Worst of the Worst

Aaron Brown posted this on his blog so I'll post it hear since I like being warned to not waste my time watching crappy movies. I'm certainly glad that I haven't seen most of the movies on this list. I have no doubts that I could come up with my own list of top 100 awful movies, which I wasted my life watching. That has to be one of the things I hate the most, watching a movie hoping that it's good and by the end you say, "I could have been doing something productive with that time, like putting a puzzle together or call and actually talk to someone." Time is a gift and we shouldn't be wasting it on crappy movies. Although there's no way to be certain which movies will turn out lame even though some are a little more obvious than others. So I suggest taking a look at this list and seeing the directors and production companies that have multiple movies on this list and avoid these companies in the future. Deal? Deal.

This list was made by Rottentomatoes.

Is anything starring Vin Diesel ever good? Early in the decade there were more of his films on the list but since producers are intent on making their dung hill higher this is the only movie that made the list. I think it's safe to say that if Vin is in it you should take a pass.










I never really understood why people think that Dane Cook is funny. I think that Bryan is funnier. Now that's saying something. I'm starting to get tired of people getting by simply on name recognition.




I remember seeing the trailer for this movie on TV and thought it was going to come out on TNT as an "original movie." Then when the trailer ended and showed the release date at the theaters, I thought, "there's no way that's a real movie." It looked a film major's senior project. If the film looks low-budget that's never a good sign. And this movie was "straight out of lo-cash."






I'm certainly glad that these mockumentaries made the list. For the life of me I don't know how production companies get away with making half-baked movies over and over and over again. The script of these movies must of taken about twenty minutes to write.



It doesn't take a lot of thought to put these movies together. I understand that they market these movies to Middle Schoolers but I teach my Middle Schoolers better than that. I tell them that producers don't think very highly of them when they keep trying to feed them the same crap rapped in a different package. That's my way of educating the youth and sticking it to The man.




Hopefully my students will actually remember what I taught them and stop paying for these dumb movies so they can stop making them.






Knowing didn't make the list. This doesn't imply that it wasn't bad but there are THAT many movies that are even more awful than this one. Now that's really sad.









Here's another movie that didn't make the list. My wife and I went to go see this movie. I thought to myself, "I like funny people and the title is 'Funny People' so it must be funny." Well, the logic didn't follow or the humor. The wife and I were a little late and sat down at the back in the middle of a scene. From the time we opened the door to finding a seat we must of heard about seventeen F-bombs and a host of crass and degrading language by men towards a particular woman. We walked out immediately and kindly asked for our money back. I was pretty offended, not so much with the language but with the fact that the producers of this movie thinks I would enjoy such base humor. Really? I am a grown man now, if I wanted to watch other grown men act like they're still in Middle School I would just go hang out with Bryan.




I rented this movie thinking that it couldn't be bad because it had Brat Pitt in it. Wrong again. Even though there are amazing stars out there, every single one of them has a flop here and there. The story was slow in developing and the editing was completely incoherent. I didn't even finish watching it. So even a great actor like Brat Pitt is in a movie that does not guarantee quality.



Well, it's time for bed so I'll just let you finish the list on your own and make your own comments. Believe me, there are plenty of movies to bag on, sadly. I'm certainly not looking forward to the next decade of movie making. There will come a point where there be nothing to rent as well. I guess I better learn how to read.

Jordan - The Mortal

Throughout Michael Jordan’s career, starting from his game-winning shot as a Tar Heel at North Carolina in the 1982 NCAA National Championship game to the game-winning shot in game 6 at Utah in the 1998 NBA Finals, he was labeled a “force of nature,” the “most fierce competitor” and to many “the greatest of all-time.” Even his nickname, “His Airness,” commanded respect and relevance. The further away we go from his playing days, it seems the more his legacy grows. I do not recall any other athlete with the same mystique as Jordan.

I remember watching Michael throughout the 90’s in the NBA Finals and just being in complete awe (and yes a little mad after he destroyed my Lakers in 91’). He is known for his drive as well as his ability. There are so many talented and athletic individuals in today’s game but no one has the same drive to win or was as ruthless as MJ when it came to competing. His ability to bring that passion and drive to every single game throughout the course of his career was astounding.


