Friday, August 25, 2006
growing up
I seldom enjoy associating difficult events of my life as trials... because if i were to compare my life now to the early century christians, exams & work stress against persecution & fleeing are a luxury... so i tend to skip verses about trials/hardship in the bible... as if it's written for them or missionaries in middle east than me...
But working life's getting bit difficult for me to handle now, and so i'd like to claim these verses for myself.. or at least, i can have a better 'light' to illuminate upon my situation...
1 Peter 4: 12; James 1: 2-4.
I learn to grow up in this new episode. Growing to pick myself up really quick before i'm being weigh down by circumstances/ppl. Growing to see the 'i-don't-know-hows' as little nuggets to tackle than BIG goliath.
Although teaching little kids makes me feel rather underutilize... (yes, i love kids in general, so long as i don't have to discipline em' ;p) .. but there are some lessons which i learned in 'school'.
1st lesson> i have to draw the borders, else the little children will treat u like one of em'. (i think some of em' can't tell the difference). This will be a good training for me, coz i realize there are times i was pressured into decisions that i don't quite like because i wasn't sure-footed enough. Now i know i have more control than i allow myself to see. Or rather, i have to be in control (of my life), else i be controlled.
2nd lesson> i can't expect kids to know-how. I am given a chance to tell/educate them (or to repeat/ reinvent) until they get it. (ok not all will learn, but they say if u get 20% to listen to you in class, that's a pretty sucessful rate). Pretty similiar to dealing with adults in an organization i guess... of cause i can't appeal to them as a sage, but it helps to communicate out what's expected of a task or invite ppl to participate rather than assume that ppl would know how since they're grownups ? Same thing with marriage too i guess. Ppl come fr diff background with different expectations, hopes, values... and we can't expect our spouse to know what wd make us tick or itch. ( maybe this applies more to girls hur? coz i think alot of us expect the guys to 'sek zou'... some of us come with huge set of expectations... sigh. pity the guys...sometimes they're jst well-meaning but bit dense la)
3rd lesson> there is a gap of understanding between me and the kids... i think i have to adjust my communication style to relate to em'. Cause sometimes they don't speak adult langguage. Esp the belum-matang-lagi-boys in my std 5s n 6s. "teacher, why do i need to study?" Me : "actually, u don't have to. your parents are so darn rich, they're quite happy to give you what you want. At this age, you're asking for PS II or branded jeans which can be readily appeased than asking for cars or money to study overseas (which you would ask later). Since life is so easy for u, there's no pressure for you to grow up and think about goals in life to work towards it..." (jst kiddin'. i din say that to them ;p) I told the boys they need to fill their minds up cause girls don't like guys that are just cute. {since they're in the age where they've ady started to disturb girls (in ways that annoy em'), tot i mite use that to trick em' into studying?} And guess what? the girls in my class actually nod ?!! woo hoo... we're just destined to be wise fr the start. ;p
Monday, August 14, 2006
don't really
don't feel too good about my new job :(
doesn't seem to make sense that i have to spend 1/4 of the time controlling the class just to start or resume lessons...a lesson of patience for myself? but these kids are sleek. They freeze when fierce teachers pass by. I guess they can tell when not fierce ones are pretending...
don't understand why i have to spend extra time 'helping' bigger kids who doesn't wanna be help.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
First day
Sent one 12 yr old boy to to the principle's office... and he came back apologizing to me. With tears. My heart melted instantly... :( kinda wonder whether i was too harsh on him.
I was drilled by friends/family/teachers about establishing my authority on start otherwise i'd loose my control... and so i tried. I think i scare myself off today... first time hearing myself YELLING at kids, or punishing em' to stand... i think i was more scared of them than being angry...(inside my heart i was really pitying em'... after all kids r still kids ain't it? but gota be strong lah)
teaching kids is not jst about teaching, but disciplining, n keeping the class in order as well (which seemed to take the bulk of it). In a way, it thought me alot also about the importance of respect n order... i really duno how to list the importance of these virtues down in words... (oh dear, hope i don't sound old?) but in the contrary, ppl jst can't be left to their whims of whenever & whatevers... what's gonna happen when they're out @ work ? an ungirdled stallion can't compete in the race ain't it?... i really hope one day when they grow up they'd come to understand and appreciate the borders which i've drawn out... n not remembering me as a mad young strict teacher who terrorised their childhood. Even if they don't remember me, i hope some good stuffs of that get soak into their system. Of which i feel accountable for...
