January 1, 2011: New Years Resolutions

Well looks like it is that time again. I have been so busy with the new things in my life that I have not had the time to update my blog. Unfortunately, tonight I am also busy so I will save the updates in my life for a blog on my day off :)

This is a time for New Years Resolutions and instead of putting down lofty goals I am going to instead put down goals that will be attainable and have positive impacts in my life. They will also be numbered by importance rather than just jotting down random resolutions. So without further ado, here they are:

1. Live a better, Christ-filled life.
2. Finish the Police Academy
3. Complete my Thesis by March to finish my degree
4. Pass my one year probation with the Santa Ana PD
5. Log 1,000 miles of running
6. Finish my first Triathlon
7. Pay off $12,000 in debt
8. Drop down to 14% body fat
9. Re-adjust my financial plan for the future (investments, retirement, budget)

PERCEPTION: Something to think about

THE SITUATION

In Wash DC, at a Metro Station, on a cold Jan morning in '07, this man with a violin played 6 Bach pieces for about 45 min. During that time, approx 2,000 people went through the station, most on their way to work. After about 3 min, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace & stopped for a few sec & then he resumed his schedule.

About 4 min later: The violinist received his first $1. A woman threw money in the hat & without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 min: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch & started to walk again.

At 10 min: A 3-yr old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard & the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 min: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped & listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hr: He finished playing & silence took over. No one noticed & no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 mil. 2 days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 ea to sit & listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the DC Metro Station, was organized by the Wash Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste & people's priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:



*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hr, do we perceive beauty?

*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not take a moment to stop & listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made...

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

What a beautiful Tuesday

Surprisingly having a great day at work :-) LML (Love My Life)

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too weak and sick to walk to my desk and type this out

Day 3. . .the only thing keeping me going is my diet consisting of tomato bisque soup and thera flu. And tons of water!!!!

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Flu: Day 2

Ugh. . .I really can't stand being sick. This is so embarrassing and crazy. While everyone is going out and having a great time I'm stuck in bed drinking Thera-Flu. Oh well, luckily today is Sunday and I will have plenty of Football to watch, Fantasy Football games to win, and a 4 game parlay to watch out for :)

All of you have a blessed Sunday. Despite all my troubles, I'm still going to church :)

May God get all the glory!!!

where was this quote last night!! lol

Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently

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Let's get back on it

Good Morning Internet and your followers,

I'm sorry that I haven't had the time to blog and update you guys as much as I want to but be rest assured it's because of a good reason. . .I'm busy! lol

Actually, there are no uses of "lol" in my apartment today, this has to be the worst weekend of the month and latter part of the year and it even happens on my birthday week :(

Last night was a total disaster to say the least. Anaheim was a 2 week project. Everything seemed fine; the servers were operational, all the PCs were operating fine, and the software and other elements were all in place. When we ran the debugger we kept getting so many error messages and to make this short and to even leave out a LOT of cuss words, we had to start over! A 2 week project had to be completed in one night and this whole fiasco started around 8ish!!

Well, thanks to my incredible IT team we were able to get things going by 2 in the morning. . .ugh

And now to make things worse, I wake up and I can't even breathe! My lungs and nasal passages are all congested. I have a terrible migraine and the worst sore throat ever. Not even soup soothes it at all. So now I had to miss class because of it and I also can't see my grandpa because I can't risk getting him sick.

So here I am laying in my bed blogging away until I fall asleep and hopefully wake up with all the symptoms gone.

Anyways, God is good! Through all these troubles, I was paid and I learned a lot about the debugging program. Had it not been for this incident I would have never opened up that book to learn. You can always take away something from everything, no matter how bad the situation.

To all a good night. . .or good morning! :)

craziness!!

My professors are crazy!!! 6 page paper due next class?!?!?

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knotts or universal?

wish I had a scion :P When is That scion night anyway?

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Anaheim, CA

Good Morning So Cal,

It's going to be a stressful week. No breaks for me and then this weekend I will have to watch my Grandpa again, the craziness just never stops. Anyway, it's beautiful in Anaheim this morning. Went on a nice run to clear my lungs, get my heart pumping and to clear my head before everything begins. So here we go. . .

Have a great day!!

Never stop smiling and never stop laughing!

:) lol

Lyric of the hour

I want to make love right now na na. I wish we never broke up right now na na. We need to make up right now na na.

