(sorry for doing this j but its a moment not to be missed. this moment comes to me now and then.. not very frequent but i can so damn well identify with it when it hits me because the feeling is so distinct ; familiarity strikes. and only you can inflict as such to me. i hope no one else can. much as i hate to admit it, i hate it when it hits me )

sth happened, triggered my emotions and got me really so damn pissed.

and i dont know why i had this sudden thought to pen it down. my hand cant move as fast as my thoughts move so here iam to type it down.

the pain
the rejection

the adrenaline pumping through your body
andsuddenly it is cut off
even your air supply is cut off
the suddenness of emptiness lifelessness
it's like dragging a knife pierced through my heart slowly
and suddenly jabbing it out with one swift move
a killer swift professional move

catching me off guard

ya lah. shit i cant continue

trying to pen down the feeling when sth anti climax
happen so suddenly so out of rhythm
of momentum
of beat
it happened so drastically it makes you gasp for air
suddenly your chest hurts so much
you feel the ache in your heart
youre left stranded there alone
desperate
to fend for yourself

you are struggling to gain back the momentum
i am struggling to gain back the momentum/

does anyone know what i am trying to describe here.can anyone identify this feeling with me ?

okay . what is it? what is it you wanted to so eagerly tell me that night ?

if i ever really actually do ask -you- that, i am nuts,crazy,insane,outofmymind, officially. shiats. it aint good ...

TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING THROUGH THE DESERT. DURING SOME POINT OF THE JOURNEY, THEY HAD AN ARGUMENT; AND ONE FRIEND SLAPPED THE OTHER ONEIN THE FACE.

THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING, WROTE IN THE SAND: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

THEY KEPT ON WALKING, UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS, WHERE THEY DECIDED TO TAKE A BATH. THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE MIRE AND STARTED DROWNING, BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM. AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM THE NEAR DROWNING, HE WROTE ON A STONE: 'TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE '.

THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND ASKED HIM, 'AFTER I HURT YOU, YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW, YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?' THE FRIEND REPLIED '

WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US WE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN IN SAND, WHERE WINDS OF FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY. BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING GOOD FOR US, WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE WHERE NO WIND CAN EVER ERASE IT.'



i rmb on 23rdapril, on the way to the venue, coach addressed us j2s abt thinking abt our portfolio after the day. howd you expect us to listen to him when we're listening to our hearts and souls telling us today is the day our 6yrs of it has come to. well, i have just read an email abt the portfolio thing again,tips and all, and as i am scheming through it now (gotta rush) sth struck me.

LAST YEAR:
•Examine & evaluate yourself – what is your “big thing" ?

this reminds me of the conversation i had with janell's sundayteacher (:P) . i was sharing how in mg, because of probably my immaturity i have screwed many things up, dared not venture into certain areas which i could prob excel and contribute to society. then in upper sec, i started opening up and at least did some good.and yea, made it into rjc-which didnt matter much to me cos i didnt care(getting border line passes all through sec sch, rj is just some easternschool of which only relations i'd have with are insults. so getting accepted into dsa was too surreal that i prob couldnt and didnt bother to fathom).

but going into rj as a potential girl with alr many achievements on her, i screwed things up again. i looked at my surroundings and get so demoralised. i see this girl who is so darn talented on the field, then i see her on stage singing and playing the piano. i look at the dean's list and see her name starkly against the other names under all headings. oh, and shes the captain too. and when i look another one or two more rounds, i realise it's not just 'this girl' it is ' that girl that guy this guy .....' too. i dont want to elaborate too much into it because its too personal it's embarrassing, and i dont wanna revive them emotions.

just that i'm wondering what i can write about last yr...and this yr too actly. infact, i'm wondering what i can write and prove my worth to those university uptheres. the only thing i can be proud of since 2007 to 2008 is that i am a Rafflesian. but then again, i'm not really proud of it. it's just society who says i shld be proud of it.

