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*Disclaimer note: This is merely a translation of the original Chinese version. I do not claim any part in the creation of the original story.
"Sun, wake up. We're going to set up camp now."
I was dreaming; I was lying uncomfortably on a patch of grass wet from a rainfall and was just about to use a fire spell to make the grass field warm and toasty, when I hazily heard Leaf's calls to wake up. In a sleepy haze, I blurrily got off his back, and after a while my head got clearer as my brain started waking up. It was then that I noticed that Leaf's entire body was soaked through…… oh, so that patch of wet grass was Leaf.
Thank goodness he had waked me up at such perfect timing. Even a nice person would explode in anger if he were to be roasted alive, right?
Just then, I heard Alston dividing up our work. "Michael, you go with Ann and hunt something. Everyone's quite tired, so some fresh meat should help us to regain our strengths."
Michael simply nodded.
I had to wonder at who this Alston guy was, for him to directly call Michael by his name. In the Church of War, even the highest ranking warrior priest should still be lower in rank to the Son of War; to call the Son of War by his name would have been rather improper.
After receiving their tasks, Michael and Ann immediately left in a whirlwind. Alston continued on to us. He turned to Leaf and asked politely, "Elmairy, can you help to start the fire as well as cook the food later?"
Leaf smiled and nodded. "No problem."
"Then I'll set up the tents," he said smilingly. When he turned to me, he said warmly, "Sun Knight, you will be in charge of gathering the firewood, alright?"
"Of course," I too smiled back at him and was about to bid Leaf goodbye when several howls rose from within the depths of the forest…… Both Leaf and I peered into the inky black forest, where an occasional rustling could be heard, hiding unknown creatures in their shadows; from time to time the howls and growls of various animals could be heard coming from within.
Leaf blanched and turned to me in worry. "I think it'd be better for me to go gather the firewood, Sun. You just stay here and start the fire, and as for the food…… I'll cook it after I come back."
I immediately nodded. Not because I was afraid of the few wolf howls earlier, for as long as I am away from other people I could simply use magic to protect myself. Heheheh… Wolfs cannot protest that the Sun Knight shouldn't be using magic.
What I was really afraid of were…… the mosquitoes in the forest! I'm now down to my last pair of gloves, if this pair was to be ruined too, I would then have to resort to stealing Leaf's gloves.
I nodded at Leaf. Leaf then said, "I'll be leaving Alston to your care then."
I caught the strange look that flashed across Alston's face when he heard this; he probably doesn't think that I would be able to protect him from anything!
Leaf didn't leave as quickly as the other two. He first picked up a tree branch from around the clearing, took out one of his extra bowstrings and tied it around both ends of the branch, then piled a small pile of dried leaves around it before bending to pick another branch…… The entire process was then repeated several times. It's probably kinda confusing for ya, but what he's actually doing is to help me gather the things necessary for starting a fire so that I would only need to rub the sticks together around the kindling to get the fire going.
After he was done, he handed me the things he had been preparing and asked me worriedly, "Do you know how to use these things? Just loop the string around a branch and start pulling on the ends to keep it twirling…… there shouldn't be any problems, right?"
Sometimes I really feel that Leaf is the Good Warm Faction's mother, while the Cold Blood Faction's mother is Frost. One likes to nag and help others with everything, while the other likes to stay in the kitchen cooking. Together, the two would make the perfect mother.
Seeing as Leaf had carried me on his back for 24 hours, I nodded and said gently, ""Please do not worry, my brother Leaf, for even when the God of Light shines not in the night, this Sun will not fail in my brother's expectations."
Leaf nodded at that and turned to leave. He kept turning back to look at me-at least three times!-before finally making it past the clearing and into the woods.
I watched as Leaf left before looking back down at the fire-making tools in my hands. It felt rather stupid. With just a fire spell I could have started a fire big enough to burn down the entire forest, much less a small campfire. Yet with the warrior priest here with me I'm forced to maintain my Sun Knight image—no magic!
Seeing as I could not use magic, I resigned myself to using Leaf's fire starting tools. After taking a deep breath, I rubbed and rubbed and rubbed, rubbed, rubbed…… not a single wisp of smoke, and my hands are already raw from the friction! I really, really wish I could use magic!
'No, I can't! Alston's staring at me. But how is he setting up the tents while staring at me all the while?! That should be outlawed!'
I continued on my rubbing…… ah, finally a wisp of smoke. I stepped up my efforts and rubbed—the-the smoke…… it snuffed out.
Never before in my life have I so yearned to cast a fire spell.
'But, no! Alston's still staring at me, damn it! Can't he just concentrate on setting up the tents?! Or have an urgent need to use the bushes? Or even just to look up and admire the stars in the sky? Just give me one second; one second is all I need to cast a fire spell on these dry sticks.'
But he Just. Won't. Relent on the staring!!
By now Alston had finished with the first tent, but he didn't immediately move on to the next tent, instead putting down the tent pegs and other tools.
'Oh good! Does he finally need to pee?'
But he didn't head out towards the woods and instead walked towards me, reached out a hand and said exasperatedly, "Sun Knight, why don't you let me start the fire!"
I silently handed over the tools to Alston, and then it was my turn to stare at him…… 'Don't you think you can get away with using magic to start a fire either! Priests aren't supposed to know how to use fire spells too!'
But he merely calmly rubbed for a little while, and presto! Wisps of smoke appeared. Another few more rubs and sparks appeared. After rubbing on a little more, a fire was started.
"……" Those tools must have been conspiring against me!
After that, Alston found some sturdy branches and began setting up a campfire tripod where we would be able to cook the meat over.
Even though Leaf had left later than the other two, he was the first to arrive back at the camp. When he entered the clearing, he stopped at the sight of Alston working over the fire and the tripod. He then walked over and placed the firewood beside the fire. As he feed some of the wood into the fire, he said to Alston, "Thanks for the hard work, Alston. Sorry about that."
Alston just smiled back at him. "It's alright, it's only a fire. Seems like the Sun Knight doesn't go out on expeditions often."
"If I'm not mistaken this should be Sun's first time leaving Sprouting Leaf city," As he continued feeding the fire, Leaf turned his head to look at me. "Isn't that right?"
I nodded, maintaining my serene smile.
"Ah, I see." Alston had a clarified look on his face.
Leaf then quickly explained, "As the leader of the Holy Temple, Sun is busy with a lot of work so he doesn't have much time where he can leave."
Alston smiled and said, "That is rather different to how our Church works. Michael may be the highest ranking person, but normally he doesn't really have many things that need his personal attention. Most of the time Michael is more of a spiritual leader."
Actually, same here. I normally don't have much to do…… and even if I do have things I would typically throw them at Storm…… It is only on occasions when I need to show myself that I would show up, just like this time when I had to attend a royal wedding.
"I see, no wonder you guys would call him 'Michael' so casually. We, Twelve Holy Knights, are rarely called by our first names. Especially Sun," said Leaf, glancing at me before continuing. "Other than the Judge Knight and the Pope, no one else can call him by his first name."
Alston gave a light chuckle as he explained, "It's not like that at all. In the Church of War there are not many who can call the Son of War by his first name either. But Ann and Michael grew up together-they are childhood friends-so in private she would call him Michael, but on formal occasions she would still address him as the Son of War. As for me, I call him by his name because Michael is my son."
Both Leaf and my eyes bulged at that startling announcement, but a look of understanding then passed over us. Even though Alston only looked to be in his thirties, he was probably using magic to maintain his youthful appearance. Who knows how old he really is? Both my teacher and the Pope do the same thing, so it's not really that surprising to me.
"May I ask how old you are?" asked Leaf curiously.
"Thirty-five." Alston gave an answer that matched his outward appearance perfectly.
"……" We were both speechless. Leaf then asked again, "And how old is Michael?"
I was a little surprised to hear that the Son of War was actually two years younger than me, but what was even more astonishing was: doesn't subtracting 21 from 35 give you 14? And when you add the ten months of pregnancy, does that mean that this guy standing in front of us had impregnated a woman at thirteen years old?!
Doing xxx with women at thirteen years…… I always thought that was a privilege reserved to the nobility! Since when are the normally 'pure' priest so 'voracious'?
"By the way, this is a secret," said Alston, winking at us, "so don't go spreading it around."
Leaf and I had strange looks on our faces. 'Aren't you spilling out secrets to people from other churches a little too casually?!'
Alston laughed at our expressions, and now that I looked closer, I could see the resemblance with the Son of War. After his hearty laughing, he then explained to us, "This is an open secret in the Church of War. It's easy enough to find out about it if you simply ask around. But even though everyone already knows about it, no one would say it right out loud. So don't worry about it."
So that's how it is. Just like 'the Sun Knight is perfect'; everyone knew subconsciously that there's no such thing as a perfect person in this world, yet a lot of people still believe in it.
Just then, we heard some faint rustlings from the forest and turned to look in that direction. We weren't very wary though, for this spot was not very near the forest's deepest parts. To a group of our calibre, this kind of place is about as safe as our respective Churches.
