A Brilliant Conversation

28 Jan 2009, Wednesday

I received this from an email. Again, i'm no Christian and I personally think that both sets of arguments are flawed but despite that, Wanna share it because as an on-the-spot-argument it's simply brilliant!! Hahaa!! Funny!

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An Atheist Professor of Philosophy was speaking to his Class on the Problem that Science has with GOD, the ALMIGHTY. He asked one of his New Christian Students to stand and . . .

Professor : You are a Christian, aren't you, son ?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So, you Believe in GOD ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD Good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor : Is GOD ALL - POWERFUL ?
Student : Yes.
Professor : 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 was silent )

Professor : You can't answer, can you ? Let's start again, Young Fella. Is GOD Good?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Is Satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor : Where does Satan come from ?
Student : From . . . GOD . . .
Professor : That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this World?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Evil is everywhere, isn't it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes. Professor : So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer)

Professor : Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So, who Created them ?

(Student had no answer)

Professor : 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.
Professor : Tell us if you have ever Heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor : 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.
Professor : Yet you still Believe in HIM?
Student : Yes.
Professor : 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.
Professor : Yes,Faith. And that is the Problem that Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?
Professor : Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as Cold?
Professor : Yes.
Student : No, sir. There isn't.

(The Lecture Theatre became 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 was Pin-Drop Silence in the Lecture Theatre )

Student : What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness?
Professor : 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 its called Darkness, isn't it? In reality, Darkness isn't measurable. If it is, were you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you?

Professor : So what is the point you are making, Young Man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your Philosophical Premise is flawed.
Professor : 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?

Professor : 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 shook his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument was 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 was in Uproar )

Student : Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor's Brain?

(The Class broke 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 was Silent. The Professor stared at the Student, his face unfathomable)

Professor : I guess you'll have to take them on Faith, son.
Student : That is it sir . . . Exactly! The Link between Man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that Keeps Things Alive and Moving.

That student was Albert Einstein.

Little updates

28 Jan 2009, Wednesday

It's 12:30am!! I should be sleeping now cos later gotta go work, but somehow dun feel like doing so too quickly so might as well write abit bah, hahaa :)

After the supershiok pre-CNY weekend filled with 2 overnight mahjong sessions and a 2hr+ basketball session, yours monkeyly woke up with body aches all over on CNY eve Sunday 4+pm... Had my family reunion steamboat dinner (which still tastes exactly the same despite all these years) at about 6pm+, after which i decided to search for some old games to play in my laptop whilst waiting for the Cardiff vs Arsenal game at 9.30pm to start. At first wanted to play Lulu2, but ended up playing Destiny of an Emperor instead. Terrible terrible decision... cos ended up playing thru the whole Sunday night till 7am!

After the Arsenal game, suddenly realised that my handphone was running low on battery power so wanted to recharge it... But i couldn't find my phone charger!! I'd left it in Sarah's home during the mahjong session on fri... And i didn't realise it even though i was there again on Saturday night!! Terrible... Hahaha :p Oh well, so now using the Nokia phone which was my present from NPS fellas few years ago. Luckily still got backup ;)

While online, i jio-ed Dejun and Zhaorong to see whether they wanted to come out on Chu1, maybe to catch a movie or what. At first both said they should be free, but somehow sotong realised she wasn't free at that time like she'd told me earlier, so i decided to wait till Chu1 itself before confirming whether to ask Zhaorong on that day. LUCKILY i decided that way... Cos of playing game overnight perhaps, i woke up at Chu1 early noon with a niggling headache. Was bored and didn't feel like going out, so i also decided to forfeit the talked-about-with-Sheena-but-not-confirmed-mahjong-session-to-be and not prompt her about it. Continued playing Destiny of an Emperor till i completed it at about midnight. Finished the game in just less than 2 days... but at the cost of not doing anything else... LOL :p Would still have preferred not getting the headache and being outside with friends though.

Chu 2, woke up with the headace still pounding lightly against my head, but still dragged myself to visit my relatives anyway. This year there's much less ppl around than previous years, cos many of my cousins are overseas doing their stuff, and some of my uncles/aunties had already left us in previous years. I miss those CNY gatherings we had when i was young... It was so full of life, people, and warmth. I seriously doubt i'll ever get to enjoy another one like that again. How i wish i'd realised this when i was much younger!! Would've treasured them much more instead of dreading them... Hope no one else has to go thru the same thing as me! Treasure your family gatherings huh!!! Haha :p

Speaking of going overseas, yours monkeyly is also tempted to jump to another platform at work that offers the opportunity to go to San Diego. Shiok huh!! Not too sure about it yet though, cos of the bond involved. Shall decide on coming Thursday after going for their recruitment talk and finding out more.

