I have just started on a new VCD series on Qin SHi Huang.
I just love such drama serials on great characters and Qin Shi Huang is just such a character. Also notable are characters like Li Si and Lu Bu Wei. Drools. I do have a fascination on intelligent people with great foresight and vision. I guess most people are drawn by such leadership.
On the other hand, it is necessary to be reflective on oneself. It is all the more poignant for a Christian, and a study of Judges makes the entire relfection all the more interesting. Are we called to be great? Can we just ends to justify means? What is character? All good questions to think about.
WoW36: There is no single person. The king must be the king for the kingdom.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Review: The devil wear prada
I don't really do reviews since there is much better ones around. I will hence just do a random collection of thoughts.
1. It's not bad, but honestly, the expectations were much higher. It's supposed to be one of those intelligent comedies, but in the end, it's just a feel good one. Still, it's much better than a bad comedy.
2. I don't find Anne Hathaway pretty. It seems strange, but I think everybody has a different sense of what is beauty. And something about her face seems wrong to me.
3. I like Stanley Tucci. He seems to be able to carry any role he plays. Amazing talent.
4. I like memorable quotable quotes. I don't recall any in this movie except one. "She says you are her biggest disappointment. And I would be a fool not to employ you."
1. It's not bad, but honestly, the expectations were much higher. It's supposed to be one of those intelligent comedies, but in the end, it's just a feel good one. Still, it's much better than a bad comedy.
2. I don't find Anne Hathaway pretty. It seems strange, but I think everybody has a different sense of what is beauty. And something about her face seems wrong to me.
3. I like Stanley Tucci. He seems to be able to carry any role he plays. Amazing talent.
4. I like memorable quotable quotes. I don't recall any in this movie except one. "She says you are her biggest disappointment. And I would be a fool not to employ you."
Friday, January 23, 2009
Carrots, Egg or Coffee Bean?
Here's a wonderful story I read online: (So which one are you?)
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she said, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she said, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A Singaporean food blog
If you are thinking of giving me a treat, well, here is a place that sounds really good.
I have been reading this blog for quite some time. I like the style of its writing, the gracious Christian tone and the community of genuine food lovers. I don't mind joining a group of food adventurers if it is on a tight budget.
I have been reading this blog for quite some time. I like the style of its writing, the gracious Christian tone and the community of genuine food lovers. I don't mind joining a group of food adventurers if it is on a tight budget.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tough Projects
There are some easy stuff and some tough stuff in ministry. For me, talking to strangers is tough, writing a meaningful sermon is easy. Naturally, it would be the exact opposite for many other ministry workers. That's because we all have different strength and weaknesses.
My strengths include:- comprehension, flexibility, innovation, resourcefulness, compassion and passion.
My weaknesses include:- carelessness, introvert personality, laziness, physically weak, youthfulness and pride.
It is great that I work in a pastoral team vastly different from me, such that we complement one another in achieving our ministry goals.
WoW35: Use teamwork to make up for your shortfall in gifts.
My strengths include:- comprehension, flexibility, innovation, resourcefulness, compassion and passion.
My weaknesses include:- carelessness, introvert personality, laziness, physically weak, youthfulness and pride.
It is great that I work in a pastoral team vastly different from me, such that we complement one another in achieving our ministry goals.
WoW35: Use teamwork to make up for your shortfall in gifts.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
On Obama
Well, sorry to say, I fell asleep half-way during the inauguration speech. It was just too late, and me too tired. It was good while it lasted, but perhaps one too many high sounding words. It was good to inspire the people to go forth, especially in times like this. But I think I caught the gist of it, and slowly drifted to dreamland.
It's no secret that I am an Obama admirer. I think he is intelligent, reasonable and genuinely concerned about peace, social justice and freedom. It helps that he is oratorically excellent and he has great EQ. Personally, I think he would do great to show a new face of Christianity. One that is pro-science, pro-dialogue, pro-equality and pro-action. Let's hope to bury all the past divides on homosexuality, evolution and abortion, and work towards the ideals of the kingdom of God.
"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
It's no secret that I am an Obama admirer. I think he is intelligent, reasonable and genuinely concerned about peace, social justice and freedom. It helps that he is oratorically excellent and he has great EQ. Personally, I think he would do great to show a new face of Christianity. One that is pro-science, pro-dialogue, pro-equality and pro-action. Let's hope to bury all the past divides on homosexuality, evolution and abortion, and work towards the ideals of the kingdom of God.
"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." Obama
Thursday, January 15, 2009
WoW34: A Worship Team is like a Sports Team
It just occurred to me the many similarities between a worship team and a sports team, and how much the music director has to work like a sports coach.
1. The idea of covering up for one another.
2. The need for love for one another and the passion for the subject.
3. The way to go about encouraging and transforming.
4. The application of skill and training and discipline.
I am attending a course on sports psychology, but all I am thinking of is the stuff I need to work on my worship teams.
1. The idea of covering up for one another.
2. The need for love for one another and the passion for the subject.
3. The way to go about encouraging and transforming.
4. The application of skill and training and discipline.
I am attending a course on sports psychology, but all I am thinking of is the stuff I need to work on my worship teams.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
More on Movies
This is what I did. I went to Rottentomatoes and searched the database by "best of" year. I looked at the titles that is above 85%. Any popular movies, I have not seen, I note them down and try to watch it.
It has been hugely rewarding so far for me. I skip the badly-reviewed ones, and only save time for the good ones. Of course, I mainly go for animation, drama and comedy.
One good one is The Iron Giant. It is an old animation but an interesting tale about the friendship between a robot and a boy. The robot is actually a fighting machine but lost its memory, and became a playmate for the boy. During the process, the boy taught the robot about the ability to be who it wants to be, not what IT is designed to be.
Hogarth Hughes: [to the Giant, in battle mode] It's bad to kill. Guns kill. And you don't have to be a gun. You are what you choose to be. You choose. Choose.
It has been hugely rewarding so far for me. I skip the badly-reviewed ones, and only save time for the good ones. Of course, I mainly go for animation, drama and comedy.
One good one is The Iron Giant. It is an old animation but an interesting tale about the friendship between a robot and a boy. The robot is actually a fighting machine but lost its memory, and became a playmate for the boy. During the process, the boy taught the robot about the ability to be who it wants to be, not what IT is designed to be.
Hogarth Hughes: [to the Giant, in battle mode] It's bad to kill. Guns kill. And you don't have to be a gun. You are what you choose to be. You choose. Choose.
Monday, January 12, 2009
On Movies
I have recently started to get back on track with movie watching. To me, watching movies is an educational pursuit. Movies are like a well developed thought experiment. By introducing characters, plots and scenarios, we learn to question ourselves in the scenarios.
A movie I watched yesterday is the most recent Red Cliff II. In the novel, the Romance of the 3 Kingdoms, the battle of Red Cliff is a battle of wits. That is the reason I love it so much. But in the movie, it became a battle of integrity. Zhou Yu is portrayed to be a man of peace, a defender of country and family and lastly a honorable fighter. While Cao Cao is a man after world domination, lustful and treacherous in sending the epedemic across the battlefield. Sadly, the movie failed to convince. In twisting a situation of war into a platform to discuss peace, John Woo is doing nobody a service. We failed to marvel at the ingenuity of the book, and we fail to emphatise with the tragedy of war victims. Movies like Good Morning Vietnam and Black Hawk Down, with a down to earth descriptive story-telling, strangely gives more compelling cause to the bleakness of war.
Is there a lesson to be learnt here?
Wow33: Sometimes, the message is more compelling by being more descriptive than prescriptive. Let the facts speak for itself.
A movie I watched yesterday is the most recent Red Cliff II. In the novel, the Romance of the 3 Kingdoms, the battle of Red Cliff is a battle of wits. That is the reason I love it so much. But in the movie, it became a battle of integrity. Zhou Yu is portrayed to be a man of peace, a defender of country and family and lastly a honorable fighter. While Cao Cao is a man after world domination, lustful and treacherous in sending the epedemic across the battlefield. Sadly, the movie failed to convince. In twisting a situation of war into a platform to discuss peace, John Woo is doing nobody a service. We failed to marvel at the ingenuity of the book, and we fail to emphatise with the tragedy of war victims. Movies like Good Morning Vietnam and Black Hawk Down, with a down to earth descriptive story-telling, strangely gives more compelling cause to the bleakness of war.
Is there a lesson to be learnt here?
Wow33: Sometimes, the message is more compelling by being more descriptive than prescriptive. Let the facts speak for itself.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Advice on marriage
This is from Dooce:
"Our therapist has been paid a lot of money to teach us to tell each other,
hey, stop treating me this way,
you're not meeting my needs,
I feel this way when you act like that."
Those are 3 lines we should teach in every marital counseling.
"Our therapist has been paid a lot of money to teach us to tell each other,
hey, stop treating me this way,
you're not meeting my needs,
I feel this way when you act like that."
Those are 3 lines we should teach in every marital counseling.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
My favorite movie
To all my fans of this blog, my favorite movie of all times is Groundhog Day.
As I was searching for good movies on Rotten Tomatoes by year, I came to 1993 and found my favorite movie listed as one of the best of that year. I thought, "hmmm, let's see what the top critics think of it." 100% fresh, my friends. I couldn't agree more. But the most pleasant experience is reading how top critic Roger Ebert comment on this movie 15 years after he first critiqued on it. Check out his latest review.
In the 2008 Jubilee Youth Camp, one of the groups did a similar skit based on the same premise. It was still well rated, but I now understand what made the difference after reading Ebert's review.
As I was searching for good movies on Rotten Tomatoes by year, I came to 1993 and found my favorite movie listed as one of the best of that year. I thought, "hmmm, let's see what the top critics think of it." 100% fresh, my friends. I couldn't agree more. But the most pleasant experience is reading how top critic Roger Ebert comment on this movie 15 years after he first critiqued on it. Check out his latest review.
In the 2008 Jubilee Youth Camp, one of the groups did a similar skit based on the same premise. It was still well rated, but I now understand what made the difference after reading Ebert's review.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Question of the Day
Which is the bigger moral?
The morality of choosing life over death? or
The morality of choosing death so that another might live?
The morality of choosing life over death? or
The morality of choosing death so that another might live?
New Webcomic recommendations
I found a new hilarious Webcomic: Jesus and Mo
It is clever and insightful, and I firmly believe Christians can all do better not to take themselves too seriously.
Try this one:
It is clever and insightful, and I firmly believe Christians can all do better not to take themselves too seriously.
Try this one:
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Happy New Year
I'm back at work and slogging a project. It's not the best way to spend a holiday season, but I'm not complaining. Studying the word is always self-rewarding.
I have finished a book called Yes Man by Danny Wallace. It's funny and reflective and I think it's definitely worth a read. It's not too deep, but I think that's fine. It doesn't pretend to be complex and profound either. It is a good thought experiment with a good dash of fun added. Life can be as simple as that.
Two quotes:
Coincidence does not exist! La casualidad no existe!
Yes to Everything! Si a todo!
I have finished a book called Yes Man by Danny Wallace. It's funny and reflective and I think it's definitely worth a read. It's not too deep, but I think that's fine. It doesn't pretend to be complex and profound either. It is a good thought experiment with a good dash of fun added. Life can be as simple as that.
Two quotes:
Coincidence does not exist! La casualidad no existe!
Yes to Everything! Si a todo!
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