My First/ Second Best Friend

I don't know how we came to be friends.

I know where we met.

But somewhere we became friends.



We're the same Zodiac sign, we understand each other 100%. I don't think we've ever been in a fight.

We go for coffee.

Church is at her house with a bottle of wine.

We go to the bush, we love our animals, and she is probably the only person I would go on a walk with.

She is always there.

She cares.

I care.

I will also always be there for her.

She loves geckos.



She'll get married before me, and have kids before me.

I really do have friends I look up to.

My Pregnant Friend

I know its gross, but she fed me pizza, and I farted in her face.

Karma.

Smiley face.

We've known each other since we were twelve. We've been friends for 13 years now. Teachers used to get us confused, I don't know why, except for our hair color, we look nothing alike.

Then high school came, we went to different schools, and kind of lost touch. And then we were back in touch. We started working, moved out of the house, I went to America, she moved in with her boyfriend, and now, for the past two years, we're on the same page again.

We've had rough times, and we've had awesome times.

We were our own click, and in primary school, we were the only people in our click because the other girls were haters.

Never have we used each other. Never have we lied to each other. We wrote each other letters and cards, and somehow I missed almost all of her birthdays. But she was always at mine, when she was invited. I hate losing touch with good friends.



And now, I'm a bit jealous of her. She is 22 weeks pregnant, and I don't even have a boyfriend. Not that having a boyfriend is a requirement for getting pregnant, but I would like to be in her shoes, just with a different guy. Her boyfriend is the polar opposite of my type.

Not that I really have a type...

But he is not it.

I colored her hair tonight, without gloves, because they are too small, and now my hands look similar to the hands of Max the Gorilla who lives in the Johannesburg zoo.

We both had rough childhoods. Hers, I will never mention to anyone other than her, or the people who know. Pinky swear.



I love her, as I should love my sister.

We've always been sisters, her parents know it, my parents know it, and we invented it.

Good Night Forever

This morning at 04:00 my Grandmother passed away. I want to dedicate this post to her with loving memories.



She knitted socks, coat hangers and jerseys to make me comfortable.

She taught me home remedies for illnesses.

She gave me sweeties to cheer me up.

She taught me discipline.

Her hands were soft, and her veins on her hands were squishy and I liked playing with them, to see them pop back up.

She played hide-and-seek with me all the time.

Her chickens scared me to death.

She gave me ornaments to remember her by.

We never talked much, but she looked after me.

I wish I knew her better so I could understand her better, but all hope of that is gone now.

"One's past is what one is. It is the only way by which people should be judged." Oscar Wilde

Benefits of Fasting by Thilaka Ravi

Fasting may be defined as a period of complete abstinence from all types of food or just specific food. Contrary to perception that fasting is akin to subjecting the body to austere measures, it may turn out to be a ‘good treat’ for the body. What is perhaps a rare phenomenon with humans is rather second nature to animals, who instinctively avoid food to ease pain, discomfort or disease.

Many are wary of fasting fearing unhealthy outcomes. According to A. J. Carlson, Professor of Physiology, University of Chicago, a healthy person can survive without food for 50-75 days, of course only in the absence of health problems or emotional stress. The rationale is each pound of human fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories. Even one pound of superfluous or extra fat is enough to provide the required calories for a full day of strenuous physical exertion.

Fast Healing

Phenomenal benefits occur when fasting is done following the advice of a specialist. During the initial days of a fast, usually the toughest phase, large quantities of waste flood the blood stream, ready to be flushed out. The body throws out waste through every pore, perceptibly as a thick coat on the tongue and a foul breath emanating from the mouth.

As the fast extends, the cleaning process is perfected, cleansing the body off fat, diseased cells, and mucus. When people undertake extended fasts, even toxins accumulated in the cells are removed. Diseased cells, dead cells, thickened coating of mucus on the intestinal wall, waste from - blood stream, liver, spleen, and kidney make an exit from the body. The body holds on to important minerals and vitamins throwing out toxins and old tissues. When the toxic load of the body is lessened, the efficiency of each cell is enhanced. This promotes healing. Thus during a fast, the body is on a ‘conserve energy’ and ‘healing’ mode.

Fast Treat

Why do people feel more energetic after a fast? In addition, why do they experience less hunger?

Not many of us may know that the body requires abundant energy to digest food. Fasting enables rest for the digestive system, and this saved energy goes into self-healing and repairing operations. Cleansing and detoxification in the intestines, blood and cells heals the body from many ailments. Fasting thus, invigorates the immune system to function at its best and helps promote physical and emotional health, by rejuvenating the body.

Fasting is especially beneficial in the following situations:-

• Finding relief from a variety of health disorders may no doubt begin my making lifestyle changes. Supervised fasting for a stipulated period helps patients make those required changes in their life that will positively influence their health.

• Fasting is a blessing to overcome addictions - to caffeine, nicotine, drugs, smoking and alcohol. Fasting helps lower withdrawal symptoms, which commonly deter people from overcoming addictions.

• Fasting helps lower cholesterol.

• Fasting works wonders in alleviating disorders of the gastrointestinal system like constipation, bloating, and gastritis.

• A supervised fasting program is a boon to diabetics to make crucial lifestyle and diet changes, sacrosanct to effective treatment of the condition.

• Fasting improves mental alertness - when toxins are cleared out of the lymphatic system and blood stream, it improves mental clarity. Further, eating less results in energy conservation, which can be used by the brain for thinking tasks.

“Fasting is simply a process of deep physiological rest. This rest period helps you rebuild functioning power and recover from the energy dissipation caused by hectic daily schedules and abusive living habits.” - Frank Sabatino, D.C., Ph.D.

Briefly, a fast could result in:-

• Weight loss
• Improved mental clarity
• Improved breathing
• Improved energy levels
• Good skin
• Rejuvenated digestive system

Religious Fasting

Those who observe religious fasting believe they derive a double benefit –both physical and spiritual, from the practice. Perhaps the benefits of fasting were experienced since time immemorial, which is why major religions have inculcated fasting as a spiritual discipline and a devotional practice. The regimen could include juice fasting, liquid fasting, abstinence from meat and from whole meals for varying periods depending on the religion and the practitioner. Christianity encourages fasting during the Lenten season and Judaism during Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av—the purpose being a sign of repentance, commemorative mourning and gratitude and to establish self-mastery of spirit over body.

Fasting is an integral part of Hinduism and it varies from eating only one meal during the day to refraining from taking food and water for 48 hours. Fasting for a month during the holy month of Ramadan is mandatory in Islam. Fasting in all religions promotes a sense of brotherhood and solidarity. When one goes hungry there is a greater awareness of how our needy and hungry brothers and sisters suffer from want. The very young, the very old and the ailing are however exempt from fasting in all religions.

Fasting - A blessing of good health

It is imperative to consult a specialist before embarking on a fast. A specialist usually conducts a thorough medical examination and may even recommend certain diagnostic tests to ascertain if fasting is safe with respect to the patient. Given the medical clearance, a fasting program supervised by a health expert can ensure a memorable fasting experience.

Undoubtedly, fasting is a great way to kick-start the body’s self-healing properties into action and enjoy the blessing of good health.

“Under qualified and experienced supervision, fasting is the greatest gift which can be given to an overburdened, sick body without benefit of any other form of therapy or treatment.”- William Esser, N.D., D.C.

Source-Medindia
Savitha/L

More plans, let's hope I succeed.

I found a few courses at Unisa that I want to do, and workshops. Seeing that no one wants to hire me, I need to study more... I'm saving it here to refer back to it.


Short course in Introduction to Performance Auditing
Short course in Introduction to the Internal Audit Process
CIS Management Programs
ICB Bookkeeping Workshops
Course in Introduction to Risk-based Internal Auditing
Workshop in Basic Accounting
Short Course in Financial and Accounting Principles for Public Entities
Course in the Introduction to Human Resource Management
Course in Knowledge Management
Course in Management Principles for First-Line Managers
Course in basics of project management
Program in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management
General management & entrepreneurship
Short Course in Writing a Business Plan

I'm probably setting the standards too high, but I'm interested.

Time is up!

OK, so the sad story is that I have a BMI of 33.5. Normal weight = 18.5–24.9. So, I need to lose 30% of my body weight to be normal. Very bad news, so, I made a plan. From what I've read, its a good one. 7 day fasting.

From this day, I will say how I feel, and what I weigh. Just for shitzingiggles.

I have to commit to something, I'll start with this, see how it goes, and then do it every month or every other month, depending on what is good.



I will have vitamins with me at all times, and tea.

