Impetuous Lady

Made to order Christmas gifts...

2010-01-28T22:44:00.005+07:00

Pics of some jewelry I made for Joy to give to Libby and Terri

Bone Pendant for Terri

Matching Bone earrings

Complete set

Turquoise Pendant

Matching Turquoise earrings

The entire set

I guess this is my simple form of art :)

Maybe

2010-01-18T22:41:00.000+07:00

MAYBE…

Maybe. . .we were supposed to meet the
wrong people before meeting the right
one so that, when we finally meet the
right person, we will know how to be
grateful for that gift.

Maybe . . . it is true that we don't
know what we have until we lose it,
but it is also true that we don't know
what we have been missing until it
arrives.

Maybe . . . the brightest future will
always be based on a forgotten past;
after all, you can't go on
successfully in life until you let go
of your past mistakes, failures and
heartaches.

Maybe . . .you should hope for enough
happiness to make you sweet, enough
trials to make you strong, enough
sorrow to keep you human, and enough
hope to make you happy.

Maybe . . . the happiest of people
don't necessarily have the best of
everything; they just make the most of
everything that comes along their way.

Maybe …the best kind of friend is
the kind you can sit on a porch and
swing with, never say a word, and then
walk away feeling like it was the best
conversation you've ever had.

Maybe . . . happiness waits for all
those who cry, all those who hurt, all
those who have searched, and all those
who have tried. For only they can
appreciate the importance of all the
people who have touched their lives.

Maybe . . .you should do something nice
for someone every single day, even if
it is simply to leave them alone.

Maybe . . . there are moments in life
when you miss someone -- a parent, a
spouse, a friend, a child -- so much
that you just want to pick them from
your dreams and hug them for real, so
that once they are around you
appreciate them more.

Maybe … giving someone all your love
is never an assurance that they will
love you back. Don't expect love in
return; just wait for it to grow in
their heart; but, if it doesn't, be
content that it grew in yours.

Maybe … you should dream what you
want to dream; go where you want to
go, be what you want to be, because
you have only one life and one chance
to do all the things you dream of, and
want to do.

"Life is only traveled ONCE. Today’s MOMENT becomes TOMORROW’s MEMORY.
Enjoy every moment, good or bad, because the GIFT of LIFE is LIFE itself…."

Truth is Funny-er than Fiction :P

2010-01-06T13:36:00.005+07:00

BLACK ROBBERS (A True Story)

For anyone who didn't see the episode of David Letterman's show where this story
was told, read this: (And remember it's a true story...)

On a recent weekend in Atlantic City, a woman won a bucketful of quarters at a slot machine.

She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotel dining room. But first she wanted to stash the quarters in her room. 'I'll be right back and we'll go to eat' she told her husband and carried the coin-laden bucket to the elevator.

As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men already aboard. Both were black. One of them was very tall and had an intimidating figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was: 'These two are going to rob me.'

Her next thought was: 'Don't be a bigot, they look like perfectly nice gentlemen.' But racial stereotypes are powerful, and fear immobilized her.

Avoiding eye contact, she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed.

A second passed, and then another second, and then another. Her fear increased! The elevator didn't move. Panic consumed her.
'My God' she thought, I'm trapped and about to be robbed!

Her heart plummeted. Perspiration poured from every pore.

Then one of the men said, 'Hit the floor.'

Instinct told her to do what they told her.

The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins rained down on her.

'Take my money and spare me', she prayed.

More seconds passed. She heard one of the men say politely, 'Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what floor you're going to, we'll push the button.'

The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh. The woman lifted her head and looked up at the two men. They reached down to help her up.

Confused, she struggled to her feet. 'When I told my friend here to hit the floor,' said the average sized one, I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor. I didn't mean for you to hit the floor, ma'am.

He spoke genially. He bit his lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing.

The woman thought: 'My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself.'

She was too humiliated to speak. The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her bucket.

When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted on walking her to her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they were afraid she might not make it down the corridor.

At her door they bid her a good evening.

As she slipped into her room she could hear them roaring with laughter as they walked back to the elevator.

The woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself together and went downstairs for dinner with her husband.

The next morning flowers were delivered to her room; a dozen roses.

Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred-dollar bill.

The card said: 'Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years.

--signed Michael Jordan & Eddie Murphy

This quote really spoke to me this morning....

2010-01-05T08:16:00.003+07:00

A definition of meekness: An attitude of humility toward God and gentleness toward men, springing from a recognition that God is in control. It is strength and courage under control, coupled with kindness.

And so here's a pic of our "meek" selves (Ange & I)...heheh

2010 here I come...

Cheers to another New Beginning and Changes!

I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late !

2009-12-21T08:49:00.002+07:00

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives... And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves..

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.

If not, then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

In times of Change...

2009-12-10T08:37:00.001+07:00

(Jesus:) Whether you're facing a big change or a small one, you must remind yourself that I am in that change. Even though humans are helping to bring it about or are taking part in the organizing and finalizing of it, I am the one Who allows that change to take place and I am the one Who will make any change that affects you bear good fruit in your life.

Your concerns are real and I see that they have the potential of stealing away your joy. You think of all the possible outcomes of an upcoming change and those outcomes aren't always positive in your mind. You fear that you're going to get the short end of the stick and be left in a situation that you can't stand or won't be happy about.

But I love to bring change into your life, because it forces you to let go of some of your physical comforts and "crutches," if you will, and cling more tightly to Me. After all, this is what I'm after most in your life—your closeness to Me. This is the one thing that is going to keep you through any storm. This is the one thing that is going to give you strength for future battles. This is the one thing that is going to enable you to keep forging ahead: Your closeness to Me.

You have grown quite dependent on these things that make you happy or that you feel comfortable with, and it is like having a crutch in your life. When there are things in your life that you would hate to lose or can't bear the thought of doing without, that's a sign that you're leaning too heavily on them.

I see you walking about with these crutches in hand, and while they make you feel comfortable and secure, in reality they're hindering you. When someone has to use crutches, they walk a lot slower. Obviously they can't run, so it cancels out their ability to play some sports or take part in activities that require free and full movement. And in some ways, the same thing is happening to you.

You've gotten very dependent on these physical things that you feel make you happy or secure, but what you need to realize is that depending so heavily on these things is slowing you down in the spirit. I know you want to make spiritual progress. I know you want to grow more in the spirit. Well, welcome to the first lesson!

This is a step of growth that you can take today, by allowing Me to remove these crutches from you. I want you to really give Me these crutches in spirit and in truth. I want you to yield to Me these things that are precious to you, these things that you feel are important to your happiness and sanity.

I want you to tell Me, "Jesus, I don't really need these things to be happy. All I need and want is You. Even though it hurts me to say this, because I still don't know how these situations are going to work out, I'm going to choose to trust You about that. I praise You for how You're going to work out each of these situations, even though it's unclear to me now."

Once you've placed these crutches in My hand, then you must leave them there. When the Devil tempts you to worry about them or complain about them or get sad or discouraged over them, you need to right away whip out your weapon of praise and shoot him down with a volley of praiseful thoughts and words to Me. You must understand that it's the Devil who wants you to feel that way, so when you start feeling those things and thinking those thoughts, you have to rebuke it.

Maybe you think, "No, it's my mind that feels that way. I personally really feel unhappy about these things." And yes, it is human nature to feel apprehensive toward change. It is your human, carnal mind thinking that way. But you want to live above the carnal realm, don't you? You want to live in the heavenly culture. You want to rise above and take on My mind and full possession. It doesn't come naturally to the flesh, but you want it, even so. So you need to understand that I'm not the one who is going to be making you feel discouraged or unhappy. I'm not the one who is going to be playing on or magnifying those emotions. If it's not Me, then it's the Devil, and you need to rebuke him and take on My nature instead.

You can do it. You've got what it takes to fight, overcome, and rise above. You've got Me, you've got the awesome power of the keys, you've got the spiritual weapons at your disposal, and you've got a feisty spirit!

And remember, I do want to make you happy. I do want to do things that will make you smile and that will give you joy. But I also want to help you to see that the greatest joy and the surest happiness is that joy and happiness that is based in Me. This is why I'm asking you to give up these crutches of these carnal things that make you happy, because I want you to trade them in for the happiness of My Spirit.

Praise Me when you're tempted to worry about a change, and I will fill your heart with true joy. When you praise, it's as if your up-stretched hands have unlocked the doors of My blessing that are waiting to pour down on you. If you really want to be blessed and receive wonderful things in your life and in these specific situations and changes you're concerned about, then praise Me for and about them. Praise Me often. Praise Me especially when it is difficult, when the outlook isn't all that great. And I promise that you will see My hand moving on your behalf. Praise is powerful and it will work for you if you use it!

And most of all, know that I am using this change to bring you closer to Me. I am using the winds of change to be the prod you need to drive your little vine to cling closer and more tightly to Me. Don't resist change, but welcome it. Give Me the gift of your faith by telling Me, "I praise you for whatever You will do, and no matter what You do, I'll still trust You and love You!"

Notable Quote:

(Change:) Welcome me into your lives. Learn to rejoice and appreciate my presence, and you'll find your whole life blossoming and becoming more fruitful and happy. If you will do this, then the many small changes I make each day will build a trust between us that will cause you to look me straight in the eye when big changes come, and I will be able to envision you with what I must do and why. You will gain a faith and peace that will make every change joyful, instead of tedious or painful. ("New Spirit World Power!" ML #3522:77-79)

I think my Facebook has been hacked...

2009-12-06T21:53:00.003+07:00

Ok, desperate measures for desperate times...

My Facebook account has gone wack...so here I am back at my blog....

For those who still check out this blog every once in awhile here are some more recent pics of me...

A nasty phone pic and some scrumptious coffee

Us girls at Big Toms having ice-cream in honor of Angel's going away...sob...

A long lost friend came a-visiting....

Um... no comment :P

A list of 10 positive and inspiring break up quotes..

2009-08-31T19:23:00.003+07:00

“‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

—Alfred Lord Tennyson

Everyone who has suffered from a broken heart at any time has heard this quote. Unfortunately it does not give comfort at the beginning, only years later will you realize its profoundness and value.

When you understand its true meaning, then you’ll know that you’ve overcome your break up or divorce.

It is one of my favorite break up quotes.

“If you really love something set it free. If it comes back it’s yours, if not it wasn’t meant to be.”

—unknown

I heard this the first time in the movie Indecent Proposal. It illustrates the necessity of detachment, of “letting go” after a break up.

If you can let go, you will receive.

“You have to forgive to forget, and forget, to feel again.”

—unknown

There is no moving on without forgiveness, and more importantly: there is no new beginning while carrying “old emotional baggage”.

“Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart do not know how to laugh either.”

—Golda Meir

Experiencing the negative emotions is part of life. Only if we are able to go through them with our full consciousness can we also appreciate and benefit from the positive ones.

“Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than try to hurt yourself putting it back together.”

—unknown

Sometimes relationships can’t be fixed. That is when it’s better to move on. Sad, but very often true.

“Some people think that it’s holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it’s letting go.”

—unknown

Only when you are able to completely detach yourself, can you be free. After a break up, and elsewhere in life. Be a leaf floating in a river, not knowing where it might take you. This is true freedom.

“The loss of love is not nearly as painful as our resistance to accepting it is.”

—Tigress Luv

Acceptance is one important step in healing from a break up. This is part of the painful first phase.

“I’m going to smile and make you think I’m happy, I’m going to laugh, so you don’t see me cry, I’m going to let you go in style, and even if it kills me – I’m going to smile.”

—unknown

This is actually some great break up advice in two ways: first you are not being needy in front of your Ex, you demonstrate strength and your Ex may wonder if s/he has made the right decision.

Also, constant smiling despite the fact that you feel terrible is a great way “to trick” your mind. By smiling, the body sends signals to the mind that you are happy, even if you are not. Eventually the mind WILL accept the state of the body.

This is simple neuro-linguistic programming.

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

—M. Kathleen Casey

This is a great one.

It means that you have the choice to accept the pain and not allow it to turn into suffering.

One of the main reasons that mental pain turns into suffering is continual mental reasoning. We can break that vicious cycle by learning to control our thoughts.

“I don’t miss him, I miss who I thought he was.”

—unknown

It is a great accomplishment to realize that we loved a concept, a picture we had in our minds, rather than the person himself. When we break up, it’s this concept we miss, and what causes the pain is the failure of the same.

--Eddie Corbano

Separate Lives...

