The Heartbreak Kid

First of, I know this is my first post in a very long time, so hello once again. It's good to be back.

I recently borrowed "The Heartbreak Kid" from a friend of mine and watched it yesterday. It stars Ben Stiller as Edward Cantrow, a man who is constantly pressured by his father and best friend to get a girl and finally get married or, in his father's opinion, at least enjoy being single and sleep with numerous women. Anyways, the movie has a lot of crude humor and scenes in it and is quite funny, but it gives a clear view of the world's perspective on what they call "love".

In the movie, Eddie meets a gorgeous woman after she gets mugged. They eventually start seeing each other and six weeks later, the woman says she has to leave for Germany. After pressure from his father and best friend - who are, in my opinion, the most knuckle headed guys you'll ever see - Eddie decides to marry her (I'm sorry, her name escapes me). However, in their honeymoon, Eddie realizes how much he doesn't know about his new wife (Like her past cocaine addiction and her irritating singing while he's driving) and meets another woman, Miranda, who is apparently the love of his life.

Well, hilarity ensues, Eddie lies, two - or should I say three - people collide and in the end, it seemed that Eddie and Miranda would be together after all.

But what does this show? Is this how dating or "falling in love" is like today? You date for less than two months and bang, get married?

I've recently been reading the book "I've Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris and apparently, all the wrongs and faults that he mentioned about dating completely show in "The Heartbreak Kid". Eddie was not ready for a committed relationship and so was the woman, and they just jumped at it when they didn't even know each other. Dating, as referred to in the book, skips the "friendship" stage of a relationship and jumps into the intimacy stage, usually. No, intimacy doesn't necessarily mean sleeping together, though in the movie, they do. Joshua Harris explains it clearly: The joy of intimacy is the reward of commitment. If you cannot match your intimacy with commitment, don't even bother getting into a romantic relationship.

In the end of the movie, Miranda goes to Eddie and tells him she's still in love with him and they decide to meet for drinks. Apparently, Eddie has another girl. He lies to her, and tells her the same line he said to his ex-wife when he wanted to divorce her. The very last line he says has profanity in it, but it basically condemns himself on his sheer stupidity.

So what makes Miranda different? I mean, Eddie got married to his wife and put her aside because of Miranda. But once Miranda got married, he went to get another girl. Miranda comes back, and he's splitting with his new girlfriend or wife. In other words, if another woman comes to his life, Eddie could just throw Miranda aside too. Intimacy that doesn't match commitment.

I hope all of us think first beofre getting into a relationship. Don't listen to your heart. Don't listen to you brain. Listen to God, that's what. You do it your way, I can assure you in 75 years you'll be 45 break-ups and 6 divorces down the road.

"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