Secrets of Malacca (FOOD)

Sd.

Why I Love Pizza Hut’s 6 Cheese Extreme Pizza !

Nov 15th , Monday

Yesterday, I had the Extreme Cheesy 6 Pizza ! CHEESE !!

The Extreme Cheesy 6 Pizza - a mix of cheese so good, you’ll do anything to get it! It’s a whole lotta cheesy goodness that will satisfy any cheese lover!

With Parmesan, Mozzarella, Romano, Cheddar, Provolone and Monterey Jack! That’s why I love it the “varieties” of cheese there are in the pizza.

Ordered the large size Cheesy Hawaiian !

Looking cheesy :) and there’s more

The WHOLE, ENTIRE PIZZA was made of CHEESE as its base!!! :)

How coooooooooll is that!!

Cheese here, there and everywhere :P

YUMMY!!!!!! totally an OMG moment!

Can't you taste it yet?

Cheezy-licious :D

LIKE TOTALLY!!

To DIE for!

the cheese just melts away

Remember just a while ago I said I ordered a large sized pizza?

It's recommended for 4 persons.

Guess what?

My friend and I (2 persons) ate it all up!!

That's how I know I'm crazy....

SOoOoO SoOoOoO SoOoO CrAZieeeeee!! (@@)

ALL DELUSIONAL

MADLY IN LOVE

ALL CRAZY

Can’t wait to go again coz

me *hearts* cheese!

I AM about Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!

outing,self

Oct 15th, Friday

Yesterday, I had a very productive day.

Started the day very early with time alone, breakfast, classes and lastly social outing!

At around noon, someone special came to pick me up at University LRT. First time meeting, but not soooo new to each other.

Went out for lunch at Tony Romas + movie + Starbucks

All in all had a great time with the special someone :)

At night, went out for dinner with housemates+friends at Ming Tian.

Some chit chat session as usual.

I observe that my life has been quite eventful, colourful, and loads of chit chat with friends.
My life wasn't so full of wonderful gifts for a number of years since I came to KL.

I was happy. I am happy :)


p.s no authorization to use the photo of the special someone .. lolx

Sd.

self reflexion

The recent accident on the highway made a slight impact on me. Well, more so after mom called me the other night. Ever since, I am trying my best to sympathize and empathize with what the families of the deceased and those who are badly injured.

My thoughts turned to my own family. My wild mind wondered far. I thought of what situation would I be in if my mom actually bought the bus ticket. What if my younger brother boarded that poor and miserable bus? I thought of the suffering my family would be going through, if either my brother or I was on that bus. ...

Then my thoughts turned to Divine Providence and Intervention. I asked myself, what if it was heaven? What if my family was somehow protected? I questioned if my years of prayers being fulfilled before my very eyes.

My thoughts turned again towards heaven as I walk silently and alone. Is that really my vocation? Am I really called to sacrifice myself, for others. I remember giving the very same reason when I was much much younger towards fulfilling my so called vocation. That through me, those around me will receive much blessings.

Hmmm ... my day?
Well, it was generally good, but who I am kidding.


Sd.

outing-Charlie St. Cloud

Oct 8; (Fri) 12.05a.m.

Had lunch yesterday (Thursday) at Noodle Station. The food wasn't that bad. Movie watched; entitled Charlie St. Cloud. The movie had some elements of truth. What struck me most was the relationship between the older brother [Charlie St. Cloud] and the younger [Sam St. Cloud].

The Love. The Brotherhood. The Dedication. The Faithfulness. The Affection. The Care.

The unwillingness to let go is also something that is related to us in life. In the movie, Charlie was given a second chance by God to live his life after an accident. Sam on the other hand died in the crash. Unwilling to move on, Charlie hold on to his dead brother for 5 years. Only after letting go, his younger brother 'saw the light' and entered Heaven, a 'place/state' of perpetual joy.

This point is important to us. Souls do get stuck in this world after death. And the main reason is sometimes due to 'unfinished business' or in other words, souls are tied down by their unwillingness to let go of something. The soul is attached to something (material) or someone. In the Bible, Christ gave us an example to live by. Jesus told Mary of Magdalene to not hold on to Him after the resurrection, instead, go back to the community.

The moral of the story?
Do not get attached to things that do not last. :)

Father Nobu leaves for Germany night

Oct 6; 2.21am

Last night, I followed Brother Gerard to Kl Sentral to bid good bye to Father Nobu from Japan.
He was to leave Malaysia in order to resume his journey to Germany.

Was surprised to receive a letter from him. All of us that met him did.

His letter was short and sweet. It wasn't so much of the content, but the thought of actually remembering what I said, what I am, or at least, what I projected I am (how I market myself) etc.

Later, I joined the group (Lydia, Yen Hwa, Jeremy, Sebastian, Angela and Rebecca) to have a drink at Sahur.

Replied the letter by Fr. and now, sitting and scribbling some notes here.

Am having some mixed thoughts and feelings right now. But I guess I can't really articulate it.
Or else it wouldn't be MIXED thoughts.. :)

Best to just let it be.

