Joined Planet Fitness

I have slacked off for a fortnight now. My weight has pretty much remained the same, so I have decided to commit myself once again to obtaining a normal BMI. I signed up with Planet Fitness for 25 months. Now that my wallet is SGD$1833.30 lighter, I really have to make every effort to use the gym as much as possible.

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Here I want to give a commendation to Serena Tan. She is a membership consultant for Planet Fitness. She is stationed at the Parkway Parade Shopping Centre Gym and she always happen to be the one who've served me when I was enquiring about the membership costs (4 times I believe). She exhibits professional decorum and never once was she pushy. I like her style.

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Cost of not going to the Gym?

At SGD$73.33 a month, that means if I realistically set my goal to go to the gym 5 times a week, each session would cost about SGD$3.60. However, if I were to go just once a week (god forbid), then each session would cost me SGD$18.30. GASP! I will so not slack off !!!!

a

Name: Fredizzle Height: 1.79meters Weight: 111Kg

Aging Population Aging Parents

~ FD Senoir and Mama FD in Korea ~

I was thinking about my parents recently. Time really flies when you do not notice. I really did not notice, always not being there. I guess this neglect started when I was enlisted in the army, back then, it was still a 5 1/2 day week and I had Church on Sunday. So I would drag myself home after a tired week in camp, flop myself onto the bed and sleep away the rest of the afternoon. The only quality time I could spend with them is on Saturday nights for dinner and Sunday nights just before I had to report back to camp, which amount to just a few hours in any given week. I think they treasure the little time we have so they would always offer to send me back to camp.

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After army, I went abroad to pursue my degree. I was always bottled down with unfinished assignments, my desire to travel within that foreign country and other odds and ends, so for the 4 years I spent away from Singapore, I only came back once. They did come over for short holidays, a few weeks each time. I guess the total amount of time I was around my parents was about 3 months in the entire 4 years.

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So now that I am back, I was looking for jobs and in several applications, my parents particulars were required. From there I got to know my parents exact age. I was not curious before then, so I never asked, somehow I was convinced my parents were about 50 years old. I'm a little off.

My mom is 59 years old and My dad is 57 years old this year.

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I went to the Ministry of Heath website to check up on some statistics and I got to know that on average, Singaporean men live to be approximately 78 years old at best and Singaporean women live to be approximately 82 years at best. Therefore, on average, I have approximately 2 decades left to spend with my parents. That is not a very long time.

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So I have decided to be a little more filial toward them. Respect their opinions more, give in to them more, take them out more, spend more time with them... that sort of thing. As for their intense desire for me to find a girl and settle down, well, can't do nothing about that for now. Their desire used to be for me to find "someone special", now that desire is downgraded to just find "a girl". Funny lah, the 2 of them.

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They do not know about it but I have vivid memories about what they did for me when I was younger. I will write about it under a new column: For that I am Grateful. It will be a tribute to them. If they do - in some freak accident - stumble onto my blog, they will be surprised by the stuff I remember.

Ok ... I Quit !!!

Alright I know I was supposed to stick it out and go for the whole 3 day diet thing but after today (the first day), I concede defeat. I have decided not to go through with it.

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Here are some reasons, not excuses, real reasons why:

1. I had absolutely no energy to do anything for the whole day and hence I did not want to do anything for the whole day. Zero productivity.
2. I kept looking at the clock, hoping that it is time for the next meal and when the meal did arrive, it just wasn't enough. I was very hungry.
3. What they say is oh so true, a hungry man is an angry man. I find myself so moody and frustrated. I was being snappy at everyone that came into contact with me.
4. Looking carefully at the diet, I will not be surprised one bit if I did actually lose 3kg, I was eating so little, I would have definately lost weight. Come on, a dog eats more than I do.

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So I came to a conclusion, I would rather take it slow, go to the gym, exercise and eat right, even though I would take a much longer time for me to see results using this route, I would be a much happier man, or at least I won't be a jackass.

No more diets for me, AAfur shizzle!

British Heart Foundation Diet

I have always been skeptical about diets. Although I'm desperately trying to obtain a normal BMI, I have enough sense to do it through exercising and eating right. However, almost 3 months have passed and I have only effectively lost 3kg. This is rather disheartening. So, when my mom spoke to me on a diet plan she wants to try out, I thought I'd give it a go as well.

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The diet is called the British Heart Foundation Diet. It only takes 3 days and it promises a loss of 3kg to the person who follows the diet exactly. So I thought 'what the heck', if it doesn't work, it's only 3 days, but if it does work, it would have only taken 3 days to produce results that took me 3 months to achieve. I will let you know the conclusive outcome in 3 days time.

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British Heart Foundation Diet

Day1

Breakfast: 1 cup black coffee/tea, 1 grapefruit, 1 slice of toast, 2 tsps* peanut butter

Lunch: 1 cup black coffee/tea, 4oz** tuna, 1 slice of toast

Dinner: 1 slice of cold meat, 1 cup*** string beans, 4oz beetroot, 4oz vanilla ice-cream, 1 small apple

Day2
Breakfast: 1 cup black coffee/tea, 1 boiled egg, 1 slice of toast, half a banana
Lunch: 1 cup black coffee/tea, 4oz cottage cheese, 5 Ritz biscuits
Dinner: 2 frankfurters, 4oz broccoli, 2oz carrots, half a banana, 4oz vanilla ice-cream

Day3
Breakfast: 1 cup black coffee/tea, 1 boiled egg, 1 slice of toast
Lunch: 1 cup black coffee/tea, 1 slice cheddar cheese, 5 Ritz biscuits, 1 small apple
Dinner: 4oz tuna, 4oz beetroot, 4oz cauliflower, 1 slice of melon, 4oz vanilla ice-cream

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Points to note:

1. The diet is to be used 3 days at a time.
2. The diet is based on a chemical breakdown.
3. Only salt and pepper is to be used as seasoning.
4. Only vanilla ice-cream is to be consumed.

* 2 teaspoon = 10 grams

** 4 ounce = 113 grams

*** 1 cup = 227 grams

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ok. here goes nothing.

TCC Column #3 - Penang Buffet

In this installment, TCC recommends The Penang Buffet available at the Copthorne King's Hotel (Singapore). This buffet deserves high praise for it's selection and quality of food that exceeded TCC's expectations. The chefs in charge of the spread took great care in preparing food that sticks very closely to its Penang roots. TCC insists that this is one of the few buffets that one would be willing to partake of more than once.

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Here is the link to the hotel's website.

Here is a source of information about Penang.

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FD Senior took TCC's recommendation and brought us there to celebrate his birthday and he was incredibly pleased with the selection and the quality of food available. He did comment though, that the cost for dinner - SGD$33.00+++ - is on the stEEp side. I agree with his conclusion.

Business Renounced Christianity and Became a Buddist

I was reading a Dilbert comic strip today. Here is an extract.
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[ Business used to be like Christianity; if you were faithful and obedient, you could obtain bliss in the afterlife of retirement. Now it's more of a reincarnation model. If the worker learns enough in his current job, he can progress to a higher level of employment elsewhere.] - Dogbert

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Funny, and also undeniably true.

Much Ado About Nothing to do on a Satrurday

This morning I reminisced about my fondness for one of William Shakespeare's play - Much Ado About Nothing. This is a romantic comedy and I guess that could be the reason why it appealed to me but I do believe it is also because this play was one of his works that I actually understood at that time. Anyhoo... I will write down my favorate portion of the whole play, found in Act 5 Scene 9.

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BENEDICK Soft and fair, friar. Which is Beatrice?

BEATRICE [Unmasking] I answer to that name. What is your will?

BENEDICK Do not you love me?

BEATRICE Why, no; no more than reason.

BENEDICK Why, then your uncle and the prince and Claudio Have been deceived; they swore you did.

BEATRICE Do not you love me?

BENEDICK Troth, no; no more than reason.

BEATRICE Why, then my cousin Margaret and Ursula Are much deceived; for they did swear you did.

BENEDICK They swore that you were almost sick for me.

BEATRICE They swore that you were well-nigh dead for me.

BENEDICK 'Tis no such matter. Then you do not love me?

BEATRICE No, truly, but in friendly recompense.

LEONATO Come, cousin, I am sure you love the gentleman.

CLAUDIO And I'll be sworn upon't that he loves her; For here's a paper written in his hand, A halting sonnet of his own pure brain, Fashion'd to Beatrice.

HERO And here's another Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen from her pocket, Containing her affection unto Benedick.

BENEDICK A miracle! Here's our own hands against our hearts. Come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take thee for pity.

BEATRICE I would not deny you; but, by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion; and partly to save your life, for I was told you were in a consumption.

BENEDICK Peace! I will stop your mouth. [Kissing her]

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Emma Thompson plays Beatrice in the 1993 version of this play. Her acting was exemplary.

Here is another link to Shakespeare's works.

A

Name: Fredizzle Height: 1.79meters Weight: 112Kg

Learning to Listen

This evening, I had a conversation with Yaliooh on msn. She was complaining about a predicament she was facing. I immediately went about to give her what I thought to be the best solution.

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She screamed at me and said "Can you just listen, stop being such a typical man who is only concerned with providing solutions?"

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I kind of agreed. I have worked on it before - listening that is. This time I let my guard down. For a guy, it really takes a lot of effort to listen. All we want to do is analyze the situation and provide a solution. It hard not to be 'guy-like' especially when you are one.

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[ FD, next time just listen, provide an opinion only when asked. Now that sounds like wisdom. ] - Mr Holiday

One Long Day

I went for an interview yesterday. It was incredibly long. 7 hours long. I used the whole of today to recover from my mental breakdown. Good news is, I think I got the job. Fingers crossed.

1. Essay Test.
2. Precis Test.
3. Aptitude Test - Critical Thinking.
4. Aptitude Test - Numerical Skills.
5. Aptitude Test - Reasoning Skills.
6. Interview Session.

By the time I reached step 5, I was already in this state ...

Wisdom I learned the HARD Way

a

Life

is made up of

the choices you make.

Maturity

comes when you accept

responsibility for those choices

A
Name: Fredizzle Height: 1.79meters Weight: 112Kg

Lest I Forget #1 - It's a Bird, It's a Plane, haiyah... It's only fredizzle

I was in an accident once, in 2002, involving a car and a bicycle. Unfortunately, I was the one on the bicycle. The scene was so comical, it could easily have been taken out of Laurel and Hardy.

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I was cycling down a road to university. A lady opened her car door without checking for oncoming vehicles and I flew over her door as my bicycle collided with it. She screamed. There was a mad scramble from fellow pedestrians: some were halting traffic because I landed on a busy road, others were attending to my injuries. I got up after feeling a little woozy but the crazy thing was, the only thoughts in my mind were:

1. Whether my bicycle was badly damaged beyond repair, and
2. If I was still able to make it for my lecture.

The lady was so stunned by the chain of events and kept on apologising profusely. I ended up having to calm her down. Thinking back, it was really negligent of her, imagine if it was a car instead of my bicycle, her car door would have flung off the hinges and someone might get hurt.

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I suffered a hairline fracture on my right wrist. The doctor viewed my x-rays and said I needed at least 4 months to fully recover. I did not feel any pain at first, I guess my body was numbed by the rush of adrenalin. However, my wrist started to hurt like hell for the next 2 weeks.

Miraculously, my wrist was completely healed by the 3rd week. Thank God for devine healing.

Living Christianity #3 - The Christian Miscreant

The title of the post is a little controversial ain't it? How could the word 'Christian' and 'Miscreant' stand side by side, one might ask. How? I'll just come right out to say it. Some Christians are butt-faced miscreants. Truth is, many of my most damaging hurts are a direct result of something that a fellow Christian did or didn't do. When I am in need of emotional support, my non-Christian friends will show empathy, but it is my well-meaning Christian friends that will throw words like Faith, Hope and Perseverance to encourage me, but that just pours more salt into my wounds.

