TRIBUTE TO DATUK SERI DR. MAHATHIR MOHAMMAD, THE END OF 22 YEARS OF RULE

well, been super busy with submission n design project deadline next week so no time 2 talk rubbish n trash here. but i think it wun hurt 2 take some time 2 pay a tribute 2 a person worth mentioning after so many years as malaysia's prime minister. i have a friend who was born on e day dr. mahathir becomes e prime minister of malaysia back in 1981 n thus named after him. it is also e same year i was born. dr. mahathir studied in e same batch as a politician from my town, mr. wong soon kai. he is semi 2 fully retired now.

there r of coz many different views about e ups n downs of him. how e west n east view him in a veli different context. how his policies succeed or fail, how he dealt with e economic recession, e issue of anwar n of coz his fight against e terrorism n s'pore issues. i have 2 say i have things against him as well as supporting him. like wat TIME magazine said, he did more good than bad n should take credit 4 all e goods he delivered 2 his people n country. all i wan 2 say here will b 2 thank him 4 all dat he had done 4 e country. politics is nvr fair, nvr clean n nvr easy. it is not easy 2 please everybody in ur country, not 2 mention e whole world.

THANK YOU DR. MAHATHIR!

how will e country progress without him, or with him at e back of e BN / UMNO advising on e critical decisions n policies e country has 2 do? we shall c from 2molo onwards. e future will b focused surely on his Vision 2020, whether it can still b realized. n whether his construction of malaysia can be continued successfully by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who will b e 5th prime minister of malaysia.

here is a tribute article from The Star newspaper on dr. mahathir.

Heartfelt thanks, Dr Mahathir

The Star Says...

IT WILL feel strange for a while — to no longer have Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister.

He has been such a large presence in our lives – a generation of Malaysians has known no other prime minister — that the emptiness may linger for some time.

And at such a time we may begin to realise, finally, the enormous responsibilities the man had to shoulder and what he achieved.

Even so, we need to record some of his achievements — Petronas Twin Towers, KL International Airport, Putrajaya — modern-day monuments, yet economic dynamos in their own right.

Those are the obvious examples. Doubtless, he did more than just put Malaysia on the track to developed-nation status. As we begin to reflect on the last two decades, we would appreciate that the list would be endless if we were to itemise what Dr Mahathir has done for Malaysia and Malaysians.

The list would also be endless if we were to count the times he has lambasted the West and the superpowers and spoken up for Third World countries and what he saw as injustices.

And, oh yes, the number of times he has scolded us for various reasons, but invariably for our own good.

Truly, this man has been a father to us. And like all fathers, he wanted to see us not merely succeed but to stretch ourselves and touch the dreams that we dreamt. His dreams have been our dreams.

We have had fathers guiding us since this nation was born. Dr Mahathir has been different. He was there for us for the longest time. For all kinds of circumstances. He was our leader for almost half the time we have been independent.

And like most children, we have at times been rebellious and turned a deaf ear to his pleas. Still, he trudged on, believing what he was doing was in our best interest.

A management guru once said: Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish. High expectations are the key to everything.”

Dr Mahathir had high hopes for us. He knew what he had to do. So he went out of his way, sometimes to much opposition, which he would silence with his simple logic to prod us to give our best.

He used tested means. He tried nconventional methods. Someone has said that you cannot achieve the impossible without attempting the absurd.

If the ways he used were absurd — and some more-superior-than-thou countries have described them in more disparaging terms — the results have been absolutely unabsurd.

For some time now, we have been proud to call ourselves Malaysian. This pride is shared even by those beyond our shores — other nations have been equally proud that Dr Mahathir stood up for them, too.

Others outside see as us an exemplary nation, yet within, we struggle and contend with one another. He reprimanded, pleaded, cried, prayed, so that we would see beyond our differences.

He forged a common bond among us, we who held so tightly to our communal and cultural identities, fearing that we would lose all that our forebears had passed down as our heritage.

When he announced he was quitting, his one regret was that he had failed to change the Malays. The other communities have been equally guilty of wanting to remain static.

If that was his failure, it was ours, too. Perhaps we didn’t see his vision too well. He was always looking to the future; we were content with living in the present, with a yearning for the past.

Perhaps we thought he would see us through by sheer force of his will. Now we realise he was all too human, like us.

In spite of ourselves, we have come a long way. That’s nothing short of miraculous. And Dr Mahathir played no small part in firing us up with a spirit of nationalism and unity that will power us on.

He has led us on a remarkable and unforgettable phase of the great Malaysian odyssey.

The journey is far from over, but we’re heading in the right direction, and that’s something we must be thankful for.

Dr Mahathir has ensured a smooth passing of the baton by raising up a worthy successor in the person of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to carry on the task of leading this nation.

He has left no loose ends. To paraphrase him: he has made sure everything is in place.

If we believe in even half the things we say that Dr Mahathir has done for us then it would be a great legacy that he has left us, one that should propel us forward to continue where he left off and fulfil those aspirations he very much wanted to see us attain.

Words won’t adequately express what we want to tell him. We can only simply say: We promise we will carry on what you have started.

Mr Prime Minister, a very grateful nation thanks you from the bottom of our hearts.

FOOTBALL: THE RISE OF EASTERN RUROPE

e headline says it all. i support real madrid so i know just how difficult it is 2 play against locomotiv moscow n dynamo kiev. these teams r veli hardworking on e ball n they r just veli strong emotionally 2 beat any of their opponents. i nvr look down on them or disrespect their football standing in europe. arsenal were beaten 1-2 last nite by kiev n e new inter without cuper went down e same beating they gave arsenal. belkevich n shatskikh were kiev's heroes 2 bring e goals in. n my impression of playing at their hometowns is nvr easy. big teams like real struggled everytime they go there 2 play. i dunno why, it is just hard 2 win in their homes. there maybe many factors dat contribute 2 it.

elber was given a taste of why bayern wanna sell him when makaay scored. they almost lost e match until veli late into e game when e substitution of luyindula helped 2 save e face of lyon at home. juventus had a surprise big win over real sociedad. tis season, it seems dat 2 primera liga teams dat r quite strong last season seemed 2 b veli weak n unstable. tis is surely sociedad n celta vigo. instead, valencia n depor who r more unstable last season becomes quite strong. real madrid? well, they r neither there or here. hehe! barca again r going down badly, hopefully they could do something 2 avoid how low they went last season. they almost did not qualify 4 europe, at some stage, almost nearing e relegation zone.

i am happy 4 newcastle 4 a win from behind last nite visiting fulham. shearer is still continuing scoring n dat is a good sign. expecially without e presence of bellamy who is currently in e USA 2 undergo his knees operation. look it in another perspective, it opens up e door 4 ameobi n lua lua 2 show their stuffs. about kluivert, there has been reports saying dat he loves barca veli much n no way will he wan 2 move 2 newcastle. i guess even if he is willing 2 move, newcastle will have a hard problem 2 meet e price of e player. he wun come cheap. but i still dunno how they r gonna solve e solano issue. i guess robson has difficulty putting out his midfielders in e starting eleven becoz of e many different talents dat r present 4 him 2 make a choice. it is surely hard.....becoz they r quite equal in terms of ability, just different style of play. unlike real, u have e 3 undisputed midfielders who u must field unless they r injured or facing veli weak oppositions - zidane, figo n beckham.

wat about 2molo morning matches? i just finished my Management & Human Relations presentation so tis gimme e opportunity 2 share my views of e matches 4 2molo morning. e focus definitely will b on chelsea against lazio. i remember lazio lost 2 ac milan last week n had a veli controversial goal scored ruled out becoz of poor offside decision dat resulted in e linesman being banned. forgot 4 how many matches though. e focus is on veron 2 play against his past team. e place where he was at e peak of his career. he should have fond memories of playing there n e encounter will b interesting 2 watch. will chelsea win? hehe! they r playing back home at stamford bridge so i think they have extra edge. a slight advantage dat may result in a small victory, 1 or 2 goals difference.

e other big match 2 c will b rangers vs. man utd. it is veli hard 2 predict tis match looking at e past things 4 e few weeks. man utd basically on e ferdinand issue while rangers have not been winning lately. it may turn up into a draw or a slight win 2 man utd. either way, tis should b e 2nd biggest match 4 2molo morning. real should b able 2 win, even a slim 1, visiting partizan belgrade. they will have 2 blame themselves if they can't get a victory. so is 2 ac milan. they should achieve victory 2nite, even a draw will b a shame. but their past 2 matches hardly have any goals 2 show off. so better keep e goals going....kaka again will b e 1 2 watch, n shevchenko as alwiz, e hitman from e front! i think those r e few matches worth mentioning. hmmm, b4 i end, perhaps i touch on ajax. ajax vs. celta vigo....i dunno how 2 give comment becoz vigo is new 2 e champions league, suffered a defeat 2 real madrid just recently so may have disadvantage. ajax is more experienced in europe n some more being host, should have e advantage. ajax should get a slim win judging by e poor form celta vigo have tis season.

