Statistically speaking, there are more unbelievers than there are believers in Christ.
And of those who believe there are less who choose to accept Him as savior and king.
So, the devil wins more souls than heaven.
How does God win the war again? :(
The thing about exclusivity is that it only seems attractive if you are within the group. If you are deemed "not good enough" or "not exclusive enough" to gain admittance within the "in" group, somehow it's suddenly not a good thing.
But then again, it could have always been a bad thing whether or not you made their mark.
"Please include me in the No-Spam-No-Telemarketing list!"
Just read an article about how a government wanted to achieve a situation with zero-dependence on foreign labour. It just reminds me of something in Joe Heller's awesome book Catch-22. In it, the main character Yossarian (yes, the Assyrian Supraman, not Super-man) exclaims in exasperation that he doesn't want what he wants.
Silly sounding, but makes sense in a way.
How many times have you ever regretted wanting something so badly but it turned out to be either a disappointment, unattainable or just plain bad for you? I guess that's what Yossarian was driving at (instead of being just mad =p).
Beware indeed!
I'm sorry to all the people who have been wondering where I am for the past month. The fact is that there was some problem with getting an Internet connection that was stable, but now everything has been sorted out and here I am again!
Hopefully with a greater passion to blog. Or not, depending on how things turn out. Hahas..I guess I am another inconstant blogger. :O Surprise, surprise..
Anyway..
The topic of the day is circles. Like those round-ish things you see when a plate is presented to you, or like those 7 circle-ish things in this sentence. Permit me to digress, if you will. Circles are a really big thing in life. You have the circle of life, which many societies believe in. There are the carbon and nitrogen (among others) cycles, which is almost universally accepted by those who know their science well. The full moon, which is a circle, holds special place in Chinese and Western mythologies. So it is no small surprise when circles are incorporated into martial arts, both Eastern and Western. There are circles in the principles of sticky hands in Wing Chun, circles traced by the hands of an opponent being brought down by Aikido practitioners, arc-ing circles made by kicks in Capoeira (indeed, there's even a half moon kick!). Heck, even boxing has rudimentary half circles in their uppercuts and when ducking.
Well the thing that struck me about circles today is that it can be of any size. Of course, it seems quite obvious now that I say it out but you know sometimes how certain things become so basic that they do not consciously register in your mind? (Yeah, like grammar stuff..past participles and the like) But as the sensei said, "He's got long arms, it's perfect for you to train the big circles!" I guess what he wanted to drive in was that one should always start from the basics and work their way up, not directly jump to the end. At least, that's what taichi masters usually espouse. And yes, it supposedly takes a person practically their whole life to master taichi techniques. Why else do you think all those people learning taichi usually start off doing motions so slowly? Yes, definitely speed and smaller circles are much more economical and effective, but I guess sometimes you just need to slow down, to take in the essence of things. A small flaw introduced to a beginner might not look too obvious (especially since everything isn't really tip top anyway), but once firmly set in and allowed to proceed, it is greatly magnified later on.
One thing at a time, and build on from there. Or as ancient master used to say in his long lost teachings.. .. .. hmmm, actually there's a reason why his teachings are long lost.
And about sqaures.
There was some significant point about squares, but somehow it just slipped the author's mind a minute ago. If it ever comes back, or is significant, you'll be the first to know. =p
Have you ever picked up a pirated disc, be it a song or a movie, and looked at the small print? The part which warns that unauthorized copying or distributing of the said media is unlawful? Now that's irony.
Have you ever noticed how, if pronounced lazily/quickly, Norsiah sounds like nausea?
Nausea's kitchen.
Imgaine that.
wrtgfdg
As posted by Anonymous
Interesting. My first spam comment. Should I approve or reject it? Or just leave it to rot in my inbox?
