This was one of the headlines on CNA news today.
Aside from questioning the validity of the news, a more obvious question to ask is: what has the picture got to do with the news?!! Why do you think they have chosen this picture, which is totally irrelevant to the content of the report? This is the kind of picture that I imagine seeing during an induction course to London life, or in a journal of a rural tourist who may find such a busy street scene an obscure sight, but to place it together with a report on an alleged Al-Qaeda terrorist ploy..?!
Mainstream news is always making use of visuals to mislead and stir up emotions in people to serve an intended purpose.
27.9.10
Colour of loneliness
When the sky loses its blue
and beauty loses its refined taste
When facts cease to be true
and education goes to waste
When the canopy loses its green
and flowers wither from their bloom
When a child reaches thirteen
innocence gives way to pubescent gloom
When red fades from the lips
and the warm glow leaves the eyes
From the mouth, honesty slips
and promises turn into lies
When the sun loses its orange tint
and dullness fills the day
When the stars shine with a mere glint
sailors cannot find their way
When the bones lose their ivory white
and are reduced to dust and ashes
When helpless tears fill the night
and hopes for comfort dashes
When the Lord withdraws His hand
all the senses become bland -
That is the breath of sorrow
the depth of despair
the shade of numbness
and the colour of loneliness.
and beauty loses its refined taste
When facts cease to be true
and education goes to waste
When the canopy loses its green
and flowers wither from their bloom
When a child reaches thirteen
innocence gives way to pubescent gloom
When red fades from the lips
and the warm glow leaves the eyes
From the mouth, honesty slips
and promises turn into lies
When the sun loses its orange tint
and dullness fills the day
When the stars shine with a mere glint
sailors cannot find their way
When the bones lose their ivory white
and are reduced to dust and ashes
When helpless tears fill the night
and hopes for comfort dashes
When the Lord withdraws His hand
all the senses become bland -
That is the breath of sorrow
the depth of despair
the shade of numbness
and the colour of loneliness.
25.9.10
Letter No. 8
Taken from The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis, which is essentially a compilation of letters from Screwtape, a seasoned old devil addressed to Wormwood, a novice to guide him in his pursuit to lead a young man unto the road to damnation:
" My dear Wormwood,
So you "have great hopes that the patient's religious phase is dying away", have you? I always thought the Training College had gone to pieces since they put old Slubglob at the head of it, and now I am sure. Has no one ever told you about the law of undulation?
Humans are amphibians - half spirit and half animal. (The Enemy's determination to produce such a revolting hybrid was one of the things that determined Our Father to withdraw his support from Him.) As spirits they belong to the eternal world, but as animals they inhabit time. This means that while their spirit can be directed to an eternal object, their bodies, passions and imaginations are in continual change, for to be in time means to change. Their nearest approach to constancy, therefore, is undulation - the repeated return to a level from which they repeated fall back, a series of troughs and peaks. If you had watched your patient carefully, you would have seen this undulation in every department of his life - his interest in his work, his affection for his friends, his physical appetites, all go up and down. As long as he lives on earth, periods of emotional and bodily richness and liveliness will alternate with periods of numbness and poverty. The dryness and dullness through which your patient is now going are not, as you fondly suppose, your workmanship; they are merely a natural phenomenon which will do us no good unless you make good use of it.
To decide what the best use of it is, you must ask what use the Enemy wants to make of it, and then do the opposite. Now it may surprise you to learn that in His efforts to get permanent possession of a soul, He relies on the troughs even more than the peaks; some of His special favourites have gone through longer and deeper troughs than anyone else. The reason is this. To us a human is primarily food; our aim is the absorption of its will into ours, the increase of our own area of selfhood at its expense. But the obedience which the Enemy demands of men is quite a different thing. One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth. He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathesome little replicas of Himself - creatures whose life, on its miniature scale , will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conforms to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself; the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct.
And that is where the troughs come in. You must have often wondered why the Enemy does not make more use of His power to be sensibly present to human souls in any degree He chooses and at any moment. But you now see that the Irresistible and the Indisputable are the two weapons which the very nature of His scheme forbids Him to use. Merely to override a human will (as His felt presence in any but the faintest and most mitigated degree would certainly do) would be for Him useless. He cannot ravish. He can only woo. For His ignoble idea is to eat the cake and have it; the creatures are to be one with Him, but yet themselves; merely to cancel them, or assimilate them will not serve. He is prepared to do a little overriding at the beginning. He will set them off with communication of His presence which, though faint, seem great to them, with emotional sweetness, and easy conquest over temptation. But He never allows this state of affairs to last longer. Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs - to carry out the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best. We can drag our patients along by continual tempting, because we design them only for the table, and the more their will is interfered with the better. He cannot "tempt" to virtue as we do to vice. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there, He is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.
But of cos, the troughs afford opportunities to our side also. Next week I will give you some hints on how to exploit them,
You affectionate uncle,
Screwtape."
A very timely read, that I couldn't stop smiling to myself in disbelief when I was at the library alone.
23.9.10
The cold from inside
The time of the appointment was 4pm and the face of her watch read 4.03pm.
It was a gloomy afternoon. The road was wet and dirty, with puddles of rainwater collected in potholes and fallen leaves strewn along the pavements. School had just ended for some, as teenage girls clad in blue pinafores and white blouses emerged from the schoolgates, running towards the coffeeshop to make their way to the bus stop. Excitable young children from a nearby nursery had assembled at the void deck. Their teachers were struggling to speak amidst the screeching of the children, the splattering of the rain and the bustle of noise, as they tried to organise the little ones into groups for a play activity.
Up above in the skies, dark clouds gathered to prepare for another round of heavy showers. They were eager to pour out their wrath, declaring their war with roars of thunder and threatening to hurl bolts of lightning onto the earth. Moments later, rain started to descend from the sky. What began as a light drizzle, gradually transformed to larger raindrops, and eventually to a heavy downpour.
An elderly lady sat at the void deck, resting her worn out legs which barely survived a recent fall. She had to undergo a risky operation and weeks of rehabilitation before she was able to walk again with a walking aid. Now that a few months had passed, she was due to see the doctor again. This elderly lady was slightly grumpy, slightly naggy, slightly stubborn, slightly distrustful. But despite her idiosyncracies, she was also kind, appreciative, independent, strong and likeable in her own ways. The wrinkles on her face were evidence of her humble experiences and decades of hardship, her eyes a reflection of her worries and regrets from the yesteryears.
A stranger was standing on the street. Armed with a tote bag on her shoulder, a shoebag in her arms and an umbrella in her hands, she was desperate to get a taxi. Her attempts to call a cab were futile, as she was continuously placed on hold and made to listen to incessant repetitions from an automated answering machine. Taxis after taxis drove past, but all of them refused to pick her up. They gave her reasons like "Need to change shift", "Need to pump petrol", "Need to go to XYZ", when her destination was less than ten minutes away, and petrol kiosks could be found within the next two to three hundred metres.
When an old white cab finally stopped in front of her, she was under the impression that help had arrived. She then made a request for the taxi driver to reverse his vehicle approximately 10 metres to pick up another person who has difficulty walking. Before she could finish her sentence, he shook his head, made the remark "No, no, too troublesome", wind up his window and drove away.
The stranger was dumbfounded. Now, she was not only desperate, but dejected, demoralised and in complete disbelief. Left with little choice, she reluctantly made her way out onto the main road. After a few more rejections, a blue cab finally picked her up at 4.30pm, its driver an aged man with a stoic face. The moment she got onto the cab, she found herself uncontrollably overwhelmed with sorrow. She could not believe how difficult this simple task had become, and the length of time it took. She was frozen stiff not from the chill of the rain, but from the coldness she felt from people's hearts. As the cab cruised through two right turns and a few blocks down the road, she wept and wept.
Then the cab stopped in front of the void deck. The elderly lady had already stood up with an anxious and impatient look on her face. The stranger took a quick glance at the mirror, and hurriedly cleaned off any evidence of despondency. She got out of the cab, opened the umbrella, and waved at the elderly lady with a smile.
It was a gloomy afternoon. The road was wet and dirty, with puddles of rainwater collected in potholes and fallen leaves strewn along the pavements. School had just ended for some, as teenage girls clad in blue pinafores and white blouses emerged from the schoolgates, running towards the coffeeshop to make their way to the bus stop. Excitable young children from a nearby nursery had assembled at the void deck. Their teachers were struggling to speak amidst the screeching of the children, the splattering of the rain and the bustle of noise, as they tried to organise the little ones into groups for a play activity.