Michael and Ann appeared from the forest, a dead wolf slung across Michael's shoulders.
When they reached the camp, Michael handed the wolf over to Ann, and Ann took it over to the lake to clean it for our dinner. Strangely, Ann looked rather pleased when she took the wolf from him.
Michael stared around at our camp and frowned, "Why aren't the tents up yet?"
Alston smiled and explained, "I'm sorry, I was too slow."
Hearing that, Michael had a strange look on his face. I could understand the reason for it though. Earlier on, Alston had needed only five minutes to set up a tent, one minute to get a fire going and another minute to set up the campfire tripod. There was no way he could be called slow.
Michael must be familiar with his own father's working style, which was why he had such a strange expression.
Michael took out an iron pot from his bag and set it up with the tripod, all the while listening to Alston and Leaf's conversation and occasionally contributing a sentence or two.
I had absolutely no interest in their conversation and instead turned to look at the lake. Hohoho! I'm more interested in beautiful young girls…… even though she's wearing full body armour and carrying a pair of axes…… I wonder how she's going to deal with that huge wolf? It's even larger than an average man!
I had turned just in time to see the wolf thrown high into the air. As her dominant fire element had shown, she was incredibly strong. She had easily tossed that huge wolf up as if she was merely tossing a small rock.
After throwing the wolf into the air, Ann quickly took out her axes, and when the wolf started falling back down, Ann jumped into the air and 'slash, slash, slash', ten chunks of meat fell to the ground. A heavy 'plop' sound could be heard; it sounded like a pile of something had fallen onto the ground. It was too dark to see anything clearly, but I could guess that it was probably the internal organs spilling out.
Under the soft glow of the moon, Ann washed her bloodied axes in the lake before putting them back on her back. Then, humming a cheerful and upbeat song, she inelegantly squatted by the lakeside and started washing the chunks of meat. After that was done, she then started pulling something long and white and bloody from the pile of internal organs and started washing that too.
By then, I had decided that…… perhaps it would be better to turn back and watch the three men conversing.
"I wonder who it was who had kidnapped the Princess Alice?" Leaf was saying in puzzlement. He then said worriedly, "I hope the kidnapper is treating the Princess well!"
After giving a quiet prayer, 'May the War God protect Her Highness', Alston then explained, "To tell the truth, we don't really know much about it. No one knows how the Princess had been kidnapped. When the royal family had realised she was missing they could only find a letter."
As he said that, he took out said letter and was about to hand it to Leaf, but upon seeing my renewed interest in their conversations, he handed it over to me instead. What a polite person.
After a "May the God of Light's radiance shine on the Princess Alice," I took the letter and started reading it. Leaf knew that I didn't like speaking so he leaned closer to read it with me so that I wouldn't have to explain it to him later.
The letter was pretty simple and straightforward. There was none of the usual threatening or bribing or demands for ransom. Instead, it merely informed that the author had taken the Princess, and that if they wanted her back safe and sound they were not allowed to form an army or to put out search notices. Only the Son of War is allowed to form a rescue party and look for the Princess. If he (the Son of War) can defeat him (the kidnapper) only may he take the Princess back.
'This person's objective doesn't seem to be the Princess but more like some plot aimed at the Son of War,' I thought in suspicion. 'Or else why would he set the condition that the Son of War is to form a party and chase after them?'
But if that was the aim, then why not just tell the Son of War to come alone? Why a group, specifically? Or is he worried that if he were to set the condition that the Son of War come after them alone the Son of War might refuse? After all, he is no less important than a Princess. Hmm… if this letter is real then it is no wonder why the Queen would force Leaf and I to come along.
The Church of War had probably insisted that the two of us come along if the Queen wanted the Son of War to rescue her daughter. With both the Sun Knight and the Leaf Knight coming along, two objectives could be achieved. Firstly, as two of the Twelve Holy Knights, we should be stronger than the ordinary knight; secondly, if the enemy really had some plot cooked up they would have to think twice about if they really wanted both the Church of War and the Church of Light to come down on them……
All that thinking had made me hungry, but luckily it hadn't been very loud. I handed back the letter to Alston and asked dubiously, "Please pardon this Sun for his uneducated mind, for this Sun cannot see where in the letter it mentions the whereabouts of the Princess? But the War God's children seem to show no doubt as to the future of their mission; could it be that they have received the whispered hints from the War God?"
Upon seeing everyone's blank face Leaf hurriedly translated, "What Sun means is that the letter never said where to go to chase after the kidnapper and the Princess, yet you guys seem to know exactly where you're going……"
Just then, Ann had returned with the cleaned meat and she interjected, "That's 'cause every Moon Orchid Princess has an enchanted item on them which can be traced."
I nodded my head, while Leaf said in understanding, "I see."
Although I still had a lot of suspicions, it wouldn't be appropriate to ask them directly, so I decided to keep them to myself for now and wait for an opportunity later when I can dig for more clues.
What followed after was Leaf cooking the meat while Alston used the iron pot to cook the pile of innards in. Looking at that pot of red and white thing, both Leaf and I turned a little green.
Alston chuckled upon seeing our faces. "The internal organs are very nutritious and can strengthen your body!"
In comparison with the Son of War's simple cooking-tossing the innards into the pot and adding water, then letting it boil over the fire-Leaf put in a lot more effort into his cooking. He took out a box of seasonings and spices, containing more than ten bottles of different kinds of herbs and spices. I could recognise the very basic-salt and pepper-but that was about it.
Ann, Alston and Michael stared at all the different herbs and spices in bewilderment, and at last Michael couldn't resist asking. "What are all these things?"
"Seasonings, of course! How can you eat anything without adding any seasonings?" Leaf replied with bewilderment. He then took out a bottle and started sprinkling some on the cooking meat as he lectured, "This is powdered rosemary, to lessen the bloody smell of the meat. After the meat is cooked and some wormwood, pepper and salt is added, we can then start eating it…… or if you don't like the taste of pepper, we can use garlic instead. Although, wormwood is good for keeping meat and we can keep the uneaten meat with us for a few days, lemongrass can increase our appetite and aid in our digestion…"
Leaf looked vexed and turned to ask his audience. "Which one would you guys prefer?" The audience widened their eyes at the unexpected question, not knowing how to answer him.
I, on the other hand, was pretty used to it. While Leaf was not as good at cooking as Frost, he was a great lover of condiments and seasonings. Even when eating bread, he would add two or more kinds of flavourings. If there weren't any seasonings added to his food he would probably rather die than to eat them as they are.
But—these seasonings do not come cheap, so most of his salary is spent on buying them. This is also why Leaf is often called the poorest knight amongst the Twelve Holy Knights. He is so poor that should the kitchen close for one day he would have to go hungry.
But it's alright, even if he can't eat any meals he can still survive for a while on Frost's snacks and desserts.
Although, every single time Frost sees Leaf adding seasonings to his snacks he would have a freezing cold expression…… wait, Frost's expression is always freezing. How should I put it…… Hm, I guess you can say that he would have an 'I can eat Leaf whole without even without adding any flavourings' expression.
"No wormwood," I answered shortly.
Leaf smiled at that, saying, "Ah, I'd almost forgotten that you hate that bitter taste that wormwood carries. So I'll use the lemongrass then?"
I gave a noncommittal nod. I don't really know what lemongrass is – actually, I don't even have any idea what wormwood taste like either – but the 'worm' in wormwood is enough to reserve a spot on my blacklist straight away.
After finishing with the meat's seasoning, Leaf was not yet satisfied - he turned to look into the pot of innards. After considering the pot for awhile, he took out a delicate looking bottle. As he carefully sprinkled some of the seasoning into the pot, he explained to his captivated audience. "This is saffron; it's a rather expensive spice, but soups taste best with some added in."
The three nodded blankly, but there was a slight hint of disapproval on their faces. From their expressions they probably feel that adding saffron would hardly make any difference…… 'Hah!' I chuckled silently.
Finally, the meat was cooked and the pot of soup was ready. When the three of them bit down on their first bite of meat and took the first spoon of soup or swallowed their first piece of intestine, all three faces immediately changed!
Luckily we hadn't used the wormwood-good for preserving food-that night…… because there wasn't even anything left that needed preserving.
There is a good reason why Leaf remains so poor, ya know!
When camping in a dense forest such as this, someone has to stay awake and keep watch. So after dinner, Alston divided our shifts among us-Leaf and I were to take the first shift, followed by Michael on his own, and the last shift would be done by Ann and Alston.
After the other three had settled in their tents, I turned to Leaf and said, "Leaf, this place isn't very dangerous. Why don't you rest against that rock and take a nap. I should be able to keep watch by myself."
For some reason, Leaf looked shocked. He looked at me up and down carefully before finally smiling and saying, "Alright then. Make sure you wake me up so you can take your turn to sleep!"
