The Faces of December
(This article is best experienced by hovering your mouse pointer over the hyperlinks to exploit the enhanced Snap graphics…)
Time/date: 3:02 AM, December 25 (Christmas Day), 2007
Location: Summit, Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii
Hey y’all! As you can see from this BIG postcard I’m visiting Haleakala volcano on Maui in Hawaii! Haleakala looks like the Moon! It’s freezing up here at over 10,000 feet and in the middle of the night! I’m star watching and here for the spectacular sunrise. I luv the islands but I miss y’all, its hard to be apart over Xmas, I mean its all about family. After this I’m off to Singapore, and to Bandung Indonesia to see another volcano! Then home sweet home to see y’all in Dallas, hope you had a great time in Helsinki! Love & hug U, merry Xmas, Anna
Time/date: 6:23 AM, December 25 (Christmas Day), 2007
Location: Cubical 1908, Room 3.2.4, seventh floor, Universal TechServe Call Center, Bangalore, India
“Hello Madam welcome to Universal TechServe Help Center; how may I help you?
….ah yes mam thank you and a merry Christmas to you also….
….no mam its not snowing here…no its 21 degrees and dry out….actually I have a nice view out of the window…ah, oh my minus 10 and snowing in WiNNiPeG…why no no I’m not used to those kinds of temperatures….ah..I am understanding this is very cold…ah Florida, why no I have never been to Florida it is warm there no isn’t it?....
….ah Mrs. Claus are you having…issues with your computer?....this is so no?...
….Your looking for a recipe for cooking turkey????... Mrs. Claus you do realize…ah, oh yes if you wish I will call you Elizabeth….that is very interesting isn’t it? I am sure Madam-Mrs. Claus-I-mean-Elizabeth…but actually we are a Help Center for computers….well ah yes we are called Universal….yes we are a Help Center…but Mrs..... Elizabeth we are a computer help service, we help with all kinds of computer issues…ah…yes but I know nothing about cooking Christmas turkeys…
….I am in Bangalore India….no not BaNGoR MaiNe, BaNGaLoRe iNDia…why thank you your English is very good also isn’t it?…my name? My name is Miriam…thank you your name is also pretty …ah yes indeed…ah Iowa…I have always wanted to visit Iowa…no I have never been to Las Vegas….
…..ah no I am fine with merry Christmas Elizabeth…actually it is early Christmas morning here (or at least it was)…oh nothing Elizabeth I was just speaking to my colleague…no actually I’m not Hindu so saying merry Christmas to me is fine…ah, actually I am Christian, about 6% of Bangalore is Christian….yes indeed interesting isn’t it...you see I am a wealth of helps he he….
….Elizabeth I have your information…you wanted to know how to cook a turkey….ah yes well I found it on Google…
…oh do people often call you Santa's wife?….I never even thought of it…of course you are Mrs. Claus no?…it looks good no?... the recipe…
…ah….ah yes I understand your computer is not working so you cannot use Google and you need the recipe…. here is the turkey recipe…
…yes merry Christmas to you also Elizabeth I hope your family enjoys the turkey dinner…goodbye….
Hey Selene your not going to believe the call I just took from some American! She is knowing the answers now…Google-snoogle, turkey-workey, ah I love this job….WiNNiPeG….next call”
Time/date: After untold endless torturous hours of air flight in economy class (with many hours to go), December 25 (Christmas Day), 2007
Location: British Airways flight CAD839 Vancouver (YVR) Canada to Lisbon (LIS) Portugal 32,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean
“This is the Captain speaking, if you feel the need to stretch your legs I suggest you do it now. There are some heavy turbulence and storms on our way to Lisbon, but in Lisbon it is a pleasant but cool 8 Celsius your going to need your casaco de malha, ha ha, for those of you that don’t speak Portuguese you’ll need your cardigans. We have a pleasant surprise for you…a special turkey dinner including cranberry sauce….on behalf of British Airways, the crew, and myself may you have a pleasant flight and happy Holiday.”
Time/Date: 9:42 PM, December 24, 2007
Location: Room 316, a hotel on the strip, Las Vegas, Nevada
“….Come on mom pick up the phone…mom?...Hi mom its me Julie…I hope its not to late I know its another hour later there in Winnipeg…wow its that cold and snowing eh? Sounds like home…I miss you mom, I miss everybody there…I sent an email but you didn’t get back to me…oh well, yeah, I know what its like when the computers not working…oh thanks mom I am doing well, the best ever…
….oh Dave brought his new boyfriend Bruce for the family dinner…does Bruce seem nice? I only talked with him for a moment on the phone but he was pleasant…that’s great I’m glad you like him…
….oh mom you made turkey….you’ve NEVER made turkey!....and I missed it…
….work eh?...well I actually wanted to talk about that…I…I quit….mom…mom…please listen to my side of the story….mom the money was fantastic….but no matter how much I kept telling myself that it was ok to be a prostitute I couldn’t keep doing it….I know you think it is a good way to make some big money mom…but now I think its wrong…eh?....
….well I had an experience that sort of changed things…no I’m still in Vegas…I love LA but I also love Vegas….
……but well mom this is hard to explain…one night after the customer left the hotel room I went to get the yellow pages out of the drawer of the night table and…well there was a…Bible>>>>I’ve become a Christian mom… …..
…..I knew you’d feel that way I know how you feel about them…us…me. I knew you would be disappointed…
….mom life is different for me now….no nobody brainwashed me mom…it was just me and the Bible…and God….I then joined this great Church! I love it there! The people are so nice and real!
….mom? oh mom you didn’t have to hang up…I wanted to tell you about Jesus…well that leaves me sitting here with my Bible alone with God which means I’m never alone, looking out the window at the Moon, probably a good thing I didn’t tell her yet that I’m going away as a missionary to either the Arab World or India.”
Time/date: December 24, 1968
Location: Apollo 8 while orbiting the Moon
William Anders:
“We are now approaching the lunar sunrise and, for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you.”
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”
Jim Lovell:
“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”
Frank Borman:
“And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth."
Thank you for spending this time with me, I hope you enjoyed these short stories about “The Faces of December”. Merry Christmas to you and yours…
I now encourage you to go next door to enjoy the view of my friend MAX on this interesting theme. Enter the MAX zone.
34 Comments on the Blade:
LS,
LOL LOL LOL LOL Congratulations! I am still laughing like crazy lol...
Anyway, I must comment step by step:
December 25, Loc: Maui, Hawai
The volcano is gorgeous!It seems like the soil has three different colours! Loved it :).
I loved the way you put Anna saying that Xmas is all about family and yet she's travelling around the world (I love a good critique *clap clap clap*)!
If I would ever spend Xmas away from my mom, she would kill me lol lol! She takes it seriously :).
December 25, Loc: Bangalore
Marvellous dialogue! I laughed so much that my stomach hurt lol! It was so real, I was actually listening to the two women conversing *nodding*. I even imagined the call-centre worker talking with a slight accent...great!
One of the most hilarious moments is when Elizabeth tells the worker that she speaks good English LOL LOL it's so typical *nodding*!
I could also hear Mrs Claus saying "Merry Xmas, dear! Oh, no...but you are Indian, perhaps it is unappropriate...I am ever so sorry!" LOL LOL LOL...Poor Mrs Claus *nodding*.
December 25, Loc: BA flight Canada-Lisbon
LOL LOL You made up that flight LOL (at least it isn't a BA one lol)!
"but in Lisbon it is a pleasant but cool 8ºC" - LOL LOL LOL we so do not find it pleasant; but for you guys it must sound like paradise :).
"you're going to need your casaco de malha" - very very good, I am impressed! One of these days we shall find ourselves debating in Portuguese LOL LOL :).
That was a nice meal (well, at least its description - God knows the taste of it lol)!
December 24, Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada
LOL LOL *nodding*! So, brother Dave took his boyfriend over to Xmas family dinner? How modern :). This reminds me of a movie with Sarah Jessica Parker..."The Family Stone", I believe lol: great movie!
