"I just think there is a purpose to everything God creates, whether it's a unique ability, or a cup of overpriced coffee with too much milk. Or a vampire. God will reveal that purpose when the time is right."
- Sookie's Grandmother

Absolutely amazing series.

Putting this here as a record. Found this as a comment on a thread discussing Susan's involvement in, and subsequent distancing from, Narnia. Very well put argument that refutes the oft cited criticism of sexism in the Lewis' Chronicles. Credit goes to a Jack Saelig.

"I should like to encourage readers to examine the material regarding Susan again. I too have read Mr. Pulman's books and have great respect for his craft and imagination, if not his unfortunate choice to put on blinders regarding Susan, merely because he is intolerant of Christianity.

I spent the last week re-reading the CoN, and took note in particular of the character of each of the children. Susan is conspicuously conservative and practical. This proves useful on a number of occasions (e.g. they put on the fur coats at her prompting rather than going strait away into the wintery adventure in LWW). However, it is her reluctance to face the adventure before her that is the problem. This is the classic fairy tale formula peeking in; the adventure is always the one that you never expected, and is just a little over your head, but ONLY if you have the faith to undertake it, will you be the one to get the golden egg, the magic sword, the fairy castle etc. As astutely noted by James and Ellie, the problem of Susan is not that she is damned to hell, but that she has strayed from the path of faith. It bears a more subtle reading than the multiculturalist lens of victimization would allow.

In one sense, I'm a little surprised that the deconstructionist reader is not in fact more intrigued by Susan, as she is in many ways much more complex than say, Peter. While adventurous in action, he does not show exceptional imaginiation. He doesn't take a stand until he sees, at which point his dutiousness is pretty much redoubtable. Susan on the other hand is the one only one that grapples with faith. She is complex because she stands in the shadowlands, seeing in both directions, and must struggle with discernment. A careful reading, putting neither more nor less into it than is in the text, shows that she is not damned, but merely left to struggle. She is not with the rest in Narnia, only because she is not on the train that wrecked. In this instance, she prioritized worldly matters higher than spiritual ones.

The very interesting problem, is in what she is to do following the sudden death of all her family, and the only other people who could shed light on the issue (Prof. Kirk and Polly). However, two important clues come to mind. We are not privy to just what Aslan says to her and Peter in Caspian, but is probably is similar to what is said to Lucy and Edmund, to whit, "you must learn to seek me in your world by another name." Furthermore, it is clearly mentioned more than once, in the chronicles, that "once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia." See Luke 15:1-7, and Romans 8:38-39.

If we are to seek out subtext, it seems much more likely, that having been a queen of Narnia for literally years, Susan could not mistake it for pretend or stories, much less, the experience of Aslan, face to face. I think that it is far more reasonable to assume that her choice not to participate in the circle of the Friends of Narnia has much more to do with the reluctance to face the possibility of pain, very like the way that some people pretend that the death of a friend is not as bad as all that. Her characteristic reluctance takes her to the supposed safety of not being reminded of the most beautiful experience of her life. In choosing to be practical about the loss of Narnia, she can pursue safer pleasures of a sort that won't disappoint (even if they don't fulfill either).

I would encourage readers to look past the reckless simplicity of Lewis' form which caught me as a child, and focus instead on the substance, which is what brought me back as an adult."

I'm talking about religion of course. I don't say Christianity because it stretches even beyond that. I found myself starting to re-question the basis of my faith, and several things along the way have furthered my probing into the matter. Discussions with K, my exams, hansel25's posts on the Myths of Religion, and now Miak's post on "Different Faiths".

