Esther 6

Esther 6

Mordecai Honoured

 ¹ That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him.

    ² It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

    ³ What honour and recognition has Mordecai received for this? the king asked. Nothing has been done for him, his attendants answered.

    ⁴ The king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had erected for him.

    ⁵ His attendants answered, Haman is standing in the court. Bring him in, the king ordered.

    ⁶ When Haman entered, the king asked him, What should be done for the man the king delights to honour? Now Haman thought to himself, Who is there that the king would rather honour than me?

    ⁷ So he answered the king, For the man the king delights to honour,

    ⁸ have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head.

    ⁹ Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king's most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honour, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, 'This is what is done for the man the king delights to honour!'

    ¹⁰ Go at once, the king commanded Haman. Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king's gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.

    ¹¹ So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, This is what is done for the man the king delights to honour!

    ¹² Afterwards Mordecai returned to the king's gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered, in grief,

    ¹³ and told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him— you will surely come to ruin!

    ¹⁴ While they were still talking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared.

Esther 6

Read Esther 6

Chapter 6 opens on the night after the first banquet and we find the king unable to sleep. We’re not told why this is the case and in fact it seems quite odd as most people sleep really well after a large meal. Also, if we look at the chain of events, we can see God at work.

We start with the king not being able to sleep. What happens next?

He asked for the record of his reign to be brought out and read to him.

This was probably specifically to send him to sleep seen as that is such a tedious thing to listen to!

Which record was read out and do you think this was a coincidence?

The part describing how Mordecai had exposed the plot to assassinate the king was read out and it was not a coincidence at all.

Also, Xerxes was actually paying attention, and may have even remembered the date. Xerxes checked to find out whether a reward had been given which it hadn’t.

Lastly, Haman walks in just at this point and we’ll come back to this in a second.

So, if you think about what happened, there is just too much out of the ordinary going on for this to just be coincidence. It was obviously God at work, reminding Xerxes of Mordecai’s good work the very night before Haman had planned to ask permission to have Mordecai hanged.

When we first looked at what happened and when events first started to unfurl, there didn’t seem to be any logic to what was happening and it didn’t necessarily seem like God was in complete control. However, now we can see how God was bringing everything together and in a much better way than we would ever have thought of. God is always in complete control and just because we can’t always see this in the midst of problems doesn’t mean he isn’t. God’s timing is much better than ours could ever be and we just need to trust him as he will always do the right thing and the best thing.

Reread verses 4 – 10

Xerxes probably didn’t mean to be so vague about the identity of the man he wanted to honour however Haman got completely carried away in his own self-importance, assuming that he was the one to be honoured. This reveals an awful lot of pride in Haman’s part for him to so quickly think that he was the one the king wished to honour. He didn’t think the king would want to honour anyone else and immediately went into an elaborate and over the top description of what should be done for the man.

However, of course, Haman had jumped to the wrong conclusion and it was his sworn enemy, Mordecai, who was to be honoured, not him. When he heard Mordecai’s name he probably started to see his plans unfurl and he must have been shocked and very embarrassed. Of course he couldn’t contradict the king’s orders so he went off and did exactly as the king had said.

Reread verses 11 – 12

We’re not told Mordecai’s reaction when he was told what was happen but we are told what he did after. Unlike Haman after the banquet who went off, full of pride and boasting, Mordecai went back to work very humbly at the king’s gate. There is no mention of boasting at all. This may be an obvious question, but who should we be like? We shouldn’t boast as everything we have that we could possibly boast in comes from God. We shouldn’t be proud and boastful and instead be humble. In fact, the only thing we can boast about is Jesus and how he has died on the cross to save our sins if only we trust in him. Now that is a really important and amazing thing to boast about.

Reread verses 12 – 14

As soon as Haman had finished, he rushed home to tell his wife what had happened, probably for comfort and reassurance however his wife hardly seems the reassuring sort. She saw this honouring of Mordecai as a sign that he would soon be in trouble for two reasons:

-          She probably thought that Xerxes would never allow the race of a loyal servant (Mordecai) to be eradicated by anyone and that he would soon see through his plan.

