Who's got the MOST Impressive Turn?

Got this today from my cousin's e-mail, and it's too cute not to send.

Italy


Indonesia


Malaysia


Germany


Hongkong


China


Korea


Philippines

Incentive to Get a College Degree

Twenty-three thousand a year. This is the number that made all the difference between a college degree and a high school diploma, according to a new survey.

Now, for the interesting parts of this report:

Texas had the lowest proportion of adults with at least a high school diploma, about 78 percent. It was followed closely by Kentucky and Mississippi.

Here come the numbers:

High school dropouts earned an average of $19,169, while people with advanced college degrees made an average of $78,093.

Non-Hispanic whites had the highest proportion of adults with a high school diploma or higher (90 percent), followed by Asians (88 percent), blacks (81 percent) and Hispanics (59 percent).

West Virginia had the lowest proportion of college graduates, at 15 percent. It was followed at the bottom by Arkansas, Kentucky and Louisiana.

It also said:

Nearly 47 percent of adults in Washington, D.C., had at least a bachelor's degree.

Big deal! Did the survey exclude all those Senators and Representatives living there? Otherwise, it would be like bragging how many foreign nationals are present in the UN Assembly compared to the rest of the other states.

Thursday Thirteen Vol. 4

Thirteen Things about Serendipity One of the greatest gift my mother ever gave me, aside from giving me life and giving me a good childhood, is the love of reading. It's one of the things I am thoroughly enjoying. I think life is much richer because of reading. Here's thirteen quotes about reading. Feel free to agree and disagree. 1. Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900) If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all. I've enjoyed reading books I'll never re-read. I disagree with Mr. Wilde here. Here's a few book that's enjoyable, but I probably won't re-read. Wally Lamb - SHE'S COME UNDONE, Kristin Hannah - BETWEEN FRIENDS, Mark Haddon - THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME 2. Dr. Seuss (American Writer and Cartoonist best known for his collection of children's books. 1904-1991) The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. I'm with you Dr. Seuss! Books: Arthur Golden Memoirs of a Geisha Jung Chang WILD SWANS 3. C.S. Lewis quotes (British Scholar and Novelist. 1898-1963) We read to know we are not alone. It sounds dramatic, but there are moments in my life, way back when I was a teen, which I could almost be sure that without a book, I'd surely be a most mi 4. Marcus Tullius Cicero (Ancient Roman Lawyer, Writer, Scholar, Orator and Statesman, 106 BC-43 BC) A home without books is a body without soul. Well, this is a little harsh. Didn't this person meet a very poor person before? So poor that as much as they love to have books, they have to buy food instead? 5. Aldous Huxley (English Novelist and Critic, 1894-1963) Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant and interesting. Witness all the self-help books available...and how some of them actually help some people. 6. Lily Tomlin (American Actress and Comedian. Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2003.b.1939) If you read a lot of books you are considered well read. But if you watch a lot of TV, you're not considered well viewed. Not well-viewed, but certainly well-entertained! I love my House, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Scrubs, CSI and other things I use to help me occupy when I don't feel like doing anything! 7. Elizabeth Hardwick ( 1916–, American literary critic, novelist, and short-story writer, b. Lexington, Ky.; grad Univ. of Kentucky (B.A., 1938; M.A., 1939). The greatest gift is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination. Enough said. Well, except for the "cheap" part, as if you're of a slightly obsessive personality, a whole series of romantic fiction which I am addicted to, can be upwards of 100 bucks. 8. P. J. O'Rourke (American political commentator,Journalist, Writer and Humorist, b.1947) “Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.” This is like being told to wear underwear without tears because in case you get into an accident and someone sees your undies. I bet you've heard that one before too. 9. Arthur Schopenhauer (German Philosopher, 1788-1860) Reading is thinking with someone else's head instead of one's own So, is that bad? Or is it just eavesdropping? 10. E. M. Forster (English Novelist and Essayist, 1879-1970) What is wonderful about great literature is that it transforms the man who reads it towards the condition of the man who wrote. Hmm, very profound huh? 11. Thomas Carlyle (Scottish Historian and Essayist, leading figure in the Victorian era. 1795-1881) What we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have finished with us Oh boy, what will ever happened to Sci-fi, erotic fiction, and murder mystery fans? 12. Joseph Addison (English Essayist, Poet, Dramatist and Statesman, 1672-1719) Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life. I agree! 13. Enrique Jardiel Poncela quotes (Spanish writer, 1901-1952) When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing. Oh yes! Yes! I hate having to work overtime when settling down with a book.

