two reasons to get a psp

I've always wanted a psp for the longest time, maybe just as long as i've wanted a mac but i think the psp is closer to my grasps than a mac but anyway i have two compelling reasons to get one in the form of two amazing fun games


Loco Roco


Patapon

~shalom~

reconnect

For some time now i've been going through some old notes and this is one of them. I don't quite remember where i wrote this, if it was in church or somewhere else but its in my book and i want to share.

• Be still and listen to the voice of God (ps 46:10)
• Pause from a hectic schedule to be refreshed in spirit (ps 42:1-2)
• Interrupt the day to do a spiritual inventory and be cleansed (ps 51:1-10)
• Accentuate the joy of God's provision through thanks giving (ps 65:9-13)
• Exalt the name of God for answered prayers in spite of disappointments (ps 40:1-3)
• End the day by reflecting on the Lord's faithfulness (ps 119:148)

I think i need to be more conscious and do more of these things.

~shalom~

hope

When i think of hope the first thing that comes into my mind is the obama campaign poster.

Yeah this one. But the hope i'm talking about is the one the bible. I was going to try to explain it but my bible does a better job, check this out.

"Hope"

In English, the word hope implies contingency. But Biblical "hope" is not a "hope-so hope" (ie not wishful thinking about something good happening in the future); rather, it is a "know-so hope," a confidence from God concerning his promises. It is sure because it is based on the integrity of God's Word. We will experience the reality of hope because God is "the God of hope" (ie the object and assurance of our hope, Romans 15.13).

See i told you. There's no way i could have come up with something like that. But its true. People make the mistake of thinking when we say hope, we mean hope-so. I've had this discussion before with my friend who didnt understand and i didnt really understand at the time and her point made sense but the more i think about it the more i realise they're different. If someone says i hope so means they're not sure. Say you ask someone;

You: are you going to pass your exams?

Them: hope so...

It doesn't sound confident right. Ok compare this with this.

You: are you going to pass your exams?

Them: Yes.

What do you think? Yeah i know sometimes people say things they don't mean but there are times when you write an exam and you know without a doubt its a done deal. That is the hope of a bible. Its more like faith. I have this beautiful quote about faith.

Faith never gives up. It knows that despite appearances, all is well.

(Madam Guyon)

I've been rather confused lately, i think a lot lately and there's fear in my heart. I dunno quite what it is, if its a phase or of God wants to teach me something but in my heart there is a hope that all will be well. That this season will pass and it will be spring again. 

Photo credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/a35mmlife

~shalom~

thoughts on gundam

I've been watching gundam 00 for the past few days and i really like it especially now that bleach is going off in {in my opinion} unnecessary tangents.

Its about war and the ideal of one man to eradicate war everywhere on earth by attacking nations that have a military agenda. At first its all innocent and no one really gets hurt but then the story gets very personal and the fighting does not really seem to yield any good except breed even more war and accelerate the development of more dangerous and sophisticated weapons of war with the aim also to eradicated war but by subduing rebel groups and those that are against the UN-like federated government forces and chief on the list is a group of trouble makers who with their gundams and a brilliant war strategist have given the rest of the war making world something to fight about.

Season 1 saw the emergence of these gundams with special abilities that at the time surpassed the world's best defense systems intervening in war torn countries and territories to achieve its goals albeit in an unconventional, forceful way that won them both allies and enemies. The pilots for these gundams were chosen by a computer system, veda which also sought out targets and gave information necessary to complete missions. It was a critical part of celestial being's arsenal as they even control the gundams but somehow this system was infiltrated and its information was manipulated by those who call themselves the innovators. They believe they are the future, when all humans have destroyed themselves in war and division they will reign as superior beings without the flaws of these humans. They believe it was all part of the plan to eradicate war yet were always at odds with the motives and goals of celestial being.

With season 2 things got very personal. The war had touched so many lives that everyone must take a side to either become a rebel or be a government force with their questionable methods. The season revealed the reason why the pilots that engage each other in these battles do what they do.

For Setsuna fighting is all he knows and after fighting all his life he has about had enough of all the wars and is drawn by the ideology of celestial being to stop all wars and lead the way to peace. Funny enough the way they chose to do this is to fight some more. He has lost everything, his homeland, his family and hence has nothing else to lose yet after an encounter with marina he questions his motives.

For saji its a chance to get back to louise, the love of his life who has joined the fed forces' A-Laws on a revenge mission to eradicate celestial being after gundams attacked her family and destroyed everything she had. Blessed with wealth and fueled by hate she quickly rises up the ranks funding and fighting the assault on celestial being. Through a series of unfortunate events he has found himself with celestial being through setsuna who was his strange neighbour. After sitting on the fence and allowing his selfish actions cause the death of so many he is almost at the point of realising that you are either with the A-Laws or with the rebels. He has as everyone else experience personal loss because of the intervention of celestial being and so has his grudges and does not subscribe to their ideology.

There are others with their own personal vendetta but this is a war fueled by anger, revenge, a sense of loss and duty to which ever side one pledges allegiance to. Hearts are torn apart, lives are lost, the reality of war and the irony of its eradication.

When you think of it, you can't help but seek a solution, one that is different from that offered by the writers of the story. You kind of wonder what happened to "...a soft answer turns away anger..."? Its interesting the solutions that the bible offers to conflicts and how they require humility yet how effective and unconventional they are. War cannot be eradicated by more fighting no matter the goal because all it breeds is hatred and where there is hatred there is rebellion.

We all are at war also. Some of us are like saji, living in denial, not willing to accept that he has to take a side, seeking to be neutral from all the killing. Yet some of us are like setsuna, resolute and focused. Knowing he has the tools to do what is right in his heart and giving his all to accomplish his ultimate goal.

~shalom~

i choose

i choose

to be happy

to wake up everyday and smile

to be silent

to be crazy

to observe

to do something out of the ordinary

to forget

to forgive

to be quiet

to love

to care

to refuse

to stick to the plan

to be hopeful

to have faith

to remain strong

to be faithful as long as i can

to obey

to disobey

to comply

to go with the flow

to stand out

to be unpopular

to relate 

to refrain

to remember

to call

to say hi

everyday.

~shalom~