Naked God

Naked God.

To be honest, I was a little alarmed when I first came across the title of Martin Ayers' book. The bold combination of the words "naked" and "God" - surely Martin had good reasons to put them together?

Indeed he has, as he exposes to the reader the truth about God by stripping away false ideas, hence the concept of "nakedness". Divided into 3 parts (Naked Truth, Naked Jesus, Naked You), Martin cleverly navigates the reader to first evaluate and correct the common misconceptions surrounding the origin of life, true freedom, knowledge and morality. By examining propositions put forth by atheists and naturalists, the reader is made to uncover for themselves the existence of God.

The reader is then ushered into the next section to investigate who this God is by taking a closer look at the man Jesus who claims to be the Son of God. The Bible is well-quoted to demonstrate Jesus' true self to the reader. This section also answers with 3 common objections that the reader may have in accepting the implications that Jesus is the Christ He claims to be: Isn't His teaching socially regressive? Don't His followers have a disgraceful track record? Won't He take away my freedom?

In the final section, the reader is prompted to make a choice as Martin takes an evangelistic approach to explain faith and repentance. The assurance of the future for a Christian is also emphasized as the commonly misconstrued concept of heaven and hell is demystified. A prayer is also included for the reader who chooses to live a new life in Christ.

Packed with real evidence, illustrations and metaphors, Martin uses simple language to help the reader relate to his writings and understand the truth about God. An easy yet challenging read, Naked God is particularly helpful for the non-Christian investigating God but also lends a hand to the believer in further strengthening his/her faith.

Looking forward to laying your hands on a copy of Naked God? Order one today (or order more to give away to your friends!) from Matthias Media at http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/naked-god where you can also sample the first chapter for free.

I am Number Four

Had another great night out at the movies recently, watching a free preview of Dreamworks' latest I Am Number Four (once again thanks to Contagious Network). Blessed with extraordinary powers, John is a fugitive on the run. With the first three of his tribe murdered, him being Number Four is the next in line of the hunt. With stunning visuals and a nicely-packaged action-packed plot (with a lil romance thrown in), this film should do the trick in appealing to both genders (perhaps something the guys can suggest as a movie date instead of getting dragged by the girlfriend to sit through another 2 hours of chick flick?). Still not convinced? Check out the trailer below!

Wasted on the Young

Thanks to Contagious Network, I recently had the opportunity to catch a free exclusive preview of local-made Wasted On The Young with dear Klement. Set in a private high school, this film cleverly focuses on the issues of teenage angst in coping with peer pressure, life's regrets and even the use of modern technology in executing revenge; all barely featuring any adults at all. Both Klem and I agreed that this can be a very dark movie to watch as we sometimes wonder what teenagers today are potentially capable of doing. If this kind of movie genre sounds like something up your alley, check out the trailer below and go catch it in the theatres!

Double J's? Double Jeopardy!!

What do you get when you put two J's (Jane and Jin) together? Double Jeopardy!!

Ever since Jin and I first became "friends" (I say "friends", with apostrophes, for we can sometimes be the worst "rivals"!) in Primary 1, life in school was never a dull moment. We would compete to see who received the better grade, sometimes to the embarrassing extent of begging the teacher for just that one extra mark. Each of us would smirk as we casually slipped our grade reports to the other's desk with the thought, "Look who's got more brains!".

And such rivalry is not merely confined to the bounds of academia.

Whenever the teacher announced a contest, we would always be the first two students to volunteer ourselves. Sometimes, we would even compete to see who ended up volunteering first - how kiasu of us eh? Oh, in case you're not familiar with the jargon, kiasu is a Chinese slang meaning "fearful of losing". Or in other words, just plain competitive. From the amateurish story-telling contests in primary school to the more prolific debates and elocution contests in high school, both of us would proudly represent our classes respectively and aimed to defeat the other in a bid to represent our school and earn bragging rights for the year.

I can still clearly remember a time in 2003 when we were seniors in high school. The school was forming a team to compete in an inter-school Scrabble tournament. And like those "mini climaxes" you view in Oscar-worthy movies (cue: *dramatic soundtrack music plays in background*), only one spot was left in the team.

And the contenders left to clinch that final spot? The double J's.

Jin demonstrated his air of confidence as he told me to give it up. Great Scrabblers have always been males and the XX chromosome species never really stood much of a chance. Real-life evidence? The other two spots in the team were both filled by guys.

