Blog2005

Pictures Uploaded

2006-02-01T22:38:00.000+13:00

Ok...so you wanna know what Invercargill looks like?
Go to my homepage, www.geocities.com/wooihow

Under PHOTOALBUM in the left hand menu, click "New Pics (Updated)"
Its actually sad most New Zealanders frm the North Island and even the South Island haven't been to Stuart Island...its like being a Malaysian and never been to Johor!

Coming up: A special on Kevin a.k.a Smelter Boy!

NOTE: This blog, as you can see by the title..is a month outdated...so after this, I'll be posting my blogs under Blog 2006
Where is it?
Go to my homepage, www.geocities.com/wooihow
Under ME in the left hand menu, left click once on the link "Blog 2006"
Proceed to read the content.

OR, you could just click on this link :P
Blog 2006

Outta cargill

2006-01-31T23:18:00.000+13:00

IM BACKKKKKK!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR ('S EVE)

2005-12-31T10:20:00.000+13:00

Just a note to wish all you guys a Happy New Year!
Can't believe I've had this blog up since 2003...it didn't feel that long.
Thanks to all those who took the time to drop comments, to say hi. I love reading about your opinions. I will try to put in my uni friends in my homepage...then I'll truly have a collection of the people I know from my secondary school years right up to uni!
I'm still quite surprised I haven't got past this 'blogging phase'. There are times where I wish I could express what I wanna say out loud...but I do that in a private blog. That is a wiser choice I think because I realise after blogging it out, the anger from which the post was derived from is more emotionally than logical. I've gotten so used to typing out my thoughts writing a letter with pen and paper feels awkward to me.

PS: Invercargill? It's treating me fine...the pay's good. I like my housemates.....it's fun to actually cook more than eat out as I usually did in Pakuranga. And the flat roads here are great for running. Pictures should be up by the time I get back. (note usage of the word 'should') Take care!

Leaving

2005-11-29T10:52:00.000+13:00

Well, this is it. I'll be gone for 2 months and I doubt I'll be blogging much, unless it's to fill up extra time in a cyber cafe in Invercargill. I don't know what the rates are like but I don't think it can be that expensive.

Bringing my camera down, hehe...so I hope to upload some photographs for you guys. I know I know, my blog isn't exactly a mirage of graphic images. I guess I've been lazy over the years. Hey! At least I'm proud to say my blog has been up and running since I came here...it's been a good year. Not to many downs, and even when there were downs, it wasn't a 'deep' down. The ups...yea..the ups were many, so yea, if life is a roller coaster, I'd say the roller coaster of 2005 has been an uphill one in general..though the year hasn't ended yet, we still have a month to go!

O...I like this source the most...very informative

2005-11-23T00:10:00.000+13:00

lol..it's SEVEN pages long! the link is from
http://www.catholicintl.com/epologetics/articles/pastoral/speaking-tongues1.htm

and here's a taste of what it contains

Unlike the tongues which occurred in the Greek mystery religions, the tongues of the New Testament raise a question concerning the form in which the tongues appeared, that is, whether they were in foreign languages or unintelligible ecstatic utterances of no known linguistic origin. Acts 2 indicates that the tongues of Pentecost came in the form of foreign languages, or at the least, the tongues were heard as if they were foreign languages. The other accounts in Acts are not explicit as to form, but seem to follow the form of tongues given at Pentecost, especially since Peter, after hearing Cornelius speak in tongues, states that his experience was the same as the apostles' experience at Pentecost (Acts 11:15).

The specific instances of tongues in the New Testament set the gift apart from the tongues of the Greek religious cults, since the latter are known to be exclusively ecstatic utterances not foreign languages. Yet, the possibility that New Testament tongues could also have come in the form of ecstatic utterances is suggested in the account of tongues at the church of Corinth, as noted by the following points:

1. The tongues-speaker at Corinth is said to speak "mysteries to God" (that no one else understands (1 Cor. 14:2). This means that tongues were not exclusively for men to hear, but were also a form of communication with God. It would make little sense for such private communication to be in the form of an earthly foreign language, since one native language would be no better than another in communicating with God. Moreover, Paul acknowledges the existence of the "tongues of angels" in 1 Cor. 13:1, implying that the heavenly beings have a language all their own. If the tongues of Corinth were similar to this angelic language, it would be a Spirit-inspired language for communication with God. In Romans 8:26-27, Paul teaches that the Spirit, even on a non-miraculous plane, intercedes to God for the Christian with "groanings too deep for words."

2. The tongues-speaker at Corinth is said to edify himself (1 Cor. 14:4). Although the primary purpose of tongues was not self-edification but church-edification, nevertheless, when spoken in private it served a viable function for those who desired to strengthen their relationship with God.

3. The tongues at Corinth required someone to interpret, either the person who spoke the tongue (1 Cor. 14:13) or another person present in the assembly (1 Cor. 14: 27-28). This was not true of the three tongues instances recorded in the book of Acts. This suggests that the tongues at Corinth were of such an other-worldly linguistic origin that no one on earth could understand them without a special interpreter.

4. The tongues at Corinth are not associated with a "language" but to a "sound" (Greek: fwnw:n "phonon") (1 Cor. 14:10-11). This contrasts with the tongues at Pentecost which were heard as a "language" (Greek: dialevktw/ "dialektos") (Acts 2:6, 8; cf., Acts 1:19; 21:40; 22:2; 26:14).

5. Tongues at Corinth were used to give thanks to God (1 Cor. 14:16-17). This shows again that tongues were not used exclusively for preaching the gospel to pagans, as in Acts 2, but were also used for devotion.

6. Tongues were also a private gift, a gift which Paul himself says he used (1 Cor. 14:18-19). A private use, as noted above, implies a special language between God and man, similar to the angels.

7. In 1 Cor. 14:23, Paul states that an unbeliever or ungifted person hearing everyone speak in tongues would determine they were all "insane." Although not definite, an ecstatic utterance might be more susceptible to such an accusation than the linguistically based nature of a foreign tongue.

Other facts, however, do not rule out the conclusion that tongues were in the form of foreign languages:

1. As indicated in Acts 2:5-11, each locale of the world had a specific language. The Corinthians would have spoken the language common to their area, which would have been Greek. Any language outside that area would have been foreign to them. If the gift of tongues were in the form of a foreign language, God could have inspired any of the other regional languages to be spoken in the Corinthian church. In such cases, the foreign language tongue would not have been understood without an interpreter.

2. When Paul warns of the misuse of tongues in 1 Cor. 14:21, he quotes from Isaiah 28:11. The context of Isaiah 28 indicates that the tongues in view are foreign languages, namely the language of the Assyrian invaders. As Paul quotes the passage to the Corinthians he does not feel the need to explain whether there is a difference between the form of tongues among the Corinthians and the foreign languages of the Assyrians, except that it is implicitly understood that the latter did not speak under the power of the Holy Spirit. By quoting Isaiah 28:11 Paul seems to assume the Corinthians know that tongues come in the form of foreign languages.

3. In 1 Cor. 12 and 13 as well, Paul apparently does not see the necessity to redefine the form or nature of tongues after Pentecost before giving guidelines for its use in 1 Cor. 14. If there had been a major difference between the tongues of Acts 2 and the tongues of 1 Cor. 12-14, it seems reasonable to assume that Paul would have given some explanation to the reader, unless, of course, the transition from foreign languages to ecstatic utterances is relatively unimportant to Paul.

4. The word "tongue" is consistently used in the New Testament to refer to a common, or foreign, language. The same is true in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament Hebrew. The phenomenon of ecstatic utterance is not developed at all in the Bible.

5. The word "interpretation" (1 Cor. 14:5: diermhneuvh/) in the New Testament always refers to the interpretation of a foreign language (cf., John 1:38, 42; 9:7; Hebrews 7:2).

6. On Paul's third missionary journey, around 53-56 A.D., Acts 19 records that the twelve Ephesians spoke in tongues. According to estimates of chronology gleaned from the historical narratives of the New Testament, the tongues at Ephesus were spoken at the approximate time 1 Corinthians was written. Since the Ephesians were speaking in tongues as a continual fulfillment of the events at Pentecost, it would be strange for Paul to be dealing with one kind of tongues with the Ephesians and another kind with the Corinthians, especially when Paul gives no clear indication of such a change.

From this opposing evidence, it remains a possibility that there were two different forms of tongues in the New Testament, foreign languages and ecstatic utterances. A third possibility also exists, however. Biblical tongues may have always come in the form of a Spirit-inspired ecstatic utterance. Such utterances would have no known linguistic background. They would be classed as a spiritual or heavenly language. As directed by the Holy Spirit, at various times the ecstatic utterance could be interpreted by the hearers as a known language, as such as occurred at Pentecost. In the account of Acts 2:6-8, stress is laid on the fact that the men assembled heard the language of their respective nation being spoken. It is also implied by the words in Acts 2:4 ("they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues") and Acts 2:6 ("hearing them speak") that the twelve apostles were all speaking at once. One would expect confusion in such a scene, but each man heard the plurality of apostles speak in his own language. Hence, it is possible that the apostles were speaking in a heavenly utterance while the Spirit made their utterances intelligible to each man present. Support for this possibility comes from the distinctive words used in Acts 2:6. After stating that the apostles spoke in other tongues, Acts 2:6 describes the incident as:

" And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language."

Speaking In Tongues

2005-11-22T23:53:00.000+13:00

A friend of mine mentioned on the phone about speaking in tongues. She just recently started attending church regularly and say's that she might not be 'ready' yet. The tongue topic was never brought up so I thought I'd do a little research

http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Aug2001/Wiseman.asp
Why No Speaking in Tongues?

Q: If the Sacrament of Confirmation is a sign of receiving the Holy Spirit, why don’t we Catholics speak in tongues after receiving it? Why are such manifestations of the Spirit seen only among charismatics at prayer?

A: Speaking in tongues (glossolalia) is best understood by starting with First Corinthians 12:1—14:40. There Paul explains that every gift of the Spirit is to benefit the entire Body of Christ.
Any gift can be misused by damaging that body, especially by causing factions (for and against someone or a small group of people). Apparently, that had already happened in Corinth before Paul wrote First Corinthians.
Paul teaches that the Spirit’s greatest gift is charity (13:13). All other gifts are subordinate to it. See Galatians 5:22 where Paul describes nine “fruits” of the Spirit.
The vast majority of confirmed Catholics will never speak in tongues—as Paul uses that term. Why? That’s a good question to ask God when you get to heaven.
Most Catholics and other Christians have cooperated with God’s grace in less dramatic but no less effective ways than speaking in tongues. What is primary is using the Spirit’s gifts to build up the Body of Christ.

http://www.cpats.org/CPATSAnswerDirectory/Answers_to_Questions/2002_10OctoberQuestions/2002OctOnSpeakingInTongues.cfm
Q:What is the Catholic Church's views regarding "speaking in tongues"?

Answer:

The Church believes as it always has for 2000 years that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are ever present.
That would include Tongues, Prophecy, Healing, Miracles and so on.

We don't believe that tongues must be the first evidence of the "baptism of the Holy Spirit" as our Protestant Charismatic and Pentecostal brothers believe.

God dispenses gifts to those who ask in accord to His will. Therefore we beleive that some may prophesy or heal and not necessarily speak in tongues.

Most classical Catholics are not used to these manifestations. Although the gifts have always been with the Church, for many Centuries tongues was a predominantly private experience not "advertised" for lack of a better term.But miracles, and prophecy have always been out in the open.

For the most part, the gifts of tongues is manifested in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal but it is not limited to that group.

Death

2005-11-22T22:55:00.000+13:00

I guess the thought of dying crosses my mind more everytime I watch a movie that involves someone dying. Not the dying which is corny ...e.g. boy meets girl, falls in love..boy develops cancer...dies...and other variations. Im NOT saying dying of cancer is corny..rather...that story is so overused.
I watched Hero today, I think it displays patriotism to the highest degree. But I guess it all boils down to the question, what would you die for? Yourself? A loved one? Your country? An ideal? A friend? Your faith?
Also, I just have an inkling that life truly is pointless if one doesn't believe in a God. Isn't life to most people a string of goal seeking and self fulfilment? When you're a child your goal is to avoid punishment from your parents, e.g. eating vegetables, attending school, staying out of fights, drugs, alcohol, respecting others.
When you're a teenager, your objective would probably be go university, or get a diploma, apprenticeship, army, job, bum...? Maybe once you're through that phase,
you'll seek more..like getting the nicer car, buying that bigger house, hosting the bigger party, using the newer cell phone...does the list end?
Even when you're older, it'll be touring the latest hot spot, visiting places, getting the better seat in a performance, dining in a better place.
So when you die, you'll probably feel like you've accomplished a lot. After all, you've done all these things...yes...let me repeat that..T H I N G S. Is that all life is? A string of events, memories, activities, routines, ..THINGS?

Movie List to Date

2005-11-17T23:35:00.000+13:00

The holidays have started,..let the movie list begin! After all, this IS NZ, where Video Ezy stands a chance against the pirates....to date I have watched

The Longest Yard
World's Fastest Indian
Corpse Bride
Amityville Horror
Chocolate
American Pie- Band Camp
Tyrannical Love
Mona Lisa Smile

World's Fastest Indian

2005-11-15T08:22:00.000+13:00

Just watch the movie. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry, and it'll make you think how this guy still gets it on with the ladies like some teenage playboy.

What's the movie about? Burt Munro who's at the age where he receives pension money spends 25 years of his life building a bike which originally goes at 56 miles/hr. How fast did he go eventually after his 'modifications'? 201 miles/hr. He had no brakes, his tyres were self 'modified' without meeting any safety requirements and he made his own parts with his own type of heat treatment on steel. A true engineer to me. Watch the movie and you'll see how 'outdated' his parts are when they inspect his bike for safety requirements.

Everywhere he went it seemed he made friends and you can tell in the movie, almost EVERYONE liked him to the point where they would do almost anything to help him out.
I dunno, I suppose that's the part about the movie which I liked the most. To be able to have that connection with people.

What else is special? He's from In - ver- car- gill....lol..that's how he has to say it to other people in the USA. And that's where I'll be going! Hehe..people say Invercargill is dead bored, its a hole..etc...I don't care...it's 2 months. Im going somewhere I'ev never been before, Im going to be with my friends, and Im going to be paid well, and finally, I'll get to finish my course requirements for the university.

OOOOOoooooooooooooo ya

2005-11-12T23:33:00.000+13:00

Good bye exams...heeeeeellllllllllllllo freedom

Im so glad I took the job in Invercargill...people say Im gonna be dead bored there though...but a choice is a choice...I angered a larger company...but O well...I've learnt my lesson.

I dunno why recently I lost my motivation to study for that 'extra' good grade. All this while, I wanted above average grades to try for scholarships...and every year I apply, and of the 3 years I apply...I've only had 2 interviews. I know there're way more people with better credentials...but why...what drives me? I dunno...lol. I suppose it's so that I don't end uni life with any regrets...but where will the limit be? I can ALWAYS think of some way to improve myself...to go that extra mile..sometimes I follow through with it..sometimes I don't. But am I being lazy....I pray..and I tell God..."If You want me to do this, You will give me the strength to do" or "If You intend it to be this way...I know You will provide for me"
At what point do we become lazy to think for ourselves and at what point do we place enough trust on God?

Invercargill

2005-11-07T16:54:00.000+13:00

Why Things Are Looking Up Again

2005-10-27T14:39:00.000+13:00

Several weeks ago, I was desperate and frustrated. Sending out tonnes of emails, CVs and filling up forms, taking phone interview after phone interview, even real interviews to be faced with a huge wall staring at your face...saying to you "Sorry, we have processed your application BUT...you know the rest...." That whole process really gets to you.

But jsut today I've got THE most random call outta no where for a job from Fonterra. A company which I didn't hear from since...5 months ago. Yea...and just last week, I signed an unofficial contract from another company, Carter Holt Harvey which will hire me if they get funding. And soon, I'll be getting another letter in the mail asking me to go for a medical check up for another Aluminium Smelting Company in Invercargill. So..to make this short, I have 1 contract, 1 unoffical offer, and 1 still in the process. I tell you, when God blesses you, He doesn't skimp on anything. You get THE works.

On another dire note, I haven't been on MSN for over...2 weeks I think. My first exam starts tomorrow, then I'll have 4 more to go. If I accept this job, I start work on the 14th...e.g my last paper is on the 11th (!!!!!!!!) So I guess I won't be blogging for a while....

The List

2005-10-19T01:56:00.000+13:00

Rejection List

Bay of Plenty Regional Council
RealCold Scholarships
Fonterra
Shell
Ion Automotive

Waiting List

Comalco
Carter Holt Harvey
Pacific Wire
Research Project from Professor Dong
Research Project from Professor James

No Reply

Adhesifs

Status: Nonchalant with sleep deprivation
Soon to be mood by Friday: Ecstatic
Mood in between: ???

