Books Taylor Read Oct 2010

1. Screaming Mummies (the Tales from Binnicula)
2. Two Bionicle books

New Books to Read:

1. Mossflower (Prequel to Redwall)
Brian Jacques

2. Redwall book 1

Triumph

Jesus made provision for our victory (Colossians 2:15): "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it".

Mom was my example.

Praise Him, I won a battle yesterday in Novotel Toronto Center, triumphing over temptation of the flesh when I was alone.

Devotion today, from Dad's house in Ottawa

Tozer's writing is ever so powerful:

Whitewashed World

The twilight in which many (or should we say most?) believers walk today is not caused by any vagueness on the part of the Bible. Nothing could be clearer than the pronouncements of the Scriptures on the Christian's relation to the world. The confusion that gathers around this matter results from the unwillingness of professing Christians to take the Word of the Lord seriously. Christianity is so entangled with the world that millions never guess how radically they have missed the New Testament pattern. Compromise is everywhere. The world is whitewashed just enough to pass inspection by blind men posing as believers, and those same believers are everlastingly seeking to gain acceptance with the world. By mutual concessions men who call themselves Christians manage to get on with men who have for the things of God nothing but quiet contempt.

Taylor Reading List for Sep 2010 to Dec 2010

1. Airmail to the Moon
2. The Dangerous Book for Boys
3. Bicycle Man (by Allen Say)

Tracy 2010 Goals

This list was originally created in an email dated Jan 1, 2010:

1. promise to be nicer to people
2. promise to go to bed 15 minutes earlier than last year 10:15

3. promise to do my Chinese homework because I did not do all

4. promise to keep a record of money I get and money I spend

5. promise to spend less time on tv and wii and computer, more time reading and playing with Taylor, coaching him mindstorm nxt

6. promise to pray before meals in Chinese

7. promise to take a shower at least twice a week

8. I will not fight with Taylor more than once a week

9. tbd

Re-thinking RRSP strategy

Currently I have about $29K in XIC.to (TSX Capped Index ETF) and $23K in XMA.to (TSX Material ETF).

Material ETF is probably too risky in the long run, but on the plus side, it is a play on the economic boom in China and India.

Another option is to move 50% of the Material ETF, or $12K, to one of the following mutual funds:

1. TD Monthly Income - ITDB622 10 year annualized return of 9%, exp ratio of 1.4%.
2. PH&N Total Return Bond DPHN340


See https://webbrokercpo.tdwaterhouse.ca/InfositeTransferIn?Greeting=+&Language=E&SessionHost=https%3A%2F%2Fwebbrokercpo.tdwaterhouse.ca%2F&RequestedPage=WMR&Topic=&QuickLinks=WBL!WTR!WMR&ServerID=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tdcanadatrust.com%2F%2Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.tdwaterhouse.ca%2F&QuickQuote=&referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tdwaterhouse.ca%2Fservlet%2Fcom.td.infosite.servlet.InfositeServlet

Trip to my Home Town: Longquan Township in Chengdu

Yesterday my wife Shuyi and I visited Longquan township.
The primary purpose was to take care of my father's retirement account, in care of Mr. Zhao Youngzhi and his wife, Auntie Wei.

The last trip to Longquan I took was 2006. This time, a lot has changed.

A few observations are as follows:
1. There are now at least one ring road around Longquan.
2. Within Longquan, there are more than one local buses.
3. Bus to downtown Chengdu ends 8:00pm and costs YMB $2. It is too early in my mind. For example, we had to take a taxi, YMB $60 at 8:30pm.

Sunday Aug 29 Weekly Planning

I am vacationing in Taipei for a week now. Left Seattle Sat. Aug 21, to come here via LAX.

On first day in Taipei, I took the kids to Page-1 bookstore in Taipei-101. There I read some books and bought two. Key take-away was: it is good for the long run to be critical of my kids. Let them fail early and learn to re-group.

The next day we went to I-Nan, 南方澳, for sea food and cold-spring baths.

Starting Thursday, I began to feel sick, because of the hot and humid weather. The worst part is sleeping under the fan all night. The uneven temperatures caused me running nose, sour throat and headaches.

On Friday, Shuyi suggested that I work during the day at the Taipei QCT office. I needed to use the printer and the scanner in the office for some financial documents that Jean Kao asked for, so I went there.

The QCT office is next to Taipei 101, no the 21st floor.

His hope lay in his own defeat

Today's Tozer Devotion is very much worth sharing with my friend:



His hope lay in his own defeat. This he did not know at the setting of day, but had learned before the rising of the sun. All night he resisted God until in kindness God touched the hollow of his thigh and won the victory over him. It was only after he had gone down to humiliating defeat that he began to feel the joy of release from his own evil strength, the delight of God's conquest over him. Then he cried aloud for the blessing and refused to let go till it came. It had been a long fight, but for God (and for reasons known only to Him) Jacob had been worth the effort. Now he became another man, the stubborn and self-willed rebel was turned into a meek and dignified friend of God. He had "prevailed" indeed, but through weakness, not through strength.

Today is our 12th wedding anniversary

This is the kind of cabin we spent honeymoon at.

What reminds me also? Tozer's words: We need to have taken from our dying hand the shadow scepter with which we fancy we rule the world.

