Jinho's LIFE

Reality Checkpoint

2012-01-24T19:11:00.003Z

Like in KTJ, term-time life in Cambridge can be a bubble. We can get so engrossed in work (and if lucky, perhaps activities), and often find ourselves bumbling from one supervision or essay deadline to the next.

Hence this ingenious graffiti we find on the lamp-post in the centre of Parker's Piece, where the Cambridge bubble apparently ends:

Indeed, it is sometimes only when we get that far enough away from the town that we realise that there's more to life than just Tripos, academia, theories and equations.
(Unless, perhaps, you're from Girton or Homerton :p)

We remember that there's a world out there. Dogs, kids, skies, cities, villages, businesses, families. It's not just lecture and supervision, formal and slack. We remember that there's more to life than what consumes most of our day. If you've ever been down to London during term-time, I'm sure you'll relate somewhat to the refreshing 'reality check' I'm talking about.

I've found lately that an early morning run ending at this lamp-post has helped infuse some refreshing perspective into my busy schedule. Of course, it has been more than a vandalised pole that has inspired me. The fresh air, glowing skies and morning stillness are great invigorators. Also, the chance to chat aloud with Jesus, unheard by anyone else in the middle of the great expanse where the rules of modern football were once invented, has been very joy-filling.

Busyness can be fun and is great for producticity.
But equally, a 'reality checkpoint' every now and then inspires perspective :)

Have you had one today?

An Atheist's Christmas

2011-12-24T21:01:00.001Z

This post was triggered by the following video put together by Channel 4's 4thought.tv program:

Dharmender's main point seems to be that Christmas should not just be for Christians, but everyone. To support this argument he gives examples of how this festival is secular rather than religious.

I have to say that I agree with almost everything Dharmender says. Christmas today is certainly more than a religious festival. Most rituals associated with it (the tree, gifts, Santa, hollies, etc) revolve around the theme of humanity and hail back to pagan origins. There is no reason why anyone should be excluded from celebrating this festival. As he says, it's a great time for family, food and reflection.

But I differ on one important matter. He states that all the rituals associated with Christmas is "mainly pagan." Granted, he is careful in chosing the word "rituals" (activities), so his statement does not deny the obvious point that millions of people associate this time of the year with Christian "ideas." However, he's not just "not denying" this fact - he's evading any discussion or acknowledgement of it. Moreover, even if we're only talking about rituals, he seems to forget the ubuquitous tradition of singing carols about the virgin birth and putting up decorations of the nativity scene. Surely these rituals are not "mainly pagan." Although you may say that I am nit-picking over semantics, I think that his presentation is potentially very misleading. By omitting any references to the Christian aspects of this festival, Dharmender paints an unrealistic 'black and white' notion of secular Christmas, when in truth, it is a holiday which means different things (both secular and religious) to different people.

So yes, Christmas is for everyone, atheist, Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu. Like any day which people associate with various values, it doesn't really belong to any particular group.

But all that does not emasculate the season from the Reason so many Christians associate it with: Jesus, who appeared as fellow human to reach out to us.

I'm not upset with Dharmender for this oversight, which I'd like to believe was not deliberate. But I'll be saddened if we who've tasted and seen Christ's give of love, paint ourselves a predominantly secular notion of Christmas.

To everyone out there: Merry Christmas, with wishes of peace and joy!

Top 5 Scandinavian Moments

2011-12-17T21:39:00.000Z

Right after Michaelmas, Joon,Jordan and I headed off to Norway and Sweden to ease our minds of academicwork. Here's what I think were the more juicy moments, in descending order:

5. HammerfestHammering

Our 11-hour ship from Tromso arrived inthis little fishing town at 5 in the morning. We waited for the shops to openby taking shots in the middle of the road while trying to avoid getting hit bybusses. After finding that we still had more time to kill, we climbed a nearbysnowy peak and had jam sandwiches in the dark for breakfast. Our hands froze.

When the shops finally opened, we found outfrom the Tourism Office that the ship we were hoping to return on had “burneddown.” Out of necessity, we had to spend the night in Hammerfest. Since theprices were ridiculously high, we conned a hotel into taking 3 of us for theprice of 1 man. Even so, the amount we paid for that night almost amounted tomy AirAsia KL-London flight back in September!

4. £15burger

Indeed, the prices were so ridiculous ahamburger meal in an ordinary café at a mall cost the equivalent of £15. That’sabout RM 75. For a hamburger. Daylight robbery!

Fortunately, McDonald’s came to our rescueby offering NOK 10 (about £1) cheeseburgers.

3. Stockholmby Night

The old town, which was founded at least as far back as 1252, wasbeautiful and romantic.

2. NorthernLights

In a way, we thank God that return shipfrom Hammerfest had burned down. The next evening, we caught a most memorabledisplay of the Northern Lights!

1. House#247

At 2am, 300km into the Arctic Circle, Mr Roger’s house (or perhaps it wasjust "unclaimed territory") was subjected to a most unforgettable blessing. I amafraid I’m not at liberty to disclose any more information than that.

I'd never seen Jordan more happy before!

Can you Drive?

2011-11-17T23:36:00.000Z

“A steering wheel don't mean you candrive, a warm body don’t mean I'm alive”

A week ago, I was at a Switchfoot concertright here in Cambridge. Amazing!

Firstly, because I didn’t expect such a bigband to come to tiny venue in a little town for just about 600+ people. Theplace was smaller than the TN hall back in boarding school.

Secondly, they weregreat. The music was electrifying, and the lyrics stimulated the soul. MelissaKong, who stood beside me throughout the night (and who had come all the wayfrom Oxford to see these guys), commented that “[the lead singer] was socharismatic!” I know these words sound really cheesy, but I think you couldn’thave disagreed if you were there yourself. Jon Foreman sang not only withstyle, but he really meant every word he said. And you could tell that hereally wanted us to be thinking about them:

A modest shot from my 5.0 megapixel Sony Ericsson

I walked out inspired. I walked out feelinglike I wanted to get up and make the most of my life. Be the best me I couldpossibly be.

Now if you know Switchfoot songs, they don’treally tell you to do anything. Thewords don’t prescribe a plan of action. They just get you wondering aboutwhether or not you’re where you want to be, whether you’re where you could andshould be.

I’ve been listening to quite a bit of theirmusic this past week, and there’s one song that has particularly stuck. Thequote above is a line from its chorus. Have a listen if you can find 5 minutes:

Have we been living alive?

I wanna thrive, not just survive.

Indian Reflections

2011-06-26T05:13:00.007+01:00

Dei, I’m in Delhi lah…

The view from Terminal 3

Well, in the airport at least. I’m waiting for my flight to Nepal, where I’ll be for 19 days before going HOME!! About this time in 2009, I sat in an aeroplane and jotted down some thoughts right after my first year in KTJ. I’ve now just completed my first year at uni, and here’s what’s on my mind.

My results were released yesterday. I got a 2.i (second class upper). That’s good, and I’m happy about it. But I have to admit that there was a weeeny little sigh in my heart when I saw that I didn’t get a 1st.

Ok. I can imagine most of you wondering what’s gone wrong with my mind or whether I’m developing some serious ego issues. Getting a 2.1 for Law at Cambridge is quite awesome already. Many people would be overjoyed if they got a PASS for SPM Sejarah (History). Sitting in the country my great-grandfather left to seek a better "rezeki", I know it would have been beyond his wildest dreams that I'd be where I am today. James pointed out my lack of satisfaction when he observed that I didn’t “sound too enthusiastic” about my results. More directly, a 28-year old guy I chatted up at Heathrow Airport (who’d just started university) was really impressed when I answered his question about how I did in my exams.

So I’ve been thinking about why I didn’t feel fully satisfied. Was there something wrong with me? I've tried separating the “good” reasons from the possibly more “dodgy” ones:

1. Room for improvement
This one’s pretty basic. If you run a race and finish second, you’ll be happy, but something inside of you would long for the gold medal, at least for the next time round. So I guess you could call it a “good” reason, because it’s contentment without complacency; it’s fuel to keep moving forward.

2. Could, but didn’t
I don’t know my full break-down yet, but I’m pretty sure that it was the Tort paper that pulled me down. And that was a real bummer because I realised that I did way worse than I should have. For instance, I failed to recognise the main issue(s) in at least 2 (out of 4) questions. What’s worse, these omissions were on my “baby topics” – the ones I liked most and knew best. Also, unlike the other papers, I basically lost my calm and messed up my structure, timing and even forgot to write down entire parts of planned answers.

This too, is not a “bad” reason. I guess the dissatisfaction is a good incentive to keep calm and focused to the end. Tort was the final paper, and my mind was probably distracted by the looming “post-exam freedom”.

3. Expectations
I think this was a biggie. My coursemates in Corpus expected me to do pretty well. When I told one of them about my results, the immediate response was a long “awwww”, before the congratulations. At least two other friends reacted the same way. In fact, one had to call back a few hours later to apologise for not being more positive. I won’t be surprised if my supervisors would be slightly (even if only silently) disappointed.

I’m not saying this to blame them in any way, or to make them feel bad. I’m not saying it to put myself on a pedestal either. But I now realise that these expectations from other people had impacted me. First, it validated Reason #2: I wasn’t the only (perasan) person on the planet who thought I could do better. Secondly, and more importantly, it affected my self-esteem – or more crassly, my “ego”.

