What are the main concepts of life in general? There can be family, work, love, and so many more. All have equal importance in a person’s life, but what is life without friends? Friends are the people you have to back you up when you are having a conflict with another person. Friends are the ones you go to when you are feeling down or are in need of advice.

As humans we all desire to have extra people, apart from our families, to talk to or “hang out” with in our spare time. But what exactly is the basis of a friendship? What is the secret key that keeps friends in touch for vast amounts of time?

When I think of my personal experiences, I remember the fact that I and my friends have different qualities that we share which is what makes us (possibly) life-long friends. After taking much consideration I have come to conclude that a friendship is run by three different qualities.

First and foremost, a true friendship is driven on unconditional love. Love is the pure substance that holds together people for years and years to come. When you have love it shows you care for that person and that their interest is of high priority to yours.

Second, a true friendship contains honesty and truth. Many times people lie to each other for the simple fact that they are “better off not knowing.” But true friends should be completely honest to each other. Aware of the fact that they have a big part in each others lives.

Third, a true friendship requires trust. A trust that cannot be broken. A trust that will assure both of you that your friend is there for you and they won’t dishonor your request. A broken trust in a friendship can completely tear apart the best of friends. So you should be careful in keeping you friends trust and reassuring them that they TRULY come to confide in you.

In conclusion, the next time you think about your best friend, try and reassure yourself in each and every one of these aspects. Many times as humans we make mistakes and trust the wrong people without making sure we have a firm foundation upon them. This is why we should always keep our guard up and make sure that you know in your heart who and who not to trust.

“For a faithful friend is a strong defense: and he that hath found such a one, hath found a treasure.”

I never knew how strong the power of friendship & love was……….until now.

Friends are just one of these rare people that can put a smile on your face anytime, can brighten your day instantaneously, and just be there whenever you need a shoulder to cry on, a patient ear to hear.

They just send tons of luminous light rays……even on our moonless nights,where everything seems so empty and you start to feel that you’re all alone , starting to drench slowly into the vast ocean of darkness.

The bond that ties friends together is amazing, it’s simple, yet unbreakable between true hearts.

Friendship is built upon trust, loyalty, honesty,  tolerance, love, understanding.It’s the ability to accept our differences and embrace them that drives us so close to each other.

So listen to your friends, care for them, draw smiles and laughs on their faces, cherish memories and live moments together……..

The following Christmas ornaments are currently for sale at Books From A Rose:

You know what? It annoys me, when people whom i’m friends with, or I care about, act like they don’t know me. And day by day, we become like complete strangers, their name never triggers a thought in my mind…….But I refuse to give in, i usually demand a justification, i mean whoever has the guts to ignore his friend, must have the guts to just come up and tell me” You did harm me,You were wrong about..” etc. I think that in the end, it’s about friendship,tolerance,courage, and honesty.True friends wouldn’t ever ignore each other for silly reasons……but still people who just walk by your life do..they enter and leave…

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5. Your friend no longer believes you when you say you spilled water on his couch and conveniently on your crotch while you were sleeping for the 10th time.

4.  Waking up with a black eye and not remembering where you got it just isn’t fun any more.

3.Your boss is starting to think that you may have a drinking problem after seeing a picture of you on facebook with I love sex shaved into your chest hair.

2. You have been banned from the local pizza shop after numerous drunk dials ordering pizza and not answering the door when the delivery guy comes.

1. God has taken you up on your offer.

To learn how to complain effectively and get results check out:

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Email, texting, SMS what ever you want to call it, it is a fact of modern day life.

But with this convenience comes of course abuse.

When I say abuse I am not talking about spamming since that is an annoyance that we can all do with out but it comes with people becoming coward like.

Saying things that they would never say to someone to their face.

Spreading rumors, lies and generally hiding behind the luxury this technology affords us.

We are all aware that the transfer of information via these means is instantaneous. You send and someone on the other end regardless of where they are gets the message moments later.

