One Page At A Time

I have the bad habit of skipping to the last pages of a book to see how it ends while I am still in the middle of it. This habit annoyed first my cousins (because we have the same hobby, reading), then my friends, and finally even my own boyfriend. Often my impatience wouldn’t be confined just to the books I read but also to what they were reading as well. Finally one day my boyfriend told me in exasperation, "Shy please just read a book one page at a time like everyone else!"

At times I haven’t limited this bad habit to just books either. I have also tried to skip ahead in my own life and figure out what to do months and even years from now instead of embracing each day as God intended. I knew that the book of my life wasn’t done yet and that I had many pages left to go. Still, that didn’t stop me from trying to write the ending half-way through. Time and again, I would foolishly jump ahead and try to solve every conceivable problem before it happened so I could reach that storybook happily ever after ending. Life, however, doesn’t work like that. God loves to surprise us, and you never know what new problem, change, or opportunity each new day will bring.

God in His loving wisdom has often had to remind me to relax, slow down and find His love and joy in each day. Recently when I found myself returning to that bad habit of rushing ahead and living in the future again, I found His truth coming from the lips of a special soul who gently told me I needed to "live one day at a time." When I heard those words I smiled, turned the book of my life back to the right page, and thanked God for today.

There is no skipping ahead in the book of life. Each of us has to live it one page and one day at a time. Each of us has to have faith in God to help us to write it line by line and moment by moment. Each of us has to trust that our Heavenly Father will bring our story to its perfect end. 

America National Anthem

United States of America

The Star Spangled Banner

Oh, say! can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming;
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:
Oh, say! does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In fully glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution!
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust":
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

With Justin (Min Woong Kim)

Thanks for the talk..I really appreciate sharing your time with me.

Bonding Time with Nate, Hensley and I♥

How To Stand Out In A Crowd

Ditch your wallflower tendencies and learn how to make a great impression

By Pierra Calasanz-Labrador for Yahoo! Southeast Asia
Ever wonder how some people just naturally stand out in a crowd and leave a great lasting impression wherever they go? Shed your own wallflower tendencies with these quick tips!
Please reply!
First things first. When invited to attend a party, event or job interview, make sure you get all the details, and RSVP (translation: please reply!). No matter how casual the get-together is, it's common courtesy to inform the host or the one organizing the gimik whether you'll be attending or not—don't just flake out! When appropriate, it's also nice to bring a little something, like chips for a slumber party, or flowers or dessert to a formal dinner at someone's home. Lovely manners go a long way.
Dress to impress
Catch people's attention from the get-go by making a fab style statement. For a party, find out what the dress code is, then kick it up a notch. For example, if everyone is planning to wear black cocktail dresses to a school dance, dare to wear the color of the season, or add an eye-catching accessory. Pick a style that tastefully highlights your assets (stress on the 'tastefully'—always be a class act).
Most importantly, you must feel comfortable in your attire to carry it off with a confident vibe. If you're constantly tugging at your super short skirt, pulling up your falling bra strap, or teetering like a malfunctioning robot in your too-high heels, it totally ruins the stylish effect. (About those heels: practice at home if you really want to wear them, so you can stride into the party with graceful confidence!)
Going to a job interview? Your intention is to make a good, professional impression, not look like a fashion plate (unless you're actually applying at a fashion magazine). Dress appropriately; don a smart, sophisticated outfit and make sure you're impeccably-groomed (neat hair, face not overly made up, no wrinkles on your clothes).
Meeting the parents? A simple and classic look is usually the best way to go, so replace those shorty-shorts with a sweet skirt that tells your boyfriend's folks that you're a keeper.
Look like your natural self
Most guys complain that their pet peeve is too much makeup. Your secret weapon? The 'no-makeup' look! The key is to have great skin to begin with; be religious about your cleanse-tone-moisturize beauty routine, and don't forget the SPF. Then, perfect the art of enhancing your features without looking like you piled on the products, so you still look like your natural self, only better.
Evening get-togethers are your chance to shine—literally. You could dust shimmering face powder in places that catch the light, like your collarbone—but be careful not to look like you bathed in glitter! Or you can pick a signature scent that's alluring but not overpowering, and will remind people of you whenever they catch a whiff of it.
Making conversation
Just graduated and going on a job interview, do your research and come prepared. Familiarize yourself with their company, what the job entails, and why you are a good fit. Be bright, courteous, and confident when answering questions; be articulate, but not overly chatty. (You should also be mindful of your actions, even in the waiting room—receptionists often double as the boss's spies!)
For social situations, keeping up-to-date in current events and pop culture always comes in handy. When you have a wide variety of interests, you'll find that conversation comes easily. Try to make a connection; see what you have in common (Schools? Courses? Clubs? Celebrity crushes?), and take it from there. Contribute to the conversation, but don't monopolize it; be interesting AND interested.
You know how some people have that magical ability of making you feel like you're the only person in the room, even if you only speak for minutes? Do the same by simply maintaining eye contact, focusing on your subject, instead of constantly scanning the room and looking like you want to be somewhere else. That being said, remember it's a party not a date, so remember to circulate!
Leaving a lasting impression
When we randomly interviewed people on what gets their attention, the consistent top answer was 'confidence.' If you believe you're special, it's easier for others to believe it, too. When you're self-assured and confident, you radiate effortless charm and positive energy, and people just naturally gravitate towards you. It's the law of attraction!
Aside from being confident, it's important to be genuine. People can spot a fake a mile away, so be genuinely interested and kind. More than dazzling them with your wit or talent or style, it's when you make people feel good around you that leaves a truly great impression.

