waking up

Nate Chan is hilarious… he just said this:

“I don’t care to hang out with guys too much… I mean, what are we gonna talk about? ‘Oh, I like girls; oh, I like music; oh, I like sports.’ Shoot, I’ll just talk to myself.”

So I told myself I would do a post on each of my family members eventually, so right now seems like a good time since my Dad just turned 58 yesterday.

So, how can I sum up my dad? He is a wise man, physically strong, and hard working as hell. His hands are tough as nails. I hope one day I will be half as hard-working as he is… I would take over the world. He wants to be a pastor, and is currently interning at EBAC as he finishes up seminary.

My dad has an edginess to him, not really afraid to speak the truth. He never asks for much, and is not afraid to try new things. He loves to talk, laughs quietly, and dances by himself if a good mo-town or soul hit comes up on his playlist. He will dance behind my mom when she is doing the dishes, shamelessly. And he Oh yeah, he listens to Pink Floyd, Santana, Eric Clapton, the Beatles, and Queen Latifah (the album where she sings covers) when he is on his laptop preparing sermons or writing seminary papers.
He loves spicy food, and consistently cooks the best Chinese food I’ve ever had (my mom makes great Chinese food, too, but is more all-around with her style). Ma Po Tofu, Dan Dan Mien, Ma La Hot Pot, all from scratch! He has turned our backyard jungle into an impressive garden that produces roses, various fruit, garlic, and of course, chili peppers. He sports a pink sweater vest, wears yellow shirts, and loves to wear Polos. He’s got a funny sense of style when it comes to colors… sorta Don Johnson-esque.

My dad is the oldest of four brothers, brought up in a pretty strict household. It was tough times for him as a student, because he had severe ADHD, although it wasn’t diagnosed he was forty-something. His parents weren’t very
forgiving. He also had terrible asthma, and back then, they had no fast-acting inhalers. He had to get giant shots at the hospital when it got really bad, but most nights he would just sleep on his knees with his face in his hands. He fell in love with American music in his young adult days, and married the wrong woman. Later on, he came to the states, and pursued my mom, who eventually gave in. He married again, and my brother came right away. Along the way, he turned to give his life to Christ (1990, I believe).

My dad worked several random jobs at different points in time (bus boy, street vendor), and eventually took a huge risk and started up his own shoe company. In Motion it was called, and it was centered around a pretty great product: washable leather shoes. They were casual (again, Don Johnson), and should have been popular. He invented a few things, patented some of his processes, and ran it for several years. Northern Exposure even wanted to use his stuff (remember that show?). Anyway, it all tanked, and my dad hit what he calls his lowest point. Wrestling with the weight of the failure of the business, money becoming a nightmare, and the confusion of it all was crushing. He even got jacked by another company that made him drive to LA every week to work, and never got paid. It was in all the darkness, in this desperate hour of need, that he sensed God spoke to him three times. God told him that he was made fearfully and wonderfully and that he was a beautiful creation, and that God alone had the right to be angry about injustice because of the Cross.

This is the type of person my dad is… has seen rough times but remains humble, impulsive but a dreamer. He loves his wife, he loves his family, and he loves the Church. He also snores really loud.

Have you ever wondered why David Crowder*Band seemed to sport the asterisk in their name? It seems like it is everywhere (although somewhat inconsistent)–it’s on books, t-shirts, rave cards, and all the CD inserts–even just DC*B a lot of the time. When I first noticed this, I became intrigued… but not nearly curious enough to search for answers.

Nevertheless, I found my answer. I actually stumbled upon this idea way back in my first year at UCLA, maybe 2002ish when I first got a copy of All I Can Say.

Check it out: in All I Can Say, the UBC Band (one album before they transformed into the new lineup and the new name of DC*B) willfully puts the acoustic rendition of “Come Thou Fount” at track number thirty-four, after the last song at number eleven. This means tracks 12-33 are silent, filler tracks. And wouldn’t you know it? The Dave Matthews Band (a.k.a., the DMB) released an album a while before this, called Under the Table and Dreaming and yep, you guessed it, there are thirty-four tracks on this one with tracks 12-33 serving as silent tracks. Dave Matthews wrote a 34th untitled track and decided to put it in its right place on the album… David Crowder’s reasoning? To IMITATE Dave Matthews.

Add on top of that the Matthews-esque acoustic guitar riffs in Make a Joyful Noise/I Will Not Be Silent, Rain Down, and God of Creation, and there you have it, case-closed… DC*B is a joke on DMB. Both are extremely unoriginal band names, and both bands are self-effacing about it as well.

Anyway, I deserve a good reader award or something.  This is what I get for being bored at 2AM.

I have officially switched from Blogspot to WordPress.  All my old entries are available here for your entertainment.

I have followed the work of artist, Sam Brown for a few years now… His site is called Exploding Dog.  Describing his style before you view it, kinda spoil it. It’s stupidly brilliant, I’d say…  Just look.

He does this bit of art where he will take captions from you, and using the caption as a creative prompt, will draw something. I sent him one just for fun, and he got to it within a few days.

It’s called, “I Want to Believe You.”