peeking out from underneath grad school.

Let’s play Guess How Many Times Mallory Cried Today. Any guesses? It’s pretty low so far, but it’s not even 5:00 yet. First, I cried during a retirement party at work for a woman I don’t even know that well. But she gave such a kind and wonderful speech and so of course I cried. And of course I was sitting directly next to where she was standing, so I was in all of the pictures. And of course my co-worker looked at me at the end and said, “Are you crying?” And he obviously doesn’t know me well enough yet because the answer is always yes, yes I am crying. Then also, I watched the video on this post. I love M79 and I love mommy bloggers (whatever, it’s true) and I love adorable blonde-headed children, so there were tears here too. It’s okay. I’m sensitive. I embrace it.

Kathleen and I have been such bad bloggers lately, we know. But what do you do when you run out of time to blog as much as you want? Quit? Hell no! Endure the anger of your friends and constantly feel guilty? Well, I guess so. That’s what’s going on for now. We love us our little blog, and I guess that means that infrequent posting is better than no blog at all. I don’t want this to be permanent, but grad school is hard this year. I’m having one of those drowning-in-my-own-life moments. But hopefully it will pass, and then maybe you people can stop reading whatever other lame blogs you read when ours isn’t hoppin’, and all will be right in the world. In the meantime, thanks for bearing with us!

[Posted by Mallory]

The Mayor of Crazytown

Do you ever feel like you’re the Mayor of Crazytown? My goodness, the boys can be a handful for no apparent reason whatsoever. All of a sudden too, they can both hit you like a ton of bricks.

“Mateus… do you need to pee?”
“No.”
“Mateus, you need to go pee. It’s time to go night-night and if you don’t go pee in the potty you’re going to pee in your bed.”
“I don’t want to go pee.”
“Go.”
“[whine, whine, whine] I don’t have to go.”

Finally he drags his sad little butt to the bathroom and sits on the toilet.

“I don’t have to pee.”
“Well, just sit there and we’ll see.”
“I don’t have to go.”

About a minute or two roll by.

“See Mateus, you had to pee. Let’s wash hands and go to bed.”
“Stop it mom.”

Good Lord. What’s the deal with going pee before bedtime these days? Or with Xavian and brushing teeth tonight. You’d have thought I was trying to strangle him or something.

“No, no, no, no.”
“Xavian, you don’t have a choice. Your teeth need to be brushed.”
“[scream... cry... my mom is the worst mom EVER.]“
“Do you want Daddy to help you?”
“No.”
“You have one minute to calm down and we’re brushing teeth.”

A minute or two roll by and he’s calming down.

“Open wide Xav, it’s time to brush teeth.”
“Aaaaaaa.”

Good Lord again. They’re lucky they’re cute. I know everyone says that, but it’s true. If they didn’t mix in some cuteness with a whole caseload of crazy there would be trouble in the Odom house. I’d have to say Martin is the Governor of Crazytown. He gets to do this on his own all week (and occasionally in the evenings or on weekends when I have work commitments).

I know the boys ramp up when mommy is home. Martin runs a pretty tight ship and the boys know they can’t mess with him. What they may or may not realize is just what a softie Martin is. He has and will give anything for these boys. As long as we get these bursts of “Awwww” in-between, all the other crap fades as soon as the tears dry.

Oslo og UmEU

Veldig saktegående kø rett etter Drammen. Det er noe veiarbeid-greier ved avkjøringa til Liertoppen som gjør at det går så seint. Alle bilene som er i 2 filer må plutselig over i 1 fil en strekning.

Plakater som henger på Ungdom mot EU/Nei til EU-kontoret. Er for regionskonferanser i Tromsø, Trondheim og Bergen. Trondheim har allerede vært da. Den var i helga, og Tromsø er til helga som kommer.

Inn den døra er kopirommet og videre innover Ungdom mot EU-kontoret. Døra til høyre er døra til vareheisen. Folk uten nøkkel får ikke brukt de andre heisene for å komme seg opp, så da må man bruke vareheisen.

Nå skal jeg snart legge meg og lese litt mer i “Menn som hater kvinner”.

The Devastation of Undoy ( Typhoon Ketsana)

 

Typhoon Undoy transforming the street into a raging river

SM not spared in the flood

At least the water here looked calm... and green!

Actress Cristine Reyes on the rooftop of her home in Provident Village

Aftermath of Typhoon Undoy

 

But none of these images adequately convey the tragic loss of lives and the suffering cause by Typhoon Undoy.   It was so heartbreaking to listen to the radio, as I did, and hear people sending txt messages asking for help, worried about their loved ones.  Many people were trapped on the second floor or being rained on on the rooftop with no food and drinking water.  A man called, his voice breaking, as he asked that the children with him who were sick be rescued.

Some parts remained flooded and with no electricity as of this writing.

I hope and pray that those affected will recover immediately.

 

 

Note:  The photos were taken from online references.

 

 

ArtPrize

By Katelyn

My college dreams are finally coming true!  No, I’m not talking about graduation (even though I do graduate April 1st)… I’m finally going on a college field trip!

A week from today my Introduction to Environmental Studies and Sustainability class is going to ArtPrize in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.

ArtPrize–A radically open art competition, giving away the world’s largest art prize. Part arts festival, part social experiment – this international art contest is decided solely on a public vote.

www.artprize.org

At ArtPrize, any artist—from established to emerging—has the chance to show work. Any visitor can vote. The vote will determine who wins the largest art prize in the world. We also took the unusual step to allow people in the city to open a venue and choose the artists to show in their space. There is not one official curator or jury for the competition.

The number of venues is fluid, so the number of competing artists is fluid. The possibilities are wide open.

ArtPrize has been running since September 23rd and will continue until October 10th.  The winner is determined by a public vote, so all attendees will be able to vote via text message (or iPhone app)and this will determine the winner!  The top 10 entries will receive a prize but the grand prize is $250,000!

The mission of ArtPrize is “to reboot the conversation between artists and audiences on a grand scale.”

I have been reading up on ArtPrize in the news and I really can’t wait to go!  Expect an update and a lot of pictures later next week!

Now THIS is what I'm talkin about!

My heart melted today as I opened an email from– of all people, a Craigslist scammer!

“So what?” you may say.  “I get those all the time.“

Well, I thought I’d point this particular one out because whoever wrote it, wrote it with style.

Seriously, check it out:

Inside Of you–I’m dreamin’ of you. But if you change your mind you know that i’ll be here.
Hi there! my new friend! Where is my man? I am woman looking for one.
I came across your profile on CL website.
I am coming to your region in just few weeks and I need to find a male partner to show me the place.
I hope we can get to know each other and you could show me around.
Drop me few lines so we can stay in touch.
I will send my photograph when you reply. they’ve been fighting here for years, but now there’s killing on the streets. It makes no difference who you are .

JEEZ!  How poetic!  How touching!  The opening lines alone (”if you change your mind you know that i’ll be here”)– what a way to reassure me and let me know I’ll never be far from a loving pen-pal.

I love how they put “I am coming to your region” to keep it ambiguous.  And since when did Craigslist have ‘profiles’?

“Where is my man? I am woman looking for one.”  You can’t buy this kinda comedy.  Gold.

And finally, in a last ditch effort to win my heart… “they’ve been fighting here for years, but now there’s killing on the streets.”  Ahhhh, love and politics.

Just thought I’d share that with y’all.  It made me chuckle.  And that’s without me even responding to the scammer.  And on an unrelated note, here’s a small taste of the stuff I encounter that REALLY gets me going:

One time, I accidentally an entire verb in my sentence.

Aren’t you pleased with the progress of humanity?

-ND

Bem...

Depois das férias e quase um mês de feriados, as aulas voltam e como nunca.

Estou super cansado…  e ainda inventaram de colocar uma aula a mais bem no dia que acaba cedo…

E ainda tem provas no meio do mes… a sala vai viajar, mas vai ser pra um museu, eu odeio DD:

que chato.

Mas a vida não tem só coisas tristes…

Minha reimu chegou ontem

Super fofa, não? DDDD

I'm a Little Confused

“I’m just like a balloon. If someone doesn’t hold my string I’ll float away.”

-Party Monster

Hello darling. This blog has turn into some kind of teenage drama queen diary. But, I just love to write even if half of the stuff I post on here is not that interesting. My style of writing is not poetic or the most cohesive. It is more like a semi-educated train wreck. Nevertheless people (judging from my statistics) still read my posts. I don’t always get feedback but it still feel nice somebody out there takes time out of their day to read what I have to say. When I first decided to share about my lack of experience in the romance department (among other super hardcore shit) I never expected for anybody to really read this. I don’t know, is just weird in a good way. And now, like always I am starting to ramble. I guess I just wanted to say thank you to those who like and read my posts.

