Time Heals All Wounds

"Let's say you accidentally chop off your finger while preparing dinner. If you get to the doctor in time, the finger can be re-attached and there is a high chance you can regain most of the finger's functionality, albeit with a little scarring. However, if you leave it and take your time to get to the hospital, the finger becomes permanently severed and the damage thus becomes permanent."
By: Me

I know the above analogy is a little gory. It's actually a paraphrasing of an SMS I sent someone a few months ago, and I was trying to communicate a message, although I seriously doubt she got it.

The title-phrase is very familiar to all of us. Every time we face a huge setback, an immensely painful experience, or a failed relationship, we always tell this phrase to ourselves as a consolation. I'm very certain that ALL of us have used this before, and don't worry, there's no big deal.

I actually thought of the analogy in a very short time, definitely under a minute. I remember very vividly this story that my D&T teacher shared with us when I was Sec 1 or 2. Mr Benny Chng, that's his name, and I really respect him a lot. He was telling us how he was helping to chop the vegetables for a camp, and before he knew it, the chopping board was red: he sliced his thumb to the extent that it was still dangling, but almost severed. He was also sharing how his face turned pale with the loss of blood, but luckily for him, he was sent to a hospital in time and his finger was re-attached, except for some scarring. Maybe it looked something like this:

Source: http://pro.corbis.com

Yes yes, there's no way it could have looked like that because I remember what I said: T-H-U-M-B! That's for all the nitpickers out there! :D (Nice finger too, if you ask me!)

Coming back to the topic, I thought the analogy was very apt. Something happened between us, and the mutual relationship sustained quite some damage. Now, my opinion of a relationship between 2 people, whether it be a normal friendship or a romantic relationship, follows another common saying: it takes 2 hands to clap. Maintaining a relationship is my responsibility as much as it is yours, that's what I'm saying.

In that particular situation, I was trying my best to restore the relationship back to what it was. After all, things have happened, and we have to move on. However, in order to move on, certain issues should be addressed. Sure, things can get awkward or even embarrassing, but as mature adults, that is how I feel we should address the whole matter. We should be able to sit down, talk things out, iron out the problems and then proceed from there.

The response that I got was not very encouraging. I felt that while I was trying to make things right again, the impression I got was that she did not seem interested in doing her part. It seemed as though she just wanted to let things pass, and let time heal the wounds.

Yes, time DOES heal all wounds. I'm not disputing that nugget of wisdom, but think back to my analogy, and you'll find that it is not so much whether the wounds will heal, but the manner in which the wound heals!

Source: http://www.7art-screensavers.com

As I mentioned earlier, it takes 2 hands to clap. Just like the man who had his finger sliced off, he has to take good care of his cut-off finger, taking steps to preserve it, while at the same time heading to a hospital, where the doctors will take over and do their thing. See the mutual-responsibility at work here? Both the casualty and the hospital have to do their part. As a casualty, there's only so much I can do to help, but the doctor has to work to re-attach my poor finger!

Source: http://gizmondo.com

After months of thinking, and sharing my thoughts with friends, as well as getting their feedback, I think it's quite safe to say that many people don't realize the role they have to play as one party in a relationship. And I remind you, "relationship" in this case can mean friendship or a romantic relationship, but not limited to either. I certainly hope that as friends, none of you will have the mentality that "Oh, I didn't ask for this to happen, so why should I have to clean it up? It's your mess..."

Like it or not, when something happens, the responsibility falls to both parties, unless one party is clearly in the wrong, as in the case of adultery, murder or other such acts. I think this is something many of us have to recognize, especially as working adults. Yet, how many of us actually realize this?

Over the past 2 weeks, my Bible Study group was also on the topic of "Forgiveness", and my discussion leader, with his experience and wisdom, shared that there's no such thing as "forgive and forget", because we can never forget, especially if it is a heinous crime like murdering a family member. Rather, "true forgiveness" comes when there is no more bitterness in the heart, when we are no longer the slave of the pain and the anger.

Source: http://blogs.psychologytoday.com

In this particular case, the issue was dragged on indefinitely, despite my attempts to address the problem. I can't say that my impression of this friend has improved, but rather the opposite. A few mutual friends also share this "shake head" reaction when we talk about it. While I have no trouble forgiving this friend, I am just sorry that my impression of her has deteriorated so much, that my faith and trust in her has dropped by so much. If she had done something about it earlier, things wouldn't have turned out like this, and this is precisely the irreversible "permanent damage" that I'm talking about: I will never be able to look upon her the same way as before. So much for wanting things to be "the same as before" eh?

