The Year 2013 Review

And bring on the next year!

This year flew by quickly! I'm not sure if I was extremely busy or this is the reality with becoming older each year. Regardless, it's been a decent year. I've learned a lot academically and about myself.

I know I haven't spent time on my blog this month due to final exams, traveling, and work. I figured I should get at least two posts in this month before the year concludes. Since this generation seems to be obsessed with a numbered list, I'm going to present you with my top ten moments and accomplishments for the year 2013.

10. Driver's License

To many people, this has been done since they were 16. Unfortunately for me, my parents have always had interesting views about letting their children learn to drive. Something about insurance rates, but whatever. Thanks to T.K., I was able to finally get this done. To be honest, I'd rather have my parents let me go in debt for university in exchange for getting the driver's license early than letting them put $10,000 towards my college education.

9. Better Priorities

As a senior at BYU, what is the most important thing to be doing right now? No, it's not dating or marriage. No matter how much the Church leadership emphasizes on this point, the most important thing at this time for me is to figure out my next step once I graduate. The transition between graduation to professional life or further schooling is definitely not the time to add more complexities in my life. I'm not saying having personal relationships is bad, but there's a time and place for everything and I choose to focus on what I have and what I need to get done.

8. Worked 20+-hour Days Without Going Insane

Granted, my job is fairly easy during The Holidays. The only challenge is watching TV and stay awake. Based on last year's attempt at this feat, I couldn't stand it by hour 14. This year wasn't as bad as last year. It could be that I was extremely tired and just didn't mind what I was doing by that point. But really, I think I just got better at finding relevant things to do during the slow phase of my shifts.

The reason I work that much is because I support myself for the most part. My parents have supported me for my first two years and some of university tuition. I didn't want to be dependent and they didn't want to continue the trend, so it was a win-win situation. It is somewhat humorous to hear professors telling me that it's not a good idea to work as many hours as I do and go to school. Well, bills ain't gonna pay themselves...

In addition, having good coworkers matter. I don't think this would have been an easy feat in a hostile environment.

7. Better Communication With Family

Okay, they may not all be fine and dandy conversations, but I've definitely had more contact with them this year than I did the past few years. Every family's got issues. The key is to overcome them and be better people. This is a work in progress in many people's cases. Just being able to start a conversation with any of my extended family is considered a win in my book. Sometimes, I think people forget why they stopped talking to each other in the first place.

6. Starting The Last Year of MLS

I've finished my penultimate semester of coursework. With one more semester and a six-month internship to go, I'm very close to my bachelor's degree. It's been a long road, especially when I dedicated part of that to mission service. Combine it with two minors and a degree that requires 4-4.5 years to complete, I think I've done very well for myself. It always could be better, but I'm glad I chose the path I took.

The program, while course materials aren't necessarily intensely difficult, has the tendency to fire hydrant you with information and test you on it weekly. I don't think I've been kept on my toes that much my entire university experience. It also gives me a glimpse to what medical school could be like when (or maybe if) I get there. Fortunately, much of the stuff we learn is applicable to any health profession.

5. Going To The Gym At Least Twice A Week

Ever since my junior year, I started going to the gym. As courseworks intensified, I find myself needing outlets for my stress. Then, I discovered I could use the BYU gym for free since I'm a student. I'm not the only one with this mentality. Many fellow MLS classmates do the exact same thing. So, it becomes somewhat amusing due to the fact everyone's schedule is similar in my program.

I'm nowhere near super buff. However, I'm getting the toned department down over time.

4. Financial Plans & Saving Money

One of the perks of being as old as I am and still in university is receiving the Pell Grant. For the first time since I started BYU, I was actually saving more money because I don't have to dish out tuition. This is extremely helpful as I embark on an internship which will drive up my expenses.

Instead of having a budget, I've also taken down statistics and tracked my spending to figure out where I should allocate my money better in the future. Thanks to the wonders of technology, I am actually enjoying calculating the statistics.

3. Discovering Habit RPG

And voila! Oh, this is not mine by the way...

For some people, this seems like the most ridiculously nerdy thing ever. For me, it is actually entertaining and forces me to do all the things I plan on doing or need to do daily. I have to thank Ammon for showing this to me.

If you enjoy RPGs and are an honest person when it comes to this kind of game, it'll definitely help you develop good habits.

I probably could live without it, but I know there is less incentive for me to keep up with everything at the moment without it. Sad, I know, but I'll get to that point one day.

2. The Adventures of IX and Pinecone

Not to discredit any of my former roommates, but I feel I've grown the most with my friends who lived through the treacherous Miller at IX and the new haven at the Pinecone. I think the biggest things are overlapping interests and willingness to communicate. As you all may have observed in my posts in the past, I esteem them quite highly. Sure, we are all imperfect people, but it's the experience and situations we live through that potentially make us better people.

It's also heartwarming to see my roommates become better people overtime as well. Life has been very good to me to not have strange roommates, but I am blessed to have the ones I've had during this time period and grateful for the opportunity to be able at the point that I can participate in choosing who comes to live with us.

1. See The Good In The World

Besides the fact this is the cheesy tagline used by BYUtv, it holds an important message. Yes, I understand that bad things happen in the world and many injustice occur right before our eyes. But honestly, focusing on them don't make the world a better place. Actually, forget the world...focusing on the negative doesn't make your life better either.

I recognize that bad things happen, but I also know that at the end of the day I am judged by what I've done and how I reacted to situations by the Savior. Even if you are an atheist or of different religion, I hope you know that the only way to combat the bad is starting with ourselves. I don't think it's possible to stir the masses in the right direction when you yourself are blinded by the hatred for the bad instead of passion for the good.

I am grateful for the support of my friends and family. I am glad to have awesome mentors/professors here at BYU. Life also could not have been good without the cool people at work. This is my shout out to you guys. Hope you all have a Happy Holidays and enjoy your New Year's. This next one is probably gonna fly by as well.

A Christmas Story

Actually, this is an image of Detroit

The silly title represents the current state of my mind. Cluttered, ruined, and absolutely exhausted. With finals on the way, I spent most of my time trying to put myself together in preparation for the exams.

This task is especially challenging when all the final examinations are to comprehensive. Hence, there hasn't been any worthwhile blog post on this site for a few weeks. To amend it, I decided to share some quick thoughts here.

I've overheard many buzz about Megyn Kelly of Fox News recently and I found the debate over Santa and Jesus's ethnicity to be nothing less than bigotry and ignorance. It is quite saddening how extremists in this country don't know what they believe.

It's true that many depictions of these persons have been white caucasians. That is mostly culture rather than historical accuracy. In fact, digging through Wikipedia will tell you that both Jesus and Santa, who is loosely based on St. Nicholas, lived nowhere near Western Europe.

One of the reasons for the caucasian depictions is the widespread adaptation of these two characters in Europe, especially Western Europe. Since most of the people in earlier times were not literate, it made sense to Europeanize the arts and images to what the populace could relate to and understand. I'm sure if Christianity took a strong hold in India, instead of Europe, after Christ's time, we would see more Indian-looking Savior in popular culture. With that said, the similar scenario applies to Santa.

Does it really matter? It shouldn't, but it does. People forget why we hold these two men in high-esteem. I don't know about you, but I like Jesus and Santa because of what they did, not what they looked like. To all Christians who are outraged by some people's depiction of a black Jesus, etc., ask yourself, do you follow the Man, or do you follow His looks?