But I wasn't ready to give up just like that. Jin has clearly forgotten that the female species can be very determined and strong-willed at times (or stubborn, as some may call it). We fought it all out on one final Scrabble match. As we tallied the scores along the way, we could see that it was a neck-to-neck competition. As the tiles in the bag began to run out, Jin exclaimed during his turn, "You're dead this time, Jane."

Much to my horror, Jin tilted his tile rack and all seven tiles came toppling over onto the board. This could only mean one thing: Jin was aiming for a bingo. In Scrabble, a bingo happens when a player uses all seven tiles on his rack in a single play. Not only does the player earn a bonus 50 points and an uplifting ego boost, it is a psychologically crippling moment for the opponent who, ironically, senses a sudden moment of paralysis. And I felt my limbs go stiff as Jin began to form a word on the board.

BEATLES

I stared in disbelief! Beatles?! That's not even a valid word in the Scrabble dictionary!! Somehow, I managed a calm composure and my expression gave nothing away. I must have felt really generous that day as I told Jin that "Beatles" isn't a valid word and suggested if he wanted to remove his tiles and have another go.

Indignantly, he replied, "Of course Beatles is a valid word! It's an insect, you idiot! You're just jealous coz I've scored a bingo!!"

Clearly Jin forgot who won the spelling bee contest in primary school.

"Err, Jin, you're sure that's how you spell 'beetles'?"

"Of course, I'm sure! You can challenge it if you want!"

And so, challenge it I did. The marshal checked up the word and told Jin that he lost his turn for an invalid word. It was then his turn to look horrified as I reminded him that The Beatles is the name of an English band featuring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, while "beetles" would be the right spelling for the insect.

The game was then downhill for Jin from that moment on. Scarred with the thought of his mistake, Jin could not focus on the game properly. And knowing what tiles he had, I figured the possible words he would play and strategically blocked him by placing my words down first. Needless to say, I became the only girl in the school team and we competed all the way to national finals where all those "mini climaxes" summed up into "one huge final climax": one teammate has won his match while the other has lost his and the game I played would decide which team would walk away with the glorious title of national champions that year. Playing as calmly as I could in a stiffer match than the one I played with Jin, we eventually won the title and became headliners. Smiling continuously for more than 10 minutes for the media was one delightfully "painful" highlight I would never forget.

And Jin never forgave himself for the "Beatles/beetles" mistake he made.

Perhaps such a turn of events was only fair enough to compensate for a most unfortunate incident we both encountered in Primary 6. Our mutual friends decided to play a prank by leaving me a love letter that was supposedly composed by Jin. Though I initially suspected that it was our friends' doing, those young actresses could really put up quite a show and feign their innocence. And so I confronted Jin who was busily singing away on some Disney love ballads (it was a habit of his and I've lost count of the number of times he sang A Whole New World). Jin grabbed the note and proceeded to walk away with it as he finished, denying that he wrote it.

Not knowing why I did so at that time, I asked him to return the note. When he didn't, I began to give chase (up till today, I don't know why I even bothered). Soon, it became a game of catch-me-if-you-can but such childish humour quickly evaporated into more serious business when we bumped into the vice principal and the note that Jin clutched in his palm soon came sailing down onto the ground.

Only to be picked up and read by the vice principal.

It was most excruciating trying to explain to the vice principal what has happened. This is perhaps one of the most embarrassing moments in my life. Here we were, in the vice principal's office, getting ourselves into trouble, while the monsters of our two friends got away scot-free (though they did eventually get a nice long lecture from both Jin and I later on). I never ceased to blame Jin - if only he had returned the note when I asked him to.

I could go on and on to share more stories but it may well be wise to stop here. As we both grew up, we have come to tolerate each other's antics. Our lives are made more "enriched" by such experiences and tales that we would never grow sick of retelling. And though we still try to outdo each other these days as young adults, our competitions take on a more "mature" approach as we learn humility and begin to prioritize God and other more important matters in our Christian walk. For instance, I recently backpacked across Australia alone while he backpacked across Europe. It was hard to argue who really "won" so we both shook on it, agreeing that our days of Double J's for Double Jeopardy have turned into days of Double Joy.

Speaking of all this classic boy vs girl rivalry, Disney (I could almost imagine Jin crooning away on A Whole New World once again, lol!) has recently released Tangled (Australian release date: 6th January, 2011). It's the talk of the town: the fairytale of Rapunzel spun into an animated 3D musical comedy. Will it be a case of Double Jeopardy for Rapunzel and Flynn or will things turn out happily ever after into Double Joy?

