TODAY'S VERSE: 1 Kings 17:14

The LORD God of Israel has promised that your jar of flour won't run out and your bottle of oil won't dry up before he sends rain for the crops." [Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society]

TODAY’S MESSAGE

About 5 years ago, as I changed my beautiful Veronica's diaper and fed her around 4:40 in the morning, today's whisper started to dawn on me. At that very moment, I was realizing how a wonderful father-daughter connection was taking place while providing these two basic needs. In other words, my need for a deep and strong relationship with my daughter was being developed and strengthened as I met her need for a clean diaper and a fresh bottle...

Our Heavenly Father has promised to provide His children everything we need "according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19). And while He is able to do even the impossible on our behalf, He also loves to work through people. So, if we connect this truth to the principle of sowing and reaping, it then becomes clear that our harvest will take place as we take care of meeting other people's needs...

Whatever your need today, look for someone around you with a need whom you are able to bless. Perhaps this simple step in faith is the start of the breakthrough you've been desperately praying for some time now. As the great motivational Christian speaker Zig Ziglar likes to put it: "You can have everything in life you want if you help enough other people get what they want."

TODAY'S PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for providing so many ways to supply every one of my needs. I thank You for guiding me to be a blessing to the people You’ve placed around me, and I rejoice for the awesome results of my obedience. In Jesus' precious name, amen.

“No dear. It is not true that you can be successful elsewhere. Our luck is linked to what we have done in a previous birth. If you have done a good deed in your previous birth, you will reap the harvest in this birth without your effort. If you don’t have it in your destiny, you will not get it even with effort. Just as sun and shade are inseparable, cause and effect are also linked to each other.”

Somilaka did not agree with her. He said, “Without effort, you can achieve nothing. Without cause there is no effect. Even if you get a good meal as a result of a good deed in the past, you have to use your hand to eat it. Wealth comes to a person who toils. There is no point in chanting the name of God. You must do your bit first. If you are not successful despite your effort, you are not to blame. Therefore, I have decided to go abroad.”

Ignoring his wife’s pleas, Somilaka left his place and reached Vardhamanapuram. Working day and night, he earned three hundred gold sovereigns within three years. He thought he should go home now and started the homeward trek. At dusk he found himself in the middle of a forest. Wild animals began their hunt for prey. The weaver climbed a tall tree and went to sleep on a big branch. He saw a dream:

The God of Action and the God of Destiny were talking to each other. Destiny asked Action, “The weaver is not destined to live in luxury. Why did you give him three hundred sovereigns?” Action replied, “I have to give to those who try and toil. Whether the weaver can keep it or not is in your hands.”

The dream jolted the weaver. He looked into his bag and found the sovereigns missing. Heart-broken, Somilaka began crying, “Oh I have lost what I have earned in three years with great effort. I have become a poor man again. I cannot go home in this condition and show my face to my wife.” He saw no point in brooding over what has happened and decided to go to Vardhamanapuram and try again.

This time, he could collect five hundred sovereigns in one year. He stored all this money in a small bag and began his homeward journey. When it was sundown, he had already entered a forest. This time, he did not sleep, afraid that he would lose his money. He continued to walk through the forest. This time also he saw those two persons he saw earlier in his dream coming in his direction.

They repeated the same conversation about God rewarding a hardworking person and destiny denying it. He immediately looked into his bag and found there was no gold in it. This time Somilaka lost his courage and thought he should commit suicide. He made a strong rope with the fibres he found in the forest. He tied one end of the rope to a high branch of the tree and made a noose of the other end. Everything was ready for his suicide when he heard a voice in the skies:

“O Somilaka, don’t be rash. I am destiny who took away your wealth. I cannot give you more than what is necessary for your bare needs. Not a single cent more. But I am pleased with your adventurous spirit. Ask for a boon. I shall give it.”

“Please give me lots of wealth,” said the weaver.

“What do you do with so much money,” asked the voice.

The weaver replied, “People serve him who is rich even if he is a miser.”