I feel burdened but at the same time, I know Im doing what I can? I know I didn't slack off and party wildly. Ask the lecturers in the department, if they don't recognise my face, they know my name. My first paper is on the 28th of November. Please pray for me. This means Y O U :)

Great Discussion on Marian Worship

2005-10-06T23:45:00.000+13:00

Got this from a forum.
"..... so I am starting this thread in hopes that anyone who thinks we Catholics worship Mary will come here and state their reasons for believing so and we can correct them. Thank you." by Lance

From Karin:
Lance..thank you for the invite to post on your thread. So let me be the first to say (since I am the gal you speak of) that I see Catholics as worshipping Mary. Perhaps you can be the one to set me straight and make me understand what i have been unable to for so many years.
Why worship or pray to Mary (and Saints) when I can pray directly to God? Does the Bible not say something to the extent of you should not worhsip idols? Or are these two seperate things?
Honor: Great respect and admiration
Worship: treat somebody or something as deity: to treat somebody or something as divine and show respect by engaging in acts of prayer and devotion

I worship and honor God.

Replies to Karin:
Reply 1:
The 4th commandment says we are to honor our parents. We do not worship our parents. There is a difference.
Maybe you haven't heard this before, but:
latria = worship due to God alone.
dulia = honor [due to saints].
hyperdulia = highest honor due a human [Mary].

Reply 2:
When Catholics worship God they are doing what was done throughout the history of God's relationship with human beings. We offer a sacrifice. We read in Genesis that Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice to God, which was worship. Abraham offered acceptable sacrifice, which was worship. The descendants of Abraham offered acceptable sacrifices and the whole book of Leviticus is dedicated to the sacrifice established by Moses after the Exodus. The temple sacrifices continued on with only the Babylonian exile interrupting them into the time of Christ. Mary and Joseph offered an acceptable sacrifice as we read in the Gospels and Jesus established the sacrifice of his body and blood on Holy Thursday. We offer this one sacrifice of Christ on our altars at every Mass, and this is worship.

Prayer is not necessarily worship. It is when we offer sacrifice with it, but it isn't when we merely ask for the intercession of the saints or for your intercession or anyone else's. We don't offer sacrifice to Mary or the saints. We only ask her aid and intercession, just as we would ask for aid and intercession from any other Christian or person of faith.

And we believe in the communion of saints because Jesus told us that those who have gone before us into heaven are not dead, but alive. Even the OT peoples' souls were alive not dead. We know this because Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration during which they discussed with him his upcoming death in Jerusalem. If their souls were dead or asleep they certainly wouldn't have known anything about it, but they did. We believe that the members of the Church are divided in to the Church Triumphant (those in heaven and purgatory, which is a part of heaven) and the Church Militant (the Church on earth fighting the good fight of good over evil by spreading the Gospel). I hope that helps you.

Note: The arguments presented go on. Karin finally accepts that Catholics honour Mary and NOT worship her..but she brings up other side topics.

Sigh

2005-10-04T18:22:00.000+13:00

A friend of mine, J was upset because another friend, M got annoyed. M accused J of actually having enough time to reply M's emails. Truth is, J is going through a lot of things right now. And since I know J's workload, I can vouch for J. Funny thing is, M didn't trust J enough to believe that J was telling the truth when J said there was really a lot to do. And the fact was, M and J had already drifted apart due to certain circumstances. Neither side took corrective measures to mend the friendship. I'm not one to say who did what, but its just the way things are. I don't know the full details, but I do hear the 'complaints'.

On another note, I'm fascinated as to why some people need to know everything. Literally. I mean, Im in NZ, and I don't know half of what's going on with my beloved friends back home in Malaysia. It doesn't mean that I don't care, rather, I get my updates when I go back. I don't have an informant or source of information. Sure, when I meet ppl on MSN, we talk about other people, other happenings..but I find it scary when someone far away knows ALMOST everything that's going on. This scenario doesn't have to apply for the case of distance separating people. Im sure I upset a friend, D when I didn't wish to D certain things. D had made it clear that there were certain questions which D didn't wish to answer, hence I thought it fair if I was given the right to exclude myself from such questions too. Well, I thought wrong. SIGH

Profound questions....VERY profound

2005-09-26T01:00:00.000+12:00

No no...the meaning of life may be profound...but its been asked too many times, and being a Christian, I think it unfair to list it as a profound question. These questions here are indeed profound...

Why are trees brown?
Why do dogs bark woof?
Why do cats look like cats?
Why is water wet?
Why is winter cold?

Sigh...so many questions....

She blogged he blogged, some excerpts

2005-09-22T19:20:00.000+12:00

"Thank You So Much Everyone!
I've decided to stop blogging here because there isn't much more I can think of writing. For any happy moments or happy thoughts or happy outlooks of life, I guess you'll just have to meet me for the real deal...... "

"Closure
I've decided i dont like to share my thoughts anymore. I've realized that my muse, my eskimo friend, my inspiration to pen my thoughts have since deserted me. So this is it. This is going to be my final entry here. Maybe i'll write again one day, maybe i won't. Who knows? And frankly, who really cares?"

"at times like these, i want a bf. a generous one at that. cos then, both my wants will be fulfilled......."

Hehe...they weren't all posted at the same time...but...o well....just some things I didnt expect my friends to say.....

Mark 9:23

2005-09-08T20:50:00.000+12:00

"Everything is possible to the person who has faith."

I worry too much too many times. I tend to try to control too many things I think I am suppose to have control over. Sometimes, I just have to let go...someone close to me said, "If its meant to be, its meant to be"
I didn't believe much in that. But now, I see the wisdom behind that simple phrase. God will never wish the worst for you, rather, He only wants the best for you. You just gotta have faith. :)

Ball Pics

2005-09-08T02:44:00.000+12:00

From left: Diane, Me, Anna, Cindy

From left: Cindy, Nursi, Evilia, Michelle

Yohannes and Anne

The Salinphanie Ball

2005-09-04T11:24:00.000+12:00

So this'll be my first university ball. We were planning to go for the Engineering Ball which promised free beer and a 3 course dinner, but being the busy students that we were, we decided to go for this one instead, which is right smack in the middle of our holidays.

Me, at Denny's on the 30th of September.

Merdeka!

2005-08-31T22:05:00.000+12:00

Happy Independance Day! :P

37-21

2005-08-27T22:52:00.000+12:00

Yea! Great game! Our guys beat the South Africans by 4 points...scoring in the last 5 minutes O O...I know ONE extra name...lol...Luke McCalister..Belinda...try googling him...I think he's your type ;)

Assimilation?

2005-08-27T22:01:00.000+12:00

I don't know what countries compete in the Tri Nations, I can only name 3 All Blacks, and yes, today, after almost 3 years of residing in NZ, Im watching my first ever rugby match entirely. From start to finish. Hehe...no waiting till the last 30 mins and then catching the final score. I gotta admit, it really gets your heart racing more than American football....sometimes wonder how those rugby players NOT get brain damage with all the banging and crashing.

Ah well, my 3rd step towards being a permanent resident of NZ? Hehe...wat were my first 2 steps? I think it involved me changing how I pronounced restaurant and usage of the word 'heaps'. Also, NZ has pampered me with clean public toilets...lol..something quite rare in Malaysia. :P

Holidays...yay! yay. yay?

2005-08-25T22:45:00.000+12:00

YEA! 2 weeks of holidays begin in a day with tomorrow being the LAST day...countdown....wooo....but but......hehe...I was 'inspired' by someone to write down this list...heh...things I have to do before the 11th of September...hey..not that im a holiday pooper, but I gotta set my track straight.

THE list
Particulate Technology - 2 Tutorials
Mathematical Modelling - Notes, 2 Tutorials, 1 Assignment
Process Dynamics and Control- Notes, 2 Tutorials, 1 Assignment
Process Design - HUGE Project
Lab Journal

MY list
Go outdoors and enjoy the SUN!
SLEEP
Watch all the movies I missed out on
Go for a drive (heh...petrol prices dropped a BIT)
Stay up playing Diablo 2

Hence, my mood transition from :D to :) to :| to :/ to :( to :'(

*Takes tissue

Another C n P

2005-08-19T17:42:00.000+12:00

Last one for the week. Hehe.
Q.If I die with unconfessed sin will I go to heaven?
I took this question from a quiz on a Calvinist Web Site in which 19 true or false statement are presented in what they call the "basic doctrine quiz." I took the liberty of cutting and pasting the twelfth one from their web site along with their answer. I would like to get your response to their answer so as to be able to counter it. Here it is:

12. If I die with unconfessed sin, I will not go to heaven.

A. FALSE. This is a Roman Catholic belief from which the doctrine of last rites, and purgatory stem. Protestants, however, have objected to this idea because of the nature of the work of Christ as revealed in the Scriptures. For those in Christ, all sins have been forgiven, past, present, and future (Heb 10:10-14; Rom 8:1, 29-39). Not only that, but those who trust in Christ are also seen as perfectly righteous in the sight of God because of Christ’s own righteousness and conformity to the law (Rom 5:19). And Christ also intercedes for us when we do sin (1 Jn 2:1-2).

Answered by Peggy Frye,Catholic Answers Apologist
We can agree that Christ nailed our sins to the cross. But neither Christ, nor the Apostles, nor the early Church Fathers ever taught that after our redemption (baptism) we remain free from sin (there are exceptions-infants, the retarded etc.) and will go to heaven immediately when we die or when Jesus comes for us.

Rather, Paul in Romans 6:22 says: “But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life.” He’s saying that after baptism, there’s on on-going process of sanctification that ends in eternal life. Sanctification is a process….not a one time event.

To believe that all sins have been forgiven, past, present, and future by simply “accepting Jesus into your heart” is to presume upon God’s mercy.

Venerable Louis of Granada warns against presuming upon the merits of Christ's death:

“Many presume upon God's mercy, persuading themselves that they can be saved by faith and hope without charity.

If you rely upon His goodness to pardon you, notwithstanding your innumerable offences, what can be more base than the ingratitude with which you presume upon His mercy, which, instead of exciting you to love Him, only leads you to offend Him?

You say that God's mercy is great, since He died on the cross for the salvation of sinners. It is indeed great, and a striking proof of its greatness is the fact that He bears with the blasphemy and malice of those who so presume upon the merits of His death as to make His cross, which was intended to destroy the kingdom of evil, a reason for multiplying sin."

Like the prodigal son, we are free to lose our inheritance, and walk away from the Father. He is always there to receive us, but we must repent before we come home. For, “we cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: "He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."1 John 3:15 ….To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state …is called "hell." Catechism no. 1033

Not only is there no scriptural evidence to support the belief that one can be saved without worrying about sin, there is no historical support for it either. If the assurance of salvation teaching is central in the Christian faith…then why had no one heard of it before the Reformation? We have thousands of manuscripts from the Early Church Fathers, and in them we find all the central teachings of Christ, but no mention of assurance of salvation. Clearly, it was not taught by Jesus or his disciples.

Instead the Bible says: "I am already saved (Rom. 8:24, Eph. 2:5–8), but I’m also being saved (1 Cor. 1:8, 2 Cor. 2:15, Phil. 2:12), and I have the hope that I will be saved (Rom. 5:9–10, 1 Cor. 3:12–15). Like the apostle Paul I am working out my salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12), with hopeful confidence in the promises of Christ (Rom. 5:2, 2 Tim. 2:11–13)."

Cut and Paste

2005-08-19T17:25:00.000+12:00

Some questions here raised by a protestant I've never really thought of myself. Note that the replies are not from a official apologist, but they do come from senior members who've been posting regularly.

The question:
I'm a Protestant investigating the claims of the Catholic church (honestly looking for the truth, not a fight), and I've run across some Protestant objections (from www.carm.org/catholic) to the doctrine of transsubstantiation that I've not seen addressed elsewhere. They are these:
1. There is no indication that the disciples worshipped the elements.
Now, I know that the Church can claim that the early church fathers believed in transsubstantiation, but why no New Testament mention of worshiping the elements?
2. The supper was instituted before Jesus' crucifixion.
How can Christ give his disciples his real body and blood before he has actually sacrificed himself?
3. The Roman Catholic view is a violation of Levitical law.
Yes, it seems a little picky, but isn't cannibalism and the drinking of blood still a violation of the law, especially considering that the particular dietary stipulation about blood was carried even into the new covenant?
4. It is a violation of the Incarnation.
Apparently, by nature man cannot be omnipresent, and so Christ's body cannot be omnipresent. This seems to be the crux of the argument.
5. The Lord's Supper is not a sacrifice of Christ.
I'll just quote the guy here: "In the Roman Catholic Mass, there is a sacrifice of Christ. In other words, in the ceremonies, is a reenactment and an actual sacrifice of Christ per the Mass. This is an obvious contradiction to the Scriptures which teach us that Christ died once for all and that by the one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. It does not state in the Word of God that the sacrifice of Christ must be repeated in order to forgive us of our sins or somehow help us to maintain our salvation by the infusion of grace. The fact that Christ died once and the sacrifice occurred once, is proof that it is sufficient to cleanse us of our sins."
How does the Catholic Church counter these arguments? The author of the website writes as though there are no counters, but I just can't imagine that with a 2,000 year history, the Church has never dealt with this.

The shortest reply I read:
John 6:51 - I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."

John 6:53 - So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;

John 6:54 - he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:55 - For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

The reply I read (though there are others)
1. The answer to this is to shed your reliance on the unbiblical doctrine of sola scriptura--the false teaching that everything we believe as Christians must be explicitly in Scripture. After this you can see that, just because the Bible doesn't describe the early Christians doing something, doesn't mean they didn't do it. Most of the things they wrote down were in response to some crisis or erroneous teaching going around. The fact they didn't write about eucharistic devotion may only mean it wasn't an issue at that time. On the other hand, if they wrote that it was prohibited, we could not do it. As it stands, they are silent on the issue.

2.The same way he, as God. could maintain the universe and walk the earth at the same time. Jesus is God, never stopped being God, and as God, he is outside of time and space and not restricted by either

3.See the last question on this page:
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1995/9505qq.asp

4.Same answer as to question #2 above.
5.The short answer is that Jesus is, according to Hebrews, High Priest forever. As a priest he has to have something to offer forever, or he is not a priest--he is an ex-priest. So what sacrifice does he offer? He offers perpetually the same one he offered once and for all at Calvary. This is the re-presentation of his sacrifice that we participate in at Mass, as we --every Christian ever--are also a nation of priests (1 Peter 2:9) and we have to offer a sacrifice as well.

The long answer can be found here:
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1990/9006chap.asp

:D

2005-08-16T18:52:00.000+12:00

Yes, today, Im all :D :D :D :D :D and no :'(
Im so :D , a :) wouldn't suffice.

Hehe

EFTPOS Enabled

2005-08-11T18:01:00.000+12:00

Electronic Funds Transfer (at) Point of Service. Thats how things are bought here in NZ. Your ATM card is also your 'credit card'. The moment I came here 3 years ago, I fell in love with it, though it does 'assist' you in spending your money and I think it's one of those things you lock up in a safe when it's sale season.

Last week, my dear old EFTPOS card cracked, all of my transactions were declined at the cashiers, and I had to pay by cash...after a week of waiting, HSBC sent it to me...ahh...a replacement card...which looks the same actually tsk...I thought they would redesign it after so long....o well. I have to admit though, having no ability to use my card did save me a lot of un needed spending. :P

Today's (Well actually yesterday's) Reading

2005-08-08T00:58:00.000+12:00

Felt that I had to blog this down cos what Fr Barry said today made things so clear.

Matthew 14:22 - 31

Then Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people away. After sending the people away, he went up a hill by himself to pray. When evening came, Jesus was there alone; and by the time the boat was far out in the lake, tossed about by waves, because the wind was blowing against it.Between three and six o'clock in the morning Jesus came to the disciples walking on the water. When they saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. "It's a ghost!" they said, and screamed with fear. Jesus spoke to them at once. "Courage!" he said. "It is I. Don't be afraid!"
Then Peter spoke up. "Lord, if it is really you, order me to come out on the water to you.""Come!" answered Jesus. So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he was afraid and started to sink down in the water."Save me, Lord!" he cried.At once Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him and said, "How little faith you have! Why did you doubt?"

Paraphrasing from Fr Barry, Jesus didn't explain in any of the gospels why there is evil in the world. Why innocent people die to acts of terrorists, tsunamis, starvation...the list goes on. But in this reading, the message in clear, when the waves are high, and the wind horrificly strong, and all you have is a tiny boat, with no radio to call for help, no life jackets, no rescue helicopter coming for you, Jesus is present. He is there with you, sharing your fear, anxiety, feeling of helplessness. All that He asks? That you have faith in him.

Note to myself: As I was copying out the verse from the bible, I noticed the phrase ".....At once Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him..." At once e.g immediately e.g. without hesitation.

Interesting Questions for Catholics

2005-08-03T17:51:00.000+12:00

Please note, I got this from a catholic forum and I am directly copying and pasting it, though not entirely.

Q:Is a devotion to Mary required of Catholics?
Answered by Michelle Arnold, a catholic apologist:
Devotion is an emotional attachment, which cannot be required of anyone. All that is required is that which can be governed by an act of the will, such as assent to those doctrines that the Church has declared to be true and binding upon Catholic consciences. So, as long as you give assent of the will to the Marian doctrines, it is not required that you have any particular emotional attachment to the Blessed Mother.

That said, devotion can be developed just like emotional attachment to any person can be developed, and it is certainly a pious action for a Catholic to seek to develop a devotion to his spiritual Mother. One way of developing such an attachment is to learn more about the Blessed Mother. To start learning about Mary, please consider the resources linked below.

