September 22, 2001: Tribute to the United States

Hi,

I hope things are going well for you. I had a safe and pleasant flight
back to Los Angeles. The plane was not that full. The two seats next to
my aisle seat was empty, so I could spread out and take a nap whenever I
wanted to. It's too bad that I watch too many movies in the movie
theaters, because Singapore Airlines offers a choice of about 12 movies,
but I had seen just about most of them.

When I got to LA and into my rental car, I had a huge smile on my face as I
drove on the highway. It's great to be back in LA and to drive again!
Even the traffic jams on the LA freeways didn't seem to bother me too much.

This week's inspirational piece was forwarded by several people. I think
it's very true about the generosity of the United States. I apologize if
you have seen it already.

Take care and keep safe!

-Josh.
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Tribute to the United States

This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing.

America: The Good Neighbor
Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a
remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian
television Commentator. What follows is the full text of his trenchant
remarks as printed in the Congressional Record:

"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most
generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth.
Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out
of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and
forgave other billions in debts.

None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining
debts to the United States. When France was in danger of collapsing in
1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be
insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.

When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries
in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by
tornadoes. Nobody helped. The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped
billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those
countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans.

I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the
erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other
country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the
Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10?

If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except
Russia fly American Planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider
putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy,
and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get
automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the
moon - not once, but several times - and safely home again.

You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store
window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued
and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they
are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at
home to spend here.

When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through
age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad
and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose.
Both are still broke.

I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other
people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to
the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during
the San Francisco earthquake.

Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired
of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with
their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at
the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is
not one of those."

Stand proud, America! Wear it proudly!!

This is one of the best editorials that I have ever read regarding the
United States. It is nice that one man realizes it. I only wish that the
rest of the world would realize it. We are always blamed for everything,
and never even get a thank you for the things we do.

September 16, 2001: Personal Reflections Amidst Tragedy

Hi,

As I sit here writing this email, my thoughts race back to the past
traumatic week. Like you, I will probably forever remember how I first
heard of the terrible events on September 11, 2001. I was so stunned and
shocked. Then I was worried about my family and friends, angry at those
who did it, and saddened by the great loss of life and those injured.

Almost right away after the bombing attacks, my classmates from B-school
and from high school started to email each other about who was in New York
City and trying to make sure that everyone was safe. It was an outpouring
of emotion, friendship and support. It was great to hear from everyone all
over the world.

I want to thank God that my family in New York City is safe, and my
classmates are safe. Several of them had tales of narrow escapes, or of
witnessing the tragedy in real time.

I was also very encouraged by getting emails from my church in Boston
(BCEC) and church in LA (CCAC) about all the prayer meetings for the people
involved in the tragedy. My bible study here in Singapore also prayed on
Wednesday night for the nation, for our leaders, and for the people. It's
great to see the family of God pull together in such times of crisis.

In the following few days, I pondered this thought provoking question: "If
I was on one of the planes that crashed, or in the World Trade Center and
knew I was not going to make it, am I ready to die?"

Although there are still many things I wish to do in life, on the whole, I
really think God has blessed me with a wonderful life, great family and
friends, and wonderful set of experiences. If I were to die today, I think
that I would have a sense of peace about it and look forward to being with
God in heaven for eternity.

Something else that happened two weeks ago also caused me to think about
death. In Singapore, on a Sunday afternoon, a public bus was speeding
around a corner and killed two young girls crossing an intersection. They
were on their way home after church. One of the girl's father was right in
front of them and saw the whole set of tragic events. It turns out that
one of my colleagues from work attends that church (which is a small
church), and he knew that family well. Over lunch, a group of us had a
long conversation about it.

The bus tragedy above and the WTC bombings have really made me realize that
I can die at any time, or anyone can die at any time, for that matter.

Today, I would strongly encourage you to think about these thought
provoking questions. "If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your
personal Lord and Savior, then are you ready to die today? If you were to
die today, what do you think would happen to you?"

This past Wednesday, our bible study received our study books on a new
study called "Experiencing God". I had heard much about this study before,
and am very excited to be doing it in the next few months. On the very
first daily devotional, the author encourages us to accept Jesus Christ if
we have not yet done so. I want to share what the author wrote with you,
in the hopes that you would read it and consider having a personal
relationship with God.