FOOTBALL: WRAPPING UP THE LATEST EVENTS

soli 4 not being able 2 update lately, pretty busy with assignments, almost end of e semester so all e heavyweight stuffs r gonna b piling up 4 submissions. nevertheless, i got e-mails n contacts of bookies who r interested 2 know e odds 4 last weekend's matches. i am proud 2 say dat i got almost 80% accuracy. dat's not bad judging by e number of games i predicted 4 both sat n sun 4 e 3 leagues: primera liga, serie a n premier league. there will b champions league footie tis coming wednesday n thursday so may preview something if i have time 2 post. i watched e real madrid match with celta vigo last sat. i enjoyed it but again i think madrid need 2 improve on their play, e flow is veli chaotic, veli disorganized passes n they r just lucky dat c.vigo is not as good 2 bring in e balls accurately 4 goal chances. if not, i c many opportunities at times dat can resulted in goals. madrid is just lucky dat nite, e scoreline could b far more different.

rio ferdinand may get sentenced up 2 2 years ban 4 missing e drug test. fifa threatened 2 take action if e english fa is not going 2 do something about it. e verdict will b out tis thurs. e decision will b based on his hp call records. i think it is severe punishment but they r quite serious with drugs i guess. a. ferguson is handed 2 matches ban from e touchline 4 two games n fined £10,000 following an FA hearing into his behaviour at st james' park in august. dat's good, i dun really like tis person, he has some bad historic encounters with players. e way he criticizes people really sux, i wonder whether he even deserve dat knightship from e queen of england. such paiseh attitude shown, although e queen solely award u knightship based on achievement, regardless of how bad ur attitude is i guess. he should b handed more serious n heavier penalty 4 his frequent outboursts. wat a shame! i have no respect 4 tis asshole. remember how he claimed dat UEFA was all about powerful teams last season when man utd was drawn with real madrid in e quarters. 1st he said he was so happy with e draw, then he criticized uefa n got a fine. good, trash talker!

newcastle's bellamy is going 2 have an operation in the USA. hopefully his dispute between newcastle n wales can b settled, i know e relationship had gone sour becoz of bellamy obtaining injuries after injuries from international matches. newcastle also shown interest in patrick kluivert. i seriously dun c e worth of paying much 2 buy tis player. he is not a veli good forward, he is not consistent n is currently having a dry spell.

as elber is going 2 meet bayern in e champions' league draw, i wish him all e best 2 remind bayern munich how stupid they r 2 release him. lousy players like heskey with stupid performances trying 2 head goals n scoring 1 goal in over a billion matches n still get 2 play 4 club n country. player like elber gets 2 b top scorer 4 bundesliga n still get sacked by bayern becoz they wan roy makaay more. sigh! i dun have anything more 2 say, just score a hattrick against bayern.

finally, cuper is sacked from inter. i thought it was quite harsh, his performance is not so bad comparing 2 houllier in liverpool though who has some fondness of heskey 4 putting him down 2 play. i dunno why people like 2 put a striker who doesn't score down 2 e starting 11 at all, or even on e bench. i just am veli puzzled. let liverpool lose more until they realize how lousy heskey is, they r wasting a forward position dat creates lotsa goal scoring chances 2 a stupid player who dunno how 2 dribble! back 2 e cuper issue:"i am happy for all inter fans n my hope was that this coach left inter as soon as possible. with him, inter could never win," ronaldo told italian television show. "it is true i left inter because of cuper. i didn't get particulary along with him n his mentality was too defensive," he added.

inter president massimo moratti has explained dat his decision is 4 e good of both inter n cuper. he feels dat e relationship between e squad n coach is in pretty bad shape. e new coach, alberto zaccheroni had signed a 2 year countract. we shall c how inter can improve then. barca also r facing a crisis rite now 4 losing again last weekend. e pressure is mounting there 4 e coach. he may b e next 1 2 go. e front line of saviola n kluivert suddenly becomes so useless, they had been relying so much from ronaldinho 2 score.

there has been recent news about salgado n carlos being lured 2 chelsea. i hope they will stay in real madrid. real is oredi veli weak defensively, n if those two go as well, real will b toothless in their defence next season. really should consider buying good defenders 2 fill in e gaps. they r oredi veli exposed defensively tis season n i dun c them having much of a serious challenge in any big competititons, expecially e champions league unless they do something about it. they r letting in goals like no one's business.

PROTESTANT CHRISTIANITY: DANIEL CHAPTER 2

DISCLAIMER: RELIGION IS ALWAYS A VERY SENSITIVE ISSUE TO DISCUSS. IT IS SADLY THE CAUSE OF MANY CONFLICTS AND WARS AMONG MANKIND. THIS IS MEANT TO BE A PROTESTANT CHRISTIAN POST FROM THE BIBLE THAT HAS THE NEW AND OLD TESTAMENT FOR PRESBYTERIANS AND METHODISTS, AND OTHER PROTESTANTS TOO. I BELIEVE THE NET GIVES ME THE FREEDOM TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL SO I WILL USE THIS OPPORTUNITY. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WORLD IS MADE UP OF DIFFERENT SECTS, RELIGIONS, BELIEFS, THINKINGS AND FAITHS. THUS, IF MY POST CLASHES WITH YOURS, PLEASE FORGIVE ME BECAUSE I AM POSTING FROM THE BREATH AND WORD OF GOD FAITHFULLY FROM THE BIBLE IN METHODIST / PRESBYTERIAN INTERPRETATIONS, CLINGING ON STRONGLY ON THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGES IT WAS WRITTEN BY THE PROPHETS. I KNOW IT WILL CLASH WITH PHILOSOPHY, SOCIOLOGY, SCIENCE, ASTRONOMY, ISLAM, BUDDHISM, HINDUISM AND MANY OTHER RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD WITH DIFFERENT DOCTRINES AND IDEOLOGIES. SO AGAIN, IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH WHAT I SAID, PLEASE FORGIVE ME AND JUST DON'T READ ON. FOR THOSE WHO ARE CURIOUS OR INTERESTED, YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED TO READ AND GIVE COMMENTS OR OPINIONS. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO INSULT, BELITTLE, CONDEMN, DISCRIMINATE, CRITICIZE, CONFUSE, DISTURB AND MAKE FUN OF YOU. IT IS MEANT TO BE A FRIENDLY POST NOT MEANT TO HURT ANYBODY SO PLEASE DISCUSS IN CONTEXT. YOUR COOPERATION IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. ANY MISTAKE/S MADE BY ME ON THIS POST CAN BE CORRECTED BY OTHER PROTESTANT CHRISTIANS WHO KNOW BETTER. I AM ALSO NO BETTER AND STILL LEARNING THE WORD OF GOD.

BACKGROUND

Daniel Chapter 1 is an introduction of the book. A musical always begins with the overture that plays tunes and songs that are going to be present in the whole production. Daniel Chapter 1 is like an overture that plays the major themes and messages that will present time and over again in the book. The book started with the unthinkable that is happening on the international scene, national scene and personal scene. They are losing the battle on all fronts. God's king, Jehoiakim had been captured by a pagan king, Nebuchadnezzar. God's city Jerusalem had been conquered by a pagan city, Babylon. God Himself seems to be defeated; His own temple in Jerusalem, the vessels in it had been taken and installed in the temple in Babylonia.

Why is it happening to God's people? It is because the people had committed apostasy. Marriages break down because of adultery. Adultery happens because the man has an affair or the woman has a fling. The heart of adultery is betrayal, the abandonment of the person you love. Apostasy is simply the betrayal and the abandonment of God by trusting in other substitutes. They committed spiritual apostasy by betraying God to trust in idols of the pagans. They also committed political apostasy by making alliances and treaties with other pagan kings and nations. They could not trust God to give them security economically, politically and any other way.

That is why the unthinkable was happening to God's people. God was judging His king, city and people. He did it in the most unthinkable way. He raised a foreign, enemy pagan king to do God's saving plan. God was handling over the judgment of His own people to an enemy king. However, the important message is how God raised His enemies to carry out His purposes to save His people and the world. Daniel Chapter 2 will zoom into that.

1. A King, a dream and all the king's men (2:1-11)
2. A King, a dream and God's man (2:12-49)

This is King Nebuchadnezzar on his 2nd year of his rule and he could not sleep because there was a dream that was bothering him. He was so bothered that he called his whole professional class of magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to solve his dream. They were like the 3rd eye and sixth sense of the nation. Their main work is to keep in touch with the spirits in the spiritual world which will inform us of life in the human horizontal level.

The problem is that if you need to interpret a dream, you need the content. Either the king forgot the dream or he remembered his dream but purposely wanted to test his wise men. Either way, the professional class did not know the dream and could not interpret. It had become a national crisis because the king threatened to kill the entire group of his civil service. In this situation of national deadlock, there stood Daniel, an exile, a defeated and conquered person. The key solution to the national crisis lies in a bunch of slaves.

The whole event is to have the pagan king to be introduced to God's men. Daniel and his friends pleaded for God's mercy and hopefully God will hear. He also knew that God holds the future. Daniel was able to tell the dream and interpretted the dream. Daniel's God was acknowledged by the king not like any other pagan gods they have. The whole episode finishes with the pagan king promoting the exiles to high positions of power.

3. Learning and Living with the God of Dreams.
a. Mistaken lessons:
(i) God's main and sole way of revelation is by dreams.

We cannot extrapolate a once off incident to be an all encompassing truth. In the book of Daniel, it is a widespread practice in Babylonian world to interpret dreams. Why? This is because there was a whole class of professionals to keep in touch with the spirits in the spiritual world. They were like the service providers who help you to communicate with the spirits. The lesson of this book is not about dreams, visions and interpretation of them to hold the future, but God who holds the future.

God's main way of revealing Himself is not by dreams but by His written and spoken word. The method of revealing Himself through dreams is very prevalent in the society so God was using the instruments available to Him.

(ii) Understanding God is only for the spiritual elite or enlightened.

In Chapter 1, it is mentioned that Daniel eats vegetables. Maybe he fasted from meat and also they pleaded with God in Chapter 2 that God gave him this spiritual insight. This is not because he had the spiritual discipline.

