The Exclamation Mark Blog!

Ripped this off Val's blog.


This is a tribute to the nice guys.
(you know who you are. and to specifically one of them, stop saying you're fugly. lol)

The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point.

This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores.

This is in honor of the guys that obligingly reiterate how cute/beautiful/smart/funny/sexy their female friends are at the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of support.

This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back attitudes, with honest concern.

This is in honor of the guys who respect a girl’s every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.

This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends back from parties and never take advantage once they’re at her door.

For the guys who accompany girls to bars as buffers against the rest of the creepy male population,
For the guys who know a girl is fishing for compliments but give them out anyway,
For the guys who always play by the rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters,
For the guys who are accredited as boyfriend material but somehow don’t end up being boyfriends,
For all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and unjustly abandoned, this is for you.

This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was all ok and she shouldn’t worry about it.
This is for that time she interrupted the best killing spree you’d ever orchestrated in GTA3 to rant about a rumor that romantically linked her and the guy she thinks is the most repulsive person in the world. And even though you thought it was immature and you had nothing against the guy, you paused the game for two hours and helped her concoct a counter-rumor to spread around the floor.

This is also for that time she didn’t have a date, so after numerous vows that there was nothing “serious” between the two of you, she dragged you to a party where you knew nobody, the beer was awful, and she flirted shamelessly with you, justifying each fit of reckless teasing by announcing to everyone: “oh, but we’re just friends!” And even though you were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways. Because you’re nice like that.

The nice guys don’t often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more disturbing, the nice guys don’t seem to get laid as often as they should. And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I can’t. From what I have observed on campus and what I have learned from talking to friends at other schools and in the workplace, the only conclusion I can form is that many girls are just illogical, manipulative bitches. Many of them claim they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a specimen, they say irrational, confusing things such as “oh, he’s too nice to date” or “he would be a good boyfriend but he’s not for me” or “he already puts up with so much from me, I couldn’t possibly ask him out!” or the most frustrating of all: “no, it would ruin our friendship.” (sound familiar?) Yet, they continue to lament the lack of datable men in the world, and they expect their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the men that are jerks.

Sorry, guys, girls like that are beyond my ability to fathom. I can’t figure out why the connection breaks down between what they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (I’m going to sleep with this complete ass now!).

But one thing I can do, is say that the nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesn’t last forever. There are definitely many girls who grow out of that train of thought (me! me!) and realize they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones that are single.

So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys. (yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeng!)
You know who you are, and I know you’re sick of hearing yourself described as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my acknowledgement, and my gratitude go out to you. You do have credibility in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming.

BY Fu-zu Jen, SEAS/WH, 2003

"hi ... if u are a smoker ... pls join in the strike somebody's organising ... we will march to city hall in protest of the ever increasing ciggie prices ... its not fair to us smokers ... the govt is taking all the extra cash ... and tax payers like us do not gain a single incentive ... all the govt talk bout smoking not healthy ... its OUR damn body ... if we choose to die young ... its OUR damn problem rite ... and yes .. to think they are even considering banning smoking in public ... to hell with the damn lawmakers ... no bloody consideration for smokers ... none at all ... so it all boils down to the question ... are u up for a strike to defend ur smoking rights ?! smokers shld not be bullied by the govt! NOW IS THE TIME TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED !"

to whichever twit who wrote this on friendster, here is my reply. ahem.

"hi ... i wish you luck in your strike against our gahmen and your indignant outcry against the 'ever increasing ciggie prices'. extra cash is indeed an incentive, but the gahmen has more brains than you to see that your precious ciggie does not give 'a single incentive' to 'tax payers like us'. especially non-smokers. it's ok with me 'if (you) choose to die young' and darn right, it IS your 'damn problem'. sadly it is not ok when you attempt to suffocate others with your second hand smoke. talk about having 'no bloody consideration for smokers', who are YOU, someone who gives the general public air pollution, to talk, huh?! non-smokers *shld* not be bullied by brainless people like you! NOW IS THE TIME TO STAND UP AGAINST STUPIDITY (and of course, in favour of clean air)!

p/s: i still wish you good luck in your strike (i thought it was called a 'protest'?) don't whine about your stupidity, though, if you get caught by our gahmen."

p/p/s: no offence against people who smoke. love the sinner but hate the sin. ^^

After the whole time of fellowship at Lynn's place, and after the whole discussion about people with uh hem.... *unique* sexual orientation, 4 of us, my leader Sharon, Eunice, Dale and I proceeded down to town to catch Ray at Lido, and another one of my friends proceeded to join us.

Dale and I were mercilessly exchanging epithets among each other, calling each other "gay boy" and "gay partner", all in the name of fun of course. Still, I guess it can't be the most biblical of things to confess such unhealthy stuff. So I guess I'll stop doing that from now!

Proceeded down to cineleisure first, where I was trying to resolve some matter involving them wrongly charging me for booked tickets which I cancelled. Their customer service wasn't the best I've seen, but I'm definitely not the kind to make a huge ruckus unless they are exceptionally rude to me. Thank God Cathay Cineleisure's customer service officer and I reached a rather amicable settlement. After that Eunice, Dale and I walked down to Lido, and on the way passed the massive crowd because of all the blocked traffic caused by the whole Chingay Parade. What's with the parade anyway? It's always the same old thing every year, and with each progressive year they have to zap their brain cells coming up with more "innovative" performances. My word to the organizers: Save the trouble man.

After what seemed like a eon, 4 of us (including another friend who joined Eunice, Dale and I later on ) managed to settle for a 9.15 show at Lido for Ray. I have to say that this movie is undeniable one of the most powerful films I've seen. It was not super inspirational, but it had a rather strong impact on me. In case you're a martian from outer space and oblivous to all the Oscar hype surrounding the movie, here's a brief summary. The movie is a biopic about the late Ray Charles, a rather popular blind singer who was huge in the 50's and 60's. The movie builds up in suspense slowly, showing carefully Ray Charles' character flaws, as well as his eventual exposure to smoking and drugs, as well as womanising ways. his drug addiction got really serious and started taking a toll on him. His womanising ways returned to haunt him and the repercussions were really great.

The most enjoyable parts of the show, (and most important scenes in my opinion too) are the flashbacks to Ray Charles' childhood. We later find out what is the true reason behind his constant hallucinations. We find out the things haunting him, perhaps pushing him to a permanent state of guilt and grief, though it may seem rather subtle at first.

In one of the flashback scenes of his childhood, Ray's mother told him that he has to be strong, to be able to stand on his own 2 feet, and not live his life as a cripple. Ray managed to overcome his own handicap of being blind, becoming a huge musical sensation of his time. ( And perhaps even greater one when it's after his time. He just won a Best Album Grammy Award this year, a couple of months after his death.) However, he soon succumbed to drugs and let it rule his life, though eventually his super amazing wife managed to get him to quit drugs after after many failed attempts, and after years of pain seing her husband waste his life away to drugs.

Then came the scene where I loved most. Ray suddenly had a vision of his mother talking to him. She said that she was proud of him, that he was strong, and came far and went places she never imagined he would go. "But you know what son, you are still a cripple." was her words, referring to him beign a slave to drugs, not being able to stand on his own 2 feet.

I really loved that part because so many people nowadays do not realize that to stand on your own 2 feet, you need family, friends and definitely God too. So many of these people in the world today do not have the strength to live their life a victor, and in liberty. Many are crippled, slaves to drugs, smoking, perhaps sexually exploitative relationships, etc.

I shan't go on preaching, but please do watch the show. Jamie Foxx is an amazing actor, and Ray Charles has spent the last 15 years coaching jamie Foxx for this year. Which is why I believe with all my heart that Jamie Foxx deserves a Best Actor Oscar. Definitely far more deserving than Leonardo DiCaprio in the Aviator.

