MikeLigalig.com

O m g! I died laughing at this.

This is a must-watch for anyone who knows about 'scuttin' hahaha

http://youtube.com/watch?v=o7oqrvZ3we0&feature=related

LoL, I know the guys in the video.

These guys have too much time in their hands.

I filled my car again today.

Gas prices are down again; its $3.75 per gallon. It went down by 2 cents in only 1 day!

President Ferdinand E. Marcos, is considered by many Political Scientists as the Perfect Politician.

I agree. Total power will corrupt. Even men like Marcos, who initially had good and positive goals, is consumed into the vortex of political corruption.

The question has been asked time and time again by Filipinos as well as Americans.

And I thought about it actually during a talk I had with some of my friends this week. It is undeniable that the standard of living in the United States of America is one of the highest in the western world; being the Only Hyper Power of the world and the greatest economic power to ever exist, this cannot be denied.

So the question is, would it be better had the Philippines been matriculated and assimilated in the United States of America; made into the 51st state?

I talked about this with friends; and I have a friend who is Puerto Rican, who voiced out his opposition to it; claiming that the Philippines would loose its nationhood. But I also voiced out to Fernando, a friend, that Puerto Rico itself benefits from America.

He remarked, "But Puerto Rico isn't an American state."

And i replied him, "Yes, but it is an American territory; with all Puerto Ricans given American citizenship. Are exempt from taxation from America, enjoy the American dollar and billions of dollars of investment and American military protection. With all Puerto Ricans given the rights as any American citizen. "

He did not answer back. And he knows this is true.

Puerto Rico, like the Philippines and Cuba, were one of the possessions that was lost to the United States from Spain during the Spanish-American War of 1898.

I just wonder how the Philippines would be like had it become the 51st state or a territory of the United States.

I mean think about it, these are things to been considered:

1) All Filipinos would be given American citizenship, and rights as all Americans under the constitution of the United States

2) The Philippines would be the target of massive American investments; to develop the islands; educational growth, logistic growth per se domestic infrastructure; tourism; natural resources etc.

3) A good percentage of the American population would be of 'Filipino' ancestry. Filipinos would actually be a major ethnic group of American society.

4) The Philippines, by right of statehood, would be enjoy higher standard of living and cost of life as compared to its neighbours.

5) Military umbrella. As a state, no nation would dare step on Philippine soil; as it would be 'American' soil.

6) Filipinos would have free range to travel; and to move to any state or territory of the United States of America.



What do you guys think? Your views?

Let's discuss the prophets in the bible. Their names, their responsibilities and their actions.

Feel free to discuss anything about the prophets, your particular favorite prophet, his story, etc.

Thank goodness!

This is such a relief to the average and working American. Especially very poor students like me.

I filled my car earlier this weekend; the usual 20 dollar fill up. Then I realized that I got more gas than the usual.

I am so elated to see that gas prices are down jud.

President George Washington.

There are many reasons why this man is considered a 'great' leader in American and International History.

Let me provide the reasons that comes to mind.

1) His military tactics; guerilla based and intelligence in fighting the ground. Choosing to fight on open ground only when his strength was equal or greater than the enemy's. His mastery in the use of hit and run tactics.

2) Political savvy. The man befriended almost every colonial representative in the House of Congress. Commanded the loyalty and respect of the Continental Army with his voice and his shear presence.

3) The gift of foresight. His greatest advice to John Adams, the 2nd president of The United States of America was, "Beware of entangling alliances."
This is the very reason why the United States retained neutrality in regards to political affairs and ramifications in Europe. Intervening only when the interests of these United States were hindered. This was seen in the America's naval bombardment of the Berber Pirates of the coast of Tunisia in the early 19th century.

It was always American policy, during the age of infancy, to focus on domestic growth. Only after the master of the entire continent was secured, was America ready to champion its cause abroad.

4) Washington's Federalism. Washington was always a proponent of centralization and some kind of local autonomy. He, nevertheless, championed the authority of the Federal Government. A government of the people, that represents the will and the good of the American people.

5) Honesty, Integrity.
After the conclusion of the American Revolution, there were those who wanted to make Washington into a King. And America into a Monarchy.

Washington had ultimate power, the authority of Congress, and the might of the American Continental Army. He could have easily secured his Monarchical authority had he wanted to. He could have chosen the path of Caesar Julius of Rome, some two thousand years before.

However, Washington with humility and in beneficence for the American people, chose to adopt democracy.

And has been a legacy every president has fulfilled and protected ever since. Many governments model that of Washington's idealism.

6) Christian Morality.

President George Washington was a christian; with strong christian morality and ethics. Like men before him and with him, founded the United States as a Christian Nation.

History dictates this to us.

7) Love of Country, Americanism

Washington's love of America is externalized. And likewise, he is named the 'Father of America'.

Is it me or are gas prices going down?

I drove past our gas station today, Wawa, and a regular unleaded was at $3.77 per gallon.

It actually went down 20 cents this past 2 weeks.

This is in New Jersey, btw.

by Chris Brown

[mp3tube]6bdb9bbd6dd271088893cb6ffe3b069e[/mp3tube]
Love this song

What a handsome son and a beautiful mother.

The jewel of his mother's eyes.

God Bless such a beautiful and loving family!

Quote from: ytesski on July 28, 2008, 02:30:45 PM
Oh, I'm sorry Dong Lorens! Me, Smiffy, Smiffy's dad, and Ate Ging understand how you feel. When's Smiffy's 2nd fish pet died, Ate Ging and I were crying because we were so worried how would Smiffy and her dad feel and at that time they were on vacation in Bohol. Smiffy's dad talked to the fish a lot.

Awwww, im so sorry about the loss of their fish. Cute baya ning mga gold fish. Specially the baby ones.

Last week, when I was at orientation week, I really was turned off by one individual who was very boisterous in the hospital where we where introduced at.

There was one attending physician who was in the floor where we, MD1 students, were shown around. Since we, as MD1 students, will be expected to attend the hospital and volunteer at least 1 day a week; in the weekday or weekend.

The physician in question was in the background talking to one of the nurses as our medical director, The Dean of Basic Sciences, was explaining the setting, our basic responsibilities etc. This particular attending physician was being rude to  some of us MD1 students and to the nurses.

I wanted to just admonish him for his arrogant tone. Just because he has his Medical Doctorate does not mean he can talk down to others, especially if those are students. I had to restrain myself in addressing this individual; perhaps he was abused when he was an MD1 student.

Whether a person has a 'Dr' in front of their name does not make them any higher than a person with a mere Mr. or Mrs or Ms in front of their name.

It feels so good just to let it out.

Macbook, in my personal opinion, ranks up there. I highly recommend it.

The new Macbook Air is very nice.

hahahahaha, Mr. Barbaro, oh love that one.

Sige, i'll have to save this one; forward this to some of mi amigos.

LoL,

Fools say in their hearts,
"there is no God."

Their deeds are loathesome and corrupt;
not one does what is right.

The Lord looks down from heaven
upon the human race,
To see if even one is wise,
if even one seeks God.

All have gone astray;
all alike are perverse.

Not one does what is right,
not even one.

Will these evildoers never learn?
They devour my people as they devour bread.
They do not call upon the Lord.

They have good reason, then, to fear;
God is with the company of the just.

They would crush the hopes of the poor,
but the poor have the Lord as their refuge.

Psalm 14

To God Be All Glory and Praise!

I salute the physicians and staff members who part took in such a medical mission.

An inspiration for many of us students.

And I pray more medical missions come to Bohol in years to come.


Remark:
I knew a Filipino surgeon that went on a medical mission to Luzon; near Olongapo region. He is an attending neuro-surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland City, Ohio.

I met him when I was doing an internship at OCPM last year.

They focused on free neurosurgeries, cleft-palate restoration, free vaccinations, and basic reconstructive surgeries.

An overwhelming amount of nurses who went to the mission were Filipinos. And a good percentage of the surgeons/physicians that went were Filipino.

God bless these individuals. And may they continue to pour out their resources to those in need of their services.

GOD IS GREAT!!

Justice for those who were duped by people with ill intent. Dili jud ma tuug ang Ginoo.

Always awake. Always listening.

To God be all glory and praise, Mr. Rald.

Maluuy ang Ginoo ma okey ra imung amigo and his family.

His Will be done.

Take care, sir.

Quote from: raldampong on July 29, 2008, 12:14:14 PM
Thanks a lot and you explain it very well, That what I told the family to make second opinion. They scheduled to go home this week and seek second opinion in Manila.

CT scan had been taken, I just it will not cancerous. The doctor its bigger than a one Piso coins already.

Thanks again and Goodluck in your studies, God guides you to heal the sick and the needy.

Mr. Rald,

Of course, my friend, I truly sympathize for you and your friend and his family. Life, especially that of a friend, is a special one. And I pray that the good Lord will provide a good prognosis and diagnosis for your friend through a physician in Manila.

I did forward this question to my friend AJ, who has greater knowledge about this than I--he is a 2nd year and has already started his clinical clerkship. Typical kono ang manifesations of glioma in adult males; particularly in the form of the subtype astrocytoma. Your friend was wise to seek consult; and it will probably come down to surgical removal of the malignant tumors.

Mr. Rald,

I just want to tell you that you are such a good man and individual to worry of your friend. Don't stress about it too much, my friend, as your friend will be in good hands in Manila. All that we can do now is just hope and pray that your friend is given an excellent consultation in Manila. And that the surgical operation goes smoothly and safely. It is all in God's hands now.

Please be calm, and be strong for your friend.

The power of prayer, in times like these, works wonders, my friend.

God Bless,

I agree with you completely Ate Lee.

When I attended collegiate bible study and inter-collegiate christian groups, we discussed this very issue.

I would like to say that by the end of our year-long meetings, many of us Catholics befriended protestants: lutherans, presbyterians, baptists, born-agains.

The general consensus we agreed on was that Christ Jesus is the Savior. The particular way of worship may differ from congregation to congregation, denomination to denomination, but the solid understanding of scripture, reading it, internalizing it is seen in all forms. Some may be orthodox in its ways as in retaining not only scriptural readings, but also a strong sense of religious practice in sacred methodology; then there are those who lean more on scriptural readings.

All of which, are beautiful and illustrate the worshiper's obeisance and Love of Our Father in Heaven.

I have been to baptist churches, been to orthodox churches (Greek and Russian), I have attended Presbyterian, United Methodist. I am a Roman Catholic, but I cannot help but smile in elation to see that in the very bottom line; we all worship the very same God. And read the very same scripture; though some have different translations from the original; the overall messages are reiterated.

Give Glory to God. And Only to God.

haha. Valencianon jud. Great slide show, Ate Anel.

It is not for us, as simple humans, to worry about our demise. What can be prevented will be prevented. Everything else will come in time.

Let us worry about our environment and our personal admonishments first. God will do the rest.

Trust In ONLY Your Lord God.

His Word is above all else.

Quote from: raldampong on July 28, 2008, 04:09:42 PM
Lorenzo, I want to asked you some medical advice, A friend of mind collapsed during our games, I though its a cardiac arrest, so I pumped his heart (CPR) and bring him to the emergency Hospital. An hour later, He was dismissed seemed had nothing happened. late night, it happened again. He was brought a good clinic and diagnosed that he has a tumor or lump on his brain. Between the lobes, that why he has seizure. The tumor is growing so its impinged his brain and that cause to trigger seizures.

My question is, is there any chance He can survive the operation. The Doctor said its safe to operate because it is located from the outer side, drill a hole then vacuum suck the fluid or used lacer to destroy the lump.

Do think it will not damaged some part of the brain? How often is the attack on this kind of case?

Thank

Rald

Mr. Raldampong,

To my best of knowledge I would probably think that your friend probably has something call Astrocytoma, which is a malignant, or cancerous, type of brain tumor. This type of tumor arises from small, star-shaped cells in the brain called astrocytes. It is a subtype of a larger group of tumors called gliomas. Astrocytoma is the most common form of glioma and may occur anywhere in the brain. However, it is most commonly found in the cerebrum in adults, and in the cerebellum, brainstem, and optic nerves in children.


The typical symptoms of Astrocytoma are:
     Headaches
     Visual changes
     Vomiting
     Seizures
     Personality changes
     Problems with memory, thinking, and concentration
     Problems with walking


Your friend must make sure he sees the correct neurologist; as in seek the consultation of 2 or more neurologist instead of only 1. From your response, it seems that he has the advanced form; he must make sure to get an MRI scan, CT scan, Angiogram, as well as biopsy and resection. To make sure the prognosis/diagnosis is correct.


Mr. Rald,

There will always be complications that arise from neuro surgical operations in the removal of a cancerous tumor. It depends on the location of the tumor. The following are basic relation and affects:

   Frontal lobeâ€"gradual changes in mood and personality, paralysis on one side of the body
   Temporal lobeâ€"problems with coordination, speech, and memory
   Parietal lobeâ€"problems with sensation, writing, or fine motor skills
   Cerebellumâ€"problems with coordination and balance.
   Occipital lobeâ€" problems with vision, visual hallucinations

Any damage to these particular lobes will cause manifestations to arise. Any damage to cerebral spinal fluid will also lead to the rise of internal homeostatic change.

Infection, as always, is a concern that will manifest when opening the skull. So long as your friend is not immuno-compromised, there should be no secondary or tertiary infection.


Once again, I am only a medical student and not a practicing physician. My knowledge on this matter is not complete. I highly suggest your friend to seek the consult of 2 or more neurologist for proper diagnosis and prognosis.

God Speed to your friend.

Early in its history, Israel was forbidden to make any depictions of God because he had not revealed himself in a visible form. Given the pagan culture surrounding them, the Israelites might have been tempted to worship God in the form of an animal or some natural object (e.g., a bull or the sun).

But later God did reveal himself under visible forms, such as in Daniel 7:9: "As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was Ancient of Days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire." Protestants make depictions of the Father under this form when they do illustrations of Old Testament prophecies.

The Holy Spirit revealed himself under at least two visible formsâ€"that of a dove, at the baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32), and as tongues of fire, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1â€"4). Protestants use these images when drawing or painting these biblical episodes and when they wear Holy Spirit lapel pins or place dove emblems on their cars.

But, more important, in the Incarnation of Christ his Son, God showed mankind an icon of himself. Paul said, "He is the image (Greek: ikon) of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." Christ is the tangible, divine "icon" of the unseen, infinite God.

We read that when the magi were "going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (Matt. 2:11). Though God did not reveal a form for himself on Mount Horeb, he did reveal one in the house in Bethlehem.

The bottom line is, when God made the New Covenant with us, he did reveal himself under a visible form in Jesus Christ. For that reason, we can make representations of God in Christ. Even Protestants use all sorts of religious images: Pictures of Jesus and other biblical persons appear on a myriad of Bibles, picture books, T-shirts, jewelry, bumper stickers, greeting cards, compact discs, and manger scenes. Christ is even symbolically represented through the Icthus or "fish emblem."

Common sense tells us that, since God has revealed himself in various images, most especially in the incarnate Jesus Christ, it’s not wrong for us to use images of these forms to deepen our knowledge and love of God. That’s why God revealed himself in these visible forms, and that’s why statues and pictures are made of them.

hahaha, he is the joy of his Kuya's eye.

Kani si Andre kaibao jud ni siya how to make his kuya smile. Some pictures of Andre during his b-day celebration.


Him with his buddy Josh


Blowing out his b-day candle

Worst subject: Home economics

Best Subject: Anything science, math, history-esque.

Hilarious video, couldn't stop laughing.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=R0Z_alq0o0o&feature=related

I found out that one of my fishes died while I was away. My poor little gold fish.

hehe. What part of Valencia are you from, Melody?

Sa occidental?

Quote from: ms da binsi on July 28, 2008, 11:12:25 AM
I do too Dodong, I always feel that the sun has a hard days work and needs to rest! kaluoy sa sun, way pahuway!

I still remember the photo you took last year when you were in the park in Michigan. In the children's rides area; the background was of a setting sun.

I still remember it; because it was so beautiful.

I remember I thought of it when I was typing my essay for History. Because I was typing in TB as I was writing the essay. hahaha.

I read something concerning Orthodox and Catholic practices and would be best to reiterate it in here to elucidate the matter for those who have distorted and wrong interpretations of the matter.


WHY were the Israelites commanded not to make graven images?...Graven images were the standard method of pagan worship. They were representations of false gods...an "image" NOT made for worship is acceptable. In fact, we should not really call things like the cherubims "images" at all -- an "image" in ancient thought is not merely something that has an appearance, like a statue or a picture, but something that serves as a focal point for the presence and power of a deity. Thus for example ancient rulers in Egypt, Babylon, and elsewhere were referred to as the "image" of a certain deity, not because they looked like the deity, but because the deity's power and authority was thought to operate through them.

With this understanding in mind, does the Orthodox use of icons violate the command against graven images? Based on Sparks' and Whiteford's description, and even though they seem unaware of this understanding of "image," the answer seems to be no. Although Sparks correctly notes the use of cherubim on the Ark (which Barker saw as contrary to the restriction), as well as the fact that the other images were used as idols; and though he also notes the existence of paintings and statues depicting the likes of Peter and Paul, and notes that people were apparently "deeply moved" by them, he does not apparently know the background meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words for "image". Still, if he did, it would not work against Orthodox use of icons as Sparks and Whiteford describe them. His defense offers these points, however:

   1. The icons make no effort to depict God. If they did, then they would be objectionable.
   2. Icons are actually word-pictures. In fact, Sparks uses the very proverb above ("a picture is worth a thousand words") to describe the purpose of icons.

