3 more
i wrote jokes in my exam paper today. And pretty lame ones too. I remembered i actually re-read my answer after i completed the paper and ended up laughing over it. I hope my lecturer will give me bonus points for my sense of humour.
3 more papers to go... i shall take a break tonite and resume my mugging tmr. =)
Saturated
I must be mad to post this up in my blog. I went back to school to study today. It was a pretty excruciating experience to try to find a condusive environment to study in campus. YIH was too freezing cold and crowded, YST was surprisingly filled with people (didn't have much sense of place there, felt like an 'outsider' (Relph, 1976) hee hee), outside benches were too humid and i finally found my spot in Central Library. Gosh...just after 2 chapters of studying and i reached saturation zone... eh... i think i should just stop blogging and go on with my work. oops...
Feet Unbound
Went to catch this film 'Feet Unbound' at Singapore National Museum just now for the 20th International Film Festival. Just when the rest of my NUS mates were busy mugging for the exams, here i was jumping from SSO concerts to international film art. I seriously wouldn't be dead surprised if i do badly for my exams. Gosh. But i ahve to say that this film was brilliant... so much of a higher-tier than the blockbuster you get in the normal cinemas. The plot (which was based on the Long March of the Red Army in China) really captivated the audience and the style of documenting the story was of high artistic appeal. Alright, i seriously am very bad in giving film or music reviews but this show is really one that is worth watching ESPECIALLY to those who are into History and Wars.
Breaking New Ground
Went to watch SSO's Breaking New Ground at Esplanade Concert Hall last night, courtesy of the free tickets from Dr Johnson's friend in SSO. Out of the 4 performances, my heart goes out to Strauss' An Alpine Symphony, Op. 64. Although i am not an enthusiastic fan of classical music, but i was totally intrigued by this symphony composed from an inspiration of his teenage climbing trip at the Bavarian Alps. But anyhow, i would love to listen to this piece again.
Back to studying...
The Right Question
The question in life is not 'who am I' but 'whose am I' I believe a person may spend his whole life building up his self-identity, his self-esteem but at the end of the day, still cooped up in the darkness of the meaning of his existence. Sometimes we need to ask the right question to find the answer we want... and in this case, i think the answer is of eternal consequence.
In Christ Alone
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.Philippians 3:7-11This song came to my mind and everytime i look through the lyrics, i was reminded of the sufficiency of Christ and how God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. May i learn to be satisfied in Christ alone, not in the worldly pleasures, nor in fleshly desires but solely a passion for God's glory.In Christ AloneIn Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.
Self-Reflection
In the midst of my studying, i could not resist the urge of taking out 'Christiana's Journey' from my bookshelf and flip through the pages for some relaxation of my mind. It was a pity that i've lent "Pilgrim's Progress" to Rozie but the 'sequel' to this popular book by John Bunyan was captivating nevertheless.
How often do we live our lives rushing to and fro, meeting deadlines, planning programmes but never take a time to be alone just for some self-reflection. Especially as a Christian, i came to a realisation that self-reflection is an extremely important part of our lives as that is the time when we can come to know our 'hidden faults' and 'presumptuous sins'. The time took to read this book for some self-reflection proved to be both encouraging and condemning at the same time.
After Cecilia's BS last night, i began to wonder if going to Thailand for the field studies module is indeed God's will for me. The message in James does not seem to agree so. But what can i do now? i've since paid the deposit and gave my word, to break this promise is not glorifying to God too. I can only keep watch and pray for God's grace to keep me throughout the 6 weeks. I was in Prof Carl's office the other day when he asked me if i was excited over the trip. At that point of time (and in fact even now), i had not the least excitement in me, but a silent wish that the 6 weeks will be over very soon. I mean of cos i did not tell him straight in the face "NO" but i did shrugged off his question. I'm sure some of you will know what i'm worried about.
I need to have more self-discipline in my life... for that is the start of this pilgrimage towards true joy. I'm not preaching legalism, yet not discounting man's responsibility for his own TRUE joy. In the mean time, let my mind be transformed and my mouth be filled with doxology.
Lesson
Lesson #1
Please try not to skip breakfast in the morning, it is bad for the stomach. I had gastric this morning because of that.
Back to Basics
Just a quick post before i get back to my mugging.
Super congrats to all of us Back to Basics Peeps: Jared, Khairul, Qianhui and Jiahao. It has been a real fun and enjoyable time to work with all of you. Although we didn't clinch the top from either judging panels, we did managed a 3rd for STB and a 2nd for our peers which was an applaudable achievement. *a pity we didn't get 1st for the STB category cos the lion soft toys were so cute... argh...* Hahaha. Oh at least we got a recognition from Prof Chang during lecture and i'm sure Qianhui must be smelling her right hand now. (It has been shaken by the hands of Prof Chang and she is definitely not washing it for at least the next decade to come)
And we really really ought to go for an outing after exams. Haha... then we can once again apply Edward Relph's concept into our conversations. Till then all the best for the exams =)
Meaningless
"Who am I?" man asks. "Why am I here? Where am I going?" Since the Enlightenment, when he threw off the shackles of religion, man has tried to answer these questions without reference to God. But the answers that came back were not exhilarating, but dark and terrible. "You are the accidental byproduct of nature," he is told, "a result of matter plus time plus chance. There is no reason for your existence. All you face is death."
Modern man thought that when he had got rid of God, he had freed himself from all that repressed and stifled him. Instead, he discovered that in killing God, he had also killed himself.
For if there is no God, then man's life becomes absurd... ...
[Apart from God] mankind is a doomed race in a dying universe. Because the human race will eventually cease to exist, it makes no ultimate difference whether it ever did exist. Mankind is thus no more significant than a swarm of mosquitoes or a barnyard of pigs, for their end is all the same. The same blind cosmic process that coughed them up in the first place will eventually swallow them again.
(
Apologetics: An Introduction [Chicago:Moody, 1984], 39, 41)
'truth'
How would you feel if you suddenly stumbled upon a truth that you've been kept from by your parents for 18 years? A 'truth' which i've been believing for 18 years turned out to have more than meets the eye. I'm horrified... and i have so many questions in my head...
Projects Over!!
Finally, all my projects have been completed and i can take this remaining period of time to prepare for my upcoming examinations. I think the most time-consuming and effort-consuming project would be that of Arts of SEA. Carving the wood and painting it to make an Asmat shield was no joke. Dr Johnson better see that teeny-weeny spot of blood i've shed on the shield and give me some good grades irregardless of the aesthetic turnout. =P
A photo of my completed art project.
Yeah... and to think i have to type a 5-page essay on how i got my inspiration for this artwork. Frankly speaking, i could've told you my inspiration in 5 sentences... 5 PAGES!!?!??!! wah... really made full use of my 'smoking' skills. Anyway, i was cunning enough to include lots and lots of pictures to fill in the spaces in between the pages. hee hee hee.
Was really upset over something this week. Do i really look that old? I mean i have kids calling me 'uncle' in church last week. And just now during my night run, a mum talkin to her child (basically cajoling her child to climb the stairs faster - 'wo men lai zhui qian mian de shu shu oh') actually referred me as 'shu shu' [uncle in mandarin]. ARGHHHHHHHHHH *pulls hair* Am i really really that old??? I mean i don't have any niece and nephew yet to be called an uncle anyway! Sigh....maybe this might take some getting used to. Sigh... it's time to say goodbye to my youth.... *tears*
Well... of cos i'm not really that sad over this small little issue lah. Haha...i was just dramatising it that's all. Just in case you guys really think i'm so superficial and shallow. *bleah*