Yesterday he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. As I was watching all of the highlights, accolades, and accomplishments by a man who dominated his sport like few athletes have in this lifetime a few thoughts went through my mind. In Jordan’s interview with Michael Wilbon, Jordan admitted that he was not ready for this honor because it felt so “finite,” an end to something that he will always love, the game of basketball. I thought about what made so many people admire him, myself included.

If there’s anything that bothers me as a fan it is when a player doesn’t play hard all the time. Sadly, there are several players in today’s game who fit that profile. I can understand that fatigue and the travel can make it difficult to play at times, but that’s their primary responsibility. They get paid millions so they don’t have to worry about anything else. Jordan never had that problem. He brought it every night.

Then I thought about the great heroes of the faith whom I admire. The John Pipers of the world, missionaries like Hudson Taylor and Jim Elliot, people that moved church history like Augustine, Luther, and Calvin and even my current pastors Erik Thoennes and David Talley at Grace EV Free La Mirada, just to name a few. I started to think why I admire these people and why I aspire to follow Jesus faithfully in the same manner. The reason why they are my heroes is because they applied the same fire and passion that Jordan has for the game of basketball toward serving God with their lives. They are consistent and bring that passion everyday. The difference is that living for the glory of God is not finite but infinite. There will be no end to our relationship with God and our constant and growing sense of awe of who He is from now to eternity.

There are days where I don’t feel like reading my Bible or praying. There are days where I should be paying more attention to my wife instead of indulging myself in self-pity when I don’t get what I want. In those instances, I have become the player that floats through games and have allowed fatigue to lead to complacency. Unlike the professional basketball players who are being paid millions of dollars to play the game of basketball, my life has been paid by the blood of Christ in order to serve Him fully. What is my excuse?

For Jordan, it was clear that it’s difficult to let go of the past and Adrian Wojnarowski from Yahoo sports pointed that out here. Yes, there is a human side to Jordan. Despite all of his accomplishments, I saw a man that was discontent and even a little bitter, which leads me to believe that he is still unsatisfied. As Christians, we will be satisfied throughout eternity because there is nothing finite about loving the Lord with everything in you, for "our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee . . . "

Reassigned

The summer is officially over and it’s back to work for us teachers. There are usually mixed emotions that run through my mind at the start of the school year- the bitterness of the end of summer and vacation but the sweetness of working and impacting children’s lives and working with co-workers you enjoy being around (and of course, getting paid).

However, due to the economic crisis and the disaster known as the California State Budget, work is not the same. Education was one of the areas where the cutbacks hurt the most. I have seen it first hand how having diminutive resources severally handicaps educators to be able to inspire students to achieve their full potential.


Over the past two years, I’ve been working at Benton Middle School in La Mirada, California. During that time, I have grown close to my staff and have been able to aide children to make better decisions with their lives. I didn’t expect this coming year to be any different. After spending two days working on setting up my room, I received a call in the evening saying that I’ve been “reassigned” to another school. This happened the day before the first day of school. Classy. This was due to declining enrollment and the school simply did not have the numbers to keep me at the current site. I felt like Tom Hanson in 500 days of summer, before he got over Summer. Why did I choose the education field as a profession? Oh that’s right . . . summers off.

I pulled up to my new site today in a mass of traffic as though there were a sixteen-car pile up on the freeway. I ended up parking three blocks away from the school. I was introduced to my aide and I told her where I parked, hoping that it was okay. Guess what, it wasn’t – it was street sweeper day and it already passed by the time I could move my car. My aide also told me to park the car “where I could see it,” because her car was stolen a couple of years ago. I’m sure that will bring some peace of mind, wondering throughout the day if my car is going to still be there when I got back after work.

Now there are two contrasting schools of thought going through my body. The first being, “This absolutely sucks and God hates me” (A little dramatic, I realize). If I were still single, I would be thinking, “Okay, this is where God wants me to find my wife.” But since I’m already married to the best woman for me this makes zero sense. Second, my theology tells me that God is both good AND sovereign, that ultimately He knows what He’s doing. Although I may not like the idea at present time, in the end He will do a work.



(Consequently, I entered the staff lotto pool before I left so I’m crossing my fingers. What does the lotto pool have to do with me being reassigned? Imagine if the staff won the lotto, we would be splitting up a few million dollars. I am currently at the lower income side of the district. I notice a couple of needy students at the new school and now I could afford to buy a couple of ipods with some John Piper sermons already downloaded for them. They love me for it and their lives are changed forever. I might even teach them something. The students continue to write emails to me through the years and become missionaries to some far off land. That sounds good to me). Of course I’ll miss my friends/co-workers and students from Benton but I guess there is something else in the fold for me and only God knows what it is. That will have to do for now. Stay tuned . . .

NBA Season 2009-2010

Opening night is Oct 27 against the Clippers. Why does it seem so far away? ESPN panel of 53 NBA analysis came out with their predictions for the up and coming NBA season, 2009-2010. I can't wait for the up and coming season. I plan to renew my season tickets (for the 4th straight year). Although money is going to be tight and we are in the middle of trying to buy a house. Some may say that it's unwise to be buying season tickets during this poor economic downturn. This may be true, however, we (the Lakers) are a championship caliber team and will be for many years. In addition, we are coming off a championship year and Phil Jackson has never won a championship where he did not win two others that followed. That's my rational for renewing my season tickets and I think most people would agree that it's a wise move. Besides, I decided NOT to buy an iphone and renewed my contract with Verizon. I've been kicking myself ever since. I'm not going to let the same thing happen to my Lakers' season tickets, consequences be da****!

Furthermore, Laker tickets make great gifts (but don't ask me for any). I love the look that one of my pastor gives me when I tell him to take his son to a ball game. He serves so much at our church it's a great way to show some appreciation. Also, the games that I can't attend are easy to sell. I mean, think about it . . . they're Laker tickets! You don't have to package a deal. They sell themselves.

How about date night with the wife? Katie was never really into basketball when we started dating. I converted her quickly and now she even follows the Lakers on her own time and enjoys talking to me about anything and everything that involve the Lakers. Now that's an amazing wife (she doesn't like the Laker girls though, go figure). Not to mention, when I need some time with my boys, what better place to do it than at a Laker game? I already have my check list of must see games:

- Oct 27, vs. Clippers (Dom) - Opening night, free shirts, and the presentation of championship rings.

- Nov. 17, vs. Detroit (Brent) - Brent is a big Detroit fan but we're still friends. We're both teaching in the same district and going through the same school for our teaching credentials. In other words, it's a perfect time to vent.

- Dec. 4, vs. Miami (Dom) - Dom's a D-Wade fan. If you don't think that both D-Wade and Kobe don't circle this date you're crazy. Last year, Dom and I upgraded to VIP and those two were a wonder to watch. You truly can't appreciate their basketball abilities without seeing it up close and live (Lord, why couldn't you make me that good? That will be one of my questions in heaven).

- Dec 25, vs. Lebron - No more need be said.

- Dec 29, vs. Golden State (Chris) - Chris is a GS fan. This is a good time for Chris and I to catch up on things.

- Jan 29 @Philadelphia - there's an outside chance that the wife and I will fly to Philly for this game and visit Aaron and Megan in the process. The wife always wanted to visit Philly (among other cities) and I always wanted to fly out to a great city and watch a Laker road game. It works out for both of us. Of course, I'm still waiting on Aaron getting back to me to confirm that he'll be available (Aaron - hurry up and get back to me!).

- Feb. 28, vs. Denver (the wife) - it's a national televised game (Sunday morning). Now here's a great day. You go to the early service at your church then drive to LA for a brunch at The Original Pantry Cafe, the food is great! Afterwards, you could take your time and park because you're already there super early. As a result, parking isn't a hassle and it's cheap. The closer to game time the more it cost for parking because people working the lots knows you're probably running late and are desperate and try and take advantage of you like you're hooked on drugs and they're the drug dealers. Once you walk in the Staple Center the excitement begins and you feel the buzz in the air. You sit down in your seats and begin listening "I Love L.A." by Randy Newman and somehow for those few minutes you forget about all the bad stuff that Los Angeles has going for it and you just remember, the Lakers! The video of all the Laker greats come on starting with George Mikan, then moving to highlights of Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Wilt Chamberlain. Then the Showtime era with Kareem, Magic, Worthy, and Cooper then transitioning to the Phil, Kobe and Shaq championships. After all that, they show a highlight mix of all the current Lakers on a giant shower curtain and once it finishes it drops to the ground in slow motion, instantly the lights come on. One by one each member of the starting lineup are introduced with Kobe being the last one coming out to a hero's welcome that would have rivaled a Roman gladiator. It's game time! I'm sorry but no television can come close to that experience.