To me, as long as it's not a demeaning or satirical depiction of these two characters, I could care less what people choose to represent their love and respect for them.

Which comes to Christmas...we all know the day comes from pagan roots, and yet we universally agree to deem December 25th to be the day when the Lord came to the world. Historians and many LDS people understand that the real time of birth was probably closer to spring and most likely in April.

So, why do we celebrate Christmas? Well, sure as heck isn't because that WAS the day of His birth. It's a day to commemorate the Savior, who came into the world to do His Father's will (John 5:19). For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).


Anyways, I thought I should take a break from studying and share this message. I learned this morning that my parasitology final will be massive, which threw off my study plans. So, I'm going to spend more time today reviewing things I should know before tomorrow at 07:00...

A Thanksgiving Thought

Did they really have this back then?

Perhaps one of the more underrated holidays in the United States, Thanksgiving is rapidly being outpaced by Christmas as we see everyone from businesses to households starting to decorate themselves with winter festivities.

I'm not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, I understand why people celebrate it (no matter how fabricated and whitewashed by mainstream boards of education) even though it's laced with sinister irony of early colonial era.

Wherever you stand on the spectrum of listening to Christmas music, the common denominator happens to be the days of rest many people receive during this period. For someone who works during Holidays, I still get several days off from my daily endeavors in school, etc. In addition, a great time to earn some extra cash!

I've only heard of Thanksgiving in USA and Canada. It comes with the unique cornucopia (haven't used that word since fifth grade), turkeys, and an insane amount of food. Just a side note, apparently the turkey was once considered to be one of the possible symbols for the United States back in its infancy. Guess who advocated that? That's right, Benjamin Franklin. This is according to Stan Ellsworth of American Ride, so I actually didn't do any research on this matter.

As ironic as it may seem for me to feel grateful enough to post on the Internet, I'm still going to tell y'all that I'm grateful for everything I have and been through in life. They truly shaped who I am. I'm thankful for the Lord's saving grace and teachings. I'm thankful for the trials and adventures I've had in my life thus far. Sometimes, it is better to be reminded to be grateful every once in a while than to never do it at all.

I hope you all enjoy a great Thanksgiving next week!

Food for Thought: In Memory of Those Who Passed

A less gruesome look at the destruction...

Did you think this was a Veteran's Day post? Nope. That'll come hopefully later this week. I spaced on the opportunity to show my appreciation for those who served my country, but it'll be done, don't worry. :)

Many people have heard the news about the aftermath of the typhoon in Philippines. I've seen many unfortunate and sad images of the state people had to suffer. I'm not going to lie, they were depressing.

The very least we could do at this time is to pitch in whatever we can to help the victims. Whether you prefer money or substance, there's always the options of volunteering your time and toss in prayers (or moments of silence, whatever) for those people.

I think the missionaries will be very busy for the next few months. Naturally, deaths, diseases, etc. follow a catastrophe. People are either humbled by the experience and rediscover the love for their neighbors or curse God and be bitter (or die, which ever one comes first).

This reminds me of the many instances, especially on my mission, when I hear people ask something along the lines of "if there's a God, how could He let something like this happen." We've all heard that from somewhere. To some, it is the convenient excuse to pretend there's no higher entity in this universe. To others, it is one of life's most mind-boggling questions that's been asked over and over. When I was a missionary, I believe my only response to that was either sarcastic or bear my testimony, which was a routine procedure because I didn't know better as a late teen lad into his early twenties. If I were to give my best attempt today, I'll probably be more thought-provoking than I was before.

The following stream of consciousness will be my thoughts on the matter and in no way, shape, or form reflecting what other LDS persons may tell you. There will be some cynicism involved, so you've been forewarned.

It is my belief that much of the justified anger comes from not having a reference point in the universe. That is, why are earth (pun intended) are we here? I've met different schools of thought on this matter. The most prevalent was probably the roll of die by the universe. Essentially, Big Bang Theory and evolution without God because it would be foolish to believe God would utilize these two things as tools to sculpt the universe (sarcasm). When faced with catastrophic trauma, they usually dismiss the existence of a loving Being because it's simply illogical.

There's a loving God who cares about His children. However, one must first understand why we are on Earth. God has said, "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39). Part of us being here on this Earth is because of the Plan of Salvation. This Plan, in short, was for our own progression and learning. Part of this requires us to choose for ourselves whether we will do right or wrong because our God believes in liberty and freedom, instead of coercion (Abraham 3:25).

Many people don't know this, but we all existed before this life. We chose to come down to this Earth knowing the risks. It was established some of us may not make the best of decisions and would be lost eventually. To prevent that, the former Lucifer proposed to take the glory upon himself to enforce an absolute system where none can do wrong and return to God at the conclusion of mortality. That equates to no agency, the freedom to choose, whatsoever. Of course, God long decided that Christ, who would advocate choice, liberty, and freedom, would be the one to be the integral part of the Plan. To circumvent falling short due to sin, The Lord offered Himself as the one who atones people's sins. The rest was history as a third went against this notion and fell out with the now Satan. Basically, the war in heaven was fought over agency or our freedom to choose. As we choose and face the consequences, we gain valuable experiences to our eternal progression.

On a cynical note, it seems to me that those who reject this notion either believes God runs an eternal nursing home for the stupid or some sort of eternal socialist welfare program to cater the lazy. To them, there can only be a God if one of those conditions are met. No offense, I did serve in England, and applies to anyone in the world, I sometimes think some people have been on welfare for too long it's affecting their IQ.

So why the bad? The short answer is to create a contrast so we can know good from bad. Have you ever tried to explain to a child why something is bad and they just can't seem to see the picture until they live through it? Yeah, that's where we are at. Lehi taught this principle of opposites when similar issues emerged during his family's pilgrimage in the wilderness (2 Nephi 2:11). Many people underestimate the importance of knowing both sides of the coin through experience. Even the Lord Himself went through the mortal experience to prepare Him to be the ultimate comforter for all the trials we face in life (Alma 7:12). The allegory (well, actually a story by Boyd K. Packer) of describing what salt tastes like is an example of limitation of knowing about something without actually knowing how something feels.

Two of the main drive home points of being here on Earth are choosing to love God (Moses 7:33) and love our neighbors and ourselves (Mark 12:31). Jesus taught that principle Himself when he was approached and questioned. At the Waters of Mormon, we read about the baptismal covenant of mourning with those who mourn and comfort those who are in need of it (Mosiah 18:9). When someone is a victim, it is our duty to do what we can to be that support when we are able.

Back to being cynical... Does it ever occur to the naysayers that when someone's down and in need of a hand, it is the perfect opportunity to show love to our neighbor? Or is cursing God for something we signed up for best we can do? Each stumbling block in the path of humanity is another way to practice our virtues and grow spiritually as well as in absolute truths/knowledge of the universe. While God, on occasions, does wave His omnipotent hand and make things right, that is not always productive to our progress on Earth. Necessity has been one of the driving force behind scientific advancement and enlightenment. Many of us are able to help a neighbor because of resources or skills that we possess. If you ask me, I can't think of a more efficient plan to cover this many aspects of spiritual fundamentals in one lifetime than the way God has set things up. The knowledge we obtain in this life is crucial for our advancement in the next life after the resurrection (D&C 130:19).

