Chinese Tea Ceremony

As most of you know, I do not consider myself Chinese. I am a Chinese American. With that being said, this Saturday I am attending my friend's (Andrew) wedding and they have asked me to partake in their Chinese Tea Ceremony. I have NEVER attended a tea ceremony but I know that the following is true:

1. There will not be any boba.
2. You will not see a bunch of high school aged smokers "hanging out" (like what you see at Lollicup).
3. It'll be a splendid affair unlike the Boston Tea Party!
4. I don't have to bring my own (Lipton) tea bags.
5. Mr. T will not be there (okay, this is down right corny).

Congratulations Andrew and welcome to the world of marriage!

Dating Non-Christians

Pastor Ken is the head pastor at Evergreen LA and in his blog entitled, "Is Dating the Same as Being Equally Yoked?", he wrote the following to validate the topic of dating non-Christians:

"I think it's wrong to talk/teach as if non-Christians are out to drag Christians away from their faith in Christ. I think the onus really is on the Christians, not the Non-Christians. If you can be pulled away from your Christian faith, then I question how much it meant to you."

"Another point: to be intellectually honest about this subject, more professed Christian couples are getting divorced these days than Non couples."

"Would I ever condone our daughter dating Non-Christians? We'd certainly be steering her towards dating Christians... "

I know that I wrote about this subject earlier this year, but to me when Christians, especially pastors, do not follow the Word of God, it's frustrating and downright sad. Regarding the 1st paragraph, Satan is always on the attack and will use people (boyfriends/girlfriends) to pull you from your faith. You can never be too careful. This is why it's important to have a boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse to be a believer, not to mention a Biblically-sound one, so that he/she can encourage you and help you fight and resist the Evil One. Regarding the 2nd paragraph, this divorce rate is a disturbing fact, but it doesn't condone dating non-Christians. It merely states that Christian couples are very much succeptable to divorce and should be on their guard. Christian couples must strengthen their relationship with God, who will then in turn strengthen their marriage. Regarding the 3rd paragraph, the correct answer should be "I will always love her for the person God has created her to be and will teach her that she should ONLY pursue Godly relationships in her dating life."

Needless to say, I'm glad that I no longer attend this church.

Kevin Garnett

My 3rd and final blog of today: KG for Odom, Bynum, Kwame, and the #19 pick. '07 - '08 starting line-up:
SG: Kobe
PG: Farmar or a free agent
SF: Walton
PF: KG
C: Mihm

Balls of Fury

Coming soon on 8-31-07 to a theatre near you is "Balls of Fury". Now why am I writing about this for the 2nd time this year? Because, my uncle, James Hong, is in this movie. Click here and you will see him (he is the first person on the left-hand side). Cool, huh? ... Well, the preview may look kind of corny but it made me chuckle a few times. In September, I will support my uncle!

Free Jamba Juice

Click here for a buy 1 get 1 free coupon for a free smoothie. Expires on Independence Day so use it while supplies last.

Trade Kobe?

If the Lakers can get fair market value, I think we should trade Kobe. Since the Clippers wanted him so badly, let's get Elton Brand and Corey Maggette. Since Dallas wants him, let's get Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki. Since Indiana stunk last year, let's get Jermaine O'Neal and Mike Dunleavy. I think the Lakers should be composed of players who actually want to play for the team. NBA players are making millions of dollars so they shouldn't have anything to complain about. Just goes to show us that money is not the answer to everything. The love of it often times makes things worst.

Say Cheese!

About 2 months ago I was complaining that my teeth look so yellow. Years of drinking tea and coffee does wonders to my molars. My former co-worker told me to use Crest Whitener and, lo and behold, it works! I wouldn't say that my teeth are as white as snow, but it sure looks a whole lot better than before. Now, with confidence I can smile again!

"It never takes a second chance to make a good impression." Oh wait, I'm married. =) hee hee

Paris Behind Bars

I logged onto Yahoo and saw "Paris back to jail?" Armida was telling me earlier today that Paris Hilton probably offered them $$$ to get out, which would not surprise me. Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Brittany Spears,... I'm glad that I am not a celebrity!

Cool Music Videos

Praise God for giving Asians such great vocal and instrumental talent. These songs on You Tube rock:

• Listen to Our Hearts
• More Than Words
• House of the Lord
• Power of Your Love

My dreams of being a boy band have been shattered. =) Actually, what's cool is that the last 2 songs are from a Christian boy band. Hopefully, they'll influence the lives of many. I hope so cuz they're gooooooood!

New Job

My new job is going well. It's much less stressful and slower-paced. I'm learning new things. It's even located near a Lighthouse Christian Bookstore - how cool is this!

Armida and I went shopping for new clothes. Working at Trader Joe's, I never had to buy dress pants. I bought my first dress pants in like 5 years. Yes, 5 years. This is NOT a typo. It's pretty cool cuz it's one of those modern ones with the pinstripes. Yes, this ChowDown now wears pinstripes. Just call me, ChowDownPimpin'. =) ha ha

What is a ChowDown?

I entitled my website "The Life of a ChowDown". What does "ChowDown" mean?

• The ignorant answer = I have no clue
• The dictionary answer = "Chow" means food. "Down" means towards the bottom. (Towards the bottom of the food chain???)
• The simple but yet made-up answer = Well, you see, many moons ago when I was a mere 5 years old I had to be a Chow. A "Chow" meant eating junk food, wetting my bed, playing outside, and pretending to fall asleep when my parents checked in at me at night. A "Chow" also meant learning calculus, bio-physics, and the concepts of predestination and free-will while eating my Co-Co Puffs and playing with my Legos. A tall feat to accomplish! If I didn't meet these goals, then I would be sent "Down" to the naughty chair. This "Chow" didn't want to be "Down" there. The naughty chair was custom built for me but had no place in my life. So the life of a "ChowDown" means that I (a "Chow") must avoid being "Down" on the naughty chair.
• The true answer = "Chow" is my origins and "Down" means that I am "down with Jesus" as my Savior.

Got it?

My New Site

Welcome to my new website. I've decided to switch sites cuz blogspot is easier to read/handle than geocities. You can still visit my old site by logging onto www.geocities.com/brandonmchow