Surprise!

From my previous post, you would have known that I carelessly injured my left index finger last week and since then, I have been paying the price for it. Over this one week, I was forced to eat with only 4 fingers on my left hand, resulting in inadequate eating techniques such as the inability to hold my left-hand utensil (the fork, duh) properly. Besides that, I had to do everything primarily with my right hand. AND I had to drive with only ONE hand (not that I did not do that previously, but I'm actually quite good at it :P). They say you don't miss the water until it's gone. Perfect analogy here. Except that my finger isn't gone, at least I hope it stays that way. =D

Anyway, I went to the doctor again this evening. This time, I requested that he drill "needle-point" holes through my fingernail. Yes, you may say it won't hurt a bit as nails are keratinized dead cells, but the hematoma (blood clot) had already spread to the neighbouring area of the fingertip. In other words, the doctor had to prick my fingertip with a needle, and yes it was painful. What do you expect?... He was literally pricking one of the most sensitive areas of the human body. And not once, but several times. Even someone like me who, in many cases, has such a high degree of tolerance for pain, felt agonised by the crude hypersensitization of my finger. Action potentials were continuously being fired rapidly along my nervous system (OK, enough of the medical jargon already LOL!). Blood was everywhere, oozing out from my fingernail and splattering onto the sheet of newspaper beneath my hand. Ghastly sight, I know, but it had to be done. So relieved was I once the whole procedure was over to feel the pressure in my finger relieved. ;D Now I'll leave it for one more week to see how it goes.

Speaking of one more week, that one more week would be spent in Segamat, Johor. For those who are clueless, it's because my meddies and I will be having our 'rural site visit' in Segamat, which I will not really consider rural since we would be staying in a... hotel... No, hotel is not a typo. And there's even a Giant supermarket next to it! Talk about rural, try Africa! We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning from uni, so it's unlikely that you'd get to read another post until I return on Friday, unless I update my blog through my iPhone. Anyway, hopefully, the trip will be fun and a good learning experience as well. :)

Today, FGT had its Parents Day where parents of church members were invited to worship together with their children. What was different about today was that there were special performances put up by some of the members: a choir presentation, the Kids Alive (children of FGT) sang and danced, and there was a skit on living as a family in different scenarios. There was breakfast provided by FGT at 9 a.m. and the proper service was at 10. It ended at 12, or at least it was supposed to, but quite often than not, Malaysians do not fully understand or grasp the concept of time and punctuality. Even if they did, the practicality is often sub-standard or below par :P Anyway, at 12 plus, I sent some people back to Medan where we usually have lunch together. However, today was a special one, and I didn't join them, because...

We had a b'day surprise for Evonne (Von) Teoh Ee Vern!

Her b'day is tomorrow, but since we're going to Segamat, we thought it might be safer to celebrate today. Anyway, Von was totally oblivious, or should I say TOTALLY, as to what was being planned for her. Sorry Von, but I feel compelled to write about the whole plan. *evil grin* Also because what was planned didn't go as planned but turned out right in the end. You'll see why as you read on. :)

In the morning, I saw her in church and pretended not to know anything. I asked her where she was having lunch after church. She told me she was having it with her family at Taipan, but she didn't tell me at which restaurant. So I told her that Dar Ray, Tak Yee (both seniors of mine) and I were gonna "crash" her "family lunch" wherever it may be. Well, she didn't believe we would do it, or at least she didn't believe I would do it.

So the morning goes on, and it's after church. She sees me talking to her mum, who was secretly coordinating the surprise, but doesn't suspect anything. I was actually asking her to try and delay Von from going to Station 1 (name of restaurant where the surprise lunch was scheduled to be) but of course Von didn't know that. After that, I sent 4 guys back to Medan and was supposed to liaison with Joann & the others at the Sunway Condo so I could lead them to Taipan since none of them really knew the way. Lo & behold, I received an SMS from Jo telling me that they had already left, asked me to go ahead to Taipan and they'll meet me there. So I went to Taipan hoping to see them there already. So I arrive at Station 1, walk in to look for them, but unfortunately see Von with her family instead with no one else around. Before I could think of walking off and waiting for the others, Von looks up, and sees me! Oops!!