My reflection on religion began when i realised three things:
i) I find it increasingly difficult to defend the actions and beliefs of many of those who call themselves Christian
ii) I cannot find any convincing arguments to ask someone to convert to Christianity.
iii) The Bible is becoming more unconvincing

Point i) is obvious, and external, and so doesn't play a major role in my argument. To me the second point is more disturbing, and made me take a good hard look at why i became Christian in the first place. 14 years after my conversion i find that my reasons for accepting Christ no longer hold. As a child, becoming a Christian was all gain and no loss. My afterlife was insured, and i had someone to confide in who would grant me my wishes now and then. I summarised the most important reasons as:

1) The promise of eternal life
2) Religion as a psychological safety net
3) Blessings in return for faith in God (this translates largely into good grades)
4) Religion as a moral compass

If anyone asked me now if i believe in God i would say yes without hesitation. My study of the human body and the miracle of creation convinces me that there is a creator. I also believe that there is an Ultimate Truth, and that the seed of spirituality in all of mankind propels us to search for the truth. But that's kinda where my conviction ends at the moment. I would hesitate to proclaim the Christian assumptions that all non-believers are punished with damnation, or that the bible is infallible.

The concept of Gain; Primary and Secondary

Looking back at why i converted, i realised that the element of "Gain" in religion is unavoidable. I think what hansel25 pointed out was quite true; that if religion had no benefit to mankind, we wouldn't need it at all. All earthly religion is confounded by gain, whether primary or secondary. My first and third reasons are secondary gain, the promise of an external motivator. Religion as a moral compass and a psychological safety net are primary gains, or internal motivators. My conviction is that our search for, and belief in, the Ultimate Truth, should be untainted by any element of gain. The Truth will be the Truth, whether or not it benefits you in any way. And this is why i no longer find it possible to 'sell' Christianity to another person. A conversion through "Gain" is not true conversion. Personally, i can only remove secondary gain from my own equation. Personally, i can only remove secondary gain from my own equation. Unfortauntely, without primary gain religion wouldn't matter to me, and i actually believe this is as far as most people will get (if they even get so far as to forego secondary gain).

On the Bible

The Bible is also becoming more problematic. Current Christian doctrine dictates that the religion is bound up within its covers, which i think is a flawed concept. Firstly it was written by Man, secondly its components were not written with the purpose of being treated as an infallible holy text (as Miak pointed out), thirdly it contains too many inconsistencies to live up to being infallible. Notice that Islam doesn't make these three mistakes with the Quran. What further complicates things is that Christians like to justify everything. They go to great lengths to justify the contents of the Bible, and they use the Bible to justify everything in the world around them. This is what i believe to be the root of a lot of evil that lies in the good intentions of Christianity. A friend who turned from being staunchly Catholic to becoming atheist (he called it enlightenment) once said that the Christian God can do no wrong. If i pass my exams well it's by God's Grace. If i fail terribly it's because of my own weakness.

The vicious cycle of doctrine

The problem with religious doctrine is that it will inevitably protect itself. Once believed, the believer is forever turned against all that is contrary to it. It then is used to justify itself in a self-perpetuating cycle. The second problem is that religious doctrine is unchanging. For writing that wasn't written for the sole purpose of being religious text, this is a huge problem. This is why Christians find themselves a beleaguered people. They insist on literally interpreting a text that cannot possibly be literally applicable to the modern world.

Ok i've reached a mind block now. Can't really think of anything else to add and i'm too tired to tie up all the loose ends, so i'll just leave it hanging for now. See what you guys think about what i've written (comment pls!). I'm sorry for a long, incomplete and perhaps incoherent post. It is an amalgamation of my thoughts on the matter for the last few weeks and months. Certain things got me thinking about it again, but i have always found it difficult to string my thoughts together and put them down as one complete post. So instead of procrastinating and allowing them to evaporate, i just threw them together here and see what comes of it.

I don't see this as a struggle in the negative sense. I see it more as evolution. I don't want to believe in the Christian God because it's convenient to or because i get a whole bunch of benefits from doing so. It just all seems too convenient for me at the moment. That said, i will never 'un-believe' God. I can't even if i wanted to. It's more like i just have to sort out all the details. =P

I Am A: Lawful Good Elf Cleric (4th Level)


Ability Scores:

Strength-8

Dexterity-10

Constitution-11

Intelligence-14

Wisdom-13

Charisma-12


Alignment:
Lawful Good A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. He combines a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. He tells the truth, keeps his word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished. Lawful good is the best alignment you can be because it combines honor and compassion. However, lawful good can be a dangerous alignment because it restricts freedom and criminalizes self-interest.


Race:
Elves are known for their poetry, song, and magical arts, but when danger threatens they show great skill with weapons and strategy. Elves can live to be over 700 years old and, by human standards, are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. Elves are slim and stand 4.5 to 5.5 feet tall. They have no facial or body hair, prefer comfortable clothes, and possess unearthly grace. Many others races find them hauntingly beautiful.


Class:
Clerics act as intermediaries between the earthly and the divine (or infernal) worlds. A good cleric helps those in need, while an evil cleric seeks to spread his patron's vision of evil across the world. All clerics can heal wounds and bring people back from the brink of death, and powerful clerics can even raise the dead. Likewise, all clerics have authority over undead creatures, and they can turn away or even destroy these creatures. Clerics are trained in the use of simple weapons, and can use all forms of armor and shields without penalty, since armor does not interfere with the casting of divine spells. In addition to his normal complement of spells, every cleric chooses to focus on two of his deity's domains. These domains grants the cleric special powers, and give him access to spells that he might otherwise never learn. A cleric's Wisdom score should be high, since this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.


Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Et tu, Kallang? Naval battles at new stadium

WATCHING The History Channel on cable TV recently about the Colosseum in Rome, I was surprised to learn that such an amphitheatre could carry out naval battles called naumachiae within its grounds during the days of the Roman Republic. The first was organised by Julius Caesar in 46BC.

This involved filling the arena with several metres of water channelled underground to the Colosseum from the Tiber River and finally letting the water out to the Fucine Lake or back to the Tiber.

Can this spectacle be carried out at the new National Stadium with water from the nearby Kallang River and sports such as water-skiing and military skills?

The new National Stadium could be the world's first to be inspired by naumachiae.

Dennis Gordon De Souza


This letter made print edition of the forum page in our esteemed papers today. PRINT EDITION lehh. I'm just incredulous. They reject scores of well written letters in favour of sick sycophants and retards with overly fertile imaginations. It's just inconceivable...

Thankfully there's also Ho Chi Sam to the rescue in a letter rebutting that ridiculous one published two days ago telling CSJ to stop wasting taxpayers' money. As if he was being funded by taxpayers...

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5itRCXkEtQUfTtL7UdMh4TkIlwfcQ

SINGAPORE (AFP) — Terrorism is usually no laughing matter, especially not in security-conscious Singapore, but the escape from custody of a limping Islamist extremist suspect has led to scorn on the Internet.

Barbed jokes and irreverent spoofs have sprouted up on websites five days after Mas Selamat bin Kastari, the alleged Singapore chief of regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, escaped with apparent ease from a detention centre.

"Toilet Break, based on a true story starring Mas Selamat Kastari," read a mock post on one wesbite by a blogger inspired by the hit US television drama "Prison Break".

Blogger Philip Chua wrote: "Singapore has now dropped the ball big time and really is an international laughing stock."

"You don't see prisoners escaping from terrorist detention centres in the West or Guantanamo. More so a leader of the terrorist network in the country next to you!"

Kastari, who was arrested in neighbouring Indonesia in 2006 and turned over to Singapore, remained at large Monday and officials said he was likely to be still hiding in this multiracial island republic of 4.7 million people.

Accused of plotting to hijack a plane in order to crash it into Singapore's Changi airport in 2001, Kastari managed to escape after asking to go to the toilet during a family visit, security officials said.

Direct criticism of the government is rare in the mainstream media, forcing dissatisfied Singaporeans to resort to the Internet to express their views.

