cherm

So saw my doc today and met a nice intern whom I allowed to interview me for half an hour. I was quite moved by her unassuming approach and the depth of her questions. I like talking to people, but I usually get very annoyed with most trained and untrained counsellors/psychologists but this one was really nice, I felt like I was talking to a friend, for a change. I don't assume anything about you so don't assume anything about me, so what if you (with regards with the last person I saw) are known for being the nicest and most genuinely compassionate one of them all? being nice is not implying that you know what a person is like or how to treat him/her based on when you take her/him on at face value. I never intend to mislead people, but if some professional with decades of experience assumes too much about me, my background.... and I don't care if they are actual Professors in their field like my current doc, I better be annoyed. And this Prof just asked me to go on an AA retreat - group therapy type? eh??? I will admit my Doc likes to appear like he is a lot less knowledgeable then he actually is, so he can talk with me at my level, and he asked me what "Metaphysical" meant to me... I gave him a crap answer I knew he knew was wrong but he didn't bother to correct me. I can so see past this fake exceedingly disturbing professional front he puts on.

Source:
http://leonalo.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/i-condemn-the-anglican-archbishops-inflammatory-remarks/

In today’s Straits Times, Archbishop John Chew, Head of the Anglican Church in Singapore and President of the National Council of Churches of Singapore was reported as saying that mainstream culture is being undermined by “alternative”, “fringe” and “fundamentalistic” values, namely, homosexuality, rampant materialism and religious extremism. The Straits Times then quotes him as saying that “the West has had to face the consequences of the rise of non-traditional family structures and ‘alternative’ cultures.” These “alternative” cultures are allegedly responsible for Singapore’s “low fertility rate”, and “the danger is that the mainstream population, its socio-cultural norms and ethos, will dwindle and diminish down the generations.”

He added: ‘The breaking down of families, and the changing of classical family norms, makes all this more aggravated.’

The Straits Times says Dr Chew’s address to his flock comes at a time when Christians at home and abroad, facing rising divorce figures, increasingly outspoken gays and pervasive pop culture influences, are turning to the church for guidance.

I condemn Archbishop Chew’s inflammatory remarks. They give the erroneous impression that homosexuals have a mysterious set of “alternative” values that are intrinsically “wrong” and that are responsible for the breakdown of the “traditional” family structure. Here’s why Archbishop Chew’s remarks threaten the moral fibre of our society:

- He adopts the populist stance of demonising homosexuals and blaming them for the evils of our society, without actually defining what the so-called “alternative” values are. Do homosexuals commit more adultery than the average “traditional” Chinese man with a mainland Chinese mistress? Do homosexuals abuse their domestic helps with irons? Do homosexuals refuse to give up their seats to pregnant women on MRT trains? It appears to me that the Anglican church is trying to make homosexuals the scapegoats for the “mainstream” empire. Please check your facts before ascribing blame

- What’s more preposterous and non-scientific is the suggestion that Singapore’s low birth rate is partly the result of the homosexual-driven “alternative” agenda. What??? Under Khmer Rouge rule in Cambodia, homosexuals and transsexuals (M to F) were forced to have sex with women to prove their sexual orientation. They were also the first to be persecuted by the Nazis. It should be considered a crime against humanity to link homosexuality to Singapore’s low birth rate. Such simplistic assumptions merely serve to stir mass hysteria, which, if Singapore were a theocracy like Iran, would probably lead to genocide

- “Religious fundamentalism” is cited as another factor undermining mainstream culture. Again, there is no attempt to define “mainstream”. A lot of my homosexual friends are mainstream. The ones who are not have been deployed by our government to orchestrate elaborate productions for visiting APEC ministers. May I suggest that the pot is calling the kettle black? Making inflammatory remarks about homosexuals is also a form of religious fundamentalism – in fact, I would argue that it is the fuel and life source of religious fundamentalism in Singapore.

I have written before that religious authority does not equate with moral authority. I shudder to think that many in Singapore still think it does.