To understand the points I've presented thus far, a humorous way to approach it for you, the audience, is to watch an episode of Futurama called Godfellas. It features Bender being the "god" of a tiny civilization and eventually meets the God Entity that taught Bender the balance between doing too little and too much for people, which always result in everyone complaining regardless of the outcome (see the whole Book of Exodus and Israelites reactions to all blessings and lack of them throughout the journey). So, the God Entity winds up letting everyone choose to do whatever unless he has to be involved. Basically, the only episode of that show that made me think about how we should put ourselves in His shoes for once. Like I've said before, this whole mortal existence is about education.

A very wise person once said, "we are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin)

Many people also scuff at the idea of prayer because it offers no substance. It's true, I don't just pray to my Heavenly Father and suddenly a bag of money falls from the sky. Please, dispute not because ye see not (Ether 12:6). Miracle is not always an instantaneous magical eraser of problems the last time I checked. It can be, but it's not always in an instant. You'll never know when or where someone will be placed in the right location to alleviate the pain of another. God doesn't cease to do miracles unless we stop believing that He does miracles (Mormon 9:19-20).

By this point, the best course of action is to do what you are able to or willing. That's one of the greatest things about this trial-filled mortality. The Lord consecrate our performance for our own good when act prayerfully (2 Nephi 32:39).

With that, I close my post. Cheers!

Editorial: Expectation vs. Reality

Recently, I had a chance to read a Huffington Post article about Generation Y and how unhappy they are at their stage in life. I have to admit, the author brought up some valid points; however, political and social changes since our parents' days also impacted our lives immensely. You can find the article here.

Many of my friends have positive outlooks notwithstanding this downed economy. In fact, most of them believe they will land in their dream jobs. There's nothing wrong with a good attitude. Being a self-proclaimed realist, I tend to have lower expectations; however, this doesn't mean I don't have high goals. Let's face it, I am not a "smiler" you see around campus.

I will briefly sum up my thoughts about the article.

The article claims that the main driving force behind young adults' dissatisfaction in life is unrealistic expectations. I can attest to that somewhat because I know many people who expect a high paying job straight out of college. If happiness = reality - expectations, I would assume most of us would be disappointed. I, for one, haven't done well in the dream department because I don't always reach or exceed my goals.

Does that make me depressed? Well, at first. It's especially discouraging when I compare myself to some of my better performing peers. Then, you look at your parents or people their age who have/had successful careers and you feel absolutely worthless. Later, I realized I should question the amount of effort I put into whatever I do. Geniuses and smart people exist, but many of the classmates I know who do really well have put forth tons of hours into studying and perfecting their crafts. The take home message: work harder and stop comparing yourself to others constantly. We should learn to appreciate our own metaphoric pasture we spend time nursing and only use others as a reference point for possibilities. Oh, social media is totally not an accurate portrayal of people's lives.

Another important point I took out of the article is chronological. It took me some time to understand that most people didn't just go from college graduate to making $200,000 a year in a blink of an eye. This is when unrealistic expectations set in again. A little research tells me my parents did not start with six-digit salaries straight out of school. In fact, that didn't even happen for the first decade of their careers. Point being, you would have to be a very innovative person or someone with extraordinary skillsets to climb the dollar tree that quickly.

My personal opinion on salaries: I should stop expecting ridiculous items that's only good for showing off. Just cover the bases and we'll work from there. A step at a time.

Attitude is another thing you'll notice in the article. It's true that everyone is special (but is everyone useful? Haha!), but I do believe we let it get to our heads sometimes. Instead of an enabling attitude to overcome obstacles, it has somewhat devolved into the entitlement clause. Yeah, there are plenty of people who think they deserve better when they don't meet the cut.

That's as far as I go when it comes to agreeing with the author on the horrific work ethics of my generation.

A different economic atmosphere does impact the industries. In addition, schooling was much more affordable 30 or 40 years ago compared to the last decade or two. As much as the media play up on the "socialism" fear, it was because of government programs that created opportunities for average joes and janes for them to emerge as the middle class. Unfortunately, our leaders have decided that they want to go a different direction by stop subsidizing higher education, trades, etc. as time progressed and put forth full effort into sustaining the ailing Social Security program along with the broken Medicaid system.

Back home in Pennsylvania, I've heard many cries for more monetary support our K-12 education. I never believed money can solve everything. Pouring oil into a broken engine won't make it run smoother. My concern has always been not knowing where exactly the funds go (or they report something ridiculous like $2000 for a picnic table). Teachers should be paid well. But, when teachers' salary can match or exceed the average local income, I think there's something to be said about the situation. Not to mention, it wasn't too many years ago when I heard of investigations on certain high profile characters in the system.

Arguably, the Baby Boomers are the backbone of the voting population (along with people who are probably have too much free time due to various reasons that won't be gone over here). With a party system that only cares about getting elected, you wonder why officials are less American than a legal immigrant.

Bottom line is, I can see there are some underlying issues with young folks today. Although, I highly doubt scrutinizers from the previous generation can draw a blanket statement about everyone. Too many factors are involved and it's hard to say who would do better in each situation.

I do believe, however, that we should all forge our own destinies and stop imagining greener pastures with flowers and a unicorn vomiting rainbow in your backyard too soon. It'll come, but probably not right away.

Hastening The Work: A Member's Story

Guess who are the investigators?

For decades, many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have heard the familiar cry of David O. Mckay stating that every member a missionary. Even till today, this phrase has continually shown up in numerous talks and General Conferences.

Like I mentioned in my previous post, the lowered missionary age requirement highlighted, among other hot topics, this theme which we now call "hastening the work". It's no novel concept, but there seems to be a heightened sense of urgency.

I don't remember where I read this, but I recall at some point Neal A. Maxwell mentioned that it is us that's holding back the Second Coming of Christ by not properly prepare the way of The Lord in His earthly kingdom. This goes back to the mission statement of the Church: to invite all to come unto Christ (D&C 20:59). Naturally, this encompasses preaching the Gospel, perfecting the saints, and redeeming the dead.

Focusing on the members' side of things, I'm sure most of us have been constantly reminded of duties like home teaching, temple ordinances, etc. They'll be topics for another time. Although it's been nearly four years since I've been off my mission, I've observed how members can shape and influence missionary work. This will be a "how I should respond when I see this" column. I'll describe a scenario and then write down potential actions to resolve the said situation.

Scenario: hard working missionaries not being productive
Potential Actions:

• Offer missionaries advice - not condescendingly, not without some tack and conversation skills. I have served a mission. I'm sure I have some decent ideas (like those missionaries that did the chalk drawings in New York) if the current proselyting methods aren't bringing forth fruit.
• Referrals - this has to be done over time (or get lucky). I don't want to shove a friend into the missionaries out of nowhere. There's a reason why we don't put our candles under a bushel. I should be an example to my friends and neighbors (Matt 5:15).

Scenario: recent converts go inactive
Actions:

• Look inwardly - ask myself, "did I fellowship or were at least friendly to the new convert during the whole investigatory process?" It baffles me when members make unfair remarks against these people. To be frank, it's attacking the recent covert's integrity, making implications about the missionaries, ward mission leader, and even the bishop/branch president. Be a helping hand in the process, not rain in a parade.
• See it as opportunity - many people think preaching the Gospel is purely accomplished by full-time missionaries and home teaching/visiting teaching is the member version of this work. Well, in this case, it can go beyond them. Keeping up with my Book of Mormon readings (or just the baptismal covenant), we soon realize we all put our shoulders to the wheel (Mosiah 18:8-10). Now, it's up to the members to do the rescue.

