"If" ~ Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son! --- Rudyard Kipling

I've actually heard this poem before on "The Simpsons" (and yes, I know it's very peculiar) with Homer's dad quoting the last verses while Homer tries to stop him from betting all his inherited money. But anyways, to the poem. There is only one word to describe it.....

Beautiful.

There is no words to describe how Kipling described life spot on, how he describes the people around us despising us and hating us while we are here all alone and we have the choice to either freak out or keep our cool. But the most important thing about this poem is this: it's really asking you a question. What will you do when everybody around you leaves you? What will you do if you lose everything dear to you and start all over again? What do you do when everybody around you blames you for the bad stuff in their life? It just makes you think about what you will do, or maybe what you did.

I think the best par of this poem that I like is the first part (Dunno what you call it. Is it verse? Stanza?)

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

The way Kipling says it is just beautiful. Can we really keep our cool when everybody around us are blaming their troubles on us? Can we still keep our dignity and have faith in ourselves while others condemn us? But this is the sentence that caught me: If you can wait and not be tired by waiting. Now this one really caught my attention.

Many times I have heard how Christians fall back to their old ways and how some claim they are Christians and live like one too, only to be humiliated when their darkest and deepest secrets are revealed. Many times, the excuse for back sliding is impatience. "God told us His Son's coming back, but when!?" Now comes the sentence - or rather the question - the Kipling gives his readers: Can we wait...... and not be tired of waiting?

Can we really? Can I really? Can I wait for God's return and not complain like others do? Can I do His work faithfully and not complain about the people around me mocking me? Can I still love Him even though my closes friends despise me because of Him?

These questions came into my mind when reading this..... and it sure is important, even for a fourteen year old.

I've got my whole life ahead of me with God having big plans for me, filled with blessings. Question is: do I walk the way He chose for me, or do I turn away...... and miss His plan for me?

Can I not lie when everybody lies? Can I not hate when the whole world hates? Can I not be prideful in everything I do and, instead, be humble and have a contrite heart?

Can I?
Can I?

Can I?

It is beyond man's limit to be perfect.... But I'm not leaving this world without trying. I would strive to do the things said in the Bible, and even follow the examples this poem has given: to stay collected and cool while everybody hates you. To be patient. To be humble. Etc. Etc.....

Can I patiently wait for the train to come in the subway? Can I not lie when my closest friends do? Can I, when rebuked, be humble and receive it gladly? Can I, when my home and PS2 (boo hoo!) is taken away, hold on and have faith in the Father? Can I, if put in a high position, still be humble?

And so, I can apply this poem to the different aspects of my life, but a question still remains.....

Can I?

Spring Break.....

Well, after our very enjoyable retreat to the beach, we now have to face studies again. In the past week, we have been bombarded with tests and mountainous amounts of homework. But things seem to get from bad to worse: in the following week, we have our Third Quarter exams. After that, we have to suffer the tension of our parents talking to our teachers and at the same time suffer the sweaty tensions of waiting for our report cards aka GRADES.

So is there anything in this friggin' depressin' world that can make me and my fellow classmates who feel as depressed and glum feel so much better.

Indeed there is.

SPRING BREAK!

After our very depressing and troublesome week, the school has been gracious, needless to say kind, enough to give us a ten-day break from the homework, exams and quizzes teenagers dread the most. But what will I do over Spring Break?

Well, there is absolutely no doubt I will be trying my best to complete a numerous amount of games on my PS2. I will probably be on the computer every afternoon and will always be on Facebook, RPing (Roleplaying) as my alter Jedi-self on the Star Wars Facebook universe and as my very own Autobot, Avenger, on the Transformers RP, also on Facebook.

And I must say that is all I would probably do.

My parents aren't rich enough that we could go to another country or possibly go home for at least ten days which I would love, nor do we have anything interesting planned for the break.

What's for sure is that my mom would probably bombard me chores and I will play with my brother as he drums away over our Hillsong DVD. Will be occupied with the said things above and I will probably attend numerous CareGroups , or Bible Studies, and I will probably visit my church friends over in Bangna. In the weekends, I would be away practicing for worship on Sunday and on Sunday I would be at Church.

