Nope. The secret of life is... There is no secret. It IS about working hard. But it is also a lot of luck. Being born into a certain family in a certain place at a certain time plays a lot into who you become as well. Sure positive thinking helps but it is no magic pill.

Um, pretty much the entire police system in Malaysia. They make tree sloths look hyper.

If there are no rules against it, then of course! I've never seen an age rule on a Happy Meal so I think it is fine. However, the Chili's restaurant here gives free meals to kids under 12 with adult meal purchase. We know lots of people who lie about their kid's age to get the free meal. I think that is wrong.

We LOVE Sandra Boynton's books for toddlers. They are so great. "But not the Hippopotamus" has been read in our home so many times it is falling apart. And we have lots of Dr. Seuss books. Green Eggs and Ham, the Cat in the Hat... Gosh, I can recite them! Old favorites here. :)

I love you to pieces right now. That is a big thing I teach my kids and my students... That they are NOT just walking "instincts" completely incapable of controlling themselves or their thoughts. That is ridiculous and honestly, they should be offended that adults think so poorly of them. It drives my ds crazy when he hears things like "all teenage boys think about is sex." I love you too! When I was young I tried to get the attention of men with my body instead of my brains. It worked. Too well. I have a very clear memory of myself at age 19. I was attending the University of Michigan and working part-time as a waitress in a bikini bar. Yep a bikini bar. I had a great body and I flaunted and I made a lot of money doing it. One night a customer was talking to me (and by talking I mean flirting, oogling me, etc) and somehow my college came up. He looked at me (my boobs) and said with complete incredulity, "YOU go to college?" It stopped me in my tracks. I wanted to be known for my intellect, not just as a great set of knockers. But since I was advertising myself as a great set of knockers, I was going to have to advertise myself differently. So I quit and I got a job as a waitress in a regular uniform. I didn't do this to help those poor guys from "stumbling" ... I did it because I wanted to project a different image of myself than what I was currently projecting. Dressing more modestly has BUILT my self-esteem... Not dragged it down. It HAS empowered me to be the person I choose to be. That's the reason I do it and religion has nothing to do with it. I wasn't even following Christ at the time all this happened. I didn't do it for my husband either since I wasn't married at the time. I did it for ME.

Eggs, eggs, and more eggs. :) Seriously. My kids eat eggs a thousand different ways. I also make smoothies with frozen bananas, frozen strawberries, coconut or almond milk, and a scoop of vanilla protein powder. Blend and drink! http://paleomg.com/category/breakfast/ There are some great ideas on that link.

Started Reading: The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer (American author, DD class 800) Still Reading: The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story by D.A. Carson (Canadian author, DD class 200) Finished: 30.Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (American author, DD class 800) 29.The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (American author, DD class 800) 28. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (American authors, DD class 800) 27. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 26. The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 25. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Ethiopian author, DD class 800) 24. Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer Abrams (American author, DD class 300) 23.The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (American author, DD class 600) 22. The Infernal Devices #3: The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 21. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (American author, DD class 800) 20. Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill (British author, DD class 200) 19. The Infernal Devices #2: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 18. The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 17. God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts (British author, DD class 200) 16.The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Canadian Author, DD Class 800) 15.The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 900) 14. Prodigy by Marie Lu (Chinese author, DD class 800) 13. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (American author, DD class 900) 12. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (American author, DD class 500) 11. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman (American Author, DD class 600) 10. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller (American author, DD class 200) 9. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (American author, DD class 300) 8. Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald (American author, DD class 100) 7. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 6. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 5. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 4. The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies (Canadian author, DD class 600) 3. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (Australian author, DD class 800) 2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (English author, DD class 800) 1. The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch (German author, DD class 800)

Here the theater has an app where you can buy the tickets online, reserve your seats and then you get to the theater and scan the barcode from your app and go in.

Well I just woke up on this of the world and was trying to think of the exact words to explain my position to Albeto (who seems very offended that I would have an opinion that does not match hers) and then I read this. I really can't do any better. You explained it perfectly. Thank you. I appreciate all the attempts to answer my question from my first post from other points of view. It has given me insight into other ways of looking at the situation and I appreciate that. Albeto, I did not write my post to intentionally upset you. I expressed my beliefs. You have your own. I respect your beliefs and your right to your beliefs even if I do not agree with them. Of course you don't have to "let it go." You have the right to continue posting about this if you wish. However, I will not be baited into defending my beliefs because I don't have to. I am at peace with them whether you are or not. I'm sorry my post made you so angry.

We have different world views... Different starting points for this conversation. You are not interested in being converted. I have no interest in trying to change your beliefs. We will just have to respectfully agree to disagree.

I understand that not everyone will agree with me. I am OK with that.

Every word of that is true! I have friends here who are the sweetest, most gentle people but when they drive it's like they are feral!

