edited by Chrisjvk
Everyone has dreams. Be it to be one of the
Power Rangers when we are all young, or to be a *put in your ambition here* when we all grow up. It doesn’t really
matter what your dreams are, as long as you believe in it. You know, you don’t
even need to achieve it. Just let them be your dreams. Something that you can
dream on.
Here is my wishlist.
1.Be a Professional Gamer
I have always wanted to be a professional
gamer. When I mean professional, I mean getting paid for that. It is a carreer.
Well, more like make a living with something I really like. There are world
championships for e-sports. They aint so common in SEA but in North America and
Europe they are. Imagine you are sitting on 1 of the 5 chairs, with your own
personal keyboard, mouse and headgears, controling your hero with all your
gadgets while the crowd can see how well you perform on the big big screen.
League of Legends. Oh. Every single teamfight, team save, tower push will
thrill the crowd. You are gonna make decisions wthin seconds, and every good
call of yours will lead to cheers from
the crowd. And yourself of course. Fast reactions, fast actions, fast fingers.
All these just show you are a quick witted guy. They are just like other
international sports games. You need to practise, and you need to deal with
pressure. How you behave is how far you gonna bring yourself. But this is one
of the dreams that will never come true. I guess.
2.Experience
the Winter
I have never touched a snowflake before.
Never. Even my mum had the chance to
experience it but not me. How much I wish that just one day, I can throw
away all the burdens and just go on backpack travelling. Have like 1 week of break and just immerse myself in snow. And
take good pictures of the snowy pine trees. Oh, snowball fight anyone?
3.Be a
pilot
To be honest, I had this dream because
being a pilot lets me travel for free. I
had this ambition sooo long ago. And the naïve(used to be) me thinks that it
would be awesome if my wife is an airhostess, then we can travel+work together.
How cool is that. Oh well. Dream and reality are always so far apart.
4. Be
in a state badminton team
This is a regret, not a dream I guess. Gave
up training 8 years ago just so that I have more time for other activities. But
now (like 8 years later) I find that I really have passion in badminton. But
its too late to train for competitive plays. Recreational maybe.
5.To
serve missionary in Kenya for 1 year.
This is the only dream that is still
achievable I guess. I do not know whether this is a call, but I think serving
missionary in Africa can really change me, or to be exact, humble me. Looking at how I am
such a netizen, even living without internet connection will kill me. So going
to Kenya is different. You deal with patients, and refugees. Those sick and
disabled will let me know how rich I am, and I ought to be contented. Dear
Lord, louder call please.
Here and then I do pick up new dreams, or
rather small goals. And along the way I do drop them off. Frankly I tell you,
dear readers, I have never achieved anything glorious. Nothing. But one thing I
am sure – through day dreaming, I do find values in me. And this process shapes
me. Sometimes I just think it is good to let your imagination go wild, though
after that you will still have to face the cruel reality.
Having that said, I’ve never worried about
my future, cos someone has already taken good care of it for me.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the
Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future” Jeremiah29:11
Rest assured plan. This is my wonderful
Lord. Dreams? I can dream, but it’s the Lord who's gonna make it for me.
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD
determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9
I have always wanted to write a post on KEWOC, but never had the time until recently. This is a quite a long post, for I am expressing my gratitude to 21 people. You can skip and jump to the person that you want to read, or if you do have time you are welcome to read'em all. Some of them are quite personal, so pardon me for that.
A sincere thank you to all the KEWOCers:
Wai Kit
You are one of the most capable leader/head that I have ever met. You do things clean and neat. I have total confidence in letting you deal with the logs and of course, money. I really want to apologize for the incident of the first dry run, which caused trouble for you and your logs team. I really had a good time with you in the Penang trip, and hell yeah, I WON IN BLANKET PULLING. :) All the best for your floorball aye!
Sorry for squeezing your butt all this while xD
Yan Yi
My dear marketing head. You proved yourself a hardworking, dedicated person by continuously looking for sponsors for KEWOC. I can never forget the happy and satisfied expression that showed on your face every time you managed to get one more company to sponsor to our project. OUR GOODIE BAG IS FULL OF STUFFS YO. I must say you and your team did a good job in this.You are a person who thinks far into the future. You can foresee problems lying under the surface that others can't. But at the same time you are always worried for the things (which may not even happen) in the future. Take a chill pill, enjoy life and be a philanthropic tai tai :)
Hou Yan Yi ah.... zuomok?