Leighton Meester

She is really pretty inside and out. No wonder she is really stunning..

NASA's new Mars picture

The US space agency NASA has recently pieced together a panoramic view from the camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, calling it the "next best thing to being" on the Red Planet.

A full-circle scene combining 817 images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The US space agency NASA is calling it the "next best thing to being" on the Red Planet. 

 

A TextureCam analysis of a Mars image is able to distinguish rocks from soil.

 A Martian dust devil roughly 12 miles (20 kilometers) high was captured winding its way along the Amazonis Planitia region of northern Mars on March 14, 2012 by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

 This image mosaic taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's panoramic camera shows a new slice of martian real estate southwest of the rover's landing site. The landscape shows little variation in local topography, though a narrow peak only seven to eight kilometres away is visible on the horizon. A circular depression, similar to the one dubbed Sleepy Hollow, can be seen in the foreground. Compared to the Viking and Pathfinder landing sites, the terrain at Gusev Crater, Spirit's landing site, is flat and speckled with a sparse array of rocks. The picture was released by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California Janaury 10, 2004. 

 A view of Eberswalde crater containing a rare case of a martian delta, with well preserved channels which fed the lake in the crater, located in the southern highlands of Mars, seen in this handout photograph acquired by Mars Express at approximately 25S / 326E during orbit 7208 on August 15, 2009 and released September 2, 2011. The delta deposits and channels together provide a clear indication of liquid surface water during the early history of Mars. The images have a ground resolution of about 22 m per pixel. Reuters 

 A close-up of the sunset on Sol 24 as seen by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder was released by the Jet Propulsion Labratory August 27. The red sky in the background and the blue around the Sun are approximately as they would appear to the human eye but the color of the Sun itself is not correct -- the Sun was overexposed in each of the 3 color images that were used to make the picture. The true color of the Sun itself may be near white or slightly bluish.

 

Mars' Victoria Crater at Meridiani Planum is seen in this image taken by NASA's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera in this picture released October 6, 2006. NASA officials gave conflicting views during a meeting of space scientists on December 13, 2006, on whether the construction of a moon base will mark a great leap in planning for a manned mission to Mars or prove a wasteful diversion of funds. 

 A portion of the west rim of Endeavour crater sweeps southward in this color view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity released by NASA August 10, 2011. This crater has a diameter of about 14 miles (22 km). This view combines exposures taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) of the rover's work on Mars August 6, 2011. Opportunity arrived at the rim during its next drive on August 9, 2011. Endeavour crater has been the rover team's destination for Opportunity since the rover finished exploring Victoria crater in August 2008. Endeavour offers access to older geological deposits than any Opportunity has seen before. The lighter-toned rocks closer to the rover in this view are similar to the rocks Opportunity has driven over for most of the mission. However, the darker-toned and rougher rocks just beyond that might be a different type for Opportunity to investigate. The ground in the foreground is covered with iron-rich spherules, nicknamed "blueberries," which Opportunity has observed frequently since the first days after landing. They are about 0.2 inch (5 millimeters) or more in diameter. 

 A handout of the European Space Agency ESA shows a visualisation of Mars, created from spacecraft imagery. ESA's first mission to the Red Planet is Mars Express. It comprises an orbiter carrying seven scientific instruments to probe the planet's atmosphere, structure and geology, including a search for evidence of hidden water. The main spacecraft will also release the UK's small Beagle 2 lander to gather and test rock and soil samples on the surface. British space probe Beagle 2 failed to broadcast a signal on December 25, 2003, to confirm it had landed on Mars, but scientists said they were waiting for a second contact opportunity later on Thursday.

