Extravascated Fluid from the Orad Cavity

Woo!! L33T!!!

2007-06-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

hahaha im so happy i learnt how to add a new music file

man it took soo long for me to fiddle with the html (which i know nothing of) to get the playlist thingy exactly where i want it w/o screwing up my blog layout

hahahaha so happy

happy josh

them nips

2007-05-27T06:12:00.001-07:00

i had a conversation with a friend who works in a japanese company. the conversation turned to food. this is what i found out

in japan when ordering food, if u are a gaijin(foreigner) who doesnt understand jappy language

rule no 1: order by pointing to the many colourful pictures that dot the menu, or point to the many fake plastic displays of food that them nips love to display prominently. it doesnt matter what it is anyway cos its probably gonna be seafood. otherwise its wagyu beef. or yoshinoya. or tamagochi. whatever.

rule no 2: if there are no pictures, then start to sweat abit. who knows whether that Sake on the menu is salmon or alcohol. u definitely dont want to toast rounds of fish with your bosses. it might not sit well with their anal retentive bottoms (or so i hear) So....flip to the middle of the menu if u want a decent meal and check the prices! this is very important, because the japs love putting zeros before their decimal points, and too much yen in your bill is not zen eh...

rule no 3: if their prices are not clearly stated, then u better hope that you are not the one footing the bill... in fact, rule no 3 should always be your first priority, in any circumstance.

if all else fails you could always order chinese takeaway.

josh

the works

2007-05-24T00:43:00.000-07:00

a typical long case precis....

"Good Morning Dr.

Mr X is a 62 yr old malay gentleman who presents with a hard, non-painful mass in the right side of the face just above the angle of the mandible that grew from a small lump to a much larger one in 2 mths. He also complains of pain in his right lower limb following a fall 2 mths ago, as well as loss of weight of 10kg in 7 mths. Mr X denies having any fever, breathlessness, LOA or sleeping problems.

Significantly, Mr X has a past history of masses diagnosed as lymphomas dating back as follows: in 2000, he complained of swollen testes and was given chemo and radiotherapy at TTSH. In 2003, another lymphoma which was hard and swollen but non tender appeared in his jaw, for which he was given only radiotherapy, as he refused treatment with chemotherapy. in Jan 2007, another lymphoma was found in his left inner thigh, for which radiotherapy treatment was given. all 3 lymphomas were resolved following treatment.

In addition, Mr X sustained a right lower limb injury following a fall 2 mths ago, for which he received painkillers. An X-ray was taken but found no fractures. He also has a 20 yr history of DM and a 20 yr history of HTN, but denies having any heart or cerebrovascular problems.

Mr X is married with 2 daughters and 1 son aged between 24 and 37 yrs old. He has 5 sisters, 3 grandaughters and 1 grandson, and lives with his wife and youngest daughter. Significantly, 2 of his sisters suffered from stroke previously, and his mother and grandmother both had a history of DM and HTN. the family visits every night. Mr X smoked an average of 3 packs a day for 7 years, but denies any drinking habit.

Mr X has been working as a prison supervisor at Changi Prison for the past 15 yrs, and his employer is paying for the bulk of his medical bills, the rest of which is covered by his personal medisave account.

Mr X is on the following medications: Acarbose, Glibenclamide and metformin for his DM, Captopril for his HTN and Simvastatin for his high chol.

My preliminary diagnosis for Mr X is a recurrence of a lymphoma, possibly secondary to a primary malignancy site. my differentials include a lipoma, infection, parotitis, squamous cell malignancies, and a submandibular gland swelling. With your permission, I would now like to perform a physical examination of the mass, as well as the rest of Mr X's cervical lymph nodes, together with their drainage areas in the head and neck region to further confirm my diagnosis, as well as exclude the rest of my differentials. thank you."

~finis~
josh

blah

2007-05-13T03:10:00.000-07:00

so he sang the only song he knew how and it went like this

" give me oil in my lamp keep it burning burning burning
give me oil in my lamp i pray,
give me oil in my lamp keep it burning burning burning
keep it burning to the break of day"

for he was an opium addict.

from the abyss

2007-04-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

it really has been a long time since i last blogged

mainly and frankly ive kinda lost interest in blogging.....no time is another factor, and no readership is a third

but mainly its cos ive lost interest. and also cos i was scared. of all the tests of all the exams and the fear of failure.

i tink ive passed m2. yay?

am i making sense?

dunno. but in church last week my pastor did a scripture reading which i found really edifying, and comforting. the bible really does have some really nice verses to hold on to when it seems u can hold on to nothing else.

i write this entry to reproduce it here, to provide my current and future self some perspective over the life which i live now. the verse is about worry. from matt 6:25-34

" therefore i tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. are you not much more valuable than they? who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

and why do you worry about clothes? see how the lilies of the field grow. they do not labour or spin. yet i tell you that not even solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. if that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, o you of little faith? so do not worry, saying 'what shall we eat, or what shall we drink or what shall we wear', for the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow wil worry about itself. each day has enough trouble of its own."

this is my inspiration verse of the month.

josh

update

2007-01-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

im too damn tired and uptight and grumpy and scared of monday to update.

word of the day: "calvinism". what bullshit.

its that emo thing again

2006-12-06T06:06:00.000-08:00

having just finished 6 gruelling papers, and having earned a well deserved rest, i now find myself looking forward to just one thing.

more tests in 5 weeks time!!! hurray!! die.

actually i am actively trying to prevent myself from doing any work. in a conversation with a friend a few daes ago, i mentioned that my life has devolved into nothing but my studies, and i have nothing....nothing!! to look forward to. even my beloved computer fails to exite me that much now. woe! woe! >_<

feeling desolate, i chanced upon my old school album circa 2001, and decided to flip through it. to my surprise, i found an article i wrote as a j1 inside it, and on a whim, i decided to publish it in todays entry, to be captured for posterity. thank you.

*rewind back 5 years. an eternity...*

"being a second intake student has been both a trying and unique experience. having had the opportunity to spend 3 mths in what some would consider to be a 'greener' jc, i am still getting snide remarks of how 'lagi bodoh' ive been to throw away such an opportunity. yet there is little cause for regret. i regard ACS as the institution that has nurtured and educated me, and the holistic approach it takes to teach its students is an experience to be found no where else, speaking volumes about its lifelong committment to 'touch and change lives'. at ACJC, having been given the privilege both to be a counsellor as well as a member of the 'scone' club i have indeed enriched my school life, and i sincerely believe that the next 2 yrs here will be a rewarding one.

exactly what is an ACSian? i had the opportunity to pose this qn to one of my seniors some time back, and the answer i got was as simple and direct as it was true.

"No Regrets"

we do what we want, we go where we want to, answerable only to ourselves and God. we live life to the fullest, living, laughing, making friends, not giving 2 hoots about people who may not like us. we have a natural charisma and a 'never say die' attitude that overcomes all obstacles, and a perennial childishness that fuels in us a curiosity to try all things new, and excel in all things done. ACSians be proud of your heritage, and strive to blaze our own legacy for those who follow our footsteps. remember....carpe diem....NO REGRETS!"

* fast forward to today*

wah lao. as i read that, i realized that out of 800 j1's in that year, only me and 3 others got a chance to pen an article in the 'junior pages' section.

but tts not the point. the point is that somewhere between graduation and eternal sufferance (ie then and now) i was changed. not fundamentally, for i still live my life with very few regrets, but changed in the sense that slightly more youthful idealism has been replaced by jaded jauntiness (if u can understand the term)

there is a saying that when a man is young he dreams of changing the world. when he grows older and realizes the world cannot be changed, he wished to change his family. when his family refuses to change, and as he lay on his deathbed, he realized that if only he had changed himself first, then he could have changed his family, and perhaps even done more than that.

it is times like these that i remniscence about the heritage of my past. of what i have gone through, to become what i am now. i think about my school. my friends. my family. my life. my ups and downs. my success and failures. my singlehood.(!!!!!) my future. my God.

if i could have one wish, it wouldnt be for money, or world peace or all that jazz.
it would be to live a life of meaning. that must be one of the hardest things to do, ever.

i apologize for this rambling post. it doesnt make much sense. it was never intended to.
this being my blog, i find it carthartic to pen my thoughts out now and then. i leave you with a quote which inspired my school motto.

"the past we inherit, the present we create, but for those who continue to hope and pray,the best is yet to be!"

josh (:

holy huddle

2006-10-29T02:12:00.000-08:00

Qn: What exactly do I mean by a holy huddle?
Ans: The holy huddle is an observed social phenomena whereby Christians are seen acting in a certain manner that, whilst appearing to be the correct thing to do, actually has the effect of either pushing other non christians away from themselves, or not having enough time and energy to evangelise, thus failing to fufill The Great Commission. Based on my personal experience, I have identified 3 main areas whereby the holy huddle may be getting in the way of our Holy God.

Problem No 1 : Legalism

"The Law of Faith is belief that God is righteous and merciful and that He will provide His own way of salvation for mankind. This plan of salvation occurred when God the Son (Jesus) paid the requirements of the law for all of us on the cross. These who by faith believe God and accept the sacrifice He would and did provide for our sins will be saved. God is interested in saving people who truly trust in Him. He is not interested in having people in His presence who think they achieved salvation by following the letter of the laws they were incapable of keeping. Nor does He want those who think they will make heaven only because by their own efforts they followed rituals of their denomination." (Don Koenig :Christian Legalism - The Dark Side of Christianity)
Thankfully such people are quite rare nowadays. but they were rather common in the bible werent they?(Think Martha and Mary, or the Pharasees)
These are christians who seem like such a sticker for rules and regulations, who chatise us if we havent been titheing properly, who preach hellfire and damnation upon those recalcitrant people who refuse to embrace christianity, or the many various other minor transgressions that we commit on a daily basis, that brings harsh words and harsher feelings down upon our heads. Whilst they may have good intentions, the problem with legalism is the arising of a 'holier than thou' attitude, that would invariably create a rather tense atmosphere amongst fellow Christians. Worse still, should non-christians see such nit-picking behavior displayed, we may be alienating the very people we are trying to save! personally i believe that practising legalism is also bringing down undue and unauthorized judgement upon others, when the bible clearly states that judging our fellow men is the exclusive perogative of God!

Problem No 2: Mixing only with Christians
This is a far more relevant topic to discuss. This problem arises when we count too many of our friends as believers, and we are spending almost all our time with such like minded people. Personally I am somewhat guilty of this too so I speak from experience. I believe it is quite a prevalent one too. As christians, generally speaking, we all come from a similar socio-economic background, (chinese, english educated, both parents working, etc) go to the same schools, know the same people etc (esp in tiny singapore!) so many of us end up being around other people who are like us.....Christians. This is bad only when it get to the point whereby we are unable to evangelise to non-believers because we cannot relate to their needs, or worse, because we dont even get to meet them. In addition, this issue can lead to the Perception of Elitism, hence resulting in non-believers becoming turned off by our inbreeding ways.

Problem No 3: Living an Overly Christian Lifestyle
I can already hear you going "what on earth are you saying? how could that possibly be wrong!"
Allow me to explain. We are living an overly christian lifestyle when most of our waking hours, weekends and free time are spent doing churchy stuff. I am talking about the christian who spends his entire weekend from friday night to sunday night in church, attending services, leading cell groups, attending cell groups, registering for seminars, going for bible study, worship practice, choir practice, organizing church camps, participating in church camps....the list goes on. I personally know of someone who goes for 3 seperate services in his church because he feels the message is "different each time"! Surely that would be considered an overkill? The book of Corinthians says that there is a season for everything under heaven, and I believe God wants us to live well balanced lives such that our academic/working lives, social lives and spritual lives are in complete harmony.

I'll end off with a few questions for your personal soul-searching.
What good does it do for us if we participate in all the abovementioned events such that it leaves us with no time for ourselves, our friends or our studies?
How are we supposed to evangelise when we are continually drained of the time and energy to do so?
What impression are we giving our non-believing friends when we repeatedly refuse to go chill with them because of yet another church event?

God Bless
Joshua

some interesting things i heard

2006-10-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

hmm im typing this at bryan's place now, waiting for him to finish mugging so we can play snooker haha...

anyway 2 interesting things that i overheard over the course of the week...

" i dont want to drink this water, fish f***ed in it!"

" caspases are not the only thing activated by cleavage....."

-_-.....

some other jokes heard at other times....

Qn: what do you call a person who has chicken pox?
Ans: varicella! (very sad lah).......diao

Qn: why did the skeleton refuse to go to the prom?
Ans: becos he had no body to go with! hahaha~

yups. hope u like my new song. i do!
josh

THE HOLY SACRED ORDER OF D.O.C.

