Bardic Circle IV: Infinity

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED

2008-09-11T18:40:00.003+08:00

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED OUT OF BLOGGER!

VISIT EPOCALYMUS.WORDPRESS.COM FOR MORE UPDATES.

Goodbye Blogger.

2008-09-04T23:39:00.003+08:00

I'm so busy with my assignment that this place rusted after I was gone...

Damn... and I "lost half my life" doing my psychology report. This is super stressful...

Well, this blog has been with me thus far and I shall see to it that this blog gets preserved while I move on to another better server with better options at hand. It has been four years since I last sticked with blogger and I think that blogger is a good site to blog in. However, it doesn't have much functions, which I am looking for unlike its potential rival, Wordpress.

So I am leaving this place or good while I set aside some free time to do up my new site. I'll post here again when I am done setting up my new unpaid domain.

Oh by the way, a fixed theme is yet to be born in the new site. Currently, I have no new ideas on what to blog about. Seriously, life has been terribly stressful for me and I too feel a little drained these days. However, it would be good if someone were to drop me some ideas ya..?

Alright, time to go for a short hiatus and I'll be back with the new link!

2008-07-28T22:58:00.002+08:00

I know I have not been updating very much on this site and the new. There were many events that has past accompanied by my busy schedule, workload, and troubles. I am still recovering from cough and flu, and previously, fever. So, this sickliness of me is bonding me to my very limits. I hope I could get well soon.

Besides, I have busy planning my essay in advance due to the fact that I have four units to juggle with this semester. It has been quite taxing and draining on me and I really have to thank my fortunate encounter with some things that have enlightened me during my hiatus.

First, I discovered more than just genetic and biological explanations to how things work. I began to uncover things which are known to be spiritual. Not dealing with anything of the spirit here, but phenomenons that are known to be mysteriously existing around us. Things like love, faith, trust, compassion, nurture, growth, maturation, and development. Things which are non-natural in nature, or rather, things which are of nurturing quality.

Next, I came into conclusion that we are limited in our knowledge, and hence, the need to be religious or spiritual is not a crime, but the real crime is to (1) enforce one's own belief against another's by force and other political or social means, (2) to take a scripture literally by discarding reason, (3) and to hold on to reason by thoroughly discarding the irrational. All these three mistakes are the ones made out of emotions and strong fundamental beliefs, rather than pure reason.

The reason why I disagree with the new atheism is because they disregard the irrational by simply forming a schema about religious people and calling them insane, or mad, or psychologically impaired. I was once like these atheist until I thought about the logic of birthday celebration. The question is, "Why do we blow out the flames from the candles of a birthday cake?" It would seem irrational and crazy to people who do not celebrate such ritual before in their entire life. So in conclusion, we do not have the position to judge what is irrational or rational until we experience certain phenomena which gives us our personal solution to our life.

Without time and space, we would not be able to exist, let alone to think. That is why we are here... because of time and space, and of course many other things that we yet to discover in time to come. I am a skeptic still - a skeptic of religion, and a skeptic of science. Science can bring us to a certain extent of knowledge, but we should also value experience and other phenomena beyond our understanding or belief.

Anyway, while travelling back home, I decided to create a different theme for this main blog of mine. I realise that I have not been sharing my life and my struggles for quite a long time. And, especially right now, when I am attached, I do feel certain difficulty trying to express myself to my significant other, and also, embarrassed to tell anyone about how I actually struggle to keep my feelings under control whenever I have certain thoughts of commiting adultery.

Yeah yeah... you guyz can condemn me for this thought, but honestly, this is what many men are struggling with. Please do not blame us, because there are many things that women should know about men. The very first thing I want to highlight is that men are not jerks by nature. They are biologically and sociologically made in such a way that they function differently than their women counterparts. I despise a certain group of people, regardless of gender, who have a schema, or a stereotype of how a man or a woman should be like. Such shallow mentality would not be the point I would make in my future entries, and would not be the aim of my blog. Anyway, I don't really care about the criticisms I would get by expressing my struggles here, because I would also end with a positive note. So, if there are things which you find offensive, just ignore.. the same way like I would ignore your future nonsense, if that ever happens.

I'm getting ready to sleep now... it's late. I'll blog another day.

2008-07-13T15:57:00.002+08:00

I just celebrated my darling's birthday a week in advance. It's very unusual because of all days in a week, I discovered that my sociology lesson commences on a Monday, which falls on my girlfriend's birthday - the day which I'd like to set it aside just to celebrate her birthday with her. I wanted to make her feel special but she declined that I skip my lesson just for her. I guess she's the most understanding woman I have ever met in my entire life.

I got to know my results. They suck. I got distinction for non-core subjects and credits for core subjects. This is so silly, and I feel like an idiot. Sigh... how can I score better this semester. This time round, it would be my last. How? Need some answers... >.<

Anyway, I have received most of my new textbooks and am quite excited to start a brand new second half of my third year of Psychology major. So I would be very busy as I have lots to read up and research on. I need some well wishes...

2008-07-05T00:10:00.003+08:00

Finally I got the mood to blog.. Recently, I haven't been feeling well due to some very bad throat infection, body aches, and miserable emotions. I admit, I haven't been feeling very well lately. Perhaps that's the reason why I blog. Each time I have a problem or an issue, I would just blog my way. And sometimes when I wanted to express my feelings in Existentialist, that feeling was gone even before I sit on my computer chair. I just wasn't in a mood to blog or write... I don't know why. Perhaps I have too many doubts, worries, and anxieties deep within me.

Life sucks now. That's the holy truth. I can never lie here that life is good. Maybe in front of others I have lied many times. Life is NOT good, and life IS a bitch. It is a struggle for existentence as usual and to exist is not just to find meaning in my life, but to avoid alienation by opposing the societal truth. Somehow I need to start giving life and vitality to my purpose and goals. But at the mean time, I am still searching for my identity.

It's pathetic, isn't it? Usually, in the course of growth and development, teenagers are people who are in their midst of searching for their identity. But for me, no matter how much I do admit that I understand myself, ironically, I still have a long way to go, because I still do not know what my true potential is, what my strengths are, what my weaknessess are, and who am I. I think I am young enough to still have the fire of idealism within me and there are a few things I aspire to do. However, idealism doesn't work unless I get down to serious business with myself. I do not have much contacts and I'm an introvert. I am seriously crying inside of me for some miracles and someone who understands and is willing to give me a hand... or be my companion or advisor.

Life sucks because no one cares. And no one is willing to even give a hand just by answering my fucking SMS, which is regarding my career. Is everyone that selfish? Well, perhaps that's life. But if that's life, then what the fuck am I or are we living for? For God? Goodness sake! Some God's people are uncaring and hypocrites, not to mention dependable. I am holding to grudges, and well, I find it very hard to forgive. Because right now, I feel VERY alone, not lonely. I don't get it. I don't bite; I don't shout; I am not rude... and I certainly don't kill. Where the fuck have all my friends gone to? Are they the same as the MNCs, the TNCs, or other corporations that doesn't even give a damn? Yes, I am strong with my words and speak the harsh truth about reality. But don't I deserve that little bit of credit by being a friend of many?

Life sucks because when you speak the harsh direct truth, and when you are opinionated, as well as when you screwed up some of your fucking sentences, you are fucked there and then. Yes, this is the type of personality that is considered a true friend - one who speaks the truth even though it hurts at times, and one who is willing to criticise for the good of another person. But it seems that no one wants a true friend.

EVERYONE wants either an crapper, a stunner, a fucker, a fool, a jerk, a seducer, a prostitute, a pimp, an asshole, a bastard, an idiot, and someone to do business with. Life sucks because of this.

Now you tell me, how shall I be at peace? I can't be at peace with everyone. I want to. But it is pretty hard these days. Even the muslims are not at peace with certain kinds of people. So what the fuck is Mohammed doing? Yea.. same goes like this: Even many of us are not at peace with one another because of differences, power, authority, money, career, and status. So what the fuck is society doing? FUCK society! FUCK the government! FUCK the world! And definitely, FUCK our environment. How about this (I think this is a good one)? - Even most of us are not at peace with ourselves. So what the fuck are WE doing? Hmm??

Fuck life.

2008-06-23T15:55:00.004+08:00

Hi there people, I'm spending my day at home today trying to upload as many videos I can to my channel. While surfing around, I discovered that my all-time favourite comedian, Goerge Carlin, has passed away earlier today at the age of 71. I was shocked when I heard the news and sadden because I could never get to hear more of his stand-up comedies ever again. Well, he was a great idol to everyone including me, and I certainly hope that he would rest in peace.

I wonder if he's anywhere near heaven or near hell, but well, nobody knows. I don't know either. But I certainly think that he has made a great contribution in his life time and it was his jokes that never fail to make my day. Laughter's the best medicine and he has certainly prolonged my life a little bit each time he made me laugh. George, you are, to me, the best comedian of all times. Thank you.

Once again, may you rest in peace...

Here are some of his videos in tribute to my idol, George Carlin.

[part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7]

2008-06-22T21:59:00.002+08:00

I took a break today and went for my darling's cell group outing. She asked me to join her so, being as opened as I possibly could, I agreed. The outing took place at the East Coast beach where the water is always green and the sand is always brown. This is the beach which is so very unlike the ones near the coast of Cairns. Those beaches in Australia.. oh, how I missed those times.

Anyway, I got myself completely wet, all thanks to the games and the playful bunch of youths. However, enduring the wetness and discomfort was not much of an effort for me, but instead, I kind of enjoyed myself. It has been quite a long time since I played near the beach and perhaps, enjoy the cool breeze brushing across my face as I strolled along the coast. Today is the day I really took a complete break! That was what I suddenly realise as I came to think about it during my journey from home. No texts, no studies, no books, and no evolution. Just plain playing today. Very enjoyable indeed. I've never felt so free, especially from deep thoughts and those books.

I am now very tired, so I would be taking a rest for now... Will be back for updates.

2008-06-19T09:16:00.003+08:00

I've been excercising for two days now, and I'm getting some weights today so that I could train my arms and body whenever I have the time. I'm lazy to hit the gym and I've not been exercising for a long long time. I guess I'm starting to rot a bit, and I won't let myself be so...

I will be taking a walk later and use some weights down at the stadium. What a great month for me to relax.

Science News Updates

In 1962 someone at the Genetics Institute in Pavia, Italy, turned up the temperature in an incubator holding fruit flies. When Ferruccio Ritossa, then a young geneticist, examined the cells of these “heat shocked” flies, he noticed that their chromosomes had puffed up at discrete locations. The puffy appearance was a known sign that genes were being activated in those regions to give rise to their encoded proteins, so those sites of activity became known as the heat shock loci.
The effect was reproducible but initially considered to be unique to the fruit fly. It took another 15 years before the proteins generated when these chromosome puffs appear were detected in mammals and other forms of life. In what is certainly among the most absorbing stories in contemporary biology, heat shock proteins (HSPs) have since been recognized as occupying a central role in all life--not just at the level of cells but of organisms and whole populations. [Read more]

Scientists have confirmed for the first time that an important component of early genetic material which has been found in meteorite fragments is extraterrestrial in origin, in a paper published on June 15, 2008. [Read more]

Counselling Psychology Updates

In this study, the authors investigated the extent to which factor and spatial structures of leisure interests (a) are similar to or distinct from the structure of vocational interests and (b) differ across 3 cohorts: college students (M-sub(age) = 19.6 years, SD = 1.23), working-age adults (M-sub(age) = 29.7, SD = 1.18), and retirees (M-sub(age) = 72.3 years, SD = 5.40). Factor analytic, multidimensional scaling, and covariance structure modeling strategies were used to assess the structure of leisure interests as measured with the Leisure Interest Questionnaire (J. C. Hansen, 1998). Only partial convergence was found for the structure of leisure interests with J. L. Holland's (1985) model of vocational interest structure, suggesting that researchers should be cautious about using vocational interests as markers for leisure interests. However, the similarity in structure of interests across the three samples was greater than hypothesized. Implications for research on leisure interests and for counseling practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved) [Read more]

2008-06-15T15:31:00.002+08:00

Some updates so far...

My exam is over. I'm finally discharged from the academic asylum and no longer studying so hard until the outbreak of another examanoia. That's it, I'm done for this semester. I'm still tired but nonetheless, I will be taking more rests from now on to regain my energy.

My blog has changed its image and I've given some thought about providing space for both my personal affairs and my personal thoughts. Therefore, I've placed an extension to my blog for me to voice my thoughts, separated from those of my personal affairs and updates. If you wish to view my updates and also to check out how I'm doing so far, you can simply click on "events" at the left hand side of the blog menu. If you wish to read the thoughts I've written (which were usually in essay form), you can simply click on "thoughts" at the left hand side of the menu as well. I want to make a effort to separate my thoughts and my daily updates because I feel that I've not been writing much about my personal life as compared to what exactly went on in my mind. So, in order to bring back the blog I used to own, I decided to make an extension where my thoughts will be written whenever I have the time.

Feel free to check out my blog's new updates. From now on, this main site will consist mainly on my life's events.

2008-05-25T00:15:00.007+08:00

Many people would have found me irritating by now. Always ranting, always whinning about how meaningless life is. But life ought to be filled with questions, and the search for enlightenment and knowledge. If I don't do that, how am I going to find what I am looking for, or how am I going to discover what is necessary in my life? I am not going to remain complacent or satisfied with what I have now, because we all are evolving creatures - ever changing, and never stop growing. To hinder growth and development, is to invite tragedy. Life should be free, autonomous, and opened to various ideas and perceptions.

So far, I have made many comments regarding religion, faith, and the supernatural. I have went hard against them and sounded very biased towards irrational and dogmatic beliefs. I realised now that my true hatred was not entirely towards religion as a spiritual concept. Rather, I realised that it is the dogmatic essense of religion that I have big problem with. Instead, I am all for spirituality.

I have spoken to a classmate of mine regarding religion and finding one's sense of spiritual fulfilment. After conversing for some time, I came to a conclusion about what I really expect to get out of my search for truth and fulfilment. I have come up with a few criteria of what is lacking in my life:

1) Spirituality within a religion - If I can find spirituality within a religion, that is, if growth and development can be nurtured if I give my faith to a particular belief, I would consider being a member of that group.

2) Love and acceptance - Everyone is looking for that and I can't deny that I lack love and acceptance, especially from the people outside my house (excluding my girlfriend). People just don't care nowadays, and the atmosphere seems apathetic and cold. I am getting used to it.. more like being sick of it. I long for a group of friends that truly accept me for the way I am and would not judge me no matter what. I did not get this in return for joining a church in the past, because wherever I go, I don't feel appreciated, needed, accepted, or of any significant service to anybody. In everything, I did my best to contribute whatever I can, but all I need is a simple appreciation and non-judgemental attitude from believers.

3)Freedom from dogma and the responsibility to make decisions that will bring about growth and change in my own life - I am all for spiritual growth. I am very against dogmatic or scriptural instructions or commandments. I feel that commandments and scriptural texts are not as helpful as experiencing the real stuff in the world. This is not because I am blespheming against the "Spirit", but I think that to be able to encounter peak experience during the process of self-actualisation is the best freedom one can get from spiritual growth. Being spiritual, in my opinion, is not being religious. Spirituality is never the same as dogmaticism. Spirituality is rational, tolerant, and healthy. Religion and dogmas are irrational, intolerant, and psychotic. There are many things that I disagree in the bible, just as there are many values I disagree in the secular world. Life is not merely a comparison between reason and faith. But how one make sense of logic, reason, and rationality, as well as faith, hope, and spirituality.

There are many reasons, now that I am enlightened, why I am strongly against the idea of dogmaticism.

#1: Dogmaticism is putting authority over a single truth. It is the perspective of taking reality to be only in terms of black and white. In life, that is never the case. Grey areas like ammorality or neutrality still exist nonetheless. One cannot say that certain ideas are completely true, nor can anyone testify that certain ideas are completely false. There are percentage of rightness as well as there are some probability of falsity. I do not give God all the credit that He is the ultimate creator because whether He did create the earth or not, it is not up to me to say it like I know it all. I don't know. Even if the bible were to mention it, I still do not know. Because to take everything literally from the scripture is foolish. Yet, not taking literally everything from the holy book, is puzzling to almost anybody including me. Therefore, it is very hard for me to believe. However, if there is one thing I totally agree with the practice of a certain faith, that is spirituality - a notion that one doesn't stop growing and maturing till ripe old age.

#2: Dogmas hinder growth, maturity, and wisdom. Being too "by the book" is a dangerous affair. I can tell you just why this is so. Dogma doesn't open anyone up to reasonable ideas of what life is like. Life is meant to be experienced, lived, enjoyed, and fulfilled. Dogmas forbid one to try new things as if the consequence is sin, sin, and more sins... to be blamed on the culprit who is simply trying to experience the variety of options given to him or her in life. Everyone ought to find meaning in life and to create their sense of being... to find out who they really are, to identify themselves not as "Soldiers of God", but as REAL men and women, who fight the great fight and finish the race as courageous individuals. This has to be done not because of heaven's reward, but because the best is yet to be. Life-long learning should be embraced, instead of preparation for death and the afterlife. Death should not be life's goal, but it should be one's awareness. By being aware that life is indeed short, thus, the need for great things to be done here on earth.

#3: Dogmas can turn into fundamentalism any time. People will have the tendency of being foolish and using dogmas to justify their folly. Picking and choosing the verses within the bible or holy scriptures is an example of justify one's act because such and such a verse says so. I don't believe in complete reliance on the scriptures, but spirituality involves seeking revelations and inner peace. If an individual is not calm on the inside of him or herself, he or she can never attain any revelations or spiritual guidance. At least, I recall just how revelations work. Fundamentalism is dangerous because it is a process when people start to take the verses in the holy scriptures out of context. I hate to depend solely on scriptures and if I have the choice of depending on dogmas and experiencing what life is all about, I would choose the latter. If I were to have children in future, I would tell them to seek meaning in life on their own, instead of depending upon what the dogmas say. This is because we can be morally good even without dogmatic guidance. Where do we get our morals from? Well, I am not going to answer this question, because there are many sources where we can get our morals from, including spirituality.

I have expressed my hatred for dogma and a constant despice of religiosity and ritualism. I have finally come to my sense that spirituality is still something important to human existence. We live with imagination, and with such ability to imagine, we are then able to draw our relations to something external - somethig out of time, and out of matter. Something out of the extraordinary... that is what we deem as God. But if I were to tell you who God really is, I would be God myself, which, unfortunately, I am not.

I hope I have clarified my stand. I am not a atheist, just in case some of you may suspect me of being one. I am not a staunch believer because I don't believe in giving a hundred percent certainty to what is happening in this world. The sun may rise tomorrow as everyone expect, but we still ought to give 1 percent of doubt that the sun may not rise tomorrow, or perhaps tomorrow might not even arrive. I am agnostic in many ways, but it doesn't matter to me anymore. Because I know that I need spiritual guidance too. Sounds silly for me to say this right now... but, people do change. Some change because of circumstances, some change because they are forced to change, but some change because they have found what they are looking for.

I change, because I am human. Because, I have the most precious gift that perhaps not many would have... I have someone who loves me a lot and never fails to be patient with my doubts. I never fail to ask questions - bright questions, silly questions, redundant questions, and life questions alike. But all she did was listen. The answer I wanted is not meant for her to tell me... but she has shown me what and how it means to love. I am not a perfect candidate for loving anybody, because this flaw of mine, is that I lack love and acceptance. Thus, thinking that everyone is probably having issues with me, I strolled on in life disillusioned, confused, and lost. I think life is REALLY meaningless, but yet, I saw meaning in her eyes, and in other's too. I wonder what was it, and I couldn't figure out. I was too scared to face reality sometimes, knowing that it hurts to see myself as rejected, unappreciated, and beyond salvation. I don't expect the almighty God to show His love through people. I don't even look forward for people to do good things to me because God commanded them to. All I'm looking for, is that somebody who has made the effort to be unconditionally accepting without being too judgemental. The "will to love", the "will to give", and the "will to significance". No one has done it other than her. And I think, I have found my peace now.

Darling, you don't need to feel discouraged because you didn't 'reach out' to many people. The people don't need you to tell them about your religion or whatever you know or have been taught. People are not interested in evangelists. People are interested in finding acceptance. I am against the idea of evangelism because of this. Evangelism isn't that effective anymore as compared to the time of Jesus who lived in a different society than the way our society is right now. Our society is now made up of people who lack attention, lack love, lack acceptance, and many more. There are so many things lacking in contemporary lives today and I just couldn't bring myself to mention all of them here. However, I am grateful to have found someone like you who have been with me through my ups and downs. Of all people in my life, you are the only one who has made the difference. Thank you for your love.

I've never stopped thinking things through, reflecting on my core values, and analysing my life over and over... because life is not about holding on so strongly to your beliefs. Life is about finding the truth. YOUR truth.

2008-05-23T23:15:00.006+08:00

After losing my handphone, I suddenly realised just how valuable a simple phone means to me. Although I've never liked it so much as I thought it was lacking in several 'cool' functions that I desire, it is still a phone which can be quite handy at times. Taking things for granted, I realise just how much I miss it now. But life still goes on - the show has to go on anyway. I've learned from some of my stupid mistakes along the way and I never regret losing anything in my life. A phone is worth only a few hundred. But a person I love is priceless. All these do not matter as much to me anymore because whether there is any value or not, it is still my own life that I have to keep an eye on. Naked I come, and naked will I depart. This is life.

I dress up because I was forced to. I educate myself because I was forced to. I grow taller because I was forced to. I am 'mature' because I was forced to. I want to look good because I was forced to. I am not acting myself because I was forced to. I am cultured because I was forced to. I work because I was forced to. But I still do these things... because, I was forced to. What is it that has a hold on me? SOCIETY.

Let's face this sad fact.. that society has a hold on everyone. Every individual has gotten themselves into deep shit. They have bounded themselves within the expectation of society. Ironically, society is a socially constructed phenomena that doesn't quite exist at all... only conditioned within the minds of everyone. Humans are so conditioned into doing things unknowingly for the sake of society, not for themselves. I do it too... because I was forced to. This is not rebellion. This is a life of prison and a life of bondage. In fact, I am speaking up against this so this makes me a rebel. Besides, I don't think this is any 'obedience' reaction at all. I am simply knowing it too much but knowing not how to defeat society. Because society is larger than any multinational corporation in the world, the only discretion is through this pen in my hand. And thus, I learned that with patience, the pen would be mightier than the sword.

Q: Why am I against religion?
A: Religion is a socially constructed phenomena that aims to give man a sense of consolation, relief, comfort, direction, hope, joy, peace, and imagination. We, as humans, have the power of imagination, creativity, memory, and foresight. With this powerful mind that we possess, we are able to tap into various ability that help us attain our desires. In disappointment, we look for consolation. In hurt, we look for relief. In sadness, we look for comfort. In crisis, we look for direction. In distress, we look for hope. In isolation, we look for joy. In conflicts, we look for peace. In reality, we dream. In fact, there is nothing that we cannot do to make our lives better, because of the evolved muscles between our ears. Yet, our mind can be our enemy sometimes, because our mind can also limit us in many ways.

By subscribing to a particular culture, religion, political ideas, philosophy, scientific school of thought, or any other organisational groups, one has already limit him or herself to a very large extent. However, the biggest obstacle that hinders the progress of society is religion. Religion is the focus of a single dogma claiming its absolute truthfulness without the support of ample evidence. The only evidence found was that people are actually imagining a god within their brain. Perhaps, "imagine" is not a proper word, but rather, "justifying" is. People are always justifying who "God" is. I don't know about who God is, but I know that if a person can jolly well tell me that God is a good God, or God is a compassionate God, or God is a punishing God, or God is a savior God, or God is a loving God, or God is a just God.. etc., then this person is only justifying to me what God is like, not who God is. Because if one can tell me who God REALLY is, then he must be God himself.

We all imagine things. We all picture things in our minds. Imagination is part of human's ability because it is also a survival instinct. Without imagination, we would not be able to build infrastructure, business, set goals, or even plan our day. How we live our lives, is part and parcel of our imagination. Imagination is a good thing. But everything is also a double-edged weapon. It works for you and I, but it also work against you and I. I think human imagination has gone a little bit too far because the result of fundamentalism in this world is so evident right now. Everywhere, people are taking their scriptures out of contexts: Picking and choosing the verses in their "holy" books to justify their deeds or beliefs.

There are simply too many nonsense that has happened, and to list them here would make me feel like I'm writing a history textbook myself. No, it is no way to contaminate all its negative effects it has upon people here on my blog. The only thing I would list here is that the 9-11 attack has changed the world. Has it changed yours? Has it changed your thinking? Well, here's how it changed mine. Let's all stop being damn respectful.

Q: What has religion got to do with culture?
A: Culture plays a big part in our lives, even throughout the history of man. Religion melts into the web of culture whenever they meet. Religion and culture is like sex and violence.

Religion is filled with sins and virtues, while culture is filled with dos and don'ts.

Religion discourages people from doing something inappropriate because it is forbidden by the "perceived" God. Culture keeps people from doing things inappropriately at the wrong time and at the wrong place.

Religion says we should not have pre-marital sex. Culture says we should not pick our nose in public.

In religion, Muslims feel more superior than the rest, and Christians feel that Muslims are pigs. In culture, the Whites think they are superior, while the Chinese think that some of their own are dogs and outcasts.

Religion is dogma. Culture is tradition.

Religion is in every culture. Culture is in every religion.

Therefore, religion and culture are inseparable twins.

Q: If I am against religion and culture, doesn't it make me a non-cultured person?
A: Yes, I would like to be non-cultured if ever I have the opportunity, because I am but an individual after all. I cannot win society on the whole but that does not stop me from being a rebel against the idea of culture and religion.

Picture this: Suppose we take culture out of the human race, including religion. What have we? We would be living in caves, hunting animals for food, and fight against other humans or animals for survival. The fitter being survives while the lesser ones die. Life without culture IS indeed cruel. But does life with culture or religion improve the situation? Picture this: Imagine the rich that gets richer, and the poor gets poorer. What you have here is that the rich has managed to hunt better food and thus enjoy themselves with their rewards. The poor has not managed in its fight for survival and thus will sooner or later die out. Religion says we should give to the poor. What have we? The world's poverty is still rising and people are starving.

Here are the evidence:
http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Facts.asp
http://www.netaid.org/global_poverty/global-poverty/

Let us look at our Malaysian neighbour as an example:
http://aliran.com/oldsite/monthly/2004a/2j.html

My dear Singaporeans, as of the statistics of 2004, most of our Malaysian neighbours are living on 500 to 1000 Ringgit a month. That is equivalent to S$250 to S$500 a month, which is also equivalent to about S$8.30 to S$16 a day! Perhaps, that is not as bad as Vietnam. Singapore is but the only prospering country in the South-east Asian region. However, there are conflicts within the nation too.

Let's look at the monthly household income statistics (http://www.singstat.gov.sg/)

Notice that the majority of the population are somewhere between Below S$1000 to about S$3000. The latter amount is obtained by ordinary citizens or permanent residents who underwent education through the local universities. I postulate that amounts ranging higher than S$3000 are earned by individuals who are either entrepreneurs or businessmen. And what is the high amount above S$15,000 earned by a large group of individuals? Are they the ministers? Perhaps... and what are THEY doing with the money? Hmm...

If these people could give half of their salary to those at the range of S3000 and below, I suppose there would be quite a lot of happy people around. Life would be slightly easier. I'm a dreamer but if you are offended by my dream, then perhaps, you can buzz off.

So, what culture have we? Money culture? What difference will it make? What difference can it make? With or without culture, human race is still the same. With or without religion, people are still selfish and cruel. It is in our genes, in our blood, and in our veins to be cruel, nasty, and condemned. It takes courage to love another person, because people deserve hate.

Grace, is something that doesn't come cheap. But in its unconditioned nature, grace is what we lack. If one thinks that grace comes from God, I have no problem with that. But if one thinks that a particular culture, religion, or philosophy is great and the only truth, then I would have a problem. There is no culture in us. It is only an illusion or delusion that has brought us so far.

Therefore, we don't need culture to survive, because with it, we are still no better off than dogs, who at least possess the least bit of loyalty.

2008-05-16T03:06:00.005+08:00

I have one more assignment to go before I had to prepare for my coming exam this June. It's been a busy month for me and thus, I will be taking frequent hiatus from the blogging scene. To my readers, thanks for poppin' by and thank you for some of your great feedbacks. I will be updating most part of my blog during my vacation in mid-June, including the alteration of certain stuffs on my blog. I will be including new links to this blog and some more interesting stuffs, so do check it out when the time comes.

I am so tempted to seek a therapy. It seems that I have been 'suffering' (not sure if this is the correct word to use here) from insomnia. Besides, the term 'insomnia' is itself a layman's term, as I am not very sure whether my condition fit its description. Nonetheless, I think it is giving me some trouble sleeping. I am not sure how am I able to get help anywhere. Friends.. please tell me what do and how to cope with this.

Several days ago, I recovered from a throat infection again (the second time this year). This time, assignments weren't the cause, but the weather was. I hate the weather here in Singapore. I just don't understand why some white-skinned friends who come all the way to Singapore and love this tropical weather! I think it sucks. I think tropical weather is good because of the wind, and that's about it. The rest just sucks when you think about it, especially when the sun ray starts to burn on your skin during the hotter days in April, May, June and July. I am already roasted and I wish my white-skinned friends the best of luck. In addition, many are coughing outside my house. And to step outside my house, I need immunity. If I fail to be immunally strong, I'd be the next in line to check out the nearby clinic next to some convenient stores. The doctors are indeed busy earning some extra money this summer... although there's no summer in Singapore.

Now that I am well, I feel like a free man. Freedom from the agony of sickness, freedom from the bondage of medicine, and freedom from porridge. And until next time when I see the doctor again, I'd be enjoying myself and the things I eat. Sounds pretty hedonistic isn't it? Haha. I was never a hedonist back in my Christian days... but now, an angelic wretch like me finally see the light. I think happiness is what everybody is going after, but that does not make it an objective entity in itself. It all still depends on how one defines happiness. I am for the hedonistic views of happiness in that we should all do things not in terms of finding the means to an end, but it is all for the sake of happiness itself. Drinking coke is unhealthy, but if drinking coke makes you happy, then it is perfectly alright to drink coke. Masturbating is dubbed morally unsound to Christians, but if masturbating makes me happy, then it is again perfectly alright for me to do it, regardless of what others think. Why is that so?

Morality and other considerations are subjective. Therefore, happiness is subjective. If my happiness is not your kind of happiness, it is not a crime; it is simply natural. Similarly, what makes me happy would not possibly make you happy. So, it doesn't matter what you do or what I do, as long as each of us is doing it for the sake of happiness regardless of any disagreement. However, there are some ethical consideration, as I do not completely buy into hedonism without rethinking the consequences that would, in the process, occur.

First thing for sure - No taking of lives. I know this sounds cliche and silly, but seriously essential. Not that I have been brainwashed by the secular society, but rather, we move together as one society. And that no individual is capable of outcasting himself from society, because society itself is after all the universal entity that engulfs the entire human race. No one is capable of neglecting universal human rights or universal law, because the current society (and the society yet to come) will be the deterministic force that drives human action and existence. No matter how individualistic we are becoming, we are still collectivistic by nature. Hence, the society or rather, the majority of people agreed that the taking of lives without legal consent is wrong. Therefore, so let it be.

Second thing is - No one gets hurt. If I want to be happy to an extent whereby someone would get injured in the process, I should reconsider my intention. "Better safe than sorry" is the appropriate phrase. Having oral sex may be wrong in another individual's point of view, but when there are two contenting parties who engage in such satisfying sexual act without risking any injury, it is perfectly ALRIGHT. Therefore any country that bans such act calling it illegal is a country that needs to be laid. Obviously this particular country should start a sex business before its economy goes flat and their people grew desperate. BUT BUT BUT... I'm a great supporter of safe sex. And Christians, you need better sex lives. Muslims, I think you need it more than Christians. Monks... oh, don't bother.

Third thing is - Parental consent. Apparently, I have lived over the age of 21, so this does not apply to me anymore and I am finally immune to this. Unfortunately for some who wish to practice "Individualistic hedonism", and if momma or pappa says "NO", then it's too bad. Because engaging in something you like (as long as no one gets injured or killed) and that no one can ever stop you in the process, is something which one should exercise responsibility. My kind of hedonism is an individualistic one if you have noticed so far. Therefore, it requires lots of resonsibility as such personal philosophy has much to do about freedom and free will. It is by far, free-er or more liberal than Liberalism.

Last but not least - Observe the law. Philosophy is philosophy. Ethics is ethics. Morality is morality. But the law overwrites all. The law is above every ethics, free will, and moral decisions. It is socially constructed, but effective against anarchism.

So, in summary, my personal philosophy has something to do with plenty of freewill. And I shall guarantee that some people out there would be offended. Nonetheless, I couldn't care less because to me, as long as no one gets killed; as long as no one gets physically, mentally or emotionally hurt; as long as there is no illegitimacy in a specific act, anything I do is completely permissable.

Am I a liberal? Not completely. Am I a libertarian? Partially. Am I a hedonist? Much of me, but not all. What am I then? I am ME. Because I don't subsrcibe to only one theory per se. In fact, I value life as it is, rather than life as it is without. Every political theory or philosophy is making sense but each has their weakness. I cannot afford to adopt just one philosophy for myself to live my life as if without it, I would perish. Rather than living my life by ethics, by philosophy, or even by law, I choose to live my life as it is - meaningless, purposeless, and valueless. It is only by seeing that something itself is missing and lacking, thus it motivates oneself to create something out of nothing. Well, I am motivated, I don't know about you. Life is meaningless, but if I don't create my own meaning, who will?

2008-05-07T00:54:00.006+08:00

*dar dar walks in and gave me a kiss*
Yeah... that's my dear, who is about to go to sleep at this time of the night.

Anyway, I finally completed my assignment and all set to hand it in tomorrow and prepare working on the next one. Life is shitty as hell, and work never ends. Pardon me for my pessimism because optimism can never help in any situation at all. Speaking about being optimistic, it's a form of mind exercise I suppose - training your mind to stop expecting the worse - which is rather pervasive.

One may say that I have been a pessimist as my entries are now becoming more pessimistic than ever. The bad news is: It is going to be like this and there's more to come. People just refuse to be realistic and always think that having faith is so important in order to prevent oneself from experiencing depression and other anxieties. The truth is that even in optimism, there is a chance of disappointment, and where the amount of optimism is involved, this makes way for the prevention of self-preparation. Preparation for what? Preparation for the worse to come.

I used to be optimistic, but I know that I must be pessimistic as well. Subsequently, I refused to accept either polarities and start thinking that everything happens no matter how you protest or desire. Being optimistic gives you hope for the future, but leaves you a chance of disappointment. Being pessimistic gives you caution and skepticism, but something needs to be done in this process. So I conclude that nothing is worth being pessimistic or optimistic about. Things just happen either by coincidence (mere chance) or by sheer selection (desired force).

Things do not happen for a reason. It is for a reason that we live, but whether the reason is a good one, a valid one, a bad one, or a meaningful one, leaves us to our own imagination and creation. Similarly, if things happen for a reason, then that reason is something which you create out of your own context. For example: Two men had cancer at the same time. One of the two may think that the reason was because he has done something wrong, thus deserving such 'punishment' as a reason to get by. The other may think that the reason is because of some greater purpose that he would be facing in future, thus such experience would help prepare him for the greater purpose in the future. Both men had different views of why things happen. Both men thought that things happened for a reason. Both men had each created meaning for himself and lived according to what he believed. Therefore, to say that life has a purpose is an illusory statement. It is less than a purpose.

I still have difficulty grasping the concept of praying to God as some form of 'reality' to having certain needs answered via prayer. How long do we wait for our personal needs to be met after praying? Sometimes, it takes less than an hour. Sometimes, it takes decades. Now, suppose you prayed that your grandfather will pull through in the process of being warded in the hospital for some problems that require surgery. If it worked out for you that your grandfather survives, people would say God is great. If it didn't work out and he died, people would say that grandpa's gone to heaven and he's now up there "smiling down on us"...

Firstly, why is it "up there"? Why can't it be "down there" "screaming up at us"? Because it appears that many people refuse to accept the fact that their relatives might be in hell, assuming that there is one.

Secondly, not all prayers are answered because things just happen by chance, and within these coincidences, the individuals involved were making all the decisions. Whether or not these decisions came from God is debatable... but we can be sure that decision making involves a human being, and only a human being.

Thirdly, you can try praying to any object say.. a cup. Everyday, you pray to a cup that you would be blessed with a sum of money to do your scholarship, which cost somewhere around $2000 for instance (just for the sake of argument). There are perhaps a few scenerios which would take place after your prayers:

#1 - In a few weeks, your distant relative came knocking at your door and told you that he or she had a weird dream that you needed help and subsequently passed $2000 to you. Does this show that the cup has magical powers? Does this show that the cup has the ability to answer your prayer? Is this cup a God? If it is God, then everyone should worship cups. If praying to a printer would get another person the same result in a few weeks or so, then everyone should worship and pray to the printer and to the cup. If this is so, then which God is the real God? And which object answers your prayers? The cup? The printer? The lap-top? The toilet seat? God? Allah? If fifty percent of the time, you get your prayers answered just by praying to each of the above mentioned objects, isn't it quaint enough to know that there is not a single difference whether a prayer is made or not made.

#2 - In a few weeks, your money has not arrived. Everyone does their business as usual. You gained no financial blessings and your prayers practically were not answered. Perhaps, give it another few months and see what happens. Nothing happens. Well, what are you going to do? Work hard of course! Or find a job! But if your salary did not increase, it has nothing to do with the celestial activities "up there", but there are many factors to look into. Definitely, "celestial ativities" such as the claim that God, the Invisible Hand, provided aid to the one who prayed is not a satisfying answer at all. And even if your employer gives you the check of your monthly salary, don't even think that the cup has blessed you or God has blessed you, because you reap what you sow. In other words, when you work, you stand a chance of getting paid. This is reality. Employer pays you. God doesn't. If you think God pays you then that's your problem, you probably need a psychologist. Therefore, the cup has no effect, and prayer has no effect at all. Pray to God and the same thing still happens (50% answered prayers & 50% unanswered prayers). Maybe you will disagree, because answered prayers happen to you all the time, you lucky bastard!

#3 - In a few weeks, you received a tip from someone who was pleased at your customer service. That tip cost quite a lot and you realised someone has just tiped you $100. That's not the total sum of money you had prayed and asked for. The cup! What's the matter cup? Can't I get everything all at once? Perhaps, I should wait... And many believers would say that God would give three answers whenever you pray: Yes, No, and Wait. Well, maybe, in this situation, you should wait. So you waited and nothing happens. Perhaps the cup lost its power. So you prayed to the toilet seat for some financial blessings, and suppose you get another tip of $150 from another satisfied customer and similarly, nothing eventful happen after that. Finally, all tired, you decide to pray to God and you receive $500 year-end bonus for your hard work. Still doesn't add up... what do you do? Pray to another object say... a pack of condoms, believing by faith that you would be financially blessed. But the amount never add up each time you prayed and waited... seems like forever. Saving those money? Those are not huge sum of money as a person easily lives up to 500 dollars a day depending on your nationality. To wait for prayers to be answered is a pain in the ass. To work for what you desire is the key to getting what you want. Nothing fails like prayer.

It is so ironic that sometimes, when people prayed for safety, they got killed by accident somewhere, somehow. This is not surprising. There are many excuses for such things that happen to people who prayed for safety and got killed accidentally:

"Well, it must have been God's plan."

"Well, he asked for it. I think God isn't please with him."

"He's a sinful man who doesn't change his ways."

The list of excuses can go on... and people will start justiying in the name of God why such and such happened. It is all so man-made and politically superficial. I think this is lame. I think this is quaint. And I think this is the reason why God is made by man.

Wouldn't it be easy enough for people to just believe in themselves, even if we have limits? We are slave to our consciousness. Let it be that way then. Because if we deny reality by forming images in our minds about how heaven should be like, how hell should be like, and most importantly, how God should be like, then we would never wake up to the full harsh reality in that we humans are nothing but a huge container of chemical reactions. Perhaps, the cold reality of this world makes us fearful that we turn our attention to something we deeply wish that could last for eternity - something powerful, positive, and just. But faith is just one matter, and where faith is concerned, it is believing positively in something which demands no evidence, but yet holds a chance of mistakings. The failure of optimism, be it in religion, or in secular beliefs, is the evidence that we should put aside our polarised minds and think rationally.

2008-05-01T07:31:00.004+08:00

It's time for Food For Thought (FFT)! But before this, Happy Labour's Day everyone! It's one public holiday that majority of the Singaporean workforce would enjoy and hopefully, cherish. And while some who choose to slack at home, perhaps give some thoughts about certain craps alright? Time to exercise your mind to make it grow better, and think better... LOLx... I decided to implement this FFT segment in my blog every now and then whenevr I have the time or ideas to do so. Not only I could spice up the blog a little, I could perhaps get people thinking. Now, time for FFT!

Food For Thought

* When a man marries four wives, it is a polygamy.
When a woman marries four men, it is probably a foursome.
So when a man is said to be handsome, could it be that he is somebody whom you can have SOME sex with starting with a HAND job?

* There is an old Arab saying that, "If your father is an onion, and your mother is a garlic, how do you smell good?".
Similarly, in the context of fairytale, "If your father is a frog, and your mother is a princess, how do you not look like a walking tadpole?".
But, if your father is a carpenter, and your mother is a virgin, then how the fuck did you exist? ... or are you the product of a one night stand?
Nonetheless, if your father is Bush, and your mother is Teresa, then boy, how are you not born of shit!

* If A = B = C = D, does that makes D = C = B = A? No, because they are not equal.

Alright! Happy holiday! Enjoy yourselves!

2008-04-29T16:32:00.002+08:00

I just ended my lesson and am now waiting for the next in about a few hours. Although I am quite busy with my assignments, I thought I could spend some time blogging here before the month ends. Anyway, things are still going well for me, and I think would be able to cope with the busy schedule ahead this month and the next. That said, I haven't been sleeping enough because there is, as usual, many things on my mind lately - assignments, emotional stuff, future career, and relationships. Indeed, there is so much to do in just one day and I often complain that 24 hours isn't enough for a busy man like me. I need at least 72 hours a day! It is also hard for me to balance all of these commitments at one go. To do so is to do the impossible.

I was once told by my ex-church leader that balance is the key to life. Naively, I agreed. However, since I am no longer a believer, I now seek to challenge and to propose an adverse notion against such relatively theological statement. However, I do bear the consequence of also speaking against Aristotle's perspective that moderation in principle is a virtue. For the ancient Greeks, they practice moderation, and so they claimed... but how many them? That is, a rhetoric question that is still debatable. Philosophers and thinkers alike are people who can come up with so many different virtuous ideas of how to manage life. But it takes the willing who eventually decide upon putting words into action. I was also told by my previous leaders back in church that there are some pillars in our life that requires attention and that we have to balance them all at once. The pillars and foundation of life are namely: Relationships, Work, Education, Spirituality, and Family. It all sound so philosophical at first, when I was preached about it. However, I began to realise that all these are external factors. I do not understand the reason for balancing external factors in order to fulfill the internal self. And even if we balance them all, we would be worn out at the end of the day. Well, some Christians may disagree merely giving the excuse that without God, one would not feel charged up or energised enough to face the day. Well, if that is your belief, then so be it... because the fact one isn't feeling charged up is because he or she hasn't develop a right strategy of managing his or her time.

It's all about time management. Although I do complain about not having enough to do in a single day, I enjoy every moment of my time in life, knowing that I might not live to see tomorrow. There is always a percentage of doubt that we all must give to remind ourselves that our life is precious and so valuable that if we do not cherish every moment of it, we would eventually regret about not doing so. In addition, I do not give much concern to how much I choose to commit within a particular commitment, because I know that in every thing I do, I would definitely spend slightly more time on one thing and then slightly lesser time in another. There is no such thing called moderation in life. In every aspect of it, there can only be excess. And having excess is good because it helps us prioritize our commitments and responsibilities that we are in. There is so many things that I want to commit to and also manage them equally well and giving each of them equal quality time. However, I would be doing the impossible if I were to give it a try, even for once. There is always a sense of priority reigning over my life and that there are some things I have to sacrifice in order to attain certain goal in life.

There is no balance, just as there is no equality nor justice, nor happiness, nor meaning. Everything is the product of the mind, and a deception formed by our individualistic perspectives. I call it the "veil of ignorance" in my own term. Yet, everyday, we struggle to keep surviving in this harsh reality without knowing that we are doing the impossible and pursuing the most difficult task no one has ever attained. The irrationality of determination is the fall of anyone who thinks that it is always a "must" to attain some things in life, a "have to" be it in life, a "got to" do it in order to achieve the best of what is to come. However, no one cares about any consequences. No one bothers about the journey, but everyone wants to be at the destination all at once. Sounds very impatient indeed. And Adam Khoo, who stressed that an individual has to motivate him or herself by using words such as "I must", "I have to", or "I got to"... or, "It must", "It has to", or "It got to"... etc, in order to achieve one's goal where an individual can tap into every happiness and satisfaction at the end of the day. But, there is a problem in his motivational theory - a problem that no one bothers to identify or to tackle. It is the fact that we are never happy and will never be, if we think that there is happiness in life. In fact, it's the product of your mind that speaks to your subconscious about whether or know you are truly happy. However, that knowledge that you are truly happy is enigmatic and unknown even you and even to me. No one truly knows whether they are truly happy. So the fact remains, that to motivate oneself with Khoo's theory of coercive and forceful self-communication is a flaw and a potential of raising a society into a completely irrational one. Thus, my strong critic about his strategy is that it does not work a bit.

How then should be motivate ourselves? When talking about believing in yourself, yes, everyone can do it! I can do it! It's so easy! Believing n yourself in one thing, because faith is never enough. Faith without action is equivalent to blind faith. Telling yourself that you can be something you are not (especially at that point in time) is relatively irrational, which is also equivalent to having faith in yourself. Putting faith in God is something hypothetical... thus I would recommend something solid but yet, hard to do - Just do it with mental readiness, taking into consideration of the consequences, and be prepared for the worst.

About seeking to balance commitments in life, it is absurd. Because all it takes is knowing what to prioritize. Nothing is equally important because everything in your life is unorganised, including mine. It takes us to manage and to be responsible, because at the end of the day, our freedom of choice allows us to take responsibility for our actions and for our lives.

2008-04-26T21:40:00.002+08:00

It has been quite a long period of time since I was away from the blogging scene due to my busy schedules and all. But, now that I am feeling emo enough to write, this is the entry that is to be posted...

Today's topic is about happiness. The definition of happiness. For many people, the question of "What is Happiness" has always been on their minds. For some, it could be due to the loss of something precious to them, therefore, they would ask themselves this question. For some, it could be due to the life of constant stress and rat-race, therefore, at the end of the day, they would think to themselves what the hell is happiness all about. For others, or rather the minority, would question the definition of happiness just because they are curious about life itself. To them, they seem to have experienced both joy and sadness of this world, and often, are brave enough to ask such thoughtfully and emotionally provoking question. In fact, it is rather courageous, because for these individuals who choose to face such hard cold fact of life is something we should take our hats off to.

I don't know what happiness is, even now. Honestly, the times when I thought I was happy just doesn't keep up. The times I felt I was happy was just a moment of pleasure. The times I dreamt I was happy doesn't exist in reality. The times I knew I was happy, perhaps.. is impossible. Why is it impossible to know that one is happy? Happiness is not an expression; it is not a feeling.... but it is a state of mind. Happiness, in fact, has been defined by many throughout history. Epicurus, a Greek philosopher, was one famous for his definitions of happiness.

According to Epicurus, the first source of happiness is having friends. He recommended that we should never have a meal alone, but rather, we should have a companion or more whenever and wherever we go. He stressed that it is important who we are eating with, rather than what we eat or drink. The second source of happiness is freedom. He recommended that we should be free and go out for vacations every now and then. Epicurus and his friends would leave Athens during certain occasions in order to avoid the materialistic and gossipy, as well as the competitive atmostphere back home. He stressed that there is happiness whenever one is self-sufficient and financially independent. Moreover, he said that we must free ourselves from the prison of everyday life and politics... life may be simple, but as long as there is freedom, there is happiness. The third source is pretty much straightforward. Epicurus noted that we should live a self-analysing life. In order to do that, one should free themselves from the noisy commercialised environment every now and then such that they could be in a quiet place to exercise self-reflection.

So in sum, what Epicurus said was that if we do not have lots of money, but we have friends, self-sufficient and a self-analysed life, then we would be happy. Conversely, if we have lots of money, but we have no friends, and not self-sufficient, and not living a self analysed life, then we would never be happy. The reason why people are not finding enough happiness is because of advertising. Advertising is seductive enough to psychologically tempt consumers into thinking that they haven't have enough. It creates materialism and distracts us from the essential ingredients of life such as friends, freedom, and an analysed life. Materialism is in fact the root of all problems and the adversary of happiness.

I would have to agree with Epicurus that materialism is a dangerous sin that leads us no where. I would like to add that there is no happiness. Since there is no meaning in life, there is no happiness as well. The reason of making meaning out of life, is our human tendency and this natural ability should be used wisely. Thus, happiness doesn't exist, except in the corners of our minds. What do I mean by this? Simple. Happiness is not conscious. It is an unconscious state of mind, a being of nothingness. Sometimes, I thought to myself, "What if everything in this world were to be taken away from me?" What if I lost my love ones, my friends, my freedom, my dignity, my job, my goals, my money.. and so on.. until I'm left with nothing at all? Well, not everything... because I only have a life left - a naked life.

I have suffered the loss of a girlfriend whom I loved so much in the recent past. She left me without a reason. Of course, this has dealt a tremendous blow on me and even now, it seems as though it was yesterday. I have suffered the loss of some precious things in my life, and these materials include watches, bags, wallets, jackets etc. I lost them either because I was absent-minded, or they were stolen away from me. I have suffered the loss of friends who simply do not care and do not forgive. I have been through other hardships which I would not want to reveal here. I had a near death experience and that explains why I think that life is fragile but, ironically, there is nothing to be excited about.

I don't consider life to be exciting, but the process of it, is. Life has no meaning, but to live life, you need to create a meaning for yourself. I don't believe that happiness is something that you and I know. I think happiness is a subconscious level of experience that you and I will never know. If I am Job, and God takes away everything from me after bargaining with the devil to spare my life, I would have been the most terribly upset individual here on earth. If such thing could happen to Job, and if such thing could happen to me, and some others, it could well be happening to almost anyone in this planet. Therefore, I could only conclude that life's meaning is based upon how one chooses to perceive.

Happiness is not pleasure. Happiness is not being in love. Happiness is not having lots of money. Happiness is not about gaining knowledge. Happiness is not about finding inner peace. Happiness is beyond reason and comprehension; it is unconsciously mysterious. If you know what happiness is, then you probably do not know or understand what happiness is anyway. If we're happy for a reason, then there is nothing to happy at all. If we're happy because we choose to, then that goes to show that life probably sucks. How can you know that you are happy when part of you is not? How can you be happy when a part of you isn't? We are never happy because we can never find happiness. We seek, we ask, we dream, and we search high and low for happiness, but yet we can't find. Friends and love ones may disappoint or leave you, freedom is hard to find, a self-analysed life is almost impossible in this current society we live in. There are targets to meet and bosses to satisfy everyday. And even if we were to leave the city and become self-sufficient, we would definitely miss the lifestyle of where we originally came from - the urban jungle. Futhermore, we depend heavily on religion and staunch beliefs, but yet realised that we still have some things to pray for in the end. O' when can we ever be happy enough? There is no happiness except to enter into a dimension of nothingness. Naked we came.. and naked we will depart. Such, is the nothingness of life.

To those who have ears to hear, let him hear...

2008-04-09T16:03:00.006+08:00

A friend prompted me about life and death when it comes to meaning in life after exposing myself to him about my existentialist thoughts. His question was if there's really no meaning in life, why live? Exactly, we are living in a meaningless world.

First and foremost, I proposed that there is no meaning or purpose in life and that everything exists the way it does. In fact, we humans are the sole reason that things have meanings themselves. This is because we give meaning, purpose, and value to the things around us. Our brains are capable of setting goals and achiveing targets which we desire. Our biological history has evolved from simplicity to sheer complexity. Our human tendency to perceive and create meaning for ourselves help us survive and adapt to the environment.

Take a look at the following picture:

What do you see? When I was first shown this picture, I can't seem to see anything. I tried searching for meaning in this picture and until I was told that someone saw a dalmatian, I realised I saw the whole picture of it. In that process, I seemed to be making out some pictures myself. In fact, I saw thousands of trees in a tropical forest with big roots lining up in an unstructured way. Do you see that? Some probably will, some won't. There are thousands of things you can make out of a picture like this. In actual fact, there is no such thing as a picture in this world. Picture is what we make out of it, through our experience, sensation, and perception of the things in our lives. This is therefore not a picture, just some ink splashed over the page if you think about it.

What do you see in the following picture:

Do you see a duck? Or do you see a rabbit? For some people, if it quaks like a duck and looks like a duck, it is a duck. But that is subjected to his perception of what a duck may be. In this case, there are two ways of looking at things. In actual fact, there are millions of ways to perceive our situations. I conclude, base on this picture, that it is nothing more to it than an illusion. Just basic illusion with ink on paper. Another example of seeing things and making meaning out of things is the use of the Rorscharch Inkblots.

Of course, this is a projective test used in personality and psychological testing. But just look at the variation of answers one can give to these images..

How we live our lives depends largely upon how we see it as. Our natural tendency of giving meaning to live is the reason why we are constantly desiring to live. Yes, life is without meaning itself. But would you just want to die without exploring this wonderful world with all that you have - your senses, your mind, and your heart? Indeed, we are all lucky to be alive today. Without our ancestors, we would not be here. And simply put, we would not be here if not for an ancestral decision throughout history to live and reproduce.

We are hence the stronger lots from the many who survived till this day while the rest of the bloodlines were either destroyed by natural disasters or by other men.

Another Christian reader might even ask me, "If our purpose to live is to reproduce, then what a life we are leading. It's no different from the animals."

Well, the life you are leading is none of my business. My life I'm leading is none of your business. This is not because I don't give a damn, but rather, it depends upon how you give meaning to your life. I can't give meaning to your life. I can't tell you what are the meanings, because meaning is what you give to life and out of it. We're no different from the animals because we all reproduce, care for our offsprings and relatives, as well as trying to survive in our own unique ways. The only difference is that we have our own ways of living our life. We have a powerful evolved brain that helps us adapt to our environment, and this is our saving grace and the reason why we are still here today, instead of the dinosaurs or the do-do birds.

Christians think that their purpose come from God. In fact, we are the ones giving purpose to ourselves and constantly urging our way to find our own purpose or "callings". Voices in our heads might speak to us. But all the same, it's still us that determines our own destiny. Not God. God doesn't give us purpose, because we are still the ones creating the image of God. God did not create man, but man made God in a way that God is such an almighty figure, bigger than the kings and villains of this world, omnipotent, most wise and all-knowing, capable of giving men the comfort of salvation and distributive/retributive justice, totally oblivious to the fact that reality still, has not been overwritten by such utopian creation.

Christians, in this sense, are great dreamers. They dream a lot. And it's very healthy. But anything in extreme can harm not just oneself, but many who are revolving around that individual. They ought to wake up to the universe to realise that they are not dead, but so much alive, in the mind that is. Christ is dead, and so is Abraham. David is dead. Solomon is dead. Joshua is dead. Joseph is dead. Moses is dead. Adam is dead. Everone in the bible is dead, including the disciples. The book you hold in your hand in nothing more than a history textbook filled with stories of murder, genocide, bigotry and many more... if you want to include some stories that speak of morality, sure, there are some, if you pick and choose the verses properly that is.

We all perceive things differently. It is difficult to not be prejudiced or biased against certain ideas, but anything taken to extreme is questionable. Of course, in excess we will always have. An excessive idea is still better than an extreme one. Thus I would hold to the notion that life is still meaningless despite what everyone says. It is not meaningless because you have given meaning to the things around you. Here are some of the things that mean to me:

#1. My family
#2. My girlfriend
#3. My career
#4. My education
#5 My moral values
#6. My friends

Losing all these would break my heart.

What are the things that mean something to you?
How would you feel if you lose the things that mean something to you?
Why would you feel that way?

Think about it...

What are the meanings have you given to that object which you value in your life?
Try taking away the values of that object that mean something to you. I know it's hard, but imagine taking them away and seeing that object as though there is no value in it whatsoever. And since there is no value and no meaning in that object, it would be just fine to discard it out of your life. Can you? Why not? Why can't you throw away your wife? Why can't you throw away your family or friends? Why can't you discard your values, your faith, or even your career? Are they so important to you? Indeed! They ARE important because they have meaning... according to the way you see it. Otherwise, they would be discarded long long time ago.

Meaning is given, not sought after; purpose is created, not given; but the future is the only thing we seek.

Do you get the picture now?

Do you want to cherish the things around you more?

It's time to treasure what you have, because you have already given a certain value, big or small, to the things that you think you can't live without. My girlfriend means a lot to me, and therefore, I would only hope to grow old with her only, and cherish the times we have together. What about you? If I've attached meaning to my meaningless life, would you do the same?

If you have not, it's time to give new meaning for yourself.

2008-03-29T23:59:00.009+08:00

I just returned from a visit to Chomp Chomp with Sean and my girl. We didn't eat much but shared more heated up conversations on faith and reason instead. I think it's time to draw a certain line between what we know and what we don't know but yet putting our faith in it. I do not have much appetite these days due to the stress I'm facing regarding my lab reports as there are two reports to be due in the middle of next month. In addition, I am having quite a few querries to be clarified this Tuesday's lesson. Pressures...

I wish there were more time for me to do what I always wanted to do. I was told that I should be spending my time wisely and that I should manage it wisely too. I know these but nobody seems to understand that there are so many things that I want to do and so little time. Thus, I really hope that I could live pass one hundred years in order to get things done. I'm crazy, I know, but if you have a passion to live your life to the fullest, why not a long healthy one to go along? Time is short and it rockets. I don't understand why so many people whom I happen to know, do not want to live that long. Tired of living? Seeing no meaning in life? Having no passion for living to succeed? Being pushed to a corner without a way out?

It could be thousands of reasons positive or negative, but still, the best thing in life, is that we have it. Just one. One life is all we have. There is nothing after that. Nothing left after we die. No heaven. No hell. No purgatory. No reincarnations. No afterlife. No paradise. Death is the end of life. And Utopia doesn't exist, but only in the minds of a dreamer. And dreams do not become reality. Dreams become reality because it is plausible. Practicality plays the most part in reality. Thus, there is a lot for dreams to be accountable for if it ever were to become part of reality. Hence, I do not see visions; I do not have dreams; I do not have a purpose. What do I have then? I only have desires, passion, and potentials to make things happen. Desires are what makes us human. And it is because of our desires, do we give meaning in our lives and attaching purpose and values to that meaning. It is human desires (and our brain) that set goals and ambitions, as well as enabling us to be responsible and passionate beings.

Nothing in this world has a meaning. Everything is meaningless. Life itself, is meaningless. Money is without value. Clothes are nothing but cloth. Matter exists without purpose. In fact, every object is nothing but an object itself, meaningless, valueless, purposeless, and without a direction. Now, the question you may want to ask is: If everything has neither meaning, nor purpose, nor value, nor direction, then why should we bother to live?

It is because we live that gives us the authority and freedom to explore our state of being and existence. Our ancestors have always asked this same question over and over again, until they have been driven to seek out meaning in life themselves. Why do I love my girlfriend? Because she has a meaning and a value to me. I value her, therefore I cherish her. It is also because the time we spent together gives me a form of attachment to her and through these attachments we begin to develop a sense of bonding and thus, we mean something to each other. If such reality do not exist, then she no longer has any meaning me, given the fact that in the orignal state, nothing has a meaning.

Why do I take good care of my lap top? Because it was given to me by my dad. The relationship I had with my dad creates an attachment, which is shown in the way I treat the things that he gave to me. Therefore, my lap top, in turn, means something to me. It thus has a value, a meaning, and an attachment or sentiment to it. If such reality does not exist, then my lap top is nothing but a piece of devise that anyone can throw about or mess around with.

Why is money such an important tool in this world? It is because of its value. Without it, there is no trade, no possession, and no survival. There is no need for money but it could spell disaster and injustice, not to mention, anarchy. But that's besides the point. Money has no value until we give it value. A counterfeit money has no value, but it would have a value if the authority were to give it one (which, I don't think it will happen).

A man has no value, no purpose, no direction, and meaningless. But the reason why we have a purpose is not because God gave us the purpose. It is because we as a species, having lived on this earth for a long long time, became drawn to things that we often ask ourselves such as, "What is the meaning of life?", "How do we get here?", "Why do I feel for that person or for that group of individuals?", or "Where are we heading when we migrate from one part of the globe to another?" Our minds are always doing the trick of asking (tricky) questions and that eventually led us to believe that there must be something which we could make sense of. Hence, the more we explore the world, our lives, and our environment, the more we ask questions and give meaning to things that relate to us in many different ways. God, in conclusion, neither gave us meaning to live, nor purpose to live, nor a sense of direction to live, nor the value of life. It is humans that, throughout their existence in this harsh and competitive environment, attach meaning, value, purpose, and sense of direction in the things that surround them. This natural tendency is the result of our mind, which has the capacity and the window of a unique form of perception that differs greatly from other animal species.

I also mentioned in The Broken Capsule, that we should be able to draw a line between beliefs and knowledge. There is in fact a clear state between believing in something and knowing it because it has been shown to oneself. In short, seeing is not believing, but knowing. I believe not because I see it being shown to me. If that is so, I would have known about it. Yes, even if God were to appear in front of me, I would still not believe that he is God. Because by that time it happens, I know that God had in fact appeared in front of me. In other words, I do not believe but by being shown something, I would have known about it, rather than believing in it. The fact that there is no God appearing in front of me makes me dubious about his very existence. Therefore, my disbelief in God can be put in a way that I believe that God doesn't exist until he shows himself. Yes, so what if I am believing in a disbelief? I am believing because it has not been shown to me, and therefore I can't conclude that I know that God doesn't exist. The only time when I would say that I know something is when that thing has shown itself to be true.

Hence, Science is not a belief, thus, it is not a religion. Science is knowledge. It is a subject which inquisitive minds question their beliefs and have their beliefs tested scientifically and the conclusions drawn by the numerous mutually related evidence that follow. In short, beliefs are forms of hypotheses, which are potentially testable and yet to be disproven. So, for an individual who claims that God exists, it is thus a scientific question. Beliefs and predictions are personal opinions, which do not hold as much of a solid ground as their knowledge adversary. A belief afterall, is just a belief and nothing else. Knowledge is knowing something because it has been shown (not revealed in a 'spiritual' or 'paranormal' way) and physically revealed.

So it is proper to say that "I believe in God.", instead of "I know that God exists because the bible said so."

There is a thick line to draw between them indeed. Believing in something has nothing to do with knowing something. You cannot believe that you are knowing something, but you can know that you are believing in something. Knowing is about consciousness. It is a conscious state of awareness because something has physically been revealed. Believing is an uncertain but courageous act of faith that might either be proven right or wrong, just as hypotheses can be null or disproven.

All the same, the certainty of facts to each and every individual would be dubiously unknown unless that individual seeks after the answers himself. I am seeking my answers. And I would be constantly asking questions about this world, about life, about our well-being, and about our origin. I may or may not find the answers in this life time, but it would be worthwhile to die knowing that I've tried and lived my life to the fullest, in a sense whereby I've explored the world on my own, seen the beauty and wonders with my eyes, and discover the meaning of why we are here.

2008-03-26T19:32:00.002+08:00

For some time, I have not used the hotmail because of its ugliness. But more so because of its inefficiency and lack of space. Early this morning, I discovered that ever since the existence of Vista, the entire MSN website went through tremendous revolution in the way it looks. Now, it looks better and more attractive. I myself was quite attracted to the look of it, and decided create a brand new account for my MSN and use the functions they have in there.

I have already created my Web Space and this is a rather public Space for my friends and other Internet geeks and lurkers to visit. This is the address for some of you who are interested to know: frederikan.spaces.live.com.

I will be posting different topics whenever I update my Space, and please don't get the impression that I am promoting atheism because that is not my aim or purpose. My purpose for being a rational free thinker is to encourage free thought as well as rational thinking. I realised that not many people (especially religious ones) are opened enough to question their faith because they have been told not to doubt it in the first place. This should not be the case and the aim of my Space is not to go against religion, but to challenge people to break out of the capsule and think for themselves. Hence the title, The Broken Capsule.

I know I will face many adversaries and challenges ahead because of what I am doing. But I think it is right on my part to contribute to the rational thinking world, and to support the notion that everybody should be opened enough to talk or discuss about religion, science and beliefs, especially in Singapore where many are still living in fear (of government and of many other things).

I welcome all comments, good or bad.. but nonetheless, I am more concern in instilling the whole idea that we can have the freedom of speech that comes with responsibility. I hereby encourage my fellow Singaporeans to speak out, to start new rules of conversations, and to break the barrier of fear. Unless such action from each individual is taken, there will be no further change but utter prevalence of irrational conformity and lack of responsibility.

I have to go now. And I'm hungry...

p.s. a thousand kisses for my sweetheart..

2008-03-25T22:57:00.007+08:00

It's pretty hard keeping my blog regularly updated as my third year assignments are piling up. Even if this is one hypothesis now, it would not be disproven in time to come.. probably a year or so. I remembered back in those days when I had some freedom to do whatever I like; whenever I desire, according to my senses. Now, I have to adapt to my schedules and fight for some little space for some quick leisure activities.

I wish I had more time. Not just for my studies; nor relationships; nor hobbies... but more time for everything. I wish I could have more than 24 hours a day.. perhaps 72 hours would be great for one day alone. I would then use 24 hours to sleep, 12 hours to play, and the rest to do my studies - all just in one day. And if I were to be working, it would be 9 hours for work, 15 hours to sleep, and the rest for recreations, sex, or hobbies.

Of course, I really wish to be living in a fantasy land. A Utopian dream ain't that bad, especially when I got sick and tired of the real life. The last template I used for my previous blog was a reflection of how I actually felt. It was a reflection of a deep desire and longing for a Utopian lifestyle, and that was how I came up with themes like 'dreams' and 'a world of ice' et cetera. Although others commented on my creativity which I utilised in building up the template of my blog (which I pretty much appreciate that), it would not be so without my emotions and the thoughts I invested into expressing my deepest (sometimes darkest) feelings inside of me. Still, I could not let go of the Utopian dream which I hold, because of it's usefulness in lifting me up, and getting me out of reality... at least for a while.

Speaking about Utopia, it is quite similar to being captivated (or more like deluded) in spiritualness instead of reality. Such spiritual experience is something which I think most of us need in order to find a place to rest. Our resting place are, however, subjected to our perception of the universe around each and everyone of us. Thus, there can be no similar perception of what a Utopian experience, nor a spiritual experience, and not even a God-related experience is. The contradiction of having a mass gathering of similar world-view is a disastrous activity, and a lousy idea. Unless there are common understanding and mutual support of individual perception of a particular world-view, despite of certain disagreements relating to that view irregardless of its weight or quantity, the very notion of having a gathering of shared world-view remains preposterously redundant.

Hence, our private view of the world, of our experience, and of our imagination, can only come to a common consensus within ourselves. If one is a normal individual, that would most likely happen. Nonetheless, our private thoughts and experiences could be shared only if we want them to be shared. To criticise a private thought or experience is not equivalent to violating the person's right of privacy because the right to privacy is not the same as thoughts or experiences that are private or personal. Therefore, to criticise a theory or religion, there must be factual evidence and logical reasoning. So far, I've met few individuals with religious background who are, though moderate in their stand on Science and Religion, rational and opened in their discussion with topics on beliefs. However, my take (though I shall not discuss much in this entry) is that religion cannot give a solid evident proof about the existence of God. Neither Science nor Religion has the precise answer to God's existence. If this is so, there is no other reason to conclude that the bible or any other scriptural texts could possibly explain this God-like phenomena.

Thus, I shall conclude that the "God" we are worshiping is the God of our perception. Our perception of morality; our perception of the laws of man; our perception of truth. It doesn't matter whose side you are on, because if there is one thing you place your faith in, that object is a God to you. But it would be preposterous to say that the God one is placing his or her faith in is a God which is false, or irrelevant, or improper, then there ought to be more facts in order to support this particular argument. But how much fact is considered adequate in order to explain away such accusation? I hate to say this but, in such circumstance, nothing is satisfactory enough to bring down one's faith in a particular God.

The notion of evangelism has been given a bad name for centuries. The whole idea of reaching out to others has always been a great flaw in my opinion. The big question is - why do we have to tell others what God has done to us, instead of showing them about compassion, about love, about generosity, and about having self-confidence? Indeed, one might think that God or whoever that is invisible or imaginary has done great things in his or her life, but the main point of making a difference is not by telling the world how good God is. Rather, it would be a better idea for the world (only for individuals) to be shown love, respect, compassion, and generosity. Regarding the use of religious doctrines to exercise compassion and to bring about positive change in the society is for the mature and rational group of individuals. This is certainly not for children, not for fanatics, and certainly not for the ignorants.