Scenario: hungry missionaries

Actions:

• A snack - no need to feed them a meal when it's not feasible. Never hurts to buy them a drink or a snack, though. Not all missionaries go hungry, in fact, some gain weight and there are places where members love stuffing them. For me, I was a measly 120 pounds on my mission...I'm 150 now and I don't know where I can lose that 30 pounds.
• Coupons - that I never seem to use. Missionaries already have little money. If possible, I'm down with offering minimal assistance in this matter.
• Money - a shout out to the Plymouth Ward when the Relief Society came up with the idea to give the four missionaries some spending money. It was a gesture that prolonged my lifespan by a wide margin, in addition to the Hazells' generosity. Point being, this is something I don't have to do alone.

When Jesus told the Apostles to go forth without scrip, etc., the verses were then followed by abiding in the dwellings of those who would or have received the good news (various places in the Four Gospels). Definitely not manna falling from the sky. So, little temporal assistance is always appreciated and needed.

Scenario: proselyte with missionaries

Actions:

• Remember who I am - nobody likes a pushy weirdo without a tag. I would let the missionaries lead the approach and offer my bit of assistance. I've served a mission, I can do this. Although, I do wonder when will be the next time I'll have free time to do this again once I graduate. Probably not until retirement.
• Be firm - and not overbearing (Alma 38:12). This goes back to the pushy weirdo with no name tag above. It is common courtesy. It somewhat irked me during an instance when a member who was supposed to help alongside of us became mere nuisance and hindrance. Not to mention, aggravating random strangers on the road is usually not the best idea.

The list would extend indefinitely if I sit here typing all night. Whenever I see something happening, I tend to wonder if I could, or would, do something different. The above-mentioned scenarios are a few things I've put some thought into, but haven't necessarily put into actions as of yet. Regardless, setting goals is a way I can progress because I have a direction to march towards.

Motherhood Is Not Overrated

It's funny because everyone has to learn and/or improvise.

It's been a year since the mission age requirement for both young men and women was lowered. With the lowering of age and increased prominence of sister missionaries worldwide, there have been some interesting social movements around as well. In particular, I've noticed some more Mormon feminist activities.

I'm all for equal opportunities and equality regardless of gender, race, etc. However, I could never align myself 100% with that ideology.

Of course, feminism is defined as collection of movements and ideologies aimed to define, establishing, defending equal political, economical, and social rights for women. Sounds awesome, right? Well, just like any other ideology practiced by people, sometimes they go the extreme or beyond the purpose of what it should have been in the first place. Believe me, everything sounds good on paper, but not so much in practice. I'm sure many of you can think of feminist supporters who hold the idea that women are superior and that we should reverse the discrimination in the other direction instead.

This past Conference, I noted the talks by D. Todd Christofferson and Neil L. Andersen. They were about women's roles and the influence they have on society as a whole. I believe those talks were sparked by the most recent demands on ordination of women. What does this has to do with the title of the post? I will get to that in a moment. I've thought about this topic before the October Conference, and I was glad the issue was addressed.

Motherhood and the nurturing of children have been mainstays of human interactions for women probably since the dawn of time. While men could also take roles in such bonding, I guess it's just different due to myriads of factors I'm not going to list here. Basically, mothers tend to spend more time with children ; thus, socialization of children happens at home and especially by the mothers.

Unfortunately, as sexist notions rose among the population, the domestic duties performed by women were ridiculed and portrayed in negative light by (mostly) men. Then, centuries of oppression continued until educated minds came to their senses and felt degrading half of the human population was definitely not the best way to build a society.

An even more unfortunate turn of events is the notion that what women do in the home is practically meaningless. The idea that domestic chores, nurturing children, being a support character in the family, etc. are but shackles to a woman's potential. In a sense, they are partially correct. When a woman is only offered these choices, it is undoubtedly limiting. I believe a woman should be able to choose to have a career and/or focus on family life. Agency and opportunity should have been the main focus of the feminist movement.

Hilariously, much of the feminist movement focuses on what men arbitrarily labeled as insignificant when it comes to a woman's important role in the family. The sense that women should stay away from family pursuits, women should be like men and do everything like men or better.

Who suffer in the end? The next generation. The paradox here is almost everyone still expects men to go out and have a career while the new women are often encouraged to stay away from home life or even take on both roles as breadwinner and a mother. I have to admit, it is very difficult to sustain a family based on a single income in today's economy, but many proponents of the breadwinner mother seem to prefer the idea the mother takes all the responsibilities on herself. She doesn't need a man. She can do just as well.

Well, how about that? A woman doesn't need a man for anything because she can do it herself. Guess who's liberated in the end? Men. (It totally made my day when Elder Christofferson brought that up.) The irony, then, is we are fighting for equality not based on revealed principles, but what the ever-shifting world has to say about importance, which often fortifies itself behind materialism and the currently not-so-hot economy.

In one of Paul's letters, he taught neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord (1 Cor. 11:11). No one achieves exaltation alone. Eve was to be a help meet to Adam. In fact, we learn that Eve labored with Adam to bring about the human family (Gen. 2:18; Moses 5:1). The point being, they worked together. While it's been speculated that Adam performed more of a provider role and Eve in nurturing children, but I'm sure it was not 100% one way or the other. Most happily married couples I know have overlapping duties while one partner focused more in one responsibility than the other.

Satan is clever. By driving men and women apart, he effectively drives families apart and frustrates the progression of many. Yes, he wouldn't win in the long run, but the point is to make as many people to fall short of celestial glory as possible because he wants them to be as miserable as himself (2 Ne. 2:18).

So, to give you my opinion on ordination of women... I believe when the time is right, the Lord will reveal what He will. We are taught in the temple that the wife is the priestess unto the husband. I'm sure there's some profound meaning behind that phrase. Regardless, the phrase also suggests it's different from the priesthood men hold to bless others. I don't know what the implication is because I'm only a mortal, but I do know that both genders are different by nature.

Everyone is NOT the same. If we were, most of us would have gladly followed Lucifer in the rebellion instead of going along with the Father's original plan. Life is about choices and everyone, men and women, are entitled to pursue what they want in this journey. However, don't ever underestimate the importance of the role of mother in a family. Trust me, if my mom didn't raise me a certain way, I wouldn't be the way I am today. Just because it's not your cup of tea doesn't mean it's not important. Your own personal Zion is not exactly the same as everyone else's.

Doubt Your Doubts

The 183rd Semiannual General Conference

It's that time again! Every six months, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opens up its global broadcasting capability for General Conference, a time when members all over the world gather and listen to inspired messages.

Thanks to the convenience of the Internet, I was able to stay at home and enjoy the experience with my roommates.

Anyways, it looks like I'll probably be spending this month writing about topics that impressed me the most during Conference.

I've always enjoyed Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk since the day I discovered his awesome German accent and intriguingly good looking hair for his age. The message he delivered is best quoted as "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith". I chose to write about this message first because it resonates deeply with where I came from in life as a convert to the Church.

