Reflections

CNN article - Sex slave: 'Every day we were raped'

2008-07-23T02:50:00.005+08:00

Lengthy but meaningful article. And we thought we had problems.

Reproduced from: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/22/sarajevo.rape/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Sex slave: 'Every day we were raped'

By Rachel Clarke
CNN

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (CNN) -- The outbreak of war seemed like a joke to Jasmina, then just 19 years old. She dreamed of being an economist and says she played with her toddler son and baby daughter as if they were toys.

Jasmina says she was raped repeatedly during the rule of Radovan Karadzic: "Every day we were raped."

But in April 1992, the Serb soldiers took over her city of Bijeljina, in northeast Bosnia near the border with Serbia, and began to kill, torture and terrorize the Muslims there in a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing.

"Whole families were disappearing during the night. Sometimes we could see their bodies in the gardens, sometimes not even that," Jasmina told CNN.

"The men from my family were beaten up the first day. ... My mother just disappeared. I never found out what happened."

Paramilitaries loyal to Arkan, the Serbian ultranationalist later indicted for crimes against humanity, came to the home Jasmina shared with her husband and extended family to search for valuables and weapons. When they found no guns they started beating her husband, said Jasmina who asked CNN not to use her last name to protect her children.

"Then they started torturing me. I lost consciousness. When I woke up I was totally naked and covered in blood and my sister-in-law was also naked and covered in blood. ... I knew I had been raped and my sister-in-law too." In a corner, she saw her mother-in-law, holding her children and crying.

"That same day we were locked in our house. That was the worst, the worst period of my whole life. That's when it started.

"Every day we were raped. Not only in the house -- they would also take us to the front line for the soldiers to torture us. Then again in the house, in front of the children," Jasmina said through a translator, remembering the 10 other women who were brutalized with her.

"I was in such a bad condition that sometimes I couldn't even recognize my own children. Even though I was in a very bad physical condition they had no mercy at all. They raped me every day. They took me to the soldiers and back to that house.

"The only conversation we had was when I was begging them to kill me. That's when they laughed. Their response was 'we don't need you dead.'"

Once at the front line there were women soldiers who tortured her with a bottle and then slashed at her throat and wrist when it broke. Then the troops cut one of her breasts with a bayonet, said Jasmina, now looking older than her 35 years.

"It lasted for a year. Every day. ... Not all the women survived."

Tens of thousands of women were raped in Bosnia and the other parts of the former Yugoslavia between 1992 and 1994 during the rule of Radovan Karadzic, according to estimates by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Karadzic was captured this week after years on the run and now will face war crimes charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. The tribunal, set up to try war crimes suspects, established for the first time that rape was a crime against humanity and that rape was "used by members of the Bosnian Serb armed forces as an instrument of terror."

For Jasmina, some relief came one day in 1993 when a familiar face, an older Serb who had been a friend of her parents, appeared at the house where she was being kept. Jasmina was told he had bought her as a prostitute but, once in a car with him, the man said he was saving her. "I owe this to your parents," he said.

He drove Jasmina and her children to the front lines, gave something to the Serb soldiers there and directed her towards the Bosnian position, saying "Now you are free to go."

"I was very weak, I weighed only 45 kilos [99 pounds]. I carried both my children for more than a kilometer to the Bosnian side."

Jasmina was safe, but scarred. "I felt ashamed, I wanted to die, to disappear somehow. I couldn't take care of my children, others did that, I just didn't have the strength or the will."

A new low came when doctors began to treat her in one of the refugee centers around the city of Tuzla.

"They discovered that I was pregnant, six months pregnant and I didn't know that. It was too late for any abortion, but I kept saying I didn't want that child."

The gynecologist pleaded with Jasmina to have the child and give it up for adoption, saying it was too dangerous to try anything else. But that was no option for Jasmina. "I didn't want to hear about that, about giving birth to that child at all."

Finally, medics said they could try to abort the child but it was a very risky operation that only 1 in 100 women would survive. "I begged them to do it," Jasmina said, pausing to remember an 18-year-old girl who had the same operation on the same day as her and died. Jasmina herself continues to have gynecological health problems stemming from her abuse.

Months later, her husband arrived at the same refugee center after managing to escape a camp in Serbia. A man he broke out with was killed by a mine.

"It was such a difficult moment for me. I wasn't even sure if I wanted him to be dead or alive. I knew that he knew what had happened to me so it was very, very difficult for me," Jasmina said.

