funniest10k:

VOLDEMORT!hahaha.

funniest10k:

stucksilly:

If you think you are unhappy…
If you think your salary is low…
If you think you don’t have many friends…

 When you feel like giving up …
If you think you suffer in life,
do you suffer as much as he does?
If you complain about your transport system …

 
If your society is unfair …

Enjoy life, how it is, and as it comes 
There are always those who are worse
off than we are.There are many things
in your life that will catch your eye, But
only a few will catch your heart…pursue those… 


This post needs to circulate forever…

funniest10k:

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1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.

It is a tragedy when people decide not to love others because they don’t approve them, or they see them as illogical or unreasonable or self-centered, and not worthy of their love. it is a tragedy because love is not about approval or worthiness. It can’t be.

All of us have faults and foibles. All of us have moments of poor temper, of weakness, of temptation. All of us have done things that, afterward, we wish we had not done. we do not always behave in aproved ways, and we are not always worthy. if approval and worthiness were really a prerequisite for love, there would be very little love in the world.

There is a story I remeber reading in elementary school. It is about a group of blind people standing around an elephant. one touched the elephant’s trunk and announced that an elephant is like a hose. another put his arms around the elephant’s leg and said that an elephant’s side and said that an elephant is like a wall. another grasped the elephant’s tail and announced that an elephant is like a rope. and so it went. each person was right, and each person was wrong. they were right about the parts they touched, but wrong because they didn’t see the whole picture. it was not until all the parts were put tgt that a true picture of an elephant emerged.

every since reading this story, i have tried to remember that some of the illogical and unreasonable people in the world simply have their hands on different parts of the elephant than i do.

so enjoy the immense personal meaning that comes from giving and receiving the gift of love. love is too important to miss just because others are ‘difficult’. often, they are no more difficult than you or i!

2. If we do good, people may accuse us of selfish ulterior motives. do good anyway.

people who act on their own selfish ulterior motives commonly accuse others of doing the same thing. so if we do good, what we have done may be belittled by the twisted and bent, the cynical and tired. that is sad, but it says more about them than it says about us.

we still need to do what is right and good and true. that is where the personal meaning and satisfaction are to be found. 

3. honesty and frankness make us vulnerable. be honest and frank anyway.

when we are honest and frank with each other, we can build strong relationships. we know where we stand. we know how to meet each other’s needs, and how to fulfill each other’s dreams. without that, we bluner and unintentionally hurt ourselves and others. 

one of the most important issue is trust. we don’t build trust by hiding our feelings, thoughts, hopes and fears. we build trust by sharing, by being honest and frank. yes it is important to be tactful. there are right and wrong times to say certain things, and some things shouldn’t be said at all. confidentiality is part of a trusting relationship. some things are appropriate to share with only one person, or only a few. but tact and confidentiality should not prevent you from being honest and frank in most of your daily relationships. 

of course, being honest and frank makes us vulnerable. we show our hands. that means it is easier for people to figure out how to attack and hurt you. when you step out from behind our defenses, we are exposed. 

but vulnerability can be good, when we are vulnerable, it is easier to connect with people, to get to know them, and to learn from them. and they will find it easier to connect with you. vulnerability is a door to new relationships, new opportunities, new ways to grow and new ways to live and work tgt.

in a world of conflict, it is tempting to build one’s defenses and go around in a suit of armour. but there is a problem with that. a suit of armour protects us by containing us. we can only grow so much, and then we have to get out of the armour if we want to grow any further. once out of the armour, we will be vulnerable, but with that vulnerability comes the freedom to grow. as we enjoy personal growth, we will discover that we don’t need the armour anymore. our strength will come from inside.

4. what you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. build anyway.

because that doesn’t change what we accomplished. we did something we can remember with pride and pleasure. of course it is gratifying when what we have built lasts far into the future. but don’t forgo building just because it may not last. the joy and meaning that come with building will last. 

