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Gaizhi's Journal  Had quite a few hours to while away before tuition. Walked around Big Bookshop (where else but) before taking a drink and resting at KFC. Stumbled unto an old folks corner after that. Many elderly men were playing chess there and I just paused to watch. Well, some of them were good. They definitely will give me a good run for my money. Others, well, just too impetuous. Chess is a game of foresight and planning. Rash people don't make good chess players. In general, anyway. Remembered a time when I was with some friends and they were chatting about what to do when they become old. A lady said she would open a flower shop and tend to the flowers. A gentleman said he would go become a monk. I think I'll be happy just staying at home reading a book or playing PC games, though I didn't dwell much into it at that time. After watching the old folks play chess, I begin to question the value of life at their age. I begin to wonder what is going on in their minds. Are they whiling away time just as I was waiting for my tuition? Day after day after weeks after months? Are they just waiting for Death to come claim them? Or are they enjoying every moment life has to offer? When it's finally my turn (should there be), will I still be leading a meaningful existence? Of course I hope I will! But such things are hard to say. "Clouded, the future is." Quoting Yoda in "Star Wars Episode 2". But I know the key to leading a meaningful existence then is in my hands now. Unless I start living a meaningful life now and keep at it, I'll not be living anywhere near when my time comes. Live life to the full, and keep at it therefore, I shall. Had always loved to sing. As such had sung at Karaoke lounges and later KTVs many times. It all started during my JC days, about the time Karaoking first came to Singapore. Had sung with many many different groups as a result. After a break of many many years, I once again "re-entered" the KTV scene. It all started a few months ago. Went with a group of church friends before going with another group of friends that weren't all Christians. Found singing with the latter group more enjoyable as the former was just too serious. Recently, went with another group of Christian friends. Enjoyed this session but something different that happened prompted me to write this article. Song selection in all the previous groups were voluntary and random. There wasn't any fair order of distribution. Whoever wants to sing any song just choose one and sing. At the end of the day, some might have sung more than others but all are happy. This group, however, distributes songs equally. There is an order that all will follow. Basically, we all sing one after the other. The purpose of this article is not to critique which approach is better. But rather, to make a note to take note of group dynamics that we so often take for granted. Every group is different. Acceptable behaviour in one may not be acceptable behaviour in another. On a more personal note, every class / pupil is different. What works for one may not work for another. Need to be always on my toes to explore different ways to reach the most possible. It seems the following algorithm is running in all our bio CPUs, big or small, young or old, male or female. Women = Beautiful Conversely, Beautiful = Women IF NOT Beautiful, THEN NOT Women For some unknown reason beauty is an attribute every woman must have. If she doesn't has it then it makes her less of a woman. Sort of, anyway. Disclaimer: I do not agree with any of the above. Deduced the above from the conversations below. Gaizhi: "I just got to know a lady friend." A 30-yr old IT-practioner, male: "Oh, is it? Is she pretty?" Gaizhi: "I'm meeting a lady friend for tennis later." A 16-yr old student, female: "Is she pretty?" Gaizhi: "I just played badminton with a lady friend." A 20-yr old undergraduate, female: "Is she pretty?" A casual mention of a lady friend to 3 different people yielded the same question in return. Why didn't they ask, "What's her job?" "How did you know her?" "How's the game?" Why must it be, "Is she pretty?" It must be that beauty is the most important attribute a lady should have. Thus the above algorithm. Attended a 2-day Safety Supervisory Course conducted by the Navy. The instructor of the course boasted about his high success rate. Of the 2000+ NSmen he had taught, only a meagre 20+ failed the test administered at the end. Granted, the test is easy --- only 30 MCQs, but his method of teaching is effective nonetheless. Covered 7 chapters in 2 days, with a 1-hour revision just before the test. Can basically sleep through the 2 days and just pay attention during the 1-hour revision to pass the test. How so? The instructor made effective use of mnemonics to help us remember the important facts. Let me illustrate with an example. Suppose a certain program requires 4 steps and they are: 1. Select ...... 2. Break up ...... 3. Identify ...... 