4. Ego/ security
This wasn’t something I thought about actively. But after digging deep and questioning my feelings, I think there was an “ego undercurrent” which influenced my own expectations. Maybe it was the desire to stand out from most of the others. Perhaps my pride had slowly grown fond of the compliments people gave, and therefore felt a need to justify this liking. Whatever the case, there was definitely an element of wanting to prove something, as if my worth depended on how well I performed academically.

But was this a good or “dodgy” reason for not feeling fully satisfied?

The controversial question
I think some people, especially in a place like Cambridge, would stand up and say that Reason #4 was perfectly reasonable and acceptable. If your strength is (and has pretty much always been) in academics, then exam-performance validates your identity – it verifies your intelligence. Also, your place in this university was on the basis of your academic ability. So any desire to prove this ability (especially if you were interviewed in KL, less stringently compared to those in campus) is only normal.

While this reason is understandable, I don’t think it’s desirable. Why should my sense of value come from how awesome I do in Tripos? First, 4 sets of 4 essays cannot truly measure the level of one’s intellectual ability. But even if it could, life is more than intellectual ability. At this point, I’m aware that I sound very much like Zhi Wei in his recent “rant on exams”. I’m also aware that some people have (mis)understood his article as an attempt to justify poor performance and find “backup” consolation. But that’s not what I’m doing. I’m just saying that it was cool to feel less than overjoyed about a 2.i for reasons #1-3, but not Reason #4.

Here’s why:
Any question concerning my sense of worth is basically about insecurity. Everyone has it, and we all rely on different things to keep us feeling valuable. These things can be family, romance, wealth, team-comradeship or personal achievements. The problem is, this insecurity is a bit of a black hole. And academic excellence is a poor filler for that. Even if I got a starred 1st and topped Tripos, my insecurity will not automatically vanish. Ask anyone who’s achieved anything impressive: the attainment leaves you feeling great about yourself, and very happy, but it doesn’t dissolve your need for validation. In fact, it probably worsens it in the long run, because you’re now under pressure to maintain the excellent trend.

The alternative
I’ll digress for a bit and state what I think should be the source for validation: relationships (rather than performance). It’s like the certainty that your mom and dad will still love you even if you mess up. It’s like the old saying: those who mind don’t matter, those who matter don’t mind.

Two texts I received from friends on the eve of results day exemplify this notion:

“whatever the result with Tort I will be proud of u 4 doing ur best”

“Hey good luck for your results. Don’t worry we’ll still be friends with you whatever grade you get haha”

So if you want to fill that black hole, it’s gonna be in relationships. Now lemme preach for just one sentence: I’ve learnt that the best filler for the God-shaped hole is Jesus ;)

Conclusion
Reasons #1-3 were cool: I had good reason to feel a wee bit frustrated, although I was generally pleased.

Reason #4 wasn’t cool: If validation arises from performance, that’s probably ego and pride. If it arises from relationships, that’s security.

Royal Wisdom & Turning 21

2011-03-23T01:15:00.005Z

PC: (jokingly) Wow, you guys aren't in your rooms working. Did you go for lectures today?
Joe: Nope!
PC: (smiles) Enjoy it while you can. It doesn't last...

From all the hype about Prince Charles visiting Corpus that Monday afternoon, it was this exchange which stuck to my thoughts the most.

That was 8 days ago. Lent term is now over, and it's already half a week into the break. That means I've been in the UK for about 6 months now. Time comes, and it goes. And once gone, it's forever gone.

40 days ago, I turned 21. Since it is often held to be the turning point to "adulthood," many friends understandably asked me what it felt like to be that age. I didn't know what to say. Apart from being able to vote back home (and legally purchase alcohol in the US), there wasn't much that changed for me when I woke up on Feb 11. Interestingly, it tended to be those younger than me who asked that question - I suppose the others knew from experience that there wasn't really anything magical about turning 21.

Having said that, the many questions got me thinking, and two thoughts have come up. Firstly, it has hit me that I am "grown up". The "adult" label attached to this age, compounded by the fact that I'm living on my own 6000 miles away from home, making my own decisions, has made me feel like I've stepped out into the "big bad world". You know, when you're a kid you think you'll never actually grow up. You live in your little bubble, and never really make any major decisions other than what to do with your RM 1 in the canteen or whether or not you want to invite that acquaintance to your birthday party. Over the years, you g r a d u a l l y become more independent, but even then, you remain in the "kid" mindset because you never really noticed the change - like when Wile e Coyote realises that he's run off a cliff, with no support underneath.

Of course, the analogy is limited: it's true to the extent that you realise that you haven't got support to lean on like before, but unlike cartoon physics, this realisation is not necessarily disastrous.

What this epiphany has given me is a sense of responsibility, in that I am now to account for my decisions and their consequences. Apart from "the viccisitudes of life", I can basically choose to set the course of my life. It's an awesome feeling, both fantastic and terrifying. Almost like holding a helpless babe in your arms, except that that person is yourself.

And this leads to the second thought that has been on my mind, concisely articulated by the Crown Prince: it doesn't last. This life with which I may write a story is a precious one, only to be lived once. Unlike Wile e Coyote's, my life would not faithfully reappear in a next episode to have another go at catching RoadRunner. The "milk" spilt with each droplet of time cannot be retrieved, but must be accommodated to fit into the wider painting. And the drip rate is pretty high.

So to all who've asked, that's what it feels to be 21. To feel like an individual, autonomous and therefore responsible, whilst realising that this whole experience is but a breath, a momentary vapour. Having that in mind, I want to make my next few (possibly 50/60?) years worthwhile. I would differ with Prince Charles' quote in that I'd say life is to be worthwhile, rather than merely enjoyed, because the former means indicates abundant living both internally (for myself) and externally (the impact I make), whereas the latter only gives one side of the coin.

By now, you may have noticed an apparent parallel between my thoughts and "Sinatra-ism", captured aptly in Bon Jovi's It's My Life. It's a fantastic song (I think) in all respects, except in a few bits in its lyrics, which is where my philosophy departs from it. Firstly, the underlying implication is an ignorance (or ingnoring) that the "right" to freedom comes with the corresponding "responsibility" for the consequences of one's choices - against a standard other than one's own. Secondly, it assumes that "my way", or one's own choices/ standards, are the best for them. But I don't think what I want is necessarily what's best for me. In fact, I don't even know what I want most of the time.

But where does that then leave me? Well, I go back to my favourite textual source of inspiration (textual, because the author himself is even better) and find myself a promise:

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psam 37:4

Read it.

The condition: delight yourself in him -- i.e. enjoy Jesus (think enjoy Coca Cola)
The promise: No, it doesn't mean there'll be a cadillac in your porch tomorrow morning. It means he will plant in your clueless, yet innately wild and adventurous heart a worthwhile dream, which he'll then help you strive for

It's a beautiful cycle. For me, that works better than Frankie's "I did it my way", since I can't even trust my own judgment.

And thus I enter the big bad world.

Hello, I'm Jinho. I'm making this worthwhile while I can. It doesn't last.

Tripartite Reflections

2011-01-08T21:21:00.020Z

T.F. Tenney once said:

Many people stayed up to watch 2009 come in. I stayed up to make sure 2008 left!

Although I did not look at the clock with relief when 2011 came in, I must say that I can relate to what he felt.

Retrospective
2010 was a great year in many aspects. some (shareable) cherishable bits include:
- Corpus offer
- Prefects' board, MUN, the SALT
- studying (passionately - Emily Tay and Mike Tan can vividly testify) for A-levels
- a great birthDay
- visiting Singapore, church camp @ Cameron, BNM + BTN Camps
- returning to KK: family, summer job, the CORE, church
- Europe trip with family: England, Switzerland, France
- going to Uni

And that's where it kinda (unkindly) fell apart. It wasn't big or dramatic, but I felt a subtle and gradual loss of focus and direction creep over me. Before I knew it, I found myself feeling that I was like a speedboat wandering aimlessly in a sea of apathy - with a steadily diminishing fuel tank..

I was actually excited about going to Cambridge. And when I got there, I liked it loads too. It was awesome. I found my subjects stimulating, the lectures interesting and the supervisions fun. The architecture was amazing. Friends were abundant, the people amicable and in every corner interesting people were waiting to be met. And there was so much to get involved in, sports, arts, politics, Church, food, games...

But somehow my boat ended up in that cheerless sea. The thing is, all this wasn't very evident. I hadn't changed externally, and inside I still kept the same values and dreams. But I remember looking at my (oh so dear! -and a story in its own right, something i may share some other day- ) black note book not too long ago and looking through entries I'd written earlier in 2010. I wondered where on earth all that zeal, enthusiasm, discipline and mirth overflowing from my writings a few months ago had gone to. In fact, an observation of my writings over the term gave a record of my emotional health which looked somewhat like the RBS performance over the past 3 months:

Up and down and up and down, but basically, down.

Perspective
I'm not sure of the exact reason for this bearish behaviour, but I suspect it was largely the big change that came about with settling in a new environment: Doing new things in different ways; eating different food in new ways (they use forks for their rice here); simply looking around you at the radical dissimilarity and wondering "what in the world am i doing here?"

Indeed, i think a question that inevitably rises when you are displaced from the familiar is one of Identity. Frankenstein's creature aptly expresses this universal sentiment which change augments:

What did this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to solve them.

I thank God for my time at the CCCF Houseparty, where our study of the book of 1 Peter in the Bible reminded me of the answer to this age-old question. I shall not enter into an in-depth description of what we read, but here's the key points:

“Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly...

1 Peter 2:9-10, NLT

This has two parts: (1) that we now have identity because of God; (2) this world is merely temporary. The first is following up on a statement made earlier in the book (1:3) that God gave us "new birth into a living hope." Indeed, coming to Jesus for the first time is like being born again, and finding our new identity in Him. This ties in with (2), that this new identity transends the finite material world.

Well, that's great theory. And as you may be wondering right now, how could such a philosophical proposition really affect us? That's where my recent week(s) in Birmingham comes in. For the first time in quite a while, I took the time to spend talking with Jesus (praying) more consistently: put aside the many distractions and gave him room. These words I quoted just now are just words in and of themselves. But "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children." In those times alone with God, the reality of His presence assured me and reminded me of who I am and where I'm headed. Or rather, who he is and thus what I am.

Prospective
Thus I begin the new year. And thus I'm fixing - as in currency fixing, where discrepencies are immediately balanced by market manoeuvres - my trust and heart in him. They say crises bring out the true nature and quality of things, people and institutions, testing them to the very core. I think the change I recently experienced did that, demanding a reassessment of what lied within. I sumbit that the test shall be passed.

The MALAYsian Problem

2010-12-22T15:56:00.011Z

Earlier this week, I was in Bath with some friends. We were waiting for our bus back to Chareeyan’s apartment when I suggested we play a game: we would speak to each other only in Malay until we got home and started playing Monopoly.
(Evidently, we chose that end point because we knew how difficult it would be to play Monopoly in Malay!)

The game was good fun. Yee Ching, who’d been talking SO MUCH – as in more than Jinho-much, which, if you know me, is a lot – suddenly had NOTHING to say. I was amazed. When queried about the change in behaviour, she said with great effort and minute speed, “err… saya tak ada apa-apa nak cakap” – I have nothing to talk about.

A few minutes into this game, I was struck by how significantly language influenced our relationship(s) with one another. We were now speaking more slowly, less naturally and with many sudden gaps as we dug earnestly for evasive words in the recesses of our rusting Malay vocab-banks. Our effortless flow of thoughts, emotions, opinions, feelings and humour now seemed like a sputtering junk car hobbling along a gravel road.

That was how we felt, just trying to engage in “small talk”. Imagine what it was like when we started talking (or trying to talk) about politics and religion.

Interesting, how the 5* of us, all of whom got A1 for SPM Malay, were now rendered verbally (and relationally) retarded by having to speak in Malay.

We gave up, sort of. And resorted instead to a “peribahasa challenge” – quoting Malay proverbs in succession until only the winning player remained. That, too, was quite good fun!!

Perhaps I am exaggerating slightly, and my friends with me that evening can correct me on some of the (humiliating) details on the comments page. But I’m sure that many Malaysians can relate at least a little bit to the gist of what I just shared. How many times have we found ourselves with another Malaysian from a different race and found it difficult to relate? As Zhi Wei once put it:

The best instance I can ask you to imagine is to picture yourself among a group of strangers, or people you are unfamiliar with. Assume that everything else is constant, and the only variable is race. Who would you first talk to, honestly? Where do your natural instincts ask you to go? Is it someone of another race, or is it someone of your own?

The problem that this produces is minimal communication between races, as we prefer to stay within our own language-groups. This means limited closeness, as we hang out together less and are not able to freely express ourselves to one another. This distancing places an uncertainty about each other, making it difficult to build trust – as we tend to trust the people we know.

The result? When an inter-racial issue arises, we tend to see it through unsympathetic lenses. If we’re from one particular race, it’s natural for us to initially look at an issue from the perspective of that race. And that’s perfectly fine, because we need to look at how the issue affects us personally. But if we’re only hanging out within our own racial or linguistic groups, then it would be unlikely for us to also see the issue through the eyes of those outside our groups – simply because we don’t know what it is like to be outside that group. How can we appreciate the different culture, values, attitudes, struggles, faith and hopes of people we have minimal contact with?

Shall we be informed solely by the media, which tends to oversimplify deeply rooted matters and select extreme opinions? Or shall we seek to understand the other races by superficial, argumentative discussions with peers? Or are we getting to know individuals from other races on a personal level?

But how can we get closer to those we barely communicate with? And how can we communicate more if our Malay is so rusty we can barely be the same person when conversing in that language?

I’m not saying that English is to be sidelined and that Malaysians should only interact in Malay. Or that we should only interact outside our first-language groups. But Malay is our national language and it’s the common tongue among most of our population. If Malaysians want better lives, a necessary (though insufficient) element is a better country. And to build a better country, we need unity among the rakyat. Of course, relationships are based on non-language factors too, such as common interests, experiences, circumstances, etc. But as the experience of my friends and I back at Bath showed, even existing close relationships can be severely limited by a language barrier.

Justeru, kita perlu berusaha untuk bercakap dalam Bahasa Malaysia. Boleh, tak?

*myself, Chareeyan, Wei Jie, Voonhui, Yee Ching. Chareeyan's Malay was actually ok, but the rest of us...

There is no such thing as a free lunch

2010-11-19T14:42:00.006Z

Dear friends,

there is no such thing as a free lunch.

today, on my may for CICCU's Friday Lunchtime Talk, where they serve free lunch, i discovered in practice what that saying really meant:

i am inadvertently cycling the wrong way on a one way lane
...behind another cyclist also heading down the wrong direction

this other cyslist decides, for reasons unknown to me and perhaps not to him either, to Suddenly brake
i brake in time, thankfully. but i somehow forget that using the front brakes (in addition to rear brakes, which for some reason are misbehaving today) at high speed naturally results in...

so on my way back down to earth, a cyclist coming from the other (proper) direction graciously meets me with his bike-wheel
he reminds me (and the sudden-braking cyclist) that it's a one way road

i limp (not due to this incident, but one a few days ago when my bike skidded randomly* at a corner) towards FLT, whilst dragging my bike
deciding to check if i am still on time, i discover my phone has somehow escaped my pocket, perhaps at some point during the rotation about the front wheel of my bike..

i could go on and tell you about the trip to the bike shop, and how i ended up missing FLT altogether ( i went to the wrong location)

but there. i have my conclusion.

oh well,

I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth
(Psalm 34:1)

*randomly: ok, i concede that there was some element of recklessness, but really, i plead minimal culpability!

p.s. if anyone calls or texts you with my number, you know what to do ;)

Blue(s) Skies

2010-11-14T16:55:00.007Z

There is this notion in Cambridge that the 5th week of term is when one gets really overwhelmed...

in the middle of that week, there was actually a day with clear blue skies! oh, the irony!

anyway, since it was Joanna's birthday on Thursday, i tried to cheer her up with this little rhyme:

It is true
That 5th week blues
Can damage you

But please do see
With melody
There can be glee!

So sing!

Going back to 5th week blues, i actually think i am emerging from it...
I hope to drop by a little more next time around.

rethinking life

2010-11-06T14:44:00.006Z

I went down to London last weekend!

twas great fun. and also really, really thought provoking.
it was my conversation with Zhi Wei which really got me rethinking about life.

in a nutshell, he was just saying how he'd been thinking recently bout how our world system is quite messed up, and i paraphrase:

capitalism's too money driven. everything is very materialistic and centered around making more money. in a university like LSE, where there's a really strong corporate culture, it's really easy to get sucked into the peer pressure and get hooked up on "paperage" -- the obsession of developing a cv that'll get you into a big firm, such that all your plans center around it.

but if we stop and ask ourselves Why we're doing all this, do we really know? is it just for the sake of it? is it just because everyone else is doing it?
or do we realy have a passion about what we do and the impact that it can make?

what really got me thinking was the folowing observation:
if in one part of the world someone's depressed about not being able to get a 400 dollar handbag, while somewhere else is just hoping for 2 dollars to help him get through one more day...
something must be wrong

i know these sound very basic. it was. and it really got be back to basic thinking.

back in Cambridge

last night at a Junjie's room in Queens' we were reading the bible together, on Mattew 6:19-21

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

chatting with Ling Yah today, we decided: if you have an iPhone 4 today, it won't keep you happy until 3 years from now. but a relationship today, or something meaningful done this week will be just as valuable in 10 years. an iPhone anyone can steal from you anytime, but the treasures of love, hope and faith stay with you forever.

money isn't bad for me, but it's kinda better if my life centered around otehr things too =)
after all, as Ling Yah inadvertently quoted E.F. Schumacher (and Jesus actually), money (consumption/materialism) is just a means to an end: the good life.

and last night in Dhruva's room, a bunch of us were talking about Malaysia and about how needs abound there in so many areas. how beautiful if we could get our perspective realigned and start living for the good life =)

not so Poplar? that's owkaaay...

2010-04-16T12:00:00.000+01:00

i was googling the symbolic significance of the Poplar tree, as part of my holiday research for Lit..

when I stumbled across this irresistably good comic - had to share it with you guys:

it reminds me of an old song i recently got crazy about all over again. by scott krippayne. first heard it sung by a puppet in sunday school:

be blessed =D

Quod Facimus Id Perficimus

2010-04-06T04:29:00.008+01:00

This is me foolishly celebrating before crossing the finish line, having mistakenly believed that I helped my 4x400m team win the race:

It seems really dumb, but it actually wasn’t all THAT bad.
By the time I got the baton, the other runners were at least 20-30 metres ahead – because our 3rd runner unfortunately collapsed 10m before reaching me, after winning us a nice lead..
But I actually managed to catch up, and overtake the others, as the picture below shows. Not bad eh?

HOWEVER, as I was approaching the line, and thought I was already crossing it, I lifted my hands (and thus slowed down) in relief... “phew, we made it! XD”
but too bad. Narasyimha did what all true athletes do at the finish line: he stretched forward with all that was left in him (just like this sentence).

LESSON LEARNT
When running a race, carry through all the way. It doesn’t matter how gloriously we began. Or how wonderfully we kept up the glorious pace. You’ve gotta make it till the very end. Not just to the point a fifth of a second from the finish line – which is where I lifted my hands. It must be past the final destination.
So whether our race is a commitment like:
- school
- exams
- relationships
- dreams
- life
endure till the very end. Let’s not slack till we’re done.

The title for this post is actually my old school’s motto. It’s Latin for “what we do, we carry through.”
Once, a T-Shirt shop made a mistake and spelt it as “what we do, we carry trough.” Interestingly, the grammatical error actually contained a marvellous insight.
Think about the connotation of a wave’s trough – a decline in performance or potency, as in an economic recession.

So when you fail to carry through what you do, you end up having to carry trough

=D

the US so far..

2009-07-24T22:07:00.011+01:00

Just wanna update you guys on what I've been up to lately...

July 15
touchdown. checked into the Millennium Hotel at the One UN Plaza. had dinner @ an Italian restaurant which had a waiter that thought that Tabasco meant toilet. went for a walk with Ishmam & Sheela.

July 16-19
Youth Leadership Summit. I shall talk of this more some other time.

July 20-22
chill-time with Penuel, my brother. He came up from St Louis to visit. We shopped, walked a lot, subwayed, got lost, got found, went sight-seeing, ate kebab and lots of Malaysian food.

July 23
arrived in Orlando at about 12 in the morning. got up and went to SeaWorld. Encountered a roller-coaster, Shamu the whale(s), sharks, sea lions, dolphins, manatees, dogs, cats, gulls, etic...and a pig.

Blessings,
jinho

Atlantic Reflections

2009-07-16T00:38:00.011+01:00

i wrote this while i was on the plane just now.
Hey friends,

I’ve been wanting to write a meaningful, heartfelt post for many months now. Fortunately, the 7+ hours I’ve got left to sit in this plane can make that dream come true =)

I’m some 33000 feet above the Atlantic now and since this cool plane has a downward camera, I can actually see the ocean from the screen in front of me. Ops, well perhaps not anymore (cos it’s gotten all cloudy now). Anyway, just thought I’d share some of my thoughts...

OBS
the last 10 days at Outward Bound was really something. I had a really great watch (as in group, not chronograph) which taught me a lot. I never knew they were such great people.

I won’t share EVERYTHING that I learnt (too personal, too long), but lemme share what was perhaps the greatest lesson I got there:

Having heard horror stories about the physical, mental, emotional (and “appetital”) torture our seniors experienced, I went prepared for the worst. On the 1st day, one of the OBS directors said that we’d learn about our individual limits (physical, mental, emotional) and teamwork. I was excited, my heart (dramatically) expecting something like what you hear people say happened during the Vietnam War.

We had to climb 3 peaks to climb over 2 days for the jungle expedition. After the first peak, I felt that it wasn’t that bad after all. But from what the people from the other group (who did the expedition earlier) had told me, I knew the real challenge would be the second peak. I remembered the war-torn faces as they returned from the jungle in their bloody, mud stained shirts and wounded bodies. True enough, “hill number 1145” – that’s what it’s called – was quite a challenge. It was thorny, damp, leech-infested and really, really (i think 80 degrees) steep, not to mention that we had at least 10kg bags on our backs.

However, just as I began to feel that my limits were starting to be stretched, we had to turn back (and use the main road instead) to be able to reach the next campsite before dark. That meant that we would never experience the hardest part of the course, which was the swamp on the way down from the hill. The only other option was to camp at the peak of Hill 1145 that night, and go through the swamp and finish the 3rd peak the following day. My immediate gut feel was to step up to the challenge of the harder option (although some team members strongly disagreed). “After all,” I thought, “OBS is about pushing the limits of our body and will”.

Little did I know that in my obsession to push the limits of my individual capability, I had allowed myself to be limited by my own boundaries of self-centeredness: I had forgotten about being empathetic and considerate. As we made our way back down the slope, I realized that I had learnt to stretch a limit that I hadn’t really prepared myself for: it was the limit of selflessness. How far was I willing to put others first?

I hope that I’ll get better at this art of losing myself, to say no to the good so i can say yes to the best.
I hope the same for you, too =)

Jesus help us, amen.
jinho

Befuddled

2009-06-30T15:05:00.007+01:00

hey I'm back!

evidently, the past few months have been incredibly busy, to the point that this poor page fell down the priority list.

Just wanted to share some random something i bumped into recently. It was Sunday night: I was researching about the independence of the Malaysian Judiciary, or its lack of it, when I found out that Perak's Sultan Azlan Shah -- the one who replaced Nizar with Zambry as Chief Minister -- used to be our country's Chief Judge!

Befuddled.
Not him. I mean me.

Haha.. i know, it not such amazing news, but at that point, it was like a moment of anagnorisis. When i tried sharing it with some friends, i was disappointed to learn that they already knew about it. This happened twice, after which i decided to stop trying.

that's all for now, hopefully I'll drop by to say more before I leave for OBS this saturday..i really do have a lot to say..

In His grip,
Jinho =)

On sending Astronauts to Space

2009-02-23T11:02:00.005Z

"The Malaysian government will be sponsoring one teenager to go to outer space. Give a speech to convince people why you should be picked"

That was what we were given in GP class on Saturday, and we were to present our speeches (1 or 2 mins long) today.

Guess what happened?

Here's some of the reasons a few of us gave, after Miss Marcell finally convinced us to just try lie or cook up some reasons as to why we should go. I paraphrase:

I've got a pretty face. This means that they don't have to worry about editing all the pictures that are sent out for publicity, since I look so good already.

Um..I've always dreamed of going to space, and not just any space, but OUTER space. Also, I have something very special that will only show when I am in space. You should therefore pick me, so that you will all see that special something =)

...and the other reasons were similarly, err...entertaining..

***

These were smart students. BUT despite all our brain-craking efforts, we simply couldn't think of any rational reasons why we should spend so much money on space tourism -- especially when so many people in our country is suffering from poverty hunger and disease.

I tried my best to be creative, but what I came up with was mere rhethoric with no substance. If you paid close attention, there was still no rational reason to justify such a project:

You should pick me because I have a dream, and a dream not just for myself or my family, but a dream for this whole nation. For too long have we depended on other nations to taxi us beyond the atmosphere. We cannot always rely on them to send up our satellites or our astronauts. We must be able to be independent. And that is exactly what my dream is: that we may one day develop our own space technology.

I then went on to say that I got a place in MIT to study physics and was set on gaining the necessary knowledge to come back and lead the development of our own space tech...bla bla...

The conclusion:
Having put a lot of thought into this, we simply couldn't figure out any sense in a space trip.
Maybe there are some reasons that we were not able to think of, but sadly enough, we were not able to think of them.

Wierd People

2009-01-29T10:11:00.011Z

Most human beings are weird.
Isn’t that funny? If you’re weird, you’re supposed to be unusual – rare. But when almost everyone is weird, THAT’s weird. And worrying too.

Many of our adults work really, really hard -- they wake up early, sleep late, and barely take time to care for their health, families or even themselves.
This is the usual train of reasoning...

____________________________________________________________________________________

You see, possessions are very important. House, car, clothes, gadgets, holidays -- these things are necessary for a quality life. Besides that, they define our "social status".

The problem is that these things, being good, don't come easy. There are 2 good ways to solve this difficulty.

Solution no. 1 --> Work Harder
Time is incredibly important - time is GOLD. There are 2 places where we can best reallocate our time:
1. time with the KIDS
- We need to cut down the time spent with kids so that we can work more hours and make more money. That way, we can afford more shopping and holidays for ourselves and our kids.
- If the kids are not happy that we don't spend enough time with them, we'll just give them more stuff (TV, iPods, handphones, internet, Indonesian maid, boarding school, PSPs, etc) to babysit them - make them happy.

2. time eating @ home
- Cooking at home is a waste of precious time. It's much wiser to eat out at retaurants and fast food outlets. The time saved can be used to generate more income.
- Now there are some who say that this kind of food isn't nutritious enough. Ahh, they haven't realized the wide range multivitamins and wonderful supplements we can buy to complement our diet. And if those aren't good enough to keep us in shape, we can buy fitness machines like the uZap, iGallop, absonic, uRobic and the list goes on...

Solution no. 2 --> Buy now, Pay later
This is the beauty of credit cards, loans mortgages and the sort! We can enjoy today what would have taken us years to pay for. Be it a condo or a laptop, a car or a washing machine - these credit facilities help us live the ultimate life!

__________________________________________________________________________________

Weird people.

when we look at our busy schedules, our sickly bodies, our affection-wanting children, and the apathy in our hearts;
when we consider the increased occurences of floods, droughts and hurricanes, the fatigued polar bears struggling to death to find a block of ice in the melting North Pole;
when we think about how our greed for possessions are steadily depleting the earth's resouces (new products everyday means new rubbish everyday);
we will realise that the materialistic lifestyle really doesn't improve the quality of life.

Weird people. What's worse, it's not just a few of them running around. They make up most of our society -- messing up life, messing up the planet =(

Contemplating these thoughts, this 200-decade old quote couldn't be more relevant:

"Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." -- Jesus

Wanting good things isn't a problem -- it's just that some of us have gotten horribly off-balance.
=)

Merry Christmas & ....phew!

2008-12-28T09:10:00.007Z

Hey there...

Merry Christmas people!
I intended to post more regularly during the holidays but..well, as you can see, it didn't really work out. Been really busy (this sound so cliche) with Youth Camp (which was, by the way, a most awesome experience), writing articles for Global Debates, going caroling in Sabah, getting involved in a Christmas drama (which was also spectacular) and trying to take some time to enjoy Christmas for goodness sake! Anyway, just wanna wish ya'll a happy, happy, BLESSED Christmas...
may the love, joy and peace - for which Jesus was born to bring - be with you all the days of 2009, and for the rest of your life.

....phew!
I almost got killed last Monday. I was driving (alone) to church from the house after a game of futsal...when I fell asleep on the wheel (for about 20 metres)... next thing I knew, I was awakened by a loud crash -- I had rammed into a parked car!

To make a long story short, I'm still alive. Ok, maybe I'm melodramatizing it, but HEY! I could've knocked into somebody's kid! I'm thankuful that...

1. Nobody got hurt
- (besides my emotions which were torn apart at the sight of parting with RM 260). Like my dad said, good thing I hit a car and not a child!

2. It was a parked car
- it wasn't a headlong accident, it wasn't a motorbike, it was a parked car.

3. It was a Proton
- of all the cars I could've hit (BMW, Mercedes, Honda, Toyota...) it was a Proton. ANd of all the Protons, it was a Saga -- and an old one too! So, minimal cost.

4. Location
- it was near the church. I was looking for a parking spot, and there was a traffic jam, so i wasn;t going very fast. Also, my dad wa nearby and he came over to "settle matters" with the car's owner (who was, by the way, right there when it happened).

and therefore I'm grateful. I know that "the LORD is my shepherd".

=D

Jesus bless you today!

Before it's too Late

2008-12-03T07:10:00.011Z

I've been really busy with the Global Debates competition recently. It's a competition under the People Speak campaign (an initiative of the UN Foundation).

Among the many things that we're doing is to
- come up with an action plan to significantly combat Climate Change
- debate about the action plan
- blog
- set up 2 websites (1 for each side of the debate)
- write a petition to the UN

The stuff I've been doing have been really interesting.
And mind opening.
I've realised - more than ever before - the importance and the urgency of doing something about Climate Change.

Take a deeper look at this topic.

Check out our blog.

And do a favour - not just to me, but yourselves and your children - by adding a number to our petition when you join our Group.

And think about the planet, about what you can change, before, as Doughtry calls, "before it's too late".

Amazement and Joy

2008-11-06T13:29:00.007Z

Just a short post here...

(as usual) I've been quite busy recently. Have internal exams - which interestingly has the onomatopoeic effect of sounding like "eternal exams" - going on.

The Math results are out, and to my amazement and joy, I scored 100%!
This really doesn't deserve to be a great deal at all, considering many others scored 100% as well and most of the class got over 90%. Moreover, its just C1.
This is, however a momentous occasion for me because
- it's probably the first time i've gotten a perfect score for a math test in years
- it will potentially wipe away the horror of a Form 4 blunder: 38% for a topical test! (ask Bryan Sarat)

Secondly, not at all to my amazement but quite phenomenally to the esctatic joy of most human beings on this planet, Barack Hussein Obama has received a mandate for change. After all the promises and all the hype, I'm looking forward (a euphemism for "hoping") to seeing some changes happen. Hopefully they'll be for the better of mankind.

---now think about it---
The whole world (most of it at least) is actually banking on him for change. WOW!
I just hope that the "Obama bubble" doesn't burst the way the housing market did. LOL

God bless ya'll.
Jinho

reflections on Uncle Charles

2008-10-15T09:24:00.011+01:00

hey there..

it's been almost a month since i last posted something here. and oh boy, a LOT of things have happened, to say the least.

my late Uncle Charles passed away almost 3 weeks ago.
He had been battling lung cancer for several months, so the news wasn't totally unexpected.
He was an awesome man. He really was.

(that's him in the pic with his eldest)
If he were to be judged materialistically, he wouldn't have gotten a very high score. He didn't have a high-flying job with a fat salary. He wasn't the type that went for expensive vacations or owned a string of real estate titles. For many years, the only car his family of 7 had was a Subaru Domingo van (try Googling it). In fact, he did not even own a house. By today's standards, many wouldn't think he was a successful man. Looking from the outside, (especially from an Economical point of view) one would esteem him a man who has made "little contribution".

But what I saw at the funeral wasn't the farewell of just another insignificant person. Men, women, boys and girls from all walks of life (ranging from local businessmen to musicians and a NUS Sociologist to African students) came to visit the house in those few days: and their stories of how his passion, humility, love and steadiness - how he lived his life - had revolutionized their lives taught me a few lessons about life. It wan't just their words, I could see in them (i was one of them) how this man's life had blessed us so much. In fact, there was joy in the house. Despite the grief of his loss, we felt God's comfort and love and could even share jokes the night of the funeral.

----
We have all felt inferior before. Whether it was the
- clothes we were wearing
- the amount of pocket-money we received
- our exam results
- our body shape (perhaps when the Capoeira dancers took off their shirts)

we have all felt not good enough - stupid and sad at the same time -

we've also felt like wanting to improve... to be like that person.

The problem is, we sometimes get so caught up with trying to keep up with everyone else that we forget our own identity and never get to live life the way we were meant to (which is actualy the best way to live).

-----
Amidst the materialistic, kiasu ideology that surrounded him, Uncle Charles lived for Jesus (not religion) and played his part. Maybe there were times when he did feel inferior. But he was aware of his purpose. He just walked with God and lived out his divinely appointed niche.

Don't feel bad about who you are. Who cares what people say? One's worth is not in his wealth, intellect, or beauty alone. It's the way you live your life and how completely you play your specific part. And how do we do that? We walk with God (remember, God, not religion).

=)

See My Roommate

2008-09-17T10:54:00.009+01:00

This is a weird post. It is.
It's a poem I had to do for E. Lit., and it was supposed to have been in iambic pentameters.

It's about my roommate, See Wei Jie.

__________________________________________________________

See my roommate is a really nice lad
To have him as a friend I am most glad
Often he plays songs to which he would dance
And with this my prep-times would he enhance

His motions are unique, like no other
Hence we've named him the mystery dancer
Pointing a finger, rolling his arms
Even the best clown would envy his charms

He likes Economics and Geography
- as these he studies quite frequently -
His nights are long and he turns in late
Thus for the lights long do I have to wait

Jinho, 26 August 2008

__________________________________________________________

Unfortunately, my teacher could not find a single iambically pentameteric line =(

However, I'm still proud of my work. =D
Like most poems, there are some interesting things you would notice if you took a closer look.

Here are a few examples:
- In Line 1, "See" is actually used as a pun as it also refers to my roommate's name; See Wei Jie.

- The term "mystery dancer" was actually coined my our next door neighbour, Khairil. This inspiration came while we were practicing for House Singing. There is a line in one of the songs that we sang (Justice's D.A.N.C.E.) that says
"...the way you move is a mystery"
Hence, Wei Jie's consistent habit of dancing uniquely earned him this title.

Ok, enough rubbish for now.
I'll be back soon with even better stuff.

=D take care, Jesus bless you today!

Jinho

House Singing

2008-09-07T12:08:00.012+01:00

i'm still alive... I am..
just been ~~a little~~ terribly, awfully, exceptionally busy..

Yip: ...if you can juggle, why can't you juggle all your activities?

Jinho: err, well, Yip, you see... I can juggle 3 balls, but 4 subjects + 4 societies + debate competition + rhetorical speaking competition + house singing + church stuff + youth camp flyers + football + cross country + do my homework (+ trying to update my blog) and all that.... I can't juggle that well...

Yip: Owh...