ohyea! crosscountry. this is my analogy: if i put in as much time and effort and heart into studies as i do for running, i think my position for those class rankings thing will be inverted.

okay i'm not feeling so down anymore. im really thinking what achievements i can pen down and get all so remorseful and dejected.but upon rmbing my crosscountry season since 03-08, my spirits are lifted. the lessons, the torture, the joy, the pain, the tears, the laughter, the shoes, the inspiration.... :):) (okay if you've not guessed, i had a really good trg ytd im so happy)

this is random. if youve read fivepeopleyoumeetinheaven, eddie married marg. it happened like this : eddie was at a party of some sorts, met marg who is his friend's friend. when he laid his eyes upon her, "this is the girl i am going to marry". he was 17, or 18. when he went home, he proclaimed ' ive met the girl i am going to marry!' -what is that feeling like ? you know, i think it's a pretty darn good feeling. it's just like you chance upon sth and you have this sudden strong conviction in your heart, youre gonna do that! or youre gonna get it! at all costs. sth to work towards, some goal youre thinking abt day and night, living the goal kinda. maybe im just showing signs of not knowing what my definite purpose is; what im to work towards too

"when i see the PRC scholars actually rallying together, sacrificing their recesses sitting at the table waiting for donations, and setting up booths and slideshows, the whole situation is not anymore a case study, it's a real catastrophe, where people are dying and people are suffering. people are having their legs amputated, drinking pee to survive, eating paper to keep alive for just a while longer in desperate, but almost-futile hope that someone is going to walk by calling out their names."

hey, that's what i felt too. especially during physics lecture today when he gave the 'one sentence' speech.


i'm doing sth very bad. i'm checking out britain's got talent videos.

this is a guy playing you raise me up with a saw and the violin stick with horse hair (i think). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2H28q41QeE&feature=related
it's always a very emotional song however played. reminds me of one afternoon when i stayed back in sch to watch rj talentime auditions. this quietlookingharmlessmeek guy walked upstage, said i'm gonna sing You raise me up. he started and it seemed very mediocre, sounding and looking kinda awkward and shy and all. then came the chorus whoaaa, blew me away man.

12yrs old girl with a ...... :|:|:|:|:| amazing(i've limited vocab) voice. the part when simon said '3yeses' followed by her brisk walking to her dad and her dad hugging her was so touching. he even kinda peeked out from the curtains to say thanks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9xSzq844PI&feature=related

the 6yrs old prodigy over the rainbow rendition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MndLRdPsuJE&feature=related

this is something i call unexpectedly funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA2B5X0LhMY&feature=related

ytd's trg was whatguyswldcallit, ownage. whacked us upside down man.. or as what rachel said 'blog worthy'

this is so cliche and all but we really are so blessed

by the time i was seated at the pews, trying to block out the activities going on next to me causing so much frustration , i was so pissed off i could just blow up- rip the paper rachel was holding into pieces, scream ,stomp ard, run out of the place ,go for a long run.

but obviously i couldnt do that since i was sitting in front of the congregation.

so i did the 'hold your breath ,count to 1million' thing and tried to calm myself down. all my anger turned into a rambling of thoughts.

'wow, i am so in need of a debbie-cold-icy-bathe-shiver-like-crazytoexpelallthisanger right now. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee@!()@*!(! *imagines self pulling hair out* (i'll nvr do that in person. ouch) . i am so annoyyyed. because of this faith ,i have forgone a lot of fun things that came my way..but am not allowed to do because of what some pple envisioned Him saying to them,2000yrs ago, and recording it down. because of this faith i stopped myself from doing a lot of things i wanted to do for the experience. i've suffered much grief and bitterness and now, frustration. uuuuggggghhhh stop whiningggg*. right now, i wish daddyandmummy werent christians so we wont be too. he* is driving me crazzzzzy!!!!'

