{Wrong things happen at the correct times}


At church, we were talking about my coming trip to OBS. Since we were sitting on the floor, I was walking around on my knees. Shaun said, "Benson, you need a lot of prayer" as I was walking to him, and once he said that, I tripped over my own hand. o.O

I felt very alive at church today. I felt God's energy crackle within me as I worshiped Him, and I feel ready to face any challenges I might face in the future. I feel charged to run around screaming crazily at OBS like nobody's business. Hooray for being able to drop all responsibilities and simply have fun for the next five days!

I went for dinner at Jurong Point Kopitiam with Bran and Shaun. We had ice cream at the B1 ice cream shop after accompanying Shaun on his journey for the perfect school shoe. Their ice cream is really nice and healthy. We could taste real fruits in their ice cream.

Me: There's real honeydew inside mine.
Shaun: Hmm. I don't seem to have them.
Me: Of course. You're having watermelon.

Lol.



Bran shot Shaun after his many attempts at avoiding his camera. Bwahaha.

I shall end today's post with a simply inspirational passage from the prayer booklet of Day of His Power.

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor. Amen.

Yep, it's good to look at things from different perspectives. Don't be held by the patterns of this earth, and instead, believe that you can be used by God for great purposes. Don't be afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone and doing what God wants you to do. Just go ahead and be who God wants you to be, and let the world deal with it.

Benson blogged at 6/29/2008 08:22:00 PM.
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{I'm running away to a distant land, and there's nothing you can do to stop me.}


Dear all, I will be away on a trip to Pulau Ubin from 30th June to 4th July.

Dear prefects, sorry for running away on a five-day holiday (?) and leaving you to tie up all the loose ends while I run around an island screaming myself silly. I'll try to help as much as I can once I come back and recover from camp sickness. (=

Today's flag day was really fun, and tiring. I was a lot more enthusiastic this year than I was last year, but unfortunately, I lost a bottle of banana-flavoured milk while getting caught up in asking for donations. And I got an apple from a CHIJ girl whom I donated $1 to, and it turned out to have a mushy inside. Today was an interesting day. o.O

Benson blogged at 6/28/2008 05:34:00 PM.
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{I ain't hiding behind the door.}


I have just retired from a drawn out and mentally gruelling MSN chat session, and I've brought away from it shocking revelations and unmasked truths. We relentlessly peeled off every single layer of the onion, just to get to its raw centre and understand what it tastes like. Of course, I'm purposely illustrating the entire process of onion-peeling in metaphorical language so I can rant all I want and nobody will be able to decipher my thoughts.

The crow was like a brother to his good friend, the raven. Tradition within the genus Corvus dictates that members of different species are to maintain a respectable distance from each other, and not mingle with each other. One was expected to socialise only within one's species, and not go beyond that. For years, the caste system was well maintained. However, this spring, the crow had found a great friend in the raven, and vice versa.

The other ravens were not at all pleased when they found that the crow and raven were getting closer. "Let us not further tolerate their wrongdoing, brethren!" One of the ravens declared. "For the sake of our heritage, let us punish our brother in the name of our ancestors that he may know his place." And the tribe sounded in agreement. That very night, the raven was brutalised, and the claw marks that were inflicted upon him wounded not only his body, but also his heart, for the intention of the ravens was not only to humiliate him, but also to render his wings useless, that he might not be able to fly with his friend, the crow, any more.

The crow was incensed beyond description when he found out about the assault that had been carried out upon his friend. The crows communed among themselves that night, and it was decided that for the sake of all Corvuses, the caste system was to be maintained and not be breached further.

The crow felt his heart break in unison with the raven's; he simply did not understand why the world could not accept the new. He wondered why the world could not accept the fact that true friendship can transcend social and spiritual barriers. Everyone is afraid of what is new, and to come to terms with their fears, they try ways and means to destroy the object of attention. The crow wondered if he had done the correct thing by choosing to follow his heart and make a new brother, rather than abide by the system and deny himself.

No, the crow thought. What I am doing is fine. There is nothing immoral going on between me and my newfound brother; I have a clear conscience. I need not fear what others think. The world is simply too young to understand how I feel.

The crow decided not to hide behind the folds of the ebon black curtains within his chamber any longer. He would not stand in front of the door, and not knock. If you do not knock on the door, you'll never know what stands behind it. The crow would not stare at the door of friendship and not knock because the fools of the world tell him not to. He was not going to conform to the patterns of the earth. The crow was breaking free.

He would be there for his friend, always.

That's what brothers are for.

The crow took a deep breath, and knocked.

