This Little Bit of Ivory

Hum this Hymn

2011-02-13T05:55:00.000-08:00

1. Come, thou Fount of every blessing, 
 tune my heart to sing thy grace; 
 streams of mercy, never ceasing, 
 call for songs of loudest praise. 
 Teach me some melodious sonnet, 
 sung by flaming tongues above. 
 Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, 
 mount of thy redeeming love. 

2. Here I raise mine Ebenezer; 
 hither by thy help I'm come; 
 and I hope, by thy good pleasure, 
 safely to arrive at home. 
 Jesus sought me when a stranger, 
 wandering from the fold of God; 
 he, to rescue me from danger, 
 interposed his precious blood. 

3. O to grace how great a debtor 
 daily I'm constrained to be! 
 Let thy goodness, like a fetter, 
 bind my wandering heart to thee. 
 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, 
 prone to leave the God I love; 
 here's my heart, O take and seal it, 
 seal it for thy courts above.

Such a meaningful song. Sang this in church today. Reminded me of the first time I heard this song, sung by someone with heart and soul.
Most beautiful thing I've ever heard.

Heart of Worship

2011-01-27T04:04:00.000-08:00

Adapted from Mike Gong on the "Heart of Worship" from a worship leader's perspective:

We begin with a biblical lesson from history. 2 Chronicles 26, as the title suggests, chronicles the life of this one-time king: Uzziah, King of Judah, a man whose position was analogous to that assumed by any worship leader who has had the privilege to step up on the podium. By the time of Uzziah's coming the kingdom of Israel was a shadow of it's former glory. The kingdom had been divided in two: one of which still bore the name 'Israel' and occupied the northern lands, whilst the other was called 'Judah' and was in the south. Many of the kings that came after this division sought to unify the lands and restore Israel to the power and prosperity of its Golden Age, in the time of such great kings as Solomon and David. Naturally, they failed.

But along comes our hero Uzziah, and chapter 26 of 2 Chronicles details the remarkable strides he made in trying to achieve what many of his predecessors had failed to do. Uzziah was, in short, a mighty king who "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done." Indeed, such were his achievements that "his fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful." Tragedy befalls however, for in the next verse it is said "But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall."

Uzziah went into the temple to burn incense to the Lord, a rite which only the priests could perform, and not the efforts of Azariah the priest and 80 other "courageous priests" could dissuade him from making the attempt. Uzziah was made sore wroth by this, and "while he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar at in the Lord's temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead." Uzziah never again set foot in his own palace, and his son Jotham succeeded him as ruler while he yet lived.

So how does the life-story of this once great king Uzziah concern us? The answer principally lies in verse 15, where it is stated -and this is important enough to bear reiteration- that "his fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped." Things went down the moment Uzziah forgot who really ran the show. This is something all worship leaders need to bear mind. There is a saying, that you can plant a seed but God waters it and makes it grow. It is the with the audience, of course. A worship leader does as worship leaders do but it is God who stirs the hearts of the people.

Having said that, Mike draws our attention to a certain prophet who lived in Uzziah's time, Isaiah. As one of the greatest prophets who lived, Isaiah got certain things right when it came to worshiping the Lord that Uzziah didn't. Isaiah 6 details a vision that the prophet had. In it is mentioned two seraphs, "each with six wings, and with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying." And the things that Isaiah witnessed elicited this response from him:

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

How we see God determines how we worship him. We are to remember first of all that God is Holy. God's holiness denotes separation. It is with God's holiness in mind that the seraphim cover their faces and feet; and also what leads to Isaiah's curious lament. The point however, is that both actions arise from humility. From the seraphim, angelic beings who acknowledge God's holiness, majesty and sovereignty, to Isaiah, a man and therefore a sinner like all of us, who fears the sight of the Lord because to see God face to face is like a dry leaf to be near a roaring furnace.

There is a pagan story of the Greek god Zeus, who incarnate in the flesh once took a mortal wife. Zeus promises to grant her any wish, much like the Herod who promised the same to the daughter of Herodias. The mortal wished then to see Zeus in his full glory. Regretfully, but nevertheless bound by his word, Zeus acqueisces and his wife is destroyed by the manifestation of his divinity.

There is a lesson Christians might take from this story, and from Uzziah's life-story and Isaiah's vision. Proverbs tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is this fear, or reverence if you like, that moves us to the right posture of mind, spirit and heart. Churches today have an unfortunate habit of forgetting about God's righteousness. We like to bring God down to our level, and we sing songs about Jesus being like a friend to us. This is true of course, but only to a certain extent. We cannot become 'paly-paly' with God. Our God is a God to whom our finest acts are but filthy rags in His sight. His holiness is so absolute it will tolerate no sin, and the bible makes it clear on so many occasions that we are a fallen race.

But as we say on many a Sunday morning service, He is a God whose property is always to have mercy. That mercy, of course, is Jesus' death on the cross for our sins, to reconcile man to God. It is good to remember this, the epitome of God's love; but it should not eclipse God's righteousness or indeed his holiness. Where the heart of worship is concerned, it does not do to emphasize one to the exclusion of the others. Nor should we forget, of course, that God is good. After all, He blesses Uzziah and prospers Judah immensely. It is only through Uzziah's fault that this blessing is withdrawn.

Thus, it is hard to reconcile 'friend' with 'Lord', 'saviour' and 'master'. Revelation 1: 12-16 describes Jesus in his full glory. For those reading who do not have the inclination to search for the verse, suffice to say that it is not a very homely or welcoming image. However, this same Jesus in glory fully revealed is the same Jesus who said 'let the little children come to me.' The Lion of Judah is also the lamb of God.

Sometimes we think that singing is all there is to worship; that worship starts at 8:30 and ends at 10:30 or such. Worship leaders therefore, worry a great deal about getting the 'worship' right- about choosing the right songs, rehearsing enough or getting the atmosphere just right. Not that any of this is wrong, in fact it is good, but only when done for the glory of God. Our voices, however beautiful, is nothing but the sound of rebellion if not in the praise of God. The focus, first and foremost, should be on God. Get this right and all the rest will follow.

So why do we talk about God's holiness, righteousness and love when we should be talking about the heart of worship? Because to worship in a way that pleases the Lord you must first know what pleases a holy, righteous and loving God. You don't take your father out to an Italian restraunt on Father's Day when you know he likes Thai food. You do things his way, in his timing on his day, not your way in your timing as though it is your day.

Who are we meant to satisfy, God or ourselves? Because if the answer is God, you had better make sure you have the heart of worship that God is pleased with.