To bring a church up with people regardless of their maturity or level of knowledge is a disaster. For having a place of agreement (even though there is power), is a place where most conflicts never end. It is so contradictory in this sense and I think that it would be better if the Church hasn't exist in the first place. Free thought should be exercised together with its old friend, logic. It is true that one should be rational and yet at the same time, compassionate. But my take on this is that rationality, morality, compassion, generosity, and love need not be motivated by religious doctrines. In short, if a person thinks he or she can be compassionate, which is part of him or her, by simply subscribing to a moral philosophy, then it is true that his or her faith is in that philosophy. All the same, it does not mean that moral philosophy is his or her religion, for it's not even his or her deepest belief, only a mere subscription to a particular suggestion.

I would like to add that nobody is capable of subscribing completely to a particular philosophy (and that includes a specific belief). And I would like to propose that inflexibility of the self would lead to a life worth dying. If one is inflexible regarding his or her belief, it would be terrible to imagine what might become of him or her should anything adverse were to occur abruptly. If I believe that the earth is the center of the universe and stick to my own belief no matter what, I am definitely in for a terrible news should anyone prove that the earth is round, and that it rotates around the sun. Apparently, someone did. And what would become of me if I am inflexible with my belief? I would die of misery and bitterness.

The beauty of Science is in its uncertainty and unpredictability, which is the reason for attracting inquisitive yet intellectual minds. The humility of Science shows that there are indeed many things and many questions that man has yet to discover for ourselves, as we live in this universe full of things which are still unknown to us. The best thing about Science is that it always keeps us going. It never ceases to fill us all with questions and then our attempts to disprove our hypotheses. It is not traditional, but always progressive. We may not know it now, but we would know it sooner or later, but it is better than never. Of course, a billion times better than giving up and leaving them all to false hopes, forever lost in the realms of the unknown.

The challenge that religions should take up is the attempt to show ample evidence with regard to what their doctrines claim. It is therefore not completely our responsibility (as Scientists) to be all the time questioning the reliability of religious scriptures, but it is also partially the religious who need to come out and not just provide evidence, but to question their beliefs as well.

The reason why Science ignores the paranormal and spiritual is due to its ambiguity and untestability. That is the limit of Science. And it is the limit of our human knowledge. However, if Science is limited in knowledge unless proven true, and Religion is limited because of the lack of evidence, then there must be a way to discover the existence of God or the origin of human race. Since so far there are tons of evidence for the fact of evolution, and that AIDS virus too evolve into something deadly is also true, then shouldn't we adopt the fact that evolution is the reason for our existence? It doesn't make religion false, but that evidence is the proof of fact. However, if some of you think that Science and Religion can co-exist, then show me how evolution can be an explanation for Adam and Eve, as well as how evolution can be an explanation for how a walking and talking snake loses its legs and voice. There is one thing I predict that if a snake knows how to talk, its brain would have the cognitive ability to do so. None of that has been found. Instead, monkeys are shown to be more intelligent than the snake in terms of their cognitive abilities, which are a lot similar to human beings.

Once again, if Religion can co-exist with Science, then what is the Science behind Religion? This is the question I would like to ask and to seek an answer for.

But for now, Religion has got nothing to do with the state, with education, and more so, with Science.

2008-03-18T23:03:00.000+08:00

What a busy week! The reason why I have the time to type some words into this spacious entry is because the due date for my Sociology assignment has been postponed till next Wednesday. Hooray!

I hate to write about politics and their perspectives of Social Justice. It is similar to the alternate version of those fine tuning arguments about morality, and what is good and what isn't. I don't understand why such relativism is necessary anyway - the fact that it just makes things more complicated and contradictory at times. On the other hand, universalism of ethics is just going to make things worse because not every person is able to subscribe to one single set of principles, especially in a world filled with intellectuals, yuppies, and morons. But I know just one thing that all of us ought to do in order to achieve social justice: To treat one another with love and respect.

By this, I mean that we should respect an individual without judging him or her. Yet, we mustn't allow this respect to go out of control, just like what we are doing with religion. I certainly expect people to exclaim out loud at this point where I mention the word "religion". Yes, it is that sort of belief that we need to challenge. It has received plenty of limelight over the past centuries, and gained quite an overflowing amount of "respect" any man has ever wasted.

Anyway, I'm left with half an essay to go before handing it up as soon as I complete it. Tomorrow is just another day for me to complete my assignment, but I'm not sure if I'm seeing my darling tomorrow...

Oh, darling, it's been two days since we celebrated our first year anniversary. I've got no time to update my blog then as we were enjoying ourselves so much... anyway, HAPPY FIRST YEAR and 2 days ANNIVERSARY DEAR!!!

I love you.

2008-03-11T23:59:00.008+08:00

Bill promotes school religion at expense of education
Dave McNeely
Special to The Sun

EDMOND — The Oklahoma House of Representatives Education Committee has just approved House Bill 2211. The bill is expected to pass the full House, and then to go to the Senate. Its authors describe it as promoting freedom of religion in the public schools. In fact, it does the opposite.

HB 2211 is identical to bills widely introduced into state legislatures across the nation, where they have met various fates. Texas’s Legislature passed it, and Texas is experiencing serious problems as a result. Liberty Legal Institute of Plano, Texas, a group of fundamentalist Christian lawyers, drafted the bill and promoted to legislatures, including Oklahoma’s. It was not written by its Oklahoma legislative “authors.”

The bill requires public schools to guarantee students the right to express their religious viewpoints in a public forum, in class, in homework and in other ways without being penalized. If a student’s religious beliefs were in conflict with scientific theory, and the student chose to express those beliefs rather than explain the theory in response to an exam question, the student’s incorrect response would be deemed satisfactory, according to this bill.

The school would be required to reward the student with a good grade, or be considered in violation of the law. Even simple, factual information such as the age of the earth (4.65 billion years) would be subject to the student’s belief, and if the student answered 6,000 years based on his or her religious belief, the school would have to credit it as correct. Science education becomes absurd under such a situation. (Read more...)

Thanks to atheistmedia and DoctorE for the link.

When I logged on to my computer after my long conversation with my friend, the above piece of news came as a frightening nightmare that got me screaming deep within my soul. Again and again, whenever I log on to the Internet and wherever I go, it seems that the religious world-view is turning into deeply held irrational belief that has become an apparent threat to our civilisation. At one point in time, it cultivated the notion of moral philosophy: in teaching individuals to love one another, even though the notion of spiritually is present (such as God or deities to be respected and worshiped). And through the generations, religious beliefs have evolved. There were radical changes to many different religious beliefs over the course of history. Such evolution of religion is inevitable, which is partly due to the ambiguity of their misinterpretation-prone scriptural texts. Presently, it seems that most religious people, especially the Christians in general, could not differentiate between the church and the state; fact or fiction; evidence or fairy tale; science or superstition.

Jesus said, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's". (Matthew 22:21)

By these words, Jesus has made it very clear that there must be a line to draw between the church and the state. There must also be line to draw between what is of your personal belief or superstition, and those of the reality (the issues we are facing today in the society). Do not EVER think that only the Christian faith, or the Muslim faith, or the Jewish faith is the way and truth to life - depending on which of these religion you are embracing (in a sense that such faiths, like any hardcore religious individual would deem as "truth", constantly prostitute themselves in a contradicting manner, and at the same time, rejecting the reliability of all evidence-based sciences). That said, I think irrational faiths and beliefs in this case, are totally insane, narrow-minded, fanatic, and utterly out of this world.

By the way, what is so difficult in accepting the fact that the earth is indeed billions of years old? And what is it so difficult in accepting the fact that our DNA contain specific information of our own physical characteristics, and will be passed on to the next generation, where they would acquire certain features that we now have? And what is so difficult in accepting the fact that HIV viruses evolve, from harmless simplicity to a complex death threat to an individual clueless about this infection? What is so difficult in accepting the reality that evolution is a scientific fact? The answer lies with one word: RELIGION.

Religion is to be blamed for coercively indoctrinating the misguided information that science had not and did not even discover. Although there may be millions of things that scientists have not disproved, it does not give the lay man permission to create a Utopian evangelistic committee just to pin themselves onto false hopes, rejecting the advances of medicine and science altogether. With the degree of reliance upon scientific evidence in our daily lives, there would be hope for progress, free thought, critical thinking, and reason. Morality (either from personal ethics or religion) should be secondary to evidence and fact, not because it is of less importance, but because of its subjectivity and ambiguity.

Guess what, with the contamination of these religious nutcases, stem cell research has been halted. There goes our scientific progress, which would in turn affect our social progress as well. With the presence of such religious fundamentalism, and the ignorance of not being able to distinguish between fact and fiction, reality and fantasy, science and religion, church and the state, then I would not be surprise to find myself waking up one day to a time when the pope is the central authority of the entire world.

Do you want a theocracy? No, I don't want it. I detest it. I hate it. I am disgusted by it. If ever theocracy becomes the world's dominant rule, instead of capitalism and secularism, then we would all become slaves to falsehoods - the earth is flat, the sun rotates around the earth, the earth is 6000 years old, man appeared magically from the dust, snakes could magically walk and talk, water could magically turn into wine, money could appear from nowhere and so on...

There is a limit of respect to which the secular state can ever give to religion. This piece of news is utterly shocking, and the way such religion (in this case, Christianity) has literally brain-washed much of the American population, is in my opinion, too much to take. I think there should not be any more tolerance to this atrocity for the sake of appeasing or "respecting" such religious faith. Immediate action must therefore be taken.

2008-03-08T23:59:00.002+08:00

It has been quite a while since I blogged.

I hate to say this but I have been down with flu and slight cough, so much for the late nights. Don't ask me why, because if it's something important that pushes me to that limit, it is indeed important to me.

I have been doing some self-reflections lately, and for the past few days, I took some time off for myself just to think about the things in my life. Well, it's too private to say over here as there are people reading every single word I write. So to make things clear, especially to those readers who are not my friends yet, I am perfectly fine and sane (my friends and love ones can testify that). And I have been generally happy about my life all these while. Except that sometimes I find myself in some situations whereby things just get a little bit confusing for me. Hence, the need for some self-reflections and vacations.

Last week, I mentioned that soon after my counseling lesson, I thought of trying out some therapy sessions just to see how things work for me. Not that I'm deeply struggling with some stupid dilemmas, which I cannot overcome (Well, speaking of which, I have fortunately dealt with my repression after the long vacation). I have totally no idea about the cost for those many sessions of therapy, but I'm quite open about it. Unfortunately, the Asian society we are living in is still not as liberal as it ought to be, especially in Singapore when much of the population have not dealt with the taboo of seeing a personal counsellor or psychiatrist. That is the main reason why most people, including those who are in great risk of losing their sanity, are very much hesitant with regard to making a simple trip to seek help from these counsellors or professionals. On the contrary, I, too, felt a little concerned regarding how some people would view me as. Needless to say, I am also just as guilty. I can't stand contradicting myself sometimes. I am not insane, else I would be in the "solitary room" by now. But, that's beside the point. We all have problems, and sometimes, we just need some opinions from professionals. I think everyone of us should go for some therapy sessions for the sake of self-awareness and hopefully making some positive changes in certain areas of our lives.

That said, there are still that stubborn mindset, which is still lingering within this conservative Asian society. The mindset that "only mad people would go for psychotherapy". I know, it's easier said than done when we, the more knowledgeable sort of people would argue that it isn't the case at all. Given the fact that much of our troubles began with a tiny harmless thought - thoughts that consciously, or subconsciously occur in our minds, which in turn produce the result of our behaviours, and finally, our habits. Therefore, the notion of self-consciousness, nevertheless, still holds me back. I hope I could get over it in time.

Anyway, lesson was interesting as usual. This time, it wasn't about reflection, it was about "schema detection". Months ago, I completed the MBTI test in my previous semester and I scored really high on Thinking and moderately high on Judgemental. That was a really brilliant test that sort of reflect upon the way would react to certain situation. I tend to be rather organised and structured in my daily lifestyle. I'm a planner, I hate chaos, I like things to be organised, and I love it when things are done in a more orderly manner. That explains why, in my previous entries, I grumbled a lot whenever I encounter last minute appointments, announcements, or even changes. I hate to see things done in a rather disorganised manner, and that poses a little bit of inconvenience for me and the people around. Such craziness and obsessions about organisation and neatness really could have some effects on how I handle people. This lesson I had this afternoon placed me in a good position to have a good look about how I would treat others during situations when things become ambiguous or unpredictable. We all have stereotypes and that could in turn affect every counsellor's reactions to certain pressures and tense situations. But given situations when I really tried my best in handling pressures, I tend to be pushy, judgemental, and pretty nasty (which, is quite an understatement).

I once dreamed of being a marriage counsellor. Okay, don't be shocked. Don't panic. Don't scream. I know there are lots for me to learn and bark up if I were to chase that old dream of mine. Currently, my reason for studying Counselling as one of my psychology electives is to get to know exactly what kind of person am I. And true enough, I have learned quite a lot during the first few weeks of lessons. The subject of Psychology is so interesting and I would strongly recommend anyone who has a passionate interest in people, discovering themselves, and how the mind works.

It's late at night now... and I think it's time for me to turn in before those flu bugs attack me again.

I'll be back with more entries, I promise. Good night people...

2008-03-01T19:45:00.003+08:00

My new semester started today. My very first lesson was Introduction to Counselling.

It was a class which was unexpectedly different from the ones which I have previously attended as this first lesson was indeed person-centred in my point of view. Honestly, this is one of the many lessons I enjoyed, not because of the fun or laughter, nor the joy of talking nonsense. Rather, my lecturer brought everybody into a session of self-reflection in order to discover more about ourselves. This self-awareness, so to speak, is one of the very important ingredients in becoming a successful therapist.

I was enlightened by how wonderfully all of what I have learned and experienced worked out perfectly in one clear picture. To cut the story short, I have truly learned a lot this afternoon and enjoyed my first lesson. On the other hand, this session of asking ourselves a few self-reflecting questions flashed on the projector was a frightening one for many. Self-reflection is something which we do not do very often I believe. And for me, I learned quite a lot about myself and for the very first time, I could finally list quite a long list of strengths and weaknesses I have. Finally, I think the only thing that I should work hard on is the area of my perfectionism. In its extreme, it would make me a horrifying obsessive-compulsive arse to many. In its moderation, it would give me an unstable tendency to fall short of my sanity. I think my perfectionism is the result of my pride and difficulty in dealing with angry and judgemental people.

It is such irony, isn't it? That in life, the people you meet are not those who would make you like them. Because they don't like you either. I was amazed at how, in fact, angry individuals attract angry people, and how positive individuals attract happy people. The attraction is just besides the point. If one thinks that attraction is the conclusion of such relationship formation, then he or she had just missed the mark altogether. However, the key reason for such attraction is a purposeful one, and, if some would like to put it, a potentially therapeutic one.

There was a time I realised how uncomfortable I felt when someone whined to me about his or her (not mentioning any names or gender) breakup situation. He or she was of course depressed and totally desperate for another loving relationship. There and then I did not realise why I felt uncomfortable and sounded pretty much insensitive when I told him or her something like, "Regardless of your situation, you have to move on. NOBODY is going to be of any help if you don't! Please stop that whining!"

Today's lesson concluded an unresolved issue regarding the way I personally resolved my past breakups. In fact, I did not resolve it but let it slide under the carpet for so long now. I realised that with so much repression in my life regarding the areas of my past breakups one after another has made me an utterly different individual, and most of all, a fearful and paranoid one whenever I deal with issues of breakups or relationships, be it somebody's or mine.

The more I talk about this, the more I feel like I should be the one going for some counselling instead. In fact, I should. Because I think if I continue to repress my depression, it would not do me any good.

I hope I could have some time for that... perhaps...

2008-02-19T15:51:00.002+08:00

Imagine
John Lennon's cover by Eva Cassidy

Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
And no religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
and the world will live as one.

Imagine no possessions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
Or brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
sharing all the world...

You! You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
and the world will live as one.

You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
and the world will live as one.

2008-02-17T23:45:00.002+08:00

I want to speak out, and at the same time, come out of my closet. I know that I cannot remain in my closet for long, and I know that my belief and world view shape the way I perceive things and behave towards others.

We live in a messed up world, with two main competing ideas. One of which is the idea that we have special hereditary features passed on by our parents who, they themselves, have gotten those features from their parents. The list goes backwards to the age of our primitive common ancestor, as primitive as the Australopithecus. Even the Australopithecus is not primitive enough. All thanks to Charles Darwin, and the rest of the remaining scientists, palaeontologists, geologists, and many other professions. Another idea which we now commonly face is the concept of creationism - the hypothesis which states that the complexity of living organisms has to do with a force of a designer, whom most religious institutions describe as God the creator.

With slight reluctance, I attended the weekend service with my girlfriend today. As usual, and not surprising for me, the pastor preached about some moral principles, which I wouldn't even bring myself to take down the notes. These moral principles are indeed very useful, and everybody in the secular society would definitely agree them to be so. Of course, no one likes to be immoral or do evil without any involvement of the 'push' factor. Any sane and normal intelligent being would agree to today's sermon (more like seminar) that we should have our own moral values that eventually build up our self-respect and relationship with others, which are the only things that would be durable in my opinion.

One thing I agree with the pastor is that religion is an institution just like any organisation or company one is searching to work for. There are many companies one could work for in this world, and the company that one chooses to serve in would determine the destiny of that individual. This is no doubt true. So my question would be this: Take for instance, we have ethical and moral company A, B, and C. Since we are free to choose the company we want to work in or for, why should there be a civil law stating that employees of the company that does not practice company A's business strategy would be jailed and sentenced to death? And yet, why would the law state that company B's method towards office cleanliness should be the way, and that any other company, that use another different method should be fined and their employees sacked? Finally, why would the law asserts that companies, which do not sell the same product as company C, be forced to compensate their customers and their employees are to be sacked as well? (Let us suppose that these companies use strategies with integrity)

This, of course, is nonsensical. Because if every company starts telling one another that their business strategy is the right way of approach according to the (silly) law, and that others' strategies would lead to bankruptcies, then this is the hindrance for innovation and would ultimately, put an end to entrepreneurship. Such method slows progress and defies economic competition. The purpose is not to start a quarrel of whether who is right or who is wrong, since there are no clear absolutes with regard to morality (not immorality). The main purpose for these companies is to mind their own business. It is the same with religion (company) and their scriptural texts (civil law).

It makes sense to me that we should all be good to one another, and to show respect, love, and be kind. We all have the potential to do the best deeds in this life time. On the other hand, we also have the potential to do the nastiest deeds beyond imagination. Our motivations stem not solely from the scriptural values we digest, rather, our human brain directs our path. Our human brain tells us what to do next, and how to react to our environment. It is our brain that controls our every movement of our body parts, even to the point of how we use our tones in the way we speak. The human brain is the central nervous system that doesn't sleep, as long as one is still alive. This is the reason why there are still many people around, who do not have any religious views or other superstitions, who are also happy, moral, and respectable individuals. Again, humans do not need religion to do good or be moral. I understand that religion keeps people together, but it also divides society.

What makes humans believe that there is such entities like "us" and "them", or "ours" and "others"? It is the notion of identity within a tribe. The problem with humanity is that of the social. Since the existence of our most primitive ancestors, social needs for adaptability and survival in this cruel environment is the 'push' factor for the need of self or group identity. Hence, the formation of tribes and nationality. Today, we are aware that the notion of race and ethnicity still have unresolved issues in this postmodern era. But what keeps us separated with nasty prejudices and bigotry is not our biological features, nor is it being part of the minority. Rather, it is the way we tune our minds to perceive and interpret our surroundings, including other individuals. Therefore, I am concerned that with racism, comes another nastier hindrance to society's progress - religious intolerance and bigotry.

One basic form of religious intolerance is when some individual proclaims that his or her faith is the true faith and that believing in it would lead to a better life here and after. Christians do that often, Muslims do that too (although not evangelically so), and to the Jews, they believe that their Holy Book is right and crucified Jesus in the end. Why pick on these three faiths? It is because of these three faiths, that had cost the lives of millions or more people. So if someone come to me and tell me that I would be a good person if I strongly believe in Jesus Christ, my reaction would be, "Really..?" Didn't Jesus say that transformation of an individual takes place in his own mind? This has got nothing to do with having faith. This is about being rational minded and acting accordingly to what must be done to one's own self. Once again, the message is very clear: Religion doesn't change a person. It doesn't motivate a person. It doesn't provide any scientific evidence that is satisfactory. It is but a philosophy that, with a slight tinch of God's supposed essence within its teaching, stained one of the best masterpieces.

So when anyone were to ask me if I'm an atheist, I don't think I would agree because I hate to use the term "atheist" to describe myself. The same goes for "agnostic" or "free thinker". These, like those terms "Christian", "Catholic", "Buddhist", "Muslim", "Hindu", or "Jew", are nothing but labels. It may be true that we do not label one another consciously, but sub-consciously and unknowingly, we have already labelled one another by uttering a simple sentence such as, "Would you like to convert so we can marry each other and live happily ever after?".

To me, I value knowledge. I seek for answers and other possibilities. Although I'm always questioning about the way things are or how things work, I do not fail to be opened to corrections whenever I'm proven wrong. That is the attitude that scientists like myself adopt. We may be sceptical, but it is a good thing. However, I do not agree that being overly sceptical would be any better, rather the key is moderation. The pastor preached that knowledge puffs up individuals, making them excited about explaining things that eventually (and usually) the church would disagree. They pointed out that these individuals start to question the existence of human beings and using logic to question this: who made the creator. Well, is it a joke to question everything in this universe? If it is even a slightest (laughable) sin to question the possibility of an ancient hypothesis of a creator being, who is supposedly the assumed God of the universe, just because that assumed phenomena is commonly subscribed to as the "majesty", then this is an example of an authoritarian authority that even democracy and freedom of speech reject. The congregation laughed loudly whenever the pastor sarcastically mocks evolution and sceptical scientists. Indeed, they should be thankful for the contributions these scientists have made to the society because of the application of their church-rejected theories into their priced research. Without these sceptics or scientific theories (such as evolutionary theories), these ungrateful church-misers wouldn't even have a chance to laugh or mock at them.

Am I to be blamed for losing friends or people I love just for my belief or disbelief alone? The danger of religious faith is that it separates people, divides society, and causes social disunity. In romantic relationships, it puts a pressurizing strain such that either party has to convert to undo his or her own principles or values to suit the other party's religious view. In close friendships, it eventually separates the commonality of identity within the group when the notion of faith is being brought up during a conversation. Between nations, differences of belief (or just disbelief) can cause mayhems and gradually take more lives than it can ever think it could save.

Do I deserve to lose my friends over the issue of faith? Perhaps.

Perhaps those religious people in church I used to know don't seem any friendlier to me any more. To them, perhaps I am their infidel, or Judas Iscariot, or a gentile, or whatever bad biblical names they wish to call me with. Did they bother replying my text messages? Nay. Cut the crap. Did they even bother to think I exist? I don't think so. To me, as an ex-Christian, I feel hurt, rejected, and utterly disappointed, not only with the church, or with the sermons it preaches every time, but also, many of those people whom I've made close contact with. God is out of the question, because if He's all powerful, all wise, and all knowing, he would have kick these people's asses.

(p.s. Sean, if you consider see me as your friend, I hope to be invited for a drink with you the next time you want to meet me... so I'd know that you've still not forgotten about me.)

Tonight, I come clear of my disbelief. And I've already stated my reasons.

2008-02-14T23:11:00.007+08:00

If you think this blog is closing down, it would only be the day when neurons do not exist. I have been on a hiatus since I wasn't feeling very well for the pass one week. I had fever and a very bad throat infection. According to the terminology the doctor said, it was a form of bacteria infection due to my body's excessive heat and not forgetting, my long hours of study. I was really in a bad shape last week, being partially bed-ridden, having bad appetite, nauseatic, and uncomfortable. Well, I'm all recovered now, all thanks to the medicine and my girlfriend's love. LOLx

Today is a special day made public and therefore, not a special day, but still a day worth telling your life partner how much you really love them. For singles, I understand just how you guyz are feeling. By the way, it's perfectly okay to be single. It's not a sin. It's not a bad thing either. In fact, you have more time for yourself. This day is the day you can either stay home and watch some TV, blog, check out some youtube videos, or go out and hang around with your friends. I hope I've provided some good suggestions on how to take Valentine's Day less seriously.

And by the way, I don't think Valentine's Day is any day that special anymore. Not for me, even though I am happily attached to a wonderful girlfriend. To us, everyday is our Valentine's Day. I think.. no, we think, that Valentine's Day is such a commercialised day, passed down and secularly twisted from a traditional ancient Roman Christian festival, that almost everybody today thought it is THE day for flowers, candle-light dinner, and smooches. It seems that the canonised saint named Valentine of Rome was taken for granted long after his martyred death, and even some couples now have sex on this day without giving a damn of who the hell Valentine is. How sad. Anyway, it is a lesson here to tell us that dying for a great cause is honourable, but dying for a supernatural cause is delusional. Well, instead of dutifully honouring this day with our partner, why not everyone of us honour each and every day of our lives loving our partner willingly and wholeheartedly?

Singles, don't be disappointed if you can't get any dates on this day. It is not as if only on Valentine's Day that you should get a date. Don't follow the crowd, be special. Be unique and opinionated. The last time I remembered myself being single on Valentine's Day was February last year. Man... how lonely I must have felt. Back then, I just broke up with my ex-girlfriend and I was feeling a little disappointed and out of touch with my self-esteem. And yes, deep down, I wished that my ex-girlfriend would really come back to me and give us another chance. However, I realised that I should move on no matter what. I tried putting aside all these bad memories and negative opinions about myself and my life, and focused hard (and I mean, really focusing hard) on the future and my VIP (Very Important Plans). By keeping myself busy, showering myself with tons of knowledge - as much as I could possibly get - through reading and surfing the Internet, is a great therapy for me to get a head start on how to move on without a partner by my side.

Then one night, as I was surfing through the Internet, I found the girl whom I got really interested in. And she is now my current girlfriend.

Sometimes, things work wonders and we do not know exactly when we would meet someone who appreciates us as much as we appreciate them. I do not call this a coincidence, because coincidence is randomness, and randomness takes billions and billions of years to perfect. I do not think it is given to me by God either, because this would explain absolutely nothing. I think we do things based on our decisions and what makes two person tick is a form of agreement that has very much to do with selection. And mate selection is relatively equivalent to natural selection. I know this would sound a little superficial, but the fact is that attractive people do get attached pretty likely. How do I define attractive?

Being attractive does not mean having a great personality. I'm speaking in a man's perspective. This note is for male singles only. The exterior look of yours could very well let out your secrets. That includes your body language - how you sit, how you stand, how you walk, how you position yourself in anything you do. In fact, every position you take is a give away to the ladies on the kind of guy you are. If you are a secure person, someone who doesn't seem desperate for a mate, and is very comfortable being alone, any lady could be able to see it, that is, if she's observing you. If you are someone who is not very opinionated or a yes-man, any lady would still be able to sense it. This is very clear that not only your body language is doing the talking, but the words you say and the tone you use is a give away if any lady is smart enough to get it.

Relax, life is not about getting a partner to care for... and then have kids. Surely, there is much more things to life, than just merely getting acceptance. When I was in the darkest hours of my life, I feared for the terrible, I dreaded the worst, and I didn't like what I was going through. Sure, I went through a sudden yet traumatic break-up the last time, but through that experience, I learned so much during the times when I drowned myself with books and part-time job in a hospital. It was those times when I got drifted away into another "me", and without much notice, I am no longer über emotional or sentimental. Months later as I did some self-reflection, I realised that I have become more actualised myself. Thanks to my job, thanks to knowledge, and all thanks to the Internet.

Although I still feel sore whenever I think of my past, I still have to come to terms with the current situation and circumstance. Not forgetting my VIP (Very Important Plans) is the key to spur me on to the future. My dreams, my ambition, and my desires lie in the decision I make with my life today. What I'm embracing and pursuing is the determinant for what I would reap in the long run. Nonetheless, Valentine's Day is only but a day, but the courtship is still a long journey even after marriage.

Many of us wanted the truth in life. But seeking for the truth is only but a fantasy. There are many forms of truth that we would never know. What good would truth do to you even if you know it is? Is God the truth? If not, who is? What is? What is truth? How do you define truth? Is truth a reality? If it is, then reality is a fact. But a fact is still subjective because all facts are perceived. Perception is determined by our past knowledge and experience, and that, everyone of us have different experiences and ways of life. These differences are explanations for individual differences in human beings, and therefore, given the human condition, there is no absolute, and thus, truth is subjective. What can be more relative than this? There is no absolute, only relativity within perceived absolutes. So there is no rush to discover the truth. We can be certain about what is but we must also give a certain amount of doubt in anything that we discover.

I shall end with a food for thought.
Instead of seeking truth, why not seek possibilities?

2008-02-06T23:21:00.000+08:00

To all my Chinese friends out there... HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!!!

For me, time just suck right now as my throat isn't feeling very well. I'm fearing for my life right now, and am currently drowning myself with tons of water down my throat just hoping that I would get better. I'm feeling cold as I speak right now and I really really detest this. I detest the fact that my exam was just so near this festival season and that I have to burn some mid-night oil to get the facts into my head.

Well, I'm sure some of my critics would mock me saying that I should have started revision earlier. Well, I knew I should have, but there were events not posted here in my blog regarding how I did my research for my lab reports. If they were in my shoes, they would have felt exactly what I felt. My research for my assignments were complete on blood, sweat, and tears. I have truly never been so hardworking since the day I entered university.

Guyz, I loved this reunion dinner I had with my parents, and sadly, I couldn't bring myself to eat more during that dinner. Everything looks scrumptious, but my stomach failed me, so did my throat. I hope I'd get better soon.

In fact, I don't mind people praying for me, since I myself know that I would get better sooner or later... just that this fear inside of me keeps me wondering if I would ever last that long...

I had a traumatic experience once... I am really anxious about getting another relapse. Currently, I don't know what else I could do except resting well, and cherishing every moment I have in my life, with my family, and with my girlfriend.

2008-02-02T18:35:00.000+08:00

WHAT MAJOR IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
created with QuizFarm.com
You scored as Biology/Chemistry/Geology

You should strongly consider majoring (or minoring) in Biology, Chemistry, Geology, or related majors (e.g., Biochemistry, Environmental Science, Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife, Genetics, Marine Biology, Zoology).

It is possible that the best major for you is your 2nd, 3rd, or even 5th listed category, so be sure to consider ALL majors in your OTHER high scoring categories (below). You may score high in a category you didn't think you would--it is possible that a great major for you is something you once dismissed as not for you. The right major for you will be something 1) you love and enjoy and 2) are really great at it.

Consider adding a minor or double majoring to make yourself standout and to combine your interests.

Biology/Chemistry/Geology

94%

History/Anthropology/LiberalArts

94%

Psychology/Sociology

88%

English/Journalism/Comm

81%

HR/BusinessManagement

69%

French/Spanish/OtherLanguage

69%

Nursing/AthleticTraining/Health

63%

PoliticalScience/Philosophy

63%

Mathematics/Statistics

56%

Accounting/Finance/Marketing

50%

Education/Counseling

44%

Physics/Engineering/Computer

38%

Visual&PerformingArts

38%

Religion/Theology

25%

2008-01-30T23:59:00.000+08:00

It's been three days since I've returned from my vacation in Thailand. What took me so long to blog about this? Sadly, I lost the cell phone cable, which I used to transfer my picture files from my cell phone to my desktop. It is a hassle to be borrowing my girlfriend's cell phone cable to do the job instead. But well, I got the pictures, and honestly, there wasn't so much to marvel at over there.

If I could give a comment about my trip to Bangkok last week, it would be this: A mixture of enjoyment and pity. Thailand, in my opinion, is a poor country. It is no different from Vietnam, or any other third world country. The reason of it being labelled "developing nation" perhaps is just a simple euphemism. And when I was there, I had some second thought that perhaps, "third world" is really an extreme understatement. Call me a critic, and say that I was only exaggerating, but as if such things aren't enough to spoil my mood, the people there just freaks me out.

Overall
I arrived at the airport last Friday and was greeted by young attractive ladies and some men looking for some tourists to be their passengers for the night. It is a "land of smiles" and that I agree - in the context of being guided safely to our hotel in a coach (phew) - for me and my family that is. I was too tired after the flight and all I thought was just to get to the hotel as soon as possible, of course, not forgetting supper before bed. I was told that the hotel we would be staying was called the "Twin Tower Hotel". I thought it must have been very impressive, but when I got there, I don't see two twin towers, but I saw a short several stories high piece of flat with some run down roads leading to the entrance. Then I suddenly remembered what the tour guide in the bus told us along the way... "It is a four star hotel". FOUR STAR??? Great... In Singapore, this standard is equivalent to a three star hotel... maybe just two.

The rooms were spacious, and so were the corridors, but there wasn't much to see anyway.. the hotel was pretty small in size compared to, for instance, Hyatt. But I'll not forget what greeted me at the hotel entrance. It was a giant Buddhist-like structure and of course, the pictures of the King and the Queen. Wow... I never had such privilege to be greeted by the pictures of Singapore's president and first-lady in a hotel unless I ended up being dragged into the police station. I was thinking, "Man, I just arrived from a democratic-disguised autocratic country to an outspoken autocratic-yet-not-so-autocratic country, and that the only difference is perhaps the prime minister cannot be found." But I like their smiles and I really wish Singaporeans do give that kind of smile, which looks genuine and friendly.

However, that kind of friendly treatment could only be received in the hotel, the zone of comfort. As we sail away from the shallows and into the deeper parts of Bangkok, things are more different. The streets are famous for their traffic jams, disorganised traffic movements, and confusing road signs which is all in Thai. The people on the streets were struggling everyday to make a living for themselves, and that include the taxi drivers, who cheated us twice by driving us all around to nowhere and pretending not to know English. How the fuck do you not know English and be a taxi driver in a nation's capital? Don't they know that tourists exist? Don't they realise that providing good impression and treatments to tourists is vital to their nation's economy?

Certainly, I don't think they have a single clue. Because the books they read are nothing but books talking about their monarchs and their royal lifestyles. There were no bookstores in shopping malls or on the streets (I've actually checked to see if there were any books to shop around for). Everywhere, I see pictures of the king as if he is some kind of a divine god. This makes me wonder if I've made a wrong trip to North Korea instead. I don't see my prime minister's photo everywhere unless it's election day, such that people would get to remember how the fuck he look like. Other than that, I don't think it is a good idea to let people marvel at how handsome a politician you are unless you are Hercules.

Besides, it was not as clean as Singapore, not as prosperous as Singapore, and the people are not as knowledgeable as we are (or as I am). But then again, it is a good shopping ground for most female shoppers (I've literally shopped and surveyed the entire mall) as there were more female stuffs than male stuffs. How encouraging this is! So girls, get your purse ready and shop there whenever you have the chance to be there. At the same time, perhaps some of you could marvel at the awesome beauty of some transvestites or she-males and get some improvements.. they're perhaps a great role model to follow. Most probably, they are the people who also brought the male population down (or even confused it) in Thailand, which explains why I returned home with nothing except a belt.

