The world's greatest tragedy ... love

The track "Love the way you lie" is a duet between rapper Eminem and rnb artist Rihanna. Both are well accomplished people, both have money to live any dream they wished, yet both have such anguish being their words. they both don't need love in their lives, yet somehow it finds them, and they recount these painful separate experiences in one song. The pain of love finds all of us, even without you ever being in it. Because you can even feel the pain of not being in love. It's inevitable.

We all fall victim to this one way or the other. Some harder than others. It defeats you, it takes so much from you without giving long lasting in return. Yet, it's the world's most powerful feeling. Love.

Sooo in saying that, I've never been in love. But it's something to think about :)

Goals for this blog

 I'm gonna:

- Write about the effect of Malaysia

- Get a better theme and layout for this blog

Draft of my church talk

Good morning brothers and sisters,

My name is amy redmond, I'm 16, and I've recently moved into this ward a month ago from New Zealand, and i used to attend as a kid back in 2018 for those who may recognize the shorter version of me.

Being in the philippines is still new to me, but I really love being here. And lately, there's been lots of new introductions. Meeting new people, new friends, and I know there's also still lots of you who I haven't met yet but I'm getting there :)

And thanks to bishop really, who I met last week, because instantly asking me to give a talk is an interesting first impression for when you move into a ward.

But I've been asked to speak on something that is actually very close to what I've been thinking about throughout meeting new people. And before I get into that, I want you to take a moment, to think about the name you use identify to yourself.

Maybe it's not just your given name, at home it's mom or dad, or at work you have a different job title. For me, I think of my name Amy, my chinese name Kang mei, and a sister to my siblings and a daughter my parents.

Because over your lifetime, the names you identify yourself with can change though when you get married, become a parent, a grandparent, but today I'm going to share a few thoughts on one name that never changes, which is the divine identity of being a beloved son or daughter of God and what I believe it means to take Christs name upon myself.

And I just want to repeat that part because it can be easy to miss, "Taking Jesus Christ's name upon yourself", it's a principle that when truly lived, can be quite prevalent in our lives.

From personal experience, choosing to represent and live like God would want me to, is an active choice. Most of my last year was having to actively choose to go to church and live the church, because coming alone by yourself is tough sometimes.

It makes you question what you believe in since it's not the normal anymore, it's not the default option that your parents are dragging you to church anymore. So to me, when it comes down to it, taking upon myself the name of christ is choosing to represent him in all aspects of my life choices, the way I talk, the way I dress, the way I try and treat the people around me.

Sometimes we have all the right answers, we know to say in class, we know what's right, but actively putting the principles in our life is the biggest choice.

King benjiman taught the importance of this principle to his people a hundred years before christ even came. He says in Mosiah 5:9

I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts ... that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you ... for ye shall be called by the name of Christ.

I love that phrase "written always in your hearts." To me, it suggests that this isn't just a nametag we wear on the outside, but something that changes who we are on the inside. So when you meet people, you'll still say your name is bob, or jerry, but I hope this is at least a good reminder of how God sees you, and the name he will call us one day when we return to him.

Before I go, I want to leave you with a question Alma asks his people in Alma 5:14, I ask of you, have ye spiritually been born of god? and have ye received his image in your countenances?

I used to find this question very intimidating, because I know I'm not perfect, I know none of us are. But now I see it as a goal, and it's a reminder for me to ask myself, can people feel at least a small kindness or peace that the savior would show them?

My testimony to you today is that god lives, and Jesus lives, we can show his image in our countenance by our example. I know that He has made a way for us to come back to him, if we follow his plan for us, and live up to the eternal name of being his divine son or daughter.

I know that families can be together forever, and I'm very grateful to be here.

I leave these things in the name of jesus christ, amen.

Y'all shall we just go ahead and rename this blog the dumps

 My bad guys, 2026 is great, but I can tell that to my friends. Y'know what I can't tell my friends? That my close friend here is a 20 year old guy BWHAHAHA 🤣

I wonder if from his perspective he says "Y'know what I can't tell my guys? That my close friend is a 15 year old girl. Kill me now"

Yo count your blessings, at least I'm 16 now.

So yes we stopped being friends for all of 2 days, and then made up, and then I found out that he just got out of a serious relationship, and lookie! Now we friends again!

This is a lot of photos but these are my reactions to the events:

I meet francis

The next day>>

I see his instagram >>

We start texting 2 weeks later >>

We stay up texting till 3 >>

3 weeks later: "Amy i'm gonna be a honest I think it's a littleee bad we're talking to eachother every day"

The next day>>

He asks to hangout the day after>>

It went amazing and we're besties again>>

Turns out he just got out of a 5 year relationship and never told me>>

I decide to take a step back and he still texts me every day even after saying we shouldn't do that?? >>

I start feeling for him again but then see a dance video of him on ig and realise he's a whole as person>>

I start writing this blog post and realise it's all attached to my name and he can probably find it>>

lmao.

hi Francis, I bet you didn't realise I was crazy for u. 

Friend? Nah Lover? Nah Rebound? Oh hell nah

writing is nice. i like writing. i would describe this feeling as dissapointment with a twang of embarresment. so overall not a fun feeling.

So gang, what do we think happened? Nah don't guess because you won't be able to. Honestly it makes allloottaa sense. So I'm sort of figuring out what to do.

Plot twist: I'm not the friend I'm not the xiaomei or even any kind of interest. Gang I think I'm somewhat the rebound ✨

I'm not even fooling with you, I see it now. Everything makes way to much sense and it's kinda tripping me up. It's kinda funny too, how I never saw it. Francis is depressed, He has been for a while, and I thought that's how he was. He has only just gotten out of a 5 year relationship with a girl who still loves him and I can tell that he still loves her.

Where do I come into all of this? Well he met me right right after they broke up. He was out with his 2 friends because he was sad about the breakup, and then he met me. Oh clueless clueless me. I was nice to him, I was interested him, and maybe he would've liked that. He wasn't just generally insecure, I just made him feel good about himself in the ways that she didn't anymore. His favorite songs are all breakup songs. My favorite songs are all falling in love songs. He goes to sleep thinking about her, and he wakes up texting me. He hasn't told me that he doesn't have feelings for me because I feed the part of him that's hurting. And he may feel good towards me, but he still thinks about her.

And why didn't he tell me any of this until now? They were plenty of chances. He only told me after I'd asked him to. He told me that just yesterday he still broke down crying about it because she'd came to his house with a christmas gift for him and a note saying she'll always love him wtf.

I feel so stupid bwahhahaha. But also pure comedy. I feel like it's the sort of thing you see as a reg flag first and then only realise it later. Bro also I hugged him at the end (he always offers me a high five which I walk straight past) and it is now going on my top teir list of awkward hugs HAHAH. I understand so much now, like why I felt like there was something else between us.

I get why he's done this, and why he talks to me, but I really do feel like a little girl now. He is most obviously and most definitely not over her. Now that's a relationship that will break you for the rest of your life. Thank goodness I have not been that worse off.

He used to talk to her everyday, he used to be close with her, and he's filled me in the places that have been emptied by her. He may of not meant to do that, but it's natural. Omidays this is so embarrassing. I must friend zone him asap.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Gang 2026 has been an interesting year so far