If there is anything else that's interesting I could think of, I would probably go to IMDB to check out what new movies are out and I would maybe go and watch them. And maybe - just maybe - I'll go Central alone to play Guitar Hero and just walk around and what not.

In addition to my speculation of what I'll be doing, I would do my best to finish the books "Rift in Time" and "Captured by Grace". Good books, I must say.

Well, I think that's what I'll do for spring break. Nothing much, nothing fancy. Just a good ol' holiday with me in front of a TV or computer screen.

Biscuits, Chuck Norris, Beach, and Cockroaches....

Last week, Grades 4 to 9 went on our long awaited trip to Pattaya, where we stayed for two days. Apparently, nobody knew what the place we were staying at looked like (well, one person did, but never mind). However, this did not suppress our excitement. As far as we're concerned, if we were going for two days outside the walls of the BGIS campus with no studying, no quizzes, and no homework whatsoever, we were very very EXTREMELY happy.

So we hop on a large bus that will take us to our destination. We store our bags in a "baggage room" below where the seats were and we went up to take our seats and brace ourselves for - possibly - the best trip we will ever have this year, and the best trip ever planned since the existence of our school.

My friends quickly spotted TVs on the bus and - since I was assigned to bring in DVDs - asked me to put one on. They decided to watch "Game Plan", and we did during the trip.
Almost halfway, we made a stop at one of those rest places found on highways. What was so good about this stop? Well, Starbucks, KFC, and McDonalds to name a few. Almost everyone - except the teachers who headed for Starbucks to get iced coffe, or at least Ms. Lauren - entered McDonalds screaming out "Double Cheeseburger! Fries! SUNDAE!". However, our very stict and stern Pstr. Hong who was in charge to set us "naughty" and "unreliable" and "un-trustworthy" kids straight blurted out in his heavy Korean accent "No! No hamburgers!".

We stare at him in disbelief. Cries of "WHAT?" suddenly erupt. I myself was going to order a double big mac (which is not that huge here) and was looking forward to the cheese and beef patties. Downcast, I ordered a taro pie and a sundae...... Only to find out that Pstr. Hong was fooling around and we can buy a double big mac.

WHAT? I wasted my money for the order I didn't want and now we can eat burgers?

After minutes of pondering, I ordered a double big mac and got on the bus again. I was annoyed..... very.

Around 30 mins. later, we finally reach our destination and we find out that the beach - although not one of the most beautiful beaches here in Thailand - is right across where we were staying. Everybody cheered. Yes! With the ocean so near, we can swim!

Then, once again, the ever so strict Pstr. Hong tells us we're not going to go to the beach. We weren't going to get sand on our feet whatsoever and nobody - absolutely nobody - was going to get wet with ocean water while were there.

Everybody retorted, revolted, and sounded out their disbelief and strong rejection against this motion. If we were sent to Pattaya (which, if said here in Thailand, will mean BEACH), why weren't we going to the beach? And why are we staying at a place right across the beach? IS this some kind of an insult? Are we just supposed to stare at the beach from the front gate?

The trip was going bad to worse every minute.

After about twenty minutes of being locked up in our bus because of room inspections and room assignments and because Dr. Steve was the one who assigned the rooms and only Pstr. Hong came here so Dr. Steve has no idea what the place looked like, we finally got down, unloaded our bags, and went to our specified rooms. My roommates quickly dropped their bags on the bed and we turned our aircon on and left.

After this we ate lunch and we started games. By the way, we were divided into two teams: the Black Biscuits and the Blue Chuck Norris.....

You probably won't even hear teams named like this in the future.....

So we played games and we, the blue Chuck Norris, honestly beat the heck outta the Biscuits.
Look here:

1.) Basketball: After halftime, the score was around 22 - 2 with us leading.
2.) Soccer: this was quite close though. We got goals in on first half, one more on second, but they got one on second too.
3.) Volleyball: We bet them through serves. I think the final score was 7-21.

