supper was so good(t) i nearly wana cry.
Continental instant soup with.......
a serving of bread from the dining hall topped off with......
ROMA TOMATOES!! They are so fresh i can cry...........
Roma tomatoes are fucking good!!! I think i am infatuated with those red weenies.
The trick is to cook it with slight low heat. IE, pour boiling water over them or cook them in hot water for no more than a minute. There should be a slight tear in the skin of the tomato, like a slit.
That is goodness.
Still have some chicken stock cubes left. Perhaps i will try making some beef in chicken stock with the rest of my roma tomatoes.
ROMA TOMATOES! I LOVE THEM!
Sunday, 23 September 2007
Saturday, 22 September 2007
Herb!!!
It just came to my mind all of a sudden.
An irrelavancy.........
OREGANO
oregano is a form of wild majoram.
The leaves are spicily sweet, very faintly peppery and the herb needs to be used carefully or it will dominate all but the strongest of flavours. IT can, for instance, survive the joint competition of olives, anchovies, and cheese. It can be used to advantage with grilled or roasted meats or aded, with discretion, to egg and cheese dishes, salads, dressings and to leafy green vegetables
- Jill Graham, Cooking with Herbs and Spices
I WANA COOK!!!!
An irrelavancy.........
OREGANO
oregano is a form of wild majoram.
The leaves are spicily sweet, very faintly peppery and the herb needs to be used carefully or it will dominate all but the strongest of flavours. IT can, for instance, survive the joint competition of olives, anchovies, and cheese. It can be used to advantage with grilled or roasted meats or aded, with discretion, to egg and cheese dishes, salads, dressings and to leafy green vegetables
- Jill Graham, Cooking with Herbs and Spices
I WANA COOK!!!!
Why i dont believe in God
All i will say here is based on my own personal experience. In my opinion this, more than anything, justifies my stance.
I cannot make myself believe in something i have never felt. 6 years in an environment that promotes the religion still is unable to make me convinced that there is someone up there, a soverign God and the whole message that christians preach. I've felt nothing and to me those who profess to be touched during chapel service are doing nothing more than inducing a state of euphoria onto themselves.
It is that simple. Statements like "but ur from FMSS/AC" and "Everybody goes to Church" and "But i dont want you to go to hell" have absolutely no effect on me. I dont subscribe to ur beliefs so why should i care.
To me this religion comes into conflict, DIRECT conflict with my identity. My identity as a Chinese. I have seen so many instances where christians are unable to make the distinction between RESPECT and RELIGION. Please, if your ancestors did not survive the hardships that they endured during the early years do you think you could wear your sunday best and attend those happening cell groups? No. You do not have to subscribe to the practices to Taosim or Buddhism to show respect to ur elders. IF you cannot make that distinction between the 2 R's, then you deserve to be struck by a thunderbolt.
( i have the utmost disdain for "deathbed preachers". theyre nothing but a bunch of losers, pretty much like vultures picking on scraps of carrion. they are utter TRASH. )
I can never understand why this religion is so fixated on the consequences of a fundamental and the afterlife. Is what happens to us when we die any more important than the way we conduct ourselves as people in our lifetimes? Why should this religion talk so much about the consequences of eternal life at the expense of our present actions?
And of course, i cannot subscribe to something that, in my opinion, is nothing more than a selfish, self-propagating ideology that justifies itself as worthy enough to replace ANY belief system an individual subscribes to.
Not to mention conflict- i've lost people dear to me because of religion, and i have had enough. I have seen families break up because of this "invisible friend" that claims power enough to beat down all other "invisible friends".
Is the worship of an invisible friend more important? Or is the way we treat our TANGIBLE friends and family more important? To me its obvious.
That is why i will never subscribe to it. I never will.
I cannot make myself believe in something i have never felt. 6 years in an environment that promotes the religion still is unable to make me convinced that there is someone up there, a soverign God and the whole message that christians preach. I've felt nothing and to me those who profess to be touched during chapel service are doing nothing more than inducing a state of euphoria onto themselves.
It is that simple. Statements like "but ur from FMSS/AC" and "Everybody goes to Church" and "But i dont want you to go to hell" have absolutely no effect on me. I dont subscribe to ur beliefs so why should i care.