2006-09-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

dreamt up an interesting topic to blog about....u know how most normal pple (by that i mean males only) like playing computer games...well i say that everyone is playing a game all the time...its your life haha....and its an rpg, or role playing game for those who are unenlightened.

well the reason for this entry is becuz i was lying down on my beddy bed (as i am wont to do now that the mid sem break is upon us yay yay yay) and suddenly a brainwave hit me...*ouch*..

hey! wont it be cool to document the relative hierachy that goes on in our austere YLLSOM?? for the edification of the general public and all who by happenstance or devious design periodically chance upon my humble blog? do i hear a yay? yes i do.....so the voices in my head started to dictate to me an outline for this post....let us begin!

presenting....
THE HOLY SACRED ORDER OF D.O.C.

pre-med aka "jc kid" : they are pieces of chicken shite and are generally not worth the (virtual) ink used to document their miserable lives lived in eternal (relative only) servitude and subservience for the betterment of their um....elders...yep. most importantly, they are NOT members of The Order as yet, not having undergone the rigourous initiation.
Brimming with enthusiasm, idealism and innocence....their ranks are frequently culled by well-meaning elders telling them not to enter and sell their souls for miserable amounts of money.

favourite phrase: i want to help people/save the world! take me...take me pleaseeeee!!

1st yr student aka "the lucky one" : they are the first real members of The Order, having been properly initiated and selected. no longer pieces of foul fowl fecal foop, (sorry not a real word but wth) they are given rudimentary training in 3 basic disciplines and equipped with the barest essentials to stun a layman or a pre-med kid with verbose sounding verbiage. invariably, neither the hapless listener or the 1st yr student has any idea what those bombastic words mean....also, sprouting gibberish is about all the bubbly 1st yr student can do. they take comfort in the fact that they are still brimming with self confidence, idealism and a postive outlook on life that is frankly, grossly unjustified...laughed at by seniors, they discover (to their dismay) that they have signed away their lives for endless toil and debatable benefits....HAHAHA its too late to back out now suckers!!!!

favourite phrase : " no lah, just lucky i got in thats all"

2nd yr student aka "alice" : why such an enigmatic nickname? well alice is short for alice in wonderland. this is because all 2nd yr students can identify with alice as she spirals down the rabbit hole, the descent an allegorical reference to their own lives as it too spirals downward, out of control, with no ending in sight.
faced with rigourous training in no less that 6 exacting disciplines, they are learning, firsthand, how deep the (shit)hole really goes. too much theory and not enough joy juice makes them very cranky if u can find them at all...they are most likely squirrelled away in some obscure corner quizzing each other on the arcane and diabolical thingmajigs that work inside our whatchacallit that ultimately results in, you know, that thing.

favourite phrase : "eh doing anything today? no? lets go library together!"

3rd yr student aka "the suit" : clothes maketh the man so the saying goes. it definitely seems the case for the 3rd year student. dressed in office attire for the 1st time, they are finding learning in the various different hospitals and polyclinics very different from the sterilized lecture-tutorial system. also, they have The Scope, hung around their necks, which confers a godlike attraction with regard to the opposite, (non healthcare related profession) sex. 3rd yrs are in a peculiar position. looked upon with awe and respect (yeah rite) from their juniors for entering the hallowed Clinical Years, they are still viewed with derision by the denizens of the hospitals. like the scum they are perceived to be, 3rd yr students are prevalent, appearing when most unwanted, persistent, and very very hard to get rid off. found throughout the island's healthcare institutions growing in colonies of 8 called clinical groups. do not feed!

favourite phrase : " lets go check out that interesting hepatosplenomegaly case! on the way, lets recall the contraindications of using a b-adrenergic receptor blocker on asthmatic patients ok?"

4th yr student aka "the wanderer" : (gosh im tired of typing already) i dunno what goes on in those 4th yrs lah.

5th yr student : ditto above..... i still 2nd yr only with no clinical experience. sorry!

yep what an anticlimatic ending! oh dear.....oh well hope u enjoyed the 1st 4 ranks of The Order at least....

good bye
joshua

water woes

2006-09-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

actually im rather tired and didnt wanna blog but an incident today took the cake...

whilst having lunch, i was thirsty and espied a water bottle lying on the canteen table directly in front of newman's bag. SO...being thirsty, and justifiably assuming that the water belonged to him, i asked for permission to drink it

me: eh is that water yours?
nm: its ok u can drink it
me: ok....
*drinks water*
nm: *laughs*
nm: i never said it was my water hahahahahahahahahaha x 100
me: wtf!#*()&!#$#&^ccb!#^&* x 1000

shite! it really wasnt his water! and he wasnt bullshiting like he always does! you.DICK.

and me with my recovering cough and all dammit...
(kept thinking of herpes simplex type 1 for some weird reason after tt)

*cough cough*
josh

oh if only i could be there again....*sigh* (the dates are wrong btw)

its started. again...

2006-08-25T03:29:00.000-07:00

hello and sorry for the month long hiatus

its started. again. this time twice the "fun" and "excitement"
m2 year....microbiology, immunology, pharmacology, pathology, cofm and neuroscience...whoopee!! im dead.

its rather draining, and the lectures are proceeding at a breakneck pace as usual. the days are soooo much longer, and having been kicked out of hall, i nid to spend much more time commuting from home to the YLLSOM (stupid name)....it takes 1 1/2 hrs to get home by public transport after lessons! crazy man.....

i want to focus on happier times, but it all goes hazy. ipho....unPHOgettable indeed....medicamp was cool too...photos will be posted soon....plus i still have my europe trip pics...

time now is the most precious commodity...specifically, time for myself. in the mad rush tt is school, that is sadly lacking.

till i get time and reason to blog again...
joshua

Firenze means Florence

2006-07-30T05:55:00.000-07:00

shot of the beautiful tuscan countryside

alleyway with striking red flowerpot- San Gigmiano, Tuscany

towers of san gigmiano, tuscany region

sunset along the arno river, firenze

play of light on statue. Duomo, Florence
candles for worship shot inside the Duomo, Florence

On the issues of Friendship and Hospitality: A Clinical Dissertation

2006-07-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

my 2nd article for the vcf newsletter, epistole..

“A Scout makes friends, establishes and maintains harmonious relationships” – so goes one of the rules for being a good boy scout. Such a one-liner however, is deceptively difficult to adhere to. Notice the phrase “Make friends” as opposed to merely “finding friends” , as well as to “establish and maintain harmonious relationships” as opposed to merely “living peacefully with others”. Consider also the stakes involved. A person who is able to achieve the above, besides not only fulfilling his duties as a scout, would also find life to be extremely smooth sailing, with a bevy of people (seemingly) at his beck and call should he ever require assistance, help or just a listening ear. Now imagine the reverse. No words are necessary isn’t it?

In this issue, we will tackle two distinct, but related, issues. That of “Friendship” and that of “Hospitality”. Imagine with me, if you would, two concentric circles. Label the outer one 1 and the inner one 2. Now let 1 be the realm of Hospitality, whilst 2 would be a subset of that, which would be Friendship. Let us consider the smaller circle of friendship first. For most of us, this circle of friends (such an apt example) is far easier to cultivate. The notion of friendship can and should be distilled from the myriad of relationships that we have with other people on a daily basis. Most of us have a pretty good idea of how to be a good friend already. Simply put, a good friend should be someone the other party is always happy to be around with. He/she should be someone you can rely on to help you in times of need, or provide a listening ear, or simply to have fun with. Most importantly, good friends are sincere in their dealings with you. There is mutual trust, understanding of each other’s idiosyncrasies and mutual acceptance of each other’s weaknesses. So “making friends”, as long as it is with the Right People, is a piece of cake, well within our Comfort Zone, and the majority of us are adept at doing that.

The challenge of course, comes when we hit the 2nd, outer circle called Hospitality. This is outside our circle of friends, and implicitly, also outside our Comfort Zone! These are the people you have to reach out to, be it in your sphere of work, study or simply daily life. These are the people who may not have the same interests/race/religion/moral values etc and hence you may not be inclined to get to know them better, except due to other circumstances, you have no choice but to “establish and maintain harmonious relationships” with them. I’ll provide 2 examples from my own life.

Firstly, as a medical student and future doctor, I will inevitably come into contact with hospital administration and of course, the patients (simultaneously the reason and the bane of my existence) complete with their demanding attitudes and ungrateful demeanor. Whilst I have not personally found an answer as to how to deal with these 2 groups of people, my 2nd example should provide a bit more insight.

The 37th International Physics Olympiad was recently held in Singapore, and I signed on to be a tour guide for the international delegates coming here. As it turned out, I was in charge of the delegates from Israel. In my 10 days of showing them around Singapore, I believe I have grasped the true meaning of Hospitality, that it is both a façade and an ethos. What do I mean?

