Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Ellis, Al-Qaida and the Pope

Albert Ellis developed the ABC theory of personality:
  • A = Activating Event
  • B = Beliefs
  • C = Consequences (Emotional/Behavioral)
Ellis contends that the cause of our feelings is rooted in our beliefs. For Ellis there are two categories of beliefs, rational and irrational. Of course, according to Ellis: rational beliefs leads to healthy consequences and irrational beliefs leads to unhealthy consequences. Allow me to demonstrate the ABC theory of personality using today's examples:
"Al-Qaida in Iraq and its allies responded on Monday to Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on Islam and holy war, proclaiming that jihad would continue until Islam takes over the world."
[Source: Jerusalem Post]
  • The Activating Event: "Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on Islam and holy war"
  • Consequences: "Al-Qaida in Iraq and its allies responded on Monday ... proclaiming that jihad would continue until Islam takes over the world."
Thus I assume the irrational Belief of Al-Qaida to be: "It is ABSOLUTELY a MUST for everyone to say things about Islam which we agree with, if they don't it is always awful."

Ellis would categorize the above Belief as irrational because it leads to the following unhealthy Consequences:
"[Al-Qaida:] ... we will continue our jihad (holy war) and never stop until God avails us to chop your necks and raise the fluttering banner of monotheism ..."
[Source: Jerusalem Post]
A rational Belief that Ellis would suggest would be: "It is strongly preferable for everyone to say things about Islam which we agree with, but it is not awful if they don't, just very unfortunate and sad."

After which Ellis would go further into D = Disputing and challenge Al-Qaida's thoughts with the following question: "Where does it say that everyone MUST say nice things about Islam?"

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We see that it is our Beliefs not the Activating Event which caused the Consequences, therefore Ellis concludes that people are primarily responsible for how they feel and the behaviors which result from it.

Therefore, the Pope cannot be held responsible for the feelings of "outrage" / "tensions" and the acts of violence which results.

Besides the Pope Benedict XVI has already made a personal PUBLIC apology. What else should he do?
Don't use the Pope's "remarks" as an excuse - don't be a coward; take responsibility for your actions.

Monday, September 18, 2006

"Subtle scholar, but what an inept politician"

by Waleed Ali

The Pope should mind his words. So should some of his Muslim critics.


LET me get this straight. Pope Benedict XVI quotes the 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus asserting before a Persian Islamic scholar that the prophet Muhammad brought nothing new to the world except things "evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached". Some Muslims clearly interpret Benedict to be quoting Manuel with approval, and take offence at the suggestion that Islam is inherently violent. The response is to bomb five churches in the West Bank, and attack the door of another in Basra. In India, angry mobs burn effigies of Pope Benedict. In Somalia, Sheikh Abu Bakr Hassan Malin urges Muslims to "hunt down" the Pope and kill him, while an armed Iraqi group threatens to carry out attacks against Rome and the Vatican.

There. That'll show them for calling us violent.

Meanwhile, other commentators seem to be vying to be most hysterical. Libya's General Instance of Religious Affairs thinks Benedict's "insult … pushes us back to the era of crusades against Muslims led by Western political and religious leaders". And a member of the ruling party in Turkey has placed Benedict "in the same category as leaders like Hitler and Mussolini", in what must surely be an insult to those who suffered under them.

Closer to home, Muslim Community Reference Group chairman Ameer Ali cautioned Benedict to "behave like (his predecessor) John Paul II, not Urban II (who launched the Crusades)", while Taj al-Din al-Hilali declared startlingly that the Pope "doesn't have the qualities or good grasp of Christian character or knowledge". It's fair to say perspective has deserted us.

Parallels with February's Danish cartoon saga are begging to be drawn. As Saudi Arabia, Iran, Libya and Syria did with Denmark, Morocco has now withdrawn its ambassador from the Vatican. Egypt and Turkey called for an apology. Indeed, one expert has suggested Morocco's decision may have been a tactic to prevent a wave of street protests similar to those that stunned the world in February. There is an awful sense of history repeating: a provocative gesture triggers an overblown response of surreal imbecility.

