Giver Remembered

Paul Newman (1925-2008) well-known for his legendary roles in Hollywood, also remembered for his incredible giving to charity and the arts - more than $250M in all.

Paul Newman on acting:
Study your craft and know who you are and what’s special about you. Find out what everyone does on a film set, ask questions and listen. Make sure you live life, which means don’t do things where you court celebrity, and give something positive back to our society.

His characters were often of a lone man, fighting the impossible fight against the odds. Even if the fight was ultimately unsuccessful, his refusal to back down ensured he'd always be a winner in the audience's eyes.

See BBC News for more.

Do what is right because it is right

Postwar study of Iwo Jima battle: Seeing that it was impossible to conduct our air, sea, and ground operations on Iwo Jima toward ultimate victory, it was decided that in order to gain time necessary for the preparation of the Homeland defence, our forces should rely solely upon the established defensive equipment in that area, checking the enemy by delaying tactics... It was a most depressing thought that we had no available means left for the exploitation of the strategical opportunities which might from time to time occur in the course of these operations.

I have never experienced hopelessness. I have never been driven to desperation. I have never had to cling on to dear life.

But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

Matthew 13:20-21

We're at peace and yet ever at war. An actively fighting spirit is what a man ought to have. After all, all men will die, but how many dare live?

World Peace

An ideal perhaps naive, yet a hope for things unseen.


International Peace Day, Kabul, September 21, 2008


Injured woman calling, Georgia, August 9, 2008 (NDP remember?)


Victory celebration process, Jammu, August 31, 2008


Flood refugees, Nepal, August 24, 2008

Pictures courtesy of Reuters

choice begets choice

Freedom of choice is what all of us desire. Interestingly, choosing another's will over one's desires breeds purpose - and usually increased choices later on :)

Father, Son

Obama and Senior

Now we are no longer slaves but God's own sons. And since we are his sons, everything he has belongs to us, for that is the way God planned. (Galatians 4:7)

A son bears the imprint of the father - even if absent. Yet there is a process of willing adoption and acceptance.

In his book, James Frey found himself adopted by Leonard, who somehow had the knack for knowing what he was going through and what he needed, despite his past abuses with alcohol and drugs and his near depressive state.

Many accounts abound, of talented and achieving people who caught something from their dads - even women do.

Guess that explains the yearning for a father, friend and mentor.

The Diary of an Old Soul

The world's smallest man joins the woman with the longest legs in the world to mark the launch of a new Guinness Book of World Records in London's Trafalgar Square.

A dim aurora rises in my east,
Beyond the line of jagged questions hoar,
As if the head of our intombed High Priest
Began to glow behind the unopened door:
Sure the gold wings will soon rise from the gray!--
They rise not. Up I rise, press on the more,
To meet the slow coming of the Master's day.

Sometimes I wake, and, lo! I have forgot,
And drifted out upon an ebbing sea!
My soul that was at rest now resteth not,
For I am with myself and not with thee;
Truth seems a blind moon in a glaring morn,
Where nothing is but sick-heart vanity:
Oh, thou who knowest! save thy child forlorn.

...

How many helps thou giv'st to those would learn!
To some sore pain, to others a sinking heart;
To some a weariness worse than any smart;
To some a haunting, fearing, blind concern;
Madness to some; to some the shaking dart
Of hideous death still following as they turn;
To some a hunger that will not depart.

...

Go, my beloved children, live your life.
Wounded, faint, bleeding, never yield the strife.
Stunned, fallen-awake, arise, and fight again.
Before you victory stands, with shining train
Of hopes not credible until they are.
Beyond morass and mountain swells the star
Of perfect love--the home of longing heart and brain

From A Book of Strife, in the Form of the Diary of an Old Soul (1880) by George MacDonald (1824 - 1905)

take risks

After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: "Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner."

The servant given one thousand said, "Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent."

The master was furious. "That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

"Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this 'play-it-safe' who won't go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness."

Matthew 25:19-30 (The Message)

changing changes to change change

HRM Singapore on making room for change:

We need to change the way we think about change. Sustained change may begin with actions, checklists, and tools, but must evolve to adopt a fundamentally different identity. Rather than think about change tools or programs, we should be thinking about changing identities...

