got time to kill? try this

warning: this can be addictive. if you don't have plenty of time on your hands, don't even start.

http://www.foddy.net/Athletics.html

ben & the burger king

nothing special about this post, except that i thought my sister might like it :)

history of the internet

if nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies

to give credit where credit is due, the author of that quote is unknown.

so, if you haven't already noticed, i changed my blog layout again. i consider it the equivalent of changing your room layout, which i used to do with great frequency in my youth. but change is good, no?

after reading the updates on other friends' blogs, i decided that i would forgo the pattern i was originally taking - which is, that i would only write when there was something truly meaningful to say. i've come to realize that sometimes there are those who appreciate a moment of silliness or stupidity throughout the course of their day. i am one of those people. so even if it means that i have to scour the web for such moments to add to my own blog, i will have at least granted myself that tiny laugh. lord knows i need it some days.

everyone's sugar's sweet

today, the hubby & i went to the thai temple to make merits to honour his late grandfather, who would have been 100 today. this was our first outing there and we were unsure of how today's events would transpire. having lived in thailand and with my husband being thai, we both still seemed at a loss of how to proceed. luckily, we met a younger monk (probably a bit younger than us) who provided some guidance. j and i stepped inside and immediately i felt like i was in familiar territory, with the large statue of buddha greeting me and with the thai tapestry and the king & queen's pictures lining the walls.

after we made our offering, we were invited by the monk to go downstairs to have a look around. it turns out they taught thai language classes there and we were encouraged to attend next week by the teachers we had just met. small world, she taught at the same elementary school my husband went to! it was great to just sit around and talk about the commonalities they had and i was happy to be able to recall little references that i knew about.

shortly after our discussion, we were honoured when the อาจารย์ ("ah-chan" = teacher, professor. in this case, the senior monk) joined our table. what happened next is something that i liken to what would an audience with god would be like. i was inspired by hearing him speak about the teachings of buddhism, the lessons that can be learned in life and how these lessons are evident in all religions. "everyone's sugar's sweet", he said. i smiled when he said it. it was so true and given the state of affairs in the middle east, it's a simple message that gets so incredibly lost amidst the violence. and as we also prepare for one of the greatest moments in american history, it's also a relevant statement regarding the ugly truth about america's struggle with racism.

in recent years, i've had internal conflicts with the teachings of my religion versus the ideal of being a good person leading a good life. i still consider myself to be a child of god and count many of my blessings to have come from him. yet at the same time, i am intrigued greatly by the words i heard today and by the gentle man who delivered them.

we've decided to go back next week, if just at first to get my family in closer touch with their heritage and to begin studying the language. i can't make any predictions about anything else, but it was nice to have confirmation that everyone's sugar's sweet.

things i learned in 2008

i started making this annual list 6 years ago, after my sister introduced me to the concept. here are the "things i learned in 2008"

1. i still love my car.
2. i'm glad i'm a realist. it makes things easier to swallow when your teenager tells a colourful story.
3. recovering from an illness takes discipline.
4. i love those moments that take my breath away.
5. i love a good party.
6. change sometimes happens overnight, when you least expect it. and it sort of makes it easier to accept.
7. i am in awe, when after a 20 year absence, people who you thought didn't think twice about you can still recall the small details about your life.
8. my littlest sister is an amazing human being. i want to be her when i grow up.
9. i can still pull off big surprises.
10. i finally appreciate the science of chemistry.
11. plans are easy - executing them is hard.
12. it's bizarre how people can travel in parallel lines for many years yet never meet until the time is right.
13. it feels good when my children teach me something new.
14. it's always nice to be appreciated.