Good night.

Guardian Angels

Oct 2

Today marks the Feast Day of Guardian Angels celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church.

When we speak of angels, the first thing that comes to mind is a spiritual being in the image of man

but with the exceptional addition of wings... in order words.. WINGED CREATURES.

And many people are fascinated by the idea of having a protector, intercessor of prayers, etc etc.

But the real meaning of an Angel is not that they are spiritual, winged creatures...

An angel is the OFFICE in which the spiritual creatures holds.
It is what they do, that makes them an angel; not their nature.

May your guardian angel continue to intercede for you as they continually offer your prayers and theirs at the altar of God in heaven.

Help me, that I may release my grip.

Release me from it

That I may not give you power to gloat over me

That I may not fall down and bleed

May I stop giving you the power over me

May it stop

I cannot rely on you

because you, you have casted your shadow

one that of doubt, of unfriendliness, unloving, unkind

or maybe its just me

but I shall strip away... I pray that I am able to

strip away those powers that I've once given you

I am indifferent today.

But I feel the need wanted to note my whispers.

The Lord is my shepherd. In Him I shall place my trust.
O Lord my God, teach me to release my grip, my hold on earthly things.
The words "Let go" still rings in my mind, words utter by someone praying over me
Words uttered with power. 3 times
At that moment, I fell; resting in Your presence.
I long to feel that again Lord.
Teach me once again to let go.
I am not unhappy, nor am I sad. Just numb, indifferent.
I have not accepted it, nor will I recognize it.
I will not.
But Lord, teach me.. once again.
Release me from my bondage.

best of both worlds

My worlds are somehow colliding... In a good way I hope. I really hope it is. I'm not really worried, as someone always tells me not to worry. But why I didn't get that chance to build that bridge with stones? Or did I but I just let it pass? I've always prayed for one thing for years with regards to building bridges. My friend pointed out to me that maybe this might be the answer; for my worlds to collide. But still, its not to my liking...not at this pace.

Everybody knows everybody these days. I pray that things will be fine and reach its fruition.

Lord show me Your path laid out for me.

I pray now as I remember the many friends, companions, housemates ;p I've met along the way that have lit my path, to find my way towards You. May You O Lord bless each one of them with success, great faith and courage as they traverse this sinful earth.

Uncomplicate my mind dear Lord as I try to dance to Your new rhythm.

rants

A sudden rush of sadness and pain just ran through my earthly body. Why do I allow myself to be inflicted with such pain?

I strive to be someone. Not just anyone, but someone. Someone in the eyes of my beloved.

I am possessive. I know I am. I try my best to let go. I've been doing that, for a while now. Only the Lord knows how I struggle. No words can express the pain I inflict upon myself. Not physical pain but one that strikes the heart. A sword piercing through the very soul of my inner being. I am ..... I am... I just am. I cry from within. My soul cries with me. At times, I remind myself that I'm a traveler on this very earth, I am on a journey Home. I am in this world, but not of the world.

It hit me one morning a few days back as I stood in the showers. That nothing is constant in this world. Therefore, why am I still relying on things of this world for only He is constant. Yet I question, even the saints feel His silence.

I have much to say... or do I? For I fall short of words as the soul feels deeply.

Unrelated to this, I am tired with some people at work, at their attitude. I am glad that in a couple of weeks, I'm washing my hands. Not important to me to feel sad about. Not worth my time.

I am reminded that life is not easy. If it was, I am on the wrong side of the road.

To feel is to be human.

To sin is human, to forgive divine.

Let all nations prostrate before You, O Lord. May I learn to magnify Your name and make that my sole purpose. Help me with what goes on within, and may I not fall for Satan's suggestions.

rant-questions

"dear diary" ...lolx

I have been moody these days. thinking and going through everyday living, living the BORING life of a working adult.

I've been thinking a lot. Feeling a lot. Questioning each sadness with a question, WHY?

Questions related to religion, and some rather more philosophical or with regards to morality came my way too.

But nothing hurts me much as related to relationships and life.
I tried to make a point these few days, that a certain someone... or in actuality, a few certain someones are an important and integral part of my life. I made them so and they know it because I made sure of it. Back to the topic,I made a point... a subtle one I guess, via my no-show at a gathering. I made a point not to reply text messages. My point did not get through.

As I read memoir accounts of a saintly nun, Sister Lucia of Fatima; a sense of pride burns in me, as she is Portuguese, a land dedicated to Our Lady; the land my ancestors apart from China. Anyways, in her writings, she reveals that she suffers loneliness at the departure of her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta, and her father from this earth at an early age. She wept bitterly. I've also come across accounts even of Mother Theresa's stating her loneliness in the midst of God's silence. I think I can connect to that feelings. What we all know is that everyone will feel lonely, more so when one is in their golden age.