"No need, I think I'll be pretty busy for some time," I muttered thoughtfully.
Leaf looked at me with puzzlement in his eyes.
"Just go to sleep," I smiled.
Following my suggestion, Leaf leaned against a large rock and closed his eyes. Twenty or so minutes passed and feeling that the other three should be fast asleep, I quietly whispered, "Leaf, Leaf? Are you asleep?"
Leaf jolted and immediately opened his eyes. After seeing that nothing seemed amiss, he asked questioningly, "What is it, Sun?"
"Oh, you're not asleep yet." I then told him seriously, "If you've fallen asleep remember to tell me."
Leaf then closed his eyes again and mumbled softly, "I'm asleep."
"Oh, that's good," I nodded in acknowledgement and said matter-of-factly, "Since you're asleep now, you shouldn't know what I'm up to then."
I walked back to our tent and took out a whole bunch of bottles…… Not Leaf's seasonings; these are the ingredients for my whitening mask.
Before being carried on Leaf's back, I had still walked for a whole day. Even though I had tried my best to walk in the shade where possible, I still hadn't been able to avoid the sun's rays for a large part of the journey. If I don't quickly apply my whitening mask soon, it'll take me a long time to get my skin back to its flawlessly fair complexion.
And not to mention I had sweated buckets. If I don't take a shower tonight I'll be too smelly for words tomorrow! As the perfect and elegant Sun Knight, if I were to emit an awful smell…… can I still be called the Sun knight?! I might as well change my name and call myself the Stinky Knight!
Therefore, I am now digging out all the things necessary for my shower and whitening mask from my luggage. Because I had to fit all these things into my luggage, my luggage was twice as big as Michael's and the rest. If not for Leaf allowing me to stuff some of my things into his luggage, I probably wouldn't even be able to lift my luggage and would have given up on the quest altogether, regardless of how cute Ann looked.
But now-having to rush on our journey, suffering under the harsh rays of the sun all day, unable to start a simple fire, and having to apply my whitening mask everyday- all these things are enough to make me deeply regret falling for Ann's cuteness and agreeing to join in the quest.
I sighed at my plight.
But then again, I have to come out on this quest. Not only because Ann looked cute, but also because of my promise to my teacher……
Back then, my teacher had been teaching me on how to maintain a Sun Knight's elegance even whilst surviving in the wilderness. I had had a massive headache just from listening about how I had to apply whitening masks every day, how to gather usable ingredients in the wild should I ever run out of them, how to elegantly start a fire, how to rush elegantly on my journey, how to shower elegantly in the great outdoors…… I had wanted to cry at hearing all of those things.
Upon seeing my crest-fallen face, my teacher had smiled faintly as he said, "My child, this lesson is a must. As holy knights, it is extremely likely that we would have to go on a quest at some point in time. And even amongst a group of ragged-looking, stinky cavemen teammates, the Sun Knight must still maintain his elegance!"
"But teacher," I protested, "does 'the whole continent know' that the Sun Knight likes to go on quests?"
That had been the first time I had questioned my teacher. He looked surprised at my question, and after giving it some thought, he said exasperatedly, "I guess not. I never thought you would hate this 'surviving in the outdoors' lesson so much. Alright then, you can skip this lesson."
'Praise be the God of Light's compassion!'
I was so grateful that for the first time in my life I sincerely thanked the God of Light.
My teacher sighed at me and said, "If you continue on like this you'll grow up to become a temple guy."
"Teacher, what is a temple guy?"
"Temple guys are those knights who choose to stay cooped up in the Holy Temple all day, sneaking peeks at the next door Temple of Light's female priests, yet dare not speak to them. Whenever come a holiday, take a walk along the hallway closes to the Hall of Light and you'll see a whole row temple guys leaning along the windows! You don't want to become that, do you?"
I slowly answered a little hesitatingly, "But, I-I think it doesn't sound bad to me?"
"What?!" My teacher roared in fury. "You spineless nitwit! I, your teacher, have had-if not hundreds-then at least fifty lovers over my years, yet you-my student, want to become a temple guy?! I forbid it! Swear to the God of Light-right now-that in the future you will leave the Holy Temple to go on a quest, or else I will board up all the windows on the hallway neighbouring the Hall of Light and announce to the whole of the Holy Temple that I did it because of you."
Back then, to avoid incurring the wrath of all of the Holy Temple's temple guys coming after me in revenge, I had no other option but to swear to the God of Light that I would one day leave the Holy Temple to go on a quest. But I never thought that I would miss my home so badly on just the first day……
Right now, I just want to quickly find the Princess Alice so I can get back to my Holy Temple and continue my life as a temple guy. As I prepared my whitening mask paste, I prayed to the God of Light: 'Please, beauteous and benevolent God of Light, have mercy on me and allow me to return to the Holy Temple, where I may better serve you and your people……'
After the paste was ready, I walked towards the lake with the intention of applying the mask whilst I bathed. But when I reached the lake, I suddenly sensed that something was wrong. There was something with a high concentration of fire element hiding amongst the bushes. Normally, bushes should be filled with wood and water element, not fire……
I turned my head and my eyes met up with a pair of blood red eyes glowing out from the dark shadows. I was thinking of calling for Leaf's help when the owner of the pair of crimson eyes nimbly leapt out from the bushes…… it was a magical wolf!
Magical wolves look like normal wolves and other canines, but with the addition of three red horns on their heads. Because of that, they are called 'magical wolves' or 'magical hounds'; they are a type of magical beast.
Magical beasts refer to animals that have magical abilities. I'm sure everyone is familiar with dragons? Well, dragons are also magical beasts; and one of the extremely rare extremely powerful magical beasts at that.
But unlike dragons, magical wolves' level isn't very high. Their speed and agility is not that much higher than an ordinary wolf's; however, with the three horns on their head they are able to attack people with fire balls.
'What is a magical beast doing in this forest? Even though a magical wolf is only a low level magical beast……' I frowned as I watch the magical wolf lunged at me.
With the bowl of whitening mask paste in my left hand, I extended my right at the wolf, and a gust of cold blue swept towards the wolf. This is an elementary water spell – Freezing Magic. Just as the name suggests, it is a spell that freezes one's opponents into a big block of ice…… I had learnt this from Frost. After all, Frost is pretty busy and isn't always around to make blueberry snow cones for me, so when the weather turns too hot, I had to depend on myself and had diligently mastered the Ice Magic so I could make snow cones for myself.
Even though the magical wolf had also breathed out a shot of fire at me, and even though fire conquers ice, it is only when both parties are roughly equal in power that fire can overpower ice. But now…… heheh! I chuckled coldly as I watch the pouncing wolf slowly turn into a block of ice in midair, before dropping to the ground with a 'clunk'.
A snapping twig sounded from behind.
I instantly whipped around in the direction of the noise, but was surprised to see… "Leaf?"
Leaf was staring straight at me as he said with an apologetic smile, "I noticed some disturbance here."
After saying that, he then looked down at the now frozen magical wolf.
I explained with the utmost solemnity, "The wolf was rushing at me, but it rushed too quickly and tripped over a rock, falling and killing itself."
"……" After a moment where Leaf was speechless, he then reminded me. "But it's frozen."
"Ah!" with a look of realisation, I shook my head in amazement and said, "Before it died, it must have wanted to avoid being eaten, and so used magic to freeze itself."
Once again, Leaf was speechless, but he didn't continue asking along the lines of 'do fire elemental wolves know how to use Freezing Magic?' or 'but even when frozen it can still be thawed out and eaten!', and other such questions. He merely glanced at the bowl of paste in my hand while saying exasperatedly, "I see. I'm going back to sleep."
"Go back to sleep then. Lack of sleep is the bane of the beautiful."
I smiled brightly at him. "I said, lack of sleep will not help to rescue the beautiful princess."
Leaf nodded and obediently headed back to the camp site, leaning back against the rock to continue sleeping.
I, too, continued on with my bath and whitening mask before waking Michael up for his shift. I then entered the tent and took my turn to sleep.
And that was how the next few days went……
When it was time to head out, I crawled up onto Leaf's back and slept for 24 to 48 hours.
When it was time to set up camp, I would just sit there daydreaming.
When it was time for my night shift, I would break out my bathing and whitening mask necessities and do what I must to keep my perfect Sun Knight image.
Other than the pesky mosquitoes and having to apply the whitening mask every day, the lack of Frost's after-meal titbits and being unable to sleep at night after having slept the whole day away on Leaf's back, I would say that on the whole this whole questing life is pretty good.
When come dinner time, Leaf would then tell me of how during the day the party had met with robberies, other parties trying to take liberties with Ann and various attacks from magical beasts. However thanks to Michael and Ann, they had easily dealt with any and all interference so quickly and quietly that I had not even woken up.
According to Leaf, the robbers hadn't even had the opportunity to open their mouths before they were beaten up; the other party had scrammed of after being sent flying by just one kick from Ann; and the attacking magical beasts had all ended up as our dinner.
As I ate some unknown magical beast meat and listened to Leaf as he recounted the day's happenings, I ignored the looks of disdain the three from the Church of War kept throwing in my direction.
Yup! Surviving in the wilderness wasn't as bad as I had imagined after all!


