Recently, I saw the movie Gladiator for the first time. I loved it. The movie had many amazing themes which were, of course, taken from the greatest story and hero ever. A perfect, strong man is betrayed by those who were close to him, and his friends are killed or disappear. He is tortured and mocked and treated as a slave, when one word while he was in his former state would have leveled all his enemies. Eventually through a series of trials, he faces his betrayer face to face. During that scene, these lines are delivered:
Commodus (evil man): Your fame is well deserved, Spaniard. I don't believe there's ever been a gladiator that matched you... Why doesn't the hero reveal himself and tell us all your real name? (Maximus, the man, is silent) You do have a name?
Maximus: My name is Gladiator. (He turns and walks away.)
Commodus: How dare you show your back to me!?! Slave! You will remove your helmet and tell me your name.
Maximus: (The Man lifts his helmet and turns around to face his enemy.) My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius; Commander of the Armies of the North; General of the Felix Legions; loyal servant of the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius; father to a murdered son; husband to a murdered wife; and I will have vengeance, in this life or the next.
By coincidence, I was reading the book Wild at Heart today and the author referenced this scene. John Eldredge wrote:
"[Maximus'] answer builds like a mighty wave, swelling in size and strength before it crashes on the shore. Where does a man go to learn an answer like that--to learn his true name, a name that can never be taken from him?... You have to know where you've come from; you have to have faced a series of trials that test you; you have to have taken a journey; and you have to have faced your enemy." (101)
Where can a man find his name? From trials, yes, but ultimately from the person we must run to in those trials and the person whom Maximus reveals for us, Jesus Christ.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Um yeah who sleeps like this?
Sun Oct 19 - get up around 10 AM
Monday Oct 20 - go to bed at 5 AM
wake up at 9 AM to go to class
collapse at 9 PM
Tuesday - get up at 4 AM and work until 6 AM
go back to bed and sleep until 9 AM
Wednesday - go to sleep at 1:30 AM
wake up at 8 AM
collapse at 8:45 AM, sleep until 10:45 AM (through class)
Thursday - sleep at 1:00 AM
wake up at 9:00 AM
Yes! back to normal!
I thought I would post some pictures of my room. The first picture is looking in the room (good old Ruddock CCXXXIV) through the door. The second picture is looking down on the room from the corner on the right after you enter the door. My desk is the close one, you can see my roommate on his computer on the far desk. I have the top bunk. The third picture is me with my longboard.
Monday Oct 20 - go to bed at 5 AM
wake up at 9 AM to go to class
collapse at 9 PM
Tuesday - get up at 4 AM and work until 6 AM
go back to bed and sleep until 9 AM
Wednesday - go to sleep at 1:30 AM
wake up at 8 AM
collapse at 8:45 AM, sleep until 10:45 AM (through class)
Thursday - sleep at 1:00 AM
wake up at 9:00 AM
Yes! back to normal!
I thought I would post some pictures of my room. The first picture is looking in the room (good old Ruddock CCXXXIV) through the door. The second picture is looking down on the room from the corner on the right after you enter the door. My desk is the close one, you can see my roommate on his computer on the far desk. I have the top bunk. The third picture is me with my longboard.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Ultimate
Today I got to play in my first Ultimate tournament. It was pretty cool. The team met up at 7:30 and we drove to Long Beach, where we played five games.
First of all, it was pretty exhausting because we played from 9 to 4, with little breaks between the games. Thankfully, we had thirteen people come and only had to field seven, so everyone could rest for about half of the points. Besides the physical exertion, the sun sapped a lot of our energy. Between running around and the sun, I drank over four liters of water and Gatorade.
The whole tournament was really a crash course for the rookies. About half of the instructions I received were shouted in the midst of play, but the experienced players also took timeouts to explain things. I know a lot more about the game and the technical rules than I did this morning. For instance, what happens when the "pull" (the initial throw) is touched and dropped by the receiving team? What if it goes out of bounds out the back of the endzone? The side of the field? How about landing in the endzone and rolling out? Each of these situations is dealt with differently. Also, there are no referees in ultimate so it was not uncommon for a rule to be questioned. Most of the time these disputes could be settled quickly by a knowledgeable player. The only times things got heated was if the contestation was over a past fact (e.g. he landed inbounds) rather than a rule.
