Theology

I just want to share with you guys my homework in Theology. Hope it helps!

BLESS YOU

Bless you, or God bless you, is a common English expression addressed to a person after they sneeze. The origin of the custom and its original purpose are unknown.

Origin and Legends:

Several possible origins are commonly given. The practice of blessing someone who sneezes, dating as far back as at least AD 77, however, is far older than most specific explanations can account for.

1. One explanation holds that the custom originally began as an actual blessing. Gregory I became Pope in AD 590 as an outbreak of the bubonic plague was reaching Rome. In hopes of fighting off the disease, he ordered unending prayer and parades of chanters through the streets. At the time, sneezing was thought to be an early symptom of the plague. The blessing ("God bless you!") became a common effort to halt the disease.
2. A variant of the Pope Gregory I story places it with Pope Gregory VII, then tells the common story of "Ring Around the Rosey" being connected to the same plague.
• Many have associated the poem with the Great Plague which happened in England in 1665, or with earlier outbreaks of the Black Death in England. Interpreters of the rhyme before the Second World War make no mention of this; by 1951, however, it seems to have become well established as an explanation for the form of the rhyme that had become standard in the United Kingdom. Peter and Iona Opie remark: "The invariable sneezing and falling down in modern English versions have given would-be origin finders the opportunity to say that the rhyme dates back to the Great Plague. A rosy rash, they allege, was a symptom of the plague, posies of herbs were carried as protection and to ward off the smell of the disease. Sneezing or coughing was a final fatal symptom, and 'all fall down' was exactly what happened." The line Ashes, Ashes in alternative versions of the rhyme is claimed to refer variously to cremation of the bodies, the burning of victims' houses, or blackening of their skin, and the theory has been adapted to be applied to other versions of the rhyme. In its various forms, the interpretation has entered into popular culture and has been used elsewhere to make oblique reference to the plague. (For "hidden meaning" in other nursery rhymes see Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, Humpty Dumpty, Jack Be Nimble, Little Jack Horner, Cock Robin, and meanings of nursery rhymes.)
3. A legend holds that it was believed that the heart stops beating and the phrase "bless you" is meant to ensure the return of life or to encourage your heart to continue beating.
4. Another version says that people used to believe that your soul can be thrown from your body when you sneeze, that sneezing otherwise opened your body to invasion by the Devil or evil spirits,^[4] or that sneezing was your body's effort to force out an invading evil spirit. Thus, "bless you" or "God bless you" is used as a sort of shield against evil. The Irish Folk story "Master and Man" by T. Crofton Croker, collected by William Butler Yeats, describes this variation.
5. Another belief is that people used to see sneezing as a sign that God would answer your prayers or an omen of good fortune or good luck. In this case, "Bless you" would be in recognition of that luck.
6. Tibetan Buddhists believe a sneeze (like meditation, falling asleep, preparing to die) can provide a moment of "clear consciousness," when people are opened to greater understanding.

KNOCK ON WOOD

Knocking on wood, or to touch wood refers to the apotropaic tradition in western folklore of literally touching/knocking on wood, or merely stating that you are, in order to avoid "tempting fate" after making a favorable observation, a boast, or speaking of one's own death.

Origins and Legends:

1. In some countries, such as Spain, it is traditional to literally touch wood after an event occurs that is considered to bring bad luck, such as crossing paths with a black cat or walking under a ladder or noticing it's Friday the 13th. This is usually done when there's no salt nearby to spill over your shoulder, which is considered the "traditional" way of avoiding the bad luck caused by those situations.
2. Others have sought a meaning in which the wood symbolizes the timber of the cross, but this may be a Christianization of an older ritual.
3. It wasn’t always wood that was lucky: in older days, iron was also thought to have magical properties, and to touch iron was an equivalent preventative against ill-fortune.
4. There’s also a belief that the knocking sound prevents the Devil from hearing your unwise comments.
5. The origin is unknown, though some writers have pointed to pre-Christian rituals involving the spirits of sacred trees such as the oak, ash, holly or hawthorn. There is, I’m told, an old Irish belief that you should knock on wood to let the little people know that you are thanking them for a bit of good luck.
6. People believe that the wood they are knocking is referring to Jesus’ cross since He was crucified in a wooden cross.
7. Greeks worshipped the oak as it was sacred to Zeus, Celts believed in tree spirits, and both believed touching sacred trees would bring good fortune. Irish lore holds that "touching wood" is a way to thank the leprechauns for a bit of luck. Pagans also held similar beliefs of protective tree spirits. Chinese and Koreans thought the spirits of mothers who died in childbirth remained in nearby trees.
8. Another explanation points to the wooden Christian cross as the origin of "good luck," although this is likely a Christian adaptation of earlier pagan practices.
9. A Jewish version traces the origin to the Spanish Inquisition of the 15th century. At the time, persecuted Jews fled to synagogues built of wood, and they devised a coded knock to gain admission. Since this practice spared countless lives, it became common to "knock on wood" for good luck.