"If you sense a need to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, now is the
time to settle this matter with God. Ask God to speak to you as you read
the following Scriptures:

Romans 3:23 - All have sinned.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Romans 6:23 - Eternal life is a free gift of God.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 5:8 - Because of love, Jesus paid the death penalty for your sins.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 10:9-10 - Confess Jesus as Lord.
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with
your heart that you believe and are are justified, and it is with your
mouth that you confess and are saved."

Romans 10:13 - Ask God to save you, and He will.
"For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

To place your faith in Jesus and receive His gift of eternal life you must:

1) Recognize that you are a sinner and that you need a saving relationship
with Jesus Christ.
2) Confess (agree with God about) your sins.
3) Repent of your sins (turn from sin to God).
4) Ask Jesus to save you by His grace.
5) Turn over the rule in your life to Jesus. Let Him be your Lord.

The stuff I just typed out above may not make too much sense to you. If
you have any questions, please ask me or any other of your Christian
friends. I would be more than happy to share the Gospel with you and try
to answer your questions.

For the next two Sunday, I will be back in LA and will be attending my
church (CCAC). If you are in LA and interested in learning more about God,
please come and visit my church. If you are in another part of the U.S.
and want to visit a church, let me know and I'll ask my friends to
recommend a good church for you to visit. Finally, if you are in
Singapore, you can visit my church here (IBC) when I get back.

On a personal note, please pray for me as I fly back to LA. I will be back
for some important business meetings, training, doctor's apointment,
vacation, and attend 3 weddings over the two weekends.

This week's inspirational piece (about the heroes on Sept. 11) was
forwarded by Geoffrey Chin.

Take care and God bless!

-Josh.
_________________________________

This is really great! Please forward it on and encourage people to read it.
It was written by an ABC news person.

September 11, 2001

N E W Y O R K, Sept. 11 - On a beautiful, sunny morning in the heart of
Manhattan's financial district, a terrorist act unfolded, most of it
broadcast on television around the world.

The world watched in horror as evil made it's dark presence known, loud and
clear! As the hours have passed and as this horrific scene continues
unfolding, I cannot help but sharing with American's, friends and enemies
something that is largely forgotton during times like these; The Good And
Loving Part!

Despite the unspeakable nature of what happened in New York City today,
there were also many moments of unbridled honor and integrity as human
nature once again overpowered evil. God was and is lovingly present amist
the dark contempt which more often than not, fools people into thinking
that God would have anything at all to do with this type of evil.

As the world watched the evil damage in horror, there were many of us
covered in soot and running for our lives, nearby. There were also things
happening that will soon become the basis and foundation on which many may
choose to begin to heal.

There were the two women who formed a circle to pray that a stranger's
sister was OK;

There were the countless shop owners who allowed people to come inside and
use their phones to call loved ones;

There were the taxi drivers who offered to get people out of the downtown
core free of charge;

There was the man who carried a woman in his arms all the way to St.
Vincent's Hospital because she broke her ankle in the melee, he did this in
spite of the fact that his skin had seperated from one of his arms,
Exposing bone and debris.

There were the thousands of police, firefighters, FBI agents and others who
kept their calm and likely saved thousands of lives by evacuating the area
quickly and efficiently.

There were the two women who helped another woman in hysterics calm down.

There was the police officer who forgot about the total chaos long enough
to hold and comfort a woman desperately trying to find her children, the
officer cried and held the woman - at that moment her children appeared
from nowhere.

There were the hundreds of citizens who privately deputized themselves and
were immediately hired to direct traffic and people as well as anything
else needed.

There were the countless nearby residents that housed total strangers over
night without question.

There was the man who used his tiny single flat as a "watering hole" and
welcome relief for hoards of thirsty.

There was the woman who removed her shirt and bra without thought in order
to stop people lying in the streets from bleeding.

There were the thousands of doctors, nurses and hospital staff who sprang
into action to tend to the wounded.

And there was the gentleman who let the man behind him use the pay phone to
call his Mom, so he could let her know he was OK.

