Check If You're A Registered Voter

BN kaya... they now have 2 at Bukit Katil, by the way

Yeah, I'm back from being lost in the blogosphere. And I'm back feeling patriotic! *fuh fuh*

Anyway, for those of you who've already registered to vote, you can check to see if you're really registered to vote, here. Why this checking thing is important? Aside from the obvious stuff, such as knowing where to vote and being assured that you are voting, you'll also be able to vote intelligently because you'll know:

• The Polling district
• The State assemblies
• The Parliamentary
• The Polling Centre
• The Polling Stream, and
  
• Your Serial Number

State assemblies refers to Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN). When you vote, you actually vote for 2 seats: DUN (state) and Parliament (federal).

Some people vote for the Opposition at the Parliamentary level, and for the Government at the state level, so that the government wouldn't be able to monopolize the decision-making and legislating of the country. Sounds like Greek huh? (Small voice: Tu lah... tak belajar PA =P)

The National Front Coalition Barisan Nasional (BN)

You see, when a certain Bill (not as in household/phone bill ya) is drafted, it actually needs to go through 4 processes:

1. 1st Hearing - Only the title of the Bill is read out
2. 2nd Hearing - The draft has been printed out for every member of the House - either the DUN or House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat), depending on whether it's for federal or state - and the Bill is debated upon in detail
3. Committee - The Dewan Committee will brood over the Bill a little more
   
4. 3rd Hearing - Debates are not really going on now, and it's more of a going-over-again thing at this level

The 2nd hearing is of utmost importance because it is when the Opposition gets to ask all sorts of questions to make sure a Bill truly benefits the people. Also, a voting process is held to pass a Bill in the House. The prerequisite for each Bill depends on what sort of Bill it is. From what I remember of what I learned in Form 6 Pengajian Am (PA), Bills or amendments of Bills that have to do with things like citizenship, the national language, and other such major issues require the unanimous (and anonymous) 'Aye' of 2/3 of the members of present House members (absent ones tak kira) and the consent of the Conference of Rulers (Majlis Raja-Raja).

Hence, if the House of Representatives consists mainly of the ruling party, the 2/3 requirement would be a shoo-in.
<--- this crazy thing appeared here for no reason

Pan Malaysian Islamic Party Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) - I'm just randomly slotting in photos

Why do we need the Opposition to speak up for us when we have a party for almost (ok, not as almost as I make it out to be) every race in Malaysia? (MCA for the likes of me)

Because as members of the Cabinet, the BN components have a collective responsibility to the party/Cabinet. Therefore, no matter how strongly a Minister opposes a Cabinet decision, the Minister has the obligation to not only refrain from dissing the decision, he/she also has the responsibility to defend the decision in Parliamentary debates.

Obviously, MCA will have a tough time trying to stick up for our rights and such if they're bound by such things. DAP (Democratic Action Party Parti Tindakan Demokratik) however, has no such restrictions and can argue and boom bam all they want.

The reason why some people who vote for the Opposition's seat in the Parliament do not vote for their seat in DUN is because the Opposition would be a really poor governing party. Not as in teruk or incapable, but as in miskin. Because the government would probably hold back or delay the handing over of the constitutionally-obligatory (long word - it merely means the Constitution says must give) financial help to the state governed by the Opposition. So the state people will hidup dalam kemiskinan yang tak patut wujud.

Only BN has a board made of real wood. Well. At least in Melaka.

DAP only has a self-made rocket that looks like a giant crayon.

Really??? Got so cham???

Yalah. World of politics la.

People are not as innocent, honest, kind etc as we think they are.

they actually look nice together (sorry, no photos of other flags here). but happy ever afters don't really happen in politics.

I remember a quote from Commander In Chief that impressed me a lot, though I can't find it online now:

In the world of politics, there are no friends. Only enemies... and allies.

Tsk.

So...

Vote properly ya.

Know who has your votes and who doesn't.


By the way, the first photo actually looks like this:

we want things to look beautiful sometimes. but most times... they're just not. but oddly, there can be beauty in the absence of it. abstract, nonsensical, to some. but that's just how I think. and in this blog, I speak my mind.