After that, we got the chance to go back to our rooms to shower and relax. Before this, however, Pstr. Hong shouted at us boys about not helping to pack up and that was supposed to be our duty as men. For goodness sake.... He could've just asked! Nicely!
Anyways, our room was freezing cold and we absolutely loved it. Our friends even came to our room and expressed their jealousy. I only heard this because at this time, I was showering.

After this we had a night of chapel, prayer, Coke and Sprite along with cookies and ice-cream and the movie premier (at least in our school) of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

After this, we were sent back to our rooms to sleep..... But no one did. Everybody partied in their rooms. We invited other boys to our room and we drank Coke and told and did crazy stuff. However, we did go to bed.

In the morning, the Korean kids were forced to go to Chapel and for what reason I do not know. The rest of us who were left behind then went to Dr. Steve and pleaded him to take us to the beach, and we once again reasoned out we should go to the beach cuz we're in Pattaya! Unlke Pastor Hong, Dr. Steve is an easy going guy and he agreed. So , with seven or so people, we crossed the road..... to the beach.

For a few minutes we dipped our feet in the water. We had no intent of swimming unless we were allowed by "THE HONG". A few minutes after that, the Korean kids came out of chapel and saw us there on the beach. Pastor Hong talked with Dr. Steve then said we will go to the beach after breakfast. Personally, I think he was forced to let us go to the beach cuz we were there and the other kids would be so disappointed if he didn't let them go to the beach too.

So after breakfast we went to the beach. Everybody dipped their feet. Minutes later, everybody was knee-high in the water. Pstr. Hong probably realized there was no way he could stop us from swimming, so he finally gave the go.

So we swam for a few minutes. After the swim, me and Mr. Brian pushed Mr. Mike in, which resulted in me getting dragged back to the ocean and swallowing ocean water.

After this, we had indoor games. Fortunately for the biscuits, they won the Bible Quiz and musical chairs, but that's all.

So in the end, blue Chuck Norris won and it was altogether a fun trip. We packed up, went on the bus again, and headed back to school. We stopped by at the same place we stopped the last tim once again.

This time, nobody stopped me from getting a Double Big Mac......

Interview....

So our blog assignment for today.....

If we were able to interview a famous person, who would it be? Why that speicific person and why would you want to interview him/her?

So as I sit down here in front of the computer here at the computer room with my fellow Eighth Graders and Ms. Lauren, I began pondering who should I choose to intreview.

Geroge Washington slipped into my mind. "Why'd you lose all your teeth?" I also thought of Hitler. "Why the heck did you hate the Jews?" George Bush. "Were you really friends with the bin Ladens?" Napoleon. "Were you poisoned?" Britney Spears. "What's up with the bald hair?" Harrison Ford. "Even though you're 60, how come you still do your own stunts?" And numerous other people came to my mind, living or dead.

But I began thinking.....

Who was the person who knew the answer to EVERYTHING Someone who was really powerful. Someone who knows all the answers to the mysteries of this world and this life?

Who better to interview than God Himself?

So it is obviously impossible for me to sit down and interview God over a cup of coffee (Milo maybe, or hot cocoa. I'm sure He drinks everything) because if I did, I would drop down dead. However, a writer is not limited by the world's standards because writers use their imagination.

So why would I want to interview God? Like I said, He has all the answers. He knows everything. He knows what, why, when, where, and how. He's been here since the beginning of the world. In short, He knows absolutely everything a man wants to know.

So what questions do I ask Him? Well, we should only give five questions, so here they are, but I'm sure these are only five out of a hundred queries.

1.) Where is Eden located?
2.) Where is the Ark of the Covenant?
3.) Where is Noah's Ark?
4.) Where is the grave of Moses?
5.) Where are Joseph's bones located?

I know my questions are archeological. Spiritual answers can be found in the Bible anyway, so I'm just going to ask God the locations of Biblical antiquities. Hehehe.... It would be really exciting if these things were found. It would probably cause quite a stir in other religions.

Anyways, it would be a great honor to meet God face to face..... and not die, that is. But as it said in the Bible, ALL (emphasize on ALL) have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

I guess I just have to wait 'till I go to heaven to see God..... and interview Him over a cup of coffee (Wait, do they have Strbucks in heaven?)........

