Thursday, 21 May 2015
Compilation of David Letterman Tributes
On Wednesday of May 20, 2015, a TV show legend aired his final episode after a run of 33 years on late-night. David Letterman left a legacy that will never be forgotten by current talk-show hosts. From Conan O'Brien to Jimmy Fallon, from Jon Stewart to Jimmy Kimmel, every TV personality on air today has been impacted by Letterman in one way or another. So here's a compilation of the touching tributes by other talk-show hosts honoring the "father of modern late-night".
Saturday, 2 May 2015
Remembering September 9, 2004
When I was 10, I faced with an event that changed my life. It's a story that I've never really talked about much for some reason. I didn't feel as deeply affected as some people might consider their traumatic experiences. However, I know for a fact now that God has used this occasion to fix those details in my life so that I can be more grateful about life. So, after 11 years of silence, here it is...
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It was a Thursday morning. I had just finished my two-hour Chinese class and we were on a snack break. At that time, I was expecting a typical school day. The bell was about to ring for students to return to class. I knelt down to open my locker and switch my textbooks. After reaching for my history books, I locked my locker. The words "It's time" rushed into my mind as I stood up. Right then, it happened...
On September 9, 2004, the city of Jakarta suffered a catastrophic event. Around 10:30, the Australian Embassy located in the business district became a target for a terrorist attack. A van parked outside the building blew up, killing eight victims and the suicide bomber. Over 150 people were injured in the aftermath. My school, which was inside an office building, was located just across the target location.
The whole building shook. My initial thought was that we got hit by an earthquake. Dust from the ceiling started filling the air throughout the floor. Fire alarms went off as I ran outside to the hallway. With my textbooks still in hand, I rushed towards the emergency staircase.
Office workers, students, teachers - we all crowded the stairs. We had 12 flights of stairs to descend. I felt a mix of confusion and panic in the air. Personally, I was never worried throughout the whole thing, just confused.
When we've descended the first floor, someone from behind me called out. I glanced and saw the church office's delivery man (our church and school was in the same building). He took my books and walked down the stairs with me. "What happened?" I asked him in Indonesian. In a calm voice, he said, "It's a bomb."
A bomb.
I was no stranger to this term. After the 9/11 attacks in New York, the whole world was exposed to vulnerability. To add to that, there was another bombing that occurred a couple years earlier in Bali, an island not too far from Jakarta. And in 2003, a bomb was detonated at a J.W. Marriott Hotel in my city.
We reached the ground floor and rushed out to the empty parking lot behind the building. I looked around and saw buildings with their windows shattered. The delivery man handed my books to me before rushing off elsewhere.
I headed towards the big group of kids in uniform. I tried searching for my parents and my siblings. I saw my mom talking to one of the form teachers. As a principal, it was a given that she was responsible for any absence of students. We were divided into our respective classes. No one was harmed. Later, we found out no one in our building was seriously injured.
I wished I could say the same for the tenants in the adjacent building. I saw people limping out, being supported by two others on each side. One of our family friends worked in the bank closeby. He had blood on his shirt from helping his injured supervisor out of the building.
Some say you never know what you have until you lose it. In my 21 years on earth, I've had my fair share of troubling experiences. However, it shouldn't take a life-threatening event to make you appreciate life better. Yes, it may serve as a reminder, but we should always be grateful with life. Life's too short for us to spend it on negativity. Start being thankful day after day.
By His grace alone,
Justin
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It was a Thursday morning. I had just finished my two-hour Chinese class and we were on a snack break. At that time, I was expecting a typical school day. The bell was about to ring for students to return to class. I knelt down to open my locker and switch my textbooks. After reaching for my history books, I locked my locker. The words "It's time" rushed into my mind as I stood up. Right then, it happened...
On September 9, 2004, the city of Jakarta suffered a catastrophic event. Around 10:30, the Australian Embassy located in the business district became a target for a terrorist attack. A van parked outside the building blew up, killing eight victims and the suicide bomber. Over 150 people were injured in the aftermath. My school, which was inside an office building, was located just across the target location.
The whole building shook. My initial thought was that we got hit by an earthquake. Dust from the ceiling started filling the air throughout the floor. Fire alarms went off as I ran outside to the hallway. With my textbooks still in hand, I rushed towards the emergency staircase.
Office workers, students, teachers - we all crowded the stairs. We had 12 flights of stairs to descend. I felt a mix of confusion and panic in the air. Personally, I was never worried throughout the whole thing, just confused.
