I have so many things to be thankful for this year. I can hardly enumerate it! A lot of things happened since this year started. I remember asking God     last December ‘08 to give this year to me; that it may be good and blessed compared to my previous ones, and God answered my prayers!!! I started the year 1st with a very nice haircut, at David’s Salon in Baguio. Oh yes, in Baguio (well, been having my vacation there for quite a while). Anyway, from my trademark sooper looong hair, to a very short one (next to BOB), it really is a big change of look for me, and thank God the haircut turned out too well (bumagay..). Then by February, one big news made a sudden change in my life- ofcourse this was the released of my NLE (Nurse Licensure Examination). whooohoo! I PASSED! it’s a big “YEAAAHH” for me.. Finally, I’m a legal professional now, well, that’s a good start.

          By late April/May, I was able to join my Justice League (that’s what I call my circle of friends back in college) in an out of town training in Subic. It’s a 30-day, isolated nurse staff training where we are obliged to stay inside the hospital vicinity for a week then go home during weekends. So that’s how things went there, until…. hehe. yea until, we were “evicted” haha. well, I aint bitter about it naman na, and I don’t regret if I wasn’t able to stay there for a li’l longer pa because, after my experience there, a lot of doors and i mean A LOT of ‘em opened for me. Too many great oppurtunities came. So i think, my Subic Experience, was a good one na rin despite the fact that I really didn’t last there for long. After which, I was able to join my Novartis Family and do something worth it. It was then the height of Influenza A (H1N1) in the country and everyone’s going crazy and scared of it. This is the part when I did or atleast the team did a very noble act, to be the VACCINATOR! ooh, flashback!, When I was still in college, it wasn’t an everyday practice to vaccinate people – newborn, children, elderly. But when I became myself the vaccinator during my Novartis days, oh, name it!! I experienced vaccinating 150+ people in a day!!! yeehaa! It was tiring but a very good feeling that you helped people boost their immunity against the said virus. Well, health teaching was there too, more of the fun and my self confidence was really increased to its highest level. It was nakakatakot at first but yes, “practice makes perfect” oh, what a great feeling. Then, i took a  break from it, went to Baguio and stayed there for more than a month. I don’t have plans of coming back pa sana, but another great oppurtunity came in again! After I arrived Manila, was advised by my friend, J to pass my resume to Manila City Hall for my Obstetrical cases preparing for the Midwifery Board Exam and my internship  at Ospital ng Tondo. Yep, you read it right, another board exam. I can’t get enough of it, don’t I?? hehe. So, i passed all my requirements and finished all that has to be done. In 2weeks time, my sched was released and there it goes, the start of my Midwifery experience. weee.. Months passed, i finished all my cases and now ready to apply for my Midwifery Board in November. After a month of studying, judgement day came. 2-day exam– exhausted and almost brain dead. ehehe. After 3 days of waiting, results came, and…… tan ta ra  ran! I PASSED -again.

        It really was a good year for me, though it wasn’t perfect of course. You really can’t get two good things all at the same time. To make the equilibrium, something has really need to be sacrificed. Well, this time, it was my love life. I am not to elaborate more on that, but the decision me and my partner made were all for the good and growth of us both.

        Now, as the year ends, I am asking the good Lord again, that He may grant me another blessed, fruitful and productive year; that He teaches again that I should be thankful in everything that’s coming my way, whether happy or not, success or failure, joy or tears, because in the end, all these things has its purpose — that is we learn to appreaciate and value every thing as it come and go.

God, be with me always. I am loving you everyday. In all my plans and endeavors, I lift them all up to you through your Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Just a few minutes ago I read a blog about the 2012 Mayan prophecy about our soon coming doom, or decline if you wish to call it such. Again, people are certain we humans will stop existing, cease to be. Wether or not that’s true, it is a nice thing to think about. Because how would this affect us?

How will our end take place, in the first place? Are we going to follow our dinosaurs predecessors, and a comet will come crashing down, obliterating all life in promity, and blocking out te sun to make sure the survivors will die after all? Well, placing a little faith in science, if there were to be a comet headed towards us, we’d know. So, option A is false. Will we, a la The Day After Tomorrow or the recent 2012, have the elements turndd against us, flooding the Himalaya and other Hollywood imaginations? It’s a nice dramatic way to go, but to my liking a bit too close to human imagination. Because, well, we’re humans. We’ve done great things, invented the wheel, build religions inspired and brought to us by our God and created weapons capable of destroying millions with the ease even a 2 year old could work with. But what do we really know? Again, it’s nice we can do all these things, but what do we know? Philosophers back in the Old Greece are not much behind to where we stand now. Our comprehension hasn’t improved with our technological advance. Just our factual knowledge. So, can we know how our end will be like? We humans can’t even fully understand deities who are a part of our everyday life, so how can we know something that hasn’t even happened yet? Something we just can not grasp. So, I’m not going to try to pose you an answer.

