Chambers v Almighty

The 21st century has seen people of the world fighting for their rights. Vigilant movements to fight for basic human rights, rights of women, rights of children, and rights of the minority have risen everywhere on the face of the earth. This reflects a widespread awareness of the law and of the rights that the law has given to us. While it is good and right to know the law and vouchsafe your rights as was constituted, let's not carry it to the extreme.

Living in the 21st century, we are so used to hearing people say, "I will sue you", that in fact, it has become one of the most popular phrases of the century. Even children say it. Of course, Hollywood has never ceased to promote what the law can do for you. As a law student, of course, I am not spared from this widespread epidemic. When doing the problem questions, I have to think of ways and laws under which I can sue people. Interesting, but not as interesting as you think it is. As I have 5 hours of law every week, inevitably, I also begin to view my daily life from a legal perspective. I begin to take notice of rights and contracts in our daily lives that were breached. Let me assure you, this annoys my family a lot, and I mean A LOT!

On Wednesday, though, this caught my eye,

"The defendant in a Nebraska state senator's lawsuit is accused of causing untold death and horror and threatening to cause more still. He can be sued in the state's Douglas County, the legislator claims, because He is everywhere."

- "Senator Sues God in Protest", The Star

Yes, he is trying to sue God. And the charge? "God has inspired fear and caused widespread death, destruction and terrorisation of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants...... and has caused fearsome floods... horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes". He is seeking an injunction (a court order to prevent someone from doing something) against God. What can I say but 'bizarre' and 'absurd'.

As people of the 21st century, we are so engrossed with the power of the law, that we seem to have placed our security and our trust wholly on the law and our rights. The law is such an essential weapon for our lives, so much so that it does not merely function as a shield to safeguard our well being, but also as a weapon of attack for us to launch attacks at others, all in the name of 'human rights'. It has even elevated us to an assumed a disposition way beyond where the Creator of the heavens and the earth has placed us, so much so that we now attempt to rebuke our Creator.

I am indeed surprised that such an act of naivety was carried out by a lawmaker, one who was elected to govern the people most probably because of his capability. As I read of the news, I can't help but imagine my pet gold fish saying to me, "Hey! Keep your hands out of my goldfish bowl, or I'll sue you!" Sounds bizarre, isn't it? And we laugh at it. But this is exactly what our dear senator is doing. Doing such a thing, according to him, is to "make the point that anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody" under the law, but I think, it only shows us how interesting it can be when a senator turns himself into a clown. Indeed, he has made a laughing stock out of himself. What he did, to me, is like a child's play.

I wonder what happens if he does succeed in his action... What if the judge really grants him the injunction he is seeking? But, so what? Does anyone think that a mere injunction can regulate God's actions?

Anyway

"God is great

But sometimes life ain't good

When I pray

It doesn't always turn out like I pray it should

But I do it anyway"

This is the chorus of a new song by Martina McBride. I like it so much. Things happen and we think that by praying, we always get what we want. But as this song says, things just don't turn out the way we want it to be sometimes. However, in all things, the best that you can do is to trust Him who has the best plan for your life. What a comfort!

"You can pour your soul out singing

A song you believe in

And tomorrow they'll forget you ever sing

Sing it anyway"

This last verse is also an encouragement for me. How many times have we done things that do not seem to be noticed and cherished by others? Countless! We stand up for something we believe in, and we are confronted with objections. Just as I encountered recently. Our confidence and our assurance may be swayed. However, what you really must do is to ascertain what you believe in is true, and HOLD on to your principle! It doesn't matter if no one else notices what you do, or disapproves of it, what matters is that it is pleasing to our Heavenly Father.

Now you see why Martina McBride never ceases to be one of my favourites!

Who Am I?

Who am I?

I am a student.

I am pastor's daughter.

I am Mum's princess.

I am my brothers' sister.

I am a friend's friend.

I am a youth leader.

I am the CF president.

I am a worship leader.

I am a back-up singer.

I am a lover of God.

I am His handservant.

I am salt and light.

I am a 19-year-old who behaves like 25.

I am a high achiever.

I am a leader.

I am a role model.

I am a Christian.

I am the phlegmatic.

I am the dictator.

I am the perfectionist.

I am the lawyer.

I am the book worm.

I am the interpreter.

Who am I, exactly? I don't really know. Sometimes, I just want to be Dorcas, the regular 19-year-old. full stop.

To LOVE someone...

