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.

A Goodreads quote - a question, and an answer?

Have you always known what you want to do?  Steered toward it unerringly?
Has your journey been wild and precious?

My journey has indeed been wild, and strange, and well, hard and fun.
I have met strangers who became friends, and learnt about life in various milieu

I have enjoyed bus rides, talked with my designated drivers, and found friends in my constant companions on the same rides.  

One, who participates in the Boston Marathon, and paints, was like Nick Nolte in Pat Conroy's Prince of Tides.  And I had the idiocy to watch the movic with him.  

I was also with a group waiting for a connecting bus to another county in Brea  Mall - where the wind chill factor was ..., in a word, Brrr. An Irishman, an Indian, a Kenyan, and a Filipino.  We shared our cultures and became friends.  Too bad that distance cant always survive friendships ...

so wild and precious.  Wild. Precious.  I hope you have yours.

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life? 

Mary Oliver

Happy 79th birthday, Mary Oliver! The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's daily walks in the woods and wetlands of Provincetown are a central inspiration for her work.

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.

A Goodreads quote .... do you want to live forever?

Well do you?  There are ways to do so

you can mutate into Wolverine - and have fantastic healing powers such that aging is not a problem

imagine those telomeres ....... really fantastic

You cant mutate into a Time Lord, so if you have any ambitions about being Doc ...(insert number here), the first you have to find where they hid their planet.  It wasnt destroyed after all.... or was it.

the other way, more simple - at least to my mind - is to write - and leave footprints in the ether of digital wizardly.  i have bits and pieces scattered in the internet.

i already have a published poem in the Library of Congress - and unless an entity bombs the repository, that's like living forever, ..... aint it?  And i want to write more

There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches. 

Ray Bradbury

September 2, 1932: Science fiction master Ray Bradbury was a 12-year-old boy when he walked into a carnival tent and met Mr. Electrico—a moment that he credits with making him want to be a writer. The performer tapped him with an electrified sword and shouted: "Live forever!"

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 goodreads quote - you have to go out and meet the dragon sometimes...

a paraphrase of Milne's quote .... i love the Pooh characters - Winnie, Pig, Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Roo, .....

you have to find your own enchanted forest and your own others ,,,

and dont make them like Puff ....

You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes. 

A.A. Milne

August 21, 1920: A.A. Milne and his wife thought that their baby was going to be a girl. When he emerged a boy, the parents chose a new name for him—Christopher Robin. It would be popularized in Milne's many Winnie-the-Pooh stories of a boy and his bear.

A Goodreads quote - Rebelling and Conforming ...

Learn the rules, break the rules, make up new rules, break the new rules. 

Marvin Bell

Happy 77th birthday, Marvin Bell! The celebrated poet taught for four decades at the Iowa Writers Workshop.

Sometimes, it is time to rebel and test the limits ......merely conforming can be as idiotic as merely rebelling

You, Perfect? No way. A Goodreads quote

Many people, i always thought, quite erroneously, that they are perfect and make no mistakes.
They think they are gods.  Hello, you, if you are one of them, are NOT.
Realize it.

and here is someone who agrees with it

Perfection is not a thing to aspire for.  It means unchanging and static, and dead.

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself. 

Anna Quindlen

Happy 62nd birthday, Anna Quindlen! The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist also writes novels, including One True Thing, Black and Blue, and Blessings.

Buying and Shopping - A Choice makes a Difference

Have you heard Deal Grocer's Retail Therapy?
Yes, they claim it is YOUR right.

While I have no arguments with that, but like everything, I also believe that our choices always make a difference ...

You say you support the Coral Reefs - but you buy coral jewelry.
Or support wildlife and buy ivory jewelry

Then you dont put your money where your mouth is -

Coral jewelry is lovely, but if you support say the barrier, then you cant continue to buy such stuff ....

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

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.

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...

A Prayer to God, our Father

A prayer to God, our Almighty Father - sent to me by Hermie.

Please pray for yourself, for your loved ones, and for all of us.

 Pray with me.

 

Heavenly Father; I come to you as humble as I know how. 

I Confess my Sins, those Known and Unknown. 

 

Lord, You know I'm not perfect & I fall short every day of my life. 

 

I just want to take time out to say Thank You.

Thank You for Your Love. 

Thank You for Your Mercy.

Thank You for Your Grace. 

Thank You for my home, car, food, Life, and Everything I do have. 

 

I realize that this Life I'm living is full of trials & tribulations But Thank You for not putting more on me than I can bear. 

 

The next time you get ready to complain, Tell The Devil you are A Blessed Child Of God & you have more to be thankful for than to worry about. 

 

 

 

We must go thru the storm to appreciate the Sunshine!

quote from Goodread's selection

i happen to agree ... scintillating minds sparkle in conversations involving mind play.
fascinating, Spock would say....

Surely only boring people went in for conversations consisting of questions and answers. The art of true conversation consisted in the play of minds. 


Ved Mehta
March 21, 1934: Born in Lahore when it was still under British rule, writer Ved Mehta made his way to the U.S. and became a New Yorker staffer. Happy 79th birthday

Quote - Goodreads selection

All happiness depends on courage and work.


Honoré de Balzac
March 19, 1842: French writer Honoré de Balzac was always up for a get-rich-quick scheme. Hoping to drum up some buzz for his latest play, he spread a rumor that it was sold out. It opened 171 years ago today, to an empty theater.

Quote as rec by Goodreads

My friend and doctor has always said, no food is taboo, but remember, everything in moderation.
Besides even the Bible has intimated that Jesus died for us that we may have life, and have it abundantly -
having fun is part of God's plan for His people.  But as you all know, this is clean fun.

Fun like splashing water in a pool or by the sea, or having contests - cerebral or otherwise.

I have never been convinced there's anything inherently wrong in having fun.

George Plimpton
March 18, 1927: A contender for the title of Most Interesting Man in the World, writer George Plimpton wrestled Sirhan Sirhan to the ground when Robert Kennedy was assassinated and once got into the ring with boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. He was born 86 years ago today.