So yes, things have to move on. I still talk to her, communicate with her once in a while, but even if she chooses to address the issue now, the damage is already made permanent. The wound has closed up on the finger stub, and the nerve ends on the finger have already died, and I can only feel sorry for how things have reached this stage.

Are you in such a situation with a friend now? Are you doing anything to help the wound to heal with the finger intact?

"Like fireworks, this universe is a celebration..."

"Everything is created from moment to moment, always new. Like fireworks, this universe is a celebration and you are the spectator contemplating the eternal Fourth of July of your absolute splendor."
By: Francis Lucille

I thought this is a good quote for now. Indeed, fireworks is a major form of celebration, and I have had the wonderful opportunity of seeing 2 magnificent fireworks displays again.

First-off is the Closing Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Once again, China has proven that they will not go out without a bang, which also reminds me of another wonderful quote from the movie "Independence Day", but that's another time. The fireworks was nothing short of spectacular and jaw-dropping! It's really recent, so I doubt I can find the pictures to prove it, but I think you will be seeing it shortly.

Indeed, the Olympics is a celebration of human ability. This Games, we have seen wonderful athletes like Usain Bolt and the greatest Olympiad thus far, Michael Phelps. It has also seen many world and Olympic records broken, as mentioned by IOC President Jacque Rogges. Of course, we Singaporeans will also remember this as the Games where we won our second Olympic medal, our first one post-independence! Once again, congratulations to Team Singapore!

Secondly, this happened yesterday. Unless you haven't been reading the newspapers, and your friends are really not speaking to you, and you might even be one of those staking out near Marina Bay trying to catch a glimpse of the show, I'm talking about the Singapore Fireworks Celebrations 2008!

Source: Me

This was the performance by the South Korean team. The French team was performing on Friday, and I somehow thought that would have been better, but the tickets I got (Thanks Dad!) were for Saturday's show, and I can't really complain. It's still better than nothing.

I've always loved fireworks, so I guess that makes me more normal, like the rest of you, haha! It could be the explosions, the bright colors in the night sky, the amazement of the patterns, the choreography, or maybe everything added together.

But one thing I've noticed, choreography seems to be an optional package, especially for our NDPs! Haha! I've seen extremely well-choreographed displays, like Hong Kong Disneyland and previous Fireworks Celebrations/Festivals, and I still think that NDP has much to learn. Maybe it's the budget... it's ALWAYS about the budget...

But enough talk for now, on with the show:

Link: My Photobucket Album

It was still drizzling then the display started, and thanks to the combination of water and soot from the gunpowder explosion, the rain turned black... yes... BLACK RAIN! Didn't help that I was wearing a WHITE tee... glad my mini-umbrella came in useful! Haha!

However, in my opinion, I still felt that last year's display by China was much better! Somehow the Korean display lacked the grandeur, or the multi-bursts and simultaneous flashes that never fails to awe. To prove my point, here's one picture from last year's:
It's a little blur, but you can see the rest of it here:

Link: 2007 Singapore Fireworks Celebrations Photobucket Album

I actually have more to write, but maybe next time, yes?

世上只有妈妈好

世上只有妈妈好
有妈的孩子像个宝
投入妈妈的怀抱
幸福享不了

To my non-Chinese readers, the above, along with the title, is a Chinese nursery rhyme praising motherhood, saying that children with mothers are like treasures, and when in your mother's hold, happiness is plentiful.

I'm also quite surprised that I chose such a simple phrase for tonight's post. This is a song that many of us have sang since we were young, in nursery or kindergarten, maybe even before that. I was about to write about my state of affairs, but I found something more meaningful to write about this evening.

I actually just got back from visiting a friend. Her twin 1-year-old sons were warded at KK Hospital for quite a range of ailments. A common friend asked me along, and I thought I'd drop by to see how she's coping.

Just to give you some background: This friend of mine is my age, so you know she's not that old. She's a young mother, and is bearing quite a heavy responsibility at such a young age (whoever said taking care of 2 baby boys is easy?). We've actually known each other for quite a while because of common activities, and she confides in me sometimes, before her marriage, but that's not to say we're very close too.

The sight when I first got there was quite shocking. She was there alone, having to take care of both her sons. She was looking rather exhausted, having to take leave from her nursing job for the past 5 days to take care of her sons, which is really quite a handful. When she carries one, the other starts crying, so she has to swap between the two, and both don't like it when she sits down while carrying them.

Throughout the whole duration I was there, I didn't see her husband around. Quite unusual, seeing that 2 of his sons are admitted into hospital, and I seriously doubt the SAF holds regulars back any later than 7pm! I seriously doubt he even called his wife to inform her about his whereabouts, nor ask about the latest updates on the boys, but let's not discuss this for now.

While we were talking to the mother, she said one thing that made me know she had really embraced motherhood. Her words to me were something along the lines of "I don't ask for much, all I want is for my sons to be well. Seeing them in this stage really breaks my heart."

Yeah yeah, I know some of you may be saying this is very cliche, but I think it's really a different experience seeing someone I know as a friend say this to me. For her, being a young mother is not easy. She had to give up a lot of opportunities and possible-experiences to take up this heavy responsibility. Whilst many of us are still out there enjoying our singlehood, making the best of our paychecks behind bar counters, here is someone who has joined the ranks of those in another phase of life.

And that got me thinking, is motherhood really that much of a life-changing experience as they all say it is? This is truly one of the most personal experiences I have had with an individual I knew pre- and post-expectancy. Well, I've seen many of my cousins growing up, getting married and having kids, but I can't say I know them very closely as a friend, although I have observed some of these transition signs.

It does lead one, especially a single person, to wonder. I obviously don't have the opportunity to know how my own mum was like before she became a mother, but I have seen the many sacrifices she has made over the years bringing us up. Of course she's not the best in everything she does, but she still scores beyond an A+ for effort. And then I ponder upon the need for a second Sunday every year in May to be declared a special day to honour mothers... Isn't every day already a Mother's Day? And that leads me to my concluding thought:

When was the last time, if ever, that you truly and sincerely thanked your own mother for every single thing she has done for you?

"Cool Runnings"

"Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time! COOL RUNNINGS!"
By: Sanka Coffie (Doug E. Doug in "Cool Runnings")

Source: Wikipedia

A very appropriate quote at this time. In this 1993 movie, the titular quote "Cool Runnings" is said to mean "Peace be the Journey".

This delightful comedy is very suitable for most occasions. It's too bad I don't remember who I lent my DVD to, because I can't find it! Argh!!!

The story tells of 4 Jamaicans trying to make it for the Bobsledding event in the Winter Olympics. One thing you have to know: Jamaica is a tropical country and doesn't snow. Their journey to the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada is indeed hilarious and I do not wish to spoil any of it for you. As with many other "real-life" movies, it's quite loosely-based and not entirely factual, but it still makes for good entertainment.

But it's still an inspiring performance. The determination and the dreams of young individuals who have high aspirations mirror many of us. Like us, the team faced much rejection along the way, including being ridiculed and having to raise their own funds to compete. Yet all they needed was a single opportunity, and they were granted this chance.

It's just like how we are looking for that simple chance to come along, right? Sometimes we just hope that someone will take a leap of faith and trust us with an opportunity. And even if the opportunity is granted, we may face other challenges that take us out of our comfort zone.

What happens then? We are faced with something unfamiliar and "unusual", and this of course provides for the numerous belly-hugging moments of the movie, but our real lives may not be this enjoyable. It takes a lot of courage to move along, despite the resistance faced. Many of us may not even end up where we want to be, but an important part of sportsmanship, of the Olympic spirit, is that we must "finish the race". In the end, as in the titular quote, the journey is an important part of the experience and indeed, "Peace be the Journey" to us all!

Source: www.granitegrok.com

The Olympic dream has a strong significance. It symbolizes the pursuit of excellence, a key human quality. To be the best we can, to push the limits of human achievement and ability. So this leads me to congratulate our Women's Table Tennis Team at the Olympics. It is indeed a proud moment for Singapore and the country is proud of the 3 ladies, helping us to earn our first Olympic medal since Tan Howe Liang in 1960, which makes this Singapore's first medal since independence!

I think regardless of all the talk and debate about our sportsmen and sportswomen, no one can deny that we are feeling proud to be called Singaporean at this time.

How will your own "Olympic journey" be like?

"You can't direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails"

By: German Proverb

Oh what a very apt quote for my current situation. I'm sure each of us has gone through a crazy time in life, when we feel that things are just going haywire and that situations are spiraling out of control...

At every point in life, we may not be able to see our directions clearly. Even more so for the younger ones like myself. We want to move forward, to make full use of our youthful energy, zest and enthusiasm to achieve the best that we can. But how often do we know what is the path to walk?

I remember something that my dad told me when I was starting my job search: We never start at where we want to be. More often than not, we bump around here and there for years, while slowly drifting towards where we are supposed to be.

Along the way, that's where many of us seek guidance. We turn to friends, family members, bosses, and even to religion for answers. However, at the end, the decision is still in our hands. When the world is collapsing around you, what will you choose to do?

My dad was again sharing his experience with me earlier: In everything, we must always have our Plan B. Sadly, there's no such thing as "company loyalty" in this modern world. No company will consistently put your interests above theirs. As such, no matter how selfish it is, we have to maintain our own way out.

As part of a group, there should be a Plan B, an option to exercise when things don't go according to expectations. We can't expect everything to be smooth-sailing always, it would be naive to do so. As individuals, we also need to maintain our own Plan B. The plans of the larger group may not always be in-line with our own interests. Of course, I'm not saying that we should rebel against corporate structures. As an employee, it is YOUR JOB to protect the interests of the company... while you're still employed.

What I'm saying is that we should not wait for the organisation to think for us, because very often, they won't. The entity with the greatest interest in your own life is you and you alone. If so, what's to stop us for planning for ourselves? Why SHOULDN'T we plan for ourselves? Should we not direct our sails in the direction which we want to move towards?

Now that we've established that, it brings us back to the beginning. Many of us are still drifting around, not knowing our directions in life, floating from A to B, then B to C...

Source: http://www.schattauersails.com

The real challenge then presents itself:
Where do you want to adjust your sails towards today?

"Life is but a dream"

By: Eliphalet Oram Lyte (credited) in the song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"

I bet many of you didn't link this common phrase to one of the first songs we learned to sing in our lives, but maybe that's where the line many people commonly use is planted in us.

But first of all, Happy 43rd Birthday to Singapore!
A job well done to all RCY volunteers who participated, as well to every other participant. I thought the whole thing was much better than last year's (when I was involved), and definitely spectacular. I think the impressive fireworks display must have been due to some pressure from a slightly earlier celebration, which brings me to...

Congratulations to Beijing on a smooth Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games!

Source: Mangalorean.com

I rushed home after my meeting to watch it. Definitely a grand spectacle, and their fireworks is fantastic! I have never seen such a wide area of fireworks before, not to mention the continuous bursts! I almost thought that a single salvo is equivalent to our entire NDP fireworks budget, but thankfully, this year's NDP ExCo failed to make my statement true.

So anyway, back to the topic: Life is but a dream. Sometimes we do feel that way, don't we? For better or worse, in happiness and sadness (OK, that's maybe a nightmare instead), joy and sorrow...

Some people take life to be like a dream, just cruising by and not paying much attention to things happening around them. Others take life to be a dream that gives them the opportunity to achieve, to be what they want to be. Yet there are also others who literally dream through life, dreaming about the people they could have become, the things they could have achieved...

Each of us differs in our opinion of this line. There are some who outright say that life is NOT a dream, even many times in the movies. And there are those who are like me, people who feel that Life is the dream where you make things happen, where you define the boundaries and the limits of your own potential, where you are able to determine the extent to which you can make a difference.

What sort of dream do you want your life to be?

"I'm building my city people, on rock 'n' roll!"

By: Arthur (Justin Timberlake in "Shrek The Third")

OK, this is something not many people know: I like Dreamworks and Pixar animations. In fact, I got most of their movies on DVD (yes, including Shrek The Third). For Dreamworks, my favourites are Shrek and Madagascar (to be precise, only the Penguins!). For Pixar, basically ALL except for "Cars" and "A Bug's Life". The crappy thing is "Cars" is the second movie after "Toy Story" to have a sequel.

Now I won't say this is a very fantastic quote, but basically an opening for Rock 'N Roll! Haha! Been into retro + Rock&Roll music recently. It started with "Paradise City" (Guns N Roses), then suddenly at my colleague's wedding on Saturday, my table was talking about the oldies, and my manager wrote me a list of oldies songs to search for, so that's where hits like "Together Forever" (Rick Astley) and "Love in the First Degree" (Bananarama) came up!

