Monday, June 4, 2007

Just thinking..

We fear that we are inadequate, but our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: ”Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be these things? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world.

There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people around you won't feel insecure.

We are all meant to shine as children do. We are born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.

And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically releases others."

Thank you..

I would like to thank her for everything she did for me. Thank you for loving me. I know she love me and so am I. I hope it will be everlasting. I love her cook. I love her kindness, and her affection to kids. I like her manners towards me even sometimes annoy me. I don’t know whether we’ve similarity but I feel so lucky that she try to do the best for the sake of ours.

She keeps telling me that her love towards me not as much as mine. How could she felt like that? I want her to know that I love her as much as hers. I know she try to get romantic quotes from me. I’m not such a dull guy who just recurrently quotes a lot of bombastic love idiom for the reason to catch the attention of their partner fervor of love.

She was kind of proud because of having me. She always told me about that. Sometime when we were having an argument, she accused me to be unlucky because of being her partner. It was actually not true .And I always try to deny it. She seemed begging me to coax and soothe her. But pity on her, she got nothing. For all of these, I’m sorry. I have no intention to hurt her.

The main message in this writing is to thank her for the kindness towards me and for everything she did for the sake of ours. I hope she knows that I love her as much as hers.






Thursday, May 31, 2007

FEDE HISTORIA


by Rodrigo F. Flores


When the phone rang that night I was sure it was going to be my old man with some lame excuse as to why he wasn't getting home that night. I lit a cigarette and used it as a flashlight to guide me through the darkness of my home. The burning cigarette, the only light in the room, was what kept me going and prevented me from tripping on something.

"What is it this time, huh?" I said as I picked up the phone. To my surprise, I didn't hear my father's panting. In fact, there were no human sounds on the other side of the phone. I could make out the sound of cars honking and of cars traveling at a dangerous speed. There was some static, the sort that is common to cell phone calls, but it was quickly interrupted by someone shouting at a distance. My brother's voice.

There was rage in his speech, clearly meant for someone standing in front of him. He didn't want me to know about it though, yet he wasn't aware that I could hear him from the other end of the line. As soon as Fred realized that I had already answered the call he rapidly changed his tone of voice and gently spoke back to me.

"Hey bro, look... there's been somewhat of an accident. This guy crashed into me, and well, it seems like if it's gonna be a bit of problem getting these guys to pay for the damage. Don't worry though, call Mom and tell her that..."

Silence.

"Tell her what?!"

"Oh shit!" The phone goes dead.

Silence. No address, no explanations. Just silence.

Fred grew up back when nobody believed in ADD. Kids that showed hyperactivity and lack of attention were not considered to be sick; they were just given more toys and time to play with'em. You know, to exhaust that extra energy.

In his teenage years, Fred still had these momentary lapses of perplexity and bewilderment. However, it wasn't due to ADD anymore. It was due to the shitload of coke that he took each day.

Having so much energy to waste, Fred decided to join a gym. He went there everyday; he worked out, check out the babes, worked out some more and took in some coke between these activities. This newly acquired sense of dedication contributed to other aspects of Fred's life. His career in the money forging business started flourishing. What began as a momentary method for survival had now become a big business for Fred. He loved the faces of the presidents on the bills that he forged, and he loved even more the faces of the waiters when they thought they were getting a great tip.

Fred grew to become a strong young man. I know he cared for me and Mom, but he tried to hide it most of the time. No weakness and his muscles and no feelings in his heart. "Strong as Blue Demon!" he used to say, while pounding his fists on his chest.

The night of the accident he was real hammered. He was used to driving while being drunk by this point in his life, and in fact he really enjoyed it. It made the trip a whole deal more fun for him; it reminded him of those videogames that are found in arcades. He thought of it as a game, only this time it felt more real. He was there, trying to drive and get home safely - all while having a friend and a couple of chicks in the car.

When the impact occurred, his car violently swirled around the streets a couple of times. He was laughing when it happened, and he continued to laugh throughout its entirety. The adrenaline in his veins spawned as his car was spinning, as he saw his chick's face distort with horror. Just like in those video racing games, he thought.

Fred got out of the car once it had been brought to a halt by a telephone booth. He didn't even bother to look at his friends in the car. He was too amused as the moment. He didn't want worry about the possible consequences of the crash. He didn't even feel like caring for his friend and the chicks.

He dusted off his suit and brushed his fingers through his hair. You know, just in case his hair had moved out of place.

Fred then stared at the street, gazing at the tinkering lights from the light posts. They were blinking on and off, and they were complemented with the effacing colors emanating from the streetlights.

There was a pink car in the middle of the street, shattered in pieces and torn apart from the front. It was the car that had hit him. Fred had not noticed it before, but now he realized they were actually real people inside. There were people in there that could be hurt badly, or even possibly dead. People with families, girlfriends and dogs to take care of.

But Fred had other things to care about at the moment.

Those motherfuckers had ruined his car.

Ruben was having a drink with his buddies. Playing Cards. Smoking Cigs. Drinking beer. One more beer.

Ruben opened the fridge and searched for some more. His hand had to swerve past the penicillin, the morphine and the bags of human blood. Ah! Some Coronas at the back of the fridge.

He sat back down on the stretcher and opened his bottle. It was getting stuffy there in the back. I might have to open the doors, he thought.

The radio rang when he was about to do so. It was that annoying noise that sounded like static when there was silence in between words.

"Yes, ambulance number 655321, please come in."

Ruben sloppily jumped to the front seat and picked up the radio.

"There's been a 9-15"

"Huh? Please come again", when drunk, it was real hard for him to remember much of the codes.

"That means that there's been an accident, dumbass!"