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Here are a few travel essentials that we think every girl needs:
1. Tank top and shorts combo for day. Pair that same tank with a bejewelled skirt for night.
2. Perfect Selfie Skin = Sun screen lotion + gloss
3. Get em' some shades = UV protection Sunnies, ofcourse. We don't mind a hat either.
4. A BIG, BEAUTIFUL BAG to dump everything in. Remember to keep it light!
Scroll on for the perfect travel essentials to keep yourself travel-ready! Thank us Later!
Photo Credit: Instagram / Shraddha Kapoor
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subset: commoncrawl


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Let's learn to speak British!
The British love to make-up new words and sayings, and most of them are quite ridiculous. I like this new British slang word, Chav, coined from the language of those thieving tinkers:
The Chav
Evidently, a Chav is a low-life English teenager of questionable provenance, bad manners and, of course, bad teeth.
The Chav is the British equivalent of po white trailer trash. . . .
Chav's also like to wear designer clothers, quite odd:
Like the old saying goes "The Brits, they are a funny race, they fight with their feet . . . "


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I don't spend much time downtown during the day, but occasionally, I have to go in for a meeting. That was the case one day last week. After my meeting, which went over the lunch hour, I was famished, but rushed, and with very little cash on me. I figured it was a good opportunity to try out some of the new Vancouver street food. I happened to pass by the Ursu Korean BBQ taco truck en route to my meeting and had been thinking about it all meeting long, so I returned to sample their wares. Before saying anything more, I should be up front about my food history. I lived in Mexico for year, and ate lots of great street food, including tacos. I also have had the good fortune to eat lots of Korean food, having lived in places in the US with large Korean populations. (I've even eaten at a great Cuban-Korean joint.) So the deck was stacked against this truck. It sounded intriguing, but I was skeptical. The blending of techniques and ingredients could work, but it could also fail miserably. I was hoping for greatness, but not betting on it.
The have a small menu, appropriate for a street vendor. I ordered two bulgogi beef soft tacos with optional kimchi. They were 2.99 each, so two tacos for basically 6 dollars. The soft corn tortillas were fresh (important for soft tacos), and large enough that 2 tacos was a decent sized lunch for one relatively hungry woman. (I was biking around that day, so hungrier than usual.) They were topped with the bulgogi beef, lettuce, cheese, and a tiny bit of kimchi. The beef was tender, but the strong flavour of the corn tortillas overwhelmed the delicate Korean marinade, compounded by the cheese. Don't get me wrong, I love cheese, but I thought the combination was a little off. I like my tacos and my Korean food with some heat, hence asking for the kimchi. Unfortunately, I got only one small piece of kimchi on each taco, which was not enough for me. Too restricted in heat 'coverage' to balance the sweetness of their bulgogi marinade (a little too sweet for me in all honesty).
Final assessment is that I liked them, but didn't love them. They were neither a huge hit nor a disastrous fail. If it were a choice between eating them again as served and McDonald's, I'd eat the tacos, or even better, I'd try another food truck. However, I do think that some easy changes would make the tacos better, or at least, more to my liking. One, skip the cheese. Cheese may be integral to people's idea of tacos here in Vancouver, but that's not the case south of the borders. And it didn't add anything to these tacos, in my opinion. Quite the opposite, it detracted from them. Two, ask for extra kimchi. The bulgogi is sweet, and needs the counterfoil of the spice. I'll let you know if I get the chance to try these again, and how I like the modified tacos.
Two thumbs (I'm just doubling my one thumb; Chris didn't try these with me.)


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A good person wakes up and wonders how many people they can assist today, and by how much. A bad person awakens and their first thought is "How many people can I make miserable today?"
Look around. Watch people. You will easily spot those who make it their life's work to bring misery to people. And it is just as easy to spot those who are kind and helpful.
When OWS protesters shout down legitimate speech by others. When someone spams you, or telemarkets you at dinner time. When the people at the Motor Vehicle Department give you the run-around. When a lawyer screws over an innocent person by using a technicality to subvert justice. Or the judge who ignores his oath of office to uphold the Constitution and decides instead he would rather push his personal agenda.
Unfotunately, it appears there are more people who work at making others miserable than there are those who make life more pleasant for others. In our society, evil is winning.


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I shot a sniper team match recently at Greenport Tactical. Each team consisted of a spotter and sniper. Most of the spotters shot an AR platform in .223. Most of the snipers used a .308 bolt action with lots of optical glass. A few snipers used a .308 or .223 AR platform.
I had a lot of fun. I didn't anticipate winning but my partner and I weren't in last place either. This match brings out a lot of very good shooters.
One of the advantages of shooting these matches is to find areas I'm deficient in. These problems can be skill set or equipment based. Once I discover the problem I then have to decide if I want to resolve it.
What, live with deficiencies? Sure. Here are two examples.
One stage called for the sniper to shoot through several different canted slots in a barricade at a 4x6-inch steel plate 126 yds away.
|The shooter has to tilt the rifle and the sights to line up on the target. Times of 300 seconds were not uncommon, but a miss was only 2.5 seconds added to your time!
Canting the rifle and sights causes a serious change in impact points. You could learn to apply a correction factor based on experience and training over several distances or simply accept the fact that you'll miss the center of mass but hit the man. I'd like to improve that skill set.
|Here's the target she's trying to hit. A white 4x6-inch steel plate at 126 yards. After a hit the plate twists, rocks and moves in unpredictable ways.
Another stage had you spotting playing cards at 76 yds. My 10X 50mm binoculars didn't have enough oomph to clearly resolve the cards so I wasn't much help to the sniper. I could cure this problem with more magnification, which is harder to hold steady. Another solution to this problem would be better optics with the same power and a larger front lens to gather more light and improve resolution, which is more expensive.
This is not a problem I'll attempt to resolve. I just can't see the need to identify your target based on name badges worn at 100 yards. I just don't anticipate having to solve that problem.
And what about the match itself? That's a sticky wicket as the Brits say.
|Shooting off the 'dog house' roof at 260 yards.
|Each sniper had to put 5 rounds in their numbered target. After everyone shot, the targets were scored and replaced. Oh, you can't see the targets?
|Here's a better look at the targets. Teach team had their own number.
One of the contestants, before a single round was fired said, "They have taken a rifle match and turned it into a pistol match." I have to agree.
The sniper fired more shots from his sidearm than he did from his rifle. The scoring was based on IDPA so low time won. A miss was 5 points or 2.5 seconds added to your raw time. The impact of this scoring system is tremendous.
One safety officer put it this way. "Look, this isn't sour grapes. I'm not competing, but the misses have no impact on your score. Time is what's important. You can shoot fast enough to win simply by throwing all your rounds away on most stages."
He was right. One of best shooters scored nine hits in just under 70 seconds on one stage. Given the distance and shooting scenario, this is tremendous shooting. With my AR and the 5 round sniper limit in the magazine, I could have emptied the magazine, reloaded and done 4 more rounds in 30 seconds. All misses. My penalty? The match director/statistician would have added 22.5 seconds to my score giving me a world beating 52.5 second score. If all I wanted to do was win a plaque, I could have done that by missing every target and shooting fast.
What about the failure-to-do-right penalty? It's very hard to give to someone dumping rounds when they claim they are just missing. If I remember correctly, IDPA now allows you to dump rounds.
Fortunately, nobody on my squad was a gamesman and we all shot it with the intention of hitting the target as best we could.
The tactical content?
That's easy. Matches and the resulting pressure lets you discover where your weaknesses are and what equipment works under what conditions. One of the spotters had a sweet system and a great plan. He mounted a green indicator laser on his tripoded spotting scope. The plan, and I liked it a lot, was to find the playing card and illuminate it for the sniper. With the two of them working together they could have saved a lot of time and racked up points. They had tried this on a nice summer night and it worked quite well.
The first problem was a 50-degree day was too cold for the laser to operate. They solved that by keeping the laser in an inner pocket until it was needed. Then the laser was too dim to see on a playing card in the bright sunlight. No good solution seems available unless you move from a low power class three laser to a class 4, 1 watt or better laser. That's takes a lot of power and most diode lasers don't have the tight beams you need to select one playing card. Sounds like you need military grade equipment.
My friend may not choose to solve that problem, but at least he's aware of it. To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed and that's tactical.