Everyone of her family members knew about the plan except Von. So I guess they kinda expected us (or me) to be there, except Von. To try to avoid suspicion, I told her that yes, I had "crashed" her lunch and she believed that I was there on my own LOL. Her parents and brother both knew better and were fine actors & actress (including your mum Von :D). So we kind of talked about stuff here and there until the others came not long after that. Funny thing is, they left before me but arrived after me. Reason: They got LOST!! Should have just waited for me to lead them, instead of getting lost in the USJ area like lost sheep!! =D

Anyway, when the others came, then only did Von realise that it was a "b'day surprise" after all. LOL! She was really happy today, as far as I could tell. Below are juz a few pics of Von cutting her b'day cake:

After the lunch, we went back to uni where we had a surprise for Von at LS3. There were plenty of "Stick-It" notes pasted all over the room written mainly by Jo and Stella. On the table were many personal notes to her. After that, everyone parted ways. And if I'm not mistaken, a very surprised and happy b'day girl went to some saloon with the girls.

Von, I hope you enjoyed your b'day surprise! So glad that everything turned out well in the end. Sorry if I kinda "lied" to you, but I guess my readers would agree with me that it was a white lie?? Haha. N you're 19 this year, or should I say tomorrow, finally! :) Smile!!

When we presented roses to Von, we were asked to say a few words beginning with:

Life is more meaningful with Evonne around because...

Fill it in yourself (if you know her of course!)

Sincerely,

~Tim~

P-A-I-N-tball!

Hey y'all,

I'm finally typing another post! To all my blog-faithful, I apologise that it's been almost a week since I last updated my blog. Many things have happened to me since... some good, others bad. I'll put them down in a list below to make it easier for y'all to follow these train of events.

1. I passed the 1st sem of med school! =D Unfortunately, they don't have a grade higher than PGO (which stands for "Pass Grade Only"), so I am not sure how I actually fared. Anyway, I know I have to work harder this semester, but I'm still going to try and maintain a balanced, rounded-out life. :D

2. I managed to install games, internet applications and other apps I find useful on my iPhone, and also got it to do amazing and wonderful things! This "smartphone" is really smart, useful, amazing, fun, and INDISPENSABLE!! Love my baby to bits!!

3. My first ever paintball experience was a bit of a mix. The good thing: I had fun, fun and more fun! Here are juz some of the pics Steven took. There are more, all you have to do is click on this webby.

This is what anyone would call, "shooting with style" ;D

Another one bites the dust

Locked & Loaded

United we Stand, Divided... oh well, that's a different story!

Someone suggested we call ourselves Team Kamikaze

I suggest we only use it for name's sake

Each gun has the letter "G" on it, you put two together and what do you get? Yeap, that's right! *winks with an evil grin*

4. The bad (or sad) thing: I was shot in the neck area, which caused the skin around my Adam's apple to tear a little, bleed and undergo necrosis (can't remember the term Tak Yee used with respect to the exact location). Oh and if the gluteus maximus is the anterior, I also got shot in the posterior region of that area. Ouch! :(



5. Worst part of this week (I hope), is that due to my carelessness, I accidentally crushed the 2nd digit of my left hand between my car door. Don't ask me where, when, or why; juz know that it DID happen and that it hurts really badly, even now as I am typing this (another reason why I did not update my blog before this). Had to see a GP after that who diagnosed it as a subungual hematoma (sorry for the excessive use of medical jargon, but this is a medical student's blog, get used to it :P). It's bad enough that I am forced to do EVERYTHING with only 9 fingers (5 to be more precise since no one actually uses the last two digits on either hand), I also have to suffer from an unsightly blue fingernail bed that turns heads. I'm even thinking of painting ALL my fingernails the same colour! :) Kidding, it's juz a thought!

Aite, think that's about it for now folks. I know this is an unusually short post by my standards, but I think I've justified myself enough earlier on. Juz pray for me, in particular, that my finger and neck would have a speedy recovery. When it does, I promise you'll see more interesting, amazing, mind-boggling, tummy-tickling stuff here. Till the next post, toodles!! Blessings!!

~Tim~

Faith

Hmmm, it's almost the end of the first week of the 2nd sem in uni. This week is one which I would call, quite eventful, even though it wasn't a really hectic one with packed timetables and dreary assignments (not that I'm complaining, of course :P). New PCL groupings this sem (although most of us would want our former PCL mates back) meant that we had to change how we did things during PCL sessions. New faces, new teaching & learning styles, etc. Oh, and if you don't know what PCL means, refer back to my first blog post!

