Chance across this article written by Emily Asher-Perrin http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/11/neville-longbottom-is-the-most-important-person-in-harry-potter and I don't think many people can put it better than her
"In the final hour, Neville is given a chance to make the same cowardly choice that Peter did, to join Voldemort’s forces and go the easy route. And instead he pulls Godric Gryffindor’s sword out of a burning Sorting Hat and destroys the final horcrux by slicing off Nagini’s head. It couldn’t be more clear than it is in that moment; Harry needs Neville in order to end this war just as much as he needs Ron and Hermione, the same way that his parents needed Peter. And it is true that Harry is a much better friend to Neville than his father might have been to Peter, but at the end of the day, that’s still down to Neville—down to a boy who demanded respect from his friends right from the start, no matter how small or unremarkable he felt. Who had the gumption to do what he knew was right, not when it was hard but because it was hard.
That distinction makes Neville Longbottom the truest of Gryffindors and a surprising balancing point of the entire Harry Potter narrative. Who Peter Pettigrew might have been had he understood that courage wasn’t about blind action, but about doing what was needed even if no one ever asked. In a world of leaders and followers, there are some who don’t attempt to fit either mold, and it is those distinct few who really determine the future of us all. That is what Neville Longbottom can teach us.
I especially like the last two sentences, which is really a good reflection of the world as it is. So many don't want to take up the roles of leaders to make a difference because it is hard work, and yet, a lot of the same people refuse to be followers to contribute to a cause. They will be happily sitting in one corner criticizing everything about the direction and efforts of leaders and yet, refuse to do anything more than be a negative spirit, out to tear people down, and never wanting to make an effort to build people up, only have thoughts for no one else but themselves.
Showing posts with label my thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my thoughts. Show all posts
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
only one way to do it..
there are times in life where you want to take an action to do something, with the hope of getting something that your heart desires. more often than not, one has many ways to carry out the actions. you might choose to do it like most people in the world will do, it is usually the easiest way. you may or may not achieve the ending you hope, but very often, it is not God's way. or you can do it God's way, very often is the hardest, very often you have to sacrifice something, but deep inside, you know it is the only way you want to do it, no matter how much easier all other ways are.
I can choose to do it the world way. it is very easy, especially with modern technology. I may or may not achieve the short term outcome, but I know in the long run, it is not an outcome I want. I can wreck my brain and try to picture what each outcome is like, lose sleep over it, but whatever scenario I can come up with, I wont know for sure which one will definitely happen. on the other hand, God has provided another way, to do it His way. Many things I can lose by using His method, higher probability that it will fail. But at the end of the day, if it fails using His method, I know in the long run, it's a good thing it failed cause I wont like the outcome. It's funny how using what seem to be the harder way can make the picture so clear and so simple.
I can choose to do it the world way. it is very easy, especially with modern technology. I may or may not achieve the short term outcome, but I know in the long run, it is not an outcome I want. I can wreck my brain and try to picture what each outcome is like, lose sleep over it, but whatever scenario I can come up with, I wont know for sure which one will definitely happen. on the other hand, God has provided another way, to do it His way. Many things I can lose by using His method, higher probability that it will fail. But at the end of the day, if it fails using His method, I know in the long run, it's a good thing it failed cause I wont like the outcome. It's funny how using what seem to be the harder way can make the picture so clear and so simple.
Friday, June 21, 2013
ash ville
for a country with summer all year round and little pollution, the last few days have really changed the appearance of the landscape. on a first look, it looks like what you would imagine England will look like, grey all the time. but soon, your eyes starts to irritate a little, the air smell like someone somewhere has a giant bbq party, you feel the urge to cough every now and then and sometimes, you feel like you need take in a little bit more air. all these, no thanks to the plantation owners from across the border.
im thankful that I am healthy enough not to feel too affected by the change in air quality. nothing more than feeling my eyes being a bit dry, throat a little itchy, and a bit of blood in the nose (but then again, this could be caused by all the fast food I already consumed this week)
it is also times like this that I feel so dishearten and disappointed with people. many will use this opportunity (or any other opportunity) to criticize the government, and almost all the time, they are never constructive, and almost all the time, vulgar. they think that they have perfect knowledge, that they know how things should be done better.
one good current example would be how everyone seems to think how much the PSI should be based on how hazy it appears to be. I don't dare to say I know much about air quality, but logically, I know PSI does not measure visibility, nor does visibility necessarily correlate with air cleanliness. for one, water in the air causes visibility too (as seen in fog, steam, cloud). secondly, there are many colourless poisonous gases out there, which once again makes sense that visibility does not necessary correlate with air cleanliness. but it's amazing how so many people just insist that the PSI should be this and that based on what they see. it's like everyone suddenly major in environmental science.
when such relentless comments come along, I always wonder what would Jesus do, what would Jesus want me to do? do I attempt to correct them, knowing most of the time, these people are blinded by their hatred that they wont listen to reason? do I leave them alone and let them influence others with their words? do I remove them from my social circles so that I wont have to read about their rants?
im thankful that I am healthy enough not to feel too affected by the change in air quality. nothing more than feeling my eyes being a bit dry, throat a little itchy, and a bit of blood in the nose (but then again, this could be caused by all the fast food I already consumed this week)
it is also times like this that I feel so dishearten and disappointed with people. many will use this opportunity (or any other opportunity) to criticize the government, and almost all the time, they are never constructive, and almost all the time, vulgar. they think that they have perfect knowledge, that they know how things should be done better.
