Posted by abeneplacito at 12:05 PM on November 26, 2009.
take the bitter with the sweet. it's a fallen world ... the very best could elicit negative responses. i am certainly not the very best in everything. the world find fault with even saints. and i am far from a perfect saint =P. so there!
Posted by abeneplacito at 12:45 PM on November 24, 2009.
Have you ever stared into the rain
Thought the clouds would never disappear
Have you ever screamed out into the dark
Thinking no one else could hear
I was leaving footprints tainted by my past
On this winding road to you
I'd lost my faith in love
Tonight I believe again
My Heart was a broken place
Now I feel whole again
You bring me honesty
And that's worth believing in
and I believe
I believe again
Have you ever spun out of control
Like you never saw the road ahead
Have you ever just kept looking back
Ever closer to the edge
I was praying for the light I see in your eyes
I had all but given up
I'd lost my faith in love
Tonight I believe again
My Heart was a broken place
Now I feel whole again
You bring me honesty
And that's worth believing in
and I believe
I believe again
I believe the impossible is possible to overcome
I believe in miracles
Born from love in everyone
I'd lost my faith in love
Tonight I believe again
My Heart was a broken place
Now I feel whole again
You bring me honesty
And that's worth believing in
and I believe
I believe again
============================================================
have always liked Delta Goodrem's songs, esp since she's such a survivor (from a rare cancer diagnosed at age 17) and she writes them herself, plus she is a good singer. so far, 'take me home' and 'be strong' are my favorites. i believe again, however, is perhaps more appropriate for these times.
Posted by abeneplacito at 04:25 AM on November 24, 2009.
now i am convinced general health & medicine should be a compulsory part of secondary/primary school curricula >.<. but i guess "in sickness and in health" is being played out in one of the more personal dramas.
hang ups. we've all got one or more of those. in any case, i'm glad that i've come to learn of my mucky/diabolical pride in the gentle hands of 'love'. there could have been harsher masters. the latter part of this year I feel closer to God somehow.
of course it helps that these days i am not continually sleepy and can afford to spend an hour or two just thinking and reflecting, or jumping up in the middle of the night just to find a verse in the bible =). and also the strain of having to be 'good' and 'an example' has largely eased off with fewer 'teaching' and 'mentoring' responsibilities.
and i'm sorry for being the smug pain-in-the-ass i know i am sometimes. it's not easy to love me =P. i guess that's why God gave me other mitigating attributes =P.
on a lighter note, this is the second paper i review within these two weeks that is just a poorly executed copy of a previously published paper, and both coming from I. that's just sad. =(. why do ppl do this? do they really think they'd get away with it, in this era of the internet and powerful search engines? it's just pathetic. who are they trying to fool?
Posted by abeneplacito at 02:34 PM on November 23, 2009.
There were times in my life i wondered if i had ever truly loved . Accepting others' weaknesses is so much a part of the expected Christian conduct that it becomes common decency, although of course it is difficult and requires love.
There were other indicators, unexpected and surprising things i found that told me i did love:
1. i wanted to be perfect ... not so that i may be liked in return (for i knew i already enjoyed his favor), but so that i might make him proud. the first time ever that i wanted to be perfect (or the best that i could be), and the first time ever that i wanted to be anything to make anyone proud.
2. i was at peace with being accepted despite my flaws.
3. i was comfortable and could enjoy the person's admiration. strange as it may sound, i was extremely uncomfortable with being admired for certain things. somehow, it was ok.
4. i could accept and enjoy being 'protected'. there was a time i vehemently hated that. nothing came off as patronizing.
5. i wanted to be strong so that i may be strong for him and that i need not be a burden.
Posted by sentosa at 10:09 AM on November 23, 2009.
Consumer Price Index
(2004 = 100)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Group | Weights | Index | % Change |
| | |-----------------------|-------------------|
| | | Oct | Sep | Oct | Oct 09/ | Oct 09/ |
| | (%) | 2008 | 2009 | 2009 | Sep 09 | Oct 08 |
| --------------------------|---------|-------|-------|-------|---------|---------|
| All items | 100 | 112.3 | 110.7 | 111.4 | 0.6 | -0.8 |
| | | | | | | |
| Food | 23 | 115.9 | 116.6 | 116.8 | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| Clothing & Footwear | 4 | 102.3 | 104.3 | 105.1 | 0.8 | 2.7 |
| Housing | 21 | 124.1 | 116.1 | 118.2 | 1.9 | -4.7 |
| Transport & Communication | 22 | 100.8 | 101.3 | 101.4 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Education & Stationery | 8 | 108.7 | 109.8 | 109.8 | - | 1.0 |
| Health Care | 5 | 112.7 | 115.0 | 115.3 | 0.2 | 2.2 |
| Recreation & Others | 17 | 110.8 | 108.3 | 108.7 | 0.4 | -1.9 |
| | | | | | | |
|All item less Accomodation | 86 | 110.9 | 109.0 | 109.6 | 0.6 | -1.1 |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by ardianto86 at 04:29 PM on November 22, 2009.
(Taken from My Utmost for His Highest, 22 November)
Beware of allowing yourself to think that the shallow aspects of life are not ordained by God; they are ordained by Him equally as much as the profound. We sometimes refuse to be shallow, not out of our deep devotion to God but because we wish to impress other people with the fact that we are not shallow. This is a sure sign of spiritual pride. We must be careful, for this is how contempt for others is produced in our lives. And it causes us to be a walking rebuke to other people because they are more shallow than we are. Beware of posing as a profound person— God became a baby.
To be shallow is not a sign of being sinful, nor is shallowness an indication that there is no depth to your life at all— the ocean has a shore. Even the shallow things of life, such as eating and drinking, walking and talking, are ordained by God. These are all things our Lord did. He did them as the Son of God, and He said, "A disciple is not above his Master."
Our safeguard is in the shallow things. We have to live the surface, commonsense life in a commonsense way; when deeper things come, God gives them to us apart from the shallow concerns. Never show the deeps to anyone but God. We are so abominably serious, so desperately interested in our own characters and reputation, we refuse to behave like Christians in the shallow concerns of life.
Make a determination to take no one seriously except God. You may find that the first person you must be the most critical with, as being the greatest fraud you have ever known, is yourself.
Posted by sentosa at 05:27 AM on November 22, 2009.
This sweet young gal went into modelling during her teenage year, and she got very famous for her shoot for HK slimming ad. She's very famous in HK now...
This is her quotation during the interview:
About four years ago, I went full-time. Encouraged by my modeling agency, I started taking part in competitions. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about presenting yourself in front of a big crowd. I never intended to get this “bikini girl” image. When I went full time, I tried out a few styles, but this is the one people liked. Naturally, people wanted me for that again and again. That’s fine. It’s not like just anyone can be me. I never said I liked to be in men’s sexual fantasies, I just said I can’t control what they think. People can like me in whatever ways they want to. Even the most innocent girl in the most proper outfit can become their sex object. Hong Kong as a city can be open and welcoming. But the individual people in Hong Kong like to say one thing and do another. I believe many people don’t mind what I do, but when they realize people around them are more conservative, they change their opinions to fit in. Magazine writers may not like me, but it’s important to remember they don’t represent the whole of Hong Kong.
