What begins with V?
Vicious velociraptors, vexing violence, verily.
Remember, remember, the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason that gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot.
V for Vendetta, a lingua franca feast in the sagacious similitude of The Count of Monté Cristo, showcases the swashbuckling story of a mere mortal, regally representing an iterative idea, whose physical features are meticulously masked in the guiltless guise of the dutifully documented Guy Fawkes. The imperilled pawn of repulsive research but viewed as the valiant villain cum stoic saint, his concise courage to vocally vouchsafe inevitably incites the suppressed society of England future to maskedly march upon Parliament proper, as the crownless country is now dubiously directed by a despicable dictator.
With Shakespearian quotes and its own quick-witted quips, stolidly supported by applaudable acting, the dramatic demeanour definitely deserves artistic acclaim. In other words, I daresay I enigmatically enjoyed it. And when Natalie Portman does a British accent, you know something's going right.
To quote:
V: Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is its vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, (not in vain), for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V.
Evey Hammond: Are you like a crazy person?
V: I'm quite sure they will say so.
Evey Hammond: Who are you?
V: Who? Who is but the form following the function of what, and what I am is a man in a mask.
Evey Hammond: Well, I can see that.
V: Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation, I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.
Creedy: Defiant to the end, huh? You won't cry like him, will you? You're not afraid of death. You're like me.
V: The only thing that you and I have in common, Mr. Creedy, is that we're both about to die.
Creedy: How do you imagine that's gonna happen?
V: With my hands around your neck.
Creedy: Bollocks. What'cha gonna do, huh? We've swept this place. You've got nothing; nothing but your bloody knives and your fancy karate gimmicks. We have guns.
V: No, what you have are bullets, and the hope that when your guns are empty I'm no longer standing, because if I am, you'll all be dead before you've reloaded.
Creedy: That's impossible! Kill him.
[The Fingermen open fire on V, but he still stands after their clips are empty.]
V: My turn.
Finch: Who was he?
Evey Hammond: He was Edmond Dantés... and he was my father. And my mother... my brother... my friend. He was you... and me. He was all of us.
And no, this movie does not incite terrorism - far from it. Guy Fawkes wasn't a terrorist - a traitor to his nation, perhaps, but a man who wasn't afraid to put into action what many were thinking at the time. That's not to say that I condone violent action towards one's government, simply because their policies do not serve the greater good of the present populace. The Bible clearly states that we must adhere to political laws just as much as to natural laws. Our rulers have God's blessing - all they do may not be right and may not be morally justifiable, but we still live within the constraints of law; for without it there would only be chaos.
I pray that one day we will have enough Christian influence in the ruling of our country that people's afflictions, addictions and apathetic attitudes will be eternally erased. It can only take place when the tides of revival crash upon our coastlands and swamp our society with hope, values and moral direction, not to mention the amazing love of Christ and the immutable mercy of God the Father.
-Timotheos
T for Transformed
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Saturday, April 29, 2006
A Survey - Who Am I?
I filled out the following survey last night. I also sent it out to a few people in my address book. Funny how I can post something like this a day after it's done and some things no longer apply. Still, I couldn't post two entries yesterday and I really don't want to go through the effort of writing much more than this tonight ^L^
Friday, 28 April 2006 - Tim JM Gough aka Gecko Mayhem
1. What time did you get up this morning? In plenty of time for work.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds are forever.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Um, what's the cinema? Torrents FTW!
4. Favorite TV show? Stargate SG-1 - but I watch it thru my xbox; I don't watch tv.
(What happened to 5?)
6. What is your middle name? My middle names are Joel Monrad
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Anything spicy.
8. What foods do you dislike? Cabbage - unless it's stir fryed.
9. Your favorite Potato chip? BBQ, Sour Cream and Chives or Salt and Vinegar - hard to choose...
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? CD? Meh, Winamp FTW!
11. What kind of car do you drive? LOL. Have you _seen_ petrol prices in NZ recently?
10. Favorite Sandwich? Something with meat. And mustard. Oooh, and pickles are good, too.
13. What characteristics do you despise? Stupidity / ignorance (mormons) - and other negative stuff.
14. Favorite item of clothing? I wear my sherpa jacket a lot...
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Prolly somewhere where there are some nice Latina or French chicks. Nouveaux Caledonie; Espanol - that sort of thing.
16. What color is your bathroom? White.
17. Favorite brand of clothing? Um, stuff that fits?
18. Where would you want to retire to? Heaven.
19. Favorite time of day? Mid-evening.
20. Where were you born? Lower Hutt, NZ
21. Favorite sport to watch? Gate travel. Sure, technically it's not a sport, but...
22. Who do you least expect to send this back? Could be most people I decide to send it to.
23. Person you expect to send it back first? Zach. I'm sure he bothers doing these just as much as me.
24. What laundry detergent do you use? Cold Power!
25. Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi Max or Vanilla Coke. S'all good.
26. Are you a morning person or night owl? Night all the way, baby.
27. What size shoe do you wear? 10-11.
28. Do you have pets? Heaven forbid...
29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? Erm. Read my blog! http://geckomayhem.blogspot.com/ Oh, and I started playing WoW again - albeit very very seldom.
30. What did you want to be when you were little? Don't think I had such ambitions. Probably a writer, like I do now.
31. Favorite Candy Bar? Anything chocolate. Mmm, chocolate /drool
32. What is your best childhood memory? /strain / struggle Being smarter than everyone XD
33. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? Stockboy, Burger flipper (x2), ALT (Assistant Language Teacher), Church assistant administrator (intern), Salesperson.
34. What color underwear are you wearing? Red - cotton boxers, fyi.
35. Nicknames: Timotheos, Timmy, Gecko
36. Piercing? Nah, tattoos FTW.
37. Eye color? Green. I insist.
38. Ever been to Africa? No. India, North America and Asia, yes.
39. Ever been toilet papering? Meh, roof rattling was teh pwnage back in the day.
41. Been in a car accident? Yes. I'm like Bruce Willis tho: unbreakable.
42. Croutons or bacon bits? With cheese? Sweet!
43. Favorite day of the week? Saturday - I can sleep in more than on Sunday, especially when I'm playing drums (like this week).
44. Favorite restaurant? I don't eat out. Free burgers at the new Burger Fuel store this Sunday! WTG Matt :)
46. Favorite ice cream? French Vanilla FTW.
47. Disney or Warner Brothers? What, AoL? Screw that! Dreamworks are teh roXorz ^^
48. Favorite fast food restaurant? BK, currently. I tend not to eat it, tho.
49. What color is your bedroom carpet? Blotchy brownish.
50. How many times did you fail your driver's test? I failed my motorcycle restricted for not giving way. The truck was taking forever to turn the corner, I swear. WTF else are two-strokes for if not to accelerate ahead of other drivers...?
51. Before this one, from whom did you get your last email? Zach.
52. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Been there, done that. Never again!
53. What do you do most often when you are bored? Bored? I don't have time to get bored!
54. Bedtime? I try for 23.00. Depends if I pile up too much in the evenings or not. Usually I'm pretty good at sticking to this :)
55. Who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire? Dun' matter to me. Someone that doesn't usually email me and responds would be interesting.
58. What are you listening to right now? Beautiful Child by DJ Babyboi.
59. What is your favorite color? Green / Black. Them's gecko colours foh shizzle.
60. Lake, Ocean or river? Chocobos? I'd rather have an ocean crossing one, thx. Oh wait, I dig lakes actually.
61. How many tattoos do you have? Haven't got my first yet.
62. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Ze Chicken(TM). I believe it was made by God.
63. How many people are you sending this Email to? As many as I feel like (OMG Scythe, you sent this to all of NZ? WTG!).
64. Who sent this to you and what is something you didn't know about them? Scythe. That he'd been a chef.
65. Time you finished this email? It's not finished. But right now it's 21.09 - gimme two more mins. But when did I start it...?
66. Somewhere interesting you went last year? Nagaland, in NE India - that mansion was me-hean. Oh, and having my birthday in Singapore was interesting (nice cake). Ya, and Sri Lanka was pretty cool. TTTT, the whole 28 flights in one month thing was pretty darn interesting.
67. Any big goals you have this year? To pave my feet once more with the path towards freedom - I mean, begin the journey towards gaining a serious qualification. I guess getting a girlfriend after 26 years would be a good step in the whole wife direction, too. That's pretty big, I'd assume.
Sure beats a boring old biography, doesn't it? I could've updated it, but... I didn't :P And since I did go to all the effort of filling it out, I couldn't just let all this nice writing go to waste now, could I? Hey, two rhetorical questions in one paragraph. Nice ^^
-Timotheos
Now you know
Friday, 28 April 2006 - Tim JM Gough aka Gecko Mayhem
1. What time did you get up this morning? In plenty of time for work.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds are forever.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Um, what's the cinema? Torrents FTW!
4. Favorite TV show? Stargate SG-1 - but I watch it thru my xbox; I don't watch tv.
(What happened to 5?)
6. What is your middle name? My middle names are Joel Monrad
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Anything spicy.
8. What foods do you dislike? Cabbage - unless it's stir fryed.
9. Your favorite Potato chip? BBQ, Sour Cream and Chives or Salt and Vinegar - hard to choose...
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? CD? Meh, Winamp FTW!
11. What kind of car do you drive? LOL. Have you _seen_ petrol prices in NZ recently?
10. Favorite Sandwich? Something with meat. And mustard. Oooh, and pickles are good, too.
13. What characteristics do you despise? Stupidity / ignorance (mormons) - and other negative stuff.
14. Favorite item of clothing? I wear my sherpa jacket a lot...
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Prolly somewhere where there are some nice Latina or French chicks. Nouveaux Caledonie; Espanol - that sort of thing.
16. What color is your bathroom? White.
17. Favorite brand of clothing? Um, stuff that fits?
18. Where would you want to retire to? Heaven.
19. Favorite time of day? Mid-evening.
20. Where were you born? Lower Hutt, NZ
21. Favorite sport to watch? Gate travel. Sure, technically it's not a sport, but...
22. Who do you least expect to send this back? Could be most people I decide to send it to.
23. Person you expect to send it back first? Zach. I'm sure he bothers doing these just as much as me.
24. What laundry detergent do you use? Cold Power!
25. Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi Max or Vanilla Coke. S'all good.
26. Are you a morning person or night owl? Night all the way, baby.
27. What size shoe do you wear? 10-11.
28. Do you have pets? Heaven forbid...
29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? Erm. Read my blog! http://geckomayhem.blogspot.com/ Oh, and I started playing WoW again - albeit very very seldom.
30. What did you want to be when you were little? Don't think I had such ambitions. Probably a writer, like I do now.
31. Favorite Candy Bar? Anything chocolate. Mmm, chocolate /drool
32. What is your best childhood memory? /strain / struggle Being smarter than everyone XD
33. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? Stockboy, Burger flipper (x2), ALT (Assistant Language Teacher), Church assistant administrator (intern), Salesperson.
34. What color underwear are you wearing? Red - cotton boxers, fyi.
35. Nicknames: Timotheos, Timmy, Gecko
36. Piercing? Nah, tattoos FTW.
37. Eye color? Green. I insist.
38. Ever been to Africa? No. India, North America and Asia, yes.
39. Ever been toilet papering? Meh, roof rattling was teh pwnage back in the day.
41. Been in a car accident? Yes. I'm like Bruce Willis tho: unbreakable.
42. Croutons or bacon bits? With cheese? Sweet!
43. Favorite day of the week? Saturday - I can sleep in more than on Sunday, especially when I'm playing drums (like this week).
44. Favorite restaurant? I don't eat out. Free burgers at the new Burger Fuel store this Sunday! WTG Matt :)
46. Favorite ice cream? French Vanilla FTW.
47. Disney or Warner Brothers? What, AoL? Screw that! Dreamworks are teh roXorz ^^
48. Favorite fast food restaurant? BK, currently. I tend not to eat it, tho.
49. What color is your bedroom carpet? Blotchy brownish.
50. How many times did you fail your driver's test? I failed my motorcycle restricted for not giving way. The truck was taking forever to turn the corner, I swear. WTF else are two-strokes for if not to accelerate ahead of other drivers...?
51. Before this one, from whom did you get your last email? Zach.
52. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Been there, done that. Never again!
53. What do you do most often when you are bored? Bored? I don't have time to get bored!
54. Bedtime? I try for 23.00. Depends if I pile up too much in the evenings or not. Usually I'm pretty good at sticking to this :)
55. Who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire? Dun' matter to me. Someone that doesn't usually email me and responds would be interesting.
58. What are you listening to right now? Beautiful Child by DJ Babyboi.
59. What is your favorite color? Green / Black. Them's gecko colours foh shizzle.
60. Lake, Ocean or river? Chocobos? I'd rather have an ocean crossing one, thx. Oh wait, I dig lakes actually.
61. How many tattoos do you have? Haven't got my first yet.
62. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Ze Chicken(TM). I believe it was made by God.
