Blog Archives

Thunder and Lightning

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“That is my thunder, by God; the villains will play my thunder, but not my play.” – Alexander Pope

Two black-haired girls spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E.  Little do they know, I can tell what they are up to even though they speak in their own dialect. It’s easy to read minds, you know since I am the queen of Mischief.

Frame by frame, a series of shots put together to capture this story of stealing their thunder by taking over their acts at lightning speed.

I had the last laugh and the best hug from Thomas.

“I asked my reflection, How did you get there?”

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“The Gift-Wrap & The Jewel” by Wanda B. Goines

I looked in the mirror and what did I see,
but a little old lady peering back at me
With bags and sags and wrinkles and wispy white hair,
and I asked my reflection,
How did you get there?”

You once were straight and vigorous and now you’re stooped and weak,
when I tried so hard to keep you from becoming an antique.

My reflection’s eyes twinkled as she solemnly replied,
you’re looking at the gift wrap and not the jewel inside
A living gem and precious, of unimagined worth
Unique and true, the real you, the only you on earth.

The years that spoil your gift-wrap with other things more cruel,
should purify and strengthen, and polish up that jewel.

So focus your attention on the inside, not the out
On being kinder, wiser, more content and more devout
Then, when your gift-wrap’s stripped away your jewel will be set free,
to radiate God’s glory throughout eternity.

 

Original news you may read here.

Find your place on Earth and Dance!

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Quezon City, Philippines is where I grew up. Now I live in Vancouver, beautiful British Columbia, Canada. And where are you from?

I could dance with Matt to this beautiful music of Garry Schyman feat. Alicia Lemke – Trip the Light, fell the joy of being alive and remember that we are all the same.

If all the days come to pass
Are behind these walls
I’ll be left at the end of things
In a world kept small

Travel far from what I know
I’ll be swept away
I need to know I can be lost
And not afraid

Thunder and Lightning

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“That is my thunder, by God; the villains will play my thunder, but not my play.” – Alexander Pope

Two black-haired girls spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E.  Little do they know, I can tell what they are up to even though they speak in their own dialect. It’s easy to read minds, you know since I am the queen of Mischief.

Frame by frame, a series of shots put together to capture this story of stealing their thunder by taking over their acts at lightning speed.

I had the last laugh and the best hug from Thomas.

Setting the record straight

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Women play an essential role in the world. For without the woman’s womb, we are not born. Rejoice and be thankful. – Perpetua

Perpetua and Felicity

Perpetua and Felicity

We celebrate the lives of some remarkable female saints this week, and today, we remember saints Perpetua and Felicity. These remarkable women were early third-century, African martyrs were of great significance in the life of the early Church. They were condemned as Christians by the Roman authorities and sent to the public arena, to be mauled by wild animals. However, they survived and were then taken to be executed by the sword. Their story was widely circulated secretly throughout the early Christian congregations, giving encouragement in the face of adversity. They were martyred for their faith on this day in the year 203.  – Pray As You Go

What’s up! 150 million and counting

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What’s going on?
I just heard this just now while listening to TV as background sound.
I like it. Sensational!

This was five years ago!
Where have I been.
Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Today’s update: January 20, 2017 the count is over 181 million views. Sensation.

Trout Lake Circa January 14, 2017

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Spinning myself around 360 degrees to get a full recording of my favorite place, Trout Lake, a place where I grew up with fond memories.

It was more than 20 years since the lake froze. The ambiance? Refreshing!

With all kinds of people, nationality, ethnic language, 4-year family generation and a baby on the way; I would have wanted to use the music “Of Foreign Lands and Places.” We were all in the same place at the same time to experience Joie de vi·vre.

Ah … such glorious memory.

Walking on the frozen lake feels surreal.

“It’s good because it’s good ― really good.”

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Kaylee Rodgers, a student who has autism and ADHD, sang the solo part for the famous tune during her school choir concert at Killard House School in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland.

Rodgers’ voice is stunningly beautiful ― and she exudes confidence while she sings with her classmates.

