Does What I Think Really Matter?

HowStuffWorks

Source: www.lileks.com

I learned something about animals and dogs in particular today. If you have some time to spare, please read this: How dogs perceive time?

But then again, knowing what they have suggested, I’d still like to believe that my dog knows and remembers things. That’s cause I treat them like a friend. Yes, I hear it, I’m NAIVE!

Source: www.shortorderdogs.com

Independence?

I’d say this years’ independence day wasn’t that of a big thing really. Mind you, it’s our 51st and what were we really celebrating this year? Many have said that this year’s celebration was so mellow cause ’some people’ lost in the GE, and I had this question, Isn’t the true meaning of the celebration a declaration of Malaysia beinng independent from the British colony? So, what difference should it make who wins when what we truly celebrate is our Independence as a nation?

Source: http://hardyw3b.files.wordpress.com

The night on the eve of Merdeka, I was in the centre of Kuala Lumpur hanging out with some friends. I wasn’t really there for the celebration, just so right I was walking along the streets of Bukit Bintang early of the night and people were all ready to party, but I wasn’t interested at it at all. I asked myself this question, What is there really to celebrate about? Considering what has been happening to the country, some leaders messing up in their appointed position? Yes, I must say, that was such a NEGATIVE and depressing thought, ain’t it?

Call it a revelation or inspiration, I got some ‘feedbacks’ within seconds after. Celebrate the years of peace, years of safety that we enjoy throughout these years. Despite of all the mess that’s happening in the country, the last thing that the people in this country need is the lost of hope for a better future in this country.

That night as I was boarding the train running away from the jam-packed celebration, I asked God for this. I asked God people in this nation would truly experience true indepedence, be it the mind, the body or the spirit and last but not the least, a true independence as a nation. It doesn’t mean that our country is not independent, but true independence as a nation is truly more than what we are experiencing now.

Despite of all the rumours and big hoo-haas lately about the change of the government, I told myself that there is no one that I would trust. Sorry to all the supporters to all political icons in this country, it just dawned on me that it doesn’t matter who’s up there leading the country, all my hope will only lie in the hands of God on what can be done to a nation. It doesn’t interest me what these people promises to do, all I ask for God to do is to intervene and use his chosen people to lead the nation. Whatever that is going to happen, I pray and trust that it will only happen under God’s will. All right, enough of me about these political topics, after all, I’m not an expert in this.

Source: http://www.peninsulargold.com

Contemplation!

August’s gone and here some September. It’s almost marking a complete full year since I’ve came back from Swansea. It’s a weird feeling really. 2009 is just not too far away. We’re moving way too fast. If only I could stop time for a little while to take it all in. Nah….I wanna look better than Hiro Nakamura

I am still in the midst of a major decision. Should I? Should I not? In fact, I already have the answer. It’s just that whether or not, i should do it now? By this year?

Ahh…..it’s too scary. I’m too fearful but I should NEVER let fear hold me back. It’s going to affect people around me, and I don’t even know what’s the magnitude of it either. I’ve been thinking too much. Too many questions unanswered and yet it’s not like I really need an answer before I could do so. It’s just a promise I made and I need to fulfill it. Lord, give me courage!

That’s all from me people.

Have a blessed week ahead.

In response to this incident.

.::INCIDENT::.

Here are a few more links and responses from different reliable individuals.

NextWave Online

Mark Conner

Full-Released statement of Danny Guglielmucci –> Click here

Other reports –> Click Here

At such prime times, I cannot stress enough the importance of the right response for such incidences. As part of the body of Christ, members of church or as an individual, your tactful and wise response is crucial of how the grace and mercy of God can be portrayed and represented. Echoing to what Mal Fletcher has said, look at it as an opportunity for God’s grace to be extended, to be shine upon this generation.

My prayers goes out to the Guglielmucci and their families and so do I hope you will do the same.

Compassion will always prevail.

God Bless and have a great week ahead.

Sincerely,

Gerald Ho

Instructions: Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.

1. At what age do you wish to marry?

Before 30 I hope. But looking at my condition now, it may just be quite impossible to do so. Is that even important?

2. What is your most favourite thing to do?

Spend some quality time with people I care and I love. Sitting down, sipping a cup of really GOOD coffee (this does not include your Coffee Bean nor Starbucks, like seriously), going places where there’s not so crowded and really spend time being together.

3. If you have a close close close friend since childhood who loves to take away whatever you like, including guys/girls, and he/she always wins, will you still consider him/her your friend?

First of all, I wouldn’t have this issue at all. If I ever have such a friend, it’ll be ditched long time ago and I don’t think it’ll ever make it to my close/good friends’ list. –> I know, I’m mean.

4. What would you give up in return to eat all you want in the world and not get fat ?

Can I actually do that? Errr…No…..maybe not. How much I can eat anyway? Muahahahaha

5. If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?

At this VERY MOMENT, be the Prime Minister of Malaysia…looking at the current situation now, any decent Malaysian would hope they could do something to make things better. Sounds like some pageantry answer huh?? Ewww….cheesy!!

6. Do you believe you can survive without money?

In this world..at this very time…NO!

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?

My family…..

8. What do you feel like doing, right now?

Sleep…(pardon me, it’s just after my fulfilling lunch)

9. If you can get out of your current life circumstance, would you?

No, cause it keeps me sane.

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you.

She’s a NICE person. Very helpful too and funny in her very own ways.

11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?

Loves God more than me, Matured, be willing to serve God, pretty, sexy, seductive, fair, long hair, luscious lips and etc. The first 3 are serious stuff, the latter are just crap.

12. What is the thing that will make you think he/she is bad?]

Smokers / SKIMPY clothes –> Pardon my judgement.

13. What is your ambition?

To live a life that glorify God in all that I do. To make His name known. That’s ultimate….

14. Is anyone really perfect?

If you ever find that someone, do introduce it to me, I’ll make that person God.

15. If you had a choice to be rich or happy, which one would you pick ?

Happy….no question about it.

16. If you have a chance, which part of your character you would like to change?

My confidence and some other that is not to be mentioned here.

17. Who is the person that you can share all your problems with?

Too sensitive to be mentioned or listed here. Due to privacy reasons and identity protection scheme, their names are not to be mentioned. These people can make me start talking and sharing whatever I have in my mind as if I’ll never speak again tomorrow. They should know who they are.

18. How do you see yourself in 10 years time?

DEAD? Well, you’ll never know. Married, should be caning my child for their disobedience……… I don’t know…really.

19. What is the one thing you love about yourself?

Do I have any that I like? Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr………..couldn’t think of any really.

20. What is your dream job?

A Sleeper………………………NAH! Just kidding….

I think I’d like to be a journalist cum photographer.

Tagging:

Grace, Kevin, Michelle Thong, Winne, JCCY & Janice, Hin Loong, Elizabeth.

Thanks

The title was just something irrelevant.

Just a thought….on the celebrities’ looks.

Gone are the days of non-good looking celebrities. I was watching some awards shows with some friends the other day and all of a sudden, a friend of mine jumped in and said, “Wow, what happened to her? She look so fat there!” And another friend went further, “Gosh, yeah….She is fat. Hmmm….”

This conversation somehow spark a little thought I had with myself. My first reaction was “Gosh, what is this? Is it even a sin to be a little fat?” And to be more exact, the celebrity wasn’t even near to fat. It’s just that she put on a little weight and didn’t look like she had that killer-supermodel-body visible anymore. It’s not like I said it because the celebrity was someone I liked…but..What the heck? Can artist never be fat? Like who sets the rule here………….???

Then I thought further out of evaluating myself, I would have judged it on others as well. It’s just a matter of which celebrity I’d throw it on.

Let’s break it down here. Whenever we switch on the TV or flip through the newspapers or magazines, we’d expect ourselves to see some super fit-hot-sexy figures / models (be it guys or girls) to be everywhere. (At least that’s what is expected out of these images that they post up publicly.) Anything apart from that standard is considered ugly. Isn’t such scenario familiar?

Look, let me get my point straight. What are we really doing here?

Look, we have thousand and one protests and complains over underweight models. We have problems with people struggling with anorexia nervosa, bulimia and all kinds of eating disorders and I believe it all started from what the media have told them of how they should look like and how they should be, to be accepted and love. How sad…? But nonetheless, some of us complain. Some of us say that they shouldn’t look too skinny, instead, being just right would be good. So…there goes all these gang of celebrities trying to look their best. Trying real hard, paying up really expensive bills to stay good so their ‘fans’ would stick with them. Buy their albums / watch their movies, irregardless of how good their materials (movies / music) that they produce. Looks…….comes first.

Believe it or not….celebrities today, are all packaged goods. Just like the usual grocer that you get in Tesco or Carrefour, they come in a good package acceptable for your view. just like any goods that you want, they are packaged in ways that consumers’s liking. How they look and what they look like. It’s all in the eyes of the consumer.

So, my question today is….Can we really blame the media for what they are doing today? Look, you are the boss here. In other words, they are just your employees because you have the power to choose, which one of these are you going to invest your money upon.

The truth can be easily understood by the supply and demand theory. Wherever there’s a demand, there will always need of a supplier. Endangered species are killed because there’s a demand for their skins / horns / furs and etc. Papparazi chases after celebrities because the community are WAY TOO EAGER to know what’s happening to these celebrities’ private life and last but not least….. the Media supply you with packaged celebrities because there’s a demand in how they should look / dress / act. Sex sells, because consumers love it. They want it to be expressed on your MTV.

At the end of the day, can we really blame the media for all the problems. Can we really blame the media for the rising number of anorexic patient. Don’t you think that they are just doing their job, delivering what’s expected of them, providing you what you really want to see?

It’s pretty often that we say that the media is shaping us. Which I do not entirely agree, but I wouldn’t deny the fact that there’s a big percentage of it, are true. So, the big question would be, Is the media influencing us, or are we influencing the media?

I am not any position to point the finger and start my preaching with “Repent, all you shallow-looks-sucker-beauty-perfect people” because shamefully, I’ve been those that falls under the ’spell’. It’s not wrong liking good stuffs and I don’t think it’s wrong to look at nice stuffs or people, after all, we’re all human and we ain’t God. We have our shortcomings too but before we start pointing out fingers at the media, shouldn’t we take a look at ourselves of how far are we actually influencing what they are doing today.

Sorry, I do not have the answer to all these problems. Then why bother writing one? So that people could at least start pondering about it.

I was in Passion concert yesterday night held at the Sunway Convention Centre. The event was covered in Louie Giglio’s blog: 268generation.com

No pictures from my side for now. Pictures are with Anne at this moment.

It was an awesome night I’d say. A very refreshing moment especially for the younger generation *Ahem* but of course, me being one who had just left student life not long ago *Ahem* is feeling what God has called our generation to be. Chris Tomlin and Charlie Hall were great in their worship while Louie poured his heart out and you can really share his passion over his love for our Lord Jesus Christ. All in all……enjoyed every bit of it. For those in Jakarta, get ready to pour your heart out on Tuesday night. I believe they are already preparing for the night in Jakarta this very moment.

I learned a few new songs yesterday night and thought I’d share them with you.

God of this City

Written by an Irish band name Bluetree from the Northen Ireland. The origins of this story was quite weird but I thought it’s in fact a powerful one. The band was playing in Pattaya, Thailand (one of the city but I forgotten the exact name) and then an owner of a pub didn’t have a band that night and invited the band to play in the pub that night. The band thought it’ll be cool and agreed. They sang and they play all their Christian songs that they wrote but none would have understood any single word of English that they sang. Only when they were there, they’ finally realize that they pub was in fact a brothel, a place where people would come and look for a hooker. They continued playing and at the very moment, God gave them this song: God of this City.

For the most accurate story of the origin of this song: Click HERE -> the origins of God of this City and the video of Climax Bar and the full story of this song. [Please click on More Info on your right side for a detailed story]

Moving forward, the Passion team bumped into this song in one of their gigs and asked that they’ll allow Passion to use it in their ministries and today, a lot of people were still confused of who actually wrote this song. But that aside, doesn’t matter who wrote nor sang it, the essence of it all that is the hope of salvation, the very promise of God to change a city, a nation. A declaration of the sovereignty of God in our city and our nation. We’ve got to claim it in Jesus’ Name.

A rendition from Chris Tomlin.

2. They came and they have left.

For the past one week or two, some of my friends in have came back from the summer break, namely Brenda, Ken Ree, May Jie & Hoey and Molly and Charles as well. Not to forget Bryan who came back from Canada and it was such a pleasure to meet him again.

That aside, May Jie and Hoey has just flew back Hong Kong for another few days of vacation before flying off to Swansea. Somehow, when May Jie and Hoey left, my heart was a bit reluctant to let them go. I don’t know why. Especially May Jie. To be honest…I think I’ve thought about her as a god-mother kind of thing. It weird really. The night we had our last dinner One World, the silly and irrational side of me wanted to ask her to stay a bit longer but of course I didn’t. That would have been really unreasonable. That would have been like a kid asking for a candy bar from your parents.

May Jie has been one of the people in Swansea that I would miss all the time. Not only is she gracious in her giving / blessings / food / care…..she has been someone who would listen to your ramblings and yet never get tired of it. At the same time, she would also be someone who would be telling you the truth straight on the face –> with love of course. Someone who never cease to ask if there’s anything that she could pray for you. May Jie, I’m missing you already. All right, I guess I’ll not continue writing stuffs like this publicly and start crying like a baby now. I’ll write you an e-mail later. And one last thing…thank you May Jie! I’ll be missing you!!

That’s all for now. Oh my…how time flies? It’s already August…..Only 4 months left for 2008. It’s just getting WACKO! I guess I need to achieve more things this year.

Take care and have a blast this week.