63. How many people are you sending this Email to? As many as I feel like (OMG Scythe, you sent this to all of NZ? WTG!).
64. Who sent this to you and what is something you didn't know about them? Scythe. That he'd been a chef.
65. Time you finished this email? It's not finished. But right now it's 21.09 - gimme two more mins. But when did I start it...?
66. Somewhere interesting you went last year? Nagaland, in NE India - that mansion was me-hean. Oh, and having my birthday in Singapore was interesting (nice cake). Ya, and Sri Lanka was pretty cool. TTTT, the whole 28 flights in one month thing was pretty darn interesting.
67. Any big goals you have this year? To pave my feet once more with the path towards freedom - I mean, begin the journey towards gaining a serious qualification. I guess getting a girlfriend after 26 years would be a good step in the whole wife direction, too. That's pretty big, I'd assume.
Sure beats a boring old biography, doesn't it? I could've updated it, but... I didn't :P And since I did go to all the effort of filling it out, I couldn't just let all this nice writing go to waste now, could I? Hey, two rhetorical questions in one paragraph. Nice ^^
-Timotheos
Now you know
Friday, April 28, 2006
Your Days Are Numbered
Numbers have always interested me. Even before I went to Bible College and discovered the Principal's near-obsession with Scriptural numerics, I always found certain aspects of counting and mathematics to be interesting. Of course, numbers in the Bible are very important and show us a lot of things - all because the Hebrews put a lot of weight in numbers, where every numerical value gave objects and situations more meaning than just those things alone.
A few years back I was contemplating the hexadecimal colour system. Part of this was because I was into hard-coding web pages in a big way and had started making style sheets and random javascript stuff. It occurred to me that there must be millions of colour combinations, and so I set out to see if I could figure out just how many different combinations were possible. It took me a little while of throwing 'round some basic maths but eventually I discovered the somewhat basic formula for discerning a total number of combinations.
The formula is as follows: c = p^n, where c = combinations, p = switch positions and n = number of switches. I called them switches because I was thinking of actual switches on a switchboard and how many combinations of these there would be if given any number of switches, each with multiple positions (high / med / low / on / off, etc.). Using my newly concocted formula (Pythagoras, eat your heart out!), I then calculated the number of possible colours that a webpage can display, using its hexadecimal number system.
There are 6 switches, each with 16 positions: From Black (#000000) to White (#FFFFFF) - 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F.
c = p^n
c = 16^6 = 16,777,216
A total of 16.78 million possible combinations. Webpages need never be boring! Actually, these days I stick to a mere 16^3, using the shortened hex-system. There's no need to use the more refined increments, as we can't actually tell the difference between subtle changes (eg. #1A3C7E vs #1B3D7F).
But enough about that. Just today, I was thinking about opposites and their alphabetically equivalent numerical significance; opposites of equal character-length. Incidentally, I'm pretty good with my alphabetical character vs its associated number. It comes with practising saying the alphabet backwards. Here are a few examples:
SUCCESS 19.21.03.03.05.19.19 vs FAILURE 06.01.09.12.21.19.05
SUCCESS
19+21+03+03+05+19+19 = 89
08+09 = 17
01+07 = 08
FAILURE
06+01+09+12+21+18+05 = 72
07+03 = 09
08 vs 09
Result: The difference between SUCCESS and FAILURE is minimal indeed.
SMILE :) 19.13.09.12.05 vs FROWN :( 06.18.15.23.14
SMILE
19+13+09+12+05 = 58
05+08 = 13
01+03 = 04
FROWN
06+18+15+23+14 = 76
07+06 = 13
01+03 = 04
04 vs 04
Result: What real difference between a SMILE and a FROWN, save that one is the other turned upside down?
One more:
LOVE 12.15.22.05 vs HATE 08.01.20.05
LOVE
12+15+22+5 = 54
05+04 = 09
HATE
08+01+20+05 = 34
03+04 = 07
09 vs 07
Result: HATE may seem the perfect emotion at times but real LOVE comes only from the Spirit of God.
I'm weird (82 = 01) :s
-Timotheos
26 = 08
A few years back I was contemplating the hexadecimal colour system. Part of this was because I was into hard-coding web pages in a big way and had started making style sheets and random javascript stuff. It occurred to me that there must be millions of colour combinations, and so I set out to see if I could figure out just how many different combinations were possible. It took me a little while of throwing 'round some basic maths but eventually I discovered the somewhat basic formula for discerning a total number of combinations.
The formula is as follows: c = p^n, where c = combinations, p = switch positions and n = number of switches. I called them switches because I was thinking of actual switches on a switchboard and how many combinations of these there would be if given any number of switches, each with multiple positions (high / med / low / on / off, etc.). Using my newly concocted formula (Pythagoras, eat your heart out!), I then calculated the number of possible colours that a webpage can display, using its hexadecimal number system.
There are 6 switches, each with 16 positions: From Black (#000000) to White (#FFFFFF) - 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F.
c = p^n
c = 16^6 = 16,777,216
A total of 16.78 million possible combinations. Webpages need never be boring! Actually, these days I stick to a mere 16^3, using the shortened hex-system. There's no need to use the more refined increments, as we can't actually tell the difference between subtle changes (eg. #1A3C7E vs #1B3D7F).
But enough about that. Just today, I was thinking about opposites and their alphabetically equivalent numerical significance; opposites of equal character-length. Incidentally, I'm pretty good with my alphabetical character vs its associated number. It comes with practising saying the alphabet backwards. Here are a few examples:
SUCCESS 19.21.03.03.05.19.19 vs FAILURE 06.01.09.12.21.19.05
SUCCESS
19+21+03+03+05+19+19 = 89
08+09 = 17
01+07 = 08
FAILURE
06+01+09+12+21+18+05 = 72
07+03 = 09
08 vs 09
Result: The difference between SUCCESS and FAILURE is minimal indeed.
SMILE :) 19.13.09.12.05 vs FROWN :( 06.18.15.23.14
SMILE
19+13+09+12+05 = 58
05+08 = 13
01+03 = 04
FROWN
06+18+15+23+14 = 76
07+06 = 13
01+03 = 04
04 vs 04
Result: What real difference between a SMILE and a FROWN, save that one is the other turned upside down?
One more:
LOVE 12.15.22.05 vs HATE 08.01.20.05
LOVE
12+15+22+5 = 54
05+04 = 09
HATE
08+01+20+05 = 34
03+04 = 07
09 vs 07
Result: HATE may seem the perfect emotion at times but real LOVE comes only from the Spirit of God.
I'm weird (82 = 01) :s
-Timotheos
26 = 08
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Worn Out
Eh, it's that time again. Time to write... something. It doesn't necessarily have to be interesting - but it would help if it is legible and free of insanity ^L^
What I'm listening to: Trance
Why I'm listening to it: Because it frees the mind... sorta.
What I could be listening to: P.O.D
Why I'm not listening to them: Because I feel like listening to Trance.
That's just the thing: it's difficult to force yourself to do things. Much better to want to do them; to be in the mood. However, if all we did was dictated by our current state of emotion, history would be a whole lot different. There are some pretty strong people in history who have played some amazing parts - simply because they refused to let their feelings influence the actions that they took. It's always better to let a glimpse of the outcome (or consequences) encourage you to do something (or not do something) than it is to become complacent and allow your shifting moods to affect the situation. I wouldn't have clean clothes every day if that was the case - then again, neither would my brother... XS
Work is really wearing me down. So much, in fact, that it is hard to sit down at night and even think about what I might write in my Blog. Like every writer, yes, I struggle with inspiration, but right now, working in the place I do, it just wears me down to the point of struggling to think properly. Daily headaches really can't be good. When will it all end...?
Ah, good ol' Daft Punk. Enough to thwart a steadily depressing discourse ^^
The future is what, bright? Right now, the only future I can think of is one where I don't work fulltime in retail. If given the choice, don't go down that track. It's just not worth the physical, mental and emotional effort. Of course, I see it as part of the journey to greatness, but I patiently await this great destiny's unfolding. Sitting idly by is one thing - being too caned to make much progress of any kind is a mere hindrance.
Change, where are you?
Timotheos
Metamorphosing
What I'm listening to: Trance
Why I'm listening to it: Because it frees the mind... sorta.
What I could be listening to: P.O.D
Why I'm not listening to them: Because I feel like listening to Trance.
That's just the thing: it's difficult to force yourself to do things. Much better to want to do them; to be in the mood. However, if all we did was dictated by our current state of emotion, history would be a whole lot different. There are some pretty strong people in history who have played some amazing parts - simply because they refused to let their feelings influence the actions that they took. It's always better to let a glimpse of the outcome (or consequences) encourage you to do something (or not do something) than it is to become complacent and allow your shifting moods to affect the situation. I wouldn't have clean clothes every day if that was the case - then again, neither would my brother... XS
Work is really wearing me down. So much, in fact, that it is hard to sit down at night and even think about what I might write in my Blog. Like every writer, yes, I struggle with inspiration, but right now, working in the place I do, it just wears me down to the point of struggling to think properly. Daily headaches really can't be good. When will it all end...?
Ah, good ol' Daft Punk. Enough to thwart a steadily depressing discourse ^^
The future is what, bright? Right now, the only future I can think of is one where I don't work fulltime in retail. If given the choice, don't go down that track. It's just not worth the physical, mental and emotional effort. Of course, I see it as part of the journey to greatness, but I patiently await this great destiny's unfolding. Sitting idly by is one thing - being too caned to make much progress of any kind is a mere hindrance.
Change, where are you?
Timotheos
Metamorphosing
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Packet Socket Port
When did I say that I have to write my entries late at night? Well, I didn't and I don't. I was thinking today about this Dr. Seuss-esque poem I read a few years back. Apparently, the one I came across was only half of the original, stolen from the poet author, and spread across the web as an "anonymous" work under a different title. Pseudo-plagiarism FTL. Here is the original, found at this location:
A Grandchild's Guide to Using Grandpa's Computer
-Timotheos
Write-a-lot
Also, check this out. If you can ignore the faltering rhythm then it's pretty good. Gene Ziegler, the original author, wrote it in response to his stolen and edited original work. Be sure to read the text at the bottom ^L^
A Grandchild's Guide to Using Grandpa's Computer
Bits Bytes Chips Clocks
Bits in bytes on chips in box.
Bytes with bits and chips with clocks.
Chips in box on ether-docks.
Bits in bytes on chips in box.
Bytes with bits and chips with clocks.
Chips in box on ether-docks.
Chips with bits come. Chips with bytes come.
Chips with bits and bytes and clocks come.
Look, sir. Look, sir. read the book, sir.
Let's do tricks with bits and bytes, sir.
Let's do tricks with chips and clocks, sir.
First, I'll make a quick trick bit stack.
Then I'll make a quick trick byte stack.
You can make a quick trick chip stack.
You can make a quick trick clock stack.
And here's a new trick on the scene.
Bits in bytes for your machine.
Bytes in words to fill your screen.
Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir.
Try to say this by the clock, sir.
Clocks on chips tick.
Clocks on chips tock.
Eight byte bits tick.
Eight bit bytes tock.
Clocks on chips with eight bit bytes tick.
Chips with clocks and eight byte bits tock.
Here's an easy game to play.
Here's an easy thing to say....
If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory
makes your floppy disk abort
then the socket packet pocket
has an error to report!
If your cursor finds a menu item
followed by a dash,
and the double-clicking icon
puts your window in the trash,
and your data is corrupted cause
the index doesn't hash,
then your situation's hopeless,
and your system's gunna crash.
You can't say this? What a shame, sir!
We'll find you another game, sir.
If the label on the cable
on the table at your house
says the network is connected
to the button on your mouse,
but your packets want to tunnel
on another protocol,
that's repeatedly rejected
by the printer down the hall,
and your screen is all distorted
by the side-effects of gauss,
so your icons in the window
are as wavy as a souse,
then you may as well reboot
and go out with a bang,
cause as sure as I'm a poet,
the sucker's gunna hang!
When the copy of your floppy's
getting sloppy on the disk,
and the microcode instructions
cause unnecessary risc, 
then you have to flash your memory
and you'll want to RAM your ROM.
quickly turn off your computer
and be sure to tell your mom!
-Timotheos
Write-a-lot
Also, check this out. If you can ignore the faltering rhythm then it's pretty good. Gene Ziegler, the original author, wrote it in response to his stolen and edited original work. Be sure to read the text at the bottom ^L^
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Where Is God?
