a dream with full senses... weird...

had a dream that i got a car accident..
i was driving on a familiar highway. i had the viewpoint from the driver, saw the car going up the flyover, then hit a rough patch of road, lost control, the car went high up. had the slow-mo feeling of dying as the car was in the air, with panic and horror shock at the same time.

my whole body felt it. the heart and mind felt it, knowing that the point of death is coming, and i woke up. but it was more like body woke up because of a sudden jolt. my body was in shock and in a state of heightened senses.

i wonder whether that's the feeling... what does that dream mean?

a tanner...

was watching Discovery channel and there was a documentary of the tanning of leather in Morocco where they have been making leather the same way they have been doing for thousands of years.

 in the Bible, the disciple Peter stayed with Simon the Tanner.
Acts 10:5-6
 "Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea".

below is a video showing how the skin is soaked in guano (bird poo) and cow urine to preserve the skin. 
Tanning in Morroco

Sherlock Holmes and Watson were camping in the forest. they had gone to bed and were lying beneath the night sky. Holmes said, "Watson, look up. What do you see?"

"I see thousands of stars."

"And what does that mean to you?" Holmes asked.

"I suppose it means that of all the planets in the universe, we are truly fortunate to be here on Earth. We are small in God's eyes, but should struggle every day to be worthy of our blesings. In a meteorological sense, it means we'll have a sunny day tomorrow. What does it mean to you, Holmes? "

"To me, it means that someone has stolen our tent."

GB drill competition...

a state drill competition where 1st KL won first place and also best commander.
there was a new drill syallabus comprising the standard formation drill (in a box) and also fancy drill (with whatever patterns, cheer, etc.. ). that also caused 2 (out of 5 registered) to pull out because it was tough to accomplish the new syllabus. 

some asked how did the squad do so well?
saturday - 3 - 5.30pm
sunday - 2 - 4.30pm
rain or shine, do that for 3 months with a few breaks... hard work. congratulations!

nervousness, anxiety and stress starts to come as the competition nears. we ask ourselves why do we stand under the hot sun, do drill sequences to commands over and over again and have so much commitment to something that won't help us in the future?

well, that's the perspective. if the question is only referring to the physical aspect and action-for-action comparison, obviously we're wasting our time (and quite stupid). if drill is taught emphasizing on teamwork, leadership, commitment, focus, discipline, perseverance, finding meaning and purpose in the journey and not results, learning as a team, success as a team, failure as a team, then it is worth it. when one makes a mistake, it is not that only that persons fault but it is the whole team. the others are also responsible (or at fault) because it is their part to help each other improve and encourage each other, not play the blame game. even though i listed a lot, there are many more.

the drill commander of another company cried the moment after the squad fall out. and her officers were there already. a cry of disappointment and knowing that the performance of the squad wasn't good enough.
it's unfortunate that it is a competition. but credits to her for still going out there doing her best and performing  her best even if she thought it was hopeless and saw mistakes. credits for still fighting on. credits to her officers who were there straight away to comfort her. nothing to be ashamed of as long as you did your best.

the next state drill is in the next 2 years... till then...

crash and burn, or is it?

travelling at high speed...  you see the pole. you know the crash is coming. it is on the way. it is going to happen.

going. the word is going.
but it has not yet happened.
things are going in slow motion. and you can turn in the last mili-second moment.

situations and issues in life may seem like that. with things spiralling down fast and one by one things start to break apart and with pressure mounting, it seems too late.

the only possible outcome is crash and burn, or is it?

we have a choice.

serving who?

clashing of opinions can come. misunderstandings can happen. miscommunication. wrong words can be said. different types of approaches. different opinions of certain methods. it can get sad. can get offended. at lack of respect. at some assumptions already done.

 would you get angry? yeah... but more of a sad type of angry. these things happen. but it doesn't matter. cause i serve God. not man. if you're very sure of that and God has pointed, take the time to work it out with others and communicate better. nothing to be scared of. clarify.

it's a test.

sermonette

the first time doing a sermonette for the children during the monthly Family Sunday. needed it to be visual. praise God for His inspiration...

A Tupperware. (Pour in drinking water)

“can we drink the water?” (yes)
Yes, we can drink the water (maybe i drink).