"I love him better than myself... I know it by this:

I pray every night that I may live after him;

because I would rather be miserable than that he should be:

that proves I love him better than myself."

- by Emily Brontë's Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights

10 things

Lately with the funeral and all, I can't help being overcome by the notion of death. I can't help feeling how fragile our lives are and how uncertain tomorrow is. I may be here today, but I can't vouchsafe that I'll still be here tomorrow. In fact, I am not even sure I will be here the next second. Same goes to my loved ones; I do not know how long they will be with me, and this scares me. Of course, songs like "If Tomorrow Never Comes" and "Live Like You Were Dying" enhance this depressing notion. So, I decided to come up with this list:

10 things I wanna do if I have only 1 month to live:

1. Fall in love
2. Experience campus life in US
3. Go bungee-jumping, ab-sailing and white water rafting
4. Join MV Doulos
5. Attend Passion Conference
6. Take Dad to Disneyland in Florida
7. Take Mum to Switzerland
8. Make a will so that my books and my bears do not fall into the wrong hands
9. Catch up with old friends
10. Confess to my parents all the things that I've done behind their backs

These, of course, are in random order. I used to have a similar list that I made sometime back when I was in school. Comparing the previous one to this one, there are significant differences. Things that matter most to me last time has now become rather insignificant, and other things have taken their places. My priorities have changed.

Today's sermon in church was about setting priorities. It is really ironical that it is usually in circumstances as such- when we are contemplating the subject of death- that we actually begin to set our priorities right. Only in times like these when we truly see what matters most in this fragile life.

Hey, here's a challenge to make this list for yourself. List down ten things and you see what you cherish most in life. I can't wait to this on your blog!

Science vs Humanity

Can humanity be tested with a scientific experiment? One with a hypothesis, variables and finally brings you to a conclusion? interesting.... This is the question posted in the movie "The Forgotten", a movie that I'd watched in the cinema couple of years ago with some friends, and had recently watched it again on the TV with my family. Obviously, it is one of my favourites.

In the movie, the aliens abducted some kids and faked a plane crash to cover it up. They subsequently erased memories of the kids from every human mind. All these aim to prove their hypothesis that the bond between parents and children is dissolvable, just like any other molecular bond. All except one mother denied the existence of the children. The mother then went on an adventure to prove her memory, and finally found herself standing up against the alien to combat him face to face, while holding on to the memories of her son, defending them from being taken away by the alien. Of course, as with most movies, it ended with a happily-ever-after ending.

However, to me, this is more than just any movie. This movie has succeeded in magnifying the fact that humanity is far more superior than science. Humanity can never be tested nor be proven with scientific methods, neither can the human mind fully comprehend humanity using scientific reasoning. We may conceive the newest technology and invent robots that are symbols of our technological advancement, but we can never fully comprehend the gift of humanity and the human mind.

Humanity is the unique gift God has given to mankind, and this elevates us to a position of superiority over other creations. It is what distinguishes us from other living creatures. We feel and we think for ourselves, and with our reasoning, we decide what's good and what's not and then act accordingly. Humanity is the greatest gift ever given to mankind.

But as with all gifts, just as it can be given to us, in the same way, we can also lose it, either by our own account, or as a result of circumstances. It is time we check ourselves and see what have we been doing with this precious gift from up above. News of wars, bombings and suicide attacks have been adding colours to the newspapers. All these may seem far-fetched to people like you and I who are living in a supposingly peaceful country. However, we can certainly identify with the news of the toddler being killed and her body dumped in several places, the 12-year-old who brutally murdered his tuition teacher's young daughter and the parents who killed their own baby. Where is humanity? Sure sounds to me that we are gradually turning into emotionless beings, just like the beasts that consume their own young. How scary!

Maybe it is time we check and see what have we done to our gift of humanity. Have we chucked it in the closet and have not been using it for quite some time? Or even worse, have we forgotten where we have left it and can't seem to find it now that we need it? Cling on to the gift of humanity as it is the most precious gift to mankind that has made us who we are today. We would have been just like any other creature in the animal kingdom if not for this priceless gift.

"The Forgotten" ended with a scene that I really cherish. In a final attempt to make his experiment a success- that is for the woman to forget about her child- the alien forced his way into the mother's mind to rob her of memories of her son. He took from her the memory of when she first saw her son- in the operation theater where she gave birth to him and for the first time, looked into his face. He thought by erasing her first glimpse of her son, it will erase subsequent memories of him, but to his surprise, a mother's memory of her child does not begin in the labour room; it began when she first conceived a child, when it was a part of her in her being.