Now, if mom never cooked turkey how can she miss it lol? This one made me laugh like a maniac lol lol....
Oh the mom supporting the idea that she should continue to be a sex-trader, just kills me lol. I mean, we know moms usually support their daughters...but come on! *nodding*. Poor girl, of course she feels it's wrong (her aura can't take it anymore) *nodding*.
Ohhh, how cute of her...so she became a follower of Jesus, ey? Oh my...but look, she says "I know how you feel about them...us...me" - was this intended to show that she isn't right about her choice yet, or that she knows what her mom really thinks about her (the mom obviously doesn't trust her daughter's discernment...it's either that, or mom is a former sex-trader, herself, and is disappointed at the fact that her offspring won't continue the tradition *frowning*). This is just lovely...well done, LS!
Missionary work in the Arab world? LOL does she have death wishes? *nodding*...India is not bad - if she goes to Bangalore (more Christians, right?).
December 24, 1968; Loc: Apollo 8
Ok, Genesis... how appropriate :)!
LS, this was amazing: I loved it *bowing*! Congrats *clap clap clap*!
Cheers
Hi Max;
I am pleased that you are so full of laughter, that brings is smile to my face :)
You said:
December 25, Loc: Maui, Hawai
The volcano is gorgeous!It seems like the soil has three different colours! Loved it :).
I loved the way you put Anna saying that Xmas is all about family and yet she's travelling around the world (I love a good critique *clap clap clap*)!
If I would ever spend Xmas away from my mom, she would kill me lol lol! She takes it seriously :).
I respond:
I have on more than one occasion (5-6 times I think) stood atop Haleakala and it is truly an amazing place to be…particularly at sunrise!
I’m glad you got the family part, yet Christmas is also hardly about “family” although that seems to be the predominant view in North American pop-culture along with consumerism.
You said:
December 25, Loc: Bangalore
Marvellous dialogue! I laughed so much that my stomach hurt lol! It was so real, I was actually listening to the two women conversing *nodding*. I even imagined the call-centre worker talking with a slight accent...great!
One of the most hilarious moments is when Elizabeth tells the worker that she speaks good English LOL LOL it's so typical *nodding*!
I could also hear Mrs Claus saying "Merry Xmas, dear! Oh, no...but you are Indian, perhaps it is unappropriate...I am ever so sorry!" LOL LOL LOL...Poor Mrs Claus *nodding*.
I respond:
Lol I’m glad you enjoyed this one, I had fun writing it.
I actually incorporated accents of Indo-Canadian friends of mine and studied info about accents (and speaking habits) in Bangalore and India to help out the authenticity a bit. I want to point out I am not making fun of the Indian call center worker, her English is far better than my Hindi!!!
Elizabeth is an interesting character in that the way she interacts with the Indian worker in a “tolerant” way…but her intolerance is later exposed….
Of course there is also a Bible tie in with these two…do you see it?
You said:
December 25, Loc: BA flight Canada-Lisbon
LOL LOL You made up that flight LOL (at least it isn't a BA one lol)!
"but in Lisbon it is a pleasant but cool 8ºC" - LOL LOL LOL we so do not find it pleasant; but for you guys it must sound like paradise :).
"you're going to need your casaco de malha" - very very good, I am impressed! One of these days we shall find ourselves debating in Portuguese LOL LOL :).
That was a nice meal (well, at least its description - God knows the taste of it lol)!
I respond:
LOL I assure you that flight CAD839 Vancouver to Lisbon does exist and when I wrote the article there were still seats available!!!!! The food was also an accurate representation to what is supposed to be served! And actually all temperatures and weather in this article, not just this story are based either upon last year or a mean average…the links are all provided LOL
Last year Vancouver was 6c on Christmas and Lisbon’s temp is accurate.
I have an excellent Portuguese teacher; she maximizes both patience and kindness :)
If we debated in Portuguese then how would I keep you in line :0 LOL I don’t need to say that was humor I clearly don’t keep you “in line” in English! LOL
It is so true what you say about airline food…of course even if it is bad it is a distraction form the torture of confined long haul flights! I mentioned the cranberries because according to the menu I tracked down from the food service for the flight (no easy task I tell you) they will be served but also Vancouver and environs are second largest suppliers of cranberries in North America, and therefore one of the largest in the world!
You said:
December 24, Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada
LOL LOL *nodding*! So, brother Dave took his boyfriend over to Xmas family dinner? How modern :). This reminds me of a movie with Sarah Jessica Parker..."The Family Stone", I believe lol: great movie!
Now, if mom never cooked turkey how can she miss it lol? This one made me laugh like a maniac lol lol....
Oh the mom supporting the idea that she should continue to be a sex-trader, just kills me lol. I mean, we know moms usually support their daughters...but come on! *nodding*. Poor girl, of course she feels it's wrong (her aura can't take it anymore) *nodding*.
Ohhh, how cute of her...so she became a follower of Jesus, ey? Oh my...but look, she says "I know how you feel about them...us...me" - was this intended to show that she isn't right about her choice yet, or that she knows what her mom really thinks about her (the mom obviously doesn't trust her daughter's discernment...it's either that, or mom is a former sex-trader, herself, and is disappointed at the fact that her offspring won't continue the tradition *frowning*). This is just lovely...well done, LS!
Missionary work in the Arab world? LOL does she have death wishes? *nodding*...India is not bad - if she goes to Bangalore (more Christians, right?).
I respond:
LOL I have not seen the movie you speak of….This is based upon a true story I personally know about. Although it was not in Vegas, I did that as a gift to a guest to this blog from a great Church in Vegas. There are a lot of such “gifts” in these stories.
LOL I was wondering if anybody would get the turkey part!! *clap clap*
The mom prostitution support is sadly part of the true story I know of….
I left the "I know how you feel about them...us...me" part a bit nebulous to invite thoughts and you provided, you are a sharp gal! I look at this as more of Julie the daughter still comprehending her new life but your take is totally justifiable in the story and I purposely left it so. I certainly don’t want to paint becoming a follower of Jesus as a smooth transformation…being born again can be painful!
I love your line about the mom! And the daughters discernment plus the mothers possible history of prostitution…ALL you said there is part of the story! Well done!
She actually went to Bangalore then Chennai (the city in India with the largest population of Christians) and then to the Middle East and has ministered to women in a powerful way! Of course this ties the call center in Bangalore together with this story….Julies mom is Elizabeth from Winnipeg.
You said:
December 24, 1968; Loc: Apollo 8
Ok, Genesis... how appropriate :)!
LS, this was amazing: I loved it *bowing*! Congrats *clap clap clap*!
I respond:
Thank you my friend you are to kind….
….now I have a question…do you spot ALL the threads that weave themselves throughout ALL the stories together? Including the “pagan” connection or anti-connection?
There is more than one commonality in these stories…I know how much you like layers of thought….
Hello LS,
"I am pleased that you are so full of laughter, that brings is smile to my face :)" - it should bring more than a smile, it should bring a smirk lol. I congratulate you again *clap clap clap*! I read this article 3 times :).
"I have on more than one occasion (5-6 times I think) stood atop Haleakala and it is truly an amazing place to be…particularly at sunrise!" - I can imagine :).
"I’m glad you got the family part, yet Christmas is also hardly about “family” although that seems to be the predominant view in North American pop-culture along with consumerism." - here it is about family too (although the religious part is very much rooted in most Roman Catholic families).
"Lol I’m glad you enjoyed this one, I had fun writing it." - I could tell, it was wonderfully written :).
"I actually incorporated accents of Indo-Canadian friends of mine and studied info about accents (and speaking habits) in Bangalore and India to help out the authenticity a bit. I want to point out I am not making fun of the Indian call center worker, her English is far better than my Hindi!!!" - LOL don't worry; when I immitate the my African brothers, I am not making fun of them, I am actually enhancing their cultural idyossincracies. So that's what you did :). Your strategy worked: it looked authentic *clap clap clap*.
