Rhythm
Samuel Wong’s Blog
I know what to recycle in Markham!
So I looked up Markham’s recycling program because Janice told me yesterday that Markham doesn’t recycle juice boxes.
Google search: Markham recycling program.
First page -> First button -> “What Can Be Recycled?” & “Resin ID Codes.” (what I call ‘recycle numbers’)
BOOM. Less than one minute. Why can’t Toronto do that with their website?!? I’m upset.
Okay, really, Toronto should take their “Info Card” and rename it “What Can Be Recycled Card” or something like that. It should take upwards of 30 minutes to find out what you can dump in your blue bin and what you can’t.
Huff.
In any case, now that I know the proper name for ‘recycle numbers’, I did another Google search: “Toronto resin code recycling’ … I found nothing.
What to recycle in Toronto?!
Man, if there ever was a poorly designed website, it is toronto.com/recycling.
All I wanted to do was find out what the Toronto blue bin program accepts for recycling… and it took me a good 15 minutes to find a PDF (!) that lists in the most general terms what to recycle. And it was on page FOUR — meaning, I had to wade through a whole lot of government “look we’re so great” description of the recycling program before getting to the real information.
Then I found another PDF (!!) that had a total misnomer of a name! Good thing I was desperate and clicked on it anyways, and it turned out to be a one page, colourful listing of recyclables and non-recyclables.
To top it off, the FAQs section had ONE question…… and it wasn’t the obvious “What can I recycle?” question. Um?!?
At the end of my one hour scavenger hunt through the municipal site, I still haven’t found what I was looking for. The information that I did find, was too vague. And the 2 brochures wasn’t dated, so I have no idea which one is more up to date.
If anyone can find a list of “Recycle Numbers” (those recycling symbols with numbers inside them, usually found on the underside of plastic containers) that Toronto accepts for recycling, please point me to the list.
Seriously, I give up.
Responsible
If I were to name one of my best strengths, it is that I am responsible. If I were to name one of my greatest weaknesses, it is that I am very responsible.
I think a good number of my successes in life are due to the fact that I have this sense of urgent responsibility. When pressed, I get things done. When assigned a task or role, I feel I ought to do it and do it perfectly. Therefore, when I put my mind to do something, I usually get good results. If I am responsible for it, there is no halfway.
But it is also a heavy burden to carry. I feel responsible about too many things, and perhaps even things that I am not responsible for! I feel responsible for knowing more about Plone than the rest of the website team. I feel responsible for the depth and spiritual health of my small group. I feel responsible for Janice’s goldfish that died under my care. (While I have been absolved from that last responsibility, I did spent several hours thinking about how I can replace the fish…)
So what exactly are my responsibilities in life? Am I imagining some of these responsibilities, taking on ones that don’t belong to me, and thus missing out on some freedoms I was meant to enjoy? I am taking about freedom from worry, from second-guessing, from analyzing and self-scrutiny.
Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” And he said all this just after preaching about how to pray and storing up heavenly treasures that can’t be stolen or destroyed.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Clearly then, our responsibility is to seeking his kingdom and his righteousness. Are our other responsibilities to be secondary, or neglected all together? And what exactly does seeking his kingdom mean? Is there responsibilities in the seeking of his kingdom? More to think about.
Reconciliation
All too often, the news makes us angry, disappointed, or discouraged. We get upset at the injustices in our world, we are saddened by innocent deaths, and we are gripped with fear at an uncertain and threatening future.
But once in a while, something comes along that makes you cry, gives you hope for something better.
I was home when this happened, flipping through the TV channels, when I was transfixed by a CBC program broadcasting live from the House of Commons.
On June 11, 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a full apology for the Indian Residential School system. [link]
Probably like most Canadians, I don’t know much about the Indian Residential School system. What I do know, I got from the text of the apology itself and from reading articles at the CBC website.
On one hand, I feel ashamed that as a Canadian, I don’t know anything about this sad chapter in our country’s history. There is something wrong when we don’t teach this in our classrooms or talk about this in our communities.