There were also the long distance operators that allowed pay phone users to
call anywehre they needed to, they bipassed the formalities.

There were the in excess of a 1000 who stood in line for hours to give
blood.

There were the local residents who tore through their closets and ran to
the streets handing clothes, towels, shirts and even shoes to stumbling
passerbyer's.

There were the countless 'foster' parents who not only took responsibility
for displaced children but for those adults temporarily displaced and
therefore in a childlike way, and need.

There were shop owner's who handed out asprins, drinks and other things
that were needed or even wanted.

There were the 2 men that became aware of an old man's dog becoming trapped
under some of the otter rubble, they returned to the scene found the dog,
and spent the next 12 hours trying to reunite the man and his dog, they
were finally sucessful.

There were people from neighboring towns that drove to where Manhattan's
work force was spilling out in every direction, they drove stranger's home
to places over 100 miles from the scene.

It is these things that begin to put light on this dark day, it is the
light that will become brighter. Please fight terrorism by remembering what
also happened on this day!

God Bless Us All

September 9, 2001: GM vs Microsoft, Puzzle

Hi,

How was your weekend? I really liked potlucks when I was in Boston and in
LA. So, this past weekend I hosted a potluck here in Singapore. Over 20
people came. At first, I was worried that we wouldn't have enough food,
but then the people who came ended up bringing quite a large amount of
food. I cooked two of my usual dishes, spinach with garlic and eggs with
tomatoes. I think I need to learn some new dishes. We definitely didn't
have enough chairs.

After dinner, we played charades. It was guys versus the gals. Each sides
wrote down the names of 20 movie titles for the other team to guess. The
guys won handily, because as a group, we watch a lot of movies and just
about read each others' minds. It was quite fun. Too bad we didn't have
any of the other group games, such as Taboo or Pictionary.

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you could have survived any
historic disaster, which would you choose?"

This week's humor piece was forwarded by Phil Lin.

Enjoy!

-Josh.

Suzhou Garden 1
http://community.webshots.com/album/16728440DYhyBjTaqa
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GM vs Microsoft

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the
computer industry with the auto industry and stated:

"If GM had kept up with the technology like the computer industry has, we
would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon." In
response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press
release stating: "If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would
all be driving cars with the following characteristics:-

l. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a
new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would
have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the car windows,
shut it off, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue.
For some reason you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your
car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to
reinstall the engine.
5. Only one person at a time could use the car unless you bought "CarNT",
but then you would have to buy more seats.
6. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable,
five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would only run on five
percent of the roads.
7. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be
replaced by a single "General Protection Fault" warning light.
8. New seats would force everyone to have the same sized butt.
9. The airbag system would ask "are you SURE?" before deploying.
10. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and
refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle,
turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
11. GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of Rand
McNally road maps (now a GM subsidiary), even though they neither need nor
want them. Attempting to delete this option would
immediately cause the car's performance to diminish by 50% or more.
Moreover, GM would become a target for investigation by the Justice Dept.
12. Every time GM introduced a new car, car buyers would have to learn to
drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same
manner as the old car.
13. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
_________________________________

New Puzzle: Subway

My uncle Lou takes the subway to the movies or the theater every evening.
He always takes the first subway that stops at the station close to his
home, no matter which direction it is heading. If the subway is heading
north, he will go to the theater. If it is heading south, he will go to
the movies. Both trains run every 10 minutes. However, nine times out of
every ten, my uncle ends up at the movies. How can you explain this?
_________________________________

Last Week's Puzzle Answer

My cousin Ernest was once kidnapped. He knew they would either take him to
New York City or to Sydney, Australia. When they took his blindfold off,
he could see he had been locked in a room without windows. There was only
a table, a bed, a chair, and a sink. However, Ernest was able to figure
out which city he was in. How did he do it?

Supposed Answer:

How does the water go down in the sink -- in southern hemisphere it's
opposite of northern hemisphere....

However, take a look at the this email from Richard Chung:

anyway, i'm just writing about the puzzle. i believe it's trying to get at
using the sink to determine whether you're in the northern or southern
hemisphere (coriolis effect), but if so, it's probably best to take a look
at these sites:

http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadCoriolis.html
http://www.esm.psu.edu/htmls/graduate/remerson2.htm

or do a search on google.

