Reeaaaally?

A man will pay two-dollars for a one-dollar item he needs, but a woman will pay one-dollar for a two-dollar item that she doesn't need.


A woman worries about her future until she finds a husband, but a man never worries about the future until he takes a wife.

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend, but a successful woman is one who can find such a man!

To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little.
To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.

Any married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people remembering the same thing.

If your wife is shouting at the front door, and your dog is barking at the back door, who do you let in first? The dog, of course. At least he'll shut up after you let him in!

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does.

Married men live longer than single men, but married men are a lot more willing to die.

If your wife laughs at your joke, it means you either have a good joke, or a good wife.

Chivalry is dead and don’t be fooled by a man who opens the door of the car for his wife. Though when that happens today, it’s usually because the car is new ... or the wife is newer.

A nagging old woman at a party walked up to a belligerent old man and told him, "If you were my husband I would poison your drink!" To which he replied, "If you were my wife I would drink it!"

An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets the more interested he is in her!

The Smooch!

The Smooch

Congratulations Scotty ... and Lauren!

This should be my last post on American Idol, at least until about this time next year - so no complaints please. I gotta have an AI sendoff .. .though I think Simon Cowell's "X-Factor" may trump Idol. Naaaaah!

Anyway, for Idol, it's just what the doctor ordered! Scotty deserves the title, and Lauren as the runner up. Idol keeps rolling out country stars - just ask Carrie Underwood. With the domination of the country genre, AI might as well be renamed ACI - American Country Idol.

Scotty and Lauren are both great performers with great country voices. There's some speculation that they have become more than friends. But Lauren claims the relationship is only platonic (yeah, Lauren, that smooch is a purely platonic one ...hahaha) ...by the way, that's where most people start ... from platonic to harmonic and ultimately something embryonic ...lol!

Well the fact that Scott and Lauren both sing country, and are really great at it, they can make a great duo, like Donny & Marie ...uh? ..NO? ...well, ok, more like these duos: Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood and Tim McGraw & Faith Hill.

Let me quote from one of my posts of two months ago:

"[Scotty] does not need to covet #1. He is already a #1 country singer. In fact, I think he is going to be better than Brooks, Travis, Chesney or McGraw. Scotty is the voice and face of Country Music in the next decades. Hands Down! He is young and he will have a long successful career. Even your grandchildren and great grandchildren will adore [and listen] to him."

Oh, and Lady Gaga may switch to country and start courting Scotty too ...Hahaha!

Wuzzzzzup B.O.?

The tornado in Missouri is the big and tragic event in the news. And in the midst of such a tragedy comes a heartwarming and uplifting story. A quick thinking and resourceful woman remembered the bathtub as one place that offers better chances of survival during a tornado. So she, her boyfriend, and her son all got in the bathtub with blankets over them. But she also learned somewhere that a bicycle helmet can be used for protection, so she had her son put one on. At one point, she said the toilet bowl flew off its base and hit the little boy on the head. The helmet saved the boy's life.

The incident will be forever etched in the boy's mind especially if he plays college football where he will get to wear a helmet, and then ends up playing in a bowl game... lol ...that was my own take.

Presidential gaffes are always a big draw for political pundits, comedians and the average citizen.
And there hasn't been a shortage of them, no matter who the President is. And with the invasive and ubiquitous nature of technology today, no one is immune from the bloopers they sometimes make.

This week Obama is in the UK and has had some mishaps.  His limousine (The Beast) got stuck on a hump at a gate.  And while there, the British police and Scotland Yard have given him - for a code name - a Punjabi word that means "smart alec" or "crafty and cunning". Though the code name seems offensive, it became an irony in the President's gaffe at Westminster Abbey earlier today, when he signed the guest book. Well, here:

Everything is ok, except the date.  It's May 24, 2008! ...Uh...Hello, BO!   I guess with all the problems he has had with declining approval ratings, I don't blame Obama for remembering only the good times, the good year - 2008 - when he was elected President. ...LOL!

And so when he talked about "Yes we can" and "Change" during his campaign, this is what he was referring to "Yes we can change ... the date!"

And with Memorial Day coming up, it's fitting to revisit the following gaffe by, again, B.O. from his previous speech and tribute to the fallen soldiers:

"On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes —— and I see many of them in the audience here today —— our sense of patriotism is particularly strong."