2009-08-10T15:45:00.004+07:00

It's a sad but beautiful song and I've never related to it as much as I do now...

You called me from the room in your hotel
All full of romance for someone that you met
And telling me how sorry you were, leaving so soon
And that you miss me sometimes when you're alone in your room
Do I feel lonely too?

You have no right to ask me how I feel
You have no right to speak to me so kind
We cant go on just holding on to time
Now that we're living separate lives

Well I held on to let you go
And if you lost your love for me, well you never let it show
There was no way to compromise
So now we're living (living)
Separate lives

Ooh, its so typical, love leads to isolation
So you build that wall (build that wall)
Yes, you build that wall (build that wall)
And you make it stronger

Well you have no right to ask me how I feel
You have no right to speak to me so kind
Some day I might (I might) find myself looking in your eyes
But for now, we'll go on living separate lives
Yes for now, we'll go on living separate lives
Separate lives

This is a clip of where the song got famous originally (back in the 80's)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF0scfQ7_so

Forrest Gump and St. Peter...

2009-07-29T15:21:00.001+07:00

Forrest Gump and St. Peter

When Forrest Gump died, he stood in front of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said, "Welcome, Forrest. We've heard a lot about you." He continued, "Unfortunately, it's getting pretty crowded up here and we find that we now have to give people an entrance examination before we let them in."

"Okay," said Forrest. "I hope it's not too hard. I've already been through a test. My momma used to say, 'Life is like a final exam. It's hard.' "

"Yes, Forrest, I know. But this test is only three questions. Here they are."

1) Which two days of the week begin with the letter 'T'?
2) How many seconds are in a year?
3) What is God's first name?

"Well, sir," said Forrest, "The first one is easy. Which two days of the week begin with the letter 'T'? Today and Tomorrow."

St. Peter looked surprised and said, "Well, that wasn't the answer I was looking for, but you have a point. I give you credit for that answer."

"The next question," said Forrest, "How many seconds are in a year? Twelve."

"Twelve?" said St. Peter, surprised and confused.

"Yes, sir. January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd ..."

St. Peter interrupted him. "I see what you mean. I'll have to give you credit for that one, too."

"And the last question," said Forrest, "What is God's first name? It's Andy."

"Andy?" said St. Peter, in shock. "How did you come up with 'Andy'?"

"I learned it in church. We used to sing about it." Forrest broke into song, "Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am His own."

St. Peter opened the gate to heaven and said, "Run, Forrest, Run!"

Tomorrow is NOT promised...

2009-07-29T11:55:00.003+07:00

One day a woman's husband died, and on that clear, cold morning, in the
warmth of their bedroom, the wife was struck with the pain of learning that
sometimes there isn't "anymore". No more hugs, no more special
moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more
"just one minute." Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all
used up and goes away, never to return before we can say good-bye, say"I
love you."

So while we have it, it's best we LOVE it, CARE for it, FIX it when
it's broken and HEAL it when it's sick. This is true for marriage ......
And old cars .. And children with bad report cards, and dogs with bad hips, and
aging parents and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because
we are worth it.

Some things we keep -- like a best friend who moved away or a sister-in-law
after divorce. There are just some things that make us happy, no matter what.

Life is important, like people we know who are special.. And so, we keep them
close!

I received this from someone who thought I was a 'keeper'! Then I sent
it to the people I think of in the same way... Now it's your turn to send
this to all those people who are "keepers" in your life, including the
person who sent it, if you feel that way. Suppose one morning you never wake
up, do all your friends know you love them?

I was thinking...I could die today, tomorrow or next week, and I wondered if I
had any wounds needing to be healed, friendships that needed rekindling or
three words needing to be said.

Let every one of your friends know you love them. Even if you think they
don't love you back, you would be amazed at what those three little words
and a smile can do. And just in case I'm gone tomorrow.

I LOVE YA!!!

Live today to the fullest because tomorrow is not promised..

Such a simple but beautiful song....

2009-05-28T20:54:00.002+07:00

Smile,
Though your heart is aching
Smile,
Even though its breaking
When there are clouds in the sky you'll get by

If you smile,
Through your fear and sorrow
Smile,
And maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear maybe ever so near

That's the time
You must keep on trying
Smile,
What's the use of crying
You'll find that life is still worth while
If you,
Just smile

That's the time
You must keep on trying
Smile,
What's the use of crying
You'll find that life
Life is still worth while
If you just smile

A belated tribute to my One and Only bro...

2008-08-07T09:19:00.004+07:00

Yup, that's my bro!!! Belated-belated-belated-belated...Happy Birthday Martin! Sorry this pic isn't the best...I'll try to get a better one of you asap.

I'm probably one of the least sentimental sisters around...not good at b'day cards and the rest of those sisterly things, but I will take the time to say..

I'm proud of my bro because:

- He's crazy in a dependable sort of way
- He's hilarious even when he's annoying and chants "Bullion Popcorn!!!" till you're blue in the face or chanting along with him...
- He's athletic and can usually ace any sport
- He's talented in almost anything he sets his mind to doing from computers to Poker and making a flying fox...
- He's seen me in my most demented states (relationships, screwy decision making times...) and he's never had a bad word to say
- He's a fab father...a natural at being friends with his kids but then also making sure they know he's dad and the boss
- He married a good friend of mine and has made her happy

Love ya bro. Hope you have a good one this year! ;)

Bleeding vanities...

2008-06-01T10:11:00.001+07:00

"Happiness comes more from loving than being loved; and often when
our affection seems wounded it is only our vanity bleeding. To love, and to be
hurt often, and to love again--this is the brave and happy life."--J. E.
Buckrose (1868-1931)

Donuts, Push Ups & Salvation...

2008-05-16T17:59:00.002+07:00

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States. Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman year, regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon thecourse as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class. One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him.

"How many push-ups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time."

"Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it"

Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked,"Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?" Cynthia said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

"Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want a donut?"
Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?" Scott's reply was,
"Well, can I do my own push-ups?" Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them." Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then." Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?" With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!" Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little
perspiration coming out around his brow. Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?" Sternly, Jenny said, "No." Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.

Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved. Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Dr Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your push-ups You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on. A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason didn't know what was going on.

Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?"

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut" Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?" Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said, "give me a donut." "Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?" Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you." Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?" Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda. Then Dr Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?" Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"

Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes." "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?" As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. "Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding "Not all sermons are preached in words."

Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not His only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid."

"Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?"

Share this with someone. It's bound to touch their heart and demonstrate Salvation in a very special way.

I Aim to Live on the Brink..

2008-05-10T08:58:00.003+07:00

I aim to live on the brink, to either plummet or soar, but whether falling or flying you will hear me shout, Geronimo...

--Mike May

A prayer...

2008-05-07T08:23:00.002+07:00

"May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love,
and joy of God's presence, and may not a moment be spent without the
entire surrender of myself as a vessel for Him to fill full of His
Spirit and His love."
--Andrew Murray

Living Impetuously...

2008-05-05T17:27:00.002+07:00

I live impetuously because it brings me hope and a chance of experiencing what I could have never anticipated...

--Marie G. Cortejos

#1 of Thankfulness Posts for 2007

2008-02-07T18:26:00.001+07:00

It's a wee bit late, I know, but being that it is Chinese New Year and thus the "new year" for a large population of the world I thought to do a few posts about what I was most thankful for in the year of 2007. So here goes...

I'm so thankful that I was able to attend the XD core in Japan!!!

I'm thankful...

- for the battles (legal and visas) that I had to fight to get there

- for the challenge of finishing the XD pre after finding out that I was eligible to attend the Core

- for the amazing miracle of supply (there were 7 of us girls that had to travel to Japan)

- for the wonderful support of my home and family and friends

- for my U. Jo and A. Joy who housed me while I was traveling back and forth from Philippines to Japan, back to Philippines and then to Taiwan

- for the lessons I learned and the breakings that I experienced

- for the meeting of old friends and the forging of new friendships as a result of experiencing the Core together

- for the crazy and radical inspirations/activities I was able to partake of

- for the bottle thrown in Tateyama lake which represented my closure and the putting behind of my past

- for the piggy-back ride I got from Oli which solidified the 'new' me...hehe

- for the PnPs that I was able to receive, while at the Core, that are mine forever to help guide me and remind me of my commitments and the reason for it all

- and last but certainly not least...for the organizers and staff who made it possible and helped encourage me to keep on going when the going became tough and when the breakings hit home hard

I loved it all! I loved every single minute of it! It changed me, You changed me, and I'm so thankful that You gave me the privilege to experience it...

And to all you folks that I met in Japan; I want you to know that you have a special place in my heart--full of fond and inspiring memories. I love and admire each and everyone of you!!!

I love Japanese food...

Just a couple of crazy folk...

Mike, Joanie and I...love you both tons!

We're so happy..yayaya!!!

Farrah & I & Phoebe, Nozo, me, Dave, Laura & Marie

Leika, Isamu & I and Oli, Nozo, Meg, Heidi, me & Marie

Dear Oli ... yup, he's the one that gave me the piggy back ride... & The Towers girls and Hikaru

Dinner time at the HCS

The Towers girls and Phil

A favorite of mine--Isamu & the lovely Kari

Gorgeous Nozo & Our Taboo game--yup, the guys lost!!!...hehe :P

Christmas Shows....

2008-01-21T10:26:00.001+07:00

Our dance troupe

Our concluding pose for "All I Want for Christmas is You!"

We're so in sync...yay!!!

Our hats and bow-ties are adorable...wouldn't you agree?...

Me...uh yes...just me...

Sad, but true...

2008-01-21T08:59:00.001+07:00

I used to write...
I used to blog...
Thoughts once easily flowed...
Almost effortlessly into words...
Perhaps I'm out of practice...
But I'm more inclined to think that I've gone dry...

Fortunately I've access to the writings of others. And it's frequent that I come across outstanding excerpts that made me feel as if I somehow was able to express that illusive thought of mine through their time-tested passages...

Here's something that I read today that I wanted to share:

"The chains of bad habits are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken"

Obedience is the end...

2008-01-21T07:38:00.001+07:00

We must never try to make our dreams for success or accomplishment
God's purpose for us; His purpose may well be just the opposite. God's
end, His purpose for us, is the process. It is today that He
wants us to focus on. Oswald Chambers put it so well when he said,
"God's training is for now, not presently. His purpose is for this
minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with the
afterwards. What men call training and preparation, God calls the end.
… If we realize that obedience is the end, then each moment is
precious."

--Excerpt taken from "For the Love of My Brothers" written by Brother Andrew

Random Hobbies...

2007-12-08T14:51:00.001+07:00

I like to challenge myself and see if I can do things I don't know how to do. Photography is a classic example. I don't have a "real" good camera, and I don't even know how to properly use the one I have, but I thought these turned out ok.

Thus the time spent framing and posting...

In honor of someone I love...hehe!

2007-11-11T16:32:00.000+07:00

Do you remember this? I still have it, and I laminated it, just like you said I should...

Did I ever tell you that, I too, had no regrets? Well, in case I never did, I'm telling you now...

You're still in my thoughts and prayers. And I'm wishing you love and happiness always...

We did have some good times....

Didn't we? :)

Going through the "Wringers" in life...

2007-11-11T14:27:00.001+07:00

This excerpt from "Carry the Flame of Revolution" could have been written for me. I am going through one of those "wringers" and it is because of some wrong decisions I have made...

This was so very encouraging for me. If you stumbled across this post, I hope it is an encouragement to you too..

***

To be an effective leader or pillar, you have to have some "notches in your belt," so to speak. You have to have gone through some very deep, serious testing, because that's what gives you substance in the spirit.You feel absolutely horrible when you're going through some things‚ especially if you know that what you're going through is in part because you made a wrong decision, or haven't been as obedient as you should have been. You're humbled and broken, and have to ask the Lord's forgiveness, and work to get back on track.

Well, when you're humble, God can use you. When you're humble, it changes your being. Take going through jealousy, for example. At the time you feel so terrible about it—the things you say, the things you do, the things you think, the feelings of anger—all of that. But then later, you have more compassion on people, you learn to be kinder. You know you're not above it, so you're more humble, and you learn to watch out for the Enemy's tricks.

In other words, these things are rough to have to go through, but the difficulties make you into something that you weren't before. They add to the substance, the deep substance, the core substance of your being, of your spirit. That is what has to happen for you to take on the roles that are ahead of you.