Recommended resources:
True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis De Montfort
The World's First Love by Fulton J. Sheen
Meeting Mary, Our Mother in Faith by Kenneth J. Howell
Mary, The Mother of God (video) by Stephen K. Ray

Q:How are Protestants' sins forgiven without going to confession?
The Catholic Church does teach that protestants are Christians, correct? But the Church also teaches that there is no forgiveness of sins without the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) - correct? So since protestants don't believe in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, what is the Church's position on how protestant Christians can go to heaven without having gone to confession?

Answered by Jim Blackburn, catholic apologist
Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation for the forgiveness of sins. It remains the only ordinary means of forgiveness of serious sins (cf., Code of Canon Law, 960). But it is not the only means. Those who cannot approach the sacrament, including non-Catholics, may attain forgiveness in other ways.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Penance) is generally required for the remission of mortal sins committed after Baptism (which forgives all sins). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) explains, “Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification” (CCC 1446).

While sacramental confession of all sins is recommended (cf. Code of Canon Law, 988.2), venial sins may be confessed directly to God. Moreover, the Catechism notes, “[Scripture and the Fathers] cite as means of obtaining forgiveness of sins: efforts at reconciliation with one's neighbor, tears of repentance, concern for the salvation of one's neighbor, the intercession of the saints, and the practice of charity which covers a multitude of sins” (CCC 1434).

Perfect contrition also obtains forgiveness. “When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called "perfect" (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible” (CCC 1452).

Q:Why do bad things happen to good people?
The answer is found here. Great reading. Simple and to the point.
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0019.html

Wishful Thinking

2005-07-30T17:33:00.000+12:00

So, are you still beautiful?
when I close my eyes, miles between us
and the smell of your hair lingers
remembering those eyes which gazed upon mine

So, are you still beautiful?
when I build castles in the clouds
and you're the princess of my utopia
remembering that smile so sweet

Yes, you are beauty itself

On Birthdays

2005-07-28T20:28:00.000+12:00

Do some people think that their birthdays are celebrated only because their friends feel 'inclined' to do so? That the celebration, getting together, presenting of gifts and wishing of the celebrant's new age is done without sincerity? Do these people have so little faith in their friends? Just some food for thought I suppose.

I noticed some changes lately. Its funny some changes need a collective of other changes to be noticed. Im referring to people here. Used to think change was bad but inevitable. Now I just think its inevitable. Its how you deal with it that makes it 'bad' or 'good'.

Dear Dandruffs

2005-07-27T23:55:00.000+12:00

Why do you guys multiply like mad? Is it mating season up there?

Forum Stuff on Hell

2005-07-26T15:33:00.000+12:00

A quote from Dave Armstrong posted in a catholic forum
"The essence of hell is separation from God. God in effect says: "so you want to live apart from Me? You think that is a preferable state of affairs to living with Me? Very well, then, go ahead; see how you like it." Of course, God would have a great deal more love and compassion than that... but this is the basic idea. The Bible talks about God giving men up to their own devices and the hardening of their hearts....

C.S. Lewis stated that "the doors of hell are locked from the inside." God respects human free will so much that He is willing to let men reject Him and spend eternity away from Him, if that is their choice. Of course, those who choose this don't have the faintest idea of what an existence utterly without God is like, because they have not yet experienced it. This is the tragic folly of the whole thing.

The instant they do experience it, they'll know what a terrible mistake they made, and in my speculative opinion that will be the primary horror of hell: the intense, irreversible self-loathing, self-hatred, and regret at having made such a stupid and perfectly avoidable mistake as to end up in an unspeakably dreadful, hideous place or state like hell. We know from this life how difficult it is to live with bitter regret: the mulling over the "if only's" of life and our bittersweet journey through it.

Imagine doing that for eternity! And, of course, this is one big reason why Christians want to proclaim the gospel, so people can avoid that miserable fate, and can live eternally the way God intended them to live, without suffering and sin: complete, whole, perfect creatures, rejoicing in God's wonderful presence forever."

Househusband Kevin

2005-07-23T16:41:00.000+12:00

Today, due to my brother's 72hr WOW marathon, I was left to do the gorceries. I also noticed a home appliance sale in Briscoes and decided to buy a new kettle, fry pan and Pyrex bowl.

How do housewives carry out this routine for...the 2 decades till their teenagers move out? There comes a time when even the most avid shopper/coupon collector/discount driven/chore doing person will just burn out. But it was fun for me today though, for some reason, I seem to be getting very used to spending time alone doing odinary stuff...I love spending my free time in the city reading magazines or books in the bookstores (there're about 6 bookstores along Queenstreet) Then later going for coffee (there're 4 Starbucks along this same street, 1 Gloria Jeans, and some others....talk about monopoly on Starbucks' side).

Yup, 1st week of uni started off pretty slowly. We had a plant visit to the brewery hehe.

Had to blog this

2005-07-21T23:06:00.000+12:00

LOL...look wat I came across in Mei Qi's blog.

The Title: Dear Evil Red Acne

TELL ME HOW MUCH LONGER DO YOU THINK YOU NEED TO STAY ON MY FACE

gahhh.
----------------------------------------------------------------
I should carry out dialogues with my facial features. :P

Wow

2005-07-21T19:58:00.000+12:00

Look at this fact I picked up from a psychology book.
"In reality, the odds are at LEAST 50-50 that a person's moodiness on any given day is due to a bad situation, but we're more likely to think it's caused by a characted flaw."

Also, there's something called the atrribution theory.
It is the formal study of ways people generate explanations for what happens and the impact these explanations have on their behaviour. People are often biased in their efforts to explain important experiences.

Kinda makes me think twice before a 'judge' someone....feel kinda bad now.

Reflection

2005-07-18T23:49:00.000+12:00

I trusted Him, and He has never let me down. It seems, the more aspects of my life I trust Him in, the better it has become. But it's always hard, to take the plunge. There's so many things I wanna let go and leave in His hands. I might as well be numerically correct and grammatically wrong and say there is so 'much' things I wanna let go. Not letting go in the sense that I don't wanna care about it all, rather I want to put my effort into, and realise that I've done what I could, the rest is in His hands. Sometimes its hard though, you have so many self-doubts, so many insecurites, its stupid that the biggest obstacle to you helping yourself is actually yourself.

Movie Junkie

2005-07-15T03:11:00.000+12:00

3 days to go of precious holiday time...so precious...sigh....I'm such a coupon addict, I think Im comparable to those housewives who find coupons anywhere and use it to buy stuff with the excuse of 'Im saving money!'

To get to the point, I've been using my Student Card discounts and coupons to the max this holidays renting videos and eating at BK. I finished 3 movies in one night,
View from the top, Harold and Kumar go to Whitecastle, and Anna Kreni..er.something...it's a drama.

So yea, tomorrow, it'll be Hui Min's birthday, she's getting old, you know,...the aging process...with the increase in skin surface area....:P I don't think she reads this anymore...hehe...Well, Im not gonna waste anymore time writing too much.

Thanks

2005-07-09T22:49:00.000+12:00

Results for the first semester exams were out 3 days ago.
I'm happy, very happy.
Thank you God.

On another note, I rented Shall We Dance after reading Chris' rave review about it..and I liked this quote

Beverly Clark: We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness'."

Terror in London

2005-07-08T14:50:00.000+12:00

City now a ghost town
Blasts bring back bad memories in New York
Mayor: It will unite us
Intelligence services unable to prevent London attacks
'Smoke poured into the carriage, but we couldn't break the windows'

Why do the innocent have to die? Tsunamis are one thing, but when one kills a fellow man, what does that one hope to acheive? Attention? Enforcing a view?

Advice

2005-07-04T20:00:00.000+12:00

Prunes are GREAT snacks...but dun munch down a whole bag unless the room you're sitting in has good ventilation.

Movie List

2005-07-01T23:53:00.000+12:00

These are the movie's I've 'done'. LOL..sounds wrong...but still

Mr and Mrs Smith
Garden State
Ray
House of Wax
Phonebooth

Im sure there're a couple more which I've forgotten, but I noticed how the seemingly low budget movies like Garden State and Phonebooth caught my attention. Looks like after a while, you don't care too much about the big bangs and Kablooies...its the performance of the actors, the dialogue, and the way the message is conveyed that matters...:) I feel like and 'enlightened' movie goer. Heh...I also realised that my movie 'reviews' should no longer include the story line...cos my reviews come SO late...e.g. Mr n Mrs Smith...I just watched it TODAY! Sad huh?

But I really like it though, is it realistic? I dunno...I always thought relationships had to be founded on honesty....but judging by how they handled matters in their marriage, I'm sure they'll be fine. Really witty one-liners, cute comebacks from both of them esp when they were trying to kill each other...and the gun scenes..very John Woo....woooo....

More gibberish to those who have no idea

2005-06-30T00:10:00.000+12:00

Somewhere along the way, I let a lot of things get to me. I can't say Im that different a person, but in all honesty, I don't think Im similiar to the Kevin 3 years ago.
The Kevin 3 years ago would have helped almost anyone in need. He'd ask if there was a problem if he sensed it, even if it was tinged with paranoia, but he made sure that the concern surfaced. The Kevin 3 years ago may have been a pushover, may have been oversensitive, may have been annoying, may have been unsociable.
And the Kevin now may all be that still, but with more added ...bitterness.
Somewhere along the way, he encountered hurtful situations, painful lessons, and this turned into short termed anger, and long term hatred and bitterness. There was loss, loss again, and betrayal. But I realise now though, it was not my fault that these things happened to me, it was my fault for not doing my best to heal. I let the wound stay there. Hey, I thought it was only a minor 'cut', dealt by one of life's lessons. How wrong and naive I was. This 'cut' had become a festering wound. By trying to forget the past, I continued to let it haunt me, literally, I'd wake in the middle of the night with tears in my eyes streaming down my cheeks, and I wouldnt know why or where this source of pain or sorrow originated from. Im quite sure I know where it comes from now.

I don't know why, but today, this person said he/she hated what I'd given he/she as a sincere present sometime ago. Why he/she said it? I don't know. Did he/she mean it? I don't know, and I won't ask, BECAUSE, the whole time I knew this person, more bad things were said to me than good. Is he/she pretending to be mean? I don't know either. We're not talking about constructive criticism here, we're talking about plain mean things. Sticks and stones...bla bla bla? Well, not for me, words from people that matter, matter to me. But I guess, not anymore...if the person doesn't 'matter' to you, neither will he/she say matter too. Sad thing is...he/she mattered greatly, tremendously, vastly to me.

Putting something past you is different, way, way different from running away from the problem. When something is put 'past' you, you don't look back anymore....when you 'run' away, you continuously look behind, to see if 'its' catching up with you, and thats why, when you run, eventually, you'll come to a dead end. Tomorrow, Im gonna try to 'stitch' part of the big gaping wound.

The Kindness of Strangers

2005-06-28T16:07:00.000+12:00

Just thought I'd recount all the good deeds done unto me...feeling kinda gracious now.

I remember when I was in primary school and we had art, but I'd forgotten to bring my supplies, the teacher found out, and embarrassed me in class by declaring loudly I had not brought anything, and said I MUST find someone who would lend me their supplies...well, I didnt have many friends back then, and I remember just walking back to my desk from the front of the class, feeling really lousy..10 minutes later, this nice girl came up to me and asked if I wanted to borrow her stuff..heh...I still remember her name to this day...(Now now, its only because it's a common name in Melawati)

I had this late night snack in the nearby mamak restaurant, and the bill was RM1.80 (well, I forgot the EXACT figure, its about there), I took out my wallet at the cashier, and staring at me was this RM 100 note. The guy obviously didnt carry that much change at night, and I felt extremely bad..I mean...robbing a restauranter of 2 bucks....COME ON KEVIN! But he said it was fine! With a smile!
PS: I later went to fill my petrol tank nearby and paid him in the end.

I remember when I was in primary school, feeling bored in the canteen, I flicked
this 20 cent coin to watch it spin on the table. After a while, it spun outta control, and fell next to this kid sitting in front of me. She thought she'd dropped it and refused to give it back, I was begging and begging (hey..it was part of my lunch money :'( ) After 10 mins of begging, this teacher who saw the whole thing offered me his money...heh...outta boredom again, I began to flick the coin! (I know I know...) The teacher said sternly, "Im not gonna replace the next one!"

OO....I remember when I was riding my bike, and for some reason, I was watching the bicycle chain and not the road in front (DON'T worry, I don't do that anymore!) I look up, and there's this other bicylce coming at me. Neither of us knew which way to swerve, we collided, I fell down face first, she landed in the drain...I was unconcious I think...luckily I was carried to my grandma's house by these 2 guys and later taken to the doctor. I think by the time the doctor tended to me, the blood on my lips had already coagulated...he didnt give me anything to treat the wound.

This one was quite recent, I THOUGHT I had enough change in my hands for car parking. I put in NZ4 into the machine, realised I was short of NZ1, and decided to cancel the whole thing......BUT...nothing came out! The darn machine STOLE my money... I was robbed! Tsk....Feeling stupid, I drove to a petrol station, bought something, asked for 'cash out', and went back this time to a cheaper parking - NZ4...as I was about to dump my cash in, this lady in her car reverses out, says
"Do you need this?" while flagging a parking coupon in her hand
"Erm, are you selling it?"
"Na, you can have it.." sigh...such a sweet person....
There you go.

And in Malaysia, I didnt get to mow the lawn for my dad cos the mower stuffed up(okok...I was procastinating the chore), and this friend of mine helped me out with the mower...cos cos, I wanted to go buy some stuff with him, (my last day in Malaysia) but I knew if I left the lawn as it is, you can bet my dad wasnt gonna be wishing me farewell at the airport. Yea, there were 'many' setbacks, the lawn was finally mowed by 3 pm...too late to go anywhere then....heh..sorry Gabriel!Hmm...this story shouldnt be here, cos technically, I know Gabriel, ...aagh...Im not gonna delete wat I just typed...

O O, this last one...my neighbours around me in NZ all took turns helping to care for my lawn while I was back in Msia for 2 months....they were telling me how one of them mowed the lawn, while the other did some weeding.

You Know You're Bored When....

2005-06-27T20:44:00.000+12:00

...you're actually taking the time to read this post in my blog
...you constantly click 'Next Blog' on the upper right hand corner of the page
...you're post in your blog more than once a day to report even the tiniest thing
'e.g. I think my toothpaste has gone bad...WAIT...does that mean I havent been brushing frequently enough?
...you log online to see if your exam are results are out
...think of things to do once uni starts
...stare into blank space and look stupid at that too
...watch TV ads and say "Hey, that ad could have been improved if the lady said..."
...check your email and actually follow rubbish ads link
...read junk mail and really ponder if the offers shown are worth it
...start looking for things to clean around the house
...actually read up to this line in my blog...(:P)

Happy Being Bored!

Kevin's Holiday Projects

2005-06-25T22:21:00.000+12:00

To Sleep late and wake up even later
To Read the books borrowed from the library (Heh...Freud's interpretation of dreams and Psych for Dummies)
To Not let the Lousy Winter weather get to me
To Watch all the movies I wanted to watch since ages ago and sitcoms on TV without any guilt (Heh..so far, I've watched Lost in Translation, Batman Begins, Kingdom of Heaven)

Quick Reviews

Lost in Translation - Man, it puts Japan in such a bad light! The 2 main characters that befriend each other in a foreign country look SO bored. The story line was so easy I think I remember writing it in a short essay when I was 10. How did it get so many awards? Guess lotsa powerful people like kiddy stories...

Batman Begins - Hu ha! THE show of the holiday (so far) No regrets...$ well spent on it...for a character so fictitious, it brings to surface something we all have to deal with, loss of a loved one, and fear. Also, heh...there was this fancy car I wish I owned...

Kingdom of Heaven - Umm...didnt finish watching it....wonder why..........

Some O L D pictures

2005-06-25T10:44:00.000+12:00

Ok..so when it comes to uploading pictures, I've been lazy in every sense of the word. SO here are a few of SCENERY...lol....I feel so NZish....

Aargh...the first pic's a mess...o well, I'll fix it...SOME TIME soon...lol
Hey...gimme a break, my exam's just ended....I got some time wasting to do.

So there

2005-06-24T20:46:00.000+12:00

I did it, I said what I'd been thinking about someone almost 7 months ago today, by txt.
I guess, everyone has a breaking point. I thought, if I subdued it, surpressed it, squashed it down, and let bury it, the 'dirt' would rot it all away. I was wrong, it only continued to simmer, and today it boiled so fast, it overflowed. Why, though, I ask myself. Usually, I keep my mouth shut, forget the nasties, and let it go. I guess this time it was different. I guess this time, I couldnt bear seeing my instincts about someone proven right through observation.
Maybe it wouldnt have been so bad if I said it at that moment in time 7 months ago. But, I guess, at that moment, there was more sorrow, dissapointment and betrayal than anger. I guess this is what happens.....when you suppress it all...I dunno..usually I regret saying what I said when Im in the heat of the moment, later telling myself to make the first move to apologise...but I dunno why...this time, a sense of relief came over me....I feel so calm now...so...at ease...as if a thick nail stabbed in my heart was yanked out..