The Oval Theory

History has always been a big interest to me. From Julius Caesar to the Holocaust, I've always had a keen interest for the past.

And since history jives with it, I also love archeology. Or at least anything about it. Tomb Raider in games, Indiana Jones in movies, books about archeology.... Somehow, I share the same joy of the character who discovers something amazing.

But could this be the same case in the Bible? Could science possibly prove the Bible true?

Indeed, yes.

Numerous times has there been proof supporting the Bible. Kingdoms and kings mentioned in the Bible jive with historical records. Places mentioned still exist today. Plants only found in the deepest of oceans were found on mountaintops. And numerous archaeologists - Christian and not - agree that the Bible gives definite records and is used for research.

Yet people believe the world was formed by an explosion of atoms which - by sheer coincidence - fell into place just like that. They believe that men came from apes. However, in truth some planets are older than the theorized date of the Big Bang, and none of the apes today seem to be evolving to become humans.
So I began thinking, what discovery could prove the Bible true? What discovery could prove scientists' belief wrong? What discovery could possibly and finally prove that God truly does exist?

How about the place where all things were created?

In Genesis, God created the first living beings in Eden with the Tree of Knowledge and Life. After the fall of man, God cast out Adam and Eve from Eden and placed a cherubim and a flaming sword to guard its entrance.

So did God destroy Eden?

Throughout the process of creation in Genesis, it is always mentioned after every creation that God saw it was good.

Would God destroy something He saw that was good?

Definitely not.

So if Eden still exists, where is it today?

Geographically speaking, the Bible only tells us the four rivers that run through the garden: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. The Pishon and Gihon are unidentified today, but the Tigris and Euphrates means that Eden was somewhere in Mesopotamia. Modern-day Mesopotamia still exists today, only with a different name: Iraq.

So could Iraq be Eden? Could the present-day battleground be the place where God walked and dwelt?

I say no.

In Genesis 3:22, God made it clear He doesn't want man near Eden. Therefore, no man has seen or walked in the Garden for centuries.

So where is it? The Bible doesn't mention Eden after Genesis.

Alas, my friends.... this might not be so.

Michael Phillips, author of Rift in Time gives a compelling theory on Eden's location. And guess what.... we look toward Exodus for answers.

When Moses was in Midian, he went to Horeb, the mountain of God, where he talked to God through a burning bush. He was instructed to removes his sandals, since it was holy ground.

Also, after freeing the Israelites, he received the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai.

Sinai.... Horeb.... both mountains. God talking to Moses.... God giving the Commandments to Moses....

According to Phillips, they are one and the same place.

But what significance does this hold with eden?

In Phillips' research, there are only two places in which God dwelt and walked for a brief period of time: Horeb and Eden.

They are, therefore, the same place.

Moses was told it was holy ground. Maybe because God walked and dwelt there? God talked through the burning bush. What better tree to talk from than the Tree of Life? The Ten Commandments. He gave at the same place He issued his first commandment.

With the theory of Horeb and Sinai being one, the burning bush being the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Life being in the center of Eden, there is only one conclusion....

The center of Eden is a mountain, and there rests the Tree of Life and Knowledge.

The second I read this theory, I was amazed how parallel all the information were. Could it be? If Mt. Sinai is discovered, could it lead to the discovery of the garden where life began?

Like Phillips, I believe that Eden is somewhere here on Earth, guarded by the cherubim and sword. But only in god's perfect time will it be revealed. Fin

I LOOOOOOOOVE PLAYSTATION!

I've been an avid gamer since that fateful day when my dad came back from Thailand (I think) and brought home our very own PlayStation One. Of course, at this time it was still those big, square, grey ones and not those tiny travel-size mutations they now call PS1. Before PlayStation me and my dad only had the ol' Family Computer and we spent our days playing Mario and that old tank game (the name escapes me). Actually, I could say that only my dad played because I was just two or three that time and my interests at that time were coloring blank pieces of paper and scribbling nonsense, acting as if I knew how to write and I had my own sign. However, the arrival of the PlayStation changed everything.