"I thought he was going to leave me and take my children because of everything that happened. But he told me he was not going to ask me about anything. And that he also went through terrible things himself so he didn't want to discuss anything." Yet still she says she cannot look her husband in the eye.

Jasmina said she was unable to talk to the therapists in Tuzla and tried to kill herself in 1995 -- the first of three suicide attempts.

"I will never be OK," she said, adding that she believes God kept her alive for a reason.

She now lives in a modestly furnished apartment in a tower block in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina. She has been there since 2001 with her husband and children.

Her dreams now are for her children. She believes it's critical she give them some stability, but says that's impossible when she doesn't know from day to day if she will be evicted.

She does not own the apartment and all property must be returned to rightful owners under the terms of an annex to the U.S.-brokered peace agreement that ended the war.

The same pact allows for the return of all refugees and displaced people -- more than half of the country's people left their homes during the war according to the International Organization for Migration -- and the re-establishment of the mixed ethnic communities that had lived peacefully for centuries before the war.

The Office of the High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, an international body set up to oversee the implementation of the peace agreements, says almost all property rights have been restored. But it is impossible to say how many people have gone home and how many have sold their houses, leaving cities and towns like Bijeljina "ethnically cleansed" as the warmongers had planned.

A law enacted in September 2006 does include a section that homes should be provided for victims of sexual torture during the war. It is not clear who should implement the act and there is no agency making sure the law is enforced, according to the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees.

Meanwhile, authorities say Jasmina should return to her mother-in-law's rebuilt house in Bijeljina. But she says she will never go back to the place where she lost 39 members of her family and where her abuse began.

It is a fear shared by other women, according to Alisa Muratcaus, the president of the Association of Concentration Camp Survivors -- Canton Sarajevo -- a group that offers classes and other support to Jasmina and 1,200 other women around the capital, including 150 victims of mass rape.

"Many of our members must deal with the realities of return. Not all members are able psychologically to return to regions in which they suffered such extreme human rights abuses," she told CNN.

"No one raped women has returned to their pre-war houses, since it is immoral and inhuman to request their return while the war criminals who tortured them are still free and live in these regions."

The Sarajevo municipality that owns Jasmina's apartment says it does not plan to evict her and that any such directive would come from the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees.

Saliha Djuderija, head of the Ministry's Department of Human Rights, said she was aware of victims who could not face returning to the places where they were tortured and was working on a solution. In the last couple of years, between 15 and 20 women have been given somewhere to live, but lack of funding is restricting the help that can be given. Priority was given to women who testified against their attackers and Jasmina is not in that group as her case is still unsolved.

But if her future is in doubt, Jasmina's mind is made up. "I'm not going to take my children to Bijeljina. I told my children when I die, don't take my bones to Bijeljina. I don't want to hear about Bijeljina. It doesn't exist for me," she said, flashing anger for the first time in a lengthy interview.

Then she shows a picture of her daughter, a beautiful young woman, but even that causes Jasmina pain as she remembers how the soldiers picked her out. "I was beautiful once. It cost me my life."

For those who didn't know..

2008-05-08T02:55:00.000+08:00

Little Wonders

2008-04-26T02:49:00.002+08:00

Let it go, let it roll right off your shoulder
Don't you know? The hardest part is over
Let it in, let your clarity define you
In the end we will only just remember how it feels

Our lives are made in these small hours
These little wonders, these twists & turns of fate
Time falls away, but these small hours,
These small hours still remain

Let it slide, let your troubles fall behind you
Let it shine until you feel it all around you
And I don't mind if it's me you need to turn to
We'll get by, it's the heart that really matters in the end

Our lives are made in these small hours
These little wonders, these twists & turns of fate
Time falls away, but these small hours,
These small hours still remain

All of my regret will wash away some how
But I can not forget the way I feel right now

In these small hours, these little wonders
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away but these small hours
These small hours, still remain,
These little wonders, these twists & turns of fate

Time falls away but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

Moments

2008-04-26T02:22:00.003+08:00

No, I'm not referring to anything that spins. [Physics]

But yes, moments as in the moments in time. Apart from having a rather simple and catchy tune, I found the lyrics of the song (Little Wonders - refer to post above) really meaningful.