Reminiscening on the school days where mom never make homework or studying a choice. She definately backed her words up with 'reinforcement'. We lived thru' weeks without t.v. too... n comparing it to some of my peers (back in school) who seemed to struggle between play & work*... i feel indebted to mom for not sparing the rod...
nyways, i shall surrender this day to the Maker, of fulfillments n errors...
n pray that i'll be wiser n stronger as the days grow...
n i really pray that my students wd get to see the kinder days... soon.
* then again, there r exceptions. I've met few major ponteng ex-school mates who seemed to catch up real quick, now, when it comes to work & money...
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
not unemployed
First interview, 10am. 12pm, employed.
First job. (besides my prev 2 mths of industrial training)
It all happened so quick, i still haven't settle with the fact that i be working as a primary math teacher. I guess they needed one real quick... insisted i signed then n there? Guess that's my weakness hur? tend to give in under pressure. ish. but the pay is pretty good + workplace is near + i like the environment + the principle... so i guess that sort of compensate for the abruptness la.
The whole tone of the interview (as far as i recalled) was "when you teach here..." i can hardly remember what the principle or CEO asked me. I tingled "i'll consider... (smile) "since i applied for higher form in secondary instead. Next thing i know, i had a pen, a paper n ______ <- sign here
So there, here's miss ____ starting school on 1 aug. I'll be a form teacher for a class of 25 odd standard fives. Working fr 8-3.30 Mon-thus, and 1/2 day on fri. :)) Out of uni & back to school... woa. The last time i last mixed with kids was... ... primary 6? n... last 2 weeks ago helping out in sunday school. hmm...
meanwhile... looking for opportunities to go back uni again. elsewhere...
Monday, July 17, 2006
a picture

so she was waited upon each day
at the tallest stalk
and dozens of shots flew at her
night drown
she covered her gaze with 2 robed arms (2 petals)
with 2 blooms left (e 2 remaining ones)
retrieving herself
p.s- it's getting late n maybe sleep has faded me... duno what's her colour though...?
Monday, July 10, 2006
a green shooting star
I was walking with mom at the playground after dinner... as i was staring into the night, i saw a shooting star ! I was thrilled ! First time ever !! felt my heart leaped like it first sighted hope. It's so rare to spot one in a city... not to mention tonight's sky was rather tarnish with city air and stars were sighted above in few faint dots.
But it's quite a strange colour for one. the trail was green, but the meteor? (last flame) was yellow. And it plunged pretty low into the atmosphere rather gracefully (or so i feel). I couldn't find any info on green shooting star in yahoo. Save one post, under the UFO session. (Not going there).. or could it be a lone fire-work that someone set up? or maybe the colour reflected was due to the polluted air ? ...?
awe-full-of-questions...
ahh...i was prepared to stay up all night naming all my wishes ;p
Thursday, July 06, 2006
meanwhile...
been forcasting storm these few days when i start to stare into the future... kinda wondering 'would i make it?", 'How?''... those thoughts were spinning n looming around me...trapped..
during worship last nite in CH, felt a voice knocking at my wrapped up head to "remember... remember..." then i realized i'd forgotten how faithful God has (have?) been to me in the past...felt guilty i chose worry as my companion instead... worrying is like being ingratitude towards an old friend who has always been there...
i'm glad he reminded me... and i slept peacefully knowing... knowing He be there... and it be well
meanwhile, i'm starting to teach a girl tuition... applying for tutoring positions in some private colleges. Pray they get back to me fast... and that i'll fill my holidays whipping up some skills.. i wouldn't mind walking ppl's dog or cat out for some extra tips too...anyone with pets n loads extra change to spare?
saw an old mansion written "St Paul's daughters" along jln gasing... am wondering, how's that possible ? ;p
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
contentment n faith?
i've always wondered how these two elements interwind? In a way we're taught to be content with what we have1, but yet we're asked to stretch ourselves2 too...oddly, if we're happy with what we have, why would we want to strive for more?
the orang aslis as i've come to learn, are the most contented ppl. If they're hungry, they'll just go into the jungle (which happens to be where they live btw) to pluck the ferns (ok, maybe they do wild boar hunting too). With just the bare necessities to survive, yet i've heard one of the most grateful prayers being said there. Does being content means settling for mediocracy?
i'd like to glue these two poles thru' the parable of the talents3. Each of us are given different measure of gifts and talents. To be content means being please with what we have without comparing with others. Even though it may seemed unfair that some received a dearer portion. (we're told that the master distribute the talents/gifts acc. to each's ability4)
However, faith is the fuel to develope the talents. Fear, faith's barrier cripples progression, as seen from the man with one talent. Questions like "but what if i fail?", "other ppl can do better", "i can if only i were a bit more..." stems from fear & discontentment. While faith could have seen that one talent flying into horizon. Take John Osteen, Joel's osteen dad, pastor of Lakewood church (one of the fastest growing in the states). After he accepted Christ, all he dream of is preaching. Nobody ever believed that would be possible, coming fr a family of cotton-pickers, soaked in poverty due to the great depression, with non of his family attending church regularly. One of the first sermons which he preached on the entire story of samson, only at the end, did he realize he has been calling the hero "tarzan". Yet he never gave up.
The parable concludes that what we have now is not fixed5. Somehow as we progress, we receive. Like a bidirectional path. ungoverned. I believe God usually meet us according to our expectations6. The bible7 also states the importance of where we set our minds to.
some ppl are wary of ppl or churches spilling with success... is ordinarily & reasonably THE 'acceptable' reference mark of which anything yonder is questionable...? What about setting overflowingness as the plumb line?8
1. Heb 13:5
2. Mat 17:20, Isa 54:2
3. Mat 25: 14-30
4. 25:15
5. 25:29
6. Mat 8:13; 9:29; 15:28
7.Col 3:1,2
8. Roms 15:13
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
sun baked

had a week where both my wishes lap over my whines (if only i can strike through those words in my prev post. Rach, how u do that with yr fonts?)
got sun-baked in redang.
strolled through pasir panjang,
rubbing my feet on the fine sandy white...
lulled by reds thredding through the blue canvass (sunset).
taking pictures of sunrise...
of wide-ness n space... :a
in the deep blue
a creation of it's own :a
life's bubbling all around me
or search them in sandy bottom n crooks
of eels n shrimps
& ballooning fishes...
got back home n found that lightning had striked my house. Down were my modem, astro decoder, 2 phones, dad's motherboard...:( it hit next door too... (raining in s'bg can be dangerous)
hike on sat
saw colour quilted insects... ;p
glimpsed of sun flecks thru the woods :a
of waterfalls and soggy feet
and endless greens...
:a --> ahhhh...
Friday, May 26, 2006
Sigh
wish i could plunge into the deep blue or scale into the clouds...
or learn something new...
but no $
and permission...
how?!
it's as if looking for a job or studying further is the only legitimate path for now...
maybe i have more choices than i allow myself to think
maybe i ought to make my wants louder
maybe i should start..
somewhere...
Sunday, May 14, 2006
A Mummy Day
Here's 5 things to thank mummy for (a love recollection) :
1. Rescuing me fr a monkey. Me, my bro and my neighbour kids have tails when we're young. Used to swing around my neighbour's tree. Once a friendly monkey decided to join us, guess he couldn't tell the differences. Sadly, his presence terrified us. The older boys managed to save themselves, while i was stuck on a branch. It sat face to face with me. I cried. Well, it dissappeared n there was mummy. :)Not to mentioned there were a few times where Mr Monkey 'borrowed' some of our stuffs, including my first ever mechanical pencil and my favourite tortoise eraser. I was really heart-broken then. Well, but mummy redeemed them back. Here's to mummy, the monkey-fighter ! (My house in penang was surrounded by patches of undeveloped forest, so we get unusual visitors)
2. Making wonderful food. Used to remember her making fish balls in the kitchen, or kneedling cookie doughs, which i'll get a piece to play with. Not to mention her pine-apple upsidedown cake, almond cookies... slurps. Missing em'. Why u stop baking now mom? What i'm really thankful now is having home-cook food every night. and b'coz of that i can't cook. ;p
3. Saving me from looney teachers. she's one herself (the noun) though. Being in chinese primary skol - u get a taste of Mrs Trunchbulls. [T] Once in primary 2, i forgot to pass up my math homework (not that i didn't do, just din remember to pass up k) and was very scared to face mrs T. I received warnings b4. So... ;p Anyways, clever mummy took my workbook and marked it for me instead. Guess mom's not good at copying stuffs hur? I got caught !Nopes, Mrs T din believe my story, but mom came to see her and saved the day. Hmm...no wonder i never learned my lesson. Next, i was in a 'torture' class in std 6 (or so they call it the 'golden' class) where all the children were given >10 homework to do each day. Well, i complained about the workload, mom came to see my form teacher...lalalala
4. My personal tutor. The only time i started thinking was during form 6. Before that, mummy answered all my ad-math and physics questions. (so that i can sleep in class ;p)
5. Always there for us. Yeah, nice having a mom who works half day so kids like me can bug her anytime of the day ! her being there for us all the time makes my world turn round.