But this is not the same as the Danish catastrophe. On that occasion, the cartoons' publication was an act calculated specifically to offend Muslim sensibilities. The reaction was irredeemably contemptible, but the sense of offence was justified.

Pope Benedict's speech was an academic address at a German university on an esoteric theological theme that had nothing to do with affronting Muslims. The apparently offending remarks were almost a footnote to the discussion. The contrast is manifestly stark.

But it seems some elements in the Muslim world are looking avidly for something to offend them. Meanwhile, governments looking to boost their Islamic credentials are only too happy to seize on this, or nurture it, for their own political advantage. At some point, the Muslim world has to gain control of itself. Presently, its most vocal elements are so disastrously reactionary, and therefore so easily manipulable.

Here, the vociferous protests came from people who, quite clearly, have not bothered to read Benedict's speech. Worse, some (like al-Hilali and Ameer Ali) themselves regularly complain of being quoted incorrectly and out of context. Had such critics done their homework, they would have noted Benedict's description of Manuel II's "startling brusqueness". Manuel's point was that violent doctrine could not come from God because missionary violence is contrary to rationality. Benedict's point was a subtle one: that Manuel draws a positive link between religious truth and reason. This was the central theme of the Pope's address. He was silent on Manuel's attitude to Islam because it was beside the point he was making. Clearly, Manuel II was not a fan of the prophet Muhammad. But that does not mean Benedict isn't either.

The trouble with being the Pope is that you are simultaneously a theologian and a politician. Theological discourse is regularly nuanced and esoteric. Political discourse is not. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said "the Pope spoke like a politician rather than as a man of religion", but the truth is the exact opposite. In theological terms, Benedict chose an example well suited to his narrow argument.

In political terms, his choice was poor. He was naive not to recognise how offensively it would translate into the crudeness of the public conversation, and should at least have made clear that he was not endorsing Manuel II's words.

I happen to think Manuel had a shoddy grasp of Islamic theology. Indeed, the Islamic tradition would have much to contribute to the theme of Benedict's lecture. While medieval Christendom fought science stridently, the relationship between faith and reason in traditional Islam was highly convivial.

That's why I would be interested to have heard how the Persian scholar responded to Manuel's argument. I'm fairly certain, though, he wouldn't have called on Muslim hordes to hunt down Manuel and kill him.

Waleed Aly is an Islamic Council of Victoria director.

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[SOURCE: TheAge.com.au]

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Pope Benedict XVI's Speech

There had been much outrage due to what Pope Benedict XVI said, but what did he really say? CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD his entire speech (only 37kb), READ the whole lot and then DECIDE whether or not you should be outraged. It is only fair to do so.

[Source of Pope's speech and image via BBC News]

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Psalm 23: Student's Edition

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not flunk
He keepeth me from lying down when I should be studying
He leadeth me beside the water cooler for a study break
He restores my faith in study guides
He leads me to better study habits
For my grades' sake

Yea, though I walk through the valley of borderline grades
I will not have a nervous breakdown
For thou art with me
My prayers and my friends, they comfort me
Thou givest me the answer in moments of blankness
Thou anointest my head with understanding
My test paper runneth over with questions I recognise

Surely passing grades and flying colours shall follow me
All the days of my examinations
And I shall not have to dwell in this exam hall forever.

Friday, September 01, 2006

Brooding

Bummer. I forgot to attached the literature review with my lab report and the deadline was at 5pm, anything later than that will have 1% minus off the GPA per day. Thank God, weekends don't count. So I'll pass it up on Monday then.

I really really want that A-... but a B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. B+ is fine. Who am I kidding? No it's not fine.

I can only afford to lose a maximum of 4.5% in my lab report and my finals... :(

Don't worry, I am OK. I just brood a lot, that's all.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Things which made my day

#1 I won best presentation for my research on "The Effects of Gender and Physical Attractiveness on Cooperation" at the Psychology Colloquium today! The prize was RM200 worth of MPH vouchers. :) A BIG THANKS goes out to Irina, Kitty, Doulos, Sharon and Huay Ming, without you guys I might not make it this far.

