Cool Stuff.

Languages of the world

Albanian (gjuha shqipe)

Basic facts

Number of native speakers: 7.5 million

Official language: Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia

Minority language: Croatia, Italy, Romania, Serbia

Language of diaspora: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Turkey, United States

Script: Latin, 36 letters

Grammatical cases: 6

Linguistic typology: fusional, ergative, SVO

Language family: Indo-European

Number of dialects: 2 main dialects

History

1284 - first written mention of Albanian

1462 - oldest document

1555 - oldest known printed book

1635 - first Latin-Albanian dictionary

1909 - Albanian officially recognized

Albanian absorbed some words from Greek and many words from Latin between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE. After that, it was influenced by the languages of Slavic and Germanic tribes who settled in the Balkans. There were also borrowings from the Vlachs from the 9th century CE.

Writing system and pronunciation

These are the letters that make up the alphabet: a b c ç d dh e ë f g gj h i j k l ll m n nj o p q r rr s sh t th u v x xh y z zh.

Grammar

Nouns have three genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter), two numbers (singular and plural), and six cases (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative, and vocative).

Adjectives generally follow the noun they modify and agree with it in gender, number and case. They require a particle preceding them that agrees with the noun they modify.

Verbs are conjugated for tense (21 in total), mood (indicative, subjunctive, admirative, conditional, optative, and imperative), person, and number.

Dialects

There are two main dialects: Tosk, the base for Standard Albanian, and Gheg. Gheg can be divided into Northwest, Northeast, Central, and Southern Gheg, while Tosk includes Northern Tosk, Labërisht, Çam, Arvanitika, and Arbëresh.

The dialects are more or less mutually intelligible. The most remarkable difference is that Gheg has nasal vowels.

I am always in this twilight... Sigh.

😥😔😔

Sigh. Relatable. 400 X.

Hyperbole and a Half - The Motivation Game

this is too accurate for me right now

Let God make it happen.

You'll get frustrated trying to make things happen on your own in your own strength.

Let God make it happen.

If He doesn't make it happen, it probably wasn't meant to be.

Trust God! Trust Him with your whole heart! He knows what to do. He knows what He is doing. He's got this and He's got you if you will just trust Him!!!!

Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

God Bless you!

Color Asks

red: describe your favorite shirt

orange: if you could, would you change your eye color? why? to what color, if so?

yellow: name of an artist you think is underappreciated

green: do you have a favourite flower?

blue: preferred type of weather?

purple: a poem you think describes your closest friend

magenta: do you keep your fingernails long or short?

turquoise: favorite sea animal?

fuchsia: favorite land animal?

cyan: are you religious? spiritual?

sea green: can you fold a fitted sheet?

violet: are you a part of the lgbt+ community?

amber: what's saved as your phone's lockscreen?

aqua: do you thrift?

pink: what's your natural hair color?

beige: have any pets? what're their names?

black: would you ever try going vegetarian or vegan?

coral: an animal you wish hadn't gone extinct

grey: how many languages do you speak? do you want to learn any more?

maroon: do you care for clothing brands?

rose: favourite scent on a person? 

charcoal: have you ever been camping?

claret: do you play an instrument? do you want to learn to play any?

copper: gold or silver jewelry?

cream: any piercings or tattoos? do you want any?

salmon: how many pairs of sunglasses do you own?

ebony: would you ever want to play a game on television? (jeopardy, family fued, etc)

indigo: have you ever lived on a farm?

emerald: if you had the option, would you choose to move and live in another country? which one?

lavender: relationship status?

erin: what was/is your best school subject?

mauve: any unpopular opinions?

fulvous: another name you think would suit you

coconut: a subject you enjoy learning about

frost: a -core you enjoy

porcelain: an tv show you used to love

fawn: any interesting family stories?

gold: do you wear your socks mismatched?

honey: your thoughts on magic- does it exist?

rust: form of art you enjoy doing?

ginger: any sideblogs?

cherry: YouTubers you enjoy watching?

wine: do you have a 'type'

mahogany: your sun, moon, and rising signs

blood: twin beds, queen, or king?

hot pink: did you/do you had/have strong feelings against the color pink?

plum: a food you've never tried

lilac: dogs, cats, or fish?

