Randomness

Been studying for the whole day. Need some air to breathe. What's the purpose of life? To study, to get good results, to make a living.

Don't you need to spend some time with friends? Yes, but only with those friends worth spending time. Your good friends will understand why you need to study so hard.

Although I have forgiven all of them, I have become more careful in choosing friends. Friends who backstab you, friends who hurt you out of spite, friends who tease you with their friends right in front of you, friends who treat you like shit, friends who come to you when they have problems and will ignore you when they don't, friends who judge you, and friends who use you. Yeah, I have seen a lot. I have experienced a lot. I have grown more mature. I am trying my best not to get so close to someone to avoid the replay of history. This kind of friends just don't know how great an impact they have made on people's lives.

At the same time, I feel blessed. I got a scholarship that enables me to study the course I wanted to study overseas. I have sincere friends, if not best. I have my good and supportive family. I have God who loves me.

:)

Unanswered Prayers

One of the greatest benefits afforded to every Christian is the privilege of answered prayers. In the Bible, Jesus made this tremendous promise, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matt 21:22). However, despite the Lord’s willingness to answer prayer, it is obvious that some prayers have gone unanswered. Why is this? The following are the most common reasons why some prayers do not get results:

1. Lack of Fellowship with God and His word
John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
Unanswered prayers are sometimes a result of absence from fellowship with the Lord and His Word. Jesus promised that if we would remain in His fellowship, and allow His Word to remain in us, this would produce results in prayer.

2. Not seeking to Please the Lord
1 John 3:22 “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
Answers to prayer come when we seek to keep His commandments and please the Lord with our life. This is not to suggest that we “earn” answered prayers, any more than we can earn salvation which comes only by faith (Eph. 2:8-9). He answers our prayers from his “grace” and “mercy” (Heb. 4:16), not merely from our good deeds. However, keeping His commandments and pleasing the Lord is a product of our obedience to His word, which is faith in action (James 2:20). What are His commandments? He commanded that we are to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul, and to love our neighbor as ourself (Mark 12:30-31). Further, Jesus said we are to love our brethren as He has loved us. “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Lack of love, bitterness, unforgiveness is the root of many unanswered prayers, since faith works by love (Gal 5:6).

3. Unconfessed Sin in One’s Life
1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.”
There is no doubt that sin will disrupt the flow of God’s blessings and answers to prayer. The psalmist, David wrote, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear” (Psa. 66:18). All acts of rebellion and disobedience to God is considered sin. Sins of “commission,” are those overt acts which are done in disobedience. However, sins of “omission,” are those things we don’t do in obedience, but know we should (James 4:17). The remedy for all sin is to confess it to God, forsake it, and ask Him to forgive you (1 John 1:9).

4. Improper Motives
James 4:3 “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
Our motives in our prayer requests are of concern to the Lord. He wishes to help us in our time of need, but is not obligated to answer prayers which will merely feed our carnal, worldly appetites and (lustful) pleasures. Our motives and desires can be corrected by humbling ourselves, and drawing near to God (James 4:8-10).

5. Not asking in God’s will
1 John 5:14-15 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
God will only answer those prayers that are in “His” will. When we ask anything that is in His will, we can have assurance that those “petitions” (requests) are granted to us. God’s will is revealed through His Word, the Bible. Anything promised by His Word is His will, and we can be confident that He’ll honor our prayers based on His Word.

6. Don’t know how to pray
Luke 11:1 "...Lord, teach us to pray...”
Some lack effectiveness in prayer simply because they don’t know what the scriptures teach about prayer. Jesus gave His disciples an outline for prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Take the time to study it. Other passages teach that prayer is primarily to be a private, intimate time with the Lord (Matt. 6:6), to be intermingled with praise and thanksgiving (Acts 16:25, Phil. 4:6). Times of fasting with prayer are beneficial to strengthen our faith and power in prayer (Acts 14:23, 1 Cor. 7:5). Jesus often went to secluded places to spend prolonged periods in prayer (Luke 6:12, Matt. 4:2).

