SING UP! FOR THE CHAMPIONS!

Disclaimer: Don't read on if you're anti-Man U.



The younger brother and I had a little "tug-of-war" just now. He was playing the song "You'll Never Walk Alone" on the computer, while I was playing "Glory, Glory, Man United" on my laptop.

So, I was sourcing around YouTube for good Man U songs and videos. Somehow, listening to these old songs makes me feel like I'm girly-girlish-giggly 13 all over again.






MAN U!!!







Sing up... For the champions...
Sing up... For the champions...
Sing up. For the champions...
SING UP! FOR THE CHAMPIONS!!!

GU CAI

It has been more than a week since Old Chang Kee has launched a recent, new item to their repository. Gu Cai Buns! I love them, TOTALLY! I love the nice and not-too-overpowering fragrance of the herb!

Tried to google out the word "Gu Cai", because I have no idea how it is written in Chinese or what it is called in English; but to no avail. The word "Gu Cai" seems to be very elusive! Anyway, it tastes like leeks or scallions; but I can't be sure, though.

Anyone has any idea?



P.S. If you've yet to give this newly-launched item at Old Chang Kee a try, make haste to get one now. Now. NOW! It blew my feet off, and it might jolly well do the same to yours too! But if you - in the unfortunate event - find yourself not accustomed to the herb-y taste, I can help finish it off for you. My pleasure.

VISION AND FUTURE

Without a vision for your future, you will always live in your past.

- A. R. Bernard

MAN U?

The younger brother went to catch the live match between Singapore and Liverpool last night with some classmates and their Geography teacher. Before he left the house last night, I dared him to bring Man U banner and wear the headgear of a devil's horns to the stadium. He told me to "go and die" in reply.

Today, I asked the class casually who went for the match. It's a good topic to build rapport with them. The boys totally lapped it up immediately. The instant they heard the word "Liverpool", enthusiastic cheers arose. A couple of boys raised their hands to indicate that they were there for the live match. A couple of the (physically-absent) boys chipped in and grumbled in disgruntlement about the cost of the tickets. I can't help but to chuckle. Boys!



Anyway, I was chatting with the younger brother a couple of minutes earlier. He was relating something which he saw in the stadium. One (a guy) was wearing a Man U shirt; worse still, it has the name "Owen" stamped across the back. Another (a girl) was in Chelsea shirt. I marveled at their... What's an appropriate word? Courage? Audacity? Stupidity? Insensitivity? Decisiveness? Oh well, whatever.

I've digressed. So, anyway, we were talking about Liverpool. Out of habit to irritate him, I began chanting "Man U, Man U, Man U".

"Eh... You don't follow the football scene, neither do you normally watch matches. So why are you still 'Man U-ing?'"

"Cos Man U is the first club that I liked, what. I'm very 痴 情 and loyal one, ok?"

"As if. Then tell me, which club is Beckham in?"

"Real Madrid". I preened smugly.

"Where is he now?"

"Eh... Still Real Madrid, lor. Not meh?"

"Wah lau! He's no longer there liao la! He's now in ******************** (I forgot what that club is called. Something that sounds like Something-something Galaxy?)".

"Then how about Yorke? Where is he now?" The younger brother refused to relent.

"Eh... Somewhere... Out there."

"He RETIRED liao lah!"



With that, he gave me a pathetic sigh.



Man, brothers are evil.





P.S. I think it's high time to switch interest to another club. Nowadays, (thanks to the brothers) I can list more Liverpool players than Man U players.

DRAWING ILLUSTRATION

This person is really talented! WOW!

CHOCOLATY

Baked a chocolate cake late Friday night. I was initially worried about how it would turn out; it's my FIRST TIME baking, after all (minus KC's birthday cake. Anyway, THAT was not exactly baking; but more of refrigerating. AND it was a combined effort - PH and DH!). In addition, this cake that I'm planning to bake is supposed to be rich, dense, and heavy. Can you guess what the recipe is named as? TOO MUCH CHOCOLATE CAKE. Yep, the name speaks screams for itself.