And so it ends

2005-06-23T20:33:00.000+12:00

Yes, the exams are finally over......how did i celebrate it? I think im typing this blog now at the edge of soberiety.....hehe....na..Im not drunk.....Why......why do I always think about death? About what I'll see / experience once I die? Do souls fall in love in heaven? Or is it cos its heaven that souls no longer FALL in love.......I mean..if you FALL in love, its something you couldnt really control...cos nobody really falls halfway...and then go "Hey, this is gonna HURT once I hit that floor" YEa...I HOPE there's gonna be love in heaven, I mean, God is love, but does that mean, once you're in heaven, the only being you'll be fixated upon is God? I know, God is SO overwhelming, you might not really wanna focus on any other existing beings...but but...........there are some people out there who REALLY catch your attention, people who are so attractive, inwards and outwards, people, whom despite their faults, you just wanna take a eye patch and cover it over your eyes, and disregard what they do wrong......but but, why......why does it seem to the outsider that 2 people shouldnt be together? Ah......I dunno......my head's spinning, I think...once you begin to accept the fact, that you MIGHT be alone, you tend not to worry so much.....there are so many things in life you have no control over, and I always tried to put my hand on it...ALWAYS,...I think it was my personal philosophy you know...I always said to myself, 'Once you've tried your best..then...you have...you've done what you could, don't blame yourself anymore"...I guess, as I grow older in age,I start to think that my best is never enough..never....but ....yea...I've come to it now, your best MUST be the best, as long as at that moment in time, you truly honestly said to yourself, "This is it, I've done what I could think of, I followed my conscience, this is what I'll do. Because only I will do it." Yea....Im happy to say I havent lowered my standards....all I need is this reminder...that I've done my best, including praying for the Almighty's blessing....Im only human, I know my limits...and as long as I know Im pushing my limits, as long as I know that, I know at that point, that was my 'best'...my all....

In General

2005-06-17T22:59:00.000+12:00

If only you knew what I knew and saw what I saw, maybe you wouldnt feel what you feel.
If it didnt happen to you and you didnt experience it, maybe you wouldnt be seeing things the way you think they are.
If only your obsession was realised only so you could see your mistake, and if that were the only way you could come to the realisation, then how sad it is for you.

Thankful

2005-06-12T20:46:00.000+12:00

So I was down with a BAD flu 3 weeks ago, days before this measely test, and I was upset, cos I couldnt get any studying done...well barely...and now I thank God I got the flu then, rather than NOW, in the middle of the exams...so many of my friends fell sick, those in uni, and today I learnt, in church. This is probably a small scale of how God works...you dont really understand when you're 'IN' it..e.g when i got the flu, but you go...."Ah...so its like THAT!" only after....

PS: I know I said I wasnt going to blog, but o well....this was for someOne special.

Bumper Sticker

2005-06-10T15:11:00.000+12:00

"People who seek God on the 11th hour tend to die at 10:30"

Mass

2005-05-29T21:17:00.000+12:00

Mass was great today. I dunno, the priest put things in perspective. God only asks that we come together on Sunday to worhip him for ONE hour...thats not much...I've played games for 3 hours....I've watched movies up to 4 hours...I've chatted up to 5 hours....why can't I worship a GREAT God for ONE hour?
Also, I was thinking it in this way (I think what Im about to say is gonna sound so calculative, but still, I blame it on the accounting paper Im taking) You see, worshipping God is a great investment. He loves you, is all merciful, all loving, all knowing, always listening, always there, always protecting, always calling you, yes...Y O U...a mortal being....and who is HE? HE is God....what does He ask of you?
Your love...yes....thats it. Ever watched someone try so hard to impress a human being? Example, a guy after a girl. He tries so hard to impress her, to be good with her friends, to wear nice stuff, to look good, smell good, sound intelligent...is it ever a guarantee that she will like him? Nope...I say best chances...50%. Either she likes him, or she doesnt. Are her affections for him guaranteed? Nope....I'd say 50% too....it may just be a matter of time before she grows bored, or falls for a better guy. See the comparison? Hehe...kinda stupid actually...comparing God with a woman...but still...the point isnt the comparison..the point is what God offers you...

O yea...this is gonna be last post till my exams are over. My first paper is on the 11th, then on the 15th, then 21st, then 23rd of June. Why did I list down the dates? Cos you can pray for me. Yes please!

Sunset

2005-05-25T18:20:00.001+12:00

Got this pic from my working in Motuihe Island. Really....what do people think of when they see a sunset?

Married

2005-05-22T19:49:00.000+12:00

for 60 years. Thats what the parish priest celebrated today in mass for a couple. I didnt get to see them in the crowd. But I just pondered what it'd be like to be with someone longer than Malaysia acheived independance. You'd probably know EVERYTHING about that person. What she'd like to eat given a choice of food, where'd she wanna go, what she's most likely to do next, what she'd say when she's stressed out, what she'd say when she's happy....but can you imagine, the anniversaries? They'd each have to have thought of 60 different ways to celebrate their being together. Well, truth be told, it's not about the gifts they're getting on that day I spose, rather the fact that they're together. 60....thats a looooooooong time

Revenge of The Sith

2005-05-21T07:40:00.000+12:00

This 3rd instalment was good...much better than the last 2. What shall I say about it? It shows that powerful people tend to be more reckless, and let their emotions get in the way of their judgment. (But then again, many people do the same thing) The theme in here again? Love, and the fight between good and evil. Someone who has good, but for the love of his wife feared her death. And for that, he was willing to do anything to save her. His emotions clouded his judgements, hence he couldnt tell that he was manipulated, brainwashed and used. Something about the Jedi order which I must comment on though (man, I feel so geeky now). They're not very compassionate people. Obi Wan could have saved Anakin after defeating him (Anakin already lost his saber AND other arm). If Obi Wan really thought of Anakin as his brother, he'd have saved him from the lava, maybe after that, Anakin would have come to his senses. Now that you've seen the whole story, you really feel sorry for this guy we call Darth Vader. Born a slave with no father, couldnt return to see his dying mother, joined an order he dreamed to be a member of since young only to know that Jedi's cant marry so he has to do it hush hush, thinks his wife will die at childbirth, gets manipulated by the emperor, loses an arm to a Sith lord, loses another arm to a Jedi, gets burnt by lava and then loses his wife not knowing until a long time on that he has children. SAD

I am

2005-05-20T00:18:00.000+12:00

sick
homesick
confused
nonchalant
zombiefied

Pentecost Sunday

2005-05-13T22:18:00.000+12:00

A feast of the universal Church which commemorates the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ, on the ancient Jewish festival called the "feast of weeks" or Pentecost (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10)
I'll admit now, the ONLY time I think of God is before I drive (praying for a safe journey), and occasionally before I sleep, and on Sundays, and when I go for reconciliation. Most of the time, I think about deadlines, assignments, research, books to return, borrow, my car needing tweaking and fixing, bank statements, rate bills, my brother, etc....I suppose thats why I try to get invovled in my church activities, cos during then, Im GUARANTEED to contemplate or reflect on God's presence (even if I have a lapse in concentration). Recently, I've been so bogged down with assignments and deadlines, my stress and caffeine levels in my body shot up faster than you can say 'BOO!'. I found it weird that it was during this time that I actually thought of God a LITTLE bit more, e.g praying before I did my studying...but it wasnt until I went for my prayer meeting an hour ago that someone read this email to me, sent as a reflection for Pentecost Sunday.

John 20:19-23
The disciples locked themselves in their own little space. They were afraid of the Jews. We lock ourselves in our little closets for fear of the world around us, be it our job, people who bother us, homework and tests to be written, jobs to be worked, bills to be paid, controversies with the family and friends to resolve, ourselves to face, etc. Jesus shows up there anyway. Jesus shows up for us too. He said, "Peace be with you" to them. He says "Peace be with you" to us. He breathed the Holy Spirit into them, and He still breathes the Holy Spirit into us today. And he sends us out, just as he sent them out. The part I mostly appreciate is the "Peace be with you". It seems that whenever I'm truly at peace only when I give it all to God and get out of His way in my life. So many time, I've tried to do things on my own. So many times, I've failed. Too few times I actually really and truly give over a situation to God. And in every one of those times, things always turn out so well (not always like I had thought the options were, but usually better!) I've also learned that in giving things over to God, I dont have to lock myself in my little room anymore. The Holy Spirit is with me in a real way, working through my willingness to let him work through me, and so nothing else can get to me, and so I'm at peace and it is very good. Happy Pentecost everyone! May the Spirit of peace be with you always as you place your trust in Him!

My Home

2005-05-10T19:26:00.000+12:00

I guess I've always fantasized about the house I live in when Im on my own. (O, btw, did I mention one of my fantasies came true? I was let into a cakehouse/bakery when it was closed and I got to choose, not ONE but TWO cakes of my choice for free!!! :P Sigh.....I'll rememeber that day) ANYWAY....yea...my house
I guess Im not into a huge house. But I'd love to have it overlooking the sea. I'd like to be able to see it from the top, outside my balcony. On that balcony, I'll have a nice coffee table, where I'll be able to enjoy a nice cup of Joe while watching the sun set or rise...or both...heh
I did think about having a pool, but I guess what I'd really really want is a nice spa in my backyard. Surrounding my spa pool would be a one of those Japanese gardens...nothing too fancy, just a little hideaway from the outside world.
Next comes a study. My private room, and I'd have my collection of certain Time magazines framed (Heh...so far I've only got 2, but its a start) I'll have shelves and shelves of books, something like my miniature library. I don't think I'll have a PC in this room.
Then I'd probably want a nice entertainment room. I always wanted a huge flat screen TV...or maybe I'll have a projector...sigh..I dunno....who knows what they'll come up with a decade from now? I'll definitely have a lazyboy...ahh....lazy............connected to this room will probably be a pool room...where I can practise without people laughing at me....:P
SO many things to think of..im not done yet, but my dinner is...I might continue later...

Death

2005-05-09T21:50:00.000+12:00

is what I thought of last night. It came without warning. Before I continue, I must request that readers not relate this to the previous post...hehe...I can assure I am not in any sort of depression, if anything, Im quite content with the way things are. So...getting on with my point
There I was, lying down on my bed on a Sunday night, moments before I my slumber, I realised that one day, I'd be lying down on a bed, decades older (hopefully) and closer to death. And I realised even by then, I'd still remember certain important things which I rememeber from my childhood years, to my teenage years, and to my transition into adulthood. The things said to me, the experiences I had, they'd be specifically ONLY be that sequence in MY mind. And it was also at this moment, I would realise, what I say, or did to certain people, would be with them to the day they die. Im not assuming people WILL remember me, rather, there is a CHANCE that certain things I did or said would be flashing in their minds. And it was then I realised, that it is important how you carry yourself. How some people are watching you and how at any moment, you could make an impact on someone to the day they die, and even after their transition to their afterlife! Can you imagine? YOU COULD be remembered by someone for eternity! (Cos thats how long your soul will last) This has completely changed my perspective on ...many things....

2005-05-05T20:24:00.000+12:00

Ever felt like crying sometimes but something in you just forces you not to? Who said you'd feel better after crying? Do people feel dissapointed in themselves after crying? For displaying weakness? Even in private? Do people feel prouder for not crying? For being able to hold back? For being able to say, "There, I did it. The pain inside has subsided slowly, much slower than it would have subsided had I cried, but by doing this, I believe Im stronger for it"
Dunno. When all my sad thoughts are jumbled up into one hunk of mass, it just keeps growing and growing, feeding on all the past dissapointments, hurt, pain, embarrasment, anger, loneliness, and inability to do anything, I do feel like crying. But its not because at that moment I can't control all those bad thoughts, rather its cause I find it so difficult to bring up the happier moments of joy, laughter, and acheivement to balance out those thoughts. As if my mind is only a storage box of pain. Where is my trove of happiness? Im sure its there, maybe I have yet to find the key.

Evolution?

2005-05-04T17:54:00.000+12:00

Upon reading the article, I decided to see the Catholic church's stand on evolution.
The article Im putting up is from
http://www.catholic.com/library/Adam_Eve_and_Evolution.asp

Adam, Eve, and Evolution

The controversy surrounding evolution touches on our most central beliefs about ourselves and the world. Evolutionary theories have been used to answer questions about the origins of the universe, life, and man. These may be referred to as cosmological evolution, biological evolution, and human evolution. One’s opinion concerning one of these areas does not dictate what one believes concerning others.

People usually take three basic positions on the origins of the cosmos, life, and man: (1) special or instantaneous creation, (2) developmental creation or theistic evolution, (3) and atheistic evolution. The first holds that a given thing did not develop, but was instantaneously and directly created by God. The second position holds that a given thing did develop from a previous state or form, but that this process was under God’s guidance. The third position claims that a thing developed due to random forces alone.
Related to the question of how the universe, life, and man arose is the question of when they arose. Those who attribute the origin of all three to special creation often hold that they arose at about the same time, perhaps six thousand to ten thousand years ago. Those who attribute all three to atheistic evolution have a much longer time scale. They generally hold the universe to be ten billion to twenty billion years old, life on earth to be about four billion years old, and modern man (the subspecies homo sapiens) to be about thirty thousand years old. Those who believe in varieties of developmental creation hold dates used by either or both of the other two positions.

The Catholic Position

What is the Catholic position concerning belief or unbelief in evolution? The question may never be finally settled, but there are definite parameters to what is acceptable Catholic belief.
Concerning cosmological evolution, the Church has infallibly defined that the universe was specially created out of nothing. Vatican I solemnly defined that everyone must "confess the world and all things which are contained in it, both spiritual and material, as regards their whole substance, have been produced by God from nothing" (Canons on God the Creator of All Things, canon 5).
The Church does not have an official position on whether the stars, nebulae, and planets we see today were created at that time or whether they developed over time (for example, in the aftermath of the Big Bang that modern cosmologists discuss). However, the Church would maintain that, if the stars and planets did develop over time, this still ultimately must be attributed to God and his plan, for Scripture records: "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host [stars, nebulae, planets] by the breath of his mouth" (Ps. 33:6).
Concerning biological evolution, the Church does not have an official position on whether various life forms developed over the course of time. However, it says that, if they did develop, then they did so under the impetus and guidance of God, and their ultimate creation must be ascribed to him.
Concerning human evolution, the Church has a more definite teaching. It allows for the possibility that man’s body developed from previous biological forms, under God’s guidance, but it insists on the special creation of his soul. Pope Pius XII declared that "the teaching authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions . . . take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter—[but] the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God" (Pius XII, Humani Generis 36). So whether the human body was specially created or developed, we are required to hold as a matter of Catholic faith that the human soul is specially created; it did not evolve, and it is not inherited from our parents, as our bodies are.
While the Church permits belief in either special creation or developmental creation on certain questions, it in no circumstances permits belief in atheistic evolution.

The Time Question

Much less has been defined as to when the universe, life, and man appeared. The Church has infallibly determined that the universe is of finite age—that it has not existed from all eternity—but it has not infallibly defined whether the world was created only a few thousand years ago or whether it was created several billion years ago.
Catholics should weigh the evidence for the universe’s age by examining biblical and scientific evidence. "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 159)
The contribution made by the physical sciences to examining these questions is stressed by the Catechism, which states, "The question about the origins of the world and of man has been the object of many scientific studies which have splendidly enriched our knowledge of the age and dimensions of the cosmos, the development of life-forms and the appearance of man. These discoveries invite us to even greater admiration for the greatness of the Creator, prompting us to give him thanks for all his works and for the understanding and wisdom he gives to scholars and researchers" (CCC 283).
It is outside the scope of this tract to look at the scientific evidence, but a few words need to be said about the interpretation of Genesis and its six days of creation. While there are many interpretations of these six days, they can be grouped into two basic methods of reading the account—a chronological reading and a topical reading.

Chronological Reading

According to the chronological reading, the six days of creation should be understood to have followed each other in strict chronological order. This view is often coupled with the claim that the six days were standard 24-hour days.
Some have denied that they were standard days on the basis that the Hebrew word used in this passage for day (yom) can sometimes mean a longer-than-24-hour period (as it does in Genesis 2:4). However, it seems clear that Genesis 1 presents the days to us as standard days. At the end of each one is a formula like, "And there was evening and there was morning, one day" (Gen. 1:5). Evening and morning are, of course, the transition points between day and night (this is the meaning of the Hebrew terms here), but periods of time longer than 24 hours are not composed of a day and a night. Genesis is presenting these days to us as 24-hour, solar days. If we are not meant to understand them as 24-hour days, it would most likely be because Genesis 1 is not meant to be understood as a literal chronological account.
That is a possibility. Pope Pius XII warned us, "What is the literal sense of a passage is not always as obvious in the speeches and writings of the ancient authors of the East, as it is in the works of our own time. For what they wished to express is not to be determined by the rules of grammar and philology alone, nor solely by the context; the interpreter must, as it were, go back wholly in spirit to those remote centuries of the East and with the aid of history, archaeology, ethnology, and other sciences, accurately determine what modes of writing, so to speak, the authors of that ancient period would be likely to use, and in fact did use. For the ancient peoples of the East, in order to express their ideas, did not always employ those forms or kinds of speech which we use today; but rather those used by the men of their times and countries. What those exactly were the commentator cannot determine as it were in advance, but only after a careful examination of the ancient literature of the East" (Divino Afflante Spiritu 35–36).

