Almost goodbye…

I have mixed emotions as I write this blog post.  It’s both bitter & sweet, and it’s largely due to where I am right now as I write this (slightly tongue-in-cheek, coming up)…  Where am I, you might be wondering?  I’m currently sitting in my car, in a covered parking lot at Fairview Mall in Toronto (Don Mills area)…

I’m happy because I’m typing this up with my door open and my seat reclined back, working away on Melly (my laptop)’s keyboard, while my iPhone is giving me a GREAT Internet connection.  Yes, I am doing what’s known as Internet “tethering” – using my iPhone as a cellular modem for my laptop.  And it is pretty responsive and speedy, I must say.  This makes me happy inside

Unfortunately, being here in Toronto means that it’s almost time to go back to Waterloo.  Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a big deal.  I occassionally get to visit friends here in Toronto.  But this time is different – I will be making the westward drive on the 401 highway for the last time.  Ever.

Ok, maybe not ever.  But for awhile, at least.  The next time I head out this way, it’ll be on Wednesday morning as I get ready to board my flight from YYZ (Toronto/Pearson International Airport) out west to Saskatoon (and then shortly after that, Vancouver in Beautiful British Columbia).

I guess all this wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for a few things: 1) I’m not packed yet, and I have a handful of random things I will need to take care of that I really hope I can find the time to get done; and 2) I have no idea what awaits me after arriving home in Vancouver.  I am jobless, after all.

But I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining.  If there’s anything I learned from South East Africa project ‘09, it’s that complaining is a really bad problem and that I complain a whole lot (and I never knew it)!  Honestly, I’m not complaining!  I’m just a little sad at the precariousness of my current position – but in perspective, though, it’s really not that bad.  I can still trust in my God to bring me through this current season of life.  He has been nice to me in countless ways and He is trustworthy, even if I’m feeling very unsure of everything.  Even though I feel really quite fragile in many ways.

Keep on swimming… as Dorrie from Finding Nemo says.  Not blindly.  Not necessarily knowing where we’re headed, either.  But with good reason to keep trusting… and ‘perservering’ (which is quite possibily the uncoolest word of our generation).

iPhone 3G OS/firmware 3.0 update (Internet Tethering on Rogers)

So I currently have an iPhone with a data plan.  I’m actually paying $5 less / month on it than I was originally supposed to (long story), but the short story is that because I was an existing Rogers customer that signed up for a new 3-year contract with the Customer Relations department, I was able to get something like this:

My iPhone 3-year contract (from Oct 2008):

250 weekday minutes
Unlimited evenings and weekends (starting at 9? PM)
unlimited incoming calls
caller id
100 Canadian long distance minutes
[system access fee and 9-11 included)

1GB e-mail & data plan

Total: $37.45 per month (+ tax)
[System access fee $6.95/month and 9-11 $0.50/month INCLUDED]

But that’s not the point of my blog post. The point of my blog post is to talk about the new iPhone OS 3.0 (firmware) update that was just released today (June 17th, 2009) at 1PM EST.

I’m most excited about the improved Javascript speed and Safari browser enhancements… AND the ability to “tether” your iPhone to your computer.  Basically, that lets you use either a USB cable or Bluetooth to connect your iPhone to your laptop (or desktop) and browse the Internet using your computer from wherever your iPhone gets a cell signal!  Amazing!

Reports say that for us Rogers customers here in Canada with iPhones and a data plan of 1GB or more (prior to June 8th, 2009), we will have tethering free until the end of the year.  I phoned up Rogers support and they told me that I have a 6-month credit for tethering, which works out to the end of the year.  For new Rogers customers signing up with 1GB or larger data plans from June 8th till Dec 31st, they get tethering free as part of their data plan.  I have a hunch they will try to charge us older customers for tethering come 2010. (grr)

Here is one speed test I ran from speedtest.net – it measured a 1.78 Mb/s (that’s about 227.84 kB/s) download speed and a 0.33 Mb/s (42.24 kB/s) upload speed.  *Note: Mb/s is not megabytes (MB) per second – it’s megabits per second.  kB/s is kiloBYTES per second.  The capital ‘B‘ makes all the difference. P.S. there are 8 bits in one byte.

Quick side note: I don’t think your usage statistics in your iPhone take into account data use while tethered.  If this is true, that makes it really hard to keep track of tethered data usage (which is way higher on average than browsing off your mobile device)

If you’re wondering how to update your iPhone to OS version 3.0 and enable tethering:

1. Connect your iPhone to iTunes (version 8.2 or newer)
2. Update the firmware to 3.0
3. Say ‘yes’ to the new Rogers carrier update (it’s a 10kB .ipcc in case you were curious)
   You can check that under Settings>General>About, that the “Carrier” item says Rogers 4.1
4. Go into Settings>General>Network>Internet Tethering and select ON
   I prefer to use USB only because it charges my iPhone, is theoretically faster, and because my laptop doesn’t even have Bluetooth