But, if our end was imminent and rapidly approaching, what things will humanity keep doing? I believe the populas would probably be left unaware, granting millions of life a normal last time. But what if intellctuals did know? For example, I’m a theatre student, and my entire reason for studying is to leave an etch on the Stick of Life and History. To leave something behind for the many amateurs (as in lovers of) of theatre that are to come. But if I knew that in 2012 all would end? It’s 2-3 years away from now, so it’s to early to start the chaos and last pleasures. But would making art still mean anything? For who would I be making it? In other words, why would I even bother?

Is that’s all there is to life and art then? Leaving stuff behind? Then why do I even bother now? Even assuming my spirit does live on in a life beyond life, what good does it do for me to be mentioned in a course book, a lexicon or a critical reader? Should I make art for another reason? Should I live with other goals? Perhaps bothering has become overrated, and we should just live. Experience. Think. As I said, live.

There is no doubt, in a Catholic belief system homosexuality is intrinsically “wrong.” However, there is a direct lack of evidence why. It is almost as though if questioned, a believer would merely say (in a more eloquent manner) “because God said so.” If as human beings we were to believe and worship everything with more power than ourselves then where would I society be headed? Would there be any scientific development? Would there be any progression of humanity?This other terribly discriminatory ideology that homosexual relationships have the capacity to devalue or in effect hinder a heterosexual relationship is completely illogical. How can a relationship that you have no knowledge of, destroy your relationship? In regards to homosexual marriage, American comedian Wanda Sykes puts it into a humorous colloquialism, “If you don’t believe in same-sex marriage, then don’t marry somebody of the same-sex.” Marriage is another topic that is too lengthy to delve into right now, however, people argue that the sanctity of marriage must be protected at all costs. However, marriage existed before religion, before Christianity, before Islam, before Judaism. In fact many of modern church practices (the use of candles, incense, etc.) were derived from the more ritualistic services of paganism. The Church’s view on homosexuality is clear and concise. Clarity is usually beneficial in most situations. But the passion at which the Church argues that these acts of homosexuality are “wrong” has a direct relationship to the amount of discrimination that exists in the wider society. One might even go so far as to argue that it could be the one of the underlying factors in the higher rate of suicide in gay teens. It an absolutely appalling statistic that approximately 30% of GLBT youths will attempt suicide. The Church is also used as a justification for violent and discriminatory acts. Matthew Shepherd’s death is a tragic example of the extent to which fear and text can motivate someone. Imagine if it were you, tied to a fence post, beaten to a bloody pulp and left to die. Why? Merely because of the colour of your skin, the type of men you found attractive, your religion, your political beliefs, the way in which you desired to express your sexuality and who you were as a person.

This cycle of discrimination has to be stagnated. If not for the safety of the GLBT community, but so that we can function and develop as a species. The Church had made its stance loud and clear, but there must be logical and rational Christians and Catholics that see the flaw and larger consequences that this stance creates, not only for homosexuals, but for the wider human society.“Homosexuality is a lifestyle choice.” -Wrong. Homosexuality is not a choice of lifestyle, but more of a part of a person perceives himself or herself to be. Modern psychology states that homosexuality is at least 30-70% genetic, therefore it can’t simply be argued that a man or woman wakes up one morning and decides that from this point in their lives that they will be homosexual. This is not to be confused with a period of discovery that many homosexuals undertake, but as Erikson defined in his stages of psychological development that all teens undergo this stage when they are attempting to find themselves and who they are as a person. The detrimental influence of society also creates this fear amongst many of today’s youth that instills into them a fear of being themselves. Not only around their peers, but also with family and even by themselves. Hiding from one self may also lead to many psychological problems in latter life.

One of my intellectual and quizzically inclined readers pointed out some interesting biblical quotes regarding the church’s stance on homosexuality.

Let us begin:
Genesis 19:5-8-”Calling to Lot they said, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so that we may abuse them.’
Lot came out to them at the door, and having closed the door behind him said, ‘I beg you, brothers, do no such wicked thing. Listen, I have two daughters who are virgins. I am ready to send them out to you, to treat as it pleases you. But as for the men, do nothing to them, for they have come under the shadow of my roof.’”

