Should Our Mother Tongues Be Dropped?

In the latest news, there is now a debate going on about the new proposed revamp of the Chinese syllabus and examination structure. This is to help those who are not proficient in their mother tongue and to give them a choice whether to take the subject into account if they do well for all the other subjects.

This is good news for the English-speakers who struggle with their mother tongues. But what about those who are more proficient in Chinese? Would it not be unfair? Or would it be because the English-speakers are generally the more affluent and better-educated, and the Chinese-speakers are not, hence the focus is on the better-educated and not on the not-so-educated?

For your information, my parents are Chinese-educated. They were from Chinese schools, when the Chinese medium still existed here before all schools became standardised into the English medium. They did all their subjects in Chinese. They did Chinese Literature. They only did English as a second language.

But did my parents lose out? Definitely not. They still achieved enough grades to go to the university for English-school students, instead of entering the university for Chinese-school students. Did they struggle? Definitely. My mum told me of professors from England who speak English with a thick accent and she always had to try to follow what they were speaking of.

There were no lecture notes, no slides. The professor spoke and the students just had to take down notes. Photocopying was unheard of in those days as one sheet was very expensive. Textbooks were unaffordable. The only alternative was to camp in the library and take down notes from textbooks.

But did she fail? No. She went on the Dean's List every year and graduated with top honours, outshining even those from the English-medium schools. So who said one need to be proficient in a certain language to survive?

Okay, the context here is on the Chinese language. The thing is, this is not the only generation of students who struggled with the Chinese language. Ever since the seventies, more and more people are becoming more and more educated, thus speaking only English (the language of educated people) and stopped speaking Mandarin. Hence their younger generation grew up not that proficient in the Chinese language.

But we still survived. We struggled, we cursed and swore, we had funny way of pronouncing words, we used words in all the wrong context. But we still passed in the end. Even though our (as in me and some of my friends) proficiency of the Chinese language is still very shallow and superficial as compared to say my parents, still we did not do that bad a job out of it.

Now with modern technology and students getting smarter and more outspoken, are you telling me they cannot cope when we could?! I find this totally ridiculous. So if students then struggle with Mathematics, is anyone then going to take that out of the examination altogether? Or struggle with science, or even English, would these subjects then be taken out?

The irony is that more and more Westerners (Americans, British, et al) are dying to learn Chinese. Some even want to major in Chinese in university. Now the China market is booming, in order to carve a niche, one must be proficient in the language.

Here, we are given bilingual education since young, and people are saying they want to drop the Chinese language because they find it hard to cope? Which subject is not hard? I find all my subjects hard. I find examinations a torture. But we still gritted our teeth and went ahead. Or has society grown to such a state that people give up at a slight difficulty? What kind of message are we giving the kids? There are harder things to deal with when they grow up, if they give up over such a small thing, how are they going to achieve bigger things then?

I have a cousin who is also English-speaking. He could not speak Mandarin to save his life. His parents sent him to Australia to study before he even finished his secondary school. Yet when there was an opportunity for him to go to Shanghai to work, he took it. The last I conversed with him this Lunar New Year, he was rambling away in Mandarin. I would not say his Mandarin is that perfect, but it is much better than before, even with a bit of the China slang.

So who says one can never master a language? It only depends on how determined you are and how you choose your life. I only regret I did not take up a third or fourth language, otherwise I could at least make conversation in a few other languages instead of being almost mono-lingual.

There are so many people in the world who wants the opportunity to study Chinese. We really should count our blessings and not take the education we have for granted.

Start Of Revision

So I have come to the end of my semester. I cannot believe it has been the end! We rushed through four modules, six weeks per module. There had been assignments and quizzes. In fact, there are five more quizzes to complete by the end of this week.

After that will be examination. Come next week, I must start my revision intensively. I must start focusing, staying up late, and ensuring I know what material to cover. Not every topic will be tested in the examination, but the important thing is to study those that will be tested.

I am always a nervous freak during examinations! After all these while, one would think I would know how to handle examination questions without a glitch, but the mystery of examinations is still unsolved. I am not like those who can answer the examination questions without much effort. To me, no matter how much I study and how well I know the material, sometimes I just answer the questions wrongly somehow.

At least I have done enough to pass the modules. Now I only hope I can achieve the grades I desired! Hopefully I can finally move on to the next semester without any hiccups!

A Challenge To Slim Down And Stay Fit

You know the Kellogg's cornflakes cereal we used to eat when we were young? They have launched a new Special K cereal. I came across a two-weeks challenge where one can actually drop a jeans size after following the routine.

Because I need to drop a jeans size (several jeans size in fact), I read up on it. It is pretty interesting but common-sensical. Of course everyone knows to lose weight, one must cut down on calories and carbohydrates, but in this day and age, all the food is saturated with oil. Whatever we eat are already filled with carbohydrates. The tea or coffee or Milo we drink, it is ready-made three-in-one, which means they contain a lot of sugar and creamer - all fattening products.

So in order to slim down, one must cut down on the carbohydrates intake. That is easier said than done. For some people, if they do not have a carbo diet, they get hungry and weak easily, with no energy to do anything else. What then?

The last time I managed to slim down (albeit with some help at slimming centres), I was on a diet of just half a bowl or no rice. I only had one full meal a day - lunch. I drank lots of water, no sodas or anything sweet. And I put just half a packet of sugar and half a packet of creamer into my tea, instead of the usual two packets of sugar and one packet of creamer.

And I went down eight kilograms in two months. I maintained that until last year when for some reason, I started ballooning like nobody's business. I guess it is because of the late night supper I started having again - something which I have not done for a while.

I started feasting again. And drinking sodas. And enjoying good food. And increased my chocolate intake. Maybe that is the reason why I have ballooned more than ever. Maybe age plays a part too. I find the older I get, the easier it is to put on weight and the harder it is to shed.

So in a bid to lose weight once and for all, I have decided to adopt the Special K Challenge - eat cereal for breakfast and dinner. Eat cereal bar as snacks. There is the chocolate cereal bar if I need my chocolate intake. There is also the berry-flavoured cereal if I find plain cereal unappetising. Drinks lots of water. Eat just one full meal a day.

Of course there are other measures too, like stop eating rice. Eat just the dishes. Order salad and side dishes instead of pasta. Focus on the meat and fish for main course and just a morsel of the mashed / baked potatoes. Supplement with nutrition and protein shake if I need to snack.

Climb up the stairs to my office everyday. Well, it is only on the third floor, but better than nothing. Apply slimming cream to my tummy, hip, thigh and arm areas twice a day. As much as I can, go cycling or running once every week.

Well... I guess this about covers it. If I think of the fifteen kilograms I plan to shed and the flat tummy and twenty-three inch waist I used to have, then I must achieve this no matter how hard it is!

Pledge For Me!

As you may know, I will be taking part in the Bare Your Sole charity walk this year. For those of you who would like to know what this is all about, here is some information :

1. The Asia Pacific region is home to sixty percent of the world's slum dwellers. Many of the children living in these areas work in the streets and are deprived of proper footwear, thus exposing them to dangers of broken glass and infected syringes, causing them diseases and even worse, AIDS.

2. The Bare Your Sole Charity Walk is when people walk barefoot for five kilometres to raise money and awareness of their plight. Hence, I will also be walking barefoot.

Thus, please pledge for me, and help Habitat for Humanity to fulfil its mission, using my serial number - 10431.

If you can, do come along for the walk on 5th June, and join me in Baring Your So(u)le!

Do think of the poor children of the world! Thank you so very much!

Buying And Selling Used Cars?

Just out of curiosity, I was sourcing for some used car marts. I was thinking if I ever move overseas, it would be good to start looking for a car. I happened to stumble upon this website called Garage Del Parco, an Italian used car mart. Somehow the variety of cars there caught my eye, hence I started exploring.

Upon checking out the site, I found that the cars they have are pretty impressive! The cars range from Mercedes to Audi to Volkswagen to Toyota to Ford to Fiat. Just a pity there is no Mini Cooper stated, or at least, I did not manage to come across any Mini Coopers! Furthermore, the place is family-owned, by a father and son. One has said that Italian men are passionate and good-looking. I believe so too!

The entire site is in Italian, but I came across the English translation of it. Upon comparing both Italian and English versions, I managed to learn a bit of what the Italian page is saying. I found out that auto usate milano means Buying and Selling Used Car in Milan. I also managed to find out that vendita auto usate and compro auto usate also mean Used Cars.

Hence if you are ever in that area, do drop by this car mart!

P/S. For those who are well-versed in Italian, do forgive me if I made a mistake in some text, but I cannot really understand Italian, so my own opinions are just based on my own observations, and whatever I read may get lost in translation. :-p

My Dream Kitchen ....

I finally found my dream kitchen! See the stove area, the ovens, the friges and storage places, the wine cellar (at the corner)? Now if only I can have a kitchen like this, it will be a dream come true!

I want this clock in my kitchen wall too!

I want these ovens too to do all the baking and grilling I desire!

Oh, when, oh when, can I ever have my dream kitchen??

You Know You Are A Blimp When ....

1. You could wear your mother's clothes that used to be too big for you but now you can hardly fit into them.

2. Your top became L from XS.

3. Your tummy and behind bulge out when you walk.

4. You have a perpetual bulge from the lower waist area onwards no matter what you wear.

5. Your dress does not fit you anymore.

6. Your pants split at the seams when you sat down.

7. Your jeans and tailored pants could not be buttoned nor zipped up anymore.

8. You look like Fat Bastard in photos taken.

9. The clothes that used to make you look sexy now make you look like an elephant standing on tree trunks.

Short of totally not eating, what else can I do?! I need to lose fifteen kilograms by end of the year and get back my figure when I was still back in school!

Volunteering As A Media Operations Assistant

As promised, this is my post on my experience on applying to help out at the Youth Olympic Games. When I first heard that we will be hosting the Games, I was happy and excited. When the South East Asian Games first came to this part of the world, I was still in my early teens so did not show any interest on what it was all about.

So it was with the Youth Olympics. I had no interest whatsoever for any sporting events as my own sports genes are downright incapable of doing any sports well.

Then the call for volunteers began. I am always for volunteering because helping out at a major event like this will let me learn a lot and be more exposed to things which I would otherwise never have a chance to be exposed to. So I signed up. But there was no news.

Then my alumni (incidentally the site of the Olympic Village) called for volunteers too so I signed up through there as well. But there was still no news.

These were done last year. Early this year, the school I am currently attending is also looking for volunteers for the Olympic Games. Those interested had to attend a briefing.

So I attended and put my name down. In total, I signed up as a volunteer through three different portals and indicated my interests three different times, but there was still no news.

Until last Friday. Because he also signed up and actually interviews for a post, he received a message on a Volunteer Briefing and Job Offer the next day (Saturday morning). He forwarded the message to me as apparently I was not even on the mailing list.

So we went down on Saturday (yesterday) and saw three different queues. One was for registration, one for confirmation and one for photo-taking. We went to the Registration Booth and was told that our particulars were both in the database. Which means I did sign up bur for some reason they had not matched me to a job yet.

So he gave each of us a slip of paper, and asked us to go upstairs to the briefing room, where there would be a display lists of jobs to volunteer for. We had to indicate our choice, and for those jobs that required interviews, we had to go for the interview.

I saw the post "Media Operations Assistant" and was immediately interested. People know I have always been interested in the medid industry. Because he has a minor in Media Communications, he decided to try out for that role too.

We had to go for an interview for that role and did so accordingly. Apparently, media operations is essentially assisting the media people and coverage. We would be running around and based at the Games area, whereas media communications would be just stationed at the Media Centre answering media queries and vetting press releases.

In short, media operations will enable one to be more exposed to the workings and on-goings of the media industry. That is exactly what I have been looking for! This would be an opportunity not to be missed!