“In that case, go back to Vardhamanapuram where two wealthy merchants, Guptadhana and Upabhuktadhana are doing business. After studying them well, decide who you want to become, Guptadhana, the man who earns a lot of money but does not spend a cent of it or Upabhuktadhana, the man who earns but also enjoys the wealth he has amassed.”

Somilaka followed their advice and went back to Vardhamanapuram reaching the place in the evening after a tiring journey. With great difficulty he traced Guptadhana’s house and entered it despite resistance from the merchant’s family. When the time for dinner came, the merchant grudgingly gave food to Somilaka, suggesting that he was an unwanted guest. The weaver found a corner in the house where he could sleep.

Somilaka again had the same dream in which Action and Destiny were debating Guptadhana giving food to him.

Destiny told Action, “You have made Guptadhana give food to Somilaka.”
Action said, “You cannot blame me. I had to ensure that Somalika was fed. It is for you to decide who deserved what.”

Next day, Destiny saw to it that Guptadhana had an attack of cholera and had to miss his meal. In this manner what was given away was saved.

Later, Somilaka visited Upabhuktadhana’s house where the host welcomed him with great love and respect. The weaver had a good meal and slept. He had a dream as usual, the same two figures appearing in the dream.

Destiny told Action, “O Action, the host has spent a lot of money to entertain Somilaka. He even borrowed to make the guest happy. It is not in his destiny to have surplus. How will he repay what he has borrowed?”

Action replied, “My job is to see Somilaka got what he deserved. If Upabhuktadhana crossed the limits in entertaining his guest, that is not my fault. It is for you to decide what should be done.”

Next day, a messenger from the royal household came to Upabhuktadhana and gave him a big sum of money on behalf of the king.

Somilaka thought, “It is better to be like Upabhuktadhana. I will better be Upabhuktadhana.

Moral:
Enjoy life with whatever you have. What’s the use of being rich but miserly?
(This Panchatantra story is from The Gaining Friends.)

Given Flex 3 is quite new it is a little difficult to find great resources to help. Not many books out yet, but there is lots out there on the interweb. The difficulty is in finding something that is approaching it from your perspectives. There is lots of ways to skin a cat to use an awful euphemism, and it seems with Flex different approaches don't mix and match too well. For example, although there are lots of different ways to use XML, you have to choose one way and be consistent. That is a fair ask I think, but finding examples to help becomes a little tricky.

Anyway, lots of success...

• I have my head around Flex 3 scripting language
• I am getting there with Action Script 3
• I have database access working fine and loading my app with data (using PHP and MySQL)
• Drag and drop is working a treat
• I am writing to XML for another form of persistent data
• Tabbed layout working well too
• And so I have both Flex and Air apps working no worries

The little thing still hassling me is that I still have inconsistencies in working with the XML so reading some files is giving me grief. But I am sure I can crack that nut. One I do then I need to get down to creating the actual app. I have started some design work, and am finding it is translating from my original teaching methodology pretty well.

So there you have it... my Flex experience in a nutshell so far. Well, enough typing... more coding!

... Matt

This shows the Flex Dev environment... this one is just me testing

the dragging and dropping of content between XML documents

Last weeks selection of links worth checking out…

Top 5 Commentaries on The Gospel of Luke

Tim Keller On "The Prodigal God"

The C D E's of Preaching

A Little Bit of Comfort for Machen's Worrier Children

How to Begin a Commentary Collection

Thoughts on Reading the Psalms

Essential Reading Curriculum: Church Youth & Parents

Romans 7: A New Life in the Spirit

10 ways not to measure success

Fruitfulness of Plodding

Top 5 Commentaries on the Book of Numbers

A Word To The Calvinist: Arminians Are People Too!

Quick and Dirty Calvinism

Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome

I don't know.  It's an impossible situation.

     One year ago this week I started this Blog site. It has been a way for me to explore and share some life lessons that come from sport. I never imagined I would have so many folks join me. For our anniversary, let's review the top ten posts from this past year.