Food
Food was great! I mean, only for the room service, the hotel's nearby restaurants, and the grand restaurant which we dined in during the company dinner. Those were the times I ate to my fill. Another dish sold in shopping malls, such as the Mango Sticky Rice is very delicious. Anything other than these mentioned were the cream of the craps. It is obvious enough once you've taken an all-day tour around the markets and the bazaars. You will definitely see it for yourselves. If you are daring enough to eat those, I'd say you are one hell of a hero (and 'hero' has some hidden semantics yet to be deciphered).

The Good and Delicious

On the left, was my first meal in Bangkok, which was Kakuni Rice from a Japanese Restaurant beside my hotel. On the right, was the Lamb Chop I had for room service at night.

The Bad and Dangerous

This is where sausages are sold in the market. At first I thought they were not cooked, but as I walked closer, they were cooked and left in the open for mosquitoes and flies to be fed... as well as humans who also have their fair share of consumption.

The Ugly and Inedible

Okay, this is the worst of the worse. Fruits lying in the open attracting bacteria and human stomachs.

Opinions
Sometimes I really wonder if these people ever know what hygiene is like, or civilisation is like, or even education is like. It is true that they have the capability of adapting in such an environment while tourists shudder at the sight of such unhygienic ways of food preparation on the streets. Surely, such culture does not exist elsewhere except places like this. And the moment when I thought of religion, I was enlightened by a Nirvanish sensation of peeing, and I thought, "YES! This is it! Buddhism is part of the cause for such poverty because of its teachings and the people who merely follow such nihilistic and poverty-minded philosophy." Buddhism teaches people to be content with what they have, and if nothing is spoiled, it is best not to mend it. Again, religion hinders progress and all-round excellence. In America, I find bibles in every hotel room. But, in Thailand, I find the teaching of Buddha instead. What will I get if I'm in India? Gandhi? Shouldn't they just practice contraception by offering every room a set of condoms such that we do not have unnecessary births that add burdens to the society in future if ever these accidental newborns weren't educated and disciplined properly by their current parents? This is a huge problem.

Moreover, I felt disgusted and critical, and even more xenophobic when my family met taxi-drivers who took advantage of us by driving us all around town aimlessly, and pretending not to know English. From then on, I got a very bad impression of the Thais, the city, and the entire place of hell on earth. Bangkok has got to be the worst city I've been to in my entire life. If I were to store some dead corpses when the cemetery runs out of space, Thailand would be the right location to build a fortified morgue, not forgetting a little bit of air pollution here and there from third hand diesel-filled vehicles driven by uneducated comedians.

Just take a look at the life there and compare it with what we have got in Singapore, and you'll know how fortunate we are to have a money-worshipping government who can't stand disorganisation - The roads here are safer and more organised, the motorists were effectively taxed to organise the road into more organised traffic jams, the food here appears to be served beautifully only on pictures in organised foodcourts until you begin to see a tiny wet piece of tissue paper on newly washed utensils, and the only city that doesn't sleep is 7-eleven. How nice... For once, when I arrived in Singapore, I felt secured because if there's one thing I miss, it'll be the love of my girlfriend. I hated Thailand the way I consistently despise Singapore as well. But if I were to compare them both, I think the only similarity is that it is ruled by someone, and that the rest of the story? ...a full load of shit.

Critical? I don't think so. I'm pretty straightforward with what I've got to say. If there's nothing good about something, there is really nothing good about it.

On Sunday, I finally arrived at Terminal 3.
Home Sweet Home! At last!

2008-01-24T19:20:00.000+08:00

Hey peeps.. I've done my assignment and now I'm in the classroom with practically nothing to do, and this explains why I'm choosing this time to blog an entry that would probably last for the whole weekend till I come back from Thailand.

And yes, I'm going to Thailand this weekend with my family 'cos my dad's company has organised a company dinner plus vacation in Bangkok... one of the finest hotels, and so I heard. Well, I can't wait to fly off tomorrow afternoon for some time off from my final exam revision. But of course, I could never bear to leave this place without getting in touch with my darling. Well, definitely I'll be missing her for the next three or four days or so... but anyway, I'll still be enjoying myself and I hope she would do so as well.

Nonetheless... lesson has just started and at first I thought that revision would be on the topic of "Personality". In fact, we were instructed to be getting ready for the "Personality" revision. But today... change of plans... argh...

Anyway, I gotta go... and this lappie is not going to be resting in my house for the weekend. Sean is loaning this device from me. And till the day I return, I'll be blogging about my trip to Thailand.

Alright! Time to say goodbye or now.

Signing off...

2008-01-20T23:48:00.000+08:00

It's Sunday, and in several minute's time, Monday will arrive. I've never felt so comfortable doing my own things at my own pace this morning, and that all the time I was going to church just for the sake of going, has now spared me of such agony. At last I could finally say to my contented self that I have been liberated. For years I was stuck in that church filled with disgusting politics within cell groups, bias and resentments among the members, and swaggering authority among the leaders. Yet, my doubts and indecision kept me wavering and in huge dilemma. Now, I've made a decision to leave my cell group and start my life afresh outside of church. In fact, I believe, that there are many more things I could do in this world and in this life time of mine. Religion and God are not the only essentials that people crave nor are they of the only importance, but the overall satisfaction and inner peace lay not in religion, but in the constant seeking of knowledge and meaning of one's existence.

As I have no longer much to complain about since my departure from a place that has plight me with resentments and bitterness, I would thereby blog less about religion and faith as this topic has taken a toll on my blog and ripping it off its own main purpose. I admit I have been too focused over the past several months writing solely about my philosophies, and indifference toward all kinds of religion. The reason being that my experience during those times were pretty much grounded into my struggle with religious people, questioning of religious faiths, and arguments over irrational superstitions. Thus, since the matter was over and that the case is already closed, I would now start a new chapter in my blogging history by changing the subject.

It has been a very good experience letting out my steam as I blog during those times of agony and deep thoughts. I have learned many things through reading widely during my free time, and writing creatively whenever I had the chance. However, blogging is still my central hobby, except that these days I am swarmed with deadlines to meet. I am very happy that I have found my way out of religion for the time being and start a brand new life in search of a better living. I think this should be the way that everyone should go about doing, as it is so important to seek happiness, freedom, and one's meaning of existence. That said, I currently value each and every moment of my life doing things that I love to do - anything that excludes the idea of religion, faith, or God. It makes me feel better in many ways, as compared to the times I was struggling to mix around with people whom I do not really enjoy being with. The reason is very clear - I wasn't appreciated, so I won't want to waste my time of my precious life trying to please everybody. I want to first, please myself, and the few who are close to me and whom I love, because they deserve better.

Anyway, I'm thinking of setting up a Free Thinker's community online by creating a forum. There would be endless topics which anyone could discuss about, and the aim of this forum is to bring Singaporeans together such that a strong local community and interactions of free thinkers, atheists, agnostics, or humanists etc. would be built over time. But first... I need supporters and initial members. Haiz...

2008-01-14T16:34:00.000+08:00

I am tormented by the tyranny of the Christian faith. Over and over, those horrible believers were constantly in conflict against the core of my very own principle. For years I've been involved in church and giving in my best ability to serve and my original purpose was intended to glorify Lord Jesus. But with relationship with God, comes a responsibility for relationship with people. I felt unappreciated by my leaders, and my members... as if I was insignificant to them, and that all my efforts and time I've put in to contribute to my own cell group have been forgotten. Here I am after eight long years telling myself that everything is over. I've had enough... and if people still do not understand this, there is nothing more I could do to make them understand the way I am feeling. As far as I am concerned, I had to stop all these nonsense in my life right now. And as I started to hate Christianity and move away from this belief, I am living a very happy life free from faiths, superstitions, and all those spiritual nonsense that has been plaguing my life and my principles.

It's funny isn't it? Sometimes, when we adopt a belief which we once thought it would do us any good, until a time when something contradictory happened, and we started questioning its usefulness and reliability. That is when we come to term with whether or not we choose to continue believing the same way that we used to believe, or move on to another set of values and principles that would make us an even better person other than Christianity and religion themselves. We come to term with what is right to us, when we feel that we should all not accept things which are ambiguously factual and things which lack evidence to even clearly explain itself in the first place.

I've finally found something in my life that makes me free and happy, which is what I have been seeking after for my entire life. It is like falling in love with such freedom of choice and happiness like there's no tomorrow. It doesn't matter if I go to heaven or hell for that matter... because everyone including Christians are going to be judged in the end, and there would be more people in hell than in heaven anyway, so why the heck should I bother about such life-after-death myth or rumours? I would rather make the best out of this life time being happy and doing the things which I could, hopefully, make a difference in the society I'm living in, than to waste my efforts in worrying about the afterlife. There's much more things to do here than to prepare for death like any other uber religious people do.

Yes, death is a goal, but it should not be our focus. Death should be the warning sign to all of us, that life is short. And therefore, we should all embrace this beautiful and wonderful opportunity in our pursuit of our own Promised Land.

Some of you may ask me why do I hate religion. One reason could be due to my bad experience in church for over eight long years of my life. Other main reasons are because, in my opinion:

Religion divides people. It literally separates society in the way we each view the world as what is described in our holy texts. Whether their intentions were for good or better human morals, they still inevitably separate society with interaction along side the flaws of human nature. Because of our individual differences, organized religions often fail in uniting humanity with the concept of absolutism. Furthermore, as beliefs influence our ultimate action and hence alter our destiny, it is no question that our individual beliefs, values, and principles, being different in all aspects, shapes our destinies differently. We all have our own destinies and purpose in life, and all these springs forth from the beliefs that we personally hold within ourselves. Thus, to this day, as organised religion plans to unite humanity in the ultimate belief in a single deity, it failed to embrace modern scientific evidence, modern sense of morality, reason, and rationality... and beyond that, failed to explain itself by being contradictory to what it also means by saying, "We each have our own destiny in God". Individual differences within a single imperialist authority, does not equate to the logic of relativity within the variation of absolutes. It merely goes the other way round by saying that in all relativity, there are absolutes, and that in all definitions, there is one truth in each of them. However, the down-side-up logic explains that in every truth lies variations of perceptions and definitions, both relative in their own nature - meaning, in every absolutes, there are relativity, subjected to every definitions. Why not put it this way - "Our beliefs and meanings we give to our life and the things we sense and touch, are the result of our existence". God did not give meaning or purpose to our lives, but rather, we give meaning to it and thus, that is how we are defined. We are defined by the meanings we give to ourselves. COGITO, ERGO SUM - I think, therefore I am.

With religion separating society, it will inevitably separates individual to the point of marriage and other intimate relationships. It is a gross authority that forbids certain relationships that they deemed demonizing or improperly evil, such as homosexuality and the yoke between believers and unbelievers. The Christian faith is one very good testimony of such bigotry and disgusting view of these individuals, without considering the essence of love within such relationships - about the way it is formed just like any other forms of love and intimacy - it demonizes such acts as sinful and improper. This is the problem with faiths thriving on the absolutes, whereby in the condition of humanity, there is no absolutes.

The danger of religion not only lies in the denial of scientific facts, but also in its opposite operation against the discovery of truth. Unlike Science, religion does not construct and disprove its own hypotheses based on natural causes, it basically form conclusions out of supernatural hypotheses that is impossible to disprove. It basically explains nothing, drawing merely extraordinary conclusions with extraordinary explanations to explain extraordinary causes. And yet, people around the world were fighting and murdering one another in the name of their so called extraordinary claims of God and other mythical supernatural beings. Any normal intelligent person could tell that this is so ridiculous.

Do I leave the Christian faith because I'm disillusioned?

Yes, I am. I am disillusioned by how I was treated and the observations I've made all these eight years being actively involved in church. Not just that, I'm disappointed that I do not get most of my doubts answered in the most satisfactory way. Of course, there are billions of things that we don't know (i.e. is there an afterlife etc), but isn't embracing science, the constant seeking and discovery of new evidence, more rational and satisfactory than embracing a particular faith that doesn't explain anything nor put its religious hypotheses on the line in the first place?

It is time we wake up to this day and age of reason, and start thinking about the next step in life to which we should make the best of, rather than just merely "investing" in the treasures up in heaven that we might or might not get after we die. Then again, the importance of reason and rational thinking must not be excluded from the ingredients of daily living. What would happen to this world if everyone base their rationality and actions upon such feeble entity like faith?

The world would be so much better without extraordinary claims...

2008-01-09T23:59:00.000+08:00

Watched 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' with Sean and my girlfriend today. It was a good historical movie, which means plenty of talking, slow motion movements, and lots of politics.. only for those who have the patience to endure throughout this epic storyline about the great queen who brought England to its golden age.

I truly enjoyed the show this evening and what brought me to laughter was how stupid those people back then could get by fighting non-sensically for a war known to be 'holy'. There are many holy wars in history and none of those were significant till this day. Think about the crusades and the inquisitions. Do they make a difference in our world today? Were they remembered as the most impactful events that contributed to the advancement of rationality and do they promote love? NO! These "holy wars" spread nothing but hatred and bigotry against people of different beliefs. In addition, these non-sensical wars sought to kill others in the name of God, the flying spagetti monster. Even today, these wars are not fought using primitive weapons or guns for that matter... it is nothing more than just massive evangelisms just to get the whole world saved and to bring in the numbers.

I don't see the importance, the logic, and find any stupid reasons to interfere in other people's lives just because of their beliefs. What I admire Queen Elizabeth in that movie was that she mentioned something like: "It is the people's deeds that will be punished, not for their beliefs". This has got to be words from a rational mind, compared to that Spanish King Phillip who was so deluded by his Catholic religious faith that robbed him of his rationality and sanity. There is a limit to everything in life whether one likes it or not. A religious mind spells doom to oneself and others, a meaningless mind encourages gullibility and ignorance, but a rational mind, free from dark age religious dogmas and superstitions is clear to think, dream, and act according to one's own level of maturity and conscience.

Again I shall remind you guyz that I'm not speaking against people who practice religion. There are certainly very nice people who are Christians, Catholics, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and so on. My concerns solely lies with the issue of people becoming extremely religious, or deluded by a religious faith that somehow cannot perceive things the way normal, rational or intelligent people can. Yes, it's all about morality in certain religious teachings. I have no problems accepting some moral teachings from various religious faiths, just make sure that the "GOD" element is absent from that very teaching, because if a God actually commands people to love their neighbour as themselves, and to get people saved, it is already a forced order. If I don't like or love a person, no one can command me to love that asshole. It is by will and by choice that we either love or hate a person. But who does God thinks he is by commanding us to love others like ourselves? Surely, people back then do have a little bit of sensibility to be able to tell when to love and when not to love. Why do they still need someone to manipulate their morality for them, as if they have no brains or human emotions to do as they wish? Perhaps they do not have one, I guess. And if it is for the good of people, then why does the next commandment goes something like: we need to get people saved? Saved from what? Be killed and go to heaven so that there is no more sufferings and wars here on earth? Bullshit! Wars and sufferings are caused by people, and it doesn't matter which kind of people. Religious people and non-religious people are just as guilty - being responsible for the killings and the selfishness in this lifetime.

If moral philosophies cannot change the population of the world, there is no doubt that religion or God cannot either. Decisions and actions are determined only on one's conscience and the brain of humans. If the conscience is polluted or corrupted by some silly religious texts that promote genocides, subsequent similar actions of that person based on such texts would more likely to follow. After eight long years of my life being involved in a church, I've experienced the most positive sides of religious people, and the most grusome and disgusting sides of religious people too. They are one of the more amiable people I've met, perhaps, speaking in the context of the country I'm in. Yet, some or many of them can be harshly disgusting and ugly, because they would invade my private life, and among the kepo (singlish. kepo = busy-body) religious people, the most skillful busy-bodies are that of the cell group leader, the helpers, and the evangelising members, who are constantly so curious about my private life and affairs, and that anything that happened in my relationships in the past few years had to be considered or interfered by them. I say now FUCK YOU all, and don't tell me what to do, and who to go or not to go out with! Moreover, nobody appreciates my presense or the things I've contributed by sacrificing my time and my effort, even though I have a different way of looking at things. I mean, this is the real world isn't it? When there are no one who instinctively clicks with you, it is hardly anything you could talk about. And when there is nothing to talk about, whatever you do would go unnoticed. It's just as simple as that. And those stupid cell group leaders and pastors, acting as if they are geniuses of the millenium, told me to forgive and become even more spiritually involved with God (I could then imagine intimately having sex with God would be one way to please him, perhaps shaking my dick till it bleeds to please those spiritual leaders as well). However, I'm not doing them because I know it would be ridiculous to accept nor forget such unpleasant experience and hypocritical nonsense. But anyway, these are God's people, you know, the way God created them to become hypocrites themselves? These are God's children. Disgraceful, dumb, and totally scoring zero with emotional intelligence (EQ). I forgive them not because God tells me or commands me to. Rather, I forgive them for their god delusion and hypocritical behaviour and offenses towards me as a person with my own human rights.

Whether there is a God or not, I am now apathetic about it... because as long as it cannot be proven or disproven, it remains a mystery, but the importance of living is to do the most conscious good and to commit the least conscious evil here on earth. Morality is subjective to an individual bound by an absolute law. It is within such restrictive absolutes (like law and order), relativity could strive to be creative, innovative, and motivative such that there will be a prevailance of democracy, liberty, rationality, and free thoughts.

2008-01-03T16:17:00.000+08:00

As I was taking a break today from reading up for my assignment, I went youtubing and found some disturbing news online. It is always so terrifying to discover that the world is engaging in some religious warfare, especially when George Idiot Bush and Dick Retard Cheney are currently in power. Leaders are people who make the world the way they are, and the types of leaders would create a great impact around the world in various societies. Furthermore, America is considered by most people (rather, the Americans themselves) to be the world's most powerful leading nation.

To me, it would not be so, unless it has a change in government. America is what affects the world economy, which in turns affect the way we live in Singapore since it is an American ally, and one of the more developed countries in the world. Singapore has no natural resources, which is why we still depend on various countries for imports of those resources, such as oil. And everyone should know that oil comes from the Middle-east. The war on Iraq was a great disaster, and a stupid excuse to fight evil and terrorism. Yes, terrorism is a great threat to modern society, and it is something which all of us should fight against. But what was really embarrassing was that prior to the excuse of invading Iraq, postulating that there were weapons of mass destruction whereby Sadam was responsible for acts of terror, none of those was proven true. This meant that the whole invasion was a joke. And while these evangelical Christians in United States think that those terrorists who were Islam fanatics were responsible for the lives lost in September 11 and so on, they failed to see that the idiot, Bush, is waging a "holy war" in the Middle-east, just because he thinks that those people are evil both by nature and by the spirit.

This type of Christianity is not only fanatic, but it is racist, genocidal, discriminative, war-mongering, malevolent, vindictive, and stupid. Out of a sudden, instead of hunting down Osama bin Laden, the target's been changed to Sadam Hussein. It seems to me that Bush can't even tell the difference between the two of them, perhaps to him, the world is only Black and White, Good and Evil, as well as Heaven and Hell. You know what? Only children think like this. Only children would be so naive to think that if one is not on our side (the good side) then that individual must be a bad guy. How foolish, and how retard that can be. This is what the Bible literally trying to say. But if it is not right nor proper for one to take the bible literally, then how illiterally should one take to fully understand without understanding through reading, understanding of semantics, and literally acknowledging those masterpieces of mythical works? If it by revelation, it is basically an excuse to run away from what was written literally on the scriptures. How does one know if revelations are "revealed" to that individual if all he did was to think, that is, pure thinking inside his head and convincing himself, that those revelations must be from God? It would be saying that what George Bush did was correct, because Bush told the nation that God spoke to him to invade Iraq. Wouldn't this be better - Pope Urban II said that God spoke to him to take back the holy land from the Muslim invaders who were Turks, thus leading to the Crusades. Even better - popes and many other christian leaders have told their people that their words have to be taken seriously because it has been revealed to them by God. In fact, these leaders never did tell them in order for them to believe in every word they utter, because to them, these religious leaders represent God himself. It is these sheer authorities that give religion a bad name. And they have the balls to call themselves servant of God?

Take a look at this video I've found. Somebody tell me this is not happening.. argh!

This world is not a place known solely for its absolutes without reason. It is a wonderful place where things are relative to each other. Even absolutes, too, have relativity within themselves if one were to perceive them in a different light. So the world is not a place filled with just Black and White, or Good and Evil, but a living condition where potential thinking and reasoning is involved due to the evolving intelligence of life on earth. Complexity should not be an excuse for simplified definition of spooky tales and untested beliefs. It should be investigated, tested, and disproven by methods of science. But if science cannot give an upright answer to the unknown and mystical, what makes one think that religion or faith can?

Faith is believing something regardless of whether it would turn out to be right or wrong. Reason is not about belief, but exercising critical thoughts, as well as constant seeking and questioning for answers and scientific truth. While it is reasonably alright to embrace faith (without religious context) with regard to daily living, one should not leave out the importance of reason, which proves itself to be more than useful and reliable, although it does not see eye-to-eye with faith.

Once again, I really really REALLY hope that the next president of United States would be more competent and less religious (more like fanatic) than the current president. It doesn't matter if one is a republican; a democrat; a libertarian; or a secularist, America needs a competent leader, not a pope, nor a religious leader, nor a pastor or elder, nor a church-mouse, nor a christian fundamentalist, nor a priest, nor a monk, and certainly not George Idiot Bush.

Of course, there are other dickheads in America as well (quoted by my hero, Bill Maher).

Sadly, what affects America would indirectly affect the people in other countries, including Singapore. Although one may naively think that America is very far away, the world is shrinking even further in this digital information age, and no information is too far away with just one click of a mouse.

The spread of such abrahamic religion is so quick these days that televanglists are already propagating their faith on the Internet, now avaiable in cell phones, mp3s, and PDAs. It is this massive spread of untested, mystical, and spooky belief that got everyone in betrayal of the cold and harsh reality of science and reason. Well, the harsh and biased treatments of atheists and other non-believers in America and many other christian societies have left atheists with no choice but to fight back, which is a normal human reaction to something that poses great threat to one's life affairs and living standards. Fundamentalists claim that a certain percentage of atheists are propagating atheism online, well, just look at the breath-takingly huge amount of religious people propagating their faith online, on television, on radio, on the streets, and even in the office. Atheism is no longer just a disbelief in God. In fact, Neo-atheism, the new terminology for the current form of disbelief, engulfs the cause of standing up for one's own right to disbelief in God and to live comfortably in a christian society he or she ought to be living happily in. The cause for this new Atheism comprises of the struggle for human religious rights and the right to be equal citizens regardless of religion or supernatural beliefs.

The reason I am in support of Neo-atheism is because it encourages the practice of human rights to have a choice between religion and science. It is completely opposing the ideology of evangelism, or evangelism-cum-discipleship, because: Firstly, it does not interfere in the daily private affairs of other individuals. Secondly, it does not claim itself to be the absolute answer to everything (unlike those who believe that God is) because we all have our rights and the evolved intelligence to seek for answers, which have brought us to this day of advancement in medicine, science, technology, and civilisation. Thirdly, it encourages moral behaviour and reactions not for the sake of religion or any gods, but because of human ethics and common social behaviour, which have also evolved throughout the history of man.

Of course, any religion can teach one to be good and moral. But what about the story of "Three Little Pigs", or "Little Red Riding Hood", or "Pinnocio"? What about moral philosophies such as Buddhism or Confucianism? And how about western philosophies by Plato, Socrates, Lucretius, Epicurus, and many others? All these things teach us the way to live and how to live. The primary intention of these potential religions are, without a doubt, good.

But it is the flaws of man that complicate matters to the extent of fighting one another based on their very own ideals, which they insist are absolutely right. Hence, you will hear things like "you will always lose", or "my god will win", or "you are still losing", or even better "my holy book is right, theirs is wrong". Whereas for I am concerned, the solution to such flaws is not just to practice tolerance, but to understand that religion and beliefs, when taken seriously, can do more harm than good. But my bottomline is that they all are delusions to the reality of life. Why is that so?

Now, we all know that GOD is an entity still mysterious to the minds of homo sapiens. Therefore, believing in a god is one's faith that has a lot to show up. If you believe that there is a God, then prove it. Here is a diagram illustrating my point:

Once again, it is not the Atheists', or Humanists', or Agnostics', or Secularists', or Apatheists' fault for their disbeliefs, as firstly, they have their rights, and secondly, many of them don't see the reason of believing in a supernatural reality, much less living within it or for it, when there have been no solid evidence that there is a God or a one true God. We cannot prove that God doesn't exist, therefore, the hypothesis is still the null hypothesis - not true; no effect; and insignificant. Until the hypothesis is shown to be significant, which apprantly rejects the null hypothesis, then we can say that there is a form of existence and that faith in that one true God (if any as there are many gods in the world still) is significantly necessary.

In sum, it is a matter of perception and perspectives. But that should not be an excuse to include religion in areas like politics, science, health care, and other aspects of life because religion itself is one fundamental ideology, just like Marxism, Stalinism, Nazism, Capitalism, Socialism etc. While Social Darwinism is an ideology adopted and grossly manipulated by evil dictators in the past, Darwinism is a theoretical approach to science and biology, and it has nothing to do with religious belief, unless one makes it a religion itself. However, creationism is not the answer to science, since it has its roots linking to the abrahamic religious beliefs. It is beyond reason to conclude that just because things are complex therefore they must have been created (a leap of faith), rather than studying the gradual details of its formation and investigating their processess and transformations.

2008-01-01T23:59:00.000+08:00

Resolutions for 2008!!!

Stay happy, making the best out of my life in the year 2008.

Continue to improve myself and do better in my relationship with my love ones and my girlfriend.

Do well for my studies and aim for a Psychology distinction for every semester.

Read widely and improve my writing and blogging skills.

Make a successful venture in vlogging.

Spend wisely and save plenty.

Make new friends.

Improve my conversation skills.

Revamp my wardrobe.

Stay healthy and strong.

I had a wonderful night of new year celebration yesterday at Esplanade! Well, except for some idiots who were making a fool of themselves on the steet whenever there're such celebration going on, my girlfriend and I did enjoy ourselves, together with our friends, Sean and Elaine. I must say this is the best new year celebration I ever had - firstly, it was memorable as this is my first time counting down to the brand new year with my girlfriend. Secondly, it was quite enjoyable, maybe it's because of the fireworks that really made our day. Standing at the near front roll of where we were at marina bay, the skyline was beautifully torched with those cool display of colourul "shooting stars". For those who missed the event, I must say it was worth having yourself sandwiched between the crowds to catch those fireworks. I feel that Singapore has improved in the quality of its fireworks display, and I certainly hope it would improve further in years to come.

Let us take a quick glimpse of what this year is going to be like...

Indeed, this year is a very eventful year for everyone including me. I can't wait for two worldwide events to take place this year. One of which is the Euro2008 and the other, the Olympic Games in Beijing. Very very excited for these two coming events as I would be staying up to catch them both. Another great event happening this year is the coming of Fomula One to Singapore! And this is the very first time Singapore is hosting Fomula One and everyone I'm sure, especially Car Lovers would be so enthusiastic and eager for this day to arrive. Well, coming March this year, my darling and I would be celebrating our very first year anniversary of our wonderful relationship. And this year, I would be graduating in Australia with a Bachelor in Behavourial Science... and as for my girlfriend, she would be moving on to the next phase of her academic life, and no matter which educational path she chooses to take, I will always stand by her and support her all the way.

VERY VERY GOOD YEAR INDEED!

And I'm looking forward to enjoying myself and improving myself as well. There are so many things for me to talk about this coming year, as well as there are so many things to learn about. It's great celebrating New Year's Day with you guyz (Sean and Elaine)! Just hope you guyz did enjoy yourselves too, despite some screwed up machine and receptionists at the reception counter.

Anyway, this is a great start to a brand new year. The first half of this year is definitely a time for planning and scheduling what ought to be done. I believe this is the time of sowing seeds that in due time, would bring harvest later in the year, and we would reap its rewards. It is always a good time to start planning ahead instead of putting things off to the last few hours when neither false hopes nor prayers would even guarantee any chance of fulfilling whatever that one conceives right here and right now.

This blog will continue to be the way it is, as spontaneous as it should be, as sincere and upfront as it has always been, and I would definitely welcome anyone who has certain discussions to make. Of course, I hope that no one would be such a pain in the ass on my tagboard this year. Let this year be rid of these Internet nuissance!

Once again, I'm signing off.. but before that, may I wish you, a HAPPY, PROSPEROUS, FRUITFUL, and FANTASTIC NEW YEAR filled with FAILURES and DISILLUSIONS, but also ends with SUCCESS, and VICTORIES!!!

HAPPY 2008!

2007-12-30T04:22:00.000+08:00

I'm sick and tired of so many idiots who came to my blog and made personal attacks against me instead of my ideas. And for those who think that I was actually promoting my thoughts thinking I was right all the time, they should go take some primary school english comprehension courses all over again. Either that, or they have failed to read every entries in my blog and keep in close contact with me in order to find out exactly what kind of person I am and what exactly my thoughts were about.

The blogosphere is such an interesting place where so people can get lost and misguided about what many bloggers are writing about. Some, like me, are writing about their frustrations and thoughts (religious people piss me off most of the time and that explains the contents in my entries), and are sincere about them... yet deep in their expression of their ideas in their own ways such that it takes time and constant effort to decipher exactly what the main ingredients are. This is so, especially when there is no physical contact or when neither the readers nor the blogger has any form of mutual relation to one another.

This blog of mine is a precious entity and refuge to me. It is a place I regard as "sacred" (metaphorically, not spiritually) to my own being and the thoughts I expressed in a straightforward manner may offend certain people, but they have two choices - a choice not to be offended, and a choice not to read my blog entries. It's just so simple like A, B, and C, unless you are trying to tell me that you can't read.

I'm lost in my thoughts. That I agree. I am always thinking. That, I agree as well. But I rather engage myself in constant scepticism of what is going on around the world and constantly asking questions, than instead, relying on blind non-thinking faith that thrives in the absolutes.

I have NEVER insisted that my beliefs are right. But rather, I chose to support the evidence that science has demonstrated because it has shown itself to be advancing and that without the discipline of science, there would not be progress. Morality on the other hand, is the key to life. But staunch belief and blind faith hinders progress in society, whereby many men, women, and children in past history have been slaughtered in the name of God, and is therefore a contagious threat to mankind. And yet, religion is supposed to teach us all to love?

Anyway, this blog has served me for more than three years, which goes to show how much I really cherish this place. Sometimes, I really hope others could be more tolerant and able to be opened in a friendly discussion if there were any, instead of making personal remarks, especially those not directed at me. It is rather rude to fling a remark indirectly to a person by bringing that person's love ones into the picture. I simply don't understand these idiots because they either have a choice to disagree with me on certain things, or simply just walk away like nothing happened. For me, there are many things I disagree with religion, but yet, there are also some pointers which I would agree regarding certain religious teachings (e.g. morality and proper conducts).

I would only say this once (which I have already repeated so many fucking times previously). My blog represents my thoughts. Don't like my thoughts, don't read my blog or go fuck yourselves. Choose.

p.s. but those who want some friendly discussions with me are welcomed to email me. logically, that's what emails are for, and that's why i place mine here in my blog. again, no negative remarks are to be made of my love ones nor close relationships, as i will not tolerate this. ~~to those who do this, fuck you!~~

2007-12-28T14:29:00.000+08:00

The good news this time round is that the year is ending, and very soon, I would have to make some new year resolutions. Another good news is that my Internet connection is now proven to be working great for me and I can, once again, blog and surf the net. Now that Christmas is officially over (though some pious people still consider it to be lingering as it is the "season for giving"), it's time for me to get serious with what remains of my assignment. Besides, I still get some verbal persecutions from some Christians, who are obviously pots calling the kettles black, that my opinions are naive or nonsensical.

Everyone of us are naive in different perspectives. Ignorance, well, is of course inevitable to some extent regarding certain subjects or matters. I cannot say that I'm not ignorant of everything. In fact, there are still some things which I could be ignorant about. But what concerns me is that many religious people do not admit that they are seeing only one side of the argument, and that is their own argument. They do not accept the views that there are more things out there than just God, God, and more God. To them, God is the way, the truth, and the life, the ones who believe in him shall live a better life than those who don't. Plus, they have a bonus of going to heaven while the rest who fail to believe in God goes to hell.

It is the similar to telling a person that if he chooses to become your friend, then he will benefit from your love and kindness, and everything good that you are willing to give to him. But if he turns his back on you and refused to become your friend (not your enemy), simply because there is not enough solid and valid evidence or reasons to do so, you are going to smite him or treat him like your enemy when the time comes (if the time - end time - really comes). Such faith is arrogant in my opinion, and I refuse to accept such arrogant statements from fundamentalist Christians who think that their God is the only God to life of salvation or truth (which is questionable because truth in reality sense is biased).

Every religion, in fact, has their own teachings that encourage people to do good and be moral, because initially, we are filled with conscience, which took place in our minds. Our perception of the world and the way it is made provides us the ability to create an imaginative utopia in which we could put our sense of hope and trust in the invisible, mystical, and unknown, which is supposed to be far greater in superiority and strength. Thus, it could well reflect how our ancestors perceive the rising of the sun as the beginning of a new day, and of a new hope, and that there is an element of god in it, which was eventually viewed as the source of life itself. There is some probability that our ancestors were mere sun worshippers.

Man's religion, all from the very beginning of recorded time, is filled with symbolism and traditions as he tries to do something to put himself right with forces greater than he - his creator (could have been a fire, a cloud, or a mountain). As man became more sophisticated, he became more sophisticated in his concept of really what that power was above him. But with all those traditions came symbolism (Bill Jenkins).

Besides, other teachings such as Confucianism and Buddhism emphasized that we should not do unto others what we do not want others to do unto us. Doesn't it sound familiar that Jesus also once said this? By the way, Buddhism and Confucianism existed far longer before the birth of Christ. The Hindus believe that Krishna had a miraculous birth who was sent here on earth to do miraculous deeds, just like Jesus. Both were persecuted and ascended to heaven. Other ancient gods such as Mithras, was born on the 25th of December (notably long before the birth of Christ), whose miraculous birth resembled that of Jesus. Yet, Mithras was considered by the Roman Empire to be a pagan god while embracing Jesus during its Christianisation. And when deciding when Christmas day (the day Jesus was born) to be held, the church authority chose December 25th as the official date. What a coincidence (well, there is a lot more to say it is similar, rather than just coincidence)! And what politics! The aztecs worshipped Quetzacoatl as their creator god, whose birth is of a virgin birth to the goddess Coatlicue. Like Christ, Quetzacoatl died, and was ressurected into heaven.

There are many similar stories to that of the life of Jesus Christ, that appeared thousands of years before the birth of Jesus. According to the Naked Truth (1991), there were other 16 men before Jesus who claimed to be the son of God; who were claimed to have a virgin birth; and the mother had the name of Mary, or derivative of the word Mary; who were in the temple scolding and training the elders by the age of 12; who the ruler of the land fearing that the son of God had been born and try to put the first born to death; that they were asked by someone greater than they to move away from the land they were born to a foreign land to save their lives; who began their ministry at the age of 30; who ended their ministry at the age of 33; and who were killed on the cross.

This happened in 16 different events prior to Jesus: Krishna of India (1200BC), Hindu Sakia (600BC), Thammuz of Syria (1160BC), Vithoba (552BC), Iao of Nepal (622BC), Hesus of the Celtic Druids (834BC), Quetzacoatl of Mexico (587BC), Quirinus of Rome (506 BC), Prometheus of the Greeks (547BC), Thulis of Egypt (1700BC), Indra of Tibet (725BC), Alcestis (600BC), Attis of Phrygia (1170BC), Crite of Chaldea (1200BC), Bali (725BC), and Mithra of Persia (600BC).

It just had to be so, that Jesus lived the same pattern of life, death, and had the same ressurection claims as did those 16 men and many others who were before him. This is certainly not about religion, neither has it got to do with faith. But we're dealing with historical facts and evidence. Certainly, if this was the case, it is therefore not a coincidence that these men who lived at different times had the same living and dying patterns like Jesus. It would be absurd to think that it is not a coincidence as they were all false prophets, for they do not know any better from the day they were born anyway (that is, if they ever existed according to what was claimed and passed down through generations). It all boils down to one common conclusion, that religion thrives in age old myths and generations of strongly held superstitions that formed traditions of untested beliefs into unshakeable truth, which are passed down through sheer passage of time and through the power of institution.

The origin of such beliefs began in primitive times when man have limited knowledge of what the world is like. To them, it may have been a harsh living condition within an unfriendly environment filled with natural disasters (i.e. volcano erruptions, earthquakes, lightning and thunder, tsunamis etc). And late at night, while staring into the sky filled with stars, without a slightest clue of what they were, our ancestors could have marvelled at such breath-taking sight (without knowing that they staring into a deep time machine), and thinking such complexity might have come from an unknown and unseen force much greater than they were. It is marvelous how humans have the ability to create images far more superior than he is and turning them into a force that empowers him to do the greatest works, deeds, and sacrifices anyone could ever think of - a mirror of all powerful nature gods and countless myths that surrounded them. It is this creation of myth and legends all around the world, that became traditions and symbols to be worshipped by humans of various origins. For example, it was the mighty Thor that created thunder with the striking of his hammer whose lightning bolts sent terror down to the earth below. At night, when it became cold, dark, and frightening, Baphomet, prince of darkness, was believed to be the one who came out to rule. At dawn, when the sun rises, it was perceived that light had come and defeated the darkness - it became none other than god's sun, the light of the world.

Human beings have the ability to think logically, rationalise and reason, as well as having the power of imagination. All these abilities equip us to adapt to our environment by constantly seeking, discovering, and questioning ideas or answers to bring ourselves one step closer to progress and most importantly, survival. However, man's weakness lies in the confusion between logic and imagination. When man are faced with issues whereby he does not have, yet, a solution to them, it is almost very likely for him to create or imagine an alternative solution (even though it is practically a wrong one) in order to resolve that problem. Therefore, just because the world and its biological make-up seems complicated in many ways, it is assumed that there must be a creator behind such perceived creations.

For those who misinterpret my point of view about where I was coming from, I wasn't personally against Christians or people of other religions. To say that I am personally attacking their faiths is an intelligent way of making these individuals an idiot of themselves. Because firstly, if questioning and challenging faith is something not to be done other than respecting it and tip-toe away, then there is absolutely no proper conversation regarding the conducts of man. After all, what I am discussing about so far is that we do not need the primary elements of religion to do good and be moral. Yes, religion teaches man to be a moral person, to be kind, to love, and to be generous. But, on the other hand, religion can be a force for man to do the most evil things on the face of the earth, and most of these deeds are done in the name of God, and literally according to what was stated in their scriptures or holy books. Theologians may argue that their scriptures or holy texts should not be interpreted or taken literally. Well, if scriptural books like Deuteronomy, Numbers, Judges or Leviticus should not be taken literally, then how well must it be interpretted? By revelations and not by explanation and reason? The historical accuracy of events written in the holy bible and other similar books still remains questionable till this day and fundamentalists still refuse to open themselves to reason and continue to have faith in an invisible and conceivably supreme being. To them, God is real, and everything about the bible is true.

Well, have they ever thought otherwise, like what if they were wrong? It seems like many of them are quick to condemn and reject scientific ideas that contradict their religious beliefs and holy texts. Besides, many of them are quick to judge perspectives coming from unbelievers and ask, "what if you are wrong?". Well, if I am proven wrong, I would gladly admit my mistake and move on. But will they do the same? What if God never existed? Would they still cling on to their bronze-age faith despite all the forthcoming scientific evidence and advanced discoveries in many years to come? Only time could tell.

Let's not be quick to judge, but be ready to question everything.

2007-12-20T00:15:00.000+08:00

Terrible days this week... what a hard time I have with my laptop's wireless internet connection! I only managed to log in now because I am using the direct local area connection to access the web. This is so troublesome and my limited knowledge of technological or computer stuffs only makes things worse. Anyway, Christmas is just around the corner and everyone (including me), is already getting presents for their friends and love ones. I think Christmas is rather commercialised these days and well, for me it's just another holiday to enjoy.

What about author of the God Delusion, Richard Dawkins? Jeremy Vine interviewed him regarding the singing of Christmas songs despite one's disbelief in God and being an Atheist. Dawkins shared his opinion on air. Check it out..

boomp3.com

The reason why some Christians are trying to evangelise during Christmas season and Easter is that they believe that the world needs to be saved so that Jesus' word would come true, and He would make His second coming. But honestly, there are millions of us in this world and everyone is different in many ways, including our mindset and the way we perceive things. Therefore, it is impossible for every living human being on earth to subscribe to a universal thinking or belief system. If that is the case, there is no freedom of choice. However, since Christians claim that God gave men the freedom of choice, then let each person determine what he or she would like to embrace. But if embracing something which the Christian bible claimed would cause one to end up in hell, then what is the use of free choice then? Isn't it an excuse for an apparent and visible biblical verbal threat? The consequence for having a bad ending is due to bad decisions, but the evidence for the consequence of finding one's soul in hell has a lot to show up. Can the Theologians prove it? No one can. Why should we believe that one would go to hell for not embracing Christianity? If I would die one day and God questions me of my disbelief, my answers would be so straightforward - "Not enough evidence sire, not enough evidence."; "Why would I call you Father if you have not shown yourself physically?"; "If only you have appeared again and again such that not only faith can prove, but evidence, science, logic, reason, physics, and all human senses could detect your presence and reality, then you wouldn't have to go through the trouble of sending me and others to hell. It saves your effort really."

This delusional belief that the whole world needs to be saved is slightly equivalent to the Muslim's thirst for world conquest and domination. The difference is that one is through Jihad, and the other, by softer and non-violent means, compassionate evangelism. But despite all these talks of how religion is contagious and manipulative, I still enjoy the lightings and decorations at Orchard Road. I like to listen to Christmas songs and sing to Christmas songs even though I am consciously aware that this religion is questionable. The Christian culture is expanding over the world, thanks to evangelists who brought people to their home church just to see themselves rising up to a cell group leader's position, or any other "Christianly" and "Churchly" respected position. Yes, and they love to see new faces coming to church every weekend just to join them in the singing, shouting, screaming, jumping, clapping, and waving, not forgetting comparing clothes. Although there is an increase in the number of church goers, I do not suppose everyone goes to church for the same purpose or intention. So I guess Professor Dawkins was right. Church goers may enjoy the praise and worship, as well as some weekend tips of how to live a better life out in the real world... but they may not completely believe that Jesus actually exist or perhaps, they may think that God only exists in their hearts and that's it. Church goers may not be Christians, but they aspire to be a better person thanks to the sermons by pastors (who are also moderate Christians) who wants to engage themselves in the secular world and marketplace, in order to be able to bring more people to church.

Such is the reality of the church these days - if you are bringing somebody to church, you better have something good to offer, such as a rock band, a foreign spiritual and motivational speaker, a grand looking auditorium, good sermons that provide moral tips on how to become a leader in the secular society, and of course not forgetting, nice shapely attractive people in the church to look at. If a church is plain and simple, no one would go! Isn't this simple enough? That the megachurches are solely aiming for the quantitative growth but second the quality of its humanity and morality concerning the way they perceive their way of life - in fact, not much critical thinking has been involved if one is a staunch Christian. One example would be how my would-be ex-cell group leader treat my criticisms, agnosticism, and scepticism of the bible and Christianity. Whenever I tried to discuss, not just with him, but to other church-going individuals about my agnosticism, he would interfere and say that I would stumble some people's faith. Well, if faith can be stumbled by just mere words of harmless discussion or reasoning, it goes to show how reliable biblical sources are. I have never heard of Scientists saying that their conclusions to their hypotheses have been stumbled, because what is tested and proven is evident. There will be no conclusions without evidence and constant postulation. There is hardly any faith in Science, unless one is putting a huge amount of trust in one's constructed hypotheses that there is a much greater effect to be evident at the end of the study. Well, even so, one should not come to a strict conclusion just because it has not been shown. This is something faith can never do.

I don't believe that the whole world needs to be saved. I don't believe that people should not question religion. I don't believe that people should keep religion out of the topic during meaningful conversations. I don't believe that having faith in the supernatural would be enough to live a life of fulfilment.

I believe that there are so much to enjoy in this world and this life time, that we should all make the best out of it since this is the only life we have.

Anyway, Merry Christmas to everyone in advance... I hope I could be able to get my internet connection fixed by Christmas or perhaps the start of the new year.

Once again, HAPPY HOLIDAYS PEOPLE!!!

2007-12-16T11:18:00.000+08:00

Treachery.. my feelings have betrayed me. I was shocked as well, that I could not control my fury last night when I was hiring a cab. It was, however, a long and frustrating day for me as things did not went according to my plans.

Sean called me early in the morning and asked if I would like to watch a movie with my darling. I responded with approval and there, I started planning the day. I checked out the various cinemas and found one that has some seats available. Feeling joyful, I took a ride down but realised that most seats were taken up. Without a thought, I asked if NETS was accepted.. No, it's not. So, I had to go withdraw some cash and I thought by the time I return, the seats would have all been taken up. I was very mad at this. THINGS JUST DON'T GO ACCORDING TO MY PLANS! So, my plan for the day has failed.. and then, I was confused and had to start planning for another event.

I don't think anybody seemed to understand how I really felt at that time because I was all alone. In addition to that fact, I felt really disturbed that my plan failed and I thought I could not even plan properly. Quite ashamed actually.. I tried controlling myself for the day even when talking to my girlfriend and trying to discuss our next plan... I was already feeling frustrated by then. I hate last minute changes, but at that moment.. I had to make some last minute change, which is NEVER my nature nor in my principle.

Later, as I bought the tickets from another cinema, I lost one of them while taking my phone out from my pocket (I hate those god damn jeans pockets). Feeling desperate and anxious, I went all the way back to the place I last been and eagerly searched for the missing ticket. Fortunately, I found it. What a day!

All these made me really wonder if I did wake up on the right side of bed then. I had to repress my anger and frustration for the rest of the day... but at the end of it, I couldn't take it any more.

You see, I hate the fact that I'm just so inflexible. I'm a planner, but yet, I got so confused and messed up for a while whenever my plans failed. Also, I don't like to inform others at the spur of the moment when things change... and yet, I had to when circumstances took the turn, and I hate responding opposite of the principles I value. Simply put, I'm a straightforward person, sometimes, to the point of verbal brutality. It's hard for me to not be myself, for I too dislike being pretentious and insincere to others. Hence, to all my friends, who are really my friends, would begin to understand how I was feeling, and why was I feeling exactly the way I was.

I agree with my dad. It's hard to make friends if I can't control my fury. But yet again, if a friend could simply understand how I felt, wouldn't he or she just not be a friend? Perhaps, he or she could be my true friend...?

To my dad, friends are hard to find. He thinks that there is no such thing as a friend in this world. But unlike him, I think that friends are everywhere... but the ones that are true with their feelings to me, sincere and yet understanding, are not just my friends... they are my brothers and sisters.

I have to admit, it has been close to 6 years since I last blew my top and lost my mind. Never will I lose my mind again...

... I hate to fear, but had some.
... I love to be courageous, but yet fear insensitivity.

and the cycles goes on...

I wish there are anger management classes in town where I could participate in, really. Life gets more pressurizing - Prices are now increasing, and the government are enjoying themselves on their throne, fucking themselves while the people are trying to make ends meet - sometimes, I felt that if I don't release my suppressed frustrations, and other desires I know could never happen, I would die a slow and emotionally painful death... if that's what the government wants. I don't like to blame anyone, but I just feel that the government should be blamed for everything... because firstly, in Singapore, the people fear the government, not the other way round. That's the sucky part of living here. The government doesn't change... so do the people.

I'm basically frustrated with so many things, but I am trying my very best to keep these screwed up events suppressed within me, while biting the baton and move on in this competitive life. I hate the fact when someone comes in the way and screw things up further for me. That will get me really furious. As a city dweller, we are all impatient sort... what is missing, is that little enjoyment or reward that we get at the end of the day... which is so hard to get, when one has to work over time to make ends meet. Now you know why I detest the government.

Alright, my ranting is over. I shall be sane again and do whatever I'm suppose to do.

2007-12-11T18:41:00.001+08:00

Well, I think I couldn't stand it any longer... Somebody wants to kill my demon. I wouldn't allow them to...

Finally, I have the time to blog. Now, sitting in the library, I've just completed my analysis for my lab report and surfing web with all the free time I have in hand, I stumbled upon something which I have long expected. Those fucking Christians deleted my link to my personal blog! WOW... I never knew that these imbecile creatures are so fucking closed minded, much less narrow minded. I know that the contents I wrote are pretty much speaking against their beliefs because I personally think that there are certain loop holes in the Christian faith itself, which they would not ever like to hear because of their BLIND faith (or perhaps unintelligible mind) that they themselves wouldn't like it being wavered and shaken. However, I want to make my stand and criticisms clear such that those topics I brought up would be subjected to debates and reasoning... rather than seeing these poor souls leaning on to blind faith like a pathetic crutch.

I'm troubled, not because my link has been taken out, but rather, I'm bothered by such attitude of complete rejection, or should I say, negligence of criticisms, doubts, scepticisms, and the constant questioning of faith, God, and the holy scriptures. These pathetic religious people deny reason and continue to have faith without question, and always on the march for their invisible God. This is obviously so, that militant faith denies the real facts and testable theories (debatable and non-debatable) of this world, also, it constantly shut itself away from critics and people of reason, and they refuse to look at all sides of the story and question their faith. Unlike science advocates like myself, who question theories, hypotheses, facts, and opinions formed and shaped by various well-known and reliable sources, religious nutcases completely reject them all, and would never consider the fact if evolution is ever true, because God is all they need, as interpreted by their imperfect pastor.

Well, it's alright if these religious idiots do not consider my criticisms, and they would always remain as criticisms if left uncountered and undebated, because there are so many atheists, agnostics, sceptics, free thinkers, humanists out there who still question the existence of God, or who are still sceptical about the reality of a surveillance camera in the sky. And the fact that these lunatics thought of going all out to win souls for the fucking sake of Christ without debating, answering or tackling the main issues that intelligent non-religious thinkers have within themselves is a big joke to laugh at.

I'm not going to say any more because I'm hungry now... and besides, I don't think any religious lunatics would listen cos of their occluded cerebral cortex left somewhere else such as their asses.

Alright, I'm signing off for my evening meal. Checkin' back later.

2007-12-04T23:59:00.000+08:00

Faith VS Reason

Scenario 1: Christmas is around the corner this year and you are getting a present for your significant other. However, on your side, you do not really know that your significant other would ever get you a present. Despite this question of doubt, you believed that he or she would buy you a gift for Christmas. This is an example of faith you have in your partner. The reason is because you have a relationship with him or her.

Scenario 2: Christmas is around the corner this year and you are getting a present for your significant other. However, on your side, you do not really know that your significant other would ever get you a present. Despite this question of doubt, you believed that he or she would buy you a gift for Christmas. Furthermore, you told yourself that EVEN if he or she doesn't buy you a gift, it may or may not be evident to show that he or she does not love you. Hence, you convince yourself that there are indeed quite a few possibilities for any delights or mishaps along the way, while at the same time, putting your trust in your significant other. This is an example of rational thinking.

Rational thinking is becoming an essential necessity to living a fulfilled and sane life in this horribly sick world contaminated by irrational fundamentalism, dogmatic extremism, and religious fanaticism. There have been accusations that free, rational, and critical thinking is pessimistic, skeptical, and doubtful. But unlike religious dogmas and beliefs, they do not emphasize a strong faith built upon supernatural coincidences (or some would call God-incidences), thinking or merely believing that they are right simply because their holy scriptures or religious texts say likewise. In short, religion thrives on the absolutes, but in the wide variousness of the human condition there are no absolutes, only competing goods and desires (Grayling, p.105). Take Christianity for instance, one has to believe in Jesus, and also receive Jesus into their life, as well as repent of their sins before becoming a Christian. The very first thing before one becomes a Christian is to say the Sinner's Prayer, which I am sure, is a ritual for many Christian churches even till today. Why is this so? Simply put, Christianity is yet another religion (regardless how any staunch believer would ever deny this). Not only that, it's main ideal is to despise the conception of sin and believers are to be grateful to their perceived saviour for delivering them from their sins by obeying God, in exchange of that favour. Whereas for morality, it usually comes in second to the deliverance of sins from humankind. But very often, morality is interpreted and emphasized in accordance and in context to the holy scriptures, which again, doesn't emphasize much of morality anyway. It is all about ridding sins from one's mind and body, or if you like, soul.

Free thinking and logical reasoning do not practice such dogmatic nonsense. Instead, they rely on human ethics, moral philosophies, and concepts about interpersonal relationships, responsibility, and concern. A rational mind usually question everything it sees, hears, or senses in its environment. It is independent in terms of opinion, thought, and judgement. It is not moderate, which also means, it does not weigh the pros and cons of a subject, then chooses the side which is determined not by rational decisions, but by dogmatic rules and religious laws. If religious laws and dogmatic rules do matter, then there is no longer any strong need for one of such faith to practice logical reasoning and decision making, especially when it goes against certain dogmatic views. On the contrary, if one is rational enough to put on some critical thinking cap, and equip oneself with the ability to reason with his or her mind, then there is absolutely no necessity for religious laws or dogmatic rules to take control of that rational being. Immoral crimes like murders, killings, genocides, and suicide bombings were committed in the name of an invisible God, are fine examples of irrational insane minds under the extreme control of irrational faith and pseudo-religiosity. Thus, their holy scriptures are to be solely responsible for such religious atrocities committed not for the sake of God whose existence is still questionable, but to put their own faith and reputations to shame. These fanatics are a disgrace to their family, the weed of our society, and a great example of serious mental illness. Many of them, needless to say, were intelligent people who were scholars, some of them even had doctorates from well-known universities around the world. Yet, their staunch belief in an irrational faith, which influenced them into having a narrow-minded dogmatic view of the world spelled a gradual doom to their future and beyond.

It is not fair just to blame the fanatics for their religious atrocities committed out of a babyish mental processing (or should I say, non-thinking). Every individual who embraces a religion has the potential to become a fanatic or a religious fundamentalist. It is just a matter of time to see it unfolding within their character. Even if some would not or never become a religious fanatic, they would most probably be the ones who are the most intolerant of many ideas put forth by rational people who just do not have any religious beliefs. These types of religious people are the most common in Singapore and in many civilized societies around the world. Because of their dogmatic faith and strong religious beliefs, they remain a closed door for many possibilities and solutions to their problems: all they need is God, and God is all there is in order for things to be alright. I really do fantasize about such an outcome, but one has to be realistic in the situation one is dealing with.

In a survey of 2000 doctors conducted about half a year ago, 35 percent of non-religious doctors, compared with 31 percent of religious doctors, said they were likely to care for people with little or no health insurance (Chicago Sun-Times, 2007). According to that article, a study has shown that atheist and agnostic doctors are as likely to provide care for the poor as religious physicians. The reason for this paradox was later postulated that caring for the poor, which is an expression of faithfulness and commitment, is something that many religious individuals do not practice. Instead, they are solely committed to their God without being aware of their environment, situations, and people around them. Although individuals who claim to be spiritual could fare better than the religious, they have a likelihood of becoming ritualistic and religious, if they cease being aware of themselves.

As I have mentioned before, religion robs the minds of individuals to ever possess the ability to apply critical thought, logical reasoning, rational problem solving, and moral decision making. It is like cancer or HIV, which gradually eats away the good cells capable of battling against sickness, such as irrationality. Like racial identification, religion separates people into various groups of denominations and sectarians. However, unlike the former, religion divides people, society, and thoughts. Of all these three, the division of thoughts through the power of the church, or any religious authority, is a threat to human and scientific progress, especially when we are living in the modern age of the twenty-first century. The complete rejection of certain scientific or philosophical ideas is already a threat to progress, much less the rejection of other irrational and nonsensical faiths within the perception of these religious individuals. It is not wrong to reject certain ideas, however, it is rather insensible to completely reject an idea that holds a certain amount of facts, truth and reality. To reject an idea is to see the positive and negative sides of it, while making a stand for yourself what you think is rational and moral. To completely reject an idea is to say "NO" to such proposition regardless of its positive traits. Unfortunately, many religious Christians I happened to know completely reject the idea of evolution without even thinking twice about its positive applications and worse, misinterpret the idea of evolution altogether. Obviously, they know nothing about the theory of evolution, and its application in our lives today.

Faith is non-thinking. And one who does not think is a dead man. While faith involves the deep knowing and sensation of one's belonging to a supernatural realm that seems to be true only in the mind of this individual, it is but a gradual mental decay of a completely deluded being. Faith is believing what one knows is right, even when sometimes it could be wrong.

Reason, on the other hand, observes the observable, tests and confirms the unobservable, and relies on logic and individual perceptions. It is humble and democratic. A person of reason is one who does not claim to have the right answer to everything, or insist that his ideas are unquestionable and thus, always right. Reason frees you up from the narrow-minded or rather, frog-in-a-well view of life. It encourages free thought, which is good for the mind, body, and health. It lacks faith for being skeptical and doubtful, but at least, it does not agree without question.

In sum, although there is faith in everyone of us regardless of any situation that we are in, it would be a deadly mistake to rely on faith alone, without questioning faith itself. Faith should be questioned no matter what the situation is. After all, if faith and/or action alone is truly the solution to our problems, then there is no necessity for reason to exist.

2007-11-30T23:59:00.000+08:00

My exam results were out yesterday, which was, by right, supposed to be released today at noon time (Australian time). I've got all three credits for my units and one high distinction for one of my journalism units I took. Truly, I was a bit disappointed with my first psychology assignment as it was very strictly marked and all of us had not enough guides to writing good reports, if one is to, say... be taking a course in a private institution doing some distant learning units. The help we off-campus students get are limited and thus, if only I had the finances, I would go overseas.. yea, to Australia that is, because there is where all the help I could get anytime I want.

Anyway, I've gotten over my disappointments quickly enough as I was finally enlightened by a discovery after collecting back my assignments. And this time round, some markers have complimented my essays. I was told that the Journalism essay was "one of the best written so far", and for the Psychology report, it was "well written, coherent, and well done". This is certainly not the first time I received such compliments. Other assignments such as those of Journalism and Sociology, I received compliments such as "very creative language used", and "very well written essay". Altogether, I was told again and again for about four times in a row that my essays are very well written, and honestly, I do enjoy the satisfaction which my readers get to indulge in what I've written. Then, and only then, when I made this discovery yesterday, I knew for once that I have the talent to write.

I couldn't believe myself or anyone, when somebody once complimented about my writing skills two years ago while I was still blogging my hearts out during the darkest times of my life. I took that compliment as a pinch of salt at first and to me, I am a person who does not fully believe in any facts that anybody tells me unless it has been shown to me more than three times. And only then, I would realise that it is true and would wake up to that reality. Even tough I might not be completely satisfied with my exam results, at least, I found my strength and potential, and purpose yesterday night. And this day, as I type, would mark as a special date when I have truly found my seed of potential.

I will continue to blog, however, if I really have the time that is. As I would be rather busy with this semester and two future semesters to come, I would do my best to keep this place updated and would continue to post samples of my thoughts and philosophies when I feel like it. Thank you for supporting my blog, and for those who are regulars, thanks for your comments and of course, rebuttals and arguments to some of my entries. You guyz have brought life to this place.

I hope more people would have their minds opened up to different ideas from various sources, and not have a narrow view of what the world is like, especially those based on dogmatic nonsense. And my writings may offend, but it is the blunt and honest reality which is what I am after and still seeking. I remembered one of my heroes, Albert Einstein who said that the mind works best when it is opened. And I agree to that in a way that if one's mind is constantly seeking knowledge, instead of supernatural revelations, one would become wiser in reality than in the supernatural realm. I would rather know that I die for a greater cause and something more real, than to not knowing but continue to have faith till the day I die and perhaps realise then, that death is the end of life, and that is all there is. As we are living in this world of reality and billions of possibilities as well as there are certainties, we are to make every second of our lives count as though there is no tomorrow. This is because life is precious and we only have one in this lifetime.

Whatever we choose to believe will eventually make us... or break us. For some, it could make and break us at the same time, depending on which has a greater effect. However, there could only be two general things that we can indulge in - those of the reality, and those of the unseen, unknown, or unproven. The things of the reality are those that our physical senses can react to, but yet, our perceptions for these individual realities in our lives are completely different, or perhaps, similar every now and then. Most of the time, our ultimate perceptions and reactions, through our eyes, nose, ears, taste buds, and skin, are the result of our past experiences, childhood development, education, knowledge, and belief system (of what we are told of that specific reality). And many times, it is this reality that we are constantly struggling in. Some of us fail to see the big picture, some of us fail to perceive the details, while some of us simply rely on the unknown to determine our fate (if you know what I mean).

It is rather shocking to discover that our reality has been polluted by fantasies, imagination, folktales, made-up bedtime stories, and other fictions of what I call, mumbo jumbo. As a result, what seem real become our reality and we tend to escape the harshness of the real world through various channels that practice things such as religions, cults, and other forms of non-cultivating hobbies. The reality that we are all going to die is a fact, and a harsh one. The fear of death is definitely, by no means, evident in most of us I would say. As a result of this fear, many people would act up with courage to believe in a salvation that gives them life after death. It has been shown that throughout history, even kings and emperors were afraid of dying and that before their passing, instructions were given to their subordinates to build them large tombs with symbols of the afterlife buried together with their rotting corpses. Is this not another evidence that the 'afterlife' concept is nothing but another symbolic entity? Does the unknown, unseen, or unproven matter to us so much that we become so afraid of them all? Is it necessary to be fervently seeking the unknown while struggling with the current harsh realities of our lives, as if there are not enough solutions to solve our devastating troubles, except something supernatural?

I would really love to fall in love with somebody who doesn't disappoint me, doesn't fail me, doesn't leave me, and always provide for me. This is definitely everybody's fantasy. However, this fantastic character everyone's been fantasizing has been claimed as "God" for some religious Christians. Yet, their arguments for catastrophes, famines, diseases, sufferings, poverty, wars, destructions, natural disasters, and infant mortality, are that the world is corrupted with Adam's sin. Not only this, it was claimed that God banished Adam and Eve out of the Garden and into this world of corruption as a form of punishment for their sins and temptations. When faced with a question of why the tree of the knowledge of good and evil has been planted in the middle of the Garden in the first place, it was argued that God gave Adam and Eve free choice - whether to sin or not to sin. Well, if it was man's nature, or rather, woman's nature back then to be tempted and commit sin as a result of Satan's mere words, then I would say that man is rather imperfect when made by God himself. If Adam and Eve were perfect as in they were made in the image of God himself, then they shouldn't have sinned just because of some mere words that sounds like music to the ears. That is probably a bad reflection of who God is because if man back then were to fall so easily into sin, it shows that God isn't that perfect after all since man are made with a tiny flaw, that is, the ability to be tempted. Then again, if God made us in His image, we should be of the same level as He is in terms of how strong we are compared to God himself, and would not so easily be tempted. However, with all due respect, this was not the case.

Well, perhaps after all, man ARE made in God's image, but not a copy of God himself, since there can only be one God as He is a jealous God, and would not like to see so many gods of the same character and image like himself wondering around heaven drinking tea since all man are copies of God. No, I don't think God wants that. And I don't think we exist because of God. We exist because we are simply fortunate to be alive. We are here because of certain decisions made by our parents. Our ancestors and common ancestors have mated and adapted to this harsh environment. Moreover, they have fought a great fight and finished the race of their lifetime such that generations later, you and I finally exist in this world. We are components of billions of cells and our bodies have billions and more of chemical reactions every single split of a second or perhaps less. We became complex because of simplicity, and this evolution will go on until ultimate complexity is achieved, which I don't even know when will that be.

Reality is what we perceive. However, what we perceive is based on our belief system, past experiences, knowledge, and education. Thus it is essential that we polish our reality, which we are struggling to make up, such that we can be able to make the best out of the only life we have, instead of relying solely on supernatural beliefs to religiously guide us to our future. It is relatively good to view dogmas as morally helpful source of guidance in order to do good, just as other moral philosophies are. However, it would be sad to see dogmatic faiths turning into authorities and religious dogmas replacing civil and secular laws over man. Man always have the tendencies to escape the harshness of his environment into a place of refuge and comfort. As babies grow and develop, they also develop the ability to symbolize objects and make beliefs in the process. These are survival instincts man possess, but they have been abused over time, in a way that man decided to perceive religion as a form of escaping the many fears and negativities he faced in this real world.

As I have mentioned, our realities are what we perceive, and hence, they are biased. No man is perfect. Due to the many perceptions we, as imperfect creatures have, there would be many view points and opinions formed by different individuals. And that includes religion.

In sum, the unknown has succeeded in horrifying us because of its uncertainties and lack of evidence. Paradoxically for some, it has been a place of refuge and tower of strength and comfort for those who are desperate for answers to their crushed and troubled lives. But one must look at the bigger picture. If the unknown is really unknown, uncertain, and certainly lack evidence, what answers could it provide compared to things which are real and testable? Well, faith could possibly do the job very well indeed. But is faith ever enough? No, instead of leaning upon faith like a crutch, a rational, inquisitive, and critical mind is the answer to our unending problems.

2007-11-21T17:39:00.000+08:00

Donut-spree time!

It's something which I have done this month and this year, and it was my first time going out with friends to try out some donuts in town. At first I was planning to have an island-wide donut-spree but it's going to be rather exhausting and due to the time constraint, it was replaced by the idea of staying just within the city area.

First thing yesterday morning, before I start my journey to taste some of the best donuts found in Singapore, my mom brought home some donuts given by my cousin who has returned from Hong Kong. And as I stepped out of my room, I saw something which most Singaporeans would be craving for as well - Krispy Kreme Donuts!

WOW!!! It looks so... delicious! And by the way, I don't think you can find this in Singapore yet. I have no idea when this stall is coming to town.

The next stop for me, as I was with Robin, was Donut Factory. And I'm sure most Singaporeans have already tried the donuts there by now. And as I was craving for donuts this week, I decided to pamper myself with some half a dozen donuts for this week. And yesterday, Robin and I bought ourselves one donut each and they tasted superb!

Argh... Robin ate his share first... and I didn't get the time to take a picture with him. Ah well, guess he might have been really hungry.

This was my share and it was called the Lotus Mocha donut. It is coated with Mocha chocolate and topped with some lotus paste. Something different.

Our next stop took us to a cosy little corner at Meridian building...

e-Donuts!!!

The donuts here looked very unique and most of them were coated with interesting flavour themes and they all looked so tempting that I would so like to buy every one of them back home. But well, as I was pretty full at that time, I helped myself with something that caught my eyes when I stepped into that stall - a Kiwi-fruit donut.

That's all for yesterday's trip!

Today, I was out with Albert and Sean for the donut-spree in town. We went to only one stall this evening and it was located in the basement of Plaza Singapura. Missy Donut!!! You got it! For those who likes variety and sugary tastes of creamy donuts, this stall is pretty good too. Here are the pictures taken this evening.

I guess there are more adventures to come when I start visiting other donut stalls some other times. These are some good stalls where we can be able to find donuts of great varieties as well as interesting flavour themes. And they are delicious. I don't know how some of you might view them as most of our taste buds are different. To me, as long as it looks good, or tastes sweet, it's delicious for me.

Today is a great day and I finally found the necklace I've been looking for.

It is a necklace that shapes like a German Cross. Looks very attention-seeking eh? I like this design... regardless what you people think of it.

That's all folks.. It's hardly I ever blog about my adventures, but I was considering making a vlog to keep an account of my travels and adventures whenever I am organizing one. Maybe next time.. yeah?

Perhaps.

2007-11-20T02:00:00.000+08:00

NBC Report on Benny Hinn

Thanks to Atheistmedia and ChurchOfAtheism for the video.

It's time for us to seek the truth.

2007-11-19T21:38:00.000+08:00

Freedom of speech in Singapore is only but a dream of a dead man. As the Minister Mentor once mentioned many years ago, that Singapore cannot afford to have freedom of expression due to its multicultural society and various religious views. Well, I was wondering if we could take these words spoken from an old man. Although there is this saying that old men are wise, I would also stress that old men are also stubborn. While young people like us are learning, we strive to uphold critical thinking and independent thoughts, as well as freedom of expression in our everyday lives. Freedom of expression does not give us the privilege to abuse our rights of speaking without constructive reasoning. I think the Minister Mentor is afraid of the public's stupidity or ignorance regarding such matters, and I'm concerned if he is ever too worried to allow people to speak their minds in the media or allow friendly debates on sensitive issues like politics and religion. Maybe he is right after all, that much of the Singaporean public is ignorant of so many things.

Firstly, they don't read much, because all they ever care is earning enough for themselves, feeding themselves and their families, and finally dying in their grave without even knowing that the prices have gone twice as high as when they were once alive and kicking. This is what I call the "bo-chap" (couldn't be bothered) attitude.

Secondly, they don't care much about the world as long as they themselves are happy. I'm not against such attitude, but thinking of this makes me feel that something is indeed amiss. If one is selfishly involved with themselves without a thought of making a difference, then seriously, what difference would it make if one dies? The only difference is the lack of inhalation. There are many ways of making a difference. One way is to realise one's worth in a society. How much are you worth? It doesn't matter what you are doing, where you are working, or what position are you holding, but rather, how are you determined to excel in the things you do that matters. And the first step to excellence is the realization of your worth and importance to the people around you. Surely, you do make a difference no matter how insignificant you may be. Hence, your identity and dignity must both be guarded.