However, one cannot escape the sense of loneliness even at a very young age. The young, upon feeling this void, a monster that eat them up from the inside, try to fill that void. The Catholic church teaches that youth resort to masturbation, pornography etc as its approach is from a psychological point of view. I think this is probably correct. But for me bringing up this point, I question if my actions, of having non-blood-related siblings that I treat well, rightly so as my own flesh. Is this a "symptom" of me filling my void?

I am sad. I am a Christian. I am facing difficulties following the path laid out. I struggle. I pray and I stop. I fall. I deceive. I lie. I sin. I fall I fall I fall as Satan suggests me. I'm saddened. Over many paths, decisions. I'm saddened.

An interesting personal message by a friend, "can you lay your life down, so a stranger can life?". This question is rather NOT new to me, BUT it reminded me of my past. I asked this question many times in the past, would I lay my life down for those certain someones. My answer was without a doubt certainly YES!!~ This question is laid out in the bible also, and by the example of the supreme act of Crucifixion. Well written, this example extends to laying ones life even for strangers, not only our own beloved and loved ones. I am a little bit unsure of my recent answer, but was reminded again by the Lord. I am ashamed of my recent answer, I question laying down my life for my beloveds.

Do I want those relationships? Why is it important? or rather why did I make it important? Why do I care or why am I sensitive, maybe at times overly sensitive? What does God want of me by giving me such 'gifts' if you can call it one? Do I want to water down those bonds? And if it is so, will my loneliness and hurt be alleviated as I move towards depending on Him? Or did He put them in place to help me know Him better?

Treat others as how I would like to be treated.

Lord, I offer my pains and sufferings, for my sins and of the world. Amen.

5 years...

Then I'll decide ...