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What the HK is on Viki's Needles Today?
The biggest, most exciting thing I'm knitting right now is the new HK Mystery Sock by Lisa Stichweh along with the HK Ravelry group. So far clue #2 of 5 has been released and the sock is looking fantastic. It is a beautiful combination of cables and lace. It looks complicated, but the with excellent charts, my stash of highlighters and taking it one line at a time it is really quite fun. I think these may turn out to be my showiest pair of socks yet.
I'm knitting mine in Artisan sock in Mango Smoothie. If you check out the thread on Ravelry you can see other examples of the sock in Artisan, Piquant and Entice in several different colours.
My gloves from the previous KAL (beading) in Surf are languishing in my WIP pile. They just can't get a break. I had to "borrow" the needles from the gloves to work on the Mystery Sock, so no progress can be made. Is it possible that I need more needles? No matter how many needles I purchase, I never seem to have enough.
Previously, I mentioned a scarf that had been hibernating in my WIP for a very long time. Well, with the start of the new year a clean up was in order, and while I loved the colours and the pattern I hadn't touched it in over a year and it was only three inches long. So off to the frog pond it went. The balls of Red Carpet and a Rogue Brown have returned to the stash but maybe not for long. I keep eyeing the Red Carpet and trying to figure out what it wants to be. Maybe next post there will be a new red project to show!
Clue #3 for the Mystery Sock will be released Friday night around midnight EST. I know what I'll be doing this weekend!


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Syahrini Private photos
Syahrini Private photos
HONG KONG: Cathay Pacific Airlines said yesterday that they run a "full investigation" on the spread of a number of photos allegedly showing a crew performs oral sex on the pilots in the air.
Cathay Pacific spokesman said that so far the airline of Hong Kong found that there is a possibility stewardess pictures are displayed in their cabin crew.
"The investigation is still ongoing and we have no further comments so far," he said.
The statement was made after some local media to publish some of the pictures shows a woman dressed in red uniforms Cathay Pacific performs oral sex on a man.
The men were charged with pilots of the company, but through pictures, she appears to be wearing a pilot's uniform.
Cathay Pacific spokesman said there was no evidence the action takes place in-flight sex.
"We also found no reason to believe that the security aspects ignored at the time," he said.
In separate comments to the newspaper South China Morning Post, a spokeswoman for Cathay Pacific said, one of the pictures taken in space their aircraft cockpit.
"It was unclear whether it occurred when the aircraft in the air or not," he said. The report says, the picture is allegedly widespread in the Internet forum for pilots.
Sources said the individuals captured in action porn is actually lovers.
Apple Daily newspaper reported that the pilot was-a foreigner - filed a suit to the press claiming the photos were stolen from a computer peribadinya.Dia also claims to make a police report on the incident.


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A basic dress. V-neckline perfect for nursing after pregnancy. Cinched under bust.
For a comfortable and stylish everyday wear, this basic maternity dress features a flattering cut and draped deep v-neckline, perfect for soon-to-be moms as well as new moms because it allows for nursing after pregnancy. Pair it with a number of looks from a printed kimono to jean jacket for a simply chic all-day wear.Content + Care:


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1. khaki fur parka - miss selfridge
2. knitted grey cardigan - topshop
3. grey fur snood - new look
4. loreal colour riche lipstick - boots
5. black buckled boots - new look
6. tartan tea dress with collar - river island
Now that the summer has officially gone, I've come to terms with no more bright blue sky and sunshine and I've prepared myself for the chilly weather, which I cannot wait for since I'm christmas in a person! Today's post is a wishlist/items I've been lusting over.
I really want to get a coat early on this year, and I've got my heart set on a parka, I'm not 100% sure which one yet, however this one from miss selfridge is very cute! The other thing I adore the most is the River Island dress that I actually saw on a fellow bloggers site and fell in love, but they've sold out online! Check out Phoebe's post on it! What are you wanting at the moment? Does anything on my list take your fancy?


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Monday, July 26, 2010
When Home is... a Picture Book
After admitting to coveting a 'fantasy' house and fairytale lifestyle as a teenager recently, I thought it was perhaps time to come clean about my fantasy house of today. It also seems fitting as last week we received a letter from the Council approving our plans. Perhaps fantasies will become realities?!
But, stepping away from reality (which is also very time-consuming and expensive) let's go back to the homes of fantasy for today. Obviously, I have always loved the idea of 'home' as recently I found two of my favourite childhood books and now read them to my children: both by Richard Scarry and both – surprise – about home.
I loved the house in his Best Word Book Ever and I still do. The Rabbit Family's house had everything I thought a 'grown-up' house should have: stairs, a fireplace and bunk beds.
And the mood I wanted to have in my 'grown-up' house was most definitely the home of Mother Bear and Father Bear in the Richard Scarry book Good Night, Little Bear.
The picture below of Father Bear putting Little Bear to bed still makes me feel warm and cosy. I remember loving the playfulness of this family; that Mother Bear 'loves a joke' and is 'such a tease' while Father Bear carries Little Bear on his shoulders and lets him have the delicious looking chocolate cake well after bedtime. I still love it, so much so I bought this book for my godson recently whose father would be one of the first dads I know to let his little boy have chocolate cake before carrying his 'wiggling and giggling' baby to bed.
It's amazing how illustrations can evoke such strong feelings that – for me anyway – haven't faded as I've aged. Since returning to the world of picture books with my own children, I have found other fantasy homes.
After Lily's birth seven years ago, a friend in the UK sent me the first book in the Blue Kangaroo series by Emma Chichester Clark. She loved it because the little girl in the stories was also called Lily. My Lily loved it because she loved the Blue Kangaroo. I loved it because I wanted Lily's parents' garden. I still do. What's not to love?
That huge old tree with the swing (just like my teenage fantasy), tulips in the garden, flowers everywhere, lots of grass, happy children and even a white picket fence...
And wait until you get inside... look at that big armchair surrounded by shelves and shelves of books.
Great stories and beautiful illustrations are a potent mix, no matter what your age. Maybe that's just me. Or is it?!
The Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry,Hamlyn
Good Night Little Bear by Patsy & Richard Scarry, Golden Book
I Love You, Blue Kangaroo; Where Are You, Blue Kangaroo? by Emma Chichester Clark, Random House
In keeping with this theme, it's going to be a bit of a book week here. I have an interview with author Virginia Lloyd about her memoir The Young Widow's Book of Home Improvement coming up. Also the Sydney Sunday Telegraph and Brisbane Sunday Mail Books Editor, Lucy Clark, will write about how books create a feeling of home for her.
3 comments:
It's not just you, it's true! And old picture books are even more homely when they've been read a thousand times over and the smell of the turning pages, the creases and the feel of the paper are all a part of the memory ... Nothing can replace a favourite childhood book - and certainly not an e-reader (not to get political about it!). JJ
- July 27, 2010 at 10:49 AM
I took it even further ... painting a white wood dolls' house with a winding path to the front door with potted trees on each side. Picket fenced garden, a painter on a ladder, painting the wall of the house on one side, a big old tree with a swing and a deck chair on the grass, on the other. On the back wall, a lace curtain billowing out of the upstairs window and the maid in the garden, hanging out the clothes! Did I go too far?
- July 27, 2010 at 1:24 PM
- Germaine Leece said...
Not too far at all... and your story will come in very handy when I do a post on doll houses!
- July 28, 2010 at 12:28 PM


text: You better think a lot about the pain that you might endure of doing it, so courage is essential. When steering clear of the breast bone and staying on the fleshier parts of the breasts, many women consider these areas to be less painful than many other parts of the body. Some do find the closer to the nipple the tattoo reaches, however, the more uncomfortable the procedure becomes.For assurance and to get things done properly you better find a breast tattooist who is well-experienced. If you have a regular tattoo artist, talk to him about his stance on doing breast tattoos. Some artists are uncomfortable tattooing this intimate area while others have no qualms about inking anywhere on the female form. Now you got the tips it is up to you to add some artworks on your healthy breast.