A good friend of mine died at age 29 from melanoma, just 5 weeks after giving birth to her first child. I prayed and prayed and begged God to spare her. But He didn't. I don't even pretend to know why. The first man I ever loved suddenly and unexpectedly committed suicide. It crushed me to my very core and 20 years later not a day goes by that I don't think about it. I have no idea why God let the love of my life put a gun to his own head. But I guess I have always felt that God doesn't really "owe" me an explanation. Anything I have that is good in my life is a gift from Him but I certainly don't deserve any of it and I am not entitled to anything, really. We want Him to "earn" our worship by doing what we want. But this is His earth. I am His creation. The Lord gives and The Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of The Lord. Does it mean I don't feel the pain of these losses? By no means. I am scarred for life by these tragedies. Truly. I will give you no Christian platitudes. I will not tell you it is because your faith wasn't strong enough. It sounds terribly cliche to say God has a plan but I believe He does even if I don't understand it. What is the alternative? That all of the suffering in life is just... random and senseless? How is that more comforting? I am praying for you and your aching heart. (((Hugs))) The most powerful and succinct explanation I have ever heard on the issue of theodicy.

My ds has 3 more years until he leaves for college somewhere in the US. Then we have to make some major decisions. Do we stay here, LITERALLY half way around the world from him in jobs we love and a great school for our other two kids? Or do we move back to be closer? So when ds leaves for college, he REALLY leaves. We will be lucky to see him once a year if we stay here. One of my regrets in life was not being more sympathetic towards my mom when I left home to go to college. I was only 4 hours away but when I left she cried so much. It was like someone died. At first I came home every weekend to see my family. But then every Sunday evening I would have to go through the same dramatic scene. It got to be too much for me so I came home less and less often. I was so excited about my new stage of life that I forgot to consider my mom's feelings. In a few years, that will all come back to haunt me!

How do you cope? The traffic here is so awful. Crowded. Dangerous. Motorbikes everywhere, weaving in and out. Everyone drives incredibly rudely and it scares me, truly. It's not standstill traffic jams. I think I could endure that. It is the danger of it all. My dh was such a laid back, easygoing guy but the traffic here has turned him into a road rage crazy person. He is always angry in the car. I am usually terrified. Someone hit our car the other day and just kept driving. No big deal apparently? No police anywhere, ever. No rules. Constant accidents. I can get from home to work without too much anguish but that is only about one mile. Anywhere else causes me such anxiety that I am getting to the point where I don't want to leave my house! We love every part of our lives here except the traffic. There is nothing we can do about it but I don't know how to not be afraid of it. My dh already suffered a broken neck from an accident here! I'm not even sure there is a question here. I think I just want to vent. :(

I ADORE my Expedit book cases!!!

that's great news!

Well, I live I a place where many women cover every square inch of their bodies in long, loose, black fabric (including their face and eyes). Some even wear gloves, too. So it is not just arms that are sexy, I guess. ??

That is awesome!!!!!!!!!

The malpractice thing is true, for sure. They do not have a litigious society here. No one gets millions of dollars in punitive damages. I'm sure that is a factor. I don't really know what salary a pediatrician makes in the US. I looked on the Internet and it said the average is $175,000 per year. A Malaysian pediatrician averages $85,000 a year (in USD). But in Malaysia, that is a ton of money! That is twice what my dh and I make combined. The most expensive med school in Malaysia is about $170,000 in TOTAL. But most of the doctors at the hospital I go to were trained in the UK. So less malpractice, lower tuition but lower salaries. Only a few of the factors, I imagine...

True. But so is the hospital where I went. How can they do an ultrasound for $70?

Moving to another country is not a bad idea! I have heart issues. I've been doing well for a while but recently started having problems again. I called a cardiologist and got in the same day. I had an EKG, an echocardiogram, and a stress test all on the spot that day. I got the results of all those tests from the cardiologist along with copies in hand. I also got a new prescription for heart meds and got the meds themselves. I did all of this in a total of three hours. It cost $300 USD total with no insurance. I won't pretend to know how this country pulls it off but they do. Excellent, affordable care.

Oh, these are all so good! I have a huge list now! I think I am going to get him Ender's Shadow to start since he is so revved up on Ender's Game, then eat him explore this list from there. Thank you so much!!!!!!!

Please fill in the blank. :) He really likes the outer space theme. Any ideas? He is my reluctant reader so it has to really grab him. Are the rest of the books in the series worth reading? P.s. he also read "The Hunger Games" and said "Ender's Game" was MUCH better.

"You are either called to go down into the well, or to hold the rope for those who go down. Either way, there will be scars on your hands. Where are your scars?" I read that quote about 6 years ago and it changed my outlook on this topic forever. No man is an an island. We all have a responsibility to one another. At certain points in life you will be called to go down into the well. At other points you will be needed to hold the rope for someone else as they go down into the well. Which stage are you in right now? Are you ready for the frontlines? Or are you needed as support? Some people go to Africa or Haiti or wherever and work in orphanages. Others support them so they can go or sponsor kids or gather donations to send, etc. I am in the middle. I went half-way down the well by moving to Malaysia to work at a missionary school. But I am not a missionary. I am in a missionary support role. I am here educating the children of missionaries so that these missionaries can stay in the field. So I am holding the rope for them and my scars are in the sacrifices I have made and the people I have left behind to be here. That is MY calling. Look around you. What lights a fire of discontent in your soul? Is it poverty? Illiteracy? Disease? Orphans? Crime? There is no shortage of darkness. Find a way to be the light. The worst thing any of us can do is nothing.