aloha Changi

Went out to recce the aloha Changi resort with Esther this afternoon in the name of having the best youth camp ever. A number of interesting things happened today:

1. I bumped into Jun on the MRT to City Hall (quelle coincidence). Turns out she was on her way to her friends' church to take part in this "Amazing Race" type activity where they would go all over the city looking for places. *sob* And there I was sacrificing part of my weekend to organize a church activity. Let's just ignore the fact that I'd have nothing really productive to do if I stayed home, except maybe Chinese "homework." Did I mention that Jun has a T-shirt with the word "Jun" on it? (not to mention "Jun Plaza" -___-) That's so unfair. Why don't they manufacture "Ray" shirts? Hmph.

2. I arrived at Tampines MRT waaay too early, at about 11:30 or so. This is because the train at Newton MRT came immediately, and the Pasir Ris train at City Hall arrived just as I was getting out of the Marina Bay one. So much for contingency timing. (Speaking of which, there were these funny articles in the newspaper recently about how the government had spent $400,000 on the branding of Marina Bay and finally decided to keep the name as Marina Bay. How weird it would be if they had to change the MRT name to "Merlion Vista" or something corny like that. Anyway, I am never going to complain about the school's $4,000 underground carpark again.)

I had to wait for a long time, wandering around the Tampines MRT area, until about 12:25 or so (I don't really blame you for this Esther, don't worry - it's not like my time nowadays has any opportunity cost). In the interim I managed to find the correct booth at the bus interchange, finally located the toilet in the DBS building (those toilet signs in MRT stations are unbelievably inadequate sometimes), drank a lime juice at McDonald's, read a chapter of "In His Image," and was approached by this Club Rainbow Singapore guy doing a charity pitch. Have I mentioned that these guys have absolutely the best charity pitch in the history of charity pitches? I met this woman outside Newton MRT earlier this week as I was coming back from Chinese class and she gave me the exact same dialogue. Here's about how it goes:

CRS person: Hello, may I just have 2 minutes of your time as you wait for your bus?
Me: Um... well...
CRS person: Just 2 minutes. We're only trying to raise awareness here.
Me: [curious since I've never seen anything like this before] Ah, ok.
CRS person: As you wait for your bus. Just go ahead when it comes.
Me: Ok.
CRS person: May I ask what is your name please? [o_O what a strange question]
Me: [feeling a bit awkward but impressed at their shock factor] Ray.
CRS person: Ok, Ray, well I'm from this organization, Club Rainbow Singapore. Basically, [pointing at a colourful piece of paper they are holding] some of these children you can see here... [etc. etc.]
Me: Alright. Yeah.
CRS: Am I correct in saying you are a student right now?
Me: Yeah I am.
CRS: Well Ray, all we're doing is raising awareness. But I hope that when you are older and more able to financially support yourself [whoa, that's totally cool, a charity organization that actually understands we're not spare change machines] then please remember us and try to make a small donation.
Me: [making a mental note to blog about this so I won't forget] Sure.
CRS: Thank you. Have a nice bus ride.
Me: Thanks.

Ah, and everyone's happy. Such nice smiley people. No guilt. :)

Oh, yeah, there was this part of "In His Image" (by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey) that was a real shocker. I was reading Chapter 8, "Transfusion"; this is an extract:

"An American black man, Charles Drew, solved many problems of blood storage and shipping, making possible a nationwide Blood for Britain campaign during the second great war. Since then a labyrinthine network of blood supply depots, refrigerated blood banks, trucks, and planes has grown up - in ironic technological mimicry of the body's own circulatory system.

Some barriers to transfusions, however, lay beyond the scope of medical science: in one of the cruelest twists of medical history, Charles Drew died after being refused a blood transfusion in a North Carolina hospital because of his race."

Tragic.

3. We passed the old Changi General Hospital as we were exploring the Netheravon Road area. We must have looked pretty weird to the passing cars, standing in a remote area of Singapore in the rain and taking pictures. It's not a very friendly-looking place, that hospital.

4. We found Fairy Point Chalets 2-4 and Fairy Point Bungalow 3 (along Cranwell Road - long way to walk). We discarded FPB 3 as an option after we saw a bag of rubble on the front doorstep and the dusty, messy, dark interior. We probably made the people in FPCs 2-4 uncomfortable when we walked multiple times around their chalets, commenting on the appropriateness of the setting and the nice view, and taking some pictures. Mwahaha. As a side note, Pulau Ubin is just across the water from the resort.

5. Esther was talking about the possibility of walking to the main road to take a taxi (which I may or may not have been able to support with the money in my wallet) when at that very moment bus #29 came to the bus-stop. Talk about divine provision. Whew, thank you God. Of course, we could have saved about 20 minutes with the taxi... hm.

Well, it looks like youth camp will be held at aloha Changi this year. The theme is "Fellowship of the Cross," followed tentatively next year by "The Two Testaments," and then "The Return of the Christ" (we're so clever, haha). Hopefully I'll be able to attend although with NS coming up that's not very likely.

A Moth

I found a moth in my toilet this morning.



It's the first orange-red type moth I've ever seen. Pretty neat.

Why I am a Christian.

Quite often I find myself looking up at the sky and marvelling at the vastness of the universe that lies beyond those white fluffy clouds. Today was no exception. I did my marvelling while lying down on a bench in the park, where I had collapsed in exhaustion after my thrice-weekly jog in preparation for NS.

It is at this sort of moment that your mind leaves your body for awhile. You stop and wonder at the black infinity that is the universe; then you scale down to bright pinpricks of galaxies, then down to clusters of stars, down to solar systems, down to planets, down to continents, down to countries, down to cities... and then, after reducing your mindset to the smallest possible sphere of existence, you find yourself again, sprawled along the length of a little park bench that is as insignificant in the grander scheme of things as a beetle you would like to squish under your foot.

At times like these I start to think. I was fluidly expelled into this world just over 17 years ago. It's not like I had much choice in the matter. I was awarded consciousness without having asked for it, a body without having requested it, a soul without understanding it. Over the course of my life, I will grow - physically, mentally, spiritually. My cells will divide. Some will persist. Some will degenerate. And ultimately, as I approach old age, my body will weaken and fail. When I finally die, my family will cremate me. My corpse will burn, my cells will turn to ashes, and every last remnant of what was once me will drift away like particles of dust on a whisper of wind, unimportant and forgotten forever.

And life will go on uninterrupted. Human beings will continue to procreate and multiply, advancing intellectually and technologically, spreading themselves across to the furthest reaches of the planet... and then all too soon the Sun will expand and engulf the Earth. Kaplooey. Another blip in the vast dark universe.

So what's the point?

Here's my take. There are two possible ways to look at life. They are: (a) Life has no meaning, and (b) Life has meaning. Let's look at (a) first.

If life has no meaning, then everything I've said above regarding the sterile demise of the human race will probably end up occurring, one way or another. Tragic and pretty pathetic, really, but let's open ourselves to the possibility. There are people who, when asked, will promptly claim that yes, absolutely, they don't believe that life has any meaning at all.

They're in denial.

If we truly are to believe that life has no meaning, then why are we wasting time standing around discussing it? To substantiate such a claim we should instead be off pursuing the sort of hedonistic lifestyle that particularly appeals to human nature. For, if our state of consciousness in this universe is temporary and insignificant, then being completely and exclusively self-centered is the most sensible way to live. Why bother bowing to the whims of others if we can satisfy ourselves? After all, when you only have 75 years to live, they'd better be a brilliant 75 years - the best 75 years ever, in the history of mankind. Lots of sex, lots of money, and lots of power.

Most people ascribing to perspective (a) object to this view. Simply because you can, they say, doesn't mean you should. They believe that there is merit to living morally, being the best person you can possibly be, providing for your family, supporting your friends, and bettering society. This is noble and, I will concede, commendable.

But it also means that they do not belong to camp (a) at all - they belong to camp (b). That kind of philosophy is fundamentally reflective of a belief that life does indeed have meaning. (I have, of course, ignored the possibility of people claiming an option (c) - that they can't be bothered one way or another. But really, if you're not bothered now, you will be bothered when you're on your deathbed, so it's probably wiser to pre-empt that kind of situation.)

I would like to propose that we're all born with an ingrained desire to believe that life has meaning. It's evident in the bigger things - up to 85% of the world's population claims to ascribe to a particular religion - and also in the smaller things - such the kind courtesy of letting an old lady have your seat in the train, or the polite acceptance of having to stand in line to wait for lunch. We wouldn't stand by our faith if we didn't believe life had meaning; equally, we wouldn't adhere to ethical behaviour if we didn't believe life had meaning.

However, I am also going to propose that, without the concept of eternity, the idea that life has meaning is meaningless. When you do certain things and carry out certain actions in the view that life has meaning, you must be acting for a greater purpose than your temporal existence on Earth. Isn't that the very framework upon which the concept of meaning in life is built - that what you do is a reflection of some greater purpose, which is precisely what gives your actions meaning? This "greater purpose" is, broadly speaking, eternity.

My final proposition, however, is that eternity in itself has no meaning unless you factor God into the equation. Why is this so? Much like the idea of God, the concept of eternity is something the human brain simply cannot wrap its tendrils around. It is a concept that is far too vast, and far too incomprehensible. Eternity represents a state of timelessness and, indeed, a unique departure from the physical plane. If we do not suggest a God, then we must claim that human beings are products of the evolving world. And if we are to claim that human beings are such products, then how is it possible that they can on their own attain a state of existence that is incomprehensible to them at the very outset, spiritual development or no?

On the other hand, if we propose a God, and that all things exist and occur for the glory of such a God, then eternity makes much more sense. It is only through the grace of God, an all-powerful, incomprehensible being, that we may reach eternity, a concept equally incomprehensible. The meaning of life - and the purpose of life - is to live for God's glory; the reward of eternity is being able to share in His glory forever. That is why we are here; that is why we have been created.

So why am I a Christian? The easy answer is that my parents are Christians and it was only natural for me to go to church regularly and finally to accept Christ. But ultimately it was up to me to establish a personal relationship with God. I suppose I could go on, rationalizing every minute aspect of my faith, but that would probably take untold ages. For me, it is much more fulfilling simply to realize that "... it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God..." -Ephesians 2:8 (NIV). Such grace is good, perfect, wonderful, and beyond understanding.

Goodbye Yvonne

Yvonne, the smoked-salmon salad I made on Thursday is dedicated to you. Thanks for always being a bright spark in our lives, like the juicy red tomato in the middle of the bowl. :) Have fun in Melbourne. When we are old and hale, I'll see you in a retirement home and we can complain about our unfilial children to each other. Cheers.

P.S. I let you and Lisa win that game of Bridge. Really, I did. :P

Incroyable!

Praise the Lord.

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no-one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Biology HL = 7
Chemistry HL = 7
Math HL = 7
English SA1 = 7
French SB = 7
Economics SL = 7
EE (biology) = B
TOK = A

45.

Bali

Here are some long-overdue photos from our family's trip to Bali, Jun 19-24. I figured there's no real point posting conventional pictures, so these are some of the better ones:

Spider eating a bug



A nice flower



Do not climb stairs



Ubud stray peeing



Telagawaja River



Cacao!



Sleeping bat



Wave crashing on a rock (Tanah Lot)



Man bathing as the tide comes in (Tanah Lot)



CONFERENCE (Tanah Lot)



Purple sunset (Tanah Lot)



Old bird

My Birthday

Happy birthday to me. Thanks everyone who came and got me presents. :D That's real presents, by the way. Armaan, maybe I should re-package that... thing, and mail it to your parents. You know you deserve it. :P

PICTURES

Group photo (minus Rio)



Yvonne bowling



Yee Ling bowling (roll. ROLL!)



Armaan bowling



Rio bowling



Look! There was a cake! And you missed it!



Well, maybe not all of you. But still.



Sprite! (totally unrelated, but I couldn't resist)

The Funeral Business

Just got back from my uncle's Buddhist funeral. I think it's kind of sad how this sort of funeral nowadays has become so commercialized - it takes all the meaning away from it. When you see them packing up the wake by crumpling up the calligraphy banners, ripping off velcro-ed yellow tablecloths, folding up the tables, rolling up the yellow blinds and packing up the portable toilet... there's an air of repetitive boredom about the whole business. It's as if they're saying, "Whoo... one down. Another hundred thousand to go." There's no sense of concern or sympathy - essentially you feel like they've just placed a price tag on your uncle's cremation proceedings. Push the coffin into the numbered (3) blast furnace - ok, that's it. $8,000. Next, please. I find it discouraging, personally... but maybe that's just me. Oh well.

In other news, I found out as I was coming home today that my concession for public transport has expired. I had to pay a whole SIXTY-FOUR CENTS (!!!) from the temple at Bishan to my house! Scandalous!

Hm. So much for implying that I wouldn't have any time for blogging in July.