Front Fence Visitors

One Wednesday morning, my husband was excited about something, asked me to step outside, barefoot, to look at something. It was these newborn birds. They were on our front fence, looking like they're settling themselves home.

These two stayed for almost two weeks. When we gave them food, we have to make it a lot because it brought the squirrel too. Sometimes, the bluejays or the cardinals would show up and try to toss these new residents. They keep coming back, and then they were gone one day. I never knew what kind of birds they were, but they were cute to look at. My kids are enterntained to have them right outside our window.

Be Careful What You Ask For

I have to copy this from Zingtrial. It's too good to miss.

A man was being chased by a lion,and he knew escape was impossible and so the man, who had never been particularly religious (In fact this just happened to be sunday morning), prayed,

"God, if you make this lion a Christian I will be happy with whatever lot you give me for the rest of my life"

The lion was no more then four feet away from the man when it stopped dead in its tracks, looks up to heavens quizzically and then fell to its knees and prayed in a loud voice,

"O lord, bless this food of which I am about to partake"

Cute huh? I know I laughed my head off after reading this. But what does it say about a Christian G-d?

Thursday Thirteen Vol. 3

Thirteen Things about Serendipity Reasons why I have the best Mom Ever. Happy 55 birthday, Mama 1. Because she cares for all of us, her kids, in her own wonderful way! 2. I got my love of books from her. 3. She's always on my side, and when I'm wrong, lets me know how. 4. She taught us kids that we should care for each other. How we should always be able to count having each other's back. 5. She's good with kids. 6. She raised us all to be respectful, caring, and responsible adults. 7. She taught us to respect even the most awful a$$holes, that no matter how much we want to kick some peoples butt, to just let it be. G-d will take care of them. 8. She respects our choices, even if it's not what she would have liked us to choose. 9. She'll always be there for you, in a million different ways. 10. She makes my kids happy. 11. She doesn't intrude on my own family's rules. 12. She helps me a whole, whole lot. 13. She's the person you'd want on your side because she's the best mother there is.

Bedazzlemia aka Glitter Lung

As usual, I was blog-hopping when I come along this picture above from here. I was worried because I have a lot of kids who's into glitters. One can never be too careful. So, you can imagine my relief when I googled it and found this. I mean, if The Onion wrote about it, I can breath easier. Then there's this. They kind of stopped me from running to the phone and wake up my kids pediatrician to schedule a lung scan right away.

It's very funny though, now that I have stopped hyperventillating about it.

Plus there's this:

Although powdered glitter, not the typical square-flaked glitter, could be inhaled should someone throw a large handful of it into the air, it is not a danger when used as indicated. Furthermore, the larger, most common square flaked glitter is too large to pass down into the lungs and cause lung disease.

You have to admit, it's a tad alarming to see that picture first.

Answers to Thursday Thirteen Vol. 7

On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or the bottom? ANS: bottom How many states are there? ANS: 50 In which hand is the Statue of Liberty's torch? ANS: Right What six colors are on the classic Campbell's soup label? ANS: Blue, red, white, yellow, black, gold What two letters don't appear on the telephone dial? ANS: Q, Z What two numbers don't have letters on them? ANS: 0, 1 When you walk does your left arm swing with your right leg or with your left? ANS:Right How many matches are there in a standard pack? ANS: 20 What is the lowest number on the FM dial? ANS: 88 Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run? ANS: Towards bottom right How many channels on a VHF TV dial? ANS: 12 (no #1) Which side of a woman's blouse are the buttons on? ANS: left Which side of a man's shirt are the buttons on? ANS: right

So, how did you do?

Friendship

Not Having Sex's a Bitch*

*swiped from Chana

A Series of Fortunate Movies

DH and I take advantage of seeing movie whenever we can. It's been a wonderful few movies because we all enjoyed them all. I even get to bring my baby to the movies so he won't have to miss a meal. In the order we saw them this week.

First, there was THE DEPARTED with Jack Nicholson, Leo Dicaprio and Matt Damon. It've very disconcerting to watch as I keep forgetting Matt is NOT Jason Bourne anymore. At least not here. Leo was fantastic. That boy can act!