Hmmm... I guess overall Chu1 and Chu2 was rather boring for me bah!! Thankful for the friday-to-Saturday fun though~ ^^

Little updates and something for the 2 of you

24 Jan 2008, Saturday

Looking back at the past few weeks, got abit of mixed feelings. On one hand, i'm quite satisfied with the amount of reading i'd done, i read 2 books that i'd borrowed early this month ("Eragon", and "Chronicles of Ancient Darkness". After finishing Eragon, i then bought (and also read) the series of The inheritance cycle - Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr - because all of the copies of Eldest and Brisingr in the libraries' were either on loan or on queue, so i tot might as well buy the whole series since i really enjoyed the first. It's funny, cos originally i only wanted to borrow Lord of the Rings but couldn't find it, and then i happened to stumble upon the above mentioned books so i snapped them up instead.

At work, was a very unhappy Dec and early Jan preparing and going thru the audits. And then somehow i had to endure some injustice at work. Then on the day of my first lesson of the sem, something happened that caused a rift between my brother and myself, and causing distress to mum in the process. So in that sense it was really bad...

For the rest of the past week though, things seem to have picked up. Was on course at work and the mood there was generally quite relaxed and light due to upcoming CNY. Finally got some holiday mood after so long!!!!!!! Played Mahjong last night and basketball today noon with friends, and i really enjoyed everything! It's great to be having fun and also play some form of sport after not exercising for so long, though i'd have preferred to play soccer. Well, that's a start anyway!!

Somehow last night got abit involved in a quarrel between a pair of my couple friends. At first, i'd taken sides with one of them because of the consequences leading to the quarrel, which was quite unfortunate (shit the bloody boss) and probably abit brainless of the other party, but then something happened afterwards that totally swayed my "loyalties" to the other side.

For 2 of you
It's one thing to throw a tantrum or what, which most people do when they're upset and angry, and quite another to decide on doing unpleasant things like threatening to make a scene at someone else's place at that time just because you're feeling vengeful or you're not willing to feel miserable while the other party, under your presumption, is "immersed in having fun". For your info, that person arrived in quite a sad mood and wasn't even able to concentrate on playing. That's what you wanted, issit? I'll be so honest as to let you know that it took me all of my resolve to prevent myself from scolding you over the phone when you told me the "choices" you gave to the other person, if there actually was any. It was really inconsiderate and unreasonable. If you really love or hold any amount of care or respect for the other party, you should never attempt to hurt that person, or give unreasonable demands like that. When you seek to hurt, there's only hate, not love. Both of you need to be more mature in the way you communicate and do things. I loathe to advise people, especially friends, to break up. But IF the other person is really everything you cannot tolerate, be it level of commitment or sensitivity or the person's preferences in everyday life like meeting friends or whatever, then go ahead and do so. When people get into relationships, it doesn't mean they will or must definitely be together for life - they learn more about each other everyday, even if they dun notice - because human beings change all the time, albeit slowly, due to all kinds of reasons like new environments, friends, hobbies, whatever, and then they decide if that person is right for them at some point. Since i seem to only notice suffering in your relationship, then maybe it's time to move on. People enjoy long and lasting relationships through giving and loving each other; the experiences and time spent together are gifts, not obligations.
No one is obligated to entertain.
No one is obligated to give in to demands.
No one is obligated to spend time with anyone else.
No one is obligated to tame the resentments of anybody else.
Like i say, any of these things, if they're given or done, are gifts, not obligations. That's why people are happy when they receive them, and why i say there's no point in demanding them. If as i know you're still attending churches, then i would say this - Unreasonable demands and vengefulness are not the ways of the lord - it spreads enmity and distrust, not acceptance and love, and it won't get you anywhere near what you want, though it's probably funny for a non-christian like me to be saying this (edit: Not written in spite.. but just to clarify that i'm not a Christian... therefore sounds funny/weird for me to say "the lord" or what. Sorry for the poor english). Happiness would never come to you by hurting one another or being vengeful. Think. I dun care if from this point onwards you condemn me or what, but i shall admit that i am absolutely furious and angry with you now, and rightly so. I'm not obligated to be friendly - it's my right to do whatever i deem fit. I'm writing this to both of you because as a friend, i care for you, and it bugs me to see you on the verge of displaying inappropriate behaviour without any regard for the consequences and consideration for other people.