5. people really need help but may attack us if we do help them. help people anyway.

some people who need help deny they need it. they don’t want to face their inadequacies. others who need help don’t deny it, but they resent it. they don’t want to be helpless of dependent; they don’t want to appear ignorant. nobody does. so even though their needs are obvious, when we try to help them, they may react negatively or even attack us for trying to help.

they may be struggling with their pride, their self-image. they may not be able to acknowledge that they don’t know what to do, or that things aren’t what they want them to be, or that life isn’t what is used to be.

of course, it is possible to provide the wrong help, or to provide it the wrong way. we need to help others in ways that support their dignity and preserve their options. we need to be thoughtful in ascertaining if they need help and if so, we need to learn what help is appropriate. we should never be condescending or domineering just because we know they need our help. some people in need have been betrayed or disappointed before and do not want to risk betrayal or disappointment again. they may be slow to open up and give us their trust.

if in doubt whether a person is in need, think about the basics. they need friends. they need meaningful activities. by observing, asking, and listening, we can identify needs and learn how best to meet them.

everywhere we turn, there are people who really need help. if we help them and they attack us, the attack may not be against you. they may be angry about their condition or fighting against their feelings of helplessness or need. don’t let their attacks stop us. others have helped us over and over again. now it’s our turn. enjoy the deep meaning that comes from assisting others in appropriate ways and improving their quality of life.

6. give the world the best we have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. give the world the best we have anyway.

the cost of giving our best can be high. the only thing that costs more is not giving our best. if we aren’t giving our best, we aren’t who we are supposed to be. never forget that we are unique. we are genetically unique and we are unique in our combination of talent and experience. that means that we have something special to contribute. we make that contribution by giving the world our best. 

if we are no giving the world our best, what world are we saving it for? 

this is the life we are given. our job is to make the most of it. it doesn’t matter what the world does in response. personal meaning comes from giving the world our best, not matter what.

the paradoxical commandments do not focus on popular symbols of success like wealth, power and fame. instead, they focus on meaning-the meaning we can get from loving others, doing good, being honest, thinking big, fighting for underdogs, building, helping others, and giving the world the best we’ve got. each action we take can be enough, in and of itself, whether or not anything else follows from it. each action will bring its own meaning.

how do we live the paradoxical life? we do it by focusing on others and becoming part of something bigger than ourselves. love is focused on those who are loved. and joining in a cause, becoming part of an organization, or practicing a religion can give us the meaning that comes from being part of something bigger than ourselves. 

the meaning we need ‘inside’ can be achieved by looking ‘outside’- to loving and helping others. 

the poet Emily Dickinson said, more than a century ago:

If i can stop one Heart from breaking, 

I shall not live in vain.

If i can ease one Life the Aching,

Or cool one Pain

Or help one fainting Robin

Unto his Nest again

I shall not live in Vain.

when we help others in both big and little ways, we know that we are not living in vain. making a difference in the lives of others gives meaning to our own life. there is really no other path to walk. when we understand that people have many needs, we have only three basic options:

1. do nothing, and ignore the needs of others, an option that is moral failture; or

2. take advantage of people’s weakness, cynically exploit their needs, and seek personal gain at their expense-an option that is an even worse moral failture; or

3. do the right thing, and try to meet people’s needs.

the third option is the only moral option. it is the only option that is based on love, and the only option that can generate hope. it is still the right option, even if we fail to achieve what we want to achieve.

if we try to do what is right and good and true, and feel that we have failed, we may be tempted to shift to the cynical option of exploiting others or the indifferent option of doing nothing. but there is no justification for falling into the 2 immoral options just because things are not going the way we had hoped or because ppl don’t appreciate what we have done for them.

the issue of appreciation is a big one. many of us feel that we are being taken for granted. the people we serve don’t appreciate us, so why should we give them our best. the answer is that we have our own integrity and standards, and we derive meaning from doing a great job. it doesn’t matter whether or not anybody knows or appreciates what we do, we still have to do what is right. we still have to be the best we can be, this is about us, not them. this is about how much we care, and not about how much they care.

