Exam Results

My results are out, and to be honest it was unexpected. Subjects that I expected to do well in I didn't hit my target, and those I was prepared to S/U turned out amazingly fantastic. But all in all, this is my best semester yet.

JS2226: Global City Tokyo A
MNO1001: Human Management and Organization A-
SC3202: Modernization and Globalization A
SC3206: Urban Sociology A-
SC3219: Sexuality in Comparative Perspective B

If there is any secret dissatisfaction, it comes from the fact that a cap of 4.5/5.0 is no sure sign that I'll get into the Dean's List this semester. And it is also probably the last chance for me to ever get into the Dean's List too. But oh well. I should have saw it coming the moment I got the SC3219 module. The lecturer is gay and fanatically anti-Christ, while I apparently attract unwanted attention from gays and make sure I wear my cross for everyone of his lectures. I also take my seat no further than the fourth row right in his face. My current reputation in the Sociology department adds to my notoriety, so that adds up to the possibility of me being targeted.

Or I could be thinking too much.

But honestly, a B for a Sociology module?? It's my lowest grade for any Sociology module, and the last B I got was Data Analysis, of which I couldn't do statistics for nuts that's why I deserved that grade. Nonetheless I should have seen it coming anyway. Should have done some other more harmless module like Sociology of Science and Technology (which would have bored me to tears) or Sociology of Food (like "huh"). Shouldn't have been so arrogant as to think that since I got an A+ for Sociology of Gender that the result should grant me the virtue of thinking I can score equally well for Sexuality.

I should have known that the statement "Christianity is against homosexual acts but not homosexual identities" would have alerted him. There is only one person in the entire 200-strong cohort who would dare to state that in the final exam paper worth 40%, and he knows who. Everyone else would write that homosexuality is oppressed by Christianity which wields its power as a dominant religion to marginalize identities, acts, lifestyles, etc. Yes, I do understand that Christianity marginalizes homosexuals, and yes I do agree. But completely? If there is any learning perspective that I have gained in Sociology, I've learn to by critical of judgments that make sweeping statements. There are Christian denominations that accept homosexuals and even various forms of homosexuality, even if I personally don't agree with them.

Forgive me Sir. I cannot and will not write what I do not believe in. If you will allow your narrow-mindedness to influence the way you mark the essays, I'll gladly take the B and hold it close to my heart, even if that one grade destroys my hopes of getting into the Dean's List.






And forgive me Lord, if my mind has been so clouded by not being able to hit the Dean's List that I forget that this has been by far my best semester in NUS ever. Forgive me for all the bitching and complaining when comparatively my thanksgiving should be the one taking up WAY more word space. All glory to You and You alone. +)






To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. -Johannes A. Gaertner

All are Welcome

Let us build a house where love can dwell
And all can safely live
A place where saints and children tell
How hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes, dreams and visions
Rock of faith and vault of grace
Here the love of Christ shall end divisions
All are welcome in this place.

As I read this poem by Marty Haugen inscribed on the entrance to the school foyer, my heart just softened for a moment. In the silence, a voice spoke of a love that words cannot describe, a mosaic of portraits depicting a barrage of heartaches that music cannot invoke, a fire within burned with a desire that zeal cannot be compared with.


In tandem with this poem, the mission of the school goes like this:

To create a Christ-centered school community where all work together for the promotion of truth, justice, freedom and love, with special reference to the needs of the pupils who are disadvantaged in any way.

Truth, justice, freedom and love. Besides these four ideals, nothing else have more martyrs in this world lived a fuller life, and died a glorious death, for.

Disadvantaged in any way. Jesus came for the lost, why should anyone longing to follow in His footsteps be any different?








How can my heart remain in contentment as the world sinks deeper into the mire that it has created for itself? Let discontentment and a longing for the return of the True King characterize the drive behind every single breath I take till the day He calls me home.













It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. -Marcus Aurelius

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? -Paul, quoting the prophets Isaiah and Hosea (1 Cor 15:55)

It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. - Jesus (Matt 9:12-13)

She Will Be Loved

She Will Be Loved (Maroon 5)

Beauty queen of only eighteen
She had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her
She always belonged to someone else

I drove for miles and miles
And wound up at your door
I've had you so many times but somehow
I want more

I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
She will be loved

Tap on my window knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
I know I tend to get insecure
It doesn't matter anymore

It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise that moves us along
My heart is full and my door's always open
You can come anytime you want

Took out the bridge because it didn't contain anything that I wanted to say. Quite the contrary actually.




My dentist fixed my teeth for free because I didn't seem like one of the "numerous vainpot customers" he has everyday and because he couldn't stand seeing my smile "pleasantly nice, but just not perfect". So I got a cosmetic fix worth $200 dollars FOC. Whee.

But I realized one thing also. Besides the fact that my dentist is a really brilliant guy who's main concern is people's dental health-care and not demands by metrosexuals, there's something we have in common: we cannot stand certain things in people, especially if we have the power/gift/ talent to change it. My dentist wants to give everyone a brilliant smile with his education in dentistry and his passion for his patients, and he just can't stand people who don't have perfect smiles. So I became one of his victims.

