I once was lost

My mum’s been away on holiday for a week, and being too lazy to cook (especially without cookware of my very own), I’ve been paying more attention to the fast food scene of late. Apparently there’s a current batch of time-limited burgers right now, and the theme of it all seems rather clear - bigger is better!

I’m not a big fan of hamburgers, so I decided to give the beef-based burgers a miss (plus I’ve already tried a BK triple before), but I actually quite like the McSpicy, so I decided to give the mega version a go. It was actually pretty good, though I wonder how people with small mouths would manage, although the meal’s probably a little too much - I was feeling quite stuffed at the end of it all! Perfect for a ravenous teenager, perhaps, but probably not something I’ll repeat again.

My brother mentioned the turducken today, essentially a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey, similar to the three-bird roast I’d heard about (but never had) back in England. I’d always wanted to try it, but never got around to doing so (probably because the costs were quite prohibitive, plus you kinda need a horde of people to finish one).

Apparently Goodwood Park Hotel in Singapore sells it though, and after some searching I’ve located last year’s Christmas catalogue. Sounds like a dish I’d really like to sample - hopefully I’ll get to eat it this Christmas, somehow!

I went out today. This might not sound like earth-shaking news, until you consider that I’ve more or less not done so ever since school started. Well, I’ve gone out for meals, and adjourned to friends’ for post-dinner games, but that’s about it really. (Which is, incidentally, related to why I haven’t been blogging for some time - those assignments just kept coming! It’s not actually all that bad - I’ve definitely had time to blog if I’d wanted to, just that after rushing all those assignments, you don’t really feel like writing all that much…)

So on Monday I handed in my final assignment for the semester and suddenly I’m in holiday mode. I’ve still got classes to attend, but they pretty much finish this week - sweet! So yesterday I lounged around playing some computer games (starting on The Witcher, an RPG based on a Polish fantasy series of the same name), and decided that today will be spent on some chores I’d been meaning to do for awhile.

First up was the dentist. I’ve definitely got to find a cheaper place - TP Dental Surgeons is simply too expensive. It seems to cater to the expatriate crowd (which might explain the price), since the other customers there seem to be angmoh or Japanese. I mean, maybe they’re better somehow, but I think premium examination/scaling/polishing services are something I’m not willing to pay for.

Next, I went to claim some Tangs vouchers. I’d been making use of a referral scheme to score some free vouchers, and I’m happy to announce that I’ve earned S$80 doing pretty much nothing more than asking my friends if they wanted a Citibank credit card. Talk about easy money (If you want to apply for one let me know hor)! I think free vouchers are really good publicity for the company, though - I was wondering what to spend my newly-earned vouchers on, so I walked around and identified things I should buy before starting work next year. I’ll probably wait till the next GSS, though - I’ll probably be using the vouchers on a phone this time round.

I’ve actually been thinking of getting the Nokia N85 recently. It all started out with wishing I had a WiFi-capable mobile phone, so I could have web access at school without requiring a computer (or paying pricey 3G fees). Then I figured I should probably get something which can take decent (if not brilliant) photos, especially since I no longer have my own camera. Happily enough, there is a SingTel-affiliated store at Tangs that I can use the vouchers on, so I’ll probably get the phone soon enough.

Finally, I went for a free corporate photo shoot (again, from signing up for a credit card with Citibank). I was a little apprehensive about it, especially after reading poor reviews on the service, but figured that I had nothing much to lose since it was a free service. It turned out surprisingly well, perhaps because as a guy I didn’t have any problems with makeup, and I ended up purchasing a soft copy for S$10. Kinda pricey for a 30¢ CD, but as a overall package it was still a pretty good deal, and I can now print more copies by myself if required.

A day full of mundane tasks, but somehow I feel very satisfied having done them. It’s a snooze-worthy enough post as it is now, so I’ll probably just end here. Hopefully my next post will be a happy one about a new phone purchase!

It warms the cockles of my heart whenever I see someone giving up his/her seat to somebody else - and I must say, it seems to have (surprisingly) become a relatively frequent occurrence these days! I’ve even joined in the fun occasionally and surrendered my own seat at times. I must confess, though, that I’m not the perfect altruist, and several factors go through my mind before actually deciding whether or not to do so - I actually do a simple cost/benefit analysis every time I spot somebody I suspect might appreciate the seat a lot more than me.

Typical seat-surrender sequence

1. Wait. Pray that somebody else will be nicer than me and give up the seat first. “Lord, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me…”
2. If everyone else in the carriage is apparently being a jerk, start analysing the subject on neediness level, considering…
   • injuries (those that influence bipedal stability, anyway)
   • age (not a major factor, though, some of those Ah Kongs are remarkably sprightly!)
   • pregnancy status (extremely dangerous territory. I actually try not to offer big-bellied ladies a seat unless it is bleedingly obvious, because some of these big-bellied ladies are not actually pregnant)
   • others (because I’m sure I’ve missed something from this list)
3. Before standing up, quickly think about how many stops there are before getting off the train. I’m sorry, if I just got on at Boon Lay and have 12 stops left to go, it’s going to take a crippled pregnant old man to get me off my butt! (Hyperbole intended.)

Fortunately (or not), this sequence doesn’t get the chance to play itself out if I’m unconscious (asleep) or deeply engrossed in reading. It’s also surprisingly stressful to keep conducting this assessment procedure - it’s no wonder so many people simply opt to fall asleep instead.

On a bit of a whim, I went for a course organised by Wesley Methodist Church on ‘How to tell others about Jesus’. It was a rather light course (about 2h long), and I appreciated that the speaker actually discouraged overt in-your-face evangelism (which I’ve always found rather ineffective), but rather encouraged laypeople to be ready to answer questions and be sensitive to situations where people’s curiosities might be expressed.

He didn’t recommend heavily using the Bible either, which I’ve always thought was a rather silly technique when trying to reach non-believers (especially lapsed Christians who already have some familiarity with it), and one that I’d encountered A LOT while I was in York. I can understand the optimistic belief that God’s word will never return empty (Isaiah 55:11), but at the same time I found it frustratingly annoying to be constantly quoted scriptural verses, such as the absolute favourite “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching…” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Hello? I’m telling you that I’ve got doubts about the validity of the Bible, and you decide to cite the Bible… in support of the Bible? Thankfully things worked out for me in the end, but I shudder to think how such inflexibility has actually hampered the spread of Christianity in these modern times.

I don’t think I’m really in any position to bring anyone to God, though. I’m happy to do whatever I’m able to, but after attending the course I find I still have many things to sort out before I’ll have useful advice for friends curious about seeking God.