exegi monumentum aere perennius

Odes III.30
by Horace (65-8 B.C.)

I have completed a monument
more lasting than bronze and far higher
than that royal pile of Pyramids,
which the gnawing rain and furious
north wind cannot destroy, nor the chain
of countless years and the flight of time.
My end won't be complete, and a great
part of me will evade the death-god:
I'll prosper on, fresh with future praise.
As long as the priest with the silent
virgin climbs the Capitoline hill,
high and low - where raging Aufidus
thunders, where Daunus rules over a
farming people poor of water - I
will be proclaimed to have been the first
to adapt Aeolic songs into
Italian measures. Melpomene,
accept the proud honor you have earned
and crown my head with Delphic laurel.

Forgotten Childhood

Courtesy of MINT.

Futility of Futilities

The mocking voice in one's life ever taunts and tears away at the walls within.

Youth, achievements, wealth, love even - such vanity of vanities.

An exercise in futility, everything seems, when you get a glimpse of what could have been.

Why bother? Why press on?

Now, a curse repressed breeds emotional constipation.

Humbug.

Flee as can be

Ever had one of 'em days when you enter the office and almost immediately get called for an urgent meeting and then you're caught unprepared at another meeting and the day just passes as you pore over something that seemed much simpler before you started and by the time the sun's set way earlier and so you leave the office with an annoying headache and the world just feels like it's too much to bear and you just wish you could disappear somewhere and shirk everything aside?

*gasp*

Bedazzled

Went shopping for da rock with J, advised by experienced M who's already planning for the wedding shebangs. Carat, cut, clarity, colour... and cost - overwhelming at first, but it's not difficult to understand.

Mind you though, da rock's just 1 of many considerations in settling down. You haven't even broached the ultimate plan for scoring that "Yes" and the whole suite of wedding obligations.

It certainly is a coming of age; M's other half commented, now I feel like I'm no longer a kid and I've to act like an adult now. And once things are set in motion, there's no stopping it.

So there, my buddies are a few steps ahead already. If I continue plodding along, I'll find myself watching movies on my own a year from now.

Quick, someone find me a date!

Fly Away

Jars of Clay

Some bright morning when this life is over, I'll fly away
To a home on God's celestial shore, I'll fly away

When the shadows of this life have grown, I'll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls, I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away

Oh how glad and happy when we meet, I'll fly away
No more cold iron shackles on my feet, I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away

Just a few more weary days and then, I'll fly away
To a land where joy will never end, I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallellujah by and by, I'll fly away

Wahaha!

BBC4: Double Science

Comedy by Ben Willbond and Justin Edwards about Colin and Kenneth, two science teachers at a sixth form college that specialises in drama.

When the Head of Science dies of a heart attack, his replacement is determined to revitalise the department. Colin and Kenneth must deal with their new boss and the constant harassment by Danny Woods, the pretentious drama teacher who cannot resist goading them.

Crisis Management

Ever wondered what to do if something really bad happens? Discovered SCDF's emergency handbook online while doing some research.

Journeyz to the West

From Wired.com: Gorillaz Frontman Goes Ape Over Opera

Loving Others?

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

1 John 3:16

If God loves me, who am I not to love others?

If even God can be grieved if we ignore Him, how would a man ignored feel?

What would Jesus do in such a situation?

Does love have to take the form of fellowship and help?

Would it be selfish for one to rationalize his way out of this?

What does being others-minded entail?

Tick Tocking Away

Day after day, time flies. The papers ramble on about global climates gone wonky. Watch thee now the hands that tell the hour. Lest one gets caught with his pants down.

Silence

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say this-- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Psalm 107:1-9

In the midst of dryness, I find cool assurance. Looking back into the murky past, I wonder how far these tired feet have trod. And how far more must I press on. Silent is the sound of one crying in the wilderness.

Support Homeground?

Homegrown phone brand SEVO.

The SEVO P809 provides dual SIM card slots and a 3-inch touchscreen display. It comes also with a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth with A2DP support, microSD expansion card slot and functions as a USB drive. Both handsets, however, work only on the GSM 900/1800 network, which is really quite unheard of these days.

SEVO is a "new-generation company of mobile phones, offering the latest models with fruitful features, better quality and cheaper products"

Hmmm...

Telepresence

From Continuity Central: According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, three of the key business trends for the next 15 years will be globalisation, atomisation (businesses fragmenting into smaller and more distributed operational units) and knowledge management... Recent research from occupational psychologists Pearn Kandola has shown that while dispersed teams may take... an average of 17 weeks to overcome the lack of trust created between multi-cultural teams due to ‘virtual silences’ – a failure to respond immediately to e-mail and voice messages – and a lack of face-to-face conversation... The take up of technologies such as telepresence, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telepresence] instant messaging and video over IP will help to address many of these communication problems.

Here's the irony: Being visibly online but not wanting to be contacted.

Grand Old Dame

aka National Stadium. Was there today for a visit. Though my memories of it are few, I recognise that it be both a place of nostalgia and national identity.

Back from MY

It's good to be home. And thank God for His protection & provision. More pics to come later.

Ever So Clearly?

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

2 Chronicles 16:9

Ever so often, things simply fall in place and you realize... He's been up to something.

Wonder and gratitude ensue.

And a deep desire to be and do more.

Captivated, I am.

When the music fades

tin·tin·nab·u·la·tion (tnt-nby-lshn)
n. The ringing or sounding of bells.

As the music fades, as confetti linger in the air, and as tired feet journey home, the calling is clear in spirits, stirred-up strong. The great commission, the cultural mandate, the call to brokenness.

Cool Melts

1 Jun 2359hrs Got back home, sleepy & tired. Filled up kettle to boil water. Went to bed.

2 Jun 0730hrs Awoke. Ritual morning hydration. Greeted by cool melts.

300

Enoch walked with God 300 years... then he was no more, because God took him away.

Genesis 5:22 & 24

Gotta walk the walk, never know when you might just end up in heaven.