-          Also, she was possibly reminded of Jewish history. How time and time again, the Jewish race had been threatened with annihilation yet every time God had saved them. Why she didn’t remember this earlier is unknown however this memory sent doom into the Haman household.

So we leave Haman being escorted to the next banquet and after these events I’m sure he wasn’t looking forward to this banquet nearly as much!

A definitive guide to my YouTube subscriptions (as of 27/01/2011)

I'm always going on about different YouTubers and I've built up quite a long list of subscriptions so (mainly for Terrie's benifit) I've decided to list them all (alphabetically as that's easiest) and say a little about each. The ones with * are particular ones that I think you should check out!

*AlexanderCarpenter - An awesome guy who lives in the same house as Luke Conard and Jason Munday. He does a nice mix of sketches, music videos and vlogs.‏

ALLCAPSBAND- The home of ALL CAPS (Luke Conard and Kristina Horner) although they haven't made many videos on here recently.‏

alwayswheezy - The iPhone channel of Wheezy Waiter. All the 'big' names have more than one channel now!‏

Blendtec - The channel that I only subbed to because I like watching get things blended...‏

Cadegoestocollege ‏- I've only recently subbed to this guy. I found him through his Owl City video contest entry (which he won!) and I watched some of his other videos that looks pretty cool but I haven't watched much of his stuff yet.

charlieissoboredlike - Charlie McDonnell's second channel. Hardly used but very random!‏

*charlieissocoollike - If you're not subscribed to him you're either not on YouTube or possibly a guy. A loveable English guy who does everything from vlogs to sketches to funny music.‏

ChartJackersProject - A channel I haven't unsubscribed from since the project to get a crowd sourced song into the charts for Children in Need just over a year ago. (Wow, I've been on YouTube that long?!)‏

CowInParachute - He hasn't updated recently but he's the first regeneration of a Chameleon Circuit member *wipes tear away at the though of the next album not including things like "Gallifreyan History 101" and "K9's Lament"*‏

crabstickz - I didn't like this guy at first however my friend Alex kept going on about him and I decided that I did like him after all =)‏

crabstickz2 -‏ The second channel of crabstikz.

*dananddanfilms - An amazing guy (well, a guy who always appears as two guys in his videos) he/they make amazing short sketches that are hillarious and also often relevant to the news. However, he/they don't update particularly often. Nevertheless, when he/they do update, it's usually worth the wait!‏

devilishlypure ‏- The home of 'Tuesday' from the five awesome girls.

dftbarecords - This isn't updated much but I subbed after there was a behind the scene of DFTBA video or something like that.‏

*eddplant -‏ I wish I had discovered this guy so much sooner. I think I may have subbed to him a while ago however it wasn't until I went to the Sons of Admirals/John Green gig in the summer that I realised how amazing his music and singing is. Seriously, his voice is amazing.

*ElectricFaerieDust ‏- Another YouTuber I wan't totally convinced about the first time I discovered her. However, Terrie kept going on about her and I grew to like her stuff =)

*emilythebravee - Mike Lombardo suggested her and I looked at her channel sceptically and was pleasantly surprised. She's a relatively new YouTuber but she does really good vlogs!‏

*falletron - Ok, I have to admit I mainly subscribed to this guy for his accent... Is that wrong? However, his videos seem pretty good too =)‏

fallofautumndistro ‏- The creator of Erase This and co-founder of DFTBA records. I'm assuming his busy life with DFTBA records is the reason for his lack of videos however when they do turn up they're usually pretty awesome.

fiveawesomegirls - This colab channel has come to an end however there are a lot of really good videos there to go back and look at. The idea behind it was brilliant and I miss not having their faces on my screen every weekday (even if I did end up watching them the next day due to time differences)‏

fiveawesomeguys - A spin off of fiveawesomegirls. I wasn't around for the proper thing so I don't know why I subscribed however there are some good videos in the archives.‏

*fizzylimon - This guy is an all round good egg. Vlogs, music, intelligent discussions, sketches, this guy is amazing. I highly recommend you go watch some of his videos.‏

frezned - A fairly recent addition. I was introduced to his randomness in various Alex and Charlie videos and his videos are nearly always of the amusingly random kind.‏

GearsAgain - The second channel of thegearskeepturning‏

hankschannel ‏- The second channel of Hank from the Vlogbrothers. A mix of music and randomness.