The Topical Reading

This leads us to the possiblity that Genesis 1 is to be given a non-chronological, topical reading. Advocates of this view point out that, in ancient literature, it was common to sequence historical material by topic, rather than in strict chronological order.
The argument for a topical ordering notes that at the time the world was created, it had two problems—it was "formless and empty" (1:2). In the first three days of creation, God solves the formlessness problem by structuring different aspects of the environment.
On day one he separates day from night; on day two he separates the waters below (oceans) from the waters above (clouds), with the sky in between; and on day three he separates the waters below from each other, creating dry land. Thus the world has been given form.
But it is still empty, so on the second three days God solves the world’s emptiness problem by giving occupants to each of the three realms he ordered on the previous three days. Thus, having solved the problems of formlessness and emptiness, the task he set for himself, God’s work is complete and he rests on the seventh day.

Real History

The argument is that all of this is real history, it is simply ordered topically rather than chronologically, and the ancient audience of Genesis, it is argued, would have understood it as such.
Even if Genesis 1 records God’s work in a topical fashion, it still records God’s work—things God really did.
The Catechism explains that "Scripture presents the work of the Creator symbolically as a succession of six days of divine ‘work,’ concluded by the ‘rest’ of the seventh day" (CCC 337), but "nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator. The world began when God’s word drew it out of nothingness; all existent beings, all of nature, and all human history is rooted in this primordial event, the very genesis by which the world was constituted and time begun" (CCC 338)
It is impossible to dismiss the events of Genesis 1 as a mere legend. They are accounts of real history, even if they are told in a style of historical writing that Westerners do not typically use.

Adam and Eve: Real People

It is equally impermissible to dismiss the story of Adam and Eve and the fall (Gen. 2–3) as a fiction. A question often raised in this context is whether the human race descended from an original pair of two human beings (a teaching known as monogenism) or a pool of early human couples (a teaching known as polygenism).
In this regard, Pope Pius XII stated: "When, however, there is question of another conjectural opinion, namely polygenism, the children of the Church by no means enjoy such liberty. For the faithful cannot embrace that opinion which maintains either that after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parents of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents. Now, it is in no way apparent how such an opinion can be reconciled that which the sources of revealed truth and the documents of the teaching authority of the Church proposed with regard to original sin which proceeds from a sin actually committed by an individual Adam in which through generation is passed onto all and is in everyone as his own" (Humani Generis 37).
The story of the creation and fall of man is a true one, even if not written entirely according to modern literary techniques. The Catechism states, "The account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses figurative language, but affirms a primeval event, a deed that took place at the beginning of the history of man. Revelation gives us the certainty of faith that the whole of human history is marked by the original fault freely committed by our first parents" (CCC 390).

Science and Religion

The Catholic Church has always taught that "no real disagreement can exist between the theologian and the scientist provided each keeps within his own limits. . . . If nevertheless there is a disagreement . . . it should be remembered that the sacred writers, or more truly ‘the Spirit of God who spoke through them, did not wish to teach men such truths (as the inner structure of visible objects) which do not help anyone to salvation’; and that, for this reason, rather than trying to provide a scientific exposition of nature, they sometimes describe and treat these matters either in a somewhat figurative language or as the common manner of speech those times required, and indeed still requires nowadays in everyday life, even amongst most learned people" (Leo XIII, Providentissimus Deus 18).
As the Catechism puts it, "Methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things the of the faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are" (CCC 159). The Catholic Church has no fear of science or scientific discovery.

Earth Created in 7 days?

2005-05-04T17:39:00.000+12:00

I found it from here.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7013405/
"The stirring on the mount
St. Helens used in drive to prove biblical creation with science"
In the beginning ...
Anderson and his wife, Doris, are the founders of the Mount St. Helens Creation Information Center and curators of the 7 Wonders Creation Museum. They represent a third wave of modern biblical creationist thinking, one that says hard-core science proves the Genesis account of creation.

Mainstream scientists say that because it can sound plausible to non-specialists, it could be a particularly formidable threat to public acceptance of Darwinian evolution as it has been taught for more than a century, which Americans already reject by a ratio of almost 2-to-1, an NBC News poll found in March.

But that still didn’t explain where the Earth came from in the first place. The delicate balance of climatic, geologic and physical conditions that led to life on Earth couldn’t have happened by chance, they said. It all had to be set in motion by a greater intelligence.

Adherents of what is called intelligent design are careful not to speak of “creationism” as it is popularly understood, weary of the Bible-thumping stereotype the word calls up and aware that the Supreme Court has barred teaching the concept in the public schools. So religious legislators and school board members around the country have latched onto intelligent design as a palatable vehicle for undermining evolution in the curriculum.

Most attention has focused on votes to require the teaching of intelligent design in Dover, Pa., and in Cobb County, Ga. Both initiatives have been challenged in court, but similar campaigns are under way in at least 15 other states.

A biblical analysis of hard data
If biblical creationism and intelligent design are at opposite poles of the anti-evolution argument, then Lloyd Anderson and a small number of others like him, popularizing the hypotheses of geologist Steven A. Austin and physicist D. Russell Humphreys, are the vanguard of a modern-day campaign to split the difference.

In the early part of the 20th century, believers in biblical creation rested their assurance purely on the Bible. It says God created the heavens and the Earth in six days, so it must be so. Nearly half of Americans, 44 percent, still believe that, the poll found.

After retreating from serious public engagement following the debacle of the prosecution of Tennessee science teacher John Scopes in 1925, some religious thinkers posited that the data did indeed support the standard reading of the geologic and biological record. Evolution could be correct, they said.

Want more? Go to the site.

Self Discovery

2005-05-04T14:59:00.000+12:00

Lately, I've started caring less and less about the small things. Honestly, maybe Im learning to realise that I really cant fix everything. When you know too much, you care too much, and when you care too much, you worry too much, and when you worry too much, you try too hard, and when you try too hard, you expect too much. And what happens after that? You get dissapointed.
Before, I tried too hard to know too little. You can't force the relevation of information unto yourself. After accepting you dont know much, you begin to start accepting the fact that its nice to know nothing at all (of course this applies to thigs you realise you shouldnt care about) I didnt think I'd say this, but ignorance, IN CERTAIN matters, IS bliss.

OOOOOkkkkk

2005-04-30T00:50:00.000+12:00

OK...too another SHORT test..and got the SAME result...are the tests really conclusive at all? We'll see as I retake them or look for other ones as time passes.

http://bloginality.love-productions.com/index2.php

You are an ISFJ!

As an ISFJ, you are Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging.
This makes your primary focus on Introverted Sensing with Extraverted Feeling.
This is defined as a SJ personality, which is part of Carl Jung's Guardian (Security Seeking) type, and more specifically the Protectors or Nurturer.
In blogging, your journal will always be immaculate and have a touch of style. You may also feel overwhelmed because you want to be a part of everything going on. Because of your wonderful memory, other bloggers may come to you to ask about things you posted months before.

PS: LOL...my blogs dont have much style though. And though I do remember certain events, when its mixed up with bad ones, I wipe them ALL out in one go....a bit sad cos I hardly remember much good stuff, but then its necessary when you wanna 'delete' the unwanted ones.

Design Assignment

2005-04-30T00:39:00.000+12:00

Part of my course requirement is that I work in a team and therefore need to realise and appreciate the different personalities I will encounter. Hopefully by doing so, I can then work towards a better team environment. So we were asked to take this personality test to first find out who WE ourselves are.
Im just gonna post this up, and try to take the test again, to see how consistent the results are. I got it from this website:
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes3.asp

Your Type is
ISFJ
Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging
Strength of the preferences % 22 12 38 56

Qualitative analysis of your type formula
You are:
slightly expressed introvert
slightly expressed sensing personality
moderately expressed feeling personality
moderately expressed judging personality

ISFJs are characterized above all by their desire to serve others, their "need to be needed." In extreme cases, this need is so strong that standard give-and-take relationships are deeply unsatisfying to them; however, most ISFJs find more than enough with which to occupy themselves within the framework of a normal life. (Since ISFJs, like all SJs, are very much bound by the prevailing social conventions, their form of "service" is likely to exclude any elements of moral or political controversy; they specialize in the local, the personal, and the practical.)

ISFJs are often unappreciated, at work, home, and play. Ironically, because they prove over and over that they can be relied on for their loyalty and unstinting, high-quality work, those around them often take them for granted--even take advantage of them. Admittedly, the problem is sometimes aggravated by the ISFJs themselves; for instance, they are notoriously bad at delegating ("If you want it done right, do it yourself"). And although they're hurt by being treated like doormats, they are often unwilling to toot their own horns about their accomplishments because they feel that although they deserve more credit than they're getting, it's somehow wrong to want any sort of reward for doing work (which is supposed to be a virtue in itself). (And as low-profile Is, their actions don't call attention to themselves as with charismatic Es.) Because of all of this, ISFJs are often overworked, and as a result may suffer from psychosomatic illnesses.

In the workplace, ISFJs are methodical and accurate workers, often with very good memories and unexpected analytic abilities; they are also good with people in small-group or one-on-one situations because of their patient and genuinely sympathetic approach to dealing with others. ISFJs make pleasant and reliable co-workers and exemplary employees, but tend to be harried and uncomfortable in supervisory roles. They are capable of forming strong loyalties, but these are personal rather than institutional loyalties; if someone they've bonded with in this way leaves the company, the ISFJ will leave with them, if given the option. Traditional careers for an ISFJ include: teaching, social work, most religious work, nursing, medicine (general practice only), clerical and and secretarial work of any kind, and some kinds of administrative careers.

While their work ethic is high on the ISFJ priority list, their families are the centers of their lives. ISFJs are extremely warm and demonstrative within the family circle--and often possessive of their loved ones, as well. When these include Es who want to socialize with the rest of the world, or self-contained ITs, the ISFJ must learn to adjust to these behaviors and not interpret them as rejection. Being SJs, they place a strong emphasis on conventional behavior (although, unlike STJs, they are usually as concerned with being "nice" as with strict propriety); if any of their nearest and dearest depart from the straight-and-narrow, it causes the ISFJ major embarrassment: the closer the relationship and the more public the act, the more intense the embarrassment (a fact which many of their teenage children take gleeful advantage of). Over time, however, ISFJs usually mellow, and learn to regard the culprits as harmless eccentrics :-). Needless to say, ISFJs take infinite trouble over meals, gifts, celebrations, etc., for their loved ones--although strong Js may tend to focus more on what the recipient should want rather than what they do want.

Like most Is, ISFJs have a few, close friends. They are extremely loyal to these, and are ready to provide emotional and practical support at a moment's notice. (However, like most Fs they hate confrontation; if you get into a fight, don't expect them to jump in after you. You can count on them, however, run and get the nearest authority figure.) Unlike with EPs, the older the friendship is, the more an ISFJ will value it. One ISFJ trait that is easily misunderstood by those who haven't known them long is that they are often unable to either hide or articulate any distress they may be feeling. For instance, an ISFJ child may be reproved for "sulking," the actual cause of which is a combination of physical illness plus misguided "good manners." An adult ISFJ may drive a (later ashamed) friend or SO into a fit of temper over the ISFJ's unexplained moodiness, only afterwards to explain about a death in the family they "didn't want to burden anyone with." Those close to ISFJs should learn to watch for the warning signs in these situations and take the initiative themselves to uncover the problem.

Found this while Browsing

2005-04-24T23:42:00.000+12:00

I was just checking out how many chrisitian denominations there are....you wouldnt guess it. At least 27 000. Look up
http://www.shasta.com/sphaws/denominations.html

Anyway, from this site, I went to
http://web.archive.org/web/20030604071746/http://ic.net/~erasmus/RAZ429.HTM

In there, I found this

"In the same period, St. Augustine - the greatest of all the Fathers and highly regarded by Luther, Calvin and most Protestants - clearly teaches that there exists a Tradition of the Church which is extrascriptural (11) and, in some cases, not even yet dealt with in ecumenical Councils. (12) For example, he mentions the rebaptism of heretics and schismatics as a practice which is contrary to apostolic Tradition, even though the matter had not been written about. He opposes rebaptism (over against the Donatist heresy) because it is not in accordance with the practice "kept by the whole Church everywhere and handed down by the Apostles themselves." (13) Thus, for St. Augustine, the authority of the Church, derived from apostolic Tradition, is normative and final. This is exactly the opposite of the Protestant view, which regards Scripture as somehow the final arbiter (even though it still has to be interpreted by someone authoritatively).
St. Vincent of Lerins, writing c.434, soon after St. Augustine's death, makes the same point about the necessity of Church authority and interpretation, since,
. . . quite plainly, Sacred Scripture, by reason of its own depth, is not accepted by everyone as having one and the same meaning . . . it can almost appear as if there are as many opinions as there are men. (14)
Thus, all the essential components of the Catholic view of Scripture and Tradition are in place within the first 400 years of the Church's existence, and this was the unanimous Christian view until the time of the rise of Protestantism in the 16th century. The constant Catholic teaching was strongly reaffirmed and presented even more explicitly in the Council of Trent in 1546 (15) and the Second Vatican Council in 1965. (16)

Martin Luther, who essentially originated the notion of sola Scriptura, did so somewhat reluctantly and gradually, as dictated by unfortunate circumstances (viewed from his perspective). In his examination at Augsburg in October, 1518 he placed the Bible (that is, his interpretation of it) above the pope, but still admitted the equal authority of Councils. In the Leipzig Disputation with Catholic apologist Johann Eck in July, 1519, he was more or less forced in the heat of debate to place the authority of Scripture above that of Councils as well. Even in this instance he tried in vain to evade the consequences of the inner logic of his own theological position. This evolution is well-documented in many Protestant biographies of Luther.

In the final analysis, both Luther and Calvin espoused a radically subjective and experiential method of determining Christian truth which is somewhat contradictory and not even strictly in harmony with a sola Scriptura perspective, since the interpretational supremacy of the individual (itself an unbiblical notion) is accepted as an unproven axiom. This overly-idealistic assumption was shown to be evidently false in Luther's own lifetime, and all the more so since. In 1522 Luther said that Christians must not regard the "opinion of all Christendom," but that "each one for himself alone" must believe the Scriptures. (17) Later, however, he set up a State Church which operated on markedly authoritarian principles diametrically opposed to his earlier, more radical and subjective stance."

Lots more intereseting stuff there.

1 Peter 4:8-9

2005-04-24T02:28:00.000+12:00

"Above everything, love one another earnestly, because love covers over many sins"

In black and white, put so simply, yet so hard to implement. What if you loved people so much the only way you could think of to not anger them is to avoid them? What if you feel you dont know how people have changed you no longer know how to approach them and you feel you should just take your chances not approaching them? But is this the easy way out? What if your exterior actions dont match your interior emotions? Does fake love count as love because you want to do the right thing?

2005-04-24T02:08:00.000+12:00

NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth itNOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth itNOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth itNOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it NOT worth it

2005-04-23T09:07:00.000+12:00

People who think they are righteous and force their values upon others can never be approached. They have been fed compliments and praises and when their authority is questioned, you will see how they defend themselves. Worst thing is, they think they can provide the best solution, advice and opinion thus influencing others. But as someone who was an indirect victim to this careless 'consultation' you only feel sad for them. You know they are not perfect, but they act as if they are.

21st April

2005-04-21T19:42:00.000+12:00

Does anyone know what the significance of today is? :) 2 of my Pakuranga and uni buddies I've known since 2003 buddies got together this day 2 years ago but I didnt realise it until I spent almost an afternoon out with them. Where did we go? (Yes, only 3 of us, talk about being a thrid wheel :P) Musick point! To be honest, they didnt make me feel like a 'lamp post' at all. D and L are nice people la...I think if they hadnt called me out,I wouldnt have done anything interesting today. Kinda nice that Im their occasional unofficial photographer. I did feel kinda bad at times because I know they werent doing 'couple' things due to my presence.
Erm...I didnt take any pictures, wished I did though....but truly, it was a little adventure in itself. The exploration of the coast along the peninsula of Eastern and Bucklands beach. The ragged edges along the cliff, the sliced rocks, the hidden caves, the melting of the sun into the horizon....its like we're small blobs of paint in a huge canvas of a masterpiece. We cant see the Artist, but you know there's one. Masterpieces don't just come about without love and effort.

The Minstry of Music

2005-04-18T21:16:00.000+12:00

Liturgy: The public prayer of the church
I realise I've been plagerising alot lately, but I think the reason I do this is so that I can get rid of all the pieces of paper hanging around my table. Then one day, I hope to spend my golden years reading back what I wrote. Watch if I've grown, if I deteriorated, if I've become worst...yea...so this is what I got in the workshop last sunday afternoon at 3pm.
I think its a poem.

"Yours is a share,
in the work of the Lord's spirit,
who draws us together as one,who makes harmony out of discord,
who sings in our hearts, the lyric of all that is holy.
Yours is the joy of sounding that first note which brings the assembly to its feet,
ready to praise God.
Yours is to impart a "quality of joy and enthusiasm that cannot be gained in any other way"
Yours is a ministry that reaches the deepest recesses of the human heart;
your work is soul-stirring. Yours is none other than the Lord's song;
you draw us into that canticle of divine praise sung throughout the ages in the halls of heaven.
You help us respond to God's word, to acclaim the Gospel, to sing of our salvation of Christ.
Yours is a ministry that gathers so many voices into one grand choir of praise.

