My Journal

11/15/2025 Saturday

Thanks to The Pour Over, I learned of this interest case that a U.S. presidential pardon was rejected: The U.S. States vs. George Wilson (1833). Wilson robbed the U.S. mail, and was sentenced to death by hanging. President Andrew Jackson pardoned him thinking the sentence absurd. But Wilson rejected the pardon and was thus hanged. Whether Wilson actually accepted the pardon, or pleaded not guilty, history is a little unclear about that according to Wikipedia. Nevertheless, it is still interesting as to why a person would reject forgiveness/pardon, other than the fact that he thinks himself not guilty. This principle can also tie into Christian martyrdom.

11/14/2025 Friday

中藥：四氣五味 （四氣 = 寒熱溫涼。酸、苦、甘、辛、咸五种味感）薑半夏止咳：

11/13/2025 Thursday

Jamu juice - Indonesian traditional drink, a combination. Jambi "magic formula" in Javanese, for some reason the guy in the video below translated Jambi to "prayer". Seems that turmeric is modern ingredient in Jamu. But basic ingredients should be: Ginger, lemons, lemon grass 香茅.

Interesting discussion I had with Nadia about "gifting the pastor a book." There's an idea that most pastors don't accept books by members because of certain pride and sometimes a pride rightly placed: "Do you think I know less than you?" Nadia rephrased that as "Do you think you know more than I?" and I called it a logical fallacy in equivalence. I didn't explain it well to her of the fallacy. Now I know where I failed. This is not about equality (I may know as much as you, neither more nor less), but about the idea that "knowing less than" is always a lack of; while "knowing more than" is not necessarily implying a lack of in a person but could also simply suggest that someone knows more but there's no need for the lesser to feel a need to recover a lack of because it is simply a surplus.

11/11/2025 Tuesday

Gutter cleaning done today around 1:30pm, from the same guy, Phil. Amazingly, same price: $150. I gave $30 tips and two Gatore bottles for him and his assistant (older than last one). Interestingly, this was about the same date as last one in 2022 as well. It's 40F and windy feels like 30F. Wind speed around W 23mph.

11/10/2025 Monday

鳳凰衛視 introducing Malaysian Chinese Culture： Chinese medicine practice （梁氏針法太空中醫中心Neoh acupuncture TCM space centre(herb)), Nyonya restaurant, 燕窩, 賓花女子獨立中學,　姓陳橋. I'm excited to see Penang mentioned. (華人下南洋). I have been very curious about 姓陳橋 area but never got a chance to visit, this is the first introduction of it to me, I should go there next time I am in Penang (tagging this post with "project"):

11/09/2025 Sunday

It was brought up to my attention by the pastor in Sunday School on Martin Luther, that Pope Leo XIV recently declared the rejection of the title Co-Redemptrix for Mary. Then I had the opportunity to comment on David Tong's Facebook post pertaining to the same issue. Interesting that protestants generally see this as a correction course taken by Rome, while Rome would just see it as mere clarification on something they had never erred before.

Comments on the FB:
Me: American gut, but I think Rome would say something like this is only clarification, not correction.

David Tong
Timothy Law they drop (or consider) the tile of "co-redemptrix" as inappropriate. Sounds to me more than a correction rather than a clarification. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-11/doctrinal-note-mother-of-the-faithful-not-co-redemptrix.html

Me: By clarification I meant that Rome never officially declared Mary Co-redemptrix. So there was no need to "drop" such title, as it was never "picked up" before, from Rome's perspective of course. The article brought up their historic usage of it as merely causing confusion by solecism (theotokos & redemptive suffering), even in Pope John Paul II's case (not magisterial nor rightly defined), and now it's clarified. The only correction would be against some fringe marian groups/influencers who still no doubt insist on the term (from the already rejected 5th marian dogma).

In fact, Rome never really admitted to virtually anything done wrong officially, they are good at reinterpretation of what they twisted before, ie. indulgences (they, allegedly, like Martin Luther, never supported Johann Tetzel's indulgence sales either), etc. But at least this is still better than Orthodox's coward passivity towards cataphasis, as you have said, "better late than never."

Nevertheless, this still doesn't excuse Rome for trying to do more to the definition of Theotokos. They would never drop Mary's divine/spiritual motherhood to all His people.

Later after the service, we have refreshment downstairs where I spoke with Phil about he once mentioned that he listened to Michael Horton's White Horse Inn. He brought up Horton's disdain against certain spiritual gospel song, i.e. "In the Garden" by Charles Austin Miles (Methodist Episcopal) pharmacist. Unlike Phil, after looking this up on, I do agree with Horton. Not something I don't already know, that the modern music is generally self centered than God centered, but I had not listened nor paid attention enough to popular songs I could recognize such as In the Garden (i.e. and he walks with me and he talks with me...), to know how gnostic these could have been:

...Today, the vast majority of entries in the Maranatha, Vineyard, and related praise songbooks are not only burdened with this self-centered and Gnostic tendency, but often contain outright heresy–probably not intentionally, but as a result of sloppy theology. In our day, sloppy theology usually means some form of Gnosticism...

...The God and the Christ outside of us (the Reformation emphasis) is replaced with God and the Christ within the individual's heart (the medieval and Gnostic emphasis). "Open Your Heart To Jesus" is representative of this sort of hymn...

This theme of the "namelessness" of God is replete in Gnostic as well as mystical literature: God cannot be described, or, if he can at all, it is by negation-that is, by saying what he is not...Many of the Gaither songs, in fact, are deeply Romantic in their orientation...Jesus seems to be conceived of exclusively as a friend and as someone who lives inside of us...

甘松香 (smells like deer musk 麝香风味 to men, but stink of sewer 臭水沟的味道 to women), one of the many ingredient spices in 麻辣火锅：

The right kind of prayer for China's Christian persecution: On the recent persecution of underground churches in China:

Stephen Tong's prayer contrasts that of the Ameristians and the West. Criticizing those who are complacent in Free Euro/America, weak in faith, wavering conviction, uninspiring examples, such is the opportunity for the Chinese persecuted Christians to shine for God. Those who persecute Christians are not the righteousness they intend to display, but gansters. Rev 6:9:11

Arpeggio warmup: