Seek ye faith goals

I spent some time in the summer thinking about the next phase of my life. Work for me may start in exactly a week's time but life doesn't end here. Rather, it opens up a phase of financial freedom and greater personal responsibility that are best channeled to achieving specific 'faith goals'.

Setting faith goals is different from setting SMART goals. What are 'faith goals'?

"A faith goal is a goal set in hope and based on things unseen. It is setting a goal that is measurable and based on spiritual power. That is, the power to create and imagine what is not yet seen or made manifest." (Source)

For example, someone who sets a goal of becoming the most successful trainer in Singapore may not necessarily know how to achieve it or begin immediately. He (or she) does it out of faith, and the belief that God will show a path to achieving this goal.

As I continue to put some thought into my faith goals, here are some (admittedly ambitious) goals I've set for the next few years.

Traveling:

• Travel (preferably backpack) to 3 different countries a year. I will journal my travels based on themes specific to the countries. Who knows, I might even get to write a book on it! Thanks to Varun for this idea
  

Church:

• Join an open cell with the adult service. I've spoken to Pastor about this and I'm quite keen to hear his plans
• Serve with the church's PR wing, considering the rapidly-changing landscape that mega-churches find themselves operating in today. Credit to Josh and Jason for giving me this inspiration
  

Sports & fitness:

• Resume my first love: fencing - probably with my previous club, Z Fencing. Hope to see some familiar faces. Weekday nights will never be the same again.
  
• Get a beginner's diving license so I can finally experience the awesome diving sites in Southeast Asia
• Achieve silver for IPPT every year
• Run 2 half-marathons and a full-marathon per annum
• Take up golf. I've decided to do this when I learnt how cheap it was to take up a course and hit 100 balls at the range per game

Finances:

• Savings rate of 50-70% to be partially invested in time deposits, REITS and unit trusts (with medium-low to medium risk for a 10-yr horizon period at 10 to 15 percent growth per annum). I'm beginning to outgrow my Prudential and Great Eastern savings plans
  

Miscellaneous:

• Clear my Class 2 and 3 license. Since my travels to India and Vietnam, I've decided that the best (and fun) way to survive in many developing countries is to negotiate the maze of traffic by motorbike
  
• Finish a book every month
• Get a diploma in a third language (either Arabic or a SEAsian language)
  
• Purchase a DSLR and start snapping!

And straight from one of my favourite verses from the Bible - "Even youths grow tired and weak, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:30-31

When we were continents apart

I let the thought sink in me during training today, letting it burn slowly like a smothering flame, fueled by memories of that portion of our conversation.

You were just sitting a foot away from me but in many ways, we were continents apart. Emotionally distant to the core, I felt the icy reception and your efforts to keep me out. I tried to enter but you wouldn't let me. What were you trying to prove to me?

I asked those questions, and said what I said because I care. I cared enough to want to understand you better and put some thought into what you said because what you say meant something to me.

But you simply didn't care and dismissed me. And it hurt.

Sometimes, I question why I should even bother. I could just simply walk away, blame myself for doing all those things that I did, and well, just walk our separate routes. But a true friend does not walk away, nor quits on the first whim of trouble. I may not be the best of your friends, but I try to be true. Unfortunately, it may not be enough for you.

I felt the Lord prompt me today: Live your life not on emotions, but on Me and My Word. My faith drives me forward and gives me the justification to do what I do.

I do not seek to change the way that you think, but I only hope to find some common ground and bridge that gap between us. It will certainly help if you can let me past that cold-hard exterior of yours. Foolish it may seem, I still believe that the strongest sunlight can melt the hardest ice-berg.

Meanwhile, I'm happy that you're happy and that is enough for me.

The Korean cold-war divide hits home

Watching the World Cup can sometimes take your temperature to a whole new level.

If you watch matches with a specific country crowd, you will know how much pride they have in their teams. Take the South Koreans for example. The Korean Association will book the Vgolf bar (at the entrance to Bras Basah station) for all Koreans for exclusive screening of all Korean matches in the World Cup.

Going for one of these screenings can be an unforgettable experience. Armed to the teeth with much fanfare and optimism with kids in tow, the Koreans (and their non-Korean supporters) will turn up in a sea of red and pack the bar to the brim. Sometimes, they also head to the nearby Irish Pub for some good old soccer action over a hearty glass of Budweiser.

