Relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.
Learned this from the email on Maine by Scott's Cheap Flights Going.
Japan allowing copyrighted materials for A.I. training. This is interesting in that I have always stand against the whole world on this: That there is no such thing as intellectual properties. I just never thought of it coming from the intervention of A.I. Although from the article, Japan was more about ambition than making sense in this case.
6/21/2023 Today marks the Summer Solstice:
An equinox (equal night) occurs at the start of the spring and fall. The solstice occurs during the summer and the winter. In 2023, occurs on March 21 (Vernal equinox) and on September 23 (Autumnal equinox). Occurs on June 21(Summer Solstice) and on Dec 22 (Winter Solstice).
There's storms and rain forecasting this week and the next. And I have to drive to do my root canal at Ridge Family Dentistry at 11AM tomorrow, 6/22. Hopefully the road would not be too drench. This would be my last visit for the permanent crowning. The last stage. I need to tell my dentist that the crown needs to be shaving down more as I could feel that my current temporary crown is being hacked by the upper teeth and it is touched first than my left side teeth when jaw is closed. Perhaps I need to do some orthodontia for teeth alignment. Perhaps the orthodontia should happen after the removal of my wisdom teeth, two at lower jaws at the very least. Upper jaw wisdom teeth don't seem to be presenting any trouble for now. I should ask my dentist regarding the order of these procedures (orthodontia or wisdom teeth first?)
I believe the long trouble of my back teeth and coughing were caused by the wisdom teeth, which impacted the adjacent teeth and also opened up some gum around them due to the push. This may also explain my jaw very temporal sore/hurt since years ago especially when I chew on this after long rest. I do feel that the Ridge Family Dentistry is a bit far (50 min drive) but it was an emergency in April when I chipped my tooth and Nadia's trusted one is the one Eleni whom she trust recommended. I'm also supposed to return to my endodontist (the one who drilled my tooth) in a year at Mid Jersey Endo, New Brunswick. But I am unsure if I should do so, would it be free? Probably not.
5/31/2023 7:20pm Wednesday (Worst I've seen, all 3 lanes occupied with at least 2 people. My lane added a third person after me and that guy doesn't even know much about swimming. When I cut short my time to get out, lots of oily body "Indians" came looking for a swim, I think they're looking for ways to have fun and showing of their muscular training. So, 7pm is perhaps not a good time for a swim, not especially after Spring. Although, not to mention that Holmdel LA Fitness' pool is currently shutdown and they kept postponing repair. Holmdel used to be better at pool facility before they stopped servicing. Right now, the best and closest facility is the Edison one, but that's 15-20 mins away, compared to Cliffwood's 6 min drive.
6/3/2023 7pm Saturday 2 swimmers in each of 3 lanes, including myself. Holmdel's pool is still closed.
6/12/2023 4pm Monday No one in the pool, but soon filled up around 4:30pm.
6/15/2023 10pm Thursday No one but me. Then a guy named Hasan came to ask swimming lesson from me at the end.
6/19/2023 7am Monday From 3 people to 6 people in the pool over the hour.
New stats will be entered in the comments and edited in this online Excel sheet.
A good site where I could download cliff note versions of music theory topics: https://tobyrush.com/theorypages/ Saved entirety to my Library. I think I would compare the Russian's Sposobin and this, especially in the field of harmony.
This is also a good start, Harmony in 7 mins by Nahre Sol:
I was going to look into UNITY3D, UNREAL Engine. But I think this one is likely easier and more motivating: https://hiberworld.com/
You can publish it at Hiberworld or at your own site and there apparently are plenty of "artists" using it already, I've tested a couple sample site, not bad, even features multiple players and chatting ability. My intention for this sort has always been educational: i.e. 3D tour of museum, arts, or motivational biblical game, etc.
This morning I woke up sort of crying.
I had dreamt that my dear nana (fell sick I think, as I couldn't remember exactly the cause of death, and) eventually passed away. I believe our bedroom resembled that which we rented in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. And when she was passing, it was as if I didn't care to follow her to the hospital or whichever, perhaps not that I didn't care, but I didn't think that I was either allowed to follow or something prevented me to or maybe even assuming that she would come back, but no, it was quite certain that would be the last I would see her and I knew it before then in the dream. As she was leaving to the last place, I believe it was my parents who took her and I basically parted her there on the second floor alley of my parents' Penang house, walking downstairs.
After that, my dream went to a different story all together, where I think Willy, myself and Nadia were hiking to a place to camp or something.
Then it was back to where I had lost Nadia in the dream, as if the hike was a reminiscent of the past or just the way dreams play tricks. There I laid in bed for the first time in that Brooklyn apartment bedroom without my wife sleeping next to me. As I realized what I had lost, thought back about Nadia, the trouble I've caused her, the labor she'd done for me and what we had together, I began to cry and grieve, even now as I type this. This woke me up. It was around 7:30am.