*For more information on this election thing, go here.

Why Nobody Should Give Me Chocolates For My Birthday

Here's a lovely picture to entertain you guys while I'm busy wreaking havoc in the Edit HTML section.


Be thankful I don't have Photoshop to make it more graphic.

Good evening!

p/s: the chocolates were from my cousin in Germany.

Me = CSS + HTML Noob

Ever since I've gone back to active blogging, I've found that I'm a noob of many things.

Anyway, I'm revamping the blog's template cuz it's so not nice to see. However, being the noob that I am, the blog will either end up uglier or revert back to the old template.

I have to go fetch Shaun from GBS before I can continue with the sidebar thingys.

Thank you for your patience.

Buhbye!

My Latest Obsession: Typing Games

As you can very well see, this game is called Keyboarding. This game is odd, because the letters on the keyboard have all been reassigned and you have to try and type words using the new keyboard, which is, of course, quite difficult. And kind of pointless. Cuz it doesn't really train your typing skills now, does it?

No, I do not say that just because this keeps happening!


Speed Typing - a game where you have to type speedily.

Dots. Such a lack of imagination in naming one's game. Ah well, to neutralize the sarcasm, I shall add that the game does that that red cancelling thing when you make a typo. And then it does that rather bland thing of calculating the number of typos you make. Basically, you keep going on and on till you make 12 typos and then you can start saying "GG", as guys seem so fond of doing nowadays. In MGC anyway.


This one is one of the series under The Typing Test, that is supposedly updated daily, meaning there are 5 different games each day (does that mean the link wouldn't work tomorrow?). This particular one is simply labelled Typing Game #1, where you need to type a whole paragraph of words correctly. The number of typos will be recorded at the end of the typing. This one's slightly (emphasis on the 's' word) more interesting because you're typing a story. For instance, I now know of the story of a person named Quiteria (the name just feels golden). And there was this really interesting part about how love turns a bleary eye into a pearl and whatever other ugly stuff into beautiful stuff. I have bad memory, can you tell?

Shucks. Not many good typing games out there.



Try this if you're still not rooting for The Typing of The Dead. It provides the same basic tutorial for the home row as TTOTD does. Of course TTOTD has more than just a basic tutorial (*sokong sokong*).

Can't get past what happened to the honest shoemaker after he went to his work-bench bright and early the next morning though. Anyway, I'm gonna try to beat those high scores! Cis! (Do I sound like I'm too free to you?)

I Took Typing Lessons

...Online. The results:

103 words

Speedtest

A slight improvement.

Yay now I know how to use my RH pinky on the keyboard! Plus I realize typing without resting my wrists on the laptop / desk makes typing much faster.

Maybe now I can play the piano better! Buhbye! *goes downstairs to try*

Typing Speed

Whoa!








Ok ok. I admit it. I lied.

92 words

Speedtest

For a more accurate measure of your typing speed, I eagerly recommend The Typing of the Dead for PC gamers.

[To MGC-ians: It's the one Shaun was playing in church the other day =P]

Overview:

Put down that joystick, agent! There's only one weapon that's right for this mission: a computer keyboard. Set your fingers on the home row, then type like your life depends on it to blast those marauding zombies back into their graves. There's no room for hunting and pecking here -- only the fastest and most accurate typists will survive!

.Taken from http://www.gametap.com/home/play/gameDetails/000482550

It's actually a parody of House of the Dead 2, except instead using violent stuff like guns, we get to kill zombies delicately, using - get this - the keyboard! Some of the zombies also use drumstick (as in the chicken's drumstick) instead of dangerous, sharp weapons. Yay for world peace!























You have got to look at your character (and your "comrades" in the game too) - a minimum of 30 seconds of laughter guaranteed.

Anyway, this game is fun if you're the type who enjoys a good laugh and really wants to know your typing speed. It measures your speed based on a few other factors, such as accuracy, decision-making, and speed. There are actually 2 other factors which I can't remember. All of this is shown after you complete a full level (there are 6). At the same time, the game also ranks you based on your typing speed and your high score - calculated by the number of civilians you save and the number of zombies you kill.