On this accounting, reason 1 is a good point, but does not address the key argument. Reason 2 has a much stronger basis -- the early church (indeed the ancient world as a whole) was 90-95% illiterate. If icons are understood as memory aids, then they are far, far from being "images" of the sort forbidden by the Bible, no more so than would be a Children's Picture Bible. Whiteford quotes Pope Gregory (590-604) as saying, "For what writing presents to readers, this a picture presents to the unlearned who behold, since in it even the ignorant see what they ought to follow; in it the illiterate read." He then notes the problems of functional illiteracy today, and notes as well that many people (especially children) are pre-literate.

But that leads to the question, what of the parishoner I saw praying before the icon? What of those who kiss or bow before icons in reverence (and also may make the sign of the cross, recalling Christ's sacrifice)? Sparks replies that icons are "windows to heaven, revealing the glory of God" and actually "help to protect us from idolatry" by pointing us in the right direction. They also "bring a revelation, a manifestation of the unseen heavenly host of angels, saints and martyrs--yes, even the eternal saving events--into our presence." [8-9] By comparison he points to Daniel and Joshua bowing in veneration before an angel of God, and the honor persons give one another in daily life (such as honoring one's father and mother).

Sparks' example of Joshua and Daniel is open to question; Joshua at least may have been seeing an example of the pre-incarnate Christ. Yet Sparks' description, if we take it as doing justice to the Orthodox view, does make it clear that icons and their use are not a violation of the graven images command, even if they appear to be on the surface. Though Sparks' language is a little vague, it does not indicate that the icons are points of presence for a deity in the same sense that the ancient Baal or Dagon figurine was. As he describes them, icons are visual aids, and those who kiss and bow before them are giving respect, not worship. Whiteford compares it to an American saluting a flag as a "veneration" not of course of the cloth and dye, but of the ideal represented by the flag; or he compares it to Jews kissing their copy of the Torah.

Whiteford does, however, provide a rather questionable example as well. He notes that when Polycarp was martyred, several disciples tried very hard to retrieve his body. This actually reflects an ancient desire that ANY body should be buried honorably -- not any particular veneration for Polycarp. The ancients were deeply concerned for the preservation of ANY body for reasons of honor, and this was an honorable burial for a person deserving of honor, which to the ancients was as important as we would regard paying the bills (per the work of Malina and Rohrbaugh). The further observations of the date of martyrdom are a similar reflection.

Sparks notes the reply, "Why not just worship God?" His response: blank walls are of no use, for "such barrenness [does not] serve to speak of the presence of a living God." [9] One might remark in reply that the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer bespeaks of that well enough. But if we follow Sparks' explanation, icons might be best described as visual aids for visual thinkers; the kissing and praying as a way (if rather emotional and by Western standards, excessive) of saying "thank you" and giving respect to those depicted, as one may kiss one's mother or father and give them a hug. And if that is all there is to it, the "no graven images" command is not applicable. (I will admit that as a "verbal" thinker I personally find the idea of icons pointless.)

Of course one would not say that some Orthodox adherent may not fall into the mistake of false worship through icons -- the line between simple respect and outright worship is not very well-defined, and Orthodoxy uses more Eastern modes of expression which Westerners find too "mushy" -- just as one may point out that any Southern Baptist may fall into the error of salvation by works or a God with a human body. At the same time one cannot agree with Sparks that such things are "indispensable for those who sincerely pursue and desire the fullness of Christian worship" [20] -- for visually-oriented persons, or for the illiterate, such things may be eminently useful and helpful for worship, but they are hardly "indispensable." In short: The Orthodox use of icons is no violation of the graven image command in and of itself; which is not to say that it is not, like anything else, open for abuse and subject to misuse or excess. Indeed, in the Western world it may be far more open for abuse than in the East.

A helpful reader has passed on some material that may be of interest, and express at the very least a cautionary note. We should note as well that some of these cites may reflect an understanding of "image" in a way not quite the same as that of the definition we showed in our work on Mormonism, and that these writers were writing centuries before the Church really worked out and resolved the issue in the iconoclast controversy.

    "Works of art cannot then be sacred and divine." - Clement of Alexandria (The Stromata, 7:5)

    "In a word, if we refuse our homage to statues and frigid images, the very counterpart of their dead originals, with which hawks, and mice, and spiders are so well acquainted, does it not merit praise instead of penalty, that we have rejected what we have come to see is error?" - Tertullian (The Apology, 12)

    "We know that the names of the dead are nothing, as are their images; but we know well enough, too, who, when images are set up, under these names carry on their wicked work, and exult in the homage rendered to them, and pretend to be divine--none other than spirits accursed, than devils." - Tertullian (De Spectaculis, 10)

    "For how could he [Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration] have known Moses and Elias, except by being in the Spirit? People could not have had their images, or statues, or likenesses; for that the law forbade." - Tertullian (Against Marcion, 4:22)

    "But, they say, we do not fear the images themselves, but those beings after whose likeness they were formed, and to whose names they are dedicated. You fear them doubtless on this account, because you think that they are in heaven; for if they are gods, the case cannot be otherwise. Why, then, do you not raise your eyes to heaven, and, invoking their names, offer sacrifices in the open air? Why do you look to walls, and wood, and stone, rather than to the place where you believe them to be?...Wherefore it is undoubted that there is no religion wherever there is an image. For if religion consists of divine things, and there is nothing divine except in heavenly things; it follows that images are without religion, because there can be nothing heavenly in that which is made from the earth." - Lactantius (The Divine Institutes, 2:2, 2:19)

    "Moreover, I have heard that certain persons have this grievance against me: When I accompanied you to the holy place called Bethel, there to join you in celebrating the Collect, after the use of the Church, I came to a villa called Anablatha and, as I was passing, saw a lamp burning there. Asking what place it was, and learning it to be a church, I went in to pray, and found there a curtain hanging on the doors of the said church, dyed and embroidered. It bore an image either of Christ or of one of the saints; I do not rightly remember whose the image was. Seeing this, and being loth that an image of a man should be hung up in Christ's church contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures, I tore it asunder and advised the custodians of the place to use it as a winding sheet for some poor person. They, however, murmured, and said that if I made up my mind to tear it, it was only fair that I should give them another curtain in its place. As soon as I heard this, I promised that I would give one, and said that I would send it at once. Since then there has been some little delay, due to the fact that I have been seeking a curtain of the best quality to give to them instead of the former one, and thought it right to send to Cyprus for one. I have now sent the best that I could find, and I beg that you will order the presbyter of the place to take the curtain which I have sent from the hands of the Reader, and that you will afterwards give directions that curtains of the other sort--opposed as they are to our religion--shall not be hung up in any church of Christ. A man of your uprightness should be careful to remove an occasion of offence unworthy alike of the Church of Christ and of those Christians who are committed to your charge." (Jerome's Letter 51:9)

We close with these observations: One should not exaggerate the dangers of falling into idolatry, no matter how strange icon-veneration may seem to members of theological traditions that have traditionally been suspicious of liturgical art. Protestantism is the "unusual" party in this respect, not Orthodoxy (and specifically Evangelicalism: cf. e.g. the stained-glass windows, etc of Episcopalian Protestantism). It is a debate that should be approached with caution and not with our perceptions in the fore.

http://www.tektonics.org/gk/icons.html

The argument to prejudice Catholic practices in regards to the passage, (Ex. 20:4â€"5); "Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold" (Ex. 32:31) is of no basis.

Such particular excerpt was made to admonish the worship of pagan gods. Most exceptionally Egypt.

I do not worship anyone other than my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Who is Alive in Church. In the Holy Gospel.

In the Bread of Life, and in Wine.

We glorify his Mighty Name in Church, In Mass.

For who do we pray if not for Our Father In Heaven. Our prayers rises to him like sweet incense.

We pray O Lord for your protection of Your Holy Church. Whom was built for you. For the Salvation of Souls.

"Catholics worship statues!" People still make this ridiculous claim. Because Catholics have statues in their churches, goes the accusation, they are violating God’s commandment: "You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down to them or serve them" (Ex. 20:4â€"5); "Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold" (Ex. 32:31).

It is right to warn people against the sin of idolatry when they are committing it. But calling Catholics idolaters because they have images of Christ and the saints is based on misunderstanding or ignorance of what the Bible says about the purpose and uses (both good and bad) of statues.

Anti-Catholic writer Loraine Boettner, in his book Roman Catholicism, makes the blanket statement, "God has forbidden the use of images in worship" (281). Yet if people were to "search the scriptures" (cf. John 5:39), they would find the opposite is true. God forbade the worship of statues, but he did not forbid the religious use of statues. Instead, he actually commanded their use in religious contexts!

The Form of God?

