My Side of the Coin

Why does God let disasters happen?

2011-03-18T23:45:00.000+08:00

In light of all the natural disasters that have been happening lately, namely the Japan earthquake-tsunami double disaster,

the Chile earthquake,

Haiti,

and not forgetting the 2004 tsunami

that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, people are starting to think that the world is coming to an end. They start blaming God for allowing such things to happen.

Firstly, these natural disasters are what they are: natural. It can be explained by physics and science. Pressure build-up in tectonic plates cause earthquakes, and earthquakes in the middle of the ocean cause tsunamis.

It's waiting to happen, and it will happen, just as sure as gravity keeps us here on earth.

I believe that God did not send earthquakes and tsunamis to scare us. On the contrary, these events have done the opposite. It showed us the true colours of man. In a war-ridden world full of terrorism

and endless battles and suffering,

where man seem so heartless...and cold, the tragedies that occurred have shown us a different side to these 'heartless' creatures we call man.

In 2004, when news of the tsunami broke out, hordes of volunteers rushed in to countries affected by the tsunami to lend a hand.

When a killer quake struck Haiti, millions of people donated in cash and kind to help the survivors.

Same thing happened in Chile.

In Japan, workers are willing to face the extremely high levels of radiation to prevent a complete meltdown of a nuclear reactor.

So where is God? You tell me...

"What greater love has a man, than to lay down his life for another?"
-John 15:13-

Exam Stress

2010-12-02T00:44:00.002+08:00

To all who are having a hard time staying awake to study, to all who are struggling to understand what's going on, to all who are relying on luck, I wish you guys all the best in your exams and pray hard!

Think Green

2010-11-24T17:55:00.000+08:00

God put man on earth and entrusted the whole of His creation to us man. Well, that turned out well. Pollution, global warming, resource depletion, increased cancer risk, increasing unhealthy lifestyle, species extinction, you name it, we've got it. Sometimes I wonder what all of these mean.

In everyday life, I have seen how polluting and environmentally insensitive we've all been. It's not because we want to, but because we have no choice. There are still no viable substitutes for pollutants such as polystyrene and PET bottles, we still burn petrol like nobody's business, electricity is still being generated by burning stuff, and we're all waiting to see what will happen when we run out of fuel.

Oil and gas still dictate the way we live. It affects power generation as well as transportation, thus dictates the prices of virtually everything else. Imagine, for a moment, that if free electricity were to be pulled out of the wind and sun, it would mean that it would not cost a single cent to transport anything and power would be cheap and abundant. Imagine how things will be like then.

While green technology has been gathering momentum thus far, it is still very far from actually changing the world. For all we know, we might have already been too late. My prayer is that mankind realize their role as stewards of God's creation and act to sustain it. Each person's effort, no matter how small will definitely make a change.

Just some food for thought: If the world were to change so drastically that all life as we know perish, it will hardly be the last of Mother Nature. It might be the end of mankind, but certainly not the world.

What to do when you're BORED

2010-11-20T15:12:00.000+08:00

Here're some healthy alternatives which I find helpful whenever I'm bored:

Doodle. Sketching or drawing something that you're interested in will not only improve your drawing skills, it actually stimulates brain activity and develops your right brain and who knows, you might end up like Walt Disney!
Do push-ups or sit-ups. This is for guys who always find the perfect excuse not to go to the gym. Besides, simple exercises will keep you healthy and gives you just enough toned muscle to get noticed ;)
Watch cool educational shows to keep your mind thinking while doing absolutely nothing. Mythbusters is my personal favourite. It's always a good excuse to watch TV.
Think of ways to make money. This is for those up-and-coming millionaires out there. It is where Google and Facebook first started. IDEAS are INFINITE and can change the world.
Think of small weekend projects which you can do. If you are a hands on type of person, this is for you. Small projects can include cool paper airplanes or models, a decorative item you can put on your desk, or even a Christmas gift for somebody!

These are just some of my suggestions to help you kill some time. It's also an effective stress relief avenue for those who are going through stressful times. If you have any suggestions on how to kill time effectively, I'd like to hear it!

IDeas

2010-11-19T09:14:00.000+08:00

The main problem I find with maintaining blogs is that there are just too many things to blog about that eventually nothing gets blogged about. I therefore need your help (yes, you!) to figure out what my next topic should be.

If you have any questions or just want an honest opinion on something, please feel free to comment! I'd be happy to share my take on whatever's out there :)

Samsung i900 (aka OMNIA 1st gen) Re-review

2010-11-17T08:44:00.000+08:00

As some of you know, I bought a Samsung Omnia 2 years ago during my first year in uni (you can read about it here: http://gilbertchia.blogspot.com/2008/09/responsible-use-of-wealth-sirach-13-3.html). At that time, touch phones were just getting popular and iPhones were already marking their territory all over the place. My previous phone was a Nokia 3250, which was fine and all, but I gave it to my sis before coming over to S'pore.

