When I die, Hallelujah, Bye and Bye, I'll Fly Away

I posted about my lovebird, Thor, a couple weeks ago, and how he had such a huge ego for such a small body. This morning, April 23rd, 2009, Thor flew on to a better world.

It was such a huge shock, because he had not shown signs of illness. Perhaps the draft killed him, perhaps not, we'll never know. The last time I held him was Tuesday night.

Let's think about this for a moment: If there were no God, humans would be the most irrational creatures ever. To form such strong emotional bonds with animals that provide nothing strictly material (ie nothing besides friendship and companionship or other such emotions) simply does not fit in in the naturalistic worldview, where only the testable and touchable is real, and the supernatural does not exist.

But God does exist, and He gave us stewardship over animals, so this grief I feel makes sense in that way.

"Yea though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." I guess that even losing a beloved friend like Thor will ultimately bring God glory. But if it doesn't sound to sentimental, I hope to see Thor, and Tansi (that's a story for another time) when I die.

B

Leave of Absence

Well, Regionals is approaching in 3 days, and I'm busy preparing for it. A side effect of all this preparation is that I don't have time to get on and post as much as I'd like. Therefore, I'll be taking a short leave of you, starting today, and ending sometime in 2 weeks.

B

This is a record

I'm amazed. In the past, I've stayed up late to get something urgent done - usually debate, or school work. But last night was the cram session to end all cram sessions. I stayed up until 1 AM ( highly unusual in and of itself) and I wasn't working on debate cases. Nope, I was up until early to paste pictures onto pieces of paper. That's right, I jeopardized today's mental sanity for the sake of expos boards.

What is the world coming to? I mean I had a good reason, since it's Time minus 7 days (Time being leaving for Regionals), and my props were completely non existent, but I'd never guess that they were that motivating. Speaking of time, look at it! It's time to save the world!
Got to go,

B

Nascentes Morimur

That Latin phrase is translated: From the moment we are born, we die. Yes, I do know I'm morbid. But with all the interesting things happening with my relatives (one died last week, and I've an uncle with cancer), I've been thinking about it a lot. So I asked myself the question: What will my tombstone look like?

Well, for starters, it must have an angel on it, preferably crying. These would do.



And then, I don't want my name on it. Just something philosophical and melancholy, to fit my disposition. Something like these ones:

Beneath this simple stone
That marks his resting place
Our precious darling sleeps alone
In the Lord's long embrace

Earth has no sorrow that heaven can not heal

Non omnis moriar (not all of me shall die)

Q.E.D (Quod Erat Demonstrandum, or That which has been demonstrated)

Adsum (I am here)

Memento mori (Remember your mortality)

Stipendium Peccati Mors Est (The wages of sin is death)

And then finally, my grave itself needs to be somewhere quiet, not by a freeway, or in a huge cemetery. Preferably, I'd have enough money when I die to purchase a huge estate and put a death park in it on the grounds. It would look like this:








Hidden somewhere within the park would be my grave, and a little waterfall and bench to sit on. Overall, my desired effect would be calm, and peaceful. Not noisy, or fast, but relaxing. Maybe I'd even put in a Zen garden nearby for any visitors to look at.

B

I have found my dream profession

People always ask me what my favorite subject is in school, but I always have a hard time answering that, since my favorite subject changes from day to day. Some days, I like history, while on others I enjoy science, english, languages, math, or others.
This has some huge ramifications for I will be when I grow up. Based off of all the subject I like, I have decided to be a creatively writing and researching scientist who studies how a cultures' mathematic development and oral history influences the changes of it's grammar structures over the years as its diet changes. And who also plays violin well and composes for movies.

Latin Quotes A-E

Latin is a language incredibly suited for amazing phrases and inspiring quotes, translations that fill me with a sense of giddy excitement. So, without further ado, I give you my list of my favorite Latin phrases :) Enjoy.

abundans cautela non nocet - Abundant caution does no harm
abusus non tollit usum - Misuse does not remove use: Abuse does not, in itself, justify denial of use. i.e. Just because pragmatism has been abused does not mean that all pragmatism is therefore inherently bad.
abyssus abyssum invocat - The deep calls to the deep. Psalms 42:7
alenda lux ubi orta libertas - Let learning be cherised where liberty has arisen.
audemus jura nostra defendere - We dare to defend our rights.
beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam - Blessed is the man who finds wisdom.
Carthago delenda est - Carthage must be destroyed.
cessante ratione legis cessat ipsa lex - When the reason for the law ceases, the law itself ceases.
cogito ergo sum - I think, therefore I am. Rene Descartes
condemnant quod non intellegunt - They condemn because they don't understand.
cor meum tibi offero domine prompte et sincere - I offer my heart to you Lord, sincerely and promptly.
cruci dum spiro fido - When I trust in the cross, I live.
de omnibus dubitandum - Be suspicious of everything
disce aut discede - Learn or Depart!
disce quasi semper victurus vive quasi cras moriturus - Learn as if you are going to live forever, live as if you are going to die tomorrow.
Dominus Illuminatio Mea - The Lord is my illumination
dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - It is a sweet and honorable thing to die for the fatherland.
Dulce Periculum - Danger is sweet.
dum spiro spero - While I breathe, I hope.
Dum vita est, spes est. - While there is life, there is hope.
errare humanum est. - To err is human.
esse quam videri - To be, rather than to seem.
ex abundantia enim cordis os loquitur - For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
ex nihilo nihil fit - Nothing may come from nothing.
ex scientia vera - From knowledge, truth.
extra territorium jus dicenti impune non paretur - he who administers justice outside of his territory is disobeyed with impunity


That's the list through 'E's. More coming soon.

B

2009 Internet April Fools Day

There are two great April Fools Day jokes online today: One played by an English newspaper called The Guardian, and one by Google.

The Guardian announced this morning that they would be switching publications entirely to Twitter, and will be adding the archives as far back as the 1821 shortly thereafter. Read about it here.

Google email introduced CADIE: Cognitive Autoheuristic Distributed-Intelligence Entity. This program apparently can configure replies that best suit the tone, language, punctuation and emoticon use, etc. "It's just like you, but automated."