Thirdly, they are narrow-minded. Probably because of the religion they embrace. Heck, every religion is the same. They all have potentials for shaping narrow-minded people, and people who are less tolerant. Some very good examples would be the intolerance between the Christians and Muslims in Lebanon, the Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem, and the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. Being narrow-minded also involves viewing people in a judgmental light, for instance, judging them based on their biological characteristics such as their race or cultural heritage. Everyone of us are guilty of having a certain amount of narrow-mindedness. I am also guilty of being a little judgmental at times, regarding the way I perceive other races like the Bangladeshis or the Caucasians. The way we perceive objects, others and situations are determined by the knowledge we gained over years and years of education. Our upbringing in the academic aspects of our lives strongly shapes the mentality that we possess. If we embrace cults, theologies, or religious dogmas, we are doomed to the tendency of thinking intolerantly of others based on their religious views, biological characteristics, or actions. Thus, such upbringing is only but an abuse of children and young minds, by simply taking away their naturally given ability to make their own independent decisions.

However, adults are too not spared from the poison of religions. Vulnerable adults such as those who are suffering from depression, anxiety, or disillusionment, are potential prey for religious fundamentalists or evangelicals. These fanatics would hunt their prey down, breaking their self-esteem before building them up again by making them feel good about themselves. They continue this process until their vulnerable targets become fully dependent on the assurance of that religious fanatic. As a result, everything he says becomes true to the poor minds of these individuals seeking help for the cure of their plights. Subsequently, instead of fully depending on the ability of advanced medication, GOD is all there is for their cure. Instead of going to see the psychiatrists or professional counselors for their mental instability, they leaned comfortably upon religious dogmas like a crutch to take their minds off their reality and into the world of gods and other delusions. Instead of seeking knowledge of this world by constantly improving their sense of reasoning, critical thinking, and inquisitiveness in order to learn how to discern and see the gray areas of life, these vulnerable targets have become mind slaves of religious dogmas that restrict their free thoughts and eventually hinder their ability to reason and make ethical judgments.

Sometimes, I wonder if society could be better off without religion or religious people.

Yes. Religion is said to guide our lives, help us make moral decisions, and provide the pathways to inner peace. On the other hand, what peace do we have if religious fundamentalists or fanatics are psychologically intolerant of others who are not like themselves? Morality plays the most part of religion if not for its master-servant doctrines that emphasize obedience for the sake of a higher invisible and supernatural authority. It provides a clear guide for doing something in order to enter the kingdom of God or heaven or paradise.. or, for some, in order to have 72 virgins in heaven after life. All these instructions, guides, and religious education teaches one to obey the laws of a supernatural deity(s) in order to get rewarded in many different ways, if not blessed, then it must be having the key to the gates of heaven, or having favour of that god or other people. All these struggles to gain access to a heavenly kingdom or blessings in rewards are perhaps the most fundamental reasons why most religious people believe and act out according to their religion or what their gods instruct them to do.

As I've mentioned before, loving people, being kind, showing mercy, practising honesty, or even donating to charity do not necessarily require God's motivations. It is true, however, that everyone of us has ulterior motives regardless of the things we choose to do. If we love others, we expect others to love us back. This is the law of the universe. If I scratch your back, I'd expect you to scratch mine, otherwise, we are not going to meet each other again. I would be thinking, "Darn, I'm not so stupid to be deceived by such rude behaving individual who doesn't reciprocate". Thus, my attention would be drawn elsewhere without a doubt. Such behaviour with personal ulterior motives is what makes us human, because it is in our innate nature to seek for returns or a two-way street in relationships.

It is hereditary for us to love others out of our willing heart, not because God tells us so, or because the scriptures say so, or even anybody who tells us to do so. Love is taught, not commanded, not through instructions or dogmas, but by how one shows it through actions and confessions. If a parent loves his or her child, that parent not only confesses his or her love to that child, but constantly opens him or herself to that child by being a gracious, kind, and loving parent. Because a child models after his or her parent, a parent's role and the way he or she conducts him or herself is very essential. Whereas for Jesus in the Bible, his commandment for every single one of his believers was to love one another as themselves. Is it necessary for such loving action to be commanded if they, as believers themselves, could just exercise simple loving kindness towards others who simply, do not believe in their god or religion? Surely, Jesus must have known that such believers are no better off than being unbelievers and not entering God's kingdom at all. Anyway, Jesus mentioned that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than one to enter God's kingdom. One similarity to Jesus' statement is that of Confucius who encouraged people to do unto others what they want others to do unto them. Sounds familiar? Well, I could give more examples, but all I'm trying to say is that all religion preaches almost the same things. They are all dogmatic, restrictive, fundamentalistic, biased, and utterly making extraordinary claims which constantly require extraordinary explanations. The only difference lies in the various gods involved, which are probably made up in the imaginative minds of people.

That said, it is such a plight for the people of Singapore to practice religion without first understanding its secret agenda or ulterior motives, which to me, are usually unethical. Not just that, it constraints free thinking to an extent whereby everyone is stripped from developing independent thoughts or opinions. It is something that the Singapore government encourages, thinking that it might boost tourism and improve the public's awareness of one another's religious practices, which also influence their own cultures and traditions. It is not a problem acknowledging that there are various strange religions around, but it is an imminent danger for not discerning the reality of life and superstitious mentality, traditions or way of life. The reason why religion remains as the source for primitive people is that it is so convincing to the point that it is convincingly wrong and people are not simply aware of it, or some are simply denying it. This is a tool, I suspect (correct me if I'm wrong), that the government uses to self-censor the media and everyone in Singapore.

Religion is contagious, for it destroys communication and meaningful dialogues between two individuals. If one says that God told him something, there is no longer any more another person has to say because the former has already made a statement that is too out of this world for anyone to believe. Besides, it is a communicative signal to the latter party that God, the supposedly highest of all authority, has made a supposedly important statement and that the conversation is indeed over. Then again, who could possibly outspeak God? It is unimaginable. Yes, and I mean unimaginable as in simply unbelievable.

Besides, religion restricts freedom of expression, especially those of Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, or Judaism alike. These religions constantly insist their absolute right in their beliefs in a certain fixed morality based only upon their scriptures and nothing else. This is what I call narrow-mindedness. And I am utterly disappointed to find Singapore engaging in much of these religious thinking such that it allows their minds to be conformed to a conforming mindset. As a result, many people here becomes a conformer and people who are afraid to speak up in a constructive manner of course.

Well, I cannot totally blame religion for its nastiness in our society, but rather, the blame goes to those who do not constantly seek knowledge for themselves instead of doing so for the sake of God. It is, nonetheless, our decision to make our lives better. If one thinks that God is everything and that free thought is secondary, which makes him a happy person, then let it be so. If one chooses free thought and scientific reasoning, which opens him up to a world of beauty and many possibilities, then, congratulations in understanding the wider concepts of morality and discovering reality! We all have the ability and freedom to choose what we want out of our lives. God can never decide for us, for we must take a stand for what we believe and live up to its standard. We are thinking individuals, not religious robots that depend solely on scriptures to rule our lives by faith alone. Faith is non-thinking, and a non-thinker is one that is dead.

2007-11-13T18:11:00.000+08:00

I'm feeling much better now, thanks to my improving immune system and the medicine that the doctor has prescribed to me. Of course, thanks to my parents and my fortune that I have good quality food on my table. Well, shouldn't I thank God for it? Hahaha... as I've mentioned before in my previous entry, God only exists within myself, not in this world. If I thank God, perhaps, I have only myself to thank in the end instead?

Three days ago, I found my answer regarding the existence of God. I don't care what struck me because I thought and rationalized about it. Whether it's from the "devil", or the "angel", it's all but the works of the mind, which, I believe, is the traditional explanation for the origin of our human soul and human spirit. It is what we think and perceive within the world we live in that shapes our identity and what we call ourselves, or identify ourselves with. Too often, we do not take a good look at the big picture as we are often busy with our career that bogs our mind and wears us away like used old rubber soles. However, I have yet again to thank my lucky star that I have the vacation to myself thinking about life. I know I have been feeling ill these days, but I am always up thinking.

What comes to your mind when the word "God" is spoken?

Do you think first of religion?
Do you think first of Jesus?
Do you think first of faith?

Many religious Christians I know are immersed in a delusion that God is related to religion, to Jesus, and to faith, or to anything biblical like the Holy Bible. Some are much better off by telling me that they first think of love. Well they are, to me, partially right. All these delusions that bogs us down like a bondage to a slave chain is an abomination, at least, to my own opinion. I personally do not see God as existent in this world at all. Firstly, we cannot see Him, we cannot feel Him, we certainly cannot hear Him if we start talking to ourselves in an enclosed room with rats and, if you like, cheese. God is omnipotent, but yet, not in the world that we see Him or It, or She. Somehow, this is a problem with the hidden concept of potential sexism, why must God be a "He"? I've yet to find my answer to this.

However, I've found my answer that the term "God", refers to the central of our morality, our ethical behaviour, and the centre of our lives.. which is, right inside the places where everything starts - the mind, and the heart. The kingdom of heaven, is in our minds and our hearts. It is how we paint the picture of God within our human minds and hearts that determines how we react to our own circumstances. I am influenced by my circumstances because they teach me great moral lessons that mould the way I think about life, and the way I perceive people. Here in my mind and my heart, is where God lies and lives within me, and no where else. To me, God is morality; God is conscience; God is values; God is the centre of my being in the way I carry myself. Like it or not, God is a being man create for himself to be a guide towards life and development. Some people can live without God, some people cannot live without God's guidance. We each have to follow our own hearts and have our own moral philosophy of how we perceive our lives.

Well, speaking about God, is He also about love? Yes, indeed. Love is part of our moral human tendency, which is innate and hereditary. With God (morality) as the centre of our being, it is barely uncommon that we love those who love us, or for some noblemen, love those who persecute us. According to evolutionary perspective, which some closed-minded Christians openly reject, love is one altruistic behaviour that not only helps to bring about progress within the individuals involved, it certainly elevates the rate of survival within that community, or if you like, social herd (most of you theologians might even deny this, in fact, you hate evolution don't you?). Therefore, love is one very important essence that could change the lives of individuals because altruism brings about adaptation and survival values within the community that is fit enough to carry on living out a life of dreams and ambitions in this world. That is why Christianity or other theistic religions stress upon the essentials of love and acceptance. But, who in their world actually practise them?

No one. Not one soul I've met. I understand, we are all imperfect, and that is why we seek perfection to fill our imperfect nature. That, is our human destiny.

So God, to Christians, is all so perfect, all knowing, all wise, and all powerful. And that, is good enough to be an ultimate guide to humanity. Thank goodness for our brains and our quick survival instincts. For without them, we would be as vulnerable as the dodo bird. Don't believe me? Well, we can't run as fast as the cheetah, we would be eaten if we mess around with them. We can't be as strong as the elephant, we would be killed carrying tons of loads on our backs. We can't be as swift as an eagle, for our food target would disappear right before our eyes if we race against them. We can't fly like the birds in the sky, so we are helpless like any land prey. We don't have sharp teeth like the lion to almost instantly kill our preys or eat their meat raw and fresh. We certainly are not as furry as the polar bears that live in the arctic, we would be frozen to death if we roam about the ice caps naked. We are not like any other animal species that have, for themselves, the ability to adapt and survive according to their natural environment in which they are inhabiting. Without their natural protection, we humans are doomed for extinction. However, according to evolutionary perspective, it is the improvement and progress of our brains and the newly added structure of the cerebral cortex after millions of years, that finally gave us the ability to think better, to reason, to adapt, and to survive better in our harsh environment. Without the power of our brains and wisdom, we are totally vulnerable and would become an easy prey to our potential fast and sharp-teethed predators.

Well, we would all say that God created the creatures on earth and hence the complication for their biological designs and functions. How sure could one be regarding such statement? Without concrete evidence, there is obviously no say. Well, I do not assert that evolution has the answers to who made the animals, including homo sapiens. Evolution does not provide the answers to the origin of the creator, but it certainly provides evidence to the process of how things came to be throughout history. One common misunderstanding about evolution is that man come from apes. We are not apes and we do not come from apes even if some of us smell like one or look like one. The idea is that man, and other animal species do have a common ancestor or ancestral gene pool. It is the diversity and variation of life that gives birth to shared characteristics, and morphological similarities. It is the passing down of genes that causes the changes in structure, and other biological differences, and this progress or process takes as long as millions of years.

Well, one can argue till the cow comes home, but nonetheless, it is not right to reject the idea of evolution altogether just because it is not in line with the gospel. It plays certain roles in our lives as well, and it somehow applies to the way we live and how we react to certain situations. I do not take a biased stand against the idea of God or evolution, but I am firmly addressing the hereditary issue of morality and altruism, and finally, how we treat one another.

I believe that we should not let God dictate the way how we should treat other people. Yes, God instructed us to love and to care for one another. Notice that He did not mentioned "in Jesus' name", or "in God's name". So, God is giving us a choice to love our neighbours as ourselves. The issue here is that, why can't we be loving enough to the extent whereby love and care becomes voluntary, instead of being instructed by higher supernatural authorities, or perhaps by the government?

All around me, I noticed that we are doing what we are told to do, or coerced to do, or, even, forced to do. Why can't we initiate the first move of acceptance and loving kindness, since we all have the innate potential to change our environment and the atmosphere? Again, the nature-nurture controversy occurs in which we willing creatures are slaves to the mouldings of our society. This conflict we have within ourselves is something which we are all struggling with, that is sometimes, to do something against our ethical or moral conscience, or to do something out of this world that inevitably be a mockery of others and making an eventual fool of ourselves. This is probably why we are naturally born with goodness but shaped by our environment that perhaps, brought about some evil within our moral selves. I certainly do not believe that we should all do good or love others in the name of God or Jesus, or any other deities. We are not robots, and certainly we are not slaves to religion or any religious beliefs that coerce and convince us to love others or to do good just because God says so, or the Bible says so, or Jesus says so, or even better still, because we would all be rewarded or blessed, or go to heaven!

It is an insult to God that we compare the works we have done in order for Him to pass His judgements on us. He may be the highest of all authority, but we have a moral choice of doing what we perceive as right in our eyes and in our conscience. That is where God lies - within our conscience. We are all trying to be influential individuals, caring individuals, loving individuals, kind individuals, and even powerful individuals. How and what we become as a person, and how we make things happen is the result of what we embrace within us. I see God as a form of morality in my conscience that makes me perceive the world as a place full of learning opportunities for my individual progress. It is my development with this concept and the way I would strive to become a better person, not because God tells me so, not because of God or any other heavenly rewards or blessings, but because I want it to be so. It is MY will, and not God's will to improve myself after all. Of course, some of you may disagree with me saying that it is God's will for me to excel. But I say that we should not let this dictation be the motivation of our individual progress or self-improvements. Instead, our motivation should be within ourselves, and the way how WE want things to change for the purpose of good. Let God be the guide for our morality, but not let God be the dictator of our moral decisions.

Love should be voluntary, not forced, not instructed, not told what to do, and certainly, not in any form of conspiracy. If one do not see the use of applying his or her altruistic action towards another individual, that is HIS bloody problem. All in all, it is how we perceive "GOD" as the centre of our lives. Because, I say again, that the term "GOD" does not refer to the concept of any religion, but equates to the combined idea of morality, conscience, values, and life principles. The essence of life is not whether God exists, nor whether there is heaven or hell, but goodness and retribution is strongly determined by how we exercise our values.

2007-11-11T21:53:00.000+08:00

I'm feeling much better now, after days of battling with bacteria infection of my throat, along with those phlegms and unstable effects from those antibiotics. My entire holiday is ruined by this bacterial infection playing games with my body. And I have less than a week before I begin my next level of university life. I'm finally in my third year.

Time really flies and now that 2007 is almost over with less than two months to go, I have decided to come up with some new year resolutions. Meanwhile, I'll be planning about they way I would like to end this year.

I'm having my Summer Semester soon, so much of my time would be dedicated to my studies. I can't afford to lose my focus this time, and I'm aiming for a distinction in my coming unit. Christmas would be special. I've yet to decide on the activity. Till then, I'll blog again.

Anyway, some little thoughts...

I've been wondering about the existence of God and something hit me with the thought that God does not exist. He does not exist in the world at all. He does not roam about this world everywhere, in every corner at any time of the day. And this led to the reason why some things are true to one individual, but may not be true to another. It is a rather personal thing.. as I came to think about it further.

God does not exist in the purest touchable form, nor does He stays omnipotent in the world that rejects him and his invisible form and "supernatural" characteristics. All I know so far is that the one who rejects God is man. Because God can only reside in one place - the heart. It is the will of one person to allow God's replacement inside the heart of one individual, and there is where God exists. And the kingdom of heaven is no where else, but in the mind and the heart of a man. There is where his spirit would stay and live forever. Surely, I do not know where we would end up after death. But all I seek is the peace that is within me, and the hope that I could get from the belief that God exists in my heart.

I do not do good because God tells me so. I do not evangelize because God says so. I do not do what He tells me to do because I do not believe in doing something out of somebody's will and not my voluntary decisions. If I want to love someone, I would do so because I would feel satisfied after that, and also because I am willing to do so. Love should be voluntary, not of coerced force or instruction.

The concept of God has always been linked to the term 'religion' itself. However, God is someone whom man has embraced within his heart to attain peace in times of trouble. Throughout history, this embrace of God has helped man in quenching his fears and uncertainty. It is a kind of faith that gave birth to the healing of a man's broken spirit and dying hope. It is the labeling of oneself that separates society and divides communities. If I'm a Christian, I would not call myself a Christian. If I'm an atheist, I would not call myself an atheist. The reason is just as mentioned, and also, I do not like the idea of being labeled or named after something, which I embraced within my heart. No one is called a Godist because he believes in a God, or Deitist because he believes in a deity. It is what one believes and embraces within his mind and heart that sets him apart from others.

So, believing in a God does not exactly equates to believing in a religion because from what I read before, Jesus wasn't even a bit religious. It is religious people who creates trouble in this world and we should all tell them off instead.

2007-11-06T23:25:00.000+08:00

I always like the feeling of taking a ride to town for some coffee and window shopping, especially with a friend or two. Sometimes, I would go out alone and comb the bookshelves of my favourite bookstore outlet, Kinokuniya. And occasionally, I would turn up at the library for some good reading session by myself. I never wonder why I had suddenly become such a bookworm over the last couple of months, and I wonder when will this worm spread its wings to fly one day. Perhaps, not very long.

But currently, I've been at home for days now. Not because I'm broke or lazy, but the abrupt change in weather and the attack of the cold virus ruined my precious holiday. It's cold outside as I'm typing, and thankfully, my flu is getting better after being on some medication for about three days now. I hope I get well soon as my summer semester will be starting in a week's time. And fuck, I would have to wait for some other days before I could queue for donuts at the Donut Factory again. I wish I could try a dozen of their freshly baked donuts as I've tasted one before and got a little tempted for another. Well, I might sacrifice one of my days for this.

To those who wished me a speedy recovery, thank you for your concerns and well wishes. And for my love ones including my girlfriend, just to let you know, I'm still alive... and probably kicking some asses. And while waiting for much of my dead brain cells to be swept away by the incoming new replacements after a battle against flu for several days, I am looking forward to blogging more about my thoughts, encounters, and... who could ever not forget, my reasoning against militant faiths and superstitions. For now, I would like to take a short break (although I would still visit this place just to scribble a little bit from time to time), as my head seriously hurts. I don't know but most likely it's some sort of a headache.

This has got to be the poorest state I am in this very year!

I hope I could recover as soon as possible. My third year modules aren't chicken feet. They are more like chicken breasts. And if that's the case, I need more chilli sauce. Before that, give me that FUCKING panadol!

2007-11-02T15:10:00.000+08:00

I had a great time talking to a friend yesterday about my lack of faith and eventual doubts on Christianity as a religion. Well, by now, I suppose many of you know that I was a Christian and I would not say that I do not totally avoid this faith altogether because I don't know if there is really a God in this universe. In addition, I do not really know if there is a heaven after we die, or well, hell for some.

There are many reasons for me to become an agnostic in matters like this. I'm glad that my girlfriend understands and thank goodness she has been very understanding. That's what I love about her.

There are many debates about religion and I'm opened to every ideas and opinions people have about their religion as well as their beliefs. It is completely alright with me as long as they do not evangelize so strongly in order to get me into their beliefs. I'm an advocate of Science, Biology, and Psychology. And it is very ignorant for people to disregard Science as an important discipline that got us here today. Without the overturning of theories and disproving of hypotheses, we would not have evolved into a much more intelligent being. Deep down, I felt so strongly for such discipline and felt that I owe so much to Science for taking us thus far. It is ever changing and ever improving throughout the currents of history.

On the other hand, religion is a fixed moral standard that does not only preaches good, but it turns untested beliefs into unshakable truths through the passage of time and institution. It is something which no one could ever come into conclusion with - whether there is a God that is. Science do not pretend to know everything, but instead, it is a constant construction of doubts and questions, so a scientist is always asking questions and being skeptical. Until their hypotheses are disproven they would then come into a final conclusion where the answers there lay. It is very unlike religion that always think they are right all the time. Well, not just them, the atheists and Baha'ists believe that exclusive faiths are a taboo to them, therefore, they are no better off. Whether we know there is a God or never is a God, it is still, nonetheless, a mystery. Whether we know there is an afterlife after we die or we simply sink into the deep crust of the earth is still a mystery as well. But if we can't disprove that there is or there is no God, it does not mean that we should come into conclusion that He exists.

However, whether He exists or not exists, is not an important matter, because religion teaches people to do good, and to love one another. But one should not rely solely on what God tells him to do in order to love people, or be good, or to be morally acceptable in His own eyes. This is not rebellion because we are born with an innate ability to love, to be moral, and to be human. We are in turn guided by our caretaker when we were as young and vulnerable as babies in cradles. I do agree that religion is what some people view as a guidance that the supreme being in the sky sets for us all. And to them, this is not earthly authority, but a heavenly one. It is not a bad thing to think that way because as humans, we need guidance in our life and our caretakers cannot be with us forever. That much is true. However, religion is not the only answer. It is very arrogant and dangerous for believers or Christians to turn away from moral philosophies, scientific facts, and reasoning altogether. Why do I say so? Because I think that religion such as the Abrahamic ones are potential shutters for embracing truths and other possibilities found in this wonderful world placed right in front of us for our discovery.

Religion impedes free thoughts. It impedes freedom of expression, reasoning, and disregard non-theistic solutions and possibilities. It hinders oneself from intellectual pursuits of knowledge and scientific theories. The religious think in their hearts that the holy book is always right and others are wrong. They think that they have "got it all" together, and that they know the solution just because their holy book says so. They are merely depending on their holy book which is only one copy they have in their lifetime, and think that it is the only solution to life. There are many solutions to life. There are many answers not just faiths and beliefs. There are many things we do not know, but yet, it is not sane to think that just because we do not know, or because things happen to be a mystery or an unknown must be the work of the supernatural or God himself. It is a big mistake to come to such conclusion, when in fact, no one has ever come into such conclusion before, except the religious people. Religious people shut themselves up in a room of prayers and thought to themselves (just mere thoughts), private thoughts, and convince themselves that their "revelations" are true no matter what. If it is "revealed" to them, it must be God and not the chemical reactions acting up in their brains.

I obviously do not know where I would go after I die, but a great relief to me is that I do not have to do good, to respect people, to be morally guided by a religion that impedes and places so much restrictions on the pursuit of scientific knowledge, such that I could enter the gates of heaven. It does not give me this pressure of performing myself in front of an unknown existence thinking that if I do such and such, I would be granted the way up in heaven after death. Death is the end of life. It is ultimately, the end of everything. So, life is very precious. This reality, which many people fear and turn to religion for salvation of their souls after death, is what makes me realise my potential for making a difference in this lifetime that I have in my hands. Knowing that I only have one life, and a fragile one, is enough for me to go through it and make the best out of it such that a legacy could be born after I've succeeded in this life that I'm currently living.

Don't let religion overwhelm you, but let the meaning of life teach you a lesson as you advance in age, because every developmental step of the way is a challenge to us as humans. And as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we do not fear because we know in our hearts, it is what lies beneath our innate potentials that guide us all the way till the day we inhale our last.

2007-11-01T15:37:00.000+08:00

Okay people... I'm all awake, alive and kicking! And I'm quite delighted that my exams are over. Finally, I can get back down to my blogging business. Several days ago, as I was taking a short break from preparing for my exams, I was youtubing and guess what I saw? I saw something which was very sad indeed. Not just that, this video is devoid of respect, humanity, and moral conscience. It is the potential side effect for racial riots, racial war, and racial-religious discrimination or segregation, however you would want to call it. I found this very disgusting, and some STOMPers did try to make an effort to look for this victim to provide him with some financial assistance. One of those STOMPers, Sylvia Kong, actually went berserk by reporting this matter to the Public Service Division, Immigration Checkpoint Authority and the Singapore Police Force on the 29th of October this year (STOMP). Well, there is every right for Singaporeans to feel angry over such matters, but not too angry to the point where it is overdone. Maybe you could take a look at this video and see for yourselves.

Yes, and it is a sad case...
I wonder what was going on the minds of those three British assholes. Was it because it is easier to deal with Asians? My answer would be no. We are smarter than you think, or much more intelligent than you guys and I can bet on it (Perhaps I could conduct a non-parametric experiment to disprove my hypothesis that Asians are far more intelligent than Europeans).

Was it because Singaporean old folks appear feeble and dumb due to the stress our fucking hypocritical government is putting on us that makes you British not-any-better bullying a simple man who is trying to make a simple living for himself? I think you guys should go home and apologize to the British folks waiting for you at home, and especially YOUR pathetic Queen who is sleeping on her throne, and tell those pale looking people back home how stupid you guyz were by being such a disgraceful citizen in a foreign land. Well, of course I secretly hope you guyz got knock down by a speeding taxi by another Singaporean joker who doesn't know a single fucking shit about driving. However, it is not nice to declare it verbally because that would mean I disrespect you guyz. In fact, it would be a little more respectful if I blog about it since my proficiency in English could do its work for me in cyberspace. And I don't think any three of you British dimwits would ever view my blog because you despise Asians. But I can seriously tell you that you don't want to mess around with the Singaporean authority. If you guyz are guilty of such racial crimes intentionally or unconsciously, you can lose your ass any time starting now.

Another thing about what I dislike regarding such matter is that the cause of its disgusting element that diffuses throughout the Singaporean world of cyberspace, is the way these three bastards acted in an observable way to prove their own white supremacy. One question. Which century is this? There are loads of Europeans and Caucasian-looking people around the world and I think that most of them might just be cursing the three of you right now for bringing society back into the days of the early 20th century. And it's very difficult for me who's blogging this entry to not be prone to obscenities, by your obscenities shown to my fellow Singaporeans, and especially an old humble senior citizen, you cowardly tyrannical scumbags, and grotesque unchivalrous elderly-disrespectful self-righteous piece of shit.

But hey, I don't want to get abusive here because that makes enemies. But anyway, you three are already my enemies so what the hell, you elderly-bullying numb scums.

And to make my point clear to my fellow Singaporeans, just in case you guys think I'm taking sides, I think that the idiots in their Cabinet closets could do a far more better job if they ever surf the net for themselves and see just how dissatisfied the people are after such bullying incident. And for those ignorant Singaporean bastards who are dumb enough to think that by serving those pale-skinned bleached-hair blondes one class better than the locals seated at a comfortable corner of an eating house would give you some credit or make you feel better, then I would recommend that you resign from your pathetic job and start educating yourself you idiotic fools. Such hypocritical customer service only promotes "white supremacy", which was long over and outdated my friend. This is not a way for an impartial customer service in Singapore, which is racial and religious tolerant. To promote white supremacy in Singapore is a potential disaster for the separation of our local heritage and breeching our local multi-ethnic policies.

Donating money to that poor old soul might help a little bit, but NOT FOR LONG! Do you guyz really think that giving money and promoting for charity is the ONLY way to solve a society's problem? It doesn't give a shit about anything. If it is a solution, everyone would just happily give to charity and sit back, drink tea, and enjoy the fucking show. NO. It does not work this way at all. Giving money to charity is not the answer. Giving a man some cash would just last him for a few days or so. At the end of the day, you are just being sympathetic. How PATHETIC can this be STOMPers! Do you ever get a fucking hint about such stupid act of ineffective sympathy? I think not. That old folk doesn't need YOUR sympathy. He needs respect, not just money to show him respect. I understand your purest and most innocent desire to help and be altruistic. That is admirable to me. But you will know that some things are fucked up when some people comes around and think that they are more superior than the rest. And that not just applies to Caucasians, that applies to the Singapore elites as well.

Why can't we be the nation that is intellectually united? Let's not compare performances in school or pay wages or social class in this childish society, and start getting our act together by being a helpful bunch of Singaporeans that shows kindness and grace to our fellow locals than to foreigners. I know this sounds biased, but aren't other cultures doing the same? Together, we could have our national dignity and social pride wherever we go, instead of being despised by other races or nationalities. I know Singapore is a multicultural society, but that has a fucking problem as well. There are many funny and weird religions out there that perhaps could not get along very well with one another, so our media chooses to monopolize and self-censor religiously and ethnically intolerant messages. I get the hint for this. But if we are not allowed to talk about religion, why can't we be the nation that talks about politics? Do you know that we elect and reelect the same jokers back into parliament every election? No oppositions ever won. And no, I have spoiled votes all the time. It would be better off by not holding election and declaring Singapore a Totalitarian state instead. Why the fuck bother voting in the first place, since everybody is so fucking comfortable about the current jokers ruling this part of the world and also, always complaining about those fucking idiots in the parliament?

Do you know why? Because I think Singaporeans have a long way to go to become a society that could stand up for itself with pride, and I mean NATIONAL and INTELLECTUAL PRIDE, that not only pride itself in the things we accomplish, but also in the way we embrace freedom of expression, which is so heavily guarded and controlled by the totalizing force over here. It's a sad thing for that old man. It's a sad thing for us. And I resent this.

It all boils down to the way we treat one another at home. And the way we react to one another in our own homeland is how foreigners would view us not just a nation, but as a dignified group of educated people. Let's be more gracious to our own nationality than to foreigners. Let's have pride in the things we do, the things we say, and the way we are as a potential source of influence to others. If white supremacy can take its stand against the rising Asians, it's time that we take our local stand against the outdated white supremacy. This is not solely about race. It is about tolerance. But if white supremacy cannot tolerate us, it would NOT be realistic enough if we turn the other cheek (like what Christianity would always recommend.. such "loser mentally"), rather, it would be right if we could stand up and put an end to white supremacy.

By showing that one has a higher power over the rest is not the problem. But it would be a problem if ethnicity and culture is involved. Because that would rely on a great deal of tolerance. There could only be war if such people like those three bastards ever exist in this biased planet.

2007-10-26T00:46:00.000+08:00

HAHAHA.. something to keep you guyz entertained while I am away for these few days. I'll be taking a short break for my exams that is about to come in 4 days' time.

Anyway, here's my hero, Bill Maher discussing about the Vatican's approved image of the late Pope John Paul II.

Have a good laugh and a great weekend!

*editted*
...while enjoying your weekend when I am away preparing for my exams, here's the link to the news article for the above video just in case anyone misunderstood my intention.

When I return, I shall post more of my thoughts about religion on the whole...

*back to study mode*

2007-10-22T23:30:00.000+08:00

This could be one of the lesser bit of entries which I write about love. I've been reading up on a number of blogs with topics on love and basically every one of them says about the same thing. Well, I hope I could be more unique tonight. The fact that I wrote little about love is perhaps due to its wide implications and meanings that could be subjected to the perception of different individuals. Once again, there is no absolute truth about love. It is how one sees it. Because there is no measurement for love, therefore, there is no fixed truth about it. As I have mentioned before, anything that cannot be measured or is personal, is not an absolute entity. But on second thought, it can be absolute when it in fact, does exist in its purest form.

Today, I received a very touching message from my girl. She told me that 'love is not about religion; it is not about scientific theory; but it is about the both of us.' It is something which I've always wanted to write in this entry, and I've waited for this day to come. As every readers of mine has already come to realise that I'm pretty much against religion, and the way it is being exploited or manipulated to suit an individual's ideals. However, the notion that love, which is preached within the religion itself, is something I admire, especially the Christian's messiah, Jesus.

I do not hate Christianity in it's altruistic form. Rather, I despise Christianity when it is being commercialised, exploited, and manipulated by swaggering authority of the church. In its most altruistic form, Christianity, a dogma some Christian individuals adopt, is a way for them to extend their love and care for others, in turn, making a difference in the lives of other people. However, it is the evangelical motives behind such act (if ever there is), is something which I do not respect. In fact, I would say that the way to make a difference in other people's life is in doing so not for the sake of God; not for the sake of others; neither is it for himself or his glory. An act of love or kindness should be voluntary, not because of any other ulterior motives or any hope for eternal or heavenly rewards.

Jesus is a very caring person, who is a respected historical figure that clearly made a difference in the lives of others. In my opinion, he is someone whom I admire for his deeds and his altruism. The way he was is the reason why some Christians are motivated or inspired to be more and more like him. This is something which I have nothing against. His love was known, to many Christians, as unconditional and eternal. It is something which many are inspired to develop. And that includes me. I love my girlfriend a lot. And knowing that I have difficulties believing in God, I strive to be a more loving and caring person, using Jesus as someone whom I can model after. My motivation and inspiration is not to bring people into believing in God, but rather, I am inspired to make a difference in other people's lives. This does not make me a Christian (cos I do not want to be classified but to be a unique individual in fact), but it will make me a better person as I grow to be one.

It doesn't take religion or any other faiths in order for one to love others. Because love is voluntary. One does not need to love others because God or Jesus, or even the bible tells you so. One does not need to love others just because one is told to love or how to love. It is in-built in us, the altruistic gene that is inside each and everyone of us, which motivates that spirit of loving and being kind to others. It is this altruistic gene in us (despite some selfish genes) that helps us discern the rights from wrongs. They are all in-born desires from the day of our birth, that helps us in our moral decisions, loving kindness, thoughtfulness, and helpfulness. Our desire to love, to care, to share, and to have sexual intimacies are within us from the very beginning. We do not need religion to tell us how to love others, especially teaching us to love for the sake of God. The verses: "When you do unto others, you are doing unto me" says Jesus. And "When you are serving others, you are serving me". says Jesus. These verses are comforting in the way they sound, which motivates believers to do as they are told because if they do not do so, they do not actually serve Jesus or being kind to Jesus, the person they worship. I don't think this is the right way to love others.

Love cannot be forced. Love cannot be told what to do. It must come naturally, and it must exist when there is initiation. Love must not desire fame, glory, or carry ulterior motives. It must be responsible, voluntary, independent, and straight to the point.

Finally, love includes commitment. In every aspect, commitment is a driving force towards the success of any dreams and ambitions. It is commitment that brings success to every aspect of life, much less in relationships. It doesn't take much strength to commit. All it takes, is one's decision to do so. It doesn't take one's life away in order to commit within a relationship. All it takes, is one's decision to love that person no matter what. Many intellectuals whom I used to know are afraid of commitment, especially within relationships. It doesn't take so much strength to decide whether one desires to spend the rest of his or her life with another party. It just takes an action and firm decision to make the relationship work. That is all there is to it. The rest of the relationship depends on how one chooses to maintain.