Some of the ingredients used are Devil's Food, chocolate pudding, sour cream, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you're a chocolic, you'll like it!

Anyway, I had wanted to purchase a bundt pan to bake the cake in. However, as this is the first time I'm trying out this Too Much Chocolate Cake recipe, it just doesn't makes sense to invest too much. Thus, I just used a plain rectangular baking pan.

The cake came out fine (although I had to bake it longer than stated because the middle just won't cook)! I was very worried about the taste. To me, it tastes quite fine. But then again, since I'm the cook, my judgment would tend to be biased. The verdict? It turned out that everyone in the family find it "fine", or "not bad". The parents don't find it too sweet, even! *WOOT!*

It is chocolaty, rich, dense, not too dry, and not too sweet. What can I complain about this recipe? IT IS GOOD!

Would try to tweak and play around with the recipe. Perhaps I'll try baking it in black coffee next time. Hope it'll turn out even better and flavourful!



The cake (don't expect too much on the visual aesthetic aspect. BUT do a favour: please click to enlarge because, trust me, it looks AWESOME!!! *Okie, this is a tad biased here... But it really IS awesome-looking)...





P.S. DC, you'll be eating this tomorrow!!! =)

THE MAGICAL HOUR

When tummy starts hurting.

CHOOSE AND BELIEVE

Tuesday was quite a bad and challenging day. The same old people were not behaving themselves. They were playing - of all things - rubber bands and shooting paper bullets. I confiscated 5 elastic bands.

Quite a deal of effort was spent confiscating the fifth rubber band. It was almost like a competition of assertion. Of course, things eventually went my way; but immediately after grudgingly acceding to my request, the offender muttered a certain four-lettered vulgarity targeted against me straight in the face.



I practically saw red. One thing for sure, if only I have the physical upperhand, I would have grabbed him back by the scuff of his shirt collar and demanded an apology. If only I'm a man, I would have done that. But too bad, I'm not. It is at times like these when I learn to eat the humble pie and count the cost. The plain fact is, chances are, a woman most probably would not have the upperhand when it comes to physical strength. The guy may be only 14 or 15, but surely when it comes to force and strength, I admit that I would not win.

So, grabbing him by the scuff of his shirt collar is out. But I didn't want to give him detention either. Personally, I think it would do no good to nobody at all. Neither do I want to send him out; lest he gets "collected" by one of the DMs who is on "patrolling" duty. No, not that I fear scoring low on the popularity list. One thing for sure: I'm not here to run for some popularity contest, but to teach. But then again, it's kind of a catch-22. It takes two hands to clap. After all, it is only human nature to warm up only to those whom we like. It is rapport that counts.

I calculated the cost. Being physical is out. Sending him out is not an option too, at least, for the time being.

After giving him a couple of warnings angrily and firmly, I went back to the whiteboard, and wondered momentarily am I doing the right thing; or am I letting him off too easily.

I continued the lesson (in a different mood, obviously). Just when the bell was about to ring, something surprising happened. I was packing up my stuff. I turned around; only to find the boy standing right behind. It was something simple. "Cher, eh... Sorry eh".

I could sense it was sincere. For one, the whole feel of everything is sincere. Secondly, he seemed really awkward, and a slight trembling in his voice could be detected. I was taken aback in surprise, and simply acknowledged and said, "Ok. Get back to your seat now".



This guy got me all confused. On one hand, he was totally and hopelessly insolent. Then, suddenly, he came up to apologize without prompting. Perhaps, all kids are good inside. After all, 人之初，性本善, isn't it?



I related this incident to the colleagues later the same day. There are generally two schools of thought. The first, naturally, is to show my power, come down hard, and slap him with detention straight away.

Yes, detention is perfectly reasonable and understandable. But right there and then, my heart and reason tell me that detention is not the best way out. For this case, personally, something tells me that it is just 治标不治本.
If I had lashed out detention or sent him out on the spot, for sure he would have harboured resentment against me; and this would not work for the benefit of either of us in the long run. And perhaps, because I held back, he felt guilty and hence offered the heartfelt apology.