Synergy

AFTERNOON TO NIGHT:

Every year, the different schools (like school of engineering and architecture, school of teacher’s education, school of natural sciences, etc.) in the university hold different shows that showcase the talents of the different professors in that school. I, personally, am part of the school of natural sciences, since my course is Medical Technology. The school of engineering and architecture, in the middle of 2011, provided the engineering and architecture students with the professors’ performance in ‘Spectrum’. At the start of the year 2012, the school of humanities introduced the show ‘Evolution’. At this season, February 14, the school of natural sciences launched the show ‘Synergy: Ove12 Doze”

My sister and I bought tickets for the show. With what we know as indicated in the ticket, the show will start in our gym at exactly six in the evening. As usual, it started a bit later, which was 6:30.

Before letting you in the show, let me first introduce to you my past professors in the medical field that appeared in the show.

Mrs. Zoology (first semester professor):

She wasn’t that pretty but there is a certain appeal that she have, it’ll not be so difficult for you to put your attention to the lesson. She has a very excellent way of teaching. I’ll just summarize my evaluation for her: she’s got anything you need as a professor.

But there is one thing that every student of hers noticed: at the time that she gives you your exam questionnaire, it’ll be enough for you to put a hole in the chair you are sitting on. Why? Simple. It is too damn hard for a human brain to answer her questions perfectly as possible! It is like…

Professor: Class, this is the human brain. Blah blah blah, here are its parts and functions.

Exam: What kind of cell is found in your feet?

That’s the kind of torture she is giving, though it is quite very effective for someone like me to learn a lot with my experience rather than memorizations.

Mrs. Organic Chemistry (second semester professor):

She wasn’t like Mrs. Zoology. She gets your attention in another way. How? She teaches us the lesson in the simplest way possible, even an elementary kid can understand it. She gives quizzes and exams very approachable and you wouldn’t shed a tear on it. Very exciting? Well, there is no perfect professor around. So, here is the catch about her. She gives the results of your term quizzes after the term exam. Meaning, you won’t be able to calculate if you are going to pass or not, until after the exam itself. Another very effective strategy for us students to make sure that we perfect her quizzes to get a very sure passing grade.

Mrs. Analytical Chemistry (second semester professor):

At first, every one would hate her. Well, first day of school, she already warned us: Class, I don’t smile a lot. My face likes to wear a frown all the time.

After getting to know her more, she would be very serious all the time, though she might not notice, she always says a joke from time to time. It may be hard to explain but I like her, a lot.

Quizzes and exams? She is a typical professor when it comes to those things. The thing that makes the subject is the subject itself. Personally, I hate memorizing a lot of things and for you to pass this subject, you need a lot of memorization to do. Trust me.

Now, let us go back to synergy.

These respectable professors might seem to be people who won’t perform in front of a lot of people, but with a lot of courage and confidence, they did.

The opening performance of the show, there were two professors singing a slow song. Then, in the middle are some (maybe 10) other professors dancing in somewhat interpretative dance. Guess who first appeared. Yes, it was Mrs. Zoology, with her slim body as she dances in the middle of the stage, not thinking how the students would think of her after the show.

Then, all of them went out and another set of instructors filled the stage. Now, they were all dressed in an Arabic costume, dancing in the tune ‘Jai Ho’. Who appeared next? Wrong, it was Mrs. Analytical, dancing her belly out.

Still waiting for Mrs. Organic to come out, one professor went out of the stage and started singing ‘Rolling in the deep’. With our surprise when the chorus came, Mrs. Zoology went out of the stage again and continues the song until verse two. Both of them ended the song nicely.