*hayleyghoover - Another fiveawesomegirl who does hilarious vlogs and sketches (and also write a brilliant blog but that's sort of unrelated)‏

hexachordal - aka Tom Milsom who is crazy but a musical genius. However, for all the videos that leave you lost, you'll get an awesome one.‏

*HowToLiz - I subscribed to her almost a year ago when John from the Vlogbrothers linked to her. Her videos are hilarious and advice should be taken with a pinch of salt. A large pinch of salt.‏

iamthealterego - A very very recent addition to my subscriptions. (I had to check who it was!) I basically subbed to him because he seemed pretty good as 1/4 of the new vloglovers.‏

*ImprovEverywhere - This channel is amazing. Flash mobs, practical jokes, no trousers day... They may not update often but when they do, another epic even has taken place with epic reactions from the public. I highly recommend you go watch a few videos.‏

imSarahSnitch - Another very recent addition. I found her through Alex Carpenter and her video looked good and she hasn't made many videos so I subbed in the hope that awesomeness would follow!‏

IntheKeyofWill - The music channel of Will Dixon however he's getting rid of it soon so don't really worry about this one.‏

*italktosnakes - Another fiveawesomegirl‏ and an awesome vlogger. Most of her videos are vlogs (she also writes a really good blog) however the occasional video is a music video from either ALL CAPS or some other thing she's involved with.

*jasonmundaymusic ‏- A great singer overshadowed by Luke Conard. I think Jason Munday is an amazing singer and a lot of his videos are music based however he does some good vlog too.

*jbdazen - Wow! Someone who isn't either American or English! (Well, Frezned is Australian but I group him with them) J B Dazen is from the Netherlands (I think) and is an amazing musician. Seriously, he's done the intro music for a couple of other YouTubers I'm subbed to and his music is awesome. He also does vlogs as well which are pretty awesome too =)‏

*JeffIsOld -‏ The informal yet wonderful second channel of Mike Lombardo

jimmy0010 - This guy used to do some good vlogs but I think he's fallen off the face of Nerdfighteria...‏

johnjnoe ‏- Not sure about this channel yet. I subscribed because of links with Echo Base (Luke Conard, Jason Munday, Alex Carpenter)

JohnnyDurham19 ‏- This guy always does really nice vlogs however, if it wasn't for the fact that he's appeared in the videos of other YouTubers I would think he's fallen off the face of the earth.

jp - The second channel of Mystery Guitar Man. Often behind the scenes and that sort of thing.‏

kayleyhyde - The second channel of Owlssayhooot. It's a bit like a scrapbook I think =)‏

KickThePj - A channel full of rather good little sketches and animations. This guy is really talented when it comes to animations and making videos.

kristinahorner - The second channel of italktosnakes.‏

liliesarelike - Basically it's charlieissocoollike's mum!‏

*littleradge - He is pretty much the beginning of my YouTube obsession. Him and the rest of Chameleon Circuit. This Scottish guy is amazing. (Yes, more than just his accent and David Tennant-esque looks) His vlogs are brilliant and so are his sketches and even if he isn't the most consistent of vloggers, he is definitely worth a look.‏

*lukeconard - An amazing singer. As part of ALL CAPS and Ministry of Magic he has an amazing voice and amazing music production skills. I initially found him when I found that he helped with Mrs Nerimon, back before ALL CAPS and fairly early on.‏

maureenbooks - An author who I subscribed to because of her amazing tweets but I'm yet to see a video posted...‏

*MikeLombardoMusic - Mike Lombardo is AMAZING at playing the piano. He's also good at vlogs (a lot of the good ones are on his second channel) even ignoring my weakness for piano playing guys (Terrie thinks it's weird how I like watching guy's hands as they play the piano. Is that weird?) he is an amazing musician and an brilliant YouTuber.‏

*missxrojas - Her vlogs are often quite philosophical but I enjoy watching them. =)‏

MusicFromBlueSkies - Another recent sub but I've come across his music a few times before I subbed and I think it's really good.‏

MusicTheoryChannel -‏ Mike Lombardo's music theory channel. There's not much yet so I'm hoping he hasn't abandoned it.

