Speaking of Friday...

Brrr. I hate Winter. Well I don't hate hate it, but this Winter has definitely worn out its welcome. You know its COLD when it a takes an extra couple of churns for your car to start in the morning.

Speaking of COLD, You know what's hot? The Sacramento Kings. What Binu? You're talking about basketball on Super Bowl weekend. That's blasphemy. uh yeah. Listen Football is great and all, but I need me some basketball to keep the BLOOD flowing. With convincing wins over the Rockets and the Spurs -- all without Chris Webber, I think the Kings are headed for the Championship. Mark my words.

Speaking of BLOOD, Two days ago, I took a trip into Brooklyn, a place I haven't been in a long time. I'm not talking about just passing by Brooklyn on the way to New Jersey or the City, but actually walking the streets of East Flatbush and the Bedford Styvesant Area. It brought back some memories. I was born in Brooklyn some 23 years ago, and when I saw it the other day, it was a world of difference. Yes it still has it's problems, but the borough has developed tremendously. Its vibrant, full of culture and growing.

But what really made my day was the white castle I hit up on Flatbush and Atlantic. White castle Mmmm. If you haven't tried those mini STEAMED hamburgers that you can eat by the dozen, you don't know what your missing.

Speaking of STEAM, Howard Dean's campaign is losing it.  I think it'll be over for Dean after the South Carolina primaries where I predict a repeat of Iowa with Kerry coming in first followed closely by Edwards. I would of liked nothing more than to see Dean win the nomination, but a Kerry/Edwards ticket might pose a formidable challenge to a Dubya RE-ELECTION.

Speaking of RE-ELECTION, here's a scenario for you to consider. A lot of people say that election 2004 will be a tight race But What if. What if on Nov 1 2004, two days before the reemergence of chad ballots. The United States captures Osama Bin Laden and finds stockpiles of WMD's in Iraq? I'll feel sorry for whichever democrat spent the last year raising millions of dollars and campaigning through all 50 states only to lose by the biggest landslide ever. But hey, that's wishful THINKING.

Speaking of THINKING, I think its time for me to go. Ill see ya'll next week. Peace.   

P.S.  Welcome to all the newest IPF columnists -- Ben, Liza, Llenis. Glad to have you on board.

Thursday, January 29, 2004 - Benj

The Pop of Benj, Round #3

First,  a warm welcome to the new columnists for the "Inspirations" section of this website.  Your weekly contributions should be a great addition to this ever-growing behemoth.      

Oscar Season is upon us, and Lord of the Rings is dominant with eleven nominations.  It has also earned more money than any other 2003 film with $877 million earned by this past weekend, putting it ahead of Finding Nemo.  You heard it here:  If LOTR doesn't garner the trophy for Best Picture, then it's gonna be a genuine and unforgivable crime.  

A.  Today marks the third birthday of one IndaPhatFarm.com.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to take this time to thank you for continuing to visit this website.  The fact that we are still here means that we are doing something right.

I also want to thank Benj, Binu, Brenda, Crystal, Jonathan, Susan, and Vinod for all their hard work over the past few months.  It is appreciated not only by myself, but by everyone that visits this website.  Lastly, let me also welcome Ben, Liza, and Llenis (scroll down) into the fold.

The history of this website is important to me.  So if you would like to take a look back at the memories, you can check out every update since the inception of this site.

Wedding Pictures - Jose/Diana

For those  of you wanting to see my sister's wedding pictures, they are here. By way of explanations, the bridal portraits are not the professional pictures, we haven't gotten those yet, but these are pictures that I took as she was getting ready and actually in action. I have to admit that even though posed pictures have their place and are nice, I really like the in-action pictures. They are more real and actually have memories. I hope you enjoy.

I thank you who gave me advice on what to do to minimize the possible mishaps in the wedding, but alas, I  was not able to follow any of your advice except for one. And I really had good intentions to do so. I neither slept the night before the wedding nor ate the morning of the wedding. Being the strong Texan woman I am, I did not faint ;). Well, I did get lightheaded when we got to the reception, but most importantly I did not fall asleep during the lengthy message. Every time I wanted to close my eyes I remembered what y'all told me on the message board of the cameras rolling the whole time and I stayed awake.