Well, go catch it in theatre if you want to find out! Judging from all the great reviews, this is perhaps Disney at its best so far. Here's a trailer for you to start straightening out those to-watch-or-not-to-watch tangled emotions:



If you're anything like me, you will not be sitting still till you've watched Tangled. And watch I will come later this evening. Less than 12 hours to go before a cinema date with some friends - can't wait!!

And if you're like Jin who loves everything Disney (me too, actually, hehe), check out this cool local official website for Disney:

http://home.disney.com.au/movies/

Ok, here's me signing off for the night (day?) - time for me to catch some sleep (gosh, it's past 5AM!!) and reserve some energy for Tangled later... ;)

Ps. Happy birthday, dearest mummy! Thanks for making me your princess... and buying me my very first Disney collection: a colour-illustrated Disney's Aladdin storybook with an accompanying story and song audio cassette (yes, this was way before the time CD's and mp3's became popular)...

PPs. This is my 200th blog post... ^_^

The Loved Ones

When I first watched the trailer of The Loved Ones, I figured this film was just another typical "crazy stalker" prom horror that crossed paths with the "zombies" genre. Man was I wrong when I attended the exclusive free preview screening of TLO (thanks to Contagious Network)...

Winner of Midnight Madness Cadillac People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, TLO proves its claim to take the conventions of horror and run them off the rails. The plot centres around Brent (Xavier Samuel) who is haunted by the guilt of causing his father's death in a car crash. He finds solace in his girlfriend, Holly (Victoria Thaine), whom he has promised to take to the school dance. His plans, however, are thwarted when a girl he has rejected, Lola (Robin McLeavy), exacts a revenge so truly demented it is beyond plain simple evil.

Gore-wise, the movie does an average job (the med student inside of me couldn't help but kept analyzing how impossible some "situations" portrayed in the movie are in real life, hehe). That said, the film compensates by delivering a double thumbs-up performance in the "comic psycho" aspect - pure sick and twisted perversion.

Due for release in Australia on 4th November, 2010, here's a trailer you can dance your way into getting psychotically thrilled...

Easy A

A rumour that begins innocently enough can easily spin way out of control, especially when the setting is your typical American high school. And that's precisely what Olive faces when she faked losing her virginity to help a gay classmate gain acceptance from his peers. Other male schoolmates soon heard about Olive's "kindness" and begin soliciting her assistance that they too may gain popularity. It isn't long before Olive gets labelled as the school whore and adulterer. What happens next is... well, I shouldn't be spoiling it for you, should I?

Thanks to Contagious Network, I caught the preview screening of Easy A with Evelyn. A light-hearted comedy, Easy A takes on a slightly different plot from your usual romcoms with the added bonus of a popular cast line-up. Just a note though that the supposed "Christian" students portrayed in the movie aren't exactly that "Christian" as they portray the "holier than thou" personality (a common misconstrued stereotype) - Christians, of all people, should understand that they are just as sinful as anyone else and the only way they are supposedly "holier" is solely based on Christ's saving grace which sets them apart for God (the word "holy" simply means "set apart" and not necessarily "being goodie-goodie"). I just pray that the non-Christian viewers wouldn't leave with a negative impression and that those who are Christian will learn to apply from His Wisdom not to act or behave like the "Christian" students in the movie...

Overall, I'll give Easy A a 7/10. Here's the trailer to "seduce" you to an "affair" at the theatres... ;)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Thanks to Contagious Network, I've had the privilege to watch an exclusive preview screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World recently with Xin Hui. We had a lovely Spanish tapas dinner complete with full-bodied sangria and churros dessert to make it a fun night out. The movie itself was great fun in terms of the cool video games effect - that aside, both Xin and I rated the movie as average, though adding a little more depth to the movie might have made it better. If you have a free night and just want to catch a movie that doesn't cause you to rack your brains out too much like Inception, then SPVTW might just be the one for you if you're into comedies directed by the same director of Hot Fuzz or Shaun of the Dead. Curious? Here's a trailer as a sneak preview:

Streetdance 3D

Acclaimed as the first 3D dance movie in the world, Streetdance 3D was a film that I very much anticipated to watch. And watch I did in a special preview screening several weeks ago before it opened in theatre recently. While the storyline is predictable (as most movies are today) except for perhaps a minor twist (minor coz some may not even regard that as a twist), that was not my main focus (though a movie's plot usually is for me) - I was there to see what difference 3D can make to a dance movie. Sadly, not much. But for a few added realistic effects, 3D or no 3D - it does not matter as much. 3D still works better for action and fantasy genres - 2D alone is sufficient for the dance genre. That said, Streetdance 3D still hosts some pretty well choreographed dances and boasts a cast who know what they're doing, slash that, dancing - featuring stars from Britain's Got Talent. The final verdict? Still a movie worth watching - if not for the plot or 3D effects, at least for the dance moves itself. I'm giving it a 7/10 overall...