To me this religion comes into conflict, DIRECT conflict with my identity. My identity as a Chinese. I have seen so many instances where christians are unable to make the distinction between RESPECT and RELIGION. Please, if your ancestors did not survive the hardships that they endured during the early years do you think you could wear your sunday best and attend those happening cell groups? No. You do not have to subscribe to the practices to Taosim or Buddhism to show respect to ur elders. IF you cannot make that distinction between the 2 R's, then you deserve to be struck by a thunderbolt.
( i have the utmost disdain for "deathbed preachers". theyre nothing but a bunch of losers, pretty much like vultures picking on scraps of carrion. they are utter TRASH. )
I can never understand why this religion is so fixated on the consequences of a fundamental and the afterlife. Is what happens to us when we die any more important than the way we conduct ourselves as people in our lifetimes? Why should this religion talk so much about the consequences of eternal life at the expense of our present actions?
And of course, i cannot subscribe to something that, in my opinion, is nothing more than a selfish, self-propagating ideology that justifies itself as worthy enough to replace ANY belief system an individual subscribes to.
Not to mention conflict- i've lost people dear to me because of religion, and i have had enough. I have seen families break up because of this "invisible friend" that claims power enough to beat down all other "invisible friends".
Is the worship of an invisible friend more important? Or is the way we treat our TANGIBLE friends and family more important? To me its obvious.
That is why i will never subscribe to it. I never will.
Friday, 21 September 2007
On Mega-churches and religion- namely CHRISTIANITY
CHRISTIANITY. With so much debate, people should just openly use that word.
It makes things so much easier instead of using the word 'religion' when concerns are very obviously levelled at this particular religion.
Shouldnt it? Why should anything be considered taboo?
Interesting snippets from the Forum today:
Peter Thompson:
AS AN international speaker and educator, I found Dr Lee Bee Wah's comments in her letter, 'Some mega churches affect students adversely' (ST, Sept 19), with regard to children being influenced by 'mega churches', a rather dangerous assertion which needs to be corrected......
(then he says.....)
............What would Dr Lee prefer, youths spending time learning about God or spending time at game arcades and gang gatherings which lead to rioting?
- y so defensive? arent you making an assertion urself? self righteous prick.
Teo Choon Liang:
I am a final-year university student attending what is presumably one of the 'rich' mega churches Dr Lee alluded to. While I sympathise with her feelings of 'losing' her loved ones, I find some of the assumptions and generalisations she made unfair. Firstly, while mega churches in Singapore are active in sharing their faith with the public, they do not target impressionable teenage schoolchildren. As with any religion, it is natural that as Christians we desire to share the joy of our faith with our friends and loved ones.
While church activities do take up time, as a cell-group leader I can vouch that never has the church sought to sow discord in families or influence teenagers to rebel against their parents.
- Causation does not imply correlation. But, what Dr Lee has pointed to is an obvious example of a CAUSATION. Can you say for sure that this is the case for ALL CHURCHES across the globe by the term you use as "the church"? Get your facts right, fat boy
Perhaps the most sensible article i read today is one that takes an impartial stance, by Mr Felix Ang Kok Hou. What he brings out is simple and gets the the basics. He writes:
Why Some people become "lost to Religion"
I REFER to Dr Lee Bee Wah's letter 'Some mega churches affect students adversely' (ST, Sept 19).
The problem with religion stems from the act of proselytising.
Get it into ur thick skulls. Nobody has any right to make another person believe what he does not want to. Leave it at that. One shoul always be given a rational choice of whether to believe or not to believe. This forms one of Dawkins' major arguments- the influence of religion on the young. As Mr Ang writes, "Young converts should investigate and experience for themselves whether the teachings make sense morally and how the teachings can make them better people. They should take note that most religious documents were written many years ago before history was recorded properly."
But how is it possible for kids to make that distinction? Striking them at their most impressionable? Underhand tactics, i say.
No matter how much religious people may preach about impartiality and freedom, it is but a bad faced lie. Religion that thrives on propagation will never be able to live in harmony with the world at large. It can NEVER be impartial, it can NEVER take a neutral stance. Ur either with them or against them.
One example of how religion is BIASED:
When i was in secondary school, i was told as a kid that i was REQUIRED to attend chapel service. BUT THE MUSLIMS ARE EXCLUDED. Where is the rationality behind that? Is being a Buddhist any less than a Christian or Muslim? Preferential treatment? What the FUCK man seriously. But my agitation at this is tempered by the fact that i DID MAKE A RATIONAL CHOICE to attend a christian school, so i cant really blame the school. BUT BUT BUT.....