Perhaps, the hard way is not the best way all the time. One size doesn't always fit all, after all.
Sometimes, we lose to win.



The second school of thought is that the boy is being manipulative, or apologizing for fear of getting into trouble in the event that the DMs get informed of this incident. I won't deny that this thought crossed my mind too. "Why the sudden change in attitude? Is he trying to get on my good side? Is he trying to manipulate me? Is he afraid that I'll bring this matter to the attention of the DMs? Or is he trying to make a laughing sock out of me?" When he popped up from behind and apologized so unexpectedly, these thoughts - undeniably - sprang to mind.

So, when this train of thought was similarly echoed by the colleagues, I find myself wavering in uncertainty again. It took a moment.



To believe, is to make a choice.

I choose to believe, in the awkward acknowledgment of wrong and the slight trembling of voice.

FRIDAY NIGHT OUT

Friday night was a meetup and chilling-out session with a couple of longtime secondary school friends. At 6.30pm, we went to a nice, alfresco, chill-out place somewhere near town; followed by a looooonnnnnggg session of karaoke at Kbox at 11pm. We had initially booked the place until 4am, but was so tired that we left at 3.30am.

The alfresco at the rooftop would only open at 9pm. Hence, we had to dine inside.

Our food and drinks.

This guy requested to take a photo between two girls. They obliged (to stroke his ego).


We couldn't find the knob to turn on the tap...

Turns out that we have to step on the sensor... DUH!

Finally, at 9pm, we adjourned to the rooftop. UNDER THE STARS!

The girls.

YYSS-ers!


One of the guys spent 24bucks on this machine... Zzzz... Nah, didn't catch anything despite that 24 attempts.

This guy here is the first to be KO-ed at around 2am+.

At 3.30am, when we were finally calling it a day!

Reached home at 4am. Had a quick shower and plonked off to dreamland. Woke up at 8.30am, had tuition until 11.30am, went for CGM, followed by service. Saturdays are busy!

Anyway, we spent quite a bit of cash; and were joking that at this rate, we can only afford to meet up once per month, and that the next meetup session shall take place at the neighbourhood kopitiam.

MARATHON

Was reading through Friday's issue of Today (yeayeah, I'm a little outdated), when this particular article so happened to catch my eyes.





Man, he's what? 79?

And here I am, only 22-going-on-to-23; and not participated in any marathons yet (unless you take into consideration... erm... the President's Challenge and TNP Big Walk). I'm still considering whether to sign up for the Standard Chartered's this year. The only fretful part is my physical fitness. One thing for sure now, even a 2.4km would probably suck off half of my life energy; what more a 42.195km (no, if I were to sign up for one, I don't want to go for a half-marathon or a 10km marathon). But then again, the run will only take place on 6th of December; which is like, about 4 months away. But then yet again, the last time I ran was before the toes got injured.

I know nuts about training and exercising; but to train a literal couch potato to the level of running 42+km within 4 months sounds kind of suicidal insane.



Oh well, the first phase of early-bird promotion will only end on 26th July (at SGD$45.00). The second phase of early-bird promotion will end on 5th August (at SGD$65.00). If I have yet to sign up by the end of the early-bird promotion, chances are most probably I won't be after all. If so, perhaps I'll wait for 2010. Let me sit on it.

Anyway, in the meanwhile, any takers, anyone?

TALENT AND RESPONSIBILITY

Saw, or rather, read something upsetting some days ago; the contents of which I wish not to divulge. Whatever the case, I do feel disgruntled and indignant; feeling that writers - bloggers, even - should be responsible for what they publish. By "responsibility", I am not only referring to negative comments or strong feedbacks per se; but rather, my primary concern here is the consequences on the receivers' end. Sure, the freedom of speech. The Bible has said it clearly, and nevertheless, even if it hasn't, it doesn't take much intellect to come to this conclusion. "It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak". Another verse says, " Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble".
The bottom line? If whatever you're planning to do hurts or stumbles anyone, then don't.