I don't really like modern English songs. I don't like the lyrics, neither can you even hear the lyrics properly. Somehow, I think all of us have an affiliation with the songs that we grew up with. I heard many of these retro hits when I was a small boy, waaaaayyyyyy before MOST of you knew me.

One of the conclusions we arrived at that table was that when you reach a certain age, your taste in music is confined, boxed-up. We won't really listen to new songs as openly as before, but rather, we won't mind just replaying "the good stuff", which is based a lot on the era which we grew up, and our own personal preferences. That's where our MP3 players are just filled with that range of songs.

And very soon, we'll find our "good stuff" playing on Gold90.5 / Capital 95.8

To end off, bringing things back to full circle: Hands up, who wants a sequel to "The Incredibles" instead of "Cars II"?

Children of Heaven

Thanks to this bout of free time I've been having lately, I managed to watch the movie "Children of Heaven" just now. No, it's not a movie about religion, it does not even have anything to do with religion! It has won quite a number of awards, such as the "Best Picture & Audience Award" at the Montreal Film Festival (seen in poster) and was the first Iranian film to be nominated for the "Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film" in 1999.

Source: Wikipedia

I find it a very beautiful movie. It illustrates the innocence of children and the simplicity and pureness of thought that they possess, uncorrupted by "adult practices" and ways of the world. Its Iranian origin (yes... Iranian) also highlights its simplicity, given that Iran isn't a very modern country. I shan't say too much because I seriously recommend you watch this movie!

Synopsis: A young boy accidentally loses the shoes of his younger sister. Due to a lack of family resources, they are unable to buy another pair for the girl, and both siblings end up sharing a pair of shoes, until the brother finds a way to acquire a new pair of shoes.

Sounds familiar? Then you may have been quite a supporter of local cinema because this is 90% similar to the plot of...

Source: Wikipedia

For the record, "Homerun" was BASED on "Children of Heaven"... not the other way around. I don't see why the Iranians have to plagiarize Jack Neo's work, haha!

I thought the title of the movie was very thought-provoking. My first reaction was "Why heaven?" It's not a religious film, so why invoke the terminology? Then it struck me, it's not pointing to any religion in particular. Not Christianity, not Islam (seeing that it's Iranian)... Rather, it's trying to say that children are created innocent and pure by nature. Every child is born fresh into this world, none are born evil or scheming (OK, I know not everyone will agree with this, but I believe majority hold this view).

This reminds me of my primary and secondary schools' motto (yup, affiliated schools): Pure & Honest. I suppose the heart of purity and honesty is indeed rare to come by these days, but it is indeed a wonderful thing to have. Despite the frailties of the world and all our concerns, shouldn't we aspire to have such a heart?


What would be your definition of "Children of Heaven"?

"I find your lack of faith disturbing."

By: Darth Vader (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)

(Cue "The Imperial March")
Well well well... One of the most famous villains of all time (ranked No.3 in AFI's 100 Heroes and Villains). Movie fan or not, you're bound to have heard who this "asthmatic" guy in the black suit and the flowing cape is.



Of course, this line can sometimes be heard from religious zealots, but let's not go there, shall we? :D

I think most people will be mesmerised by this character. In the History Channel documentary "Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed", Film critic Elvis Mitchell has this to say about the character of Darth Vader:

"He owned everything.Everybody was afraid of him. What kid isn't seduced by the idea of COMPLETE fearlessness?"

I think everyone's thrilled by the idea that we can do things and not give a damn about what other people think. This thought is probably just as thrilling as being able to go back in time and change something. Very much like a childhood fantasy that all of us had at some point or other.

Underneath that simple line, the message is conveyed: "I don't care what you think, I just don't like it and I'm going to let you KNOW I don't like it."

Don't you want the opportunity to say/do something without fearing the consequences?

"I find, that if I just sit down to think, the solution presents itself!"

By: Professor Henry Jones (Sean Connery in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusdae")

Ahh... Welcome back to the movies! Indiana Jones is another 1 of my fave trilogies! Sure we've had Lara Croft along the way, but no one beats good ol' Indy, that's why there's the fourth movie that came out, although that messed up the Indy vibe a little...

And yes, Sean Connery! Other than his most famous role as James Bond, the legendary Sir Sean has also had many iconic roles, one of which is the aforementioned. There's a reason why "The Last Crusade" is a strong fan-favorite, and that's due to the wonderful Chemistry between Harrison Ford and him as father-and-son.


