The Naming Muse and the Agreeing Shopkeeper

After many requests for pictures of some of my friends in China, I am complying and posting a picture of TAN LiYuan and CHEN SiFang.



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The 235# Clarification

First off Happy Father's Day to all of the other fathers out there. Both the fathers of adopted and biological children, as well as to all of the Orthodox Christian presbyters and deacons.

Secondly, I never mentioned my exact weight in my last blog entry. I am down to 235 pounds/107 kilograms, so that means so far I have lost 45 lbs/20 kg so far this year.

For international visitors: Both "#" and "lbs" are abbreviations for pounds in the American Imperial weight system.

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Under 240# and I really have missed ...

... swimming! Today it was 79°F/26°C and my back was sore so I felt like swimming. My apartment complex has a private swimming pool and thankfully due to the cloud cover no one was in it, so for over an hour I did laps in the pool. Before my suspension, as an active clergyman, I could not go swimming in public places, and so I avoided using the pool.

Yesterday was my birthday, but I consider the vacant pool a birthday gift from God one day late. :-) At the end a black gentleman came in to the pool, but as I suspected, he went no further than waist-deep, so it did not interrupt my laps in the 6 foot water on the other side of the pool.

After swimming for over an hour I am exhausted and am going to go to bed after some I eat some vegetarian sesame noodles.

For those wondering how my weight loss is going, I am now under 240 pounds/109 kg so I have passed my half-way point in the amount of weight that I want to lose! Another birthday present of sorts, I guess you could say. For those keeping track, I started my weight loss program when I was 280 lbs/127 kg and would like to be under 200 lbs/91 kg by the end of this year.

The next milestone I am likely to report on will be 220 pounds/100 kg.

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Leonard Cohen's Best Metaphorical Song, "Everybody Knows"

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died

Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long stem rose
Everybody knows

Everybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you've been faithful
Ah give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you've been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

And everybody knows that it's now or never
Everybody knows that it's me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah when you've done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows

And everybody knows that the Plague is coming
Everybody knows that it's moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knows

And everybody knows that you're in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it's coming apart
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Oh everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows

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Judging People By Their Appearances

Today at work we had a perfect example of why you should not judge people based on their appearances. An elderly man came in and was extremely rude to everyone, made outrageous demands, argued the prices, etc. Right behind him were 3 punks with various piercings, including gauged ears, and very stereotypical punk clothing and hair. Yet these 3 guys were extremely polite, sat down to let us take care of the older man's every request and then tipped us with their change. My boss and I both used to be in that scene, but we did not treat them any different than we treated the older man or any other customer, yet they were the example of how to treat others, while the man with many more years in his life was the opposite. Something to remember next time when you see a group of youths who in your eyes look like freaks, or the next time you see and elderly man. Do not prejudge them based on looks alone. You may be surprised who the true gentlemen in life are!

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6 year old girl sings, 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' on Britain's Got Talent

Conny, 6 year old girl who has been singing since she was 2 sings, 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' on Britain's Got Talent and amazes the judges so much that it brought tears to one of the judges eyes.


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豪杰 (HaoJie) Part 4: "Is a Hero the Victor of the People?"

Meanings of names matter a lot in Chinese culture. 尼古拉 is Nicholas or Nikolai transliterated in to English. In HanYu Pinyin it is ní-gǔ-lā or ni²gu³la¹ depending on which way you write your pinyin. So that is actually what most of my Chinese friends call me when they speak. Tan LiYuan actually calls me "Ni-gu-la-si" when she is saying my English name however. It is a variant transliteration of Nicholas. Nicholas or Nikolai means "Victory of the people." Nicholas is the familiar Greek form of Nikolaos, and Nikolai is the Russian form of said Greek name.