But who cares, the important ones were the bride and the groom, and seeing the smiles on their faces when they were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Jose Rivera was enough to make all of our hearts overflow with joy. I am happy to say that the new couple is doing very well and seem to be adjusting to their new married life quite well. Diana is a very blessed woman to have such a wonderful husband like Jose who takes care of her, and he is very blessed to have such an awesome wife like her.

Well, everyone, do take care. I wish everyone well in this new semester. Until Next Time.

A.  Vinod has released his newest piece entitled, Blood is Thicker than CREAM.  

Here is an excerpt:

"The two young children, one boy and his sister were painstakingly plucking grass from their perfectly manicured lawn, which was studiously tended to by local laborers.  From where they stood, to every corner of the property the grass boasted of one perfect shade of green.  The green shade was made possible from the green of their dad’s wallet.  He did well for himself, he had enough.  The entire property screamed wealth, as it was a ½ an acre of land located in an upscale neighborhood in Hyattsville, Maryland.  They had enough room to roam free; in fact the size of the property went against their parent’s argument to getting a dog because of limitations in space.  They had all the space they needed for the Ogo to roam free and enough room for him to dig monstrous holes in the grass, especially near where the parents seem to plant flowers they bought from Home Depot.  Benny decides to chase Smitha until he reaches the desired effect, vomiting.  He laughs while she vomits......"

You can find the rest in The IndaPhatFarm Post

Friday, January 23, 2004 - Crystal       

It's been a month since I was up here, but I wish everyone a great year.  Finals are FINALLY over and I'm sure a lot of you are drained.

Ok now on to the title of my update.  You're probably thinking, "What the heck is she talking about?" No David isn't running for President...and THANK GOD he isn't!  Just check out the link below, sent to me by Anil from Philly.  When you open up the link, it takes a bit to load but you'll soon see a gray box, so be patient.

Imagine if you saw George W. or some other candidate releasing something like this! I couldn't stop laughing the first time I saw this!  I don't know if this was meant as a joke, but I'm sure you noticed the craphics and those how-did-he-do-that  flying stunts...oh and we can't forget the blue screen backgrounds and the HOOGA CHAKKA?  What about that alien thing bobbing up and down, or the jumping from Africa to Alaska in one jump...Poor guy :-D

I felt bad for him, since he hasn't really done much...or maybe he feels forgotten? He's not a bad singer, but if you want to make a comeback don't use other people's songs and AT LEAST make an effort at it hahah.

Hope you all got a good laugh out of this, but don't expect to hear "And the Grammy goes to......"

-Icy :)

Here's a great excerpt from Lord of the Rings~

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by frost.

Thursday, January 22, 2004 - Benj

A Different Meatloaf    

First, a few quick political comments.  John Kerry (first place) and John Edwards (second place) scored in a huge way on Monday night in Iowa.  What this means for the Democratic race:  This is clearly no longer a sure-fire thing for Howard Dean, Vermont Governor.  It probably means that Bush & Cheney  will have a very tough fight on their hands if either Kerry or Edwards wins the Democratic nomination (especially if Kerry & Edwards team up for Pres & Vice-Pres).  And keep your eye on General Wesley Clark.  Clark has learned to become a politician at warp speed, and he has a lot of good people working for him.      

What I like about this recipe is that it falls within my "lazy cook" guidelines:  it tastes good and it can be prepared and placed in the oven in less than 20-30 minutes.  Then it bakes for an hour and VOILA you'll have a fine entree to ingest.  It won't be as good as your momma's time-consuming Indian curries, but then you won't spend a full day slaving in the kitchen either.  So rustle up the ingredients, chop and mix for a few minutes, stick it in the oven for an hour, and move on.   Serves four.   www.yumyum.com  

Instructions:
Combine meat through seasonings.
Add milk and breadcrumbs.
If necessary, add a little additional milk until it just barely keeps together in your hands when you try to pick it up.
In small open roasting pan, form into oval.
Lay strips of bacon on top.
Bake at 450 for approximately 1 hour, or until bacon is crisp.
Remove to paper towels to drain before placing on serving platter.