Up above in the skies, dark clouds gathered to prepare for another round of heavy showers. They were eager to pour out their wrath, declaring their war with roars of thunder and threatening to hurl bolts of lightning onto the earth. Moments later, rain started to descend from the sky. What began as a light drizzle, gradually transformed to larger raindrops, and eventually to a heavy downpour.
An elderly lady sat at the void deck, resting her worn out legs which barely survived a recent fall. She had to undergo a risky operation and weeks of rehabilitation before she was able to walk again with a walking aid. Now that a few months had passed, she was due to see the doctor again. This elderly lady was slightly grumpy, slightly naggy, slightly stubborn, slightly distrustful. But despite her idiosyncracies, she was also kind, appreciative, independent, strong and likeable in her own ways. The wrinkles on her face were evidence of her humble experiences and decades of hardship, her eyes a reflection of her worries and regrets from the yesteryears.
A stranger was standing on the street. Armed with a tote bag on her shoulder, a shoebag in her arms and an umbrella in her hands, she was desperate to get a taxi. Her attempts to call a cab were futile, as she was continuously placed on hold and made to listen to incessant repetitions from an automated answering machine. Taxis after taxis drove past, but all of them refused to pick her up. They gave her reasons like "Need to change shift", "Need to pump petrol", "Need to go to XYZ", when her destination was less than ten minutes away, and petrol kiosks could be found within the next two to three hundred metres.
When an old white cab finally stopped in front of her, she was under the impression that help had arrived. She then made a request for the taxi driver to reverse his vehicle approximately 10 metres to pick up another person who has difficulty walking. Before she could finish her sentence, he shook his head, made the remark "No, no, too troublesome", wind up his window and drove away.
The stranger was dumbfounded. Now, she was not only desperate, but dejected, demoralised and in complete disbelief. Left with little choice, she reluctantly made her way out onto the main road. After a few more rejections, a blue cab finally picked her up at 4.30pm, its driver an aged man with a stoic face. The moment she got onto the cab, she found herself uncontrollably overwhelmed with sorrow. She could not believe how difficult this simple task had become, and the length of time it took. She was frozen stiff not from the chill of the rain, but from the coldness she felt from people's hearts. As the cab cruised through two right turns and a few blocks down the road, she wept and wept.
Then the cab stopped in front of the void deck. The elderly lady had already stood up with an anxious and impatient look on her face. The stranger took a quick glance at the mirror, and hurriedly cleaned off any evidence of despondency. She got out of the cab, opened the umbrella, and waved at the elderly lady with a smile.
Lending = Helping?
The first thing I read this morning
was this piece of news on BBC
"An affordable not-for-profit lending scheme"
for the benefit of the low income family
So how does it benefit the poor?
By giving a wider "choice of loan providers"
By diverting borrowing from loan sharks
Are they not wiping out their competitors?
They call the scheme affordable
and at 49.9% annual rate they charge
It is higher than the maximum by law
So where is the police and the judge?
When people cannot pay loan sharks
They pour some paint and smear your name
When people cannot pay legitimate lenders
They take away your house and all your game
Maybe I misunderstood the news
maybe I don't get the full picture
But its intentions I find incredulous
enough for me to give it some exposure
*for more information, read this
was this piece of news on BBC
"An affordable not-for-profit lending scheme"
for the benefit of the low income family
So how does it benefit the poor?
By giving a wider "choice of loan providers"
By diverting borrowing from loan sharks
Are they not wiping out their competitors?
They call the scheme affordable
and at 49.9% annual rate they charge
It is higher than the maximum by law
So where is the police and the judge?
When people cannot pay loan sharks
They pour some paint and smear your name
When people cannot pay legitimate lenders
They take away your house and all your game
Maybe I misunderstood the news
maybe I don't get the full picture
But its intentions I find incredulous
enough for me to give it some exposure
*for more information, read this
22.9.10
Things that bewilder me
Many things in present times bewilder me,
for my brain is puny but my mind is nosy
My education has offered no solutions,
so maybe you can answer my questions:
How can land be considered expensive
when it can be acquired by force at low valuation?