If you’re a Windows user, Windows should automatically recognize your iPhone as a new ethernet device and you will be able to start surfing!  If you’re a Mac user, you might want to read this.  Here’s the strange thing, though – when I check my Windows Task Manager (or the properties of my iPhone ethernet connection), it says that the Link Speed is 500kbps.  That’s slower than what my 3G iPhone can do, and it’s slower than what speedtest.net measured my tethering speed through my iPhone to be.  Theoretically speaking, the Link Speed is the maximum speed that I can get through that connection, so it’s weird that I measured at 1.78Mb/s (i.e. ~1823 kbps) which is much higher than my 500 kbps Link Speed.  I’m more inclined to believe the speedtest.net result because that’s similar to what other iPhone tethering users have experienced, and I know my USB 2.0 connection is capable of 480Mbps (~491,520 kbps).  Even the old USB 1.1 standard is capable of 11Mbps.

Anyhoo, there are a ton of other improvements with the iPhone OS 3.0 update (click here).  Most of them are pretty cool, but pretty minor.  A huge thing that a lot of us have been waiting for is the ability to COPY & PASTE.  Blackberries have been able to do that since forever, lol, but iPhone users have had to wait a couple of years.  I’m more excited about the handy new built-in app to record voice memos and the ability to search through everything stored on your iPhone, including contacts, e-mails, and notes!

I have a suggestion…

If you go to Global TV’s video site – http://www.globaltv.com/entertainment/videos/index.html – and click under Specials > Hip 2B Holy, you’ll find a really good documentary on the “evangelical” Christian movement in Canada.  It’s decently comprehensive and balanced, and it’s suprisingly Canadian, too   And it’s beautifully put together, as well.

P.S. I’m back from Malawi!

Thoughtful musings on the BSG finale

Our generation is seeking purpose.  It is seeking meaning to life.

It is looking for the “right” in right & wrong.  It is wanting for there to be a history as to where we came from, a transcendent reason for why we should live out each day in the present.  It is secretly yearning for there to be a spiritual hand to guide us into a prepared future – a future well-intentioned for its recipients.

It is aching for relationship, for love, for security.  For someone that will value you, who will delight in you – even after the darkest, most shameful recesses of your own soul are revealed for all to see.

It is longing for rest.  To finally be at home.

—-

And all of that was affirmed (in my opinion) after watching the 2-hour Battlestar Galactica series finale (”Daybreak”).

It seems that my generation is looking for all of those things I just mentioned.  And yet, much of this same generation will deny those very same things – that there is any true meaning, or an actual right & wrong; that there’s anything transcendent to this material universe.  It denies that we’re anything more biological machines responding to environmental, social, and other stimuli.  Our generation will often say that it doesn’t even want or need anything more than this to be happy.  But every once in awhile, a walking paradox like Battlestar Galactica comes along to poke a very painful finger into our hearts.  Painful, because we are very tender when it comes to the area of unfulfilled longings and the lack of meaning in life.  We never want to acknowledge it, nor ever be forced to think about it.

I wish I were able to explain to you how our humanity actually does have a story.  One that is similar to the tale told by BSG, except a few of the sci-fi elements (and less one Gaius Baltar) This instead is a story which is big enough to have room for purpose & meaning.  Rightful ideals and loving relationship.  Destiny and security.

And yes, it finally does lead to home.

Evan R wrote…

“The scene you shot pictures of just appeared in tonight’s BSG episode (3/13/09).” (see original comment)

Cool!  Thanks for the heads up, Evan R!  I’m definitely going to watch today’s episode this weekend on watch.spacecast.com (It’s part 1 of the 3 part ending of the series)

For those wondering, Evan was referring to the photos I shot at SFU last year when I caught some filming of Battlestar Galactica on campus

ESV Study Bible online – free access during March

You can access the entire ESV Study Bible online free during the month of March.  I meant to blog about this earlier, but I never got around to it.  So if you’ve never gotten a chance to use it, what are you waiting for?

Click here: http://www.esvstudybible.org/search

Note: The entire book of Matthew has been free online ever since the ESV Study Bible site’s launch, kind of as a trial sample.  So that should still be available after March.

888 unread e-mails… (and counting)

Yup.  A month and a half ago, it was at 777 e-mails.  Also known as a/the number of completeness in Biblical terms.  Now it’s at 888 e-mails, which is a number of prosperity for the Chinese (or is it only the Cantonese?).

Either way, it’s a lot of e-mails.

So somebody stole ~$480 from me

Well, basically my Coast Capital Savings ATM card got compromised, somehow.  (this is the second time!)

Apparently somebody duplicated it (perhaps without actually having to actually be in contact with my real card), cracked the PIN, and withdrew the $400 max amount you can do so in a day.  This has happened once before, like half a year ago.  An interesting part is that this time they managed to withdraw $80 more on the same day, I think, too.  Anyways, CCS froze my card and I didn’t notice it until today when I tried to access online banking.  I guess this is what happens when you don’t use a particular debit card for half a month (that’s how long ago this happened).

