Thankfulness

‘Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.’ ( I Thessalonians 5:18)

‘Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.’ ~William Arthur Ward

In Luke chapter 17 of the Bible we read about Jesus healed ten men of leprosy. Only one of them came back to Him, praising God in a loud voice, threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him.

The cartoon character, Charlie Brown, gives several suggestions as to why the other nine lepers never returned to Jesus:

First one: waited to see if the cure was real.
Second one: waited to see if it would last.
Third one: said he would see Jesus later.
Fourth one: decided that he had never really had leprosy.
Fifth one: said he would have gotten well anyway.
Sixth one: gave the glory to the priests.
Seventh one: said, “O, well, Jesus didn’t really do anything.”
Eight one: said, “Any rabbi could have done it.”
Nine one: said, “I was already much improved.”

These suggestions speak a lot about our human nature. Think about it, we are not much better than the nine lepers. We often rationalized the blessings and gifts we received without thankfulness. May we remind ourselves to have an attitude of gratitude, not just during this season of the year, but every day! Have a blessed Christmas & New Year!

'Grandma in court'

In a trial, a small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, an elderly grandmother to the stand. He approached her and asked; "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"

She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you're a big disappointment to me. You lie, cheat on your wife, manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."

The lawyer was stunned! Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defence attorney (the opponent's lawyer)?"

She again replied, "Why, yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster. He's lazy, bigoted, and has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. .. Yes I know him."

The defence attorney almost died.

The judge asked both lawyers to approach the bench and in a quiet voice said: "If either of you rascals asks her if she knows me, I’ll send you to jail for contempt of court!!!

Lesson: Lawyers should never ask grandmas a question if they aren’t prepared or the answer!


(Shared by Fiona)

Pension quagmire

“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” (Proverbs 24:3-4)


The public sector workers in Britain went on a ‘one-day walkout’ on 30th November, to protest on the government’s proposal to work longer till 66, and to increase their pension contribution payments. They also faced the possibility, if the proposals went through, a lower pension payout which is based on their average salary instead of the final salary they draw.

The gap between the public sector pensions and payouts in U.K. has been widening over the years, and ordinary taxpayers have been asked to contribute to this shortfall. This is obviously not acceptable in the long run given the country already running at 80% debt to GDP. As the population aged, we begin to see many ‘downsides’ of such pension scheme. The pool of economically active population has been shrinking. This coupled with extremely generous medical benefits for the pensioners, making such scheme untenable over time. I can understand these people’s fear as they faced great uncertainty what they would be getting when they retired if the scheme is subject to changes from time to time. Our government is wise enough to stop such scheme in the 80s to save itself from the financial nightmare as I see the huge medical cost some of my friends who are pensioners choked up.

In this aspect, our CPF scheme seems to be more transparent and equitable as the contributor knows the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of his account. In this sense, he does has a say on how to use it wisely within the guidelines. This scheme highly favours those young workers as they do not have to pay high taxes in return for pension payouts. They are therefore in a better position to accumulate their wealth at a faster pace. Many are able to own their houses instead of renting by tapping into the funds.

However, it looks like people are using too much of their funds in housing , such that they are asset rich but cash poor when they retired, and the idea of ‘reverse-mortgage’ is still frown upon by many. May be more should be set aside for the Special account and Medisave account. The scheme has now become too complicated with too many usages for the funds. Has our scheme also run into ‘problems’ that we do not know? The fact that the retirement age keeps pushing back makes me uncomfortable.

Family holiday

”Not that I (Apostle Paul) am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” (Philippians 4:11-12)


Last week my family went to Taipei for a one week free-and-easy holiday. This is the first time for them to venture out to a distant country without me. Thank God that the trip turned out generally quite pleasant with only minor ‘hiccups’. They have passed the test of learning to be independent without having me around.

I did not want to tag along and ended up becoming a ‘burden’ as I have such a long list of things to take care of. To begin with is my strict diet. I have been eating this typical simple diet –steam or boil fish/chicken breast with vegetables and brown rice for almost 3 years. My brain starts to reject other kinds of food. I also want to avoid been exhausted with too much walking which is not good for my health. The other issue is that after went through 2 big operations, I find difficult to control my bowel movement since then. Lastly, having to take the Chinese concoction everyday (twice) is a big obstacle and challenge for me to ever think of venturing away from home even for a day. Whatever it may be, I learnt to be contented and lived with what I have been blessed with.

Where God wants me

“Don't even grumble, as some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel.”( 1 Corinthians 10:10)

A very close friend shared with me recently a very inspiring PowerPoint of the above title. It really challenges us to see those ‘annoying’ things happened in our lives from a very different approach. These ‘things’ can be when we got stuck in a traffic jam, forget to bring the credit card, or miss an elevator. Some people are so affected by these things that they let them spoilt the rest of their days.

Are we too, been disturbed by these ‘annoying things’? If we do, then think of on that very eventful day when the Twin Towers was attacked. Many of those who are alive are those who put up with annoying things on that day! So the most sensible thing for us to do is stop grumbling, see them as God wants us to be in that annoying situation for a purpose. So keep smiling is one of the best advertisement for God. It makes people wonder what we have got!

My PSLE student

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrew 13:16)

Last Thursday I was so thrilled to receive news that my student whom I offered help in her PSLE exam, had performed far beyond our expectation. She managed to get all As and qualified for Express stream as well as get to choose a better neighbourhood secondary school.

I came to know this student from her aunt around mid-August that she was in great need of help in her study. She comes from a broken family without adequate adult supervision. The fact that she is living nearby and my healthy blood test result made it possible for me to volunteer in this task, giving her tuition two or three times a week. Initially it was very difficult and frustrated because she is too quiet and not so responsive. The thought that my best effort could get unappreciated by a not so motivated student kept creeping into my mind. I was also running out of time to help her given that the PSLE exam was only two and a half- month away. On top of that, no proper filing for school works was done by her to enable me to start with.

In the end, I found out by chance that my student actually had one stack of past year Top School PSLE exam papers which were still unpacked! I began to get down to work on them with her intensively. Based on my past experiences, such past exam papers do help students in some ways to do better if used appropriately. It is no wonder that these papers are so sought after by parents!

My prayer was that she could gain at least seven to ten points so that she could cross over from her normal score of low 60s to low 70s at least. I began to sieve through her strength and weaknesses, and to save the precious time, made her practiced only those areas that she was weak in. As days went back, things got better and my student also gradually opened herself up. Perseverance and hard work finally paid off with God's blessing. She managed to cross the 75 mark! It was such a joy to receive my student’s ‘Thank you’ card personally made by her. This great sense of fulfillment is one that beyond words can possibly express. I am thankful to God for sustaining me throughout this period with stable health to accomplish this task of helping someone in need. Truly it is more blessed to give than to receive.

"Invictus"

‘for though a righteous man fails seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.’ (Proverbs 24:16)


Human history is full of horrific stories how one human set against another, one race set against another, one country set against another etc. On the other hand, it also contains accounts of how courageous men brought about reconciliations over human strife, bitterness, hatred, mistrust.

Nelson Mandela is one such person. I read with interest how he spared no effort in doing that. The movie, Invictus, actually tells how he after been elected as South Africa’s first black president, explores ways to bring the blacks and whites together after decades of violence and mistrust. The opportunity came when the country held Rugby World Cup in 1995.

The title of the movie is taken from a poem written by Ernest Henley who struggled with tuberculosis of the bone when he was very young and had his foot had amputated in order to save his life. The word “Invictus” means ‘undefeated’ in Latin. Mandela was so inspired by this poem that he wrote it on a piece of scratch paper and kept it in his prison cell while he was imprisoned for 27 years. He even admitted that he probably would not have made it through the long years in prison if it weren't for the words of this poem.

The South African Springboks rugby team is made up mostly white Afrikaners except for one black member. For many black South Africans, its name, logo and colours all represent the dark history and racial injustice of apartheid in their country, hence refuse to support them. To Mandela, a win for this rugby team in the world cup could unite the Afrikaners and the natives.

The rugby team was forced by Mandela to take occasional breaks from their training to go out into the poorer areas and teach rugby to the people. Soon the entire team was out there helping a new generation of children to learn rugby and instil national pride, regardless of race. As the team wins more games, their support by both white and black Africans continues to rise. Its win in the World Cup helps to restore the national pride the country badly needed after the end of apartheid.

Financial Derivatives

"The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."(Proverbs 21:5)

The recent financial trouble of a major financial derivatives broker again throws light on the risks of commodities and derivatives products. In an environment where it has becoming very difficult to make money based on stubbornly current low interest rates lent to clients, more and more financial institutions are taking on excessive risk and over-leverage to carry out their own proprietary trading. Making big bets on European sovereign bonds is one of them. These companies relied heavily on overnight loans to finance their operations which can be pulled at any time.

The Contracts for Difference (CFDs) are basically betting on the movement of an asset without actually owning it. They were first introduced to retail traders in 1990s and were popularised by a number of UK companies with innovative online trading platforms. The ability to trade on leverage (as high as 10 times the leverage ratio), and one can trade both ways (long or short position) are the main selling points of this product.

There are a lot of talks held over last few years which just as any other kind of ‘investment talk’, unfortunately focus primarily on financial gain potentials rather than risks. Now it is apparent that the inherent risks are not just confined to the financial instrument itself, but also the CFD provider. The CFD is always a contract between the client and the provider. It can trade under two different models, i.e. the provider is a ‘market maker’, or by way of ‘direct market access’. The ease of opening such trading account with a small cash outlay has enticed many novice investors over the years. This financial turmoil may help to bring us back to reality – that there is no free lunch in this world.

Story of Appreciation

Please share with your children‏ also for you to ponder:

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision. The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score good grades.

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?"

The youth answered "None."

The director asked, “Was it your father who paid for your school fees?"

The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees."

The director asked, "Where did your mother work?"

The youth answered, "My mother worked as clothes cleaner."

The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, “Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"

The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me."

The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning."

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee.The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother. That night, mother and son talked for a very long time. Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: "Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered, "I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes."

The Director asked, "Please tell me your feelings."

The youth said,

1. I know now what appreciation is. Without my mother, there would not be the successful me today.

2. By working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done.

3. I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said, "This is what I am looking for to be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.”

My cancer marker blood test result

'Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserved my life.' (Psalm 138:7a)

My blood test result today shows fairly stable reading: 11.3 for CA125 (previous:11.4) and 11.7 for CA199 (previous :11.6). The last test was done on 15th August. The result brought great relief for my family as they had booked for a holiday last month. Now they can go in peace leaving me behind. They truly deserved a holiday as they have not done so since I fell ill 3 years ago. My stable health condition also means that I can continue my prison ministry, and prayfully in some areas as well.

Cancer marker blood test

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”(John 14:27)


I had just gone for my cancer marker test this afternoon. I was doing earlier this round so that the result is available before I see my oncologist next Tuesday morning in view of the coming public holiday. Although I feel physically stable, only God knows what is inside my body.

Last 3 months have been a fruitful one, most notably, I contributed a poem to the prison ministry's fortcoming newsletter besides continued to involving in marking the bible lessons of the prison inmates. My health condition also permitted me to help a needy primary 6 student for her PSLE examination. She comes from a broken family and probably went through trauma herself as she is extremely quiet and not so responsive. It was an enriching experience as I learnt to be patient and persevered, not to feel my best efforts wasted in the face of seemingly unmotivated student.

An Inspring Meditation Note

‘…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.’ (Colossians 3:12-13)


Cary Grant was a famous actor and superstar in 1940s to 1960s, with debonair demeanor and dashing good look. It was said that at the end of each performance he would always read a meditation note, jokingly said that he didn’t know who wrote it but it expressed his feelings about life:

• Now LORD, you’ve known me a long time. You know me better than I know myself. You know that each day I am growing older and someday may even be very old, so meanwhile please keep me from the habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.

• Release me from trying to straighten out everyone’s affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody, helpful but not overbearing. I’ve a certain amount of knowledge to share, still it would be very nice to have a few friends who, at the end, recognized and forgave the knowledge I lacked.

• Keep my tongue free from the recital of endless details. Seal my lips on my aches and pains: They increase daily and the need to speak of them becomes almost a compulsion. I ask for grace enough to listen to the retelling of others’ afflictions, and to be helped to endure them with patience.

• I would like to have an improved memory, but I’ll settle for growing humility and an ability to capitulate when my memory clashes with the memory of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that on some occasions, I may be mistaken.

• Keep me reasonably kind; I’ve never aspired to be a saint, saints must be rather difficult to live with yet, on the other hand, an embittered old person is a constant burden.

• Please give me the ability to see good in unlikely places and talents in unexpected people. And give me the grace to tell them so, dear LORD.

Cary Grant’s meditation note is so humble, balanced and focused. There are so many areas in our lives that call for our silence, love, graciousness, kind, thoughtfulness. I bet we can find at least one.

Stress,stress,stress

‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ (Matthew 11:28-31)


We all experience stress at some point in our lives. There are many causes for that. To overcome it often means that one has to adjust his priorities, lifestyle and set realistic goals. It is good to ask ourselves this question: Am I in control of my stress, or is it in control of me?

The rigidity of a person’s personality can also be a contributing factor for stress. A rigid person is someone who is unable or refuses to change his actions or attitudes even though objective conditions indicate that a change is desirable. He clings on to certain ways of thinking and acting, even when they are no good to him and burn up his emotional energy and reserve. It is like driving a car with the brakes on, or a housewife who worries till she got into migraine headache just because she cannot maintain a scrupulously tidy home when her grandchildren are visiting.

Sometimes stress comes from ‘too much change’. We do need a certain amount of change to function efficiently. However, when changes come too fast for us to cope with, we are therefore put under tremendous stress.Dr. Thomas H. Holmes from the University of Washington School of Medicine devised the ‘Holmes Stress Scale” to measure stress in terms of "units of change”. His theory is that, too much change in one’s life in a short span of time contributes to stress and robs one’s energy, health. So whenever possible, we must try to limit changes in our lives. For example, the death of a loved one measures 100 units, divorce 73 units, marriage 50 units. His conclusion is that no one can handle more than 300 units of stress in a twelve- month period, and the likelihood of having an accident or becoming ill will increase by 80% during the next two years.

Although his theory cannot be scientifically proven, it does support what we are seeing now – rapid changes within short period of time due to globalisation have caused more people experienced stress in their lives. Like it or no, it has becoming more difficult for us to limit changes in our lives.

Putting a Face on 'Grace'

• Speak words intended to build up, not to bring down

• Focus on their need rather than your own

• Freely forgive

• Swallow you pride and say, “I’m sorry”, and “I was wrong.”

• Live your life with a goal of “no regrets”

• Don’t keep score of what is fair

• Grace doesn’t condemn or give up on people

• Grace emphasizes mercy, not justice

• Read 1 Corinthians 13 (chapter on Love) regularly



By- Richard Blackaby ( from “Putting a Face on Grace)

Values education

"There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, lying tongues, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." (Proverbs 6:16-18)

The Ministry of Education recently introduced a new curriculum called ‘Character and Citizenship’ (CCE) which will incorporate the current ‘Civics and Moral Education”. The aim is to promote a “student-centric, value-driven education”. Clearly from the name itself one can tell that the thrust of the program is to help the students to have a strong foundation in values on one hand, and what it means to be a Singaporean on the other. It can play an important role in helping the Government to fulfill its pledge to strive for ‘inclusive growth’ that will benefit all Singaporeans.

This initiative is timely in that there are obvious signs in the breakdown of the traditional social values especially among the younger generation with the current emphasis on materialism in our society. There is also a need to promote strong nationalism with the increasing number of ‘new’ citizens coming from the non-traditional sources.

Values education has always been linked to moral education. Parents, communities and government have always expected schools to develop students who would contribute to the society in which they live. This expectation is centred on making society better for all, not just for some, or for one individual. School is therefore seen as an appropriate place where ethical and performance values which formed the foundation of good character development are promoted. It is endeavor to provide opportunity for moral actions, creating a caring community.

Notwithstanding the admirable goals the ministry sets out, I doubt it will produce the intended results. It is a known fact that the current ‘Civic and Moral Education’ is a subject that our students disliked the most. I wonder whether they internalized what they have learned, how much actually go into their thoughts and actions. One has to bear in mind that inculcate values are not the same as teaching academic subjects where the results are more predictable. Our students do need to expose to some real life challenging experiences and have role models to imitate.

In the olden days students looked up on their teachers as their role models. The old adage that "teachers need to be themselves what they want their children to be" is as true today as it has ever been in education. Role Modelling remains a powerful and effective strategy for teaching values and for moral education. Today with more teachers coming from a generation which hardly goes through struggles in life, it is a big question whether they can fulfill their calling in this aspect. This is not helped by indulgent parents who spent little quality time with their children.

Values education has been implemented by western countries long ago such as The United States and Australia without much success. Well, notwithstanding my reservation, it is still better to give it a try and hope for the best.

God won't ask

God won't ask what kind of car you drove, but He'll ask how many people you helped get where they needed to go.

God won't ask the square footage of your house, but He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, but He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

God won't ask how many friends you had, but He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

God won't ask in what neighbourhood you lived, but He'll ask how you treated your neighbours.

God won't ask about the colour of your skin, but He'll ask about the content of your character.

Confession of sin

‘Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!’ (Matthew 18:7)

‘You rebuke and discipline men for their sin; you consume their wealth like a moth – each man is but a breath.’ (Psalm 39:11)


Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God, and rebellion against God. The world’s definition probably means any immoral action. Regardless of one’s religion background, we all have to acknowledge our innate nature is sinful.

Dealing with our sins without conviction does not bring about real changes in us. I read with interest that in Las Vegas, they have this ‘call-in confession line’. Any person can ring (up to 3 minutes) to confess his sins to this recording machine for US$9. If one wants to hear others’ confessions, he has to pay US$18 for that. The business is thriving because it does away with embarrassment a person may experience from confessing ‘face-to-face’.

We know that this is not a serious way of dealing with the problem. Without committing to forsake our sins with divine help, we cannot break away from any persistent pattern of sinning as there is no regenerating of mind taking place. As a volunteer instructor for the ex-drug offenders, I can truly feel their pains and cries for deliverance from the bondage of sin as they shared through their lessons.

Below are excerpts of some of these confessions from their contrite hearts:-

‘Our heavenly Father, please rescue me from my drug addiction. With my own effort I have failed so many times. Without your support I am weak in front of my foe. Let me hold on to Your mighty hand. Let me cling on to Your glorious feet. I will be strong to confront my enemies. Away from me my deceitful friend. I have my Lord with me. Never again will I need your company. With my Lord I have everything. Amen.’

‘Father in heaven, always I fall into sin easily. Please help me to have Your sword, Your Word, to defend myself. I want to surrender my worries and problem to you. Almighty God, please take me to you and transform a person you want me to be.’

‘God is faithful. His promise to me will never fail. When I fail and falls into the wrong track, it is my foolishness. It is my sinful nature at work. I have been shortsighted and indulge in temporary, meaningless pleasure. God has shown me the right way. God has warned me but I failed God. But our loving God is patient. He is always watching and waiting. Like a good shepherd He will carry me back to His flock when I cry out to Him.’

‘God is always and will be always faithful, no matter how many times I fail, as long as I learned my mistakes and pray to God for strength and forgiveness and repent, and God will forgive me. God is today, tomorrow and forever with me. Nothing can separate me from the love of God.’

The parable of a 'pencil'

A PENCIL MAKER TOLD THE PENCIL FIVE IMPORTANT LESSONS JUST BEFORE PUTTING IT IN THE BOX :


1. EVERYTHING YOU DO WILL ALWAYS LEAVE A MARK .

2. YOU CAN ALWAYS CORRECT THE MISTAKES YOU MAKE.

3. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS WHAT IS INSIDE OF YOU.

4. IN LIFE , YOU WILL UNDERGO PAINFUL SHARPENINGS,
WHICH WILL ONLY MAKE YOU BETTER.

5. TO BE THE BEST PENCIL, YOU MUST ALLOW YOURSELF
TO BE HELD AND GUIDED BY THE HAND THAT HOLDS YOU.

We all need to be constantly sharpened.This parable may encourage you to know that you are a special person, with unique God-given talents and abilities. Only you can fulfill the purpose which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot be changed and, like the pencil, always remember that the most important part of who you are, is what's inside of you and then allow yourself to be guided by the hand of God.

(shared by Fiona)

Greece debt crisis

'They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough...they all turn to their own way, each seeks their own gain..each one cries, let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better.'' (Isaiah 56:11-12)

The sovereign debt crisis continues to make headlines from time to time since it first hit Iceland in 2008. The rising government deficits and their debt levels created wild swings and alarm in financial markets. The final true cost of a euro zone default is hard to estimate because of the huge amount of CDS (credit default swaps) involved. Greece debt crisis was the first euro zone crisis since its inception in 1999.

The Greek economy was one of the fastest growing in the euro zone from 2000 to 2007. (Remember Greece held the Olympics in 2004). This enabled it to run large structural deficits debt to GDP above 100%. After the introduction of the euro in Jan 2001, Greece was initially able to borrow due to the lower interest rates government bonds prevailing at the time.To keep within the monetary union guidelines, it was reported that Greece had misreported the country's official economic statistics since 2001 by arranging transactions that hid the actual level of borrowing. The purpose was to enable them to continue spending while hiding the actual deficit from the EU. In 2009, the government revised its deficit from an estimated 6 to 12.7%. In May 2010 the Greek government debt was estimated at €216 billion. Though Greece represents only 2.5% of the euro zone economy, there is concern that a default by it can cause investors to lose faith in other euro zone countries as well.

There are glaring drawbacks in the economic integration model of EU. One of them is that though there is monetary union of some sort, there is no single common fiscal policy. As a result, weaker EU members can ride on the financial strength of the stronger members to enjoy advantages such as lower borrowing cost without having their fiscal policies been supervised. Cross border capital flows are also unregulated, creating problems such as asset bubbles and current account imbalances.

This debt crisis serves to remind us of our human sinful nature: GREED. The ‘attractiveness’ of engaging in ‘creative accounting’,manipulation of statistics using methods such as ‘massaging’ and derivatives, or ‘phony’ book-keeping by business entities (especially financial institutions) is always there because of potential financial gains. In US, the Fed by making the longer-dated bonds’ yield lower than the short-term bonds, the banks are finding hard to make money by borrowing short and lending over longer term. Banks may resort to creative ‘financial engineering’ to improve their profits instead. Such policy inadvertently encourages them to take unwarranted ‘risk-taking’, knowing that they will be bailed out by the taxpayers.

Humorous pieces (2)

A father was approached by his small son who told him proudly, "I know what the Bible means!"
His father smiled and replied, "What do you mean, you 'know' what the Bible means?
The son replied, "I do know!"
"Okay," said his father. "What does the Bible mean?"
"That's easy, Daddy..." the young boy replied excitedly," It stands for 'Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.”

A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan. She asked the class, 'If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what you would do?' A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, 'I think I'd throw up.'

There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family bible to her brother in another part of the country.
"Is there anything breakable in here?" asked the postal clerk.
"Only the Ten Commandments," answered the lady.

A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter.
Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses."
When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note "I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket I'll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation."

A policeman was taking a vandalism report at an elementary school when he was interrupted by a six year old girl. She looked up and down at his uniform and asked, "Are you a policeman?"
"Yes, I am," he said.
"My mother told me that if I ever needed help I should ask a policeman. Is that right," the girl asked.
"Yes it is," said the policeman.
The girl extended her foot to the policeman and said, "OK, then, would you tie my shoe?"

Redemption from brokeness

‘Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?’ ( Job 2:10)

‘If we look at a beautiful sunrise, we decide God is good; if we look at a hurricane, we decide God is cruel’ – Matthew Slick

Recently I was truly inspired this book review by K Carrie on Lon Solomon’s ‘Brokenness-How God redeems pain and suffering’.

While in college, Lon Solomon made a relentless search for meaning and purpose. He sought to fill the void he felt on partying, gambling and developed a serious drinking problem. He also became deeply involved in drugs, both as a user and an infamous campus drug dealer. When all this failed to resolve his inner turmoil, he decided that suicide was the only way out. It was at this time that he met a street evangelist who began to talk to him about Christ. Lon sees his life as a marvellous example of God’s transforming power in action. He was able to quit the drug and alcohol abuse that had plagued his life for years.

The author demonstrates how God sometimes chooses to ‘break’ us in order to use us. He likens our “self” to the hard shell of a seed. Just as the shell of a seed must be broken in order for the plan to sprout, our ‘self’ must be broken in order for God’s power to flow through us to others. Lon speaks from his personal experience. He and his wife have spent the last twelve years caring for their severely disabled daughter, Jill. They will spend the rest of their lives doing so, unless God chooses to miraculously heal her. Through this process of being broken, God has transformed him into a man He can use.

Lon often wondered what decision he would have made if God offered him a choice at the time his daughter was born: perfect heath for Jill or brokenness for him. Now in the light of what God has done in his life, his family, and his ministry through his daughter’s illness, he honestly knows the right choice would be to say: “God, You make no mistakes. Let it happen just like You chose the first time. The products were worth the process.” He knows that being weak in flesh, just like everyone, if God gave him the chance, he would make the wrong choice. He would have chose his daughter’s perfect health and his service to God would be a mere shadow of what it has become now.

It is very easy for someone to pose this kind of question: Is it fair that Lon's daughter has to live a life of suffering so that he can be a great servant for the work of God? Lon offered his answer: “Jill doesn’t know she’s disabled. She’s content, happy, and knows that Brenda and I love her deeply. She understands that her brothers, her care givers, and hundreds of people who know her love her too. Jill’s every need is met and she wants for nothing. Were Jill able to speak, she would tell us that she doesn’t feel the unfairness about her life that we judge to be there. More importantly, I believe Jill’s illness is not an accident or a random act of fate but God’s perfect plan for her life and mine. And I believe God has a great reward awaiting Jill in heaven because she was willing to live the life He chose for her so His purposes could be realized on earth. In heaven, not only will Jill be healed and whole for all eternity, but she will enjoy heavenly reward, and those of us who served her on earth are going to be really glad we did when we get to heaven.”

This book challenges us to ask this question: “Am I willing to let God break me in order for Him to use me?” This is not only a difficult question to answer but also a terrifying question. I must say that most of us are not quite there yet.

Nutrition & physical activity for cancer patients

I learnt some interesting facts from the article entitled 'Nutrition and Physical Activity During and After Cancer Treatment: Answers to Common Questions' by the American cancer Society:

1. Antioxidants help to prevent damage to cells in the body from chemical reactions with oxygen. So far, studies of antioxidant vitamin or mineral supplements have not found that they reduce cancer risk. The best advice at this time is to get antioxidants through foods rather than supplements. Many cancer doctors advise against taking higher doses of antioxidant supplements during chemotherapy or radiation. There is a concern that the antioxidants might repair the damage to cancer cells that helps these cancer treatments work.

2. Soy foods are an excellent source of protein and can be a good option for meals without meat. For the breast cancer survivor, current research finds no special benefits or harmful effects when no more than 3 servings of soy are eaten per day as part of a healthy diet. But higher doses of soy may have estrogen-like effects, and higher levels of estrogens can cause certain breast cancers to grow and spread. For this reason, it is best for breast cancer survivors to avoid the high doses that are found in more concentrated sources such as soy powders and isoflavone supplements.

3. There is evidence that certain types of fat, such as saturated fats, may increase cancer risk. There is little evidence that other types of fat, such as mono-unsaturated fats (in canola and olive oil, olives, avocados, nuts and seeds) or polyunsaturated fats (including omega-3 fatty acids in fish and walnuts) reduce cancer risk.

4. Studies have linked eating large amounts of red meat and processed meats (like bacon, hot dogs, and deli meats) with increased risk of colorectal, prostate, and stomach cancers. Some research suggests that frying, broiling, or grilling meats at very high temperatures creates chemicals that might increase the risk of some types of cancer.

5. It is commonly thought that organic foods may be more healthful because they reduce exposure to certain chemicals. It has also been suggested that their nutrient makeup may be better than non-organic foods. Whether this means health benefits to those who eat organic foods is unknown.

6. During and after cancer treatment, there is a probable benefit of taking a standard multiple vitamin and mineral supplement that contains about 100% of the Daily Values because during these times it may be hard to eat a diet with enough of these nutrients. The use of very large doses of vitamins, minerals, and other supplements is not recommended because evidence exists that some high-dose supplements may increase cancer risk.

7. In most studies, eating more vegetables and fruits has been linked with a lower risk of lung, esophagus, stomach, and colon cancer. Cancer survivors should get at least 5 servings of a variety of vegetables and fruits each day.

8. Juicing can add variety to the diet and can be a good way to get vegetables and fruits, especially for those who have trouble chewing or swallowing. Juicing also helps the body absorb some of the nutrients in vegetables and fruits. But juices may be less filling than whole vegetables and fruits and contain less fiber. And drinking a lot of fruit juice can add extra calories to a person's diet. Buy juice products that are 100% vegetable or fruit juices and pasteurized to remove harmful germs.

'Friendship' in marriage

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. (Mother Teresa)

‘Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.’ (I Corinthians 13:13)

God creates us as relational beings and for that, we are made for relationships. One of the greatest relationships we can have on this earth is friendship. Friendship can be exciting yet at times painful, exhausting. But it can also open up new possibilities, new adventures. We live deprived lives if we live without friends.

I am truly blessed with many close friends whom I can fall back anytime. They have been my ‘pillars’ especially during my down times in the past three years. There are times when my words or actions are misunderstood, but we stay with it when they happened. There is no perfection in any friendships. If our goal in life is to stay safe, then it is difficult to develop any meaningful friendships. Friendships demand that you leave your comfort zone and confront an unknown wilderness.

It is ironical that most married couples are not even ‘friend’ to each other. May be ‘familiarity’ breeds contempt. ‘Friendliness’ is undeniably lacking in some marital relationships. It is the art of appreciating others more than you appreciate yourself. It is really an attitude. More and more couples are not having meaningful communication with one another. It seems that the longer couples are together, the easier it is not only to see each other's flaws, but to mercilessly criticize them. This eventually leads to short tempers, less tolerance, minimal patience, and a lack of marital bliss.

We tend to be less ’polite’ and more ‘critical’ when we communicate with our spouses than to our friends. Instead of choosing words that build up, we become each other’s worst critics. Words have the power to build up or tear down in any relationship. Unfortunately, respect and admiration, the two powerful tools, are often forgotten in marriage over time. As for me, being a woman, I need to constantly remind myself to control my tongues and asked God to convict my heart when critical thoughts crept into my mind, avoid the temptation to say them out loud. Also, when I tell myself that how imperfect I am, it becomes easier for me to accommodate the other person’s annoying quirks and little habits.

Food for thought (1)

While waiting for a train in India, a missionary got into a conversation with a high-caste Indian. "Are you travelling on the next train?" the missionary asked. "No," he replied, "that train has only third-class carriages. It's all right for you, because you are a Christian. Third class doesn't degrade you and first class doesn't exalt you. You are above these distinctions, but I have to observe them."

A nature lover found a lovely avenue of trees. As he walked admiringly up and down the avenue, he noticed a strange thing. Two of the trees were dead, and not only dead, but dismally and evilly offensive. Frost could not account for it as their neighbours were all healthy. He made inquiries, and found out that the gas main which ran underneath them had been leaking! Everything on the surface had been in their favour - the sea breezes, sunshine, rain ... but they had been poisoned from beneath. There are many people like that. Perhaps we are one of them. The circumstances of our lives all seem in our favour. Yet beneath that our lives are mysteriously blighted by thoughts that poisoned us.

An old Italian gentleman lived alone in New Jersey . He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament. A few days later he received a letter from his son: ‘Don’t dig up that garden. That’s where the bodies are buried. At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son: ‘Dear Papa, Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances.’

A father, trying to encourage his teenage son after he had failed an examination, said, "Don’t give up, try again." "What's the use?" said the son. "It's easier to quit." His father remonstrated with him, saying, "The people who are remembered in life are the people who, when they failed, didn't give up, but tried again." He went on, "Remember Churchill? Remember Thomas Edison? They didn't give up!" The boy nodded. His father went on, "Remember John McCringle?" "Who is John McCringle?" the boy asked. "You see," said the father, "you don't remember him - he gave up." A poster showed a picture of a man sitting on a park bench looking depressed and disconsolate. His arms were folded across his chest, and there was a look of resignation on his face. The caption read, "I give up."

Layman's Ten Commandments

1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.


2] Why a Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the Rear view Mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, Look Ahead and Move on.


3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.


4] All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.


5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!


6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!


7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems, HE has faith in your abilities.


8] A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"


9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.


10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES, it takes away today's PEACE.

(Shared by Woei Ying)

PE 2011

‘The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.’ (Proverbs 21:1-2)


For the first time in Singapore, there is keen interest and enthusiasm in this coming Presidential Election (PE2011). In the past, it was only been contested once. Even then, the disparity in the credentials of the candidates was so apparent that it was more like a walkover. There was hardly any interest on the part of the Singaporeans then, as people viewed such position as merely a political appointment.

This PE2011 which is to be held on this Saturday, is going to be dramatically different. More credible people are coming forward to make this election a watershed in Singapore history, just as the GE2011 did. I am not saying it is going to be a close fight. Rather, these candidates are courageous enough to come forward to stand for the election. Singaporeans also seemed to expect much more from their president this time round. They talked about performing check and balance, guarding our huge foreign reserve, scrutinizes the civil service appointments, and doing more for the disadvantaged and poor etc.

Nevertheless, this transition from political apathy to political consciousness is good for the nation in the long run. Singaporeans would be more engaged in the direction and the shaping of the nation’s future, moving towards a more inclusive and vibrant society. I think our leaders have realized that people wanted to be heard and see the actions. The fact that our government had been generous in issuing four certificates of eligibility is a very good sign. Given the tremendous power of social media today, any grievances not handled properly can be misused or manipulated for the wrong purpose or cause, just like the recent riots in UK. Being a small nation, we can ill-afford such things to happen here.

In the article entitled ‘Winning back public trust after General election” (ST 2/7/11) by our former permanent secretary for finance, Mr Ngiam Tong Dow, he observed that the GE2011 shows some chipping away of the trust that the past generations of Singaporeans had in the government. The founding generation lived frugal lives, seen as selfless men, sacrificing promising careers for an uncertain future in politics. Now with the gap between the highest and the lowest paid becoming excessive, some Singaporeans started to less believe the government acts in their best interest. Younger generation are more unwilling to give the government the benefit of doubt, judge the government more by its actions than its promises. In this aspect, most Singaporeans should be happy with the positive changes taken place so far. Majulah Singapore!

Facing trials & finding meaning to life

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

"There's nothing more calming in difficult moments that knowing there's some one fighting with you." — Mother Teresa

The famous Jew, Victor Frankl, talked about his experiences in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. When he was brought before the Gestapo, they stripped him naked and then, noticing that he was still wearing his gold wedding ring, one of the soldiers said, "Give it to me." As he removed his ring, this thought went through his mind: "They can take my ring, but there is one thing nobody can take from me - my freedom to choose how I will respond to what happens to me."

On the strength of that, he not only survived the Holocaust, but also developed his whole psychiatric system called Logotherapy, which states that "when you find meaning in everything, then you can face anything." He survived the horrors of the Holocaust because he was sustained by an inner conviction that he would come through it, and be able to use the suffering to good effect. His system of Logotherapy is now being used to help thousands who have mental and emotional problems. It is founded upon the belief that it is the striving to find a meaning in one's life that is the primary, most powerful motivating and driving force in humans.

The following list of tenets represents the basic principles of logotherapy:

• Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable ones.
• Our main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.
• We have freedom to find meaning in what we do, and what we experience, or at least in the stand we take when faced with a situation of unchangeable suffering.

It is clear that same things can happen to individuals, but they have different effects on ones because each person has different responses which depend on his inner attitudes. Hence, harsh blows of life can make the some people bitter whilst in others it has the strengthening and refining effects. So it is not so much what happens to us, but what we do with it that is important. For Christians, we have the additional resources to rely on – the strength and grace from God, and the meaning of life He gives us under His grand purposes on this earth.

Lighter moments

A father was approached by his small son who told him proudly, "I know what the Bible means!"
His father smiled and replied, "What do you mean, you 'know' what the Bible means?
The son replied, "I do know!"
"Okay," said his father. "What does the Bible mean?"
"That's easy, Daddy..." the young boy replied excitedly," It stands for 'Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.”

*************

A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan. She asked the class, 'If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what you would do?' A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, 'I think I'd throw up.'

*************

There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family bible to her brother in another part of the country.
"Is there anything breakable in here?" asked the postal clerk.
"Only the Ten Commandments," answered the lady.

*************

A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter.
Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 10times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses."
When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note "I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket I'll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation."

*************

A policeman was taking a vandalism report at an elementary school when he was interrupted by a six year old girl. She looked up and down at his uniform and asked, "Are you a policeman?"
"Yes, I am," he said.
"My mother told me that if I ever needed help I should ask a policeman. Is that right," the girl asked.
"Yes it is," said the policeman.
The girl extended her foot to the policeman and said, "OK, then, would you tie my shoe?"

Cancer marker test

“Now He is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. (Ephesians 3:20)


I saw my medical oncologist yesterday morning. My cancer marker (CA125) in May had risen to 21.9 from 11.6 in February, so I went for the appointment with a heavier heart, only dared to ask God for at least a stable reading. When my doctor told me this time it had came down to 11.4, I was really unprepared for such improvement and good news.