But on the other hand, I feel so thankful to God that I got a chance to go to Manitoba two years ago. I got an opportunity few have: to visit a Native reserve, to serve as a camp counselor to the next generation of Native Canadians, to put names and faces to a hidden and hurt people.
Because of my brief two-week experience, this apology was not just a good speech but something that was real — it brought a tears to my eyes.
There is something fundamentally right about apologies, and I suppose the more difficult they are the more those apologies are needed. Apologies, the humble seeking of forgiveness, reconciliation… this is the hard work that Jesus came to do. And yes, it is hard work. I should know; I’ve had to do some major apologies in the past few days myself. It is supremely difficult, both in the moment of apology and in the days after.
As the live broadcast ended, I turned off the TV with a sense of renewed confidence in our government and in our country.
When reconciliation is found, so is hope.
This post is dedicated to the kids at Eagle Bay Camp, their friends and families in Bloodvein, Popular River, Little Sask, Fairford, and Grand Rapids reserves, and those who work tirelessly among them: Rick, Liz, Chad, and Jo.
Relating Engineering with “Real World” Problems
I met up with Kevin for lunch today, and we had a great time. As we shared and traded notes on our vocations, interests, and personal lives, he pointed me to this article by Ban-Ki Moon, UN Secretary General. In it, he relates the pressing concerns of climate change and global poverty.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1730759_1731383_1731345,00.html
Often, I get the impression that engineering — especially aerospace engineering — is a domain of the rich. I feel like it’s a “nice problem to have.” Only those who can afford air travel have to deal with aircraft engine efficiency, aeroacoustics, and air traffic management. Only those who drive a car have to worry about fuel efficiency, CO2 emissions, … In the bigger scheme of things, when compared with more pressing matters, does it really make a difference?
Moon puts forth a new perspective — that everything is linked:
Many of the challenges we face, from poverty to armed conflict, are linked to the effects of global warming. Finding a solution to climate change can bring benefits in other areas. A greener planet will be a more peaceful and prosperous one too.
Can engineers play a role? Yes.
To fight [climate change], the U.N. family, including the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has begun tapping into a pool of global resources—scientific and engineering expertise, corporate engagement and civic leadership.
I’m one step closer to being that Christian engineer.
Struggling to remember
I find it hard to remember what God has done. If counting your blessings is a source of joy, then it’s no wonder I’m bummed out so often.
- I’ve got a great family and a great girlfriend.
- I’m safe, with a roof over my head and food on the table.
- I have an education/pseudo-job that was provided for me by God
- I’ve got good friends.
- I have a church that supports me.
- I’ve got choices. Lots of choices, about lots of things.
- I’ve got Christ. (I’ve taken this one for granted too many times.)
- I’ve got the ability to stretch, grow, and do better.
- I have super-strong bulging muscles. ;)
To know that God goes on ahead of me is head-knowledge…. 1000 yards in front. To trust he knows the way, when I’ve never been here before, is the very idea of faith. I suppose then, a good question is “What grows faith?”
The answer is probably something simple, like…. faith.
New toy
I got a new toy to play with. My kit lens 18-55mm on my camera broke somehow — no autofocus! I’ve been considering a new lens for a few weeks now. Yesterday, I went out and got:
That’s right… a big humongous lens. It came with a big humongous pricetag. The salesman was very good. I walked in thinking about the (significantly) cheaper 55-200mm. After being regaled with several stories of how great the 18-200mm was, I ended up walking out with it. And a UV filter that left my mouth a little dry. VERY good salesman. I almost feel happy he made me part with $500 over my original budget. Yet a little surprised at myself for making such a quick decision on something so big…
So while I am usually very happy when I make a purchase — any purchase, really, even if it is a $2 hotdog — I have the oddest feelings about this one. Strangeness. I almost feel embarrassed.
Too safe
Been watching lots of TV again… usually happens when something is wrong. I’m not a TV-loving person in general (unless it is Stargate, and I’ve seen them all)
So I was watching Grey’s Anatomy. I like it; it’s well written and all that. But what got me was all the drama. The story sucks you in. The characters weave in and out of each other’s lives, complexities abound, —
Argh; I hate interruptions. I’ve completely lost my train of thought. On account of PANTS. :(
I think I just wanted to write down:
I want a more exciting, purpose-filled life. Maybe my life is too safe at the moment. Something about trusting God completely…
Ugh. My beautiful thoughts are gone. This sucks.
