ChRisTmaS ... tHus faR

While other people are enjoying the festivities of this season, not much actually takes place for me apart from a Christmas lunch on last Friday at Melt the World Cafe in Oriental Hotel, sponsored by the company I'm currently working for.

Saturday was half a daY at the hospitaL for an ultra scan due to recent health report, with afternoon at the movies, Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe. Enjoyed the two-hour movie with certain parts extremely touching, especially when Aslan the Lion has to sacrifice itself to be humiliated and cruelly murdered to save Edmund from the hands of the witch.

Today, attended service in the morning, with a Christian artiste and singer, Bobby Michaels, sharing the word and musicals. Beautiful music and carols with a powerful voice. After service, did not go for any special Christmas lunch because everywhere is just too costly and my finances are tied down for a major cold weather holiday trip for next year's Chinese New Year to Saint Petersburg and beyond.

Hope everyone is enjoying the festivities! Here's wishing you a veRy MeRRy ChRisTmaS and a blessed 2006! (",)

Being Considerate

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,
but with humility of mind regard one another
as more important than yourselves;
(Philippians 2:3 NAS)

Living up to what the Word of God says about treating others as more important than ourselves is never an easy task.

Take the example of a day to day practice of consideration. When the train or bus arrives, do we take our turn in an orderly manner to pace forward or do we push to get in? How do we feel when others jump the queue and go in front of us? Is it being considerate to let them go first? What about the pregnant, the people with children, or the aged weak, do we give way to them and risk being late for work? To what degree are we to be considerate?

Not many days ago, I was at a shop trying to purchase an item that was placed at the bottom of some shelves. I have to bend down to pick the item but because a couple came by seemingly wanting to pass the narrow passage way, I quickly stood up and have my head crashed into some shelves. I found out then that the couple has no intention to pass through the path, but only wanted to see the items there.

When at the walkway of a path in the heartland, many bicycles and people with multiple children and a cradle often occupy the entire walkway, so I frequently bypass them by walking outside the path on the grass to give them room, but this act of consideration often ends in my having a sprained ankle, resulting from being caught in a hole, with mud and grass.

In a fast food restaurant, I always clear my trays after a meal, and sometimes have to clear others' debris and trays in order to have a space to eat. Imagine what the feeling is like watching others dump and mess up their tables with their debris? As a practitioner of consideration, I tend to expect others to do likewise, and this has make much of my life a misery, because, the majority do not practice consideration.

Occasionally, I ask myself whether I should quit being considerate and tell myself not to be the mister good guy anymore. This is the exact feeling Spider-Man faces when he tries to help and gets misunderstood. Such is the life Spidey and I share, frequently misunderstood for being nice, but self-pity is not a solution. There is a price to pay for being considerate, yet it is not something to be given up, simply because with great power comes great responsibility. I am a Christian and I have the power of the Holy Spirit inside me, so I must continue to bear the responsibility in demonstrating

A Worker's Prayer

Teach me each day O God to walk in Your ways
Remind me to always include You in all my plans
Help me draw strength from You while at work
To do what is right and do it well
To rely on You in my weaknesses
And be able to do the things
I have no courage or confidence to do
To exercise miraculous power
And perform wonderous work

Help me O God in my inabilities
Forgive me for my lack of faith
Teach me and lead me to trust You
More and more each day

~ SpideY ~

Cross Cultural Values

Ideologies of the East and the West differ greatly in the way values are measured. What is seen as unacceptable in Asia may be seen as normal to other parts of the world, especially in countries that practise a liberal media system.

Take the example of feedback received on what I wrote about "Age of Deteriorating Morals", which concerns an underage viewing pornographic anime onboard public transport through a portable video player (PVP). Comments from Asians expressed shock and unbelief, while a westerner said the child is just being curious and experimental.

"This is a reality and yet so difficult to believe ... Indeed, this development is getting to be very alarming," says a blogger from Malaysia.

"Totally agree ... very irresponsible parents," says another blogger writing from Singapore.

"... what is shocking to you may have been due to your own perception of when is the right age to come into sex-related stuffs," says an anonymous blogger commenting on the topic in a blog hosted in America.

"I don't believe there is an actual right age to start experimenting with sex," the anonymous blogger continues. "Children will be children. They will be curious and tempted to experiment ... For all you know, most of them probably find it thrilling for a few days but gradually become uncomfortable with the game after that."

