Epiphany

Hey peeps,

I guess I owe you all an extremely overdue post / entry after so many seasons. But I assure you this would not be any less than what I would post if I had the time to pen down any thoughts or accounts.

I also owe Luke an apology for delaying and procrastinating like forever to write this so I hope I can keep this up for as long as possible, hopefully not for only 1 entry (in my attempt to hinder the closure of the blog).

So just last month, as you know, I have visited Israel-Palestine (Holy Land) on a pilgrimage with the church. I reaped many benefits from learning more about the land, the history as recorded in the Bible, the art, the culture, but not the ladies (but of course!).

Somehow, while on that trip, I had this strange epiphany of walking closer to God and acquiring this sense of peace and contentment. I mean despite all the walking and heat, and rushing from place to place, I was at peace with myself and you can say, peace with God as well.

One of the evenings when I was watching the sun set at the sea of Galilee (or Kinnereth, or Gennesaret), I looked back retrospectively at how sometimes I got bullied or was laughed at having faith in God and not in myself. Coincidentally, when I was flipping the Bible, my fingers landed on the exact Bible phrase (on the first flip) which comforts those who would experience such a rejection, or circumstance.

From the Gospel of Matthew 5:3-12 (King James Version Bible)

³Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

⁵Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

⁷Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

¹⁰Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

¹²Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Surprisingly, my guide, who is a Palestinian-Christian (he was ostracized for having rejected the Muslim faith), said that there was much similarity in the God worshipped by the Muslims, and the God worshipped by all the Abrahamic faiths. What he doesn't understand is why, across the Torah (Jewish bible), the Quran, and the Bible, nobody actually practised the commandment of "Love thy neighbour as thyself". Well this was a no brainer, if everyone could do that, there wouldn't be any wars or conflict (such as the Israel-Palestinian diaspora).

Well this was certainly food for thought in my opinion. I admit that I somehow reconciled with my faith once again and felt it strengthened manifold. Which is why I'm really excited to share it here.


I learnt some alphabets of Hebrew whilst there as well, and some aramaic phrases.. i got to say that Arabic sounds really harsh! When they speak, they sound like war is impending and blood needs to be shed (that's the impression, and the atmosphere I felt).

Anyhow, just a quick update that I'm doing fine in PwC. Currently, I'm looking at some Masters in Finance programmes to apply to. I was thinking of building up my knowledge in finance. One of the universities i'm looking at is the University of Lausanne, and University of Geneva. Didn't want to go to a UK university because it's really expensive.

That's about all for me. How are things with you guys?