Let it go, let it roll right off your shoulder
Don't you know? The hardest part is over
Let it in, let your clarity define you
In the end we will only just remember how it feels

Really, I think it makes sense. Sometimes we have a hard time forgetting a particular moment - embarassing, troubling or even hurting - but really, the worst is over and what we can do, is to move on. Learning from our mistakes, and 'keep moving forward'. (Reference to motto from Robinsons)

Our lives are made in these small hours
These little wonders, these twists & turns of fate
Time falls away, but these small hours,
These small hours still remain

Our lives are defined by each tiny moment. Celebration and frustration, successes and failures, joy and sorrow.. All were achieved in those little moments - that very seconds and minutes. Together, as tiny pieces they form a complete picture of our lives.

Moments - little wonders, that make up great miracle - us.

Meet The Robinsons

2008-04-26T01:57:00.004+08:00

Another movie writeup! This time, one which I watched quite a while back..
Anyway the underlying theme of the movie is somewhat similiar to what many of us try to achieve these days - Looking for an identity.

The show tells of this little boy Lewis who was brought up in an orphanage (similiar to the setting of August Rush. Hmms.) and wonders if not being adopted means that he isn't wanted. So he sets out seeking his mother, whom he thinks should at least be the one person who actually wanted him. He does so by inventing a time machine.. And well.. the movie goes on..

But what struck me the most is how we set out in search of our "selves". We go to great heights wanting to find that something that we are looking for.. only to find that it is actually staring at us in the eye!

The underlying theme is that who we are, who we can be, is defined by our decisions. Only we ourselves can decide who we want to be. Inevitably we would face obstacles and even failures, but in the end, the choices we make - the wise and foolish ones alike -those are what defines us.

In short, we do not need to go out of our ways to search for this self-identity.
We choose who we want to be.

August Rush

2008-04-25T17:07:00.005+08:00

It is not often that I would write about movies, but this is one movie that rates high on my list! Music lovers will especially appreciate it, as the movie portrays a certain magical characteristic of music that is able to transcend certain human understanding. Confused? Yeah that proved my point! And of course.. the happy endings which leaves you with that warm fuzzy feeling.. =)

Oh but there's always the negative reviews by other sources.. And the movie can be rather draggy and fragmented at times, but still! As long as the theme strikes a chord within oneself.. Being immersed in the whole rhapsody is almost as guaranteed as there are F# and C# in a D major chord. Ah, but there are always the accidentals.. =)

Plot summary from IMDb :
The story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist and a sheltered young cellist who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger, August uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0426931/plotsummary

Uh oh.

2008-04-24T01:22:00.000+08:00

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
James 4:3

Death

2008-04-03T22:50:00.003+08:00

Death. Certainly quite a taboo subject, seeing as to how people from so many cultures tend to shy away from anything remotely connected to death - from using euphemisms (pass away, moving on..) to changing how we number our homes. (using '2A' to substitute the '4') Be it plain paranoia, or just conveniently 'going with the flow', 'death' seems to give many of us an uneasy feeling. (Yeah, feel that chill down your spine..)

Yet, even as the 50+ million people who 'leave this world' each year (that's about 100 per minute), what about the rest of us? The so-called 'survivors'. Are our entire lives meant to be merely 'survived'?

Every single one of us, all 6.6 billion individuals, are given one life to live - no more, no less. (Unless one believes in reincarnation, which I do not subscribe to) And in that one lifetime, we are given the opportunity to make use of whatever resources we can get our hands on, to do anything that our hearts and minds desire.

Some people would choose to scale the highest peaks, others to dive to the greatest depths.
Some people create records for the shortest time in doing something, others would endure the longest times.
Some people would devote their entire lives to serve a purpose, others would choose to end theirs to fulfill one.

In the end, it all boils down to choices. We all get one life to live, but we get to determine HOW to live it out. Would our lives then be one that revolves around the same mundane objects every day? Or would it be one that leaves a legacy that outlives us?

As ironic as it sounds, death actually gives meaning to life.

Imagine, if we were not be given a deadline to complete an assignment, would there be much motivation in finishing it quickly? Wouldn't the human characteristic of procrastination set in? And when it does, things are just put off day after day after day...

Moreover, this limitation makes us crave for more. We want more time to be with our loved one, more time to achieve a certain goal, more time to take the world in all its splendour.. Imagine again, if we were offered an eternity to enjoy something - would we still truly treasure and appreciate it the same way we do otherwise? Most probably, we would take it all for granted - another major human weakness.

The world around us will not change even if we were to pass on. The Earth will still take 24 hours, spinning at 1,700 kilometers per hour to complete a full rotation. However, depending on how we live our lives, we would have made a difference in the world. It might have been a small one, but we ought to remember that it takes 6.60 billion of us to collectively form human life on planet Earth.