Come to your work from your personal prayer.
Let your rehearsals begin with prayer in common.
Let your practise be marked by unanimity in spirit and in ideals.
Be gentle in correcting one another:
The kingdom will not fall on one flatted note.
Open your choir to those whom the Lord has blessed with mmusical gifts;
help the not-so-gifted discern the talents that are theirs.
Rehearse the Lord's song with the reverance it is due. Take care to study the scriptures for the liturgy in which you will serve;
know well the word that calls forth our praise.
Let the lyrics of your songs be strong, tru and rooted in the scriptures; those who sing the Lord's word sing the Lord's song.
Make no room for the trite, the maudlin, the sentimental.
Open your hearts and voices to new songs worthy of God's people at prayer.
Let your repertoire change as all living things must,
but not so much that the song of God's people is lost.

Be ambitious for the higher gifts, but not beyond your gifts;
respect the range of talent the Lord has given you and your community.
Think first of the assembly's song, for this is the song you serve.
Let your music be always the servant of the Lord of God's people,
of the divine service they offer.
Let the service of your music complement but never overshadow the people's ritual prayer,and your art a gift.
Let technique become no idol, but a tool for honing the beauty of your gift.

Remember that your ministry is ever an emptying out of yourself;
when the solo is assigned to another, let that singer's offering become your prayer.
When no comments on the new motet, be thankful that your work led the people to God,
not you. When the assembly will not sing,be patient with them and with yourselves;
the Lord's song is sometimes a quiet one, and silence precedes every hymn.
Waste no time wondering, "Do you think they liked it?" but ask at all tiems,
"Did it help them and all of us to pray?" When your ministry leads you to music, it has led you astray. When the ministry leads you to the Lord, it has brought you home.

When your brothers and sisters thank and praise you for your work, take delight in the song their prayer has become and rejoice in its work the Lord has accomplished through you.
Be faithful in the work you do, for through it the Lord saves his people."

Thats enough typing on my part! Have a good holiday peeps!

General

2005-04-17T23:37:00.000+12:00

I've read a couple of blogs and realise that blogging can actually crush human communication in so many levels. Rather than relate to a friend in person what happen, or cry out your problems to a person, it has become a dumping ground of frustration, sadness, insecurites and anger. People face trouble with friendships and instead of dealing with the problem, they type it out neatly and click the 'Publish Post' button. Hey, I'm guilty for all the above by the way. It didnt use to be that way. I think by blogging, you sorta release some of the guilt you feel when you've screwed up, but because you're too 'high up', too 'egoistic', too 'always right', too 'Im wiser', you feel by typing down what MAY be your fault into a publicly accessible blog, thinking the other party involved is gonna read about it anyway, hopefully things will go back to normal, and if they don't who cares? I used to bother too much about apologising when I made mistake, then I met people who just wanna release some 'pent up' anger and with a swing of a wand, "VOILA"everything goes back to normal. Na, Im gonna try something else this time....

On another note, I know this is too little too late, but having heard my car-pool buddies talk about THE notebook..yes..I JUST watched it, I don't think its half as bad as I thought it to be. People will say, it's so hollywood, the main female character seems to act an impulse and she has 2 men after her, waiting hand and foot. But surprise surprise, it has some realism imbued into it. Im sure of the many people you know, there's a friend, a so and so who's in 'love' with this other girl who already has a boyfriend. Sure people can criticize the movie and say its all about self-fulfilment, about impulse, but this only shows how easily we all succumb to temptation. Its a bit ironic that within this fairy tale of a story, we actually find its a very 'human tale'.

2005-04-17T09:09:00.000+12:00

Your Seduction Style: The Natural

You don't really try to seduce people... it just seems to happen.
Fun loving and free spirited, you bring out the inner child in people.
You are spontaneous, sincere, and unpretentious - a hard combo to find!
People drop their guard around you, and find themselves falling fast.

What Is Your Seduction Style?

I've Never Done This Before

2005-04-13T21:42:00.000+12:00

I've never had SO much difficulty talking to someone on the phone. So I return this person's call, she asks me why I dont wanna go for this camp coming up.
I give my reason. She replies and replies and replies and replies. I try to emphasize that she has the wrong idea.....no...she continues with the same thing again and again and again...Is she listening? Nope.
As I type this, I've placed the handset on the table next to the laptop (she's still talking) She doesnt even know I've stopped listening. Its been 3 minutes...I'll check the handset. No sound on the other side.

Something Else To Read

2005-04-13T17:34:00.000+12:00

Forwarded Mail can contain important things after all! Thanks, Evangeline.
In an interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren said:

People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond, In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to
spend trillion of years in eternity.

This is the warm-up act, the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity . We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one or you're getting ready to
go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in! making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ-likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you got to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain."

But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others. We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her
character , given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people...You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for you to
own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to
fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan - to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick , and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my! bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better ...God didn't put me on earth just to fulfil a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

2005-04-09T23:42:00.000+12:00

I always told myself I'd give this testimonial one day, just didnt think it'd be so soon. I developed a habit of praying before I drove to my destination, and till today, I have had no physical accidents with other vehicles. Today, a van backed into the side of my car where my front wheel was. The dent ....not sure how big it is wasnt that severe. The lady was so sorry. The thing is, my car was stationary when it happened cos I was filling the tires with air.
A few weeks ago, I replaced my front tires. So today, when I tried pumping them, I realised there was adequate air in the front right tire, so I continued to pump the back tyres. I was on my last tyre when she hit me. She got out, kept on saying sorry, and said she didnt realise my car was there. It didnt come to me until she said "You were pumping your tyres? Luckily you werent pumping that one" And she pointed at the front left one. Cos if I was there, I would have probably been hit by her. And to think at the split second my car was hit, all I could think of was why God chose to let this happen to me on THIS night, right after I spent 7 hours in a christian convention, trying to get right with Him, and feeling happy and satisfied about it too.....I blame Him too much. Too, too much.
Father,I'm so, so, so,sorry, I'll continue to pray, for my safety when Im in the car, and for the safety of its occupants.

2005-04-07T22:56:00.000+12:00

Ever had someone whom you thought you could openly discuss matters with and not fear of being judged? I learnt the hard way that EVERYONE will be defensive about something no matter how hard they 'try' to be open. There are somethings people just already have a mindset on and when questioned, they just bring out their guns, ready to fire. Who doesnt have an ego? Who likes it when people ask questions about something that is 'sacred' to them? No one...how naive I am.

Trust

2005-04-05T00:49:00.000+12:00

You hear that the world would be a better place if its inabitants loved each other more. How true, but I think we're forgetting the importance of trust. I think there can be no love without trust. I KNOW if there was enough trust in another man, there'd be no need for lawyers.
"Did you rob this lady?" No
"Did you steal this car?" Yes
No need for a jury, no need for lawyers, just a judge.
Is trust an emotion that cant be controlled? Is it an understanding that is nurtured through time? I don't know. Im no expert. I have been put in positions where I HAVE to trust someone. I wish it didnt have to be that way, since when you HAVE to do something, it is done unwillingly. Yet in the past, I havent been able to wisely judge when I could trust someone. Also in the past, I havent been able to prove that I could be trusted. My my...the things I type when I've had caffeine and desperate to fall asleep. Caught in the twilight of inability to do work due to zombiefication and the want for the comfort of the soft pillow caressing my cheeks before I fall asleep.
Come to me my blanket!

Passing of Pope John Paul II

2005-04-03T13:18:00.000+12:00

From thestar.com.my
"In this day of world leaders who tell us what their handlers think we want to hear, who don't open their mouths without checking the polls and focus groups, John Paul was clearly different," said a commentary from America, a New York-based Catholic weekly.

From nzherald.co.nz
STANISLAW WITEK, 56, AN ELECTRICIAN IN THE POPE’S HOMETOWN OF WADOWICE:
"I have work waiting for me in Belgium, but I think I’ll be going to Rome. I cannot explain it. I’ve never met him, but he is someone who simply radiates a force. There has never been such a Pole as him and there will never be. "

JERZY URBAN, EX-SPOKESMAN OF POLAND’S PAST COMMUNIST RULERS:
"As a godless atheist I never cared much for the church or the papacy. I disliked the fact that the papacy bore down so heavily on Poland. Now I fear that a cult will emerge after his death."

BERTIE AHERN, IRISH PRIME MINISTER
"I wonder whether all the changes would have happened in eastern Europe if he’d not been there for the last quarter of a century. I don’t think it would have. I think he had a powerful influence on that change."

JOHN HOWARD, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER
"The contribution that he made to the freeing of his native Poland, and what was set in train ultimately leading to the collapse of Soviet communism, is one of the more remarkable features of his life. The world has lost one of the dominant personal influences of my generation and indeed of many years."

HELEN CLARK, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER:
"I think it is a time of tremendous sadness, not only for the world’s Roman Catholic community, but for the whole world knowing the very powerful messages around peace and democracy which the Pope brought to the world for many years."

Chronological Events

May 18, 1920 -- Born Karol Jozef Wojtyla, in Wadowice, Poland, second son of a retired Polish army sergeant and a mother of Lithuanian origin.

1942 -- After losing all members of his immediate family, he decides to become a priest and studies secretly for ordination during the Nazi occupation.

Nov 1, 1946 -- Ordained in Krakow, completes studies at pontifical universities in Rome and returns to Poland.

Sept 28, 1958 -- Consecrated assistant Bishop of Krakow.

Jan 13, 1964 -- Named Archbishop of Krakow.

June 26, 1967 -- Created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.

Oct 16, 1978 -- Elected the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years. His pontificate begins officially six days later.

June 2-10, 1979 -- Returns to his communist-ruled homeland, a trip seen as a factor in the rise of the Solidarity movement.

May 13, 1981 -- Pope is shot by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca in St Peter's Square. Surgery saves his life.

May 12, 1982 -- Rebel Spanish priest Juan Fernandez Krohn tries to stab the Pope in Fatima, Portugal. He is not hurt.

June 8-14, 1987 -- In his third visit to his homeland, the Pope strongly defends the banned Solidarity trade union.

June 25, 1987 -- The Pope receives Austrian President Kurt Waldheim, angering Jews who accused him of Nazi war crimes and plunging Catholic-Jewish relations to lowest point in 25 years.

Dec 1, 1989 -- Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev invites Pope to visit Soviet Union. The Pope steps up re-establishment of Church hierarchy throughout the East Bloc.

April 21, 1990 -- The Pope flies to Czechoslovakia to hail the collapse of communism with President Vaclav Havel.

Oct 18, 1990 -- At a Vatican synod, the Pope rules out a married priesthood.

July 15, 1992 -- Pope undergoes major surgery to remove an intestinal tumour the size of an orange.

Oct 31, 1992 -- After 359 years, Pope rehabilitates Galileo, condemned by the Church for saying Earth turns around the sun.

Nov 11, 1992 -- The Anglican Church's decision to allow women priests brings relations with the Vatican to a new low.

Dec 7, 1992 -- Pope issues the Roman Catholic Church's new universal Catechism -- the first in nearly five centuries.

Dec 28, 1993 -- The Vatican and Israel forge full diplomatic ties in the most important move towards ending nearly 2,000 years of distrust and hostility between Christians and Jews.

April 28, 1994 -- Pope slips in his bath and breaks right thigh bone.

Oct 17, 1994 -- Pope becomes best-selling author with publication of the book "Crossing the Threshold of Faith".

May 17, 1995 -- On the eve of his 75th birthday, the Pope rules out suggestions he should retire as other bishops do at age 75. Says he will remain in the job for as long as God wants.

Dec 25, 1995 -- Influenza forces the Pope to miss Christmas mass for the first time in his pontificate.

Sept 9, 1997 -- Pope's frailty keeps him from attending funeral of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Oct 31, 1997 -- In a major speech, the Pope says Christians failed during the Holocaust.

Jan 1, 2000 -- Pope opens Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica to usher in Christianity's third millennium.

March 13, 2000 -- The Pope asks pardon for the Church's past sins, including against Jews, heretics, women and minorities.

March 20-26, 2000 -- Pope makes trip to the Holy Land, visiting holy sites in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

May 8, 2001 - Pope ends visit to Syria, makes history by becoming the first Pope in history to enter a mosque.

Nov 22, 2001 - The Pope apologises to victims of sexual abuse by priests and other clergy.

August 2002 - Pope makes last poignant visit to his Polish homeland, visiting Krakow, and talking about death.

Oct 2002 - Pope marks 24th anniversary by issuing changes to the rosary, the most commonly known Catholic method of praying, for the first time in nine centuries.

January-March 2003 - The pope is at the forefront of an international church campaign to avert war in Iraq.

Oct 19, 2003 - Pope beatifies Mother Teresa before a crowd of 300,000, calling her an "icon" of charity.

Dec 18, 2004 - Pope John Paul condemns same sex marriage as an attack on the fabric of society.

Feb 1, 2005 - Pope taken to hospital in Rome with acute breathing problems and stays for 10 days, missing Ash Wednesday rituals at the Vatican for the first time in his papacy.

Feb 24, 2005 - A second bout of respiratory problems puts John Paul back in Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he undergoes a tracheotomy to ease his breathing but temporarily loses his voice.

March 1, 2005 - Pope John Paul starts speaking again.

March 13, 2005 - Pope John Paul speaks directly to the Roman Catholic faithful for the first time since throat surgery. He returns to Vatican later that day.

March 20, 2005 - For the first time in the papacy, Holy Week services leading up to Easter begin without the Pontiff.

March 24, 2005 - A cardinal who stood in for pontiff at a Holy Thursday ceremony at the Vatican says the ailing Pontiff was "serenely abandoning" himself to God's will.

March 27 - The Pope appears at the window of the Vatican following Easter services.

March 30, 2005: Vatican announces that the Pope is being fed through a nasal tube in an effort to boost his strength and help his slow recovery from throat surgery.

March 31, 2005: The Pope suffering from a very high fever caused by a urinary infection, the Vatican said.

April 2, 2005 - Dies at 7.37pm GMT (7.37am April 3 NZT)

Today

2005-04-01T20:32:00.000+12:00

Today, this morning I learnt something in class. Something which brought back memories of what my dad said to me, and is still going to say to me. "Carelessness is not an excuse."
Truth be told, I thought he was too harsh on me. Im his son, Im allowed to make mistakes, everyone deserves to learn from THIER mistakes. But what if OTHER people have to learn from your mistakes?
What did I learn exactly? The major disasters that occured in chemical plants. How people made A mistake, and how hundreds pay for the mistake with their lives. It really made me think again about the occupation I may one day get into. Even the lecturer himself told me how he was in management at that time, and chose not to fix a fault he could have. Someone was killed. He didnt say why he chose not to, but he said he feels he was partly responsible. This is what he says NOW, but Im sure when it happened THEN, he was blaming himself. Im sure he thinks about it, Im sure he tells the same thing every year to every class, Im sure he does his best to live with it. But to have that on your shoulder, its not pleasant.
I think he did the right thing by emphasising on the issue of safety when working in a plant.(He spent an hour on it in a 2 hour lecture) He continued to elaborate on how people have died in plants out of their foolishness, or of others.
If its another thing I learnt, (well, I already learnt this, this is sorta like a reminder) its that life is precious, so, so precious. I cant imagine saying goodbye to my family before going to work, something happening to me due to my fault or someone else's in the workplace, and ....well....I leave the rest to your imagination. I think routine and the quotidian rhythm in which our lives beat is te culprit behind us taking things for granted. We go to study/work only thinking about the next deadline and assignment. Do you have someone whom you love? Do you have someone you look forward to seeing to everyday? Do you have someone you know is there, but never really realised how they contributed in your lives? Do you want to mend a relationship you cherish? If you can live your life without taking these people for granted, I applaud you.

Sci Fi

2005-03-31T18:22:00.000+12:00

The year is 2060. All engineers are filthy rich and the rest of the people are sad. Even doctors and lawyers....lol. Everything you see on the shelf is made in China (Actually, that already happened in 2010). Global warming is so bad, food sources are expensive. Fuel is depleted, an alternative fuel source is not readily available. People walk and cars are now left to rust in garages. Bicylces are now the mode of transportation. They don't clog up highways, and no one ever gets a speeding ticket. Traffic lights are obsolete since it doesnt hurt that much anyway when bicycles collide into each other. There's no problem with parking since future bikes are made of super strong, super light composites and can be folded into a backpack thanks to Materials Engineers. Chemical Engineers helped too. The food shortage coupled with the extreme heats are causing the people are now to be shorter since small bodies require less food and disperse heat more easily. The next generation of men are short. Women with tall husbands are busy fending off ditzy, dumb blondeshells.
Socialising no longer involves going to the beach/hanging out in the Malls/going out for ice cream (ice cream is as expensive as caviar now) People prefer to stay indoors and stay online the whole day chatting, blogging, video conferencing. And since no one ever goes out, people dont care about how they look anymore. This balances out the food shortage. With sedentary activity and less food, people dont get fat anymore.
Computers have replaced pets (all animals besides those that provide food are dead).

