Great post david(as usual)! Life is amazing! Life is about celebration and appreciation!

We're all very lucky that you're working so hard on making us all realize the things that life is about!

As Bob Marley says:
Life is one big road with lots of signs,
So when you riding through the
ruts, don't you complicate
your mind:
Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy!
Don't bury your thoughts; put your
vision to reality, yeah!
Wake up and live, y'all!

Cheers,
Amit

All together now:
Wake up and live (wake up and live, y'all),

I personally believe we don't know how to celebrate our own accomplishments - large and small.  And I believe that with celebration, as with other things in life, its the small stuff that counts.  So I am not talking about throwing big blow-out parties in your honor (though that too can be fun), I'm talking about really acknowledging the action steps you take every day, celebrating the victories and successes you have along the way. 

If you want to develop a habit of success - then you need to enjoy it.  What better way to enjoy living a successful life than celebrating along the way?  When you finish sending out those resumes, have worked out for a whole week, finished that project, finally had that discussion with your spouse, or took a day off for the first time in months  - stop, take a deep breath, and celebrate!

Celebrations CAN be a big deal, but they don't have to be.  You can treat yourself to ice cream, or your favorite cup of tea.  You can go to the book store and buy a novel to read or a new journal to write in.  Perhaps you call a close friend and just say "Yay me!"  Or watch a tv show you enjoy.  The keys to celebration are it must be something you LOVE, you enjoy doing, and that you don't do all the time.  Make cele  You may share your celebration with others, or you may celebrate alone. 

So get out and CELEBRATE YOU!

ROME, JUNE 19, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.

Q: When can litanies be used? Can they be adapted into liturgical celebrations that do not, as such, call for it? Why are they used and for what purpose? The litany is used during baptism, ordination, during blessings and consecrations of places (churches) and people, during the Easter Vigil, etc. The specific situation I am referring to is during a marriage. A marriage is a key moment in a couple's life and they take on a distinctive vocation. I understand the litany is used to recognize, to call on the saints to pray for those being ordained or professed as religious, but the rite does not provide for the litany during the marriage ceremony. If there is one vocation which needs the explicit assistance of the saints, then I think it would be the married vocation. It seems odd that at each of the other major points in a person's life, the litany is sung, but not at the wedding. Would it be appropriate to include a litany of the saints during the rite of a marriage? As the litany could include the formula for the general intercessions, would you see it appropriate to replace the general intercessions with the litany of the saints? -- J.M., Sydney, Australia

A: The litany (from the Greek "lite," or prayer) was a simple and popular form of collective prayer which in the early Church was used before the dismissal of catechumens who could not assist at the prayers of the faithful. Usually a deacon or reader would enumerate a series of simple petitions and the people would respond with a phrase such as "Pray for us."

The origin of the litanic prayer is obscure, and forms of this prayer existed also in Jewish and pagan culture. There is early evidence of the use of the litanic form of prayer in Rome from before the year 225.

The litany of saints is divided into two elements: the invocation of a list of saints, and a series of invocations addressed directly to God which are almost certainly much older that the list of saints.

While the practice of a short list of saints written in Greek may have begun in Rome under Pope Sergius (687-701), it would appear that the litany as we know it today developed in eighth-century Ireland and England from whence they returned to continental Europe a hundred years or so later.

While the litany is found in several various rites, this did not conform to a set plan. Rather, it developed independently in each rite over a different time scale, the earliest evidence of its use being for the baptismal liturgy.

Their essential function is to implore the saints' intercession and God's protection before a particular moment or rite of special significance. They are also sometimes used in processions; for example, a special litany of the saints sometimes accompanies the entrance procession for some especially significant and solemn papal celebrations.

The rite of marriage probably never had a litany because the fixing of the essential lines of this rite antedates the introduction of the litany by several centuries.

While the idea of introducing a litany within the context of a wedding is not without merit, it would not be correct to independently replace the prayer of the faithful for a litany of the saints, as this would alter the established rite of Christian marriage.

Since marriage is one of those rites where the bishops' conference enjoys fairly wide leeway in adapting to local needs, it would not be unthinkable for a particular national conference to propose to the Holy See the introduction of some form of litany.

There would be no particular difficulty, however, in including some form of petition to the saints within the context of the prayer of the faithful. For example, a petition could ask something like: "For N. and N., that they may imitate in their lives those saints who have been sanctified in the married state, especially Sts. Priscilla and Aquila, Sts. N. and N., etc., whose intercession we also invoke this day."

* * *

Follow-up: Masses for the Living and the Dead

Some readers responded to the question (June 5) on whether Mass offered for the living was more efficacious than that offered for the dead.

