Wintertides

Let's begin this entry with an early morning spectacle - the gulls lining up on the river bank. I suppose this is their regimented roll call before the day.

Timeless blue - these are taken at the big green field outside the Filton Community Center, the place where DestinyUK is held each Sunday. Many people, ranging from teenage soccer players, old men walking their dogs to young family with children roam the field week after week. It is also common to see flocks of gull congregating here, dotting the emerald sea with white.

This is what I saw on my way to campus today - After all the perfect sunshines, azure skies and summer green grass, finally a scene that befits winter!

Not an inch of grass as far as I can see is not blanketed with white.

A close-up - reminds me of the frost-like icing on a cake.

A country road through the winter woods.

This is the very same farmhouse I posted earlier, now under a much different atmosphere.

I will end here with how the cityscape look when the (not necessarily unpleasant) gloom of winter looms.

Sunday Counting Time

These are amazing days.

Yesterday's quiet time, randomly brings the verse Ephesians 4:1-6, Elder Ang's Thanksgiving admonition for 2007.
Today's service, during the offering message which touch on the point of God's provision, Mark 10:46 is mentioned.
Mark 10:46 talks about Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight, and is actually the very first sermon I've heard, in the very first YC Youth Camp, the Extreme camp that I went, and on the very first night I become a child of God.
The message for today by Pastor Mike Radcliffe is 'Make Time Count', the very first post of this very blog. Reflecting back to the very first sentence of the very first post here 'Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year' by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
And it has been a while since I have it in my heart to compile a list of verses particularly on the issue of Time. But here it is given today!

I'll put the compilation of verses and quotes I manage to catch here,

Psalms 90:12
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalms 139:16
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

We are meant to be here
for a reason, not a season;
to thrive, not just to survive;
to live a destiny, not just to make a living.

Psalms 39:4-5
"Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.

You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.

This is not a warm up for life, this is Life

Psalms 37: 25
I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.

You can't maximize potential if you minimize time.

Ecclesiastes 3:1
A Time for Everything:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven

Ephesians 5:15-17
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,
making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

Proverbs 9:11
For through me (wisdom) your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.

Ecclesiastes 7:10
Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?"
For it is not wise to ask such questions.

Lamentations 3:23
(God's love and compassion) They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Psalms 23:6
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Tough days don't last, but tough people do.

Psalms 118:24
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Hebrews 3:13
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so
that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

No time like today.
The best is yet to come.

These amazing days, unmistakably, he is speaking and it feels like He is drawing me somewhere.
It feels like a call to return to the First Love.
It feels like standing before Jordan once again.
So many times, He leads me there.
I can only wait for Him to part the water and lead me through to where there are giants to slay and milk and honey to savor.

At first I did consider if I should name this post Sunday Blue.
Somehow, I think for someone like me I'd long to just forge ahead. To take time to go to church on Sunday is very damaging to the momentum.
It feels like taking the pains to accelerate and stopping abruptly on Sunday, almost wasting all the efforts of building it up.
It takes away all the comfortable illusions and false sense of security that I've ever gradually accumulated throughout the week.
It reminds me how small, weak and helpless I am in the Grand Scheme of Things apart from Him.

But deeper down.
It is wise to stop regularly and to take a look at where I'm heading.
Am I traveling the road he marks for me before time? Am I walking the way I'm made to walk?
It is blessedness to realize where I've failed to live up to my destiny, when God is using whispers rather than bricks.
It is of paramount importance to make little corrections frequently enough to avoid catastrophe.

Now, if only the Lord will bless me with a long enough and 'unselective' enough a memory to remember these all the days of my life.

Here's a link to the podcast of the message (should be up in 2 days' time)
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=151963783&s=143444
A link to Destiny UK
http://www.destinyuk.com/

The First Week

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
with all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love,
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
~ Ephesians 4:1-6 (21st Century King James Version)

On the last day of last year before the clock strike 12 and 2007 is history, these are the very admonition given by Elder Ang. And now, here I am, face to face with these words again, talk about divine appointment.

Once more, let my heart be still and allow these words to sink in.

The first week of classes, how is it? Great. And with 'greatness', pain is promised. For how can you expand but to stretch forth and reach out, straining your muscles and will at that very direction your destiny lies? After all, a relaxed body goes no where.

But above all. Be still my heart and know that the Lord is God.

Acknowledge now, His benefits.
Be reminded of His grace and compassion.
And may goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life!

George Lucas in Love

Found this from Len Wien's blog. Interesting piece for those who haven't seen it, an amazing piece of amateur film making.



The original post in Len Wien's blog: George Lucas in Love
And I found Len Wien's blog from Neil Gaiman's journal.

Snails are Romantic Creatures

A review of Mircrocosmos, a film presented by Jacques Perrin

I was first introduced to Jacques Perrin through his 2002 Oscar Best Documentary Feature, Winged Migration. The tale of migrating birds throughout the world and its wonderful scores that lend a sense of grandeur to the documentary captivated me to no end. With minimum commentary, the film rely almost entirely on visual and music to covey the story. The film attempts to appeal to the emotions of the viewers more than the intellect and indeed, I never knew documentary on birds can feel like watching the epic Lord of the Rings trilogies by Peter Jackson.

While Winged Migration left me with a sense of awe for the majesty of the creation and a deep respect for the birds' tenacity in their flight for survival, Microcosmos evoked a rather different feeling. Here, rather than the admirable and heroic effort of the birds passing above often exotic locales, I witness the much more commonplace and everyday life of the creepy crawlers. As the narrator said, this is a world where a day is a lifetime and the perception of time is very different. We are treated with snippets of various different creatures including ladybirds, butterfies, catarpillars, snails, beetles, spiders and water bugs to name a few as they go through their lifecycle from feeding to mating.

