You Raise Me Up

You Raise Me Up - this song never failed to encourage me in my darkest moments. When I wrote the earlier "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" post, I was feeling overwhelmed and weary from the going ons around me. So many things have been happening; one disappoinment simply lead to another. I was wondering if I'll ever be able to catch a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. Then this song played on my media player and I was reminded of God's sovereign love for us. It is always darkest before dawn, but as dark as our nights may be, we are assured that dawn will come, and with dawn comes the light. When things fail and it seems that we're hanging on by a very thin thread, which in turn feels as if it will snap at any time, God is there. And if we let Him, He will carry us through.

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
Amen.

I'm tired. I want to sleep.

Writer’s Food Pyramid

Writer’s Food Pyramid by Tom Cheney
ID: 67663, Published in The New Yorker June 16, 2003

Guys You Should Never Date

I've just read this interesting article from ShoppingLifestyle.com and gals, listen up! There are five types of men you should NEVER EVER get involved with. If you've often found yourself questioning your choice in men and series of relationship bad luck, it's time for a reality check. Have you been dating any of these men? You've probably heard it all before, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded from time to time. Okay, it might hurt if you've "fallen" for one of these men, you're in the midst of a "relationship" with one or contemplating a "relationship" with one. Such "relationships" are all pain and no gain. Collect all your scattered marbles now and move on, before you lose yourself.

1. Married - Bad, bad, bad idea. This guy already belongs to someone else and unless you enjoy sneaking around, STAY AWAY from him, even if he promises to leave his wife for you. Hey, if a man is willing to leave his wife for you, what makes you think he won't leave you for someone else? Forget all the sweet talks and mumbo jumbo about his wife not being there for him, them not loving each other anymore, him being forced into the marriage (for whatever reason/s), you being the person he's been searching for all his life (duh!), you love him with all your heart and you're willing to sacrifice anything, ANYTHING, for him, and etc. This guy is OFF LIMITS! He's wearing someone else's wedding ring!

2. Dominator - Control freak. Need I say more? At the beginning it may seem as if he cares about you and takes an interest in all you do. But once he's established himself in your life, you'll no longer have a life. Imagine having all your calls (and friends) screened and being told how to dress, where to shop, what to eat, how to decorate your home right down to what colour underwear you should wear... Hey, even if you're a damsel in distress and in need of saving, you don't need to be told how to run your life, right?

3. Broken Heart - This seemingly lost puppy needs some sense knocked into him. Even so, he still might not come to his senses. He'll probably just end up in a coma and that's the best case scenario. He's looking for some mollycoddling, not someone to love. Flee! Run, far, far away!

4. Smoothie - This one? All about outward appearances. All glitz and no depth. Like a double choc fudge sundae - looks good, smells good and tastes even better. Perhaps something to be enjoyed for the moment, but definitely not something worth risking your long-term health over.

5. The Drain - The leech who sucks you dry - emotionally, financially and/or physically. When things go wrong, he blames everyone but himself. By the time he's done with you, you'll be nothing but an empty shell. How sad...

The end of my version. I'm not an expert, so don't take my word for it; read the original 5 Guys You Should Never Date article. Though I may sound like a man-hater, I'm not... nooooooo. I have a love-hate relationship with one, and my favourite pastime is pushing his buttons when I'm not driving him up the walls :D

Feeling demoralised? Don't be. For every guy you should never date, there is one whom you should. Here are the 5 Guys Every Gal Should Date Before Settling Down.

p/s: Alright, so I'm supposed to write about my vacation, but I got side-tracked. And there's the fact that I haven't finished doctoring the photos yet. I'll probably get on it over the weekend. Stay tuned!

Back to the Sweltering Heat

I-AM-BACK!

After being away for four days of no-work-and-all-play holiday to Japan, I'm back. Those four days were simply too short, and if I could, I would have made it 10 days at least, but that would still have been too short. Although I'm glad to be home, my return meant leaving the cool, wintry weather of Tokyo behind :( Home is sweltering days and balmy nights. But I don't have a choice - I was running out of money.

Right now, I'm back home and dreading the arrival of my bank statement. Yup, I can also check the damages to my bank account online, but why do today what you can put off till tomorrow and the day after, and the day after and they day after and... Although, I was *ahem* smart enough to use a debit card this time around, so that I'm spending well within my means. With no instalment plans and no minimum payments due, that was a truly debt-free holiday and nothing beats the feeling of not having to "pay up" when the bill comes.

With several reminders from my sister, I remembered to take pictures of my trip and will be back to write about them when I have time. Tomorrow, it's back to work and playing catch-up on tasks and assignments :( Sigh... well, we all have to earn our keeps and I definitely have to earn mine if I'm planning to catch the cherry blossoms in Apr.

so1itair3 out for now.