1 Corinthians 13:13
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Quote for the Day- 21, September 2008
There are three things that will endure - faith, hope and love - and the greatest of these is LOVE.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
***Memories***
Memories
You can't buy memories, borrow or steal them-
but you can't avoid collecting them, either.
but you can't avoid collecting them, either.
Memories improve with remembering- extra little details & embillishments
are added. New people - both adults and children - are invited to share & enjoy.
Such memories stay with loved ones always, and become a strong & invisible bond that draws hearts together through good days & bad.
No memories are more highly cherished
than those private recollections that are shared by the people in love.
Romantic things, silly things, serious things, important things, everyday & once-in-a-lifetime things... all have a place in the hearts of two people who are interested in everything that ever happened to each other, alone & especially TOGETHER!
- Doris Faulhaber-
Lessons from Abram
+ Genesis 13 - Abram & Lot separate
In this chapter i can see the humility of Abram.
Since there's an argument between the herdsman of Lot & Abram, he decided to separate with Lot. He allowed Lot to choose the territory/land that he wanted to possess &he will go the other way. From there, i can see Abram's humility, willingly allowing Lot to choose. Normally, people wants the best part and indeed Lot chose the better part - the fertile plains of Jordan valley, direction of Zoar(13:10). Of course there is nothing wrong with that, but it is still best to be guarded by the Lord & let HIM have HIS way in our life, plans, etc. beause only HE knows the best for us (Jer 29:11). God sees beyond what our naked eye can see.
And so, Abram stayed in the land of Canaan. What's really exciting is what GOD told him (after Lot left), "Look as far as you can see in every direction. I am going to give all this land to you and your offspring as a permanent possession..." (13:14). That's amazing! :)
God sees the heart & honors the humble (Luke18:14b)
In this chapter i can see the humility of Abram.
Since there's an argument between the herdsman of Lot & Abram, he decided to separate with Lot. He allowed Lot to choose the territory/land that he wanted to possess &he will go the other way. From there, i can see Abram's humility, willingly allowing Lot to choose. Normally, people wants the best part and indeed Lot chose the better part - the fertile plains of Jordan valley, direction of Zoar(13:10). Of course there is nothing wrong with that, but it is still best to be guarded by the Lord & let HIM have HIS way in our life, plans, etc. beause only HE knows the best for us (Jer 29:11). God sees beyond what our naked eye can see.
And so, Abram stayed in the land of Canaan. What's really exciting is what GOD told him (after Lot left), "Look as far as you can see in every direction. I am going to give all this land to you and your offspring as a permanent possession..." (13:14). That's amazing! :)
God sees the heart & honors the humble (Luke18:14b)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Quote for the Day - 16 September, 2008
I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
And so i write...
After a nice chat with my boyfriend, i felt like going to bed& sleep, but I couldn't. I dont know what's wrong but lately I just have a hard time sleeping during the day. Well, I usually do my self-review for the board exam but today I just don't feel like to yet. And so with my little-lighted-multi-colored radio tuned in to DYFR (a Christian Radio Station) I'm now on for something... And so I write.I now have a very good atmosphere to relax & write. Taking a good look at my collection of seashells& stones, I think they are just so lovely and easy to use in decorating. I can just imagine how much they went through to come out such beauty. Every curves & holes in it marks the long process - like the death of the snail in it, the decay of the soft portion, some forces of nature, etc.
In the same way life is like that. The more a person went through hardships, the more he/she is stronger inside and that strength will make him/her beautiful(in character).
It reminds me of my Khushi (Aloke) telling me that he likes scars. For him they are pretty because they are a mark of what the person went through. When he told me that, it was like "words of wisdom" to me. I pondered on it from time to time, and for me in some ways a scar is a mark of strength...
"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. "
- James 1:2-4
Monday, September 15, 2008
...of Rainy Days
It's been raining just about all day and all night for the past four days. Strange, because Savannakhet is a plateau and most rain clouds just pass us over and condense only when they slow down as they hit the mountains near Vietnam. It usually just rains for a few minutes as the clouds pass by.
Well, I couldn't go out taking photographs, because even if it wasn't raining the sky was overcast and the light wasn't good enough to take good macro photographs. Yesterday being a Sunday, my parents and I decided to go out for a little drive in the afternoon, which turned out to be a trip to a little private zoo, a stop by the water supply lines from the river to take photographs of the sunset, another stop at the park by the river, a quick drop-in at the local pet store to buy two pairs of little guppies, and to top it all off, we had ice-cream!!
There's a really friendly bear at the zoo. He isn't very big - about the size of a German Shepherd, and he's really quite adorable, the way ambles up to you when you get close to his enclosure, looking for a snack!
I had taken my camera along with me, but I didn't expect to take any macro photographs. While we were at the zoo, however, I saw a pair of damselflies having a romp in the fields, as it were, so I decided to have at it too! I got down on my knees and elbows and snuck up on them with my camera... and although the light wasn't all that great, I managed to get a couple of good photographs!