To deny the existence of God is to deny the existence of self. It always amuses me when non-believers claim that Christians are narrow-minded. How more ignorant and narrow-minded can you get than putting your faith in the denial of truth? Believing facades, pretending that your life is ok, living with contempt and bitterness and deceit. It's a self-preservation reflex mechanism and an unwillingness to change sinful behaviour, not to mention godless indoctrinations that discourage people from even questioning that what they have been told is based purely on fearful denial.
Christians know that we are of spirit, soul and body - the world often doesn't even accept the soul. We believe in freedom, righeteousness, integrity, boldness, hope, joyfulness, love... the world is enslaved to immorality and selfishness, and is dependent on balancing everything on the point of false pretenses. Everything is not ok if you don't accept salvation, no matter how much you pretend otherwise. And no matter how much people spout their unbelief in the supernatural, dependence on the physical and the non-existence and -relevance of spiritual truths, it doesn't change fact and it doesn't change Truth.
Someone might ask me to prove the existence of God. Well that's just stupid. He doesn't have to prove our existence, does he? You don't "prove" that something is there when you can't say where there is. It goes beyong the feeble limits of human understanding to comprehend an uncaused cause as immense as God. You can't put him into a box and you can't just state that he isn't there simply because you are afraid of the implications and in your very, very limited knowledge and experience in this broad universe, you just haven't come across any "proof" - when it stares us right in the face every minute of our lives!
The entrance of sin into this world - through disobedience - also brought with it such arrogance that was gifted to humans that unless spiritual revelation is attained, God himself, most worthy of everything we can give back to him, is completely and utterly denied. What a cop-out. This life is so short! It's illogical to live your entire life without questioning what you are told, what you experience. Now that's ignorance. Belief is based on an individual conclusion of inputs. To believe such a profound lie as human evolution and atheism doesn't necessarily make you gullible - unless you are also presented with the truth. Ahh, the power of choice.
So why do so many people reject God? The simple answer is, they are weak. Weak-minded, weak-willed and lacking in understanding. But it goes beyond that. When you bring God into the equation you also bring into light human weakness and all of our shortcomings. You show just how frail humanity is, how proud we are, how much we depend on short-term fulfilment in the light of an eternal destiny, how evil and corrupt our souls are, how much we pained God before he sent Jesus to take our place.
It's not a matter of asking forgiveness and accepting salvation as a ticket out of hell. There is so much more to this life than choosing to believe in God and rocking through to heaven. He wouldn't have given us physical bodies, emotions, intellect and the ability to choose without a good reason. And in knowing that we would get to the point where there is so much blindness and demon-worship (Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism, New Age beliefs, Hinduism, Shinto, etc.), it still came down to one thing: in the end, it's all worth it :)
The choice is, and always will be, yours.
-Timotheos
Apologetically speaking
I have this thing against anyone of the mormon "faith". It's not a hatred towards the people, but in my spirit it just saddens me whenever I see those badge-flashing, suit-wearing pagans. So lost. So deceived. So ignorant. Just one more of Satan's laugh-in-your-face schemes...
Christians know that we are of spirit, soul and body - the world often doesn't even accept the soul. We believe in freedom, righeteousness, integrity, boldness, hope, joyfulness, love... the world is enslaved to immorality and selfishness, and is dependent on balancing everything on the point of false pretenses. Everything is not ok if you don't accept salvation, no matter how much you pretend otherwise. And no matter how much people spout their unbelief in the supernatural, dependence on the physical and the non-existence and -relevance of spiritual truths, it doesn't change fact and it doesn't change Truth.
Someone might ask me to prove the existence of God. Well that's just stupid. He doesn't have to prove our existence, does he? You don't "prove" that something is there when you can't say where there is. It goes beyong the feeble limits of human understanding to comprehend an uncaused cause as immense as God. You can't put him into a box and you can't just state that he isn't there simply because you are afraid of the implications and in your very, very limited knowledge and experience in this broad universe, you just haven't come across any "proof" - when it stares us right in the face every minute of our lives!
The entrance of sin into this world - through disobedience - also brought with it such arrogance that was gifted to humans that unless spiritual revelation is attained, God himself, most worthy of everything we can give back to him, is completely and utterly denied. What a cop-out. This life is so short! It's illogical to live your entire life without questioning what you are told, what you experience. Now that's ignorance. Belief is based on an individual conclusion of inputs. To believe such a profound lie as human evolution and atheism doesn't necessarily make you gullible - unless you are also presented with the truth. Ahh, the power of choice.
So why do so many people reject God? The simple answer is, they are weak. Weak-minded, weak-willed and lacking in understanding. But it goes beyond that. When you bring God into the equation you also bring into light human weakness and all of our shortcomings. You show just how frail humanity is, how proud we are, how much we depend on short-term fulfilment in the light of an eternal destiny, how evil and corrupt our souls are, how much we pained God before he sent Jesus to take our place.
It's not a matter of asking forgiveness and accepting salvation as a ticket out of hell. There is so much more to this life than choosing to believe in God and rocking through to heaven. He wouldn't have given us physical bodies, emotions, intellect and the ability to choose without a good reason. And in knowing that we would get to the point where there is so much blindness and demon-worship (Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism, New Age beliefs, Hinduism, Shinto, etc.), it still came down to one thing: in the end, it's all worth it :)
The choice is, and always will be, yours.
-Timotheos
Apologetically speaking
I have this thing against anyone of the mormon "faith". It's not a hatred towards the people, but in my spirit it just saddens me whenever I see those badge-flashing, suit-wearing pagans. So lost. So deceived. So ignorant. Just one more of Satan's laugh-in-your-face schemes...
Monday, April 24, 2006
Duplex Godspeak
How often do we actually stop to pray, as compared to directional prayer as we continue on in our regular activities? God does honour all prayer, but even moreso, he blesses us when we can forcefully show that we prioritise time with Him and specifically stop and pray.
He's not looking for an oh-by-the-way form of worship but one that encompasses many different aspects, not the least of which is chosen prayer. What you pray can only come from the Holy Spirit in you. Only God knows what you really want and how you really feel and so only He can actually hear - not just listen to - 100% of what you're saying.
Despite how much we get it straight in our minds just how important it is to pray - and pray regularly - unless it is inculcated in our spirit we are likely to just pray the necessities and not what we really could, given enough determination.
There are certain things that we need to do each day in order to survive - but how far would we actually get as Christians if even one day went by without the spiritual things that we need to do? Of course, being in the flesh we often do forget just what it is to be spiritual beings - and just how necessary our relationship to God is. Live and breath your faith, but above all, communication with the Father should be a daily, if not hourly, activity.
Because our faith-life is active and we are expected to reach new levels of faith and achievement, keeping in tune with the Spirit is an expectation; you should never find yourself stopping to ask: Have I prayed enough today? Did I remember to read those passages? Was ten minutes enough time spent speaking in tongues? God loves us for who we are and for what we give back to Him - our eternal reward is a reflection of our integrity in both carnal and spiritual matters.
The Christian worldview cannot become the lifeblood of all creation until God is given permission to move to such an extent that the forces of darkness - given so much free reign because of humanity's sinful decisions - cannot bear our heavenly witness any longer.
So pray.
The All-Importance of Fervent Prayer
“Many who do come into the secret place, and who are God's children, enter it and leave it just as they entered, without ever so much as realising the presence of God. And there are some believers who, even when they do obtain a blessing, and get a little quickening of soul, leave the secret place without seeking more. They go to their chamber, and there get into the secret place, but then, as soon as they have got near to Him, they think they have been peculiarly blessed, and leave their chamber, and go back into the world… Oh, how is it that the Lord's own people have so little perseverance? How is it that when they do enter into their place of prayer to be alone, they are so easily persuaded to be turned away empty; instead of wrestling with God to pour out His Spirit, they retire from the secret place without the answer, and submit to it as being God's will.” – William C. Burns
We must, therefore, pray; and pray without ceasing.
-Timotheos
Called to succeed
He's not looking for an oh-by-the-way form of worship but one that encompasses many different aspects, not the least of which is chosen prayer. What you pray can only come from the Holy Spirit in you. Only God knows what you really want and how you really feel and so only He can actually hear - not just listen to - 100% of what you're saying.
Despite how much we get it straight in our minds just how important it is to pray - and pray regularly - unless it is inculcated in our spirit we are likely to just pray the necessities and not what we really could, given enough determination.
There are certain things that we need to do each day in order to survive - but how far would we actually get as Christians if even one day went by without the spiritual things that we need to do? Of course, being in the flesh we often do forget just what it is to be spiritual beings - and just how necessary our relationship to God is. Live and breath your faith, but above all, communication with the Father should be a daily, if not hourly, activity.
Because our faith-life is active and we are expected to reach new levels of faith and achievement, keeping in tune with the Spirit is an expectation; you should never find yourself stopping to ask: Have I prayed enough today? Did I remember to read those passages? Was ten minutes enough time spent speaking in tongues? God loves us for who we are and for what we give back to Him - our eternal reward is a reflection of our integrity in both carnal and spiritual matters.
The Christian worldview cannot become the lifeblood of all creation until God is given permission to move to such an extent that the forces of darkness - given so much free reign because of humanity's sinful decisions - cannot bear our heavenly witness any longer.
So pray.
The All-Importance of Fervent Prayer
“Many who do come into the secret place, and who are God's children, enter it and leave it just as they entered, without ever so much as realising the presence of God. And there are some believers who, even when they do obtain a blessing, and get a little quickening of soul, leave the secret place without seeking more. They go to their chamber, and there get into the secret place, but then, as soon as they have got near to Him, they think they have been peculiarly blessed, and leave their chamber, and go back into the world… Oh, how is it that the Lord's own people have so little perseverance? How is it that when they do enter into their place of prayer to be alone, they are so easily persuaded to be turned away empty; instead of wrestling with God to pour out His Spirit, they retire from the secret place without the answer, and submit to it as being God's will.” – William C. Burns
We must, therefore, pray; and pray without ceasing.
-Timotheos
Called to succeed
Sunday, April 23, 2006
It's All Romanian To Me
Numa numa, anyone? This song is catchy. It'd been ages since I'd heard it but on Friday, the compilation cd in the stockroom at work happened to randomly play it. Hmmm.
Dragostea Din Tei, as performed by O-zone - lyrics by Haiducii.
See the American Idol version here.
Just felt like being a little random.
-Timotheos
Travel the World
Dragostea Din Tei, as performed by O-zone - lyrics by Haiducii.
| - Chorus 1 (4 times) - | |
| Ma-ia-hii Ma-ia-huu Ma-ia-hoo Ma-ia-haha | Miya-hee Miya-hoo Miya-ho Miya-haha [These are just sounds.] |
| - Verse 2 - | |
| Alo, Salut, sunt eu, un haiduc, Si te rog, iubirea mea, primeste fericirea. Alo, alo, sunt eu Picasso, Ti-am dat beep, si sunt voinic, Dar sa stii nu-ti cer nimic. | Hello [on a cellphone], greetings, it's me, an outlaw, I ask you, my love, to accept happiness. Hello, hello, it's me, Picasso, I sent you a beep [cellphone signal], and I'm brave [or strong], But you should know that I'm not asking for anything from you. |
| - Chorus 3 (2 times) - | |
| Vrei sa pleci dar nu ma, nu ma iei, Nu ma, nu ma iei, nu ma, nu ma, nu ma iei. Chipul tau si dragostea din tei, Mi-amintesc de ochii tai. | You want to leave but you don't want don't want to take me, don't want don't want to take me, don't want don't want don't want to take me. Your face and the love from the linden trees, And I remember your eyes. |
| - Verse 4 - | |
| Te sun, sa-ti spun, ce simt acum, Alo, iubirea mea, sunt eu, fericirea. Alo, alo, sunt iarasi eu, Picasso, Ti-am dat beep, si sunt voinic, Dar sa stii nu-ti cer nimic. | I call you [over the phone], to tell you what I feel right now, Hello, my love, it's me, your happiness. Hello, hello, it's me again, Picasso, I sent you a beep [cellphone signal] and I'm brave [or strong], But you should know that I'm not asking for anything from you. |
| Chorus 3 | |
| Chorus 1 | |
| Chorus 3 | |
See the American Idol version here.
Just felt like being a little random.
-Timotheos
Travel the World
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Mach XVI
Apparently, today is International Earth Day. I guess there's gotta be a day that celebrates the actual planet on which we dwell. I wonder how many people have seen the earth from above its atmosphere? Travelling in space has never really held an interest for me - fictional space travel, existence and experience has always been of great interest, however.
Exploring other worlds, interacting with alien beings and learning about unearthly cultures and technology - amazing. Superman's an alien. Now that's one otherworldly being I wouldn't want to mess with. Heat vision, incredible speed and strength and near-invincibility. No other alien lifeform really compares. Well, the predator race is pretty cool as well. And aliens make a formidable enemy - nothing a flamethrower can't deal with, though!
