Why does it happen!?!
"All men die, not all men really live." This phrase from Mel Gibson's Braveheart sent ripples of clarity into our culture. It was this theme that blazed the movie to receive such a large following. It strikes a longing of the heart.
I want to pick this up as my theme, though it is never a pleasant one. Sitting in a pool of ideas and allowing thoughts of death swirl in our minds moves us with discomfort and even resistance. It is unnerving. It is scary.
All men and women die. It is true. The death rate on planet earth is still one hundred percent. It may come in the infant's crib or it may come to the aged. It may strike the unsuspecting pedestrian or approach through disease. We all know in the back of our minds that death is inevitable. What we do not know is when and how.
The ancients were more acquainted with death than we are today. It was always around them in the brutalities of war abroad and in the domestic square. They did not cart their sick to the hospital or their old to the convalescent home. No, the sick, the fatally wounded, and the aged were in the home, and in the neighbor's home. When the final breath was taken, many witnessed the passing.
Because of this, they also had a keener awareness of death's approach. Throughout the Bible, death seems to be a lesser deal than many other things. It was far more important to be on the side of the Lord than it was to spare your life. Though death was undesirable, it was part of a bigger picture.Because of this, many knew that one of the goals in this life was to prepare for the next. To be holy, to walk blameless, and to leave a legacy for others to do the same, was not to leave a dazzling obituary. There was something more at stake, something more to be earned, and something more on which to live a life.
This antithesis leans hard against today's culture.
Today we drown out the fear of death with a mocking denial of it. John Bayly, who lost all his sons in his lifetime, says, "The sort of taboo Victorians placed on public discussion of sex has been transferred to death in our culture."(1) Not only do we sideline its ugliness to hospitals but we also simulate an artificial fear of it in our horror movies. After the movie is over, we walk back into our ordinary lives—something death really never permits. We see death so often on the silver screen and in the flashing television box that it has become trivial. If that isn't enough, many of our young people create a subculture of death, complete with skulls, dark clothes, and dark music, making the real point trivial. Some flirt with it in high-risk sports, feeling the thrill of brushing against a closer encounter with death. I wonder, though, how many of us sit in the pool of thoughts that life is frail and that our purposes here are bigger than skate-parks, cinemas, and adrenaline-surging sports.
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain," said the Apostle (Phil 1:21 ESV). That sounds weird to our cultural ears. Yet he aligned the formula and set his face in the right direction. In the same passage he actually says that he would rather leave the body but knows it is better for others that he remain and tell the good news.
Without being pessimistic or gloomy, let us take seriously death today and set our purposes toward preparation. For many of us, this may be an excellent motivator. If your death were to happen soon, would you be ready? Would you be satisfied with your legacy? Would you be confident of the maturity of your soul? Would you be secure in the love of Christ, the only one who can take us beyond the grave? May these sober thoughts turn us diligently toward the Cross and refresh our commitments to follow hard after him who conquered death.
... these were the words of Dale Fincher (taken from RZIM)
Let us continue praying for those ones who lost their loved one! They need to see the love around them. Sometimes the painting is all ugly & cracked & torn from our side ... but from the other side, from the side which only the super-natural can understand, it's all right & perfectly according to plan. Wierd huh!?! but it's true ... let us continue to get refined & purer in this maturing oven of life ... peace out ... BJ
i take back my words ...
many times i see people juz working & working & working ...
i've even said to many others that that ain't right and they need to focus more on their own lives and live their own life and not live for some other company & become their slave ...
BUT ... this last week i realised what the responibilities of work can make you!! if u make something ... u become the sole owner of that "thing" (which in my case is code!!) ... people using that code will call u ... they will call u or email u when they want to ... people who are monitoring the way code is being developed in the company will call you to give you their criticisms ... so now you have to call the people in other depts using your code and tell them "hold on!! 'cos i'm making changes to my "thing" ... use the new one when it's ready" ... then they tell you that they have to deliver their "thing" by some deadline and so since they are dependent on me ... i have to get my new "thing" ready for them well before their deadline ... and the cycle goes on & on ...
So you see ... all I was asked to do was make one thing ... but the chain-effect of the dependncies lying in this company is so loooooooooong ... it increases your work like ten-fold ... i'm almost ready to roll out the 17th!! version of my code in less than 10 working days ...
Now to make things worse ... I have to be done with my work by the 8th of April ... but inspite of me telling them a month ago that I will be going for a wedding in Yukon, OK around that time ... they somehow forgot ... so to cover up my team & i are working on finishing the work by the 5th/6th ... so that I can peacefully go on the 7th evening ...
So you work against time, people, policies ....
Working life ain't easy ... Oh! and one thing I learnt is that company policies are the stupidest policies in the world ... SCROLL DOWN & see the blog about the monkey experiment ... that is ACTUALLY true!!
All you people out there who work till late in the night or for like 15 hrs a day ... as long as you're NOT doin it for the $$$ (thendi by definition) but 'cos your job reposnibility requires it ... HATS OFF!! to u dude ... i totally understand how you feel :(
it's ok ... the people don't need to know
i am not quite a big fan of tennis ... but i was noticing the fact that ...
cnn or foxnews has not printed out on one of their big links the fact that the American "dream team" lost to the Croatians in the just-finished Davis Cup and that too on home-soil!!
Of course it's a shameful fact that Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick & company lose to Croations to the Americans!! But I like the way the media decided to avoid mentioning it ...
Yeah and before someone says it ... they do have it on their website ... but only when you go look for it
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/tennis/03/06/davis.cup.sunday.ap/index.htmlJuz felt like saying this ... that's all for now!!
hav u ever felt like this!?
ok ... for the past few hours sitting in this boring cube ... iv been having this thought ...