WHY NOT THE MUSLIMS!!! ALLAH =/= GOD MEH? Shouldnt there be MORE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND THE QUARAN?
I dont get the logic or the inherent bias.
Then you say- but religion has so many merits and benefits! The moral values, the emotional comfort, etc.
Then i say- why should an ideology, a BOOK CHOSEN BY A COUNCIL OF MEN, be taken to its literal extent? Imagine this- centuries ago, the bible gets compiled, a series of books, of which books are CHOSEN for inclusion.
But i am digressing.
At the end of the day, i believe that religious emphasis should always be slanted towards a singular purpose, that is the development of MORAL values and positive attitudes.
NOTHING MORE
Anything more will only breed conflict
It makes things so much easier instead of using the word 'religion' when concerns are very obviously levelled at this particular religion.
Shouldnt it? Why should anything be considered taboo?
Interesting snippets from the Forum today:
Peter Thompson:
AS AN international speaker and educator, I found Dr Lee Bee Wah's comments in her letter, 'Some mega churches affect students adversely' (ST, Sept 19), with regard to children being influenced by 'mega churches', a rather dangerous assertion which needs to be corrected......
(then he says.....)
............What would Dr Lee prefer, youths spending time learning about God or spending time at game arcades and gang gatherings which lead to rioting?
- y so defensive? arent you making an assertion urself? self righteous prick.
Teo Choon Liang:
I am a final-year university student attending what is presumably one of the 'rich' mega churches Dr Lee alluded to. While I sympathise with her feelings of 'losing' her loved ones, I find some of the assumptions and generalisations she made unfair. Firstly, while mega churches in Singapore are active in sharing their faith with the public, they do not target impressionable teenage schoolchildren. As with any religion, it is natural that as Christians we desire to share the joy of our faith with our friends and loved ones.
While church activities do take up time, as a cell-group leader I can vouch that never has the church sought to sow discord in families or influence teenagers to rebel against their parents.
- Causation does not imply correlation. But, what Dr Lee has pointed to is an obvious example of a CAUSATION. Can you say for sure that this is the case for ALL CHURCHES across the globe by the term you use as "the church"? Get your facts right, fat boy
Perhaps the most sensible article i read today is one that takes an impartial stance, by Mr Felix Ang Kok Hou. What he brings out is simple and gets the the basics. He writes:
Why Some people become "lost to Religion"
I REFER to Dr Lee Bee Wah's letter 'Some mega churches affect students adversely' (ST, Sept 19).
It is a common sentiment shared by many people whose family members and friends are 'lost to religion'.
Many new converts to a religion become fascinated with its teachings, charismatic teachers and bonds of fellowship. It's as if the meaning of their lives has been discovered. They devote all their time and effort to study and practise their religion, often isolating themselves from non-believers. The isolations are sometimes deliberate because everything that happens outside their religious grounds and circles suddenly appears unholy. They do not want to be tempted into their previous state of lives. And families and friends find it difficult to dissuade them because religion is a personal choice.
Young converts should investigate and experience for themselves whether the teachings make sense morally and how the teachings can make them better people. They should take note that most religious documents were written many years ago before history was recorded properly. And many religious teachings were delivered orally during times with no modern technology to record the teachings. Many religious teachings were originally written in languages that are no longer used today. Meanings could be lost in translation since there were words available in certain languages and not in others. And finally the contexts in which the teachings were written were vastly different from today's. Cultural, ethnic, racial, social and political forces can shape the development of a religion.
It is also important for these converts to realise that moderation and not extreme zealotry is the better way to sustain them throughout their religious lives. I know people who suffer from 'religious fatigue' after a few years of extreme religious involvement. They eventually lose their faith and release their pent-up emotions on undesirable activities.
Religious extremists do not make good followers. They make terrorists. Major religions, when properly taught, extol good moral values. A good religious man should be able to live a full and integrated life with his faith as the foundation. A holy man is not simply one who walks on holy ground. He is one who can maintain his holiness on all grounds.
...........................................................................The problem with religion stems from the act of proselytising.
Get it into ur thick skulls. Nobody has any right to make another person believe what he does not want to. Leave it at that. One shoul always be given a rational choice of whether to believe or not to believe. This forms one of Dawkins' major arguments- the influence of religion on the young. As Mr Ang writes, "Young converts should investigate and experience for themselves whether the teachings make sense morally and how the teachings can make them better people. They should take note that most religious documents were written many years ago before history was recorded properly."
But how is it possible for kids to make that distinction? Striking them at their most impressionable? Underhand tactics, i say.
No matter how much religious people may preach about impartiality and freedom, it is but a bad faced lie. Religion that thrives on propagation will never be able to live in harmony with the world at large. It can NEVER be impartial, it can NEVER take a neutral stance. Ur either with them or against them.
One example of how religion is BIASED:
When i was in secondary school, i was told as a kid that i was REQUIRED to attend chapel service. BUT THE MUSLIMS ARE EXCLUDED. Where is the rationality behind that? Is being a Buddhist any less than a Christian or Muslim? Preferential treatment? What the FUCK man seriously. But my agitation at this is tempered by the fact that i DID MAKE A RATIONAL CHOICE to attend a christian school, so i cant really blame the school. BUT BUT BUT.....
WHY NOT THE MUSLIMS!!! ALLAH =/= GOD MEH? Shouldnt there be MORE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND THE QUARAN?
I dont get the logic or the inherent bias.
Then you say- but religion has so many merits and benefits! The moral values, the emotional comfort, etc.
Then i say- why should an ideology, a BOOK CHOSEN BY A COUNCIL OF MEN, be taken to its literal extent? Imagine this- centuries ago, the bible gets compiled, a series of books, of which books are CHOSEN for inclusion.
But i am digressing.
At the end of the day, i believe that religious emphasis should always be slanted towards a singular purpose, that is the development of MORAL values and positive attitudes.
NOTHING MORE
Anything more will only breed conflict
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Conversations
Some interesting conversations-
1- With my boss
(about her kid)
Me: Yeah wait another ten years and ure gona have a tough time
Boss: Yeah, with the boyfriends and girlfriends and everything
Me: Then ur gona get those calls from the principal and teachers.....
Boss: Well, thats whats its like. As long as they do the right thing, go to church and everything im okay. Do you go to church?
Me: Nah I don't
Boss: Thats interesting, everybody goes to church on sundays!
Me: (slightly amused) Well not me..............
2- At the dinner table, discussing a friend's girlfriend.
Me: Wa why so evil one
Friend 1: Really lah you ask him his gf dun like me.
Me: Why? What does she have against you? You too lao lan ah.
Friend: No lah cos i go temple. she hear i go temple then she (makes a disgusted motion with the hands) "eee" already.
Me: Huh? Wtf sia?
Friend: Really lah you ask him
Friend 2 is silent throughout.
1- With my boss
(about her kid)
Me: Yeah wait another ten years and ure gona have a tough time
Boss: Yeah, with the boyfriends and girlfriends and everything
Me: Then ur gona get those calls from the principal and teachers.....
Boss: Well, thats whats its like. As long as they do the right thing, go to church and everything im okay. Do you go to church?
Me: Nah I don't
Boss: Thats interesting, everybody goes to church on sundays!
Me: (slightly amused) Well not me..............
2- At the dinner table, discussing a friend's girlfriend.
Me: Wa why so evil one
Friend 1: Really lah you ask him his gf dun like me.
Me: Why? What does she have against you? You too lao lan ah.
Friend: No lah cos i go temple. she hear i go temple then she (makes a disgusted motion with the hands) "eee" already.
Me: Huh? Wtf sia?
Friend: Really lah you ask him
Friend 2 is silent throughout.
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
The "Island'' Theory and Pascal's Wager- Consequences of Believing in God
The "Island" theory
This comes from the show of its same name. It is the story about how two individuals escape a microcosm of society that they live in to discover that their society is nothing but a machination created by others. There are many similar science fiction movies with similar existensialist themes, such as the ever popular Matrix franchise, the Thirteenth Floor and Dark City.
This forms the basis for this theory-
How sure are we that the fabric of society as we know it is something that is, for sure, what it really is?
Translate the consequences of religious belief into this, and this is the result-
If we believe in God, but if the above statement holds true (reality as we know it is but a lie), then what can we say about our beliefs? Wouldn't everything we know to be true be nothing more than a fabrication? Can you accept, will you be willing to accept that everything you have believed in for your whole life is nothing but a big fat lie?
The majority of people, i take, would rather be swimming in a sea of blissful ignorance about the truth than accept it for what it truly is. That i would rather live a lie than be told of the awful truth. The best analogy of this would be the scene brought up in the Matrix- where you would rather eat the blue pill than take the hard truth of the red.