In another blog I wrote concerning the dangers of unhealthy practices of voyeurism and pornography hosted in the United States not too long ago, the feedback I received shows conclusively the difference between the value system of the west and the oriental.

"I think it would be immoral not to be turned on by pornography," says an anonymous commenter on my blog. "I think being sexually aroused by images of others is an expression of human empathy; of identifying oneself with one's fellow human beings. I can't see any wrong with that at all. Quite the opposite. "

"I don't reckon there's anything wrong at all with a bit hardcore movie slap and tickle," says an Australian lady. "Me and my bloke ... watch it all the time and we get bonza ideas from it."

From the comments above, we can see that moral perception of right and wrong is seldom the same across different cultures. What we perceive as right or wrong however does not matter, because we are all of a fallen race requiring salvation. For the Bible says:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23 NAS)

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 NAS)

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NAS)

"... if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Romans 10:9-10 NAS)

Deviance vs Defiance

Society or governance often defines the boundaries of what is acceptable or unacceptable behavior. We live in a world of pre-defined notions of what is right and what is wrong, but what is right in a society may be seen as wrong in another.
In a society where freedom of expression and speech is prevalent, the culture frequently breeds complacency and people demand their rights to information among other things. In a less privileged society, the culture breeds obedience and people conform to a kind of self-regulation in adhering to pre-defined social norms. Neither of the two extremes is ideal, hence a balance is always sought.

Where freedom is restricted, people who question the authorities are often seen as deviants. Prolonged restrictions however beget defiance at every opportunity available, especially when a rule is gray. For example, when the news tell of a magazine or a book that is banned because of inappropriate content, citizens rushed to find ways to obtain the material so they can know what has been restricted or what is hot and juicy. Human behavior is such that the more one is told not to commit a wrong, the more likely the person will choose to defy, if not in front of authorities, will be committed underground.

This is simply the force of nature at work, where unlike poles attract and like poles repel. Many governing systems using authoritarian or socially responsible do not seem to realize that restrictions and constrains breed contempt and opposition, thus increasing defiance. People who defy are not totally to be blamed and variations from norms need not necessary become deviancy. All of us differ in opinions and each of us interprets things differently, yet not of our own, but of a framework within a constructed way of thinking, what is known as hegemony. While we choose to believe we are the ones making up our own minds on issues, we are in truth making decisions based on our upbringing, and our upbringing is based on the education we received, taught by the same people who construct the culture and beliefs.

There is in fact only a thin line differentiating deviancy and defiance, and the people of the new generation know this very well. What parents and society think of the children who disobey and the ones who do things their own way, should realize this is a result of too much constrains and restrictions. Without freedom, people cracked under the yoke, and become defiant. This is how it is of the society today.

Consultative Management

All of us know the many different styles of managing a country or a company or even our subordinates. We sometimes use authoritarian style, at other times liberal style, and occasionally consultative style.

The Bible records one of the ways King David manage his team of warriors in making decisions, through the use of consultative management.

1 Chronicles 13:1-4 (NAS)
Then David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, even with every leader.

David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is from the LORD our God, let us send everywhere to our kinsmen who remain in all the land of Israel, also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities with pasture lands, that they may meet with us; and let us bring back the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul."

Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

If you are a good leader, a CEO, a director, a manager, or a supervisor, here is something you can learn from king David in the ways he manages his team. Learn to listen to the people at times. Use consultative management, but ALWAYS make decisions with God in your plan! Be sensitive to your staff, colleagues, and subordinates.

Vintage Car

I like vintage cars, especially when it is GREEN in color, my favorite color.

IMM is exhibiting some cars currently with two vintage cars. My dream vintage car is the following:

Vintage Car (Front View)

Vintage Car (Back View)

Age of Deteriorating Morals

I was seated next to a boy of about twelve years old on the train a few days ago. He appeared totally caught up with whatever he was playing on his electronic device.

At first I thought it was just another gaming device, so I did not bother to find out what he was playing, but being always curious to find out the latest gadgets in the market, I took a glimpse at the gadget he was using. What I saw was a device with a relatively larger screen than most gaming gadgets, apparently, a PVP or Portable Video Player as I found out later. On the screen of the device, an animated video movie was being played.

The video played by the boy appears to be just another of those Japanese animated movies telling of teenage girls in classrooms and about their daily lives, something like a family story, so I did not bother much and decided to rest my eyes to sleep. When I opened my eyes later, I could feel from the gestures of the boy that he has become intensely excited, almost oblivious to all his surroundings, engrossed, stiffen, and possibly intoxicated, so I simply had to take a peek at what he was doing.