Man this season has flown by. I have had a lot of fun doing these updates. This is one of the last 3 updates I will be doing. Once again I was disappointed to see the New England Patriots advance. Their stingy defense along with some nasty East Coast weather (yes the weather played a big part) shut down Peyton Manning and the Colts powerful offense. But in the NFC, I got to enjoy the Carolina Panthers run all over the Eagles. Yes the Eagles are once again going home after a defeat in the conference championship game. I think that's three years in a row but who is counting. Choke, choke, choke. Sorry Donavan, better luck next year. And do me a favor, stop blaming the receiver after ever incomplete pass or interception you throw.

I am hearing talk about how the Super Bowl is going to be boring. Nonsense, I am excited to see the underdog Panthers surprise the Patriots. That being said my official pick for the Super Bowl is: New England Patriots 24 Carolina Panthers 17.  I do hope I'm wrong, but after 14 games in a row without a loss, you would be insane to bet money against the Pats. I hope Houston is ready for the big game. It's the city's chance to shine. The Super Bowl brings millions of dollars in business each year to the city with the big game. I don't know if Houston can handle the pressure. I mean if you were a player on one of the Super Bowl teams, would you want to spend the two weeks leading up to the big game to be in Houston or some really hot spots like Miami, or San Diego. I'm kinda going off on a tangent but it is a slow time in the league.

I am officially twenty-two OLD years—but I’d rather not think about that right now.  Let’s think positive.  I am seventy-eight years from turning one-hundred!!!  Much better;)  Thanks to my friends who planned an awesome night out with the cronies.  What was hoped to be a surprise for me…ended up to be a half-surprise and a mugger, (don’t ask;).  Last night we went to the National Gallery of Art Outdoor Ice Skating Rink.  Although it was butt-cold outside, it was as beautiful as it always is—a cozy little rink circled with white lights…the Washington Monument on the right…a sculpture garden illuminated by lights on the left…and twenty super cool people to spend your special day with—what more could a girl ask for?  Afterwards we headed to COSI’s to thaw down and grab some grub.  I recommend the grilled chicken parmesan sandwich.

Other than that, I pretty much had a whirl-wind weekend—went to New York to visit some family—shout out to Serena Koshy…newest member to our family…very sweet baby.  Had a great time there and also came upon something very interesting…(at least it was to me).  I was at a relative’s house admiring the architecture when I happened to notice a family photo in the living room.  (It was of my uncle’s wife’s family).  So I take a passing look across all the faces…but my face stops at one.  A guy.  He looks incredibly familiar to me.  By George!  I’ve seen that dude somewhere!!!  But where?  Ahah!  Blue Radius!  It was Franklin Philips----dude we’re related!!!  Ok, I’ll stop now since I’m sure we’re the only two excited here.

Times Square Church:  I’m sure many of you have been there, but I must give you my impression of it.  IT IS SO AWESOME!  The actual service was great.  But the old theatre-turned-church is what got me really excited.  It’s the perfect example of an old Victorian theatre with its mauve-burgundy drapes, countless mezzanines, little corridors, and beautiful cathedral ceiling with gold inlay and classy old-world designs.  I just wished I had more time to explore that place and see what secrets lie behind that theatre.

In 1991, it was announced that the Nederlanders decided to sell the gorgeous Mark Hellinger Theatre to the Times Square Church.  The Hellinger was the theatre where Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison starred in the original Broadway production of My Fair Lady in 1956.  “Times Square Church was founded by Reverend David Wilkerson in 1987.

It is an interdenominational church located at 51st Street and Broadway in the heart of New York City. Over 8,000 people, representing more than 100 nationalities, gather to worship together every week. Roughly 2,000 volunteers from the congregation participate in over thirty ministries, ranging from feeding the homeless in New York City to staffing an orphanage in South Africa.”

http://www.timessquarechurch.org/

D.  Frank from BR is working on a new venture entitled, Nondenominational Soldiers for Christ (NSFC).  If you are interested, please e-mail him at frank@blueradius.org. 

A.  You know, its hard to believe that it's been one year since Bro. Philliplpassed, but on January 17, 2003, he went to be with the Lord.