one good current example would be how everyone seems to think how much the PSI should be based on how hazy it appears to be. I don't dare to say I know much about air quality, but logically, I know PSI does not measure visibility, nor does visibility necessarily correlate with air cleanliness. for one, water in the air causes visibility too (as seen in fog, steam, cloud). secondly, there are many colourless poisonous gases out there, which once again makes sense that visibility does not necessary correlate with air cleanliness. but it's amazing how so many people just insist that the PSI should be this and that based on what they see. it's like everyone suddenly major in environmental science.
when such relentless comments come along, I always wonder what would Jesus do, what would Jesus want me to do? do I attempt to correct them, knowing most of the time, these people are blinded by their hatred that they wont listen to reason? do I leave them alone and let them influence others with their words? do I remove them from my social circles so that I wont have to read about their rants?
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Not for the faint hearted but...
so two weeks ago was the birth of the daughter of two of my friends from church. I had the chance to follow their journey quite closely through frequent meet ups over dim sum.. having visited them with their daughter thrice over the past two weeks, I could really see the tiredness accumulating in them. just today, the dad was trying to get her to finish just a small jar of milk, whereby any adult can finish in one small gulp, but it took him like 20 minutes to get her to finish. first, it was the crying, then she started to fall asleep. it was really one huge effort for such a small amount. times that a few more times in the day and night. parenting is definitely not for the faint hearted.
however, just watching the parents looking at their daughter, smiling with every small movement she makes, it really is that simple huh. the indescribable joy you derive from bringing up your child always trumps over all the sacrifices you have to make.
however, just watching the parents looking at their daughter, smiling with every small movement she makes, it really is that simple huh. the indescribable joy you derive from bringing up your child always trumps over all the sacrifices you have to make.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
road not taken..
one of the very first poem I ever learned (not counting all those kiddy ones) would be the road not taken by Robert Frost. I believe it was during my first few literature lessons (ever) in secondary 1.
not an expert in literature, I think on the basic level, it talks about the author choosing the path less travelled and how it has made the difference.
recently, I started thinking about different paths in life too, but not in the same focus as this poem. for me, I grown to realize that sometimes, once you chose a path, the other path is just no longer an option anymore. it's not one of those where you did badly in school when you were young and you still manage to turn your life around later on.
sometimes, even though the path you chose is a deadline, it doesn't mean that you can simply go back and choose the other route. maybe the bushes have grown so tall that the path disappears, maybe a bridge along the other way collapse making it not passable anymore or maybe someone built a really long fence across the area and it is now private property.
guess when things like this happen, one can only find a new path somewhere else.
not an expert in literature, I think on the basic level, it talks about the author choosing the path less travelled and how it has made the difference.
recently, I started thinking about different paths in life too, but not in the same focus as this poem. for me, I grown to realize that sometimes, once you chose a path, the other path is just no longer an option anymore. it's not one of those where you did badly in school when you were young and you still manage to turn your life around later on.
sometimes, even though the path you chose is a deadline, it doesn't mean that you can simply go back and choose the other route. maybe the bushes have grown so tall that the path disappears, maybe a bridge along the other way collapse making it not passable anymore or maybe someone built a really long fence across the area and it is now private property.
guess when things like this happen, one can only find a new path somewhere else.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Normal or Special?
by some sheer coincident, I ended up receiving notification letters to apply for a new IC as well as a passport at the same time. it really saved me of a day having to go back for another document and at this time, I must say that I am very impressed with the efficient of ICA! Not so sure about those who didn't make an appointment but for me who did, I managed to collect both documents at separate offices in the building all within 30 minutes!
so when I was there, my queue number flashed on the screen and I proceed to the counter. while I was a few steps away, a mother and her kid reached the next booth beside. each booth was only assigned one seat, so the mum sat down on it, and the boy just proceed to drag the seat at my booth to the booth his mum is at. so when I reach the booth one second later, he stared at me. I don't dare to say I know how to read people very well, but I thought it was a look of I-don't-care-whether-it-is-your-seat-or-not. he then proceed to rest his head on the booth as the mum continues to talk to the customer service person, either oblivion to what her son has did, or chose to ignore. I want to think it is the latter as it is very obvious each booth only has one seat, and im obviously (and im not short) standing at the counter when everyone else is seated.
im quite happy giving up my seat for someone else, I really don't mind having to stand, especially when I wasn't expecting to be there long in the first place. But I also believe that such things shouldn't be taken for granted. either it is up to the person to give up his seat, or the other person to ask for the seat. and even more, im someone who believes that parents should teach their kids the proper way to do this, and not leave them to do whatever they like.
as i was thinking of what to say to the kid and the mum, it is then I noticed that the boy was wearing a tshirt of a school for autistic kids. immediately, I decided to not say anything, and even told the customer service person that im ok standing and she doesn't have to ask the kid to return the seat.