What I saw on the video was not a family type of movie of a harmless school girl story, but a 'Hentai' type of pornographic anime showing a scene of the school girl tied up and being raped by the professor with her wailing in tears! That really shocked me!

Students these days have too many gadgets to play around, and many of these are unnecessary and sometimes even harmful. To think of underage boys and girls watching videos of such materials on a mobile gadget makes me think what has become of the new age generation today.

Parents these days are too ready to sponsor their children to buy such devices, but few are responsible enough to bother about finding out the harm such gadgets may bring. That is as much as we can say about parental guidance.

Busy or Free?

We often complained about being underpaid and overworked, and we envy people who are seemingly quite free at work. Question is, is it better to be busy or free?

In a workplace consisting of employees, productivity is of utmost importance to a business. If a worker is not fully utilized, the business cannot thrive, and if a business cannot thrive, the business will sooner or later die. If everyone else is working hard and there are staff that are not, it is not a sight to admire, because it means the department or the section requires less staff than they currently have. This means essentially some staff are probably destined to be fired because they are not busy enough.

Being busy and overloaded with work often means the need for more staff, but if more staff is added and some become free, it is time for some to move on. I am saying this not without experience, as I have been invited to leave before. When I was employed to provide professional services some years ago, I was trained, certified, and after three months was still not assigned any field job. I knew therefore that business in the area I was trained in was not picking up in the region where I was to cover – South East Asia, and before long, I was given the golden handshake.

That handshake meant almost three years living without income, apart from bits and pieces received from freelance jobs. I have apparently left a 'secure' place to join the corporation because I could see potential in them, but after five months, I was retrenched. To the employer, it seems normal for them to hire and fire, even though all other areas of their business are doing well.

Is it therefore better to be busy or free? Consider now from a different light what it means by being overloaded with work, because it may just be the reason why we are still employed.

Releasing Lives

I heard on radio this morning about pet sellers facing difficulty in getting buyers for birds, ever since the news of bird flu. One of the sellers told the reporter that many people buy birds in bulk to 'release lives' (fàng sheng) as an act of setting free or liberating 'lives' in captivity. This sets my mind thinking.

In order for ‘lives’ to be set free, these ‘lives’ must first be in captivity, else there cannot be any experience of liberation or freedom. Does this mean in order to do the good in releasing lives a greater evil must first take place in capturing these lives? Does it mean in order to appreciate freedom, lives must first be in captivity?

Many religions today believe in releasing birds as an act of setting free the captives. A look at the American Express advertisement of Richard Gere sponsoring a girl to release multitude of birds, and the many Hong Kong television serial dramas will show this is true. This method of liberation is a good way to make the bird sellers rich. The sellers capture the birds and people pay money to release them, an act I consider enterprising.

Let us see these beliefs in human equivalence. Few of us will ever think of ourselves as totally liberated with complete freedom. We are in some sense captives in a prison, no matter how much ‘freedom’ we have, so long as we have governance. Governance is by no means totally bad, because it provides some form of order and liberation, without which we may become out of control. Liberation, in this sense, means we must first be in captivity, and only in captivity and deprivation, can we experience what it means to be free.

In the day Man chose to disobey God, Man has fallen and chosen captivity. Since Adam’s time, we are already in need to be set free, and this by no means is possible by the act of releasing birds from their cages. We were not created as captives, so we cannot say a greater evil is needed in order for us to experience freedom.

Freedom is not something we can purchase by doing good. We are essentially slaves to sin, and we need help to be set free. Freedom needs to be paid in blood, without which liberation from sin is impossible. Jesus, for this reason, has paid the price by shedding His blood on the cross for you and me, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18 NAS)

If you have not found Christ and invite Him into your heart, let me invite you to do so now. Jesus can liberate you from the hold of sin and give meaning to your life on earth. No longer do we need to live lives without meaning or aim, for the love of God can encompass and overwhelm you to experience true freedom in the LORD.

Christmas Trees

It's Christmas season and a time for festivities! Enjoy it with me by reading 'A Christmas Story'! (",)

JoY of Traveling

Singaporeans are great vacation travelers.

Every time when there is a public holiday that falls before or after a weekend, or when there are two days of holiday, or when two public holidays fall between a workday,people disappear from the city-state to travel the world.