     10. What Are Your Anchors?  

      9. Who’s in Your Mirror?

      8. Who Are We Really Racing?

      7. Hawaii 2006 - The Bigger Picture!

      6. Pursuit of Happiness....

      5. Kupau

      4. Going to the Cathedral

      3. Always Finish!

      2. Ironman Blueprint

      1. Live From Hawaii!

     Thank you, and here’s to our continuing journey!

Always finish,

David

Setiap orang memiliki definisi yang berbeda mengenai makna sukses. Seorang dokter akan mengatakan sukses jika berhasil menyembuhkan pasiennya. Lain lagi bagi seorang guru, dia akan merasa sukses jika anak didiknya berhasil menyerap ilmu yang dia transferkan. Sedangkan Marketer akan mengatakan sukses jika produknya berhasil diserap pasar. "When the mind thinks of success, the outside world mirrors these thoughts" Remez Sasson. Disamping itu, masih banyak yang salah mengerti akan "faktor penyebab" berhasilnya diraih sukses, antara lain :

1. Menganggap sukses identik dengan tingkat pendidikan yang tinggi. Kenyataannya, tidaklah selalu demikian. Banyak dijumpai orang - orang yang tingkat edukasinya rendah (bukan Sarjana / tidak samapi tamat SMA) tetapi sukses dalam bisnis bahkan jadi konglomerat. Mereka - mereka ini bisa sukses karena piawai dan jeli melihat peluang yang ada. "Your mind is the generator of failure, and also the generator of success" Remez Sasson
2. Meng­anggap sukses identik dengan tidak melakukan kesalahan. Siapa yang tidak akan pernah melakukan kesalahan ? Justru karena melalui kesalahanlah, Thomas Alfa Edison sukses menemukan listrik. "Strong people make as many mistakes as weak people. Difference is that strong people admit their mistakes, laugh at them, learn from them. That is how they become strong" Richard Needham
3. Meng­ang­gap sukses identik dengan kerja yang tanpa adanya batasan waktu. Kerja tanpa adanya batasan waktu, menunjukkan bahwa orang tersebut tidak professional pada pekerjaannya karena tidak memiliki time management. Seorang professional, tahu benar kapan harus mengawali dan mengakhiri pekerjaannya dengan hasil yang terbaik. Professionalism : It's NOT the job you DO, It's HOW you DO the job.
4. Menganggap ­suk­ses identik dengan birokrasi yang sudah ditentukan. Di era yang serba praktis, semua bentuk birokrasi yang bertele - tele, complicated dan rumit, sudah sewajarnya disederhanakan. Karena selain tidak efisien, juga akan menurunkan produktivitas. "Professionalism knows how to do it, when to do it, and doing it" Frank Tyger
5. Menganggap sukses identik dengan pe­tun­juk atasan. Petunjuk dibutuhkan jika acuan kerja belum ada atau masih ragu dan bimbang. Kemandirian dan kreativitas tidak akan timbul atau berkembang jira selalu tergantung pada orang lain. "Professional are people who do jobs well even when they don't feel like it"
6. Meng­anggap sukses identik dengan keberuntungan. Tanpa adanya usaha yang ulet, semangat dan serius, tidaklah mungkin keberuntungan akan mendatangi diri seseorang ibarat hujan emas dari langit. "The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment; it is not in luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone" Orison Swett Marden
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7. Menganggap ­sukses identik dengan banyak uang. Sejujurnya, uang memang dibutuhkan tetapi jika tidak tahu cara memanfaatkannya secara bijaksana maka seseorang tidak saja akan menjadi budak bagi uangnya tetapi juga tidak akan bisa menjadi tuan bagi uangnya. "Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons" Woody Allen
8. Menganggap sukses identik dengan pe­nga­kuan. Logikanya, sukses yang sesungguhnya adalah didasarkan oleh apa yang tertampak / nyata dan bukanlah dikarenakan oleh pengakuan atau penilaian dari orang lain. "There are things to confess that enrich the world, and things that need not be said" Joni Mitchell
9. Meng­ang­gap sukses identik dengan tercapainya tujuan. Tujuan adalah sasaran yang ingin dicapai tetapi itu bukanlah akhir dari perjalanan. Tetapi adalah awal tujuan yang lain. "We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future" George Bernard Shaw
10. Menganggap sukses identik dengan berakhirnya kesulitan. Hidup adalah perjuangan yang penuh dengan rintangan dan tantangan. Yang namanya kesulitan, pasti akan dialami. Yang menjadi masalah, mau atau tidak dihadapi. Jika lari dari kenyataan / tidak mau menghadapinya maka sampai kapanpun juga, kesulitan tersebut selain tidak akan bisa tersirnakan, kwantitasnya juga akan semakin banyak. "In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity" Albert Einstein. Sukses atau tidak dalam hidup ini, andalah yang tahu / penentunya. "Attaining peace of mind, happiness and good relationships also mean success" Remez Sasson

