iphoting's Sink

It’s Teachers’ Day! So, a loud and joyful ‘Happy Teachers’ Day’ to all you teachers out there.

Looking at today’s pre-concert organisation and management, I’m inclined to believe (close to disillusioned) that the Prom at year end would turn out wonderfully. Still, it’s pretty enjoyable to watch the nice videos.

Went to JS to visit our loving teachers once again. We’ve got to congratulate ourselves after all for faithfully going back for the past six years. To our amusement, at Newton MRT station, we’ve got news from our sources that the teachers are all not in school and are away for the Teachers’ Day appreciation Lunch. Tapping into the always accurate and unofficial news network, we discovered that the teachers are at the hotel where our prom is going to be held.

Off we went. To crash the lunch for the noble cause of maintaining the streak of teacher visitations for the past 6 years. When we’d arrived, it’s really heartening to see the very-wide smiles by the teachers whom we’re visiting. Really, it’s very fond memories relived every year, glad that they indeed still remember the crazy experiences and events in class. That, I can never ever forget.

I have never faulted my parents for sending me to a primary school where my school bus ride took longer than an hour. The experience has been and can only be extraordinary.

Chatting with my teachers, I’ve learnt that there are many students defecting to the rival school upon their graduation, at greater rates than before. This quite explains for the somewhat declining numbers in JS student enrolment in the independent school, compared to the barker road affiliation. Then they mentioned that students these days are a little harder to teach as they either seem to be detached and out-of-sync or that they seem to keep day-dreaming. This can only be attributing to captive computer gaming.

On my way back home after lunch, the traffic along Orchard Road was terrible, causing my 40-minute bus ride to lengthen into a 1.5 hour one. The cause of the jam was COMEX exhibition at Suntec, causing severe traffic chaos around the area. More amusingly, sources have claimed that the prices at the exhibition (or more appropriately termed bazaar) are higher than usual, giving me the impression of profiteering on unsuspecting buyers – Caveat Emptor.

Hereforth marks the end of Term 3 and our formal school days, having lessons as a class. Examinations lay ahead and this is the time for great things and great faith.

As with my previous post pertaining to the thought experiment, the situation contains a valid contract. My point on lack of ‘due consideration’ was invalid as person A did make a consideration by offering to pay, i.e. “Person A accepts product for any price under $10”. As such, the contract stays and that the shopkeeper A will have no right to demand for person A (once the contract is made) to foot the difference or to accept a refund, as contracts cannot be modified once made. In fact, it would look to be wrong for person A to return to the shop to foot the difference unless the shop agrees to it.

Pretty interesting I must say. These stuff should be taught in school, not the crap known as social studies.

Ha, Chapel this morning was the best thus far. Simply wonderful.

Today, I’ve got this thought experiment/question that I’ve yet to solve. It’s got to do with Contract Law. Here’s the situation:-

Person A walks up to a shop A and sees a product (unpriced) and proceeds to the counter for payment. Shop A does not employ a cash register and does not issue receipts. Furthermore, person A did not request for the price of the product and just paid the shopkeeper A a $10 note, expecting change (to derive the price). Change of $6 is returned and person A looked at the change, mentally calculated and assumed that the price of the product is $4 and left the shop. After leaving the shop, person A meets person B and person B says, “Hey, I brought the product from the shop A for $6 just now”.

Ethically on the right side, person A cannot be faulted for returning to the shop to pay the difference. The crux however, strictly speaking in terms of contract law, is person A obliged to foot the difference, or is he in the right to go off scot-free according to contract law?

Subsequently, let’s say shopkeeper A runs out and demands that person A either to have the difference ($2) paid or to undo the exchange. Is person A obliged to do so?

What do you think?

After some reading, I was told that the above situation, when consideration for the contract on the part of person A is lacking, the contract is actually void. This actually means, a new contract is to be made. Which means, it is only ethical for person A to foot the difference or to accept without fail the demands made by the shopkeeper A. Person A, by extension, will have to either return the product or to foot the difference for a new contract, otherwise, he is in the wrong, i.e. stealing?

Edit: After consultation with a friend with legal training, my analysis is wrong.

Comments?

