February 2012
1 post
3 tags
6 Reasons Being Single On Valentine’s Day Isn’t... →
In celebration of Singles Awareness Day…
January 2012
2 posts
7 tags
5 tags
Dammit, Jim! I'm a waiter, not a park ranger!
Ooooooooooooooh campers annoy me. Don’t get me wrong. As a restaurant customer, you are entitled to eat and relax at your own pace. But please, be reasonable about it.
If the restaurant is really busy and most or all the other tables are full, please leave. You’re taking up space that another customer would like and preventing them from leaving me another tip.
Most of the time, I...
November 2011
1 post
6 tags
What do you consider an adequate tip for a waiter?
Before starting off on this new venture (see below), I thought I’d ask a couple questions and see what thoughts other people have. What do you consider an adequate tip for a waiter who provides adequate service?
What do you consider adequate service?
Did you know that minimum wage is different (lower!) for waitstaff than it is for other jobs? Well, in the USA, anyway.
This is the first...
October 2011
1 post
August 2011
2 posts
2 tags
10 Myths About Introverts →
Here’s another post about introverts.
3 tags
Caring for Your Introvert →
Hello. My name is Jon. You may know me as ‘Milton’. I am an introvert.
July 2011
2 posts
8 tags
Center for Khmer Studies →
I figured I should tell people what it is I’m doing this summer. I am participating in the Khmer Language and Culture Study Program through the Center for Khmer Studies. Basically, it’s a beginner-level Khmer language program geared towards academics, but participation is pretty much open to anyone whose work will benefit Cambodia and the Cambodian community.
It’s an intense...
6 tags
June 2011
3 posts
6 tags
30 days of 30 years
I’ve been in school almost non-stop since I was 5. That’s 25 years. A quarter of a century. A third of my life expectancy. And I don’t have a whole lot to show for it. No wife, no kids, no career, no house, no major appliances. A hand-me-down car. FML.
Thirty days ago, all I could see was what my friends had and what I didn’t. LASIK may have fixed my eyes, but it really...
6 tags
Open Institute →
Part of my class involves weekly visits to local NGOs. Our first was the Open Institute, which seeks to encourage educational and economic development in Cambodia through the use of of free, open source software in Khmer. They developed a Khmer Unicode font, a Khmer-language version of Open Office, a Khmer-language web browser, and a Khmer-language email client. And a training program (including...
7 tags
Writing Faith →
Just wanted to give a shout out to my boy Thomspon Dou. He’s spending the summer with a team from Adventures in Missions. He’ll be doing some construction work, playing with the kids, and of course, sharing God’s love.
I don’t know how often he’ll be posting, but you can follow his thoughts and adventures at the link in the title.
March 2011
3 posts
7 tags
Buffs in Cambodia →
A trip to Cambodia marks West Texas A&M University’s fourth international sojourn as winners of the annual Readership WT essay contest departed Wednesday for Phnom Penh on a nine-day learning experience.
The nine-day trip will introduce the students to the Cambodian culture through home stays with local Cambodian families. They will visit local markets and experience the country’s foods and...
3 tags
8 tags
Twisted Optiks →
About the album:
A sophomore release album that generates love through hard-hitting beats, mesmerizing melodies, and lyrics that compliment each track right from the artist’s heart. Journey from raw gritty hip hop to melancholy thought music on this breathtaking album.
Just trying to keep the hype going. This album dropped a month ago. This link will also get you to his first album. Try...
February 2011
4 posts
4 tags
4 tags
Organ Trail →
Anybody remember Oregon Trail? The best part of going to the computer lab back in elementary school? Here’s an updated version.
With zombies!
4 tags
3 tags
Kindling More Disappointment
So I was reading my first post about the Kindle 3 and realized I didn’t talk about the bad stuff much. Other than the cost, I actually talked about the advantages of a Kindle more than the disadvantages. Here goes:
For one thing, the e-Ink or whatever it’s called. It does come pretty close to looking like a regular book. However, you still need another light source to read it. Okay,...
January 2011
4 posts
3 tags
Kindling Disappointment
I got a a Kindle 3 (with 3G and Wi-Fi) for Christmas. I put it on my Christmas list, so it was something I wanted—something I wanted but didn’t want to spend my own money on. I did research and narrowed down my my choices to the iPad, the NOOK color, and the Kindle. I decided against the iPad because I didn’t really need all the other features it offered and frankly, I’m...
4 tags
Hulu Minus
I don’t watch TV. Well, kinda. I’m a grad student, so all my classes are during Prime Time. And when I was working full-time, I spent my free evenings (ha!) doing homework or running errands. And when I moved away from Denton, I lost my free cable, so I really couldn’t watch anything even if I wanted to.
I made up for with Netflix. Besides movies, I could get old TV series on...
4 tags
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the...”
– CS Lewis, Mere Christianity
2 tags
WatchThis film is almost word-for-word based on a short story by James Clavell, and it’s one of the creepiest, scariest damn things I’ve ever read. We read it in class - can’t remember what grade - and it has bothered me ever since. Still gives me the shivers.
If you have any questions, I’d love to discuss it with you.
November 2010
1 post
October 2010
3 posts
3 tags
6 tags
Advanced Auto Repair →
Okay, so this isn’t a true website spotlight, but I felt they deserved a little love. I just got back from from getting a new battery cable put on. Car starts so much more easily now!
I’ve been going to this garage pretty much as long as I’ve attended UNT—to the point that they know me by name. They may not be the cheapest shop around, but they do good work. Everyone is...
3 tags
Hulu →
This is one of the websites I missed the most while in Cambodia — it’s only available to users within the US.
