just to give you an idea of how messed up arcadia's rankings are:
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection
A Class:
Kazuya
Law
Heihachi
Jack-5
B Class:
Asuka
Christie
Marduk
Nina
Julia
Yoshimitsu
Feng
Xiaoyu
Devil Jin
Paul
C Class:
Ganryu
Bryan
Steve
King
Raven
Anna
Wang
Lee
Lei
D Class:
Jin
Kuma/Panda
Baek
Hwoarang
Bruce
Roger
new characters aren't included in the list
aaand...
Virtua Fighter 4: Final Tuned
Top-High:
Kage
Jacky
Top-low:
Pai
Aoi
Mid-High:
Lau
Sara
Mid-Low:
Akira
Wolf
Lion
Low-High:
Vanessa
Brad
Shun
Low-Low:
Jeffry
Gou
Leifei
---
you can compare them to the korean tk5:dr rankings by looking in my march's diary posts...
i'm just including the vf4:ft rankings not b/c they're wack, but b/c i'm a big vf fan. fairly good, but vanessa should be a lot higher, ditto w/lei. shun should be slightly up. fairly good otherwise, IMO.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
i know pistons are PARTIALLY to blame, but sixers seriously did not look like they showed up wanting to play.
i consider myself a new skool jazz fan; i love the combination of okur, ak and boozer. and i am just STUNNED how ak can get so many blocks and steals in a game... IMO he is the best defensive player in the nba. i really enjoyed watching them fight the nuggets and win that game... they would probably face an early exit if they got into the playoffs at all, but i would love for them to make it.
is this a coincidence? that almost all the great defensive-minded coaches in the nba are the ones which are the hardest on their players? i mean, i can list exceptions(MAYBE chicago and detroit), but i think you understand. coaches aren't hired to teach effort. they're hired to teach technique and execution. but if you get up in them and drive them so they want to perform harder at least to shut you up, you can help reach into that effort capability. i say this b/c mo cheeks is very lax; we all know how lax the sixer's d is. doc rivers is very laid back; celtics aren't exactly the best defensive team either. rick charlisle does NOT take crap from his players; indiana constantly ranks amongst the best defensive teams in the league. ditto w/gregg poppavich. avery johnson doesn't have THE best defensive players, but he gets up in their grill, and it has shown with the increase in wins and defense(pushing aside the bogus losses, like the manhandle against the cavs yesterday). etc.
of course, we could cite the knicks. but that's different as well.
i consider myself a new skool jazz fan; i love the combination of okur, ak and boozer. and i am just STUNNED how ak can get so many blocks and steals in a game... IMO he is the best defensive player in the nba. i really enjoyed watching them fight the nuggets and win that game... they would probably face an early exit if they got into the playoffs at all, but i would love for them to make it.
is this a coincidence? that almost all the great defensive-minded coaches in the nba are the ones which are the hardest on their players? i mean, i can list exceptions(MAYBE chicago and detroit), but i think you understand. coaches aren't hired to teach effort. they're hired to teach technique and execution. but if you get up in them and drive them so they want to perform harder at least to shut you up, you can help reach into that effort capability. i say this b/c mo cheeks is very lax; we all know how lax the sixer's d is. doc rivers is very laid back; celtics aren't exactly the best defensive team either. rick charlisle does NOT take crap from his players; indiana constantly ranks amongst the best defensive teams in the league. ditto w/gregg poppavich. avery johnson doesn't have THE best defensive players, but he gets up in their grill, and it has shown with the increase in wins and defense(pushing aside the bogus losses, like the manhandle against the cavs yesterday). etc.
of course, we could cite the knicks. but that's different as well.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
today is the beginning of what will probably be an end to my college days...
let's hope i actually do things right this time around.
schedule doesn't look TOO bad; i'm just hoping i get an internship...
that, good grades, and getting a 1-2 yr science job would be great...
---
ucdavis bookstore actually sells a "ucdavis cowtipping team" baseball cap... got a few chuckles outta me... maybe i'll buy it someday later, heh heh.
---
i remembered once stopping @ a red light in ucdavis, and one of the cars opposite me was making a left turn. the passenger riding shotgun stuck his head out the window and opened a centerfold showing a woman's breasts showing it to the people outside of the car in sight and yelling something with a smile which i couldn't hear since my windows were rolled up... that got me dying with laughter. i look around and i'm seeing a woman pedestrian waiting at the crosswalk laughing too, and a female driver in the car next to me cracking her head off too, so i'm assuming this wasn't sexist. i dunno where i'm going with this, i just re-remembered this, and it was pretty funny.
---
remembered once seeing a top 10 on sportscenter, and it was women's ncaa basketball; one woman's attempting to take a wide-open 3, and a woman on the opposite team runs out to help and just SWATS the ball into the crowd... that was crazy... like a man-block.
---
i'm actually going to be trying watching ucla vs lsu this saturday for final four; ucla has actually concentrated upon defense a LOT this year with their head coach; they beat memphis, a high-scoring team by grinding it out. farmer chose to go to ucla b/c the coach was the ONLY one who approached him telling him if he went to ucla, they would teach him defense, and they would win a championship(as opposed to the 1000s of other coaches who told him he would be a star and lead the league in scoring). they surprised everybody by beating gonzaga with their defense. they have a decently deep team, and they concentrate upon the right stuff.
lsu is not as balanced, but again, i love them because of their great frontcourt; a rarity in college basketball these days. thomas and davis are like yin and yang; one's great b/c of his bulk, the other's great b/c of his athleticism. both are great defensively, but do things offensively as well. due to the fact that i started really loving the big guy positions(3-5) over the guards when i got into basketball for real, and you can understand why i like these guys so much. it's further augmented when you see that larry brown would REALLY like tyrus thomas to be on the knicks(not getting him though; i would like to see tyrus end up on the atlanta hawks, if not the warriors)
george mason and florida is also a great matchup, but sometimes i'm wondering if gm's getting too much attention now, and whether it might throw them off. so i'm not going to actually watch that game, but concentrate on lsu and ucla.
