A little bit about me

Here’s a profile page or so for me…well mainly a list of my interests, favorite things and other random stuff…

My Interests & various lists of favorite things, etc

On the theological side:
Primarily patristics. Church history. Evangelical, Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox theology. Also like a bit of philosophy on the side (have developed a minor interest in Christian existentialism thanks to Paul Tillich, Søren Kierkegaard and Thomas Merton, OCSO).

Other interests pertaining to Christianity:
Hagiography (the lives of the saints). Byzantine Icons (most Western representations of religious art don’t really seem to inspire me, St John of Damascus thank you for defending the role and place of icons which was then adopted at the Seventh Ecumenical Council!). Liturgy of the Hours/Divine Office. Christian Mysticism. Contemplative Prayer. Lectio divina. Bible study. Liturgy in general.

On Monasticism:
I’m a Benedictine at heart. I also have an interest in Cistercians and Carthusians on the monastic side. On the mendicant side, it’s the Dominicans and the Franciscans. Figures like St. Benedict of Nursia, St. Scholastica, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Anselm of Canterbury, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Bruno, St. Guigo and Thomas Merton figure heavily in my reading.

Recommended Theology Books & Texts:

• The Holy Bible (preferred English translations in no particular order: NRSV, RSV, NIV, TNIV, NASB, NAB, ESV, TJB as well as The Message just for reading whenever I don’t feel like using one of the above translations to read from)
• Systematic Theology (3 vols.) by Thomas Oden
• Systematic Theology (2 vols.) by John Miley
• Theological Institutes by Richard Watson
• Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson
• Christian Theology: An Introduction & The Christian Theology Reader by Alister McGrath
• The Orthodox Church (2nd ed.) by Bishop Timothy (Kallistos) Ware
• The Orthodox Church by Fr. Sergei Bulgakov
• Catholicism (2nd ed.) by Fr. Richard P. McBrien (post-Vatican II)
• Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma by Ludwig Ott (pre-Vatican II)
• Introduction to Christianity by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
• A History of Christian Thought by Paul TIllich
• Eastern Orthodox Christianity by Daniel Clendenin
• Eastern Orthodox Theology edited by Daniel Clendenin
• Church Dogmatics (13 vols. in English translation) by Karl Barth
• The Book of Concord
• Ante-Nicene Fathers (ANF) & Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (NPNF)
• The Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin
• The Works of John Wesley
• The Works of James Arminius
• The Trinity by St. Augustine
• Introduction to Biblical Interpretation by William W Klein, Craig Blomberg & Robert L Hubbard (Jr).

Recommended books for lectio or general reading:

• The Philokalia (4 vols. with 5th vol. being prepared) translated from Greek & edited by G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard & Bishop Kallistos Ware
• The Sign of The Cross by Bert Ghezzi
• A Thomas Merton Reader by Thomas Merton, OCSO
• The New Man by Thomas Merton, OCSO
• New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton, OCSO
• Cistercian Europe: Architecture of Contemplation by Terryl N. Kinder
• Vatican Council II by Xavier Rynne
• The Rule of St. Benedict
• Sayings of The Early Desert Fathers & Mothers (various editions available)
• Day By Day with the Early Church Fathers
• Ante-Nicene Fathers
• Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers
• Seeking God by Esther de Waal
• Flirting with Monasticism by Karen E. Sloan
• No Man Is An Island by Thomas Merton, OCSO
• Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith by Kathleen Norris
• Strangers To The City by Michael Casey, OCSO
• Prayer & Community: The Benedictine Tradition by Columba Stewart, OSB
• Insights for the Ages: The Rule of St. Benedict by Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB
• Dynamics of Faith by Paul Tillich
• The Courage To Be by Paul Tillich
• Pensees by Blaise Pascal
• The Sickness unto Death by Søren Kierkegaard
• Fear and Trembling by Søren Kierkegaard
• Enchiridion by St. Augustine
• A Plain Account of Christian Perfection by John Wesley
• The Confessions by St. Augustine
• The Glenstal Book of Icons by Gregory Collins, OSB
• The Imitation Of Christ by Thomas a Kempis
• An Infinity of Little Hours by Nancy Klein-Macguire
• Letters to a Young Evangelical by Rev. (Dr.) Tony Campolo
• Praying with Icons by Jim Forest
• Praying with Icons (audiobook) by Protopresbyter Fr. Thomas Hopko
• The Way of Simplicity: The Cistercian Tradition by Esther de Waal
• My Cup Runneth Over: An Autobiography by Bishop (Emeritus) Theodore R. Doraisamy
• Bishop’s Message by Bishop (Emeritus) C. N. Fang (i.e. my grandfather)
• The Cross of Christ by John Stott
• The History of the Church by Eusebius
• Ecclesiastical History of England by The Venerable Bede
• The Lure of Saints: A Protestant Experience of Catholic Tradition by Jon M. Sweeney