I don't personally know this person; all that I am acquainted with is the face, the name, and the occupation or area of study. Walking past each other, we don't greet each other because our paths in life haven't really crossed. We're just familiar faces. Thus, the a-tad-too-strong reaction surprised even me myself. I had not banked on, or expected, this. All I know is, I'm feeling upset because this (what I feel) is reckless publishing. I feel and worry for the innocent, younger ones. I lament even more, at the use of talent. Yes, this person is a really excellent and brilliant writer. Talented. And that's where it is also the area of biggest concern.


There's a common saying that "with greater power, comes greater responsibility". Yesterday late evening though, while I was still mulling over this twist of event for reasons I can't fathom, I realized too, on a first-hand experience for the very first time, that this bit holds as much truth as well: "with greater talents and abilities, come greater responsibility".

We are often too used to acquainting power and authority with responsibility. A teacher has great responsibilities. A leader has great responsibilities. A president has great responsibilities. Power, authority, and responsibility seem almost synchronous.

Though preached many times before, the link between talent and responsibility has never sunk as deeply into me as this. It is like hitting a home run. On a side note, William Shakespeare couldn't have put it any better:


"O, it is excellent to have a giant’s strength; but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant."
- William Shakespeare, “Measure for measure”




"With greater TALENTS and ABILITIES, come greater responsibility". This is the first time I'm seeing this in a different light. Momentarily, just as quickly, I rejoiced.

Yes, I've said it: I rejoiced. I involuntarily heaved a sigh of relief. The reaction was something totally automatic.


"THANK GOODNESS I'm not talented! THANK GOODNESS I can't write as eloquently as this person can! THANK GOODNESS I'm just another normal person. Thank goodness, thank goodness!"



The instant I did that, a feeling of heavy uneasiness came. Should you really be thinking that way, girl? Is this the right mindset and attitude? Instantaneously, the verdict is out. I guiltily halted myself in the tracks and hastily did a 360degrees turn from the warped theory.



What am I good at? I questioned myself, intending to get back on proper track and find something good to focus on.

I realized, even among the present circle of friends...
I'm just a normal writer.
I have an average brain.
Neither do I have one of the better voices.
Neither am I an excellent comforter.
Neither am I a superb giver.
Neither am I the wisest adviser.
Neither am I an humourous joker.
Neither am I an entertaining conversationalist.
Neither am I the strongest warrior.



I realize, I have nothing to speak of.
What am I good at? What am I useful in? What strengths are there?

KNOWING AND HUMILITY

As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.

- Socrates

FIRST AND LAST

I've been asked umpteen times to show it. Sometimes, even in social settings, the topic would come to this, and the million-dollar request would be made, "Com'on. Show them!". It feels almost like an obligation, and I always have to face an internal struggle before acceding to fulfill the obligation. Most of the time, I don't really like being cajoled to show them to people; especially prior to this post.

Before this post, only a small handful of friends know of it. Less than 10, I guess. After discovering that it's a genetic trait and Megan Fox has them too, I was absolutely delighted to know that I'm not the only lone weirdo strutting on earth with weird thumbs.



Clubbed thumb.
Potter's thumb.
Hammer thumb.
Stubbed thumb.
Toe thumb (because the thumbs look like toes).
Royal thumb (because it has been linked to inbreeding among European royalty centuries ago).
Murderer's thumb (because, according to Indian palmistry, individuals with clubbed thumbs are characterized by having an iron control over emotions and an almost endless patience which, if overstepped, might just "snap" and "explode" irrevocably).
Scientific/medical term? Brachydactyly Type D.



I've always been more or less self-conscious of them; at times to the extent of subconsciously bending my fingers slightly to hide the unsightly and weird-looking thumbs beneath the forefinger to avoid them being captured in pictures.

Even right now, I'm still learning how to love them; and not to hide them. Worse still, I have 2 clubbed thumbs (some only have 1). Occasionally, as a way of shifting the uncomfortable attention, I would jokingly say, "You know, this is quite an uncommon genetic trait. Only approximately about 1 in 1000 people have it; and females tend to have a higher chance of getting it. So, it means that, statistically speaking, per every 1000 female friends that you have, I am the special 1 in 1000. If you don't have 1000 female friends yet, rejoice, my friend! Because you're sooo LUCKY! You've just hit the jackpot, don't you know that?!"