Anyways, enough of this pansy shit. Last week was really good for me. Why you may ask? Well, let me answer that question for you sexy, sexy one .I know you are dying from the uncertainty of perhaps never finding out what made my week somewhat less sucky. Don’t fret! I am not that evil. I shall tell, oh yes. Come to think of it, there is really not a straight answer to what made it great. It was more like a series of events that will sound really simple to normal people. I guess the simple things in life are the ones that do matter the most sometimes. First, I got out of the deep depression I was in and found the reason for it. Mother Nature that little whore came to visit on the week I was feeling so fucking down. It was great to find a logical explanation to the rapid, bipolar mood swings I had been experiencing. Second, I think I made a new friend. There is this girl in two of my psych classes who has been a sweetheart to me since we started talking. We seem to have things in common and are suppose to have a study date this Tuesday. Third, by some miracle the male species is starting to approach me and talk to me! If you guys can recall for the most part I am invisible to males. They don’t approach me; they don’t talk to me (except for the creepy ones). It is almost as if there is something seriously wrong with me. This week though that was the exception to this. Friday of the previous week, I was buying my usual coffee and this guy I used to have class with complimented my earring (btw, he is not gay).  Nothing came out of that and it seems almost silly to mention but keep in mind what I just stated above. Wednesday I had an exam in my economics class and this really cute guy came near me looking for something. I figured he needed a sheet we needed to fill out and gave it to him. He asked if he could seat next to me to which I of course agreed. He then started to talk to me about the exam among other random stuff. After I finish my exam I went to meet up with my friend and we sat at the plaza in front of the library. We were being silly like always when this guy approach us asking if we had two minutes to take a survey. I said sure and he only gave ME a survey. After I completed he look at the sheet and try to pronounce the city I am from. I had noticed he had an accent before but I figure he was from somewhere in Latin America. Yeah, WRONG.  He asked me if that was a big city and the population of it. I said that it was a big urban city but that I could not give him an estimated of the population Oh yes, the survey also asked how much time I had been living in CC. I said one year and he was surprise because he had seemed me around or some shit like that. After he left my friend started to laugh because to her it was obvious he was flirting with me. I of course was completely oblivious but it then kind of hit me. I had mention to my friend that I was attracted to this guy in my lab class. He is not physically attractive but he has an accent, smokes and remains me of AOB in a way. I saw that guy coming out of the library and pointed him out to my friend. She did not notice him that much because she was watching the guy who had gave me the survey. He had approach him and (according to her) was staring at me while talking to him. I was too busy to notice that since I was staring at the other guy.Opps. Thursday comes and I am sitting in the library studying for my history exam. Suddenly I look up and I see the guy I have lab with (I forgot to mention he is also in my lab group) approaching me. Out of instinct I look down, realize who he is and look up again and say hi. He says hi and asked me in his beautiful, sexy accent if I was studying for history and whether I had Munoz. I said no that I had Min Song. He proceeds to sit in the seat next to me and we had a short conversation about our sucky teacher. I went back to study and hesitated if I should keep the conversation going because I did not want to distract him. After 8 minutes or more he got up, said bye to me and went to the second level of the library. Leaving me kind of confused.  So, umm did he just sit there to talk to me or something? I am pointlessly analyzing things like always. At any rate, to any standard person all of this male encounters may seem petty and every day life occurrences. But to me, last week was just out of the ordinary.I am turning somewhat less unapproachable. I just hope that this luck or whatever does not go away. It will be nice for once to have guy friends or more friends for that matter!

Till next time my sweet ones.

Singles Mix & Mingle Hunt

So I promised to help spread the word about another hunt… the Singles Mix&Mingle Hunt hosted by Total Fusion which started on the 25th so apparently I’m a little late :/ sorry. The starting point is at Luck Inc. and contributors include:

Luck Inc.
The Loft
AM Pro Rides
Aphotic Gloom
XR Skins
!Be Designs
Alicia Stella
Diesel Works
Malibu Designs
Urbanit
Nayar
Von Ducky
Mstyle

There’s going to be a closing party on Nov. 1st with a bunch of prizes and 70,000L in cash which is always fun. So get out there and get hunting!

PS. The pic is just random because I don’t like blog posts without something pretty to look at.

The highest paid comedians of 2009

Our ranking of the most valuable comedians is based on Forbes’ Star Currency survey. Conducted in fall 2008, the survey polled hundreds of entertainment industry professionals to rate 1,400 actors on critical financial metrics, such as their abilities to attract financing for films and drive box office revenues.

No 1. Adam Sandler

Age (as of April 10, 2009): 42

Star Currency Cumulative Score: 9.61 (out of 10)

Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 10

Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No.12

Hollywood’s most desirable funnyman has a long track record of leading silly but profitable comedies, like Big Daddy, Happy Gilmore and The Waterboy. Sandler has also flexed his serious chops in 2002’s Punch Drunk Love and 2004’s Spanglish. His much anticipated Funny People, in which Sandler plays a successful Hollywood comedian diagnosed with cancer, should provide another opportunity to blend humor and humanity.

No 2. Will Ferrell

Age (as of April 10, 2009): 41

Star Currency Cumulative Score: 9.56 (out of 10)

Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 13

Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 15

One of Hollywood’s hottest comedic talents, Ferrell is putting his touch on film, television (HBO’s Eastbound and Down) and the emerging world of Web video (Funnyordie.com). Ferrell recently took to the Broadway stage to satirize former President George W. Bush in a controversial one-man show.

No. 3. Ben Stiller(my fav.)

Age (as of April 10, 2009): 43

Star Currency Cumulative Score: 9.50 (out of 10)

Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 15

Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 18

Born to comedian parents, Stiller broke into show business on Broadway and later produced well-regarded but little-watched comedy shows for MTV and Fox. He soon branched out into directing (Reality Bites, The Cable Guy), but developed into an economic force in Hollywood after taking starring roles in There’s Something About Mary and Meet the Parents. That film, along with its sequel, Meet the Fockers, grossed $850 million at box offices worldwide.

No. 4. Jim Carrey

Age (as of April 10, 2009): 47

Star Currency Cumulative Score: 9.42 (out of 10)

Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 16

Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 19

Canadian comic won Hollywood stardom with 1994’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Carrey has since proven himself as a crowd-pleasing funnyman in sophomoric flicks like Dumb and Dumber and Liar Liar, and earned respect as a serious actor in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Man on the Moon. Controversial new flick I Love You, Philip Morris, starring Carrey and Ewan McGregor as prison lovers, premiered at Sundance in January but has yet to find a theatrical distributor.

No. 5. Vince Vaughn

Age (as of April 10, 2009): 39

Star Currency Cumulative Score: 8.39 (out of 10)

Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 28

Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 32

Chicago-bred funnyman had his breakout role as a wannabe Hollywood player in 1996’s Swingers. Later took on dramatic roles in Psycho remake and Domestic Disturbance. His career has been reignited by collaborations with fellow Bankable comedian listers Ferrell and Stiller in Old School, Starsky and Hutch, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

No. 6. Steve Carell

Age (as of April 10, 2009): 46

Star Currency Cumulative Score: 8.05 (out of 10)

Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 31

Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 36

Now one of Hollywood’s most desired comedic talents, Carell says he once considered a career as a mailman and attorney. Good thing he opted for comedy. Films led by the ex-Daily Show correspondent have garnered both nods from critics and huge box office revenues. Among his successes: 40 Year Old Virgin and Anchorman.

No. 7. Eddie Murphy

Age (as of April 10, 2009): 48

Star Currency Cumulative Score: 7.66 (out of 10)

Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 37

Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 49

Murphy launched his career with a raunchy stand-up routine but has recently been collecting huge paychecks for his work on movies aimed at kids. His turn as oddball Donkey in Dreamworks’ Shrek series has helped generate $2.2 billion in world box office revenue. The SNL alum also carried successful comedies Dr. Doolittle and The Nutty Professor, as well as appeared in a dramatic role in 2006’s critically acclaimed Dreamgirls.

No. 8. Sacha Baron Cohen

Age (as of April 10, 2009): 37

Star Currency Cumulative Score: 7.64 (out of 10)

Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 38

Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 50

The Cambridge-educated comedian got his start in university productions of Fiddler on the Roof. Baron Cohen’s career took off after creating the character Ali G, a moronic television interviewer, for a British sketch show. That personality inspired an HBO series, which in turn led to the hugely successful film Borat ($261 million worldwide gross), a faux documentary featuring Baron Cohen as an awkward Kazakhastani journalist touring the U.S. He stars as a flamboyant Austrian fashion reporter in the highly anticipated Bruno, which hits theaters in May 2009.

No. 9. Jack Black

Age (as of April 10, 2009): 39

Star Currency Cumulative Score: 7.60 (out of 10)

Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 40

Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 53

Show biz lifer made a few bucks as a teenager starring in a 1982 Activision videogame commercial. His breakout role came 18 years later as pompous record store clerk in High Fidelity with John Cusack. During a 2009 Oscars presentation, Black joked that he made much more money for animated work (Kung Fu Panda, Shark Talk) than live action flicks (King Kong, Tropic Thunder).

No. 10. Robin Williams

Age (as of April 10, 2009): 57

Star Currency Cumulative Score: 7.45 (out of 10)

Star Currency Ranking (Among Actors): No. 65

Star Currency Ranking (Among All Actors/Actresses): No. 48

Williams launched his career as a wacky alien in NBC’s Mork & Mindy in the 1970s. He later honed his comedy chops as a stand-up and went on to star in big-grossing comedies: The Birdcage ($185 million worldwide gross) and Mrs. Doubtfire ($219 million). He won acclaim for his dramatic work, as well, including an Oscar in 1998 for his role as a sympathetic but tormented psychologist in Good Will Hunting.

SOURCE : FORBES

death

Often,

I think about my own death.  Usually it happens when im dazed out or driving a long distance somewhere.  I question, what if i died right now and had a funeral. Who would be there, who would show up.  I imagine the ceremony, the speeches, the open casket (if there was one).  How many people I think that were close enough, or just maybe people I met only a few times.  How many would cry? how many wouldn’t go. It’s a bit weird on my side.  But sometimes you can’t help but wonder what your death will be like  when the time comes.

Tomorrow's news

..today.

It appears that by a thousand twists and turns and about thirty generations, I am connected to Henry 2nd of England.

I’m waiting for my Dad to retrace his steps and give me the evidence.

In the meantime, there’s no need to curtsy.

I could(or Dad could) very easily be wrong. And even if we’re not, we’re talking royal by homeopathic dilution.

It would explain my temper though….

On that very silly note, I’m off to take some pain pills and go to bed!

Good night all!

I used to be love drunk, but now I'm hungover,

I love you forever, forever is over
We used to kiss all night, now it’s just a bar fight
So don’t call me crying, say hello then goodbye

There’s just one thing
Would make me say

I used to be love drunk
But now I’m hungover
I love you forever
But now it’s over

All the time I wasted on you
All the bullshit you put me through
I’m checking into rehab
Cause everything that we had
Didn’t mean a thing to you

i’m a bit sick of the computer now, getting headache already.

i should go do maths now but just thinking about the twelve hours next week i want to throw up!

thank God for jiamin who taught me mr choy’s imba trigo method. XD

i need to start on the oreo cheesecake soon, the cheese is rotting in the fridge alr. XD

zzz today i bought this whole box of oreos just for the cheesecake and my dad went and bought an even BIGGER box of oreos back. wasted my money LOL and there’ll be a lot of oreos left over. XD

hahahahahaha i just thought of sth damn cool shall go do it someday XD

okay i’m not blogging till EOYs are over. okay i’ll still be blogging(ranting about exams) but rarely XD

Complex Connotations (of a Seemingly Mundane Subconscious Experience)

There are certain topics in this world that individuals attempt to steer away from as often as possible. One such topic is religion, an issue that many find unsuitable for conversations in the workplace do to its heavy social influence and tendency to raise tempers. The same goes for politics which has different subject matter but not-so-coincidentally producees similar results.