---
wizards whup on the kings, WITHOUT arenas... caron butler was on fire, daniels was rolling, etc... win by 13... sweeeeet... etan thomas sent a lotta shots back at the kings.
nets have been looking a LOT better as of late. they beat the pistons on their home court, and then handed suns their asses.
i'm still getting the feeling that detroit's not trying their hardest... not like in the beginning of the season. they haven't run away with home court advantage yet and secured it throughout, so i'm wondering why they're resting their starters more, as flip claims to be doing. though, if you want to rest your starters, it might be better to do it now, and then enter the playoffs with full steam, than to burn out the starters now, and then rest for a long period; you'd be shaky near the beginning of the playoffs, and it might cost you.
that said, you can't just say you want to WIN games and that they'll happen. i think that's something some people have to realize. it's something I have to realize at times. it is a matter of what your opponent is capable of during the game video reviews, what you're doing to counteract that capability, what your opponent does instead thinking what YOU'RE going to do to counteract THAT, and whether or not you or your opponent just has the shots falling. also effort. etc. to assume it's always up is wrong. that said, the better teams will have the odds fall their way more times than not. although we still cringe everytime we see an upset, but those should be more rare; in more cases, the better team will win, period.
---
the fact that we need to work hard in order to achieve things doesn't necessarily dispute the existance of a god predetermining everything in this world. the analogy seen to this in the Bible is one of a farmer who is trying to grow a crop. like a farmer, we can only provide the proper conditions for the seed to grow. we can plant it in good fertilized soil, provide it with adequate protection from predators, water it with the right amounts to give it moisture. but God still needs to provide adequate sunlight in order for you to produce a crop. else nothing will happen. (this idea was ALSO conveyed in Foster's Celebration of Discipline)
granted, this set of verses below which i got this idea were used to explain why God does everything, and why we shouldn't be under a certain church leader, like Paul or Apollos. but it still gives the same idea.
1st Corinthians:
{3:3} For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
{3:4} For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I [am] of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
{3:5} Who then is Paul, and who [is] Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
{3:6} I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
{3:7} So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
the thing that i'm still wrestling over with though, is couldn't God just give us the proper conditions for the seed and soil as well if he wanted us to do these things and we didn't, ie we didn't plant the seed? surely God does not wait upon us if we don't insist on planting and then we die and God goes "whoops."
but perhaps i'm diving too deep into this; the truth is that there's a multitude of factors that i'm probably not considering in this scenario. one of them could be that God needs to give us the desire to plant the seed. that is why we struggle in sin many times, because the desire and fortitude to conquer it did not come from God himself.
---
|
it's sorta like the arguments i've seen for why predestination exists; many Christians use Revelations 3:20 to support a free-will policy of Jesus' redemption:
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
So we see a cause and effect;
cause: we hear God's voice, effect: we open the door
cause: we open the door, effect: Jesus comes into our heart
But there are problems with that argument; the 1st is notice the original intent of this letter in Revelations; it wasn't to unbelievers; it was to the 7 churches. now if this letter was meant to support free will, why are you wasting valuable time and ink writing these words to churchgoers?
The 2nd is this; we haven't tackled the CAUSE of what leads to the EFFECT of us hearing God's voice, you see? Most Christians see this verse, and stop, thinking great! All I have to do is hear God's voice. The problem though is that the Bible has clearly stated that none can hear God's voice. God must make those he decides to save hear his voice.
|
---
So the point of that deviation was to show that in like vein, it probably isn't as simple as 1) we want to do God's will 2) we plant the seed and nurture it 3) God does the rest. but maybe more like 0) God plants the heart to want to do God's will.
let's hope i actually do things right this time around.
schedule doesn't look TOO bad; i'm just hoping i get an internship...
that, good grades, and getting a 1-2 yr science job would be great...
---
ucdavis bookstore actually sells a "ucdavis cowtipping team" baseball cap... got a few chuckles outta me... maybe i'll buy it someday later, heh heh.
---
i remembered once stopping @ a red light in ucdavis, and one of the cars opposite me was making a left turn. the passenger riding shotgun stuck his head out the window and opened a centerfold showing a woman's breasts showing it to the people outside of the car in sight and yelling something with a smile which i couldn't hear since my windows were rolled up... that got me dying with laughter. i look around and i'm seeing a woman pedestrian waiting at the crosswalk laughing too, and a female driver in the car next to me cracking her head off too, so i'm assuming this wasn't sexist. i dunno where i'm going with this, i just re-remembered this, and it was pretty funny.
---
remembered once seeing a top 10 on sportscenter, and it was women's ncaa basketball; one woman's attempting to take a wide-open 3, and a woman on the opposite team runs out to help and just SWATS the ball into the crowd... that was crazy... like a man-block.
