Pyramids

Call it a whim, or silliness, or craziness...

During Kairos last Sunday, we were asked to build a pyramid of cards (without anything else) in one of the games. 3 triangles at the base, and 3 levels high.
Only 5 people managed to form a complete pyramid. Everyone else, including myself, couldn't balance the cards to form the pyramids. Some groaned in frustration, others exclaimed that it was an impossible task. Maybe it was because our arms were still shaky from the 40 push ups we'd done prior to it, maybe we weren't doing it right, or maybe it was impossible. But 5 people managed it... it couldn't be impossible, right?

So... last night, after completing some work, I took out a pack of cards.
And started building.
Not to prove to others, but to prove to myself...
that it wasn't an impossible task... that I could build a 3-stack pyramid.
No glue, no tape, no adhesives, just plain playing cards stacked against one another.

At first, the cards kept falling over.
Then, I realised something... and found a little strategy when building the pyramids.
I completed my first 3-stack pyramid, and grinned in triumph :)
So, why not try a 4-stack pyramid next? Then 5-stack? 6?
One and 3/4 hours (and exactly 100 cards) later...
I completed my first 8-stack pyramid (8 triangles at the base, and 8 levels high)
Yes! *little triumphant smile*

Karen also came in and looked at the pyramid with an amused grin. It reminded her of a character in 'Hunter-hunter' (a Japanese anime), who often built card pyramids to repress his urge to kill other people (probably because it required him to concentrate on something other than his murderous desires).

I found that mildly disturbing :) No, I'm not feeling 'murderous' at the moment, but building the pyramids has reminded me of a few things...


Consistency -
All the cards had to be about the same height, so that each level would be straight. The triangles of cards also had to be approximately the same size, to ensure stability and balance. When all the cards were placed properly, I could actually press down gently from the top, and the structure would hold and remain steady. However, if some of the cards were placed in a slip-shod manner, each triangle may still stand up, but the structure would be weakened in that section, and that area would be more likely to collapse.
- It's the same thing in life, we need to be consistent, for if there are any 'slip-shod' areas in our lives, these would be weak points that could crumble first under pressure.

The Bigger Picture -
Know what you're working towards, how many triangles are needed, and how each little section contributes to completing the whole structure.
- With an aim in mind, there's something to work towards, and an increasing anticipation as you get closer to completing that goal.

Patience -
Taking things step by step. One triangle at a time, and one row at a time, till you get to the top level.
- One short term goal at a time, to get to the long-term goal.

Focus and Concentration -
- On the task at hand.

Perseverance -
If some cards fall over, pick them up and continue building. Indulge in an occasional winge (but not too often :)
- Don't give up that easily... Try, try, again (and of course, know when to stop...)

Stability -
The foundations need to be stable. The larger the pyramid, and higher up you build, the greater the need for stability at the base. Otherwise, the risk of toppling increases.
- As in life, the higher up we proceed, our foundations need to be stronger and more stable to hold up against the pressure, and to prevent us from crumbling.

Gentleness and Care -
When stacking the cards, you can't be rough, otherwise some cards could be knocked over.
- Similarly, we need to be aware of the fragility of some things in our lives, such as friendships, and handle them with gentleness and care.

Support -
Each card supports another card.
- If we support one another, we will be stronger, and we can aim higher. For in unity, there is strength.

Application of Knowledge -
There was actually quite a bit of physics involved... balance, centre of gravity, resolution of forces, friction, pressure...
- The importance of the things we learn, seeing how they apply to different situations, therefore picking up little tricks along the way to complete a task more efficiently.

Risk -
The more levels you build, the higher the risk that it may topple. The taller they are, the harder they fall.
Also, the bigger the structure, the greater the cost (more time and effort). The more time and effort you put into building up something, the greater your desire that it wouldn't topple, and the harder you work at trying to ensure that it doesn't.

Procrastination -
When procrastinating, you can do the weirdest things... :)


Thought of building a 9 - storey pyramid too, but I'll need another pack of cards for that (3 packs of the same size), and another opportunity to procrastinate... I think I know where to get the cards, and the opportunity isn't that hard to find :)

Surprisingly, the card pyramid is actually still standing in the middle of my room. I've been opening my doors really slowly, as well as walking past very carefully to avoid toppling it. I can't bear to knock it over ('Doosh', to quote Kev :) ... yet, I've got this imp-ish urge to run and bowl it over...

Ah well, I've got a photo of the pyramid, it's getting in the way of things, and it's probably going to topple sooner or later anyway. So...