I will not live my life a cripple and I will learn to stand on my own two feet. Ray Charles in one scene, when he was new to the world of sightlessness, fell down in his house. His mom intentionally did not heed his cries for help, wanting him to learn to stand up on his own. And stand up he did. Likewise in our lives, I believe we all will fall down many times in specific areas because we are flawed. But in life it doesn't matter how you fall, it only matters how you stand up again. Do not choose to let your weaknesses and mistakes cripple you!

******************************************************************************
*super belated Valentine's Day message*
I send moi love out to E104, Xiuzhi, Jiajin, Kenneth, Caleb, my 2 bloggers and , my readers! Thanks for supporting me and my blog.

Yesterday was my first meeting with my multiplied cell group. It was a good time of listening to the preaching of the word, as well as great time of fellowship and worship. After the meeting, we hung out at our friend's ( Lynn's) place, and engaged in our normal fellowship and conversations. Very soon, our conversation skewed to a rather weird topic: gays and trans.

I don't have anything against gays and trans, except sometimes their habits and antics make me a little uneasy, but I know a few gays and lesbians too and most of them are great people. Anyway to reinforce my point, I wasn't the one making jokes about them, I was the one being teased! My friends used to jest around and say that my friend Dale and I look like brothers.

Then yesterday, I did something weird. ( ya, even I think it's a little bit weird moiself. heh.) On the sofa at Lynn's place, I was in full slack mode. I wanted to lie down on the couch and just slack, but Dale was actually beside me and I kinda rested my head on his legs. Heh. Immediately he commented that's kinda gay which goes to prove that he's normal (phew! haha) because recently he has a sudden inclination towards his more... uh hem... *feminine* side. Haha. For eg. his hand gestures, though to me it isn't really feminine looking, it's actually kinda cute. (oh crap. I ain't supposed to say another guy's actions are cute right?) Also, he has taken a major liking towards physical beauty, and recently considered going for a manicure. Haha.

After that, he jokingly asked me. "Are you gay?"

Joking replied. " Yes I am."

Dale, bursting out in mock disgust. " Eh, Raymond just admitted that he's gay!"

*Eyes of the other members turning towards me in mock horror*

"No I'm not! I'm just kidding!"

Dale: "No he just admitted to me that he is!"

So from there on I became the butt of their jokes, not that I mind because I feel so comfortable around my cell group members. Of course they know I'm normal, ( speaking of which the girl I like from my church is like... sigh... is really impossible to attain, just gotta move on .. some people will know whom I'm talking about. :D)

The discussion soon got more and more weird. Later it proceeded on to the point when I was asking if there was any eunuchs in the New Testament. I soon popped a really uncanny question to my leader. Knowing being a transsexual or transvestite is definitely not in the will of God, I was a little concerned about the topic. So I asked my leader, if a transsexual can receive healing from God and let his/her "thing" grow back, so that he/she can be back to his/her original sex.

Needless to say, everyone was tongue-tied when they heard my question. Eyes wide open in shock and mock horror and people gazing speechlessly at me. I definitely expected the reaction from them, but I'm still curious about the answer! Can u imagine their "thing" ( their lower body anatomy) being restored?

But as Sy Rogers puts it, please don't imagine too hard.

singaporeans, apathetic? singaporeans hates her foreign talents? yeah right. those who say so obviously did not spend this afternoon at bishan junction 8's atrium.

to put it nicely, i can say that my afternoon there was one heck of a star struck one. first there's this ken chu guy.. i think he's from some boyband with the same name as one of the keys on our keyboards. then there's our very own singapore idol taufik, whose only body part i could actually see was the top of his cap.

a star can hardly call himself a star if he does not have fans. so i shall not state the obvious.

to those who have yet to know our sunny little isle, singaporeans are a very warm and passionate bunch. we totally adore our foreign talents. we spend time making silly little placards, badges, banners, what have you not for them, proclaiming our love for them. heck, we even show our love in the most warped way: screaming shrilly when we see above-mentioned foreign talent(s).

