while talking about guitars..

A random somebody was raving about macpherson guitars, while I simply opposed the idea because it looked like a pencil holder. Heres a snippet of the convo..


- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
lol go and get a mcphersona

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
i mean mcpherson

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
go google it

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
chioer

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
see liao anot?

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
http://mcphersonguitars.com/activea.asp?CompID=23&btnSubmit=ByFileCategoryID&cboApplicationID=321&cboFileCategoryID=1148

Kenneth
eeee thats not a guitar

Kenneth
thats a pencil holder

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
u shaddup

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
martin smith and stu G use it

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
its one of the most highly rated guitars

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
when i buy dun let u play

Kenneth
u martin smith meh

Kenneth
u stu g meh

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
.....

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
i buy when i have $$$

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
need like 7k

Kenneth
u siao

Kenneth
u got 1million dollars what

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
hahah

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
its dam nice lar

Kenneth
ok lor 7k pencil holder

Kenneth
nice

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
what pencil holder

- LenGkY ~ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
i will kill u


and basically, I was laughing all the way.. hahahaha lengky lengky you make my day LOL LMAO! eialrfbdawbfiwlg

Things happen..

I was shell-shocked to find out this morning that a friend of mine was withdrawing from school altogther and going back to Singapore for good. Just 2 weeks ago, she was so happy that her boyfriend came from Singapore to visit her and spend time with her. Unfortunately this bliss was not to last for long. Her dad flew in with news that things cropped up in Singapore and had to bring her back for good. If it were to happen to you, how would you feel?

Sad?

Angry?

Depressed?

Confused?

Or just plain stunned and dont know what to do.


Definitely none of us here would want to be in her shoes, but bad things do happen to good people. Sometimes we dont even see it coming. Just BOOM. and things come wave after wave. Maybe you and I may not have undergone such a torturous journey as Paul did. True, we do not get stoned, we do not get thrown in jail for ministering because of religious harmony. Yet we discover that humans are vulnerable to anything and almost everything. Tomorrow you can get shot. Tomorrow you can head to the doctors and find out you have cancer. Tomorrow your company can go bankrupt.

Just with a snap of a finger, rags can turn into riches (of course with hard work). BUT the converse is also true. Overnight, so many things can happen because of the fallen, broken down world that we live in. However as followers of Christ, we are not called to be victims of circumstances, but to be victors over them. For us, defeat is not an option. Defeat contradicts the Word of God. We can fail because of our fallen nature. But eventually, victory is OURS. For us, any circumstance should be trampled under our feet. For us, Christ is for us. (The Bible says, if Christ is with us, who can be against us.)

Yes, outrageous statements I agree. Yet as humans we always tend to magnify the circumstance instead of magnifying the goodness of God. After all, its human nature. But as Christians, isnt that what we shouldnt do? We proclaim week in week out that our God is an awesome God. He is our Solution. He is our helper, our source in times of need. Yet when we come face to face with circumstance, some of us tremble, some of us panic, some of us run away from it. In Hokkien they always say CHUA TIO. But we have the freedom of CHOICE. It would be foolish of us to choose to wallow in depression.

Isnt it during these trying times, all the more we SHOULD be proclaiming the goodness of God. I agree that knowing God's character should not be just solely based on head knowledge. I agree that God does great things in our lives. I agree that God IS an awesome God. Sometimes, we need to get our actions moving. God is not our Heavenly Maria where at the snap of our fingers and things get done. We cannot assume that God by default will "own time own target" and take initiative to clear the way. God is with us, but sometimes he expects us to turn on our action mode. An action mode called Faith.

Who in the right mind when his/her business is failing will say, "Defeat is not an option." Who in the right mind will say "Praise to be God" when they are poor? Infact our mindset when we just started out should have been that way, rather than wait for decline to occur and then proclaim seemingly contradictory statements. I myself find CAPABLE people saying that a walking contradiction. Excellence should be tops, right after God-issues. I used to slack in the past, but I guess army has done me good although 2 years of reflection is too long for my liking. All of us should press on for excellence in all that we do!

When building a plant, there is always a SOP manual (Standard operating procedure) called HAZOP and HAZAN. It contains all the operations and what to do in times of emergency. Heck, even for army, who will even bother saying "IA IA!" or "1 2 clear" when their out of bullets during an ongoing war. They'll give themselves away! When an emergency happens, no matter how good the manual is, by the time you look for the safety procedures, DONT BOTHER. You're 9 feet underground with a tombstone. Isnt excellence important?