Besides that, 7 meddies took sticker photos on Monday. Yeah, that's right... a bunch of meddies known collectively only as the MI7 with the aliases TCZC, SCMX, WJY, GTHL, ROWL, NHKY, and TLHY were seen by onlookers and described as a group of frantically anxious guys & girls staring at an unknown flashing object in a 1.5m x 2m x 2.5m box. :) Ok, I'm exaggerating a bit but truth be told, I know that you know it's me and 6 other meddies (you know who you are *winks*... don't ask me why I came up with MI7, best I could think of at the moment LOL). What was fun, or funny if you like, about taking them was not the outcome or the product, but the entire 'process' of it! We wanted the photos to turn out well and everyone wanted to look their best. I think the girls panicked the most and there were many memorable moments of "Ok, let's change position!" and "Oh, let's do the heart-shaped gesture!" Bad thing that the console was in Japanese, took us some time to figure out which button meant what. In the end. we took about 6 different pics, each of us with a different pose, position and style. After that, we designed the pics to our every whim and fancy, or TLHY's and GTHL's at least cos they did most of the designing :D The result: Each of us took back 4 photos each, 3 small and 1 not-so-small, which are too minute to be shown here.

Enuff of that for now, and in case you didn't know, The DARK KNIGHT was released in cinemas nationwide today. For all those comic book fans of the caped crusader, or movie-lovers who crave action, suspense and thrill all-in-one, this is a MUST-WATCH!! I repeat, this is a MUST-WATCH!! The Dark Knight is stunning, in every sense the word. Whether you look at the acting, the directing, the writing, or any other aspect of the movie, it's hard to find a weak point. I won't wanna spoil it for those of you that have not watched it yet so I will not elaborate further.

Why So Serious? (tagline for tDK)

Newae, on a more spiritual note, I recently read an e-mail (which I will share later) about faith, hence this post's title. Faith is believing in something that we cannot see (2 Cor. 5:7: "We live by faith, not by sight.") In the case of faith in God, it is believing that God EXISTS, and that His Son died for us on the Cross to save us from sin. 1 Peter 1:21 says, "Through Christ you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God."

Below is an interesting conversation that touches upon faith between an atheist professor of philosophy and one of his new students:

Prof: So you believe in God?

Student: Absolutely, sir.

Prof: Is God good?

Student: Sure.

Prof: Is God all-powerful?

Student: Yes.

Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm? (Student is silent.)

Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fellow. Is God good?

Student: Yes.

Prof: Is Satan good?

Student: No.

Prof: Where does Satan come from?

Student: From...God...

Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student: Yes.

Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?

Student: Yes.

Prof: So who created evil? Student does not answer.

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world don't they?

Student: Yes, sir.

Prof: So, who created them? Student has no answer.

Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me son, have you ever seen God?

Student: No, sir.

Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?

Student: No, sir.

Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?

Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student: Yes.

Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Prof: Yes.

Student: And is there such a thing as cold?

Prof: Yes.

Student: No sir. There isn't. (The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it. (There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?

Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?

Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir? (The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? (The class is in uproar.)

Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain? (The class breaks out into laughter.)

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir? (The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.

Student: That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH.

~Tim~

Beginning

Approximately 3 more hours left to 14 July 2008... which to us meddies, means that yes, we're gonna start med school once more.

SEMESTER 2 BECKONS!!

After about 3 weeks of what most of us Monashians would call a 'holiday break' (hols, for short), tomorrow marks the beginning of the second sem for the meddies, whether we're in Year 1 or Year 2.

Newae, on a more personal note, my hols have been kinda fulfilling. Did a lot of the things I wanted to do for a long time but couldn't because of hectic schedules in medical school that lead up to our mid-year exam. I got to catch up with friends/family both in KL/JB, met new... and old people I haven't met in ages, felt rejuvenated after catching up on much-needed sleep, did things I never thought I would or could do, and most importantly, I managed to attend two camps/retreats that reignited my passion for God.


I also went to Pizza Uno with my Year 2 seniors to celebrate Tak Yee's 'belated belated belated' birthday... It's not a typo that I typed belated 3 times :)

EDIT: As promised, here are the pics, although not many since we spent most of the time talking LOL, from the celebration we had for her.