Wheeeeee!
*Crash*

I did say I was good at discrediting myself... :)

Kairos

The Kairos retreat last weekend was another unforgettable event this year, filled with many thoughts and memories. However, the past few days have been a flurry of work and activities, and I haven't had much time to post anything. Most of my reflections from Kairos were also too personal to post in a blog... thoughts that, for now, can only be penned in my personal diary.
However, reading Del's blog entry prompted further thoughts, and inspired a short summary of my experiences from the retreat. Since I've got a quick respite between experiments, and althought this summary doesn't quite do it enough justice... it was...


Kairos... an appointed time
of learning,
of fun,
of teamwork,
and building on firm foundations.

A time of good food,
and warm fellowship.
Of paper cups and thunderous clapping,
of laughter,
and tears.

A time of soul-searching,
of honesty,
of truth,
of reflection,
and the Prodigal son's return.

A time of supporting one another,
of prayer,
of accountability,
of dedication,
and commitment.

A time of worship,
of 'Dodge Vipers' and 'dodgy Vipers',
of responsibilities,
of making choices,
and sacrifices.

A time of planning for the generations,
of revelation,
of revival,
of seeing the bigger picture,
and looking ahead.

A time of of sharing,
of lighting the fire,
of speaking into one anothers' lives,
of encouragement,
and reaffirmation.


Okay, so the summary wasn't that short :)

What an intense and eventful weekend... It's also been a weekend where it's been 'Only Him', more than once, and in more ways than one. God's little cryptic reminder for me.

I will choose to stop hiding behind my seat because of my fears and inadequacies, and choose to stand up and step forward. After all, if you don't go backwards, you'll have to worry only about the best way of moving forward. Danny, Gee, Kah Ling, and Shel, I'm shivering in slight trepidation, but also in anticipation of the things that are prepared for us the coming year... let's make this journey together :)

A big thanks to the organisers who planned and put Kairos together, who did this even in the flurry of E-Nite preparations. It truly was for a time such as this.

And now, it's time to get to work.

next

I've got time to try a quiz, but no time to write a blog entry? :)

Yeah, the former doesn't require too much thought (multiple choice, what can I say?), the latter requires you to piece all your thoughts and put them together into a coherent piece. I think it's the 'coherent' bit I've got trouble with... hee.

I'm so tired, I can't quite think straight... So I shall put in a brain-less entry of incoherent bits and pieces from yesterday (you're welcome to shake your head with disgust and scold me the next time you see me, for wasting your time to read this...) :

Holidays have started for most other students in the uni... but work in the labs never ends. In fact, it seems to have doubled... Needed to pull a few late nights the past few days.

Had my driving lesson yesterday morning, and signed off a few more tasks. Yay :) I'm that little bit closer to finishing.
Met Echo in Chinatown for lunch (yummy dim sum... good food, great company, satisfied tummy :)
Bought groceries for the week from central market.
Got back at about 4pm in the afternoon, and was debating whether to return to the labs to complete a few experiments.
Finally trudged over to the labs due to a prickling (ok, more like stabbing...) conscience.
Put in the 'obligatory' 8-9 hours, and got home close to 1 am in the morning.
Thank goodness for campus security. They're a bunch of great pple, what would I do without them?
Did some reading, tried to work on my lit review, but could not form a proper sentence without repeating the same point 4 times in 4 different ways.
Turned off computer and blacked out on bed.

Woke up this morning, dragged myself back to the labs, and attempted to carry out 3 different experiments at the same time. Which is great for speeding up work. But ultimately, there comes a point when all 3 timers are ringing at the same, in 3 different places, and

My point? Tired. Cannot process thoughts properly. Thus the inane, pointless entry.

I'm not a workaholic. Really.
I AM a slacker. Honestly and seriously. Why won't anyone believe me?? Sheesh...



Yes, if you're going on a vacation, please remember me while enjoying that exotic lunch or dinner, or when looking at the pretty landscapes. I'm sure it's more interesting than the samples and machines that I stare at in the lab.

So yes, another quiz result...


You're a pegasus. You're very calm and loving.
Something about you makes others want to get
close to you, whether or not you feel the same
way about them. You don't bond to others
easily, but when you do it's long-lasting. Your
alignment is *good*, but not so much that you
can't have fun.

What mythical beast are you?
brought to you by

C.S.I.

I'm a C.S.I. fan, :) so I was quite happy to watch my first episode of C.S.I. in several weeks. We usually hold bible study preparations on Tuesday nights, however since we're holding the OCF AGM instead this Friday, I made use of the extra time that was 'freed up' last night to watch an episode of C.S.I., do some reading, and let my thoughts wander.