So denial of not getting the message is something that is fruitless unless you happen to be in an area with ” no service” part of the world.

But there are few places left where that occurs so when someone sends you a message, text, sms it is pretty much guaranteed that the message has been received.

No matter how much you want to deny it, ignore it, the sender knows you have received the message.

Now I have heard people say oh I have been so busy I did not have time to respond back??

What? How long does it take to say ” I’m ok real busy right now will email later” or something to that nature.

Or even “busy”.

Now if you do not have enough time in your day to send a short message with 4 characters in it. I strongly suggest that you go see a doctor.

Since you will work yourself to death.

But really folks there is no one that does not have a few seconds. Yes folks a few seconds is all that it takes to respond back to that person.

Look at it this way. May be the person sending the text, sms, or email is very busy also but they found the time to send you the message.

So bottom line here folks. If someone is thoughtful enough to send you a text take the few moments to acknowledge the receipt of it.

Since they know you have received it and your denial or ignorance of it’s receipt does not sit well with the person sending it. Just imagine how you feel when the role is reversed.

To learn how to complain effectively and get results. Check out my book Complain To Gain.

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happy birthday thong!!!!!!

we love you!!!!

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The sky is falling the sky is falling. Run for your lives.

I was rather disgusted  when I went to Japan earlier in the year for business and the Japanese government ( in typical fashion I might add) had worked up the Japanese people like hitting a bee hive repeatedly with a baseball bat about the “Swine Flu.”

Upon landing in Tokyo (the pitiful excuse for a  haz mat) suited people boarded the plane and wandered around the flight deck with a heat sensing camera. In a feeble attempt to prevent the “Swine Flu” from permeating the island.

All I did was laugh about it since I thought that the Western world was a little more intelligent than this relying on the facts of the situation rather than being herded up like cattle to the slaughter by the pied piper aka the government.

But rest assured the Western hemisphere soon fell into the same state of over panic and hype all brought on by a combination of the government and the media.

People getting into physical confrontations while waiting in what looks like cheese lines from the great depression.

The governments in North America are not doing much to help the whole situation. Claiming everyone should be vaccinated and yet not having enough vaccine?

The media is more to blame due to the fact of the Swine Flu death report that is broadcast 24 hours a day.

What the media is neglecting to inform the ill informed public is that the statistics  for the seasonal flu are alarmingly higher than any deaths caused by the ” Swine Flu”

So people there is a real easy solution that each and everyone of us can do to help prevent the spread of this thing.

If you are coughing or sneezing cover your mouth. This is just common manners but it appears like so many people in the world today are completely unaware of this simple rule.

Cover your mouth and don’t spread your germs.  There is nothing worse then seeing people out and about coughing and sneezing blatantly into the air without any consideration for those around them.

And don’t cough or sneeze into your hand. Why? Well right after you cough or sneeze into your hand you go and touch door handles, money, etc etc which thousands of other people will come in contact with.

Which spreads the virus. So I am sure some of you out there probably don’t even know what a handkerchief is  well they should come back into style asap..

You remember the pieces of cloth old men usually carry around with them to blow their noses or to sneeze into.

And there is no need to go and purchase one. Since a old bandanna does the trick just as well.

Wash your hands!! Frequently. I would personally suggest buying some hand sanitizing soap that you can carry around on your person.

And wash your hands with it several times a day.

Don’t touch your eyes or nose with your bare hands. Because bottom line folks the tips or your fingers are disgustingly dirty. You would not even want to know how dirty they are.

And finally have common courtesy for your fellow man. If you are sick, coughing and sneezing stay at home.

Don’t get on public transit infecting all of those around you then go into work and do the same.

If we all would learn some manners and wash our hands regularly and keep our fingers away from our faces H1N1 can be beat.

And for those of you that are still afraid of the H1N1 follow directions!!

If they say that such and such a group can be vaccinated on such and such a day don’t be an idiot and go there and complain when you are turned away.