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Monday, June 11, 2007
5 comments:
When you make a reservation it is not actually compulsory to occupy your reserved seat. Many people simply sit on the first empty seat they find. Also when travel agents buy tickets for corporate customers the will often automatically reserve a seat even though one may not have been requested. Finally I have seen that some people will reserve a seat on a busy train. They may travel earlier or later as it suits them but they always have to seat reservation to fall back on in case they travel on the busy train. As you travel to pangbourne may I suggest you can occupy any seat which is reserved from Reading as that is where you will be getting off.
- 12 June 2007 at 22:42
- I hate FGW said...
I do always look for seats reserved from Reading, but the majority of them are reserved from Paddington. As it is, I usually manage to get a seat because I'm very determined, and have no hesitation in making people move their bags or get up from their laptop to let me in. Hopefully soon I will join the gang, and have a lovely reserved seat to myself, I can't wait.
- 13 June 2007 at 10:48
When you make a reservation it is not actually compulsory to occupy your reserved seat
Acctually it normally is. All cheap (advanced purchase) tickets come with a MANDATORY seat resveration.
By the way, legally a reserved seat can be occupated by someone other than the reserver providing it is at least 20 minutes AFTER the station from which the reservation begins.
Also if you do have a seat reservation and someone is in your seat, KICK THEM OUT OF IT!!! It's YOUR seat!!
- 14 June 2007 at 15:09
Daniel, you're wrong. Although it is mandatory to have a reservation for advanced tickets, it's not necessary to actually sit in the seat as defined by the reservation. All the reservation is designed to do is make sure people with advanced tickets travel on the correct train. The seat doesn't matter.
- 29 September 2010 at 13:54
- Unknown said...
Have you tried reserving on the new GWR? I've booked tickets only to realise I was not given the option to book seats. Can't find it anywhere on there site. Apparently you're supposed to consult the Oracle, then phone a secret hotline. So what's the website for again?
- 12 December 2015 at 13:56


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An apparent attempt to burglarize a Wasilla home was thwarted when the homeowner fired a pistol at the intruders, Alaska State Troopers said.
About 3:06 a.m. on Tuesday, Mat-Su dispatchers received a report of a burglary in progress at a home on Limberlost Avenue. The homeowner told dispatchers that someone had forced open her kitchen door and entered her home. It was not immediately clear how many suspects were involved.
Troopers found in a preliminary investigation that someone had pulled up into the residence's driveway and first tried to steal a four-wheeler by hot-wiring it.
When that didn't work out, the suspect or suspects entered the home, but then fled after the homeowner fired a single shot at them, said troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen.
That's the way it's done, folks. Exactly like that.


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Mr Sweepy (solver of all problems) on the Lucky List when will the red ENTER turn to green ENTER when I have entered the sweepstakes? I am still having to reload after I enter sweepstakes for it to turn green.
Danelms, if you refresh your screen, you red sweeps will turn to green after you have entered. We have been trying to reprogram MLL to turn green after you enter automatically. This might be in the next version of MLL.
Mr. Sweepy


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Nov 8, 2011
business cards
With the blunt encouragement and great suggestions of my room mates and help from family, i made a business card for myself. Mainly because me and several of my classmates are attending TAAFI. Never been before, so i really don't know what to expect. I know industry professionals will be there but from what i hear its no industry day where they are scouting talent for the next big studio production. Regardless im looking forward to going and can't wait to see what the studios have to say and show :) Ive decided to go with my second pass, which is the cowboy with the gun. Its no epic layout piece like the other. However, the dimensions being 2x3.5 simple seems best. It has all my info, a bit of story and a QR CODE which leads to my portfolio. THANK YOU BIJAN,ED,JULIE AND RACH FOR YOUR HELP ON SUCH A SMALL BUT HUGE PROJECT! :)
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(This was my reply to the above question posted on a Facebook page that I follow. My response includes a few other pre-existing blog posts which were simply copied here.)
Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth."
The first verse in the Bible tells us a great deal about God. In the beginning, God. Before we even get into all of His creation, we must first understand these first 4 word. In the beginning God.....not buddha, raqa, muhammad, or any other religion. In the beginning, God. God created everything in heaven and earth. All the galaxies that we can see and all the galaxies we can not see, were created by God. Everything we see on earth and the things we don't see, but know without a doubt, are there.....the air we breathe, the wind that blows through trees and makes the waves....also everything in our make up.....our intricate brains, the paths our blood flows, the veins they travel, the white blood cells and red blood cells, the marrow in our bones, our nervous systems and the communication between our bodies and brains that tell us that we have a papercut. Our emotions and all the intricacies of how we decide to be happy, sad, meloncolly, energetic, etc. ALL of this, and a TON more, created by God. God also created man, and breathed his soul.
Genesis 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
In creating us in His image, God created us to be intellectual, emotional, and to have a free will. If you think about it, can science really explain where we get our emotions from? Our intellect? Our drive to do what we want? There is a lot that science can explain, but only to a certain degree, after that.....the explanation stops. What about creation or the big bang theory? The Bible says clearly that the heavens and earth were created. Believing in creation or believing in the big bang theory take the same amount of faith. No one, not me, not you, not our ancestors, were alive when the earth began. There is far more evidence for creation, than for the big bang. Even in humans there is far more evidence for creation. Did you know that women have 1 less rib then men? Coincidence? No, I don't believe so. The Bible says God formed woman from a man's rib!
And this isn't just another theory. It's very real, and very possible, and very real and possible to know thi Almighty God, the creator of everything we see and dont see, including humans and their souls. Our souls are destined to Hell because those first humans God created, sinned. There also, needed to be a penalty for sin, death. Both, physical death, but also spiritual death or eternal separation from the Almighty Creator. Our souls will either spend eternity in Hell or eternity with God. The Bible tells us that the only way to know God, be saved and spend eternity with God is to believe in the finished work of Christ, God's only begotten Son. It is as simple as believing in a chair to hold you up when you sit down, or as simple as drinking a glass of water, or even walking through a doorway. All the payment of your sin and the sin of the world is paid for by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no more work that needs to be done, and there is no more work that can be done.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16
The ONLY requirement for salvation is to believe. Jesus said that receiving him as savior is as simple as taking a drink of water or walking through a doorway. In the Old Testament, God gave an illustration of salvation to us by way of a plague sent on the nation of Israel, in Numbers chapter 21:6-9. The nation of Israel was questioning God's deliverance upon them. In verse 6, the Bible says that God sent poisonous serpents upon the land and caused them to be bitten and many Israelites died. Many of the Israelites came to Moses, confessing their sins and wanted Moses to pray and ask God to be merciful upon them. Moses was commanded of the Lord to make a statue of a serpent and put it on the end of a pole and lift it up for all to see. The only requirement for the deliverance of the people from their sickness was to look upon the brass serpent. The idea of the people looking up to the serpent didn't mean that all the people had to do was to glance at this serpent, but this was a two-fold meaning and it also meant to believe what the Lord has said. Jesus himself refers to this event in the Gospel of John 3:14-16.
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
In order for people to get better from this poisonous bite, one had to simply look and believe on what the Lord had said. This was the only way of deliverance that the Lord provided and it was his plan to do so. There was no other way that the people could get better. In the same way, there is no other way that one can be saved and have eternal life, but to believe on the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross
Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
2 Corinthians 6:2b "…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
1. The Bible - The Word of God
It is so important for a young Christian to start right; therefore, the first lesson is designed to help establish your faith in the Bible, for it is the Word of God.
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."- Romans 10:17
Keep in mind that the Bible is not a book of philosophy, though it is philosophical. The Bible is not for a scientific treatise, however, there is no discrepancy between ascertained facts of science and the Bible. The Bible is not a book of history, but is found to be accurate when recording history. The Bible was given to man from God, revealing Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God the Son, the only Savior. (John 14:6) He is the center and the circumference of life. (Col. 3:4) It is Christ from Genesis to Revelation. (John 5:39,46; Luke 24:44; Col.3:16; Rev. 1:1) The Bible is as high above all other thoughts and ways of any man as the heavens are above the earth. (Isaiah 55:8)
The Bible is the inspired Word of God (II Timothy 3:16, written by the Holy Spirit. (II Peter 1:21)
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" - II Timothy 3:16
"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." - II Peter 1:21
In Daniel 9:2 is one of my favorite passages referring to the authorship of the scriptures.
"…I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem." - Daniel 9:2
The Bible says that Daniel read the book of Jeremiah to understand his own dream. This, also, is proof that the Holy Spirit wrote the scriptures. Daniel was given a dream, recorded his dream with great detail, yet had to search the scriptures for more understanding. This also is a great transition into the next point.
The Bible is a difficult book (I Corinthians 2:14-16)
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." - I Corinthians 2:14-16
It is impossible for the natural man to know and to understand the things written in this tremendous book. It is impossible because the Holy Spirit does not dwell within the natural man and therefore can not minister. In fact, the Bible sounds foolish to him and this is mentioned again in 1 Corinthian 1:18.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Unbelievers might not realize this truth, but it is proved over and over again when a believer shares the truth of God's Word. The unbelievers response, in one way or another, will be that the believer has been brainwashed into this foolish and ridiculous fantasy, made up years and years ago. In this same verse, Paul writes that the preaching of the cross is the POWER of God to them that are saved. This is a huge encouragement to any believer. It is only by God's mighty power to change the heart and thinking of a person.
The Bible or Word of God divides "soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
This verse states clearly that the Word of God discerns the soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and thoughts and intents of our hearts. In this blog, I will only be addressing the thoughts and intents of our hearts.
In comparison to Jeremiah 17:9 and multiple verses in Proverbs, the Bible states in a lot of places that we, in and of ourselves, can not direct our own ways or thoughts. Isaiah 55:8 states "…my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." The divinely inspired verse in Hebrews reminds believers that there is a way to direct our hearts and thoughts, His Word. We are God's creation and so it is only logical to conclude that we can not think or direct our own ways and scripture reminds us of this over and over.
It is human nature to entertain a worldly, lustful, and insidious thought life. The good news is God made us a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17) at the moment of salvation. Therefore, we have all the ability we need to have a wonderful thought life. In Philippians 4:8, Paul writes "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." It is also logical to conclude that Paul wrote this verse because it is very unlikely otherwise to have a pure, true, etc. thought life. Other verses that address the thought life are found in Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 10:5. Both of these verses contain great, Biblical advice regarding our thought life. In Romans, we are commanded to renew our minds. The act of renewing our mind is exercised simply by reading God's Word. In Ephesians chapter 6, God tells us that the whole spiritual warfare is in our minds and that we need "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth" (Ephesians 6:14) and arm ourselves with "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17)
On the opposite side of the spectrum and because God knows the human nature and knows that if left to ourselves, believers will entertain that worldly, lustful, and insidious thought life, found in 2 Cor. 10:5. "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" This verse highly recommends that believers control their thought life by casting down every thought that is against the knowledge of Christ. Paul's goal in life was that he would know Christ. A great way to get to know God and His Word is imply to think about the things that you read in His Word, or the Spiritual conversation you had with a friend at church. The verses in scripture are ever insightful and will never be exhausted, in our life time. It truly is a blessing to ponder the things of God!