*referring to the little boy who refuses to go for sunday school.

then the speaker spoke. two things :
1) the christian life is hard. nobody said it'll be easy. take it or leave it
2) theres no human, heck, no one in fact, that you can have a lasting, loving relationship with -with you committing the same mistake of adultery, being unfaithful, going to every place other than Him for love- over and over again. except our creator(as in he created all of us, not only christians. chrsitians just believe in it, the rest dont..or maybe they do. aiyah this aint the point)

reminded me of one time when t.wendy addressed us so straightforwardly abt changing churches. in 2003 i think. i had a certain emotion(dontknow how to describe) then, i felt it again tdy.

then i felt bad for thinking abt all those 3 //graphs before.

(think in terms of this scenerio:
christian a: whoa look at B! shes a christian yet shes still like .... that =/ ohmygoodness....christian C: can you imagine how she'd be like without christ then ?)

"whoa siao. if not for this religion how much more screwed up will my life be. i'd cont being as abusive, hot tempered (i was worse then. but i stopped I CANT RMB WHY. only rmbed it was after a church camp in p5/6), impulsive,...etc"


slap you then you know says:oh my goodness
slap you then you know says:I AM SO GONNA DO SUCH A RUN ONE DAY!!!!!!! (run and run and run and run and run -at a happy pace of course- till your desire is satisfied.)
slap you then you know says:have you tried running at macritchie
Rudy David Wong says:not since sec school days
Rudy David Wong says:ahahahahah!
Rudy David Wong says:cross country is a different kind of run =)
Rudy David Wong says:that's why you all are pretty amazing!
Rudy David Wong says:=)
Rudy David Wong says:crossies!
Rudy David Wong says:Woo!!!
slap you then you know says:in jc it's called crossers. i think because crossies sound too girly for hte guys hahaha!
slap you then you know says:yeah different kind of running
slap you then you know says:but it's still long d so it's the same
slap you then you know says:more or less
Rudy David Wong says:hahaha!
slap you then you know says:and it's more fun
slap you then you know says:it's like embracing pain and nature at one go
slap you then you know says:unknowingly
slap you then you know says:the feeling is so raw and fresh

while talking with rudy, i pictured in my mind so vividly the blurness of the forest, the swaying of the trees as we run by (ha-ha jk), the breathlessness, yet the feeling of i'mlovingthis!letscontgoingoingoing!...(or maybe quicklyrunbacklaterqrunningbehindcatchupwithusthendie), etc... i feel so blessed to experience that. it's wonderful.

story behind my nick(nobody thinks im that violent ;)):
slap you then you know says:it's a quotethere was once my classmate disturbed another, then she got so pissed she said 'i slap you then you know' in her indian accent and fit of anger.classmate recounted it to us the next day and we kept laughing and laughingactly the lady who said it was a little annoyed but soon after she started laughing with us =p and even made a joke of it! 'slap yoU then yoU know!' (my class is 6u)

trg tmr!!

(i read this from an email of thoughtprovoking phrases)

Why does life keep teaching me lessons i dont want to learn

hahahahaa couldnt help but burst out laughing when i read that one.

today's training was............................................ x_x sighsighsighsigh.

but there are more things in life that are more !!!! > : ( like having a 'i put in super a lot of thinking,effort,time and passion into writing an entry abt the situation in myanmar and china hoping to evoke some form of emotion to the readers' post wiped out !!!! ha , i'm totally kidding there are more things in life that are more !!!! > :( like the situations in myanmar and china :( and the famine and drought and political strife in other countries. (eg. 50% poverty rate in kenya !! 80% in another ctry i cant rmb which... haiyoh)

God please save us

Customer : Waiter, is this a lamb chop or pork chop?
Waiter : Can't you tell the difference by taste?
Customer : No, I can't.
Waiter : Then does it really matter ?