Top & bottom: Dar Ray with Li En (top) & John (bottom)

B'day girl's lunch, or what's left of it

Tiramisu, anyone?

Tak Yee, Hui Sze & Hui Mei. Don't you juz love candid shots?

I wish I could type more for this post but looks like my physical hunger and current insatiable appetite for food is overpowering the desire to post more. So, I'm gonna pen off early this time, and have my very-much-needed-delayed dinner, yeah. =P Oh, and Dan's waiting for me to have dinner too.

Soul

Yeah I know it's been a long time since I last posted something. Been with family back in JB over this whole week since Sunday and enjoying the company of parents, sibs, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. Juz yesterday we had a family gathering at my place where most of my closest relatives came and we had fettuccine, black pepper/BBQ chicken, salad and cheese pasta for dinner. Yummy!! =D

Yours truly has also been VERY BUSY enjoying his new iPhone. It's the 8GB model version but.it's not the 3G type, as the 3G one only comes out in the US tomorrow, sadly :(

Anyway, I'm VERY contented with this 3-in-1 "breakthrough" device - a revolutionary phone, a wide-screen iPod, and a ground-breaking Internet device with rich HTML email and a desktop-class web browser. It also has a GPS navigation system, which I don't really need for reasons some of you already know. But best of all, the design is sleek, chic, and it has a minimal yet sophisticated look to it. Definitely a fashionista accessory! Oh, did I mention that it's a touch-screen phone as well? :)

Newae, let me get to more serious stuff. Basking in the grandeur of a home I have stayed in for about a decade-and-a-half (which I may very well lose to the federal government very soon) led me to think a fair bit more than usual. Life. Decisions. Relationships. My future. Our world. I've had so many thoughts running through my mind during this week (some worth expanding, others not so) that I felt a necessity to share some of these thoughts online and give you a gist of it. I pray it will benefit, inspire, and cause all those who read it to ponder and think. Well, here it goes...

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can allow me to share my thoughts with you, and a time when you can choose either to pass on this insight, or to just ignore it.

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

God bless!

~Tim~

Heroes

No, I'm not referring to the NBC show Heroes as some of you might have thought. Rather, I'm referring to two of the latest comic superheroes to hit the box office/silver screen: Iron Man & The Incredible Hulk. Both movies were released around the same time this year, the former on yours truly's birthday, the 30th of April and the latter on the 13th of June. The latter is actually a better "re-boot" of Ang Lee's 2003 version, "The Hulk", which many would consider a flop. Yes, I would agree after watching both "Hulk" movies, and if you're an avid comic book fan and you have not watched tIH on the big screen yet, I would suggest you set aside 2 hours of your time to do so!

Tagline for Iron Man: Fully Charged

VS

Tagline for tIH: On June 13, get ready to unleash the beast

Yeah, I managed to watch both movies somehow or another despite my hectic schedule around that time. In my opinion, both movies were awesome and I'm not being biased even though I can honestly say I've been a comic book fan of both Marvel and DC Comics ever since young. The plot for both movies were good in the sense that they actually focused on both heroes' origins, somewhat like what the comic book writers would have wanted to portray in the big screen versions. Oh, and the cast was superb also, the main cast for both movies at least. :)

Weirdly enough, I managed to pick out a few similarities between both movies. If you have watched only one but not the other, or watched neither, then the following might be a spoiler for you. Read on at YOUR OWN RISK!

1. Both love interests of Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Bruce Banner (tIH) are women both protagonists work with in close collaboration. Pepper Potts is Tony's personal assistant, whereas Elizabeth 'Betty' Ross is Bruce's colleague. Well, I guess it means that when you spend a lot of time with someone of the opposite sex, you get to know that person really well. 'Nuff said. =)

2. Both supervillains/antagonists in both movies were created out of the heroes' own ingenuity and traits. Iron Monger in Iron Man was created from Tony's own genius and 'spark', and the Abomination in tIH was a combination of Bruce's blood and the US government's top-secret super-soldier serum (oh, what a mouthful!).

3. Both supervillains/antagonists are bigger, stronger and more powerful than the heroes themselves. Self-explanatory. Period.

