Sometimes I don't understand.
Talking is something so basic to humans, because humans are creatures of communication. And, unless one is mute, talking is THE way to communicate.
Yet, after all these years, I have not grasped it. The art of communication. People say, 'just be friends', 'treat him like how you would treat yourself', etc. But so often, I get tongue-tied talking one-on-one to guys alone. It's even worse with girls (my talking, that is). Everyone around me (or at least, most people) seem to have a grasp of knowing how to make friends and keep them, knowing, unconsciously, when and how to organise outings to keep in touch and all.
Perhaps it's because I don't have that high an expectation of people keeping in contact with me. I mean, I'm pretty happy already if people remember who I am. Perhaps it translates into the relationships I have with people. And perhaps I'm just not comfortable being really close to people. A select few, maybe, but nothing beyond that.
I told this to a few people before, that I'm very very drained talking to people, and even more so when it comes to parties. General equation, the more people there are at a function, the more drained I am, regardless of how much talking I actually do. But here's the conundrum: if anyone wants to get anything, talking is important. It is through talking that relationships are established, networks built, so that in times of trouble and need there are resources one can rely upon.
But throughout my life, I've pretty much failed to do so. I have not really kept in contact with anyone from my 1st Pri school, and barely kept in contact with a few people from my 2nd Pri school and Sec school. Ditto for JC. Even in Uni, it feels as if I've pretty much wasted the time not making friends. Try as I might, every other person just seems to have the knack of forging close relationships with each other, almost as if it's something natural - something I've tried but not really succeeded at. It does get a bit lonely sometimes when I don't have the proper social skills, no matter how much practice I get.
Yet very often when I'm alone I feel recharged. After getting away from the crowds, the parties, the meetings, and I'm alone at home, or even alone just wandering the library, or talking a long detour on my way home, or even just sitting down on a bench that is on the edge of a big field or a big body of water, I feel refreshed. That's one reason why I fell in love with...
Lake District.
Amazing place. So serene, so peaceful, so seemingly unpopulated, so simple.
It's very hard to put it into words, because talking is just so...natural to most people. It's hard for people to understand the plight, and it's hard for me because many times there are things I wanna say but I just don't know how to say it. Or when. Or what. Or who. Neither do I really know why. It's kinda like having discoid eczema, where all you can do is grit your teeth and smile because most people don't understand the situation and many don't want to know. But that's a story for another time.
I think a lot of thoughts, but I get them out very slowly. When I try to talk, very often my mouth moves faster than my mind, and when I'm posed questions, I'm not able to answer on the spot (mainly cause I have too many thoughts that needs sorting). So it ends up with me seemingly unfruitful in conversations and discussions. People say, 'just speak your mind', 'don't think so much', etc. But it's really difficult. Thoughts just flow, and it doesn't have to be negative ones. It's just so hard to grasp a proper stream of thought and go with it and talk about it ON THE SPOT. I tell you, if I ever get attached, it has got to be on the grace of God. Can you imagine living, or even just trying to get to know someone who can't talk to save his own skin? If a robber puts a gun to my neck and tells me, 'talk, or I'll kill you', I'd probably tell him 'don't waste your breath, just shoot'.
And here's the really funny part. I'm studying Social Work, which involves, guess what, talking to people and networking with them. I'm serving in Attributes bookstore in church, which involves, guess what, talking to people.
Whee.
God is a humourous God, I tell you.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Monday, July 06, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Army
Every army is the same: it's made up of different parts doing different things. You will have the generals, those who plan the army's attack and defence strategies, and those who set overall objectives for the army to achieve.
You have the smaller commanders, those in the field, who devise tactics so as to achieve the overall objectives. These are the ones who will take care of the men, and be the leader that the men can look up to and follow. These are the ones who are gonna carry out the orders given.
You have the infantry, those who fight the land battles and flush out enemies in areas where armoured vehicles can't reach.
You have the armoured vehicles, spearheading the land battle. They protect the infantry, as well as bring heavy firepower.
You have the air force, those who are quick to protect the airspace, because air supremacy is often the key to a battle; often losing the air battle means losing the overall battle itself.
You have the navy, those who protect the waters. The navy has ships that are able to bombard the land, strike down aircraft, as well as do battle with enemy ships. They can also drop anti-submarine mines. Submarines are able to protect the ships as well as do stealth scouting missions.
You have the long-range fellas, the artillery, and to a lesser extent, the mortars. They are protected by the more frontline troops, and can do damage to the enemy from afar.
You have the scouts, those who report back with info on what the enemy is doing.
You have the commandos and special ops soldiers, those who risk their lives going deep into enemy territory to accomplish missions.
You have those doing intelligence, intercepting enemy info and sending out false info for the enemy.
You have the logistics team, those who make sure everything is up and running, that the army is supplied with ammo and food, amongst other stuff, at all times.
You have the cooks, without whom the army will go hungry.
All soldiers, though, are trained to fight.
And so on and so on.
Every army is made up like this. Promotions come now and then, and some people switch roles, but essentially that's what the army is like. Some never make it to an officer level, some make it all the way to the top.
Thus, even if you're not in the frontline, you can be just as important. Case in point: the Normandy landings, D-Day, had its breakthrough due to (besides luck) intelligence experts who kept submitting false info to the Nazis. While the Nazis actually managed to get real info, those were ignored. However, the fact remains that the large amount of false info sent out played a big role in influencing Hitler to think that the Allies would land elsewhere.
The Americans won the Battle of Midway, the turning point in the Pacific theatre of war, due to intelligence experts breaking the Japanese code.
The 1st Battle of Tobruk was won by the British due to, besides questionable tactics from the Nazis, diligent and dedicated sentries and patrols, infantry who dared to take on the superior Nazi Panzers, as well as a well thought-out plan of defense.
The Russians pushed the Germans back because of their tank (T-34? Can't remember the model name). However, guess how the tank came about? Military scientists as well as factory workers. The T-34 tanks were battle-ready the moment they came off the production line.
The Americans' entry into World War II helped turn things around, but among the factors was the fact that the American women that stayed behind in their homeland helped out in factories, ensuring continuous and fast production of vehicles and ammo. It was so efficient that the Americans' factories' productivity was 3 times that of the Japanese's. In the long run, despite Pearl Harbour (and the Japanese's mistake in not doing a more thorough job), America had faster speed in getting resources out and into the battlefront.
Some of us are never meant to be frontline troops. For those of us who are, many will not make it all the way to the top. Many will not even reach the actual frontline per se.
And in every war, every battle, there are casualties, be it injuries or death. When someone gets injured, we call for medics. Before soldiers are sent out into the fray, good commanders take into account the soldiers' welfare and well-being, and try to minimise losses. When someone is killed in the battle, the dead soldier is buried if possible. If not, they are left where they are and the army moves on. Bottomline: while every soldier is important, no soldier is bigger than the army. If the general falls, another general is found to replace him.
And at the end of the day, the outcome of the battle belongs and affects the entire army. One brave soul may have been the critical element that changed the course of a battle or even a war, but the outcome of the battle is owned by the army, whether they like it or not.
You have the smaller commanders, those in the field, who devise tactics so as to achieve the overall objectives. These are the ones who will take care of the men, and be the leader that the men can look up to and follow. These are the ones who are gonna carry out the orders given.
You have the infantry, those who fight the land battles and flush out enemies in areas where armoured vehicles can't reach.
You have the armoured vehicles, spearheading the land battle. They protect the infantry, as well as bring heavy firepower.
You have the air force, those who are quick to protect the airspace, because air supremacy is often the key to a battle; often losing the air battle means losing the overall battle itself.
You have the navy, those who protect the waters. The navy has ships that are able to bombard the land, strike down aircraft, as well as do battle with enemy ships. They can also drop anti-submarine mines. Submarines are able to protect the ships as well as do stealth scouting missions.