MysteryGuitarMan - Really cleverly edited videos. I think you have to go watch them to see what I mean.‏

nerimon - Alex Day is another one of the YouTubers who started my obsession. He might vlog fairly regularly however his content isn't particularly constant.‏

*OhHeyJade ‏- An amazingly new YouTuber. I found her first video as it was part of a Ministry of Magic music video contest and it was amazing, astounding even for a first video, and she's just put up a second that supports my theory that she's going to be amazing.

*owlssayhooot - Another fiveawesomegirl who does really good vlogs of varying topics from fashion to Harry Potter to Disney.‏

*pineappleboyfilms - You MUST MUST MUST go here! This guy does awesome weekly updates and why does he do them? Because he is the writer and producer of the most amazing web series ever. Platoon of Power Squadron. Your view of that show is imperative.‏

PJTheKick - The second channel (and rather bizzare channel) of KickthePJ‏

pogobat - I wasn't too sure about this guy at first. Possibly just because of the videos I happened to stumble across however I found out more about him after a clip of him revealing his new project at VidCon and this guy is basically trying to see if he can live with his internet community telling him what he should do. From the small things like what to eat to the big things like where to live. However, content does vary a bit.‏

project4awesome - Subscribed for P4A updates. I'm staying subbed as I'm assuming it will be re-kindled for next year's P4A!‏

*RhettandLink -‏ These guys make amazing sketches and videos. They're often sponsored so often called sellouts however I think it just means they're able to make even better videos and of course there's their second channel...

*rhettandlink2 - RhettandLink's second channel where they tend to do more update-y vlogs. I particularly recommend looking them out at the moment as they're doing "Good Morning Chia Lincoln". Basically a 5-10 minute vlog with no cuts. Yes, they can get away with no cuts.‏

*RockstarRaquel -‏ This girl does some funny sketches however she also does some good vlogs although they tend to be more over on twonerdsinaboat.

smilinglimpet - A fairly recent sub too however he made the video for Charlie's song bread and is amazing at animation.‏

*songsfrompaul - This guy is amazing at doing covers of songs and has a brilliant voice. I haven't listened to much of his original stuff but go check him out.‏

sortedfood - Ok, so I subbed to this because Alex and Charlie were on an episode. However, I do watch in the hope that the cooking information will diffuse into my brain.‏

*TARDIStacular - Rosianna and Kayley do responses to all things Doctor Who. What could be better?‏

teabagnose - Someone from the Roothill camp I went on with the potential of becoming great.‏

thatzak - Another recent sub however I've been watching quite a few back videos and he does really good and funny vlogs‏

*thecolclough - A friend who is amazing at making animations and awesomely nerdy short films.‏

*TheGearsKeepTurning - Although not completely consistent, most of this guy's stuff is amazingly funny. He loves Doctor Who too! Also someone who I can say I discovered before they got partnered. Admittedly not ages before but still!‏

TheJoeFrom1993 - Hmm, fallen of the face of the earth I think.‏

theryanseiler - A recent sub however he is a member of the Ministry of Magic and has a great voice‏

tommilsom - The second channel of Tom Milsom. Usually very unpredictable and leads me worrying about his sanity. However that may be the desired effect.‏

trannylexxx - Second channel of tyrannosauruslexxx

*TwoNerdsinaBoat - A colab channel between RockstarRaquel and WillsOdyssey . Brilliant vlogs. Enough said.‏

tyrannosauruslexxx - She is a brilliant singer, even if she doesn't always admit it herself and she also does some funny vlogs too.‏