So go out and enjoy life. And be considerate to your fellow man if this was done this flu would have never gone into the pandemic stage.

To learn how to complain effectively and get results check out my book. Complain To Gain.

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Recently, I was with very good friends staying in their beautiful home. It was the first time that our smiles connected since they relocated to a new job. My travel schedule took me out of town when word of their departure reached me.

Email and texting kept us in touch. We kept looking for an excuse to catch up. Finally, it worked out. My GPS led me right to their country home. Climbing up to their front porch, I took in the gorgeous surroundings.

Everything fell away when the smiling face of a dear friend came bounding down the hall way and threw open the front door. It’s the glistening cheer of sparkling eyes that give a clear look into the sincerity of the soul. The words that flowed were joyous, loving and energizing. Our embrace lingered.

We all went out to share a meal together. The fare was scrumptious. News items in our lives filled the evening.

Then, we retreated back to their house. The evening entertained us with conversation and fellowship. That’s when the observation from my friend stuck with me.

In times of difficulty you find out who your friends really are. What a poignant statement. It puts great value on true friends.

I have been blessed to both have true friends and be one. Those who embrace us, fellowship with us, cheer us on, speak well of us, and give help just at the right time are all wonderful friends. God seems to send them along as His messengers.

One true friend helped fix our ailing airconditioning unit. Another friend brought boxes for us to pack some of our fragile items. Yet, another helped us arrange temporary storage. Then, two others have offered us temporary housing. One took me out to see a movie.

A true friend covered the cost of my oil change. Then, yet another made it possible for a very expensive vehicle repair to come out a lot more inexpensive than I was expecting. Another sent a gift card in the mail.

Hugs abound. Encouraging words flow freely. Prayers are lifting me up daily.

One of my favorite movies is It’s a Wonderful Life. George is declared by his brother at the end of the movie to be the richest person he knows because of all the friends that he has. I too have been blessed with a wonderful life because of true friends.

photo credit: Google image

Updated: October 31, 2009

I don’t have the degree to discuss about the topic Human nature in a PhD level, but I will say this based on my point of view. We start with, “What is Human Nature?” From Wikipedia, “Human nature is the concept that there is on thing of characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, that all ‘normal’ humans have in common.” In short, it’s what every humans think.

There are a lot of theories and ideas out there about this topic, but I would concentrate on British polymath philosopher Herbert Spencer. What did he say? based from Darwin’s “Natural Selection”, he made the popular phrase, “Survival of the Fittest”

This is direct to the point. The strongest is the one who shall remain alive in this world. At some point, yes, I do agree. Who wouldn’t? if the dinosaurs are stronger than the comet, they they would be here, wouldn’t they? Humans evolve. yes? Yes, that’s why old things must be removed. Technology advance in a fast paced where today it’s popular, and tomorrow it’s obsolete.

What does this have to do with my experience? I will talk about “Users”.

Who are the “Users”? The users are the one who basically “uses” you. He or she will use you for their own benefits. It’s not a win-win situation if that’s is what you’re thinking. Living in this world, there are a lot of those kind of people. They will bring you down so they can go up. It’s survival of the fittest.

If you’re not strong enough, then go back in your dream world. In reality, people will bring you down. There are no such thing as true friends. No one will sacrifice for you. In this generation, it’s me, me and me.

I just had my experience with this. A girl from my class.

I met her in college. she’s the lazy and user-type girl I know. exclude the charms, she doesn’t have one. She failed math class and I think only attended 30-45% of the whole lecture. Well, going to the point. PS: She only got a Pass in IT. (same as me LoL)

One day, she asked my Iranian friend about the imagine cup. It’s an annual(?) contest for the best programmers in the whole Australia chosen from different universities. Shocked that I was, I couldn’t get over she would apply. She really never talked to that guy, unless she needs something.