---
i'm actually going to be trying watching ucla vs lsu this saturday for final four; ucla has actually concentrated upon defense a LOT this year with their head coach; they beat memphis, a high-scoring team by grinding it out. farmer chose to go to ucla b/c the coach was the ONLY one who approached him telling him if he went to ucla, they would teach him defense, and they would win a championship(as opposed to the 1000s of other coaches who told him he would be a star and lead the league in scoring). they surprised everybody by beating gonzaga with their defense. they have a decently deep team, and they concentrate upon the right stuff.
lsu is not as balanced, but again, i love them because of their great frontcourt; a rarity in college basketball these days. thomas and davis are like yin and yang; one's great b/c of his bulk, the other's great b/c of his athleticism. both are great defensively, but do things offensively as well. due to the fact that i started really loving the big guy positions(3-5) over the guards when i got into basketball for real, and you can understand why i like these guys so much. it's further augmented when you see that larry brown would REALLY like tyrus thomas to be on the knicks(not getting him though; i would like to see tyrus end up on the atlanta hawks, if not the warriors)
george mason and florida is also a great matchup, but sometimes i'm wondering if gm's getting too much attention now, and whether it might throw them off. so i'm not going to actually watch that game, but concentrate on lsu and ucla.
---
wizards whup on the kings, WITHOUT arenas... caron butler was on fire, daniels was rolling, etc... win by 13... sweeeeet... etan thomas sent a lotta shots back at the kings.
nets have been looking a LOT better as of late. they beat the pistons on their home court, and then handed suns their asses.
i'm still getting the feeling that detroit's not trying their hardest... not like in the beginning of the season. they haven't run away with home court advantage yet and secured it throughout, so i'm wondering why they're resting their starters more, as flip claims to be doing. though, if you want to rest your starters, it might be better to do it now, and then enter the playoffs with full steam, than to burn out the starters now, and then rest for a long period; you'd be shaky near the beginning of the playoffs, and it might cost you.
that said, you can't just say you want to WIN games and that they'll happen. i think that's something some people have to realize. it's something I have to realize at times. it is a matter of what your opponent is capable of during the game video reviews, what you're doing to counteract that capability, what your opponent does instead thinking what YOU'RE going to do to counteract THAT, and whether or not you or your opponent just has the shots falling. also effort. etc. to assume it's always up is wrong. that said, the better teams will have the odds fall their way more times than not. although we still cringe everytime we see an upset, but those should be more rare; in more cases, the better team will win, period.
---
the fact that we need to work hard in order to achieve things doesn't necessarily dispute the existance of a god predetermining everything in this world. the analogy seen to this in the Bible is one of a farmer who is trying to grow a crop. like a farmer, we can only provide the proper conditions for the seed to grow. we can plant it in good fertilized soil, provide it with adequate protection from predators, water it with the right amounts to give it moisture. but God still needs to provide adequate sunlight in order for you to produce a crop. else nothing will happen. (this idea was ALSO conveyed in Foster's Celebration of Discipline)
granted, this set of verses below which i got this idea were used to explain why God does everything, and why we shouldn't be under a certain church leader, like Paul or Apollos. but it still gives the same idea.
1st Corinthians:
{3:3} For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
{3:4} For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I [am] of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
{3:5} Who then is Paul, and who [is] Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
{3:6} I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
{3:7} So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
the thing that i'm still wrestling over with though, is couldn't God just give us the proper conditions for the seed and soil as well if he wanted us to do these things and we didn't, ie we didn't plant the seed? surely God does not wait upon us if we don't insist on planting and then we die and God goes "whoops."
but perhaps i'm diving too deep into this; the truth is that there's a multitude of factors that i'm probably not considering in this scenario. one of them could be that God needs to give us the desire to plant the seed. that is why we struggle in sin many times, because the desire and fortitude to conquer it did not come from God himself.
---
|
it's sorta like the arguments i've seen for why predestination exists; many Christians use Revelations 3:20 to support a free-will policy of Jesus' redemption:
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
So we see a cause and effect;
cause: we hear God's voice, effect: we open the door
cause: we open the door, effect: Jesus comes into our heart
But there are problems with that argument; the 1st is notice the original intent of this letter in Revelations; it wasn't to unbelievers; it was to the 7 churches. now if this letter was meant to support free will, why are you wasting valuable time and ink writing these words to churchgoers?
The 2nd is this; we haven't tackled the CAUSE of what leads to the EFFECT of us hearing God's voice, you see? Most Christians see this verse, and stop, thinking great! All I have to do is hear God's voice. The problem though is that the Bible has clearly stated that none can hear God's voice. God must make those he decides to save hear his voice.
|
---
So the point of that deviation was to show that in like vein, it probably isn't as simple as 1) we want to do God's will 2) we plant the seed and nurture it 3) God does the rest. but maybe more like 0) God plants the heart to want to do God's will.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
holla at cha boi...
defense really does win championships...
george mason is going to the final four.
---
pelican universal arcade stick is garbage compared to a real hori stick...
i got so used for the 1st on jon's ps2 playing ttt that i couldn't wavedash at all using the 2nd at tk5:dr at svgl.
could still do EWGF almost at will without any sidesteps, so that wasn't a problem.
devil jin looks good in tk5:dr; lost the ability to do a safe mid-level combo starter, but he can now low crush, which should take care of low punchers while he's wavedashing.
defense really does win championships...
george mason is going to the final four.