How can land be deemed as scarce
when it can be expanded by upward construction?
When land was forcibly taken away from the people
public funds were used for compensation
so where did public funds come from?
Didn't it come from people's pockets through taxation?
What protection has the war on terrorism provided
when 'terror' has always existed and will continue to?
What has the ubiquity of surveillance achieved,
has security and safety really ensued?
Do you have the answers, can you share with me?
So that confused and bewildered I shall no longer be.
for my brain is puny but my mind is nosy
My education has offered no solutions,
so maybe you can answer my questions:
How can land be considered expensive
when it can be acquired by force at low valuation?
How can land be deemed as scarce
when it can be expanded by upward construction?
When land was forcibly taken away from the people
public funds were used for compensation
so where did public funds come from?
Didn't it come from people's pockets through taxation?
How can housing be considered affordable
when people slog for decades to pay instalments?
Is home ownership promoted for a good purpose
and not as a tool of enslavement?
How does war benefit the average Joe
when he has to risk his life in sweat and gore
and his family directly or indirectly finance
the astronomical debt incurred from the war?
And to whom does a country owe its debt to?
when he has to risk his life in sweat and gore
and his family directly or indirectly finance
the astronomical debt incurred from the war?
And to whom does a country owe its debt to?
To where does the money flow?
Can a country to be out of a recession,
when unemployment is high and GDP growth is low?
What protection has the war on terrorism provided
when 'terror' has always existed and will continue to?
What has the ubiquity of surveillance achieved,
has security and safety really ensued?
But none of these bewilders me more
than the apathy in Singapore
So that confused and bewildered I shall no longer be.
21.9.10
The tale of a farmer
Once upon a time, there was a farmer who owned a small plot of land. As the land size was insufficient for him to grow everything he needed for self-subsistence, he decided to focus on one crop and use the profit from that particular crop to purchase what he needed from his neighbours.
Although he did not declare it to his family or his neighbours, the farmer made a handsome windfall every summer at harvest time. So out of the revenue he collected, he spent 40% on his family, feeding his wife, and his children. The farmer had a compassionate streak in him, so he always left aside 11% of his revenue to feed the cows, goats, chicken, cats, dogs or any stray animals that set foot on his land. Being an avid supporter of chaptek, he would allocate 12% of his money on the sport, not just to stay healthy but to promote interaction and bonding with his neighbours.
Despite his wealth, the farmer was getting old on age. He had only one son, whom he deemed as neither strong nor bright. He tried to impart his skills of cultivation to the son, but the son's efforts did not seem to please him. Afraid that his land would eventually become fallow in the hands of the son, he decided to jump on the bandwagon and turn to hiring labour. He started putting up notices to attract aspiring young men to work on his farm. However, the most eligible ones were also the most ambitious ones, and the size of the farmer's land was just too small to satisfy their appetite.
Then the farmer came out with a brilliant idea: perhaps I need to re-brand my land so that it becomes an attractive place to live, work and play. Perhaps I need to re-position my farm as one of the most happening farm to work in. So he decided to hold a two-week long party, showcasing his humble abode and the hospitality of his family. He spent almost 20% of the money from his annual harvest to hold the party. He built new huts to accommodate the guests, refurnished his house, earmarked certain parts of his home for guests only, and got his children to put up performances to keep the guests entertained.
So the party arrived, the excitment lingered for two weeks, and the congregation of young men from faraway provinces dispersed as quickly as it assembled.
The farmer waited for a month, but still, there were no suitable applicants. The party just didn't reduce the appetite of hungry young men. Because all they wanted to do was to have a good time and leave when the party is over. Nonetheless, the farmer is a very positive man, always exploring new solutions. So he thinks to himself again, how about holding a horse racing competition? I can even do it at night! perhaps this would really add to the excitment and vibrancy of my farm...
and so the story continues.
Although he did not declare it to his family or his neighbours, the farmer made a handsome windfall every summer at harvest time. So out of the revenue he collected, he spent 40% on his family, feeding his wife, and his children. The farmer had a compassionate streak in him, so he always left aside 11% of his revenue to feed the cows, goats, chicken, cats, dogs or any stray animals that set foot on his land. Being an avid supporter of chaptek, he would allocate 12% of his money on the sport, not just to stay healthy but to promote interaction and bonding with his neighbours.