At the end of the interview session, I was so happy that the interviewer agreed to take both of us in! I can hardly wait! We then went down to the Confirmation Booth to confirm our jobs. So this is it! We are going to be Media Operations Assistants!

There would be some intensive training come July and then the commitment would be the actual Games itself. She asked if we have a preferred sport and I said Tennis and he Cycling. She agreed to send in our requests but no guarantees. Does not matter, being able to help out in the media operations is wonderful enough.

Now I can hardly wait for the final countdown to the Games! This would really be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity indeed!

An Evening Of Barbecue And Fund-Raising

It was a really fruitful day yesterday. In the morning, we went to the Youth Olympics office to check out the various volunteer positions available. Guess what? I finally got a post, which I will elaborate more of in the next post.

In the afternoon, we went to watch "Shutter Island", a really wonderful psycho-thriller. Worth watching! Then we went to the gathering of the CHOICE February 2009 weekend. He was from that weekend and they were having a first anniversary get-together. It was a poolside barbecue at one of the couple presenters' home.

It was supposed to be a Japanese-themed party but no one brought anything Japanese. I actually packed in my yukata to change, but since no one changed into anything Japanese I did not bother changing in the end.

There was quite a bit of food like curry, chicken wings, sausages, corn, salad, drinks, broccoli, carrots, and the last bit - dessert, consisting of Japanese green tea and black sesame ice cream! That was the best!

After that, we adjoined to a Peranakan-themed party. It was meant to be a fund-raising party for the CHOICE Asian Conference. Our friend who organised this was supposed to auction off some of her Peranakan dishes during the dinner and dance last year, but since the auction items were cut down, she then organised this party to raise funds.

Each of us had to pay an entrance fee, which would go to the Conference fund, and then receive a door gift. The door gift is so pretty! It is a mist in a bottle. Besides that, there were Peranakan song and games, as well as authentic Peranakan food, like Ayam Buah Keluak, White Bait Fritters, Nonya Mee Siam, and lots of dessert to name a few. (To see what the food looks like, please go to our food blog.)

It was an enjoyable and enriching party! I ate so much that my already-tight Peranakan gear became even tighter! I was so afraid that it would tear, but luckily I reached home in good shape! Kudos to my friend for making the party such a success!

Bare Your Sole 2010

I was so inspired by the shoe-ing event last year that I actually signed up for the Bare Your Soul charity for this year! Some people may think it is crazy walking barefooted, but in the olden days when there were no shoes, people crossed the deserts barefooted too. Besides, this is for charity, and it is only for five kilometres.

The actual event will be in June. I will be shedding my shoes and walk five kilometres of the beach front barefooted. Hopefully this will be a fun event and more people will take part!

Time Out ....

We had not gone out for quite some time, at least not out just by ourselves, so on the spur of the moment, we went to this place which I happened to stumble upon last night. It is not somewhere grand, tucked away near both our workplaces, but it turns out better than expected. (For a detailed review, check out our food blog.)

I never know how much I missed just some time out with him, dining and wining. It may not necessary be anything great, but just a simple night out and a simple dinner will do. I can fully understand why some married couples say they have no time for each other, because with work and other commitments, one really do not have that much time to spend on our own, let alone with a significant other. Plus by the time we knocked off from work, we are so tired that we really want to just go home and rest and relax, and not do anything else. So I can kind of relate why some couples drift apart.

But the thing is, a relationship takes more than just seeing each other everyday. One need not have to see each other everyday to survive (although we have been seeing each other everyday, since we live and work so near to each other and involved in the same activities together). But the important thing is, even if we do not see each other nor call each other (at times when we are both tired, we just go to bed without calling each other), still somehow we know we are there for each other.

I guess it is no longer those lovey-dovey kinds of love which the sticky youths always extoll in, but more of a kind of security and commitment that even though we are not the sticky kinds nor the dramatic kinds, we can still last. Love is more than just gazing at each other's eyes and declaring "I love you" everyday to each other and to the whole world. It is the mentality of being together despite ups and downs.

Is he perfect? Definitely not. He still irritates me with his idiocy at times. But neither am I perfect. I daresay I irritate him to no end with my own idiocy too. But he is something I am not - tolerant. He tolerates my antics and quirks much more than I tolerate him. I think I have to worry about him leaving me for someone more demure, accommodating and soft-spoken than the other way round!

Yet he still sticks with me, not because there is no better person, because this is what a relationship is about. One does not just accept the good side of the person, but also tolerates the bad side, the quirks, the idiocy, the antics, the temper (in my case), the high expectations. Similarly, no matter how much he irritates me and how I lose my temper and patience, I still stick with him, because I know if I lose him, I will never be able to find another person that is so right for me, despite whatever gripes I have.

No relationship is without problems. Similarly, no human being is perfect. Even when a couple marries each other, they may not even know each other fully even after fifty years. Because people change. Circumstances change. Situations change. One cannot expect a sixty-year-old man to be the same as thirty years ago. Family, responsibility and old age do take a toil on everyone.

It is for each of us individual to adapt to the changes and situations, accommodate and tolerate, and make the most of it, and not just give up just because we run into problems. That, I guess, is the main way of how a relationship can last.

Launch Of Our New Project

Remember some time ago, I said I was busy with a new "project"? Well.. it is finally ready! I did not want to disclose much as I thought it may not see the light, but after both our efforts (mostly mine actually), we have come up with a new food blog for our gastronomical and culinary adventures.

So here it is! The unveiling of our new food blog! This will be where we begin our eating adventures, where we post recipes, reviews, cooking tips, cookbooks, food, food, glorious food, and more food.

I may still be posting food reviews here, but it will just be a skimpy one, as the new blog will contain more detailed information and pictures of the various epicurious events we would attend. Meanwhile, this still remains - as a momento of my boring life.

Under The Weather ...

The weather had been so erratic lately. Why must it always be so hot in the morning and then only starts having a thunderstorm in the evening, especially when we need to knock off?

