the bright side #2

• The presently weekly (Tuesdays) inter-church prayer meeting at DUMC. It was really spiritually uplifting to see so many churches coming together to pray for the nation and the imminent general election. I was deeply encouraged. The battle is bigger than what the mind perceive and eyes see, but I believe that God is on our side when our cry is one for justice and mercy.
  
  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Eph 6:12

• This explanation (by PKR Strategist Director Rafizi Ramli on the rumours surrounding his departure from Petronas).  

• This review of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away by the late movie critic Roger Ebert. It is so beautifully written that it made me download the show and watch it again. And it was like I've never watched it before--I have practically forgotten about the entire plot line! I haven't figured out why I found it so forgettable when my friends thought the world of it. This excerpt holds a key, though:
  
  I was so fortunate to meet Miyazaki at the 2002 Toronto film festival. I told him I love the "gratuitous motion" in his films; instead of every movement being dictated by the story, sometimes people will just sit for a moment, or sigh, or gaze at a running stream, or do something extra, not to advance the story but only to give the sense of time and place and who they are.
  
  "We have a word for that in Japanese," he said. "It's called 'ma.' Emptiness. It's there intentionally." He clapped his hands three or four times. "The time in between my clapping is 'ma.' If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it's just busyness."
  
  I think that helps explain why Miyazaki's films are more absorbing than the frantic action in a lot of American animation. "The people who make the movies are scared of silence" he said, "so they want to paper and plaster it over," he said. "They're worried that the audience will get bored. But just because it's 80 percent intense all the time doesn't mean the kids are going to bless you with their concentration. What really matters is the underlying emotions--that you never let go of those.
  
  "What my friends and I have been trying to do since the 1970's is to try and quiet things down a little bit; don't just bombard them with noise and distraction. And to follow the path of children's emotions and feelings as we make a film. If you stay true to joy and astonishment and empathy you don't have to have violence and you don't have to have action. They'll follow you. This is our principle."
  
  Yes, I enjoyed it much, much more this time, thanks to the review. :)

• This Draw My Life video by Ryan Higa.
  
  
  

• Many topics on Quora. Try it. There are few things more humbling than reading messages from countless other smart people putting forth their thoughts and sharing their knowledge. 

• I've already shared my current favorite song (Mercy Mercy) from Hillsong United really awesome new album, Zion. Here's another one:
  
  

• I love how my friends now has a crush on Brendan. Here's his photo gallery--I'm usually not a huge fans of photo archives but I enjoyed going through this (of course, seeing LH in some recent pix is a bonus!) He seems like the type that would always go out exploring the city he's in, and I can very well relate to that adventurous spirit! How awesome it is to be doing something you love and getting to travel the world while at it. Sigh~ Check out his blog too.

TGIF folks. Xoxo.