Thus my long absence is reasonably justified. =D

Hello again, I'm sorry to you guys who found this page looking the same for the past 7-8 times you optimistically visited it. Thanks for trying the 9th time.

okay, back to the topic; House Singing
it's this tradition we have in KTJ that every boarding house (6 houses, bout 60 ppl each) cook up some musical performance and compete to see who the best.

it's a really, really, REALLY b i g thing here.
...like the highlight of the year
...we've been practicing every night for almost a month
...and it was last night

here's me freaking out with Wei Jie (my roommate) just before the event

i think we did quite well.. unfortunately, we messed up a little at the end, and lost (very, very slimly)

=(

but ya'll IMRAN ppl did really well!
especially Khairil!!! wehoooo make the big hoo-ha!
(that's because he's standing beside me now forcing me to say that)

ok, i gotta go do my GP essay now.

and tho i'm so streched, I am not wretched
for i know my Lord, yet binds me with loving cords

=D Jinho

KTJ

2008-08-14T13:10:00.003+01:00

It's been 5 days in here now.. and I'm finally getting to blog.
This is like my 3rd or 4th attempt--> hopefully it'll 'jadi' this time around

I really wonder how on earth people like Neville and Wynna find the time to blog so often while in colege. Man.. maybe it's just my place. and it's a BOARDING SCHOOL, not a college where anything goes (i heard that some even call it K-T-Jail)

Everything's hectic and there's always so much to do. Here's how my day usually goes:
7.00-8.00   > Get ready + Breakfast
8.30-3.20   > Class (breaks at 11.10 & 1-2)
4.00-6.45   > Sports/Games
6.45-7.30   > Wash-up + Dinner
7.45-9.15   > Prep time*
9.45-10.30 > Prep time*

*A time where you're supposed to shut up, sit at your desk and either study/do homework/read

I'm doing A-Levels and so far I've decided to take
- Math
- History
- Economics
- (maybe) Eng Literature

Anyway, did I mention that this is indeed a wonderful place --> it really is.
The people are nice, the facilities (football/criket/rugby/hockey/handball fields, swimming pool, tennis/basketball/badminton courts, up-to-date computers, library, etc...) are nice, the techers are nice, and the --> FOOD is nice..

Will be back for more soon.

Take care, Jesus be with you. I miss you people (all those outside this 'Jail')

=)
Jinho

08 08 08

2008-08-08T13:08:00.002+01:00

This is a special day...

It has an extraordinary date: 08 08 08
(the Chinese would be able to appreciate this better)

It's been exactly a year since we won the National Level Drama last year.. Once again, congratulations dream team! Hahaha.. I really appreciate and miss you people.

- Girish
- Bryan
- Bryant
- Waltson
- Nick
- Jeremiah
- Virgil
- Elton
- Melanie
- Yvonne
- Esther
- Kamilia
- Karen
- Shereen

not to forget the most awesome teachers Pn Chai & Pn Norjaliah! and... Miss So Familia(r)

it's also SHEREEN's 18th birthday!

happy birthday Shereen.
I pray you'll have many

- fulfilling,

- happy

- memorable

years ahead.
God bless you =)

Jinho

Goodbye

2008-08-03T15:23:00.006+01:00

And here I am...
What a day, beef steew for breakfast, then church - where there was so many goodbyes to make - , a nice lunch at KFC then a moving farewell at the airport.

ooh by the way, I almost missed the plane. LOL... somehow I was at the wrong end of the gate and everyone boarded while I nicely sat making some goodbye SMS-es.. Then this announcement came up:

"Attention to MR Klemen Nhatanhie, MR Klemen Nhatani, please proceed to..."

oOOps..

anyway, I did make it, and here I am..

I'm leaving home (left actually), going out into the big, bad world... haha...
Somehow it hasn't kicked in yet.
I wonder what the years ahead would be like. Who I'll meet. What I'll be up to..

Well I'll just keep trusting Jesus, like the song that says
"this grace has kept me safe thus far, this grace will lead me home"

Will keep ya'll updated.
Goodbye Sabah! Goodbye people! I love you all, and appreciate you =)

Jinho

twitter

2008-07-25T06:21:00.004+01:00

hey there..

I've been rather tied up lately with a lot of stuff going on around here. A lot.

1.
We've got this event coming up at the CORE tonight...
the theme's "this is LOVE"
It's gonna be beautifully awesome...! and LOVEly as well..
Haha.. We're all so excited, I know God's gonna move so real so great it'll sweep us of our feet..

I'll tell you more about it later...with some pics...

2.
Many totally crazy things have also happened.. totally crazy.. Many bad things, a lot of problems..
but I'm actually smiling, coz I know God knows what's happening, and

"all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose..."

Well, that's all I can fit in for now..
keep trusting Jesus, till next time

=D
Jinho

NALP for Your Life!

2008-07-10T07:32:00.007+01:00

yo!
In case you've been wondering, i'm still around..

and By now, I guess you should be wondering,
(unless you're the kinda person who doesn't read titles)
"what on earth is NALP? A noun? A verb? ...?"

you may also be thinking,
"Fight for your life I know, Run for your life I know, but NALP for your life?"
try googling "for your life" and you'll find 3 "run for your life"s on page 1

It sounds so dramatic. Its like a do it or you'll DIE!! kinda thing.
Probably you're currently getting a few gruesome flashbacks of certain experiences...

owh my gOOd grEAt grAnaMamaAhHH...AHHHHH...the neighbour's dog's loOsSSeDD!!! Run for yeourrr LIFE!!!!

or
(something more girls will relate to)

(super loud & high-pitched) ahH! (notice how compact it is) Mummy! Cockroach!! Daddy! Get the newspaper!!! aahhHH!! it flew to the wall!! ahhhhhh!!! Fight for yeourrr LIFE!!!!

you get the idea.. its dramatic. emergency, danger, panic, do something now please or I'mma gonna DIE!!!

so you may be asking, what's this NALP for Your Life all about? Is it as dramatic, critical, or dangerous?

basically it's planning your life backwards. Notice P-L-A-N is reversed to N-A-L-P
We plan many things, like

- how to get the math homework done between perhimpunan and Ms Lim's class at 8
- how to tell the bus conductor that you left your wallet at home
or something more serious like
- how to tell this girl/guy that you like her/him
or something even more important like
how to study for PMR/SPM/STPM, etc

HOWEVER, 1 thing most of us ~~plan to fail~~ fail to plan is our lives.
We don't really know what we wanna achieve, or why.
Most of us don't know where we wanna be in 5 years' time..apa lagi 50 years...
Its like building a house without a drawing. -->It may work with LEGO, but not with our lives. and don't forget we only have one life to live.

I hate hearing things like this. why? Cause it makes me feel guilty. In my mind i'm like "Ops", "owh man", "Oh e-noh"...

Here's what to do: do a NALP
plan your life beginning at the end.

1. Outcomes
imagine yourself right at the end of your life. Way ahead. in your coffin.
- Who's around you?
- What do they feel/think about you? What are they saying about you?
- What have you achieved?

For example;
- God, my spouse, my children, my friends, my co-workers...
- what are they saying/feeling about me?
- what have i done that i can be proud of?

2. Priorities
List down the accounts you want to develop. (e.g. Spouse, Finance, Parents, Self)
Put them in order according to priority.

mine's like this, though i'm still working on it:
[God]
[Self]
[Family]
[Friends]
[Ministry]
[Career --studies--]
[Finances]

3. Action Plans
Make an action plan for each account.
- what you want it to be
- a purpose for that account
- an optional scripture to back up your purpose
- the current situation of the account
- what needs to be done

********************************************
Make it very honest, so honest that you would be embarrassed if someone else saw it.
You should share it with at least one person, though so you can be accountable.

Click --here-- for a Word template to NALP for Your Life!
I got it from a guy called Michael Hyatt, and this post is based on one he made recently.
You can check it out for a more elaborate advice by clicking --here--

It really is very simple. Remember the old saying...
"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail"

I'm currently working on mine, and I thought it'll be good to share it with ya'll.
God bless you all richly, abide in Him always =)

Jinho

24 - another Nevillish post

2008-06-30T13:46:00.005+01:00

Hello there.. Here's another peek into what I've been up to lately..

My parents are away in Europe for honeymoon, revisiting the places where they fell in LOVE with each other about 26 years ago... so, I've been having the car (not a great one) all to myself!! But trust me, it ain't such a great thang, because
1. I have to pay for the fuel (oh my, I'm starting feel a little of the pain all the parents out there are going through, trying to put food on the table...)
2. I've gotta be my sister's chauffeur

Lesson I learnt --> all you kids dying to become older, have more 'rights' n all that.. STOP! Not a good idea. Enjoy your childhood right now while you can. Seriously...

Anyway, as usual, I went to church yesterday morning. We had an a-w-e-some service. Aunty Jey (who's come over from Perak while Mom & Dad r away) preached.

Lesson I learnt --> COMMITMENT. Commitment to Jesus like sportsmen commit to their game. Go all the way in following Jesus, don't just settle for mediocrity.
She quoted Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

Man, read that again. What a promise. Lost? Confused? Need direction? Just follow Jesus faithfully -even if it goes against your own understanding- and He shall direct your paths
And what He directs is always best.

Later that day I met this fabulously captivating old man. 83 year old Indian guy. He's like good at everything, and was talking about stuff from building boats and telescopes to hamming (I didn't know what it was either. try googling it.) and astronomy...and music and carpentry..... wow.. he's done all that...
--By the way, he also had 27 girlfriends. lol... Anyway, this guy is the total boy's man.
We (Collin, Tasha, Aunty Jey & I) spent some time chatting with him in his house (which he built 6 years ago)..
it was really inspiring to hear him share about how Jesus helped him quit smoking.
(Didn't have time for him to share bout how he met Jesus in the first place, but he promised to do so the next time we meet)

I'm so gonna try hang out with him as much as I can these few weeks I have left in town...
you know, I actually told Collin this on the way back;
Man, there's like so many interesting things to do on earth - why in the world have I chosen to read Law???? Why lock myself indoors? Oh neOh...

lol...anyway, my condolences to all the German fans out there. may you be granted the strength and gra...hahaha I'm talking rubbish...
(if you dunno what I'm talking about you better whack yourself for being so left out in " current matters " hahaha... j/k)

That's all for now. Thanks for reading and I hope-n pray- that ya'll are in good shape and in God's grip. Jesus bless you this week. =)

Jinho

A Little News - perhaps not anymore

2008-06-20T04:19:00.002+01:00

hello again. Just a little update.