Chapter 1 of the book of Daniel is written in Hebrew (the language of the Jews), Chapter 2 to 7 in Aramaic and Chapter 8 to 12 in Hebrew again. Why so? Aramaic is the lingua franca of the time, the international language and so it seems to be the content and interpretation of the dream is for all the other nations (including Nebuchadnezzar, the pagan king) to hear. It means that these dreams and interpretations are not reserved solely for the spiritual elites and spiritual enlightened. It is a global message for all to hear.

b. True lessons
(i) God and His saving Purpose is reality
Dream: God's Reality - Interpretation: God's faithful - Life: Man's unreality or delusion

The dream actually stay in touch with God who is a reality, His words which is a reality and His purpose which is a reality. That means the dream is God's reality, it is objective, the truth and non-negotiable. The interpretation actually comes to God's faithful person, Daniel. God's faithful instrument, a faithful Jew caught in exile. It is not given to pagans. If the dream is God's reality, then life on earth under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar is a delusion. An unreality. The king, his conquests, his empires and his policies are real. However, he thinks he is king, but it is God who is king. He is deluded that he is king. He thought it is he who causes the rise and fall of nations. This is wrong because it is not the human kings who have power who caused this, but it is the purpose of the divine and true king - God. This world is masterful to changing realities and to just paint it over with something else.

(i) God and His Kingdom will triumph over man's kingdoms. (verse 31-33)

Chronology of Major Empires in Daniel:
-Head of Gold- Babylon (2:48) Babylonia (626BC - 539BC)
-Chest and Arms of Silver- Medo-Persia (8:20) Medo-Persia (539BC - 330BC)
-Belly and Thighs of Bronze-Greece (8:21) Greece (330BC - 63BC) (including Ptolemies and Seleucids and 167BC - Maccabees and Nasmoneans)
-Legs of Iron, Feet of Clay- Rome (63BC- (AD 70-Fall of Jerusalem)

Man's Kingdom:
Image = progress and regress of human empires

Why progress? Progress because this image is made of metal. It has weight, value and is durable. It is of increasing durability of long lasting-ness. When it finally come true as human empires, the whole picture seems clear. The head started with the empire of Babylonia, lasted around 90-100 years. The Persian empire came to power later and lasted 200 years. This is being followed by the Greek empire which lasted around 223-250 years and finally followed by the Roman empire that lasted about 400-450 years after it collapsed in the 4th century AD.

On the other hand, these metals also represent the regress of human empires. It seems to go down from gold to silver to bronze to iron and to clay. From the most valuable to the least valuable metal.

One image = worldwide political power = worldwide rebellion
Different faces, same dream or ambition

This is telling God we can rule the world without you. We can do very well with our politics and rulers and governments. The image is about successive political governments and all exercising worldwide rebellion against God. These are just different phases or stages of the same human dream, the same proud ambition to live life without God. Now, Nebuchadnezzar and the current Babylon is the latest contemporary phase of worldwide political power, of worldwide rebellion against the rule God. It is all about us doing it our way against God, without Him. This is the essence and character of all human kingdoms symbolized by our human empires. It is also about God's kingdom, not human empires alone.

God's Kingdom: uncut rock = not man made (verse 34-35)
Mountain = Zion image
Filled the earth = God's worldwide and everlasting rule
(verse 44-45)

This is the content of the dream. Why is the rock an uncut rock? This is because it is from God, not man-made and it is natural. It comes from God's purpose and from God's hands. It is then a divine thing. It grows and grows into a mountain. In the ancient Bablylonian world, a mountain is the meeting place between the gods and men. They feel closer to the gods, it is a symbol.

Isaiah 2:1-4

Here is the true mountain among mountains, so here is God among all the false idols and gods. On this mountain, which is Zion, is built the city of God, Jerusalem. The highlight of this city is the temple. Isaiah the prophet foresees a day that the mountain will no longer be in the Middle-East. There will come a mountain, a new city, a new temple. This temple is not for the Jews only but all nations. When they come, they will worship this God. The law of the Lord will flow out from this mountain. The words of God will go out from this mountain and the nations will lay down their weapons and they will live in peace with one another.

This means one day there will come a mountain, a city, a temple where all nations will be gathered for worldwide worship of God. It will be everlasting - age after age it will last. This is the key of the dream. What is this mountain? What is city? What is this temple?

John 2: 19-22

The scenario here is that they are debating about this temple. Jesus said destroy this temple although it takes them a long time to build. It is a glorious human temple but you destroy it and I will raise it in 3 days. What Jesus is talking about is his body, not the temple. That by his death on the cross for our sins, by his resurrection from the dead, he will now be the new meeting place between God and men. The new meeting place then is not a place, Jesus is the person, he is the new meeting place. He is the one who tears the curtains and made the way available and accessible for us sinners to know the Holy God. This is not for Israel alone, but the whole nations to come and know the God. Thus, Jesus is the new mountain, the city, the temple. Since Jesus is raised, He is the everlasting kingship with the everlasting kingdom that destroys all of men's kingships and kingdoms.

c. Half-true lessons
(i) Discovering Israel and Babylon
(ii) Revealing Israel and Babylon

This is about discovering God's people and discovering God's enemy. Discover is the word used here because we are still working out who are the people who are going to enter God's kingdom and who are God's enemy who will oppose Him and His people. The Israel that is there in the Middle-East today is not the Israel God speaks about in the New Testament. The Israel which is there now is the Israel conceived after the World War II by human political will and propped up by military might. In some senses, deal with injustice to the fellow human beings, the Palestinians.

The Israel that God speaks about is a different Israel, so is the Babylon. Babylon is actually the new day Iraq so is it Saddam Hussein? He is the new king Nebuchadnezzar and now we had gotten rid of him, we had gotten rid of God's worst enemy. This is not the way the bible goes. We should not go to look for any one person who is the enemy of God or any one party, movement or event. There is a book written few years ago called the Bible Code. It picks up all the numbers in the bible and analyzed in the computer to come out with the person, the event, movements and prophecies hidden in the bible. This is a very wrong thing because without the computers, we will never get to understand the bible because it is a bible code.

This is the wrong way because it is a book of God's spoken words and written to us all. It is not written so that only the spiritual elites or the computer programmers can understand it. The only reason we cannot unravel the bible is because we have not spent enough time on our own understanding the tools of interpretation and the history. Once we understand it, it becomes clear. God is speaking to us His words so it is not about us discovering by our human wisdom from age to age who are God's enemies and God's people. We keep looking for Babylon and that is not the right way to read the bible. This is because it locks us in to look for that one anti-Christ, Babylon that is God's final enemy.

It is more so about God revealing Israel and Babylon to us. As the whole salvation plan is now fulfilled in a person of Jesus. God reveals to us Israel.

Ephesians 2:11-13
1 Peter 2 9-10
New Israel = Spiritual Israel

How many races and nationalities have the world? There are too many to name. From God's perspective, there are only two races of humanity. In the Old Testament, you are either Jews, His chosen people or Gentiles. God is working out his purpose to save the world first to the Jews, his people. To the Jews he gave his first installment of citizenship of His kingdom and gave them His covenant. That means his people have hope because they have God. To the Gentiles at that time, we are excluded from this covenant and His words. That means we are without hope and without God. Now that Jesus has come, we are brought to God as well.

There is now a new definition of Israel. The new Israel is both elected Jews chosen by God and elected Gentiles chosen by God to be saved who believe in Jesus. This is the new definition of Israel. Israel is no longer the political, military and geographic Israel at the Middle-East. All us Gentiles who believe in Jesus had also partaken the covenant and citizenship of heaven first offered to Israel. God's people are the new Israel. The condition is to believe in Jesus to enter God's kingdom. It is through the blood and body of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 18: 1-8

Who is Babylon then? It is not Saddam Hussein or Iraq. The language of the book of Revelation is symbolic. To understand the book of Revelation is to understand the book of Daniel because there are a lot of connections. Babylon is a symbol and one day it will fall and be destroyed. This is because God will bring judgment upon Babylon. Babylon is a picture of religious adultery and the place where invent religion to take away our beliefs in God.

The other way how Babylon misleads the people of the world and the people who believe in God is by the economic policies that Babylon sets. That means the merchants of this world created a new reality.

Revelation 18: 20, 24

Babylon will mistreat the people of God, servants of God who believe in God. They are made holy because of Jesus. God will judge Babylon. Babylon rejoices in the temptation of God's people, the church and the death of God's people, the church.

Revelation 13:1-18

666 is one short of perfection in every count. It is an imitation of God. The summary is that the dragon in Chapter 5 is the serpent and devil.

Babylon is:
1. The human 'face' of Satan and evil
2. Babylon = Anti-God, Anti-Christ, Anti-church
3. Babylon is not anyone person or event, she is the human face of Satan
4. Babylon's attitude in spirit of worldwide rebellion against God and His purposes and His people in political power we exercised against God

At the time this book is written, John is at the island of Patmos and he referenced Rome and the Emperor. He uses symbols. He is saying what we are dealing with at the back of the scene is Satan but Satan uses the human instrument to do his works. This will include to persecute the church, to go against Christ and His works.

5. Babylon's anti-God, Christ and anti-church goal is wielded / exercised through:
(a) Political power
(b) Religious power
(c) Economic power

One way of persecuting your belief in God is by pressurizing you economically. It is very hard to be a Christian in Pakistan, Indonesia and other places in the world because they burn down churches by the dozens. This is the human face of Satan working through the political, religious and economic realities. Satan is painting a different world which we must give. If the politics is real, the religion is real, the economics is real, if you don't do it this way, the reality makes us give our lives, love and loyalty and give up on Jesus and God's salvation plan.

Arguably the most Christian nation in Europe prior to World War 2 was Germany. This is because the reformation begins there. We ask why the most Christian nation allows a man like Adolf Hitler to rise to power. Germany began poorer and poorer then. Then came a man who promised a new political and economic reality. This is arguably the most Christian nation with the best thinkers, artists and philosophers; he knew that he had to win over the population.

