Is Tiger Woods Chinese?

On By Paul5 Comments

By P Chong                                   Thursday, 17 December 2009

Symbolically: Jubilant Now . . . Falling On His Knees Later!

Tiger Woods roars & roams in America

He’d really be more at home in China!

This is on account he’s largely being Chinese

By descent from grandpa a Chinese

And mother a Thai-Chinese.

As an avid social golfer, any news concerning Tiger Woods interest me greatly. Ever since he broke his much-guarded home privacy, the celebrity is generating more than just ripples in the media world. Everybody wants to know more about this tiger that pounced & turned its fangs & claws upon philandering grounds.

Having conquered the golfing world at such young age & being the richest sportsman in the world, the first of its billionaire, he has everything in life – a multi-million dollar home, a beautiful wife Elin and two kids. What more can a man ask for? I guess it has all to do with the need for new conquests & a passion for new excitement or he was simply getting restless!

The Happy Tiger Family

In his own website, he admitted his indiscretion, not been fair to his family & that he’s not perfect. Tiger Woods’ problems are entirely his own making. As a famous public figure, he’s taken as a role model. The young expect him so, and his advertisers & sponsors expect him to be more so. Obviously, his private behaviour is of great public interest. In America where sensation means fast bucks there can be no relenting! Elin Nordegrin (29), who initially seemed to have stood by her man, is now reported to be wanting a divorce & of course a big hefty settlement.

Well-Doctored Sensation with Golf Iron & Even A Golf Ball Stuck to His Left Ear!

Is Tiger Woods getting any Afro-American support at all? Not at all, as far as can be seen. Tiger himself has always claimed & attributed his glory to the sum total of his Asian-African heritage. His grandfather was a full-blooded Chinese who married a black woman. Then Tiger’s father himself married a Thai-Chinese woman. In all reckoning, Tiger carries a fair dominant share of Chinese blood in him.

His grandfather’s name was “Wu” which is quite a common Chinese surname. Needless to say, to ward off the early days of minority racial discrimination in America, he anglicised “Wu” to “Woods”.

In Australia, during the early days a lot of the Chinese immigrants adopted English names & even married Australian wives. The most famous being LJ Hooker, the renowned real estate man, who was initially working in the railway shunting yards, hooking carriages. So Hooker was born.

Hooker didn’t look like an Aussie, but I have a friend who does together with his whole family bearing the name “Shanhun”. His grandfather was a Chinese, married an Aussie woman and this trend was followed down from one generation to the next. Very cleverly, his grandfather had combined his middle two Chinese names to form one “Shanhun” as an Australian surname. In look & speech, my friend could fool you that he’s an Australian.

Is marriage infidelity a crime? I don’t think it is considered as such anywhere in the world. If Tiger Woods weren’t who he is with so much at stake financially, it wouldn’t have even got a mention in the paper. If he were a Chinese citizen, would the reception be different? Isn’t marriage infidelity strictly a private matter & hence to be resolved between husband & wife & children, if any?

In the wake of sex scandals Tiger Woods suffers huge popularity plunge, advertisers (except Nike) deserting him, and now his wife Elin has moved with the kids out of his $40 million dollar mansion in Orlando.

JAMIE JUNGERS, alleged 4th Mistress

The fame & fortune that golf built got badly hit. Tiger Woods’ drives are not hitting the green, but are going astray right through the woods & hitting many other heads – blonde or brunette, all sexy & tall!

Will this drama end as one of “forgive & forget”, redeem for the esteem?

Or  all involved parties jumping in for the share of the spoils?

On his death bed, Earl Woods gave Tiger the following advice:
“Focus on golf. Fuck everything else.”

Breaking News:24 August 2010  Tiger & hjs wife of 6 years 8 months are now divorced. They have shared custody of their two children. Officially, this could cost him up to US$750 million.


Brunei – A Little Gem of Paradise

On By Paul1 Comment

By P Chong        Thursday, 17 December 2009

There is no substitute for experience as related by this story. A great Indian Chief once came down from the land of High Clouds to the beach for a war conference with the American military. He was visibly very excited and fascinated, not because of the conference, but more so by the sight of the great ocean. He was seen wading into the waters right up to waist level, and as his curious onlookers wondered as to what he would do next, he asked for a water pitcher. With that he began filling it up with water.

When asked why he did that, he said this: “Back in my high country, my people have never heard or seen the roar of the great ocean and the splashing of the great waves. I shall take this sample to show it to them.” Little did he realise that such an experience was not transferable nor would he be able to share such a experience with the water sample.

National Mosque

Likewise with Brunei, I can’t possibly begin to relate my joyous experience on stepping onto this little paradise for the first time. It was so near and yet so far for me during those days when I was living in Malaysia. Read about it and studied its geography but never setting an eye upon it. Real experience cannot be substituted by book knowledge .

Climatically, it’s no difference from Malaysia – hot and humid with swaying coconut palms on the beach including mangrove swamps fronting the river. It is idyllic beautiful and peaceful. The buildings in the town, though limited in height, as set by law that nothing must surpass the height of the national mosque, are absolutely modern in structure and architecturally varied. The streets are broad and traffic flows – unlike Jakarta or Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.

Brunei Water Village with friend Patrick Sim

It can be compared to Singapore in terms of cleanliness and its greenery and well manicured gardens. The show piece is of course Jerudong Park & Playground which was first opened during the ruling Sultan’s forty-eighth birthday. That was the heyday when the Sultan was known to be the richest man in the world. Though the Park has seen better times and with many of its facilities falling into disuse for lack of maintenance, the place is nothing short of being spectacular. It was the first Disney Land of the East where the people could be admitted free of charge.

Sultan of Brunei Palace
Palace Ground

Talking of opulence and extravagance, the Sultan’s Palace stands supreme and there is none to compare among all the world’s monarchy’s palaces. It’s a fortress unto itself. What can be visible is only part of the whole structure. Most of the Palace lies underground, hidden behind the hill, guarded by the sea and the vastness of its acreages of gardens. It is also well surrounded by family palaces of brothers and sisters of the Sultan. Only once in the year during Hari Raya (the Muslim’s New Year) the people have the privilege of having a glimpse of it. What goes on behind the walls of the Palace, you could ever know!

Whatever happened for that little oil-rich country with a population of no more than 400,000 to its present day of “bankruptcy” is beyond you and I to speculate. Nonetheless, the people still enjoy living in tax haven with all facilities provided free of charge. The people enjoy a standard of living higher than most Southeast Asian countries. The streets are lined with gold, the latest make of vehicles flash by before your eyes. As in all Muslim world, night life is lacking and by ten o’clock the night is virtually over when all shops are closed.

To be in line for tourist dollars, many things need to be overhauled. Apart from the physical side like doing away with delay queuing to pay that meagre dollar for the transit visa or the airport departure tax which cannot be paid outside the country as arranged with all travel agents, there is also the need of a mental revolution to show genuine welcomeness and friendliness for tourists to flow in. With a little polishing, the little gem of paradise will shine bright and clear.

(First written on Friday, 13 August 2004.Hong Kong)

Learning The Order of The Bible: A New Perspective

On By Paul2 Comments

By P. Chong                                         Wednesay, 16 December 2009

Boy Reading The Bible

Ordinarily, we have a tendency to forget things easily or probably grasp no more than 10% of the speech content. However, if things are related to us in a story form, chances of remembering increase tremendously.

People love stories – hearing or telling them. Herein is truly an amazing, interesting & beautiful way of relating the chapters & sequence of the Bible. Whoever conceived & devised such an innovative idea must really be congratulated.

Now from Genesis to Revelation, the task of remembering the order becomes less formidable when you know the story consisting of the many different characters.

This is so awesome!