Strangely, when I think of small issues that rarely come up in some form of conversation among my peers, these are the only two that come to mind. This, however, doesn’t mean that we’re constantly discussing issues of racism, world hunger and LGBT rights. In fact, more often than not we’re cracking jokes about them – and I’m okay with that on most levels. But when it comes time to discuss a natural part of our lives and we can barely say the word without giggling or shutting down out of discomfort or genuinely finding it funny, there really is a problem. There’s no way I can’t say it.

SEX.

It’s something we need to be capable of talking about without laughing or numbing up at the thought of. At this stage in our lives things like friendship, individuality, freedom of speech, boys, girls and all that other jazz start seem more and more intense and are amplified to the extreme level. Our parents and teachers along with most other adutls are starting to badger us with speeches about birth control, STD’s and the trials of unplanned pregnancies. “Don’t forget to use a condom, son.” “Honey. Abstinence is the best birth control.” Worse still they could be telling us nothing about it (Just to clarify, “pulling out”  doesn’t work).

Knowing the facts about sex is incredibly important. Without that knowledge the teen pregnancy rate would be substantially hired and STD’s would spread like wildfires. However, I feel that when it comes down to us attempting to speak honestly about this topic the focus becomes incredibly uneven. From what I’ve heard as a teenager walking throughout my high school, it is quite rare to find people talking about sex on a level other than that of the stereotypical hormonally overwhelmed adolescent. And I truthfully feel, that it isn’t at all healthy.

Recently, I awoke from what to me was a rather unsettling dream. A rather graphic sexual image of young woman I had hardly known and had barely thought about recently wouldn’t seem to remove itself from my mind. It was a topic I felt I like I couldn’t discuss with anyone I knew, not even my closest friends. When I finally brought myself to tell somebody something about it I was relieved to find that I wasn’t judged and my mind was freed from the image but not from its subtext. I soon came to realize that what truthfully bothered me was on more of an emotional level of not knowing what significance this girl holds for me and even know, I barely feel capable of saying anything to anybody.

Now I realize that sex itself is not to difficult of a subject for us to tackle. When can joke about, talk about it’s mechanics and shoot some bullshit about how great this “fine ass hoe” I was with was all we want but that’s all the easy stuff. There is a different between talking about intercourse or  fucking, and sex because when you’re talking about the former two everything is guarded in some way whether it be the science of it or the artificial nature of the things that you’re saying. However, when you’re really talking about sex, or at least when I am, you’ve made yourself completely vulnerable by exposing yourself intellectually, emotionally and in any other way you can think. And in discussing our own experience (or inexperience) in these matters we aren’t just discovering more about sex and it’s connotations but more importantly ourselves. Which brings me to the point of this post.

I have a challenge for you.

During this time of adolescence, we are deep into one of the most emotionally challenging parts of our lives and on a daily basis we are either having a nuclear or meltdown or gearing up for yet another one. We need to know that we aren’t alone in what we are going through. It is crucial that we are understood as more than the hormonally challenged subjects of Hollywood films. 

For this reason, Dream Weaver Productions is launching a special project for teenagers specifically. Using the testimony of you wonderful people here at This Space Intentionally Left Blank, I would like to express on film the impact that sex has on people our age.  If you want your voice to be heard, you can either post a comment below or send a personal message to me or A.  To achieve the most honest expression of the human experience possible all submissions will be anonymous. No one will be judged no matter what they say so please be as open as you can here.  You may talk about anything you would like whether it be losing your virginity, not losing your virginity, relationships, etc. If you have any questions e-mail me or leave a comment.

Any assistance an putting this project forward is greatly appreciated. Let’s try and start something.

E-MAIL: allowmetojackyou@hotmail.com

Establishing the Centre Ground

Decision making is the ultimate philosophy in life. Why would you want to escape it? I have decided to write this, and you have decided to read it. Although, you may argue that you haven’t decided to read the first bit- it was just there on the screen and you didn’t have a choice. Life is all about decision making – people make decisions all the time. It is possible to choose not to decide when faced with a decision, but this not recommended.  

Why would you want to escape it? Decisions are essential to any form of real progress in life. It is essential for taking control, as far as possible, of your own destiny. Your willingness to make decisions, your confidence in decision making and your abilities in doing so are all essential to your freedom.

Decision making is a skill – you can work at it and it improves with experience. But what has this got to do with “establishing the centre ground”? Well, I’ve been searching for a central theme, and I think I may have found it. Decisions made by important people in positions of power can affect all of us. Decisions made by yourself may be intended to only affect you, but unfortunately that isn’t always the case, the intention being otherwise.

I’ve decided that it doesn’t really matter if this post makes much sense or not – it is the first post and designed to give you a general idea of what may be in the pipeline. You may not be able to decide what this blog will be about just yet, because you’re unable to work it out. Some people will say you’re a bit slow for not being able to do so, but little do they know that you have a better idea than they have on this issue.

I’ve noticed that the more calculated I am about some task or another, the poorer the finished product. It really is just a question of deciding to concentrate on the real issues. I cannot convey in words right now just how frustrating this is – not being able to write in a fluid, well connected flow. Things will make sense in future posts, and I’ll enjoy writing them. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy reading them too…

YAY! Day (again)

Lately, all my Fridays have been seriously full of YAY! Tonight I am planning on staying in. The wall paper that has taken me over a year to remove, has got to come down finally.

No sexing injury or old injury from Jack can stop me anymore. Not because my body is willing to let go of a few injuries, it’s not. But because I can’t stand it any longer. However, if my phone rings, I’ll be out the door.

We have a guy we are both excited about coming in for an interview for service! Being that I have a SHIT LOAD of pre winter service calls that started yesterday on the books, this is a VERY good thing! Very impressed so many people are calling in and not waiting. Last winter must have taught them something.

Obviously it hasn’t made a change in me, I still didn’t order wood and should have because when the power goes, the gas furnace goes too and it gets cold. At least we have a fireplace that sorta helps heat part of the house in the event we lose power. (I wonder if my coffee is ready yet?)

Yum!

On the other hand, I am excited about Monday. Terry and my favorite co-worker had a falling out a few weeks ago and there was a mutual parting of the ways. Yesterday Terry finally realized that he regretted letting things happen like they did and he called and forced the issue. he learned that the crew doesn’t like taking their ass chewing publicly. When I feel them coming, I try to leave the office because I believe it should be a private thing and you should NEVER reprimand someone in front of others.

Terry has never called anyone back. He’s let people come back to him and say sorry, but he has never regretted letting someone go so I am glad it got under his skin, he made the call and learned what I already knew…people have fragile egos.

I was looking in my fridge, wondering what the hell certain things are. My sister orders take out just to bring home, put it in the fridge, then leaves for weeks at a time. She gets really annoyed too if you throw away the shit she’s not going to eat.

I know what this is, but anyone want to hazard a guess?

View This Poll
opinion

My NEW Schedule This Semester

Well, I’ve decided to drop out of the Literature program.  For various reasons.

Mostly that I love literature.  And boy, nothing sucks the life right out of literature more than a few undergraduate courses on the subject.  Phlegh!

I’ll still stick with the Creative Writing program, which is awesome.  I’ve also decided to pursue a major in Physics and a minor in Biology.  Though after all’s said and done I might end up doing another year to take all the biology courses needed for a major.

So yea, I haven’t been blog-writing much because these first few weeks of school have been pretty hectic for me.

BAM:

I also dropped german.  Not because I wanted to, but because 8AM was just too early for me, I just couldn’t do it.  And now that I have an extra 3-hour lab once a week, it would just be too much for me to handle.

Holy crap I’m tired.  Sleepytime.

I’ll leave you with a little piece of nifty physics.  It’s a video of a triple double pendulum that I found through the Built On Facts blog:

The Saxophone Man

After spilling a cup of tea on a signed agreement and absent-mindedly shredding a (very important and unpaid) invoice, I decided I needed a break.

One of my favourite things to do when I’m stressed is to take a walk. There isn’t much scenery around my office building though, so I spend a lot of time in the four-level, above-ground parking lot. The lot is almost always deserted, which I love. Being able to wander around undisturbed gives me a much-needed feeling of invisibility.

I was making my way around the first level when I heard music, a jazzy melody coming from what sounded like a live saxophone. I followed it up to the fourth floor and there, in an isolated corner devoid of cars, stood a mousey-looking, middle aged-man. His hands moved with expert precision over keys of his saxophone and he was playing the most beautiful music.

He looked like your typical office dweller, complete with an employee ID tag on his belt loop, wrinkled dress pants and a bald spot in the middle of his head. A saxophone case was on the floor with a blackberry tossed carelessly inside. Sheet music was on a ledge, held in place with a Tim Horton’s coffee cup.

I pictured the man driving into work that morning with his saxophone tucked under his seat, excitedly plotting the perfect time to sneak away from his desk.

The whole thing left me feeling sad.

People tell you to get a full-time job and buy a house and that’s supposed to make you happy. What they don’t tell you is that the “stability” you get from being an employee and the mortgage that keeps you at a sub-par job for thirty years comes at the cost of your true aspirations.

I don’t want to have to sneak away and live my dreams for a few minutes a day. I want to live them all of the time, but I guess that’s a luxury most of us can’t afford.

I went back the next day and the man was gone. I haven’t seen him since. I guess he has more important things to do with his time.

I guess we all do.

