Listen!

As a person who enjoys watching movies, I have often wondered what watching does to people. I think it is true that we receive information much faster when we see it than if we merely hear it. Better still if we could both see and hear what is being communicated.

Is this higher transmission rate a boon or a bane?

If we are trying to make decisions of which time is of the essence, then surely being able to size up the essentials rapidly is a big advantage. Cut to the chase; show me, don't just tell me; give me the multimedia experience; better still, entertain me while you're at it.

But if our intention is to appreciate fully what the other person means and feels --- not only by what is said but how it is said, the way the logic flows, the nuanced choice of words and their pleasurable ring as they roll off the tongue, the tonal inflexions that colour the words with emotional meaning, or for that matter, the pregnant pause between words --- then perhaps seeing and watching overloads and rushes the brain along too much for us to notice these finer points of communication.

In fact, the addiction of our mind to constant visual stimulation conditions us to shorten our attention span. We find it hard to follow a line of thought that is not broken down into power points. We are so well-trained to scan without really looking that we hastily glean what we consider "relevant" without even pausing to ask "What is 'relevance', after all?"

I believe this is detrimental to our cultural and intellectual development.

Where is the pause between action sequences and newsflashes where we can ponder, "What does this mean?" Where would we find time between blinks to reflect on the deeper questions of life? How deeply can we think if the building blocks of our thought processes are no bigger than sound bites and slogans, snazzed up with eye candy? How well can we know ourselves and one another if we can't listen for more than 30 seconds without wondering (yawning), "So where is this going? What's the point?"

I still love movies --- the interplay of light and shadow, movements and colours, long shots and intimate closeups, fleshing out an intricate plot with the help of dialogue and sound track --- but I hope we will recover our ability to simply...

...listen.

What do you think? I'm listening!

BirdQuote: The Mystery of Bird Flight

Clarence D. Cone, Jr (quoted on a signboard at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserves)

“It is ironic… that despite his intense study of birds,
man did not really learn the basic secret of their flight,
for the bases of bird-flight remained mysterious
long after man had mastered the air.”


Isaiah 40:31 (New International Version)

"...those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles..."


Blue-tailed Bee-eater taking off
@ Venus Link Forest, Singapore
(c) August 2006, Wong Tak Meng


Sultan Tit coming in for a landing
@ Jalan Lady Guillemard, Fraser's Hill
(c) October 2006, Wong Tak Meng


Javan Cuckoo-shrike taking off
@ Jelai Resort, Fraser's Hill
(c) October 2006, Wong Tak Meng


Grey Heron flying straight and level
@ Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserves, Singapore
(c) November 2006, Wong Tak Meng

BirdQuote: Looking for Birds

William Saunders (quoted on a signboard at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserves)

“Look for birds with your ears.”

Oriental Magpie Robin chirping happily

with a dragonfly, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

(c) 2006, Wong Tak Meng

BirdQuote: Importance of Teaching about Nature

Baba Dioum (quoted on a signboard at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserves)

"In the end we will conserve only what we love;
we will love only what we understand;
and we will understand only what we have been taught."

The Gash on the Hillside

Today is a dark day. Ted Haggart, outspoken American evangelical leader confessed to sexual immorality after being exposed by a male escort and accused of buying drugs and sexual services. I own one of his highly recommended books, and would never expect him to fall like this.

Thinking about this incident is like looking up at a cliff where once there stood a spacious look-out which is now reduced to a gash on the hillside.

There are a number of lessons one can learn through this incident:

One, you will never know how near the edge of the cliff you can go before the ground gives way below you. Two, some may gladly help you over the edge.

Conclusion: Don't go there.

Remembering Usoof

Today, 3 Nov 2006, is the third anniversary of our brother Usoof leaving us for his permanent home.

How time flies! How we miss Usoof -- his maintenance-free hairstyle, his inimitable laughter and outrageous sense of humour, and his kind words that always rise to the occasion. His memory will always warm our hearts. The thought that Usoof will never give up in any situation will keep us going when the going gets tough. His faith that God will not fail us will always lift up our hearts.