I couldn't help but think though. how are people suppose to treat them. do we accept that they are different, and give special allowances for them? or do we treat them as we do for everyone, and hopefully they will learn and someday fit into society?
so when I was there, my queue number flashed on the screen and I proceed to the counter. while I was a few steps away, a mother and her kid reached the next booth beside. each booth was only assigned one seat, so the mum sat down on it, and the boy just proceed to drag the seat at my booth to the booth his mum is at. so when I reach the booth one second later, he stared at me. I don't dare to say I know how to read people very well, but I thought it was a look of I-don't-care-whether-it-is-your-seat-or-not. he then proceed to rest his head on the booth as the mum continues to talk to the customer service person, either oblivion to what her son has did, or chose to ignore. I want to think it is the latter as it is very obvious each booth only has one seat, and im obviously (and im not short) standing at the counter when everyone else is seated.
im quite happy giving up my seat for someone else, I really don't mind having to stand, especially when I wasn't expecting to be there long in the first place. But I also believe that such things shouldn't be taken for granted. either it is up to the person to give up his seat, or the other person to ask for the seat. and even more, im someone who believes that parents should teach their kids the proper way to do this, and not leave them to do whatever they like.
as i was thinking of what to say to the kid and the mum, it is then I noticed that the boy was wearing a tshirt of a school for autistic kids. immediately, I decided to not say anything, and even told the customer service person that im ok standing and she doesn't have to ask the kid to return the seat.
I couldn't help but think though. how are people suppose to treat them. do we accept that they are different, and give special allowances for them? or do we treat them as we do for everyone, and hopefully they will learn and someday fit into society?
Monday, April 22, 2013
greg & james
you know you watched the series way too much when you can guess the medical problems based on the symptoms, like blood in the urine, yellowish eyes, ammonia smell in the breath, etc.
I think im like a few years behind most people, like I remember carol telling me how she was hook to the show even during the university days. back then, having never watched it, I just thought it was something like grey's anatomy.
yes, im talking about House, and it turned out to be nothing like Grey's and strangely addictive. other than the season with the annoying cop, or that rich guy that became chairman of the hospital.
the show is founded on one central theme. everybody lies. but moving beyond that, what I really enjoyed was the unusual friendship between House and Wilson, a friendship that I cannot imagine two real guys having. don't get me wrong, it has their ups and downs, and many times, potential friendship breaker if it happens in real life. but at the end of the day, or after a few episodes for that matter, things get forgiven and forgotten.
as I get older, I realized I don't do very well in maintaining friendships, close ones for that matter. there were times when I thought something genuine was coming, but it always seems to fade away, either by the different path we take that creates a gap too big to bridge, failing to communicate, sudden moments of bad decisions making or what not.
wouldn't it be nice to have what House and Wilson seems to have? someone to share a joke, watch silly things like monster trucks, get advice from, or just to share how wonderful or terrible your day is?
the other day, I had to log into my university email account (which hasn't been accessed in years) to get some login password I created for a job portal. I chance upon a bunch of email chains with two people who potentially was the closest I ever got with anyone, not counting my exes of course. they really did light up my uni life, without whom, im pretty sure I wouldn't have enjoyed university as much as I did. we see each other so often in school and yet, there was still so much to share over email. sadly, we have all chosen our path which sees us in different parts of the world, and I guess I just don't have that much 细心ness to maintain it at that level.
I think im like a few years behind most people, like I remember carol telling me how she was hook to the show even during the university days. back then, having never watched it, I just thought it was something like grey's anatomy.
yes, im talking about House, and it turned out to be nothing like Grey's and strangely addictive. other than the season with the annoying cop, or that rich guy that became chairman of the hospital.
the show is founded on one central theme. everybody lies. but moving beyond that, what I really enjoyed was the unusual friendship between House and Wilson, a friendship that I cannot imagine two real guys having. don't get me wrong, it has their ups and downs, and many times, potential friendship breaker if it happens in real life. but at the end of the day, or after a few episodes for that matter, things get forgiven and forgotten.
as I get older, I realized I don't do very well in maintaining friendships, close ones for that matter. there were times when I thought something genuine was coming, but it always seems to fade away, either by the different path we take that creates a gap too big to bridge, failing to communicate, sudden moments of bad decisions making or what not.
wouldn't it be nice to have what House and Wilson seems to have? someone to share a joke, watch silly things like monster trucks, get advice from, or just to share how wonderful or terrible your day is?
the other day, I had to log into my university email account (which hasn't been accessed in years) to get some login password I created for a job portal. I chance upon a bunch of email chains with two people who potentially was the closest I ever got with anyone, not counting my exes of course. they really did light up my uni life, without whom, im pretty sure I wouldn't have enjoyed university as much as I did. we see each other so often in school and yet, there was still so much to share over email. sadly, we have all chosen our path which sees us in different parts of the world, and I guess I just don't have that much 细心ness to maintain it at that level.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
thoughts from HIMYM #2 - right place right time
it felt like i have blogged about this, but since i cant remember and find this so thought-provoking, here i am again:
it is an episode whereby ted retold his story about that one particular day where the little things changed his life forever.
rather than going to his usual bagel store, he decided to go to another one after finding out that robin got food poisoning from the usual place.
rather than just walking by the magazine stall, he stopped by to check out barney's 200 in one of the magazine.
rather than walking directly to the bagel store, he made a detour to pay $1 to the homeless guy whom he bought marshall's charts from.
all these led to him meeting stella (former girlfriend who left him at the altar) and tony, and resulted him in getting a job as a professor.
for those who dont know better, you may term it coincident, or being at the right place at the right time. you may term like just like the show did: You see, the universe has a plan kids, and that plan is always in motion. All these little parts of the machine constantly working, making sure that you end up exactly where you're supposed to be, exactly when you're supposed to be there. The right place at the right time. the show may call it "the universe" but i know very well that it is God who is behind all these, He has a plan for everyone and everything happened so that everyone can come to know Him.