When the police got there they found a big strong man standing on the hood of a pink car. His fists were bloody and they were steadily pounding on the window shield. The man roared like an animal, and pounded his fists on his chest every once in a while. When he saw the police car he pointed to the other vehicle right next to him. "Look at what he did to my car!" he said.

There was a man inside the pink vehicle. His face was covered with blood, but his eyes were wide open. The whiteness of his eyes burst out in the midst of the river of red. When the cop got close to the car, he tried to let him out, but the man gripped on to his seatbelt and said, "No, he'll kill me!"

Fred then jumped back down from the hood and walked close to the window. He said, "Of course I'll kill you motherfucker. You have no hands."

Huh? No hands? No way of defense? Was that what he meant?

The man smeared in blood placed his hands on the dashboard. Or rather, placed his arms. His handless arms.

"You see?" Fred remarked at the cop.

"I'm sorry sir, but what the fuck are you doing?! You can't be driving a car if you have no hands. How could you possibly have gotten a license?"

The man tried to speak but he had to spit out blood first. His voice sounded nasal for Fred had broken his nose.

"Ain don't have one"

"Nor any insurance, right motherfucker?" Fred snapped back.

There was no response.

"This son of a bitch crashes into me and when I tell him to call his insurance he says he has none. Then I realize motherfucker is drunk and starts getting nervous. He tried to get out of the car, and that was when I had to beat the shit out of him. I wasn't gonna let him get away without paying.

The cop turned back to the man in the pink car and said, "Is this true?"

A slight nod was his response.

"Alright man, are you the owner of this car?"

The man pointed backwards to another fellow just as drunk as him, passed out on the backseat. "His car", he said.

What a mess! the cop thought. One was worse than the other! He could clearly understand why Fred was so pissed; and yes it was going to be a lot of trouble getting these guys to pay because they had no insurance and were completely shit-faced. But then again, he couldn't let Fred go. He had seen him destroy the hood of a man's car and face. He would have to seriously fine him for his behavior, and he might even have to throw him in jail as well.

He instantly afterwards pulled out his radio. " HQ, I'm in a problem. I got a 2-1-2, an 0-5-7, and a 3-6-8. In need of assistance."

A man with alcohol poisoning, a driver with no hands bruised and beat up, and a europhic driver with violent impulses on coke. HQ called for an ambulance.

Fred was standing in the middle of the street. In the darkness of the night. The only light was coming from the cars, forged together by the impact. They were one massive compound of metals and motorized technology, completely wrecked and banged up.

Fred pulled out his cell phone. He figured he needed to call somebody, to let them know that it will take a while. Perhaps Fred did not know the how long the legal proceedings would take, or how much he would have to wait for the ambulance. However, Fred was not going to stand there much longer.

He flipped on his cell phone and concentrated hard on dialing. The booze was slowly fading away from his senses, but he still needed a lot of attention to operate the cell phone.

Who should I call? he wondered. His father wasn't likely to be home, he never was. And Mom? Mom must be working.

The logical choice was his loving little brother.

"Hey bro, look... there's been somewhat of an accident. This guy crashed into me, and well, it seems like if it's gonna be a bit of problem getting these guys to pay for the damage. Don't worry though, call Mom and tell her that..."

A siren, an ambulance approaching with a honking sound.

Then.

The ground.

The asphalt as cold as steel, on his face. Yet, it burned. The impact of his face on the ground made his whole body ache.

Fred tried to get back up but was unable to do so. He laid there, on the ground, parallel to the ground. His face was turning to his side, where he saw the cop's face only a few inches away from his own.

The policeman rolled over and cynically giggled. Then his laughter burst out as he stared at Fred's eyes. Incontrollable laughter, completely out of proportion.

"I tackled your ass, man. I just fucking saved your life, homie!" he said with a smile.

I was the one to get there the first. I had called my entire family to let them know about the accident, and to have them help me search for my brother. I had cousins driving all over town searching for him.

I have to tell you that it was a pretty interesting sight. Two differently colored pieces of junk resembling cars were smashed together against an ambulance. Sitting on the sidewalk were some awfully intriguing people. There was a cop, laughing his ass off; a man with no hands; two chicks that looked like hookers; and then a big white body, indistinguishable by the blood on his face.

I walked past them and tried to evade the "Oh hi, Fred's little brother!" coming from the hooker-looking girls. My stomach felt empty, as I approached that last person. I was nervous; I couldn't tell if it was my brother.

He swiped the blood off his face and spat out some more of it.

"We're doing alright", Fred said, "motherfucker almost killed me", and he pointed at the ambulance.

I made my way slowly to the ambulance window. Blood was dripping out from the window and blending with the red cross painted on the side of the door. I looked back, hoping to see my brother comforting me with a smile. But, I was too far away from him, and now I alone stood in the darkness. The light from inside the ambulance was blinking, at the same time that the blood was dripping. Like the ticking of a clock, it determined the tone of the conversation that I was listening to.

Fred had his arm around the man with his face covered with blood and a distorted nose. "You know, I don't really have insurance either. Anybody else would have done the same thing to me if I crashed into their car."

The man smiled.

"Or not. I do have both of my hands to protect myself."

The cop's laughter rose after this comment. It took him a while to control it, but as soon as it stopped he pulled out a cigarette pack and offered a smoke to both of them. Fred rejected it; he was chewing on the shattered antenna of his broken cell phone.

"Don't worry about it anymore, boys. Not one of you will have to pay a nickel for the damage. No one would believe me back at the station if I told them what happened. They would probably think I was drinking on duty once again."

Both, Fred and the other man looked back at the cop. Puzzled.

"We'll have to blame the ambulance guy. We'll say that you that parked your cars next to one another and got into some sort of a brawl. You broke his nose, and I called for an ambulance when I got there. Everybody else was drunk and passed-out so they don't have to testify. We'll them about the ambulance and how it wrecked both your cars; ambulance driver is pretty dead anyway. This way the Red Cross will have to pay for both your damages, and nobody will have any trouble after this."