4. The final showdown between good & evil took place in highly urbanised areas in both movies. Yeah, there were loads of fist-to-flesh/metal scenes. These scenes were probably the most violent in the movies, it's no wonder they're rated PG-13 by the MPAA!

5. Both movies had cameos of the man himself, Stan Lee. This is the man behind the many Marvel characters, their personalities, traits, powers, weaknesses, appearances, costumes, etc. Think they featured him in the Spider-man movies as well if I'm not mistaken.

I'm sure there are more similarities (or differences) you guys can pick up once you have watched both movies, but I think I'll juz end this part here. =D

For the next part of this post, I'd like to share the following passage with you that was written by Dr. Alex Tang, a renowned paediatrician currently working in Johor Specialist Hospital, where my mum works too.

Why the Incredible Hulk should be Red not Green

The fictional comic book character, The Incredible Hulk was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1962. The Hulk is the alter ego of mild-mannered physicist Dr Bruce Banner who was accidentally irradiated by gamma radiation. Whenever he gets angry, he turned into the Hulk, a creature consisting of pure rage which is invincible and incredibly strong. The angrier the Hulk gets, the stronger and bigger he becomes. I guess he was green because of the gamma radiation. Why green and not red? The English expression of becoming angry is “seeing red.” A red Hulk would be more appropriate.

Many of us are aware of the beast within us. And of the thin veneer of civility that makes us respectable citizens. Occasionally someone will snap and the beast breaks out. Then we are all horrified at the violence done to persons and properties. Sometimes it is not a person but a mob or a nation. And in the aftermath amidst the carnage, we are again reminded of the evil that lurks in the heart of human beings. In our hectic, chaotic and stressful lifestyles, anger is our constant emotional companion. While some of us are aware of it, others are not. Many try to repress their daily anger. Doing so they become impatient, irritable and aggressive. Repressing anger does not make it go away. Like energy, emotions can be converted into other forms. Repressed energy is converted into hatred, bitterness and anxiety.

“Please don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry" is a famous byline from the Hulk television series which turned up in every comic, television and movies involving the not-so jolly green man. What makes you angry? Could it be social injustice, exploitation of the poor, religious intolerance, and maybe, abuse of political privileges? My reasons for getting angry are often not so righteous. I get angry because I do not get things my own way; why people do not behave the way I expect them to, why projects do not go the way I planned it to, and why the universe does not happen the way I want it to. I get angry and then I feel guilty.

I remember what Paul wrote to the Ephesians: "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold (Eph.4:26-27). Paul was referring to Psalm4:4: In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Furthermore, I remember this old Cherokee story named “The Two Wolves”: An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy."It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed.”

I reflected upon this and drew some wisdom. The psalmist, Apostle Paul and the old Cherokee did not deny the existence of anger or being angry. In fact, they all acknowledge it. Furthermore, they taught me the only way to deal with anger is not to feed it. The only way to deal with anger is to starve it of attention and other emotions. The Hulk is pure rage, violent raw energy and red is the appropriate colour. Green reminds me of leafy meadows, peacefulness and calm. Me thinks the Hulk should be red in colour. Or even better blue…

May you be blessed by this reflection,

Alex

Yeah, so that's about it for now. Juz for the record, there are other movies based on comic books coming soon to theatres near you: MUST WATCH: The Dark Knight and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Oh and for all those wondering where I am/where I'll be, I was in KL when I typed this. I'm only going back to JB on Monday. Yeah, so let's juz see how the Lord leads. =D Till then, sayonara ppl.

~Tim~

MONASH CF CAMP 2008

As you can see from the post title above, this post will be dedicated entirely to the Monash Christian Fellowship Camp 2008, which was held from the 28th to the 30th of June 2008 at Seminari Theoloji Malaysia or STM. 6 medical students (me, Rachel, Grace, Sarah, Jun Yet & Nick) along with about 35+ students from other faculties attended this camp.

