Something light - notes on NARUTO

Last night i caught a Naruto III episode and it featured Sasuke and Naruto squaring off to fight.

Sasuke, for those of you who have read the manga or seen an eppy or so, is rather handsome, or cute if you were much younger.  He is skilled, talented, and powerful.

Naruto is different.  Naruto is indomitable.
Persistent.  Stubborn.  Will unsurpassed.

We cannot all be like Sasuke but we can all try to be Naruto.

Kickstarter's a SOLAR PUFF Lantern

It folds - and wow, solar powered

i love kickstarter projects.  if you have funds to burn, instead of just spending it all on recreational drugs or good times, spare a little for projects such as these.... and thus imagine dark places in the world lit with light, with your help - as you sit there enjoying your martini or your champagne and your canapes with Russian caviar


take a look at this WOW project by Kickstarter

Life and Death - a slightly confusing post that i published anyway

I wish everyone a Happy Easter!  The joyous rebirth into Christ's love.

There would be no Resurrection without the Crucifixion, and Life with God can only begin after Death to the Material World, to use one of Madonna's words.

The only sure things,  Brad Pitt says in Meet Joe Black, are death and taxes.  And taxes in the Philippines are truly, truly onerous.  In the Philippines, the sick are further burdened by the Philippines gross income tax.

Death waits for everyone, some have very short waits, others have long, long waits.
Death, they say, is easier than living.  But giving up to death is not quite kosher - which is quite different from having a DNR*.

A Goodreads quote - seems perfect for this Season

It is our purpose in life - to give meaning to our existence.  I once read a poem in an olde M&B book ... it goes 

what is this life if full of care, we have no time to sit nor stare....
so sitting and staring is part of our lives, to think, and meditate...

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other? 

George Eliot

George Eliot (died December 22, 1880) was the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, author of classics like Middlemarch. For twenty years she lived with her lover, the philosopher George Henry Lewes, and her pen name was a tribute to him. Eliot was code for the phrase: "To L - I owe it."

A GoodReads quote -

The power of the mind is truly amazing.  So keep thinking positive. Have good thoughts and may good prevail .... Keep the light in your spirit aglow

The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.. 

John Milton

When John Milton (born December 9, 1608) wrote Paradise Lost, he was blind and nearly impoverished. The epic poem took six years to write and he sold the publications rights for just £5—not a large amount even in 1667.

A Goodreads quote on Life and Love and Living

Life is indeed simple.  We stand up for what we believe, and show support for those we love.  Do you do the same?  Or does something prevent you...

. . . when it comes down to it, that’s what life is all about: showing up for the people you love, again and again, until you can’t show up anymore. 

Rebecca Walker

Happy 45th birthday, Rebecca Walker! The influential journalist introduced the concept of Third Wave Feminism in an article for Ms. magazine when she was just 22 years old. Walker's mother is Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple.

A Goodreads from the Wiz of Oz author for Oct 9

hemmed in? frustrated beyond all reasonableness?

take heart.  wait for the heart, just like the lion.

Never give up...No one knows what's going to happen next. 

L. Frank Baum

October 9, 1899: L. Frank Baum finished writing his beloved classic, The Wonderful World of Oz. It was originally titled The Emerald City.

Goodreads quote: indeed, it would. it could

Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth. 

William Faulkner

When William Faulkner (born September 25, 1927) won the Nobel Prize, he donated part of the award money to establish a fund encouraging young writers, which became the PEN/Faulkner award, and the rest to a scholarship for black teachers as a Mississipi university.

Being a child

Two quotes for  today because i was out of the nets for 3 days.

I belive that one should be a child forever,  This is not to say to behave as a child, but to retain the wonder of a child.... and that this should be forever.  

I think you should be a child for as long as you can. I have been successful for 74 years being able to do that. 

Bob Newhart

Happy 85th birthday, Bob Newhart! The famously deadpan comedian wrote a characteristically titled autobiography: I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This.