Another one. She suddenly became “too” friendly with me. I know she’s my friend, but she really never talked to me. it was night time, she began im-ing me. I am the one who usually initializes the conversation, but not in this one. In one part of the conversation, this is how it goes.

btw, she’s chinese O:

I would say that love has nothing to do with this though. A possible factor is probably envy, one of the deadly sins. I am the competitive type of person who always aim to be better. so probably hearing that made me furious. but seriously, if the person applying would be somebody I know programming genius, fine, I accept my defeat. well anyway, who am I to judge. I don’t know any better.

This is only a small part of the complex human nature. there are a lot of factors affecting a person’s attitude namely social norms and family background, but this is my defence on this kind of attitude.

The “User”. Beware of those kinds of people

Monster Watch 2009

Our kitty is still in the hospital. Yesterday I was able to visit with him for about an hour, and even prepared, it tore up my insides to see him all bandaged and tubed and coned up. He seems to be on the mend, which is more than we could have hoped. After a three hour long surgery to insert the catheter, I was definitely surprised at his energy level– but then, he’d had a lot of drugs and probably thought I was never coming back, so I can’t really blame him. And now, some awards.

Award #1, for the Assistant at the ER:

Telling us, in your super flamboyant voice that was dripping with disdain, that you wanted us to TAKE THIS SERIOUS, OKAY? Because THIS is SUPER SERIOUS, all RIGHT? Okay? You know, ‘cuz it’s SERIOUS? Makes you look like a tool, and a tool who desperately needs validation, at that. To you, we present the award for Biggest Douche in San Francisco. Gold star. Here’s a cookie. FOR SERIOUSLY.

Award #2, for the Vet at the hospital:

A question, Ms. Veterinarian. When a girl brings her near-dead cat in to you, and you tell her the various dangerous procedures and risks that her beloved kitty is about to undergo, which is the appropriate thing to say when she starts crying? Is it (a), “Oh honey, I know this is difficult. We’ll do our best, don’t you worry.” Or is it (b), “Are you upset about the cat or because this is going to be REALLY expensive?” Clearly you believed the correct choice was b, since you were so aghast when I asked you what the fuck kind of question that was and told you that your bedside manner sucked. For you, the Most Ignorant Dumbass Insensitive Person Ever (Rotting) Heart award. May your idiocy, cruelty and tactlessness hurt many a future generation of pet owners.

Award #3, for All of the people who said something like “Why do you care it’s just a cat”:

The Fuck You and The Horse You Rode in On award. We mean it, from the bottom of our stupid little hearts.

…and finally,

Award #4 (and this one’s for real), for Brooke Dunn, Phil Bates, Chris Xenos, Allison Bowie, Megan Power and every one of you who put us in your thoughts and offered kind words:

The Best Friends We Could Ever Ask For In the World award. Because without you and your support, whether financial, moral or spiritual, there’s a really good chance we would be losing a member of our family. It’s because of you that we will get to bring Monster home and keep him healthy. It’s because of you that we realize the kind of awesome support system we have behind us, and it’s because of you that our other kitty, Rocket, will get his best friend back. Y0u guys are incredible– thank you so much for everything.

xoxo

Arwen, Lenny, Monster & Rocket

This post may come across as petty.  It was written in response to a conversation I had with a friend through text message that really bothered me. Granted I wasn’t in a great emotional state at the time, but it did spark me to write this  post and get some things off my chest.

Growing up as an only child, I’ve always valued the friendships I’ve had.  So I always felt the need to go out of my way to make sure I kept in touch with my friends.  I consider my friends my brothers & sisters I never had growing up.

But over the years, I’ve found that people I’ve considered friends haven’t really done their part to earn that title.  Numerous times I have found myself as the person to ALWAYS call, send messages, text, etc to check up on friends to see how they are doing, if they want to hang out etc.  But if I’m not the one to keep in touch, I never hear from my so called friends.   We become more like acquaintances hanging out when everyone we know is together.  So instead of receiving text to see how I’m doing or inviting me to hang out, I receive messages like “we must not be friends…haven’t talked to you or seen you in ages” I sit there thinking to myself, why haven’t you picked up the phone to call, send a text or invite me out to chill?? Are you fingers broken? I DON’T THINK SO!

