Thou makesst the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice (Ps. 65:8).

Get up early and go to the mountain and watch God make a morning.  The dull gray will give way as God pushes the sun toward the horizon, and there will be tints and hues of every shade, that will blend into one perfect light as the full-orbed sun burst into view.  As the King of day moves forth majestically flooding the earth and every lowly vale, listen to the music of heaven’s choir as it sings of the majesty of God and the glory of the morning.

In the holy hush of the early dawn

I hear a Voice-

I am with you all the day,

Rejoice! Rejoice!

The clear, pure light of the morning made me long for the truth in my heart, which alone could make me pure and clear as the morning, tune me up to the concept-pitch of the nature around me.  And the wind that blew from the sunrise made me hope in the ‘God who had first breathed into my nostrils the breath of life; that He would at length so fill me with His breath, His mind, finding therein my own life, only glorified infinitely.  What should we poor humans do without our God’s nights and mornings?                                                                                                                 George MacDonald

In the early morning hours,

“Twixt the night and day,

While from each the darkness passes

Silently away;

Then ‘tis sweet to talk with Jesus

In thy chamber still-

For the coming day and duties

Ask to know His will.

Then He’ll lead the way before you,

Mountains laying low;

Making desert places blossom,

Sweet’ning Marah’s flow.

Would you know this life of triumph,

Victory all the way?

Then put God in the beginning

Of each coming day.

Source:  “ Streams of the Desert “  Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

Yay. ORD soon. Okay maybe not so soon. 12 December 2009 and I’ll be hitting CCC (Civilian Conversion Course).

I took a look at the itinerary to HK for 89s Association of 39. The itinerary was interesting. But sure they really meant business, hell did they do a lot of research. Sorry guys, couldn’t join you. Maybe next year, we’ll go on a vacation. =D

Met up with Jack this morning to gym. I reached Causeway Point earlier than him and so while waiting I went to get myself a SweetTalk beverage. Bumped into Durwin, he’s still the same – warm and friendly.

Jack came and we walked to the gym at the Woodlands Swimming Complex. It’s a nice place with fair number of people. But Jack told me that the usual crowd was not there. (including a hot girl that he was talking about) We worked out till 3+ and still no sign of the ‘hot girl’. Screw you Jack. lol.

By the way, help out my friend will you guys? http://nekosakana.blogspot.com  -  visit her blog often. she need hits to get advertisement(s) on her blog. thanks!

Li Ren

SweetTalk is the name of CandyCollective¹s self-initiated series of
creative-to creative live events. It¹s a way of bringing together local
creative talent with international luminaries in a relaxed, social
environment. The talks also hope to promote discourse and knowledge
transfer between the creative industries, academics and students.

While originally based in Ireland (Dublin, Belfast, Limerick) the series has
become popular internationally (London, Newcastle, Copenhagen, Berlin, NYC)
and we¹re now exporting some of our leading lights to enthuse others as well
as focusing attention on home-grown talent.

To date there have been 37 editions of SweetTalk in Ireland (Dublin,
Belfast, Limerick, Sligo), the UK (London, Newcastle), Germany (Berlin),
Denmark (Copenhagen), USA (NYC) and in the next year the aim is to expand
SweetTalk into as many countries as possible. SweetTalk 38 will be the first
time the event takes place in Bristol.

Tickets £10/£8 student on sale here

Listen to a new Lost On Landing track “Sweet Talk” on their myspace here.

I shall be trying to disappear. smoothly and surely. and slowly. but definitely. I’m going to miss SOME moments of this life..and from the others I’ll only be learning. things. I’m not going to miss any thing. any place excepting home and the other home.

I’ll never forget: my first in everything, his ” te iubesc ” on the beach, all the sweet talks and stupid things done with my girls, my sun, the serenades on guitar, our passion, her life lessons, his bed and the dance to the beauty night. And maybe a lot more. even though I’m currently trying to keep it silly simple.

But now I want to shine on my way. and I shall do my best for that!

“Can.    We.    Go.     Get.     Some.    Ice.    Cream?” he asked in a small voice that reminded you of your little four-year-old cousin J.J. And it wasn’t the first time that he’d done this.

Since you began dating over a month ago, this miniature personality seemed to be appearing with more and more frequency, and at the oddest times. Frankly, you’re confused. Just how are you supposed to respond? Scolding mother? “No, you can’t have any ice cream because you haven’t eaten your vegetables!” With tenderness? “Sweetie-pie, you can have whatever you want. That’s a good boy.” Sexual? “I got something for you to eat, but you gotta wait till we get home.” Do you join in? “Yay! Ice cream! Ice cream!” This behavior wouldn’t be a surprise if you’d met him sucking his thumb on a playground, however, your first encounter with him couldn’t have been more different. You were writing a profile on powerful record executives and he was on your list of people to interview. Since he was new to New York from Atlanta, you weren’t familiar with him, but damn, he sure knew how to make an impression: 6’4 inches tall, dreadlocked, and oozing with confidence, he was the type of guy that you wanted to get to know long after the ink on your article had dried. Just recently, you were observing one of his meetings, pretending to take notes, but secretly dreaming about what it would be like to have him take you right there on the conference room desk. It’s a fantasy that you’re sure Michele Obama has probably played out in the Oval Office; and who could blame her? A powerful man is sexy, whether he runs a company, the local basketball team or the bedroom. So it’s understandable that this shift from Superman to super baby is more than a little disconcerting. But the real question is what do you do about it? Do you tell him that his baby talk is a turn-off, do you ignore him and hope that he stops or are you making a big deal out of nothing?

