Seriously?

I've attended Christian funeral services before. Heck, two out of my three grandmothers who passed away in the last ten years had Christian funeral wakes. Both of those wakes were organised by my mom, who invited her Chinese pastor down 

to lead the service. So let's get this straight - I've been to Christian wakes before and I'm generally okay with them. 

However, I don't think I was ever so annoyed and infuriated about a Christian service until tonight, the one held at my aunt's funeral. 

The pastor who led the service tonight was a pastor from my second cousin M's church. He came down, people started singing. The usual. But after my cousins said their bit about their mom, the pastor started giving a short speech.

Usually from the wakes I've attended, the sermons are quite straight-forward. They talk about the person's life, how the person is a caring and doting family member, how the person loves Jesus, how Jesus died on the cross for you and the deceased, and how the deceased is now in heaven with a new body (very important for people who died of a tragic disease) and how we should all look forward to meeting the person again in heaven. Say your prayers, sing a hymn, conclude the session. 

But nooooo. This guy starts off with the usual routine. He starts talking about my aunt and how brave she was fighting cancer in the past two years, how devoted a Christian she was, and how she would attend church services regularly, etc. Fair enough. Then he talks about how Jesus came down and died for our sins, etc. Except that the sermon started drifting off into dangerous territory. 

He started talking about salvation, and how YOU, the friend/family member of my aunt, should be saved because Jesus died for your sins and he'll give you eternal life. 

WHAT? That was when I leaned back in my chair, folded my arms and gave my best 'what the hell' stare from the long ways back where I was sitting. 

Then BEST PART. When he closed the sermon and everyone bowed their heads in prayer (I didn't, because I was still reeling in shock), he asked the congregation if anyone would like to be saved, and if so, to raise their hand now. 

And my first cousin S raised his hand and was led to the back by another church member. 

WHAT? 

That was when I started to get pissed. Just before the sermon started and my three cousins were sharing their memories of their mom, first cousin S had already talked about how he made a promise to his mom to go to church and be baptised if she got better and recovered. It was so important, in fact, that after all three siblings had said their piece, he repeated this promise again.

I understand why S would raise his hand. It's perfectly understandable given the life-changing circumstances of the death of his mother and the promise that he made. 

And the pastor must have known that as well. It's so infuriating that the pastor took such 'opportunities', when people are at their most vulnerable and shaken, to try to convert them to Christ. Seriously? The family just lost a loved one here, and you're trying to use this time when they're at their lowest to evangelise? 

Argh.

I'm not the only one who feels this way. After the service when we were all hanging around and I asked my cousin L (who is another staunch Christian) whether she felt icked out by the service, and she pretty much agreed with me, adding that 'it's not a numbers game'.

Sigh. Like seriously? Throughout the entire sermon I wasn't really paying attention to the pastor, mostly because I was listening out for the way he pronounced words and how he would add a random T to certain words. So 'god' became 'got' and 'loss' because 'lost'. But when he started evangelising, I started paying more attention to content, and by the end of the sermon, I rolled my eyes so much they could have lodged themselves at the back of my head. 

Let's just hope he doesn't do it again today. Grrr.

This entry was brought to you by 750 words. 

Yr Broom (acoustic) -Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

It's been a trying month for a lot of people I know. But somehow this song started playing in my head this morning. It's a good song, despite the fact that this song is about loving a girl who likes someone else.

Also, it was in my head and I couldn't find the damn song, because I was scrolling through my SSLYBY songs but the recognisable chords don't actually start till several seconds into the song. So there I was, pretty sure that this is a SSLYBY song but can't finding the song. So I thought - hey, maybe it's an Elliot Smith song instead. And I cycled through what must be a 100 Elliot Smith songs but still nothing.

So then I tried googling something else different. And there it is.

Comfort song for trying times.

Dear month of May

You officially suck. Stop being crap to the people around me. 

Bye.

Reply from a former minister

Days before the election, George Yeo made a video message on Facebook to Gen Y voters, where he basically said that if he were voted in, he would be the driving change that Singaporeans are looking for. He also asked Gen Y voters to write in to him and to share their views on how Singapore can be transformed into a better country, and how he wants to be the voice of the youth. Yada yada yada.

So I did. It took me about an hour, and I wrote him a 1,000 word message on Facebook, just detailing some of the cracks in the government's policies and how they affect me and my family. I didn't talk about anything on a grandiose policy-making level, just personal issues in my life and how that made me feel as a voter from the demographic that he was hoping to tap onto.

I didn't expect him to reply, mainly because it was during the hustings period and every candidate was 'walking the ground', shaking hands and making rally speeches at night. Plus, I know how it is to be inundated with an avalanche of emails. (I can take forever to reply to emails at times.)

