Monthly Collection: June 2016

Articles that I have been reading this past month and found it to be profoundly helpful, thoughtful or challenging and want to share it with you.

Experts unveil new sleep guidelines for childern - CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/health/children-sleep-guidelines-infants-teenagers-1.3633188

Why some people find urban crowded cities relaxing - and others don't - Tanya Basu
http://www.citylab.com/navigator/2016/05/why-some-people-find-urban-hustle-invigorating/484412/

Building home kids want to come home to - Hayley Novak
http://kindredgrace.com/building-home-kids-want-to-come-home-to/

Signposts: How I do my personal devotions - Russell Moore
http://www.russellmoore.com/2016/04/29/signposts-how-i-do-my-personal-devotions/#51782

Taking aim at worship: Why we need to re-orient our worship - Cassie Curtis
http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2016/may/taking-aim-at-worship.html?paging=off

Future of the church appears grim - Barb Draper
http://www.canadianmennonite.org/stories/future-church-appears-grim

Why we need more entrepreneurial church leaders, not more shepherds - Carey Nieuwhof
http://careynieuwhof.com/2014/03/why-we-need-more-entrepreneurial-church-leaders-not-more-shepherds/

What the latest Bible research reveals about Millennials - Sarah Eekhoff Zyistra
http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2016/may/what-latest-bible-research-reveals-about-millennials.html/#61122

So long Evernote, thanks for the all fish.

I'm one of those guys that use several note-taking and digital scrapbooking methods and programs to keep myself productive and organized. I've used them for everything from school, projects, work, church, personal life or just keeping a tab of interesting things. Evernote was one of those programs that I have tried and used. Evernote was simplistic yet powerful as a tool especially with its tagging and search features. (As a disclaimer, I have used and still use OneNote since the early paid versions till now and Google Keep on and off depending whether I was using an Android smartphone, as well as abandoned Apple Note and Palm's note)

Evernote for me was the middle ground of the full featured titan that is Microsoft OneNote and the simpler note-taker that is Google Keep and Apple Note. It filled a nice niche. It scratched an itch. Simple enough to make notes but powerful enough to database and search.

All this time I have been a free user since I wasn't ready to commit to one particular platform and as such I had information littered across various systems and apps. However, in the past month I have been working on transitioning and simplifying my usage to only key apps with little to no overlap in function and features. And Evernote made the cut as my default notetaker and key productivity tool. I was in the process of transitioning the rest of my notes in Google Keep over to Evernote or Onenote depending if it was for gathering of thoughts, ideas and lists or for gathering larger project information. It was also with the idea that I may possibly subscribe for the paid mid-tier as needed in the future after consolidation.

This decision to consolidate over to Evernote is now under heavy review as of June 28, 2016. On this fateful day, Evernote announced that they will be reshuffling their price structure and also the benefits for each tier.

The free tier that I have been a part of have now lost the ability to sync with unlimited devices down to only two designated devices which is a kick in the shin for someone like me with multiple devices and often sharing the same account with my wife for our family and home management (on a side note, their web-based interface does not count as a device). The paid tiers also took a substantial price hike, close to 40%, which makes me less willing and wanting to upgrade to a paid tier now until it has proven its true worth.

So in essence, Evernote, you have been a good app and system but your restriction and long term cost is too much for me to possibly want to continue my experiment with you. It's just too hard to experiment and tell whether something works well with my workflow when there are restrictions and costs with the experimentation.

For me, I will most likely be consolidating all my notes over to OneNote and my lists to Wunderlist. But for the time being I may try a month or two using the web-based interface on my laptop and desktop while maintaining the two device quota for my phone and for my wife's. If it works, I may stay, but I'm already halfway out the door.

I'm not sure how all of you are affected by this but I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings. How have you found Evernote to be in your life? Or have you found something better to help optimize, organize and simplify life?

Why I use a Windows Phone

Often time people see me pull out my phone and they would ask me what it is, and I would have to explain to them that it is a Windows phone. And then they would ask why compared to either an Apple iPhone or the various Android phones available.

