Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Male papaya trees

'Male papaya trees'
Did you know there are such things as male papaya trees? My mom made that startling revelation unto me over lunch today!

In a papaya fruit, there are lots of seeds. These seeds will grow up to become male or female papaya trees. There's no way to tell when its still a seed, but after it has grown for a while and started flowering you'd know. How? Male papaya trees have flowers which grow out with a stem from the trunk, while female trees have flowers that grow directly on the trunk. Amazing. And male papaya trees have flowers and can be pollinated, but will produce no fruit. Strange huh and I thought trees were 'asexual'. Could this 'male papaya tree' actually be some mutation or variety of papaya tree? That somehow despite so much domestication its seeds still appear in the predominant 'female papaya tree'?

This is a question for...... Prof Benj!

Goodbye NSX
My schoolboy crush fantasy supercar - the Honda / Acura NSX is ceasing production soon - after 15 years on Honda's lineup. The end of an era... at least it retired with grace unlike being reincarnated into some monstrosity of a marketing gimmick like the current Skyline or Fairlady, which share only their namesake and nothing else with their illustrious predecessors.

Car shock absorbers - $800... to change or not to change in order to cure the dive/squat bouncy castle syndrome. Left filter light keeps coming off after a hit on the front skirt during an illegal U-turn. Super glue and good weather needed. I hope the springs will last at least another 3 years...

New school term
It's great to see good school mates again! 5-day week thanks to photojourn and my core media subject. Planned lots of extra-cirricular activities to motivate myself to go to school on otherwise 1 1/2 hour or 2 hour days!

Saturday, July 23, 2005

Les Mundane

That's weird. An article I was working on halfway suddenly disappeared although I had saved a draft. What's going on here?

Went swimming on Wed and Fri. Am a little sunburnt now. Rainy season is ending. Second weekend in a row I have to go around Singapore counting lamposts for my mom. Awful for me and my poor car. And my mom is disorganized at planning routes. Heh. Can't make head or tail of the street directory. Recipe for disaster haha.

Got the car serviced. Finally changed the 2 rear tyres. The workshop replaced the tyre stems for me too. Cool. Now with excellent tyre grip my worn out suspension makes itself felt more when I corner hard. John says the front shocks (and I believe the rear) are leaking. That's why the dive and squat and wobbling keeps happening. $300 for front shocks replacement, up to $800 for the entire car including bushings and labour. $800. And I thought I could get the windows tinted. But this is much more urgent cause the car feels like a floating barge. And the springs are probably being massacred at a rapid rate with all that bouncing about. Or I could just corner real slowly. All the time. 6-year-old car, are you worth the money? Washed the car too.

Still haven't cashed my Citibank cheque yet. How troublesome. This coming Thursday there's gonna be a dinner with Ning Toh downtown. Maybe during then. Could collect my final one at the same time too.

I confess. Been doing guilty stuff recently. Felt horrid. My vile self, I could turn anything that's good horrible. Too much of anything. Obsession. Is bad. Bad for the soul. Clouds the light. Don't ever lose hope though, approach the Throne of Mercy in repentance. Even if you couldn't believe in yourself, believe and trust God and the Holy Spirit. Pray when temptations strike. I didn't, that's why I fell. Praise God for His mercy, that precious gift we handle with fear and trembling. Trust in Him alone - Him who keeps the universe in existence by His very Will.

Repent and thou shalt be saved:

What's repentance?

There are three Greek words used in the New Testament to denote repentance. (1.)
The verb "metamelomai" is used of a change of mind, such as to produce regret or
even remorse on account of sin, but not necessarily a change of heart. This word
is used with reference to the repentance of Judas (Matt. 27:3).

(2.) Metanoeo,
meaning to change one's mind and purpose, as the result of after knowledge.
This verb, with (3) the cognate noun "metanoia", is used of true repentance, a
change of mind and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised.
Evangelical repentance consists of (1) a true sense of one's own guilt and
sinfulness; (2) an apprehension of God's mercy in Christ; (3) an actual hatred
of sin (Ps. 119:128; Job 42:5, 6; 2 Cor. 7:10) and turning from it to God; and
(4) a persistent endeavour after a holy life in a walking with God in the way
of his commandments. The true penitent is conscious of guilt (Ps. 51:4, 9), of
pollution (51:5, 7, 10), and of helplessness (51:11; 109:21, 22). Thus he
apprehends himself to be just what God has always seen him to be and declares
him to be. But repentance comprehends not only such a sense of sin, but also an
apprehension of mercy, without which there can be no true repentance (Ps. 51:1;
130:4).

Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

A change of purpose in life. What's your purpose in life?

"...I once was lost
But now am found
was blind but now
I see..."

Amazing Grace! Amen!

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Face-off


This photograph is from a 202 assignment I had last semester. I coloured off a few distracting elements but otherwise everything else is untouched. Yes, including my unprofessional flash and the slight reflection on the glass window. What do you think? Any suggestions for improvement? What's the point I'm trying to make?





Occupation : something to occupy you with

Work ended yesterday! HAhaha! I've been slacking at the office as there's literally nothing left to do and the workflow is very messy and confusing. I'm instructed to gather so-and-so document number and then it turns out like 90% of them are useless and can't be used to retrieve the invoice. And their filing is a horrendous mess some labelled by months, entities, and journal numbers...

The other temp keeps pinning me down trying to make me look slow and saying I am making mistakes up till my very last day. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind since I was leaving but I forgave him. For Christ's sake. Next Friday I'll be back to collect my cheque while I send my mom to Chinatown. So much for SGX Tower 1. Byebye, till next holiday perhaps. Between this and DBS, can't tell which is the better. But this one is a lot less stressful.

1 last week of break... tai-tai lifestyle of swimming, cycling, movies, books, waking up late and chauffering mom around. Fantastic. Oh yah I've got to wash the car and send it for servicing.

Praise the Lord for all blessings that are given us! Amen!

NKF - reality check

NKF "saga"

Long term
I had some strong reactions, but I guess in the end what's of utmost concern in the long term is whether the system in place that is supposed to regulate how public charity collections are utilised is sufficiently accountable. It's quite disappointing that it takes an ironic and extraordinary twist of a defamation suit gone wrong to expose all these details of bad practices. Granted, NKF is not your typical local charity in terms of size and amount of collections so I guess we can take this as a lesson and set higher regulatory standards. Another sound idea mooted by PM is that perhaps excess funds (if you ask me, the temptation of the millions stuck there was just too great) be redistributed to other charities under various umbrella organizations.

NKF board resignation
It's a wise move for the board to resign as this will salvage the NKF name which has been built with much hard work. At least in this move we know the board and government, which I'm sure played a significant hand in the decision, have the interests of the NKF charitable cause at heart and don't want it being pulled down utterly together with these revelations.

Dishonest? Criminal?
The revelations were a a public shocker for understandable reasons. For the typical man-on-the-street, the image of golden taps paid for by public donations is something that will stick. Most people have an expectation of a charity. And those revelations were definately not what they expected.

A charity is a business is a charity is a business
Some people I spoke to think that it the perks were alright. After all, top dollar for top talent. Perhaps we're forgetting that this is not a business or company and that money raised from charity is a COLLECTION and not an EARNING. If you ask me, there's something terribly wrong about pegging Mr Durai's 10-month bonus to his 'performance' of having raised lots of money. Don't get me wrong, efforts should be lauded and rewarded no doubt, but how do you draw the line? Seems like the board drew it at 10 months. Civil servants get 1 or 2 month bonus and everyone nags. 10 months. Come on. I FORGOT, DID ANYONE SHOW THE DONORS WHO DONATED MORE ANY APPRECIATION?

The terminology is disturbing though and is a reflection of what WF put it as "the blurring of the line between a business and a charity".

What change is this? For example, we need to pay the top management top dollar to generate as much donations as possible. The consideration of NKF as a "brand-name". I'd rather call it the spirit or ideal. To me, this is evil (yes! hahaha) marketing terminology and mindset taking over everywhere, even in how charities are run.

Mr Durai talks about how he built up the brand name etcetc and I know he has worked hard. Proud that you donated because you had a chance to win a condo or car? Entralled by the dangerous and exciting stunts that you decided to donate to help a needy kidney patient? Excellent marketing tactics don't you think? What's more the product you're selling is... without competition and based on sympathy! Sometimes I get carried away by the prizes and end up with heaps of guilt when I realise that SMS was actually from NKF.

