still thinking......

Resolution Number 1

2010-12-25T23:32:00.000+08:00

Not to be functional.

Fair Trade

2010-10-20T21:54:00.004+08:00

http://www.facebook.com/notes/mohan-gopalan/saving-the-world-while-shopping-for-groceries/488497880630

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8firb73r67g&feature=related

I've been thinking about issues of fair trade over the past couple of days. For a good intro to the topic, Mohan's written a very quick summary of the issues, as well as a helpful (small) list of fair trade items which can be bought locally (1st link). I also came across a youtube (7-part) video on globalization and fair trade (second link, first part of the video).

The biggest point I've been thinking about is how the major contributors to this wealth inequality are: (1) the quest for lower prices; and (2) the pursuit of luxury.

To a large extent, these two are two sides of the same coin. The quest for lower consumer prices have led factories, particularly those in the third-world, to make extremely disadvantageous deals with big businesses. The "free hand" of the market might say that people in these poorer countries are willing to work for less, and thus it is entirely "fair" to give them exactly what they ask for. But as any lawyer will tell you, what works fine in theory (i.e. the free hand of the market) doesn't work in reality because of the fact of differences in bargaining position. The fact is that if the factories in India or Indonesia don't lower their prices, the big businesses are sinmply going to take their business elsewhere, to places where they will lower their prices. This leads producers all over the world down a slippery slope. They eventually decide to accept the lower price because they think that other factories elsewhere will lower their price even if they don't. The result created, which we see today, is that factories everywhere are willing to work at extremely low costs to the big businesses. This results, of course, in an extremely high profit margin for these same big businesses, even after we factor in the cost savings to the consumer.

Consumer, is that what you want? Can you, in good conscience, purchase your cheap products knowing that in many places in the world, people are exploited to produce goods at the cheap prices you enjoy?

The pursuit of luxury is the other side of the coin because it represents affluence. While some people struggle to feed their children, or to send them through a primary school education, people in well-off countries are able to spend extravagant amounts of money on clothes, cars, houses, and so on. Now, it is not my intention to suggest that these are bad things. The point I am making, though, is that this attitude of extravagant consumption is what motivates the exploitation that is going on. This statement needs justification.

Human civilizations through the ages have always had their symbols of wealth. Walk through the Asian Civilization Museum and you'll have a good idea about how very different societies have had common ways of asserting their status and wealth in that particular community. In ours, it happens to be things like clothes, cars, and houses. I believe this reflects a deeper condition of the human race, that we seek the praise and honour of our fellow humans, but thats another issue. Now the problem with this, is that in the world we live in today, there are too many affluent people. Whereas people used to compete within their villages as to who was wealthier, or perhaps within the region, globalization has made us realize that there are people who are much wealthier than us. The only way we can succeed in this game, to make our mark in this global village, is to make money, and to make more of it. We need to show that we can spend extravagantly; and the only way we can afford to spend extravagantly, is if we earn extravagant amounts of money. And how do we achieve this? If we're businessmen, we look for the cheapest deals, and sell our product at the best prices. No brainer. However, in the process of creating wealth for ourselves, we fail to see that there are other people around. We forget that our actions have consequences on our community.

This is why businessmen in Indonesia have little qualms about exploiting their fellow Indonesians to make money from these big fashion companies (see the video). We don't start out wanting to exploit people: we start out wanting a better life for ourselves. However, this individualistic pursuit ends inevitably in the disruption of the community. The pursuit of extravagant wealth by individuals in rich countries have led to the disruption in the global community.

Whereas people in agricultural communities used to be able to make a living by surviving in an agricultural economy, that is now hardly possible given that the shape of the economy in most countries have changed drastically. Older agricultural communities probably could survive on barter, or on better prices for their produce. But now, what used to be a reasonable price to pay for produce, we now consider extremely expensive, thanks to the fact that businesses have pushed prices down so low. And the latter can happen only because they have already taken advantage of poorer communities in other parts of the world.

So fair trade attempts to address these inequalities by giving these people in poorer countries a better price for their produce. Yes, these products are more expensive, but thats because you are paying a fair price to these primary labourers. You are giving these people a better standard of living so they can set food on their table, send their kids to school etc.

When we think of making the world a better place, many think of philanthropic giving, or doing mission work. These only attempt to address the symptoms of poverty. What we need to give them, is a working economy. I know that there's very little thats' 'free trade' in Singapore, but if more of us want to see free trade in Singapore, the businesses who want this money will eventually do it. Another way we can support free trade is to purchase things that are made around the region instead of importing it from Western countries. When we do that, we support jobs in the countries of this region. Stop exploitation. Buy free trade.

Patchi - EIGHTY - Dark Chocolate at 80% Cocoa

2010-10-20T16:43:00.006+08:00

I bought this bar of chocolate at a small store in the basement of Ngee Ann City in a cluster of other chocolate stores. This store was quite small, and didn't quite stand out among the colour of the other stores nearby (e.g. The Cocoa Trees). Nevertheless that didn't stop me trying something which seemed new! Staff tell me that the chocolate comes from Lebanon, so that piqued my curiosity even more.

When I opened the bar, it broke quite easily in my hand. I was half ready for a flaky bar of chocolate, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't.

Taste. The taste of the cocoa was strong and thick (duh). There were notes of raspberries and tobacco. The taste only came out after a little work chewing on the chocolate. It left a dull, nagging aftertaste that felt powdery on the tongue.

Texture. This point was a down for me. The chocolate had a 'doughy' texture and was quite chewy.

Some interesting comments from a friend who shared this bar with me. When I asked her opinion of the chocolate, she said this:
"Distant. Coy. The taste doesn't meet you; you have to 'feel around' for it".

Overall: 3/5

Side note: the labelled price on this bar of chocolate was S$7, but when I paid for it, it was S$11. They refused to honour the label, but what was worse was the attitude of a lady staff there (the boss? supervisor?) who said that they couldn't honour the labelled price, and if they did, they would dock the S$4 difference off the staff salary. Needless to say, I paid the difference. So much for service standards in Singapore! This almost leads me to my rant about immoral employers.

THE STOLEN CHILD - By W.B. Yeats

2010-10-18T13:56:00.000+08:00

Where dips the rocky highland
Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water-rats;
There we've hid out faery vats,
Full of berries
And the reddest stolen cherries.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wave of moonlight glosses
The dim grey sands with light,
Far off by furthest Rosses
We foot it all the night,
Weaving olden dances,
Mingling hands and mingling glances
Till the moon has taken flight;
To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles,
While the world is full of troubles
And is anxious in its sleep.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters of the wild
With a faery hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wandering water gushes
From the hills above Glen-Car,
In pools among the rushes
That scarce could bathe a star,
We seek for slumbering trout
And whispering in their ears
Give them unquiet dreams;
Leaning softly out
From ferns that drop their tears
Over the young streams.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Away with us he's going,
The solemn-eyed:
He'll hear no more the lowing
Of the calves on the warm hillside
Or the kettle on the hob
Sing peace into his breast,
Or see the brown mice bob
Round and round the oatmeal-chest.
For he comes, the human child,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery hand in hand,
From a world more full of weeping than he can understand.

Resurrecting this blog

2010-08-05T23:52:00.002+08:00

Hello online community.

The recent dearth of posts can be attributed to a variety of reasons. The most recent one being some reservations I developed about writing in public.

Well, I've come to see that writing will not be entirely futile. At the very least, it gives me an avenue to pen down my thoughts.

I don't intend to publish any comments. At all. This blog is not an avenue for engagement, its a place for expressing my ideas. That said, if any of you have any thoughts about the ideas I express here, please feel free to leave a comment, and your email address. If I am able, I will reply you privately.

reminder

2010-04-11T00:20:00.002+08:00

I just had a blessed time catching up with Gwyn. Seems like everytime I catch up with her, God uses her to challenge me deeply.

I really have been looking too long at Man, and not at God. I've allowed my distrust of Man, and related fears, to blind me to what He is doing, or what He may want to do through me.

Hear my cry, O God,
listen to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you
when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I,
3 for you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.

4 Let me dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!
- Psalm 61

Choosing church

2010-03-03T11:48:00.004+08:00

So I just had this conversation with Zhiwei, where he asked me to consider blogging about some considerations in my mind about which church to choose. I thought this was a fantastic idea.

This first post will recap some of my previous thoughts about the issue.

http://thethopro.blogspot.com/2007/11/nomads.html
http://thethopro.blogspot.com/2008/01/tailor-make-your-own-church.html

I'll interact with these thoughts soon! In the meantime, public policymaking beckons ):

put to death...

2009-11-29T00:53:00.002+08:00

I am an addict.

I am an addict to do that which my impulses dictate. I check my email compulsively, at least a few times every half an hour. I check for facebook updates at least a few times a day. I check my MSN list a few times every couple of hours to see who is online.

This addiction to my impulses carries more serious consequences. As a result of doing all those random things, my focus is compromised, and I cannot study as efficiently as I otherwise could. More time in a day is wasted on meaningless things - time which can be better spent in the company of friends, or reading a good book.

The Scriptures say that one of the fruits of the spirit is self-control. I believe that this self-control refers not merely to self-control not to sin, but also self-control over our impulses and addictions. Because Jesus Christ has set me free, I am free indeed!

But my salvation is not only past, it is also really present. My salvation is already, and not yet. There is a real extent to which I do have self-control, but also a real meaning to the fact that I struggle to attain self-control.

God, please grant the grace that I may grow in self-control...

Jesus & Wealth

2009-11-15T23:33:00.001+08:00

Rev. David Cook preached at ARPC this week on the topic of "Jesus & Wealth". This was part of a series of messages on the Sermon on the Mount, and this week's sermon focused on the text of Matthew 6:19-34.

Today's sermon really surfaced some ideas which I've been thinking about over the past couple of months. I shared with a couple of Shalomites during our prayer meeting that God's been speaking to me about life after law school, especially life as a (busy) lawyer. I think one of the biggest challenges for lawyers and other people who will probably live comfortably, is how to have (and keep!) a godly perspective to money.

A friend of mine just reminded me that it is so easy to be influenced by the world, and to lose perspective of God's power and greatness, and I think its a slippery slope. It never starts off with an obvious contradiction of the Scriptures. It starts with what is good, being slowly twisted to purposes which are not entirely pure, which eventually turns into sin and idolatry. Money is not bad in itself! Jesus makes it clear in the parable of the unjust servant in Luke 16:1-13 that our riches can be used to pursue things that last, rather than the superficial things that often consume our attention. But wealth can be hostile to our discipleship when it consumes us, when it consumes our attention. Rev. Cook reminded us that our preoccupation should be the same thing that preoccupied Christ:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

- Matt 6:9-10

Do we pursue things that are eternal? Heavenly accumulation lasts; earthly accumulation rots. Rev. Cook likened our pursuit of temporal things to people trying to buy real world products with monopoly money. Monopoly money is not the currency of the world! Similarly, our bank accounts and various assets are not the currency of heaven. How will the God of all the Heavens, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, take to our accumulation of earthly assets at the expense of eternal things?

Matt 6:22-23 reminds us that it all begins with what we expose ourselves to. The things which we set our gaze upon will eventually consume our soul. In the words of Rev. Cook, "your treasure is a magnet". Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt 6:21). Search your heart: what do you set your heart on? Do you seek first the kingdom of God? Or is the work of Christ merely something to be done on a convenient basis? Sure, we do serve God in our pursuit of success in our school, at work etc.: but has it become a convenient justification for our lack of attention and interest in the things of God? Or can we truly affirm that Christ is Lord over our studies and work?

A brief introduction to Rev. Cook can be found here:
http://www.smbc.com.au/pages/default.asp?pid=65

This message also reminded me of one of the sessions I attended at the GCF conference in Chicago last year. Here's an excerpt from my blog entry:

"An important reflection was quipped by Andy Crouch, who talked about how privilege should be seen in light of how Christ managed privilege: he never lavished it on himself. Moments of glory were always moments of service to others. We need to resist "rent-seeking" behaviour, and consider how to spend the rent and privilege we receive on others."

What do we truly seek after? Why do we work so hard? Is it for God's glory? Or is it for our own glory? Is it for the furtherance of God's kingdom? Or the glory of our name, and the accumulation of our riches and honor? God grant us the grace to always be honest with ourselves, that we may truly seek to live lives worthy of the gospel...

林俊杰 – 點一把火炬

2009-10-15T18:56:00.001+08:00

天上的星星　有多少　數不清
承諾和許願　又多少能兌現
貧窮到富有　算失去或擁有
悲傷和快樂　究竟能否選擇

忙忙碌碌轉呀轉　盲盲目目從早到晚
喧喧鬧鬧是與非　傷痕累累學會謙卑
聽過自己哭泣　才(會)懂得　珍惜

點一把火炬　讓愛和生命延續
用心用呼吸感應　在黑暗中照亮風雨
脆弱的世界　人變得堅強　因為有夢想
讓愛翻越所有圍墻　點燃每一個心房
照亮我們　共同的家

Mercy Said No - CeCe Winans

2009-10-04T22:28:00.001+08:00

I was just a child, when I felt the Savior leading
I was drawn to what I could not understand
And for the cause of Christ, I have spent my days believing
That what He'd have me be, is who I am

As I've come to see the weaker side of me
I realize His grace is what I'll need
When sin demanded justice for my soul

(Chorus)
Mercy said no
I'm not gonna let you go
I'm not gonna let you slip awayyyyyyyyyyyyyy
You don't have to be afraid
Mercy said no
sin will never ever take control
Life and death stood face to face
Darkness tried to steal my heart away
Thank You Jesus, Mercy said nooooooooooooooo

For God so loved the world, that He sent His son to save us
From the cross He built a bridge to set us free
Oh, but deep within our hearts, there is still a war that rages
And makes a sacrifice so hard to see

As midnight fell on crucifixion day
The light of hope seemed oh so far away
As evil tried to stop redemption's flow

(Repeat Chorus)

(Bridge)
And now when heaven looks at me
It's through the blood of Jesus
Reminding me of one day long ago

(Repeat Chorus)

California Sad-Eyed Girl

2009-09-29T23:27:00.001+08:00

Ok, before the lyrics come, I AM NOT EMO-ING. I just love this song.

And this youtube version I'm embedding is not the absolute best thing out there. Scott Leonard has an awesome version in his album (ask either Melanie or myself for a listen!!)