Want the game?

Get it from me via file transfer =)

Oh, but you need a really erm spacious (me = computer terminology noob) flashdrive.

The Riddle of the...Um...Juliet?

Ceh, the Namecaller berteka-teki pula. I'll post one too:

Juliet was found dead in her room one night. Her room was high up in a doorless tower. The only means of entrance was the window that opened to her room. There had been a storm the night Juliet died. The window was opened, and there was only glass and water on the floor. How on earth did Juliet die?

.First heard from deLaMer's Singaporean cousins

________________________________________________________________________________

By the way, Ms Johnson's retirement day in MGSS was very well done. Or maybe I've just had too much of MHS's singing + solo spree for every celebration we have there. I took some pictures with my cameraphone, but as the previous post clearly indicates, they wouldn't make it up here very soon. I'll try my best to get the pictures Mr Chong (the school photographer), but if I know him well enough, I'll get them in no short time.

Ms Johnson herself sang a song for us (ok, them, the current students of MGSS) and told a completely revised version of the story of Mary and Martha. Now Martha is like some jahat glory-seeking, power-hungry person *gah gah gah*

Anyway.

MGSS students put up very good performances. The MGSS Dikir Barat team stuck true to its reputation of performing with gusto and humour, and it was especially delightful to see the team muhibbah spirit in the team, with Chinese and Indian students blending in quite nicely with the Malay dikir-barat-ers (I am a fan of making up words).

I'd better stop here before I go on and on and make this a long post that's not about the Riddle of the Juliet.

Next post sometime soon!

My Schedule for the Day That Arrives In 4 Minutes

Yes. My clock says 11.56pm. I repeat. My clock.

Anyway, on to the schedule:

• 7.00 am - Wake up to my handphone's alarm and hit snooze for another 10 minutes
• 7.10 am - Breakfast!
  
• 7.20 am (konon) - My Hobby + Bathe (Please refer to sidebar for further details)
• 7.50 am (konon-konon, considering the prev one was konon) - Do something with my hair
• 8.00 am (enough with the konon) - Shut the doors and windows and drive off to MGSS
• 8.30 am - Sneak into the school and look anxiously around for Seoks
• 8.40 am - Sit in the darkest shadows at the sidelines and um watch *Ms Johnson retire
• 9.30 am - Chit-chat with teachers
  
• 10.00 am - Hang around with Seoks and Chiao Wern
• 1.40 pm - Drive to Ong Kim Wee to pick up Shaun and Ken
• 2.10 pm - Lunch at home
• 2.30 pm - Sweep the floor upstairs
• 2.45 pm - Wipe the tables (yeah, I know I should do this before sweeping the floor *stubborn*)
• 2.50 pm - My Hobby + Bathe
• 3.20 pm - Quiet Time - Psalm 119: 17 - 24!
• 3.50 pm - Take in clothes and fold them
• ~4.00 pm - Mum calls and asks to take out the food~
  
• 4.03 pm - Continue folding clothes
  
• 4.10 pm - Take out the food in the fridge for dinner
• 4.11 pm - Help Ken with homework
• ~Depends on how much homework he has~ - Nothingness
• 6.00 pm - Unique Flavour, 8TV (woohoo!)
  
• 7.00 pm - Dinner
• 8.00 pm - Livia comes over and we leave for Ujong Pasir
  
• 8.13 pm - Pick up Adrian and Andy at Ujong Pasir
  
• 8.30 pm - Practice for DMSJ Presentation on March 8
• 10.30pm - Arrive home & Check TV for shows
  
• ~Depends on what programme there is on TV (no, I don't remember them)~ - Sleep

There!

Looks so busy but actually nothing wan.

I'm off to sleep!


*Ms Johnson = Principal of SMK (P) Melaka [MGSS] 2001 - 2008. Will be retiring tomorrow. I mean, today. (Yes, the clock now says 12.18 am)

Why My Blog Looks So Dull

*words words words words*







*words words words words*







*words words words words*







*words words words words*






That's why.


Oh ya. Maybe the commonplace layout contributes too.


*Hey! I have original pictures! Yay!

...p/s: I skipped Pic2.jpg. Didn't notice leh =D

A Way Through The Sea

It is during the dreaded World War II, and the story revolves around 3 friends - Peter Andersen, his twin sister Elise, and their Jewish friend, Henrik.

WW2 in Denmark meant German soldiers in the streets, German patrol boats in the harbour, and German fighter planes in the sky. Before the invasion, no one in Denmark cared whether a person was Jewish. Now the Nazis are secretly rounding up all of the Jews who live in Denmark and sending them to prison camps in Germany. Suddenly, Henrik and his family must escape!

Sweden offers the only place of refuge, but with soldiers lurking the streets and Nazi boats patrolling the sea, only a miracle can get the Jews to safety!

.A Way Through The Sea, back cover

I picked this book to read in the bathroom a few years ago mainly because I had nothing else to read.

Anyway, I thought it would be some childish adventure kind of thing, considering the fact that the heroes (and heroine) are 11-year-olds. But as usual (you'd think I'd have learned by now), I was wrong. It's a Christian book, actually. But the hints of Christianity are not as strong as some other Christian books I've read. For instance, Peter is the one his uncle Morten talks to about Christianity. But that occurs only once, and Peter doesn't come out of that scene a believer / convert or anything. His entire family, with the exception of his uncle and grandpa, is a self-sufficient family, with apparently no thoughts or talk about God. However, as the youths get themselves deeper and deeper into dark waters (literally), Peter begins to pray to the God of his Uncle Morten.

Not the kind of flowery Deliver me, O Almighty One kind of prayer, but the type we all sometimes mutter when we find ourselves driving down the wrong lane of the road with a car heading straight for us, when we find ourselves in Telok Mas and almost approaching Johor instead of getting to Semabok in Melaka for tuition, when we find ourselves in Rawang and a housing area instead of heading towards the Orang Asli village in Tapah, when we find ourselves trudging in Brinchang, the highest point of Cameron Highlands instead of happily scavenger-hunting in Tanah Rata of Cameron Highlands, or when we stub our toe against something and are struggling to stifle a cry of pain.

Well, for me anyway.

Henrik himself, though a Jew, shows no sign of dependence on the Jehovah that his family serves.

Anyway, they have a homing pigeon each, and Henrik brings his with him (Number One) to his place of refuge. While struggling to stay alive, the three make a promise to use Number One as a means of what could well be their last communication with each other. When the twins make it back to Denmark, they rush to the pigeons' cage and find Number One there waiting, with a message from Henrik. That was the part that sent my goosebump meter flying. Maybe because the author had waited till then to show how God's written Word can really speak to us not only in times of trouble, but also in times of relief and refuge, times of deliverance.

Indeed, the Lord is the Lord who delivers. And Isaiah 43:16 will always have a special place in my heart now.

Bear with me as I give you a last excerpt from the book (emphases mine) - The Epilogue:

There are many true stories of the rescue of Danish Jews during World War II, even though this one uses fictional characters. In the space of just a few days, thousands of men, women, and children were hidden in Danish homes, and the Danish people helped them to escape. The rescue of the Jews was a bright spot in the dark year of 1943; out of about seven thousand Danish Jews, only a few hundred were captured. It made the German leader, Hitler, furious.

Part of the reason so many escaped from Denmark was because everyone agreed that they would not let their friends and neighbours be captured and sent to prison or death. That had already happened in other parts of Europe. All at once, everyone in the country knew what they had to do. They weren't afraid to do the right thing, no matter what the risk.

Just like Moses. One writer has said that if the Danish rescue of the Jews had happened during Bible times, it would have been included as another chapter in the Old Testament.

Who knows?

The story does remind us of the Exodus account, when God's people escaped through the Red Sea.

God was working in special ways then, and again in 1943.

Many people are asking these days: Why do I need to read?

Because God works in special ways.

He always has and always will. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. As we read true stories, or fictional stories based on true stories, we see God's hand in everything. We see Him working.

And then something clicks.

I've read this before.

In this case, we read A Way Through The Sea in Exodus of the Bible.