Fun.

2011-01-21T04:04:00.000-08:00

Nicholas says:

Fun?

What is....'fun'...?

I know not of what you speak....

'tis a word wholly unkown to me!

cheryl. says:

FUN.

IT IS BUT A WORD.

OF THREE LETTERS LONG

A MERE THREE LETTERS

THAT SAYS SO MUCH

YET IN..SO FEW LETTERS

FUN.

HOW DOES ONE SPEAK OF FUN

IF NOT IN A 'FUN' WAY

IT WOULD THEN BE PERCEIVED OTHERWISE

AND GOD FORBID.

THE EXPLANATION

WILL SOUND

BORING.

DUMDUMDUM

Nicholas says:

/save conversation

lolololol

Ahh, Cheryl. If anyone knows what 'fun' is, it's you.

2011-01-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

Well hello there. I don't know who I'm addressing; neither do I care.

I imagine if my blog could speak it would say something like this:

It's been a long time...How have you been?
I've been busy being dead.
You know....
After you murdered me!

~GLaDOS

Murder seems to be the only appropriate word too. After all, this blog has been by all indications and for all intents and purposes, dead. Jason's blog dates the last update as 6 months ago. That's half a year.

This post has been hard in the writing because needless to say, a lot has happened since then. On the whole? I am displeased with most of what has transpired in the intervening months, although I am somewhat satisfied with the resolution. 2010 featured some of the sweetest (Slash concert!) and bitterest experiences I have had thus far. Some of them so sweet at first, now so bitter in retrospect (not the concert though, that's one untainted memory). I learned more about myself that year than at any other stage in my life- had a good look in the metaphorical mirror, if you like. And I liked not what I saw.

It felt like cresting a peak only to look down and see the plunging depths of the valley below and the mountains beyond that I must climb. It's painful now to look back not so long ago and see how I used to laugh about certain things in life that I was sure would never happen to me. Maybe someday it'll seem funny, and I'll be able to laugh about it and this post, but I can't now. Time was when I'd laugh about people going on and on about their woes on their blogs too, but that time is past, like so many other things.

Poor Weng Yee, who only wanted something interesting to read, but instead prompted a completely emo-fied introspective essay.

This is perhaps the most honest post that's been written on this blog so far, and I thought that it might be fitting too, as an indication (hopefully) of things to come ere 2011 is gone too. On a related and somewhat less depressing note: the resolution. 2010 ended better than I could have expected. The reason for that, as some of you may well know, is Youth Quake 2010. I have said it before: that I could say YQ 2010 was awesome, but instead decided that:

GOD IS AWESOME

Indeed, my God is an awesome God and deserving of far more praise than bold green font can express. For all the failures, inadequacies and weaknesses I've seen in me, it gives me hope to know that not even one as far gone as I am beyond his power to save, redeem and make anew. For 'tis said that His power is made perfect in our weakness. And what weakness too. It leaves me beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is not something within my capability to resolve on my own.

Drink from the river that flows before His throne...

So as much as I cherish some of the better memories of the past year (concert again) I never took anything from it beyond simple remembrance. But I did take a part of what went on in camp back home, and it's not a part I intend to lose.

All in all, I've had to make many decisions twixt this post and the last. Some of them I regret, some I am glad for; others I'm still not sure about. One thing I will never regret though, and will ever be glad of, is God in my life. I am many things, student, a lover of literature, etc... but proudest of all is to say I am a Christian. To my shame (you have no idea) not a very good one at times- worse even, I mean, than I have a right to be as a fallen human. I am, and suspect many times hence will be, ashamed of myself, but never of Christ.

To all whom I have failed, wronged and done evil by, forgive me. I say this of course, not just to everyone, but most of all to Him by whom I have failed the most, wronged the most and done evil by the most. I do want you to know something however. He knows of course, but for your benefit I'll type it out, and as I hope to gain your pardon and be a more worthy friend, brother, son, student, and disciple, be assured:

I'm working on it.....

Clause of concession

2010-06-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

Alright. So after watching these two films:

My verdict is that not all anime sucks.

Only last week I'd have been shocked to hear myself say so, but there it is. Funny how that works. 'Spirited Away' won an academy award and is listed along with 'Princess Mononoke' as being among the best animated films ever. Critical reception notwithstanding, my personal opinion is that I'd place these two right up there with the Disney classics like 'The Lion King', 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', etc...I found the music to be very moving, something which rarely happens in the kind of animated films we get these days, 'How to Train Your Dragon' being a notable exception. The protagonists are, in my opinion, every bit as charming with 'full as much heart' as their english counterparts, as I'm sure most people would see if but they could get over their bias against anything other than what they are normally accustomed to. To be sure, it is rather different in style as well as language, but that shouldn't blind one to the merits of any film, as I've come to realize. You roll your eyes, and maybe I'm stating the obvious here, but it's one thing to vaguely comprehend the concept of impartiality and another to come to your own understanding of it, or 'too see with eyes unclouded' as it were.

Notice how 'to see' is synonymous with 'to understand'. This is what we call a dead metaphor- one that has become so commonplace that it has been incorporated into everyday language to the extent of ceasing to be viewed as a metaphor. In any case, it perfectly illustrates what I'm trying to say here. So to anyone who discriminates baldly against anime, go and 'see' Hayao Miyazaki's films and hopefully, understand.

2010-05-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Don't need reason, don't need rhyme

2010-05-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

Late I sat down last night,
by request a poem to compose.
Aught but a lamp for light
to spin a tale, and shun repose.

Long and hard was the fight
for words of wisdom- words to move
while away ticked the night,
and with each tick- a sharp reproof.

And with growing ire,
for all my efforts were in vain
I knelt down in prayer
To alleviate the strain.

Lord, said I in earnest-
bless thy servant with clarity
to write- which is dearest-
of precious sacred maternity.

Softly and tenderly,
that still small voice at last did speak.
Only look within, said he
and you will find what you seek.

I did as I was told
and plumbed the depths of memory
-and found worth more than gold
the toil of a mother's charity.

Patience to her ascribe,
fourth of the fruit of the spirit.
boundless her love is described-
love, I hardly merit

Love to purchase pardon
for my every indemnity-
and thus freely given,
her love derives it's sanctity.

Here is a hand, upon which
one might, without fear, surely rely.
A hand that stayed the switch,
-a father's waxing wrath defy.

As I sit here, lonely-
accompanied by solitude,
it occurs to me, how I'd
oft repaid love with ingratitude.

So I, with a full heart,
and mindful of our Lord's statutes,
remember with what art
He bid us act, as men of good repute.

And as in time to come,
When she grows old and her voice falters,
I'll repay her some,
of the love that on me she now showers.

Love will shoulder the debt,
I shall defy conformity.
Mine to give, hers to accept,
out of love, with cheerful gravity.

And even if I should fail,
fail,even at my filial duty,
She goes to one above,
who rewards her for all eternity.

2010-04-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFhSogGnu4I

Extraordinarily bad. I lack even the vocabulary to belabour it soundly enough. Where do you get this shit, Chen Yi?!?

Hey Joe

2010-03-11T00:24:00.000-08:00

SPM results are out. No surprise then, that I am disposed to be rather more communicative today than I have been as of late, especially considering the way in which this event concerns myself. My results are as follows:

BM: B+ (surprisingly)
Bible Knowledge: B+ (to my eternal shame)
Moral: B (much wasted effort here)
Sejarah: C (again, a surprise as I'd expected an E at most)

Bio:A-
Chem:A-
Physics:A
English: A+ (I'd probably have self-harmed if I'd gotten any less)
Mod Math: A

aaaand.....

Addmaths: A-

I know. Those of you who've gotten an A or higher for addmaths will be wondering what all the fuss is about, but us lesser mortals are disposed to be quite content -happy even- with an A-. Especially in view of the fact that I failed addmaths in my trials.

So screw you Additional Mathematics. I WIN.

Also....a post I found on a friend's blog.

To all who read, apply this to your own situation

"To any student who thinks its the end of the world coz of a low TER, you missed the point of CAE. You have 2 choices:

1) Pity yourself

OR

2) WAKE UP

I didn't train any of you to become the typical man with their "Die la, die la" nonsense. RISE above your challenges. Look for ALTERNATIVES. Champions are MOULDED by HARD... KNOCKS. There are no problems in life, just solutions waiting to be applied."

~A Wise Lecturer

Twilight. It's that gay.

2010-02-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

Hail.

2010-01-29T07:41:00.000-08:00

It feels like a long time since my last post- I'd yet to start college back then. The past few weeks have been...interesting, to say the least. So far college is everything I'd hoped it would be, except maybe for the compulsory community service.

Lit class in particular is something I enjoy. Not just for the literature, but for the society as well. It has been a blessing in that respect: for some reason, I take to my fellow literature students more easily than others. Probably because the only people who take English Lit. are people like myself. It's been quite humbling as well. I was used to being one of the best in English back in secondary school but that is no longer the case. At best, I'm amongst equals. Also...10 marks out of 20 for poem analysis?!? I thought I was pretty good before, but the marks don't seem to agree. Maybe you could give me some lessons, Weng Yee? :p

And oh yes. My Bio teacher definitely deserves a mention. Very good teacher, with a wicked sense of humour.

Also, to my friends: Dann, Sze and Zhi Yan, it's been a pleasure. Loathe as I am to admit it, I'll miss you crazy people.

Other things that have happened in the intervening weeks include:

2010-01-03T22:53:00.000-08:00

Book list for English Lit.

1.Jane Eyre!
2.Wide Sargasso Sea
3.The Oxford Anthology of English Poetry Volume II: Blake to Heaney
4.King Lear
5.Hamlet
6.Great Expectations
7.Life of Pi
8.The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale

This ought to be interesting. Don't know anything about 2 and 8 but I approve of 1 and 7! Not least because I've already read them and I like! Especially 1. :) Then there's Dickens, Shakespeare and poetry...Not sure what to think of those yet.

FREEEEDOOOO- Whait...wut?

2009-12-09T03:07:00.000-08:00

Hello blog. You missed me? No, I'm not friggin' anthropomorphosising you- oh wait...

Anyway. SPM is over, in case you failed to notice all the sudden outbreak of insanity and inane joy amongst the mid-teens. Or was that zombies? O.o

DUN DUN DUUUUUN...

Still getting used to it. Some parts of my brain still insist that it's time to study at so and so o'clock. The perversity! I could have done with that before SPM....

Cloak and Dagger

2009-11-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

Quote from a friend (I think you'll like this, Weng Yee):

To be living a synthetic life, wearing synthetic masks, but feeling real emotions... A bewildering and painful contradiction.

Anyway the wind blows...

2009-11-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

...doesn't really matter to me, to me.

Back from graduation day, or in my vernacular, Much Ado About Nothing. No teary farewells or last-minute displays of solidarity for me, thanks. I've had done with this place, and I'm glad of it.

So. Insert over-sentimental reminiscing about the past here, 'cause I won't.

iRony

2009-10-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

Interesting night. Decided to visit some relatives and ended up an iPhone the better for it. The reason? Uncle says he's not so 'tech-savvy'...

Heheh...quite a jump from my ancient derelict artifact of a bygone era. Now just gotta figure out how to work this thing. It's probably rather wasted on me since I'm probably going to end up not using 90% of its applications.

Also, it has an annoying Arabian-nights tone that sounds off every time I turn it on and off. Must find a way to switch that off before it drives me insane.

Bliss-ters

2009-10-18T02:19:00.000-07:00

Well. That was some game. Thanks to Leon for the invite. Basketball ftw. Wtb port home next time. Hearthstone on cd.

2009-09-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Jane Eyre, here I come!!!

2009-09-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

There's a flame yet burning inside,
this lamp which oil doth overflow.
Naked, unashamed, loathe to hide,
redemption for this darkened soul.

Take heart, my soul, do not despair.
drink ye deep of heavenly fare.
Stretch thy hand for what is thine-
-the blissful taste of love divine.

There may be cake.

2009-09-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

And the guillotine.

Here's to my extremely lala friend, EeRick: Happy 18th. You are, as was so astutely noted, 'legal'. Which just means the government gets to hang you instead of putting you in juvie if they catch you doing crack. Whoop-de-doo.

I don't have many lala friends by the way, so be flattered EeRick.

Anyway, here's to you, and may your days be filled with pimple-free joy, laughter and good hair.

I see a little silhouetto of a man scaramouche scaramouche will you do the fandango...

Elucidate

2009-09-09T23:12:00.001-07:00

Nothing really matters,
Anyone can see,
Nothing really matters,
To meeeee.....

Regress

2009-09-08T06:59:00.000-07:00

Would you believe it...on the eve of our SPM trials they jump a "ceramah" on us. And not just any ordinary ceramah, but one about dental care. Only in SMKL Bukit Bintang. Oh well, shit happens. It's just that we seem to attract more than our fair share of it.

The true Lord of the Rings

2009-09-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

To my literary hero: J.R.R. Tolkien.

Intrigued

2009-08-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

iPersonic

Dreamy Idealist

Dreamy Idealists are very cautious and therefore often appear shy and reserved to others. They share their rich emotional life and their passionate convictions with very few people. But one would be very much mistaken to judge them to be cool and reserved. They have a pronounced inner system of values and clear, honourable principles for which they are willing to sacrifice a great deal. Joan of Arc or Sir Galahad would have been good examples of this personality type. Dreamy Idealists are always at great pains to improve the world. They can be very considerate towards others and do a lot to support them and stand up for them. They are interested in their fellow beings, attentive and generous towards them. Once their enthusiasm for an issue or person is aroused, they can become tireless fighters.

For Dreamy Idealists, practical things are not really so important. They only busy themselves with mundane everyday demands when absolutely necessary. They tend to live according to the motto “the genius controls the chaos” - which is normally the case so that they often have a very successful academic career. They are less interested in details; they prefer to look at something as a whole. This means that they still have a good overview even when things start to become hectic. However, as a result, it can occasionally happen that Dreamy Idealists overlook something important. As they are very peace-loving, they tend not to openly show their dissatisfaction or annoyance but to bottle it up. Assertiveness is not one of their strong points; they hate conflicts and competition. Dreamy Idealists prefer to motivate others with their amicable and enthusiastic nature. Whoever has them as superior will never have to complain about not being given enough praise.

As at work, Dreamy Idealists are helpful and loyal friends and partners, persons of integrity. Obligations are absolutely sacred to them. The feelings of others are important to them and they love making other people happy. They are satisfied with just a small circle of friends; their need for social contact is not very marked as they also need a lot of time to themselves. Superfluous small talk is not their thing. If one wishes to be friends with them or have a relationship with them, one would have to share their world of thought and be willing to participate in profound discussions. If you manage that you will be rewarded with an exceptionally intensive, rich partnership. Due to their high demands on themselves and others, this personality type tends however to sometimes overload the relationship with romantic and idealistic ideas to such an extent that the partner feels overtaxed or inferior. Dreamy Idealists do not fall in love head over heels but when they do fall in love they want this to be a great, eternal love.

Adjectives which describe your type: introverted, theoretical, emotional, spontaneous, idealistic, dreamy, effusive, pleasant, reserved, friendly, passionate, loyal, perfectionist, helpful, creative, composed, curious, obstinate, with integrity, willing to make sacrifices, romantic, cautious, shy, peace-loving, vulnerable, sensitive, communicative, imaginative

I confess surprise. It is more accurate than I had expected.

A day in the life

2009-08-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

What is it about anonymity that so inclines people to speak like complete morons? The perverted chatbox spammer is the pure, quintessential example of this particular brand of stupidity. But perhaps the question is flawed- working on the assumption that people are willing to act like idiots only on the condition of anonymity, whereas I venture to postulate that perhaps people are idiots by default; and anonymity is simply the vehicle by which this idiocy is expressed. Or to put it succintly, people are idiots writ passive; and anonymous spammers are idiots writ aggressive.

Pardon me. I do not mean to generalize. It would seem a gross a affront to justice indeed, to brand everyone 'idiots'. But the fact is, idiocy does seem to be the default state of being, as is evinced by the profligacy amongst the general populace.

Thunderbolts and lightning

2009-08-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

It is an absurdity. Two hours spent trying to do one addmaths question.

Refrain

2009-08-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

One does NOT play football on the 'hardwood', so to speak. Especially with a proper field 3 metres adjacent to the basketball court. With the futsal court under renovation, the goalposts were removed and set in front of both boards of the basketball court, despite the proximity of aforementioned field.

I have a low opinion of humanity in general, but I admit this rather sinks the residents in the vicinity of SS1 in my estimation yet further. That people can be so deficient in consideration, to say naught of common sense, almost beggars belief. Ordinarily I would be quite inclined to moralize of their lack thereof, but the nature of this particular object is such as makes me too depressed for its execution. Such commonplace idiocy does not merit the effort of so much labour as is needed to express the correct degree of disapprobation.

Right. Back to Biology.

She's a killer, Queeeen...

2009-08-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

...gunpowder gelatine, dynamite with a laser beam

Ah yes. Back from self-imposed 'exile', during which I appear to have developed a taste for Best of Queen records and The Beatles.

Addmaths + Queen= win.
* I see a little silhouetto of a man scaramouche scaramouche will you do the fandango...
Bliss. You feel smart while head banging.

Don't stop me don't stop me ah,
Oh yeah Oh,
I'm burnin' through the sky yeah...

Fact(s) of the day:
Queen guitarist Brian May is an astrophysicist with a degree in physics and mathematics, studied for his Ph.D but abandoned it halfway when Queen became successful, co-authored two scientific research papers and completed his unfinished Ph.D 30 years later.

Oh and he has an asteroid named after him, due to it's coincidental provisional designation of 1998 BM_{30. Wouldn't you like that?

Although, with the guitarist currently in consideration, a collision of said asteroid with
Earth could scarcely have much greater impact on it than that of the man himself.}

2009-07-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

Quote:

165000

My latest highscore for Mile High Club, arcade mode. I doubt I will ever beat that mark again, myself. Anyone want to try? Bwahahah. I iz 1337.

I lied. 171200.

Irony

2009-07-07T06:27:00.001-07:00

?Why......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the
store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes
at the?front.

Why ......do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a?diet
coke.

Why ...do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the
counters.

Why ......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and
put our useless junk in the garage.

Why . .....do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

EVER WONDER ...

Why the sun lightens our hair,
But darkens our skin??

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid
made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why
don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

2009-07-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

165000

My latest highscore for Mile High Club, arcade mode. I doubt I will ever beat that mark again, myself. Anyone want to try? Bwahahah. I iz 1337.

De-capita

2009-07-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

"An army cannot be built without reprisals. Masses of men cannot be led to death unless the command has the death penalty in its arsenal. So long as those malicious tailless apes that are so proud of their technical achievements — the animals that we call men — will build armies and wage wars, the command will always be obliged to place the soldiers between the possible death in the front and the inevitable one in the rear." - Leon Trotsky

Good Romance is...

2009-07-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

Any of Jane Austen's works. They are: Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park.

Picking one of them up has proven more educational than 5 years worth of secondary school English Language, although admittedly that isn't much of a compliment, with the way they teach the subject nowadays. Much better to say that her work has been described as the Parthenon of fiction. So drop Twilight and start on one of these, because Twilight will never hope to equal the achievement of having been described thus.

I will not review any of them for fear of not doing them justice. I will simply vouch for their being works of genius, and entreat you to read for yourself.

Fatalism is...

2009-07-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

...not defering your NS. You're still going to have to do it. Eventually.

So...you're going to pay me to loaf around in the jungle for 3 months? Alright then!

Waling and gnashing of teeth indeed

2009-06-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

Bitter as gall,
the worst message of all,
the NS call!

To put more eloquently,

Dammit.

Mors Vincit Omnia

2009-06-27T22:51:00.001-07:00

Human nature is so well disposed towards those who are in interesting situations, that a young person, who either marries or dies, is sure of being kindly spoken of.

If you take a look at what's happening with Michael Jackson, you'll see this is true. It's only now that he's dead that people step up and say nice things about him. Before that it was all "Child molester!!!" and suchlike.

What? Another one already?!

2009-06-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

Bitter is the blade set in wood,
clutched by fleshless bone,
claims the souls for sin unatoned.

Pale is the horse that draws nigh,
and paler still that one of four,
who slays without rancour.

Beholden to no one,
all life beholden to him,
none can stay the hand of the reaper grim.

Clothed in night, wreathed in shadow,
spares neither wife nor widow,
there he grins, man's eternal foe.

Each desperate blockhead dares to write

2009-06-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

In the shadow of yon vale,
stood a lady fair and pale.
Cloth, heel and ring a-glimmer,
hair, eye and tear did shimmer.
Offered she her fine hand,
thus to be spurned by cruel man.
No tender assurance to soothe her fears,
nor words of sweet love reach her ears.
Nay, none to be had, in this vale of tears.

Ah yes. My first attempts at poetry, and let me tell you, it ain't as easy as it sounds. Any idiot can write a couple of rhymes; it's hard to produce anything of quality. So. Feel free to comment. Your critique is especially welcome.

It's not hard to improve on garbage...

2009-06-17T07:08:00.000-07:00

You know you're addicted to WoW when your toaster goes DING!!! and you say grats...

You know you're addicted to COD4 when you play the prologue and epilogue over and over again to beat IW's best time and your own highscore...

14.15s incidentally. Thats nearly a whole second better than IW's. *sheepish grin

I also did mile high club on veteran w/o flashbangs. Another time using only the pistol. And another time with 16s to spare. Do you think the sense of achievement I feel suggests any underlying metaphysical significance? Like having no life? Hahah.

For you Romantics out there

2009-06-14T05:42:00.000-07:00

Love is enough

LOVE is enough: though the World be a-waning,
And the woods have no voice but the voice of complaining,
Though the sky be too dark for dim eyes to discover
The gold-cups and daisies fair blooming thereunder,
Though the hills be held shadows, and the sea a dark wonder,
And this day draw a veil over all deeds pass'd over,
Yet their hands shall not tremble, their feet shall not falter;
The void shall not weary, the fear shall not alter
These lips and these eyes of the loved and the lover.

Yes, admire the beautiful passages by William Morris and nod sagely. Someone was once said to have reviewed the poem briefly in the words 'it isn't'. Call me cynical, but for my part, I agree completely with the reviewer...

Et Si Omnes...Ego Non

2009-06-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

Even if all ones...not I. Oooh, strong words. Easy to say, nothing like as simple to do.

When someone says something foolish, they're foolish. When 5 people say something foolish, they're foolish five times. When 5000 people say something foolish, you're foolish.

An experiment was once conducted during the 1950's during which a group of volunteers were told to compare the lengths of three lines to a given standard line. The volunteers were then instructed to choose the wrong line with the exception of one, who was of course, the real test subject. The volunteers were then placed together in the same room with the test subject, who was placed last in a line of judges. Each of the volunteers voted for the wrong line as per instructions, but when the time came for the test subject to vote, he hesitated, and then voted along with the rest. Out of 50 people tested, 75% voted at least once against his better judgment and one of them did it 11 times out of 12.

This extraordinary, or perhaps not so extraordinary phenomenon is known as conformity, otherwise more commonly known as peer pressure. Or if you prefer more colourful expressions, monkey see monkey do. Where such a response originated I should not begin even to conjecture, but this tendency to conform is something I feel Christians need to be aware of. Its hard being the only one in step, especially when you know how often this is expected of you, and it's a problem that a lot of youths today apparently face. Say you've been accepted into a group of the coolest guys on campus/school. You're in the car with them when suddenly the driver takes out a bottle, pops a pill which you just know to be crack, and passes it around. After everyone's taken one and its your turn, what's next? I think a lot of people would take the easy way out, console themselves, "It can't hurt if I only do it once", and follow suit. Before you know it, you're out with them again and again and this time its not just one pill, you're on your 2nd, 3rd and graduating to the more hardcore drugs. Why? Because most of us are scared to say no and risk getting ostracized and becoming an outcast. We're scared of rejection; we want to be accepted, and we're willing to go to great lengths to ensure this is the case. This is only natural, but you need to ask yourself how far you are willing to go with the flow to be accepted in spite of your common sense.

And it doesn't always have to be drugs. It's a bit ironic where the one time in history when it would be a good idea to hide your belly, fashion perversely dictates that you must flaunt it. 1/3 of Americans are officially obese (didn't know that did you) and the rest of the world is swelling to match. Still, there is nothing independent teenagers won't do to look like each other. The fashion for bare midriffs coming face to face with the obesity epidemic is a case study in the unfortunate consequences of the tendency to follow trends.

To sum it up, we want to look like the world, act like the world and so be accepted by the world, because the alternative is too painful to contemplate. But this is exactly not what Christians should do.

Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The implication here being that conforming to the pattern of this world is neither holy nor pleasing to God. It is not an act of worship, it is a regress of the mind and is detrimental towards discerning God's will. How often have we sang in church about seeking God and running after him, his will being done in our lives and offering ourselves to him? It is a lie to do as much, and then go out and live like what you see in the cinema or TV.

1st Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

Take care how you dress, you are adorning God's temple. Maybe you'd like to get a tattoo? Have you asked God if he'd like a skull and crossbones imprinted on the place of his residence? You are not your own, for from dust you were created and to dust you will return. The pot of clay you moulded is yours. God moulded you, ergo, you are His. Quod erat demonstrandum. So when you take a life, even your own, you are stealing from God what is rightfully His. Presumably the same applies to how you treat your fellow 'jars of clay'.

So the next time you sing, take a little time to consider what you're singing. You want to be like Christ? Really???