this is called qianbian ;)

hey you. the way you run is amazing. dont quit what youre made for

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CjY8Rk4FEaA&feature=related :):)it's a sweet song that i came to know abt again recently awww. and it's chinese

btw for blur densed laugh-at-reeeeally-bad-jokes pple like my sis, look hard and read into the china photo. 'A vegetable'. (hmmm, so what kinda vegetable?cabbage?taugei?hmmm...)

heh heh. a photo from china.



i think i'm so smart. sv wants me to be in charged of designing some card for the prayer section. and john asked me to ask samuelbut i said i wanna try. now i'm 2 days late of submission. no idea formulating in the mind.



i did a very interesting time for 2.4 ! :) but they say we cant boast. so my timing is my bdate x)




























and i really really really really enjoyed myself during thursday's and saturday's trg. okay make that MONDAY'S too! :) i enjoyed the whole of this weeks trg, in more than two ways













i've another reason why my mother gave me my name.
the first is because during their time there was a very famous and lovely singer called tiffany.
second, i think, because my mummy likes tiffany&co ->




















okay that pic is super act cute but whatever ;)












happy mothers day mummy!





i was friendstering and i found this rj guy that reminds me of , oh my..., my cousin quite a bit. i'm extremely amused. plus the encounter i had with him last time after trg outside the toilet.it adds so much more to the amusement -not in a bad way fyi (i aint that mean ;p)

If I was a flower growing wild and free
All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee.
And if I was a tree growing tall and greeen
All I'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves

If I was a flower growing wild and free
All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee.
And if I was a tree growing tall and greeen
All I'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves

All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

If you were a river in the mountains tall,
The rumble of your water would be my call.
If you were the winter, I know I'd be the snow
Just as long as you were with me, let the cold winds blow

All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

If you were a wink, I'd be a nod
If you were a seed, well I'd be a pod.
If you were the floor, I'd wanna be the rug
And if you were a kiss, I know I'd be a hug

All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

If you were the wood, I'd be the fire.
If you were the love, I'd be the desire.
If you were a castle, I'd be your moat,
And if you were an ocean, I'd learn to float.

All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

super cute song i just had to share the lyrics with all! :D hahaha..

anyway hey c, i rmb last time one of our first serious talks was because of a blogpost i wrote to you..it was a nice talk. and yeah, today was nth much but i really enjoyed our chat :) the atmosphere, the laidbackness, the openness, the weather, the scenery...it was lovely. thanks c

and i cant believe i blurted out whatever i blurted out to bernard after trg. hahahahha.. but making breakfast almost everyday for your mummy is nice :) (bernard if you ever come here, you owe me one for publicising for you =p)

tdy cat and vicki and jolene werent ard for recess. cat caught the flu/cold/etc from weijie (pls take care darling!!!) vicki got allergic reaction against the medicine she took for her leg ( my dear girl, pls take care too! you small little girl :)) jolene went to eat in rj canteen (you seemed so tired during class :( take care and rest well!) so there was me, raerae (:D chicky buddy), nicolecole (you must stand up foryourself and stop giving the guys chances to bully you!) arvind ,ben,weijie (apple&chocolate natadecoco grp) yeah i'll talk abt my other classmates next time :)

photo taking tmr! bw day tmr!!!!!!!!! can wear another shirt other than the usual sch collar one :D:D:D:D:D we shld have cca day every fri when we can wear colour shirts to sch on fri. make sch a colourful fun sch

In the wake of a massive cyclone, at least 22,000 Burmese are dead. More than 40,000 are missing. A million are homeless.But what's happening in Burma is not just a natural disaster--it's also a catastrophe of bad leadership
=/ aiyoo :(

i was studying my math, listening to a sad song
and for a very strange unknown reason, i was reminded of the softball math against vj that i watched for a while last fri. what happened was that cat and i were intently turning to ben for explanations and explainings abt the game. suddenly, vj hit a very good ball and it flew all the way to the other side of the field (at the end where we were). then we watched two rj boys running after the ball, eyes fixed on the ball.