Catholic League : sexual abuse in social context

SEXUAL ABUSE IN SOCIAL CONTEXT: CATHOLIC CLERGY AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS Special Report by Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights February 2004 PREFACE The purpose of this special report is to put the recent scandal in the Catholic Church in perspective. It does not seek to exculpate anyone who had anything to do with priestly sexual misconduct, but it does seek to challenge those who continue to treat this issue in isolation. Indeed, to discuss the incidence of sexual abuse committed by Roman Catholic priests without reference to the level of offense found among the clergy of other religions, or to that of other professionals, is grossly unfair. Specifically, this report was prepared to guide the discussion that will inevitably follow two major studies that will be issued on February 27. One of them, a national study on the extent of sexual abuse of minors by priests since 1950, will be released by John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. The other is a study of the causes and consequences of the abuse crisis; it will be released by the National Review Board that was established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Both studies were done at the request of the U.S. bishops. It is the belief of the Catholic League that no meaningful conversation can take place on this issue without having some baseline data regarding the incidence of abuse that occurs outside the Catholic Church. That was the sole intent of this special report, and if it contributes to that end, then it will have been a success. William A. Donohue, Ph.D. President OVERALL DATA The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data Systems was developed by the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Human Services in partnership with the States to collect annual statistics on child maltreatment from State child protective services agencies. For the year 2001, it was found that approximately 903,000 children were victims of child maltreatment, 10 percent of whom (or 90,000) were sexually abused. It also found that 59 percent of the perpetrators of child abuse or neglect were women and 41 percent were men.[i] In 2001, clinical child psychologist Wade F. Horn reported on the work of researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. The researchers found that nearly 20 percent of low-income women, recruited through family planning, obstetrical or gynecological clinics, had experienced child sexual abuse. Horn summarized the researchers’ findings on poor women as follows: “Family friends and acquaintances compose the largest group of perpetrators (28 percent), followed by such relatives as uncles and cousins (18 percent), stepfathers (12 percent), male siblings (10 percent), biological fathers (10 percent), boyfriends of the child’s mother (9 percent), grandfathers and stepgrandfathers (7 percent), and strangers (4 percent).” Horn was struck by the fact that 10 percent were biological fathers and only 4 percent were strangers. “Which means,” he said, “86 percent of the perpetrators were known to the family, but were someone other than the child’s father.”[ii] According to Dr. Garth A. Rattray, about the same incidence of abuse occurs among all the socio-economic classes. For example, he reports that “about 85 percent of the offenders [of child sexual abuse] are family members, babysitters, neighbors, family friends or relatives. About one in six child molesters are other children.” Unlike the first study cited, Rattray reports that most of the offenders are male.[iii] It is obvious that children are much more likely to be sexually abused by family members and friends than by anyone else. This suggests that if preventative measures are to work, they must begin in the home, and not someplace else. PRIESTS According to a survey by the Washington Post, over the last four decades, less than 1.5 percent of the estimated 60,000 or more men who have served in the Catholic clergy have been accused of child sexual abuse.[iv] According to a survey by the New York Times, 1.8 percent of all priests ordained from 1950 to 2001 have been accused of child sexual abuse.[v] Thomas Kane, author of Priests are People Too, estimates that between 1 and 1.5 percent of priests have had charges made against them.[vi] Of contemporary priests, the Associated Press found that approximately two-thirds of 1 percent of priests have charges pending against them.[vii] Almost all the priests who abuse children are homosexuals. Dr. Thomas Plante, a psychologist at Santa Clara University, found that “80 to 90% of all priests who in fact abuse minors have sexually engaged with adolescent boys, not prepubescent children. Thus, the teenager is more at risk than the young altar boy or girls of any age.”[viii] The situation in Boston, the epicenter of the scandal, is even worse. According to the Boston Globe, “Of the clergy sex abuse cases referred to prosecutors in Eastern Massachusetts, more than 90 percent involve male victims. And the most prominent Boston lawyers for alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse have said that about 95 percent of their clients are male.”[ix] In a database analysis of reports on more than 1,200 alleged victims of priests identified by USA Today, 85 percent were males.[x] In another study by USA Today, it was determined that of the 234 priests who have been accused of sexual abuse of a minor while serving in the nation’s 10 largest dioceses and archdioceses, 91 percent of their victims were males.[xi] Much has been made of a survey done by the Dallas Morning News which claims that two-thirds of the nation’s bishops have allowed priests accused of sexual abuse to continue working. But the problem with the survey is its definition of abuse—it includes everything from “ignoring warnings about suspicious behavior” to “criminal convictions.”[xii] Thus, the survey is of limited utility. MINISTERS The data on the Protestant clergy tend to focus on sexual abuse in general, not on sexual abuse of children. Thus, strict comparisons cannot always be made. But there are some comparative data available on the subject of child sexual molestation, and what has been reported is quite revealing. In a 1984 survey, 38.6 percent of ministers reported sexual contact with a church member, and 76 percent knew of another minister who had had sexual intercourse with a parishioner.[xiii] In the same year, a Fuller Seminary survey of 1,200 ministers found that 20 percent of theologically “conservative” pastors admitted to some sexual contact outside of marriage with a church member. The figure jumped to over 40 percent for “moderates”; 50 percent of “liberal” pastors confessed to similar behavior.[xiv] In 1990, in a study by the Park Ridge Center for the Study of Health, Faith and Ethics in Chicago, it was learned that 10 percent of ministers said they had had an affair with a parishioner and about 25 percent admitted some sexual contact with a parishioner.[xv] Two years later, a survey by Leadership magazine found that 37 percent of ministers confessed to having been involved in “inappropriate sexual behavior” with a parishioner.[xvi] In a 1993 survey by the Journal of Pastoral Care, 14 percent of Southern Baptist ministers said they had engaged in “inappropriate sexual behavior,” and 70 percent said they knew a minister who had had such contact with a parishioner.[xvii] Joe E. Trull is co-author of the 1993 book, Ministerial Ethics, and he found that “from 30 to 35 percent of ministers of all denominations admit to having sexual relationships—from inappropriate touching to sexual intercourse—outside of marriage.”[xviii] According to a 2000 report to the Baptist General Convention in Texas, “The incidence of sexual abuse by clergy has reached ‘horrific proportions.’” It noted that in studies done in the 1980s, 12 percent of ministers had “engaged in sexual intercourse with members” and nearly 40 percent had “acknowledged sexually inappropriate behavior.” The report concluded that “The disturbing aspect of all research is that the rate of incidence for clergy exceeds the client-professional rate for physicians and psychologists.”[xix] Regarding pornography and sexual addiction, a national survey disclosed that about 20 percent of all ministers are involved in the behavior.[xx] In the spring of 2002, when the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church was receiving unprecedented attention, the Christian Science Monitor reported on the results of national surveys by Christian Ministry Resources. The conclusion: “Despite headlines focusing on the priest pedophile problem in the Roman Catholic Church, most American churches being hit with child sexual-abuse allegations are Protestant, and most of the alleged abusers are not clergy or staff, but church volunteers.”[xxi] Finally, in the authoritative work by Penn State professor Philip Jenkins, Pedophiles and Priests, it was determined that between .2 and 1.7 percent of priests are pedophiles. The figure among the Protestant clergy ranges between 2 and 3 percent.[xxii] OTHER CLERGY AND PROFESSIONALS Rabbi Arthur Gross Schaefer is a professor of law and ethics at Loyola Marymount University. It is his belief that sexual abuse among rabbis approximates that found among the Protestant clergy. According to one study, 73 percent of women rabbis report instances of sexual harassment. “Sadly,” Rabbi Schaefer concludes, “our community’s reactions up to this point have been often based on keeping things quiet in an attempt to do ‘damage control.’ Fear of lawsuits and bad publicity have dictated an atmosphere of hushed voices and outrage against those who dare to break ranks by speaking out.”[xxiii] Rabbi Joel Meyers, executive vice president of the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly, reports that 30 percent of rabbis who changed positions in 2000 did so involuntarily, and that sexual abuse was a factor in many instances.[xxiv] The Awareness Center devotes an entire website to “Clergy Abuse: Rabbis, Cantors & Other Trusted Officials.” It is a detailed and frank look at the problem of sexual abuse by rabbis.[xxv] The problem of sexual abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses is evident among church elders but most of the abuse comes from congregation members. “The victims who have stepped forward are mostly girls and young women,” writes Laurie Goodstein in the New York Times, “and many accusations involve incest.” There is a victims support group available, “silentlambs,” that has collected more than 5,000 Witnesses contending that the church mishandled child sexual abuse.[xxvi] According to one study, .2 percent of athletic coaches nationwide have a criminal record of some sort of sexual offense. This translates to about 6,000 coaches in the U.S. who have been tried and found guilty of sexual offense against children.[xxvii] It is not known how many more offenders have escaped the reach of law enforcement. Between 3 and 12 percent of psychologists have had sexual contact with their clients. While today virtually every state considers sexual contact with a client as worthy of revoking a psychologist’s license, as recently as 1987 only 31 percent of state licensing boards considered sexual relations between a psychologist and his or her patient grounds for license revocation.[xxviii] What makes this statistic so interesting is that many bishops in the 1980s took the advice of psychologists in handling molesting priests. TEACHERS The American Medical Association found in 1986 that one in four girls, and one in eight boys, are sexually abused in or out of school before the age of 18. Two years later, a study included in The Handbook on Sexual Abuse of Children, reported that one in four girls, and one in six boys, is sexually abused by age 18.[xxix] It was reported in 1991 that 17.7 percent of males who graduated from high school, and 82.2 percent of females, reported sexual harassment by faculty or staff during their years in school. Fully 13.5 percent said they had sexual intercourse with their teacher.[xxx] In New York City alone, at least one child is sexually abused by a school employee every day. One study concluded that more than 60 percent of employees accused of sexual abuse in the New York City schools were transferred to desk jobs at district offices located inside the schools. Most of these teachers are tenured and 40 percent of those transferred are repeat offenders. They call it “passing the garbage” in the schools. One reason why this exists is due to efforts by the United Federation of Teachers to protect teachers at the expense of children.[xxxi] Another is the fact that teachers accused of sexual misconduct cannot be fired under New York State law.[xxxii] One of the nation’s foremost authorities on the subject of the sexual abuse of minors in public schools is Hofstra University professor Charol Shakeshaft. In 1994, Shakeshaft and Audrey Cohan did a study of 225 cases of educator sexual abuse in New York City. Their findings are astounding. All of the accused admitted sexual abuse of a student, but none of the abusers was reported to the authorities, and only 1 percent lost their license to teach. Only 35 percent suffered negative consequences of any kind, and 39 percent chose to leave their school district, most with positive recommendations. Some were even given an early retirement package.[xxxiii] Moving molesting teachers from school district to school district is a common phenomenon. And in only 1 percent of the cases do superintendents notify the new school district.[xxxiv] According to Diana Jean Schemo, the term “passing the trash” is the preferred jargon among educators.[xxxv] Shakeshaft has also determined that 15 percent of all students have experienced some kind of sexual misconduct by a teacher between kindergarten and 12th grade; the behaviors range from touching to forced penetration.