I hear echos of "so what?" As long as we get the money pouring in, patients getting help, who cares what really motivated people to donate? You come down from your idealistic cloud high up there and wake up, THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS!

Well, but I would never know your motivation to donate right? So I'd not comment and just take the money. I suspect that's what Durai and Co were thinking. Fine. After a while, the money swells up so rapidly beyond what they need and instead of distributing it to other charities (hey, they don't even have to be related - social causes, halfway houses, orphanages), they start to develop a sense of ownership over the funds (my talented marketing and promotion genius caused all these collections - they're mine!), and do all these guilt-ridden things.

How did we know they were guilt-ridden things? Because they tried to hide them! Lied about them. And arragont they were. Sued those who spoke out against them. Got away with it twice. Their head swelled. They tried it again against a party that always covers its back - the press. And SPH just replies with some casual blows and now the whole world knows their little secrets.

Moving on
1 thing that is clear is... there's lying and coverup going on. And no way is the public going to stand for that with their donations. I recommend an audit. Bring all expenditures and perks to light. They say they've done nothing wrong? Then be ready to be cleared and declared innocent, or else to face disgrace, or possible criminal litigation. They should come clean with the books - rather than let this cloud linger over the rest of their public life.

I think they learnt something the hard way - they're a charity, not a business. And its clear from public reaction that most people still distinguish a charity from a business. They didn't only donate to win that condo. Amen to that.

And government regulation regarding charities should be revamped. For charities beyond a certain size, more transparency.

As for the use of stunts and lucky draws to entice donors - I leave that to whichever is the source of your moral guidance.

Saturday, July 02, 2005

Birthday Boi

My first birthday cake in a very long time! And I wished for my mom's salvation. If they had asked me I've have violently rejected but they actually sprung a birthday cake on me! And they arranged it on the day itself when I told SS! How nice my church friends are its been years since I've had any sort of party...

Climbing that Bukit Timah is no joke, the steep incline is so incredible the park actually puts a "no running" sign on the downslope.

Later went for dinner with my mom and brothers at No Signboard Seafood at esplanade! The fish cost $50 but was great.

Hmm... I'm already fully booked next week except for monday for dinners.... great! eating eating and more eating!

Thank God for all my friends who have touched my life in whatever ways! Amen!

Sunday, June 26, 2005

you're not a Bible authority just because you're ang moh

Cai featured such a fascinating article by Oscar Wilde that I had to go read it for myself.
http://emotionalliteracyeducation.com/classic_books_online/slman10.htm

But oh well... its quite a weak case...

First of all, he thinks "charity creates a multitude of sins." He's trying to theorise some cause and effect relationship and thinks that charity is a means of the rich keeping the poor in their place. Hmm... I wonder, how many of you agree with this?

And mind you, here we speak of charity for its absolute own sake, in obedience to Christ's commands, rather than to chalk up a 'goodwill account' or to make people in debt to you or owe a favour.

Want an example of something that masquerades as charity? Just look at all the Aussies who said they wanted to withdraw the tsunami aid after the conviction of an Aussie drug trafficker by an Indonesian court. I'm not here to argue over the facts of the case presented, nor about religious bias (of the 3 judges 2 were Hindus and 1 was Christian I think - none were Muslims) but to show the hearts of some of them who said "let's take back the aid".

There's no such thing as realist "I scratch your back and you scratch mine" charity. It's not charity. Period. So, he hasn't actually proven how charity is the cause of evil except when its not charity.

And the second, more intellectual part. How Wilde believes that private property is the root of all evil. It is unfair too.

He says the ideal is the removal of private property (with Socialism) followed by the Individualism that would result. He 'predicted' correctly that if Socialism was Authoritarian it would result in Industrial Tyranny.

Finally, the part which actually appeared in cai's blog. So after private property is abolished, "true" Individualism will flourish, -

The true perfection of man lies, not
in what man has, but in what man is.


I can see how he brings the Bible into his idea, for Jesus taught many times about how a man's earthly possessions were like nothing and a useless measure of what he really had. I agree whole-heartedly that possessions hardly define a man. But when Christ spoke of perfection in God's eyes, it had absolutely nothing to do with what we did or could possibly do to make ourselves perfect, for we can do nothing about that. Christ was the only man on earth who lead a perfect, sinless life.