If you were to die today, would your world have been the same as when you were born?

I certainly hope not!

Meaning?

2008-01-12T00:16:00.000+08:00

Without meaning, nothing else matters. With meaning, everything else falls into place
- Austrian concentration camp survivor Victor Frankl

If you can't see the why, you cannot live for the what.
...As soon as I was able to answer the "why", even my failures began to make sense.
- Ravi Zacharias

Pride?

2008-01-12T00:08:00.000+08:00

There is a dislocation of humility in our times. We have become more confident in who we are and less in what we believe. Our pride has moved us from the organ of conviction to the organ of ambition, when it is intended to be the other way around. In short, our confidence should be in our message and not in ourselves.
- G.K. Chesterton

Complete

2008-01-10T00:36:00.000+08:00

Here I am, Oh God
I bring this sacrifice--my open heart.
I offer up my life.
I look to You, Lord
Your love that never ends
Restores me again

So I lift my eyes to you, Lord
In Your strength will I break through, Lord
Touch me now, let your love fall down on me
And I will be complete in You.

Here I am, Oh God
I bring this sacrifice--my open heart.
I offer up my life.
I look to You, Lord.
Your love that never ends
Restores me again

So I lift my eyes to you Lord
And by faith, I will walk on, Lord
Then I'll see beyond my calvary one day,
And I will be complete in..

I look to You, Lord
Your love that never ends
Restores me again

So I lift my eyes to you Lord
In your strength will I break through Lord
Touch me now, let your love fall down on me
I know your love dispels all my fears.

Through the storm I will hold on Lord
And I pray I will hold on, Lord
Then I'll see beyond my calvary one day
And I will be complete in
I will be complete in
I will be complete in You

- Complete, Parachute Band

What an ending to Orientation '08!
Really, the chapel service really made this whole week complete!
And, being able to worship God in the ACJC school hall.. He really made me feel complete! =)

Of course, there was the fun..

Posing as new kids.. Which faltered obviously..

Meeting the new 'young ones'..As well as the 'oldies'..

But the highlight of the whole visit?
Well.. Words cannot fully express how proud I am of the 'kids'.
Esp of the stupid idiots.

Conclusion?
A week well spent. =)

Memories

2007-12-27T01:31:00.000+08:00

I remember the time an older man asked me when I was young, "Do you know what you're doing now?" I thought it was some kind of trick question.

"Tell me," I said.

"You are building your memories," he replied, "so make them good ones."

- Ravi Zacharias, in his book Walking from East to West

Revive Concert!

2007-12-25T23:43:00.001+08:00

Life

2007-11-30T16:02:00.001+08:00

What is life?

Life is..
Full of challenges
Full of pain
Full of tears
Yet,
Life is..
Full of hope
Full of love
Full of joy
Life is a contradiction.

Life is..
A miracle
An inspiration
Life is abundant.
Yet,
Life is short!

Life..
Cannot be defined
Cannot be restricted
Cannot be summed up in words.
Life - is to be lived,
To the fullest as one can be.

Isn't life a contradiction?

Word

2007-11-18T21:49:00.000+08:00

Lord, I give You my heart
I give You my soul
I live for You alone
Every breath that I take
Every moment I'm awake
Lord, have Your way in me

Teach.

God is great

2007-10-11T00:10:00.000+08:00

God is great. And He has plans for each and every one of us.

As for me, these 2 years have been truly blessed.

ACJC. My presence will never fully leave the place.

Yays.

Wei Kit is blessed.

Wei Kit is happy.

Wei Kit is at peace with the world.

=)

Morning Devotion - Why the World Needs A Superhero

2007-09-30T02:04:00.000+08:00

I was watching the movie Superman last year, and one of the scenes caught my attention. It was one where Lois Lane was writing an article entitled: Why the world needs Superman. And it really got me thinking – Why is it that we need superheroes?

Well, I gave it some thought, and this is what I’ve come up with.

In today's troubled world, perhaps many of us would want someone we can look up to, someone we respect, someone with great ability, and in a sense someone ‘super’. The list of superheroes is virtually endless: Superman, Spiderman, Captain Planet, perhaps? Or even the Powerpuff Girls.

Perhaps it is the human nature in us, that when faced with the stresses and problems of life, we would wish we had the power to make things easier for us. After all, who wouldn’t want to possess the power of flight, so that we can come to school in style, avoiding the morning rush-hour traffic in the process? Or with super-speed to complete all our tutorials, or even finish the marking of exam scripts in minutes?

All these, would then demonstrate the insecurities of Man. We are afraid of what we cannot do. After all, we are human. We have our limits. And more often than not, we are stretched to those limits. It is also during these times of need that we would cry out to God. The times where we cannot accomplish things on our own – where we would seek help from a greater power. In trying times that I’ve been through, there was no Superman, no Batman, no Spiderman who came to my rescue. It was always the hand of God that has lifted me up.

This actually made me wonder, if superheroes were actually modelled after someone real? If it is, then I would think that there is no other man but Jesus. He is the very person who died to save us. He brings us comfort in the night, he gives us assurance through the storm. I rejoice in Him, for He has brought me life. I give thanks to Him, for he is my provider, my ultimate superhero.

And of course, God has placed many human heroes around us. People who are able to complete seemingly impossible tasks or overcome insurmountable odds. These are friends, teachers, seniors – anyone – whom we look up to, they are people who inspire and influence us.

So if there is anyone who has in fact impacted you, I would encourage you to walk up to that person, and let him, or her know that he’s your hero. I am sure, that even heroes will need words of encouragement!

With that being said, what about the rest of us? Have we thought about being heroes ourselves? Certainly, we do not need to possess any superpowers to be able to inspire others, nor would we need any special skills to be able to touch lives. All we need, is to have a sincere heart.

The bible tells us that The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. Colossians 3:23-24 also reads: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

So, would we then, heed His call to be Salt and Light of the World – to let our light shine before men? All we need to do, is to give of ourselves, and to open up our hearts. And in doing so, we will become heroes in our very own right.

Orientation 2

2007-03-13T10:59:00.000+08:00

Some people may think that Orientation 2 is boring and less fun than O1.. but I think otherwise! It's really just as fun!! Perhaps because we are sort of more acquainted with each other (1st intakers) and for the 2nd intakers, its much easier to remember your names! haha.. but yeah. I WAS TOTALLY HIGH DURING O2!!! haha.. Was even jumping around like mad.. which I did not do much of in O1.. Perhaps it is also that for the OGL's.. this really is the LAST chance to experience orientation as an OGL. Oh wells! Whatever is it.. IT WAS A BLAST!!!! ^.^

Orientation 07

2007-01-14T17:43:00.000+08:00

ORIENTATION WAS A BLAST!!!!

haha! yups thats right! i remember mdm annie yong saying that no OGL has gone back to her saying that he/she did not enjoy being one.. But yeah!! She didnt say, or actually couldnt ever express.. HOW FUN IT WAS!!!

haha.. going through it.. the rolling in the mud (yeah thanks guys..) the screaming.. the games.. the tying of waterbombs.. the DANCE!!! yeah the dance!! the OG's (Go Dryads!!).. the OGL's.. the cheerings.. the school spirit!! wah!! so many aspects of it!!

to briefly sum it up.. it was much greater than our own orientation 06! (maybe thats why the best is yet to be? haha..) and i had already had the time of my life back then!! so yeah!! one could roughly gauge the level of fun in Orientation 07! :)

But yeah. Pics will help! :)

The pose in the booklet! :)

yays.. our pride!

ppls guarding the waterbombs?

woo.. 2000+ waterbombs..
i thought this looked rather cute! :)
all ready for a shave! :)gerielle and jasmine
germaine and rach
under the shade of the banner!
random shot of a game..
kok hong looking.. glaring! :P
smile! :)
smile.. (Jennifer, Charisia)
and smile! (Timothy)1/2 of Dryads
other 1/2 of Dryads..
1,2,2,2! ^.^
Dryads @ bball courtTim, Wei Kit, Wayne!All the Dryads!
..mmm.. Earfalicious!
Nice!Joel!! Thanks for all the photos!! :)
look! patches of mud! the only time of the year they'll be there..
*gasp* he's looking at me..
hehs. weird? yeah.this is an interesting one! :)
looking from above!
and at ground level..protect the queen! ^.^

hehs. the mud roll. you absolutely need it!are.. you.. ready.. to RUMBLE!!!!
..YEAH!! ^.^
Jasmine, Maryanne, Kimberly, Gerielle,Sri
Kimberly, Wei Kit, Aaron
Sri and Samantha!Marcus Foo!
soap/mud up..
charisia, shi min. Happy!happy ppls!
More happy ppls! Tim and friend..I *heart* AC!
woahs. Wei Kit's fat.
1..
2..fly!! ^.^
One.. Aaron and I
ok.. someone HAD to take a pic of that.. *rolls eyes*Dryad's OGL's! ^.^
W-O-W..
mmm.. are we..
..acjc-licious? you bet! :D

Rainbow

2007-01-01T22:09:00.000+08:00

Genesis 9:16 (NIV)
Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.