Finally, Mrs. Organic came, with Mrs. Analytical again, dancing to a certain song. Honestly, Mrs. Organic knows how to move with the rhythm well. She absolutely knows how to dance.

In the end, all of them sang the song ‘heal the world’, living all of the students happy on their performances.

February 14, 2012

A lot of things happened this week. Though I know you are looking forward on how my life has been terrible, well, I think it wouldn’t be as bad as it was before.

February 14, 2012- Valentine’s Day Commemorating Couple's Day

The University I am at has a very predictable way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Different organizations, which are obviously in need of money, put up their own business in the main lobby that will help desperate boyfriends, girlfriends, stalkers or even singles to celebrate the occasion. There is a booth where they sell, flowers, balloons, teddy bears and chocolates. There are others who take services like delivering the items you bought to the classroom of the receiver or serenade them with the song you want, disturbing his/her class during that time and so on. I am one of the members of the big group called ‘Singles’ so I have no idea how to celebrate and make a unique experience out of it. So, let me take you to this ‘ordinary day’ by elaborating what happened detailed by detailed.

MORNING:

I still haven’t figured out what to do. So, as hard as I keep it to myself, I shared it to my two closest friends. Let’s just call them friend1 and friend2. Want to know some facts about them? Here are some clue:

Friend1 is a girl, single, seeing no one, has two sisters and spends most of her time (when there is no class) with her best friend. When waiting for someone, her favorite spot is the fountain. It is basically the heart of the campus but I don’t usually stay there since I dislike having architecture and engineering students around.

Friend2 is also a girl, single, seeing no one but someone is courting her (member of the glee club and already a junior), part of the glee club, has a brother who is also part of the glee club, spends most of her free time having sectionals in glee, when not in practice, you can find her in the canteen and some stores outside the campus and she is away, a lot since they are performing everywhere in the city.

Since friend2 might actually receive something from her suitor, friend1 and I decided to send each other something, showing our love as friends.

At exactly 8:30, someone knocked on the door while we we’re having our class. Three guys, one who is holding a camera, one who will play violin and one who will play guitar. According to them, they would serenade a girl, who is obviously in my class. (By the way, the song was Runaway). In the middle of the song, another guy entered the room and went straight to the girl. As the three of us predicted, this guy was the one who is actually having the intention to date my classmate. He was wearing a varsity jacket, all buttons are closed. Without any further notice, he opened his jacket and revealed a shirt having a print, saying “<name of my classmate>, will you be my valentine?” Of course, almost everybody can feel the tenseness in the air, but he wasn’t done yet. He gave a marker to the girl, removed his jacket and turned his back to her. In his shirt, having two boxes labeled yes and no. I don’t want to hold the excitement any longer but in the end, the girl checked yes. So, again, everybody celebrated, seeing the guy succeeded his attempt to have her. (That girl doesn’t have a boyfriend, as far as I know but she is a total magnet to guys. She got another flower delivered within one hour.)

So, I thought, why can’t I give someone a serenade to complete his/her day? First person to come in my mind is my sister.

NOON:

I asked someone to serenade her with a violin and a guitar, too, but this time, there will be a letter which someone should read before playing the song. Though I haven’t made a letter yet, so I asked them if I could just send them the letter after 30 minutes and they agreed.

-30 minutes passed-

I came back but the girl whom I talked too wasn’t there. According to another girl in the counter, the girl I was looking for was having her lunch. So, I asked the girl that I am talking to about the serenading and the letter thing. She gave me her number and said that I should remind her, guessing that she might forget it. So, I did. I came 30 minutes early in my class, still waiting for friend1, since I want her to pick the thing that she wanted for me to buy. I kept waiting until it is just 5 minutes before bell. I texted the girl in the serenade counter if my plan about my sister is, at least, on a roll. After sometime, in short, it didn’t go according to what I want. I even went back to their counter, leaving me five minutes late to my class. According to them, they can’t find my sister. I demanded to at least, get the letter so I can give it to her personally. But then, the next sentence really caused much pain, “I think one of the staffs threw it away. We could not find it anywhere.” Fuck you! I know it was just a letter but I expressed my deepest gratitude through that letter for my sister, since she was the one who has been there for me ever since I was a college student. So, again, for all the staffs of that certain counter, FUCK YOU!

