"Welcome To Wherever You Are"

Maybe we're different, but we're still the same
We all got the blood of Eden, running through our veins
I know sometimes it's hard for you to see
You come between just who you are and who you wanna be

If you feel alone, and lost and need a friend
Remember every new beginning, is some beginning's end

[Chorus]
Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far
Welcome, you gotta believe
That right here right now, you're exactly where you're supposed to be
Welcome, to wherever you are

When everybody's in, and you're left out
And you feel your drowning, in a shadow of a doubt
Everyones a miracle in their own way
Just listen to yourself, not what other people say

When it seems you're lost, alone and feeling down
Remember everybody's different
Just take a look around

[Chorus]
Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far
Welcome, you gotta believe
That right here right now, you're exactly where you're supposed to be
Welcome, to wherever you are


Be who you want to, be who you are
Everyones a hero, everyones a star

When you wanna give up, and your hearts about to break
Remember that you're perfect, God makes no mistakes

[Chorus]

Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far
Welcome, you gotta believe
That right here right now,
you're exactly where you're supposed to be
Welcome, to wherever you are



A friend emailed me this song. I just want to say thank you.

Condolences to our PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's wife, whom he described as his No. 1 supporter, died Thursday after a nearly four-year battle with breast cancer. She was 64.

Source: www.cnn.com

Thanks to those who informed me of this.

MaryJ

Some of my friends on campus were having a discussion the other day about marijuana and the legalization of it. If it were legalized, would there be less problems related to addiction. The fact that it would be legal would of course give people easier access to it, but at the same time, people who do it becuase it's illegal wouldn't find it 'cool' anymore. Of course for the norms to change, it might take some time, so naturally, there would probably be a great rise in the use of dope before the dip comes along.

Anyway, we never really came to a conclusion in regard to this issue but it was interesting to have this discussion and hear people's thoughts about it. Feel free to contribute yours too.

Itching Ears and Unsound Doctrine

So I got this off an email from a friend and I wanted to share it with you. It provokes some thought.


2 Tim 4:3-4
3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. NIV

I read a few days ago that a group of leaders from one of the major church groupings in Britain had published “a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true.” When I read this, the warning of Paul (above) came to my mind. The great apostasy, or “falling away,” foretold by Paul (1 Tim 4:1) is already happening. And sadly, many church leaders themselves are fuelling it. They have stood in their pulpits and denied the message of salvation through Christ alone, they have dismissed the miracles of God, they have cast doubts on His divinity, and attacked the Gospel as too exclusive, harsh or hurtful. They have blessed what God has already condemned (e.g. gay marriage) and called good evil, and evil good. Christ has been wounded by His friends; betrayed by those who call Him Lord.

One study done of a denomination in Britain found that the laity had more faith than the clergy when it came to fundamental doctrines of the Bible! With so much doubt and unbelief emanating from the pulpits these days, how long can faith survive? Jesus, when He spoke about the end times, wondered, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Lk 18:8)

These church leaders with itching ears also insist that we have to look at the Bible in contemporary terms. What they really mean is that we should lower the bar on sin and immorality, on personal accountability, to adapt to today’s culture. What they want is a gospel that promotes accommodation and compromise, a politically correct gospel that is inclusive, that does not confront sin, that offends none, that demands little. This is really a form of rebellion against God no less than that of Jannes and Jambres (2 Tim 3:8). A man who has suffered much for his faith, said recently, that we need to be “Jesus-correct rather than politically correct.”

I draw your attention to all this because it is becoming more and more crucial for believers to seek and know God for themselves, and to understand His Word. Our faith must never be dependent upon what our pastor or priest thinks, or what common culture demands. It must be based upon the Bible, and a living relationship with Jesus Christ Himself. The Holy Spirit is our teacher, and we must learn to learn from Him. Believers who do not have this foundation are going to find their faith challenged and undermined; and many will be drawn away.

In 2 Tim 3:16-17 Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.…” That means that every word of Scripture is inspired by God; it is an everlasting testimony of God’s will and purpose for all mankind, for all eternity. It is unchanging and immutable. Nothing can be added to it or taken away from it. It is the only foundation upon which faith in Jesus Christ can be built. What you believe about the Bible will determine the nature of your faith, whether you will stand strong, or be tossed about on the waters of convenience and passing fancy. It is a serious thing; so think carefully about it. Decide where you will stand. This is not about disrespecting our pastors and church leaders; it is about putting the Word of God, that is contained in the Bible, above everything else.

In Jesus day, the scholars and religious leaders thought they were wise and clever with their interpretations and scholarship, but they missed the Messiah when He came. They claimed to understand the Word of God, but missed the God of the Word! Let us not make the same mistake again. Remember, Jesus said, “He who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt 24:13).

Jesus loves you. Have a great day.

A hug!

Here's a hug for anyone who could use one!

More hugs

You know, apparently you're supposed to get at least five hugs a day to keep you happy...I heard that though, so I don't have any scientific evidance to support that. But I like the idea...

Kulp

Yes, this is my dorm.

Vines

One of the few things that is more exciting than the train on campus...hehe!

Vines Too

Along the Science building, I spotted this beauty. I just love the change in the colors against the brick wall.