Going through the wringer of life is absolutely key to being effective in almost every important ministry in the Family—whether you're a leader, parent‚ witnesser, shepherd, pillar in your Home—or all of the above. Going through these things is like your rite of passage to becoming the pillars that will bear the weight of the Family and enable the Family to fulfill its destiny.

A Needed Reminder!!!

2007-10-31T08:52:00.000+07:00

Prayer is Powerful--it's not the least you can do but the MOST you can do!!!

I just read the latest XN and I came across this page. I printed it out and it's adorning my wall as a constant reminder...

The Love you share...

2007-10-28T12:18:00.001+07:00

I just read this quote from a Chicken Soup book and it rang so true so I thought to share it...

"The Love you share is the Love you you keep."

~Anonymous~

2007-10-26T17:59:00.000+07:00

Smiling in peace
Beauty serene
Trusting in Him
His will unseen

Cherished moments
Silenced treasures
Past forsaken
The future enters

~Marie G. Cortejos~

Friendship quotes

2007-10-18T06:49:00.001+07:00

*Love starts with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a tear.

* Don't cry over anyone who won't cry over you.

* Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget.

* You can only go as far as you push.

* Actions speak louder than words.

* The hardest thing to do is watch the one you love, love somebody else.

* Don't let the past hold you back; you're missing the good stuff.

* Life's short. If you don't look around once in a while, you might miss it.

* A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have.

* If you think that the world means nothing, think again. You might mean the world to someone else.

* When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your best friend will be there
* True friendship never ends.

* Friends are forever.

* Good friends are like stars....You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

* Don't frown. You never know who is falling in love with your smile.

* What do you do when the only person who can make you stop crying is the person who made you cry?

* NOBODY IS PERFECT UNTIL YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM. (Isn't that the truth?)
* Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end.

* Most people walk in and out of you life. But only friends leave footprints in your heart.

Send this on to everyone special in your life, even the people who really make you mad sometimes. Whether we realize it or not, everyone we know is very special to us. When we look back on our younger years, we will remember the people who went to school with us, the people who made us laugh, the people who hung out with us when nobody else would, and the people who made our lives much better simply by being a part of it.

There may be somebody who is thinking about you RIGHT NOW and wishing that you were around. That's the wonderful thing about friendship-you always feel loved and cared about.

Going Home...

2007-10-16T20:57:00.000+07:00

It has been almost 1 and a 1/2 months since I've been home. That's a long time...too long perhaps. I'm looking forward to home.

I went to Japan to attend the XD Core meetings but first I had to fly to Manila to apply for my Japanese visa--that took 2 weeks.

Then the XD Core--3 weeks

Then back to Manila to apply for my Taiwanese visa--2 weeks

So yeah, you could say I've been traveling. GB all the RS's and all those wonderful people who travel around a lot for the Work's sake. Traveling is fun but sometimes being away from home for a stretch of time takes it's toll. I think I've learned a lot from this time away from home though...so I'm thankful and have no complaints.

The Lord has been too good to me. I never thought I'd get to go to Japan. That was truly a dream come true! If any of you Japan Core attendees are reading this, please know that I love miss each and every one of you. I was privileged to have experienced the Core alongside of you. Cheers to being EXTREME!!!

Ahhh so many miracles!!! Too many to recount here. So I'll just close with a big Thank You all for your prayers and tons of love. Mwwwwwah!

Loving enough to let go...

2007-10-13T20:06:00.000+07:00

Real Love loves the person

who is loved by the person you love.

Real Love lets go of the one they dream of

so that their dream

can love the one they dream of.

~Marie G. Cortejos~

1st Corinthians for Today...

2007-09-14T07:16:00.001+07:00

1. If I can speak five different languages that I've learned from my time on the mission field, and if I've had the gift of tongues for years now, but I don't have love enough to hold my tongue from gossiping or putting down others, then I've not only become a whole lot of useless noise, but I'm becoming a destructive influence on those around me.

2. And although I faithfully get all of my Word time and even extra, and I can get long, detailed prophecies in public or in private, and although I've memorized all the helpers and hinderers and their powers, and although I have a lot of spiritual faith and even the gift of healing, if I don't have love enough to sometimes sacrifice my "perfect" Word and devotions time to take the kids so the parents can get their Word time, then all those other things don't mean much to the Lord.

3. And even if I spend all day out on the front lines faithfully reaching the rich and sacrificially considering the poor and pushing Activated at every opportunity, but I come home and can't show the Lord's love to my fellow Home members‚ my day and all my "good works" are worthless.

4. Real love has a long, hard, frustrating day where nothing seems to have gone right, yet doesn't get snappy and short-tempered with others. Real love stays sweet for the sake of others no matter what--just because it's the loving thing to do. Real love doesn't mind when someone else gets a better room, or gets to go to a party, fellowship, or meeting that you didn't, simply because real love is glad that the other person is happy. Real love actively fights pride, and actively embraces opportunities to do the humble thing.

5. Real love cares about being a good Christian sample, even to its fellow Home members and disciples, because real love is a reflection of Me. Real love doesn't complain, murmur‚ gripe, guilt-trip, or pressure others to get what it wants, because real love is too busy being concerned about the needs of others to spend much time worrying about its own needs. Real love doesn't get short-tempered and raise its voice with others. Real love doesn't get involved with unedifying System input, because it knows that to stay a pure, clean vessel of My love requires dwelling on the good things and keeping its channel clean.

6. Real love hates to hear gossip about others, and instead wants only to talk about the good that others have done and all the real and true ways that they're a big blessing and are great to live with.

7. Real love is flexible and has rise-above power that can help you take each day in stride and handle anything that comes your way. Real love is always ready to give the benefit of the doubt‚ and believe that someone's motives were good‚ pure, and honest. Real love hopes that others can reach their full potential and gives them the opportunity to do so by never losing faith in them. Real love doesn't run out of faith and patience.

8. Real love never fails someone else by depending only on the love stored in an earthly heart. Real love looks to Me to receive My complete love with which to love others, so that it will never run out. Anything else in the whole world can fail, except that which comes from Me. You can fail and even receive an incomplete prophecy‚ confusing or useless tongues, and your own knowledge can completely mislead you.

9. Because you're just a fallible person, and your grasp of the things of Heaven is only partial at best.

10. But when My Spirit of Love lives in you‚ it can override all your mistakes and fallibilities and can help you to grasp these deeper things of the spirit and live them.

11. You can all be such immature children with My Law of Love: The way you talk about it is childish, the way you think about it is childish, the way you act on it is childish; but I'm challenging you to become spiritual adults and mature in your application and move past your childish ways.

12. For right now you're living the perfect Law of Love in an imperfect world, and there will always be mistakes or problems and things that you don't understand. But soon the day is coming when you'll live it perfectly in My perfect Kingdom‚ and then you'll understand it just as I do, and you'll know it was right.

13. There are a lot of good things in life, and a lot of things I ask you to do for Me‚ but nothing is as important as love!

A Thanksgiving service in Hell...

2007-09-13T07:08:00.001+07:00

Let us not glide through this world and then slip quietly into Heaven, without having blown the trumpet loud and long for our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us see to it that the Devil will hold a thanksgiving service in Hell when he gets the news of our departure from the field of battle.--C.T. Studd (1860-1931).

Happy Birthday Ruthie Platty....

2007-08-05T13:24:00.000+07:00

Yes, can you believe it??? I'm actually blogging!!! And for Ruth's birthday no less...
Well, she is my best friend a great sister so you shouldn't be surprised...and shame on you if you were!

Heheh...

Anyways, Ruth is one of those special people that comes into your life (she came into my life at the young age of 10 or was it 11?) and manages to stay there through thick or thin; through time and distance. We haven't been physically together in a few years but I feel as close to her as when she was just in the next room.

We've been through a lot...

-We were youthful rivals (in other words we just didn't get along)
-She became the girlfriend of a guy I was sort of together with (he left me for her)
-We became friends (I finally realized we had a few things in common..ha!)
-She got together with my brother (and had my first nephew)
-We became best friends (at least I felt she was mine)
-She got married to my brother (and had the cutest, chubbiest, rascally daughter ever)
-She became one of my only friends (we were the only SGA's in our home)

And last but not the least...

She's one of those people I know I can always depend on and ask for advice from. I admire you and look up to you a lot Ruth.

Thank you Ruth for being all that and for putting up with me and for always being there...I know that you're only a chat away :)

I love you tons and am praying for you today. Am wishing you the best and happiest year yet!

Again...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Slightly depressing but true...

2007-08-01T08:40:00.001+07:00

Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it.
- Michel de Montaigne

I live for the Fight!

2007-05-17T19:57:00.000+07:00

Here is something I made for my desktop. If you'd like to use it too, please feel free to download it. LY!

Belated Birthday Tribute to my Dad...

2007-05-14T22:55:00.001+07:00

Dad giving a smile and some donated goods

L-R: Me, Jesse, Tim & my dad having a little of banana leaf fun (no we aren't really smoking...)

My sweet dad singing the famous "Anak" song to me karaoke style!

Working side by side with dad...doing an art project with some slum children

Road trips & mosquito nets...he's a handy one to have around
--he always seems to know how to rig things up!

***

A ready smile

A friendly air

A helping hand

A gentleman's flair

--Such has my father

Fun-loving and companionable

Interesting and talented

Patient and considerate

Practical and multi-faceted

--Such is my father

You've always been there

You've been my good friend

You've taught me so much

That's why till I find my own...

--You're my favorite of men!

Written by Marie Cortejos

Heheheh!!

Happy Belated Birthday Dad! Sorry I wasn't able to post this before. I guess it took a little while for it to form & make some sense. *Big Bear Hug*

Excuses...excuses...excuses...

2007-05-02T22:55:00.001+07:00

In case anybody has been unnecessarily checking my awfully dormant blog, I just thought to post a disclaimer.

My blog turned CHINESE!!! Yup, that's right...I can't navigate around my blog and post pictures and such because I can't read Chinese yet. I mean I know I'm studying Chinese but reading blog characters is just way to advanced for me...sigh.

Anyways, I hope bring my laptop for a visit to Mr. Techie...but until then pls. just bear with me.

...I mean, that is if you haven't already given my blog a digital funeral.

P.S. And yes, I tried to change my settings etc. Every other browser page on my laptop, including other ppl's blogs, are in English...but mine continues to remain Chinese. :(

Faith is an Adventure!!! Will you join me?

2007-04-03T07:32:00.001+07:00

One thing's for sure: Faith is an adventure!

It's the adventure of a lifetime, and it will be a lifetime of
thrilling rides and ups and downs, taking you to heights—and even
depths at times—that will both make you and take you into the
Millennium and beyond. After all, that is what faith is fashioning you
for: your destiny in ruling and reigning on Earth, something even the
angels of Heaven have not been given the training for. Only you—My
Own—who have experienced the trials and tests of the faith life here on
Earth will be given that high honor and reward.

So don't be afraid of any of those leaps of faith that I've promised you are ahead, My loves; you'll be ready for them when it's the right time.

It won't be anything that you will have to conjure up or work up in
yourself. You'll just know it's time, because I will flood your heart
with all that you need to make that leap.

I believe...

2007-03-28T23:01:00.000+07:00

I believe true love never stops loving; I believe that true friendship never ends.

If I loved you once, I love you still.

If I called you friend, you are my friend still...

Just to let you know...

2007-03-25T08:54:00.001+07:00

I was voted in (as FD) by my sweet cool home on March 22, 2007.

I have been in Taiwan for 3 months...

And I saw and stepped inside Taipei 101 (the tallest building in the world) for the first time yesterday.

--Love you all!

My Role-Model...of sorts :P

2007-03-21T09:52:00.001+07:00

Always a blast with the Boom

Preston Boomer has been teaching science at the same school since 1956.
Generations of students recall a fun taskmaster who likes his
explosions.

By John M. Glionna, Times Staff Writer March 9, 2007

Felton, Calif. — The Boom is bouncing around the classroom like an overgrown kid. With his bushy gray eyebrows and mad scientist's grin, he's demonstrating the density of methane to 25 rapt teenagers at San Lorenzo Valley High School.

"Let's see if we can do this without burning the place up again," he says.

"Again?" gasps one girl.

Explosions are nothing new to Preston Q. Boomer's physics and chemistry classes.
Neither are flash fires, electric shocks, spark-spitting transformers
or deafening gongs, sirens and klaxons. He begins many lectures with
the subversive come-on: "Want to blow something up today?"