When you think of your smartphone, what is it that you think of? Apps? Email? Social media? Media? A tool to get the job done? Or a combination of them? I would think that for most people it would be a combination of various functions and various problems that they are trying to solve. I know for me, the smartphone has been an invaluable tool for information, communication and occasionally relaxation.

I have been one of those guys that have been trying to optimize my workflow or just the flow of life in general. I have tried various phones and systems with different results. For those interested I have been with Symbian, iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7, 8 & 10. Of them all, I found that they each serve differing purposes or what I like to call 'problems in life that they are aiming to solve'. Out of all of them, I have found that I keep returning back to the Windows Phone platform.

The Windows Phone experience ain't perfect and I don't expect them to be able to compete head-to-head with the other two titans in the mobile space. iOS from Apple has a definite advantage with their massive library of quality apps. Android is flexible from the start but I found that the experience varies a lot depending on the manufacturer of the phone and whether it was a low-end versus a flagship or somewhere in between. The Android experience in essence is a pick your feature and poison experience.

Like I said, I have been able to try various iterations of the modern Windows Phone experience and it is important to note this for the fact that each iteration was a distinct move and transition in how Microsoft saw and used the smartphone. However, what initially drew me and still holds me is the fact that the platform as a whole throughout the three main iterations have been built with communication and quick information capture as a premise. Their premise and philosophy is to give a system and a phone that requires you to use it less, to look at it less, so that you can focus on the important things in life, as in your real life, your family, your job and your hobbies.

I can't say that I didn't miss the multitude of apps that both iOS or Android have within their app stores but at the same time, the Windows experience has all the key apps for me to communicate and to keep in touch with the things I need on a day to day basis for living and for work.

For me, Windows Phone provided a system that can give me a quick glance at what is happening in my life with the ability to either respond or move on with life without the need to start apps or to pull down notification menus etc. All it requires is a wave of the hand or a tap on the power button and I could either have the basic notification or a more detailed list of what is happening, all presented within the main screen. I know, some of you are probably thinking that the usage of widgets on the Android system can do the same thing, and this is partially true, but it comes with a cost. A cost of extra resource on the phone that cuts into the experience. A cost of needing extra swiping motions. Either way, it is not as optimized as having a system built on this premise as a cornerstone.

Overall, Windows Phone is not right for everyone. It is a spartan experience. It is an experience where productivity and efficiency is key. It is a place where you don't need the multitude of apps but rather a key handful to get life done. It is an experience and a lifestyle choice that frees you more to live real life. For me, it has freed me from the temptation of playing or looking at my phone and allowed me to focus on my wife, my kids and my job. It has decreased the need to look at my phone for long periods of time and still able to accomplish the same thing with a glance.

If you are curious, start your exploration here. It is a journey down the rabbit hole. A journey to turn your back on what is popular in life. A journey of discovering what is important in life.

For those wondering I use a Microsoft Lumia 650.

Weekend Reads: June 24, 2016

Articles that I have been reading this past week and found it to be profoundly helpful, thoughtful or challenging and want to share it with you for your weekend reads.

My Mercedes Went to Missions - Cameron Doolittle
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/my-mercedes-went-to-missions
An intriguing article about the drive for spending less and having less for the sake of giving more away.

Biblical Hospitality - Sara Barton
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sara-barton/biblical-hospitality-what_b_8908102.html
An exploration of what happens when Christians stopped spending all their time with other Christians but rather with non-Christians and starting to invited them over for meals and hanging out.

The 18-Minute Ritual that will Maximize Productivity - Paul Sohn
http://paulsohn.org/the-18-minutes-ritual-that-will-maximize-productivity/
A system of self-reflection and guidance in productivity in which you try to layout the goals and question yourself in your ability to work toward them.

5 Signs You're an Insecure Leader - Carey Nieuwhof
http://careynieuwhof.com/2016/05/5-signs-youre-an-insecure-leader/
A short article listing some of the traits of insecure leaders.

