^"Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."

Nothing really prepares you for difficult decisions, not even the stories of heroes from your days of childhood; heroes I would read about and admire. And now that this privilege/opportunity has come, it's so encouraging to know: "My Father will honor the one who serves me".

All this is nothing compared to what I have received.

Boston/New York!

So I've arrived at Boston and will be here (and in New York City) for the next 2 and a 1/2 weeks. It's absolutely COLD here, -7°C outside, and weather forecasts project the temperature to worsen for the next few days - not that I'm complaining, I love the snow!

On the 13-hour-flight from Tokyo to Chicago earlier I was seated next to a Tibetan monk and a Taiwanese student. After a few attempts at communicating with each other in English (and failing to do so miserably), we then settled on the universal language of sleeping. We did pretty well at that...

I've made a 'hit-list' of places to visit/things to do for the next few days, and Jas (she's being a wonderful host) and I will be meeting John on Fri to hit New York too. But here's the list:

• Walk along the Freedom Trail
• Visit the New England Aquarium
• Walk along Charles River
• Check out the Harvard Museum of Natural History
• Take pictures of lighthouses at Boston Harbor
• Have Clam Chowder at Boston's oldest restaurant: Union Oyster House
• Snap pictures of the Statue of Liberty
• Visit the Empire State Building
• Walk to Ground Zero
• Take a picture with the bull and bear at NY Stock Exchange
• Walk about Time Square and the Bronx
• Celebrate Lunar New Year at Chinatown
• Build a snow man!
  

The Joy of the Outdoors

"A traveler.

I love his title.

A traveler is to be reverenced as such.

His profession is the best symbol of our life.

Going from--toward;

it is the history of every one of us."'

-Henry David Thoreau

I love the outdoors. Early in the holidays (Nov last year) I decided to make the best out of these precious months by doing what I think is valuable, knowing that this semester break would well be my last (then comes working life - a whole new adventure of its own). Since then, 5 hiking trips have happened.

Chilling Falls

I love the idea that you could enter a totally different world after just a 45 minutes drive and a 2 and a half hours climb, and be able to share that experience with friends and acquaintances. The joy of hiking is found in the camaraderie of friends achieving a common goal and enjoying the reward of it; I once tried solo-hiking and found it to be extremely unpleasant and lonely!

Tabur West (above). Went there twice with two different groups of friends A less-trodden path, which led to a higher cliff, at Tabur West
Magnificent view at Broga Hill (above), where I got to spend the morning with old buddies, Wai Wai and Ian
Nick and Jared (above), at Tabur East
Sheer cliffs at Tabur East

Perhaps the reason for this compelling urge to hike every chance I get lies in the notion that there are still countless places yet to be discovered - and that no two are the same. Maybe it is an 'adventurer's complex': an odd, puzzling feeling when a person becomes both satisfied having traveled to a new place, yet, unsatisfied with the greater realization that there exists many more places and people to be experienced.

What is sure is that life is a passing vapour. And it shouldn't be wasted on the things that don't matter! Life in itself is one great adventure.

The Evils of Staying in the Crowd

In the early hours of 13th March, 1964, Kitty Genovese was murdered just a few steps away from her apartment door, out in the cold. Her neighbours heard shouts for help, some even saw what had happened, but no one came out. After stabbing her twice Kitty Genovese's attacker fled the scene, but realised he didn't need to when no one bothered to respond to his victim's cries; he later came back to stab her a few more times before raping her.

Social psychology calls it the "Bystander Effect" - when social responsibility is diffused in a crowd of onlookers/bystanders who witness to a particular incident they would otherwise have engaged in if they were alone. In a crowd of bystanders, everyone assumes the other person would help, thus no one does.

It is an intriguing social occurence, especially because it opposes the popular notion that crowds are 'good'. It challenges the age-old belief that the 'majority rules', and that the 'people are always right', while proving that people are, by nature, self-perserving and selfish. And while we are very acquainted with the positives of the 'crowd', being told that there is safety in numbers, and being taught that so much more could be achieved with the hands of many, I know the 'crowd' can rear its ugly head too. These are the dangers of only staying in the 'crowd':

1) The 'crowd' swallows the goodness of the individual and brings out the worst in humanity. Faceless, nameless and devoid of any personal responsibility, the 'crowd' is a social monster that survives on the strength in numbers - but take its members away, and you will notice how the 'crowd' falls silent and loses its strength. Hidden behind the faceless mask of the crowd are individuals who are lured into exchanging their personal opinions and individuality for the false strength of a crowd. Where there is no responsibility, there are no consequences. And even when the crowd is wrong, no one is guilty.

2) The 'crowd' is lethargic and always happy to remain where it is. Because it is adverse to change, it is also often trapped in the trenches of inaction and complacency. Clouded in a false sense of security, the 'crowd' is able to fend off its conscience, and need not do much because everyone is comfortable. Teamwork is difficult in a 'crowd', because a crowd tends to be directionless anyway.

3) The 'crowd' rarely rewards initiative and punishes different behaviour. In school, whenever a guy in our circle of friends did a humourous thing, or made us laugh, the deed was often celebrated, no matter how terrible it was (skipping school, cursing at the teacher, etc), but a person who was too 'right'/good would not be accorded the same reception. Unless we rise from the pressures of conforming to the crowd, we are slaves to the majority - and there's no guarantee it is always right.

Let's move beyond the 'crowd', and make things happen!

When wills collide

"Submission is only necessary in a disagreement. When two people already agree there's no need to 'submit'" - Colin Hurt

Farewell, 2010

1) Whow, what a busy season it's been! Many things have happened in the last 3 weeks; the end of my short stint at a professional car detailing centre (some memories there...), the 365 youth camp (which was excellent), the sleep-over and Christmas Dinner with the cell guys, the hike up Bukit Tabur, etc.

2) It's the last week of 2010 and there is a 'transitionary' feeling about this week, being sandwitched between the celebratory season of Christmas and the start of a New Year. As with how it is every year, there is a mingling of moods in this Christmas/NY season - between the air of festivity and the happy sounds of the year-end celebrations and the nostalgia of another year passing by.

3) 2010 has been a year of 'firsts' and learning. There were many memorable experiences as well as the occasional moment of regret. Among others, I

...saw the humble ways of the Myanmarese people in their native land, and learnt to have a heart (and a pair of eyes) for the likes of these people...baked cookies (for 15 hours!), got teased endlessly for it, and learnt that it wasn't such a difficult task (especially with a good recipe ;)
...climbed Tabur, trekked at Chilling, rested at Fraser's, and learnt how to appreciate nature and its beauty...worked at an unlikely place (I had to explain my decision to do so several times), and learnt that people, no matter where they come from or where they stand in society, are generally the same and have the same needs (companionship, respect, correction, a listening ear)

...took over a new cell group of guys, and learnt that people, no matter how different, are extremely valuable and full of potential...worked with small committees to organize small efforts and projects, and learnt that people are happy to work for clear, achievable, honorable goals

...oversaw 365 events in my capacity as Chairman (but did not lead them directly), and experienced the joy of seeing other/younger leaders lead well and succeed...shared a full sermon at a church service, and was reminded that the spoken word is only as effective as a life that models the message
...played Paintball for the first time, and enjoyed it immensely - the adrenaline rush, the bullets whizzing past your ear, the feeling you get after shooting another person! Going again next year, definitely :>...organized a "Leaders Retreat" and a "thanksgiving dinner" for the youth leaders of 365, and learnt to always appreciate them for their service, time, effort and talents (also tried the Durian Cendol in Malacca heheh)...studied for subjects and university papers which I wasn't totally confident about and received assignment grades I probably didn't deserve, and learnt that God honours human effort by providing divine grace
...helped to organize a project for an Orang Asli village, learnt how to relate to them, and realised that people can be very generous to good causes...started intentionally mentoring a small group of potential leaders, and learnt to 'replicate' what I've learnt to them
...organized the events for the 30 Hour Famine Camp (Monash), and learnt that almost everyone has an innate desire to "make a difference"...attended a relative's funeral, a few months after having dinner with her (during which I realised that it was probably going to be our last dinner together), and learnt to constantly remember the certainty of death and the urgency to live
...spent good quality time with Jas for New Year '10 and "summer", and enjoyed her company thoroughly!...played the "Father" of the prodigal son in an Easter play in Monash CF, and learnt how to cry while acting :P...bade farewell to friends who left Malaysia, and learnt to be as much of a 'friend' as I can be to the people I meet everyday now

4) What a year it's been! It's time to leave all these things behind and look forward. The prospect of an entirely different list in 2011 is exciting! Here's to a great list of 'firsts' in 2011 for all of you :>

With Idealism a dream floats
With Cynicism a dream sinks
With Diligence a dream moves