It's the Boom's Big Bang Theory of teaching: Noise is fun, even instructive.
But his wacky experiments can go awry. One day the cops showed up as a
result of a half-baked Boomer stunt. The teacher was testing whether a
1.5-million-volt Tesla coil could shoot a spark across the room. In the
process, he cut off all police radio communications for miles.

Boomer's reaction: "Neat!"

Preston Boomer is 75.

He's been teaching science at the same school near Santa Cruz since 1956, the year Elvis Presley released "Heartbreak Hotel."

He's had 8,000 students in the last half-century — three generations of some families. Many teachers and administrators once sat in his class. He often hears from former students long retired. But like the Robert Crumb cartoon posted in his class, he prefers to "Keep on Truckin'."

High school graduates everywhere can recall a teacher who was a favorite despite the generational divide. Boomer is that teacher taken to the next level. He is one of fewer than 20 California instructors with 50 or more years in the classroom. It's not just his longevity that amazes colleagues and students; so does his energy.

Boomer's pension now outpaces his salary, so he'd make more money if he called it quits.
Yet with no mandatory retirement in his district, he says his goal is
to remain "until they drag my corpse off the lab table."

There's this thing about retired teachers, he says: "Before you know it, they're dead."

Over the five decades, Boomer says he has missed work only twice — once for
a conference, the other time for his grandfather's funeral. He often
walks with a cane and likes to riff on his advancing age, telling
students he was conceived in the rumble seat of a 1931 Model A.

"You're great kids," he says. "So were your grandparents."

The Boom (the nickname is short for Boomer, not an explosion) is a master
teacher, stand-up comic and circus showman. To the kids, he's Yoda with
a chemistry set. Or a character from a "Far Side" cartoon.

He's also an innovator — the first instructor in his district to use
computers and PowerPoint demonstrations as teaching tools — and a tough
disciplinarian who bills his "Big Chem" and "Mighty Physics" classes as
rigorous college boot camps.

The lessons don't stop at school. The grandfather of two often hosts students at "Boomeria," a Disneyland for science geeks that he and his students have created over the years
at his home in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Boomeria features a wooden castle and guard towers, a 2,000-pipe organ housed in its own
chapel — even a working guillotine with a steel blade that students use
to cut watermelons, not necks.

Students often wage "war," marauding through Boomeria's hand-dug catacombs, firing water cannons and hurling eggs and water balloons from catapults.

There's a method here: Teens learn about concepts like water propulsion and the
fact that it takes just a tad of zinc mixed with sulfur to make an explosion. All while the self-proclaimed "King of Boomeria" plays a dirge on the mammoth pipe organ.

His tutelage has paid off.

Ex-students e-mail to say his lessons primed them for their toughest
college classes. Many Boomer graduates have gone on to lucrative
careers in Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Most attribute their continued
love affair with science and technology to the teacher they call their
most influential childhood mentor.

One of them, Hoyt Yeatman, became a Hollywood visual-effects supervisor and in 1989 won an Academy Award for the special effects in the film "The Abyss."

"The most important thing I learned from Boom is that you don't have to grow up
to grow old," said Yeatman, 52. "He still plays in this fantasy world,
even as an adult. Many of us eventually lose those childlike abilities,
but he's stubbornly held on to them. I've used his inspiration
throughout my entire career."

Yeatman's mother, Marie, now 81, at first worried about the eccentric teacher — enough to check out Boomeria for herself.

"It didn't look dangerous," she said. "Of course, that was before the guillotine."

The teacher is working his alchemy, demonstrating wave harmonics. He holds
a 20-foot line affixed to a door, furiously whipping the end to create
ever-shorter wave lengths.

Soon he is out of breath.

"I took an aspirin so I wouldn't have a heart attack," he jokes. Dressed
in his "physics is phun" T-shirt, Boomer storms the room, pausing only
to hitch up his sweat pants. He refers to himself in the third person:
"Is the Boom nervous today?"

Before Boomer's ankles gave out, janitors each summer had to replace floor tiles worn down by his incessant pacing.

In a fast-moving lecture, he handles such dense concepts as the Doppler
effect, shock waves and sonic booms. In a spiel on beat frequency, he
plays a few notes of the Sonny and Cher song "The Beat Goes On."

"You guys were born in the wrong time," he tells his class. "The hippie era was really fun."

Next he's using a contraption called an equalizer to measure the harmonics of various sounds. A student blows his nose.

"Good
tone," Boomer says. "Bring it up here and let's put in on the
equalizer." Soon he tries to pull an answer from the class. "Inter?
Inter?" He pauses. "Intercourse?" The class cackles.

"No," he deadpans. It's interstitial, referring to the spaces between molecules.

The room is a shrine to science and Boomer's warped humor. Next to posters
showing the Periodic Chart of Elements and Fundamental Particles and
Interactions is a photo of a young Boomer in the Naval Reserve and a
hand-drawn sign reading: "Time will pass, you may not."

Most students stay riveted. There's no whispering or note-passing, no
gum-chewing condescension. They know their roles: The Boom is the
performer; they're the attentive audience.

They preface questions with "Hey, Boom," reveling in his off-the-wall answers.

"No teacher comes close to him," said Cammie Dueber, 17. "He's so weird."

In class, Boomer will command "OK, write this down," and all heads will
plunge toward their notebooks. Students must write in ink and in
complete sentences. All submitted papers must be stapled; names printed
legibly, not scribbled. Late arrivals or in-class bathroom runs are not
tolerated. He'll reduce grades on papers for including what he calls
"Baloney Stuff (BS)." *Classic!

He refuses to approve most field trips during his teaching hours, insisting that nothing is more important than his own class.

"In my day, he fanatically rejected blue jeans for some reason, to the
point of kicking people out of school dances for wearing them," said
former student Bill Gervasi, 50, now a computer hardware executive.

Boomer is better at making rules than following them.

In his early years, he rigged a "principal alarm" to alert him when administrators were approaching his classroom.

He still has a note in his file for sneaking out of a staff meeting — or, as he calls it, "a pooling of ignorance." *Errrm I wonder what would happen to me if I said something similar? Of course I don't totally agree with the above...but still, I wonder :P

Boomer once used a fire extinguisher to snuff out a colleague's smoldering cigarette in the teachers lounge.

When he used the same trick on a girl for talking in class, she blasted him
back with her own extinguisher. Boomer retreated under a desk and, to
the delight of the class, raised a white flag.

What charms students hasn't always charmed the school board. One member tried to
fire him years ago, saying he gave easy grades to girls who wore short
skirts to class.

An inquiry cleared him.

Boomer says he bears no grudges, but adds of the board member: "I gave her a C in class. I guess she wanted to get even."

Said Paul Sacco, a former counselor: "Make kids accountable and you make enemies."

AS a boy growing up in San Jose, Preston Boomer had a penchant for the
macabre: He read about medieval torture, engrossed in the workings of
guillotines and dungeons.

He devoured his parents' 1879 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. In high school he was inspired by Mr. Fisher, his physics instructor, who taught his young student how a
teacher could be a showman.

"One day I came in early to class and saw him wiring a bunch of student seats to a high-voltage induction coil. He believed some kids needed a jolt now and then to stay awake in
class," Boomer said. *Okay, this is where I get off...wiring kids to high-voltage induction coil is going too far :D

As the story goes, Boomer's backyard fantasy land was born the night a carload of students tried to egg his home as payback for bad grades.

Boomer was ready: He set a booby-trap of honking horns and water guns in what became known as the first epic battle for the soul of Boomeria.

Students still make pilgrimages to his home, laughing at the front gate as his voice booms
over the loudspeaker: "Who goes there?"

"The Boom loves science with a deeper passion than anyone I've ever known," said one time
student Lance McVay, 39, now a high school teacher. "He's like a little kid with a chemistry set. His just got bigger and bigger. Boomeria is one man's ode to childhood."

Underground mechanics of Boomeria

Boomer once turned an upside-down tub into a bathysphere in his backyard pool. He pumped in air and sent sandwiches down by pulley as students competed to see who could stay submerged the longest. (The record was two hours.)

Beginning in the 1960s, science students who referred to themselves as the Natural Philosopher's Club started digging catacombs across Boomer's 2 1/2 -acre spread. They're now big enough to stand inside of.

In battle, students use water cannons and makeshift catapults — and the losers sometimes spend the night in the dungeon. They get one phone call to let their parents know where they are: in jail at their teacher's house. *And I laughed and laughed!!!!!! I wonder what the parents said (or thought!!!) :D

The teacher's troops usually emerge victorious, because as the Boom reminds kids: "The King always wins."

Boomer's two sons recall their father as a mix of Mr. Rogers and David Lynch. "My childhood was defined by all-night water battles, people sneaking around in the woods, alarms going off at all hours," said Alex Boomer, 49, an electrical contractor in Fortuna. "I thought it was normal until I got out in the real world."

Not every parent got the joke. Boomer remembers one father who threatened to sue if his son got hurt at Boomeria. "I told him, 'Then we won't have your child up to the house.' He called me right back and changed his mind. He said he didn't want his son to miss out on all the action."

Some former student warriors say Boomeria's crowning glory was the "aqua goose," a geyser
of water shot from a hidden underground nozzle. One night, an army of students set off the geyser beneath a car without headlights, which they assumed belonged to an enemy scout.

Recalled Gervasi: "This massive amount of water shot up beneath the vehicle and suddenly the
car's loudspeaker says, 'Mr. Boomer. This is the police. We need to talk.' "

Playing Games...

2007-03-19T23:12:00.000+07:00

Sigh such a beautiful board...

I've always loved to play games...especially ones that required some skill and were challenging, so it's soooo cool that there are so many people in my home that love playing games!

One particular evening we actually wanted to play Mahjong, but we were lacking a player (there were only three of us) and so we played a game of Scrabble. After having a very fun and successful game we realized we could play Mahjong with only three players-- I mean at least the game could work, though 4 players would be the official minimum.

And so, even though it was rather late, we avid gamers went on to play a few games of our beloved Mahjong.

If you haven't played Mahjong...you really ought to try and learn, I guarantee that it's great fun!!!!

Something New...

2007-03-15T23:38:00.001+07:00

Yesterday, errr I mean the day before yesterday, (because I am writing this past midnight,) was my first time to travel to another province in Taiwan. And I have only been here a little less than 3 months, pretty cool no??? For most folks this is nothing interesting or "wow" but for someone that has stayed in the same city for YEARS on end without ever going out of it, even for an outting, this was something monumental!

Myself and two other folks went to not too far Taichung province (about 3-4 hrs away) to help pick out some provisioned furniture and shop for some home needs at a thrift warehouse.

It was a lovely day and a nice change of schedule. And oh yeah, I survived on suayjaos (Chinese style Gyozas) and jenjunicha (tea with jelly balls) all day long.

...too bad I didn't take any pics, I took my camera along for the trip but I totally forgot all about it.

I can't seem to keep my blog resolutions :(

2007-02-21T23:39:00.000+07:00

And yes, I'm actually posting to say sorry (to myself) that I didn't blog faithfully during the Feast. I really meant to...I really did...but I guess I just didn't have enough self-discipline. Hmmmm...

Well, not being faithful to blog isn't the end of the world or anything, but what worries me is that I think my lack of resolute-ness with things I really want to do or know I should do is fast becoming the norm. It's terrible! I'm not going to get into details here, because I think that would get rather negative, but I think I'm going to need to face up to this and do better.

Pray for me will you? Thanks...

*funny how the Lord can use ANYTHING to check us...I mean He managed to use my little unimportant blog to wake me up to this NWO*

Feast time once again...

2007-02-13T22:39:00.000+07:00

Don't we all look so relaxed and comfortable?

D.A. singing "We Live in the 5th Dimension"
(Sorry that this pic is really nasty quality. It's a snapshot from a vid I took with my camera.)

Today was the first day of our Feast 2007. It was memorable...and I can't help but say it was one of the most lovely days I've had in a looooong time.

Lets back track a bit though, because in reality, the Feast began last night. We had a very wonderful loving Jesus evening. Even though I was chosen to lead the meeting, the Lord really came through, and we had a such a sweet time of fellowship with Him and eachother. A big Thank You to Colm and Liz for helping me pull the evening off. Colm your voice was very 'Jesus like' and Liz the set up you did made the ambiance gorgeously relaxing!

I think I got to know everyone just a little bit better last night. I don't feel 'so new' and 'stranger-ish' anymore. There were so many things I could say about the folks in my new home, that it almost feels as if I've known them for a lot longer than only a couple of months. And then they said such encouraging things to me...I think I was actually embarrassed (and I don't get embarrased that easily...) I mean I really felt like telling some of them "Ohhhhh, just wait till you get to know me better!" Ha!