---
pelican universal arcade stick is garbage compared to a real hori stick...
i got so used for the 1st on jon's ps2 playing ttt that i couldn't wavedash at all using the 2nd at tk5:dr at svgl.
could still do EWGF almost at will without any sidesteps, so that wasn't a problem.
devil jin looks good in tk5:dr; lost the ability to do a safe mid-level combo starter, but he can now low crush, which should take care of low punchers while he's wavedashing.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
working on a leeching internet, so i gotta make my posts quick.
i'm not usually a close follower of ncaa bball; the main reason being, the players on a team change so quickly each year(nba changes quickly too, but at least there's more solidarity if you kinda get what i mean), and there's so many teams to follow, that many will slip under your nose. but i'm really liking two teams this year:
george mason and lsu.
i was totally impressed with the frontcourt of lsu today; glen davis' bulk kills everybody on both ends; he's so good offensively, and tremendous with the rebounds. and his buddy, tyrus thomas is equally dominant in the paint, but due to his athleticism instead of his bulk; not just a high flyer, but with the ability to catch many alley-oops, stuffing shots with his high hops, and good ability to get close buckets. screw guards and jacking up 3s; they totally won my support watching them take on the longhorns and win the game by their two bigs.
and george mason... man... surprising everybody. but i guess that's why people always say defense wins championships eh? we'll see what happens tomorrow against uconn.
i'm not usually a close follower of ncaa bball; the main reason being, the players on a team change so quickly each year(nba changes quickly too, but at least there's more solidarity if you kinda get what i mean), and there's so many teams to follow, that many will slip under your nose. but i'm really liking two teams this year:
george mason and lsu.
i was totally impressed with the frontcourt of lsu today; glen davis' bulk kills everybody on both ends; he's so good offensively, and tremendous with the rebounds. and his buddy, tyrus thomas is equally dominant in the paint, but due to his athleticism instead of his bulk; not just a high flyer, but with the ability to catch many alley-oops, stuffing shots with his high hops, and good ability to get close buckets. screw guards and jacking up 3s; they totally won my support watching them take on the longhorns and win the game by their two bigs.
and george mason... man... surprising everybody. but i guess that's why people always say defense wins championships eh? we'll see what happens tomorrow against uconn.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
fyi, in case you're wondering, i'll start working on my electric guitar skills and getting back to songwriting and putting up those songs on my other website once i'm done with ucdavis. it's been a LOOONG time but...
just thought i'd throw that out there;
it just seems that in between school, my kjv-onlyism projects, freetime spent on tekken and msm cg group, i just wouldn't have that much time to work on it.
but once i'm out of college for a year or two, i won't have internet at home, so i'll have a bit more free time to work on that.
btw, i'm thinking about getting this product; i saw it at fry's in sacramento:
iMIC
i also checked its reviews at harmonycentral.com and i like what i see; one of the cheaper ways to connect an input/output to your cpu and it bypasses most of the electronic equipment on your cpu, which eliminates the buzzing sound which would come out during recording or audio(guess why i would want to buy THAT?)
and when you compare it price-wise to all the other usb audio interface things and see that it's like 40 at fry's and everything else's 70 plus, i think you know why this is a good buy.
other usb output products
just thought i'd throw that out there;
it just seems that in between school, my kjv-onlyism projects, freetime spent on tekken and msm cg group, i just wouldn't have that much time to work on it.
but once i'm out of college for a year or two, i won't have internet at home, so i'll have a bit more free time to work on that.
btw, i'm thinking about getting this product; i saw it at fry's in sacramento:
iMIC
i also checked its reviews at harmonycentral.com and i like what i see; one of the cheaper ways to connect an input/output to your cpu and it bypasses most of the electronic equipment on your cpu, which eliminates the buzzing sound which would come out during recording or audio(guess why i would want to buy THAT?)
and when you compare it price-wise to all the other usb audio interface things and see that it's like 40 at fry's and everything else's 70 plus, i think you know why this is a good buy.
other usb output products
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Monday, March 20, 2006
sports all around has been so weird lately:
kings(since i'm forced to watch them and their DREADFUL commentators whenever i want to see bball) lose to pacers and twolves despite their recently good status (both were great games btw; fairly close. the indy crowds were just letting artest have it, and kg put up 37-10; not like the usual 20-10-ish stuff he did. i really like kg and his unselfishness, but he really has to decide whether he needs to carry the twolves on his back offensively by scoring more and get more wins, or get others involved, and make them better in the long run, but lose more.
heat are doing really good. so when they visit detroit, this'll really be a measuring stick for each team. detroit has seemed to lose that fire that they started with in the beginning of the season, while we are seeing miami at their best as of right now.
george mason beat north carolina... (gm has the #1 defense in ncaa this year others have said; i'm impressed)
blake beat rafael nadal... (this is sweet; some of his shots were just crazy; now if only he could beat roger federer)
wbc: korea beats japan, but us loses to mexico, so japan plays korea AGAIN, and hands them their asses(msm's not going to be happy). and oh yeah; cuba beats the dominican republic. and while the game isn't over, i'm pretty sure japan's going to win unless cuba pulls out a miracle. yep, matsui shouldn't have listened to george steinbrenner(i think i spelled his name wrong), and played; would've gotten a free medal or trophy or ring or what not.
aaaand... to's in dallas next season, NOT denver. i think this'll be interesting, b/c bill parcels really does not take crap from any player, and will throw it on the player. i was watching sportscenter, and they were interviewing all these players that played for him, and you get the sense that he does NOT take crap from any player. i know we aren't supposed to wish bad will towards others, but this will be interesting to see if TO actually sticks his neck out or not(there's probably a million ppl who wish he does... and then gets it cut off).
btw, be glad i'm not using xanga, b/c @ the frequencies that i put up new posts, i would constantly be near the top of every xanga thread i subscribe to.