When we've descended the first floor, someone from behind me called out. I glanced and saw the church office's delivery man (our church and school was in the same building). He took my books and walked down the stairs with me. "What happened?" I asked him in Indonesian. In a calm voice, he said, "It's a bomb."
A bomb.
I was no stranger to this term. After the 9/11 attacks in New York, the whole world was exposed to vulnerability. To add to that, there was another bombing that occurred a couple years earlier in Bali, an island not too far from Jakarta. And in 2003, a bomb was detonated at a J.W. Marriott Hotel in my city.
We reached the ground floor and rushed out to the empty parking lot behind the building. I looked around and saw buildings with their windows shattered. The delivery man handed my books to me before rushing off elsewhere.
I headed towards the big group of kids in uniform. I tried searching for my parents and my siblings. I saw my mom talking to one of the form teachers. As a principal, it was a given that she was responsible for any absence of students. We were divided into our respective classes. No one was harmed. Later, we found out no one in our building was seriously injured.
I wished I could say the same for the tenants in the adjacent building. I saw people limping out, being supported by two others on each side. One of our family friends worked in the bank closeby. He had blood on his shirt from helping his injured supervisor out of the building.
Some say you never know what you have until you lose it. In my 21 years on earth, I've had my fair share of troubling experiences. However, it shouldn't take a life-threatening event to make you appreciate life better. Yes, it may serve as a reminder, but we should always be grateful with life. Life's too short for us to spend it on negativity. Start being thankful day after day.
By His grace alone,
Justin
Saturday, 28 June 2014
Short Story #1
Is love selfish?
This question was brought up to me in my Modes of Reasoning class. I have heard this phrase a lot of times before but never really thought much into it until recently. Instead of directly answering that question, here's a story illustrating my view on it...
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Liam loved his 20-year old son. They both had dreams and ambitions to fulfill. Unfortunately, Liam’s son was suffering from a viral pneumonia. One day, Liam received a call from the hospital that was treating his son. He was informed that his son was in critical condition and needed a heart transplant.
There were no heart donors within the area that matched Liam’s son. A while later, Liam was informed that he was the only match for a heart donor. Liam agreed to the operation, even if it means giving up his life for his son to live.
_________________________________________________________________
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Short Stories
Hey all!
I thought I'd start sharing some of the short stories I wrote. Some of these come from my assignments in university, but I did put a lot of thought and heart to writing these. Some may have morals, others might just prove a point. I do hope you enjoy reading!
Let me know what you think!
I thought I'd start sharing some of the short stories I wrote. Some of these come from my assignments in university, but I did put a lot of thought and heart to writing these. Some may have morals, others might just prove a point. I do hope you enjoy reading!
Let me know what you think!
Monday, 23 June 2014
My True Heroes
Heroes. As humans, we try to idolize one another to model our behavior to the other. We immortalize people for their inspirational traits. We write legends, songs, poetry about their wondrous character. It's human nature. We all have heroes.
When I was younger, I get frequent questions from adults asking, "Who is your role model?" I would name a few musicians, worship leaders, athletes, and a couple elementary school teachers. And because I was that "good kid", I was obliged to name my parents as my heroes to maintain that favorable image. However, recent stories and personal reflection shows that my parents are TRULY my heroes. Yes, they top my list of heroes (even Ricardo Kaka and Joel Osteen would have to follow behind).
My parents are match-made in heaven. My mom's a strong-willed woman while my dad has a softer approach. Their personalities compliment each other (yes, here's one tip concerning finding the right spouse, but that's another point for another time).
My mom's sense of practicality is her strength. She has everything planned out and will make sure things go according to plan. She's a principal in my old high school. For the past decade, she has been responsible for planning out what the school's schedule would be like. Administratively, my mom is the best of the best. Although equally strong in administrative work, my dad's strength also shines on the spiritual teaching side. He's an associate pastor in my church in Indonesia. Just yesterday, I had the privilege of hearing him preach in the Indonesian church here in Toronto.
Both of my parents make good teachers. That's probably why all four of us are pressured to perform well academically. But most importantly, both of my parents are deeply rooted in the principles of the Word. The foundation of how they build our family is solely based on God. I can't tell you of the amount of pressure my parents faced because of their position as authorities in their respective responsibilities. It takes a supernatural power to build an iron nerve to fend off those negativity they encountered. And that is exactly how they overcame the problems. Hebrews 12:2 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." [NIV] My parents are my heroes, not only because of what they do, but because of who they credit their deeds to. Jesus is the ultimate hero for us all, and this is something my parents would never stop reminding us children. Despite their quirks and imperfection, I still love and respect them very much. Mom... Dad... you are truly my hero.
