Sense

Went for a sushi feast yesterday. The idea was to enjoy the 'Buy 1 free 1' promotion by our beloved Sushi King, but the fact that we treated the dinner as if we're having a sushi buffet (despite numerous reminder that it's not) was...erm...scary? It was awesome. Anyway, that isn't the highlight of the post. The sushi thingy is mentioned here by demand. = )

It was about what happened before the feast. We did an extremely stupid laboratory exercise; so dumb that i would be dumber if i explain to you what it was. Lecturer isn't very mindful and helpful. Worse still, he doesn't really know what he wants. And worst yet, we're trying to make sense out of something that doesn't.
And hey, isn't that what we homo sapiens always do? Attempting to explain and reason every single occurrence in the universe, we came out with astrology, biology, chemistry, physics, psychology...and the list seems to be expanding like the Big Bang theory. Then, lo and behold, we have theology.

Theology = the study of religion and religious belief, or a set of beliefs about a particular religion (By Cambridge Dictionaries Online)
OR
Theology = the study of religious faith, practice, and experience; especially : the study of God and of God's relation to the world
(By Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

A study of God aye? I love finding out more and more about the God who gave me a life to live, the God whom i entrust my life with. But as mere creations, who are we to confine The Creator to our limited wisdom?
2 extremes : People that would search for explanation for everything or die trying; and people who lives in absolute ignorance. Most of us lie between the two.

Of course, the general school of thought is that we should balance between the 2 extremes. Search for what we ought to know, and ignore the rest 'by faith'. Then the questions comes : How much is enough? If we fail to search for certain things, are we to ignore them 'by faith', or continue searching?

Sorry if i have caused you to be more confused with life, or faith; truth is both are confusing. That is why we're called to have child-like faith.

Life does not make sense...to begin with.

The Creator created the universe, then man, then men turned away from the Creator, Creator feels sad and decides to draw them back, came as a man, crucified so that men can return to Him, resurrected, wait and watches the world coming to an end,win the final battle, comes back to rebuild and restore, and together with His creations...live happily ever after.

Forgive me, but in such limited capacity of my mind, this story just doesn't make sense to me. Yet i know, 'by faith', that it is true. So it makes truth doesn't make sense as well. And if even truth doesn't make sense, why should we force to make sense of every details in the universe?

Folded

Since it's Easter, why not i post a story about His resurrection? Got this story somewhere and find it pretty interesting. Why did Jesus fold the napkin? Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

1. Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

2. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!"

3. Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see.

4. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first.

5.. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.

6. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.

Is that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm done". But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because the folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"

He Is Coming Back!

Absence

'Let me explain the problem science has with Jesus Christ.' The atheist
professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new
students to stand.

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says.

'So you believe in God?'


'Absolutely.'

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes.'

'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a moment.

'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can
cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good....!'

'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could.
Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does
he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to
Jesus to heal him How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent.

'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a
glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.


'Let's start again, young fella Is God good?'

'Er...yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'


The student : 'From...God...'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in
this world?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'


'Yes.'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything,
then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle
that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'


Without allowing the student to answer, the professor continues:
'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things,
do they exist in this world?'

The student: 'Yes.'


'So who created them?'

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question.
'Who created them? There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks
away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.


'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus
Christ, son?'

The student's voice is confident: 'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to
identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not.'


'Have you ever actually felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your
Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for
that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes.'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'


'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has
with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his
own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

'Yes,' the professor replies. 'There's heat.'

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't..'
e professor turns to fac suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.

'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited
heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything
called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat,

but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold;
otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every
body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and

heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero
(-458 F) is the total absence of heat.
You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We
cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is
energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding
like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'


'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it isn't
darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of
something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing
light, but if you have no light constantly you have Nothing and it's called
darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In
reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness
darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him.
This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start
with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time.
'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains. 'You

argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God.
You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can
measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and

magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To
view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death
cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just
the absence of it.'