as noob softballers and seat warmers of the game, our eyes were fixed on the parabolic-ly falling ball too. then the two monsters after the ball suddenly collided into each other and fell onto the track. and the ball happily rolled away. and vj scored a point. one boy got up, shocked from the impact and walked around. as seat warmers, we were eagerly waiting for the other to get up too so we could get on with the game and listen to more explanations of the game from ben (so many pple were asking him abt the game. man, he totally shld have been given a mike, stood in front of us supporters for the whole game and explained everything to us. and most imptly prompting us to clap when appropriate)

back to the game, the guy didnt get up. rolled ard. some of rollingboy's teammates came over to check him out. then the verdict is given-he has injured himself and cant cont the game. it was so painful seeing him squirming all over the track and trying so hard just to get up to his feet. (reminded me of this other scene i saw at cross natls of the nj guy who cramped up LIKE MAD 20m away from the finish line) finally, after much strength and help from helpful uncle, he got up, and limped back to where the rest of his teammates were.someone ,from the seatwarmers club, started cheering for him to show his support, and soon everyone else was clapping along in spontaneity. it really warmed my heart. it was a very glorious scene.

that is what i was thinking abt when i heard the sad song. i had to record that memory. so here it is.

i got other reflective stuff to talk abt but i better go back to math.

it takes a lot of courage to get back up to your feet with pride when youre lying on the ground comfortably thinking thats all to life


liverpool all the way. YNWA

video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ6dYDRMRm4&e
lyrics to the youtube song : http://lyrics.astraweb.com/display/518/nichole_nordeman..this_mystery..why.html

26 Apr 08, 22:31aBBy: What's so funny abt the "can u act" thing?!?! I told Rachel abt the PLAN. She's disappointed we didn't carry it out..
because it was so random. random things amuse me.
26 Apr 08, 07:12st: btw you seem quite famous yah. like a celebrity or smth, got ppl love you so much and got ppl hate you so much. im gonna be unextreme and just like you k :S
26 Apr 08, 07:10st: wohoooo i actually have time to do this! how come your blog so happening one!
my blog very happening meh???? hmmm =/ hahah.. how are you doing over at america man. youve been waiting for this time for so long to get out of sgp life. hope youre enjoying yourself :) shawn, only you come up with weird parallels like your celebrity thing..hahaha
25 Apr 08, 14:34renuka: tiff (: your tag as promised! i feel so far away everytime natls come round and i'm wondering what happened, so thanks for your msg! Congrats to the teams and ruiyong! heard he won..oh and MG too(:
hello renuka :) thanks for your msg even though the rates are much higher.. really appreciate them. its really nice to know that youre still so concerned abt us even though youre so far away. the new juniors in the team are very cute! you shld come back and see them some time :P yup rj boys won,ruiyong won and mg b div too! makes mr quek a proud man :)
24 Apr 08, 21:07raechelle: SEE YOU IN SCHOOL TMR! hope you like school now! i'll be there to cheer you up everyday!!:)
24 Apr 08, 21:04raechelle: TIFFY! I LOVE YOU TOOO! DON'T BOTHER ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY!
raerae:) youre so sweet. hahaha. must divide love equally right. both equally and fairly. smart move rae =p
24 Apr 08, 03:03CaiJing: to 8: was that a joke lol. how can anyone hate tiff shes so blur :b everybody loves tiff, esp guys hahahhaha. okay kidding
haaha aww, thanks caijing for standing up for me! i feel so touched :):) hehheh. hahahha ya youre definitely kidding. all the boys see caijing then drool alr. hahahha :D
22 Apr 08, 20:07clar: yo. 29th apr. i dont careeee HAHAHA. you, drey and i. kkkk!
dont care, what dont care. in the end also cannot go.... hahahhaa. siaan. i went to study instead :D okay. actly i went to slp in the library ha.
22 Apr 08, 18:55tricia: you getting more anonymous fans ah.
yeah man.. its kinda odd. did you introduce them to this blog?
21 Apr 08, 23:308: a lot of ppl actualy hate u
hello 8. so whats 8? and where are you from? i'm very interested to know where it is that people cant tolerate me. pls shed some light!