Teoh Khengze, a Singapore-based author and journalist, wrote on his blog that the circumstances of what he called "The Great Singapore Escape" were "as incredulous as the escape is audacious."

Talkingcock.com, a popular satirical site, said Kastari's escape underlined the need to give cabinet ministers another salary hike even though they were already among the highest-paid in the world.

"We need to equip our Mini-stars with everything they can to deal with this crisis... and as we know in Singapore, public service and legislative influence are all not sufficient incentives," it said.

"Only the highest salaries in the world will do," the humour site said.

It showed 13 doctored photographs of Kastari in various possible disguises -- in a blonde woman's wig, a 1960s-style Afro hairdo and aviator sunglasses, a handlebar moustache and a beard and turban in Osama bin Laden style.

A popular Singaporean blogger who has previously irked the government with attacks on high living costs said the city-state need not worry about losing cabinet ministers.

"They won't be asked to resign or even take a pay cut," wrote the blogger known as Mr. Brown.

"We are not like those free-wheeling and chaotic governments from Western democracies that make their leaders accountable for every little thing."

Dear Ah Beng,

I made a speech recently calling chao ah quahs and pondans abnormal, and saying that if they have sex, they should be convicted as criminals. Now they’re sending me nasty emails and letters threatening to hantam me. How?

(Ms) Thio Hoot Leow


Dear Hoot Leow,

Aiyah, you go and say people for what? Ha?

I know theoretically, cannot go and hantam people just for what they say, lah, even if what they say is si beh stupid.

But this is Singapore, mah!

Stare at people oreddy consider kiam pak, you lagi go and say people, confirm tio hoot liao!

And dun think ah quah are all soft-soft, lembek-lembek type, can only give you girly slap, that kind.

I heard from someone (donno who) that they can do really hiong things to you – like stuffing a straw up your nose and making you drink from it!

Even worse, they can call their macho friends. You think they got no macho friends, ah? Eh, why you think Changi Village there got so many ladyboys? Because Hendon Camp is nearby and got a lot of demand straight from the commandos there! (OK, maybe ‘straight’ is not the best word.) If you think ah quah mm si lang, commando lagi mm si lang!

So how like that? I think you better take cover, and hide from all the ah quahs hunting you.

How to hide? Well, from my esperien, ah quahs really only look out for hamsum men, and stay far, far away from argly women.

I just saw your photo, so I think you’re quite safe lah.

Relac,

Ah Beng

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/44988/

Go check this out. Freaking hilarious!

Thanks to nicky_bitchy for alerting me to yet another landmark event in the community! Funny how this largely flew under the radar... But better late than never! Now i'm wondering if there's actually a physical book launch ie. whether she'll be present then. If she is making an appearance i think it's worth the time to show some support...

Singapore transsexual battles culture of shame

Leona Lo's personal site

Amazing stuff. Finally some "T" in the oft recited supposedly inclusive term excompassing all 'sexual minorities'! I think i've seen her before, at one of the community events at Mox. Someone pointed her out to me, told me she was an MTF and i went 'wow' cos i couldn't tell. Haha. =P

Things are really getting interesting around here... Also got an email saying that the penal code amendments will be put before parliament on 17 Sept, with a second reading on 22 Oct! That's next Monday!! You can be sure i'll be keeping an eye glued to the telly, even if i have to endure nonsensical replies from our oh-so-modestly paid ministers...

Again i'm struck by the sudden inability to come up with a title for this post. Partly also cos this post is about something which i find so abhorrent that no title can express my incredulity.

Not hard to guess, i'm talking about Derek Hong's two sermons he preached in August. Church of Our Savior is the church which counts Choices as one of its ministries, so it's not inconceivable that a sermon series like that has issued from its pulpit. But the untruths which Derek Hong has uttered from that position of authority just makes my blood boil. There are no words to describe my dismay that the name of Christianity has once again been sullied by one who claims to know the Word of God.