Big n Bulky

Like they say, when in S'pore, do as the S'poreans do. So there I was getting my hands on my first ever touch phone. It was cool at first, having a phone without a keypad. Then, the problems started cropping up, namely, windows, and samsung. Having a windows os meant that the phone was really laggy and even though it didn't hang very often, it didn't exactly go at the speed of sound either. Internet on the phone was a nightmare. I'd rather go to the library and access the web there than to stare like a dummy into my phone for ages waiting for pages to load. Another downside is that there is an irreplaceable earphone, literally. It only came with the original phone, and can't be purchased. This, along with not-so-stainless 'call' and 'end-call' buttons and a 'lost' navigation system, is a big enough letdown for me. It didn't help that samsung had very poor customer service, with only ONE service centre in the WHOLE country. However, it wasn't all that bad, especially with a very reliable 5mp camera (probably my favourite function of the phone).

Very expensive letdown

What's the next step, you ask? Well, having used a touch phone, keypads just don't feel the same. And although there's windows mobile 7 and samsung has already improved a fair bit from then, but considering the bad experience with windows and samsung, they're both out of the equation. Honestly, I see a lot of potential in Android phones. I haven't tried any of them for myself, but I've been hearing good reviews so far. Who knows, the future might actually belong to droids after all (for the record, apples are meant to be eaten. period)

Christmas

2010-11-15T09:14:00.000+08:00

Christmas decorations have come up all over Singapore which means only one thing - sales, sales and more sales. People all over the country are going around doing their Christmas shopping, whether or not they celebrate Christmas. The other day at the neighbourhood mall, there were 5 or 6 announcements of missing children from 4-12 years of age. Their parents must've been really into the shopping mood :)

Despite all the hype, Christmas is not for another month or so. For us Catholics, Christmas comes only after four weeks of Advent, which is a time of spiritual preparation for Christ's coming. It signifies the thousands of years of waiting of God's people for His promised Saviour. In modern times, we are still waiting for His coming, a second coming. Life on earth, I believe, is a preparation for that second coming, when we will be judged.

However, in modern times, the physical preparations for Christmas far outweigh the spiritual preparations done to receive the child Jesus. We go through so much trouble shopping, getting gifts, new clothes, new furniture, preparing feasts an so on that we actually forget what the celebration is really about. And when it's time to celebrate Christ's coming, we drop dead with exhaustion and stop celebrating just as Christ comes into our lives.

(For those who don't know, Christmas is the 2nd most important celebration for Christians, with Easter being the most important. It starts on the 25th of December and lasts for 12 days. However, most people only celebrate and make merry on Christmas eve and Christmas day itself, after which life goes on without meaning.)

That is why, I for one, will pledge to spend Advent preparing for Christ's coming (as well as exams :| ) and celebrate Christmas fully knowing that Christ has come into my life and the time will come when we are all judged. So I urge whoever that's reading this to join me. To prepare for Christ's coming just as how His people were waiting for Him in times of turmoil and suffering and to prepare for His second coming by the giving of ourselves to Him.

I leave you now with this quote:

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.

~ C.S. Lewis ~

Arrows

2010-11-13T12:50:00.000+08:00

So, I'm finally finding the time to blog again. This comes as no surprise, since I'm stuck in front of my laptop typing report after report after report (I've got like a dozen reports to submit this semester). Eventually anybody will get bored. So, I thought I'd spend some time arrowing some not-so-innocent bystanders :)

First off, we have some education minister somewhere who wants to make history a compulsory subject to pass in order to move on with life. Well, if the history that they are teaching is sound and true and full of facts and nothing but facts, I would actually support the idea, simply because a lot can be learnt from history. From the politics behind the two world wars, the economics behind the industrial revolution, the strategy behind the greatest battles in history, the psychology behind terrorism, and so on, one can see the true colours of humanity and learn from their mistakes. However, if what they're teaching is just political preaching, then who cares whether u pass or fail history. It's his story (dia mia pasal in bm). By the way, I came across this article which highlight the great Malaccan empire as taught in our history, or lack thereof. (http://www.malaysia-today.net/archives/archives-2010/35605-demise-of-malacca-addendum) Check it out if you are just as curious :)

