christopher m from toronto, canada.  you've seen his face before on ipf.  chris has written a couple of pieces for us, as one of our columnists. 

i have found chris to be a very interesting and talented writer, meaning one who can articulate his thoughts/opinions well.  chris runs his own web blog, digitalmud, which i encourage you all to check out, especially all you song lyric fans. 

posted on august 2, 2004

chung lao:  hey chris, how's it going?

christopher m:  hey chris.  it's going quite well.  thanks for asking.

chung lao:  that's a heck of a name man, i have to tell you.

christopher m:  yes, indeed it is.  fifteen letters worth of last name and an eleven letter long first name.  i won't even bother going into my middle names.  but then, i've had it for quite some time now, so i guess i'm more or less used to it.

chung lao:  the calgary flames lost in game 7 of the nhl stanley cup finals.  how many tampa bay lightning flag burnings have you attended since?

christopher m:  to tell you the truth, i wasn't all too upset by the flames' loss.  of course, i was disappointed that a canadian team didn't win, but i was also a little relieved.  when the cup returns to canada, i'd like the leafs to be the team that brings it back.

chung lao:  what do you think of indaphatfarm.com?

christopher m:  i'm likin' it, chris.  ipf is one of the few sites that i visit daily.  i think you've brought together a very well balanced selection of content.  you and your fellow webmasters are to be commended.  

chung lao:  hobbies?

christopher m:  no real hobbies anymore.  but i do enjoy reading and listening to music.  i also occasionally write just for the fun of it.

chung lao:  name some countries you would like to visit, and why.

christopher m:  i would love to do europe. i'd probably start off in england, head down to spain, portugal and france; maybe germany.  then switzerland, italy and greece.  if i had the time and money, i'd also love to visit egypt and israel.   and eventually, india, sri lanka and japan.

most of the european countries i just mentioned are the places where the  foundations were laid for what i'm studying.  in fact, it's almost an unwritten rule that a student of architecture will eventually visit those countries.

i'd like to visit israel because that's where christianity was born, india and sri lanka for the cultural connection and japan just because i've always found japanese culture fascinating.

chung lao:  what are some of your favorite reads?  (books, magazines, etc..)

christopher m:  the only two magazines i read more or less regularly are time and maximumpc,  although i have been known to peruse the occasional copy of national geographic or popular mechanics.

some of my favourite books are the chronicles of narnia by c.s. lewis, the fountainhead by ayn rand, the four loves, also by lewis and the bible.  yes, the bible.

chung lao:  give us your overall opinion of george w. bush.

christopher m:  honestly, i haven't followed his life or term in office very closely, but i get the impression that he's the kind of person that doesn't always think before he speaks.  as for his leadership ability, i think i'll wait a bit before i pass judgment on that.

chung lao:  did the united states commit a grievous error when it invaded iraq?

christopher m:  i guess it depends on whom you ask.  personally, i believe that forcing regime change on a country is not a good way to go about things - it should be the peoples' choice.  i am certainly glad that canada stayed out of the conflict. 

on the other hand, i have also heard of how the gospel has finally begun to trickle into the country.  (and i don't mean the proselytizing that some are doing.)  whether the invasion of iraq was a wise decision or not on the part of the united states, i think the will of god will still prevail in the lives of the iraqi people.

chung lao:  while we're on the situation in iraq, give us additional reasons why anti-american sentiment seems to be at an all time high around the world.

christopher m:  i'm not sure if it would be correct to describe the current climate as an all time high in anti-american sentiment.  i think america has just become more aware of how the world really sees her.

chung lao:  what biblical scripture speaks to you the most?

christopher m:  there are a few: jeremiah 29:11, matthew 6:33 and 1 corinthians 13.

chung lao:  name someone you admire, and why.

christopher m:  i'm going to cheat a little.  the two people i admire the most are my mother and father.  i'm overwhelmed whenever i take the time to sit down and actually consider how hard working and self-sacrificing they are.  and they put up with me.  much kudos to them for that.