Perseverance and Fun
I finally got around to getting my bike fixed and I gotta say “it was fun!” I think I was actually a little giddy with excitement.
At UT, there’s a small student-run bike shop called Bikechain. It’s premise is simple and effective: you drop in to get your bike fixed — by you. Bikechain staff are around to guide you along and help diagnose problems. But they are really teachers and you get the best kind of learning possible, the hands-on type.
My bike has had problems shifting gears for over a year now. But having signed up for the Ride for Heart, I needed a good working bike. So I took it downtown (via the TTC) to Bikechain. First thing we did was replace the frayed control line. It was frayed to nearly nothing due to my many stubborn attempts at doing this myself. I learned how to take out the old control line, oil up the new line, and put it back in. Piece of cake; “it’s not rocket science” said the Bikechain guy. I smiled.
When it came connecting the line to the gear-shifter (it’s actually called a derailleur), we discovered that the nut/bolt used to clamp the line to the derailleur was stuck. It was so stuck, we took nearly 2 hours to get it off. We tried clamping it, using a screwdriver on it, hammering it, threatening to replace it with another derailleur, and we finally took a hacksaw to it and sawed its head off! A two hour ordeal I tell you.
But we finally got it done and the Bikechain guy was happy. I wasn’t. I wanted to change the control line for the front derailleur too because it was also frayed. Bikechain guy agreed that it would be a good idea to replace it. So I used the old control line for the rear derailleur for the front derailleur! You can do this because the front derailleur requires a shorter line. What genius, what reusability! Environmentalists everywhere would be proud.
You would think my adventure would be over, but no! I ended up replace the rear brake line (it was slightly frayed) and replacing the front brake line with the old rear brake line — just like the derailleurs! Ah yes, I felt good. I essentially replaced all my lines by buying only two new ones. I was happy. And my wallet was happy too: total cost was FOUR DOLLARS. That’s like two hotdogs from Franky’s hotdog stand! What a deal.
So for four dollars, I got a working bike and slightly oily hands. I like that. I’ve discovered I love hands-on work and getting down and dirty. In this moment, I really do believe that God created us to do good work. When it is good work, it really is fun.
By this time, it was 3pm and being the blindly ambitious guy that I am, I set a goal to bike from downtown Toronto back home by 6pm. This is ambitious coming from a guy who doesn’t work out and hasn’t gone on a bike for two years. :) Needless to say, my trip lasted until 7pm… with lots of walking and rests in-between. Even a brief nap because I was so tired.
Now to my point: perseverance and fun.
A lot of things require perseverance. Fixing a bike. Tightening control lines. Riding a bike. Through mud. Through bumpy pothole-filled trails. It’s hard to have fun when the going gets tough. No one rejoices at the sight of a hill to climb or the prospects of riding through a gigantic, unavoidable mud puddle. Through hunger.
Many other things require perseverance too. Like walking with God. Like relationships. It’s tough. No one celebrates at unanswered prayers or feelings of lostness. No one looks forward to arguments, wrestling with truth, problems, and how to solve them. No one loves to wait. And in these moments, it is really really really hard to have fun.
But the thing is… fun can be had. I can appreciate certain nuances of life: my safety (no accidents!), the birds chirping, the stream running and babbling away, nice people walking nice dogs, a flock of geese coming in for a landing and blocking off the road, watching goslings at play (while the goose-parents watched me, I’m sure). All these things made perseverance easier. And knowing a great dinner with my family awaited me at the end of my trip was significant motivation. Having Janice call me right when I was dead-tired was a God-given boost of energy on the final stretch home.
I feel God’s gentle reminder for me to persevere in the major areas of my life, to have some fun while doing it, to not be afraid to get my hands dirty for Him. And I know there is a big heavenly banquet waiting for me someday, and that working hard today makes tomorrow’s feast even more wonderful.
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3
Upwards and onwards!