Press on press on. Things may look bleak. Things may not be where you want it to be, but have in mind the thoughts and plans God has for you. Bear in mind that God will never leave you nor forsake you. Continue to totally surrender your trust in Him. God is the author and and the finisher of our faith. If He starts something, He will finish it with excellence without fail. Likewise for myself, my morale was quite low last week, but today I found a confidence boost that only He could have given me.

And I can stomp my feet on the ground and say " Defeat is not an option."


I hope you can make that radical, outrageous statement too.

Beijing Olympics 2008

I'm quite sure many of you out there must be following the happenings of the Olympics this year. And there are somethings I am surprised about, some which happen so often every 4 years that the thrill of seeing something done all over again seems numbed by that fact for that matter. The Olympics is easily the biggest stage of sporting events all over the world, and the best of the best will definitely relish the chance to come and compete with no one but the best. Assuredly, Im not out to pinpoint countries that dont bother sending their best, I am sure that they have their reasons for not turning up.

I must say that although I've not watched any Olympics event, or even the opening because Im kinda busy and my schedule dosent really allow time for me to sit there and amaze myself with various sports, that sometimes countries may be out to prove their own perception of a political statement. I am impressed that at the biggest platform of sporting history, the effort China has put in is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Building the Phoenix's nest, putting the Water Cube, all that is nothing short of world class. No doubt the 1 billion manpower has been put into good use, some even injuring themselves while building the massive structures.

China has risen. Literally. And they have the facts to prove it.

To date, since I last checked, China has racked up a total of 22 golds and counting. And the US falling behind with a mere 14. Honestly, it could easily be the most outrageous effort any country could have to upstage the dominance of the US. And what a way to stomp their foot down too. Practically the whole nation is with China, and Chinese atheletes must surely be proud and feel the adrenaline rush when they secure the gold for each of their events. Even with the mighty Phelps and Lochte chalking up almost half the US's gold medal tally, the stars and stripes dont really seem to be behind them. much less the passion.

Aside from politics,

I'm sure every athelete, every cheerleader, every coach, every one involved with the Olympics must have put in a tremendous effort to be a part of such a major event. Atheletes have trained long and hard. even for those coaches that plan the training regimes, for those that ran and passed the torch, for those medics who were there for their respective atheletes, ALL of them were pushed, stretched and pressured. What am I gonna share is about the breaking point..


What actually is breaking point all about?

In engineering terms, we call it the CRITICAL point. It is absolutely true. Im not referring to being verbally critical, but in terms of the condition. Lemme illustrate via the boiling of water. Water does not become steam just by magic. Water is water only at room temperature and at 1 atm pressure. Under circumstances, where the temperature changes, and at different pressure, you either have superheated steam, ice or dry ice, both extremes. To get steam from water, you'll basically have to heat it up, the most logical thing to do! Then, you'll see bubbles forming at the bottom of the pot, and suddenly there are more rising to the surface, forming a thin film. Soon after prolonged heating, there is rapid production of bubbles and now some BREAK THROUGH the surface and become steam. The converse happens for ice/dry ice.

Its a known fact that water boils at 100 deg C and is ice at 0 deg C. These are the critical points. Most of the time in church, as i mentioned in my previous post, we associate heat with passion. Where we are, is the room temperature. And of course, we catch fire and over time, our temperature increases. Then there will be a time where we say HOLD IT! I cant take it anymore. Too much heat. Too much commitment. Too much time taken up. But wait a minute. its only 50 degrees C. How can that be your 100% (the number familiar?)? How high is your heat capacity?

Can you increase it? yes you can! Maintain at that temperature (keep doing the things at that level), of course not for too long, until you are comfortable with things. But soon, you have to pass that breaking point simply because God loves us too much to leave us the same. Thats how people grow and mature! However, the converse is true. IF you allow yourself to be placed in a cold environment. you lose your passion and eventually hit the ice point.

Critical points are important in our lives, and it is important for us to recognise what are our limits are, be it physical, emotional, psychological, mental, etc. I am sure that God has not built us in a way that our capacity is so small. If God made Adam in such a way that Adam had dominion over the earth, likewise for us, we are meant for world domination. Which brings me back to the topic on the Olympics. Atheletes train hard in their expertise, they go through tough trainings, and some even go waaaaay past their critical points BUT STILL the gold still eludes them. Coaches too, lose hair over their athelete's performance, training and health. And some break through barriers just for the sake of their athelete. Even Chinese men and women go through the trouble of learning English because they want to serve the nation and be an effective communicator to the foreigners in their land.