13:28

Ja idag känns inge bra. det är fint väder ute men min hals känns so stor och det gör så ont att svälja. Mitt huvud värker och ska nog inte sitta här och skriva detta inlägg utan ska nog egentligen vara i sängen och titta på skräp tv. Eftersom jag inte mått så bra senaste veckan så har min lägenhet fått lidit också. Men ska försöka städa idag. I alla fall lite. Måste ta mig till skolan imorgon men ska se om jag får tag på min lärare och se om jag kan komme efter lunch. Det är det som är det viktigaste trots allt. Har teckning med modell och det är en viktig del till examinationen av Illustrations kursen.

Fick en ny film idag, Coraline. Visserligen som jag skulle kunna titta på men tänkte ta med mig den till film/myskvällen på Lördag. Eller…fan jag vet inte. Skulle ha beställt den nya Underworld filmen. Älskar den serien. Så grymt bra. Me likes Vampires. Men har inte sett Twilight än. Tror inte jag kommer göra det heller.

The Mother Road

So I found this awesome place called The Mother Road thanks to Monike Perferie’s flicker posts. I also recently acquired another plaid shirt which I’m in love with (cuz I mean com’on who wouldn’t be) which kinda inspired me to do this post. Enjoy!

On Trev:

Hair: Boyd DB by MADesigns Hair
Glasses: Buddy Glasses by /artilleri/
Tattoo: Made in Hell by Inone Style
Shirt: Checkers2 Blue by Zenith
Jeans: Burt jeans dark blue by /artilleri/
Shoes: Industrial Work Boots chocolate by TRUTH

On Mel

Hair: Oh my mohawk black by [OH]
Jacket: Lost Sheep Leather Jacket by Madsy
Shirt/Bikini: Swimwear Black polka by The Pink Donut
Jeans: Skinny Jeans Hurricane by A.Y.Y
Skin: Character skin SASHA by Rockberry
Shoes: Indian shoes black by amaama

Time to Migrate

Please note that all of the food and cooking posts have migrated to a new blog, dedicated to food and cooking. From this point on figs and fireflies will be my personal blog – everything it was, just minus the food and cooking. The cooking blog is called mise en place. The web address is mizaplas.wordpress.com. Don’t let the French scare you!

The migration was easy. I just exported my old wordpress blog to my computer, and imported it in the new one, using wordpress.com’s tools, found in the dashboard. Then I went through and deleted the respective posts in each of the blogs. Apparently you don’t want to have duplicate posts out there; the search engines don’t like it.

How She Rolls

 

My goal in life is to always be at LEAST this comfortable!!!  Our couch reclines on each side and I have a terrible habit of leaving my footstool up. This leaves the top a little uneven as shown above.  My Mary then leaps on the top of the couch and settles in for a multi-level nap.  She likes her chin to be on something soft.    These rainy days have been driving the dogs and us crazy.  And the chickens, I’m sure.  Mary hopped up on the couch after asking to go outside.  I opened the door she came to a screeching halt, looked up at me, turned around and ran for the couch.  It is amazing how long they can hold it IF THEY WANT TO!!!!

 

Have a good day everybody!!!

 

Love,

Me

Houston Astros Baseball: Winning Not Included

SarCoog: Tonight I went to Minute Maid Park with ElViento to watch my Houston Astros get demolished by his St. Louis Cardinals.

After getting their record to a respectable 70-72, the ‘Stros have rattled off a 9 game losing streak. Despite firing manager Cecil Cooper, I’m not exactly convinced the team will rattle off an 11-game win streak to finish the year at a .500 record.

It’s no longer depressing that the ‘Stros stink, it’s just funny.

Now should I wear a paper bag on my head for tomorrows game… ya know like the old New Orleans “Aints” fans.

social distortion in a cultural void

social distortion is playing in my crappy little town tonight, and i got tickets.  i’m so excited i feel like i’m gonna pee myself.  walking around work today, i asked a bunch of people if they are going, told them i was going, and the universal response was “who? what’s that?”
i cannot fucking believe none of these people have heard of social distortion.  when tickets went on sale, they sold out in about three hours.  they have been around for like, 25 years.  mike ness is older than i am.
i brought up the show to people who are in their 20s and 30s, they never heard of them.  how is it that people who are my age and younger have such a different cultural knowledge than i do?  we all grew up at the same time, yet it seems i grew up on a different planet than everyone else. the things i know about and like, things that were part of my childhood and teen years, things that shaped who i am, appear to have only happened to me. i’m the only one who knows about things that were on the radio and television and things that happened when i was growing up. this cannot be true, it’s fucking absurd.  and so i wonder where all these people were when they were growing up, what they did.
well fuck em.  they can look at me like i’m wearing an impaled puppy for a hat, i’m not the strange one. and even if i am the strange one, at least i’m gonna go see social fucking distortion.  rock on.

Fall's here!

I’d like to take a moment today to officially welcome Fall’s arrival. The cider mills are bustling, the leaves are turning. Football is being played. This is an important event.

Why is it important, you may ask? You see, now that Fall’s here, winter is right around the corner. This is *very* important.

Why is that important, you ask?

Because I think dealing with THIS:

Is the only thing that’s going to put an end to the tag team efforts of my lead food and gasoline fueled brain to keep me obsessing over getting something like THIS:
(And driving it like that, too!)
Of course, a winning lotto ticket would result in my having the car, AND avoiding driving in winter weather. Maybe I should just aim for that. That’s a realistic plan, right?

I’m Beermaker, and this has been a completely pointless post.

Some things I've recently learned in the kitchen

Since I’ve been trying to expand my culinary horizons lately, I’ve learned several new things from being in the kitchen more often.  I warn you, these are ridiculous.  I would guess most of these things aren’t news to anyone, but I’ve been really excited about my discoveries and wanted to share them.

*In a pinch, if you don’t have a wine stopper and the cork won’t fit back into your wine bottle, you can definitely use a rolled-up washcloth to stuff in the top.  Credit to Clay for this one.  Our champagne stayed bubbly for days, although every time I opened the fridge I just shook my head and laughed and felt like the biggest dork ever.  (as you can tell, we’re really not wine connoisseurs.)

*Most important:  A dishwasher actually WASHES dishes!!!!!  OK, so I don’t know where I got this, but in my entire life I’ve always completely handwashed everything before putting it in the dishwasher.  With soap.  I would scrub every fork and food-caked plate, and obviously, it took quite awhile.  I even wondered, “What is really the point of the dishwasher anyway?  I guess maybe because it sterilizes the dishes after I wash them?”  I still used it 98% of the time, except for my pots and pans, but never being ones for washing dishes, Clay and I tend to let them pile-up and then do a huge clean all at once when we notice that everything’s getting really gross.  I definitely put it off more because it was SUCH a long chore.

Somewhere recently I heard that the dishwasher is actually supposed to clean the food off of your dishes.  I thought, “Well, our dishwasher is umpteen years old, so surely ours wouldn’t do a good job of that and I don’t want to waste an entire cycle only for them to come out dirty.”  Well, one night I was SO fed-up with the dishes and was too tired to do wash them, so on a whim I thought, “What the heck… let’s give this a whirl.  It’s not going to work, though.”  And I loaded the dishes in the dishwasher.  I didn’t even rinse them.  (there weren’t any chunks of food, just dried food and such)  It took me about 2 minutes to fill the entire dishwasher and clean my whole sink out.  I thought, “If this works, it’ll be too good to be true.”  I ran the dishwasher, filled it with more soap than usual, and ran it on the normal cycle instead of the light cycle that I usually used.  When it was done, I went to check, and MIRACLE OF ALL MIRACLES!!!!!  MY DISHES WERE CLEAN!!!!  The food was GONE!  It miraculously disappeared!  Even all the plates with dried food and my coffee cups with dried coffee on the bottom…. they were sparkling clean!  I went into the living room and told Clay, “I have the most wonderful thing to do tell you.  This is going to change the rest of our lives.  It is beyond amazing.”  He was doubtful, but then I showed him the clean dishes.  And then we said, “Hmm… no wonder the dishwasher is such a popular appliance.  This must be why so many people like them.  They actually WASH your dishes!!!!”  I kinda feel like someone from the 1950’s (or whenever they invented dishwashers) who just can’t believe that technology is going to help her around the house.  And now I’m almost excited every time I load the dishwasher with dirty dishes because I can’t wait to see how they come out totally clean with almost ZERO effort on my part!  It’s an amazing world we live in, people, this has revolutionized my life.

*The broil function on my oven is totally functional and allows me to make toast.  I don’t think I’ve ever made toast in my life unless it was in a toaster or toaster oven.  We have neither now, so I haven’t made or had toast in about a year.  A few weeks ago we were at a friend’s house and I noticed her making toast in her oven.  I thought, “Wow…. could I have been doing this all along?  Tonight on a whim I decided to throw some bread in there, and a few minutes later, what do ya know—we had toast!  What a wasted toast-less year we’ve had!

*I’ve learned how to sharpen my knives.  A few months ago when my mom was here, she was using a knife and commented on how dull it was.  I said, “Well yeah, they’re five years old and I don’t know how to sharpen them, so I bet they’re pretty dull.”  She showed me how, and it really wasn’t that hard AT ALL, and now I have sharp knives!  Obviously, it makes a pretty big difference in my cutting abilities!  Five wasted years of dull knives.

*The drawer at the bottom of my oven that holds all my pans will actually come out all the way.  This accidental discovery for the first time let me see the floor that was under my oven and all the things that had collected there.  I found a couple of lost toys for Evelyne and a marker cap that I specifically remember searching on my hands and knees for about 20 minutes for last year.  Instead of trying to snake my vacuum hose under my oven, it’s way easier to just take the dang drawer out!

*I bought a new teapot about a month ago at a garage sale because my old one was pretty gross.  I asked the lady if it whistled, and she said it did, which I was pretty excited about because my old one didn’t.  When I finally heated it up hot enough to whistle the other day, I was kind of surprised at the sound that came out.  It sounded just like a tornado siren!  Being from the Midsouth, I’m pretty used to tornados and tornado sirens… so imagine my surprise when I’m making tea one day and I hear from the other room something that sounds like a siren, and my first instinct was, “Danger!!! Tornado!!! Take cover!!! Run to the bathtub!!!”  Nope, just my teapot.  At least it’ll keep me in touch with the South while I’m out here.