just like my testimony i said on the day of my baptism. it is no mere coincident that i am where i am today. i would very likely not be attending church if amy didnt invite me to her church youth camp (which i am very curious to know what made her do so), i would not have become friends with amy if i didnt persevere and stayed in the frisbee team despite not having any friends. i would not have joined the frisbee team if i wasnt in smu, and wouldnt have been in smu (but in nus fass!) if my jc classmates didnt rave about smu, wouldnt have considered business school if my then jc crush wasnt doing business, wouldnt have made in the sajc if it wasnt for the three months as a guest student, wouldnt have been a guest student if my then secondary class clown ask me along to apply for it, would not be in st andrew's if my mum didnt just put down a nearby good reputation school after my first choice of victoria. wouldnt have done how i did if i wasnt around good company.
many "if" things happened over the past 30 years. if i was to put it all in a excel =IF formula, excel would probably crash. no computer or AI could have planned such things, no human for that matter. im sure my parents would have secretly hoped that i did better and joined my elder brother at RI. if i had control, i would have been in nus business school. but the truth is in life, we can plan but ultimately, it is God's plans for us that matters.
it is an episode whereby ted retold his story about that one particular day where the little things changed his life forever.
rather than going to his usual bagel store, he decided to go to another one after finding out that robin got food poisoning from the usual place.
rather than just walking by the magazine stall, he stopped by to check out barney's 200 in one of the magazine.
rather than walking directly to the bagel store, he made a detour to pay $1 to the homeless guy whom he bought marshall's charts from.
all these led to him meeting stella (former girlfriend who left him at the altar) and tony, and resulted him in getting a job as a professor.
for those who dont know better, you may term it coincident, or being at the right place at the right time. you may term like just like the show did: You see, the universe has a plan kids, and that plan is always in motion. All these little parts of the machine constantly working, making sure that you end up exactly where you're supposed to be, exactly when you're supposed to be there. The right place at the right time. the show may call it "the universe" but i know very well that it is God who is behind all these, He has a plan for everyone and everything happened so that everyone can come to know Him.
just like my testimony i said on the day of my baptism. it is no mere coincident that i am where i am today. i would very likely not be attending church if amy didnt invite me to her church youth camp (which i am very curious to know what made her do so), i would not have become friends with amy if i didnt persevere and stayed in the frisbee team despite not having any friends. i would not have joined the frisbee team if i wasnt in smu, and wouldnt have been in smu (but in nus fass!) if my jc classmates didnt rave about smu, wouldnt have considered business school if my then jc crush wasnt doing business, wouldnt have made in the sajc if it wasnt for the three months as a guest student, wouldnt have been a guest student if my then secondary class clown ask me along to apply for it, would not be in st andrew's if my mum didnt just put down a nearby good reputation school after my first choice of victoria. wouldnt have done how i did if i wasnt around good company.
many "if" things happened over the past 30 years. if i was to put it all in a excel =IF formula, excel would probably crash. no computer or AI could have planned such things, no human for that matter. im sure my parents would have secretly hoped that i did better and joined my elder brother at RI. if i had control, i would have been in nus business school. but the truth is in life, we can plan but ultimately, it is God's plans for us that matters.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
thoughts from HIMYM #1
so i mentioned that i started watching himym a while back, and as wordly as the show is, there are times when some quotes really get you thinking about life.
so in this episode, ted gets advice on how long it takes for someone to get over a relationship:
so in this episode, ted gets advice on how long it takes for someone to get over a relationship:
- Lily says half the length of the entire relationship
- Marshall says one week for every month you were together
- Robin says 10,000 drinks
- Barney says the amount of steps to get out the door.
- Ted finds that he starts to forget about his last relationship the minute he meets the woman that will help him get over it.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
clean fight
so once again, my facebook feed is flooded with people who wants to voice their opinions and listen to few. few other events get singaporeans so worked up and this is one of them - an election, or this time round, a by-election, the second one in 2 years.
happened to catch some of the news so far, and a short summary clip of the candidates, it's quite sad that most of their tactics is to pour shame and paint the opponents as incapable useless people. i remember reading a dan brown book, whereby one of the person running for the US presidential election didn't want to go down the road of digging up scandals of the other party. somehow, that really caused me to view at things in a different light since.
i still look forward to someone, who can convince people because he/she is capable, and not because he/she is better able to paint the opponent as a bigger failure. it easy for people to criticise others who are doing it, but what makes one think that he/she can do a better job if he/she is in the same shoes? "i promise that i can......" really.. talk is free, anyone can say that.
it's also amazing how people just so blindly buy into whatever their choice of party says. arguments that are so full of loopholes and ambiguity, it makes swiss cheese looks rock solid. a quote i just heard "you should vote more of us in so that we can make the others work harder".. it sounds ok on surface, but if you think about it, are they saying whoever is in is not capable to make the others work harder?
what are we losing just to gain that small little insignificant thing that eventually will fade away as time passes? is getting into office such an important thing that one has to do such things? i still remember the days of TPL, how many aquaintances, whom i thought were decent nice people chose to reveal their ugly side and make condemnation of TPL that went beyond just capability, but to something downright personal. at the end of it, she is someone's daughter, she is someone's granddaughter, she is someone's wife, she is as human being, as imperfect as anyone of us.