Some anti-Catholics appeal to Deuteronomy 4:15â€"18 in their attack on religious statues: "Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a graven image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth."

We’ve already shown that God doesn’t prohibit the making of statues or images of various creatures for religious purposes (cf. 1 Kgs. 6:29â€"32, 8:6â€"66; 2 Chr. 3:7â€"14). But what about statues or images that represent God? Many Protestants would say that’s wrong because Deuteronomy 4 says the Israelites did not see God under any form when he made the covenant with them, therefore we should not make symbolic representations of God either. But does Deuteronomy 4 forbid such representations?


What About Bowing?


Sometimes anti-Catholics cite Deuteronomy 5:9, where God said concerning idols, "You shall not bow down to them." Since many Catholics sometimes bow or kneel in front of statues of Jesus and the saints, anti-Catholics confuse the legitimate veneration of a sacred image with the sin of idolatry.

Though bowing can be used as a posture in worship, not all bowing is worship. In Japan, people show respect by bowing in greeting (the equivalent of the Western handshake). Similarly, a person can kneel before a king without worshiping him as a god. In the same way, a Catholic who may kneel in front of a statue while praying isn’t worshiping the statue or even praying to it, any more than the Protestant who kneels with a Bible in his hands when praying is worshiping the Bible or praying to it.

God Said To Make Them

People who oppose religious statuary forget about the many passages where the Lord commands the making of statues. For example: "And you shall make two cherubim of gold [i.e., two gold statues of angels]; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be" (Ex. 25:18–20).

David gave Solomon the plan "for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord. All this he made clear by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all, all the work to be done according to the plan" (1 Chr. 28:18–19). David’s plan for the temple, which the biblical author tells us was "by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all," included statues of angels.

Similarly Ezekiel 41:17–18 describes graven (carved) images in the idealized temple he was shown in a vision, for he writes, "On the walls round about in the inner room and [on] the nave were carved likenesses of cherubim."


The Religious Uses of Images

During a plague of serpents sent to punish the Israelites during the exodus, God told Moses to "make [a statue of] a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live" (Num. 21:8–9).

One had to look at the bronze statue of the serpent to be healed, which shows that statues could be used ritually, not merely as religious decorations.

Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps to remember one’s mother by looking at her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at pictures of them. Catholics also use statues as teaching tools. In the early Church they were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate. Many Protestants have pictures of Jesus and other Bible pictures in Sunday school for teaching children. Catholics also use statues to commemorate certain people and events, much as Protestant churches have three-dimensional nativity scenes at Christmas.

If one measured Protestants by the same rule, then by using these "graven" images, they would be practicing the "idolatry" of which they accuse Catholics. But there’s no idolatry going on in these situations. God forbids the worship of images as gods, but he doesn’t ban the making of images. If he had, religious movies, videos, photographs, paintings, and all similar things would be banned. But, as the case of the bronze serpent shows, God does not even forbid the ritual use of religious images.

It is when people begin to adore a statue as a god that the Lord becomes angry. Thus when people did start to worship the bronze serpent as a snake-god (whom they named "Nehushtan"), the righteous king Hezekiah had it destroyed (2 Kgs. 18:4).


Hiding the Second Commandment?


Another charge sometimes made by Protestants is that the Catholic Church "hides" the second commandment. This is because in Catholic catechisms, the first commandment is often listed as "You shall have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:3), and the second is listed as "You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain." (Ex. 20:7). From this, it is argued that Catholics have deleted the prohibition of idolatry to justify their use of religious statues. But this is false. Catholics simply group the commandments differently from most Protestants.

In Exodus 20:2–17, which gives the Ten Commandments, there are actually fourteen imperative statements. To arrive at Ten Commandments, some statements have to be grouped together, and there is more than one way of doing this. Since, in the ancient world, polytheism and idolatry were always united—idolatry being the outward expression of polytheism—the historic Jewish numbering of the Ten Commandments has always grouped together the imperatives "You shall have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:3) and "You shall not make for yourself a graven image" (Ex. 20:4). The historic Catholic numbering follows the Jewish numbering on this point, as does the historic Lutheran numbering. Martin Luther recognized that the imperatives against polytheism and idolatry are two parts of a single command.

Jews and Christians abbreviate the commandments so that they can be remembered using a summary, ten-point formula. For example, Jews, Catholics, and Protestants typically summarize the Sabbath commandment as, "Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy," though the commandment’s actual text takes four verses (Ex. 20:8–11).

When the prohibition of polytheism/idolatry is summarized, Jews, Catholics, and Lutherans abbreviate it as "You shall have no other gods before me." This is no attempt to "hide" the idolatry prohibition (Jews and Lutherans don’t even use statues of saints and angels). It is to make learning the Ten Commandments easier.

The Catholic Church is not dogmatic about how the Ten Commandments are to be numbered, however. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "The division and numbering of the Commandments have varied in the course of history. The present catechism follows the division of the Commandments established by Augustine, which has become traditional in the Catholic Church. It is also that of the Lutheran confession. The Greek Fathers worked out a slightly different division, which is found in the Orthodox Churches and Reformed communities" (CCC 2066).

  If there is one area that a Catholic might be unwittingly guilty of is this. In fact ask a practicing Catholic about their beloved statues of saints, if they pray TO the statue of the saint. Most likely, you’ll get an answer saying, they pray TO the saint. However, if you look at the actual prayers, they’re requests for intercession between God and us, and definitely NOT worshiping the statue. That would be pagan idolatry.

So why do we keep statues and pictures of saints, and for that matter the

Virgin Mary? If you happen to visit any park or memorial, you’ll most likely find a statue or a depiction of a hero or a political figure. Those are there because we honor and cherish their memory. In the same token, then we honor saints and righteous men and women. There are several passages in the Bible that actually require us do just that, such as 1 Pet 2:17 :

    "Give honor to all, love the community, fear God, honor the king."

and Rom 12:10

    "love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor.
    Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
    Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.
    Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality."

And in Heb 12:22-23:

    "No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering,
    and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect,"

"the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven" is an expression that may refer to the angels, or to the heroes of the Old Testament, or to the entire assembly of the new covenant. Statues and pictures are visual reminders of our great saints and heroes of the faith (Heb 11) whose life and faith God intended for us to imitate, as in Heb 13:7. 7 Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

God never intended for the saints in heaven to be completely separated from the body of Christ on earth. They are involved in intercession, just as the saints on earth are, and they are described as "so great a cloud of witnesses" (Heb 12:1).

    "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us"

Christian life is to be inspired not only by the men and women of faith in the Old Testament but above all by Jesus, whose suffering at the cross gave His followers the courage to continue the struggle, if necessary even to the shedding of blood.

Ate Belle,

I go to church and kneel before the blessed crucifix of Jesus Christ, and take of the Bread and Wine. I am not praying to anyone besides my Lord and Savior. Who is Jesus Christ.

The statue of Mother Mary, we do not pray to her but to ask her intercession to Her Son in Heaven.

These misconceptions many have is something that needs to be 'eradicated'. For it is destructive and untrue.

Quote from: ms da binsi on July 28, 2008, 11:20:38 AM
Dodong what about  Exodus 20:4, 5 that says...


"You must not make yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them nor be unduced to serve them, because I your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion."


"To no one else shal I give my own glory, neither my praise to graven images..."

This is one of the most common misconceptions about the Catholic faith. Many well-intentioned, God-loving Christians of various denominations have heard this mistruth from trusted but ignorant teachers over the years, or have read it in books that claim to “expose” what they believe to be the Catholic faith. Unfortunately, as with most misconceptions, these conclusions are drawn with little or no true understanding of the faith or of the practice, or the purpose in question.

Before I answer this question, I’d like to quote a wonderful man of God, the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who said, “There are not one hundred people in this world who hate Catholicism, but there are millions who hate what they mistakenly believe Catholicism to be.”

So, is worshipping a statue wrong? Yes. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that it is wrong, in line with the Sacred Scriptures as it states in Exodus 20:4-5, “You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them”.

That being said…

There are several places in the Bible where God commissions statues and images for religious usage:

Exodus 25:10-22
1 Kings 6:23; 7:13-51
Numbers 21:6-9
Judges 17:1-6

Is God sending Two Different Messages?

Not necessarily…keep reading.

God ordered His children to construct these statues and images, but He did not intend for His children to worship them. God was using the images to help them to recall situations, to see places as holy and set apart, and to help them to open their minds and hearts and turn them back to God.

You see, an image is not an idol. There is a difference.

“An image is simply a spiritual ‘visual aid’ that is used by the faithful to increase their spirit of prayerfulness and devotion to God. An idol, on the other hand, is an image that is worshipped by the unfaithful in place of the one true God (i.e., the ‘golden calf’ described in Ex. 32:7-8).”