I believe this dream was influenced by several factors: The Ted Lasso episode (3x11) I watched the night before, where Jamie Tart suddenly felt depressed, humbled, and Ted also confronted his mother about not dealing with grieve and pain and treated everything happy dandy. The replay of the video I took of Nadia walking up the stairs to our room in Penang house, with her innocent face turned playful:
The health issue Nadia had that wasn't taken care of in Malaysia (shivering hands in search of Chinese remedy) because she thought there was no time (This should be the priority the next time we return). Things she had done and planned and my insensitivity to some of those. etc.
May this serves as a reminder every time I get frustrated with her.
Now I also thought to myself, where was my faith in all of this. Was my grief a godless one in the dream? May God have mercy. Only You are to be praised and remembered. May You guide me in true Christian fellowship with my wife. Amen.
Though there are other earlier accounts, the one I remembered most and have now found the detail, is the story about how foreigners carrying loads of bibles were killed and that the bibles were used as wallpapers in Korean homes, where the Bible was unwittingly introduced to visitors.
This is the account of Robert Jermain Thomas, born 1839, allegedly the first protestant martyr in Korea. Thomas married Caroline Godfrey, who shared mission field vision and went to Shanghai dispatched by London Missionary Society (LMS). Caroline unfortunately miscarried and passed away. Thomas wished to resign due to grief despite having even more zeal to completely serve and praise the Lord.
Then after being introduced by Alexander Williamson of the National Bible Society to Korean Catholics who had no Bibles, Thomas was greatly interested to serve in the "Hermit Kingdom" (Korea - fearful government of foreign influence and forbade contacts with westerners) where western literatures such as Bibles were banned and punishable with death for both distributors and recipients. Nonetheless, Thomas, helped by the Scottish Bible Society, obtained large number of Chinese Bibles for Korea, and found there were some willing to risk reading the Bible.
However, on a trip nearing Pyongyang, a group of hostile Koreans wrecked the Thomas' bible carrying American ship, Thomas was eventually killed, with some account that he begged them to take the Bible before being executed. The Bibles were then taken to the Korean homes but was ordered to be destroyed. All but one government official (Pak Yong-Sik) obeyed. Pak used the pages to wallpaper his house, which was later bought by Choi Chi Ryang, who knew of Thomas' event. 15 years after Thomas' death, Pyongyang was already holding around 100 churches and 1907 was a site of a major revival. Today there stood the Robert Jermain Thomas Memorial Church.
With many posts on Facebook of this news, especially reading from those Christians who love criticizing reformed position, particularly on predestination and gender issue, I thought to myself: To achieve greatness, to be known, which although is not the goal, what is it that one is known and respected for? To be known and honored by those who have no idea of the position you stood against theirs? Or to be honored by those whom you have made clear of your opposing views with each other nonetheless?
I believe Keller is one of those whom if you truly know him, you know what he's criticizing, even against those who were looking up to him yet didn't get it. This is one example, by my guess:
My last phone call conversation with Tim was on a late Sunday night – it was a rare occurrence, to be sure, so I had thought that perhaps he wanted to speak about something urgent. I was amazed that he wanted to talk about how to communicate a Christian theory of truth to a twelve-year old. He called from Bethesda, Maryland, where he was receiving treatment. He was always thinking about how to talk about Jesus well. Tim was an evangelist to the very end.
My first impression from the above statement was: That Keller probably saw some talent and interest in Sutanto but that he wished Sutanto to gear his gift in theology towards the lay people rather than the academia. But Keller does it so subtly as he always did, that most people just don't get it and focused on his hospitable tolerant manner instead. His wife, Kathy, had balanced that out after all. Of course, this is highly speculative on my part, though not without good reason. I would that Nathaniel in his last line said something like "Tim was a surprising yet humbling mentor to me to the very end" instead. But what Sutanto didn't get, I shall keep in my heart.
Keller's desire to be with the Lord on multiple occasions is publicly known as his son Michael Keller made sure of it:
He expressed many times through prayer his desire to go home to be with Jesus..."I’m thankful for the time God has given me, but I’m ready to see Jesus. I can’t wait to see Jesus. Send me home."
This is a wake up call to all mediocre Christians, those who might fear that they are too far from the Lord, that they have drenched themselves in mud so deep in hypocrisy that they would be shy to have Jesus look at them in the end.
Today's TLDR newsletter: A thorough article by Sasidhar Gadepalli on the subject. I pasted the entire article in comment in case the link gets broken. It's valuable as it gives example sites and services to deal with the gigs mentioned.
On the must read, I also pasted the entire article in the comments, just in case.
It's interesting how its sensor looked for nearby cars.