Meanwhile, we have to keep on living, moving on with our lives, as Jennifer, Eliza and Joseph are doing, so courageously, so faithfully. May we cheer them and one another on.

Usoof has never set foot inside our new church home, but he will always be there in our hearts. Bless you, buddy!

How do you eat an elephant?

Answer: One piece at a time!

Want to pick up a new hobby but finding it too time-consuming to learn?

Want to pursue your dream study course or career choice but feel it is too daunting to even start?

Want to start a blog but droppped the idea because everyone says you can't keep it up?

Want to build a solid spiritual life but don't feel you have it in you?

The question is probably not whether you can, or have the time or potential to do it. It's probably that you feel you can't accomplish it within a timeframe you can visualize. But that's the whole thing --- you don't have to!

We want to achieve everything at once! It doesn't work that way! We build it up one piece at a time! Water dripping onto a rock can, over time, bore a deep hole through it, a fraction of a millimeter at a time.

Our hospital (St Andrew's Community Hospital) was officially opened by the Minister of Health this morning. I can still remember the many changes of plans over the past 8 years, the number of times church members asked me whether the project would ever get off the ground, the starts and stops even after the official ground-breaking in 2003, not to mention the huge financial challenge of raising the money. But we kept doggedly at it, with the help of God and many good people, one challenge at a time. The building took shape, brick upon brick, one at a time. Today, the hardware and processes are in place. We just have to keep nurturing the "heart-ware", tending the soul of the hospital, again, one piece at a time.

Imagine what you can accomplish if you have the determination, the planning and the patience to chip at it, one fragment at a time.

Done imagining? Now go do it!

Marriage Vows

As a Deputy Registrar of Marriage and Licensed Solemnizer appointed by Singapore's Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, I regularly conduct marriage ceremonies for young couples.

I want to thank my friends Keng Boon and Huey Fang whose marriage I solemnized yesterday in a civic ceremony at the Singapore Arts Museum Auditorium for the encouragement they brought me:

You touched me not only with your faithful and earnest attendance at the foundations for Christian Marriage course but even more with your determination to memorize your vows (which you also executed perfectly!). Clearly, amidst tears of joy, you meant every word you said, and are firmly resolved for your marriage to last a lifetime, as God intended it when he created marriage. May His blessings accompany you and His grace be sufficient for you throughout all your days!

Right is cool!

After reading an article in the Straits Times yesterday about Ronald Susilo and Li Jiawei, I felt inspired to write this letter to the Forum:

I want to applaud national badminton player Ronald Susilo for his response to the matter of he and his fiancée, national table tennis player Li Jiawei, not having moved into their Kembangan condomium yet (Straits Times, Sports, 17 October 2006): It’s not right to move in when we’re not married.” As role models for many young people, Ronnie and Jiawei, thank you for reaffirming that right is cool. Now that said, let’s leave their private lives alone so that they can get on with the Asian Games.

Hope it gets published as I really want to encourage them, and share the inspiration that his quote brought me!

Tuning up

Spent some time tweaking the look of my new blog. Checked out and commented on Leng, Xianjie and Desiree's blogs -- inspiring works of self-expression!

Still trying to get the hang of blogging , but it's turning out to be a great way of staying in touch.

Fire-tufted Barbet

We saw this gorgeous Fire-tufted Barbet at Fraser's Hill in West Malaysia when Leng and I took a short break there last week. We had heard from some fellow birders that they saw one the day before, and I secretly prayed that I would see one too, knowing how exotically beautiful this bird is with its black and red feathers at the base of its beak and the curious black strip halfway down the beak. My prayer was answered that same afternoon during our walk along Jalan Mager, a quiet, shady street at the edge of the town, when Leng sat down for a breather, looked up, saw a flash of green and there it was!

What an Artist our Creator God is, and what humor he must have in creating this beautiful bird! Enjoy!

Tak's first blog entry

Hello everyone! This is my first ever blog entry. I hope through this blog to share my thoughts, hopes and dreams with anyone who is interested. A vision shared is a vision doubled!