amethyst: do you collect anything?

mulberry: earbuds or headphones?

azure: jean jackets?

teal: have a job?

denim: kill the spider or take it outside?

sapphire: do you think you can sing well?

mint: favourite flavour of gum?

pecan: shuffle your playlist, what's the first song that comes up?

penny: icecream or cake

ash: can you do your own makeup?

jade: ever written fanfiction?

grape: how many blogs do you follow?

umber: do you brush your teeth before you eat?

chestnut: type of phone you have

prussian blue: what's your first choice at the vending machine

aquamarine: beach or pool

brass: least favorite food condiment

mustard: how much sugar in your tea/coffee?

silver: ever broken a bone?

rose quartz: rings or necklaces

onyx: do you still play Minecraft?

burgundy: ever ridden a motorcycle?

scarlet: favorite holiday

apricot: opinion on 3 in 1 body wash/hair wash 

platinum: do you follow politics?

magnolia: your Instagram handle?

Disheartening news of  planes going missing..well one plane..

and now Sinking ships... !(one ship)

What Dark Forces are these? #Saddened.

My prayers with the families of those affected...

Yasssss...... here.. :)) cant find the original version though.... :( this one by Lindsey Novitske

God’s Control and Our Prayers

John 14:13-14

Have you ever wondered why we pray if God already knows everything? What do our prayers accomplish?

First, communicating with God connects His Spirit with ours. A relationship can’t survive if the two parties don’t speak with each other.

Second, God communicates His will to His children through prayer. If we’re seeking to please Him, then we will pray with an open heart and mind. In turn, the Lord puts upon us the desire to ask Him for those things He wants to bring into our life.

Third, communing with God gives us the opportunity to participate in His kingdom on earth. As we learn to trust Him for answers, He gives us greater tasks in prayer. The Lord will turn our heart to pray for the salvation of a friend or family member, people suffering from disasters, or the state of our nation. When we see an answer, whether it’s big or small, we will know He blessed us by including us in the process.

God calls on His children to pray, because He wants us to be involved in His work. It’s a privilege for us to freely go before God and know that He is interested in what we have to say. In fact, He is pleased when we ask Him to meet our needs or the needs of someone else. And if we are praying according to His will and not our own, He answers every time.

“Why have You forsaken me?”

Imagine you’re watching Jesus hang from the cross. The only way He can breathe is by pushing Himself up using the nails in His wrists and ankles. 

As the day draws to an end, He musters what little strength He has left to pull Himself up again so that He can cry out: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” 

If we’re being honest with ourselves, we’ve all probably had moments where we’ve asked God, “Where are You in this? Why have You forsaken me?” 

How should we respond when we find ourselves in situations where we feel alone, anxious, or forsaken? 

The words Jesus spoke on the cross were actually taken from Psalm 22—a prophetic lament written by King David. In many ways, this Psalm is about Jesus, but it also provides us with three action steps we can follow when we feel alone: 

1. Be honest with God about how you’re feeling.

Relationships start with being real. So if you’re feeling forsaken by God, tell Him that. Ask God your questions, and prepare your heart to hear his answers. 

2. Give God glory anyway.

Our feelings don’t change the fact that God is worthy of being worshiped. In fact, it’s often through worship that we discover the cure for our worry. When we focus on who God is, our perspective eventually shifts—even if our situation doesn’t.

3. Remind God of his promises.

Throughout Psalm 22, David basically tells God, “I know who You are. And since You’re always true to character, deliver me like You’ve delivered Your people before me.” Reminding God of his promises is not only an act of faith, but it also helps us remember the faithfulness of God’s character. 

Ultimately, God’s faithfulness was personified when Jesus was crucified. Jesus willingly suffered alone on the cross so that we could experience eternal companionship with God. Jesus is the prophetic fulfillment of Psalm 22. And, because He endured separation from God, we never have to. 

Take a moment to reflect on Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for you. 

Pray: Jesus, thank You for rescuing me from eternal separation from You. It’s because You willingly endured separation from Your Father that I never have to. Today, help me to pause and reflect on the magnitude of Your sacrifice, and to give You the glory You rightly deserve. No matter what I’m feeling, You are always worthy of my worship. So today, I choose to worship You. In Jesus’ name, Amen