A meticulous reader did an online search for the supposed quotes of St. Anselm and Pope Benedict XV and turned up several pages that all provided the same quotes, including the same grammatical errors: "A great Doctor of the Church, St. Anselm declares that a single Mass offered for oneself during life may be worth more than a thousand celebrated for the same intention after death," and "Pope Benedict XV tells us, 'The Holy Mass would be of greater profit if people had it offered in their lifetime rather than having it celebrated for the relief of their souls after death. ... The fruits of the Sacrifice of the Mass are in effect much greater efficacy [sic] during one's life than after one's death because the application which is made to those well-disposed among the living is more direct, more certain and more abundant.'"

As our reader points out, none of these sites provide bibliographical references to the sources of these quotes. And an electronic search of St. Anselm's works failed to find any text corresponding to the supposed quote.

This does not prove that the quotes are false, nor that they are doctrinally groundless. But it does remind us to be wary of uncritically using the Internet as a source of knowledge, and to always attempt to verify our sources.

A correspondent from Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, asked: "Several people have told me that having Mass offered for a living person is 'more efficacious' than if that person attended Mass himself. How would you respond to this statement? I would think that attending the holy sacrifice of the Mass oneself, if not prevented by some serious reason such as poor health, would be more efficacious."

In general we should avoid focusing the question of the efficacy of a Mass in such a way that reduces, commodifies or limits the infinite efficaciousness of Christ's holy sacrifice.

It is like asking which is more efficacious, driving oneself or having someone drive for you? In the end the important thing is reaching your destination.

God's granting of grace cannot be standardized. Whether a person receives more spiritual benefit from attending Mass or from having someone offering a Mass for him depends on a plethora of factors ranging from God's liberality to the person's subjective willingness to correspond to the gift of grace.

If any difference might be found it is that, for Catholics, attending Mass (unless legitimately impeded) is a necessary means of spiritual progress and even a necessary means of salvation. Having Mass offered for one, however, does not enjoy the same degree of necessity and some people could even reach sanctity even if nobody ever remembered to offer a Mass for their benefit.

This is the first year where I do not need to in-charge of any thing in a Leo project besides preparing a speech. Alright..I shall now let the pictures to do the talking. Before that, well done to the Incoming BOD in organising this installation succesfully..I would dance like mad if I didn't injured my knee..haha!

Dalton, looking good as always, and he is the emcee for this year's installation too!

As usual..many speeches during formal function..

This year I'm sure my speech is not as loud as last year. Special thanks to Blaze and the gang who cheered so loudly for me each time when I went up to the stage, especially the "Ruth Roar" part. I admit I'm touch..haha!

Speech by the Incoming Leo President, Leo Lee Kah Jun!

Speech by our Guest of Honour aka Lion President, Lion R. Ranggayah.

It went on as usual..presenting of awards, momentos, certificates etc etc

Presenting of momentos to the Leo Advisor, Lion Joshua Liew. =D

Yee Zing and I took many pictures during the Installation. She is really kind by asking how's my leg when I started to limp a little and kept reminding me to sit on the chair etc etc. Thanks Yee Zing!

One of my favourite pictures with her. Between she is representing the outgoing secretary of Interact Club of SMJK Nan Hwa.

I totally like this pic! =D

We went to the board's room and started to take more pictures

Derrick and I. He is the Incoming Assistant Secretary of Interact Club. I remember that was my post when I was form 3..nostalgia..haha!

me and Yue Wei. She is the emcee too!

Yes..That's Ruth..somehow I think I like the mirror in that room :D

Photo sessions

Pearl, Tiff, me, Jou, Nat and Ting

Me and Nat. I gonna look back at our kindergarten pictures..haha!

me and the ever angelic Tiffany

Hwa Zien and I. One of my real great friends. Came all the way to my house this morning to accompany me to school and even helped me to take my books. Good right? Injured once in a while also not that bad eh..haha!

Ju Shuen, me and Xue Li

Thanks Wei Song! That's very sweet of you =)

They were doing something like a comic series. This is one of pictures. It's really hilarious..haha

Me and ever gorgeous Ee Ling.

Thanks for being such an awesome friend =)

The dance floor is opened right after all the Leos and guests went to ballroom. Wait, it's more like a hall no? Anyway i suppose all of us enjoyed ourself. As long we are willing to stand and dance, I'm sure all of us had fun, right? I think only Zhong Quan took pictures at that time..ei..faster send me pictures lar! haha

Besides that, how can I ever missed this picture?!

Outgoing and Incoming president. All the best to the Incoming BOD!

