Dave and Grace - Episode 1

The Lives of Dave and Grace 

Episode 1

Grace just arrived from a long trip and was startled by a surprise visit from Dave. She was upstairs when she heard a familiar voice she had wanted to hear.

She said, “Yeah, it’s him!” She hurriedly followed the voice and hoped it was not a dream. She opened the door. He was wearing a pink polo. Her thought bubbles said, “Brave man!” They hugged. It was quick and casual; at least that’s how it came out but they both knew it was indeed quick but definitely not casual.

They sat on their favorite couch not knowing how to start the conversation. To break the silence, he said, “So, I wanna see the pictures!”

She suddenly remembered she promised him she will show him some. She hurriedly went upstairs, took her camera and showed him the pictures.

“This is a good one!’

“Now, this is a really good one!”

“This could have been better if…”

“This one is not so good because…”

She thought “I like him because he tells me what I should hear and not what I want to hear.” She remembered herself saying many times, during their conversations here and there about this and that,  “Do not patronize me. You have to tell me the truth, always.”

Silence.

To break the silence once again, Dave asked “Did you have fun?” She said, “I did but it could have been more fun if you were with me.” He blushed a little bit.

“How are you? What kept you busy?” she immediately stopped the sweet awkward moment.

Like a little child, he started to enumerate all his mishaps - a bruise on his elbow, his back pain, the cut on his finger and a bruise on his leg.  A little bit disappointed, she interrupted and said, “What happened to you? What did you do? I remember I clearly told you before I left that you have to take care of yourself because I will be gone for two days which means you have no one to take care of but yourself!”

He stared at her and said, “This is what happens when I don’t take care of you.”

My Quack Thoughts

 My Quack Thoughts

Eavesdropping on Dawson’s Creek

Tyson: (to Jen, while watching Dawson and Joey dance) You know I don’t get it. They make such a great couple. Why would Joey wanna be with a fruit fly ? (Referring to Jack, Joey’s boyfriend,         rumored to be gay after reading a controversial poem he wrote in his English class).

Jen: Jack is not a fruit fly.

Tyson: Oh, common Jen, he’s playing for the other team.
Jen: You don’t know that.

Tyson: If it looks like a duck, talks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it’s a duck!

Jen: Why does it even matter even if he says he is …a duck?

Tyson: It’s his choice. I mean if he wants to quack, more power to him.

Jen: You see, I don’t think that it’s necessarily a choice that you make.
Tyson: You see that’s what they want you to believe; that it’s not a choice, but
             everything in life is a decision and all ducks choose to quack and Jack is
             definitely a quacker.
Jen: Are you kidding me or are you serious?
Tyson: I’m completely serious. Nobody has to quack if they don’t want to.

At Jen’s home after the date and dinner prepared by Jen’s grandmother who has been encouraging Jen to come church and consider having faith in His existence…

Gramps: (to Jen) I really like that Ty boy Jen.

Tyson: That was a great sandwich Mrs. Ryan! (to Gramps)
Gramps: Would you like a lil’ more milk Tyson?
Tyson: Ah…No thanks, no thanks! One is my limit. I’m driving.

Tyson: (to Jen) are you upset about something?
Jen: No. (Ty stares at her) No…No… It’s… It’s…you know what? … Yeah! Actually I am.
Tyson: Let me guess, the quacking ducks.
Jen: How can you think that it’s wrong?
Tyson: Well, I never said it was wrong, Jen. I said it was a choice.
Jen: So then you think it’s ok?
Tyson: No. I think it’s wrong. It’s in the Bible… Hey Mrs. Ryan, what’s the chapter that
            condemns homosexuality to sin?
Gramps: I believe it’s in the …Book of Leviticus.

Jen: Gramps, stay out of this, please? Ok? I’m not gonna’ let you two gang up on

         me here. 
         (to Ty) How can you have such a narrow view about being gay?
Ty: How can you be so narrowly liberal?

Jen: Ty, you’re no saint, you know that!