Source: Huffington Post: Kaylee Rodgers

Setting the record straight

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Women Who Changed The World

The following are quotes from USA, Canada and Spain. I am certain the whole world is grateful for all women that changed the world and will continue to change the society.

Thank you to all the women who have taught me that strength isn’t always masculinity and being alpha male. I know many women who I marvel at their strength of character and independence. Some of you are single parents and act as “the anchor and foundation” for the one thing you love more than yourself. Some of you are spouses and masters of making relationships work. Some of you are the bread winners breaking society’s rules on who wears the pants. Some of you show your strength by quietly supporting your partner and asking for no recognition. And some of you find and exhibit strength in being independent and alone in a world that tells you have to be married and a mother to matter.

Thank you to all the women who have shared time in my life and taught me other forms of strength than what my gender is capable of teaching me. – Jeff Reed (USA)

Today we celebrate all the women in our lives: mothers, sisters, friends and women around the world, who support and empower us to succeed.

This year in particular, we recognize that gender equality is still an issue in many countries, including Canada. Please take the pledge to help all women and girls in our community realize their potential and promote gender equality! – Diane Finley (Canada)

Happy International Women’s Day to all the powerful, wise, caring, fearless, compassionate, intrepid, loving, ambitious and simply remarkable women in my life. There is so much to be said for those who balance both thriving careers and strong relationships, who act as both the father figure and the mother figure, who are both independent of others and simultaneously connected to everyone, and who do it all while handling criticism and inequality everyday with strength and grace. Women are forces to be reckoned with. It’s about time that a woman’s value in comparison to that of her male counterpart’s becomes a debate of the past. – Nicole Doray (Spain)

Women play an important role in the world. For without the woman’s womb, we are not born. Rejoice and be thankful. – Perpetua

Perpetua and Felicity

Perpetua and Felicity

We celebrate the lives of some remarkable female saints this week and today, we remember saints Perpetua and Felicity. These remarkable women were early third-century, African martyrs were of great significance in the life of the early Church. They were condemned as Christians by the Roman authorities and sent to the public arena, to be mauled by wild animals. However, they survived and were then taken to be executed by the sword. Their story was widely circulated secretly throughout the early Christian congregations, giving encouragement in the face of adversity. They were martyred for their faith on this day in the year 203.  – Pray As You Go

For the briefest of moments, every last man felt free.

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“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt 

I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about.

Truth is, I don’t want to know. Some things are best left unsaid.

I’d like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can’t be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it.

I tell you those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free.

Go ahead, play, relax, free your mind, redeem yourself and listen to the full aria of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro Duettino Sull’aria Le nozze di Figaro. This is a moment of grace.

 

The sweet refrain, “Oh take me to church”

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Take me to church sang by Sinead O’Connor has a very catchy tune especially the first three lines of the refrain.

 […]
Oh, take me to church
I’ve done so many bad things it hurts
Yeah, take me to church
[…]

It’s not so much that I have done so many bad things; it’s the bad things that people did to the world that hurts. It has nothing to do with the church either just life in general. You know, the existential angst that is part of living.

When I am hurting mentally, emotionally, physically or spiritually, I take refuge in a church. Even if it’s not a catholic church, it does not matter to me. Even if it’s a temple, I will still go in, sit in the quiet, calm myself down and talk to my invisible God.

In a church, temple, mosque, forest; they are more than an oasis. It’s a place for me to connect and replenish my spiritual needs.

Here’s the song. It’s just a song with a catchy beat. But if you want something deeper, I found the song at Friar Musings and there he wrote more about Sinead.

Enjoy.

when we are hurting it’s difficult (and) to understand where God is. I know that God is using her to educate not just the Catholic but as well as the whole world.

You are more than your Selfie.

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“Beauty is more than what we see with the eyes. People are more than their conditions. I am more than my hair and skin. This only shows my exterior”

She Took A Daily Selfie While Battling Depression & Anxiety. The Results Are Truly Astonishing.

Rebecca Brown is a film student from the U.K. In 2007, when she was only 14, she began a project that documented her life by taking selfie photos of herself. Brown is now 21 and she has compiled the roughly 2100 pictures that she has taken into a video on her Youtube channel.