Between, got cha!

tsk tsk..lolz!

More pictures will be uploaded in facebook.

Lastly, ROAR ROAR ROAR!!!

The rain is particularly needed this year. There are two monsoons that bring the bulk of the rain to the area. The Northeast Monsoon in October and November, and the Southwest Monsoon in the summer. The Northeast Monsoon failed to come last fall, and so far the Southwest Monsoon has failed to arrive as well.

Tamil Nadu has vast agricultural areas, much of which are rice fields farmed as small plots by village farming families. The rice fields can grow three crops each year, but they use lots of water. The English, when they came to India, said that these South Indian fields were the most productive in the world. They depend each year on the monsoons. Now we may have had two monsoon failures in a row.

We were invited to the ceremony by Dakshinamoothi, a man in the village whom we assist with his local organization, Quality of Life Trust. He told us to arrive at 1 PM, thinking that this celebration, like all such events, would start late. He then called us about 12:30 and said that we should be there. When we arrived a few minutes later, we found that it had already started.

It was being help at the village temple, a small building by the road that we have gone past many times. When we arrived, people were already gathered at the temple, the puja was over, and the next part of the rites had started.

The villagers were gathered under the awning put up for the day.

There were three cones, decorated with flowers, several priests, and an open space in the middle of the crowd.

Much work was done decorating these cones.

In the circle there were drummers, beating out a rhythm, and someone dancing in the circle, an elderly lady. It is not usual at village functions to see women dancing, it is usually just the men. The 'dancing' seemed particularly energetic and expressive, and not any formal dance at all.

After she left  the circle, a young man, seen above in an orange shirt, stepped into the circle. Before he started moving, he spent some time, in what seemed like working himself up into some state. I wondered if perhaps he was drunk.

Then he started to move wildly.

I think his eyes were closed, and there is an expression on his face, almost, I thought, of pain.

There was another man in the circle as well, in a white dhoti.

The man in the orange shirt dropped to the ground, and was writhing around. I could not get a good picture of him. The view was blocked by a drummer.

After this was over, he was exhausted, and had to be helped walk to where he could sit down.

I found out later that these people were, in this 'dancing', surrendering themselves to God, and probably asking for something from God.

After this, the crowd broke up, and the next part of the rites got underway. We went to the Satya's Cafe in the village to wait.

First came the drummers, who seem to lead all these village processions.

Then after the drummers, came the cones, each carried by a man. We had seen similar cones walking through the village where we lived, and we wondered what they were about.

They stopped across the street, and the occupants of the house came out with puja items to offer, and received blessings from the priest who walked with the group.

Then they walked to Satya's Cafe, where we were waiting. There were some boys walking with the group, too, naturally.

At Satya's, the owner, our host, Dhakshinamoorthy, had three malas ready and waiting to offer. He  gave them to three western women who sometimes help our his trust, Vishni, Shivani, and my wife Carol, who in turn placed them onto the cones, after puja items were offered.

First the puja offering.

Then the malas were placed.

then off to the next house.

One  man stopped for a photo.

Here are shots of the temple, the next day.

All the ritual items were still  there, waiting to be cleaned up, which was to happen soon. Boys played among the cones.

Temple gods watched the unfolding of the whole event, remaining silent and full of peace.

its so freaking frustrating larh.

nolah im joking larh. adui.

tapi, it was quite fun lar. although it wasnt as surprising as it should be, but wth larh. its the thought that counts. haha.

Ok, if u're wondering what im talking about, its Kai Ling's farewell gathering thinggy..

and since her birthday is on 28th September, we bought her a cake which says HAPPY TWO MORE MONTHS TO KL'S BDAY!!

when i bought the cake , the lady was like : ermmm,miss.. two months ah?

hahahaha..then she smiled..

ppl who attended : KahKeat, Jason, Noel, Edmund, Elaine, Brian, Ivan, Chia Chern, Me and Kai Ling of course.

the spotlight of the night  ::--NOT kai ling. its the ducks at Setia Eco Park.    =.=

So, after everyone arrived, we decided to go for a walk. coz its really niceeeee!!

Me , Jason , Ivan, Edmund and Elaine brought the huge farewell card + the cake + camera + tissue paper to the park.

Me and ivan were practically shouting and asking them to sing birthday song for kai ling. coz they were busy feeding the ducks. ishhh... kanak-kanak zaman sekarang..   :P

then, on the way back to Brian's house from the park, Noel and ChiaChern were lovey-dovey-ing on Brian's mom's bicycle.. how sweet...

Well i had to leave early coz i have to work on saturday morning..   :(

blergh..