THIS SEXY LADY - MEGAN FOX - HAS THEM!



The pros and cons to clubbed thumb(s), in my opinion:

PROS:
1) If you can't find a hammer, you can just use your thumb.
2) You can use your toe thumb in a game of soccer and argue your way through ("Hey! it's called a TOE thumb! It's not really a foul!").
3) If you, in the case of an unfortunate event, lose or have to amputate a toe from your foot or a thumb from your hand; worry not! You already have spare ones!
4) You are certainly more efficient in squashing ants to death (more surface area per unit time).
5) Your pinches pack more power than the average Joe (again, because more surface area per unit time).
6) You give back massages and shoulder rubs which are of higher quality (again, SA per unit time!). =)


CONS:
1) If someone asks to, "Give me 2 thumbs up!", you can't.
2) Doing finger-printing is a bother; because your thumb imprint looks like a toe imprint.
3) They don't make false toe-nails and so, a full set is out of the question.
4) You'll be susceptible to athlete's foot on your hands (ok, this is a lil' lame).
5) Playing bowling kind of bothers you (I have to up a notch to weight 8 or 9, because the fat thumb tend to get stuck in the fingerhole. As weight 8 or 9 is a tad too heavy for me, my ball would roll down the alley with the speed of a crawling snail).
6) You will forever be accused of sucking too hard on your thumbs when you were a baby (tell me about it!!! ARGHHH!!! !!! !!! I AM SO LONG-SUFFERING!!!).









Ok, this is my real thumb (only the left one though, cos I need my right hand to take the picture). And I'm still learning how to love them and not hide them.

You've seen it. I've shown it. Whoever asks again from today onwards will get referred to this url.

And this is the first time ever in my life I'm "broadcasting" the thumbs like this when I've spent my last 22 years hiding them (psst... Is this a breahthrough? Ha!). This shall be the first time I'm posting a picture of my thumbs, and it might jolly well be the last. Feels weird. Uncomfortable. Feels like my privacy is intruded and a sacred secret is being breached. One word: violated.



Love me, love my clubbies!



P.S. (6.48pm). Just realized that Fox and I are born in the SAME year! We're of the SAME AGE!
She is totally HOT!!!

EXPLOITING THE STRENGTHS

It's ironic. Sometimes, it's not the quantity of a conversation that matters ultimately. It is the QUALITY.

A conversation can appear to be lousy and mediocre; just a normal conversation. Then, someone mentions something, and the whole conversation suddenly seems totally worth it. The whole conversation suddenly seems powerful. It is like discovering unexpected gold. Solid gold.

You can have an hour of conversation with someone and at the end of the day, feel unchanged. At the same time, just a 10minutes chat with another person, and you emerge feeling impacted.



I was having a conversation with one of the STs this late afternoon. We talked about numerous things, ranging from the general to the specific. The conversation somehow came to classroom management.

He asked how are the students behaving. I don't want to paint too rosy a picture as well; it's still best to be honest. "The classes are generally fine, except for one which is a tad noisy compared to the rest. I have to stop teaching, cross my arm, and keep quiet just to get their attention a couple of times. They always get the hint, though."

"Are there any other ways, Mr. L?" I asked, "Other than keeping quiet and waiting for them to bring the noise level back to normal? It is quite disruptive, but I don't want to raise my voice and shout, either."

He replied and said that all teachers work differently. Something that works for him might not work for me. Similarly, something that works for me might not work for others as well. It is the same with PowerPoint slides; which is why many educators prefer to create their own to using someone else's. Because it's not quite the same.



I agreed, and momentarily felt that I had just foolishly asked a redundant question without first thinking through my head. But something else was still bothering me, though. It has been nudging me for weeks.