Take a look at the pictures here on a normal day and on a day during an eve of a public holiday, or a day between two public holidays and you will know what I mean!

For a preview of the places you can go on your vacation travel, visit the group blog Vacation Travel!

Happy holidays! (",)

The 'JoY' of Marriage

... from the author of Old Master Q (Lao Fu Zi)

Blogging Offence News Aftermath

Negative publicity about blogging recently has affected many people, including the non-bloggers.

News pertaining to the jailing and punishment of bloggers over offences of sedition and porn has raised considerable concerns in the public community, resulting in negative effects and pseudo-perceptions of blogging and online activities as a dangerous affair.

In a blog created by a student less than a month ago, the blogger wrote about how she has secretly started her blog and how her parents would 'kill' her if they found out. A few days after she wrote that blog, she has ceased blogging completely, leaving her last words as having been found out.

The news is not without having an effect on me too. Don't get me wrong, I am not against blogging. I have been blogging for sometime, and I have found it extremely helpful for sharing, educating, and getting to know new friends. What I am saying here is its effect on me resulting from the daily hounding of my better half who reminds me constantly of the dangers I may be in, getting upset over my 'addiction' to online activities. The truth is, I barely spend more than five per cent of my available time in Net activities, even though I do communicate in online communities and blogs. I suspect the real reason is probably because I have not been spending enough time with my companion, but considering the fact I am a worker and a student at the same time, I am in actuality already barely grasping with time.

The way news is presented can affect the way views are perceived. If presented negatively, its effects may result in unfair perception of blogging and online activities as totally bad. In reality, however, blogging is a useful way of communicating and sharing, and online activities have helped build a unique sense of closeness in a global world, which have never before been possible prior to the introduction of cyberspace.

Psalm 23 for the Information Age

The Lord is my programmer, I shall not crash.
He installed His software on the hard disk of my heart.
All of His commands are user friendly.
His directory guides me to the right choices for His name's sake.

Even though I scroll through the problems of life,
I will fear no bugs, For He is my back-up.
His password protects me.
He prepares a menu before me in the presence of my enemies.
His help is only a keystroke away.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life
And my file will be merged with His and saved forever.

Amen.

NoTe:
This 'psalm' is NOT an attempt to modify God's Word! It's simpLy a hypothetical funny presentation of a 'creative' (or sick) mind. This information Age version of a 'psalm' is sent to me by someone I know, so I am sharing it with you, hopefully to cheer up your day! lol (",)

Fallen ...

After two days of consecutive 'marathon' working on study assignment through early mornings up till 3am and 4am, I am now fallen ... taken ill with dizzy spells.

However, even when a person is sick, work don't get done by itself, so I'll still be needing to slog, even with a 'swimming' head. I really need a break badly, but with about six written assignments to go and an exam third week of next month, all pleasants dreams are forgotten and I just have to continue to hang on!

Depressing ...

I am going into a depressive mode again, because I used to be a perfectionist and expect high standards in everything I do, but now I cannot.

With me at hand is an overdue study assignment, and another due Friday this week, and a third due next week. I am inefficient at work and lack the concentration because of tiredness, probably because of insufficient sleep, resulting in doing everything imperfect, and I just cannot accept that.

I cannot accept the fact I am accomplishing nothing in everything and anything I do, yet there are still so many things waiting for me to do. I am not doing anything right nor to my very best because I am ill-stricken at mind.

Sometimes I just want to give it all up, so to retain my sanity, but life is such, not everything is up to us to decide. With money invested in studies and the risk of losing my job, I simply cannot neglect and inefficiency is just not something to accept.

So, I am back to overdrive mode, hoping against hope for better days to come! If you find a mad Spidey swinging aimlessly these days ... just don't expect too much, because I am just trying to keep myself sane!

Confession of a Pusher

It irks me that I am a pusher and I have to do it daily. It is not as if I am enjoying it, but I don't really have a choice.

Let me tell you my story, how I became a pusher. I work it a place remote from public transport and I have to take a feeder bus to reach my destination. Each time the bus arrives, a huge crowd will gather to enter to a one door entrance up the bus. There is no queue whatsoever nor the cue to know the exact spot where the bus will stop, so everyone will have to move discerningly to position a good spot when the bus is seen arriving.

When the bus arrive and stop, all hell will break lose and everyone will be rushing to get up the bus relentlessly. Some passengers however will be stricken with fear of stampede and freeze without moving forward, and that is where I become a pusher.

