Spring Break

Spring break started off bad, but ended great! I spent many nights up... (confessions) watching Taiwanese dramas. >.< For those that are wondering which ones, they're Down With Love and Autumn Concerto. I became a big fan of the actors in those shows: Ella Chen from S.H.E (Taiwanese girl singing group) and Vanness Wu (who's an out-spoken Christian and Taiwanese American). I began to really miss Taiwan watching those shows. I also found myself wondering "what if I was like all the ABT (American born Taiwanese) celebrities that go back to Taiwan and become famous? That'd be awesome!" I dont think I can pull off singing, but dancing i can do! It was fun thinking about it, but it was all very self centered. none of that daydreaming had glorifying God in mind. Through this daydreaming, however, two things dawned on me: 1.) Why I am Taiwanese American and 2.) Why I am a Christian.

1.) In watching the Taiwanese dramas, I realized there were many Taiwanese jokes that no matter how good of a job the translators of mysoju.com does, non-taiwanese people just won't understand. Similarly, there are Korean jokes, phrases, sayings, that I'll just never be able to understand in Korean dramas. But, in any case, I felt unique as a Taiwanese American to be able to understand the subtle humour of the Taiwanese drama. Also, a movie called Formosa Betrayed came out during break. The movie was heavily supported by the Taiwanese community across America. My friend, Jon Lee, was the associate producer of the film, which starred James Van Der Beek (better known as Dawson) and Will Tiao (also producer and writer). The film is a political thriller that examines the history behind the tension between China and Taiwan, and China-Taiwan-US relations. It's really interesting. I dont have the time to go into it right now, but yall just gotta go see it. I can more confidently say I am Taiwanese American, and not Chinese. However, it's hard to say that without that background voice saying "and therefore I am better." That's still something I need to fight against. This issue will come up in the future I'm sure.

2.) Staying up to 4, 5,6 am on some nights watching the dramas made me feel sick the next day. not literally, but knowing that I had wasted my life. Mysoju.com admits to "feed your drama addiction." and that's exactly what I felt like, a drama addict. I was chained by it, I couldn't keep myself from not watching. I'm not saying that watching dramas is always bad. But for me, given the time and other circumstances, I was sinning. I was not living for the purposes of God. I was consumed in my own desires, not willing to let it go. Consumed in fantasy, even daydreaming about the episodes I had watched the next day, scenes that interrupt even my prayer times to God. In that, Satan really used it to distract me from God, my family, and my schoolwork. When that starts happening, I knew I wasn't glorifying God, nor living purposefully for Him. What finally saved me from this addiction? Kingdom perspective. I visited my old church this past Sunday and I was really convicted by Hans' message during (and after) service, and Irene's Sunday school lesson. I'm ALWAYS encouraged by them whenever I go back to visit. they're just one of those ppl you wanna be around cuz... you learned from them, their words, their actions, everything about them, you know they're trying to live for God, and they're attempt to live for God in everyway (their marraige, raising Emeth, serving at church, finishing school) is so beautiful. In a few sentences, the message was about living for the kingdom of Heaven. I tried to explain this in a non-Christiany lingo to a friend today, but it was realllly hard. So I'll try again here. Living for the Kingdom of Heaven means, in simpler terms, living for Jesus! haha. Let me explain.... next time!