This video documents her battle with depression, anxiety and an impulse control disorder (which is a form of OCD) known as Trichotillomania. (Trichotillomania causes a person to pull out their own hair when anxious).

Brown says that this project is ongoing and plans to continue as long as she can.

For all those people who are inflected by this disease, stay strong and be strong.  There is always HOPE and life does get better.

Sit back and listen

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I’ve listened to him sing and play the piano so many times, what a perfect pitch, melody and tune.

This is gospel for the fallen ones
Locked away in permanent slumber
Assembling their philosophies
From pieces of broken memories
(This is the beat of my heart)
Their gnashing teeth and criminal tongues
Conspire against the odds
But they haven’t seen the best of us yet

If you love me, let me go
These words are knives and often leave scars
The fear of falling apart
Truth be told, I never was yours
The fear of falling apart

This is gospel for the vagabonds
Ne’er-do-wells and insufferable bastards
Confessing their apostasies
Led away by imperfect impostors
(This is the beat of my heart)
Don’t try to sleep through the end of the world
And bury me alive
‘Cause I won’t give up without a fight

Spirit Alive

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For Sunday music, this is a video of Spirit Alive concert that I mentioned here.

A Saint Patrick Regional Secondary Concert Choir and Chamber Choir at the Chan Center for the Performance Arts held on May 9, 2014.  They did perform as well at the Carnegie Hall in New York City.  That is a remarkable achievement for the high school students to be invited at the Hall.  A very impressive group.

The performance became possible by the commitment, support and love of the community for the students.  Without the community, the students would have not attained this outstanding performance.

Here’s the female group on the way to NYC.
Becca to New York

A cat must have three different names

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THE NAMING OF CATS ~ T.S. Eliot

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn’t just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I’m as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there’s the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey –
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter –
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that’s particular,
A name that’s peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum-
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there’s still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover –
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

via: Brain Pickings by 

In death you see the heavens

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Lyric from this post

Death

Everything you know is gone away
Your soul so small and cold
It’s gone with winter snow
Never to return

And your friends so lively now
They’ll all be with you deep in the ground
They’ll be right next to you
You’ll strain but you’ll never hear a sound

So you begin to cry

Your tears water the ground
and forests spring up all green and proud
Your body so tired and worn
A tree trunk takes form within you

And your hair flames like the sun
Your feet become the animals that run
Your arms reach wide and high
In death you want to embrace all of life

But there’s a thorn in your side

All your stupid jokes
and all your misplaced notes and
all those ugly feelings
and all of that deceiving it
never quite existed it
robbed you of the present
alive your arm was twisted
in death you see the heavens

Re-run

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I love watching this movie over and over again.  It is such a pleasure to listen to her songs and I sing along with her.  I used to feel guilty because speaking French with Filipino accent just doesn’t cut it.  Now with the wrap music going on, it really doesn’t matter how I sing as long as it’s the song from La Vie en Rose.

Pretty soon I will be able to speak french.  Oui?  Merci.

Composed by the birds

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Birds on the wires

I would have never thought that these crows can compose a musical score. Through a mere curiosity, this video is created. Just brilliant.

“Reading a newspaper, I saw a picture of birds on the electric wires. I cut out the photo and decided to make a song, using the exact location of the birds as notes (no Photoshop edit). I knew it wasn’t the most original idea in the universe. I was just curious to hear what melody the birds were creating.

I sent the music to the photographer, Paulo Pinto, who I Googled on the internet. He told his editor, who told a reporter and the story ended up as an interview in the very same newspaper.

Here I’ve posted a short video made with the photo, the music and the score.”

Also check my live presentation of Birds on the Wires at TEDx São Paulo: tedxsaopaulo.com.br/jarbas-agnelli/

from 
Winner of the YouTube Play Guggenheim Biennial Festival.

You made me….

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I felt you. You were a pea. Then a lemon. Then an eggplant. I followed advice. I read twelve books. I quit coffee.

Could you tell I was scared?

I talked to you, sang to you… I wasn’t ready.

But then you were here. Ten toes. Eight pounds. Love. Big fat love.

I held you. I fed you. I realized that I would spend my life doing things to make you happy — and that that would make me happy.

And then there are the times I want to give up. You’ve made me rethink my sanity. You’ve made me want to fall on my mother’s feet and tell her that I get it.

But then you smile and you say my name — and you grab my hand with those little fingers.

We’re growing together. We are seeing the world like it’s new. I will open my heart and love will rain down all over you. You’ll giggle, and I’ll do it all over again. And we will walk hand in hand. Until you let go.

I made you, but you made me a mother.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gZq62c82-h4#t=4

Source

Educating the heart

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educating-the-mind-aristotle

Listening educates my mind and heart.

I must have listened to this video a hundred times.  Watching the video distracts me from listening so I converted it to voice only.  When I listen, I also like to jot down the words and I ended up transcribing the spoken words.  The key words compassion, acceptance and tolerance are words that I will keep in my heart and put into practice.

Listen and prepare ourselves in educating our mind and hearts.

(click to listen)

When a child is born,
we do everything we can
to protect them, nurture them, love them.

A child’s heart and mind are fragile.
As they grow, we want to teach them everything we know.

We send them to school
to fill their minds with wonderful knowledge
to give them the tools they need for life.

At school they get a taste what things are like in a world outside.
There’s friendship, romance, disappointment,
embarrassment, discrimination and bullying.

They are the tools we give them enough to prepare them for this world.

We have an enormous responsible and an amazing opportunity.
If we truly want to prepare them for the world outside,
we must also educate the heart.

Because to navigate the world outside
with compassion, acceptance and tolerance
we need to teach them
compassion, acceptance and tolerance.

This can begin in our schools and it can start today.

It can happen at hockey practice, dance class
and day camps and music lessons
and it’s already happening around the world
with astonishing results.

If we want our children to grow
into socially and emotionally capable young people,
we must ask for a balanced education
and put importance on educating both the mind and the heart.

Prepare them for this world.
Educating the Heart
The Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education
Voice over by: Poet and author Shane Koyczan

You can view the video here.

 

Jerusalem: Filmed for IMAX and Giant Screen Theaters

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Jerusalem: Video Clip

If you have the time, please view the  breathtaking scenes on Jerusalem today. Don’t take too long, though, for it might be taken off any time soon because of copyright.

After a year of research and preparation, the giant screen film JERUSALEM advanced into production with an unprecedented aerial shoot throughout Israel and the West Bank.

The film will take the audiences on a spectacular tour of the Holy Land and the city once believed to be the centre of the world.

A 7-minute preview of a new IMAX film on Jerusalem. The aerial views are breathtaking and in HD Quality.

A sign of recovery

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Riding the BC Ferries from one island to another is always an exciting trip for me especially when El Capitan will announce that there is a pod of whales ahead.

A rare sighting happened on Monday, February 3 when there were two pods in sight off the coast of the harbour in Nanaimo, BC.  The pod of orcas hunted the pod of dolphins and ended up killing two of them in full view of the ferry passengers.

Orcas is also known as the killer whales.  They are the wolves of the sea.  This is a transient group that hunts for  mammals including seals.  The resident Orcas eat salmon only in this area.

With the return of the dolphins and the boom on harbour seals, it’s indicative that the water is recovering  This means that there will be more interaction such as this in the future.

This is the nature of things as  David Suzuki will say.

Source: The Province

Let’s play in the pit and find what we have in common

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Okay, let’s take a break from the thoughts of Christmas.

We are all strangers in the blogging world, right? What can we share about ourselves pretending we are in the pit.

SoulPancake creatively helps strangers connect with one another in this video where they install a ball pit on a random street with questions to ask people who climb in. A stranger getting to know a stranger is a wonderful thing.

My share:  Currently, I have a flipper, too.  It is now two Christmas in a row that I am waiting for one front tooth and I miss eating all the good food!  The dentist promised that the tooth fairy is coming in January 2014.

Your turn.

 

Email received: A gentle reminder about Christmas

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This is the content of the e-mail about a Christmas song:  A beautiful story, read, watch and enjoy.

While at the mall a couple of years ago, my then four year old nephew, Spencer, saw kids lined up to see Santa Claus.

Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, he asked his mom, “where’s the line to see Jesus”? My sister mentioned this to my dad, who immediately became inspired and jotted words down to a song in just a few minutes. After putting music to the words, and doing a quick recording at home, he received a great response from friends.

He sent the song off to without much response, except for a Christian song writer who suggested adding a bridge at the end of the first chorus. My dad then asked if I wanted to record the song to see what we could do with it. I listened to the song, made a few changes to the words to make it flow better, and we headed to Shock City Studios.

It was at the studio where Chris, owner and producer, rewrote the 2nd verse and part of the chorus… with goose bumps and emotions high, we were all hopeful and felt like we had something special. The demo was recorded in just under 2 hours and sent off again to … still no response.

Then 2 weeks before Christmas last year, my cousins Greg and Robbie decided to do a video to see what we could accomplish on YouTube. The first day we had 3000 hits and it soared from there. We received e-mails, phone calls, Facebook messages from people all over asking for the music, CD’s, iTunes, anything… we had nothing.

After a couple of meetings with Chris following the amazing response, we got serious. We headed back into the studio this past spring… this time with guitars, drums, bass, pianos, choirs… the real deal…. and here we are today. Getting iTunes set up, a website put together, and loving that thousands upon thousands of Christians have come together… remembering the true meaning of Christmas.

Out of the mouths of babes come profound truths that many adults cannot understand. Hopefully Spencer’s observation will cause people all over to reflect on the love of Jesus, and that one day we will all stand in line to see Him.

We are most thankful to our Heavenly Father to have this chance to share our music with you.  Merry Christmas everyone.

Christmas isn’t just another holiday.

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What Christmas means to me says it all on this song.

Christmas isn’t just another holiday.  The word Christmas derived from the name  Jesus Christ.  Christmas is the time when we celebrate His birth.  I’ll stand up in the crowd and proud to say Merry Christmas.

Musical Anesthesia

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At the dental office this morning, I listened to the sound of Christmas songs for two and a half hours while having dental work. This job required local anesthesia.  One particular music helped me focus away from the drilling of one of the teeth in order to save it.  The music carried me away in meditating about the story of a birth of new-born King.

This song has over 20 million hits.  Is it the song or the singer?  I hope it’s the song.

Are you telling the truth?

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Liar, liar pants on fire.  
We lie big time and we started lying since an early age of 2 or 3.  And how did we learn to lie.  From the adults, of course.  And who are those adults?  Our parents, uncles and aunties, teachers, nannies, to name a few are the best teachers. 
I’m guilty, too.  I lie to save face or avoid punishment.  So do children.  And the evidence is on this video.  Enjoy! 
 
Related Articles:
 
 

The Very Best of My Thoughts

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DP Jan 24, 2013 Ready, Set Go
Set a timer for ten minutes. Open a new post. Start the timer, and start writing. When the timer goes off, publish 
Good Morning, God, thank you for another day.  
I wake up way before the birds start singing, the day is still dark.  This is my precious time being one and one with my God.  It’s about me and my God.  Not much time when there is 24 hours in a day.  From 5 am to 7 am, then I head off to work. 
This is also the time I do the daily prompt, not much time to think but everything is Impromptu.  The more I think, the more my brain gets muddled up. Don’t think too much. 
The minute I step out of this sanctuary, I will be a whole different world.  It will be all about them.  I am out there to be of service especially at work, put in 7 hours, an honest work for an honest pay.  Then I say a prayer, Lord, Let every step I do begins and ends with you. 
Back to waking up; I fill my thoughts with goodness, a moment of Gratitude, this is the time where the very best of my thoughts come from my God: 
The very best of all my thoughts
Are those that think of you
The very best of all my words
Are those that speak of you
My fondest hopes, my cherished dreams,
My prayers to the Lord above
The very best of all these
I offer you my love. 
Faith, Hope and Charity is the basis of my being.
Thoughts, Emotion and Behaviour are the basis of cognitive thinking.
This is a triangle I follow in order to be at-one-ment.
And here’s a song for everyone.  Have a safe day everyone.  God Bless.