I push people to move forward to reach the bus. Many people surrounding the bus will try all angles and means to make their way forward and up, inch by inch, step by step, but with some fear stricken people ahead, there is seldom chance to reach the goal. The only way, therefore, is to PUSH ahead using a finger or one's body, with a stare that can kill, to make sense to the person ahead, to quit being a stumbling block and move forward and up.

This is my story of how I became a pusher, and it is an unpleasant daily experience for me, because I have always pride myself in acting gracefully, but for this case, I do not have a choice, so if you are one of my victims, I hope you will understand.

Disney @ Causeway Point

Disney promotion at Causeway Point from Septemeber 2-18, 2005!

Hold On Together

Here's a very meaningful stanza from Diana Ross's song, If You Hold On Together ...

Don't lose your way
With each passing day
You've come so far
Don't throw it away
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope, glory
Hold to the truth in your heart

Travel Collectables

Flirting Online

Many people use words to flirt with others on the Net through chat, comment in blogs, and e-mail, with others whom they can only 'see' or imagine from photo images or avatars representing them.

In the 'real' world, people who flirt online may really be quite tamed, while people whom seemingly keep silent and use ordinary pictures to represent themselves on the Net may be reversed.

Words, verbally spoken or casually written, are often assumed harmless because people on the Net seldom meet each other and unless they do, nothing physical can happen. However, the truth about words is that it can send sensory signals to a person's innermost being, triggering roaring desires hidden within.

Whether we think of words as harmful or otherwise, it is prudent for us to be wise, to note the things we say, to keep ourselves from harm's way!

Juxtapose Personality: Decline of my Active Blog

My new school term has just begun and I will be facing the battle field for the next four months, so forgive my diminishing activity at this blog.

I am having withdrawal syndrome now, and like Spider-Man, I live triple lives, struggling with work, studies, and saving lives. Like him, I sleep late in the nights, frequently in the early morn, and like him, I have little time for anything else, living my life at the edge at times. Often, I'll to give up, but life is such, that with great powers* come great responsibilities!

*Acts 1:8 - but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses ...
So, to all my friends at moblog, please bear with me for a little while ... I will be back! Meanwhile, to those who want to know more about me, read About Me.

How can I live without You
How can I survive without Your love
You're the reason I am here
With all I have I give it all to You

Casino Cards

A week at Las Vegas and I have already become a collector!

Here is proof ... my collector's Casino cards!

Strastosphere n Caesars Palace

Hard Rock, Desert Inn, New York New York, MGM, n Mirage

The World Beyond

There is a world we look beyond
A place we long to go
The place we can only presently dream
Of peace and joy we yearn to have
Free of dust odours and pollution
Utopia of nature undefiled
An environment only of pleasant smell

In hearts within we long to possess
The place in God can we only have
A promised land of blessings beyond imagination
A truth we can only see to comprehend

To catch a glimpse of the world beyond, view the picture above.

A Season for Durians

It's durian season again!

Anyone for a bite? This picture is taken at the 'marketplace' of Chong Pang City, at the junction of Sembawang Road and Yishun Ave 5.

By the way ... I hate durians. It stinks, but some people just like it!

Voyeurism

Much knowledge and information have been gained from the Internet, but with each gain also comes the negative effects influencing and intruding the private lives of many.

One of the greatest negative effects that influence private lives is the easy access to pornographic materials on the web. According to the Webster Dictionary, voyeurism refers to "one obtaining sexual gratification from seeing sex organs and sexual acts; broadly: one who habitually seeks sexual stimulation by visual means".

In the information age today, getting materials of visual sexual stimulation is very easy. Pornography in cyberspace is accessible 24 hours a day and available everyday on the web. No amount of measures taken by watchdogs can completely wipe out access to these materials. Whether it is interactive games or web viewing, pornographic materials are here to stay. Voyeurists no longer need to go to underground places to seek such material; they can get it right at home on the computer.

What then have we gained from technology? Is it better knowledge or is it worst? What has become of the world today?

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. (1 John 2:16 NAS)

Therefore, "do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15 NAS).

Toilet Education

Squatting on Toilet Seats

An educational piece of art dedicated to people in Singapore ...
With compliments from the ... National Environment Agency (NEA)

My Spidey Comic Collection

Places of Solitude

Places of quiet is where I'll go
When I need to calm my mind
To let my thoughts wander
To receive a word divine
To be inspired and know
What next steps to take
While breaking routines
And taking a break
To reflect the truth
In the silence of solitude
Retaining the moments
In life I treasure most

Nothing but FHM

Known for always being close and never closed, the store that is opened 24 hours a day sells many things, including different genres of magazines.

