guys have any suggestions what my blog name should be, feel free to say so!

I chose harmogblog because "Haram" (하람) means "Man of God" --> mog

yeah...not this kind of mog though: