Do materialists really think that language just “evolved”, like finches’ beaks, or have they simply never thought about the matter rationally? Where’s the evidence? How could it come about that human beings all agreed that particular grunts carried particular connotations? How could it have come about that groups of anthropoid apes developed the amazing morphological complexity of a single sentence, let alone the whole grammatical mystery which has engaged Chomsky and others in our lifetime and linguists for time out of mind? No, the existence of language is one of the many phenomena – of which love and music are the two strongest – which suggest that human beings are very much more than collections of meat. They convince me that we are spiritual beings, and that the religion of the incarnation, asserting that God made humanity in His image, and continually restores humanity in His image, is simply true. As a working blueprint for life, as a template against which to measure experience, it fits.

But religion, once the glow of conversion had worn off, was not a matter of argument alone. It involves the whole person. Therefore I was drawn, over and over again, to the disconcerting recognition that so very many of the people I had most admired and loved, either in life or in books, had been believers. Reading Louis Fischer’s Life of Mahatma Gandhi, and following it up with Gandhi’s own autobiography, The Story of My Experiments With Truth, I found it impossible not to realise that all life, all being, derives from God, as Gandhi gave his life to demonstrate. Of course, there are arguments that might make you doubt the love of God. But a life like Gandhi’s, which was focused on God so deeply, reminded me of all the human qualities that have to be denied if you embrace the bleak, muddled creed of a materialist atheist. It is a bit like trying to assert that music is an aberration, and that although Bach and Beethoven are very impressive, one is better off without a musical sense…..

-A N Wilson

Far Away~

The Slowness of Work

Work is getting rather slow these days. I’m not getting fast enough responses from Gwenaelle, the person from EADS Astrium so that I can do some experimenting and get some results on the model that we have worked on. Hence, work has been largely reading of articles and journals, improving on the Matlab code, writing some reports and doing up PowerPoint presentation slides. Not forgetting to mention msning, reading aldaily, facebooking, checking out travel stuff and listening to music ;)

It just gets on my nerve that I can’t do anything but wait, because I feel that I have a chance to come up with some good results and recommendations by the end of my Research attachment here, and hope that I won’t have to end the 22 weeks of internship leaving everything hanging in the air due to the lack of time. Professor Dufour, my supervisor has told me in the beginning that he doesn’t know if I can finish the project within the time that I am here because the project is new and there isn’t any ground when I came here. I want to try but at this working rate I’m really not sure.

It’s a relief that I won’t be going anywhere this weekend because I think I need a well deserved rest after 5 consecutive weekends of activities with the trip to London, the tournament at Oullins, the parents visit, castle hopping at the Loire Valley and the tournament at Montpellier respectively before another 6 weeks of activities which include the chillax trip to Corsica, Normandy and D day beaches, Malta with Jasmine and Terence, Marseille Nice Cannes Monaco with Melvin and co, Paris and Roland Garros, and finally Toulouse before I get another rare weekend free.

I’m stretching myself to the limits. But when there is something worth stretching to the limits for, when there’s someone worth stretching to the limits for, you will do it nonetheless, and feel good doing it. Want to thank God for restoring my strength, for rediscovering my youth within as without his grace and mercy, there won’t be anything at all:)

“You, by attempting to understand my ideals, have already saved me in a way”

Volant d'Oc Montpellier~

This was the fate of my tournament at Montpellier.  Getting faulted for service and losing 6 points in a match is not very funny. Oh well, I guess Jana and I made our point. We came with a bang and left with a bang in the elite category of French badminton where the top 50 players play. I probably witnessed my first discrimination against other races in France.  Helen, Mehdi’s girlfriend who is of Korean descent, argued passionately with the official that the act of having an extra service judge in the finals (not usually seen in a tournament in France)  was a discrimination against non French like me just because our opponents who are established French players, some of whom are ex champions and played for the national team of France are losing against us. She also argued passionately that some French players have high services and all but they are not getting penalized for it and penalizing me because of a complaint is just discrimination. Oh well, Jana and I lost in the finals for mixed doubles but both of us were happy with the result still. For me, it is really a privilege to be able to partner someone like her who I have so much court chemistry with. And I probably have to work on my mixed doubles service for future tournaments.