I’ll either have friends that don’t keep in touch unless I reach out or their response to everything is “well just hit me up…you know I’m around.” My question for you is, why can’t you keep in touch too? You know I’m around, so why can’t you call me and see how I’m doing??

I  sometimes get the feeling that these so called friendships I have are one sided  If you were really my friend, wouldn’t you make the effort to touch base and hang out? I make numerous efforts because I love my friends and want them in my life.  I’m not the type to like to cut people out of my life; so I can either continue reaching out hoping for things to change or I can fall back and hope my friends get a clue and realize it’s a 2 way street.  The last thing I want to do is fall back and have someone slowly disappear out of my life, but at the same time you have to earn the friendship title and it doesn’t come easily.

i was in manila last monday and i met up with my bestfriend pepi and boyong. well, as expected, inuman at kwentuhan galore.

friendship ring

actually, before kame naginuman, kumaen muna kme ni pepi sa chowking, pinilt pa akong ubusin ung yang chow rice kahit busog na busog nako. inantay muna namen si boyong from work before kme naginom.

dencio's

pagdating sa dencio’s, order kagad ng alak at pulutan saka inumpisahan ang kwentuhan. kung anuano napagusapan. mga plans about reunion. para maiba daw, sa beach naman daw gaganapin oh di kya costume party na lang. when i asked pepi if ever matuloy sa beach, required ba na magswimsuit. sabi niya baka daw imbes na lumuwa mga mata ng boys sa makikita nila, baka nakapikit na lang magdamag dahil sa laki ng bels na makikita, haha. kadiri nga nman kung iisipin.

8 years na sila

tatag ng samahan. pero medyo napaisip ako nung sinabi ni ace na kasal na siya pero not to pepi. ayoko sna maniwala kaso pepi confirmed it. i don’t know if they were just trippin pero i took it seriously at some point. pero thinking na they’re on their 8th year, imposibleng kasal si ace sa iba. hahampasin ko na sna ng bote ng sanmig eh. sabi nga ni pepi “iisang tao pa lang yan, pano na pag sina fei khrap mo?tingin pa lang wala kna!”, sbi ko nman “ou nga , prang tatlo mta nun eh, pati nunal nakatitig sau”, then we all laughed. sigh…ang saya nung araw na un. ung longing ko to be with my friends naibsan. see how two people can feed that longing? dlwa plang yn, how much more kung buong batch? EUPHORIA!!!!

8 years…i can’t help but be happy with them. super tatag, buti di sila ngkakasawaan. malabo cguro, sa buting tao nila pareho, malabong maghihiwalay pa mga to. inggit ako. sna aku rin mgkaron ng gnyan khbang relasyon, of course i’d like it with a different person, tpos nko sa chapter na un, IBA NAMAN!

habang nasa kalagitnaan ng session, makailang beses sabihin ni pepi na sna tinext namin si thong, ako nman oo nga nalang ng oo nga. bt nga ba namin nakalimutan? di bale may next time pa naman, maraming next time. i’ll be back to manila by november to get my licence, i’ll make sure i’d spend time with my friends again. masaya, sobrang saya! i can’t wait for our reunion na nga eh. sna maorganize agad para mkpgleave ako ng maaga. so sa mga bossing ntin jan, please organize our reunion ASAP para makauwi ako, sna din complete list na. sobrang nakakamiz na. sna rin ung mga nsa abraod makauwi, iba kc pag kumpleto.