But this morning I received a reply from him, which surprised me. But when reading the reply, it's like he never really 'got' the gist of my message at all.

Firstly, he said:

Lisa, sorry to take so long to read your email, thanks for your views and your support!

Huh?

I did say in the email that I was moved by his video, and that the only other time I felt this way was at Bishan stadium watching Chiam See Tong speak.

But I also did write:

This Saturday, I will be casting my vote for Workers Party in my East Coast GRC. I've pondered a very long time about this decision, but I feel that I would be making the right choice not just for myself, but for Singapore's democratic future.

And after that I did go on to talk about why I felt that way (unthinking candidates who promote status quo, refusal of the government to accept that certain policies, like the HDB, are broken, a one-party monopoly in Parliament will drive Singapore to ruin in the future) So it's clear where my loyalties are. I don't think I beat the bush around this topic.

Although, I did say that my money was on the PAP to win Aljunied (and how wrong I was). So does that mean that I supported George Yeo? If a gambler places a bet on a team in a match, it doesn't mean that the gambler is a die-hard fan or even a fan at all. It just means that the odds look good enough for the gambler to place some money down, hoping for a win.

What can I say. I guess the Workers Party win was good after all.

Rofl

Haha, Dave's quote makes him seem like he's a curmudgeonly reactionary who has decided to boycott SBS. How dare you block third-party apps? See how you like it when I boycott your buses? *shakes fist*

Lol, I laughed SO hard when I first saw the quote online. Seriously, best thing of the day.

It's only words - BeeGees

Saw this picture posted on Nicole Seah's FaceBook page. Legalities aside on whether it's even feasible for Tin Pei Ling to sue, Albert Tye's choice of words are very... interesting, to say the least.

The words "wicked", "righteous" and "evils" reveals a certain Christian bias. But more importantly, if you think that the world falls into two binaries - wicked versus the righteous - it might limit your understanding on how and more importantly, why pro-opposition people think the way they do.

Do I think people who post sexist, demeaning 'babblings' of Tin Pei Ling are wrong? Sure I do. But at the same time, I don't think they are wicked or are the face of evil. I think it stems from a frustration they feel, whether it is from a level of dissatisfaction with the government or with certain policies. But to say that it's 'EVIL'? That's a little harsh, doncha think?

(Personally, if you ask me, I wouldn't have voted for Tin Pei Ling because I think she is inadequately versed in the shortcomings of govt policies, as seen in the Razor interview where she said something along the lines of 'Oh Singapore's pretty good, I don't see any need for change to policies, except maybe for minor tweaks'.

But seriously? The woman was voted into Parliament by the people of Marine Parade, so please stop all your badgering to kick her out and bring George Yeo back in. She ran for elections, she won (albeit on the coattails of others). That's democracy for you.

If there's an issue you have, it should be with the GRC system. Or if you still can't get over it, you should go down to the constituency and glare at all the residents walking around.)

This is what an emo emoticon looks like

David: \:(
emo emoticon is sad
me: hahaha
emo emoticon is my invention!
David: yeah
go make a giant \:(
and put it on your bloh
blog

\:( translates into emo person with bangs being sad. go forth and use this emoticon as you please, my dear friends! go out into the world, emo emoticon!

Oh hey!

Put This On • Sometimes people ask me about how I created my...: "

via http://putthison.com/post/4949342765/sometimes-people-ask-me-about-how-i-created-my

"

Even better, someone made a picture on the Ira Glass quote! Awesome!

What Ira Glass said

howdy do it: a little ira glass wisdom: "

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.

— Ira Glass (via nefffy, by way of Fresh Air, by way of Yarn Yumminess)

Ira Glass press photo by Stuart Mullenberg via UAB

"

Shared a video of Ira Glass sharing this titbit on Google Reader, but it never hurts to come back to this time and time again.

Financial advice for the poor

So, according to my dad who has started giving me daily updates on how
the stock market is doing, you should buy SIA stocks now, because
they're giving about $1,200 in dividends.

Yeap, would like to buy me some of that too, but I just need to find
about $14,000 in chump change in my purse first before I can even get close to buying SIA stocks. >_<

/Random anecdote of the day

after you've gone

fiona apple - after you've gone live in NYC (2005)

holy crap, has it been six years since Extraordinary Machine was released? i remember watching this video because it was one of the few live shows she did to promote the CD, which had not yet been launched. and the thing is, i don't even remember watching this video on youtube then!

holy crap, i feel old now!

Fiona Apple - Tidal

Right now, I'm doing something which I haven't done in a long while:
I'm listening to an album from start to finish, in the sequence which
the artist and producer wants their audience to listen to.