In a low light setting, the shutter speed has to be set really low, and that makes it hard to take sharp photographs because the tiniest of shakes shows up as an unsightly ghost on the photograph. I reckon my hands were fairly steady this time though, because I'd planted my elbows on the grass for support, and I was praying hard for a good capture. Thank you Jesus for such beauty:)!
The guppies seem to be quite happy in their new quarters. My mom grows water plants in two glass bowls, but mosquitoes were laying their eggs in the water, so I put the guppies in the bowls. They love swimming in and out of the plant roots!
The sky today remains overcast, and it is pouring rain as I write.
I hope I see the sun soon...
Well, I couldn't go out taking photographs, because even if it wasn't raining the sky was overcast and the light wasn't good enough to take good macro photographs. Yesterday being a Sunday, my parents and I decided to go out for a little drive in the afternoon, which turned out to be a trip to a little private zoo, a stop by the water supply lines from the river to take photographs of the sunset, another stop at the park by the river, a quick drop-in at the local pet store to buy two pairs of little guppies, and to top it all off, we had ice-cream!!
There's a really friendly bear at the zoo. He isn't very big - about the size of a German Shepherd, and he's really quite adorable, the way ambles up to you when you get close to his enclosure, looking for a snack!
I had taken my camera along with me, but I didn't expect to take any macro photographs. While we were at the zoo, however, I saw a pair of damselflies having a romp in the fields, as it were, so I decided to have at it too! I got down on my knees and elbows and snuck up on them with my camera... and although the light wasn't all that great, I managed to get a couple of good photographs!
In a low light setting, the shutter speed has to be set really low, and that makes it hard to take sharp photographs because the tiniest of shakes shows up as an unsightly ghost on the photograph. I reckon my hands were fairly steady this time though, because I'd planted my elbows on the grass for support, and I was praying hard for a good capture. Thank you Jesus for such beauty:)!
The guppies seem to be quite happy in their new quarters. My mom grows water plants in two glass bowls, but mosquitoes were laying their eggs in the water, so I put the guppies in the bowls. They love swimming in and out of the plant roots!
The sky today remains overcast, and it is pouring rain as I write.
I hope I see the sun soon...
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Quote of the Day - 14 September, 2008
Cockroaches really put my "all creatures great and small" creed to the test.
- Astrid Alauda
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Quote for the Day - 13, September 2008
" Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living."
- Jim Elliot in the book Passion & Purity
Thursday, September 11, 2008
...of Small Things
As a macro-photographer, I spend a lot of time taking photographs of small things; little insects, a leaf, perhaps, a curly green tendril, or a drop of cool morning dew on a blade of grass - given the diversity of subjects and settings, the possibilities are innumerable.
The online artist community that I am a part of probably has at least a few thousand other macro photographers, and I often find myself browsing through photographs taken by some of these men and women whom I have become acquainted with and wishing I could take photographs that are as good. Sometimes, I find that I can do better. I have always maintained that a good photographer is good because he has a unique way of putting things into perspective and then capturing it. On the other hand, I have also felt that I could do so much more, had I the equipment to do so.
I was out in our garden the other day and I happened to find a tiny, green damselfly that couldn't have been more than two centimetres in length! It was the most fascinating little thing! I lay on the grass and watched as it perched on a blade of grass. Soon, I noticed there were others too! I brought my camera out and crawled around on the grass again, looking for them. It took a while, because they were so small and well camouflaged in the grass.
It's been several days now and I haven't tired of watching them and taking photographs. Once I've found one, I lie quiet on the grass and sneak up to it as slowly as my excitement would allow me. Most times, they would zoom off and perch on another blade of grass a few feet away. Sometimes though, they don't think I pose any threat, so they just sit there, and I try to focus as well as I can and take photographs.
Most of the photographs didn't come out as well as I hoped they would. One reason was that my camera produces photographs with high levels of noise. To get around this, I made a sort of extension tube out of cardboard, which had a macro lens on one end and fit snugly onto my father's camera, which produces excellent photographs but does not have the macro capabilities that mine does. I found that it worked very well!! I got several clear shots sans the noise yet with a magnification ratio that I suspect is more than 1:1.
The online artist community that I am a part of probably has at least a few thousand other macro photographers, and I often find myself browsing through photographs taken by some of these men and women whom I have become acquainted with and wishing I could take photographs that are as good. Sometimes, I find that I can do better. I have always maintained that a good photographer is good because he has a unique way of putting things into perspective and then capturing it. On the other hand, I have also felt that I could do so much more, had I the equipment to do so.
I was out in our garden the other day and I happened to find a tiny, green damselfly that couldn't have been more than two centimetres in length! It was the most fascinating little thing! I lay on the grass and watched as it perched on a blade of grass. Soon, I noticed there were others too! I brought my camera out and crawled around on the grass again, looking for them. It took a while, because they were so small and well camouflaged in the grass.