Meng Hwee
Dont worry about the results of Flag Day. You have put in your best effort, and I do understand your stand towards funds collection activity. Night cycling was a blast too! Everyone enjoyed that event. I think you will excel in something if you are interested in it - you are such a meticulous person ; I can tell from the way you paint your gundam models :) Jia you in Hall Play set buildings!
Fate/Zero ending sucks right? xD
Celine
No word describe you better than "workaholic". You are very fast and efficient in doing work. Whatever I asked you to do, you never failed to complete it. Thank you for helping me with all the emails and also the receipts bookkeeping. I am still wondering how on earth you managed to remember each and every freshmen's check in details AND their room number. Next time, don't bug people to do work at 1am k?
3 throws of Celine - Throw her food, she will eat; throw her work, she will do; throw her your bag, and she will carry it for you :)
Annisa
I never expected that you would agree to be the programmes head when I first approached you. Together we discussed about the direction of KEWOC, and, of course, together we reminisced about the moments we had together for KEWOC last year. This year's KEWOC was a success, and you, as a programmes head, do deserve credit. You led the programmes team well, and I think all 9 of them like you as head. Uh oh, if one day you can't walk, stop telling jokes for they are too lame. Stop trolling others!
RAKUN on the war path! OMPA OMPAPA SHIT JUST GOT REAL
Zachary
We did not have the chance to really talk to each other until we went to get our hair cut together. There you told me your heroic stories in the army. You pointed out the things that I should improve on, especially in leadership qualities. You boasted to me how your encik is a leader by example, a high rank officer who is able to be humble enough to mingle with the lower rank peeps. You introduced to me some of the local colloquial that is used in Singapore. You explained to me why certain people behave one way while others don't. You do challenge authority sometimes, yet you are willing to help when s serious problem really occurs. You can rara the crowd. You are one of the "carriers" of KEWOC. . Other than my gratitude, I really salute you for who you are.
Play LoL together next time. No jio me, I flare you.
Liangxun
You taught me a lot of things. You showed me the proper way of how to run a camp. You tried to teach me how to be the "clown". You showed me some other qualities of good leader. In fact, the skill that I wanted to learn from you is photography, but aiyah, never had the time. I am really glad that you took up the MEDIA X head. The photo shoot quality is REALLY GOOD. Thanks for the coverage! And help me to say thank you to your Media members also. One thing I must say, you revived the entire KE Media. :)
And I will never forget the 亚麻爹 joke :)
Cheryl
Love to call you Zu-er. You have always been the sunshine girl in KEWOC. You always present yourself with a big grin on your face. You, too, taught me how to technically run a camp. Trust me, beach day was fun. You and Liangxun organized it very very well. Shucks for the rain, but still a job well done! Anyway, jiayou for your touch rug k!
Will continue to call you Zu-er.
Melissa
MELCHEE92. Thank you for lending me your shoulder when I am sad. You have always been sweet. You always comfort me when I am down. And whenever I have problems and start emo-ing, you will be there to chat with me. Though sometimes you may not be able to solve my problem, you never fail to cheer me up. Thank you Mel, for being such a good friend. AND I PROMISE, NEXT TIME IT WILL BE OUT OF NUS. *bro fist*
Girls who play computer games ROCK.
Siying
The only impression I have of you is that you have always been a GODLIKE programmer since more than 2 years ago. So much so that the PDF template that we are using now is from you! Well, I also want to apologize that I have been inconsistent about the block day thingy. To wrap everything up, I still think you are a godlike programmer :D
Thanks for the all the tips in BGR :D
Adela
I find that you're actually a talented girl. You can dance well. And for things that you put effort into, most of time it will turn out well. There are probably misunderstandings here and there between you and me, but I do hope that all of them are resolved - wait - I still have to work under you for 1 year in block com! I have to say sorry for the conflicts in FDC. Everyone has emotions; we just need to learn how to control them; and make sure they don't override our rationale. Jia you Adela. E block is quite happening this year.