John 15:18-19
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as your own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

You don't really think he meant that do you? Well, if you find some other way to interpret the verses, I'd like to hear it. Becoming more like Christ is the whole point of Christianity, and that means distancing oneself from all the negative influences of the world. So if you call yourself a Christian and indulge in anything and everything the world has to offer then you've completely missed the point. For, blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. See how diametrically opposed they are? I don't think there are any shades of grey in this matter. You're either for Christ, or for the world and either way you must thereafter be a stranger to one.

I leave it to you to decide which category conforming to the world leaves you in.

2009-06-03T01:54:00.001-07:00

Hahah. In the holiday spirit, I am pleased to announce that my mage has 'level-ed up' twice, in as many days. And before you ask, yes I play World of Warcraft, no I'm not crazy and/or insanely rich, yes it is RM50+ per month, and no that's not my character. It's just a picture of a mage. Whose, I have no idea. But it's a fair representation. :)

2009-05-31T06:32:00.000-07:00

Dancing is the perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire.

Hahahah. I'm not going to explain, you go figure it out.

To boldly go...

2009-05-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

...requires emotion. As the more dedicated fans amongst you have no doubt noticed, the title is a famous phrase from the popular TV series called Star Trek. The movie, screened only recently, was generally thought to be surprisingly good, an opinion with which I fully concur, having just watched it today (with Ian and Chen Yi), in spite of or perhaps because of its estrangement from canon. Admittedly it was a neat way of avoiding criticism from the more hardcore fans. They 'cheated' so to speak.

But anyway, to the main point of this post. Within the Star Trek universe, there exist extraterrestrial beings called vulcans, certain individuals of whom choose to undergo a process intending to purge themselves completely of emotions, the idea being that this detachment will allow for better judgment. Logic would function unimpeded by irrational emotions, and as such enable the vulcans to consider matters in a clearer light, so as to allow for error-free decision making.

First off, the idea is correct in certain aspects, emotions do on ocassion impede good judgment, and its regulation goes a long way towards making good decisions. And secondly, it does indeed allow people to perceive things that their more emotional counterparts might not, being able to view matters with greater clarity. Case in point: for many great scientists, their extraordinary insights were made possible by their avoidance of getting emotionally involved with the inanimate world, looking instead for the cold, hard facts. So the movie gets that much right.

However, completely distancing oneself from all emotion is not only aesthetically distasteful, it is also suicidal. Without emotions there would hardly be any motivation for doing anything, or indeed living. What, if not the emotion of fear, motivates you to run from the tiger charging you, all claws and bloody maw agape? To put it succintly, life and death would be equally stripped of meaning, and as such a person devoid of emotion would simply look his askance at the tiger and stand eyebrow cocked, as the tiger rushes to devour him. Imagine for a moment, yourself without emotion and now consider the whole of life with all the cold detachment of logic that you can muster. Why should you want to continue living? There is no pleasure to be had, no joy of reading Terry Pratchett, eating at Williams, seeing Manchester United beat Barcelona, or listening to Green Day rock until your parents complain of the loudness. What then can life offer you besides pain, those days you spent outdoors with the sun beating on you with merciless intensity, or the accidents you had and the subsequent agony of a broken ankle. You would, perhaps, be then gifted with extraordinary insight and clarity of thought, but what the hell does that signify to you? You know such intelligence must be preferable to stupidity, but how could you take any pleasure or pride in possessing the former? You might as well be stupid as not, or share your insight as remain silent. You could not feel any obligation to do so for the sake of advancing the general good of society. You become a rudderless ship, drifting according the whims and caprice of the wind and waves, till at last you lie broken on the now colourless shores of your life. Forgive me if I wax here poetic. Hah.

Ah well. My objections to the plausibility of the vulcans' supposed complete detachment notwithstanding, I still have no hesitation in recommending the movie to those of you who have yet to watch it.

And if you're wondering why I decided to speak so on the subject, it was because one of my two companions, I will not say who ^^, seemed particularly enamored of that vulcan concept...

Omnis vel nihil

2009-05-28T02:42:00.000-07:00

There have been many poets who have never versified; now swarm many versifiers who need never ascribe to the name of poets.

2009-05-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

Hahah, yeah! My two favourite doctors of all time. Speaking of which, if you are a gamer and haven't played Half-life 2 and it's subsequent expansions, you had better do so a.s.a.p.

As for House M.D....It's just one of the better TV series' out there. Way better. Go watch it.

For Grace...

2009-05-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

It seems I have not made good on my previous promise to post something about church camp 09. That was nearly 3 weeks ago. Hmm...this is going to be difficult, the memories have, to my consternation, already started to fade.

Camp was at Shahzan Inn, Frasers. Looking back, this camp has been...different in many ways to any of the previous camps I attended. For one thing, the best moments of the camp were, for me, not the games or any indeed any of the activities planned by the church. That's not to say I didn't enjoy them, I certainly did. But the highlights of this camp were simply the times spent loitering around, enjoying the fresh, cool air whether in the company of friends or alone, pondering the existential. Hahah. Also, this was where I finished the book now amongst the dearest to me, Pride and Prejudice! The book of which I spoke most highly in previous posts. What I miss most though, was the feeling of complete indifference to my studies! Carefree indeed. So basically the parts of camp I enjoyed the most were the bits between activities, the easy flow of conversation amongst friends of which I had the pleasure of being a participant, or more often than not, given my disposition, simply observing. My only regret is that I missed most the sermons delivered by the speaker our church had invited. Once, because my team had a shortage of participants for the youth games, and the other time because I went with the other youths to listen to the youth speaker. Not that Andrew's sermon wasn't good, it was certainly very much so. Which brings me to the main point of this post...

Dear Grace has imposed on me a certain obligation to write about Andrew's sermon, and my bad memory notwithstanding, I shall do my best to oblige her. I have to opted first to write it on my blog, the employment of which to said end I have grown somewhat accustomed.

Mr. Andrew began with a power point that displayed three pictures, one of Lindsay Lohan, one of Michael Jackson and one of Britney Spears. People who, to put it shortly, are considered by the world to be successful people. An ill conceived notion with which a few of the youth apparently concur, if the excited cries evoked by the images are a thing to be judged by. Andrew lost no time in disabusing the youth of such a notion, deprecating the mess all three have generally managed to make out of their lives. He summed it thus: that in the eyes of the world these people were without a doubt objects worthy of admiration. Not so with the Christian perspective though.