strangely, one of my ex-colleague which i find hardest to love once used a story that he said he witnessed during a training session in a primary school that really make me think about how we treat others.
i was walking to my next class when i passed by a primary one class. the teacher in charge was either absent, or left the class for a while, and left the class monitor in charge. so the class monitor was up in front at the blackboard, with a piece of chalk in his hand. on the blackboard were names of the students i presume. we are all so familiar with this sight, whoever misbehave, jot down the name and let the teacher know later. on the chalkboard were a lot of names, maybe the entire class. puzzled as the students were all so quiet and doing their work, i stayed a while until the class is over and asked the class monitor why did he write down all the names. it turned out that unlike most of us, the class monitor chose to write down the names of those who behaving obediently.
it took a primary one student to show us something that most of us forget. seeing the bad things about people is so easy, but you know, seeing the good in people often works some much better than the former.
sometimes, you dont have to put down others to produce good results. actually, most of the time more than sometimes..
happened to catch some of the news so far, and a short summary clip of the candidates, it's quite sad that most of their tactics is to pour shame and paint the opponents as incapable useless people. i remember reading a dan brown book, whereby one of the person running for the US presidential election didn't want to go down the road of digging up scandals of the other party. somehow, that really caused me to view at things in a different light since.
i still look forward to someone, who can convince people because he/she is capable, and not because he/she is better able to paint the opponent as a bigger failure. it easy for people to criticise others who are doing it, but what makes one think that he/she can do a better job if he/she is in the same shoes? "i promise that i can......" really.. talk is free, anyone can say that.
it's also amazing how people just so blindly buy into whatever their choice of party says. arguments that are so full of loopholes and ambiguity, it makes swiss cheese looks rock solid. a quote i just heard "you should vote more of us in so that we can make the others work harder".. it sounds ok on surface, but if you think about it, are they saying whoever is in is not capable to make the others work harder?
what are we losing just to gain that small little insignificant thing that eventually will fade away as time passes? is getting into office such an important thing that one has to do such things? i still remember the days of TPL, how many aquaintances, whom i thought were decent nice people chose to reveal their ugly side and make condemnation of TPL that went beyond just capability, but to something downright personal. at the end of it, she is someone's daughter, she is someone's granddaughter, she is someone's wife, she is as human being, as imperfect as anyone of us.
strangely, one of my ex-colleague which i find hardest to love once used a story that he said he witnessed during a training session in a primary school that really make me think about how we treat others.
i was walking to my next class when i passed by a primary one class. the teacher in charge was either absent, or left the class for a while, and left the class monitor in charge. so the class monitor was up in front at the blackboard, with a piece of chalk in his hand. on the blackboard were names of the students i presume. we are all so familiar with this sight, whoever misbehave, jot down the name and let the teacher know later. on the chalkboard were a lot of names, maybe the entire class. puzzled as the students were all so quiet and doing their work, i stayed a while until the class is over and asked the class monitor why did he write down all the names. it turned out that unlike most of us, the class monitor chose to write down the names of those who behaving obediently.
it took a primary one student to show us something that most of us forget. seeing the bad things about people is so easy, but you know, seeing the good in people often works some much better than the former.
sometimes, you dont have to put down others to produce good results. actually, most of the time more than sometimes..
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
PDL #3 - The driving force
what drives your life? are you driven by guilt? resentment and anger? fear? materialism? or the need for people's approval? if it is any of the above, then your life will most likely be going off course sooner or later. without a purpose, life is pointless really. what is my driving force?
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
PDL day #2 - i am no accident..
there's always that joke about how horrifying if you find out that you were born because of an unfortunate accident, that your parents didnt plan for you. this certainly happened to one of the acquaintance i met during uni. the wife was pregnant almost immediately after they got married, and the general knowledge was that they werent planning to start a family just yet then.
one of the definition of accident as taken from dictionary.com is "chance; fortune; luck". it is something beyond human's control. if we look at it this way, then all birth, planned or unplanned are accidents. people can increase their chances but ultimately, they have no control over whether one will get a baby or not. but the truth is we are not the result of astronomical random chance in the universe. God, our Creator, planned for us even before we were born. He chose who our parents are, what are race will be, where we will be born. We are alive because God wants us to be, he customed made us for a reason, for His purpose.
now as i think about all these, it means that everything about me was carefully planned for. how i look, my personality, my background, my family, everything. He place me in such a position for a reason. sometimes, just sometimes, dont you just wish you were born to a different family, with different looks, in a different country? i can say whenever we have such thoughts, it is almost always because of our selfish desires, what we wish to have in life. we can have everything we want in life, but if we cannot fill up the emptiness of a missing purpose in life, then we will never ever by satisfied with whatever we have.....
here's one of my all time favourite song (always have a soft spot for ballards), it's a pity we dont sing it much, except for christmas..
one of the definition of accident as taken from dictionary.com is "chance; fortune; luck". it is something beyond human's control. if we look at it this way, then all birth, planned or unplanned are accidents. people can increase their chances but ultimately, they have no control over whether one will get a baby or not. but the truth is we are not the result of astronomical random chance in the universe. God, our Creator, planned for us even before we were born. He chose who our parents are, what are race will be, where we will be born. We are alive because God wants us to be, he customed made us for a reason, for His purpose.
now as i think about all these, it means that everything about me was carefully planned for. how i look, my personality, my background, my family, everything. He place me in such a position for a reason. sometimes, just sometimes, dont you just wish you were born to a different family, with different looks, in a different country? i can say whenever we have such thoughts, it is almost always because of our selfish desires, what we wish to have in life. we can have everything we want in life, but if we cannot fill up the emptiness of a missing purpose in life, then we will never ever by satisfied with whatever we have.....
here's one of my all time favourite song (always have a soft spot for ballards), it's a pity we dont sing it much, except for christmas..
