My Blog Has Moved

According to Blogger something went wrong last week during scheduled maintenance and many blog posts and comments were removed after returning to a pre-maintenance state. Since then many of the blog posts/comments have been restored which you read about  here.

However, I'm incredibly sadden to have lost a post I wrote about Daniel's 1st birthday party. The only remnant of it is an old preliminary draft that I used as a basic outline. I will eventually rewrite this blog post but I fear that I will forget many of the details I originally wrote about.

I know a part of me is overreacting but I don't completely feel like my blog posts are "safe" on Blogger anymore. I am not a natural writer so it takes a lot of effort for me to write what little I share here. To have posts suddenly disappear is beyond frustrating. Since Google acquired Blogger, I have no idea what new "features" will be pushed onto the service and when something like this can happen again.

So being the control freak that I am, I bought some web hosting and resurrected my old domain name and moved this blog there. What's nice about it is you can subscribe to the blog and get emailed whenever I post something new. I'm excited for the change in scenery and hopefully this will motivate me to update a little more faithfully.

P.S. Another nice thing is the web hosting I paid for can be used to host other people's sites as well. A few of my friends have already expressed interest in pitching in and hosting their blogs there as well.

Proud to be an American

It was a long day. Church. Visited the parents. Got rear-ended again. Hung out at a friend's BBQ. When we finally got home I spent a few minutes catching up on my Twitter feed. Twitter was buzzing that Osama bin Laden, founder of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization, was found and killed during a US-led raid in Pakistan. More details poured in and President Obama was about to address the nation. I shared the good news with Tary and we rushed downstairs to turn on the TV. I was exciting hearing President Obama come on and confirm the reports.

An overwhelming sense of pride came over me. President Obama said it best; justice has been done. A man responsible for 9/11 and the deaths of millions of innocent people was finally brought to justice.

I was proud to be an American. I was proud of our president for authorizing this operation and its outcome. I was pleased that we did not simply blow up the compound because people would doubt that bin Laden was actually inside. I was proud that 24 brave Navy SEALs flew into enemy territory, dropped down like [butt]-kicking ninjas, and took care of business.

As proud as I was our nation, our president, and our troops, I was equally disappointed by some of the ignorant comments of some Americans who criticized how Americans reacted to the death of bin Laden. Some of the ignorant comments included:

"Killing does not solve anything."

"Violence leads to more violence."

"It is wrong to be excited about the murder/slaughter of another human being."

If you are one of those unpatriotic backward-thinking people, you should be ashamed of yourselves and I am embarrassed for you.

First of all, killing Osama bin Laden's was not about "solving" anything; it was about justice. He was the mastermind behind most of the world's terrorist activities. If you think "killing does not solve anything", do you think other leaders of mass genocide (e.g., Pol Pot, Adolf Hitler) should have been allowed to live? Imagine how many lives could have been spared if they were brought to justice.

Bin Laden's death does not lead to more violence. Inaction leads to more violence. Terrorists wanted to kill us before he was killed. They still want to kill us after he was killed. Countless lives were spared now that their leader was eliminated and they are forced to regroup.

People need to open a dictionary and look up the definitions of "murder" and "slaughter". Let me edu-ma-cate you. Murder is defined as the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being. Slaughter is defined as the killing of animals (as for food). Bin Laden was not murdered or slaughtered; the US had the legal authority and responsibility to hold bin Laden accountable for his crimes.

I am tired of Christians and non-Christians alike telling me how I should feel based on what they think God feels on this subject. Yes, I know it is wrong to rejoice in someone's death. Yes, I know that God is the ONLY true judge. Yes, I know God is a God of peace and love.

However, did YOU know that God is WRATHFUL against those who sin against Him? Did YOU know that God HATES murder? Did YOU know that the punishment for murder was death? Even if bin Laden begged for forgiveness, trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior, and became a Christian in his final moments and was granted eternal spiritual life, he still have to face the punishment for the crimes he committed in his physical life.

I am not celebrating bin Laden's death. I am celebrating that he can no longer brainwash others into killing innocent people for no reason. I am relieved that the families directly affected by 9/11 can finally have some closure. I am celebrating that bin Laden's death sends a message to terrorists worldwide that if you attack the United States and her people, you will pay the price.

God Bless America.

P.S. Here is a humorous quote regarding the members of Navy SEAL Team 6:

"I'm almost positive that all he heard were fist bumps and chest bumps from the SEAL team on their way out. Those guys are so overwhelmingly [awesome] that I'm sure their manly celebrations make more noise than the stealth choppers they rode in on." ~TendoMentis

Ugh...Not Again

I just cannot catch a break. While on the way to my in-laws with Tary and Daniel, my car was rear-ended AGAIN while waiting to merge onto the VFW Highway. As upset as I was, I am relieved that everyone involved was okay.

Rear-end Damage

This has got to be some sort of world record or something. This is the 3rd time that my car has been rear-ended. And each time I have been waiting at a yield or stop sign. I swear my car is cursed. This is getting old.

I've said it before but it's worth repeating; 2011 officially sucks. I'm not asking to win the lottery and become an instant millionaire. I'm not asking for fame or fortune. Is it too much to ask for nothing to happen to us?