Who knows what other ancient Biblical tale will reveal itself in the book you hold in your hand today?

I end with a quote from Margaret Fuller:

A man who does not read good books has no advantage over a man who can't read them.

*Picture taken from http://www.fetchbook.info/search_Robert_Elmer/searchBy_Author.html

WTM Intrigue - How-To-Lose-Boredom For STPM Leavers

The Magic Keys:

CTRL

+

ALT

+

DEL




Voila!

CPU usage 0%?

Move your mouse in a perfect circle a couple of times.

Voila!

CPU usage 2%!

Want to make a mountain range?

Open 3 tabs simultaneously, type an address, and refresh continuously.

Voila!

In classic JJ-Rudy style:

WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Note: Only for the unemployed.

Random Comment

Dad mentioned the Persians in his overview of 1 Kings.

Sis and I glanced at each other and shuddered.

Ever since I watched 300, I've had a very bad impression of Persians.

*shudder*

*Shudder*


Gah! *Big Shudder*!

"If Only I Had My Tools"

Get your tools ready and God will use you.

Paul La Botz

There was an awful train wreck. Many were hurt and bleeding. Some were dead. Cries of pain and anguish were heard everywhere. Then someone said, "Is there a doctor here?"

There was a doctor on hand, but, as he saw the broken, bleeding bodies, he cried out helplessly,

"Oh, if only I had my tools! If only I had my tools!"

If a skilled doctor needs tools to work effectively, how much more do we need "tools" to deal with eternal souls. Are we concerned enough to prepare ourselves to be effective in winning children to Christ?

How To Succeed In Winning Children To Christ, George B. Eager, p.39

I think all MGC-ians would nod woefully when I say that the current group of children in the Children's Hour are quite literally monsters. Little monsters they may be, but monsters nonetheless. And I haven't even begun to exaggerate. Brrrr.

This book caught my eye as it was lying among the piles of Sailormoon manga I had in a plastic bag. Thank God for His perfect timing! Because if it were just a year earlier, I'd have dismissed the book as irrelevant to the likes of me.

I'm not gullible enough to think that I'll become a super Children's Ministry guru after I finish this book, but I'm optimistic enough to believe Eager's words:

I am convinced that there are thousands of people who could and would win children to Christ, if only someone would tell them what to do and how to do it.

So far (I'm only up to p.39 - yes, I'm a slow reader), the book has highlighted several mistakes I have seen adults make, and mistakes I have made myself, in teaching and dealing with children. For example:

• Teaching that God put all our sins on an innocent 3rd party - Jesus. This has caused many children to say / think that God is a meany in heaven.
• Laughing at children's "silly" sins. One example in the book was when a little girl confessed to Eager that she had the sin of breaking her glasses. I thought it was silly, really. Until I read on and found that it wasn't quite so silly after all.
• Talking about receiving salvation from the "minimum" point of view, i.e. "All you have to do is confess your sins, repent, and receive Him." It should be a "maximum" kind of teaching, i.e. "In order to be saved, you must confess your sins, repent, and receive Him as Lord and Saviour."

Enough about me.

I believe the author deserves a shine in the spotlight.

*George & Laura Eager

Place of Birth : Valdosta, Georgia

Relations : Laura Eager (wife) and five children

Currently : Founder and director of The Mailbox Club, writes and publishes The Mailbox Club Bible correspondence lessons which are distributed world-wide. He and his wife reside in Valdosta.

History : In January of 1953, his 7-year-old son was tragically killed. God used this heart-breaking experience to bring George and his wife to Himself, and to lead them into the work of presenting the gospel to children and young people. He draws upon practical know-how gained from over 3700 evangelistic meetings with children and young people:

• How to get your message across
• How to give an invitation
• How to counsel effectively
• How to lead a child to Christ
• How to evangelize children through the mail
• How to teach victory to children

*Details taken and suitably modified from How To Succeed In Winning Children To Christ, George B. Eager, back cover

To MGC-ians: Ever wondered how on earth you could possibly tell little Eric the Gospel? Maybe you can at least know the right things to tell him through this book. The how-to-get-him-to-sit-down-and-perk-his-ears-to-listen-'stead-of-runnin'-around-everywhere thing, we can figure out later.