Overall I had a great time. Incidentally, I stopped doing concert band this week because I didn't have enough time to do both. I have finally decided that I want to do one thing well. In high school I struggled through gymnastics and basketball and saxophone all at the same time and had a blast, but now I want to commit to one activity (besides school) and do it well. I do think it's a little odd that I didn't pick gymnastics or basketball or saxophone. Oh well.
Sometime in the future I'll post pictures of my dorm room and my longboard and maybe the campus. Until then...
First of all, it was pretty exhausting because we played from 9 to 4, with little breaks between the games. Thankfully, we had thirteen people come and only had to field seven, so everyone could rest for about half of the points. Besides the physical exertion, the sun sapped a lot of our energy. Between running around and the sun, I drank over four liters of water and Gatorade.
The whole tournament was really a crash course for the rookies. About half of the instructions I received were shouted in the midst of play, but the experienced players also took timeouts to explain things. I know a lot more about the game and the technical rules than I did this morning. For instance, what happens when the "pull" (the initial throw) is touched and dropped by the receiving team? What if it goes out of bounds out the back of the endzone? The side of the field? How about landing in the endzone and rolling out? Each of these situations is dealt with differently. Also, there are no referees in ultimate so it was not uncommon for a rule to be questioned. Most of the time these disputes could be settled quickly by a knowledgeable player. The only times things got heated was if the contestation was over a past fact (e.g. he landed inbounds) rather than a rule.
Overall I had a great time. Incidentally, I stopped doing concert band this week because I didn't have enough time to do both. I have finally decided that I want to do one thing well. In high school I struggled through gymnastics and basketball and saxophone all at the same time and had a blast, but now I want to commit to one activity (besides school) and do it well. I do think it's a little odd that I didn't pick gymnastics or basketball or saxophone. Oh well.
Sometime in the future I'll post pictures of my dorm room and my longboard and maybe the campus. Until then...
Saturday, October 11, 2008
College has begun
Actually, it began a while ago but I've been too busy to post. If I manage to get to bed within an hour of posting this (before 2 AM); that'll be the earliest I've gone to bed in the past three nights.
The homework at Caltech is challenging (go figure). The problem sets take anywhere from four to eight hours each, and we generally have five in a week. In addition, there are some take-home quizzes each week. The work is interesting though and I know I'm learning a lot; so in some sense I enjoy the effort required of me. Currently I am taking calculus, physics, chemistry, applied physics lab, American history, and ultimate frisbee. This schedule is typical of all freshman at Caltech; the only variances lie in a different humanities or physical education course.
For hobbies, I am playing in the concert band on my alto saxophone, going out for the ultimate frisbee team, and being involved in the Caltech Christian Fellowship here. Right at the beginning of the year I had to make sure that I didn't sign up for too many things, because there are so many things to do at Caltech that overcommitment is a distinct possibility. I just hope that I can continue doing the things I've committed to throughout the year. Also, as a hobby and means of transportation I took up longboarding and bought my own board this week. I have a lot of fun cruising around campus and I have started to feel like I belong here.
The homework at Caltech is challenging (go figure). The problem sets take anywhere from four to eight hours each, and we generally have five in a week. In addition, there are some take-home quizzes each week. The work is interesting though and I know I'm learning a lot; so in some sense I enjoy the effort required of me. Currently I am taking calculus, physics, chemistry, applied physics lab, American history, and ultimate frisbee. This schedule is typical of all freshman at Caltech; the only variances lie in a different humanities or physical education course.
For hobbies, I am playing in the concert band on my alto saxophone, going out for the ultimate frisbee team, and being involved in the Caltech Christian Fellowship here. Right at the beginning of the year I had to make sure that I didn't sign up for too many things, because there are so many things to do at Caltech that overcommitment is a distinct possibility. I just hope that I can continue doing the things I've committed to throughout the year. Also, as a hobby and means of transportation I took up longboarding and bought my own board this week. I have a lot of fun cruising around campus and I have started to feel like I belong here.
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