---
not really related, but i wanted to say something about the nba... a lotta ppl say so-and-so player's great for the nba.
i want to say that i think larry brown is great for the nba.
there's a million things i could say about him; his simple, but effective gameplan(play the right way, be unselfish, play hard on both ends, share the ball, have fun, etc), but i'll concentrate on one aspect for this post:
he loves and respects the players that he plays with or against.
i mean, the guy had every right to talk down to stephon marbury. the guy does not try to play selflessly, he does not try to play defense, etc. he's basically a streetballer(and unlike allen iverson, who is also a streetballer, but meshed well with brown for the most part, does not try to work with brown) and when brown benches him against the hawks for the 4th quarter and the home crowd boos marbury, he feels so bad after the game that he speaks up and apologizes, and states that he'll try to work something out("no player should ever be booed by his home team" or something to that extent).
let's not forget the 20 second timeout he called when there were about 10 seconds left game 6 against the indiana pacers, and it was clear that reggie miller was going to retire without a ring. the minute miller goes out, brown calls time, then instead of drawing up a play in a huddle, walks into the middle of the court and proceeds to clap in respect of reggie. total class.
he also did something similar when he was a coach at philly when mj played his final game ever. called a timeout, proceeded to clap.
oh sure, he's not perfect. i think the way he coaches offense could use a bit more work, despite the right idea being there. but i think he's a more positive influence for this nba than other ppl give him respect for.
kings(since i'm forced to watch them and their DREADFUL commentators whenever i want to see bball) lose to pacers and twolves despite their recently good status (both were great games btw; fairly close. the indy crowds were just letting artest have it, and kg put up 37-10; not like the usual 20-10-ish stuff he did. i really like kg and his unselfishness, but he really has to decide whether he needs to carry the twolves on his back offensively by scoring more and get more wins, or get others involved, and make them better in the long run, but lose more.
heat are doing really good. so when they visit detroit, this'll really be a measuring stick for each team. detroit has seemed to lose that fire that they started with in the beginning of the season, while we are seeing miami at their best as of right now.
george mason beat north carolina... (gm has the #1 defense in ncaa this year others have said; i'm impressed)
blake beat rafael nadal... (this is sweet; some of his shots were just crazy; now if only he could beat roger federer)
wbc: korea beats japan, but us loses to mexico, so japan plays korea AGAIN, and hands them their asses(msm's not going to be happy). and oh yeah; cuba beats the dominican republic. and while the game isn't over, i'm pretty sure japan's going to win unless cuba pulls out a miracle. yep, matsui shouldn't have listened to george steinbrenner(i think i spelled his name wrong), and played; would've gotten a free medal or trophy or ring or what not.
aaaand... to's in dallas next season, NOT denver. i think this'll be interesting, b/c bill parcels really does not take crap from any player, and will throw it on the player. i was watching sportscenter, and they were interviewing all these players that played for him, and you get the sense that he does NOT take crap from any player. i know we aren't supposed to wish bad will towards others, but this will be interesting to see if TO actually sticks his neck out or not(there's probably a million ppl who wish he does... and then gets it cut off).
btw, be glad i'm not using xanga, b/c @ the frequencies that i put up new posts, i would constantly be near the top of every xanga thread i subscribe to.
---
not really related, but i wanted to say something about the nba... a lotta ppl say so-and-so player's great for the nba.
i want to say that i think larry brown is great for the nba.
there's a million things i could say about him; his simple, but effective gameplan(play the right way, be unselfish, play hard on both ends, share the ball, have fun, etc), but i'll concentrate on one aspect for this post:
he loves and respects the players that he plays with or against.
i mean, the guy had every right to talk down to stephon marbury. the guy does not try to play selflessly, he does not try to play defense, etc. he's basically a streetballer(and unlike allen iverson, who is also a streetballer, but meshed well with brown for the most part, does not try to work with brown) and when brown benches him against the hawks for the 4th quarter and the home crowd boos marbury, he feels so bad after the game that he speaks up and apologizes, and states that he'll try to work something out("no player should ever be booed by his home team" or something to that extent).
let's not forget the 20 second timeout he called when there were about 10 seconds left game 6 against the indiana pacers, and it was clear that reggie miller was going to retire without a ring. the minute miller goes out, brown calls time, then instead of drawing up a play in a huddle, walks into the middle of the court and proceeds to clap in respect of reggie. total class.
he also did something similar when he was a coach at philly when mj played his final game ever. called a timeout, proceeded to clap.
oh sure, he's not perfect. i think the way he coaches offense could use a bit more work, despite the right idea being there. but i think he's a more positive influence for this nba than other ppl give him respect for.
figures i should've checked my hotmail account more often...
now that i did today, all the emails in it were deleted... there is absolutely NOTHING within it.
whatever...
i think i'll use gmail as my primary email from now on...
but yeah, now i have 1 immediate niece to go with my 1 immediate nephew.
so weird how time flies.
but since all my emails in the hotmail account were gone, i have no friggin idea whether phil sent me an email regarding what happened or not.
now that i did today, all the emails in it were deleted... there is absolutely NOTHING within it.
whatever...
i think i'll use gmail as my primary email from now on...
but yeah, now i have 1 immediate niece to go with my 1 immediate nephew.
so weird how time flies.
but since all my emails in the hotmail account were gone, i have no friggin idea whether phil sent me an email regarding what happened or not.
what really sucks is when you want to get these songs, like really like them, but you can't download them because they're not currently available.
sucks because you really want to be a good citizen and all, but they're not helping you.
and trying to buy the entire cd is sometimes a complete waste.
anyways, i really like these two songs; it's a shame they're not on napster.com:
third day/steven curtis chapman/mercy me - i see love
third day - blessed assurance
sucks because you really want to be a good citizen and all, but they're not helping you.
and trying to buy the entire cd is sometimes a complete waste.
anyways, i really like these two songs; it's a shame they're not on napster.com:
third day/steven curtis chapman/mercy me - i see love
third day - blessed assurance
Sunday, March 19, 2006
i used to wonder why galatians used the term "schoolmaster" to describe the use of the law(old testament) until jesus came, knowing that it was ultimately useless:
Galatians 3:24-25 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
But for some reason, TODAY i got it:
Romans 7:7
What shall we say then? [Is] the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
It is a schoolmaster, b/c like a teacher, it can't save us, but it can convince us what is right and wrong. Once we realize what's right and wrong, then we realize our need for a savior.