When thinking of telling him that his behavior is about as sexy as watching Kobe Bryant take a dump, the first thing that comes to mind is that you’d probably crush his feelings. It’s a scenario that you know all too well from when you were dating the sexy model with the bad underarm odor. The first time he showed up to your place smelling like he’d run a marathon in a ski suit you decided to let it slide (it was a hot day). But the second and third time made it increasingly tough to ignore, especially since the smell was giving you a headache. But how do you tell someone they stink? You decided to subtly ask him what brand of deodorant he used. From there you suggested that he try another brand because, you know, bodies change and something that used to work may not work any longer. He said that he would, however, he showed up again on the next date with piping hot armpits. When asked about it he said that he was indeed using a new deodorant. WTF! At this point, you had to let it go and pray for a miracle, since being the deodorant police was getting uncomfortable. What you weren’t expecting was him to suddenly end the relationship, claiming that he was no longer attracted to you. You realized too late that it was a major crush to his ego to hang out with a girl who was constantly reminding him of his rancid body odor, and he couldn’t take it. So naturally, it makes you more cautious when it comes to being brutally honest with this guy. The truth is you could scare Mr. Record Exec. away by addressing this baby talk (BT) thing. But is it possible to stay silent and still be comfortable? Another concern is where does it end? If unaddressed could he totally revert to a childhood version of himself, one day taking it to the bedroom, making you, in turn, feel like a freakin’ child molestor?!

So the question remains…What to do? What to do?

You reach out to a friend, Azia, to see if she can offer some advice. In her late thirties, she’s had more dating experiences than most women you know. Ironically, she went through a very similar situation with her guy, who at thirty-six years old, had a habit of speaking in what she calls his ‘repulsive baby voice.’ She tried ignoring it, but after two years it became clear that he wasn’t about to stop. Finally, when he began using it right in the middle of an intense argument, she screamed, “Why are you using that stupid baby voice?!” And like an abused child, he answered, “It’s me at five years-old.” “Well, I’m not interested in dating the five year-old you! It’s been two years and she has enjoyed a relationship sans any remnants of BT. Her advice: “Don’t torture yourself by waiting. Nip it in the bud early.”

She’s got a point. But then there’s that nagging question in the back of your mind that keeps asking if you’re making too much of this. Maybe BT is just his way of escaping what feels like an all too serious life. Everyday he goes to a company and is responsible for a whole department so maybe his relationship is the one place where he can relax and let someone else take charge. A dominatrix friend shares stories of powerful men who come to her to be told to drink milk out of a dog bowl while barking on their hands and knees. They simply want to be dominated for a change. So it’s totally possible that your guy just wants to play. Perhaps he’s tapped into something that makes life a lot more fun and the only way to know is to go there too. Wait a minute; you do have a friend who has full-on BT conversations with her man. It always seemed bizarre that they’d communicate in childlike voices about everything from getting the car fixed to what to eat for dinner. When you speak to her about it she says that she loves communicating in BT with her man because it’s an intimacy that only the two of them share.  She also feels it’s their way of nurturing one another. (Have they ever heard of massage?) When asked if he seems less masculine because of it, she says, “No. I like seeing his vulnerable side.” Ultimately, she suggests that you loosen up and embrace your inner child because it could bring the two of you closer together.

You’re walking through the park on a Sunday evening, after having just seen a movie with Mr. Record Exec, when he says in his miniature voice, “I  think   it’s   time   for   me   to   go   home   cause   I  have   a   long   day   tomorrow.”

You say, in your best mini-me voice, “Aw,   I   wish   you   could   hang   out   longer.”

He says, still in character, “We   can   hook   up   tomorrow.”

You say, “Promise?”

He says, “Promise.”

Later that evening, you reflect on the exchange and realize that it felt about as natural as eating fried snake. Thinking about it, the reason it didn’t work is because it feels too intimate in this early getting-to-know-you stage. Surprisingly, it is something that you could possibly entertain, later, once you’re a couple, as there was something (for lack of a better word) sweet about the whole thing. However, right now it just doesn’t feel right.

Moving forward, you’ve decided to let it be. Hopefully, he won’t kick the BT into overdrive now that you’ve participated, but you don’t see the need in having a whole sit-down conversation about it. Who knows, if the relationship keeps progressing you may find yourself naturally speaking his language. Love has a funny way of having people do things they never thought they’d do. -By Erickka Sy Savané

I’ve got the anger purple passionate blues.
It was just my imagination, running away with me.