Little updates... and Fascinations

12 Jan 2009, Monday

Finally the first stress period of the year is over, because thankfully the auditing waves have passed without much damage. Huge pang of relieve!! ;)

Last week, many people seemed to be affected by the weather or something, heard many complains on bouts of headaches and stuff like that. Yours monkeyly was affected too, though most unfortunately mine had to happen over the weekend, of all times!! Haiya, but serves me right too la, for playing overnight mahjong after work on friday despite my condition... Hur hurr hurr... Because of that, decided to not to meet Yy and co. at Holland V on Saturday evening even though i missed them, since the headache was knocking against my head like some kind of Hangover that had nothing to do with alcohol, so wasn't really in the mood anyway. Moreover, it was already 6pm+ when i'd finally got out of bed from my day's sleep. Having already finished reading the last chapter of "Eragon - Inheritance" before going to sleep at 9am (Saturday), but not yet quenching my thirst for reading, i chucked my phone in my room and started on "Chronicles of Ancient Darkness - Omnibus" - a book with 3 of its series in one, while randomly having dinner, surfing the internet, watching tv all at the same time. I quite like the stories, especially "Wolf Brother". Not sure why, but somehow i'm almost always more drawn to the first story than the others when they come in series... It was the same for the Harry Potter series, maybe it's the freshness of it all? Dunno, Haha :p

Coincidentally, both "Eragon" and "Wolf Brother" held the most fascinating and touching descriptions of the bond between the lead characters and their "pets". Such was the loyalty, fondness, devotion and many other unspoken things that they held for each other! And the hurt they felt when the other was taken from them, even if only for a short time. Whenever other characters came along, they were like intruders upon the private world of kinship. I might as well have said "Lightbulbs" for (your) better understanding... hahaha :)

Looking forward to the next books in both series!!

Next, wanna talk about more fascinations of mine, for 2 remarkable ladies that i've held for the past 2 weeks or so. Vivian Chow and Tarcy Su!! Speaking of them, the First things that come to minds of many people would be "chiobu", "Yu Nu", or maybe even "Lao zar bor"... Hur hurr hurr :p Yes yes... Of course guys only talk about chiobu all the time... But together, these two have reminded me of some things that we rarely see nowadays - one of virtue and values, another of how mesmerizing and charming women can remain if they want to, even at that age.

How and where to start! Maybe from Vivian... the dream girl of all 60s, 70s and early 80s guys, still pretty even at her age of 41 (i think). More importantly, her forgiving, good nature, loyalty, and willingness to stand by her man despite him being a cheating bastard. Forgive me for being sentimental, but she deserves better, this charming lady... all others can only stand aside and sigh~ for it really is such a pity, though i still praise her from the bottom of my heart, because speaking of this reminds me of how fickle and realistic the rest of the world has become. I understand when people get together for company and stuff, to find meaningful relationships and companionship, but of marriage, How many people really understand the meaning of marriage vows when they say it? Have they grown to love each other so much that they really mean to protect, care for, and love the other person no matter what happens in future when they say these vows? For example if he/she becomes crippled, blind, or maybe even a simpler case being unable to provide stature and luxuries? Or do they get married because "the time has come"? Under the circumstances, I'm sure Vivian knows what she's committing to, and why she wants to do it, despite many objections from many others on her decision, which is why my admiration for her can only grow. Seems like marriage for many other people is just a case of "a phase in life", "must accomplish before age of __", and stuff like that... Simply said, it has become rotten. And that makes it sad for idealistic people, because no, for us marriage is about love and care, and the fondness and eternal bond between 2 persons, more when children comes along, of course. Having read Eragon, i wish elven language really exists, for no lies can be said in that form...... Owww, i'm being sentimental again. Back to the next lao chiobu la!! Hahaa :p

Next! Tarsy Su (perhaps better known as Su hui lun). To be honest, i never really was a fan of hers. Might even say i quite disliked her in my younger days cos of songs like lemon tree and duck (Ya zi). Last week, though, i watched her on a variety show "Zhou ri kuang re ye". It was suddenly so nice to hear her singing, and she exudes a charm like never before... Mature, singing voice and body language full of genuine feelings, and stuff that i can hardly describe with my limited range of vocabulary. I guess it helped that 2 of the songs she sang really draws out sentiments in me. Like xiaopang, i wanna put both my hands on my face and let her continue mesmerize and serenade my senses. It's kind of weird that after indulging in the cutesy of the likes of Charlene (of Twins) for weeks, i suddenly find myself drawn to the charm of these more mature ladies. The charisma they exude in such amounts and excess despite their age!! and Who said growing old was bad...!! ;)

