basketball-position-form

It's been a bit difficult for me to change into a permanent post/inside playing in an organized basketball game. 

I feel like I am losing my slasher instinct. 

I used to post only when I had someone smaller than me for me to take size advantage but now I am playing in there as the smaller person. It's hard. I am okay with getting rebound but my post game is limited. I just don't go back up against bigger guy. It's just stupid to me, so I usually pass it back out when I felt pressure or shoot the mid-range when I am open around the key. 

I am not sure if I could still play outside well after all these training playing the 4. It's a totally different mentality. And you know what? Playing inside is a lot of work, I think it's harder than playing the 2 or 3. You just have to work and fight down there in the post. Fight for opening, fight to receive the ball, fight for space, etc. 

I see how hard Shaq has to work and why he doesn't like to come out to cover shooter. It's just hard work. 

Bible Study and Prayer Meeting

There was no small group today and I actually planned to do my assignment tonight, because we have big group tomorrow night, and I thought I would spend the day scouting for locations to shoot my drama assignment. But Bible study the 1 Corinthians proved to be too much temptation. So after dinner with auntie and uncle and Tracy, we read the Bible to prepare ourselves and then Jean and Tom came. Tom was leading. He asked some tough question and only Tracy and I answered. Well the other did too, but Tracy did most of the talking. For me, I don’t know, I get such strong feeling reading the Bible every time and my head was full of questions afterward. I wanted the discussion to go on but we also had prayer meeting afterward so I held myself back.

However, it was the praying part that moved me. From their prayers, I could see how they loved the church. They prayed for everybody. They prayed for people from different congregations, different church functions, the pastors and the deacons. They prayed for different fellowships and the evangelical events happening around Australia.

It was amazing. From their prayers I could tell how much they loved one another and the church. Gosh, it was amazing. I was thinking of TC half the time and man do I wish the same thing in TC. We talked about rebuke as an act of love today and man, it was for TC. We read 2 Corinthians last year I believe but we didn’t read 1 Corinthians which I found to be a bit weird, and yea, we should have read 1 Corinthians also. Man, do I wish there are more courageous men and women at Tin Chuen that truly love the church to do what is needed of them.

There was an honesty and warmth that I felt lacking in TC. It was just hard to get that from TC. There was a respect and appreciation for the staff and a sense of self-control from the middle aged man. It's true, leadership roles should idealistically given to people mature in age. Young people, me included, are a bit hot headed and lack self-control at times and let our emotions get the better of us. I am saying 50s, but of course there are exceptions. It was here. By the time we finished praying it was pass 11pm.

illogical

I think there is a part of me that is illogical and irrational, but they are mostly on very personal things.

lessons from basketball

I really appreciate how Alex and Ah Sang lead the basketball ministry at CBC. We are fortunately to have them leading us.

I regret on blowing steam on Carlos today. I thought I had to because I felt disrespected and that I was being misunderstood. I usually am pretty easy going and don't complain but today was just too much. We had a new guy playing the inside with me and he didn't know the form. I looked lost because he wasn't going where he was suppose to so I had to wait and see what was going on to complement him, whatever that he was doing. The guards threw bad passes and I was blamed for them. What the heck? They shouldn't be throwing the ball at me when I was turning around. They shouldn't be throwing the ball into the hands of our opponents and I didn't need them to tell me how to play defense.

I just felt like I was getting all the criticism and that wasn't fair. I didn't force the show 5 times over, I didn't just pass the ball into the opponents. I didn't turn over that ball.

I hustled, I boxed out, I ran down rebounds, I was adjusting to my new position, adjusting and helping my inside might to get into position and going the other way when he was going to the wrong spot.

But I felt like I was getting a lecture from every little mistakes I made and that wasn't fair. I actually regret when Sang came over and talked to me about what I didn't do right but I had to tell him my view. I appreciated him coming over and I probably gave him a hard time when I explained my view. But I just couldn't stand the guards blaming me when they couldn't deliver the pass and turn the ball over, and teaching me to play D when they were lost themselves.

But still, I regret blowing up steam at people. Part of me felt that I was too old to be doing that but I actually know a lot of older people who do that, yet I am playing mostly with people younger than me so I should actually be a role model. But at the same time, I had to stand for myself and explain myself to others.