One E to Rule'em all.
Sue Yuin
阳光美少女！I find your effort to help to save the environment by reducing the consumption of meat to be very interesting. Now I know that consumption of 1kg of meat will indeed produce 1.4kg of carbon dioxide. It is also interesting to know that both of us are the only 2 Malaysians in KEWOC. Play badminton together next time? and one thing - YOU ARE NOT FAT at all, trust me.
to quote Siying : 阳光99，活力久久！
Jing Jia
I have never met someone who can laugh so loud! I didn't really know you well before KEWOC, but sooner or later I found out (sadly) that you actually have the same "frequency" as I do! All the lame jokes that I tell you can pick up quickly, and in fact you can tell LAMER jokes than I can! I really enjoyed the times when both of us could sit down and talk nonstop! :) and can you cook noodles again? They are super tasty! :)
Have fun living together with the messsy HonQi for 1 more year :P
Yasmin
I have always had the wrong impression of you. I always thought you were the playful type of person, until time spent together with you proved me wrong. You are a person who is very sensitive towards the emotional changes of people around you. You are able to pick up signals when someone around you is in a foul mood. I wish I had that ability. You do care for your friends. It really shocked me when I saw you donating money to the old man when we were on the Penang trip. Just wanna thank you for listening to all my problems, and also the advice given - if you still remember what the advice was. :D
Yasmin action number 1 - TAP YOUR CHIN.
Aloysius
It is indeed an asset to take you in the team, though you joined us late. I really appreciate your help and effort in helping the programmes team. You have good initiative and hardworking. I like the way you ran your programmes - you wrote down things in detail and everything was so idiot proof. It may cause some constraints, but well, this is your way of doing work. I guess Yan Yi also felt relieved when you joined her team. You reduced her work load by a lot, I guess? Forgive me for keep calling you "sister", and all the best for JCRC. Our welfare is now in your hands :)
Open a new course. ALO 1101. I can be your tutor.
June
Whenever I asked for opinions/suggestions, the only reply that you would give is "okay lah". And I like to tap your forehead! Next time don't simply throw your slippers around, and don't kick my ass!!! Good job in logistics! Join handball yeah! The female team needs you!
I know what to buy to treat you already. PAPAYA! :D
Jax
The only impression I had about you before KEWOC started was that you were a handball player last year. I didn't really get to know who you were until KEWOC gave me the chance. Sorry to HonQi, JJ and June, but I must say AMONG THE FOUR you are indeed the most 乖(good girl) and honest one. HAHAHA. You will never troll others (not that I know), and you don't facejack others like the other 3 do. Good job in helping with the logistics. Sorry for the first dry run. Jia you for softball ah!
and I will never forget that you said "I don't think He will mess me up like that." - if you still remember what is this. xD. Thanks ah.
Wee Yang
You have been quiet all this while, but I am glad that sometimes you do open up and say things to me. I had fun checking in your brother, WHO LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE YOU. I am indeed surprised about the fact that you are a salsa dancer and practice martial arts! Do come down and join other activities k! Have fun running the Culture Com!
Never knew that you are "COOL AND MYSTERIOUS".
Gerald
Second year of joining KEWOC, and again, you volunteered yourself to handle the webtech. I really appreciate that you were willing to sacrifice your working time to help me. The KE official webpage is an awesome one. I guess nobody else could have done a better job than you (or even been willing to take it on). No one can teach me better about computer stuffs than you. Sorry for bugging you whenever my rooted phone has problems, or when my MBP is not able to boot!
Teach me PHP one day, maybe? :)
Jen
I can never forget the day that you drew the flag for Velox and Regalix. Your drawing and painting stunned me. Amazing artwork. That was the very first time I knew there was an exchange student who came from the States.You are the first one to introduce to me what is Hulu and Netflix. Of course, I am amazed not only at your art, but also at your efficiency in doing work. Email sent at 2.05 pm, got a reply at 2.08pm. I miss the time praying together with you! Keep this going, and your virtues(and wisdom and knowledge from God) will allow you to pursue further and higher achievements in life.
and I know you go clubbing everyday every Wednesday.