In the Old Testament, images of God were forbidden because folks had not yet seen God in human form. In the New Testament, God HAS taken on human form…an image that we can see.

“He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God…” â€" Colossians 1:15

“For in Jesus dwells the whole fullness of the Deity, bodily…” â€" Colossians 2:9

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life â€" for the life was made visible…” â€" 1 John 1:1-2

When we profess that Jesus Christ is Lord, we must remember that we are professing the Incarnation…that is, that God became flesh…flesh in human form, Who we could see, smell, hear, touch and (through the Eucharist) taste!

When we look upon a statue as we meditate in prayer to God, our senses are illuminated. We are not worshipping the wood, plaster, plastic or paint. The image, though, appeals to our sense of sight, aiding in our visualization and helping us to focus on the pure, consistent and holy life lived by that saint…like the Blessed Virgin Mary, for instance.

Here’s a few more things to keep in mind:

Stained glass windows with images can work in the same way…but most people don’t seem to have a problem with those, because “they’re just pretty”.

Images were very important in the early times of our Church’s history, especially when most of the faithful were illiterate, and could not read the word of God on their own. The images helped them recall instances and situations in the Word that they had heard about, but could not read on their own.

We put framed pictures of loved ones on mantles and walls of our homes, but that doesn’t mean that we worship them.

If I hold my Bible during worship, and hold it close to my heart…am I worshipping the God who inspired and wrote it, or am I worshipping the leather, glue and paper?

The weatherman uses a visual aid of maps when forecasting the weather, but couldn’t he just tell us the facts and read the temperatures?

Is a Children’s picture Bible that includes animations and drawings throughout it, the worshipping of images? Those are images, too, just not 3-D.

Catholics may pray in front of a statue, but never to a statue…that would be idolatry.

Finally, consider these last two thoughts regarding what the early Christians did:

“Previously God, who has neither a body nor a face, absolutely could not be represented by an image. But now that he has made himself visible in the flesh and has lived with men, I can make an image of what I have seen of God…and contemplate the glory of the Lord, his face unveiled.” â€" St. John Damascene (749 AD)

“The early Church used statues and images as aids to devotion and as expressions of faith. One need only to visit the catacombs in Rome to see statues and frescoes representing no only Christ but also scenes from Scripture. When the Church emerged from the catacombs, it continued to decorate its houses of worship with statues, mosaics, frescoes, and oil paintings, all designed to increase a spirit of prayerfulness.” -Albert Nevins, M.M.

(Based, in part, on Unabridged Christianity, by Fr. Mario Romero)

 Catholics agree that Jesus is the sole mediator between God and man, but that in no way makes prayer to the saints useless or wrong.

Many times one finds the New Testament recommending intercessory prayer (cf. Col 1:9; 2 Thes 1:11; 2 Thes 3:1; Jas 5:16), and very few Christians seem to have a problem with seeking the prayers of a fellow believer. A difficulty appears to emerge only when that believer has left this earth. But what difference should that make to one who affirms the resurrection of the dead? After all, we read that all are alive in Christ (cf. 1 Cor 15:22).

To recap, then, Jesus Christ is the sole mediator between God and man. No other person in heaven or on earth can take His place. The role of Mary or any other saint is to lead the believer to Christ. This subordinate form of mediation derives its meaning and efficacy from the Lord Himself and is not something the saints possess on their own.

Intercessory prayer is a powerful expression of the beautiful doctrine of the Communion of Saints whereby the saints in heaven, the souls in purgatory, and the faithful on earth are involved and concerned with one another's eternal salvation. Intercessory prayer declares our love for one another in the Church, as well as our faith that the bonds to Christ and His Church forged in baptism cannot be dissolved by death.

--

As pointed out above, the teaching of the Church is clear: Jesus Christ is the sole mediator between God and man. No other person in heaven or on earth can take His place. The role of Mary or any other saint is to lead the believer to Christ. This subordinate form of mediation derives its meaning and effectiveness from the Lord Himself and is not something the saints possess on their own. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between the adoration owed to the Persons of the Blessed Trinity and the veneration given to the saints.

Similarly, Catholics use medals and statues, but not as talismans or as objects of worship in violation of the First Commandment. Rather, these things are intended to be reminders or aids to devotion which focus one's attention on prayer and the practice of virtue. It would be a rare husband who did not carry in his wallet a photo of his wife and children, not because he worships the photo or his family, but because he loves his family and wishes to have a visual representation of them on his person. Nor have I ever heard a Fundamentalist take offense at the presence of statues of our country's heroes at national monuments. If the heroes of the nation can be so honored, why not the heroes of the Church? Catholics use sacred art in just this way, never fashioning "idols" for false worship.

Prayer to Mary (or to any of the other saints) is not an end in itself but is intended to be a means by which one is led to a deeper union with her Son. Classical spirituality even had a Latin maxim to illustrate the point: Ad Jesum per Mariam ("To Jesus through Mary"). True devotion to Mary never obscures the uniqueness of Christ because Catholics know that the only command of Mary recorded in the Scriptures is one that must be scrupulously obeyed: "Do whatever he [Jesus] tells you" (Jn 2:5).

In the final analysis, devotion to the saints can best be appreciated when one sees the saints in glory as the friends of God and fellow members of the household of faith. If our Fundamentalist friends are to understand this aspect of Catholic spirituality, that is probably the grounds which will make the most sense to them.

This is my hometown.

I love sunsets. Kai romantiiiiiiiic kaayo!

'te my heart always jumps in seeing sunsets, especialidad when the colors are so bright.

Hahahaha. Pariho diay ta, 'Ate Belle.

LoL!

Final warning. I will lock this thread of you continue with this.

This is NOT about you. Musiclover.

This thread is about the victims.

Final warning, kani.

Light of the world, You step down into darkness.
Opened my eyes let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore you hope of a life spent with you.

[Chorus]
And here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.

King of all days,
Oh so highly exalted Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly you came to the earth you created.
All for love's sake became poor.

[Chorus]
Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.

I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
And I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
No I'll never know how much it cost to se my sin upon that cross.

[Chorus]
Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.
So Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PC-yHnqttAU&feature=related

Such a beautiful song..

May the Lord Our God, bless all of us who read his word and heed his commands.

Peace be with you, Ms. Orchids.

John 1:1ff


In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God;
all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him.
He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light.
The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not.
He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.
But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God;
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.
(John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'")
And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace.
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"
He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."
And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" And he answered, "No."
They said to him then, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, `Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."
Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.
They asked him, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?"
John answered them, "I baptize with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know,
even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."
This took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.'
I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."
And John bore witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.
I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, `He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples;
and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"
The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"
He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ).
He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter).
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, "Follow me."
Now Philip was from Beth-sa'ida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Philip found Nathan'a-el, and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Nathan'a-el said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
Jesus saw Nathan'a-el coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"
Nathan'a-el said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."
Nathan'a-el answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"
Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these."
And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

I do not believe in prophecy. Nor should we even consort in reading or listening to heresayers; witchcraft or otherwise.

Do what you can with what time you have been allotted in life.

There is only one word we, as christians, should listen to. And it is the WORD OF GOD. Not the prophetics of Mayans.  A dead and pagan people.

Read:

(Joshua 13:22) Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.

(Isaiah 2:6) Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.

(Daniel 2:27) Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king;

(Daniel 4:7) Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.

Deuteronomy 18:10-14
"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,  or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.  "For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you. "You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. "For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so.

Quote from: kiamoy` on June 23, 2008, 10:22:18 PM
my fave question is

"asa ta mangaon? or what ang sud-an sa pantry?"

Hahaha, kuyawa pood uy! And what is the typical answer to this question, Bem?



One popular question is, 'Checkmate. Another game?' hahaha.

I don't really have a popular question for the chics. Probably something cheesy like, "Hi, beautiful, whats your name??"

What do you prefer in seeing, the sunrise or the sunset?

I beg to demand the ceasure of this so called personal commentaries that do not revolve on the subject matter.

Musiclover, it pains me to read comments that are very heartless concerning the victims. Likewise it is inappropriate to read comments from members that are attacking in nature. As it gives no credence or respect to the families of the bereaved.

For those who find Musiclover's comments questionable, I beg you all to send  your points of view to her via PM (Personal message); do not post any condemnation in the thread. As it pains many of us to read it.

It is both lethargic in morality and it strains any credulity.

Think first before you say something. Be wise about what you say through your mouth.

God Bless Us All. Peace be with you, mga igsoon ug kapatid.

Mr. Raldampong,

I was supposed to take French during high school as my 2nd language studies. Unfortunately for me, a friend of mine signed up for AP Spanish 1 and I signed up for it as well. LoL. She had really beautiful green eyes man gud. hahaha.

French language has a soft tone to it; it always sounds so romantic to my ears. Fortunately for me though, there are some similar words in both French and Spanish.

Au revoir, mon ami.

Mao jud, and you have been a great father who provides for his daughters.

