some random musings and stuff running through my head:
1. god is our lord and saviour and is placed above all things. so the question is, if faced with a choice: give up your religion or your parents, how is this choice to be made? if someone unhesitatingly tells me 'god for sure', should i be impressed by his/her loyalty and conviction towards god? or should i be shocked by his disloyalty towards his parents? his lack of piety?
2. should i just study special semester this year since i have already made the commitments, or should i try to apply for a job and drop all arrangements including camps and special sem made prior to this? i could try for UCLA again next sem and pray like hell i get it, or if i dont i can look for a job next year instead, and concentrate on special sem and volunteer work this year. and if i do get it next year, i could try applying for a job in my graduating year for three months for job experience by telling them that i'm only an undergraduate? will that work? hmm. decisions decisions. i wish i had more time eh.
3. can i still do well for metab when i screwed both the tests? =/
4. in a movie, we often see flashforwards. even in books we see it, for that matter. i mean it's like a flashback, except they show you what happens in the future of the life of the character instead of the past. we know that this is not possible since we can never see the future. so what are these flashforwards? are they a prediction of what is going to happen but are in fact not guaranteed to happen? or is the character already living in that 'future', ie he/she is already old and all and the entire movie was simply a flashback of his/her life? a memory of what's long past? then again, what was shown in the movies are often curent. so how can it be 'something that happened long ago'? just something whimsical that came out because of discussions that i had in class.
5. perspectives. they are all that matter in the end aren't they? if i went through a difficult episode but took a different stand or had a different view of the situation, i could be happier with the outcome couldn't i? is that why relgion works? is it because people take the perspective that: 'everything happens for a reason, whatever i'm going through now is part of the divine plan and i should just trust in god because he knows what is best for me.' is that it? since people know what happens is kind of 'inevitable', they stop trying to fight the misfortunes, they accept it more coolly, whatever happens, they take it and work around it, calm and collected. but i cannot deny that it is indeed better this way is it not? because with such a perspective, believers could be more content with what they have right? they tend not to be so anxious and worried and depressed when things go wrong. but on the other hand.. could this become an easy excuse to fall back on? a lazy person's way of shirking responsibility? "oh it's god's will that i fail this exam and drop out of school" couldn't this kind of situation happen? i guess it's a fine line that we all have to walk. we have to make the distinction ourselves. but then again, the bible says 'lean not on your own understanding'. then now what?
disclaimer: i'm not trying to offend, neither am i questioning anyone's beliefs. i'm genuinely confused and trying to make sense of things. so don't shoot me down.
and... a complaint:
the service industry in singapore needs a serious makeover. i must have encountered a million horrible customer service officers in the past month. i mean seriously, if you hate the customers that much, DON'T go into the line!
firstly, a good customer service officer ought to always smile and be nice, even if you hate the customer, you complain BEHIND THEIR BACKS. NOT FREAKING GIVE THEM THE FACE. for goodness sake, you are paid to be nice. so do your job.
secondly, a person in the service line does NOT dawdle and take his/her own sweet time while preparing your merchandise/food whatever. by dawdling, i don't mean packing everything nicely and taking the time to wrap up stuff. i totally appreciate that effort made. by dawdling, i mean talking to other colleagues and getting distracted by XXX being seen with XXX at XXX and then both exclaiming in disbelief and confirmation respectively, conveniently forgetting about the person waiting for them to finish their rubbish and get on with the packing or whatever.
thirdly, a customer service officer listens and looks at the customer, not shut your ears and eyes and make the customer move heaven and earth simply to get a sliver of your attention.
fourthly, even if you are a cleaner and not technically a customer service officer, you do NOT clean the table and spill half the remains on a person sitting at the table. it is DISGUSTING and UNHYGIENIC and HORRIBLY ANNOYING.
honestly, with the sevice tax we have to pay these days, you would think things would improve. but no. it's deteoriating and deteoriating and deteoriating. how horrible. i could be a better customer service officer than the majority of the people in the line. i ought to put it in my resume or sth: i can be a better customer service officer than all your current staff combined. hire me.