Monday, January 7, 2013
PDL day #1 - it is not about me!
so yesterday, i was pondering about the purpose in life. so i decided to dig out the book which i last read 4 years ago and decided to read it again and embark on this 40 days journey once again..
there are many many self help books out there, books to help one become successful, to attain life's goals, to plan your career, what to do with your life. it is almost always about "me", the individual and what to achieve for "myself" in life. that's why they are called self-help books as they are meant to benefit the self. many of these books become bestsellers, and really help many people achieve something in life, but all these are just goals you set for yourself, they are not your purpose.
purpose. what did our monkeys ancestors in mind when they evolve into humans? its funny how all the things we can achieve in life, the cash, the house, the cars, the children and grandchildren, the empire, all these things will go to past. when our life here is up, we cant bring them away.
so all these things doesnt make sense..... and it wont until you know why you are created and what the creator's purpose for you is. You were made by God and for God - and until you understand that, life will never make sense. you wont know how to use a new invention until the inventor tells you thr purpose of the invention, likewise, you wont know your purpose until the Person who created you tell you why you were created.. so it's really about what the Creator's purpose is and not our's............
there are many many self help books out there, books to help one become successful, to attain life's goals, to plan your career, what to do with your life. it is almost always about "me", the individual and what to achieve for "myself" in life. that's why they are called self-help books as they are meant to benefit the self. many of these books become bestsellers, and really help many people achieve something in life, but all these are just goals you set for yourself, they are not your purpose.
purpose. what did our monkeys ancestors in mind when they evolve into humans? its funny how all the things we can achieve in life, the cash, the house, the cars, the children and grandchildren, the empire, all these things will go to past. when our life here is up, we cant bring them away.
so all these things doesnt make sense..... and it wont until you know why you are created and what the creator's purpose for you is. You were made by God and for God - and until you understand that, life will never make sense. you wont know how to use a new invention until the inventor tells you thr purpose of the invention, likewise, you wont know your purpose until the Person who created you tell you why you were created.. so it's really about what the Creator's purpose is and not our's............
what is my purpose in life?
so another pretty routine sunday past by, church service, cell didnt happen, jam a little, went to get food, frisbee not happening. so i spent the afternoon learning to play another song, a song we sang in the morning (as well as to finally start on final fantasy xiii).
making a difference
won't You Lord, take a look at our hands. everything we have, use it for Your plans
won't You Lord, take a look at our hearts. mould it, refine it as You set us apart
we want to run to the altar, and catch the fire, to stand in the gap between the living and the dead
give us a heart of compassion, for a world without vision, we will make a difference, bringing hope to our land.
i think about my life, a life that has been a fixed routine for who knows how long. i wake up, go to work, look forward to the weekends. weekends come, waste the days away and soon find myself dreading mondays once again. surely, life does not revolves around this. a life of no meaning and no purpose.
so what on earth am I here for? the darwinites believe that we are the tail-less, non hunch back evolved version of some form of monkeys. others believe we came from some seeding from outer space. there are others who are clueless and couldnt care more about it. i would say that the answer lies in a compilation of books that was written thousand of years ago.
Col 1:16 - For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.
all these got me thinking of this other book that i read years ago. i remembered the last time i read it, i didnt take away too much from it, but i have decided to re-read the purpose driven life and im sure this time round, it will mean more to me...
making a difference
won't You Lord, take a look at our hands. everything we have, use it for Your plans
won't You Lord, take a look at our hearts. mould it, refine it as You set us apart
we want to run to the altar, and catch the fire, to stand in the gap between the living and the dead
give us a heart of compassion, for a world without vision, we will make a difference, bringing hope to our land.
i think about my life, a life that has been a fixed routine for who knows how long. i wake up, go to work, look forward to the weekends. weekends come, waste the days away and soon find myself dreading mondays once again. surely, life does not revolves around this. a life of no meaning and no purpose.
so what on earth am I here for? the darwinites believe that we are the tail-less, non hunch back evolved version of some form of monkeys. others believe we came from some seeding from outer space. there are others who are clueless and couldnt care more about it. i would say that the answer lies in a compilation of books that was written thousand of years ago.
Col 1:16 - For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.
all these got me thinking of this other book that i read years ago. i remembered the last time i read it, i didnt take away too much from it, but i have decided to re-read the purpose driven life and im sure this time round, it will mean more to me...
Sunday, December 30, 2012
thanks to 2012
at the end of every year, my church will have a thanksgiving service, a service whereby the floor is open for anyone to share their thanksgiving for the year. normally, i get away with having to share because i was manning the sound system. this year, i got a break from having to do sound as i was playing the piano instead (how it went is a story for another time! haha)..
so this year, i decided to share. and rather than having the awkward wait for the first few volunteers, i decided to step up straight away. i always reckon the least i can do is to volunteer and encourage others to follow suit too.
so i shared 3 thanksgiving...