Here is an insight as to what will happen to my homeland if nothing changes and people in power remain the same. Going on the current trajectory, I expect the brain drain to continue or even escalate, if history becomes compulsory. Brain drain will mean that the amount of high income professionals and the like will be stagnant or possibly dwindle over the years as the economy shifts back to low tech and labour intensive relative to similar developing nations. This will mean that GDP will probably not increase and this will be even worse when we run out of petroleum. With corruption still at large, we expect a significant portion of national income to go the the "minority" and hence lesser available income to spend on useless projects like the future 2nd tallest building. This will mean even less money will be available for subsidy to the people, thus inflation waiting to happen. Since most people's income is not expected to rise by much, more and more will move into the lower income group (not poor yet as defined by the government). At this point, the descriptions sound utterly similar to that of some third world countries where the rich get richer and poor get poorer. And the 80-20 rule where 80% of the nations riches belong to 20% of the population might skew toward 90-10 rule or maybe even 95-5 rule, depending on the number of "minority".

Next up, we have an outgoing president of a university which has dropped considerably in rankings. Needless to say, the mythical figure behind all my university woes will receive an arrow from me :) Even though some of it are caused by other people in his team, the arrow still goes to him because, simply, it's his team. One policy worth mentioning is the elimination of small class tutorials. while other world class universities are trying to increase teacher to student ratio, he's trying his best to increase student to teacher ratio. He must be patting his back now that one lecturer can tend to 500 students at once, it's simple economics. Another is probably the promotion of monotonic lifestyle of students, grooming a new generation of robots. While this might not be true for some majors, the majority of the student body, namely engineers, definitely experience this. The requirement to stay on campus is to be active in only ONE club or activity, and no credit whatsoever goes to those who are all rounded and participate in many clubs. In fact, with this ridiculous rule, most students only participate in one club and strangle each other for the top posts, which yield the most points. What a way to get students prepared for the rat race ahead. By the way, just check out what's in store when the new president comes in: (http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/11/12/ntu-campus-revamp-includes-pub-cinema/)

Well, I can go on for another few paragraphs but I'd better stop here, lest I get in trouble for voicing my opinion. Back to typing reports nobody reads :|

Back to Singapore

2009-09-20T00:07:00.003+08:00

It's been awhile since I last mustered the strength (or rather discipline :P) to blog. 5 weeks into the new academic year, life is as stressful and hectic as always. Unfinished tutorials, due projects, lectures skipped, and what not. Alas, lifestyles of the slack and lazy. Nonetheless, my world has changed since I last blogged.

As many of you now know, I've finally set foot into the world of companionship and togetherness, although togetherness isn't exactly what we're experiencing at the moment. I'll come to that shortly :)

Towards the end of the previous academic year, I found myself growing very fond of this particular girl back home. I never knew I could connect with somebody so well and often, we found ourselves chatting into the wee hours of the morning. There were days when all I could look forward to was to chat with her. Then it suddenly dawned on me. Why am I longing so much for her? Is this what I think it is? Had I fallen for her? Goodness knows.

When I went back for the holidays, I decided to tell her how I felt. It took every single ounce of courage I had. A million questions raced through my head. How will she reply? Does she feel the same way? What would be of our friendship? What if she said no? How could I face her then? If she were to say yes, it'll be a long distance relationship. What then? I had no answer for all those questions, but one thing was for sure; I needed to tell her how I felt.

The answer she gave (or lack of one) sent me into panic mode. I didn't know how to react. "She's gonna say no, dude", I thought. In an effort to salvage what was now an awkward relationship, I told her to brush it off, saying it was nothing but a 'spur of the moment'. I didn't know what else to do.

The months that followed were truly the hardest I had to endure. Being around her all the time in church, around other friends, and we even had to organize a camp together. It was both joy and pain with a pinch of awkwardness. I found joy in being close to her and also pain in suppressing my feelings. "We're just friends" became some sort of a daily mantra I had to recite to myself.

To be honest, I was actually looking forward to coming back after the holidays, or rather, looking forward to getting away. I've had enough, enough of pretending not to like her, enough of being close to her, but not having her, enough. It all had to end. I figured that a new academic year is what I needed to get over her, to start afresh, to finally be sane again.

The night before I left was probably the most eventful and the highlight of my entire vacation. The girl I went head over heels for finally told me how she felt, how she, too had a hard the past couple of months. We ended up talking about 'us' the whole night (and morning too). The journey back to Singapore was a surprisingly pleasant one. It was like those agonizing months didn't even exist. All was right in the world. In mine, at least.

What actually made her tell me how she feels, what actually happened, is another story altogether. Like I said, it was an eventful night.

Whenever we're apart, I find myself wanting to be with her more than ever, to hear her voice, to see her smile. And sometimes when we're together, it's as if all my worries and troubles are as far away as could be. I miss you, dear. Happy 2-months!!