Rainbows have always been inspirations to me. Not many people will understand why seeing a rainbow in the sky would make me feel so happy, but yeah! It really is special to me.

It was back in Form 4 when I realised something significant and strangely odd about the occurance of rainbows. It always seemed to appear when I was going to take my Add Maths tests! The mid-year examination, the final Form 4 exams, as well as in Form 5! So, I really took these rainbow formations as a sign of God's assurance to me!

Even when I came to Singapore, while we were having our orientation in JC1, we had a DOUBLE rainbow!! I took that as God's promise that He would be with me even in Singapore, and followed me He did.

And today, it happened again. Jan 1 2007! The very first day of the new year, and God has already showed me the sign of His promise. And again, it was a double rainbow!! Though the other was a faint one.. But it was enough to thank God for His faithfulness!

What a RAINBOW-RIFFIC way to start a new year! :)

Came To The Rescue

2006-12-08T01:35:00.000+08:00

Came To The Rescue

Falling on my knees in worship
Giving all i am to seek your face
Lord all i am is yours

My whole life i place in your hands
God of mercy
Humbled i bow down
In your presence, at your throne

I called
You answered
And you came to my rescue
I wanna be where you are

This song has a special meaning to me. Coming to my rescue.. And it started oh so long ago.. But became increasingly evident in this year..

Yups.

Being in JC, in a foreign land, without parent supervision (which isnt exactly a bad thing! :p), has definitely brought about many new experiences for me. It all started with the initial culture shock of living alone.. then came the overwhelming draw of excessive freedom.. next were the homeworks! Tutorials.. lectures.. Yup yup. You get the picture. But I would have to say that my Lord has brought me so far along the way.

But this song really came to me when we sang it in church, and it was a few weeks before our promos. And yes, I was really really anxious about the promos. My whole scholarship depended on it.. And I was in full knowledge that I was very underprepared, thanks to all those piled up tutorials which to date, I have not completed. (oops..) It really touched me that my God, would listen to me call, and then to answer. And this song became even more meaningful, when we sang it once again in church, this time the week before we got our promo results. And truly, my God came to my rescue.. Yup. I was glad to have passed it.. even in subjects that I was so weak in..

But what I really learnt, is that our dependence on Him increases as we face our difficulties. It is in these times that I really felt His presence and assurance. What we really need to do.. is to give all we are to seek His face and to place our whole life at His hands. It is then that we'll need to first call on Him, before He would answer.. and finally.. He would come to our rescue..

Indeed, He has came to my rescue. From my sins, my failures, my mistakes. And from myself..

Emotional Investments

2006-11-01T23:43:00.000+08:00

In a world where material wealth is constantly being chased after, many of us are somewhat ignorant of, or even neglecting what really makes us human- our feelings and emotions. Investing in property, in the stock market, in businesses.. So much so that financial advisors are so sought after by many. But what about emotional investments? Do we often think of that? Or do we find it so useless, so boring, so meaningless.. that we actually discard most of it?

Emotional investments. Sounds like a big word huh? Well, in a sense, it is. It can make a person's day; it can last an entire lifetime; and some investments can even generate endless returns. Talking trash? No way. I've heard of stories, where a simple gesture of offering another person help at work, actually paved the way for a couple to eventually walk down the aisle as man and wife. (Certified true story) How about having friends who lasted through the years.. through your ups and downs, the rain and the shine, the tsunami and through the haze..? Have we not invested our time, our emotions and our efforts in making friendships last?

The truth is, some of us are aware of this, some of us are doing great at it.. and well, some of us would definitely need to get a copy of 'Emotional Investments for Dummies'. For the rest of us, what is it that is hindering us from involving ourselves from others' lives? Is it the fear of being rejected? The fear of being exposed? Or perhaps, the very real fear of being hurt..

Personally, I have been through most, if not all of the above. What I find really scary, is that we would never know if we would receive anything in return. After spending so much time and effort, we really wouldn't want to be reciprocated with a cold shoulder..