[xxxvi] She and Cohan also found that up to 5 percent of teachers sexually abuse children.[xxxvii] Shakeshaft will soon be ready to release the findings of a vast study undertaken for the Planning and Evaluation Service Office of the Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Education, titled, “Educator Sexual Misconduct with Students: A Synthesis of Existing Literature on Prevalence in Connection with the Design of a National Analysis.”[xxxviii] CONCLUSION The issue of child sexual molestation is deserving of serious scholarship. Too often, assumptions have been made that this problem is worse in the Catholic clergy than in other sectors of society. This report does not support this conclusion. Indeed, it shows that family members are the most likely to sexually molest a child. It also shows that the incidence of the sexual abuse of a minor is slightly higher among the Protestant clergy than among the Catholic clergy, and that it is significantly higher among public school teachers than among ministers and priests. In a survey for the Wall Street Journal-NBC News, it was found that 64 percent of the public thought that Catholic priests frequently abused children.[xxxix] This is outrageously unfair, but it is not surprising given the media fixation on this issue. While it would be unfair to blame the media for the scandal in the Catholic Church, the constant drumbeat of negative reporting surely accounts for these remarkably skewed results.[xl] Without comparative data, little can be learned. Numbers are not without meaning, but they don’t count for much unless a baseline has been established. Moreover, sexual misconduct is difficult to measure given its mostly private nature. While crime statistics are helpful, we know from social science research that most crimes go unreported. This is especially true of sexual abuse crimes. At the end of the day, estimates culled from survey research are the best we can do. By putting the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in perspective, it is hoped that this report will make for a more fair and educated public response. [i] “Child Maltreatment 2001: Summary of Key Findings,” National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, www.calib.com/nccanch, April 2003. [ii] Wade F. Horn, “Common-sense article about abuse,” Washington Times, February 6, 2001, p. E1. [iii] Dr. Garth A. Rattray, “Child Month and Paedophilia,” The Gleaner, May 14, 2002. [iv]Alan Cooperman, “Hundreds of Priests Removed Since ‘60s; Survey Shows Scope Wider Than Disclosed,” Washington Post, June 9, 2002, p. A1. [v]Laurie Goodstein, “Decades of Damage; Trail of Pain in Church Crisis Leads to Nearly Every Diocese,” New York Times, January 12, 2003, Section 1, p. 1. [vi] Interviewed by Bill O’Reilly, Transcript of “The O’Reilly Factor,” May 3, 2002. [vii] Bob von Sternberg, “Insurance Falls Short in Church Abuse Cases; Catholic Dioceses are Forced to Find other Sources to Pay Settlements,” Star Tribune, July 27, 2002, p. 1A. [viii] Thomas Plante, “A Perspective on Clergy Sexual Abuse,” www.psywww.com/psyrelig/plante.html. [ix] Thomas Farragher and Matt Carroll, “Church Board Dismissed Accusations by Females,” Boston.com, February 2, 2003. [x] Janet Kornblum, “85% of Church Abuse Victims are Male, Research Finds,” USA Today, July 24, 2002, pp. 6-7D. [xi] “The Accusers and the Accused,” USA Today, November 11, 2002, p. 7D. [xii] Brooks Egerton and Reese Dunklin, “Two-thirds of Bishops Let Accused Priests Work,” Dallas Morning News, June 12, 2002, p. 1A. [xiii] Dale Neal, “Methodist Clergy Instructed in Sexual Ethics at Conference,” Asheville Citizen-Times, May 14, 2002, p. 1B. [xiv] Cal Thomas, “Their Sins only Start with Abuse,” Baltimore Sun, June 19, 2002, p. 9A. [xv] James L. Franklin, “Sexual Misconduct Seen as a Serious Problem in Religion,” Boston Globe, October 23, 1991, p. 24. [xvi] “Pastors Are People, Too!”, Focus on the Family, May 1996, p. 7. [xvii] Teresa Watanabe, “Sex Abuse by Clerics—A Crisis of Many Faiths,” Los Angeles Times, March 25, 2002, p. A1. [xviii] Cal Thomas, “Their Sins only Start with Abuse,” Baltimore Sun, June 19, 2002, p. 9A. [xix] Terry Mattingly, “Baptists’ Traditions Make it Hard to Oust Sex-Abusing Clergy,” Knoxville News-Sentinel, June 22, 2002, p. C2. [xx] “Assemblies of God Tackles Problem of Porn Addiction Among Ministers,” Charisma, January 2001, p. 24. [xxi] Mark Clayton, “Sex Abuse Spans Spectrum of Churches,” Christian Science Monitor, April 5, 2002, p. 1. [xxii] Philip Jenkins, Pedophiles and Priests (New York: Oxford University Press), pp. 50 and 81. [xxiii] Rabbi Arthur Gross Schaefer, “Rabbi Sexual Misconduct: Crying Out for a Communal Response,” www.rrc.edu/journal, November 24, 2003. [xxiv] Roger Lovette, “Religious Leaders Must Learn to Handle Conflict Constructively,” Birmingham News, April 28, 2002. [xxv] See www.theawarenesscenter.org/clergyabuse. [xxvi] Laurie Goodstein, “Ousted Members Say Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Policy on Abuse Hides Offenses,” New York Times, August 11, 2002, Section 1, p. 26. [xxvii] Michael Dobie, “Violation of Trust; When Young Athletes Are Sex-Abuse Victims, Their Coaches Are Often the Culprits,” Newsday, June 9, 2002, p. C25. [xxviii] “Sexual Misconduct (ROLES): New Research Therapy Doesn’t Deter Sexual Misconduct by Psychologists,” Sex Weekly, September 15, 1997, pp. 27-28. [xxix] Michael Dobie, “Violation of Trust,” Newsday, June 9, 2002, p. C25. [xxx] Daniel Wishnietsky, “Reported and Unreported Teacher-Student Sexual Harassment,” Journal of Ed Research, Vol. 3, 1991, pp. 164-69. [xxxi] Douglas Montero, “Secret Shame of Our Schools: Sexual Abuse of Students Runs Rampant,” New York Post, July 30, 2001, p. 1. [xxxii] “Schools Chancellor: Four Teachers Barred from Classroom,” Associated Press, June 12, 2003. [xxxiii] Charol Shakeshaft and Audrey Cohan, In loco parentis: Sexual abuse of students in schools, (What administrators should know). Report to the U.S. Department of Education, Field Initiated Grants [xxxiv] Ibid. [xxxv]Diana Jean Schemo, “Silently Shifting Teachers in Sex Abuse Cases,” New York Times, June 18, 2002, p. A19. [xxxvi] Elizabeth Cohen, “Sex Abuse of Students Common; Research Suggests 15% of All Children Harassed,” Press & Sun-Bulletin, February 10, 2002, p. 1A. [xxxvii] Berta Delgado and Sarah Talalay, “Sex Cases Increase in Schools; Many Acts of Teacher Misconduct Not Being Reported,” Sun-Sentinel, June 4, 1995, p. 1A. [xxxviii] The study is in draft form and is not yet available for quotation. [xxxix] The dates of the study were April 5-7, 2002. It was reported in Roper Center at University of Connecticut Public Opinion Online, Accession Number 0402247. Hart and Teeter Research Companies did the survey. [xl] The Catholic League took pains to credit the media with fair coverage of the scandal. See the “Executive Summary” of the Catholic League’s 2002 Report on Anti-Catholicism. It is available online at www.catholicleague.org. Print this Report