Anyways...GOOD LUCK BABE!!  HEART YAH MY GOD! FROM UR GODDESS!! (wtf yo!) HAHA

impromptu coastside enjoyment

First we had a lovely lunch at Fog City Diner on Battery and The Embarcadero. I used to go here a lot when my friends were working around the corner. The food was still great after all these years. Luckily we made reservations ahead because it was pretty hopping. I had a crispy reddened snapper sandwich which was spicy and delish, and Ander had a 1/2 pound Niman Ranch burger. Charlene had the Chicken Schnitzel with broccolini and lemon caper butter. Everything was served promptly by a very responsive waitress and was terrific. The restaurant looks a bit garish on the outside, but the inside is all dark wood and there are booths or tables  and a busy liquor and oyster bar.

After our meal we moved on to the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. I chose this because she and I both enjoy gardening and flowers. It turned out Charlene had always wanted to go here and so it was perfect!

The Conservatory is one of the finest examples of Victorian architecture in San Francisco and the 12,000 square-foot greenhouse is the oldest existing glass and wood conservatory in the United States. i think it looks like the American version of the Taj Mahal!

The greenhouse is divided up into environments: lowland tropics, highland tropics, aquatic plants, potted plants, and a special exhibit area. The temperature changes as you move from one are to the next.

These tropical flowers brought a smile because they reminded me of my mother and grandmother who lived in Hawaii.

This little guy was fascinated by the fiddle heads. There were many kids there with their parents.

The special exhibit area featured info on pollinators of all kinds - bats, birds, wasps, bees, and butterflies. A few butterflies fluttered about to the delight of the many kids.

I love the aquatic area - check out the video:

Walking in this most wondrous place I really got a sense of peace and calm. Charlene's comment was, "How can you not believe that there is a higher source after being here."

Last on the tour was the De Young Museum. Here we stopped for coffee and shared a fruit tart and opened presents. We then went up the elevator to the 9th floor to see the view of Golden Gate Park and surrounding San Francisco area. It was a bit foggy, but that just added to the timeless, mysterious, landscape of The City.

Here is the birthday beauty!

It was nice to be a tourist and have a play date with our dear friend. I recommend getting out there and enjoying our local venues to remember why you live in this terrific area.

This event was established as a partnership between the Albion Branch
of the NAACP and Albion Public Schools several years ago and brings
hundreds of children and families to Victory Park each summer.

This year, “Albion’s Back to School Celebration” in Victory Park
on Saturday, August 23, is being coordinated by Albion NAACP, Albion
Public Schools, Albion Volunteer Service Organization, and Substance
Abuse Prevention Services, with additional support from the Youth
Advisory
Council of the Albion Community Foundation, Albion College, First
United Methodist Church, and Rotary Club of Albion.

The Celebration will begin at the large pavilion near the river, with
registration from noon to 12:15 P.M. and a short introductory program
from 12:15 P.M. to 12:30 P.M. Then everyone is free to have lunch in
the
small pavilion near the playground, enjoy music at the bandshell and
activities led by Albion High School athletes in many locations, visit
the information booths (and obtaining stamp marks on their information
cards), return to the large pavilion to exchange the information card
for
a backpack, and continue to enjoy the music and activities until 3
P.M.

The last few weeks has been crazy.

Sleeping in school to proof, sub and lay out Hype, The UrbanWire Revamp - UW 2.0 & The CELEBRATION! Edition, attending meetings, interviews and events, editing and writing UrbanWire stories, sourcing for stories, securing advertising space for UW 2.0, among other things.

Next week will be the most exciting week in the history of UrbanWire. After five heart-attack-inducing weeks, I will launch UW 2.0 - UrbanWire's first revamp in 6 years, together with CELEBRATION!.

The scariest part?

I won't even be in Singapore when that happens. MTV will be hosting me in Genting Highlands for the MTV Asia Awards, as part of my CELEBRATION! edition.

But that will come next week. Sleep (or whatever remains of it) comes now.

Over 46 floats and 16 marching bands along with several dignitaries, paraded from State Street, to 200 East and 900 South, to Liberty Park.  Utahan’s get so excited the night before Pioneer Day, they can hardly sleep, especially the young children.

The day began great with the marathon runners taking off at 5:30am.  The second event of the day was the 10K run at 6:00am.  Then the parade came to make everyone’s day.  The day ended with Fireworks at Liberty Park.  But the fun isn’t over yet.  This is not just a one day celebration.  Friday and Saturday there will still be celebrating at This Is The Place Heritage Park, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will entertain everyone with an awesome concert.

So don’t miss the rest of the celebration.  I hope to see you all there.