Ok, now to blog about my lovely day...

I slept in and woke up refreshed and not the least bit tired...cleaned and set up my room a bit...and then it was off for a picnic. We had a guitar, our lunch, some blankets and a mini-sound set-up for the audio we were to listen to, and we were all set. Not to far from our house (up the mountains) is this beautiful park with lots of perfect places to enjoy a picnic or a nap in nature. We selected a spot near the lake that was bright and sunny, but that also had some shade, and proceeded to make ourselves comfortable.

Singing time! Har har har...most of us hadn't practised our guitar skills in quite a long while, so it was a rather choppy sing along sort of inspirational thing that we enjoyed--complete with gypsy dancing and random bouts of laughter! Well, not so random actually, because most of the time we did have a valid reason for breaking out in laughter. For an example when Mark started singing "the spirit is gone!" while we were singing "has gone before us" ...I think he was doing the second voice, but it just sounded awful funny! :D

After lifting our voices in song (and garnering a wide variety of puzzled and curious looks from the other folks in the park) we all got comfortable to listen to Mama. It was a fairly long audio so we all changed our positions several times...from lying down, leaning on each other, sitting cross-legged, pacing around the blankets, to me reclining like a panther in a tree.

Yup, that's me up in the tree!

The day continued to pass in this wonderfully relaxing way. The Lord is too good to us! I have a feeling that this is going to be my best and favorite Feast yet.

I wish you all a happy memorable Feast this year!

I hope to blog about all our Feast days (fingers tightly crossed) so till tomorrow ya'll! LY!

3D Chalk!!!

2007-02-05T22:22:00.000+07:00

Julian Beveer's Chalk drawings

Julian Beever is an English artist who is famous for his art on the pavements of England, France, Germany, USA, Australia and Belgium.
Beever gives to his drawings an amazing 3D illusion! See for yourself!

This picture was taken at the wrong angle...can you figure out what it is?

I never would've guessed!--Did you?

*Remember both his feet, in reality, are flat on the pavement!

"Politicians meeting their End"

"Rescue"--This needed to be viewed with an inverting mirror

Precariously perched on the pavement...

Which guy is the real guy and which beer is the real beer???

Small beginnings...

Progress...

Halfway done...

I did it!!!
Wanna Coke?

The "water" looks awful real doesn't it?

People are actually "avoiding" the hole in the pavement...

A Soldier's Pledge

2007-02-03T14:58:00.001+07:00

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, of the army of my God. The Lord Jesus
Christ is my Commanding Officer. The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, Prayer and the Word are my weapons of warfare.

I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for
eternity. I will either retire in this army at the Rapture or die in
this Army; but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out. I am
faithful, capable, and dependable.

If my God needs me, I am there.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. I am not a baby. I do
not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up, or
pepped up.

I am a soldier. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.

I am a soldier. I am not a wimp. I am in place, saluting
my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His
Kingdom!

I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.

I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad
enough to turn me around. I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me
aside. I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.

When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing. If I
end with nothing, I will still come out even. I will win. My God will
supply all my needs. I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph.
I can do all things through Christ.

Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me.
Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat
me. Money cannot buy me. Governments cannot silence me and hell cannot
handle me.

I am a soldier. Even death cannot destroy me. For when
my Commander calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me to a
captain and then bring me back to rule this world with Him.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, in the army, and I'm marching, claiming victory. I will not give up. I will not turn around.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, marching Heaven-bound. Here I stand! Will you stand with me?

By Baptist Press (Excerpts of article)

His Grace is Sufficient for me...

2007-01-14T21:28:00.001+07:00

I'm in a new field...

I'm in a new ministry...

I'm in a new situation...

I'm in a new home...

...with new people

...and new kids

There are many places my carnal mind wants to take me, and one of those places is the altar where I left "my will." I am so tempted to take it back and place it in the place of honor that I once had it in.

But I made a promise to someone I love and I made another to myself. I pray daily that I will not break them...will you pray with me...for me...please?

I intend to go to sleep counting my blessings tonight...

I'm learning to love my new field...

I'm learning to love my new ministry...

I'm learning to love my new situation...

I'm learning to love my new home...

...with the new people

...and the new kids

But to all you Pavilion Home members...I love and miss you all still!

Belated New Years Update...

2007-01-13T23:26:00.000+07:00

Group Pic...L-R: Tina, Ang, Priya & I

Yeah yeah, I know this is awful late but I didn't want to post anything about it because I didn't have PICTURES. But now that I found a couple, I'll fill you all in about my memorable New Years Eve in Taiwan.

I love dancing...and dancing was what I was doing at the stroke of midnight...whoooo hoooo!!!! And it was graaaand fun!!!!
A group of six of us who went to MoS and being that the entrance fee was rather pricey (over 1,000NT) we decided we were gonna figure a way in for free.
And that's exactly what we did.
Two of my hot friends just pranced in the VIP entrance and managed to get some tickets for us. They asked to talk to the boss...and the club staff were like "Which one?" "Oh, just the boss..." the girls pronounced. To which the reply was, "Uhhh, there are six of them, so which one?" Har har har....
Anyways, they managed to meet one of the six bosses and get some tickets for the rest of us stranded at the entrance. They weren't able to get enough for all of us to get in for free, so at the entrance we just acted like we knew what we were doing and we all got stamped in....YaY! This was like 3mins before midnight....
And so we joined the madness...dancing, grinning, screaming and all that goes into a fab New Years Eve bash...and oh yes, we also got some free drinks and would have gotten more if we bothered to hang around the bar instead of dancing incessantly (on stage along with the DJs, on speakers and on the elevated platforms heheh...)
Here are some pics of us....you can also find them at TaiwanNights.com

Tina and I giving the MoS crowd something to look at on stage along with the one and only....

John Askew!!!

Gorgeous Priya rocking out!

HOT Tina showing us how it's done on the most massive and blaring speakers I've ever heard...

Dancing on an elevated platform about 3 meters from the dance floor...

Yesterday I had my first...

2007-01-09T22:08:00.001+07:00

CHINESE CLASS!!!!

It was very interesting...two teachers for like 8 of us students. They were really sweet and talented teachers, but to divide themselves between us, and actually manage to get us to learn something, would have been quite a feat!!! And to top it all off, every one of us are on different levels.

So, all that to say, I think I'm going to have to study on my own time and find some Mandarin audios to listen to so that I can get used to the sound of it. Right now it (Mandarin) sounds frighteningly strange and foreign! And there are all these sounds that are impossible for me to pronounce right now...

Deeeeep breath....it will get better...it will get better...

I mean I certainly hope so!!!!

:D

Some more Christmas/New Years pics....

2007-01-07T22:20:00.000+07:00

Yuuuum! Delicious wine....we actually had some good tasting stuff that night from Argentina and South Africa...

New friends! Left to Right: Priya, me, Sam Warrior & Joyce

Two of my favorite aunties: Sheila & Marie

Bad pic, I know, but MORE new friends...
Left to Right: Angel, Priya, never mind :D, Sam Warrior, Joyce, Nicole and Mark

Competing in a game: Who could cut out a recognizable Santa Claus figure the fastest....
Michelle won because she was the fastest, Phoebe had the best looking one and I was the disjointed slow poke. I didn't realize it was supposed to be one solid figure. I cut out the Santa and then his hat and then his big gift bag...heheh

I've been sick...

2007-01-06T22:47:00.001+07:00

Been feeling rather horrible the last few days and I really hope to get back to work tomorrow, so please please pray for me to get better. The folks here have been super kind...bringing me water (thank you Phoebe) cutting up fruit praying for me (thank you Sheila) lending me their warm cozy coat (thank you Joyce) helping me move my bulky blankets in (thank you Caleb) encouraging me to move inside, so that I could be warmer, (thank you everybody) and just all in all being way too kind. I think being sick has made me feel more at home here than anything else. Strange but true huh? I guess it isn't too odd to find that it's the more difficult times that bring us closer to each other...even smaller difficulties, like the flu, still manage to help us reach out to others and receive from others just a bit more.

Not too sure how many of you read this...but if any of you are please know that....

I Love you all...

A belated New Years Wish...

2007-01-04T13:42:00.001+07:00

Now that the Holidays are through,
Did you do what you wanted to do?
Were you with your family?
Were you with your friends?
Did it seem that the Holidays
would never end?

Remember this -
let it live in your heart...
The New Year is just
beginning to start.
Keep Family and Friends in
your thoughts every day
And the spirit of New Year
will not go away.

Wishing You All A Wonderful New Year!

Christmas pics....

2006-12-28T20:27:00.000+07:00

Our lovely tree (sorry it's blurred, I'm still getting used to the night functions on my camera)

My favorite seat is near the fireplace...tough that I hardly get it though...:P

Gorgeous Priya and Joyce (There are six single females, including myself, in this home)
......guys where oh where art thou?????

One of the adorable bundles I take care of....Kylain (or however you spell his name)
...I'm such a fabulous teacher aren't I??? :P

Yesterday morning at our gift opening...

First Cooking Experience in 2-Towers Home, Taiwan

2006-12-24T20:11:00.001+07:00

Yieldedness and White Sauce

There is a first time for everything and yesterday I do believe I managed to be too yielded...for the first time...heheh!
Errrrr how does one be too yeilded? I'm not really to sure myself, but here's what I did yesterday.
My afternoon teacher's meeting was canceled so I was merrily hired to help with dinner. The wonderful chef was to be the one and only Marie (of Caleb,) we chatted merrily and in the space of a couple of hours I had managed to boil the chicken while she made several cookies (which were ever being devoured by the numerous cookie-monsters we have prowling around)
As we casually glanced at the clock and realized that "dinner time" was fast approaching we decided to step up our pace and divide the dinner duties. Marie was to finish making her cookie dough while I was to put the spaghetti on to cook and make the white sauce.
Simple enough no? Well, we both thought so too, as we both knew how to make white sauce, having each made white sauce several times before. But since I am new to this place I decided I would be yielded and let her take the reins, besides it would be less brain work for me, I could just follow instructions. Instructions were rattled off..."put some oil, flour and milk together, stir it in a pot and wallah it should be white sauce"
I did pause and think, but only for a split-second, "Oil, flour and milk together in white sauce...that's an interesting combination...." But as soon as that split-second of thoughtfulness was over, I happily followed the odd sounding instructions and mixed what I assumed was a new style of white sauce.
Marie meanwhile was throughly occupied with making her cookie dough, but she did manage to notice the thick looking goo I was mixing with some obvious difficulty and distaste. She wasn't sure what I was doing, but she assumed I was mixing a new style of white sauce.
The goo was getting increasingly gooey. I reluctantly poured more oil in the mixture (hoping that would make it into "white sauce,") while casually commenting that I had never made white sauce in this fashion before. Marie looked at me puzzled...it was only then that we realized that we both were being far too yielded...ridiculously so, at least for me. We quickly agreed to dump the goo in the pig bucket. Marie gave me permission to make the white sauce the way I knew how and I merrily agreed to do just that.
And that's the happy ending of my story.....NOT!!!!!!
I have made white sauce before...I swear I have...but today was just not to be my day. I took the wok out (woks are generally easier to use than pots) and proceeded to put a touch of oil in the pan and some flour. "Hmmmnm, I am cooking for a quite a number of people so I probably should add some more flour..." So I did, more flour was dumped into the wok. It was about time for the milk to be added. Marie was going to find some vegetables and that was where the milk was at so I passingly asked her to get me some milk while she was at it.
Well, she was "at it" for a little bit of awhile and so while I waited I kept adding some more flour (using the same logic that I disclosed above) I also attempted to find some spices to give the white sauce a bit more flavor and managed to burn a little of flour.
Awwww...not to worry, once the milk was to arrive everything would be A-ok. So I started puttingin a touch of chicken broth to prevent the flour from burning some more....
By the time Marie returned (without the milk, as she hadn't heard me ask her to get some) I had managed to create another sort of unappetizing goo.
Marie looked over my shoulder and without much ado we again decided to dump the latest disaster into the pig bucket....
Marie took over making the white sauce and I proceeded with de-meating the chicken (I mean you can't go wrong with that...can you???) and dinner was accomplished....
And that's the end of my "First Cooking Experience in 2-Towers Home, Taiwan"

Greetings from TAIWAN!!!