How to win over the Christian population? You win over the pastors because the pastors will go back and convince the congregations. Hitler had an opening reception with this group of pastors. He brought them to tour his office and shared with them. One of the pastors asked on behalf of the whole group, "What is your guiding principle in life?" Hitler reached into his coat and pulled out the bible. When he pulled out his bible, the pastors were convinced that this man is a serious Christian. They went back to their churches and told the congregation that they could believe in this man. He turned out to be truly a nasty person. A guy named Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor, saw through it all. He said this guy is no Christian. He said they needed to get rid of Hitler and fought against his Nazi regime.

There is a movie out called Bonhoffer, hopefully it will reach Malaysia and Singapore. At least, read through the books published on it. He was hanged in the concentration camp at Flossenburg on April 9, 1945, one of four members of his immediate family to die at the hands of the Nazi regime for their participation in the small Protestant resistance movement. What caused them not to see it? This is because Adolf Hitler was a master of painting realities - a new political reality and a new economic reality. So much so that the Christians could not see that the ultimate reality was God, His words, His salvation plan in Jesus Christ. That the ultimate enemy they need to fight is sin, God's wrath and coming judgment. That was the reality. That reality can only be overcome by Jesus Christ. However when people become poor, our tendencies to buy into new realities is great. Money is powerful enough to blind us all.

The book of Daniel is about God and His reality. It is about His words and reality. It is about the gospel and reality. All others that painted to us are men's delusions to blur us from the reality. It takes away our life, our love and our loyalty from our God.

OUR INTERPRETATION OF CHRISTIANITY IS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST AS THE CENTER OF THE FOCUS. GOD PREPARES THE WORLD TO BE RULED BY HIM. HE WILL COME AS OUR KING. GOD'S WORDS AND BREATH IS KEPT IN A BOOK CALLED THE BIBLE. A BIBLE IS BEST READ IN ITS TOTALITY, AND NOT BY ABSTRACTING A WORD, PART OF A VERSE, OR A CHAPTER, OR A BOOK BECAUSE IT WILL CREATE OUT OF CONTEXT INTEPRETATIONS AND CONFUSION. THE RELIGION WHICH WE WILL PREFER TO CALL MORE AS A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TRINITY (GOD, HIS SON JESUS CHRIST AND THE HOLY GHOST) IS TO FOCUS ON THEM. NOT THE PASTOR, NOT YOU, NOT ME, NOT ANY HUMAN BEING. WE ARE ONLY GOD'S PEOPLE WHO PROCLAIM TO YOU HIS WORDS AND HAVE NO POWER AND ABILITY TO SAVE YOU FROM SIN OR PERFORM MIRACULOUS ACTS. WE ARE CREATED BY GOD TO WORSHIP HIM AND NOT HIM BEING IN OUR STORY. IT IS NOT ABOUT GOD TAKING PART IN YOUR LIFE BUT YOU TO TAKE PART IN GOD'S PLAN (IN HIS SON) OF SALVATION.

CONGRATULATIONS MICHAEL SCHUMACHER!
6TH TIME FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPION!

i watched e suzuka grand prix, n man oh man, i have 2 say it is e most funniest way 2 win a world champion 4 m.schumacher. he had overcame so much obstacles 2 get at least e 8th place 2 gain at least a point. n man oh man, we just have a great laugh in e most exciting, weird n intense formula 1 grand prix i had ever seen 4 a long, long time. i was watching at e tv room with some formula 1 fans n surely tis race is worth watching.

1st, michael hit his front wing trying 2 pass sato. but luckily, he was able 2 replace it straight away in a pit stop. then, ralf was in a battle with michael n got his front wing hit as well on e same turn. michael was trying hard 2 brake at dat turn in front of da matta, so ralf needed some space 2 brake as well n as a result hit e back of michael. lucky for michael e car did not impact him too much 2 force him out of e race. i remember somebody got hit at e same turn again in 1 of e overtaking intentions n just have 2 end e race. montoya started strongly but had some hidraulic problem n had 2 retire early in e race. alonso had some engine problem n retired just after a few more laps after montoya.

e highlite of coz is e battle in front after alonso n montoya were out. barrichello did wat ferrari needed him 2 do, 2 hang on at e front n 2 get e constructor's title 4 ferrari. at e same time, preventing raikkonen 2 finish 1st so in no any chances will win e title from michael. barrichello surely deserves e win, he had a good lap 2 take pole n drive pretty steadily in e wet n yet not so wet track. there r forecasts of rain around 3:30pm 4 japan's time, but e rain did not come, but e wet pitch with high humidity certainly made things abit harder 4 everybody.

michael of coz battled at e back really hard n finally got e 8th place. dat was enuf 4 him. he endured so much at e back, he surely deserves e world title. i thought he was out by dat 1st incident, then dat almost bad collision with his brother. his bro sure wan 2 test e quality of michael being crowned e world champion 2 e limit! fiercely pushing n putting pressure at e back. hehe! enuf said of e race, he is finally landing himself into e formula 1 history book as e one who has e most formula 1 titles. he can still get more, as long as ferrari stays strong n he is still not thinking of retirement.

THIS IS IT! SUZUKA SHALL DECIDE IT ALL!

whether ferrari will win e constructor's title n m.schumacher e driver's title, everything will b decided later. m.schumacher is 14th from pole becoz he was witnessing rain when he was qualifying, while raikkonen is at e 8th position. barrichello takes pole so it will b an exciting race! i am veli excited 2 follow e race n hopefully m.schumacher will land his 6th title. if he does, he is oredi history, hehe!

EURO 2004 will also b kicking off n e controversial thing is england again. well, england alwiz have lotsa controversies surrounding them. either it is their fans or e players. i just lost of words 2 comment. if u look at e many incidents of controversies n discipline problems, it all revolves around e EPL n mostly english players. why is it so? from e cantona incident, 2 e latest van nistelrooy incident, we had seen more than enuf. u have veli problematic attitude problem players like roy keane n patrick vieira in e EPL, woodgate n e leeds folks. there r just more 2 mention. look at e spanish n italian leagues, do they have so much problem dat epl faced? i afraid not, n if u count all e yellow n red cards landed from all e 3 leagues, i bet epl stands above all others. it also has e most incidents of managers given bans n fines, not 2 mention players. oh well, perhaps others will argue e drama creates lotsa attention. dat's how it attracts lotsa fans...

here is a collection of Flash videos or games 4 u all 2 enjoy:
PATIENT ZERO FLASH

JOKE OF THE DAY

My friend Shey Yin posted me this:

I think the men will love this. This one is great!! It brings cheer to
the Men who lie and Women to understand there is a reason behind
it....enjoy...!
Have a great day!!
Why Men Lie - The Real Truth ....

One day, while a woodcutter was cutting a branch of a tree above a
river, his axe fell into the river. When he cried out, the Lord appeared
and asked, "Why are you crying?"
The woodcutter replied that his axe has fallen into water. The Lord
went down into the water and reappeared with a golden axe. "Is this your
axe?"the Lord asked. The woodcutter replied, "No."

The Lord again went down and came up with a silver axe. "Is this your
axe?" the Lord asked. Again, the woodcutter replied, "No."

The Lord went down again and came up with an iron axe. "Is this your
axe?" the Lord asked. The!woodcutter replied, "Yes."

The Lord was pleased with the man's honesty and gave him all three axes
To keep, and the woodcutter went home happily.
One day while he was walking with his wife along the riverbank, the
woodcutter's wife fell into the river. When he cried out, the Lord again
appeared and asked him, "Why are you crying?"

"Oh Lord, my wife has fallen into the water!"
The Lord went down into the water and came up with Jennifer Lopez. "Is
this your wife?" the Lord asked. "Yes," cried the woodcutter.

The Lord was furious. "You cheat! That is a lie!!"
The woodcutter replied, "Oh, forgive me, my Lord.! It is a
misunderstanding. You see, if I had said 'no' to Jennifer Lopez, You
would come up with Catherine Zeta-Jones. Then if I also say 'no' to her,
You would thirdly come up with my wife, And I would say 'yes,' and then
all three will be given to me. But Lord, I am a poor man and I will not
be able to take care of all three wives, so that's why I said yes the
first time."

The moral of the story is whenever a man lies it is for an honorable
reason.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

i got tis while i went 4 a guest lecture titled "INNOVATION, CREATIVITY & DESIGN: HOW TO GENERATE BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS" by LESLIE BECKNELL, an internationally recognized expert in the area of innovation, creative leadership, and cultural trends. she is into marketing n had worked with giant companies like coca-cola. it is a veli informal lecture but veli good. it is about how 2 bring out e creativity in us 2 design. she showed many case studies of successful products like belly washers, cranium, stoney field farm yogurt n tropical sprite remix. those who wan 2 know more perhaps can e-mail me since i need 2 write a summary report anywayz n alwiz happy 2 share out 2 u. here is e last quote from e presentation which i think is meaningful.

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost."
Martha Graham

GIRL TALK: HOW TO MAKE YOUR FOOTIE BOYFRIENDS / HUSBANDS HAPPY?

well, looking at e rise of gals asking me 4 jersey infos 4 their bfs, i realize perhaps i can discuss on how 2 make ur footie crazed bfs really happy. haha! now tis is a feminine topic, no? perhaps 2 understand tis, u need 2 know how a guy felt in a footie team / club he supports. generally, most guys nowadays like n love 2 watch sports, n footie is 1 of e most famous ones after jordan left e chicago bulls in e nba. formula 1 is still quite ok but it is more 4 e more matured 2 watch. so is golf n cricket. i admit i slept 10 times out of 10 watching cricket or golf games. i am sure e girls will too! i used 2 love 2 watch steffi graf play tennis when she was still around, she is so good! now, i have tis fear of watching a more muscular williams family which dun feel female at all! yeeee.....soli if i insulted anybody, tis is just MY OPINIONS, ok? keep cool.

e first question u all will ask will b why e stupid guys wan 2 watch stupid 22 guys kicking a stupid ball on a field. wat is so exciting about dat compared 2 cricket or golf? well, cricket n golf r nice sports, just dat they r played 4 long hours n normally early in e morning in malaysian / singaporean time. so by then, we r oredi half awake, half conscious. but i admit if u do take up e sports urself, u will b more interested. like when i am here in s'pore, my uncle forced me 2 go 4 some golf with him once a while. thus, in dat process, i learnt about e sport n began 2 understand it. so when u watch in e tv, u will know wat 2 watch 4, instead of just e boredom of seeing a person trying hard 2 put e ball into e hole.

same thing as footie. 2 understand footie more is 2 know dat it is more than a game of scoring goals. there r many politics, skills n gameplay 2 watch in e whole match. dat's wat guys r interested on, of coz e goals r e icing on e cake. there is tis sense of pride n satisfaction in supporting e club / team u like. so how 2 make ur bf who like 2 watch footie love u 10 times more?