Ty: I don’t claim to be, but one day I’m gonna have to answer to the Big Man and

      so will Jack; and if he’s ready to take responsibility for his actions then he can do

      whatever he wants. I just think that his kind is damaging to the world at large.

Jen: I cannot believe you; for you to suggest that somebody can just magically

         decide to be gay is insane.

Tyson: The facts don’t lie Jen. The gay movement has been nothing but medically

            and morally damaging to this country.

Jen: What?
Gramps: (can’t help but hear them arguing) You know I tried to stay out of this. I
                  have but I can’t Jennifer…just let me just explain…

Jen: No!... No!... Gramps, I’m not gonna let you guys moral majority me here and you

        don’t even know all the facts.
Gramps: What I have to say isn’t directed at you Jen; what I have to say is for 

                  Tyson…

Ty: Look, all I’m saying is…

Gramps: If Jack is gay, he does not need your judgment, young man. The Lord

                 above will be the one to judge him as he will all of us. What he needs from

                 you, from me, from everyone else in this world is love and tolerance. If

                 anything, that boy must feel scared and alone and he will need

                 the understanding of his fellowmen to help him through. Let's save

                 judgment for someone much more experienced than you.

__________________________

These conversations may not exactly relfect everything I stand for but if there is one thing I would agree without an ounce of doubt in my heart is the fact that I am in no position to judge any one who may not fit my exact description of this and that. I have a few gay friends whom I love dearly. I invite them to church with me sometimes and they do it with such an open heart. I have experienced God's love, faithfulness and slowness to anger so many times that it overflows and makes me want to share it with others, especially the people I love - no matter who they are and who they are not; and whatever happens after is between them and God.

A church should not be a place of condemnation and passing of judgement. It should be a place of forgiveness, compassion and acceptance and no soul should ever feel unwelcomed.

Just my two quacks worth!

Jacket On! Jacket Off!

Jacket On! Jacket Off!

Eavesdropping on The Karate Kid (2010)

This is the conversation between Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and Dre Parker (Jaden Smith, the cute little kid from The Pursuit of Happyness) on Day One of their Kung Fu lesson.

Mr. Han: Pick up your jacket
Dre: Oh...So basically Mr. Han what I'm trying to say is... I got a good foundation here...You know, like I said... It might not be as hard to teach me as other people you know.
Mr. Han: Hang it up.
Dre: And now?
Mr. Han: Take it down.
Dre: (wondering) But you just...
Mr. Han:   Take it down.
               Put it on.
               Take it off.
Dre: I already did all this...
Mr. Han: Take it off.
Dre: Can you just tell me why I'm doing all of this?
Mr. Han:   Take it off.
               Hang it up.
               Take it down.
               Put it on the ground.
               Pick it up.
               Hang it up.
               Take it down.
               Put it on.
               Take it off.
               Put it on the ground.
               Pick it up.
               Hang it on.
               Take it down.
               Put it on.
              Take it off.
              Hang it up.


From a different scene...

Mr. Han: Kung Fu lives in everything we do Dre. It lives on how we put on a  
             jacket, how we take off the jacket. And lives on how we treat
             people. Everything is Kung Fu.


Does not make sense? ... Watch the movie!

物極必反 Wù jí bì fǎn!

The Prayer of Eli

The Prayer of Eli

An Eavesdropping on the movie "The Book of Eli"

Dear Lord,

Thank you for giving me the strength and the conviction to complete the task you entrusted to me.

Thank you for guiding me, straight and true through the many obstacles in my path; and for keeping me resolute when all around seemed lost.

Thank you for your protection and for your many signs along the way.

Thank you for any good that I may have done. I am so sorry about the bad.

Thank you for the friend I made. Please watch over her as you've watched over me.

Thank you for finally allowing me to rest. I am so very tired; but I go now to my rest, at peace; knowing that I have done right with my time on this earth.

I fought the good fight.

I finished the race.

I kept the faith.