- April 4, vs. San Antonio (the wife) - Why not? You could always count on this being a good game.

- April 11, vs. Portland (the wife) - I just like to go to this game and bag on my buddy Bryan (who moved to Portland) as the Lakers lay the smack down on the Blazers. This makes me feel better all over and inside.

Undoubtingly, they'll be more games I'll be attending but these are the must-see games and the people that accompany me are a part of the experience. Attending Laker games is a tradition that I made for myself and one that I think I'm going to stick with. Everyone should have a tradition that they share with the ones whom they love. This happens to be mine and it happens to be an expensive one.

Imagine years from now when Junior Jr. comes along, I realize that Kobe will be retired by then but if you know the Lakers they'll have another star in the fold, I'll be talking about Kobe like my father talked about . . . wait a minute! I didn't have a father, forget that thought. But hold on a second . . . that's another point, I could build great memorizes with my future son and what better way to do that than attending Laker games with him? Is there a better father/son bonding time? Okay, maybe reading to him at night and constantly affirming him in all he does but lets not forget that a good-old-fashion ball game is when you could truly let your hair down and allow your son to know that it's okay to have fun in life. I think this gets left out too often. So yes, it's an expensive tradition, but well worth it because it will result in good parenting.

The Proposal

Originally posted on Sept. 13, 2008


When I started blogging a couple of years ago I never thought that many people would ever read them. Since that time, I have had many encouraging emails and comments regarding my blogs. So when I published Part 3 and people made comments about wanting to hear about my proposal story, I decided I needed to give it to them.

Wanting to do things properly for a marriage proposal, I began with step one - I asked Mr. Davis to have “lunch” with me. We both knew what “lunch” really meant. It was time for “the question.” (The question being, “May I marry your daughter?”) I was in the parking lot waiting for Mr. Davis when I called Bryan to ask him for some advice. “How in the world did you ask Shannon’s dad? When should I ask Mr. Davis? While we eat or after we finish our food?” Bryan suggested starting the conversation after the beverages because both of us knew why we were there anyways. Why put off the inevitable? So that’s what I went with. Here’s how the conversation went:

JR: Mr. Davis, we both know why we’re here, with a Nacho Libre voice: so let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. As you know, I’ve been dating your daughter for a few months now and I was wondering if I might have your daughter’s hand in marriage?

Mr. D: Well, I’m not at all surprised about you asking for my daughter’s hand in marriage. I just have a few questions for you.

JR: Sure, Mr. Davis, ask away. I’ll be sure to give you the answers you want to hear.

Mr. D: How are you going to take care of her?

JR: I think I might have a job by the time we get married. If not, I have a lot of aluminum cans saved up and oranges that I pick off my neighbors tree that I could sell.

Mr. D: How do you see yourself as a spiritual leader, specifically as a husband and an eventual father?

JR: As a spiritual leader I fully intend on praying before meals, especially when Katie reminds me to. As a husband, I already have the honeymoon planned out. And as an eventual father, I intend to take Junior Jr. to all the big Laker games and make sure he understands Laker lore. In addition, I fully intend for Junior Jr. to be a trained assassin.

Mr. D: Do you plan on moving out of Southern California away from the family?

JR: I have season tickets to the Lakers, which means no. Unless Kobe gets traded.

Mr. D: Well then, I think I’m sold. You can go ahead and marry my daughter. That is of course you intend to pass along some of your unused tickets.

JR: Sweet! Of course I will give you some tickets. I think it's only fair.