The story begins . . . Our journey began at Genesis through Exodus. On the way, we saw Leviticus recording the Numbers of people at Deuteronomy, while Joshua was waiting at the beautiful gate for Judges to see Ruth calling loudly “Samuel, Samuel”. At a stage, the first and second Kings of Chronicles were coming to visit Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther for the misfortune of Job, their brother. Then they noticed that Mr. Psalms was teaching his children Proverbs concerning Ecclesiastes and Songs of Solomon. This coincided with the period that Isaiah and Jeremiah were engaged in Lamentation for Ezekiel and Daniel their friend. By that time, Amos and Obadiah were not around. Three days later, Hosea, Joel and Jonah travelled in the same ship with Micah and Nahum to Jerusalem. More also, Habakkuk visited Zephaniah who introduced him to Haggai a friend of Zechariah whose cousin is Malachi.

Immediately after the old tradition, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John got involved in Acts with the Romans who were behaving like the Corinthians, who were also always at loggerhead with the Galatians. At that time too, the Ephesians realising that the Philippians were close to theColossians, suggested to the Thessalonians that they should first of all see Timothy who had gone to the house of Titus to teach Philemon his younger brother how to read and write Hebrew. On hearing, James asked Peter to explain to him how the three Johns have disclosed to Jude the Revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Original Story-teller Unknown.

The Ugly Faces of Unemployment

On By Paul1 Comment

By P. Chong                                                                                      Wednesday 16 December 2009

The number of unemployment is not just a statistic as viewed upon by authorities in the seat of government. All they talk about in meetings is in terms of figures, single- digit or double-digits, devoid of compassion or understanding. Every figure represents a person – male or female, husband or wife, father or mother in a family of kids depending for food, clothing, shelter, education, love & care etc.

    • Unemployment is like a virus that seeps through the healthy body & rips the inner soul of man.


    • For practical purposes, let’s define unemployment – is it just being in a state of out of work or employment? The truth is unemployment is a serious matter & takes on many more aspects than what’s simply stated or officially considered. In reality, the official measure of unemployment is dubious to say the least. Strictly, unemployment should take into consideration:

    1. of people who stop looking for a job – “discouraged” &* basically given up looking for work

    2. of people who are now “underemployed” – having had to switch from full-time to part-time work with a cut or shortfall in salary

    3. category of people known as “marginal attached” workers

    4. some people because of pride & dignity refuse to even register.

By official reckoning, unemployment is often understated & does not reflect the true sorry state of affairs among the population. Considering the predicament that these people are presently in, the question arises is whether they will ever find jobs comparable to what they once had. By and large, only some will, but the great majority will not. People might have to be retrained to attain new skills in order to find alternate work. Those who have been enjoying tremendous bonuses & over-the-top overtime payouts in good times will be the hardest hit.

In truth, there are cases of engineers driving taxis & former managers operating as mere casuals. It is shocking to find people who were used to racking in $70,000 or more now drawing pittance & fighting for survival. Debts set in & misery prevails.

Unemployment can breed a host of societal ailments: depression, suicide, theft & robbery, murder, drug & drink problems among the main cases. What of family quarrel, break-down in marriages, separation & divorces, homeless kids & delinquents, homelessness among the adults? It’s a kind of vicious cycle, adding more financial burden & administrative problems to the state. Health care facilities will be taxed.

In the final analysis, all these issues raise serious questions about the sustainability & rate of economic recovery with the mounting debts & credit hangovers. How long will all these problems drag on? How will the story end?

With excesses there can be no successes

Here people will suffer pain without gain.

This is a real shame

Playing with human dignity is no game!

Try to get by on unemployment benefits & pay your taxes

if you have anything at all to spare!

What US Can Learn From China

On By Paul1 Comment

By Paul Chong                                                                               Tuesday 15 December 2009

Confucius Classic Tradition

Speaking from personal experience on matters of Chinese education, I had two years of it as a child in a little known town of Port Weld in Malaysia. Chinese education is archaic & very traditional after the old ancient style which largely remained unchanged through the centuries. However, we learnt well to read, write & add – the basic three-Rs. Learning the Chinese language is by no means an easy task & there appears to have little possibility of any change from the traditional method of learning the Chinese language – reading aloud, recitation,memorisation & most importantly learning to write from memory & the consistent practice of hand writing & calligraphy.

Now, however, innovations & progression are making inroads into the Chinese education. Its notorious rigid curriculum now bears additional creative & practical topics.

Inroad of Progress & Innovation in Education

My article on “Roots To Grow . . . Wings To Fly” has merits in the growth & progress of any nation. You just cannot afford to neglect the basic & fundamentals. Foundation must be strong before you can grow any tall structure, and the first brick is laid according to the blue-print.

While US focuses on nukes in Iran & N. Korea, China’s surging military spending, trade imbalances between themselves and climate change, it lacks that visionary outlook to learn & appreciate what’s making China tick!

With the background of 5,000 years of civilisation does bear down a nation to some extent – the burden of inhibitions to change. The Great Wall of China was impenetrable in ancient times & living long in isolation is against the march of times. However, China’s emergence as a dynamo of optimism, an economic power house of growth and experimentation – all within one single generation – is indeed a miracle, to say the least. Never has so much been achieved in so little a time in human history. This will certainly go down permanently in the Guinness World Records.

China has defied the global economic crisis & taken the lead for other nations to follow. US is sensing that it’s the world’s ascending power stronger than it could imagine. The young US nation is suddenly getting old & feeble with a funking national mood, a foundering economy, a dooming dollar & a historic double-digit unemployment.

By contrast, China as the world’s youngest capitalist nation should be learning a thing or two from the world’s oldest capitalist nation – instead no blame should be apportioned if the learning process is reversed now.

Obama has been bowing of late to the Saudi King & then Emperor Akihito of Japan – all for good reasons. If wisdom has the better of him, he should bow to Hu Jintao! When you’re old & weary, eyes dimming, knees shaking, it’s time to take it easy & relax . . . relent from aggression, pursue cooperation & peaceful co-existence. They say that if you live by the sword, you’ll die by it! Let the eyes see and the mind be open. There’s always something to be learnt in life.

Now what is it that China is doing right?

China, cash-rich & own resources, is spending its billions of stimulus package in worthwhile economic & infrastructure projects that will keep its economy humming for years to come, instead of US bailing out all the Wall Street crooks that caused the economic slump in the first place. For example:

Pearl Delta Bridge
  • One of the world’s biggest construction projects: a nationwide network of high-speed train lines covering 16,000 km.
A Typical CRH Train
  • Now China has begun (Tuesday 15 December 2009) its Pearl Delta Bridge linking the Special Administration Regions of Hong Kong & Macau with the mainland city of Zhuhai. This move is widely expected to improve economic efficiency in the affluent Pearl River Delta Region. The cost is estimated at at more than 72 billion yuan (Or US$10 billion) & expected to complete by 2015.
  • The building of subways has certainly been intense this year, with China now leading the world in both speed of construction and investment. More than 800 kilometres were built this year drawing on funds of 100 billion yuan. Meanwhile, the State Council has also approved plans to invest a further 882 billion yuan on building subway lines in 22 cities. By the end of 2016, 89 new lines are due for completion, spanning 25 hundred kilometres. The construction is expected to drive added value of related industries up by nearly 3 trillion yuan, making China the world’s largest market for subway construction.
Super Multi-Lane Highways

Suffice for me to mention just the above massive projects among others of 6-lane highways, factories, resources developments & purchases, sourcing the world for continuous supplies of its economic needs etc. China’s plans are ambitious but specific without wastage.

The Chinese phrase “yong wang zhi qian”, literally meaning “marching forward courageously” is unmistakably its hallmark, outlook & vision. James McGregor, former chairman of American Chamber of Commerce in China, and now a business consultant, has this to say:

“One key thing we can learn from China is setting goals, making

plans & focusing on moving the country ahead as a nation. These

guys have taken the old five-year plans & stood them on their

head. Instead of deciding which factory gets which raw materials,

which products are made, how they are priced & where they are sold, their planning now consists of ‘How do we build a world-class silicon- chip industry in five years? How do we become a global player in car- manufacturing?’”

