Camera, ground level, pans across wide open vista of unperturbed geraniums.

HANS enters, decked out in army camo, carrying a paintball gun, running over the top of the camera, the shot showing only his feet. Cut to full body wide shot, revealing GLORIA.

Gloria, in long, light skirt and midrift-revealing-barely-more-than-a-bra top with light cloak, stands facing Hans.

Hans: Enough.

Hans turns to face Gloria.

Hans: Is this what it has come to, Gloria? Am I to spend the rest of my existence running? Why can you not forget me?

Gloria: Because of the things you do to me.

The chamber that Rylan stepped into was large, over twice as long as it was wide, and their path was a set of gallery railings that ran along the walls. Halfway through the room a walkway spanned the width and divided the room in two, and two jeweled chandeliers hung down on either side, ropes of glittering diamonds and sapphires dangling almost carelessly. The lights were pinpricks of gold from the candles that spanned along the rail, just enough to see the stairs across the room. “That one?” he whispered.

Dacha panted louder than he spoke, slightly bent and shrugging her shoulders in time with her breathing. She nodded. Rylan took the lead, and chose to walk around the wall and avoid the walkway. Saffira's lantern behind him threw a giant's shadow on the far wall. Dacha may have been out of breath, but adrenaline gave Rylan the impression that his heard had moved behind his ears. He moved at a walk for Dacha's sake, both swords free of their sheaths and his eyes scanning to and fro. There were four doors on the upper level aside from their intended staircase, one at each corner. Four silent, black mouths.

Two footsteps beyond the first corner, Rylan heard an extra set of feet on the tile floor. "Saffira!"

The wild woman spun between her companions and the open doorway, and she blocked high. The black axe crashed onto the large knife and forced Saffira to her knees. Two other guards moved past him with short swords in hand, and Rylan heard the sound of crossbows loading across the room.

I have given a brief overview of the background of the Ten Commandments, the text, the meaning of the text, and the implications of the text in contemporary society. I have also given practical examples of how the Commandments may guide Soldiers in their military experiences. Applications are offered for relating God’s commandments with personal experiences and choices as Soldiers.

It is my intent, and hope, that this book will encourage Soldiers to fully trust in the Lord. The goal is not to intimidate readers with my preferred set of harsh rules; instead, the goal is to spur Soldiers to trust in the Lord with all their hearts, acknowledging him in everything, and letting him guide them. In writing this material, my approach is that of a pastor who hopes the best for his flock. I pray that each Soldier who reads this book will be inspired to give his full devotion to God, resisting temptation, and honoring the One who created him. By doing so, he will be strengthened and comforted by the only eternal Source of true satisfaction.

She jams the sponge into a cup. She thinks about how people've fooled around with smallness. They go deeper. Tinier. Breaking and messing up until the small worlds are overwhelmed. Change and become explosive and destructive to the larger worlds around.

She says to him, We are smaller than our comprehension will allow. And as she rinses the glass she is frightened by the thought. People most certainly overwhelm all around them. They are explosive. And definitely destructive.

Who's messing in our tiny world, she wonders.

(copyright 2008 )  c A Hughes
07.19.08

I do not know if all of you guys are familiar with this series of conversation. I read it last night, and again I found myself weeping in awe and in laughter. Got this one from a black book called " Paboritong Libro ni Hudas", which happens to be my all time favorite book. This week, I want to share this seven-part installment (with each being named after a capital sin). Spare some time to read, and take the lore out of it.

Socioeconomic status, genetic makeup and ongoing debates on mestisaje aside, if in search of refuge from the United States I took up residence on any other continent, the core of my being would long for a return to the lands of my ancestors. My ethereal spirit and my collective memory with other indigenas and mestizo/as yearn to claim these territories as homeland."

Ana Castillo

from "A Countryless Woman: The Early Feminista," Massacre of the Dreamers: Essays on Xicanisma

Tags: mestisaje, indigenas, mestiza, homeland, foreigner

The east end of Commerce Street winds through an upper-class residential neighborhood before winding up at Lord's Market. Behind spiked, iron fences stand the "city cottages" of Toresal's wealthy merchants and nobility, built tall and narrow to make the best use of limited real estate.

Three stately houses are built close together on the north side of the road: Black Gate Estate to the northwest; Red Gate Estate to the north; and the Jacobs family mansion to the northeast. The street itself continues east and west, and the City Park lies to the south.

There seems to be some sort of spectacle going on in Lord's Market; pedestrians are crowding the streets, pressing east.

>east

Lord's Market

Lord's Market is packed with people from every part of the city, all of them pressing in, blocking the streets. You've never seen it this crowded before.

There is some sort of wooden structure erected in the center of the square.

>examine structure

It's a raised platform, with some sort of scaffolding built over it, and a rope dangling from...

Suddenly your mouth goes dry. It's a gallows.

>wait

Time passes.

A man steps up onto the wooden platform. By squeezing between two spectators and craning your neck, you can just make out that it is Baron Fossville addressing the crowd.

"Citizens of Toresal," he shouts, "as Lord of this City, it is my duty to administer justice within its gates, and punish those who transgress against the Queen's Law. More often than not, this duty is a heavy burden. Though I may wish to be lenient, consideration for the sanctity of the law and the safety of the Queen's subjects must always outweigh my softer instincts. Today, this burden weighs particularly upon me, for today I must administer the most stringent punishment allowed by the law."

Soldiers prod a second man up onto the platform. The black bag covers his face, but you recognize him by the clothes he's wearing - it's Bobby!

>wait

Time passes.

"This man before you stands accused of plotting high treason against the city of Toresal," shouts the Baron. "The evidence against him has been weighed, and he has been found guilty by the Honorable Magistrate Hester Rudup."

Fossville gestures to a third man standing on his other side, a gaunt man wearing crimson robes - the man who captured you last night at the fountain.

>wait

Time passes.

"Despite the grief it causes me, the penalty for this most heinous crime is clear." Fossville pauses; the crowd is hanging on his every word. "By the power vested in me and in accordance with the Queen's Law... I hereby sentence this man to hang by the neck until dead."

The Baron turns to one of his soldiers at the platform's base and nods his head.

Later, you cannot remember whether you really heard the clunk of the trapdoor falling open, the rope snapping taut, or whether you only imagined it. You remember screaming, clawing at the spectators in front of you, and being pushed back by rough, angry hands. You stumbled and fell onto the cobblestones; you never saw his body drop.

Everything goes black.

Heaven and hell

A violent samurai who was known for picking fights for no reason at all arrived at the door of a Zen monastery and asked to speak to the master.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ryokan came out to meet him.

“They say that intelligence is more powerful than strength,” said the samurai. “I wonder if you could explain to me the meaning of heaven and hell.”

Riokan remained silent.

“You see?” roared the samurai. “I could explain that very easily: to show what hell is, all I need to do is beat someone up. To show what heaven is, just let a person go free after menacing him a lot.”

“I don’t argue with stupid people like you,” said the Zen master.

This made the samurai’s blood boil. His mind was filled with hatred.

“Now, that is hell,” said Ryokan, smiling. “Letting yourself be angered by silly things.”

The monk’s courage disconcerted the warrior, and he relaxed.

“And that is heaven,” added Ryokan, inviting him in. “Not reacting to silly provocations.”

Anyway, here's the tiniest lil bit of spiders:

Well, I grabbed the card and poked a corner under the spider.
This was scary because the thing would start and stop,
kind of hop to the left,
then hop around to the right.
To me it seemed to want to chew my hand off.

It was considering it, I'm telling you.
It wanted to bite me to defend itself.

That is what's scary about spiders and people and life.
You never know what the other creature is thinking, planning;
if they'll hurt you or help you,
and we always have to be prepared to protect ourselves.
With fangs that sink into and poison skin and blood,
with words and fists, writs and handcuffs,
or a toothbrush dunked into toilet water,
a bit of spit in a milkshake,
a petition, better clothes, more books, more words or complete silence...

I took the card carrying the spider outside and tapped it against a rock.
The spider fell then vanished among its new and natural surroundings-
weeds, dirt, pebbles.
Brethren, sisteren.
And other natural enemies more its size, less merciful.

Then my heart began to calm.
I hadn't realized before that it'd been upset until it began to calm.
I thought of you again as I put the card back into the junk drawer.

I was confused because I don't know when you left me, my thoughts, while I dealt with the spider.
But I put that out of my mind and simply welcomed you back.

(copyright 2008 )  c A Hughes
07.07.08

blinding light white-hot ringing clanging sound blinding blinding light.

a voice: his pupils are unresponsive

another voice: give him another one thousand milligrams

piercing cold stabbing pain, pressure, heat, burning…a scream, shrill and agonized,

blood dripping down my throat…

convulsions, limbs slamming into cold steel –

GET HIM IN RESTRAINTS, QUICKLY!!

should we risk another injection?

YES!  YES!  DO IT NOW!!

blinding light white-hot ringing clanging sound blinding blinding light.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

much time has passed.  i am dying of hunger.  six pale white surfaces surround me.

-------------------------------------------------------

when they came for me i didn’t understand why they handcuffed me; i didn’t understand why they had stethoscopes and syringes and a gurney.  why were they so nervous?

they drugged me but before i blacked out i saw them taking my computer.  they tore my place apart looking for every disc i had.  they took an inventory of all my books and videotapes.  they took my address book and calendar.  the creepy thing was that they didn’t speak – they were all nodding and making excited hand motions – but they didn’t speak.  a minute after the needle went in my arm all the commotion swirled, tilted sideways, blurred, and faded to black.

Where can I find the More tag?
You can find the More tag in your visual editor's toolbar (first row):

How can I use it?
1) Go to Write -> Post in your dashboard to create a new blog entry.

2) Begin writing your post. When you decide that you want to cut it off, you can insert the More tag to effectively split the post (mark where the excerpt officially ends). You will see, in the visual editor, the More tag as such:

3) Finish writing your post after the More tag has been inserted.

4) Publish the post and view the front page of your blog. You should see your post effectively split using the More tag. Click on the link, and you will be taken to the post in its full form. The front page of your blog should display the post as such:

But wait, there's more!
You can further customize the message that displays in the link to view the full content of the post.

You will need to do this in the HTML view of your editor. Once you are switched, find the More tag; it should look something like this...

<!--more-->

To customize the message, simply add a space after <!--more, and turn it into something like this...

<!--more But wait, there's more-->

The front page of your blog should now display your post as such:

Note: You will need to customize the message for each post; you cannot declare a global message that will take effect on each and every post of your blog that uses the More tag.

Formatting Issues
On some occasions, when users decide to insert the More tag after actually writing the post, formatting errors can certainly occur. The issue is that when the user inserts the More tag in the visual editor, it actually gets placed inside of an HTML tag. So, then if the More tag gets placed within a set of <strong> tags, the rest of the page will be formatted as <strong>. This can even have negative effects on your entire sidebar.

The remedy is simple; you must go into the HTML view of the problematic post and relocate your More tag to outside of any HTML tags (this includes div, strong, em, etc...).

For more information on formatting issues, please check out the following related FAQ articles:

Why is my sidebar at the bottom of my posts?
Formatting issues with the More tag

Masukkan kode berikut pada looping anda:

[sourcecode language='php']

ID;
$title=$post->post_title;
$the_content =$wpdb->get_var("SELECT post_content FROM $wpdb->posts WHERE ID = $id");
$pattern = '! $pattern2 = '! preg_match_all($pattern, $the_content, $matches);
$image_src = $matches['1'][0];
preg_match_all($pattern2, $the_content, $matches);
$image_alt = $matches['1'][0];
?>

[/sourcecode]

- Nah hasilnya bisa jadi seperti ini :

atau di slideshow saya ini :D

Selamat mencoba yah...

During my occasional Arithmetic study session, I tend to drift off, as one would expect an adolescent to do. Well, I was in a session a few days ago, and I came upon the thought of my GPA.

At my school, it's really quite rare to pass off with a GPA of 4.0, since the teachers almost never dole out A's and A-'s. Getting straight to the point: If I hurry my little ass through the Year 2 Algebra II / Geometry course I'm supposed to be learning the summer, I know I'll get into Precalculus, but during the school year I'm going to have a hell of a time learning the shit. Therefore, my GPA will go down, even though I'm taking a class that is beyond my age group's supposed level.

I have two choices here: I could either push through, study for the "skipping" test, and go directly into Precalculus--at the risk of my GPA. Or, I could remain in Year 2 Alg. / Geo. [Like a good girl. With a boy I've strung myself silly over. Haha] and ace all the tests and shit because I know the material already. I guess I should try for Precalculus... I've already gotten pretty far in my studying spree, and I'm going to call a tutor back when my mother and I decide on a date.