Suddenly, we see that world domination dosent really matter anymore. Coaches and atheletes have done their best. If they make mistakes at the biggest stage, they make them. Simply because everyone, or rather I believe most, have trained beyond the critical point. (Personally I myself have realised that through BMT. yes, fat, helpless, strengthless, and yet made to do physical training.) Well done.

China as well, have emerged, like the movie makers have aptly made a movie " The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor " My Chinese Mummy has risen from years of dominance of the US. Jiayou China! I kinda like Taiwan more though.. teehhee

Heat Transfer and the works..

Normally, I dont usually associate work with whatever that is going around.. but I can't help but find similarities between math, science and life principles. More often than not, I find that I understand things better and why it is like that. Few days ago I was complaining over MSN that I had to derive the heat diffusion equation until I was sick of it, but to put it in layman's terms, the equation is based on:

Einput - Eoutput + Egenerated = Estored

With the central core being that energy cannot be created or destroyed, and can only be transferred in one form to another. Heat is also a form of energy.

Now let me just start of with Egenerated. Every single person has a potential deep within. We are able to compel ourselves to do something when something is needed to be done. Whenever we are faced with circumstances or situations that we obviously do not want to be in, somehow we are able to bring that energy from nowhere. Where does that come from? Yes, yourself. No one can help you generate energy. Stirring yourself up, preparing yourself, encouraging yourself, all are means of generating internal energy.

Now of course, the title of this entry is with regards to heat transfer, and more often than not, heat is usually related to passion. We always say that so-and-so has a passion that BURNS like fire. Which brings me to denote Einput and Eoutput. Einput represents the energy that you recieve from the surroundings, whilst Eoutput represents the energy that you release to the surroundings. People can be give you energy to carry on by being your pillar of strength, and likewise you can be a blessing to the people around you.

How much energy you have in you dictates how much YOU can give! So what is the point when Einput is zero, and Eoutput is ever increasing? Eventually, your NET energy value will approach ZERO. All of us have to be sensitive, to have a sensor detecting that, 'hey, my energy level is running low. I need a recharge!" TAKE INITIATIVE! If you need a recharge, you NEED a recharge.

Now on the left hand side we have Einput and Eoutput, and although not shown in detail due to incapabilities of blogger, Temperature distribution depends on the thickness and time factor. People make choices, they can choose to catch on the fiery passion, OR insulate themselves with a wall surrounding their hearts. Some can do it so well that the insulation totally negates the heat element so there is no change in temperature at all! Some unknowingly cool off and remain in what we would call a steady state condition, ie stagnancy.

I guess, you dont have to be totally out cold to be in a steady state condition. EVEN IF you have a temperature of 100 degrees celsius and yet stay constant, your temperature gradient still remains a horizontal graph without any upslope or downslope over a long period of time. However if you are WILLING to make that little bit of adjustment, that LITTLE bit of action of faith, there WILL be a positive growth gradient.

So what will your graph of temperature vs time be? Will it be a y=mx+c or y=e^x? or will it just be y=25 degrees C (room temperature). I dont know about you, but I want to be one of a positive gradient.

OH and if you still havent got an idea what I have been talking about this entry, go read your A levels physics text book.

p.s. Test on wednesday(linear algebra) and next wednesday(calculus). i know i used to say i loved calculus, but now, I take that back. I love only differentiation and intergration. =(

Life and Gaussian Elimination

Given a set of equations, we are required to find out the value of x1,x2,x3,x4. For example, the 4 equations below


2x1 + 2x2 +x3 - x4=1

0x1 - 2x2 -3x3 + 4x4=0

0x1 + 0x2 +x3 - 2x4=3

0x1 + 0x2 +0x3 + 2x4=2



They can be expressed in a matrix form, known as the augmented matrix as follows by placing their coefficients in it:



[2 2 1 -1 l 1 ]
[0 -2 -3 4 l0 ]
[0 0 1 -2 l 3 ]
[0 0 0 2 l 2 ]



By right, the equations are not as nice as this, but for examples sake I have made it in this manner. We are supposed to perform ROW operations to an augmented matrix, where by we can either:



1. Interchange Rows

2. Multiply the rows by a scalar

3. Adding a multiple of another row



The final matrix obtained as shown above is in what we call echelon form. This means whatever is underneath the diagonal of the top left term MUST be zero. So before performing the row operations, things may not be as simple as it looks.