Looking at apartments, I came across this hilariously yuppie description:

“Imagine coming home to a resort setting with everything you need at your fingertips. Your sport utility vehicle fits with ease in your 2 car private garage. As you enter your home, you are welcomed by soaring ceilings and lovely wooded views. Walk-in closets ensures a clutter-free existence and spacious rooms aid easy positioning of your overstuffed furniture. Deluxe appliances and in-suite washer and dryer make your active lifestyle easier to manage.

In the summer, enjoy a refreshing swim in our pool. During cooler months join us in the luxuriously appointed clubhouse to watch the latest movie on our big-screen TV. Open 24-hours a day, our resort style fitness facility boasts equipment that rivals even the best private clubs.”

I wish I could say I was kidding. I am not kidding. I wonder if I have to buy the requisite “overstuffed furniture” to even get a tour of the place?

And really, there is no way The Boy and I could afford these apartments, so I suppose it’s all for naught.

rediscover my love for GaGa.

Yes, I’m in ♥ (again) with lady gaga. I used to like her hits “just dance” and it becomes #1 in my most played songs in iTunes. Even I once believed that this song has such power to lift up my mood, and turn my day into a better one. Hahaha.

Eh eh, eh eh,
There’s nothing else I can say,
Eh eh, eh eh,
I wish you never looked at me that way,

Seriously. Can’t stop.
And have you seen the videoclip? Awesomenesss! Cutee yet sexy in every way. She rocks!

Photoshop

I am very sorry to tell you this, but to all of yous who reckon I photoshop my photos, I don’t.

Who are you to conclude that I photoshop my pictures?

Who are you to judge me by my photos?

Some people don’t like me because “I photoshop my pictures”.

Oh, big deal. Photoshop.

YOU PHOTOSHOP YOURSELF! I DON’T LIKE YOU !!!!! All you do is play around with a computer program and make your photos look fancy so, I loathe you!!!!

Ohhh myyy GOD. How ignorant can people be?

Just because my photos look slightly fancy, I photoshop myself as well now huh?

Very well. I would like to ask you a question, then.

Are you a photoshop pro?

You can tell what photos are photoshopped and which are not?

Because… I don’t think so. You couldn’t tell that my photos aren’t photoshopped.

I don’t even have photoshop on my computer.

I do admit I tried to install it several times, but unfortunately, I failed them all.

I am, apparently, very bad at computers.

What I use is paint.net. Not photoshop.

So yeah…

Stop hating and talking about me as if I’ve done something hedious and unforgivable.

I’ll give you a quote of mine :

“People shall not judge prior to meeting each other.”

JOONIE

Kanye West и поредния му EPIC FAIL

След невероятният епизод на Southpark с шегата за gayfish, която само “гениалният” Канйе не схвана, Америка стана дори по- ненаситна за гавра с изпълнителя..кх..изпълнителя. Степента на самозабрава на Уест е толкова трудна да се представи математически, че засега двама доценти от ТУ- София се провалиха в тази задача. Но хайде, което 100 математически символа казват, ние може да изразим добре и с няколко спууф снимчици. Следващите са специално подбрани от мен, за вас. Може да не знаете за невероятното му изказване на наградите на МТВ, затова, гледайте и клипа:

Не си мислете, че това е единичен случай, явно му е практика-> клик.

THIS IS MADNESS!
NO! THIS IS KANYEEEEE!!!

Adventures in Japan, Part III

A temple roof at Tenryu-ji

Written 9/19, posted 9/20

Greetings from Kyoto! I arrived yesterday around noon and dropped my bags off at my hostel, Ichi En Sou (more on that later). Then I was off to the infamous Nishiki food market for lunch and foodie worship. I’ll dedicate an entire post to Nishiki Market, so you’ll have to wait for the details. For most of my Kyoto trip so far, I’ve relied on the advice of fellow blogger EO, who is quite familiar with the city. Since it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number temples here, and because they all charge an entry fee of some sort, it was really helpful to know which ones to focus on and which ones to overlook. For my first temple, I headed over to Nanzen-ji, a huge Buddhist temple that EO recommended because it’s free (it only costs money to go up to the 2nd level). There was also a big Roman-style aqueduct and a secret temple in the woods that were neat.

Nanzen-ji

Next on the list was Choin-in. Unfortunately, I got a little lost and it was closed by the time I got there. Sad face. I was pretty tired anyway at this point, from the travel and the hours of walking. I headed back to my hostel and met up with fellow hostellers to go out for dinner. Friendly owner Yashi took all of us out for okonomiyaki, a Japanese omelet specialty filled with miscellaneous items, depending on the region. Afterward, most of us continued on for a stroll through Pontocho, stopping for a beer en route.  Then, a few of us tested our voices with a short, one-hour session of karaoke. You’ll be glad to know that yes, they had Baby Got Back, and yes, I totally killed it. After traveling by myself for the first two days, it was nice to hang out with like-minded, English speaking people. The hostel is small (only 10 people can stay here at any given time) and very clean. Yashi opened the hostel about 18 months ago, and everything is new and well designed. I am staying in a 4-person girls only dorm room, which is set up in the traditional, tatami style.

A lantern on Pontocho

Today, I woke up super early to head west to Arashiyama, where I looked forward to beating the crowds at the bamboo forest north of Tenryu-ji. I did manage to get there early for a Saturday, but unfortunately I didn’t get the complete solitude I wanted. It was still pretty neat though – just as my guidebook had described, it was like a scene from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Then I walked towards the big river there (actually, 2 rivers: Hozu-gawa and Katsura-gawa), which was really scenic but also filled with Japanese tourists. In front of a kimono fabric workshop, I paid 100 yen (about $1.10) to take a photo next to a faux-geisha. Actually, the 100 yen was an entry fee to the workshop, but it was sort of understood that picture taking wasn’t free.

The bamboo forest at Tenryu-ji

Posing with the faux geisha

Since it was still fairly early, I spontaneously decided to fight the crowds at Ryoan-ji, site of the famous Zen rock garden. Yes, the rock garden was very pretty but certainly not peaceful with a throng of tourists. Luckily, the rest of the grounds, especially the pond full of lily pads, were lovely and well worth the entry fee. At this point, both of my camera batteries ran out (both my DSLR and my point and shoot. FAIL.). I headed back to the hostel, stopping by the Takashimaya Department Store for a quick lunch. What I found in the basement was amazing. It was almost more enthralling to me than Nishiki market: beautiful bento boxes, amazing Japanese and Western pastries, sushi and sashimi… I was in foodie heaven. I settled on a small tray of nigiri sushi for the cheap price of $7.50.

The beautiful pond at Ryoan-ji

There’s more but I’ll stop with the recounting and switch to my recommendations/observations about being a tourist in Kyoto:

• Because there are so many tourists here, a lot of restaurants have English menus. Just ask for one!
• The public transportation network is widespread but not well consolidated. For instance, there are 2 main subway lines, a lot of private train lines that also act as commuter lines, as well as a bus system and an electric tram. None of these use the same pass, nor do they offer transfers. (I think you can by a Kansai regional pass but they are pricey and you’d have to be traveling a lot to make it worthwhile). For my money, I’d recommend the bus system. It’s easy to use – the English map from Kyoto Station has clear instructions.  I also like riding the bus, even though it usually takes longer, because it helps me to orient myself and lets me see different areas of the city that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
• I’m glad I chose to stay in Gion, one of the oldest quarters in Kyoto. It’s a happening place and the buildings are really unique compared to the more “modern” parts of Kyoto. Geishas are often spotted here; unfortunately, I never saw one. Sad face.
• As I mentioned above, it doesn’t always pay to buy entry into every temple. In fact, sometimes you can see just as much for free. I suggest doing some research into each temple, and making sure there’s something special about the place before you shell out $5-$6/temple.
• Though convenient, vending machines can be a lot pricier than 7-11, am/pm, and family marts (Japanese convenience stores). In fact, the convenience stores also stock lots of cheap bento boxes and rice balls for an economical meal/snack. I bought a (cooked) salmon rice ball for $1.50, which tied me over until I was able to get a proper lunch.
• There are a lot of things hidden in tall buildings. Commercial buildings, such as department stores, will have a floor guide at the entrance or just right inside – take a look and you might find something you’re interesting in (i.e. food). This is how I found the Takashimaya food court.

Hooray Holiday~!

I normally don’t like holidays because everyone’s home, but this time it’s different. Mum’s gone to JB!! (^0^) And everyone else at home just does their own stuff, so I’m happily in the room with aircon turned on and listening to Mizuki Nana’s Black Diamond, and typing this post~~

In a while I’ll have to finalize the assignments due tomorrow~ I think we have to upload it onto the school’s degree server. But of course~~ I’m going to eat first~ Have this weird craving for subway since yesterday. Subway, or BK. xD Both are delish.

I wonder if Comics Connection is open? =.= I never do know which shops open or close during holidays and I really hate that. I only know the library isn’t open – went there many times to escape from the house during holidays last time and always returned home annoyed. >.>

If Comics Connection is open I’ll pay them a visit. xD And then buy food, come home, eat, work. >.>

And Footprints will be delayed. >.< I’ll probably have it done by tomorrow or Tuesday. For sure.

I’m heading to Turkey in another two or three weeks~! Not Japan, but at least relatively close to Greece. I’ll make daily, erm, nightly, posts there with pictures and all~ If only we are heading to Greece instead… No matter. Holiday!! Aeroplane!! 行って。。。アッショイ！！！ xD

Alright, alright. Too much ItteQ. Sorry. Anyways. Shall not waste any more time now~ Gotta do what I have to do. xD

Mireii

A walk in the city...

Sucked on my new Starbucks obession (Caramel Macchiato) at Marina Square today. I had to pass something to my cousin who was at Suntec for one of those Food Exhibitions thingy. And then I tried walking around and to look for things to snap because it’s a pretty boring Saturday afternoon for me after all.