Change requires letting go of an old identity. To forgo and let an old identity die requires clarity about what has to change, candor about the need for change, and courage to make the change happen...

Sustained change takes time. But actions that sustain change may be done in predictable ways. Leaders may follow a four 3s methodology to help move people from desiring a change to actually doing it.

· 3 hours: What can I do in the next three hours to make progress on this initiative?
· 3 days: What can I do in the next three days to make progress on this initiative?
· 3 weeks: What can I do in the next three weeks to sustain progress on this initiative?
· 3 months: What can I do in the next three months to demonstrate progress on this initiative?

The four 3s allow leaders to make sure that the change starts now, but continues. It allows leaders to have a dialogue with those in change to see if the change is actually occurring in short, specific ways that lead to longer term success.

that evanescent grip

Alison Rich tells BBC: What about if you have to speak to someone new who has a disfigurement, how should you react? Where should you look? Look them in the eye, but gently. If you find this hard at first then look at the bridge of their nose, it has the same effect. Shake their hand if appropriate, smile, nod your head in acknowledgement of their presence. Be sensitive to their cues - do they radiate confidence, fragility or sadness, are they in a hurry?

What should you say? How about "Hello." Sometimes it's a simple as that, talk about the weather, the price of petrol, how crowded the train is - as you would with anyone else. If you know the person and they have recently acquired a disfigurement, you could say that you're sorry they've been unwell or had an accident and ask them how they are.

Question: not-so-good circumstances equal bad luck?

The idea of luck, probability and random circumstances should be incongruous with the idea that a superior supernatural being governs all natural events.

So when a bad thing happens to a good man, what do we say that it is?

When a righteous man is rewarded with prosperity which blesses his lineage, i.e. that his later generations are blessed, that be good circumstances? Or not?

Conversely, a man born into poorer circumstances finds it harder to break out of his poverty. Is it plain bad luck?

What are the ultimate determinants of success in life? Is luck or circumstance one of them?

But there's no doubt that God's sovereign and in ultimate control... yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live (1 Corinthians 8:6)

Many things we fail to understand. Trust me, He says.

Grow old with you?

Got off the bus today and saw an old lady pulling out a paper cup from the dustbin. Putting it to her mouth, she drank from it without hesitating.

Had to turn away, was too much to bear.

I thought, give her money. But feet kept moving and lost sight of her. How much to give, would it really make any difference?

Shortly after 5 meters, I stopped and back-tracked. But she was gone.

Etched in my mind, this image will be...

just do it

Yoda says, do or do not.

Gotta do it to do it.

Hitching

Stephane Rousson, a 39-year-old Frenchman who's hoping to cross the English Channel in a homemade, pedal-powered airship - again.

No vision, no plan, no outcome - as plain as can be. You need no further reminder when people around are getting hitched left/right/center.

You gurg!!

On a separate note, Human Race scored me 54m07s, an average of 5.26min per km. WOOT!

Now, time to buy a blimp...

55minutes

...though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

2 Cor 4:16

Who do we run each race for? What keeps us going even when it doesn't seem to matter? And what motivates us to run from race to race?

Part of something larger, yet the whole we never see.

All things

...work together for good,

...are possible to him,

...are created for Him,

...have become new ;)

such imagination!

I'm astounded! Such wonderful story-telling! An urgent message belying a love story, well-told with humour and originality - read: entertaining. How on earth did the Pixar team do it...

It seems to speak of intelligent design: being formed by a creator according to one's unique shape. And it's hard to break away from that innate purpose, personality and preconceptions. Yet when something awakens within, newfound meaning emerges, spurring new behaviour and strength.

Inspired, I am. Retired, I ain't. All fired, I should be. Hired, I can't be :)

Read more about Wall-e here at Wikipedia.

opportunity

Unlike what U2 says, you only find what you're looking for.

~Phil Pringle

extraordinary

When the music fades,
and the smoke dissipates,
faith, wonder and phileo
still remain.

Now, hands willing, hearts clean,
feet restless, lips praise.
Who can refuse when He calls?