A week with the IKEA Nordmarke (wireless charging pad)

I have always been fascinated with the idea of wireless charging for the cellphone. It seems so easy and nice to just plop the phone down on the desk and it just feeds the battery and when I need to go I just grab the phone and run. Seems like such an ideal world. A world without fiddling with wires (or at least visible wires), a world where your phone is perpetually being topped up with power when you are not actively using it. This is the dream.

So while I was walking through and browsing wasting time at IKEA with Baby Girl, I noticed the IKEA Nordmarke triple wireless charging pad on sale, for a very good price of just over $20 down from $80. I jumped on the deal without a thought in the world. OK, I did have a thought, how I was going to explain to the Wife on my indiscriminate spending spree. But my urge to buy overtook my fear (and besides, they have a lenient refund policy).

Anyhow, I bought the Nordmarke and home I went. Got it all plugged in. It came with the pad, an AC adapter and some pieces of paper (that I assumed were the instructions). In a true guy fashion, I didn't read the paper and plugged the thing in and plopped my phone down on it. And the phone started to charge. A delight to the heart. There appeared to be a status light right under the phone that was barely noticeable (at a later point, after reading the forsaken manual, I found that there are three statuses: solid = charging, blinking = error, none = not working). The light was barely visible under these modern smartphones with a barely manageable size of 5 inch. So I'm not quite sure why they even have it there under the phone and not at a more visible locale.

Overall, it seemed like it was a delight to play with the QI charging pad. However, upon further interrogation by the Wife, I had to admit that there is only a limited number of phones carrying the QI wireless charging standard and thus only certain phones would work (the iPhone being one of the major players that doesn't work without an add-on). That wasn't the only downside, the charger was pretty darn slow. It was more like a trickle charge than an actual charge. When compared to charging the old-fashion way, via a wire plugged into a wall outlet, I would estimate the time to charge was about 2x longer at the very least. Either way, I found that throughout the week, my phone was not getting enough juice and it was still running low despite the consistent trickle charge. And to top that, the USB port on the Nordmarke had a hard time sustaining a charge for my Fitbit Charge HR.

In the end, I had to say goodbye to the IKEA Nordmarke. It was a good idea but the current practical outplay of it wasn't all that great. If only it could charge faster. I guess if you are just plopping down your phone for the night while you sleep, it would be fine, but for that, how hard is it to just wire it up? Either way, the product was nice and thoughtful but the practical aspect of it was lacking. Maybe when they improve on the tech some more in the future it can be more useful.

A disclaimer, I was not paid to write this or review this.

Weekend Reads: June 17, 2016

Articles that I have been reading this past week and found it to be profoundly helpful, thoughtful or challenging and want to share it with you for your weekend reads.

Whatever you do, don't quit your job to pursue your passion - Janelle Quibuyen
http://qz.com/698943/whatever-you-do-dont-quit-your-job-to-pursue-your-passion/
Warns of the lack of transparency of entrepreneurship and how it is often envisioned as an overnight success or celebrated as the goal of all workers when in essence it is a journey undertaken and undergirded often by those already in a position or privileged enough to do so.

The danger of high-functioning depression as told by a college student - Amanda Leventhal
https://www.upworthy.com/the-danger-of-high-functioning-depression-as-told-by-a-college-student
Explores the risk of how often high-functioning depression individuals are slipping under the radar and how we need to change the perception of mental illness so that everyone can benefit from treatment and counselling.

Special Video Feature: Underground Chef Reveals All - Christopher Cheung
http://thetyee.ca/Culture/2016/06/02/Ronsar-Lo-Chef/
A short article exploring the rise of the underground meal sharing scene in which strangers are invited to a hobby chef's home and is presented with a meal.

The Housing Problem Isn't Supply, it unsustainable foriegn demand- Josh Gordon
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/housing-costs-are-rising-but-its-not-a-supply-issue/article30380106/
An exploration into the rise in housing cost and price in the Metro Vancouver and Toronto area, pin pointing at the fact that the rise in cost does not correlate with the rise in population/demand but rather is highly influence by outside demand that is not local.

Life without TV (more like attempts)

For full disclaimer, we do have a TV but it is without antennae or cable or anything of the sort although we do have a Roku to stream on-demand. And even this was only a relatively new development in life from a year ago.