Until that time, I actually never heard of PlayStation. My dad, apprently, has been playing Tekken 2 with his friends on PS (Tekken is now a big fighting game on PS console). My dad brought it home and he showed this big grey square thingimajiggy and even in the eyes of a three year old I knew that it was something.... cool. So my dad then started to play Tekken 2, pushing away on the controller as I sat there beside him, my jaw hanging and my eyes bulging with amazement. How in the world did they create something this magnificent? So it was only a few minutes before I asked my dad to let me have a go and - the innocent three year old I was - I started puching on the controller with absolutely no idea what I was doing.

Years passed and my minded started to mature and mesh and I began playing my own games, but they were still kiddy games like Toy Story 2 and Crash Bandicoot Racing. I occasionally watched my dad play his games which were too scary for me to play at the time. He would dive into places unvisited for centuries in Tomb Raider (and what makes this game creepier is the theme songs that appear now and then when there's an enemy or you find yourself in a huge place loaded with traps) and blow away zombies in Resident Evil (the first one. Definitely scary!). So I marveled at his agmes and sometimes even tried to help him if he's stuck. I wasn't that great a help back then, but now I have a wider knowledge in gaming than my old man.

And once again, years passed once more and I finally got my PS2. Not only did I upgrade my gaming status, I also got tp play DVDs on it! So I started gaming away and - me being almost eleven - I started to play more games that challeneged me. I don't remember much of the games. I do remember Enter the Matrix which I finished. I still played Tekken, the fourth one, and eventually unlocked all the caharcters. I tried playing GTA: Vice City. Unfortunately, my dad caught me hacking a guy with a chiansaw and he never let me play it again.

And now, I am still an avid gamer. I finsihed Metal gear: Snake Eater which I love. I completed God of War II and I'm certainly looking forward to the third installment. I loved Hitman: Bloodmoney. Currently, my fancy is Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent. Games I'm looking forward to are The Force Unleashed, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Mercinaries 2.

I love gaming, though I haven't had the luxury of trying online gaming on my PS2. However, I have my sights set on buying PS3, but I'm not sure when I'll get it. I think I'll just have to wait and see. ~ Fin

Where Will I Go???

So today's assignment for Blog Day....

If I can go anywhere, where will I go?

Hmmm....

Numerous choices.....

Tons of interesting stuff in each country....

Where to start?

Well, I'd probably go to California first to visit my aunt, uncle, and my new cousin at Azusa. After that I would go to San Francisco and see the Golden gate and probably go and see Alcatraz. Then, while still in California, I will go to Hollywood to... I dunno, audition, maybe (in my dreams)??? Then I would take a stroll down Universal CityWalk. Probably grab a bite at Subways and other restaurants and see interesting stuff. After that I'll go to Universal Studios and ride all the rides there (too many rides to mention specifically). Then I'll go to Six Flags at Vallejo and Six Flags Valencia.
After that I would head to Florida and go to the Universal Studios there. After that, I'll finally go to the theme park I've been dying to go to: Islands of Adventure. I would spend probably one whole day there, riding rides, taking pics, walking around, and eating!
I would then head to Georgia just to visit Six Flags White Water park then immediately leave!
After that I would head to Anaheim to look around the home of the legendary Mighty Ducks. Then I'd go to Disneyland!
After Anaheim, I would go to D.C to see historical monuments such as the Lincoln memorial. Then I would gaze at the Declaration with my own two eyes. Plus, I'd probably go and tour the White House all the while reciting the "Bushy Pledge of Allegiance" and probably get kicked out.
After D.C, I would probably spend a day just lying down at my hotel.
Then after that I will leave America....

AND HEAD FOR EUROPE!