Having made the point, Andrew turned at last to scripture, quoting Jeremiah 29:11-
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
We have the assurance of our future being in the hands of a loving God, attentive to our needs and wanting always what is best for us. Jeremiah continues on in verses 12-13- "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." God has designs for us that he sometimes chooses to carry out in spite of ourselves, but as the verses above imply, more often that not the initiative has to come from us. We have to humble ourselves and realize that we are not the center of the universe, that there is One above who sees the bigger picture. Andrew gave an illustration with two pictures. In one, the picture showed a maze as viewed from the perspective of a participant standing inside. In the other, the view was from a position of elevation. Life is like that, with ourselves as participants in the maze and God looking down on us, giving directions that we either choose to follow or ignore. The parallelism is obvious enough. Walk your own way in life and you just might find your way out, but chances are you'll just get lost. Walk God's way and you'll reach your destination soon enough with half the trouble.

Still, for some reason or another a lot of people do not choose to ask God for directions. That or they are deliberately oblivious to God speaking to them. Listening and trusting God to do what he says might be compared to standing on a chair, blindfolded with someone asking you to jump, saying that he'll catch you. And to be sure, we would be foolish to jump if the trustworthiness of the person assuring us of a safe landing was in any way questionable. But here, the person assuring us is none other than God himself!

Here Andrew quotes Isaiah 43:2- "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

Therefore we have no cause for fear when we ask God for advice and listen to Him. He intends to prosper, not harm us, and will see us through this life come water or fire.

But all this talk of listening to God begs the question, how do we listen to God? Obviously, prayer is one way of opening ourselves to suggestion from God and asking him to speak, but there are other ways too. Andrew had a testimony to share regarding the circumstances that brought about his marriage. Andrew had taken upon himself, or been given, the task of ferrying a certain girl who, lacking transport to church, was not in any case of a disposition to refuse such an elegant solution to her problems. To his pleasant surprise, he found that she had been graced with face and figure that showed very much to her advantage. Over time, his feelings grew and with that his attachment to her, as is the nature of things. Then one day, he dreamt of being married with her, and to cut a long story short, it was a vision shared not only by his pastor, but his girl as well. (Go for it, Andrew!!!) But levity aside, he'd succeeded in making the point: God speaks! And he does so on terms of his own choosing, whether directly by visions, or through other people. The fact that God chose to do so in such a dramatic fashion, as in Andrew's case, does not much signify.

For as 1st Kings 19:11-12 says..."The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. " Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Sometimes we look for God to speak to us in a big, dramatic fashion, like the wind, the eathquake and the fire, but miss the whisper. God may not speak to everyone as he did to Elijah, or appear as he did to the apostle Paul, but the important thing is not the fashion in which the message is delivered; rather it is that the message is delivered, and received, not to put too fine a point on it. This is something that we need to realize so that we do not dismiss the manner in which the message is given and as a consequence, the message itself.

All points having thus been delivered, Andrew closed the session in prayer.

<3<3<3<3<3<3

2009-05-20T03:31:00.000-07:00

Perish the thought, I am not in love. Not at least, by any modern definition. Love is NOT seeing him/her and feeling your heart beat twice as fast. Exercise does that, and for that matter so does eating chocolate. I don't mean to ignore the emotional aspect of love, that is practically impossible. I am simply deprecating the modern concept of emotion being all there is to love. It has led to far too many broken marriages and broken homes for there to be any truth is such an idea. So then, what is love?

1st Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Famous verses, but all too often forgotten; too often broken, even amongst the body of Christ. Love of this kind is exceedingly uncommon, within the church and without. I am disappointed that this should be true in case of the former. I am aware that there are certain...unresolved issues amongst the committee members. That this should impair the function of a committee supposedly dedicated to body of Christ is a sad state of affairs indeed. The embodiment of perfect love was Christ. Should not his body be striving towards the same? Saddened am I with what I perceive to be a lack of this love in our committee. I am perfectly convinced that if this were not the case, there would be nothing missing, or amiss in the committee. For lack of patience, hurtful words were said that should never have been said. For lack of love, grudges are even now held where no record should have been kept. Even if you are unable to be reconciled to somebody else in the committee, leave all the baggage outside the door. Don't weigh down everybody else with your personal disputes. Inevitably however, the baggage creeps back in, however hard you try to slam the door, which is why your disputes need to be resolved, if possible, between the two of you rather than in front of a crowd of spectators.

Here you accuse me of a lack of information. True, I don't know how much she/he hurt you, or who's right and who's wrong. Neither should I presume to be made judge or jury over such a matter, the reason being, between friends there is no need of justice. Now, that can't be right you say...and in certain situations, indubitably so. But friends give and take and this act necessarily entails creating an..imbalance, for want of a better word. Now, this idea of give and take is a form of love wouldn't you say? That's what I meant when I said that there is no need of justice between friends, for justice is all about equality, and love, while obviously not diametrically opposed to justice, sometimes overrules the need for the former. It wasn't fair or just on my brother for me to want my cake and and his, but he knew I was young, and at that age a little inclined to be selfish, and so out of love, I believe, he let me have both. This wasn't a one-time event, as an older brother he was continually giving, and I taking, which to my dismay I realized later on, and have tried to repay him a little, or 'even the score' a bit, I should say(still working on it actually). But the point is this: that when the circumstances (a certain maturity on his part and a lack on mine) demanded it, he gave when I wanted to take. What enabled him to do it? Why, love of course. He was being 'not self-seeking, not easily angered, and always persevering'. He never, save once, (that one I really had it coming...heh) gave me thrashing I pretty damn well often deserved.

Consider this: even atoms know how to give and take! Sodium particles donate one electron to chloride particles...and...voila! Sodium Chloride, a.k.a table salt. The thing about donating electrons, or should we say giving and taking, though, is that when this happens we get an ionic bond. The particles stick together, and its a strong bond, with a high melting/boiling point, as we learnt in Form 4 chemistry. To put it another way, when particles give and take, they grow closer to one another and are not easily broken apart. Notice a little parallelism here? God is great indeed! He gives moral lessons through the fundamental principles and laws that hold the world together.

And so what I think our committee needs is love. Love enough to put aside all differences, to leave out the right and wrong and just be reconciled for the sake of Christ's body, the church. Love enough to give and take, and bond to truly become one body, separate members still, but one body nevertheless.

2009-05-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

If you notice this notice, then you will notice that this notice is not worth noticing.

The Price of Ignorance...

2009-05-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

...is a fifth of the total marks for chemistry paper III. Oh, for want of a better knowledge of burettes and the functions thereof! A lack of the very same is the cause for my want of spirits this miserable afternoon. This is indubitably the worst performance I have had the misfortune to give for any chemistry paper since the very first, back in Form 4. Ah, I cringe at the thought of my chemistry teacher's displeasure... I confess, it is no less than I deserve for such a pitiful error as this. Ah well...stercus accidit...