A Regular MSN Life

I tell El Sen how nice it is to have everyone in the family back for CNY.


So I mentioned a couple of times that when something rhymes, it must be true [Copyright (C) ElSen]. Jun Yi decides to employ it in our conversation about DMSJ.

Oh ya...

My super yeng cousin

Chor Yeow's back from Germany! ^_^

My super sweet cousin

Faster come back, Lin! T_T

Let's See... What Other Interesting Titles Are There Besides "Updates"?

Ken challenged me to a wrestle today. My mission was to fling him onto the couch three times in one minute.

"Must until the moving thing on the clock reach one round!!"
"It's called one minute, Ken."

After I flung him onto the couch the first time, he intelligently realized I could do it three times quite easily. And so he crawled on the floor and stuck to it like UHU glue to pretty much anything. And so I lost to a 10-year-old boy at wrestling.

**

Shaun got a new cover for his bed. It fits him perfectly.

He insisted on blogging about it, so I'll leave the pictures etc to him.

Spoiler: Ken said that if he couldn't sleep, he could now count sheep.

It rhymes, so it must be true. [Copyright (C) El Sen]


**

The website for applications to government universities is now open. I don't know what course to register for besides Law. I mean, there are 8 spaces there =.= If I add any other courses to the 3 Law courses I've already put in, the chances of getting Law would be much slimmer. But if I put just Law... tak dapat macam mana?

I know I want to do Law, I really want to do Law, and I die-die also want to do Law. But does the government share my passion? Without the government's approval, my dream stays a dream.

What will my diary be like after March and June? Will it be full of joyful thanksgiving to God, or consolations for myself and struggles to thank God in spite of all?

Frankly, I'm afraid.

**
I've started on the questions for our DMSJ contestants in PowerPoint form. Yup, I like giving myself work to do.

**

Someone called me a vinedresser.

Someone's Dictionary: Vinedresser = penganggur.

-_-"

**
I missed watching Sweeney Todd with Yen and the rest.

**
Shin Shin is back from the UK!!!!!!! I missed meeting her before the 2nd day of Chinese New Year because I missed watching Sweeney Todd with Yen and the rest.

**

Chinese New Year is here~ The world will be filled with red again. I like red, but not when there's too much red. And I personally think red doesn't go very well with gold / yellow. Maybe when the colours are on a princess's super glamourous dress, but not on angpows and lanterns. And the deafening and irritating sound of the drums and Chinese New Year songs are really... deafening and irritating. It's not like I'm being biased or ashamed of the Chinese culture, but I never liked loud and choir-like (like when they sing the Chinese songs in one voice) music anyway.

Many Chinese think that Christians are deserting their heritage and roots by preferring "Western" stuff like Christmas and... I don't know... black stuff (?) to Chinese New Year and other Chinese cultures and traditions. While we have the right to exercise our individual taste and preference, I suppose we do give the impression that we're ashamed of our heritage sometimes. Like when we can't even speak a proper Chinese sentence or write our name in Chinese.

Chinese New Year resolution (copy Shaun): To study Chinese all over again and improve my oral skills. I found my English-Chinese dictionary! I mean, the one Lin lent me *sheepish grin* Anyway, I was saying: I found my English-Chinese dictionary! So as long as I have sufficient discipline, the resolution shouldn't be a problem. =.=

There. Isn't that too much red?

**

By the way, I heard something on the radio and thought it was really nice. Here's the MV - "Teardrops On My Guitar" by Taylor Swift:

The guy mentioned at the start of the song, Drew, is a real-life person in her real. He also knows that he's the guy in the song ^_^" The chorus is especially touching. Who doesn't appreciate a forlorn true one-sided-love story? And I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who can really relate to this song for their own reasons.

But if it's that hard to hold on, then...

Just let go.

Just let go.