I’m not too concerned, because other than the inconvenience of having to get a replacement card mailed to me and filling out the forms that say that I didn’ t actually make the withdrawal(s), I’m not going to lose anything.  It makes me think about how people would generally react if money was taken from them, though.

One particular thing I would say doesn’t seem to “bother” me too much is holding on to my money or material things.  Relatively speaking, anyways.  It’s hard to tell, because it’s hard to compare myself with the “average” person (what’s he/she supposed to be like?), but I will say that a natural reaction of mine if I ever find out that I will have more money coming to me, or an increase in pay, is usually: 1) this means more savings; and 2) this means I can give more to others.  The two are tied together in my head, I guess.  I say this at the risk of sounding self-congratulatory, because I think it’s worth putting out there – that perhaps each of us ought to be thinking less about how we can spend on ourselves but rather how we can give more in ways that are important and meaningful.

The reason I’m writing like this is because I am regularly “convicted” or impressed upon by the realization that I am filthy rich.  Currently, I’m earning a full-time minimum wage, but minimum wage in Ontario (and the whole of Canada) is still inconceivably high compared to what the average person earns in much of the world (think along the lines of a couple dollars a day).  Given my current expenses, I’m actually able to save money.  Now, to put this into some perspective, there’s a figure that’s been thrown around a lot about the need for clean water…

Apparently, $1 can provide a person with desperately needed clean drinking water for a year.

This is a stat I’ve heard from a lot of groups, such as Blood:Water mission and charity: water, etc.  I tried to find some basis for this figure, and one simple illustration of how one dollar can potentially save a life can be found on this page – simply put, if you build a $5,000 well in Latin America or a $15,000 deep well in Africa, it will provide enough clean water so as to average out to $1 per person per year.  The reason this is a big deal is because tainted water is one of the biggest killers in the world, especially of children.  It’s not the actual water that kills, but it’s the parasites and microorganisms that live in tainted water.  One statistic says that 1.8 million children die each year of diarrhea.  This doesn’t even count the whole familes that are sick with intestinal bugs and what not from the water they’re drinking, which renders them unable to be productive.  Women and young girls often times walk for hours every day just to get tainted water for their families that is making them sick.  But they have to, because it’s either be sick or die.  You need water.  (For a short page that explains a bit more about how dirty water kills people – click here)

I’m just going to stop here for the time being.  I was hoping this post would get us thinking about what’s truly important in the world, and what it means to be unselfish and more like Jesus.  I do think the most important need in the world is to be reconciled with God – to finally lay down our weapons, so to speak, and gain peace with Him through the forgiveness offered in Jesus Christ.  That’s infinitely more important than dying physically here on this Earth, whether it’s in the 1st world or the 3rd world.  But at the same time, if we truly know God in a personal way, then we can’t help but care about those who need help when we are able to help them.  In all things, I’m a big advocate of baby steps.  Just because you feel like you can’t do everything doesn’t mean you can’t do something.

Because ultimately, this fits into God’s plan for all of us who are His children – that we would know Him, delight in Him, and be changed by Him such that the whole world knows He is good and holy.

Acting like you’re married

What do you think?  Do you think it’s a problem to act like you’re married when you’re not?  Even if you’re dating?

I guess this question is tied to the question of whether you will regret how much of your heart (physically/emotionally/spiritually) you’ve given to the person you’re dating if you ever break up and end up being married to someone else.

What do you think?  Is this a legitimate, inescapable fact that all dating couples need to keep in mind?  Or is it actually no big deal – that it’s just a natural part of getting to know different people on the journey to finding/developing your spouse?

Feel free to be as theoretical or as specific in your ponderings/thoughts as you want.

Song of Solomon 8:4
“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” (ESV)

Stranger Than Fiction

Psalm 139

139:1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
(ESV)

I just finished watching the movie, Stranger Than Fiction.  It wasn’t quite what I expected, but it was much better than I thought it would be (minus a few moderately sketchy parts).

The movie is basically about an IRS tax agent, Harold Crick (played by Will Farrell), who suddenly has his life invaded by a female narrator’s voice that begins to detail his every action and describe even his innermost thoughts.  I’ll try not to spoil the movie for you, but it basically ends up blending the themes of what your life would be like if it was guided by an author (destiny), what it means to live a meaningful life, and what it means to “save” a person.

13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
(ESV, emphasis added)

Oh, what it would be like if there was really an Author who was as intimately acquainted with your life as the narrator was in Fiction.  Imagine if one was saved from the mundane meaninglessness of life not by a new love interest, nor simply by trying to do “good”.  Imagine if one were rescued from the inevitability and dominion of death, not by a renewed vigor to live out our limited set of days with more “enjoyment” (but doomed to the same, unrelenting end as has faced everyone before)–but rather, imagine if there really was a Narrator to our life, one who is true and good, and artful beyond even the best of our imaginations.  Yes, He is true, He is for us, and He has clued us in on the story.  This is why we can trust Him.

the truth is indeed stranger than fiction.