softball.

So listening to Bob Marley as I woke up this morning I couldn't believe the apostlic nature of some of his lyrics. Here you go.

You running and running and youre running away, but you can't run away from yourself. You must have done something wrong. Why can't you find the place you belong.

Pretty much describes what i have felt like for the last 1.5 years of my life. Got scared of growing up and a huge word that starts with M, so i went to Maui last summer. Then i did the same thing from pressures of school to China for a few months. I think i have nothing to run away from anymore. I've feel like i know what's important and not important now. And I've learned to distinguish the two, and seen people running away from both things.

In China I met a guy that was about 28 from Wales. He passed while we were hiking on the mountain. He was a photographer and had been traveling for 5 years by himself taking pictures all over the world. He was running away from what life had told him he needed. He said that he had few social contacts and mostly met people around in his travels. He had his life on his back and he was running away from his fear of becoming something that he thought everyone else was, normal. His run had left him with stories and a full passport, but running on emotional fumes at 28.

Doing that, isn't in my game plan. So now, back to school to study what interests me. Headed to Asia soon to work on work. Life is a balance, and each persons scale is different, but when we find that medium, we're where we need to be.

great and scary question.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-t-5PLQgcSA

malaria anyone?

still working with lots of smart and amazing people to piece together this malaria thing. look forward to it.

child labor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV1hQSt2hSE

watch this. i've seen this stuff with my own eyes. in the town i lived in there were children who were trafficked in to work at restaruants. They works 27 days a month, 12 hours a day for about $40 a month. Their parents couldn't take care of them and they were forced to work a couple thousand miles from home. Some hadn't seen their families in over 5 years.

I became friends with them because it was a good restaraunt. We'd go out and play computer games at night, they loved beating me at CS. There were about 25 of them at the place, all under the age of 18 as far as i knew.

I knew the scene was repeated elsewhere. I saw it in furniture factories with kids working in there who couldn't be more than 13 or 14.

Just be aware of what this stuff is. I don't know what we can do to stop it. The world has loads of problems right now and i don't think this is going to be at the forefront for a long time.

kudos to radiohead for doing such a cool video.

back now

i'm back from china. have been for a week or so now. its been an interesting time being back. loads of time to reflect on the things i've seen and the experiences that i've had. the last month i spent traveling about with two close friends. we really enjoyed each others company and it was fun to have people to experience those things with. i think that i'll keep the name of this blog, even though i'm not in china.

i'm not really sure what i'm doing next. there is opportunity for me to have a pretty cool experience doing some international business. at first i was worried about the next few years of life, but i got over that in a few days. life will work out, has for 23 years for me, don't know why it would stop tomorrow.

today's inspiration

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourselfany direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
And you are the guywho'll decide where to go.

-Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss

lately

been super busy.
this weekend went to zhongshan to visit the girls there. They are always super fun to hang out with. After that, jeff and i took off to HK early in the morning. 4 hours of buses and subs later, we arrived at the HK temple and rushed into the meeting. We after went to a mall and walked around looking for mexican food. That was false. No mexican food was nowhere to be found. We hit the regular fallback in unfamiliar and expensive territories, Mcdonalds. A spicy chicken sandwhich later, we walked around and looked at cool stores. We went to a crowded street market full of fake rolexs and gucci glases. Most people i've ever seen. Super uncomfortable. Lots of nasty travelers there. Funny to see cultures mix and the way that the chinese interact with foreigners. They know exactly what to say. Then we came back and got a hotel by church in GZ. I lost my wallet in a taxi along the way. Little bummed about that but its pretty much spilt milk. Only had 150rmb in it, like 20usd. canceling all my cards soon. so it will be ok. life is too good to worry about little things like that. but it did point out something that i've always been terrible at, losing things. i've got enough money to hold me over for a few months here, so no worries about that.

Project sprouts is getting bigger and bigger. I guess if you wanted to say, you could say that it has sprouted. Some high rollers at church are going to lay out alot of money. woop. Everyone wants to help these kiddies but doesn't know how. Sprouts is going to be good way to funnel that desire. I don't know how many, and i really don't care about numbers, desks will be collected, but that we do something when we can and should do something is more important to me. It's not going to start here, so why start counting at all. We know where we need to be eventually, and whether that is now or later is the only question.

Its been funny to see my blind and sometime naive optimism pitted against the pecimism of many of sprouts' supporters. They try to get me to see all the negative and i try to tell them to forget it and be excited. So far i think its a tied game.