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So why continue being a Christian when you're giving this religion such a bad report?

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In my previous post, I wrote that it is inherent for humans to err, and guess what, Christians are human too, we too are trying hard - through God's word - to be better people. Through all these experiences, I have learned to forgive and to keep on forgiving. On the other hand, when I am a jerk, I find it a little easier to ask for forgiveness as well. I must admit, it is a really very hard bullet to bite, but through it all, I have become a better person. Jesus asks that we forgive a person 70 x 7 times.

Haha... if you are counting what 70 x 7 times equals to, then you've already missed the point.

The 5 Stages of Grief

There is this misconception that the five stages of grief are only associated with an occurence of death. That is partly true, however, death can take many forms, the physical being just one of them.

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The five stages of grief are: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance.

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Something tragic has happened to a friend of mine. It involves death as well. A death of his marriage. Sometimes, I feel that I invest a little too much of myself in a friendship. When something of this magnitude happens to a close friend of mine, I find myself sharing his sorrow. My heart bleeds with his. As a friend, I find that I too go through the 5 stages of grief, albeit it is experienced in a much shorter time frame: 2 days to be precise.

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In the acceptance stage of my grief, I finally came to accept that truly, to err is human. This really came as a huge revelation to me. To err is truly inherent in us humans, Christian or not. I hope he overcomes this very trying time.

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Through it all, I have to admit I have a problem. I realize that every time a close friend goes through some hurt, my heart will go out to that person, and each time, I too will lose a little bit of myself. For some time now, I have been anti-social, never wanting to get too close to too many people, this is sort of a defense mechanism my head initiates to protect my heart. I fear if I have too many close friends, my heart will not be able to take it if something were to happen to any or all of them.

A

I will have to address this issue soon.

Adulthood. Overrated.

The trust once broken, can never be fully repaired.

I felt his pain and sorrow flowing vicariously through me.

Helpless I was.

I believe in love a little less now.

Adulthood. Overrated.

New Running Regimen

Ok I need to confess. I have slacked off for one whole week without exercise. My gym membership expired so I used that as an excuse to stop exercising. My bad.

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From next monday, 11 September 2006, I will start on a new running regimen to replace the gym. I believe this is a good move because with all the weight training, I am bulking up but my endurance remains unchanged. This is a recommended plan taken from a book, so I hope it works. Besides this, I have also made a pack with Miss Yaliooh. We will be accountable to each other, even though we are separated by the Indian Ocean.

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WEEK 1:

Monday - 1.6km walk

Tuesday - 1.6km walk/jog

Wednesday - 1.6km walk/jog

Thursday - Rest

Friday - 1.6km jog

Saturday - 1.6km jog

Sunday - Rest

Stay on this routine until you feel comfortable jogging 1.6km

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WEEK 2:

Monday - 1.6km jog relaxed pace

Tuesday - 12 minute non-stop jog

Wednesday - 1.6km run (jog faster than usual)

Thursday - Rest

Friday - 3.2km walk/jog

Saturday - 1.6km jog relaxed pace

Sunday - Rest

Stay on this routine until you feel comfortable jogging 3km

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WEEK 3:

Monday - 3.2km jog relaxed pace

Tuesday - 15 minute non-stop jog

Wednesday - 3.2km run (jog faster than usual)

Thursday - Rest

Friday - 15 minute non-stop jog

Saturday - 5km jog

Sunday - Rest

Stay on this routine until you feel comfortable jogging 5km

Once I am able to run 5km comfortably, I will just maintain with a 5km run everyday until I reach my ideal weight. Shed 33Kg. Impossible? NO! I will make it happen.

A

REFERENCE: The above guide is taken from the book "K.I.S.S Guide To Fitness", Margaret Hundley Parker, 2002, Dorling Kindersley Ltd, Page 129.

Name: Fredizzle Height: 1.79meters Weight: 112Kg

IDIOT Caught on CCTV !!

Reminder: Cable Vs ADSL

My cuurent internet contract with Starhub (Cable) is about to expire. 28th November 2006 to be exact. So I have 84 days to do an analysis on both cable and ADSL.