Yesterday, I was prompted to buy this book, Drawing Near by John Bevere. Man, it was difficult. Knowing God, if there’s a difficulty in doing something He recommends, it is bound to be beneficial, albeit the sacrifices. I had to go to different bookshops at the most inconvenient time, but it was worth all the money and time I’d spend getting and reading this book.

In all, it is an extremely good and important read (for me and for my breakthrough). If you are interested, feel free to borrow it from me (I’ve finished reading it in one sitting), but preferably that you have had some basic Bible study prior to reading this.

Have a great week 10 ahead, God bless!

Gosh, I’m getting really occupied these days; examinations are really round the bend and I’ll need to make my routines even more efficient to save time for things of importance and value.

Speaking of time, this Tuesday, there’s a total lunar eclipse, where the moon will turn red due to refraction of light as it bends through the Earth’s atmosphere, which reminds me of the interesting visual found in Joel 2:31, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come”.

That aside, I’m finally pleased that the court made an unexpected decision, ’Odex had “no right of civil action” against illegal downloaders’. That had always been my impression, if you’ve heard me comment on that issue. Now that the judge has finally spoken more appropriately, shame on the lawyers who have read about the ‘infringement letters’ and told clients to just pay up and sign the contract, rather than to contest their dubious and despicable claims. Given their fine reputation, I’m guessing that that business can really go out of business since their main revenue stream (I believe) has been plugged dry.

These days, I’ve noticed that my expectations on myself have dropped and as such, I have lost the right to criticise, which is a good thing. I’m just getting happier and more joyful as the days go, smiling more than I can imagine. So my words shall be, to the best of my ability, edifying in nature, positive and encouraging.

Today in Church, I’ve finally noticed how amazing the ushering ministry is run and I have to take my hats off to them. Given the large influx of ‘service crashers’ or people who come on their own accord, usually late, to church services, there will always be a situation where there aren’t enough seats. The amazing part is that the ministry can conjure up 200 seats within 15 minutes (keeping people waiting no longer than 5 minutes) while ensuring little disruption and distraction to the proceedings. Apart from seats, there are bulletins to be distributed and people assigned seats before the worship segment ends, as there is to be no movement hence after.

Come to think of it, maybe I should go join the sound ministry next year if time permits. I got to learn how all the sound magic works.

Ok, time to start studying. God Bless!

Gosh, I’m falling sick, all the signs are pointing to it – ulcer in mouth, bitter saliva, heatiness, sore in neck, tiredness, weakening pulse, etc. I’ve done all that I can do, i.e. herbal tea, sleeping early, drinking and eating properly, etc, but my health is still going downwards. I am going to have to call in sick and stay away from school tomorrow before my health gets worst requiring an even longer recovery period.

Today, (Rev. Dr.) Joyce Meyer talked about something very simple but extremely weighted. The gist of it was about love but it was more than just that. Rev 16:15 says, “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

What clothes?

Col 3:12, 14 (NLT) reads, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience...Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”

Yes, spiritual clothes, that God sees.

Wonderful. Managed to borrow a classical guitar albeit with a missing 4th string from my friend this morning. Upon reaching home, I went out to a near-by music shop to purchase strings. Annoyingly, the Yamaha at Tampines Mall ran out of stock for the 4th string, together with guitar picks. No choice, bought the 6 strings bundle instead and cycled home. Spent part of the late afternoon restringing the guitar and tuning it with a tuner on my Macbook.

In other news, I’m glad that I sold and re-bought my long options on Fantasy Stock Exchange and made a million. Now, I just need to make 1.2 more million and I’d have broke even. At least, this market crash didn’t burn me much despite spending all $48 million dollars on mostly technological long options.

Ok, I’m off for sleep; tomorrow will be an exciting day.

I thought I know people who are well hated, but not to such an extent. Apparently, this company’s directory is a huge menace in cyberspace with more then enough people clamouring for his death. Still, his behaviour is despicable, so are his business methods. In short, BOYCOTT all products from ODEX is the least that we can do in an attempt to force them out of business.

It is ridiculous to claim all licensing rights, and then produce and sell products of such inferior quality that even free web-downloaded copies are magnitudes better. Coercing customers to buy crap (due to the lack of available legal alternatives) for high prices is extremely unethical and probably the worst way to do business. At least Microsoft Windows work, but terribly.