Nonetheless, I would think that we probably wouldn't survive without taking these bold steps and face the uncertainties in relationships. As the saying goes, 'No man is an island,' (Ladies too!) we most certainly cannot survive without investing in friends. Spending quality time, just doing stuffs that you would enjoy doing with others.. talking for hours on the phone.. or jamming away in a studio. It all takes time and deeply involves our emotions..

So, what are we going to do about it? Well, for me, it is just putting our heart and soul in everything that we do. Not just in our work and play, it is especially important in relationships. Mean what we say. Being a friend requires commitment and honesty. To me, being a friend is like making a promise--And promises are meant to be kept, not broken. Similiarly, we should not be making a promise we can't keep; nor should we commit ourselves to be a friend if we are not willing to do so.

Emotional Investments. Are they really hard to do? Well, to sound super GP-ish-- Yes, and No. Yes in the sense that it requires a great deal of courage, patience and lots of love. No, because when we invest in the right people with a right purpose, the returns we reap are many times fold.

Well, am I willing to start working to become an accomplished emotional investor? You bet!

Now.. how about you? =)

Why the World Needs A Superhero

2006-11-01T23:34:00.000+08:00

-Inspired by the movie Superman, my family, my friends and God.

In today's troubled world, everyone wants somebody they can look up to, somebody they respect, somebody powerful, somebody super.

Yup, you read that right. Super.

Superman, Batman, Spiderman, X-men.. There are simply too many of them to name all. And, the thing is, the list will never end, as more and more heroes are created each day. Ninja turtles, Captain Planet, Powerpuff Girls, Harry Potter..

But really, why is it that these superhuman-powers-induced characters are being created all the time? Why is it that superheroes are so much in demand.. so much needed by the people of the world?

My take is that, it is part of human nature. To want something out of this world to solve our worldly problems. From the most basic of chores, like commuting to school; to work.. who wouldnt want to possess the power of flight so that we can arrive in office in style? Who wouldnt want that ability to see through objects, to read people's thoughts? Or perhaps have that superhumanly, perfectly sculptured bodies that most superheroes have?

We are human. We have our limits. And more often than not, we are stretched to those limits. To deal with the stresses and problems of life, to overcome that seemingly impossible task - how we wish we had the power to make things easier for us. And of course, to deal with our enemies. Or so called villians in our lives. The overdemanding boss, the inconsiderate teacher, the annoying guy who parks his car in front of your house gate. Dont we all, at one time or another, wish that we could get even with them? To punish them for what they have done against us?

Well.. at times we know it, but do not acknowledge that there exist many superheroes around us. Yup. Not exactly macho guys with superhuman strength or stunning ladies who fly around and yet able to maintain that facial makeup; but rather people who possess values and abilities that are truly out of this world.

Its not too far-fetched, really. In my life, there are already numerous superheroes.

First of all, my mum. My pillar of strength. After all, who could do without his mother? If there is no mother, there is no child. Right after birth, the child naturally develops a very strong bond with his mother. Even while growing up, this bond does not fade -- it only grows stronger. Even while juggling work, she manages to care for the family.. the cooking, the washing, the cleaning of the house.. to the teaching of us kids.. She instills family values that we unconsciously pick up. After all, we humans do really learn by example..

In my teenage life, I have a friend. A really great friend, although bonded under peculiar situations. Nonetheless, despite our huge differences, both physically and in character, we somehow managed to grow so close.. to the extent that people start wondering if we are too close for comfort..(Hmms..) But through it all, I've learnt that not many people in the world would have the priviledge of sharing their life with a friend. As it was once said, 'Friends are the family that we choose'. It is completely true. To have someone as a mentor, someone as a buddy, someone to understand your pain and disappointments, someone to shine light at your darkest hours.. That's a friend. And the power of friendship is a very powerful tool.

Still, there is an ultimate superhero: one who died to save us, one who came to our level to save our unworthy souls, the one and only who brought us life - The Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes i wonder, if superheroes were actually modelled after someone real? If it was, then there is no other man but Jesus. He is the very hero who saved our lives, who died to reconcile us with the Father. None can be greater than him. In my night, he shone my path. In my day, he showed me the way. I rejoice in Him, for He has brought me life. I give thanks to Him, for he is my sole provider, my superhero.

And that is exactly why the world needs a superhero. A feeling of void, a sense of emptiness that can only be filled by the Lord Jesus Christ. This time, the Hero is giving you the power to make the most important decision of a lifetime :

Would you allow Him into your life? Would you let Him be your hero?

Oohs..