Most of us spend most of our lives wondering about life's purpose. We mimic what are friends do, we get to do things our parents tell us to do and worse, we get to do what we find in the immediate and the familiar, little knowing why we do what we do with our lives.

In Lakshya, it took Karan (played by Hritik Roshan) 24 years and 18000 feet to find purpose. Karan did not know what to do with life. At best, he could only wonder why he was directionless. The others around him knew his problem. There was something missing in his life - a real objective - something to live and probably die for. Romi (played by Preity zinta) knew that if only Karan could find his purpose he would get to the top. Unfortunately, Karan did not know this and so he did not try to find life's purpose.

Do we know our purpose in life? The quicker we know our purpose, the easy is the experience. How do we find our purpose? Do we look within or without? Do we look inside or above? Is life's purpose assigned or chosen? I guess we all find our purpose - at our moment of truth. Life's purpose is not in what we do (or say). It is inextricably linked with our values. It gives meaning and significance to our values.

It helps us understand why we live (and maybe die). Have you found your life's purpose? When your purpose becomes a guiding ideal you begin to really live - inspite of what you have or don't have, inspite of where you are and inspite of who is with you (and not with you)

Lakshya helps us address the question of purpose. If you have watched it and missed the point, grab a DVD and watch it. It took 24 years and 18000 feet for Karan to find purpose. It may well take 2hrs of watching to help us think about this important issue. Well, if you don't know where you are going then any road is OK!

I wrote previously about food energy density, or how some foods "have more calories" than others.

What struck me most was nuts, especially peanut butter. That little tiny blob is 200 calories? Jeez! I had no idea that nuts were that so energy dense. It makes me rethink one of my favourite treats, a half slice of whole bread with freshly ground almond butter and fruit spread. But then again, I'm progressing fine so I'll put the treat-nixing plan on the shelf. :)

On the other hand, I can see why people say that eating celery is like drinking water, or eating air. Fortunately, baby carrots are near the beginning of the list. I've been snacking on those between meals from time to time. (I get tired of them pretty quick, so it's an occasional thing.)

I've learned some lessons about energy density through experimentation, and it has become a theme of mine when selecting foods. For example, tonight I chose a big "breadless sandwich" (ahem… a salad) and a small treat for dinner. I was eyeing the nikuman that my wife made for herself and the kids. I love her nikuman. But it would have to be only one… and I still be hungry. Either choice would have been valid, but tonight I chose the full stomach, not the protesting one.

Anyhow, maybe I'm just exposing my ignorance, but as Joe Average, who ever thinks of things like this? My hat's off to WiseGeek. I've figured out how much to eat by the seat of my pants. Looking up stuff in charts doesn't really make an impression, but those real-life pictures have stayed with me.

Status: 57 pounds (26 kg) lighter.

Although I'm still new at real estate investing, I've tried incorporating a couple of new techniques to help me make more money, and work less, and not have tenants ruin my life.  One of these techniques is the lease option, which I wrote about in an earlier post.  Lease options are a great way to transfer risk to your tenants by requiring more money up front.  Another technique is owner financing, which is probably one of the best ways to make more money and work less.  With owner financing, you still keep the property deed in your name until you're paid (if you're smart), and the buyer pays the insurance, taxes, and interest to you! 