Mummies are such unbelievable creatures yea ? Well, of course i got my spankings and curfews and... but all in the name of love hur. So Happy Mother's Day !!
Monday, April 24, 2006
Garden scenes

An ant's view.
Some pictures i took during my study 'break'. ;p Kinda carried me back to the nursery rhyme's age... where animals start to talk to each other when the humans are not around. This is my garden waking up at the first ray of the sunbeam! Wish i could scribble some poetry here...Well, in actual fact, my discoveries of my garden having a life of it's own happens late night, when i caught (a family of) big bad juicy snails chewing up my lovely leaves. Uuhh. they won't live. blame mummy.
I kinda realize that i rarely flip back the old chapters of life. Save my neverdying love for my childhood. Maybe growing up wasn't that fun. Or perhaps i'm living the best chapters now:) Either that or i've learned to lick the cream and let it settle at my tongue for a while. Can't taste the rest then (hmm...somehow my past relics seemed to pass by me of late. still not sure what to do. no point resolving things that have no answers? i'm such a passive problem solver compared to my bro though.) Well, like what J.Meyer's rhetoricaly asked the audience "is there anyone here who's married to a spouse of few faults?" (dun think i sight many hands up), i figure out that the colours of our life is decided by the way we relate to life and ppl. (not forgeting with our own self too). Well, i hope i can retain that view during my 'after-graduating-help-i'm-lost' time.
One thing i can be grateful for now, is the generous presents and treats fr my friends during my b'day season. i'm loved. :) It was pretty bland at first... but then i get the later rain of surprises. thanks :)
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
sprinkle of cinnamon
...writing up my thesis and sitting for test in betweens. Managed to submit my draft last friday. Got mix remarks fr my tutor who marked it. But i supposed polishing up would make it shine.
...even so, throughout this time, i've been sprinkled by His blessings; bubbled by His love. Got back some of my test results, and i did unexpectedly... well ! i'm surprised. Can't even recall what went in and out of my brains...
...grateful for good health. Was dotted with flu and colds for the previous sems. Pleaded hard then, but... Somehow, i'm kept well this time even with less sleep and movement. Bit fatter though :)
... chilling in with bits of Norman Brown and yellowjackets.
Guess that's my world for now. My only wish is that i could be more emersed into a bigger cause... getting bit comfy with my nest... hope i get to soar into the blue...
nites. gt wake up wee early to edit my thesis. Next week's my finals... then i get to fly.......
Thursday, February 23, 2006
wonderings
...why i'm so blurr sometimes. well, was caught in surprise once, when a young girl answered at the end of my house line. Found out it was my friend, and i dialled wrongly. Apart fr that, there's countless me sending the wrong sms or msn msg. how embarassing..
*need grace for myself*
... why there's so many angry ppl out there... either directly expressed or inwardly supressed. wonder whether life really hit hard on us... or maybe we duno how to healtily channel it.. or we just need to forgive more ? i guess one of the challenge in life is to forgive ourselves and perhaps God that life din turn out the way we expect, yet learning to make good of the blessing that comes by. one way to be happy ?