The problem here is the same, we keep blaming something else, we always keep blaming something else when we do bad or when we suffer and things go wrong. Here Wilde, using Socialism, attacks private property, saying it suppresses personality. What does he mean by personality? I can't actually pinpoint it from his article but it sounds like being totally self-expressive in everything.

And in the end, Christ is just someone who is telling you to "be thyself"... to express your own personality.

But that's a serious misreading. "Know thyself" - is to ask you to examine your soul, to realise your state of wickedness, your ghastly, greedy, selfish self and denial of truth. Jesus did not exactly mean it to be like, "discover the real you" or something likedat, he meant it for you to discover that the real you is wretched, selfish, sinful and going straight to Hell.

So, don't borrow words from the Bible to legitamise something you have to say. Even if you are Oscar Wilde.

And the account of the rich man who was sad when Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and follow Him, is not to show that private property is evil. It's to show that this guy was simply too attached to his worldly possessions! Instead of his possessions it could have been his wife, his family, his country, anything.

The fundamental mistake is Wilde attributes causation of evil to the wrong things!

And the account of the woman who anointed Jesus's feet with costly perfumes is not saying we should throw away all our possessions, but rather that we should be extravagant when praising God. Take note, she wasn't "developing her personality" but praising God!

Another serious error in this account is a misreading. The woman was not forgiven for the intensity of her love that caused the adultery, but for her repentence in washing of the feet with tears and wiping the feet with her hair.

It's obvious Wilde just skimms through the Bible and makes so many errorneous interpertations, so I think he's hardly someone who should (mis)quote it and mislead others.

Friday, June 24, 2005

sleepless in eunos

Haven't updated for quite a while, so here goes.

My bro just treated me n my mom to starbucks & I had tiramisu and some coffee... we actually chatted like 2 hours altogether with seafood and drinks... haha.

Encouraged my brother of how he should aim for his professor ambitions. And how I wanted to be a car journalist. Haha. He said he'd make me his driver when he's reached professor level. Yay I'm gonna have a job! We were also relating our working experiences. Small firm, big firm, government department. Similar and different in many ways.

Oh yes, I like my new job! Although I'm still terrible at small talk. I don't even know when people are making small talk and I just unknowingly cut them off. So lame man... Have this other temp from NTU also who's simply obsessed about doing OT... sometimes. And its not as brain-dead as I thought just keying in stuff you gotta do quite a bit of detective work when you see the invoices too.. yeah and as it goes things are still quite messy now. I don't know how but I became the filing person too so my table has lots of space taken up by files... top and bottom... and there's this huge conference room filled with boxes of files that we have to enter once in a while to dig out files... incredible.

There are also 3 NTU Business school interns... Biz Finance majors... 1 of them is trying to enter SMU, the other never turns up for lessons but still gets As and the last one... don't know much about him.

Took a walk to the Esplanade today during lunch. The weather was surprisingly clear and windy, and I had a great time staring into the sea (well, its not really the sea, just the bay, but you get the idea.)

But being a corporate rat is quite something. Thousands of people rushing in and out of the MRT. All walking rapidly. And during lunchtime the who place is simply crowded, which is why I tend to go for the 1pm lunch instead. YS msged me suddenly so I msged back and it seems she's working at some tour agency in Chinatown...

Also met BT for dinner last week at this ramen place... not bad... and they didn't yell 'maseh maseh' when we entered.

Madagascar was a disappointment. That's 1 great example of what I'd call a technically flawless but empty movie. Ok I know its just a cartoon but the story is like, ultra weak, the selection of songs was in terrible taste and jokes were absolutely lame. The dancing furry things with that king were like, urgh. The only thing I found cool were the penguins. And so what's the whole story about? Lions can eat sushi? I love New York? who knows? Let's have world peace and love, even the lions don't have to kill anymore! Yay!

Oh yeah, btw, iTunes sucks but iPod Shuffle is great. No battery issues although it's having problems with my buggy USB hub. But I really detest having to use iTunes. What a pain. But the Shuffle is REALLY portable and convenient so you won't regret it.

There's really so much to be thankful for, though the struggle continues. Who knows what tomorrow may bring? But live and walk in the Spirit, for though we may fall, He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1

May the Lord be with you always. Amen.