random

it's funny what people can come up with:

The Drake equation was devised to estimate the number of extraterrestrial civilizations in our galaxy with which we might come in contact. The main purpose of the equation is to allow scientists to quantify the uncertainty of the factors which determine the number of extraterrestrial civilizations.

The Drake equation states that:

where:

N is the number of civilizations in our galaxy with which we might expect to be able to communicate at any given time

and

R* is the rate of star formation in our galaxy

f_p is the fraction of those stars that have planets

n_e is average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets

f_l is the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop life

f_i is the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop intelligent life

f_c is the fraction of the above that are willing and able to communicate

L is the expected lifetime of such a civilization

and so said Bill Watterson: "The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us."

haha.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ching... we're gonna miss you :(

applied for three jobs no form of response, yet. sheeesh... it's gonna be a long long summer. btw i'm not going to aus. moving to cumberland on monday!!!

"Did God create evil?"

( Email from a friend, read on  )

Did God create everything that exists? Does evil exist? Did God create evil?

A University professor at a well known institution of higher learning challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?"

A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!"

"God created everything?" The professor asked.

"Yes sir, he certainly did," the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything; then God created evil. And, since evil exists,
and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil."

The student became quiet and did not respond to the professor's hypothetical definition. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question, professor?"

"Of course", replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"

"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?"

The other students snickered at the young man's question. The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 F) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"

The professor responded, "Of course it does."

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it everyday. It is in the daily examples of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

The young man's name -- Albert Einstein

A true story.

:edit: haha thanks jarod, but it's still amazing isnt it.

...

thank you.

just another form of procrastination

in my notebook:

SUMMER: THINGS TO DO

1.      travel around wellington

2.      take nice pictures  (i dont even own a camera.  i have a memory card though, what good is that??)

3.      go to auckland

4.      watch a play

5.      hire skates/bike riding by oriental bay

6.      go to castle point (again)

7.      go to the zoo

8.      snuggle more

9.      get sunnies

10.   get a job

now i just wanna finish my exams.

on a side note, im reconsidering my trip to aus.

-----

on the verge of insanity. biology exam on friday and i cannot concentrate, so dully apathetic right now, someone save me... hit me hard, real hard. speaking of bio, why does the evolution theory still hold? "The Cambrian explosion of species refers to the geologically sudden appearance in the fossil record of the ancestors of familiar animals." hmm, fancy name for something that cant be explained scientifically, go figure. what the heck two more exams and im done for the trimester, hope ill survive till then to whiff the sweet smell of freedom, and bright summer days without wind and rain. the weather has been crappy, thanks for accommodating my mood. very much appreciated. grrr.

chilling out at esthers last night was exactly what i needed - warm company, irrelevant joyful conversations, pizza. esthers just sooo amazing, truly an angel sent from heaven. love her lots.

-----

came across this, very randomly:

"Work like you do not need money,

Dance like no one is watching you,

and Love like you have never been hurt before."

makes me think: i wish i could love so whole heartedly, but lifes not a fairytale. sometimes reality hits you so hard you fall and as you struggle to get back up you realize youre a different person. youve become so vulnerable, you feel as if you might just break down any moment. all your thoughts become so messed up, you can't be bothered doing anything but grieve and be depressed. every single movement is pejorative, every word spoken forlorn. life becomes so insipid, you find joy in nothing.

its something you got used to. its irreversible. it scars. but still, i wish i could love. don't we all?

happy birthday to my lovely brother (21^st oct). he's the awesomest 13 year old around.

nothing will be the same. ever. take me away.

i'm going home

went to STATRAVEL today, finally confirmed flight back to malaysia (after much hassle, sorry jarod). well well looks like ill be hanging round in aussie for a few days. sweet, i really need a getaway right now. so heres what my itinerary looks like:

ITINERARY

20 October 2006

PREPARED FOR:      MS HUI XIAN TAN

THURSDAY  18 JAN 07

Depart : WELLINGTON

Arrive: SYDNEY

MONDAY  22 JAN 07

Depart : SYDNEY

Arrive: SINGAPORE

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

THURSDAY 22 FEB 07

Depart : KUALA LUMPUR

Arrive : SINGAPORE

THURSDAY  22 FEB 07

Depart : SINGAPORE

Arrive : SYDNEY

FRIDAY  23 FEB 07

Depart : SYDNEY

Arrive : WELLINGTON

*dates subject to change

i might go to brisbane too, which means i'll have to skip south island trip this break, sorry chong.

okay back to work. STAT193 exam tomorrow. yes TOMORROW. urgh. i think im having too much caffeine+taurine. i hate statistics, specially when this one exam worths 75% or 100% of my final grade. and tim came over to my room just now to remind me of how confident everyone else is. its scary.

"Everything is possible for him who believes."      ~Mark 9:23

place a vision in front and your life will conform to the vision - not what it is NOW, but what it WILL BE. do not grieve on what has been, fix your life on what could be, the past will always be the past.

i like this one. persistent, persistent, persistence...? yes, hold on shen, hold on. 

good luck to all you exam homies out there.

good night world, it's half past 12 in nz.

im so so sorry. for everything. i really am.

update update!

alright. it's been ages since my last entry, so here's pretty much what i did last month. indulge yourself:

( and for those who asked i'm in new zealand =P )

CityChurch camp @ waikanae (11-13 August)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

life is good  ...apart from the fact that my finals are in 20ish days.

"Now FAITH is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."     - Hebrews 11:1

i know He wants only good things for me. i have faith. i will be stronger. whatever the outcome may turn out to be, i trust it will be bliss. He is just, despite all that is seemingly unfair now. He said, "wait..."

and i shall wait.