Following that trend of thought, is there something that I cannot stand in people? I cannot stand people with no passion, no goal in life, no direction, who have no idea what they're on Earth for. Yes, I'm biased towards females, I'm not so hard on them in this respect. But for the guys around me, I really, really cannot stand it. As a man, society is structured in a way that in most encounters you are called to lead and make decisions. A man with no direction or value system is a man with no ability to make firm, hard decisions and stick to them. Thus, I am driven to use my gift to inspire, motivate, encourage others through my words, songs, actions, lifestyle.

But there's one more thing I cannot stand. For those people close to me, I cannot stand it when they're not smiling. That's why I've been given gifts and opportunities to grow as a comedian, a peace-maker, an entertainer, an intimate lover.






Is it no wonder that I find such pain when the opportunity to put a smile on the face of someone I love suddenly taken away? Does not the pain only exacerbate further when it happens to be something that I'm good at, that I was born to do? Is not the sorrow endless when my faith in God permits me to know for sure that there is nothing that we cannot accomplish, even when the odds of the situation were stacked against us?










Never a lips is curved with pain; That can't be kissed into smiles again. -Bret Harte

Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. -2 Tim 1:4

My Communication Style (INFJ)

The Sage

Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging

Quietly forceful, original, and sensitive. Tend to stick to things until they are done. Extremely intuitive about people, and concerned for their feelings. Well-developed value systems which they strictly adhere to. Well-respected for their perserverence in doing the right thing. Likely to be individualistic, rather than leading or following.

As an INFJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system.

INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types.

INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives. On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it. Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized as other Judging types tend to be. Or we may see some signs of disarray in an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk.

INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them. As an extreme example, some INFJs report experiences of a psychic nature, such as getting strong feelings about there being a problem with a loved one, and discovering later that they were in a car accident. This is the sort of thing that other types may scorn and scoff at, and the INFJ themself does not really understand their intuition at a level which can be verbalized. Consequently, most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive.

But the INFJ is as genuinely warm as they are complex. INFJs hold a special place in the heart of people who they are close to, who are able to see their special gifts and depth of caring. INFJs are concerned for people's feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger. They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress.

Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ stubborness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions. They believe that they're right. On the other hand, INFJ is a perfectionist who doubts that they are living up to their full potential. INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always something else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them. They believe in constant growth, and don't often take time to revel in their accomplishments. They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in accordance with what they feel is right. In deference to the Feeling aspect of their personalities, INFJs are in some ways gentle and easy going. Conversely, they have very high expectations of themselves, and frequently of their families. They don't believe in compromising their ideals.

INFJ is a natural nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expectations of their children, and push them to be the best that they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn. But generally, children of an INFJ get devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined with deep caring.

In the workplace, the INFJ usually shows up in areas where they can be creative and somewhat independent. They have a natural affinity for art, and many excel in the sciences, where they make use of their intuition. INFJs can also be found in service-oriented professions. They are not good at dealing with minutia or very detailed tasks. The INFJ will either avoid such things, or else go to the other extreme and become enveloped in the details to the extent that they can no longer see the big picture. An INFJ who has gone the route of becoming meticulous about details may be highly critical of other individuals who are not.

The INFJ individual is gifted in ways that other types are not. Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and personal achievement.

Other Famous INFJs:

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mother Teresa
Oprah Winfrey
Mel Gibson

Besides the messy desk, everything else is spot on. I like. +)

Take the test and post on my tagboard what you are! +)

The Burden of Knowing

"The best thing for being sad, is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins... you may see the world around you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewer of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then - to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the thing for you." -Merlin to the future King Arthur, offering a cure for his sadness and pain (T.H. White, The Once and Future King)




The unfulfilment within me pushes me to learn "why the world wags and what wags it". That's why I chose Sociology. And the more I learn, the more I know; and the more I know, the more hopelessness I feel, the heavier the misery which weighs down on my heart.



The world needs a visionary, one who comes in the name of Another, the thongs of whose sandals I'm not worthy to untie.






I smell a revolution arising. It is time.






For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. -Solomon (Ecclesiastes 1:18)

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" -Isaiah 6:8

Choose Wisely

Husband After Wedding





Wife After Wedding





Choose wisely. Marriage is for a lifetime.




Marriage is like lottery, but you can't tear up your ticket if you lose. -F.M. Knowles

But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. -Paul (1 Cor 7:28b)

The Real Me

I'm nothing but a sad little runt whose bark is no scarier than its bite. Wait, I don't even bite. But I'll promise you the world, if you would only love me again.

She Walks In Beauty
Written by: Lord Byron (1788-1824)

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

Thus mellow'd to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impair'd the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o'er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express

How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!

I read the poem at the Convent's school library because no teaching internship stuff had been assigned to me yet, and the very first person I thought of was...





You.










The soul is not where it lives, but where it loves. -Anonymous

Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man, who can find? -Solomon (Proverbs 20:6)