IMDB trivia:
As research for his character's occupation, Matt Damon worked with a Massachusetts State Police unit out of Boston. He accompanied them on routine patrols, participated in a drug raid and was taught proper police procedures like how to pat down a suspect.

Second, was THE GUARDIAN with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. This film reminded me why I had such a huge crush on Kevin. You'll be drooling and breathless in this movie. The water scene are fantastic!

Best described as the US Coast Guard version of "Top Gun" with a little "An Officer and A Gentleman" thrown in, "The Guardian" is a passable diversion with the recognition of having parts of the aforementioned films. Kevin Costner plays an aging USCG rescue swimmer whose team is killed in a horrific rescue mission. Immediatley prior to this terrible event, his wife (Sela Ward) also announced that she cannot take anymore. His first love is always the rescue mission. This leaves Costner an obviously emotional wreck. His commender gives him a choice - quit or take a position as an instructor at the USCG training facility in Louisiana. Reluctantly he takes the position. Moving into the school, he immediately increases the 18 week curriculum that routinely fails half of the people that attend. Here he meets a young man (Ashton Kutcher) with unlimited potential, but with some secret that seems to hold him back as a team player. Delving into his past, links are found that make him a psychic twin to the older man. Thrown into the midst of the story is a romance with a local girl (Melissa Sagemiller). Rescue missions punctuate the beginning and end of the story with the training sessions the center of the film.

Summary written by John Sacksteder {jsackste@bellsouth.net}

Factual errors (Goof which won't spoil): Based upon published and televised procedures in Alaska - every fishing boat is required to prove to the Coast Guard that there are survival immersion suits for all members of the crew and that each crew member can get into their suit in less than a short period like 90 seconds. There are a number of scenes of rescues by the Coast Guard in Alaska where a number of the "rescuees" are not in survival suits even though the plot gives the impression that the crew being rescued had plenty of time to don their suits which would have prolonged their ability to survive until the Coast Guard Helicopter with the rescue swimmers could arrive.

Last night, we saw a third movie. JET LI'S FEARLESS.

Already a boxoffice hit in Asia, Jet Li's Fearless, directed by Ronny Yu (helmer of the Hong Kong classic The Bride with White Hair), is Jet Li's final martial arts masterpiece, capping a tremendous body of work in that genre. Jet Li's Fearless reunites the actor and martial arts superstar with producer Bill Kong (Hero) and action choreographer Yuen Wo Ping (Unleashed) as he portrays martial arts legend Huo Yuanjia, who became the most famous fighter in all of China at the turn of the 20th Century. Huo faced incredible personal tragedy but ultimately fought his way out of darkness and into history, forever defining the true spirit of martial arts. His self-discovery, and the choices he made, inspired his nation.

I sure hope he's not quiting because there's no other good martial arts guy in the wings yet.

Trivia:
Huo Yianjia is portrayed as having no surviving offspring after the murder of his daughter. In fact, he has been followed by seven grandchildren and, as of 2006, eleven great-grandchildren.

Going to movies on week day nights is like having my own private showing. I am starting to really like it a lot.