4. Develop ...... (Pardon my not being able to give the specifics, defense can be a sensitive issue.) Taking the first letters of the 4 steps we have S B I D. We can remember these 4 steps easily as "Singapore BID". Throughout the course (and revision) the instructor uses mnemonics such as the above to help us remember. And it's effective, at least for me. Am quite confident of having scored full marks for the test. Now, I'm in the education business. And mnemonics is nothing new to me. I'd used it many times in the course of my studies to help myself too. But never did I think I might be able to develop a system of mnemonics to help my students with remembering facts --- be it in Math or Science --- till I attend the course that is. Will have to look into the possibility of this. I think it's possible. Just have to spend time and think, and prepare. Mnemonics are very effective for boosting short-term memory. Almost all of us remembered most of the facts during the test. After that? Now? How much do we still remember? But short-term memory can be transferred to long-term memory with practice. Practice, and things will be made perfect. Recently a friend's father passed away. Got the news on the very day and went down on the very night (12am+) itself. Said friend was surprised by my visit, though he didn't say so. Well, I'm never the conventional sort so, whatever. Went to Penang for holiday 2 days after that. Came back on Saturday and went for the crematorial procession. I don't know why I went really. After all, I'm not that close to him. Well, maybe just to honour my word that night. It's my first such procession. And it's conducted by some priest or monk, whatever. I, and the few Christians with me, didn't really know what to do when they were going through with their rituals. If we take part, then we are agreeing with what they are doing. If we don't, then we are not respecting the family. Well, of course we'd rather please God than Man. We just stood there and watch as the procession takes place. When the coffin is pushed into the furnace, many people cried. And it was so sad, so sad, so sad. Was at a loss as to what to do. Was always at a loss during such times. Death, a tragedy, a great evil. Yes, Jesus overcame death, and we don't have to fear it. Still, knowing this doesn't make it any easier for us to deal with the loss of our loved ones. If our loved ones are saved, well, at least we know we'll meet again someday. If not, then it's even tougher to deal with the loss, for we know they are lost forever. No amount of words will bring comfort in times like this. Only God can comfort our spirits in such times. Pray, therefore, we must, in times as these. 2 days after the cremation, another friend's grandmother passed away. Was at a loss again. But think I did the best I could. And God answered my prayers --- she was able to postpone a business trip to attend a memorial service in honour of her grandmother. Thank God! But still, it's going to be God who will undertake for the healing. I can but pray. And pray, I will. Been in the blog scene for slightly more than a year. Started blogging because I love to pen down my thoughts in writing. See no difference between storing the entries in my hard disk or on a web page. In fact, think it's good to share my thoughts with whoever's willing to read. When I first started, I know only of 3 other friends with blogs. Now, it has become quite a number. And it's now a daily ritual (sort of) to make a hit on their blogs. And many of them are much better maintained and written than mine. Wow! Blog --- a means of keeping in touch; a means of knowing what's happening in each other's life; a means of offering comfort in times of need; a means of exchanging thoughts on various issues. Blog --- also a means of peeking into the mind (got this from a friend's blog) of the writer; a means of knowing his/her internal make-up; a means of glimpsing into his/her life; a means of knowing his/her likes/dislikes. In short, a blog opens up a channel of understanding for whoever's keen. Very useful if one's seeking to know the blogger better. Really saves time and maybe even help in preventing mistakes. A definite plus! For me, reading the entries of new friends fosters a kinship that may otherwise never be formed, or may take too long to. It makes me feel as though I know him/her for quite some time running, as opposed to just a short period in reality. Am glad, therefore, that I ventured onto the blog scene. Wouldn't have known some of my friends better otherwise. Visited a Datuk and Datin's house (Eric's friends) while I was in Penang. It's by far the biggest and most lavishly furnished house I'd ever been to. But big deal, it ain't. The owners of the house loved to drink (alcohol) and party. They love to open up their house for people to drink and be merry. To them, drinking removes one's inhibitions so one can be fully liberated to enjoy the party. Therefore, if one doesn't drink, then one can't be merry. Sadly (for this encounter), yours truly don't drink. And it didn't help that all the rest of us who went (my friend plus my sis and Eric) do. I was therefore pressured to drink. Not the first time, and defintely won't be the last either. But of course, bulge, I didn't. The truth is, I'd been a drinker once, and quite a good one at that. I can hold my liquor better than many of my friends then. But since I'd become a Christian, I told God I will quit. And quit I did. Not once did I renege on my promise, though temptations abound. Am getting sick and tired of having to explain to people my stance. Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against drinking per se. It's fine with me if one wants to drink till the cows come home. Just don't drag me into it. Now, I won't bother to explain anything. Say what you want, think what you want, I don't drink means I don't drink. Period. Life is so full of unpredictable things that I'm no longer surprised. When I first visited Penang a year ago, I thought that would be the first and last visit. No, it wasn't to be. Just spent my Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday there. My first CNY holiday away from home. Nowadays, the only thing I really enjoyed during CNY is the fireworks. Missed that last year. Missed this year's too but did see quite a number of fireworks in Penang. There are some pretty spetacular ones, just that they are fired singly, not in sequence and in groups as we are so used to here. Wonder how they can get their hands on the fireworks, a banned commodity. Stayed over at my sis' boyfriend (Eric's) place and got to taste the great-tasting food I missed since my first visit. Spent maybe RM40 on arcade machines, 'cos it's cheap and also nothing better to do. Ate and ate in that 3 days and the experience is best summed up in a phrase my friend coined. "I don't know what hunger is." Such indulgence! But cheap's the byword. We spent a total of S$350 for 2, on transport, arcade, food, food, and more food. It's surprising (fortunately) we didn't put on much weight as a result. Got to talk with Eric about deep sea fishing and saw all the pictures. Had always loved the sea and going out to sea. Don't have much heart for fishing but don't mind tagging along on a fishing trip. Just to enjoy the "going out to sea" experience. The boat rental is cheap, and the boatman is experienced. Think it'd be good if I can tag along on such a trip someday. So I may yet visit Penang yet again. This time for fishing, maybe a trip to Langawi too. So long, then, so long. Friends come and go. Some are here to stay. Others just pop by and disappear. Some friendships, for some reason, stay strong without much effort from either party. Others, for some unknown reason, just deteriorate over time, even with effort. It baffles me how some friends can just stay friends over long periods of time without much effort while others just become strangers over time, even with effort. "What to do? What not to do?" for a friend becomes a question of great import. Sadly, I'm not good at handling friendships. Many many friends had slipped by. Most are not missed. But there are some that are dearly missed. And I can't help but wonder if there might be something I could have done or maybe needn't have done that would have made things turn out otherwise. Maybe it's just meant to be. Maybe our operating systems are just different. Maybe I'm ionic in nature and they are covalent, using a bit of chemical bonding analogy. Maybe we are just meant to meet and make a difference in each other's life at a moment in time and that's it. Maybe it's not meant to be at all. Maybe my actions had scared them off. Maybe my inactivity had put them off. Maybe it's my refusal to accept them as is. Friendship...I'm thankful for all the friends I have now. Am thankful for all the friends I'd had in the past. Hopefully I won't lose valued friends again because of some small misunderstanding or any activity/inactivity on my part. One of my favourite haunts --- in fact, my favourite --- is a bookshop, though a library may also qualify. Always feel right in my element when I'm in one of them. Never thought I would ever feel like a fish out of water in one of them. The experience is galling, thus the need to note it down. Was walking around a MPH somewhere in Bangkok. For the first time in my life in a bookshop, I felt lost. So many sections, so many books, but not one I understand. When I finally found the small foreign section, I was in such an appalled state that I just gave it all a miss. 4444 years ago, or thereabouts, by my own reckoning based on the Bible, Man had a unified language. They sought to build a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that they may make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth. (Gen 11:4) But God confused their language and scattered them. (Gen 11:5-9) What a critical juncture it is for the history of Mankind! Over the years since then, Man has progressed tremendously. And we are enjoying much of this progress now. All in spite of the differences in language and culture. Can you imagine the progress that would be made if Man had a unified language? We probably would have colonised other planets by now. On a positive note, we probably would have evangelised the whole world by now. Or maybe, Man would have destroyed themselves long before. Language, such an important tool for progress. Something that I took for granted till that fateful walk. |
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