You would never stoop to even consider if what you believe in is flawed, but what if, just what if, it really is? Is it so difficult to imagine a life without God? Surely you have to understand that there are those who also find it difficult to believe, just as you cannot come to reconciliation as to why the whole world does not want to believe! I know for a start the muslims dont agree with you. y dont christians proselytise to them?
and i dont want you to go to hell LAH.............
Pascal's Wager
Therefore there is no loss. Correct?
Read those words carefully. "You go to heaven". "Your gain is infinite".
Can these two phrases be proved in any possible way?
What if you are living in a false reality? The concept of hell and heaven then is totally brought down by the sheer possibilities that can be wrought up.
This comes from the show of its same name. It is the story about how two individuals escape a microcosm of society that they live in to discover that their society is nothing but a machination created by others. There are many similar science fiction movies with similar existensialist themes, such as the ever popular Matrix franchise, the Thirteenth Floor and Dark City.
This forms the basis for this theory-
How sure are we that the fabric of society as we know it is something that is, for sure, what it really is?
Translate the consequences of religious belief into this, and this is the result-
If we believe in God, but if the above statement holds true (reality as we know it is but a lie), then what can we say about our beliefs? Wouldn't everything we know to be true be nothing more than a fabrication? Can you accept, will you be willing to accept that everything you have believed in for your whole life is nothing but a big fat lie?
The majority of people, i take, would rather be swimming in a sea of blissful ignorance about the truth than accept it for what it truly is. That i would rather live a lie than be told of the awful truth. The best analogy of this would be the scene brought up in the Matrix- where you would rather eat the blue pill than take the hard truth of the red.
You would never stoop to even consider if what you believe in is flawed, but what if, just what if, it really is? Is it so difficult to imagine a life without God? Surely you have to understand that there are those who also find it difficult to believe, just as you cannot come to reconciliation as to why the whole world does not want to believe! I know for a start the muslims dont agree with you. y dont christians proselytise to them?
and i dont want you to go to hell LAH.............
Pascal's Wager
- If God exists, you go to heaven: your gain is infinite.
- If God does not exist, you gain nothing & lose nothing.
- Therefore you should live your life as if God exists
Therefore there is no loss. Correct?
Read those words carefully. "You go to heaven". "Your gain is infinite".
Can these two phrases be proved in any possible way?
What if you are living in a false reality? The concept of hell and heaven then is totally brought down by the sheer possibilities that can be wrought up.
tsk
Some mega churches affect students adversely
I READ with deep interest the article, 'Drawing the line between Caesar and God' (ST, Aug 2).
I READ with deep interest the article, 'Drawing the line between Caesar and God' (ST, Aug 2).
The objection of one of the large independent churches in Singapore to complying with provisions in the draft code of governance for charities would logically provoke concern about its financial transparency. This is especially so as these are 'rich' churches, judging by their well-equipped premises and set-up. These circumstances bring to light another concern. Some of these 'mega churches' have relentless recruitment activities in many schools and junior colleges.
My friends and I have loved ones whose lives and attitude have changed after they joined these churches. They lose interest in schoolwork to the point of academic failure. Family time is curtailed drastically, and they stop attending family functions. Parental objections are ignored, family squabbles ensue and family harmony is disrupted. It's heartbreaking. It is like we have lost our children.
I write this not to impugn any religion, but to warn against the abuse of religion. Having had such traumatic experiences, I cannot remain silent. I hope this letter will serve as a warning to parents regarding such youth activities that may destroy their personal lives and family harmony.
Dr Lee Bee Wah
.......................................................
quotes quotes, verses verses verses.
save us the religious discourse and antiquated anecdotes please. can the entirety of society as a whole come to a consensus with what you believe so staunchly? people should keep their beliefs to themselves.
true, religion may give psychological comfort to those who accept its doctrines, but ultimately it is failure to draw the line between the public and the personal that has changed religion in this way.
i do not understand how a religion can be considered something beneficial if it has the sheer power to drive a wedge between the closest possible bond between people- a parent and a child. in the face of this, even the considerable influence of a church's monetary power and influence pales in comparison.
the sheer power of being able to influence the cognitive processes of a human being is one to be feared and to be treated with caution. this ideology is more powerful than the economy of a thousand mega churches banded together. this alone is something that is cause for alarm, and a trend that we see in society today.
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