Mark 4: 35-41

2009-06-25T01:01:00.002+08:00

It has been awhile since I last felt like blogging, and honestly, my next post would've been in August had it not been for the events that transpired last Sunday. What happened on that fateful day was nothing short of a miracle.

For some foreknowledge, the Gospel last Sunday was taken from Mark. Jesus and gang were on a boat and they were hit by a storm. Jesus commanded the wind, "Be quiet!" and the waves, "Be still!". The wind died down and there was a great calm. This left the apostles wondering, "Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him!".

Anyway, back to my story. I was driving along in Durian Tunggal (it's somewhere in the outskirts of Melaka, full of winding roads, plantations, hills, typical kampung scene). To be honest, I wasn't exactly going 'slow'. There in front of me was a tight cornering and being the reckless fool that I was, I tried to negotiate the corner at some 'marvelous' speed. Little did I know that the tiny stones by the side of the road was all it took to send the car spinning out of control.

There are no words to describe what I've been through. It all happened so fast, I only remember turning the steering wheel right then left as the car spun furiously around until it finally crashed into the side of a hill, and by furiously i mean 360 degrees.

A billion things could have been different that day. Had there been an oncoming car, had my car crashed on the onter side of the road (the road had a hill on one side, and a deep ravine on the other), had I drove a higher car (I was driving a Wira, one of the lowest cars out there), had it been raining, there wouldn't be any more updates on this blog - ever.

However, despite the gravity of the incident, we all escaped unhurt and the only damage done was a broken headlamp and a slightly shifted bumper. The amazing thing was, earlier this year, back when I was still in Singapore, a close friend of mine actually dreamt of this. Of course, back then I felt it ridiculous and quickly forgot about it. Only minutes ago did it crop back into my head. Overwhelmed, I am compelled, neigh, I owe it to Him to tell this story; this story of how God saves a reckless fool so that you, too, may believe.

Who is this man? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!

What Is Your Purpose in Life?

2009-03-30T22:27:00.002+08:00

Ever wondered why are you here? As in why are we on this planet called Earth? What is our purpose? Why do we do the things we do? Are we so caught up in our daily hussle we forget the BIG picture?

I myself do not have the answers to these questions, but it helps to think where are we headed and what are the important things in life.

For God So Loved The World

2009-03-20T23:40:00.001+08:00

Ever wondered what it means to be Christian, a follower of Christ, a people of God? I'm no preacher of any sort, neither am I any holier than you. I write this to share how, I believe, we as Christians should be.

A lot of us tend to drift away from God in the midsts of their studies, stress at work, deadlines to meet, or even when we get too carried away in church activities that we forget the real reason we're doing it in the first place.

My answer is that we need to place God first in all we do. In studying, I put all my trust in Him. I'm studying not for myself, but to glorify Him. "HOW?", you might ask. I don't know. If He gives me a gift, it is my duty to nurture it, to multiply the talents, and perhaps someday, help others with what we have. I believe that all that has already been planned out by the master planner Himself.

For working people; well, you just have to search deep down why are you doing what you do. Is if for money? Fame? Power? I know most of us will have to work for money sometime in our lives. However, we can also use whatever we have, including money, to help others, especially in this season of Lent. We are, afterall, one people of God.

Another thing you might want to think about is this: We tell ourselves that we are doing things for God, but what are we really after? I used to believe that we must do good to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. True, but should we do good only for this "reward"? Is Christ's death on the cross not enough? Is the love of God, so great, that he sent his ONLY son to save us not enough? I had a sudden chill when I realized this.

So back to the original question: What it means to be a Christian. To me, it's doing everything out of love for Him. To love the ones he loves - us. To dislike the things he dislikes - sin. To never again want to hurt him by giving in to temptation. I'm still struggling with this, and I know a lot of us are. It's not easy to carry the cross. Embrace it...

Yet Another Death

2009-03-08T23:02:00.004+08:00

Firstly, I have to create an excuse for not blogging since Christmas. Well, what can I say? Laziness kinda kicked in for a bit, not only for blogging, but also with studies. Until fairly recently, my mind has been to every corner of the universe - all but where it should be. The first half of my semester flew by without me completing a single tutorial, assignment nor blog. I'm not proud of my unproductiveness. On the contrary, I now know how empty our petty lives can be without passion, without drive, without aim.

Coming back from my mid-sem break, I resolved never again to slip to such lows. Thankfully, it's now the season of Lent (a season of repentance and fasting for Catholics), which adds to my drive to change - not for myself, but for Him. He gave us gifts not for us to waste by doing nothing, but to nurture them, improve on them, and use them to help others. Who are we to misuse those sacred gifts?