- Eli

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

         - 2 Timothy 4:7

Just Keep on Swinging

Just Keep on Swinging

An Eavesdropping on the movie "Everyone's Hero"

My favorite radio station is bidding goodbye tonight. I tried for a few hours to divert my attention to a movie I have already seen. I 'eavesdropped' on the conversation between the main character Yankee Irving and his father.

Father: Did you play ball today?

Yankee: Yeah, but I don't think I wanna play anymore.


Father: Hey! I thought you loved baseball.


Yankee: Well, I think I'm in a slump.

Father: Hmmm, you know I was watching the team practice the other day and it struck me. Here are guys who made a living playing baseball. They play everyday and even on the day after they lose the game. They're still standing at the plate swinging that bat. And you know how they got to be so good?

Yankee: They just keep swinging?

Father smiled.

_______________________

Whatever your passion is - be it writing, singing, dancing, blogging, cosplaying etc - if you keep doing it with a heart despite failing every now and then; you'll be good at it in no time. Just keep swinging!

I still turned on my radio and caught the last few minutes of NU. I said, 'I'll just keep rockin' ".

So Drop It!

Eavesdropping on Eat, Pray, Love

Sharing a favorite conversation between Groceries and Richard from Texas from the book 'Eat, Pray, Love'.

“What’s got you all wadded up?” he drawls, toothpick in mouth, as usual.

“Don’t ask,” I say, but then I start talking and tell him every bit of it, concluding with, “And worst of all, I can’t stop obsessing over David. I thought I was over him, but it’s all coming up again.”

He says, “Give it another six months, you’ll feel better.”

“I’ve already given it twelve months, Richard.”

“Then give it six more. Just keep throwin’ six months at it till it goes away. Stuff like this takes time.”

I exhale hotly through my nose, bull-like.

“Groceries,” Richard says, “listen to me. Someday you’re gonna look back on this moment of your life as such a sweet time of grieving. You’ll see that you were in mourning and your heart was broken, but your life was changing and you were in the best possible place in the world for it — in a beautiful place of worship, surrounded by grace. Take this time, every minute of it. Let things work themselves out here in India.”

“But I really loved him.”

“Big deal. So you fell in love with someone. Don’t you see what happened? This guy touched a place in your heart deeper than you thought you were capable of reaching. I mean you got zapped, kiddo. But that love you felt, that’s just the beginning. You just got a taste of love. That’s just limited little rinky-dink mortal love. Wait till you see how much more deeply you can love than that. Heck, Groceries — you have the capacity to someday love the whole world. It’s your destiny. Don’t laugh.”

“I’m not laughing.” I was actually crying. “And please don’t laugh at me now, but I think the reason it’s so hard for me to get over this guy is because I seriously believed David was my soul mate.”

“He probably was. Your problem is you don’t understand what that word means. People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that’s holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave. And thank God for it. Your problem is, you just can’t let this one go. It’s over, Groceries. David’s purpose was to shake you up, drive you out of that marriage that you needed to leave, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light could get in, make you desperate and out of control that you had to transform your life , then introduce you to your spiritual master and beat it. That was his job, and he did great, but now it’s over. Problem is, you can’t accept that this relationship had a real short shelf life. You’re like a dog at the dump, baby — you’re just lickin’ at an empty tin can, trying to get more nutrition out of it. And if you’re not careful, that can’s gonna get stuck on your snout forever and make your life miserable. So drop it.”

“But I love him.”

“So love him.”

“But I miss him.”

“So miss him. Send him some love and light every time you think about him, and then drop it. You’re afraid to let go of the last bits of David because then you’ll really be alone, and Liz Gilbert is scared to death of what will happen if she’s really alone. But here’s what you gotta understand, Groceries. If you clear out all that space in your mind that you’re using right now to obsess about this guy, you’ll have a vacuum there, an open spot — a doorway. And guess what the universe will do with that doorway? It will rush in — God will rush in — and fill you with more love than you ever dreamed. So stop using David to block that door. Let it go.“

- Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

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