Its not anorexia, its fasting.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by an obsessive fear of gaining weight. The terms anorexia nervosa and anorexia are often used interchangeably, however anorexia is simply a medical term for lack of appetite. Anorexia nervosa has many complicated implications and may be thought of as a lifelong illness that may never be truly cured, but only managed over time.

I don't want to look like sceletor, I just want a healthy BMI, and fit into normal clothes.

The only thing is, I'm still going to drink whatever I want, except alcohol. I work in an environment that only has sodas, so, soda, water, tea, and coffee it is, although I think for the heck of it, I should actually cut out milk, as we only buy full cream, and soda, because I don't need all that sugar.

It is mainly for health reasons. It may be drastic, but my cholesterol is high, and if I keep up like this, I'll be one of those women that the fire department has to break down the wall to get me out of my room. I don't want that.

Right, I don't pray, and this is not for religious reasons, but I need a good luck charm and a whip to accomplish this.

If I don't succeed, I will delete this post, so, if you're reading this, and its past March.... I DID IT!

My Funny Adventures

So, I went to our holiday home in the bush this weekend. Drove Friday, came back Sunday. Going there is extremely refreshing. The quiet yet busy life of the bush is all one needs when you need to clear your mind, although, clearing my mind was not what was needed this weekend, just getting out of this messy place is what I needed.


It started off with driving, of course. And there are quite a few irritations on the road.

1. If you drive in the fast lane, drive fast. If you are old, you should know this, you were there when they built the roads.
2. If you get out of my way and go into the slow lane, don't speed up, I'm trying to pass you while driving the same speed. I don't care much for your ego, nor do I think you are a special person.
3. When getting onto the highway, the speed limit is 120 km/h. You need to try to reach that speed and not stay on 60 km/h as that may cause an accident.
4. If you can not drive while talking on your cell phone (although it is also illegal), then don't. If you are in fact trying to kill yourself, there are other ways.
5. Please keep a constant speed, I don't want to drive between 80 km/h and 130 km/h the whole time. I'm either going to crash into you, or I am going to crash into you. There is no avoiding that. But I slowed down, just for you.
6. If you seem to be driving faster than me, I will let you pass, but please don't slow down for no apparent reason.
7. You decided to have children, and there is a law for this, BUCKLE THEM UP!
8. The lines in the road show you where to drive, and actually you need to drive in between those lines, not on them. And NO, I didn't try to drive into you, I just helped you back to where you're supposed to be.
9. A game drive is not done at 60 km/h, except if your trying to see blurry trees. I do not care much for the dust that fumigates my car, its hard work cleaning all the inches in my interior.
10. Last but not least. Keep a plastic bag in your car for all your unwanted items. The world is not a trash can.

So, I stopped in Warmbaths, not Bela-Bela, but indeed Warmbaths, and bought lunch and dinner, and then treated myself to a nice refreshing ice-cream that came out of a machine and it tasted like cold sand with sugar on it. I needed something cool, because when I climbed out of the car it felt like hell burst open in my face. The rest of the drive went fast, I will not say how fast for legal reasons. I just wanted to be on holiday.


The drive was beautiful, and the holiday resort even more, probably because of sentimental value. The swimming pool was clear blue, the sky was even more so, and the heat was exhausting. I had to swim with all my clothes on, because I had a little melted ice-cream situation in the car, and napkins just out of reach on the backseat. I went for a game drive, and OH! the beauty... Because it is that time of the year, all the animals had youngsters. The list started on Friday and ended on Sunday with seeing zebras, then blue wildebeest, impala, warthogs, I got lucky and saw a single waterbuck, some nyala, kudu, a baby squirrel, a small chameleon, eland, baboons, ducks and geese, meerkats, and unfortunately I didn't see any giraffes or jackals.


I wasn't alone on this trip, my parents, and my cousin, his wife and two daughters joined us. I know not everyone will oppose this as I do, but it saddens me to see a 5-year-old know Bible stories better than I even had, and an almost 2-year-old pray for a "good job" and applause. As I am against the indoctrination of any human, I wish they had a choice in this matter. If I could have chosen not to grow up in a religious and racist household, I would have. Or if I could have grown up in a country where crime basically doesn't exist, I would have chosen that as well, but that is not the way the world works. Just my two cents.