2006-12-21T17:36:00.001+07:00

I'm here...yup I'm actually here!!!! Took me basically all day to realize that I'm really here. It's sooooo cool and I'm actually managing to get excited. I'm freezing but happy...because I finally get to wear my (small) collection of winter clothes! Har har har!!!

Huge THANKS to mom, dad, Alex, Jenny and all the Pavilion Home members that helped me get over here. I love and miss you all tons and tons.

Till laters ya'll!!! MUAH!!!!

It is finished!....

2006-12-10T17:56:00.001+07:00

I got my student visa for Taiwan the other day....yaaaaaay! It was soooo cool. Our longtime Taiwanese friend offered to accompany us to the Taiwanese embassy to "help" me get a visa without any problems. We weren't sure how the "help" would take place, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that he was best friends with the head visa approval officer. So, we were waived through the que, ushered straight into his office, and I was given a visa with only a few words said by our Taiwanese friend. This was a real miracle as one very important paper (my admission notice from Taiwan) hadn't arrived yet, so we weren't able to turn it in. He approved my visa anyways...

So, thanks a ton to all of you who have been praying for me. I'm off in 10 days (Dec. 20)...so exciting :D

Some pics finally....

2006-12-10T17:38:00.000+07:00

Colors are coloring the wuuurrrrld!!!

2006-12-02T21:40:00.001+07:00

I'm completely exhausted! I've been standing on my feet all day painting a mural at our regular CTP (a slum daycare center)

It was good fun though, a change from the regular day to day schedule...but ohhhh, so tiring too...

The mural turned out colorful, bright and cute. PTL! God bless our artist. She was getting bugged right and left..."Should I paint this red?" "Should I mixed these colors to get this color?" "Aaaaarghhhh! What should I do to fix this mistake? Can you fix it?" etc.

Boy, was I very thankful that I didn't have the burden of art director, I mean not that I could have been given the 'assignment', I don't think I have the qualifications...teehee!

Anyways, when the pics get uploaded I should have a bunch to post.

I'm so happy my Mom is happy...

2006-11-30T10:47:00.001+07:00

Thanks to all of you who commented on my Mom's blog. She was soooo happy to receive comments...as you can probably tell from her lengthy replies hehe! But please keep in mind not to link. Names are more than welcome, but links are hard to control and monitor...

My Mom's first blog...

2006-11-26T23:10:00.001+07:00

My Mom is a great mom and a wonderful painter!!! Please take a look at My Mom's Blog and comment (she's has been feeling quite sad that no one has visited and commented...I had to reassure her that the comments will come) Please comment anonymously or just with your name (no links) because her blog will be visited my our sheep, kings and queens--most of our blogs aren't GP enough for this field...hope you all understand.

She has put quite an effort to 'witness' through her art by posting a poem or quotation along with each piece of her art, so please feel free to comment about her thoughts too.

Happy Visiting...

P.S. She's actually right now displaying her paintings at a 'silent auction.' Half of the proceeds will go to poor children who have the aptitude for art, and the other half she hopes to dedicate to my Taiwan trip...Isn't she the best?!

But honestly, I'm more praying that a couple of her paintings get auctioned, not for my sake, but for her encouragement. I wouldn't want her to come home with all of her paintings...

Do you "love" or are you "in love?"

2006-11-25T21:19:00.001+07:00

A good relationship isn't a game you play or an ego trip you take. It is about love and two people. Loving someone can give us the greatest joy we can ever know and it can hurt more than we can believe too. When it does not really hurt when that person did something disappointing to you, but really hurts when you see that person in pain and sadness, then you know you truly love that person.

Loving someone means you should be ready to experience heartache and happiness at the same time. That's the reward and that's the risk. Unless we are willing to experience it, we will never really know what it's like to love and be loved.

Sharing love is probably the most valuable and meaningful experience a person can ever have. And there's a difference between being in love with someone and loving someone. It's the difference between a love that's fickle, wild and short-lived and one that's tender and passionate, nurturing and lasts a long time. The first is easy. The second, the one that really matters to all of us, takes work -- because it's about keeping a relationship.

Loving someone takes efforts. We have to be able to communicate with each other. Nobody can read anyone else's mind. We always presume that our partner knows what we think and feel. Maybe in time we might be able to predict or sense each other's thoughts but it's never perfect and takes time to develop.

Getting the chance to love and be loved by someone is blessed. Respect him/her for who he/she is, and not what you want him/her to be. Everyone is pretty and special in his/her own special way. No one is perfect. It is true love which closes the gap of imperfectness to form a smooth surface of acceptance for each other. True love sees and accepts a person for who he/she is. It is also true love which makes a person change for the better.

The power of true love to a person is undeniable.

A relationship needs commitments too. What is love without commitments from each other anyway? It's like principles and values. Everyone has them but they only mean as much as we are willing to stand for them.

The same goes for our commitments to relationships, and the person we love.

"Love is like an antique vase. It's hard to find, hard to get, but easy to break."

Every day everywhere, people fall in love ... but just how many of these relationships are self-sacrificing love, and not just relationships which are formed only for the intense feeling of falling in love? I know hundreds of friends who say the magical words "I love you"... but more often than not, the truth is just -- I am IN love with you. There is a difference between being in love with someone and loving someone. If a person says he/she is in love with you, he/she means that he/she likes you for who you are now and he/she fell in love with you because of the present you.

This kind of love is temporary and lasts only as long as the fairytale lasts. When fairy godmother comes in at midnight to whirl us back to reality, we see the heartache of such a relationship...where both were only IN love with each other.

But if a person says he/she loves you, he/she means that he/she loves you unconditionally for who you are now, who you were in the past and who you might be in the future. When he/she says he/she loves you and really means it, you have to ask yourself if you love him/her too or if you're in love with the idea of being in love. It is very hard to see the difference through logical thinking.

Let your heart guide you.

Where God Guides He Provides....

2006-11-22T22:13:00.001+07:00

If the Lord does a miracle in your life whether big or small...He likes to get the glory, no? So, here's some stuff My amazing Husband has done for me recently...

First of all thanks to all of you who have been praying for my fund-raising...I've been feeling your prayers!

Miracle 1: Someone decided to sponsor my plane-ticket, airport tax and medical expenses!! I have to take some tests to be accepted into the University where I will be studying Mandarin--for visa purposes

Miracle 2: My former employer, at the English language institute I taught at previously, also decided to help a bit towards my Mandarin studies. This was very sweet and somewhat unexpected of her.

So, I've got half of the amount I need raised...yaaaay! Well actually, I have fun- raised more than half, as I was also fund-raising for a much needed laptop, but the Lord supplied that already! PTL!

Will keep you all updated...

Love you!

Truth is Stranger than Fiction...or perhaps just as strange!

2006-11-22T21:29:00.001+07:00

Manila stops real version of "Snakes on a Plane"

MANILA (Reuters) - Manila airport officials prevented a real life version of horror flick "Snakes on a Plane" this week when they stopped more than 130 reptiles, including poisonous cobras, from boarding a flight to Bangkok.

Dozens of lizards, wearing diapers to conceal the stench of their urine, and 60 snakes concealed in water bottles, were discovered Tuesday inside two suitcases belonging to a Filipino woman, airport officials said.

Security officers noticed something moving when her luggage was being x-rayed. One of the nappy-clad lizards reportedly died due to heat.

Believed to be effective aphrodisiacs (heheh) and good-luck charms, reptiles, amphibians and other exotic animals have become a popular delicacy and ornament in many parts of Asia.

Last week, Manila airport authorities arrested a Filipino man trying to smuggle three live Siamese crocodiles from Cambodia.

Thank You Marty and Ruth...

2006-11-20T18:18:00.000+07:00

I know this is a bit late...but better late than never.

Thanks Marty and Ruth for your birthday gift. You guys always remember to send something...it's very sweet of you...

Love and miss you both tons!

Climb till Your Dreams come True...

2006-11-18T15:58:00.000+07:00

Often your tasks will be many,
And more than you think you can do.
Often the road will be rugged,
And the hills insurmountable, too.

But always remember, the hills ahead
Are never as steep as they seem,
And with faith in your heart, start upward
And climb till you reach your dream.
For nothing in life that is worthy,
Is ever too hard to achieve,
If you have the courage to try it,
And you have the faith to believe.

For faith is a force that is greater,
Than knowledge or power or skill,
And many defeats turn to triumphs,
If you trust in God's wisdom and will.

For faith is a mover of mountains,
There's nothing that God cannot do,
So start out today with faith in your heart,
And climb till your dream comes true.
--Anonymous

Miracles coming up...

2006-11-14T22:55:00.000+07:00

Yup...that's what I'm expecting of the Lord...MIRACLES!!! I've been keeping it a secret, well sort of, and I really dunno why but--- I'm moving to Taiwan!
AND I just found out that I need to be there asap so my fundraising and visa application has gone majorly into 3rd gear. Everything has started to go so fast, that my mind is in a bit of whirl and I'm tempted to think it can't be done...but I know that's just nonsense.
I'm standing on the key promise: No matter the obstacle, stand fast in My will. Call upon the power of the keys and stand back and see Me do the miracle.

So please pray with me that everything will work out smoothly. Pretty please???

Number 1 prayer request: That my application to the university gets approved
Number 2 prayer request: That my student visa application gets approved
Number 3 prayer request: That I will be able to gather enough show funds
Number 4 prayer request: That all my required funds come in in the short amount of time I have (2-3 weeks)

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR ALL OF YOU WHO WILL PRAY AND ARE PRAYING FOR ME.
I super appreciate it!!!

Love you all and see you in Taiwan...maybe??? :-)

A 'Must Read' book IMO at least...

2006-11-11T22:28:00.000+07:00

Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, ... but against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Piercing the Darkness, by Frank Ferretti, is one of those rare 'secular' Christian books that actually manages to hit several nails on the head regarding the ever-constant spiritual warfare that is waged around us and by us.

It touches on topics ranging from the Occult to New Age early learning theories; Secret societies to Sexual Abuse & Incest; Angels & demons to the Power of Prayer (that's prayer to both sides of the other world) and the list could go on...

I read this book a few years back and it left a vivid impression on me. I've been looking for it ever since and only just found a text copy of it today. Even if I (or whoever reads this book) don't believe or agree with everything Mr. Ferretti insinuates in this book, there's enough in it that can be related to real life--both sinister and godly. Read it and see for yourself, and if you find time, tell me what you think...

If you are interested email me here and I will gladly send you the text.

A 'Cultured' Evening...

2006-11-09T22:33:00.000+07:00

It was a great evening!

I strolled around admiring expensive paintings (that did or didn't make sense) and practised my 'hi-so' airs...heheh

I seated myself in the seat of my choice (amazingly enough they did not provide seating arrangements--it was first come first serve) and prepared to be settled as comfortably in it for the next two hours...I wasn't sure what to expect, I was prepared to 'hit' or 'miss'....

Fortunately I 'hit'....

The tri-band performing (yes, it turned out not to be an orchestra)

displayed enthusiasum and tremendous talent as they took us on their "Horseshoe Road" tour. Every single one of them played their instuments in a unique and unforgetable fashion. I had never seen the likes of them before...on video, TV or live performances. They also sang marvelously....from hilarious bluegrass to a rock style 'love gone bad' song! And they could sing each style distinctly.

Here are some pics from that evening. It's a shame that we weren't able to take any better pictures of the band but oh well...

I'm off to see a Jazz orchestra...

2006-11-06T15:33:00.000+07:00

Yup, that's right...half of our home along with the young ppl from another home are going to attend a free orchestra show. Yipppeeee...fun fun! Bless the Thai King who makes all these spectacular (& expensive) events free!

So while we're off to get some "culture" and get more acquainted with the fine arts please enjoy this ...it just might make your day.

I showed this to my home for inspiration this morning, they got a kick out of it...hehehehe

Just letting you all know...

2006-11-05T15:35:00.000+07:00

For all you kind folks who have been visiting my blog and posting comments, please know that I have been visiting your sites and trying to comment, but for some bizarre reason I can't post on any blog besides my own. I hope the problem resolves itself a few days, but if not, I will take drastic measures. Blogger (or whoever is to blame) beware!!!
You thou "Cannot Post" bug will not be suffered to squelch my Freedom of Speech!!! I will not lie down and surrender!!!!!
(I'm sorta in the "fighting" mode as I'm listening to the Fighting and Spiritual Warfare word compilation)

hehehehe...