Repentance - only when a seed dies shall it emerge a tree, full of life. Only by dying to my laziness and contempt can I emerge a better person, using God's gift to its full potential. WE can do all things through God who strengthens us, and it is for Him that we do these things in the first place.

So, let this season be meaningful for you as well, as WE overcome temptations such as games, laptop, facebook, and whatever it is that is taking up so much of your precious time. It is not an easy task, but together, we CAN do it, for the GLORY of God.

On a completely unrelated note, there has been two different deaths in NTU in the past week - the 1st week after our mid-sem break. Both suicidal, both from the School of EEE. My condolences to those affected.

A note of advice to students and working adults - DON'T TRY THIS ANYWHERE. If you are under a lot of pressure, remember you are not alone. Feel free to talk to friends or leave a message here :)

To parents and future parents, do not expect so much out of your children. If they are not cut out for it, they won't make it no matter how hard you push. Let them do what they like instead. Nobody is perfect.

Christmas Reflections

2008-12-18T22:04:00.002+08:00

It's that time of the year again, the time when anybody and everybody focuses on everything that's not important and forget the one thing that is. Don't believe me? Be it at home or on this small lil island, the most crowded of places do not, not the slightest bit, resemble the lowly manger that's supposed to be our focus this season.

I'm not saying all of us should start visiting farms or something. It's the spiritual journey that matters. Christmas has never been about adourning ourselves with lavish clothes or accessories. Neither is it about getting the latest gadgets for ouselves before anybody else does. Whatever is the significance of turkey and log cakes? Who came up with Frosty or Rudolph or the man with the sack (Coca-cola probably came up with santa claus as a marketing hype)? What's up with pine trees? Did Jesus come wrapped up ever so lavishly under a plastic tree? I hate to say this, but I think it's an insult to the true meaning of CHRISTmas.

Maybe this clip will help you understand. It showed me a glimpse of heaven's LOVE.

Of all my years celebrating Christmas, I've only experienced it once or twice at most. The other years were spent trying to flatter myself. Maybe it's time we start looking at someone other than ourselves. For your Christmas present this year, I pray that Jesus (and not Santa) sends you an angel to remind you what CHRISTmas is all about.

Donuts, anybody?

2008-12-13T04:54:00.002+08:00

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States.

Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course their freshman year, regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously. This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. "How many push-ups can you do?" and Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time".

"Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it."

Dr. Christianson said, " Go do ! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson' s class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

"Sure!" Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes."

Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can
have a donut?"

Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.

When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own push-ups?"

Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"

With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"

Dr. Christianson said, "Look! This is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.

Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"

Sternly, Jenny said, "No."

Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?"

Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say, "No!" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.

Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your push-ups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!"

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?"

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut." Dr. Christianson said, "Okay , Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"

Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said, " give me a donut."

"Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"

Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seatedby the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room. The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you." Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda.

Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?"

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"

Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone; I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push-ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes."

"Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?"

As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'Into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten. "

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.

"Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding, "Not all sermons are preached in words. "

Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not only His Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid. "Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?"

A Father's Love

2008-11-16T14:30:00.005+08:00

A Son asked his father, "Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?" The father who, despite having a heart condition, says "Yes". They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons. The father always saying "Yes" to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his fater, "Dad, let's join the Ironman together." To which, his father said "Yes". For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island. Father and son went on to complete the race together!

In life, we are like the paralysed son, unable to do anything if it were not for God the Father. Yes we CAN, through Him who strengthens us. Believe it.

Quote of the Day

2008-11-08T22:53:00.003+08:00

Think about it.

Racism

2008-11-05T13:07:00.008+08:00

Barack Obama has just been elected President. The White House will admit its 1st black President. A nation previously notorious for centuries of slavery and racial conflict finally voted for change. I read the news with amusement and admiration for the US voters.

I can't help but to compare the US with my hometown, Malaysia. I know many might think that the two countries are on opposite sides of the globe (literally and figuratively) and that there's nothing to compare. Alas, Malaysia is more alike the US than most people think.

For a start, Malaysia, like US got independence from the British, though a few hundred years later, and without bloodshed. Malaysia is also a multiracial country, with its own history of racial conflict and racism. US has elected a black President. When will Malaysia accept a non-UMNO PM? A few hundred years later perhaps, when UMNO finally condemns Malaysia to a point of no return (might not be very far now, mind you).

I'd also like to commend the US Presidential election campaign. Instead of buying votes and fixing roads and drains every four years, Presidential candidates debate about current issues affecting the people and their plans to overcome financial and social woes. For the record, BN candidates have been known to shun debates, claiming it to be a waste of time.