Last Night's Prayer Meeting

Mr Hoh was the chairperson, and as usual, he chose his favourite songs (easily predicted if one pays attention to his huraian before each song):

• Sweet Hour of Prayer
• What A Friend We Have In Jesus
  
• God Answers Prayer
  
• How Great Thou Art

And while elaborating on the prayer items, his attempt at a pun was really fascinating:

Jesus is the One who sings the tune, so let us hope that it strikes a note within us.

^_^" To end the presenting of prayer items, as always, he spoke in a very formal manner, as when he teaches Mathematics:

Without further ado, let us break into our groups to pray.

That's Mr Hoh for you.

Anyway, after prayer meet, we went off to Ramli's Burger next door for our traditional supper:

• Uncle Rodney + Uncle Beng
• Daniel See + Harry
• Sharma + Melissa
• Sis + Me + Shaun

(The youth sat at a separate table) We talked about all sorts of things, ranging from the Bible (fuh so spiritual) to our future lives (on Earth). Mel told us of how her friend's in a church where the pastor says that if you leave the church, you have to come back and serve 7 years there before you can leave. And he said it was from the Bible. Shaun suggested that he adapted the custom of the Year of Jubilee:

And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years.

And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family.

Full passage on the year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25

I suggested that the pastor was thinking that you can't have a jubilee year if you weren't a slave/servant or doing some sort of service in the first place, so he instituted a system of servitude for 7 years so that at the end of it the members could have a jubilee! Whoop!

After a long discussion, we concluded that the pastor was nuts.

We chatted a little bit about Biology, and we discovered that all of us (except Shaun) were Bio dropouts:

• Sharma: "I slept in every Bio class from Form 4 to Form 5 and failed every paper. My teacher sampat wan. Every time during exam come and talk to me about football (o_O). I only managed to get B3 for SPM cuz the standard drop until very low."
  
• Sis: "-_- (at the last line) I failed every paper and got B4. Plus my friends always laugh at my test answers."
  
• Mel: "I can't remember a single thing about Bio. Only the isotonic, hypertonic and hypotonic thing."
• Me: "I dropped Bio for SPM =D"
  

Shaun: "Thanks man. I feel so pressured now."
Me: "Why leh? Our Bio all so teruk wat."
Shaun: "Yalah, you all! Bad role models!"

(Sharma mentioned something about how his Add Math always got A1 wan) After that, we moved on to the topic of work, especially relevant to the actively-looking-for-a-job Sharma, the currently-working Tse Shuen and the one-with-the-working-experience Melissa. Sharma and sis are both in the audit line, and it's really a tough line of work (judging from the amount of work sis brings home as a trainee).

"I know, I know. We work as auditors for 3 years first, then we move into Accountancy!"
"I know you were going to say that! Don't want! I want to move higher until become manager."
"Eh, manager in audit firm also get RM 3000+ only leh. I think you go into teaching better."
"Har?"
"Your pay confirmed higher than RM 3000 lor."
"Cannot la. I cannot handle students like me."
"Eh, why not become lecturer? Easy life!"
"Ya! Get paid by the hour somemore."
"My lecturer ar, for 3-hour lecture, he came in the first hour and wrote a question on the board. Then he hilang diri till the 3rd hour, then came back and said: 'This is where most of you went wrong. I think.'"
"Become teacher la."
"Ya, ya, become PJ teacher! Everyday in the canteen only wan =D 'Boy, ini kunci. Pergi ambil bola. Ini bola. Kick.'"
"Eh, Sharma can teacher Add Math wat. Hwei can teacher Law and English, I teach Accounts..."
"Melissa teach Econs, Shaun teach Moral and Civics~"

Talk talk talk~

"Eh, so we're all going to be teachers right?"
"Ya! We open our own school!"
Sis + Shaun: "Yeah! Got everything wan - Law, Accounts, Add Math, Moral, Civics, Economics~"
"PJ!"
"Yeah! Private school! With everything except Bio."
"The Special School With Everything But Bio. Got Standard 1 until Degree wan. All in one place."

And so we spent the night talking about nonsense over a plate of kentang goreng and iced drinks (except Sharma and Sis)

"Cold drinks are for small kids. Adults drink hot drinks."

That was before he realized Mel had ordered iced tea. After that, he quickly changed his sentence:

"Working people drink hot drinks."