On another note, the empower ministry thing was nice, and unsettling in a way. Nice to see that most of them enjoyed the meal (yeah, there was this guy that kept going on and on about how the chicken wasn't "natural" like what his wife got for him long ago - she went direct to the slaughterhouse to get them - but he just kept asking for more chicken! =p), and unsettling to see a 14 year old girl and her boyfriend among the homeless. Also, the fact that I couldn't quite get common ground to chat about with some of them was quite bad. Interestingly, the "chicken" guy was sitting on my right, which contrasted his parrot-y personality with the very quiet guy on my left.
Oh well..
Time for bed. Been doing stuff related to this since I woke up in the morning til now. =p Good night world!
Geriatrics is depressing.
No wonder those in the health services and the elderly are at increased risk of depression. (Actually, the elderly will be at greater risk of dementia than depression in a few years time.)
Imagine, for the vast majority of people, the last few years of life (no matter when you die) will probably be wrought with a host of disabilities and impairments. And the only thing you can do for now is to delay the onset of the symptoms so that they are compressed within a shorter time frame.
Old folks without family support would probably end up in residential aged care centres, places that are like hostels. Imagine that! Living in a hostel for the rest of your twilight life! Curfew after a certain time, meals at fixed times at the canteen, no wandering out without supervision, no customisation of rooms, no more than 12 books in the room etc. There's a host lot more of restrictions believe me. Heck, even the old hall was better than this! At least you get lots of friends, plenty of jacking sessions (thanks CY for all the fun you provided =p), freedom to eat what you like whenever whereever you like (provided you're willing to go out and splurge a little..meaning if you're not YTH wahaha).
By the age of 80, $5000 is spent on average per elderly person per year. And that's just hospital costs alone! About a quarter of that amount is spent in addition for medication.
And there's this thing about frailty. A case of "reduced redundancy". Well, sounds good when you put it that way, but it just means your body is less equipped to upkeep itself properly. Anything from dehydration to a slight bout of flu would be enough to push you over the edge, to the point where you can't even move around on your own.
And yeah, although it might seem like a wonderful fantasy where a nurse helps to bathe you and feed you, I don't think it would seem all that fun when it has to be done everyday, for the rest of your life. No sirree..
And supposedly, there's some pros if you manage to transition from young and pimply to old and wrinkly. Please do tell me what they are if you do find out.
"40 is the old age of youth, 50 is the youth of old age."
French Proverb
"60 is the new 30!"
Some random comic character which for the life of me I can't remember who it is right now.
*launches into dementia*
Romans 8:28-31
Predestination.
What is a destination? It is the end point of a journey. Many times people have asked, does the means justify the ends? How about the other way around? Does the ends justify the means? But that's not really what I want to delve into right now.
What I want to ask is this: Is the ends the means?
And so, is the destination the journey?
Clearly that is not so.
Pre- is a suffix that just gives the meaning of "before". Like prehistoric, the era before recorded history. Like predate, the time before that particular date. Like predestination, knowing what happens in the end before it happens.
So, predestination is not fate. It is not a fixed timeline, where what we are bound to do has been dictated by God or anybody else.
Ie. God willing or not, what we do or do not is solely our responsibility. Our decision. Our action. (Or inaction). In essence, we have free will, and with that privilege entails responsibility for what we do or do not do with it.
So we are not bound by fate. Partial answer to my questions earlier on.
Shall wait till two weeks later. Hopefully Pastor Tim will finally move on and cover Romans 9.
PS. What a powerful idea right? "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Ultimately, victory lies with God, and so victory lies with those who are with God. Those who love God. Who fear God. Who are heirs of God. Cool!
PPS. "What if your father lived forever? What if he never grew old, never weakened, but instead grew stronger with every passing day? What would you do for him? What would be your obligations?
Assume your obligation as His rightful heir and accept your inheritance."
WOW! That's what our obligations are? Accept our inheritance? Sign me up. =)
Looking through the VJC homepage, particularly the teacher's day celebration.
And I catch myself wondering. Where's Mrs. Chan?