My ex-girlfriend left me out of a sudden, not because of an involvement of a third party, but rather, she felt she couldn't commit. Although I couldn't believe that this is an answer to the real reason behind her decision, but I feel sorry for her. She need not come back to tell me how sorry she was, because I've forgiven her. She need not avoid me either just because she has no face to face me after all the hurt she inflicted upon me back then. Because now I realise that unless she gets to truly understand the meaning of love and commitment, she would never enjoy the bliss of having a significant other. Even if she chooses to be single all her life, that would never solve her problem of being afraid to commit. I find her rather childish and immature, also rather shameful. This is because it is a great pity that she does not understand what it takes to be a decisive person in the area of loving somebody, except herself. This is rather selfish as well. Love is not selfish. It is a decision, and it takes two person for it to show. What life's difference would it make if one only love him or herself? It doesn't make a stark different at all. It is plain selfish.

To love is to risk not being loved. To commit is to risk not achieving success. But it is still better than not putting in any effort through one's decisiveness. I rather open myself to loving and committing to the areas of my own life, such as my family, relationships, friends, and studies, than to sacrifice one of them which is rather unfair. If I knew at first that I would have no time for a certain commitment, I would have rejected it anyway, why wait till the very last minute?

No relationships can be formed without any amount of commitment. A relationship without commitment is a relationship within oneself. The loner. The most selfish, stingy, and self-centered bastard ever lived on earth... or is it Mars or Saturn?

In sum, I do not think religion, tradition, or education is the answer to loving others or being committed to a significant other. It takes a willing heart and a firm desire to be committed in a loving relationship, or friendship with others. All these boils down to one's upbringing and parental attachment, which I don't think my ex-girlfriend has. That's why i feel sorry for her.

2007-10-22T02:39:00.000+08:00

The Petition for Penal Code 377A in the latest news of Singapore have stirred a nation-wide debate upon the support for as well as the discriminating sentiments against gays in Singapore.

Adopted from Mr.Brown's blog, this is the definition for that particular law:
377A : Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years.

This archaic law was left behind by the British who abolished it years ago. Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and even China have also passed laws decriminalising such acts.

Personally, I am not a gay and certainly will never be one. This is not because I am homophobic, but rather, I know myself that I am straight, I do not fancy guys or have any affectionate feeling for guys, and am definitely NOT attracted to men. I love women so much you see... However, I do not approve the fact that gays should be discriminated by the law, much less the people, whom I consider them to be rather ignorant.

Though I'm not gay, I do have friends or acquaintances who are gays. And I heard so much from them - the things they share to me, especially their struggles in relationships (with guys of course). I don't see them as criminals. I don't see what they are doing is wrong because I believe that inasmuch as the tendency for humans to be nurtured environmentally or some who are brought up in a way that led them into this state, there are also biological causes such as birth defects or differences in the levels of testosterones when these group of nice people are born.

Well, Mr.Brown has linked me up to Mr. Wang who is more eloquent in his debate on this issue.

Anyway, I do not see the point for Singapore to add on to so many people's misery by enforcing an additional law this time. This adds more pressure to everyone. It stirs up fundamentalists like many Christians who thought that gays should be condemned because of their sexual origins or preferences. Yes, I've read the bible and indeed, the bible says that homosexuality is sin. But what if a person just happens to prefer something that is different from others? Do we stone them to death? Do we condemn them by setting them on fire and burn them at stake for being rebellious against god? NO! Certainly not! There are more humane procedures such as liberating them to do what they are able to discern themselves.

The law is there to guide the people, not to control the people.

One can do anything according to what he or she discerns is right in their own beliefs. Everyone is entitled to do as they pleases as long as there are no potential harm inflicted on the psychological or physical aspects of any individuals. That should be the way to go. Let's not be biased against others who are different from us. If the gays should be discriminated, just because they are the minorities, then should Eurasians be segregated in our nation as well? HUH??? Anyone? Reply me please.. Should Eurasians be segregated because they are different from us and they are the minority of the four distinct races?

Singapore is a nation who pledges itself to have equality and justice. What justice will it make if gays are discriminated because of their minority and differences but not Eurasians, or Lesbians.. or donkeys? By the way, Eurasians ARE being prejudiced as being called "ANG MOS" for that matter. Also, Lesbians ARE being prejudiced as being nicknamed "BUTCHES", or "TOMBOYS" as well. What about donkeys? They are asses. Plain asses who think that condemning homosexuality with their tiresome whines just because it goes against their closed-minded faith. Thank goodness they are the minority in my context. What equality will it be if there is none in the first place, since Social Darwinism is the philosophy of our young meritocratic society? YES, survival of the fit indeed. Equality? More like a Christian's fantasy of a new born society.

Anyway, I've signed the petition for the repeal... hopefully it's not too late. Even if it is so, the site is still up and alive. So I'd just post my thoughts up there for the nation to see.

I understand that Singapore is a conservative nation with a small view of so many issues yet to be discussed and brought up. It is time for it to stop being a dormant ignorant dog and start being a faithful one to itself. Let's be more open-minded, but of course, not being too open-minded until our brains fall out. But nonetheless, if everyone is more accepting in terms of being rational and use their brains to think, rather than to stick to traditions, customs, religions, and other non-thinking dogmatic beliefs, the world would be free and liberated from the tyranny of such tragic ignorance.

2007-10-21T23:59:00.000+08:00

The Naked Truth

And if you are a Christian who is not very open to facts or any scientific evidence, please, do not view this. It will stumble you and your faith. So the best way to do this, is to keep thy religion to thyself and stay "HOLY". Thank you.

More posts coming up.

2007-10-16T23:59:00.000+08:00

Finally, after a long consideration... I decided to have a new look. Don't ask me why, I really have no idea.. but it seemed my fringe was giving me a hell of a trouble. Thus, it's time to get a new look!

This was before the haircut this morning:

And this, is MY NEW LOOK:

YUP! Now I can finally concentrate better in my preparation for my upcoming exams.

Signing off...

2007-10-15T22:57:00.000+08:00

The G.O.D. Experiments: How Science Is Discovering God In Everything, Including Us	Evolutionary Psychology: A Beginner's Guide
The Open Society and Its Enemies (Vol.1): The Spell of Plato	The Open Society and Its Enemies (Vol.2): Hegel and Marx
Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design	Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives
The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason	Evolutionary Explanations of Human Behaviour

After some shopping around last week, I now have a few books on my wishlist.

They are all listed above...

So I guess that's all for now. I will be posting some more of my thoughts soon.

2007-10-13T04:36:00.000+08:00

Firstly, two cases and all thanks to atheistmedia for posting this. It seems that one of City Harvest's favourite foreign evangelical speaker Richard Roberts is now facing some problem with the lawsuits against his university. The Oral Roberts University was sued for some scandals or controversies that were going on within the organisation itself. Check out this video and have a look at what the news is reporting:

Here is the lawsuit against Oral Roberts University. If this is a false news, a sensationalised tabloid, or a blackmail, I don't see the purpose for such news to be broadcasting such disgraceful discovery. If the media is THAT bias, then I don't see its purpose for being accessible to the public since all the public wants is the truth. And now, ORU is under attack and GOD help them manz...

If those Evangelicals did what God wanted them to do, or if this is the God they actually worship, I'm not impressed. Okay, I'm not impressed by such limit a God can do. God is omnipotent. God is all powerful, all knowing, and all wise... but if this is what evangelicals show through their testimony to the public, then I'm not impressed. It is not me that's limiting God, it is they themselves who are undoing God in a disgusting way.

Here's another case which I'd like to share here in a very brief statement: -

EUROPEAN UNION SAYS NO TO CREATIONISM

YES!!! And it's true. If not, I won't even bother posting this up! Here are what the European Union thinks about the interference of the religious Creationist belief in modern Science.

1. The aim of this report is not to question or to fight a belief – the right to freedom of belief does not permit that. The aim is to warn against certain tendencies to pass off a belief as science. It is necessary to separate belief from science. It is not a matter of antagonism. Science and belief must be able to coexist. It is not a matter of opposing belief and science, but it is necessary to prevent belief from opposing science.

2. For some people the Creation, as a matter of religious belief, gives a meaning to life. Nevertheless, the Parliamentary Assembly is worried about the possible ill-effects of the spread of creationist ideas within our education systems and about the consequences for our democracies. If we are not careful, creationism could become a threat to human rights which are a key concern of the Council of Europe.

3. Creationism, born of the denial of the evolution of species through natural selection, was for a long time an almost exclusively American phenomenon. Today creationist ideas are tending to find their way into Europe and their spread is affecting quite a few Council of Europe member states.

4. The prime target of present-day creationists, most of whom are Christian or Muslim, is education. Creationists are bent on ensuring that their ideas are included in the school science syllabus. Creationism cannot, however, lay claim to being a scientific discipline.

5. Creationists question the scientific character of certain items of knowledge and argue that the theory of evolution is only one interpretation among others. They accuse scientists of not providing enough evidence to establish the theory of evolution as scientifically valid. On the contrary, they defend their own statements as scientific. None of this stands up to objective analysis.

6. We are witnessing a growth of modes of thought which challenge established knowledge about nature, evolution, our origins and our place in the universe.

7. There is a real risk of a serious confusion being introduced into our children’s minds between what has to do with convictions, beliefs, ideals of all sorts and what has to do with science. An “all things are equal” attitude may seem appealing and tolerant, but is in fact dangerous.

8. Creationism has many contradictory aspects. The “intelligent design” idea, which is the latest, more refined version of creationism, does not deny a certain degree of evolution. However, intelligent design, presented in a more subtle way, seeks to portray its approach as scientific, and therein lies the danger.

9. The Assembly has constantly insisted that science is of fundamental importance. Science has made possible considerable improvements in living and working conditions and is a not insignificant factor in economic, technological and social development. The theory of evolution has nothing to do with divine revelation but is built on facts.

10. Creationism claims to be based on scientific rigour. In actual fact the methods employed by creationists are of three types: purely dogmatic assertions; distorted use of scientific quotations, sometimes illustrated with magnificent photographs; and backing from more or less well-known scientists, most of whom are not specialists in these matters. By these means creationists seek to appeal to non-specialists and sow doubt and confusion in their minds.

11. Evolution is not simply a matter of the evolution of humans and of populations. Denying it could have serious consequences for the development of our societies. Advances in medical research with the aim of effectively combating infectious diseases such as AIDS are impossible if every principle of evolution is denied. One cannot be fully aware of the risks involved in the significant decline in biodiversity and climate change if the mechanisms of evolution are not understood.

12. Our modern world is based on a long history, of which the development of science and technology forms an important part. However, the scientific approach is still not well understood and this is liable to encourage the development of all manner of fundamentalism and extremism. The total rejection of science is definitely one of the most serious threats to human rights and civic rights.

13. The war on the theory of evolution and on its proponents most often originates in forms of religious extremism which are closely allied to extreme right-wing political movements. The creationist movements possess real political power. The fact of the matter, and this has been exposed on several occasions, is that some advocates of strict creationism are out to replace democracy by theocracy.

14. All leading representatives of the main monotheistic religions have adopted a much more moderate attitude. Pope Benedict XVI, for example, as his predecessor Pope John-Paul II, today praises the role of the sciences in the evolution of humanity and recognises that the theory of evolution is “more than a hypothesis”.

15. The teaching of all phenomena concerning evolution as a fundamental scientific theory is therefore crucial to the future of our societies and our democracies. For that reason it must occupy a central position in the curriculum, and especially in the science syllabus, as long as, like any other theory, it is able to stand up to thorough scientific scrutiny. Evolution is present everywhere, from medical overprescription of antibiotics that encourages the emergence of resistant bacteria to agricultural overuse of pesticides that causes insect mutations on which pesticides no longer have any effect.

16. The Council of Europe has highlighted the importance of teaching about culture and religion. In the name of freedom of expression and individual belief, creationist ideas, as any other theological position, could possibly be presented as an addition to cultural and religious education, but they cannot claim scientific respectability.

17. Science provides irreplaceable training in intellectual rigour. It seeks not to explain “why things are” but to understand how they work.

18. Investigation of the creationists’ growing influence shows that the arguments between creationism and evolution go well beyond intellectual debate. If we are not careful, the values that are the very essence of the Council of Europe will be under direct threat from creationist fundamentalists. It is part of the role of the Council’s parliamentarians to react before it is too late.

19. The Parliamentary Assembly therefore urges the member states, and especially their education authorities:

to defend and promote scientific knowledge;

strengthen the teaching of the foundations of science, its history, its epistemology and its methods alongside the teaching of objective scientific knowledge;

to make science more comprehensible, more attractive and closer to the realities of the contemporary world;

to firmly oppose the teaching of creationism as a scientific discipline on an equal footing with the theory of evolution and in general resist presentation of creationist ideas in any discipline other than religion;

to promote the teaching of evolution as a fundamental scientific theory in the school curriculum.

20. The Assembly welcomes the fact that 27 Academies of Science of Council of Europe member states signed, in June 2006, a declaration on the teaching of evolution and calls on academies of science that have not yet done so to sign the declaration.

For the sake of credibility, here's the link as a reference to my entry.

So, if Christianity is a controversy to the sane world, how could you not agree more? Since Science and its evolutionary thoughts and explanations actually over-rules Creationism (which is turning uncertain facts into ultimate truths), why do much of the world's population still choose to remain brainwashed by Creationists' lies?

Evolution is lacking evidence?
Well, if you can't find the fossils of a Triceratop or a Sabertooth Tiger, then the fact of evolution theory is in danger of collapse.

But if you can't find the fossils of unicorn, it doesn't mean that evolution is flawed, but rather, unicorns are make-beliefs. Whether they exist or not exist, their existence still remain untested and unknown. Whereas for dinosaurs and other common ancesters of our current species, the reason why such hypotheses are supported because of evidence - TONS and TONS of evidence.

I won't be surprised if fossils that belong to make-belief animals or beings cannot be found, that is because they have never existed.

Unlike religion or Creationism for that matter, Science is a humble discipline that doesn't pretend to know everything about the world, neither does it go all out declaring to the world that what it believes is true, even though that specific hypothesis may be supported in the long run. We do not say that an unknown phenomena is non-existent just because it cannot be tested and proven. Yet, we certainly do not assumed that just because it cannot be proven, hence, it shall be true.

It takes an individual the courage to wake up in the universe full of possibility and learn to appreciate the variety and beauty of life. I am not ashame to have come to realise that we, as lifeforms on earth, are mere chemical reactions, because I do not try to deny this harsh reality of who we are and what we are made up of. To deny such reality by creating another god for oneself is a delusion. Religion is a social institution, formed by the fundamentals of social agreements and beliefs. Science is a universal discipline, formed by factual evidence and theories through ages of discoveries, testings, researches, and philosophies (constant thinking).

But if one thinks that religion such as Islam or Christianity has just taken over the world, this is a rather wrong assumption. It's time for us all to realise that we are living in a society that does not set some people on fire just because they don't agree with us. This is because we are living in the age of reason. As such, the society has become secular. Secularism in society is the key to embrace the beauty of Science and knowledge. Knowledge is not just power, it is ability.

If Jesus hates secularism, as what Pastor Kong preached some time ago, then I wonder if what he truly meant, was that Jesus was actually a sinless man living in a society where women were discriminated at, where heretics were stoned, where rapists were forced to marry their victims, and where wars were fought in the name of God.

"In the name of God" is the purpose of all such faith like Christianity. People do not have a mind to think for themselves because everything is done for God's sake. The reason is either because God tells them so, or because it's God's decision or will. It limits lateral thinking and would definitely, I hypothesize, affect the scores for IQ tests in the long run.

It is therefore essential for every individual to think rationally for themselves, to decide they own fate, and to exercise critical thinking. Because these could be very useful in problem solving and being stable mentally and emotionally, with the help of moral philosophies. I'm certain that Aristotle would agree that every single person has the responsibility to make decisions for himself. And Bentham, on the other hand would also agree that in the process of making a decision, the decision has to be for the greater good for the greater number (Utilitarianism). If philosophies are bad just because they consist many different sides of perceptions by various philosophers, then it would not be impressive enough as, in this case, humans are already perceived to be a slave to set of religious laws, and not natural laws.

I don't know what the future may hold if people are going to think like that, and continue to go on thinking like that.

Whatever the case may be, the truth shall yet to set us free.

2007-10-05T23:59:00.000+08:00

This day marks another happier day in my life. This is the day I turn 24, and the day I get to celebrate my birthday with my sweetheart.

However, we did not celebrate alone. There were many others who actually made this day a meaningful one for me as well. To those who were there at PS Swensen's restaurant, I am very touched and grateful for you guyz who took the time to wish me a happy birthday, not just with words but with your presence too. Thank you all so so so much! You've all made my day.

Of course, who could ever forget not to snap some photos..? I did, we all did!

The atmosphere of that restaurant sucks if not for our group's lively and amiable presence. Not forgetting the lousy service at PS Swensen's. A waiter could not even take a complete order correctly and properly! Almost three quarter of the orders he took from us (a group of 8 individuals) were wrong! And for goodness sake, it wasn't as if the place was noisy or our orders were confusing. If a waiter can't hear properly, he can jolly well go dig his ears. But if a waiter can't take an order from a small group of 8 hungry souls, then he deserves to be fired. It wasn't the first time he took our orders wrongly. The next round of orders he took from us were also fucked up. One must really wonder who the hell is the manager who hires such incompetent employee.

And speaking of a lousy service, I can't even share my birthday cake with my friends in the restaurant. In another words, we were told we could blow the candles, cut the damn cake, but could not eat in the premises. This is one hell of a fucked up system that makes me look like an idiot on that spot! Somehow I just wish I could burn that restaurant down and steal all their money. They don't need those money for bringing screwed up services with their fucked up system. This combo-cup of ice-cream was unnecessary, but still, it's a courtesy from our dear Albert, who was so nice to me by ordering this in replacement of the birthday cake. We then made the arrangement to have the real birthday cake consumed at Starbucks instead. Then again, Swensen's sucks because it is such a right-winged asshole.

And the way my steak was done, PATHETIC! The potion of the dish looked as if ants could finish them all up in ten minutes...

If this is what Swensen's could offer, I'm NOT impressed! Sorry.. but Sakae Sushi can do better than this. I'd not eat at Swensen's again.

Anyway, I hate to complain like this but nothing has got me so frustrated to this point that I began to blog my dissatisfaction here. I really hope those waiters and waitresses could improve their order taking, and that the restaurants could be a little more "libertarian-like". I think customers should deserve the right to bring "foreign" cakes into Swensen's. I know they have a business to worry about, and hence, the "no-foreign-food" law inside the restaurant's premise, but hey... it's somebody's birthday! Okay, maybe these people don't give a shit and that is why I think corporations are fucked up. But then again, these assholes can strut their stuffs in the money-making industry, but would it make them lose a single testicle just by giving some customer's right to eat their birthday cake in peace for Holy Mary's sake (Even if the cake was "foreign")..?

Fortunately, my good mood has paid off. Despite the lousy service and screwed up system within the accursed restaurant, the birthday celebration was a success. I would like to thank Sean, Elaine, Albert, Yongfa, Waimun, and Steve for making yourselves present at my 24th birthday dinner. Finally, a special thanks to my darling, for making this year's birthday celebration a memorable one. I love you lots!

And I love you guyz too!

Ciao

2007-10-02T23:59:00.000+08:00

While slaving for my psychology report, I suddenly thought of blogging. Out of no reason whatsoever, I also thought it's time to give tribute to a great comedian of our time - my dad's time rather. He's none other than George Carlin. Nope he's not dead yet, and I certainly hope he could live longer to crack more jokes on stage.

Here's a little tribute to George Carlin by Bardic Circle ©.

This is one controversial video that would get many Christians provoked to the very edge of their seats. But it is really very light-hearted... the way Carlin puts it across to the audience who were, apparently, having a good time. Meanwhile, I'm almost done reading Richard Dawkin's latest book "The God Delusion", and somehow or rather, I came across a quote by Carlin, found in this short film, written as the abstract of chapter 8 in "The God Delusion". Here it goes:

'Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man - living in the sky - who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time... But He loves you!'

- George Carlin

Well, in the name of God, one could do anything, and everything. In the name of dogmatic Marxism or doctrinaire, an insane and unscientific eugenics theory tinged with sub-Wagerian ravings, one could also do anything, and that includes evil. It is the spirit of belief that motivates men to rise up against one another, to the extent of mass killings or genocide. However, if one were to take an average human being who has no staunch belief in the supernatural, or in any dogmas whatsoever, it would be implausible for that individual to cause violence; to kill; to pillage; to destroy; to burn synagogues; or to persecute rival believers of another religion, all for the sake of an absence of belief. On the other hand, if one has a reason to do good, just for the sake of honouring or glorifying God, but not himself, what difference would it make by being a significantly pleasant person just because God says so, and not being significantly pleasant when God does not command that? NO DIFFERENCE! In fact, it is like stealing a sibling's toy when mama's not around or couldn't care less about the matter. But some Christians might disagree with me saying that all these are to be done unto others as though they are doing them unto the Lord, regardless whether God ask of it, it is their responsibility as Christians to be a good testimony to others, since God is living inside them.

It boils down to a simple conclusion altogether. Religion, in this situation, is something like a desperately needed guide for man to embrace in order to do good, to get heavenly rewards (which is lacking in huge amount of evidence), to be morally moulded by a god whom they claim exists, and finally, to be transformed into a better person of a respectable character (as perceived by only within their religious community itself). Note that no religious leaders would tell an atheist, an agnostic, a free thinker, or anyone outside of their specific religion that they have indeed achieved a respectable form of character, without first acknowledging or believing in their god, and having strong convictions to their god. Thus, to theologians or any religious leaders, the only way to develop a positively moulded and spiritually transformed character, is to be convicted to the God they are worshipping, especially to the Christian Evangelical God. In short, anyone that is not a committed believer in a god those religious people are believing in, are considered no better off than anything. Hence, the name callings (Gentiles, the Lost Sheep, the Unbelievers, the Sinners, the Wretched, the Crooked, the Unclean, the Infidels, and interestingly, the Untouchables etc).

One might wonder if a morally sane person would behave far better off than just mere name calling. Such behaviour, was derived from none other than the Holy Book, where God made many statements against the Unclean, the Gentiles, the Unbelievers and so on... I could say no more than just telling you guyz to read more of the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament. Read the bible from cover to cover, which I once did. Ask yourselves these questions: "Do I know exactly what the heck was written inside this book?", "Do I know exactly what some stories inside are describing about?" "Do I have any slightest idea what was written, when did the events happened, and why they did?"

If any Christian were to tell me that we do not take the verses of the bible literally, then how should we take those verses as? The truth is, different individuals have different responses and perceptions regarding language and its interpretation. Do we, exactly know what was going on in the minds of those biblical scholars back in those days, when they were working on the testament? If those concepts or events were passed down by word of mouth, then I would say that the evidence they provide isn't very credible or valid. If they were written in a way that needs interpretations, this would create even more confusion, much less a diverse variation of doctrines that might have resulted in formations of cults and so on. That said, what have they got to hide? Were they hiding from persecutions? Can't be, since martyrs were very eager to die during that point in time. Honestly, from my opinion, no sane or moral man would write as cruelly and brutally like those works found in Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, or Judges. I'm only stating part of the examples. Of course, there are many more other books in the bible which are too much to be listed here.

I've got this question, however, "Why can't we derive our sense of morality from moral philosophies?" Is it too hard to abide by moral philosophies that are deem acceptable to different individuals? The question here is not how one would live a fulfilled life with or without God. Rather, it is a question of whether one could be made free to choose to accept any particular philosophy in this life time, without any religious name callings, nor risking any evident potential of failed ties and relationships, nor simply negative judgments from religious people.

If you have an answer to my question, you are free to express.

2007-09-29T01:27:00.000+08:00

Alright, here comes the slave - the slave of this blog. Well, not exactly, since I'm almost always happy when blogging my thoughts because I treat it as some form of therapy that would ease my load and cool my steam.

I don't want to be a slave of this blog, neither do I see myself as a boring blogger. I'm sorry for not updating much these days as my exam is around the corner, and just before that, I have to submit three more assignments. I'm going to be really busy in the month of October.. so do bear with me for this period of shits and slogs.

There has been a little mishap lately and both my girlfriend and I were kind of affected by it. However, the situation is improving and I do hope that things could get better as day goes by.

Alright, before I touch on some controversial issues I've thought about lately, I would like to clarify that these are only my thoughts. So please, if any of you religious people wanna sue me, you gotta first think like a rational being.

I do not like the idea that Christians always think that they are right and others, such as the non-believers or doubters, are Satan's incarnates. I refuse to use the term "many" or "most" or "some", since there's no reason for me to quantify the rough statistics of people who literally follow what is written in the Bible that teaches the same thing.

One thing that confuses me is that when Christians pray for God to do a miracle in their lives, and yet depending on medicines, hospitals, doctors, nurses, Science and Health Science, to do the miracle healing for them. Now my question is not whether is there a miracle, but rather the million dollar question is: Is God willing and able to perform that miracle healing.. if He claimed so?

You see, when I was diagnosed with cancer three years ago, I prayed endlessly. I spent my time praying and going for my chemotherapy sessions as well. I prayed for a miracle; an opportunity to be healed forever; and a chance to further my studies there after. Well, I remembered mentioning in my 'yellow-paged' archives that God healed me, made me well, and sent me back to school. But during the process, I was protesting that what I received wasn't good enough. I prayed for immediate recovery after six chemotherapy sessions, instead, I had to go through eight sessions. I prayed for the size of my tumour to be reduced to the size of a bacteria, but instead, it got smaller till about 3cm. Do you call this a miracle; or a flawed miracle; or an imperfect will of God; or is this the work of Medicine and Health Science?

Such torturing process wasn't mentioned in my earlier entries unfortunately, because I was so deluded that everything is the cause of what God is doing. Well, if bad things happen to good people, it must be God trying to make them psychologically stronger and tougher. But what if death or tragedy strikes on anybody right here, right now? Is this the work of God trying to make us stronger by taking away the lives of the people we truly love? Is this the work of God trying to "test our faith" by creating upheavals, chaos, tragedies, nightmares, and other unforeseen and yet grossly detestable circumstances in our lives just to teach us how to live properly? ... as if life itself is not worth living enough as shit happens because of God. Must we, as rational beings, be controlled by a 'spirit' that makes our lives miserable first before we could understand the meaning of it? Or, is this part of our daily imagination and symbolism, that we need a form of 'spiritual guidance' for our own therapeutic purposes?

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but unable? Then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both willing and able? Whence then is evil?" - Epicurus

...but, if he is both unwilling and unable, then why call him God?

I used to pray to some 'goddess of mercy' before my conversion to Christianity eight years ago. I remembered praying for my fever to get well as I was sick to a point when I couldn't be in school for two days or so. My mom still prays to the 'goddess of mercy' placed on the properly-maintained alter in the living room. One day, I asked her what she was praying for, she told me that all she was praying for is that all of us (my dad, my sister, herself, and I) would be safe, protected, and doing well in life. Indeed, this is what many people would ask their god for as this is the main ingredient within a prayer of a desperate soul. I now come to realise that we humans need, affection, love, guidance, assurance, acceptance, and protection. Why so? Because we are living in a world of differences and relativity. Although I do not, as a matter of fact, deny that there are some degrees of absoluteness, there are in fact more shades than just mere black and white. If I (and my family) can be safe and sound at home right now, does it mean that the 'goddess of mercy' my mom so fervently prays to is taking effect on my family's life? For Christians, they think that their God is the way, the truth and the Life. Therefore, their God is the right God, and the 'goddess of mercy' is an 'idol', and 'idols' are made by sinful man, and therefore, praying to the goddess is irrelevant, sinful, detestable and an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. So, my whole family is sinful, and the 'goddess of mercy' is a fluke. For Muslims, they think that Allah is the right God, and the only one and true God in this universe. Nothing except Him alone that rules the heavens and the earth. Wow, how 'majestic' that sounds. For other religious people, they think that their gods are true. These include "Zeus", "Hercules", "Apollo", "Thor", "Poseidon", "Set", "Isis", "Confucius", "Baal", "Odin" etc etc... Now here is the billion dollar question: WHICH GOD IS REAL?

Since, I am safe and sound, I take this fact that a miracle has happened to me. It is indeed a miracle to be safe in this situation. If a miracle can happen to my entire family when my mom prays to a goddess made of clay and painted by professional "clay-pot painters", isn't it the same if we pray to other... supposedly, symbolised or named "gods"? Hindus can pray to other gods and say that their gods have blessed them pretty much. And so will the Sikhs, the Muslims, the Jews, the Catholics, the Taoists, even the Aborigines, and others. Buddhists? I don't know. They seem to be nihilistic about life, so I have nothing to comment about, since meaning is conceptually disconnected and all one has to do is to live a contented life, free from worries without a properly planned strategy by professional psychiatrists. Do you now see the big picture? Every religious person loves to be right, but dislikes being accused of making a wrong stand while working to be right. There is certainly nothing to prove about God's existence, since Science cannot prove it either. And if Science is flawed, what makes one think that religion can do miracles?

There are many gods to pray to just as there are many milk bottles to pray to in times of trouble. But is it just enough to think that God is the only cause and source to solving these problems, without a single effort to rationalise things through? One might wonder why a Christian would pray for healing and yet depend on medicines to cure his or her disease, since Jesus claimed that He has died for our sins and by his stripes, healed our diseases. Perhaps, that only serves as a form of symbol for his benevolent deeds. If God is so powerful and if He created the formula and ideas behind medicine, mathematics, and science, then why is it that up till today, there is still a doubtful cure for AIDS? Why is it that up till today, there are still unsolved puzzles in our equations? Why is it that up till today, Scientists are still constantly overturning old theories and replacing them with newer and more efficient ones? Is this the work of an UNCHANGING God, yesterday, today, and forever? Or is this the work of EVOLUTION, the fact that man evolves through the ages in terms of intelligence, via the adaptation to the environment, society, and other contexts?

I leave these questions to those who are curious enough to look into this matter...

2007-09-25T02:29:00.000+08:00

After close to two weeks of hard work on two of my assignments, I am thoroughly worn out. I have not slept well those days and right now just taking things easier as a form of reward I could ever give to myself.

And something happened within my darling's family, which made me concern about the way she's taking it. Well, I certainly do hope that things would become better each day for her and for me as well.

Oh well... I'll be blogging again pretty soon, and later next month is my exam already. My entries will be less frequent but I'll definitely blog when there are controversial issues or things that bug me.

Alright.. I'm signing off.

2007-09-16T23:59:00.000+08:00

This day marks an encouraging episode in my love life.

After half a year that Jasmine and I are together, we are still very much in love with each other. It is pretty much encouraging to me, even though six months is a short time for many.

Jasmine came to my apartment this afternoon straight after the service and we kept each other company till evening. It is a simple day for the both of us but I cherished every single moment with her.

Yes, I may have a lot to do and can be very busy in the next few days, or perhaps, this coming week. Yes, I may have other commitments and ambitions to go after. Yes, I have tons to think about and plan ahead. But I would never neglect my time I spend with my darling. To me, being able to keep her company, be there for her, and hold her close to me whenever she needs me, is something I could never buy, never trade, and never replace. She means a lot to me, just like how my ambition means to me as well. But, to me, if I could hold her for a single moment in time, even if we are both very busy, that is good enough. For in the warmth of the lady I love most, I find the world; the joy; the comfort; the peace; and the love. All these, have set me free. I am so very blessed, and being blessed is the process of being encouraged to do better, to love more, and to cherish always.

Darling, I love you.

Though these words are easily spoken, they represent my all to you.
Happy half year and more years to come, baby.

2007-09-14T11:33:00.000+08:00

The Danger of Islam

This testimony speaks pretty loudly. Religion of Peace??? HELLO?????

Excuse me, I'm not religious, but I think that a normal intelligent and sane human being should have some common sense of morality to at least do good, rather than being kept in a stupor of being utterly religious or blindly following a scripture that commands mass murder or genocide.

This is an unacceptable social attitude especially in the modern era of reason and rationality. It is religion like this that takes away human rights, freedom, and sense of virtues. It is religion like this that defends itself with violence and arms. It is religion like this that constantly indoctrinate people with hatred and oppression. Yes, they are crying out for being oppressed, but they should ask themselves if they are the ones responsible for oppressing others. Or rather, creating troubles in the United States and all around the world. I know they are frustrated for some unsung reasons, which causes them to act violently. But let's think rationally, will violence create peace? No! They are both in contrast with each other. Their doctrines are outdated and irrelevant, written by bronze age nomads that think only of war and conquests. It is now a world where peace talk is the way to prevent wars and history from repeating itself. And Jihad??? It is undermining the purpose of the United Nations.

This is an age of reason - the twenty-first century - and it is religion that constantly encourages non-thinking that causes the clash, not just between religion and Science, but blind faith and critical thought.

Here are some food for thoughts, adapted from banislam.blogspot.com: -

RELIGION OF PEACE? It's pure fallacy, and I agree to this.

Here's what the Quran says about Jihad: -

The Muslims are commanded to wage an everlasting war against the unbelievers and are assured victory in the struggle.

Surely, the Marxist social philosophy is an extension of the Koranic doctrine - the oppressed (proletariats) will overcome the oppressor (bourgeoisie).

Excuse me, but.. since when did the oppressor ever become the oppressed? Since they thought to themselves that the world is against them. That is when tragedy happens to their own soul and conscience. If you think that the whole world is against you, and worse, you sought to punish them because of such perceived injustice, then you are now becoming the oppressor. Now that doesn't make a difference between you and the enemy whom you claim to be oppressing you. In fact, a rational person views this as a fight not between good and evil. Richard Dawkins and I would say that this is a fight only between two evils. Religion is so deadly.

Here are some verses to explain the causes of such atrocities: -

1. On unbelievers is the curse of Allah. (The Cow: 161)

- Tell me, who the hell would worship a god that curses people who do not believe in him? Surely this god is not a just god at all. People would love to worship a god that loves them, not just believers but unbelievers as well. This is the god, which I would look up to, rather than a god that is so prejudiced. This "god" must be the most unpleasant god in the whole universe.

2. Allah is an enemy to unbelievers. (The Cow: 15)

- Yes, ever since you make unbelievers a condemned species, that those who are not of your beliefs are dead in your hands. Sorry, but I don't respect such people who would kill for the sake of their god. This is sick, sick, sick.

3. The worst of beasts in Allah's sight are the ungrateful, who will not believe. (Spoils of War: 55)

- Again, this is against unbelievers of islam, which is so repeatedly written all over their faith. Can you imagine how cruel this faith is?

4. Oh ye who believe! the non-Muslims are unclean. (Repentance:17)

- Yes, I am unclean. I eat pork. I love dogs. I lead a happy and peaceful life. I have a rational and intelligent mind that is able to distinguish what is morally ethical and unethical. I have a sound conscience that prevents me from breaking civil law or committing sick crimes that people would hate me for them. I believe this is what the perceived "clean" people do not possess. And I'm really sorry about that, but still, it is not too late to change your mindset and start questioning your faith.