Hahahaaaa.......must be the ghosts of the soldiers that changed the date to 2008!

Camping on My Roof

View of the mountains from our house

The fact that I taught my Sunday School class today, and that I'm now typing and adding another post to this blog are proofs that the world did not end yesterday - May 21. And it's not that I even had the slightest premonition or conviction that a Rapture was going to happen.  Instead I was - like most of you - more scornful and derisive towards the "demential old man".

In fact, within my worst fears of sudden fate or apocalyptic event, a Friday the 13th - in the ominous context - shifts the needle furthest on my trepidation gauge, than a doomsday prediction.

That's how I feel. And so on Saturday, I - like most working people - slept in; it's the so-called "sleep make up day".

It was ironic however that I spent much of the afternoon camping (pun intended) on the roof of our house, doing some inspection and fixing some damages from the stormy and violent weather of the winter months. And because of my perpetual disdain and derision for Mr. Camping's divination, the roof started to take on a rapture perspective and feel anyway, as I looked out from a hovering and levitating viewpoint. Suddenly the prediction became more haunting than soothing....hahahaa

The weather was perfect however. I looked out and I was charmed and captivated by the panoramic view of the mountains from our rooftop, so I grabbed the camera and took the shot.  It was heavenly as evident in the picture. The contrast was incredible between the sun and warmth at our home and the snow-capped peaks that rise precipitously just a few miles away. One would look at the snowy mountains and think that it was cold at our place. No, not yesterday, not even with such close proximity to the white powder. The clear blue sky added to the whole serenity of the heavens that I would not have minded being caught up in those celestial clouds ...LOL!

But now, I have to call Mr. Camping to send back - through electronic transfer - my life savings that I sent him Friday. The only reason I am hesitating, is because the savings amount is not enough to cover the bank fee of five dollars. So Mr. Camping, I forgive you! You can keep my money.  I don't care, it's not the end of the world anyway - pun seriously intended. LOL!!

By the way, an hour ago - today being Sunday - I drove through one of the worst hailstorms on my way to the airport. For a moment, I thought Mr. Camping was a day early - but still honor and repute short - in his prediction.  I will now look forward to some real and "true camping" in the Summer months.

American Idol Revisited

I am bringing this back for an important reason as someone who has been an unofficial fourth judge privately prognosticating American Idol.

Before tonight's show (May 19th) started, three contestants remained, down from thousands and tens of thousands. One was eliminated by show's end, leaving two finalists. And guess who the two are?

Well, here's the picture from my Idol Update of March 4, when there were thirteen contestants left, and showing my top three picks then.

Now, Pia (#1), who I picked to win it all, was eliminated prematurely - and "unfairly" I should say. Why do I say that? Because I know she was the best, and marketable too - in every sense of the word. In fact a lot of predictors, even famous entertainers have said the same thing that Pia is perhaps the most surprising exit of the popular show since its inception. I still pick her as the winner - at least ceremoniously now.

Anyway, the reason for revisiting AI is to confirm a couple of my picks. For those who have not followed Idol, guess who the remaining two are - - my #2 and #3 picks respectively - Scotty and Lauren! And so if Scotty wins, which is still my prediction, my picks will have earned me an honorary chair between JLo and Steven ....LOL!! ... at least to deliver the casting vote in case of a tie.

Scotty and Lauren seem real nice All American kids and worthy - in more than vocal talent - of being the two finalists. The fact that they also both sing Country, is even more fitting in terms of genre origin and proprietariness.

Good luck to Scotty and Lauren!

Lastly, my cheers go out to Idol host Ryan Seacrest for being the best radio and television presenter and personality in the world! That's my own opinion ...and ...uhmmm... Trust me!

...more wonderful memories

Last night I was watching Piers Morgan (CNN), and his guests were Donny and Marie. They were our teen idols growing up in Samoa. Yes, Samoa! I still remember going to Morris Hedstrom store/supermarket to read and buy Tiger Beat magazines because Donny was almost always on the cover. One of my brothers named one of his sons after Donny!