1. buy him his fav. team / club jersey (which most had put effort in!) :)
2. accompany him 2 a footie match in stadium (buy him tickets)
3. wake him up 4 those early morning champions league , la liga matches
4. cheer him up when his team / club lost
5. when he is so excitied 2 share with u a footie topic, (even if u dunno much), at least try 2 listen, hehe! even if it means few hours! haha!
6. e best thing will b of coz 2 know abit of his fav. club / team so u have something 2 talk when he brings e topic up
7. there r many other club merchandise products like magazines, posters, badges, stickers n so on u can also buy 4 him
8. accompany him 2 his footie match (if he plays footie himself) or even play with him in e field during practice. i am sure he will appreciate ur presence, even if u dunno how 2 play.
9. watch footie with him in front of tv if u can't afford e 2nd option up there. :)
10. celebrate with him if his team / club wins

dun push urself however if u dun like 2 do it, i guess e guys will also dun wan u 2 do it by force n no sincerity. if u really hate footie, it doesn't mean u have 2 end ur relationship. u can please him in many other ways dat is not related 2 footie. i'm not saying in a relationship, it has alwiz have 2 b e gals 2 please e guys. of coz e guys will need 2 know wat their counterparts like n do e same thing 4 her. i am however not skilled in dat department, so i will onli talk in things dat i understand better. hope tis will help gals who struggle 2 understand tis stupid interest of footie in their bfs / husbands.

i will do a whole discussion on buying jersey tips 4 gals so next time they dun have 2 e-mail me again n again on how 2 buy them. i hope dat will make it clearer. :)

FOOTBALL: UEFA TURNS 50

ah!!! finally a footie post. i am so comfortable about a footie post, i know wat 2 write n i dun have 2 think. hehe! some more no need 2 use simple n correct spelling english with any proper capital letters. btw, my friend who bets n also a bookie tells me dat i need 2 put in betting odds 4 my prediction. now, dat is TOO FAR LIAO! i am no GOD! i think i will go further up 2 predict e odds when i think i am ready n skillful enuf 2 embark on dat level. i will not fly when i still learn 2 walk. thus, gimme more time dude! in e meantime, i guess u have 2 figure out e odds urself as a bookie or as someone who bets. i am onli giving my point of view base on my experience n analysis, n thus is not 100% ACCURATE. unless u gimme a time machine. hehe!

anyway, e focus 2day will b UEFA turning 50. they have tis competition in their website at UEFA.com 4 u 2 select 50 of e best players in europe starting from 1954. e winner from tis golden jubilee event of uefa will get tickets 2 e EURO 2004 final in Portugal! wah! i wan, i wan!!!! btw, u get 2 select from 250 players selected by them. e difficult part will b those past great players which i dunno much of. thus, 2 win e prize is quite difficult, even my parents r not born yet in 1954! haha! how 2 vote then? perhaps need some grand dads 2 enlighten me. according 2 reports, e team with most nominated players is Juventus 4 having 33 players who wore its shirt, Milan n Inter follow with 29 n 19 players respectively, while onli e Spanish teams could hold e pace of e Italians with 23 players for Real Madrid n 17 4 Barcelona.

but u all have fun trying, u nvr know, u may b in portugal next year having fun enjoying e final! all e best!

PROTESTANT CHRISTIANITY: DANIEL CHAPTER 1

DISCLAIMER: RELIGION IS ALWAYS A VERY SENSITIVE ISSUE TO DISCUSS. IT IS SADLY THE CAUSE OF MANY CONFLICTS AND WARS AMONG MANKIND. THIS IS MEANT TO BE A PROTESTANT CHRISTIAN POST FROM THE BIBLE THAT HAS THE NEW AND OLD TESTAMENT FOR PRESBYTERIANS AND METHODISTS, AND OTHER PROTESTANTS TOO. I BELIEVE THE NET GIVES ME THE FREEDOM TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL SO I WILL USE THIS OPPORTUNITY. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WORLD IS MADE UP OF DIFFERENT SECTS, RELIGIONS, BELIEFS, THINKINGS AND FAITHS. THUS, IF MY POST CLASHES WITH YOURS, PLEASE FORGIVE ME BECAUSE I AM POSTING FROM THE BREATH AND WORD OF GOD FAITHFULLY FROM THE BIBLE IN METHODIST / PRESBYTERIAN INTERPRETATIONS, CLINGING ON STRONGLY ON THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGES IT WAS WRITTEN BY THE PROPHETS. I KNOW IT WILL CLASH WITH PHILOSOPHY, SOCIOLOGY, SCIENCE, ASTRONOMY, ISLAM, BUDDHISM, HINDUISM AND MANY OTHER RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD WITH DIFFERENT DOCTRINES AND IDEOLOGIES. SO AGAIN, IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH WHAT I SAID, PLEASE FORGIVE ME AND JUST DON'T READ ON. FOR THOSE WHO ARE CURIOUS OR INTERESTED, YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED TO READ AND GIVE COMMENTS OR OPINIONS. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO INSULT, BELITTLE, CONDEMN, DISCRIMINATE, CRITICIZE, CONFUSE, DISTURB AND MAKE FUN OF YOU. IT IS MEANT TO BE A FRIENDLY POST NOT MEANT TO HURT ANYBODY SO PLEASE DISCUSS IN CONTEXT. YOUR COOPERATION IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. ANY MISTAKE/S MADE BY ME ON THIS POST CAN BE CORRECTED BY OTHER PROTESTANT CHRISTIANS WHO KNOW BETTER. I AM ALSO NO BETTER AND STILL LEARNING THE WORD OF GOD.

This post will be done in proper English. This will make readers not from English background easier to follow. I will use simple and easy to understand words if possible. It is taken from ARPC from the book of Daniel on Oct 3-5 2003 titled Do You Fit? The sermon is best followed using the NIV (New International Version) bible. The post below is a reflection from me after attending the sermon, and thus may not be 100% accurate. For precision, go download the MP3 format from the website itself.

BACKGROUND

The unthinkable. Think of something unthinkable. Arnie becoming the president of the United States? Haha! He is already now the governor of California. A day when Israel and Palestine can sit down and shake hands? One day that Malay or Singlish will become the standard international language of the world. Unthinkable right? A day when Malaysia or Singapore wins the FIFA World Cup. That's on the global scene.

What about personal issues? What is the most unthinkable thing that can happen in your life? The most unthinkable thing will be to bury your dead sons/daughters. That is really unthinkable, to bury our dead parents is still acceptable, but our children? That is already the worst case scenario.

1. The Unthinkable on the world stage (1:1-2)
(a) Battle of the kings, cities and the Gods.
(b) But what's the war?

For Daniel and his generation of Jews living in 605-604 BC, the unthinkable has happened in the international, national and personal scenes. They faced the worst case scenario unfolding in their time. Their Jewish king, Jehoiakim had just been defeated by a pagan king, King Nebuchadnezzar. It is unthinkable because their city, Jerusalem, which is God's city, has been conquered by a pagan city, Babylon. Their God which they thought is the true living God, symbolized by his true presence in the temple, had just been defeated, and the vessels of the temple in Jerusalem had just been carried off to be housed in the temple of the foreign God (pagan God). So it is so unthinkable to them because the event should not be, could not be, must not be true because the pagans can be victorious over the true God, his city and people.

The indication of this war is actually founded in the word Babylonia with the Hebrew word meaning Shinar. So we would trace its origins to get the background of the whole story.

1st appearance: Genesis 11:1-10

Events: United language
United nations
United goal- tower to reach the heavens

Explanation: united in sin
= The Godless world
= The self-determined life

When God created us, Adam and Eve, he gave us a simple mission - be fruitful, multiply, and filled the earth, meaning scattered all over the earth and rule the world on God's behalf. Then, He will bless us. In Babel, they have one united language, this was the first incident of United Nations actually, not the one after World War II. They have one common goal - they were united in sin, as anti-God, anti-God purposes. We are mimicking God, we want to build a God-less world. This means a self-determined life without God. This is a world wide unity for a world wide rebellion against God.

2nd appearance: Zechariah 5:5-11 (iniquity = sin)

Sin personified as a woman
A house is built to idolize sin.

Sin is deified (from the word deity) = the worship of sin!

Sin is being spoken as a woman. Bible is not a sexist though. A house will be built to idolize sin. Sin is being deified, treated like a God, worship of sin. The deification of sin is what they are doing. Sin is not to be worshipped, but to be repented. They celebrated goodness of (God forsaken life) sin together. It is Babel part 2, where people find immoral courage. So they are now partners in crime and partners in sin. They celebrated together in sin and are proud of it. That is Shinar and that is Babylon.