The cop smiled and winked at them. He gave one last puff to his cigarette and threw it into the puddle of blood next to him. He slowly walked towards me and said, "This really is a fucked-up place to live in".

I peered inside the ambulance and caught a glimpse at the driver's name tag.

RUBEN, it said.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

smile


In physiology, a smile is a facial expression formed by flexing the muscles most notably near both ends of the mouth. The smile can be also around the eyes.

However, among humans, it's customarily an expression of pleasure, happiness, or amusement, but can also be an involuntary expression of anxiety, in which case it can be known as a grimace.

There is much evidence that smiling is a normal reaction to certain stimuli and occurs regardless of culture. Happiness most often causes the smile to occur, though.

Many studies indicate that smiling is an innate reaction, as children blind from birth, and even human fetuses smile; however feral children generally do not smile, perhaps lending evidence to the contrary, perhaps indicating the profound psychological disturbance that results in a member of a social species brought up with no elders or peers.

Among animals, the exposure of teeth, which may bear a resemblance to a smile, are often used as a threat - known as a snarl - or a sign of submission. In chimpanzees, it can be a sign of fear.

Smiling not only changes a facial expression, but can also make the brain produce endorphins which reduce physical and emotional pain, and give a greater sense of well-being.

Quotes of the day

“We can have peace if we let go of wanting to change the past and wanting to control the future."

-Lester Levinson


“Money doesn't bring happiness and creativity. Your creativity and happiness brings money."


-Sam Rosen


“A truth's initial commotion is directly proportional to how deeply the lie was believed... When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker, a raving lunatic."

-Dresden James

Pregnancy test

One of pregnancy test method apart from urine check and blood test. hehe.. :-)

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Quotes of the day

“Love is unconditional acceptance. That quality is also our essential nature, who we really are."

-Peter Shepherd



"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched... but are felt in the heart."

-Helen Keller

Saturday, May 5, 2007

Intelligent Well Technology

In today’s upstream oil and gas industry, the term "intelligent wells" (or "smart wells") generally refers to the implementation of fundamental process control downhole. Intelligent wells enable surveillance, interpretation and actuation in a continuous feedback loop, operating at or near real-time. Other terms for intelligent wells are "intelligent completions" and "smart completions".

Intelligent well is a well equipped with monitoring equipment and completion components that can be adjusted to optimize production, either automatically or with some operator intervention.

Intelligent Well Systems combine permanent data acquisition, flow management, and systems integration to deliver reliable remote flow control, without costly well intervention.

Economic Drivers behind the Intelligent Well System

• Intelligent wells improve targeting of new wells
• Lower surface infrastructure expenses
• Commingled flow
• Reduction of workovers
• Better understanding leads to increased recovery
• Water Management

To realize this, the following elements are generally required:

• Flow control devices
• Feed-through isolation packers
• Control, communication and power cables
• Down-hole sensors
• Surface data acquisition and control

Many myths exist about intelligent well technology. “They’re too costly to install and operate. They aren’t known for their reliability. They don’t have a track record. Anyone can install them. They are just a fad.” But the facts tell a different story.

"Intelligent" completions

The principal driving force behind intelligent completions is the need to manage today’s highly leveraged designer wells, which challenge the technical capabilities and economic assumptions of conventional, intervention-based production management.

Among key drivers of intelligent well technologies are:
• Fewer, larger (tubulars and production rate) well completions which complement advanced directional drilling capabilities
• Pre-completion of primary, secondary and tertiary pays to exploit multiple reservoirs within the same primary wellbore, favoring commingled production
• Overall increasing sensitivity to unplanned OPEX, driving reliability (availability) requirements
• Early confirmation (by initial development wells) of the reservoir model and depletion plan. Early confirmation / contradiction of preliminary assumptions about reservoir response can provide valuable insights regarding reserves estimation; adequacy/inadequacy of capital infrastructure plans; number, placement and design of subsequent development wells, etc.

Intelligent Well Technology (IWT) encompasses two primary concepts:
• Surveillance in real time – making measurements of downhole flow and/or reservoir conditions. Measurement is achieved by electronics or fiber optics. Measurements commercially available today are pressure, temperature and flow rate. Downhole pressure/temperature has been available since the 1980s.
• Control in real time – the ability to remotely control zones, by on/off control or choking. Real-time production control has been commercially available only since about 1998. Control is achieved by electric, hydraulic or electro-hydraulic actuation of a valve or sleeve.

Conventional (non-intelligent) well designs require intervention via wireline, coiled tubing, or rig to make measurements or alter zone flow. By installing downhole well measurement and control devices connected to the surface (i.e., "intelligent technology"), measurement and control become possible without intervention.

Intelligent Completions is one of keys to Success of intelligent well

Intelligent Completion technology has matured rapidly to become a widely accepted tool in the completion engineer’s “toolkit.” New reservoir and production models predict inflow and outflow characteristics and show how Intelligent Completion Systems can bring added value in applications.

What qualifies a well as an Intelligent Completion?

Intelligent completions use real-time production and injection management systems to place process controls downhole and provide three basic functions:
1. Acquisition of downhole production and/or reservoir data
2. Analysis of data to optimize production
3. Remote control of flow.

What is the business case for using Intelligent Completion Systems?

Intelligent Completion Systems can change flow characteristics while minimizing interventions and their associated cost, risk and production downtime. This ability potentially can add millions of dollars to a well’s net present value (NPV).
Although minimizing intervention is a significant benefit, intelligent well technologies can provide even more value by accelerating cash flow and increasing ultimate recovery.