But beware, by providing owner financing you become the bank, which means you must foreclose on the buyer if they decide not to pay you.  As a result, providing owner financing may or may not be a smart choice depending on your state's foreclosure process.  For example, in Illinois the foreclosure process takes about 210 days from beginning to end, which means your property could be sitting for 7 months before you get it's rented again (oouch!)  However, the foreclosure process in Missouri is only about 60 days, which is about the time it takes for a typical eviction.  In this case, providing owner financing in Missouri might be a better choice compared to Illinois. 

I would really be interested in hearing your thoughts on owner financing.  Have you tried it, and do you have any tips that would provide useful based on your experiences?

A Life Restored (Remix of Sunday’s sermon – audio download - http://www.firstgrandville.org/content.cfm?id=213&category_id=4 )

To have it all on the outside – money, success, lots of stuff - but falling apart on the inside?

Sin, grief, anger – these things have a corrosive effect on our souls. But also, the stress, the pressure of keeping a job, finding a job, keeping a family or relationship together – what does all of this do to our souls? We depend on ourselves; we turn inward; we go off the path; we turn away from the one who loves us most.

And ultimately, our souls become like a wilderness or a desert.

We need to be restored!

Today, when we think of restoration, we probably think of the spa. But there is something better than anything a spa can offer…

The definition of restoration is, “to bring back to its former state; to bring back from a state of ruin, decay, disease, or the like.”

You see, from the beginning of the Bible in Genesis to the end in Revelation – the goal was reconciliation and restoration between us and God. God’s pursuit of us and then the cross through which the reconciliation was achieved. And because of the person on that cross, Jesus, God got personal, literally. And through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit we can be restored in souls and in our lives.        

Psalm 23 offers us this pathway to restoration guided by the Lord, the shepherd. Jesus calls himself the good shepherd in John 10. Think about it, a shepherd is personal, gentle when necessary, but also protective and patient.

As you might imagine the biggest obstacle to Jesus the shepherd leading us to being restored is …us…

But we are going to change that today…

Receive what His hand provides

He comforts…

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want

            Not lacking in anything spiritual

He makes me lie down in green pastures

            Being fed with and resting in, God’s best

He leads me beside still waters

                        What refreshes you?

Are you thirsty?

He restores…

He restores my soul

To lead away (Come away with me…) – meaning of restore – in Hebrew

Follow His guiding and protecting hand

He leads…

            He leads me in right paths for his name’ sake

            Not ours battle to win – it’s His.

He protects…

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me

Imagine being able to say to Satan and challenges – I don’t fear you – my shepherd is with me – I don’t fear a cancer diagnosis, I don’t fear losing my job…

            Your rod and your staff they comfort me

                        Shepherd - Rod for protection, staff for guidance

Embrace His open arms

He welcomes…

            You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies

                        Nothing can stop the hospitality of the Lord

            You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows

                        Both point to abundance

He embraces…

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

                        Hebrew understanding of “follow” is pursue

Romans 8:28 – God works for the good in all things…

            And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

                        God’s presence – belonging to Him above all things

He knows what we need. We don’t need a day at the spa, we don’t need more money, we need a restored soul. And he wants to give it to us abundantly. This Psalm begins and ends with the Lord – “The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Our souls were not meant to be deserts, dry and deserted - they were to be places of pastures and quiet waters – overflowing with the presence of God – the Holy Spirit.

Whatever is going on in your life today…

If you want rest and comfort,

If you want to feel his protection when you are in the darkest valleys,

If you want the “cup” of your soul to overflow with goodness and mercy,

If you want true abundance,

Then say it - The Lord Jesus Christ is my shepherd, and I am going let him lead me, and protect me, and let him fill me, and run to his open arms and never leave.

The restoring can start right now…

Amen.  