'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a
monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes,
of course I do'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where
the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot
even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching
your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the Commotion has
subsided.

'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me
give you an example of what I mean.'

The student looks around the room.. 'Is there anyone in the class who has
ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter.

'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the
professor's brain, touched or smelled the professor's brain? No one appears
to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical,
stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all
due respect, sir. So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust
your lectures, sir?'

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face
unreadable.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess you'll
have to take them on faith.'


'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,'
the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'

Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it
everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man..
It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world.
These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does
not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God.
It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe
the absence of God.

God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does
not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when
there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'

The professor sat down.

Names

Got the link from Hannah. Out of curiosity, i checked it out. It tells what's your name's hidden meaning. Please, let me know what you think.

What Simon Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

8th of March, 2008

Incredible, almost unbelievable weekend this is. Set out on a journey back home at 11am, but it wasn’t until 1am the next day that I finally got home. The excitement within sedated me over all sorts of fatigue.

Being the first time in my life to vote for the nation’s general election, I’ve already made history. Of course, alongside with everyone else who believed in their vote and its significance. Yes, we made history together.

Along with my debut participation, there were just numerous of other debuts. Not intending to convert this blog to another political platform, I shall omit the details. Nevertheless the whole event gave me new insights towards politics. Previously, I do not have a strong stand or solid personal principles in this issue. I guess this short weekend sorta changed me pretty much.

It isn’t about being political. It isn’t about you or me. It’s really about being responsible to the people around you, people you care, people you don’t care even though you’re supposed and commanded to, people who need you to care about, and of course, it’s also about being responsible to yourself. We are given an utmost important right as a citizen, and denying it is bluntly despicable. In this matter, ignorance is irresponsible.

The moment you deny your own right to vote and simply let others do what they want, you’ve actually given up more than what you think you did. You no longer have a right to bitch about the education system in our nation and all its flaws and flops, you have no right to complain about the horrendous condition of public transportation system, when the price of oil goes up all you can do is just shut up, and when you are detained under ISA though you think you don’t deserve it, you probably do deserve it. Even worse, you don’t even deserve the right to talk about making changes. When the whole nation fought for it, you didn’t even care to bother.

Remember William Wallace, the hero of Scotland. The man who fought with every single bit that he has, roaring 'Freedom' every time he charged into countless of battlefields, he fought against the British who oppressed and colonize them. He might had lead his army to wipe out British forces on his land, if only...the people he fought for, fought for him. We all knew the ending well, he fell, persecuted and beheaded at the end. Just because he lost the support from his own people...the very ones whose freedom was exchanged and paid by his life.

If you have voted for change in the battle of 8th of March, walk away from this post with pride and honor. And continue to work for it.
If you have voted for Safety, Peace and Prosperity, walk away from this post and begin justifying your choice from the polling results.
If you have walked away from the battle of 8th of March, walk away from the changes that are about to be imposed. You don't deserve them.

Broken

Have this song all this while, but not until Philip reminded me that i once again cherish the one and only Lifehouse. May it touch you the way it did to me.

Lifehouse - Broken

The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time
I am here still waiting though i still have my doubts
I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain, there is healing
In your name I find meaning
So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on
I'm barely holdin' on to you

The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head
I tried my best to be guarded, I'm an open book instead
I still see your reflection inside of my eyes
That are looking for a purpose, they're still looking for life

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
with a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain (in the pain), there is healing
In your name (in your name) I find meaning
So I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'), I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'), I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin')
I'm barely holdin' on to you

I'm hangin' on another day
Just to see what you throw my way
And I'm hanging on to the words you say
You said that I will be OK

The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone
I may have lost my way now, haven't forgotten my way home

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
with a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain(In the pain) there is healing
In your name I find meaning
So I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'), I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'), I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'),
I'm barely holdin' on to you

I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'), I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'), I'm holdin' on (I'm still holdin'),
I'm barely holdin' on to you