---
Sometimes I wonder; how DO i get these things in the bible that those around me really don't seem to get? Is it because i GET things in the bible when i read them? no. in fact, i probably spend more time than others when i read the bible; i tend to think i'm a slow reader.
I think it's a combination of two things; God giving me a love and hard concept that the word of God is really important, and him showing me things everytime i read. alone i don't discover these things. even when i do read more than others, it's not because i DISCOVERED ideas; God revealed them to me.
so i leave 2 verses for you to chew on relating to me not discovering these ideas, but God revealing them to me:
1st Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
1st Peter 1:20-21
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.
Galatians 3:24-25 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
But for some reason, TODAY i got it:
Romans 7:7
What shall we say then? [Is] the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
It is a schoolmaster, b/c like a teacher, it can't save us, but it can convince us what is right and wrong. Once we realize what's right and wrong, then we realize our need for a savior.
---
Sometimes I wonder; how DO i get these things in the bible that those around me really don't seem to get? Is it because i GET things in the bible when i read them? no. in fact, i probably spend more time than others when i read the bible; i tend to think i'm a slow reader.
I think it's a combination of two things; God giving me a love and hard concept that the word of God is really important, and him showing me things everytime i read. alone i don't discover these things. even when i do read more than others, it's not because i DISCOVERED ideas; God revealed them to me.
so i leave 2 verses for you to chew on relating to me not discovering these ideas, but God revealing them to me:
1st Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
1st Peter 1:20-21
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.
Rick Meisel, Biblical Discernment Ministries:
"The Scriptures do not teach that any portion of the Word of God contains doctrines that are "less essential." Our Lord and Savior left no room for doubt on this subject: "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4)"
"In fact, why run so as to win (1 Corinthians 9:24)? If you have the "essentials" down, it's no big deal if you get deceived into other areas. What kind of a warning is Colossians 2:8 then anyway? So what if you're taken in by empty deceit! You have your essentials! Eat and drink (theologically speaking), for tomorrow we all go to heaven! WHAT A LIE! One cannot categorize Bible doctrine as very essential, not so very essential, less essential, non-essential, or whatever other type of human ranking system. Differences in "Importance," yes, but there are no doctrines that are more or less essential than others. The Bible does not divide doctrine into essential and non-essential. Paul labored to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). Modern evangelicalism claims that certain doctrines are "essential" and others are "non-essential," and that Christian unity revolves strictly around the essentials, while the non-essentials have no meaning in regard to fellowship. But the Bible nowhere says that doctrine can be so divided. "The faith once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3) describes that body of truth delivered to us by the Lord's Apostles through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The entire body of truth is to be contended for. Timothy was to allow NO OTHER DOCTRINE to be taught (1 Timothy 1:3). There is no hint here that some Bible doctrine is essential and other doctrine is not."
think about that the next time you wonder whether or not to dive into the more obscure parts of the bible that you have never dived into, like the prophets or revelations. don't act they're too boring or too hard to study; if you need help, i gladly offer what services i can.
"The Scriptures do not teach that any portion of the Word of God contains doctrines that are "less essential." Our Lord and Savior left no room for doubt on this subject: "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4)"
"In fact, why run so as to win (1 Corinthians 9:24)? If you have the "essentials" down, it's no big deal if you get deceived into other areas. What kind of a warning is Colossians 2:8 then anyway? So what if you're taken in by empty deceit! You have your essentials! Eat and drink (theologically speaking), for tomorrow we all go to heaven! WHAT A LIE! One cannot categorize Bible doctrine as very essential, not so very essential, less essential, non-essential, or whatever other type of human ranking system. Differences in "Importance," yes, but there are no doctrines that are more or less essential than others. The Bible does not divide doctrine into essential and non-essential. Paul labored to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). Modern evangelicalism claims that certain doctrines are "essential" and others are "non-essential," and that Christian unity revolves strictly around the essentials, while the non-essentials have no meaning in regard to fellowship. But the Bible nowhere says that doctrine can be so divided. "The faith once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3) describes that body of truth delivered to us by the Lord's Apostles through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The entire body of truth is to be contended for. Timothy was to allow NO OTHER DOCTRINE to be taught (1 Timothy 1:3). There is no hint here that some Bible doctrine is essential and other doctrine is not."
think about that the next time you wonder whether or not to dive into the more obscure parts of the bible that you have never dived into, like the prophets or revelations. don't act they're too boring or too hard to study; if you need help, i gladly offer what services i can.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
bored, so i decided just to edit the t5:dr tier ranking before i make a fresh post later tonight; keep in mind koreans set their machine so that the lifebars are higher, so some characters may be ranked lower than played elsewhere(ie nina won't do as much damage during her oki):
A Class:
Asuka, Baek, Bryan, Devil Jin, Dragunov, Feng, Jack5, Jin, Law, Marduk, Paul, Raven
A-/B+ Class:
Kazuya, King, Nina
B Class:
Armor King, Bruce, Christie/Eddy, Ganryu, Heihachi, Hwoarang, Julia, Lee, Lili, Xiaoyu
B-/C+ Class:
Anna, Kuma, Lei, Wang, Yoshi
C Class:
Roger, Steve
when you actually line all the characters up by rank things look fairly interesting; this game is actually pretty balanced. though dr's still a game with some random wins due to high damage combos and the crush system, ultimately skill plays more of a deal than the player.
i'm still surprised that steve is ranked so low(NiN, the korean tk5 2005 champion who uses steve as his main character, is playing tremendously using him). steve can't possibly be that low. maybe not in the A class, but definitely not that bad.
i'm taking a look at the up-most bracket and looking kinda confused that jin, asuka and baek are there. and how is the 1st time paul up there? weird; i don't think they've addressed his linear attacking problems, and he still seems like a high risk/high reward character. i can't comment on dragunov, lili or aking though, cause i haven't really seen them in action. but the korean dr champion, Na Rak Hof uses paul as his main character.
so i'm guessing why there's so many in the top tier is b/c this game's become a lot less abusive, sorta like virtua fighter 4:final tuned... to a lesser degree. so just because a character has problems doesn't mean they fall b/c of them. still weird though seeing the top tier bracket.