Despite his wealth, the farmer was getting old on age. He had only one son, whom he deemed as neither strong nor bright. He tried to impart his skills of cultivation to the son, but the son's efforts did not seem to please him. Afraid that his land would eventually become fallow in the hands of the son, he decided to jump on the bandwagon and turn to hiring labour. He started putting up notices to attract aspiring young men to work on his farm. However, the most eligible ones were also the most ambitious ones, and the size of the farmer's land was just too small to satisfy their appetite.
Then the farmer came out with a brilliant idea: perhaps I need to re-brand my land so that it becomes an attractive place to live, work and play. Perhaps I need to re-position my farm as one of the most happening farm to work in. So he decided to hold a two-week long party, showcasing his humble abode and the hospitality of his family. He spent almost 20% of the money from his annual harvest to hold the party. He built new huts to accommodate the guests, refurnished his house, earmarked certain parts of his home for guests only, and got his children to put up performances to keep the guests entertained.
So the party arrived, the excitment lingered for two weeks, and the congregation of young men from faraway provinces dispersed as quickly as it assembled.
The farmer waited for a month, but still, there were no suitable applicants. The party just didn't reduce the appetite of hungry young men. Because all they wanted to do was to have a good time and leave when the party is over. Nonetheless, the farmer is a very positive man, always exploring new solutions. So he thinks to himself again, how about holding a horse racing competition? I can even do it at night! perhaps this would really add to the excitment and vibrancy of my farm...
and so the story continues.
16.9.10
The pleasures of prose
If poetry is an elegant waltz across the ballroom, prose is like a freestyle dance that excites.
Free time is hard to come by. Despite all the changes I have been through for the past two months, the one thing that has not changed is my delight in solitude and silence. I once wrote that "if my heart were a square, my need for personal space is a tight circle that stretches from edge to edge of the square, leaving only the little corners for my closest groups of friends and nobody else". That has not changed very much, except now He resides in the circle with me, which has made me overcome my reluctance to walk out of the circle to people I like and those whom I used to dislike.
Despite the changes, an ideal rest for me, is still to sit down to a warm cup of caramel latte and a good read, in a quaint cafe away from the intrusion of friends and acquaintances. By alternating my eyes between the words on the pages, and the passer-bys on the streets, the impact is therapeutic and the effect calming. There is no need to submit to the pressure of time, because time naturally slows down to a crawl, with the stillness of the sun and the laze of the afternoon. How I love to stare into space in a midday reverie, lost in a galaxy of thoughts where hypotheses are formulated and my imagination is the only limiting factor. And not to forget the important role of music, a soft number that pleases the ears and sets the mood for some quiet reflection.
Ah, if only I can get away from life, the persistent trail of trials and tests, the inexorable cycle of events -
And the afternoon rest must always end with an honest expression of my heart. I write not particularly for an audience, but primarily for the pleasures and relief that it injects into my veins like morphine to my soul. This is what keeps me sane. This is the human indulgence that still brings me joy. And this is the one thing I pray the Lord would allow me to keep.
Free time is hard to come by. Despite all the changes I have been through for the past two months, the one thing that has not changed is my delight in solitude and silence. I once wrote that "if my heart were a square, my need for personal space is a tight circle that stretches from edge to edge of the square, leaving only the little corners for my closest groups of friends and nobody else". That has not changed very much, except now He resides in the circle with me, which has made me overcome my reluctance to walk out of the circle to people I like and those whom I used to dislike.
Despite the changes, an ideal rest for me, is still to sit down to a warm cup of caramel latte and a good read, in a quaint cafe away from the intrusion of friends and acquaintances. By alternating my eyes between the words on the pages, and the passer-bys on the streets, the impact is therapeutic and the effect calming. There is no need to submit to the pressure of time, because time naturally slows down to a crawl, with the stillness of the sun and the laze of the afternoon. How I love to stare into space in a midday reverie, lost in a galaxy of thoughts where hypotheses are formulated and my imagination is the only limiting factor. And not to forget the important role of music, a soft number that pleases the ears and sets the mood for some quiet reflection.
Ah, if only I can get away from life, the persistent trail of trials and tests, the inexorable cycle of events -
And the afternoon rest must always end with an honest expression of my heart. I write not particularly for an audience, but primarily for the pleasures and relief that it injects into my veins like morphine to my soul. This is what keeps me sane. This is the human indulgence that still brings me joy. And this is the one thing I pray the Lord would allow me to keep.
14.9.10
The rejection of competition
Competition is repugnant,
Its intentions are malignant
It promotes selfishness,
It can result in deeds that are heinous
It is withholding what one has from others
And loving oneself more than his neighbours
In its premises evil ploys sprout
And to the prideful and greedy it touts
It encompasses the desire to advance one’s self
At the expense of somebody else
But how can one man’s strength be greater than two?
What harm can sharing possibly do?
Is it so bad to be one step behind?
Or have an equal portion to each we assign?
Haven’t you heard this saying in the past,
That the last will be first, and the first last?
So why can’t we promote harmony
Why must we fight over fame and money?
For everything we win we can also lose
When we die, they will be of no use
So cooperation seems the better option,
To love in truth and in action.
Its intentions are malignant
It promotes selfishness,
It can result in deeds that are heinous
It is withholding what one has from others
And loving oneself more than his neighbours
In its premises evil ploys sprout
And to the prideful and greedy it touts
It encompasses the desire to advance one’s self
At the expense of somebody else
But how can one man’s strength be greater than two?
What harm can sharing possibly do?
Is it so bad to be one step behind?
Or have an equal portion to each we assign?
Haven’t you heard this saying in the past,
That the last will be first, and the first last?
So why can’t we promote harmony
Why must we fight over fame and money?
For everything we win we can also lose
When we die, they will be of no use
So cooperation seems the better option,
To love in truth and in action.
13.9.10
Joseph and the Famine
Taken from Genesis 47: 13- 27:
I wonder if anyone shares the same sentiments as me after reading this.
There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh's palace. When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up."
"Then bring your livestock," said Joseph. "I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone." So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.
When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate."
So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh's, and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, [c] from one end of Egypt
to the other. However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children."
"You have saved our lives," they said. "May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh."
So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh's.
Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.
I wonder if anyone shares the same sentiments as me after reading this.
12.9.10
Chasing after the wind
Precious is wisdom,
worthless is ignorance and folly.
His ways are a treasure for us to seek,
deviance will only lead to despair.
To love the world is to be blind,
to seek after its pleasures is foolish.
For what comes from the world will remain in the world,
so running after them is chasing the wind.
My days of youth was spent in darkness,
I believed that happiness could be synthesised,
I went on many empty searches,
my walk was aimless, my life meaningless.
I got involved in many projects,
events after events, committees after committees.
But even the fondest moments have been reduced,
to distant memories on monochrome photographs.
Friends were abundant, acquaintances aplenty,
we drank and laughed and worked and played.
But happiness was still as elusive,
my purpose in life non-conclusive.
When my path was filled with obstacles,
within myself was where I stored my troubles,
and in a blade I sought false comforts,
with unpleasant marks, my worries doubled.
Often when I was in a foreign land,
I asked for His hands to deliver me,
but as quickly as He overturned the odds,
just as swiftly I forgot.
And I continued to indulge,
in things that were pleasurable to me,
But ecstasy is short-lived,
it disappears as quickly as it comes.
I know I have been privileged,
I was given many opportunities,
what I thought I needed, I did not lack,
what I had wanted, I was often granted.
But to place my hopes in these alone,
was catching shadows;
and my blinded search for happiness,
was a chase after the wind.
So where do I go from here?
what do I seek from now?
how should I live my life?
are answers to be found.
The pleasures of the world I can no longer delight,
and the path of evil I can no longer choose,
By seeking His ways and doing what is right,
can I experience the joy that cannot be reduced.
worthless is ignorance and folly.
His ways are a treasure for us to seek,
deviance will only lead to despair.
To love the world is to be blind,
to seek after its pleasures is foolish.
For what comes from the world will remain in the world,
so running after them is chasing the wind.
My days of youth was spent in darkness,
I believed that happiness could be synthesised,
I went on many empty searches,
my walk was aimless, my life meaningless.
I got involved in many projects,
events after events, committees after committees.
