"blessings".

The youth are putting up a musical, "Homer".

Come one, come all.
It's good. Really. =)

I really love musicals. I love musicals to bits.

So I've watched the thing three times. (two rehearsals, one preview)

Every time I watch it, the song that moves me the most is "Blessings", by Laura Story.

I'd never heard of the song before the musical, but it's just one of those songs that make your ears perk.









The song begins with "We pray for blessings".

But take time to study the lyrics, especially the pre-chorus onwards. It'll mean so much more to you. Here's the chorus. =)

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?

What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this life

are Your mercies in disguise?

Story behind the song:

It was just us investigating this idea:

Could God possibly be blessing us,

through not giving us what we asked for?

Even though we do have more questions than answers at this point of time,

I do know this:

That there is a blessedness that comes

through waiting on the Lord.

There's an intimacy in our walk with the Lord

that comes through walking through that valley.

There's a reliance on His Word that we only know...

...when everything else in life fades away.

And so in that sense,

I truly feel like I am blessed.

this is the real "Shakespeare in the park".

Letter #1

"Greetings to thee O my sweet-heart. Mind not in the least if I have been hard on thee at times - pray forgive me for the same. In fact I feel offended when ill is spoken of thee. Khan Khela who had visited my house when Amir Jan was suffering from pain had a lot of talk against thee, but beware and lend not thy ears to these. They are arch devils. Partake not of anything from their hands. Now I shall sell myself and do this act if only I have thee at my back. What a blissful hour it would be when with Amir Jan wailing over Ali Askar we contract our Nikah and enjoy ourselves. Be not angry, my darling, for thy sorrow makes me sad. However hard on thee I have been in the past, that is all past. Henceforth I solemnly promise to desist. I do fervently cherish the hope that God will make thee mine. Try and send Mir Aftab often to me so that I may talk to him. I have found out money for thee but thou must unhesitatingly find out the man. My heart is bursting for thee and I long for thee immensely. In the end accept my greetings."

Letter #2

"Letter to the sweet-heart. Peace be on you. The fact, my darling is that I am in great distress: otherwise I would not have conveyed thee such harsh things. I say these to thee for I am extremely distressed. Whom but thee have I as my own in this land of the Lord ... I have a lot to tell you but I am helpless. For God's sake spare not a moment or thou wilt ever repent my loss. They are all one against me. It would be better if aught thou couldst do. Accept greetings."

Letter #3

"My sweet-heart and the bearer of my burden. If thou tauntest me in regard to my mother what do I care for her. I look to my God and to thee only for reliance. I cannot wait any more. For the sake of God and his Prophet do try or I will die. You, must find out the money or I would die. Is it of my choice, to be roaming about and thou be enjoying with him, but what shall I do. If I had my own way I would not have left you to remain with him. I am burning and have pity on me for God's sake. To me the passing of each day is like months and years. Once place thyself in my charge and satiate me with the honey of thy red lips. Even if thou cuttest my head off my neck I would still yearn for thy white breast. This is my last word if only thou wouldst attend to it. I have vowed for thy sake at many a shrine. The house of the torturer will be rendered desolate. Mirza Akbar's. limbs have grown sapless after thee."

--Mirza Akbar v. KE AIR 1940 176 (Privy Council)

Oh, and then they killed her husband.

Chan Sin v. PP [1949] MLJ 106.

Facts of the case:

Police received information that a Chinese man was in possession of firearms. When they raided a house in the village, a Chinese man in his late 50's (58) ran out of his house with a gun. He was arrested, and an identification parade was conducted to identify him. 

There were 8 persons in the parade -

• 3 Malays
• 1 Sikh 
• 1 Chinese woman
• 1 Chinese man 10 years younger than the accused
• 1 Chinese man 16 years younger than the accused
• The accused 

Somewhat similiar, yes?

why some people die.

The deceased was killed by a shot fired from the left-hand barrel of a gun which the petitioner was holding. 

His evidence was that he was cleaning the gun - not knowing that it was loaded nor having any explanation of how it might have come to be loaded - and that, as he had not applied pressure to the trigger deliberately, he must have done so accidentally in a manner which he could not explain. 

The deceased was shot in the left chest by a charge which entered her heart. 

The petitioner's evidence was that after the shooting he rang the telephone exchange at Echuca and called for an ambulance. 

The evidence of the telephonist at the Echuca Exchange was that the only call from the petitioner's number was at 1.15 p.m. and a woman's voice said "Get me the police please", and that as she was doing so the caller yelled "59 Mitchell Street". The telephone was hung up immediately. The telephonist after consulting her superior, telephoned the police and told them they were wanted at 59 Mitchell Street. 

The police arrived at 59 Mitchell Street about three minutes after the telephonist's call. In the meantime a policeman, Bickerton, called the petitioner's number. He gave evidence that as soon as the telephone was picked up a voice said "Help me. Help. For God's sake come quick. For God's sake come quick". He said "What address?"; the voice replied "59 Mitchell Street". 