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"Stuff is eaten by dogs, broken by family and friends, sanded down by the wind, frozen by the mountains, lost by the prairie, burnt off by the sun, washed away by the rain. So you are left with dogs, family, friends, sun, rain, wind, prairie and mountains. What more do you want?" Federico Calboli
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Where There's Smoke
We walked out of work yesterday afternoon and I immediately smelled smoke in the air. I was pretty sure I hadn't seen any local fires mentioned in the news and that proved correct. The smoke and haze is coming from the big fires in Southern California about 900 miles away. A tribute to the power of the wind.
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Steve Lafleur
Commentary on culture, public policy, and urban affairs from a classical liberal perspective.
Friday, June 17, 2011
New Music Video Highligts the Innocent Victims of the Drug War, Which Turns 40 Today
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Today, I'm coming out as a (constitutional) monarchist
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Can immigration save Detroit?
Friday, May 13, 2011
My Response to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
"Gridlock belongs on federal list," May 6, 2011
I'm glad that the President of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities took my proposal to decentralize infrastructure spending seriously enough to respond. I'm also encouraged by the fact that he did not disagree in principle with the idea. However, I have two issues with his response.
First, he minimized the problem. His claim that half of infrastructure spending comes from municipalities is correct. But the debate over infrastructure spending has always been focused on capital spending, the majority of which comes from senior levels of government. In Alberta, it's funded entirely by the province. As long as municipalities rely on higher levels of government, they'll be forced to balance the needs of the city against political needs of senior governments. There's no better example than Toronto's Sheppard Subway line—a line from nowhere, to nowhere, and through nowhere. The province financed the tiny stub known as the Sheppard line by canceling the far more practical Eglinton line. Bad planning often makes good politics. Had the decision been left up to Toronto voters alone, this wouldn't have happened.
Second, he said that if higher levels of government propose to give municipalities taxing power, the municipalities would be happy to sit down with them. The deferential tone is the problem. Unless municipalities are willing to forcefully make the case to the public that decentralization is essential, higher levels of government won't bother with it. Federal and provincial politicians love controlling the purse strings. Having the ability to funnel money to politically important areas works out well for them. The FCM is a powerful lobby group, so there is no reason why they should hedge their bets by backing band aid solutions. The ball is in the FCMs court.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Air travelers should be weary of the NDP's de-facto airline policies
With the very real prospect on an NDP lead Federal government, Canadians who have hitherto paid little attention to the details of the party's economic plans are now scrambling to piece together the NDP's vision for
Three specific policies championed by the aforementioned New Democrats come to mind. First, Peggy Nash, a current CAW employee and President of the New Democratic Party, has advocated for a partial nationalization of the Air Canada, and regulations that would hamstring discount carriers. Her rational is that discount carriers flood the market with supply in order to eat away at Air
The second worrisome policy is contained in Winnipeg MP Jim Maloway's 2009 private member's bill, which called for the creation of a "passenger's bill of rights" for air travellers. This included such gems as compensation of $500 per hour (after the first hour) to customers experiencing flight delays, and up to $1200 for being bumped from a flight. The four largest airlines implemented a watered down version of this bill of rights. While the intention behind this legislation was reasonable, the impact would have been devastating to the airline industry, and bad for consumers. After all, if the cost associated with delays was rendered higher than the expected revenue from many flights, the industry would reduce the number of flights. This could be devastating for companies like Porter and WestJet, where a large percentage of flights are under $500. For instance, a quick search reveals that a flight from
The last policy that the NDP has to answer for is their opposition to expansion of the
If the New Democratic Party is serious about governing, they will have to explain their positions on important issues like airline regulations. One of the reasons why the Conservative Party has been able to build a competitive national party is that they dropped many of their most controversial policy ideas when they were within striking distance of power. Will the NDP make the same prudent decision, or will they govern like an opposition party? This is the question that Jack Layton will have to answer in the closing days of the campaign.


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I can't believe that it's been so long since I've posted. Life has been so busy lately. Nothing super interesting. Just traveling to visit family and such.
I've been doing a little knitting here and there. Most notably, I've finally found a way to knit in the car. I just have to plan ahead and have a project that I can do without looking down at all. If I look down, I get immediately carsick.
Anyway, Veronique said that we could consider ourselves tagged for the 6 weird things meme, so here goes:
- Although many mothers suffer from what is commonly known as "Mommy Brain," I suffer from "Mommy Nose." What is "Mommy Nose"? Well, it has to do with thinking you smell baby poo all the time. It can actually be a powerful tool. I swear, I can smell a dirty diaper from 20 feet away. It can also lead to paranoia, though. I have found that a lot of things smell like baby poo. Most recently, I couldn't stop sniffing a bag of yarn that I got from Elann. It aired out nicely, but when I first opened it, I went after Baby Girl, thinking that she had filled her diaper.
- I really have a hard time with those security things that you have to fill out to post comments on some peoples blogs. You know, those things with the grainy background and the letters. I often get them wrong at least once.
- I first met my husband in junior high school. We had lockers next to each other. At the time, though, I really disliked him (he was the A student/teacher's pet), so pretty much every day I would turn his lock around. He never had a clue that it was me.
- When I was in 4th grade I went to a summer art class. There I met a boy named DS who taught me how to draw a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. I later learned that the Husband had made up that way to draw a TMNT and taught DS.
- I'm obsessed with numbers. When I see a string of numbers I have a hard time keeping myself from finding an equation within them. Like the time. Right now it's 11:42. I like to think of that as 1+1=4/2.
- I almost always wear tennis shoes. Even if I'm wearing a skirt or a dress. I know that it looks bad, but I don't care.
That was pretty fun! If you're interested in coming up with 6 things about yourself, consider this your tagging.
Anyway, here's the back and one front of the Phildar Swing Jacket:
I'm using elann's Highland Wool as was suggested by Jenna over on the Phildar Swing Jacket KAL page. So far, I love it. Here's a close up:
I haven't decided what I'm going to do about the pockets or lining on this one. I still have plenty of time to decide, though, as I still have two sleeves and a front to go.