For this outlet up North, however, it appears to sell nothing else, but FHM - For Him Only magazines!

A Place of Serenity

A place I sometimes go
To walk and talk with God
To calm my soul and refresh my thoughts
Away from work and from routines
During lunchtime after a meal

toYs @ foYeR

Where Spidey Lives

This is where I live - in a puddle of muddy wateR!

Actually, the wateR is usually green, but this photo is taken after heavy showers, so you can understand why the color.

Do you know where this is? If you do, you can stalk me if you like, that is, if you are looking for Spider-Man (",)

Sea Shells in the Glass

Seashells, turtles, and a treasure chest ...

from Thailand, Africa, and Singapore ...

under the glass top of my dining table

Painting on the Rock

Spidey in London!

Glad my friend HostSara remembers me even when she is in London!

Picture from HostSara's Photo Album.

Uniquely Singapore

When you see a caucasian rush into a MRT train just to 'fight' for a seat, you'll know he has stayed in Singapore for too long! This is the way Singapore teaches culture to foreigners!

As I attempt to tie-up my umbrella before getting off the MRT train, I accidentally let the umbrella drip some drops of water on the lady sitting at my left. Her face expressed great annoyance, but she failed to realise that throughout the journey, I have expressed irritation, because she has placed her umbrella on her right, wetting the left side of my pants.

A small build man in his thirties crosses his leg and occupies three seats on the MRT train. To his left, he puts his personal things, and on the right, he lets his leg cross boundaries, as he reads a tabloid sized newspaper. The small man hangs his umbrella at the metal pole in front of him, where he allows the rain water to drip a the train floor. When I take the seat on his right, he remains oblivious and continues to put his leg across. When a big guy stares at him and the seat of the small guy's left, the small guy gives up the left seat and let his leg down. When the crowd starts building up in the cabin, many people has to avoid the umbrella hanging at the pole because of the wet floor, and that is despite the scarcity of space.

This is Singapore, the place where graciousness is built on putting ourselves first before others.

The Chronicles of Narnia

My Comment n Review
I have always been intrigued by the story of Narnia because it embodies an equivalent to the Christian truth.

In the story, Edmund is the sinner under the clutches of the White Witch. Aslan, the Lion, has to suffer and die on behalf of Edmund in order to save him from the control of the witch. When Aslan arose from the dead, the powers of the witch begin to weaken and Narnia is eventually restored.

The story begins with four children playing a game of hide and seek. Lucy, the youngest of the four, stumbles upon a magical wardrobe that allows her to enter into another world in the land of Narnia where she meets a faun. Edmund also enters that world, but refuse to admit it because he was enchanted and addicted to the 'turkish delight' offered by the White Witch. When Peter, the elder brother, and Susan, the elder sister, with Lucy and Edmund finally enters into the world of Narnia, Edmund chose to betray the others and seeks to report to the White Witch their whereabouts. The other three meets with Aslan and the war begins between good and evil, with Aslan dying for Edmund and the world to free them from the curse, and restoring Narnia with the appointment of Peter as High King, Edmund as king, Susan and Lucy as queens.

Revelation 5:5 (NAS)
and one of the elders said to me, "Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals."

My Collectables

Souvenirs n Collectables from all over the world ...

My Place of Work

Where I work these days ...

Bringing Up Parents

"To teach graciousness to children, begin with their parents."

An example of parents needing parenting:

A father goes to the supermarket and place his trolley in the middle of a passageway with child in the trolley. He then begins teaching his child by pointing to things in the supermart saying, "This is an apple, that is an orange, the other is ..."

This 'anecdote' happened at the NTUC FairPrice Sembawang supermarket in the morning today. The passageway totally blocked, and other shoppers were unable to get through. The stares from the people at the father did not help, because the parent was totally oblivious to surroundings, because his world is the child, not earth.

For help on being gracious, read 'Learning to be Graceful'. For a biblical perspective of building graciousness, read 'Gracefully Yours'.

Bringing Up Parents

"To teach graciousness to children, begin with their parents."

An example of parents needing parenting:

A father goes to the supermarket and place his trolley in the middle of a passageway with child in the trolley. He then begins teaching his child by pointing to things in the supermart saying, "This is an apple, that is an orange, the other is ..."