masarap sa pakiramdam na kahit magkakalayo kayo sa isa’t isa, na kahit buwan o taon ang pagitan bago ang sumunod na pagkikita, ang pagkakaibigan nandun parin. walang bahid ng pagbabago, walang bahid ni katiting nang ilang. masarap! masaya! kahit siguro tumanda na kame, ang samahan nung highschool, mga pinagdaanan at mga katarantudahan parn ang pilit na babalikbalikan. at kahit pa may dumagdag sa listahan ng mga kaibigan, ang mga tunay na magkakaibigan kailanman hindi malilimutan ang pinagmulan at ang pinagsimulan. sbi nga ni pepi “walang old and new friends, just friends”. simpleng inuman sa mata ng iba pero para saken, katumbas neto 6 months na therapy. ikaw ba naman ang malayo sa mga tunay mong kaibigan. simple pero masaya, sobrang saya. kahit na gas talk lang ung ibang napagusapan, memorable parin. haay, what more can i say? i’m relieved. can’t wait for the next session.

It’s great that in 2009 that there is a term to accurately describe a friend who really wants to backstab, gossip and break your soul apart– with a  smile on her face.

Yet again, does that make her a friend?

Friends are supposed to be honest, trustworthy, compassionate and fun. Most importantly,  they are there to  boost  your self-esteem rather than quash it with a bitter tweet or Facebook stat: Oh, times have truly changed.

Frenemies are actually enemies in the guise of a friend who want to  compete, backstab and gossip about you.

If this term seems foreign and unfathomable to you, let me break it down. Have you ever had an itch that you can’t completely scratch since the itch won’t go away?

That’s a frenemy, you can’t stand the fact that they give you a bad feeling inside whenever they chill with your buds but you can’t cut them out since it will sour your other relations fast. They are that  itch you want to scratch but can’t,  since it will create a rash all over your body.

The biggest victims of this itch are women since our social circles are plagued with these fake, jealous, insecure posers. Over the years, I tried to scratch that itch from my life but I have failed miserably.

Throughout my struggle, I did learn how to spot a frenemy:

• Does she  make nasty remarks by  ” accident” but sugar it up with a falsetto sweet voice just to irk you.
• Does she make you feel nervous, scared and unhappy? These itches try to one up you and make it that it’s bad for you to be yourself.
• Have you ever had a bitter feeling inside whenever you interact with her If you have had that feeling, do not ignore it. Your gut instinct is that this girl aint right.
• Has she ever been consistent in her foul behavior against you? And what I mean by foul is : manipulate you with passive aggressive behavior, insult you,  use you for her  own agenda,  and ignore your feelings and requests just to mess with you.
• Has she stolen all of your friends, turned them against you or has  gotten your pals to consistently make you the butt of every joke?

• Do you have a love/hate relationship with her?

If you have spotted a frenemy amongst your group of friends, calm down and remember the world will not end. You just need to brush up on your acting skills and put alot of distance between the two of you.

I’ve had a frenemy for a whole year now and what I did to combat this user was by not only creating distance between the two of us but by being polite to her whenever we met  or chat on the phone.

I mean, why lower yourself at her game when you can be the confident person by ignoring her insecure attempts at bringing you down?  Smile,  say something positive and walk away– FAST!

Good morning friends.  How creative are you?  Many says contentment lies in creativity.  In some aspect of life, it can be applied but in some it can.  After reading one good article, I’d like to share it with you and then tell me if some of you who don’t believe that contentment lies in creativity.  It’s a nice article. 

God is in meditation, as much as in madness, says Mallika Sherawat 

You find god in…
I try to find the spirit in everything — myself, friends or enemy. In prayer or party, meditation or madness, nature or the bathroom.

How do you connect to god?
I connect by being connected of course! As long as one makes the effort to attune oneself, the connection is revealed. It’s a subtle thing for me.

Karma & kismat to you are:
Karma to me is the cumulative effect of all the results that I cause. Whether the result is instant or takes time, it is the law. Kismat is destiny that changes as one grows.

True contentment lies in…
For me, true contentment lies in creativity, it comes from taking on challenges, and understanding the worth of true friends. But true contentment lies in peace of mind. -  The Times of India

(Mallika Sherawat is an actor)

The past few weeks have been crazy busy! I have thought about writing several times, but I have just been too busy, or by the time I sit down too tired to think straight!

