PAPA, I HATE YOU!

The below entry is quite disturbing. Readers, especially teenagers, please read with caution.

A teenager in Italy was playing PlayStation II FIFA 2009 that day. And as claimed in a news report, the father always gave him instructions and tactics in order to win. On that day, as usual, the father chipped in and advised the son. The young man was upset at this and scolded the father with some annoying words. This made his daddy angry and he decided to do something he might have regretted for the rest of his life. He switched off the console in anger. The boy jumped up and shouted some really bad words at his dad.

Next came the eerie part. He went into the kitchen and took a knife, went out into the living room and cut the throat of his father. He then cooly (YES, COOLY) washed the knife in the kitchen sink and put it back. The boy then went back to his room and slammed the door. All these he done in front of his mom who still did not realise what was going on. Until the bleeding husband staggered in with hands cupping his throat, blood flowing out profusely.

Thank God the man did not die and was hospitalised in critical condition. The police came and took the boy who did not resist arrest. The Play Station console was brought as gift for his birthday by his dad.

What went wrong? Series of questions need to be asked.

1. Where did he get the (evil) courage to hurt a person with a knife?

2. What makes him so violent?

3. When was the thought of hurting someone with a knife came to him?

4. Did he ever have any respect for his parents, especially the father?

5. Does Play Station II or FIFA 2009 have anything to do with the violence?

First of all I can only speculate on the issue because I do not know all the facts. Looking at the incident, I am shocked at the random violence of a teenager who was just playing a non-violent game. All I can say is that the anger that was bottled inside him was not properly dealt with for a long time. I cannot say that he didn't know what he was doing or losing control. Remember, he cooly walked back with the knife and even took time to clean the blood. If it was a spur of the moment, when he attacked his own father, he would have been frozen in fear after that. He didn't!

I also think he hated his father so much so that he didn't want him to be around. This means he had a bad relationship with his father or both parents. FIFA 2009 is completely okay but I also believe he played some violent games on it too. Perhaps he was exposed to some violent moments in his own life, either on the tube or real life.

We are living in troubling times with so many dysfunctional families all over the world. These families produce more trouble youth that fill our society to the brim. Their thinking is simply this, "If it's not cool anymore, I'm out!"

This makes the Gospel even more urgent in our society! The Bible tells us to turn the children's hearts back to the fathers and vice versa. The time is now! Or else....

NO JOKE!

I love to laugh at good jokes and I love to tell jokes that make people laugh, I mean make people genuinely laugh. In this world of pain and stress, humor works like medicine. That's why when I preach, I always add humor to my sermon, not for the sake of telling people I know a lot of jokes but to offer genuine laughters to stress-filled people. I believe many people are not laughing enough to live a healthy life.

But there are jokes that are funny to many people but hurting to some whom the jokes were intended in the first place. David Letterman (Talk show host) and some DJs had cracked jokes that had offended others just to make some laugh.

And there are jokes which are dangerous to begin with. In Great Britain, a man was charged for a joke posted on his Twitter that he would blow up an airport sky high if his flight was delayed. You said, "Come on, get a life!" They say, "Get a lawyer!"

And in Malaysia, a youth was charged for inciting violence on a facebook. Maybe he was just joking, or maybe not, the case is in the court now.

Either in Facebook or Twitter, one can get a little bolder in what we express because we thought only my friends can view our comments. And it has become dangerous today. You can get jail for bold statements that border violence.

I remember once I was boarding a plane and jokingly said to a friend that I must dispose all my "weapons", I got a rude stare from a fellow passenger. There and then I found out it was a crime to joke about these things either on an airport or up on the air.

Young people, please be warned about the jokes you post on the Internet. You may find yourself in serious trouble and don't tell the authority, "Come on, get a life!" You may find them telling you, "Get a Lawyer!"

HAITI DEVASTATED!

The earthquake in Haiti has caused untold suffering something that I could never imagine. The report I heard from there reminds me of HELL! Dead bodies everywhere, screaming of pain coming out everwhere on the streets and inside the collapse rubble. Just a few minutes of that terrible quake, everything crumbled. It speaks about the fragility of life itself. The Bible tells us...

(James 4:13-14) Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

I am lost of words when I saw CNN yesterday about a young girl who got caught in between the rubble screaming for help and in pain. Her brothers and some people desperately using bare hands to remove the debris in order to save her. When she was finally saved, CNN Anderson Cooper was there at the scene spoke with her. What astounded me was she said she was not afraid at all and she looked so calm. I was like, "OMG! What a girl!"

One positive thing to me that came out of this extreme human devastation was the compassionate nature of so many countries that got together to help. I was especially taken to heart of President Obama where he not only approved USD 100 million to Haiti but also to mobilise the biggest search rescue plan in the history of the USA.

I don't know why it happened to the country already amongst the poorest nation of the world but I know earthquakes are part and parcel of this fallen earth. It can happen anywhere!

I only could long for the return of Jesus to do the ultimate rescue of this world filled with tears. sorrows and pain!

PROM NIGHTS IN KUALA LUMPUR!

I read an interesting article on Star the other day about prom nights. Prom nights start to get popular in Kuala Lumpur not so long ago but in the United States, it was like ancient! It is normally organised by students themselves usually involving colleges when their graduates get together for one last time. It has since caught on by secondary schools especially those who just completed fifth form.

Prom nights are usually held in expensive hotels for the ambience and the environment. The organising students get sponsors from people so that the attendees don't have to pay so much for the entrance fees. But I read some spend hundreds of dollars for their dresses and coats. Some rented sports cars to pick up their dates.

My Observation....

Few good things about prom nights...

1. It gives the students a last rara get together before they are thrusted into the working world.

2. New friends are made and particpants may get their potential girl or guy as their partner in life.

3. Participants learn social skills and the grooming thingy sometimes from their chic parents and older friends. (Bah...In my time, where got Prom nite?)

4. It gives participants a sense of pride of freedom, ushering in a new beginning.

Some not so good things about prom nights...

1. There is a lot of booze and some being challenged to drink to be considered cool.

2. Many rented rooms at hotel the next day and have sex!

3. Some couldn't afford to buy new dress or coat, ending up being discouraged.

4. Some don't have dates and simply pluck one from who knows where, ending up like a sore loser.

5. Some didn't get to go because they were shy, ending up with brokenness like a monkey on their backs in their life.

6. The secondary school students are simply too young indulge in this activity, usually styled exactly like clubbing.

7. Thank God in my time, we don't have Prom Nights, cause I would be ended up with problems of 3 and 4 and 5 - OMG!

Anyway, for Christians youth, please be careful that you will not fall into the trap of having a good time, without thinking of consequences!