If given the choice of one alien power, I think I'd go with either super speed or telekinetic abilities. With enough speed - or perhaps the ability to manipulate time - you could do almost anything: defy gravity, run across the surface of a body of water, dodge bullets... With an ability that allowed you to move things with your mind, you could do anything physically: prevent things from happening - or make sure things happen in a certain way, freak people out - the possibilities are endless.
Of course, both superhuman abilities would be better than having to choose one ^L^
-Timotheos
Agility FTW
Exploring other worlds, interacting with alien beings and learning about unearthly cultures and technology - amazing. Superman's an alien. Now that's one otherworldly being I wouldn't want to mess with. Heat vision, incredible speed and strength and near-invincibility. No other alien lifeform really compares. Well, the predator race is pretty cool as well. And aliens make a formidable enemy - nothing a flamethrower can't deal with, though!
If given the choice of one alien power, I think I'd go with either super speed or telekinetic abilities. With enough speed - or perhaps the ability to manipulate time - you could do almost anything: defy gravity, run across the surface of a body of water, dodge bullets... With an ability that allowed you to move things with your mind, you could do anything physically: prevent things from happening - or make sure things happen in a certain way, freak people out - the possibilities are endless.
Of course, both superhuman abilities would be better than having to choose one ^L^
-Timotheos
Agility FTW
Friday, April 21, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Teach an Olde Dogg
My parents think I would make a good teacher. Eh, perhaps I would. After all, I do have ELT training. But it's not just my proficiency in the English language that would make me a good teacher. I understand people - despite choosing not to relate well to my peers - and am able to concisely convey ideas. After all, what good is writing skill if you can't express yourself verbally - oh wait, that's the whole point ^L^
So as I further contemplate just what it is that I'm going to aim my studies towards, I have to reflect on just what I'm achieving with regard to everything else. I finally bought that PS2 I meant to get so now I can waste even more precious time playing not just pc and xbox games, but also playstation games. Yay.
Here's a thought: If I had a million dollars... I would give 100K to the church, 100K to my family, put 100K into a savings fund for something in the future, donate 100K to a Christian organisation that is likely to do something effective with that much money, travel around the world - visiting friends, and try to resist the urge to purchase items fruitlessly, instead pursuing some sort of endeavour that strengthens my spiritual destiny. But one doesn't acquire that sort of money overnight. As I think about it, it's a good thing I haven't been entrusted with anything substantial - I'm still not ready to wisely use anything of great worth.
My wisdom lies elsewhere.
-Timotheos
Hello world!
So as I further contemplate just what it is that I'm going to aim my studies towards, I have to reflect on just what I'm achieving with regard to everything else. I finally bought that PS2 I meant to get so now I can waste even more precious time playing not just pc and xbox games, but also playstation games. Yay.
Here's a thought: If I had a million dollars... I would give 100K to the church, 100K to my family, put 100K into a savings fund for something in the future, donate 100K to a Christian organisation that is likely to do something effective with that much money, travel around the world - visiting friends, and try to resist the urge to purchase items fruitlessly, instead pursuing some sort of endeavour that strengthens my spiritual destiny. But one doesn't acquire that sort of money overnight. As I think about it, it's a good thing I haven't been entrusted with anything substantial - I'm still not ready to wisely use anything of great worth.
My wisdom lies elsewhere.
-Timotheos
Hello world!
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Reflecting on the Future
One year ago, I had much the same thoughts as I have had recently. Last night, as I was shifting files, I stumbled across this piece that I wrote:
"God will change this nation, but he needs us. He needs me. This isn't a statement of self-worth and pride but a recognisable truth.
"Success is achieved through recognising mistakes and seeking solutions rather than admitting defeat and facing failure.
"I am on my way to success and the Holy Spirit is in me. He is with me. There are dreams and aspirations. There are goals and desires. God has put desires in me that offer opportunities to achieve. I am a gifted writer. I enjoy writing and know that this is an avenue that will definitely lead not just to my own success but to ultimately helping to change our nation: offering citizenship in the Kingdom of Light to the multitudes whose lives are currently shrouded in darkness.
"People don't even question truth anymore. God is calling me to use my innovative writing talent to encourage this fickle, yet spiritually hungry generation, to truly seek what matters: eternity with Jesus.
"What do people seek the most? Self-gratification... entertainment... instant answers... short-term fulfilment. The biggest area of leisurely impact is film and television. It has the greatest influence on our finite, pleasure seeking existence. People are after appeal. They want to be entertained. It isn't right, however, to offer just pure amusement. You can't make a person think for themselves but apathy is far too abundant in our country -- especially with the upcoming generation whose life aspirations will have the most impact on the world itself. This 21st Century existence contains a lack of moral standards and an over-abundance of satisfaction-driven pursuit.
"A fiery insider portrayal of Christianity is not readily available to the masses. Though I can't possibly know everything that is available to the world I don't see anything globally impacting that attracts people to repentance and admitting the inadequacy and fallability of humankind. After all, the disguises of sin are many.
"It can't hurt to pursue something that interests me if it is a grand part of what God has created me for. Society tends to see the judgemental, rule-keeping side of Christianity more than anything else. More joy, relief, answers, hope, freedom, and passion come from living out our faith than from any other way of life. The truth speaks for itself but we are surrounded by hearers of the world, rather than doers of the Word.
"The first thing is to pray with purpose; to pray with a God-inspired pursuit in mind. With the right endeavour to pray about, doors will open and the path will pave itself. Nothing can be done without the answer - to embrace the cliché - having come from above. Wherever I set my mind to -- and this is not an ethereal supposition in which I don't have at least part of an actual, Holy Spirit plan -- it must be God's designation; and I must assume the role that has been fore-ordained for me.
"What I really want to express is that I will always seek God's advice and that he has been speaking to me about utilising what he's given me. I already know some of the decisions that will be made and I have some idea of where this is all going, but only God really knows... everything.
"I will write for film and television and give to the world unique, entertaining and truly inspiring media. I seek not to be affamed but to answer the deepest call that the Holy Spirit has been building for so long. The young people of New Zealand, and even beyond our shores, will be won for Jesus in a way that only the Holy Spirit could unction. Jesus is the lifegiving author; I am his scribe. I will answer; and I will act. We are the future.
"Tim JM Gough, 25 April 2005"
Interesting :)
-Timotheos
History repeats
"God will change this nation, but he needs us. He needs me. This isn't a statement of self-worth and pride but a recognisable truth.
"Success is achieved through recognising mistakes and seeking solutions rather than admitting defeat and facing failure.
"I am on my way to success and the Holy Spirit is in me. He is with me. There are dreams and aspirations. There are goals and desires. God has put desires in me that offer opportunities to achieve. I am a gifted writer. I enjoy writing and know that this is an avenue that will definitely lead not just to my own success but to ultimately helping to change our nation: offering citizenship in the Kingdom of Light to the multitudes whose lives are currently shrouded in darkness.
"People don't even question truth anymore. God is calling me to use my innovative writing talent to encourage this fickle, yet spiritually hungry generation, to truly seek what matters: eternity with Jesus.
"What do people seek the most? Self-gratification... entertainment... instant answers... short-term fulfilment. The biggest area of leisurely impact is film and television. It has the greatest influence on our finite, pleasure seeking existence. People are after appeal. They want to be entertained. It isn't right, however, to offer just pure amusement. You can't make a person think for themselves but apathy is far too abundant in our country -- especially with the upcoming generation whose life aspirations will have the most impact on the world itself. This 21st Century existence contains a lack of moral standards and an over-abundance of satisfaction-driven pursuit.
"A fiery insider portrayal of Christianity is not readily available to the masses. Though I can't possibly know everything that is available to the world I don't see anything globally impacting that attracts people to repentance and admitting the inadequacy and fallability of humankind. After all, the disguises of sin are many.
"It can't hurt to pursue something that interests me if it is a grand part of what God has created me for. Society tends to see the judgemental, rule-keeping side of Christianity more than anything else. More joy, relief, answers, hope, freedom, and passion come from living out our faith than from any other way of life. The truth speaks for itself but we are surrounded by hearers of the world, rather than doers of the Word.
"The first thing is to pray with purpose; to pray with a God-inspired pursuit in mind. With the right endeavour to pray about, doors will open and the path will pave itself. Nothing can be done without the answer - to embrace the cliché - having come from above. Wherever I set my mind to -- and this is not an ethereal supposition in which I don't have at least part of an actual, Holy Spirit plan -- it must be God's designation; and I must assume the role that has been fore-ordained for me.
"What I really want to express is that I will always seek God's advice and that he has been speaking to me about utilising what he's given me. I already know some of the decisions that will be made and I have some idea of where this is all going, but only God really knows... everything.
"I will write for film and television and give to the world unique, entertaining and truly inspiring media. I seek not to be affamed but to answer the deepest call that the Holy Spirit has been building for so long. The young people of New Zealand, and even beyond our shores, will be won for Jesus in a way that only the Holy Spirit could unction. Jesus is the lifegiving author; I am his scribe. I will answer; and I will act. We are the future.
"Tim JM Gough, 25 April 2005"
Interesting :)
-Timotheos
History repeats
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Holy Matrimony, Batman
Marriage - something I've thought about quite extensively over the years. Obviously it's not something to be taken lightly, though it seems that a lot of people enter such a covenant without a real understanding of what is expected - or what to expect. If both sides don't have a comprehensive understanding of the theory of long-term relationships then it's no wonder so many marriages fall to the wayside. Such failure shows a lack of commitment from the outset and a foundation built on false hopes and expectations. You can't expect to change a person but accepting their faults isn't necessary either. Welcoming changes within changes.
In binding yourself to another person and entering a marital agreement, two become one. Everything, from decisions to experiences, are shared and balanced. Emotional dependence has to be balanced - it's not wrong to have dependence to a degree, but too much will cause insecurity and mistrust. Unless you are secure in your individual relationship with Jesus then there are no grounds for a truly solid foundation for any other sort of relationship.
Life's order of priority is: God; family; others; self. After all, Jesus was the one that gave us this sensible piece of advice. Love God, and love your neighbour as yourself. It wasn't love your self and love your neighbour in the same way. Always in Scripture, the order of things is important. God wisely imparts truths to us by stating what is right and in what order. Like a natural law that governs the universe, such spiritual truths should govern our lives. Neglecting self is plain stupid as well. You should love and care for your self inasmuch as it doesn't compromise anyone else in any way.
The three most important attributes in marriage, I have discerned, are in being wholly faithful, always honest and never manipulating. Recognising and agreeing to this from the start (in the same way that boundaries are set for everyone's protection) would, one would hope, help with forming a solid foundation for growth. Nothing beats experience, however, but it just seems logical to me that while being infatuated with someone you are not going to honestly assess them. Facades are drawn up in the human mind that often form a plaintively biased picture of someone, based on an increase in pheremone levels and synapses in the brain firing in such a way that intellectually it becomes difficult to determine just what the situation beholds. Aligning heart and mind becomes impossible unless you reframe* and objectively view the relationship.
*In human behaviour: The ability to reframe is standing back from a situation or problem and seeing the bigger picture; seeing problems in a wider context.
*In mediation: Reframing is the process of changing the way a thought is presented so that it maintains its fundamental meaning but is more likely to support resolution efforts.
It pays to purposefully put in place a perimeter of preventative procedures rather than risk a regalia of regret and remorse, requiring repentance, reconciliation and recovery.
But what do I know? It's all theory to this writer ^L^
-Timotheos
It shall be
In binding yourself to another person and entering a marital agreement, two become one. Everything, from decisions to experiences, are shared and balanced. Emotional dependence has to be balanced - it's not wrong to have dependence to a degree, but too much will cause insecurity and mistrust. Unless you are secure in your individual relationship with Jesus then there are no grounds for a truly solid foundation for any other sort of relationship.
Life's order of priority is: God; family; others; self. After all, Jesus was the one that gave us this sensible piece of advice. Love God, and love your neighbour as yourself. It wasn't love your self and love your neighbour in the same way. Always in Scripture, the order of things is important. God wisely imparts truths to us by stating what is right and in what order. Like a natural law that governs the universe, such spiritual truths should govern our lives. Neglecting self is plain stupid as well. You should love and care for your self inasmuch as it doesn't compromise anyone else in any way.
The three most important attributes in marriage, I have discerned, are in being wholly faithful, always honest and never manipulating. Recognising and agreeing to this from the start (in the same way that boundaries are set for everyone's protection) would, one would hope, help with forming a solid foundation for growth. Nothing beats experience, however, but it just seems logical to me that while being infatuated with someone you are not going to honestly assess them. Facades are drawn up in the human mind that often form a plaintively biased picture of someone, based on an increase in pheremone levels and synapses in the brain firing in such a way that intellectually it becomes difficult to determine just what the situation beholds. Aligning heart and mind becomes impossible unless you reframe* and objectively view the relationship.