"Elizabeth is an interesting character in that the way she interacts with the Indian worker in a “tolerant” way…but her intolerance is later exposed…." - absolutely, I noticed it well...that's why I said "typical" (typical of bigots, know what I mean?) *nodding*.
"Of course there is also a Bible tie in with these two…do you see it?" - Miriam (Virgin Mary? Mother of Jesus?) and Elizabeth (the cousin of the Virgin Mary? Mother of John Baptist?)
"LOL I assure you that flight CAD839 Vancouver to Lisbon does exist and when I wrote the article there were still seats available!!!!! The food was also an accurate representation to what is supposed to be served! And actually all temperatures and weather in this article, not just this story are based either upon last year or a mean average…the links are all provided LOL" - I am sure it exists, but I went to BA site and the flight number starts with BA (Vancouver-Heathrow BA0084/Heathrow-Lisbon BA0502 or BA0504). But as you said: CAD839 exists :)! LOL you are right, the links are provided...silly me *nodding*.
"Last year Vancouver was 6c on Christmas and Lisbon’s temp is accurate." - lol I didn't say that Lisbon's temp wasn't :).
"I have an excellent Portuguese teacher; she maximizes both patience and kindness :)" - had to be a she *nodding* LOL...
"If we debated in Portuguese then how would I keep you in line :0 LOL I don’t need to say that was humor I clearly don’t keep you “in line” in English! LOL" - LOL LOL LOL LOL this was an extremely good one LOL LOL! *hand on my stomach*....
"It is so true what you say about airline food…of course even if it is bad it is a distraction form the torture of confined long haul flights!" - for me it isn't torture cause I sleep like a baby throughout the trip lol; however the food is torture (I am used to good food) lol.
"I mentioned the cranberries because according to the menu I tracked down from the food service for the flight (no easy task I tell you) they will be served but also Vancouver and environs are second largest suppliers of cranberries in North America, and therefore one of the largest in the world!" - lol lol who did you bribe to get the menu, huh *tapping the floor*? lol lol
"LOL I have not seen the movie you speak of….This is based upon a true story I personally know about. Although it was not in Vegas, I did that as a gift to a guest to this blog from a great Church in Vegas. There are a lot of such “gifts” in these stories." - you haven't?! You should, it's a good romantic-comedy movie, Mr Spock fan lol (I read your profile lol). Oh, that is so cute of you :). Did you ask that person for permission to include his/her story in the article?
"LOL I was wondering if anybody would get the turkey part!! *clap clap*" - thank you, thank you *bowing* lol. You know, this part made laugh even harder, I don't know why...maybe because it reminded me of something I would write LOL *nodding*. It was intelligent, humourous, amazing...
"The mom prostitution support is sadly part of the true story I know of…." - :( I hear you....
"I left the "I know how you feel about them...us...me" part a bit nebulous to invite thoughts and you provided, you are a sharp gal! I look at this as more of Julie the daughter still comprehending her new life but your take is totally justifiable in the story and I purposely left it so. I certainly don’t want to paint becoming a follower of Jesus as a smooth transformation…being born again can be painful!" - I agree with you "being born again can be painful" indeed; as we have discussed in "Dead leaves and Youth" (although the metaphor was "death", but it comes down to the same in the end). [note that I am avoiding making a comment to «you are a sharp gal!» as I smirk while typing these words LOL LOL LOL].
"I love your line about the mom! And the daughters discernment plus the mothers possible history of prostitution…ALL you said there is part of the story! Well done!" - thanks, LS...after all, it was well written :).
"She actually went to Bangalore then Chennai (the city in India with the largest population of Christians) and then to the Middle East and has ministered to women in a powerful way! Of course this ties the call center in Bangalore together with this story….Julies mom is Elizabeth from Winnipeg." - well done *clap clap clap*...I hadn't got that one *nodding*. I am glad she ministered to women in a powerful way (I confess that I got worried there...I started imagining her being arrested, and it is not a pretty sight *nodding*) :).
"Thank you my friend you are to kind…." - you are welcome, LS...it was really brilliant :).
"….now I have a question…do you spot ALL the threads that weave themselves throughout ALL the stories together? Including the “pagan” connection or anti-connection?" - I don't know if I see it: there's Anna (a Biblical name) who doesn't care about Xmas, and is busy travelling (her family isn't into it much either, since they are out travelling themselves); Miriam (Mary, another biblical name; and who is Christian. Mary - Virgin Mary) who shows an immense patience towards Elizabeth (who shows signs of bigotry when she realises that she's Indian) although she is an ignorant cause she calls American to a Canadian (notion that North Americans are all the same), here there is a reference to Xmas; Portugal - no reference to Xmas (in fact the captain says "happy Holiday" [is this your way of showing that you are uncertain about my belief system? lol]); Las vegas - Julie (who reminded me of Mary Magdalena who decided to follow Jesus; and it is said that she was a sinner...) who saw the light and quit her sex-trading business (although with some mixed feelings), interestingly enough Elizabeth showed signs of bigotry towards Miriam, but seems to accept her gay son and prostitute daughter very well (and doesn't take well the news that "Magdalena" is following Jesus now). Apollo means Genesis: the men up there made me think of when God made the earth and hadn't put Adam in it yet (so the men in the shuttle represent Adam waiting to come to earth...immagination running).
Anna and Portugal are the pagans, Miriam and Elizabeth represent the church and Julie represents the Church (in a sense of purity towards the teachings. Her mixed feelings are normal in a person who really intends to change).
What say you, Professor LS?
"There is more than one commonality in these stories…I know how much you like layers of thought…." - lol you noticed all that lol lol. more than one commonality...I noticed the biblical names: Anna, Miriam, Elizabeth; I didn't get the connection commonality between Anna and the others; when Elizabeth calls Miriam it is Dec. 24 in Winnipeg and Dec. 25 in Bangalore...what are the others?
Cheers
This is most interesting post I ever seen, forgive me but I got lost, lol and I almost thought you were away in Hawaii and then up to Singapore, and then I realized....lol. Thanks for taking me through this adventure, I will be back to finish the links, as it really started interesting. Like I always say, I got to get my beauty sleep (I love sleeping and resting, and I say whoever invented sleep was a Genius). I also wanted to thank you for the nice comments on my blog, it is really appreciated. Will talk again. Anna :)
Hi Anna;
I will rest well myself after you said “This is most interesting post I ever seen”. Have a good rest sleeping beauty!
Your gracious kindness is warmly reiceved.
Wow, that was a lot of work. I started feeling how much time you put into this before I was even half way through.
Nice post though, the little pop ups are interesting.
~Oswegan
Hi Oswegan;
Thanks for coming by and thanks for the comment!
I would love to say it is something I just “whipped up” but in reality yes it took quite a bit of work. The creative process was a fair amount of work and then the implementation and adaptation was even more work…but it sure was a lot of fun to put together…
I have to work hard on these Graffiti articles or Max will just kick me around :) lol
LS;
LOL LOL LOL LOL *nodding*!
Hi LS, so I read this post again, and went through the links, and Hawaii really interest me now, I think next time I plan travel place, probably will consider Hawaii, especially see the volcanos. I been in Singapore for a week, oh the weather is so different, when we came out the airport to get a taxi around 12 am, we were hit with humid hot air soon as we opened the door - its like getting free spa. I personally really enjoyed it, it is city though, not much of a nature, but had some opportunity to visit the bird park, which was really interesting. Even though I don't like shopping it was kind of nice because 1 cnd dollar then was equal to 70 cents singaporian dollar. This was only good for restaurants, but for clothing unless you went to china or india town, the malls were very much like in US or Canada, and very expensive. The only deal you were getting, very low tax.