Other books I read from now and again:

• Mencius
• The Analects by Confucius
• Tao Te Jing by Lao Tzu

“Secular”/Non-religious interests: 
Singing, music, watching movies, reading (yes I am a geek/nerd/dork), ironing (yes, you read correctly), playing PS2 when I have time, architecture and interior design. Poker too (Texas hold-em & Omaha). Food is another thing along with travel. Economics, business management and investment. Astronomy, popular science too. I have a broad range of interests.

Sports wise:
NFL (49ers baby!). Super 14 (Wellington and the beleaguered Queensland Reds). National Rugby League (NZ Warriors + the Brisbane Broncos). International Rugby Union (Ka mate! Ka mate! Yes I’m an ALL BLACKS supporter though I will back any other national team when they play against the Springboks). AFL (Essendon Bombers & the Brisbane Lions). English Premier League (Liverpool).

NCAA colleges I root for: 
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Go the Badgers!), University of Michigan (not MSU) and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (courtesy of familial links to that university campus, go the Pointers!).

Secular authors/books I like: 
Haruki Murakami (Norwegian Wood rocks!), Michel Houellebecq, Banana Yoshimoto, Thomas Pynchon, John Steinbeck, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Emily Dickinson, Jane Austen, among others.

Favorite periodicals/newspapers:

• Newspapers: The Australian Financial Review, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian (though I’m finding news from any Murdoch family-controlled paper becoming increasingly right-wing biased), The New York Times, Financial Times.
• Magazines: The Economist, Far Eastern Economic Review, The Monthly, The Diplomat, BRW, BBC Music, Gramophone, Downbeat, Relevant Magazine, Top Gear UK, Top Gear Australia, Guitar World, Guitarist Australia

Favorite genres of music: 
Jazz & Blues: cool, bossa, smooth, swing, vocal;
Classical: Early Music, Romantic, Modern & Contemporary periods along with opera, choral works & church music. Also have a thing for compositions by Russian composers and Wagner’s “Ring Cycle”;
Dance: house, garage, disco, drum ‘n bass, ambient/chillout;
Some Contemporary Christian though I do listen to stuff that does span across all remaining genres of music available today (mainly Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Hard Rock/Metal, Urban stuff).

Artists & DJs I listen to (in no particular order): 
Corrinne May, Vienna Teng, Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon, Bryn Terfel, Ahn Trio, Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jussi Bjorling, Dame Joan Sutherland, Kiri Te Kanawa, Thomas Hampson, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Josh Groban, Stan Getz, Michael Buble, Jamie Cullum, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Ray Charles, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jnr., Nat King Cole, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny, Astrud Gilberto, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, Bebel Gilberto, Antonio Carlos-Jobim, Chris Botti, Diana Krall, Keiko Matsui, Ray Brown, David Crowder*Band, Matt Maher, Jay Chou, David Tao, Mika Nakashima, Utada Hikaru, Kristine Sa, Ken Hirai, Sarah McLachlan, Billy Joel, Brooke Fraser, Chantal Kreviazuk, Coldplay, Anberlin, Mute Math, Sufjan Stevens, Danielson, Tom Booth, Derek Webb, Shane & Shane, John Michael Talbot, Satoshi Tomiie, David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Francois K, Danny Krivit, Joe Claussell, DJ Krush, Roger Sanchez, Gilles Peterson, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan and some others that I can’t remember at the moment.