*In human behaviour: The ability to reframe is standing back from a situation or problem and seeing the bigger picture; seeing problems in a wider context.
*In mediation: Reframing is the process of changing the way a thought is presented so that it maintains its fundamental meaning but is more likely to support resolution efforts.
It pays to purposefully put in place a perimeter of preventative procedures rather than risk a regalia of regret and remorse, requiring repentance, reconciliation and recovery.
But what do I know? It's all theory to this writer ^L^
-Timotheos
It shall be
Monday, April 17, 2006
As I Fall to Sleep
Dreams are intriguing. We can dream about everyday events in interesting ways. Actually, the main part of what we dream about is often triggered by events that occur in our lives within the past few days.
I had a headache all day today. Went to sleep mid-afternoon, and since my brain was over-stimulated, it stands to reason that I dreamt; albeit somewhat disjointed. Quite often we don't remember what we dream but can recall glimpses of the experiences we had whilst asleep. If especially memorable, it helps to write down what you just dreamt as that ensures long-term recollection. There are dreams I had years ago, parts of which I can recall even today.
God speaks to us in dreams. That's not to say that we should try and seek an interpretation every time we remember what we dreamt. However, if you dream often and vividly, chances are that it is one method that God will use to speak to you. The question is: how often do we listen to Him, whether it be through dreams or any other method? It's something that can be trained and improved upon, as with any human function.
Just the thought of knowing that what you do in a dream doesn't really have any limits, is exciting. My favourite types of dream involve flying and falling. Defying gravity in some way is often amazing. Falling provokes feelings that resemble fear at times, but the rush is something you don't often feel in life ^L^
Joel 2: 28-29 "Then after I have poured out my rains again, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, men and women alike."
Dream away.
-Timotheos
Envisioning great things
I had a headache all day today. Went to sleep mid-afternoon, and since my brain was over-stimulated, it stands to reason that I dreamt; albeit somewhat disjointed. Quite often we don't remember what we dream but can recall glimpses of the experiences we had whilst asleep. If especially memorable, it helps to write down what you just dreamt as that ensures long-term recollection. There are dreams I had years ago, parts of which I can recall even today.
God speaks to us in dreams. That's not to say that we should try and seek an interpretation every time we remember what we dreamt. However, if you dream often and vividly, chances are that it is one method that God will use to speak to you. The question is: how often do we listen to Him, whether it be through dreams or any other method? It's something that can be trained and improved upon, as with any human function.
Just the thought of knowing that what you do in a dream doesn't really have any limits, is exciting. My favourite types of dream involve flying and falling. Defying gravity in some way is often amazing. Falling provokes feelings that resemble fear at times, but the rush is something you don't often feel in life ^L^
Joel 2: 28-29 "Then after I have poured out my rains again, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, men and women alike."
Dream away.
-Timotheos
Envisioning great things
Sunday, April 16, 2006
The Wonderful Cross
'Tis better to spend time with people than to rush home just so you can write a blog entry before the day ticks over. Still, relating to people is not one of my strengths, nor does it come naturally. Sure, we were created for relationship but some find that it comes easier than others. The keyboard is a much more comfortable point of interaction. Although, getting too comfortable does tend to breed apathy and narrow your point of view.
The Cross. The point of reference that depicts unlimited love, complete sacrifice and precious redemption. After we were created, we basically chose death and separation from God rather than a wonderful relationship, unhindered by bad choices. Until the Cross - the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Lamb of God who bore the sin of the entire world - we could never truly be close to God. Until the perfect sacrifice, everything else was temporary atonement - a covering.
The choice is always ours to make individually. It's all very well telling someone without much Biblical knowledge or even an interest in the Truth that it's not worth the risk to ignore God - turn or burn. But I think it's more important to realise that there is an absolute truth and that everything surrounding Jesus' sacrifice makes Salvation the most logical choice in life - and the most fulfilling.
Choose life.
-Timotheos
Torn again
The Cross. The point of reference that depicts unlimited love, complete sacrifice and precious redemption. After we were created, we basically chose death and separation from God rather than a wonderful relationship, unhindered by bad choices. Until the Cross - the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Lamb of God who bore the sin of the entire world - we could never truly be close to God. Until the perfect sacrifice, everything else was temporary atonement - a covering.
The choice is always ours to make individually. It's all very well telling someone without much Biblical knowledge or even an interest in the Truth that it's not worth the risk to ignore God - turn or burn. But I think it's more important to realise that there is an absolute truth and that everything surrounding Jesus' sacrifice makes Salvation the most logical choice in life - and the most fulfilling.
Choose life.
-Timotheos
Torn again
Saturday, April 15, 2006
1.21 Exabytes
/sigh. I'm still sold to the idea that the medium of television / film is the best outreach method. Far too often I watch movies where the characters shoot each other and cuss. I love action because it's alive - but there can also be action that avoids the temporal and immoral setting so prevalent in today's entertainment solutions.
They used to say that email and the Internet was the way of the future. Well, the future we will never see because when we reach it it becomes the present. A few years back, I read a series I own. Otherland, by Tad Williams, is made up of four volumes: City of Golden Shadow, River of Blue Fire, Mountain of Black Glass and Sea of Silver Light. Set in this world's future of ~2050, it portrays a version of the Internet that is so much more than what we know. This is what gives the story realism, as if anyone was to project what we know now about the worldwide web, virtual reality and the rate of technological advance, they would possibly produce something similar in description.
I love technology. Part of the attraction of working where I do is because we sell stuff. Sure, retail really is both stressful and mundane but I can overcome my distaste for my job through reminding myself that there I stand, amidst the ebb and flow of technological advance. Albeit somewhat primitive in comparison to the rest of the OECD, but I can still smell what is and glimpse what will be; imagine what is to come.
So here I stand, awaiting the future. The Internet is a place where most anything can be retrieved, explored, viewed, but in terms of what will be ten, fifteen, thirty years from now, the shortcomings and inflexibilities are so frustrating at times.
We can but dream of the existence where worldwide experience is available to everyone; where 3D renditions, virtual environments, tangible likenesses are a reality. Cinematic compositions (aka movies) are my passion. Perhaps Christ's Passion isn't the last soul-impacting experience for this generation of film-goers.
Embrace your culture.
-Timotheos
Cut and print
They used to say that email and the Internet was the way of the future. Well, the future we will never see because when we reach it it becomes the present. A few years back, I read a series I own. Otherland, by Tad Williams, is made up of four volumes: City of Golden Shadow, River of Blue Fire, Mountain of Black Glass and Sea of Silver Light. Set in this world's future of ~2050, it portrays a version of the Internet that is so much more than what we know. This is what gives the story realism, as if anyone was to project what we know now about the worldwide web, virtual reality and the rate of technological advance, they would possibly produce something similar in description.
I love technology. Part of the attraction of working where I do is because we sell stuff. Sure, retail really is both stressful and mundane but I can overcome my distaste for my job through reminding myself that there I stand, amidst the ebb and flow of technological advance. Albeit somewhat primitive in comparison to the rest of the OECD, but I can still smell what is and glimpse what will be; imagine what is to come.
So here I stand, awaiting the future. The Internet is a place where most anything can be retrieved, explored, viewed, but in terms of what will be ten, fifteen, thirty years from now, the shortcomings and inflexibilities are so frustrating at times.
We can but dream of the existence where worldwide experience is available to everyone; where 3D renditions, virtual environments, tangible likenesses are a reality. Cinematic compositions (aka movies) are my passion. Perhaps Christ's Passion isn't the last soul-impacting experience for this generation of film-goers.
Embrace your culture.
-Timotheos
Cut and print
Friday, April 14, 2006
A Far Cry From Then
There is a price we pay for being over-protective of our own lives. It can alter or perhaps hamper our destiny to a degree. It is good to make the right choices but sometimes the safest choice, though seemingly right, may cause us to look back and wonder how things would be had we taken more risks.
Of course, one possesses more wisdom now than they did three, five, ten years ago. It is in reflection that we can only speculate as to where our lives would be now had we chosen to approach things differently. If something had been loosed instead of being withheld; if more effort had gone into maintaining particular relationships; if life's journey didn't sweep us off our feet before we knew what was happening and the weeks turned into months, which became years of growing, pruning and oftentimes struggling to stay afloat as we endlessly plot(ted) a course towards our fate.
I will look back another year from now and realise just how much more insight I have - see how many good choices I made - see the mistakes I made in not following the best path. But it is only in retrospect that we can see the best possibilities. Time cannot be slowed and so in our express mission here on earth we are constrained by this inescapable journey towards a known that often feels very alien and unknown.
Mortality is more tangible than spiritual awareness of destiny. I hate to sound cynical but perhaps in choosing not to pursue a romantic relationship it has harmed me more than benefitted me. But how would one ever truly know this? So many 'ifs' surround the paths we tread. I am of two minds when it comes to destiny - perhaps this is why I find it difficult to make even the simplest of decisions. All bear a weight more than we could fathom. Consequences; reactions; parallels.
Being alone was never our intended fate. Eternal separation from God is the greatest punishment but one that many souls face. However, whilst here on this spherical habitat of which we are the true stewards, our understanding of our own lives is limited by what we can experience and imagine. What goes beyond the bounds of imagination is also beyond comprehension. Unlimited choices, major and minor, make us who we are: God's creation, destined for relationship with each other and with Him.
I daren't say too much about what is in my heart. After all, what individual wants to read the inadequacies of another. Pessimism breeds bitterness. Joy is so much more pleasant. I may regret being so distanced from humanity but these shields that have been erected have had years of solidification. In protecting my heart I have caused more regret than progress.
Progress is what gives us life. For without change and without continual movement and progression, the stagnation that ensues causes depression and isolation. For so long it was as if God was sparing this soul the agony of knowing loss when in fact it turns out that it is worse to never have experienced something and forsaken it than it is to have stood anchored within the bastion of solitary defense.
It was never my intention to let the desire for companionship be an affecting factor in the need for relationship. But one becomes so used to the hardened exterior that was first planted to avoid mistakes - when it is obvious that mistakes are unavoidable, truly - that one forgets how to relate.
We don't miss His blessings, we miss our own opportunities to bless.
-Timotheos
Candid development
Of course, one possesses more wisdom now than they did three, five, ten years ago. It is in reflection that we can only speculate as to where our lives would be now had we chosen to approach things differently. If something had been loosed instead of being withheld; if more effort had gone into maintaining particular relationships; if life's journey didn't sweep us off our feet before we knew what was happening and the weeks turned into months, which became years of growing, pruning and oftentimes struggling to stay afloat as we endlessly plot(ted) a course towards our fate.
I will look back another year from now and realise just how much more insight I have - see how many good choices I made - see the mistakes I made in not following the best path. But it is only in retrospect that we can see the best possibilities. Time cannot be slowed and so in our express mission here on earth we are constrained by this inescapable journey towards a known that often feels very alien and unknown.
Mortality is more tangible than spiritual awareness of destiny. I hate to sound cynical but perhaps in choosing not to pursue a romantic relationship it has harmed me more than benefitted me. But how would one ever truly know this? So many 'ifs' surround the paths we tread. I am of two minds when it comes to destiny - perhaps this is why I find it difficult to make even the simplest of decisions. All bear a weight more than we could fathom. Consequences; reactions; parallels.
Being alone was never our intended fate. Eternal separation from God is the greatest punishment but one that many souls face. However, whilst here on this spherical habitat of which we are the true stewards, our understanding of our own lives is limited by what we can experience and imagine. What goes beyond the bounds of imagination is also beyond comprehension. Unlimited choices, major and minor, make us who we are: God's creation, destined for relationship with each other and with Him.
I daren't say too much about what is in my heart. After all, what individual wants to read the inadequacies of another. Pessimism breeds bitterness. Joy is so much more pleasant. I may regret being so distanced from humanity but these shields that have been erected have had years of solidification. In protecting my heart I have caused more regret than progress.
Progress is what gives us life. For without change and without continual movement and progression, the stagnation that ensues causes depression and isolation. For so long it was as if God was sparing this soul the agony of knowing loss when in fact it turns out that it is worse to never have experienced something and forsaken it than it is to have stood anchored within the bastion of solitary defense.
It was never my intention to let the desire for companionship be an affecting factor in the need for relationship. But one becomes so used to the hardened exterior that was first planted to avoid mistakes - when it is obvious that mistakes are unavoidable, truly - that one forgets how to relate.
We don't miss His blessings, we miss our own opportunities to bless.