Wowww long post after so much silence wor... Hahaha. By the way, i wanna eat my words and declare myself a noob and carrot instead of pro in mahjong... Cos recently seems to keep losing? Hahaha, oh well whatever!! I'm still spending less than i would if i keep going out! :) That's all for now folks~

New Year Mahjong Lesson!!!!

01 Jan 2009, Thursday

Happy New Year my friends!!!! Wish u all a fruitful and blessed year ahead! :)

Last night, went to Janet's home for New Year's Eve gathering with my ex-project mates from SIM. Was quite a pity that Joey couldn't turn up though cos its just 4 of us in a group, so short of any one would make a big difference. And then Xiaohei.Jac went home quite early after the countdown cos with the guys playing mahjong, only left her and Janet entertaining each other. Haiya, before meeting them, i was expecting to chit chat abit with 3 of them before and after the mahjong sessions lo.

Speaking of mahjong session, really very gek sim wor~~~ Today afternoon was speaking to one of the mahjong pros in my flight, and i learnt a new tip to lose less when u can't win - "if your next ka appears to be playing Qing Yi Se and your own cards sucks, then go on and feed him/her until gao jiong then stop... so that the next 2 ka are not free to play their game, and the game would likely to end inconclusively or someone tiok-bao."

And so the story goes - After a nice steamboat dinner, i played mahjong with Janet's husband and his friends big Jack and small Jack (We were playing 5/1 = 5tai $16/$32), that rate made me feel quite nervous cos seldom play so much. I got off to a good start though, where i had already won games including the only 5 tai so far. So in one of the subsequent games, i decided to try the above mentioned method when my cards were not so nice... This method is actually super effective cos after gaojiong the other 2 ka were complaining and obviously playing guard against my down ka which was big jack. ALAS!!!! Flowers came and my cards became quite nice after I took a few more cards, and after my own 5 tai, i was feeling lucky and couldn't resist the temptation to ride on my luck and play the 12th card although i only had 3 tai... and big Jack really eat it!! Then i really "!!!!". Wasn't expecting him to eat it lo... Was thinking with my winnings so far if i throw to him hu only $64, which means i could afford to play the card to him so that i had the chance to game myself. Wah lau wey who knows he nvr hu at that point but went on to eat liao then after that zi-mo!! =_=''' So i lost $105 in that round instead. After i "lost my luck to him" in this way, big Jack become super wang and in the next game i tiok fang qiang another mixed-colour 5 tai to him. He zi-mo another 4 tai and i also fang qiang to the other 2 kas. Total loss of luck!!! Wah lau wey liddat nia hor my losses had already accumulated to $100+++, i think maybe close to $200 liao. I tiok suan dao siao lo for becoming feeder and shooter... hahahaa :p And they all wanted to become my next down ka. So i kicked myself for being overcomed by the "ex-Jianqi syndrome" and subsequently composed myself and started playing my normal game from our 2nd round onwards, which meant proper guarding and cards forming with very little "Bonuses" for my down ka. Not sure if they realised that though cos their impression of me is already our last time's impression of Jianqi liao, HAHAA :p Oops! Yupz, playing my normal game, i started winning back all the $ and at one point i think i actually overturned the deficit to slight profits. We finished 3 full rounds from 10pm++ to 3am++... At the end of everything though, my end result was a loss of $30 la, but that's very little compared to my initial losses. Just another 4tai hu and i would've fully overturned the deficit. I realise i'm actually quite pro liao... Hur hurr hurr~~~ Lao wang mai gua. Janet's husband broke even, and small Jack lost $120. If only i hadn't killed my luck with that rash action huh... Should have won quite alot lo, hahaha. Well, part of experience la!!!! The above-mentioned method requires one's character and style to be suited for it... And with my "Arsenal" character, i'm definitely not suitable to play it!! So today considered learn alot lo ;)

Now gonna bath and sleep... Later should be going to workplace to settle some unfinished business and maybe join Sheena & Co. for a trip to the science centre! I hope to have fun!! Haha ;)