Wang Nguyen

Like most typical 1.5 generation Asian Americans, it was instilled in me at an early age by my father that I should become a doctor when I grew up. There was no other option for him, it was doctor or I was a failure. The only problem is that I never enjoyed science and never really excelled in the subject.

I was actually talking to Mary this morning about how I hated my primary physician at Kaiser. Just because someone is good at science and wrote memory doesn’t necessarily translate into them becoming a good doctor.

Now to what I originally wanted to write about…Ed Wang has become the first Chinese American drafted into the NFL. Dat Nguyen was the first Vietnamese American drafted into the NFL, and they are the only two full blooded Asians to have been drafted into the NFL to date.

I believe that in the next 10-15 years you will begin to see a lot more Asians entering into professional sports. Parents around my age/generation are no longer instilling this eastern mystical garbage into our kids, that a career in Medicine or Law is the only respectable career. I feel a lot more parents our generation will encourage our kids to follow their passion and support them no matter what they want to do, especially if they want to become a professional athlete.

Perhaps some of the reasons are that we don’t want to suffocate them the way our parents did, but a lot of it has to do with financial stability. Unlike our parents who often had to grind it out every day in their stores or multiple jobs, we have careers. We don’t feel the financial burden and impress upon our kids fear tactics of becoming rich and successful so they can help the family out.

Dr. Harry Edwards a sociology professor at Berkeley argued that African Americans dominated professional sports not because they were genetically gifted, but rather very much like the whole Asians becoming doctors phenomenon, most African Americans were channeled into that career as an only option.

I don’t completely buy into his theory, but I do believe there is a sociological aspect to explain why there are less Asians in professional sports. And as I mentioned before, in the next 10-15 years you will see more and more news of 100% Asian Americans playing in American professional sports, including the NFL and NBA which is currently dominated by African Americans.

Judges, Not Those Type

In the Old Testament, God raised up judges to preside over the Israelites because they became so corrupt. Whenever God raised up a judge, he was with that judge and the Israelites followed God. But each time the judge died, the Israelites returned to their corrupt ways and became even worse than before.

This passage stood out to me because I was having a conversation recently with a group of friends about how Christians need clear guidance in their lives and they need somebody to tell them what to do. It might seem childish for us to be told how to live as Christians, but isn’t that what we are most times?

We are children, and like children when we go unsupervised by an adult, we become like The Lord of The Flies. We run amock with corruption and our own sense of right and wrong.

Men do it all the time, when their wife is away, they return to their bachelor ways of old, eating fast food only, drinking too much, messing up the house, pizza boxes and beer cans everywhere, socks on the floor, and then quickly cleaning everything up and returning the house to the way it was right before your wife comes home. We all do it.

The Israelites are a representation of man kind. Left to our own wits we return to sin, again and again. Often times even adult Christians need someone to spank them, and show them what’s right and what’s wrong. Maybe not in the same way our parents did when we were children, but we need God apointed judges to show us how to live right with God.

I'm Fat

So my wife thinks I'm fat. Not that I disagree with her, but I don't completely describe myself as fat.

I guess one of my icons that I can fall back to is the "Rock". In my opinion I thought he looked better "big ' back than he does "now".

Okay fine he's more ripped. But in my opinion he looks anorexic. I guess there are different opinions on what is considered fat. But I definitely don't consider myself fat. Big yes, but fat no.