It is easy enough to paste a smile on your face and exchange pleasant small talk when things are going well, but all this is a façade, one that cannot sustain you beyond a few days at best. Then the ethos of Hospitality kicks in. A discerning eye to figure out the wants and needs of another person and knowing how best to meet them, knowing when to give in, and when to stand your ground based on your own values, knowing a person’s culture and background to avoid potential conversational faux pas, keeping a cool and rational front, always smiling, even if things are not going your way, and always, always keeping your mind and heart focused on the bigger picture--- that you are here to help and to serve others. That is the true meaning of hospitality. That is how to step out of your Comfort Zone, and that, in the words of a book title, is how you win friends, influence other people, and be a good boy scout whilst you’re at it.

Joshua

all roads lead to rome

2006-07-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

some artistic shot i tried to take heh

roman ruins

cross in the colosseum. oh the irony!!

victor emmanuel III memorial (aka tomb of the unknown soldier)... i liked the architecture alot

kevin and the room in which we stayed in...really cramped.. ):

one of the lavish corridors of vatican museum
the 3 musketeers!! st peter's basilica as the stunning backdrop..
spiral staircase in the vatican museum

coming home

2006-06-28T01:08:00.000-07:00

hey all

todae is my final dae in london....blogging now at kevin's sisters apartment.

london is nice. the people speak english...unlike the bloody french and italians....haha yes im anglophilic! but singapore is also nice...cos its home (awww...) i'm at the stage where im satisfied...ive seen what i wanted to see, done what i needed to do, shopped enough...oh shopping is fun....how often can one say that you could pop over to london for a spot of shopping? heh i sound like a tai tai already bleah

argh im not really looking forward to getting back to sunny singapore though....ipho beckons! and i've barely memorized my scripts! and my email is going to be flooded by work! just like army daes! bloody hell.

will post more pictures when i get back. internet here is abit erratic

"home is where the heart is"-- josh

photos frm italie

2006-06-25T01:53:00.000-07:00

view from the top of st peter's basilica

vatican city

Clothing fit for The King

2006-06-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

and no The King isnt elvis.... >_< this is an article on attire that i will be submitting to Epistole, the newsletter arm of VCF. enjoy! this will also probably be my last post for the next 3 wks as i jet off to europe, for some well deserved R&R!! byeeee (((:

*Clothing fit for The King*

Mini Skirt : +25 to “sex appeal”
+ 15 to “self confidence”
- 20 to “decent image”
(note: attributes will stack with other apparel such as tube tops, spaghetti straps and sport bra lines, allowing players to level up faster)

The above is a rather popular article of clothing worn by young girls today, as they immerse themselves in the immensely popular role-playing game (RPG) called “Life”. Guys too, aren’t exempt as they buy the most outrageous outfits and accessories to project a certain image for the approval of their peers. Is it wrong to want to dress nicely? Where should the line (if any) be drawn vis-à-vis Christian and secular values prevalent amongst our youth today? Lastly, this being a Christian newsletter, what does the Bible have to say regarding this issue?

Firstly, let me state categorically that I have nothing against the desire to dress nicely, and I believe in the importance of dressing well, according to the different social situations that we find ourselves in. The issue here is the Image that we consciously or unconsciously portray as a result of an Inappriopriate Dress Sense that causes unnecessary attention or friction between ourselves and the people that we are with at that point in time. Examples abound. The girl in church wearing a skimpy number that causes all the guys around her to be distracted, the guy with a death metal rock emblem emblazoned on his shirt trying to do street evangelism, the group that volunteers to serve as church ushers dressed in t-shirt and flip-flops….extreme examples no doubt, but one that illustrates the point mentioned above.

The truth of course, is far greyer. A line has to be drawn demarcating the point at which good taste and common decency act as a counterpoint to the vagaries of fashion and the vicissitudes of teenage opinions. Hence I will attempt to provide here the ABCs as a guideline to what constitutes good attire, and what does not.

Avert your eyes! This is especially applicable to the men amongst us today. Do we (yes myself included) need yet another reminder that to look at a woman with lust is already committing adultery under the laws of God? It is never quite within our control to decide what the girls will wear, but how we choose to react and respond to such distractions would definitely make a difference between spending quality time with God, and the reverse, which would be to sin against God by pandering to this aspect of our earthly desires. It really is as serious as that!