That’s pretty much how it went. … more or less. My sister Vicky helped me pick out a nice setting for the ring. Now I needed to plan out the proposal. Katie has an amazing roommate, Kara. She helped me plan out the proposal. The Davis family decided to go to Laguna Beach one early Saturday morning to have breakfast with the entire family. “Perfect,” I said to myself. It was a nice restaurant overlooking the beach. On the way to the restaurant I had some nervous energy and was acting goofy (more than usual). I was riding with Katie and Becky and reenacted the entire Transformer movie for them since they haven’t seen it. After the reenactment, I asked Katie if I should talk to her dad soon about proposing to her just to throw her off the sent.

(Katie: I think my response was something like, “That’s a man thing, and I am totally not getting involved!” I did briefly wonder what kind of wimpy guy would have to ask his girlfriend about when to approach her dad, especially since he already knew that I wanted to marry him. Good thing he redeemed himself much later that day!)

As we were eating breakfast at the restaurant, I felt calm, cool, and collected. I was surprisingly poised, but then I remembered that I was me and it made sense. (Katie: It took him 3 years to get comfortable because he definitely was not like that on our first date! Of course in all fairness, neither was I. ☺) After a nice breakfast, I asked Katie if she wanted to go for a “walk.” She said, “Sure.” Something happened at that moment, when we got up to go for our “walk” I nearly ruined my pants. “What happened to all the poise you idiot,” I said that to myself.

While we were sitting and eating with the family, Kara laid a trail of rose petals from the walkway to a spot on the beach where a blanket with lit candles surrounding it waited. I gave her a text message signaling that we were on the way down and to hide somewhere and take pictures. Once we hit the rose petals laid out on the beach. I acted surprised, “Oh look, rose petals! Let’s see where they go.”

We got to the blanket. It was early in the afternoon, the sun was out and the skies clear, the beach looked beautiful. We sat down and just took in the moment without saying anything for a couple of minutes. My heart was pounding so hard that I almost choked on it. Then I decided to settle down and tell Katie how much she meant to me, and how I was convinced that there was no other woman that I would rather spend the rest of my life with than her. Reaching into my right pocket and bringing out the box, I slowly opened the box in order to take in the moment all the more (you only have one crack at this). Showing Katie the ring, I asked her if she would marry me. She was in tears, as well she should be – she just hit the jackpot -and said, “yes.” Or more like “YES!” (Katie: I think I said yes BEFORE I saw the ring. He did do a great job planning it all out, though. It was quite beautiful and very special!)



Immediately, Kara jumped out of the bushes like Ashton Kutcher on Punk’d, congratulating Katie. (Katie: Lots of props to Kara for her part in this. She’s an awesome roommate!) Then the rest of the family descended from the “restaurant on a hill” to congratulate us and welcome me into the family. (Katie: My favorite part was my mom, who had bought me my first “wedding present”- a book on understanding Thai culture. ☺) I wonder if Mr. Davis ever thought that his prayers for Katie’s husband would end up being an Asian from East Los Angeles that grew up in a broken home with no Christian influence and graduated high school with a D- gpa? I love it when God has a sense of humor.

My New "Buddy"

As I mentioned before, married life has been wonderful, and I certainly recommend it if you’re marrying the right person for the right reasons. Of course figuring out if it’s the right person or if you have the right reasons can be a headache. One of the right reason(s) is a desire to love the other individual by doing things for them that you wouldn’t normally do yourself. Like getting a dog.

When I married my wife, I knew that she wanted a dog. I, too, had said that I wanted a dog but not until we got a house with a nice backyard where he could roam around like a wild deer outside of hunting season. I knew when I said this, however, that it would be a long time before that happened and thus would also put off getting a dog. The truth of the matter is that I didn’t really want to put the work into taking care of a dog. I barely put in work to take care of myself.

Knowing whom my wife is, I knew that I would need to prepare mentally for getting a dog and just dealing with it. The first obstacle I ran into, however, was that the wife and I disagreed on what kind of dog to get. I thought, “Well, if we’re going to get a dog it’s going to be a four-legged killing machine that obeys my every commend.” Katie replied, “But what about when the kids come along?” “They’ll be two-legged killing machines that obey my every commend.” I answered. I tried to convince her how cool it would be to have a 140 lbs Rottweiler chained against the wall- completely ripped and salivating from the mouth- with me throwing raw pieces of meat at him to eat while playing poker with the guys and smoking a Cuban cigar. You can probably guess that she wasn’t buying it. The kind of dog she wanted was kind, friendly, and playful. Sounds pretty boring to me.

