lesson

he who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.

- proverbs 21:23

it is my heartfelt conviction that, next to learning to let a child go, the toughest lesson a parent has to learn is how to keep her mouth firmly shut when the insides are just boiling to spew forth.

diaper changes and the alphabet got nuthin' on this, baby.

change of season

i switch the a/c off today. 

this gives me an inexplicable but delicious feeling of anticipation for the rest of the year.

if you are like me, perhaps you notice too that today is the last day of september, and sigh, just a little.

college app

J2 shows me her college app essays. they are like rice paintings to me, full of metaphorical minimalist brush strokes.

back in the day, we presented school records and listed our choices in order of preference. then we had an interview and talked about how we intended to integrate profession and family. it was all very literal. the stakes weren't too high because frankly we didn't know any better.

what i mean to say is, i don't think i could get into college today.

a dark & stormy night

Dog spends the night pretending to be invisible on our bedroom rug. his sighs and grunts weave their way into my sleep.

Dog has refuge from the storm but now i have an entire library of dreams to recover from.

memento mori

he no longer sprints across the fields. he lumbers and stops and lumbers. 

in defense

i am ... a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.  - acts 22:3

how amazing that God calls in spite of all that we are

and that he uses all that we are.

mva

J2 backs the car into the garage wall and beyond. it is, as she describes it, a case of mistaken identity involving pedal positions and blind panic.

J2 is appalled into silence. my smart-mouthed quick-witted fierily confident daughter is so dazed that she actually keeps silent. shock does amazing things to people.

another spidiot

here, skim through this:

Dearest,

May the peace of GOD  be upon you.

I am Mrs. Koh Li Peng from Singapore, suffering from cancerous ailment.I am married to late Mr. Richard Stanley, an American and former Chief Executive Officer of DBS Bank Ltd. My husband was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukaemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, 11 April 2009 after a brave fight with the disease he died. Our life together as man and wife lasted for two decades with three children.

My husband died after a protracted illness. He and I made a vow to uplift the down-trodden and the less-privileged individuals as he had passion for persons who couldn't help themselves due to physical disabilities or financial predicaments. I can adduce this to the fact that while on his sick bed, he gave his life to the Lord. Although, while still alive, he had safe deposit worthy $35 million US Dollars toa Security and Finance Firm which were derived from his vast estae, corporate investments in capital market around the Southeast Asian Regions andhad given an instruction to give out exactly half of the total sum to charity. Please, click the website for more :http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/421655/1/.html

Although, the money is still with the finance firm, my doctor told me that I have limited days to live due to my cancerous problems, which I am suffering from right now. I had delayed in obeying my husband?s instructions to donating this money and have recently had anencounter with him in dream, while on my sick bed and still insisting that I adheared to his instruction of giving out this money, I am now, left with less option but to contact you immediately, as I feel my situation has been due to my ignorance to giving out this money long ago. I have taken this decision in good fate and I do not want my husband's hard earned money to be misused. I do not want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly manner hence, the reason for taking this bold decision.

Showing you willingness I would request you to kindly provide me with your personal information as below:i) Full Names, ii) Home/Office Address, iii) Fax/Mobile/Land Phones iv) Age, v) Sex, vi) Occupation & Copy of Valid Identification respectively.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the full details of the Finance Firm and. Please always be prayerful all through your life and assure me that you will act just as I have advised. I await your urgent response soon and remain bless.

Yours Sincerely,

Mrs. Koh Li Peng

what i want to ask is, HOW STUPID DO YOU TAKE ME TO BE?

HOM wants to know why i bother to take note. i have to for this one, i say. her hopeful brainlessness is astounding, even for this genre.

the agony & the ecstasy

reading this week:

bad science - ben goldacre. ♥
dreams and shadows - robin wright
ethics - d bonhoeffer. slow, i know. but you can't speed-read this.

the new facebook

they've gone and introduced a slew of stuff to wade through again, all working, one supposes, towards that day when we can all be easily and systematically fleeced as we network on the global stage.

what i like:

the acquaintances list. here is where i put the people that i regret friending but do not have the courage to unfriend yet. repent at leisure and all that.

what i really want:

a dislike button and a you don't say? button. i bet you these will add a nice nuance to our responses and pre-empt some regrettable comments.