Patriotism

2009-05-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

Malaysia BOLEH!!!

And to prove it, our government recently spent millions to send our very first Malaysian into space!!! Oh, what joy and prestige it doth bring our country; for surely such an achievement is justified for its own sake, and does much to recommend ourselves to the approbation of the world in general.

Uhh, not really. What exactly it proves, I'm not sure, with our country's politics in its death throes, our football team languishing some dozen from rock bottom ranking and only a silver to show for our Olympics team. We can't even tar the roads properly. Neither do we have a local university to be proud of.

Why all this talk of astronauts all of a sudden? Because our only one came to my school today. That's right! You go on off to your Sri KDU to watch David Archuletta, while we lucky few...err...we'll just hang round and learn what its like to umm...use the privy in space. Yeah! Right. So um...on that subject, we found that it involves the use of... You know what, never mind. Just two words: tubes & suction. I'm still not sure whether I'd prefer to know that or go to a DA concert, as I'm not actually a fan to begin with.

Heap big books

2009-05-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

Gosh, it seems I'm bidding fair to turn this into a book blog...

This being the case it seemed good to me, most excellent bibliophilus (I made that up), to post a list of 10 books that I have read, and highly recommend, in no particular order of preference.

1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
4. Any book by Terry Pratchett
5. Dune by Frank Herbert
6. The Temeraire series, by Naomi Novik
7. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
8. Watership Down by Richard Adams
9. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
10. Why the Toast Always Lands Butter Side Down by Richard Robinson

Actually, I feel compelled to explain a bit about no. 10, seeing it is the only non fiction book I have yet to recommend. Murphy's law is an adage in Western culture that broadly states: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."(further reading wikipedia) The book attempts to provide an explanation as to why this happens, using scientific fact and psychology. As factual books go, this one is particularly entertaining and easy to read. Readers can have no complaint about the book being 'very dry'. The facts are delivered in a way that captivates one's interest almost immediately. All in all, highly amusing, factually sound and a bloody good way to expand one's general knowledge.

Quoth Pratchett...

2009-05-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

The pen is mightier than the sword. But only if the sword is very small, and the pen very long and sharp. Such is the wit and humour permeating much of Terry Pratchett's writing. His books are, most of them, part of what is known as the Discworld series and are to be found under the fantasy section in the MPH, Kinokuniya or Borders bookstores near you! Although written in a fantasy setting, Pratchett's work (Discworld) is more accurately considered satire, and pretty damned good one at that. There is very little left of popular culture that Pratchett has not poked fun at, employing the wit, humour and irony that typically define a Pratchett novel. The best thing is, you never can take in all the subtle jokes in one reading, which gives the books re-reading value. First timers may take a while to appreciate this unusual style of writing, but those who persevere will come to appreciate the world T.P. has created and be very much the gladder for it. Whilst entertaining in the extreme, a number of his books adopt a more serious tone, at times giving the reader pause to examine the characters themselves and insights the writer has chosen to reveal through them. These personally I consider the best, as they make you think as well as laugh, as one reviewer put it succintly. Tremendously entertaining, easy to read and at times profound, it is everything good satire should be.

The twilight of literature

2009-05-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

A gross generalization you might think, but true on at least one account if Meyer's book of the same name is anything to go by. The first 20 pages of Twilight convinced me against further perusal. Credit to my friend: he got as far as 80, and if his review does justice to the 60 pages I missed, I shall be glad indeed to have dismissed the novel as early as I did. I think it important to make a little note here: Meyer's book is not considered romance per se. Neither is the unfortunate category under which it correctly falls, id est, chick lit. Chick lit is not to be confused with romance, bad enough that it is considered literature! I am, as you surely accuse me and which I freely admit, biased; but only because I have yet to find a novel classified chick lit that is not woefully shallow in its portrayal of its characters and its depiction of love. I hardly know what to think of its apparent success in sales. Perhaps it is due to the fact that it is exceedingly good at creating characters hormone driven teenagers, particularly our female counterparts, can relate to? Sorry! I have nothing uncomplimentary to say about those of the female persuasion, but the vast majority of fans raving over Twilight are, in fact, female. Chick lit itself is primarily targeted at the very same.

If I have not thoroughly alienated you with my highly biased expostulation by now, permit me to draw your attention to a book that does justice to the names of romance and literature both! Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is probably vastly superior to anything you will find on chick lit shelves, no matter how hard you search. Set in the victorian period, Austen succeeds in creating an engaging story populated by equally interesting characters without feeling the need to include vampires. Described as genius, Austen's use of English does full justice to the meaning of the word. Neither does she condescend to present a watered down version of feminine issues, nor fail to include at least one moral lesson from the 'sparkling comedy of manners', as it is called, that follows. As far as literature and romance, or for that matter English, is concerned, Jane Austen is pretty darned hard to beat. I have never been a fan of love stories myself, but Pride and Prejudice might change that. I entreat you, the next time you visit the bookstore, to give the book a go. Never mind it's being a classic, it might surprise you.

Asinus asinum fricat

2009-04-30T04:40:00.000-07:00

Or in other words, the jackass rubs the jackass. Describes two individuals heaping excessive praise on one another. Sound familiar? Give someone a compliment and he is all modesty, "oh it was nothing really, surely it does not compare with you and yours..." to which the appropriate response nowadays is to understate your own and exaggerate his. I was not aware of the time when modesty became a way of angling for more praise. Admit it, chances are you've done it yourself once in a while. Now funnily enough, not only do people object to your modesty, they also object to your pride. "90 for English?!! So high wan!!!" "Yes indeed, thank you." "Oh! so berlagak adi lar!" But if only you had returned praise for praise they would have continued lauding your achievements no end. Humans can be so contrary, no? But that's what makes humanity so fun...all the lovely paradoxes of social etiquette.

At last...

2009-04-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

So I've finally created a blog I must admit, out of pure interest. I had been thinking about creating one for some time, but I found the prospect of having to update constantly somewhat daunting. This blog is subjective, which is to say it is intended mainly for myself. On the subject of its creation though, its timing can hardly be better. I am due to attend a camp hosted anually by my church (Trinity Methodist Church P.J) in oh, about 2 days time, which I expect will provide me with an ample supply of anecdotes for this blog. I would continue see, but for my lack of inspiration at the moment, and so I leave my cartesian other with nothing but promises of more to come, hopefully in the near future.