If i continue writing i'll burst a vessel or something. So for a more light-hearted reading of Pastor Hong's infamous speech, check out RAWRRR I'm the spawn of Satan!

Incensed by the latest issue Mr Brown has brought up.
Cycle Safer with Young PAP

In summary, Worker's Party was denied the license to hold an outdoor cycling event because they were a political entity, while Young PAP has no problems holding night cycling and 'amazing race' events.

How hypocritical and blatant can this government get? Seriously! And Ho Peng Kee gave such a retarded answer in parliament! The hearing aid comment was really under the belt. Next thing they'll say is Young PAP is not a political body.

Yet another faux pas, brought to you by your ruling party.

11 year old girl?

LTA announces new ERP gantries, operational hours

Once again, they've done it.



Also see
Extending ERP operational hours not enough to deter traffic jams

Our roads these days are totally going to seed i tell you. Ok i'll admit i'm lousy at roads. But they're shifting so often and so fast that even maps are of no use anymore. Take Orchard area for example. It's a veritable mish-mash of one way lanes and awkwardly angled turnings. Who's almost turned into oncoming traffic outside Cineleisure? Hands up please. I once passed through 3, THREE, ERP gantries to get to YMCA, because they built that forsaken tunnel to no where and diverted a mini invisible side road to access the National Museum and YMCA. Two years ago i wondered how they were going to build the circle line interchange into Buona Vista Station. No questions now. What used to be a straight drive down North Buona Vista Road is now an exciting obstacle course complete with blind spots and uneven ground.

And this is what our esteemed government official has to say about the new gantries: "Others, especially those using the CTE, have complained that the ERP is unfair. They say that depending on where you join the expressway, some motorists add to the congestion without paying for it. This is feedback that we value. It shows that ERP coverage may need to be more extensive or pricing (has to be) fine-tuned." (Emphasis mine)

Wow. Traffic jam? No problem. Just make it more expensive.

Ok you can call me a fool, but driving still has more benefits than public transport. Which is why i like the second article. All the arguments for drivers are very nicely summed up. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not an indiscriminate driver. When the benefits of taking a bus are obvious, there's no question which i would choose. But very often due to the sequence of destination and the schedule for the day, driving far outstrips taking public transport, even with all the additional costs worked in. Not to mention the number of points having a car and driving scores during a date. *wink*

Driving essentially means paying a little more to save a whole lot of time and energy. And how much you pay is actually quite variable, depending on how much effort you're willing to put in before starting up that engine. ERP and parking charges form the bulk of the side costs of driving, and with careful planning these costs can be minimised. The amount of time wasted when taking public transport is considerable, not taking into account how tired you are after walking, changing bus, standing for the whole journey, then finally walking home.

To give them due credit, i think our public transport system is pretty decent already. There's definitely room for improvement though. And until they create "a public transport so good that even drivers are willing to give up their wheels", i'll be singing at the top of my voice to a personal soundtrack in my private ktv-on-wheels on the way home thank you.

An old Cherokee was teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

I recently remarked to a close friend how i've been feeling as if i'm caught in the middle of a maelstrom of emotions. His answer: "You are not. You only think you are."

Feelings, or, to define more clearly what i'm talking about, emotions, are strange things. All of us are plagued by these confounded things. From the most reclusive hermit, to the most decadent of revellers. The less stimulation we expose ourselves to, the less we feel. Yes that deprication itself also has repercussions. For the life of us we cannot escape emotions. You know it. You have felt them before, felt their power over you. The joy of good news; the contentment in a cup of hot tea on a rainy afternoon; the quiet sorrow at someone's passing; the black hole of despair, threatening to suck the life out of you...