-Timotheos
Candid development
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Blessed Assurance
It's a relief to know that I have the next four days off. Praise God for Easter XD I haven't even made plans for tomorrow. I have an inkling of what I'm going to do though - it involves computers; a lot. There is no church service because of some Joel 2 seminar in Palmerston North or something, which will be a first for me - missing church on Good Friday. There's much more to celebrate about on Sunday, though!
So what's this Easter all about? In a nutshell: Jesus, the Son of God, was crucified in Roman criminal fashion on a wooden cross. All the sin of the world was placed upon him - our redemption. His body was placed in a tomb for three days and then he defied the greatest enemy of humanity: death. The resurrection is a promise to us that we have life eternal and are forgiven of all our disobedience to God the Father, which theretofore resulted in eternal separation.
What this doesn't mean is that we can continue to live in sin, testing God's patience and expecting his grace to cover us no matter what we do. When you make a commitment as a Christian there is an expectation to repent, to recognise forgiveness and to allow the Holy Spirit to change you. It's always a choice to allow temptation to get the better of us. Taking measures to ensure that you are not put into a situation where human will is overcome is just a small part of avoiding succumbing to sinful desires.
We are expected to grow spiritually and unless certain procedures are followed - in all wisdom - then it gives the devil more of a foothold in our lives, basically giving him rights to tempt us and do his utmost to force us to fail. But in falling we are not failing. That's just what Satan wants us to think. We have already won because two thousand years ago, Jesus won on our behalf. We just needs be thankful, not forlorn because we slip.
Being mired in misery is a trick of the devil. Joy because of blessings, despite the setbacks, are what afford us clean worship and edified spirits. No one and nothing can take away our righteousness. God will be sure to judge every action and every choice we make whilst here as a part of the created world. The Bible tells us that our eternal destiny is promised but there should be a greater expectation in our eternal destination for every time we overcome the devil's attempts to undermine our holiness.
Jesus
Lamb of God
Worthy is Your Name
-Timotheos
Salvation assured
So what's this Easter all about? In a nutshell: Jesus, the Son of God, was crucified in Roman criminal fashion on a wooden cross. All the sin of the world was placed upon him - our redemption. His body was placed in a tomb for three days and then he defied the greatest enemy of humanity: death. The resurrection is a promise to us that we have life eternal and are forgiven of all our disobedience to God the Father, which theretofore resulted in eternal separation.
What this doesn't mean is that we can continue to live in sin, testing God's patience and expecting his grace to cover us no matter what we do. When you make a commitment as a Christian there is an expectation to repent, to recognise forgiveness and to allow the Holy Spirit to change you. It's always a choice to allow temptation to get the better of us. Taking measures to ensure that you are not put into a situation where human will is overcome is just a small part of avoiding succumbing to sinful desires.
We are expected to grow spiritually and unless certain procedures are followed - in all wisdom - then it gives the devil more of a foothold in our lives, basically giving him rights to tempt us and do his utmost to force us to fail. But in falling we are not failing. That's just what Satan wants us to think. We have already won because two thousand years ago, Jesus won on our behalf. We just needs be thankful, not forlorn because we slip.
Being mired in misery is a trick of the devil. Joy because of blessings, despite the setbacks, are what afford us clean worship and edified spirits. No one and nothing can take away our righteousness. God will be sure to judge every action and every choice we make whilst here as a part of the created world. The Bible tells us that our eternal destiny is promised but there should be a greater expectation in our eternal destination for every time we overcome the devil's attempts to undermine our holiness.
Jesus
Lamb of God
Worthy is Your Name
-Timotheos
Salvation assured
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Fable-u-lous
I forgot what I was going to write tonight. So, here are a couple of fables of the Aesop's variety:
Fablehand
The Kites and the Swans
The Kites of olden times, as well as the Swans, had the privilege
of song. But, having heard the whinny of the horse, they were so
enamoured with the sound that they tried to imitate it; and, in
trying to neigh, they forgot how to sing.
"The desire for elusive benefits often involves the loss of
present blessings."
The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey-Timotheos
A Man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market.
As they were walking along by its side, a countryman passed them
and said: "You fools; what is a Donkey for but to ride upon?"
So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their
way. But soon they passed a group of men, one of whom said: "See
that lazy youngster! He lets his father walk while he rides."
So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on himself.
But they hadn't gone far when they passed two women, one of whom
said to the other: "Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little
son trudge along."
Well, the Man didn't know what to do, but at last he took his
Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to
the town, and the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The
Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The people said:
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey
with you and your hulking son?"
The Man and the Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They
thought and they thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied
the donkey's feet to it, and raised the pole and the donkey to
their shoulders. They went along amid the laughter of all who met
them till they came to Market Bridge, when the Donkey, getting one
of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his end
of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge, and,
his fore-feet being tied together, he drowned.
"That will teach you," said an old man who had followed them.
"Try to please all, and you will only please none."
Fablehand
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Roll of the Dice
It's not a good idea, if you have to get up early, to leave your cellphone in your bag and rely on it as a secondary alarm. It doesn't work too well. It's a good thing I had the day off, though I did miss my ENT appointment this morning and had to reschedule it. Maybe going to bed at 2am wasn't the best idea either...
Since I'm tired and spent a good portion of this day on my computer, nothing interesting comes to mind. However, as this is the web and most anything is possible - much like the world of Oblivion - the old google trick may just work a second time.
Word: magnet
Link: 2nd
Result: http://www.homeofmagnet.com
I'm not really into music. I guess this time around it was a complete flop. Let's roll those dice again. Oh, speaking of dice, I was forwarded to this game a few years back called Petals Around the Rose. The object was to roll five dice and establish the number, figuring out the method for finding that number. After 30 mins of trying I was straining my brain and then it hit me (keep in mind that virtual dice are different than real-life 3D dice): maybe I should read the instructions.
After looking at the basic rules and then a small background story, I figured it all out in a matter of seconds. See, the trick is, you can give the answer within seconds, meaning that it's not some complex formula. The funny thing is, no matter how obvious you make it, some people literally take days to discover the secret of the petals around the rose. I have baffled many since learning this simple, yet entertaining game.
The rules are pretty simple. 1) The name of the game is important; 2) The answer is always 0 or an even number; and 3) One must never tell how it is done. But I'll bet there are multitudes of people who have posted the solution in various places and many others who have likewise searched for the solution. That's cheating.
Here is something akin to the original story that I read: http://www.borrett.id.au/computing/petals-bg.htm
Amusing. Now, you try it.
-Timotheos
Potentate of the Rose
Since I'm tired and spent a good portion of this day on my computer, nothing interesting comes to mind. However, as this is the web and most anything is possible - much like the world of Oblivion - the old google trick may just work a second time.
Word: magnet
Link: 2nd
Result: http://www.homeofmagnet.com
I'm not really into music. I guess this time around it was a complete flop. Let's roll those dice again. Oh, speaking of dice, I was forwarded to this game a few years back called Petals Around the Rose. The object was to roll five dice and establish the number, figuring out the method for finding that number. After 30 mins of trying I was straining my brain and then it hit me (keep in mind that virtual dice are different than real-life 3D dice): maybe I should read the instructions.
After looking at the basic rules and then a small background story, I figured it all out in a matter of seconds. See, the trick is, you can give the answer within seconds, meaning that it's not some complex formula. The funny thing is, no matter how obvious you make it, some people literally take days to discover the secret of the petals around the rose. I have baffled many since learning this simple, yet entertaining game.
The rules are pretty simple. 1) The name of the game is important; 2) The answer is always 0 or an even number; and 3) One must never tell how it is done. But I'll bet there are multitudes of people who have posted the solution in various places and many others who have likewise searched for the solution. That's cheating.
Here is something akin to the original story that I read: http://www.borrett.id.au/computing/petals-bg.htm
Amusing. Now, you try it.
-Timotheos
Potentate of the Rose
Monday, April 10, 2006
Sukoshi Natsukashi
I had no idea what to write so I randomly chose a word - yes, out of the 250,000 words I know, I chose one at random - and chose a random number between one and ten. I then typed that word into google and counted that many links down, clicking on my chosen one. The word was Helicopter and this is what the fifth link produced: http://www.ebaumsworld.com/helicopter.shtml
I played it a little bit - of course. I got 950 on about my fifth attempt. Quite a clever little game. Now all they need are weapons and enemies and it'd actually be fun. It reminds me of an old game, Jumpjet, which I suspect was created by an individual and not widely distributed. It was amongst a collection of DOS games on our first family computer: a 386 DX40.
There were two other games that I enjoyed: Nyet (just like Tetris) and Textris, both of which I totally pwned the high scoreboard in. Gaming used to be so simple.
Matt and Lish (my brother-in-law and sister) have all the stuff for their new restaurant already, in storage, whilst they finalise some preceedings. At their house there is an old arcade table with a spaceship shooting game from the 80's, Phoenix - reminiscent of space invaders but slightly more advanced, in that you are actually flying through space with a top-down view (a primitive version of Raptor).
Oldschool gaming is teh best. Such titles as Streets of Rage 2 from the Megadrive, Street Fighter 2 at the arcade and Doom 2 on the pc. I loved the Monkey Island and Space Quest titles, not to mention Quest for Glory (part one formerly known as Hero's Quest), Commander Keen, Warcraft 2, Day of the Tentacle and Descent. Adventure and Platform was where it was at ^L^ And yes, I was always more of a pc gamer than a console gamer.
I'll bet that listing those titles would conjure up some natsukashi* moments for gamers in my generation. To truly appreciate gaming, one had to grow up in the 90's, as last decade saw the birth of 3D gaming, not to mention the release of such great games as Jedi Knight, Half-life, Goldeneye 007 and, of course, Final Fantasy VII.
Once, when I was at Bible College, a friend and I started talking about oldschool gaming. I think the conversation lasted for close to two hours. It was awesome just reminiscing about all of our experiences and what it was like growing up with computers and having access to all of these great titles that were released. Good ol' PKZip, hehe.
One thing we did at Bible College a lot was play cards. I really must play Killer Uno again some time. FBC was a great experience and a real turning point in my life. Since then I really have experienced a lot, changing my vocation from year to year. I look forward to studying later this year. I just have to pray more and decide what it is that I'm actually going to set my heart and mind on.
Ja ne.
-Timotheos
*Natsukashi is Japanese for 'nostalgia'. It seems that the Japanese get very nostalgic about many things and so this word crops up a lot more frequently in animé than it would in any Western cartoon - in any programme, for that matter.
I played it a little bit - of course. I got 950 on about my fifth attempt. Quite a clever little game. Now all they need are weapons and enemies and it'd actually be fun. It reminds me of an old game, Jumpjet, which I suspect was created by an individual and not widely distributed. It was amongst a collection of DOS games on our first family computer: a 386 DX40.
There were two other games that I enjoyed: Nyet (just like Tetris) and Textris, both of which I totally pwned the high scoreboard in. Gaming used to be so simple.
Matt and Lish (my brother-in-law and sister) have all the stuff for their new restaurant already, in storage, whilst they finalise some preceedings. At their house there is an old arcade table with a spaceship shooting game from the 80's, Phoenix - reminiscent of space invaders but slightly more advanced, in that you are actually flying through space with a top-down view (a primitive version of Raptor).
Oldschool gaming is teh best. Such titles as Streets of Rage 2 from the Megadrive, Street Fighter 2 at the arcade and Doom 2 on the pc. I loved the Monkey Island and Space Quest titles, not to mention Quest for Glory (part one formerly known as Hero's Quest), Commander Keen, Warcraft 2, Day of the Tentacle and Descent. Adventure and Platform was where it was at ^L^ And yes, I was always more of a pc gamer than a console gamer.
I'll bet that listing those titles would conjure up some natsukashi* moments for gamers in my generation. To truly appreciate gaming, one had to grow up in the 90's, as last decade saw the birth of 3D gaming, not to mention the release of such great games as Jedi Knight, Half-life, Goldeneye 007 and, of course, Final Fantasy VII.
Once, when I was at Bible College, a friend and I started talking about oldschool gaming. I think the conversation lasted for close to two hours. It was awesome just reminiscing about all of our experiences and what it was like growing up with computers and having access to all of these great titles that were released. Good ol' PKZip, hehe.
One thing we did at Bible College a lot was play cards. I really must play Killer Uno again some time. FBC was a great experience and a real turning point in my life. Since then I really have experienced a lot, changing my vocation from year to year. I look forward to studying later this year. I just have to pray more and decide what it is that I'm actually going to set my heart and mind on.
Ja ne.
-Timotheos
*Natsukashi is Japanese for 'nostalgia'. It seems that the Japanese get very nostalgic about many things and so this word crops up a lot more frequently in animé than it would in any Western cartoon - in any programme, for that matter.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Final Fantasy Revisited
I first played FFVII not too long after its release in 1997. I think it had been out for about a year or so when we got it. I can look back now and am not surprised that we found the game to be so captivating. Even now I consider it to be the greatest Final Fantasy game that Squaresoft has released.