I want to sit in this big pool of LEGO blocks & make something big like a city with all its intricate details right upto the white lines on the streets ... or a nuclear plant or a factory ... juz something big!!
Now is this a wierd feeling? Anyone ever felt like doing something like this before!?
back to the basics
So we have all the major phone manufacturers out there trying to make their phones more n more cool wit more cool features ...
On the other end of the world, we have LG who decided to make a simple phone which weighs only 2.2 ounces!! How?? 'Cos it just has a 3-line display n the buttons u need to press!!
http://www.slashphone.com/89/761.htmlBy the way, it's CDMA technology ... so if it does come to the US ... only Verizon customers would be able to use it
Still ... this is truly going back to the basics!
how company policies r made ... tis is true
A research team decided to study the behavior of primates. 8 monkeys were kept in a closed room which had a bunch of bananas hanging from the ceiling which could be just reached by climbing atop the chair inthe room.
However the researchers arranged for a setup wherein any attempt by a monkey to dislodge a banana would result in all 8 monkeys getting doused with icy cold water.
The experiment started. As expected a monkey scampered towards the chair and climbing it reached for the bananas.
Immediately all the monkeys in the room were showered with cold water and they screeched loudly.
This happened quite a few times before all the monkeys just sat motionless to avoid the drenching.
Then one of the original 8 monkeys was replaced by a new monkey. Not having been drenched before he confidently strode up to the chair and was about to climb it when the other 7 pounced on him and administered a sound thrashing.
Again the monkeys sat motionless... the newcomer had no clue as to why he was thrashed but figured it must be something he did.. Like reaching for the chair perhaps.
Another monkey was replaced; he too came in, made for the bananas and was beaten up. Soon all the monkeys were replaced, now if any monkey even moved from his place the others would pound him up.
None of the monkeys here knew why they were being beaten up or why they would beat up the others. However since the "precedent" had already been set they dared not question it or bother reasoning. They merely did what the others around them did believing that everyone was doing it so it must be correct to do so...............................
That's how company policies are made!
true love
Alyssa ... "Why are we stopping?"
Holden ... "'Cause I can't take this."
Alyssa ... "Can't take what?"
Holden ... "I love you."
Alyssa ... "You...love me?"
Holden ... "I love you, and not, not in a friendly way although I think we're great friends, and not in a misplaced affection puppy-dog way, although I'm sure that's what you'll call it. I love you. Very, very simple, very truly.
You are the, the epitome of everything I have ever looked for in another human being. And I know that you think of me as just a friend and crossing that line is, is, is the furthest thing from an option you would ever consider but I had to say it. I just, I can't take this anymore, I can't stand next to you without wanting to hold you. I can't, I can't look into your eyes without feeling that, that longing you only read about in trashy romance novels. I can't talk to you without wanting to express my love for everything you are, .
But I had to say it. Because I've never felt this way before, and I, I don't care, I like who I am because of it. And if bringing this to light means we can't hang out anymore then that hurts me. But God, I just, I couldn't allow another day to go by without just getting it out there, regardless of the outcome. Which, by the look on your face, is to be the inevitable ... shoot-down. And, ya know, , I'll accept that.
But I know, I know that some part of you is hesitating for a moment. And if there's a moment of hesitation then that means you feel something too. And all I ask please is that you just, you just, not dismiss that. And try to dwell on it, for just, ten seconds. God. Alyssa, there isn't another soul on this planet who has ever made me half the person I am when I'm with you. And I would risk this friendship for the chance to take it to the next plateau because it is there between you and me. You can't deny that. Even if, ya know, even if we never talk again after tonight, please know that I am forever changed because of who you are and what you've meant to me. ..."
... was watchin Chasing Amy ... dang!! tat move is got the F word like a zillion times in it ... not a movie to watch ... but tis scene was SWEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTT!!! tis time i mean it to b really sweet sweet
thendi ... almost!!
ok so after some nice mexican fajitas ... i go wit my friend to Walmart to get some groceries ... i on the other hand wanted a comforter as it's freezin cold in my room!! ...
so i look at all the colors they hav ... all the sizes ... then i see tat yellow walmart face stickin out of one whole type of comforters ... yeah n there was the navy blue color i wanted!! (does tis make me gay ... i pick matchin colors for my bedsheets n pillows?!?)
oh wow ... n its juz $20 ... sure enuf i go ahead n buy it ...
i come home ... zip down the plastic bag n open it ... n after opening the whole thing wat do i see!!! 2 DVDs ... TROY and SkyCaptain & The World of Tomorrow ... I started screamingggg ... I started jumping!! ... my other 2 apt-mates come into my room ... n I'm like ... see wat i get for $20 ... a matchin comforter n 2 orginal DVDs too!!! ... at the height of my excitement ... my room-mate shows me the DVD covers again ... n there i see the dreaded truth ...
both covers had slits on the sides ... the actual DVDs were stolen from inside the cover ... hidden into this comforter ... n the thief (not thendi) ran off wit the actual DVDs!!!
dang! i was fooled ... i thought i was the lucky guy wit the best deal of the day n the true thendi of the month award ... but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo ... somebody had to deprive me of tat joy too!!
so here i am ... with no DVD to watch tonight ...
besides i juz realized ... at no time during my excitement did i hav any intention of going n returnin the DVDs to Walmart ... now TAT's BADDDDDDDD ... but it's the thendi in me tat always makes me do tis!!
eait or leave it?!?
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/02/bubba.lobster.ap/index.htmli'm so confused ... i can't make up my mind ... wud i prefer to eat it or let it go? ... i luv lobster meat ... but i like wonders of nature too!!
(edited again on March 04)
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/03/04/leviathan.lobster.ap/index.htmlnow i guess it's an easy decision to make ... i'll eat it!!