B.  Pat Cabrera (Phillip's cousin) has written a piece in memory of this special person:

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  Tomorrow it is going to be a year since my cousin died. When Phillip died my life completely changed, and it hasn't been and I don't think will ever be the same. Almost every night since he died I can't sleep because I am either crying or thinking about when I found out he passed away or his funeral and how it hurt so much to see my strong, loving cousin dead. Another thing that made me really sad was seeing my uncle and my aunt. I knew that they were going through a lot of pain and it hurt me so much to see them. There were times I couldn't bear looking at them. But I know that they were comforted knowing that Phillip was in heaven.

        Now I am going to write about when I found about my cousin's death. That night my life was going on normally, around that time I was in between studying for a test and playing UNO with my little sister. But one thing I remember is that around 10 p.m. I felt something cold go through my body and I felt weird. I think I told my sister that I had gotten a brain freeze, but I really didn't think about it. Also that night my Grandma was returning  from El Salvador and my mom and my aunt were going to go pick her up. Well, I somehow ended up going to sleep before my mom came back from the airport, and I remember around 4:00 a.m. my mom woke me up telling me something had happened to Phillip. I cannot even explain what went through my head at that moment, I remember seeing my sister (Maggie) pale and I just was asking over and over what had happened. When my mom told me he had died I was in total shock, because come on, one day your life is normal and then the next day you are being told that one of the most special people in your life is dead. Well, from then on nothing could comfort me and no matter how many people told me it was okay, I couldn't stop crying. I didn't really want to go to school the next day, but Maggie told me and my sisters that Phillip wouldn't want us stay home, he would want us to go on with life. I really admired the strength my sister had. So we all went to school.

       Phillip Cabillo is the greatest person I have ever met. He was always happy and if he thought he offended anyone he was always quick to apologize. Since my mom and my aunt are very close, we cousins were very close. He was always at our house, and believe me when I say all the time. Even when he was teaching in the Christian school, on school days he would come. Sometimes he would come straight to my house from school, without going home. I really liked that and was always very happy to see him. Phillip Cabillo Jr. is for me an irreplaceable cousin and person. I hope many people can learn from him and will never forget him. I am proud of saying Phillip was my cousin, and I think I was lucky to be his cousin.

       Also I am really grateful that people came from many places to Phillip's funeral and it was also nice to hear many people say testimonies and nice things about my cousin.

- Pat Cabrera

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C.  Work has begun on Bro. Phillip's section in Remembrance.  Pictures, as well as his personal testimony are all being compiled.  I will keep you informed.

Future Plans, Superbowl

So we are finally  in the middle of January and our school break will be finishing in a few days. Honestly, I'm pretty excited to be going back. For those  graduating this year, be it from college or high school, it's an exciting time. This may be your last semester, and you are elated. But at the same time, the future is a little scary,  and you may be wondering what the next step should be.

At this time its a very good idea to pray and seek God for his guidance. The fact of the matter is that you won't open your Bible one day and find a verse calling you by your name and telling you to become a history major or anything like that, but you want to make sure you are making the right decision. I had that question in my mind when I graduated from high school, and my pastor told me to put the matter in God's hands, and proceed with my plans. If God did not want me to go that direction, after I put it in His hands, He would close the doors. Besides praying about it, a wise thing to do is to talk to your parents about it. Believe it or not, parents have so much wisdom and as our authority are led by God to guide us in making the right decisions. And of course, godly friends who will pray and encourage you to go on.

Thankfully, I can truly say that I've been blessed with amazing men and women in my life who are not only fun to hang around with, but when I  am going through a hard time rally around me and encourage me with their words and prayers. I strongly encourage you to find a group of friends who will help you when you're down.

Superbowl is coming up!! I'm sure those of you who follow football closely are very excited about it. I like football and all, but don't follow it very closely. As a matter of fact, if it weren't for Jonathan's updates, oh and also that I do read the sports section of the newspaper once in a while, I wouldn't know what was going on. But, since the superbowl will be taking place in Houston, it is more  of a close to home kind of thing. I really don't have a preference for any team, except for the Houston Texans, and they're out, so I just hope its a fun competitive game. Let me who y'all think is going to win.

Ladies and gentlemen, do take care, and have a great day. Until next time.