And lastly, to my dear vice-head of KEWOC, Hon Qi
You are the person who worked closest with me. You shared my problems. Knowing you used to be a leader with high calibre, it was in fact very stressful together to work with you. Pardon me if I have not been a good senior or leader. I have been inefficient sometimes, or tend to forget things. Sorry for the stress that you have to carry up for the 3 months. You are stressed because of the obligation to take care of the safety of the freshman. Sorry for the incident that happened before the trip. Looking back, there is nothing much for me to say, other than a sincere thank you and sorry. KEWOC 12/13, we did it, didn't we! And you still owe me something :D
I hope one day, maybe in 15 years time, I will be able to call you Dr Hon.
______________________________________________________________________________________
There are too many things that I took away from the entire KEWOC, working and playing together with you guys. I learned that everyone holds different values. Sometimes there is really nothing right or wrong about certain decisions made. We come from different backgrounds and therefore hold different values.From a stubborn Fang Hau ( well maybe I still am), I learned to accept people's decision, and their rationale behind. Ultimately I am learning how to accept everyone's values, and eventually accepting others for who they are. I used to be judgmental, now I always persuade myself to see the best in everyone. You guys taught me how to be humble, and see things from a different point of view. You guys taught me not to be a dictatorial leader, and to be instead, a leader by example. You guys taught me how to let go of certain things, but grab hold of what is important. Of course, I DO FEEL PROUD THAT SOMEHOW MANY OF YOU LEARNED MY LAME JOKES. HAHAHAHAH
PROJECT VII was definitely a success, or at least, this is true from the comments of the freshmen and the SCRC. But still, somehow I do feel that, for this project, I didn't play much of a role. You guys were the carriers ( ask Zach what's the meaning of carry!). In the end, everyone was helping each other, making sure that the programmes ran smoothly and turning the entire camp into a blast. Trust me, I think it was worth it to put in much effort into running this programme. We did work together, play games together and go crazy together, (SLEEP TOGETHER NO? ). We quarreled. We cried. We laughed. Eventually, we really came together as one team, presenting ourselves proudly in front of the freshman as the best KEWOCers ever.
Here, I would want to take this chance, to sincerely apologize to everyone, for all of the misconduct/misbehavior that I have committed. I am sorry for not being a good leader, but still, KEWOC 12/13 is definitely one of my best memories in KE hall.
Till next time, agents! This song, dedicated for all of us - When you say nothing at all by Ronan Keating
p/s: If there is only one thing that I can do to repay everyone, I will pray for all of you, though you may or may not be a Christian. And trust me, my Lord is not stingy to bless. † :)
Can God
create a stone that is so heavy that even He himself cannot lift it up?
I still remember someone asked me this question back
then 3 years ago, when I was still a young Christian. To be honest I really
couldn’t answer this question myself. Either answer, yes or no, would be a
contradiction of the fact that God is able to do everything.
This question did bug me for quite a while, until I
studied mathematical proving in university. To be exact, I didn’t find the
answer for the question, but I did however, find a solution to prove that this
question is a flawed question.
Can God create a stone that is so heavy that even He
himself cannot lift it up? The answer is “yes, with condition”, or at the same
time “no, with condition”.
To prove that this question is a flawed question, firstly,
we need to understand the concept of “mathematical induction”. It is not a
difficult concept, and I am providing a few examples, which are quite self
explanatory.
One technique we are going to use is CONTRAPOSITIVE. Putting it in its
simplest form, “contrapositive” means “if
not A, then not B”. It states that given a set A, if an element doesn’t
belong to set A, then it is not possible that it will be in set B. Let’s try with the simplest example.
Statement: If a number can be divided by 2, then it is
an even number.
Contrapositive statement: If a number is NOT
an even number, then it CANNOT be
divided by 2.
It’s quite simple right? Now, we can see that the set
of A is “even number”, and set B is “can be divided by 2”. This technique can
be applied not only in maths, but things concerning daily life. Let’s try
another example.
Supposing this statement is true: “If a man can walk,
then he can run”
Then the contrapositive statement will be: “If a man CANNOT run, then he CANNOT
walk”.