the desire to be appreciated is normal. but it is hard to find meaning if one craves applause. a person who craves applause will focus on getting it instead of focusing on meeting the needs of others. also, people don’t always remember to applaud. if we crave applause, our happiness will depend on the whims of others. by contrast, the meaning and satisfaction that we receive when we help others will always be ours, whether or not anybody else applauds.

this may seem very ‘saintly’. however, living like this is not about sainthood, it is about sanity. it is about the fact that applause and recognition do not provide as much meaning as loving and helping others. we shouldn’t stop loving and helping others just because others don’t seem to appreciate us.

the decision to lead the paradoxical life is a decision to be a certain kind of person. it may, in fact be who we really are, or who we are really meant to be, rather than who society or anything else is pressuring us to be. it’s about our most cherished values, and how we live those values. it’s about our integrity, our wholeness, our authenticity as a person.

it’s also about our ability to stay the course. we will be able to love and help others better and longer if we take care of ourselves first. exercise regularly, eat right, and get enough sleep. take time to renew our spirit. find new ways to grow, new ways to understand the world. and don’t become overburdened by accepting every cause or task that comes our way. pick and choose; stay in balance. if we allow ourselves to burn out, we will no longer have the energy to love and help others.

we find great personal meaning in loving and helping others. we can also find meaning by helping others find meaning. help others learn what we’ve learned. be the example others can follow in discovering and living their paradoxical lives

when more ppl are focused on meaning and less focused on success, the world will start to make sense. people will pitch in to help without worrying about who gets the credit. people will help each other without worrying about who gets ahead in the hierarchy. people will love their values and follow their hearts, and do the work they were born to do, even if it does not lead to power and wealth and prestige.

a soldier’s little girl, whose father was being moved to a distant post, was sitting at the airport among her family’s meager belongings. the girl was sleepy. she leaned against the packs and duffel bags. 

a lady came by, stopped, and patted her on the head. 

“poor child,” she said. “you haven’t got a home” 

the child looked up in surprise. “but we do have a home,” she said. “we just don’t have a house to put it in”

“when you deal with fear by indulging it, when you address insecurity by catering to it, it grows and grows”

-joline

“hello, i represent the nation of Joline Lim,

in my nations past, we were judgmental. we see and judge others through our own lenses. we were also self-centered and have a myopic perspective of the world. but today, we are humbled and have learnt about servant leadership. to serve others with generosity is the beginning of success.

but today, we are no longer judgmental. we accept people for who they are because if we were to judge, we would be denying ourselves the chance of befriending them. we are more aware of people’s preferences and differences, through the albatross experience and 3As- to be aware, to accept and to adapt.” -28 september

i’m pretty sure this will stay with me for a long time. 

its been a great pleasure to have irene, who is a jap-american, as my group’s mentor. she introduced herself as an introvert- one who is always quiet, shy, reserved, not the kind of person who would be coming up with creative cheers or enthusiastically cheering and is afraid to do public speaking. during the many sharing moments we had during the mentor-mentee sessions, she apologized to us for her lack of interaction, for given her character, she is most comfortable in playing the role of an observer. and since she is a facilitator, she let us do the talking. in one of her sharings, she encouraged us to be confident of who we are, even if we were introverts or a shy person. 

it was my first time seeing someone embracing the characteristics of an introvert so much, to an extent that for the first time joel introduced irene as a real introvert in front of all the tcp campers, irene nodded in total approval with smile. my opinions of an introvert, at that time, was a term which many people might think that it is not a trait to be proud of. however irene had made me realize my foolishness of judgement. 

according to dr vivien from tcp, she said the portfolio development, which I’ve attended, is a continuation of tcp empowerment camp. i thought the values and content would likewise, be of a further emphasis or continuation too, but i was wrong. 

it surprised me to learn that the portfolio development workshop was so academic-oriented. the speakers had different views on success. the way eileen had conducted the workshop seemed to focus largely on the pursuit of material and monetary success, derived from paper chase and through solid accumulation of achievements for the sake of building a presentable portfolio. it was such a huge contrast from the things we’ve learnt from tcp, like servant leadership, contentment with our lot, key values like generosity, humility, moral excellence, integrity etc, accepting the various personalities (D.I.S.C) and transactional analysis. 