Thursday, January 15, 2004 - Benj

Politics Watch    

Howard Dean reads the Bible how often?  When asked which book in the New Testament  was his favorite, he replied "Job".  Priceless.  

Hillary slams Gandhi !  She put her foot in her mouth big-time.  And this time it's no less than a pathetic joke about the Mahatma himself.  Here's a write-up on the incident from a conservative online magazine.  Naturally there has been no major report on it in one of the "mainstream" online papers.  This is just more positive proof of the leftward slant of America's news institutions.  

Mars Rover & Tourney Dates

The Second week in the new year is nearly over, and already a lot has happened.

Mars Rover has landed, Britney Spears got married and divorced and Bush has proposed a new immigration plan that has many conservatives infuriated  -- But before I move onto these gut-busting topics – Did you know that  policemen in India who have moustaches get an average of 69 cents more than their non-moustache counterparts?  Its true. According to the associated press, Indian policemen are encouraged to grow moustaches for higher salaries. Supposedly there’s an Indian stigma that says men with moustaches present a more authoritative demeanor.

Tourney 2004:  Dates people. Dates. Vinod and I have been talking about the tournament planning and I’m not going to get into specifics right now But I will tell you that we need to know dates. Were shooting for August 2004. The general consensus I received from various people is that August is a good month for the tournament. With that said, were looking to book a gym fairly soon for the first or second week of AUGUST 04. Any rebuttals? Let us know. Otherwise August 2004 is when the Stunnaz will win the trophy ;)

For those of you who actually care about football, there is a lot to talk about. Lets start off by putting this whole "the Packers are a team of destiny" deal to rest. I will admit, even with me being a diehard Bears fan, I found myself rooting for Brett Favre (not his team) to prevail. Partly because of the respect I have for his great career, and all he has gone through, and partly because I don't like the Eagles. But Sunday proved that teams aren't destined to win. There were no angels on the field helping the Packers. God wasn't willing the Packers to win a Super Bowl just because Brett Favre lost his father. 

Also, on Sunday I saw one of the most amazing offensive performances by an NFL team. Think about this, there was not one single punt by either team, the entire game. What did you expect?  You had the leagues number one offense against its number two offense. Add to that the Chiefs having the 29th ranked defense in the league, (the Colts defense hasn't exactly dominated anyone this year).  Enough said. 

Peyton Manning has been unstoppable. This guy is a straight up throw back to old school QB's. If you could build a perfect robot QB I would want it to come out like this guy. I don't mean to sound cheezy, but lets examine this closely. Manning has great arm strength, unbelievable pose, is a very smart decision maker.  He is 6'5 (and yes height matters in this league, no offense Doug Flutie) and is getting better each year. Now I know he hasn't won a playoff game till this year, but to be fair you have to put some of the blame on the teams he had around him. 

You know, I was rooting against the Patriots, but they pulled it out against one of my favorite teams on Saturday. The Titans played all out but in the end the Patriots were just a little better in a game played in 0 degree weather, with a 20 below wind chill. 

Before I talk about all the coaching moves, I want to give my picks for next week. And yes, I was wrong by picking the Rams to go all the way. 

Indy Colts over New England Patriots

Philly Eagles over Carolina Panthers

Now for what its worth, I am a big Joe Gibbs fan.  Like Chris stated in his update, the man is a good Christian and a very likable guy. He has done nothing but win in his career. From football to NASCAR, he is one of the most respected men in all of football. All of that being said, I am going to really hate to see him go out a loser by mixing himself up with the garbage that is the Washington Redskins these days. He deserves a much better fit than this. By the way Redskins fans, I'm really tired of hearing you all promote yourselves as the "most diehard fans" in all of football. Any true football fan lives and dies by their team's outcome on Sundays. So stop acting like the Skins recent losing is hurting you any more than the last 18 years of losing the Bears have gone through hurts me. 

Back to J.Gibbs. The league has changed so much since this man last coached. I'm not sure if he will be able to fix this team in a fast enough time. I know teams can go from first to worst these days, but they can also go from mediocre to very bad in a short period of time. And as much as all Skins fans are celebrating right now, trust me the honeymoon will be short lived if you all don't get immediate results. That's just how the league is these days. Like it or not, I would love to hear from some Skin fans out there. 

