smallest thing to u may seem biggest thing to others

Mark talked incessantly. I had to remind him again and again that talking without permission was not acceptable. What impressed me so much, though, was his sincere response every time I had to correct him for misbehaving. "Thank you for correcting me, Sister!" I didn't know what to make of it at first, but before long I became accustomed to hearing it many times a day.

One morning my patience was growing thin when Mark talked once too often, and then I made a novice-teacher's mistake. I looked at him and said, "If you say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth shut!"

It wasn't ten seconds later when Chuck blurted out, "Mark is talking again." I hadn't asked any of the students to help me watch Mark, but since I had stated the punishment in front of the class, I had to act on it.

I remember the scene as if it had occurred this morning. I walked to my desk, very deliberately opened my drawer and took out a roll of masking tape. Without saying a word, I proceeded to Mark's desk, tore off two pieces of tape and made a big X with them over his mouth. I then returned to the front of the room. As I glanced at Mark to see how he was doing he winked at me. That did it! I started laughing. The class cheered as I walked back to Mark's desk, removed the tape and shrugged my shoulders. His first words were, "Thank you for correcting me, Sister."

At the end of the year I was asked to teach junior-high math. The years flew by, and before I knew it Mark was in my classroom again. He was more handsome than ever and just as polite. Since he had to listen carefully to my instructions in the "new math," he did not talk as much in ninth grade as he had in the third.

One Friday, things just didn't feel right. We had worked hard on a new concept all week, and I sensed that the students were frowning, frustrated with themselves - and edgy with one another. I had to stop this crankiness before it got out of hand. So I asked them to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then I told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class period to finish the assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed me the papers. Charlie smiled. Mark said, "Thank you for teaching me, Sister. Have a good weekend."

That Saturday, I wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and I listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday I gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" I heard whispered. "I never knew that meant anything to anyone!" "I didn't know others liked me so much!"

That group of students moved on. Several years later, after I returned from vacation, my parents met me at the airport. As we were driving home, Mother asked me the usual questions about the trip, the weather, and my experiences in general. There was a light lull in the conversation. Mother gave Dad a side-ways glance and simply says, "Dad?" My father cleared his throat as he usually did before something important. "The Eklunds called last night," he began. "Really?" I said. "I haven't heard from them in years. I wonder how Mark is."

Dad responded quietly. "Mark was killed in Vietnam," he said. "The funeral is tomorrow, and his parents would like it if you could attend."

I had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. Mark looked so handsome, so mature. All I could think at that moment was, Mark, I would give all the masking tape in the world if only you would talk to me.

The church was packed with Mark's friends. The pastor said the usual prayers, and the bugler played taps. One by one those who loved Mark took a last walk by the coffin and sprinkled it with holy water.

I was the last one to bless the coffin. As I stood there, one of the soldiers who had acted as pallbearer came up to me. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. I nodded as I continued to stare at the coffin. "Mark talked about you a lot," he said.

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates headed to Chucks farmhouse for lunch. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting for me. "We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it."

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. I knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which I had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him. "Thank you so much for doing that." Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."

Mark's classmates started to gather around us. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home." Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put this in our wedding album." "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary." Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said without batting an eyelash. "I think we all saved our lists."

That's when I finally sat down and cried. I cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.


The purpose of this story is to encourage everyone to compliment the people you love and care about. We often tend to forget the importance of showing our affections and love. Sometimes the smallest of things, could mean the most to another. Please spread this story around and spread the message and encouragement, to express your love and caring by complimenting and being open with communication. The density of people in society is so thick, that we forget that life will end one day and we don't know when that one day will be. Tell them, before it is too late.

July-Dec2007

did this last week. Initially I tot this was easy. 300pcs. Lol. I'm so wrong. It took me 3hrs =X with the result of backache. :( but... it's nice. :)
















This is the only photo I took in Kenshu. =/ and it's not me~ wahhahaha













This is hg's cat! went to his house for enshinement of Gohonzon after kenshu. His 2 cats are very shy! *I want cats too* >.<

***

went to book Btt today. the aug slot no more *cry* only left with sept, so no choice booked 21st sept(fri) *wish me luck* I must pass since i have so much time. :)

guess the next half of the year is not gonna be so slack/free/bored/sianx/down compared to the first half. I have Btt coming up, 3 more modules for this year - Autism, Freshman Compo and Psychology of Learning. I must really do well for this 3 cos.... =X (it's not time to reveal yet:))
I also have Japanese class which the 1st lesson (last Sat) I missed cos of Kenshu. I'm also volunteering at metta every Sat for Chinese Orchestra (actually I'm gonna learn with them! WAhaha)
Lastly, I also hope to do my music theory grade 5 exam!! *excited* but when can i do my practical? :(

Hmmm! Anyway, now that I have plans ahead, I shouldnt be so slack and keep having negative thoughts! For the first half of the year, I thought i wasted my time, but it's for me to learn and therefore realizing I shouldnt repeat my mistake for the next half year!