Intelligent well system (IWS) and intervention avoidance

Operators use intelligent well technologies for three primary reasons:
• To reduce or eliminate intervention costs
• To accelerate production and reserves and improve reservoir management
• To allow for additional recoverable reserves.


<---Inforce Intelligent Well by Baker Hughes


The single most-often-cited reason for running Intelligent Well Systems is intervention avoidance. Intervention to change zone flow will accomplish one or more of the following objectives:

• Bring on production for a non-producing zone
• Reduce or shut off flow of unwanted gas or water
• Shut off a zone permanently.


Intervention carries with it a high cost, including rig cost , workover fluids, completion equipment, etc. In addition there is an opportunity cost that includes lost production for the duration of the intervention. Ancillary risks include environmental and safety issues.

Eliminating or reducing interventions by using IWS has the potential in some areas to add many millions of dollars to well net present value (NPV). Rig and workover costs alone may range from less than $50,000 in low-rate onshore areas to more than $10 million in offshore deepwater environments. Delayed revenue must also be considered. Thirty days of production delayed by a workover at, say, 10,000 bopd and $15 per barrel, is equivalent to $ 4.5 million delayed revenue.

Using IWS not only reduces or eliminates interventions and their associated costs, but also allows operators to implement drainage strategies that yield more reserves or require less time than with conventional completions.

Figure illustrates a smart well outfitted with a variety of surface and subsurface smart sensors and instrumentation for measuring hydrocarbon pressure and temperature and controlling flow rates. A high volume of valuable real time data is generated to provide experts with an in depth understanding of the hydrocarbon reservoir behaviour. (Source: Shell iWell Technology document 2001)

Real Time Data Acquisition and Process Control Infrastructure ensures real time process data flow from the sensors and instruments through the telemetry systems (DCS, RTU,PLC) and data communication infrastructure (radio, digital microwave radio, LAN) to the office domain making real time field data available on the users desktop and other visualization tools




References:

http://www.spe.org/
http://www.slb.com/
http://www.weatherford.com/
http://www.bakerhughes.com/


Friday, May 4, 2007

Grandpa was a mover


by Joyce Moseley Pierce


Grandpa was always on the move, and once he decided to go, he didn't waste time looking back. This vital part of his character started at an early age. He was only four when his mother died, and as soon as he was old enough, he left Irwin, Missouri and traveled the world before settling in Kansas City in the early 1920's.

Emerson Moseley worked at the central office of the Postal Telegraph and received market closings from all satellite offices. Night after night he received reports, but one in particular caught his attention because it always closed the same way. "Ok, good night, God bless you, see you tomorrow, Della Kay." Curiosity got the best of him and he decided to pay her a surprise visit.

Della Kay was a good woman and realized right away that Emerson was a man worth catching. They were married three weeks later against the protests of everyone who knew them. "It will never last," they said, but it did. For 60 years.

Three hundred sixty eight days after the wedding their first and only child arrived. Emerson tried several jobs in town but soon became bored with the routine. He hit the road and spent most of his life working out of his car. The road was a symbol of life and offered limitless opportunities. He always returned home with a gift or two under his arm, but one particular Christmas surprise would change their lives forever. On his arm was a Kitten; not the feline variety, but the woman who would marry his son and give him the granddaughters who would breathe new life into him. That's where I come into the picture. I'm the first-born child of that marriage.

Grandpa became my best friend at a very early age. He taught me to read and write before I went to school and never stopped teaching me. He instilled in me an unquenchable thirst for learning. Because we were always together, I was quickly dubbed his "little buddy." My sister arrived five years after I did, and things seemed to fit perfectly when she and my grandmother bonded in much the same way.

We enjoyed countless blessings but our lives were also touched by trials. My sister and I both married and brought another generation of grandchildren into their lives. Grandma suffered a cruel stroke that affected both body and speech, leaving her able to think but unable to communicate. When my father died unexpectedly, we grieved together and pulled closer as a family. My sister and I tried to fill the void in their lives and became even richer for it.

Against Grandma's protests, Grandpa sold the house with its memories, bought an apartment at the best retirement community in town, and auctioned off everything they owned. The idea of change revitalized him, but every blow of the auctioneer's gavel tore away at my grandmother's heart.

Grandma wilted in the new environment, but Grandpa flourished. He was on new turf, had a lot of exploring to do, and was relieved of the draining task of giving total care to Grandma. Although he made friends there, he remained devoted to her, and wore the carpet thin through the maze of hallways that connected his apartment to her tiny room.

I called the apartment every morning under the guise of checking on Grandpa, but the truth was that I didn't want to start my day without him. On Saturdays I would go to Grandpa's apartment with my children, and we would go as a group to visit Grandma. I believed it was my responsibility to help her visualize life outside that pale green room.

Grandpa became quite a hit at the home with the masses of widows confined to the nursing home. They watched with envy when he wheeled Grandma through the halls. A healthy male in a nursing home is a rarity and caused a lot of whispers among the old ladies when they thought he was out of earshot. Their comments of appreciation always made me smile.

In time, Grandma passed on and we became concerned when he seemed to give up on living. I stood by helplessly and watched this strong man deteriorate until it finally became necessary to move him to the nursing home. He settled into a tiny little room with only a bed and his recliner. I decorated the room with pictures of the family and my children proudly supplied him with new drawings or schoolwork on a regular basis. His wardrobe was reduced to three outfits with MOSELEY scrawled on every piece with Magic MarkerTM so no one else would steal them. It broke my heart to see him there, but just as I started trying to prepare myself to live without him, I began to see a change.

On one of our family's weekly visits, I noticed a smiling silver-haired woman waving at him as we walked through the cafeteria. Grandpa nodded as if he were tipping his hat and I was thrilled to see a spark I hadn't seen in months.

