A Brush with Life...

A Life Changing Brush with Life

2010-03-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

As you very well know, I haven't been on here to blog. I was struggling to deal with the cultural difference in Tasmania even though I went there with high hopes and aspirations. Came back in January and was immediately put to work the next day. How absolutely disorientating! I felt so sorry for the students because I could not for the life of me remember ANY of their names.

But I learned one thing, there is a HUMONGOUS difference teaching dance and teaching geography. A gap so big it could swallow me up. Literally... Think about it. In dance class they're allowed freedom of movement and are allowed to play. In geography class? Ha! You must be kidding.

I mean I developed the program to be as interesting as possible with activities you wouldn't even dream of seeing as part of a geography syllabus. But it's the teaching and the holding of the students attention that is a major struggle.

Today's S.E.E.D.S workshop run by Greg Evans was such a godsend. It was a workshop that I never felt bored of being in and I was energetic and motivated coming out of it. Imagine that! I am feeling a level of confidence that I never thought to see at a high level again after two months of teaching. It gave me hope that trying to make them love learning - after six years of our government schools killing that love - was not an impossible mission anymore.

Think of it, we turn the childrens' behaviour around at ACE. But the workshop taught us a way of doing that while maintaining the connection with the students and how to use positive reinforcement more effectively. The most important thing was that he gave us tools so we won't need to fight for the attention of students anymore! We teachers will grab it whether they like it or not.

I guess the most important thing about the workshop was his story at the end. It made such and impact. In a nutshell, even if we teachers make a difference to even one students it is a HUGE accomplishment because we have made a difference to their lives. That is truly a victory to celebrate.

Pictures to come!

Up

2009-08-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, my first post in a long time. But I just had to write about this movie. I know what you're thinking. It was probably the same thing, along the lines of, "Oh no, another animated movie." Let me tell you though... It was AMAZING!!!

It wasn't just all cutesy and kiddy. It had more mature themes like being able to let go and life is not JUST one journey or adventure. I must say that this is one of the more touching animated movies I have ever watched. I was quite literally crying a river in the cinema. The story line was well developed and took the audiences on an emotional roller coaster ride. And ooh! I absolutely LOVED the dogs! Especially Doug the pointer dog shaking hands with the kid in the picture above.

Okay, a brief little synopsis to tempt you. Up is about a 78 year old man, Carl Fredrickson who ties balloons to his house in order to get it to Angel Falls in South America in keeping a promise to his late wife, Ellie. He is aided by Russell, a Junior Wilderness Explorer from Tribe 54, out looking to get his final badge that'll get him promoted to Senior Wilderness Explorer - Assisting the Elderly. Little does poor Russell know that the assistance Mr. Fredrickson requires goes far beyond mundane routines like crossing the road.

Oh Happy Day... =)

2009-04-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

Well, let's see. What has been happening thus far... Ah yes, I need replacement body parts. Some one please replace my aching limbs! LOL. Makes it a pain to walk around. Getting up from a chair will be the hardest thing I'll do these next few days - three hours of dance class with vigorous warm up exercises tend to do that to you.

The other update (and I feel so honoured you wouldn't believe) is that Jennifer Fallon herself has posted a book review that I made of her book The Immortal Prince up on her official site blog and commented on it. Check it out! I was thrilled yet super embarassed (I was blushing the entire time!) while reading what she had to say about it.

So yeah. It's totally exciting! Makes me want to write more book reviews. Do check it out because our aim is to guide people to finding good books to read. Especially if you can't afford to experiment by just picking out a book. It becomes really annoying and frustrating if you're on a budget and on a whim you randomly decide to pick out a book to buy and you read it... and it turns out it's not to your liking. So our book blog plans to eliminate that hassle!

Effective Immediately

2009-04-19T01:29:00.000-07:00

I reckon it would be really cool if people found a cure for laziness or procrastination. Maybe it will come in the form of a pill or a patch. So, whenever you're feeling lazy but you have work to do just take one after food and you'll be alright to do work. Though, I reckon our parents have found the cure - yelling or caning us.

Yes, these Easter holidays in Tasmania have really taken its toll on me. I have done nothing but enjoy it to the fullest. Doesn't sound to bad right? But it is bad to me, I'm thinking, due to the workload I will inevitably face when the deadlines start smacking you in the face.

But then, I can't really bear the thought of 'working' during my holidays. I mean, if working days are meant for people to work, why aren't holidays meant for people to holiday. There are many who can't afford to do some holidaying during the holidays and there are some people like my mum who don't seem to be able to distinguish work day and holiday. It's just really sad. Over here in Aussieland, you never, ever mess around with people's holidays.

Being a student here is really relaxing. It's not so hectic like our programme back home. Our coursemates can afford to work part time while studying! It's disgusting. Try that back home and you'll end up not sleeping and in the hospital. And that, is probably why I feel a bit guilty for not doing my work. I'm guessing it has something to do with me having work to do back home during the holidays - courtesy of mum. So maybe I'm not used to having time totally free to do anything I want.

With that in mind, I guess I'll really enjoy and savor the feeling of being free to do what I want, when I want... Yay!

Validation

2009-03-27T06:01:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love this video. It is cleverly written. And like the video, I shall validate my readers. You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate it.

Finishing Strong

2009-03-08T00:44:00.000-08:00

This guy is so inspiring! People always talk about how you have to get back up on your feet if you fall down. But they never tell you that you can still fall trying to get back up. It make you think all you have to do is get back up and it sounds so simple doesn't it? Well, it's not. And that's why I'm sharing this video with all of you who read my blog. It's a reminder for me and I hope it can be a reminder for you to keep trying no matter what.

Eat Out of a Toilet Anyone?

2009-03-08T00:36:00.000-08:00

There are so many unusual things in this world. If I had the money and time, I would see all there is to see... But I think you'd have to live forever in order to experience ALL the world has to offer, good and bad. I'd like to visit this really quirky place.

Book Reviews

2009-02-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

Just a quick shout out that Grace and I have been making improvements to our book blog so, do drop by and take a gander if you are looking for a book to read. We've added lots of new reviews!

Hilarious Blinkie

2009-02-02T10:01:00.000-08:00

I found this blinkie on a site called The Cutest Blog on the Block. They've got some really cool backgrounds and blinkies there. But I just thought this one was absolutely hilarious! All the Edward fans out there had better get a hold of this blinkie!

A Pleasant-er Surprise

2009-01-31T13:33:00.000-08:00

Wow, we're page rank 1 today! Can't believe it. Must be the changes and upgrades we've been making to the blog. Adding more book reviews soon.

What a Surprise... A Pleasant One Too

2009-01-30T12:20:00.000-08:00

May I just say wow... My book blog is on page 4 on Google search. Maybe this doesn't seem so overwhelming. But this is page 4 out of over 820 million other hits AND it is contending with the hits from 'All Creatures Great and Small' by James Herriot which is what it's named after as it is one of my favorite books of all time. Also, the search results are not based on the actual phrase which makes it even more amazing. Can't believe it! Truth be told... I'm not sure how it even got there... Click the image below to find out more about page rank. There's a really good article about it from smashing magazine.com

Ip Man

2009-01-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know me well, you would know very well that I don't understand nor speak a word of Chinese. So you can imagine what happens when the subtitles in a Chinese movie are inaccurate - to say the least. Yes, do remind me never to get the early, closely original edition of a Chinese movie.

I didn't understand a word of what was going on! It was incredibly frustrating because the subtitles in English were a direct translation of the Cantonese dialogue and, at other times, it differed vastly from the original meaning. For example, 'wong suk' was translated directly to 'prosperity uncle' and 'tai kor' was translated to 'Kayu' which left me wondering what was going on in the translator's minds...

However, I feel that the lack of subtitles allowed me to appreciate the movie a whole lot more than I thought it would. It made me think and observe even more than I usually would when watching a movie. Because I didn't get the dialogue served up to me on a plate, I had to really observe the acting and subtext and also analyze the structure of the plot to understand what was going on.

And you know what? I really, really enjoyed the movie. The plot and characters were 3-dimensional unlike a lot of the kung fu movies we get these days. The visuals were well-thought out (remember the feather duster?) and the acting was spot on and I say this with certainty because I could still follow the story without understanding the dialogue. Yes, Donnie Yen truly outdid himself in this one... I see them sweeping the awards for this one.

I found out towards the end of the movie that this was based on a true story. I think that the film makers and especially the script writer did justice to it. The humourous moments were very well scattered in the movie keeping it light where it needed to be. And the rest of the time? Why, you'd spend most of it on the edge of your seat gasping at the plight of Ip Man and also gawking at the precision of his kicks and punches - frightening, yet beautiful.

It made me think about and admire those people who stand up for what's right even though they know it may cost them their lives. However, Ip Man had one thing that made him sure of himself in the face of adversity - his skill in kung fu. I think that's how regular people achieve greatness. I would be so lucky to even find the one thing I can be sure of in life.