#2 Our country's JOY has been given international attention. CLICK HERE to know what I mean.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

The Golden Rule...

"And what you hate, do not do to any one."
Tobit 4:15

"And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."
Luke 6:31, King James Version.

"None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."
Number 13 of Imam "Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths."


... have we forgotten about it?

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

What is Freedom?

"Freedom is not merely having the ability to do the things we want, but it is also having the will to do the things which we do not want."
- Christina Landau, Kemerdekaan @ "Do U Want to Be A Star?" Komunitas Emmanuel Youth Weekend, 2006

Thursday, August 10, 2006

After The Incident / From the top of my head

Good ole' St. Augustine once said that God's omnipotence is manifested not in His ability to extinguish evil, but in His ability to bring good out of it. Because evil is the absence of good, therefore for God to bring good out of nothing is enough proof of his all-powerfullness.

The Incident that happened last week was the best thing yet that has happened to me! [I am not being sarcastic here ya?] I am serious! I felt so loved with all the encouragement (face-to-face or via sms/emails/comments/phonecalls) that I received from my friends and fellow bloggers/blogders. :)

I believe that was what St. Augustine meant when he said that God is able to bring good even out of evil. If not for the Incident I would not have known that there are so many people who find my existence on this planet significant. ;) Well, at least now I know I got to cater for at least 20 people when I have my funeral. *grin* :D

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From the top of my head (in no particular order):

Friday, August 04, 2006

I received a death threat...

Apparently, it's because I posted an article on the case of Lina Joy.

CLICK HERE to see the message in full size.

CLICK here for the full body of the message

I have identified the IP to be:

218.111.180.59

... and have reported abuse to Yahoo! Inc.

Suggestions please, on what else do you think I should do?


Sunday, July 30, 2006

All you want to know about Article 11

Article 11 - setting the record straight
Malik Imtiaz Sarwar
Jul 27, 06 3:59pm
I am the current president of the National Human Rights Society (Hakam).Hakam is a member of the coalition which calls itself ‘Article 11'. You would have read about the controversy surrounding the road-show currently underway. The forum in Penang held in May was disrupted by protestors. The forum in Johor Bahru held earlier this month was almost disrupted and was regrettably shortened, again due to protestors. There is a significant amount of material on the web in the Bahasa Malaysia which, while doing many things, chiefly presents a distorted picture of not only what Article 11 is attempting to achieve but also the way things are. These distortions have perhaps unfortunately become the foundation of the prime minister’s caution as reported in the media yesterday. I believe it is essential to set the record straight, not only for the security of those concerned but also for the sake of the nation.

The Article 11 initiative is in no way connected with the Interfaith Commission initiative. They are separate initiatives, with very different objectives. Unfortunately, unscrupulous parties have twisted this state of affairs and presented the objectives of both initiatives as not only being highly objectionable but also as being connected. It should be borne in mind that the Interfaith Commission initiative was aimed at making the government aware of the benefits in establishing a statutory non-adjudicative body which could, through recommendations, assist the government of the day in shaping coherent policies pertaining to religious harmony. A draft bill was endorsed by a national conference in February 2005 and, together with a plenary statement, presented to the government. That is when all formal efforts pertaining to the proposed commission ended.

The Article 11 initiative is, however, aimed at creating awareness of the Federal Constitution, the guarantees provided therein and the concept of rule of law against increasing assertions that Malaysia is - in law - an Islamic State. In presenting the Federal Constitution, the initiative has at no point sought to question the status of Islam as the official religion of Malaysia – it is what the Constitution says, after all. Neither has the initiative sought to challenge or attack the administration of Islamic Law nor the esteemed position of the Malay Rulers.

