“You know it’s Christmas when the advert begins”

I hate December. I hate the shortage of staff in the office. I hate the jingle music at Cold Storage. I hate Last Christmas on repeat. I hate NYE parties. I hate artificial snow from spray cans. I hate family gathering dinners. I hate the end of the year. And I especially hate that there’s nothing to look forward to.

Fucking December.

I could use some hope.

to be honest, there will not be a verse of the week cause i haven’t been reading the bible for a week.

crap, procrastination or bad time-management? or a lack of love for God? or not feeling God’s presence with me after the youth camp?

pastor joseph taught me before, that i should continue to worship God even if i can’t feel His presence. oh, feelings. what a wonderful word. maybe i should stop depending on my feelings too much and just trust God.

“being different is a beautiful thing. it’s not the body you are in, it’s the soul you have.”

“leaders must live by higher standards than their followers.” — nonono, don’t let me fail this test, not right after youth camp.

God, save me. i’m drowning arghh

ok whatever, i’m going to read the bible now. SPEAK TO ME OR I WILL JUST SHOOT MYSELF. oh, forget about the shooting myself part!

it's all about the cross this Christmas

]]> http://babajidesalu.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/funeral-at-christmas/ Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:45:37 +0000 babajidesalu http://babajidesalu.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/funeral-at-christmas/ http://frashdi.wordpress.com/2009/12/24/driving/ Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:46:41 +0000 frashdi http://frashdi.wordpress.com/2009/12/24/driving/

It’s totally different driving in a new place where you have no knowledge about it. The only friend you have is the GPS. Your confidence level depends on how well the GPS functioning.

Driving in UK is very different compared to Malaysia or Aussie. Maybe because it is winter now and the snow is everywhere. The road always wet. The beginning of the journey also is different. If in Malaysia, you don’t have to check water, heat up engine and others (usually). But here, i have too because it is very crucial to have water for sprinkle to clean up window in the journey. Your window will be hit by snow or ice from the other cars and surrounding. So, wiper is very important here.

As the weather is below 0 degree here, the water might frozen inside the tank. I need to check this as well every morning. Then, the exhaust might give out white smoke. In malaysia, it is very rare to have this. But I remember once my father’s car released white smoke. At that time, Pok Din said it was because lack of oil car (minyak hitam). So, at first I thought it was because of that but when I check the oil, it is still enough. Then I remembered he also said that it might be because of water vapour. The way to check is have a feel of the smoke. If it is oily, then it is because of the oil. Lucky for me I still remember what Pok Din thought me a long time ago. You never know when the knowledge will be helpful to you.

Today, the weather is pretty bad. Snow falls heavily on our way to Cardiff. The traffic also pretty bad as everyone going back to their hometown. It’s like Raya in Malaysia but the traffic is worse here, seriously. Gain new experience driving in the snow. It’s quite scary, but beautiful at a same time watching the snow falls.

Managed to arrive at Cardiff aroun 19:00 and welcomed warmly by Shakira and friends. Really enjoy the day. More on that later…

Christmas ball could lead to dates, drinks and pure fun. It could also lead to drunk girls, suddenly realizing things that they didn’t really think about and they will usually end up crying about it.

http://doubleup.pinoybigbrother.com/

Girls, see you next year.

This is one of the song that the UP Singing Ambassadors sang in their concert at Ipil Hall months ago. I am currently suffering the so called last song syndrome from it. I hope you like its melody and its lyrics which really evoke environmental awareness.

This one is Lea Salonga’s version and allegedly Ryan Cayabyab’s, the composer, favorite rendition.

Well, today was the first full day of winter. The winter solstice was sort of a poignant holiday for me this year. I was keenly aware

Looks like Wepwawet wanted some light here, too.

of the change of seasons this year – the days growing darker during the Mysteries of Wesir (late November), as the son of Nut and father of Heru dies and takes His throne in the Duat. I reflected on death. God has died. This God, unlike Jesus, stays dead. He stays dead because the ancestors living there need a King. Now that’s love, if you ask me– I’m sure He could come back to life just fine if He really wanted, but he doesn’t. And the world is dark, and getting darker. The plants are dying, everything is cast in a cold, hard shadow. And then, in the middle of winter, there is light. The solstice signifies the return of the Eye of Ra, who has wandered to the South. At this time, She turns back to us, and is bringing Her light back to us. She is carrying with Her a new light, a growing light, to warm and brighten the Nation. We have spent some time contemplating the darkness of the death of Wesir and now, we once again return to a place of joy and celebration, illuminated with Her love.