Now let us apply these to our question: Can God create
a stone that is so heavy that even He himself cannot lift it up? Before we
continue, we all have to agree that God is omnipotent (able to do all things).
In fact, this question tries to disprove it. In this, we first implement the
condition that God can create such stone, and the question is, whether He
himself can lift it up or not.
Okay, let’s get started.
Statement 1: We all know a stone has
mass.
Contrapositive: If a stone doesn’t have mass, then it is not a
stone.
Statement 2: And we know the range:
from the lightest mass, say 0kg, to the maximum mass, ∞kg.
Contrapostiive: If a stone’s mass
doesn’t lie in between 0kg to ∞kg, then it doesn’t have mass.
Statement 3: We agreed that God is
omnipotent.
Contrapositive : If God is not
omnipotent, then He is not God.
Statement 4: According to God’s
omnipotence, He can lift all the stones, ranging from 0kg to
∞kg.
Contrapositive: If God cannot lift all the stone
ranging from 0kg to ∞kg, then He is not
omnipotent.
Now, suppose, there is just one stone which God cannot
lift; we name it stone X.
According to statement 1, this stone X ought to have some sort of mass (if
not, it is not a stone!)
Subsequently, according to statement 2, this stone X’s mass will lie in between 0kg
to ∞kg (if not, it doesn't have mass, and if it doesn’t have mass, it is not a
stone!).
Then, according to statement 3 and 4, since this stone X’s mass will lie in between 0kg to ∞kg, then God is able to
lift it up(if not, it is either God is not God or, the stone is not a stone).
And we are done with our proving.
So
the gist part is this : Stone X’s
mass must be less than or equal to ∞, but since God can lift even the ∞kg of
stone, what else can’t He lift up?
Of course, contrapositives may not be true all the
time (pardon me for not explaining due to space constraints), but it is true
for our case. Or, we can try to disprove the contrapositive statements. You can try to say a stone doesn't have mass, but even
child knows that all matter has mass and occupy space. You can try to say God
is not omnipotent, but my bible states that God is able in doing all things: For
nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37
So, there lies a contradiction. We have just proved
that God can lift up stone X, but at
the same time the description of stone X
is a stone which God cannot lift up. The real conclusion, is, what is stone X? I do not know. The
contradiction states that the statement is flawed. Stone X doesn’t exist.
Remember the condition is such that God CAN
create such stone, and we are proving whether He can lift it up or not
(Pragaraph 10, line 4). By the same method, we can do it the other way round. We
can first agree that God can lift up all stones, and then try
to prove whether God can create it or not. I can assure you will get the same
results. The statement itself is flawed. Well then, how can we answer a yes no
question, if the statement itself is flawed?
A memorable quote a famous pastor, Pastor Stephen
Tong, said is that we should “Never try to prove the existence of God. God is a
creator; your proof is a creation. How can a creation prove the existence of a creator?”
Well said, and I truly believe that it is by His
wisdom that He created all things and does all things, and what we experience
here are all His arts pointing to His finished work. J
Many of us would have
read “Three Days to See” by Helen Keller, but what if, you only had 3 days
worth of memories?
Three days to see, or
three days of life, or three days worth of memories – wait, I am no noble man
here to discuss philosophical questions such as these.
Once someone said: “If
you can live life like there’s no tomorrow, and just do what you want to do,
then your life will never be the same again.” How true it is, but I doubt its
practicality. We all want to do what we want to do, but most of the time we
cannot. There are too many things that we need to take into consideration, you
know; freedom comes with limitations. We can’t, say, quit our jobs or studies
and travel to a far far place, remain there and enjoy life. At the same time,
one man influences another. We need to take care of our parents, our spouse,
our friends and many other parties in our lives. Even if we are able to do put
all these things down, and aim for our dreams, we still need to take care of
our basic needs. Man needs to first produce then consume. If I don’t work, how
am I going to fill my stomach? That is why, desire and reality are always far
apart. For those who can bring them close together, success belongs to them.
What if, there exists
a special kind of disease, which allows your brain to retain only 3 days worth
of memory. After every three days, you will forget everything – you forget who
you are and those who are around you. You do not remember a single thing. All
your academic or technical skills are wiped clean. You are left with nothing
except for the ability to communicate and the rationale to judge logically.
Will you still be able to live?
I can’t imagine how
meaningless that life would be. If you were a successful man, all your glorious
and wonderful moments are to be erased, after just three days. You cannot
retain a single thing. Even if someone is to record it down, it would be
futile, because eventually you will not remember even who you are. The “you” 3
days before is NOT THE SAME as the “you” 3 days after. Meaningless is that
life, but there is one thing which is comforting. Say if you have a miserable
life, condemned and abandoned, after 3 days, you will forget everything. All
your transgressions and your iniquities will be gone, and you can start a brand
new life.
Of course, your main
challenge is still, survival. You do not have any knowledge. All that you learned
in high school and college – you lose them. You have no qualifications, no
papers, nothing. How do you earn a living? And what if, you are allowed choose
to let your brain remember one thing; just one single thing, what would it be?
How do you, technically, survive?
If I were to be placed
in such a situation, I would let my brain remember that “I have such a
disease”. I may have lost my memories, but I haven’t lost my rationale.
Literally, I am still able to think. My rationale will still be able to guide
me to find food and the basic needs. Having myself reminded of this disease
ensures a peace of mind. At least, I won’t do anything stupid, or at least, I
would know how to resolve my priorities – first to survive then do something
else. Once this part is done, I am safe, and need not worry about other things.
The strategy stated
above is crucial, even in real life. You see, “allowing my brain to remember
that I have such a disease” is just the same as “to know and identify yourself”
(in real life). Many a times, we are blinded by a lot of things. Our heart is
troubled by the daily problems that we face. The worst part is, we let
circumstances redefine ourselves. For example, you wish to be successful, or to
get rich, but you end up in a college. Why? That’s because everyone is
attending college, and you “FEEL” that if you don’t do the same, you will be
left out. You think you are not able to compete with the others. You think that no
companies are going to hire you. Again, our values are compromised. We lose our
directions, and eventually our identities. We forget who we are. See, when you
forget who you are, you are identical to the person without memories! Why? It’s
because when you are lost, you do not know your priorities. You cannot apply
what you have learnt. You follow what the other says. You don’t feel
comfortable when things are out of norm. You cannot control not the problems
but yourself. When the trouble is small, you magnify it and start to worry
about it – all because, you do not know your priorities and this is first
because you are lost.
The bible says
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own”. How wise these words are! (Mark 6:34)
If I were to have only
3 days worth of memory, I would spend the first two days thinking, and the last
day executing what I have thought.
For every 3 days, I am
left with nothing. All I have is my brain telling me I have this weird disease.
But it reminds me that my “LIFE” is short, technically only 3 days. I know that
I only have 3 days worth of memory. I have to survive these 3 days, by hook or
by crook. I need a plan. I need to think. A plan to survive, think to live. I
will not spend a single effort to do any other things within these two days.
All I will have to think is just to plan carefully, and this plan will have to
allow me to live for 3 days. The plan cannot fail, because I can’t afford to. I
only have 3 days, and there is no reverse if I were to fail. I can think of how
to make a small impact on others. I can think of how to help others. All these
things will be part of my 3 day plan.
As for the last day, I
will stop thinking. I let my brain rest. For now, I will concentrate on
executing the plan. This is my last day of my 3 day life. Tomorrow I will have
a new one. I will not regret in what I do. Regret is not what I should do now
but the first two days. No other things should divert my concentration. I need
to find food, food that is enough for 3 days. This is because after tomorrow, I
will lose my memories again, and for the next two days spent in planning and
thinking, I have to consume what I have previously found. I am not sure how I
plan to help others, but I guess I am still be able to make an impact to the
people around me, even if it is less significant than it should be. I am free
to help others – because there is no conflict of interest. I will not remember
anything else, after I wake up tomorrow. As long as I am able to survive,
nothing is important to me.
If I were to follow
what I have written above, then I would have spent 2/3 of my time enriching
myself, while the other 1/3 enriching others. Now life is THAT short, but
I bet it’s well spent.