To place this in context the quote was articulated to be within the town of Sodom, and the two “men”? Well they were said to be angels of God. The ideologies contained within in the quote are not direct and clear. To begin the quote itself does not exclusively denote the act of homosexuality. But also in addition to this it does not even state that the abuse of the two angels was intended to be sexual. Regardless of the implications, even if this was intended to be sexual abuse, then would this simply mean that “Yahweh” as described in Genesis was condemning Rape, Sexual Abuse and Nonconsentual Sex? Rather than jumping to the discriminatory conclusion of homosexuality? Angels were beings completely void of sexual sin; meaning that even if women intended the same actions it could be stated that this would be “wicked” in the context as well.

The simple fact of the matter is, that Sodom was not an exclusively homosexually inclined town, but a cacophony of sinning did occur. Rape, murder, incest, bestiality were all the norms of this province, meaning that one cannot simply jump to the simplest conclusion to merely justify their own beliefs.

One of my intellectual and quizzically inclined readers pointed out some interesting biblical quotes regarding the church’s stance on homosexuality.

Let us begin:
Genesis 19:5-8-”Calling to Lot they said, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so that we may abuse them.’
Lot came out to them at the door, and having closed the door behind him said, ‘I beg you, brothers, do no such wicked thing. Listen, I have two daughters who are virgins. I am ready to send them out to you, to treat as it pleases you. But as for the men, do nothing to them, for they have come under the shadow of my roof.’”

To place this in context the quote was articulated to be within the town of Sodom, and the two “men”? Well they were said to be angels of God. The ideologies contained within in the quote are not direct and clear. To begin the quote itself does not exclusively denote the act of homosexuality. But also in addition to this it does not even state that the abuse of the two angels was intended to be sexual. Regardless of the implications, even if this was intended to be sexual abuse, then would this simply mean that “Yahweh” as described in Genesis was condemning Rape, Sexual Abuse and Nonconsentual Sex? Rather than jumping to the discriminatory conclusion of homosexuality? Angels were beings completely void of sexual sin; meaning that even if women intended the same actions it could be stated that this would be “wicked” in the context as well.

The simple fact of the matter is, that Sodom was not an exclusively homosexually inclined town, but a cacophony of sinning did occur. Rape, murder, incest, bestiality were all the norms of this province, meaning that one cannot simply jump to the simplest conclusion to merely justify their own beliefs.

There is no doubt, in a Catholic belief system homosexuality is intrinsically “wrong.” However, there is a direct lack of evidence why. It is almost as though if questioned, a believer would merely say (in a more eloquent manner) “because God said so.” If as human beings we were to believe and worship everything with more power than ourselves then where would I society be headed? Would there be any scientific development? Would there be any progression of humanity?This other terribly discriminatory ideology that homosexual relationships have the capacity to devalue or in effect hinder a heterosexual relationship is completely illogical. How can a relationship that you have no knowledge of, destroy your relationship? In regards to homosexual marriage, American comedian Wanda Sykes puts it into a humorous colloquialism, “If you don’t believe in same-sex marriage, then don’t marry somebody of the same-sex.” Marriage is another topic that is too lengthy to delve into right now, however, people argue that the sanctity of marriage must be protected at all costs. However, marriage existed before religion, before Christianity, before Islam, before Judaism. In fact many of modern church practices (the use of candles, incense, etc.) were derived from the more ritualistic services of paganism. The Church’s view on homosexuality is clear and concise. Clarity is usually beneficial in most situations. But the passion at which the Church argues that these acts of homosexuality are “wrong” has a direct relationship to the amount of discrimination that exists in the wider society. One might even go so far as to argue that it could be the one of the underlying factors in the higher rate of suicide in gay teens. It an absolutely appalling statistic that approximately 30% of GLBT youths will attempt suicide. The Church is also used as a justification for violent and discriminatory acts. Matthew Shepherd’s death is a tragic example of the extent to which fear and text can motivate someone. Imagine if it were you, tied to a fence post, beaten to a bloody pulp and left to die. Why? Merely because of the colour of your skin, the type of men you found attractive, your religion, your political beliefs, the way in which you desired to express your sexuality and who you were as a person.