I sent the following to a friend:

Today's devotion from Wisdom For Today 8/15 is just what you and I talked about, regarding your new work project.

I summarize below.

When you face uncertainty or frightening situations, remind yourself to:

1. Pray. Prayer changes things. Sometimes, the thing that needs changing the most is our attitude. Prayer also gives us the strength to endure a trial and the capacity to accept it.
2. Reason. Realize that God loves you supremely and is working out His eternal plan in your life. His plan may bring temporary pain, but it will also bring eternal good.
3. Thirdly, commit. "Have Your way, Lord. Use my life to bring glory to Your name.".

Return to the Hostel Int'l Jerico Beach Vancouver

Last night after dropping off Victor Wong to Coquitlum, I came to the place I stayed 22 years ago, the Hostel Int'l at Jerico Beach Vancouver.

I also re-visited the old places at UBC. I stayed at place vanier for quite a while, fond of the winter snowy memories.

To Ruhua

I came across Tozer's words. I love to share with Ruhua:

http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fcmalliance.org%2Frss%2Ftozer

"God has made us in His likeness, and one mark of that likeness is our free will. We hear God say, "Whosoever will, let him come." We know by bitter experience the woe of an unsurrendered will and the blessedness or terror that may hang upon our human choice. But back of all this and preceding it is the sovereign right of God to call saints and determine human destinies. The master choice is His, the secondary choice is ours. Salvation is from our side a choice, from the divine side it is a seizing upon, an apprehending, a conquest by the Most High God. Our "accepting" and "willing" are reactions rather than actions. The right of determination must always remain with God."

It Seems to be Bald Eagle at Lake Quinault

At 7:30am I saw eagle which seems to be bald eagle like this

Loneliness in Seattle, Cherry Street Coffee House (at 1st Ave)

I'm lonely in Seattle, waiting for my love to fly to SeaTac airport in an hour.

Reading Tozer Devotional struck me dumb-founded: I am not lonely if I am not a "pro tem atheist".

"We are each like a little child lost in a crowded market, who has strayed but a few feet from its mother, yet because she cannot be seen, the child is inconsolable."

Tozer Devotions Divine Conquest 7/17/2010

爱你更深 More Love To Thee

Piano solo touched me by Edward Shaw here:

http://fc.5sing.com/1784077.html

愛主更深

　

1)我願深切愛主，比前更深！我今誠心屈膝，求主垂聽；

我願深切愛主，比前更深！我今誠心屈膝，求主垂聽；

低頭祈禱深誓：從此更愛我主，愛主更深，愛主更深！

　

2)

從前貪愛世俗，單顧己身，今日所愛惟你，如愛奇珍：

為此懇求天父：使我深愛我主，愛主更深，愛主更深！

　

3)

即或死亡將臨，一息尚存，我仍呻吟求告，望主賜恩：

使我進入天府：永遠深愛我主，愛主更深，愛主更深！

　

Leader Characters from Harvard Management Review

建立人格

哈佛管理世界中有這樣一篇短文 一、沉穩 （1）不要隨便顯露你的情緒。 （2）不要逢人就訴說你的困難和遭遇。 （3）在徵詢別人的意見之前，自己先思考，但不要先講。 （4）不要一有機會就嘮叨你的不滿。 　 （5）重要的決定儘量跟別人商量，最好隔一天再發佈。 （6）講話不要有任何的慌張，走路也是。 二、細心 （1）對身邊發生的事情，常思考它們的因果關係。 （2）對做不到位的執行問題，要發掘它們的根本癥結。 （3）對習以為常的做事方法，要有改進或優化的建議。 （4）做什麼事情都要養成有條不紊和井然有序的習慣。 　 　 （5）經常去找幾個別人看不出來的毛病或弊端。 （6）自己要隨時隨地對有所不足的地方補位。 三、膽識 （1）不要常用缺乏自信的詞句 （2）不要常常反悔，輕易推翻已經決定的事。 （3）在眾人爭執不休時，不要沒有主見。 （4）整體氛圍低落時，你要樂觀、陽光。 　 　（5）做任何事情都要用心，因為有人在看著你。 （6）事情不順的時候，歇口氣，重新尋找突破口，就是結束也要乾淨俐落。 四、大度 （1）不要刻意把有可能是夥伴的人變成對手。 （2）對別人的小過失、小錯誤不要斤斤計較。 （3）在金錢上要大方，學習捨財、佈道、大無畏。 　 （4）不要有權力的傲慢和知識的偏見。 （5）任何成果和成就都應和別人分享。 （6）必須有人犧牲或奉獻的時候，自己走在前面。 五、誠信 （1）做不到的事情不要說，說了就努力做到。 （2）虛的口號或標語不要常掛嘴上。 （3）針對客戶提出的「不誠信」問題，拿出改善的方法。 　（4）停止一切「不道德」的手段。 （5）耍弄小聰明，要不得！ （6）計算一下產品或服務的誠信代價，那就是品牌成本。 六、擔當 （1）檢討任何過失的時候，先從自身或自己人開始反省。 （2）事項結束後，先審查過錯，再列述功勞。 （3）認錯從上級開始，表功從下級啟動。 （4）著手一個計畫，先將權責界定清楚，而且分配得當。 （5）對「怕事」的人或組織要挑明了說。