And moving on to your bible notes, I think God was a genius to create us, especially to that point that we can blog about him. Hey I guess I got to run again, and I will see you around. Hope all is well. Anna :)
Hi Max sorry to take so long to get to this comment of yours, I have been busy with my alternative non-Blogging life! LOL
Just in case people think I hate alternative lifestyles :) lol
You said:
You said:
I read this article 3 times
I respond:
Max you are a treasure! Or are you saying you prefer my longer articles? ;[|] LOL LOL
You said:
"I have on more than one occasion (5-6 times I think) stood atop Haleakala and it is truly an amazing place to be…particularly at sunrise!" - I can imagine :).
I respond:
The first time I was there for a sunrise it was unbelievably freezing, even for a Canadian boy! The second time I remembered to bring all the hotel blankets to keep us warm/not as cold! After all you don’t exactly bring heavy clothes to Hawaii! lol
You said:
here it is about family too (although the religious part is very much rooted in most Roman Catholic families).
I respond:
You just reminded me…you said something about Roman Catholicism somewhere and I have not responded…do you remember where?
You said:
I could tell, it was wonderfully written :).
I respond:
Thanks Max much appreciated :)
You said:
when I immitate the my African brothers, I am not making fun of them, I am actually enhancing their cultural idyossincracies. So that's what you did :). Your strategy worked: it looked authentic *clap clap clap*.
I respond:
LOL LOL I am terrible at accents! They all end up sounding Indian! (Meaning from India). I start out trying an Irish accent and end up sounding Bangalorian! My Indian friends love it!
Yo said:
"Of course there is also a Bible tie in with these two…do you see it?" - Miriam (Virgin Mary? Mother of Jesus?) and Elizabeth (the cousin of the Virgin Mary? Mother of John Baptist?)
I respond:
I knew that was easy for you :)
You said:
"I have an excellent Portuguese teacher; she maximizes both patience and kindness :)" - had to be a she *nodding* LOL...
I respond:
LOL LOL LOL
You said:
for me it isn't torture cause I sleep like a baby throughout the trip lol; however the food is torture (I am used to good food) lol.
I respond:
You must be petite enough to fit the seats :) lol
Do you like turkey?
You said:
who did you bribe to get the menu, huh *tapping the floor*? lol lol
I respond:
There is a link to the food provider on the BA page; I then waded thru hundreds or maybe thousands of food menus till I found the right one! Only the best service for guests to The Blade! :)
You said:
you haven't?! You should, it's a good romantic-comedy movie, Mr Spock fan lol (I read your profile lol). Oh, that is so cute of you :). Did you ask that person for permission to include his/her story in the article?
I respond:
LOL LOL I love romantic comedies (also known as chick flix). Spock is good but I prefer; Data (STNG), and Dax (STDS9). The story is adapted enough that it is different from the original events, contact is difficult because of her current job location :)
You said:
"LOL I was wondering if anybody would get the turkey part!! *clap clap*" - thank you, thank you *bowing* lol. You know, this part made laugh even harder, I don't know why...maybe because it reminded me of something I would write LOL *nodding*. It was intelligent, humourous, amazing...
Respond:
LOL LOL LOL I agree…. LOL
You said:
[note that I am avoiding making a comment to «you are a sharp gal!» as I smirk while typing these words LOL LOL LOL].
I respond:
LOL LOL You are an intellectually sophisticated person? By the way gal is not a derogatory term it is an endearment born out of respect *nodding* :)
Ok for a change I have interspersed my replies within brackets [ ] with your words…
"….now I have a question…do you spot ALL the threads that weave themselves throughout ALL the stories together? Including the “pagan” connection or anti-connection?" - I don't know if I see it: there's Anna (a Biblical name) who doesn't care about Xmas, and is busy travelling (her family isn't into it much either, since they are out travelling themselves); Miriam (Mary, another biblical name; and who is Christian. Mary - Virgin Mary) who shows an immense patience towards Elizabeth (who shows signs of bigotry when she realises that she's Indian) although she is an ignorant cause she calls American to a Canadian (notion that North Americans are all the same), here there is a reference to Xmas;
[Yes to here]
Portugal - no reference to Xmas (in fact the captain says "happy Holiday" [is this your way of showing that you are uncertain about my belief system? lol]);
[Pretty good! It was intended as a respectful way of saying it to you, and is typical of such situations on the aircraft]
Las vegas - Julie (who reminded me of Mary Magdalena who decided to follow Jesus; and it is said that she was a sinner...) who saw the light and quit her sex-trading business (although with some mixed feelings), interestingly enough Elizabeth showed signs of bigotry towards Miriam, but seems to accept her gay son and prostitute daughter very well (and doesn't take well the news that "Magdalena" is following Jesus now).
[Pretty good again! That part of the story is accurate to real life events with some adaptation (names for starters)
Apollo means Genesis: the men up there made me think of when God made the earth and hadn't put Adam in it yet (so the men in the shuttle represent Adam waiting to come to earth...immagination running).
[I can find no source that quantifies Apollo as meaning Genesis. BUT you are onto something with the Apollo connection it actually runs thru ALL the stories from one degree to the other. There is no intended reference to Adam….]
Anna and Portugal are the pagans, Miriam and Elizabeth represent the church and Julie represents the Church (in a sense of purity towards the teachings. Her mixed feelings are normal in a person who really intends to change).
What say you, Professor LS?
[Thanks so much for your observations Max….very interesting Mrs. Whitepearl…:) you have gone outside of the scope of the article in this regard but I love hearing your thoughts]
"There is more than one commonality in these stories…I know how much you like layers of thought…." - lol you noticed all that lol lol. more than one commonality...I noticed the biblical names: Anna, Miriam, Elizabeth; I didn't get the connection commonality between Anna and the others; when Elizabeth calls Miriam it is Dec. 24 in Winnipeg and Dec. 25 in Bangalore...what are the others?
[Of course there is a reference of kind about Christmas in every story with different “faces”. There is an emphasis upon Apollo and…related concepts…do you want guess at it for fun or do you want to me to just tell you?]
Your overall score is very good as is to be expected.
Hi Anna!
Hawaii is fantastic! Here on the west coast when you need that time out of the gloom of perpetual winter its Hawaii, California or Mexico (with Vegas or Phoenix also in the running). Yet Hawaii for me is hard to beat, I have been to all the islands but the Big Island which is funny because we have friends that live there!
Each island is very unique. Oahu is beautiful, I recommend a car so you can drive around the island to one of the multitudes of beaches, the north shore has the giant waves….and I have surfed them! Although my version of surfing is not…graceful lol
Maui is amazing, great wind surfing and incredible natural beauty and worth the trip just for the volcano (it is more amazing and beautiful than photos can show you. Kauai and Lanai are very pretty in their unique ways. Molokai is great for horseback riding on the beach very romantic!
The photo opportunities are exquisite and we have always enjoyed the Hawaiians! Wonderful people…plus you have the bonus of US efficiency like here. Travel between the islands is very cool…
Alas I have never been to Asia…although I have seen it from about 20 km away in Greece looking at Turkey :)
I have met some great blogger friends from Singapore and it sounds so nice. I have a close friend from Malaysia who makes it sound amazing!
If you ever want to know more about Hawaii I am happy to talk about it!!!!!
It is pricier than staying here on the continent but it is I believe worth the money.
Anna I loved your words: “I think God was a genius to create us, especially to that point that we can blog about him.”
It is really quite mind blowing when you think about it…the Creator of the universe…of everything…loves us so much that He wants to interact with us! He actually chose to become one of us….can you imagine…he wants us to each individually be His friend! His ways are so beyond ours…He is absolutely perfect and Holy and we are not….I have been meditating on this for many years and it is still so very shocking to me…to think it is not a big deal is to not even begin to grasp how Awesome God is and how unworthy we are…
We are well…busy but well…I hope the same is true for you and yours….take care….Anna you are such a breath of fresh air!
Hey LS, just got around to reading this and catching up. Another great article and I'm impressed by the amount of time and care you obviously put into it.