Thursday Thirteen Vol. 2

Thirteen things you'll learn if you read WILD SWANS THREE DAUGHTERS OF CHINA, a biography/autobiography written by Jung Chang as Serendipity saw it. 1. This book is about China, and particularly about the author's grandmother, mother and herself during early 1900s to late 1970s. A lot of fascinating things in this book. A few of which I will post here. It was considered one of the duties of a wife to help bring up her husband. 2. During early 1900s, sons are valued. My great-grandfather was the only son, which made him of supreme importance to his family. The story of his wife, my great-grandmother, was typical of millions of Chinese women of her time. She came form a family of tanners called Wu. Because her family was not an intellectual one and did not hold any official post, and because she was a girl, she was not given a name at all. Being the second daughter, she was simply called "Number Two Girl". 3. I am so glad I don't have to do this. But her greatest assets were her bound feet, called in Chinese "three-inch golden lilies" This meant she walked "like a tender young willow shoot in a spring breeze..." My grandmother's feet had been bound when she was two years old. Her mother, who herself had bound feet, first wound a piece of white cloth about twenty feet long round her feet, bending all the toes except the big toe inward and under the sole. The she placed a large stone on top to crush the arch. The process lasted several years. 4. More about bound feet. In those days, when a woman was married, the first thing the bridegrooms family did was to examine her feet. Large feet, meaning normal feet, were considered to bring shame on the husband's household. 5. Background on binding off feet. The practice of binding feet was originally introduced about a thousand years ago, allegedly by a concubine of the emperor. Not only was the sight of women hobbling on tiny feet considered erotic, men would also get excited playing with bound feet, which were always hidden in embroidered silk shoes. 6. Once bound, they can't allow the feet to grow again. This is the part of the part of the book where I was positively cringing. Men rarely saw naked bound feet, which were usually covered in rotting flesh and stank when the bindings were removed. The author then tells us of her grandma always in pain, and how she would sigh with relief when she can unbound her feet, and how she'd set about cutting off dead flesh from her feet. The pain also came from toe-nails growing into her feet. 7. Interesting beliefs about hell. ..clay figure whose tongue was being pulled out at least a good while simultaneously being cut up by two devils with spiky hair standing on end like hedgehogs and eyes bulging like frogs. The man being tortured had been a liar in his previous life... ...a woman being sawed in half by two men. The woman was a widow who had remarried... 8. During the reign of Japanese terror, eating rice could get your arrested for being an "economic criminal" 9. Mao , leader of nationwide peasant uprising who swept away a rotten dynasty and become a wise new emperor... It was under Mao that China became a power to be reckoned with in the world, and many Chinese stopped feeling ashamed and humiliated at being Chinese. 10. Chinese years so much for peace, they say It's better to be a dog in peacetime than a human being in war. 11. There was American terror We were told that the Americans were waiting for a chance to invade and reinstate Kuomintang, and that in order to defeat an invasion by them Lei Feng had trained day and night to overcome his weak physique and become champion hand-grenade thrower. 12. Then the beauty goes out too... Mao had instructed that grass, flowers, and pets were bourgeois habits and were to be eliminated. 13. There's so much more in this book. Books were major targets of Mao's order to destroy. Because they had not been written within the last few months, and therefore did not qoute Mao on every page, some Red Guards declared that they were all "poisonous weeds." Like I said, this is an awesome book. While there might be a lot of uncomfortable truths in this book, it's a fantastic read. It's worth my time, and I'm more enriched for having read it. Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

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Alternative Career & Slippery Slope

Your Porn Star Name Is...

Sweetest Sin Here I am having such a hard time coming up with a name that would look good on screen! It all comes down to not having enough time, but not wanting to do the things I need to do on my list. A quizz comes handy. Look at that...the stock picture even looks like me a few pounds ago!

What's Your Porn Star Name?

And this one is slippery slope! I do like the sentiments, and I think it's worth reading. On the other hand, isn't life like this anyway? On the other hand, does anyone believe in destiny*?

*des·ti·ny
n., pl. -nies.

1. The inevitable or necessary fate to which a particular person or thing is
   destined; one's lot.


2. A predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control: “Marriage and hanging go by destiny” (Robert Burton).


3. The power or agency thought to predetermine events: Destiny brought them
   together.

The Chicken and the Egg, Which Came First?*

I think the whole world need to learn new words and define it. The words are accountability and responsibility. These are wonderful and scary words. It lets us take control of our destiny. It implies we have power over our thought and action.

Ac·count·a·bil·i·ty
n.
The state of being accountable; liability to be called on to render an account; the obligation to bear the consequences for failure to perform as expected; accountableness.

Syn. -- answerability, answerableness

The way I look at it, if people are held responsible for their actions, that it's them and nobody else. On the other hand, if people keep pinning all that's wrong with them to their parents, care-givers, etc., then there is no real insentive to behave as a decent human being should.

re·spon·si·bil·i·ty (rĭ-spŏn's-bĭl'ĭ-tē)
n., pl. -ties.
The state, quality, or fact of being responsible.
Something for which one is responsible; a duty, obligation, or burden

The absense of these words is probably why people like Charles Carl Roberts IV mass murders and Foley molests. Momsquared said it best when she said...

I love how Foley puts it out there that he was molested as child. And then his
attorney comes out and says Foley isn't using his molestation as an exuse.

Being a victim doesn't entitle you to make victims of other people.

Take a look at this murder's story.

A gunman killed five girls and wounded seven before shooting himself in an Amish school in the US state of Pennsylvania.