Benson blogged at 6/21/2008 02:46:00 AM.
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{I've found my optimum working time..}


Through many days of experimenting with myself, I've achieved the aim of my scientific experiment; I have identified my optimum homework-doing rate. I've discovered that my brain functions best in the wee hours of the night/ morning. For example, I did two units of Physics, a Chemistry paper, coded an entire website, a comprehension passage, and three 600-word Chinese essays from 8pm to 3am yesterday. My hands are crying out for release from never-ending torment.

I just realised that I've been to Orchard Road thrice in the past four days..

Friday- after watching "The Happening", with HeangGee, Javan and JingKai.
Sunday- with my family.
Monday- Somehow ended up there after going to Chinatown, with LiFeng, HeangGee, Steph and Javan.

Also, in these three days at Orchard, I've visited Music Essentials twice, and hunted for recordings of the Butterfly Lovers Concerto at HMV, both times with insufficient funds to purchase what I've found. And also, on two occasions, we've attempted looking for free samples of food, both attempts being unsuccessful. Like I said, we're a bunch of very food-motivated people.

I still like my hair. =)

Benson blogged at 6/17/2008 02:27:00 PM.
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{I don't want my hair to grow..}




Frisbee at the Sports Fiesta was damn fun today. I teamed with Joshua, Bran, Elgar and Marcus and had lots of fun running around the field (?) and chatting excitedly about the Wicked Witch of the West. After that, I went for my violin lesson. Ensemble playing was funny today. We had to play some weird piece that nobody seems to understand. LOL.

I'm dating my homework pile next week. Now that there's a sense of urgency within me to finish everything as soon as possible, I finally have the momentum to actually do something without further procrastination. Go, me!

Benson blogged at 6/14/2008 11:07:00 PM.
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{What's happening to me?}


One of the strings on my violin snapped yesterday night while I was practicing. After buying a Dominant string at Yamaha (Plaza Singapura) today, I went home intending to fit my new string into my violin. Unfortunately, I snapped it too. I feel so depressed now. o.O

I finally had a chance to go out with my friends this holidays. I went to catch "The Happening" at Plaza Singapura with Javan, HeangGee and JingKai today. Javan has an uncanny ability to tolerate heat under that Ferrero Rocher jacket of his that he wears wherever he goes. (I can't tolerate it like he can. Lol.) We lunched at Yoshinoya, where we found the food to be really good and worth the money. After shopping for snacks at Carrefour and my bubble tea, we then hid everything inside my bag and went into the theatre.

If you haven't seen The Happening and intend to watch it, do not read the boxed text as it contains my views on the movie.


The Happening is an apocalyptic movie in which plants set off a neurochemical that triggers a mental switch within humans, causing the line between self-preservation and self-harm to disappear and pushing humans to hurt themselves, and ultimately commit suicide. The movie shows the struggles of a man, his wife and a little girl as they try to escape the catastrophe. A few months after the pandemic ends, it is discovered that it has merely begun; the incident was merely the first in a series of outbreaks that threaten the existence of humans all over the world.

I find this movie to be a substandard attempt at telling people to stop harming the earth. The movie attempts to use gore and horror tactics as a substitute for plot quality, which for the most part consists of a couple who is slowly discovering their way back into love and a little girl running around America as umpteen people die around them in increasingly violent fashions. Most of the movie seems to revolve around a cat-and-mouse chase between the stars and the neurochemical thats spreading through the plants that are so abundant in the setting of the movie. The unappetising movie that's covered with gore and violence is like a dish of buffalo wings that contains only the sauce and lacks the wings; decorations are piled up upon an apparently missing base ingredient.



After visiting Yamaha and Music Essentials (I was looking for strings and scores to some of my favourite songs), we walked around Orchard Road and walked in the direction of the food section, completely forgetting about where we were originally headed. I honestly think we're a food-driven group of people.

We had dinner at Jurong Point; Javan ate beef noodles by himself while the three of us shared a Korean cuisine meal. Then, we ate two bowls of ice kacang, and then went downstairs to Scoops for ice cream, after which Javan needed to buy milk tea from 7-Eleven. (Do you see why I think we're food-driven now?)

Javan and myself took a very empty bus back home together. I actually told him something that I've been keeping to myself for quite some time now. He's a great friend to have. Yeah, the two black jacket boys. (=

I shall be taking my violin down for servicing soon. Music Essentials satisfies all the musical fantasies I've ever dared conjure in my mind. I shall hang out there more often. =D

Benson blogged at 6/13/2008 10:44:00 PM.
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{Finally, a long post.}


After a few posts that lacked quality, I now have a post that's long and worth reading. I'll try to post in terms of quality, not quantity in future. The latter is definitely not a substitute for the former.