Discussion Questions

1. Have you thought of Psalm 23 in this way? Often you hear at funerals, which is completely appropriate. But how about it in the present tense – in the now?
2. What about restoration? What have you thought about it prior to reading this? Do you need some?
3. What is the state of your soul? What can we do about it?  
4. Have you let the Lord touch and restore you? How about today?

I'm just over 6ft tall, and my arms are pretty long, which leads me to believe that my tallest corn stalk is about 10 ft tall.

Now to figure out how to know when the ears are ripe and ready for eating...

-Wayne W. Water

For me, I have found this lifestyle to be a freeing experience.  While that would seem contradictary, it is not.  The BDSM lifestyle tends to go against the social norms.  This is what sets it free as opposed to conforming.  The orgy is a prime example of this rejecting of what society promotes.

Monogamy is the tool used by society.  The marriage is the institution by which a society survives.  It is within this framework that the family unit is formed.  This is the foundation for it.  The concept of free sex with multiple partners is discouraged.  Those who engage in the practice are looked down upon.  Society has a variety of terms used to describe these people-and none of them are endearing.

The BDSM environment is made up of a variety of people.  There are plenty of facets for O/one to explore.  Not all involved in this way of life are swingers or into group sex.  Many are into monogomous relationships with a "leather" twist.  However, there are many who are also open to the wild side of the lifestyle.  It is a matter of availing Y/yourself to the deisres within and getting with those who want to share similar experiences.

When engaging in a BDSM orgy, it is important that there be a level of trust among all participants,  Unlike regular orgies, it is best if strangers not be invovled.  Safety, as always, is a primary concern.  The subs are in a vulnerable position, especially if the setting is a dungeon scene complete with all the furniture.  While they are open to being used sexually by many and be worked on by the same people, few will want to deal with an inexperienced person.  Repecting limits is difficult when an overzealous person is invovled.

Entertaining our sexual side is one of the benefits of the BDSM experinece.  This way of life allows O/ones mind to drift into a realm which previously was considered only fantasy.  However, in this lifestyle, the fantasies have a way of becoming reality.  It is all available if Y/you seek it.

-Wayne W. Water

When strives for success itself one kind of life value time, human's success or not instead appeared not so is important. That is strives for success significance in its process, but does not care about its result. For instance a person like mad, must alone mount bead Moora the Ma peak, after the untold hardships, will ascend will also not obtain too many actual benefits, was defeated also by no means did not have the value. Japanese several years ago have dig Mr. Jiang Qian a husbands and wives, harness the motorboat to surround the Earth, embarked from Hawaii, pass over gently and swiftly the Antarctica, also through Arctic Ocean, have carried on the life-and-death fight with the bad climate.

In the wave tumbling's boundless sea, dug Madame Jiang Qian a to tie up own body with the rope, the double host closely gripped 8 millimeters cameras, the albatross, the porpoise, the noctiluca, the North Star, the southern cross star, the sky-blue sea, sank the horizon the setting sun, the eye-catching bright night and so on to take in the lens heartily. Their several frequencies near hopeless situation. But retrievales the vitality, finally has completed 60,000 kilometers navigations finally, some people called that it “the navigation which strives for success”.

Indeed, the struggle is a kind of vitality that people in fighting in the enjoyment of their own lives, and its strength, wisdom and courage, rather than other external things. Of course, external things are needed, but they are just the lives of decoration, like a marathon to get to the end received a bouquet of flowers, will make life more scenery is dazzling.

The modern intense life, trained all kinds of has striven for success. Except the soccer, the boxing, the horse racing, the glide, climb, each stunt to drive, each kind of Guinness comprehensive work astonishing record, but also has each kind of experiment and risk. Strives for success means to the difficult challenge. Has not made the matter challenge to the people, to mediocre, to the rule, to knows one's place is a happy person, to inactivity, to limit challenge, finally, also means that approaches own challenge.

