Participant Observation Exercise

9-29-11

It’s Wednesday evening at Providence University College and I had nothing to do in my room so I was bored. I heard lots of people screaming and laughing, it looked like they were not bored. So I decide to go and hang out with my friends in the lounge at Bergen men’s Hall. On one section of the lounge there was a group playing cards, one section people playing ping pong and I’m with my friends just sitting on the couches having a chat. I noticed that the group that were playing cards had girls playing also, and that explains why I heard screaming and loud voices as I was in my room.  The environment at Bergen Hall that night was like describing a zoo, different activities going on that night. I was surprised that no one made a complaint, well besides no one sleeps that early at Bergen or perhaps we are all just used to the noise that occurs almost on a daily basis. I don’t really hang out with friends in the lounge and this was my first time experiencing the vibe in the lounge especially when we get guest from the girl’s dorm. It was a great experience being involved with friends; I usually stay in my room or go to my friend’s room and play video games all night. As I was sitting down, I kept asking myself this question, don’t all these students have homework or an assignment due?  Well as college students, sometimes we need that time when we forget about homework, school, papers etc... And just have fun with friends. This is actually healthy for our bodies according to research.

Ignite Worship event

9-27-11
I am pumped to see what God has in plans for the young generation of this world. This Saturday Pomona First Baptist will be having a 3 hour worship event, including teaching from Pastor Brian who is the Young Adult Pastor and Megan Marshman who is a professor at Azusa Pacific University. This is an opportunity for people who know Christ to invite their Oikost and also get closer to God. I will be watching this event online, if you are interested, please follow the Pomona first Baptist church website on the bottom of this. It will be this Saturday at 7pm Central time.

 http://www.pfblive.tv/

http://vimeo.com/28776521

Facebook focuses on media sharing

9-26-11

There seems to be a rapid innovation from social networking rivals in the past week. Google + is introduced to the rivalry and in the midst of that, facebook was improving the site by encouraging users to share more of the media they consume including music and movies.  This has been welcomed by some users and has caused annoyance to some and I’m one of them. It just seems complicated now. I’m a huge fan of facebook, but if the cite wants to remain popular, they should keep it as less complicated as possible.

Google + the new thing?

9-23-11

As I was in class today, three of my friends asked me if I had a Google + account. I immediately asked what that was. Apparently it’s the new social network and supposedly better and much less complicated than facebook. This explains why I saw a + as I was searching for a website on Google the other day. I have to admit, I’m quite nervous to join Google +, I’ve longed been a facebook fan and this is my fourth year as a facebook member. I always asked myself if anything would ever take over facebook. I hope this isn’t my answer.

Four Million Homes switch to Digital TV in UK

9-22-11

Free view Channels are now available to 17million homes in England. This is a technological transformation that's occurring. Technology transformation is good, but in this case, the new digital TV in my opinion isn’t as good as the old analogue channels. You now have to almost search for channels every time you turn on your television and that's slower than the old analogue channels. I don't think this switch is meant to better televisions at all, but only make people switch to cable. This new digital TV is free, but how long people would last with it, I really don't know.

American public agrees with Obama

9-20-11

Opinion polls in America are suggesting that the American public agrees with Barack Obama that the rich should pay more tax if the country is to get out of its debt and deficit hole. I would also agree with the Americans who are on Obama’s side. I think its simple math; if the poor are paying more taxes than the rich, how is the poor going to survive when they can’t even support their families. The rich therefore are just paying fewer taxes and have extra money to waste. The U.S really has to balance the equation and make it equal for all Americans. Obama knows it has little chance of passing congress at the moment. The debt and deficit  

Facebook  improving!

9-19-11

It’s incredible how almost every week facebook has something new on the website. I last logged in on Thursday, and as I logged in this morning I notice it has “improved” friend list which will let us choose more carefully who gets to see what. I also noticed it has separated contacts into groups by giving us smart lists which will look at people who appear to share a workplace, school or family. I found this interesting because if I want to find out about my friends at providence, I would just click Providence on the smart list and it will directly show me status, feeds and other great stuff that facebook offers us. Facebook remains the dominant force among other social networks.