With its forward vision and looking over its horizon, backed by a thrifty population of saving more & spending less on credit or not at all, its nationals with the tradition of caring & looking after the elderly, and last but not least China’s great emphasis on education . . . the road to greater progress will go on and on.

Tulips of Araluen

On By Paul1 Comment

By Paul Chong                                                                                              Monday, 14 December 2009

Tulips Galore To Feast The Eyes

Many places in the world are originally famous for their exhibits or natural beauty, such as the beautiful tulips of Amsterdam. The way with which these are grown & presented has no compare in this world. So, when in our own backyard in Perth, we first heard of finding tulips in equal splendour, we made it a point of not missing its glorious colours come each September nearby our home called Araluen.

In Perth, September is the first month of Spring, when the air is fresh & exhilarating, temperature hovering around the twenties & God’s natural colours of flowers are in full bloom.

"The Mona Lisa"

“In 1929 J.J. Simons established a holiday camp for the Young Australia League (YAL), on 60 hectares (150 acres) of deep shaded valley at Roleystone. Creeks running through the long valley created a cool moist climate, thus making it an ideal site for his dream garden. Simons called his valley, “Araluen”, an Eastern States aboriginal word meaning “singing waters”, “running waters” or “place of lilies”. In Spring, Araluen featured tulips planted on the terraces and in the Grove of the Unforgotten. It proved so popular that it became a yearly affair. The gardeners are all drawn from volunteers. Visiotrs poured in from near & far and the entrance fees collected go towards its maintenance. “One of the many features still in existence today is “The Grove of the Unforgotten”, built in memory of 88 YAL members killed in the World War 1. A series of terraces descends a steep slope flanked by pencil pines formed in the shape of a lyre, the symbol of music. A waterfall cascades through the terraces and finishes in a reflection pond.”

To cut the long story short, Araluen saw changes according to circumstances. YAL sold Araluen in 1985. Encouraged by strong community support, the State Government bought the park in 1990 & the Araluen Botanic Park Foundation (Inc.) was incorporated in July 1990 which opertates the place under lease from the government Commission since 1995. Much was achieved, improvement made, heritage sites restored & volunteers worked steadily towards their realisation of building it to become the Botanic Garden of Excellence.

But this year due to parking problems & restrictions, the dream seems to have vanished & the Tulip Festival was not on. The tulips of Araluen usually in past years numbered 100,000 plants dwindled to 50,000 this year still thrilling visitors & tourists with their glorious colours of red, blue, purple, yellow & an assortment of yellow daffodils. Every encouragement should be given for the Tulip Festival to continue.

Araluen is such an enchanted valley, a tranquil botanic garden of natu0ral & developed beauty featu0ring its renowned tulip display each Spring . . . just stunning, glorious colours of different hues delighting the visitors’ eyes . . . providing such fun for picnics with BBQ stoves, flowing gurgling streams, green lawn to lie around . . . just frolicking in the sunshine with some 6,000 of planted tulips . . . what more can any visitor or tourist ask for! Now we shall have no more Tulip Festival? Will the volunteers manage it again come September next? Prayerfully & hopefully . . . such simple pleasure of life will not be denied!

We hope the local authority will relent its parking restrictions along Croyden Road.

You won’t know & appreciate a good thing till you lose it!

Let’s hope this loss is only temporary.

Japanese Atrocities of War – Nanjing Massacre

On By Paul2 Comments

Monday, 14 December 2009

The Victims

When claims are made that the Holocaust did not happened, it only draws out the heated emotion out of the Jews. However, the Germans did make their official public apology. In the case of Nanking Massacre or The Rape of Nanking, the Japanese not only denied it ever happened, they even attempted to rewrite the History of WW2.

So far, no official public apology has ever been offered.

Siren sounded on Sunday, 13 December 2009 at 10 a.m. as 5,000 people gathered, as reported by Xinhua, on the square in front of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre, mourning the dead in deep reverent silence and presenting their wreaths. Later the bell tolled as the crowd prayed for world peace.

Thousands of Mourners

It all happened 72 long years ago!

From Wikipedia, we learn that the “Nanking Massacre also known as the Rape of Nanking, refers to a six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing (Nanking), former capital of the Republic of China, on December 9, 1937. During this period, hundreds of thousands of civilians were murdered and 20,000-80,000 women were raped by soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army. The massacre remains a contentious political issue, as various aspects of it have been disputed by some historical revisionists and Japanese nationalists, who have claimed that the massacre has been either exaggerated or wholly fabricated for propaganda purposes. As a result of the nationalist efforts to deny or rationalise the war crimes, the controversy created surrounding the massacre remains a stumbling block in Sino-Japanese relations, as well as Japanese relations with other Asia-Pacific nations such as South Korea and the Philippines.”

“The International Military Tribunal of the Far East estimates 260,000 casualties; China’s official estimate is 300,000 casualties, based on the evaluation of the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal. While the Japanese government has acknowledged the crimes committed by the Imperial Japanese Army after the fall of Nanking, some Japanese officials have argued that the death toll was military in nature and that no such crimes ever occurred. Denial of the massacre, and a divergent array of revisionist accounts of the killings, has become a staple of Japanese nationalism. In Japan, public opinion of the massacres varies, and few deny the occurrence of the massacre outright.

What’s needed is a public admission & apology by the Japanese Government to satisfy the hearts & minds of the people in China, South Korea & other East Asian nations.

The Hall is built in the eighties when a number of Japanese politicians and writers claimed that the Massacre had never ocurred and history textbooks were rewritten by the authority describing the Massacre as a minor incident.

Instead, a number of Japanese politicians and writers denied not just the Massacre but any of their wrong doings in the Second World War. They claimed that they had “liberated” Asian peoples from Western colonialism. The Nanjing Massacre is one of their so-called “liberations”.

This WWW Memorial Hall is created to expose their lies and to preserve the historical truth.

Let the victims of the Massacre rest in peace but not be buried in lies.

Zhang Jiuhan, vice-chairman of Jiangsu Committee of the People’s Political Consultative Conference, said this: “China and Japan should keep friendly relations for generations and cooperate for mutual benefits. This is in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples.”

I would like to say this: people can forgive but forgetting is another matter.

Any attempt to rewrite history rather than to admit & apologise is futile indeed.

“Know Who You Are”

On By Paul1 Comment

Shared by Paul Chong                                                                   Sunday, 13 December 2009

"Land of the Free"

This is serious stuff. Very serious indeed! We live in the world of globalisation. What happened in America, Europe or Asia, affects us here in Australia too! Problems are globalised, interlinked & there’s no escaping.

READ & DIGEST

WITH ALL YOUR HEART, SOUL & MIND . . .

Know Who You Are

A BRIEF HISTORY

There have been so many papers written about the KNOW WHO YOU ARE PROCESS and yet there seems a lack for understanding the basic concepts. KNOW WHO YOU ARE was the initial path taken by people who know they are free but see no hope in the judicial system as it is practiced.

It is vitally important for understanding how the people in the government turned our lives upside down and have made us believe that We are subject under them; when in reality they are subject under We The People-every being is part and partial for We The People. The important points:

1. 1868 The 14th Amendment which created a new class of citizen. “All men” (and women) are created equal as stated in the Declaration of Independence as a sovereign now became “a person”, a subject to the Federal Government.

2. In 1871 the Federal Government formed itself into a CORPORATION and pulled itself from under the Constitution.

3. In 1913 the Federal Reserve Central Banks were created.

4. In 1933 President Roosevelt put into effect the “Trading with the Enemies Act”. This applied only for Federal Citizens.

5. In 1933 President Roosevelt took the Gold away from the People-although they were not required for giving it away-thereby leaving the people without “Money” for paying DEBTS with.