First stop is England. I'll go around historical sights, take pics at the Big Ben, and tour Buckingham palace. While here, I'll probably attend Hillsong London.
After England, I'll go to France and finally see the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. Next, I will spend two days just going to the Louvre or maybe even three days. After that, I'll go to the beautiful church of Notre Dame.
Next I'll head to Italy and go to Rome to see the Coliseum and that big famous fountain. After Rome I'll go to Venice and enjoy the beauty of the famous canal city.
After that, I'll go to Greece to admire its culture and its past. Dunno much about it, so I'll just go around!
And then I would leave Europe to go back to Asia...

AND HEAD FOR JAPAN!

I will probably spend a week there, sightseeing and visiting my dad's friends and mine too. I'll go and buy tons of high-tech stuff. Plus, I'll spend some time on one of the beaches there!

And after all those tiring travels, I would go home.... TO THE PHILIPPINES!

I'll visit my family there and I will finally - FINALLY - be back here in Thailand.

If only I had the money to do all this stuff..... : (

Resolutions.....

Okay, first of, many of you may be asking "Why the heck is he writing his resolution when January is almost over?". Answer: This is my blog classwork for English class, the very first of this year. The other previous ones were just me writing, but this for English class.

Anyway, a new year's come and what am I gonna do about it? Do I just sit here and do nothing? Do I party? Or.... do I change?

Everybody can do better. There's always room for improvement. And so that's what I'm going to do in 2008.... Improve. Change. Do better. Right my wrongs.

So where do I start? I have lots of personal stuff to change, that's for sure. And I fully admit it, though I may not specify it because it is personal. (Stop your groaning, cut me some slack! Your reading my blog, you're not gonna get in my personal life!)

Okay, first thing I want to do is to BREAK FREE....

From what????

Well, the big S-I-N.

Everybody sins, so i just want to break free from its bondage. I want me to have control over it and not have it control me. I want to have the power to say no. I want to have the power to resist temptation.But how do I dot his? With help from God and tons of trials. I don't care. Bring it on! I just wanna break free.

The next thing is the way I speak. I'm talkative no doubt, but I want to change the way i speak. I sometimes may say things that hurt other people or go way too far with jokes. Therefore, I want to be more careful with my words.

Another thing is this: my complete wholesome devotion to God. I want to live everyday - and I mean every second, minute and hour - for God. I want everything that I do to honor Him.

Here's another thing, but this is rather like a goal: the salvation of at least one relative. My relatives are Catholics, so I want them to be saved.

Plus, the verse in the Bible about walking blameless has been coming back to me every time. And yes, it did say blameless. So though it may seem hard, I will do my best.

Oh, and here's another resolution: get abs. Yup, I vow to do sit-ups every time I get home with a couple of those elbow push ups that Ms. Lauren taught me yesterday. By the end of the year, I may have a flat stomach. Mwahahaha!

As for relationships, I want to love my friends as much as I love myself and it's really hard, I admit. But what can I do? I might as well love 'em since they're my friends.

And oh yeah, about relationships...

Many people have been asking me if I have a girlfriend so some might be asking that now it's a new year, I might get one this year.

Well friends, the answer is no, I have absolutely no plans to get a girlfriend this year or the next year or the year after that. When the real girl for me comes along, then maybe I will. But for now....

Anyways, I think I wrote way too much and I therefore must end here. God bless and claim to be blessed.

The Most Ridiculous Rules Handed Down by a School

These rules are real, factual rules handed down by my school. They are ridiculous, and I have absolutely no idea what their significance is.

First, here are the OK rules.

All boys need to have hair that don't cover the eyes, the back of their neck, or their ears.
Okay, this one's in the handbook, so I'm cool with that.

All girls need to have their hair tied.
Yeah, that's a'ight too.

But then they go overboard...

Girls are NOT allowed to wear earrings.
Wait a sec! That ain't right, becasue here's what's written on the handbook...

"Earrings are acceptable on girls' earlobes only"
A bit contradicting, is it?

But there's more!

Students should wear the normal uniform (which is a polo and PJ-like pants) even on days when there's P.E. Students should change to their P.E when it's P.E class.
Whoa! What the heck? Is this right? Is this even legal?

Students should walk along the corridors with their HANDS OFF THE WALLS.
What's the matter? The walls sticky with super glue or somethin'?