you'll know that a foreign talent is in town when you hear shrill screaming and wild jumping crowds around that corner. the level of fanaticism was so high i could hardly hear myself talking once they start squealing.

unwilling to risk bursting our eardrums with such passionate females, my boyfriend and i escaped to the movie theatres to watch "constantine". drooling over keanu reeves sure beats being squealed to deafness thanks to a lesser looking taiwanese guy.

what a difference 2 hours made. when we came out, we were serenaded by taufik's new album and the crowd was quieter and a seemingly more mature bunch. nobody really saw the need to squeal like a stuck pig upon seeing our very own singapore idol.

i attribute the more serene sitaution to two reasons:
a. taufik is singaporean. we support foreign talent more, man!
b. taufik's fanbase is significantly mature enough to keep their voices down.

in support of what is made in sing-gar-porh, i am more inclined to believe in reason (b). but hey, reason (a) should encourage more foreign talents to migrate to singapore too, since we *are* supposed to love them so much.

but be warned. bring your own earplugs because nobody will be paying the doctor's bills should your eardrums burst from your screaming fangirls. ^_^

***

change of layout. to visitors: hope you like it.
to ray and mun: hope you don't mind. i'll change it back if either of you raise any objections. =x

If you're smart, you'd have known by now that I'm totally lazy when it comes to thinking for titles for blog entries. So, yeah.

A few days ago, I wrote 2 long entries that were supposed to be posted a couple of days ago on a notebook. I realize now that writing on a notebook and then later transferring it online is so much better. Writing on paper helps me to vent some frustration, and feel a little bit more emotional when writing. Anyway, the 1st post I wrote was my latest post, besides this one, and the 2nd one I wrote is so super depressive that typing it out at this hour would just give me a sleepless night.

I didn't start off the Lunar New Year on a great note. I'm still struggling with fear, uncertainty, self doubt and so many other things. Life in camp is still really tough for me, what with many of my previous mistakes returning to haunt me. I just wish I hadn't been so disobedient to God. But I'm moving on, after a huge bout of self loathing and self pity, and by the grace of God, I'm coming back. Raymond's coming back. Byebye Depression, you sickening Mr Black Wave. You're dead to me now, and will never come back to my life. There is fullness in the presence of God. So yeah. Preachy Raymond is back. Which means, the real Raymond's back in da house!

Having said that, I'll still post my uber depressive entry tomorrow, though it was written quite some time ago.

-On a different note-

Well, this year I spent Valentine's Day by myself at home. With my family members, of course. Really, I know countless people going on and on about V-day, ranting incessantly and complaining till no end. I have my gripes, but with me not spending it with a special someone, I do not have any real thing to complain about.

I miss the days of secondary school, whereby Valentine's Day was also Friendship Day and everyone in their cliques would get something for each other. Now at my age, Vday's other alias is not recognized among those of the same age as me.

I've never really celebrated V-day with any special one yet, but I really do want to do that soon. I think I'm really wishing hard for a great girl to come my way. I want next year to be my last V-day ever!From 21 onwards, I'll be celebrating Vday with that special girl.

Anyway on Valentine's Day, I received a message from my cousin, reminding me to pray for all those who are being afflicted with all sorts of crap, like depression, loneliness and those in a sexually exploited affair.It's days past V-day, but I'll definitely remember to. God is the greatest lover of anyone, and I do pray everyone will be set free from whatever is afflicting them. Aiite, I'm done with my preaching.

Sorry for the long period of absence, but the last 2 weeks or so for me have been a really turbulent time for me, with me facing many obstacles, and also certain consequences of my silly misdeeds. I know I'm making a habit out of apologizing, but I know my readers out there will empatize with me. It's just that when your mind is so shrouded with chaos and confusion you're hardly in the right state of mind to blog again.

Chinese New Yearthis year was as usual, uneventfu.. I know half the county must be probably ranting and whining away about it on their blogs, so I'll save the rhetoric. The only few things i'll have to point out is that the last couple of days have seen me being surroudned by shallow, superficial, vapid people and their boring and incessant conversations about clothes/bags/cars/computers. I hate the fact that for the sake of my parents, I have to oblige when it comes to engaging in the most vacuous of conversations with my relatives, some of whom are still anonymous to me. Yes, I really do have trouble remembering the name of some of my relatives! (on my father's side) Thankfully, this year, the tendency to engage in all those inane conversations about what I'm gonna do in University, what I want to work as in the future, and how to differentiate Roy (my twin brother) and I is finally starting to wane, mainly because I would find a corner to isolate myself or perhaps engage in some activity that would require my full attention, like watching television or playing the computer.

Nothing about Chinese New Year enthuses me anymore. Not the new clothes, not the merry making ( or mental torture, depending on your perspective), not even the great food and goodies. I have not even opened all my hong baos yet, mainly because my mind is so far away from such things. Worries and burdens plague my mind incessantly. I'm afflicted with the worst of maladies, taht's called stress ( hopefully not depression).

What a bleak way to start off the lunar New Year.

*written on Sunday night, February 13, but only posted now*

valentines' day comes and goes, and i cannot help but admire, (with great, denied jealousy) the jc couple that sat opposite me in the train.

no, i'm not lonely. nope, she was not the prettiest girl. nope, he was not the best looking guy. no, i don't like the girl. nope, i don't like the guy either.

so what the hell was it?

i just cannot help but see how simple her stalk of sunflower was. i bet it wasn't even from him. i cannot help but see how simple her gifts were. i cannot help but see how happy they were when put beside each other.

at 17 (going 18), trust me, they knew what they were into. old enough to know what love, life and sleeping around is. old enough to do it, but definitely not all are to take its responsibility (la!).

i think they both were aware of their affections, but were simple and in bliss when they showed it.

so innocently chatting about a sketch book she was showing him, so proud of some creations, so proud of her listener.

he was so proud of her just ranting on. smiling, and enjoying the moment, the smile, the hidden laughters.

then, she suddenly closed the book, and covered her face lying on her lap. and he just sat there. not even holding her hand, he sat there touching her fingers in the gentleness like she was his baby.

and he was happy. very happy.

when it came to alighting, she waited till the buzzers went off, before rrushing to the door, taking one last look at him. smiling...

there were no bouquets, no oversized stuffed toys, singing dogs, no silly his-and-her cheezy outfits/bags/whatever, no public display of inappropriate affection, no kisses, no hanky panky.

she just looked at him when the doors were closed as the trained started moving, and i could see joy in his eyes.

just sharing of life, and the small moments in a stressful life that bonds 2 lives together.

i couldn't help but smile to myself, proud of them. for the obvious love they shared; displayed with such pride, maturity, and joy on the short train ride from bishan to admiralty.

so secure of their love they didn't have to show it off. so secure of their self-esteems they didn't need to prove they are desired by the other physically. so secure of their pride, they didn't have to ruin it by running their hands all over each other in the train (public?).

for a moment like this, some people wait a lifetime.

... that it has been overcommercialised.

there is one specific time of year where the single people around the world totally despise. there is one specific time of year where suddenly, all love breaks loose and everyone who has a stead would suddenly have license to act lovey-dovey. it is only in that specific one time of year when you see people throng the streets with big bouquets, cute teddies and ribboned boxes in hand.

valentine's day is probably the only thing in the month of february that can outshine the glitter of our chinese new year lanterns.

so the question that anyone who still has not lost their minds trying to keep up with the little rat race to buy their bf/gf teddy bears and flowers is "what the heck is the big big deal?"

don't ask me. ask ocbc. they would know since owners of flower, chocolate and toy shops would be laughing their ways to their respective banks.

love. it is a subjective term that recently defined itself for me in a very Christian perspective. i shall not go on about it here lest it sounds like preaching. ;)

in my opinion, a material manifestation of love is a bonus, not a must. i'll be delighted if my guy got me a flower or a present to mark valentine's day, but i can safely assert that it would not disturb me much if he didn't get me anything nor make the booking for the table at fish&co.

because love is more than your flower/present/expensive dinner at fish&co.

simply put from a Christian perspective, imagine how ludicrous (and not to say blasphemous) it would be if we went to God and told him "God, i'll love and worship You if You give me a ferarri."

love is more than materialism. it encompasses the development of the emotional and maybe even the spiritual sides of a human being. (as a matter of fact, love is so complicated that even my definition leaves much room for debate.)

so all you little girls out there who did not get your 99 roses or life sized teddy bear should stop pouting about it. because as ms. beautifuk puts it: "you don't want a romantic man. you want a man who can afford to be romantic..."

that said, happy st. valentine's day to one and all.

***

i'd like to apologise for the blog's stagnation.
*nudges raymond and munloon to write*

and welcome munloon to the blog! ^^

ref: happiest in a pool

this guy is fast topping my list of admired bloggers.

My foolishness and disobedience to God is causing me much sufferring. In the past few weeks obedience has caused me lots of blessing while disobedience has been causing me so much pain. Will post about it tonight.

Lets talk about moral rights today.

The most ridiculous conversation I overheard today was at the train station, I was passing a Station officer who was reprimanding 2 young men, he went on, the only part I heard while passing was... 'is it fair that the passenger in front of you paid, but you just walked thro' behind?!'

And I thought to myself, 'he'd better go home, put bottle caps on the floor, and kneel over it; thanking his gods that he wasn't speaking to me.'

I would have asked him, in a world of fair competition, where does a monopolistic market stand? How fair can it be when the sole provider of a public service such as the Mass Transit Train have no competitor against? How fair is it to the consumer (us) when they choose to raise prices to make more profits, and we have no substitude to turn to?

And now, just because a teenager doesn't pay his fare, they scream foul and it being unfair the other passengers?!

Why don't they scream the same when they raise their fares? That it is immoral to not make less, for the purposes of providing a fair public service?

Why don't they scream the same unfairness when they raise the fares, and realise the commuters have no alternative train services, but to remain stuck with them?

And to make matters worse, they merge with a bus company, further extending their tight grip on the public service' transport industry, with a key primary focus of profiteering; regardless of its fairness, mecenarily clanging on the cash registers to ensure that they are not shortchanged.

Oh, yes.. lets talk about being fair again? To the previous passenger or to me, who has been at your mercy of sheer profiteering.

Well, don't ever dare talk to me about being fair again to a public transport company, for the fares risen each time is not justifiable at all.

Don't ever dare tell me to be fair to them, for charging more to cash paying passengers, because the poor that are the penalized ones who cannot afford to pay a one time top-up fee of 1666% the fare, to enjoy the discounts.

Now, tell me if they have to moral rights to tell me to be fair to the other paying passenger, when they have shortchanged us, even good reasons for their actions.

How disgusting.

My twin brother has been reading my blog all this while. Well, yesterday he was openly reading it and I found out about it. Of course, it's not like the crime of the century, but still I was pretty much pissed with it. I wasn't pissed AT my brother, I was just pissed that he was reading it. There's pretty much no reason for me to get mad at my bro, coz we're close, and also I didn't put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on my blog to warn people I know from staying awhile from my blog.

I feel violated. Aiite, too strong a word. I feel a little insecure now knowing that my brother has full access to everything I say here, especially when some of these stuff can be so personal. We're definitely close, but I guess being twin brothers and having such different personalities, we have pretty much led our own lives throughout our adolescence. We know some common friends, but we mostly have our own group of friends. We do have some common interests, but our tastes when it comes to many things are just really different. A couple of years back, when he was all into bands like Lifehouse, and Linkin Park, I was still in the whole pop scene. I guess not conforming and being true to yourself, being different, was one of those things that ranked high in our priority list back then. But its weird when we actually expressed it in such different ways. He, deciding to get into the alternative/rock scene, believing that it appeals to the cooler people because bands like Lifehouse back then were high in street-cred and low in mass appeal. For me, believing that I shouldn't conform to such 'non-conformist' ideals, because it would just make me another conformist, and deciding to be true to myself and like what I can relate to, whcih is pop music.