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Loose adherence?! PISH! POSH! No probs. Got that, grl.
Strict adherence? I just keep telling myself I'm living a little when I stuff corn tortilla chips into my face and/or huge amounts of alcohol at least once a week. I'm 80/20! My mind says. No you're not–actually, you're bloated and you feel terrible. And you obviously haven't changed that much and "evolved" as you hoped with loose adherence.
I listen to Robb Wolf's podcast and he says over and over his approach with his clients is to get them to stop eating ALL the junk strictly for a month, and then see how they feel. At first glance I pushed this approach aside for the sake of the "slow and steady" state of mind; but that hasn't gotten me really anywhere because of one huge, glaring fact– Continue reading


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This year, I am going to bring this family over the line into financial security. We are not 'insecure' now, but sometimes we walk the line. I want to look over my should and see the line - well, perhaps not looking back because you should never do that, but knowing it is back there - way back there.
One of the things I am going to do to achieve that financial goal is to de-clutter my home! Something I have been taking baby steps toward since summer. I want to start really making a go of my Etsy shops - both the stuff and the things I make. I have so much stuff that I saved from my bricks and mortar shop to sell, in 2014 I am making the time to do it!
Another goal I have in to buy a new camera. (The stupid line is a factor here too!) I have to save to do it. We do not have and extra $450 (that is how much the one I want will be, roughly) sitting in a corner collecting dust, I am not willing to take the money from our family budget, and we stay away from credit cards. So I will save up.
And when I do, Krista at Miija Threads and I will be collaborating on a series of amazing photography tutorials to help me learn. It is going to be fabulous!
I am feeling a little better today.
On Monday I am having brunch with two of my friends from the old days. One of whom I have not seen in almost 13 years - she was my best friend. I am terrified.
|My sweet old dog. Being patient as the
puppies jump all over her. :)


text: 800K ObamaCare Enrollees Get Bogus Tax Data They've got to wait to file until corrected forms go out By John Johnson, Newser Staff Posted Feb 20, 2015 1:28 PM CST 38 comments Comments The HealthCare.gov website, as seen on a laptop screen. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File) (Newser) – ObamaCare generated positive headlines earlier this week when the White House announced that a better-than-expected total of 11.4 million people had enrolled through its exchanges. Today, not so much. The White House says that incorrect tax information got sent out to about 800,000 enrollees, who now must wait until the corrected forms arrive to file their returns. About 50,000 people have already filed using the bad info, and they'll now have to refile or amend their returns, reports AP. The error involves incorrect "benchmark premiums," used to calculate enrollees' subsidies, on forms sent out by the government. "The error by the federal insurance marketplace is similar to what would happen if an employer reported inaccurate information on wages paid to an employee, or a corporation reported incorrect information about dividends paid to a stockholder," explains the New York Times. Some taxpayers will take a hit, and some will actually owe less. In another ObamaCare development, the White House announced a special enrollment period, from March 15 to April 30. It's mainly for people who realize only while doing their taxes that they face penalties if they don't have health insurance. My Take on This Story Report a story error Show results without voting | 74% Hilarious 2% Intriguing 7% Depressing 1% Brilliant 1% Scary 14% Ridiculous


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Sunday, May 1, 2011
Missing in Action...
Battling one nasty cold since the 20th. I don't get sick often, but this one hit me hard.. Out for nearly 2 weeks, countless boxes of kleenex, and sleepless nights = one miserable me. So glad to be back to myself, feeling great, and ready to catch up.Also miss H had a nasty ear infection that nearly damaged her hearing, but in the end turned out ok!! We're so blessed. :)
Nothing much happened during my down time which is great cuz I hate missing out on things with the kids and the world.. but did catch the Royal Wedding which in all truth, was beautiful. And my little Haileybear turns 11 months today which puts into HUGE perspection that this month will be crazy with getting things ready. Im horrible with distractions of family and friends but Im gonna do my best to focus on everything I wanna get done for her big day.
My oldest, Taylor continues to go to preschool but is ending it within the month. So we're planning a busy but exciting summer ahead.. with lots of trips to the park, beach, zoo, etc! I missed out on their summer last year due to being on bedrest my pregnancy + having hailey premature and spending a month in the NICU and the remainder of our summer in iscolation due to her very low immune system.. so this year they both deserve one rockin' year. And I'll do whatever I can to make that happen.
Didn't get to thrift much other than picking up a few mason jar cups and a cuuute bright pink afghan for Hailey's party.. Also scored for 1/2 price at the fabric store, a dozen 1/2 m "shabby chic" fabrics! Im super excited to make her fabric banner out of this and add it to elements all over the day.
Otherwise, we're just going about our regular routine over here.. Mr. TT is working this weekend and its bitter cold. Just on Friday we had +20 degree weather and now its -15 degrees.. Yeah, welcome to Manitoba.. the province where its not wierd to leave your winter stuff out year round cuz.. you just never know.
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What a beautiful young lady. She's Miss Teen Louisiana. It seems that Miss Louisiana has curves in all the right places, but a dent in her head. According to Fox News, Lindsey Evans and a few friends were arrested for leaving a restaurant without paying their bill. Lindsey forgot her purse, duh, and decided to return to the restaurant to retrieve it. She and her friends were arrested.
The bill was $46.07. Miss Louisiana was also booked for possession of marijuana that was found in her purse. This young lady is 18, so this could leave a permanent mark on her record.
After I read the story, I wondered what goes through our youth's mind. At 18 you know that your actions are wrong. Why would you ruin your life for $46.07? My heart goes out to her parents most of all. From the photos on her web page, they have invested a great deal of love, energy, time, and money into this young lady so she could have a successful life. To have to retrieve her from jail had to be heart breaking.
This a case of beauty and no brains if I have ever seen one. Let me know your thoughts.


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Safely Buried by John Pesta
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I struggled to get through this book although it started off with a bang. Stopping to pick up a stranger on the road who happened to be wearing a cast on her leg....very intriguing. But half way through it was dragging - or maybe because I had just gone through a hurricane in my neck of the woods, reading wasnt on my agenda. But I stayed with it because I did have a curious side...wanted to know who did the murders....and was surprised at the ending. Maybe I have no patience for long drawn out stories....
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Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Comic Bacchante
A bacchante by the Italian comic book writer and artist Milo Manara (born 1945). Manara is here quoting traditional academic paintings of the 19th century.
Posted by Felix at 10:35 AM No comments:
Labels: Manara
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Modern Bather
Posted by Felix at 11:04 AM No comments:
Labels: Boldini
Monday, April 9, 2012
Gorgeous Bathsheba
David and Bathsheba (1562) by the Flemish manierist painter Jan Massys (1509-1575). A great example that already in the 16th century nude painting could be highly erotic. Kind of perfect.
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Labels: Bathsheba, Biblical Nude, Massys
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Diamonds the Best Friends
Probably a cover illustration by the Brazilian artist José Luiz Benício da Fonseca (born 1936). Benício did a lot of illustrations for novels, cinema and advertising but probably he is best known for his covers for spy novels which look a little James Bond inspired.
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HEALING BALM Eczema Care
Baby Magic Healing Balm deeply moisturizes to soothe irritation caused by eczema prone or chapped skin. Healing Balm provides superior protection by creating a barrier to keep baby's skin soft. The stick application easily targets areas that need the extra love and care.
Product Description
1-Apply as needed on face and body.
- 15% Organic Shea Butter
- Hypoallergenic
- Paraben-free
- Fragrance-free
- Oatmeal soothes chapped skin
- Helps relieve skin irritation and redness
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil , Dimethicone , Isopropyl Palmitate , Microcrystalline Wax , Beeswax , Ozokerite , Zinc Oxide , Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour , Laureth-4 , C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract , Polyhydroxystearic Acid , Triethoxycaprylylsilane , Tocopheryl Acetate , Retinyl Palmitate


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Hi there and Happy Easter! I hope you're all having a great day! We just returned from our annual Easter Brunch and Easter Egg Hunt at my Hubby's Aunt's house! It's always YUMMY and a lot of fun for the girls because they get to hang out with their cousins! Oh, and did I mention YUMMY? I'm stuffed!
Anywho...I made this card last night/this morning and am couldn't get it photographed and blogged until we got home. I used the new set from Taylored Expressions, Labels of Love paired with one of my fave ever sets from TE, Friendship Blooms. Labels of Love was a first ever mid-month release from TE and was designed to coordinate with the Spellbinders Ribbon Tag Trio Three. It's a fantastic set chock full of sentiments for pretty much any occasion and some beautiful frames! I used the new LilyBee Designs Picket Fence papers. I LOVE the red and purple together from this pack. The flower was stamped in Memento Sweet Plum ink and was cut out with the coordinating Friendship Blooms die. The leaves were cut with the Leafy Branch die and the scallops were cut with the Large Scallop Border die, all from TE. Some rounded corners with my BELOVED Corner Chomper and a little machine stitching finish the card!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a great week!