So, the supposed answer may not work.

September 2, 2001: Lessons in Communications, Puzzle, I've Learned

Hi,

This weekend was all about dance. On Saturday night, I attended the Orchid
Ball. It was a formal / semi-formal dinner and dance event attended by
alumni of many American universities and friends. After the guest speaker
spoke and the MC played some group games, there was some dancing. The DJ
played "Bizarre Love Triange", which is one of my favorite dance songs from
my days as an undergrad. It sure bought back a lot of good memories of the
Asian American student association dances I went to.

On Sunday night, a large group of friends and I attend Womad, which stands
for "World of Music and Dance". It's a yearly outdoor music and dance
festival in Fort Canning Park in Singapore. It's like going to a classical
music concert at Tanglewood (in that you sit outside on the lawn).
However, the bands are from all over the world, and the music is very
diverse.

One really cool group was Te Vaka, which is from the Polynesian islands.
The music is very rhythmic, and there are some dancers who danced while
dressed in tribal costume. Many people, include me, went right up to the
stage area and had a great time dancing to the very fast beat. It's a bit
like "Stomp". After that, there was another very good group called, "Blind
Boys from Alabama". They were a gospel band, and sang some funky tunes.
All in all, it was very fun.

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you could be the author of
any one quotation from history, what words would you like to have uttered?"

This week's humor and inspirational pieces were forwarded by Anna Man and
PC Lim, respectively.

Enjoy!

-Josh.
_________________________________

Lesson in Communications

DANGEROUS: What's for dinner?
SAFER: Can I help you with dinner?
SAFEST: Where would you like to go for dinner?

DANGEROUS: Are you wearing THAT?
SAFER: Gee, you look good in brown.
SAFEST: Wow! Look at you!

DANGEROUS: What are you so worked up about?
SAFER: Could we be overreacting?
SAFEST: I'm with you, honey, those guys are the scum of the earth.

DANGEROUS: Should you be eating that?
SAFER: You know, there are a lot of vegetables left.
SAFEST: Can I get you a glass of wine with that?

DANGEROUS: What did you DO all day?
SAFER: I hope you didn't overdo it today.
SAFEST: I've always loved you in that bathrobe.
_________________________________

New Puzzle: Kidnapped

My cousin Ernest was once kidnapped. He knew they would either take him to
New York City or to Sydney, Australia. When they took his blindfold off,
he could see he had been locked in a room without windows. There was only
a table, a bed, a chair, and a sink. However, Ernest was able to figure
out which city he was in. How did he do it?
_________________________________

Last Week's Puzzle Answer

A medieval count organized a court trial in which he gave the defendant a
chance to save his life if he could pick a white markbe out of a bag
containing, in the count's words, one white marble and one black marble.
The accused knew that this was a trick, because he had seen the count place
two black marbles in the bag. However, he went ahead and took out a
marble. What did he do to save his life?

Book Answer:

He took out one marble and swalloed it before someone else could see its
color. This forced the count to take out the other marble. It was black,
of course, so they all assumed that the previous one had been white.

Rockey Chan's Answer, which could also work: he took both out.
_________________________________

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?

(by Andy Rooney)

I've learned....
That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned....
That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned....
That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.

I've learned....
That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful
feelings in the world.

I've learned....
That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned....
That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned....
That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help
him in some other way.

I've learned....
That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a
friend to act goofy with.

I've learned....
That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to
understand.

I've learned....
That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I
was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned....
That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end,
the faster it goes.

I've learned....
That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for

I've learned...
That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned....
That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned...
That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be held when it
is a life threatening situation.

I've learned....
That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

To all of you.... Make sure you read all the way down to the last sentence.

Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you
to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always
want to open their hearts to us.

It's National Friendship Week. Show your friends and family how much you
care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND, even if it means sending
it back to the person who sent it to you. If it comes back to you, then
you'll know you have a circle of friends.

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP WEEK TO YOU!!!!!! YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND I AM HONORED!