Ever since my wife and I got married, we had made a purposeful decision to do life without TV. The decision was based on two things: 1) The wife doesn't particular like or have a habit of watching TV or movies, and 2) I was spending an unhealthy amount of time watching TV, streaming things online or watching movies during our dating and engagement process.

So the decision was made to forego TV as we were forging onward with our new life, in the attempt of creating more time and interaction and purposefulness in life. And I would say it went alright. Without the temptation of a big screen and the ease of just hitting the power button on a remote, I wasn't able to create a means of escape from life. And even with streaming media, it was hard watching on an iPod Touch or on the laptop, you can only squint your eyes so much. Additionally, I found that I was more discerning about the quality of the story and content in films and shows than before as all the fancy digital effects and whatnot was too small to notice on a small screen like an iPod or smartphone or even on a 13" laptop. It only takes so long before eye-fatigue sets in.

What we did learn during those years without a TV was that real live conversation was the order of the day and board games was the go-to entertainment and God forbid, we actually went to the gym to work out too (although, I have to admit I did spend a disproportionate amount of time watching the Food Network while "working out"). Overall, I do have to admit that our quality of life and our relationship did improve. Granted, we were often out of the loop with current TV shows and media or even what was showing in the theatre, but with that, discussions with friends were focused more on life and what was actually happening instead of just want we have seen on the tube.

However, this all changed a year ago. We were good on following the recommendation of no screen time with kids under two. However, as the older one started daycare and preschool, he was often out of the loop on what all the other kids knew. He had no idea who Batman, Spiderman or any of the other superheroes are. Instead, he recognized logos and made up his own story. Kudos to him for being imaginative but it didn't help with his social integration since no one knew what he was talking about and he didn't know what everyone else was talking about.

So we went and got a TV. And with that, we were also offered a 6-month cable subscription for free. During those ensuing 6 months, we learned that as a couple we loved watching the Food Network and the Home and Garden Channel. And guess what, we watched it almost every night after the kids went to bed. The deeper conversations of life kind of stopped or at most just trickled. And we stopped moving (another word for exercising). It was all kind of surprising. It was so easy to just plomp ourselves on the couch and hit the power button and just tune out life. It was great.

As the 6-month promotion came to an end, we decided not to continue on. It was sad to see the cable box get picked up and leaving our lives. Now our TV is dormant 90% of the time, despite still having a streaming media box hooked up. Life is returning back to normal. Evening time is now spent on chores, conversations and just relaxing (without tuning out the world and each other).

There is a simplicity to life when you are able to unplug and untune. There is a connection with a real life person that is so much different from tuning in to something on a screen. There is merit in thinking through what is worth my time and how it is best spent, on other people or achieving something. I think life without TV was a good call in the beginning and with the brush of TV, it just confirmed it a bit more. Although I do have to say, TV-babysitting was a lifesaver at times.

What about you? What are your thoughts on TV or no TV? Would love to read about your experiences.

8 Years and Counting (of marriage)

8 years and counting. It has been a crazy 8 years of marriage and I can't say I'm not looking forward to seeing where we are going. But it has been a crazy ride. In these 8 years, we have lived in 5 different houses and apartments, have been through owning, renting and borrowing, from a cozy size of 500 sq feet all the way up to 1700 sq feet, and we have been in 2 different major metropolitan cities. In these years, I have been able to finish a second graduate degree, serve with two churches and been able to see lives changed. But what changed the most in this crazy journey so far was adding two kids to the mix. I don't think we were prepared nor did we have a true inkling as to what parenthood was. We learned quickly that kids are only fun and cute when you don't have to be the one to change the diaper, fix the boo-boos, and deal with the screaming and crying. Not that I am complaining, I love those two munchins, but I just can't say I was prepared in any sense of the word for them. And with that, we have been blessed to have been able to live comfortably for seasons and to have been carried through seasons of financial hardship. This is all to say, it was a wild journey of 8 years of marriage. And through it all, I can't say I could have picked a better friend, partner and wife to go through this with. We had our difficulties and disagreements at times but with work and communication, we were able to move past it and seek the greater things in life.