Earlier today i asked myself this: "Can we master our feelings and emotions?" Not control our actions, but direct control over our emotions themselves. Don't you wish you could turn your feelings up and down like a volume dial, or even switch them off completely for a moment of respite? Those of you who've had some experience with depression will know that black hole well. Too well in fact. You'll know the futility of fighting the emptiness. If only it were as simple as conjuring a Patronus against Dementors...

No. I'm afraid the answer is no, you'll never be able to master your emotions completely. To be human is to feel. In more clinical terms i see emotions as responses to situations and events. Some people just respond more than others. The problem only starts when our emotions start clouding our judgement. Our perception of the world around us is inevitably veiled by our emotions.

I guess the best we can do is modify our responses to negative emotions which trheaten to overwhelm us. At least that's what i do. Taking a step back and remembering the times when i felt that way before, and how those times didn't last forever really helps.

I don't know, if I am the one for you in this life,
I can't help, hearing my voice calling your name.
Cos when I, trying so hard not to look in your eyes
Maybe I, have fallen in love with you...

I can't so describe how I'm feeling deep inside
So much more than I can say, with your touch it feels alright
Oh my you're so near, all the time in this place
For I know in my heart
I will never let you go
In this lifetime
Do you know why, oh baby
Cos you're just so beautiful to me...

Well tonight, maybe this time I can hear you breathe,
It's a life to see you smile with those tears in your eyes
They may say, you're just a girl in this spinning world
In my heart, you're like the world to me...


I can't so describe how I'm feeling deep inside
So much more than I can say, with your touch it feels alright
Oh my you're so near, all the time in this place
For I know in my heart
I will never let you go
In this lifetime
Do you know why oh baby
Cos you're just so beautiful to me...

Touch my hand, feel my heart,
Hold me close and you'll find me
You'll find me...
Cos you're beautiful to me....

Praying is no easy matter. It demands a relationship in which you allow the other to enter into the very center of your person, allow him to speak there, allow him to touch the sensitive core of your being, and allow him to see so much that you would rather leave in darkness. And when do you really want to do that? Perhaps you would let the other come across the threshold to say something, to touch something, but to let him into that place where your life gets its form, this dangerous and calls for defense.

The resistance to praying is like the resistance of tightly clenched fists. This image shows the tension, the desire to cling tightly to yourself, a greediness which betrays fear. The story about an old woman brought to a psychiatric center exemplifies this attitude. She was wild, swinging at everything in sight, and scaring everyone so much that the doctors had to take everything away from her. But there was one small coin which she gripped in her fist and would not give up. In fact, it took two men to pry open that squeezed hand.It was as though she would lose her very self along with the coin. If they deprived her of that last possession, she would have nothing more, and be nothing more. That was her fear.

The man invited to pray is asked to open his tightly clenched fists and to give up his last coin. But who wants to do that? A first prayer, therefore, is often a painful prayer, because you discover you don't want to let go. You hold fast to what is familiar, even if you aren't proud of it. You find yourself saying: "That's just how it is with me. I would like it to be different, but it can't be now. That's just the way it is, and that's the way I'll have to leave it." Once you talk like that you've already given up the belief that your life might be otherwise, you've already let the hope for a new life float by. Since you wouldn't dare to put a question mark behind a bit of your own experience with all its attachments, you have wrapped yourself up in the destiny of facts. You feel it is safer to cling to a sorry past than to trust in a new future. So you fill your hands with small clammy coins Which you don't want to surrender.

You still feel bitter because that girl wasn't grateful for something you gave her; you still feel jealous of the fellow who is better paid than you are, you still want revenge on someone who doesn't respect you, you are still disappointed that you've received no letter, still angry because she didn't smile when you walked by. You live through it, you live along with it as though it didn't really bother you... until the moment that you want to pray. Then everything returns: the bitterness, the hate, the jealousy, the disappointment and the desire for revenge. But these feelings are not just there, you clutch them in your hands as if they were treasure you didn't want to part with. You sit rummaging in all that old sourness as if you couldn't do without it, as if in giving it up, you would lose your very self.