I've considered a holiday to Hawaii before - sounds like a cool place to visit. It's just a very long way for us to go though. Maybe one year (will have to wait a while now).
I like the conversation to the call centre - made me laugh how the tech help offered to get the recipe for Mrs C, rather than offer to get the computer working as she was meant to so that Mrs C could get the recipe from the internet herself.
And having a Canadian say 'eh' at the end of every sentence is always funny - not in a mean way, just because when I lived in Vancouver I ended up saying it myself and still find myself doing it every now and then, which annoys my wife no end :-)
Hello LS;
"sorry to take so long to get to this comment of yours, I have been busy with my alternative non-Blogging life! LOL" - LOL no need to apologise; I understand :).
"Just in case people think I hate alternative lifestyles :) lol" - lol nobody thinks that, I am sure :).
"Max you are a treasure! Or are you saying you prefer my longer articles? ;[|] LOL LOL" - LOL I like every single article you write; whether it's short or long..it doesn't matter :). Thanks for thinking that I am treasure...I tend to think that of myself too LOL LOL *nodding*....
"The first time I was there for a sunrise it was unbelievably freezing, even for a Canadian boy! The second time I remembered to bring all the hotel blankets to keep us warm/not as cold! After all you don’t exactly bring heavy clothes to Hawaii! lol" - lol that's true lol. I hate cold, being cold anything that is cold...I was born in a tropical country thank you very much lol.
"You just reminded me…you said something about Roman Catholicism somewhere and I have not responded…do you remember where?" - it was on the Survivor 9 article, I believe we were talking about the concept of purity. If my notion of it is the same as for the Roman Catholics...
"Thanks Max much appreciated :)" - you are most welcome :).
"LOL LOL I am terrible at accents! They all end up sounding Indian! (Meaning from India). I start out trying an Irish accent and end up sounding Bangalorian! My Indian friends love it!" - LOL LOL really?! *nodding* LOL LOL I can imagine that :). Me, I am very good with accents (I love immitating people)...
"I knew that was easy for you :)" - LOL LOL oh, that means I got it right? LOL LOL ;).
"You must be petite enough to fit the seats :) lol Do you like turkey?" - I am petite, yes :). I love turkey!
"There is a link to the food provider on the BA page; I then waded thru hundreds or maybe thousands of food menus till I found the right one! Only the best service for guests to The Blade! :)" - LOL LOL it was a joke. Of course I saw the link on the snapshot thingy lol :). Thank you, LS; that is why I always choose the Blade lol :).
"LOL LOL I love romantic comedies (also known as chick flix). Spock is good but I prefer; Data (STNG), and Dax (STDS9). The story is adapted enough that it is different from the original events, contact is difficult because of her current job location :)" - but of course you like chick flix lol, otherwise how would you have girl talks lol lol :)? LOL Data, Dax? LOL *nodding*...I'll try to remember, next time *nodding*. Ah ok, I got you :).
"LOL LOL You are an intellectually sophisticated person? By the way gal is not a derogatory term it is an endearment born out of respect *nodding* :)" - was that a question, or an affirmation lol? Yes, I know, LS; don't worry :).
"Ok for a change I have interspersed my replies within brackets [ ] with your words…" - just like when teachers correct tests and essays by using a red pen LOL LOL. Let's see what you have to say:
"[Yes to here]" - *high five*.
"[Pretty good! It was intended as a respectful way of saying it to you, and is typical of such situations on the aircraft]" - thank you, LS *bowing*! And thank you, Merry Xmas to you :)!
"[Pretty good again! That part of the story is accurate to real life events with some adaptation (names for starters)]" - really? wow...*high five*.
"[I can find no source that quantifies Apollo as meaning Genesis. BUT you are onto something with the Apollo connection it actually runs thru ALL the stories from one degree to the other. There is no intended reference to Adam….]" - no, I meant that the idea of "Apollo" represented the beginning, genesis. Even if there isn't an intended reference to Adam one can't stop thinking about it :). Besides in your article you stopped before the creation of man.
"[Thanks so much for your observations Max….very interesting Mrs. Whitepearl…:) you have gone outside of the scope of the article in this regard but I love hearing your thoughts]" - LOL LOL LOL LOL are you saying that I am as snakish as Mrs Whitepearl? lol.
"[Of course there is a reference of kind about Christmas in every story with different “faces”. There is an emphasis upon Apollo and…related concepts…do you want guess at it for fun or do you want to me to just tell you?]" - I would like to try it, if you wouldn't mind: Anna - family gathering (one face of Xmas); Miriam - Christianity, tolerance, help ("wealth of helps"), forgiveness (some other faces of Xmas); Portugal - cold weather (another face of western Xmas) [turbulance and storms heading]; Julie - spirituality face of Xmas: the transforming powers of Jesus; Apollo - the beginning, prior to the creation of man (I thought: "is LS trying to say that when Jesus was born was a new beginning to Humanity?").
How did I do?
"Your overall score is very good as is to be expected. " - Thank you, Professor *bowing* lol :).
Cheers
Hi Dave;
I know what you mean about the distance. It is a ways for us to go to Western Europe but it is even further when we go to Greece (yet very much worth the effort, we love Greece). Of course with a new baby travel goes a bit down the list for now :)
I have a close friend that does a lot of traveling, he is from the London area (before moving here)…Spurs fan (hmmmm that may make him a masochist)…He does these long trips to places like India, Cyprus, and Singapore and seems to not even noticed the wear and tear of the negative effects of such long haul flights (never mind the costs)!
Hawaii is a beautiful location and pretty hard to beat. In my opinion it is even better than it seems from as distance.
LOL I had so much fun putting the call center scenario together…I think that Miriam the call center gal (twenty something) was a bit…flustered by Mrs Claus….I mean Elizabeth.
LOL The Canadian “eh” is pretty funny, different parts of Canada use it more than others. The longer I live in the Vancouver area the less I use it…eh? Interestingly Canadian women apparently us it more than men, this means they end a lot of sentences with a question which is why it is difficult for them to become top news casters etc… Ending with a question does not instill confidence in the listeners…..but it helps make them more endearing in personal relationships to other women as it is inclusive and personal in thier communication. One of the interesting things I found in my research was how Indians typically throw a lot of “ah”’ into their English which is apparently a hold over from Hindi. I thought this was an interesting contrast to the Canadian “eh”.
It’s nice to see that after living in Vancouver in “English” you are an “eh” student :)
Of course you’re really speaking Canadian eh? My wife grew up in the Vancouver area and almost never uses “eh” but sometimes in the States we put it on for fun :) lol
I learned a lot while writing that article….
Take care Dave….
Hi Maximus;
I greet you in celebratory manner….it is good to see you….
You said:
it was on the Survivor 9 article, I believe we were talking about the concept of purity. If my notion of it is the same as for the Roman Catholics...
I respond”
Ah….yes…eh….I will address that issue there….thanks….
You said:
Me, I am very good with accents (I love immitating people)...
I respond:
I am very good at listening to accents but can’t emulate them well when speaking. Do you also wear lovely “accents”? :)
You said:
"There is a link to the food provider on the BA page; I then waded thru hundreds or maybe thousands of food menus till I found the right one! Only the best service for guests to The Blade! :)" - LOL LOL it was a joke. Of course I saw the link on the snapshot thingy lol :). Thank you, LS; that is why I always choose the Blade lol :).
I respond:
I knew that you knew that I knew that…yes I knew you were joking but I like to play the “straight part” sometimes it enhances the humor :)
Yes Life on the Blade is a place of excellence…a place we can all aspire too…..LOL
I confused you so you said:
“Dax?”
I sagely nod my head:
Hmmm where does one begin….
Check out these three links for a quick look, it is a very interesting and unique concept….
http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/aliens/article/70738.html
http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/DS9/character/1112430.html
http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/DS9/character/1112427.html
So both Jadzia and Ezry had the Dax symbiot within them (there were of course other “hosts”), Ezry received it from Jadzia when she died. Fascinating idea!