Still curious? Here's the trailer for the movie:

She's Out Of My League (Review) + Vote for Jane to win $9000 private party!

Thanks to Contagious Network, I had the privilege of watching a free preview screening of She's Out Of My League at Event Cinemas, George St last Thursday with Evelyn. This romantic comedy tells the story of airport security officer Kirk who meets "the perfect 10" Molly (who falls for Kirk) but lacks confidence in pursuing the relationship further as his friends pointed out that he is only "an average 5". I shall not post any spoilers here but it suffices to say that the entire cinema was constantly in stitches, laughing away. Apart from your usual dose of American cinematic vulgarity and several scenes that could have had better script written, I give this movie a thumbs up for solid effort and award it 6.5 stars...

Ok, I'll be a little more generous and round the figure up: 7 stars.

Still unsure if this movie is your cup of tea? Here's a video clip of the official trailer:

Also, do vote for me (JANE) at http://www.shesoutofmyleague.com/getyourrating.com.au/?dl=6ade4fd7969af1f506549e0c12bdf817 (my profile should be listed as the featured user if you follow the given link - click on my photo and vote by clicking "digg", thanks) so I stand the chance of winning an awesome private party valued at more than $9000 and invite you along to it! I'm currently ranked 2nd but I need to be top-ranked to win the party - no prizes for 2nd place... You can vote once per computer per day so do vote for me daily ya?

On another note, I'm looking forward to church camp this coming Easter weekend - my next blog post will probably be all about camp when I come back... Stay tuned! ;)

Telstra Digital Mum 2.0

Telstra has recently created Digital Mum 2.0 to assist less-than-tech-savvy parents to learn the do's and don'ts of the cyberworld, which we call the Internet. You don't need to be a mum or even a parent yourself to view the great tips shared by others, post a question you've been dying to ask, or join the weekly challenge to win an LG Xenon touchscreen plus full-QWERTY-keyboard mobile phone (I myself have just won this!)...

Did I just hear you say, "How do I get started?"

Easy! Just click the Nuffnang ad unit (showing the Telstra Digital Mum 2.0 ad) displayed in my blog's sidebar and you'll be transported to the Facebook-hosted website! Have fun! =)

Luke 8:4-15 ~ Parable of the Sower

Q: What sort of a hearer are you?

Options:
A. A hardened hearer who does not receive God's Word
B. One without solid foundation who receives God's Word with joy and believes temporarily but soon gives way under pressure and falls away
C. Easily tempted away from God's Word by the other priorities in life
D. A patient fruit-bearer who holds fast to God's Word in an honest and good heart

Are we the kind of seed that falls on the path only to be devoured by a bird? Or perhaps enjoy a short-lived growth on a rock until we wither away for lack of moisture? Maybe we grow a little more than that but are choked by competing thorns? Or are we those that fall on good soil and soon yield a hundredfold?

Here's a challenge for you:
God's Word is the word of life - it's much too precious to throw into the wind. How then do you respond to this? Will you adopt a lackadaisical attitude or will you guard this Word with all you can?

What kind of a seed are you?

What kind of a hearer are you?

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Luke 8:8)

My mob-warring days are over!!

The Mob Wars application on Facebook is seriously addictive but like how I called it quits with (fluff)Friends, the time has come to exercise a little more self control and quit Mob Wars too... There are more important priorities in life worthier of the time originally spent with MW - so goodbye MW!

And the countdown keeps continuing - Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - that's 3+ more days to go... Can't wait for ICE to be over!

My friend passed away on my birthday... :(

Sad... So sad...

I was checking through Nuffnang Analytics and found it amusing that someone actually arrived at my blog while doing a Google UK search on "jane gun shih ying". Thought it would be interesting if I replicated the search myself to see what came up. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I came across an old newspaper article:

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2004/3/26/features/7615465&sec=features

It was written by a dear old friend, Leonard, whom sadly has passed away just a few months after writing that article. Reminiscing about that moment 5 years ago, I decided to Google "wong siang hume" to see what came up. Somehow I must have missed out on this article when it got published:

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2004/8/27/features/8744143&sec=features

Yes, back then I knew he passed away in August - I was traveling back home after class when I received a text message from a fellow Scrabbler and read the shocking news about this sad demise... but imagine my bigger shock when I found out just minutes ago that his passing away happened exactly on my birthday!! So while I was celebrating the day I was given the breath of life, another soul has just ceased...