This cycle of discrimination has to be stagnated. If not for the safety of the GLBT community, but so that we can function and develop as a species. The Church had made its stance loud and clear, but there must be logical and rational Christians and Catholics that see the flaw and larger consequences that this stance creates, not only for homosexuals, but for the wider human society.“Homosexuality is a lifestyle choice.” -Wrong. Homosexuality is not a choice of lifestyle, but more of a part of a person perceives himself or herself to be. Modern psychology states that homosexuality is at least 30-70% genetic, therefore it can’t simply be argued that a man or woman wakes up one morning and decides that from this point in their lives that they will be homosexual. This is not to be confused with a period of discovery that many homosexuals undertake, but as Erikson defined in his stages of psychological development that all teens undergo this stage when they are attempting to find themselves and who they are as a person. The detrimental influence of society also creates this fear amongst many of today’s youth that instills into them a fear of being themselves. Not only around their peers, but also with family and even by themselves. Hiding from one self may also lead to many psychological problems in latter life. 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

‘Shameful Flight’ relates the history of the final years of the British Raj in India, including the partition of India into both Pakistan (West and East) and India, and the early hostility of the two new nations destined for perpetual warfare in such regions as the Kashmir.The history of this era of political instability on the subcontinent includes all the main players from Great Britain, India and Pakistan.These main players include Winston Churchill, Viceroy Louis Mountbatten, Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru and Quaid-i-Azam Jinnah. There is not a single figure in this history of India’s partition who comes out of it in a good light, though several seem to have had very well-intentioned aims and motivations. It is the true story of lost opportunity and the devastating consequences of human pride and selfishness that have reverberated down through the decades to the present day and remain visible in the continuing clashes between India and Pakistan, as well as in the extremism expressed in both the Islamic and Hindu communities throughout the sub-continent. It is a story of perpetual tragedy and human suffering with no end in sight.

This book is extremely easy to read, passes on a wealth of historical information and whets the appetite for further research on the India/Pakistan situation. It provides enlightenment, by bringing understanding to the current political instability in both India and Pakistan, by clearly revealing the root of the problem – the manner of the birth of both nations out of British imperialism and that nation’s final haphazard departure aptly described as a ‘Shameful Flight.’ This is a great book for understanding the sub-continent and the wounds it still carries to this day.

This book was provided to me for review by Oxford University Press – www.oup.com

The outgoing head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday his probe of Iran’s nuclear program is at “a dead end” and that trust in Tehran’s credibility is shrinking after its belated revelation that it was secretly building a nuclear facility.

Mohamed ElBaradei’s blunt criticism of the Islamic Republic — four days before he leaves office — was notable in representing a broad convergence with Washington’s opinion, which for years was critical of the IAEA chief for what it perceived as his softness on Iran.

Iran also came in for censure from another quarter at the opening session of the IAEA’s 35-nation board, with the introduction of a resolution taking Tehran to task on a broad range of issues linked to international concerns that it may be seeking to make nuclear weapons. Significantly, diplomats at the meeting said the resolution was endorsed not only by Western powers — the U.S., Britain, France and Germany — but also by Russia and China.

Outgoing Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei waits for the start of the IAEA’s 35-nation board meeting at Vienna’s International Center, in Vienna, on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009

For strategic and economic reasons, Moscow and Beijing have sided with Tehran in the past. They have prevented several Western attempts to slap new U.N. sanctions on Iran for its nuclear defiance or succeeded in watering down their severity.

They did not formally endorse the last IAEA resolution critical of Iran in 2006. Their backing for the document at the Vienna meeting Thursday thus reflected broad international disenchantment with Tehran.

It also appeared to signal possible support for any new Western push for a fourth set of Security Council sanctions, should Tehran continue shunning international overtures meant to reach agreements that reduce concerns about its nuclear ambitions.

In Tehran, state TV quoted Iran’s envoy to the U.N. agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, as saying, “The Western countries should not spoil the positive atmosphere. They should allow cooperation between Iran and the agency to continue its positive trend.”

The IAEA resolution criticized Iran for defying a U.N. Security Council ban on uranium enrichment — the source of both nuclear fuel and the fissile core of warheads.

It also censured it for secretly building a uranium enrichment facility; noted that ElBaradei cannot confirm that Tehran’s nuclear program is exclusively geared toward peaceful uses, and expressed “serious concern” that Iranian stonewalling of an IAEA probe means “the possibility of military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear program” cannot be excluded.

Western diplomats said they expected about two-thirds of the board to support the resolution in a vote, likely Friday.

While the board cannot enforce any of its resolutions, they do get referred to the Security Council, giving any later move to impose new U.N. sanctions on Iran additional weight.

In his comments, ElBaradei touched on the same criticisms expressed in the resolution.

“There has been no movement on remaining issues of concern which need to be clarified for the agency to verify the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program,” he told the board session. “We have effectively reached a dead end, unless Iran engages fully with us.”