The initiative has however shown that the provisions in the constitution relating to Islam have a context and, amongst other things, are to be read in the light of the constitutional declaration that the Constitution is the supreme law of Malaysia. The context being suggested by Article 11 is not that of the members of Article 11, the organisers or even the speakers at their forums. The context being suggested is one which the courts of this country have recognised. The suggestion that Malaysia is a secular country has recently been wrongly attributed to persons who have unfairly been characterised as trouble makers intent on attacking the administration of Islam. That is wholly incorrect. The statement is one of declared law. In 988, the Supreme Court decision in Che Omar Che Soh, declared:

‘... we have to set aside our personal feelings because the law in this country is still what it is today, secular law, where morality not accepted by the law is not enjoying the status of the law … Until the law and the system is changed, we have no choice but to proceed as we are doing today.’

The law stands as that decision of the Supreme Court has not been reversed or departed from. In fact, during the recent Lina Joy Federal Court appeal, the court asked whether it was being asked to depart from the principle in Che Omar Che Soh. Counsel opposing the appeal answered in the affirmative, indicating an acceptance that declared law in this country is as it stands in Che Omar Che Soh.

We must not confuse the crucial distinction between a country in which the majority are Muslims, and is thus an Islamic country, and a country in which the supreme law is the syariah, an Islamic state. In Che Omar Che Soh, the Supreme Court stated:

‘If it had been otherwise (an Islamic State), there would have been another provision in the Constitution which would have the effect that any law contrary to the injunction of Islam will be void. Far from making such provision, (the Constitution), on the other hand, purposely preserves the continuity of secular law prior to the Constitution …’

As an illustration, the Pakistani constitution has provisions which declare the syariah law as the supreme law of Pakistan, and any laws inconsistent with the syariah as being void. The Malaysian Constitution does not. Furthermore, our constitutional history clearly reflects that the thinking of the alliance leaders and all key stakeholders in the period leading to the establishment of the Federal Constitution. That while Islam was to be given protected status, as a matter of law and the application of law, Malaysia was to be a secular, Westminster-style democracy. This thinking, having gone to the establishment of the free nation of Malaya and then later, Malaysia, with its gloriously pluralist, multi-racial, multi-religious make up, cannot be dismissed as being mere opinion.

In view of this, it is grossly unreasonable for various parties to have characterised Article 11 as having challenged the status of Islam as the official religion and the status quo. Article 11 has not done so, in fact, it has championed the law including the declaration of Islam as the official religion of the Federation. Conversely, it is its detractors who have, through distortion and by preying on religious and racial sensitivities, sought to challenge the status quo. It is this very process of mixing religion, politics and the rule of law resulting in the ensuing confusion that Article 11 has been cautioning against. Regrettably, this process is gaining ground.

This is not say that I or Article 11 condemn those who aspire to put in place around them a complete system based on syariah principles. That aim should, however, be achieved through constitutional process, that is constitutional change. The Federal Constitution, in as much as it is a living document, cannot be subverted through reinterpretations inconsistent with the objectives underlying the Federal Constitution when it was introduced in 1957. That would be amount to a hijacking of the Federal Constitution and the social contract it put in place.

[Source: MalaysiaKini.com; note: emphasis in bold by bookofjohn.org]

Thursday, July 27, 2006

"All eyes on Lina Joy case"

Sunday, June 25, 2006
This woman wants to get on with her life – get married, have children but something is blocking her plan. She cannot register her marriage at the civil registry. CHELSEA L.Y. NG examines Lina Joy's dilemma.

FORTY-two years ago, a baby girl was born and named Azlina Jailani by her Malay parents. The girl was brought up as a Muslim but at the age of 26 she decided to become a Christian.

In 1999, she managed to change the name in her identity card to Lina Joy but her joy was incomplete as her religion remained stated as Islam.

Now having waited many years for the word “Islam’’ to be deleted from her IC so she could have a legitimate marriage or offspring, the issue may finally be resolved once and for all.

The Federal Court gave leave in April for her to appeal on the question of whether she needed to prove apostasy on her part before the word “Islam’’ could be deleted from her IC.