Thanks to many who prayed for me, and for God’s immeasurable grace. I know He keeps me for His purpose. The meaning of Life takes on a new dimension when one goes through hard blows of life.

Blood test

"I'm not sure what the future holds, but I'm absolutely sure who holds the future - H I M!" (Frank Jordan)


Time flies. I had just gone to do my 3-monthly cancer marker test this afternoon so that it will be ready in time for my medical appointment with my oncologist on next Wednesday morning (10th August).

The last three months have been a fruitful time for me. Other than doing my weekly marking of the drug offenders’ bible lessons, I was involved in the church’s children camp in June, and joined a church cell group. Recently through a friend, I was able to share my medical experiences with her friend who has recently undergoing chemo treatments.

Ovarian cancer normally discovers at late stage and there is 75% chance for the patients to relapse in the first 2 years, according to the recent news report of The Straits Times. Nevertheless, may God grant me peace whatever the outcome of my blood test may be.

'Addiction'

‘The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.” (Ecclesiastes 7:4)


I happened to have lunch a couple of weeks ago with a good friend of mine. He used to be addicted to share trading where almost every day he would nibble in the market. It later developed into a ‘hobby’, filling up his boredom. This addiction resulted him incurring substantial financial losses, affected his work and family life.

Addiction is defined as being enslaved to a habit or practice. It occurs when we repeated that behaviour often enough that it becomes etched into our brain. There is a legend relays a conversation between a wise old man and his grandson. The old man, explained to the boy, “Inside of me, and inside of every person, a terrible fight is going on between two dogs. One is evil; the other is good. They fight all the time. “The grandson asked, “Which one wins?” His grandfather smiled and replied, “The one I feed.”

In order to win over this ‘monster dog’ in our inner self, we need to break the bad habit and at the same time, to replace it with a good one. Then, one must vow never to feed the mean dog again, and to keep feeding the good one. So when we indulge even a little in our addiction, we are feeding the wrong dog. When we refuse to feed him, he loses his strength.

Below is an excerpt from my student who recently shared his struggle with his drug addiction:

“.....When I fail and fall onto the wrong track, it is my foolishness, it is my sinful nature at work. I’ve been short-sighted and indulge in temporary, meaningless pleasure.....God has warned me but I failed God....Our Heavenly father, please rescue me from my drug addiction, with my own effort I’ve failed so many times. Without your support, I’m weak in front of my foe. Let me hold on to your mighty hand. I will be strong to confront my enemy. Away from me, my deceitful friend. I have my Lord with me, never again will I need your company.”

We are visual, feeling creatures and can be addicted to anything under the sun except God because we can’t feel or see Him. What do we enjoy daydreaming about? What occupies our mind when we have nothing else to think about? Where and what are we spending our money on? It is very easy to be entangled with the affairs of this life because there are just too many attractive things in this world that can satisfy our senses, material or non-material things. They often start as “refuelling” activities but later took up so much of our time, thought, and energy that they become the centre of our life. Family and career were once ‘addictions’ or ‘idols’ in my life and I am grateful that my sickness caused me to learn to strike a balance in life.

I am glad to hear this friend of mine that now he has been able to walk away from his ‘addiction’ after staying away from the stock market for several months. Finally he feels ‘liberated’ from the bondage of that ‘monster’ in his life.

Humorous Pieces

A doctor and a lawyer were talking at a party.

Their conversation was constantly interrupted by people describing their ailments and asking the doctor for free medical advice.

After an hour of this, the exasperated doctor asked the lawyer, "What do you do to stop people from asking you for legal advice when you're out of the office?"

"I give it to them," replied the lawyer, "and then I send them a bill."

The doctor was shocked, but agreed to give it a try.

The next day, still feeling slightly guilty, the doctor prepared the bills.

When he went to place them in his mailbox, he found a bill from the lawyer.

****************************************

There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire to become a great writer.

When asked to define "great" he said, "I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!"

He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages.

***************************************

A Sunday school teacher was giving her class the assignment for the next week.

"Next Sunday," she said, "we are going to talk about liars, and in preparation for our lesson I want you all to read the Seventeenth Chapter of Mark."

The following week, at the beginning of the class meeting, the teacher said, "Now then, all of you who have prepared for the lesson by reading the Seventeenth Chapter of Mark, please step to the front of the room."

About half the class rose and came forward.

"The rest of you may leave," said the teacher, "these students are the ones I want to talk to. There is no Seventeenth Chapter in the Book of Mark."

*****************************************

A doctor while writing out a prescription,asked the woman to put out her tongue. When he had finished, she said to him, "But doctor, you never even looked at my tongue."

The doctor replied, "It wasn't necessary, I just wanted you to keep quiet while I wrote the prescription."

China brands' products

‘The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?’ (Jeremiah 17:9)


Recently a close friend sent me an e-mail with a news report that tonnes of herbal chrysanthemums contaminated by a banned toxic chemical have entered the market. The herbal flower is believed to have been dried with sulfur dioxide, a banned preservative that can cause sickness. Farmers using sulfur-drying methods can make more profit as they saved on electricity and coal. Sulfur-dried chrysanthemums sold well because it is difficult to detect. It is no wonder to me that from the survey forms which I helped to collate recently for a school project about Singaporeans’ opinion on Chinese brands, large number of respondents has reservation about the Chinese brands, especially food products. Many still remember milk was laced with melamine which affected over 300,000 children there with some deaths.

There are numerous scandals in recent years on China brands’ products such as contaminated pet food, counterfeit toothpaste, defective tires, and toxic toys. These opportunistic and aggressive entrepreneurs will resort to all kinds of ‘creative’ ways to maximize their profits, not just confining themselves to excessive use of additives and preservatives. They take advantage of the country's chronically weak enforcement of regulations, doing things like blend fake ingredients into the products; sign contracts agreeing to sell one thing only later switch the raw materials for something cheaper; and to doctor, adulterate or even colour foods to make them look fresher or more appetizing. Even in terms of accounting, many investors got their fingers burnt when the share prices of those Chinese companies found or rumoured to engage in accounting irregularities plunged. A well-known large US hedge fund recently sold its entire stake in a Chinese tree-plantation company for a loss of S$720 million, when the latter was accused of overstating its timber holdings.

As I ponder over the 90th years of communist rule in China, I can’t help but believe that the ideology of communism has not fundamentally change the sinful nature of those under such system of government. Without the power of divinity, it is ‘natural’ for the heart of a person to exhibit deceit, greed, evil desires etc, whenever he has the opportunity to exert his true ‘self’ which was formerly ‘artificially’ suppressed through human means.

Clean jokes

A new pastor was visiting the homes of his parishioners.

At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door.

When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, Genesis 3:10."

Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter.

{Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Genesis 3:10 reads, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid, for I was naked."}

*****************************************************
There was an old man sitting on his porch watching the rain fall. Pretty soon the water was coming over the porch and into the house.

The old man was still sitting there when a rescue boat came and the people on board said, "You can't stay here you have to come with us."

The old man replied, "No, God will save me." So the boat left. A little while later the water was up to the second floor, and another rescue boat came, and again told the old man he had to come with them.

The old man again replied, "God will save me." So the boat left him again.

An hour later the water was up to the roof and a third rescue boat approached the old man, and tried to get him to come with them.

Again the old man refused to leave stating that, "God will save him." So the boat left him again.

Soon after, the man drowns and goes to heaven, and when he sees God he asks him, "Why didn't you save me?"

God replied, "You dummy! I tried. I sent three boats after you!!"

(Source: Clean-jokes)

'Cancer cure' remedies

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.’ (Proverbs 16:9)

As a cancer patient, I always receive e-mails from concerned friends and relatives on ‘ideas’ how to fight cancer. These so-called ‘advices’ come almost entirely from the internet source. Instead of finding them helpful, at times it can be a stress to me as these ‘remedies’ tend to be contradicting and confusing.

It is very common for some of them making exaggerated claims, alongside with many ‘testimonials’ to substantiate them. Having sieved through such information for the past two years or so, I have become ‘wiser’ not to take things at face value. Nowadays anyone can put up a website promoting such ‘cancer-cure’ remedies. When they are just too ‘good’ to be true, that is when one’s discernment comes in.

I can understand why most cancer patients are hungry for such information as they want to be cured, even at a huge cost. They would probably try anything, hopefully it works on them. Sometimes we become so easy to believe that we are vulnerable to be manipulated. From the psychology of a cancer patient, his fear of unknown can easily re-enacted in his mind by what he saw, read or heard. Last week, I went for my annual flu jab at a neighbourhood clinic. I was reminded of the gravity of my illness when the doctor (a locum) reiterated to me that ovary cancer is a very vicious one, and the probability of relapse is extremely high. My heart turned heavier by his discouraging words, though they are true in every medical sense.

To me, there is a limit as to how much a cancer patient can do to his condition. He must be mindful that he is not fighting an illness, but a cell mutation disorder. In this aspect, preventing cancer is easier than fighting it. May be striving to live like a normal person, relax, and enjoy eating anything healthy under the sun, is a better remedy. The rest is in God's hand.

A carrot, an egg or a cup of coffee?

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water.

Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after an illness, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

May we all be COFFEE

(from thoughts-about-God)

A year on

‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.’ (James 1:1-3)

It has been a year since I started this blog on 12th July 2011 (with 112 postings so far) with the help of my close friend, Mui Huang. Along the way, I received tremendous encouragements from friends and relatives either privately or through blog comments. To all of you, a big ‘thank–you’ from the bottom of my heart. You have truly inspired and motivated me to continue blogging. This blog not only makes it possible to share my medical experiences, but also my thoughts on other issues of interest. It is my sincere hope that through it, others may also be blessed in return.

I am also in debt to God for sustaining me with strength and stable health which enabled me to write. It is not easy to think of something to write regularly. I also faced difficulty in organising and expressing my thoughts in writing, making worse by my poor command of English. So I am surprised that through sheer determination, I have been able to post every week.

A number of significant things have happened in my life for the past one year. For one thing, I do not dwell so much about my health condition as before and the grip of fear has subsided to a great extent. I find myself living a more meaningful and fruitful life. My involvement in a prison ministry from home last August is a milestone in my life, so is my joining of a church cell group last month. I am now more forthcoming about my illness and in fact, recently through a friend, I am able to share my medical experiences with her friend who has just begun her chemo treatment. I am glad that I have grown into a stronger and more thankful person.

Never Make a Woman Angry!

A woman arrived at the Gates of Heaven. While she was waiting for Saint Peter to greet her, she peeked through the gates and saw a beautiful banquet table. Sitting all around were her parents and all the other people she had loved and who had died before her. They saw her and began calling greetings to her,

"Hello. How are you! We've been waiting for you! Good to see you."
When Saint Peter came by, the woman said to him,
"This is such a wonderful place! How do I get in?"
"You have to spell a word," Saint Peter told her.
"Which word?" the woman asked.
"Love."
The woman correctly spelled "Love" and Saint Peter welcomed her into Heaven.

About a year later, Saint Peter came to the woman and asked her to watch the Gates of Heaven for him that day.While the woman was guarding the Gates of Heaven, her husband arrived.
"I'm surprised to see you," the woman said. "How have you been?"
"Oh, I've been doing pretty well since you died," her husband told her.
"I married the beautiful young nurse who took care of you while you were ill.
And then I won the multi-state lottery. I sold the little house you and I lived in and bought a huge mansion. And my wife and I traveled all around the world. We were on vacation in Cancun and I went water skiing today. I fell and hit my head, and here I am. What a bummer! How do I get in?"
"You have to spell a word," the woman told him.
"Which word?" her husband asked.
"Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis", she replied.

Moral of the story: Never make a woman angry . . . there will be Hell to pay!

NB: The longest word currently listed in the Oxford dictionary is the supposed lung-disease pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (45 letters).

Now you've learned a new word.

(shared by Fiona)

Cell phone radiation

‘Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.’ (Proverbs 27:1)


Recently the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified cell-phone radiation exposure as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” The panel put cell phones in category 2B on the agency’s scale, just below sure carcinogens such as cigarette smoke but in the same category as the pesticide and gasoline-engine exhaust.

Radiation is considered potentially carcinogenic when it is powerful enough to ionize atoms or molecules and cause genetic damage (DNA code breakdown and free radical formation) that can lead to cancer. However, some scientists think that cell phone radiation is non-ionizing and thus considered too weak to cause such damage. So far most studies are sponsored by the telco industry players, so few think that the results are independent and unbiased. Nevertheless, the essential enigma of cancer may never been resolved.

Time magazine suggests that we can adopt the following habits when using the cell phone:

• Using a wired headset can significantly cut down any exposure to radiation, better than Bluetooth devices.
• Used texting messages.
• Don’t use cell phone as an alarm clock- with hours phone is close by our heads while we sleep.
• Cell phone emits significantly more radiation when the signal is weak e.g. rural areas, inside elevators, buildings.
• Use radiation-blocking case will block much of a phone’s radiation.

How to get my teenager listens and behaves

“Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” (Colossians 3:21)

‘How to get my teenager listens to me and behaves?’ I think all parents in this world would want to find an answer to this. Teenagers seem to have a mind of their own which is actually not a bad thing. They need to step out of the shadows of their parents and form their own identity. If they do not have opinion of their own and never object to anything we say, then we would have something to worry about.

Parents are often conditioned to this paradigm: we expect our teenagers to behave (change their ‘objectionable behaviours’), believe us (accept what we teach without question), then they belong (accepted by us), in that order. That concept doesn’t seem to work in this present time. I learnt from someone who is an effective youth leader that we should instead make our teenagers: belong (accepting them as who they are), and the rest will follow (they will believe us and behave). May be we need to change the way we relate to them.

Isn’t true that we are far too busy clothing and feeding our children, keeping them safe that we spend too little time to really listening to them? This is especially so for parents who come from a poor family background. They just wanted to ensure that their children never suffered the same deprivation they had suffered, without realising that material deprivation is not the same as emotional deprivation.

I must admit that I hear, but not listening to what my children have to say most of the time. Also, my habit of jump in with judgement, giving solution (which is more like an order than an advice) put off my children. We need to acknowledge our children’s feelings so that they feel a strong sense of belonging to the family. If we want to know what is going on in our children's lives and to continue to pass on our values, we have to keep the communication channels open by listening, which seem lacking especially among parents who are busy.

Dr Tami Fisk

“Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)

“But He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)


I came to know the remarkable medical missionary works of Dr Tami Fisk recently through a prayer meeting for the missionaries. A very brilliant medical doctor who let herself to be used by God till her last days despite her terminal illness. She died at the age of 39 in March 2005. Her family started a Mission Travel Grant Fund in her name to sponsor those medically-trained individuals who need funding in travelling expenses for doing medical services in East Asia. Her story inspired and spurs many, including me, to live a fruitful and purposeful life.

More often than not, trials such as sufferings caused us to pause and reflect on the conditions of our hearts, re-orient and re-focus priorities in our lives. The choices we faced each day are: to lose the joy of living in the present when we worry what may come or take things as they come, one day at a time, trusting God for the wisdom to respond properly. I learnt through last few years that everything will come to pass, no matter how difficult the situations or circumstances may be. As christians, we can draw divine strength from God to go through them.