Decided to visit Fanny and Xue Qi who were working for the whole Puma F1 thing at Marina Square. Puma stuff is VERY THE expansive for a poor kid like me who busted over 50 bucks while cabbing my ass around Singapore yesterday. So, yeah. Crapped around abit and snapped some random stuff before the beep-beep drizzle finally stopped.

Oh, and I happily forgot to collect my free photo with the Formula 1 car and the skinny-model-who-made-me-look-fatter-than-ever after some snapping. Yay, thanks to my 512MB brain capacity once again.

Spotted some seniors practicing for their competition tomorrow at some underpass. Didn’t dare to say hi because they were really focused and I shouldn’t be disrupting. LOL. Man, no wonder all of them put up such great performances since the auditions. Hard work’s gonna pay off eventually I guess. I need to work harder too. Much much harder.

While snapping away, I found this place with some ‘Qigong‘ practitioners and their extensive display of boards and banners displaying information about certain issues. I snapped quite abit and even spoke to the uncle who seemed to be in charge of the activity. I wanted to post the photos up here but decided against it eventually because I’ll probably get arrested for it. Yeah, it’s that serious. The ‘Qigong‘ I’m talking about here is some ‘Qigong‘ that got banned in China since 1999. But eh, I’m just an innocent 18-year-old kid trying to explore the world of photography and have nothing to do with anything hor.

So dear police/whoever you may be, I snapped my photos because I found everything pretty interesting okay? I’m not supporting or condemning anything/anyone/any organisations/any ‘Qigongs‘ alright?

But if any of you wants to take a look at what I snapped, ask me. It’s not porn though, so don’t hold your hopes too high. xD

This post sounds so monotonous I feel like dozing off as I’m typing it. And to think that I used to post about every single bit of my life as a teenager like, 3 or 4 years back. I must have sounded like some eager kid trying to tell the whole world about her exciting day at school. Okay. I’m starting to blabber nonsense. But aiya, I just don’t have anything interesting or exciting to say today, can?

I need to be financially-savvy before my Mum kills me when she sees my rapidly depleting POSB account.

The Music Of My Life

I’ve written a good bit about music over the past week, and this post is one that I actually have thought about writing for a long time. As someone for whom music has always played a huge role…and for whom music is at least a small part of his job, I’m constantly influenced by it. Here’s a rundown of the music that has affected me as a music lover, as a singer, as a writer, and as a person in general…in rough chronological order. (Note: I’ve inserted links to allmusic.com sites or artist sites.)

The Beatles: I would think that most serious music fans would have to claim The Beatles as at least some sort of influence. My mom shared her love for their joyous, raucous early music with me, and as I’ve gotten older I’ve gained a tremendous appreciation for their more artful later music. In recent years, I’ve drilled down into the more obscure stuff and started to acquire a collection of vinyl. Who can argue with such a vast collection of great, timeless songs and indelible musical moments? The Beatles are the best rock band of all time in my opinion, and I can’t imagine that there will ever be another band with the amount of influence that John, Paul, George, and Ringo have had on music and pop culture. (I’ve promised I’d write about the box set, and I will soon after I finish listening to all of it.)

The Carpenters: Another influence straight from my mom. Their songs were just great songs when I was a kid, but as I’ve grown up, I’ve come to appreciate them on a whole different level. What may seem on the surface to be light, easy-listening pop is truly remarkable songcraft…music that was lovingly written, artfully arranged, impeccably produced (all the way down to those incredible mutli-tracked vocals), delivered by the amazing alto voice of Karen Carpenter. They’ve never really gotten the respect they deserved.

Dolly Parton: This is the main influence from my dad in my early years. He had two Dolly Parton 8-tracks that he listened to constantly. I loved her stuff even when I claimed to hate country music in my later years.

“Oldies” in general: Both my parents loved the music of the 50’s & 60’s, and that has rubbed off on my to an extent. On my own, I’ve become a big fan of both Dusty Springfield and The Mamas & The Papas thanks to the love they had for that era. (Notice how, even as a kid, I loved music driven by great voices and well done harmonies?)

Olivia Newton-John: My aunts took me to see Grease in the theatre in 1978 (can you believe that?!?!), and my first crush began. I was madly in love with her at the turn of the 80’s, and her music is good, solid pop, but I don’t know what allure it has for me now beyond nostalgia.

Classic Rock: My aunts turned me on to tons of classic rock back in the day, most notably The Allman Brothers, The Doobie Brothers, and Heart.

Amy Grant: And here was my second crush, which lasted far longer than the first. Amy Grant was the first Christian singer I regularly listened to. When I first heard the Age To Age album back in 1982, I was an instant fan. (I had actually heard other songs of hers before, but that was the first time I connected her as an artist to the actual songs.) Her music played a major role in my life throughout my pre-teen and teenage years and into my 20’s, and I still enjoy her “classic” stuff to this day. Lead Me On is still among my favorite albums of all time. I don’t think she’s come out with anything nearly as compelling in the last decade as she did in the 80’s & 90’s, but she’s still an amazing artist.

Kansas/Kerry Livgren: In 1985, Covington Christian Church was abuzz: “one of the guys from Kansas is coming to our church!” I had heard the obvious Kansas hits: “Dust In The Wind,” “Carry On, Wayward Son”…but I decided at that time to dig into their music. As I got to know Kerry personally, I discovered his solo music as well. His complex, progressive rock style and profound lyrics both as a seeker of truth in Kansas and as a believer in Christ as a solo artist have challenged my ears, mind, and spirit ever since. I’m proud to call Kerry a friend, and I’m praying for his recovery from the stroke he suffered earlier this month.

Over The Rhine: During my freshman year of college, in the midst of what I consider a low point in pop music, I discovered a band from Cincinnati called Over The Rhine. I had heard that they were Christians but that the music they were making wasn’t considered Christian music. From the very start, their music intrigued, entertained, and refreshed me. After their first album, I lost track of them, but I rediscovered them in 1997, caught up, and haven’t lost touch since. From the folk- and chamber-pop of their early releases to their more jazz-inflected recent albums, they continue to create lovely, artful music that inspires. And Karin Bergquist’s voice just knocks me out cold! Their two Christmas albums are my favorite holiday music of all time.

Vigilantes Of Love/Bill Mallonee: Another college-era influence, I discovered VOL in Athens. Wonderful local music, with a variety of influences, from Americana to classic folk to sweet, trippy Beatlesque pop. Bill has made a prolific solo career for himself as well, doing it his way and constantly proving why he was named one of the top songwriters of all time by Paste magazine. I’ve also struck a friendship with Bill over that past year, which has been a real treat.

Pat Green: My brother turned me on to Pat Green in 2001. His singer-songwriter brand of Texas country owes as much to rock and folk as it does to contemporary country music. Pat is head and shoulders above most of the stuff on mainstream country radio these days…

Hillsong United: The first Hillsong United song I heard in 2002 or 2003 changed the way I looked at worship music. They continue to amaze and inspire me, and we proudly use quite a few of their songs at Eastridge. Hillsong United challenge me as a worshipper, as a believer, and as a writer. One of these days I hope to write a song that comes even a smidgen close to the powerful songs they write. (As a by-product, I’ve become a big fan of Brooke Fraser, one of their worship leader/songwriters, as well…I deeply dig her solo stuff.)

Gomez: I first discovered Gomez a few years back when their cover of The Beatles’ “Getting Better” was used in commercials for Philips light bulbs. I didn’t hear anything else out of them until 2006, when their splendid album How We Operate was released; I fell in love with that album immediately. Gomez’s scrappy brand of rock is both experimental and accessible, and their love of British rock and Americana are evident in their music. Their latest album, A New Tide, is hands down my favorite album of 2009.

That was a lot, but it’s just a taste of the music that has shaped me over the years. I’d love to hear from you; what music has influenced your life?

What would you do?

Good morning!

I’ve slept on my anger and let it go away. Now I’m back in a funny mood so it’s all good. BUT…I have decided…for a plethora of reasons…to make a huge change in my plans.

To that end, I’ve been taking roads that I had never considered navigating. One of the turns has me asking my most recent ex husband to consider a one time payment of the balance of my alimony that would benefit both him and myself.

I’m not happy about that and I may still yet back out if negotiations should downhill and it looks like it won’t be worth it to me. I made a fair offer, I assure you. It was so fair that he jumped on it. But, should he get in the mood to haggle, I’ll push away from that particular table. My plan will not change, I’ll simply have to set course on a different road. By the way, all roads lead to Chicago.

All I wanted to do was to be with my daughter and my ex husband has done a number on her while she is in a particularly pliable condition. That’s all I can say without breaking confidentiality but trust me, I wanted to be with my daughter to help her through it. Now that the little Italian wart dude has manipulated my daughter in the way he has…I can safely say that he has attacked my very last vulnerability and like Aragon in ‘Lord of the Rings, I have decided to ride out amongst the Orks and meet Sauron’s army head on.

That translates into a move to Chicago. This decision was not made without careful consideration. I had to list some pros and cons to be sure that I was doing the right thing so I did.

MOVE TO CHICAGO: PROS

1. All of my children make NUMEROUS trips to Chicago and I have enough of short, round and bald’s family members who would keep me abreast of when the kids were there if no one else did. That’s a guarantee to see them on holidays.

2. I have friends and family in Chicago, I know the city and it IS my home after all.

3. This would drive my PERFIDIOUS, DUPLICITOUS AND SURREPTITIOUS INVERTEBRATE of an ex-husband, not to mention his corpulent, addlepate miscreant cohort absolutely BONKERS!

4. I LOVE Chicago in the springtime!

5. CUBS GAME AT WRIGLEY!

6. I don’t discuss the Sears Tower much in Atlanta but I would think that in Chicago, there would be a LOT of opportunities to, in protest, continue to refer to the tallest building in the country as “The Sears Tower”.

7. If I asked for directions to a guitar shop, I will not be sent to a “gud tar shop”.

8. Many, many more men in Chi-Town…and they are men of some quality. (And I already know where a few of them are.

9. EXCELLENT radio stations.

10. One word…OPRAH. My antics could keep her busy for a weeks worth of shows.

11. Other “First Wife’s” will live vicariously through me as they watch me leave my exile in Georgia and move alarmingly close to my bully of a cheating ex and his freak of the fenales. Other “First Wives” (and some husbands as well!) will understand the havoc wreaked upon an emotional terrorist when the terror victim decides to say, “Let’s ROLL!”