prophecy

Do you believe in prophecy??

What if it happens to you? Would you believe it?

I think it's much easier to believe prophecy happening to others, but not yourself.

As for miracles, its the other way round.

Someone claims to have prophesied something about me. And later explained to me.

I shall keep it in my heart, ponder it, pray about it and later how things go.

If this prophecy is truly from God himself, I just hope and pray that when the time comes, I will have the courage to say like Mary, the Fiat.

May the good Lord grant me mercy and the graces which I stand most in need.

links for Catholic sites, teaching on prophecy.
1, 2

Shaun, remember!!!

It happened on Holy Thursday, In the year of our Lord, April 1st, 2010.
5th year of the Pontificate of Benedictus Sextus Decimus
after mass



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ShAuNnY BoY:P ~

I feel the need to revamp my bloggieee ;p

SOoN!! Very SOoN ... :)


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ShAuNnY BoY:P ~

I think the reason for me having a "god-sibling-ship" is for me to break walls and build bridges.

The question now is, how long can it last?


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ShAuNnY BoY :P ~

self image

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ShAuNnY BoY:P ~

Deo Gratias

Deo Gratias for having listened and granted my prayer, which I have been bugging Him with since 2-3 years ago!!!

Deo Gratias to Him for him.

Always proud... always have and always will

Congratulations didi :)

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ShAuNnY BoY:P ~

random

Listened to the words of a song played days back. Don't remember which it was.

"I'm praying to a God that I don't believe in"

Could it be possible?


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ShAuNnY BoY:P ~

updates-random

Feeling a little bit "stressed" out even though classes haven't started yet.
Why? I don't know.

Been reading some books... motivational

First one was by Joe Bateman.. and someone else. title-forgotten ;p

Now embarking on another "The Ultimate Secrets of Total Self-Confidence" by Dr. Robert Anthony.

Just trying to take in as much as I can, trying to be receptive and open to "new" conditions.

Chinese New Year and mid semester break is over.

Met my friends last night at Kota. Loo Ping and her bf, and Khin Fai.

Also met my god brother there. Not really met, saw each other, text message each other but at the same mamak stall. Both trying to be inconspicuous, in his words "scanning" each other.
Glad to have seen him there.

Point to ponder, am I putting myself out in the deep again? making myself vulnerable, AGAIN?
Is 'god sibling-ship' good for me? Can I trust them? Should I trust them?
# talking about vulnerable, the first book I read talks about making ourselves vulnerable to changes, that we might feel... I think that's what it says.. lolx
# the current book, tells people to not let others (outside factor) to affect you.
Totally opposite but both provides valid reasoning.

Another point to ponder...
Been making adjustments to fit into groups...
Acceptable? or just a fact of life? a necessity? or just being a conversationalist?

Casual sex...
Acceptable in today's society? Virginity still the norm? Do people treasure virginity?
A friend of mine, in one of our conversations somehow supported prostitution, or rather gave reasons why sex with a prostitute is acceptable.

How do I rate myself? Conservative or liberal?
I think I'm in between.
Using conservative reasoning yet chooses liberal stance...SO FAR
maybe because this is the only view point I can see from.
Trying to be "open" to changes.


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ShAuNnY BoY:P ~

random

I think I know how to initiate a friendship, but not sustain it.

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ShAuNnY BoY:P ~

No God but God

Joseph Chinyong Liow writes:

For many Muslims in the region, Christian use of the word “Allah” is relatively unproblematic. Jesus, who lived six centuries before Islam was founded, would most likely have used a similar Aramaic word, “Alah”, in reference to God. In fact, the Arabic word “Allah” shares the same root as the Aramaic “Alah” as well as the Hebrew “Elohim”. It is derived from two words, namely “Al”, meaning “the” and “Elah” meaning God. In this sense, it can be argued that “Allah”, “Elohim,” and “Alah” or “Elah” are closely linked.

Today, the word “Allah” is used by Muslims and many Christians alike.

When the Coptic Christians in Egypt celebrate their Christmas Mass, for example, their pope begins his sermon with the phrase “Bismillah” (in the name of God) and uses the word “Allah” throughout. In Southeast Asia, Catholics and Protestants use the term “Allah”; Indonesian Christians have sung prayers to Allah at every Easter and Christmas celebration since the arrival of Christianity on those islands a millennium ago.