The Stopgap God

As I was on my way home the other day, I over heard the conversation of a couple of schoolgirls on the LRT. Initially it was about school (as with all students), then it gradually led to co-curriculum (what else is there in the life of a student?). They were discussing the activities they were involved in, and the conversation was something like this:

Girl 1: Hey, how's your Buddhist Society?

Girl 2: It's fine...

Girl 1: What do you guys do in the Buddhist Society? Is it fun? Do you like... meditate all the
time?

Girl 2: (chuckles) No! It is actually quite fun.

Then they rattled on and on about some chants which were supposed to be chanted on certain occasions for certain specific requests. After a while, she took out some cards from her bag, on which were printed the chants she was telling her friends.

Girl 1: Look, here are some of the chants... This is for... and this is for... (passes the cards
around)

Girl 3: Are they effective?

Girl 1 & 2: Yea... of course they are!

Upon hearing this, I started to pay even more attention to their conversation. What she said really sparked my interest. Effective? What does she mean by 'effective'? Well, I guess it means that when they say the 'prayers', the gods will answer at once and give them all that they ask for. When they ask for straight As, an 'effective' god will give them straight As and so on. In corporate terms, they want to see results.

Makes me wonder about us Christians. Are we like that sometimes? When we pray and ask God for something, we expect Him to answer us immediately, and not just give us any answer, but give us a "yes" to whatever we are asking for. How different are we, then, from the others? We often distinguish ourselves from others by saying that Christianity is not just a religion, it is a relationship with God. But I think it is time we consider how we treat this relationship.

Chinese especially, like to pray to gods (and ghosts too), to ask for health and wealth. We label a god as 'real' when we get what we asked for. If we don't get it, we say the god is 'ineffective'. How interesting..... Many after converting to Christianity, still carry this mindset along. We pray when we are facing a problem, asking God to provide a solution. We want to see the result when our prayer is being answered. When the answer is not the one we are expecting, we question God, or when He is silent, we start doubting His existence. What difference is there to a cork used to stop the hole in a barrel? What happened to all the talk on 'faith'?

It is time we start to consider how we are treating our God. Is this a relationship or is this a religion like any other? I am sure when we ask our parents for anything, we do not expect them to always answer us in the way we want them to. Yes, it is desirable to get the answer we want, but it is not always the case. They may say no because they have a better answer for us, or they may just tell us to wait. It is also the case with God.

And mind you people, praying to God is not a stopgap measure for your problems. I have seen my friend putting a picture of her god on the table while sitting for an exam. It does not help you get straight As, dear. No matter of what religion you are, such an act of desperation in a time of desperation is not cherished. Praying, just like chit-chatting, is an acticvity of pleasure for me. It is more of an outlet for me to pour out my heart's deepest worries than as a remedy to my problems.

So, dear friends, do not treat God like a plaster to stop the bleeding or to take Him as a stopgap measure for your problems. Treat Him as a friend to whom you can pour out your heart and your soul.

CSI Craze

MONDAY = CSI

If you do not know, CSI stands for 'Crime Scene Investigation'. It is a hit series on criminal investigation, showing on AXN. As I do not have Astro, it means catching an older season on NTV 7 every Monday. There's CSI: New York at 8pm, CSI: Miami at 10.45pm and CSI: Las Vegas at 11.45pm. Hence, the above equation. The television set is mine on Monday evenings. Unfortunately, I usually miss the 8pm one as my dinner time is around 8pm.

CSI has become like an addiction for me. It is a must watch, rain or shine, day or night, exam or no exam. Criminal investigation series are nothing new as there are many other such series. However, I think what capture the interest of CSI fans like me are the scandals surrounding the cases (people just love scandals, don't they?) and the usually stunning revelation at the end of the episode (suspense!).

Another aspect that has captured my attention is the portrayal of the characters, not the criminals (they are all the same: either inhumane, insane, or indifferent) but the investigators. The way they interact with each other and with the criminals sure provide a good ground for character analysis. And each team of CSI has its own unique characteristics, making each one just as unique and interesting.

Fellow CSI-kaki, Hon Whi, once asked me who's my favorite: Mac (NY), Horatio (Miami) or Grissom (Las Vegas), and my answer was Grissom. But right now, I think I want to make an about turn and pick Horatio instead. The more I watch the series, the more I fall in love with him.