Forgive the arrogance. I do not care if God exists but my conviction for my cause isn't a result of"encyclopedia surfing". I think its fair to say it takes a lot for a born and raised Roman Catholic to come out and reject God in such a militant way (through interaction with people, how it has affected my family / friends, watching the best minds in the field debate, a whole load of insightful documentaries, reading and doing my own research) The way I am right now (all though I'm still searching) is a result of 3 + years of searching, researching (exploring the new age and other religious philosophies in order to find myself while connecting all the dots) 3 years since I total loss my aunt's car and getting out of it without a single scratch because of some "Divine intervention" (because I had just purchased a Kunzite Crystal with a spirit guide in it, the guy who hit me while I was making a right swore turn to the police officer at the scene he saw somebody open the door for me) Some religious folks would write this off very conveniently as bullshit (if I put it in the context of a "Guide in a crystal") but yet they still believe in the virgin birth or the resurrection of Christ? Whether literal or metaphorical. They can Laugh all they want at Chinese Superstitions... and those who believe in it might as well believe in Dragons? Note that I obviously attack Christianity a bit more because that's what I'm familiar with, and have a number of negative experiences with it. I'm in no position to attack other faiths such as Islam. It may seem like I'm imposing my views religiously but the difference is that I'm not denying the existence of God or intelligent design. I'm just trying to make a point that we often ignore sensible dialogues between ourselves regarding God and religion, because I think the whole idea of who our creator is or what one subscribes to on his/her deathbed with reference and thoughts to the well-being of others is extremely important. How we view god indirectly tells us how we view others of different faiths. If the "RIGHT hand of God in the U.S" wants Creation added to textbooks what would moderate, liberals or fanatics here think? Now it may seem kind of fanatical but hey you same people are fucking sending your children to bible school and they learn approximately the same shit, maybe not as notably dogmatic. As Sam Harris puts it "Religious moderation is a result of taking scripture less seriously"

While I am still unsure as to whether or not the Spirit Guide had literally helped me or I was just plain lucky to get out of an overturned car without a single scratch... I have found enough reasons to justify a lot of anger towards religion, as well as anger but the impossible regret towards the fact that I had to go through 10 years of bible school (holy family church) to become a confirmed Roman Catholic (I did not drop out of bible school because I was afraid) all this while being too blind to see the "other truth". After the car-crash I remembered being a born again Christian/Catholic for a while (maybe one month) but my heart and mind eventually started departing from the "God" that I always resort to for comfort when all else had failed. I remember praying so hard for the Tsunami victims and the 9/11 victims when I saw it, I remember every time I felt tremors in my block because of an earthquake in nearby Indonesia I would start to pray that it was only my imagination and that less people would die. I would literally Pray because I thought it was the most sensible thing to do. I used to do think that the more I discovered the more reason I had to credit God, but no it's kind of like the reverse, after what I have learned through empirical experiences , researching pseudo science, religion, aliens, 2012, nibiru, alternative history and so on. I found out there was so little that I actually knew and that what I had believed religiously was simply a means to an end that I see so many people submitting to without ever daring to question themselves on the basis of reason. It’s not to say I’m not susceptible to that feeling of being in a community, the fantastic idea of having a past life or that somehow our lives are determined by the stars/cosmos.. And of course there are certain placebo effects that most people will never admit they might have been hallucinating. But if you were to ask me to choose between with-in one of the 3 monotheistic religions I would not chose any of them, and I am absolutely disgusted when one “moderately believes” that I will go to eternal fire if I don’t accept Jesus as my Saviour

As far as I am concerned my current conclusion is this.

Even if there is evidence that the supernatural or other intelligent life is real, it does not prove that there is a God understood by men in the context of monotheistic religions. And leaving everything to faith is just scapegoating. If I had known all this when I was young I would have asked a lot of questions I knew my "Teachers" could not answer with certainty, while they would enjoy "leading others onto the path of eternal joy/salvation/bliss/heaven"

DUBLIN : Angry Irish football chiefs called Thursday on FIFA to order the World Cup play-off with France to be replayed, after France's Thierry Henry helped knock out Ireland with a clear handball.

Video replays showed Henry used his hand to stop the ball going out of play in extra-time of Wednesday's play-off in Paris, before passing to William Gallas to head the goal which gave France a 2-1 win on aggregate.

"The blatantly incorrect decision by the referee to award the goal has damaged the integrity of the sport," the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) said in a statement.

"We now call on FIFA, as the world governing body for our sport, to organise for this match to be replayed."

The Irish football body pointed to a precedent: a FIFA decision in 2005 to invalidate the result of a World Cup qualification match between Ukbekistan and Bahrain on the basis of "a technical error by the referee of the match".

The FAI said it hoped FIFA would "act in a similar fashion so that the standards of fair play and integrity can be protected".

A FIFA spokesman told AFP they had yet to receive a request from the FAI. They had only just received the official match reports and were in the process of reading them, he added.

Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni told a press conference minutes before the statement was released by his employers that he did not believe FIFA would grant a replay.

"It is impossible to repeat the game," the experienced Italian said.

He urged FIFA to explain how Swedish referee Martin Hansson, who failed to spot the incident, had been chosen for such a high-profile match, saying: "For this important game we needed a stronger referee, an important referee."

Trapattoni also called for extra-time to be scrapped at the end of the two-leg World Cup play-offs, with the second match instead going straight to a penalty shoot-out in the event of a draw in regulation time.

Hansson, who works as a fire-fighter, failed to spot the Henry handball. The player himself admitted handling, but said the responsibility for seeing the incident fell to the match official.

Trapattoni refused to blame the player, saying: "It wasn't up to Henry to say 'I touched it with my hand'."

The France-Ireland game was one of four decisive play-offs on Wednesday which finalised the 32-nation line-up for next year's finals in South Africa.

The draw for the finals is due to be made in Cape Town on December 4, leaving little barely two weeks for a replay to be scheduled in a calendar already crowded by club matches.

Questions were asked in the Irish parliament after the Henry incident, with Justice Minister Dermot Ahern also suggesting Ireland appeal to FIFA for a replay.

"They probably won't grant it as we are minnows in world football but let's put them on the spot," he told RTE state radio.

"It's the least we owe the thousands of devastated young fans around the country. Otherwise, if that result remains, it reinforces the view that if you cheat, you will win."

The Irish press were unanimous in their condemnation.

"We were robbed" said the Irish Star, "Le Cheat" added the Irish Mirror, while the Irish Sun splashed with the "Hand of the Frog" -- a play on Diego Maradona's 1986 "Hand of God" goal against England.

A Facebook page entitled "We Irish hate Thierry Henry (the cheat)" also drew hundreds of comments -- some of them unprintable -- including a call for an Irish boycott of French goods.

"I would say croissant sales will slump today," said one contributor to the social networking site page.

One financial expert said Ireland's failure to make next year's World Cup finals will cost the already recession-bound Irish economy millions of euros.

"What we saw happen yesterday was not only a blow to the Ireland team in terms of the World Cup but also to the Irish economy at a time when it has already taken a major blow," said Henk Potts of Barclays Stockbrokers.

Reacting to the growing row, shaving company Gillette said it had no plans to axe star striker Henry from its advertising.

"Thierry Henry has publicly acknowledged that it was a handball... This is not going to affect our relationship with Thierry Henry," said a spokesman for Gillette, part of US consumer products giant Procter and Gamble.

- AFP /ls

From eleven_eleven
Subject: You just write a new entry w/ these questions and the responses to them!

1. What's a food you can't live without?

Potato basically. I like French Fries with a lot of salt, I like Chips with baked beans, I love Potato with sambal chilli (Malay style), I love jacket potatoes too!

2. Is there such a thing as THE track or THE set that got you into dj-ing?

Olive - You're not Alone (original mix)
Hauntingly beautiful and Timeless song go check it out if you have not!

3. What was your favorite part about your visit to the US?

Driving from Sisco to San Diego, with Mandy Moore's fashion consultant (Zita) in the driving seat! and then having Chinese food at a restaurant on the way back to L.A. Most fun spent in a day would be Knott's Berry Farm in L.A as well. I love all the rides especially the SUPREME SCREAM. It was actually 3-4 years earlier during my first trip. Now that I think of it I've been to the states Thrice, one night I was in transit from Mexico City in 1998

4. What's your favorite brand of cigarettes?

Peter Jackson Menthols. The last time I smoked that was in Melbourne.

5. What's your favorite part of Singapore? [you can take that to mean whatever you like]

The breakwater at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, I've watched the sunset there a couple of times, best place to catch it even though it is in the east. And I also got to witness my first and only meteor shower somewhere there and I got really high as well.

someone told me to turn the music down, I took a little bit of offense.. because I was playing my own production- "gently falling man" you can listen to the track on my myspace site.

Anyhow people either like this particular track or hate it. No ones ever said they love it. it can be annoying it can also be soothing depending on which end of the emotional spectrum you're on, I think.

It is too loud-melancholic for some people to a point where it gets tense. If you're into very esoteric and deep electronic music you might like it.

Having said all that I'm happy that I'm not burdened by public opinion/approval with my own songs as opposed to DJing.
Writing a track comes from the heart, if you just write something for public opinion it becomes pointless.