Although I've had several months of practice, it still isn't easy sometimes to facilitate the bible studies. I get quite jittery if there's an awkward silence when no one speaks up to answer a question, so it's always a relief when someone contributes their answers, and when everyone participates in the discussions. Sometimes, however, I've wondered... how many of these answers come from true conviction? And how many of them are just 'textbook answers'?

It's often easy to guess the 'right' answer, or to give the 'desired' answers to most questions ('textbook answers'). But how many of us really mean what we say? When asked what we have learnt from the study, it's easy to quote and summarise the lessons and objectives of the study, but how many of us truly learn and remember the lessons? Do we go back changed, or do we quote exemplary answers for an hour, then return to life as before, shove what we've learnt to the back of our heads, then quote them again for an hour during the next bible study a week later?

It sounds cynical, but how often do we find ourselves doing that... quoting 'textbook answers' to questions, quoting scripture, and yet find ourselves acting in contradiction to what we say? : 'Love one another'... yet we struggle with prejudice. 'Trust in His timing'... while we grind our teeth in frustration. 'Do not judge'... while viewing the world with a critical eye. 'Forgive and show grace to others'... while clinging to hurt and resentment. 'Be humble'... while pride tweaks at our egos. 'Surrender it to Him'... yet refusing to totally let go. They're phrases that are easy to quote, easy to use in discussions, but not all that easy to live out. They're things that I struggle with too. But understanding and change need to come from within, not just from an increase in 'head- knowledge'.

Bible study isn't just an academic pursuit, or an exercise for 'the best-sounding answer'. We need to see that God is in it too, after all, it is called the 'Living Word' for a reason... and I need to remind myself of that constantly too.

Are our answers only textbook answers that are held in the head, or do they come from a conviction inside our hearts? We may talk about the walk, but are we walking the talk? Do we practise what we preach? Do we live by all the principles that we discuss? Do we say something, and really mean it, believe it, and live it out?

There's still a lot that I need to work on. Hopefully, there'll be more of another C.S.I. in my life ...

Cultivating

Sanctity

Inside

C.S.I. :)

May the lessons and principles that we learn be held in our hearts, and may we grow together in God's grace and knowledge.

Real-life Emoticons

I heartily recommend viewing this link, it's quite hilarious. Especially the expression for 'unemployed'.

http://www.emotioneric.com/

Enjoy :)

Driven

Apart from driving the car, I think I'm driving my driving instructor crazy...

Take today's lesson as an example. While attempting a U-turn in traffic,

AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!
I mentally screamed while frantically turning the steering wheel, narrowly missing the curb.
Laughing at myself for freaking out over a simple maneuver, I smiled.
"Why are you grinning? What's funny?" my instructor asked
"Nothing..." I'd been told to show confidence when driving.
He didn't know that laughter is my medicine for stress, and I couldn't really tell him that I'd actually freaked out.
"Don't grin, other drivers will think that you're laughing at them." he said.
"Okay," I looked ahead and attempted another U-turn in traffic. I found a gap in the on-coming traffic and pressed the accelerator.

AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!
I mentally screamed, again, quickly turning the steering wheel and accelerating away, not wanting to collide with the approaching cars.
I imagined how he'd react if I really freaked out in the car, and if he'd known what really went on behind the calm face.
Amused, I tried to suppress a smile, but slowly, the corners of my lips started curving upward.
"Don't grin, I told you," he reminded me.
"Alright," but the smile just grew wider.
"You're not taking this seriously are you? You find driving funny? Try not to grin"
"I do take it seriously..." I took a deep breath, and held a straight face for several seconds.
But by then, I was so tickled, I couldn't help myself. My lips twitched.
"Don't grin..." he said
"..." I bit my lip and struggled not laugh.
"Don't grin."
"..."
"Don't..."
"..." I couldn't hold it in any longer.
This time, I broke into a grin from ear to ear.
He groaned.
"I take it seriously, really... hee hee... *sigh*..." but the harder I tried, the harder it was not to smile.
Both of us gave up, and I continued driving with a little smile on my face. It's just one of those days...


I think I'm naturally talented at discrediting myself :)


At least he signed off the "U-turn in traffic" and a few other tasks on my task-list, commenting that they were "quite good", which nearly triggered another laugh. If he'd really known how I'd freaked out during those turns, he may have considered it twice...

So, as usual, I tell myself that next week, I have to improve.
I have to convince him that I'm a competent driver.
And now I also have to convince him that I'm not one of those air-headed girls who giggles at anything.

Can't wait for the day that I get my license...