A Class:
Asuka, Baek, Bryan, Devil Jin, Dragunov, Feng, Jack5, Jin, Law, Marduk, Paul, Raven
A-/B+ Class:
Kazuya, King, Nina
B Class:
Armor King, Bruce, Christie/Eddy, Ganryu, Heihachi, Hwoarang, Julia, Lee, Lili, Xiaoyu
B-/C+ Class:
Anna, Kuma, Lei, Wang, Yoshi
C Class:
Roger, Steve
when you actually line all the characters up by rank things look fairly interesting; this game is actually pretty balanced. though dr's still a game with some random wins due to high damage combos and the crush system, ultimately skill plays more of a deal than the player.
i'm still surprised that steve is ranked so low(NiN, the korean tk5 2005 champion who uses steve as his main character, is playing tremendously using him). steve can't possibly be that low. maybe not in the A class, but definitely not that bad.
i'm taking a look at the up-most bracket and looking kinda confused that jin, asuka and baek are there. and how is the 1st time paul up there? weird; i don't think they've addressed his linear attacking problems, and he still seems like a high risk/high reward character. i can't comment on dragunov, lili or aking though, cause i haven't really seen them in action. but the korean dr champion, Na Rak Hof uses paul as his main character.
so i'm guessing why there's so many in the top tier is b/c this game's become a lot less abusive, sorta like virtua fighter 4:final tuned... to a lesser degree. so just because a character has problems doesn't mean they fall b/c of them. still weird though seeing the top tier bracket.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
*the following's a cut and paste off of shoryuken.com regarding tekken 5:dr tiers*
"Anyway here is a better list from Tekkencentral owner with top players experience, altough Vers. B arrives(changes will be minimal).
From Duk2000
Aking - B
Lili - B
Dragunov - A
Marduk - A
Lei - B~C
Anna - B~C
Law - A
Nina - A~B
Baek - A
Hwoarang - B
Steve - C
Roger - C
King - A~B
Kazuya - A~B
Kuma - B~C
Raven - A
Xiaoyu - B
Bruce - B
Asuka - A
Jin - A
Wang - B~C
Feng - A
Lee - B
Ganryu - B
Christie/Eddy - B
Julia - B
Mokujin - S++++
Paul - A
Yoshi - B~C
Heihachi - B
Jack5 - A
Bryan - A
Devil Jin - A
My ranks so far after 2 weeks of hardcore playing.
Seems like very well balanced so far. (korean setting is +2 energy which is
about 123% in ps2 version)
Don't know why Namco is releaseing Ver. B already... maybe it has
some bugs??"
(end quote)
from what i hear, jack-5's supposed to be the best char in the game. that's crazy. meh; i'll always be an ewgf-ing jin player first and foremost, so i'm gonna keep dj as my main. might wanna start learning hwoarang though.
"Anyway here is a better list from Tekkencentral owner with top players experience, altough Vers. B arrives(changes will be minimal).
From Duk2000
Aking - B
Lili - B
Dragunov - A
Marduk - A
Lei - B~C
Anna - B~C
Law - A
Nina - A~B
Baek - A
Hwoarang - B
Steve - C
Roger - C
King - A~B
Kazuya - A~B
Kuma - B~C
Raven - A
Xiaoyu - B
Bruce - B
Asuka - A
Jin - A
Wang - B~C
Feng - A
Lee - B
Ganryu - B
Christie/Eddy - B
Julia - B
Mokujin - S++++
Paul - A
Yoshi - B~C
Heihachi - B
Jack5 - A
Bryan - A
Devil Jin - A
My ranks so far after 2 weeks of hardcore playing.
Seems like very well balanced so far. (korean setting is +2 energy which is
about 123% in ps2 version)
Don't know why Namco is releaseing Ver. B already... maybe it has
some bugs??"
(end quote)
from what i hear, jack-5's supposed to be the best char in the game. that's crazy. meh; i'll always be an ewgf-ing jin player first and foremost, so i'm gonna keep dj as my main. might wanna start learning hwoarang though.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
hate to say it, but kings are starting to look REALLY good as of late.
bonzi and artest are both players that get it done on the boards and D, and it's starting to really make the kings better in 2 aspects of the game they've never really been before.
now, sacto's just gotta pray ron's honeymoon season doesn't crash on them in the next, oh, i dunno, 10 years, heh.
bonzi and artest are both players that get it done on the boards and D, and it's starting to really make the kings better in 2 aspects of the game they've never really been before.
now, sacto's just gotta pray ron's honeymoon season doesn't crash on them in the next, oh, i dunno, 10 years, heh.
fyi, i never realized how good breaded fish fillets topped with chunky salsa and pickled jalapenos mixed in the salsa could taste.
maybe it's cause i never had frozen breaded fish fillets for a LOOOONG time.
but i seriously like the kick that the salsa and jalapenos bring.