"K****** is a dying breed of man.", Kevin - 8:15 am/ASU Driver's Seat/ 31 March 2005

Just A Point

2005-03-26T16:09:00.000+12:00

Something the catholic church has kept hush hush is the issue of child molestation from priests. Being a catholic, I do not fully agree with how several cases have been handled, but I dont think just because a number of priests are sick, the whole church has to suffer. I found an article quite some time ago, but I believe I should put this one up for my own reference.
It's from http://www.catholic.com/library/A_Crisis_of_Saints.asp
A Crisis of Saints

By Fr. Roger Landry
April 2002

Headlines were captured in February by the tragic reports that as many as seventy priests in the Archdiocese of Boston, Massachusetts, allegedly have abused young people whom they were consecrated to serve. In the wake this news, allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic priests have sprung up nationwide. It is a huge scandal, one that many people who dislike the Catholic Church because of its moral teachings are using to claim that the Church is hypocritical and that they were right all along. Many people have come up to priests like myself to talk about it. I imagine many others have wanted to but have refrained out of respect or from not wanting to bring up bad news.

We need to tackle the issue head-on. Catholics have a right to it from their clergy. We cannot pretend it doesn't exist, and I would like to discuss what our response as faithful Catholics should be to this terrible situation.

The Judas syndrome

The first thing we need to do is to understand this scandal from the perspective of our faith in the Lord. Before he chose his first disciples, Jesus went up the mountain to pray all night (Luke 6:12). He had many followers at the time. He talked to his Father in prayer about whom he should choose to be his twelve apostles-the twelve whom he would form intimately, the twelve whom he would send out to preach the good news in his name. He gave them power to cast out demons. He gave them power to cure the sick. They watched him work countless miracles. They themselves worked countless others in his name.

Yet one of them tuned out to be a traitor. One who had followed the Lord-who had seen him walk on water and raise people from the dead and forgive sinners, one whose feet the Lord had washed-betrayed him. The gospels tells us that Judas allowed Satan to enter into him and then sold the Lord for thirty pieces of silver, handing him over by faking a gesture of love. "Judas," Jesus said to him in the garden of Gethsemane, "would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" (Luke 24:48).

Jesus didn't choose Judas to betray him. But Judas was always free, and he used his freedom to allow Satan to enter into him, and by his betrayal Jesus was crucified and executed. But God foresaw this evil and used to accomplish the ultimate good: the redemption of the world.

The point is, sometimes God's chosen ones betray him. That is a fact that we have to confront. If the early Christians had focused only on the scandal caused by Judas, the Church would have been finished before it even started to grow. Instead they recognized that you don't judge a movement by those who don't live it but by those who do. Rather than focusing on the betrayer, they focused on the other eleven on account of whose work, preaching, miracles, and love for Christ we are here today. It is on account of the other eleven-all of whom except John were martyred for Christ and for the gospel they proclaimed-that we ever heard the saving word of God, that we ever received the sacraments of eternal life.

We are confronted by the same scandalous reality today. We can focus on those who have betrayed the Lord, those who abused rather than loved the people whom they were called to serve. Or we can focus, as did the early Church, on those who have remained faithful, those priests who are still offering their lives to serve Christ and you out of love. The secular media almost never focuses on the good "eleven," the ones whom Jesus has chosen who remain faithful, who live lives of quiet holiness. But we the Church must keep the terrible scandal that we are witnessing in its true and full perspective.

Great saints of scandal born

Unfortunately, scandal is nothing new for the Church. There have been many times through the ages when things were much worse off than they are now. The history of the Church is like a cosine curve with many ups and downs. At the times when the Church hits its low points God raises up tremendous saints to bring the Church back to its real mission. It's almost as if in those times of darkness the light of Christ shines ever more brightly. I would like to focus on a couple of saints whom God raised up in such difficult times, because their wisdom can guide us during our own difficult time.

Francis de Sales came along after the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation was not principally about theology-although theological differences came later-but about morals. Martin Luther, an Augustinian priest, lived during the reign of perhaps the most notorious pope in history, Alexander VI. This pope never taught anything against the faith-the Holy Spirit prevented that-but he was a wicked man. He had nine children from six different concubines. He put out contracts on the lives of those he considered his enemies.

Luther, like everyone, must have wondered how God could allow a wicked man to be the visible head of his Church. All types of moral problems confronted Luther even in his own country of Germany. Priests were living in open relationships with women. Some made exaggerated claims about indulgences. There was terrible immorality among lay Catholics. Luther was scandalized, as anyone who loved God should have been. He allowed the scandal to drive him from the Church.

Eventually God raised up many saints to combat this erroneous solution and to bring people back to the Church Christ founded. Francis de Sales was one of them. At the risk of his life he went through Switzerland, where the Calvinists were popular, preaching the gospel with truth and love. Several times on his travels he was beaten and left for dead.

Someone once asked him to address the situation of the scandal caused by so many of his brother priests. What Francis de Sales said is as important for us today as it was then. He did not pull any punches. He said, "While those who give scandal are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder [i.e., destroying other people's faith in God by their terrible example], those who take scandal-who allow scandals to destroy their faith-are guilty of spiritual suicide." They are guilty, he said, of cutting off their life with Christ by abandoning the source of life in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. He went among the people in Switzerland trying to prevent their committing spiritual suicide on account of the scandals. As a priest today I would say the same thing to you.

What should our reaction be then? Another saint who lived in a difficult time also can help us. Francis of Assisi lived in the thirteenth century, which was a time of terrible immorality in central Italy. Priests were setting horrible examples. Lay immorality was terrible, too. Francis himself while a young man gave scandal to others by his carefree ways. But eventually he was converted back to the Lord, founded the Franciscans, helped God rebuild his Church, and became one of the great saints of all time.

There is a story told of Francis of Assisi that sticks in my mind from one of the biographies I read as a seminarian. Once one of the brothers in the order of Friars Minor who was sensitive to scandal asked him, "Brother Francis, what would you do if you knew that a priest celebrating Mass had three concubines on the side?" Francis replied, "When it came time for Holy Communion, I would go to receive the sacred body of my Lord from the priest's anointed hands."

Francis was getting at a tremendous truth of the faith and a tremendous gift of the Lord: God has made the sacraments "priest-proof." No matter how holy or wicked a priest is, provided he has the intention to do what the Church does, then Christ himself acts through the priest, just as he acted through Judas when Judas ministered as an apostle. So whether Pope John Paul II or a priest on death row for a felony consecrates the bread and wine, it is Christ himself who acts to gives us his own body and blood. Francis was saying he was not going to let the wickedness or immorality of the priest lead him (Francis) to commit spiritual suicide.

Christ can work still and does work still even through the most sinful priest. And thank God! If we were dependent on the priest's personal holiness, we would be in trouble. Though they are chosen by God from among men, priests are tempted and fall into sin just like anyone else. But of course God knew that from the beginning. Eleven of the first twelve apostles scattered when Christ was arrested, but they came back.

The only authentic response

There has been a lot of talk in the media about what the response of the Church ought to be to these scandalous deeds. Does the Church have to do a better job in making sure no one with a predisposition toward pedophilia gets ordained? Absolutely. But that is not enough.

Does the Church have to do a better job in handling cases when they are reported? Absolutely. Though the Church's procedures for handling these cases are much better today than they were twenty years ago, they can always be improved. But even that is not enough.

Do we have to do more to support the victims of such abuse? Yes we do, both out of justice and out of love. But not even that is adequate. Cardinal Bernard Law has persuaded many of the medical school deans in Boston to work on establishing a center for the prevention of child abuse, which is something we should all support. But that by itself is not sufficient.

The only adequate response to this terrible scandal, the only fully Catholic response-as Francis of Assisi recognized in the 1200s, as Francis de Sales recognized in the 1600s, and as countless other saints have recognized in every century-is holiness. Every crisis that the Church faces, every crisis that the world faces, is a crisis of saints. Holiness is crucial because it is the real face of the Church.

There are always people-a priest meets them regularly, and you probably know several of them-who use excuses for why they don't practice the faith, why they commit spiritual suicide. It may be that a nun was mean to them when they were nine or that they find the teaching of the Church on a particular issue too burdensome. There are many people these days who say, "Why should I practice the faith, why should I go to church? The Church can't be true if God's so-called chosen ones can do the types of things we've been reading about!"

This scandal is a scaffold on which some will try to hang their justification for not practicing the faith. That is why personal holiness is so important. Such people need to find in all of us a reason for faith, a reason for hope, a reason for responding with love to the love of the Lord. The beatitudes in Christ's Sermon on the Mount are a recipe for holiness. We all need to live them more.

Do priests have to become holier? They sure do. Do religious brothers and sisters have to become holier and give ever-greater witness to God and heaven? Absolutely. All people in the Church have the vocation to be holy, and this crisis is a wake-up call.

It's a tough time to be a priest today. It's a tough time to be a Catholic today. But it's also a great time to be a priest and a great time to be a Catholic. Jesus says, "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" (Matt. 5:11-12).

I have been experiencing that beatitude firsthand, as have other priests I know. Earlier this week I had finished my exercise at a local gym and was coming out of the locker room dressed in my black clerical garb. Upon seeing me, a mother hurriedly moved her children out of the way and shielded them from me as I was passing. She glared at me as I passed, and when I was far enough away she finally relaxed and let her children go-as if I would have attacked them in the middle of the afternoon at a health club!

But while we all might have to suffer such insults and even slander on account of Christ, we should indeed rejoice. It's a great time to be a Christian, because this is a time in which God really needs us to show his true face. In bygone days in America, the Church was respected. Priests were respected. The Church had a reputation for holiness and goodness. Not so at the moment.

The Church will never fail

For almost three years of my life in the early 1990s, while in my car I listened to nothing but tapes by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, one of the greatest Catholic preachers in American history. On a couple of his tapes for priests' retreats, Bishop Sheen said that he preferred to live in times when the Church has suffered rather than thrived, when the Church had to struggle, when the Church had to go against the culture. It was a time for real men and real women to stand up and be counted. "Even dead bodies can float downstream," he said, pointing that many people can coast when the Church is respected, "but it takes a real man, a real woman, to swim against the current."

How true that is. It takes a real man or a real woman to stand up against the current that is flowing against the Church. It takes a real man or a real woman to recognize that when you are resisting the flood of criticism, you are safest when you stay attached to the Rock on whom Christ built his Church. This is one of those times. It's a great time to be a Christian.

Some people are predicting that the Church is in for a rough time, and maybe it is. But the Church will survive because the Lord will make sure it survives. One of the greatest comeback lines in history was uttered two hundred years ago. As his armies were swallowing up the countries of Europe, French emperor Napoleon is reported to have said to Church officials, "Je détruirai votre église" ("I will destroy your Church")." When informed of the emperor's words, Ercole Cardinal Consalvi, one of the great statesmen of the papal court, replied, "He will never succeed. We have not managed to do it ourselves!" If bad popes, immoral priests, and countless sinners in the Church hadn't succeeded in destroying the Church from within, Cardinal Consalvi was saying, how did Napoleon think he was going to do it from without?

The Cardinal was pointing to a crucial truth: Christ will never allow his Church to fail. He promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against his Church (Matt. 16:18); that the barque of Peter, the Church sailing through time to its eternal port in heaven, will never capsize-not because those in the boat won't do everything sinfully possible to overturn it but because Christ, who is captain of the boat, will never allow it to happen.

The magnitude of the current scandal might be such that some will find it difficult to trust priests in the same way as in the past. That is regrettable, though it might not be a completely bad thing. Yet you must never lose trust in Christ! It is his Church. After Judas's death the eleven apostles convened; the Holy Spirit chose Matthias to take Judas's place, and he proclaimed the gospel faithfully until he was martyred for it. In the same way today, even if some of those the Lord chose have betrayed him, he will call others who will be faithful, who will serve you with the love with which you deserve to be served.

This is a time in which all of us need to focus ever more on holiness. We are called to be saints, and how much our society needs to see this beautiful, radiant face of the Church! You are part of the solution-a crucial part. And as you go forward in Mass to receive from the priest's anointed hands the sacred body of your Lord, ask Christ to fill you with a real desire for sanctity, a real desire to show his true face.

One of the reasons I am a priest today is because when I younger I was under-impressed with some of the priests I knew. I watched them celebrate Mass and with little reverence drop the body of the Lord onto the paten, as if they were handling something of small value rather than the Creator and Savior of all, rather than my Creator and Savior. I remember praying, "Lord, please let me become a priest, so I can treat you like you deserve!" It kindled in me a great fire to serve the Lord.

Maybe this scandal can kindle in you the same thing. If you choose, this scandal can lead you down to the path of spiritual suicide. But it should inspire you to say finally to God, "I want to become a saint so that I and the Church can give your name the glory it deserves, so that others might find in you the love and the salvation that I have found."

Jesus is with us, as he promised, until the end of time. He is still in the boat. Just as out of Judas's betrayal he achieved the greatest victory in the universe-our salvation through his passion, death and resurrection-so out of this new scandal he may bring, wants to bring, a new rebirth of holiness, a new Acts of the Apostles for the twenty-first century, with each of us-and that includes you-playing a starring role. Now is the time for real men and women of the Church to stand up. Now is the time for saints. How will you respond?

To My Brothers

2005-03-23T21:33:00.000+12:00

If its one thing I learnt in my journey to where I am today, it is that people dissapoint you, people hurt you, people cheat you, people mock you. People have the power to inflict a lot of pain on you in so many ways so many times. Which is why I realise the importance of family. Family to me, is another category of 'people'.
It is in this category of people, that I do my best to not harbour any hatred of any sort towards no matter the circumstances. I repeat, NO MATTER the circumstances. This implies that you both, being 'people' are still in the position to do what 'people' do me, but I have placed you in another level of relationship. And though I do show my anger so many times, let me assure you, these feelings do not evolve into
hate.

Forgive me for the times I complained about you,
I know there are many things to complain about me.
Forgive me for the times I said I was dissapointed with you,
I know I have dissapointed you as well.
Forgive me for when I said unkind words to you,
maybe I received my share of it and didnt give it much thought when I did the same.
Forgive me for when I showed my temper to you,
I know there were times when you could have shown it too but didnt.
Forgive me if I have to be the one with the rules,
the implementation of it does not come willingly.
Forgive me if I appear to be such a goody two shoes,
maybe I thought I had to provide a positive image.
Forgive me for when I neglected you,
maybe I too feel neglected and find other ways of filling the void.
Forgive me if I come home with a cloud over me,
maybe I couldnt let it rain when people were around.
Forgive me if I dissaprove of the things you do,
maybe my approval is hard to give when it comes to someone you care for.

She's Leaving On a Jet Plane

2005-03-19T20:42:00.000+13:00

Without realising it, my mom's visit made the house feel like home. There was no friendly face to welcome me back after uni (my bro's face runs parallel to the computer screen), no warm meal waiting to be served during dinner (my meals are room temperature), no one forcing me to eat more so there wont be any leftovers. I think I spent more time with her here compared to back when I was in Msia. Something about Msia makes u wanna go out and do stuff. The itchy feeling you get that can't be satisfied with Astro or Streamyx. Maybe it's something about this expensive place of a country-NZ that brings people together. Finding other things to do that don't require external sources of entertainment which directly encourages you to spend and spend. Sure I miss the noise in Pasar Malam, the cancerous fumes from the fuel guzzling generators, the sardine like LRTs and the el cheapo stuff in Pasar Seni, and the tong sui from Desa Setapak, and the Fried Kuey Teow and Pan Mee and Laksa and satay and roti canai and .......ok.(Wipes drool)ICE KACANG!....come to me!!!!
AHEM!*COUGH COUGH* My point is, Im gonna severely miss my Mom. Severely.

Teach Me, Someone

2005-03-15T21:07:00.000+13:00

How do people hear insults, not from strangers, but from close ones and not let it affect them? Some friends of mine have the ability to just 'forget' the bad stuff that happened and move on with little effort.
I heard once, "I did it for you cos I took pity on you" And now when friends are nice to me, I think, am I being pitied?
I heard once, "You're boring" and I try so hard now to squeeze a laugh out of people without considering the effects of it.
I heard once, "You're so sensitive" and when I notice someone doesnt look right, I think twice about asking whats wrong.
I heard once, "You're fat" and I think now if I would have more friends if I had lost weight earlier.

On another note, is it called abandoning a friend with whom you actually get peace of mind avoiding? You don't mind the occasional exchange of words, but what if you actually feel more comfortable not speaking to them? What if you feel that with other people, you're not so restricted, more relaxed, less conscious about what you do or say cos when that person's around, it feels as if you're being judged?

Well, its like this

2005-03-12T22:08:00.000+13:00

So why issit that some people do their last assignments last minute, get average results, and do excellent in exams while others are excellent in toiling and sweating to study and finish their assignments early and only do average in exams?

So why issit some people can get so much attention with so little real charisma while others try to show their sincerity and get no love?

Well, I dunno, but I do know everything happens for a reason, so divinely complex, our finite brains imbued with jealosy, hate, injustice and other bad stuff cannot possibly understand. So, on with life.