I actually really impress with Sang's maturity at such a young age and Alex's love, bluntness and hospitality to the guys. I felt a bit bad talking back to Sang but I had to, because I think I was treated unfairly and was disrespected.

However, we turned up to be the top team this Saturday.

Alex later talked to me, and then with my team. Sang later talked to me when I was ordering lunch and it was nice. I actually could not imagine myself be treated as well in TC especially in the basketball team. Alex and Sang have more EQ. And it's nice that I am not the PK here when I had so much pressure that I could not really show my emotions all that much. I had to keep a lot to myself at TC, and internalized a lot of stuff which wasn't healthy to me.

urin acid 尿酸

I went to the Dr. Kitty Fok again today, good thing Auntie Sylvia reminded me last night, to pick up my blood and health check report. All is fine except for high level of urin acid 尿酸. It's actually not the first time that it has been detected. It was detected in US just before I left I think. It was just slightly high, but no it is high, like 5. Normal is like 1-2. So I have to cut back on red meat, animal intestine and bean. It's not too bad but she also prescribed medication for me to take. That's to me is kind of serious.

possible Australian Summer Plan

Although it's only midterm here, I know that I need to think ahead for what to do with my Australian summer.

I want to spend some time in Hong Kong, at least a month. But I don't want to waste my summer doing nothing productive. I know that I need to take advantage of my only "student" summer to get some experience, internship, etc., to help me find my career in this field.

I can either go to Hong Kong or stay in Australia. I hope to be in Hong Kong for at least part of summer to see my family, pick up stuff and to see friends.

So right now I am looking at things I can do in Hong Kong and Australia. I wonder if RTHK take any intern. I am looking at HKU's website for its communication and journalism students. I am also seeing if I can work under a director like 張虹 Tammy Cheung who I am a fan of. If not, just other stuff that I can do.

Heung-yan Wong sits down with director Tammy Cheung to discuss her new documentary Election.

With the next Legislative Council Election coming up in September, the political situation in Hong Kong is once again in sharp focus. Accordingly, Visible Records Ltd. presents Election, a film which focuses on the LegCo election in 2004. After viewing several clips from this fascinating documentary, Heung-yan Wong sat down to talk with director Tammy Cheung, who discussed the political intentions behind the film.

Can you give us a brief summary of your documentary?
It’s about the Legislative Council Elections of 2004. We cover three areas, Hong Kong Island, Kowloon East and the New Territories East and focus mainly on five candidates.

Does your documentary have a specific message that you wish to impart to the audience?
No, I don’t make message films. We show what we see. Although we tried our best to do so, we were unable to show the whole picture as the event takes place on such a huge scale.

Is there a specific reason why you chose this time to release the movie, and not right after the 2004 elections?
Obviously, the next election is coming up. We didn’t have enough resources to finish it earlier as we were short staffed. The post- production work takes a lot of energy and time and we are doing the best we can.

Does your documentary focus on more controversial issues such as universal suffrage for Hong Kong?
Not really, I think the main issues we cover include Article 23, the date for universal suffrage, the Tiananmen Square massacre and some local issues such as anti-trust and minimum wage.

The preview clips feature one of the candidates, Leung Kwok-Hung. What do you think of more controversial politicians like him?
He’s not controversial; he’s actually quite gentle. His actions are far from radical but he gets a lot of media attention because he is outspoken. The protesting he does is very common and ordinary, something you would see in any democratic area, I haven’t seen him do anything outrageous yet.

Do you personally think Hong Kong is ready for a full Western style of democracy?
We were originally, but we’ve backtracked recently. According to an informal interview I carried out at CUHK, the public generally didn’t think we need universal suffrage. A few years ago everyone thought we needed a one man one vote system. The Beijing and Hong Kong government must be successful in making us believe otherwise. (Laughs)

How do you view the Chinese socialist style of government?
Chinese socialism is not socialism. It is a dictatorship.
So you believe it’s moved more towards a dictatorship.
I know it’s a dictatorship. It’s not socialism. If you look at history and what happened before and after 1949, you will see that it is not a matter of belief. We can see it from what they have done to the many people in China.

Things I am planning to write about:

• Hong Kong's Democracy Movement and China
• Reasoning Behind American Individualism

Tiresome Day

Today was just hard. I finished filming my first dramatic scene yesterday with the help of Cindy an Phil as my actors. They were good, I sucked as a director. Something part of my weak direction. I think I need to just be really strong and pinned on on what I want exactly and be unwavering.