This 'anecdote' happened at the NTUC FairPrice Sembawang supermarket in the morning today. The passageway totally blocked, and other shoppers were unable to get through. The stares from the people at the father did not help, because the parent was totally oblivious to surroundings, because his world is the child, not earth.

For help on being gracious, read 'Learning to be Graceful'. For a biblical perspective of building graciousness, read 'Gracefully Yours'.

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Verses for Serious Thinking

Proverbs 16:25
There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

Proverbs 27:5-6
Better is open rebuke
Than love that is concealed.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.

When My Buddy Is Hurting

It pains me when my buddy's heart hurts
It pricks me when she is in despair
It saddens me when I know she is ill
It worries me when she is going through surgery

My buddy is one whom I care a lot
One whom I share my hope and joy
When she is unhappy I am sad
When she is down and out
I long to see her up and smiling

When she sees no hope in this world
I will keep on nudging her to hold
To see the world with hope
To encourage her to persevere

When she feels she is all alone
I will let her know she is never alone
Because she has me as a friend
And God Who cares for her and Who is always near

When she lacks the strength to work
I will send a MSN to shake her
With winks and nudges to keep her going
And she will return with a friendly chat

To my dearest buddy and my friend
Your wellness is my desire and my every plan
To insure the joy you certainly deserve
For being such a sister buddy and friend

Father Help Me

Father help me
My life is in topsy-turvy
Turned upside down by juggles
Of faith work and study

I long for the days
I will struggle no more
To hand to You my life
My time and my energy
To do the things
You have planned for me

Gone are my days of joy
As I continually toil
To fulfill the demands of the world
And the needs of the flesh
To live a life in hope
Of riches and needed rest

Fulfill my destiny O God
Let me know what you have planned for me
Help me fulfill my desire to please Thee
For without You I can see no life in me
Let me O God be filled with Your Spirit
Direct me in Your purpose
Lead me and show me
And make me understand
How I can go through this life
To find fulfillment in serving Thee

I Was Attacked By EzuLa

Just when I thought I can rest early last Friday evening and sacrifice my class on Saturday to catch up with studies, then disaster strikes.

My computer was hijacked by Adware EzuLa. According to Symantec, 'Ezula alters Web pages viewed in Internet Explorer and can add extra links to certain keywords that advertisers target. This adware runs under the name TopText.'

That was exactly what happened. I started seeing links at my own web sites that I have not placed, and this is activated by some malicious program which has hijacked my IE browser. What I did next was to get an anti-adware program to clean up my PC which detected over 300 parameters in my Windows registry containing ad codes. As if this nuisance is not enough, my operating system suddenly crashed while I was attempting to prevent further damage.

Restoring my PC took two days. On Friday, I have to worked through re-setting up my Windows Me operating system while eliminating the adware, taking up till 3am the next day. On Saturday, I have to reinstall all my software applications, and redo many things, only to discover that my OS update has somewhat been partially damaged, and hence failed to process essential updates of Windows subset of patches and service packs. Coupled with new discovery that my notebook hard disk needed thorough ScanDisk because of bad sectors with data within, I am left with working overdrive again through Saturday night till Sunday morning 3am.

That was a real pain, and I was left with few hours of sleep before I attend the early morning church service. Now, I am back to square one with my studies running out of time, couple of study assignments awaiting to be done, many chapters of text books yet to be read, and an early morning awaiting on Monday at 8am in the office to settle some IS issues. I am really burnt out.

If you ask what has the IS duties to do with me, well, I am not merely employed to be a Technical Writer. I am also a backup for the company's IS. This is how it is these days. Many things come bundled in a package when you apply for any new job. No one is assign to just doing their main work, and many has added duties to cover staffing cost. If you don't take the additionals, or what is termed as 'add value', you don't get the job. That is the reality of life.

For now, I am just a Spidey, heavily laden with many challenges of life without much leisure nor any time for an ordinary life. It's all work and studies - no play.

My Buddy's Favourite Fruit

I came to know my buddy cyberSis through moblog.com.sg, just by a mere greeting to welcome her. Things have changed ever since, and when I found out she likes strawberries, I dedicated a page of my personal web site to posting photos of strawberries with background music, just to make sure she has a strawberry day, everyday.

To cheer my buddy friend, I sent an MMS to her moblog, of a strawberry picture i painstakingly search through the Net, making sure it is of high quality, pleasant to the eyes, trimmed down to size, to prevent copyright from being recognized.