"That woman has a crush on me," he said.

"Who is she?" I asked as I looked toward her, wondering if she were responsible for the new spring in his step.

"Her name is Maude."

We headed out the door for Long John Silver's, his favorite place to eat. We went there every Saturday without fail and each time he would say the same thing.

"This is the best meal I've ever had."

"But Grandpa, you said that last week," one of the kids would invariably say.

"I do believe it's even better this week," he'd say with a wink, and of course we all smiled, happy to see him enjoying it. We were getting him back and it was a wonderful feeling.

Grandpa spent Christmas Day with our family at the house and took us all by surprise when he made an announcement.

"I'm getting married," he said.

"You're what?" I asked, believing he had suffered a mild stroke.

"I'm getting married," he insisted.

"To who?" I asked, testing him.

"To whom," he said. "It's always whom after a preposition."

"Okay, Grandpa, you caught me. To whom?" I asked.

"Remember that lady you saw in the cafeteria? We're going to get married."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. I asked her, and she said yes."

"When is this going to take place?" I asked. Surely he hadn't thought this through.

"As soon as we can. We don't have much time," he said.

For the entire day I humored him, wondering if he would remember any of this tomorrow. When I took him back to the home, he insisted I meet Maude, so we walked down the hall to her room. She was a charming woman still full of life and I could see in a few short minutes why he wanted to spend what was left of his life with her.

The following Saturday both sides of the family got together and listened to their ideas. Everyone was enlisted with a cause and three weeks later, on January 12 they were married. Grandpa never believed in long engagements, and this time it seemed to make perfect sense.

The months that followed were a learning experience in love.

"Now that Maude and I are married, do you think she could go out with us on Saturdays?"

"I think we can find a place for her," I said.

Maude was a mover, too. She loved going for rides with us and especially appreciated looking at the trees and the long stretches of land away from the city. It was on these Saturday drives that we grew to truly love this woman who was born way before her time. I knew these two kindred spirits were meant to be together. For some reason it didn't happen early in life, but it was still just as sweet. Unlike most couples at the home who were dying on the vine, these lovers were blooming.

The newlyweds would sit in the back seat of my car and carry on like teenagers. They sat close together with arms entwined, and occasionally I'd catch a glimpse of them kissing in the rear view mirror. I'd look over my shoulder and pretend to scold them.

"Am I going to have to take you two back to the apartment?" I asked.

The teasing just encouraged more kissing. They were living proof that we're never too old to find love and never too old to give it. It was a beautiful lesson for all those who witnessed it.

The morning phone calls continued and Maude brought a new flavor to the conversation.

"What are you doing this morning, Maude?" I asked.

"We're just sitting here making love," she replied.

I was stunned. Were they really making love? When she told me the same thing every time I called, I decided that for the two of them, making love was just the act of being together. Sharing themselves with each other. A spiritual bonding.

The months that followed were a joy for all of us and we hoped they would be able to celebrate many years together. One morning in November, though, Grandpa suffered a stroke and for the next four months he lived in a world where we couldn't reach him. Grandpa spent their first anniversary in a hospital bed. Maude was heartbroken. So was I.

My weekly visits became difficult when he could no longer participate. I didn't give up, only because I hoped somehow he did know I was there, even if he couldn't respond. I desperately missed our daily talks and his loving encouragement. I missed his humor and curiosity about life. I even missed having him correct my grammar! I prayed for miracles to restore his health but it wasn't to be. God had other plans for this gentle spirit.

On our final Saturday together, after spending an hour delivering my monologue about unimportant daily activities, I tried one last time for some sign of recognition before walking out the door.

"Grandpa, do you know who I am?" Please, Grandpa, tell me who I am.

His body slumped against the strap holding him in the wheelchair. I watched him strain to raise his head, but it was too heavy. With no other choice, he touched me the only way he could, with eyes that saw right through me.

"Of course I know who you are. You're my little buddy."

I held him in my arms and felt the hot tears running down my cheeks. Nothing could have meant more to me; no other words could have been sweeter. I had my answer and it was time to let him go. From that point forward I prayed for his spirit to be released from his tired, old body.

On Monday, the doctors told us he only had a few days left. I signed donor cards for his eyes because that's what Grandpa had told me to do. I hoped that whoever received them would see the world in the same beautiful way he did. Tuesday, I brought my children to his side to say good-bye. Wednesday morning, I planned to visit him mid-day but got the distinct impression that I should go early. I'll always be grateful I followed that prompting. I sat by his side, stroking his hand and feeling helpless until Maude arrived. Maude was a nurse and recognized the signs of death right away. We held his hands and shared our love with this gentle man who had made such an impression on our lives. When finally he exhaled the last bit of air his lungs would hold, I stood there silently for a moment before going to get the nurse. I wanted to savor the look of peace on his face before the nurses came in to make their final preparations.

"You might as well bury me in the casket with him," Maude cried. "I don't want to go on without him." I knew exactly how she felt. There would never be another quite like him.

When they covered him with the sheet, I took Maude back to her room. We laughed and cried as we reminisced about the time we shared with him. I drove home in a stupor and spent the afternoon feeling my loss. When my children arrived home from school and saw me there, they knew the end had come and joined me in my grief.

On Friday we cried again with family and friends as the minister delivered the eulogy we prepared. Instead of mourning our loss we celebrated his life. We buried him next to Grandma - not in the quiet spot under the large Maple tree, but right up against the busy road traveled by thousands of active people every day. He picked the spot. He said he wanted to hear the roar of traffic passing by. As long as there was a road, there was someplace else to go.




The End

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Quotes of the day

“Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."

-Frank Outlaw


“All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience."