Mac is just regular. Nothing much about him. Neither good nor bad, lukewarm. Grissom on the other hand, is absolutely good. His goodness is a universal truth. A father figure, nice, kind, friendly. He will be the one who counsels his subordinate and be the first to advocate their promotion is they are deem to be suitable. In fact, he is just too good to be real, so much so that I find it difficult to identify him as a real person. Well, I must commend the producer though, for creating such a down-to-earth guy as Grissom.

As for my dear Horatio (and his trademark shades), he is such a mystery. His cool outward appearance sure disguises his warm heart well. At times he seems to be an emotionless robot who keeps strictly to procedure. But when it comes to his loved ones, or even the victims' family, his heart just melts for them and seeks to help them wherever possible. Of course when it comes to his own brother, he is willing to go as far as to bend the rules for his sake. Now that's human!

Besides being a scientific movie, Grissom's team is actually pretty poetic. There are some quotes from the series that I found really meaningful. When a dead girl lied on the coroner's table, he said this,

"Beauty is skin deep. We're all the same inside."

And as Greg (the new kid in Grissom's team) attended his first post mortem, he said this about life as he saw the body being cut open,

"That's all we really are. It's what we do with it that counts."

Well, CSI is more than just a criminal investigation series. It is indeed an insightful drama. Probably this is why it caught my interest and and the interest of so many others. A wonderful production indeed.

Freed... at last!

Praise the Lord! The Korean hostages were freed, at last! Praise the Lord for their safe return. Above all, praise the Lord for their faith that did not waver! Of course, in the midst of all the joy, our friends in the politics never fail to make their presence felt. This time, by criticising the payment of the ransom of $70 million for the release of the hostages.

Let's make things clear a little. The Korean did not admit the payment of the ransom. So, whether there was a ransom or not, that remains a good question. Yes, it was implied by the spokesman's reply, but implications are always vague. And if they did resolve to paying the ransom, my dear know-it-all friends, please suggest a better way out. Well, of course, if there had been another way out, the 19 innocent men and women would not have to be held up for almost a month.

Having direct negotiations with the Talibans will only encourage them to carry out more kidnappings in the future. But is there another way? since releasing the captured Talibans is a definite NO, NO. Well, there is the 'greater good' principle. We must sacrifice a few lives for the greater good. It's just 19 lives to deter further kidnappings by the Talibans. It is a good cause to die for. I am sure this is being echoed in the hearts of our dear know-it-all friends. It was just not said, as it will not be politically favourable for them.

Yes, they may just be 19 lives. 19 civilians whose existence you and I did not even realise until the reports of the kidnaps were published. We have approximately 7 billion people on the face of the earth, and 19 is none the less. Well, if you have not realised, these 19 men and women each have a father and a mother who prayed for their safe return every single second since the news of their capture reached their ears. These 19 men and women each have children who anxiously waited for them to read to them bedtime stories. These 19 men and women each have friends who truly cared about their safety. These 19 men and women are not just numbers to these people. They are individuals who are loved. How can they just be left to die in the hands of the Talibans?

I wonder will it be the same if the ones held hostage were not the Koreans but George Bush and Tony Blair. I wonder if those same voices will be saying the same thing, about 'dying for a noble cause' and 'the principle of the greater good'. After all, it will be an even budget sacrifice: two lives to end the activities of the Talibans. World peace, man! Or will the reaction be otherwise? Will those voices start calling for a release of the Taliban prisoners? Perhaps they may be willing to pay an even greater ransom for the release of these two. What about all the talks on 'encouraging further kidnappings'?

Of course, their action will then be justified by saying that these men are 'very important people'. The world needs them. If we don't bail them out, it will cause a worldwide chaos. Will it? Or will it bring world peace instead?

It sure makes me wonder why two different groups of people sharing the same fate triggers off different reactions from the same people. What puts one above the other, when both are just humans with parents who brought them into this world? As much as people care for the big shots who are always in the limelight, those Koreans, though mere civilians they may be, also have loved ones who care deeply for them.

God created us just the same, may we be a president of a nation or a regular man on the street, and I do not think that He has empowered any of us to place any one person above another in status. In His eyes, we are all His children, and He loves us just the same. I am sure He too would like us to do the same.

So, you smart alecs out there, stop criticising the South Korean government for negotiating with the Talibans for the release of the hostages. They did that despite the anticipated criticism because they love the 19 men and women. The 19 is not just a number to them. They are God's creation, His precious creation.