*vlogbrothers - The beginnings of Nerdfighteria, puppy-sized elephants, DFTBA, giant squids of anger, French the llama, and so many other inside jokes. Basically two brothers vlogging to each other regularly with content ranging from informative vlogs to odd songs.And don't worry, you'll get the hang of the inside jokes soon enough.‏

vloglovers - Basically two YouTubers who are in love vlogging back and forth between each other. Although since the end of the last couple (*dun dun dun* is the channel cursed?!) they've decided to have two couples as vloglovers 5.0‏

wheezynews - One of the many extra channels of wheezywaiter. Mainly where he does handstands at the moment.‏

*wheezywaiter - Craig Benzine is hilarious and while his clones, the eagle, his whale, singing carpet, Craig with a wig, explosion Wednesday (which may not be a thing) and all the inside jokes may be a little much at first, you'll soon catch up. His videos are brilliant and well made and I think his channel may be the only one where I've gone back to the beginning and watched every single video I could find. (Ok, I was procrastinating.)‏

*WillsOdyssey ‏- This guy is amazing. His sketches make no sense but in the way that Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy makes no sense and he's obsessed with time travel which certainly isn't a bad thing. He's also pretty good at music too.

YourAverageAdam - Another recent sub. I'm still yet to watch more videos however he seems like a pretty good vlogger!

So, that took much longer than I expected! Hopefully all the links work and I hope you enjoy watching some of these videos as much as I do!

DFTBA xX

Eighteen?!

The last time I wrote a blog, I was a mere child. Well, sort of. However, last Friday was my birthday and now I'm eighteen. The big one-eight and the age that heaps a pile of responsibility onto my lap or at least gives parents and teachers the go ahead to use the "you're an adult now, you should know better" form of chastisement.

A lot of people on their 18th birthday decided that, because they're now old enough to drink legally, they want to go out drinking for their birthday, or go out to a night club or have a massive party with loud music and drink. (Sorry, am I stereotyping a little too much?) Anyway, I decided I didn't want that. In fact, I usually do hardly anything for my birthday. 17th - Nothing, 16th - Small meal at home with friends, other previous teenage years - sleepovers, younger - days out with a friend, younger than that wasn't much my decision but I've never had a big party. I've never had a party anywhere other than my house and I've never had more than about ten friends around to celebrate, if that even. However, this year I decided I wanted to break that tradition. I was turning eighteen, I'm hoping to go off to university in September, I've met some brilliant new friends over the past year, got to know some others even better and there were older friends where I needed some sort of excuse to meet up with them. However, not being the drinking type and thinking that no-one would turn up if I had a party where the DJ was playing DFTBA music all evening, I decided to have a barn dance.

For a bit, I was worried nobody would turn up. Everyone seemed to be busy with exams (I should probably have been revising too but that's another issue) and a lot of people couldn't make it down for the evening. I was also worried that those who did turn up wouldn't like the idea of a barn dance or my friends from different 'circles' wouldn't mix so I'd spend the evening flitting between groups, trying to introduce people to each other. However, my worries were pointless as a good number of people showed up and everyone had a great time (or at least they said they had a great time...) and it was so great to see so many of my friends in one place, all getting along. My friends from Roothill and Crowborough and school and church, all mixing, all talking, all having a great time.

One thing that it seemed no one listened to was my instructions to "just bring yourself". As you may know, I think that personal presents are the best and I hate it when people give presents for the sake of getting presents (in cases like that I'd quite often rather have nothing at all) however I had a ton of amazing presents. Most of which involved either chocolate or sheep. However, two of my favourite presents have to be the ones that had the most time put into them and the most thought put into them. Don't get me wrong, I loved all my other presents too but these two are the absolute best.

The first: cup cakes decorated with icing in the shape of sheep. They were hand decorated (I don't think the market for sheep iced cup cakes is massive anyway) and the only thing wrong with them is that I can't keep them and have to eat them! Although, after eating two, they are as delicious as they are amazing to look at.

The second: a poster drawn and painted by Matt.

I was gobsmacked when I unwrapped it and took it out of its tube. Now, Matt will probably be all modest about it but I have to say it is one of my favourite presents ever and in close competition with my scrapbook. You could say I'm on the verge of obsession with it, showing it off to my friends (via my phone) and having it as the background for my laptop as well as my phone and also making sure I've placed it in a part of my room where the sun can never get at it and fade it. Basically it's epic and awesome.