The reason they flee from debates is totally understandable. Having seen some videos of our ministers answering questions whether in forums or in parliament, it would have been even more humiliating had they debated in public. These are the very people the Malaysian electorate have voted into parliament to DEBATE.

All these facts have only proven one thing: we are very far away from a truly mature election process and even more so from a truly 'malaysian' Malaysia.

An adaptation from the movie V for Vandetta, to remember the 5th of November

Missing 'Mojo'

2008-10-21T23:43:00.002+08:00

After 10 weeks or so in my not so new environment, I realised that my life is very different compared to how it was back in my hometown, Malacca. For starters, I now share a room with somebody (no complains, though).

No doubt, I expected university life to be very different, but I somehow ended up lost and went with the crowd. As the first semester finally draws to a close, I realise how mundane and unmeaningful a typical university student's life is. Attend lectures and tutorials, complete assignments, meet datelines, sit for exam, end. For the record, I had a very different lifestyle back home.

The reason why I enjoyed my Form 6 days was definitely not studies. It was because of my involvement in church activities. I had a purpose, a direction - to serve. To serve God in whatever I do. That was my priority back then. Serving God does not benefit Him, but ourselves. I learned a whole lot about organization as well as made a whole bunch of crazy friends along the way.

Over here, it's a whole new world. I no longer serve in a youth ministry - that takes away a huge part of who I am, since I gave my all to serving Him and my involvement in government-required activities were minimal. I guess that's why I got lost in the first place.

I used to have a good balance in life back home; physically (eat well, excercise well, sleep well), intellectually (studies, obviously), socially (friends who are like siblings), emotionally (proper channelling of stress, leisure, FUN), and spiritually (serve God). When I came over, a huge portion of social and spiritual disappeared. I never really bothered what had been lost, but just went along with the crowd, which was a whole lot of intellectual. That's when life becomes pre-programmed and mundane.

Surely, everybody's perspective on balance is different, but I'd stick with this model, which means that I'll have to find a way to put the talents He's given me to good use - serving others!

Teachers

2008-10-01T23:58:00.002+08:00

This clip really got me thinking - how teachers aren't supposed to just teach a subject, but to also bring out the best in his students. As Prof. Randy Pausch puts it, dream enablers. How often do we come across teachers who really care about their students and try their best to see them succeed, not just academically but also socially, emotionally and spiritually? You're truly blessed if you've met one. I know I am.

Just a thought: With a teachers workload nowadays, I don't blame them for not being able to care. In fact, I'm amazed they can remember so many names. Too many students, too few teachers. The Malaysian education system is seriously flawed in many ways, but I'd say its greatest flaw is that it fails to recognise non-academic talent. So what if some people can't remember all seven food classes? So what if some people screw up all the dates in Islamic history? All that matters is maturity of thought and creativity, the ability to think outside the box. Honestly, there are people who excel academically but still lack these basic skills. And we wonder why graduates aren't able to find employment. The system has got to go.

Free Hugs

2008-09-21T13:42:00.004+08:00

Was browsing through some viral videos (videos that are so good they spread like viruses) and came across this clip. It's amazing what one man can do to change society. Notice how stiff and unfriendly people in the clip are at first, and how free hugs change them. I think a place like Singapore could really use some free hugs. Anyone?

Politics

2008-09-16T18:27:00.002+08:00

In light of the recent ruckus back home, I've finally decided 2 share what I think of politics back home. Sure, I know most of us will have the same opinion that Badawi does a great job in promoting racism, corruption, and whatever else that UMNO is capable of doing (Najib is worse, mind you). Seems that they have forgotten why they were voted in the first place - to bring Malaysia to greater hights, to improve the standard of ALL Malaysians, regardless of race and belief. (It would be a whole lot better if a local university were to accept base on merit, and not race, as it does now. Don't worry so much about world rankings. If we get a truly Malaysian University, the ranking will go up on its own. Malaysians are smart, if only we were given the chance)

I am also aware that Malaysians are turning to a so called 'Saviour' - Anwar Ibrahim, to turn things around. Some have gone to the extent of 'worshipping' him, singing his praises everywhere. The Pakatan Rakyat, or so the opposition calls itself, is not all that much better than BN. Here are some reasons why:

Let's start with Anwar. Being a former DPM (Deputy Prime Minister), he was involved with UMNO and Mahathir (the father of corruption, I'd call him) and all the UMNO hocus-pocus. What changed? Did he get a vision in prison telling him to turn from his sins? Did he mix with the right crowd in prison? Did he become straight (no more intersted in guys)? Or is this all just for revenge? People never change, even if they wanted to. If he really wanted to take over the government, he'd have done so sooner. Why the wait? He became a MP back in August. Now the economy is suffering due to political unstability. Who're the losers? The Rakyat, who, unsurprisingly, are supporting Anwar eventhough he lied about Sept 16. (He's probably lying about the 30 crossovers too. Only 1 way to find out)

On to DAP. DAP has always condemned UMNO's racist approach to government, but to me, it's just a pot calling a kettle black. DAP has always stood for the rights of Chinese Malaysians. However, seldom do we see Malay and Indian MPs hailing from DAP. I attended one of DAP's campaigns back in Malacca. They make racist remarks every two sentences or so. They would love to have more Malay and Indian candidates, but only to look multiracial. Not really an ideal ruling party.

PAS, my least favourite of the 3 Pakatan Rakyat parties. Nothing much I can say, except that Malaysia was never meant to be an Islamic country.

Why then, am I writing this? I want Badawi and his UMNO aristocrats to leave. Malaysia has suffered so much as it is. The only way for this to happen is for the Pakatan Rakyat, the lesser of two devils, to take over. And keep praying for a true Malaysian to take over someday and to harness Malaysia's true potential as a resource-rich, talent-filled, multi-racial, peaceful utopia.

Responsible Use of Wealth (Sirach13:3-19)

2008-09-09T22:33:00.004+08:00

Lately, I've thought of buying a new phone for myself and naturally, being in Singapore, I tend to save as much as I can. I'd even save on meals sometimes. This of course affects my decision on what phone to buy, an Apple iPhone, HTC Diamond, or jz an old Nokia model (they're the REALLY tahan lasak ones). I was in a dilemma. Should I save every penny I have as the saying goes, a penny saved is a penny earned, or should I go ahead and get the newest phone out there?

God speaks to us in many ways. One of it is through the BIBLE. Yes, the BIBLE. I came across this particular passage, "Responsible Use of Wealth". I'll just give you the gis of it, knowing how some of you actually resent reading the Bible.

It isn't right for a selfish person to be rich. What use is money to a stingy person? If a person denies himself in order to accumulate wealth, he is only accumulating it for someone else. How can you be generous to others if you are stingy to yourself? No one is worse off than someone who is stingy with himself; it is a sin that carries its own punishment. Greed will shrivel up a person's soul.

Treat yourself as well as you can, and bring worthy offerings to the Lord. Our time on earth is short. Before we die, be kind to friends, be as generous as possible. Don't deny yourself a single days' happiness. If there's something something you want to do and it is lawful, go ahead! Enjoy yourself, there is no pleasures in the world for the dead. Everything made by human hands will decay and perish, along with the person who made it.

It's the Bible that tells us to enjoy ourselves. But as always, beware of the thin, almost non-existent line between spending to enjoy ourselves and a craving for pleasures. It's two totally different things when you buy an iPhone because it's a good phone, and you need a phone at the moment, and when you buy an iPhone because you've just gotta have that phone. Like my dad always told me, spend if you have to, do not waste.Whenever you go shopping next time, think about this: Why am I buying this?

Priorities

2008-09-07T14:08:00.008+08:00

A lot of my friends and juniors asked me how I managed to be so active and yet still perform academically? If you happen to be wondering just how active I was, let's just say the youth advisor had to make me take a break from youth activities by August last year, my STPM year (trials were in September). Well, my answer has always been to pray hard. Without God, we are nothing. Seriously, DO NOT underestimate the power of prayer, especially when there's faith.

Though it'd be a swell thing to leave everything in God's hands, HE only helps those who help themselves. Do your best, and God will settle the rest, sound familiar? That is why apart from advising my juniors to pray hard, I also encourage them to prioritize. It's the secret behind solid time management.

Priorities - what in the world is that? It's basically a list of what you value most in your life, from the most valuable at the top to the least at the bottom. What were my priorities? The first place definitely goes to God, and in serving HIM. It's the reason I was that active in church, especially in the youth. I wanted the youth to see that God is NOT an obstacle to academic excellence, HE's the reason for it. Perhaps a little more than that, I wanted the youths to put God first in their lives, no matter what happens. Honestly, my results are testimony to what God can do in our lives, if we only trust in HIM.

Next on my list is quite general - family and close friends. Why so general? Truth be told, I do treat close friends like family. Which is why I often consider myself as having a large family. Families are great. I've learnt a lot from my parents and I wouldn't be who I am if not for them. In the words of Randy Pausch, I struck the 'parent lottery'. My siblings, best ever (although it might not feel like it most of the time, if you get what I mean). When it comes to close friends, nothing says it better than "I'll be there for you". I know that might sound cheezy, but how many of us actually have friends who 'will be there for us'?