Hit me up wit your questions/comments at Bigdome85@yahoo.com.  

A.  Right off the bat, let me announce that I am compiling recaps from YAR 2004.  If you would like to submit a recap, please e-mail me at chunglao@hotmail.com.  Ben Harris from Brooklyn, Jojy Abraham from Toronto, and Chris Mudiappahpillai from Toronto, are the first to submit recaps.  Be sure to check them out.  

YAR 2004 Recaps

B.  Your patience for YAR media has been rewarded.  Check out 18, that's right, I said 18 clips from YAR 2004.  Scroll your mouse over any picture, to get a little description of each clip.  Welcome to IPF.  Enjoy.

C.  Also, back in September, I posted some clips from the Washington Sunday School Anniversary, that had some audio problems.  Well, those problems have now been fixed.  For all those who posted inquires about these clips, I just wanted you to know that we followed through:

  

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Friday, January 9, 2004 - Benj

'04    

Scriptures for 2004:  Ephesians 4:1-3, New International Version - "As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

A.  Ladies and Gentlemen.  Ladies and Gentlemen.  Ladies and Gentlemen.  

I AM ECSTATIC

Am I dreaming?  Somebody pinch me.  No wait, I want to enjoy this.  DC, our suffering is OVER.  This is like Vince Lombardi coming back from the grave to rescue his dying team.

To cover this HUGE event, IPF correspondent Sam John has written a piece.  You can find it in The NFL RUNDOWN.

Wednesday, January 7, 2004 - Binu

Happy New Year 

2004 – The year of promise. Time to get off my lazy rump and do something for the betterment of society.  Who needs blood?  This year I am not going to make any unreasonable resolutions. I’ve only made 2 resolutions and I intend on keeping them both.  

Resolution #1 - Get off the Fatkins diet.                                      

There was some YAR Media scheduled to debut today, but they will be deferred to later on this week. Stay tuned

YAR Recap: It was great to get away high atop the mountains of Pennsylvania on the first weekend of the New Year. Sometimes, your mind just gets so cluttered, you lose focus and you’re in one big daze. Thank God for the mountains. Up there, there is no high-speed Internet connection. The Verizon guy who says, “Can you hear me now?” has not been up there.  I didn’t even get one bar. God knows I held my phone at every angle possible. But not even one bar.

Sorry for the delay, but I’m back.  Back with more vim and vigor.  I had the flu, but thank God that’s over.  It was a bit exasperating, because after one bout of the flu, I got another case a fortnight later.  What a way to spend Christmas break.  Anyhow, post-Christmas shopping has made me more resilient in more ways than one.  All I can say is that it is not so worth it...the packed malls and absolutely noooo parking spots.  I had to park in an office lot, somewhat nearby, and walk to the mall.  And plus, I didn’t really come back with a whole lot.  Never again.

A.  It's official.  '04 is here.  Welcome Home.

B.  YAR 2004:  Roughly 66 people attended this year, and let me say that I'm really getting something out of these YAR events.  I think the main theme that stuck with me, has been not to be a lukewarm Christian.

Also, I thought the prayer requests from the different churches were very, very, effective and heart felt.

You know, we're all getting older, and realizing that we need to actually get something from God, instead of just coming to church.  Other wise, we're wasting our time.

Lots of pics & media on the way, so stand by.  You know how we do.

Shout out to Chris from Toronto for taking pics during the football game. 

In other YAR events:

Yes, we played football.  A mostly DC team soundly defeated a group of mixed church challengers, 4-2.

Twisted my ankle a little bit though.  The funny thing is, I didn't notice it until half way through the meeting on Saturday night.  I stood up to sing, and was like WHOA, what is up with this, and promptly sat down.

Perhaps I should hang up the cleats?  Hmm..........no.

I hope the Pack send McNabb & Co. home.  The Patriots are looking good, but I can't see them winning 15 straight games, but they will beat Tennessee.  Kansas City is suspect on defense, they will get booted by Indy. The Rams will beat Carolina, but will go no further than that, losing in the nfc championship game.  

D.  Finally, let me leave you with an IPF preview.  We have something very special in store for you, straight out of the X factory, featuring one Paul Moses.  You're going to like it.  Look for it Soon.