Because of this, one person pointed out that if we consider 豪杰 (HaoJie) to mean roughly "Hero", as Google and Chen SiFang both say, it is not too far away from calling a man "Victory of the people" which also makes 豪杰 (HaoJie) an equivalent to Nicholas or Nikolai. However your mileage may vary, and if you think you have a better Chinese equivalent that also matches my true character, please leave a comment with your contrary ideas. I am all ears! :-D

What does 尼古拉 mean in Chinese? So far I have only gotten one answer, and everyone else says they have no idea at all. LOL! That answer was, "The god that protects sailors and children." Seems that they are thinking of Saint Nicholas of Myra in Lycia, there. In secular Chinese, saints are called gods it seems, as Buddhist saints are also called gods or goddesses. Chinese Orthodox may have a better term that my secular and Buddhist friends are not familiar with however.

And since it usually comes up when I have the discussion on my name's meaning, my long last name has a long meaning too, which is roughly "First son (crown prince) of the Russian King (Tsar) Stanislaus of Poland." My last name simply cannot be transliterated in to Chinese from what I have been told by many Chinese-speaking people. As for my middle name, well it means the exact same thing as my first name, oddly enough.

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Johnny Cash "Hurt"

This is the video that made Nine Inch Nail front man, Trent Reznor say, "'Hurt' isn't my song anymore." Perhaps very fitting that this was also Johnny Cash's last video.

I hurt myself today,
to see if I still feel.
I focus on the pain,
the only thing that's real.
The needle tears a hole,
the old familiar sting.
Try to kill it all away,
but I remember everything.

What have I become,
my sweetest friend?
Everyone I know,
goes away in the end.
And you could have it all,
my empire of dirt.
I will let you down,
I will make you hurt.

I wear this crown of thorns,
upon my liar's chair.
Full of broken thoughts,
I cannot repair.
Beneath the stains of time,
the feelings disappear.
You are someone else,
I am still right here.

What have I become,
my sweetest friend?
Everyone I know,
goes away in the end.
And you could have it all,
my empire of dirt.
I will let you down,
I will make you hurt.

If I could start again,
a million miles away.
I would keep myself,
I would find a way.

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豪杰 (HaoJie) Part 3: "Hero"

So my other friend Chen SiFang was told about the name I was given, 豪杰 (HaoJie), and she had a slightly different definition for it. Chen SiFang said 豪杰 (HaoJie) roughly was equivalent to the English word, Hero, although not exactly. However Chen SiFang thought 豪杰 (HaoJie) was fitting and perfect for me, so it seems that Tan LiYuan did a good job since my other Chinese friends like 豪杰 (HaoJie) and find it appropriate to my character. Always nice to hear. :-)

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豪杰 (HaoJie) Part 2: "Eximious"

Well I received a surprise letter from Tan LiYuan today and she told me the meaning of 豪杰 (HaoJie)! Apparently the name means "eximious". For those of you who may not know the meaning of the word, eximious, here are the 3 traits that define an eximious person according to Dictionary.com:

1. Distinguished
2. Eminent
3. Excellent

Needless to say, this name which was chosen because of my character, is an even greater honor than I had expected! Thank you Tan LiYuan!

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豪杰 (HaoJie) Part 1.5: "Update"

I forgot that yesterday when I received my name it was Thursday morning and Tan LiYuan is really busy with work from Thursday through Monday, so I may not have an update on the name until Tuesday evening after work. Google says 豪杰 (HaoJie) means "Hero" but I do not trust the Google Translator implicitly, especially since its Chinese translations are in beta still!

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Weather in Nanning, Guangxi, P.R.China

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar

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豪杰 (HaoJie) Part 1: "Christening"

This morning my friend, Tan LiYuan, gave me a Chinese name. I had read about this phenomenon before. Sometimes Chinese people once they get to know a Westerner very well, will give the Westerner a Chinese name that fits their character. And so it happened today and I was named 豪杰 (HaoJie). I have asked Tan LiYuan what it means, and perhaps I will be able to blog tomorrow about what exactly my Chinese name of 豪杰 (HaoJie) means. Nonetheless this is an exciting day for me since I have been given a name, which is a high honor for a Westerner in Chinese culture!

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Freedom!