Accent Photographics is now booking weddings for the remainder of 2008 and also 2009. Wedding collections start at just under $1,000. All packages include engagement sessions and a DVD of select images from the wedding. Packages can also be customized to meet a couple's needs. Select packages include a customized photo book - (see sample pages above). For more information, please contact Shuva at (563) 528-2035 in the Quad-Cities or Dubuque or (319) 512-9344 in Iowa City, Coralville and Cedar Rapids. You can also email at shuva@accentphotographics.com.

To vote for Danny, type ASQ 4 and send to 33888 (view HERE to find out more). He was and is a wonderful singer and if I am not mistaken, his favourite artist is no other than Jay Chou. Kar Lin, don't stop to unleash your potential at singing. I am sure you will be someone, someday.

(he is the one wearing white shirt : the furthest left from your view)

Alright, you all see this coming, don't you? HAHA! When the time comes, my wish is to get a free original music album with your signature on it. Yeepi! So, gambateh for it ya. By the way, I have viewed your Music Video on Astro and it is simply fantastic. Hope that this post can help you to win more votes. And, for sure, I will be voting for you.

p/s : For more pictures, click here.

Happy birthday, Melissa Janelle H. Dy, aka Miji. :P

One of the few people I know who are responsible and commited, yet still manages to balance academics, socials and everything in between.

Wednesday, July 30 is also National Cheesecake Day.  So, come enjoy cheesecake for $1.50 per slice at the Cheesecake Factory on National Cheesecake Day!

A Night At the Ear Inn

Did I mention that my best friend and jazz critic, among other hats like Frank O'Connor scholar, W.B. Yeats aficionado, and friend of the Maxwell's, Michael Steinman, started up a blog a few months ago? He's on the move now, road-trekkin, with his lovely lady, Lorna Sass, for a spell this summer, but not to worry, the blog is still hot off the press! Enjoy responsibly, please.

Friday, August 1, 2008: First Fridays 5-9 p.m., Downtown Perrysburg, Ohio

July 18-27, 2008: Bowling Green State University Art Department Galleries
Melanie has 3 pieces in the first annual Northwest Ohio Summer Arts Exhibition: a wall hanging, Lady Guinevere's cloak, and a fairy home

Ongoing through August 27, 2008: At Kneading Time Holistic Therapy
Wednesday walkins (no appointment needed) 12-2 p.m. only.
Stress relief and relaxation restoratives by donation $1/minute
(choose from a selection of modalities including Reiki and CCT)
-Kiss of the Fairy good vibration wearables, limited edition Bliss cards & digital art available at this time as well.

June 23-31, 2008: At the Wood County District Public Library with ceramic sculptor Nancy Beeman for The Enchanting of the Green display, a mini fairy festival

Today is David's celebratory CNA dinner. He just called me saying he got a B in the class (!!!) and he sounded really happy. I'm happy for him. We really can't afford much, but we're going to a buffet for dinner and spending the rest of today together.

More later.

There will be thousands of riders taking to the roads in the Northwest during this time frame to converge in Milwaukee during the last week of August.

According to the Harley Ride Planner 2.0 site there are three official start points in the Northwest.  Actually there are more, but the "official" ones are Vancouver, BC (2328 miles), Seattle, WA (2132 miles) and Bend, Oregon (2074 miles).  The Bend route, like all of the other routes include stops at local Harley dealers who are planning street parties and events to bring in the riders and more importantly their $$$!   It's not well known, but over the past three years, clothing and apparel sales are up 12 percent at Harley, largely due to a stronger female customer base. As a corporation with 684 independent dealers, Harley last year sold $305 million in general merchandise - or 5.3 percent of the company's $5.7 billion revenue - which includes apparel, according to their annual report.  That's a lot of t-shirts!

The Bend route will make six overnight stops and ride less than 300 miles per day providing dealer's an opportunity to extract a few extra dollars from riders wallets in including mine.  Our small group has not decided which route (northern or southern) we'll take.  It really depends on weather. 

Drafting behind others from dealer-to-dealer on the interstate isn't my idea of a motorcycle road trip so, we'll take our own path and intersect with others as we get near Milwaukee.

Happy Birthday Hot Lard!

At night, after I lock Katie in the cellar, I and Xenu like to drink the blood of a virgin, sacrifice a psychologist and read all the words of wisdom you offer on good ole Hot Lard. Next to my cult…. Errrrrr I mean religion Hot Lard is the most influential part of my life. If you catered to the rich a little more like Scientology did, you could be the most influential.

Enjoy the Xenu cakes we sent you

Tom

See our other B-day wishes here