A spark begets a fire,
then a lifetime
to burn and inspire.

the end of the beginning

G day: that's G for graduation - on 23 & 24 Aug. Thoughts, fears and frustration temper my faith...

leadership brought to life

Moral of the story: Uphold personal integrity by keeping one's word. It breeds trust. Hmmm......

Rock & praise

Praise jubilante,
Word excellente!
Worship unified,
God glorified!

soldiering

Read recently that James Blunt used to be a soldier and even served in Kosovo. It's heartening what he says about being in the army:

I had to learn about different opinions and perspectives. Many people think the Army is just a group of people who follow orders. But it is not just that: you have to read a situation, assess and react appropriately. And you have to be flexible; soldiers have to switch, at one order from a commander, from being an aggressive force to peacekeepers. One is about forceful action, the other about hearts and minds. It's not surprising that I was able to become a musician after my military career, given that in the Army I learned how to change roles in an instant.

I have seen peace. I have seen pain,
Resting on the shoulders of your name.
Do you see the truth through all their lies?
Do you see the world through troubled eyes?
And if you want to talk about it anymore,
Lie here on the floor and cry on my shoulder,
I'm a friend.

Taking off

Quicker than you can say seven years and there goes!

Over mountains, over seas, to a life less ordinary in a brave new land.

Envy? Nah. A tinge of sadness though.

But there's no time and no need for moping.

Oh the glorious day of living in the fullness of one's calling!



All my bags are packed I'm ready to go
I'm standin' here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin' it's early morn
The taxi's waitin' he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

Recollection

Memories buried deep,
tears I used to weep.
Keys I did not keep,
once I learned to sleep.

Perspectives

Walk among the clouds... almost.


Food Struggle in Egypt


2008 Summer Olympics - akan datang

motorcycle diaries (singapore edition)

Singapore Dream - Round the World

Found out about this amazing Singaporean couple, currently riding around the world on a Honda bike since 1st Jan 2008 and aiming to cover 48 countries by June 2009 thereabouts. Starting budget: $50K (hence the appeals for support from fellow countrymen).

Foolhardy? Perhaps. Defying all rational sense of Singaporean pragmatism? Ah then! Defining cool? Absolutely! ;D

Finishing?

Just signed up for Nike+ Human Race. Though haven't been running regularly, friends & colleagues know me as the "marathon guy."

Tonight CG message was quite apt - about finishing well. Life's indeed a marathon, broken up into shorter runs. The run of bible school's coming to an end. What's next I scratch my head...

Onward I tread.

We Try Our Best

J. R. Simplot, Farmer Who Developed First Frozen French Fries, Dies at 99
Clay Felker, Magazine Pioneer, Dies at 82
George Carlin, Comic Who Chafed at Society and Its Constraints, Dies at 71


A tad morbid for a blog opening, but I really find myself intrigued by the passing of personalities and having their life's achievements recounted.

Built to last, comes to mind, for lately I find myself thinking about the legacy that I might leave - and for now, live.

Indeed the best of us really do try our best. Bringing out the best in ourselves - and more. Nurturing what's wanted in others.

As the song goes, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!"

And inspired I am, by the chefs who gave it all for their me

don't take it take slow

This is the only race worth running. I've run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that's left now is the shouting—God's applause!

2 Timothy 4:7 (The Message)

We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
Cuz we're ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow

(John Legend)

close our heads and bow our eyes

Speaking without sleeping...

Seriously sleep-impaired I am.

It's a great week nonetheless!

Learning and journeying I am.

Seeing is believing

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are - Anaïs Nin

Sleep eludes, not because of insomnia but just lack of time.

Mind wanders, gotta focus and ditch the negatives.

Vision of the heart or of another realm?

Wonders now, halfway through, what's ahead?

Be Still... and Pray

It is the Spirit who gives life. (John 6:63)

Another week whizzing by.

Trying to pray more, time (and sleep) is such a precious resource. But thank God for assuredly He speaks - revealing more and more. J reminds me that the real challenge comes after SOT.

Just had dinner with grandparents for an early Father's Day celebration. Their faith really encouraged me; they speak about death with no fear, instead joy - that they will return to their heavenly home soon.

The perfectionist in me has got me again - how can a 1500 word assignment possibly cause so much sleepless grief?