Thursday, February 28, 2008
Frail
Convinced of my deception
I've always been a fool
I fear this love reaction
Just like you said I would
A rose could never lie
About the love it brings
And I could never promise
To be any of those things
Chorus:
If I was not so weak
If I was not so cold
If I was not so scared of being broken
Growing old
I would be...
I would be...
I would be...
Blessed are the shallow
Depth they'll never find
Seems to be some comfort
In rooms I try to hide
Exposed beyond the shadows
You take the cup from me
Your dirt removes my blindness
Your pain becomes my peace
[Chorus]
...frail
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God."
Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
Wit's a poor substitute for righteousness, and the knowledge of God is not the fear of God.
When you first err, God nudges you gently back to the straight and narrow. He lets you pass, should you shrug him off, only to remind you time after time like a flashing U-turn symbol in a racing game. Next comes the sharp slap on the face, and things basically go downhill from there.
How long you partake in the sweetness of Sin depends on your sensitivity towards the voice of God and your judgment of how severe His warnings are becoming. As long as the pleasures triumph over guilt, we happily set God aside to enjoy the banquet of the world.
What's the difference between a Christian and Unbeliever? The nagging feeling that you've erred, are erring, and should scurry back to the straight and narrow or face the wrath of God and the disappointment of a Father.
I find myself probably at the stage where God is slapping me on the face. Maybe it's time to do a little scurrying before He decides an earthquake is in order.
I'm not particularly thrilled at that prospect, but who am I to complain.
Wit's a poor substitute for righteousness, and the knowledge of God is not the fear of God.
When you first err, God nudges you gently back to the straight and narrow. He lets you pass, should you shrug him off, only to remind you time after time like a flashing U-turn symbol in a racing game. Next comes the sharp slap on the face, and things basically go downhill from there.
How long you partake in the sweetness of Sin depends on your sensitivity towards the voice of God and your judgment of how severe His warnings are becoming. As long as the pleasures triumph over guilt, we happily set God aside to enjoy the banquet of the world.
What's the difference between a Christian and Unbeliever? The nagging feeling that you've erred, are erring, and should scurry back to the straight and narrow or face the wrath of God and the disappointment of a Father.
I find myself probably at the stage where God is slapping me on the face. Maybe it's time to do a little scurrying before He decides an earthquake is in order.
I'm not particularly thrilled at that prospect, but who am I to complain.
Close to Gwen
Why do birds
Suddenly appear?
Everytime you are near
Just like me
They long to be
Close to Gwen
Why do stars
Fall down from the sky?
Everytime you walk by
Just like me
They long to be
Close to Gwen
(*) on the day that Gwen born
The angels got together and decided
To create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moondust in your hair
Of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue
(**) that is why all the boys in town
Follow you all around
Just like me
They long to be
Close to Gwen
Repeat (*)
Repeat (**)
Just like me
They long to be
Close to Gwen
Woo... close to Gwen ...
Friday, February 15, 2008
Brilliance
Q: “So, how serious is the brain drain, sir?”
Mr Lee: “The brain drain is pretty serious, our brain drain, losing them...”
Q: “To China?”
Mr Lee: “No, losing them to America. No, we’re not losing to China.”
Q: “Not China?”
Mr Lee: “China, they’ll come back. You want to be Chinese or do you want to be Singaporean. You go to China, you’re going to compete against 1,300 million very bright fellows, hardworking, starving. Do you stand a chance to be on top of that pole? No, but if you go there as Singaporean with a different base, speaking English which they can’t, with connections to the world, then you’ve got a different platform.
What happens is they go to America, Americans then collect them, the bright ones. You stay for two, three years in their companies, acclimatize them to the company culture and take them to China, if they speak Chinese. So, they’re part of the American team. Now, if they are working in China, I think they’ll come back because they don’t want their children to compete against Chinese.
But if they decide to take the Green Card and settle in America, then I think we’ve lost them and they are going to America and those who don’t want the hard competition here go to Australia and Canada.”
Q: “You have percentages on that, sir?”
Mr Lee: “We’re losing about… According to the people who give up their citizenship and take out their savings, their pension funds, we’re losing about, at the top end, 1,000 a year, which is about, if you take the top 30 per cent of the population, thereabout four or five per cent. It will grow because I think the numbers are growing.
Every year, there are more people going abroad for their either first degree or second degree or whatever. But we’re making up by getting many bright Chinese and Indians coming here because of better prospects, learn English, you can learn Chinese at the same time and so on and the Indians are near home, First-World standards as against Indian infrastructure.
The trouble is many of the Chinese then use us as a stepping stone to go to America where the grass is greener. But even if we only keep 30 to 40 per cent and we lose 60 to 70 per cent, we’re a net gainer. But the day will come, maybe 20 years, maybe 30 years, when Chinese say, look, my life is better than yours or as good.
.
.
.
Q: “In fact, we don’t have great statesman anymore anywhere in democracies. Do you have a view as to why that is no longer possible to have someone like you or Charles De Gaulle or Margaret Thatcher?”
Mr Lee: “No, no, no, you will now have, I don’t know for how long this phase will last, an electorate that’s influenced by the mass media and a mass media run by a group of media barons with their appointed surrogates getting tired of leaders after a short while and wanting change, always believing that the next one
will be better. So, Tony Blair, use-by-date over, out. They’ve got Gordon Brown. Is he better? I don’t know. He doesn’t measure up, out. David Cameron, is he better? After awhile, out.”
Q: “So, the power of the media has made it impossible to be a great statesman or great stateswoman?”
Mr Lee: “I’m not sure. I think it depends upon the crisis. When a real crisis sets in, people begin to feel it in their bones and their opinion-formulators also begin to feel that this is life-and-death, it’s no longer pontificating and better be cautious about this. Let’s stick by somebody who knows what this is all about and will stay the course.”
-
I guess this explains "MediaCorp is 100% owned by Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's wholly owned investment arm."
-
Full interview here
Mr Lee: “The brain drain is pretty serious, our brain drain, losing them...”
Q: “To China?”
Mr Lee: “No, losing them to America. No, we’re not losing to China.”
Q: “Not China?”
Mr Lee: “China, they’ll come back. You want to be Chinese or do you want to be Singaporean. You go to China, you’re going to compete against 1,300 million very bright fellows, hardworking, starving. Do you stand a chance to be on top of that pole? No, but if you go there as Singaporean with a different base, speaking English which they can’t, with connections to the world, then you’ve got a different platform.
What happens is they go to America, Americans then collect them, the bright ones. You stay for two, three years in their companies, acclimatize them to the company culture and take them to China, if they speak Chinese. So, they’re part of the American team. Now, if they are working in China, I think they’ll come back because they don’t want their children to compete against Chinese.
But if they decide to take the Green Card and settle in America, then I think we’ve lost them and they are going to America and those who don’t want the hard competition here go to Australia and Canada.”
Q: “You have percentages on that, sir?”
Mr Lee: “We’re losing about… According to the people who give up their citizenship and take out their savings, their pension funds, we’re losing about, at the top end, 1,000 a year, which is about, if you take the top 30 per cent of the population, thereabout four or five per cent. It will grow because I think the numbers are growing.
Every year, there are more people going abroad for their either first degree or second degree or whatever. But we’re making up by getting many bright Chinese and Indians coming here because of better prospects, learn English, you can learn Chinese at the same time and so on and the Indians are near home, First-World standards as against Indian infrastructure.
The trouble is many of the Chinese then use us as a stepping stone to go to America where the grass is greener. But even if we only keep 30 to 40 per cent and we lose 60 to 70 per cent, we’re a net gainer. But the day will come, maybe 20 years, maybe 30 years, when Chinese say, look, my life is better than yours or as good.
.
.
.
Q: “In fact, we don’t have great statesman anymore anywhere in democracies. Do you have a view as to why that is no longer possible to have someone like you or Charles De Gaulle or Margaret Thatcher?”