Students should try to sing in tune when in Chapel Service.
Now what? We get detention if we don't sing it right?

Students should sit with hands near or on the floor during Chapel.
Oh okay. So if my feet are on the table, that's only a few feet off the ground so I'm assuming that's alright?

So you see, my school passes down weird rules. What's more is that sometimes they try and mess with our pockets too. So not only are they messing with my intelligence, the money gets affected too!

Oh well, what the heck... Guess I have no choice but to abide eh?

PEOPLE, THIS IS THE GOD I SERVE

People, this is the God I serve...

A few days ago my family went out to see a house since we're looking for one. My dad had a company car he usually borrows and he sometimes can take it home if nobody is going to use it. We then used this car to get to our destination.
We neared the house and my dad then got into a position to park the car. He drove the car near the sidewalk where in front of us another car was parked. The parking process was almost finished...

When my dad, instead of hitting the brakes, hit the gas pedal full on.

As I have said, a car was in front of us. So scientifically speaking, calculating the speed of our car and the distance of the car in front of us (which was not so great), our car hit its bumper real hard that it left a real HUGE dent.

What's more is this: my brother was standing up viewing the cars from the back window. At the collision, he was thrown off and when we saw him he was on the floor, his head underneath the front seat. My mom began praying fervently.

I quickly got out of the car, inspected the damage done not to our car car, but to the other. Seeing the humongous dent, I slowly walked away.

My mom and dad began frantically looking back and forth at our car and the other. We asked help form the Thai agent who was in charge of selling the house to call the owner of the car and he quickly did. I, meanwhile, went into the garage with my MP3 still playing.

I sat down, shaken. I quickly went into quick prayer and didn't even mind if my MP3 was still on. I asked God for guidance and for help, and I told Him he was the only one who could help us effectively.

After I finished my prayer, my ear caught the attention of the song that was playing, which was "Little Wonders" OST Meet the Robinsons, sung by Rob Thomas. The moment I finished my prayer, these lines were sung:

And I don't mind
If it's me you need to turn to
We'll get by
It's the heart that really matters in the end

At that very moment I felt complete peace and I grinned broadly. God has given me His answer, and I knew all I need to do is trust and have faith in Him. Like the song said, It's the heart that really matters in the end. If I trusted Him, then He is sure to save us from this trouble.

And that's what He did. The owner of the car could apparently speak English and we were able to communicate easily. Each of the cars had insurances, so they were all taken care of. In the end, we didn't pay (but we did admit it was our fault) and the owner of the car wasn't angry at all. However, the agent fro the house was like "I helped you! Pay me 4,000!" so we did. In return, we decided not to take the house.

Though it seems like this is all misfortune and mishap, it's actually loaded with blessings. First of, there were people beside the car we hit that were playing. What if my dad did miss the car then instead hit them? A human life is priceless compared to a car! Plus, the cars had insurances, so nobody on either side paid. The woman who owned the car could speak communicate easily because of her knowledge of English. And they weren't angry either.

So during the paperwork, I had a smile as i carried my brother because I knew God was there with us and He proved Himself once again an almighty and loving Father.

People......

This is the God I serve.

The Last Legion

There be spoilers ahead, matey. Beware....