the irony of a “continuation of tcp”

have singaporeans been too caught up in the relentless cycle of paper chase?

eileen shared about the need to constantly upgrade ourselves in order to keep up with the pace of this competitive modern world, emphasizing once again that, “the world is like that. you can hate the system and do not want to be a part of it, drop out by not doing anything. but the world won’t stop being competitive. who’s gonna lose out in the end? not the world. it’s you.” 

and again, she emphasized, “good academic results are just the bare minimum. even if you have a CCA, it is also the basic requirement. you need to have PALs and PEARLS. and it would be better if you have outside achievements..”

i was bored by this. typical singaporean, i thought, another chase after the 5 Cs, defining happiness as material wealth. CCA, from her perspective, has been changed to a compulsory tool to achieve the results you wanted.

one of the boys questioned, “isn’t it very unfair that people like us, just because we have gotten 9 pts and below, are in the christieria programme and therefore are able to attend workshop?”

how about those who fell through the cracks of the meritocratic society? 

eileen replied, “you all know meritocracy right? as you all know, we live in singapore, a country that based rewards on merit. so that’s too bad. but you can do something to help him if you want.” and she continued to give examples like how, “if you want”, we can bring others out from degradation. 

i’ll leave the interpretation and conclusion of the rest of the content of the workshop to you.

i wish more singaporeans can come to realize that academic success is really not everything, but rather the personal development and the life experiences that you have gone through that enables you to stay resilient in the face of adversities, so that we are able to cope with the rapidly changing times in this globalized world. striking a good balance between work and life is the key in leading a higher quality of life. and to stay happy, one definitely needs to be contented with their lot and stop comparing. some may say comparison drives you to stay motivated to strive for greater heights. in my humble opinion, constant comparison would only make one feel inferior and insecure about their capabilities. because there will always be another mountain higher. if you are at the peak, good for you. if not, accept your limitations. 

so many people focus on being the best. sometimes we just have to focus on being the best that we can be. 

it doesn’t matter how slowly you go- so long as you do not stop. before that, don’t get too caught up with academic perfection

-joline

On silence

we did not choose to have two hands or one mouth or two eyes. our parents did not have any say on the design of our body. but if we are to look at our body, everything comes in pairs; our eyes, nostrils, ears, our left and right brain, left and right hands and legs, left and right ventricles of the heart and so on. but right smack in the middle of our face is on organ that is singularly alone: the mouth, and our tongue. from there, we can divine a particular message.

one should see twice as much as one speaks. one should think and hear twice as much as one speaks. one should work twice as much as one speaks. one should breathe twice as much as one speaks.

yet we are all slaves of the tongue. it never rests. we hardly think before we talk. we talk even in our sleep.

there are two major barriers to hearing our inner self, the noise that we produce and the noise of the outside world. when we are too busy listening to ourselves talk, we don’t listen to others. 

sometimes we should give a rest for our tongue. or if not, then every word that we speak must be of value because our words can be more powerful than the sword.

ultimately, when it flows, talk is cheap. but if we restrict it to a drip, then every drop will resound and every word reverberate.

we are the masters of every word that we are yet to utter, but a slave to every word we have already uttered.

silence is beautiful don’t break it unless we can improve on it :)

-

the calm mind means courage so that you may face without fear the truth and difficulties of the path; it also means steadiness, so that you may make light of the troubles which come into everyone’s life, and avoid the incessant worry over little things into which many people spend most of their time.- At the Feet of the Master

our vision will become clear only when we look inside our hearts. he who looks outside, dreams; he who looks inside, awakens.

-

on discipline

until we value ourselves, we won’t value our time. until we value our time, we will not achieve anything with it.

in establishing order around oneself, we bring order within oneself.

we are what we repeatedly do. excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. -Aristotle

-

on change

if our lives have to mean something, it must start today.

every one of us is bound to be a world-class champion in a particular field of endeavour. we are duty bound to find the field.

but doing the same things everyday cannot deliever new results. to change the results we are getting, we need to change what we are doing. we must transform the way we live our lives.

changing the way we live means changing how we think. changing how we think means changing what we have come to believe or accept about life. this is very hard. so hard that even when we so desperately want to change, we prefer to hang on to the misery because it is so familiar and it is comfortable.

this is the paralysing death of the comfort zone.

there are basically two kinds of people: lions and sheep. ninety per cent of us are sheep. because we like to follow the norm. the norm being our comfort zone. the comfort zone is where we get to drown slowly and luxuriate in it as we do. 

change requires risk. but how much are we willing to risk? the funny thing is, the things we are so scared of risking are like chips in a casino, useless unless they’re risked.

our lives is not ours until we risk it. what we have is only a good opportunity to experience life. every time we walk away from something that challenges our comfort one and every time we choose not to risk, we are missing that opportunity.

for those without direction, defeat is being lost in a desert of depression. for those without determination, defeat is damnation to a despondent dead end. however for those with dedication, driven by determination and with direction, defeat is merely a detour.

things do not need to be different. we are the ones who need to be different. the world has Bach, Mozart, Picasso, Da Vinci, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa. what was it that they did different? they woke up every morning thinking they did not have enough time. every second was precious to them.

there is absolutely no high on this planet like feeling alive, especially when we change the way we live.

if we feel like a piece of wood floating without purpose, being picked up by every wave and passing current, put a sail on that driftwood. use the wind and cross the seas :)

-

on retrospection

actually, retrospection, when done diligently, will reveal that we generally don’t make new mistakes. we merely repeat old ones. we don’t want to face the mistakes we repeatedly make because the process is simply too painful for the ego. 

the retrospective process itself is like looking into a mirror. because we cannot see who we truly are anymore. we can keep looking yet see nothing different. stop looking at who we think we are and start looking beyond, to who we really are. if we bgin to know who we are, we will begin to know where we are going.

growth begins when we begin to acknowledge and accept our weaknesses. the key word being acceptance, not merely the acknowldgement. the difference being, in acceptance, we also have awareness. 

getting angry within ourselves for our action or inaction is a good thing. it is continuous process for anyone who leads. however, feeling sorry for ourselves is not. if every day is a battle, losing would mean that we have tried and failed. all of us lose on the path to victory. the danger is in not getting up and trying again.

standing still is worse than losing. standing still is the fastest way to move backwards.

there is a solution to every problem and sometimes, if we look hard enough, the problems itself presents a solution. understanding the problem is then part of the solution. every problem is, in itself, a solution yet unrealised. there is an opportunity in every problem we go through. every problem is a gift. it is only by embracing that problem and unwrapping it that we get to realise that gift. 

we are defined by the problems we face. both by those we were able to surpass and by those that we could not. facing trouble is essential for developing character and internal growth. trouble either makes a person bigger, or smaller. it never leaves him exactly the way he was before. some people break when in trouble, while others break records. 

the greatest mistake a man can ever make is to be afraid of making one- Elbert Hubbard

-

on family

we are not places in life by accident. the first circle of our duty is our immediate family as they have been placed there with reason. it is our duty then, first to be a husband, wife, son or daughter.

the second circle of our duty is composed by those we meet in this journey of life, our friends, acquaintances and mankind in general. 

our family, however, does not necessarily have to be born under one roof. our family is what we make of it. as we live, they will comprise of both circles.

a good character is the best tombstone. those who loved you and were helped by you will remember when forget-me-nots have withered. carve your name on hearts, not on marbles. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

it is our duty to uplift the ppl around us. each one of them has a divine purpose for being in our lives.

the world becomes so much smaller every time one reaches out to touch the life of another -Bob Perks

even the simplest form of kind acts can have the most profound effect on someone in need. - Eva Gregory

do not wait, the time will never be ‘just right’. start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along. -Napoleon Hill

do not ask the Lord to guide our footsteps, if we are not willing to move our feet. even for Him to pick us up when we fall requires us to move first.