You said:
was that a question, or an affirmation lol? Yes, I know, LS; don't worry :).
I respond:
Well the “?” at least has a “ .” in it…I meant “!”
A friend of mine would cal you a “smart cookie”. Bright.
By the way I never worry but I do get concerned….
You said:
"[Thanks so much for your observations Max….very interesting Mrs. Whitepearl…:) you have gone outside of the scope of the article in this regard but I love hearing your thoughts]" - LOL LOL LOL LOL are you saying that I am as snakish as Mrs Whitepearl? lol.
I respond:
LOL LOL No I was…lol…just saying it because we are giving perspectives on “art” again and even though I know you are far more glamorous and beautiful than Mrs.W it was better than calling you Mr. W!!!!!! LOL
You said:
"[Of course there is a reference of kind about Christmas in every story with different “faces”. There is an emphasis upon Apollo and…related concepts…do you want guess at it for fun or do you want to me to just tell you?]" - I would like to try it, if you wouldn't mind: Anna - family gathering (one face of Xmas); Miriam - Christianity, tolerance, help ("wealth of helps"), forgiveness (some other faces of Xmas); Portugal - cold weather (another face of western Xmas) [turbulance and storms heading]; Julie - spirituality face of Xmas: the transforming powers of Jesus; Apollo - the beginning, prior to the creation of man (I thought: "is LS trying to say that when Jesus was born was a new beginning to Humanity?").
How did I do?
I respond:
The idea of various concepts of “The Faces of December” are acceptable.
Of course first of all these can be taken as hopefully just as short entertaining/interesting stories….
Maui scenario:
In the Maui scenario Anna (I have about 4 Anna’s or Ana’s that visit the blog on a rather regular basis brings up the, plus several regular guests from Hawaii).
She is star watching….like the wise men….but also mentions the Moon….she calls Christmas Xmas that’s a face of December….she represents those that look at Christmas as being about family….
Call Center scenario:
You are correct about the correlation between Elizabeth and Miriam (Mary) from Scripture….although it is not mean to go too deep….Mrs. Claus is obviously a tie in with Santa and Christmas….help centers are going to be busy with all those gifts that don’t work….Miriam also represents a follower of Jesus outside of the west which is true of most of the Church…the turkey concentration emphasise the fact that for many this is what Christmas is all about they miss the point…which Dave picked up on with his comment that Elizabeth was in the end given a recipe when really her computer should have been fixed!...I have a lot of guest from the named locations so I thought it was a little gift for them from me…Merry Christmas is used but Elizabeth in this scenario is not a Christian but Miriam is another face of December….
….In the last paragraph Miriam plays some word game sot herself and apparently this is common in that part of India so I thought I would throw it in for humor…but she mentions a hyperlinked “Selene”, Selene means moon and was an archaic lunar deity of the Greeks, the roman goddess for the moon is Luna…oh yes the story was predominantly meant to be funny…..
The BA flight scenario:
I pulled a fast one on you *wink*. The hyperlink is for the character “Apollo” from the new Battlestar Galactica (the hyperlink is the same when he says about himself “myself”)…another moon reference….and yet another Face of December with “happy Holiday”…of course it was a fun way to incorporate Portugal into the story for you….and to see what you would read into it :)
Vegas scenario:
Was a tip of the hat to a blogger friend in Vegas along with her Church….it shows the hypocrisy of those who often claim to be tolerant but are not, Julies mom who is Elizabeth from Winnipeg in the Call Center scenario says merry Christmas but doesn’t hold to what it is all about, she doesn’t want to insult Miriam in India because she thinks she may be Hindu…she is tolerant of her gay son and his boyfriend but is intolerant of those who claim to follow Christ, the same Christ as in CHRISTmas….Yet she is also a proponent of her daughter selling her body for money….Julie is alone with Gd and looking out her window at the Moon….
Apollo 8 scenario:
Well this is a true event…it was broadcast on TV live and is still one of the top shows of all time. Apollo and the Moon are of course obvious, it gave a perfect lead in into a great use of Scripture…and I loved the way the astronauts tied it together….
So what’s with the Moon stuff, plus Apollo and Selene?
Apollo was the god of healing, light, and truth. In Hellenistic times, especially during the 3rd century BC, he was known as Apollo Helios…he became identified among Greeks with Helios, god of the sun, and his sister similarly equated with Selene, goddess of the moon.
Today much is made of the fact that Christmas is probably not the actual birthday of Jesus…that Christians simply stole pagan ideas….Saturnalia was a Roman holiday celebrated on Dec 23rd later this was supplanted by the feast of Sol Invictus which was on Dec 25th.
Sol Invictus ("the Unconquered Sun") or, more fully, Deus Sol Invictus ("the Unconquered Sun God") was the late Roman state sun god. The cult was created by the emperor Aurelian in 274 and continued until the abolition of paganism under Theodosius I.
Note it was created in 274..but Christians were possibly celebrating Jesus’ birth on Dec 25th well before that time…there is evidence that pagans actually were trying to co-opt a previously existing Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus….or maybe not…but it is a very interesting story you can read about it here:
http://touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=16-10-012-v
As a follower of Jesus it doesn’t matter to me at all if Dec 25th is the actual birth date of Jesus. What matters is that God in His infinite love came to Earth as the God-man Jesus, He and His great gift of grace are the greatest gifts ever given and that is worth celebrating as the angels did that night in Bethlehem so long ago….how many people are now celebrating Sol Invitus or Saturnalia? Not as many as are now celebrating “family”, “getting toys”, “a day off”, a “commercial commerce generator”, or the birth of the Messiah Jesus…..
Max you did great considering the layers I piled one atop the other!!!!!
Thanks for playing along….
Hi LSus,
"I greet you in celebratory manner….it is good to see you…." - Hello, it is good to see you too :).
"Ah….yes…eh….I will address that issue there….thanks…." - all right :). You are welcome *bowing*.
"I am very good at listening to accents but can’t emulate them well when speaking. Do you also wear lovely “accents”? :)" - LOL LOL the only lovely accent I wear is myself LOL :).
"I knew that you knew that I knew that…yes I knew you were joking but I like to play the “straight part” sometimes it enhances the humor :)" - LOL I hear you :).
"Yes Life on the Blade is a place of excellence…a place we can all aspire too…..LOL" - true that :).
"I sagely nod my head:" - lol lol Dax for me is a hair pommade.
"Check out these three links for a quick look, it is a very interesting and unique concept…." - thank you very much, LS :). It was an interesting read. I am not a big fan of startrek, but Dax characters are extremely interesting :).
"So both Jadzia and Ezry had the Dax symbiot within them (there were of course other “hosts”), Ezry received it from Jadzia when she died. Fascinating idea!" - lol I know where you are trying to go with this lol...*nodding*.
"Well the “?” at least has a “ .” in it…I meant “!” - lol yes, I noticed; it was my way of saying "that's for me to know..." lol..
"A friend of mine would cal you a “smart cookie”. Bright." - LOL "smart cookie" I like that expression :). Thank you *bowing*.
"By the way I never worry but I do get concerned…." - I hear you :).
"LOL LOL No I was…lol…just saying it because we are giving perspectives on “art” again and even though I know you are far more glamorous and beautiful than Mrs.W it was better than calling you Mr. W!!!!!! LOL" - LOL LOL LOL LOL perhaps Mr W isn't that bad LOL. Anyway, are you psychic or something? Cause as far as I know Mrs W is far more glamorous and beautiful than me :).
"The idea of various concepts of “The Faces of December” are acceptable." - thank you :). But this means that the concepts you had in mind were a wee different...
"She is star watching….like the wise men….but also mentions the Moon….she calls Christmas Xmas that’s a face of December….she represents those that look at Christmas as being about family…." - yes, of course. I like this...