Disjointed Happenings...

2006-11-04T23:25:00.000+07:00

I haven't posted anything in awhile, hmmmm, I guess that's because I've been busy fiddling around with my template...it's quite fun you know!

For all you who don't read the comments, I had to change the hot and eye-catching original template pic due to the PR concerns of the field I'm in...sad I know, but oh well it's for the greater good (wow, I'm so sacrificial....hehehe)

So, besides staring at my computer trying to figure out template codes here's what I have been up to...

-I finished teaching the kids a dance to "Deck the Halls" Yaaaaay! --And now to provision free bowling tickets for their much anticipated reward...

-I gave the FGA women in my home a make-up class. No, I'm not a professional...but I'm qualified because....I'm vain perhaps???
Not too vain. I hope.... :D

-I decorated our main C'mas tree and put up our holly streamers...gosh, time is flying past! Before we know it--it'll be C'mas!!!

-I finished my vacation's stash of rum :(...so it's gonna be beer and more beer. But that's not bad, because I like beer and because there's someone in my home that buys a whole box of beer every month. I then buy beer from her and pay wholesale price...I love discounts! Don't you?
*snicker

-I stayed awake chatting all night. Maybe that isn't too unusual for some of you...but for me that was a first in ages....

-I recorded for the first time on my laptop. I didn't know that my headset's mic worked so good! It was clear and even picked up my guitar quite nicely. And for all those who don't know me, I'm not a musician. I'm just a regular family person who knows how to play basic guitar and perhaps carry a tune...
But one thing that was memorable was that I was singing an original composition of mine. Errr the tune was mine, but the lyrics were based on a poem a guy friend of mine shared with me the other day...
Ummm guy friend, if you are reading this...please be rest assured that the song is just for me. I won't pass around the poem/song, just like I promised...

-I had a "blindness" spell today. I've never experienced something like it before and I wouldn't want to again. I felt completely fine, but then all of a sudden my vision came in waves and I couldn't focus on anything. Then the "corners" of my vision began to dim...that's when I laid down with a cool compress on my eyes praying and hoping that nothing serious was going on. A half hour later my vision was restored but I had a headache...
I guess this helped me feel more for Mama. And I also got that I've been spending too much time on the computer....oh dear I better make this short!

-I wallpapered my computer desk. It looks quite good in my opinion and took a lot less time than if I had sanded and repainted it...

-I went on OR with Mary, our new home member. Boy, is she on a roll!....GBH!

-I fixed our stove. One of our burners hasn't been working for ages, but for some reason today I got inspired to take it apart and see if there was any way to fix it. Fortunately there was...the gas pipe was full of gunk and it wasn't even connected because a piece was missing. I scrounged around our handyman room and found a curtain rod connector that fit perfectly...Yay TYJ for "mickey mouse" HM jobs!....hehehe (actually the burner works better than the other ones now)

So this is some of what I have been up to...

I wish you all a good day ;)

New Avatar...

2006-11-02T00:35:00.000+07:00

So how'd you all like this one? Or was the other one "better?" I'm rather curious about the general impression of recognizable avatars (where you can see the face of the person) and anonymous avatars (when the person just posts part of his/her body, you know it's the person but "you can't really tell") Which do you prefer? Why so?

I'm interested to know if you find the time....

Odd bits...

2006-10-30T23:58:00.000+07:00

I came across this post from Joe's (aka: Amaranthine) blog and I loved it. The way the prophecies were compiled and the point it brought across was just too good to not help spread far and wide. Thanks Joe for taking the time to compile it. It was one of the more "heavier" things I've read in a loooong time!

Now to skip to a totally different subject.........

I know reading novels isn't supposed to be encouraged, but for those who prayed about it and have gotten a go ahead from the Lord and who like the "Sword of Truth" series...Book 10 (The Phantom) is out. Perhaps you already knew that and read it, but just in case...
If you are interested, email me and I'll send it to you....

And oh, if you're a fan of the "Wheel of Time" series I have those available too...

ciao

I met God in the morning....

2006-10-30T12:03:00.000+07:00

All work and no play makes a very dull errrr.... missionary??? :D

So yeah, the last morning of our road trip we took the morning off to enjoy the beach near our beach-house accomodations (Dr. Amelia sponsored our accomodations...remember her Ruthie?)

I didn't feel like swiming but the wade was enjoyable and peaceful...

Are yellow and blue our favorite colors...

2006-10-30T11:49:00.000+07:00

Probably no one noticed, but if you look at all the CTP pics I've posted most of us have been wearing either blue or yellow shirts. For all those visiting my blog that have never been to Thailand or even those who have been here...yellow is the king of Thailand's color and blue is the queen's.
We were advised to wear these colors during CTP's to "become one" and to show our respect and happiness that their highness' have reigned for so long..60 YEARS!
Thais LOOOOOVE their king and queen....you can wear a bracelet declaring it, car stickers that proclaim it, badges and brooches that announce it and the list goes on. These are just the "official" ways you can join in showing respect and celebrate...

We also have to wear yellow every Monday and Friday...

...I don't think I'll be wearing yellow at all next year :P

Our "Winning Team"...

2006-10-29T23:31:00.000+07:00

The two "extra" folks below are the sweet people who gave us dinner at their gorgeous restaurant. PTL for new contacts!!!

*NOTE: This was the first meal my Dad and I provisioned as a team...monumental eh?

Distributing some goods at the Mountain Village School...

2006-10-29T23:24:00.000+07:00

Dusty Road Take Me Home...

2006-10-29T00:25:00.000+07:00

Above is road we traveled on to get to the mountain village we visited to do a CTP...

The last bit of civilization (electricity lines)

Gorgeous plantations...

No more electricity, telephones or bathrooms...we know because we asked to use one!

The bridge that was washed away which we, by miracle, were able to avoid...

Try it...you just might like it!

2006-10-27T16:57:00.000+07:00

I just got back from a very fruitful and inspiring road trip, but due to my laziness to get the pics and write some testimonies I decided to post some of my latest cocktail creations. I don't claim to be professional but I made these for the home here and they loved it...guys and girls alike. So yeah, try it you just might like it!!!

Pinkagrita

*This drink should be mixed in a shaker (an air-tight stainless steel coffee mug will do)

Prep:
-Put glass in the freezer
-Pour some salt into a saucer (about 2-3mm high)
-Cut some slices of lemon

Ingrediants:
-Vodka
-Lime juice
-Club soda
-Lychee concentrate
-Ice

Instructions:
-Fill the "shaker" 3/4ths full of ice
-Pour 1/2 oz Lime juice
-Pour 1/2 oz of Lychee concentrate
-Pour 1 oz (or one shot glass) vodka
-Shake!
-Take glass out of the freezer and dip rim into the salt saucer
-Pour "the drink" into the glass
-Fill the remaining glass space with club soda
-Stir with a swizzle stick and garnish with a lemon slice

Whallah! This drink looks and tastes great. Just be careful not to drink it like the juice it tastes like...

Amber Fire

Ingrediants:
-Rum
-Brandy
-Club soda
-Orange Juice
-Ice

Instructions:
-Fill glass 1/2 full with ice
-Pour 2 oz of orange juice
-Pour 1 and 1/2 oz of rum
-Pour 1 oz of brandy
-Fill remaining glass with club soda
-Stir gently

This drink is less "fun" than the one above, but it definitely feels good and just might surprise you...

Our FLOOD RELIEF trip to Ang Tong Province...

2006-10-22T11:22:00.000+07:00

We got this old lady and her husband saved. This is their make-shift home due to their house being flooded up to the second floor.

The children happily making the most of flood waters...

Passing out the goods we were able to collect. Rice, noodles, toiletries, medicine etc...

The people calmly lined up and were very appreciative

Some pics of our FLOOD RELIEF prep...

2006-10-22T11:15:00.000+07:00

Gonna have to wait till tomorrow...

2006-10-22T00:30:00.000+07:00

I promised someone that I would post some of my recent flood relief pics, but I guess I'm gonna have to break that promise. We had a visitor/new home member come over tonight so I wasn't able to get on my computer till now. Too late though, as all the other computers are off and their owners are having sweet dreams.

I'll try to get the pics off of our network tomorrow...

And I'll try to be more faithful with post pics. I believe my blog is getting boring :D

Tomorrow then....

Flood relief prep....

2006-10-18T22:20:00.000+07:00

Siiiiiiigh...it has been a looooong day. But it was a good day. A LOT of things got accomplished!!!

I stayed at home with the kids and managed to complete their necessary activities...and mobilize them to help with packing some food stuffs for our flood relief trip tomorrow. The kids and I packed over sixty bags of rice (two & a half kgs ea.) and sixty bags of peanuts. Just when we thought we had all the packing finished the teams came home with MORE items to give away!!!

PTL for his abundant supply. We started of planning this flood relief trip thinking that we wouldn't have enough goods to pass out, but in just one day we got much more than we had hoped for.

A real cool thing about this was, just yesterday when we were confirming with the Lord about whether we should still try to do this project (seeing that we hadn't got enough sponsors for the trip,) I got that we shouldn't worry about goods because they would come in. And sure enough--today, the very last day, the goods arrived!!!!

Anyways, it was a real fun and uniting activity helping each other pack the goodie bags we are going to pass out tomorrow. Family life is The Best!!!

I'll try to post some pics when I get them...

To those who were once part of our home...WE LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL! (Natalie, Estie, Sam, Timo etc...)

Muah

INSTUCTIONS FOR LIFE...

2006-10-17T10:19:00.000+07:00

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s:
Respect for self,
Respect for others and
Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which yourl ove for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

--Dalai Lama

It's amazing that He still loves me so....

2006-10-16T08:50:00.000+07:00

I never meant it to be this way. I know in my heart that I wouldn't be where I am or even pretending to be sane with Him, but somehow I lost my way. Somehow I've but Him on my least of priorities list.
He could have decided to bawl me out and tell me how out of it I have been. He could have told me that He won't bless me because I have truly ignored Him.
No, He's love and He stayed true to scripture: Love suffereth long and is still kind...
I feel a bit horrible and very unfaithful. I mean, it's like having a lover or boyfriend and totally ignoring him.
Here are the sweet words He said to me. If you are reading this, I hope they are an encouragement to you too...

I am happy to see your contentment and my heart is glad knowing that you have let the burdens of the past behind. I know that you are feeling a little confused as you cannot see ahead. You cannot understand the direction that I am taking you.

There is so much you have to put in My hands. This is what you must do, My love, place it in My hands everyday. Pray that I will lead and guide you everyday. I lay burdens on your heart and I open doors for you, but there is so much more I can do for you if you stay close to Me and be concious of my direct daily leading in your life.

Ask Me about everything. This has become such a cliche' phrase, I know, but your life will be sooooo much richer and your path so much clearer if you would just take a little of your time to dedicate yourself and your day to Me.

It's the little steps that bring you closer to the goal. A lot of times your leaps, even though well intentioned, are leaps to the wrong direction. It is safer to take little steps--walking along beside Me and asking Me about every turn and about every step.

I could be so much more to you. You have forgotten Me. I have become your least priority. Please remember Me? I love you so much and I soooo long to be with you. I'm in love with you and nothing makes Me happier than spending time with you.

Just talk to Me. You can talk to Me about everything. It doesn't need to be a "serious" conversation each time. It can just be a "hi" or "a checking in with Me" sort of conversation.Will you try Me?

Will take the time for Me? I am not asking much. I just want to make you happy, but I can't, if you don't even acknowledge Me.Thank you for tuning into Me today. I love you so much!

Your Lover and Best Friend,
Jesus

Happenings...

2006-10-14T00:02:00.000+07:00

A lot has happened recently and I'm thankful. I'm not good at mundane, monotonous and regular. I'm always looking for something different.

I was able to hang with one of my long lost girlfriends the other weekend. It was really great seeing her. She looked gorgeous and she said I looked good too..ptl!!!...heheh
We went out for a few drinks, grooved to the music and met up with some other friends--it wasn't an awfully exciting night but it was good because I was able to be with her and catch up on what she's been up to.

I'm so proud of her and happy for her. She's doing great and she's really going somewhere. You know who you are, girl, just letting you know I love you to bits and am praying for you...

