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Monthly Archives: March 2009
Why do people get married?
Have you asked that question before? The answers I’ve heard ranged from “for the sake of the little ones that will arrive“, to “the elders in church wouldn’t approve of us living in sin“, to “i’ve found the one” (aww.. so sweet that one, isn’t it), and “he/she/our parents wants us to leh” (not so cool this one)
While watching “Shall We Dance” (which was a very nice feel good movie and I am 5 years late watching it), that question was raised.
We need a witness to our lives. There’s a billion people on the planet… I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you’re promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things… all of it, all of the time, every day. You’re saying ‘Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness’.”
I like.
rainbow spotting
When I was young, I loved the idea of magical kingdoms filled with elves, dwarves, fairies, mystical places and all the stuff that makes up fairytales. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow included.
Now, I think most fairytales should be edited so kids don’t grow up mentally handicapped with unrealistic ideals and expectations. Like seeking things that aren’t there, or expecting happily ever afters as a natural phenomenon.
Ok, this gripe should be saved for an entirely different day because it’s not really about the rainbow.
People love rainbows for different reasons. Some regard rainbows as a symbol of God’s promise, that he will never again flood the lands (from the story of Noah) – it’s a symbol of new beginnings. Some accord spotting rainbows the same good luck as spotting shooting stars. Some people, like me, like rainbows simply because they’re oh so pretty.
Thank you God for painting pretty pictures in the sky. These daily visions of beauty to You are tied.
Earth Day!
The good folks at National Geographic Channel were in Singapore yesterday and today, filming clips to share the green message leading up to Earth Day which is on the 22nd April 09. Irene Ang, Angela May, Nadya Hutagalung, Allan Wu and myself are just a few of the personalities they’ve recorded so watch out for us on the National Geographic Channel ok?
Yep – that’s us in town! From left is Alan, Craig, me, Yaw and Josh.
That aside, the green message essentially is, every little bit helps – what are you doing?
Y’know, we all (should) know that the way to go is to reduce, reuse and recyle. The thing is, most people Know how to go green. It’s just that more often than not, laziness and forgetfulness gets in the way of good intentions. Let’s not even get into how difficult it is to sustain the effort on a daily basis.
In my honest opinion, the most effective way to going green, is nagging. Yes. Nagging. My mom is living testimony that it’s a habit that is sustainable, and I must say it has worked most of my life – “Turn off the lights! Turn off the switch! Don’t waste this! We can reuse that!” (Mommy, you know I love you still 
)
So don’t be disheartened if you haven’t gotten on the green wagon. You can start today by nagging the others in your family and circle of friends to reduce, reuse and recycle. For green tips, you can visit The Daily Green, Green Living Tips, and there’s even help for you to green your sex life.
Lady Gaga
It’s really hard to keep track of new musicians cos they come out in droves. They put their music on networking sites like myspace/facebook, on youtube, and basically anywhere so that they get heard. The very lucky (or good looking) gets signed with a record label, and even then, when you line them all up on MTV or Channel [V], it’s hard to distinguish one glittery dressed up package from another. It’s hard to remember who is or has been or know who’s talented or not for all the pop star manufacturing based more on looks than talents.
Why the rant? Cos I saw a recording of an artist that really impressed me and wondered why I never noticed her before. The below is not it. This is the original version of the song. The glittery package on a music channel that is to me, really forgettable.
This is the version that impressed me. Music that is all about the music, sans gimmicks that distracts and detracts from the music.
FireProof
This dvd landed in our hands with high recommendations from my sister. So a few nights ago, we dutifully sat in front of the tv and popped it in the player.
The beginning was a tad shaky but it quickly got better as the plot unfolded. We laughed some, learnt some and teared some at the end of it. We started holding hands too from halfway through – all together now, “awwww…” – it is that sort of a movie. Simple, moving, funny, genuinely heartfelt and you walk away from it with a lesson for life.
Throughout it, I consciously asked myself if I would enjoy this movie as much if I wasn’t a christian, if I would be ‘turned off’ by the references to scripture. I have to say that although the message of Christ was obvious, it didn’t come across as unbelievable or ‘crazy’. All credit of course, to its creators, brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick (who are ministers at the Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia) who made this film on a budget, with most of the cast and crew made up from members of their congregation. It opened at #4 and is a multi million dollar box office hit!
I’m passing the dvd on
The Wronged Rum and Raisin Cake
Carribean Rum & Raisin Cake
Ping Pong
Dan and I went for a game of ping pong yesterday. That doesn’t sound as cool as if we had gone wakeboarding. Or roller blading. Or even for a walk.
So I decided to google the words “ping pong cool” just to see what would come up.
This :
As much as I wish I could play like that so that I don’t get thrashed by Dan and Michelle (Chong – she plays a mean game of ping pong), I don’t normally shout about playing it. Ping pong, I’m afraid, is condemned to sound uncool just by its name – it’s funny sounding. Like something you’d amuse a baby with.
“coochie coo, choo choo, poo poo, pingping, pongpong” you get the drift.
That said, it’s all mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. Like it also shouldn’t matter that I keep losing at said game 
The moral of the story is…
I wrote this entry sometime last year and would like to share it here because a good read should be shared (i’m referring to the book mentioned in the entry) :
Sometimes when a friend goes on and on about a story with seemingly no purpose, we’d rudely interrupt with “and the moral of the story is?” – mostly inspired by silly and rude “the a**hole is the boss” sort of anecdotes.
I was reading The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias last week and this particular chapter evoked such strong emotions in me that i just had to share the ‘moral’ of that story.
The author related the story told to him by a young woman. My shorter version, is that her beautiful mother entered into an arranged marriage with her paranoid, petty and jealous father who resented her mother’s beauty. He flung acid on her face to prevent other men from luring her away and then fled from the house leaving his wife to bring up his children for the next twenty years. The kicker is this – after twenty years of abandonment, her mother heard from this man who was suffering from cancer and living alone. He wondered if she would take him back and care for him in the last stage of his illness.
*gasp* What audacity! The nerve of the man! I built myself up into a good fit of righteousness for the poor lady who’s had to suffer her entire life because of the actions of this man.
The author then continued to say that the mother who’s a devout Christian, pleaded with her children to let her take him back and care for him as he prepared to die.
My little mind thought she must have lost her marbles. Or maybe she’s still in love with the man. So maybe the moral of the story is about how true love prevails.
And then i read this paragraph(p. 88):
In this story, we see all the elements of the human fall and the power of a redeemed heart.
Morality alone would dictate that he gets what he deserves. A redeemed heart says, “Let me bind his wounds because what needs attention is his soul.”
Morality alone says, “There is nothing reasonable in the man’s request.” The redeemed heart says, “The reason by which we live is the heart of mercy that does not keep a ledger.”
Morality says, “It’s all about whether you think it’s right or not.” The redeemed heart says What would God have me do in this situation?”
Morality says, “Make your own judgements.” The redeemed heart says, “Don’t make a judgement unless you are willing to be judged by the same standard.”
In short, morality is a double-edged sword. It cuts the very one who wields it, even as it seeks to mangle the other.”
It IS about love. It is about love of the sort described in 1 Corinthians 13:4. It is about love in the redeemed heart which is patient and kind, does not brag or boast or envy or has pride. ALL of those.
So the moral of the story, is how little morality has to do with it.
That blew me away.