In addition to the above, in modern society there are owners who struggle, which is " Workaholic" This is some of the most developed countries, such as the United States, Japan, Germany, the most common. For their endless work and curb all the time fighting; them to their own lives in a series of difficulties to overcome, a new high in the fight against; gain satisfaction and happiness.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's prime minister said Saturday that the government has defeated terrorism in the country, a sign of growing confidence after recent crackdowns against Sunni extremists and Shiite militias.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki launched the crackdowns to extend the authority of the government over areas in Baghdad and elsewhere that have largely been under the control of armed groups since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

"They were intending to besiege Baghdad and control it," al-Maliki said. "But thanks to the will of the tribes, security forces, army and all Iraqis, we defeated them."

He was speaking at ceremonies marking the fifth anniversary of the 2003 assassination of Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, a leading opponent of Saddam Hussein killed in a truck bombing in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf after returning from exile in Iran.

Bolstered by this confidence, the prime minister plans to visit the United Arab Emirates today, and also Italy and Germany later in the month.

Source: Sun Sentinel

Come on now, you should know that there is no way my yard looked like this.

It started off like this...

But before that, Melissa came over and helped me decorate two Patriotic Cup-Cakes.

ah-ha-ha-ha! They're cakes, made from cupcakes! Thanks to "Hello Cupcake!", though ours looked pretty much nothing like the one in the book except that they were made from cupcakes. But I did get to organize a stack of paper baking cups into 4 colors.

Then Friday morning I got to work. Here are some pre-pictures.

If you talk to Steve, don't let him tell you otherwise, I pulled up a box of weeds... put the weed barriers in place AND mulched. Now, he did do three or four "deliveries" to the area, pulled out two barberries (if your landscaper says that barberries are a good idea, I want you to punch them.) and planted our two new plants.

Screw you barberry!

That is the hole you USED to occupy and now you're behind the tree in the back of the house. You didn't even give me a chance to kill you, I guess you wanted it to hurt when Steve removed you from the garden. I never liked you anyways.

Now this I like...

That would be a cactus. Yes, like a real cactus, blooming in MY YARD!!!

And here's your required Bailey picture of the event. She hadn't seen a sprinkler in action, so when we put the new one on, she didn't know what to do.

After some well deserved showers, we went over to a friends house for a cook out, volleyball and a fire. B likes to go over because they have a black lab and they basically spend the day chasing the ball around the yard.
Here she is, waiting for SOMEONE, ANYONE to throw the ball.

Our friends also have two girls (3 years and 11 months) and I'll usually hang out with them... thus explaining the toys in the background.
BTW, Steve left me a message on the answering machine last night (I opted to hang out in the yard). "(the 3-year old) wants to know where you and Bailey are because she misses you."
So when Beeses is done playing, she lays down.

Yes, she is RIGHT NEXT to the grill. She also likes to lay next to the fire and a few fires ago, an ember landed on her. She was excited because people were touching her, to put out the smoldering ember.

Sunday morning, I put the swing together and Steve worked on some mulching. I then cleard out the last weed box and cleared the way for my flags, peonies and some cool purple plant. I planted Sweet Dreams and Heaven's Gate in the back box and once they really take, I'll photograph them.
We also compromised on the daisies.
I pulled out the lot in front and replaced them with my Arizona Blanket.
The BirchBell is planted near the tree.
Steve moved the back hosta to the hole where the Most Evil Barberry was.

I love the fact that our yard is now nice to look at... neighbors probably think that someone new moved in... I'm no longer embarrassed of the view of my weed boxes from the road.
And at the end of the day, my cactus had bloomed twice.

(posted from the glider swing.)

About a year ago I started consulting for a company and I work as a developer and trainer.  The nice thing is I still get to keep all my clients.  I feared having to manage clients for someone else, for this company, because what if I screw up?! It's not just my ass, it's theirs too.

Things have gone smoothly, though I sometimes convinced myself it wasn't the case.  I told myself a lot of the time that I wasn't good enough or capable.  

To be honest, I'm happy with how things have gone.  I've even had a client call the company to say how impressed he was with me.  I've had my "boss" in a meeting with a client and you can see the client's eyes light up when I show what I've done.