When the police arrived the petitioner's wife was already dead and was lying upon the kitchen floor. 

When the police arrived at the house the petitioner was inside and a child was outside crying.

At the time of her death the deceased was more than eight months pregnant. 

The petitioner and a Mrs Kemp, who lived with her husband and children in Echuca, were in love with one another. Mrs Kemp had been pressing the petitioner to leave his wife and to go away with her. On the morning of the day of the shooting Mrs. Kemp had telephoned the petitioner telling him that at lunch time on that day she would leave her husband. The petitioner then visited her and endeavoured to persuade her not to leave home immediately but she had insisted that she would straight away put her house of the market. This she did later in the day. 

The petitioner told Mrs. Kemp that on the previous evening he had told his wife that he would leave her when the baby was born and that she had been distressed by this. The petitioner and Mrs. Kemp agreed that they would go away together after the birth of the deceased's baby. After this visit to Mrs. Kemp he returned to his home and had lunch with his wife and children. 

Between 1.09 p.m. and 1.12 p.m. the father of the petitioner was speaking to the petitioner upon the telephone from Melbourne and had a normal conversation with him. The father heard the voice of the deceased.

---Ratten v. R [1974] HCA 35

Murder? Or accidental death?

Will we ever know?

All I know is he betrayed his wife and children.

You can find the case here.

a dose of lame for the sorrowful.

Sam

Most welcome to. Ever glad to receive new law folk. Especially if you support the state-endorsed political affiliation. (Ps. I bet even if they intercepted this txt message, they wouldn't understand.)

Me

Ya, since they still use Google Translate. XD

Sam

So all we need to do is converse in a level above that of apefolk. And use obscure terms in a language we are infinitely comfortable with. And discuss the general deterioration and degradation of the federally-endorsed political affiliation with much impunity. Lol.

Me

Aye, we doeth as thou say, fellow brethren. Only Thor understandeth us now!

Sam

That he does, sister. Or speak like small green person, we can. Translate they may, but mindblown, they shall be. For matters not, if syntax and grammar practise them not.

Me

Har-dee-har-har. May the force be with them, I say. (now thinketh they that we be blessing them)

Sam

Aye. They be expelling a mucous substance in a violent manner from their nasal cavity right now, I'd bet.

friends.

You don't see them very often,

You don't talk to them everyday,

You don't hang out with them all the time.

You don't always spend time with them, 

but you enjoy every moment you spend with them.

They're the kind of people you stop and talk to when you're walking along the corridors, 

the kind of people you have meaningful conversations with,

the kind of people you remember to invite to your wedding.

Special friends.

The type of friends I'll miss the most. 

Because what we have is something special.

=)

plan, planning, planned, planta.

We all have stories to tell of people who "don't take the initiative". 

We all "can't stand" people like that. 

But we have all been guilty of not caring about things we're simply not interested in.

Ah.

That awkward moment when you realize you just criticized someone for something you've done before. Maybe not too long ago, even.

So how should one respond when people don't care?

Take it to the Lord in prayer. 

Scold.

Rebuke.

But first, take it to the Lord in prayer.

Because I am a complainant among equals.

On another note, 

I just heard someone in the lab say with much exasperation:

"I can't live without my planner!"

young fellows.

i really love being around these youngsters.

they remind me of my brothers.

=)

proof-reading someone's paper.

"Most children who experience the significant loss of one parent following a divorce do not succeed in overcoming their own dejection and the sense of being unlovable, or unworthy. Children of an early school age may think of self-mutilation, or to a more serious extent, feel suicidal, and act on that feeling. Their act can be understood to stem from a desire to gain the attention of both their parents, or a belief that no one else cares about them."

This is very sad.

I wish people could grow old together.


Reminded me of this.


I will never ever proof-read another paper on divorce.

family day 2012 @ pjgh.

Photo taken by Huey Nin.

Photo taken by Serene.

The ferocious Gruffalo in the story "Gruffalo". Haha!
Photo taken by Huey Nin.

And so something possessed Marie to ask me to be a face-painter for Family Day. 

Me, the girl who was her glass painting lecturer's source of much dismay.

Anyhoo, I developed a thing for gleefully disfiguring people with paint during Camp Explore.

From... Mr So Leng Chai. Seriously. Haha.

So I said yes. 

...And then something possessed Kenric to ask me to draw a Pikachu on his face. 

Photo taken by Huey Nin.

I think I was punished for this act of disfigurement by the tumbling of cups that followed shortly after this photo was taken:

"Stacking cups helps improve memory, much like playing an instrument."
All: "Go, Manchester."
And so the clumsy girl stacked cups.
Photo taken by Serene.

Oh, and I won a quarter of a cake for correctly guessing its weight. What are the odds, man, what are the odds?

...I'm going to miss this church when I leave.

facebook status of the day. (not mine)