"Mr. L, what do you think if I get the offenders - or, if need be, the whole class - to repetitively stand up and sit down and stand up and sit down (I kena-ed that in secondary school before, and thus have a firsthand experience that it's effective as a cough syrup)? Based on your years of experience here, do you think they'll listen well to an order like this? Would they challenge me? Is it an effective method? It feels risky."



He looked at me, and said to apply the "broken recorder" technique. "Keep repeating. Just keep repeating. Normally, it'll get through. The most important thing is: just don't lose your patience and raise your voice. In cases like this, never raise your voice or shout. And try not to send any offenders down to the DM, because this implies that you've "lost", and cannot control him/her."

"Don't beat yourself too hard over the noise level. Every single one of us here in this school, assuredly, faces the same problem. Even myself, as one of the DMs, not everyone hand in their homework. Neither do they keep quiet during my lessons as well. It's normal over here."

He continued, "Normally, it'll work. For me or Mr. T (my CT) for example, we are able to get the students down to pumping position if we really want to. Of course they might argue or challenge us, but ultimately, they'll still end up doing as commanded. This is because, simply, we're men. It is always easier for men to control and discipline them. As for you, you're new. In addition, you're young. And skinny. Thin. Most importantly, you're young. They'll try to "eat" you for sure. Not despising or putting you down; perhaps for lower secondary, it's still alright and manageable. But imagine, a Secondary 5 class, where most of the students are 17 or 18. Just by how much are you older than them? Only a bit? And also, your size is too 小 只 to carry it off."

"You're young, skinny, and a female. All these won't play to your advantage."

"Work on your strengths. Like, reasonable. Caring. Yes, being caring is important. Everybody responds to someone who cares."



"As for any weaknesses, you can always work on and improve them. At the same time, while working on weaknesses, amplify your strengths. Bank on your strengths. Make use of them. Build them up. Amplify them. Exploit them."






WOW.



__________________________________________________________________________________

Don't just focus on the weaknesses. So many a time, we tend to just look at and concentrate on the weaknesses. Blinded. We get blinded by the weaknesses and they are all we see; to the point of being obsessed. Worse still, paralysed.



Multi-task.



Work on weaknesses; but play to the strengths. Always.

KENA-ED

First confirmed H1N1 cases today. And both are in the graduating classes. Oh dear, hope they get well soon! And uh-huh, school is slowly becoming an unsafe place.



Anyway, in view of the looming Common Test, I'm going to give my first class test tomorrow to gauge their level of understanding. I have no idea how well the class will do in this test. The paper I've set seems really simple, and the contents tested are all directly plucked out of the classroom notes and worksheets given (modified, of course). Nothing new and no surprises. Somehow, I have a slight hunch at where they are; and it doesn't really feel assuring. But then again, my intuitions miss their mark 50% of the time. Oh, well!



Anyway, this Thursday will be such a killer. Have 3 periods of 50minutes each, followed by a formal observation by BOTH CT and NSC, and after which, tuition in the evening! Can't imagine the amount of things to prepare!

SHOP, EAT, SHOP

Spent a whole afternoon with this girl yesterday. We shopped, had lunch, and then shopped again. But, to me, the crux is beyond the food or the pleasure of shopping. All these are secondary. It's the bonding and spending time that matter.

She has somewhat changed. In a good way, I guess. Enough said.



That aside, despite the passage of years, I still find our stark differences quite hilarious.

For lunch, she had non-spicy ramen. I had mine with triple chilli.
She lunged and rather quickly "targeted" 3 pairs of earrings. I only found one to my liking in the same amount of time.
She considered purchasing a white-based pencil case as a gift. I pointed out the impracticality of white.
Walking past a stall selling footwear, she enthusiastically pointed out a pair of glittering slippers and proclaimed that she has an exact same one. I replied that the glitters would drop out before long.
I was admiring a chic bikini swimwear. "Pretty, isn't it?" I gushed. "Then buy it". She urged. "No use. Dunno how to swim". I replied matter-of-factly and dismally plonked the apparel back onto the display hanger. She burst out laughing, smacked my arm, and said that I'm so funnily pragmatic pragmatically funny.



Anyway, we discovered that we share a common interest! We have a TOTALLY soft spot for ___________!!! It is amazing! We are crazy over it!








