November 18, 2001: Stop Sign, On Thanksgiving

Hi,

This past Wednesday was a national holiday here in Singapore, called
"Deepavali", an Indian holiday. Some friends and I took advantage of the
day off to go rollerblading on the East Coast Park, which is by the ocean
and has some good bike/blading trails. Even though we had to get up fairly
early to go blading in order to beat the hot sun, it was well worth it.
Here are some pictures from rollerblading:

Rollerblading 11/14/01
http://community.webshots.com/album/25242722sGgWwMplSr

Wednesday nights is also when the young adult bible study for my church
meets. This week, instead of our normal meeting place, we met at a new
apartment for one of the group members, Melissa. In addition to having a
lot of good food, the group surprised me with an very early going away
cake. (Thanks to Melissa, Susylia and Rich who planned it!) Here are some
pictures from that festive occasion:

IBC YA Party
http://community.webshots.com/album/25353716UebxBEWYbc

>From Sunday afternoon to Wednesday, I'll be in Manila for business. The
following week, I'll be going back to Jakarta for business. I think these
two trips will be my final business trips before I head back to the U.S.

Last week, I wrote that I was thinking of visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
Unfortunately, the tour packages that we are interested in are all booked
up. So, I'm not sure where else I will be traveling to before I head back
to the U.S.

This week's thought provoking question is, "If you could read the mind of
someone famous, who would it be?"

This week's humor was forwarded from Anna Man. The inspirational quote by
Abraham Lincoln was forwarded from Pablo Manguy (from last year's email).

Enjoy the email, and have a great Thanksgiving! Take the time to thank God
for the blessings in your life. I hope you will have a safe trip if you're
traveling.

Enjoy!

-Josh.
_________________________________

Stop Sign

One day a policeman stopped a motorist who had just gone through a four way
stop sign and was about to give him a ticket when the motorist said.

"Officer you can't give me a ticket for that!"

"Why not" said the officer.

"Because although I did not stop I slowed right down and its almost the
same."

"But you did not stop" replied the officer, and the sign says STOP."

"But the way was clear and it was safe" replied the motorist.

The officer then pulls out his baton and starts hitting the motorist's car.

"What are you doing!" yells the motorist in surprise.

"Do you want me to slow down or stop?" says the officer.
_________________________________

On Thanksgiving

"We have been recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven, we have been
preserved these many years in peace and prosperity, we have grown in
numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have
forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in
peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly
imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were
produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with
unbroken success, we have become too sufficient to feel the necessity of
redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently,
and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole
American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of
the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are
sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of
November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who
dwelleth in the heavens."

- Abraham Lincoln, 1863