I had been caught in the rain on and off and now I am under the weather. Is it because of the constant thunderstorms? Or is it because of burnt out?

Whatever it is, I hope to be on my feet again! It is really a bad time to fall sick!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Relevant Or Irrelevant Courses?

Whenever I tell people what I am doing (work life vs study life), nine out of ten times, I will receive incredulous glances and puzzling remarks, as if it is a crime doing what I am doing. I guess for many people, they see no reason doing things if it is not work-related. I am totally sick and tired of this, since it has happened quite a few times!

I have always maintained the stance that why must we do something just because it is work-related? Why can I not do something simply for interest and not because it is for work? Like people have been bugging me to get my practicing license, but right now, I rather finish what I started (the course I am taking) and then get my practicing license after that. I think with better (and higher) qualifications, it will be easier doing what I want to do in the future, especially if I intend to go for post-graduate and doctorate studies.

Which is why whenever I tell people what I am doing for work, they go a "Wow" as if it is any big deal. But when I tell them what I am studying, they feel kind of let-down. Why so? Knowledge is power, so no matter what you do, no matter how irrelevant and useless people think of you, whatever knowledge gained will follow you throughout life. Besides, nowadays a lot of people are doing a job totally irrelevant to what they studied, and vice versa.

Due to this, I am always reluctant to tell people the number of courses I have taken, simply because none of the courses are work-related. I took those for myself, for my own interest, and not for anything. Like musical instruments. Like singing. Like the various dances. And cooking, baking, wine appreciation, even cycling, tennis and squash. Plus skiing and ice-skating.

I still have yet to take up photography, scuba diving, snowboarding, flower arrangement, cake decorating, scrapbooking, jewellery-making, knitting and professional make-up and nail art courses. These will be done in my lifetime, preferably before I reach middle age. But right now I have too many things on my plate.

But none of these will benefit my career. Afterall, if I am not going to make photography or cooking or baking or jewellery-making or music or singing or dancing or make-up a career, why would or must I bother taking up all these?

Again, I repeat, for my own interest. There is never a timeline to learning things, and there is never too much knowledge. Why can I not learn all these simply because I am interested in them? I may or may not utilise what I learnt, but I daresay the knowledge or skills will come in somewhere somehow.

People can go on living their lives in their own comfort zones, but at the end of the day, if they do not upkeep or upgrade, they will be the ones who find themselves obsolete. Whatever irrelevant skills I have or have not, perhaps they are the ones who keep me current? I hope to pass these on to my own children and hopefully they too will have a thirst for knowledge and never stop learning!

Systems Of Education ....

I spent the weekend rushing two assignments back to back. I have not done this in a long time. The last time I did this was when I was still a full-time student, when I was younger and more energetic and I could go around without sleeping and still be full of energy the next day. I used to have to submit three assignments on the same day.

Now age is catching up. I can no longer go without my sleep and still function the next day. I have much less energy in doing things. So rushing two assignments back to back is no easy feat for me now. But at least they are done! Now all is left are some quizzes and two more minor assignments, and then it will be the examinations!

I kind of like this system where the assignments or continuous assessments take up half the weightage, and then the other half is the examination. I believe this is adapted from the American system where whatever you do in class - tutorials, papers, quizzes, take up a certain percentage, so if you do them well, you still have a chance to pass the examination.

Whereas for the British system, everything is on the examination. Whatever work you do for the semester does not count as the examination takes up the whole weightage. So if you fail the examination, you fail the whole subject.

Perhaps that is why I never did well in law school. During my time, it was still the semestral system - examination-based. Everyone knows nothing matters throughout the year unless you pass your examination. So there were people who conveniently disappeared for the whole semester and only appeared during the examination.

I find this system only for the highly intelligent. I am never one that can manage this as I am never an examination-smart person. If all the weightage is on the examination alone, what if I did not do well? What if I failed that paper? In those days, failing one subject means you repeat the whole year and not just that subject.

But when I left and went on to do my education degree, it was better because at that point in time, the system revamped. It became the modular system where you take certain number of modules per semester and you need to fulfil a certain number of modules to pass. Within one module, there would be projects, assignments, tests, quizzes and all these would take up certain percentage of the final grade, with the examination taking up the remaining percentage.

Which means if you have been doing alright for the module, more or less you know your examination is guaranteed a pass after weighing the total percentage. Furthermore, if you happen to fail a particular module, you only need to repeat the module the next time round, instead of the whole year or semester. Plus with the modular system, you can choose to accelerate your learning by taking on more modules per semester.

Hence I am all for the modular system because that seems more flexible and not so rigid. Students also learn more in the quizzes, tests, assignments, projects, etc, and will be able to handle examination questions better.

Luckily the institution I am taking my part-time studies in, is also based on the modular system. So I just need to focus and catch up more on my examination, and hopefully I can pass and go on to the next semester without any glitch! But if I have a choice, I much rather take on all coursework - more projects and assignments, and not take any examinations altogether!

Should Child Criminals Be Given A Second Chance?

I just finished a very thought-provoking show called "Boy A". As I need to rush assignments for the weekend, he brought over a disc he borrowed and we watched it in between breaks.

The show is about how a child criminal who was thought to be involved in the murder of a girl when he was only eleven, was released from prison upon his adulthood. His social worker then gave him a new name and a new identity, even finding a job for him and helping him fit back into society.

I wonder if any of you remember this case around fifteen years back, on two ten-year-old boys who kidnapped and killed a toddler? This happened in England. The two boys were put on trial and convicted of murder, hence thrown into jail. But they were released around ten years later upon reaching adulthood.

I wonder what happened to them? I know they were given anonymity and then moved elsewhere. But were they given a second chance? Were people still out for their blood?

When you commit a crime, specifically killing someone, as an adult, you will either be hanged or sentenced to life imprisonment, at least in the local context. But the law gives allowances for underage criminals.

About ten years back we had a case where this guy plotted with a teenager to kill his wife to get her insurance money. The teenager then stabbed his wife to death. The guy thought he could get away but being the mastermind, he was hanged. No compassion was shown to him when the verdict was out.

The teenager, being underage, escaped the death penalty. But because he is of sensible age and knew fully well what he was doing, he was sentenced to jail "to be kept at the President's pleasure", which means he may still have a chance to be released. He is probably still in jail.

If he is ever released, I wonder how society will view him? Should he be given another chance? Society does not take kindly to murderers and rapists. People are relatively more tolerant if you were jailed for a minor crime than a capital offence, especially if you murdered or raped just for kicks.

If the boy was ever released, what then? Would he be able to start life over? In any case, he is no longer a boy. He should be in his early twenties by now. Would he be given a new identity and released under anonymity?

Back to the show, the repented child criminal wanted to start life over. He got along well with his co-workers. He saved a little girl in a car crash. He became a little hero amongst his friends. He found a girlfriend.

Then his identity was blown. As a result, whatever good he had done and however well-liked he was, turned around overnight. He was fired from his job, his friends distanced themselves away and his girlfriend went away.

He felt the stigma of his past would always be there so he decided to go away once and for all. Before that he left messages to everyone telling them goodbye.

If only people are not so judgmental, would it turn out this way? I guess people will always be judgmental, but does it mean no one deserves another chance? Who is totally faultless? I am pretty sure many of us lie and manipulate to get our way, even to the extent of backstabbing.

So who are we to label others as such? It is already hard to survive in society as it is, and even harder for someone with a criminal record. People like us should not make it any harder.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Is It Good To Have Psychic Powers?

Imagine you can kill a goat just by staring at it. You can walk through a wall by staring at it. But would that be good? Like what George Clooney's character said in "The Men Who Stare At Goats" after a goat dropped dead in front of him when he stared at it for a while, "What had that goat ever done to me?"

What if you are blessed with psychic powers? Would that be a blessing or a curse? Would you use it in the right way or the left way?

Some people will use their powers to do good (think "X-Men"), some will use it for evil purposes like conquering the world. It is a gift that not many are blessed with, if there are any at all.

At times I wish I have psychic powers myself. It is always very tempting to see what my future is like - whether I would have a good or a bad future. No one can change the past but there is always a chance to fight for a better future.

But then again, do I really want to know? Honestly, I rather not know than to feel depressed if the future is not as beautiful as I would like it to be.

Is it not better to be a normal person than someone who can see the future and live a life of agony? I rather take life as it is -the happiness, sadness, sweetness, bitterness. Because that is what life is all about - no shortcuts and making the most of it!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Lovely Bones

I managed to watch a few movies the past three weeks but do not have the time to update. These are all overdue but I thought I better do it before I forget everything.

Of all the shows, the one with the most impact is "The Lovely Bones". It tells the story of how a teenage girl was murdered and her spirit rose up into the in-between where she watches on as her murderer got his just deserts and her family broke apart and started to heal.

Which makes me wonder, how do people deal with death? I ever reflected that when a person dies, what he was in life is best seen during his wake. I attended a wake last year on the demise of a friend's father. He was only in his sixties.

But he must have impacted a lot of people when he was alive, because there were many people who went for his wake when they heard about his demise.

Similarly, when I see the number of visitors my grandma has everyday and the number of people who called up asking about her, I know she has impacted a lot of people when she was young, that these same people still show respect to her and teach their children and grandchildren to show the sane respect to her.

I know in the event she passes on (touch wood!), her wake will be full of people in attendance. These people will be those she had impacted, with their children and grandchildren in tow.

When my grandpa passed away, the three day wake at my place was full of people. My parents provided dinner for those visitors and everyday, both my living and dining rooms were full of people. I did not realise it then but now I know my grandpa himself had made an impact on many people in his younger days.

I am ashamed to say I have never made an impact on anyone the way my grandparents did. Maybe when I pass on, no one will notice and I will just die an old, lonely death. But if I ever pass on, I hope to be able to die peacefully when I am still healthy and not become bedridden and be a burden to others.

It is one thing taking care of my grandma and perhaps my parents next time, but I will not want nor expect my younger generation (if any) to do the same thing to me.

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Funny Characters On Facebook

My friend sent me this, on the nine most irritating people on Facebook! Cannot help laughing!

What A Little Initiative Can Do

The place where I am sitting in my office happens to be near the main photocopier. So whenever the paper supply runs out, it was always me, my boss or another colleague sitting around us that tops up the paper supply.

The rest do not bother. Even when people run out of paper, no one else bothers to refill. As a result, when we have to do printing or photocopying, many a times we realise there is no paper in any of the trays.

A few weeks back, we got fed up and wrote this notice and taped it above Mr Fuji Xerox :

Since then, the photocopier never runs out of paper! Why do people always need to be reminded to show some consideration?

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The Sacraments

Last Sunday's Cathechism class was on Sacraments. Applying to be a Cathechist was really a good decision because for someone who had never attended Cathechism and did not know the functions of the church, I really learnt a lot due to the lesson preparations.

I learnt about the Ten Commandments back when I was doing baptism classes but now, in order to ensure the kids get the message, the teaching instruction had to cater to them. Which means quite a lot of prior reading and research had to be done.

But it was a successful lesson! At the end of the hour-long lesson, the kids know what Sacraments are and they could even list out all of them verbally! Teaching smart kids are really different as compared to those I had years ago!

In any case, the seven Sacraments are as follows : 

1. Baptism

Baptism is for those born into the faith. They were baptized as babies when they were just a few weeks to a few months old. 

2. Reconciliation / Penance

Also known as going for Confession. Normally kids who were baptized as babies would start going for confession at the age of eight. 

3. Eucharist

Also known as Communion. When I was baptized as an adult, the first time I received Communion was the night I was baptised. But for the kids who were already baptised, they received their Communion at the age of nine. 

4. Confirmation

This is to accept the Holy Spirit being bestowed upon a person, confirming the faith. Normally this occurs at the age of sixteen, after four years of Confirmation classes.

For adults who got baptised, some were baptised and confirmed on the same day, some confirmed a year later. In my case it was two weeks later.

These four Sacraments above are what every Catholic have to go through. The other three below, not every Catholic will go through as it would be a case of either / or. 

5. Matrimony

Also known as Marriage. Yes, marriage is a Sacrament. Being in Holy Matrimony means being married in the eyes of God, which is why for Catholics, we are asked to marry in church.

Of course the law here requires us to legalize the marriage. Hence even if we marry in the church the marriage will not be legalised if we do not sign on the dotted line.

Which is why some chose to solemnise their marriage first then go through a church ceremony and some chose to solemnise in church and go through the ceremony at the same time. There are also some who just chose to solemnise their marriage without going through a church ceremony, especially if one partner is not a church-goer.

Our priests, being religious leaders, automatically have the power to let the marriage be recognized both under common / civil law and canon / religious law. So many couples nowadays just do everything in church and get their marriages legalised both under law and in God's eyes.

Not everyone will get married. Some may get called or have a yearning to be a religious leader, like priest, Sister or Brother, which brings us into the next Sacrament. 

6. Holy Orders

Some may answer a call to a higher being - leading a religious vocation. Some may become priests, some Brothers, some Sisters. They will give their lives to God and serve the people faithfully.

I always wonder, why are priests males? Why are there no female priests? Why can a woman not become a priest but only a religious Sister?

Once someone answered the call to Holy Orders, it is normally a lifelong thing. They remain celibate. But there were rare instances where someone stopped being a priest and left to get married. In which case he would have fulfilled both the fifth and sixth Sacrament. 

7. Anointing The Sick

Again, not everyone will fulfil this. Only if someone fulfils the sixth Sacrament and answers the call to Holy Orders will they get to anoint the sick. The religious leaders will visit those who are old and dying and pray over them.

So these are all the seven Sacraments! I will be covering a module on Sacraments in my Catholicism class later on in the year. Hopefully I will get to know more about this! Meanwhile, for those who are interested and feel may be useful, do grab a copy of the Cathechism of the Catholic Church to know more about the faith and how to teach Cathechism!

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Of Body Hair ...

Last week my colleagues and I were talking about body hair. The men were asked, if they were dating a girl with long prickly armpit hair, would they ask her to shave?

There were mixed responses. One said he would not even date a girl with armpit hair protruding out, one said he would not say anything, one said he would date her but would casually drop hints asking her to shave.

Personally I am not born with silky smooth skin. My first brother is. His legs and arms are so bare and smooth. He does not even have noticeable facial hair! It makes me wonder if he even has hair.

My youngest brother is the opposite, like a typical man. Whereas I am unfortunate enough to have body hair in my arms, legs and underarms. Hence the frequent shaving, especially when I intend to wear something sleeveless or something knee-length.

How I wish I am those girls who have total smooth and silky skin that they naturally do not need to shave! Which makes me wonder, if we girls are born with body hair, do we even need to shave? After all, men can have unruly body hair and leave it as it is!

I guess because if men have body hair, they feel manly and macho. Whereas if a girl has body hair, people will look away in disgust. She will be criticised as having bad grooming habits. Body hair on a female is a turn off, at least to many men!

To me, the main reason why I tend to get rid of undesired hair is the hygiene factor. If the hair grows and clumps up, bacteria will form and we may end up having infection on our skin. Thus getting rid of body hair is a good way of keeping clean and prevents bacteria and germs.

Having said that, is it really a big deal if a female does not get rid of undesired hair? How many a times have you heard that if a woman is wearing something sleeveless with hair under her armpits, or if she is wearing a knee-length skirt with hair on her legs, people will always remark in disapproval that she should just shave?

I have never really heard of anyone remarking that a man should shave even if he is wearing a tank top with hair protruding out of his armpits or he is wearing shorts showing off very thick hairy legs. Why so?

Is it because it is still considered ugly for a woman to have hair? So if a woman does not shave, will any man date her? Yet if a man does not shave, women will still date him.

This probably shows men still focus on looks and overall image before they decide to date a girl while women are able to look beyond a man's physical image. But that should not be the way, is it not? A person should be liked for who he / she is and not just on physical appearances, grooming and image. Unfortunately not many are able to do that as most tend to judge on first appearances.

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What Does Being Filial Mean To Me?

I was supposed to go for the second follow-up to the recent CHOICE weekend today but because there was no one around except my maid and I, I had to help take care of my grandma.

Many years back, when my late grandpa was diagnosed with dementia and his bodily functions started deteriorating, my parents put him in a nursing home and visited him every week. This went on for more than a year before he was hospitalized and passed away in the hospital.

At that point in time, the ten-year-old me wondered how could my parents be so cruel to put my grandpa in a nursing home? They kept teaching me about filial piety and respect yet why did they not practice it?

Now I fully understand. It is hard to take care of an elderly and frail person. More care and more energy have to be put in. For instance, ever since my grandma was hospitalized, our lives changed. Instead of going home after work and resting during the weekends, we took turns going to the hospital to look after her.

Now that she is home but bed-ridden and wheelchair-bound, more adjustments have to be made. In the past we could go on our lives as per normal but now we have to be vigilant and check in get every once in a while.

In the past, we just need someone to stay in the house to ensure nothing happens but now we need two persons around - one to feed her and one to help in cleaning her.

Thank goodness that we are all grown up now so my maid only needs to take care of my grandma! At least we have a full-time caretaker at home so it is not too worrying for us.

In the past, there were three young kids, two elderly and two adults who worked full-time. My parents and my maid had their hands full taking care of us. They did not have the energy looking after an old and sickly elderly man.

Hence they did the thing they could - put him in a place where he could receive full-time medical care. And who could blame them?

My parents, especially my mum, are a living example of what filial piety and respect are. This is a lesson they have imparted to me. I only wish when the time comes, I can show the same piety to my parents and in-laws too.

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Grandma's Home!

My paternal grandma is finally discharged! She came home on Thursday, the night when my parents left for their vacation in Spain.