I'm not sure where everyone else is at in life but often times when I look around, it seems like everyone has their stuff together. But I think it's OK to not have it all together. Life is an experience. Experience will have its ups and its downs. It is just a matter of how to celebrate the ups in life and how to handle the downs. And the best thing about marriage is that you ain't doing it alone. You have a best friend to do it with. I have seen people that don't want to work at it when they are down 'cause it feels too hard, too bitter, or too distant, and I have seen people that don't recognize and celebrate the highs of life together and allow for mediocrity to settle in. I guess what I am getting at is, if you have someone in your life, don't forget to celebrate the highs with them and work through the lows with them. It is a journey and with any journey you will have twists and turns and occasional ditches or hills.

I don't know what is in store for us as we continue moving on in this ride of ours, but I do know it will have its ups and downs, it will have its times of slowness when everything seems to be dragging and it will have its times of rapid successions of events that we can't keep pace with. But through it all, God has sustained us and He will continue to do so. For the greater things in life brought us together and this greater purpose from God will continue to move us and He will sustain us through.

Weekend Reads: June 10, 2016

Articles that I have been reading this past week and found it to be profoundly helpful, thoughtful or challenging and want to share it with you for your weekend reads.

What are some startup ideas that Frequently Fail?
https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-startup-ideas-that-frequently-fail
An exploration of why and what kind of start up having a higher failure rate, answered by various entrepreneurs and investors.

The Gender Gap in Religion Arouud the World - Pew Research Forum
http://www.pewforum.org/2016/03/22/the-gender-gap-in-religion-around-the-world/
A look at home the religiousity and spirituality is broken down by gender across the world. Interesting insight in what each gender seems to need or is looking for.

3 Words You Should Drop From Your Leadership Vocabulary Starting Now - Carey Nieuwhof
http://careynieuwhof.com/2016/05/3-words-you-should-drop-from-your-leadership-vocabulary-starting-now/
3 key words that often under mind our communications as leaders and how to change it.

Vancouver Millennials Hit Hard in Real Estate Frenzy - The Canadian Press
http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/vancouver-millennials-have-lowest-discretionary-income-after-house-purchase/
An exploration into the plight of the Millennials in Vancouver and how they are being priced out of housing.

Witnessing by the Spirit

I remember as I was growing up in church, we would have all these "training" and "workshops" on evangelism. Most of the time, this just ends up being either sessions on why we should tell people about Jesus and His plan for salvation with hardly any practical aspect or theory of how to talk people into believing which essentially boils down to a sales class on selling Jesus to your friends and neighbors. Suffice to say, I didn't get much out of it in the sense of fulfilling the session's purpose. However, what I did get out of it was that either I am the most horrible believer around cause I just don't have the guts or will to tell people about Jesus or I am just super lousy in talking about Jesus in general cause when I tried out some of those "tactics" I just get rejected. Overall, these were never actually encouraging sessions nor were they able to elicit the result the church or pastor wanted, which was to tell more people about Jesus. Instead, I would rather not talk about Jesus, church, faith or salvation in general. These things seemed personal and I would rather just keep them that way. And I am sure a lot of people would agree with me on this one.

However, as you experience life, you come to realize something about yourself. I feel that in the past it wasn't for my lack of knowing how to tell people about Jesus nor was it the lack of why I should tell people about Jesus that held me back, rather it was cause I knew of Jesus but didn't actually know Him personally. It wasn't til I had experienced Jesus for myself in a very personal way and had accepted Him into my life that I started to want to talk about Jesus or tell people about Jesus. It was as if something was unlocked within myself, or in another perspective, something was gifted to me that allowed for me to step out of my shell and preference or habit. And here is where the verse hit me. The disciples have witnessed Jesus, they have lived and walked with Jesus, they know Jesus, but it wasn't until they have received the power of the Spirit that they started to witness to everyone around them. I think this is the same with each and every one of us - it is not until we have experienced and received the Spirit that we would start witnessing out of a supernatural and uncharacteristic-to-ourselves kind of fashion. So in essence, evangelism starts with the Spirit. It starts with having the Spirit within us and is not about what or how much we know or how we go about it. The Spirit will provide the missing pieces.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 HCSB http://bible.com/72/act.1.8.HCSB

Project 333: Week 3 Update

It has now been three complete weeks since I started on this journey of Project 333. For those that aren't sure what I am talking about, you can catch up HERE for the original post and HERE for the Week 1 Update.