This past weekend, I celebrated a festival of Bast with some local Shemsu. We sang, lit candles, and played sistra for the Perfumed One. The quiet fellowship, the solemn ritual and the joyful song and dance renewed my faith with great fervor. I stepped from that time of quiet, dark contemplation, and into a light of joy and fellowship with my brothers and sisters in the faith. I had some deep, burning questions answered by Bast, through a little bit of informal fortune cookie divination. But most of all, I remember what I love most about this religion. Not the stories, though they are intricate and beautiful, not the making of offerings and the reverence, but the pure delight of being in the presence of God alongside others who share in that joy. It is one thing to stand before one’s altar and sing and dance, but to do it with others with no fear of feeling foolish– t

hat is one of the single greatest things I have ever experienced. I vowed as I left to invigorate my spiritual practices– well,  just as soon as my sinuses de-stuffed from sleeping with four cats.

I really do feel as though I am cast in a new light, and I look forward to the experiences I will be sharing in light (pun intended) of this.

A common argument my boyfriend and I get into  prior to and during the donation process is what activities I am capable of engaging in immediately after the surgery.  I haven’t even begun shots yet, and it has already become a topic  of daily discussion in our household. If it were up to him I would be on bed rest for the five days following and limited activity the five days prior to the surgery. If it were up to me I would be active until the trigger shot (36 hours prior to surgery) and back on my feet again the evening of the surgery.

The truth is, however,  neither of us are right. What is important is that you consult your doctor, no matter how active of a person you are. I was unaware of the fact that donors shouldn’t be engaging in physical activities for the week prior to surgery (or anything that causes an up and down motion of your internal organs). And to think that during the my last donation cycle I was playing co-ed soccer two nights before the surgery. The fear isn’t so much that you won’t be able to donate, but that one of your ovaries will turn on its self. The enlargement of your ovaries makes them very vulnerable to turn or flip or twist. Not only will you not be able to donate, but it could lead to some serious medical problems.  

My rule of thumb is simple:

• stop physically demanding activities a week before the surgery
• stop all other physical activities 3 days before the surgery
• take three days off after the surgery date to make sure you have minimally recovered
• do not engage in physical activities for 5 days after the surgery
• do no engage in physically demanding activities until a week and a half to two weeks after the surgery

And for those of you out there who are really active like me, the down time does take a toll on you. The way I have overcome it is to just walk on the treadmill or bike, do core training on an exercise ball and perform yoga. Believe me, if you have a Wii Fit it will become your new best friend.

Happy Birthday Ni-ay!

As you celebrate your 16^th birthday today, may you always remember the blessings you have received in the 16 years of life that God has bestowed upon you: your family, your friends, and the people who find you special.

Life is tough and life has yet to reveal its difficulties to you. However, I hope that you will not lose faith in coping with life’s challenges. Instead, may you always find hope in Him and in the people around you.

You have great friends and a great family. You are one great person.

Happy Birthday dear sister and may you have more birthdays to come.

May God’s blessings be always upon you as you head on for your 17^th year and beyond.

I never got interested into watching Korean Dramas.  It’s kind of sweet seeing the romantic stories, but its kinda unreal.  I wont say anything bad to the Korean Drama fans out there. I am one of them in a way.

I watched Ninja Assassin a couple weeks ago and Bi/Rain was the main character of the  movie.  He played Raizo.  I have never seen any of Rain’s dramas.  I seen him for the first time act in this movie.  The movie was okay.  I love the Marital Art scenes the most.  The story was a little sweet in some parts and also interesting.  I only liked the sword fighting and the way Rain used his chain whip.  Really cool!

So I was curious about more of his work and as of now watching FULL HOUSE with Rain in it.  A Korean Drama earlier available this year in 2009.  It’s a very cute story.  If you like KDrama and looking for a good one to watch, this is really a good choice to see.

I think Im hook.  I cant stop watching all of them.  I even become really excited when Im waiting for the next one to upload on the other Korean Dramas every week.

Which come first? Chicken or the egg?

This question has been raised for the longest period of time and yet this question has not been solved.  As a result of this question, many have started a quest on finding out how the world/universe began.