2006-11-01T23:24:00.000+08:00

oh wow.. long time no post.. i see rust.. haha.. incoming articles! =)

Orientation 2

2006-03-26T10:57:00.000+08:00

yup.. they gave us a second orientation on the 7th of march.. mainly for the 2nd intakers.. but they allowed the 1st intake to join them.. seems this is the 1st time in college history.. so we're the priviledged ones! yup! and this time i have my camera! so here are some pics!

Former SA2's! Lean May is in NJ, Mag in RJ, Athena is in SB3, Ee Cheong in SA1, and Eugene in Pioneer (?)
OG guys..
Our OGL! Hui Min!From top, Lto R: Nyssa, me, Guan Qun , Lean May, Deborah and Hui Min!
OG pic.. with the 1st and 2nd intakes.. JJ looks erm.. yeah.JJ and Hui Min with the 2nd intakers!
In the midst of our orientation.. the sports CCA's are having their trainings.. this is the rugby guys.. the best in singapore wei..and these are girls from another sport.. though i dont know which one.. notice that some of them are running with weights..
our school hall.. where the final rally was to be held..
and the bible verse in our school hall!

Fun-o-rama

2006-03-26T01:35:00.002+08:00

Ok.. this should take quite a number of photos.. but anyway yeah. Fun-o-rama is like this funfair thingy held every 2 years by ACJC.. Though its only a one day event, it somehow manages to raise like hundreds of thousands of dollars each time! and this year's target is $750,000!! thats like.. RM 1.7mil? Talk about a real fun(d)raiser!

Right. And this year is the 18th Fun-o-rama, which happens to fall on the 18th of February 2006!
Our 1SA2 class set up a balloon stall and xbox stall.. and guess wat.. i became the walking billboard for the class lah.. helium balloons were like tied to me.. and there were like billboards advertising balloons on the front of the billboard and the back was advertising the xbox stall.. oh well. guess pictures speak a thousand words!

My first balloon dog! ^.^

Thats our class..

The Xbox stall..

Putting up the banner...

And thats Darrick.. typical darrick.. he's still in 1SA2!

They even did a countdown..
Stuff were sold even b4 Fun o rama day itself! (wonder why they still put it on display though..)
Class reps.. Erwin from Indonesia and Katrina, from Phillipines! Kinda sad they're in a diff class now though.. erwin is the best class rep lah!
more decos..
just thought this looked cute.. some of the teachers got dunked.. including the principal..
the one in usj 4 opposite 7-11 still the best lah..
cute..
just thought the apartments looked nice..

and it rained.. both the dayb4 fun o rama and fun o rama day itself..

Yup.. having fun at the lodges..playing murderer in this pic..morning!!
and there goes our 1st balloon..
Getting ready..

And that's Jia Jun..

The front..
And the back!
Allen and Janene.. notice some 'make up' on my face?

yay.. happy 3 friends on fun o rama!

Ppl..
More ppl..and more..
ACJC mall..
Thats Joyce, amityville OGL and her friend.. selling stuffs at the mall..
More stuff at the mall..And there's even a cake shop!
And a corporate gift stall.. (which actually means overpriced items stall!)
Erwin getting dunked..

Miss Tan Li Feng.. our current GP tutor and top scorer in singapore for 2004 A level exams.. 9 distinctions!!
Mr Sim Eng Chee.. HOD for mother tongues..
Mrs Kelvyna Chan.. our principal. i think she raised like..$3k?

Muse-Band Concert

2006-03-26T01:34:00.000+08:00

And some pics taken while watching our school band perform at the esplanade.. quite impressive, really.. but yeah.. i look weird in the pics..

With Mag.. former SA2 classmate but she's now in RJC..

Seniors and us..

Seniors..

Juniors..

Random Pics

2006-03-26T00:55:00.000+08:00

Oof. had to figure out how to actually post a new entry. yup. familiarisation takes time.

so anyway.. just achiving some random pics taken since jan 2006.. yup. since coming to singapore.Yup.. taken at sentosa during CNY. Its supposedly claimed to be the southern-most point of continental asia.. As explained by the pic below..

But then right.. a man-made bridge wouldnt be counted as linking to the mainland right.. oh well. and malaysian side would claim that some tanjung piai or something in johor is the southern-most point.
Oh well. Debate again..

Right..

2006-03-26T00:27:00.000+08:00

Right.. Decided to actually start an online blog, which i hope i would update regularly.. Just to keep a record of each day here..
Actually i had tried keeping a diary.. but think it wouldnt work coz i got too lazy to update it like after a month.. oh well. hope typing would make things easier!