posted a lot other stuff before this. the first one is abt being a blessing to others. the 2nd one is abt this really cool guy who very intelligently and tactfully rebutted his professor in his stand abt God's existance. even if that incident did not really happen, boy, the person that came up with thatprose is fabulous man. i really admire how he can argue things so logically .

sunray and i had close to 3 hr chat ytd abt our problems.
and today
i had a memorable day today in the toilet with meow. ( for personal remembrance)

why do i get so nervous when i see you :/ uggggh!

The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?''Yes sir,' the student says.'So you believe in God?''Absolutely.''Is God good?''Sure! God's good.''Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?''Yes.''Are you good or evil?''The Bible says I'm evil.'The professor grins knowingly.'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a moment.'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?''Yes sir, I would.''So you're good...!''I wouldn't say that.''But why not say that?You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'The student does not answer, so the professor continues.'Hedoesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him.How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'The student remains silent.'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says.He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.'Let's start again, young fella Is God good?''Er...yes,' the student says.'Is Satan good?'The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.''Then where does Satan come from?'The student : 'From...God...''That's right. God made Satan, didn't he?Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?''Yes, sir.''Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything,correct?''Yes.''So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'Without allowing the student to answer, the professor continues: 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness?All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'The student: 'Yes.''So who created them?'The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them? There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.'Tell me,' he continues onto another student.'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'The student's voice is confident: 'Yes, professor, I do.'The old man stops pacing.'Science says you have five senses youuse to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?''No sir. I've never seen Him''Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?''No, sir, I have not.''Have you ever actually felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?''No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.''Yet you still believe in him?''Yes.''According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that,son?''Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.''Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own.'Professor, is there such thing as heat?''Yes,' the professor replies. 'There's heat.''And is there such a thing as cold?''Yes, son, there's cold too.''No sir, there isn't.'The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested.The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat,mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but wedon't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than thelowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat.You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?''Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation.'What is night if it isn't darkness?''You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, brightlight, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have Nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use todefine the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him.This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?''Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time.'Flawed? Can you explain how?''You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, muchless fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.''Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that theyevolved from a monkey?''If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do''Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed. 'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the Commotion has subsided.'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.' The student looks around the room.'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter.'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelled the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir. So if science says you have no brain,how can we trust your lectures, sir?'Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'Iguess you'll have to take them on faith.''Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues.'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man.It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God.It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'The professor sat down.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour eachafternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.The men talked for hours on end.They spoke of their wives and families, theirhomes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service,where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by thewindow could sit up, he would pass the time by describing tohis roommate all the things he could see outsidethe window.The man in the other bed began to live for thoseone hour periods where his world would be broadened andenlivened by all the activity and color of the worldoutside.The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm inarm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view ofthe city skyline could be seen in the distance.As the man by the window described all this inexquisite details, the man on the other side of theroom would close his eyes and imagine thispicturesque scene.One warm afternoon, the man by the window described aparade passing by.Although the other man could not hear the band, hecould see it i n his mind s eye as the gentleman bythe window portrayed it with descriptive wordsDays, weeks and months passed.One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring waterfor their baths only to find the lifeless body of theman by the window, who had died peacefully in hissleep.She was saddened and called the hospital attendantsto take the body away.As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other manasked if he could be moved next to the window. The nursewas happy to make the switch, and after making sure hewas comfortable, she left him alone.Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on oneelbow to take his first look at the real world outside.He strained to slowly turn to look out the windowbeside the bed.It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelledhis deceased roommate who had described such wonderfulthings outside this window.The nurse responded that the man was blind and couldnot even see the wall.She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourageyou.' Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness whenshared, is doubled.If you want to feel rich, just count all the thingsyou have that money can't buy.'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present.'