-Johann von Goethe


“Love is much more fundamental than any kind of thinking or believing. It is the root and basis of who you are, at the most fundamental level. This means that anything other than love as an expression of your being is artificial and unnatural and is a result of not knowing who you are."

-Bill Harris

TLP alternatively used for deepwater oil & gas field development.

An oil platform is a large structure used to house workers and machinery needed to drill and then produce oil and natural gas in the ocean. Depending on the circumstances, the platform may be attached to the ocean floor, consist of an artificial island, or be floating.

Generally, oil platforms are located on the continental shelf, though as technology improves, drilling and production in deeper waters becomes both feasible and profitable. A typical platform may have around thirty wellheads located on the platform and directional drilling allows reservoirs to be accessed at both different depths and at remote positions up to 5 miles (8 km) from the platform.

Many platforms also have remote wellheads attached by umbilical connections, these may be single wells or a manifold centre for multiple wells.

There are many types of platform which basically used by worldwide oil and gas operator such as fixed platform, semi-submersible platform, jack-up platform, drillship, floating production system (FPSO/FSO), compliant tower, spar platform and tension leg platform.

Tension leg platform (TLP) consists of floating rigs tethered to the seabed in a manner that eliminates most vertical movement of the structure. TLPS are used in water depths up to about 6,000 feet (2,000 m). The "conventional" TLP is a 4-column design which looks similar to a semisubmersible. Proprietary versions include the Seastar and MOSES mini TLPs; they are relatively low cost, used in water depths between 600 and 3,500 feet (200 and 1,100 m). Mini TLPs can also be used as utility, satellite or early production platforms for larger deepwater discoveries.

TLP is permanently moored by means of tethers or tendons grouped at each of the structure's corners. A group of tethers is called a tension leg. A feature of the design of the tethers is that they have relatively high axial stiffness (low elasticity), such that virtually all vertical motion of the platform is eliminated. This allows the platform to have the production wellheads on deck (connected directly to the subsea wells by rigid risers), instead of on the seafloor. This makes for a cheaper well completion and gives better control over the production from the oil or gas reservoir.

The first Tension Leg Platform was built for Conoco's Hutton field in the North Sea in the early 1980s. The hull was built in the dry-dock at Highland Fabricator's Nigg yard in the north of Scotland, with the deck section built nearby at McDermott's yard at Ardersier. The two parts were mated in the Moray Firth in 1984.

TLPs can be used as "stand alone full processing" platforms or simple "well head" platforms with processing undertaken at another facility such as an FPSO. In either case the TLP can be provided with drilling and/or workover capability

Recently Turnkey floating production provider MODEC has been awarded a 2007 Spotlight on New Technology award by the Offshore Technology Conference for a novel tension leg platform (TLP) design that has already been successfully installed offshore West Africa.

MODEC was singled out for its MOSES Self Stable Integrated Platform (SSIP) TLP, a next generation of TLP design, which MODEC describes as “an inherently stable platform that allows for quayside integration and commissioning of the topsides, as well as greater stability during transportation and during installation.”

As the offshore oil and gas industry strives to exploit reserves in deepwater, the MODEC TLP provides the technology, lower cost, and increased capability that is vital to continued offshore development.

The MODEC TLP is the next step in Tension Leg Platform design that retains the primary advantages of a TLP (low heave response) in a smaller, low-cost package. The MODEC TLP is not just a "scaled down" conventional TLP, it has been designed from the bottom up to improve on the efficiency of a conventional small TLP, while providing the same functionality at a lower cost. The MODEC TLP is able to achieve these results through efficient design approaches and innovative use of existing technology. Designs range in size from 3,000 to 50,000 tons displacement in water depths from 1,000 to deeper than 6,000 feet.

The key points of the MODEC TLP design include:

1.A more efficient hull design which minimizes the impact of wave loading, reduces the platform response in the "fatigue zone" and allows the tendon response to be "tuned" to obtain required platform response with a minimum of tension.
2.Low-cost tendon design which capitalizes on the lower maximum tendon tension and "fatigue zone" tendon response by utilizing standard mill run tubulars, threaded casing couplings and low cost top and bottom tendon connectors.
3.A well and riser system which utilizes standard 9 5/8" casing tie-back supported by a simple and economical short stroke riser tensioner.
4.A low-cost "jacket platform" deck design can be utilized, as hull structure and riser tension loads need not be reacted by the deck structure. This allows a much lighter deck structure to be used.
5.Well drilling or workover capability utilizing leased compact, lightweight, platform rigs.
6.Flexible installation method which can be completed with a wide variety of offshore equipment - SSDV, Multi-Service Vessels, or derrick barge, result in a more competitive installation cost.

OTC’s Spotlight Awards honor innovative technologies that are deemed to significantly impact the offshore exploration and production industry based on four criteria:
• New and Innovative: the technology must be less than two years old
• Proven: the technology must be proven, either through full-scale application or successful prototype testing
• Broad Interest: the technology must have a broad interest and appeal for the industry
• Significant Impact: the technology must provide significant benefits beyond existing technologies.

The MOSES SSIP TLP reportedly satisfies these criteria on several fronts. In terms of innovation, the hull configuration is comprised of a central base structure, four Tendon Support Structures (TSS) and four vertical columns. The base and TSS structures are located below the surface and provide a significant portion of the platform’s buoyancy. Each TSS is a rectangular pontoon structure. The columns are located further outboard, smaller than conventional TLP columns, and are rectangular in shape. Flowlines and SCRs are supported on sides of the columns, which enables easier SCR installation and future access.

A total of eight tendons, two at each end, are supported at the end of the TSS via top connectors on a porch arrangement. The tendons are connected at the sea bottom on piles via bottom connectors.