The term is as important to Arab and Southeast Asian Christians as it is to Muslims because it stands for the notion of a singular, universal God. “Allah” literally means “the God,” denoting a singular deity. This is particularly significant for Christians in Malaysia, who have been reluctant use the Malay “Tuhan,” because the word does not have a monotheistic connotation. It even has a plural form, “Tuhan-tuhan,” which is understood as “gods.”

The common belief in a singular, universal God should bind Muslims and Christians in Malaysia together. But in Malaysia it has had an opposite, polarising effect. This state of affairs is a consequence of three decades of Islamisation in the country, a process that has effectively constricted the social and political space available to the country’s significant non-Malay, non-Muslim communities. Even before the court ruling, many Malay-Muslim NGOs and lobby groups were discouraging Christians from using “Allah,” claiming that Christians were using it to proselytise to Muslims.

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Externally, the Malaysian use of Islam was a means of gaining stature in the Muslim world, especially with those who dismissed the country as secular because of its perceived liberal attitudes: at a 1997 conference in Saudi Arabia former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad openly contested the Arab world’s perception of Malaysia as secular, contending that “many Muslims will of course disagree with us and try to make out that we are ‘secular.’... But we believe and we are equally convinced in our beliefs that what we do is in the service and in accord with Islam.”

for more, click here.

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ShAuNnY BoY:P ~

Martin Jalleh speaks

Martin Jalleh wrote an article and below I cite the "down" of Malaysia.

I kind of agree with him with today's so called leaders who talk the talk but not walk to walk.
Who claims to be open but never ever admit their mistakes. Both government and opposition irregardless. Perhaps we just have to accept the flaws and vote for values that are "lesser evil".

So people, are you ready to vote for a better tomorrow? Make your vote count!

Muhyiddin claimed that the report appeared to be part of a hidden agenda to destabilise the country. Malaysia is “not asking them to help us anyway. We are helping ourselves and we don’t need their comments because I think a lot of other people know and evaluate ourselves very objectively. We are not basing it on emotions but facts and reality.”

So let’s look at our “self-evaluation report” (that Malaysia is sliding down the slope of becoming even more uncompetitive internationally), made last December by our very own Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Husni Ahmad Hanadzlah, who revealed the following shocking facts and reality:

* Malaysia’s economy has been stagnating for the past decade (in the wake of the 1998 Asian financial crisis)

* It is now trailing badly behind its neighbours like Indonesia in the race for foreign investment.

* It’s export-dependent economy has been hit hard by the global recession, contracting by a forecast 3.0 per cent in 2009 and jeopardising its ambitions of becoming a developed nation by 2020.

* Malaysia is trapped in a low-value-added, low-wage and low-productivity structure.

* Among its peers China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand, Malaysia’s economic growth over the past three years was second-lowest.

* It has lost its competitive edge to remain as the leader of the pack in many sectors of the economy. Its private investment has been steadily in decline. (When the country achieved nationhood in 1957, Malaysia was the second most economically-advanced country in Asia after Japan.- LKS)

* While Singapore and Korea’s nominal per capita GDP grew within the last three decades by 9 and 12 times respectively, Malaysia grew only by a factor of four. (Today, South Korea’s GDP per capita is US$16,450 (RM55,930), Singapore US$34,346, Hong Kong US$29,559 while Malaysia is still at US$7,469.)

* The services sector is underdeveloped, private investment is half the levels before the 1997-98 Asian crisis, and the manufacturing sector is suffering from lack of investment.

* In October Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Mustapa Mohamed admitted that the Thai auto industry had surpassed Malaysia’s despite entering the game at a later stage.

* Malaysia fell three places from 21st to 24th ranking in the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) 2009-2010 and dropped two places in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2010: Reforming Through Difficult Times from 21st to 23rd placing.

To read more, click here

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ShAuNnY BoY:P ~

Kris Allen in KL

He's much closer than it looks via my mobile camera ;p











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ShAuNnY BoY:P ~

Perak crisis OVER.

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 9 — The Federal Court today agreed with the Court of Appeal and ruled that Barisan Nasional's Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir is the lawful Mentri Besar of Perak. This snuffs out the last hope of his toppled political rival and predecessor Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin to be reinstated to the position.

for more news, click here


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ShAuNnY BoY:P ~

sensitive gov??

It was reported in the Malay Mail last Thursday, 4.2.2010 that the Police and AG Chamber have closed their file on the desecration of the Eucharist by so-called ‘reporters’ from the Al-Islam magazine. It appears that the sensitivities of the Catholics are not significant enough for the Police and the AG Chambers to take action on the mischievous parties who have desecrated what is most holy to us, despite the representations made by the Catholic Lawyers Association to the Home Minister last year (http://www.catholiclawyersociety.org/reporting/CLS-21.7.09.htm).

Please pass this on to any other Catholic or anyone you know who may be interested and do whatever we can to raise awareness about the apathy of the AG, the Police and the government. We do not want a government who will not lift a finger to punish those who desecrate what we believe to be holy. We need a government that will uphold truth and justice and it is obviously not the present government.

John D’cruz

8.2.2010

didi's 19th birthday

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ShAuNnY BoY:P ~