Woke up really early this morning to return the heavy equipment with Thukten and then was just at campus the whole day. I didn't get enough sleep so I had a slight headache when I arrived at Marrickville (pronounced mer-rickville). We joked a bit about one of us getting a car and I joked that I should find a girlfriend who drive truck and just love to drive people around.

Man, this is hard work. I basically did early heavy lifting and then stared at the monitor and playing with Final Cut Pro for the whole day. I was pretty tire when we were at the shop again to borrow and to carry the big-ass heavy equipment. Believe it or not, at 5'9", I am the biggest out of Thukten and Martin. And yes I am heavy, so I think I look like I can do a lot of heavy lifting but my left leg is pretty lame and my legs are carrying more than they should already and I have weak upper body strength.

To tell the true, we are like the 3 misfits. None of us have car and we are really a bit out there in our drama class. And we make like an ass of ourselves carrying lights, camera, tripod, wires, audio equipment to the station and back.

But to think back, I think I am somewhat like a misfit my whole life. I am a bit out there. In school, there were hardly much times when I felt like I was really in a group. In most of my life, I am a bit out there. A friend who grew up with me from middle school to college said that I was like someone who just did his own thing.

I think from a small age, I was kind of used to being the odd one, being the different person and I just never really fought it. I never like tried very hard to be part of a group. For most of my life, I am more comfortable with a small circle of friends although I like being around people in a lively atmosphere (except a party where I think people are just so isolated posing). I was the only Chinese boy in class for a very long time. My background has always been a little difficult to explain to people. I am unnormal. I can't help it. But a large part of me wants to be just like everyone else, but I don't think I am accepted or seen as just another person. For a long time, I have been the outsider looking in. The one outside, out on the bubble. I still am I believe. I don't think my life was ever really balanced.

A lot of thing don't seem to be real to me. I still feel like a visitor. So many thing for me are temporary. I don't know what it is to feel like to have something real you can grasp, some place to call home, something that I can really say is mine. I feel like I am always fighting this uphill dead beat, and I just throw all of my idealistic energy into it without knowing the outcome and I just don't know how much spirit and soul juice I have left in the tank before I run out.


I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight Lyrics

She's a rainbow and she loves the peaceful life
Knows I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight

There's a part of me in chaos that's quiet
And there's a part of you that wants me to riot
Everybody needs to cry or needs to spit
Every sweet-tooth needs just a little hit
Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the truth and not see it?
Change of heart comes slow..

It's not a hill it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me or are you doubtin?
We're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight

Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Divination that will listen to your boys and girls
Is the sweetest melody the one we haven't heard?
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear?
The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear
But change of heart comes slow...

It's not a hill it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see for me I've been shoutin
But we're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight

Baby, baby, baby, I know I'm not alone
Baby, baby, baby, I know I'm not alone
Ha, ha, ha

It's not a hill it's a mountain
You see for me I've been shouting
Let's shout until the darkness, squeeze out sparks of light
You know we'll go crazy
You know we'll go crazy
You know we'll go crazy, if we don't go crazy tonight

Day before

Ahh, sometimes I m just not that motivated. There are like several things I know I need to do at the back of my mind that I have been putting off for ages. Let's do it. 

Limited Chinese

"......牧者的個人生命要完全被聖靈所導引，在擔任牧職時要留心自己所追求的動機，私心將阻礙牧者分辨聖靈的帶領。他又說，事奉的效出於神，聽候神安排、順服祂的旨意，並留心祂的工作加以配合時，事工將事半平倍，並讓更多人蒙福。"

-蕭壽華牧師

I realized that there are like a sea of Chinese Christian resources online. It's pretty amazing. I am somewhat ashamed of my Chinese writing ability but I am also thankful for my limited ability to read Chinese. My Chinese actually improved in the nearly 3 years that I was in Chinese. I was forced by work to learn Chinese quickly in the past 3 years. I read the FREE Chinese newspapers and had to translate a lot of Chinese text into English. I don't know if God planted me there just to learn Chinese or something. I wonder how God would use my limited Chinese skill. But I am thankful for the opportunity to learn Chinese.