...killing five girls execution-style before killing himself

The girls died from shots fired Wednesday by Charles Carl Roberts IV, a non-Amish neighbour who was angry with God, mourning his own child's death and longing to repeat molestation of younger children he committed as a child, police said.

Those poor little girls! The death tool rose to six now. This is an awful world we live in if we allow bad people like these to blame it on bad childhood or some other trauma. This is like the chicken and the eggs. Which came first? The abusing parent or the abused-murdering offspring? The cycle must end. We need to teach accountability and responsibility again.



*It's hard to be coherent when I can't hear myself think. But these are bad. It's probably why I should not listen to news. There's always grief and potential grief in there. I am thinking this is why some old men, instead of aging gracefully and kindly, turn rabid and vicious and basically render their life worthless. They think old-age excuses them from responsibility and accountability.

Thursday Thirteen Vol. 1

Thirteen Posts by The Book* Bitches which SERENDIPITY likes. I keep coming back because it's so much fun! The Eye Candies who make my day: 1. There's the BOB-worthy athletes, and extremely good morning posts. 2. They talk about footballers and their balls in a most interesting way. 3. There's interesting admission about needing porn. 4. There's this intelligent discussion about boxers, briefs or none. 5. It's where I go to find naked chefs, as long as they're not cooking my food. 6. And here I thought men's locker rooms is all about the stinky sweat! 7. There's never a shortage of ogle-able men, giving torture a good name! 8. There's theory, and then there's theory about manroots or cocks. 9. There's never a shortage of pick-me-ups at TBB. 10. What about fetishes, and mustaches? TBB is not just all about Eye Candies. These chicks got statistics and other smart articles, too. Check them out. 11. We all have a thing about cheating, and they've quantified it down here. 12. There's this issue with safe-sex in books. 13. There's help with seduction note for significant others. Unfortunately, this is for a Thursday Thirteen posts, and not Thursday Unlimited, or I'd have put more in. It's a great site to hang out coz there's something of everything for almost everyone. *Not a Trophy Wife :P

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Wednesday Fives

I cannot wait 'til Friday for my me-me. Besides, that seems like a long, long time when I want to talk about 5 things about Jason Statham now. Got this me-me from PopTart. Except I changed the day.

• I first saw him in Transporter. Who couldn't find him sexy there? All that rolling around in oil? Awesome! Did you see the girl with him there? I thought she's beautiful in a cutesy way.
  
• He's a year older than my favorite cousin. Wikipedia said so here. I saw the thinning hair, and I'm thinking, "Wow! I didn't know I find balding head sexy!" He's born in September 12.
  
• I saw him again in Transporter 2...he's still sexy as ever. Have you seen it? He's really great as a protector. Who wouldn't want him for a chauffeur/bodyguard? I love that he could kick that sexy lady there. Whew!
  
• In Crank, he makes a unique tourist attraction in China Town. He's sexy in hospital gown, nothing like this guy here. If you haven't seen CRANK, now is a good time. He is funny, sexy, macho and entertaining. Who cares about entertaining if he's so much fun to look at? I cannot believe the girl they paired him up with, but she grew on me. I went to see this movie with my darling husband. My husband is wonderful, he lets me ogle Jason for close to two hours!
  
• Jason was great with speedboat in Italian Job. I enjoyed it. My husband and I have a wonderful gift of enjoying each other's company through all kinds of movie. This was a good entertainment. Anytime I get to hold hands with my DH in a darkened room is a great day.

Five pictures which proved he's sexy, balding hair and all!

There is no call for cruelty

Greatness lies, not in being strong, but in the right using of strength; and strength is not used rightly when it serves only to carry a man above his fellows for his own solitary glory. He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.
--Henry Ward Beecher

Making someone suffer is not a sign of someone's greatness. It's probably an indication of a rotting mind. It is a clue to finding help, of letting go, and moving on. It means you've burned the bridges, there is no crossing over the great river of disaster.

Harry Potter in subtitles

It will be awhile before the next movie...

I was surfing the net and found movie subtitles. I am also anguished to find that Dumbledore's really dead and dead he stays. That' alright because I just wanted to share with you Harry Potter in subtitles. I just want to say that I am not making fun of the English.

I just want to share the fun. Hover over picture to read the subtitles.



Yeah, Hally Porter, you go!



Again, just want to say again that it's great when people learn new language. It doesn't mean I can't smile about it and have a fun day.


You can read the rest here.


*Edited again to fit in my new template.