Storms rock. There's the sunshine afterward to look forward to.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
The Way God Works
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." ~ Galatians 5:22-23, The Holy Bible
A common prayer we make, whether as a Christian to our God, or a Muslim to Allah, or as a practitioner of any religion to the relevant divinities, is for us to receive the gifts mentioned above.
But do we really expect to be changed overnight? Maybe we say we don't, and are sincere in saying this even, but subconsciously, it is indeed what we expect. But like Morgan Freeman has said in 'Evan Almighty', which I expand on here, God doesn't work like that.
When you ask God for love, does He fill you with warm fuzzy feelings, or provide people in your life to love?
When you ask God for joy, does He snap His fingers to turn your frown upside down, or remind you to count your blessings?
When you ask God for peace, does He take all your problems away, or just reassure you of His presence and constant support?
When you ask God for patience, does He just directly increase your patience levels, or does He place more and more irritating people in your life so you can learn to be patient?
When you ask God for kindness and goodness, does He alter your brain just like that, or provide you with instructions on how to be kind and good so you can decide to or not?
When you ask God for faithfulness, does He shut down all thoughts of betrayal, or does He provide you with opportunities to be faithful?
When you ask God for gentleness, does He soften you, or does He place abrasive people in your life to soften to?
When you ask God for self-control, does He bolster your control, or does He put your temper to the test?
God places opportunities. Whether we make use of them to improve ourselves is our prerogative. Make the right choice today.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
I Look Damn Old
Even on the way to the airport, I am not spared from interesting events.
The taxi driver asked whether I was going to the airport and flying off for business. Business! The dude thought I was a working adult! I only just barely made this out. He was talking as fast as Mr. Chan Cheow Wee...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
An Incredibly Dangerous Chemical Compound
Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the highly reactive hydroxyl radical, a species shown to mutate DNA, denature proteins, disrupt cell membranes, and chemically alter critical neurotransmitters. The atomic components of DHMO are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.
Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. Some of the known perils of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:
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Despite the known dangers of DHMO, it continues to be used daily by industry, government, and even in private homes across the U.S. and worldwide. Some of the well-known uses of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:
- as an industrial solvent and coolant,
- in nuclear power plants,
- by the U.S. Navy in the propulsion systems of some older vessels,
- by elite athletes to improve performance,
- in the production of Styrofoam,
- in biological and chemical weapons manufacture,
- in the development of genetically engineering crops and animals,
- as a spray-on fire suppressant and retardant,
- in so-called "family planning" or "reproductive health" clinics,
- as a major ingredient in many home-brewed bombs,
- as a byproduct of hydrocarbon combustion in furnaces and air conditioning compressor operation,
- in cult rituals,
- by the Church of Scientology on their members and their members' families (although surprisingly, many members recently have contacted DHMO.org to vehemently deny such use),
- by both the KKK and the NAACP during rallies and marches,
- by members of Congress who are under investigation for financial corruption and inappropriate IM behavior,
- by the clientele at a number of bath houses in New York City and San Francisco,
- historically, in Hitler's death camps in Nazi Germany, and in prisons in Turkey, Serbia, Croatia, Libya, Iraq and Iran,
- in World War II prison camps in Japan, and in prisons in China, for various forms of torture,
- during many recent religious and ethnic wars in the Middle East,
- by many terrorist organizations including al Quaeda,
- in community swimming pools to maintain chemical balance,
- in day care centers, purportedly for sanitary purposes,
- by software engineers, including those producing DICOM programmer APIs and other DICOM software tools,
- by popular computer science professors, and
- in animal research laboratories, and
- in pesticide production and distribution.
What you may find surprising are some of the products and places where DHMO is used, but which for one reason or another, are not normally made part of public presentations on the dangers to the lives of our family members and friends. Among these startling uses are:
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You may not always recognize that you have been a victim of accidental DHMO overdose, so here are some signs and symptoms to look for. If you suspect Dihydrogen Monoxide overdose, or if you exhibit any of these symptoms, you should consult with your physician or medical practitioner. The data presented here is provided for informational purposes only, and should in no way be construed as medical advice of any sort.
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An Interesting Observation
My classmate made this observation today, and when you think about it, while not 100% accurate, is quite true and rather funny at that.
As of the end of February, the road to the A Levels is much like a pregnancy. It lasts for around nine months, although we don't really know when the terror will officially start until it's too late. The papers themselves are much like the labour pains, and once they finish, we will involuntarily breathe a huge sigh of relief, while a wave of unexplainable euphoria washes through our entire being, and some wish that the moment would never end.
However, before birth, we must go through a period of nine months, divided into three trimesters, that being the March Common Tests, the June Common Tests, and the actual A Level's themselves. (For the sake of simplicity, the prelims are not counted haha) All our time will be spent getting ready to deal with the end of the trimester, and no matter how much we eat (study) and try to nourish our growing baby (repository of knowledge), we will always feel that it's never enough.
When the baby grows large enough to kick us gently from the inside (encourage us to study more), we try to calm him down and reassure him that what we've done for him so far is enough. We start planning all the things we'll do with our baby once he's born (TYS), and excitedly compete with our other pregnant friends as to who has the better future planned out for the baby (testing each other).
Then, the labour pains kick in. Well, and you know the rest. And I'm sure the girls know about it better than me...
Monday, January 19, 2009
Unsung Heroes
Actually, I had wanted to publish this post for a long time already, but for some reason, I never got around to it. So............................. HERE IT IS IN ALL ITS GLORY NOW!!! ^_______^
You know how the Singaporean authorities always ask people to give their seats on the bus or the MRT to the people who really need it like the elderly, the pregnant or those with infants or young children? Well, once, I saw a person get complimented by the elderly Caucasian he offered his seat to. That same Caucasian said that Singaporeans (or by extension, those living there) should all end up as polite and considerate as him.
That got me thinking. People are unable to read minds, so obviously, they wouldn't know, but what about those people who stay standing up on purpose even after a seat has been vacated, just so other people can sit? Isn't that also consideration, in a way? If such people exist, they deserve to be lauded just as much, if not more, than those who sit all the way until someone who 'fits the criteria for giving up the seat' comes along. So, in the event that such people are out there, know that if you have stumbled across my blog by accident and are now curiously wondering what this crazy guy is talking about, I acknowledge your sacrifice as well as your hidden, unrevealed consideration.
Similarly, what about backup performers? Think about it. Let's say you attend a Britney concert. As we all SHOULD know, when Britney performs for her audience live, she doesn't do it alone. Even when she is skillfully lip-singing 'Womanizer', a lot of the 'oomph' from her performance is because of similarly wonderfully performing backup dancers. And yet, it is Britney alone whose fame is enhanced, Britney alone whom everyone goes to the concert and downloads the video for. Never do you see the backup dancers acknowledged for their contribution, at the very least they are given 7.12398 seconds. Hardly any big producer says "Wow, this person has talent, let me think about getting him/her a contract." And despite this, whether or not they mind it or not, they still don't ruin the concert for Britney.
We should really learn to acknowledge such unsung heroes. They are what add colour to the otherwise mono-coloured palette.
The Terrors of JC2 Life
Who would've thought it? There is actually a great difference between J1 and J2. Maybe it's just me, but I feel that even now before the mad rush for A Levels, the business of the J2s is way more than the J1 year used to be. I mean, within the first two weeks of school, I've received my first GP essay assignment of the year, done two Maths tutorials, gone crazy trying to keep up with the Chem syllabus, done my processing for an entire Bio topic, and to top it all off, I have extra stuff like the Mazarin commitments, the Drama Club's preparation for CNY and of course, last Saturday, Go Green Day.
Whew. I'm beat.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Blessings Must Be Worked For
Well, with all the work Group 14 has put into our Mazarin project, it is indeed a blessing that it has Mr. Aziz's approval as well.
Now that this is done for the moment, there are other things to be urgently worked for, namely the CNY production which definitely needs fine-tuning, Go Green Day tomorrow, MCTs, and of course, not to mention, my long-term project, of which the deadline is drawing nearer and nearer.
Septumdecim dies subsisto.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
A Sigh Of Relief
Considering the circumstances, although it was an adrenalin-pumping experience, I'm just thankful that it's over, and also thankful for all the little itty-bitty pieces of groundwork that was laid out for me so as to make it easier, whether they were there on my intentional design or not.
Whew.
Monday, January 12, 2009
An Eventful First Day
Day one of the first term.
Mr Tong comes up with something new to add to the school rules that he wants the CG Reps to implement.
I find out that Ms Wong wants me to handle the organisation of the class for Go Green Day.
The teachers in the TRC call me to take the yearbooks for the class.
I help the Drama Club prepare for Open House tomorrow.
I go for the TJ Ambassadors briefing, which is important for the events tomorrow.
I have to present my OBK experience from 1500 to 1600.
I have to inform ALL JC2 scholars that there's a scholar meeting on Wednesday.
My Mazarin project proposal is due this Friday.
I'm a busy person.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Some Secret Code I Cannot Break
It's some cipher, or some secret code, or whatever. It boggles the mind, baffles the understanding and I can't figure out for the life of me what it means.
14367ILEYUIATN
I was asked to decode this and declare it to everyone I met. Based on the look on the dude's face as he was telling me this, I doubt it's anything good. But I at least want to know what it means, because my curiosity is killing me right now... And I also want to know precisely what I'm going to be screwing the guy for.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Drunken People
Ting Hui's birthday was celebrated with a OBK-class-others chalet, and during the BBQ, some decided to drink to the birthday boy's health.
*Dramatic voice* Some didn't make it out ALIVE...
We had freaking drunk people, and the semi-drunk like the birthday boy himself. Me, I found out my threshold, kinda. If already start to feel hot and get headache after 3/4 cups of 11.9% champagne, then one cup would surely push me over the edge.
Now excuse me. I must deal with my first ever "hangover".
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
A Joke For All You Computer Junkies
Dear Tech Support,
Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.
In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as
· Romance 9.5 and
· Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as
· NBA 5.0,
· NFL 3.0 and
· Golf Clubs 4.1.
Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.
· Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.
What can I do?
Signed,
Desperate.
DEAR DESPERATE,
First, keep in mind,
· Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while
· Husband 1.0 is an operating system.
Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.
· If that application works as designed, Husband1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.
However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. In most severe cases, Husband 1.0 might reboot with the Divorce 1.0 OS.
· Please note that Beer 6. 1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.
Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)
In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program.These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.
In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend
· Cooking 3.0 and
· Hot Lingerie 7.7.
Good Luck Babe!
Tech Support