Series of Unfortunate Events with Fortunate Friends

2005-03-06T21:19:00.000+13:00

10am : Locked ourselves out of the house.
How? I opened my car door, went back into the house bringing the keys, left it on the kitchen counter to throw some rubbish. Went back out to the car, forgetting my keys, my brother followed me from behind and locked the door behind him. Voila. 2 people stuck outside.
Solution? Went to my neighbours who had a spare set of keys.

11:30am Punctured 2 (TWO, DUA, no-le, ni, er) car tyres - one on the front, one behind.
How? I was teaching my brother how to drive before he had to go to work. He hit the curb, very hard. A loud hissing sound followed, air has a thing for not staying in tyres once there's a big gaping hole in them.
Solution? Here's the fun part. We both didnt notice TWO tyres were punctured. Thinking only one tyre needed replacing, we both walked home (30 mins to and fro) to retrieve a car jack. Upon returning to the car, we noticed the other punctured tyre. My phone battery died, my brother didnt bring his phone.(Why didnt he bring his phone? I dunno, I dunno I dunno) Frustration made me make my brother walk back home to call a tow truck. One hour later, he comes back with our next door neighbour telling me the tow truck cant be sent cause there's an insurance issue. The neighbour gives me a lift home.
2pm: I arrive home, give the company a call, ready to yell, but I had no difficulty getting a tow truck from the same company my brother called. (Why couldnt he get the tow truck? I dunno I dunno I dunno) My brother tells me he MUST go to work (He had to go to work at 12pm see) At this point he's blaming me saying if I hadnt FORCED him to drive, this wouldnt have happened. Reluctant to ask the neighbour for another lift, I resort to asking for help from Caleb. Caleb isnt in. I call Kenneth.(My uni friend, not my brother not my brother not my brother) He was concerned and immediately came over to my place with Cindy. They give my brother a lift to his work place, and get me back to my car so I can wait for the tow truck.
4pm: The car's towed back to my house. Cindy and Kenneth made me forget the whole crappy afternoon. We went shopping in Countdown, went back to Cindy's place, had some meat pie, a strawberry cheesecake followed by some Pepsi and watched Alfie. (THANKS CINDY AND KENNETH!)Cindy's brother offers to help me check the prices of tyres.
7pm: Called to apologise to Kenny. He waited for me in uni cos we were spose to do an asgmnt together. Thing is, I couldnt get in the labs, so he had to wait outside to let me in. He waited out for 30 mins. He couldnt call me cos my phone batt. died.
He ALSO offered to help me take my mom from the airport this Tuesday seeing that I'll never replace my tyres on time.
8:30pm: Caleb comes over with his spare tyre since I only have one. I can now drive to a garage with my 2 punctured tyres. Otherwise, I'd have to get someone to drive me to a garage to buy 2 replacement tyres. Now I can at least drive my car.

Well...what can I say? Thanks people of Pakuranga. Thanks from the bottom of my heart. Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks

Power Within

2005-03-03T22:38:00.000+13:00

This came to me while I was lying down. (Usually the weirdest thoughts go across my mind in the most randomest times.)
So I was thinking, we're just human beings. Yea..emphasis on the word 'just'. We can't do much in the wild. No claws/fangs/camouflage/poison etc. Without clothes, we'll freeze/burn. In any case, we have the power to procreate. Yea...to bring a new life, a new soul into the world. This power is way better than sending a man to the moon, or building great skyscrapers. No animal can make another soul. And the thing is, the soul cant die! How many things can man make which lasts forever? Fancy.

On another note; I got this from a friend's blog. Quite a close friend.
"Life is NOT fair.
Life is NOT beautiful.
Life is NOT smooth.

Also...

Life CAN BE lonely.
Life CAN BE short.
Life CAN BE hard.

So...

Take heart! Don't give up! Don't kill yourself worrying and being sad about what life is, but take a deep breath, force a smile on your face and walk out there and live! Everyone's lonely at some time. Everyone has some problems. Everyone doesn't love everyone else. You are not alone. So you know what? Lets walk it together. Its not easy, its not smooth, its not instant... but we can do it... really... together."
Sounds very lovey doveyish, right? But he makes a point there. No one can really offer the answers or solutions, but you don't have to face everything alone. Go Chris!

Anger

2005-03-01T22:17:00.000+13:00

Should I not care when I've angered someone? I've been called too sensitive, for not just being able to forget about how I did wrong and carrying on as if nothing happened. Even as I type this, a sense of illogical reasoning seems to govern the statement made. As far as I've been raised by my parents, after you do something wrong to offend someone, you a)apologise b)make it right c)try not to repeat it again. Carrying on as if nothing happened is a definite no-no. Well, I've been called other things before, but I think the moral of the story is, you shouldnt try to hard to please everybody, neither can you take into account what people say about you too much. At the end of the day, it is you yourself whom you're gonna go home to.
I went to have a look at Sirach (I like this book) and in Chapter 27 verse 30: "Anger and a hot temper are horrible things, but sinners have both" later on in 28:8 it says "If you stay out of arguments, you will not sin so much, because a hot temper gets them started" I think having met people who almost never display their anger was a good influence on me. But Im in need of 'booster' shots.

Relief

2005-02-27T21:34:00.000+13:00

I always find a moment of satisfaction within me whenever I walk across an old couple holding hands enjoying a laugh. It really testifies to years of commitment, understanding, tolerance, and yea....love. Not love-in-a-can that is so easily dished out in movies, rather, love that was built on years and years of trust and patience.
Thinking about divorce rates now, I sometimes wonder how people get together, get married, and STAY married.
There are enough complications as it is when it comes to 2 people getting together, the blind dates, the problem with accepting certain things about the other, the 'not my type' reason, the lack of commitment.
Then after that, before they wed, there's the cold feet, the second thoughts, the temptation of finding someone better, the problems with future in-laws, the forbiding from the parents side, or the lack of approval from friends.
Then AFTER that, there's the temptation of adultery, the sudden change after marriage behaviour, the mid-life crisis, financial issues, the sudden lack of energy to work on the marriage, the easier road of just throwing everything away by signing a few papers.
The odds are really agaisnt a couple. Yea, thats why, when I see an old couple strolling down a pathway, or in a supermarket, or in a park, hand in hand, I realise that they are a walking miracle.

Replies

2005-02-25T16:57:00.000+13:00

>Some people shun advice like a disease<
It's called pride. We've all got it to some degree. We don't like to be told we're wrong, even though intentions may be good.
Note 1: Disclaimer in place-"I'm being cynical and
having my moment of 'self therapy' by wording my thoughts in the form of advice."

Note 2: Definition of 'advice' from Dictionary.com.
ad·vice
n.Opinion about what could or should be done about a situation or problem; counsel.
Opinion does not equal command / order. Too many times people think they're being 'told what to do' when an advice is just simply an opinion. A true friend respects another friend's opinion. Problem with an opinion/advice? Bring it up for discussion. Don't get into a fit and think "OH, who are YOU to tell ME what to do?!"

>Once people have seen your negative, that's what they'll most probably perceive you as the rest of your waking time.<
That's subjective, don't generalise.
Note1: The words 'most probably' were used. If I wanted to generalise it, I would have said , " Once people have seen your negative,thats what they'll ALWAYS perceive you as the rest of your waking time" There's a difference there.

>Pretend pretend pretend. So many times I see and observe how people truly are, stripes and all. Only to see it all dissappear in a split moment when somebody else is present, quickly shoving their dirt and grime under a rug. Are they two-faced? Who cares,pretenders are the most popular. Reveal what they are, and you only have yourself to suffer for your attempt.<
It's a defense machanism. We all want to be loved, it's only human. So naturally one wouldn't be parading their bad side, but rather seek to conceal it so that others are not driven away.
Note 1: My comment didnt mean to encourage people to parade their bad side. Rather making the change in behaviour so apparent when someone else they want to impress is present is a tad sad. It isn't anyone's fault, unless the person makes it known that they are hard to impress and to be their friend, you gotta have what it takes. Well..to these kind of people, I say to you "Take a look at yourself. I don't have to waste my time trying to impress you" So what if I'm happy and confident enough to show my good AND bad side. In any case, I only show both sides to those I trust or have faith enough to know that this is me, Kevin. I have nothing to hide. I have been naive though, and my judgement as to whom I reveal myself to has been poor.

Some Advice

2005-02-23T12:44:00.000+13:00

Ah..advice..who wants advice from me? Some people shun advice like a disease distanting those who dispense it no matter what the intentions are behind it. Some people pretend to take it to be polite only to throw it out the moment the oppurtunity arises. Im not doing it now for anyone's good, I'm being cynical and
having my moment of 'self therapy' by wording my thoughts in the form of advice.
Having said that, here's my 2 cents.
Don't show people your bad side. I once thought showing people your whole self, good and bad was the most sincere thing you could do. The response concludes otherwise. Once people have seen your negative, that's what they'll most probably perceive you as the rest of your waking time. I have some sense of what released prisoners feel now.

Pretend pretend pretend. So many times I see and observe how people truly are, stripes and all. Only to see it all dissappear in a split moment when somebody else is present, quickly shoving their dirt and grime under a rug. Are they two-faced? Who cares,pretenders are the most popular. Reveal what they are, and you only have yourself to suffer for your attempt.

Don't give people the benefit of the doubt. Don't think anything of anybody at all. Thats the simplest. By doing so, you eliminate dissapointment with their shortcomings.

Don't speak too much. Word spreads faster than a wildfire. Much much faster, and with each medium it goes through, the meaning almost always changes. Thats when you not only land in the fire after the frying pan, you land in the burner from which the fire draws is flames.

Why Do I Blog?

2005-02-20T23:06:00.000+13:00

Why do I blog? A simple answer...self therapy...lol...thing is..I can miss out on THE most important things people have to say to me..but at other times..I can just remember ONE phrase from ONE person for THE longest time. So I friend of mine tells me that the best way to help yourself when you're in a rut is to jot down your feelings on a piece of paper to which my reply was a smirk in my mind. (YEa...i smirk in my mind cos ppl just give you a look when you smirk at things you're not spose to smirk at) In any case, this being a public blog limits what I can put down and what I cant put down for the sake of other people. But for what I do put down, I do feel a sense of relief.
Unlike other blogs I notice, I don't actually expect people to read this, react to it, and post comments, or respond to it. Sure I can complain here, and whine (and I believe I've done it) but it's all for my well being. If you, a random reader, or even an acquantaince, or a friend were to read my blog, there is no expectation whatsoever for you to follow up on what I put down in real life. I do notice I've put up a certain 'wall' around myself. That wall of course is on automatice I spose. I don't have a wall up for every person I know.
That being said, I think I'll do a write up on where I worked e.g. Motuihe Island since it's been a new experience for me...going to work on an island I didnt know existed 15 mins by ferry from my area!! My boss over there reminds me of me when I'm in a hurry to do work. I walk from one place to another to do something, while Im on the way, I notice something else which needs to be done, my mind flips over to the new job, and I forget about the first thing I was meant to do. This process is frustating as it also causes me to misplace things and reduces my efficiency even more...tsk....mayb men can never multitask. ...ok..a bit sidetracked...but..yea..what did I do there? I helped out with catering for 3 functions in 2 days. Helped prepare food for some hungrily drunk fishermen, drunk people in a wedding and some sober sailors. YEa....ppl over here love getting drunk during summer. (PS: I brought back some free beer....weeeeeee)
Yea,first time I helped out in a kitchen for 2 days straight. The pay was good considering what I did..lol..this includes hanging the laundry (YES!!), cutting beans, putting serviettes on paper plates, picking rubbish...and imagine...getting complimented like mad for being such a hard worker...really makes your head swell. But I thoroughly enjoyed myself..believe it or not..it was the first time I went on a ferry in NZ. MM...that's enough blogging..wonder what's the word count.

I can be googled!

2005-02-16T01:05:00.000+13:00

Check it out! Seach for 'kevinloh' in google...and there you go! Im on the 7th or 8th search result! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..........

The other kevinlohs are such wannabes...

"Forgiveness is For Giving", Rosalind Moss

2005-02-11T23:32:00.000+13:00

First, who is Rosalind Moss?
Rosalind Moss, who was born a Jew, is a convert from Evangelicalism. Rosalind travels and speaks extensively as a staff apologist for Catholic Answers. She writes from La Mesa, CaliforniaS

So I typed in the key word 'forgiving' in this catholic site...and Im 'quoting' this certain part of the page. Engineering training tells me that if I use these " " quotation marks...Im free of copyright infringement. Huahahahaha.

"Forgiveness is for giving. If you sin against me, in order to forgive you, I need to absorb the hurt, of whatever kind, that has been committed against me, and release you from the guilt of your actions. What does that do? It sets you free. It also sets me free from the constant pain of bitterness, of wanting revenge, of unhappiness that I inflict upon myself because of your sin.
Forgiveness frees all that. It doesn’t get rid of the pain, or the loss, or the devastation I might need to live with, even daily, for the rest of my life. It doesn’t change the fact that my life may have been forever altered—as was Christ’s life altered, forever, by our sins—but it frees me from hate, from helplessness, from bitterness, from despair.

But what do you do with the pain? The scars? Your forever-altered life?

I give them to God, who knows all things and who is able to heal, in his way (the way of our salvation) and in his time, and to work all things together for good. And I—now, as a Catholic—have the inexpressible gift of offering to God and joining with his sacrifice the sufferings that once would have destroyed me.

It’s too hard.

Yes, I know—too hard alone. But possible in Christ. All things are possible with God, are they not?

Yes, but to be willing to forgive those who you would rather see destroyed . . .?

It’s the only road to freedom—your freedom."

I like the way she writes. Simple, yet effective with the self posed questions answered.

Movie Mania = Professional Slacker

2005-02-07T00:35:00.000+13:00

I typically enjoyed my first week in NZ after I returned. Trying to get over the Malaysian food, atmosphere, and of course, cherished friends and family members, I indulged myself in a movie marathon which consisted of the LOTR extended version(12 HOURS!!!!), the DVDs my brother brought back, which included Godsend, Christmas with the Kranks, Series of Unfortunate Events,Skycaptain and the World of Tomorrow,Shaun of the Dead; also I managed to watch Dumb and Dumberer, caught up with the Naruto episodes.Later, caught Finding Neverland with a friend.Oh yeah, I caught 2 inflight movies, Taxi and Wimbledon. All this reminds me as to how many movies I watched in the 2 month period I was in Malaysia. Lemme see if I can remember the list in random order.
Kungfu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer, Pokemon the Movie 2004, Ocean's 12, Bride and Prejudice, Shutter,The Saw, The Grudge, The Incredibles, Ladder 49, Anchorman, Gothika. I ALSO realised the amount of movies I'd seen after following my friends to Video Ezy in Malaysia when they wanted to rent a movie, and I made things extremely hard since I'd seen almost half the movies they kept in stock. (The other half were malay movies).

Anyone up for some quick movie reviews?

Bride and Prejudice > Watch it.
Ladder 49 > Watch it if its free or if you've got too much time on your hands.
The Saw > Watch it if you're a sadist and need a sick movie to inspire you.
Kungfu Hustle > Watch it
Shaolin Soccer > Watch it
The Grudge > Watch it if you're not alone and not sleeping in an empty house.
Shutter > Ditto
Gothika > Well...sorta ditto, with Halle Berry in it, getting scared is worth it.
Skycaptain and longish name for a movie > Watch it if you absolutely have utterly too much time on your hands and really can't think of anything else to do
Pokemon? > Yea....Watch it if your little brother makes you feel bad about not spending enough time with him.

What'll I miss?

2005-02-02T22:26:00.000+13:00

What'll I miss about Malaysia? I should rephrase that....who'll I miss in Malaysia? Everyone...honest. I don't think I'll be mentioning names here....but I'll miss the mamak nights, the carolling, the dressing up as santa, the lame jokes I heard AND made, the trip to Sunway Resort, the chase of the Road Runners and Cruisers, ....everything...it's a whole package..which makes it so much harder to give up.

Something about the old friends I met up, I was so scared I wouldnt be able to have anything to share with them. But nothing of that sort happened. I realised I missed out on a LOT of gossip :) Hopefully that'll keep me updated for another 2 years? Yeah...right....

In any case, I'm all settled down here, havent gotten used to the time difference yet...but Im taking my time. Got other things to worry about.

Have a great Chinese New Year Guys!

Work Free

2005-01-21T07:00:00.000+13:00

Im free of work! But before I go on, I won a 3 day 2 nights stay at Sunway Pyramid resort courtesy of Mix FM! The story is long, but I dont think it would have happened had I no intention to go out to buy a cake with Belinda. LOL...take about chain of events. YAY! Heh..not often I win stuff....

Yea, Im kinda relieved Im off work. Factory work is never easy, but I guess the difference this time was the management. Despite my numerous 'mistakes' which caused several incidents, my boss has NEVER gotten mad at me! I tell you, never have I encountered a more forgiving, easy to get along with person. It's not that he doesnt care that I messed up, rather, he sort of overlooks it, expecting me to learn. I mentioned this to a friend of mine, and he said, and I quote, "People like these live long". LOL...yea...I suppose the reason Im so surprised with my boss' attitude, is because growing up, I got yelled at heaps of times for even the tiniest mistakes. Hmmm...I think when it comes to not getting angry, my boss is the person I'd take for as an example.

10 more days, minus 3 days I'll be spending in the resort.....time really flies, not really lookin forward to returning to NZ. O well, life goes on.