From there we can associate it with the initial form of equations, and we can derive values of x1,x2,x3 and x4.



From the backsubstitution, we can see that



2x4 = 2

x4 = 1.



x3 - 2x4 =3

x3 -2(1) =5

x3 = 7



-2x2 - 3x3 + 4x4 = 0

-2x2 - 3(7) + 4(1) = 0

x2 = -17/2



2x1 + 2x2 + x3 - x4=1

2x1 +2(-17/2) +7 - 1 = 1

x1 = 6



And there you have it, the answers.

In every single one of us, there is a market value. With that value, we work ourway UPWARDS together with other people with other values. However, we cannot confirm plus guarantee plus chop stamp that ultimately, the people in the equation are a PERFECT combination to the end result. Some of us are a 'plus', some of us are a 'minus' and the math just adds up to see if eventually you as a team eventually make a positive or negative impact to society. So what if you are able to work well in a group of 2 or 3? Yes, your overall output as a team maybe positive, but in a group of say 4 or 5, your net gain is in the red and you are heading for bankruptcy.

Now comes the contradictory part. 'But when you bring over the minus value, it becomes positive what! so all the more we should be negative, relax and skive all the way! shiok leh!' Yes it is true that when you bring over the minus sign it becomes a plus because other people's large value negates your weakness. Nonononono. Nobody is perfect and everyone has their negatives and restrictions. There is a limit to everyone's mental, emotional, physical capability. In other words, there is a negative deficit in everyone, in some way and some how. Why do people think so highly of themselves? Pride, ego, etc. So they are definitely most likely to put themselves as a positive value.

BUT the beauty of math is, when we cross over the equals sign, (which I felt looks like the straight and narrow way "=" we are in fact taking on a PLUS sign with us.

I.e. to say. We are crossing over to the world via the narrow way, taking Christ together with us, to make a POSITIVE impact eventually.

Which directly implies that every. single. one. of. us. is. a. solution.


WOW.


'Then how about the positive people?" Oh. What to do. Conversely it is the same principle. Carrying over pride will definitely not bring you anywhere. What makes you that you can walk into any company demanding a 10k salary plus car plus house plus allowance? Pride. So which brings me back to the title, what exactly are we eliminating? Yup no money for you guessing it right. Pride.


I'm not sure if people are catching anything from the whole chunk, but I know for sure as I'm typing this, I am.

and the semester starts..

with.....



week 1 was indeed awesome, and really, for such an easy transition was the best gift ever. Coupled with that came the wisdom to understand the lecturers and the way they conducted their lectures. One of them's pure Indian, so you can picture someone like... Russell Peters! yeah Russell Peters giving lecture! but of course, minus all the crude profanity, R21 jokes and racist digs. And of course, I cant forget the professor who called me down from my seat after wrapping up a lesson just to explain things to me. I think Im gonna love his lessons. And he's Singaporean. A Higher Distinction please in your unit? HEE HEE.



I realise that I cant be taking a back seat anymore. especially since that singaporean professor ACTUALLY KNOWS and REMEMBERS that Im the guy who came with his family to see him and the dean in Sept last year. So I should start actively participating in his lectures. =( Maybe just to 'wayang' I shall try out this week. Anyway, just in week 1 alone I've already mailed 10 over times to various professors regarding various issues, be it coursework, projects, labs. And for ONCE in my entire life Im actually doing PRODUCTIVE study. Not just knowing the works and how its being done. But understanding the governing factors that gave birth to theorems and equations.



I feel now that given the laidback lifestyle that Australians have, I have gradually sunk into their lifestyle. But I've realised that today and its time to change my passive mindset to an active one. I remember distinctly of my drive and passion and excitement I boasted of when leaving, but seemingly burst when I touched down after afew days or so. Suddenly being the person whom I saw in my visions was so difficult. So being an overseas witness aint a bed of roses after all huh? I guess so. But today as the chords and lyrics of "All I Desire is You" began to serenade me through my bose speakers, I began to echo what lay at the depth of my heart. Not because of the seas of emotion (and by the way I'm not homesick), but what the inner Man within cries out for. And indeed, ask and you shall receive. Be an Abraham Kenneth, be an Abraham. So now I know that the vision was the final product. =( Looks like I have a long way to go!

So week 2 WILL be an exciting week where everything officially kicks off (tutes and labs and assignments and all), following week I'll have my first test in UWA and we'll see how things go from there. =)

Yes, an encounter.