#1 UK trip
thank God for giving me the opportunity to take a semi-solo trip to the UK. stepping out of the comfort zone alone, i cant depend on anyone, not even myself since i dunno anything about the UK. it's really a time when i just depend on God to guide me, to ensure that i dont get lost, i dont get myself into trouble. it was really a good trip, with nothing bad happened at all. not even when i forgot to bring along my room key when i head to the shower. when i remembered that i left my keys on the bed as i prepare my shower stuff, i stood outside the room door and dread having to go down to the counter and get someone to open the door for me. but in a very interesting turn of event, it turned out that the properly function self shutting door didnt close properly, and it just swung open as i push the door to try my luck.
#2 keyboard
thank God for giving me the opportunity to learn how to play the keyboard. more than just to serve in the worship team, i think knowing how to play the basic allows me to spend more time with God. rather than spending time watching tv or on the net, i spent more time with God just playing and singing along.
#3 what people perceived as bad things happening
so... usually, people always thank God for the good, and somehow, the bad is often forgotten. of course i wont lie, if i had a choice, i would hope that my life will all be good. but "bad" things happen for a reason. there's always some form of lesson behind it. the only difference is how soon you see what you are suppose to learn out of it. sometimes hours later. sometimes weeks. and i bet there are some things that when your time on this earth is up, you might not figure out why God allows it to happen. (if you are interested to find out why God allows bad things to happen, contact me separately and ill be happy to share!) anyway, for me, this year had been a year of ups and downs, a year whereby i reflect on my life and see what God is trying to teach me, and the good thing is i took away quite a few things and hopefully, i can work on them.
so this year, i decided to share. and rather than having the awkward wait for the first few volunteers, i decided to step up straight away. i always reckon the least i can do is to volunteer and encourage others to follow suit too.
so i shared 3 thanksgiving...
#1 UK trip
thank God for giving me the opportunity to take a semi-solo trip to the UK. stepping out of the comfort zone alone, i cant depend on anyone, not even myself since i dunno anything about the UK. it's really a time when i just depend on God to guide me, to ensure that i dont get lost, i dont get myself into trouble. it was really a good trip, with nothing bad happened at all. not even when i forgot to bring along my room key when i head to the shower. when i remembered that i left my keys on the bed as i prepare my shower stuff, i stood outside the room door and dread having to go down to the counter and get someone to open the door for me. but in a very interesting turn of event, it turned out that the properly function self shutting door didnt close properly, and it just swung open as i push the door to try my luck.
#2 keyboard
thank God for giving me the opportunity to learn how to play the keyboard. more than just to serve in the worship team, i think knowing how to play the basic allows me to spend more time with God. rather than spending time watching tv or on the net, i spent more time with God just playing and singing along.
#3 what people perceived as bad things happening
so... usually, people always thank God for the good, and somehow, the bad is often forgotten. of course i wont lie, if i had a choice, i would hope that my life will all be good. but "bad" things happen for a reason. there's always some form of lesson behind it. the only difference is how soon you see what you are suppose to learn out of it. sometimes hours later. sometimes weeks. and i bet there are some things that when your time on this earth is up, you might not figure out why God allows it to happen. (if you are interested to find out why God allows bad things to happen, contact me separately and ill be happy to share!) anyway, for me, this year had been a year of ups and downs, a year whereby i reflect on my life and see what God is trying to teach me, and the good thing is i took away quite a few things and hopefully, i can work on them.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
losers' association
it's funny how i always seem to be able to relate to the typical "loser" characters from hollywood shows. i dunno if it's because i pay more attention to certain traits from these characters, resulting in me wondering why is the character so much like me? for a long while, it was tom from 500 days of summer, and lately, with the "new" show i been following, it seems like ted mosby is like me!
of course, im sure i am very different from them in many ways too, and im not going to follow what they do in their fake film life. still.. somehow, being able to relate to "someone" else is strangely comforting.
of course, im sure i am very different from them in many ways too, and im not going to follow what they do in their fake film life. still.. somehow, being able to relate to "someone" else is strangely comforting.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
what is it like living alone?
this is a question that i have always thought about. a bit scary i must say. i remember back towards the end of my year long unemployment, i was offered finally offered a job, a management trainee position for an education company. the catch was that i have to work in vietnam for at least two years, and that i have to decide and leave singapore within two weeks. it's a bit strange that they allow people to consider relocating for some time within such a short time frame, but it is a reputable company with businesses across asia.
a big consideration back then was the fact that i have to be apart with my friends and love ones for such a long time, can i do it? of course, this was the deal breaker in the end, but i wouldnt be able to continue my thoughts-out-loud if i leave it at that. of course, another thing i thought about during that weekend afterwhich i have to decide was what will i be doing if i choose to go.
i must say today i kinda lived out what it might have been like. to wake up when i feel like on a rest day, grabbing some simple food for brunch and plop myself in front of the laptop watching a comedy series (HIMYM in today's case). grab my sweater and go catch a movie by myself (skyfall which was pretty good!) and to decide whether i should take the easy way out of eating fast food for dinner or grabbing groceries and cook for myself. i did the latter though i think im getting messier during cooking after a long lapse of not cooking. end the day by washing the dishes, making a cup of camomile tea and plopping in front of my laptop for some more episodes and to blog about my day.
seeing how things turned out since, i wonder if i knew back then, would i stay or would i go? would my life turn out like today as i imagine it to be, or would it be drastically different?