President Uchtdorf counselled members to hold steadfast to the words of eternal life because we are part of the restored church of Jesus Christ. There are many people who have left due to struggles with challenges or even unkind behaviors from its members. However complicated the reasons are for leaving, he urged us to stay and consecrate our talents for the greater good of the Kingdom of God on Earth.

When Jesus said that no man could come unto Him except it were given of him by the Father, many disciples walked with him no more because they believed not in His teachings. Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked if they would also go away. To which, Peter answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:65-67). Peter knew He was the Messiah.

But, we can't compare mortals to The Master. Yes, people are imperfect and operations under human hands also are imperfect. This is more the reason why we should all consecrate our efforts to make sure the establishment functions the way as it is intended. Like Peter mentioned, if we have, or had, the conviction to believe this is the true church of Christ restored upon the Earth in the latter days, where else would we go to hold steadfast and endure to the end?

Echoing from my previous post, are we overconfident to the point that we believe we can make it on our own by our own self-proclaimed proficiency in following the Spirit? The Lord gave people weaknesses so they can be humble, and in meekness, they are made strong (Ether 12:27). It is said that no man is an island, and I believe there's wisdom in that saying. We easily wind up relying on the arm of the flesh when we go solo, not to mention that we'd most likely stop loving our neighbors altogether.

I could have turned my back on so many occasions due to trials or certain "unfairness" in life that caught up with me. To this day, I still stand by my mantra that I am ultimately accountable for my own actions. I sure did not join the Church because of social comfort, special privileges, or some cute girl that happened to be Mormon. My loyalty and faith lie with God and it was restored when I was introduced to His restored teachings. I will be part of His organization and contribute to the cause.

As a man of minority myself, I've had plenty of people dislike me simply because of the color of my skin and physical appearance. It's of no matter because I know there are good and bad in every groups of people. As for challenging the legitimacy or capability of leaders, my take has always been should they be wrong, Jesus Himself will deal with them when He returns. It is of no concern to me.

Some people would point out some of the "blatantly wrong" things that happen/happened in the Church. To them, I'll respond with what the Lord has spoken many times in the Doctrine and Covenants. It is the eleventh hour and we've been called to labor in the vineyard one last time before the great harvest. I am certain the Church will not go astray to the point of leading men into mass apostasy before the Savior returns. Remember, doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith!

Overconfidence

A couple of Sundays ago, our Elder's Quorum President, Brenton, gave a talk about being lax and too comfortable as Saints as time passes. The topic is more than relevant in a YSA setting.

Typically, once you have become familiar with a routine, you naturally become less invested emotionally. When put that in a gospel perspective, it signifies an underlying danger that's waiting to happen.

The allegory Brenton gave during his talk was mountain biking. I'm sure that applies to all extreme sports. When a novice is just starting out, the said person is unlikely to perform reckless actions due to the lack of experience. However, over time, that gradually changes as the novice improves and becomes a veteran in the game. Brenton used his close to death experience to relate to a lax attitude in the journey of discipleship. He almost rammed into a tree because he was so confident that he could handle the trail by himself. Little did he know, there were things that he could not control and it resulted in a near fatal experience.

We often hear in sacrament, Sunday schools, and even our respective groups, etc. that we should pray always and read the scriptures daily. These are even commandments from the Lord Himself. As time passes and we hear the same message again and again, we became complacent, thinking that we've already got all the basics covered. In reality, we are slowly slipping away when we put more and more "I know" before "I do". It's great to have the knowledge about the gospel, but it is more important to live it.

I remember the zeal I had when I was first baptized. Over the years, I admit that I don't have the same fiery desire to always check on myself to make sure I'm doing all the basics that every member has been asked to do. That doesn't mean I'm a horrible person, but that certainly indicates I'm not doing as well as I should be. The point being, we don't want to be in a state of carnal security (2 Nephi 28:21). You see it happen in the Church quite often. This can range from that married couple who thinks their temple sealing is the end all be all of progression to some people who says they believe, but feel like it's okay to let off a little slack because they've been following the commandments for so long.

That is the wrong attitude. I find myself trying to pray earnestly and read my scriptures daily, but the limited amount of time on my hands often pushes me otherwise. Regardless, we aren't expected to run faster than we have strength (D&C 10:4). I suppose we have the tendency to either do too little or do too much at a given time. Perhaps baby steps, though as embarrassing as it is in YOUR own mind, are the best place to start.

Nobody should be judging you for the choices you make to progress towards a better you. I'll take my time and do the best I can. Remember, perfection is not the requirement in this lifetime, but it certainly feels great to know where your limit lies and push beyond it.

Lessons From Roommates: Conflicts

Looks familiar?

I'm sure y'all enjoyed last week's entry because it was the most popular and perhaps the happiest one I've ever written. Hate to disappoint you folks, but this week's topic is not as auspicious. In fact, it is the exact opposite.

I felt it was appropriate to write about this topic while we blow over the last BYU vs. Utah game for several years and listening to my 50's-60's music playlist.

I'm going to talk about a common occurrence with the people you live with: conflict. The following event happened a couple of weeks ago. I've described myself as the "angry uncle" of the house before. However, this is probably the first time I went all-out yelling at a housemate because I was sick and tired of his messiness and inconsideration. Just a spoiler, we did resolve this peacefully and everything has been running smoothly, with a few minor kinks here and there, since the confrontation.

A quick background: I'm in the MLS program here at BYU, so I'm rather busy most of the times. (Ironically, I actually sleep more than I did in previous semesters and even this past summer break.) One night, I wanted to cook some dinner and take a break from studying. Like usual, the sink had a variety of used utensils in it. I haven't complained too much about doing the dishes since I'm the person who's usually home upstairs. My two other roommates (there are actually six of us; three downstairs and three up) usually help along if I ask them too.

That very night, I planned on washing a few of those dishes and move on to dinner. Suddenly, I realized the water was filling up. We don't have a garbage disposal for our sink, so filling up was always a bad sign. I quickly moved some of the dirty stuff aside and tried to figure out what was obstructing the drain. When I did, I found...POTATO PEELS. Loads of them. Naturally, due to stress and somewhat lack of sleep, I flipped out and spent the next half an hour trying to clear the drain. I had a clear idea who was the culprit.

When the said culprit returned home, I went into rage mode. I will spare you the details of the horrible things I've said. We are guys and close friends for the most part; this tactic is not recommended for the roommate you barely know or if you are a woman with female roommates. The gist of my angry outburst was how I didn't mind washing the dishes, but I get pissed off when things get complicated because I don't have very much free time to deal with shenanigans. After insulting (truthfully) and point out every single ridiculousness he's pulled around the house plus threats of physical violence, I let him know that I was only angry because I cared and most people wouldn't bother confronting him and would simply consider him a slob or a prick in the long run.

Of course, I did apologize to him later on. I related the incident with some of my other roommates. My (second) cousin pointed out that the culprit would eventually learn since he's 22, to which I dismissed as bull crap. The Voice of Reason, however, told me how I always occupied the living room upstairs with my stuff.

To understand that comment, you would have to understand about Miller, where we lived last year. Yes, the dreaded Miller Apartments. The apartment space there were so small (for six people) that if my cousin was in the room we shared, I would essentially have no room for myself. That was not a fat joke. There was simply not enough room to maneuver unless I wanted to sit on my bed and do my homework, etc. That, has never been efficient for me.