“Issues of concern” is the IAEA term for indications that Tehran has experimented with nuclear weapons programs, including missile-delivery systems and tests of explosives that could serve as nuclear-bomb detonators.

ElBaradei has emphasized the need for talks instead of threats in engaging Iran. He has criticized the U.S. for invading Iraq on the pretext that Saddam Hussein had a nuclear weapons program, which has never been proven. That — and perceived softness on the Iran issue — has drawn criticism from the U.S. and its allies that he was overstepping his mandate.

But ElBaradei’s comments Thursday left little doubt that he was most unhappy with Tehran.

“I am disappointed that Iran has not so far agreed” to a proposal involving removal of most of Iran’s enriched stockpile, ElBaradei told the meeting.

The plan approved by the six world powers negotiating with Iran over the past few months would commit Tehran to ship out 70 percent of its enriched uranium for processing into fuel rods for its research reactor in Tehran. That would help allay international fears by removing most of the material that Iran could use to make a nuclear weapon.

It would take more than a year for Tehran to replace the enriched material, meaning it would not be able to make a weapon for at least that long.

Iran says it is enriching only to power a future network of nuclear reactors. But enrichment can also produce fissile warhead material. Iran continues enriching, despite three sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions meant to make it freeze that activity and has built an enriched stockpile that could arm two nuclear warheads.

Initially, Tehran appeared to favor the plan. But in recent weeks it has offered modifications that have one thing in common — its refusal to ship out most of its enriched stockpile. That effectively kills the plan, with the West refusing to accept anything else than an Iranian commitment to export the material.

In another reflection of a tougher Russian line, Moscow on Thursday urged Tehran to accept the uranium proposal and abide by other agreements reached at a meeting with six world powers last month. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Iran’s ambassador to Moscow that such cooperation would “significantly move forward the process of restoring the international community’s trust in the exclusively peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program,” the ministry said.

Impatience with Iran has been fueled by Tehran’s September revelation that it had secretly been building a new enrichment facility. In a possible pre-emptive move, Iran notified the IAEA in a confidential letter only days before the leaders of the U.S., Britain and France went public with the project.

Iran says it did not violate IAEA statutes by waiting with its notification. But ElBaradei has said Tehran was “outside the law” in not telling his agency about the facility much earlier. On Thursday, he said that Iran’s late reporting on the facility reduced “confidence in the absence of other nuclear facilities under construction in Iran which have not been declared to the agency.”

Ruediger Luedeking, Germany’s chief IAEA representative, called the questions about the facility “a major issue which again gives rise to serious questions and concerns regarding the nature of Iran’s nuclear program.”

A perusal of IAEA records shows that Tehran’s chief envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told the agency’s board last year that his country “has repeatedly declared that there is no undeclared nuclear material and activity in Iran” — at the time when construction of the secret nuclear facility was in full force.

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Today’s suggestion is about supporting the ‘Buy Nothing Day’ initiative.  Buy Nothing Day is usually held at the end of November. The aim of the day is to raise awareness of our world’s dwindling resources and our preoccupation with unnecessary things.

I like the sound of this day and will try and support it, as well as being more aware of what I buy and why.

www.ecoplan.org/ibnd/ib_index.htm

A response to reading ‘365 Ways to Change the World,’ by Michael Norton

Manchester United end their European run of 23 matches unbeaten at home after losing to a deflected Besiktas goal…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: brazil soccer. The blog is also related to: soccer statistics.

Ever Wonder What Song Or Show Kid Cudi Sampled To Make The Great Song Simple As..? Well….Here It Is

Kid Cudi Sampled This Song/Show (Above) To Make This Great Song (Below)

Major work to waterproof and resurface the northbound M5 is set to finish ahead of schedule and under budget…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: mediterranean ocean. The blog is also related to: sea ice.

“RECLAMATION” Installation – James Allard 06

OUTFIT DETAILS

HAT – LeLutka – Fur Hat Tan

EYES – MADesigns PROMISE Eyes – Blue Pale 3

SKIN – Dernier Cri Cole Ginger 5 ‘o Clock Shadow

JACKET – AOHARU_BT_LeatherTailoredJK_Brown

SWEATER – Balaclava Patched Sweater/Moss

PANTS – [ JP ]:dsg. Ripp Jeans – Simple Vers. // Blue

SHOES – Kalnins Footwear Milestone

NECKLACE – EarthStones Men’s Obelisk Necklace Labradorite

BELT – END Fret Belt Part Deux

RING – Uzuri Fantasy Ring (Afro)