I’m sure we’re pretty familiar with the Bluetooth Douche Bag. All of us know one or two. (Are you one?) What am I talking about. Let me explain…

Get the picture? I mean these people wear their headsets ALL THE TIME!

But I can bet that you’ve almost never seen anybody actually using it.

The only thing people notice is the big label on your forehead saying “I am such a busy person that I can’t afford to waste ten seconds taking my handphone out of my pocket…”. When was the last time you saw Bill Gates or Steve Jobs wear one? The Prime Minister perhaps? I’m sure they’re not as busy as you.

Understood that sometimes it makes it easier to shop for groceries but please, I beg you, at least take it off during meals with others or while you’re walking on the street. You guys look silly enough talking to yourselves and you’re more likely to get knocked over by someone or something.

Peace out!

I thought that to further drive myself to read this year, I’m gonna write short summaries on what I read. Also, helps me remember.

By the way, sign up for Shelfari!

Your Relationship With God

1. Firstly, be wary of “PowerPoint presentations” of how to live a Christian life.
2. Idolatry is greater in our lives than we realise.
3. Sin are a lot like weeds (in growth, action and destruction).
4. Sin I.Q. How good are you at realising your sin?
5. Read more history, literature and biography. Enough “How-to” books.
6. Zeal must be accompanied by knowledge.
7. Jesus is the “key”.

Your Relationship With Family

1. We all face our big sins sooner or later. Diversion/Stalling is pointless.
2. The “greatest good” of a man’s life is his wife.

Your Relationship With Others

1. Avoid being narcissistically-wounded.
2. Technology. The greatest irony.

Your Relationship With Work

1. Lose your job everyday. Avoid being politically-correct. Read more…
2. Be more impractical. Don’t be a pragmatist.

Your Relationship With Time

1. Start slow and taper. Wait on God. (In regards to ministry)
2. Sleep is essential!

Your Relationship With Things

1. Being contented with what we have. Phi 4:13 applies to being contented.
2. Understanding our mortality.

Closer: Protecting Yourself

• Avoid Christian books which offer “keys” or simplistic approaches to the perfect life and depend on a formulaic, moralistic, behavioural approach. Avoid authors with universalized, normalized and personal interpretations.

One of the well-known characteristic of Eastern cultures are their conservatism and the willingness to withhold thoughts in order to “save face”.  Phrases we hear ever so often are “Aya…never mind wan la. It’s only…” or “Small-small thing…no need to make big-big”.

While the ability to let something pass by does prove a better option at times – like when you genuinely forgot to return a book to a friend – for the most part it proves to be an error in judgement. Especially when it deals with a person’s attitude or action.

There was a prophet in the Bible named Micaiah (not Micah) that spoke against King Ahab against going to war (1 Kings 22). This proved to be the last we ever heard of the fella. Even other such as Moses, Esther, David, Daniel, Paul and Peter all spoke the truth only to be served even more trouble.

So why bother having the courage to speak up?

Because it was by the guts of these people that the Word gets through. John 3:16 did not get anywhere by people setting up little stalls by the roadside saying “would you like to know more?”. Heck no! Same must be applied in our relationships with people.

Yes, speaking into someone’s life is hard. I mean, you wouldn’t let just anybody come and tell you off. It has to come from someone you trust and respect. Otherwise, it just seems like the guy has an issue with you.

And this is where many organisations and groups fail to be effective. There is no trust between members and agendas get misinterpreted (or that they are just plain meanies!).

Let us take good ol’ Barack (for the sake of the occasion)  for example. If him and his predecessors like Dr. King and Rev. Jackson hadn’t spoken up for the truth, someone else would have taken that oath on the steps of Capitol Hill.

Acts 4 summarises the courage of the disciples to risk their lives (which they did) to spread the Word. How much then should we even fear speaking against someone, a friend, if they had done wrong.

Thoughts inspired by this book

What do you get when you cross disinfectant and goo? Cyber Clean.

The theory behind this is that the flexible goo digs deep into crevices and picks up dirt while disinfecting the area. It can be used on computers, handphones and anything that might need more than just a wipe down.

Available in 135g (RM25) and 75g (RM15) packs. I got mine at Thunder Match @ Digital Mall, Section 14.

Finally opened my new handphone. The Nokia 1200. The latest in monochromatic technology. Comes with a calendar, a stopwatch an even a flashlight! Wow! And only for RM99. It can even send scheduled messages at a future time. Take that Apple iPhone!

Oh. And this. The Lambency Diffuser (I got mine from Shashinki). Basically a China-copy of a Gary Fong Lightsphere, it looks nerdy and bulky but boy is it fun to use.

See, sometimes you can’t bounce a flash when there is nothing to bounce off. So this is useful for garden or high-ceiling shots (attach included dome for this).

Secondly, bouncing the flash would sometimes give shadows because most of the light is coming back down. With this fella, now you get some light going straight at the subject as well. Just enough.

(Another alternative is the Stofen Omni-bounce)

Mmmm. Now, this one is another keeper. Why? Well with everything moving onto the Web these days like productivity suites (Google Docs), photo editors and even virus scanners, products like Office might soon become obsolete by the next decade or so.

So, jumping on the bandwagon this time is Adobe, with their AIR platform. Basically, without getting too technical…really awesome application can be designed by anyone!

So far, a few that caught my eye are a Google Analytics app, an FLV app that can even extract an FLV video and create an MP3 file (YouTubers, you have been notified). Oh, and for all you designers (of any field) out there, Kuler is a must! And, last but not least, a kids browers called Kido’z which is really cool for those of you who are afraid for your kids and siblings.

A lot of the apps out there are quite fun actually. Try them out. The list just gets bigger over time. Hopefully this project of theirs works out.

Get Adobe Air here.

 Watch for an intriguing view of what some of us take as truth.

We all had an awesome time.

Food was really delicious, except for Chris Choong’s Ribena Jelly. Some say it was like ketupat. Others, like milk-gone-bad. But we had fun nonetheless persuading everyone to try a bit.

Thanks for the party, Noel!

(Mind a few weirdly-coloured photos. We were shaded under a huge, red canopy in garden)

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