Each time I see strawberries, I think of my buddy sis, and each time I think of my buddy sis, I will always smile. When I travel overseas and visit a strawberry farm, the first thing that comes to mind is to send my sister some. But since I can't, I take photos instead, to post on blogs, hoping the pictures will enchant, memories of me and of strawberries, to my buddy sis.

The things I do for my buddy sister, the one whom I sincerely care, is something no man, I believe, can comprehend. For it is she that cheer my days and make my stay at moblog such a pleasant place.

My Buddy Cyber Sister

I have a buddy cyberSis I know on the Net
Whom till this day I have never met
Yet there are many things we share in common
Only God could have made this arrangement
For us to know each other
As brother and sister

We have the same surname
And share the same faith
Study at the same academy
Attend the same church
In her present and my past
Crossing our lives
Often in similar paths

Like the pair in You've Got Mail
We need not meet
To share a kindred spirit
To know within
The trust we share
That no one can
Except in Christ understand
With hearts intertwined
The way only true friends can

To my cyberSis in Christ
May you stay happy your entire life
For that is my sincere prayer for you
Let our friendship stay ever true

Apprehend vs Apprehension

To apprehend is NOT the same as apprehension.

One is to catch hold, the other is to worry about tomorrow or something awaiting in the future, which may or may not happen. Are you catching hold or are you stricken by what awaits?

When an obstacle or something awaits ahead, fret not! If you cannot go through it, just go around it! Let God show you the way!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths
straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NAS)

My Inner Being

There are times
When people think I am at peace
Unperturbed and seemingly at ease
But deep down within
In the realm of my mind
Is filled with turmoil
No man can comprehend

The juggles in life
And the stresses in mind
The years of honing
To keep oneself alive
With sanity in check
Blood pressures in place
No measures of precaution
Can keep up with the blurring pace
Of stresses today
And stresses at the moment
To keep intact one's spiritual faith

In earnest of heart
At points of despair
When desperation prevails my mind
I cry out to God in prayer
Sometimes requesting
For Him to end it all
Like Elijah in the book of Kings
Who expressed to the LORD
He has enough of everything
I sometimes express the same
And ask God to take me home with Him
Occasionally forgetting
The meaning of life
The things God has in stored
The plans and purpose He has for me

O LORD forgive my lack of faith
Renew my spirit
Fill my innermost being
With flowing rivers of living water
Empower me with your Holy Spirit
Guide me in my ways
Teach me to take each day
A step at a time
To live my life
A sanctified and holy sacrifice

My Friends

I don't have many friends,
But whom I consider as friends,
They shall be my friends indeed,
And I will value them
And take them as my own!

That's me!

My Earnest Prayer

Over the last month
I've sought and prayed
That God will bless me
Day after day
To cope with my studies, work, and faith
To manage my life by God's grace
To rely on Him in my weaknesses
To draw from Him
Strength in all circumstances
To exercise miraculous power
To do what is humanly considered impossible
To make things happened
The way my employer wants
Even when my knowledge of it is next to none
In faith I seek God's help
To meet my earthly master's demands
To do what is right
To do it well

In dazzle I walk each day
Because of endless nights
And blurring days
My studies are overdue
Going down the drain
With untouched textbooks
Unattended classes
Things are not performing
According to the needed pace

Grant me O God ability to perform
The things I know not how
Bestow to me Your wisdom
Especially when I am unsure
Let me know and make me clear
Let my life be Yours to do
Wth me the way you want it to
Let me know Your presence and Your grace
In whatever I do and at wherever the place
Teach me O God to include You
in all my plans and in what I do
To live my life just for You

Memories

Memories are things we cannot hide
The things we sometimes hope to forget
Yet there are things we hope we'll always remember
Or our achievements and our past will be gone forever
For if our identity is erased without a trace
It will be hard to live by the mercies of God's grace

Without memories
We will not know
What we have lost
Or what we have gained
To appreciate the things in life
That keeps us alive
To know what is worth
And what is not worth keeping
To give more than receive
To do good things
To live and appreciate
The things we have
The nature and the air
The beauty of God's creation everywhere
The water we drink
The air we breathe
The things we take for granted
And assumed always there

O God bless our memories
To remember the good
To learn from the bad
To move on to live our lives
To the fullest we know how
In ways guided by Your Spirit
In faith and love
In fruitfulness and charity
To do the right things
To bring good memories