Having her back is really great but because of her age, she is now confined to a wheelchair. She can still function normally, no incontinence and her mental prowess is still strong, but she is not able to move around as freely as before anymore. She has to be on adult diapers and have to be fed.

Seeing things like this puts my life into another perspective. First thing being healthy is the most important. Second, when I am old and dying, I will feel really blessed to have my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren around me instead of dying an old and lonely death.

Wonder if I can be this lucky?

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J.D. Or L.L.B?

My younger cousin is applying to law school as her first choice. I am pretty sure she can get in, with her results and track record. As I have mentioned, everyone in my family on my mum’s side is a genius, and their other halves are even better, with the numerous PhD scholars around.

I am the black sheep, and still trying to prove myself as capable as everyone else. And I do not even have an other half that is better than them (not saying that he is not good). Maybe it is true – if one is established, intellectual and high-flying, then one can meet someone matching. If one is not, one can only settle for someone who is not.

Anyway, for a period of time I have been contemplating whether I should just continue my law studies and get a practicing license once and for all. Then I would not be in the “halfhouse” – not a practicing legal officer so limited in the kind of work which I do even though I crave for something more challenging and not so mundane, but at the same time too “high-ranking” to do anything lower. And the remuneration and prospects for a practitioner is definitely much better than one who is not.

But then I prefer to go with my interests, which is why I am studying something I like, instead of something more useful. Despite the fact that my mum and my cousin and almost everyone else I know have been bugging me to get my practicing license once and for all, still I refuse because I remembered how hard I struggled in law school and I never wanted to go through that again!

But then again, that time was what, ten years back? I was young, inexperienced and not working yet. There were still so many things I did not know, so many things I was naïve about. Now I ought to be more mature, more experienced and quicker in understanding things. So if I do go back to law school, perhaps things would be better? Perhaps with my working experience and exposure, I would be able to handle things much better this time round?

Still, I can never go back to the university I studied, so if I wanted to do it, I had to do it on a part-time basis under an external program from a United Kingdom university. And that would also not be recognized to cross the Bar here. Which is why I hesitate in taking it up even though it may be more relevant to what I am doing. Why should I take up another law course if I am still not qualified to practice?

Recently, out of curiosity, I went to check if there are any updates to the law courses here. I checked out the two universities offering law to make a comparison. And I found out that one of the universities is offering a J.D. program – the Juris Doctor, or the Doctor of Jurisprudence.

What is that? J.D. is essentially an American post-graduate law course. In the American system, those intending to practice law must first graduate with a first degree in whatever discipline, then later do a J.D. in order to become a lawyer. Same goes for doctors there – a first degree then later a M.D – Doctor in Medicine.

Whereas in the British and Commonwealth system, law is a first degree. One must graduate with a L.L.B. or Bachelor of Laws with high honours before one can practice law. At least here, in order to practice law, one must first graduate with a L.L.B. with at least a second class honours from the local university before one can even be called to the Bar. Overseas law degrees from certain recognized British universities must have a second upper.

But now the regulations are getting more lax. Because of the rigidity and strict regulations on the limit for lawyers, more and more young lawyers are leaving the industry. But I must say, lawyers are a talented lot. Besides being smart and articulate, they are very good in other areas like cooking, baking, theatre, singing, music and even yoga. Many ex-lawyers open restaurants, bakeries, go into theatre and opera, and open yoga schools.

So in order to curb the dwindling supply, the regulations have been revised. Overseas law graduates from recognized British universities who hold a second lower can now achieve their practicing license by going through a conversion course.

Even the better law graduates from certain universities in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and even Malaysia are being accepted into the local Bar. And for the first time, J.D. qualifications are recognized to be called to the local Bar.

It started with just a handful of universities in the United States, but when one of the universities here started the J.D. program, the graduates of that program would by default be recognized to be called, after going through the Bar examination and a period of six month pupilage in a local law firm or legal department of an organization.

I checked out the J.D. program and it is open to second class upper graduates of any discipline. It can be taken three years full time or two years accelerated. Even though it is a J.D. program, the syllabus is exactly like the syllabus of the L.L.B program. So it is like a fusion of both British and American systems.

Besides lectures and tutorials, there would also be a period of internship with partner companies that include top law firms and top companies, as well as a period of pro bono or community service. Just the kind I like!

I never really like the kind of structure where one just studies and all the emphasis is on the end of year examinations. I prefer a more well-rounded structure where besides academics, there is creative and critical thinking, no spoon-feeding and incorporation of community service and other aspects of life.

Furthermore, the J.D. program is already a post-graduate course on its own, unlike the L.L.B. So if I do take up the course, I will be able to get a direct post-graduate qualification as well as a practicing license at the same time. What a good deal!

The catch is I do not hold any second upper. Hence no matter what, I still have to finish my current course (which I do want to) and then apply with my transcript and job experience. Who knows, I may just get my lawyer dream fulfilled soon! So all the more I must achieve a first-class honours in order to go places!

One Hundred And Eighty Days Later ...

I am but human. That does not give me any justification to commit murder, but being human, I am not flawless or perfect. I have my quirks and expectations, so at times when expectations are not met, I tend to get flustered. And when that happens, it is my boyfriend who gets the short end of the stick.

So when I heard what happened to my friend and her ex last night, I realize I have to count my blessings. The world is full of unbecoming and jerky guys, and thank goodness I am not with one! Yes he is quirky, he irritates me to no end at times, but at the end of the day, I know he is one I can rely and depend on, one who cares for me more than he cares for himself, and I feel really blessed to have someone so into me, who loves me more than I love him.

Hence this post is a tad overdue. It is almost two hundred days today, but during our one hundred and eightieth day together (ie six months), we were both doing the CHOICE March weekend, yet he specially bought a heart-shaped cake and we celebrated at the Retreat House itself.

The cake he bought

Not only that, every “moni-versary”, he would try to do something different, like sending flowers to my office, baking a cake for me, buying me gifts, moonlit strolls at the beach, writing poetry (although a bit cheesy but still it is a good effort). The only thing he has not done is to cook a meal for me, or prepare a candlelight dinner for me.

