God?

I was just looking through my old emails when I came across this. I thought I would like to share this with everyone.

Prof: So you believe in God?
Student: Absolutely, sir.
Prof: Is God good?
Student: Sure.
Prof: Is God all-powerful?
Student: Yes.
Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm?

(Student is silent.)

Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fellow. Is God good?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Is Satan good?
Student: No.
Prof: Where does Satan come from?
Student: From...God...
Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?
Student: Yes.
Prof: So who created evil?
Student does not answer.
Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?
Student: Yes, sir.
Prof: So, who created them?
Student has no answer.
Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son..Have you ever seen God?
Student: No, sir.
Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?
Student: No, sir.
Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student: Yes.
Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.
Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.
Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Prof: Yes.
Student: And is there such a thing as cold?
Prof : Yes.
Student: No sir. There isn't.

(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat,mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?
Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, lashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?
Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?
Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?
Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.
Student: Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class is in uproar.)

Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain?

(The class breaks out into laughter.)

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.
Student: That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH. That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

The student was Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam who is the former President of India
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Food for thought: If one were to believe so much in this God, then why bother studying about science since religion and science can never reach a compromise?

The above conversation was said to be based on a real life account.
Source of information: A chain mail.
Confidence level that this is true: 50-50.

I believe there is a higher being out there. But at times, I realise that our fates lie in our own hands and not the hands of some higher being. But yet...
When there are times of desperation, we utter a quick and silent prayer to some higher being, in hopes that aid comes (in any form).

The question still points to whether we have enough faith. Do you?
P.S. I have no religion.

Greek Masterpieces from the Louvre

This is a long overdue post. It was a Friday. My dental appointment with my orthodontist (I used to wear braces). After my appointment, it was a trip to the National Museum of Singapore. For students, ticket price was a mere $4 and to view the History of Singapore you just top up $1. How's that for making my money worthwhile. And I spent about 4 hours viewing the artefacts and stuff! Oh, the Greek pieces have been moved back to the Louvre =( but not to worry, other great stuff will arrive on the shores of Singapore soon =).

The entrance of the GREAT National Museum of Singapore =D

The centre piece of the big hall

The Greek pieces were at the first floor and since I was already at the second floor, why not view the Singapore stuff first. Below would be the pictures.

Me trying to pose (but obviously I failed)

Oh, I don't have the pictures of the Greek pieces. LOL! Kinda missing the point since this is about them. Oh well, when I receive them, I will upload to fackbook. In the mean time, I shall savour my off days =D. Off to a game of Wahjong, anyone game?

Se Gulja (Three Words)

Kim Leng, Kim Leng...what would I do without you? You have evoke the Korean frenzy in me again with this introduction of this fanta-bulous song: Se Gulja (3 words) by this Korean group called M to M.



The lyrics:
Haru dan harurado johgesso
noridgo salsuman idamyon
shwilseobnun nunmurul jamgunche
naui guriumul godunche
hanbon koghanbon imyon doeltende
nan cham gumari oryowosso
noman bomyon jakku babogadwe
gurimjadwiro sumgemandwe

Negenun isesang jeil sulphun segulja
chama norul hyanghe julsu obdon segulja
meil negasume nunmullo sodaga
dashi hansumuro jiununmal
nahonja marhago nahonja dudnunmal
kuthne noui gyothen dahjido mothal werounmal
saranghe gu seguljaga nul narul aphugehe yeah

Ijen jebal jom gumanhajago
dashin aphahajimaljago
shiganuro dophgo to dophodo nol garijinun mothanabwa

Negenun isesang jeil sulphun segulja
chama norul hyanghe julsu obdon segulja
meil negasume nunmullo sodaga
dashi hansumuro jiununmal
nahonja marhago nahonja dudnunmal
kuthne noui gyothen dahjido mothal werounmal
saranghe gu seguljaga nul narul aphugehe yeah

Nemaum hanulwiesulka
baramege marhalka gurom mido bolka
noui gyothe jonhejilka

Ochomyon i sesang jeil hunhan segulja
negen irohgedo himegyounsegulja
urumbuthonaso mogimeowaso
konegido jone doedamnunmal
chonbondo manbondo do samkin hanmadi
amapyongsenggado mothdahal chalbun guhanmadi
saranghe guseguljae to himgyobge nunmulman

The meaning/translation:

A day, even a single day would be nice
If I can forget you and live
With my endless tears locked up
With my yearning collected

Once, once would probably be all it would take
But those words were so hard for me
When I see you I keep becoming a fool
It makes me hide behind the shadows

To me it's the saddest three words in the world
Those three words I couldn't possibly tell you
Those words that I graved in my heart with tears
But erased again with a sigh

The words I mumble to myself and hear alone
The lonely words that won't even go near you in the end
I love you- those three words keep making my heart ache

Please lets stop now
Lets not hurt anymore
Even when I try to cover my hurt with time
It can't hide you from me

To me it's the saddest three words in the world
The three words I couldn't possibly tell you
Those words that I graved in my heart with tears
But erased again with a sigh

The words I mumble to myself and hear alone
The lonely words that won't even go near you in the end
I love you- those three words keep making me hurt

Should I write my feelings in the sky or tell it to the wind
Would you be able to see it then, will they be able to reach your ears

What is probably the most common three words in the world
To me it's the three words that are this difficult
My throat hurts because tears come out first
And so I bite my tongue before the words even leave my mouth

A phrase I swallowed back more than a thousand, million times
That short phrase I'll probably never say in my entire life
I love you- those three words
But I can only shed tears again

Lyrics & translation by http://aheeyah.com/index.htm

P.S. I am not emo-ing people! =D

Hallelujah!

Baptism. My mom's to be exact. Kinda surprising since I am not the least christian but having a mum who is. =X. Anyway, the pictures below show her baptism by immersion.

Leslie's niece. Oh my gosh! Isn't she a cutie?

Anyway, I will just let the pictures do the talking =D

sour prune with lime!

This concoction was KOPED from Marche. I didn't exactly stole the recipe but just formulated one with reference to the one I tasted. The difference was the type of lime used; Mache uses kalamansi lime while I prefer large lime (I call it thai lime because it resembles the kaffir limes but without the rough skin).

Ingredients: A few sour prunes, 1 tbsp of sugar, some ice cubes, 1 large lime, some hot and cold water.

Step 1: Place the sour prunes into a glass. Remove the seeds prior to using. Add sugar.

Step 2: Pour some hot water. Using a spoon, mix to dissolve the sugar and 'pound' the flesh of the sour prune to get its flavour 'out'

Step 3: Add ice cubes.

Step 4: Next, squeeze the lime and leave the skin in the glass for colour. =p

Step 5: Top up with cold water and mix.

The next thing to do is to sit back with a book in one hand, and this drink in another and enjoy =D.