And then I remember.
Romans 9:15-23
Can somebody please explain these verses to me?
God, as the creator of all things, certainly possesses the right to act as He wishes, including softening or hardening some of us, or raising some people up in a manner so that He can manifest His glory.
However, does this in fact show pre-destination? A sense that we are bound by what some have termed fate, which in these passages is illustrated by the fact that we are brought up in ways that God wills. If we are so bound by fate, it would mean an exclusion of the existence of free will. That no matter what we decide, whether by our volition, or to test God/circumstances/these verses, we are headed down a path that is fixed. In fact it could be argued that in that case you can't really blame sinners, because they were fated to sin. Like the Pharoah who had his heart hardened by God, does this mean that it's "not his (Pharoah's) fault"? After all, God did harden his heart.
And if God did raise some people up to sin, does that make Him a cruel God? How can this be reconciled with the fact that God is a just and good God? (Yup, I'm still holding on to the belief that God is good.) It IS definitely quite fearful if God is not a good God. Just take a look at Ergo Proxy. The PROXIES, believed by the people to be Gods, were not quite benevolent nor good. Ophelia PROXY slaughtered the whole city just because she wasn't accepted by its people; Senekisu PROXY was insane and let the survivors of her city be stuck in a meaningless war against androids before slaughtering them all; Proxy 1 who decimated most of the other cities by launching ICBMs just so he could take revenge on the original humans, that race which created the PROXIES. Yet that is not a true parallel, for after all PROXIES were not Gods, nor were the original humans Gods themselves. Steps could be taken, rational thought called upon to devise ways to escape from their fate (although the future was quite bleak). If God were to be cruel, there is NOTHING that we can do to escape or take revenge.
But anyway, can somebody just explain those verses? I'd just want to know how they can be reconciled to my beliefs that God is good, and that we have free will to forge our future.
On a completely random note, does anybody know of any jobs that I can take for just ONE week? Specifically the 2nd week of June, since I'm free and most other people are busy with their exams. If there is could you tell me ASAP? I need to apply for my working visa, since it'll be worthless until next winter and totally not worth the price if I can't get a job for this period. Thanks!
Circles.
We humans have always been fascinated with it.
Consider the wheel.
Consider the Yin Yang sign.
Consider the circular movements and philosophy of many martial arts.
Consider the Carbon cycle.
Consider the Circle of Life.
All ideas connected with the circle is probably born out of a want or need to negate the effects of change. To show that although things change, they can and will finally go back to what and where they used to be. That not everything leads to an end. That there would be some sort of continuity. That will not be some sort of finality.
The wheel makes a revolution and the same point then comes into contact with the road again.
The Yin Yang speaks of how completeness is a circle.
The circular movements attempt to deflect and/or reduce the impact and still be able to return to a suitable position.
The carbon cycle shows how a single carbon atom can be traced in its path involving various forms and end up back as the initial form it was in.
The circle of life seeks to demonstrate how life and death and cyclical, the living live and then die, nourishing the living.
But in life there is no real circle of life is there? At least individually. A person is born. He eats. He sleeps. He grows. He meets his love of his life. They have many experiences together. They grow old together, rich in those memories and experiences. They die.
And there is no cycle in there.
After all, every story has its ending. Even the greatest love stories must come to an end, however dramatic, however lovely, however touching it is.
I just hope that the end signifies a new beginning for us. A beginning of our eternal place in heaven with God. Maybe then we would not want or need a circle anymore, for then there'd be no ending. =)
Love.
You love somebody for who he or she is.
Not for their traits or virtues. Those are bonuses.
Parents.
Siblings.
Lovers.
Children.
They are the same. It's like first aid in St. John - no matter what the circumstances, the procedure is the same..DRABCD.
So no matter who they are, the principle is the same.
Love one another as yourself. Love them for who they are.
And you complete me.
You treat me so good.
You were with me through thick and thin.