Be considerate. This is for the girls. The Bible clearly states that one should not do anything that would cause their fellow brother to stumble. If a guy feedbacks to you about your attire (or lack thereof), don’t take it as a compliment! Neither should you castigate him for being a busybody. Instead, ponder over the real reason why you choose to don that sexy number more fit for the nightclub than that Sunday worship service. I believe the subsequent attention you receive can hardly be considered as flattering (although it may feel good for a short while) as it denigrates you as a person and reduces you to a mere object of surreptitious voyeurism on the part of most males present. I believe I speak for all girls when they say that that is the absolute Worst Thing that can happen to them on any given day!

Christ Centered, Always. Let us never forget that we are constantly under His Scrutiny as well as under the scrutiny of other people like our fellow church goers, our elders, our parents and for some of us, our younger cell members or siblings that are under our charge and over whom we consciously or unconsciously exert a great deal of influence over. Bear in mind that our bodies are a holy temple of God, and what we choose to clothe it in as we enter into His Courts to worship Him is a definite reflection of our attitude and the deference that we accord The King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords!

Yours in Christ
Joshua
Faculty of Medicine

the difference between martyrdom and sucide is press coverage

2006-06-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

heh saw the above title somewhere, and though i dun really agree with it, it does hold some truth...

crap. ive just been feeling abit depressed these couple of daes.....

firstly iPHO trg on sat was shite...the dance trg was fun, but i didnt realize tt we had to memorize the script for the civic district and PRESENT it to our group! so i panicked...and madly tried to start mugging in weird places...the mrt (a new mugging first!) whilst having lunch....what a bloody waste of time....when it was my turn to present, i could only smoke my way half-assed through it...barely knowing what to say, surreptiously glancing at my script in a pathetic attempt to glean more information from those unhelpful words..felt terrible. i wondered if i would get kicked out of ipho becuz of my indiscretion. apparently however, ruimin (head honcho) found it acceptable so THANK GOD

secondly, and more seriously, i've just been feeling really caged recently....like i am supposed to CONFORM to some deluded notions put forth by society in general as to how i am supposed to behave, act, think and interact with others...specifically how my "membership" in the "exclusive" medicine club affords me privileges, but somehow other people venerate/distance themselves from me when i introduce myself to them...making me feel venerated/ostracized. i hate hate hate it! i dont WANT to be DEFINED by my choice of career, i dont WANT to be JUDGED and CATEGORIZED based on my course of study...i dont WANT me and my fellow medicine classmates to be polarized into "US" and "THEM" its making me depressed as realization slowly dawns on me that most of the relationships of all kinds that i will foster in the future inevitably has its basis on the fact of what i will eventually (hopefully) become.... my life is becoming regressively one-dimentional...with my waking thoughts, actions, and interactions increasingly based on one topic only.....and its not only me! the blogs of my fellow classmates are filed with words all in the same vein too...

am i even making sense???? please dont flame me...

the only thing that i would gladly accede to being stereotyped as is an acs boy...specifically a barker boy. barker was, and still is i believe, a seminal point in my life thus far, determining who i am, and who i will be. the school is a perfect juxtapositioning of the prestige that comes with the acs branding, and the compassion that guides the school and its teachers. barker was, and is, a safety net for those who kinda fell through the gaps of the psle, and some 12 yrs after it started, the school's original mission and raison 'd etre still lives in the the lives of her students and those privileged to have passed though her portals. for she symbolizes hope...dreams....possibilities that do not end when u receive your less than stellar psle results.

i have always been part of the underdogs i think, and even now as i mix with the "big boys" in The Game, that slightly rebellious, non-conformist me always lies just below the veneer of my visage.

Serendipitous perhaps, that i have found myself in melancholy remonstrations of a fate that many would dearly love to partake of? hardly, for i know in my heart of hearts that even as i struggle along the road of self recognition, self-fufillment and the traditional markers of success.... it is all according to Gods perfect will, and his plan for my life will never be reduced to be defined by the slip of paper that for better or worse, other people will use to define me.

just a barker boy.
joshua

part 2 of my nonsense

2006-05-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

"whats your name girl?"

" gisele"

" your full name girl"

" gisele bundchen"

" du sprechen deutch?"

" Ja! Sprechen Sie Deutsch auch? "

" well no...i dont speak german. lets carry on. "

" oh. alrite then."

" now bund, may i call u bund? select a crayon from the box and begin colouring this picture "

*she takes a crayon, an orange one, and begins to colour. she takes another crayon, another colour and colours more*

" nonono! this is all wrong! stop!"