Remember i posted before on living - here is a goodreads quote that says the same

The balance of living and dying.  Plan as if you would live forever, but live as if you only have today.  

If I am not mistaken - this is what i said before.

One must live as if it would be forever, and as if one might die each moment. Always both at once. 

Mary Renault

Mary Renault (born September 4, 1905) was known for her historical novels set in ancient Greece and her contemporary novels exploring homosexual relationships.

Another Goodreads quote - sounds like me .... indeed

Laugh like hell. Indeed.
I have never forgotten watching one of Repertory Philippines play when they were still at the old Insular Life building in Makati - The one in the corner of Ayala Aveue and Paseo de Roxas

There was a joke and i laughed out loud, uproariously loud - and alone, followed 2-3 seconds soon after by Jaime Zobel de Ayala and Zeniada Amador - also loudly.  Still, for those few seconds, i was laughing loudly and alone - quite an experience.

and i agree about being alive - we will all soon be gone.

When you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough. 

William Saroyan

William Saroyan (born August 31, 1908) often wrote about characters who share his Armenian heritage, as in his book of short stories, My Name Is Aram. He is best known for his first play, The Time of Your Life. It was awarded a Pulitzer, which he refused, saying that "commerce should not patronize art."

A Good reads quote - something to do each day

something i try to do every day, why? because life is too short to do otherwise.  
we must try to be reasonable

One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words. 

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

With his debut novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (born August 28, 1749) became an international celebrity. It was one of Napoleon Bonaparte's favorite books.

A Goodreads quote - what we inadvertedly teach the children

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. 

James Baldwin

August 2, 1943: The day author James Baldwin turned 19, he attended his stepfather's funeral and witnessed the start of a riot in Harlem. He wrote about all these events in his book of essays, Notes of a Native Son.

*****

perhaps one of the reasons children of abusers also become abusers....... see, they think that it is okay to abuse because they see it being done and being condoned.  It is also okay to be abused because it is commonplace in their lives.

so we must also do what we say, because we are the shining - i hope - examples for the children;
not just our own, but all the children

Living and Planning Your Life

There is a saying about this -

Plan as if you have forever, but live as if you have only today.

This will force you to balance the future and the present, allowing you to enjoy things for today, without having to postpone it all for tomorrow.  Tomorrow never comes.  There is only today.

Dont take this advice to extremes. ...
enjoy what you can today, but also save up for tomorrow

same is true for pleasures

but for suffering... i'd rather a little suffering today, than a greater one later

Goodreads Quote from director Rob Reiner

Everybody talks about wanting to change things and help and fix, but ultimately all you can do is fix yourself. And that's a lot. Because if you can fix yourself, it has a ripple effect. 


Rob Reiner
Happy 67th birthday, Rob Reiner! The director of When Harry Met Sally... and The Princess Bride got his start as a writer on The Smothers Brothers.

Goodreads quote - on Love. Something i definitely agree with ...

The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we never give enough of is love. 


Henry Miller
Happy Valentine's Day! Legendary literary lovers Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin stayed true to Valentine's tradition with their frequent exchange of steamy letters.

A post about Accounting

a dear friend of mine requested two topics for this blog.  one is a post on Accounting, another is on Surveys.  i do not know why these 2 topics are desirable, but here goes

Accounting is a simple retelling, or a method of recording.  For example, in a retelling, after say a soldier reports activities on a battlefield, it can be used by saying, "your unit gave a good accounting at the battle of Gettysburg (for the Union shoulders).....".

This is similar to one's accounting of one's time.  Time is the most expensive item in this world.  If you disagree, then consider this.  Time cannot be begged, borrowed, or recycled, and everyone must strive to make each moment count.

By making moments count, it is not about generating income.  it is about living a life that is full of the important things that make a life worth living.  Love (and i dont mean just the romantic kind), Laughter, Joy, and yes, even tears. It is making a life accountable to its Maker, if you arent an atheist.  That's accounting, too!  An accounting of one's personal life.  Remember "My Way"?

Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way


These days though it is mostly used to count and record monies or money transactions.  So these involve keeping financial records, analyzing financial data, and doing audit

If you think about it, Accounting is the simple allocation of items to its "proper" place.  Take for example, an accounting of  one's personal expenses. 

Or in the accounting for one's personal allowance or monies, one may list down all expenses by type of expense, say "food", "groceries", "utilities-power", "utilities-communications", "utilities-power" - and so forth so that one has sub-levels. And so it is.

Of course i havent on the general ledger system of formal accounting, where one has sublevels within sublevels.  Where there are revenue and income accounts that one closes each fiscal year, translating these to GL accounts.  want to know more? drop me a line.

from my inbox

May 22, 2013 How to Stay Young Mary Southerland Today’s Truth The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;  I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10, NIV). How to Stay Young 1. Throw out non-essential numbers such as your age, weight and height. 2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. If you really need a grouch,  there are probably family members to fill that need. 3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever.  Just never let the brain idle. 4. Enjoy the simple things.  When the children are young - that is all you can afford.  When they are in college that is all you can afford.  When they are grown, and you are on retirement, that is all you can afford. 5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.  Laugh so much that you can be tracked in the store by your distinctive laughter. 6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on.  The only person that is with us our entire life is ourselves. 7. Surround yourself with what you love,  whether it is family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies or whatever.  Your home is your refuge. 8. Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it.  If it is beyond what you can improve, get help. 9. Don't take guilt trips. Go to the mall, the next county, a foreign country - but not guilt. 10. Tell the people you love how much you love them every chance you get.  Never assume they know. 11. Don't worry about things you cannot change or do anything about.  Accept them and move on. 12. Read more and dust less. 13. Spend more time with your family and friends and less time working. 14. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure.  Recognize these moments now and cherish them. 15. Do not "save" anything.  Use your good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound,  getting the sink unstopped, or the next blossom of flowers you see. 16. Wear your best outfit to the market. 17. Don't save your good perfume for only special occasions.  Use it even if you are going shopping or just to the bank. 18. "Someday" and "one of these days" should vanish from your vocabulary.  Let’s Pray Father, I want to live life to the fullest. I want everything you have for me  and don’t want to miss a single blessing or trial that is for my good.  Please help me keep my eyes on You and celebrate every day  and all that it holds.  I trust You, Lord, to work all things together for my good and Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Hexing: Mind-over-Body

Mind-over-body.  The mind is one of the most powerful thing in the body.  It has the power to heal or destroy.  This is one of the articles that deal with negative thinking and its possible effects.  Conversely, one can almost hear the other side.  So, if you were to put the considerable power of your mind, put it to good use. Think positive.

i like Angelina Jolie (okay, so i like Brad Pitt more) but she seems to be the perfect foil for Brad Pitt.

Click here for Angelina Jolie's story on medically-hexed?

A Prayer to ask for Financial Aid

Heavenly Father, most Gracious and Loving God, I pray to You that You abundantly bless my family and me. I know that You recognize, that a family is more than just a mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, husband and wife, but all who believe and  trust in You.

Dear GOD, I send up a prayer request for financial blessing for not only the person who gave me a copy of this prayer, but for me  and for all who read this prayer.

May the power of joint prayers by those who believe and trust in You is more powerful than anything! 

I thank you in advance for your blessings.  

God, deliver the person reading this right now from debt and debt burdens. Release Your Godly wisdom that I may be a good steward over all that You have given me.

GOD, for I know how wonderful and mighty You are and how if we just obey you and walk in Your Word and  have the faith of a mustard seed that You will pour out blessings.

I thank You now Lord for the recent blessings I have received and for the blessings yet to come, because I know You are not done with me  yet.

In Jesus name.  Amen...