I HAVE THE POWER

I'm still amazed at how smart Daniel is. The most noticeable change is how he reacts to verbal discipline. When he does something wrong (e.g., throw an object, playfully hit someone in the face) we give him a look and say his name in stern voice. He immediately stops what he's doing, his face cowers, the bottom lip starts to quiver, and waterworks soon follows. I find it adorable.

As a first time parent, I never knew that babies understood tone at such a young age. I can already see Daniel pausing before doing certain things because he knows he would get in trouble. I think it's adorable that he sometimes looks back at us to gauge our reactions.

I like to explore the limits of my parenting power. My recent thing is when I see Daniel doing something he shouldn't be doing I firmly say, "Daniel, you need to stop what you are doing right now. You are over there. I need you here right now." while pointing at the ground in front of me. To my surprise, Daniel usually comes crawling over to me.

Muwahaha! I can't believe that works! I feel like He-Man! With only my voice, I am raising my metaphorical sword in the air and yelling, "I HAVE THE POWER!!!"

Happy Resurrection Day

I was up extra early on Easter Sunday. I was really looking forward to hearing Pastor preach the Word. It was also Daniel's first Easter! We all got dressed up and Daniel was especially handsome. I tried to match my tie to the rest of his outfit.

Pastor preached on the Resurrection from the Gospel of Mark. The sermon focused on the women's desire to wake up early to anoint the body of Christ with spices as a final act of love. They wondered how they were going to move the large stone which blocked the entrance of the tomb. They were surprised to find the stone was already rolled aside and that Jesus had risen from the dead!

Pastor also pointed out a small detail where the resurrected Christ informed the women to inform the rest of the disciples and Peter. It was interesting that Jesus individually named Peter as he probably felt unworthy to be a disciple after he denied knowing Jesus 3 times prior to the crucifixion. It's a reminder of Jesus' unbounded love and forgiveness.

It was unfortunate though that Tary and Daniel did not get to hear most of the sermon. Daniel decided to exercise his lungs in the sanctuary and let out several very impressive outbursts. Hopefully the audio system will be installed soon in the downstairs nursery so we won't have to miss hearing any more sermons.

Mommy Needs Breaks Too

My lovely wife recently bought me a GPS watch (Garmin Forerunner 410) with heart-rate monitor (HRM) to keep track of my running workouts. On Saturday morning, I decided to ramp up my Warrior Dash training by running my normal course twice for a total of 4 miles (or only 3.79 mi as my watch accurately informed me). What's great about this watch is you can upload your workout data to a website and view the data visually in various charts and tables. You can see the data from my previous workout here.

Tary was set to leave the house for a girls-night-out but she was very upset when her cousins weren't ready to leave on time. I felt bad because she doesn't get to go out that often to relax and de-stress so I think it gets bottled up inside. The last thing she needed was to squander this free time waiting for others. I also need to be more helpful around the house so I can lessen some of the burden from her shoulders.

So Daniel, when you are old enough to read and understand this, please give your Mommy a big hug and a kiss and tell her that you love her. She spends hours pumping, cleaning bottles, doing laundry, cooking meals, changing diapers, and many other miscellaneous Mommy-tasks each week because she loves us. We just need to tell her that we love her too!

After a while Tary was able to get out of the house and do whatever girls do when they're out. I called my BFF (who I affectionately call "Uncle Jesse" from the sitcom Full House) to come over and help me watch Daniel. Things started off pretty well. I was able to clean up around the house while Daniel took a nap. I fed him an early dinner and gave him his bath. Then we started to fade...

Daniel is like an energizer bunny. He never stops playing and simply wore us out. Uncle Jesse fell asleep on the sofa. I started to drift in and out on the living room floor. Daniel took liberties to climb all over and around my corpse.

Mercifully another friend texted me while returning from Boston. She came bearing gifts of Korean fried chicken from Bon Chon and some Dunkins iced coffee. It was like sipping liquid energy! Ahhh!!!

More friends came by to visit and Tary returned from her night out. We sat around and hung out. There's nothing like having good fried chicken in the company of great friends.

Good Friday

This past weekend was Easter weekend. Like many other weekends for our family it was a busy one. With so many things going on, I thought it was important to take a breather and record some of what went on.

Easter is a special time for me. It's a time of reflection. Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He died for the sins of the world which naturally includes my own. I have done a lot of dumb things in my life. As a result, he died because of me. He died so that we may gain eternal life through Him. Mercifully, he died for me. Amen.

As for Good Friday itself, it stayed true to its name with an early release from work. I felt like a high school student being dismissed on a half-day.

I rushed to pick up Daniel from daycare. He was very excited to see me. He recently started in a new room call the I/Tod room for kids between the infant and toddler stages. Daniel loves the new surroundings with new toys to play with and cushions to climb. I'm sure he also enjoyed being reunited with his old friends because he was the youngest baby in the infant room for a while.

When we got home, Daniel and I spent some much appreciated quality time together while Mommy was still at work. We played together in his play room (i.e., the living room). He sat on my lap and held my hand while watching a little bit of TV. I do love this time with my little boy.

After Tary came home from work, I ran out to the store to buy some ingredients for home-made fried chicken. We have this thing about trying to make good fried chicken and we have failed miserably each time. It was my turn this time and the results were mixed. The batter was crispy but a bit too salty for my taste. The meat remained moist but was relatively flavorless. Okay, at least we're making some progress.