Anyways, it would appear that I didn't break the habit when we moved into the more spacious "Pinecone". When I first heard it from that roommate, I immediately retorted with nobody in the house ever told me about it (the truth was, they probably did at some point, but I spaced). He responded he didn't want to start an  argument with me too.

I realized then, that there are many times in our lives we don't get approached or approaching others about their "annoying" behaviors. We allow a person to continue his/her little menacing with no apprehension. The result? The said person is hated by more people in the future due to the same thing. While I don't recommend going around to strangers and voice your opinions about their behaviors all the time, I do believe this apply to people we know very well.

How is this relevant? Parents these days often do this. They don't tell their children no. I'm not talking about the right and wrong. I'm talking about certain social and courtesy cues. A blog post I've read a while back touched base with similar situations where ignorance gave off the illusion that an entire city was being mean and rude to you when it's really you that's the problem. Remember the NYC stereotype? Perhaps you should read about it here.

What did I learn from this episode? Having close friends as roommates is the perfect time to find character flaws and improve. Whether it's you or your roommates, having the experience definitely allows you to take a closer examination at your own selves. For me, little realizations like this could help me with future roommate situations when I graduate and maybe even marriage.

Don't be afraid to speak out to those you are close to or love. It'll save you a lot of awkward or heated confrontations with someone else (or the above mentioned persons) later. Sometimes, it's not easy to see what you are doing is actually bothering people.

It's a Magical Week!

Ammon and Julie are now engaged!

Well, maybe not so much for me than for my wonderful roommate, Ammon. On Sept. 12, 2013, he officially proposed to the one and only Julie. We are happy for them and hope to put out more stories of them for their wedding in December.

You may be thinking: what does this has to do with me and the price of oil in the Middle East? I generally don't outline something unless it has some significance in my journey of progression. I'm not trying to be boastful or anything, but I am glad to have had a hand in this turn out, along with my other roommates and others who might have contributed to this great occasion (aside from the main protagonists in the pictures, obviously).

I won't go over the details of my conversations with Ammon before his commitment towards the wonderful lady to the left, but the gist of it goes like this:

Marriage is hard work. We can spend our whole life looking for that "perfect" person, but perfection simply does not exist (or maybe some people are that lucky and I've never heard of them). It's always going to involve work. The real question, then, is not so much about who you marry, but how much effort you are willing to put forth into the relationship to make it work. Don't get me wrong, the type of person you choose still do matter because that can either increase your workload or ease it. You marry who you think is the "perfect" companion; there's work. You marry someone who has nothing but mutual attraction for you; there's work, except there's going to be tons more of it to make it a happy marriage. This is the principle.

With that principle in mind...

When good ol' Spencer W. Kimball said that everyone can marry anyone and produce a happy marriage, he wasn't kidding. He didn't mean two persons come together and keep doing the same things they did when they were single. There are very few people, if any, that can walk into a marriage without changing their habits, problems, etc.

Perhaps one of the greatest issue with marriage today is the fact that more people are becoming selfish. More and more people want to stay the way they are and expect the other person to accommodate their lifestyles. Or, there's a bump in the road; a challenge and they simply give up. That simply won't work. Maybe you should ask the people in stable marriages about how they kept theirs working. Divorce is never the answer unless abuse and life-threatening situations are involved. Personally, I think I've picked up a few tips for the time I'm at that stage of life.

You've gained Karma!

It's ironic that I'm talking about marriage when I'm single and not dating anyone (for the moment). Regardless, through this little episode, I've gained karma!

The First Week: A Quick Rerview

The campus is alive again!

A series events led to a rather inspirational realization this week, but since it's the start of the school year, I felt it's probably better to give a brief synopsis of my semester. This way, you'll have a better perspective to the things I will write about for the rest of the school year.

Due to my insane schedule in the last year of the medical laboratory science program, I'm limiting myself to four to eight posts per month. However, this past summer, I've made a goal to write meaningful posts instead of mere summaries all the time, so I won't necessarily meet the minimum four posts each month.

I have two exams each week! This may sound ridiculous, but it's TRUE! I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for my major. In addition to that, I'm in class from 08:00 to 18:00 Monday through Thursday with anywhere from two to three hours of break in between. I'll spend at least three hours each day in the labs. Fortunately, I like all my courses. It is just daunting to remember all the facts for each week's examinations. Perhaps the only saving grace is that the things I'm learning are not super difficult concepts.

As much as my department discourages me working 17 hours a week, I have no choice if I were to support myself. I would rather not be in the red for the next four months. At least I got a raise again, so that should supplement some of the expenses for the next few months until the Holidays hit.

Provo Temple

I finished this week with a rare excursion to the temple. My roommates and I figured that we won't be able to attend the temple regularly when we saw our schedules. It was a soothing experience for me. Of course, the decision to go to the temple was met with some interesting confrontations the night before on Thursday. Luckily, my roommates and I turned a negative experience into a constructive one. I'll elaborate on it in the next entry, hopefully.

When I came out from the temple, I beheld the Utah Lake. I've forgotten how beautiful the lake looks when sunlight is shining through the clouds, creating rays piercing through the sky. A side note, the Utah Lake itself is actually quite dirty, but this just shows how participating in temple activities can shift your perception more positively.

For a first week of school, it was packed. I feel as if I'm behind already. Nevertheless, I know I can get through it. The long soul-searching I've done throughout the summer and the spiritual example of a great friend on her mission has changed my own perspective for the better. I believe it has been a progressive year so far.

It's the Little Things

Yeah, I work here.

As school draws near, I found myself working for 40 hours a week at my current employment. Many of you already know that I work for BYU Broadcasting part-time. Since the migration and consolidation of its multiple departments, BYUB continued to improve its operations and products.

That's not the reason why I'm tired, though. I'm tired because I'm not getting enough sleep. While it's probably easy for me to take a quick nap overnight, somehow that wouldn't end up ethical in the long run. Luckily, the trend will only last for one more week as another semester's new schedule will take over.

I am also participating in New Student Orientation (NSO) again for fall as a Y-group Leader. Due to the understaffed situation during the interim period, finding replacements for your shifts isn't as easy as it normally would. Thus, I am ready for the total lack of sleep next week as I tackle overnight shifts and NSO simultaneously.

That's what it feels like every time!

Why did I do this to myself? There are several reasons. Let's just say whenever when I have to collect serum samples from the mice in Dr. B's lab, I feel like I've lost karma. So, to make myself feel better, I go off volunteering for some things. It's a personal quirk. I don't have any reason to stand behind it beyond that, so there's no debate here.

Fatigue can make me feel unappreciative for the things I have in my life. Fortunately for me, I have housemates that remind me what matters in life. Sometimes it's the little things. Coming back from grocery shopping, I distinctly remember sitting down at the kitchen table and just have the overwhelming feeling of gladness for being able to put food on the table.

Which comes to the point: my life has been pretty good and it can become better if I choose to because I'm currently living in a situation where this is possible with a little effort. I understand sometimes we don't share that sentiments or even the belief that there's anything to be thankful for, but it is a principle that has been passed down through many cultures for who knows how long.