It's been several days now and I haven't tired of watching them and taking photographs. Once I've found one, I lie quiet on the grass and sneak up to it as slowly as my excitement would allow me. Most times, they would zoom off and perch on another blade of grass a few feet away. Sometimes though, they don't think I pose any threat, so they just sit there, and I try to focus as well as I can and take photographs.
Most of the photographs didn't come out as well as I hoped they would. One reason was that my camera produces photographs with high levels of noise. To get around this, I made a sort of extension tube out of cardboard, which had a macro lens on one end and fit snugly onto my father's camera, which produces excellent photographs but does not have the macro capabilities that mine does. I found that it worked very well!! I got several clear shots sans the noise yet with a magnification ratio that I suspect is more than 1:1.
Well, it's like life, I reckon. Make the best of what you have, as it has been said. If I'd sat on my derrierre, daydreaming of what I might do with something I do not have, I wouldn't have achieved much, so I try and make do with what I have and stay within the limitations of my equipment. Sometimes, though, it's fun to try and stretch these limits... the results can be quite satisfying!
Quote of the Day - 11 September, 2008
Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, Nature is Imagination itself.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Quote of the Day - 10, September 2008
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. - Jesus Christ
- John 16:33b
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Quote of the Day - 09 September, 2008
You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Quote of the Day - 08 September 2008
" Work as though you would live forever, and live as though you would die today. Go another mile. "
-Og Mandino
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Quote of the Day - 07 September 2008
For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Quote of the Day - 06 September 2008
The word 'happiness' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Quote of the Day - 05 September 2008
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Quote of the Day - 04 September, 2008
Death most resembles a prophet who is without honor in his own land or a poet who is a stranger among his people.
...of Collaboration
I thought it'd be good, and make for something different - so I've invited ycar to join me and be a co-author here.
I think this is an excellent arrangement, for many reasons. It won't be just boring old me writing now, so that should make things more interesting. Also, ycar happens to be the love of my life (and we hope it remains that way), so it should be nice to have our blog rather than mine and hers. I'm sure life will offer us plenty of opportunities to be picky about our individuality. Well, it isn't like either of us are losing ours by contributing to one blog, anyway. I'm sure the difference in our personalities will be made quite obvious as we write:).
We are excited about what this could be!
I think this is an excellent arrangement, for many reasons. It won't be just boring old me writing now, so that should make things more interesting. Also, ycar happens to be the love of my life (and we hope it remains that way), so it should be nice to have our blog rather than mine and hers. I'm sure life will offer us plenty of opportunities to be picky about our individuality. Well, it isn't like either of us are losing ours by contributing to one blog, anyway. I'm sure the difference in our personalities will be made quite obvious as we write:).
We are excited about what this could be!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
...of Childish Whim
Many are the eyes that delight to see
Life’s ocean, every whim and fancy;
But my sight, oh I wish it could be
Through the eyes of a fish in the sea.
- Aloke Sahu
- - - - - - - - -
Childish as it may seem, I have often wondered what it would be like if I were a fish. Not a big one, just a little one. With little fins and gills and everything. I'd be able to swim around the reef and life would be simple. And I'd have a three-minute memory, which means no worries, no trauma, no hang-ups, and... lots of swimming in the wide, wide, sea!!
...of New Beginnings... Again
...and here I am, at the start of a new blog, again.
Perhaps this is simply a continuation.
No, that doesn't feel quite right. To a new beginning, then!
My previous blog was rendered inaccessible by the powers that be, about a week after my return to Laos. I reckon I don't have the license to complain much, however, because I hadn't done any real blogging in the last few months - all I'd used it for was to post photographs and to communicate with my friends, a lot of whom also use the same service.
NowI find myself with much more time to spare, and I'd love to get back to writing. I found blogger, it is most accessible (please God, keep it this way!), and I like its simplicity.
I haven't done much since I got here... after sending in my application to a school in Singapore, all I could do was sit around twiddling my thumbs... until I heard back from them this morning! I have been accepted, so if all goes well, I shall begin my study there in a few weeks' time.
And that... will be another beginning!
In the meanwhile, I hope to spend lots of time roaming the forests around here, taking photographs of little things. And writing, of course.
...and we shall see how things unfurl!!
Perhaps this is simply a continuation.
No, that doesn't feel quite right. To a new beginning, then!
My previous blog was rendered inaccessible by the powers that be, about a week after my return to Laos. I reckon I don't have the license to complain much, however, because I hadn't done any real blogging in the last few months - all I'd used it for was to post photographs and to communicate with my friends, a lot of whom also use the same service.
NowI find myself with much more time to spare, and I'd love to get back to writing. I found blogger, it is most accessible (please God, keep it this way!), and I like its simplicity.
I haven't done much since I got here... after sending in my application to a school in Singapore, all I could do was sit around twiddling my thumbs... until I heard back from them this morning! I have been accepted, so if all goes well, I shall begin my study there in a few weeks' time.
And that... will be another beginning!
In the meanwhile, I hope to spend lots of time roaming the forests around here, taking photographs of little things. And writing, of course.
...and we shall see how things unfurl!!
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