I had a TV in my apt, but I haven’t subscribed to cable service in several years. Mainly because of money and time. As a grad student, all my classes are in the evenings after work, so even if I wanted to watch, I’d be in class. And around the time LOST and Heroes...
September 2010
1 post
4 tags
Extra Large is Excellent!
Confession: I just spent the last 30 minutes trying on old clothes.
Why?
Because I look and feel so damn good!
I struggle with my weight, and I have two sets of clothes: my ‘fat’ clothes and my, well, ‘less fat’ clothes. Less than a year ago, I couldn’t wear my ‘less fat’ clothes - I was simply too fat. Some of them actually hurt to put on.
I knew...
July 2010
9 posts
2 tags
Neatorama →
Really, just a bunch of neat-o articles.
3 tags
Seat Guru →
This is a very informative and detailed site about the seats on airplanes. When a carrier orders a jet, it can request a unique seat arrangement, so the planes are listed first by airline and then by type.
One problem that I have, though, is that plane information isn’t always readily available. I recently booked a ticket and will be on a Boeing 737. However, the airline I’ll be...
3 tags
Things I'm Learning to Live With(out) - Lizards
Or: Things for Which I Have a New Appreciation.
And now for a shift to something disgusting and funny
Elevators
Surreality
Air Conditioning & Hot Water (a two-fer)
Fires
Reliable Public Utilities
Dust
Roadkill
A Regular Hair Person
The People Around Me
Physical Proximity
YouTube
Safety & Security
a Clothes Dryer
My Own Car
Seasons
People Who Clap with the Beat
Ants
...
3 tags
Not a Locavore
No photos today, just an observation.
I’ve been noticing that a lot of the food I eat isn’t from Cambodia. My cereal is from Australia, my yogurt is from Thailand, and my potato chips/crisps are from Malaysia. Even my salsa is from Australia and my tortilla chips are from Singapore.
Back in the US, I never really questioned where my food came from. Even if it wasn’t locally...
4 tags
“Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to [God’s commands].
There is...”
– Ecclesiastes 12:12-14
2 tags
5 tags
Things I'm Learning to Live With(out) - Children...
Or: Things for Which I Have a New Appreciation.
After a long hiatus, a depressing post.
Elevators
Surreality
Air Conditioning & Hot Water (a two-fer)
Fires
Reliable Public Utilities
Dust
Roadkill
A Regular Hair Person
The People Around Me
Physical Proximity
YouTube
Safety & Security
a Clothes Dryer
My Own Car
Seasons
People Who Clap with the Beat
Ants
Breezes
Phone...
4 tags
4 tags
Slate →
I’ve been reading Slate for many years now, ever since it was a new feature at MSN.com. Since then, it has been the source of other MSNBC site like the Root and Foreign Policy.
Part of what drew me to Slate was the variety of content. One of the advantages of electronic media over print media is the sidebar — instead of turning the page or maybe even finding a new section, I can just...
June 2010
1 post
4 tags
May 2010
3 posts
4 tags
How much do the airlines care when you take the...
Is it theft? What would they say if I asked? How long will it be until they start selling them to us?
3 more hours to ponder. And to look for ramyun…
1 tag
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World Vision - Cambodia →
Back in Dallas, I listen to 89.7 PowerFM, a Christian rock station. Every Wednesday morning, they spotlight a child who’s up for sponsorship through World Vision. I checked out the World Vision website and saw that the organization is active in Cambodia. But as I was browsing the children’s profiles, I didn’t see any any children from Cambodia. So I made a promise to God: If they...
April 2010
16 posts
4 tags
3 tags
"This is exciting!" - Montgomery Scott (Simon... →
5 tags
Does faith absolve us from reason and...
Something happened at church today that caused a short discussion about this topic.
Today was a combined service Sunday. That means that the English, Korean, and Khmer language congregations all come together for worship. The English service usually sponsors a service project at one of the local churches in the area (kind of a hen-and-chicks model).
Today was no different. We had plans to do...
4 tags
On Death and Donation
Not to get too much into a discussion of death and physical/spiritual stuff, but this xkcd* comic really got me.
For one thing, I’m a big fan of Legos. But I also have a pretty pragmatic view of the physical aspects of death.
I believe that in the New Jerusalem, it won’t matter what happened to our original physical bodies. It just doesn’t make sense that someone who died in...
4 tags
SEAsian Advocacy Training
Back in 2008, I attended a SEALS conference near Washington DC. While I was there, I went with a group to visit SEARAC and joined their listserv. The following was in my morning email.
Dear Friends, The Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) is pleased to announce its Twelfth Annual Southeast Asian American Leadership & Advocacy Training. This year, SEARAC will be convening in two...
3 tags
Things I'm Learning to Live With(out) - Care...
Or: Things for Which I Have a New Appreciation.
Another Wednesday, another power outage, another post almost missed.
Elevators
Surreality
Air Conditioning & Hot Water (a two-fer)
Fires
Reliable Public Utilities
Dust
Roadkill
A Regular Hair Person
The People Around Me
Physical Proximity
YouTube
Safety & Security
a Clothes Dryer
My Own Car
Seasons
People Who Clap with the...
1 tag
A review of a review of Democracy in America →
I just started teaching a course on US/American culture. The textbook is based on de Tocqueville’s work, so this is a timely article. As a responsible teacher, I’m going to have to do some follow-up, but this is a welcome reminder to check your facts.
2 tags
2 tags
101 Cookbooks →
A couple excerpts from the About page:
The premise this site was built on is best summed up in two sentences: When you own over 100 cookbooks, it is time to stop buying, and start cooking. This site chronicles a cookbook collection, one recipe at a time.
The site has evolved a bit since the early days. Now I choose and write about the recipes that intersect my life, my travels, and my everyday...