----
What do you think when you think of me? Do you?
What am I in your history? Am I?
So unfair to throw such perfection at a face so full of future.
Starlight in my eyes, didn't realize - it was you.
Where's it written? How was I to know? Tell me.
Should have never let the first love go.
You knew. You told me.
New Year's Eve, we celebrated.
With a toast you told this future.
Still, I see those eyes, beautiful eyes.
How could I not have known?

You'll always be the summer in my winter world,
my California sad-eyed girl.
I need to know - Are we still in your mind?
And come one day, impossible as it may seem, I can dream,
at the end of this road somewhere, you wait for me.

Saw the letter, saw the words he wrote to you.
Knew the secrets only we could know, only you.
Pick-up trucks, San Bernardino,
with each word such hope, such romance
Then he signed his name - my name.
Where is that boy now?

You'll always be the summer in my winter world,
my California sad-eyed girl.
I need to know - Are we still in your mind?
And come one day, impossible as it may seem, I can dream,
at the of this road somewhere, you wait for me.

At the end of this road somewhere you will always be.

When You Believe -- David Archuleta

2009-09-29T10:14:00.003+08:00

Many nights we prayed
With no proof anyone could hear
In our hearts a hopeful song
We barely understood
Now we are not afraid
Although we know there's much to fear
We were moving mountains long
Before we knew we could

There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail
It's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe somehow you will
You will when you believe

In this time of fear
When prayer so often proves in vain
Hope seems like the summer bird
Too swiftly flown away
Yet now I'm standing here
My hearts so full, I can't explain
Seeking faith and speaking words
I never thought I'd say

There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail
It's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe somehow you will
You will when you believe

They don't always happen when you ask
And it's easy to give in to your fears
But when you're blinded by your pain
Can't see the way, get through the rain
A small but still, resilient voice
Says hope is very near

random thoughts of the day

2009-09-28T19:14:00.006+08:00

Must remember to bring my charger.

Strangely, I had a good time doing the juris test today.

Learned alot more about a friend.

Ok. I think I really get the point. Again.

Gained much food for thought from a teacher.

O, the pressure to conform...

Count your blessings!

About time to catch up with people. Better late than never.

God, continue to be my strength and shield. I lift up mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help? .....

Horsemen - Michael Bay

2009-09-25T23:35:00.002+08:00

"A dark psychological thriller"

Indeed.

Summary: Detective Breslin is a workaholic. He has barely spent time with his two sons since his wife passed away. He gets passed a case of murders and suicides which are committed in gruesome fashions. Every crime scene has painted the words "Come and See" on the four directions. Detective Breslin discovers that this is a reference to Revelations 6, and embarks on a chase for the 4 horsemen committing these acts.

Towards the end of the movie, he discovers that the thing that unites the 4 horsemen is their dysfunctional family background. One raped by an adopted father, one gay who is unaccepted by his family, and one who is virtually ignored by his father. He discovers that the apocalypse is an attempt to get parents to be mindful of what is going on in the lives of their children, to love them, and to be involved in their lives.

The war is in living, the war is psychological, death is only physical. This proposition undergirds the whole idea of the movie. Don't make the life of those close to you living hell. You can do it in many ways, be it physical abuse, emotional abuse etc.

Thoughts:

This was such an appropriate show for me to watch for many reasons.

First, the whole message about not wanting your life to be consumed by work really pricked me. I know that the next few years are going to be tough, with late hours and all. Thank goodness I am not in a relationship at the moment. I cannot imagine what it must be like to have to endure that kind of pressure. If I ever marry, I pray that God would grant me the grace and discipline to know what is more important -- family and friends, rather than work.

Second, the whole idea about war being in the living, and death being only physical. Is it more painful to die? Or to live without your loved one? Or to watch your loved one die before you? Etc. What is life? Is it merely living? Or is there something about quality of life which is important?

---

As I was writing this review, Melanie sent me a draft devotion for the first day of ANNTIC about Luke 10:38-42.

I thought that this added a terrific biblical perspective to considering "Horsemen". Truly, there are many things which are good in life. Earning a living is definitely one. You can name many others as well. But do we do what is good to the exclusion of what is excellent? Surely there is a way to balance life so that we can do what is good, and still make time for what is needful?

---

I thought the movie was interesting. When I realized that the message was about kids, I started to feel like I've been duped. But doesn't that feeling challenge even more my conception of what is important and what is good? Surely I have come to assume that macro ideas, like salvation and redemption, are less important than family, etc.?

Still I thought it was alright. Nothing fantastic, but worth watching if you want to reflect about life and whats truly important in living as individuals..

3.5/5

methinks

2009-09-25T20:10:00.002+08:00

- i feel too much

- i should stop giving so much

- i should pray more

- i should read more scripture

- i should listen to more music

- i should sleep more

- i should exercise more

- i should read more

- i should get more of a life outside of law school

- i should be more independent (O America where has your impact on me gone?!)

期待你的愛(原來我不帥插曲) - 林俊傑

2009-09-23T00:19:00.001+08:00

My Life 一直在等待
空蕩的口袋
想在里面放一份愛
Why 總是被打敗
真的好無奈
其實我實實在在
不管帥不帥

想要找回來
自己的節拍
所以這一次
我要勇敢大聲說出來

期待期待你發現我的愛
無所不在我自然而然的關懷
你的存在心靈感應的方向
我一眼就看出來
是因為愛
我猜你早已發現我的愛
繞幾個彎靠越近越明白
不要走開
幸福的開始就是放手去愛

想要找回來
自己的節拍
所以這一次
我要勇敢大聲說出來
期待期待你發現我的愛
無所不在我自然而然的關懷
你的存在心靈感應的方向
我一眼就看出來
是因為愛
我猜你早已發現我的愛
繞幾個彎靠越近越明白
不要走開
幸福的開始就是放手去愛
幸福的開始就是放手去愛

Summer Wind

2009-04-29T12:11:00.000+08:00

The summer wind came blowin in
From across the sea
It lingered there touched your hair
And walked with me

All summer long
We sang a song
And then we strolled on golden sand
Two sweethearts
And the summer wind

Like painted kites, those days and nights
Went flying by
The world was new
Beneath the bright blue
Umbrella
sky

Then softer than
A piper man
One day, it called to you
I lost you to
The summer wind

The autumn wind
And the winter wind
They have come and gone
But still those days
Those lonely days
Go on and on
And guess who sighs his lullabies
Through nights that never end?
My fickle friend,
The summer wind

Umm... that summer wind.
Warm warm summer wind
Umm... that summer wind.

Rejoice! The Lord is King!

2009-04-20T11:48:00.001+08:00

Tolerance

2009-04-17T23:51:00.001+08:00

I am usually quite enthusiastic with TOC's articles. A recent article related to a Josie Lau has me quite disappointed though, since it seems to me to depart from the pluralistic stance which it has taken before.

http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/04/toc-latest-dbs-%E2%80%9Cdisappointed%E2%80%9D-with-josie-lau%E2%80%99s-disregard-for-staff-code-of-conduct/

This article's main focus is about DBS's rebuke of Josie Lau, and reports a related story about a pledge which was made to Focus on the Family. My main beef is on the portrayal of Focus on the Family as "staunchly anti-abortion and anti-gay". It is disappointing to me that people are unable to distinguish moral opinions about abortion and homosexuality with intolerance towards their existence. Being a Christian organization believing that the Bible teaches that heterosexuality is God's norm for humanity is not the same as being "staunchly anti-abortion and anti-gay". A good instance of a true anti-gay group is Westboro Baptist Church, which actually organizes hate campaigns against homosexuality. We can and must tolerate divergent views, but we cannot tolerate hate groups. The confusion of these two different groups (i.e. belief in a particular set of morality vs. being a hate group) will only lead to unnecessary distrust in the community. At the very least, the article should have examined the position on Focus on the Family before jumping to that conclusion.

I do not leave out the possibility that perhaps the author is himself unable to differentiate between these two kinds of groups. Perhaps in his mind, belief that heterosexuality is God's norm for humanity is itself anti-gay. If this is truly the case, then it is evident that he is the truly intolerant person here. The comments which have followed the article also clearly show that people cannot recognize this distinction, and illustrate the true intolerant nature of people fighting for tolerance. For instance, comment 54 has one reader talking about "squashing" "fundamentalist" Christian views. Is that the kind of society we want? One that denies people their right to religious expression?

Singapore is a country with diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious identities. For true human flourishing to be possible, pluralism is essential. Viewpoints should be heard and tolerated. The inability to listen to viewpoints other than one's own only impedes our ability to become a community. Hopefully in time, we will develop this ability to listen, develop trust, and can develop to become a truly pluralistic society.

By Your Side - Tenth Avenue North

2009-03-16T12:11:00.002+08:00

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

(Chorus 2x)

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

(Chorus 2x)

Born to Serve the Lord

2009-03-06T11:23:00.005+08:00

From the dust of the earth
My God created man
His breath made man a living soul,
And God so loved the world
He gave His only Son
And that is why I love Him so

I was made in His likeness
Created in his image
For I was born to serve the Lord
I cannot deny Him
I will always walk beside Him
For I was born to the serve the Lord.

My hands were made
To help my neighbor
My eyes were made
To read God's word
My feet were made
To walk in His footsteps
My body is the temple of the Lord.

I was made in His likeness
Created in his image
For I was born to serve the Lord
I cannot deny Him
I will always walk beside Him
For I was born to the serve the Lord.

-----

I always did think the way we sang it in Church didn't seem to do justice to the rhyme scheme... so it was always meant to be sung bluegrass style! If you don't believe me, check this one out too!

To the folks back in Singapore, enjoy the Southern accent of the first one 'yall!

the dark side

2009-03-04T23:23:00.002+08:00

It is so fickle for me to say this now - but my friends probably won't be surprised at this oscillation - but once again I'm seeing the many benefits of working in the private sector... I remember enjoying my time at Drew, especially the exciting work and legal research I had to do. I remember thinking about how I was really having a role in shaping (or at least asking the court to consider shaping) the common law in order dispense justice in a manner that was not ridiculous and contrary to conscience. I remember how it was supremely hard work, but also supremely fulfilling.

So how does this square with the post a few weeks ago about legal service? Well I never meant to discount sj's thoughts about how you are intimately involved with justice in the private sector as well. But justice in the private sector is very much on an individual level: you seek justice for your client. Even if he is in fact the party at fault in the civil claim, there is still some extent to which he sees himself justified - and its the job of the lawyer to help him express that opinion in legalese. Is that always the right thing to do? Well, the lawyer's ethical obligations tell him that his individual (as opposed to professional) opinion is irrelevant.

In the public sector, justice is dealt with on the level of society - the formulation of policies which have ramifications on the entire legal industry. If one person manages to inculcate a spirit of rights consciousness in the offices of DPPs, you don't have to amend the CPC in order to ensure that prosecutors disclose enough information to defence counsel. But with great power comes great responsibility. I dreamt last night that I was imprisoned for a crime I did not commit. I woke up with the conviction that it is a terrible thing to prosecute the innocent - a power at which DPPs must tremble to think.

So where will I swing now? I really don't know... To my friends out there, I would appreciate your prayers for God's wisdom and guidance...

2009-03-01T00:34:00.001+08:00

Yellow - Coldplay

2009-02-17T08:44:00.002+08:00

Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah, they were all yellow.
I came along,
I wrote a song for you,
And all the things you do,
And it was called yellow.
So then I took my turn,
Oh what a thing to have done,
And it was all yellow.

Your skin
Oh yeah, your skin and bones,
Turn into something beautiful,
You know, you know I love you so,
You know I love you so.

I swam across,
I jumped across for you,
Oh what a thing to do.
Cos you were all yellow,
I drew a line,
I drew a line for you,
Oh what a thing to do,
And it was all yellow.

Your skin,
Oh yeah your skin and bones,
Turn into something beautiful,
And you know for you,
Id bleed myself dry for you,
Id bleed myself dry.
Its true, look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine for,
Look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine.
Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And all the things that you do.

2009-02-13T09:29:00.003+08:00

This is riddiculous. So the rest of the country will continue to suffer the effects of the economic downturn, jobs all over the country will be lost, businesses will collapse, everybody suffers a corresponding decrease in lifestyle, while we continue to spend a large proportion of our budget on a military that will, realistically, not see battle soon, continuing to recall reservist soldiers (spending at least hundreds of thousands of dollars bringing back professionals in minor WOSE positions) for training, and continue to develop bigger weapons when we haven't even figured out how to best use the ones that we have (I'm guessing the newest technology hasn't even reached the ground yet).

Brilliant.

I'm not saying don't allocate money to the military, don't get me wrong. I'm saying that the Defence Minister needs to justify a budget of SGD$11.45 billion during these times instead of telling a doomsday prophecy. Is our military going to collapse if we decreased it by SGD$3-5 billion so that we can ease the pressure on another area of Singapore society? Is SGD$6-8 billion too little? If it is, prove it!

We have to spend realistically.... If we can't afford to develop the atomic bomb, lets focus on our guns. If we can't afford to develop our guns, lets focus on hand-to-hand combat. I'm sure that if our generals put their heads together, they can identify areas of development which don't require millions of dollars in spending. But please don't tell me that in an environment which people are saying nearly mirrors the great depression, you rather spend your money buying bigger guns than taking care of the needy. Sure, these needs are always there. The critical qurstion is: which is more urgent at this point?

charity

2009-02-12T23:14:00.003+08:00

I just read an article about Lim Swee Say telling a story in Parliament, and was really disappointed by the online response to his story. Most people were outright dismissive of what Mr Lim was trying to do. Granted, his story appears specially crafted, perhaps the analogy even forced, to convey the exact point which he wanted to bring across: but it seemed to me that people were not critical about his vision, but the mode in which he attempted to bring it across. Many were scornful about the story-telling method, and made fun of it through several unkind remarks.

This response gives me little reason to hope for true liberal discourse in Singapore. I believe one of the only ways we can properly dialogue, or to build a proper liberal, pluralistic society, is to have a tolerant polity that is willing to apply principles of charitable interpretation to the person speaking to them. This is also one reason why I am extremely irritated by remarks which focus on single particular sentences in a page of words instead of dealing with the thoughts in general. People are not perfect. People make flawed sentences, and at times use flawed analogies. Sometimes we don't express our point as clearly as we would hope for, and this happens even to the best of us. Targetting these imperfections is a cheap way of "winning" the argument. The sad part of this is that there is no real progress to the dialogue because the party denigrating the other simply refuses to acknowledge that any legitimate point is being made, when there clearly is one.

