i have not heard of this movie until today. together with closer and spanglish, it was in a 3-in-1 dvd set. i thought it was a rather simple plot, and perhaps it's this simplicity that caught my attention. i sat through the movie and i thought it was really good.
at the end of the movie, bobby long died. and i just felt this tightness in my chest. deaths, people dieing, people falling sick, people on hospital beds...all these make me feel really sad nowadays. it's the kind of sadness that suffocates you and makes you want to take deep breaths.
tuesdays with morrie didn't quite do me any good, did it? morrie said when u learn how to die, you learn how to live. i'd want to pick up the book and read it one more time but what i do is pick up a trashy-easy-to-read-no-brainer fiction.
this is going to be a working holiday. apart from the 4 days in macau/hk, i'm going to be seeing myself in school every working day. that's pathetic. somehow when i shut my eyes and let my mind wonder, i can feel the drift oozing out of the head, kind of like bringing me to still.
according to the horoscope experts at straits times, today is suppose to be a good day for me. i'm still around, so that has to be good, ya?
happy vesak day.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
frog
i must have heard this story quite some time ago. but somehow, the other day while i was driving, the story came back to me and i knew i had to tell the kids.
so today i told 5a1 and 4e4 about the frog and the boiling water. tomorrow i'll tell 5a2 and 4e5 (if they are good).
the story goes: we put a frog into a beaker of water at room temperature and put a small flame to heat up the water (and the beaker, and the frog), the frog gets comfortable with the warmth, snuggle up and even begin to enjoy it. but as the temperature goes up and the water get heated up, the frog eventually dies in the beaker. now we take another beaker, fill it with water and heat up the water (and beaker) till the water starts to boil. we then put in a living frog. it is quite natural to expect the frog to leap out of the hot water and save itself.
the morale of the story is: these kids (not all, but quite a huge majority) and soaking in the comfort of being tolerated and taking things for granted, not knowing that they are cooking themselves to death. i told them to imagine that it's the day of exam tomorrow when they wake up, perhaps that might shock them out of their own wonderland.
class dismiss.
so today i told 5a1 and 4e4 about the frog and the boiling water. tomorrow i'll tell 5a2 and 4e5 (if they are good).
the story goes: we put a frog into a beaker of water at room temperature and put a small flame to heat up the water (and the beaker, and the frog), the frog gets comfortable with the warmth, snuggle up and even begin to enjoy it. but as the temperature goes up and the water get heated up, the frog eventually dies in the beaker. now we take another beaker, fill it with water and heat up the water (and beaker) till the water starts to boil. we then put in a living frog. it is quite natural to expect the frog to leap out of the hot water and save itself.
the morale of the story is: these kids (not all, but quite a huge majority) and soaking in the comfort of being tolerated and taking things for granted, not knowing that they are cooking themselves to death. i told them to imagine that it's the day of exam tomorrow when they wake up, perhaps that might shock them out of their own wonderland.
class dismiss.
Monday, May 28, 2007
from zero to millionaire
$100,000 a month, is that ever possible?
i thought i was a little (ok, very!) silly and unreal when i wrote $10k a month when t. harv eker asked the audience to write down the 'goal in personal income' in 5 years' time. then he said, "add one more zero at the back."
i took notes on this second day at the conference because mr eker really spoke very convincingly. he has to! he is a motivational speaker and i give me a lot of credit for that. also because i thought many of his quotes i could adapt and use them in my classes - whether or not i eventually do that is another matter altogether.
* For some of us, motivation comes from (1) anger, and (2) fear. If this is the case, then we have to delete these roots of motivation and replace them with roots of joy such that we can and we will enjoy what we do. we can and we will get rich and be happy at the same time. These should be roots of purpose and service.
* Rich people has blue prints set for high level of success.
* Victims (1) tend to blame, (2) justify their situation - money is not that important afterall, and (3) complain - worst possible thing one can do for his own wealth and health because what one focuses on expands.
* (This I MUST remember to say to my students.) Whether you do or not is not a big deal to me but it is a big deal to you.
* There is a difference between 'play to win' and 'play not to lose' - it's offensive vs defencive and active vs passive.