After reading "Give Me The Multitudes!", I find myself compelled to post about Exodus 4:1-5.


Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"
Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," he replied.
The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground."
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you."



Whatever you hold in your hands, God will use it for the furtherance of His kingdom, as long as you are willing to let Him. With whatever you hold in your hand, God will perform miracles to proclaim to the world that He is alive. (=

By the way, since I just realised that I wrote an essay that I have already done, I'm gonna post it up here for general viewing and discussion.


Do you consider sport an important part of life?

Sport is an integral part of life as we know it. Wherever one turns, one can (and will) find numerous references to sport, from teenage boys discussing the latest professional wrestling match on cable television to people of all ages eagerly anticipating the winners of the upcoming Olympic games. Sport is such an important part of life that it has integrated itself into every aspect of society, the two having become mutually inclusive. Truly, living without sports at all is a completely different ball game.

Firstly, sport is important as it provides many people with a goal in life. As one might know, a goalless life is a dreadful situation to be caught in; without a goal, one feels as if one has no purpose in life, and feels as if there is a void within one’s heart. Sport fills this void within the hearts of many people worldwide; in the Republic of China, thousands of youths aspire to make a name for themselves by becoming outstanding athletes. These youths train vigorously, in an attempt to attain their goal. This shows us that sport allows people to lead a purposeful life by giving them goals to work towards. Thus, sport is important as it enables people to lead meaningful lives.

Secondly, sport is an important part of life as it cultivates positive virtues in those who take part in it. Archery, a sport that puts one’s dexterity to the test, is not child’s play; one has to undergo long, gruelling hours of training just to be able to fire arrows with finesse and grace. For an archer to finally attain success, he would not have only trained his physical body; he would also have learnt to persevere and rise from failure. Archery is not the only sport that teaches important life lessons; marathon runners learn through constant practice and experience that one should run at a slow and steady pace and not expend all of one’s energy at the beginning of the race. This teaches one that one should learn to manage one’s resources and not squander everything over unimportant matters. Thus, sport is an important part of one’s personal life as it refines one into a better person.

Thirdly, sport is an important part of life as it allows fellow human beings to bond with each other. The vision of the Olympic games, the greatest sporting event to ever grace the earth, is to build strong ties of friendship among fellow competitors. This is evident from the process of passing the Olympic flame, in which people from diverse ethnic backgrounds from around the globe combine their efforts to ensure the safe relay of the flame. This builds rapport among people, and spurs people on to work as a united body towards the future of humanity. To cite a similar example of a smaller magnitude, businessmen often negotiate terms over relaxing games of golf. This is further proof that sport provides a portal through which fellow men can relate with each another, thus forging close and intimate bonds. Thus, sport is an important part of life as it brings people from different walks of life together.

Sport gives people dreams, teaches important life lessons and builds bridges that transcend language and cultural barriers to connect people from different walks of life. With the conclusion of the above factors, sport is indeed an important and integral part of life.


Benson blogged at 6/12/2008 11:28:00 AM.
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{There is no special ingredient!}




Cell group outing- Kungfu Panda.

Lame movie, but entertaining. I ate half a box of popcorn. I'm gonna regret that.

Paganini, here I come!~

Benson blogged at 6/10/2008 08:26:00 PM.
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{Many, many photos}


We had another long meeting yesterday. I think this meeting was quite fun because it seemed somewhat like a gossiping session, haha. Planned a lot of investiture stuff, and I'm rather happy with the way the Sec 2s are enthusiastically discussing stuff. Eating lunch together is very fun. (=



Meeting (?) in progress.



I forgot what we were doing when Hui En took this shot. oO



Small J, Admin head and Secretary.

Ok, so maybe "many, many photos" might have been an overstatement.

Benson blogged at 6/07/2008 11:55:00 AM.
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{Sex drives us crazy}


Had a really fun liaison meeting yesterday. It was very fruitful, and super funny, because Javan placed the huge "S" that you see on Superman's chest on the wrong part of his body without knowing, causing him to become really super in the wrong sense of the word.



Our caption for investiture invitation cards shall read as follows: "You are cordially invited to watch the sequel to this picture."







Eating lunch in a weird arrangement..



..and tormenting Steph and HeangGee in the process!



Note the interesting reflections in the board!


Benson blogged at 6/04/2008 08:20:00 PM.
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In Your freedom I will live;
All I am is Yours!