"Pandai you."

New Entry! (Jun Yi: Woohoo!)

I was reading Psalm 117 today. Read it when you have the time. Actually, you can read it now. It wouldn't take longer than 10 seconds. It's the shortest chapter in the Bible! (2 verses only) Oh, interesting fact: It's not only the shortest chapter in the Bible, it's also the middle chapter, meaning it's the chapter that's right smack in the middle of the Bible.

Anyway, I was using the PC Study Bible cuz I really didn't know what I could get from this super short chapter =.= Barnes' commentary on verse 2 reads:

Truth is a representation of things as they are; and truth, therefore, must be ever the same. What was true in the first ages of the world in regard to the relation of the sum of the squares on the two sides of a right-angled triangle to the square of the hypothenuse is true now, and will always be true; and so, what God has affirmed at any one time will always remain the same in all ages and in all lands. What was truth to Abraham is truth to us; what was truth to Paul is truth to us; what was truth to the martyrs is truth to us; what is truth to us will be truth to all generations of the world in all lands, and will be truth forever.

.from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft. Emphasis mine.

Wah very long paragraph. What Barnes said was in line with what Paul Copan's definition of truth:

Something is true -- or corresponds to reality -- even if people don't believe it. I often use the example of the earth being round even when people thought it was flat. Some people have said to me, "Wasn't the earth flat for them at that time?" I say, "No the earth was still round."

.from Lee Strobel's The Case for the Real Jesus, p.236

Truth is not something subjective, subject to people's convictions and opinions. There is only one truth for any one thing in the world. I always had trouble reading the Old Testament and the New Testament. The typical question that most people ask is: "Why does the God of the Old Testament seem so different from the God of the New Testament?"

The God who ordered the destruction of whole cities seems so different from the gentle nature of God reflected in Jesus.

The typical counter-argument for this typical question is that God works in different ways in different times. So since it was the culture to destroy cities like that during the OT times, it was alright? If somewhere in the future, it becomes the culture to practice cross-dressing to evangelize to homosexuals and transexuals, then it would be alright to do so?

Or have I mistaken the Lord Jesus for another person? I should think that I have neglected the nature of His justice and taken upon His gentle nature instead. I so often fail to realize the seriousness of the circumstances I would be in had Jesus not died for me. In the Old Testament, God only ordered the Israelites to destroy the cities to carry out His judgment and His justice upon the sins of those cities. It wasn't merely to drive those foreign nations out so He could nicely place the Israelites in their land.

God's justice never changed. If Jesus didn't die for us on the cross, so taking all our sins upon Himself, we would be just like those cities.

God has forgiven us. That's the only reason we're still around.

I've taken Jesus' sacrifice for granted all these years! I always knew that I didn't appreciate Him enough, but I never thought that it was that serious. It is almost to the point of blissful ignorance! Gawk! How can!? For all the questions I've asked to obtain a certainty of truth, I've missed the very important truth that's right in front of me, the one the Bible has been proclaiming berabad-abad lamanya!

1. God's intolerance of sin in the Old Testament: Destruction of sinful nations, denying Moses entrance into the Promised Land, the plague on Israel for David's census etc
2. Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
   
3. Luke 3:7-8 - Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"
4. Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
5. John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
6. Luke 3:5-6 - Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
7. John 1:29 - Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
8. Matthew 13:49-50 - So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
9. Eph 2:8 - For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.
   
   

Dad spoke on Salvation 2 weeks ago, and he said that salvation doesn't just mean being saved from going to hell, it also means coming into God's presence. Therefore when we evangelize, we shouldn't just keep hitting on the part about hell and heaven, we should also emphasize the part about receiving the Lord Jesus.

Now that the intensity of salvation is recognized, it's much easier to be motivated to work out my salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Because I now realize where I could've been had Jesus not come down to earth when He did. Thankfully, it wouldn't be an impossible thing to work out this salvation, because Paul adds in verse 13 that "it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His purpose."

End of long post. Dissecting the shortest chapter of the Bible turned out to be one of the longest trips I've ever taken.

And now... to sweep the floor. Buhbye!