But even the fondest moments have been reduced,
to distant memories on monochrome photographs.
Friends were abundant, acquaintances aplenty,
we drank and laughed and worked and played.
But happiness was still as elusive,
my purpose in life non-conclusive.
When my path was filled with obstacles,
within myself was where I stored my troubles,
and in a blade I sought false comforts,
with unpleasant marks, my worries doubled.
Often when I was in a foreign land,
I asked for His hands to deliver me,
but as quickly as He overturned the odds,
just as swiftly I forgot.
And I continued to indulge,
in things that were pleasurable to me,
But ecstasy is short-lived,
it disappears as quickly as it comes.
I know I have been privileged,
I was given many opportunities,
what I thought I needed, I did not lack,
what I had wanted, I was often granted.
But to place my hopes in these alone,
was catching shadows;
and my blinded search for happiness,
was a chase after the wind.
So where do I go from here?
what do I seek from now?
how should I live my life?
are answers to be found.
The pleasures of the world I can no longer delight,
and the path of evil I can no longer choose,
By seeking His ways and doing what is right,
can I experience the joy that cannot be reduced.
10.9.10
To my bestie (:
I know the date is close and the anniversary is near,
we want to remember those we've lost but still hold dear,
whether it's been a day, a month or a year,
the misses are real, the longing nothing but mere.
But in our reminiscence we must not forget,
to hold on to the loved ones we have not lost yet,
and the many more good people that we haven't met,
who are our current and future assets.
For it is them who are with us to hold our hands,
they keep us in check like our endocrine glands,
they color our lives, so it shall not be bland,
and when we fall down, they will help us to stand.
When one's life stops, the others' doesn't end,
so some of your pain I can comprehend.
But please hang on, my dearest friend,
To pass your exams and move forward is what you can!
(:
we want to remember those we've lost but still hold dear,
whether it's been a day, a month or a year,
the misses are real, the longing nothing but mere.
But in our reminiscence we must not forget,
to hold on to the loved ones we have not lost yet,
and the many more good people that we haven't met,
who are our current and future assets.
For it is them who are with us to hold our hands,
they keep us in check like our endocrine glands,
they color our lives, so it shall not be bland,
and when we fall down, they will help us to stand.
When one's life stops, the others' doesn't end,
so some of your pain I can comprehend.
But please hang on, my dearest friend,
To pass your exams and move forward is what you can!
(:
9.9.10
The suicide of pride
Before I can be humble
I must see arrogrance as an obstacle
I must let my pride crumble
And destroy all personal fables
Looking stupid is inevitable
And the hurt may be unbearable
But self indulgence is not permissible
So introspection have to follow after
First I must stop living in the bubble
Step outside the ignorant circle
Realise that looking good is not important
And self idolatry shall not be my penchant
Make my personal boundaries permeable
So that entry to my heart is possible
When criticised I shall not grumble
But to look to them as advice not trouble
Only after I have truly fumbled
Have my pride washed and tumbled
Remove myself from the throne of my heart
Realise that I am anything but smart
For I am nothing but a breath to Him
So live with humility shall be my maxim
I am made from dust and dust I will return
So looking great is no longer my concern
I must see arrogrance as an obstacle
I must let my pride crumble
And destroy all personal fables
Looking stupid is inevitable
And the hurt may be unbearable
But self indulgence is not permissible
So introspection have to follow after
First I must stop living in the bubble
Step outside the ignorant circle
Realise that looking good is not important
And self idolatry shall not be my penchant
Make my personal boundaries permeable
So that entry to my heart is possible
When criticised I shall not grumble
But to look to them as advice not trouble
Only after I have truly fumbled
Have my pride washed and tumbled
Remove myself from the throne of my heart
Realise that I am anything but smart
For I am nothing but a breath to Him
So live with humility shall be my maxim
I am made from dust and dust I will return
So looking great is no longer my concern
Stupid invention
Can you believe it?! The hardest thing to do on my newly acquired phone is to make a call.
7.9.10
Agenda, of a believer
I don’t know you,
I don’t know how you look like,
How you dress, and how you talk.
Where you live and what you do.
If I say,
“When you are genuinely in need, I will help you”
Will you believe me? Will you doubt me?
Will you think I have an agenda to fulfill?
If I tell you,
“I have no agenda, and I need nothing in return”
Will you think to yourself,
“She must have done something wrong and wants to atone for her sins”?
Why do you think that way?
Because everyone is selfish, you may say.
But why should we all be selfish?
Because our culture has taught us such gibberish.
Then I finally admit,
“I actually do have an agenda …”
And you immediately shout “I knew it!”
Before I open my mouth to utter
The word “agenda” has acquired
A negative connotation in our society.
Agenda must be selfish, agenda must be evil
Agenda must be something to advance the entity
But seize the thought and hold your tongue,
Look before you decide,
And listen before you judge.
Only after looking and listening, can you take sides.
I have an agenda, just not a selfish one.
My agenda is to love my neighbours including strangers,
My agenda is to do what’s right and not what’s fun,
And my agenda is to ask you to do the same for others.
Before you jump to the conclusion,
I’ll tell you I’m nowhere near perfection.
I have moments of greed, I have selfish thoughts.
I try not to act upon them, because I cannot.
We are not perfect, we are not saints,
So controlling ourselves is all we can
Resist being selfish, resist our greed
And love and righteousness shall be our creed.
I don’t know how you look like,
How you dress, and how you talk.
Where you live and what you do.
If I say,
“When you are genuinely in need, I will help you”
Will you believe me? Will you doubt me?
Will you think I have an agenda to fulfill?
If I tell you,
“I have no agenda, and I need nothing in return”
Will you think to yourself,
“She must have done something wrong and wants to atone for her sins”?
Why do you think that way?
Because everyone is selfish, you may say.
But why should we all be selfish?
Because our culture has taught us such gibberish.
Then I finally admit,
“I actually do have an agenda …”
And you immediately shout “I knew it!”
Before I open my mouth to utter
The word “agenda” has acquired
A negative connotation in our society.
Agenda must be selfish, agenda must be evil
Agenda must be something to advance the entity
But seize the thought and hold your tongue,
Look before you decide,
And listen before you judge.
Only after looking and listening, can you take sides.
I have an agenda, just not a selfish one.
My agenda is to love my neighbours including strangers,
My agenda is to do what’s right and not what’s fun,
And my agenda is to ask you to do the same for others.
Before you jump to the conclusion,
I’ll tell you I’m nowhere near perfection.
I have moments of greed, I have selfish thoughts.
I try not to act upon them, because I cannot.
We are not perfect, we are not saints,
So controlling ourselves is all we can
Resist being selfish, resist our greed
And love and righteousness shall be our creed.
4.9.10
The true meaning of christmas
Everyone loves christmas, don't they?
For churches and church-going christians, christmas is a major festival of celebration. For non-christians, they may also celebrate it simply because it is a holiday, a time for excessive shopping and indulgence. For those who prefer to keep their year-end bonuses in their pockets, they may see christmas as merely a fuel for consumerism, and the christmas lights, and trees and sales as gimmicks to promote that atmosphere for consumerism.
So what exactly does christmas celebrate? Yes, I imagine you replying in your mind that it celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Are you sure? How do you know if Jesus was born on the 25th December? Well, if there is no clear evidence, then why do people still celebrate it? In fact, when did people first start celebrating christmas? How or why did they pick 25th December?
To the curious believer, be prepared that what you read may send shudders down your spine. Then you can choose to continue living in the lie, or you can choose to start questioning what you thought you've always known.
Love and peace.
For churches and church-going christians, christmas is a major festival of celebration. For non-christians, they may also celebrate it simply because it is a holiday, a time for excessive shopping and indulgence. For those who prefer to keep their year-end bonuses in their pockets, they may see christmas as merely a fuel for consumerism, and the christmas lights, and trees and sales as gimmicks to promote that atmosphere for consumerism.
So what exactly does christmas celebrate? Yes, I imagine you replying in your mind that it celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Are you sure? How do you know if Jesus was born on the 25th December? Well, if there is no clear evidence, then why do people still celebrate it? In fact, when did people first start celebrating christmas? How or why did they pick 25th December?
To the curious believer, be prepared that what you read may send shudders down your spine. Then you can choose to continue living in the lie, or you can choose to start questioning what you thought you've always known.
Love and peace.
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