Then one day, i told a lie to my parents, (i dip a brush of black paint once) it makes the water a little bit not clean.
Another day, i didn’t share with my friends. ( i dip again)
i got angry and hurt my friends. ( i dip again)
i stole something i didnt' have. ( i dip again) Etc...
The more and more i make wrong and selfish decisions, (i dip more) the water becomes dirtier and dirtier.
Can we drink the water? (no)

Can i have 2 volunteers? (wrapping paper and ribbon) I need your help to wrap the Tupperware and tie a ribbon. Make it look nice. (wrapping)
Now, doesn’t it look wonderful? (wrapped)
Will you drink the water now?
(no)
What if i decorate it with money? (money)
Will you drink the water now?
(no)
What if i build a nice house around it?
Will you drink the water now?
(no)
So no matter what i do to make it look nice, we know that inside is still dirty.

Even if i covered it with money, we know the inside is still dirty. This Tupperware of water is like our heart inside. Inside can be clean or dirty. We can do a lot of things to put around or cover it, but God looks at the heart.

God was looking for the king and God ask the prophet Samuel to go and visit Jesse’s family. The prophet Samuel went to the first son. God said no. And the second? God still said no. Until all 7 brothers. Each time the prophet Samuel thought it would be this son that qualified, God told Samuel, No. Until david, the youngest.

God told Samuel, “do not judge by the appearance or height. People judge by outward appearance, but God looks at the heart”.

World Religions: a different perspective...

had classes in STM again. the 3rd module for the year: World Religions. i thought it was just going to be a factual lecture which will be deeper than what we learn in school or doing surface research. the lecturer has a heart for missiological studies (and i would say a gifting). besides facts, he also taught the heart and spiritual principles behind each religion. [disclaimer: below is typed from thoughts in class. i haven't done my assignment yet, so some things may be typed or worded wrongly.]

on neutral observation, how has the western mindset westernized Christianity? observe the style of evangelism where it is a vocal and open intellectual debate, of black and white, of modernity and consumer influenced. compared to the hospitality of eastern culture and acceptance of each other's thoughts and beliefs. to hit it right at the spot, Buddhists are more acceptant of others than the western influenced Christianity.

in a western mindset, exercising (physical) is separate from acts of spirituality. for the eastern teaching, exercise and spirituality is together; tai-chi, qi gong. chinese medicine is linked to the bodies spirituality. there is no division. spirituality and lifestyle is inter-twined deeply. which causes difficulties in pointing out what is a yes and a no. taking out ancestral worship is taking out filial piety. it is not just about combating the spiritual worship. the lecturer was saying, it is never easy and one of his main advice, is always spiritual discernment.

when we enter a temple, we enter a place of serenity, a place of peace, a place of calmness to meditate and reflect upon one's spirituality. it is taken seriouly in piousness and dedication in meditation and prayer. compared to a westernized environment, we enter a place that must have a Wow! factor or we won't be satisfied. how often and how long do we spend time in prayer and meditation?

for the Hindu caste system, it is a principal where everyone has their place in life as they go through the circle of reincarnation. in the belief of reincarnation, they would reincarnate into a few types of forms depending on their previous life's behaviour. it is on the principal of the world being in balance, the structure of life and acceptance of their place in life.

this is only a small part of what we were learning. facts and information, yes, but more importantly learning the heart and principles behind it all. i have to admit it is quite terrible how western culture has influenced us of treating things as black and white, what more the influences of the scientific thinking which makes us look at a lot of stuff as ridiculous if it doesn't fit into it. there are a lot of things we can learn from.

it was also great to able to visit ronald and family. spend time with their kids and also just have fun in a homey environment. pasar malam, ice age 4, jusco 2, home made pork burgers.

there is always hope...

lately, a few friends brought up the line, 'there is always hope...' because it's on my gtalk status. i can't remember how or what made me put it there. but i've kept it there ever since for dunno how long... possible to be 2 years +.

i don't think its coincidence that each of my friends, one by one, brought it up. in conversation it was like, 'remember... there is always hope'... or a sudden 'Amen! there is always hope!'. it is weird that they are telling me my own line that i put up and didn't change. they're advising me with my own line 0.0

i take it as a reminder of the line that i kept there. perhaps i got too used to it that its just 'another object by the corner', that it lost its message and impact of hope. knowing the fact that there is always hope, and believing it in our hearts and mind are two very different things.