This last year has been quite eventful. I got married. I learned that I am going to be a father. I moved out of my parents house. I got a new job.

Any one of these things would make for a interesting year. Put them all together and you have the most interesting year of my life.

I've been thinking how lucky I am. I have so much. The only thing I can do is to be thankful. I hope that with God's help this new year will be good. I'm already waiting with great excitement for the birth of my baby. I hope that I will be ready! I hope that this new year will bring me even closer to my wife. I can't say enough about how wonderful she is. (I'm not just saying this because she got me an iPod, so now I'm just as cool as the Pope) I can go on and on but I will stop and just let this new year begin.

In the evening prayers of the Liturgy of the Hours for last night this psalm was read. I think it fits

Psalm 139(138) Domine, probasti

O Lord, you search me and you know me,
you know my resting and my rising,
you discern my purpose from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down,
all my ways lie open to you.

Before ever a word is on my tongue
you know it, O Lord, through and through.
Behind and before you besiege me,
your hand ever laid upon me.
Too wonderful for me this knowledge,
too high, beyond my reach.

O where can I go from your spirit,
or where can I flee from your face?
If I climb the heavens, you are there.
If I lie in the grave, you are there.

If I take the wings of the dawn
and dwell at the sea's furthest end,
even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.

If I say: "Let the darkness hide me
and the light around me be night,"
even darkness is not dark for you
and the night is as clear as the day.

For it was you who created my being,
knit me together in my mother's womb.
I thank you for the wonder of my being,
for the wonders of all your creation.

Already you knew my soul
my body held no secret from you
when I was being fashioned in secret
and molded in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw all my actions,
they were all of them written in your book;
every one of my days was decreed
before one of them came into being.

To me, how mysterious your thoughts,
the sum of them not to be numbered!
If I count them, they are more than the sand;
to finish, I must be eternal, like you.

O search me, God, and know my heart.
O test me and know my thoughts.
See that I follow not the wrong path
and lead me in the path of life eternal.

Ever since Julia told me that we are expecting a baby I have noticed that my paternal instincts are starting to kick in. Today for example I noticed that I keep staring at other fathers and note their interaction with their kids. I also noticed that I keep looking at strollers they are using and keeping track of all the good and bad features. Should we go for a three wheeler? Perhaps a four wheeler with big wheels. So many choices!

Since we both don't have cars it is important to pick a great stroller. I can just imagine our baby smiling in his comfortable seat as we zoom through the down town Toronto.

It's another Saturday. What that means lately is that I will do something with my website. This new website of mine has become my little obsession. I wanted it to be my ever evolving work in progress. A place where I can combine my two greatest passions. The Christian faith and web development. (I'm not saying at all that they have the same value.) There are so many great new web development ideas floating around the web these days, the entire "Web 2.0" hype and all it entails as an example. I will use this space to experiment with all the "new" things.

What I have done so far is this. My entire favourite feeds section is made up of various news rss feeds I have collected and enjoy. It also includes feeds from few blogs (Including a Cardinal Arinze Blog and Podcast!). The images on the main page come directly from flickr via rss feed again. In fact, the entire pictures section is made up of flickr photos. I used flickr's API support to get all my pictures and display them on my website. The book section was created mostly by me but I was greately helped by another API, this time from ISBNdb. I even added some Ajax again in the book section. It is not a lot but then again I am just learning.

I hope that this site will keep on growing and getting better. In the future I will post the things I have learned while playing with these new technologies.

I have found this Orthodox prayer. It is beautiful and I just thought to share it with the rest of the world.

Prayer of Metropolitan Philaret

Lord, give me the strength to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in all things to rely on Your holy will. Reveal Your will to me every hour of the day. Bless my dealings with all people. Teach me to treat all people who come to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your will governs all. In all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings. In unexpected events, let me not forget that all are sent by you. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me the physical strength to bear the labors of this day. Direct my will, teach me to pray, pray in me. Amen.

I wanted to post something over the last few days, however I couldn't think of anything. Lately work has been very busy which makes me tired in the evenings. This tiredness has however produced an unexpected fruit. When the end of the day comes I feel an incredible urge to pray. I haven't felt such hunger for a long time. The Spirit in a strange way has awaken in me the thirst for God. There is a joy in me that I can't describe. I look forward to the times when I can be in silence. When in reading a spiritual book or, simply being thankful in the heart, God's presence is strong. I treasure these times and they get me ready for the dryness that is bound to come.

Recently I finished reading “The Screwtape Letters” by C. S. Lewis. This is the very first book that I have read by this great author.

The book is about a devil who is writing letters to a younger devil about different ways to tempt man. The concept is great. The book is even greater. I'm sure there will be a lot more books by C. S. Lewis on my list soon.