This question, which the apex court is going to answer after it hears her appeal this week, will no longer be the lone anguish of Lina and her boyfriend.

The verdict will have repercussions not only on these two, otherwise very ordinary people – she is a sales assistant and he a cook – but on other Muslims who are in the same boat.

Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, when granting the leave in April, said that the matter was of public importance.

“Further argument followed by a decision of the Federal Court would be to the public’s advantage,’’ the top judge said.

Ahmad Fairuz together with Federal Court judges Justices Richard Malanjum and S. Augustine Paul also allowed the question of whether the National Registration Department had correctly construed its powers to impose the requirement on Lina when it was not expressly provided for under National Registration Regulations.

Another question that the court would be determining is whether the Syariah Court is the sole authority to decide on the issue of conversion out of Islam.

During the leave proceedings, Lina’s counsel Datuk Dr Cyrus Das argued that the NRD had acted beyond its jurisdiction.

“The unwillingness of the NRD to delete the word ‘Islam’ is unreasonable,” he said.

Das also argued that renunciation of Islam was a matter of constitutional right.

Senior federal counsel Datuk Umi Kalthum Abdul Majid, who is representing the NRD and the Government, argued that Lina’s case did not raise any new issue.

She said the NRD had not imposed any new condition but was merely complying with the law of the land, which authorised the Syariah Court to deal with matters involving conversions and apostasy.

“How can the NRD change the status of the applicant to say that she is no longer a Muslim? It cannot do that.

“If it does, then it would be officially pronouncing the applicant an apostate, which even this august court cannot do for obvious reasons,” she said.

Sulaiman Abdullah, counsel for the Federal Territory Religious Council, told the court not to allow apostates to abuse the NRD in order to avoid facing the punishment by the Syariah Court.

“We cannot have a back-door method for people who try to avoid facing the Syariah Court by going to the NRD to change their status from Muslim to non-Muslim,” he said.

The leave was granted more than six months after Lina’s appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

She had appealed to delete the word “Islam” from her identity card and to claim that she was free to practise the religion of her choice.

The Court of Appeal, in a majority decision ruled that the NRD director-general was right in not allowing the application on the grounds that the Syariah Court and other Islamic religious authorities did not confirm Lina’s renunciation of Islam.

Justice Gopal Sri Ram, who gave a dissenting judgment, said the NRD’s refusal to make the amendment in Lina’s identity card without an order or certificate from the Syariah Court was null and void and was of no effect.

The case first entered the legal arena on April 23, 2001 when the High Court refused to decide on Lina's application to renounce Islam as her religion on the ground that the issue should be decided by the Syariah Court.

It also dismissed Lina's application for an order to direct the department to drop the word “Islam” from her identity card.

[Source: TheStar.com.my]

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Sunday, July 23, 2006

Upcoming Talk @ Lifeline Ministry

@ The Church of Saint Francis Xavier, Petaling Jaya.

If you are coming please drop me an email and I'll be there to greet you personally ;)

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Father Simon can cook!

Yes - that's our Father Simon (parish priest) wokking for the crowd at the SFX Family Day. :) I notice that people (me included) often find it amusing to see priests/monks/religious brother and sisters doing the most ordinary and mundane of things such as cooking a meal, shopping for clothes, eating at a restaurant, watching a movie, working out, etc.

Don't you find it amusing too? ;)

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Philosophical Chews: We are energy

For a long time we have known that matter consists of molecules, of which there are a tremendous number of types. But there are only a few more than one hundred types of atoms of which all the molecules are made. Before the twentieth century, no one believed that atoms could be split. Today we know that several particles make up the atom: the electron, the proton, and the neutron.

Physicists have discovered more than two hundred so-called elementary particles. Some believe that they are made up of still more elementary particles, called quarks. The point is that modern scientists are showing reality to be ever more complex.

But even more important, these elementary particles do not seem to be matter. They are more likely energy forces. True, matter may depend on interactions of elementary particles, but the particles themselves seem to be composed of energy, not matter. And what is energy? Nobody knows for sure. Whatever it is, it is in motion and exerts force, but it does not appear to be matter as matter is traditionally understood.