In a way, this is also a story about survival, albeit on a micro scale. The world in mircovision through a bug's eye view is no less elaborate or beautiful compare to the wonderful sight of soaring birds. The first thought most of these creatures illicit is how similar they are to us human. Watching the ants rushing about, filling their lairs can seem like seeing the rush hour traffic where each men and women rush to accumulate money, perhaps for a rainy day. A dung beetle rolling a ball of dung that was accidentally stuck on a thorn embedded in the gravel road had much to say about tenacity and skills.

Among these highly diverse cast of characters, the one that blew me away was the burgundy snails. With soprano opera music playing in the background, imagine a snail gracefully gliding through a field of emerald grass. It sailed forward, leaving a trail as if it is a luxurious cruiser on the ocean. The snail meets another snail and first they touched their eye stalks tentatively, then they move in closer and closer, heaving up their baby soft bodies and finally the shyness give way to a passionate embrace - the two become one flesh. The undulation of their joined sides are uncannily erotic and the way they stroke each other in their faces are like lovers locked in a prolonged kiss. What pleasures they must be enjoying! I never know the images of mating snails can be so romantic! Looking at the lovers making love in the green glades reminded me of so many masterful work of arts from Klimt's The Kiss to Quinn's The Kiss. I was almost convicted that this segment of film deserves a place in the LOVE exhibition, being a supreme example of the innocent and unparalleled joy of Eros.

Although I still like Winged Migration better, mainly because I can relate to the aviator's titanic effort and perseverance more, to make snails feel sensual and romantic, I think Microcosmos is also a great film. For bug haters out there, who knows if after you see how cute and whimsical a caterpillar can be will forever change your perception to these 'little people'.

A link to the film on wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcosmos

Wishing you and meaningful and happy St Valentine's Day!

Animation Links

Blogs & Webs
Cartoon Brew + www.cartoonbrew.com + from film to comic and illustration, they've got it.
Drawn! + drawn.ca + illustration and cartooning Blog
Animation Archive + www.animationarchive.org +
Animation World Network + http://www.awn.com/ +
MyToons + www.mytoons.com + some amusement
Animation World Megazine + mag.awn.com +
Animation backgrounds + animationbackgrounds.blogspot.com +
Zune-Arts + www.zune-arts.net +
Peepshow + www.peepshow.org.uk +
Harald Siepermann + http://haraldsiepermann.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post.html + great concept art
/
Company/Studios
Passion Pictures, UK + www.passion-pictures.com +
Pixar + www.pixar.com+
Blue Sky Studtio + www.blueskystudios.com +
MassiveBlack + massiveblack.com +
UPA Pictures + www.upapix.com +
Slinky Pictures + www.slinkypics.com +
Tandem Films + tandemfilms.com +
Gobelins + www.gobelins.fr + a French College
/
Interesting Animations
One Eskimo - Hometime MV
Giuliano Parodi - Shoa World War 2 short film
The Polyphonic Spree - Quest for the Rest Interactive game
T.O.M. - short film - outrageously funny
Beryl Productions - Dreams and Desires: Family Ties short film
Don Hertzfeldt – Billy’ Balloon + www.bitterfilms.com + balloon info + short film
Suzanne Deakin - Olay the End of Lines ad
La Linea + @metacafe + @Youtube +
Tandem Films + How to cope with Death + Flatworld +
Yuriy Norshteyn - Hedgehog in the fog
Smog (Bill Callahan) - Rock Bottom Riser
Michael Dudok de Wit + Father and Daughter + Monk and the Fish + The Aroma of Tea +
Sita Sings the Blues + link1 + link 2 + link 3 +
The smilling fish + Youtube +
/
Great Animators
Jules Engel + www.netropolitan.org/engel/engel_statement.html + statement on experimental animation
Max Hattler + www.maxhattler.com + interesting conceptual/abstract arts
//

Bristol - Swans

Chinese New Year here is great. We certainly do not lack company of other Chinese or activities to keep ourselves occupied. In fact, the faculty organized a dinner gathering to celebrate it. While I do not have photos from the gathering, here are some photo taken these 2 days.

The Thekla at the quayside. The boat is a pub/bar by night. In the background you can see the majestic pinnacle belonging to the Church of St. Mary Redcliffe.

This is the meticulously crafted ceiling of St. Mary Redcliffe. Everything about the church is finely crafted with delicate details virtually filling every part of the building. From the stained glass panels with numerous depiction from Biblical stories, the lectern of an eagle on a globe with 3 lions beneath, the wooden pulpit with the embedded 12 apostles to even the floor tiles with different designs, the superb workmanship is crystal clear. No words or picture would do justice, you have to walk within it yourself to savor the breathtaking wonders. (Perhaps I may post more picture of the 14th century 'relic' after I learn how to take better pictures in such dark setting.)

Meet my other neighbor - the Swans.
The river here is teeming with seabirds and the swan is a rather bold species who have no qualms of swimming right up to where you stand by the river edge. I suppose when a human crouch down, they doesn't appear to be much bigger than the bird.

Today is the first time I see so many swans congregating. It is quite a sight to behold the graceful curves of their sinuous neck as they seemingly drifted effortlessly on the cool waters. Another interesting fact here is how feeding gulls and pigeons are outlawed (you can be fined up to 250 pounds for 'deliberately leaving food on the ground' for the birds) but feeding swans looks like a common pastimes.