* (This is reality check.) Comfortable leads to comfortable and does not lead to rich. To be rich, one needs to be uncomfortable (first). If one sets the goal too low, one hits them!
* So why get rich? (1) lifestyle, (2) contribution, and (3) for who you have to become (in character, habits, etc).
* "You want to climb Mt Everest not because of the stupid top! It's because of who you want to be - strong, determined, successful."
* 'Admire + Model' vs 'Resent + Jealousy'
* Bless that rich you want.
* Act in spite of fear. Do not let fear stop you. Fear the fear but do it anyway.
The jaw-dropping moment at the conference was when eker announced the "best deal" and people literally rushed out of their seats to force their credit cards onto the counter staff. it was like nothing i've seen before (obviously i haven't seen much). for $1,995, you get packages a, b, c, d and e (i think). such a fantastic deal. i am happy for all the eager peope them because there is so much hope (at least at that moment they must be feeling very hopeful) and i sincerely wish them all the very best.
it's never too easy for anyone to jump out of a comfort zone. we are not too fond of taking risks. or perhaps we are just too lazy and use this risk-averse "nature" of ours as an excuse.
so tell me, who says 40 years isn't long enough?
i thought i was a little (ok, very!) silly and unreal when i wrote $10k a month when t. harv eker asked the audience to write down the 'goal in personal income' in 5 years' time. then he said, "add one more zero at the back."
i took notes on this second day at the conference because mr eker really spoke very convincingly. he has to! he is a motivational speaker and i give me a lot of credit for that. also because i thought many of his quotes i could adapt and use them in my classes - whether or not i eventually do that is another matter altogether.
* For some of us, motivation comes from (1) anger, and (2) fear. If this is the case, then we have to delete these roots of motivation and replace them with roots of joy such that we can and we will enjoy what we do. we can and we will get rich and be happy at the same time. These should be roots of purpose and service.
* Rich people has blue prints set for high level of success.
* Victims (1) tend to blame, (2) justify their situation - money is not that important afterall, and (3) complain - worst possible thing one can do for his own wealth and health because what one focuses on expands.
* (This I MUST remember to say to my students.) Whether you do or not is not a big deal to me but it is a big deal to you.
* There is a difference between 'play to win' and 'play not to lose' - it's offensive vs defencive and active vs passive.
* (This is reality check.) Comfortable leads to comfortable and does not lead to rich. To be rich, one needs to be uncomfortable (first). If one sets the goal too low, one hits them!
* So why get rich? (1) lifestyle, (2) contribution, and (3) for who you have to become (in character, habits, etc).
* "You want to climb Mt Everest not because of the stupid top! It's because of who you want to be - strong, determined, successful."
* 'Admire + Model' vs 'Resent + Jealousy'
* Bless that rich you want.
* Act in spite of fear. Do not let fear stop you. Fear the fear but do it anyway.
The jaw-dropping moment at the conference was when eker announced the "best deal" and people literally rushed out of their seats to force their credit cards onto the counter staff. it was like nothing i've seen before (obviously i haven't seen much). for $1,995, you get packages a, b, c, d and e (i think). such a fantastic deal. i am happy for all the eager peope them because there is so much hope (at least at that moment they must be feeling very hopeful) and i sincerely wish them all the very best.
it's never too easy for anyone to jump out of a comfort zone. we are not too fond of taking risks. or perhaps we are just too lazy and use this risk-averse "nature" of ours as an excuse.
so tell me, who says 40 years isn't long enough?
Thursday, May 24, 2007
achievers
mr wang from youth guidance gave me tickets to nat'l achievers congress. i was so excited because it seemed like a huge thing to me, and also that the tickets are $200 each.
so this afternoon, bk, rth and i went.
this guy must be some guru in the business world. he was speaking about how to make money (of cos!) and how to make it fast. the three of us were joking around and poking fun at the things he said and saying how this felt like a cityharvest gathering. he asked the audience "what did you earn last week?" according to him, if we don't know how much we earned last week, that's a no-no. he earned slightly more than a million dollars (sing, i think) last week. and i told bk "i earned the respect of 350 students last week".
the amazing thing was that when he asked to audience to say "oh", they said "oh"; when he said "turn to your neighbour and say 'ah!'", they turned to their neighbours and said "ah!". it was so like cityharvest. people were actually taking notes. he showed a pyramid, and the guy next to bk drew a pyramid. he drew a graph and the guy followed religiously. i was just amazed.
we left after 15 minutes and went to the macau cafe for tea.
it was only this evening that it occurred to me that the guy who sat next to bk could have paid good money to attend the congress. he, like many others, probably really wanted to be there to learn the ropes and hopefully make it (rich)! i felt a little apologetic for my behaviour. with this new attitude, i shall attend tomorrow's session with an open mind.
i'm so proud of myself.
so this afternoon, bk, rth and i went.
this guy must be some guru in the business world. he was speaking about how to make money (of cos!) and how to make it fast. the three of us were joking around and poking fun at the things he said and saying how this felt like a cityharvest gathering. he asked the audience "what did you earn last week?" according to him, if we don't know how much we earned last week, that's a no-no. he earned slightly more than a million dollars (sing, i think) last week. and i told bk "i earned the respect of 350 students last week".
the amazing thing was that when he asked to audience to say "oh", they said "oh"; when he said "turn to your neighbour and say 'ah!'", they turned to their neighbours and said "ah!". it was so like cityharvest. people were actually taking notes. he showed a pyramid, and the guy next to bk drew a pyramid. he drew a graph and the guy followed religiously. i was just amazed.
we left after 15 minutes and went to the macau cafe for tea.
it was only this evening that it occurred to me that the guy who sat next to bk could have paid good money to attend the congress. he, like many others, probably really wanted to be there to learn the ropes and hopefully make it (rich)! i felt a little apologetic for my behaviour. with this new attitude, i shall attend tomorrow's session with an open mind.
i'm so proud of myself.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
email oprah
minutes ago, i sent a email to oprah winfrey at www.oprah.com i'm now at the final segment of the 6th dvd, last one in the set. once agian, i'm so thankful to Lub for giving me this beautiful present.
at her 50th birthday bash, josh groban sang "you raise me up", and again, tears, and more tears. it is so touching and so over-whelming. i'm thinking of showing the south africa segment to the sec 4 & 5 classes. more people should get to watch this. i might even try to squeeze that in during the staff retreat next month.
june is slipping in soon. other than von's wedding, there is also veron's wedding. then me, ic and bk would be going to macua and hongkong, and while we're there, we'll be having bk's birthday bash :) it'll be fun and i really look forward to that. rth is planning on getting all my aunties there too. he is too kind, really. what a dear friend. even i cannot figure what why he is doing this for my family, what so @ncy and d@ph? :)
just this one more week to go before school closes, somehow. and i can't wait.
at her 50th birthday bash, josh groban sang "you raise me up", and again, tears, and more tears. it is so touching and so over-whelming. i'm thinking of showing the south africa segment to the sec 4 & 5 classes. more people should get to watch this. i might even try to squeeze that in during the staff retreat next month.
june is slipping in soon. other than von's wedding, there is also veron's wedding. then me, ic and bk would be going to macua and hongkong, and while we're there, we'll be having bk's birthday bash :) it'll be fun and i really look forward to that. rth is planning on getting all my aunties there too. he is too kind, really. what a dear friend. even i cannot figure what why he is doing this for my family, what so @ncy and d@ph? :)
just this one more week to go before school closes, somehow. and i can't wait.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
women's prog
my dear friend from soka invited me to yet another touching performance this afternoon. all women power - performers, crews, emcees, reception..., everything. i was touched because they could bring so many people together and at the same time give people hope, and happiness, which is essentially what living is all about to me.
gn introduced hassan. who is ced of lien foundation. gn told him i'm hoping to switch job. this young, modest, and i'm quite sure, smart, father of two, asked me a simple question: so what do you want to do? development work? well...just what do i want to do? if i'm going to leave the school?
i first came across the line "do not be an obstacle" from a hwa publicity poster. and that barbed wire picture stucked in my head. people face hardship all over, all kinds. a coffee shop, where people gather and have a drink, has created much happiness for some. getting involved in humanitarian work is very much like that. i think creating happiness should be the core business of more people :)
this late morning, bk and me went blading at east coast park. weather was good and lot's of people were enjoying the weekend. life should be this simple. you work hard, you play hard. when one has a problem, all try to fix it. no strangers at all.