3rd appearance: Daniel 1:2

One language, religion, education, culture, people

Explanation: Babylon is the contemporary version of anti-God ambitions.

c. The cause of the unthinkable (2 Chronicles 36:5-23)
Apostasy = betrayal or abandonment of God by trusting in substitutes
-Spiritual apostasy = betraying God by trusting in the worship of tangible idols
Political Apostasy = betraying God by thrusting in political alliances with nations and kings

Here it is Babel all over again. King Nebuchadnezzar ruled over them and now they are a gathering of one language, religion, education, culture and people under a pagan king living under the rebellion against God. Babylon is the latest contemporary version of an anti-God ambition.

Apostasy is being focused here. Spiritual apostasy explanation: The true and living God of the Jews is an invincible God. The only thing they have of Him is His words. Pagan gods and idols have something more tangible. You can touch them, taste them, feel them, kiss them, see them, move them and decorate them. Anything that can be seen is more real than anything that cannot be seen. There is a sense of security with this assurance.

Political apostasy explanation: They trust in alliances with other nations. They (the kings) worship other nations' idols and gods and making political alliances with other nations for their own security, not trusting that God is their first and final security of them. They are small nations (Judah and Israel), so they can't survive because they don't have control of their lives. In today's context, you must sign FTAs (free trade agreements) with everybody like Singapore. God's nations don't have to sign FTAs with nobody because they are God's nations.

With this understanding, it is clear why God is doing the unthinkable. It is God who is destroying God's own king, own city and temple in Jerusalem. God is there, He is not absent. God is destroying all these because they are no longer faithful to Him, no longer His kings, His cities and His people.

1. The unthinkable on the personal stage (1:3-21)
a. Babylonisation, The Means
-by education (verse 3-5)
-by name (verse 6-7)
-by food (verse 8-16 and 11:26)

This is about colonization. It is about westernization. Babylon had colonized Jerusalem. Why do we as Singaporeans / Malaysians speak in English? This is because somewhere along the line, we are being colonized. They started giving people new education and introduce them a new whole culture. So somewhere along the process, you think you are Babylonians too. It is the same with their names, they are all being changed to Babylonian names. It could be for convenience but it is actually a whole package of colonization.

They don't protest about the education or the change of their names. However, when it comes to food, they drew the line. Why? The food could have been offered to the idols of the Babylonian kings. The Jews as God's people are given strict rules in terms of their diet and food that one external marker / assurance that you are God's people is the way the food you prepare and eat than any other pagan nations.

If you sat and had fellowship at the king's table, it means that you have already pledged your life, love and loyalty to the king. Daniel and his friends can give him anything but not their life and loyalty.

b. Babylonisation, The Goal
How to make them intellectually alike, culturally and assimilated?
How do we divest them of Jewishness and invest them with Babylonisation-ness?
How do we take God and faith out of their lives?

Colonization means you need to find ways to change the people you conquered. How do they empty them of Jewish-ness and fill them up with Babylon-ness? How do they take God and their faith out of their lives? How to squeeze God slowly away from them? For kings to have empires, they must have this ruthless single-minded obsession to make others like them. It is only then they won't threaten them. When they are for us, they won't be against us. Likeness, seem-ness and oneness is the core value of human empires and ambitions.

Daniel and his friends know of this goal of taking God out of them. They know they are being switched from their hearts of their God to the pagan gods.

2. Learning and living with the unthinkable God.

Wrong Lessons
1. Veggies for victory
2. Trust and triumph

If you eat veggies, you will be victorious. Slim for Him is being taught here. It is about healthy living. If you cross over the new testament and saw the verse about our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit and added it up with Daniel's and all the old testament food laws. A whole new theology and gospel will be created where the supreme duty of the believer is to live a healthy life eating vegetables.

Daniel and his generations trusted God and were put in position in power and prosperity in a time of crisis. The important lesson here is not to extrapolate one case to be the whole case. Do not extrapolate one incident to be the whole gospel truth. Since it is true of Daniel and his generations, it is true of all believers of all time and of all time. It is not true because sometimes when you trust God, you are to be put to death. Whatever applies to Daniel will not apply to you and me directly.

Half-True Lessons
1. God is sovereign (working in my life, focus on me!)

The focus is about me and not God as we got confused. Whichever book in the Bible you read, the simple thing is to know the main character. The main character is God and his purposes for us, it is not about you. It gets messed up in bible reading and Christian living if not differentiated. It is not God taking part in my story and my plan. It is about God inviting us graciously to take part in His plan and story.

All of us have different plans and stories. God has only one plan and one story. In many religions, they will always say if it is God's will, it will work out for me. This is not true for the bible. The main message is God is working out his purposes and we are invited to take part in it. The focus here is not us, but God. We are not the main characters.

True Lessons
God is sovereign in His saving plan
The church survives by faith in God simply and solely.

God is doing something about our sins, apostasies, His rightful wrath against us, His judgment against us. Daniel's veggies did lead to victories; his trust did result in triumph. This is because God is giving Daniel and his friends Godly wisdom to preserve them so that God's saving purposes may continue with them even as they are living in exile under God's judgment. Daniel is living under God's saving plan. It is God's sovereignty. The true message is that God is using Daniel to be his instrument to preserve His covenant promises to fulfill his purposes that He has a plan to save the world. It is not for Daniel to win and never lose again, to be rich and never to work again, to be happy and never to be sad again, to arrive and never to be accomplished again, to be fulfilled and never lack in anything.

These are what we call half truths messages. In many churches today, it is very true. For example, today we have a testimony planned in church. Brother, brother, share with us what happened in your life? Last month I lost my job, but even as I heard pastor X mentioned that even as you lose your jobs, you can trust and you will triumph. So the pastor said please give to the church building fund. The brother gives $5000 to the fund and has $50,000 now. The Lord had blessed me. So now, you will be there calculating, he gives $5000 and got back $50,000. If I give $10,000, I will get back $100,000. Then, church attendance becomes a lotto meeting.

It is a classic example about me doing something and getting back something back. If you don't give your life to God, don't give anything to Him. Unless we have taken part in His sovereign purposes, the church doesn't want anything from you. The Jews who don't have anything left in them have to still remain faithful to God. No external assurance that God is with them. The temple, food and names are all gone. They simply are surviving with God's words and promises.

OUR INTERPRETATION OF CHRISTIANITY IS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST AS THE CENTER OF THE FOCUS. GOD PREPARES THE WORLD TO BE RULED BY HIM. HE WILL COME AS OUR KING. GOD'S WORDS AND BREATH IS KEPT IN A BOOK CALLED THE BIBLE. A BIBLE IS BEST READ IN ITS TOTALITY, AND NOT BY ABSTRACTING A WORD, PART OF A VERSE, OR A CHAPTER, OR A BOOK BECAUSE IT WILL CREATE OUT OF CONTEXT INTEPRETATIONS AND CONFUSION. THE RELIGION WHICH WE WILL PREFER TO CALL MORE AS A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TRINITY (GOD, HIS SON JESUS CHRIST AND THE HOLY GHOST) IS TO FOCUS ON THEM. NOT THE PASTOR, NOT YOU, NOT ME, NOT ANY HUMAN BEING. WE ARE ONLY GOD'S PEOPLE WHO PROCLAIM TO YOU HIS WORDS AND HAVE NO POWER AND ABILITY TO SAVE YOU FROM SIN OR PERFORM MIRACULOUS ACTS. WE ARE CREATED BY GOD TO WORSHIP HIM AND NOT HIM BEING IN OUR STORY. IT IS NOT ABOUT GOD TAKING PART IN YOUR LIFE BUT YOU TO TAKE PART IN GOD'S PLAN (IN HIS SON) OF SALVATION.

INTOLERABLE CRUELTY

hmmm, my friends comment dat my site is too masculine. where is e feminine side? no emotions, too much football, f1 n no personal reviews. i guess perhaps i am not someone who is ready 2 share my personal things in life. n also some things i would prefer sharing with veli close, loved ones. i still perhaps wan 2 maintain dat privacy bit of myself n not making my blog into a diary of myself. talking about feminine, actually my group is interested 2 do a project 4 our module Management & Human Relations about feminine in terms of leadership n power in organizations. veli interesting topic, expecially in our asian culture context. will share something about it if i find some interesting things from our research. but dun get e wrong ideas, i am no feminist.

btw class, e topic 2day is INTOLERABLE CRUELTY. i will try 2 push in more things dat r not defined as entirely "masculine". hehe! e topic would suggest dat it is going 2 b a terror discussion. but it is actually a romantic comedy starring george clooney n 1 of e sexiest females on earth, catherine zeta jones. michael douglas is SOOOO DAMN LUCKY!!!! she is 1 person i would really wan 2 sketch in future. i watched e trailer, i anticipated it 2 b a nice movie. sometimes trailers can lie. so it is better 2 go n watch it urself n judge.

i am not a veli good reviewer of movies becoz i believe dat e taste of movies is TOO MUCH DIFFERENT from people 2 people. i experienced it when discussing with people. e different types of movies available n e favouritism 2wards particular actors/actresses will affect ur perception of a good or bad movie. so e variations is so great dat i dun wan 2 start a discussion n e argument will go on until e cow comes home. but generally, 1st impression is it will b a good movie.

i will give a short synopsis of e movie. miles massey (george clooney), a popular LA divorce attorney has everything. despite his long list of clients, a great winning record, e respect of his peers n an ironclad contract (the "massey pre-nup") named after him, he's reached a crossroads in his life. mid-life crisis perhaps? hehe! thinking about his life. boredom has set in since he is sick of winning (like michael jordan?) n he's looking 4 new obstacles/challenges. all dat changes when miles meets his match in the devastating marylin rexroth (catherine zeta-jones).

marylin is e soon-to-be ex-wife (complex, hope i get tis rite) of his client rex rexroth, a wealthy real estate developer. with e help of of a private investigator gus petch, she has rex beaten n is looking forward 2 e financial rewards a successful divorce will bring. but becoz of miles' skills, she got nothing. not 2 b outdone, marylin of coz wanted revenge n as part of her plan, quickly marries oil tycoon howard doyle. miles n his associate, wrigley (chewing gum?), unwittingly dig themselves in deeper n deeper as they battle with marylin. underhanded tactics, deceptions and an undeniable attraction escalate as marylin n miles square off in their own battle of e sexes.