One day, Katie was looking for a dog online and saw that a couple was giving away their golden retriever because of allergies in the family. She wanted to “just go take a look at it.” I knew exactly what that meant. We’re getting the dog. When we went to the house the family who owned the dog allowed us to play with him for a while in the backyard. The dog’s name was Buddy and he was about a year and a half old. The look on my wife’s face when we met him said it all, “He’s coming home.” When we brought him home a few days later, I gave him my Turner and Hooch tour of the house, showing him where he is NOT supposed to be and what he is NOT supposed to do.

I wouldn’t choose to name my dog “Buddy” but since he already knew a couple of basic commands like, “sit” and “get out of my face!” Katie and I decided to keep his name so we didn’t have to start over. Now Buddy isn’t the tough dog I was hoping for. He’s afraid of Murphy (my in-law’s dog; a Lab) and afraid of any strange noises (vacuum cleaners and the beeping noise that big trucks make when they back up). For a man, that’s a little disappointing but the wife is happy and that’s all that matters. If she wants a wimpy dog, she gets a wimpy dog.

Here are a couple of stories so far from owning Buddy for about a month. First, we were eating dinner and watching television. We are teaching Buddy not to beg for food. This particular night he didn’t beg and instead just sat down without us having to tell him. “Good job,” I thought. However, that soon changed. A few minutes later, out of the corner of my eye I noticed that he was monkey crawling towards the kitchen like he was in the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. I didn’t care as long as he wasn’t bothering me. Suddenly Katie started yelling at him as if he were dropping a cherry bomb in the toilet. He actually had climbed up on the counter with his front paws and lifted- Tom Cruise Mission Impossible style- the roast my wife had made for dinner right out of the glass pan it was sitting in. He was in the process of putting it on the floor and starting to enjoy it as if it were meant for him when she ran in to the kitchen to stop him. Initially I was upset because I was still hungry and planned on eating some more, but I have to admit that it was pretty funny and truthfully, if I were a dog I would do the same thing.

The second story actually happened in the middle of me writing this blog. It was a Sunday evening and we were headed to Grace Group (home bible study) and decided to leave Buddy at the in-laws because there is more backyard space for him to run around. We left him not knowing there was a hole under a pile of wood that Buddy could get out of, and of course he did. He’s a people dog, and since there was no one around, he was probably lonely. (That’s what the wife likes to think. In reality, it’s probably the fact that he is a teenager in dog years and is still lucky enough to have his “maleness” intact and was therefore looking for somewhere to sow his wild oats.) He went missing for the rest of the night and my wife was extremely distraught over it. I guess this is good training for when Junior Jr. gets hit with his first DUI.

The next morning, she went over to her parents’ house to look for him some more, and it turned out that a neighbor took him in when he was running around in the front yard. When my father-in-law brought him into the house where Katie was getting ready to leave, Buddy had his tails between his legs and a look on his face similar to that of a teenager who knew that he had broken curfew and had no excuses. My wife is again happy, and therefore I am happy.

(Side note: I feel at this time I need to defend Megan Brown [the wife of my good friend Aaron Brown] because Aaron always wanted a British Bulldog named Meatball but Megan doesn’t like dogs and therefore, Aaron is not ever getting one. I don’t want to make Megan look like a bad spouse. It’s different when the man does the sacrificing because as Christian men, that’s what we are called to do. So, kudos to Aaron for keeping the wife happy. Of course Megan never pretended to want a dog before they got married, so Aaron knew what he was walking in to anyways. No worries, Megan, I have your back.)

Buddy has a good temperament. He doesn’t jump on people and he never barks (a big plus. I can’t stand dogs that bark obsessively for anything and everything.). He is playful, affectionate, and loves to play catch and chase cats. That’s two more points because I like playing catch with dogs, and I don’t like cats. I have no doubt that we’ll have many stories throughout the years with Buddy. Having a dog is a lot of work but a happy wife and more blogging material makes it worth it.