chung lao:  using microsoft paint, please draw a picture for us.

christopher m: 

chung lao:  favorite flick?

christopher m:  i don't really have a favourite film, but i'll name a few that i've really enjoyed:

it's a wonderful life, the matrix, fight club, glory, the prince of egypt, forrest gump, m:i, the lord of the rings, the usual suspects, american history x...

i can't think of any more right now.

chung lao:  tell us about your abilities in the kitchen.

christopher m:  i can't tell you much about my abilities in the kitchen because i don't really have any.  i can make a very simple breakfast, and that's about it.  oh, yes...  spaghetti.  i did that once.  it was good.

chung lao:  what is something you can't stand in a person?

christopher m:  i'd have to say that arrogance is the one thing that irks me most.

chung lao:  one thing i have noticed about you is that you are into song lyrics.  name a couple of your favorite song writers/singers/groups.

christopher m:  okay, here goes:

keith green, dc talk, jars of clay, barenaked ladies, newsboys, dave matthews band, ben harper, billy joel, louis armstrong, george gershwin, gus kahn, bob dylan, reuben morgan and rich mullins.

chung lao:  in your opinion, was the movie, "the passion of the christ" too commercial, or do you think it actually made a difference?

christopher m:  i think it did make a difference for some people.  everyone i know who saw the film told me that they were deeply moved by it.  however, there were some disturbing aspects about how the film was marketed.  the official souvenir nails, for example.

chung lao:  where's a good place to eat in toronto?

christopher m:  my mother's kitchen.  the food's very good, and no one leaves hungry.

chung lao:  dream car, and why?  (include pics)

chung lao:  is the glass half full, or half empty?

christopher m:  the glass is always half full.

chung lao:  are we living in the end times?

christopher m:  honestly, i don't know.  but does it even matter?  after all, we're supposed to be ready for his return regardless of when or where we live.

chung lao:  tell us about your site, digitalmud.

christopher m:  digitalmud started out as a place for me to try out various website designs.  just something i did every once in a while for fun.  anything i wrote was secondary to the aesthetics of the site - the text was just filler.  then about a year ago i found out - much to my surprise - that people were actually visiting to read what i was writing.  so now the site functions as a blog, with me and a few friends writing every so often.  unfortunately, life's been keeping me rather busy of late and i haven't had a chance to write much.

chung lao:  all right, it's time for one of my scenarios.  ok, here goes.  you are currently living in a country far, far away, where your brother is the head of state.  after a short period of time, you come to realize that your sibling has become a mass murderer, with the blood of hundreds of thousands on his hands.  dissent is growing against him, but the whole country fears his wrath, as the architects of previous assassination attempts met their end hanging from meat hooks.

however, being his brother, you have complete access to him, more so than almost everyone else.  the question is, do you plan and execute an assassination?

christopher m:  that's a pretty interesting question.  and i'm not sure of the answer.  i think it would depend on whether killing my brother would actually make a difference.

from what i've seen and learned so far, regimes such as the one you've described are never the result of just one person.  it takes many people to establish and maintain that kind of government.  and they don't all have to be "evil"; just complacent or self-serving.

so, i'm not too sure if the death of one figurehead would result in true change.  i'm grateful that i don't have to make such a decision.

chung lao:  lastly, leave us with a parting thought.

christopher m:  unfortunately, i'm not really one for eloquent parting words.  so, i'll quote st. francis instead.  i'd by satisfied if even a fraction of this was achieved through my life:

lord, make me a channel of your peace;
where there is hatred let me bring your love,
where there is injury, your pardon,
where there is doubt, true faith in you;
where there is despair in life let me bring hope,
where there is darkness, only light,
and where there is sadness, ever joy;

o master grant that i may never seek
so much to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved, as to love with all my soul!
for it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
in giving of ourselves that we receive,
and in dying that we are born to eternal life.

amen.

chung lao:  thanks chris.  great interview.  next up on the tonight show is eber rosario.  keep it locked in.....