nice story plot eh? well, cinemas cost alot here in s'pore, so i dunno when i can watch it. also no time 2 go out n have fun. i like e music, it sounds veli jazzy n characters feel veli retro. anyway, ENGAGE E ENEMY, IN SESSION 10 OCTOBER 2003. C U IN COURT! hehe! :)

HEAVY METAL + ORCHESTRA = BRILLIANT COMBINATION MUSIC

"wat do u get when u fall in love?" i just love dat song.....well, wat do u get when heavy metal mixed with orchestra music? metallica s & m of coz!

well, i downloaded e full version video of the Metallica: S & M. i bought e album in 1999 but there are no video versions yet. now dat i found it, i still wanted 2 get e video. so finally got 2 watch them, so damn cool! i still have tis dream 2 go 2 a metallica concert as i know they will have a hard time getting in m'sia or s'pore. dat means i have 2 fly overseas n also they r not getting any younger. e 2nd choice will b e offspring.

tis S & M is a live performance concert featuring of coz metallica themselves performing live with e San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. as 4 background, in 1999, metallica combined with composer michael kamen n decided 2 do a concert with a full orchestra. kamen is a veteran film composer with hits like "Last Action Hero", e "Die Hard" films, e "Lethal Weapon" films, n e latest recent addition, "X-Men". kamen had also done previous rock/orchestra combinations with Aerosmith, Bob Dylan, n Queensrÿche. as Metallica r Bay Area natives, it was decided that e San Francisco Symphony Orchestra would b used for the project. Producer Bob Rock assisted in the mixing of heavy metal with classical. kamen took e original Metallica songs n composed orchestral accompaniments 2 them.

e concert, held in April of 1999, had Metallica playing at e front of e stage n they r backed by e orchestra. e orchestra is dressed in their customary tuxedos and formal gowns, while Metallica did put on something more formal! hehe! i like e part when they joked dat they dun wan their nice clothes 2 get all sweaty n stuff.:) e audience appears 2 b dominated by screaming metallica fans, u can still find Symphony band faithfuls. it is just funny how u c people standing on their chairs in a orchestra hall n having 2 totally different occasion dress codes side by side. hehe! i would imagine e ticket dress code rule 2 b veli different.

metallica played both e old n new song selections. e songs presented goes from brand new ones 2 songs dat go back 2 e 1980s. so u will enjoy e bands’ older, heavier stuff n their newer, more mainstream songs. there r famous songs like "Master of Puppets", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "One", "Fuel" n e brand new cool song "No Leaf Clover". it is altogether an incredible experience. i mean b4 tis, i just can't imagine metallica playing with orchestra in concerts. dat just doesn't seem possible. metallica 2 me will b too loud n could coz some problem 2 e orchestra. but e orchestra gives e music a very rich and full-bodied feeling at e background. e music had its softer side n still dun sound weird. kamen has done a wonderful job of composing the orchestral parts so that they accompany metallica really well. both of them sounded really nice 2gether n made e concert a memorable 1.

FOOTBALL: ALL PREDICTIONS ACCURATE!

well, e whole weekend of footie is over, n my predictions for all 3 giant matches come thru. wah! not bad, somebody pleeze hire me! William Hill, hire me! haha! i guess it must b pure coincidence dat i predicted correctly. a friend of mine asked me why not i go bet with e predictions i gathered. of coz, no money, n then if i bet, somehow my mind will change my decisions. i told her it is becoz of greed i suppose. haha! so anybody been betting base on my predictions n earned alot, dun forget 2 treat me dinner sometime in e future. haha! if u r too far away from asia, i dun mind u paying 4 e air tickets as well. now, i am getting greedy......hehe!

anywayz, as predicted, valencia n ac milan won. they should both now sit on e top of their respective leagues. with ac milan perhaps sharing e top with juventus after they won earlier. so inter failed 2 take revenge of their exit from e semi finals of e champions league campaign last season. just compare e value n quality of stars both have, u will know how hard dat can b achieved. well, shevchenko has been scoring alot these days so dat will spell good news 2 ac milan. he is among e most versatile strikers in italy who can break those tough defences. i alwiz dream of having him in real madrid, partnering raul gonzalez. of coz, my ac milan supporting friends will kill me 4 dat! haha! n shevchenko loves milan so much, even with a miracle, perez can lure him away, he must b costing a bomb 2 sign n pay 4.

real madrid welcome back beckham while ronaldo scores double 2 give them a narrow 2-1 win over espanyol. e goals onli came in e 2nd half but i heard there r many, many chances going 2 waste. 4 e match of e week in e primera liga, frank rijkaard must b in great pressure now dat they have not won anything at home. 2 add salt 2 his wounds, onli ronaldinho is scoring from e forward line. wat is happening 2 kluivert n saviola? no wonder kluivert is under tremendous pressure from e fans 2 leave nou camp. from e veli start, i alwiz argued dat kluivert is not a consistent striker. he dun actually score alot n his finishing touch is alwiz bad. he can score many goals in 1 match, but dat will b once in many matches. there is no balance. sometimes, perhaps it is pure bad luck. n real sociedad just managed a draw, thus will not b as consistent as e team last season. almost winning e primera liga title until e veli last minute when real madrid squeezed hard 2 get dat extra points 2 seal e title. but e season is too young at e moment.

actually there's a local tv channel, Channel I which broadcasts a live primera liga match just now but i failed 2 wake up in time 2 catch it n i dun even know who they r showing. most probably e barca vs. valencia match. oh well, back 2 sleep....i woke up abit too late 4 e match n need 2 gain some energy 4 a long day 2day. having nice cool drizzles rite now, just e rite atmosphere 2 hit e bed! ahhhh!

KOLLECTIVE INC.

well, tis manga organization will start its official draft kick-off 2day. i will update it by sketching character by character. dat is if i have e time 2 do it fast. if not, expect it 2 b updated veli slowly. need inspiration, n more photos from e members if possible. i had sketched out e 1st draft of e character called XeN, i think it will b a waste not 2 utilize her photos online n try 2 do some evolution thingy from real person 2 manga form.

from e rite bar, u can c under Others, Kollective Inc. BubbleGumLion is a student who studies all these arts, so if i wan 2 even think seriously of Kollective Inc., must b able 2 reach his level onli got standard, perhaps too ambitious, half of his ability will do. hehe! ok, maybe a quarter.

wat is Kollective Inc. by e way? lazy 2 explain, but there is a link 4 u 2 read about. here it is:
Kollective Inc.

until then, may e power b urs...

FOOTBALL: SHEARER'S 250TH; DEPOR GOING STRONG

finally, finally, n i say again; finally newcastle got e 1st victory of e league season. i wonder how relieved all e fans r, n robson expecially, but it was a veli slim victory indeed. well, it is 3 points anyway, n shearer's 250th league goal n e 4000th league goal in st. james' park. people just love 2 keep all sorts of records eh? hmmm...... both shearer n bellamy could have added more 2 e scoreline while given was nvr really threatened at e back. newcastle must take tis victory as a confidence 2 build upon each match dat follows now. they can't afford more draws n defeats with teams like arsenal, man utd n chelsea running hot at e top. it will b too late 2 chase oredi. even now it seems like light years away.

liverpool lost 2 arsenal, as predicted by me, haha! not bad! owen seemed 2 b injured in e match so dat may sound trouble 2 e england side when they meet turkey in their crucial euro 2004 match-up. 4 e next 2 matches, e predictions r hard 2 come by. it is veli hard 2 predict giant matches involving good sides at both ends. but now let's look at e la liga. deportivo continue e good run without makaay. he is however scoring goes in e bundesliga 2 give bayern e latests victory over hertha berlin. pandiani had shouldered his responsibility in front well in e departure of makaay. he had been scoring in all matches. seems like wat makaay can do last season too. they r up there in e chasing pack with valencia. real madrid have 2 do something against espanyol 2molo if they dun wan 2 miss out e battle at e top.

i am going down 2 site 2day at robertson quay 2 do some studies on human flow n 2 witness anything around e site if possible. hopefully can find some trends n urban patterns 2 study 2 embark my design of culinary art institute in. my pal, bernard has been looking 4 a digicam around e 3 megapixel range. asking me 4 some comments. after extensive studies, i recommended him e canon a70 as he was looking at it in e 1st place. but as i read thru reviews, i saw something much more sexier. e minolta dimage z1. wah! dat's wat i call a nice looking digicam 4 a long,long time! much nicer than those nikon digicams which tried so hard 2 impress but 2 me, nothing much 2 shout about. apart from nice designs, dimage z1 is small, easily fitting onto ur palm n packs a hot 10X optical zoom. still not convinced? check e links below.

links 2 c tis beauty:
DPREVIEW
IMAGING RESOURCE

FOOTBALL: WEEKEND GIANT MATCHES PREVIEW

well, here r the giant matches dat will b e interest of tis weekend. e winner, if it doesn't end in draws, will walk out proud. u dun get to win against such reputed opponents everyday easily.