Updates improve Facebook and Twitter Connections

9-16-11

Facebook users will soon be able to pipe their profile directrly to a connected Twitter account according to BBC news. This does not flatter me one bit considering the negative thoughts I have towards Twitter. I think Twitter will unfortunately benefit more with the partnership that will be occurring soon, just a week ago it had reached a million users, and now I think it will start to grow. Facebook by no means will remain the dominant force in the social network. For users who have both, this will just make it more flexible to get feeds and update status.

U.S Soccer vs. Canadian Soccer

9-15-11

The prospect of playing Northland International University at Dunbar, WI was an exciting feeling as I packed my bags Wednesday evening. I didn’t know that we were up for a tough physical game played at a higher level. The referees in the states are not used to a “soft” soccer game, so fouls that we thought should have been called were not. Northland International University dominated 110% of the game and we were definitely outstretched. Providence University College ends up losing 2-0, and we hope to do better in tomorrow’s game when we will be playing the same team.

Commuting life vs. Dorm life

9-14-11

As a first year student, living on campus is the best experience that I’m having right now as a freshman. Since I’m new to Manitoba, I really didn’t have a choice between commuting and living on campus. I’ve always wanted to know how it’s like commuting, and I interviewed my classmate Trevor who is a commuter and asked him about life outside. He lives in a small town called Blumernort which is about 15mins away. Trevor mentioned that he likes the home-cooked meals from his mom and loves the comfort of eating anywhere he wishes to. Trevor also has to pay of his car and his not sure if he is actually saving money or not. As Trevor and I graduate in the same year, we will then evaluate who saved money throughout our life in College.

Britain PM turning to Christ

9-13-11

This totally made my day as I was reading Christian Today news. One of the headlines was “British PM challenged to support prayer for Britain.” As you may know, the past couple of months have been horrifying for not just the nation of Britain but the man in the hot seat, David Cameron. Riots, protests adding to the meltdown that Britain is already facing wasn’t what David Cameron would have wished for. As the global day of prayer comes at a very strategic time for the UK, David wants prayers to be emphasized on the nation’s current state. This is just amazing to witness politicians gathering together praying to the holy one. The bible says, “one day every knee will bow before me” Romans 14:11. Only God can restore England to peaceful times, I hope and pray for all politicians to not only try and make their forms of government good, but seek first the kingdom of God.

Why more money?

9-12-11

People love money! I think everybody does, but how much do we really need and want to be satisfied. Everybody needs money to be able to survive, and that’s why most people work and go to school for. David Beckham faced criticism over his big move to the Los Angeles Galaxy. Many were confused and wondered why he wanted to go from playing in Spain, to lower level of Football in Los Angeles. He is getting paid three times what he got in Spain, and still he managed to survive, lived in a humongous house and supports his family. Did he move for the money, or to improve soccer in the U.S? This is something David can only answer, but as I watch or read the news each day, millions of people in Africa are still dying of starvation, and you have people like David who are making millions each year. How can we help those who don’t have what we have?

9-9-11

Twitter is actually progressing?

As I was reading sky news today, I came across an article on twitter quoting that the micro-blogging site now has 100 million active users. Apparently the number of people who log on at least once a month has soared by 82% since the beginning of the year. I am not a fan of twitter, for various reasons. I think it’s complicated for first time users, and I really don’t see the point of posting what you are doing. I don’t see any fun in that, I think at the moment, Facebook is the dominant force, and will be for many years, well that’s my opinion.

What do you think?

Technology at it's Best!

Technology at it's Best!

9-8-11

Is modern technology bringing more opportunities to spread the gospel? We spend so much time upgrading things that we have, and we often forget to upgrade our spiritual lives. “Faith comes by Hearing” is a Christian organization that is offering a free Bible application for cell phones in more than 500 languages. As technology continues to grow each day, many of us are easily getting distracted by the great stuff that is coming our way. Some may agree and say that this modern technology is actually benefiting us in terms of our spiritual lives. I think if we use this technology for God’s purpose, we will definitely proclaim the name of Jesus. “In all seriousness, we realize this technology is a gift from God” said Faith Comes by Hearing National Director Troy Carl. I truly support this organization in the way they are humbly providing free access to the Word of God.