You really know where to start fixing my broken heart.
Your emotional tools can cure any fool (particularly this one).
I'm so sorry for putting you through so much.
Even though you say you are willing to, it breaks my heart for burdening you so.
Which could and most likely will lead to you fixing my broken heart.
And so the cycle continues...
This could possibly be the last post I'll make back home in a long long while. Tomorrow and the day after would be really busy.
The birdies have left the nest. It was just too sudden. Thank God pa was there to record the maiden flight of the smaller bird. Which is surprising, since the smaller one was never really the one to be first in anything, be it getting the parents' attention, grabbing food or anything else. We always thought the greedy fella who had a tumble down the nest trying to fly would always be the first in succeeding. So, watch out for the quiet ones. There are real surprises lurking beneath that outward calm and demure look. =p Should have realised that since last Easter. Oh well~
Made my ma cry last night. But I guess it's part and parcel of it all. I'm still her child after all. And leaving is never easy, especially when you're going somewhere that is "still very close by". Perhaps it's just the feeling that it's so hard to visit, to have surprise trips or to just be there physically. I just hope she gets over it soon. And I hope the other girl in my life won't follow the example of this girl. Be strong and we'll all meet soon enough with God's grace.
Thank you so much for the surprise in advance. =p It means a lot!
To all other family members and friends, take care. For those I havn't met up one last time due to various circumstances, please forgive me. I'll still be contactable via msn, just ask around for the add if you don't have it. I really hope to cya guys within the year. For those people who have been such chums and keep meeting up with me, thank you so much! I really feel the love =)
Flight leaves Sunday night 9pm. Since I have to check in the counter by 7pm, I should be around the airport from 6pm onwards. Ah, you all know the procedure. Hehe..all so pro already. As usual no big gifts will be accepted, at least I won't be bringing it on the flight. Just bring yourselves and that would be more than enough. =p
Pray hard for me. I'll keep you all in my prayers and thoughts.
Miss you all.
Take care.
God bless.
Ja, ne..
Does Jane look like Peter?
Forgot how they looked like in the books.
San insists they look alike. In real life. Or at least in pictures.
Any comments?
Ah, 200.
A superb number since it's a hundred times better than 2.
Which is good since 2 and 2 is one of the best combinations! =)
So, this should be a post a hundred times more special than the usual drudgery I post. And a hundred times more random too perhaps? =p
Anyway, there was something that was constantly popping unbidden into my mind for some time now. After reading a book, there was a line that kinda stood out.
What if the very thing that brought us together drives us apart?
Yes, what if it drove us apart? Such a scary and really ironic thought. However, something happened that reminded me of one of the reasons she is so endearing. All along silly me had this idea that the Little Red Dot was the reason we got closer and served as a starting point for everything that followed. Hahas! What she said recently just suddenly refocused my scattered memories and showed me the truth. It was never the Red Dot that brought us together (although that could be a reason among reasons why we got so much closer). Really, it was Easter. Ie., the willingness and act of serving God. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I really feel that this would really be impossible to drive us apart. A single line from her pierces through the clouds of uncertainty to let the light in. What a stroke of genius! Thank God =)
Ok, random fans out there..a random fact: It's now mostly cloudy over in Melbourne.
Yup.
Back to the point now.
For so long, I've been wanting. Waiting. For God to speak to me, for a miracle. And so here it comes along. God's way of saying, "See, know that all things work for the good of those who love God." Yes, this is my physical proof of blessing. My endearing reminder that there's something more to look forward to.
A gentle, kind spirit.
Beauty from within [and without too, in case your wondering how she looks like. Stunning. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Und so weiter]
A faithful lover of Christ.
She's all these and so much more. Things you just can't put your finger on.
Random fact number 2: It's nearly 2 and I'm zombifying.
When the 2 come 2gether, everything just falls into place. =)
Random fact number 3: It's 2:22.
Let me thank the many people who made the best weekend of my life so far possible.