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Detailed analysis on Cable Vs ADSL in general. Here.

Starhub Maxonline price plans. Here.

Singtel ADSL price plan. Here.

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Questions to ask?

1. What is the actual bandwidth that the consumer can experience?
2. Is the age of the phone line a factor in the validity of promised bandwidth?
3. How much slower will the bandwidth be if there is more than one computer accessing this account via a router?

That's all for now.

HDB Buying Guide for Future Reference

This will be an extension of an earlier post directed at financal planning. I will list down 6 tips which The New Paper ( Monday, 4th September 2006, Page 26 ) columnist Larry Haverkamp gives. I will not endorse it as an irrefutable guide to purchasing a HDB appartment but this article does have it's merits so it is worth looking.

1. If you qualify, take the HDB home loan as opposed to bank loans. HDB home loans (currently) has a 2.6% interest rate. Banks generally charge more than 3% for housing loans.
2. Limit your downpayment. For HDB loans, the Housing Board will consume all of your CPF Ordinary Account (OA) and apply it to your downpayment. Avoid this by transferring the money, in excess of the 10% downpayment, out of your OA and into an investment of fixed deposit. Do this before the first appointment. You can transfer it back after the transaction is done. This will act as a cushion because HDB will take the monthly out of your OA so it is more prudent for one to have funds in your OA in case you hit onhard times and are unable to make CPF contributions.
3. Option fee. If you like a flat, you can reserve it for 14 days by paying an option fee. During that time, the seller cannot sell it to anyone else. You will have to forfeit the option fee is you decide not to buy. The fee is priced at up to S$1000 but you can choose to put up ANY amount. If your property agent insists you pay the full amount. Fire that person. An agent may even pressure you to sign a purchase agreement immediately. They may even fail to mention the 14 day wait-out period. Don't! The LAW entitles you to 2 weeks so take it!
4. Option exercise fee. You have exercised the option to purchase once you pay this fee. It is a binging contract. So do not pay and do not sign a Option to Purchase if you have the slightest doubt about buying the flat or about financing.
5. There is no requirement to use an agent to purchase a flat. To independantly verify that you are getting a good deal, compare home loan rates at www.AskDrMoney.com If you do engage an agent, there is no rule that you must pay the agent 1% as a buyer's commission. Some will work for nothing because they can also make good money from bank referral fees and splitting the seller's commission.
6. If you decide to take a bank loan instead. You'll have to choose between Variable or Fixed intrest rates. Do your homework on these 2 options. They have different advantages. In a nutshell, variable interest rates are an interest rate that moves up and down based on the changes of an underlying interest rate index and fixed interest rates are a loan or mortgage with an interest rate that will remain at a predetermined rate for the entire term of the loan.

Why we all have a chance at love ...

Let's give 3 cheers to Jon Q. Arbuckle. I found out 2 months ago that he finally bagged himself a girlfriend after all these years, chasing after his biggest crush - Dr Liz Wilson ( Garfield's Vet )

And boy is she a hottie! No kidding, look at who was chosen to act her role in Garfield - The Movie (2004).

That is why we all have a chance at love ....

Cartoon Crush and Life Partners

She-Ra: Princess of Power

My first cartoon crush.

Intelligent. Tall. Long hair. Wears a cape. Wields a sword. Blonde. Big Blouse Bunnies. Mini-skirt. Legs that stretch to infinity. High-heeled boots. Seriously, what's not to like?

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She can 'Ra' into dizzletown anytime fur shizzle. Here I would like to insert a quote from Seinfield to illustrate what you readers (females especially) are probably feeling.

"Sometimes when I think you're the shallowest man I've ever met, you somehow manage to drain a little more out of the pool."
- Elaine to Jerry, in the episode "The Implant"

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You know what, I will admit, that was my ultimate fantasy girl, but not anymore. As I approach the marriageable age, I ask myself:

" What kind of girl do I want?"