Lower down the list would be studies and all the other stuff. Honestly, do you think that a piece of paper is all that important? It's what's on the inside that counts. I'll probably lose my papers once I finish this, but what I've become will stick with me for life.

And where does time management come in? Trust me, once you've got your priorities straight, time management would be the least of your problems.

Patriotism

2008-09-02T01:09:00.008+08:00

Malaysia recently celebrated its 51st Independence Day and in light of what has been happening back home, I thought I'd write something about it, something positive, since the negatives have all been posted by fellow 'bloggers' back home.

Being in a foreign land (Singapore), where most of its population are or were Malaysians, I tend to meet people who have strong negative feelings about Malaysia. Yes, the government has screwed up more than it should, and is only making things worse (check out what other bloggers have to say if you don't already know). However, being patriotic has absolutely nothing to do with the government. The government is NOT Malaysia, n Malaysia is NOT the government. Politics is overrated.

Last July, I attended the World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney. Whenever people ask where I'm from, Malaysia would be my proud answer (yeah, I do get some uneducated replies, like "Where?"). I believe that God put us in this corruption-stricken land for a reason. HE could have just as easily gave us Caucasian parents and made us Europeans or Japanese or even Korean. But HE chose Malaysia. There's a reason in everything. We just have to figure out what.

For those of you who can't wait to leave Malaysia for a better country (if there are any), think about this. In the last Beijing Olympics, which badminton player did you support? Sony? Taufik? Lin Dan? Or Chong Wei? Do you feel as 'at home' as you did in Malaysia? Are there better mamak stalls? Is the asam laksa better than back home? Does satay celup even exist elsewhere? Sure, the grass is always greener on the other side, but which country is without turmoil? Every nation has its own problems.

And just for the record, I love Malaysia!

"Inspirations" column

2008-08-25T00:24:00.004+08:00

In this column, I'll post some videos, music, or whatever I come across that really highlights the important things in life.

FYI, Randy Pausch's lecture on achieving childhood dreams is also known as The Last Lecture. Literally speaking, it was his last lecture (he died of pancreatic cancer back in July '08). If you happen to be bored and have an hour to spare, do watch this video. You won't regret it.

Power

2008-08-24T14:07:00.004+08:00

I went for a talk this morning (some call it a sermon) and the priest was talking about power, since today's reading mentions Jesus handing the key of Heaven to His apostle, Peter. The key is a symbol of power for the church (the Pope's coat of arms has 2 keys, symbolizing his power). Enough of sermons, here's what I think about power, and the people who are entrusted with it.

Power (or authority) is supposed to be given to, not fought for. Just like in the bible, Jesus entrusts the keys of Heaven to Peter. He did not fight with the other apostles over it. There was no power struggle of any sort. Power works best in the hands of those who serve, who use it for the common good and for the good of others. In the hands of fools, fools who wield it like a hammer (or "keris"; sound familiar?), power can be destructive, both to the fool, and to the people around.

The same rule applies today, as it did back then. I have experienced two different definitions of leadership. In school, leadership was all about power. Whoever played into the good books of the club adviser stood a better chance of getting higher posts. Backstabbing and politicking was not uncommon. Even though that was high school, I doubt things are much different in the working world and I'm sure most of you have experienced this kind of "power".

The second type, one I experienced in the youth ministry in church, was different. There were no merits, no special treatment, no extra points or whatsoever for those who held leadership positions. We were there for a reason - to serve. Of course, this does not apply for churches everywhere, I'm just sharing my experience of serving others.

Here's something to ponder upon, especially for those in power or are vying for a leadership post. Why are you doing it? To benefit yourself, or the community?

Why am I doing this?

2008-08-24T09:23:00.000+08:00

For most of you who know me, I don't actually blog, neither do I read blogs. So why am I doing this?

Well, being a varsity student, I'm supposed to be thinking outside the box, thinking maturely, thinking about my future, and thinking about loads of other thinking stuff (you UNI students should get my drift). So I thought, why not publish some of my thoughts? This way, not only can I remember what I thought about a particular topic, but other people can save some time by not thinking about it (I have NO idea who reads blogs). Of course, this is just my side of the coin. So any of you who happen to disagree with anything on this blog, by all means, leave a comment or post your own thoughts. For those who agree, post your comments just the same.

Another reason I'm starting this blog is because of my sis. Yea, the person who's supposed to tell you what's right and what's wrong based on their experiences (kind of like a 2nd mom), which is good. I wouldn't have started anything if not for her. Thanks, sis!