"The Last Legion" was a movie I saw yesterday and i must say it was quite good. Not very good and not that good, but good nonetheless. Good story, good acting, and this is one of those rare movies in which there's romance but without kissing whatsoever.
The movie starts out being narrated by a man named Ambrosinus, a Britain, who knows and searches for a legendary sword hidden from the world. Year ago, the boy king Romulus is crowned Caesar of the great empire of Rome. Ambrosinus is his tutor, who sometimes does "magic" which actually are only tricks. Odoacer, commander of the Goths allied to Rome, demmanded land form Romulus's father but he refuses. Romulus also meets Aurelius, a general.
That same night, Rome is conquered by the Goths. Aurelius's men are killed except for him and Romulus is taken prisoner.
Odoacer plans to kill Romulus, but Ambrosinus convinces him to keep him alive and Amborsinus and the boy are taken to an island as prisoners. On the island, Ambrosinus realizes that the place might be where the sword is hidden and he - being tied up - leads Romulus to find the sword, the sword for the one "destined to rule."
Ambrisinus and Romulus are rescued by the loyal Aurelius along with three of his men and an Indian female warrior, Mira. They then take the boy-king to a port where he would be transported to Constantinople. However, the Eastern Empire has betrayed them and sent men to kill Romulus. They are, however, unsuccessful. The group then travels to Britain to seek help from the Ninth Legion, or the "Dragon Legion", to see if they remain loyal to the emperor.
Traveling to Hadrian's wall, they realize that the legion has abandoned their posts to become farmers because of fear that the ruler of Anglia, Vortgyn, would attack them.
Ironically enough, Vortgyn wants the sword for his own. He sends the men of Odacer who he has teamed up with to kill the sons of the Blacksmith of the town Romulus was staying in. The people then find out Romulus is the king and they banish him and those with him.
Aurelius and some of his gathered men then take a stand from an attack from Vortgyn. The battle seemed hopeless, until the Ninth Legion took up their arms again and helped them. The battle is won when Ambrosinus kills Vortgyn and Romulus kills the henchman of Odacer who killed his parents.
In the end, Romulus tells the soldiers that there will be no more wars and he throws away the sword, which amazingly pierces a rock and gets lodged in it.
Years later, we see Ambrosinus telling the whole tale to a young boy. Amborsinus then says the Aurelius and Mira married and took Romulus as their own son. Romulus took a Celtic name, meaning son of the dragon: Pendragon. He married the girl he met at the town, Ygraine, and had a son: the boy Ambrosinus was talking to right now, Arthur. Ambrosinus also changed his name to Merlin and now served as Arthur's tutor.
At the ending, the camera pans to the rock with the sword lodged in it. Partially covered by moss, we see the blade with the words "ESCALIBVR" engraved upon it. We then discover that this is the legendary Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur.
Great movie, watch it!

The Great Van Ride

"The Great Van Ride"....
It wasn't actually so great....
The only thing great about it was the hours it took me to get home.
Anyways, here's the story of "The Great Van Ride".

It was Monday, Jan. 7th, and I was half-happy half-bummed that it the holidays are over and that school was calling me back once more. As I hopped into the van I realized that I had a new van driver. What this usually means is this: new driver, new route. And as I presumed, he did take a new route which got us to school almost the same time like my previous van driver but he was only a few minutes late.
And so I spend eight hours in school, conversing with my teachers and friends on how their holiday went and told them about mine (how delicious the food was at a party and what a big pile of games DG gave me). After school, it was finally time to go home.
I hope into the van and reach for my MP3 as I always do when going back home (and coming to school) and plug it into my ear. I realize that the battery has run out, so with nothing interesting to do - in this case, listen to - I lazily went to sleep and waited for my turn to be sent home.
Now before we move on, let me just tell you some facts you'll be needing to understand this story of mine: the streets here in Bangkok have names (like any other country), numbers, and are referred to as sois in plural, soi in singular. My school is located in Ladphrao road Soi 112. Another thing is that I finish school at 3:00 and get home at around 4:00.
Anyways, continuing on. So I dozed off to sleep, occasionally peeking around to see where we were. When I finally rested fully and felt that my energy bar was completely filled (talking like i'm some kind of character in a game) i opened my eyes and assumed that I was finally on my way home.
I was correct, it was my turn to go home.
However, I rubbed my eyes and looked to my right and do you know what I found?

THE WORDS "LADPHRAO SOI 112" STARING RIGHT BACK AT FRIGGIN' FACE!

I couldn't believe it.
I could NOT conceive it.
How the HECK did I get back here?
I realized that the driver didn't know - or simply ignored - the shortcuts my previous driver took.
I sighed in anger, irritation, and disbelief.
It therefore took another hour to get me home, so I got home at 5.

The next day i dreaded the ride back home once more but luckily, the school found out how late we got sent home so they sent me and some other kids to another driver and I got home at an amazing record of 3:45.

Whew, thank God for ex-underground racer van drivers and shortcuts!