i wanted to blog an entry about the turnaround of my life since one year ago (exact to the month) but i realise that i had already done that (click here)..well kind of anyway! so rather than telling you all about my lovely girlfriend and how God has changed my life, i thought i'd do a more "serious" entry - putting my thoughts about this thing called "fate" into words. before you 1) close this window or 2) surf on to another blog, thinking this is going to be a religion bashing and christian life promoting entry, let me assure you that it is neither.
so what is the difference between "fate" and "God's plan"?
dictionary.com defines "fate" as:
1) the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events,
2) the inevitable events predestined by this force,
3) a final result or consequence; an outcome and
4) unfavorable destiny; doom.
most definitions of "fate" inevitably contains this element of assumption - "supposed force", "presumably", "element of chance" etc. this also means that people who believe in "fate" are saying that their lives are already "predetermined" and "predestined" by this unknown element of chance and assumption. which, also means that we do not have a free will because we can run and we can hide or we can stand still but the same things will still happen because ultimately, everything is "fated" for us.
but that is not true is it? because life is not like that. life is not all "fated". it is just like if you just lost your job but within a few weeks of searching you landed a new job, that is not "fate". "fate" predetermines that the "new job" will happen to you regardless of situation or of circumstance. but if you lost your old job and just sat at home waiting for "fate" to happen, the only thing inevitable is that nothing will happen. so then, how can "fate" (the new job in this case) be predetermined and be inevitable?
therein lies the key difference between "fate" and "God's plan". you may say, but God's plan also predetermines the people you will meet and the things you will do. not so, God's plan always involves choices and a free will. that is, nothing is predetermined unless you make the choice to do it. you retain the right to live your life, even if it means you choose to walk away from God. for example, God may choose to use you to help someone in need, but you can choose not to do so, you are free to make that choice.
one story i always repeat to my friends is that of a person who is stuck in a flood. God can send a log, a boat or even a helicopter his way. but if he does not choose to use any of these, it is inevitable that he will drown. so is it God's plan that this person should drown? no. but it is because he withheld his own free will in those moments that he (pardon the pun) met his "fate".
i know that there will still be skeptics but just remember that "fate" cannot happen if there are choices to be made - simply because there is a different outcome between "choice 1", "choice 2", "choice 3" and doing nothing. and when life is all about choices, ultimately, the only "fate" is the one you (not God, not your parents, not your friends but you) choose for yourself!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Missin' Noodles
number 1: nope i did not lose my noodles
number 2: nope i did not change my name to noodles (in the long time i have abandoned my blog)!
it's been a long time since i've had nissin cup noodles and i got a shock when i opened one up today. where were the ingredients?! the chicken mushroom one used to be full of the little egg bits and chicken dices. well, i reckon that it was hidden underneath the noodles and so i poured the hot water in. minutes later, when i lifted the lid, all i saw were the noodles, one mushroom slice and several mini egg bits (note: really mini and really bits!) floating in the soup! the chicken dices which used to be chunky, now looked like chicken dust - taste like dust too (tasteless)! even the stock which used to make the noodles tasty tasted as though i bought "nissin-light" (the healthier version). if ever there is a need for another gentle reminder of the severity of the current recession, my dear once trusty "missin'" cup noodles has provided yet another reality check!
the coldplay concert was waaaaay way waaaaay awesome!
Encore - The Scientist/Life In Technicolour II
did i mention that the whole concert was waaaaay way waaaaay awesome? ;)
number 2: nope i did not change my name to noodles (in the long time i have abandoned my blog)!
it's been a long time since i've had nissin cup noodles and i got a shock when i opened one up today. where were the ingredients?! the chicken mushroom one used to be full of the little egg bits and chicken dices. well, i reckon that it was hidden underneath the noodles and so i poured the hot water in. minutes later, when i lifted the lid, all i saw were the noodles, one mushroom slice and several mini egg bits (note: really mini and really bits!) floating in the soup! the chicken dices which used to be chunky, now looked like chicken dust - taste like dust too (tasteless)! even the stock which used to make the noodles tasty tasted as though i bought "nissin-light" (the healthier version). if ever there is a need for another gentle reminder of the severity of the current recession, my dear once trusty "missin'" cup noodles has provided yet another reality check!
the coldplay concert was waaaaay way waaaaay awesome!
Encore - The Scientist/Life In Technicolour II
did i mention that the whole concert was waaaaay way waaaaay awesome? ;)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
the face in facebook
helping jana in her assignments on social networking sites has made me become more aware of how superficial sites like facebook can be.
take for example facebook, most people will tell you that it helps them keep in touch with their friends and to seek out long lost classmates and friends. but honestly, among the hundreds of friends in our networks, how many do we actually "keep in touch" with regularly? even if i defined "regularly" as "once a year", i believe more than 50% of our network will still fail to qualify as "regular friends". which means effectively, facebook is just that, a collection of "faces". some we know affectionately, some we work with, some we were close to once upon a time, some a friend of a friend..and some others we have met or spoken to once or twice before and are added to the rest of our friends to beef up our impressive networks. afterall, it does feel good especially when you discover that you are a mutual friend to two or more of your friends whom you know separately. even then, there is only that much such a fact can stretch a conversation...