Below are the abridged reviews on the book about her (‘Grasping Heaven’):

“This is the heart-warming and heart-wrenching story of a remarkable young woman and the grace and power of her ever-present God. Until I read this book I had no idea of the challenges modern day missionaries face. Some of the "minor" challenges would have seemed major to me, such as the smog in China turning Dr. Tami Fisk's white blouse gray the day she arrived, the challenges of learning a language with pictographic writing and then having to learn even more after she had finished school because of the country's many dialects, and the food that one is required to eat to avoid giving offense. (Pig head, eaten skin, hair and all, fried honeybees... yuck!)

She faced many trials as a medical missionary and in her later struggle with melanoma, but through them all she lovingly served others in any way she could wherever she was. She was aware of God's leading, love, and presence with her, so she accepted these trials as ordained by Him to draw her closer to Himself and refine her faith. She genuinely loved the Yi people of the Great Cold Mountains of China, and it showed in the compassion with which she cared for their health and became "Auntie Fei" to their children.

Tami, like all of us, was God's work in progress. Her life is a challenge to all of us to embrace His refining process as she did. From the way she "fought the good fight," I'm sure that she is wearing many crowns in heaven, and the effects of her love and her short life's work are still echoing in the lives of all she touched in China and around the world.” - By Nicolette M Dumke

“Even when Tami was only 9 years old she knew that she wanted to be a missionary and a doctor serving overseas on the mission field. As she grew up and was in high school she studied and made the best grades that she could. Tami always had a Bible in her hand and a notebook nearby so that she could keep notes of anything that she thought important. After a trip to China and meeting these people she felt led to serve in China.

Before she could serve long, she had come home for a stay and that is when she found the cancer. Tami never stopped helping people and the Chinese as long as she was able. Tami had never married and used all her time in the service for God.” -by Edna Tollison

“Shortly after returning home from a 3-year overseas assignment in China, 34 year old doctor, Tami Fisk found her left ear bleeding again. It was where she had a lesion removed several years ago. A biopsy was done. It confirmed she had melanoma. There were disappointments, tears and her frustration with the medical system. How long would she have to live? Would she be able to make it through the aggressive chemotherapy? Someone told her “maybe you are not healed because of a lack of faith”. In Tami’s response we see God’s grace.

“Grasping Heaven” tells Tami’s story, her trust in God, her journey of healing, from asking “Why me” to “why not me?” Melanoma did not stop her from conducting medical research on AIDS and SARS and their cure. By 2002, she was back in Asia, working closely with Chinese authorities on medical programs, working in hospitals in Sichuan in urban and rural settings.

May I close with a quote from Joan Wales (a nurse who had lived amongst the Yi about 60 years ago) when she shared with Tami her view: “Our only task is to let God do His work through us, at any age.”In sickness and in health, whatever our age, resting on God’s promises, may we share the Good News.” -By Ng Swee Mun(a member of Wesley Methodist Church who has known Dr Fisk and the authors of the book since 1997)

Tami left us with the following beautiful poem:

Today I am healed.
Perhaps not the way you had hoped for,
Prayed for, waited for
But I'm in a glorious new body,
Free of pain, full of new strength
Free to run and dance in a place
Where God Himself wipes my tears away
Immersed in a love, joy and peace
That we have a mere taste of
During our time on earth
In the presence of my God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Who loves me more than His own life
Know that today I am healed.

Her farewell videos can be viewed from the following link:

http://www.tamifisk.com/bio.htm

'Happiness'

“I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.” (Ecclesiastes 3:12)

Recently OECD published its ‘Better Life Index’ which tries to understand why high incomes do not always translate into high levels of happiness. The indicators included housing, life satisfaction, governance etc. It is hope that such understanding will result in beneficiary policy outcomes.

It was found that Intangible factors such as psychological well-being, health, culture, living standards, time use and community vitality do matter to most people other than economic indicators such as income and employment. Happiness can be defined more by the softer, qualitative dimensions. Neither the ability to acquire nor the actual acquisition of material things often leads to sustainable increase in happiness. Possessions increase, so do people expectations.

If buying tangible things does not generate sustainable happiness, what will? It seems that experiences out weight material goods in generating happiness. Most material possessions do not involve other people. People tend to describe themselves by the activities they engage in, rarely do they define themselves by the houses they live in, watches they wear. Deep inside their hearts they know that these are superficial things. Attending a concert, going on holiday, going to the spa, dining at a famous restaurant are experiences that have a greater social value than acquisition of material possessions. It comes at no surprises that people are willing to pay top dollars to get such experiences which give them happiness (e.g. paying S$580 for Faye Wong’s concert). Nintendo Wii became so popular when it was first launched because it was then the only truly interactive entertainment. Even older women and those who did not normally play computer games became its fans. Intangible nature of such experiences also makes it almost impossible to compare.

What then are the implications for the policymakers here? Certainly paying $100 to go to casino is not likely that kind of experience that can bring a person happiness. It is true that most Singaporeans after their material things are satisfied, they want more intangible things in order to be happy. The recent general election was originally thought by some to be one of no ‘hot issues’ since we achieved high economic growth and full employment. The results turned out otherwise, causing serious soul-searching among the policymakers.

I once asked my youngest sister why she and her family are not keen to migrate here. She gave me a very thought-provoking answer: she did not wish her children spending leisure time mostly on shopping. In Malaysia, she can drive them far away from the city to be near to the nature. My eldest daughter still talking and sharing excitedly her living experience in Tokyo even though it was already more than half-a-year ago. I think we do need more parks, museums, arts galleries of that kind to make Singaporeans happy. Of course, one can also be happy with experiences that do not come with a price tag, e.g. watching sunset,or sharing one’s precious time with the needy.

Reader's Digest Health Rules

“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, an good news gives health to the bones.” (Proverbs 15:30)


I find the Reader’s Digest June 2011 issue’s ‘Health rules for eating well’ very helpful. These rules are so simple to follow yet few are doing because we want 'convenience':

• Eat ‘food’ not anything ‘edible’: Most of items on the supermarket shelves do not deserve to be called food, rather they are just edible food-like substances, highly processed.
• Eat food that will eventually rot: Food processing seeks to extend the shelf life of food often by removing nutrients that attract fungi, bacteria, hence render them less nutritious.
• Eat your colours: The colours of many vegetable reflect the different anti-oxidant phytochemicals they contain which protect our cells.
• The whiter the bread, the sooner you’d be dead: White flour is not much different from sugar. It offers none of the good things such as fibre, Vitamin B, healthy fats in wholegrains. Large spikes of glucose can cause havoc on our insulin metabolism.
• Eat mostly plants, especially the leaves: We will consume far fewer calories if our diet is mainly plant-based.
• Stop eating before you’re full: Ask yourself not ‘am I full but is my hunger gone’ so that you will not over eat.
• Eat sweet food as you’d find them in nature: Natural sugars almost always come packaged with fibre which slows down their absorption. It is better of eating fruit rather than drinking juice.
• Break the rules once in a while: It is better not to be obsess with these health rules which is bad for our happiness and health. There will be special occassions to indulge ourselves. What matters most is your eating habits on a typical day.
• Pay more, eat less: Spend more for better food,we will probably eat less of it. If high quality food tastes better, we will need less to feel satisfied.
• Avoid good products that contain more than ‘five ingredients: The more ingredients in a packaged food, the more highly processed with many additives, enhancers and preservatives. For example, if you eat a comb of banana, the only ingredient is banana.