An idol for young men such as myself to look up to.

What a glorious experience Job must have had. To have been able to talk to The Most High.

To converse with The Almighty, Creator of the Heavens.

But The Lord Our God so loved Job that he even had Job's faith tested by the devil.

Despite the plagues and curses the Devil rained on Job, Job's faith did not falter. Even after the loss of his goats, his children, his servants. He continued to glorify the Name of God.

What an an idol Job is to all of us. The power of faith. Unwavering faith.

Reading the story of Job swells my eyes with tears.

hahaha! dali ta 'te! Bisaya bitaw ta tanan!

God bless all Bisdaks!

Any murder, either it be of a child, an adolescent, an adult or an elderly is the abuse of the gift of the Most High. All life, is a gift from God.

Such heinous crimes of murder and dismembering of bodies is violation of not only law, but ethics and all morality.

It is an act of the Devil. An ungodly act. Unchristian. May Our Lord God ananthemize such actions.

We should offer our prayers and comforting words to the families of the victims. That they are graced with the power of strength of the Almighty's right hand. To endure the unendurable. That their family be able to mourn and move on peacefully.

Most of all we must remember the victims. That the everlasting mercies of Our Father In Heaven shine upon their face. Forevermore.


Eternal Praises Unto Your Most Holy Name, Our Father.

This we pray In the Name of Our Savior, Christ Jesus. Christ have Mercy.

Amen.

Quote from: guitArgirL on July 27, 2008, 09:29:09 PM
HoPe MAski PAtAy na Ang Taw diLi unTA siRaAn....cya Pa Ang gipatAy xa pA Ang gipAtak.an uG sToRYa..


--Msg--

foR those Who PRay fOR Ate eVa..mAy God Bless u...
coNtinue PrayiNg...
we Are Filipinos so we ShuLd be in a Team....
Let us pRAy foR Them pRa maguide cla ni God...


thAnks.....

We pray for the soul of the victims, and may the mercies of our Lord God shine light upon their souls. To be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven; and most of all that the murderers accept their actions and are given a fair and proper trial in accordance to their actions.

While I am not for any mob-based justice, I believe that these perpetrators deserve the greatest punishment provided by the Law.

Their heinous crimes are beyond basic homicide; justice is necessary for the bereaving families and those who were victimized by their barbarity.

I, as a citizen of the United States, and one of many Filipino-Americans DEMAND justice for the families of the victims.

Nothing can bring back the life of the two Boholana citizens. All we can do now is demand a swift and steady execution of justice.

I offer my prayers to the bereaving families. And to the souls of the departed.

This is a travesty to our people. Please, brothers and sisters, practice precaution and always be defensive and aware of your surroundings.

Be safe. God Bless all of us.

Hey Donskie, welcome, welcome and welcome!

What part of Bohol are you from, bro?

MANILA, Philippines - Australian investigators are focusing on the possibility that an oxygen cylinder could have exploded mid-flight on a Qantas jumbo jet that made an emergency landing in the Philippines with a giant hole in its fuselage, officials said Sunday.

Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority said Qantas has been ordered to urgently inspect every oxygen bottle aboard its fleet of 30 Boeing 747s.

"At this stage, there is no evidence whatsoever that this is a security-related event," Neville Blyth, senior investigator from the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau, told a news conference in Manila. "This is being treated as a safety investigation."

Blyth said tests for bomb residue were negative. Philippine bomb-sniffing dogs went through the aircraft, particularly the cargo hold and the passenger baggage, and found no indication of explosives.

He said the focus is now on an oxygen bottle missing from the cargo hold that was left exposed when a section of the 747-400's metal skin ripped away at 29,000 feet over the South China Sea on Friday.

"I can't speculate as to indeed the probability of that cylinder having caused the damage," Blyth said, when asked if there were indications that the scuba tank-like cylinder had exploded and damaged the plane.

"In the vicinity of the damage, we are missing one cylinder. The areas around the damage will be inspected. We're obviously looking for evidence on where that cylinder may have gone," he said.

Peter Gibson, spokesman for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, said an inspection of all oxygen bottles in Qantas' fleet will take several days. He said bottles located near the hole contained emergency oxygen for the flight deck.

Boeing spokeswoman Liz Verdier said the canisters in the cargo hold provide oxygen for both crew and passengers but would not say whether they were backup canisters or the ones used during the flight.

She said the design of the Qantas jet includes dozens of oxygen tanks located throughout the lower part of the aircraft, including below the passenger compartment where the hole is.

Passengers described the plane being shaken by a loud bang. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling due to rapid decompression caused by the 9-foot hole in its fuselage, and the plane descended rapidly as debris flew through the cabin. The plane, en route from London to Melbourne, Australia, had made a stopover in Hong Kong an hour earlier.

Four Australian Transport Safety Bureau specialists began inspecting the aircraft Saturday and were expected to continue their work for two or three days with assistance from Boeing and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, Blyth said.

The plane's flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder and a small disc that records maintenance details have been sent to Australia to be analyzed "in respect of the handling of the aircraft," Blyth said.

The possibility of an explosion is one of several scenarios being considered by investigators, said Julian Walsh of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

"There are oxygen cylinders contained in the cargo compartment," he told reporters. "The relevance of that will certainly be covered in the investigation."

An official of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration said initial reports indicated no link to terrorism.

Some passengers told Australian media that their oxygen masks failed to work properly during the crisis, causing some to nearly pass out.

Other passengers, while applauding the pilot and crew's performance, told of having to share oxygen masks among three people.

"Ours didn't come down, and my husband just about (passed out) because he didn't have any oxygen for about three minutes," Beverley Doors told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Passenger David Saunders said one man in front of him smashed the ceiling panel to force his mask to come down and that children were screaming and flailing.

"Their cheeks and lips were turning blue from lack of oxygen," he said. Gibson of Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority said speculation that corrosion contributed to the accident could be discounted.

"It's clearly an extremely rare and unusual event that a hole opens up in the fuselage," he told reporters in Australia. "I know there's a number of theories around, but they're just that at this stage, they're just theories. We don't have the solid facts."

Blyth, however, said investigators will check whether there was any corrosion in the aircraft wall or the oxygen cylinders that may have caused a problem.

Qantas boasts a strong safety record and has never lost a jet to an accident. Its last crash of a smaller plane was in 1951.

AHMADABAD, India - An obscure Islamic militant group warning of "the terror of Death" claimed responsibility for bombings that killed at least 45 people and authorities stepped up security Sunday after India's second series of blasts in two days.

The city's police commissioner, O.P. Mathur, said that 30 people had been detained for questioning, but there was scant information about the Indian Mujahideen, the little known group that took credit for the bombings in western India.

"In the name of Allah the Indian Mujahideen strike again! Do whatever you can, within 5 minutes from now, feel the terror of Death!" said an e-mail from the group sent to several Indian television stations minutes before the blasts began.

The e-mail's subject line said "Await 5 minutes for the revenge of Gujarat," an apparent reference to 2002 riots in the western state which left 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, dead. The historic city of Ahmadabad was the scene of much of the 2002 violence.

Saturday's e-mail, sent from a Yahoo account and written in English, was made available to AP by CNN-IBN, one of the TV stations that received the warning.

State government spokesman Jaynarayan Vyas said 45 people were killed and 161 wounded when at least 16 bombs went off Saturday evening in several crowded neighborhoods.

The attack came a day after seven smaller blasts killed two people in the southern technology hub of Bangalore.

Investigators in Surat, a city about 160 miles south of Ahmadabad, found a car carrying detonators and a liquid that police suspect may be ammonium nitrate, a chemical often used in explosive devices, city police Chief R.M.S. Brar told reporters.

The e-mail was sent by a group calling itself Indian Mujahideen that was unknown before May, when it said it was behind a series of bombings in Jaipur, also in western India, that killed 61 people.

In its e-mail, the group did not mention the bombings in Bangalore and it was not clear if the attacks were connected. But both Ahmadabad and Bangalore are in states ruled by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, as is Jaipur, raising suspicions that whoever was behind the attacks may have wanted to make a political statement.

There were reports the e-mail may have been sent from a suburb of Mumbai, India's financial capital. But the city's police chief, A.N. Roy, said, "We are inquiring into that. We haven't traced it yet."

The Saturday bombs went off in two separate spates. The first, near a busy market, left some of the dead sprawled beside stands piled high with fruit, next to twisted bicycles. The second group of blasts went off near a hospital.

The side of a bus was blown off and its windows shattered, while another vehicle was engulfed in flames. Most of the blasts took place in the narrow lanes of the older part of Ahmadabad, which is tightly packed with homes and small businesses. Bomb-sniffing dogs scoured the areas.

Distraught relatives of the victims crowded the city's hospitals. One of the wounded was a 6-year-old boy whose father was killed in the blasts. He lay in a hospital bed with his arms covered in bandages and wounds on his face.

Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat state where Ahmadabad is located, said the bombings appeared to have been masterminded by a group or groups who "are using a similar modus operandi all over the country."

India has been hit repeatedly by bombings in recent years. Nearly all have been blamed on Islamic militants who allegedly want to provoke violence between India's Hindu majority and Muslim minority, although officials rarely offer hard evidence implicating a specific group.

The perpetrators also rarely claim responsibility â€" a fact that raised doubts about the Indian Mujahedeen when it took credit in May for attacking Jaipur.

But fears that an attack could spark religious riots are real in India, which has seen sporadic violence between Hindus and Muslims since independence from Britain in 1947.

Those fears were amplified by the recent history of the 2002 religious riots. The violence was triggered by a fire that killed 60 passengers on a train packed with Hindu pilgrims. Hindu extremists blamed the deaths on Muslims and rampaged through Muslim neighborhoods, although the cause of the blaze remains unclear.

Ahmadabad is also known for the elegant architecture of its mosques and mausoleums, a rich blend of Muslim and Hindu styles. It was founded in the 15th century and served as a sultanate, fortified in 1487 with a wall six miles in circumference.

HARARE (AFP) - A signature, some handshakes and four days of talks have raised hopes for an end to Zimbabwe's political crisis, but it is uncertain that President Robert Mugabe's regime will cede power in the end.

With a shattered economy, and regional and international pressure piling up, Zimbabwe's arch rivals -- president Mugabe and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai -- on Monday committed themselves to settlement through dialogue.

"Seeing those two shake hands for the first time in 10 years, I am optimistic something will come out of those talks. Our prayers are being answered," said Rayman Phiri, a Pentecostal church minister in Harare.

The same optimism is shared by Joseph Kurebga, head of political science department at the University of Zimbabwe.

"Overally the mood is very optimistic. People have high hopes for a settlement resolving both the political and economic challenges the country is facing," he said.

But the difficulty of talks on a new political order, which began in earnest Thursday in an undisclosed location in South Africa, could soon emerge as they approach a decisive stage, political analysts in the region said.

"In reality, as far back as 2002-2003, talks between ZANU-PF and the MDC were going on ... The most fruitful period of talks took place in 2007 which led to no less than about 18 constitutional amendments," said Chris Maroleng of the Institute of Security Studies in Pretoria.

"But what had derailed the previous talks was a lack of political will to find an agreement on power-sharing."

Advocates of softly-softly diplomacy, as opposed to those who opted for a more hardline stance to exert pressure on Mugabe, are celebrating.

"This has shown that quiet diplomacy works wonders. It has been effective in persuading both sides to negotiations, nothwithstanding the reservations the MDC had about Mbeki," Kurebga said.

But more outspoken critics of Mugabe have nevertheless kept tighten the screws on his increasingly isolated government, with the European Union and the United States last week broadening sanctions.

Laurence Caromba, an analyst at Pretoria's Centre for International Policy Studies, draws parallels with the global campaign against apartheid in South Africa.

"Comprehensive trade sanctions against South Africa took many years before their effect was felt in full, but when the South African government finally sat down to negotiate, it was willing to make sweeping concessions rather than piecemeal reforms," Caromba said.

For many, it appears Mugabe has been weakened politically, with his party having lost for the first time in history its parliamentary majority in the March legislative elections.

But nothing so far suggests that Mugabe, 84, in office since Zimbabwe's independence from Britain in 1980, was ready to share executive power.

Tsvangirai maintains he won the first round of elections on March 29, while Mugabe says his re-election in the June 27 run-off -- a one-man affair after the MDC leader withdrew -- was non-negotiable.

"There is a real problem because these are entrenched positions. That logjam has to be broken," said Bornwell Chakaodza, media consultant and political commentator in Harare.

"The difficulty remains about the modalities on how the government will be formed, that is the crux of the discussions."

The most widely touted scenario has Mugabe becoming a titular head of state, with Tsvangirai becoming prime minister with executive powers.

But given the stance of powerful security chiefs, who have vowed they will never salute Tsvangirai, it remains doubtful such an arrangement could be feasible.

"My only worry is with the military chiefs. That could be a sticking point," Phiti said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080727/wl_africa_afp/zimbabwesafricapoliticstalks;_ylt=Ak4A0UTHze6bZQUWORYjEjRvaA8F

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A man wielding a shotgun entered a church and opened fire as congregants watched a youth performance Sunday, killing one person and injuring eight others, Knoxville Police Chief Sterling Owen said.

Police said the gunman was taken into custody. They didn't immediately release his name. No children were injured. A hospital spokeswoman said five of the wounded were in critical condition.

Owen said the man killed was Greg McKendry, 60, a longtime church member and usher at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.

"It appears Mr. McKendry was the first person he (the gunman) encountered when he walked into the sanctuary," Owen said. "It's going to be a while before all the facts are cleared up."

A church member who arrived moments after the shooting said the gunman fired three times and was tackled. Officials wouldn't say exactly how many people subdued the gunman.

"It was a large group and we are thankful for them for without it, this situation could have been even worse," Mayor Bill Haslam said.

There were about 200 people in the church at the time of the shooting watching a youth performance being put on by 25 children.

Police had cordoned off the church with yellow and red tape, and were taking statements and collecting video cameras from church members who were taping the performance.

The church's minister was on vacation in western North Carolina at the time of the shooting but returned Sunday afternoon.

"We've been touched by a horrible act of violence. We are in a process of healing and we ask everyone for your prayers," the Rev. Chris Buice said in a statement outside the church.

The Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church is a community that meets to worship and work together for social change, according to the church's Web site. Since the 1950's, the congregation has worked for desegregation, racial harmony, fair wages, women's rights and gay rights, according to the Web site. The congregation also has provided sanctuary for political refugees, fed the homeless and founded a chapter of the ACLU.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080727/ap_on_re_us/church_shooting

Bohol, out of the many provinces in the Philippines is always the shining star.

Even the natural forces gives witness to this. When it concerns hurricanes, bagyos, etc, our island is protected from the mountain ranges and from the island of Leyte-Samar in the east, protected by Mindanao in the south, protected by Cebu in the north and Negros in the west.

It is not surprising to hear that Bohol is one of the safest and peaceful provinces in the entire Republic. Within Region 7 and within the country as a whole.

God Bless our Bohol-Land.

Quote from: Raquelproud boholana on July 27, 2008, 01:07:19 PM
Mike sa state of Illinois ko.I enjoy farming and enjoy all kinds of things related sa farming.I always enjoy mag tan-aw ug tractor show heheh and most of all heritage farming show katong mga pioner pa gyud nga farmer.I have great admiration sa mga Amish people kay until now very traditional sila mag farming no technology, ila gamit kabayo.It;s like heaven kung mo visit mo ug amish country magtan aw nila magwork hard gamit and ila horses.
Ironically farmer daughter ko sa atua ako Tatay mag uuma  and my husband always proud  moingon nga I married the farmer's daughter.The other day nagbungay ko sa ako garden unya akong anak(son he is 5 years old)nakakita nako nag squat ko kay nagbungay or nagguna sa sagbot like sa atua bungay gamit but little shovel to ako gamit for garden then my son said"Mom what are you doing?I said I am pulling the weeds.Then he tell me you know what Mom that took you so much work we have hoe you can use it ,its much easier for you.So I tell him that this is how we do it in philippines Matt.I'm kinda used of doing this and I like this better than the hoe and the garden tractor.I can tell his face gleam with pride and understanding that he know I am from different culture and different background .Not only I am telling him the culture thing but teaching him the value of hard work and patience.I know someday ako anak magbungay pud sa iya garden just like I do kay nakalearn baya ko bungay nga nagtan-aw ra sa ako parents.He gonna be a future farmer too.Ask him what he wanna be when he grow up he will answer you I wanna be a farmer.

Rach,

So you are from the great state of Illinois. The state of Senator Obama.

Salamat kaayo, Ate Lee.

All my prayers were answered, and my high anxiety during the flight and upon arrival diminished.

I found strength; the right words came out of my mouth, and all went well. Thanks be to God.

God allowed me to meet good friends who showed me around the town, the campus, and most of all introduced me to my landlord. For a safe flight, and a safe flight back home.

All Glory and Praise goes to the Lord, the Most High.


Always,
Bran

It is impossible to truly find a cure for disease conditions such as H.I.V due to the virus' mutanogenic capabilities. It will constantly evolve; as in to produce proteins to inhibit any of the drug's repressors or co-activators.

The viral strain has already manifested this against the general drug to treat HIV.

So long as scientist continue to chase the virus' mutation,  and change in accordance to mutation, then there is, technically, hope for HIV patients.

The basis for them is to prevent further compromising their immuno-suppressed bodies.
Prevention, for them, is prime and priority.

