It was a weird day. Typed an email to Prof Bruce Lockhart and i tried to avoid him during lunch. Guess what? i have to bump into him right in the history toilet. It was good nevertheless, just that i wasn't exactly prepared to meet him face to face yet. It was nice of him to ask me to come to his office anytime to share. Lovely person. =)
Bumped into xintian, serene, ervin and xintian's friend at my downstair coffeeshop. Had dinner with them and we had some interesting conversations. Seems like the different cliques do talk about similar issues. We do have much in common. Hahaha.
Went for a run with ervin at around 10. Great running partner, i think i have hope of getting gold for ippt le. hee hee. I think he seriously quite zai in running, can have normal conversation while running somemore. I almost died replying him throughout the run. hahahhaa. Think will give myself a more relaxing day tomorrow. =)
Terje's 2 brothers came over to Singapore for a visit. Apparently they still didn't have enough of the sun in Tioman and decided to go to Sentosa for more suntanning session. I was supposed to meet them at Harbourfront before heading over to the island together. However, a tragedy happened...
I got trapped in the lift.
At first, i pressed the emergency bell. But after pressing it once briefly, i saw the emergency hotline in front of me. Instead of relying on people to save me, i think its faster to save myself. Thank God for mobile phones hahaha. I dialed the number and a female operator picked up the line. The conversation went somewhat like this...
Operator: Hello, I am XXX, can i help you?
Me: Hello, is this the number to call when you get trapped in the lift? (in calm manner)
Operator: Don't worry, i will transfer your call straightaway, don't panick ok, i will call someone to fix the problem (in a panicky mode)
Me: thank you.
Apparently the operator sounded more kancheong than me. Weird. I'm the one stuck in the lift not her!!
So i took a book out to read. Most of the time i made sure i was in a good position so that when the rescue man come to open the door, i won't be in an unglam state. Hahahhaa. But anyway, after 40 minutes or so, the repairmen came and the lift suddenly jerked to a move up to the 8th storey where i finally got my breath of fresh air.
Quite disappointing. I thought there will be ambulances outside, a crowd gathering shouting "are you alright?", media reporters taking photos... (watched too much drama perhaps). All i had were potted plants smiling gleefully at me. I didn't even catch a glimpse of the repairman. Sigh...
So i rushed down to Sentosa...
SOmetimes i think angmohs can be quite hard core when it comes to tanning. I mean they can literally be under the sun for HOURS! no wonder i can get sunburnt lah, despite trying to hide myself under the coconut tree. Sigh... i should've used an umbrella instead...
But it was a fun day anyway, going to Orchard to shop for things. I was shocked that i had a super outdated mental map of Orchard. Hahaha... fancy being a guide when i couldn't even find the right places cos they seemed to move all over the place in recent times. Oh well...
On the Friday of our midsem break, the bunch of peeps from political geography class had a class outing with our beloved professor Simon and his family. On that morning, a lizard did a wild maneovre through the air and landed on Simon's face. I supposed the lizard must've wanted a new home. Haha. But to have a lizard leaping off trees onto people's faces outside National Museum is still pretty bizarre. Hmmmm.
Look at Carmey terrorizing that little kid. From her gestures, one could interpret that as an innate desire to gobble that poor kid up. As for me, i'm teaching this lady how to use her RAD and LOUD laptop. Apparently she is so stoned she couldn't understand what i'm talking about. Oh well... This is a very interesting photo. Xintian seems to be peeing on the statue. Look at Marni with Solina and Odin. I suspect it was them who caused the blackout. Good job there odin, which wire did you chew on? Buahahahaha!! A group shot with a really interesting exhibit After the pretty disappointing exhibition at National Museum, all of us went off to a vegetarian restaurant to have lunch and chill. Sigh... now i have this inner desire to be a father. I think i will bring up my kids well. GIMME MY WATER!!!! ODIN is just so adorable. HE IS SO CUTE!! Oh my gosh, i always thought i dislike kids. But apparently, it only refers to Singaporean or Chinese kids. Hahaha... call me racist for all you want but i think ang moh kids are just so so ADORABLE!!!! And of cos Solina is such a BEAUTY! No wonder... cos she is a cambodian, not singaporean. SHe can beat Ris Low down anytime in a beauty pageant.
Rhythm and Bulges - Researchers reveal that music can do more than motivate
Music can make you stronger, report scientists at Dalhousie University in Canada. In a recent study, researchers discovered that people who listened to tunes while lifting showed significantly greater strength gains in 4 weeks than those who wore noise-blocking earplugs. The music may have reduced people's perception of effort during training, allowing them to work harder, says the study author Jo M. Welch, Ph.D. The secret to song selection: Simply download music you think is motivational.
Wow... what a news.
I'm currently in the com lab of AS 7 and i am completely surrounded a bunch of NUS students discussing (very loudly and openly) about their bidding. At first, their conversations were pretty amusing. But as time goes on, it became kind of irritating. Their constant whinings really tested my self-control to slap them left right center. I never knew my thin tolerance to whining until now. Sigh... maybe i should suggest to the government to FINE people who WHINES LOUDLY in public area... apart from disposing tissue paper in utensils. Ok girl beside me... stop whining about whether you want to take German language or singapore studies cos you've been doing it for the LAST HALF AN HOUR!!!
