--jeffrey lee parsons - 18
--6'4'', 320 lbs
--owner of the modified Blaster worm
--infected countless computers around the world
--cause millions of dollars in damages
--arrested and could face 10 years in jail and $250k in fines
--says mark rasch, former head of justice dept's computer crime unit - "could serve time cause of the amount of damage resulting from the worm"



--jeffrey skilling, former CEO of Enron
--made multi millions off the firm... personally
--key figure in creating vehicles whereby he hid the vast debt taken on by the company
--brought down a $100billion dollar company, but cashed out on his share just months before the feds came in
--eradicated the life savings and pensions of thousands of employees by outright deception
--never even got a slap on the wrist, but everyone knew he did it (OJ anyone?)
--says justice dept - 'nah, we're not going to prosecute... don't want to send a bad image to the market that we're going after big business, especially with this economy'

if i go into crime, i definitely know in which direction to go!

depression and truth

not that i'm depressed! just coming off a real sttoooopid crajee 2 weeks - i'm kinda wiped out... flat out exhausted. i remember in some psych class (or consumer behavior?) - where i learned the depressed people make the most rational decisions. that's mainly b/c they are free from any biased thinking - so they can generally see a spade to be a spade. there's something similar to be said for walking in a near-zombie state the past few days - but yet, still able to form coherent thoughts... wat did i come out with? basically that i'm exactly where i should be. a year ago this time, i was in transition from LA to SF, wit no real direction to my life. i was clinging to hope that God would keep my in cali, cause that's just the place to be... of course - as i kept praying - i was shown more. when i first came back, i was kicking myself for rejecting this one large asset management company (IN LA!!!!) - a job i'm good at, in the division i really wanted, where my professional qualifications would naturally lead me to, and where i know i could have 'succeeded' - and i rejected based on a few grand salary! wow - i'm so glad my heart was hardened at that point. all i can say is that what led me 'home' is God saying - go back, and learn from Me, and I will make your path straight.

i'm now realizing what that meant. i love what i do - and even the past couple of weeks where i've gone on a bit of sleep - it's great to be in a position where i can impact people. the difference between now and the old banking days - obviously my beliefs have changed. back then - pulling 75-85 hour work weeks was the norm, and believe me - there was much bitching... 'specially when the call comes in at 2am calling u into the office (i had to have a special line installed into my bedroom so i don't wake up the house!)... i'm not saying i carry those hours now on a normal basis, but i actually want to stay in the office and get to know the colleagues and 'be a light' (matt 5:16)... to do otherwise would seem to me like i'm shirking my real responsibility, and even worse, taking God's blessings and grace for granted. that said, i love work on saturdays where i don't have anything to do but sit here and blog--only cause the boss ain't in... hehehe!!!!! (God never said anything about sarcasm tho! :P)

today will be fun... instead of 180 at the fringe, it's 180 at crossroads! a day filled with cleaning up an enormous warehouse facility at their underground complex at the old kaitak airport! wooooooohooooooooooooo! then fun wit pijja and bowling after! i know i know - pijja twice in a week!!!!


doing the work and NY pijjah thang!

breakfast of champions



i have to say... burning the midnite oil is definitely FUN! the past 2 weeks has been pretty hectic, with deadlines and meetings, and more board meetings, and reports, and more meetings, and presentations and deadlines, and pitchbooks, and yet more meetings, and reports and deadlines, and finally, another presentation... oh and travel back and forth between shenzhen and hk to attend/research/meeting in between. so, i had been off starbux for 2 weeks, which DID save me MUCH moolah, but i'm getting tired, so a nice tall, hot, black, smooth, full-bodied verona is exactly what i need. and for health's sake, throw in a fruit cup! i was yelled at by one of my friends cause the lack of sleep and excess coffee was making my complexion resemble the surface of mars... but watevers - i'm an addict.... [raises right hand] - "hi, i'm clifford ma....." at least last nite i got NY PIJJAH (expensed to boot!)!

so i missed circuit at the point again. that's 3 weeks running - and i'm feeling it! ugh... my apt's still a mess, altho at least i have a bed and a dresser done. we're getting another ikea shipment today, and then a phone line/internet tom'w! wooohoooooo....



Otherwise a fun w/end! here are some pics:

blame canada



it's unbelievable how this blackout has affected 5 states and parts of canada, ottawa and toronto... for almost 30 hours, people in this major city had NO electricity! wow... trains just stopped at about 4pm thursday, and wasn't restored until just about an hour ago. imagine that - there's millions of people that need to be carted around the city in some form or other. the subway system hauls 5 million people a day - that's 5 times what hk's does! cars stop moving cause there's no traffic lights... as u can see from the picture - people walking across the brooklyn bridge???? man... that's some crazy stools.. and the best part of it - the gov - governor george pataki comes up and says... 'it could be canada's fault'.. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahhahaahahah... i LOVE americans!!!!! heheehehe *sniff**sniff*

some random pics:



My new apt!

train no more!