Add Oil sy!!

Ok! Here's the new resolution for next half of 2007!
1) Able to complete those 'mission' mentioned above. (with flying colours:))
2) Able to save enough for school/Tozan/personal desired trip (South Africa-Cape Town) so expensive *scream*
3) Able to live/spent everyday wisely/meaningfully.
4) Able to appreciate every single livingbeing/non-livingbeing.
5) Able to maintain a happy ONG family. :) *though I didnt keep track,but i know we had at least 2 family dinner every mth(outdoor) not counting mummy's cooking!:D
6) Able to continue practice this True Buddhism with whole family whole-heartedly/sincerely/purely. though sansho-shima keep coming,but we can fight it right?:)

どらちゃん, がんばりましょね! :D

***

Miho-chan is going back on sat :(
Thanks for teaching us Japanese!
Enjoy/takecare/bestwishes!

I'm no longer holding on to tt expectation;)

想要的

我也想和他一样
每天把20小时
放在自己喜欢的工作上
只睡4小时

做自己喜欢的事
我相信
就是可以这样疯狂

可是
在现在的社会
是自己想要的
还是必需?

是为了兴趣
还是为了钱?

是为了亲友
还是为了名誉?

***

我想我懂了.

what's life?

what does life means to you?

my life, to me, it's like a scary roller coaster. i set the path myself and now i'm feeling very afraid. haha~

is ur life enjoyable?
is ur life meaningful?
is ur life fulfilling?
is ur life memorable?
is ur life full of laughter or sadness?
is ur life full of wonderful people? experiences?
is this the life u working hard for?
is this the life u wish for?
is this the life that u feel proud of?
is this the life people envy and wish for?

How do you want your life to be?

ytd I saw a man (ard early 30s - neatly dressed) sitting cross-legged at the centre of the interchange where ppl alight from bus.
after that when i saw him again, he lied down already, still, with his leg crossed. 2 mrt staff were there.

I wondered what happened. is he conscious? haix. Eileen told me ytd that one of her student(pri 1)'s dad suddenly passed away within few hours. and the father doesnt has any health problem before. :(

life seems so scary down. we dont know what will happen the next moment.

so.. appreciate ppl around us.

special needs cat

This is our beloved Roseme who was born with a rare condition called a Diaphragmatic Hernia, meaning some of her abdominal organs are out of place and actually located in her chest cavity. Because of this condition, she has a partially collapsed lung due to the liver pressing directly up against a lung. She is very susceptible to pneumonia so we watch her quite closely. Her liver function is not quite what it should be, and she suffers from urinary incontinence. This is why she wears boys' toddler jockey shorts (the elastic is better than on girls'). As a Manx, she has no tail so the shorts work quite nicely though we had to search to find some without "Spiderman" or "Spongebob Squarepants" on them. For some reason they don't make boys shorts with "Hello Kitty" on them!
Roseme, in spite of her problems, is the joy of our hearts and we can't imagine life without her. Living with a special needs cat has taught us one of the important lessons in life - appreciate the little things and this moment now. We know her life may be cut short by her condition, and we've had many frustrating times dealing with all of her health issues and giving her quality of life. But every day she is with us is a gift. Through it all she has remained a loving, spirited girl and this has made it all worthwhile.


Prince Magnus Olaf von Skarabrae is an all-white Skogkatt (more commonly known as a Norwegian Forest Cat in the United States) who lives in Geneva, Switzerland with his brother Fig and housemate Camillo. Olaf is completely deaf from birth.
He had fallen from my fourth floor window twice in two years because being deaf, he has a bit of an equilibrium deficit and has a faulty perception of depth, and consequently of danger. He barely survived his first fall because of the shock (he broke his back leg), and the second fall, he broke and deformed his rear left foot, making him waddle ever so slightly when he walks.

In addition, earlier this year, Olaf was diagnosed with the dreaded FIP, and has to be injected with Interferon once a week and is also on Prednisone.

It is very stressful for poor docile Ole to be undergoing so many medical procedures in his two years, not to mention taxing for me, but I will do anything and spare no expense for my sweet little prince who gives me so much love and joy in return.

Both are from about.com

sometimes talking is tiring

why are u giving me that attention?

Children Camp 2007 -photos

ok. this is Ivan Ong. and He talked non-stop! LOL. but he's very cute and lovable. :D


Min Rui and Kay Yan. Kay Yan is very sweet. No matter what, if u look at her, she will definitely give u her generous wide smile~ :)

Kiat gu with Timonthy. did i spell correctly? =x

and Shawn Sim. He's... hurhur.quite difficult to handle. and he's still very young. think he's 8?