I remember the fateful match against former champions Argentina. The Korean team fared bravely against the La Albiceleste who had better forwards, but the Korean audience was still extremely enthusiastic and supportive. They would sigh collectively whenever their team misses goals by a knife edge, clap whenever the defence or goalie successfully parries the much vaunted Argentinian bulldozer attack, and cheer whenever their mid-fields and forwards gets the initiative with the ball.

Photo from FIFA.com

Down by 2 goals at the 32nd minute, the Koreans were certainly not out. Then it happened in the 45th minute, when Lee Chung-Young took advantage of a dittering Martin Demichelis who was dwelling on the ball for too long, lunged from nowhere, and scored their first goal against the Argentinians. The whole crowd seemed to throw their hands into the air in unison with a collective, rumbling roar that rankled the bar and stunned the over-stressed beer ladies, some jumping and screaming with joy, others hugging in groups.

But above all, we were all cheering a common language: Korea hwaiting! hwaiting! hwaiting! (fighting, fighting, fighting). In that moment, it is almost impossible not to feel solidarity with the Koreans infused with a sense of asian pride and nationalism.

The Koreans went down 4-1 but the audience was still appreciative of their team. Win or lose, there was still pride in being Korean, and respect for playing on the grandest stage of all.

However, the North Korean match against Portugal was a different story. Despite being a prime-time Monday evening slot, the Vgolf bar was not screening the match (apparently, the Korean Association conspicuously failed to book the bar) and not a single Korean was in sight even before the match. A small group of Koreans strolled into the Irish Pub minutes into the match, and stayed silent as the North Koreans flopped against the on-form Portuguese who had a field day with 7 goals against nil.

Only the non-Koreans were cheering for the underdogs who braved the rain and slippery field to give Portugal a run for their money in the first half of the match. But gone were the red shirts, the Korean cheers, and more importantly, the support from their fellow Choson countrymen.

What happened? Did the South Koreans stay away because of the fallout from the sinking of the Cheonan warship? Or they just simply didn't care?

I was pretty convinced that North or South Korean, they will still cheer for each other, with a more affirmed recognition and pride of their solidarity as the Choson people. Guess I was wrong.

But nevertheless, I will still cheer for the Koreans, despite the cold-war divide.

Goodbye to freelance writing

It's official. My freelance writing career has come to an end.

No more contributions or short columns in the Straits Times: Youthink. No more set piece articles for the Business Times Campus Life.

The Government simply can't let one of its civil servants run amok and write to (or for) the media. And as an employee, I can't moonlight with a second career.

Writing has, in a way, been a form of rebellion for me. It has been about speaking up, challenging the status quo at times, or advocating a certain point of view, even if it is not the most popular. Disagreements can happen but in the best of scenarios, we all agree to disagree. The freedom to write is addictive but it comes with a price: exposed to public scrutiny, you have to stand by everything that you write, or risk your credibility.

But after more than four years, seeing fellow writers and editors come and go, and with more 40 pieces to my name, I still believe that I have so much room for improvement. Writing, while soothing and therapeutic, can also expose your shortcomings and vulnerabilities, fears and regrets, because writing demands a certain level of critical self-evaluation and frankness that many will shy from.

But it's not entirely over. Writers, as people, can evolve too.

This summer, I have a new vision: to visit at least three different countries a year, preferably on a backpacking trip, and write about these trips. There is aplenty to write about their history and culture, the wonderful people that you meet, the crazy things that you do, and the insights that you get.

I especially enjoy the flood of ideas and excitement whenever a new experience emerges, time slows down when all of my senses are activated, and I tell myself," Man, I'm so gonna write about this."

Alas, a lot of these "real, in-your-face" experiences will never be possible on a guided working trip which includes living in hotels and taken to sight-seeing places in an air conditioned bus. To fully experience life in another country, one has to trudge it out on foot, brave the traffic conditions, eat street food, and mingle with the man on the street. But as one grows older, that becomes less possible.

But till then, the dictum remains the same: the pen is certainly mightier than the sword, while words can be sharper than the finest blade, and louder than the biggest guns in the world.