Fortunately (except for Neville, perhaps) I'll be leaving Sabah for A Levels a little later than I expected - the intake is only on the 10th of August - That's totally awesome!!! ...because I get to spend a biiiiit more time with all the people here that I have come to love so DEARLY. Nice! This is bound to be the most unforgettable (as of yet) 8 months of my life!

Next, I found out that I'm headed for Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar in NS. Heard it's a totally great school. Try googling it. But also very strcit - it's modelled on a typical English boarding school - and reallllly expensive. Like seriously.
I feel like I'm just beginning to appreciate the value of the scholarship..I'm sure it'll kick in even more as time passes on. Thank you Jesus, thank you BNM, thank you DRAMA Team (or in Girish's words, the Dream Team) and everyone else!

I've shared this b4, but this may be new to most of you...
If you take care of God's business, he'll take care of yours

That's what happened to me. I was a bum in lower form. Don't believe? Ask my ex-classmates or teachers. Ask Jeanie Yong or Ng Poh Lan. Ask Cyrus or Waltson. I was a bum!
Didn't perform well, never became a prefect, simply under achieved.
Like most other youngsters, my mind was on having fun, pleasing myself, flirting around and what not.

Then... something caught my heart. You know, like when you see a really, really, REALLY nice pair of Nikes, or iPod or handphone and you just can't get your mind of it? And you decide to do whatever you can - just to get it - cause its sooooo nice!
It was Dec 2005, and I had spent a day out shopping with Praveen in KL, complete with a dinner at McDonald's. But what caught my heart that day wasn't a pair of shoes, an iPod, the latest phone or even a pretty chick. That night as we sat on the carpet in my uncle's house, I actually opened a Bible (Praveen's)... and perhaps for the first time - read it with a deep sincerity for God - or maybe it was just that I simply saw it in a whole new way that night. Probably it was somebody somewhere praying that my eyes would be opened. I read Psalm 119. It wasn't really the words. But the Word Himself came flowing through those pages. Jesus caught my heart that night.

Coming back from holidays that year, it was different. I just couldn't get my mind of Jesus. I knew, that this was THE BEST thing in the world. And I was gonna do whatever to get it. It wasn't a redneck, religious feeling. Just a passion burning in my soul.
I spent that year doing God's business. If church was open, I'd be there. If there was a need, I'd do it - from picking up sweet packets on the stairs to starting teaching to the youth - If I felt a tug to pray, I'd go for it... I was about my Father's business.

Next thing I knew, I was being called up for Drama, then I was Director, then we got 3rd, then another competition, and National Levels, then ASCF...then this, then that... I was like wow!! God blessed me. Big time. I'm not bragging bout myself. I'm a nobody. But I'm boasting in the LORD. Sitting here now in 2008, I've seen how God miraculously took care of my business, because I took care of His.

"all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you." - Jesus (Luke 12: 30-31)

Read that again. And again. Don't worry too much bout your life, folks. Take care of your Daddy's business. Find Him. He know and cares (more than you ever could) about your needs and future. Put Him first. So let Him take care of you. Okay? Okay...

Talk about "A Little News" ... I'm sorry...

By the way, I got my DRIVER's LICENCE!!! ooohh baby.. hahaha... -just a lil' excited there..

I pray for ya'll reading this, that Jesus will catch your heart. Amen.

Jinho

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T06:23:00.004+01:00

Is it just me, or is there really more hype about Mother's Day?

An explanation one of the mothers (grandmother actually) at church suggested was that people appreciate their moms more because of the "deeper emotional connection".

well, perhaps...I thought that maybe it's just that mothers "need" that appreciation more. You know, women need (very clearly, deliberately, emotionally expressed) affection and acknowledgement...but what to do, that's just how they are and we'll give them what they need..
The lady at church was right too. It's a combination of both.

Anyway, we celebrate Father's Day today and my gratitude goes out to all the dads for all they've done. You know, provide, fix stuff, act cool when mom's totally freaked out or angry, be strong, inspire, encourage and all that...

Unfortunately, I am aware that not everyone has had a dad like I described. Some probably had bad experiences they wouldn't even wanna talk about. And that is indeed a sad thing. A result of fallen humanity. Actually, these dads may have had much worse dads themselves. It's unfortunate.
In fact, noone's had a perfect dad. Everyone's been disappointed at least a couple of times. --because humans aren't perfect-- We (the kids) are not either.

But everyone hopes for a somebody there who's always there, always strong, dependable. Even when we make mistakes and mess up. We want that. Why?
Cause we're made that way. It's in us. We need it.

You may have heard it before, but let me remind you that there is a Father who loves you, and He's perfect. He came to us in the person of Jesus Christ, and died for us that today we can have someone to -provide, fix our hurts and attitudes, act cool when everything's totally freaky and messed up, be strong, inspire, encourage and all that...
how do I know? Because I've experienced it. He's given me all I need, molded my attitude (I used to have a stinky, rotten heart), forgiven me, given me strength, inspiration and a reason to live for. And above all, love.

He's real. And you can have Him. He'll take anyone.
What He's done for me, He'll do for you.

I'll be posting more, just keep reading.
Like I've said before, if you wanna ask anything, just mail me.

blessings,
Jinho

24 - an unprecedented post

2008-06-09T08:54:00.005+01:00

Hey guys! Here's an unprecedented post.
It'll be more Nevillish & about how i spent my last 24 hours - just assume i wrote it this morning ok.. I intended to post this earlier but, you know, stuff came up, so yea...

I woke up early, went to church. (Perhaps) unfortunately for the church -or the people's ears-, I had to lead worship this week, with my throat (and the PA system) still recovering from camp. Those of you who were there will understand. The speakers sounded like those on our KK mini busses that play heavy Indonesian music!
Man...Good thing God pays more attention to the heart. Phew...

Then we (Cecelia, Melia & I) went down for Kids Church. We were finishing the papermache painting thingy we were doing when the gals (Rina, Kiren, Sam & Michelle) staggered into the 2nd floor.
Late for church. Why?
They were apparently worn out from 2 crazy days of celebrating Rina's birthday at Nexus. As if that wasn't enough, they decided to have a "stay-awake over" at Kiren's house the night before to wait for her actual time of birth: 3 a.m. Sunday.
(trust me, that was noOt a good idea)
After that, we all went for BM service. It went real nice. I can even remember what was preached! -- Believe, and you'll see God's glory. Go to church with an attitude to bless, then you'll experience Him, give, then you'll see God bless your life. Don't just sit and expect God to work miraculously for you. Believe, and you'll see God's glory in your life and in your soul! --

After church, we had a pleasant surprise --> Cecelia offered to belanja us PIZZA HUT sempena Rina's birthday! wow!
After lunch we headed back to church to work on this presentation thingy.
Next was ice cream at VedaBlu. nice.
I went home shortly, and after dinner and a bit of SMS, i retired to bed.

The next thing I knew, Carmelia was gonna have this Whopper - i knew it was a Whopper because i recognized the smell - and there was this wierd, but familiar sound in the background- And I think I was saying something about the situation being unprecedented because Carmelia usually doesn't have Burger King. Then I realized the sound was coming from my handphone. My alarm was ringing. 2.15 a.m. Time to wake up for Germany vs Poland. LOL...
ok, don't ask me why I was dreaming about Carmelia

The game went not bad, Podolski scored twice, but nothing was really captivating about that game. I don't know if I'm losing my interest in football or I'm just too disappointed England didn't qualify.

Anyway, thus went my day. Pretty fulfilling, and I had good fun.

Jinho

P.S. happy belated birthday Rina! Yeah, HAPPY birthday.

the Biggest, Saddest Joke - Part 3

2008-06-02T05:10:00.004+01:00

I’m back! Sorry I’m a week late on this post, was away at church camp in Kudat.
A-w-e-some camp! Amazing, good, overflowing, fun, crazy and tiring all at the same time. It was like real camping, especially for Jae and I, cos we slept on fire ants occupied beach sand under a Navy tent!! How more rugged could that get? And the first night was really funny, cause we discovered that dew doesn’t just go for grass, but anything out there on the ground - it was a rather wet experience - Okay, about the sand part, we did have a cardboard box and 2 mats and a sleping bag and a comforter and a bedsheet and a pillow, but hey...

The recreation was wonderful, especially since we got video footage that revealed that at least half the ppl were cheating! Like deliberately – such as tearing the string and running instead of commando crawling... my, that was really FUNny!

I basically had a fabulous time... and, and you missed it! Hahaha... =p
you can check out the pics on my friendster.

This leads me to PART 3 of the biggest, saddest Joke.

We talked about driving license, poor people working to make the rich richer and the loads of totally wasted opportunities and potential. All these are big, sad jokes.

But let’s talk about THE biggest, saddest, joke.
All our lives, we try so hard to maximize some potential to achieve something or get somewhere significant. Look beautiful, get rich, become famous/popular, you know, gain some attention for heaven’s sake!
Most of us find ourselves in a seemingly meaningless rat race.

Someone wise once said,
“…what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?”
He was basically saying, What’s the point if you get everything that you want but end up lost and empty inside?

Lost and empty inside. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the big black hole we try to fill up with boyfriends, girlfriends, games, achievements, hobbies, alcohol, music, flirting and what not... I know you know what I’m talking about...