More Fall Leaves

I thought this was simply gorgeous.

Campus at Fall

Train tracks at the beginning of fall.

Up Close

So, I managed to find the macro setting on my camera and these are some pictures that a friend of mine took.

Up Close

I like this one quite a bit.

My hair...

Another picture...

What Your Computer Does When You Are Away

Click Here

To Heaven

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”

Grandpa passed away this afternoon. This is the first time I’ve gone through a family death and I’m doing ok for now. I managed to spend his last three days with him and that was a blessing. It was his time and as he took his final breath, there was peace on his face and I finally understood how death can be a beautiful process.

“God gives and takes away.”

Grandpa’s leaving does make me feel sad…just because he won’t be there to play dominoes or cards with us; and I’ll definitely miss his sense of humor. But at the same time, he had a good long life and I believe that he is in a better place now.

“From dust we were made and to dust we shall return.”

I will miss grandpa but it’s the living who need the support, so do pray for grandma, my mom and her five siblings.

God bless.

Understanding Barcodes

Background Information:

A bar code is a series of black bars and white spaces of varying widths that are printed on labels to identify items. A scanner is used to decode the bar code. The scanner measures the reflected light and interprets the code as numbers and letters that are passed to a computer.

To make decoding bar codes easier, think of every bar (black stripe) as being a 1, and every space, (white strip) as being a 0.

A UPC-A barcode starts on the left with “bar-space-bar” (101). This is the signal for the scanner to start reading, and it lets the scanner know the width of the binary digits within the symbol. The set of long bars that follows is the first digit of the barcode. This digit identifies the type of product.

The next five digits identify the manufacturer. This is called the left field. All of the products made by the same manufacturer have the same code in the left field.

The long bars in the middle separate the left field from the right field. They are called the center guard. These long lines represent the digits 01010.

The next set of bars is called the right field. This code also has five characters.

The long bars at the end contain the signal to stop reading (101), as well as to check the sum. This sum allows the scanner to check and see if all the other numbers are correct.

To determine what the check digit should be, find the sum of the odd-spaced digits (the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th digits). Then multiply this sum by 3. Save that as answer #1. Add up the even-spaced digits (the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th digits). Add this answer to answer #1. The check digit is the number you have to add to your answer to find the next multiple of 10.

Life is Going Good

So, I've been in Goshen for over a month now. It's been an interesting time and I'm still in the process of learning a lot...in more than one way. College life is definately exciting. I like constantly having people around to listen and talk to. It's just so exciting.

I'm taking five classes this semester, so I have a full load. In addition to that, I'm working two jobs on campus and I'm involved with some societies, namely the Third Culture Society (TCS). Being the result of a mixed marriage, I've always felt slightly different. In terms of culture, I never quite clicked in any one place...except at home with my brothers. But TCS has been interesting cuz although I don't have the same background as any of the other members, many of us are in the same situation; so despite being different, we all understand each other. We have an awesome time of getting to know each other through which we talk about our countries from all over the world and what life is like there.

Recently, I've been quite busy...things should be slowing down a bit now as Fall Break approaches. I'm looking forward to the changing colors of leaves...but not the cold. The weather here has been eratic. A couple days ago, we were in sweaters. Yesterday, it was hot and humid the whole day...kind of like back home. But when the sun is out and the sky is blue, Goshen is just beautiful.

I was thinking about home yesterday...what would seem like insignificant things to many...mamak, street life, 1U, the thunderstorms, etc. I had to stop there...it brings gentle tears to my eyes. But more than anything, I miss the people. My family, friends...each one very special.

Well, enough reminiscing for now. I hope to write more often but no guarantees. Thanks to you guys for your patience. It is appreciated. I'll be back...sometime!

On the Tracks

Two of my friends on campus wanted some examples of their work for senior portraits, so a whole group of us had a photo shoot. This is one of the pictures that was taken on the train tracks.

Friends...

Vicky (Chile) is one of the first people I met on campus.

Perfect Picture

I was out studying on the lawn one afternoon...a daily activity for me, and these girls stopped by. We decided to take a 'pink' picture since we were all in shades of pink...this has gotta be the perfect picture for my blog.

Becca and I

Rebecca and I. This is one of the other girls on my floor...one of the 23. Becca makes the best tea...the only tea that I like, being that I neither drink tea nor coffee.

Kulp 3

So, I stay in a junior/senior dorm and these are some of the girls on my floor. Katie, Leona, Me, Gabriella, Laurina, Kari.

Train through GC

This is one of the many trains that runs through my campus. It goes right through the middle and I find it one of the most fascinating things...how many other universities have trains running right through the middle of their campus?

GC Friends

Yuka (Japan), Chris, Leona, Katie, Gabriella (Indonesia), Rachel, Samuel (Belize), Me!

At the Dunes...

So, the ISC group (international students) went to the dunes near lake Michigan. Here is a picture from there: Shin Yee (Malaysia), Chris (Belize), Miriam (Malaysia), Rachel (Canada), Leona (Czech Republic) and me!

Goshen Picture

Thanks to my cousin, I'm finally getting some pictures up. So, here's one of the Goshen cheer guys...this is for a football (soccer) game.