-

be conscientious 

know God’s presence and feel Him in everyone and every relationship. 

care and show it. 

make sincerity a keystone in our communication, creating more clarity and making our words a method of conveyance and not camouflage.

without care, communication is merely informative, like an interview or a business report. with care, it becomes a cornerstone in relationship-building.

conscientious communication is more than a technique. it should lie at the core of our believe system!

be committed.

commitment is something that everyone retreats from but always respects when recognised in others. it is feared, as it implies a need to do something for someone else. but it is in face, something one does for oneself, because every commitment we make redefines who we are :) making a commitment is not about understanding a new responsibility. it is about recognising one that we already have. it is a measure of our own respect for ourselves and is the basis for trust in a relationship.

the ability to commit gives breadth to the relationship; the level of commitment defines it.

communication this communication constantly, like breathing, is not an option but a life-giving necessity.

saying the right words only sells our intentions. while showing that we mean what we say can buy trust; however, doing what we say seals it :)

on prayer

if God answers our prayers, He is increasing our faith. if He delays, He is increasing our patience. if He doesn’t answer, He has something better for us.

do not pray for easy lives. pray to be stronger men do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. pray for powers equal to your tasks. then, the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle. - Phillips Brooks

great leaders from the past have not necessarily been good speakers. but the thoughts that they fired from their bows penetrate our hearts to this day.

on anger

anger has its uses. scripturally, God gets angry too but only as a manifestation of His love.

anger as a manifestation of love is detached. anger to one who is attached, is like a sword or a gun and if that someone loses control, it is a weapon that can kill or destroy.

anger is never an effective way to resolve conflict. ultimately, it diminishes us all. anger harms us as much as it harms others. it destroys lives, relationships, families and communities. we must ask ourselves again and again: does our anger really matter? for what we do in anger, seldom does.

the ego

anger is ego-driven.

our ego is so much part of us because we have put so much energy in building it up. we generally seek refuge in arrogance, fueled by ego, thinking it to be a strength. in reality, it is a weakness that covers an innate sense of inferiority. this in turns, lead us to self-destruct.

Ego stands for Edging God Out

we ride on the wave of our anger and stay on the crest of that wave instead of asking why. we never ask why because we are afraid of the answers. knowing why very often puts an almost immediate stop to the anger.

until you make peace with who you are, you will never be content with what you have- Doris Mortman

in detachment, anger, at best, is a tool and many a great man has used it in order to create an impact. if detached, anger is a tool. if attached, we become its tool. instead of getting angry, retreat into silence and analyse why. in moving from ignorance to knowledge, the ego and its anger get crushed.

a truly humble man cannot get angry. we can keep a sword or a gun but never have to us it; so should it be with anger.

on compassion

compassion as personified by great souls throughout history is neither pity nor sympathy. nor is it empathy or is it kindness. it is love… driven by understanding. it is without precondition or expectation. it dwells in detachment. it alone has changed the course of human mankind. as it still does.

my first ever outreach was an interesting experience :) i think it’s kinda pathetic of me to have only done one outreach for the first semester, rather than the minimal requirement of three. 

it could be due to me being an ex-cedarian, so going back there was like returning to a place of familiarity with familiar faces. aeden, wei tian, wei liat and i were running late. when we hopped on the cab, everyone said, “uncle, cedar girls secondary school”, in unity. and when the uncle flashed us a confused look, the 3 of them were stunned, reflecting that they had no idea where the exact address was. they all laughed heartily when i added, “near potong pasir, at one cedar avenue, or wan tho avenue along the private estate houses, around there” while they replied, “wah lucky we have one cedarian here”

the memories came flooding back when we stepped out of the taxi, outside the general office. the general office. i remembered the meeting i had with mrs dawn lee in the vice principal’s room regarding my prelim 1 results last year. you know the book written by mitch albom “for one more day”? the heading for some of the chapters are “times when my mom stood up for me”? i would like to quote that. for my case, it was “times when my dad stood up for me”.