12. Chicago has some of the best museums in the world and I ADORE museums.

13. Vienna Beef

14. I want to stare at the Bean some more.

15. Many more sailboats and a lake so big that you sail away from the glaring eyes of the people on the land. Lake Lanier is nice, but if I fell out at any spot on it, I could easily breaststroke to the shore.

16. SNOW! I may eventually get sick of it, but it will take a few Chicago winters.

17. I won’t miss my next class reunion.

18. This move may send my ex to Georgia…need I say more?

19. MANY opportunities to run into my short ex and his freakishly tall cohort.

20. I’ll be ever so much closer to the REAL Acorn money.

CONS:

1. I’ll need more xanax.

2. Oh yeah, I’ll need a winter coat, gloves, a scarf, ear muffs, boots and those cool hand warmer things that you can also stick in your shoes.

So, what do you guys think? Any constructive suggestions will most assuredly be considered. Also, if you’d really like to see me stick it to an ex who has left me no others coices, let me know. I can use all the help I can get.

Now, all I have to do is get there.

:):)

sleepy

I really do like it when my hair is curled…

I’ll do it again next week xD

Maybe wednsday….

Anyways~

Today was chill.

I was tired most of the time.

Like on the futon. studying and etc etc.

My mom got on my case again. My dad said to make rice so I did! And then we both looked stuff up.

And then my mom comes back and lectures me that making rice means making a meal.

…

Phsh.

I’m a regular teenager. If a parent says to do it in a mean tone, I don’t want to.

And if they give me a matter-of-fact tone when I do something right, I don’t like it either.

Yea… I’m such a kid xD

It’s just psychology!

But anyways.

I have to go home early tomorrow. Like noon cause my bro wants the car. -sigh-

I’ll use that chance to work on cosplay and what not. Or just clean. Cleaning might be smart….

A guy from a car dealership called me about the prius I want. I get to pick of the lot.

IF I get it.

That’s starting to become a big if….

–Kimiko–

My Story in 3-D Part II

Part II

Not getting the pat on the back I felt I deserved from my wife from graduating out of treatment was a blow to my ego. My children were frightened of their own father. I soon found myself sitting in a different quite world my first day out of treatment. I mean what was everyone supposed to say? Good Job Dad!! Looking back now and after sitting through an angry conversation with a heartbroken wife with about 3 months clean I came to find out some of the things I said and did the last 6 months I was using.

The things I said and did to them no one deserved. I was not in my right mind. No wonder there was and is a trail of damage there that I am dilligently repairing to this day. I sat on the couch in this new environment and 3 things came to mind:

I can either go get high, lose my mind, or go to a meeting.

I choose the latter.

My first experience with an NA meeting was nerve wracking as it is for most. It’s more important how I felt at my second meeting. It was there I would meet my sponsor, that I would feel like I belonged, that I fit in. Recovery seemed like it was a possibility. This was due to the people at the meeting maintaining an atmosphere of recovery for the newer member. The meeting was smaller than the 1st one I had went to. I still prefer to go to smaller meetings. I made that meeting my home group and it still is to this day. I believe today that when we ask each other, “What makes us stay?”, that we can really understand the meaning of empathy and have sense of those long lost values we speak of. It’s funny how that empathy was planted in the basement of a smelly church on a side of town I rarely went to. Now I can’t see myself wanting to be anyplace else.

I am not an advocate of long term, residential treatment. The idea of being a responsible, productive member is supposed to be from the start. Having worked with guys who have taken the long term treatment approach it seems to be the simple things that begin tripping them up. They are not prepared for the emotional upheavals that we can face in recovery and I have faced a few. It’s not as if it is anything anyone else hasn’t experienced, because I am not unique. It is just life events. Today I find life not difficult or easy. I find it more at times rewarding and frustrating.

I have lost a job and got a new one. I have lost loved one’s and relatives. I have watched addicts relapse and die. I have spoken in front of 10 and I have spoken in front of 150. I have used sex, money, and food to change the way I feel about myself. I have made mistakes in recovery and I have watched others grow. A spiritual awakening is not a single event, it is a lifetime worth of events. I went to meetings, I read literature, I got a sponsor, I did all the things that were suggested to me. One of the things I strive to do is be honest with myself. I told so many lies, to myself and others, that I had no real idea what the truth was and wasn’t anymore. Facing life that 1st year and realizing what I had done to myself, to others, was overwhelming. I knew that using would not change that, I came to that understanding by starting stepwork.

I am not going to talk a lot about the steps. Everyone’s Step process is different. Members often share too much about individual experiences with Stepwork. This can make the newcomer feel that they are missing something in the work they are putting in. Things are revealed as they need to be. I know I was frustrated after writing on a step that there wasn’t some magic cloud that appeared and gave me the relief I wanted when I wanted it. I will tell you the decisive changing point in my recovery was working the 4th and 5th Steps with an NA sponsor. At that point I had no reason to doubt any longer that this program would work for me if I just continue to do what has been suggested from the beginning. Sometimes we want to re-invent NA and it doesn’t need to be re-invented.

This simple program has been proving itself in the lives of thousands, so why do I need to “Tweak” it?

I got “Tricked” into service work. It started with a simple key to a church and went from there. Service work has been frustrating and rewarding. I try not and let it affect my ego. I mean I could intorduce myself as Bob D, Area Vice-Chair, Newsletter Chair, blah blah….All I am trying to do there is elevate my self-esteem through an NA service position. It is when my motives are genuine, when I see the bigger picture. It’s not for the addict who is here now, it is for the person who is yet to come. For the person that is here now, if they are involved, we are all involved in the common good. It is for the person that we have a moment of silence for at the end of meetings….The addict who still suffers who hasn’t found NA….maybe hasn’t even heard of us. That is what true service is for me.

Part III to come.

Take Care.

International Wedding Date Line

I found this funny…and somewhat accurate!

On the East Coast where I live now, at least among most of my friends, getting married is something you do after college, after grad school, after your 30th birthday, after your second solo climb of Mount Everest, after you successfully balance your checkbook for 16 months straight, after, after, after. In other words, getting married at 26 is pretty much like getting married as a fetus.

In the Midwest, at least in the rural Illinois town where I grew up, getting married is something that you do before you begin to think of buying property, before your single-person routines make you stubborn and inflexible, before your metabolism slows enough that a white wedding dress would make you look like a rhinoceros. Optimal marriage age: 20 to 23. Getting married at 26 is like filing your tax returns on April 16.

Have you seen this difference in attitudes about marriage age?  What do you think about it?

HT: Boundless

Keeping busy!

Hey bloggers (hehehe)

Well I definetly have been keeping busy for sure. Yesterday was my day off and I woke up really early to head with David to Animal Kingdom!! It was a lot of fun, and now I only have one attraction left to do there, Flights of Wonder, which is not currently running. We got photos with the characters in there safari costumes, and bonded with them! It was fun, not to mention we watched Festival of the Lion King, which I love! Unfortunatly, Tumble Monkeys did not do their act that day!

Afterwards, we got a slurpee at 7-11 cause I have been craving one for a while now, than we headed to the airport to pick up Kelly! It was nice to have Kelly back and we caught her up on everything, which wasn’t to much actually, kind of a dead weekend for drama in the Commons haha!

Than I made the mistake of having a nap, cause I was up until 5 in the morning not able to sleep. A walk helped and some milk did!

Woke up early again, for no reason this time. Me and the Pitman brothers headed over to D-Ho, where we walked on Great Movie Ride and Rock’n'Roller Coaster twice. And only 20 minute wait for Toy Story. Afterwards we had lunch at Uno Pizzeria and went mini-golfing at Pirate’s Cove, which was really lame!!

Now chilling at home until Cirque De Solei: La Nouba tonight! Free ticket, otherwise don’t know if I would go. Creeps me out!

Study day

So I did my hair curly yesterday and was playing with it and pigtails seemed to do that trick~ Made it look ‘fake’ to my brother xD

So today I went to study ALL day… okay not… ALL ALL day. xD

I did start off my day studying though…

Then kept going… very productive.

But then Kasuki calls to go get yogurt…

So why not xD I’m not driving =P

That took a good..2 -3 hours?

Not just yogurt. But I bought short shorts!

And… found a really cute shirt I wanted to buy.,.. really…but there are different shirts to choose from~

Then lets see…. oh! A new shipment of cars comes in on the 18th, so I may be able to finally go car shopping on the weekend.

My brother is not liking that I keep taking his car from him.. xDD

So tomorrow it’s straight studying and taking tests! Rawr. I’ll get through it…

–Kimiko–

The 2 Missing Ingredients (Part 2)

Read Part One.

Bismilah,

I left you off with (part 1) what the two most important things in making decisions boil down too. Duaa and Tawakul.

Through this post i want to share with you 4 points.

So, lets start from the basics, what is the definitions for tawakul and what is the definition to duaa:

Tawakul: complete dependence & sacred trust in Allah

Duaa: is a supplication in Islam, an Arabic term which means to ‘call out’ or to ’summon’.

Point 1: 3 steps duaa, action, and tawakul

Remember Ibrahim ‘alayhi asalam’s story, such an inspiring story:

Step 1: duaa- Ibrahim not knowing what was going to be the best for him he made duaa to Allah subhanahu.

Step 2: Action- Ibrahim left his wife Hajar radiaAllah ‘anhaa and his son Ismael in a desert. A desert with no one, no food, no water, absolutely nothing.

Step 3: Tawakul- he made the duaa, and knew Allah will take care of his family. He asked for it in his supplication but had a content heart. SubhanAllah the level of emaan a person must attain to reach that level of tawakul. You must know that it is all in Allah’s hands. Whether you think it is good for you or not.