"….although it is not mean to go too deep….Mrs. Claus is obviously a tie in with Santa and Christmas….help centers are going to be busy with all those gifts that don’t work….Miriam also represents a follower of Jesus outside of the west which is true of most of the Church…the turkey concentration emphasise the fact that for many this is what Christmas is all about they miss the point…which Dave picked up on with his comment that Elizabeth was in the end given a recipe when really her computer should have been fixed!...I have a lot of guest from the named locations so I thought it was a little gift for them from me…Merry Christmas is used but Elizabeth in this scenario is not a Christian but Miriam is another face of December…." - *clap clap clap* I am impressed :).
"….In the last paragraph Miriam plays some word game sot herself and apparently this is common in that part of India so I thought I would throw it in for humor…but she mentions a hyperlinked “Selene”, Selene means moon and was an archaic lunar deity of the Greeks, the roman goddess for the moon is Luna…oh yes the story was predominantly meant to be funny….." - yes, I checked that word game, but didn't get it well (oh so it is cultural in India? I see...). Why do you mention the moon so much? I mean, if you were a pagan, a child of the earth, or a Jew I would understand...but what's up with you and the moon?
"I pulled a fast one on you *wink*. The hyperlink is for the character “Apollo” from the new Battlestar Galactica (the hyperlink is the same when he says about himself “myself”)…another moon reference….and yet another Face of December with “happy Holiday”…of course it was a fun way to incorporate Portugal into the story for you….and to see what you would read into it :)" - lol *nodding*. Apparently I didn't read much into it *nodding*.
"….it shows the hypocrisy of those who often claim to be tolerant but are not, Julies mom who is Elizabeth from Winnipeg in the Call Center scenario says merry Christmas but doesn’t hold to what it is all about, she doesn’t want to insult Miriam in India because she thinks she may be Hindu…she is tolerant of her gay son and his boyfriend but is intolerant of those who claim to follow Christ, the same Christ as in CHRISTmas….Yet she is also a proponent of her daughter selling her body for money….Julie is alone with Gd and looking out her window at the Moon…." - I hope you will explain the thing about the moon...
"Well this is a true event…it was broadcast on TV live and is still one of the top shows of all time. Apollo and the Moon are of course obvious, it gave a perfect lead in into a great use of Scripture…and I loved the way the astronauts tied it together…." - ok...
"So what’s with the Moon stuff, plus Apollo and Selene?" - that's what I have been asking...
"Apollo was the god of healing, light, and truth. In Hellenistic times, especially during the 3rd century BC, he was known as Apollo Helios…he became identified among Greeks with Helios, god of the sun, and his sister similarly equated with Selene, goddess of the moon." - aahh, I see. I didn't know that Helios had a sister "equated to" Selene (perhaps they only teach that in college here in Portugal *nodding*).
"…that Christians simply stole pagan ideas….Saturnalia was a Roman holiday celebrated on Dec 23rd later this was supplanted by the feast of Sol Invictus which was on Dec 25th." - yeah, that's what I read last week. It doesn't surprise me...
"Sol Invictus ("the Unconquered Sun") or, more fully, Deus Sol Invictus ("the Unconquered Sun God") was the late Roman state sun god. The cult was created by the emperor Aurelian in 274 and continued until the abolition of paganism under Theodosius I." - In Portuguese we say "o Invicto Deus Sol". So the moon reference was meant to take us to the Sun which in turn explains why Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25?
"Note it was created in 274..but Christians were possibly celebrating Jesus’ birth on Dec 25th well before that time…there is evidence that pagans actually were trying to co-opt a previously existing Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus….or maybe not…but it is a very interesting story you can read about it here:" - thank you so much, I will read it attentively :). I love receiving reading material :).
"What matters is that God in His infinite love came to Earth as the God-man Jesus, He and His great gift of grace are the greatest gifts ever given and that is worth celebrating as the angels did that night in Bethlehem so long ago….how many people are now celebrating Sol Invitus or Saturnalia? Not as many as are now celebrating “family”, “getting toys”, “a day off”, a “commercial commerce generator”, or the birth of the Messiah Jesus….." - well, some celebrate Sol Invictus (under the name of Belenus, Celtics celebrate their divinities until today). However you are right, the majority celebrates the birth of Jesus, and "family, getting toys, day off or commercial commerce genarator".
"Max you did great considering the layers I piled one atop the other!!!!!" - thank you, LS; but I know that this is what a good teacher tells his students so that they don't get discouraged :). But I could get used to this kind of text lol...to learn more :).
It was a pleasure, LS :).
Cheers
Hi LS again, I was just telling Max somewhere on my blog how I was pulling my hair reading your post (this post) in order to make an educated comment, and she was laughing her head off, lol. But hey I don't know everything, and literature if you can call blogging a literature wasn't the strongest subject in my studies. I guess that is why I see it more iteresting now than before, but sometimes still struggle. And yeah I am honest too about it, lol. But I guess thanks to you it turn out a good converstaion among us. Thanks again. And yes I will speak to you about Hawaii when I am ready to go. You are absolutely right sometimes camera will not capture what we can see with the naked eye. Yet camera sometimes makes it look better in some areas, lol. If you ever get chance to travel as far as Asia I would do it to. I think I only seen less than 1% of it, but I really enjoyed it there. In addition I love learning about different cultures, and oriental culture, including food, lol, always interested me. It is like I don't have enough of mine, but the grass always looks greener on the other side :).
Thanks for your comments back. Yes everyday I think about God, you know as much we have never seen him but we know he is there, I will say it again, he is a real genius, just think about our body architecture, of what we can do and how spiritual we can be is just beyond our skill to even get close for us to create life like that.
So I will now go for quick tour of your blog again, and see what else I can find to talk about and come back next time. Thanks again for being such a good blogger and be patinet with me. Anna :)
LOL
Hi Anna… it is always a pleasure to hear from you….I love to hear your thoughts…
Don’t pull out to much of your hair! I will tell you a secret….shhhhh don’t tell anyone….I shave my head….I used to have a thick head of blond hair but now as I am 43 it is….not so thick! LOL So you keep your hair for me ok? LOL LOL :)
LOL Anna perhaps instead of thinking of my articles as literature (thank you so much my friend) think of them as a conversation, you have no idea how much I enjoy listening to the thoughts of others such as yourself…
Cameras today are amazing, I love digital cameras. One of the wonderful things about a photo is it “steals and seals” a moment. When sometimes the memories fade the photo can invoke the moment just like it is….now!
But the human eye has so much over on the camera for perception and capturing light in subtle delicate ways…even with speed…and so far my personal memory card is working pretty well…now what was I saying? :)
My wife and I LOVE to travel and experience different cultures, art, architecture, history, people, and more people, the landscapes, villages and the urban environments, and yes the food!!! I love German beer and chocolate, Greek food is fantastic, I could go on and on about food I love all kinds of food!
I think I could happily live in many countries but I am not good at other languages….hmmmm…how many languages do you speak Anna?
Anna just so you know, you can talk about anything with me including spiritual matters, but if you just want to say hi that’s cool with me… Also you don’t have to agree with me that’s ok, our friendship does not depend upon that… if you do disagree with me no problem…our conversation will not be like it is between Max and I…she and I have an agreement, we happily go at each other “hammer and tong” LOL LOL There are not many like us so we like to take advantage of the opportunity! LOL We are like a couple of punching bags!!! LOL
Thanks for your words…. You sent me some smiles…. :)
LSus,
"LOL We are like a couple of punching bags!!! LOL" - this is the most delightful compliment ever made to both of us LOL LOL LOL :).