An Open Letter to Pastor Rick Warren By Jan Markell
On July 5 the Washington Times online reported that Pastor Rick Warren told his Islamic audience, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA,) that he envisions "a coalition of faith." Whether Pastor Warren knows this or not, this is just another term for the coming one-world religion outlined in Revelation 13. It is further outlined in Revelation 17. I have not taken on the issue of Rick Warren all that often, but after reading what the Washington Times has to say about his message to a group of spiritually lost Muslims, I feel I must address this in an open letter to who many say is the most influential pastor in America and some would say the world.
Pastor Warren, you pleaded with 8,000 Muslim listeners on Saturday, July 4, to work together to solve the world's greatest problems by cooperating in a series of interfaith projects. You said, "Muslims and Christians can work together for the common good without compromising my convictions or your convictions."
Pastor Warren, you needed to compromise the convictions of the Muslims in attendance. To just say that "My deepest faith is in Jesus Christ" was not enough to a thoroughly lost crowd. The hour is too late to withhold a gospel message without which they will face a Christless eternity, and you will be held accountable. The "world's greatest problems" will always be with us and the Bible says so in Matthew 26:11. Sin is at the root of them. I have to conclude you are more interested in ecumenical unity and solving AIDS, poverty, and other social issues. Last Saturday you were given a golden opportunity that 99.9% of American Christians could never get.
You said you were not interested in interfaith dialogue, but you seize every opportunity to talk to all religions and you always leave out the gospel. You even address Jewish groups but you tell them how to grow a mega-synagogue like your own church, Saddleback. In this "can't we all get along?" generation, you usually leave out the only good news left: There is salvation in Christ and Christ alone (Acts 4:12), and the hour is late, so make a conscious decision to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You told ISNA, "Talk is cheap but love is something we do together. We must do something to model what it is to live in peace, to live in harmony." Pastor Warren, you know your Bible better than that, don't you? The Bible says there will never be peace and harmony in this world until the Messiah rules from His theocratic kingdom. The U.N. spews the same kind of pagan "peace concepts." Aren't you above that? You would likely never suggest your Muslim audience pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm122:6), yet you push for foolish and hopeless ecumenical peace!
In your speech you included three suggestions: 1) Create a coalition to end religious stereotyping; 2) Work together to restore civility to American society; 3) Take a common stand against attacks on freedom of religion and freedom of speech. There is civility in American society so why are you even suggesting there might not be? But you won't find much of it in Islamic society. Go see the film, The Stoning of Soraya M, the true story of what happens to a lot of innocent Muslim women. It's a lot more gross and bloody than any horror flick and this is reality, not fiction. The Muslims you addressed know all about this procedure. ISNA wants Sharia Law everywhere on earth! You missed a golden opportunity to challenge them to stand up to Islamic governments that perpetrate such atrocities.
Pastor Warren, you then went on to say the media was clueless as to what Christians and Muslims believe. They know very well what both faiths believe. They believe Christians are the new Taliban, and they press for hate crime legislation that will protect Muslims. You then said, "It's the truth that sets us free." Why did you take John 8:32 out of context? You twisted the very words of Jesus when you should have been proclaiming the words of Jesus.
The ISNA stated how impressed they were with your charitable work. What charitable work have they done? As terror expert Steve Emerson says, "ISNA has has been an umbrella and a promoter of groups that have been involved in terrorism." Here again you could have challenged them, but then you would not be invited back had you done so.
Joseph Farah says, "Suffice it to say the ISNA is no friend of Christianity or America." Yet in 2007, Rick Warren was one of many "evangelical leaders" who signed a document begging forgiveness from Muslims for all the evil deeds perpetrated against them by Christians. What evil deeds have true Christians committed against Muslims? Now, Pastor Warren, you've gone beyond pandering and are sounding like a fool along with all others who signed that document.
Even the secular Washington Times noted, "Mr. Warren was sparse in his mentions of Jesus and God." But since works and good deeds were stressed, this reinforced the belief of ISNA members that works will help them get to Heaven.
Pastor Warren, you stated you were committed to "the common good" and that you are commanded to "respect everybody." You don't want to deal with the verse that says we are to preach to gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15). It seems to me that you are more interested in marching hand-in-hand with other faiths down the winding road to the coming one-world religion.
There is literally a mini-revival going on with Muslims turning to faith in Jesus, particularly out of the U.S. It would have been nice, Pastor Warren, if you would have thought of that and tapped into it. We don't expect you to give altar calls at such meetings as this one. We do expect you to lift high the Name of the Prince of Peace who is coming again and who offers eternal life to all who ask, "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30, Acts 16:31). Many just wanted some variation of that quoted among your many ecumenical statements and how to solve the world's problems -- impossible without God's help.
To better understand this, order Caryl Matrisciana's brand-new film, Islam Rising, pictured and described on the left sidebar. Also visit my Web site category of "Islam & the Arabs."
Gutsy Guilt vs Licentiousness which is which? i can't seem to differentiate anymore. every accusation seems to be a correct account of who i am. Yet every accusations will lead to a formulation of a defense against them. The defense is strong, overpowering i would say. Yet the question lies behind the question... is it gutsy guilt or licentiousness?
The sky was overcast, pouring rain onto my soul. The course seemed so treacherous, with myself fighting an arduous battle to make sense of the right direction to row. At some point, it was pretty okay. At others, it was hopelessly impossible to break through. At the end of the race, i was battered in cuts and bruises.
Why??? Why??? Why did everyone say the race was easy??? -_-"
Sigh... now i have this inner desire to be a father. I think i will bring up my kids well.