Lost and empty inside. That simply means no love.
Nicholas Jeremiah once wrote, “the best feeling that God made is love.”
That is sooo true. What’s life without love? Think about it again. No love, no care, no one to be concerned for us, none to appreciate us, nobody to want us just for who we are... no that something that our hearts so deeply yearn for.
No love, no life.
But if you’ve got love, then you’re okay and complete. Most of us have that figured out, just that we have yet to find that perfect person who loves us and makes us okay and complete.

Here’s where Jesus steps in. Okay, relax...just hang on in there.
I’m not selling a product I can make money from, not campaigning for anything, so just keep reading okay...
The Bible says that God is love. I have come to know and experience that this is a true saying. He gives love, joy, peace, everything that we need -- and all that we ever really wanted.

For example; The last week at camp I watched God in action. I felt His presence and watched people being touched by their Maker’s love. Nothing could beat that feeling. It might have been hot and I may have been soaking in sweat, but it was good stuff down in the bottom of my soul! 77 were filled with the Holy Spirit (speaking in tongues) and on the last night people with backaches, migraines and other sicknesses testified that the pain miraculously left. Dude! That’s Jesus moving today in 2008! And that’s love so good so pure it’s the one that’ll keep you okay and complete!

So the biggest, saddest joke is to live and die – without getting to know and experience this love offered by our Creator.

Remember, a wise guy once said,
“…what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?”
That wise dude was Jesus. Don’t live life lost and empty.
Of all the opportunities that you could waste,
PLEASE DON'T(oh blogspot, when will you have bigger font sizes?!)
waste this one.
It is better to waste all else just to save this one. Don’t end up lost and empty. There IS a perfect someone who loves you. So don’t end up lost and empty.

This is what you’ve always really, really, REALLY wanted.
And indeed you can really, really, REALLY have it. But something may be in the way.
Something, SOMEannoying, agitating, antagonizingTHING may block you from knowing Jesus – even if you’re already a “Christian”.

Maybe it’s fear, lack of confidence, doubt, parents’ disapproval, lack of discipline, unresolved hurts, or some lies that you unfortunately believe. Maybe it’s stupid (perhaps hallucinatic) blunders you’ve made, pride, laziness or wrong priorities.

But don’t let any of these get in the way. Because nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. So don’t end up lost and empty.
Don’t let the biggest, saddest joke happen to you.
You can be okay and complete. =)

Jinho
Wanna know more?
I’d be glad to help.
Msg, email me or something

Drama 2008 - KK

2008-05-14T05:00:00.009+01:00

This is specially dedicated to the members of Romanus' Law, In-Law and Out-Law 2007...

I went to the DRAMA COMPETITION on Monday!

It was in Yayasan Sabah this year, but NOT in the nice, big hall.
It was in their Tun Hamdan (doesn't that name ring a bell, Sarat?) Mini Theatre,
and the stage was about less than half the size of the All Saints hall's.
--It was like the St Agnes stage, perhaps smaller--

Our successors did pretty well for first timers.
I would say that they were perhaps as impressive as our Ai Lyn thing.
Spanish story. Of course, the theme was Love.
By the way, the lovers were Dunstan and Vera! LOL!!!
Derek Wong was the "bad guy"... captivating, not bad at all, they had a "Live Backdrop"
(Flamingo dancers Fiona Chin and Elreena, together with their guitarist Sunny)
the only problem is that they perhaps lacked the kinda Moral message the judges want

I have to say that La Salle were impressive--at least for District Lvl standards.
They did an ancient Egypt
(thats like so IKUT orang lain!! They even had pillars!!!) --I'm sorry, just couldn't help thinking that way--
setting and the story involved wandering souls and the dead...

Although the story wasn't captivating and was boring at certain parts,
(too much talking between the same few characters)
some segments of their drama were indeed interesting.

The best thing was perhaps their character Anubis (the god of death).
He (or it) had the full head gear with the dog face, all black body with golden arm bracers, and the striped Egyptian staff... and really tall! --thumbs up that one--

The moral was typical of La Salle, you know, what they do every year: be good, live life to the fullest...bla bla...

As you may by now expect, La Salle emerged champions (perhaps rightfully so.) Congrats guys!

Unfortunately, St Francis and St MICHAEL got 2nd and 3rd.
--Sad judging--

I didn't see St Michael, but I'm certain that St Francis have to admit that they were lucky to get 2nd..
Extravagant acting, they were definitely entertaining,
but... TWO slapping scenes, messy scene interchange (and so many of that), language blunders... 2nd place??

They probably deserved it la, IF All Saints didn't participate... (i'm not being biased, ok)
So sad. I felt their pain.

Best performer went to La Salle...

and Oh yeah,
this year they suddenly had best script, Stella Maris won
(the story was thrilling, but probably too entertaining to have gotten top 3 - it was like a parody of itself)

... another new award was Pengarah Terbaik
(I have no idea how they're able to judge that) which also went to La Salle...

"man, they should have had this thing last year.." hehe...

P.s. At the end of the competition yesterday, I made this conclusion:

"Caesar was always greater than Pharaoh, and Rome more glorious than Egypt. So shall Romanus' legacy endure forever. Regardless."

- Captain Lucas

Welcome

2008-05-11T11:42:00.010+01:00

Hey guys!

The name "Jinho ACTUALLY HAS A BLOG"

(I know, its corny - although someone did think that it was cute - )

will be terminated.

Yep. It was just an intro to the whole idea.

So here's the new name --what you see now -- ^^^^^ up there ^^^^^

Anyway, before my first post, let me first explain why on earth Jinho
--who ppl have suspected to be missing since SPM 2007 --
suddenly wants to blog.

Well, you see, I've been thinking alot recently.
(yes Kiren, I have)

..and I thought

"dude, this is some good stuff! I should write it down! "

then I'd forget about that GREAT thought. "Oh man...!"

So, yea. I decided to write down my ideas. Then I thought...

"hey, I might as well put it up on the internet for ppl to see.
Maybe it'll benefit some of them.."

So here we are. I'm typing away, and you're reading my blog.

My first post is like SUPER long, (see, I HAVE been thinking quite a bit.. hehe...)

so I decided to break it into 3 parts for your sakes-- I'll publish 1 a week.

Till next time...

the biggest, saddest, Joke -- Part 1

2008-05-11T11:30:00.015+01:00

I’m getting my driver’s license! Soon, at least... Started working on it 2 weeks ago.
Did the Ceramah, passed the Law Test and went for Bengkel...

Hopefully, I’ll be on the road by mid-June. =D

The whole thing will come up to about RM 1000, perhaps more.

Here’s the interesting part.
And that’s what I’ve been thinking about recently.

Why on earth is it so ridiculously EXPENSIVE?

Here’s just a few examples of the crazy prices...
Colour Blind Test – RM 10
Latihan Komputer (Law Test) – RM 20
Ujian Komputer (Law Test) – RM 50

All we did for the Colour Blind thing was
- look through a book
- answer the questions on a separate paper

Not more than 10 cents. (all they needed was the A4 paper for each student)

EVEN if it cost RM 1,

they’re making some RM 9 from every student (there’s like 400 of them a week)! WOW!!!!!
Let’s say we just count 300 students a week (they prolly have more), they’re making some

RM 10, 800 net PROFIT a month!
(i wish Blogspot was more generous with Font sizes)

And that’s just from the Colour Blind Test!

Haven’t EVEN started counting the
- Ujian Komputer
- Latihan Komputer (just clcking here and there for 45 minutes)
- Bengkel
- and all the other stuff!

WOW! That’s a lot of money!

You see, the lectures they had were prettY boring
(nothing much – if anything at all – that they said couldn’t have been explained by the manual or my driving instructor)

so I spent a lot of that time um...put it this way, okay:

There was a war within me to try concentrate, not fall asleep, and keep myself from contemplating the mysteries of life...

all at the same time.!

...In the midst of all that struggle,

it occurred to me – and also to Nicole who was sitting beside me –
that

...most of those sitting there in class were NOT very rich.

In fact, for many of them, getting the license would probably cost

2 months worth of salary!
(once again, I wish Blogspot would be more generous with their Font sizes)

And to think of it, the license didn’t HAVE to cost that much!
Most of the stuff was unnecessary... I felt bad for them...

Then I thought to myself,
(yes Kiren -and Melia-, I actually managed to think of something)

“Wait, those driving instructors don’t look rich.

No, they’re not rich at all, I know.

My friend’s dad is one of them, and she isn’t rich...”

So where on earth is all that MONEY going to?

I did some investigation

(actually I heard it from a reliable source...lol..)

...and found out...that there was

1 guy

who somehow bought over the shares

and is pocketing ALL the money away...

Imagine that –

the poor people

- work SOOOO hard,

- suffer SOOOO much,

- just to pay for some over-charged license,

JUST to make one man richer –

And I said to myself, what a joke...

You probably know that this is just one of the countless examples of how

the rich are making money by

squeezing the life out of their weaker fellow humans...

The worst thing is that life still goes on,

as though nothing is wrong!

- the rich still get RICHER

- and the poor continue to SUFFER ---(hey Beto that rhymes!)

and no_thing changes – at least, not yet–

A few have probably tried, but to no significant avail,

while most people don't even realize that its happening...

And this is one of the jokes of this life. among others.

but still not the biggest, saddest, Joke.