times when my dad stood up for me:

for one, when dawn lee insisted me of dropping my double sciences to combine. my dad, being concerned whether it would affect my university admission to a science or engineering course, asked her politely. my dad knows clearly that i’m not interested in engineering/math/sciences, and i knew he was making a random sweeping statement. dawn lee scoffed, “uni? seeing the results she’s getting now, i don’t even think she can make it there. ENGINEERING? SCIENCES? shouldn’t she worry whether she can EVEN make it for her o levels?” in contempt, she continued to degrade me. it came to a point where my dad couldn’t take it anymore and he refuted, “who you are to tell my daughter that she cannot make it? as a vice principal shouldn’t you be encouraging the students to strive and do their best? so what if at the end of the day she got a b3? how can you tell your students to just drop like that just for the sake of the school’s reputation and MSG?” and rebutted till she was embarrassed by her own comments. i was very overwhelmed by a mix of emotions- sadness because I’ve disappointed so many people who had so much faith in me, angry at myself for not being to stand up for myself and not living up to my own expectations, unjustified at how i was deemed to be incapable, demoralized, yet at the same time grateful for my loving family who, no matter what happens, would always be there to give me the emotional support… so much more.

when we left the general office we met mr tan, my ex form teacher. 

for two, it all started when i went down to support the 40’10 girls running 10x80m and 4x200m finals while running a fever. together with the other girls, we cheered our asses off under the scorching sun, jumping, laughing, going gaga over the crazy runners. momentarily, i couldn’t feel the weakening of my body because of the adrenaline and running about. it was only after when i got home did my fever worsened. at the tracks, i told mr tan candidly i wouldn’t be coming to school the next day. he didn’t believe me that i had a fever because i was jumping about, looking fine and all. i didn’t turn up at school the next day. when i returned back without an official MC, he questioned me with suspicious eyes. i told him frankly i see no point in getting an MC because i’m aware of my condition and i only needed panadol and more rest. i could tell he didn’t trust my words, so i assured him, “okay i’ll give you parent’s letter tmr” he was still suspicious, thinking i’ve played truant. but i couldn’t care less. i recounted the incident to my parents over dinner. after that, i got over the incident. my dad’s impression of mr tan has never been good, ever since the time he had asked me to drop add math, which till date I’m very thankful i didn’t heed his advice.

back to the incident when we met mr tan. 

while walking out of the general office, still upset over the fact that the school’s increasingly placing more emphasis on results rather than student welfare, he walked up to mr tan. “are you my daughter’s form teacher, mr tan? why didn’t you believe joline when she told you she was sick? SHE WAS REALLY SICK” both mr tan and i were slightly taken aback. mr tan laughed slightly, and replied, “i was just joking with her” 

“DO NOT JOKE WITH HER” my dad’s voice was stern, hinting that he was in the wrong for being skeptical about my fever condition. 

some may say that my dad was being over protective, but whose parents wouldn’t? whose parents would wish to see their children being wronged and demoralized by the teachers and the vice principal?

on the way back home, my dad kept encouraging me, 

“seriously what kind of school cedar is? to tell their students to drop their subjects. all they are just worried that the school’s reputation would be affected. don’t be disheartened by what the teachers and the vice principal had said. just try your best, okay?”

you would have to agree that life’s all about perspective. 

i’m thankful to have the chance to go back to share the experiences i had with the juniors and teachers. hearing from the juniors about their experiences made me smile because I’ve been through them (maybe for worse) and i could empathize. i could give them the assurance they needed like, “omg i can totally feel you. it’s okay, I’m always a call away. it would be over soon!” and while they complain about their shitass workload, trainings, workload, juniors, teachers, etc, i would be sharing about the experiences I’ve had in ngee ann, with a smile. recently i’ve had a lot of people telling me that they could really sense the joy i’m having in ngee ann. cedarians, ex-cedarians, random juniors whom i’ve talked to for the first time during the outreach session, family members, church friends etc, and they would be questioning, “how’s life like in poly?” 

my answer would be: it never ceases to amaze me. it’s a journey of self-discovery, full of surprises. there are too many life lessons to learn from :) 

-Joline