Gen 1:26
And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good

I was actually reading the bible preparing my DG and this struck me. Hasn’t this verse already told us which came first? This may only be from my point of view but it has already been stated. Life has always been revolving around God but yet so many of us still insist on the point of evolution.

Man actually evolve from apes or to be exact chimpanzee? Studies have shown that we have 95%~>98.5% similarities to a chimpanzee but if i so ask, if man were to really evolve from apes, where does ape comes from? and if so, why do we still able to tame certain animals? Do you see any ape/chimps riding on an elephant? You may argue on the difference in intelligence but is that really true??

Is there really such a thing as evolution or is it a theory that came out of my mind in a means to justify why we exist? Like in the same way, the big bang theory of how the universe came to be.

Allow me to end with this other verse from the bible

Gen 1:9
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

You may be wondering why I’m ending with this, but it has been proven by scientist that if all the land of the earth(excluding those that have been reclaimed) is pieced together, they will form one continent. I got this picture from Wikipedia.

My question to you today will be, Is there really a God out there?

You decide for yourself. I have not edited anything from the bible(and it’s one of the(if not the) oldest book ever)

I work my rear all year-round so that I can get some valued time off around the holidays.  I do this so that I can spend some quality time with my kids.  They are still young and I find that I want to enjoy as much time with both, before they hit those terrible teenage years and learn to despise their dad like all teenagers eventually do.  I really don’t have a ton planned to do this year.  My wife has started working again, so that means that I will be “stay at home dad” for at least a few of the days; keeping things in order. 

I helped organize a 3 on 3 hockey team (6 forwards and a goalie) for my son to play in a local tournament.  I never played hockey as a kid, and I find that I get more enjoyment watching my son than anything else in my life at the moment.  He’s very skilled and completely into it.  His dream is to go to the NHL someday and I hope that I can help guide him there if this isn’t just a passing phase he is going through (which it probably is, who knows?).  I’m looking forward to this.   I’ve helped assemble a team with 1 extremely talented player, 2 very skilled ones, 1 skilled kid, and 3 kids that will really benefit from being in something like this to help built up their talent.  I would count my son among the “very skilled” ones.

My daughter and I will probably go see a movie together for some one-on-one time.   I’m not sure which movie we will go see.  I can tell that she’s old enough now to not only sit through an entire movie, she can now enjoy the entire experience.  From popcorn to slushies to mulitple trips to the bathroom, it will be the whole gambit of fun! 

I usually like to hear from old friends during the holidays.  It’s always a nice surprise to get a phone call out of the blue from someone I haven’t talked to in years.  The older you get, the more difficult it becomes to get alone time with your adult friends.  At least that is the way it has worked out with me.  You get the friend who can’t go anywhere without his wife, the one that is just too lazy to leave his house, the one that you really don’t want to hang with anyway, and the one that can do something with you but only on a certain day at a certain time if the stars align just right.

And then there are the comic book message board websites during the holidays.  I”ve been fortunate to make some great friends on the internet over the years.  I can honestly say that some of the people I know on the web are some of the kindest souls I’ve known.  It makes me sad that I’ll probably never meet most of them.  I fear the day that one will pass away and I won’t even know about it.   It’s my hope that one year the stars will align just right, and we’ll all meet and have one beer together at some comic convention and talk about all the stuff we’ve posted about and learn more about each other than you can in an email, message board, or blog.  That said, there are some real loony tunes out there too.   People that take things way too serious, that seem to thrive on causing misery or trying to get through peoples skin, thick or thin, to cause some emotional pain.  It’s those posters that seem to pop up during the holiday season for some reason. They just look to cause pain and aggravation.  It’s sad.

Anyway… to anyone who reads this:  have a great holiday this year and remember to find a little love and joy to spread.  The holidays can be a bit depressing at times for some, and being a little extra nice might go a long way in making the world a little better.  I don’t always talk about some of the nice things people have done for me or given to me over the years… but I NEVER forget them.

Merry-early-Christmas everyone!

When I was asked what is the one thing that I miss at home, my answer was quick. It’s the food.

As I stepped out of the bus early this morning, a tricycle driver made my day as he saw me alight from the vehicle. “Ay, taga didi lang yan. Aki yan ni Ma’am Flores, (Oh. He just lives here. He’s the son of Ma’am Flores),” the driver said. He was referring to my mother who is a high school teacher and he expressed disappointment because he won’t be able to give me a ride.

When I finally reached the front door after a three minute walk, my mother welcomed me and the smell of pork chop affirmed that I really am home.