“O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka’bah at Makkah); in order, O our Lord, that they may perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), so fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allâh) provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks. (Ibrahim: 37)

Also, Hajar radiaAllahu ‘anha had full tawakul. She did not sit besider her son weeping she had trust in Allah, and went and searched for water or food for her son. And due to her piety, Allah rewarded her with a river that bursted from under the feet of her son. Allahu akbar!

Ibrahim knows that Allah is the all hearing all knowing. He knows the only One who can answer his prayers is Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and how does he know this? He tried it and it worked

“All the praises and thanks be to Allâh, Who has given me in old age Ismâ’il (Ishmael) and Ishâque (Isaac). Verily! My Lord is indeed the All-Hearer of invocations. (Ibrahim:39)

Tie your camel, and put your trust in Allah.

Point 2: Istikharaa (special offer 2 in 1- duaa and tawakul)

Blessings, because You have the Power and I do not have the power. You Know everything and I do not know, and You have knowledge of the unseen. Oh Allah! If in Your Knowledge this action (state here) is better for my religion and faith, for my life and end [death], for here [in this world] and the hereafter then make it destined for me and make it easy for me and then add blessings [baraka'] in it, for me. O Allah! In Your Knowledge if this action is bad for me, bad for my religion and faith, for my life and end [death], for here [in this world] and the hereafter then turn it away from me and turn me away from it and whatever is better for me, ordain [destine] that for me and then make me satisfied with it.”

Read that duaa, read it twice. Look at how it’s worded, when you come to make a decision you must look at it in a different angle. Will it affect my deen? Will it make me better? or worse? We may think we know what is the ‘best’ for us, but do we really?

…and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allâh knows but you do not know. (Albaqarah:216)

SubhanAllah, istikharaa is such a missing factor in our lives. If every time we are faced with a decision and just prayed 2 rakah’s and really left it all to Allah subhanahu then our lives and decisions would be so much easier. So next time you are faced with a decision, humble yourself, place your head on the floor and ask for Allah’s guidance.

Point 3: Remember Allah knows best

And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses, no choice have they (in any matter). Glorified be Allâh, and exalted above all that they associate as partners (with Him). (AlQasaas:68)

Sadly, many people tend to do go out of their way after praying istikharaa. They sometimes think Allah is not answering them or He azawajal must send them a ’sign’. Think about it if Allah has created you and has already written down what will happen to you don’t you think He’s the best of planners and alhamauliah we all know He is.

The decision of the matter, before and after (these events) is only with Allâh (ArRum:4)

Point 4 Alhamd wal shukru lilah!

الحمد لله رب العالمين

All the praises and thanks be to Allâh, the Lord []of the ’Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that exists) (AlFatihah:2)

Allah subhanahu wa talaa your Rabb, the only One deserving of being praised. Whatever happens to you remember to thank Him sincerely, because He chose only what is good for you.

Quick Recap:

1. Trait of a true believer a person with emaan, is the one who performs duaa regularly, leaves his matters to Allah, and then act upon what is of the truth.
2. Istikhara- make the duaa and leave the rest to Allah
3. Remember you are the slave, you have little knowledge. Allah subhanahu has created you so he knows what is best for you, accept that.
4. Always remember to thank Him. He will always chose what has the khayr (good) in it. He knows what is good for you.
5. Best of actions is duaa
6. Ramadan= best time to be making your duaa!

Evidence from Quran about duaa and takwakul:

And put your trust in Allâh, and Sufficient is Allâh as a Wakîl (Trustee, or Disposer of affairs). (Surah Alaraaf: 3)

“And trust and rely on the Living One (Allah), Who will never die, and celebrate His praises and thanks. And Sufficient is He to be acquainted with the sins of His slaves.” (Surah Al-Furqan:58)

” And whoever places his trust in Allah, Sufficient is He for him, for Allah will surely accomplish His Purpose: For verily, Allah has appointed for all things a due proportion” (Surah AlTalaq:3)

And your Lord said: “Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islâmic Monotheism)] (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islâmic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!” (Surah Gafir: 60)

And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad SAW) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright. (Albaqarah: 186)

Wallahu ‘alaam, sorry it is long, my ideas were bouncing around like ping ball balls. I was going to make part 3 but I compressed all my ideas in this one post! InshaAllah it was of benefit and remember me in your duaas .

Hello! Yes, I am still alive...

One of the things we’ve done while I haven’t been feeling bloggy is go hiking.  It is something we love to do and don’t get to do it nearly enough.  We decided to turn over a new stone and make hiking a priority.  So……  on labor day we went to Cedars of Lebanon and hiked the 5 mile trail.  I guess I should say walked – it wasn’t very strenuous, but it was fun and sometime that is really all that matters, right?  Anyway – there are a lot of neat sink holes and cave type funness.  Here is one.  The picture doesn’t do the bigness of it justice, but you can kind of get the point.  We passed a lady who was looking for it and then accidently found it ourselves.  Here we are…  Hi!

If you haven’t been, you should go!  There are lots of different trails and it is really pretty.  Mom and Dad used to take us a lot when we were growing up.  I guess it is a good way to wear out four girls!!  It really does look a lot like where I live.  I live in a Cedar Barren.  One of the very few in the good ole U.S. of A.  Cedars of Lebanon is one, too.  (Hence the name)  Lots of limestone, cedars, and forresty-type stuff.    I’m rambling so I’m gonna go.  I’ll try to be a better blogger… 

Remember… smiling is good.  Frowning is bad. 

Love, M

A crime against music and movies...

I’ll be honest, I had no intention of writing a post today.  There, I said it.  However, I tell you that, dear reader, to underscore the importance of the following topic (and there is a hint of sarcasm on the “importance”). 

Over the past few weeks, I have been watching Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.  Now, I know what you’re thinking, “well, of course you are, there’s a ton of Beatles stuff everywhere right now.”  Left me tell you that the only thing the Beatles did to this was write the music.

No, this travesty of music, theatre, and musical theatre is just plain does not have a single Beatle in it (not even the 5th one).  Instead, it is a movie that is filled with lots of “stars” from 1978.  Who’s in this film you ask?

• Peter Frampton
• The Bee Gees
• Alice Cooper
• George Burns
• Aerosmith
• Earth, Wind, and Fire
• Steve Martin
• Billy Preston

I want you to stop for a second and think about the list above.  Read over it and digest the material.  That’s right, there are a ton of famous people from then and now.

I wish I could say it was great (or even good)…

Oh, who am I kidding, it’s horrible.  It is one of the worst films of all time!  It is so terrible that it made Jumper look like a Picture of the Year contender.  It was one horrible musician number after another, and it just didn’t stop.  It keep coming and coming, punishing both your ears and eyes.

If you like “bad” movies, this one is just about the worst.  Let’s face it, it was 1978, people liked the Beatles music and the Bee Gees were huge, but is this the best they could do?  I can hear the pitch for it now:  “We’ll take Peter Frampton, yeah the kids love him.  And we’ll mix in the Bee Gees, because those guys are man’s men.  Now, we need music…  What to use, what to use?  Hey, the Beatles broke up earlier this decade, people will really want to see their music in a new light.  Yeah, yeah, that’s the ticket…”

The problem is that someone should have stopped them, and expressed how bad of an idea this movie was.  Because of this film, I have lost respect for Alice Cooper and even more for Aerosmith, who plays the “villain’s” band.  (Think Steve Vai in Crossroad.)  Of course, this is where/why Aerosmith recorded Come Together, which is a great version.  The problem is when you see the big finale, it’s hard to forgive them.

Here’s a couple of interesting things, apparently this was Steve Martin’s first role in a feature film.  That’s right, this is before The Jerk or even The Muppets.  Talk about a blemish on a great career.

So, my warning is this:  Stay away, unless you just can’t help but see the train wreck which is Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.  Watch it but be warned…

Back From Liverpool

I just got back from my week away in Liverpool this weekend. Had a pretty great time, absolutely exhausted by end the Friday thou, and spent most of Saturday and Sunday catching up on my sleep. The conference was good, if a bit gloomy in tone. Lots of the presentations highlighted the current mess that the oceans are in and the impact of climate change on marine life, with some bleak outlooks to the future. Not exactly new news to me, but being repeatedly told the same depressing story, albeit with varying slants, roughly ten times a day for a week slowly grinds you down. Luckily the city of Liverpool provided a much interesting and uplifting backdrop to elevate the conference gloom. I’d never been to Liverpool before, and apart from knowing that Liverpool had once been the European City of Culture, I really didn’t know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t get as much time to look around the city as I would have liked, but what I did see (including a tour on the Yellow Duckmarine – see picture) really impressed, and I’ll definately have to head back at some stage to take in more of the city.

Cost & Speed, friends or foes?

*Source: http://www.paikia.com/facts-about-singapore-internet-speed/

If you have been experiencing unstable,weird amount of waiting time for your pages to load, or for the data packets to reach you, it’s normal. So dont worry about it.Because you are in Singapore!

According to a research done on internet speeds in different countries(see picture above), you can clearly see that we have much work to do on keeping CONNECTED. Uploading a video here can turn you from a young lad into an old chap like instantly, cos you would probably leave your desktop/laptop on over the night to discover the very next morning that the task is still running or it might have been disrupted/cancelled as there was a transfer error midway. And you would most likely go like, ” WHAT THE HECK!!! ” and storm off to just shut down the power.

In Singapore, the living standards here might be considered fairly manageable for most I guess. Raises on fares, on bills, on tariffs have to be accepted sooner or later, whether you like it or not. But think about it, why do we end up paying high utility bills, it might be due:

1. Your internet-savvy kids who hog onto the computer all day long to chat, play games and YOUTUBE.
2. Downloading / Uploading that fail and fail and makes you repeat the process over and over again.
3. Spending extra time on the computer clicking F5 cos your page is loading too slow or it aint loading at all.

So the act of providing slow internet access,charging high subscriptions for your internet broadband package, GPRS, and electricity. Maybe it’s just a policy to suck your pockets dry.

Or…

Maybe we should just count our blessings that we have Internet at least. Some people cant even afford a desktop or even subscribe to internet. And some might not even know what Internet is.

Such a controversy.

Should we whine or should we not?