As noted during my Project 333 Week 1 Update, it seems to be easy-peasy and I noted that I may need to start planning ahead a bit so as to prevent running out of clothes when I need it. However, it seems like I did not take my own advice or more to the point I did not follow through on it. So to the point, this past weekend, I did run out of appropriate clothing.
So what happened? Well, apparently after Week 1, I had washed clothes and was able to essentially reset for the start of Week 2 however I ended up needing to do laundry a bit early during Week 2. Originally I thought this would be alright since it kind of reset the laundry schedule anyway but it was actually not the case. I actually ended up not doing laundry again until yesterday night which essentially meant I ran a few days longer than anticipated. And this was coupled with the fact that it was a relatively hot week and I had needed to change more often due to sweat and working on the yard. This seemed to deplete the clothing stock quite a bit. So by the time the weekend rolled around, all I had were collar shirts. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing except for that fact that the laundry basket last night when I had needed to wash it was actually only about 3/4 full. The only reason a wash was needed was because I had only one polo left for today and if I didn't wash last night or today then I would actually really run out of clean clothes.So now, looking back, the lesson is a need for more thoughtfulness of my schedule and also weather and potential activities for the week. In essence, I need to plan ahead a bit on my outfits and when I need to wash stuff. Which this kind of runs into the question of whether I should wash based on a weekly schedule (which is generally how long it takes to fill a basket) or more along the line of just whenever I seem to be running low on clothes (which could potentially mean more frequent washing). Anyhow, I will be seeing how this coming week goes as I will have three days in a row where I will be having different and more professional engagements that I haven't had in the past few weeks.

Weekend Reads: June 3, 2016

Articles that I have been reading this past week and found it to be profoundly helpful, thoughtful or challenging and want to share it with you for your weekend reads.

The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship - Jessica Bruder
http://www.inc.com/magazine/201309/jessica-bruder/psychological-price-of-entrepreneurship.html

10 Questions to Test Whether You are a True Christian - J.C. Ryle
http://www.churchleaders.com/daily-buzz/279623-j-c-ryle-10-questions-test-whether-true-christian.html

Leaders Must Guard Their Family Time - Ben Reed
http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/279545-leaders-must-guard-family-time-ben-reed.html

How to Create More White Space in Your Life - Paul Sohn
http://paulsohn.org/how-to-create-more-white-space-in-your-life/

Serenity in the Rain

It is just a bit past noon. Lunch is done and my daughter is going down for a nap. She is laying on my chest, as she starts to drift off, holding on lightly to my finger. With the rhythmic up and down of her small body and head as I breathe gently, I noticed the rain pouring down outside from the window. There is a sense of peace. A peace that doesn't happen often in a life filled with two toddlers and a relatively full schedule. It is hard not to notice the serene look of my daughter as she slumbers.

This makes me think of the times growing up, those lazy summer afternoons where it was just the right warmth and you can't help but drift off to sleep, the mesmerizing sound of the spring rain hitting the roof, dripping off the gutter and leaves of the tree and time just seems to slow down. How often in life as we grow older and as we become more acquainted with responsibilities do we forget what it was like on those lazy days, those times of peace and serenity when you are able to transcend the burden and worries of the world and just be in tune.

How many of us have forgotten about the need to be in tune with nature? Ourselves? And with each other? Or even with God? All of this because we become too busy in what we are doing. We become what we do instead of having what we do as just a part of who we are.

Days like this help realign my mind and soul on what matters. It helps slow down the busyness of it all. And a sense of peace settles, not because life is all handled and in order but because I know it can wait.