7. Lack of Faith
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
We cannot please God without faith. Prayer is not merely “begging” from God. It is “believing” God and His Word! Faith will come forth and grow as we devote our attention to the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Our faith can also be “built up,” by praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20).

8. Misunderstanding of Faith
Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Many do not understand that faith is believing in the reality of things, even though we cannot see them (Heb. 11:1). Jesus said that “when” you pray, you must believe that you “receive” your answer at that moment. The word, “receive” comes from the Greek word, LAMBANO, which means “to receive now” (present tense). He then says we will “have” them. "Have" comes from, ESOMAI, which means “to possess later” (future tense). So, when we pray we must believe in the finished results of our prayer, and we will eventually experience the tangible results sometime later.

9. Wavering faith
James 1:6-7 “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;”
There are those who allow every “wind” of feelings or circumstances to influence or discourage their faith. They vacillate back and forth, like the waves tossed about in the sea. One day they believe, but the next, they’re ready to give up, and so forth. Such persons usually base their faith on their feelings or emotions instead of God’s Word. They who waver in their faith cannot expect to receive “anything of the Lord.” Our faith must become stable, steadfast, and consistent to receive from God.

10. Failure to apply spiritual Authority
Mark 11:23 “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
There are times that some prayers may not get far until we incorporate the spoken authority of the name of Jesus. The reason for this is that the problems we face may “sometimes” be a product of an evil spiritual origin. As Paul writes, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). In such cases, our prayers may need to engage in what we call “spiritual warfare” to obtain results.
The need for this type of prayer is most obvious whenever Christians deal directly with demonic activity. For this evil operation to cease, our prayers need to include the exercise of spiritual authority against the devil in the name of Jesus, commanding him to leave (Acts 16:18). Therefore, as Jesus indicated, there will be times that we may need to literally speak to mountains (symbolic of obstacles and problems) and tell them to move in Jesus’ name.

11. Lack of Perseverance
Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Probably the greatest reason that some prayers go unanswered is because many give-up praying and believing before they receive their answer. As long as we have the promise of God’s Word, be patient and persistent - keep believing, and don’t quit, no matter how long it takes! God has a “due season” when He will bring the answer to pass.

Friendship

True and Lasting Friendship Can Occur Suddenly
1 Samuel 18:1–3
After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn't let him return home. And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself.

Godly Friends Give Good Advice
Proverbs 12:26
The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.

Gossip Separates Best Friends
Proverbs 16:28
A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.

Loyal Friends Love Through Difficult Times
Proverbs 17:17
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

Faithful Friends are a Rare Treasure
Proverbs 18:24
There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

Reliable Friends are Hard to Find
Proverbs 20:6
Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?

Purity and Integrity Gain the Friendship of Kings
Proverbs 22:11
Whoever loves a pure heart and gracious speech will have the king as a friend.

Sincere Friends Speak the Truth in Love, Even When it Hurts
Proverbs 27:5-6
An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.

Counsel from a Friend is Pleasing
Proverbs 27:9
The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.

Friends Shape and Sharpen One Another
Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

True Friends Strengthen and Help Each Other
Ecclesiastes 4:9–12
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Friendship is Marked by Sacrifice
John 15:13–15
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

The Lord is a Friend to the Godly
Proverbs 3:32
Such wicked people are detestable to the LORD, but he offers his friendship to the godly.

Believers Enjoy Friendship with God
Romans 5:10
For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

Friendship with the World Makes You an Enemy of God
James 4:4
You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

Relaxation

Today is the day we have been waiting for. We're eventually done with all the final examinations. Today is the last paper: Psyhcology. At least it boosted my confidence as I think I did relatively better than other papers, but the thing is that the graph might be scaled down due to its low level of difficulty. All the time we spent in this 1 1/2 years was just for the 5 papers.

I think that we're quite lucky this year since almost all of the papers were relatively easier than past year final papers but the graphs might be scaled down. I'm quite insecure about the ESL as I did not manage to finish it all, but ended up scribbling something just to guarantee that I at least wrote down something which would be worth some marks of sympathy. I was actually quite dejected at my performance in the ESL and Economics as they could ruin my dream to Australian National University (my dream university).