Dear Leonard,

You have always been a great inspiration to me. Some people think it strange that I'm friends with someone more than thrice my age but age never really was a barrier, was it? I thank God that He has blessed me with the opportunity to know you and call you my friend. Thank you for imparting your wisdom on life. Thank you for the many delightful conversations we shared. Thank you for your wonderful friendship. I know that you've returned home to the Lord and am assured by it... When I blow out the candles on my cake each year, I'll remember that the many years of life experiences I have gathered are made richer because of our friendship. Thank you...

Reminiscing our friendship forever,
Jane

Not enough time?!

It's past 5.30 in the morning and I've yet to hit the sack... Got too engrossed in my revision for the upcoming ICE (Integrated Clinical Examination) - it's on 25th November, so less than a month to go. Not to mention, a week before that, assignment and portfolio essay are due. So much to do yet so little time!

But why should I even complain? Do I even have the right to complain?!

The ungrateful creature in me screams folly: "There's not enough time! I want more time! Heck, why can't it be 48 hours in a day instead of 24? It's not fair - I've got so much to do yet so little time!"

And the ramblings continue...

But perhaps it's time for me to reflect (even better now that the night, or should I say early morning, is filled with serene silence - most, if not all, collegians would have been sound asleep by now) - I could not define time till I had work that helped me quantify the passing moments in which I did the aforesaid work. And to think of it, what a blessing it is to have SOMETHING to do! Here I am, privileged enough to be acquiring medical knowledge at university yet I complain. Why, I'm quite sure there are many out there who would gladly accept the workload just to be studying medicine! Or to put it in a broader perspective, what about the disadvantaged population who are not as fortunate to receive proper education? Or those who are keen to learn but cannot afford tertiary education?

So Lord, I pray, help me to be thankful for the education You've provided me with, along with everything else that you have lavished upon me. For I came into this world, bringing nothing, and all that I have come from You. Even more than education, I thank You for Your amazing gift of salvation when You sent Your Son to die on the cross for my wretched sins. Mold me into the child You want me to be: a lamb that hears and follows the voice of its shepherd; a daughter of God who wants to serve You and be transformed in Your ways. I pray all these things in Your Son Jesus' precious name. Amen.

Ps. The night didn't turn out as "serene" as I expected as Eve spotted my room lights still on and decided to call me... :p

PPs. As previously mentioned, this blog is now revived and will be updated regularly - feedback and suggestions are most welcome! =)

Blog Revival!!

Ah, my blog's been dead for sooooooooo loooooooooooong!!!

But it's now time for REVIVAL!! ^_^

So keep a lookout for this space!!

Poetry for Him

My heart shattered
like

f
a
l
l
i
n
g

pieces of glass


It broke the day I said no
It broke the day I said, “Go!”

Go, get out of my life; I’m doing fine
I don’t need you in this life of mine

Or so I thought
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I’m broken.

It was painful

f
a
l
l
i
n
g

into the pits of darkness


I should have realized you were the light in my life all along.

But you never really left, did you?
I saw your strong hand extending out to me
Gently yet firmly, you pulled me through
Such amazing Love, how can it be?

I turned against you
Yet you were still there for me

I ran away from you
Yet you were still there for me

I was embarrassed being seen with you
Yet you were still there for me

I hurled insults at you
Yet you were still there for me

You were, and are, and will be, always there for me.

O, I must have been blind!

Blind to see that you always forgave my error
Blind to see that you accepted me for who I am
Blind to see that your Love lasts forever
Blind to see that you made my heart whole again

My eyes are now opened.

I will submit to you
For you are always there for me

I will stay close to you
For you are always there for me

I will boast of your presence
For you are always there for me

I will sing you praises
For you are always there for me

Thank you for Loving me.

Likes and Dislikes *edited*

Yeah, I realized I haven't blogged for over a month now... My bad... Been busy with stuff and will still be for quite a while - haven't really the mood to update...

*edited: note deleted*

To those who have previously read it, my sincerest apologies if I have stumbled you in any way. Believe me, it was never done intentionally. Thanks Victor for the helpful comments! ^_^

God bless you all...