Because there is no need for supplemental stability modules, the design reportedly allows for considerable savings in offshore installation costs and schedule time and allows for the use of a wider range of installation vessels to install the platform. The SSIP TLP can reportedly support a variety of drilling or workover rigs and a large number of Top Tension Risers (TTR’s) and flowline risers. The TLP can also be used with wet and/or dry trees in harsh and mild environments.

The design of the open well bay arrangement also reportedly enhances well bay safety, increases the flexibility for the well arrangement, accommodates a large number of wells and allows drilling from any slot or a designated “drill center.”
Although the technology is still considered new by OTC’s definition, it has already proven itself offshore. The first applications of the MOSES SSIP TLP were the Okume E (Oveng”) and Okume F (Okume”), “twin” TLPs which were installed in early 2006 offshore Equatorial Guinea for Hess Corporation.

MODEC will receive its Spotlight on New Technology award, one of 14 to be handed out this year, at 4 pm Monday, 30 April, at the conference at Reliant Park in Houston.


References:
http://www.spe.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension-leg_platform
http://www.answers.com/topic/tension-leg-platform
http://www.modec.com/

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Quote of the day

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will."

-George Bernard Shaw

Satu detik itu

satu detik itu
tak sama yang baru berlalu
umpama bayu

satu detik itu
yang sebelumnya
dingin seperti salju
beku...

berundur bererti kalah
melangkah bererti pasrah
detik itu
bagai riak air di kolam
di lontar...
berkocak...
berombak...

satu detik itu
emas dan kaca
manakan serasa
walau di derai
manakan sama
dengan...
satu detik itu



by Juliana Mokhtar

The guitar

Some of us may simply remember their past through seeing something. I don’t know what kind of phenomenon it is. It sounds like psychology phenomena. I don’t have any knowledge related to this phenomenon. I think this phenomenon is quite common to anyone. And it is not something which is rare.

The flashback resulted when seeing something possibly tell us what was wrong or the causes of its occurrence. We should learn something. Sometimes we even didn’t realize the resulted consequences taught us about something precious which makes us mentally stronger.

My guitar hid a lot of poignant as well as happy stories. I still remembered when some of my friend easily teased me as I decided to learn guitar. They were not totally sure whether I could or not. They just teased and laughed at me. They didn’t notice that I was very mad at them. But I just hide my irritated feelings.

But today, I capable of singing while playing guitar. I merely spent about three to four month before being able to play guitar. The first song which I could sing with my guitar was ‘stand by me’ by British band, Oasis. And some of my friends were quite shocked. I obviously remember the musical instrument shop and its owner where I bought the guitar. Its price was RM115.

If the guitar is able to speak, it may tell the poignant stories of my life. The guitar taught me who I am, how to express my feeling, how to stand back after falling down. Some of my friend told me that I just wasting my time by playing guitar. The guitar will tell about my first love. It could explain my madness to music and conflict of me.

I want to say sorry to my girlfriend because I refused to play guitar in front of her even she asked me several times. I don’t know why, maybe I’m not truly ready. I’m sorry. So far, I played guitar and sang alone and dedicated to her. Maybe next time I’ll play guitar and sing a song in front of her.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Quote of the day

"Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones."

--Bertrand Russell

Monday, April 30, 2007

Islam Denounce Terrorism (Part 8)

THE OUTLOOK OF ISLAM ON THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK

Note: This is an excerpt from book titled Islam Denounce Terrorism by Harun Yahya. All writing is Copyright © Harun Yahya XXX/ 2001 CE

Another important topic that has been on the agenda with the acts of terrorism against the United States is the relation between the Western and Islamic worlds. As is known, by the 90s, some intellectuals were suggesting that the world was due for a struggle that would take place between the West and Islam. This is the basic theme of Samuel Huntington's well-known thesis "The Clash of Civilisations".

However, this thesis – better called as "Clash of Ignorance" by Edward W. Said – rests on an imaginary scenario generated by the exaggeration of the influence of some radical and ignorant factions to be found in these two civilisations. Actually, there can be no clash between the Western civilisation and the Islamic civilisation, because the beliefs of Judaism and Christianity, the tenets upon which Western civilisation is based, are in perfect harmony with Islam.

In the Qur'an, Jews and Christians are called the "People of the Book". This is because the members of these two religions abide by the Divine Books revealed by God. The outlook of Islam on the People of the Book is extremely just and compassionate.


This attitude towards the People of the Book developed during the years of the birth of Islam. At that time, Muslims were a minority, struggling to protect their faith and suffering oppression and torture from the pagans of the city of Mecca. Due to this persecution, some Muslims decided to flee Mecca and shelter in a safe country with a just ruler. The Prophet Muhammad told them to take refuge the Christian king of Ethiopia. The Muslims who went to Ethiopia found a very fair administration that embraced them with love and respect. The King refused the demands of the pagan messengers who hadtravelled to Ethiopia and asked him to surrender the Muslims to them, and announced that Muslims could live freely in his country.

These Christian attitudes of compassion, mercy, and justice, are referred to in a verse of the Qur'an which states: … You will find the people most affectionate to those who believe are those who say, "We are Christians." That is because some of them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant. (Qur'an, 5:82)

Common Beliefs and Values Shared by Muslims and the People of the Book

Christian and Muslim beliefs have many aspects in common. Judaism too shares many beliefs with Islam. In the Qur'an, God relates that Muslims share the same faith with the People of the Book and that they say to them "We have faith in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you. Our God and your God are one and we submit to Him." (Qur'an, 29:46)

All true adherents of these three great religions:

· believe that God has created the entire universe out of nothing and that He dominates all that exists with His omnipotence.

· believe that God has created man and living things in a miraculous way and that man possesses a soul granted him by God.

· believe in resurrection, Heaven and Hell and angels, and that God has created our lives with a certain destiny.

