Thinking Aloud

The first day when I’ll be out doing surveys on my own. Wow, steady man. Oh well, hope everything goes well. Will update later tonight.

I’ve managed to secure a temporary job doing surveys. Not the most intelligent of jobs, but it certainly is draining physically, having to run about town conducting surveys. I’ll be dead beat by the end of the day.

Starting tomorrow. Better get good rest tonight.  

X-Men 3: The Last Stand felt weird.

*Spoilers ahead*

Somehow killing off Scott Summers and Charles early in the film sent it tumbling down the hill. Even the final battle at Alcatraz couldn’t save it. Like a dud, it just rocketed into the air and spluttered out.

Anti-climatic. That’s how I felt after the show.

Sure, there’s the wisecracks, but they were crude and lacked the wit and charm that made the second installment a joy to watch.

Then there’s the problem of the story. The ending botched it up. So what happens to Archangel and his dad? And what a way to defeat Magneto! It’s too easy.

Haih…

I didn’t really like it. That’s for sure.

Finally got everything that needs to be done, done. Tomorrow results come out, and new things to worry about.

Sigh.

That’s life I guess.  

Came back yesterday. Things I plan to do today include:

 Shopping!!

Return my book, and the trousers I borrowed from Wai Kit.

Tidy up my room.  

I’ll be on my way back down south again tomorrow night.

My computer at home died, so that means I didn’t manage to finish broodwars before I came back down. Sad.

My plan to read Hartshornes Algebraic Geometry backfired. You can’t study at home. And what’s more, after a major exam.

Till then…

Haha, I finally got down to reading Dan Brown’s controversial piece. Apparently its the second in book where Robert Langdon is featured as the protagonist (The first is Angels and Demons).

I can see where the controversy comes from. But the most crucial of the claims in the novel-the parts which cannot be reduced to a mere fictional device-is the fact was Jesus was merely a man.

In a sense this claim is nothing new. Philosophers and contrarian theologians have been claiming that Jesus wan not divine ever since. It’s also the central premise in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Material’s trilogy. God is not divine, just a glorified angel.

Another contentious point is the nature of faith. Brown’s definition of faith is what we are all familiar with-a neccessary lie that makes the world a better place to live in.

Anyway, just for the record, like Pullman’s opus, I liked the book as an example of good storytelling. I sort of anticipated the ending (there’s a plot twist which I won’t spoil for anyone). But the ending satisfying nonetheless. Suffices to say, I don’t think Brown was attacking the church cos in the story, the ultimate bad guy wasn’t even the church (or in particular the Catholic Church).

‘Nuff said, if you are on the look for a murder mystery with a garnishing of an ironic plot twist, here’s a good one for you.

My father took us out for dinner tonight to celebrate Mothers Day.

Time spent with them was precious, although the place was a little noisy (We were behind another patron who had two tables full with his family members).

Anyway, had sizzling steak. I think I’m having too much red meat. Must stop.

Times spent at home are rare and precious. Good thing that I came back during this time.

The absense of nonsense here means that I am safely at home.

Enjoying the quietness at home, using the time to play starcraft.

More posts to come. But won’t be updating so regularly.

 Cool!

 Just added a WYSIWYG editor to my write post interface. Now writing is such a breeze.

 And it can even edit images in a snap. (sorry no pictures yet)

 and there’s a wide range of emoticons.

 I like this one in particular.

 Ok, much to do today. Loads of stuff to buy and move

Time to hold my breath.

The deed is done, now everything hinges on God’s almighty hand. If He wills, then nothing can stop it from passing.

What is faith?

I guess faith is like love. It is beyond definition, but it is always recognizable.

For a long while I thought I had faith, that I dared to dream. But this semester I discovered that all these past three years I never went beyond myself; be it in studies, hall activities, student ministry. I played safe. I thought I was confident, but it was an illusion. A safety net constructed so that I will not have to risk failure.

But this time it is different. Failure is defined in black and white terms. There is no hiding, no way to justify, or outreason the consequences.

Do I have faith? I have learnt that I have none. True faith trusts, and one truly trusts when one is not in control.

There are things which I have no control over, and it is in these things that faith is made real.

And I know I can trust Him, because He loves me.

Pardon the cliche post title…

But you can already guess what I’m going to write about.

Recieved an SMS from Siaw May. Today’s the day she finishes her housemanship. Tomorrow’s the day I am done with undergraduate life.

It’s been 4 years. Unfortunately, my education has just begun…

Wonder what awaits me next

You know, one of these days Steve Jobs may actually manage to sell me something…

The theme of death has been sweeping over my thoughts lately.

Life is so fragile.

Its probably the wrong time to be thinking about something so morbid. But come to think of it, death is perhaps the greater mystery.

After all we know a little about life, since we experience it. But nobody has told us anything about death. Unfortunately for us, people who die don’t come back to tell us.

And yet even more powerfully, in real life demonstration, Christ conquered death by dying.

I forget that death is God’s curse upon his own creation. I think that sometimes that death is the same thing as sin. But sin and death are two different things all together. Sin leads to death, only because 1) It is a judgement upon sin 2) it is the way that God makes sure that evil does not endure. But death is God’s architecture, and so it is beyond understanding that it was God himself, who became man, die to reverse the effects of His own curse.

When I forget this, I think I can win because Christ has won. I don’t think this is correct. I cannot beat death, because it is God who has curse me. But because it is God himself who lifts this curse, therefore I am now free. There is no winning or struggle or battle. In a sense, death has been defeated, so the thought of me ‘winning’ is rendered irrelevant.

And how do I know all this? That death has been defeated…

…because Jesus rose from the dead.