The Monash CF Camp is an annual CF event, and anyone from Monash Uni Malaysia, whether Christian or non-Christian, is allowed to participate in it. This camp was our first CF camp, and what's great is that the 6 of us (medical students) could actually go for it together. This year, we had the honour of having three pastors to minister God's Word to us. There was a 'pastor couple', Pastor Victor & his wife, Pastor Kelly; and the other was a campus pastor, Pastor Lindy. The theme of this year's CF Camp was "Renovation of the Heart", and it's focus was to get its campers to spend time reevaluating, renovating and redirecting their individual lives. There were 4 bible study sessions spread out over the 3 days of camp. The food at STM was not too bad either, and believe it or not, we actually had 5 meals on the second day: breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and supper!! I will not go into too many details, but I want to commend the planning committee behind this camp for doing a great job. You guys rawk!

This camp stimulated my mind to think critically about a lot about many things: my life, my purpose, my direction, the people around me/relationships with friends & family, our roles in society, my walk with God, etc. Of course, I won't share everything here, but what I will do is share some of the thoughts that I gathered from this camp, and hopefully it will benefit those who read them:

1. We are a young and energetic generation. We are God's children. We are chosen to be a blessing to the people around us, to make a DIFFERENCE in our fallen world.

2. Seek to give God the glory in all that we do, and know the motives behind every action.

3. Some dreams are meant to be broken, to realise God's plan for our lives. Sometimes, it is a message from God telling us that we are too stubborn and not adhering to his purpose for our lives.

4. When we graduate from university, we will receive TWO certificates: one is from our uni (Monash), the other is from God.

5. Last but not least, once you learn how to die, you'll learn how to live.

Oh and of course, let's not forget that Monashians juz love the camera! There were probably about 10+ digital cameras altogether that were used at the camp. Newae, I've added some of the many pictures that were taken by those cameras for all those that don't have access to the Facebook accounts of the Monashians who went for the camp and uploaded their pics. Unfortunately, it is a biased photo exhibition as it mainly involves me & my meddies. :D

FYI: None of them are from my digicam, as mine was stolen some time ago, and YES, I will DEFINITELY get a good new camera soon.. be it in the form of the iPhone camera or a new digicam (hopefully SLR :p) Aite, I'll let the pics below and their captions do the talking :)

ON THE BUS TO STM:

Sarah & Grace

Jun Yet & Nick

Rachel, lookin' cool, & me

AT STM (from Nick's cam):
The 3 girls

Top & bottom: Grace, JY & I in deep conversation


Sarah frowning, Grace sleeping :)

We meddies take pics whenever & wherever

AT STM (from Victor, my room-mate's cam):

Doing some morning exercises: stretch (or tear) your muscles

Top & bottom: During Dynamite (talentime competition)

The guys: Playing BASKETBALL

The girls: Playing SEE-SAW

This game was really fun & funny, trust me!

Grace, Richard and Melissa during an interview session

Top & bottom: Create-an-Altar

Praying for Rachel

Rachel praying for Joshua

My first and only 'push-up tai-ti' game which I won hands-down (juz look at my cards, 3 Kings & 3 Aces), resulting in the penalty of push-ups for the other 3 competitors based on the number of remaining cards left in their hands on a 1:1 ratio. After that, I taught them how to play 'bridge'. =)

Pastor Lindy with my room-mate, Victor

Liang with Pastor Victor

Receiving the group awards for 2nd place from Pastor Kelly

GROUP PHOTOS:

Grace's group, Jai

Group Corazon

Jun Yet & Sarah's group, Herz

My group & Rachel's as well, Xing

p.s. Nick, I couldn't get a picture of your group, did your group take any?

BACK IN MONASH:

Li Wen with the meddies

Victor with the meddies

Abel & Meng Huay

Top & bottom: Both pictures have my Guardian Angel a.k.a. GA, Peter. Thx 4 praying 4 me and everything else, bro! Really appreciate it! Haha, love the expressions on your face! Any chance it is your signature facial expression?? =>

And finally, last but not least, the 3 guys =D

Yeah, that's about it for this camp. I'd like to take this opportunity to shoutout a big THANK YOU to all those ppl who made it possible! And to Sarah, Grace, Rachel, Nick, Jun Yet, thx 4 being the best friends in med school ever! It was great getting to know you all better! If I ever said or did anything I shouldn't have said or done, I take it back and I sincerely apologise. Hope that all of you had a great time as well. Looking forward to the next 4.5 years in med school with all of you!

Juz like to end this post with a quote that Pastor Victor mentioned which struck me:

"One life and it will soon pass, only what is done for Christ will last."

With Love, ~Tim~