I was sitting at the bar on Friday afternoon, reading a thank you note on the fridge that said: "If life seems to be under control, your not going fast enough". I like this also. I haven't done much in ages, and I think I need a project or two. I have started my USA scrapbook, but sadly, I ran out of glue and still need to have photos printed before I can continue. I can't donate blood, I got my tattoo a month ago. I can probably keep quiet about that, the people I went to are very professional and clean. I want kids, I want a career, and I want a few houses, a decent car, and maybe a husband, if he's good enough to me, not for me, just love and respect.


I saw that in my cousin and his wife. They truly belong together, and they are raising their children extremely good, I just have a problem with their manners. A simple "please" and "thank you" is not really a part of their vocabulary, so, prompting for it was a bit exhausting. I remember how long it took for my kids, as an Au Pair, to teach them manners. Not long. Give me a week with any given child, and they will have the best manners and very practical and needed communication skills. Even autistic children. Its been done before.


The kids were a blast! I miss looking after little ones. We went swimming, played, colored, went to the duck pond, fed the geese and ducks and those humongous catfish (that almost ate the youngest one), and we simply enjoyed the weekend.

The best thing I did for myself this weekend was to watch "The Gods must be Crazy" and "The Gods must be Crazy 2". Its some of the best films ever made. I remember watching them as a child, but like in any other movie I watched when I was younger, I don't really remember anything. It was brilliant. Refreshing. Something that didn't have sex in it, although there are quite a few scenes in undergarments, very honest films that portray our environment to the absolute most perfect way possible.


Then, on a random note. As randomly as I found it. There was a specific tree that caught my attention this weekend. I drove past it. Stopped. Thought to myself "WTF?" and reversed. I burst out with laughter, and took photos. Obviously these will not be on my Facebook page.

Is Satan really such a bad guy?

According to Christianity, Satan is the epitome and embodiment of all evil things, described as "the father of all lies" in the Catholic Church's Catechism (paragraph 391). It is his works that tempt humans into doing bad deeds. If something evil occurs, we can be assured that Satan had something to do with it.

The History of Satan

According to Catholicism, Satan only exists because God allows him to (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 395). This raises some serious issues about how righteous God can be if he allows evil to exist, but I digress. Satan, as the story goes, began as the angel Lucifer, who outrightly rejected God and rebelled against him. God cast Lucifer and those who followed him into Hell, a place of eternal torture and despair, where God was not present.

Like any good propoganda machine, Christian authorities have made sure to limit the disenimation of information on the enemy (Satan) to what they want the public to know. For example, we are never told why Satan rebelled against God. We're never given his side of the story. Were Satan's reasons for rejecting God and attempting to overthrow him legitimate? From where I'm standing, they could certainly be considered valid if the authorities see fit to hide them from the general public.

For example, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the book that outlines Catholic beliefs in detail, has barely half a column in its index devoted to Satan and information on him, where as Jesus Christ has a full 6 pages! Sound like a propoganda machine to you, yet?

Christian authorities have made some big mistakes with their anti-Satan propoganda machine, however. Since there is so little information available about Satan, there is no record of anything he's done or any way to connect events to him. Christians simply and lazily accredit evil occurences to Satan. A good example are the events of September 11. Within weeks, a doctored picture was floating around the internet showing Satan's face in the clouds of smoke and debris eminating from the two towers, thus unfairly making Satan out to be responsible for these tragedies.



Satan vs. God

The only evidence we have to conclude Satan's utter evil is God's word, and frankly, God's word isn't worth too much. He's shown a remarkable inconsistency in his actions and words, and he's hardly above lying or dishonest conduct. Straight after giving Moses the first set of Ten Commandments (which included "Thou shalt not kill"), he let Moses go ahead and order the Levites to go on a mass-murdering rampages, which they did, but only after he talked God out of killing all the people! According to 2 Thessolonians 2:11-12, God will send a strong illusion to people so that they will believe lies, so he can condemn everyone to Hell. After giving Moses the Ten Commandments, God orchestrated a litany of atrocities through isoltated commandments that are simply too great in number to list here. I suggest checking out the The Skeptic's Annotated Bible to see for yourself, specifically this section. These events are detailed in Exodus 32. In 2 Chronicles 18:22, God lies to prophets. Why should anyone take his word at face value if he has no problem with lying to us for no reason other than to have an excuse to condemn us to Hell?

Who's more evil? God or Satan? How can we determine this? Well, it's a simple matter of looking at the actions of both God and Satan. Who's commited more evil acts? Who's done more harm to humanity? Who's been the most oppressive? Is Satan really as bad as the Christian Smear Campaign makes him out to be? Let's find out...