Hot fudge sundaes make everything better.
So you’re my hot fudge sundae

Whatever.

When you first kissed me
Inky indigo night coated everything.
Black as the universe around.
And the sun like butter was leaking through the clouds.

I hate all colors, they’re too hard to keep inside the lines.

Your eyes, as green as grass on a summer’s day.
Your hair is black as the lava flow
as it snakes along the shoreline
Her eyes matched her fire red hair.

I’ve found somebody new
you will never break my heart in two again.

There is no one.

A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.

Do you even know what that means?

Your kisses are that of sweet strawberries

red, plump, juicy fruit
with green leaves on top and seeds on the outside

covered lightly with sugar.
There’s always gonna be another mountain.

Don’t give up, it’s just the weight of the world.

As the pomegranate is known as the Fruit of Hades,
In story books
You will be known as my one true love

…
Ok?

It's not me, it's YOU!! LOL

How I love having the space for some real talk. Just a quick disclaimer: I am writing this at 2:30 in the morning (slightly inebriated) after having spent some time with a good friend and her fiance’ who were gracious and caring enough to cheer up and hang out with a woman they characterize as “funny” and “good people”. Still, I believe I am lucid enough to keep to my commitment (to self) of a daily blog entry.

The cab ride home served to be ironic and interesting. I was just sharing with my good friends a skit on MadTV based on an overly insistent gentleman pressuring an innocent woman to divulge her phone number. Why ironic? Well, my cab experience seemed to be a worthy episode to pitch to Fox 5. Here I am, a single, fashionably dressed, articulate and “not bad looking” black woman at the mercy of this gentleman (the cab driver). As he chauffeurs me home, he attempts to engage me in conversation and discover the nature of my relationship status…”Is your husband or boyfriend waiting on you at home”. The writer part of me is curious about his planned strategy, so I bite by saying “there is a gentleman waiting on me (my oldest son, LOL); however, he doesn’t play either of the two roles you speculated.” This discovery of my “single” status immediately prompted the request (some might call demand) for my phone number. “Why don’t you give me your number, a beautiful woman like you should not be alone. I make good money and I drive nice cars, don’t let the cab driver image fool you.” I am disinclined to acquiesce to his request which is still followed by “I would spoil you. I would give you whatever you want. Please, let me call you. Give me your number. I have money…don’t you worry.”

Ok ladies, are we truly that seemingly superficial that this gentleman would believe that his financial status would be the data I needed to submit to his demands? Although single, I have been out of the true “game” for some time by request of a friend who implored me to wait (to no avail). I don’t think I realized how shoddy and slim the pickings had become. Men still use “lines” and attempt to use money as “bait” to gain the affections of a woman. I am sure there is much to unpack about the reasoning for this behavior but I will just say “Really? This is how guys do it?” Based upon my recent experiences, in the words of Cameo (that is old school, you don’t know anything about that, LOL) I guess I will forever be singing “I’m living the single, single, single, single….LIFE!!.

Mitt Romney rarely misses an opportunity to exploit any situation to bash President Obama and try to keep himself in the spotlight for a run at the White House (likely in 2012). Romney, however, continues to prove himself to be an extremist willing to say just about anything negative to gain some degree of publicity … even if bashing our president for trying to repair the bridges burned down by the previous (Republican) administration.

ROMNEY: The comments by the president last week, that there was a robust debate going on in Iran, was obviously entirely wrong-headed. What has occurred is the election is a fraud, the results are inaccurate, and you’re seeing a brutal repression of the people as they protest. … It’s very clear that the president’s policies of going around the world and apologizing for America aren’t working. … Look, just sweet talk and criticizing America is not going to enhance freedom in the world.

Romney would be wise to realize that the reputation of the United States of America was severely damaged worldwide by the previous administration’s do-what-we-say-because-we’re-better-than-you approach to foreign policy. The United States of America can no longer act like cowboys running all over the world trying to intimidate and strong arm our neighbors.

Sadly, Romney is glued to the far right of the Republican party offering nothing fresh and regurgitating tired talking points (sweet talk and criticizing America) to trash President Obama. Had the Bush-Cheney cowboy approach been more successful then perhaps we would not be in the situation we’re in now … cleaning up a mess seven-plus years in the making.

The people of the United States of America are sick of the hardc0re partisan politicians like Romney (who are willing to inflame to fire up their political base) while offering little positive and woefully few solutions. Anyone can stand around and parrot tired talking points, but when is Romney going to offer more solutions and fewer partisan talking points? A child can run around mimicking what they hear from other people.

If Romney were attempting to be a newspaper journalist he would already have flunked out of J-School for failing to tell the full story and taking comments out of context to advance a biased perspective.

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/14/neocons-blame-obama-iran/