I'm a people person. A salesperson.  An honest and sincere one.  I don't throw around stories of "bang for the buck" or "deals" or anything like that.  I try to be as straightforward as possible and people seem to appreciate that.  I'm also myself - not some cheezy salesperson.

The power of words. The power of presentation.

I haven't mastered being an entrepreneur.  God knows I'm awful with productivity.  I'm working on it.  Now that I'm confident with my work, I have a new motivation to be productive and efficient - the more I do, the more I get to "show off" my work, which makes me feel good.

I love what I do and I don't see myself changing careers anytime soon.  I hope that I can continue my success as an entrepreneur so that I never have to get a "real" job, as they call it.  I don't know if I would do well working for "the man".  Instead, I prefer working for multiple clients, many different versions of "the man"... all at once.  It's a whole different beast.  I learn about people, personalities, mentalities, preferences, etc.  

I guess I was an Anthropology major for a reason - I find true interest in people.  Maybe that's why I like what I do. I get to solve people's problems (through technology).  There's something so adventurous (safe, though), so challenging, and so intriguing. 

Also, working with multiple clients allows me to multi-task.  I lack attention span and this is one way to deal with :)

So far things are successful.  I hope this doesn't end anytime soon!

This is a first for me. I was never an honor student or distinguished for doing something well academically (except occasionally math) so when I got the letter yesterday after noon was quite flabbergasted. I then told all the people who are important in my life and who have contributed to my success. It's a great feeling being able to show people that not only my hard work but also their hard work (helping me with Soph, etc.) is paying off - slowly but surely. It was my first semester there too. Great way to kick off my future!

The topic of discussion today is not a subject you usually find on business blogs. Being sensitive is commonly associated with weakness and insecurity in business. I do not believe this however, I believe this is an essential personal characteristic, specially one that entrepreneurs must possess. Understanding this, is the result of interactions with my mentors, who have constantly impressed upon me the importance of being sensitive to your team members, customers and suppliers. I have seen and experienced this in my own interactions of working with several teams over the last couple of years. Being sensitive to the feelings of others, situations and circumstances allows you to focus on larger issues in a more comprehensive manner.

Being a team member will inevitably result in times when the situation requires compromise and taking action in ways you may not always be comfortable with. Reactions to such situations can often be the 'make or break' factor for some teams. The key factor in all of this, boils down to balance. Being either overly sensitive or insensitive, bring their own share of difficulties. Maintaining a balance between both extremes requires discipline, an open mind and flexibility. I have worked with several people who have had trouble maintaining this composure, it has invariably led to difficult situations. 

Highly effective team members understand the need for sensitivity when dealing with issues which impact the entire team. Some areas requiring sensitivity are:

1. Dealing with conflict: The manner of handling conflict is a telling sign of whether balance can be maintained between extremes. For example, an individual is in a conflict with another team mate for not contributing adequately to the team. If you were the person who brought up this issue with your team member, your tone, rationale and way of handling this issue is critical.

2. Dealing with change: Whenever an organization undergoes a structural change process, substantial friction is created. This could be when individuals are required to move out of their comfort zone. As an effective team member, it is our responsibility to ensure that everyone on the team is given enough support during this transitional period. Focusing selfishly on yourself or how this change process will impact you alone, is not a winning attitude.

3. Dealing with loss: Every organization has its share of ups and downs. It is during down periods that a team is required to come together and figure out how to fix the situation. I have learnt, dealing with organizational loss tends to bring out the ugly side of people. The fact is, no one likes to lose, but it is a part of life. The success of a team comes down to, how we react to such situations and whether we are able to handle it well collectively as a team.

I agree entirely that some people are more sensitive than others. It is important however, that everyone on the team does their best in dealing with difficult situations and individuals, with an open mind. This attitude will not only help create stronger bonds between all team members, it will also make you stronger as a person. The next time you find yourself in a difficult situation, do your best to understand where the other person is coming from as well. Always remember to treat others in the same manner you would like to be treated yourself.

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