King Benjamin talked about thanking God for all that we have during his discourse (Mosiah 2). More prominently, the account of Luke when Jesus healed the lepers and only one expressed his gratitude towards the Savior (Luke 17:16-17). Like it or not, there aren't many things in this life that's made possible through our own strength alone.

This may come across as insignificant to some of you, but try it for once. Be grateful about something, to whatever deity you believe in, or at the very least, recognizing a convenience you've had that a good portion of the people on this planet don't. Maybe you'll see life differently that way.

I hate comparing my life to less fortunate people just to make me feel good, but there are times we need reality checks. This is especially true for someone like me who lives in the United States where there are less excuses to blame our poor performances and lack of personal accountability.

Being thankful for what you have will hopefully make you appreciate the things around you a little more.

I remember now: we enter into His gate with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name (Psalm 100:4).

Sometimes Needed Self Evaluation

What a summer! It baffles me somewhat to think four months came and went just like that. It felt like yesterday when summer break started for me and my housemates. I can hardly believe this will be my last school year here at BYU. It's about time, really. Time to move on to other things in life. Since it is also my half birthday today, I figured I should contemplate about my life for a bit. After all, having a quarter-life crisis is the big thing in the 21st century.

Despite of all that I did this summer--household projects, trips, etc.--I still felt somewhat unproductive. It's perplexing at first because I even kept up an exercise routine and even worked for free in the research lab (thanks a lot 29-hour rule that prevents me from working another on campus job). Then again, my sleep schedule has been so sporadic, the fatigue gets in the way of optimal function. It is difficult to appreciate all that you do (or have) when you are left wondering why you've committed to make your life uneasy.

Remember this?

As part of my summer goals, I've also implemented progress for spirituality. Sometimes, the secular world just doesn't make you feel good after prolonged exposure. I took some time and revisited the Attribute Activity found in Preach my Gospel. I'm sure most of you who have served a mission understand what I'm talking about. Oh, and it's on page 126 in case you are not sure where to look for it.

I'll admit, I actually uses this page to reevaluate myself from time to time to see where I stand, and I try to improve myself over time. The efficiency of that is another story.

I don't want to sound pretentious or prideful, but watching one of my best friends on a mission makes me want to be a better person because of the progress I've witnessed thus far in her character and development. It's not a competition, but it's always nice to have a bar, a standard, to set for short-term or even immediate long-term goals.

Granted, I've been off my mission for over three years and the spiritual high has not climaxed in comparison since then. I know I am still a better person than before the whole experience. Going through my scribbles and whatnot, there's still a long journey ahead of me. Fortunately, there has been some improvement along the way.

Discipleship is a journey in itself. We are commanded to be perfect, even as our Lord is perfect (3 Nephi 12:48). I'll probably feel like a lesser man until the day I can carve out something for myself, but I have no doubt that I can achieve whatever necessary through His blessings. Patience is a virtue (Romans 8:25).

Till I blog again,

Adieu

Cleanliness

A clean kitchen...for now.

I've been busy with other things lately, so I haven't spent as much time documenting my life and thoughts over on the Internet. Fortunately, I still do mini-snippets of journal entries on my phone since I last mentioned the Day One app.

As far as work and studying goes, I work for 40 hours a week for the rest of the month. I delayed taking the MCAT because I didn't feel ready, but got lucky and received more review materials instead. Needless to say, the new found sources contain information I did not know before; therefore, gladness filled my heart.

My other venture was attempting to finish Fallout: New Vegas, which I managed after putting in 150+ hours in the past six weeks I owned it. It's a once-in-a-while hobby, so don't judge. I certainly don't look down on the other things you do for fun. Since I finished it, I am certain the gaming streak won't return until this winter break.

As August presses on, school is inevitably closing in. We will have a late start this year, and this is supplemented by a much shorter winter break at the end of the semester. Like most housing management, my housemates and I received the lovely notice of a cleaning check a while back. We aren't too worried because we keep the place clean for the most part.

I did some cleaning in the upstairs kitchen this afternoon. I remembered the days on my mission when I moved to a new area, I always clean the place out first. This was followed by the area books. Back in high school, I wasn't the biggest about cleaning up around me, especially when they were chores required of me. However, I must note that most of the filth I had to deal with back home was dust, which seemed trivially menial compared to the clutter that was around the house.

Anyways, I dislike a dirty environment. I firmly believe the saying "cleanliness is next to godliness". I'm not going to pretend that I expect my current dwelling with my friends to be spotless and sparkling new, but there's still a standard to the amount of clutter and filth I can stand before I take action and "convince" one of two of the guys to assist me in the matter. After all, I am the "angry uncle" in the house.

This leads to a talk given by President Gordon B. Hinckley back in 1996. It is said that those who bore the vessels of the Lord needed to be clean (D&C 133:5). This not only includes outwardly appearance, but also our conduct, mind, etc. Obviously, it's not always possible to remain physically clean. The point being the principle of that desire, that drive, that allows us to pursue that cleanliness through the atonement of the Savior.

If you are interested, you can find the talk here.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. A lot of it has to do with the future. I don't have fears for the future per se. I do, however, have wondered how I would handle certain situations if I were to have a career, family, spouse, etc. Well, imagination can only get you so far, but I do believe having an idea is totally better than jumping into the unknown all of the sudden when the time arises.

From my little cleaning experience today, I know what I want my living quarters to be like down the road. An outward manifestation that should also include an inward devotion. I remember why I made the choices I've chosen and I think they have worked out pretty well so far thanks to divine providence.

It's near the middle of August. It is my goal to also share my thoughts with the Internet at least four times a month. I believe I can reach that goal. Thank you all who have been reading my musings thus far. There will be more to come!

Weeks Notice

After a few weeks of absence, I'm glad I am back on the blogging world. I've worked some long hours and hit the wall while at it. For those who don't know my day-to-day routine, I haven't stopped working during and between the school year in order to support myself in all my expenses. Naturally, this also means that there would be the eventual fatigue-induced scenarios some time during the year. When that happens, I simply sit back and stop doing things that are not related to work, church, etc. Usually, I recuperate just fine like today.

237 years old!

Since July is a month of celebrations, I took some time to think about what it means to be American and a pioneer in the latter days. In case you are not familiar with Pioneer's Day, it's a state holiday that happens in Utah.

Let's face it, America is not perfect, but it has come a long way to provide the opportunities for social, political, and even economic mobility. Being an American should have been an ideal. It is unfortunate that many harbor the feeling that immigrants are not welcome when their ancestors were immigrants, malicious ones when you look at the treatment of Native Americans, as well.

I'm not going to deny the fact that discrimination still exists. I certainly wouldn't put it down as the first reason why someone has something against me. Your life is a lot more miserable when you constantly believe that every person has some sort of prejudice against you. In fact, you would be the one with bias and intolerance towards others. I would like people to remember that discrimination happens in all countries. No single ethnicity is solely responsible for the hate.

Also, USA can only be as strong as the people who live in it. If you have bad work ethics and low aims in life, when majority of the people think like you, it's over for this mighty nation.

Proud to be an American! Although it still baffles me why we vote in idiots into the office all the time. I believe that's a social-political discussion for another time.

As for being a pioneer, it is not only fitting figuratively for the themes of the month, but also literally in the 21st Century. Much of the world believes that most, if not all, traditional values are now obsolete. There are also many members who find fitting into the world today is a great challenge. They are correct. It is when there are so many pressures to steer us away from values we hold dear.

