Orientation will end next week and the whole cycle will start again. Just like that, a click of the finger and we are back at ground zero to do battle for another two years.
What will my new year's resolutions for my classes this year?... Will have to think about that.
You know age is catching up when you picked up a bat and do some swings, only to have an aching back for the next 3 days that almost incapacitated you, made you walk with a funny gait and applied yoko yoko for the first time ever. The only good thing that came out of it was a firmer trunk with less volume at the love handles. I probably imagined the latter but I really have to take care of this back of mine and start stretching before I become too brittle.
The last time I stopped at the softball trip to Chiang Mai. It was a nice trip - restful I dared say because I was finally able to sleep through the night since the start of the holidays. Perhaps there was just too much tension at the start, be it to meet the looming deadline of testimonials or to prepare my own Uni apps or to prepare the trip itself. So the trip was a good one and I enjoyed making the side trip for CIP recce, away from the kids and away from routine. The first day was spent surveying the potential new site, visiting the village where we constructed a water filtration system under CIP and to buy a computer and printer for my translator, Chala with the money collected.
It was at the village when I felt the impact of progress. Instead of straw houses, some houses are now made of concrete. There are now two churches and the village head had his own provision store too. Surveying the whole area from the top of the hill, I realised that our work had brought benefits. At the same time, as more and more help arrived and more and more villagers willing to buy concrete buildings from Habitat for the Humanity, the rustic charm of the 'village' which I once lived in will disappear.
2nd day was a 8-hour journey to Chala's orphanage to bring them the books and electronics. We traveled from 9am to 4pm, one-way because the driver decided to take a 'short-cut' that turned up to be a longer way because we had to go up and down a mountain. I could feel my stomach swimming with discomfort at the end of the ride down the mountain and was glad to stop for lunch to rest out the swirling motion.
The ride back was faster and I got back at 9pm. It was an entire day of traveling but it ended on a high note as I lied down on the bed and watched the fireworks went off outside my windows as the Thais celebrated the New Year with fanfare. It was a beautiful sight.
The next few days were a blur because we played games every day and it was a routine. But mango sticky rice saved the day! :)
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Speech in English had never been my forte because I had difficulty catching with the nuances of words and I believed that my hearing was awful --> so pardon my expression. After so many years, I realised why - because it was just so different from Chinese where a single word can hold a profound meaning on its own. But in English, you need to string words to express yourself. Why is it that I never see it that way? As a simple tool for communication.
For the same reason, I struggled when I took elementary French, trying to seek out non-existent depth in each word.
So I decided to work hard on my listening capacity and change the neuronal circuitry in my head. I started my Spanish lessons. I may not be good at this but I am definitely going to make an effort in it. I had already seen how readily my younger counterparts picked up the new language and their verbal verbosity in English. But I will get there.
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moral stand.
feathers were ruffled recently with the clashes of the titans in the world. I applauded at the showdown.
There are people who liked to bully their way through things, eliciting demands and not ready to compromise.
We all need the moral courage to now stand up and say 'no more!' - not with stubborn defiance but with compassion. Be courageous to earn less but be responsible for your fellow man in this world. Be courageous to have less so that you can give more.
We say we want to earn as much as possible. But what can we take away when we leave this world? We say we want to leave something for our descendant but don't they care? A father went to seek financial help to keep his 5-rm flat during the financial meltdown when he could be financially comfortable with a smaller flat. Why? Because he wanted to leave the flat to his kids. But how many kids live with their parents these days with some many ready to make their own nests?
There was a philanthropist cum businessman who told his children right from the start that he was not going to leave any inheritance to them. They had to earn their footing in this world. But what he did provide was good education, opportunities to learn and a good environment. All his children did well on their own merits and when he died, all his money went to the charities.
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And for the last entry today...
someone write a note to me recently and halfway through it, my eyes were already moist.
Sometimes it took us a long time to realise what we enjoy or what we are capable of. I am glad she found out the she did enjoy Biology at the end of her JC journey. What I was glad about was how she chose to pick herself up towards the end and persevered all the way instead of throwing in the towel.
Life is a journey and through it, we learnt more about ourselves and our abilities. No one can define it for us.
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