Children Camp 2007

I'm back~
yeah
from children camp
and
i'm going for student kenshu
on friday
and back on sunday.

i need someone to hit me with a stick now. let me faint.
I seriously trying very hard to be awake now. :(

this yr's children camp is not the best one.
not that i'm comparing

but there's really lots rooms for improvement.

didnt take pics during the camp but took pics of some kids on the way back to pc.
will upload later.

See You!!!

I'm very hardworking today wor~ :D I memorised at least 30 music terms. hee.. this is the paper i used to practice. :D i had 3 sheet of this. woohOo~! :D



tried this when i visit the bysi warehouse sale and this piece is only for 15 bucks! but i didnt buy cos no money with me!! :( i like it...... haix.







I told u all I have nth to do. =X





Ok. I'm going to Children Camp 2007 on Sunday and I will only be back on Tuesday! :D so.. See u guys Next Week! have a nice weekend!! :D

Y am I complaining?

Most people know,

that I always have nothing to do at work... hee

but I always complained.

saying that...

I feel like a thousand yrs old creature..

because the time here is like 10hrs for a min. =/

However~

it's not that I have nth to do,

i'm just lazy...

I can read up more information about special needs.
I can study for music theory exam which i hope to go this Nov.
I can surf for interesting stuff to prevent my brain from slowing down.
I can shop online. =X (that's not a v gd thing to do though)
I can 'travel' online.
I can know how's my friends doing (blogs, friendster etc...)
I can find recipe to bake :D
I can look for nice pictures.
I can go to forum to update myself about things around us.
I can study for Basic driving theory exam which i'm gonna take in Aug (still long, I know :P -so i must pass =X)
I can chit chat on msn. hehe.
I can blog alot. (which i am now? )
I can kpo alot. =X
I can disturb ppl. =/ (not a gd thing also though)
I can... hmmmm.. see! so Many!!! and I get PAID to do things that benefit me (not the company =X) WAHAHAHHAHA! :X

ENVY ME! :X *run*

Failure

'There is one thing I want you to never forget. A failure in life is not a breakdown. If you think it's a breakdown, then any failure is the end. A failure is the starting point for new opportunities. There is no such thing as life without failure. You fall and get up, and get up and fall. You come to be able to stand on your own two feet. In work, or anything for that matter, if you do not fail, you will have no new ideas.'

-Guidance by Rev. Tokudo Yanasaka

more quizes..

You Have Your Emotions in Check

You are an incredibly stable and happy person. Ever consider being a therapist? You have figured out how to keep a positive outlook, no matter what. You don't have an easier life than anyone else. You just have figured things out a little more.

Can You Keep Your Emotions in Check?

Do you think it's true?

You Are Samuel Adams

You're fairly easy to please when it comes to beer - as long as it's not too cheap. You tend to change favorite beers frequently, and you're the type most likely to take a "beers of the world" tour. When you get drunk, you're fearless. You lose all your inhibitions. You're just as likely to party with a group of strangers as you are to wake up in a very foreign place.

What's Your Beer Personality?

Anybody can tell me whether we have Samuel Adams in Spore? =X hurhur.. I dont know whether is it true that i get fearless when i'm drunk. I haven been drunk before. =/

You Are Pretty Happy

You generally have a happy, fulfilling life. But things could be a little better, and deep down, you know it. Maybe you need more supportive friends or a more challenging career. Something is preventing you from being totally happy. You just need to figure out what it is!

How Happy Are You, Really?

WOOHOO~ I agreed with this one! :D

You Were a Fox

A good observer, you often watch others while remaining unseen. Cunning and courageous, you also have a gentle side.

What Animal Were You In a Past Life?

cunning~ hurhur!! waHahahHaha *evil*


Dont put ur expectation on others~

MAGGIE and ME

if u're feeling low now..

i suggest..

u should watch this..



its a comedy..
haha.. i was watching the first 3 episode with sam ytd.
and we keep laughing
but i dont know
whether it will be funny to you.
waAHahaAHAHHAhahaa.
anyway,
I watched it on MOBTV. :D

lastly,
IT'S FRIDAY!!!
so.. .
RELAX! :)

i wanna be cat~ :D

seems totally oblivious to the world around him. how wonderful~ :)









yum yum~ Sweet Flaky PAstry. Chinese Delicacies with a Timeless Flavour :)
This is the LAO PO BING uncle bought back from HONG KONG~ i miss HK! :(

more disappointment...

Bedok Police Station called me just now.

they say they found only my IC. I was so happy.

but then later they say it's being stolen and they asked me where exactly am i when i lost it.

then my heart sank.

I think I know that person who did it.

I'm very happy my IC was found but at the same time, my heart feels very heavy.

They want me to make a trip down to do a statement.

haix.

不老传说

haha.. still remember this show? I remember i like it very much when i'm in pri school. but that time, Ah wen Jie (cousin) was giving me tuition.. so i couldnt watch some episode.. :(

BUT!

i'm watching it on MOBTV now! :X

WAhahhahaa~


我是幸福的 :D