On the outside, life seems good, if not great.  I've got my own place in LA, I've got a great car, I've got a good job, I've got a great income, I've got a great church, I've got a great family, I've got a good community of friends and acquaintances.  Things are swimmingly well.

Yet, I feel all of that could come crashing down in one fell swoop or a series of fell swoops.  Is it the coming recession?  Or escalating tensions?  A quarter-life crisis (albeit one year late)?  The lack of contentment and the need for more?  Restlessness over continuing singleness?  Or just my mind screwing with me? 

I've always said the worst feeling in the world is having all the earthly possessions and successes and still feeling empty, depressed and unsatisfied.  What else can one do to be truly happy, peaceful and content?  As Christians/followers of Christ, we all know the solution but want to find some way to be both spritually and materially prosperous.  Perhaps a page out of the "prosperity gospel" where we expect to be materially rewarded for spritual obedience. 

Where am I going with this?  My present situation is what I envisioned when I was at the Marshall School of Business, toiling through many group projects.  Being envious of those who graduated and got swanky jobs, driving nice cars and living the lifestyle of a young, affluent businessperson.  On top of all that, even doing all that and growing and serving one's own church.  That was what I wanted; I thought I would be truly happy, truly satisfied, truly content.  Why would one be sad and/or depressed with this life situation and lifestyle? 

For some time, I think God has shown me the perils of that line of thinking, hence "Be careful what you wish for".  The dramas and crises don't automatically disappear when one has a great job, a new car, and can spend generously with family and friends.  They don't disappear or diminish just because you attend fellowship and church consistently, serve and strive to strenghten one's own faith. 

For some time, I've been dissatisfied at my current position and been looking for a new position; at times even for a new career.  There's been simmering tension within my family.  I'm getting restless with my dating and marriage prospects; I don't know whether I'm being obeying God or whether it's the product of my internal problems.  On a fatalistic angle, maybe things are going too well for too long that I'm overdue for a period of pain and struggle (just like Southern Calfornia is overdue for a big earthquake).  And all these things are happening when I seem to have everything going for me.  God is telling me to be careful what I wish for. 

So then, what's the solution?  Sell the car, give the money and possessions away, go off to a random place in the world to do God's work?  Perhaps.  Let the storm pass through, continue with my present path of financial, material, and spiritual success, and live happily ever after?  Perhaps.  Pray that God will give me the courage and conviction to live either path and all those in between?  Definitely. 

As this website continues to reduce my work productivity, I shall gauge my whiteness according to this list of 81 items:

#76 -- Bottled Water (I'm an Arrowhead man and a Dasani snob)

#58 -- Japan (I did apply to teach in Japan senior year in college)

#56 -- Lawyers (My two older sisters are laywers, so I have to like them by association)

#51 -- Living by the Water (I've always wanted a condo near the water...hence Playa Vista)

#42 -- Sushi (Though my love of California rolls may question my 'authenticity')

#40 -- Apple Products (I own an Ipod and bought my sister an Ipod Shuffle; this qualifies me)

#13 -- Tea (Even with the Asian/Chinese bent, I consume enough to qualify)

#11 -- Asian Girls (Uh, kinda obvious)

#4 -- Assists (I do follow basketball, so I qualify by proxy)

#1 -- Coffee (I drink it 5 days a week and I have a soft spot for Arabica beans...guilty as charged)

10 out of 81...Yep, I'm 12.34567% white coastal liberal yuppie.  Now to find out what the other 87.65432% is, I need the help of other websites...

I was supposed to do normal stuff at work...make calls, answer emails, send reports, prepare reports, etc. but I was sidetracked by this site for the entire morning:

Stuff White People Like -- www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com

Some LA Times editorial piece referenced that site and the blog is downright hilarious.  Reading the comment thread is just as hilarious as the entries.  When you blur the line between satire and seriousness (getting people to respond seriously to a satirical article), you get comedic gold. 

That's all.  Mind drawing blank.