· believe that besides Jesus, Moses or Muhammad, God sent many prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Joseph throughout history, and they love all these prophets.

In one verse, that Muslims make no distinction among prophets is related as follows: The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him by his Lord, and so do the believers. Each one believes in God and His angels and His Books and His Messengers. We do not differentiate between any of His Messengers. They say, "We hear and we obey. Forgive us, our Lord! You are our journey's end." (Qur'an, 2:285)

The beliefs of the People of the Book are in harmony with Muslims, not only in terms of faith-related issues, but also of moral values. Today, in a world where such immoralities as adultery, homosexuality, drug addiction and a model of egoism and self-seeking cruelty have grown widespread, the People of the Book and Muslims share the same virtues: Honour, chastity, humility, self-sacrifice, honesty, compassion, mercy and unconditional love.

The Common Forces against Faith

Another important fact that draws Christianity, Judaism and Islam together is the atheist philosophies that are so influential in our time.

Among the best-known and most harmful philosophies of our age can be cited materialism, communism, fascism, anarchism, racism, nihilism and existentialism. Many people who believed in the false diagnoses, deceptive descriptions and explanations of these ideas on the universe, society and man, have lost their faith or doubted it. What is more, these ideologies have dragged people, societies and nations into great crises, conflicts and wars. Their share of the blame for the pain and troubles that humanity suffers from today is immense.

While they deny God and creation, all the above-mentioned ideologies are based on a common framework, a so-called scientific basis; Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Darwinism constitutes the basis of atheist philosophies.

This theory claims that living beings have evolved as a result of coincidences and by means of a struggle for life. Therefore, Darwinism sends this deceptive message to people: "You are not responsible to anyone, you owe your life to coincidences, you need to struggle, and if necessary to oppress others to succeed. This world is one of conflict and self-interest".

The social messages put across by Darwinist concepts such as "Natural selection", "struggle for life", "survival of the fittest" are a means of indoctrination. This evil morality advises people to be egoistical, self-seeking, cruel and oppressive. It destroys such virtues as mercy, compassion, selfsacrifice and humility, the moral values of the three great monotheistic religions and presents this as a necessity of "the rules of life."

This Darwinist indoctrination is just the opposite of the beliefs of the People of the Book and the message of the Qur'an. Consequently, the Darwinist indoctrination constitutes the foundation of a world which inherently opposes all the three divine religions.

This being the case, it is necessary for the People of the Book and Muslims to co-operate, since they believe in God and accept the morality that He teaches. The followers of these three religions should expose to the world the fallacy of Darwinism, which has no scientific basis, but which people are trying to preserve for the sake of materialist philosophy. They should co-operatively carry out an intellectual struggle against all other deceptive ideas (communism, fascism, racism) that serve atheism. Once this is realized, the world will, in a very short time, embrace peace, tranquillity and justice.

Antisemitism is a Racism Totally contrary to Islam

In our times, antisemitism is an ideology which threatens world peace and targets the well-being and security of innocent people. This is racist hatred felt by some for the Jews.

In the 20th century, antisemitism signed its name to great disasters, one of the most horrible being the cruelty and murder inflicted on the Jews by the Nazis. In addition to this, in many countries authoritarian regimes have targeted Jews and subjected them to cruel treatment. Fascist organisations have harassed Jews and carried out bloody attacks against them. So how should a Muslim regard antisemitism?

The answer is obvious. Every Muslim must oppose antisemitism as he would oppose every other racist ideology. Although Muslims justly condemn the cruel and aggressive policies of the State of Israel together with their occupation of adjacent territory, to blanket condemn innocent Jews is not acceptable to Muslims: this would be a symptom of antisemitism.

However, criticising official Zionist ideology has nothing to do with antisemitism, since to object to Zionism is to object to an intense form of racism. There are many Jews who also criticise the racist policies of Zionism, and to label them as being

antisemetic would be absurd. Never subjecting a community to a blanket criticism is a command stressed in the Qur'an, there is a need to distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, the cruel ones and the innocent. After referring to some Jews and Christians, who violated God's commands, God also mentions some other

Jews and Christians who displayed moral perfection:

[However] They are not all alike. Among the People of the Book there is an upright community who recites the revelation of God during the night and fall prostrate before Him. They believe in God and the Last Day, enjoin what is right and forbid what is evil, and vie with one another in good works. They are of the righteous. And whatever good they do, its reward will not be denied them. God knows those who fear [Him]. (Qur'an, 3:113-115)

Antisemitism is an anti-religion ideology that has its roots in neopaganism. Therefore, it is unthinkable that a Muslim would espouse antisemitism or feel sympathy for this ideology. Anti-Semites have no respect for Abraham, Moses or David who were blessed prophets chosen by God to be examples for humanity.

Antisemitism and other kinds of racism (eg. prejudice against blacks) have no place in true religion; they are perversions arising from various ideologies and superstitions.

Furthermore, when we examine antisemitism and other forms of racism, we see clearly that they promote ideas and a model of society that is totally contrary to the moral teachings of the Qur'an, for example, at the root of antisemitism lie hatred, violence, and lack of compassion. An anti-Semite may be so cruel as to support the murder of Jewish people, men, women, children and the aged, and condone their being subjected to torture.

However, the moral teaching of the Qur'an enjoins love, compassion and mercy for all people. It also commands Muslims to show justice and be forgiving even to their enemies.

On the other hand, anti-Semites and other kinds of racists bulk at living together in peace with people of a different race or creed. (eg. German racists (Nazis) and Jewish racists (Zionists) were opposed to Germans and Jews living together; each side rejected this in the name of their respective race as a degeneration.)

However, in the Qur'an, there is not the slightest distinction between races; the Qur'an advises that people of different faiths live together in the same society in peace and happiness.