He was a good guy, Ms. Orchids. He had so much passion on the poor. He went to Louisiana during the summer of 2007 to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina and help rebuild broken and flooded homes. As he was always a big journalist type; too much heart, I always told him.

He would just laugh. With his typical laugh, lol.

I know that his parents and siblings frequent this site. And just want them to know that their son is remembered.

I'm crying now.

Teng!!

Happy Birthday, man! Heres to your 23rd! Enjoy it and may prosperity, success, good looking women, and most of all, the Love of God be with you always!

Continue to be a shining example of what it means to be a buutan Bisayan man is.

God Bless You! Always.


Absolutely,
Bran Lorenzo

Ms. Orchids, thank you for the kind words. Okey ra man ko, natural ra man ni sigoro to remember a lost friend. Someday, pohon, I want to visit his grave site, pero i cannot do it right now. Sakit ra kaayo to think about someone who you consider as a 'brother'; someone who I've shared so many laughs, jokes, stories, secrets and good times with to be 'no longer' here.


He was like a brother to me.

Ah, French?

Very sweet and romantic language.

You must have been Papa's little girl, diba Ate Belle?

When my Mama Luz died in 1995, as we were praying for her, I noticed something during the dinner table. When the family ate, we left Mama Luz's place in the table for her. Plate and spoon and forks. I asked my dad why they did that and also my Mommy Wella as well as my Nanay Millie, ingoon sila kono that the spirit of the dead does not leave until the 7th day. After 7 days passed, they stopped leaving Mama Luz's plate and fork in the dinner table.

I never really understood the meaning of such practice, pero, I suppose there is a reason for it.

All I know is that all of Mama Luz's kids came back to her funeral.

I found out about her death when I was only 10 years old while I was in Canada with my sister and brother Don. My Nanays told me (the sister of my Mama Luz) after I came back from the park with my cousins. Immediately we went back to the 'states to go back to Philippines for burial.

I never saw my dad cry so much. When I got home my father picked me, my sister and brother Don2x with both of his arms. I never saw or heard my father cry so very hard. It was more obvious when we came back to Tagbilaran.

Luuy lang pood si Mama Luz kai she lost our Papa Titing when they were both young. Papa Ting died when he was only 45, and mama Luz lived on for another some 20 years as a widow. Can you imagine that my dad was only 21 y/o when his dad died? And my uncles and aunts were younger than he--when Papa Ting died.

Our house in Tagbilaran was always 'happy' and 'festive'. I can remember when I was a child growing up with my sister and my cousin Jing. I can always hear the laugh of Mama Luz, as she was the life of the house.

When she died, the house was so much 'quieter'. Papa Titing and Mama Luz are already gone.

I always like to think that they are looking and watching over their kids. And their apos; many of which they did not see in life.

But something, something deep down inside of me tells me that they know. It is unexplainable, this feeling I have, but  something tells me it is true.

My Lolo came from a family of farmers. He, like many Salvos and Salises before him, were farmers from Barrangay Anas in Valencia.

My great grandfather, Ricardo Salvo, who raised my Lolo Ciano and his 7 siblings, was a farmer. And his father and father's father before him were of such noble profession.

My great grandmother, Donisia Salise-Salvo, too, came from a farming family. Many of the Salises in Valencia come from such noble profession. Many have moved away from farming and have become lawyers, municipal policy makers, etc.

But it was the profession of farming that has been the basis of growth.

The same blood that flows in my Lolo Ciano, and his father and grandfather, who, too, were farmers; also flows in my blood.

Perhaps, someday, I will be able to care for my Lolo's basaks. Someday. Maluuy ang Ginoo.

God have mercy on these murderers' souls.

Perhaps the Almighty Father in heaven can forgive them.

Because I know that I, as a man, cannot.

Their actions is beyond forgiving.

This is barbarism.

May they receive justice according to their actions.

Oh definitely. Pohon, maluuy ang Ginoo.

Have you gone fishing at night, Ms. Gulle? Describe it to me..

All I can add to this is CBCM mnemonics for 'Cell-by-Cell Mutanogesis'.

I will not deny that I have thoughts of farming and planting rice in my Lolo's basaks in Valencia.

Someday, lagi.

The profession of my Lolo Ciano. Driver by day, farmer by day, and fisherman during weekends.

The simple life. The good life.

ah mao ba. Thanks for the translation, 'te.

Mao lagi, Ms. Gulle. Most of all I feel so bad for his family who lost their son, brother, grandson.

Prayer, in times like this, seems to be the only option jud.

I also pray for your Nanay, Ms. Gulle. I was on the brink of tears in reading your personal anecdote. Nanays will always be nanays. In life and in death.

What is a baki and what is a tiki?

Today, this morning, I dreamt that I was having a conversation with my best friend Rob Matson, who died in November 2007.

I heard his voice, and it was so real to me. I remember crying while i talked to him, Ms. Gulle. I was telling him to listen to me and to go back to his mom. Because Rob had some friction with his Mom. I can still see his face in my dream, and the things he said. I woke up this morning with tears.

Then I realized that his birthday was last week. His b-day was on the 19th of july. Our birthdays were 4 days apart.

I like to think that I will see him someday. Because I miss him terribly. It hurts alot to loose a friend, specially a very close friend.

Hahaha pariho diay ta, Ms. Gulle.

Maayo mo study sa midnight kai quieeeet kaayo.

Sometimes I could even hear the snoring of my room mate when I studied at night.

LOL! Naka  remember pood ko the times when I would 'turn on' the radio in full volume to wake him up. LOL!

Ah, good times. Good times.

There are things that cannot be explained.

Several days ago, my Ante Beth came over our house and she said something that caught my attention. During the day kono, she was sitting and a hat kept on falling to her, she would put the hat back kono but the hat still fell toward her. Ning call si Ante Beth sa Pilipinas and my Mommy Wella (my aunt; younger sister of my dad) told her that..that day was the death anniversary of Mama Luz (my grandmother).

There are things that cannot be explained.

What a beautiful song. I wish they had an english version of this song for those who don't know what they are saying.

haha! Ms. Gulle, I request you cook me a 'sunoged' fish? lol.

haha, gi bukas diay ang bintana ug ang door? kuyawa jud, talk about ready. LOL!!

haha, na! ma sakit jud ahong uow 'roon.

LoL, ako pood Ms. Gulle.

Mathematics and any of its related fields such as calculus, statistics, linear algebra or theory, were never my favorite subjects. I took them to fulfill requirements; pero never really had any 'love' for them.

I did, however, have friends who were mathematics majors and would sound like they were having ecstatic thrills when talking about parabolic theorems, primes and subprimes, differentials.

My one classmate, Erina, who I sat behind in vector calculus; would sound like she was having an orgasm whenever I asked her help in concepts.

I was never really 'great' at mathematics. Just average. The theorems are interesting, at times, but overall, I can't help but falling asleep in class (if i don't have caffeine in my system). lol.

I salute the men and women who really love math. who eat and breath math.

haha, I like that one, Mr. Ferniz.

Chemical Soup. Jati, na gutom ko. hahaha j/p.

Wa'y problema, Ma'am.

Haha. I can relate to that, Ms. Gulle.

There are times when I just laugh at simple comments from friends; and or find myself twiddling with straws in my soda can, or just dazing off into something.

I think we all become 'gilokon-gilokon' at times.

Me-thinks, being foolish is part of being human.

PS. Lamii'a pood nang gi sunogong isda uy! hahaha. Wa ba ning turn on imong alarm? LoL

Hmmm, na, lol.

I'll have to keep this in mind.

Listen to smooth jazz and write feelings down in a journal. Or a blog like this one.

I for one like it when women are vocal. Instead of guessing or analyzing what they're thinking.

Its  mind boggling, me-thinks.

I am honored to know that I am not alone in this, but am in the same category as great minds such as you, Mr. Ferniz.

Uwaw-on man gud ko when it comes to things like that.

I can answer questions, teach class, no problem. But when it comes to sentimentality--very very sensitive ra ko ana; to the point of not knowing what to do. Sometimes. LoL

Mao jud, pre. Dili lagi ta mo 'jump on the boat' too fast kai we will not know when the better half will arrive on port. lol, forgive me for my silly antics.

You get what I'm saying, bro.

Physics constitutes a logical system of thought which is in a state of evolution, whose basis (principles) cannot be distilled, as it were, from experience by an inductive method, but can only be arrived at by free invention. The justification (truth content) of the system rests in the verification of the derived propositions (a priori/logical truths) by sense experiences (a posteriori/empirical truths). Evolution is proceeding in the direction of increasing simplicity of the logical basis (principles).We must always be ready to change these notions - that is to say, the axiomatic basis of physics - in order to do justice to perceived facts in the most perfect way logically.

-Albert  Einstein, Physics and Reality, 1936

Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love. How on earth can you explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.

-Albert Einstein