6. March 9, 1933: Senate Document No. 43, 73rd Congress, 1st Session states: “The ownership of all property is in the State; individual so called “ownership” is only by virtue of Government, i.e., law amounting to mere user: and use must be in accordance with law and subordinate to the necessities of the State.

7. In 1933 President Roosevelt passed HJR 192 June 5, 1933-simply put-since the government had taken the Gold, the people had no “Money”-the government would pay the “DEBTS” for the people-DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR-thereby giving the people-unlimited Credit.

8. In 1938 Erie Railroad vs. Tompkins made CONTRACTS the rule in our Courts. “IF THERE IS NO CONTRACT THERE IS NO CASE!”

9. In 1946 we lost our government and courts through the Administrative Procedures Act.

10. In 1965, silver was taken away as a means for paying DEBT, the UCC became the supreme law for America concerning the Banking System, the courts were pulled together in Administrative/Admiralty and Civil (Contract or Commerce/Corporation), and the Act and Intent were brought together thereby taking away your plea of Innocent. Guilty until proven innocent, changing the often quoted-you are innocent until proven guilty.

You have to become educated to protect yourself, your family and your business. As it is said in court “ignorance of the law is no excuse”. Remember that statement is a two way street! How many of the 60,000,000 laws don’t you know? The government will use your ignorance against you. To educate yourself there are 2 web sites links below to help you learn who you are in relation to the government.

KNOW WHO YOU ARE BOOK

AUDIO LIBRARY

The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance!

As you have read above in The Brief History we have dropped the ball on eternal vigilance.

A VISITOR FROM THE PAST!

If he stood by your bedside, in a dream, while you’re asleep, and wonders what remains of our Rights he fought so hard to keep,

What would be your answer, if he called out from the grave;

IS THIS STILL THE LAND OF THE FREE AND HOME OF THE BRAVE

“Spread the Word!” Ron Paul Song

Let’s Shake It Up!

Is Adoring & Praying to Mary Biblical?

On By Paul31 Comments

By Paul Chong                        Sunday, 13 December 2009

The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

Christianity, for all good purposes & intent, is governed by the Holy Bible – the Word of God. All religious practices as such must be in full accord of the Bible, not manmade, conceived & concocted to suit man’s ideology & convenience.

With one billion people all over the globe adoring & praying to Mary,

does that signified it’s biblical?

I had both my primary & secondary schooling at St. George’s Institution, Taiping, Malaysia, where we were much indoctrinated with the Catholic concept of religion. I had a rosary blessed by Pope Paul & it was a great thing . . . lots of Holy pictures, Catholic tracts just some of my memorabilia. Without sounding audacious, even today I can ratter off “Hail Mary” without effort. Saying the rosary was kind of a ritual & permanent habit. I never really gave much thought about what I was saying or to whom I was addressing.

During my college days in UK, I made it a point not to miss out visiting Fatima in Portugal & Lourdes in France. These were the two places that Mary made her physical appearances & which have become great tourist attractions & places of pilgrimage.

When young you learn & accept things without much questioning. If millions & millions of people are practising what’s been taught & advocated, it must be the right thing, so you think.

With due respect, we must really have the opportunity to question (no Bibles were made available for our use or recommended for reference), study & research for proofs & evidences before acceptance. Man after all is fallible! But to be guided by the Bible (the Word of God), needless to say, is the sure thing!

Because of time & space restriction here, we shall concentrate on the salient parts & the essence of the Bible pertaining to the position of Mary. That Mary was “blessed among women & blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus” is undisputed. But “Holy Mary” (which implies sinless or not subject to the pull of humankind) & “Mother of God” are nowhere to be found mentioned as such in the Holy Bible. It is thus ironic that a billion of the world’s population pray & adore her as an “intercessor”, “Holy Mary” & “Mother of God.”

Mary is depicted in various ways, standing alone with a halo on her head, holding baby Jesus, or as a family with Joseph & Jesus. Shrines were erected in Lourdes & Fatima with claims of her appearing in visions. All chapels & catholic churches have statues of Mary.