*smile*
... after watching i-robot. Come to think of it -We're just made up of codes ! DNAs. Of course, the final product is influenced by environment. Learned about C-value paradox. That is the more chromosome ( something that our DNAs are nicely packed into) an organism have, does not reflect the complexity of it. (i.e you can have a fern plant with 200+ haploid number, compared to human-23). So there, bit hard to explain macro-evolution fr this angle.
... used to be that most scientist thinks that the junk DNAs ( about 90-95%? of our DNA did not code for any structure) are the residues of evolution. Yet now, we're learning more and more about their importance, especially in regulating the coding and unlocking the code (transcription) process. And how mutation of just one single nucleotide, can bring such a disastrous consequences on the final outcome. But we're not left to wander, coz we've got many complicated mechanism (i.e about 6-7 DNA repaired mechanism that i learned of) just to save-guard the integrity of our DNAs !!!
*i am fearfully and wonderfully made* (psalms 139: 14)
...Maybe someday we can be resurrected again. Wonder whether i'll be the same me ?
or a different soul and spirit ? ( the future for this is not too far. Now that there's a latest technology that can sequence the entire fly genome (that is the entire genes) in like few hours ? who knows, someday our genome can be sequenced in few hours... or stored into a chip. (and if our grandchildren misses us, and won't mind having baby me, then...hehe).
... then again, can computer info evolved and re-program themselves ? ( like VIKI in i-robot). when do life come about ? one of the first few theories i learned in biology is that "life comes from life". Then again, is DNA something, alive? Well, can't imagine a software turning into life (i.e feeling robot). So, again how did the soul and spirit comes about fr DNAs?
*i guess amidst the simplicity that S & T bridges us... there are still things our mind can't understand. and i stand amazed at the wonders of the creator*
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Yesterdays
few nites ago, a few wayward strands of my eye lashes at the edge of my right upper eye lid grew into my eyes. It scraped against my eyeballs...anyways, thank God this time i managed to flushed water and rubbed my eyelash off. Thx yik for that suggestion. The last time it happened on October last year, i'd to pay rm40 for "opti-cure" to get my eye-lashes plucked. My eyes was secreting lotsa yellowy eye-shit for protection ady... was horrified when the doctor took out the metal tray(like dentist-sort) full of surgical tools. Not to mention i had my right eye anaesthetize. eye-drop, not needle. *sheueeeuw*
which reminded me of the incongrous events that tint the pigments of my life... During my Cf camp last year in a jungle, an insect jabbed my left thigh...from nowhere and flew away. Poor k'cheng... deprieved her role as judge for the food preparation to drive me to the clinic at the nearest town, which happened to be like an hour plus away. Few months later, i got stung by a bee in youth camp... Insects love me.
2006's just started, and it's also my final semester !!!! already i'm celebrating in advance :) uni and thesis is far from reality... nyways, i'm so happy because...
- i gota drop in S'pore... the fun part - going there during a not-holiday time for me. last visit was std 3... i so love to cruise along the streets - every crook and nook has a name... and there's always big trees waving to you on the main roads
- and heard my favouritest speaker "Joyce Meyers" !!! she's even more impressive up life
- Delirious-ed last night ! isit just the Brits ? or delirious and the way they make you "feel" the mountain tremble with such langour...;p
- Zimerman's performing in July ! i wish he plays Chopin (program list has not been out yet), love the way he plays the lyrics, like poetry fingers...
anticipating what's next...*slurps*
oh yea.. UM got robbed b4 CNY...(means time to work for the securities) ... went to uni today, and there's quite a queue at the pj gate. i 4got to bring my student ID( of all days), and was interrogated, i.e."give your dean's name ?" (wic i 4got too...), but i gave a visual description of how he looks... tall, bald, janggut ( the last remark was chipped in by the guard himself...farnee la).
*sigh* duno how traffic will be like when lectures fully commence on Mon :( Like how we'd to queue up in the hall during primary/high skol b4 entering class every morning... with the prefects checking on our name tags, hair... now go to uni, have to line up with cars and show ID...
Monday, December 19, 2005
roundabouts
"what do you say to yourself if you were the one spilling it instead?"