LIVERPOOL VS. ARSENAL
arsenal r in e scrunity stage of their behaviour, a few first team players may not make it 2 e match. liverpool too have some injury problems. both managers r dealing with e match in e basis of make or break. liverpool r under greater pressure after e defeat last week. past records showed dat arsenal do not have convincing results against liverpool. but if arsenal can shut down owen, arsenal will b able 2 achieve victory. their defence, although depleted, still looks strong. people called it discipline. if both play 2 expectations, arsenal still have e cutting edge. henry n wiltord must b in good form at e front. ARSENAL WIN

INTER VS. AC MILAN
tis derby goes all e way back 2 last year's Champions League semi final when i can remember vieri was at e bench watching how inter were beaten out of the match. previous derbies showed inter is at e disadvantage. milan has some pressure on e rivaldo issue, meterazzi will not feature 4 inter, but with vieri, hopefully inter's firepower up front can match shevchenko's. AC MILAN WIN

BARCELONA VS. VALENCIA
barca has been under pressure again 4 their bad performances thruout recent matches eventhough they r unbeaten. valencia is in great form n r now league leaders. but barca is alwiz famous 2 perform better against tougher teams. so it seems dat valencia will still b able 2 win tis, eventhough aimar is reported 2 b injured n may not feature. barca have not won yet at home tis season. valencia can take dat advantage. VALENCIA WIN

2003 YEAR END BLOCKBUSTER MOVIES

i am not talking about harry potter here. i dunno why there is so much craze on tis book/movie series becoz 2 me, e story nvr take off much further. e storyline is just about a bunch of kids in tis magical world n their skool. wat is so incredible about dat which can make it such a world acclaimed movie? i dun c anything so fascinating about dat is worth more than 2nd or 3rd watch. i oredi start getting bored with e sequel last year. i'm soli 4 all those harry potter fans out there, i am no fan, i certainly think e whole thing is over rated n not 2 b up there at e top among e best movies of all time.

i am more amazed however by the matrix revolution n the lord of e rings: the return of e king. 2 me, e reports of e many efforts of making e movie of e LOTR which failed in e past show e level of complexity of tis movie 2 b made. n finally it was able 2 b done n it didn't get so complicated dat we need 2 watch it more than once 2 understand it. perhaps by having it 2 run around 3 hours helps. the matrix however required many repeated watching 2 get me understand e intense philosophy message in e 1st. probably perhaps at dat time, i was not at e stage of age 2 understand philosophy so well. in addition 2 dat, was pretty fascinated by e cool surround sound they have, so just have 2 drop by cinema again 2 hear it! e deaths of some of e casts after dat in e whole production is also a mystery.

i played e game, enter e matrix 4 ps2 n watched e trailer at e back after completing both tasks of ghost n niobe. so somehow, tis trailer provided 4 e revolution is abit e same, but they added more clips 2 satisfy our curiosity. but surely, e matrix is more influential n created tis whole culture of how movies can b documented n presented. after dat, e matrix mania is all over e place, many films after it featured something with e same technique. tis goes beyond, into anime n cartoon production as well. so i will think e matrix has oredi taken a slice of an important part of history in e whole movie making industry.

there is also tis 160 pages of e comic/manga from e 12 stories collection preview in e website 4 download. dat will b interesting, they will release it worldwide soon. i wonder whether it will b veli similar 2 e animatrix. it will b just a documentation of animatrix in paper. as like anime n manga. i don't have time 2 look thru it yet but had oredi downloaded e copy. hope e whole thing will b a pleasure 2 read.

trailer links:

LOTR: THE RETURN OF THE KING

MATRIX REVOLUTION

AMD ATHLON 64

amd is having heavy publicity of their 64-bit processors. well, i have no idea on e ability of tis chip as i have not actually try it myself. but just a note i would like 2 make. e hardware industry is alwiz so much faster in front than e software industry. e graphic card is 1 great industry. they just try 2 get better n having more RAMs, yet they r not much games in e industry designed 2 fully utilize its capability 2 e fullest. so wat's e point of all tis? people just feel good having e latest n coolest gadgets. me too! haha!
so now dat not many softwares r being lined up 2 support 64-pit computing, will it actually take years b4 there is tis great shift n 32-bit programs just go extinct. i think i am in no position 2 answer dat, some more older computers of e 32-bit processing power is sufficient 4 most users oredi. so how they persuade people 2 move 1 step higher? i can't answer dat either. but 4 now, e publicity is powerful, in s'pore too. i failed 2 go 4 e launch becoz of being too busy. but it was mentioned dat e athlon chips r specially designed 2 b able 2 make 32-bit programs 2 work. so it moves both ways. it is faster too becoz e cache memory is huge.

Tom's Hardware is always a good source 4 further reading n understanding. they actually compare e athlons (64 fx n 64) with e intel p4 extreme.

e boutique hotel photos r done n posted. here r e links.

PHOTO LINK #06:

1926 Boutique Hotel Part 1 (October 2003)
1926 Boutique Hotel Part 2 (October 2003)

unfortunately, i am out of space in e diehardxblog website. so probably tis is among e last posts there.

BOUTIQUE HOTEL VISIT

went 4 a boutique hotel visit 2day in chinatown 2day. will do a photo post on dat later on, latest by tis weekend. i visited my site at robertson quay 2 snap more shots on e empty lands. just 2 get e feel of e surroundings. 2 get some potential sites 2 develop my design project. it seems dat there r too many hotels on e site itself so 2 design another 1 is not veli smart. when there r so many competitors, why wan 2 go in n fight some more? but still deciding b4 studio 2molo. i can also choose 2 do a culinary institute. been out whole afternoon in e sun so pretty exhausted rite now. didn't make it 2 watch e real madrid match early tis morning, but luckily they won. again e scoreline is veli not convincing. oh well, expected from a team which hardly defend n count too much on e keeper.

english clubs shock defeats r on e headlines. who else? chelsea n man utd. so both my predictions r wrong, haha! well, i am no PROPHECT, so watever i put down r just my opinions, i can't b correct all e time, if i can, then i will quit skool n b a BET CONSULTANT, if there is any such title available in e future. not bad, i will spend my everyday life trying 2 analyze football matches. dat's a great career, even better than sports commentator. anybody in tis planet wan 2 hire me? haha! anywayz, i can't go much into e details of e matches becoz i didn't watch last nite n i did not read much of e news too. just 2 inform here dat there will b a cool boutique hotel photo post up veli soon. :) looking 4ward 2 it!

i got people e-mailing me about buying jerseys in s'pore. hehe! well, at least dat shows dat there r people who r reading. k, gonna go n grab some dinner now. hungry too.

FOOTBALL: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW II

dear blog,

am i going 2 talk about football most of e time n bore all e readers? well, i guess currently it is among e most easiest stuff 2 write on 4 me who is without any digicam. 2 write a preview/review will take onli 30 mins max so it wun matter if i am too busy. 2nite s'pore tv is gonna show REAL MADRID VS. PORTO n it will b nice 2 wake up early around 3:30am in pyjamas 2 watch. i remember last time when Campus NetTV is not yet available, i wore pyjamas 2 go down 2 watch e football match in e tv room n everybody opened their eyes really big, looking kinda shocked. i guess i am too lazy 2 change. since will go up 2 continue my sleep again after e match. :)

attended a guest lecture 2day by Mr. Jeff Willis from Ove Arup & Partners (Arup), an international consulting engineering practice, of which, he became a Director in 1992. The Development and Measurement of Sustainable in the Construction Industry was his lecture topic. it was quite a solid lecture on environmental issues we face in designing buildings n it is all about how 2 achieve sustainable design. e attendance was veli bad probably becoz we r sick of dat term oredi. it is like e 'IN' thing in architecture now 2 discuss about it.

btw, here is yesterday's CL results:

l.moscosw 0-0 arsenal
anderlecht 1-1 b.munich
galatasaray 1-2 r.sociedad
inter 2-1 d.kiev
monaco 4-0 aek athens
depor 2-0 eindhoven
celtic 2-0 lyon

not bad, all my wins r predicted correctly except draws. but i have 2 admit it is easier 2 predict becoz all those predictions r done with teams with relative difference in quality BUT dat doesn't mean there wun b any upsets. ok, as 4 2molo morning's matches.

AJAX AMSTERDAM VS. CLUB BRUGGE
e team dat almost kicked ac milan out of last year's semi is not lousy. they may have lost 2 milan in e opening match, but they should b good enuf 4 club brugge. AJAX WIN

CELTA VIGO VS. AC MILAN
last season's champ milan should win tis tie against another new rookie in champ league tis season. they r quite impressive on away matches last season, weird but true. celta had been veli impressive last season, veli determined n hard 2 beat. nvr met b4 i guess so tis is quite new. it can go either way. MILAN WIN

CHELSEA VS. BESIKTAS
e most expensive assembled club now could not afford 2 lose becoz will lose face. haha! they r still settling down as a team. so dat may b e onli problem. 1 is interested how long will tis take 4 them 2 really c e financial expenses b paid back. last match saw dat chelsea are not invincible, just like wat everybody thought of real madrid. if they dun gel, they r as bad as any team in e world. CHELSEA WIN

FC PORTO VS. REAL MADRID
real just lost their domestic match 2 valencia. beckham will not feature BUT raul is back! if he is in good form, wun b surprised real should grab another win. but it wun b easy in portugal. figo alwiz shines in his hometown. 1 more time figo! REAL WIN

LAZIO VS. SPARTA PRAGUE
although lazio started e season with a bang in serie a, their performance of late r quite bad. thus, they need tis win badly 2 bring e confidence back. sparta r on song in their own league but against weaker sides. in terms of quality of players n experience on e field, lazio should win tis. they just need 2 turn their luck around. LAZIO WIN

MARSAILLE VS. PARTIZAN BELGRADE
partizan belgrade r in e champs league 4 e 1st time so marsaille should win by experience alone. MARSAILLE WIN

PANATHINAIKOS VS. RANGERS
dun have much knowledge but rangers good enuf 4 win. RANGERS WIN

VFB STUTTGART VS. MAN. UTD.
man utd like it or not, r more experienced in europe than stuttgart. but life wun b easy in germany either. never never easy 2 get free points in germany, u need 2 earn it. they r tough nuts 2 crack. yet, man utd will still b able 2 win tis 1. MAN UTD WIN

yours sincerely,
diehardx