august 22-24
i thought it was appropriate to sacrifice one weekend of golf to go to grx’s summer retreat. i had a lot of fun as i got to meet a lot of new people, get to know the ones i partly knew better, and listen to some good messages from the pastor. i wish i had taken my camera because the site was beautiful and warm… the retreat was held at occidental, ca, just a short ways west of santa rosa. it’s the most north i have gone in the west coast, and i was amazed at what an hour north can mean for the difference in weather. hopefully the next time i go that north, i can visit some wineries, i WAS in sonoma county afterall…
it seems like only yesterday… well not really, but i do remember telling myself in 2004 that i would be at beijing for the 2008 olympics. that didn’t happen. it’s been a tiring couple of weeks (although i suppose i really shouldn’t be complaining compared to what these olympians have been doing for years) trying to stay up as late as i can to watch the olympics, and trying to block myself out from tv and internet as almost all the events were tape delayed in the west coast. now that the olympics are over, it’s a bit disheartening as beijing truly put on an awesome show. i feel like the olympics is a unique event in that the purpose isn’t to make a profit, but an opportunity for the host country to display their culture, power, and awesomeness to the world. i can’t imagine the tickets and endorsements summing up to the supposed $40 billion china spent, which makes for a great value for the spectators! can you imagine the NFL or the NBA subsidizing their ticket prices to the point where they’re losing millions, if not billions of dollars?
(which reminds me…
where are you now protesters for tibet? just as i thought, a hype that people got drawn into without even knowing the real history or situation or understanding the culture or eastern philosophy/traditions. thanks for ruining my olympic torch experience you bozos).
anyway, i feel bad for london as they’re put in a tough position to follow up such an amazing performance. if the london bus act with david beckham and leona lewis was any indication of what london has to offer in 2012, we might be in for quite a disappointment as it was the most boring part of the entire closing ceremony. not to say that london is a boring country or doesn’t have much to offer, it would be tough for any country to follow up an act that beijing put up this year. here are some pictures i wish i could’ve taken in person…
good job bejing. good luck london.