A married couple once told me, being married isn't easy, marriage is like a living organism, you have got to work to keep it alive, neglect it and it will disintegrate into lovelessness. So being all curious, I asked the million dollar question.

"How do you keep your marriage alive?"

Their reply was so simple it was almost patronizing.

"Simple. When you fall out of love, fall back in again."

I felt that what they said was so profound. So correcting my original chain of thought, I am convinced that my question ought to be,

"What kind of girl would compel me to fall in love with her again and again and again?"

Common Catch Phrases #3

Neither Rhyme Nor Reason

The hardest condemnation, however polite, of another's work is to say it has "neither rhyme nor reason." The odd thing about this phrase is that, when it was originated by Edmund Spencer, he was seeking payment for some poems he had composed for Queen Elizabeth. By his use of "nor rhyme nor reason," he obtained money long due to him from the stingy monarch. When he presented the poems to the Queen, she issued an order to pay him a specific sum. When Lord Treasurer Burleigh saw the order, he fumed, "What? All this for a song?" The queen replied, "Then give him what is reason." Spencer waited. After receiving no money, and with the queen still retaining his poems, he wrote her:

~~

I was promised on a time,

To have reason for my rhyme,

For that time unto this season,

I received nor rhyme nor reason.

~~

After receiving the poem, the queen commanded the practical lord treasurer to pay Spencer the original amount she had promised. Spencer received his money, and the world acquired "neither rhyme nor reason."

a

REFERENCES: The above description is paraphrased from the book "Common Phrases and Where They Come From", Myron Korach & John B. Mordock, 2001, The Lyons Press.

New Toy

An A4 sized Calculator - A Corporate Gift from MediaCorpA

Name: Fredizzle Height: 1.79meters Weight: 112Kg

( Haiyoh*, My weight is fluctuating like the STI Index, die lah, the next time I patronizes a hawker centre, I'd better ask for a healthier alternative, like Mee Siam mai Hum** )

~ ^~

* Haiyoh = A Singlish equivalent of the English word 'gasp' with an added hint of dismay.

** Mee Siam mai Hum= Mee siam is a local Singapore dish, basically it's vermicelli served in spicy soup with other ingredients. Hum means cockles in Hokkien. Mai Hum simply means "No cockies please". "Mee Siam Mai Hum" would simply refer to ordering a bowl of mee siam without cockles, however, this also became an infamous phrase coined by none other than our PM Lee Hsien Loong. For more details, click here and here.

Living Christianity #2 - Justice Vs Mercy

There is a news article in The Straits Times today that will serve as an excellent starting point for what I've got to say. Here are the following key points from the article.

[ The Straits Times, "Former national waterpolo player fined for road rage", 1 September 2006, Page H13 ].

1. Former national waterpolo player Ng Tong Hwee, 43, was riding his BMW bike to work.
2. Ms Ong Phui Huey, driver of a Volvo, cut into his lane, forcing him to swerve.
3. Mr Ng horned at her, caught up with her vehicle and gestured for Ms Ong to come out.
4. Ms Ong ignored him. No fault was acknowledged. No apology was given.
5. Mr Ng then kicked her car door several times when he tried and failed to open it.
6. Mr Ng pled guilty, was convicted and fined S$5000.

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How's that for Justice? Where is the Justice?

Here, the once non-Christian FD would conclude the following:

1. Ms Ong is a bloody Bitch Volvo driver!
2. She only got away with what she did because Mr Ng was stupified by his rage and did what he did.
3. If there is justice, YES, Mr Ng should be fined for his unruly behaviour, BUT Ms Ong should also be punished for her role in this whole fiasco.

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Here is what the Christian FD would have done:

1. Be angered by Ms Ong's stupid behaviour.
2. Go home, complain to friends and family, thank God for His protection and forget about this incident.

Here is what a Christian is also supposed to do:

1. Pray that God would help Ms Ong realise the consequences of reckless driving.
2. Pray that God would protect her from the dangers arising from other reckless drivers.

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Ask for God's Mercy,

Believe in God's Justice.

I understand the wisdom behind this statement in my head but I've yet to fully accept it in my heart.