The real question is how we interact with the point that the speaker is trying to make: is reskilling a truly effective way to find our way out of this current crisis? Or is this vision flawed? If we were gracious, and gave Mr Lim the respect that he deserves as a human being, we would interact with his ideas, not simply make fun of the way he says it.

One of the only ways in which a pluralistic form of discourse will ever survive in a society, is if people apply such charity to one another. It will be difficult for me to foresee people becoming tolerant to alternate visions of society if all they are going to be doing is poking fun at the analogies...

Thoughts on Legal Service

2009-02-05T06:35:00.005+08:00

From the content of this site, it is evident that I am passionate about the law. My friends know that I am also passionate about Christian ministry. I have no idea how the Lord is going to lead me to fulfill both callings, but until I have it figured out, I will probably keep moving forward as the Lord leads one step at a time.

At the current moment, my heart is quite set on joining the legal service. I know it doesn't pay as well as the private sector, but there are other reasons that loom large in my mind:

---

(1) I don't want to be a law clerk for 3+ years

Ok I definitely can't claim to be an expert on law firms, but on my observation during internships, pupils and junior associates are reduced to research assistants who draft memos and research law for senior associates and partners. In my opinion, law firms should just hire paralegals for that. While I am excited about researching law, that just doesn't fit what I see myself doing for 3+ years after I graduate.

The legal service allows me a more 'lawyer-ly' existence. By virtue of the simple fact that they handle all criminal matters in the country and are severely understaffed, legal officers go to court quite soon after they join service. The work that you see in the government is also far more diversified. You might be prosecuting small crimes for the first three years, but you could also be posted to other departments, giving advice to the government, or dealing with international treaties, or law reform!

(2) Legal Service allows me to live with my ideals.

I believe law is all about the administration of justice. Yea, I have cynical classmates who think its about the money, but I also know people who agree with me! In private sector, your client is the person who pays the bill. You jolly well make sure you win for him. In public service, your client is Justice. If you sincerely think that the accused person is innocent, or that there is insufficient evidence, you could choose not to prosecute. Or if you see that this person is just a small pawn in a bigger network of crimes, you could make deals to catch the bigger fish. The client is really Justice, because you are forming the system you want to see yourself in if you were ever on the receiving end of it.

---

I'm doing a course on Prosecutorial Ethics this semester, being taught by two federal prosecutors of the USA. Hearing them talk about their cases firms my conviction that this is what I want to do!

I think I must have blogged about this topic a few times already, but it never hurts to say it again! I actually started blogging intending to share about my thoughts of going to seminary, but I guess the above suffices for one day ;)

update

2009-02-04T09:56:00.004+08:00

I figure the easiest way to bring back my former readership of friends is to start posting on my life. Hollywood style, the voyeuristic tendency in us will act on our will, and I will see my cbox once again filled with messages!

I have a confession to make. I think I did well for last semester's exams [waits for stones to start hurling] - but let me justify myself!! Even though I'm only on exchange, I study (relatively) hard because: (1) I enjoy the subjects I'm studying - I really do! The subject I did worst in last semester was International Law. I went to class, but most of the time I was on facebook, or chatting with people on MSN, or catching up on SG news! The subjects I did best were stuff I am genuinely passionate about: research on the Salem Witch Trials, research on democracy's relation to development in SG, and legal theory (anyone who knows me a modicum knows I love legal theory:P)!! (2) I have no life in Durham, NC. I am all alone in Duke law from NUS. Most of my good American friends are married, so we never hang out. (3) I want to take advantage of the higher grade average here!

Ok I haven't done this personal blogging thing in such a long time that its difficult to get into the groove of writing.

I love North Carolina! Its such a beautiful place, full of God's glorious creation. Here are some photos I took at a Church Youth Retreat a couple of months ago. The camp site was gorgeous. I know my photo skills aren't that of Shangjun's, but please excuse me (: I shall try to post more pictures online - of my Chicago trip and maybe some miscellanous stuff that are long overdue.

Will my endeavour to attract all of you I hope are reading this back? hmmm

The Ethic

2009-01-30T04:46:00.002+08:00

Ok this kinda continues my series of thoughts about the relationship of religion and law.

Aside from the question of whether politicians should be speaking in religious language and terminology in the public square, one thing which cannot be disputed is the importance of maintaining a Christian ethic. There is a large extent to which it is true that often our conduct speaks volumes more than our speech.

The most obvious way in which we live a Christian ethic, is literally, the way we live. Our character and manner of life is important. Today, a certain Justice of the Supreme Court came to Duke, and addressed the CLS. It was unfortunate that a number of students started to stream in after the Justice had begun his talk. It was even more unfortunate that he lost his cool for a short moment, and refused to carry on his speech in annoyance at the interruption. He regained himself (maybe after a brief reflection) after about a minute of total silence, and continued his sermonette. To be fair to him, he is probably used to an environment where people are always on time, and you don't have noisy doors which creak when they open, and creak when they close... And if I were him I'd also be mighty annoyed, But I'm surprised at how annoyed I was at his behaviour. It really reminded me that the higher up your position is, the more people expect from you. A small character slip like that sends tons more message than if it were just a normal professor.

There are other ways in which the Christian ethic distinguishes a person of public office. Here's a short list from a book on Reformed Faith and Politics:

1) Faith can and ought to provide strong motive for engaging in political action
2) Faith can and ought to provide us a mission or purpose in involvement
3) Faith can and ought to provide moral standards for evaluating policy options before us
4) Faith can and ought to produce a distinctive manner or style of political action
5) Faith can and ought and often does provide believers means and strength to hang in there

Thoughts? Its been awhile since I've had comments on posts haha. Thanks Dom for your juxtaposition of the biblical text as well. That should really define much of our endeavours of thinking and work as well.

Reflections on the nature of Criminal Liability

2009-01-26T12:17:00.003+08:00

I just did a reflection report on a portion of Holmes' "The Criminal Law" and Hart's "Legal Responsibility and Excuses". I make no secret of the fact that I am a soft positivist in the tradition of Hart, so thats full disclosure heh. How I can reconcile my soft positivism with my belief that politics should accomodate religious discourse is a seperate topic that I might talk about at greater length at the end of the sem. If you're bored with this entry, please listen to the chinese song that I also put up here today!

I'm afraid I can't seem to find Hart's work online, but I'm sure you can find good summaries online. Holmes' work available here. Note especially the chapter on Criminal law and Torts
http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/Books/Holmes/claw04.htm

----

This juxtaposition of readings was excellent. Both of them seek the heart of criminal liability. They generally agree that the traditional conception of justice as solely based on moral guilt is not a proper account of liability. They offer interesting alternative accounts that are worth considering: Holmes suggests that purely deterrent considerations are in play, and Hart suggests that the ability to choose is where liability should be situated. In this report, I reflect on the adequacies of these two models, as well as consider briefly some of the implications of the models each of them have chosen,

Of the two models, Hart’s model comes closer to the traditional conception of liability as situated on moral guilt. Liability is situated on the choice of the individual, as is moral guilt. This contrasts with Holmes’ model, which situates liability outside the individual, to the needs and expectations of society on the behavior of individuals. At the same time, there are stark differences as well. Hart’s model differs from the traditional conception in that it does not need to have any consideration of morality, emphasizing the choice to break the law, rather than the negative moral value of the crime, as it is with moral guilt. This difference surfaces clearly in considering proper punishments. Moral guilt models emphasize the retributive aspect, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”. Proportionality to the crime would be the main punishing consideration. In contrast, a system based on the choice of transgression may incorporate different theories of punishment, including rehabilitation, deterrence considerations, since the moral value of the crime is not necessarily an issue. Hart’s model thus differs from the traditional moral guilt model in that regard.

Hart’s model is consistent with the soft legal positivism he advocates in The Concept of Law, and the same presuppositions about law’s relation to morals should be considered as well. One important assertion that Hart has made in his consideration of law is that law and morals are to be distinguished from one another. He is careful to clarify that if a society of people wants to incorporate morals in the law they could, but also asserts that morals do not make law, that overarching rules of society do. His model in this essay gives a similar value-neutral account of criminal liability. One is still free to interpret the choice through moral lenses or otherwise.

In contrast to Hart’s value-neutral approach, Holmes advocates a purely deterrent view of law. This situates the problem of crime in its impact on society, and the need to prevent future crime, rather than the actual criminal and his liability. Because of his emphasis on deterrence, Holmes takes a radical position towards the question of the imposition of liability, taking an external perspective, whereas traditional criminal law has always emphasized the importance of the subjective mind of the particular criminal. Holmes’ external view of law is not satisfactory because he does not place adequate emphasis on the fact that society’s sanction on the individual has a great impact on the individual in concern, often going to the extent of taking away some fundamental rights, such as freedom where a person is imprisoned. It is here that Hart’s model of excuses proves more comprehensive, because of its emphasis on excuses being a protection of the individual from society’s claim, recognizing the balance of the individual’s right and society’s claim.

I think Hart’s account of liability is a more satisfactory and comprehensive account of criminal liability, at the same time, it has the benefit of flexibility to accommodate the diverse range of sentencing philosophies important to our criminal law today. In contrast, Holmes’ model doesn’t adequately consider the rights of the criminals of the system, being largely concerned with the general consideration of society.

我的心，你要稱頌耶和華

2009-01-26T11:45:00.003+08:00

我的心，你要稱頌耶和華，不可忘記祂的恩惠。
祂赦免你一切過犯罪孽，醫治你疾病復原。
我的心，你要稱頌耶和華，不可忘記祂的恩惠。
祂以仁愛慈悲為你冠冕，為受屈的人伸冤。
天離地有何等的高，祂的慈愛也可等的深，
東離西有多麼的遠，祂使我的過犯也離我多遠，
耶和華有憐憫的愛，且有豐盛無盡的恩典，
從亙古直到永遠，耶和華祂是我的神。

---

Ok not like I can actually write fan ti, but I just copied this off somewhere haha.

Irreligious: Religious harmony in Singapore – a façade?

2009-01-22T23:40:00.000+08:00

Irreligious: Religious harmony in Singapore – a façade?

Oliver W Holmes - The Path of the Law

2009-01-12T23:35:00.006+08:00

Here's a brief report I did on Holmes' very interesting essay. Original citation is 10 Harvard Law Review 457 (1897). Also available online (in an unpalatable format) at http://www.constitution.org/lrev/owh/path_law.htm . I'm not sure if I'll violate copyright by posting the pdf file, so I shall refrain from doing so heh.

---

This essay of Holmes contains many controversial propositions of Holmes concerning the nature of law. It introduces very interesting perspectives on the nature of liability, as well as perspectives from which to critique the law. These are interesting because they are unconventional, moving away from rights-talk towards more utilitarian considerations. At the same time, Holmes never quite substantiates satisfactorily the why people should depart from the traditional perspective and adopt his view. Instead, he seems to presuppose the premises on which people ought to be exercising their judgment.

The most controversial proposition Holmes offers is that we should depart from the traditional perspective of law as rights to law as ends. He seeks to refer all laws to the “end which it subserves”, and to “cease troubling ourselves about primary rights and sanctions altogether”. One constant way in which he manifests this is by his suggestion that law should be interpreted as “prophecies” instead of duties, and that law should be looked at from the perspective of the ”bad man”. This “bad man” theory focuses on the effects of the law rather than its moral correctness, since such a bad man only has one consideration: the material consequences of his actions.

In doing these things, Holmes clearly adopts utilitarian presuppositions to be his guiding light. He talks about “ends”, but it is evident that the “ends” he is seeking clearly refers to utilitarian ends. He chooses for his advisors for the future of law “the man of statistics and the master of economics”, not philosophers of ethics or religious leaders. He also strips law of its moral overtones by talking about larceny in terms of how it is “desirable to prevent one man’s property being misappropriated by another”.

What is not clear is why we should adopt utilitarian presuppositions instead of traditional rights-morals discourse. Holmes makes a cursory acknowledgement of law being “the witness and external deposit of our moral life”, then proceeds to ignore the implications of this by solely considering the utilitarian objective that underlies the “bad man” theory. In doing this, Holmes cites concern about the confusion of thought between the rights of man in a moral sense and his legal rights. While there is a legitimate need to distinguish the moral rights of man and his legal rights, it would seem logical that if the law is “the witness and external deposit of our moral life”, that lawmakers should proceeds to make the legal rights of man as closely conform to his moral rights as is possible. The possibility of confusion does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that they should not be related to each other.

While utilitarian considerations may afford people seeking precision in the law a more solid foundation in the social sciences, traditional rights-morals discourse does more to give the law its binding effect on people because of its normative claims. Holmes sees the coercive power of the state to sanction as the only means by which the “bad man” orders his business. However, the bad man does not only refrain from stealing because the state will punish him if he does, but also because he will experience social reprehension and personal condemnation for the violation of social norms as well as his own conscience.

Introduction to the Problem of Pluralism and Law

2009-01-09T08:15:00.002+08:00

Just started on one of the books in the Emory University studies in law and religion: Political Order and the Plural Structure of Society, edited by James W Skillen and Rockne M McCarthy. This book looks promising because it seems to deal with the question of the participation of religion in the law from a theological standpoint. The content page itself looks promising! I'm starting at chapter 1 because I think that for this topic it will be important to give a sense of the tensions and problems involved in questions of this sort.

I should caveat at this point that I haven't read the primary sources (like MacIntyre), so when I talk about thinkers, I'm talking about them as the book presents them. Quotations are from the book, and not necessarily from the primary sources which are the topic of the individual portions.

---

Chapter 1 largely sets out to introduce the issues (as with most chapter 1s). It begins by defining the terms "individualism" and "collectivism" in non-contentious ways. Its approach to defining "pluralism" becomes more nuanced, acknowledging that scholars have recognized differing meanings to it. The book adopts an approach "to categorize the structural differences among the diverse institutions and associations of society", in contrast to a behaviourist view of pluralism which emphasizes changes in political power among different groups. Admittedly, this definition isn't saying alot. But in general I guess its just a professional need to say acknowledge the diversity of definition. As the book goes on, it is evident that the problem of pluralism considers the interaction of diverse groups in the public square.