This was taken in the swimwear shop.

Somehow, this picture simply just doesn't do justice. The sundress is really ABSOLUTELY gorgeous (minus the leggings, that is. I was lazy to change out of it, that's why)! What a pity that even with a 20% discount, it's still quite grossly overpriced (arrrghh!!!).



I really like the sundress a lot. Was feeling so hung up over it. Ok, I still am. ARRGGGHHH!!!

SUNDRESS!!!

REMEMBER

Yesterday was a long day. I was up at 7.30am, had tuition until 11.30am, met up with XB, followed by service and fellowship. It had been a long week too - planning lessons, doing lesson plans, preparing PowerPoint slides and worksheets, NUS convocation, Chem observation, Biology observation, giving tuition, and zone meeting.

It was already past 12MN. The eyelids were heavy; but I was waiting for the hair to dry (I'm not a fan of hair dryers).

At the same time, minutes earlier, I had left an offline MSN message to apologize for a slight blunder. It was just a small, trivial matter. An apology is not really a necessity; but still, the plain fact: the mistake is - after all - mine. Perhaps, I suspect, the motive behind the apology is not really to apologize per se; but more of an acknowledgment of the fault. At the bare minimal, doing so is still basic courtesy and responsibility at the very least.

The person came online and replied easily, "Ok. (Anyway) It's alright. If you didn't say (mention it), I won't even remember (have remembered)".



Grinning slightly for a moment behind the screen, I gave an online laugh (read: haha) before replying,

"I (did the) wrong, so of course (I would) remember".



The message behind is: The one who should remember is not you, but me. From your perspective, this is of not much significance. From my perspective, it is. The blunder is mine. Therefore, of course I should remember it; so as to better prevent a repeat of it. What for would I want to remember and hold others to their mistakes, anyway?



It was something natural and instinctive.; something that is spoken straight from the mind. It is something so real and genuine that it would have been what I would have - without so much of a moments' thought - said even in an one-to-one and face-to-face interaction.

I pressed the "enter" key and sent the message over. The instant I did that, a random thought just struck.



The sentence "If you didn't say, I won't even remember" was reverberating in the brain and lingering in the heart - longer than any typical sentence should.



Something just doesn't really click. Feels like I'm missing something important.









Isn't it funny, how sometimes - even probably without realizing it - we tend to be harder on ourselves than others are of us?

WORTH IT

Got these cute little nuggets of humour from DC's class. He was pasting the cards up on a board while I was taking photographs of the more funny and memorable ones.










All these just make me smile.



Ok, back to marking worksheets.

THE PET

This is DC's "pet". He 养 it for 3 whole days.

Have the intention to 养 my own "pet" as well. Perhaps I'll do so in the last couple of weeks before practicum ends, when, most probably and hopefully, I'll be more freed up.

Anyway, hope my "pet" will turn out just as fine. You will see the update in about 2 months later when - and if - you do see the update. If you don't, don't ask how my "pet" is doing.



I've warned you.
=)

GRATITUDE

Experiencing gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it away.

- Anonymous

PERSONALITIES AND TRANSFORMATION

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed.

- Carl Jung

BLOODY DREAM

Literally.



Have been having disturbed sleep for the past two nights. Last night though (or was it this morning?), I dreamt of a grotesque creature (or was it a little girl?) crawling creepily towards me, while I was helplessly rooted to the spot (don't ask why) and couldn't move or speak. The bloody, ugly, creature/girl just kept crawling; dripping in - and oozing - blood. It was drawing nearer and nearer and nearer. I was horrified.

Just then, thankfully, my eyes flew wide open suddenly and a loud, fearful gasp escaped my mouth involuntarily. I nearly screamed; but then realized that I'm lying safely in bed.



What a bloody dream. Literally.

ONE DREAM

On Wednesday night, the younger brother was viewing a Celine Dion "live" concert in Las Vegas; and it brings back all the memories of her.