Nevertheless, Montpellier was as beautiful a town as much as I managed to see it. Was kinda disappointed I didn’t have the chance to see the beach though. The south of Lyon is so distinct from the north in that the architecture is of the later 18th-19th century, as compared to Lyon’s 14th-15th century renaissance buildings. The trees are also more tropical, bringing a more relaxed mood compared to the cold and serious north. Arh…I can so imagine myself suntanning on the beaches of France..which I will in 2 weeks times as the guys are heading to Corsica over the Mayday weekend, an island south of France in the Mediterranean.

"Do it not because you have to, but because you want to "

"You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; in just the same way, you learn to love by loving."

- Anatole France

Châteaux de la Loire

It was a great trip. We spent 4 days in the Loire Valley and managed to visit 5 castles. There were many castles in the region, but due to the time constraint we chose the best 4 based on the perhaps biased opinion on wikipedia and wikitravel: Château d'Amboise, Château de Chambord, Château de Chenonceau and Château d'Azay le Rideau. Château de Villandry was supposed to be a hit too, but due to certain circumstances such as the non operational public transport and shops around the area on public holidays, we didn't manage to visit that.

It is a place where french culture and history come alive and you can witness first hand the vast heritage of the country. Not knowing any or very little history about France prior to coming here it was an eye opener for me. Plus the company of the guys made the trip really fun, with sooooo soooo much nonsense.

"If one hasn't visited the Loire Valley, one has not visited France. "

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - Leornado DaVinci

Marriage and Funeral~

The Hitchhiker~

It was in Annecy, the nice little town that is known as "the Venice of France" east of Lyon near the Switzerland France border where I first hitchhiked. The feeling of someone actually stopping for you when he sees you sticking your thumbs up on the road is kinda exciting. It is a special feeling that perhaps only those who tried it will understand especially on the long cruel road that looks seemingly endless. The thing I like about hitchhiking is that it is based purely on goodwill and trust, two values that are fundamental yet important in our relationship with others.

Meet the parents

So my parents came over to visit me in Lyon over the weekend, one part of their holiday which includes Paris and Hong Kong as other destinations. Well for me the most important thing was to make sure my parents were able to see that I could take care of myself while I am all alone overseas, so that they won't get worried and not to mention nag. Mum brought her famous Ngo Hiang all the way from home, and rendang and cooked on numerous meals while they were here. The picture above depicts the "Kampung style" meal we had with limited resources available at our disposal. Cosy and nice :) I brought them around the attractions in Lyon like Fourviere Hill, the Roman Amphitheatre, Place des Terreaux, Vieux Lyon, Croix Rousse and Park de la Tete d'Or. I think overall they love the city, as it has a charm that lingers in your heart. They especially loved the bicycle trip I took them to the Park and along the river. And thank god that the hotel I put them up in, Hotel du Theatre, turned out to be very nice.Overall I think I managed to pull it all off, and make an impression by the time they left for Paris. Hopefully I scored an A on the report card..haha.

You never know how much you miss home till home comes to you. The comfort of having home cooked food isn't appreciated until it isn't there. The love is not felt until you are all alone.

I am not a Malay..

Hear around the 10:50 mark

Le club des sports 29 03 09 - TLM
Le club des sports 29 03 09

Mots-clés : tlm lyon sport

Video de interne3

"On a l'exchange quelque jouers international avec un malay qui fait ses etudes a Villeurbanne et de jouers Allemands qui sont aussi de region Lyonnais"

The Road Ahead or the Road Behind

Sometimes I think the fates must grin
as we denounce them and insist,
The only reason we can’t win
is the fates themselves have missed.

Yet, there lives on the ancient claim-
We win or lose within ourselves,
The shining trophies on our shelves can 
Never win tomorrow’s game.

So you and I know deeper down
There is always a chance to win the crown,
But when we fail to give our best,
We simply haven’t met the test

Of giving all and saving none

Until the game is really won.

 

Of showing what is meant by grit,

Of playing though another's quip

Of playing through not letting up,

It’s bearing down that wins the cup.

Of dreaming there’s a goal ahead,
Of hoping when our dreams are dead,
Of praying when our hopes have fled.

Yet, losing, not afraid to fall,
If bravely we have given all,
For who can ask more of a man
Than giving all within his span.

That giving all, it seems to me,
Is not so far from victory.

And so the fates are seldom wrong,
No matter how they twist and wind;
It’s you and I who make our fates,
We open up or close the gates.

On the road ahead or the road behind.

-George Moriaty