Quotes

Quotes


Thoughts from Madison Nef

“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18
The quote basically is saying to not be over-confident, because it can easily turn around and lead to your failure. A good example is the story of the Tortoise and the Hare- the hare boasts about how he is sure to win the race against the tortoise because he is fast and the tortoise is slow. He is so confident, in fact, that he stops continuously along the way and the tortoise ends up winning.

Going to a biblical reference, pride came before the fall for Adam and Eve as well. They didn’t listen to God’s good advice about not eating from the Tree of Life, but instead thought they would be better off to eat from the tree. Their pride CERTAINLY went before a big fall- they ruined life for the rest of us! However, the quote comes from the book of Proverbs, not the book of Genesis.

In the chapter 16 in the book of Proverbs, the author is talking about following God and doing as he says. “The path of the upright avoids misfortune, he who pays attention to his way safeguards his life. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be humble with the meek, than to share plunder with the proud.”

I agree with the quote to some extent- because more often than not, our large amount of self-confidence does inevitably lead to our own destruction and failure. Just because you aced a test doesn’t mean you can stop studying; just because you won a game 3 times in a row doesn’t mean you will win a 4th time.

A good RECENT example of pride going before a (minor) fall was Dad the other day playing Skyrim. He was in a forsworn camp and was near the end of the dungeon and I warned him to save, but he said, word for word: “nah, I’ll be fine, these guys are easy.” Well, as you can imagine, his pride definitely got the best of him as he was ambushed at the top of a hill, killed, and forced to start the entire dungeon over. OUCH.

This quote is definitely relatable within the karate system too. All too often people will spar without wearing a cup or mouthpiece, saying the famous last words “I never get hit anyway” or “I’m fine without it, I can take a hit.” 3 minutes later, their tune changes when they get hit hard and are in pain. Is looking tough before the fight REALLY worth it if you are going to go out, fight poorly and look like a sissy when you get hit? No.

In the end, if you think about it, the quote relates to our whole life- we go about striving to achieve our goals, be they physical, psychological, or material, when in the end when we die we are left with nothing. All our material possessions and things we were formerly proud of mean nothing to anyone else (most likely). In death, there is no pride- in life, there is too much.

Poetry

Look at what we've come to,

look at where we've gone,

people dying every day,

for reasons that are wrong,

murder in the streets,

scandal everywhere,

the world is sliding downwards,

and no one seems to care,

children out of school,

people in the streets,

you need to work 10 jobs,

just to make ends meet,

it shouldn't have to be like this,

the world should be at peace,

God created it like that,

his plans he did not cease,

we've taken what we were given,

so many years ago,

and we truly have destroyed it,

and we barely even know.

Halloween Makeup Tutorial

I know, I know- it's too early to even START thinking about Halloween, right? WRONG! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays- who doesn't like free candy?! And so me and my sister always end up talking and planning for it too early. We actually already have our costumes picked out/made- I am going as a zombie and she is going as a vampire. I was working on the makeup for my costume and figured I'd share it with my readers!

You Will Need:
Pure white eyeshadow
Bright red lip liner
Dark brown or black eyebrow pencil
Dark red lipstick
Black eyeshadow
Clear or pale lipgloss
Dark red/purple lipgloss
And dark shades of eyeshadow of your choice.

To start off, you're going to want your face clear of any makeup. After your face is washed off, start by putting on the lipstick and then applying a thin layer of clear lipgloss on top of it. While the lipgloss is still wet, take some black eyeshadow on your pinky finger and dab it in the corners of your lips. Next, using your index finger, apply your white eyeshadow all over your face (excluding your lips), especially on the cheeks and bridge of your nose. This should make your face look very pale. If it isn't blending into your skin well, use the palms of your hands to rub it in a bit.

Now comes my favorite part- making the bumps and bruises. Start out with a dark brown eyeshadow and put it under your eyes. Now, take the lip liner and apply it like eyeliner on your bottom lash line. This will make it look like you have blood in your eyes. Now use your darker lipgloss and coat the eyelids with it, and then apply eyeshadow layers on top of it. For bruises, take your lip liner and make a big circle (filled in) where you want the bruise to be. Rub it in and add blue/purple eyeshadow to it in layers and it will make a bruised appearance.


I did stitching, and I used the eyebrow pencil for that. I drew random scars and stitches all over my face, and the final result was this:

Anyway, I'll definitely be blogging again before Halloween, so check back Monday for a new post!!!
Maddie

Great Ancient Civilizations of Asian Minor (Part 2)

The Great Ancient Civilizations of Asia Minor (Part 2)

By Madison Nef

I Actually LIKE History!?!

Recently, I have started a new college course (not online, not graded) and it is on the Great Ancient Civilizations of Asian Minor. So far, I have covered some of Ancient Greek mythology and civilizations and have gone over the Hittite Empire. When I first started watching the DVD's (I watch the courses taped, and Dad and I get them from the Great Courses) I didn't expect too much and wanted it to be over with. But by the end of the third video, I found myself not only scribbling notes enthusiastically but ACTUALLY ENJOYING THE SUBJECT.

In the past, I have always had a strong dislike for history- its in the past, who cares! I guess I had a mental block to it as well because I have taken courses on similar subjects before and not been too thrilled. This also could have been due to the fact that being I had no interest, I just blocked out the lectures and only took in a minimal amount of info. Oops... in any case, this time around, I find myself deriving 3-4 pages of notes from just half a lecture and being able to turn it into a full fledged paper!

Speaking of papers... I am currently writing a 4-pager (a part 2 to my other paper) and I will have it up on here by tomorrow!!! Do you like history? If not, what is/was your favorite lesson? Let me know in the comments, and remember to check back tomorrow to read my paper!

Maddie

Apps I Recommend

Today I'd like to share with my readers some apps that I like and find useful. I have done a similar post in the past recommending video games and decided it was time for an app version. So without further ado, here are the apps I like! (PS: all of these apps are free, as I don't like paying for literal games)

The first app I want to recommend is PhotoStudio. It is a free image editor that gives you many different filters, overlays and tools in general to make your selfies the height of the Internet. I can tell you firsthand that if you use it right it CAN get you a lot of compliments and even adding contrast can completely change your picture.

The next app I want to recommend is called iTube- for all the people that wish a) they could have YouTube without the Internet or b) wish that the YouTube app ran music in the background. This app pretty much lets you download any video on YouTube (as long as you are in range of wifi WHILE downloading the videos) and the you can have them with you at any time. What I like most about it is the fact that I can play temple run obsessively while my favorite music plays in the background! Yay technology!

In any case, the last app I want to recommend is the addictive game "Don't Touch the White Tile". Some call it a rage game, some call it fun, and some call it plain annoying, but in all honesty it is just a good way to crack your iPod screen after 15 minutes of frustration. But at the same time it makes you want to keep playing... So I recommend it.

Well, I have other work to keep me busy, so I will end this post here. What's your favorite app??? Let me know in the comments.

Maddie

Poetry

Welcome to life,

you only live once,

so spend your time well,

and do not dwell on sadness...

Welcome to life,

yeah it's gonna be hard,

there will be times,

when it seems all's at its end...

But just remember:

we're only given,

as much as we can take,

nothing God gives you,

is gonna force you to break,

it might hurt a little,

but it only makes you who you are...

and if you feel down,

remember the happy times,

cherish the small and tiny, 

seemingly pointless little things,

because if you sit,

and reflect on your life,

the little things are what make it so complete,

not obsolete, 

and in the end,

when to heaven we're sent,

nothing here on earth will matter anyway-

but we're here for a bit,

I'm making the best of my time,

are you..?