I recently got a job at the Beverly Center (a huge really expensive mall here in LA) working at Kipling- a high-end luggage/purse/bag store. My friend Seth just left for Spain, so I sort of took his job- he tipped me off to it before he left. What a nice guy…I kept telling him I was glad he was leaving because otherwise I wouldn’t have a job. lol That’s not totally true. But, anyhow, I have been busy doing that on top of my 4 days of interning, plus church, and my online class.

When it comes to friends, I feel so blessed for all the new ones I have met since I have been out here. However, what is that saying? “Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold.” Well, I definitely know who my “gold” is. My friend Aubrey came to visit two weekends ago from home, and that was SO much fun. It really meant a lot to me that she took the time and money to commit to coming out here to see me.

We crammed a lot into the three days she was here. We layed out by the pool, went shopping, ate at Baja Fresh, saw Tim Allen perform at the Laugh Factory, ate at In-N-Out Burger, went to Universal Studios, ate at the Cheesecake Factory in Old Pasadena, found The Playboy Mansion, took a cruise down Rodeo Drive, went to Huntington Beach, ate some REAL good Pizza and had a HILARIOUS waiter, ate Fish Tacos at Jame’s Beach(where the movie “I Love You Man” was partially filmed), and went to Santa Monica Pier.

As you grow up and mature, and life takes you through ups and downs, you begin to realize who your true friends are. I feel lucky to call Aubrey one of mine. Despite the distance, she is always there for me to talk to and is always so loving and supportive…I couldn’t ask for a better friend.

So, as for my other important long-distance relationship; I cannot wait to see Drew a week from Friday! He made the decision to come visit me on a 4-day weekend he has off of school, and I am so excited! I know it’s costing him time, and money,but I hope by the time he leaves he will feel like it was worth it. =) I am sure we will have a great time.

It has been really difficult to be apart this past month and a half or so. Everyone says that long-distance is so much easier these days because of texting and phones and internet…but I don’t know. It really has been difficult in little ways. We haven’t had any BIG problems really, but we tend to fight and bicker over the stupidest things on the phone…it must be because we just miss each other…because we never really do that at home.

Two days ago I had a great day…I got to meet my “idol” who I have admired since I decided I wanted to go the direction of Music Supervision. Her name is Lindsay Wolfington and she is the Music Supervisor for the show One Tree Hill. When I was contemplating an internship out in LA, I tried to contact her, send my resume, look up her contact info, email her…anything to get a hold of her. Just ask Dan & Lori, my advisors up at school…I was on a HUNT for this woman. Unfortunately, I came up with zeros and sort-of lost hope of finding her right then. However (just like John Mayer…!) I knew that someday we were bound to cross paths….

Well, “someday”  came a lot sooner than I had expected! Through my internship(s), I have gotten to go to 2 of these “lunch showcases”. Basically, there is really good free food, and a performance from one or two artists and all the Music Supervisors and big-name industry people get invited for free. It’s kind of just a “suck up” lunch to get the artists on a good page with these industry people.

Anyhow, I got to go see “The Swell Season” last time…they are Irish Musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová. They are most known for their 2007 film, “Once”. As it turns out, Lindsay Wolfington WAS at this showcase, but I didn’t know this until after. My internship people I was with told me they didn’t want to introduce me because they thought I would freak out, since they know how much I idolize her…I must admit, I was a little mad about that. lol

So, we go to another lunch showcase, and believe it or not, I totally forgot about the possible-Lindsay-Wolfington-encounter and was just excited for the music and free lunch. We got to see Ingrid Michaelson perform, and she was awesome…there was also some delicious pizza and ice cream. lol So, I was officially distracted, but then all of a sudden I somehow remembered that I had heard Lindsay was at the last showcase. I asked one of the Music Supervisors if he could introduce me if she was there…he said she was…and he did!