You have the long-range fellas, the artillery, and to a lesser extent, the mortars. They are protected by the more frontline troops, and can do damage to the enemy from afar.
You have the scouts, those who report back with info on what the enemy is doing.
You have the commandos and special ops soldiers, those who risk their lives going deep into enemy territory to accomplish missions.
You have those doing intelligence, intercepting enemy info and sending out false info for the enemy.
You have the logistics team, those who make sure everything is up and running, that the army is supplied with ammo and food, amongst other stuff, at all times.
You have the cooks, without whom the army will go hungry.
All soldiers, though, are trained to fight.
And so on and so on.
Every army is made up like this. Promotions come now and then, and some people switch roles, but essentially that's what the army is like. Some never make it to an officer level, some make it all the way to the top.
Thus, even if you're not in the frontline, you can be just as important. Case in point: the Normandy landings, D-Day, had its breakthrough due to (besides luck) intelligence experts who kept submitting false info to the Nazis. While the Nazis actually managed to get real info, those were ignored. However, the fact remains that the large amount of false info sent out played a big role in influencing Hitler to think that the Allies would land elsewhere.
The Americans won the Battle of Midway, the turning point in the Pacific theatre of war, due to intelligence experts breaking the Japanese code.
The 1st Battle of Tobruk was won by the British due to, besides questionable tactics from the Nazis, diligent and dedicated sentries and patrols, infantry who dared to take on the superior Nazi Panzers, as well as a well thought-out plan of defense.
The Russians pushed the Germans back because of their tank (T-34? Can't remember the model name). However, guess how the tank came about? Military scientists as well as factory workers. The T-34 tanks were battle-ready the moment they came off the production line.
The Americans' entry into World War II helped turn things around, but among the factors was the fact that the American women that stayed behind in their homeland helped out in factories, ensuring continuous and fast production of vehicles and ammo. It was so efficient that the Americans' factories' productivity was 3 times that of the Japanese's. In the long run, despite Pearl Harbour (and the Japanese's mistake in not doing a more thorough job), America had faster speed in getting resources out and into the battlefront.
Some of us are never meant to be frontline troops. For those of us who are, many will not make it all the way to the top. Many will not even reach the actual frontline per se.
And in every war, every battle, there are casualties, be it injuries or death. When someone gets injured, we call for medics. Before soldiers are sent out into the fray, good commanders take into account the soldiers' welfare and well-being, and try to minimise losses. When someone is killed in the battle, the dead soldier is buried if possible. If not, they are left where they are and the army moves on. Bottomline: while every soldier is important, no soldier is bigger than the army. If the general falls, another general is found to replace him.
And at the end of the day, the outcome of the battle belongs and affects the entire army. One brave soul may have been the critical element that changed the course of a battle or even a war, but the outcome of the battle is owned by the army, whether they like it or not.
MRT Commandment #2
MRT Command #2:
Thou shalt not board the train thou is transferring to at an interchange.
Remember, when changing trains at an MRT interchange in Singapore, DO NOT attempt to board the train you're transferring to. In fact, you're not supposed to. Our helpful train drivers will make sure of that. After all, Singaporeans sit at their desks all day long at work; it's time to make sure they get 6 minutes of exercise standing and waiting for the next train! So that they can get to squeeze together during rush hour smelling each other's body odour! Body odour that accumulated since 6am in the morning til 6pm!
Thou shalt not board the train thou is transferring to at an interchange.
Remember, when changing trains at an MRT interchange in Singapore, DO NOT attempt to board the train you're transferring to. In fact, you're not supposed to. Our helpful train drivers will make sure of that. After all, Singaporeans sit at their desks all day long at work; it's time to make sure they get 6 minutes of exercise standing and waiting for the next train! So that they can get to squeeze together during rush hour smelling each other's body odour! Body odour that accumulated since 6am in the morning til 6pm!
Sunday, June 07, 2009
MRT Commandments
The MRT experience. Truly uniquely Singapore. The time when the MRT arrives, slowing down to a stop. Hordes of Singaporeans, desperate to get home so they can watch whether the Little Nyonya's gonna get beaten again, huddle around the doors. Open, they must. And the doors do open. They (the Singaporeans) then close in. Perhaps Singaporeans really wanted to be at the Normandy landings. Perhaps they have children at home waiting to be fed. Perhaps the antidote to the H1N1 virus is hidden in a MRT. Whatever it is, suffice to say, if these Singaporeans were in the SAF, Singapore would probably be able to choose between Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok as its capital city. If you get my drift.
Such amazing stuff! Uniquely Singapore! Land of MRTs! Of durians! Of Singlish! Of people who see so much value in tissue paper, that they prefer using tissue rather than actual people to book seats! Imagine that! In Singapore, tissue has so much more importance than human beings! In 20 years time, tissue will take over the island! No wonder people want to run into MRTs to hide.
So anyway, since the MRT experience is something that is Uniquely Singapore, I've decided to write a guide on it. Those who don't want to get trampled to death, should read it (the guide).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commandment No. 1: THOU SHALT NOT GET OFF THE TRAIN DURING RUSH HOUR.
This is the 1st rule, and a very important one at that. Let me repeat that: DO NOT GET OFF THE TRAIN DURING RUSH HOUR! Remember, the train contains very valuable and top secret stuff to the country, ESPECIALLY DURING RUSH HOUR. Gold bars, the H1N1 cure, Singaporean babies, are all on board! Take your time to find the stuff! Remember, Singapore is a country full of helpful people. If you attempt to get off during rush hour, hordes of helpful Singaporeans will let you know that you shouldn't be wasting such a chance. Your attempt to get out will be met with many helpful Singaporeans trying to tell you that you should spend more time digging for gold. Heaven forbid that you get off, because these Singaporeans really really REALLY want to share the joy of being on a train with you. Yes, YOU. That and so that they can catch another episode of the Little Nyonya crying.
Tune in again for the next commandment soon!
Such amazing stuff! Uniquely Singapore! Land of MRTs! Of durians! Of Singlish! Of people who see so much value in tissue paper, that they prefer using tissue rather than actual people to book seats! Imagine that! In Singapore, tissue has so much more importance than human beings! In 20 years time, tissue will take over the island! No wonder people want to run into MRTs to hide.
So anyway, since the MRT experience is something that is Uniquely Singapore, I've decided to write a guide on it. Those who don't want to get trampled to death, should read it (the guide).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commandment No. 1: THOU SHALT NOT GET OFF THE TRAIN DURING RUSH HOUR.
This is the 1st rule, and a very important one at that. Let me repeat that: DO NOT GET OFF THE TRAIN DURING RUSH HOUR! Remember, the train contains very valuable and top secret stuff to the country, ESPECIALLY DURING RUSH HOUR. Gold bars, the H1N1 cure, Singaporean babies, are all on board! Take your time to find the stuff! Remember, Singapore is a country full of helpful people. If you attempt to get off during rush hour, hordes of helpful Singaporeans will let you know that you shouldn't be wasting such a chance. Your attempt to get out will be met with many helpful Singaporeans trying to tell you that you should spend more time digging for gold. Heaven forbid that you get off, because these Singaporeans really really REALLY want to share the joy of being on a train with you. Yes, YOU. That and so that they can catch another episode of the Little Nyonya crying.
Tune in again for the next commandment soon!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Impatience
It saddens me to say this, but some of the people with the least grace I've met are Christians. The most judgmental and the least forgiving. Gosh. Or perhaps it's a Singaporean thing, and that this doesn't apply to other countries. I certainly hope so.
It saddens me when people rail against ushers for doing their best to help others. Everyone should have certain boundaries that shouldn't be crossed. But sometimes I think people confuse expectations with impatience. I expect something better from you, so you had better make zero mistakes or else. Why? I don't know. How does this make one different from the rest of the world?
It saddens me when people rail against ushers for doing their best to help others. Everyone should have certain boundaries that shouldn't be crossed. But sometimes I think people confuse expectations with impatience. I expect something better from you, so you had better make zero mistakes or else. Why? I don't know. How does this make one different from the rest of the world?
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
More AWARE
I thought that all the hoo-ha, people would actually get some sense back, but no. More idiocy followed. Now the whole AWARE saga is being championed of how Singapore is "coming of age", and is able to accept diverse views, showing signs that it has matured, blahblahblah.
The whole AWARE sage has only created losers. If I were to pick winners, it would be male chauvinists and media manipulators who won. Hardly a victory methinks.
Toss aside the details and look at the general picture for a moment. This was an AWARE meeting. A meeting of an organisation that represented Singaporean women's interests. And it descended into unruly crowd behaviour. The crowd ignored the ex-president's call to shut up, yet they wanted her to shut up, the very epitome and irony of hypocrisy. You have the ex-exco, who wanted to impose their personal (NOT religious, this is a line that has been and must be drawn) preferences unto people, as well as the current exco, who besides using the media to manipulate and portrayed the ex-exco as beasts, ALSO imposed their personal preferences unto others.
A women's meeting. Degenerated into such chaos.
Think about it for the moment. The male chauvinists have won a big victory, and it's not because they did anything - it's the women at the AWARE EGM who have shot themselves in the foot, back, stomach. Heck, probably shot themselves in the head.
There is NOTHING WRONG with promoting lesbianism. Neither is there anything wrong with promoting heterosexuality. Yet the problem lies in attempting to force one's view upon others, which is what BOTH excos did. Bright future for Singapore? I think not.
AWARE was meant to be a voice for the women of Singapore. If that was to include lesbians, fine. However, this current exco has turned and is going to continue turning AWARE into a pro-lesbian organisation. Where then, has the original focus gone? Shouldn't they set up another agency or a branch agency dealing with lesbianism? What about women who do not choose to embrace lesbianism? Are they then not allowed to be AWARE members? WHY DO THE CURRENT EXCO FORCE THEIR VIEWS UPON OTHERS AND YET DISAPPROVE OF THE EX-EXCO DOING THE SAME???
Imagine what the male chauvinists are saying. "Give women the reins, and this is what you get."
I applaud Josie Lau and her team for stepping down. It was easy to press on and say they are doing what they think is right. By stepping down, the have saved AWARE, and by extension women in Singapore, from further embarassment. However, the damage has been done.
There's also the group of people who manipulate media who have won. Media manipulation has won the day. The current exco called in the press and blew the matter up, and labelled the ex-exco as people who are imposing their preferences on others while they themselves are doing the same. The media then somehow brought in the issue of religion when it never was about religion. By using such manipulation, the government had to step in and declare that religion must be separated from politics. Religion was NEVER the issue, until it was manipulated to be so.
A victory? Perhaps. If you're a male chauvinist and one who uses the media as a form of manipulation. If so, congrats.
The whole AWARE sage has only created losers. If I were to pick winners, it would be male chauvinists and media manipulators who won. Hardly a victory methinks.
Toss aside the details and look at the general picture for a moment. This was an AWARE meeting. A meeting of an organisation that represented Singaporean women's interests. And it descended into unruly crowd behaviour. The crowd ignored the ex-president's call to shut up, yet they wanted her to shut up, the very epitome and irony of hypocrisy. You have the ex-exco, who wanted to impose their personal (NOT religious, this is a line that has been and must be drawn) preferences unto people, as well as the current exco, who besides using the media to manipulate and portrayed the ex-exco as beasts, ALSO imposed their personal preferences unto others.
A women's meeting. Degenerated into such chaos.
Think about it for the moment. The male chauvinists have won a big victory, and it's not because they did anything - it's the women at the AWARE EGM who have shot themselves in the foot, back, stomach. Heck, probably shot themselves in the head.
There is NOTHING WRONG with promoting lesbianism. Neither is there anything wrong with promoting heterosexuality. Yet the problem lies in attempting to force one's view upon others, which is what BOTH excos did. Bright future for Singapore? I think not.
AWARE was meant to be a voice for the women of Singapore. If that was to include lesbians, fine. However, this current exco has turned and is going to continue turning AWARE into a pro-lesbian organisation. Where then, has the original focus gone? Shouldn't they set up another agency or a branch agency dealing with lesbianism? What about women who do not choose to embrace lesbianism? Are they then not allowed to be AWARE members? WHY DO THE CURRENT EXCO FORCE THEIR VIEWS UPON OTHERS AND YET DISAPPROVE OF THE EX-EXCO DOING THE SAME???
Imagine what the male chauvinists are saying. "Give women the reins, and this is what you get."
I applaud Josie Lau and her team for stepping down. It was easy to press on and say they are doing what they think is right. By stepping down, the have saved AWARE, and by extension women in Singapore, from further embarassment. However, the damage has been done.
There's also the group of people who manipulate media who have won. Media manipulation has won the day. The current exco called in the press and blew the matter up, and labelled the ex-exco as people who are imposing their preferences on others while they themselves are doing the same. The media then somehow brought in the issue of religion when it never was about religion. By using such manipulation, the government had to step in and declare that religion must be separated from politics. Religion was NEVER the issue, until it was manipulated to be so.
A victory? Perhaps. If you're a male chauvinist and one who uses the media as a form of manipulation. If so, congrats.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
AWARE...and music.
Most of you would know about the AWARE saga by now. After reading about it, I don't know whether I want to laugh or cry. Laugh, because the whole in-fighting thing just seems so ridiculous; it's like a publicised catfight, a female verbal WWE. Cry, because the name of God and all the work that Singaporean Christians have done have been tarnished just by an act of stupidity.
There's a saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Perhaps what the new ex-co of AWARE had were all good intentions (according to them). They felt homosexuality was bad, and they wanted to take over AWARE (which was supporting lesbianism) and change things. I just wonder, though, did they stop to think of the consequences? It was stated that they are from a church, and their views of homosexuality is linked to Christians being intolerant of homosexuals. And this new ex-co even went so far as to say the church's stand is that the husband is the head of the household.
What do you think is the common man's response? "Screw your religion!" If only the new ex-co actually thought through things...nothing good ever comes out of imposing your view on others. And if you really want to do that, then by all means PLEASE DON'T DRAG OTHER PEOPLE'S REPUTATIONS DOWN WITH YOU!!!
From a Biblical standpoint, nowhere was it stated in the Bible that God doesn't love homosexuals. God loves all, period. Also, when the husband is the "head" of the household, it DOES NOT MEAN THE HUSBAND IS SUPERIOR!!! If you want to tell someone of something they have no concept of, you got to put it in simple terms, in terms that people can easily understand. Just by quoting the Bible how do you expect one to understand what is really meant?
To end off, in the past there was this group of people in Israel known as the Pharisees. In those days they were the priests, the ones in charge of the temple, the ancient day equivalent of the church. What did they do? They basically went around telling everyone what to do, making rules about what is allowed and not allowed, rules that they came up with for themselves, trying to get themselves recognised by praying out loud in the open, etc. Basically, attention-seekers who want to glorify themselves. The very same people Jesus Christ constantly rebuked. Fast-forward to the year 2009. Compare to the new ex-co of AWARE.
I shall leave it as that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I can't help but wonder, where has the really good music gone? Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy some pop and even some rock songs. Rock songs have this beat to it that makes it attractive to me, and pop songs are well, popular (by definition). I loved to listen to some of Jay Chou's songs, for example, and in the past, songs by some boybands. Yet when I listen to classical music, be it Western or of other cultures, there is this richness to it that doesn't seem to be captured in today's music. Even listening to older jazz music brings that out. There's this drawing power that it has, a power that profoundly affects the soul of a person. It's almost as if it massages you, speaks to you, takes you on a journey, an adventure, and at the end brings you back to where you are. It draws out such emotions in you, feelings of love, of peace, joy, anticipation, and tension. It leaves such an impact on you, that after hearing it it's almost like you've just had the best experience ever in life.