Individuals who have impacted my life:
Jesus (duh!), Thomas Merton OCSO, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X (El Hajj Malik-el-Shabazz), Thomas a Becket, Thomas Cranmer, Stephen Hawking, Alister McGrath, John Stott.

Movies that have had an impact on my life: 
The Corporation, Die Grosse Stille (Into Great Silence), Il Mare, Sideways, Saving Face, Star Trek & Star Wars movies (yes I’m a nerd), An Inconvenient Truth, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Movie genres I watch quite a bit of:
Art-house, World Cinema/Foreign, Independent, Manga, Documentary.

I don’t really watch a lot of big-budget Hollywood flicks (unless it’s something that takes me back to childhood, like say “Transformers”).

A selection of favorite TV programs (in no particular order):
Scrubs, Frasier, Who’s Line Is It Anyway?, Spicks & Specks, The Glass House (RIP), Rove Live, Globe Trekker, Stargate (SG-1 & Atlantis), Star Trek (all incarnations), Mythbusters, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, A Cook’s Tour, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservation, Top Gear, Top Gear Australia, Fifth Gear, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, 

Some TV channels I tend to watch a lot of:
Sky News Australia, CNN, BBC World, CNBC, Bloomberg Television, Discovery Travel + Living, Discovery Science, National Geographic, Lifestyle Food, SBS (the Australian TV channel – not Seoul Broadcasting Service), ABC (the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, not the US TV channel), 

Beers I like to drink:
Chimay (Red & Grande Reserve Blue), La Trappe, Old Speckled Hen, Little Creatures Pale & Amber Ales, Leffe Radieuse, Heineken, Pilsner Urquell, Tiger, Asahi, Guinness, Cascade Light, James Boag’s, Coopers. Not particularly a big fan of American pilsner-style beers (especially Budweiser).

Other alcohol that piques my tastebuds:
Johnnie Walker Black Label, Canadian Club, any Glenfiddich reserve, Chartreuse (both green and yellow varieties), Benedictine, Baileys, Chivas Regal (12-yo & 18-yo).

Places that I’d like to go to: 
Saint John’s Abbey (Collegeville, MN), Abbey of Gethsemani (Trappist, KY), St. Catherine’s Monastery (Egypt), New York City (multiple times), small towns in the USA, Tokyo, Seoul, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Italy (in particular to visit Vatican City & the Abbey of Monte Cassino), St. Mark’s Benedictine Abbey, London (so want to go and see St. Paul’s Cathedral & Westminster Abbey), Wittenberg (Germany), Geneva (Switzerland), The Holy Mountain-Mt. Athos (Greece), Istanbul (would love to go to Hagia Sophia), Jerusalem (love to go to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as a pilgrim), Canterbury Cathedral.

Places where I would like to study at:
Saint John’s University (Collegeville, MN), Australian Catholic University (Brisbane campus), Columbia University, Oxford University.

Politically:
I’m stuck somewhere in the middle. I’m partially left-wing on some policy platforms though “values”-wise (a phrase that’s bandied about a lot lately), I’m a moderate conservative (is that even possible?). If I was in the US, I’m more inclined to be a registered Democrat (after the last 8 years of Republican rule, one can see why). You could call me a swing voter down here in Australia (though I do lean mainly towards Labor – no Family First vote from me – and I generally will not vote The Greens or the Australian Democrats unless I really do want to deliver a protest vote). It all comes down to policy platforms that parties have before they get my vote.

That’s enough.