There were moments back then, playing it through for the first time, when you got so caught up in what you were doing that you really understood what the characters were experiencing. It took me a long time to discover everything I could about the game, especially in understanding the entire story. Advent Children helped to clarify a few things and made for a great addition to the story as a whole.
One moment in the game really took me by surprise. I really hate it when people spoil things for you, especially in a game - this was one time that I was extremely glad that no one had spoiled a crucial moment in the game: Aeris's death. It was so unexpected that I actually felt upset that such a loveable character was suddenly taken away. It was very moving. That point in the game never fails to bring back memories of my first time through - a time when I almost felt like crying.
The only other time I felt like crying about something of a fantasy nature was in the third installment in the series Song of Albion, when the main character, the High King in an alternate existence, dies, leaving his wife and subjects and being forced back into his own reality: modern day England. It was very moving.
I'm currently playing FFVII on PC. Since I just passed the point in the game where Aeris gets killed by Sephiroth, I managed to take a few snapshots of the FMV as her death and Cloud's farewell are played out. It's still emotional even now. Note that the PC version has been ported from PSX with very few changes (exploits removed, a few subtle textual changes). Essentially, this means that the game remains at a low resolution of 640x480.
This game is still awesome.
-Timotheos
There were moments back then, playing it through for the first time, when you got so caught up in what you were doing that you really understood what the characters were experiencing. It took me a long time to discover everything I could about the game, especially in understanding the entire story. Advent Children helped to clarify a few things and made for a great addition to the story as a whole.
One moment in the game really took me by surprise. I really hate it when people spoil things for you, especially in a game - this was one time that I was extremely glad that no one had spoiled a crucial moment in the game: Aeris's death. It was so unexpected that I actually felt upset that such a loveable character was suddenly taken away. It was very moving. That point in the game never fails to bring back memories of my first time through - a time when I almost felt like crying.
The only other time I felt like crying about something of a fantasy nature was in the third installment in the series Song of Albion, when the main character, the High King in an alternate existence, dies, leaving his wife and subjects and being forced back into his own reality: modern day England. It was very moving.
I'm currently playing FFVII on PC. Since I just passed the point in the game where Aeris gets killed by Sephiroth, I managed to take a few snapshots of the FMV as her death and Cloud's farewell are played out. It's still emotional even now. Note that the PC version has been ported from PSX with very few changes (exploits removed, a few subtle textual changes). Essentially, this means that the game remains at a low resolution of 640x480.
This game is still awesome.
-Timotheos
Saturday, April 08, 2006
We Are All Human After All
I like the rain. It's nature's filter. It's especially exciting when there is a storm raging directly overhead. High winds, water bucketing out of the sky and flashes of lightning followed by tremendous peals of thunder. No wonder the Norse attributed energy storms to the supernatural. If there was a supernatural storm, however, I think we'd like to know about it.
But who really knows what's going on in the spiritual realm? Frank Peretti paints a good picture in his books Piercing the Darkness and This Present Darkness. Angels are portrayed as warriors of light, able to interact freely with humans and strengthened by the prayers of the saints; demonic forces are not wusses but in the end are overcome by the strategies of the angelic host - the more prayer cover, the stronger heaven's armies are against the forces of darkness.
The devil is real. He wants to sow discord all over the place. Everything Satan does is counterfeit and full of deception and lies; keeping up a strong spiritual shield by prayer, meditation, speaking in tongues and reading the Word, and not doing stupid things like gossipping, holding onto unforgiveness or judging people, is a good start to seeing through the enemy's deceit and avoiding falling into snares.
It can be subtle. In fact, often it starts with a small compromise as the minions of hell slowly find gaps in your defences; wedging a dagger in here, sinking a barb in there. The devil has been around for a long time and he has patience in breaking down the spirits of God's most wonderful creation: people. That is why spiritual growth is absolutely necessary and allowing the Holy Spirit to fill the gaps that do crop up is imperative. The flesh is never strong enough to withstand spiritual attack on its own.
Knowing the Word is important in being able to counter attacks that come your way. It's like FFVII's counter materia. The more you use it, the more AP you get. As it levels with enough AP, automatic countering is more frequent. At MASTER level, you counter every physical offensive. When you allow God's Word to speak to your spirit you are preparing yourself to be blessed, to be edified, to believe, to accept the truth, and to surround yourself with necessary protection.
Pray, speak in tongues and honour God with your thoughts and actions. We may only be human, but if we weren't weak in every way what use would God have for us? Not everything goes according to plan - in fact, often we don't understand why we fail, why some people have greater outward blessings than us or why certain other things in life seem to hold us back. Remember, in His mercy He forgives; in His grace He blesses.
Il dio è sempre fedele - God is always faithful. And so is His son, Jesus Christ our redeemer.
-Timotheos
But who really knows what's going on in the spiritual realm? Frank Peretti paints a good picture in his books Piercing the Darkness and This Present Darkness. Angels are portrayed as warriors of light, able to interact freely with humans and strengthened by the prayers of the saints; demonic forces are not wusses but in the end are overcome by the strategies of the angelic host - the more prayer cover, the stronger heaven's armies are against the forces of darkness.
The devil is real. He wants to sow discord all over the place. Everything Satan does is counterfeit and full of deception and lies; keeping up a strong spiritual shield by prayer, meditation, speaking in tongues and reading the Word, and not doing stupid things like gossipping, holding onto unforgiveness or judging people, is a good start to seeing through the enemy's deceit and avoiding falling into snares.
It can be subtle. In fact, often it starts with a small compromise as the minions of hell slowly find gaps in your defences; wedging a dagger in here, sinking a barb in there. The devil has been around for a long time and he has patience in breaking down the spirits of God's most wonderful creation: people. That is why spiritual growth is absolutely necessary and allowing the Holy Spirit to fill the gaps that do crop up is imperative. The flesh is never strong enough to withstand spiritual attack on its own.
Knowing the Word is important in being able to counter attacks that come your way. It's like FFVII's counter materia. The more you use it, the more AP you get. As it levels with enough AP, automatic countering is more frequent. At MASTER level, you counter every physical offensive. When you allow God's Word to speak to your spirit you are preparing yourself to be blessed, to be edified, to believe, to accept the truth, and to surround yourself with necessary protection.
Pray, speak in tongues and honour God with your thoughts and actions. We may only be human, but if we weren't weak in every way what use would God have for us? Not everything goes according to plan - in fact, often we don't understand why we fail, why some people have greater outward blessings than us or why certain other things in life seem to hold us back. Remember, in His mercy He forgives; in His grace He blesses.
Il dio è sempre fedele - God is always faithful. And so is His son, Jesus Christ our redeemer.
-Timotheos
Friday, April 07, 2006
Chocobo Stole My Baby
What do I like? Let's break it down ^L^
Science Fiction
Literature - Ender's Game (excellent fiction), A Game of Universe (have read this standalone novel at least twice) and many other titles that are set in places that defy our physical universe and metacurrent awareness.
Movies - Star Wars (classic), Flight of the Navigator (hearkens back to my childhood), Aliens (the best alien movie ever) and a selection of other films that involve spaceships and extra terrestrials. I love movies.
Programmes - Star Trek: The Next Generation (it's all in the dialogue), Firefly (pity it ran for only half a season) and of course other programmes that fit into this genre.
Games - Knights of the Old Republic (never did finish it), System Shock 2 (one of the best games ever made!), Alien vs. Predator (Predator FTW!), etc.
Orders - Jedi Knights (feel the force!), Immortals (there can be only one!), and so on.
Fantasy
Literature - Riftwars, Light and Shadow, Belgarion, The Wheel of Time, Deverry, Recluce; the list goes on. Worlds of marvellous and believable design; characters who live out surreal adventures - here is where it all happens.
Movies - Dungeons and Dragons (it wasn't that bad), The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (allegorically alluring).
Games - World of Warcraft (I quit, remember), Oblivion (only starting to scratch the surface here).
And everything else!
Animé, Superheroes, First person shooters, Roleplaying games, Final Fantasy, Action / Adventure movies / games / books, Web Design, Reading, Writing, Drawing, Crafting, Blogging, Eating, Sleeping, Xbox / PS2... ... ...
What sparked this shortened list of life's enjoyments was my sudden desire to play Final Fantasy X. I managed to get an emulator working but it runs the game at 4fps, making play impossible. In fact, I didn't get past the loading screen. I have been sorely tempted these last two days to buy a PS2. I'd like a brand new one, for three reasons: a) new stuff is likely to last longer; b) the slimline consoles take up less space and one would be far more manageable with my setup; and c) new stuff is shiny.
And with this twitch comes the reminder that I am not far from being a Final Fantasy fanatic. Well, considering some people in this world *cough* cosplaygeeksareretards *cough*, I guess I'm quite distant from being crazy about it, but since playing FFVII in 1997/98, Final Fantasy has been hugely important to me.
From the music to character pictures and playing as many of the games as I could get my hands on (FFVII is the best, followed by FFX), I was blown away when Advent Children finally came out (only watched it twice, though), after waiting so long from the first hint of its production. Now, with FFXII on the horizon - though still very distant for us /sob - I can't help but get excited about the whole phenomenon once more - and get this itch to play FFX.
I mean, I've clocked the game, but when last I played it I was attempting to fill the sphere grid up as much as I could, especially with my three favs (Waka, Tidus and Yuna). I was the mean Blitzball champ, could hit for 65K+ with Tidus's Ultimate Weapon equipped and did 99,999 with Bahamut, whilst also having unlocked the 9,999 cap with two other Aeons. /breath
So yes, I love the Final Fantasy games and just can't wait for the twelfth instalment to come out over here. And yes, I am still going to get a PS2 but it's not imperative that it be brand spanking new. Besides, I do have other PS2 games on hand. An Xbox and a PS2 eh. Whatever will I do with so many games at my disposal.
Guess I'd better learn2play all over again.
-Timotheos
Science Fiction
Literature - Ender's Game (excellent fiction), A Game of Universe (have read this standalone novel at least twice) and many other titles that are set in places that defy our physical universe and metacurrent awareness.
Movies - Star Wars (classic), Flight of the Navigator (hearkens back to my childhood), Aliens (the best alien movie ever) and a selection of other films that involve spaceships and extra terrestrials. I love movies.
Programmes - Star Trek: The Next Generation (it's all in the dialogue), Firefly (pity it ran for only half a season) and of course other programmes that fit into this genre.
Games - Knights of the Old Republic (never did finish it), System Shock 2 (one of the best games ever made!), Alien vs. Predator (Predator FTW!), etc.
Orders - Jedi Knights (feel the force!), Immortals (there can be only one!), and so on.
Fantasy
Literature - Riftwars, Light and Shadow, Belgarion, The Wheel of Time, Deverry, Recluce; the list goes on. Worlds of marvellous and believable design; characters who live out surreal adventures - here is where it all happens.
Movies - Dungeons and Dragons (it wasn't that bad), The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (allegorically alluring).
Games - World of Warcraft (I quit, remember), Oblivion (only starting to scratch the surface here).
And everything else!
Animé, Superheroes, First person shooters, Roleplaying games, Final Fantasy, Action / Adventure movies / games / books, Web Design, Reading, Writing, Drawing, Crafting, Blogging, Eating, Sleeping, Xbox / PS2... ... ...
What sparked this shortened list of life's enjoyments was my sudden desire to play Final Fantasy X. I managed to get an emulator working but it runs the game at 4fps, making play impossible. In fact, I didn't get past the loading screen. I have been sorely tempted these last two days to buy a PS2. I'd like a brand new one, for three reasons: a) new stuff is likely to last longer; b) the slimline consoles take up less space and one would be far more manageable with my setup; and c) new stuff is shiny.
And with this twitch comes the reminder that I am not far from being a Final Fantasy fanatic. Well, considering some people in this world *cough* cosplaygeeksareretards *cough*, I guess I'm quite distant from being crazy about it, but since playing FFVII in 1997/98, Final Fantasy has been hugely important to me.
From the music to character pictures and playing as many of the games as I could get my hands on (FFVII is the best, followed by FFX), I was blown away when Advent Children finally came out (only watched it twice, though), after waiting so long from the first hint of its production. Now, with FFXII on the horizon - though still very distant for us /sob - I can't help but get excited about the whole phenomenon once more - and get this itch to play FFX.
I mean, I've clocked the game, but when last I played it I was attempting to fill the sphere grid up as much as I could, especially with my three favs (Waka, Tidus and Yuna). I was the mean Blitzball champ, could hit for 65K+ with Tidus's Ultimate Weapon equipped and did 99,999 with Bahamut, whilst also having unlocked the 9,999 cap with two other Aeons. /breath
So yes, I love the Final Fantasy games and just can't wait for the twelfth instalment to come out over here. And yes, I am still going to get a PS2 but it's not imperative that it be brand spanking new. Besides, I do have other PS2 games on hand. An Xbox and a PS2 eh. Whatever will I do with so many games at my disposal.