Good news? Well, before going back to a certain class, I managed to buy one balloon for friend1 and a small, pink teddy bear for my sister, which came to her class in time. Thank you for those people who helped me delivered it to her. It really is important to me. <FYI, that bear can located under my bed. I think she didn’t like it.>

Oh yeah, I totally forgot that suitor my friend2 have. So, here it goes.

You all already know that I was late for my noon class. Well, in the middle of that class, someone knocked on the room’s door and asked my professor if they can serenade a certain person in my class. Of course, it was for friend2. Me and friend1 were surprised to see that the suitor, let’s call him Mr. B, is the one who is going to sing, with his assistant, Mr. Guitarist. Honestly, I can’t say that he is handsome since almost all guys who have eyeglasses are hot but when he started to sing (remember, he is part of the university’s glee club), almost all the girls in my class fell in love with him. I swear!

I know this post is already a bit too long so, I am just going to skip ahead.

After singing, he gave her a rose and another flower which is a kind of flower that I haven never seen before and a box of brownies (friend2 told me that she didn’t even taste one because her brother ate them all).

Though at first, I can feel that friend2 doesn’t like him but seeing her reaction after that serenade, it made me bet that she would answer with a word YES in a specific question Mr. B is going to ask in the future.

<The afternoon part of the story? It would be posted next with the title ‘synergy’. Stay tuned!>

Midterm Examinations

Today is the last day of my Midterm Examinations and I am very thankful that this day came. I spent the whole week, memorizing some things that my professors required me to, even if I don't think I'll need them in my future job. I do like memorizing some stuff but this part of the exams forced me to put so many things inside my head. Honestly, for a moment, I thought I'd go insane if I continue doing it.
Here is the schedule of our misterms:

February 8:
- Foreign Language
- Analytical Chemistry Lecture (Ionization of Weak Electrolytes and Buffer Solutions)

February 9:
- Organic Chemistry Laboratory (Ether, Aldehydes and Ketone)
- Theology (the Holy Week and the Kingdom of God)

February 10:
- English (Phrases and Clauses)
- Trigonometry (Proving Identities)
- Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (Anions 4 and 5; Complete Analysis)

February 11:
- Organic Chemistry Lecture (Nomenclature of Organic and Nitrogen Compounds)
- Sociology (Deviance and Social Inequalities)

The subject that I really had a hard time memorizing is Anal. Chemistry Lab. By that time, I was so desperate to finish the exam. Solution? To cheat.

A lot of my blockmates are very confident in doing such. So, I asked one of them for help.
The three of us (Me, ClassMate1 and ClassMate2) positioned ourselves at the back of the room. CM1, Me then, CM2. That was a new experience for me. I never cheated in college before. The thing is, once we are caught, F grade automatically.

Cheating is not just a bad thing to do, it is also an ART. Skills are needed to do it.
SKILLS:
-good eye sight (watch the professor's every move without him/her noticing that you are watching)
-good sense of hearing (while putting your eyes on the prof, listen to the sound of your CMs.)
-awareness (traitors are everywhere. Know who aare your enemies)

Everything went well, I hope. But in the middle of the exam, I think that my Professor knows what we are up to, though I think that my prof gave me a reason to cheat. She puts every fucking things that couldn't be in my brain. The human brain has its limitations. It is not a computer which can store up to 1000 GB. Well, I hope she knows that.

In some point, being a college student sucks. Expectations are higher and you need to exceed those expectations present in your fucking shoulder or else, you'll end up sitting in the streets, asking money for every passerby you can see.

Enjoy while you still can. Life has stored all the things that will make you say FUCK. Life hates us but it doesn't mean that we should give up. The key to overcome this shit is to control your enemy: LIFE.

Pilot

I decided to create this blog to express my feelings and thoughts towards everything. For the past couple of weeks, my life disappointed me a lot. I know that if I don't express it through words, I'm just going to burst from inside.
I have created a lot of blogs, which are unfortunately, never been successful. So, why should I continue posting on them? Right now, I am taking another shot, hoping that I would update this every week, minimize my stress and share my experiences to everyone. Let the game begin.