Oh yeah, I almost forgot, back to the WORDS! Haha! (Fanboy here, as you can see)

I couldn't find the clip on Youtube, so I guess only those of you who have seen the countless reruns on TV or who have the DVD are able to remember it. It's one of the more comical moments in the show, when the Joneses were trying to escape from the castle, but were trapped. Indy's searching frantically, but Jones Sr. just decided to plonk his rear on a chair, which turned out to be the switch to the much-needed escape route.

Sometimes we are so preoccupied with problem-solving, with firefighting, that we tend to forget the bigger things. Some of us get quite tense, and the focus is just on that problem itself that we fail to pull ourselves back and utilise other resources to fit into the picture. During NS, we call a person like this a "kan-jiong spider". For those who are wondering, that's the source of the infamous "F**k spider" that enciks always use.

In such cases, when we rush into things, and in the midst of our panic and hassle, we're just not able to think clearly, right? Logical solutions come through peaceful reasoning of the facts presented, which is NOT the situation if you're jabbing furiously on the huge red button below:


Do you tend to be more like Henry Jones Sr. or like a "kan-jiong spider"?

Luke 9:25

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
- Luke 9:25

I'm trying my best not to put 2 Bible verses in a row... But I read this "accidentally" while doing my Bible Study today, and it doesn't take much to see how generic this verse actually is.

I was sharing with Yongkai and KT the other day: now that we are working, what else are we doing with our lives?

Surely we have to do something, right? Or else our life will just be full on monetary pursuits and fretting over our jobs and careers, mean bosses and that nifty little gadget (for gentlemen) or that awesome (insert favourite brand) handbag (for the ladies)...

For me, I chose to do more with my spiritual and social life. Over the past years, I've done a fair bit of volunteering, cooped up with studies (not that I did very well in school), and am now in the workforce.

Just like in proper asset allocation (sorry, 职业病), it is always advisable to diversify our assets across multiple asset classes (ya-da-ya-da). For the layman, the previous sentence means "Don't put your eggs in 1 basket".

Life is so vast, with so many things to do. We're young, energetic, eager to see the world and experience what it has to offer. Why then are many people just being cooped up in a narrow view to earn money? But there's also a Chinese saying that goes "钱不是万能，但没有钱却是万万不能" (translation: money isn't everything, but money is also a necessity).

How far will you go before you start to be afraid of losing your soul? Or will you simply sink into the abyss without knowing it at all?

2 Timothy 4:3

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
- 2 Timothy 4:3

I'm trying to diversify the source of my quotes here, so I hope I'm not offending anyone by quoting from the Bible. I'm a Christian, so that's one book I should be very familiar with, right?

This verse really struck me. I came across it during my 1st week of BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and it left a strong impact on me.

The topic for that week was of Jesus' parables and how believers are mixed with non-believer and false believers, until the End of Days when we are judged.

Referring to my previous post about looking for teachers, I think this is very apt to introduce this verse (or quote, if you like) here. When looking for the person to seek guidance from, are we really learning the right thing?

This reminds me of that Gold 90.5 commercial from sometime back:


Many times, we just choose the things we like to hear, which the commercial shows to a very entertaining extent. How then are we making sure that what we learn is what we OUGHT to learn?

At work, we more than often tend to ignore our boss' advice. Many of us prefer a boss who can sayang us, tell us good things, even though we know we're not performing. On the contrary, people hate bosses who like to kick their arses around.

I'm not here to judge, and situations do differ from one person to another, but the thinking point here is "Could he be doing the right thing by kicking my arse?" Sometimes, we just need a push. A push to get ahead, a push to move up, a push to better ourselves. Just a push.

Of course, we prefer this push comes from people we like, friends, family, spouse/significant other, but how about the people we don't like (eg. many of our bosses)? They could be doing the right thing for us, just that maybe perhaps we fail to recognise it?

Back to the Biblical implication. This is a warning about our individual faith, and how we fail to place seeking God as the foremost goal. When this happens, people turn away from the true Word and listen to what they want to listen.

There are many debates out there, especially among the Christian community. Some may be viewed as being secular by having rock concerts as worship sessions, some claim traditional churches are too strict in their traditions that they do not conform to the Word, quite a lot of finger-pointing, if you ask me... But who's to judge? You? Me? Or should we defer judgement to a higher entity?

Christian or not, what about yourself? Are you the type who listens only to what/who you choose to listen to? How open-minded are you really?