A few days went by uneventfully but yesterday was very happening:

-Got up early to lead devotions about the FED study month reading assignments
-Went out with my parents to pick up my lil sis from another home to do some legal work
-Went to immigrations to pay a fine...(PTL, we didn't have to pay the "new" penalty price")
-Had lunch altogether with my family (the only one missing was my bro...love and miss you, you know that don't you?)
-Went to the hospital to get some more legal stuff done...for my sis
-Met up with a friend, Sam, at the hospital
-Went to M.V. Doulos (a Christian book store in a boat)
-Bought a lovely make-up guide (actually wanted one about beading...but oh well)
-Came home, took a warm bath and ate dinner
-Then we watched "The Matador" (if you don't like cynical movies, stay away from this one...)
-Stayed up till 2am talking to my sis

Now it bleeds into today:

-Woke up at 9:30am and had breaky with Sam and my sis.
-For wordtime we read all the 13th chapters of each book of the Bible up till Jeremiah
-Cooked some lunch but wasn't hungry after I finished cooking and cleaning the mess made.
-Got my hair streaked
-Tried out the tips mentioned in my new make-up book
-Had dinner and cake and ice-cream due to a birthday at home
-Watched "Just like Heaven"

Present time:

-I'm sitting here sipping a beer while blogging. I'm dead tired but my mind doesn't want to sleep. It wants to do something...but what?

My hands feel sluggish and are tingling...maybe I should stop typing...I feel like I'm gonna loose control any minute...yikes!

So yeah, I'm off till next time...

To anyone who visits this site...I love you! :D

Christmas has come--again...

2006-10-05T11:28:00.001+07:00

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Lalalalalala..."

Yup that's the song I'm choreographing for the 2 kids here. I hope it turns out ok. Dancing isn't exactly one of their talents so I'm crossing my fingers that whatever comes out looks somewhat like a dance :D

...If you're reading this, I wouldn't mind you shooting up a prayer for us. Thanks :)

Two major things just happened recently.

1. I moved rooms!!!

2. My trusty desktop got sold!!! Whaaaaaaaa

I love you dear beloved Desktop, I'm so sorry to have to let you go. You see, I might have to go on a big airplane soon, and well, you just won't fit in my bag along with my ever expanding wardrobe...I'm sooo sorry

So yeah, THERE are the big changes in my life.

A spify (supposedly more convenient) laptop will moving in with me. Don't worry Desktop...Laptop will never take your place....

Ok...I think I just wrote my strangest post ever...

Hmmmmm...I'm not sure what to think. Perhaps my desktop trauma is worse than I thought :-p

In dedication to all my friends...

2006-10-04T23:32:00.000+07:00

I'm feeling homesick for all of my friends right now. I don't know what triggered it. Perhaps it was the one-liner I just received from a once close friend reminding me how time apart and distance changes some of us.

But fortunately not all of us.

So this is to all my friends close and not so close anymore...

I love you and am praying for you all!

***

I want you to know how much you mean to me,

I hope you will see all that you've given to me
By just having, having you in my life.
And I've been thinking of how much I miss those special times …

Of sharing God's Word wherever we happened to be,
Loving simple, little joys that made life more complete,
Holding our hands together in prayer.
Oh, I just wanna say thank you for all of the time we shared.

So many times you have put a smile on my face.
And when I was feeling down, you'd be there to brighten my day.
I want you to know the blessing that you are,
For you will always have a special place in my heart.

And now, far across the globe,
I still can feel your prayers,
They're with me everywhere I go.
And now I no longer cry;
The Lord has shown the way
To ease the miles of space:
We have built a bridge of prayer.

Now I pray for the Lord to lighten your way,
Fill you with grace, strengthen your soul, bless your faith.
And one thing I pray that I'll be Is all to you that you have been to me.

*Thanks Cherisha for these beautiful lyrics and such an inspired song...

Strange freak out...

2006-10-01T22:30:00.000+07:00

I've been realizing that most of my friends, whether crazy or sensible have managed to become...MOTHERS!!! and Fathers too...and it got me thinking.

Will I all of a sudden become motherly if/when I get PG?...

Will I be a good mother?...

Will I know how to manage a family, husband etc?

Will I be able to teach my kids properly...like will they ever learn how to read?

AAAAAAaaiiiiiyeeeee!!!!!

And on and on and on went my scarily deeeeep thoughts.

I don't know why my thoughts took me on such a spin. I mean it wasn't just yesterday that realized that eventually I will have to face up to life as "not a single." And I don't think I've ever been worried about how I'd fare when the time comes...

But today I just went dooooown. I was thinking like mad and all my conclusions were coming out pretty negative...

It finally got so bad that I had to cast my burdens on the Lord. Whew, that worked...and boy was glad to finally be able to concentrate on making beef steak, baked potatoes, gravy, steamed carrots, sliced tomatoes and quartered quavas.

Ahhhhh...it was a delicious dinner, if I can say so myself..heheh

**Have you ever had a strange "worry" freak out like this?

Some pics of my birthday activities...

2006-09-30T23:57:00.000+07:00

Yup I went..

Elephant riding...

Ox cart driving...

Buffalo riding...

and ummm errrr shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it's a secret...promise???

...

...

Banana leaf with home grown tobacco smoking...heheh

The Sweetest Post EVER....

2006-09-30T22:59:00.000+07:00

My dear sis-in-law posted such an encouraging birthday greeting (Sept. 22) for me on her blog(which I only found today...whoooops)

It was soooo sweet and totally made my day.

I feel horrid that I didn't post anything for her on her birthday (Aug. 5) as I was feeling rather blog-depressed that month. Oh well, I'm going to have to make up for it here...

For all of you who come across this please take note that Ruth is one of those wonderful people who really matter. She's sensible but also silly enough to be the life of the party. She's really talented but not too proud about it and is more than willing to give you a helping hand (remember all the times I had to smeagle your English teaching materials and plans?) She's a great friend cuz I know I can depend on her, she's not just all talk and sympathy she'll help you figure something out. She loves the Lord and is "spiritual" but not too "spiritual"...you know what I mean?

Ruth darling...you always say I've been through a lot but really, you've totally beat me past the finish line. You've made lemonade outta your lemons so well...I'm wondering if you're starting to like them lemons...heheh

I can't say "I admire you" enough. I love you and am so thankful for you.

My bro is lucky that he's with you. You both are so cool and your kids are proof of it.

Muuuuuuuuuuuah

Just got back from Changmai...

2006-09-26T23:15:00.000+07:00

Yaaaaay after almost 15 years of living in Thailand I finally was able to visit the most famous northern city in Thailand--CHANGMAI
The best part was that it wasn't a disappointment. I believe I made many memorable memories in the few days I was able to spend up there.
There's just something about driving up winding mountain roads and seeing so much lovely green scenery that's breathtaking.
We even got to stay at a hugh traditional stilted teak house. We slept under mosquite nets, showered in completely teak bathrooms with no ceilings, washed dishes while squating and put them to dry in a bamboo basket.

Here are some random pics from our trip...

Oh what a beautiful Sunday....

2006-09-17T22:42:00.000+07:00

I just had to blog about this...I haven't been blogging twice in one week recently but I just had to rejoice...and yeah I guess blog...heheh

I won my private Sunday English class students to the Lord...yay!!! That might not seem a feat to most of you, but for me it has been awfully difficult to get my English class students saved...esp. when they're rich and the same age as me.

The Lord led me to do something totally different. I had them bring their laptop and I showed them the "What Some People Get High On" powerpoint presentation. And when it got to the prayer I explained to them about it and gave them the choice whether they wanted to pray the prayer or not. I mean what did them have to loose? Besides, the prayer on the tract is quite cool...IMO!

So, yeah today is a good day. If I can win at least one soul to the Lord everyday...everyday would be wonderful!

Hope you all had a good day too...xxx!

The morning after....

2006-09-15T02:35:00.000+07:00

Yeah, I'm writing this in the wee hours of my WNR...yaaaaaaay! I love WNR's...dont' you???

Today I did a bit of everything. I printed out my Activated envelopes, wrote a couple of "Thank You" cards, sent a couple of DVD's, cooked lunch and then went out personal witnessing. I like keeping busy and variety is the spice of life...I'm so glad that in our service for Him we get the opportunity to do an amazing variety of stuff...all in one day at times! :-D

We went to this little park next to several universities and high schools not too far from home. I passed out lots of posters and was able to win two souls. My partner won 4 so in the couple hours we had to PW we got 6 souls into Heaven--PTL!

This evening we played a Bible game. It was very fun, informative and refreshing. Gosh, do I need to brush up on Bible knowledge...I even learned a totally new thing or two. So fun!

My shortcut for prayer vigil for today :D

2006-09-14T10:28:00.000+07:00

Dear Lord,
Every single evening,
As I'm lying here in bed,
this little prayer
keeps running through my head.
To bless a mother board...
But listen just a moment
while I explain to you my Lord.
You see, this little metal box
holds more than odds & ends.
Inside those small compartments
rest so many of my dear sweet friends!
I know so much about them
by the kindness and the understanding
that they give to me,
And this little scrap of metal
takes me to where they live.
By faith is how I know them,
much the same as you;
We share in what life brings us
and from that in friendship grew.
Please take an extra minute
from your duties up above,
To bless these in my address book,
that's filled with so much love!
Whomever else this prayer may reach,
to each and every friend;
Bless each e-mail inbox
and the person who hits ''send''
When you update your heavenly list
on your CD-ROM,
Remember each who said this prayer
sent up to Dear Lord.com
Amen
Written by: B.J.Morbitzer

Farewell Sam...

2006-09-13T21:59:00.000+07:00

I'm trying not to make this post gushy and sentimental because I know he wouldn't appreciate that...but still, I'm not sure if I'll be able to help it...I guess we'll see.

Sam was a good friend. He put up a lot from me. I was too emotional about a lot of things a lot of the time, but he would let it pass. Life is going to be soooo different without him. Life is already different, and he's only been gone a little over 12 hours!

I'm the only young person in my home now, and that thought rather scares me. It's amazing how just one other person can make a world of difference. He was a friend to look forward to hanging out with, no matter how mundane our "hanging out" would be and while he was with the kids he was a joy to watch...

Perhaps, I'm a little biased to him (those who are close to me know why) but that won't stop me from writing here what he was to me. He was a lot of things. I had happy times with him and likewise some sad and painful times, but I'm glad to have known him--I believe he made my life just that much richer.

Sam you were to me...

Someone to talk to.
Someone to ask questions.
Someone to tease.
Someone to compete mildly with.
Someone to admire.
Someone to be frustrated with.
Someone to care for.
Someone to learn from.
Someone to be with.
Someone to smile at.
Someone to be amused with.
Someone to work with.
Someone to do things for.
Someone to touch.
Someone to dream about.
Someone to love...

Love and miss you, Sam, wishing you fun, fulfilment and love. Thank you for everything...

To: You know who you are...

2006-09-05T13:59:00.000+07:00

Thank you so for the guitar. I know you gave it to me because it's better than giving it to the home, but still, it was very sweet of you to appoint me as being it's guardian...

Love you and miss you already...

I wrote this yesterday, but Blogger wouldn't let me post it...

2006-09-04T07:28:00.000+07:00

Well hello...yes, I am back. For a short while...long enough to write this post...at least.

Change is good right? Please tell me so. There have been quite a few changes in my home recently and there are going to be some more. Some I know I won't like, and some well, I don't know what they are so I'm a bit anxious...

Is anybody feeling the same?

I will post some pics and some stories about the more memorible stuff I have been up to since my last post...so loooong ago. But for this post I will start of with today...

Today I woke up with the realization that even though it hasn't clicked yet, and that even though my emotions are still screwy...life goes on. Change will happen. Someone I really care about is going to leave...really soon. I can't say that I'm feeling all that sad yet, I guess I've been trying to brace myself for that reality for so long that I've sorta killed any emotion linked with this upcoming change, but still, I can feel something turning. I know it has begun...

Please pray for me...

But enough of that morose subject. I just wanted to try to express it in words. I'm thinking it might help me a bit...and I guess it did...in a way :)

Anyways...

Today I received (as a gift) my first guitar. It's a real nice one (an acoustic Morris) and I hope to do it subject justice...I better start practicing!!! You see, the friend who gave it to me is a talented musician...

It was a real lovely surprise, I never thought he'd give it to me. It will be a remembrance of him...even though I don't think I really need one...Good friends stay in your heart for good...at least for me...

Oh yeah, someone said the other day, that I'm a rather unusual virgo in the sense that I'm more emotionally expressive...I guess that is true, but I'm not so sure. Those who know me, what do you think? And if I am, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Lemme know if you find the time...