Cheers
Hi Livingsword, just visiting and saying hi, lol, but I couldn't resists to write for a bit. However, you will see me later, on other posts. I know you ask not to always agree, but if you ever known me in person, I am more of a listener and usually I tend to connect with people who have ideas or thoughts which I agree with and you one of them. But then you don't want to get near me if someone argues with me, lol, at least that is why my husband says. On the other hand, still even during argument, I listen and try to reason why people think like that, and if I do find a reason, then it is hard for me to disagree, even though I don't agree, if you know what I mean. Well hopefully one day once I learn more about religion, lol, all I know is to be good person, lol, then may be we will have different ideas then, but I doubt, and I am same with Max, she is great. They tension is good sometimes, and looks like both of you have this good tension around full of energy, and boy both of you like to type, lol. : ) Anna : )
Hi Max;
LOL
LOL
Well perhaps I am a punching bag and you are an elegant fashionable hand bag??? LOL
Hi Anna;
I completely get what you are talking about :)
Max and I have a lot of fun analyzing each others ideas but we also enjoy each others company :)
Just like we both enjoy you so much!!
Sometimes I just think how wonderful it would be to have a big blogger friend dinner party!
'Sometimes I just think how wonderful it would be to have a big blogger friend dinner party!' - and what exactly would you serve for appetizers and drinks, lol. Anna :)
Hi Anna;
'Sometimes I just think how wonderful it would be to have a big blogger friend dinner party!' - and what exactly would you serve for appetizers and drinks, lol. Anna :)
LOL LOL :)
Great question!!!!
Well we would need water for Max! Guinness for Dave, and a wide variety of other drinks for everybody else like a massive variety of teas and coffees (what would you like?)
My dear Chocolate Girl would take charge not leaving such an important task to little me, she is an impeccable hostess and amazing cook (my vote is for Mediterranean pie!!), I’m sure our friend Asian butterfly (see Food With a Passion at the blog links on my left sidebar) would be in there with some excellent Asian dishes…as would I hope all my blogging Indonesian friends! What would you bring Anna (do you make some fantastic Ukrainian food? We love cabbage rolls which we get at a Ukrainian Church 1-2 times a year!)?
If it was in the summer then it would have to be a huge Bar BQ with tender Alberta beef, Pacific salmon, corn on the cob, watermelon, and some nice cold beverages :)
LOL My mouth is watering already….of course it is a long time till Bar BQ season…maybe turkey with all the fixings!
Sounds like I will be using my elliptical trainer a lot! LOL
Mmmmm, Guinness. Yum!
Livingsword, sounds like a real party you have assembled here. So cabbage rolls I can make, and this year I also learn how to make pierogies, and if you help out in the Ukr church, I think you know about borsch (red beat soup, or drink) that we eat all the time with garlic bread. Oh and may be some Italian food too - got my meatballs recipe down good for now. Thanks for this update LS, I feel like I am getting hungry here, and this is almost 12 am, lol. Got to go, and you get some rest too, seems like you been working hard lately for others - you are good person and your wife too. Good bless you two. Anna :)
Dave….I know how to get your attention….one day….lol….very nice with the Bar BQ!
Hi Anna;
We actually visit the Ukrainian Church as guests when they have their pierogi and cabbage roll events! LOL
They taste great but they only offer this Tang crystal drink with it….what would you serve with them?
Bring on the borsch, and I love Italian!
Thanks for your kind words….we volunteer in quite a few ways at Church and in our community but it is nothing compared to many people I know….
LS the Ukr food is good, but I find it that there is too much carbs sometimes - I think I will have to work out the elliptical very well after for good after both Christmases. Well who cares twice a year. I love borsch and garlic bread - never heard about the Tang crystal drink. I have to say I am lucky because I got best of both worlds, and I like to eat but not too much - which is always a strugge at my parents house and my parents in law house - all you hear is eat, eat, eat and all I say I cannot I cannot I cannot, lol. They think that all people have the same size stomach, lol.
Very nice of you to volunteer I will say again, and even you say that some do more, for me the little things count too, and I am sure they are not that little from you and CG.
Anna :)
Hi Anna;
Too many carbs in Ukrainian food…this is true and is one of the reasons we don’t eat it too often but it is good when we have it!!!! You just have to watch the quantity and burn off more than you consume….easily said!! LOL LOL
It’s funny before I started working out on the elliptical and lost the 58 ½ pounds people always would insist I eat lots, now they don’t push food on me at all!!!! LOL LOL
I cannot eat even close to what I used to eat! And it takes more work to keep it off but I love my work outs and I love how healthy and fit I am now….
Chocolate Girl and I both volunteer with Church and quite a few other non-Church programs etc….Being a follower of Jesus is not an isolated life, it is a life of community and relationships, faith without deeds is dead…it was never alive….Before becoming a Jesus follower you would have had to dragged me kicking and screaming to do the things I happily do now…this is a God given thing not something I have made myself do, He has created this within me….I look forward to seeing how He grows this within me….and I sure need growth!!!! LOL
Always a pleasure Anna…. :)
Wow LS lost 58 lbf, this is a lot, but great, and glad that you are feeling great. Myself I have to watch my weight, I think the heaviest every been was 145 lbf, but like you now I have small stomach, and I just cannot consume much, but my eyes are still big when comes to food, lol. I never really had any weight issues, but one day during university exames I got this stomach virus and in two days I lost 10 lb, 5 forever, and 5 temporary, and since that time small stomach. I think it is for good though.
I am so glad to know someone who changed for good and now does this great work for others. I know you are not doing it for me, but it is appreciated, no behalf of those who received your and CGs help. I really believe that people can change, and we learn from the past, and on the end it does not matter what past was, its all who you are now and what your beliefs are now and will be. And it is nice to hear that about you. Anna :)
Hi Anna!
Thanks for coming next door and talking with me….
You are a petite thing! :)
It’s great you don’t have that kind of struggle
My weight loss is almost exactly Kimba’s weight! That is a lot of extra weight to be carrying around!
Its interesting about the weight loss…A lot of people that know me were/are proud of me for losing the weight…and I do appreciate that…but I don’t feel proud of it, I appreciate the benefits of being fit, and healthy….but I am more impressed with people that never gained the weight in the first place…. :) But I suppose we all have challenges in life and this was/is one of mine….the thing is I know in my life that it was a “God thing”, He had/has His finger prints all over it, I couldn’t/didn’t change myself He did it….through me….I believe I can make (and have made) some adaptations in my life and recognize those things but this was different….
I don’t live in the past because it is gone…it has been eradicated by God’s grace…every single day my mind is blown away by this amazing grace…
Anna….I wan to thank you for coming by, it always makes my day to talk with you, I mean that sincerely ***looking you in the eyes*** as a friend of ours would say… :)
Hi LS, you said: 'You are a petite thing! :)', not really my both sisters are much smaller than me, and they could eat the horse and never gain a pound. For me I think it was always mental, because I guess both of my sis, would say I am fat, you know how teenage girls are - so I guess that influenced me later in life. So yes I have a little struggle too, because I know I have tendency to gain, but I guess the influence kept me alway from that route.
I am still surprised that you were able to shave up that much weigth. And I am telling you, I am proud of you, and so are your friends, and you should be too. There is nothing wrong to give yourself a pad on the shoulder. I don't like to talk about my accomplishments that much to others (sometimes they mean nothing), but I do recognize them and that is my partial great motivator to enjoy the life and do what is right.
And LS thanks for your always kind words, oh boy I better be here every day, lol, lol. Kidding aside it is appreciated. Anna :)
Hi Anna….
LOL One of my sisters is a “mere slip of a girl” mid 40’s (age not weight :) But since turning 30 it has taken a lot of work to keep the weight off, now it doesn’t seem like work it is just my lifestyle…and when it does get hard to do I lean on God and He gets me through it!
Over a period of about 3 ½ months I lost the vast majority of the weight and the elliptical is the primary device that helped me do it. I used it and the stationary bike doing sometimes over a hundred km a day! I barely changed my eating which most of the time has been quite healthy, for that matter I have always been active but my body seems to have needed a lot more heavy duty aerobic activity…
I would have been more impressed with my accomplishment if I had never gained the weight…but thank you very much for your kind words and encouragement! Chocolate Girl has also been very supportive...and she looks great!
I’m happy to be a daily dose of kindness, just as you are!
Post a Comment