9:55 PM
You should be listening to: "Consequence" by the Notwist

Today, Stitchbunny →
Woke up 7ish. Disappeared downstairs. Reappeared upstairs with a bagel. Ate bagel. Further disappeared into bed, slept until 11ish, and then awoke. Went downstairs. Went on Wordpress. Ate lunch, which was something unappetizing. Did some math. Scored terribly on a practice PSAT test. [Five wrong out of twenty questions... I must be missin' the Asian gene here] Went online some more. Checked out the July Nike SB lineup, or at least four shoes from it. To be frank, all of them are pretty disgusting. I'll probably have to deviate from SB and get me some Air Force Ones [So I can be like Nelly and rap about them... I'm a cool kid, huh]. Ate dinner, which was beef, peas, corn, pasta, and an egg. I don't know what's up with me being super hungry all of a sudden. I swear. I just had a yogurt and now I'm eating uncooked ramen noodles and ice water. Well, I'm usually a lot hungrier during the summer and totally not hungry during the winter.

Tomorrow I'm scheduled to attend an art class at about 9ish. It's going to be super fun. I can't wait to get my hands on some paint. Haven't learned anything artistically decent for about a year. This class is going to be extremely good for me. After the art class I plan to go to the library and get some books to read... I can't sit around with my New Yorkers and Newsweeks and Seventeens all day. I'll probably get some manga while I'm at the library. Excited !! Tomorrow's gonna be great.

Myth: All girls like to read Cecily von Ziegesar.
Fact: Stitchbunny haaates trashy teenage girl novels. ♫

Never watched an episode of Gossip Girl and I don't plan to. I mean, it's true: nearly all of the AA girls and the Rich Bitches in my grade have probably read the entire GG and It Girl series, and yes, it's probably taught them quite a few things about school drama and shit, but seriously, it's not going to get them into Yale. None of my classmates are as wealthy as the Gossip Girl kids, not even [rot] or [grease] or [ceramic]. Manga beats any of those shit novels. Seriously.

And now, a MySpace quiz, because I have nothing else to say. I have the world's largest collection of MySpace quizzes. I swear my friends post more bulletins than the rest of MySpace combined.

[part one]

[one] what is your current ringtone?
"Waves"

[two] what is your current wallpaper?
EXIT page [it looks like I was high]

[three] do you own a picture phone?
Yup.

[four] go to your inbox and type what the 10th text message says:
[I deleted my 10th.]

[five] how many contacts do you have on your phone?
A hundred + .

[six] who was the last person you spoke to on your cell phone?
My father.

[seven] what service do you have?
T-Mobile.

[eight] at this very moment, how many bars do you have for your service?
Full.

[nine] who's on your speed dial numbers?
No one.

[ten] do you have voicemail?
Is this a rhetorical question?

[eleven] how many contacts do you have that start with J? Who are they?
Eight; not telling who.

[twelve] who do you call the most?
My father & [furry].

[thirteen] How many text messages do you get a month?
Is this a rhetorical question, too?

[fourteen] can you send pictures?
No.

[fifteen] go to your SENT texts..what does the first one say?
I don't keep sent texts.

[sixteen] what about the 15th?
See above ↑

[seventeen] who's the last person that you called?
[sugar]'s home.

[eighteen] last person that texted you?
[twin]

[nineteen] last person you added to your contacts?
J, from Chinese School.

[twenty] How many minutes are on your plan?
Currently, 301 minutes.

[twentyone] go down to your 5th contact, who is it?
[glass]. Coincidence?

[twentytwo] wanna give out your number?
1-900-MIXALOT [& shake dem nasty thoughts.]

[part two]

[one] are you gay?
"I kissed a boy and I liked it..."

[two] where is your default picture taken?
Urban Outfitters

[three] what's your middle name?
Alice, but it varies day to day.

[four] what color do you hate the most?
No color.

[five] does your crush like you back?
Hm. He shouldn't, and he probably doesn't.

[six] what is your current mood?
"She nodded yes, and it was the first time since Dad died that I'd seen her not try to stop her tears. Was she relieved? Was she depressed? Grateful? Exhausted?" "Frustrated? Panicky? Optimistic?"
--Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer

[seven] what color underwear are you wearing?
Black.

[eight] what makes you happy?
Not really wanting / needing anything.

[nine] look at a picture/poster in your room, who's on it ?
Totoro.

[ten] if you could go back in time and change something, what would it be?
Everything.

[eleven] if you must be an animal for one day, what would you be?
A cat or a bird or a very inconspicuous but fast traveling creature.

[twelve] ever had a near death experience?
No, unless you count choking on a Mento.

[fourteen] the song stuck in your head?
"Sorry" by Buckcherry.

[fifteen] what is your desktop background?
A Tokidoki print.

[sixteen] what are you wearing?
A ring, and other things besides.

[seventeen] when was the last time you cried?
A long time ago.