I was about to leave the house then it fucking rained again.
if it fucking rains at this time for the next few days then I'll be fucked, I need to walk quite a bit and take 2 buses to get to work. It's quite common here statistically for someone to die from a lighting strike. I still have a phobia for lightning but at the same time it gives me a sense of warmth it makes me ponder more about our cosmos...answers I don't think I'll ever find out... and the questions I will never think to ask. The first thing I'm going to do is get out of the house at the onset of a clear sky.

But it doesn't look like it'll stop any time soon.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_455487.html?vgnmr=1

SINGAPORE has moved up a notch to become the world's third least corrupt nation, after New Zealand and Denmark, according to the annual ranking released by graft watchdog Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday.

Singapore was ranked the fourth least corrupt last year. This year it shares the third spot with Sweden, which tied in first place with New Zealand and Denmark in 2008. The other country in the top five spots is Switzerland.

TI attributed the strong performance of the five to the 'political stability, long-established conflict of interest regulations and solid, functioning public institutions' in these nations. The ranking measures perceived levels of public sector corruption in 180 countries and draws on surveys of businesses and experts.

The United States placed 19th in the 2009 survey. That was down from last year's 18th place. Somalia remains the world's most corrupt country, followed by Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan and Iraq.

The bottom five nations show that 'countries which are perceived as the most corrupt are also those plagued by long-standing conflicts, which have torn apart their governance infrastructure,' TI said.

New Zealand scored 9.4 points, Denmark 9.3 and Singapore 9.2, which is the same as last year.

Meet Junior, the runaway stray kitten. He made my day seriously, Am so glad to have him around! Our neighbour rescued him; he nearly got bang down by a car. So my colleague and him have decided to share the responsibility of keeping him. can't wait till another month where he finally grows up to semi-adult! he'll be bad ass and take care of the territory around our restaurant!



screw you all dog lovers,,,,, cats ruleeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I've finished "Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris. Amazing read I highly recommend it to anyone.

I did not pay 22 dollars for a book to justify my beliefs.
But I will tell you the content in there is too important to ignore. It'll be a pity for someone not to read it.

"The Bible offers us an approximation that is terrible even by the standards of the ancient world" - Sam Harris

So I went Parkway twice today. First in the morning to get headphones. Second in the afternoon... I made a sporadic decision to buy Sam Harris - A Letter to a Christian Nation while browsing for a read at Borders. Its like I suddenly rediscovered the joy of "reading" all over again. I generally dislike reading books (because my mother over encourages it) but lately on my off days I've been browsing around the "Mind, Body, Spirit" and the "Comparative Religion" sections of the book-store

I don't recall ever a time where I could find a book more entertaining then TV.

I finally finished reading “God is not Great - how religion poisons everything" by Christopher Hitchens. I got to say I enjoyed the first and last third a lot. I got lost in the middle especially when it came to dealing with specifics and particular religious figures both fictional and non fictional. Perhaps this book is for the one who has already attained a certain level of understanding of history, politics and current affairs. I found myself re-reading sentences because really, Hitchens is really hard to read I kind of got the gist of what he is trying to say. I guess what I found most lacking in me was my own all round perspective in general... or maybe Hitchens is a challenge to read. I could relate equally to each of his attacks against the different monotheistic faiths... and how history has proven that Religion based on theocratic systems (because people are governed by god first) has led to some of worst atrocities committed by mankind up to this very day. What I enjoyed the most was his reference to Stalin and North Korea, what I've learned mostly besides the obvious is that even leaders (Atheist or believers) know how to capitalize on the masses who already (by default) were susceptible to religious belief - paranoia with regards to the afterlife such as the idea of eternity (Heaven or Hell). The fact that North Koreans worship an already deceased Eternal president or if Hitler use Catholicism perhaps at face value to justify the systematic eradication of the Jews. It appears like a war on consciousness and leaders tend to make it look like God is on their side. David Icke once said some thing that has resonated in me for a while.. "you don't have to physically control people in order to control them" even though people like Hitchens would disprove of his research and theories bordering on pseudo-science I personally find that Hitchens has quite a lot in common with a lot of conspiracy theorists/alternative historians in that they share a lot of malice and scepticism for the belief/feasibility of organized religion, one thing for sure is that Hitchens does not subscribe to spiritually unlike Sam Harris. Yes in the chapter "There is no "Eastern Solution" he does attack Zen Buddhism in particular referring to Kamikaze fighters from Japan during world war 2.