"oh you know so-and-so too!"...
"wow..how did you know him/her?"...
"that's interesting!"...
"by the way, how have you been?"...
and "well, good to hear you are well, do take care!" or "oh, sorry to hear that. do take care!"
then the friend in question is kept in hibernation until you discover the next mutual friend! maybe it is just me but i am not one for small talk (yup i know, the irony considering my profession).
and with the ever growing network of friends comes the other hassle - what information to expose to who. for example, i'd be crazy to change my status to "adrian facebooks too much in office" when almost half my colleagues are in my network of friends! (ok, if you are a colleague who is reading this, that was just an example. e-x-a-m-p-l-e means something i am using to illustrate my point.) and such is the accessibility of one's profile, your boss gets to actually see you in your seductive poses or in pictures where you are half-drunk, which is not very glamorous or professional unless..of course your boss was the other half in the pictures!
that said, facebook does offer a differentiator in terms of applications and interactivity which has seen the friendster link condemned to the archives or recycle bins in many computers. but while social networking sites continue to evolve, i sincerely hope that friendships do not evolve in tandem - from friends(ter) to just mere face(book)s.
take for example facebook, most people will tell you that it helps them keep in touch with their friends and to seek out long lost classmates and friends. but honestly, among the hundreds of friends in our networks, how many do we actually "keep in touch" with regularly? even if i defined "regularly" as "once a year", i believe more than 50% of our network will still fail to qualify as "regular friends". which means effectively, facebook is just that, a collection of "faces". some we know affectionately, some we work with, some we were close to once upon a time, some a friend of a friend..and some others we have met or spoken to once or twice before and are added to the rest of our friends to beef up our impressive networks. afterall, it does feel good especially when you discover that you are a mutual friend to two or more of your friends whom you know separately. even then, there is only that much such a fact can stretch a conversation...
"oh you know so-and-so too!"...
"wow..how did you know him/her?"...
"that's interesting!"...
"by the way, how have you been?"...
and "well, good to hear you are well, do take care!" or "oh, sorry to hear that. do take care!"
then the friend in question is kept in hibernation until you discover the next mutual friend! maybe it is just me but i am not one for small talk (yup i know, the irony considering my profession).
and with the ever growing network of friends comes the other hassle - what information to expose to who. for example, i'd be crazy to change my status to "adrian facebooks too much in office" when almost half my colleagues are in my network of friends! (ok, if you are a colleague who is reading this, that was just an example. e-x-a-m-p-l-e means something i am using to illustrate my point.) and such is the accessibility of one's profile, your boss gets to actually see you in your seductive poses or in pictures where you are half-drunk, which is not very glamorous or professional unless..of course your boss was the other half in the pictures!
that said, facebook does offer a differentiator in terms of applications and interactivity which has seen the friendster link condemned to the archives or recycle bins in many computers. but while social networking sites continue to evolve, i sincerely hope that friendships do not evolve in tandem - from friends(ter) to just mere face(book)s.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
rude rage
a few weeks back, pastor rony mentioned a theory about rude people which i found very meaningful. what he said was that rude people do not usually find themselves rude. but when we retaliate, it is us whom the other party will find rude.
which is true because, while we save our "best vocabulary" for lousy customer service, inconsiderate seat chope-ers, people-who-have-really-weak-limps-and-cannot-even-lift-their-hands-to-press-the-lift-door-open-button and the likes, these people tend to find their behaviour normal (to themselves). but if you reacted in the exact same way to them, they will point out to you that you are being unreasonable or rude. funny eh?
in addition, i'd reason that it is not really worth spending (wasting more like it!) so much energy on these rude people whom i do not know and who are probably getting on just fine with their miserable lives.
so now if someone was being rude to me, i'd tell myself that he/she was being normal (abnormal to the rest of us) or he/she was having a really bad day and just bear with it.
afterall, why stoop to other people's level when we condemn it eh?
which is true because, while we save our "best vocabulary" for lousy customer service, inconsiderate seat chope-ers, people-who-have-really-weak-limps-and-cannot-even-lift-their-hands-to-press-the-lift-door-open-button and the likes, these people tend to find their behaviour normal (to themselves). but if you reacted in the exact same way to them, they will point out to you that you are being unreasonable or rude. funny eh?
in addition, i'd reason that it is not really worth spending (wasting more like it!) so much energy on these rude people whom i do not know and who are probably getting on just fine with their miserable lives.
so now if someone was being rude to me, i'd tell myself that he/she was being normal (abnormal to the rest of us) or he/she was having a really bad day and just bear with it.
afterall, why stoop to other people's level when we condemn it eh?
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
funny!
heard this on fm98.7..
women: never trust something which bleeds for 5 days straight and doesn't die
hahahaha!
women: never trust something which bleeds for 5 days straight and doesn't die
hahahaha!
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