" why is it wrong?"

" you're mixing them colours! you're supposed to colour each part of the picture separately! "

" i think it looks nice what...see the two colours merge to form new shades! "

" what are u talking about...thats a smudge u just created...colour it properly from now on ok....nono dont erase it, just leave it. if u erase that..thing, the smudge will just grow larger... "

" oh. ok."

" colour the different parts separately, it makes it easier for us to see the whole picture more clearly alright?"

" ok. "

" um sir?"

" yes what is it now? "

" about that smudge.."

" i said leave it there...theres nothing u can do about it now.."

" no sir...its just that...u made me feel rather like a smudge too...like an imperfection in your eyes that cannot be redeemed.."

" oh. OH. (oh no)... i see...well waddaya know times up! dont worry about it all these colours fade with time haha! see u next week same time ok? "

...

thought about this in the shower today. hehe

josh

crayons for joo?

2006-05-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

" So heres a box of crayons. pick and choose a colour that describes you best"

" um...i dunno...how about the brightest one? the brightest crayon in the box for me? that's me i think....."

" why not the dull coloured ones? isnt your character is more like that?"

...

myself....i'd rather not choose any colour. must think outside the (crayoned) box!

psychoanalyse THAT freud!! muahahaha

josh

Locked out of God's Presence

2006-05-14T00:11:00.000-07:00

ok lah not tt jialat...

went late for service todae....kena locked out of my own church (FCBC)...how sad is tt.....so went for a neighbouring service...none other than the hip happeningz cool awesome "with it" church CITY HARVEST haha

not bad lah the service..

for mothers day they gave a free book and a rose! i didnt even buy MY mum a rose (although i did spend alot more on a meal heh)

FCBC didnt give anything!

oh btw im the IPHO student liason officer for ISRAEL!! how cool is that....

just hope they dun get blown up or anything whilst im with them....that'll be so tragic heh.....just kidding!! (the blowing up, not the tragic part)

God Bless
Joshua

Hem and Haw

2006-05-02T03:53:00.000-07:00

hello and apologies for not updating...

this time i plead bo chapness, rather than work....cos theres NO WORK!! muahahaha.....see the excuse fits the occasion

this holidays (holidays!! wow!!) i have several things planned up

1) relief teaching at barker.... fun and lucrative and not shiong...what more can i ask?!
2) june escapade into the chi chi lands where ze francais, ze anglais und ze italianos reside.....yep europe! with my 2 sidekicks kevin and darryl.....kevin u better not be too cheapskate while we are there hor.
3) IPHO (international physics olympiad) held in july....basically ill be a (paid!!) tour guide to physics (geeks) for a week or so.....confirmed already...the event, not the presence of geeks.
4) Medicamp OGL!!! this one excites me most of all....cos its my final time being an ogl forevermore....and i intend to enjoy myself to the fullest hahaha

yep tts it....rather packed huh....ok forgettit.

what i really wanna say is that i need money to finance my trip! yep! donations and LOVE GIFTS are very very welcome (:
oh and pls post more on my msgboard pple to make it more lively k

till next time
joshua

freedom

2006-04-13T06:01:00.000-07:00

no vivas no vivas no vivas!

o please no sub papers

please? pretty please?

playing elder scrolls 4 : Oblivion now....smashing good game haha

results on may 4th
judgement day awaits

joshua

We may labour, yes, but we labour not in vain.

2006-03-29T07:31:00.000-08:00

one of my favourite christian songs...challenging each and every one of us to let go, and Let God...in each and every aspect of our lives...

4 daes more....and beyond....let us lean not on our own understanding, our own talents, our own achievements, for they pale in significance to the inheritance we have in Him...the inheritance waiting for us in eternity.

whatever may happen, whatever may come. Lord let your will be done in all circumstances of my life, and may you be given the Glory and Honour forevermore!

"I Know Who Holds Tomorrow"

I don’t know about tomorrow;
I just live from day to day.
I don’t borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to grey.
I don’t worry o’er the future,
For I know what Jesus said.
And today I’ll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Chorus:
Many things about tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

I don’t know about tomorrow;
It may bring me poverty.
But the one who feeds the sparrow,
Is the one who stands by me.
And the path that is my portion
May be through the flame or flood;
But His presence goes before me
And I’m covered with His blood.
(repeat chorus)

"Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the Work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain" 1 Cor. 15:58