Who is this Mary? Is she Mary, the mother of Jesus, spoken of in the Bible? Does God’s Word support praying to her? Does she intercede on behalf of Christians? Is this the “queen of heaven” mentioned in the Bible?

Mary was a young Jewish girl engaged to Joseph, a carpenter. Like any young woman, she probably had her life planned: marriage, bearing children, raising a family, growing old with Joseph . . . totally unprepared that she was selected to experience a monumental life-changing event – a major step that would be part of the overarching Plan of God affecting all peoples . . . past, present & future.

Suffice for me to end here. There’s absolutely no evidences in the Bible that support her Godly status, other than what she was. I am not dissuading you from your belief, but to tell you not to accept all things blindly. I have given you sufficient food for thought.

Think about it . . . if Christ’s mother was “holy” or “sinless,” surely Jesus would have mentioned it, yet He did not. Jesus had at least three other brothers & two sisters – seldom highlighted. Please check your Bible.

Cruise For Life It Shall Be . . . No Nursing Home For You Or Me?

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By Paul Chong                               Saturday, 12 December 2009

Plan your work

And work your plan

You’ll be a success

In the end.

In like token, so it is with life’s retirement!

Queen Mary

Most of us dream of seeing the world . . . travel the Seven Seas . . . cruise on the world’s greatest ocean liner (not the Titanic though) . . . or perhaps venturing something which even angels fear to tread. For some, such hope dream & aspiration do come true, but for most a dream remains so forever! Life is often said to be unfair & discriminating. Having worked hard all your life, you deserve better.

These days modern top executives, so called top-notch wheeler-dealers, are no more than the traditional travelling salesmen. The only difference is that the former get to jet or jaunt the world, a few days here or a few days there, constantly on the move – like it or detest it. Perspective of such a life style without leisure for home life nor the real travel pleasure would differ from person to person. Ultimately, whatever we do for a living, the destiny is towards a well-earned retirement – to do the things we never ever had time for before!

Liberty of the Seas

How does this sound? “Liberty of the Seas”, a Caribbean cruise ship, presently the world’s largest (status doesn’t last long these days as with the tallest building in the world) as your retirement home for both pleasure & leisure! It certainly sound like music to my ears! Having had the experience & a fair share of cruising on the Virgo (a Star cruise ship) & Dawn Princess (Princess Cruises), I can with humbleness relate to you how to realise such a dream.

I have also asked my back neighbour Tosh who works with his wife on the Cunard Line to verify the highlights of living on the high seas for the rest of your natural life.

It may surprise you that it works out to be even cheaper & lots better than going to a retirement home. We met a couple or two on the Dawn Princess Cruise last December 2008 who chose such a lifestyle. Others have been on board the same ship for the last four cruises – well-seasoned cruisers. When asked to comment, they shouted with joy “Yes, that’s true. It’s beautiful!”

Dawn Princess
Cruising Beneath Sydney Bridge & Passing Sydney Opera House

Now, are you ready for the high life? No wonder Hollywood filmed such series as the “Love Boat”! Apart from love & romance or high seas adventure, the following highlights of a luxurious old age may just astonish you:

Romantic As Ever! Friends from Perth

      1. Gratuities will only be $10 per day.

      2. You can have as many as 10 meals a day if you can waddle to the several restaurants. Or if you prefer room service, which means you can have breakfast in bed every day of the week.
      3. You can have not one but three swimming pools, gym, free washers & dryers & top shows every night.
      4. They provide you with free toothpaste & razors, and free soap & shampoo.
      5. The cruise staff will even treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have the entire staff scrambling to help you.
      6. You will have the opportunity of meeting the nicest people on board every other day or week.
      7. No fear of TV broken or light globe needs changing or the need to have the mattress replaced . . . the staff will fix everything & even apologise for your inconvenience and no charge!
      8. Activities galore . . . whatever you like if you have the energy for them! Line dancing, ballroom, singing . . . “Sail Ahoy!”

        With some friends from Perth

All aboard now!

The writer . . . A Chinese by Descent, An Australian by Consent