I got to talk to her for about ten minutes, I told her what I was doing there, where I was from etc. We talked a little bit about One Tree Hill this season, and what we both thought about the new plot and about the addition and subtraction of certain characters. We also talked about a few other shows like Top Chef, America’s Next Top Model, and Flashforward. It wasn’t a really deep conversation, but it definitely made my day that I got the chance to talk to her after all! Maybe I will run into her again before I go back home =)

Once we got back from the showcase I was already happy, and my day got even better when my Dad told me there was a letter at home reporting that I had made the Dean’s list at school last semester! I honestly didn’t expect that…so, all in all it was a great day!

Hmmm..what else to report? Oh- I am TOTALLY hooked on thew new ABC show Flashforward. I don’t know how that happened, but I am seriously hooked. Tune in if you haven’t been watching. It’s easy to catch-up online…tonight is only Episode 3.

I feel like I had so much more I wanted to write about when I first logged on here, but apparently not. I can’t remember now. So, I guess that is the update from Hollywood…for now anyways! Hasta la vista.

I talked about how belittled I felt in the summer. I talked about how this camp renewed my strength and changed my thinking. I will now talk about the time before I went to the camp. I was lost and thought the future was hopeless before the camp. The camp’s theme was on emotion. We took a survey asking us how we felt the 2 weeks prior and I scored above the safe range. I scored in the mid range of people “At risk” of becoming depressed. I knew I was not feeling well, but I thought it was normal. I guess it wasn’t as 85% of the crowd scored in the normal range.

But during this camp (that my girlfriend forced me to go to), I met many friendly and “true” friends. True meaning they are not hiding anything or being fake to look good. Meeting these friendly and Godly people cheered me up immensely. We had this prayer time on Sunday night and I went up to my mentor and told her my fears of how I do bad in school and am afraid of the future, tears came to my eyes and my lip started to tremble. That was the first time I showed emotion and opened up to another person other than my girlfriend. I wanted to ask for more things to pray for but that was all I could say or else I would have started crying my eyes out. She prayed for me, and during the prayer she prayed for all the things I wanted to ask for, such as my girlfriend and I, and also stepping up now to do God’s will.

After we had a response song, and during the song “Now that you’re near” I actually cried. I saw glimpses of my future and I gained strength. I knew God showed me what was ahead of me and told me not to be afraid.

The camp gave me a wondrous thing, in Cantonese it is pronounced “dao gee”, it means a inner fire. Also I brought a friend to this church camp, he is a stout non christian, but something happened during the alter call and he raised his hand. He went up to the pastor and he prayed for him. When I asked him about it, he said that he did not know why he raised his hand, but something made him do it. He said that he is not sure about God yet, but I know that the seeds are there, that one day he will join us in God’s family. When I brought my friend to the camp, I prayed to God to let Julian believe, because I knew no matter what I did, it came down to God to bring him over. God provided such a miracle for me to witness.

I just want to say, Thank you God for providing such a great church for me to visit.

God will renew your strength, you will fly like the eagle, run and not be weary; you will walk and not faint or be discouraged, disheartened or depressed. Isaiah 40:31

Dear God, in hard times, you will come up and show us that we were foolish to have doubted you. Praise God, Amen

Dhyaan Thanking the Lord

Thank you; Lord, for my parents dear

For all my loved ones far and near;

Thank you for my brothers and sisters

And for all the help I get from others;

For my country, Lord, I thank you, too.

And for my friends all tried and true;of the sun

And thank you, Lord, for the heat

For the light of the moon, for all the fun;

For all the beautiful things around me

The mountains, rivers, birds, the sights I see;

And above all, Lord, for Your life which You gave

I was reading this poem about thanking the Lord.  It was a nice words to feel.  My thought of sharing this with you is to be aware that we should all thank our God for the graces He gave us.  He don’t get tired of giving us all the blessings we receive.  All we have to do is just say a simple word . . . “Thank you, Lord