The chapter then moves on to consider liberalism through the lenses of three thinkers: Alisdair MacIntyre (we see his name alot don't we?), Jeffrey Stout and Michael Novak.

MacIntyre critiques the 'liberal' mode of practical reasoning: in its affirmation of individualism and relativism, liberalism cannot affirm the idea of the "common good of justice" because it "does not accept the idea of a common natural social order that precedes individual claims to autonomy". "Practical reasoning can truly succeed only in a community that agrees on the moral virtues appropriate to the different social roles performed by its members". MacIntyre takes the approach of finding an "ordered natural (or natural/supernatural) hiearchy within which reasoning can find its mooring and proceed coherently", rooting it in the tradition of the truth and justice of human community (whatever this means).

Jeffrey Stout takes a more moderate approach, seeing that the impact of liberalism has not left America without "degrees of social agreement about the nature of the common good and about the virtues needed in diverse spheres of social life". It is still possible to build a "thin" conception of the common political good. This leaves room for "complex equality" as well, space to nurture "virtues proper to each sphere". This is a "stereoscopic" view of society in which "the political common good is understood as an agreement to protect both individual freedoms as well as the integrity of diverse spheres of social life". Stout's mode of reasoning takes the form of "pragmatic social criticism with both eyes open" (whatever this means as well). While he affirms that there are certain principles and practices transcending personal preferences, it is unclear if his model can articulate standards for the broad range of institutions and practices.

Michael Novak stands closer toward liberal individualism. He affirms a conception of the common good which "presupposes and reinforces the free initiative of individuals to shape community life, to argue rationally, and to seek multiple forms of the common good" (emphasis mine). There's an interesting twist here because he also conceives of a dynamic, historical teleology of human existence. He sees an aim "toward the full and ultimate development of human beings", and the ultimate eschatological good being the kingdom of God.

The chapter moves on to the next part. It considers a Calvinist approach of Ralph Hancock. The sovereignty of God over this world meant "an intensification of world activity understood as redounding not only to the benefit of God's innocent natural creation but especially to the glory of God". Every sphere of existence thus depends on God, and societal differentiation is but a part of religious intensification, and the order of God's creation.

The conversation then shifts to talk about the possibilty of a theological interpretation of the discussion.

---

I think this is a good introductory chapter to the nature of the conversation from a political science perspective, since I suspect that the next few chapters will be more theological in nature. Its good that some of these thoughts were explored in depth, but I was kinda hoping that there would be just a few more references to other models, or a bibliography of some sort which would allow the reader to continue research.

A Historical Backdrop to Constitutionalism

2009-01-07T12:35:00.003+08:00

Am reading Prof Jeff Powell's book on The Moral Tradition of American Constitutionalism now. Just thought I'd blog some summaries and thoughts here for my own convenience. I start in the beginning of Chapter 2 because Chapter 1 largely deals with preliminary matters, talking about MacIntyre's concept of "moral traditions". Its really not too foreign a concept for those of us from NUS law, since studying Glenn's book will immerse ourselves in it to some extent.

The first major section considers "Antecedents of the Constitutional Tradition" (p52f). Powell lists 4 important precursors: i) the Enlightenment; ii) the civic republican and Protestant heritages; iii) The English common law background; and iv) the practical political foreground.

The Enlightenment was significant for its "canonization of rational autonomy". From this soil germinated the social contract theory of government, which thinkers agree imply that government should be limited in power, since there are natural rights which are incapable of being yielded to government. Checks were also necessitated for the "fear of men's individual and irrational pursuit of self-interest".

The two elements of civic republicanism and Protestant heritages were also significant. Civic republicanism sought to mix "liberal" mechanisms for constraining political choice with an insistence on the necessity of civic virtue. This insistence on virtue is also closely linked to a Calvinist anthropology (pessimism) of man as fallen. The Protestant analogue of New England congregationalism and its concept of the ecclesial community resting on covenant would also be a significant influence.

The common law and its particularistic and tradition-dependent approach to law would also find its way into American constitutional thought. Powell spends some time considering some historical deviations towards a universalist approach, but routes it back to a particularist and tradition-dependent approach. This point deserves more thought since it would call into question how the common law is sometimes used to prove universal values and criticize approaches by different courts.

The practical foreground influenced the practical shape in which the Constitution eventually appeared. Specific pronouncements on controversial theories were avoided.

---

Don't really have much thoughts for now apart from what I wrote on the portion on the common law. Might update some other time if more strikes me.

Human Flourishing - Psalm 92

2009-01-03T16:41:00.002+08:00

The conference on human flourishing ended the day before yesterday, leaving me with much food for thought before school begins again. I'll blog more about it at some other time soon, but I thought I'd share some thoughts from a passage I'm just reading.

Psalm 92:12-15

The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.

They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
to declare that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no
unrighteousness in him

Much of the conference focused on how human flourishing is something that we, as actors in our world, can encourage in the social/political systems of today. This psalm takes another approach, and reminds me that human flourishing, at its simplest, is about character, and obedience to God.

It is the righteous who flourish.

They flourish in the house of the Lord, and in the courts of our God. It is when God's people reside in God's presence, and there that God's grace showers upon them, that they flourish.

The end of flourishing is to declare that the Lord is upright, to glorify Him.

I might expand these thoughts sometime, but I guess in general these ideas kinda explain themselves.

God, please help me to glorify You as I ought, and to dwell in Your courts. It is only there that I truly flourish, and become what you intended for me, to glorify You and fully to enjoy You forever.

GCF Conference - Day 1: Power and Privilege

2008-12-29T06:22:00.003+08:00

Well, I know I have plenty to update about my holiday in Orlando as well as my arrival into Chicago, but I'll do that soon when I can post photos up ;)

Just thought I'd put up some summaries of stuff I've heard at the conference so far, as well as some basic reflections. I'll apologize in advance for not responding to comments on this post since this will primarily be a place of notation for me rather than debate.

-----

The theme of the day-ahead program was the role of power and privilege in the Christian's vocation. Overall, I thought this was a very interesting way to approach the topic as these categories were not common ways to think about the faith.

The first talk was given by Dr Michael Lindsay, author of "Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite". This talk also served as the basis of the rest of the day ahead program on power and privilege.

Generally, it seems that the role of the Christian in culture has increasingly become
political. However, this is often misguided because the government (and law) has often been validations of societal values, rather than creators or agents of change in culture. The more significant spheres of influence in this regard are those involving the arts and entertainment industries, such as literature, art, plays, movies etc. In relation to these fields, Christians have tended to be cultural consumers rather than creators. Christians need to be challenged to get involved in such creation.

A major part of the day ahead program was focused on the question of how do/can Christians create culture?

Lindsay brought us through portions of his book, offering a model of how culture changes, as well as shared about his interaction with Christian leaders about their own personal experiences being leaders and Christians at the same time. A considerable amount of time was spent talking about the different degrees in which faith can interact with the workplace, e.g. faith expressions in the work place and faith's influence on the company mission and decisions. This portion was helpful in drawing out practical examples on how different kinds of exerting power in the workplace have differing degrees of significance in creating and influencing culture. Another segment of Lindsay's talk was devoted to talking about the different privileges which powerful people wield, such as money and power, and the example of different leaders in managing them. One really challenging example was about how a CEO refused his special bonus for a deal, and requested that his company divert his bonus for charitable purpose, even influencing the other partners of the company to do the same. Another example that sticks out is another CEO whose family early on consciously made the decision not to move to bigger houses as their means were able in order not to give their children the wrong impression of what was important. Privilege is thus something that we are not called to exercise for its own sake, but only used as means to legitimate ends.

The rest of the day ahead programs were essentially either responses or echoes of the themes brought out by Lindsay. Some prominent ones were about how power and privilege essentially came down to the issue of God's sovereignty. Power is really about stewardship of God's gifts, and the managing of privileges. Power can also be thought not only in terms of political/monetary/social power, but in terms of personal power. The value of individual witness and personal examples cannot be underestimated. There is also great importance in the transmission of knowledge from generation to generation in this regard, since we all understand that culture is really built up over time.

An important reflection was quipped by Andy Crouch, who talked about how privilege should be seen in light of how Christ managed privilege: he never lavished it on himself. Moments of glory were always moments of service to others. We need to resist "rent-seeking" behaviour, and consider how to spend the rent and privilege we receive on others.

Of course, the above only skims the surface of the last one and a half days.

Reflection update

2008-12-15T09:17:00.002+08:00

Its probably like-duhish, but the vids and music i put up often reflect the mood I'm feeling.

Right now i'm listening to Corrinne May's "Angel in Disguise". Corrinne's songs make me happy. They remind me of home, Singapore. I listen to it when I'm homesick.

But I'm happy! Happy but homesick... how does that work out? I don't know, its a complex feeling...

Anyway, I'm halfway through! In almost exactly the same period of time that has passed, I will be through with exchange, and ready to return!

I just thought it'd be nice to put up a personal voice in the midst of the manymany videos I've put up haha.

Hello all!

Ok I'm obviously bored. Later.

Think of Me - David Archuleta

2008-12-14T12:34:00.001+08:00

Ok I found a studio version of the remix which I thought was simply awesome. Please excuse the pictures of the dude, I swear I'm just posting this up for the music hahaha

Enjoy (:

Think of me,
Think of me fondly,
When we've said goodbye.
Remember me once in a while
Please promise me you'll try.

When you find that, once again,
You long to take your heart
Back and be free -
If you ever find a moment,
Spare a thought for me...

We never said our love was evergreen,
Or as unchanging as the sea
But if you can still remember,
Stop and think of me...

Think of all the things
We've shared and seen -
Don't think about the things
Which might have been...

Think of me,
Think of me waking, silent and resigned.
Imagine me, trying too hard
To put you from my mind.

Recall those days,
Look back on all those times,
Think of the things we'll never do -
There will never be a day,
When I won´t think of you...

Undo - Rush of Fools

2008-12-07T10:26:00.001+08:00

I've been here before, now here I am again
Standing at the door, praying You'll let me back in
To label me a prodigal would be
Only scratching the surface of who I've been known to be

[Chorus]
Turn me around pick me up
Undo what I've become
Bring me back to the place
Of forgiveness and grace
I need You, need Your help
I can't do this myself
You're the only one who can undo
What I've become

I focused on the score, but I could never win
Trying to ignore, a life of hiding my sin
To label me a hypocrite would be
Only scratching the surface of who I've been known to be

[Chorus]

Make every step lead me back to
The sovereign way that You

[Chorus]

AWESOME REMIX - Think of Me

2008-12-06T13:34:00.001+08:00

California Sad-Eyed Girl - Rockapella

2008-11-16T11:42:00.002+08:00

What do you think when you think of me? Do you?
What am I in your history? Am I?
So unfair to throw such perfection
At a face so full of future.
Starlight in my eyes,
Didn’t realize - it was you. (All along it was you)

Where’s it written? How was I to know? Tell me.
Should have never let the first love go.
You knew. You told me.
New Year’s Eve, we celebrated.
With a toast you told this future.
Still, I see those eyes, beautiful eyes.
How could I not have known?

You’ll always be the summer in my winter world,
my California sad-eyed girl.
I need to know - Are we still in your mind?
And come one day, impossible as it may seem,
I can dream,
at the end of this road somewhere, you will wait for me.

Saw the letter, saw the words he wrote to you.
Knew the secrets only we could know, only you.
Pick-up trucks, San Bernardino,
with each word such hope, such romance
Then he signed his name - my name.
Where is that boy now?

You’ll always be the summer in my winter world,
my California sad-eyed girl.
I need to know - Are we still in your mind?
And come one day, impossible as it may seem, I can dream,
at the end of this road somewhere, you will wait for me.

The summer in my winter world,
my California sad-eyed girl.
I need to know - Are we still in your mind?
Come one day, impossible as it may seem, I can dream,
At the end of this road somewhere you will always be.

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

2008-11-11T11:50:00.001+08:00

songs

2008-11-08T23:36:00.002+08:00

ok i just thought i wanted to put up the songs i like so i can access them easily ;)

sometimes Christian music tends to sound too one-tone, without variety of expression. these songs are great instances of diversity which stays sound.

ok just in case, i better clarify myself: i don't think these songs should be in any Lord's service - thats not appropriate. but these are excellent expressions of Christian meditation and art which make for good, clean, edifying entertainment. one day i'll blog about my thoughts on worship, but meanwhile, enjoy (:

Lose My Soul - Tobymac

2008-11-08T23:33:00.001+08:00

Man I wanna tell you all something, Man.
Man I'm not gonna let these material thing's, get in my way, y'all.
I'm trying to get somewhere.
I'm trying to get somewhere,
Thats real and pure and true and eternal.

Father God, I am clay in your hands,
Help me to stay that way through all life's demands,
'Cause they chip and they nag and they pull at me,
And every little thing I make up my mind to be,
Like I'm gonna be a daddy whose in the mix,
And I'm gonna be a husband who stays legit,
And I pray that I'm an artist who rises above,
The road that is wide and filled with self love,
Everything that I see draws me,
Though it's only in You that I can truly see that its a feast for the eyes- a low blow to purpose.
And I'm a little kid at a three ring circus.

I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.

(Mr. Franklin, Step up to the mic sir)

The paparazzi flashes, and that they think that it's you,
But they don't know that who you are is not what you do,
True, we get it twisted when we peak at the charts,
Yo before we part from the start,
Where's your heart?
You a pimp, hustler?
Tell me what's your title,
America has no more stars, now we call them idols,
You sit idle, While we teach prosperity,
The first thing to prosper should be inside of me.
We're free...
Not because of 22's on the range,
But Christ came in range, we said yes now we changed,
Not the same, even though I made a fall,
Since I got that call, no more Saul, now I'm Paul.
(YEP!)

I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
Don't wanna walk away,
Don't wanna walk away

How do I sense the tide that's rising?
De-sensitizing me from living in light of eternity,
How do I sense the tide that's rising?
It's hypnotizing me from living in light of eternity,
How do I sense the tide that's rising?
De-sensitizing me from living in light of eternity.

(Lord what we gonna do,We're relying on you,
all eyes are on you Lord,
all eyes are on you, all eyes are on you Jesus.)

I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
(Don't let me lose my soul, my soul.)
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
(This is my honesty, Father, won't you cover me.)
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
(Don't wanna walk away, and all those people say)
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
(Don't wanna lose, I don't wanna lose my soul.)

Lord forgive us when we get consumed by the things of this world,
That fight for our love, and our passion,
As our eyes are open wide and on you.
Grant us the privilege of your world view,
And may your kingdom be, what wakes us up, and lays us down.

(Hallelujah, Don't wanna lose our soul,
No, Don't wanna lose my soul.)

Hey excuse me,
I'm looking for the after party,
Toby,
Ha ha, yeah, last door on the left, you'll hear it.
Thanks,
No problem.

Don't let me lose my soul, I never wanna walk away,
I don't wanna lose my soul,
No, no, no.
Don't let me, don't let me, lose my soul,
I don't wanna walk away,
Don't let me walk away,
Na na na na no,
Don't let me lose, my soul,
I'm never gonna walk away.

Love the Lord - Lincoln Brewster

2008-11-08T23:04:00.000+08:00

Love the Lord your God
With all your heart
With all your soul
With all your mind
And with all your strength (2x)

With all your heart
With all your soul
With all your mind
And with all your strength
Love the Lord your God
With all your heart
With all your soul
With all your mind
And with all your strength

I will serve the Lord
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And with all my strength (2x)

With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And with all my strength
I will serve the Lord
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And with all my strength

I will love You (I will love You)
I will praise You (I will praise You)
I will serve You, Lord (I will serve You)
I will trust You, Lord (I will trust You)

And with all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And with all my strength
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
With all my strength

I will love You Lord
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And with all my strength (3x)

2008-11-06T11:48:00.002+08:00

i bombed at moots. for several reasons:
1) i have no idea how to research american law
2) i have not prepared as adequately as i normally do for moots
3) i am not used to the style
4) i am naturally intimidated of situations in which i have to speak when everyone else in the room is speaking in an american accent

somehow i thought this wld be a good experience! o no. o well 3 more to go. hopefully i do better. and if i don't, at least i've learned a valuable lesson.

thank you God

sanctification

2008-10-29T13:14:00.001+08:00

Men shew themselves strangely forgetful, or hypocritical, in professing original sin in their prayers, catechisms, and confessions of faith; and yet urging upon themselves and others the practice of the law, without the consideration of any strengthening, enlivening means: as if there were no want of ability, but only of activity

- Walter Marshall, "The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification"

Love Song For #1 - Corrinne May

2008-10-22T12:24:00.001+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez0c0Nb4BRw

In the twinkling stars that dance like fireflies.
In the blushing fruit that hangs upon the vine.
In the face of a baby as he forms his first smile.
I see you

In the whisper of the wind’s soft lullaby
In the Laughter and the roar of the rushing tide
In the song of the sparrow as he takes his first sight
I hear you

Why do you hide among the nameless and forgotten?
Why do you walk along these long forsaken roads?
Calling to me in the hungry and the homeless
Calling me to water your thirst

So I’ll give you my heart and my song
In a world where so much is right
But so much is wrong.
Your love is my beginning and I know it won’t be too long
Till I see you

So I’ll give you my heart and my song
In a world where so much is right
But so much is wrong.
Your love is my beginning and I know it won’t be too long
Till I see you
I hear you
I love you

2008-10-21T22:46:00.001+08:00

there are more important things than studying and getting grades which have no impact on the real world...

balance your time!! study hard, but do not neglect that which is more important.....

jia you!!

quick update!

2008-10-12T21:19:00.003+08:00

well jan just reminded me that i haven't updated this blog in awhile, so i should take advantage of my current mood to post an update!

work's been crazy. i think i've borrowed about 40books from the library, evenly split between my project on the Salem Witch Trials and another paper on the relation of law to Singapore's development. need to find some time to do it argh!

i've been having loads of fun these couple of weeks - always something to look forward too! went to an amusement park last week, and this week i have nel visiting from new york! so thats pretty cool. the only story i'll tell for now is that nel almost killed us driving down this reallyreally absolutely GORGEOUS hill/mountain on our way to Roanoke, VA for a MICHAEL W SMITH/STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN CONCERT!!! And I caught a CASTING CROWNS CONCERT at the amusement park last week!!! And next week i'm going to HIKE A MOUNTAIN RANGE!!!

ok i did those on purpose to make all you people jealous :D

i'll post proper updates with photos soon heh.

take care 'yall.

rants

2008-10-09T22:45:00.002+08:00

Sitting in America at this point of global financial uncertainty, the biggest word that I hear thrown around is "leadership". People wonder if they have anyone working for them in Washington DC: all that seems to be coming from there is fear and scares. Some economists have even said that this fear is the real reason behind the financial crisis!

But reading the straits times from here (yes, I still try to keep up with SG news), I can't help but wonder about the same thing: where are the leaders of Singapore? I keep opening the newspapers hoping to find a government official talk about the economy - but I haven't seen any such thing. I don't mean one-liners, like "we are facing a financial crisis", or simplistic stuff like that - I mean a proper chart of the direction of the country in these times. Stop telling me how wonderful the F1 race was! Isn't the economy a far more important topic to talk about?! Heck I even wrote to my MP to express my concern about rising costs and I didn't even get a reply of acknowledgment. Are they too busy with their day jobs to be working for the people??

-frustrated-

stumbling

2008-09-25T06:34:00.003+08:00

ok... time for a serious post.

let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother

Romans 14:13

There's a very real conflict between the importance of being real and honest to oneself as well as the need to watch your behaviour so that you don't stumble others. I think so often we struggle to find the balance, but our current postmodern context seems to tip the balance more towards authenticity. Thats not necessarily a bad thing, but we need to seriously consider whether we stumble our brethren by our conduct.

In the days of the early Church, a big issue was that of food offered to idols: was that permissible to eat - or not? There's a complex question here, and its partly theological. Its clear that eating food offered to idols is prohibited where its a part of a ritual. On the other hand, its certainly not a "strict liability" crime. Nothing happens when you eat it: its not what enters the body which makes man unclean, but what comes out of it. So thats clear as well.

The big question in the Church was: when you know that what is before you is food offered to idols, what do you do? I think the answer of the Apostle Paul in Romans 14 lays out the most logical and community-sensitive answer: it depends (like the lawyer's favourite reply!). It depends on whether the people around you know that you know that it is food offered to idols, and what meaning they attach to your participation in the food. If it causes your unbelieving neighbour to think you're celebrating the ritual with him, then don't do it. If it causes your weak brother in the faith to think that you're sinning, then don't do it. Its not that there's something wrong with the food, its just that if those around you think something more of it than just "O, he's eating meat", then its just not wise to carry on.

THIS LESSON HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY!!

How do we live our lives? Our bodies do not belong to us, but to God, and to each other in the Church. We need to be senstive to the reality that our actions (especially that in front of our brethren) may carry meaning to other people that differ from what we attach to it. If it causes others to stumble, think twice.

O How He Loves You

2008-09-23T12:42:00.002+08:00

O how He loves you and me
O how He loves you and me
He gave His life, what more could He give
O how He loves you
O how He loves me
O how He loves you and me

Jesus to Calvary did go
His love for mankind to show
What He did there brought hope from despair!
O how He loves you
O how He loves me
O how He loves you and me

first stir-fry attempt!

2008-09-23T10:57:00.003+08:00

was a success!! the beef was a little too sweet, but i reallyreally liked it (: this is a dish that my mom makes for me at home almost weekly, so making it really brings memories to my mind haha

at least i now know how to go about with the possibility of cooking something! (:

great thanks to shangjun and gabriel for inspiring me to cook! this one is for you :D

(p.s. i contemplated putting in a picture but it came out horrible hahaha.... oops)

Washington DC Trip!

2008-09-23T10:39:00.002+08:00

Ok, as promised, here are some updates of my trip to washington, DC!

First day I set off from Durham at around 1pm. My GPS told me that I'd reach gab's place at 5pm. Woopee... only 4 hours :P

Took me all of 3 hours 45 to travel from Durham, NC to Washington DC (see on mapquest for yourself how far it is :P), and then it took me ALL OF 40 MINUTES TO GET TO GAB'S PLACE............ yes, thats how bad traffic there is. and in tribute to that:

YES!!! bumper to bumper traffic!!! for a significant portion of time!!! something that i haven't seen for a very long while... i'd almost forgotten what a jam looks like....

and here's the view from gab's pretty place

Washington DC is pretty much a historic place. tourists come to see the history of the usa - the constitution, buildings, politics etc. but there's nothing much to see and do there. i'm not going to post any pics of the stuff i took except for this one:

Don't you think the lamps give the building a rather 'eastern' feel? i can't exactly point out what it is, but it just doesn't seem to sync with the general architecture of the capital building...

And also this interesting fountain we saw on the grounds which created the same general silhouette of the capital building:

Please excuse the bad picture.... it was the noonday sun and i do not have shangjun's or zhiwei's photography skills :P

ok after performing the obligatory duty of seeing all the sights of washington (yes, it was a very mian2 qiang3 thing for me :P), my favourite part was just chilling with audrey and gab at random places, like this cool ice cream joint on the second day, and audrey's place on the first. we took really random shots and then discussed legal theory over bluberries hahaha!! so fun (:

that was really my objective in coming down la, just to hang out with friends heh. thanks gab and audrey!!

and then just before i leave the city gave me a sourvenir too!!!!

.............

a $100 parking ticket ):

washington dc, day 2

2008-09-21T12:50:00.002+08:00

wa today was so tiring..... my legs are killing me...

we walked the Mall today (no, its not some mega-store like i originally (bimbotically) thought it was!) - like the WHOLE PLACE. ok gab and i zipped out of location to location, seeing only what we thought interested us. had a great day hanging out with him heh. if ur reading this, hope u had a great day too hahaha

and then at night we walked like crazy AGAIN to find this jap place which audrey couldn't find in the end. we ended up at this mexican place, and having reallyreally good ice-cream outdoors while it was freezing. brilliant ice-cream, but not so brilliant idea hahahaha.... was freezing!!!

ok kinda having fun la.... but getting thankful for durham (:

God, thanks for the lessons you're teaching me!

greetings from washington dc!

2008-09-20T11:31:00.003+08:00

yes, i am now in gabriel's place in washington dc! i really enjoyed the 4 hour drive (yes, 4 entire hours! jerry eat that :D) from north carolina up here heh. but i really need a cushion for my poor aching back for the drive back home....

looking forward to 3 days of fun hanging out with gab and audrey and even the possibility of doing some shopping!!

dun really have photos for now hahaha sorry peeps. will be taking some over the next few days (: stay tuned!

fall is coming!

2008-09-17T12:46:00.005+08:00

ok i really should be studying now (still have alot of work!!) but i shall take a short break due to DMR setting in.

anyways the trees are getting so pretty! i think fall is coming. the leaves are starting to turn colour! ok its the first time for me so stop smirking i know i'm swakoo.

here are some photos from a carpark near the law school. i wanted to take a photo of the law school for 'yall (southern huh heh) but i got lazy heh.

Yea i know my carpark's real pretty (: but if u think tts pretty wait till u see the campus. its obscene. but tts another post for another time!

see the trees changing colour slightly?

and the trees in their full glory - extremely tall. there are even taller ones around the campus.

update on fun weekend!

2008-09-14T12:40:00.005+08:00

o well the past posts have been negative... let me try to put in a nice positive post!

this weekend had quite alot of fun. hung out with some singaporean kids (oops!), some guys my age and some other grad students. was quite cool to be able to be more myself in the way i speak, and to be able to relate to people in terms of like where we grew up, mutual friends etc. hope to be able to get to know them bettter heh.

dinner at steve hinkle's was really cool as well. he's a great host, having so many ppl in his place and entertaining them all!

also went to greensboro for a spectacular opening gala of the greensboro symphony orchestra! for such a small orchestra, i think their sound is quite impressive. the special guests for the evening were fantastic as well. yefim bronfman neeeds no introduction or recommendation, and another newbie to the music scene was singing with such an amazing voice!

the drive to greensboro was really cool.... driving for 1 straight hour 2 times (to and fro!) was really quite an experience! nxt week will be the next challenge - driving 5 straight hours to washington dc! hopefully vincent (my classmate) will come with me so i have company hehehe.

to all my friends who've been patiently chatting with me and sending me the music i miss, i'm very thankful for your love! you've put me in a sappy mood, so this music shall be my way of closing heh. --- pls dun infer anything watsoever in the putting of this love music hahaha its just me in a sappy mood (:

bummed

2008-09-14T12:35:00.001+08:00

sometimes, the things you want just don't happen the way you thought it would.

o well, thankfully God has been preparing me and been gracious enough to give me a way of escape!!

thank you Lord, for such sovereign, truly unmerited grace

2008-09-13T00:06:00.001+08:00

its amazing how people can be so impressed by themselves

Out of My Head - Fastball

2008-09-10T11:34:00.002+08:00

Sometimes I feel
Like I am drunk behind the wheel
The wheel of possibility
However it may roll
Give it a spin
See if you can somehow factor in
You know theres always more than one way
To say exactly what you mean to say

Chorus:
Was I out of my head? was I out of my mind?
How could I have ever been so blind?
I was waiting for an indication
It was hard to find
Dont matter what I say only what I do
I never mean to do bad things to you
So quiet but I finally woke up
If youre sad then its time you spoke up too

Chorus
Repeat chorus

2008-09-08T12:36:00.003+08:00

i was in a project group meeting, and they were talkin abt ppl who'd do far more than required

i said: "wow don't they have a life"

but wait a minute: we're in durham; nobody has a life

bummer.

wii!

2008-08-31T12:32:00.002+08:00

ok all of you reading this must know by now that i'm a nintendo nut. i've played/owned just about every console/system that nintendo has released. you ppl back home in singapore also probably know that it costs a riddiculous amount of money to buy the wii back there! and thats the main reason why i haven't bought 1 yet.

well, one of my flatmates has a wii!! and he's generous and nice enough to let me play on it heh (: spent tonite playin mario galaxy and mario kart - i hate the wheel tho, give me the controller anyday....

and i made my 4th attempt at pasta! this time it was quite good - i rate it a 7.5 (: yes mark, i'm going for quality heh. but actually the reason why i've been pasta-ing like crazy is because i wanna get rid of the meatballs in the fridge hahaha. just finished them today (yay!). so i'll try to be a little more adventurous - will try mom's recipe for stir-fry beef, and mayb even the prawns that i love so much hehe.

o yea i missed the football game coz i elected to stay at home and read legal theory (hey its quite fun ok!!). also finally finished watching the indiana jones series!!

well ok thats it for updates i gotta catch some more sleep for church tml morn heh.

update at last!

2008-08-30T11:56:00.003+08:00

ok i figure i should make it a discipline to update this blog - as a journal to myself as well as to update you people who are concerned about me!

anyways some of you might know that i've been feeling rather homesick in recent times. well thankfully i'm feeling just a little better now! thanks melanie for your constant encouragement, prayer, and light-heartedness... really helps to know that ppl back home cares (: and of course to my patient friends back home who endure my constant msn-ing -- melanie tien, shawn poon, mark loo, ezra ho especially... i really thank God for you, and really miss you guys - yes even u shawn poon, i don't like you but ur still my good friend (:

anyways i managed to attend my shalom cg this week! thanks to this fabulous invention called skype and webcam! it was really fun to see everyone again, and to be reminded of my friends back home really helped with my homesickness very much..... thanks phis for your brilliant idea, and for yours and jovian's patience to have me in cg - even though i was a source of distraction hahaha.... to shalom, thanks for your love and prayers as well, i reallyreally miss every single one of u veryveryvery much..... update me on what happens in cg!

and guess what? THERE IS SHOPPING IN DURHAM!!!! ok actually it was more like raleigh - i had to drive so far out to get some proper shopping hahaha.... but i finally got my much-needed slippers, socks and backpack!! and the addidas backpack only cost USD30!!

o yea and in a random note - i cooked pasta 3 times already (: will be picking up more skills to cook! its crazily expensive to eat out here - average price of meal here is USD7..........

ok hopefully this makes a good start to a journal of my experience in USA. will get more photos up - am going for my first football game tml heh.

my room

2008-08-17T05:54:00.006+08:00

photos of my room

and more photos

progress on things to do

2008-08-17T05:36:00.002+08:00

ok i'm really too lazy to get down to updating about my trip to new york and my first few days in durham.

before i left, churchies gave me a really sweet list of things to do in the US - just thought i'd update you guys on some things i've accomplished (:

zhiwei wanted me to watch at least 3 concerts/musicals - i've watched spring awakening on broadway, new york! its a very sexed up musical so its not very wholesome watching. i must say that the quality of acting and singing is very high. and musicals at broadway are EXTREMELY popular. i couldn't get cheap tickets to "wicked", and just about every other musical showing... ok in all fairness i was only willing to pay $40 :P

wing wanted me to write a review on the book he gave me: "the second coming" by john macarthur - well i've finished the preface and 2 chapters! so its looking good heh.

orientation begins monday... lets see how it goes

safe

2008-08-12T21:47:00.002+08:00

hello! greetings from new york city - yes, i have reached here in one piece, safe and sound.

i'm not using my laptop for this so i'll only update (and upload photos!) when i reach durham, nc on thursday.

to all my friends: thanks for your prayers, i continue to covet them (:

incentive!

2008-08-06T01:31:00.003+08:00

whoa its very difficult to get 100bucks from the SAF.

ran like crazy just to get 12.03 for 2.4..... i seem to recall a time in the not-so-distant-past when 11.00 was no kick.... o well at least i dun have to worry abt this for the following year away weee

when is it my turn for cat y......

mr worldly wiseman

2008-07-26T23:05:00.001+08:00

wowee i'm gonna have to look this next week... how to pull it off?

The Blue Cross - 1st in a series on Fr Brown Stories

2008-02-16T23:36:00.003+08:00

I'm embarking on a series of analyses of the Fr Brown short stories by G K Chesterton. These stories are really fun to read and they sometimes carry such deep meaning!

The first story is entitled: The Blue Cross

Basically, the greatest detective in the world, Valentin, is chasing the greatest criminal in the world, Flambeau. Enter Fr Brown, a small, tottering priest who is carrying a sapphire cross.

Valentin starts off with no clues, and thus pursues a strategy of looking out for oddities. He encounters strange things along the way: salt in a sugar bowl; mixed up price tags; a broken window etc. At each location, he hears strange stories of a pair of clergy, one of which seems a little crazy, doing all these weird things that we've already seen.

The trail ends with Valentin finding the clergy in a theological discussion, with Fr Brown defending the place of reason against the other's seeming advocate of blind faith. The other clergyman, unaware of Valentin's presence, reveals himself to be Flambeau, and openly demands the sapphire cross.

Fr Brown reveals that he has always been aware of his identity, and calmly shows him how the sapphire cross is already safely away from them. He had recognized all of Flambleau's tricks from the confessions that had been made to him by various penitents.

Fr Brown then reveals Valentin's presence.

-----

Physical Appearance Deceives

When Fr Brown makes his first appearance, it is humble, almost comical. This contrasts with the appearance of Valentin and Flambeau, which is elaborate and fancy. You could feel the distaste that both men felt for this priest whom they thought to be gullible and of no worth.

However, at the end of the day it is this tottering priest that captures the great Flambeau, and succeeds in manipulating the great Valentin.

This recalls that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

Quotable quotes:
“I don’t believe a bumpkin like you could manage all that.”

“And they both stood an instant uncovered, while the little Essex priest blinked about for his umbrella”

The Limit of Reason

The biggest theme in this story is really that of the limit of reason. Logic may be found in what is seemingly illogical – just because we don’t get it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. This theme is adequately shown in the weird ways in which Fr Brown gets Valentin's attention and leads him, as well as how it eventually leads to Flambeau's capture.

This theme is also overtly considered in the theological discussion between Fr Brown and Flambeau of the place of reason.

This is probably a big debate in itself in Christendom. As this story review is not a place for my own theological/philosophical convictions, I shall refrain from comment.

Quotable Quotes:
"there is in life an element of elfin coincidence which people reckoning on the prosaic may perpetually miss... wisdom should reckon on the unforeseen."

"But exactly because Valentin understood reason, he understood the limits of reason."

“Proof!” he cried. “Good God! the man is looking for proof! Why, of course, the chances are twenty to one that it has nothing to do with them. But what else can we do? Don’t you see we must either follow one wild possibility or else go home to bed?”

“Alone on earth, the Church makes reason really supreme. Alone on earth, the Church affirms that God Himself is bound by reason.”

Overall Review

I LOVED this story!! It was brilliantly written and a fantastic introduction to the Fr Brown series. Perhaps at times you felt that Chesterton was ranting, but I thought that overall this was a very enjoyable read! Please get your hands on a copy!

((:

2008-02-16T00:58:00.001+08:00

Sweeney Todd - Tim Burton

2008-02-08T14:27:00.000+08:00

I've read several rave reviews of the movie and I can't for the life of me imagine why.

To be fair, perhaps I should review three things seperately: the plot; the musical; the movie.

The Plot

Man comes back to London to take revenge. Becomes incredibly disillusioned with mankind and kills them because "they all deserve to die".

Finally takes his revenge, but in the process, kills his wife (for whom he was seeking revenge), almost kills his daughter, and murders countless other people.

The story contains quite good morals. It shows, for one, that seeking revenge can never be meaningful in itself. It never once brings him any form of satisfaction or relief. If anything, the opposite is true. It consumes him, transforms him from a handsome young man into an ugly, terrible thing, and even causes him to become the murderer of his own beloved wife.

One point that I thought was interesting was how the meat from the dead was made into pies and sold to people who enjoyed eating them. It seems to me a message that we so often "eat" our fellow Man created in God's image with such pleasure by sinning against them in so many ways. In fact, we should experience digust and horror such as that felt by Toby when he realised he was eating a human pie.

A few parallel plots run. The most significant of that is that Johanna (the barber's daughter) is trapped by Turpin, and wants to elope with Anthony. This couple is the only one who has any form of happy ending since they are not murdered.

The Musical

This is where I am most disturbed.

Most of the music is chirpy, disney-esque almost. To put such a deranged plot into chirpy music is just morbid.

Up till now I cannot remember the music without chills going up my spine.

The Movie

Its a big challenge to put the above combination into a movie, and I have mixed feelings about the movie.

One one hand, Burton seems to ameliorate the morbid nature of the musical by making much of the violence and gore look fake. The blood looks absolutely fake, the manner in which the barber murders is almost comical, and their delivery into the basement and the manner in which they fall is almost slapstick -- then again at times I felt that this made it more morbid than it already is.

You just cannot turn such things into a joke.

A Biblical Response

The Bible tells us that man is made in the image of God, and that any murder of man offends the Creator in whose image he was created. I felt that the movie trivialized murder. This in itself left me highly offended.

On the other hand, the moral that revenge and grudges kill no one but ourselves is one that is highly important as well.

Jason rates this: 2/5

Highly offensive. Left me very disturbed.

In My Father's Den - Brad McGann / Maurice Gee

2008-02-07T00:26:00.000+08:00

This was one of the more interesting movies I've seen in awhile.

I thought the movie was well made and well directed, except for the manner in which the twist in the story comes. When the story finally develops to reveal that Celia is Paul's sister, not his daughter, it was more like an action-flick-esque twist, which seemed very disjointed in the rest of the narrative.

I thought that much of the movie was made very deliberately (or perhaps this is more attributable to the plot? I haven't read the book).

Major Themes

It seemed to me that the biggest theme of the movie was that of unfulfilled dreams. Hope is pictured as a woman who is tortured and trapped. Celia is trapped in her life, and she never finds release from that. Paul and Andrew's mom resorts to suicide. The overwhelming sense of the movie was how the characters of this town are trapped in their lives and cannot soar.

Reality is portrayed as something which stifles the individual. Most relationships in the movie are dysfunctional to a large extent. Religion is something that makes people become weirdos. Even the 'happening' teenage life is portrayed as futile and without meaning.

Redemption only occurs when the individuals involved escape from the reality of their lives and obligations. Paul runs away from home and becomes a famous photojournalist, Celia runs away to Paul's hiding place and discovers who she truly wants to become, Paul and Andrew's mom seems to find freedom in suicide (pointing to the hawk).

A Biblical Response

There is much content in the movie to find offensive. The themes in the movie are essentially nihilistic and remind one of existential angst. Frequent vulgarities, portions of nudity, suggestions of sex, taking of drugs --- there is much in this movie to condemn.

However, this is not to say that there is nothing to be learned: much of the meaningless-ness of existence and reality in the film stem from immorality. Adultery causes dysfunctional families, lax moral standards among the people leading to gross violations of our intuitive sense of morality etc (I shan't elaborate in too much detail). A society must be built on God and His values before there can be meaning, and reality becomes something that liberates and facilitates hope, rather than suppresses it.

When we contrast the biblical worldview of hope, we also learn alot. Hope in God and His promises stems from the assurance of the Divine Creator who is also our Redeemer. It is something that we have because of what Christ has already done for us on the cross. We have hope as the assurance of things to come, and this is based on what has gone before. In contrast, hope in the movie is a mere abstract longing which has no basis on anything whatsoever.

Balancing the two factors, I would probably say that there are better movies that one can watch to consider the themes being explored here.

Jason rates it: 3.5/5
Movie-making was great, but morality of the show and the message sent sends this movie down the ranking list of shows to watch.

Psalm 1

2008-02-05T01:16:00.002+08:00

1:1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Stars - Switchfoot

2008-02-04T09:11:00.000+08:00

Maybe I've been the problem, maybe I'm the one to blame
But even when I turn it off and blame myself, the outcome feels the same
I've been thinkin maybe I've been partly cloudy, maybe I'm the chance of rain
Maybe I'm overcast, and maybe all my lucks washed down the drain

I've been thinking 'bout everyone, everyone you look so lonely

But when I look at the stars,
when I look at the stars,
when I look at the stars I see someone else

When I look at the stars,
the stars, I feel like myself

Stars lookin at our planet watching entropy and pain
And maybe start to wonder how the chaos in our lives could pass as sane
I've been thinking bout the meaning of resistance, of a hope beyond my own
And suddenly the infinite and penitent begin to look like home

I've been thinking bout everyone, everyone you look so empty

But when I look at the stars,
when I look at the stars,
when I look at the stars I see someone else

When I look at the stars,
the stars, I feel like myself

everyone, everyone we feel so lonely
everyone, yeah everyone we feel so empty

When I look at the stars,
when I look at the stars,
when I look at the stars I feel like myself

When I look at the stars, the stars
I see someone...

spiritual service and its relation to our daily vocation

2008-01-31T14:02:00.001+08:00

it seems to me that many of us have taken the dutch-reformed concept of elevating work to the other extreme of denigrating the work of the church and other similar service.

while it is true that all work is sacred, is it true to say that all work is equally sacred?

to illustrate a point: who did the Lord commend for having served him? was it the man who served the poor cups of cold water? or was it those who ignored the man and carried on his daily tasks? surely it was the man who exercised these acts of mercy.

in a similar manner, while all work we do in our vocation is sacred, and to be done unto the Lord for His glory, it is spiritual work that is most profitable. they who are called to do the Lord's work must be esteemed for their office.

but the point i want to draw is really another one: do we neglect our spiritual ministries and responsibilities because we are too busy with our vocation?

i suspect that often, when we neglect our spiritual ministry, it is not because we consciously want to glorify God in our vocation and thus focus on that, but more often it is because we do not consider the ministry to give us any tangible benefit. doing our tutorials helps us understand the topic better, which ultimately leads to better grades, which ultimately ends up on our CV. on the other hand, doing the work of the ministry often leads to the award of no-recognition-whatsoever.

should we have such an attitude?

even if i give you the benefit of the doubt that you consciously neglect ministry in order to excel in your studies for the glory of God, is that the right attitude? you who have been entrusted with responsibilities are entrusted by the God of the universe with a sacred task. should you prioritize the work of man over such a calling?

if your ministry history were put into your CV, would it be something you would be proud of? or something that you dare not acknowledge because you know you haven't been faithful with?

i need to preach this sermon to myself

quote from douglas wilson

2008-01-30T15:50:00.000+08:00

a quote from "Mother Kirk" by Douglas Wilson:

"All who name the name of Christ must therefore depart from all forms of wickedness, especially the secret sin which has been hidden from every eye but God's. Individual Christians must repent of the sin of autonomous individualism, the belief that our lives and thoughts are our own property and that our relationships with others are simply a matter of our voluntary arrangements. As the Lord lives, they are not. We have been bought with a price; we are not our own. Having been redeemed by Christ, we have been placed by God under various governments to obey Him through faithful service according to the law He has established for the governance of these institutions."

pages 16-17

this echoes my post on trusts yup...

Hopeless - KT Tunstall

2008-01-30T10:43:00.000+08:00

Hopeless
Everybody says its just another decay of the soul
But I know I'm hopeless, thought about anything to take me
Away from this hole in the ground
I found it's hopeless clinging to a feeling
Like a fish on a line, so blinded by the lately
Hopeless, no more saying that there's no more time.

I've was trying far too hard
To be what I thought I should be
I was playing wild cards and
Seeing things that weren't in front of me
Like a little tiger, played far too long,
Until I was hurting myself, again and again

Because I'm hopeless.
Everybody says its just another decay of the soul
But I know I'm hopeless, thought about anything to take me
Away from this hole in the ground
I found it's hopeless clinging to a feeling
Like a fish on a line, so blinded by the lately
Hopeless, no more saying that there's no more time.
That there's no more time.

Well I'm just discovering I'm living in a different body
Caught a little insight into everything thats happening to me
Like a little spider, I'm climbing the insurmountable
But I'll never hold myself accountable, no.

'Cause I'm hopeless.
Everybody says I'm hopeless
But I got a bit of hopelessness
Oh and you can never bring me down
Even though I've got some silent ground
Oh because I love it so
And I think you should know

Because I'm hopeless.
Everybody says its just another decay of the soul
But I know I'm hopeless, thought about anything to take me
Away from this hole in the ground
I found it's hopeless clinging to a feeling
Like a fish on a line, so blinded by the lately
Hopeless, hopeless, hopeless
No more saying that there's no more time.

tailor-make your own church

2008-01-27T22:34:00.000+08:00

The best way to find the perfect church! fill up this questionnaire and be linked up with a church of your preference! or if we can't find it, we'll send someone down to set up one to your liking ;)

Question number 1:
Do you think teaching doctrine is impractical? Or do you like the teaching of doctrine? If you like a practical church, please proceed to question 6.
Doctrine/Practical

Question number 2:
Do you believe in predestination?
Yes/No/Its more complex than either

Question number 3:
Baptism: Immersion or Sprinkling?
Immersion/Sprinkling/Its more complex than just these two

Question number 4:
Lord's Supper: Real presence or remembrance?
Real presence/Remembrance/Its more complex than just these two

Question number 5:
Purpose of the service: Intellectual or Sacramental?
Intellectual/Sacramental/Its more complex than just these two

Question number 6:
Contemporary rock-ish Christian songs (and instruments) in service: Acceptable?
Yes/No

Question number 7:
People in the church: i) Nice and accepting? Or ii) hold others accountable and at times condemning?
i / ii

Question number 8:
Church discipline?
Yes/No

Question number 9:
Would you want to serve in church?: i) please leave me out? or ii) only if i have to. or iii) ok!
i / ii / iii

Question number 10:
Should the church be willing to take feedback and change as the congregation polls?
Yes/No

Thank you for filling up the 10 short questions! Our people will be in contact with you shortly to find you your perfect church.

About the survey organization
CreateYourOwnPerfectChurch.com. No more worrying about churches which don't fit your type! Find the perfect church for YOU! worship God exactly the way YOU want to. No more worrying about other people and opinions. Why let others decide for YOU? god wants YOU happy and in the church of YOUR choice!

Why deal with people YOU don't like to or submit to authority YOU don't like? Why tolerate that sinner sitting next to YOU any longer? Forget the old-fashioned doctrines of providence and of god placing people where He desires them to be! Forget the old-notions that you have any responsibility to the congregation you have been placed with! Its all about YOUR walk with god, how YOU feel, what YOU want to do!

Call us today! Satisfaction guaranteed --- YOURS, that is ;)

------ DISCLAIMER ------
All resemblances to surveys/companies/organizations/societies either real or fictional are PURELY accidental. The author writes this with no intention to refer to any existing real or fictional surveys/companies/organizations/societies.

Singapore Premiere of Mahler's 3rd Symphony

2008-01-26T23:54:00.000+08:00

- any pro musician who reads this please excuse this layman review of the concert -

admittedly I went for the concert with mixed feelings. mich convinced me that the music was utterly depressing, but what i heard on naxos seemed to be pretty ok.

first thought: what??! they don't have an intermission for a 100+minute concert!?! (apparently its the longest symphony - like ever)

well the performance wasn't perfect. stray notes here and there, stray sounds here and there - but i guess no one can reasonably expect a perfect performance live hmm?

but those aside, it was a great concert! simply spectacular. the symphony was excellently executed by the SSO, and brilliantly conducted by Lan Shui. his conducting was lively and full of the energy that one can imagine should be employed when considering such a big piece as mahler's 3rd symp. i wish i had a dvd of the concert! i'd buy it just to watch him conduct hahaha.

when the first trombone solo came up, i had mixed feelings: it was like - ok, so he's playin it, but there's no music in there! - but after that first solo, WHOA. the trombonist totally brought out the music and spirit of the rest of the first movement - and the rest of the symphony where there was a trombone solo. guess tt was a warm up heh.

the trumpet and F-horn soloists were also brilliant! souptel was outstanding as usual too. the trumpet soloist gets my vote for best musician of the night! he really enjoyed the music and let the music sing through him.

and nancy maultsby -- her performance was simply heart-wrenching.... really brought out the angst in the 4th movement.

choir was good too - not particularly outstanding i thought - but sufficient to match the outstanding performace by the SSO and maultsby.

one last comment - it seemed to me that Lan Shui can really coax the strings haha. don't get me wrong his presence over the orchestra was complete - but he was almost one with the strings.

ok this comment is like so informative (sarcasm here for those of you foreign to me). but i was simply awestruck by the entire performance. after almost every movement, you just wanted to give a standing ovation, scream 'bravo!!' and just let them take a bow -- but proper decorum (is it even proper decorum?? or just singaporean??) dictated that we good people must wait patiently till the end of the symphony when the audience simply went hysterical.

so yes, mich, this post is my rebuttal to you. i'm gettin a good recording of mahler's 3rd symphony heh.

Life as a Trust (more comprehensively)

2008-01-23T08:45:00.000+08:00

We have already seen the text that sets forth that we are trustees of all that God has entrusted to us (the context of the passage was with regard to the 'mysteries' that we hold, but I think few would dispute that the whole counsel of Scripture affirm this proposition). What does it mean to be a trustee? Lets look at 2 principles of trust law and consider their implications on our lives.

1) While the trustee remains the legal owner of the land, he is bound to hold the land for the benefit of the cestui que trust (the beneficiary).

This proposition reminds us of the dual nature of our relationship to the things that God has given us: i) we truly own the things that we have been given; but 2) our responsibility is to use the things we have been given to benefit God's Work.

This proposition surely obligates us to consider the spiritual work (of prayer, evangelism, works of charity, service to the local church) and to consider how we should involve ourselves. But of course, this doesn't mean that we do nothing but ministry work. The Dutch-Reformed tradition have long asserted that in all of our lives, and in every vocation God has placed us in, we can glorify God - the question is this: how many of us consider our lives a thing to be lived for the purpose of benefiting God's Work?

2) A trustee may not retain any profit which he gains by reason of his being the trustee.

Basically, the principle is that any profit that the trustee gains by virtue of his office cannot be retained. This profit may arise in a variety of ways, such as information that may come into his hands by virtue of his office, opportunities that his beneficiary may not be able to take advantage of but that he may do so etc.

This is a strict rule, and is based on the principle of loyalty to the trust. My law friends reading this blog will be familiar with the fiduciary nature of directors' duties, and I guess the strictness of this rule will be sufficiently evident to you (please don't start a debate about disclosure).

Many times, we do ministry because of the fringe benefits: we enjoy the fellowship with others, and we have fun together etc. To some extent this is justified, since the Word acts as a form of 'trust deed' which speaks often of the blessing of fellowship, and its importance etc. But there are other times as well when we do things for other improper reason: not wanting people to think we are impious; desiring to fit in with others etc.

Do we remember our primary obligation of loyalty to the Lord for our service? Its so easy to get caught into doing things for the wrong motives. We need to continually examine ourselves so we don't fall into this. We serve the Lord because He loved us, gave Himself for us, and gave us such abundant blessings!

As I'm writing this I realize how much more I can talk about this. So watch this space! I just might expand it a little more ;)

soli Deo gloria

Life as a Trust

2008-01-23T00:25:00.000+08:00

mental note to myself to blog about today's FT. was a really blessed time of meditating on God's Word and a time of renewal of commitment.

we kinda know that our Christianity should inform the way we think about law, but how often is it we consider that law informs our thinking of Christianity? today's text considered our lives/time/money as a trust from God (with much amusement to the law students). have we ever considered how onerous these duties we possess are? to discharge the work the trust for the benefit of the beneficiary etc?

anyways, got loads of public law readings / readings in romans for cg to do, so this was just a short summary. hopefully i'll come back for a more comprehensive consideration.

and we raised quite alot of money for Mongolia/Cambodia student ministry!! Thank God!! and of course, thanks to all the people who contributed and made it possible.... who would have thought that selling cookies and cordial would generate so much money hahaha

TEXTS:
1 Corinthians 4:1-2
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.

SONGLIST:
Lord, I Offer You my life
Here I Am (a Mt. Carmel original)
Awakening (Switchfoot - no, this was not in FT, just that i'm in a switchfoot mood they're in town next thurs!!! (: )

2008-01-21T23:41:00.000+08:00

Romans 5

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

---

John 13

14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

I Can Only Imagine - MercyMe

2008-01-20T00:17:00.000+08:00

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

Chorus
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you Jesus? or in awe of you be still?
Will I stand in your presence? or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah? will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine!

I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine

[Chorus]

I can only imagine [x2]

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship you

------

Maranatha, come O Lord!

2008-01-16T21:29:00.000+08:00

today's one of those times that i experience God's grace in such a real way....

truly,

He giveth more grace when the burden grows greater,
He sendeth more strenght when the labours increase
Through added affliction He adds His mercy
Through multiplied trials His multiplied peace

His love has no limits
His grace has no measure
His power has no boundaries known unto men
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again...

i guess God's really accomplished many things in me over the past few days. i understand myself better now, i know i should look to the Lord in times of need, i know i should trust God more.

and so, God, thank you. For grace, and mercy. Please keep teaching me and leading me.

soli Deo gloria

Who Am I - Casting Crowns

2007-12-30T00:38:00.000+08:00

Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.

Bridge
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.

Bridge + Chorus (2x)

Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?
'Cause I am yours.
I am yours.

seared consciences

2007-12-25T09:48:00.000+08:00

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared...

- 1 Timothy 4:1-2

One of the effects of the 10 commandments camp on me was really the re-awakening of my conscience. I think before this my conscience was rather desensitized to the world and the way in which sin is prevalent. When was the last time we cringed when we heard someone say "O my G--"? or the last time we thought it almost-sacrilegious not to go for the Lord's Service on the Sabbath?

Now, as things happen around me, I feel a renewed sensitivity towards sin that is around me, and I pray that God would grant for me to continue to have a sensitive conscience! I also thank God that I see this same increased-sensitivity in those who were at the camp. Many more youths are conscious about the many ways in which God's commandments can be transgressed, and the high standards to which we are kept.

As the above-quoted Scripture reminds us, we will encounter many people in the last days with seared (or desensitized, calloused) consciences. What is scary is that the context suggests that these people will come from within the church, leading Christians away! We expect non-Christians to not have high-standards to some extent since most do not accept the Bible as an authoritative moral compass, but how scary is it when it is those who are within the church which have seared consciences, and how much more scary is it when we consider that they can and do lead people astray.

May the Lord grant us to always meditate on His Word, and may His Holy Spirit always prompt us when we encounter sin which grieves His Heart, that we may live by the standards which, alone, bring blessedness.

miserere nobis

Christmas

2007-12-25T02:54:00.000+08:00

today just heard a christmas message on "home" --- Christmas for us has become a time of spending time with loved ones and stuff, but has it ever occured to us that on that first Christmas day, the second Person of the Trinity left His Throne with the Father, knowing that He would dwell among men who would despise and reject Him?

what a gift of love, what a gift of grace!

this Christmas, may our hearts be filled with humility and awe at the grace of God in granting to us the great Gift of Christ the Lord.

2007-12-15T17:24:00.000+08:00

just got back from yf camp. real tired. so much has happened over the past 5 days.

BUT i'm confident that God will work all things for good!

learned alot of things about myself over the past 5 days, and especially abt my weaknesses. so many ways in which i need to grow, so many things i need to consider. God help me to evaluate my life, and dare to make changes that i may obey you more!

to my friends, thank you. for the many ways in which you have helped me to grow.

jan, thanks for being there; zhiwei, thanks for hearing me sigh continuously and always encouraging me with friendly pats; ben, thanks for your understanding of stuff; jon, thanks for your graciousness and being willing to work it out with me

jan, if u see this before sunday, remember wat ur not allowed to do ;)

i really wanna put up my reflections on some of the things i've been thinking of during the camp, but got stuff to do and am real tired. maybe later.

don't judge me yet, there's an unfinished part

The Napoleon of Notting Hill - G K Chesterton

2007-12-05T11:14:00.000+08:00

Sounded like a riddiculous plot. Turned out to be an interesting read though.

A practical joker becomes King and turns the towns of London into nations with their own sovereignty and all the pompousness and show of medieval politics. Along comes a man who actually takes it seriously, becomes "Lord High Provost" of Notting Hill, a small, insignificant town. One day, the other towns want to build a road through Notting Hill for various commercial reasons. Adam Wayne, Lord High Provost of Notting Hill, in his zealous wish to guard the sovereignty of Notting Hill, refuses at all costs.

Most people in London recognize the King's joke, and doesn't take the concept seriously. Buck, another Lord High Provost, together with others, amass an army that he thinks will make Notting Hill give up without a fight, since the odds of victory would be overwhelming.

War begins, and through a series of ingenious strategic moves, Notting Hill actually wins.

Themes:
1) Existentialism.

One of the biggest juxtapositions in the story is the King's intentional practical jokes with Adam Wayne's taking it seriously and finding meaning in it. From the rubbish he talks before he becomes King, we know that he has no serious bone in him through and through. He institutes a system with no intention of it to be serious. But even out of this rubbish, Adam Wayne comes along and finds his life meaning in it. Not only that, he instills this meaning - a self-created (even delusional?) meaning - in the whole of London.