Piers reminded Donny and Marie of their glory days and they cheerfully recounted the memories. And as they did, I recalled my own coinciding ones. Dearie and I loved to listen to “Puppy Love”, “Paper Roses” etc. Still do. One of the letters I wrote to Dearie at the time had the complete “Paper Roses” lyrics on it with some romantic drawings. We still talk about ‘em dayz ...lol! She had Donny and Marie LPs (albums) and whenever I went over to her house, we would listen to songs like “Twelfth of Never” (one of my all-time favorites), “Morningside of the Mountain” - still a favorite of both of us and “Leaving it all up to You” ... Now that is real music - not the cacophonous boom boom blasts of today’s noisy and tumultuous blabbers.

Watching Donny and Marie last night evoked lots of wonderful memories. And the duo are still singing and performing at the Flamingo in Vegas and - even betta - had just released a new CD “Donny and Marie” - the first in over 30 years. We already have a copy, and though all the songs are new and mostly country-ish, they are greeaat! ...excellent reviews too.

Piers brought up JB (Justin Bieber) during the show and asked Donny about an advice he would give JB. Donny said he would tell him to hold on tight, and be strong because it’s going to be a long bumpy ride. Funny that when JB first came on the scene, his hairstyle seemed new and fresh to young boys and girls - well they need to see Donny’s hair in this picture - we definitely know who the real trendsetter is ....:)

JB and Donny

Liberator vs.Terminator - (Samoa Observer, May 13, 2011)

The Samoa Observer has been running this "debate" on Mormonism.  Like all such debates that involve the LDS Church and its doctrines, this one started when an anti-Mormon article was printed in the Observer a few weeks ago, authored by a Probe Ministries apologist - Pat Zukeran. Other LDS Church detractors and disparagers joined the fray.  One of them - using the alias Liberated - joined in with his share of the all too familiar, stale and regurgitated refutations and denigration of LDS doctrines.  I initially wrote two letters (see Articles, Letters, tab) and then focused on Liberated's letters.  Other LDS members also wrote to repudiate the anti-Mormon claims. Below is my latest response to Liberated.
*******************************************************
Liberator/Liberated continues to misconstrue, mistranslate and falsify beliefs and doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Although I support his freedom and prerogative to express himself, I disagree and take issue with his reasoning, views and interpretations.

I will not respond to most of his claims especially those that deal with deeper and more profound doctrines of Mormonism. The main reason being that there are different levels of skills and proficiency in any subject or branch of knowledge. We learn and acquire secular knowledge in levels and stages. The same applies to gaining spiritual knowledge and the Bible endorses the concept with the process of "precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little there a little...." The apostles also keep referring to the same notion using the analogy of milk for babies and meat for adults to illustrate the differences between novices and seasoned learners and teachers of the gospel.

"For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word ...: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern ...." (Hebrews 5:13-14).

Liberator still uses "milk" especially when it comes to his knowledge and understanding of the doctrines of Mormonism. His lack of understanding the profound doctrines is evident in his own incompetence even in the more basic levels of general aptitude. Therefore, one should not expect him to understand the more profound things when he certainly lacks knowledge and understanding of the more trivial and basic matters - as evident in the following discussion and exchange.

My use of the conversational format is for emphasis, readability and effect.

Liberator (Liberated)
And as to your challenge for me to reveal myself and lift my veil of anonymity – why would any outspoken religious protester in their right mind do so?

LV
You ask, why? Are you saying that outspoken religious protestors should hide behind a veil of anonymity? In case you didn't know, there was once a man named Martin Luther who was an "outspoken religious protester" - perhaps the most famous one - and who did not hide behind a veil of anonymity. Are you saying that Luther was not in his right mind? Luther did it because he was true to his convictions and what he believed in. In fact any "outspoken religious protester" would do the same; and there have been a number of them throughout the years. Some of them have become martyrs.

Conversely, however, you are only someone who spews rancor, spite and bigotry using religion as a veil. But though you can hide behind your Liberator alias, it is not enough to deflect the piercing penetration and impact of the lessons you will learn here.

Liberator
Please note ... that all Bible quotes are taken from the New King James Version (NKJV).

LV
Why the "New" King James Version? Why not the older KJV? Obviously there are some discrepancies, ambiguities, incongruities and/or errors in the KJV, otherwise there would not have been a new revision and translation by Farstad and others. Your preference therefore for the NKJV suggests errancy in the "pure" Word of God.