This was certainly a tale from Chinese history worth telling to the world.

TIT BITS: I've just discovered that the screen play was written by Edmond Wong who, incidentally, also wrote the screen play for Dragon Tiger Gate. Also, according to Wikipedia, there's going to be a sequel portraying Ip Man's life in Hong Kong and that either Jay Chou [???] or Aaron Kwok is being considered for the role of Bruce Lee.

Tutorials, and More Tutorials

2009-01-21T20:45:00.000-08:00

NO I am not attending them. I don't fly off till the 11th of February anyway... I'm just here killing time during my fourth and final babysit- I mean, tutorial watch for today. Ha! Ha! Ha! I'm just relieving Teacher Shyam today who's feeling rather unwell. I can tell you for a fact that the hall is super noisy! I'm having trouble hearing myself think.

But I'm having a ball of a time watching them practice their skit for their history lesson after this. I just had a pregnant guy collapse in front of me after giving birth. XD So funny! And one group has just discovered that I am covertly taking pictures of them practicing. They're a cute bunch though. I must admit that I am pretty darn jealous as well. Wish I had that much fun learning history in school.

Before this tutorial, I was suffering from a severe bout of boredom since my laptop could not establish a connection to the internet and it certainly didn't occur to me to bring something should the internet not work. Fortunately, I'm a very resourceful person and so, managed to find something to do to beat the boredom.

The nice part about sitting here and observing the students is that they all have smiles on their faces! That's really awesome. We've had parents come tell us that they now don't have to wrestle their kids out of bed just to get them to school. They're waking up all by themselves. I'm envious of that too. =p

Feeling the Shackles

2009-01-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

I wonder if anybody has ever felt as though life was overwhelming because I certainly am feeling that way now just thinking about what lies in store in my future. Just when you think that it's too much too soon, somebody like Mr. Obama shows up and floors you. Bad enough that there's too much on your plate - look at him!

Has anyone been reading the newspapers lately? Have you seen the expectations people are piling on him? And forget the U.S, all around the world people are hoping he will aid or bring change to their countries. The pressure is immense. He may as well have been elected the Ruler of the World if that were the case.

But I digress, my point is that I'm just amazed at the things people can do - the mountains they are able to carry and move. I can't imagine being in his shoes right now... it's just too overwhelming! But it does make me feel that my problems are smaller and more manageable and I hope that I will be able to rise to the occasion and deal with it well.

The most important thing I believe, is to believe in yourself and what you're doing and to trust yourself to see you through life (mostly unscathed).

A Chinese Wedding Dinner

2008-11-23T09:17:00.000-08:00

One of my cousins has gotten married so as per the title we went for the wedding reception held today at Dragonboat Restaurant (pretty good food there) along Jalan Kampung Pandan. At first, I guess both Grace and I were a little nervous about the whole affair because most of our relatives on my dad's side of the family communicate solely in Cantonese or Mandarin and we are extremely notorious for not being able to speak both languages.

It's a little weird not being able to communicate with your own relatives but it's not like we see them THAT often anyway. Sad, but true. It was fun though because we were sitting at the same table with the cousins we COULD communicate with. They're mighty quiet though and every single time Grace and I have to go through the motions of breaking the ice when we see them - and it's a mighty thick layer of it mind you.

Other than that it was a happy occasion. I must take this time to wish our cousin Jack (wonder when he had an English name he goes by) a happy and love-filled marriage. Stella's (the bride's) father was absolutely ecstatic... as 'yam seng's' go, his was the loudest of all. I honestly had no idea that the groom had to visit all the tables at the wedding reception - with a glass of beer in hand - to do the 'yam seng' ritual. Jack's face was pretty red as is when he got to ours and we were only the 7th table... only 38 or so more to go...

What I found fascinating was how the tables were arranged in the hall. Obviously the bride and groom's table will be in the front-centre. Then surrounding this table will be other tables seating the family members, extended and otherwise. This is followed by the guests of the bride and groom's parents and seated at the tables right at the back will be the friends of the newly-weds. It was fascinating to note that the closer relationships to the newly-weds existed at the back of the room. It makes sense though because you see family only so often. It seems customary that they put the family in front but that seems unfair that the people closest to you are dumped at the back.

Performing Away

2008-11-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

Wow, finally started my own blog... Can't believe I actually did it despite all my complaints about starting a blog that everyone can see. But I think it's about time I stepped out of this shell of mine.

Lately, I've been performing a lot - thanks to my internship with Living Arts Dance Studio. I am enjoying myself but sometimes things can get quite, quite hectic.