God

•God takes away Adam and Eve's eternal life, thus commiting the first murder, and holds their descendants responsible and visiting Adam and Eve's punishment down on their children. In today's moral standards, the sins of the father die with the father.
•God destroys all life on Earth in a great flood, except for a drunk (Noah) and his family, for failing to worship him.
•God's tenth plague upon the Israelites was the unjustified murder of all firstborn sons in Egypt, which undoubtedly included little children.
•Before sending the plagues to Egypt, God "hardened Pharaoh's heart" so that he wouldn't let the Israelites go, so he could have an excuse to visit horrible plagues upon them, like boils, killing cattle and murdering all firstborn sons. (Exodus 4:21)
•God orders the Levites to kill their "every man and his neighnor" for worshipping another god. This cost 3000 lives. (Exodus 32:27)
•God sends a plague to the Israelites, apparently feeling that mass-butchery wasn't enough of a punishment. (Exodus 32:35)
•God kills Onan for refusing to impregnate his late brother's (whom God also slew) wife and instead "spilling his seed on the ground." (Genesis 38:8-10)
•God kills the entire populations of Soddom and Gammorah (again, including women, children and infants) for practicing certain sexual techniques.
•God gives all Philistines hemorrhoids in their pubic areas. (1 Samuel 5:9)
•God kills over 50,000 people for looking at an ark. (1 Samuel 6:19)
•God kills 70,000 people because King David decided to have a census. (1 Chronicles 21:7-14)
•God approves of slavery, and instructs owners to beat their slaves. (Proverbs 29:19)
•And, finally, God makes sure that if you are guilty of even the smallest transgression, you shall suffer endlessly for all eternity, following a dramatic homecoming for Jesus, who will be extremely pissed off at everyone for putting him to death, even though it was just the Romans and even though he knew what was going to happen beforehand, and he could have easily avoided it by using his power as God to perform a miracle and prove who he was. (See the entire book of Revelation)


Satan

•Satan, like Prometheus, gave knowledge to humanity by giving Eve the fruit from the forbidden tree. Because of Satan, humanity gained knowledge of good and evil, according to Genesis. Since we couldn't have possessed knowledge of good and evil before eating the fruit, Adam and Eve couldn't have known that eating the fruit was evil, so it seems a little harsh to punish them as severely as God did. Satan gave humans true capacity for moral judgment, unlike God, who simply expected everyone to mindlessly obey his orders.
•There is no biblical record of Satan engaging in the murder of torture of any human being, unlike God, who is guilty (and proudly guilty) of commiting genocide.
•There is no biblical record of Satan ever ordering someone to kill someone else, unlike God, who has repeatedly demanded the deaths of those who commit even the smallest of offenses.
•Satan will not be holding a massively dramatic ceremony full of blood and death for the return of his son to Earth. God apparently will.

It doesn't take a mathematician to add up and compare God and Satan's respective body counts. God has, after all, killed billions of people in a great flood. Satan never did anything like that. What was the only thing Satan did "wrong"? He rebelled against God, but wouldn't you? Look at what kind of a God he is! He needlessly murders people in nearly every book and passage of the Old Testament! He created an entire race of people for the sole purpose of catoring to his own ego, and then gets mad when we don't live up to our appointed role in life or question one of his decisions! He is a ruthless, dictatorial, narcissistic, sociopathic mass murderer. If I go to Hell for not worshipping him, so much the better. I'd rather spend eternity with Satan, someone who hasn't treated the human race like disposable garbage, someone who has given knowledge to humanity rather than trying to suppress it.

It's time to stop this needless slandering of Satan's name. Satan has done nothing to deserve it. He hasn't killed anyone, publicly exonerated slavery, demanded our worship or threatened us with eternal damnation for not doing his bidding. It is God who is guilty of all these crimes. Satan's done nothing but rebel against a repugnantly unjust authority figure, and he gets eternal damnation and association and blame for all evil on Earth! Meanwhile, Martin Luther King, Jr. gets a holiday named after him, and Satan was far more courageous that King was. After all, Satan stood up to an all powerful narcissist who made it clear that he never would change his mind on any issue. King at least had a democracy to work with. The Christian Smear Campaign toward Satan is completely unwarranted. Maybe, before criticizing Satan, they should look at the God they worship. Is Satan really a bad guy? Certainly not in comparison to God. In fact, I'd much rather have Satan running things. He just can't be worse than God.