Simply Assumptious!

Assumptions can be dangerous...as the following story shows..

On the last day of kindergarten, all the children brought presents for their
teacher. The florist's son handed the teacher a gift. She shook it, held it
up and said, "I bet I know what it is - it's some flowers!"

"That's right!" shouted the little boy.

Then the candy store owner's daughter handed the teacher a gift. She held
it up, shook it and said. "I bet I know what it is - it's a box of candy!"

"That's right!" shouted the little girl.

The next gift was from the liquor store owner's son. The teacher held it up
and saw that it was leaking. She touched a drop with her finger and tasted
it. "Is it wine?" she asked.

"No," the boy answered.

The teacher touched another drop to her tongue. "Is it champagne?", she
asked.

"No," the boy answered.

Finally, the teacher said, "I give up. What is it?"

The boy replied, "A puppy!"

Simply Amazing!

What used to be something from Sci-fi movies, such as Star Wars, is now a reality. It's only a matter of time when such High Definition 3D holographic technology becomes as common as an LCD TV or projector. This will take video conferencing experience to the next level!

Simply 4-tunate!

The number “4” is considered inauspicious by many Chinese because it sounds like “death”, especially in the Cantonese, Hokkien & Teochew dialects. Yet, someone spent a fortune to keep such a number – according to a news article with this heading a few months ago:
Unlucky Number Plate Sells For £65,000!
"A woman from Hong Kong has paid £65,000 for the number plate 4444, despite the fact that in China the number four is considered unlucky. The number plate was sold at a government auction along with a further 270 unusual number plates. "
http://www.prlog.org/10078948-unlucky-number-plate-sells-for-65-000.html

My car registration number not only has two 4’s but also ends with a “C” (sounds like “die” in Hokkien)!

There are many things that come in fours, for example:

The 4 gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
The 4 temperaments (Melancholic, Choleric, Sanguine, Phlegmatic)
The 4 elements (Air, Fire, Earth, Water)
The 4 seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter)
The 4 regions of the earth (North, South, East, West)
The 4 divisions of the day (Morning, Noon, Evening, Midnight)
The 4 heroes of Marvel Comic (Fantastic Four)

Simply Imperfect!

Years ago, there was a movie called “Minority Report” (starring Tom Cruise), which tells of a future whereby crimes are virtually eliminated by an elite law enforcing squad called “Precrime”. They use three genetically altered humans (called “Pre-Cogs”) with special powers to see into the future and predict crimes beforehand. John Anderton heads Precrime and believes the system is flawless.
However one day the Pre-Cogs predict that Anderton will commit a murder himself in the next 36 hours. Anderton rushes against time to clear his name and to save his life and future.
One of the scenes showed a conversation between the characters, Anderton and Witwer.
Anderton: “There hasn't been a murder in six years. There's nothing wrong with the system. It's perfect!”
Witwer: “I agree. The system is perfect. If there's a flaw, it's human. It always is.”

The RMS Titanic was built to perfection and touted as unsinkable. Yet, history shows otherwise…another imperfect design of imperfect man!

“The Titanic” – drawn by my little friend, Joel Tan, with whom I share a lot in common – particularly drawing & gardening.

Unusual Names

Most parents-to-be would spend a great deal of time and effort thinking of an appropriate name for their kids long before they arrived.

What would you name your child? I've come across children with names like Esther See (sounds like the drug 'ecstasy'), See Li Ann (silly Ann), Galaxy Tan (obvious), and Kah Pak (which sounds like car park).

This is mild in comparison to the names that some parents give their children – as reported yesterday at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10523288

Names

I’m trying to remember the names of people in my new ministry environment – all 700+ of them. I decided to start with the key people first.
Remembering names has always been one of my weakest points. Putting the face to a name is even more challenging, though I’m better at remembering faces than names.

GPC is in the process of updating its members’ directory – the new directory will have a photo next to the name. That will be a tremendous help for me!

Found this on the website http://www.ehow.com/how_1986_remember-names.html, which
provides simple, yet helpful steps to remembering names (reproduced below):

Step1
Pay attention when you are introduced to someone. A few minutes after you meet the person, say his or her name to yourself again. If you have forgotten it, talk to the person again and ask for the name.
Step2
Write down the new name three times while picturing the person's face; do this as soon as possible after meeting someone.
Step3
Ask how to spell a difficult name, or glance at the spelling on the person's business card, if it's offered. If you know the spelling of a word and can picture it in your mind, you'll remember it better.
Step4
Connect a name to a common word you will remember. For example, the name Salazar could sound like 'salamander,' 'bazaar' or 'sell a jar.'
Step5
Make a connection to the person's hobby or employment. 'Bill the pill' might help you remember the name of your pharmacist, for example.

My First Week

Hey, I survived my first week!

Just minutes of orientation on my first day, I was led right into the action clocking 10 to 12 hours each day ever since (a norm for GPC staff). The truth is, I enjoy every minute of it!

I'm trusting God to keep me for the long haul, and I need every ounce of His sufficient grace. I know He will!