a big consideration back then was the fact that i have to be apart with my friends and love ones for such a long time, can i do it? of course, this was the deal breaker in the end, but i wouldnt be able to continue my thoughts-out-loud if i leave it at that. of course, another thing i thought about during that weekend afterwhich i have to decide was what will i be doing if i choose to go.
i must say today i kinda lived out what it might have been like. to wake up when i feel like on a rest day, grabbing some simple food for brunch and plop myself in front of the laptop watching a comedy series (HIMYM in today's case). grab my sweater and go catch a movie by myself (skyfall which was pretty good!) and to decide whether i should take the easy way out of eating fast food for dinner or grabbing groceries and cook for myself. i did the latter though i think im getting messier during cooking after a long lapse of not cooking. end the day by washing the dishes, making a cup of camomile tea and plopping in front of my laptop for some more episodes and to blog about my day.
seeing how things turned out since, i wonder if i knew back then, would i stay or would i go? would my life turn out like today as i imagine it to be, or would it be drastically different?
Friday, October 19, 2012
handmade photo frames
recently, i had to purchase some photo frames for work. i used to purchase them from the popular across my office but it has sinced moved out. feeling lazy to make a detour to toa payoh to buy, my colleague suggested this traditional shop along a row of shophouses nearby that still makes frames by hand.
in the era that most things are made in factories to enjoy economies of scale, it is quite nice to see that such small shops still exist. entering the shop, we saw two men in their 50s working away on some frames using hand tools. we proceed to making our orders only to find out that the material we chose was not the usual ones my company picks. apparently some of our staff do frames there regularly, and after the owner found out where we were from, he immediately told us we picked the wrong type of frames.
this kind of service, you will never get from big scale retailers, such as popular. not that their service isn't good, but their business is just not built to provide such level of service.
as we walk away happily, a saddening thought came to my mind. how many of us these days would go into such jobs, in this case, i can hardly imagine any young person who would want to make frames like these two uncles for their career. these days, we are all looking for either high paying, comfortable environment or cool sounding jobs.
as the country progresses, we can only accept such losses are inevitable.
in the era that most things are made in factories to enjoy economies of scale, it is quite nice to see that such small shops still exist. entering the shop, we saw two men in their 50s working away on some frames using hand tools. we proceed to making our orders only to find out that the material we chose was not the usual ones my company picks. apparently some of our staff do frames there regularly, and after the owner found out where we were from, he immediately told us we picked the wrong type of frames.
this kind of service, you will never get from big scale retailers, such as popular. not that their service isn't good, but their business is just not built to provide such level of service.
as we walk away happily, a saddening thought came to my mind. how many of us these days would go into such jobs, in this case, i can hardly imagine any young person who would want to make frames like these two uncles for their career. these days, we are all looking for either high paying, comfortable environment or cool sounding jobs.
as the country progresses, we can only accept such losses are inevitable.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
no i in team
i was just reading this article on soccernet about how arsenal just cannot keep their players year after year and how they dealt with it after each departure. there's this sentence that caught my eye, and reminded me so much of church:
"if a player is not going to commit to the club, you have to just move on without him. Sometimes a disappointing departure prompts other people step up to the plate and they share out the responsibility more among the team."
replacing "player" with "member" and "club" with "chuch", it totally makes sense. a lot of my ex-church mates have left the church, a lot of them very talented people with different gifts. of course I do not at any point think that they aren't team players, but this is more about other people stepping up.
using the music ministry as an example, the typical team of today is totally different from the team 2 years ago. they may not be as musically inclined as some people in the past, but they love God enough to put in the effort and to ignore how people may view their mistakes negatively. zheng long and crystal co-worship leaders, uncle see jwee and auntie siew lan playing the guitar and synthie respectively, they are but few examples out of the many that stepped up.
though it is always saddening for people to leave, the silver lining is that no one is indispensable, God always provides.
"Lukas Podolski isn't as good as Van Persie but he works hard and he's got different qualities; he's scoring goals at the moment and he's working his socks off for the team."
"if a player is not going to commit to the club, you have to just move on without him. Sometimes a disappointing departure prompts other people step up to the plate and they share out the responsibility more among the team."
replacing "player" with "member" and "club" with "chuch", it totally makes sense. a lot of my ex-church mates have left the church, a lot of them very talented people with different gifts. of course I do not at any point think that they aren't team players, but this is more about other people stepping up.
using the music ministry as an example, the typical team of today is totally different from the team 2 years ago. they may not be as musically inclined as some people in the past, but they love God enough to put in the effort and to ignore how people may view their mistakes negatively. zheng long and crystal co-worship leaders, uncle see jwee and auntie siew lan playing the guitar and synthie respectively, they are but few examples out of the many that stepped up.
though it is always saddening for people to leave, the silver lining is that no one is indispensable, God always provides.
"Lukas Podolski isn't as good as Van Persie but he works hard and he's got different qualities; he's scoring goals at the moment and he's working his socks off for the team."
Thursday, September 20, 2012
coincidence?
coincidence is a man-made word. miracles are God-made realities. a coincidence is an incident arrange by God who prefers to remain anonymous.
some people says that when things just happen to occur, the idea of God making it happened as it did is not scientific, they are just coincidents. sometimes, i wonder do people realize that coincidents, or going further, fate, is equally unproven in science?
some people says that when things just happen to occur, the idea of God making it happened as it did is not scientific, they are just coincidents. sometimes, i wonder do people realize that coincidents, or going further, fate, is equally unproven in science?
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