What else am I grateful for? My mum’s office is near mine, so she would drop me at her office and I would take a five-minute bus ride to my office. His office is near my mum’s office, so every morning, he would meet me at the bus stop to see me off, sometimes buying breakfast for me. Every evening he would go to my office to wait for me and accompany me home.

Every weekend he is at my place, just hanging out, spending time with me and mingling with my family members. Each time I had to go to the hospital to visit my paternal grandma (who is still there), he would always accompany me without fail. Same goes to when I had to go to the hospital early this year to see my friend’s newborn baby.

The most important thing is that he puts up with my tendencies - my quick temper, my ultra perfectionist streak when it comes to certain things, my own quirkiness, my assertiveness, and my attitude of always learning and doing things and not slowing down. Most other guys just get put off by one thing or another!

So even though I still expect things can be better, still I do not think I can ever be with anyone else. At least not someone who is so egotistical and self-centred, or someone who is such a mummy’s boy, or someone who gets put off by confident and articulate women, or someone who plays with my feelings by claiming he liked me a lot then suddenly disappearing without notice.

He is as best there is, at least for me! So darling, thank you, for loving me.

"You Are Not Authorised"

Nowadays more and more offices have installed a computerised entry / exit system, where the staff uses his / her fingerprint and the system will scan the print and the door would then open automatically for the staff to enter. The whole thing goes as follows :

1. Staff puts the forefinger into the scanner
2. The display and an automated voice will have the message "Please put your finger"
3. Then after the fingerprint was scanned, the display message will say "Input Password"
4. Staff keys in the four numbers and presses "Enter"
5. The display message and voice will then say "You are authorised"
6. The door opens and staff enters

Seems easy right? The thing, like all other high fangled stuff, has many glitches too. Sometimes you may press too hard and the print gets blurry. Sometimes the print may not get registered. When this happens, you cannot go on to the next step, as the display and voice will then say, "You are not authorised".

When this happens, one just have to keep trying, or else wait for a kind soul to open the door from inside or someone else to scan the fingerprint successfully from the outside before entering. Many a times, I have not been "authorised" to enter. Despite scanning my fingerprint over and over again, I still could not be "authorised". And one can waste precious time trying over and over again just to go in!

I always wonder why? Is my finger that different or that small? Some say it may be due to dryness, some say may be due to oiliness, some say it may be someone pressed the "Enter" button too hard hence could not register.

Whatever it is, nowadays I have to enter my office, I ensure my hands are properly wiped and cleaned to remove all forms of microorganisms. I think that method works, as the past few days, I only need to scan my finger once and I could go through! Hopefully this keeps up and I will not be "locked out" again!

Breaking My Diet

I have broken my diet again. It was another day of eating for me yesterday. First my dear bought breakfast for me, consisting of oily noodles, luncheon meat and fried chicken wing.

Then during lunch my colleagues wanted a little feast so we went to New York New York near my ofice where I had chicken curry in a bread bowl followed by root beer float (which I did not know was going to be such a big serving).

I thought I was going to take it easy that night and skipped dinner but when I got back to the office after lunch, my cousin contacted me and told me about the family dinner so I had to go.

During the dinner, as usual, my family ordered a sumptuous meal of meat, buns, vegetables, rice, noodles, fish, bean curd with minced meat and finally yam paste for dessert.

So how can I not put on weight?! Which is why the next few days I must eat as light and as litle as possible!

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Mid-Week Family Reunion

My Aussie aunt and uncle are in town these couple of days for their Easter break so we had a gathering last night at a restaurant. It was really great seeing most of my relatives again after a lapse of a few months, especially since my maternal grandma was away in Australia and just came back recently.

I find that I seem to be having less family get-togethers nowadays. We (my relatives here) used to see each other so often when we were young. As everyone grew up and the elders started aging, we saw less of each other except on occasions like Lunar New Year and birthdays. Most of my cousins have married, some have uprooted. If we were not brought up with good family values, I think we would not even get to meet.

Which is why my mum always ensures she tries to get the extended family together once in a while, for both my dad and her side. I will sure follow her tradition when I have my own family in the future!

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Quarterly Report ...

It had been another busy week (what is new?) after a very fulfilling quarter. I have never been so busy, at least not for the past twelve years, and many a times I just feel like throwing up my hands in despair.

But I told myself I am only young once and since I have already wasted a big part of my life I better make up for lost time.

Which is why even though I am so tied up most of the time, I actually enjoy whatever I am doing. Of course when there are several pressing deadlines and meetings after meetings, that is a real drag.

But the end result is just one of satisfaction and happiness. Like the kids listening to me attentively during Cathechism classes. The weekend participants being inspired by my sharing. Being closet to God. Improving my knowledge in my classes and readings.

Now why did I not mention work? If only I can feel that enthusiastic about my job! Thus despite me being up to my eyes, I am still not giving up with whatever I am doing! I only hope the rest of the year can be just as fulfilling!

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A Lenten Reflection

Last night I attended a very emotional Lenten reflection, organised by CHOICE. It was a musical performance and a mini Praise and Worship session, with three sharings on various topics like Despair, Hopelessness, Helplessness and Doubt. I was asked on Monday night to share one of the topics, and I chose Doubt.

Honestly, my sharing could not beat the rest. I was not really prepared, for one. W.here the rest had prepared with a written piece of paper in their hands, I had no time to prepare anything. I could not even structure my thoughts properly! I just thought up one on the spur of the moment and just presented it.

Luckily I did not do that badly. At least I managed to weave a decent tale and presented something to the theme of Doubt. The singing and sharing by the rest were really full of feelings and emotions! It makes me really reflect on what Lent and Easter means.

This Easter will be the fourth anniversary of my baptism. Once in a while, I would reflect on what baptism means to me, and how I entered the faith. I must say I am not exactly a staunch or faithful person, but I hope through the years, my faith will improve and that my children will not take the faith they were born into for granted.