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Great Point

RevRunWisdom: When ppl brag they show u what they're insecure about

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thank you for always forgiving me and putting up with me cupcake

RevRunWisdom: Love is about forgiving,, and ready to be hurt again if necessary

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Tita Armie

If its not one thing its another thing. Please pray for my Tita Armie Who is having her appendix removed this morning. She has appendicitis.

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grandpas status

G is doing alright. He had a liter of fluid drained from his lungs. Cancer cells present in the lungs. Possible lung cancer.

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A New Hope. John 5:24

I know many of you are probably thinking that's a Star Wars reference but it isn't (even though it does look like one). I find it very interesting that yesterday morning I felt the need to quote the verse, Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what today may bring forth. (Proverbs 27:1).

Yesterday afternoon we found out that my Grandpa Primo has cancer. They discovered the cancer when they analyzed the fluid that was drained from his lungs. He needs a lot of prayers because Kaiser is going to make him wait until next Friday before they will meet with him to discuss his options and how they will detect where and how severe the cancer is. He has cancer and the fluid is filling up his lungs, he could literally drown in his lungs!! Does it really need to take that long to find out something so important like that?? I can't believe that next Friday is the soonest they can do this, it is so ridiculous!! Right now, I can not focus on those things but instead focus on being there for my Grandpa. During this time I have been comforted by the verse John 5:24, I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 

It brings me comfort because I know that my Grandpa is a believer in God and Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior. Please continue to pray for my Grandpa, his doctors, and his family.

Hope

So yesterday I had my first day of CrossFit training promptly at 4:30 yesterday after work and oh my gosh. . .that was the most extreme thing I have ever done. I literally felt like I was training like a spartan for the movie 300. My whole entire body was aching after that extremely long workout that felt like it would never end and even this morning my legs, back, and chest is aching in pain. But it was definitely worth it. Too bad I won't do it again for another week once my body repairs :-P

So I looked up the definition of hope in the dictionary and this is what I found: "something that is hoped for"

 Really?!? That's Webster's definition of hope? That's pathetic in my opinion. But when you look at it a second time, how else would you describe hope. Hope is a feeling that everything will play out the way you want it too. You could almost compare hope to gambling. You don't know the future but you will make certain moves based on how you think or HOPE the outcome will happen. Well in our lives we need to put our hope in Jesus Christ. Not any earthly possessions, ideas, or things but in our Creator.

Don't you have your hands full with today? Don't you find yourself distracted from the urgent and important things of today by worrying about the problems of tomorrow and fantasizing about all the possibilities down the road? Isn't it a waste of time to be anxious about those things you have no influence over? So why...?

 

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what today may bring forth. (Proverbs 27:1)

God, give me the strength to seize the moment and live the life today that will please You and bless others. Help my heart feel the urgency of today and act with boldness, kindness, and salvation instead of worrying so much about what may happen. Amen.

No need to respond. . .

A Reason, A Season, Or A Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.

Then people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

 

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons: things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

But how do you know where someone is suppose to be? Is it possible for someone to come for a reason but then last a lifetime? What if you're not ready for that person to go or to not be a part of your life? What if you need that person to be a part of your life?

People come and people go
But your touch cuts me deeper
And still it grows at the center
I will always remember
Years gone by
Seems like you're still here
Every night in my dreams
You remind me with kisses so tender
I will always remember

Never been one to give my heart up so easily
But now you're gone wish I'd given my heart completely
In the touch of a stranger I can feel you
In the eyes of a child I see your face
Your hold on my soul
Keeps me from danger
No matter how hard I try
These memories I can't erase

People come and people go
But your touch cuts me deeper
And still it grows at the center
I will always remember
Years gone by
Seems like you're still here
Every night in my dreams
You remind me with kisses so tender
I will always remember

In the brush of a stranger I can feel you
In the eyes of a child I see your face
Your hold on my soul
Keeps me from danger
No matter how hard I try
These memories I can't replace 

I just thought you should know. . . 

Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

When was the last time you were blamed for something you didn't do? Unless you're a hermit, it probably happens pretty often. Friends, family, church members, your teachers, your parents, your boss at work. Jesus talks here about mercy and love for our enemies, and about applying the Golden Rule. None of us wants to be judged or condemned, so we should not judge or condemn others. All of us want to be forgiven and to receive good gifts, so we must forgive and give to others.

Book of Wisdom

Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.

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