"u stupid. idiot"
i realized through Dr Meier that we tend to be harsher on ourselves than toward others. In doing so, we're not granting ourselves grace but are working hard in the flesh to prove our sufficiency.*
Ironically, when we accept Christ into our lives, we're basically declaring that " i wouldn't make it anyway! so quit trying so hard and surrender to His grace" (Roms 3: 23-24) Yet, grace seems to lost it's role right after the point of conversion...somehow...
so, in our daily lifes we leave grace behind and like most ppl, we walk around carrying a mild dose of discontentment, or calling ourselves total failures at one or two mistakes, compare ourselves with others and awe at how they managed to hold it all up...and perhaps like me, falling flat to my bed when i start thinking about my past failings, half fearing whether i'd even end up achieving or would i end up living a mediocre life...in simple words, we trust ourselves too much. ( if it's about us fulfilling them all)
" people who fear the future or uncertainties does not lack faith, it's just that they're putting their faith in negativity, believing it will come through rather than God's promises." **
Linking that to what Matt Fielder said, if we were to expect nothing, then we've already got what we paid for... there we go walking around with our arms crossed and heads down...nothing is going to happen if we're not inviting anything or going out there to create something...ever wonder why delightful things always happen to some ppl, while some seemed to hit themselves on the wall all the time ? Matthews claims it all upon ourselves - our perspective of life or attitude.*** ( ok, maybe some ppl have an easier life:) ) Tying it back to what i wrote earlier about our expectations in life and self-fulfilling prophecies, certain things are begining to make sense to me now ( and as much as i love to blame others, i guess it all boils down to my attitude and beliefs). :)
Being an object of grace would also means removing 'self' fr the throne to "God", believing that I am able to because of Him? (Phi 1:6, 2 Cor 9:8, Phi 4:13) and trading our thoughts to thinking His ways ? (Phi 4:8, 2 Cor 10:5 );
* www.joycemeyers.org > tv & radio broadcast > Dec 12th > Joyce with Dr Meier
** Enjoying Everyday Life, December 05 issue.
***Andrew Matthews. (1993) "Making friends." Media Masters. S'pore.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
oophs
| Your Inner Child Is Naughty |
now, how do they figure that out in just 5 questions ?
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
home alone 2
1. two piles of half dried clothes all being aired up in the hall. ( well, it's been raining since, and the clothes won't dry up. Think i might try putting them in the oven )
2. A mother cat giving birth to kittens below my shoe rack outside... and i duno how to get rid of em'...
oh dear oh dear... the last time i was home alone, i cultured fungus fr left-overs in the fridge and unwashed cups...
Guess i'm so used to ppl tidying up after me... plus being the youngest, it's easy to get away with the mess...i can just leave my cup on my study table, and next thing you know it walked back to the kitchen...but now, it just doesn't do that trick anymore. :( pity my bro, comes back late fr work and has to straighten up the house. Well, thank God i've one day to clean up right after my last paper b4 my parents return (screaming).
2 more papers to go...
sigh*... i wonder whether it's just me or ? when it comes to final year my motivation to study has decline... arrived on time for me to walk in the exam hall without having to line up...the only setback is that there's no parking space left and i'll have to walk really far...not study on weekends...watch the nanny marathon on Sunday...drive on the slowest lane so i don't have to reach so early...chat or stare blank to space rather than look thru my notes b4 entering...
oh wait... i think it's just me. The last finals i forgot to collect my exam slip...yeah, guess it's me...
Meanwhile i'm still unsure whether my uni's cutting short our holidays or...our last mid sem holiday was altered with just a wave on the wand... in just one week's notice, "eh? holidays change adi"
Thursday, November 17, 2005
if only...

I wish... :)
meanwhile, my life cycle goes rocking between " sleep, study, sleep, sleep..."
Pretty much entertained at how my university admin tried so hard to console themselves over consolation prize by flagging the whole campus with "UM ternobat" banners... i better go snap some shots before the education ministry decides to remove it.
not the least, The Nanny and Peanuts have really helped kick in some fun for me...
Well, my parents are dumping me home alone (bro's hardly around now that he's working) to go for a vacation... not fair... they've always took me along... now i'll have to wait till i start earning my own money to travel... boo...hoo...
be attending one of my cousin's wedding at the end of Nov. That reminds me to top up my wardrobe right after my last paper... have not feed it since last semester's holiday... Be looking forward for the 25th where my cousins, aunts and granny will be flying down for the wedding...