Liberator
To claim that one of the oldest books around - [The Bible] - is prone to error ... is absurd!

LV
Please tell that to the translators and publishers of the NKJV and all other modern translations of the Bible.

Incidentally, the concocted claim of the need to "make the original meaning clearer" doesn't cut it. The NKJV changes were more than just textual and contextual. Also, any changes entail "errors" and/or ambiguities, hence compromising purity. The bottom line is that by your accepting the NKJV as your preferred version and translation of the Bible, you concur with the LDS Church in believing "the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly."

Furthermore, when you accuse the LDS Church of pointing out "ignorant translators [and] careless subscribers" who changed the Bible, you too are just as guilty by subscribing to revisions and translations.

Liberator
Have you ever thought that if there were so many claims about the accuracy of your denominations'[sic] doctrine that maybe, just maybe there's a reason for it all?

LV
Certainly there's a reason. But you are assuming that the existence of many anti-LDS claims is proof of the fallacies in LDS doctrine. Your skills in logic are pathetic, if not nonexistent. Can you apply the same logic to Galileo when he faced many claims about the accuracy of his views? How about Jesus when he was out and about declaring his Father's doctrine? Many despised him.

Or could the reason and answer be something like this?

"Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake." - (Luke 6:22).

Yet still more reasons. So that people like you have a steady source of information for your bigoted art especially using the copy and paste tool that you seem to have mastered. Or, the many claims could be the result of Mormon phobia - of people like you - from the incredible growth of the LDS Church. That is the real cause of your paranoia, not the proselytizing.

Liberator
God is Spirit.

LV
The problem with your interpretation of God being exclusively spirit is that it is an anomaly within the totality of the gospel and Bible. It's a Neoclassical (Greek) interpretation; it is limited, selective and restrictive, especially since you cannot explain and/or incorporate effectively the Biblical FACT that Jesus had a body of flesh and bones EVEN AFTER the Resurrection. The same body that Jesus invited the apostles to HANDLE. How do you explain this and also the time when Jesus invites Thomas to feel and thrust his finger into the wounds? Would you dare explain these in terms of your view of the nature of God?

The LDS belief in the corporeality of God, on the other hand, can incorporate and account for
both the sprit and body. Have you thought about such a context? Well, let me use an example closer to home (in Samoa) to explain the concept. If you are a true Samoan, it will certainly help in understanding the concept and connotation.

Whenever a newborn arrives in a family, the Samoans would refer to it as "agaga fou" or "new spirit". Does the reference to the baby as exclusively "spirit" (agaga) exclude or imply the absence of its physical body? No. Therefore, your interpretation of God as a disembodied spirit and being is ambiguous circumscribed and unbiblical.

And since you seem to be well-versed in Biblical matters, would you kindly show me, in book and verse, where Jesus dumped his body or what happened to it? Speculation is allowed and welcomed in your comments.

Liberator
If you think the rest of us are being "anti-Mormon" just have a look at the teachings of early Mormon church leaders and at their own doctrine.

LV
Please do me - and others - a favor when you quote LDS sources. Be fair and quote from the LDS Official Canon which comprises of The Bible, The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. If you are a real journalist, you would - and should - know the difference between official and unofficial, I hope. The official LDS canon is where the official doctrines and truth of Mormonism are found - not in your fabricated nonsense and unofficial sources.

Liberator
My dear readers, allow me to let you in on the truth behind the ‘true church.' It is not a denomination, building, organization, ideal, nor is it focused on one person except Jesus Christ.

LV
And finally the truth about your villainous tactics. You belittle the LDS Church's "true church" claim so you can slide and slither your own through. You distort the LDS Church's antagonism toward other churches only to reveal and advance your own religiocentrism. In fact your own "true church" categorization excludes about ninety nine percent of all Christian churches. You equivocate to vaunt your sanctimonious "body of believers" over a church, denomination or organization.

By the way, what is Paul referring to here - something that Jesus Christ actually did?