The last chapter of the book has a conversation between two (initially) unidentified parties about the meaning of life, and the futility of it if it were merely a practical joke, and yet the reply that "If God, with all His thunders, hated it, I loved it".

2) The irony of prophecy

The book begins with a discourse of people making predictions of the future - how society will get better and better etc. The book challenges this notion as the world not only does not get better and better in the future, it returns to medieval politics.

But, if it was intended to convince, I don't think it achieved it. The effect was utterly riddiculous. returning to medieval politics? maybe if you had a nutcase as the world leader - now what are the chances of that happening? Besides, the model of democracy espoused by the book was also one that was completely devoid of meaning, which neither advanced a notion that democracy was futile (because the model used was riddiculous), or that any other model was better.

hmmm i think i still have thoughts to massage out. Will have to think on it.

2007-11-30T20:17:00.000+08:00

i am at the point where i dun feel like studyin anymore.

2 more days.

If We are the Body

2007-11-16T00:12:00.001+08:00

It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road

CHORUS

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ

CHORUS

Jesus is the way

nomads

2007-11-14T23:16:00.000+08:00

i share these thoughts coz i've been hearing things that disturb me quite alot...... well, part one relates my history, part two relates the lessons i’ve learned. so if u have the time, let me invite u to walk through my past. otherwise u can just skip to the end to hear my thoughts hehe.

---------- part 1 - history ------------

for those of you who've known me for some time, you're probably familiar with my history of church-hopping. from growing up in church of singapore, moving on to bethesda frankel-estate church, then back to cos, for a short period in lighthouse evangelism, then to fcbc, and then to moriah bible-presbyterian church, where i have settled down happily for the past 4 yrs.

well, when i left cos, its really because i was never rooted there. the only reason i went to church was bcoz my parents went to church. so tts tt. never looked back there.

i went to frankel when stephie brought zhan and i there one day when we were in sec 2. zhan and i were seekers. i haven't been to church for yrs, zhan wasn't a christian. it was there that we found God. or rather, God found us. i came to know my need for Christ, and i gave my life to Him then - although i'm still trying to 'give my life' in full (already-not yet hahaha)

i didn't know what i believed in relation to most doctrines at tt moment, but i was beginning to learn. i started to be really interested in apologetics. frankel's a very word-centered church, and it wasn't long before i was learning the differences between protestant christianity and roman catholicism. i started to hunger for more knowledge though, and so i went online and devoured materials about doctrine. mostly relating to the protestant-rc divide though.

i became rather intrigued by the charismatic movement when i was in frankel when zhan moved to fcbc and had an incredible experience. it wasn't long before i found myself wonderin which was the real biblical position. nevertheless, i cldn't deny zhan's experience - he was one of my best friends! surely i cldn't doubt him. so i started to journey. went to different churches - back to cos for awhile, then lighthouse evangelism (where my parents had settled). nevertheless, i kept my roots in frankel.

by then i was already serving in the music ministry as a worship leader. as i was serving, i started to do things i should never have done. up to this day, that is somethin that i regret alot. i served in the church in a manner that was utterly disrespectful to the leadership. i was rebuked gently by the youth pastor - i didn't think it was gentle then, but now tt i look back, he was really gentle with me. for the most part i think most ppl in the youth grp appreciated the direction in which i was trying to bring the youths towards. but i still regret it.

in the end, i left. for a variety of reasons. not because of the pastor's rebuke - he had left by then. at this time, God had placed in me a burning desire for truth. i cldn't stay in a church which wasn't practicing the truth (or at least i thought it wasn't). so i left. i went to fcbc.

i was happy in fcbc. my best friends were all there - and most of my closest friends are still these ppl. we served cheerfully and enthusiastically in various places for the Lord, and i really grew there. i still think i grew the most there. there was strong accountability, strong friendships, a prayerful community, an evangelistic community etc. i even became a cell grp leader there. a small group, but a leader nonetheless.

all this while, God continued to place in my heart a burning desire for truth. i was regularly reading lay theological works, some systematics, and listening to a few radio programs - of which renewing your mind by rc sproul was my greatest influence. i began to want to articulate the truth of what fc was practicing, in particular, the charismatic gifts.

so, i began to study. i began to read about the charismatic position, the cessationist position. i wun go into detail since this post isn't meant to convince anyone of any position. the conclusion is - i concluded that the cessationist position was at the very least more cautious, and probably the biblical position. i cldn't in good conscience still be a cell group leader then, so i told my zone leader, and he counselled me. it didn't work out, so i left the church.

that was a painful time. i encountered hurt from the leadership there because of the manner in which they mentioned my leaving. i also went to a new church - one in which i didn't know a single soul. on top of tt i just enlisted into the army. tt was a really tryin time. looking back, i really dunno how i got through it but by the grace of God. thanks also the warm fellowship of moriah, i found a community of God, a family of God who valued truth.

so...... here i am, 4 yrs down. in moriah, serving happily among the youths.

------------- end of part 1 -----------------------

------- part 2 - lessons ----------------

so why am i sharing all this?? why am i baring my heart to you ppl out there? i think there are important lessons tt i've learned from all this, and i just hope to share with you:

1) no church is perfect

ideally, an entire church should be enthusiastic for the things of God, love God's truth, preach His Word faithfully, prayerful, evangelistic, have warm fellowship, love God, love His people, be non-judgmental bcoz we're all sinners, be caring etc.

come on get real.

no church is perfect!!!! the church is made up of ppl like u n me my friend...... its been said so many times - if u find the perfect church, don't join it - u'll ruin it.

so.......... wats important in a church?

2) a love for truth.

i think this is the most important thing a church must have - a love for truth.

if a church doesn't love truth, then wat can u do with it?

at least if a church is judgmental, but willing to learn truth, u can teach it love
if a church practices the wrong thing, but is willing to learn truth, u can correct it

BUT

if a church is lovey-dovey, but doesn't care about truth, how do you draw the line between love and speaking the truth in love? prov 24:26
if a church is outreaching, but doesn't care about truth, how do you correct if someone preaches the wrong thing to others?

--------- end of part 2 -------

-----part 3 - rants -------

so many things one can criticize about one's church...... so many things...... DO WE COUNT OUR BLESSINGS PPL?! think about all the blessings God has given us - godly friends, godly preaching, ministries where we can develop our gifts - do u really think that most churches have these?!

to me the answer is obvious, and that is why i can't see myself leaving.....

i dun understand why ppl criticize so much. the church is only made up of her congregation - if there's somethin wrong with the church mayb u need to look in the mirror?

are YOU committed to God's people? we're all not perfect my friends..... are we prepared to stand on the line and be willing to make a difference? think others are bad? well then, do u dare to make a difference? or are u content to take the easy way out and just leave....... God called us to serve others, not ourselves!

let me ask u: are YOU doing anything about it? talking to the ppl involved trying to solve the problem? are you EVEN PRAYING about it? or are u content to sit back and complain and think about just leaving?

to be abit balanced, of course we sometimes face difficulties in church and experience these feelings...... its completely understandable i guess. but we have to control ourselves ppl! we cannot allow ourselves to feed on these thoughts that tell us to look at ourselves n not serve others!

ok sorry for tt emotional outburst hahaha.... alot of things on my mind.....

well...... God's still workin on me too huh?

semper reformanda

Lord of the Years

2007-10-21T23:01:00.000+08:00

Lord, for the years

Your love has kept and guided,

Urged and inspired us,

Cheered us on our way,

Sought us and saved us,

pardoned and provided:

Lord of the years,

we bring our thanks today.

---

Lord, for that word,

The word of life which fires us,

Speaks to our hearts

And sets our souls ablaze,

Teaches and trains,

Rebukes us and inspires us:

Lord of the word,

Receive your people's praise!

---

Lord, for our land

In this our generation,

Spirits oppressed by

Pleasure, wealth and care:

For young and old,

For commonwealth and nation,

Lord of our land,

Be pleased to hear our prayer.

---

Lord, for our world

Where men disown and doubt you,

Loveless in strength,

And comfortless in pain,

Hungry and helpless,

Lost indeed without you:

Lord of the world,

We pray that Christ may reign.

---

Lord, for ourselves;

In living power remake us-

Self on the cross,

And Christ upon the throne,

Past put behind us,

For the future take us:

Lord of our lives,

To live for Christ alone.

forgiveness

2007-10-10T00:40:00.000+08:00

-----------------------
Amos 1:11-12

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Edom,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because he pursued his brother with the sword
and cast off all pity,
and his anger tore perpetually,
and he kept his wrath forever.
So I will send a fire upon Teman,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.”

-----------------------

The Pulpit Commentary Vol. 14, Homilies on Amos 1:11-12, p19

II. THERE ARE INSTANCES IN WHICH THESE (brotherhood and friendly) OBLIGATIONS ARE UTTERLY DISREGARDED.

Such was the case with the Edomites. We trace in their conduct towards their kinsmen of Israel several stages of iniquity. 1. Aggression. Edom “pursued his brother with the sword.” 2. Pitiless anger. Edom “corrupted his compassions.” 3. Implacability. Edom “kept his wrath for ever.” Such treatment would have been unjustifiable from any nation towards another; but the relation and circumstances made it flagrantly and atrociously wicked in the instance under consideration.

-----------------------

AAR

2007-09-20T09:41:00.000+08:00

o well tts the end of a one-month journey with the mallal's. yup for those of u who are wonderin, i didn't win. so that makes me joint-third with vishal. the winner's francois beaudry from mcgill (i hear he's a jessups mooter so no wonder i guess hehe) and ruuner-up's harpreet. way to go all of u!!

its been incredible: right to privacy with lukiluki chiko peh (no kidding tt was my client's name) - presumptions of legitimacy with joseph and jonathan chapcheng -- its been a fun journey. it just sux to lose tho. i love what moots do to u. ur forced to read up so much in so little time and at the end of all tt research u realize ur quite an expert on tt small little area of law hahaha... i love the research part of it and the mooting part of it - just hate the part where u lose and realize there's so much u cld have done durin the moot. but guess there's only so much reaction time u have hmm.

more seriously, i've developed an interest for the law of legitimacy - on it being obsolete, that is. i think i'll try to do a research paper on it next sem. i wonder if the sch will let me add a research module...

need to be thankful. its quite an accomplishment to be in the finals already i guess.

and thanks again for all my friends (mark calls it my fan club... wow i nv knew i was so loved hahaha) who came down to support me in the semis and the finals!! to all my lawr friends who've been so supportive, vcf-ers, jon and jan who came all the way down specially, and other law peeps whose prayer and support i definitely couldn't do without --- thanks guys, i really appreciate your support - too bad i couldn't do 'us' (ask nich what 'us' is LOL) proud.

all right thats all for ranting. gotta rush to sch for company lec hehe.

AD v AE

2007-09-06T22:40:00.000+08:00

long post ahead ---- be warned hahaha. but its a long post once in a very long while so do bear with me it touches me alot

just reading this case in prep for the semis.

this case involved a broken marriage due to a wife's adultery, and an appeal by a father to have access to his daughters. the district court had made an order that the husband should have no access to see his daughters at all.

before the order of the district court, and at the beginning of the custody proceedings, the daughters were very much attached to their father, and a report by the family centre was very much in favour of the father. when the mother came to realize this, she told the girls that the man was not their real father. she had undergone in-vitro fertilization with another man's semen for one of them and the other was fathered by that same man naturally.

almost instantly after that news was broken, the girls' attitude towards their father changed. the two girls now desired to live with their mother, and began to treat him as a stranger when they saw each other in court.

"however, in a moment of reflection, the elder girl expressed a willingness to see the petitioner [the husband] once a month".

---quote from judgment follows. i've chopped it up into small paras to make it readable:

"I am of the opinion that the daughters would very likely not have changed their attitude to the husband had custody been granted to him in the first place, although some damage to the relationship might still have occurred once the wife were to tell the girls that the husband was not their natural father... it might serve as a reminder that events take turns that one might not detect at a cursory glance.

I formed these views after reminding myself that in matrimonial matters, nobility, honesty, love, and all the virtues that one can imagine, are often lost to that one simple vice – selfishness. That, I believe, is the only explanation as to why a mother, like the wife in the present case, would destroy the loving relationship between the husband and the two daughters.

The decision to disclose that the husband was not their father was a questionable one because there was no pressing need for it. The natural father, whoever that may be, is not known, except to the wife.

The husband had hitherto been a good father to the daughters. He had deposed that he did not see the necessity to provide a DNA sample for testing because it did not matter to him that he might not be the girls’ natural father. He stated that he had loved them from birth and continues to do so.

The disclosure by the wife had wrecked the girls psychologically. This was the similar impression that the second FAMCARE officer formed. It was, in my view, a nasty way to get custody."

---- end quote--------

a few thoughts:

1) the importance of counting your blessings in relationships

its so sad when relationships break down, and sometimes for no real apparent reason!! did the father do anything to the girls? how could the girls so fast forget the man who loved them and brought them up???

things happen that confuse us sometimes, and these sometimes make us reconsider our relationships with people. but where is our heart and our mind? do we remember the things that these people have done for us? how can we so fast question their love for us and their commitment to us and give up on the relationship? surely sometimes we gotta give them the benefit of the doubt?

it may be tough sometimes, but i think sometimes we gotta rationalize our insecurities and remember, remember, remember.

tts why sometimes i wonder why good friends can suddenly ignore each other, and ppl who formerly went out together can suddenly hate each other so much.... isn't there the component of memory? Mayb the other person has hurt u deep, but surely that cannot negate the fact that there was a time when there were good memories! why do ppl feel more comfortable around people they barely know than ppl they've known for yrs but stopped talking to each other because of some minor squabble?

but is this y God's love is so marvellous? its precisely because its so difficult to love, then feel betrayed, then love again..... but thats exactly wat God did for us!!! reminds me of the father of the prodigal son......

2) the law is not blind

sometimes, in the midst of reading these 100+ page cases, its easy to forget that the judges who wrote them are human, or that the lawyers behind the ingenious arguments are human. we do have hearts, and we need to feel them once in awhile for the case before us! its amazing to read justice choo's reflection in this judgment.....

-- and just in case some of you are wondering, none of these posts are targetted at anyone, its just reflections that i've been having.... of course they may have transpired coz of things going on in my life but its not intended to be about anybody. honestly!! --

God help me......