Well at first I could not let God handle this as it has been my dream since I got a Public Service Department Scholarship. After much pondering, I thought 'hey, I could not even handle the stress in SAM. How am I even able to handle the potential stress we might have in ANU since many geniuses will be there? I'm just an ordinary student whose results are only so-so - not too bad and not too good.' So yeah, I have eventually decided to hand over this to God, and He shall decide everything as He knows what is best for His children. The University of Adelaide is not a bad choice, though, as I am not the kind of person who can work under intense stress like ANU. All I need is peace, a calm mind and low competition, that's it.

Right after the Psychology exam, I headed straight to the placement centre to enquire about Australian universities. After the officer had briefed us on it, I was like 'what? the expenditure on staying on campus is dearer than off campus?' Anyway, we're still vacillating between wanting to stay on and off campus.

Well anyway I pray that God will answer my prayer as to where to stay and all. God bless.

Will be relaxing and playing as much as possible in these 3 months, but must also take into account the financial constraint =D

Dreams to Achieve before I Die

1. Going to my dream university for my Bachelor's degree: Australian National University

2. Having a clique of Caucasian friends (been my dream since very very small), or 1 Caucasian BEST friend will do.

3. Going to my another dream university for Master's: University of Oxford

4. Opening a law firm that belongs to me

5. Making a lot of money (I don't need to be a millionaire, anyway)

6. Providing scholarships for poor students to further their studies

7. Travelling around the world (specifically Enropean countries like Switzerland)

8. Having a loving wife

9. Having lovely children (Must be English-speaking but Chinese-educated)

10. Harmonious family

12. Dwelling in a European country

God

We do something not for people, but for ourselves.

Have been afraid of people's negative judgment. Now I realize that it is so wrong.

We must continue serving God.

And, I will!

Truman (True Man)

We just watched a movie, the main character in which is 'Truman' (Sorry I don't know the title of the movie). We were so entertained by the movie without realizing that there're actually a lot of implications in it. These were some of the questions raised by my Psychology teacher, Ms Audrey, which we had never thought about:

Q: Did you realize that African Americans only appear once throughout the movie? Do you think that racial prejudice still exists and that it still needs a long time to totally disappear?

A: Yes. I'd ascribe racial prejudice to the existence of racial status. The richer the nation, the more superior they think they are. Unless all races are on a par in the social, economic and educational aspects, the disappearance of racial prejudice will never happen. It's just like how we view those poor countries - it is actually the same concept.

Q: If there existed two different worlds, that is, harsh reality and bliss, would you rather stay in bliss or step out to experience harsh reality?

A: That'd depend on what kind of environment the person is in now. If he is facing harsh realities now, perhaps he'll choose to stay in bliss forever for he's experienced a lot throughout his life. It's time to put a stop to the imminent burden. It also depends on how courageous you are to step out.

Q: How thick a social mask a person has to wear to socialize? Do you think it is likely that a person can socialize well without having to wear social mask?

A: Socializing, indeed, needs social masks. It is very hard to take down our social masks unless we are extremely close to our friends. A person with too high a superego tends to always show respect for others - respect is a barrier to a smooth flow of communication between two people, and will make friendship or relationship unable to proceed further. Joking in the form of a tease, I think, will foster better relationships with other people. That's why a confortable conversation needs a slight tease to enhance relationships.

Q: How many percentage do you think is our real self and social expectation of us?

A: Once we were born, we have already been charged with responsibilities, for example, contributing to society in future, becoming a responsible parent to ensure the well-being of our children, and so on. We have also been bound by social expectations since we were born, hence the existence of masculinity and femininity. Besides, we're also expected by parents to get good results, be filial obedient, and others. If you happen to be the eldest in you family, your burden will no doubt be heavier. In response to the question, I'd say it all depends on the kind of environment in which we were born. Perhaps we would be more of our real selfs if we were born rich as we do not need to shoulder so much burden, unlike those who were born poor.

We have to face predicaments in our journeys of life, and they are inevitable. So why not take it optimistically? :)