When I was younger, I get frequent questions from adults asking, "Who is your role model?" I would name a few musicians, worship leaders, athletes, and a couple elementary school teachers. And because I was that "good kid", I was obliged to name my parents as my heroes to maintain that favorable image. However, recent stories and personal reflection shows that my parents are TRULY my heroes. Yes, they top my list of heroes (even Ricardo Kaka and Joel Osteen would have to follow behind).
My parents are match-made in heaven. My mom's a strong-willed woman while my dad has a softer approach. Their personalities compliment each other (yes, here's one tip concerning finding the right spouse, but that's another point for another time).
My mom's sense of practicality is her strength. She has everything planned out and will make sure things go according to plan. She's a principal in my old high school. For the past decade, she has been responsible for planning out what the school's schedule would be like. Administratively, my mom is the best of the best. Although equally strong in administrative work, my dad's strength also shines on the spiritual teaching side. He's an associate pastor in my church in Indonesia. Just yesterday, I had the privilege of hearing him preach in the Indonesian church here in Toronto.
Both of my parents make good teachers. That's probably why all four of us are pressured to perform well academically. But most importantly, both of my parents are deeply rooted in the principles of the Word. The foundation of how they build our family is solely based on God. I can't tell you of the amount of pressure my parents faced because of their position as authorities in their respective responsibilities. It takes a supernatural power to build an iron nerve to fend off those negativity they encountered. And that is exactly how they overcame the problems. Hebrews 12:2 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." [NIV] My parents are my heroes, not only because of what they do, but because of who they credit their deeds to. Jesus is the ultimate hero for us all, and this is something my parents would never stop reminding us children. Despite their quirks and imperfection, I still love and respect them very much. Mom... Dad... you are truly my hero.
Friday, 18 April 2014
A Changed Life Through Death
I just finished watching an episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. where Agent Coulson was talking about how he feels different from the way he was before the big 'Battle of New York'. Agent May reminded Coulson of his scar (obtained before the Battle, allegedly killing him) saying that he had already died and death changes a person.
I definitely agree with what she said. Death does changes a person. Recently, I watched a trailer of Heaven is For Real. A three year old boy experiences heaven and everything in his life changed, impacting his family and his surroundings. The same could be said with everyone who experienced death and came back to life. I have watched interviews where near-death experiences became life-changing events. No one is ever the same again.
Death affects everyone surrounding the victim as it does the victim himself/herself. It's only been a couple of years since the passing of my two high school friends, Abraham and Olivia. I was away from home when these tragic news reached me. When I came back home in the summer, everything feels different. Their classmates behave in a different way than I remembered them the year before. I do believe that the death of a person is a wake-up call.
I've heard some actually say they would probably need to experience a near-death experience to change their lives. I say this is ignorance. I Corinthians 15:31 says, "I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!" Paul goes on to say in verse 34: "Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame." We die to our flesh everyday. In fact, if we know what Christ did for us, we should know that we did have a near-death experience.
As we pass Good Friday and approach Easter, I just want us all to remember that the "ultimate death" of Christ on the cross should be the most life-changing occurrence in our lives. He died for us so that we could have eternal life. We face eternal damnation, but Jesus took away the burden and brought it on Himself when He died on Calvary. His death has changed our lives forever.
I definitely agree with what she said. Death does changes a person. Recently, I watched a trailer of Heaven is For Real. A three year old boy experiences heaven and everything in his life changed, impacting his family and his surroundings. The same could be said with everyone who experienced death and came back to life. I have watched interviews where near-death experiences became life-changing events. No one is ever the same again.
Death affects everyone surrounding the victim as it does the victim himself/herself. It's only been a couple of years since the passing of my two high school friends, Abraham and Olivia. I was away from home when these tragic news reached me. When I came back home in the summer, everything feels different. Their classmates behave in a different way than I remembered them the year before. I do believe that the death of a person is a wake-up call.
I've heard some actually say they would probably need to experience a near-death experience to change their lives. I say this is ignorance. I Corinthians 15:31 says, "I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!" Paul goes on to say in verse 34: "Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame." We die to our flesh everyday. In fact, if we know what Christ did for us, we should know that we did have a near-death experience.
