Happy Chinese New Year?
Out of curiosity, I decided to check out our government's website at http://www.gov.sg/, to see if they displayed the Prime Minister's e-mail address anywhere, since they did say they were trying to connect more with citizens at the grassroots level. Surprisingly, you can reach him at lee_hsien_loong@pmo.gov.sg. I'm not kidding. I wouldn't mail him to complain about how long it takes for bus 970 to come, or ask him for a loan though.
Anyways, there's a forum that you can go to, to air your views (or grievances), and get some healthy discussion going along with your fellow Singaporeans. (Somehow I think the PAP bashers will take their discussions elsewhere)
I came across one post which I felt was quite interesting, and no doubt sums up what some people feel about Chinese New Year visitations. The contributor's user name was sunfacer:
(quote) "This chinese new year, the conversations have proved no less disgusting. The talk has always been the same - talk has always been about work, salary scales, homes (especially condominiums) and cars.
And young as I am, the ones who have displayed interest in my monetary affairs are 40 to 60 years old. They do not know my ways, do not know my principles, do not know my inclinations, do not know my culture and do not know how I have grown mentally. They do not know about the trials I faced in the army, nor about the relationships I failed in.
No, they come prepared to scout around, often starting their conversations subtly with how fat/thin I have grown. Within a minute, they are on to their main agenda - my salary, my working hours, my duties and responsibilities, my network and connections, my new home and possibly a new car.
How shallow. ...(censored)... Such character is superficial, it is rude and barbaric. There is no class, no personality and simply distasteful.
But this CNY is only a trigger, my conversations with many people in this country has been this way. People size me up by the salary I draw, the size of my home and my ability to spend. They might as well ask how big my fleshy urinary member is. I would be less offended.
But as I calmed down, I tried to figure out how these barbarians think. They seek confirmation, affirmation and recognition. When they were young, the signs of success were looks, sporting abilities, academic performance and the ability to attract the opposite sex. As adults, the signs of success are money, landed property and the tin can with 4 wheels.
So... they grew up ... without actually growing up.
No, such silly childish acts: attention - seeking and manipulative behaviour are just a sign that they lived their lives so furiously and yet so fruitlessly. They lived so many years, yet lived so little. They have so much, yet have so little.
I thought that adults concern themselves with grooming the young, nurturing the less mature, guiding the less talented and setting the standards.
But it is clear to me, a junior, that we do not need more money in our lion city. We need heroes." (end quote)
I don't necessarily agree that people that ask about your job/house/car are 'barbarians', they could just have nothing else to talk about. Sunfacer brings up some interesting points about his view of Singaporean society. (You know sunfacer is a 'him' because...umm...never mind)
The Bible clearly states that God sees us all equally (while we all have different roles), in that He sent Jesus to die for the sins of all mankind. All you need to do is believe that He died for you, and respond by living the way that God originally intended us to, in a personal relationship with Him. So as a believer, you can be rest assured that your worth isn't tied to the job you have, how fat your paycheck is, what sort of house you live in, or what type of car you drive.
That said, I find myself unconsciously sizing people up. In school, especially when it comes to forming project groups, it could be how good a person's grades are, how he/she carries him/herself in public, etc. This past year, I've been trying to make the effort to form project groups with people I genuinely want to get to know better, and not judge people by whatever measures people use to measure someone's worth. I'm still guilty of judging people though. Argh! =( Hoping to work with as many people as I can over these 4 years at SMU.
At the end of the day, God isn't going to look at 'what we had'. Rather, He's going to look at 'how we lived'. Really hope I can be that 'good and faithful servant'. It's a long and narrow path, but by His strength, we can do this.
Fast Forward Please
Man I really can't wait for the summer holidays.
Been under a lot of pressure of late due to all the looming deadlines. Doesn't help that I'm struggling in some of my subjects. I'm learning the hard way that I have to be interested in something before I can do well in it. The April Bible Retreat is coming up, and I'm thankful for the help that the CFers are giving in making it possible.
Can't wait for this term to be over. Summer prospects look really exciting. If not for the good friends around, school would be a lot less happier.
Deciding what to do in summer took quite a bit of planning. Initially, I had planned to do Summer School, Visit April in York and then do an audit internship, which would take me all the way till the next school term. After much thought, I've decided to visit April right after the ABR, and then start my internship upon coming back.
Really hoping to get the Ernst & Young internship. It's for auditing IPO firms, so I think it'll be interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes prior to an initial public offering. Thank God for Liping (she's working at E&Y now) for telling me what it's about. Just praying for the best now.
All in your hands Lord.
Letters From Iwo Jima
Brilliant. Really shows how in war, everybody loses.
I Have a Fear of...
...losing my loved ones.
...God. Although not as much as I should sometimes.
...going to hell.
...graduating from SMU only to realise that the only thing I've accomplished is getting a degree, and not much else.
...failure. I have to learn to laugh at it and learn from it. (See: Corporate Reporting)
...the future. Uncertainty freaks me out.
Matthew 6:25 has always been a challenge for me.
...my brothers straying.
...my laptop crashing on me in week 12, without me backing up the data.
...Chou Tou Fu.
...heights.
...letting people down.
...saying 'no' to people.
...forgetting my lines when I'm MCing and standing in front of a large crowd. It feels like I'm standing naked in front of them.
...not making the best of my time, but I still nua around for some reason.
I better go to school now then.
Kaput
Just finished the last mid-term quiz for the week. The mid-terms have revealed my lack of understanding in some of my modules. See la, watch Heroes over the weekend some more. (Side note: Episode 14 is out! Find out who Claire Bennett's real father is! Gasp!)
It has been a challenging and trying term so far, and I don't expect it to get any easier. Juggling between studies, the Genesis studies for CF, church and meeting up with friends has been quite a balancing act. In doing all this, I find my sinful self relying on my own strength again to get me through. God takes a backseat while I go about my daily activities, and quiet time (when I do actually set aside time to do it) becomes just another obligation, rather than a good time of reading God's Word and just having a personal conversation with Him. Just want to encourage you if you think you're the only one struggling with your walk. Press on! You will never walk alone! =)
Went down for my last teaching session at AC Barker just now before the quiz. Don't think I've mentioned it before, but I've been helping out with Halogen, a foundation that teaches leadership skills to students in different schools. My good buddy Edmund invited me to help out and I must say that it has been a very interesting 5 weeks. Some of the boys were very teachable, but some were quite disruptive. I hope the disruptive ones turn out OK.
Sarah's farewell party tomorrow, and the theme is 'back to school'. We're all suppose to wear our old uniforms, but my AC uniform has turned yellow and the pants are now three-quarts, while my fire retardant NJ uniform is lying around somewhere in the house. Maybe I'll just go in the sexy red NJ PE shorts. Woo!
Oh well. Back to reading business case studies.
People Need The Lord
Everyday they pass me by,
I can see it in their eyes;
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where.
On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear;
Laughter hides the silent cries
Only Jesus hears.
People need the Lord,
People need the Lord;
At the end of broken dreams,
He's the open door.
People need the Lord,
People need the Lord;
When will we realize
People need the Lord.
We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong is right;
What could be too great a cost
For sharing life with one who's lost?
Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear;
They must hear the Words of Life
Only we can share.
People need the Lord,
People need the Lord;
At the end of broken dreams,
He's the open door.
People need the Lord,
People need the Lord;
When will we realize
That we must give our lives,
For people need the Lord.
People need the Lord.
-Ray Boltz
Heroes
Hiro Nakamura. Bends Space/Time. Able to teleport to anywhere in the universe. Main cause for me not studying properly for next week's quizzes.