What is interesting here is energy and if the above text was true, we are all essentially composed of energy.

"Whoa." - yeah man. :)

We are taught in school that energy is uncreated and indestructible. Think about it, isn't that a little bit like God? - The Uncreated and Immortal One. Bear in mind, I am not equating God with energy nor I am saying that God is energy. What I am saying is this: could this underlying energy that scientists has discovered be God's mind? Afterall, the Bible did say that God created the world out of nothing; "God said 'Let there be light' and there was light". Could George Berkeley be right when he claimed that the external world is the work of the mind of God? Is this evidence that there is God?

Perhaps the reason why energy is uncreated and indestructible is simply because it is the mind of God at work.

I am officially legal.

... whatever that means ;)

Happy 21st Birthday to me.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Madonna of Financial Aid

George (my friend from cell group) emailed me this image of "The Madonna of Financial Aid" by Katie Ostenga; which he discovered by "coincidence"... But of course we Christians believe more in "God-incidence" don't we? ;)

"This image stems from the gospel story of Christ sending Peter to pay the Temple tax. In the gospel of Matthew Jesus tells Peter to: "go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them (the Temple tax collectors) for me and for you." (Mat. 17:27)

In the hands of the Christ Child is the fish with coins in its mouth. The Madonna also holds coins in her hand, to indicate that she, with her son, will grant financial help in times of need. The surrounding border and the Madonna's halo are decorated with coins from around the world. The coins within Christ Child's halo are from Vatican city and bear the image of John Paul II."

Monday, July 03, 2006

Viktor Frankl's Man's Search For Meaning

As I am taking Counseling Psychology this semester, one of the assignments which I am required to do is an "archival research on the historical development of a selected theory". There were about 40 topics to choose from and I was eyeing on the topic of "Centering Prayer and Yoga". Unfortunately I was too late and was the remaining few who had not yet signed up for the topic of my choice and I was given the choice of "leftovers"... Among these "leftovers", the topic: "Viktor Frankl and Logotherapy" caught my eye and I signed up for that topic - eveyone had groups of two and I was the only working on the topic. Not that I am complaining (I love to work alone!) but "hmm".

Which lead me to read one of his works: Man's Search For Meaning; ironically there has always been a copy of the book (which belonged to my landlady) lying around the house. Again - "hmm". I was pleasantly surprised to find the book to be such a good read to the point where I was getting a lil' engrossed. If I had not known that Frankl was a psychologist, I would have thought that he was a writer by profession! I seem to miss something... Oh yea, the summary! Hehe. Ah, I shall let Amazon.com do the introduction:
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is among the most influential works of psychiatric literature since Freud. The book begins with a lengthy, austere, and deeply moving personal essay about Frankl's imprisonment in Auschwitz and other concentration camps for five years, and his struggle during this time to find reasons to live. The second part of the book, called "Logotherapy in a Nutshell," describes the psychotherapeutic method that Frankl pioneered as a result of his experiences in the concentration camps. Freud believed that sexual instincts and urges were the driving force of humanity's life; Frankl, by contrast, believes that man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. Frankl's logotherapy, therefore, is much more compatible with Western religions than Freudian psychotherapy. This is a fascinating, sophisticated, and very human book. At times, Frankl's personal and professional discourses merge into a style of tremendous power. "Our generation is realistic, for we have come to know man as he really is," Frankl writes. "After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord's Prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips."
I felt that the book has the potential to be made into a movie. Y'know one of those movies with full (Alfred Hitchcock-esque?) narration and many cut scenes (ala the Passion of the Christ) in between...? Nevermind. :P

Amazon.com is retailing Man's Search For Meaning for USD6.99, which is rather cheap if you are working in the States... But for those of you who are living in Malaysia, get it from your nearest Daughters of St. Paul Catholic BookStore! The last time I check, it costs not more than RM8. :)

A MUST READ!

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