I've always enjoyed the songs "Nothing broken but my heart", "Where does my heart beat now", "Immortality", "Because you loved me", "It's all coming back to me now", "All by myself", "I'm your angel", "A new day has come", "That's the way it is" etc.

She also sang the 1996 Olympics song "The Power of the Dream". I was only 10-years-old then!

My all-time favourites are definitely "To love you more" and "Power of love". The melody for both songs is soulfully beautiful, and these 2 songs particularly showcase her vocal prowess.



In a 1994 interview with People magazine, she said, "I missed my family and my home, but I don't regret having lost my adolescence. I had ONE DREAM: I wanted to be a singer"(extracted from Wikipedia).


WOW! Enough said.

With dreams, comes perseverance and hard work; but most importantly, sacrifice.














She is totally awesome. In my eyes, she's a legend. Even today, she is still tops in my heart. Unparalleled. Unrivaled. Her strong vocals are incomparable. Paramount.

At times like these, it makes me compare entertainers who have real substance and those who don't; singers who frizzle out after a couple of years, and pretty-faces boybands in which the members don't sing solo parts.

Yeah yeah, I know DBSK is a batch of pretty boys too. But, one thing for sure, they have REAL substance! Don't criticise my DBSK for having good facial features; unless you can sing, dance, and acapella as well as they do.


DBSK!!!


=)

5 MINUTES

This Japanese variety show features a man waking up, getting dressed for work, and eating breakfast - all within 5 minutes!

It's totally BRILLIANT! Hilariously brilliant! AND sort of educational too!



I like working smart.

BROTHERS AND DINNER

Reached home half an hour earlier. Have been looking forward to dinner, because I saw Dad cooking my favourite hot dog before heading out. I nipped a few (of course!), but was not hungry then, and thus went out without dinner.

I reached home in all eagerness, only to find the dining table empty. I poked my head into the brothers' room.



M: "Eh... You both ate my share of dinner, ah?"

Elder: "You have not eaten, meh?"

M: "Haven't, lah!"

E: "Ask 弟 弟. He said you ate already."

Younger: "Eh! I asked you to check with 爸 爸, leh!"

M: "喂!"

Y: "Ahhhh!!! Sorry, sorry! Later I buy some food for you."

M: "Serious ah?"

Y: "I cook for you."

M: "You cook nice anot?"

Y: "Then you cook."

M: "..."


NO DINNER TONIGHT!

Ok, I'm not particularly hungry anyway. At least, not hungry enough to cook Maggi. So now, I'm blogging. With a cup of Milo by my side.

IN A NUTSHELL

Got this from an email.

A child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible.

The Children's Bible in a Nutshell

In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, "The Lord thy God is one", but I think He must be a lot older than that.

Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.

Then God made the world.

He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.
Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.

Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.

Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.

After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.
God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments.

These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff.

Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.

One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.

After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.

After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets.

One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.

After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.').

During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats.

Jesus also had twelve opossums.

The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.

Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount.

But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.

Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again.

He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.

_________________________________________________________________________

This is so funny. Oh man, it reminds me of the time when I knew nothing about God.

I've heard of the virgin Mary, but didn't know she gave birth to Jesus (hello? A virgin?). I've never even heard of the names David (the only David I know of is David Beckham) and Goliath before; much more know about the giant-slaying story. And Noah's ark? Yeah, I've heard of it; but somehow, I used to associate it with a pet haven. Think I saw a pet shop somewhere with the name "Noah's Ark", that's why. Yes, go ahead and laugh.

Cruxification? I thought Jesus is the only men on earth to be nailed to a cross. How cruel. Must have hurt like anything.

It was also the time when I literally pronounced "Pharaoh" as "Fa - ra - oh" (my fault? "Pharmacy" IS pronounced as "fa-mer-cy" also, what!). It became, of course, a joke (more of a humiliation, I guess). It was also the time when I was totally naive too; feeling strongly that Lucifer is a victim (poor Lucifer, sooo victimised) and that we should pray that he'll change so that he'll, miraculously, be saved. I nearly grinned when PK mentioned it last week. Ok, I did grin.

Oh man, was I ever THAT silly?