i found this article about gmail to be interesting
considering how many ppl use gmail now(i have an account, but haven't really used it yet)
i'm not quite yet completely sold on the ideas that the article has. but it wouldn't be too bad of an idea to save any important messages on your gmail account to a single mht file(click save as and bring up single file) and delete any important messages you have saved on your gmail account if you're going to keep those messages past 180 days.
maybe it's cause i never had frozen breaded fish fillets for a LOOOONG time.
but i seriously like the kick that the salsa and jalapenos bring.
i found this article about gmail to be interesting
considering how many ppl use gmail now(i have an account, but haven't really used it yet)
i'm not quite yet completely sold on the ideas that the article has. but it wouldn't be too bad of an idea to save any important messages on your gmail account to a single mht file(click save as and bring up single file) and delete any important messages you have saved on your gmail account if you're going to keep those messages past 180 days.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
it is so hard for me to say "blessed be the name of the LORD" right now, as Job did in chapter 1.
how he even managed to do so, and not blame God for all his problems as seen in chapter 2, i will never know.
i'm not saying i'm in a position where i want to curse God; i just find it so hard to say "everything's great" right now. because, isn't that what saying "blessed be the name of the LORD" basically is?
the bible is quite strange sometimes; when something bad happens to us, that is our own fault to blame. when something good happens to us, it is all of God's doing.
we know that God has his purpose with all of us, to prosper us and not to harm us, as stated in Jeremiah 29; and if he sees we're not going with his plan, he pushes us the other way, even when he knows it'll just crush us emotionally inside, knowing the best for us. BUT IT'S JUST SO HARD TO SEE WHAT HE'S TRYING TO DO.
i think i know why sometimes we feel like it would be easier to follow God back then. the way the educational system and modern-day society works, is like a long, logical chain.
elementary school -> jr high -> high school -> college -> grad school -> career -> marriage -> some more career -> kids -> death
and when something goes wrong part of the way in that supposed chain, like bad grades in college, or impending bad grades in college, that chain appears to collapse. life's over. we're done.
10 years are but a second in the eyes of the LORD. but to us, it seems like eternity, especially if you feel helpless.
i guess the reason why i'm writing all this down, is because i believe in fate. i've read enough of the bible to get this sense that God really has known everything that will happen before this world will end. to somehow believe that we have free will to do what we want and that God's just occasionally stepping in or stepping back is wrong. look at it this way; God predicted what will happen to the world when it comes to an end in specific detail in Revelations. to suggest free will is more prevalent means that these people that are talked about can just try to not do what is said and it won't come to pass. to suggest that God can only predict the end times and not everything that will occur in between now and then is rubbish; it was only not written down because there was no need to.
that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to DO things. animals try to do stuff too. but it is more God than us.
what God wants us to do though, is not get caught up in the things of this world. it can feel extremely hard in tough times. but we need to see that God intends to do something useful with our lives, and never intends to give us more than we can handle. it is by the realization of this assurance in Jeremiah 29 that we can say with firmality, "blessed be the name of the LORD."
how he even managed to do so, and not blame God for all his problems as seen in chapter 2, i will never know.
i'm not saying i'm in a position where i want to curse God; i just find it so hard to say "everything's great" right now. because, isn't that what saying "blessed be the name of the LORD" basically is?
the bible is quite strange sometimes; when something bad happens to us, that is our own fault to blame. when something good happens to us, it is all of God's doing.
we know that God has his purpose with all of us, to prosper us and not to harm us, as stated in Jeremiah 29; and if he sees we're not going with his plan, he pushes us the other way, even when he knows it'll just crush us emotionally inside, knowing the best for us. BUT IT'S JUST SO HARD TO SEE WHAT HE'S TRYING TO DO.
i think i know why sometimes we feel like it would be easier to follow God back then. the way the educational system and modern-day society works, is like a long, logical chain.
elementary school -> jr high -> high school -> college -> grad school -> career -> marriage -> some more career -> kids -> death
and when something goes wrong part of the way in that supposed chain, like bad grades in college, or impending bad grades in college, that chain appears to collapse. life's over. we're done.
10 years are but a second in the eyes of the LORD. but to us, it seems like eternity, especially if you feel helpless.
i guess the reason why i'm writing all this down, is because i believe in fate. i've read enough of the bible to get this sense that God really has known everything that will happen before this world will end. to somehow believe that we have free will to do what we want and that God's just occasionally stepping in or stepping back is wrong. look at it this way; God predicted what will happen to the world when it comes to an end in specific detail in Revelations. to suggest free will is more prevalent means that these people that are talked about can just try to not do what is said and it won't come to pass. to suggest that God can only predict the end times and not everything that will occur in between now and then is rubbish; it was only not written down because there was no need to.
that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to DO things. animals try to do stuff too. but it is more God than us.
what God wants us to do though, is not get caught up in the things of this world. it can feel extremely hard in tough times. but we need to see that God intends to do something useful with our lives, and never intends to give us more than we can handle. it is by the realization of this assurance in Jeremiah 29 that we can say with firmality, "blessed be the name of the LORD."
Monday, March 13, 2006
the more time i spend with my bible verse scrapbook project, the more i see the truth behind Proverbs 30:5(a verse which states that all of God's words are pure)
you see, you can say, i like this verse. but the verses behind that verse and after it give it that much richer meaning. and often times i'm staring at a photocopied page of my bible trying to pick out the exact verse i wanted to cut and paste out, only to realize how many more i should've done... if i kept this up, i would end up just photocopying the entire bible.
you see, you can say, i like this verse. but the verses behind that verse and after it give it that much richer meaning. and often times i'm staring at a photocopied page of my bible trying to pick out the exact verse i wanted to cut and paste out, only to realize how many more i should've done... if i kept this up, i would end up just photocopying the entire bible.
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