[ Me ]
Nickname: Ursula
Birthday: 7th January 1985
Zodiac: Capricorn
Where From: Singapore
Laidback, sensitive, fickle, easily-tickled, fiercely loyal
Manga and anime lover, enthusist, collector and critic/ Coffee lover, addict and expert maker/ Aspiring future wife of famous culinary chef/ Aspiring future wife of a 1.8m tall hunk
My Friendster link:
http://www.friendster.com/vivis
[ Likes ]
Sleeping, dancing, books, manga, anime, chocolates, coffee, Jap food, Italian food, Ayumi Hamasaki, people, my sister
[ Fave Books ]
Harry Potter series, Artemis Fowl series, The Inheritence Trilogy series, The Da Vinci Code, Memoir of a Geisha, I Don't Know How She Does It... and all my comics n manga!!!
[ Currently Reading ]
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
by Susanna Clarke
Inkheart
by Cornelia Funke
The Well Of Loneliness
by Radclyffe Hall
Midnight's Children
by Salman Rushdie
Madame Sadayakko: The Geisha Who Seduced The West
by Lesley Downer
The Unbearable Lightness Of Being
by Milan Kundera
The Historian
by Elizabeth Kostova
[ The Wishlist ]
My Amazon.com Wishlist:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/ref=yourlists_pop_1/103-2401787-9502236
Phillips MC235 Thin Stereo Microsystem
Kathy Van Zeeland bag
(saw on amazon.com going for bout US$65... Why dun Singapore stock her goods??! >.< I wan it in Topaz colour~!!!)
The Lord of the Rings
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Inu-Yasha Theme Song Collection
12 Kingdoms/ Juuni Kokuki anime VCD sets
GUESS bag (darn, i dun have the $120 required to buy it now and i noe it'll be gone soon, Guess always changing their apparels every month or so u_u)
DKNY gold and crystal-studded watch (very ornamental, more a dress watch then an every-funtion watch. still, pretty~)
Mphosis pale gold SLIPPERS (i run through my shoes and slippers like they cost nth X/)
The BodyShop BLUSHER in Golden Pink
The BodyShop blusher BRUSH
Shiseido eyelash CURLER
Full-length wall MIRROR(s) for my room
A new big every-purpose BAG
Pretty SHOES
A Digital CAMERA
A bloody new PC or laptop with the speed of light and a gazillion GB of memory!! =[
The Sims 2 (PC game edition)
[ The Memories ]
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Airing
**I think i shd put a disclaimer for this one entry.
If u are under the-age-where-u-cant-think-maturely-or-are-too-
narrow-minded-to-be-open-to-alternative-views, pls exit my blog now. If u offend easily, pls exit my blog now. If u think my views wud ruffle ya oh-so-conservative feathers, pls exit my blog now. If u are not intelligent enough to comprehend wat i'm writing, pls exit my blog now. You have been warned.**
//
Religion is a sensitive topic i dun normally discuss not jus becos of the repercussions it wud have and the conservative feathers it wud ruffle, but most importantly becos it will be an arguement with no winners; since everybody engaged are such strong believers in their own right there is no point really in trying to convince the person of alternative views.
These days i only air my views on the subject or engage in intellectual discussions with pple who can discuss religions academically (i wun say 'neutrally', since it a subject no one can stay neutral on - u are either in or out, n both ways u have smth to say about it), or with pple who are of the same opinions, though they need not be of the same belief, religion, or lack of one.
Close frens noe my take on religions (esp one religion in particular; no rewards for guessing right) - I respect most religions becos i believe that pple believe, and there is no wrong in that.
Believing in a higher power makes life easier to live if u feel that your life is taken care of and it gives u reason and strength to carry on. Many men and women i admire are strong believers, be it in their religions, in their causes, or in the good of their work for the masses; their beliefs are their motivation to carry on, and carry on they do when most other pple wud falter, tarry or hesitate. These pple are the ones we admire and are an inspiration to others regardless of whether u believe in wat they believe, becos their perseverence is wat that touches u. I may not believe in ya belief, but if ya cause is a good one, u already have my respect.
But for those who think u noe wat u are doing but actually do not noe wat u're toking about, are too narrow-minded to accept that there exists alternative views and believes that are all so different but not necessarily wrong compared to yours-holiest, and self-righteously preach ya cause and belief whether in the hope of converting others or bending them only to ya way of thinking, i have this advice for you -- you have better had all angles covered before you open your mouth.
When i wan some answers to realistic questions i raise, stop plagarizing a book and reply me in quotes or verses.
If i can speak in your language, will u speak in mine too? If i cannot speak in your language, will u jus let me languish and go away thinking u have triumph over my 'ignorance'?
I will never call u stupid or naive or unenlightened jus becos u dun speak Portuguese and i do (metaphorically speaking, since i do not speak Portuguese).
Dun reply me with " God wans... God cares... He'll take away our sins."
Other religions have wants, other religions also care, other religions also promises divine rewards and retributions. U are of one religion, how many other wants, cares and promises can u adhere yaself to? Similarly, i have ya same capacity. Maybe more, maybe less, but never off the charts.
So if i were to convert, say a little verse, a little prayer, all my wrongdoings before will be void as long as i repent after that? U say the model answer that u think will relieve or appease me.
I believe a person should take responsibilty for his actions not jus becos his religion asks for it and depicts wat kind of person he should be, but becos he wants to. There is no pride in claiming goodness in the name of God if it doesn't come from your person. A person should be good becos he wants to be and not becos he's afraid of some divine punnishment.
After a lifetime of argueing (when i bother to, which is rare nowadays since i either dun care to hear the opinions of narrow-mindedness now, or want to save myself the saliva n air n time n effort i think wud be better spent toking to pple who actually matters to me) with zealous believers who will justify to me their religion and the need for divine punnishment - which yes, i do believe that pple need to think there is, otherwise there will be even more wrongdoers/ sinners, jus that my beliefs of retribution may not be in the same terms of ya punnishment -
i finally hear a gem:
"No no no, we (sic; our religion) dun punnish people or believe in retribution."
".... So you can bear thinking of not going to heaven?"
"................."
Yes.
And if u think my current position is becos of a certain fiction book and movie that are out now... do u think that we dun noe how to think before that? I believe we were given reasoning skills, circumspection, logic and empathy for a reason.
Nowadays, before i start on wat i'm about to say pertaining my views on a subject related indirectly or directly to a religion, i ask the person if he or she is of the religion first.
If s/he is, i shut up.
+ Ursula r e m e m b e r s again + 5:56 PM