[eighteen] ever sung in front of a large audience?
Yeah.

[nineteen] if you could have one super power what would it be?
Being able to turn back time.

[twenty] what's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
Eyes.

[twentyone] what do you usually order from Starbucks?
Now that it's summer, Mint Mocha Frappuchinos.

[twentytwo] what's your biggest secret?
Not that I'm going to say.

[twentythree] favorite color?.
Black & white & rainbow

[twentyfive] do you still watch kiddy movies or TV shows?
I don't own a fucking TV. Where's [twentyfour]?

[twentysix] what are you eating or drinking at the moment?
Ice water.

[twentyeight] what's your favorite smell?
Cookie smell, boy smell, laundry smell, and Fierce.

[twentynine] if you could describe your life in one word what would it be?
Ahahalolwhatfuckno.

[thirty] when was the last time you received a hug?
I don't really remember, but it might have been on the last day of school.

[thirtyone] have you ever kissed in the rain?
Does snow count? Then, yes.

[thirtytwo] what/who are you thinking about right now?
This quiz.

[thirtythree] what should you be doing?
Sleeping

[thirtyfour] what was the last thing to make you mad/angry?
I don't remember. My face, I think.

[thirtyfive] how often are you laughing?
A good part of my life.

[thirtysix] do you like working in the yard?
When it's not hot.

[thirtyseven] last name?
I'd rather not.

[thirtyeight] do you act differently around your crush/significant other?
No, not really.

[thirtynine] who was the last person to make you cry?
Boy.

-Van Crouch, Stay in the Game

-Archibald Hart, quoted in James Dobson, Love Must Be Tough

• "Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don't have"
• "The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intentions."
• "I thought my window was down, but I found ti was up when I put my hand through it."
• "A truck backed through my windshield into my wife's face."
• "A pedestrian hit me and went under my car."
• "The guy was all over the road; I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him."
• "I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment."
• "In attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole."
• "I had been shopping for plants all day and was on my way home. As I reached an intersection, a hedge sprang up obscuring my vision. I did not see the other car."
• "I had been driving for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident."
• "I was on the way to the doctor's with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way, causing me to have an accident."
• "My car was legally parked as it backed into the other vehicle."
• "An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my vehicle, and vanished."
• "I told the police that I was not injured, but removing my hat, I found a skull fracture."
• "The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him."
• "I was sure the old fellow would never make it to the other side of the road when I struck him."
• "I saw the slow-moving, sad faced old gentleman as he bounced off the hood of my car."
• "The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth."
• "I was thrown from my car as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by some stray cows."
• "The telephone pole was approaching fast. I attempted to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end."
• "I was unable to stop in time and my car crashed  into the other vehicle. The driver and passenger then left immediately for a vacation with injuries."

-Charles R. Swindoll, Come Before Winter

You're crammed in close with folks you've never met, so you try really hard not to touch them. And anybody talks, either. The one thing you may hear is an occasional "Out please" or "Oh, I'm sorry" as somebody clumsily steps on  someone's toes. You don't look at anyone; in fact, you don't look anywhere but up, watching those dumb numbers go on and off. Strange. People who are all about the same height and speak the same language are suddenly as silent as a roomful of nun when they occupy common space.

It's almost as if there's an official sign that reads: "No talking, no smiling, no touching, and no contact allowed without written consent of the management. No exceptions!!"

Years ago I was speaking on the campus of the University Oklahoma. After the meeting, a crazy group of three or four guys invited me to have a Coke with them. Since we were several floors up in the student center, we decided to take the elevator down as the door slid open, the thing was full of perople who gave us the hey-you-guys-aren't-gonna-try-to-get-in-are-you? look. But we did naturally, I was last. There wasn't room to turn around. I felt the door close against my back as everyone stared in my direction. I samiled big and said loudly, "You might have wondered why we called this meeting today!" The place broke open with laughter. It was the most amazing thing to watch-people actually talking, actually relating to each other-on an elevator.

-Charles Swindoll, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life

I am particularly pleased with that excerpt because it is of Oqmar in his desert cave 20,000 years ago. Already he is dismayed at seeing a small metallic sphere emerge from the floor of his cave, resist being netted, and escape by making a circular chimney through the hill. Oqmar has a paleolithic dog, Kur, with which he has more a meeting of minds than he does with his wife. Together they are astonished to see a stranger appear in their cave. I so enjoyed writing this meeting of ancient and modern man - one of the best bits in the book for me.