So basically I went to work and found out that our next door neighbour committed suicide, he hung himself and left a suicide note. I know for sure because I was smoking while the investigation officer had arrived and I eavesdropped, and the person who just hung himself..... his handphone (placed in the evidence envelope) was still ringing, he also left a note which I thought was kind of disturbing. But I can't really help but feel so sorry for him even though he is dead. You know when his first of kin(s) came over it was his brother, son and daughter. Upon them arriving on the scene they looked indifferent, it was kind of obvious they hadn't seen him in donkey years. Now I try to imagine what it would have felt like living on my own on the 2nd storey of a shop house without contact with your love ones in ages while running an illegal business on the ground floor. I wonder what he was going through, because he seemed really really stable and cheery all the time. It probably would take a lot for someone to commit suicide by hanging even if one is intoxicated, it must have been really hard I can't imagine.

Here's something I probably half knew about when I was still studying Audio Engineering at SAE. But anyhow, I've been meaning to get an amp with overdrive (distortion) so I can jam with the guitar. But I just figured or rather re-realised and learned that to get overdrive I need not get a new amp, instead I just connect my guitar to my mixer- boost my guitar level to 10 and my mixer level to full volume and connect to my main amp and I get natural distortion!!!!!!!!!! and it's really raw! :)

Last night I was at Laguna Country Club to celebrate my boss and good friend's first month for his baby boy. I haven't seen a one month old child up close and oh my god Tengis's innocence is so charming and infectious. He could just sleep among all that noise everyone was making. He's half Mongolian half Chinese. I feel so happy for my friend! but I doubt I would ever have a kid.



and we also had Buddha jump over the wall (bad photo) -
I thought it was half noble that 5 out of the 8 of us decided to leave out the sharks fin.
Which in turn was mostly left to my devoted Christian Chef.


Was my first Saturday off with colleagues in over 3 months.
Group Therapy drink more booze!


Okay so back to work later, reservation for 12 tonight........ and a Cook Out tomorrow.

The lyrics make perfect sense


Muse - Uprising

Paranoia is in bloom,
The PR transmissions will resume,
They'll try to push drugs that keep us all dumbed down,
And hope that we will never see the truth around
(So come on)
Another promise, another scene,
Another packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed,
And all the green belts wrapped around our minds,
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined
(So come on)

They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious
(So come on)

Interchanging mind control,
Come let the revolution take it's toll,
If you could flick a switch and open your third eye,
You'd see that
We should never be afraid to die
(So come on)

Rise up and take the power back,
It's time the fat cats had a heart attack,
You know that their time's coming to an end,
We have to unify and watch our flag ascend

They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious
So come on

They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious

Before you read: please excuse my ego centric rant however Flawed or Stupid it might be, but I couldn't help but purge these thoughts on a caffeine high. (I'm not exaggerating a caffeine high, I get really jittery drinking Segafredo Zanetti - kid you not I start to slur that I need a beer to calm me down)

Wow you know I've never witnessed westerners or "white" people talk during a job interview. I'm eavesdropping on one right now just 2 tables away from where I sit . It's amazing the amount of detail the interviewee is saying about herself! I don't know why but (to me) I think she is putting all her cards on the table... I wouldn't give myself away so quick in an interview. I think in a way I understand why so many expats get jobs here easily while they have Asian bosses. I mean like... hey of course I would prefer an attractive white female to be my PR spokesperson. (If reality was suspended in my favour even though that might just be a gimmick) I sound no where as eloquent, intelligible, or intelligent sounding when I talk, having said that I observe a lot of Singaporeans (though I generally hate to generalize) in contrast, are quite the opposite, rather vocal-less compared to Westerners in general during interviews... I dare say having travelled quite a fair bit. It is funny however that when I was in the army I was labelled "jia kentang" (eat potato) to everyone else, because of the way I spoke. When I go overseas I come off as bleedingly obvious, a person of Asian descent from an Asian country.

I guess because of the way I've been conditioned socially, I never got to understanding my own Chinese roots as much as I really don't understand the west or other eastern cultures. I would however prefer to be one who does not subscribe to any one of these cultures. I totally detest the dogmatic belief system that one is made to preserve; certain traditions that only were there to please your parents. I believe the time is now, where we say "FUCK everything, and let us not be guarded by the doors we close not by our own freewill" I'm not saying we should be more westernized but by default we should be prepared to stop believing in whatever we were made to believe and accept both our foreign and local influences equally... without being governed by the biases of one