 In this image released January 19, 2005, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover "Opportunity": has found an iron meteorite on Mars, the first meteorite of any type ever identified on another planet. The pitted, basketball-size object is mostly made of iron and nickel. This composite combines images taken through the panoramic camera's 600-nanometer (red), 530-nanometer (green), and 480-nanometer (blue) filters.

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager shows two trenches dug by Phoenix's Robotic Arm in this image taken June 8, 2008, the 14th Martian day after landing. Soil from the right trench, informally called "Baby Bear," was delivered to Phoenix's Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA, on June 6, 2008. Picture taken June 8, 2008.

 

A cliff, up to 4,000 m high, located in the eastern part of Echus Chasma, one of the largest water source regions on Mars, is seen in this image taken by the High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESAís Mars Express and made available July 14, 2008. Echus Chasma is the source region of Kasei Valles which extends 3,000 km to the north.

 

The High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA?s Mars Express has returned images of Echus Chasma in this image made available on July 14, 2008. Echus Chasma is an approximately 100 km long and 10 km wide incision in the Lunae Planum high plateau north of Valles Marineris, the ?Grand Canyon? of Mars.

 One of the first colour images from the Phoenix Mars Lander shows the surface of Mars after the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft landed successfully in the first-ever touchdown near Mars' north pole 

 An artist's conception shows what NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed, vast Martian glaciers of water ice under protective blankets of rocky debris at much lower latitudes than any ice previously identified on the Red Planet. Scientists analyzed data from the spacecraft's ground-penetrating radar and report in the November 21, 2008 issue of the journal Science that buried glaciers extend for dozens of miles from edges of mountains or cliffs.

Expedition vows to learn fate of missing US aviator

The leader of a south Pacific expedition to solve a 75-year-old mystery over Amelia Earhart's disappearance vowed to leave no stone unturned Tuesday, shortly before setting sail from Hawaii.

 

Richard Gillespie, head of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) mission, said they would use technology not previously available to try to learn the fate of the pioneering aviatrix.
"We are demonstrating the newest methods to sift fact from myth -- skills everyone can use these days when we are bombarded by information not knowing what is true," he told AFP.
The expedition is heading to Nikumaroro island in Kiribati to try to establish whether Earhart survived the apparent crash of her twin-engine Lockheed Electra aircraft.
Gillespie believes the 39-year-old may have after her July 2, 1937 disappearance because of a series of clues -- including radio transmissions from the area, reportedly including a call for help, received at the time.
"Today, with computer software able to recreate the electromagnetic environment of 1937, we can do an analysis of the radio signals that were dismissed by authorities back then," Gillespie said.
"We find we are left with one of two possibilities: either she was on land in the Phoenix Islands group for six days sending radio distress messages -- or there was a hoaxer in that area who could transmit on that frequency, mimic her voice, knew personal details about her, and knew far enough in advance that he could set all these things up."
Earhart, 39, was flying with navigator Fred Noonan during the final stage of an ambitious round-the-world flight along the equator at the time that her plane disappeared.
The holder of several aeronautical records -- including the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air -- Earhart had set off from New Guinea to refuel at Howland Island for a final long-distance hop to California.
In what turned out to be her final radio message, she declared she was unable to find Howland and that fuel was running low.
Several search-and-rescue missions ordered by then-president Franklin Roosevelt turned up no trace of Earhart or Noonan, who were eventually presumed dead at sea.
Conspiracy theories flourished, including one contending that Earhart was held by Japanese imperial forces as a spy. Another claimed she completed her flight, but changed her identity and settled in New Jersey.
Aircraft debris reportedly was found by island residents in subsequent years, but the TIGHAR research team is operating on the hypothesis that the aircraft landed safely on the reef and remained there for several days before being washed over the edge by rising tides and surf.
TIGHAR suspects that Earhart and Noonan reached Gardner Island -- at the time a British possession and now known as Nikumaroro -- and managed to survive for an unknown period of time.
The uninhabited coral atoll is a mere 3.7 miles (six kilometers) long by 1.2 miles (two kilometers) wide, and is about 300 miles (480 kilometers) southeast of Howland Island.
Gillespie told AFP that if debris is found, it will not be gathered, but will be photographed and its location carefully documented for a future expedition.
The expedition ship and a crew of about 20 scientists will spent 10 days on both the island and an underwater reef slope at its west end.

Technology on board includes a multi-beam sonar to map the ocean floor and a remote-controlled device similar to one that found the black boxes from the Rio-to-Paris Air France flight that crashed into the South Atlantic in 2009.
The search team is accompanied by a three-person camera crew who will film the expedition for a planned television special later this year.