As we pass Good Friday and approach Easter, I just want us all to remember that the "ultimate death" of Christ on the cross should be the most life-changing occurrence in our lives. He died for us so that we could have eternal life. We face eternal damnation, but Jesus took away the burden and brought it on Himself when He died on Calvary. His death has changed our lives forever.
Thursday, 17 April 2014
Catching Up...
It's been a while!
2014...
I realized I haven't written in quite a while... I have no excuses whatsoever. I can say that I have more time, now that it's already summer for me!
Wow, third year has just passed... I can't believe I have been in Canada for three years already and that I only have a year left in my undergraduate studies. In reality, it feels like I've been here forever (not that it's a bad thing). It's been really eventful here in Canada. I have learned a lot and made a lot of new friends in the process. Check my Facebook! That's proof...
God has truly been faithful throughout these years. He has taken me through journeys that helped my growth. I cannot begin to describe His goodness in the past three years of my life.
What has changed?
Other than my growing physically (both in height and weight...), I feel a lot more mature in my spiritual walk. Of course, I would be the first to admit that I have yet a lot to learn, but I am definitely much more knowledgable than my 17 year old self. In a few days, I would be turning 20. Goodbye, teenage life! I am definitely better in my English. And surprisingly, I am getting better in my Mandarin... I do feel a lot more confident around people now. My parents used to say that I'm the most conservative child in the family. Yes, it was true. Until now, I do believe my introverted personality has something to do with that. I love meeting new people, but I just need that common interest to click.
That's another thing: common interest. I figured that if I want to connect with people in my campus, I would have to pick up an area of interest that is popular. This is where I decided to focus a LOT on sports, particularly football. No, not American football. The REAL football: soccer. I was pleasantly surprised that a lot of Canadians are interested in European football. I met most of my friends on campus through this interest. One close friend of mine is a Chelsea fan like I am. The way we began talking to each other was pretty funny. I had him in my first year COMN class. Towards the end of the semester, I saw him wearing a Chelsea jersey, so I approached him at the end of the class. "Nice jersey." "Thanks, I saw you wearing it last time too." And the rest is history...
Yes, football. Avid Chelsea fan here. I got the chance to see them live in New York's Yankee Stadium last summer. It was quite an experience! I brought my camera there to capture the moments.
Spring is here (FINALLY! Well, it snowed yesterday but it's officially spring). I can't wait to see what the rest of 2014 has in store. One thing is for sure: God is faithful. I look forward to see His plans unfold in the weeks to come.
Always Faithful
Justin
2014...
I realized I haven't written in quite a while... I have no excuses whatsoever. I can say that I have more time, now that it's already summer for me!
Wow, third year has just passed... I can't believe I have been in Canada for three years already and that I only have a year left in my undergraduate studies. In reality, it feels like I've been here forever (not that it's a bad thing). It's been really eventful here in Canada. I have learned a lot and made a lot of new friends in the process. Check my Facebook! That's proof...
God has truly been faithful throughout these years. He has taken me through journeys that helped my growth. I cannot begin to describe His goodness in the past three years of my life.
What has changed?
Other than my growing physically (both in height and weight...), I feel a lot more mature in my spiritual walk. Of course, I would be the first to admit that I have yet a lot to learn, but I am definitely much more knowledgable than my 17 year old self. In a few days, I would be turning 20. Goodbye, teenage life! I am definitely better in my English. And surprisingly, I am getting better in my Mandarin... I do feel a lot more confident around people now. My parents used to say that I'm the most conservative child in the family. Yes, it was true. Until now, I do believe my introverted personality has something to do with that. I love meeting new people, but I just need that common interest to click.
That's another thing: common interest. I figured that if I want to connect with people in my campus, I would have to pick up an area of interest that is popular. This is where I decided to focus a LOT on sports, particularly football. No, not American football. The REAL football: soccer. I was pleasantly surprised that a lot of Canadians are interested in European football. I met most of my friends on campus through this interest. One close friend of mine is a Chelsea fan like I am. The way we began talking to each other was pretty funny. I had him in my first year COMN class. Towards the end of the semester, I saw him wearing a Chelsea jersey, so I approached him at the end of the class. "Nice jersey." "Thanks, I saw you wearing it last time too." And the rest is history...
Yes, football. Avid Chelsea fan here. I got the chance to see them live in New York's Yankee Stadium last summer. It was quite an experience! I brought my camera there to capture the moments.
(currently my favorite player: Oscar the no. 11)
Always Faithful
Justin
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