Anyway, sorry for digressing, but my main point is that both of us pretty much are very different people. In fact, so different, I would say we being twins is just a biological coincidence. Being different does not make us unable to get along, in fact I have to reiterate that we're really close. But we really do have bi-polar perspectives of so many things in the world. He believes religion is for weak people. I believe Christianity is not just a "religion" but a relationship with God, and that following God takes more strength than not believing in Him simply because of all the animosity you get from the world for believing in Him. ( Yeah that's right, in my Christian-infancy stages, I was treated like an abomination by my family, but that gradually got better until they accepted it.)

Our differences in the way we think, our perspectives of the world, our perceptions of the world, our beliefs, our values, are basically antithetical. So that makes me jittery to know that he is reading this because I am going to be judged by one more person, even if that is my brother. But then again, isn't that an unavoidable part of blogging? We're going to get judged by others who don't know us. The Blogosphere is pretty much like the mundane world we live in right? All the judgments and crap you get from people. Talk about disengaging emotionally from the world/ escaping from the drudgery of everyday life, by indulging in the joys of the virtual world.
As I write this post, I know Roy, you are going to read this post sooner or later. Don't take this personally. Just please stop reading my blog. I can't afford to have someone living in such close proximity of me knowing so much about me, even if it is my brother.

-------And now, onto something totally different----------


Welcome Mun Loon, to My Daily Bread! Marilyn and I are proud to have you as our special guest blogger here. Our readers would be blessed to be able to read your posts! :D

As always, money talks... And I saw how loudly it sounds when I read Lyn's entry on charity. So here's an exact copy and paste, replying to a teacher who requested for fundraising to be done in his CCA, because they were supporting some group for the President's Star Charity.

Yes, don't exhaust the goodwill charity needs any further.

So here's where I come from...

--------------------------------

Hi Teacher,

Thanks for your mail. My opinion on this is that I am not for the fundraising project.

As students, fundraising is a total nightmare. With several issues such as Rejection, ownership etc etc (the list is endless..) to tackle, the poor kid is probably overwhelmed by the task at hand.

Most of the time, these issues are the result of inadequate preparation of the event. (More often than not, the proper marketing, the techniques etc etc.) At an age where there is such a great need for acceptance by their friends, we do neither prep work nor feedback/debrief sessions to hear them out at the end of the collection, the most we talk about the fundraising is chasing them for the money, and the money and the money.. (and probably this explains our own organization's collections...erm.. $7 from a kid? $2.40 from another?)

They can't really handle what they have been asked to do, see little or no purpose in it, so they end up not bothering at all. 'Its really not worth it, I don't even know where the money goes.. or what difference it would make?!'

So unless we can manage show them the results of previous fundraising activities, tangibly show them how the beneficiaries benefit from it, show them that their act of compassion does have a spiral effect or 'multiplier effect' in the community, students won't really comprehend what we have to say on having the sell the booklets. To them, 'they're(the students) just another bunch of convenient cheap labour all those Charities 'MAKE USE' of to collect money for them.'

I suppose these are really grandeur ideas about spiral effects and such, but I suppose it boils down to 2 things, it being Purposeful (knowledge of their actions) and Intentional (conviction of their heart). I'm sure none of us like being an object of conveniences, neither do the kids (students).

Unless they want to really do it, with deep conviction; I'm all for it. (I'm sure the only thing that drives them to do something is when they really believe in it, not like coming to school because if I don't.... coming for CCA, if i don't then... there isn't any ifs to it.)

Let them understand what they are doing, I'm sure it'd create more passion in our student on this project. Ever heard of the so passionate salesman who sold fridges to the Eskimos?

At the end of the day, 'We're human beings, not human doings.'

Cheers,
Mun