Today's music, however, for me, has no such impact. The lyrics are one thing, of course, but even hearing today's music with proper lyrics cannot beat the music of yesteryear. Sometimes I wonder: where has the soul of music gone to? Listening to Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Pachelbel, Mozart, there are just certain things modernity can not and have not replaced. To me, the music of yesteryear may not be as exciting (in today's context), but it certainly has a long-lasting impact on me. The music of today, however, reflects society today: it may affect you, but only for a while. It brings lots of excitement, but its effects fades quickly. Short-term effects that bring lots of excitement that cannot last.
I wonder, just as music such as Thai music once faced extinction, would classical music (be it Western or not) face the same scenario? Would it eventually die out? That would indeed be a sad day...
There's a saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Perhaps what the new ex-co of AWARE had were all good intentions (according to them). They felt homosexuality was bad, and they wanted to take over AWARE (which was supporting lesbianism) and change things. I just wonder, though, did they stop to think of the consequences? It was stated that they are from a church, and their views of homosexuality is linked to Christians being intolerant of homosexuals. And this new ex-co even went so far as to say the church's stand is that the husband is the head of the household.
What do you think is the common man's response? "Screw your religion!" If only the new ex-co actually thought through things...nothing good ever comes out of imposing your view on others. And if you really want to do that, then by all means PLEASE DON'T DRAG OTHER PEOPLE'S REPUTATIONS DOWN WITH YOU!!!
From a Biblical standpoint, nowhere was it stated in the Bible that God doesn't love homosexuals. God loves all, period. Also, when the husband is the "head" of the household, it DOES NOT MEAN THE HUSBAND IS SUPERIOR!!! If you want to tell someone of something they have no concept of, you got to put it in simple terms, in terms that people can easily understand. Just by quoting the Bible how do you expect one to understand what is really meant?
To end off, in the past there was this group of people in Israel known as the Pharisees. In those days they were the priests, the ones in charge of the temple, the ancient day equivalent of the church. What did they do? They basically went around telling everyone what to do, making rules about what is allowed and not allowed, rules that they came up with for themselves, trying to get themselves recognised by praying out loud in the open, etc. Basically, attention-seekers who want to glorify themselves. The very same people Jesus Christ constantly rebuked. Fast-forward to the year 2009. Compare to the new ex-co of AWARE.
I shall leave it as that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I can't help but wonder, where has the really good music gone? Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy some pop and even some rock songs. Rock songs have this beat to it that makes it attractive to me, and pop songs are well, popular (by definition). I loved to listen to some of Jay Chou's songs, for example, and in the past, songs by some boybands. Yet when I listen to classical music, be it Western or of other cultures, there is this richness to it that doesn't seem to be captured in today's music. Even listening to older jazz music brings that out. There's this drawing power that it has, a power that profoundly affects the soul of a person. It's almost as if it massages you, speaks to you, takes you on a journey, an adventure, and at the end brings you back to where you are. It draws out such emotions in you, feelings of love, of peace, joy, anticipation, and tension. It leaves such an impact on you, that after hearing it it's almost like you've just had the best experience ever in life.
Today's music, however, for me, has no such impact. The lyrics are one thing, of course, but even hearing today's music with proper lyrics cannot beat the music of yesteryear. Sometimes I wonder: where has the soul of music gone to? Listening to Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Pachelbel, Mozart, there are just certain things modernity can not and have not replaced. To me, the music of yesteryear may not be as exciting (in today's context), but it certainly has a long-lasting impact on me. The music of today, however, reflects society today: it may affect you, but only for a while. It brings lots of excitement, but its effects fades quickly. Short-term effects that bring lots of excitement that cannot last.
I wonder, just as music such as Thai music once faced extinction, would classical music (be it Western or not) face the same scenario? Would it eventually die out? That would indeed be a sad day...