Food! The best foods in the world are those that come free!

Sejak balik kampung, tiap-tiap hari dengar cerita pasal Projek Permata ni. Ni projek yang paling ‘hot’ sejak tukar PM yang baru bagi aku. Tapi mostly aku asyik dengar negative feedback je dari rakyat jelata…(warganegara Malaysia kira rakyat jelata laa kan?) So, kat sini aku nak cakap aaa sket2 pasal feedback yang aku dh dgr for 4days and 3nights ni…hihi

1. Effect kat MARA and MARA student: Peruntukan IKIM banyak kene reduce…Student overseas yang fail tidak akan di’support’ utk repeat…Student dah xboleh sambung Masters mulai next year…

2. Effect kat sekolah2: peruntukan utk sukan sekolah dah xde, so skolah tanggung sendiri…elaun guru tahun ni xdapat

3. Banyak peruntukan untuk budget dah kene potong…

Budget untuk bahagian lain kene potong utk bagi laluan kat projek PERMATA…RM20 juta utk budak2 pra-sekolah….memang laaa betul yg budak tu penting, and elok nk start jage diorang sejak diorang kecil…tapi masalahnye banyak lagi masalah Malaysia yang lain…bila dah ‘jadi’ pemimpin, kene laa pandai2 prioritise…ekonomi tengah xstabil nak buat peruntukan yang banyak utk PERMATA buat aper?

masalah mat rempit, dadah, short of local labour…banyak lagi boleh buat…dari buat projek PERMATA, baik la uruskan masalah unemployment. berapa banyak grad student yang xdapat kerja…nak kate orang Melayu malas kerja, memang betul. tapi sebab ape diorang malas? sebab gaji rendah, harga barang tinggi. aku sendiri pun fikir cam xberbaloi je kerja. Kalau gaji sejam RM4 or RM5, boleh beli ape laa sangat zaman sekarang ni…Kalau kat Australia, sejam min. dapat $18…boleh makan kenyang satu hari kalau kerja sejam…kan berbaloi kerja…baru laa boleh attract pekerja…ni duit yang ada guna utk budak2 pra-sekolah yang effect die min boleh nampak lagi 20tahun…(itupun kalau berkesan laaa)

pastu pulak boleh lagi nak amik budak2 seluruh ASEAN (or Asia, xtau aa) nak kumpul kat Malaysia and didik diorang…Kita ni dah pandai sangat ke nak mendidik budak dari negara lain? nak support ‘anak’ orang lain? rakyat sendiri banyak yang miskin, banyak yang cukup makan, banyak yang xkerja, banyak yang masalah sosial…ada hati nak jaga anak orang lain?

lagipun sistem pendidikan Malaysia sendiri asyik tukar…still x stabil…sekejap bahasa melayu…sekejap english…pastu tukar malay balik…pastu syllabus pun nak tukar…buku teks pun kene tukar….brape banyak dah duit habis kot situ…untuk cikgu pulak, diorang kene tukar style mengajar lagi sekali…dah elok2 start selesa ngn english, kene tukar lagi sekali…last2 student pun affected jugak…lagipun kalau kita fasih satu bahasa je, sampai mana kita boleh maju? luar dari Malaysia/Indonesia/Brunei/Singapore, diorang dh xfaham bhasa Melayu…nak harapkan kelas English je, mane cukup…kat skolah more focus on writing dari conversation…pandai mane pun tulis essay, kalo x pandai cakap, huru-hara gak kt overseas…

dgn semua masalah yg dah ada ni, apa agaknye masa depan Permata?

This is the season of the year where the majority of the world is to some degree more focused of the birth and life of Jesus our savior. December 25th is the high point of this annual season. This then is the perfect time of the year to personally obey the command of God told to us by the Hebrew writer.

Hebrews 13:16 “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

Although we do not know the exact time of the year, the fact is that at the birth of Jesus on that night in Bethlehem the unthinkable occurred. The infinite, transcendent Son of God, former of all creation, left His throne in Heaven and took the form of limited and weak man. He did this in order to become the high priest who fully relates to humanity in all our afflictions and to be the perfect sacrifice to satisfy the holy and righteous wrath and judgment of God the Father. This birth is the miracle we honor during this special season each year. Take some time to think about it this week as we remember the word’s of the Apostle Paul.

Romans 14:6 “He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it…”