this morning, i hope to have taken my last minibus/kcr/mtr commute (at least for the near future). this week's been so crazy with lotsa work - deadlines and travel - just killing me. although going to shenzhen on tues & wed allowed more sleep, the ground work we gotta do there's pretty tiring... i gotta say tho - having real kfc popcorn chicken makes the trip worthwhile!!!!!! if u've never had it - don't be ruined by the impostrous version they have in the hk stores! anyway - not that i care...

so yeah - been moving the past 2 nites - so now at least i'm fully moved from egypt! last nite i couldn't sleep cause i was getting so used to my surroundings. there's something to be said for waking up and just peering into the green [swampland????] that surronds the house. it's peaceful and more importantly... clean! from tonite on, i get to wake up to... times square!

anyone actually see the nazi/swastika display at www.izzue.com? i read they already took it down... but still i managed to see it on monday... so pathetic. in yesterday's newspaper, they apologized like this: "we have absolutely no intention to recognize or promote nazism, and have no political implication... on the use of the swasticka.... we deeply apologize for any discomfort and inconvenience caused." what the #$#)(!@$)%? ok - so they don't recognize or promote - they just meant to capitalize upon and profit from nazism... so typical of the hk culture. discomfort and inconvenience??? i've been having so many 'stupid moments' lately - but these peoples kinda brings my day up a bit cause i don't feel so stooopid no more... *sigh* to live experientially in relation to the errs of others...

only 1 week to go! click here! to get info!!!!!! click here to sign up! guarantee fun! time to get some mayhem going!!!!

shenzhen=sleep

so nice to be able to sleep in. today i have to run over to shenzhen to negotiate office space for a client, which means that i go to the sheung shui train station at about 9:30 or so, since business starts past 9... one of the few benefits of living in egypt!! so fun, eh? actually, it is fun... i love negotiating, especially in a totally unfamiliar industry. i've come to appreciate how complicated real estate could be - and it's not just determining the monthly lease payments and such. i love learning... especially in mandarin, which is what these negotiations will be conducted in, and which i speak not-so-good nor professionally! i love the hands on nature... especially knowing that i'm paid to make some corporation's move into china [and hk] that much smoother. it's like your house - when you move in, you want to feel, well, at home... praise GOD for making this happen! [now if only i can land more clients!!!!!!]

so sad in recent news.... a bomb blast in the jakarta marriot killed 14 and injured over 100. the marriot's new - opened 2001, after i left - but the area is like a stone's throw from my old apt, and practically across the street from some of my good friends' apartment. so scary, and so sad. my heart's never really left jakarta - cause it's where i found God, and where He saved a wretch like me. it's also the place where i've probably spent the most consecutive time - 4+ years. i mean, we all read about afghanistan, iraq, chechnya, bosnia, n.korea.... none of those places has any relevance to me... but jakarta... *sigh*... why can't we all just log on to friendster.com and be friends?

happy birthday nate!

sorry no beach! too many things to take care of. skipped off work early to look at apartments - so we might have found one! just gotta keep praying about the price now. i think we're not terribly picky, but still - there's gotta be at least a minimal standard, and i think this fits em. it's funny cause one of my very closest friends was like... "DON'T LIVE THERE! THERE'S GHOSTS!" - she was so freaked at me living there, cause she had 2 of her mom's relatives/friends die there, and then many said that place was like haunted or something. i told her that if you believed in god, you would not have to have such fears, but she still went on raving about it. imagine that - to live a life in such fear of things like that. imagine a life living so focused on money and success, and fearing 'ghosts', and fearing death. i once was lost [like that], but now i'm found!

otherwise - i'm so challenged by andy g's talk on purity. i can tell that this whole series on purity, beginning from the self and ending with the church is a great start in fulfilling the vision that god has set out for the church. that's why it's so exciting - god had been putting in my heart to really start to outreach towards young professionals, and building that base at the church and building that area of ministry. i know it's not just me that's had some kind of calling to take a part in this incredible challenge, and this past sunday was a perfect starter to it.

click hereif you want to listen to the sermon. i GUARANTEE that your life will be changed, or at least affected in some way. if not, come to me, and i'll buy u an in-n-out double-double!

just cause he made me... ed read (the one on left.... ) is "leaving" too. but, he's not leaving leaving, he's going to be working for st. stephen's society here in hk, which means he's moving out from home and gonna be moving in with the sss peoples in tai po- who are basically street kids: triad/ex-triads, prostitutes, drug addicts - u get the picture. as he'll be ministering to all these peoples you can imagine he'll need all the prayer support possible. still - ed - even tho u'r "leaving" - i'm still farther away from hk than you are!!!

180 was awesome again. i'm really liking the new venue at the the fringe- another 2 people accepted jesus christ as their savior.... which is so awesome. people in hk will be transformed - that's for sure. i know that more people are starting to realize that the secular way is leading to a dead end - living just to live, make moolah, get married, have children, grow old, and die - that's changing. more people are realizing that there is something called eternity, and that there's only 1 way to get there. so holding this event in the middle of lankwaifong is such an awesome testament to that step of faith. just finding the venue at such a popular spot in town is incredible. anyway - if you're in hk - i encourage you to come... you'll find something new, something not invasive, but just a good time - great music, and great fun and fellowship!