The point being, our generation is trying to adapt and discover ways to be in the world, but not of it. I can honestly say that I haven't gotten that figured out because I live in the bubble known as Provo. While I dwell on the issue, I will also enjoy the fact that I don't have to deal with the complexity of the real world yet.

While we are on the subject of values and whatnot, I would also like to take detour to talk about the recent changes to missionaries having access to the Internet to spread the word. I was initially skeptical about the idea because we know there will be goofballs that screw up. After all, we are only human and we make mistakes. If anything, I thought it would have been a distraction.

After observing the trend for about two months, I realize it can do much good. I'm not talking solely about the impact on investigators. I've personally found some of the inspirational LDS messages from one of my best friends (yes, she's a missionary) very timely and useful. Then, I realized little things like this can actually allow missionaries to not only preach the gospel, but also strengthen the saints at the same time.

It could also be laziness on my part. The more likely story, however, is how we've been conditioned to filter out "spam" when our friends share something over social networks. I think having the status as a missionary may have a different tone. I'm not sure, I'll let you know when I collect more data.

I was going to talk about Mormons in the media, but this post is getting too long. I'll have to fill you in next time!

Day One: A Brief Look

Recently, a friend of mine, Jarrod, shared the app named Day One on Facebook. After learning that it is a journal/logging app, I decided to give it a try.

For non-Mac users, the only other way to obtain this FREE app is through iPad and iPhone.

Being part of the Mormon culture, journal-keeping is a common trend among its membership. I didn't start keeping a journal until my mission. Frankly, that ended soon after the mission. It was then picked up during the summer of 2011 when I started this blog, but the contents and direction of this blog have since changed to be less and less of a weekly journal.  Given that I currently own a smart phone, I've been digitizing many of my daily routines.

I've been using the iOS version for about a week now and I'm just going to briefly show you its features.

The main menu is simple. Just looking at the screenshot to the left, it is very straight forward. Either large button allows you to start a new post, it's just that one starts you off with a photo and the other starts you off with text. You can choose photos from your library or take one yourself and paste that onto your new entry.

The rest of the lines are self-explanatory as well. The Timeline allows you to scroll through all the entries you've written from a chronological basis. There is a search function at the top of the Timeline as well!

Photos show you all the pictures you've used so far in a two-column fashion.

Tags can arrange from alphabetical to most frequently used. I personally find the "most used" feature interesting because I can then figure out what's on my mind the most.

Calendar offers a different view of the Timeline feature. Similar function goes to Years. As for the Starred section of my journals, I save that honor for my favorite posts.

Some other neat things I would like to point out are the weather and location displays. If you allow Day One app to access these types of information, you can add more details to your entries. Personally, I prefer my location to be general, i.e. Provo, Utah at the moment. The app can go as far as putting up the exact address of where you are drafting your journal entry.

Even though this is a private thing, I think I'll pass on documenting the extreme details of my life.

If you think this app is only capable of plain text and its functions limited to only inside the app, then you are mistaken. Day One is capable of rich text format if you know how to use its Markdown feature. A guide is included in the Settings section, which can be found when you scroll down from the main page.

The Settings page is where you can change the fonts/styles and other minute details to your personal preference. A noteworthy feature is the Export to PDF option. If you are planning on compiling a book after writing for some time, it's a great way to put things together. As for me, I generally e-mail each individual post to myself. In a similar fashion to my sacrament notes, I have a folder in my e-mail account reserved for journal entries.

The app is also kind enough to add the Passcode option to prevent friends and family members from access your personal thoughts. Scrolling down, you'll see that you can link your Foursquare account to the app and Help/Guides section I've briefly touched on before.

The Help/Guide section contains many helpful tips and tutorials that will enable you to use Day One to its potential. I'm still experimenting with the app, so I can't say I've got them all down.

Nevertheless, this app has gotten me to start a journal again. I highly recommend this app! Like I said before, it is FREE! If you are a Mac user, or have Apple devices such as iPad and iPhone, you are in luck.

Overall, I like the simplicity and versatility of the application. The only complaint I have about the iOS version is that I'm not big into typing on the phone. Fortunately, I don't usually write excruciatingly long posts either, so it evens out.

Happy journaling!

Gospel Library 3.0.1

I prefer the text list

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published version 3.0 of its Gospel Library app for iPhone and iPad (I'll refer to it as GL3 for the remainder of the blog post). I think I'm doing it injustice by writing a single blog post about it because this update completely revamped the previous version. Also, it's FREE!

As you can see from the left, it is the main menu of GL3. You can choose to view between thumbnails or list of items. I prefer the simple text list since it causes less lag when scrolling down. Interestingly, you can also create your own collection of items in this app. I haven't found the use for it yet, but I may try downloading Jesus the Christ or something like that in the near future just to explore the full capability of that feature.

The globe button you see there allows you to change the language on your app. It's not quite obvious unless your curiosity got you there in the first place.

Like the previous version, you have the Search button. I do not believe there's a way to narrow down your search to certain collections at this time, so you need to know what you are searching for fairly well if you are to look for a specific item. The Bookmark and History tabs also returned, along with the same features.

It searches for everything!

In the Settings, you can Sync with the Church's website for changes you made through your LDS account. I don't find too many uses for the Appearance and Reading Options yet because I'm comfortable with the default settings. If you wish to change the brightness and the way pages are set up, you are welcome to do so through those options.

Most people ignore the About page when it comes to programs and apps. The About page is actually worthwhile in the GL3. Aside from the obligatory version history, etc., the page introduces the user to other LDS-related apps in addition to the offer of following on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Overall, I like the new Gospel Library. It has many materials which were available through LDS.org, but somewhat tricky to access due to navigation and laziness of surfer themselves.

I personally find the various handbooks and manuals useful. While I do not believe that e-books can easily replace the gratification of actually holding a book in your hands, the convenience factor is very attractive. If you are looking into past General Conference talks, you can look up all the way back to 1971! It'll certainly take a few years to digest all that information and I guarantee you won't run out of spiritual thoughts for decades! The same goes for the Church magazines. I honestly don't think I will be able to read everything for at least 20 years when I can read issues all the way back to 1971 as well.

Lacking a consistent father-figure throughout my life, I especially find the books on priesthood responsibilities and leadership useful and relevant to my situation. Don't get my wrong, I appreciate the contributions made by the adult males in my life, but I've spent more time living away from family than spending enough quality time with them.

The one gripe I have about this app, however, is the organization of notes from highlighting scriptures, talks, etc. I know I can create categories and headings for my notes, but I still can't place them individually into the desired folder unless I log into the Church's main website. Perhaps there's a way to do it and I just haven't figure out how yet. Needless to say, even if there is such an option, it is not obvious at first glance.

To sum it up, what I like about this app:

• Simple to use
• Organized (may be a bit tough at first)
• Various other apps available for learning
• Deep archives of talks, articles, etc.
• Definitely crashes less often than v2.5

What I think this app could improve on:

• Improvements in note organization; at least, up to par with the same features on the website
• Slight lag issue when using thumbnail view
• Some sort of advanced search option
• For Android, maybe?

Anyway, everyone with an Apple device should try it out. It's FREE! So, happy enriching your lives!

"And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, seek learning even by study and also by faith" - D&C 109:7