Ps. So as not to disappoint, here's another poem, "Dislikes and Likes" this time to replace the old one... =)

I dislike the way I was tempted to sin
I dislike the way I stumbled others at times
I dislike the way I rebelled against You

Yet, thanks to Your amazing grace

I like the way You forgive my sins
I like the way You give me wisdom through Your Word
I like the way You let me call You "Abba Father"

And so, I will continue to strive to be the child You intended me to be

^_^

Research Survey (5 minutes, simple, online, anonymous!)

Do you know that 1 in 5 adults suffer from a mental disorder just in the past 1 year? This means that at any one time, you are very likely to be related to someone who has a mental disorder (whether you know it or not!) - it could be a friend, a family member, or maybe even yourself! It doesn't have to be a case of psychosis to be classified as mental disorder; something as simple as anxiety or depression may also be a mental disorder! Help us improve online education and treatment for mental disorders by completing a simple 5-minute online survey (it's anonymous!). The web address is:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ZoH4LFBKL4ruSU83ksmSsw_3d_3d

Your response is very much appreciated - thank you! =)

Goodbye my love!

I'm so sorry I have to say goodbye to you. It's true we've been together for almost 5 years now and I cannot deny the feelings that I have for you. I'm usually a very faithful and loyal person but most people will now verbally abuse me for so casually leaving you for your cousin instead.

You see, I did try to do something to salvage our relationship but to no avail. I told everyone how good you were, how they shouldn't just take you at face value. But no, they kept insisting that I should be with your cousin instead. They say you're just a thing of the past and can never compare to your cousin and the comforts he can offer me. They say I'm foolish to still be with you.

And so, after a year of inner emotional struggle, I come to realize that my friends were perhaps right. Maybe your cousin is better after all. So I sincerely apologize to you and ask you to give us your blessings instead.

Don't worry, he can never take your place. After all, you're my "first". You'll always stay in that special corner of my heart...

And now, my dear readers, before you start thinking what a cold heartless b*tch I am, let me introduce you to my "first" and his cousin...

My "first"...

...and his cousin.

Ps. Add me on Facebook! Just click my photo on the Facebook badge in the sidebar "links"...
PPs. This is my 100th post since I started blogging... =)

Friday the 13th

A new record has been made - this is the first time I have blogged 3 days in a row!!!

Ok, back to serious business, today is Friday the 13th. Many believe it to be an unlucky day but I'm not that superstitious - more so when my sports house (Rumah Unggul) won the overall champion title on Sports Day back in 2002 when it was held on Friday the 13th...

But Friday the 13th may spell bad news for some criminals... On my way to CRUfAD this morning, I saw both the Channel Seven and Nine vans parked outside the Darlinghurst Courthouse with several news crew and reporters outside the courthouse - wonder what's going on inside...

The Darlinghurst Courthouse

The 7 News van

Justice is served...

Curious to know what may be "the big deal", I decided to do a little online search to see what the national news have in store today. A very interesting result emerged and I suspect the juicy bit of news may be connected to the hype outside the courthouse today - but I may be wrong as it wasn't mentioned specifically which court the case was trialled - read below for the doped-up news... literally, haha...

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Top NSW cop refused bail on drug charges

11:37 AEST Fri Jun 13 2008

51 minutes ago

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A top NSW crimefighter facing charges over an alleged multi-million dollar drug conspiracy has been refused bail in a Sydney court.

Mark Standen, 51, an assistant director of the NSW Crime Commission and a former federal police officer, was arrested and charged last week over an alleged conspiracy to import 600kg of pseudoephedrine.

Standen's lawyer Paul King provided Magistrate Allan Moore with written submissions on Thursday.

Mr Moore on Friday ruled that Standen would remain in custody on the grounds he was too great a flight risk.

Standen appeared in court via audio visual link from special protective custody.

Standen was among a group of people arrested in Australia, The Netherlands and Bangkok over an alleged bid to import enough of the precursor chemical pseudoephedrine to manufacture 480kg of the illegal drug ice.

The chemicals were allegedly due to be shipped into Australia inside a container of rice from Pakistan and by several other methods.

Mr Moore said he had taken into consideration written statements from Standen's two eldest children as well as his current "undesirable" situation in protective custody.

However, he said given Standen's former position in the NSW Crime Commission, there was too great a risk of him leaving the country for him to post bail.

"I can't ignore his position within the Crime Commission," Mr Moore said.

"He has information about methodology which could assist his departure from the country."

Standen's family attended court on Friday but refused to answer media questions outside.