[With the exception of the first name, all others are NOT ranked according to importance. It's just another random list.]
Jane, without whom none of this would exist. Thank you for just being who you are, and for the braveness to help me break through the barriers, as well as the generosity and grace to forgive me for destroying all possibility for you to achieve your "little goal". Thanks dear =)
*start of random list*
~ the entire core wong family, for your support and willingness to keep mum about the whole thing.
~ the two elder wongs, for your tacit encouragement.
~ the two elder lims, for your approval.
~ the two younger lims, for being so teh and busybody.
~ amze, for your part in keeping the lady of honor within the confines of PGP.
~ peter the fictional friend, for your role in springing the plan and also for the unexpected part in preventing a potentially messy and embarrassing situation involving fainted ladies.
~ jason, for being so understanding and hospitable, as well as for the advice and support given.
~ God [of course!], for the support and leading, besides helping to prevent busybody cleaners from spoiling the surprise, and also generally for everything.
~ the cleaners, for not interrupting at the crucial moments.
~ NUS, for clearing the whole of Friday for a certain someone, as well as making all others slog it away on campus, thus being unable to disrupt my plans.
~ KTMB and/or Customs of both Malaysia and Singapore, for ensuring a smooth and most importantly, only-5-minute-delay-instead-of-the-usual-one-hour-delay trip.
~ grandpa, for your offers of help and assistance
~ triple H, for not insisting or making a fuss about not going yamca with you on Saturday.
~ snow sis, for your support, prayers and advice, as well as taking care of her.
~ the con saleswoman [Yeah, I'd still like to believe it was your birthday eve. In spite of it all.], for introducing us to our first couple perfume. Oh well, kudos to you for that. It's quite a good idea anyway =p
~ FCBC, for the multiple events-cum-meeting points, as well as providing the environment for constant reaffirmation and encouragement from God. [Yup, congrats to you, looks to me that every service is as big as a rally event over here. Thank God!]
~ xuan, for coming on Monday instead of Saturday.
*end of random list*
And, so...
My apologies for for being so slow. And for causing you so much suffering, not just now, but for a long time to come. So, as you've said, let's focus on our studies and serving God, two very important ingredients that lead us on the path to permanent reunion. In the mean time, I'll try my best to improve. No more bakas, no more crazy nauseating driving [lol, quite easy this is..no car to drive once I start], less klutzy-ness, more yummy recipes.
And may God bless you always, while looking after you together with Mr Donkey and Mr Lion in the place of a constantly absent boyfriend.
However..
If you get there before I do,
Don't give up on me,
I'll meet you when my chores are through,
I don't know how long I'll be,
But I'm not gonna let you down,
Darling wait and see.
And between now and then,
Till I see you again,
I'll be loving you,
Love,
Me
I had a weird dream last night.
It was the 15th, and suddenly I remembered that I did nothing on the previous day. No wishes, no greetings, no parties.
It felt dreadful.
Winning the war is not about winning every battle.
"We won every single battle but lost the war."
Roland Deschain, The Dark Tower Series
And, winning the war is not all about pushing non-stop. After all, a good fighter doesn't just know the meaning of attack, but also the value of a temporary retreat. Because sometimes, there can be no advance without a timely retreat.
Now that the retreat has been initiated and is over with, this is the time for us to advance once again, and finally emerge victorious!
Never, NEVER accept Peter's invitation to have lunch at his house if he asks you!
I looked at his lunch and it was...
was..
[help me out here, I'm at a loss for words..]
was.. terrible looking. (I'm being polite here =p )
Unless of course it's spaghetti, yao choy [healthy oil-less one at that -_-"] or drunken chicken with certain herbs.
Maybe I'll just go vegetarian whenever there's an invitation from him.
Edit: The fish was not bad. Although he forgot the sugar. And was one of the worst dishes he thought he cooked. But still..Let's stick to the char kway teows =p