Mr Lee: “No, no, no, you will now have, I don’t know for how long this phase will last, an electorate that’s influenced by the mass media and a mass media run by a group of media barons with their appointed surrogates getting tired of leaders after a short while and wanting change, always believing that the next one
will be better. So, Tony Blair, use-by-date over, out. They’ve got Gordon Brown. Is he better? I don’t know. He doesn’t measure up, out. David Cameron, is he better? After awhile, out.”
Q: “So, the power of the media has made it impossible to be a great statesman or great stateswoman?”
Mr Lee: “I’m not sure. I think it depends upon the crisis. When a real crisis sets in, people begin to feel it in their bones and their opinion-formulators also begin to feel that this is life-and-death, it’s no longer pontificating and better be cautious about this. Let’s stick by somebody who knows what this is all about and will stay the course.”
-
I guess this explains "MediaCorp is 100% owned by Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's wholly owned investment arm."
-
Full interview here
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Relativity
As kids we were told, that the stars we see at night, might already be long dead. They're simply so far away that the light they gave out a long time ago is still traveling towards us.
In similar fashion, a wad of spit on the 18th of January took almost a month to reach its target. Stop spitting on me, it cries, leave me alone. You've had peace, no? I've not said anything to you since. The slow speed of your comprehension ability is none of my business, there is nothing I can do, so quit whining.
Oh. Is this going to torment you for another month?
In similar fashion, a wad of spit on the 18th of January took almost a month to reach its target. Stop spitting on me, it cries, leave me alone. You've had peace, no? I've not said anything to you since. The slow speed of your comprehension ability is none of my business, there is nothing I can do, so quit whining.
Oh. Is this going to torment you for another month?
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Oops
Oops. Seems like I was wrong about my Creation of Man poster. It was Man who had his hand extended loftily, and God who was straining to reach him. Ah what the hell.
http://www.globalgallery.com/enlarge/018-21551/
http://www.globalgallery.com/enlarge/018-21551/
Posters and More
The third installation in Orson Scott Card's Ender Saga, Xenocide.
It's imported! Flew in all the way from Singapore in a huge brown parcel complete with chinese new year goodies, and ..
Haha, yes, I never thought I would one day be a proud owner of a Singapore postcard, merlion and all. Nope, darling, the postcard didn't make me homesick, the bak kwa did. =(
I got myself a new poster today. Don't be shocked, but here it is:
My other posters get the cork wall
Yes Jeryd, I'll give you the starry night poster k. It's as good as new. No point buying another one. I've no space to put it up in Singapore anyway.
It's imported! Flew in all the way from Singapore in a huge brown parcel complete with chinese new year goodies, and ..
Haha, yes, I never thought I would one day be a proud owner of a Singapore postcard, merlion and all. Nope, darling, the postcard didn't make me homesick, the bak kwa did. =(I got myself a new poster today. Don't be shocked, but here it is:
My other posters get the cork wall
Yes Jeryd, I'll give you the starry night poster k. It's as good as new. No point buying another one. I've no space to put it up in Singapore anyway.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Groundhog Day
February 2 is Groundhog Day. A groundhog is coaxed/grabbed from his hole, and is left to look for his own shadow. If he sees one, he scurries back to his hole and that signifies 6 more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, it means an early spring is coming.
A quick search on google showed some groundhogs seeing their own shadows, and some who don't. Where does that leave us? Stock up on the booze, people. Early spring - time to partayyyyy. More winter? Keep your blood warm by .. partayyyiiing.
A quick search on google showed some groundhogs seeing their own shadows, and some who don't. Where does that leave us? Stock up on the booze, people. Early spring - time to partayyyyy. More winter? Keep your blood warm by .. partayyyiiing.
UW's Bouldering Room
Smaller than the climbing gym in NUS, but unlike NUS, it's usually empty, and the tapped out routes are a lot more technical, and fun :)
The crowd in the photo is only cause of some climbing competition.
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