5. Oh ye who believe! Murder those of the disbelievers and let them find harshness in you. (Repentance: 123)

6. Oh believers, do not treat your fathers and mothers as your friends, if they prefer unbelief to belief, whosoever of you takes them for friends, they are evil-doers. (Repentance: 20) 7. Humiliate the non-Muslims to such an extent that they surrender and pay tribute. ( Repentance: 29 )

- Murder your own parents for not believing in an invisible god. Stone them, kill them, or mass murder anyone who doesn't believe in your god. Yea... destroy those "infidels" and conquer the world... yada yada yada... tell me, will people be even more oppressed once the whole world is under the rule of this cruel religion? I think so. A thousand times more oppressed.

There are more truths about islam in the above link mentioned.

Now, many times muslims would defend their faith when challenged. The way they defend it is extraordinary. It is as if the world has collapsed on them, or is against them. That is why I think that religious people are deluded. These ultra sensitive and religious people are looking at the world as if the unbelievers are "lost", "condemned", and "unclean". Well, the truth is, that the entire rational population in the world are now looking into a sphere where these religious people dwell in. Let's face it, the one who is being influenced by a drug and is hallucinating would constantly deny possessing drugs and being affected by it. It is like opium, heroin, benzodiazephine, or subutex. These addicts do not know their limits because they have developed a really sick habit of indulging themselves in drugs that are illegal and potentially contagious. It is the same case for religion.

What a pity. Woe to those who are religious! You people need serious help.

Watch this video and start to ask yourself if what I have just said makes sense. If it doesn't, then you are deluded. If it does, good for you. At least, the world has become slightly sane.

2007-09-12T00:56:00.000+08:00

I have so much to write about, and yet so disorganized in my thoughts right now. I want to write some entries filled with critical thoughts, but yet my current mood doesn't seem to be suitable for that at this moment. All I know for sure, is that right now, I'm experiencing some mood swings (P.S. guys do have mood swings too). These days I have been crazily busy, not only with my school assignments, or presentation, but catching up with my friends as well. Of course, I do spend time with my girlfriend.

Right now, I just ain't got the mood for debates, reasoning, or critical thoughts. My mind is sort of... dead right now, as I am beginning to ponder about my time I spend with my love ones. I asked myself if I ever loved anyone before in my life. Of course, I had, and I have. But when I asked myself who is the one I love right now, I can't think of anyone else except my current girlfriend. To me, she is the greatest lady I have ever met in my life. Although, like anybody else, she is not perfect, I still do love her. Not because of anything she has done for me; not because she has the cutest pair of eyes and the most gorgeous looking face on earth...

... but because of who she is. And the way she loves me is something that I couldn't ever ask for more. That, to me, is enough.

Sometimes, I feel that some people do not really understand me. It's not because I have never opened myself up to them. Perhaps, I have been unknowingly portraying my authoritative or proud front that many tend to be mis-led by them. Or maybe, I do not smile often. Sometimes, I wish I could just find somebody to talk to - someone who listens to my thoughts, my reasoning, my opinions, and my ambitions. I am willing to be a listener to my friends, but who would bother to listen to me when I'm in need? I am willing to be there for my friends, but do they know my heart? And would they be there for me when I fall as well? My heart bleeds till this day, because no one understands the condition of my heart. All they see about me... is someone aggressive, ruthless, defensive, and at times, stubborn.

Will they ever see... that I am a loyal friend?
...that I will always be there for those that need me to be there?
...that I am someone that would do his best in solving problems?
...that I am someone who would entertain his friends with accents and drama-mama jokes to cheer them up for the day?
...that I am someone who would listen and empathize when they are in need of someone for company?
...that I have so many other positive aspects in my character, other than my main weaknesses (i.e. anger issues, stubbornness etc).

For I only know, I am just a potato. Scars and crannies on the outside, but white and smooth in the inside. Even if one were to peel me, I would never know what they really feel about me. But I sincerely hope.. that they could be able to see the good in me.

I really don't know what my friends think about me, neither do I really know what my girlfriend feels about me. But I do know myself... I am not that bad after all.

Here is what I think about myself after some self-reflection:

+ I am a loyal friend and a devoted boyfriend.

+ I am good to those who are good towards me.

+ I share what I have to others and enjoy doing so.

+ I love to show others about things, which I happen to know that they do not know.

+ I am a great thinker, but that doesn't make me a bad listener also.

+ I may look worked up, unapproachable, or perhaps, tired, but that doesn't stop me from being there for my friends and girlfriend. I shouldn't be wrongly judged just because I seldom smile. That is my face. It is how I look, and it's what I'm born with. Live with it.

+ I am warm to others once there is a talkable topic to discuss about.

+ I do not beat about the bush.

- I can be dense or insensitive at times, thus I need some straightforward but kind answer to my cluelessness.

- I lose my temper easily when I feel threatened.

- I can be impatient.

- I am not so quick to forgive and forget, especially when the hurt I receive is a little too much to bear. It may take me almost eternity to even forgive that person completely.

- I'm not kind to my enemies and I show no mercy.

- I may appear to be controlling... well, that's because I have the urge of wanting to get some limelight for myself. Perhaps I'm insecure in this area, as I sometimes feel that I'm just not good enough for anybody. Till now, I am always striving to be the best, to have the best, and to live the best. Each time, it is never good enough I thought. I am a perfectionist as I believe that if I could be the best that I can be, I would have the favor of man.

- I am ambitious as a result, but sometimes, becoming slightly megalomaniac. And I'm afraid that people would be freaked out by the power hunger going on within me...

I'm not perfect. I am both an angel and a devil. I can be both good and bad, depending on the circumstances. There are times to act differently to different situations. But still, I do not want to be perceived only in the negative light.

Sometimes, I feel like the world is against me. So whenever I feel moody or in the process of an unreasonable mood swing such as this, I became withdrawn and depressed. I don't know why, but as a pure thinker, I have my emotional times as well.

I couldn't get enough of this world, but yet, I have to thank God, that I am still loved. Not just by Him, but by my dear too...

I am really happy to have found her. I would be happier if I know that the people around me appreciate me for the way I am as well.

All I ask for, is a sincere friend.

You have given me a really good girlfriend...

...will I ever see the sincerity in the hearts of the people who wants to know me, or whom I'm getting to know?

Genuinity, is all I seek... Lord.

2007-09-09T20:13:00.000+08:00

Results

Your answers suggest you are a Realist
The four aspects that make up this personality type are:

Summary of Realists

Loyal and steady workers who meet deadlines
Believe in established rules and respect facts
Think of themselves as mature, stable and conscientious
May appear too logical or tough-minded and forget their impact on other people

More about Realists

Realists are loyal to the people around them and work hard to keep their promises. They are honest and straightforward with others and expect the same in return. Realists believe in standard procedures and will only support change when there is a demonstrable benefit.

Realists are the most common personality type in the UK, according to a nationwide survey.

Realists respect factual information, which they store up to use when making decisions. This group likes to have time to think quietly and carefully before taking action.

These extremely productive people like to be occupied in their leisure time with pursuits such as craftwork, hiking or reading.

In situations where they can't use their talents or are unappreciated, Realists may become obsessed with schedules, critical of others or have trouble trusting other people to get the job done properly. Under extreme stress, Realists may complain loudly that events have taken a turn for the worse and predict negative outcomes.

Realists typically only share their opinions or personal experiences with trusted friends.

Realist Careers

Realists are attracted to jobs where decision making based on factual knowledge and experience is required.

It's important to remember that no survey can predict personality type with 100 percent accuracy. Experts say that we should use personality type to better understand ourselves and others, but shouldn't feel restricted by our results.

Read about the 16 personality types from the What Am I like? Personality test:

Big Thinker, Counsellor, Go-getter, Idealist, Innovator, Leader, Mastermind, Mentor, Nurturer, Peacemaker, Performer, Provider, Realist, Resolver, Strategist and Supervisor.

Take this Personality Test to find out your personality type!

2007-09-07T23:59:00.000+08:00

Finally, I managed to catch up on the news today as I have always been busy with the usual researches for my never-ending assignments. Furthermore, I am not a subscriber to The Straits Times or The New Paper, which also goes to show why I read the news every once or twice a week online.

Recently, the tabloids have been busy with the case of one National Serviceman, who roamed the streets of Orchard Road with a loaded ammunition. This is a big news and currently the most talked about affair in town among the teens and the young adults, especially those who have been through National Service (NS). Let me just do some newspaper reviews tonight.

Here are the news coverage of that incident: -

The Straits Times news 03Sept07

The Straits Times news 04Sept07

The New Paper 07Sept07 (part 1)

The New Paper 07Sept07 (part 2)

The New Paper 07Sept07 (part 3)

Pathetic guy I would say... also, what he did was pretty dope. It doesn't matter whether his family members or relatives tried to 'kick' the tabloid journalists away, the fact is that WHAT HE DID WAS STUPID (and his family members too). There goes his bright future... all because of WHAT?! A girl.....

.........

It seems like many guys these days are soft in the inside or jumbled up in their cerebral cortex. And it seems that a great number of people these days do not exercise rational thinking. Instead, many of them prefer to be victims of their emotions. In another words, letting their hearts do the talking and in turn digging their graves six feet deeper.

Although tabloid journalists can be nasty and unethical in their job sometimes, I really admire their efforts for shaming the shameful in public. Whenever things start to go wrong, the shameful would react in a loud or vulgar manner while the tape goes on recording without any mercy. Consequently, every action outside of court are taped, and there's absolutely nothing that shameful person or company could do about this matter... Yeah, sue the tabloids. You can try. Will they even give a damn? NO!!! It's the damn tabloids folks! Tabloids gotta do what tabloids gotta do. In fact, the more one sues the tabloid, the more cases they have to report on and there will be more profits to make. At the end of the day, they are still the victor, undefeated and unchallenged. And I still don't understand why some nut cases would still spit or kick or hurl vulgarities upon the cameraman. He was just doing his job. And maybe you guys are not doing your job for educating that NS boy.

It was not the cameraman's fault for filming such incident outside of court, for if he does that inside court, he would be charged for Contempt of the Court. Here was when some over-protective and vulgar family members were going physical against another literally and lawfully innocent human being. YOU GUYS HAVE THE RIGHT TO FEEL SHAMEFUL!!!!! Not proud! If any of you read this, you guyz ought to be shameful, really. The whole island is talking about it and there's nothing you can do about it. Wanna sue this? You gotta sue Singapore instead. Hmmm... gotta think twice dudes.

Anyway, I don't think it's a good idea for some Singaporeans to be so proud to such an extent. I mean.. seriously speaking, if you are wrong, then YOU ARE WRONG! CONFESS your mistakes! REPENT! Apology would not help, neither can vulgarities or clashes of the fists. ARGH...!!! Some Bus-Tarts (bastards)!

By the way, I don't believe that going gaga over a girl would help in any relationship. Gaga-ness is contagious! The main essence within a relationship is unconditional love, not craziness! And if one has to walk down the boulevard armed with a SAR-21 to show off his Singaporean-bred creativity just because of a dumb break-up, then I think this is absolutely non-human and genetically stupid. Like it or not, what's done is done. But the deed, is indeed, gloriously laughable. Although not literally funny, but this has got to be the event of the decade, which deserves its place in history textbooks. Moreover, Corporal Dave Teo has just made history for being the first NSF to go AWOL with an advanced rifle of the century. This must be Singapore's proudest moment... yes? No?

Anyway, I've got sleepy bugs now... and I just feel so relieved after writing this review. It's been ages since I last handed in my newspaper reviews to my primary school teacher... ah well, anyway... good night.

2007-09-06T01:41:00.000+08:00

Change.

It is the only thing constant in life (François de la Rochefoucauld, 1613 - 1680). It happens everywhere, every single time, and to everyone. But it is not judged by an absolute measure of good and bad; positive and negative; or more and less. For such superficial judgments are meant for those who do not understand the depth of change and its impact that awakens the greatness of a man.

Change is not an enigmatic terminology, nor is it a profound vocabulary with deep meanings too hard for a layman to grasp. It looks simple as a word itself, but yet, it takes a great deal of time for one to understand its consequences, causes and effects, as well as its significance. It is a common planet-wide phenomena, which every sane person usually take for granted. In addition, it is rather unfortunate that such attitude is very commonly found in the areas of relationship.

Many people do not completely realise that relationships are formed on the basis of our moral values and belief system. An individual would unconsciously have a liking for another person after several meetings together, and usually, common interests, goals, and values are the main reasons for relationships to be formed. Any drastic changes to one's self-image, belief system, or moral values, would cause the reaction of another, who is relatively involved in a friendship tie or a relationship.

This portion of understanding is, however, not separable from the essentials of constant communication, faithfulness, trust and loyalty, as well as common altruism. All these aspects are just as important but my focus here is about moral values and belief system that eventually determine a person's relationship with another.

Many of us do not immediately question ourselves, our actions, our choices, or our desires. We do not self-reflect until we commit a common mistake. This is a common consequence for many of us, and I am also guilty of such mistake. But we have to ensure that we do not repeat our mistakes twice. Furthermore, it is not advisable to attribute any responsibility or blame upon any person, situation or yourself. Unfortunately, we immediately seek confrontation with something that bothers us so much whenever we are aggitated or offended by that stimulus. It could be an object or a person, but most of the time, it is usually another person. Sometimes, they could be those we love most, such as a spouse, a friend, or a buddy. Each time we get offended by certain words or actions from a significant other, it is a common tendency to be taken aback and feel rather disturbed. In the process, what we commonly do, is that, we would approach that offender with an interrogative body language and make a scene out of a silence. The last words from such interrogators were usually as straightforward as this: "Hey, I think you have changed.".

Has she? Have they?

Many of us fail to look at ourselves with critical mindsets, because the ego is the primary source that fill us with dignity and self-pride, deep inside our inner self. As a result, we tend to blame others immediately for what they have done instead of doing some self-reflection in one quiet corner. But has the person REALLY change? Or was it our optic error that points the finger at the opposite direction, where it should have been? It is relatively easy to comment than to take criticisms. But one has to consider looking beyond the issue and examine the fault that lies within one's personality. Have our own personality changed? Was it, in our own individual opinion, for the better or for the worse?

It is usually 'us' who change - in terms of our personality, traits, belief system, moral values, principles, and ideologies - that brings a forceful (though not always welcomed) impact to others who are closer to 'us'. This change changes the way others view 'us' or relate to 'us'. Thus, whenever we notice slight or drastic changes in our social network, self-reflection is often required of 'us'.

If everyone self-reflects before confronting their friend-cum-offenders, every friendship and relationship would have a happy ending. This usually precedes by a simple and humble apology from both sides.

2007-09-02T23:59:00.000+08:00

I used to think that moral philosophy is helpful in order to bring about changes within oneself. Indeed, it does change a person. But change is a relative concept we all have to deal with. The change within us is a two-tailed measurement, and we either decide upon the positive or negative change that we ourselves would in turn experience. It is only a matter of choice. But on what principles should we build upon in order to make a positive change in our lives, thereby bringing forth the impact we have on ourselves and others? Making decisions with the various choices that we have is not enough. The source that guides our choices and decision making should be something greater. It should be based upon our principles and life values, as well as the sources that drives these principles and values.

As for that, I shall leave the decision to the readers here. I've made my choice to let God be the centre of all principles and morality. It doesn't matter whether He exists, but what the bible implicates in terms of how we should live our lives, is something which I would embrace in my values as a human being. With this, I shall clarify that I am not being religious in any ways. I see moral values and principles as an important ingredient in living a fruitful life, more than just following laws, rituals, routines, and blindly believing in something without any reasons in doing so. In all things, there must be a reason, no matter how unclear or indescribable those reasons are. Love is the reason why relationships exist. Human nature and goodness is the reason for the existence of love. Our biological make-up is the reason for our human nature and goodness. The way we are is the reason for how we behave. But let's not touch on that so much for in reason, there are different perspectives.

Time is short, and so is life. I have been rather busy these days and failed to slow down and give a thought about my own life. The reason for me being stressed out is no different from any others who are living in the same planet as I am. We are all striving to excel, to make money, to make the best out of the opportunities that we can ever come across. Some of us turned into workaholics; some turned into maniacs; while others ended up in the nearby asylums. Why are we doing this? Do we have others to blame? Do we have the government to blame? Or do we have our own schedules to blame? We have no one to blame except ourselves. If only we can take one step at a time, by slowing down our pace, and examining our lives, it would do wonders later on. The more we rush things, the more we would become blinded to the most precious things that we have around us. In turn, we might take them for granted and lose what we deemed precious in our everyday lives.

I felt a lack of one moment. A lack of love and support, and because of this, I grew desperate. I was desperate not for women, but for money. I became money-minded, and a fervent money worshiper. I grew so impatient at one point in my life that I felt everything has got to do with money-making in order to lead a secure and fruitful life altogether. I knew all along that something was amiss... but then little did I know, I was desperate for the wrong things. I made money my choice, and career and ambitions as my ultimate goal in life... and I felt like a total workaholic when I embark on my life project. Even though I know that I'm attached to a beautiful girl of my dreams, my ambitions took me over and had a control over my life. In fact, it should be the other way round, where I should control my ambitions as well as my social lifestyle. The danger of busyness has overwhelmed me with worries, stresses, inner sorrows, constant desire for something of lesser priority. It has got a hold on me, when I should have gotten it in my very own control myself.

Then tonight, I realised that someone loves me a lot, and is willing to support me in everything I do. Time and time again, I asked myself if this was true. I want to start being trusting again. But at the same time, I want to learn from past mistakes. I've been hurt several times in a relationship, when I gave my all, and all I received was nothing but a sad and permanent separation. I'm sick and tired of going through the cycle of having to put up with all these nonsense. However, love has a price to pay. It is a sacrifice of oneself to another. I'm willing to give myself another chance to love. Sometimes, love is a risky journey to embark on, because we are all hurt before. Nonetheless, it is always Hope and Faith that comes together with Love - that's what kept me going. That's what kept me strong. And that's what gave me the courage to love someone all over again. It is always great to have someone (a significant other) whom you truly love in your life to give you support and encouragement along the way, as you pursue your dreams and visions. That's something I've been looking for in my entire life. And with this, I've found the girl whom I want to spend my life with. Thank You, Lord.

Also, after some thoughts to my priorities, I came to a conclusion that my partner will be of higher priority than my dreams and visions. Some of you might disagree, but I have my reasons. Dreams and visions will come to pass, as it is only a matter of time. It doesn't matter how long you take to get to your goal, it will happen once a focus is set upon it. But it is very different when it comes to the person you love in your life. Quality time plays a huge role in developing a relationship. The amount of other investments you sowed into a relationship will also determine its strength and durability. It takes commitment to do so, for without it, there will be no desired results. I am willing to postpone my dreams and visions in order to be with the person I love in my life. Notice that I mention the word "postpone". I do not mean giving up my goal for the girl I love most. It's just that I give more priority to the people I love - her, my family, and my closer friends - more than my goal.

To my dreams and visions,
I know that you mean a lot to me, but my darling means much more than than you. It doesn't matter how long I would take to get to you, but I would still get there nonetheless. You will always be remembered and at the end of my life, you shall be the testimony I'd bring towards the One who sent me into this world.

To my darling,
The day I found you is the the day I knew that it would be a fruitful beginning of our lives together. No matter how difficult things would become, we would be there for each other. And know that I would support you in your ambitions as well. Come what may, I'll love you, with my heart, mind and if you like, soul. I only have one person to thank, and that is God. You, darling, have shown me what love is. Despite the days I backslided, you chose to stay with me throughout those days of instability and loved me even more than what I truly deserved. Indeed, I found the love of God in you. And that is good enough for me to understand the essence of love.

There is nothing more important than being there for somebody (it could be anybody). Maybe life has been too busy for all of us, that we fail to cherish what has been the dearest to us all. It is the constant competition that sets us up for a greater disappointment. In order to change the world, we must change ourselves and also, the way we treat those who are close to us. Maybe busyness has blind-folded us to the needs of others, who are struggling to make ends meet.

In all things that we do, it is essential to check upon our own principles and values, as well as our own priority.

How do you want to live your life? What would you invest on with the time you have in hand? Ultimately, your time, is your life. Do you want to spend your time solely on career development, success, higher education, intellectual pursuits, or attaining glorious fame, while neglecting family and love ones? Or do you want to waste your time anyway? The choice is yours.

In the end, how would you want others to remember you? Would they remember you as someone who did absolutely nothing, and contributed nothing? Would they remember you as someone who would take relationships for granted just to achieve the ambitions of your heart? Would they remember you as a person who has absolutely no visions, no dreams, and living a life aimlessly and without any sole purpose in mind? Or would they remember you as someone who has made a difference in the lives of many, and someone who has achieved a great deal of success in dealing with both work and relationships?

It is not the number of commitments or responsibilities one has that makes a successful person. It all begins with how one manages them. In all things, there should be a balance, and balance is the key to a successful life.

2007-08-28T01:48:00.000+08:00

You are The Hierophant

Divine Wisdom. Manifestation. Explanation. Teaching.

All things relating to education, patience, help from superiors.The Hierophant is often considered to be a Guardian Angel.

The Hierophant's purpose is to bring the spiritual down to Earth. Where the High Priestess between her two pillars deals with realms beyond this Earth, the Hierophant (or High Priest) deals with worldly problems. He is well suited to do this because he strives to create harmony and peace in the midst of a crisis. The Hierophant's only problem is that he can be stubborn and hidebound. At his best, he is wise and soothing, at his worst, he is an unbending traditionalist.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

2007-08-27T23:52:00.000+08:00

Tonight, we all have to come to terms with reality. We need to understand that all humans are biased. This is no stereotypical statement, neither is it a casual generalization. I'm speaking about fact - scientific fact.

Let's face it tonight. We are all stereotypical, judgmental, and bias creatures ever lived on planet earth. Humans size one another up, judge one another's actions and outward appearances, as well as criticize any particular object or subject they find salient or disagreeable. I have to thank you people for standing up for your beliefs and core values you hold deep within yourselves. Thank you for sharing your inner most principles and perceptions of the world around you. However, you see, we all live in a world full of variety, and we all come from different socio-historical backgrounds. Our social locations are determined by the social institutions we came from and vice versa. Therefore, our social perception of what seem to be true is different. We cannot make judgements based on religious truth alone because TRUTH itself is subjective. I'll tell you why.

There are many realities as there are social perspectives on the world, and that any theory of knowledge that posits the existence of a reality somewhere 'out there' in the 'real' world is untenable. If in this case, there is no truth to which objectivity can be faithful and, accordingly, what is actually going on can never be stated definitively (Rosenau cited in Richards 2005:19). From this, we can conclude that there are many different versions of truth as there are many different people with different interpretation of facts, realities, and theories (including theologies). All these interpretations are formed according to various individual's social locations.

Truth is not subjected to opinions? I doubt so. For every ideology, philosophy, beliefs, customs, culture, theology, facts, and more, are subjected to criticisms and rebuttals. If the religious can affirm the public that their religion is the ultimate truth, then there would be no discussions or friendly arguments over the subject of religion any longer - since it denies its subjectivity to other disagreements, counter-arguments, rebuttals, and disacknowledgments. And if skeptical science and flawed philosophies can be gracious enough to be opened to criticisms and disagreements, why not religion? Religion, after all, is theology or a belief system (Christianity, Islam, Judaism). Some are rituals, but many others, are philosophies as well (Buddhism, Taoism etc).

This doesn't not mean that their versions of truth can ONLY be acknowledged by the masses of mankind. Yes! Jesus is the Truth. Yes! Allah is the God of most high. Yes! My God is true and my scripture is the truth. Yes! Come to us, for we believe in the Saviour of the world and He is the way the truth and the life! Yes! God is greater than any other gods and thou shalt not have any other gods before me. Yes! Yes! Yes! I am right. My scripture is right! You are wrong! Your thinking is wrong! Your religion, philosophies and belief systems, as well as priorities are wrong! Mine is the TRUTH! Mine is the ultimate destination for every mankind!

After such a long paragraph of futile comparisons, do you spot any common error? The error is that these religious people have one thing in common. They have the "I" problem. Everything is "mine", "I", "my" and "Ours". The only thing that has a "you" in it is probably affirming one's unbelief, differing beliefs or perceptions as wicked, devilish, and deviant. I abhor this! This is a disgusting evangelical, deviant, and pseudo-spiritual attitude in this postmodern society!

The last thing you ever want to hear is someone telling you to be "wise" or to "wisen up". Well, again, wisdom is also dependent upon how one views it. Jesus is wise, so is Confucius. And if Confucius can be wise, so is Buddha. You see, we all have different perceptions of who is wise, who is the salient one, and who is the most outstanding performer, based upon how we feel, think, and what we believe in (the values we hold). So if Christians were to urge every believers not to judge one another without first examining ourselves (Matthew 7:1-5), this is also another commandment, which many fail to reach its standard. Once again, if you, a believer in Christ, were to approach an individual with a sole motive to convert him, then you are being a hypocrite. Why? Because in the process of such evangelism, there will be a tendency of you reaching out to that person as though he is a "lost sheep", a "gentile", an "unbeliever", a "deviant soul", a "wretched" or any other weird, not-so-nice names that many old and contemporary Christians can creatively come up with. Let's be creative in a positive manner, and not be so... conservative, stiff, and closed-minded. The only way that one could touch a person's heart, or to reach out to a person, is to show the various signs of love and acceptance (depending upon given situations).

Theologies and philosophies are subjected to attacks, disagreements, and long-term criticisms. This is because one is based on non-thinking and the other is based on empirical observations and persistent thinking and seeking. The only substance in life that cannot be criticized, hated, and measured, is LOVE. The Bible mentions that above all three things in this social environment that we live in - Faith, Hope, and Love - the greatest of these three, is Love. And this is a confirmation that love exists and is the most powerful form of action one can execute, but yet the most difficult to master. This verb, however, consists of various meanings but it cannot be hated. Just like a universal currency, it will be accepted universally, globally and internationally. You cannot resist the persistence of unconditional love.

Therefore, the one who has an opened mind, is flexible, thinkable, creative, sociable, relevant and healthy. Besides holding on to our absolute truths within the inside of us, we need to consider other possibilities that others possess in them as well. We are here in this world to learn from various individuals, so we have to keep an opened mind for what the Bible says is not enough. We need to learn from experiences.

I'm writing this in reply to those who disagree with my interpretation of the Relative Truth.

2007-08-25T04:09:00.000+08:00

Hello bloggers! How am I? Very good indeed. I love to blog about a lot of stuffs and many of these are my private thoughts. They are not really private since they're posted online for others to view, however, what I meant was these thoughts were what I thought about during my private time alone.

To my secret readers, you know who you are, thank you for your time. And I will be blogging more as I go along. Once again, this is my blog, or rather, this is the Internet. I cannot fully say that everyone agrees with what I write, but there must be some room for discussions. It doesn't matter as long as the discussion is friendly and opened. However, it doesn't mean I would be taking in any forms of 'ideologies' from you if I happen to disagree with yours, so do be prepared for that.

Alright, recently, I came across a shop selling Christian items. Pretty impressive indeed! They've got lots of interesting items on the shelves and honestly, they look pretty tempting to me. Then I happened to see a t-shirt with some wonderful designs and printed words on it. Those words are, "Truth is not relative. Truth is Truth.". I thought, maybe this person who wrote this has gotta be kidding. Because according to me, this person has already been blinded by religion. First off, I do not want to make Christianity seem like a religion that some Tom, Dick or Harry should believe in. Secondly, I have no intentions of making Christianity look like an evangelical machine that constantly terrorizes the planet. And finally, I do not like Christianity to be looked upon as a religion; or a vital truth; or an absolute, flawless, unchallengeable and unquestionable belief system. It is pretty much secluded from dialectic investigations as much of its content still remains unquestionable by Christians. Well, I heard that if one is a Christian, he or she puts his or her belief in Jesus Christ, and trusts God in all areas of their lives. But this should not stop them from questioning about faith, reality, or truth.

Again, like I mentioned before, truth has some degree of relativity in it. It is the agreement with fact or reality. There is, in reality, no single definition of truth about which the majority of philosophers agree. What seems to work for you may not work for another person. What makes sense to you may not make sense to another person. So truth is relative in many degrees. To Christians, God is Truth. That is because God is already the symbol of goodness and positivity, while Satan, on the contrary, is the symbol of evil and destruction. Truth is subjective to many people because many of us handle truth in many different ways. Some of us cannot handle the truth, while some of us are much stronger in dealing with what lies in our path. God is there in times of need and trouble (if you believe He is there), but different people react differently to God's (Truth) presence. Non-believers don't even know God's presence, due to their unbelief, so they are out of the picture. Christians or believers in God handle God's presence differently from one another. Same thing applies for truths, for facts, for realities and for belief systems. They are all subjected to categorization, classification, and biasness.

So who in the frog's well would say that "TRUTH IS NOT RELATIVE"? Impossible. As a believer, I could declare, in my heart, that Jesus is truth. But to others, Jesus may not be truth. It seems true to me, but it doesn't seem true to others as well. So is Jesus really TRUE? I dare not declare any further because others would counter-declare my statement that same way I declared mine. So truth is subjected to individual's opinions based upon their social locations and social institutions that influence them. TRUTH IS THEREFORE NOT ABSOLUTE!

Absolution is a term used to disguise the facts of reality. It is basically an excuse to boycott all forms of relative discussions, and it makes people's minds closed up against all odds. Absolution is the enemy of liberal thoughts, free choices, rightful beliefs and thus, the enemy of democracy.

The last sentence that follows this junk phrase was, "Truth is truth". But my answer to this is that truth is still subjected to various discourses. It really depends on how others view truth in different light. And truth is NO TRUTH until it is united under one clear definition. But other than universal truth, which is stated in the dictionary, there is no fixed definition to this terminology. Therefore, it is still subjected to debates, discourses, and ceaseless questions against its reliability and completeness.

On the whole, I think that it is a serious problem when Christians are taking their faith a little too far off the edge, by declaring Christianity an ultimate truth and simply ignoring the fact that others might not think the same way. I would not do that... although I myself know that God is good all the time, I do not usually tell people in the face that God is the ultimate solution and then, fullstop. This is just not me, really. I would say that God works best for those who believes in Him - not in His existence, not in His abilities or power, not in His might or miracles - but in ways which Jesus showed His love and compassion towards people.

Christianity's truth is available for debate, however, the love of the one who sacrificed his life for his friends is a clear sign that religion is a bad stereotype upon Christianity.

In closing, I want to clarify my stand of why I hate religion. Religion is a combination of many organized rituals. And rituals are fixed customs or traditions which is set up in a way that believers should follow. Although rituals have certain religious purposes, they are nothing more than doing for the sake of doing it. And this applies to other religions as well. What tragically makes Christianity into a religion is the falsehood of the Crusades, and the many silly rituals early "Christians" partake that brought a shameful generalization upon the believers of God. And mind you, the Templar Knights are worshippers of Baphomet, Satan, in short. So you see, it is only the ignorants that brought tragedy upon themselves.

I am firm with my belief that God is the symbol and centre of all morality, goodness and positivity. Believing in His existence, means believing that goodness exists. Believing in God involves believing in the devil, and that for sure, I do. Because if I do not believe in the devil, I am escaping reality saying evil do not exist, which is absurd. The existence of God and the devil is inevitable for there must be a balance, or else, discernments cannot occur. If discernments cannot take place, there would be no free choice. Without free choice, the world will be locked in a frame of absolution and strict prevalence of law without ethics. Besides, one would be mocking God for not giving man free will to choose or make decisions.

So in summary...
1) Truth has no definitions. Truth is relative.
2) Truth is subjected to various opinions, so are faith, reality, and facts.
3) Christianity is never a religion or a ritual. It is a system that guides a person's discernment and decision-priority-making in order to acquire the Higher Standard.
4)Universal truth looks like an absolute terminology, but it certainly has relative meanings. What seems absolute is not totally absolute, unless it is of personal or private matter. (i.e. Principles and values are your absolutes because you possess them and no one else is able to correct them unless you change your thoughts or belief system. That's how fixed your personal values are, and to you, they ARE ULTIMATE truth, something which you consistently EMBRACE)
5) Do not be fooled by Christian slogans. Not so profound meanings are usually the ones that would stumble any passer-by. Instead, I urge all Christians to apply critical thought in everything they do.

2007-08-23T04:37:00.000+08:00

Though I really hate to blog about my busyness in my entries, it is a fact that I can't escape such a reality. I really have been busy. And I know it's very late in the night right now... well, just some couple of thoughts before I turn in.

Names

Is my name really that rare? No. I don't mean my first name, but rather, my middle name - Frederick. Today I went to Bishan Junction 8 for some coffee at Coffee Bean. At the same time, I intended to give my shot at the assignments that are to be due on Friday. As I was ordering my drink, as usual, I was told to give my name.

Then, this crew went like, "Wah, I really wonder where you guyz get such names... very unique."

HAHAHA... woh.. I mean, thanks manz! My name's named after the King of Prussia, Frederick William the Great. And believe me, it's a common name in Europe or even in America. Asia? I'm sure it is... just that some people do not notice much.

Frederick is a nice name. It is of German origin and it means "Peaceful Ruler". So, for those who think you have the calibre to be a "Frederick" just like me, then by all means, call yourself one! HAHAHA...

Assignments

I'm done with my assignments, thank GOD! All of them at last! And those work are reasons why I've been very busy this week. But anyhow, I feel so much confident now that I've got a great start to my new semester, better lecturers, better equipments, friendlier people around me, and most importantly, GOD! Hey, surprised eh? Please don't be. God is good. Without God, there's no morality, no values, no absolutes, and no freewill. So if God exists, all those mentioned also exist. That's why they're good. If they're bad, then evil, carnage, and slaughters are good. I feel really free right now, and I'm so eager to reward myself with good food this Friday when I meet Sean for some Coffee. YOOHOO!!

My Darling

And you are definitely the last thing on my mind before I go to bed, dear. The next day, you'll be the first thing on my mind. And this cycle goes on for as long as I'm alive. I've been thinking a lot about you these days when you are so busy revising for your coming exam. I know it's been pretty stressful for you these few months, but I pray you'll have the strength and determination to hang on and to do your best in this crucial year of your academic life. I believe in you darling. And I believe in us. I pray that God will take us through every hardships that not just we are going through, but we individually would overcome. No matter what happens, I just want to let you know that if God sees the potential in you, so do I. And if God believes that you will succeed in time, so do I. Also, if God loves you this much, so do I.

It wasn't my belief in evidence that brought me back to Jesus. It was your love and my love for you that made me realise how important Jesus is in the midst of our relationship. Once again, God is love. It is a symbol of love. And there's no necessity to prove the evidence of that, because love is what it is. For once, I know, I've been truly blessed and deeply loved. Thank you darling... for everything.

Yawnz... now, for the bed... good night, I mean, morning!