Some years ago I fell out of love with Tidal. Not sure why that
happened, because when I first got my hands on it at 16, I was smitten
with it. I remember listening to the album in my bedroom, reading the
lyrics in the CD liner and trying to memorise all the words. But when
her sophomore album, When the pawn, came out, I thought it was a
better album, and when the two versions of Extraordinary Machine
(produced by Jon Brion before Sony nixed it and passed it on to
Timbaland) came out, I forgot about Tidal entirely. Like I didn't even
migrate the album onto mp3s, that's how much I drifted apart from the
album.

Why did I fall out of love with the album? Too much raw emotion? Too
emo? (I remember thinking that Sullen Girl (about Apple's rape) was a
very depressing song.) Too much personal baggage with the album?
(Fiona Apple was recommended by a cousin of my then best-friend, and
we definitely had a thing for each other then).

But whatever the reason, it was a pure coincidence that I managed to
chance on Criminal playing over local airwaves yesterday. Coincidence
because I hardly listen to local radio in the car anymore, I'll always
plug in my iPod or iPhone within the first few minutes of starting the
car. And coincidence because IT'S LOCAL RADIO, for crying out loud.
Fiona Apple isn't exactly Top 40, is she?

But whatever the case, I've started listening to the album and falling
in love with Fiona Apple all over again. Lubs.

The Drums | Best Friend | A Take Away Show

Wondering whether I should cough up the $65 for The Drums gig next week. But so far I like what I hear. Like Vampire Weekend meets Surfer Blood.

What I love about this clip in particular:
1) The hipsterness of the band. Come on, their haircuts, their aloof looks and their sunglasses. So hipster until can die!
2) The dancing shopkeeper! What a cute Frenchman.

Democracy in action

Overall, whatever the outcome of today's election, I'm glad almost
everyone in Singapore got a chance to participate in the electoral
process. It wouldn't be a legitimate election if citizens couldn't
cast their vote (rightly or wrongly, in my opinion) for one party or
another.

That said, I'm also very glad that I took the time to read the news,
watch the rally videos, talk about the elections incessantly for the
past what, three, four weeks? For me, the election fever started wayyy
before the 9 days of campaigning, but it got to a point where I would
lie in bed at 3am in the morning, hands itching because I could not
find out what people were saying on the #sgelections twitter feed. At
that point, I literally had to wrestle with Dave for my phone because
he was screaming at me to go to sleep instead of checking up on
elections news instead. Yikes.

I'm also very glad I took the time to attend the rallies. Watching
Chiam See Tong all frail and hunchbacked but still fighting for what
he thinks is right for Singapore made me all choked up.There were
other favourite moments, such as listening to Pritnam Singh and Chen
Show Mao as they encouraged people to think beyond their
municipalities. Or how I felt my heart soar when during the last
rally, Low Thia Kiang talked about how LKY dared him to leave his
stronghold of Hougang and contest in a GRC. "And that's what I am
doing right now!"

That was when I felt so proud of all the opposition candidates
(whether good or bad) for taking the insurmountable challenge of a GRC
and going head-to-head with a cabinet minister in nearly every GRC. We
cannot allow this unequal electoral playing field to continue much
longer if we are serious about the the viability and health of our
democratic system.

You know what, I'm proud of my voting decision today - although it was
one I made long time ago. If you had asked me five years ago when I
was under Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, I would have voted the same way as
well. My only regret is that my parents are overseas and won't be able
to vote in this watershed election, because despite our differences in
values and views (especially with my mom), we've actually see eye to
eye on many of the election issues.

Now I can only cross my fingers that my fellow citizens would have
made the right choice to. That they would have stopped to think about
themselves, other Singaporeans and the future that goes beyond lift
upgradings and other carrots (which are funded for by the taxpayers).
But here's the beauty of the democratic elections. If we can't get
this right, let's try again five years later (hopefully without any
gerrymandering).

My virgin vote, as told by my tweets

<Actually, I could have voted 5 years ago under the Pasir Ris-Punggol
GRC, but was away in the States.>

10.30am: Still in bed, but I see that a lot of people have voted already!

10.45am: <Phone conversation with my Godma>
Godma: Were you sleeping when I called?
Me: Yes.
Godma: Have you voted yet?
Me: No.
Godma: Why not?
Me: Cos I'm sleeping? Hahaha.

11am: Let's go, East Coast GRC! It's hammer time!

11+: I don't usually like Muse, but Uprising is a good song for today.

12.30pm: Took me a longer time to park the car than it did to vote.
Also, sad that there wasn't trumpet fanfare music playing in the
polling station.

Nicole Seah fandom

Video of NSP's Nicole Seah at Whampoa SMC rally, April 30

Thought her first rally speech on the first night was a little fierce and xenophobic (about the remarks on the train), but this speech was awesome. Despite reports of her fatigue, she really pulled it off. She's such an inspiration. Really.