"And [Jesus] gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the PERFECTING of the saints, for the WORK of the ministry, for the EDIFYING of the BODY OF CHRIST: Till we all come in the UNITY of the FAITH, and of the KNOWLEDGE of the SON of GOD, unto a PERFECT MAN, unto the measure of the stature of the FULNESS OF CHRIST: That we henceforth be NO MORE children, TOSSED TO AND FRO, and carried about WITH EVERY WIND of DOCTRINE, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But SPEAKING THE TRUTH in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is THE HEAD, even CHRIST." (Ephesians 4:11-15 emphasis mine).

"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the HOUSEHOLD of GOD; And are BUILT UPON the FOUNDATION of the APOSTLES and PROPHETS, JESUS CHRIST himself being the CHIEF CORNER STONE; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth ... In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Ephesians 2: 19-22 emphasis mine)

I don't know about you but that certainly is a blueprint of a church organization with its structure, offices, ideals and objectives. Jesus Christ himself organized it.

Then again all of that is meat so I don't expect Liberator to be able to feast, digest and understand them. He is still a "babe" being fed only milk.

PS: To match the alias "Liberated/Liberator", I'm thinking of using "Terminator" as mine.

Happy Mother's Day!

...to these Supermoms

Taiaopo Mose Letalu - My Mother

Seupepe Sioa Silia Letalu - My Grandmother and "Mother"

Lesa Satama Letalu - My other Mother

Rozita Sagapolutele Letalu - Dearie and Mother of our children
Taiaopo Fuailelagi Fitisemanu - Sister
Uoma Si'u Some Sagapolutele - Mother-in-law (nee Uoma Purcell Nielsen)
Monotaga Letalu Smalley - Sister

and to all the Mothers in the family (too many to name) and Mothers who are close friends and acquaintances....

An eventful week ...

Well, last week has been quite an eventful one - both for me personally (which I will write about in a separate post), and clearly on the worldwide level. It seemed a perfect storm. Dearie and I (later joined by three of our children) were on the road again, driving down to LA for a family faalavelave and then an extended stay for some fun time. That’s the reason for the lack of updates for this blog.

We stayed on Marriott island, and not in a typical “Survivor” location, therefore we were not altogether sequestered from the real world. In fact we were perhaps in the epicenter of it - Los Angeles ...though for some, second only to New York.

High-definition television drugged us during much of prime time. Not that we had planned it, but the captivating and spellbinding events during the week tethered us to the tube - or is it “plasma” nowadays? Certificates seemed to have been the subtext and commonality for three of TV’s major stories.

First was Obama’s birth certificate. Donald Trump, the gambler, gambled and won. He seems to have spearheaded the whole enquiry. He was at least vocal and exoteric about his ‘bama birther beef.   Obama called the birth certificate scrutiny a kind of “silliness”. Really? If it was silly, why then did he yield and release a copy of the document? Silly!

Then there was the marriage certificate - presumably - for William and Kate. They were literally on every channel except ESPN. I’m sure if there was a clip of the two in an NBA or NFL game, it will have been shown ad nauseam too. On one of the channels, it wasn’t a matter of a marriage certificate, or William’s birth place, but rather a question of his birth father. Yes you read that right! Some have said that William’s real father is not Charles. Is there another royal scandal brewing in the palace? I think this royalty business has outlived its relevance. Doncha think too?  It’s anachronistic!

The whole coverage gamut had sapped my strength three days straight that I refused to get up at four o’clock in the morning (LA time) to watch THE KISS - yes, the simulated and ceremonial one. That must have been their two hundredth kiss anyhow. People were obsessed with THE kiss. Some interviewees said they went just to see The Kiss. I opted for the reruns and replays - all a million of them. And by the way, I can have my own royal kiss too, y’know! ...even if no one is there to see/watch it.  Yup, the tree still fell in the forest!

Sunday night, our last night, we were packing and the plasma had been off since mid-afternoon. Then somehow somewhere (methinks it was FB - surprise!) we learned of the death of Osama so we quickly turned the television back on, and there he was - Obama, talking about Osama. Weeeeeeirrrrd! It’s like Russian president Putin talking about a national nemesis named Pukin.

Some people are still not convinced of Osama’s fate, although somewhere in the ranks of the Pakistani or US government, a death certificate has been issued for him. Still, there are stories of fabrication and deception already circulating in cyberspace about Osama’s death certificate, Obama’s birth certificate, and possibly William’s paternity certificate.