gn introduced hassan. who is ced of lien foundation. gn told him i'm hoping to switch job. this young, modest, and i'm quite sure, smart, father of two, asked me a simple question: so what do you want to do? development work? well...just what do i want to do? if i'm going to leave the school?
i first came across the line "do not be an obstacle" from a hwa publicity poster. and that barbed wire picture stucked in my head. people face hardship all over, all kinds. a coffee shop, where people gather and have a drink, has created much happiness for some. getting involved in humanitarian work is very much like that. i think creating happiness should be the core business of more people :)
this late morning, bk and me went blading at east coast park. weather was good and lot's of people were enjoying the weekend. life should be this simple. you work hard, you play hard. when one has a problem, all try to fix it. no strangers at all.
still oprah
what a special woman. watching the show is like attending a lecture. most of the time i don't participate but there were moments when i laughed out loud, smiled, cried, felt sorrowful and hurt. the feeling was rather intense.
right now i just feel very powerless. this is like the feeling i had when we were out in the mountains in nepal. they were so huge, and we were so small, so tiny. sometimes, i can't help but compare, and ask: so what have you done?
kind of scary. @ncy said today at borders that she doesn't need to read a book to know that she has to live life to the fullest. she knows that she has to spend time with her family, and so on. so what's really stopping us? we were standing around talking about the kpmg ex-partner's book. like what i said to 5a1: do we have to feel pain to know pain?
many wise people has come into my life and many of them are still very much in my life. i'm truly grateful that we've crossed paths and some of these friendships i hold on to very dearly. truly, we've read enough books and heard enough stories to know what needs to be done. but the questions are: so what's stopping us? and are we really sure?
right now i just feel very powerless. this is like the feeling i had when we were out in the mountains in nepal. they were so huge, and we were so small, so tiny. sometimes, i can't help but compare, and ask: so what have you done?
kind of scary. @ncy said today at borders that she doesn't need to read a book to know that she has to live life to the fullest. she knows that she has to spend time with her family, and so on. so what's really stopping us? we were standing around talking about the kpmg ex-partner's book. like what i said to 5a1: do we have to feel pain to know pain?
many wise people has come into my life and many of them are still very much in my life. i'm truly grateful that we've crossed paths and some of these friendships i hold on to very dearly. truly, we've read enough books and heard enough stories to know what needs to be done. but the questions are: so what's stopping us? and are we really sure?
Friday, May 18, 2007
oprah's shows
i am so truly grateful to lub for giving me the oprah's dvds. there are 6 discs and i'm watching the 3rd now. it is such a humbling experience. i feel like this woman has such a big heart. not only is she giving, she is also forgiving, smart, poised and real.
i was telling the usual people at work today about what i watched last nite and i said oprah said she is many things, but so far has not got vanity into her, or something like that. and LH said, "but she lost weight and her jewellery and all that, how could she have not vanity got into her?". and i could not control myself. i said, "why are you so skeptical? why can't you be happy for her and believe that she could be who she says she is?"
after i got home, i thought about that again. why is it that we can't celebrate people's success? why should we always think that there must be some dirty secrets if he or she is successful? so what if there are? can't we just be happy for them and celebrate their successes? and what's so wrong with spending money on herself if she has earned it. if we could all be a little less skeptical, then perhaps there could be a little less negative energy around here.
it's the same with belinda's xi you ji. LH also commented that she's a actress, maybe all that on tv was just her acting. that's after i said i'm convinced that belinda's done a great job and that the show has changed my perception about her. why can't we just believe that her tears are real? is it that difficult to believe that successful people can be real?
i think this is really media influencing in a very powerful and positive way. and i still want to thank my dear friend lub for that fabulous present.
i was telling the usual people at work today about what i watched last nite and i said oprah said she is many things, but so far has not got vanity into her, or something like that. and LH said, "but she lost weight and her jewellery and all that, how could she have not vanity got into her?". and i could not control myself. i said, "why are you so skeptical? why can't you be happy for her and believe that she could be who she says she is?"
after i got home, i thought about that again. why is it that we can't celebrate people's success? why should we always think that there must be some dirty secrets if he or she is successful? so what if there are? can't we just be happy for them and celebrate their successes? and what's so wrong with spending money on herself if she has earned it. if we could all be a little less skeptical, then perhaps there could be a little less negative energy around here.
it's the same with belinda's xi you ji. LH also commented that she's a actress, maybe all that on tv was just her acting. that's after i said i'm convinced that belinda's done a great job and that the show has changed my perception about her. why can't we just believe that her tears are real? is it that difficult to believe that successful people can be real?
i think this is really media influencing in a very powerful and positive way. and i still want to thank my dear friend lub for that fabulous present.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
small favours
i hv to write abt 2 things today.
last wed after kbc, i spoke to lub for about an hour on the phone. at the end of the conversation, she said i should seriously consider asking for a transfer. she said that her heart palpitated and it was that bad. today, i got a gift from her, through her sister - the oprha winfrey show (20th anniversary collection). the stories are incredible. as soon as i started to cry, i sms-ed lub and thanked her for the wonderful gift
it's not the gift that i m writing about, it's the thought behind it. i hv such a dear friend i should really be very thankful for. i am going to have such a great time savouring the show, and a great friend to last forever.
the 2nd thing is a bit silly. this evening i called 3 banks to ask for waiver of late charges. in the midst of all the may day fun and excitment (and perhaps a bit of work stress), i totally forgot to pay my bills, all 3 of them. all banks waived it, and kindly they did for this is not the first time in recent months! the lady from citibank even did it even before i asked for it to be waived. she said it was within her limit and she thought i could have overlooked. such a dear. she should know that she has made someone delighted today. i thank her very much.
time to wind down for the evening...
last wed after kbc, i spoke to lub for about an hour on the phone. at the end of the conversation, she said i should seriously consider asking for a transfer. she said that her heart palpitated and it was that bad. today, i got a gift from her, through her sister - the oprha winfrey show (20th anniversary collection). the stories are incredible. as soon as i started to cry, i sms-ed lub and thanked her for the wonderful gift
it's not the gift that i m writing about, it's the thought behind it. i hv such a dear friend i should really be very thankful for. i am going to have such a great time savouring the show, and a great friend to last forever.
the 2nd thing is a bit silly. this evening i called 3 banks to ask for waiver of late charges. in the midst of all the may day fun and excitment (and perhaps a bit of work stress), i totally forgot to pay my bills, all 3 of them. all banks waived it, and kindly they did for this is not the first time in recent months! the lady from citibank even did it even before i asked for it to be waived. she said it was within her limit and she thought i could have overlooked. such a dear. she should know that she has made someone delighted today. i thank her very much.
time to wind down for the evening...
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
mao shang wang
last nite the 4 of us went in search of the durian (i keep having difficulty speeling the word - durian or durain?) went from balestier to serangoon. 3 durians plus mangosteens -- $50. life is so simple. it's a matter of wanting something, getting it, and then go back to sleep.
and then of cos the other talk of the day was the girl who died after spending 8 hours with her lap top. daph says stress could be self-induced. i think we are never too sure of anything. the worst of it all was that the boss said she was not over-worked. so the moral of the story: either you don't work, or you work and tell your boss you're working very hard.
exams are over and marking is done. terrible results, worst in 10 years. it's like a all-time low. but the sad thing is, i'm not even that sad or disappointed. many people has come and expressed their opinions about me wanting a change. i'm really interested to know how people make decisions. how do they do it?
i think i need some intellectual stimulation, in a fun way, like "friends". anyone has "ally mcbeal"?
and then of cos the other talk of the day was the girl who died after spending 8 hours with her lap top. daph says stress could be self-induced. i think we are never too sure of anything. the worst of it all was that the boss said she was not over-worked. so the moral of the story: either you don't work, or you work and tell your boss you're working very hard.
exams are over and marking is done. terrible results, worst in 10 years. it's like a all-time low. but the sad thing is, i'm not even that sad or disappointed. many people has come and expressed their opinions about me wanting a change. i'm really interested to know how people make decisions. how do they do it?
i think i need some intellectual stimulation, in a fun way, like "friends". anyone has "ally mcbeal"?
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