Guess I'd better learn2play all over again.
-Timotheos
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Gods Cannot Be Killed
There's a big question surrounding deities in fantasy writ. Most authors, it seems, choose to implement the pantheistic approach - much like an Olympian setting - where the gods hold different offices and the commonfolk are superstitious, often praying to one god or another when faced with trials and troubles.
It's not often that a single god is used as the representation of higher powers. It is as if equal deities can rule in accord, keeping to their own areas and not overlapping into the natural realm. When gods do battle, the heavens shake and mankind is adversely affected. Perhaps natural disasters could be attributed to supernatural disagreements.
The question of the supernatural, in reality, is one of importance. Not a question, really, just the whole nature of the supernatural. It's interesting when you meditate and realise just how infinitely powerful God is - creating the universe, setting time in place, giving humans the sentient ability to reason self, seeding in us an eternal destiny - and that in spite of how impossible it is to actually comprehend Him, the Holy Spirit enables us to experience His grace and love and allows us to worship Him in freedom.
Christian fantasy couldn't allow for more than a single all-powerful entity, responsible for the creation of the world - or perhaps worlds. One who is reachable, not unattainable; One who grants power to the worthy, not mere mortals gaining power in their own strength; One who is a part of all things from the beginning.
My story has a Creator.
-Timotheos
It's not often that a single god is used as the representation of higher powers. It is as if equal deities can rule in accord, keeping to their own areas and not overlapping into the natural realm. When gods do battle, the heavens shake and mankind is adversely affected. Perhaps natural disasters could be attributed to supernatural disagreements.
The question of the supernatural, in reality, is one of importance. Not a question, really, just the whole nature of the supernatural. It's interesting when you meditate and realise just how infinitely powerful God is - creating the universe, setting time in place, giving humans the sentient ability to reason self, seeding in us an eternal destiny - and that in spite of how impossible it is to actually comprehend Him, the Holy Spirit enables us to experience His grace and love and allows us to worship Him in freedom.
Christian fantasy couldn't allow for more than a single all-powerful entity, responsible for the creation of the world - or perhaps worlds. One who is reachable, not unattainable; One who grants power to the worthy, not mere mortals gaining power in their own strength; One who is a part of all things from the beginning.
My story has a Creator.
-Timotheos
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Warning: Intruder Alert
I like movies. I think that's pretty obvious by now. It's also part of the reason why I see the future of Christian communication as being in the media area of entertainment. I watch a lot of movies. The other night, I told mum that I'd seen the Pink Panther. She asked me who I saw it with. What's that supposed to mean? I don't go to the movies. That's why torrents were invented. Think about it! Besides, I still feel cut off from life...
I just watched Garden State. It stars Natalie Portman and Zach Braff. I'm sitting there watching this messed up movie and I'm wondering such things as: what genre does this fit into? What the heck is it actually about? WTF is going on? Then, the closing scene fades out and I find an explanation for the whole thing: written and directed by Zach Braff. Go figure. He should just stick to playing doctor.
Scrubs is awesome. It's a brilliant piece of work, despite the lascivious disregard for morality. It's the sort of comedic show that I'd love to present from a different moral standpoint. My favourite character is Doctor Cox: the ever-present facetious, sarcastic doctor who launches badinage left and right, yet manages to stay all too human. Such verbal jousting as this programme exhales, reveals so much of human nature that it puts a university textbook to shame.
I appreciate what has gone into creating the characters and what goes into producing each episode; as a conventional writer, that shouldn't come as a surprise. I'm open to improving my skills by admiring other people's successes and pulling existing ideas gone to fruition into my repertoire of already explosive expressions of entertainment equity.
Movies are borne of ideas; ideas flow with stimulus from such media as movies - and so the cycle continues. One day I hope to write a killer script. So, the man with aspirations to put his talent to good use and express what's bursting in here, wishes to accomplish many things pertaining to the world at large and turn up the wattage out there.
The extent to which one achieves is directly dependent on one's will to succeed.
-Timotheos
I just watched Garden State. It stars Natalie Portman and Zach Braff. I'm sitting there watching this messed up movie and I'm wondering such things as: what genre does this fit into? What the heck is it actually about? WTF is going on? Then, the closing scene fades out and I find an explanation for the whole thing: written and directed by Zach Braff. Go figure. He should just stick to playing doctor.
Scrubs is awesome. It's a brilliant piece of work, despite the lascivious disregard for morality. It's the sort of comedic show that I'd love to present from a different moral standpoint. My favourite character is Doctor Cox: the ever-present facetious, sarcastic doctor who launches badinage left and right, yet manages to stay all too human. Such verbal jousting as this programme exhales, reveals so much of human nature that it puts a university textbook to shame.
I appreciate what has gone into creating the characters and what goes into producing each episode; as a conventional writer, that shouldn't come as a surprise. I'm open to improving my skills by admiring other people's successes and pulling existing ideas gone to fruition into my repertoire of already explosive expressions of entertainment equity.
Movies are borne of ideas; ideas flow with stimulus from such media as movies - and so the cycle continues. One day I hope to write a killer script. So, the man with aspirations to put his talent to good use and express what's bursting in here, wishes to accomplish many things pertaining to the world at large and turn up the wattage out there.
The extent to which one achieves is directly dependent on one's will to succeed.
-Timotheos
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Fish 'n Chips
When I went to India in Feb 2005, I took 23 flights within one month. I also spent my 25th birthday in Singapore, en route to Sri Lanka. My pastor and I visited various places throughout all of India, including Assam and Nagaland, two states in the very restrictive North-East, and Bengal, just below the Tibetan border.
While I was there, I took to drawing, tribal style. I did a flame, a rocket and a cross, amongst a few other drawings. Ok, so I'm not the greatest artist in the world but with writing and acting talent, I guess it stands to reason that I at least enjoy drawing. Don't look for a webcomic anytime soon. You won't find one.
Actually, I often draw when I'm listening to the Sunday morning sermon. It helps me put things into context and keeps my somewhat active mind occupied - or my hands, whatever. It's just so hard to sit still for that long and I find that I listen better if I'm actually putting image to what I'm hearing. Well, what I draw, when inspired, isn't always related to what I'm hearing, but it all helps ^L^. So now you know my secret... *shhh*
A little shading goes a long way. If I draw a weapon, I like to shade it - for depth - and also to put some sort of glowing effect around it. It just looks cool XD I've had a wee bit of practice now drawing weapons (seems to be the only thing I'm any good at, lol) but still like to try my hand at people, expressions, and mundane objects. I'd say I write a lot more than I draw but it still holds my interest and is something that I enjoy doing.
The following is a partial reconstruction of the tribal cross I drew while we were in Nagaland - staying in a mansion, for the record ^o^ I'm going to complete this computerised version eventually but it sure takes a lot of work!
-Timotheos
ps. Bonus points for getting the title reference. No cheating!
While I was there, I took to drawing, tribal style. I did a flame, a rocket and a cross, amongst a few other drawings. Ok, so I'm not the greatest artist in the world but with writing and acting talent, I guess it stands to reason that I at least enjoy drawing. Don't look for a webcomic anytime soon. You won't find one.
Actually, I often draw when I'm listening to the Sunday morning sermon. It helps me put things into context and keeps my somewhat active mind occupied - or my hands, whatever. It's just so hard to sit still for that long and I find that I listen better if I'm actually putting image to what I'm hearing. Well, what I draw, when inspired, isn't always related to what I'm hearing, but it all helps ^L^. So now you know my secret... *shhh*
A little shading goes a long way. If I draw a weapon, I like to shade it - for depth - and also to put some sort of glowing effect around it. It just looks cool XD I've had a wee bit of practice now drawing weapons (seems to be the only thing I'm any good at, lol) but still like to try my hand at people, expressions, and mundane objects. I'd say I write a lot more than I draw but it still holds my interest and is something that I enjoy doing.
The following is a partial reconstruction of the tribal cross I drew while we were in Nagaland - staying in a mansion, for the record ^o^ I'm going to complete this computerised version eventually but it sure takes a lot of work!
-Timotheos
ps. Bonus points for getting the title reference. No cheating!
Monday, April 03, 2006
Where We Belong
I wrote the following poem almost two years ago. It's quite long but was written whilst I was still writing poetry. Haven't brought out anything new in a while. Don't worry, this wasn't my latest. Just one that I still find quite interesting. Since I have nothing of real interest to write tonight, this will have to do:
Where we belong
We are who we are
And that is all, said he
Such finer works and words
Will not express adequately
Nor surely do justice
To what truly is
And was
And ever shall be
For in contemplating thought
And extending query
With explanation few and far between
A bounty void of want
A transaction lacking description
The nearest to complete
Couldn’t be called done in the least
Neither could such demure circumstances
Allow for further furrowing
Digging into the archives
Where anarchism and rabid promiscuity
Run vaguely side by side
Driving awareness towards more basic boundaries
Than pictures full of hate
Brimming with angst
Running over to a sharp decline of truths and trusts
Over exposure presents the greatest need
Turgid halfpipes never giving way
To more narrow escapades
Or wanton troubles
Tribulation, testing to be sure
Fire and brimstone preached
Prevention from mindful circumstances, circumspect
Another downfall through irksome troubles
Iresome spindles, needlessly spinning
Threads of fate and fortune deceased
Increasing the genuine capacity
Inherent within frigid items of discourse
Ethereal lisps whisked away
Transcending a forgotten plain
Steppes of anguish, humiliation
The juxtaposition a positive hormone
Even ugly stories outshine sunless skies
Vaguely encountering stack upon stack
Of quondam literaries
Literal dimensions elegantly diffused
Woken to receive open gestures of want
Ridiculous fanfares to declare ill-begotten triumph
Hmph, stare down the barrel of envy
Tight assurance, paragon of purchase
Asking too much, too little time to spare
Pierced anew, fish-on-a-stick
Caught in the act
Clever, mind you
Manners not frowned upon
But snapped with chesirely smirks
Rubbed, oiled smooth, canvassed fair
Bravery untold, retold, undergirded
Braided tails, a tale to tell
These woodsmen without a forest
The beck and call of hounds
At the master’s service
The peak of wealth
Worldy wisdom picks up where climate cannot
Environments that allow growth
Expenditure at a minimum
An all-time low
Down with hypocrisy
Down with spontaneous rebuttal
The dangerous words of a heartless crook
Twisted discipline
Unnecessary force
Sown into a freshly ploughed field
Soon to be blooming with miracles
As nature dictates
In her uncouth but graceful front
Behind every powerful push
Waiting for an equal and opposite reaction
Lies, halftruths, deceit to curb the counterfeit
The enemy’s gate or ground or haven
Spied from afar, confined to nearer points of origin
Covered, yes, coated with indestructible contaminate
To catch a spider in its own web
Knowledge from without
Understanding from above
Docile remnants roam the earth
Redemption sought
Such a select few who know no bounds
Accorded hope, afforded decency
Pulled through and through
Needle thin, fattened calves
An idle sacrifice
Dormant, unrealistic, dead
Carved images etched in grief
Teardrops to calm the lowliest heart
Hurting within, seeking reprieve from a dynasty
Unwilling to admit defeat
Until, dipped in ink
Burrow into tomorrow
The future upheld, revealed
What fiery furnace, places to go
Astute posture, begging for more
Posthumous recognition
An eye for an eye
Patch it up with more transgression
Screw it in with less ambition
Bitten off more often than not
Choosing to beguile their elders
A smile, a taunt, a nudge here and there
Winking convulsively
Panning through silt and clay
Mired in doubt, such distance
Gleaned aspects often overlooked
Search volumes rather left shut
Up, an atmospheric rise
Pressure’s on, you know
All too well, thirsting, stretched
Company kept, walls to scale
Reach the summit
And then…?
To top it all off
Drop it, no importance there
Scarcely a moment of breath
Indrawn secrecy
Unlocked box, soaked in tranquility
Take it, leave it, show it off
Beat around the world we see
Only one thing remains
Bones rot, hair falls out
Dismissed from service
Faster than a speeding bullet
A one-way ticket
Guaranteed success
Given the choice
Who we are, what we do
All he said was summed up in one truth
One way
Eternal life
The Living Word
Flesh fades, our soul is us
Use your gifts
Present your spirit
Thoroughly cleansed
Blood that was spilt
White robes, not split apart
Whole, covered from head to toe
A pleasing aroma
The perfect sacrifice
Unduly mine, yours, theirs
In there it says it all
We are his and he is ours
The beloved takes his bride
Tim JM Gough,
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