Talking of my scrapbook, I took it with me on Saturday, left it on the table with a box of pens and gave my dad and my friend Beth the job of making sure everyone signed it. And boy did they sign it. I got wonderful little messages from everyone there, even the barn dance caller! However, once again, Matt stole the limelight. The signatures and messages had spilled onto a third page and Matt did a wonderful little drawing (well, Cylinder taking a holiday over the weekend) on the fourth page making it amazingly epic and also meaning I don't have to come up with something epic to fill the page - he's done it for me!

So basically, I had an epic 18th birthday filled with friends, sheep, singing cards, Doctor Who-ness (including a card from Timmy with 10th Doctor and a badge saying '9'!), chocolate, smiles and fun!

Thank you everyone and DFTBA xX

 

Have I won?? - collective ramblings that don't quite make up a whole post each

I don't get how Matt can just leave his blog knowing that one more blog, another collection of words, phrases and maybe a picture, and he's won. Finito. I don't know whether it's my competitive nature or whether I'm just a bad loser. (Don't ever get my parents started on stories about my hatred of losing when I was younger. Apparently I'd throw a tantrum every time I lost a game but I promise I'm not quite that bad any more.) The idea that at any moment, Matt could bring together a collection of words and post them as his 11th 'First 11 of '11' means I can't just leave my posts on number 10.

However, I now have to make this into a meaningful post or Matt won't accept it... So, I've had a couple of ideas for blogs but I haven't really worked out how to expand them beyond the tweet-worthy length or at least beyond a paragraph. Maybe making this into a 'scrapbook blog' except without many pictures would work?

The other day, I was finishing a coke with ice and I thought, "What's the right thing to do with the ice cubes left over at the bottom?" Usually I just crunch them and think nothing of it but it was the interval at a Punt and Dennis show (this may end up getting a blog of it's own, we'll see) and I wasn't sure whether I should crunch the ice cubes whilst in a public place. Me being me, I crunched them anyway but really, what is the right thing to do? What do other people do? I don't like to let them melt into the drink as it waters down whatever it is I'm drinking and letting them melt at the end takes too long and also it's such a measly amount of water in the end, it doesn't feel quite right. Anyway, I tend to forget about them if I leave them and that brings us onto just leaving them which is my least favourite option. I've paid for the drink, I'm not going to not salvage every little bit and also, knowing me I'd manage to spill the melting ice cubes somewhere. Yes, this is one of the many menial things I end up thinking about instead of doing something productive.

On a totally unrelated topic, Matt's blogs (particularly the paintings) are making me want to do some painting or drawing. I did GCSE art and I love painting and drawing and such but since I didn't have enough options to take it for A level, I also haven't really had the time to spread out my painting things on my desk or do a whole picture. Sure, I've done the occasional doodle in class but that's not really the same. They end up being done primarily in Biro and highlighter and of a rather cartoon nature or of really odd mythical creatures. Well, creatures from my very odd brain. I need a nice time to sit down when I'm in the right mood and when I'm not getting distracted by the Internet or movies or anything like that. Free time, free time, where for art thou free time?

Also, exams. Getting so close and I really should be revising. There's that horrible dilemma where you know you should be revising, you know revising is the sensible option, but there is that little, niggly bit at the back of your mind that says 'failing when you haven't revise is better than failing when you have revised'. Of course, that niggle totally forgets about the fact that revising decreases the chance of failing but who said niggles are good at logic?

So, I'm still at school and it's now lunch so now would be a good time to disappear. I'm hungry and I like my food...

So, Matt, did I win?? =)

DFTBA

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Latest book read: Still reading "Friends Like These" I should REALLY REALLY finish it.
Latest film/TV/ watched: The Time of Angels (It was on iPlayer... I got distracted)
Latest music listened to: Ministry of Magic - Lily (Ok, I don't get the references but I like the music! I think wrock needs it's own blog...)
Latest food/sweets/whatever eaten: White chocolate and raspberry birthday cake in mentor
Programs and web pages currently open: In Internet Explorer (because I'm at school):Blogger in draft: new post. youtube