Yesterday I took my daughter to my brother's house so that she can babysit her 3 1/2 year old cousin. Tomorrow I start a job that was beyond what I was expecting to get in this job hunt. So that leaves me with today. And today I am feeling complete and utter freedom and it feels good. Life feel good today, it feels really good, and for the first time in a long time, I am looking forward to me job and going in to work. I have also been invited to China, and with the money I earned through my eBay sales, I should be able to pay for a trip, as this money no longer has to be saved for possible future bills. The future looks bright and the present is very satisfying and that is a set of feelings that I could definitely get used to!

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My Icon Corners

Here are my 4 icon corners:

My family icon corner where we do Reader's Services. At the top is a hand painted cross, below that is our Slava icon, and the name of our former chapel, The Royal Martyrs; under that are icons of Christ the Pantocrator and the Theotokos by Mother Anastasia. On the sides are icons of our patron saints, Saint Anastasia the Great-Martyr and Saint Nicholas of Japan and an Icon of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr (who I feel close to because he was also one of the first deacons along with Saint Timothy) and The Hospitality of Abraham and Sarah. At the bottom with no home is the Menaion icon with an icon for every day and for all of the Great Feasts.


My living room icon corner made up of only hand painted icons. From left to right they are: Saint Nicholas of Myra in Lycia, a gift from Metropolitan VALENTINE and painted by a monk in Suzdal; Saint Euphrosynos by the hand of Mother Anastasia; Christ the Saviour, unknown iconographer; Tsar Martyr Nicholas Romanov by the hands of Archbishop GREGORY of and Archimandrite George of Dormition Skete. Under it is a hand sewn picture of the Church on the Blood and a cabinet bull of liturgical supplies which is on a book case of Orthodox books.


My personal icon corner, top to bottom, left to right: All Saints of America, Tsar Martyr Nicholas with icons of Saint Nicholas of Myra and Saint Seraphim of Sarov around him; The Theotokos; a Russian blessing cross; Christ the King, a gift from Juvenaly Martinka when I was ordained; Saint Nicholas of Myra in Lycia with icons of the Pantocrator and Theotokos, a gift from Vicar Bishop ANDREI; Christ blessing the children.


My daughter's personal icon corner. In the middle downward, in a Russian fashion: Her Guardian Angel; Christ the Pantocrator; Theotokos Sweet Kissing; her patron saint, Saint Anastasia the Great-Martyr; On the cross beam are: Saint Xenia who may get moved to my family icon corner after she helped me get this job; The Saints of Moscow; The Royal Martyrs; Saint Thecla, a gift to her from Justin and Mary Cecilia Kissel when we were Baptized.

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Thanksgiving for Answered Employment Prayers

Dear Friends in Christ,

I got the call this afternoon that the restaurant thought that the interview went really well and so they did not want to wait until Monday to make a decision and offered me the job as the restaurant manager today. I want to thank God, Saint Xenia, and all of you who have prayed for me during this time of my unemployment, job searching, and interview process. I know that all of your prayers helped me immensely! Glory Be To Thee O Lord, Glory Be To Thee!

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Yellow Dog Linux History as Seen by Google

Using Google Experimental tool, launched few days ago, you will find this. Quite interesting. Change the individual distro to see their history too.

read more | digg story

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China to replace USA and become 3rd biggest travel destination

China is likely to replace the United States as the world's third most popular tourism destination next year, a United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) official said. At present, China ranks fourth, after France, Spain and the United States. Last year, China accounted for 5.8 percent of the global tourism market, a growth of 0.3 percent.

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The time of "Christian Society" is over. "Christendom" has ended…

George Oz says the sooner we learn this the better. "What the State does with Civil Unions has nothing to do with us. The only thing we can protest is if the State attempts to impose acceptance of Civil Unions on the Church. The Church began in Europe in societies which condoned homosexuality, and orgies, and idolarty. Yet the Church still managed to flourish."

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Job Interview Prayer Request Update

Thank you all for all your prayers, the Monday interview was horrible but brief, but today's 45 minute interview I passed with flying colors. Not only that but I got a call this afternoon calling me in for an interview tomorrow to be a manager at a restaurant, so I would like to ask for continuing prayers please!

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