知错能改，善莫大（？）

今天要向大家讲一个从我儿子学校里听来的一个故事。蛮有意思的。。。

话说在学校课堂里，巫老师和学生们在上华语课。在讲解的过程中， 老师用了一句：“知错能改，善莫大马。” 学生们听了都笑了。 大家都明白，那不是正确的读音， 大家也不觉得有必要去指正老师， 就只当成那是一宗学习过程的乐趣。那是老师和学生们的一种学习上的灵犀与沟通。

但不巧，这一句话，却被路过走廊的裴老师听到了。他气急败坏的跑进了主任室，投诉道：教坏学生，误人子弟，为师不尊， 上梁不正， 明知故犯，罪不可恕。

有些人， 会念善莫大马， 是因为真得不懂。
有些人， 会念善莫大焉， 是因为他们懂了。他们认为这读音是绝对的。
有些人， 会念善莫大马， 是因为他们懂了，却依然选择去念善莫大马。 其中，有他们的原因，执着，还有信念。这就是明知而为之。

亲爱的读者们，你是哪一种人呢？

Operation : Senior links

Had a lot in mind my this evening...could actually write afew blogs in a roll. And being a positive thinking person, i am really excited about this development and had been working hard to turn this vision / dream into reality. (Rather than start writing about the back stabbing incident in school).

You see...it was safety exam eve...I was sitting infront of my computer, online via MSN and awaiting students to ask last minutes question from 9pm - 1am...

Then it all started when i received a distress MSN from Hui Ni...saying she is really stressed out and would really need some help. so I MSN Ryan...who is her senior and ask for his kind permission to share his lab reports / tutorial solutions / exam question sloutions attempts with her.

But..there is a twist to it...i told Hui Ni that she have to also contribute towards the exercise. At the end of semester when exams are over, then she will be in charge of scanning the materials orderly into a CD...so that the next batch of students can benefit from the CD too.

She listened to my proposal and nodded in agreement. We have a deal!! Ryan eventually passed his materials to her the very next day!!! No need to do the scanning right away...can choose to do it along the way or after exam..scan the best materials from your or senior.

Of course seeing 1 successful link up...I was really hyped up and tell myself : hey - why not I do the linking up for EVERY UNI COURSES in NTU / NUS?? and I started calling the seniors who are good in materials keeping and tell them about this mini project for the day.

I must say I am proud satisfied that each senior that I manage to get in touch agreed that it's a good thing to do and kindly agreed to lend out their materials. After seeking their agreement, then it's time I call the intended junior (who best to have a scanner) to agree to take good care of the materials and in charge of scanning them into a CD at the end of semester.

So after 2 days of calling / asking / explaining / enticing / threatening hahahha...I am proud to announce the following link has been established:

NTU - Env Eng : senior Ryan to junior Hui Ni --- LINKED !!
NTU - CBC yr3 : senior Min Li (and rabbit too?) to junior Shan Yu ---LINKED
NTU - CBC yr2 : senior Shan yu to junior Annie ------LINKED
NTU - Chem & Biochem : Senior AnnC to junior Ming Hui -------LINKED
NTU - Material Eng - U guys are lucky!!! Senior Ernest says that tutorials / exam solution all available to upload or buy from bookshop. Reports linked to SLT!!
NUS - Chem Eng : Senior Shuling/shiling to junior Chew yuan ----LINKED
NUS - Chem / applied chem : Senior Yan ling to junior Yuan Hua --LINKED

NUS - Env eng - Senior Paulin Tan to Junior Jingmei -- Linked!!...
NUS Applied chem 3rd yr senior Tan Xue fen to 2nd yr junior Yanleng ....still working on this

Of course I also agree with christof it 's not entirely an good idea to cultivate you all to be depent on other's ppl work and have less chance to sharpen your own brain. But i trust u all understand my motive behind is to want you to feel abit more settle and be part of the chain...and pass it on...

when all the above links established and I went to bed...sudenly then a tinge of negativity come across my mind though. why am I doing all this ah? it's none of my business actually u know....

Container of Life - my own version

One of the demonstrations I saw during last week couse is the simple illustration on the CONTAINER of LIFE. Basically it consist of a empty container and and 5 essential building blocks- (The 5 Fs) Faith / Family / Financial / Fitness / Friends. On top of that there will be a whole big bunch of many many other small / trivial things that will occupy your life too!!

Michael was using LEGO blocks in his demonstration. I was interested and noted down in my action item list and have been thinking what / where / when / how to construct my own version. Even thinking of going down to Toy R Us to shop for LEGO!!

But after a couple od days of allowing the thoughts to crystalise and settle down...the vision become more clear and suddenly I realise that I dun even need to spend time / $$$ to construct it...the answer / materials are already in my office!!

So here it is...My own version of the Container of Life. With thanks to the left over Pigs clips from last yaer Open house. And very appropriate too...too much of the trivial stuff...make u look and behave like pigs. hahahah...得来全不费功夫！！！

this is the before version :

and this is the correctly constructed version :

Basically it's to show you that IT CAN BE DONE!!!! if you do it correctly....Life can accomodtes alot of trivials...if one get the basics right first.

anyone of you who are interested to know why and how the illustration work...just drop by my office...will be glad to share this with you.

Of course...as I mentioned b4...this will be 1 of my activities with yr3 students from next semester onwards.

Course on : PROACTIVE TIME and STRESS MANAGEMENT

Attended this course in SIM by Michael Podolinsky. This is the 3rd workshop I have gone through with Michael and I knew these two days will be fun fill and inspiring. Those who missed my blog previously may not know he is the teacher who inspired me and showed me the door into using magic in teaching. I have entered the door after he show me and used them regularly in my lessons since then.

I showed him by Chinese blog during one of the breaks and explained the 2 paragraghs of what I had written in my blog and thanked him for showing me the way. he in turn shoke my hand and just smiled and said :"that make my day!!"

As usual enjoyed the two days with him and picked up quite afew points / actions to follow and take actions. Hopefully these actions will translate into better delivery of lessons and personally for me - better time amangeemnt and less stress.

Reading through the notes at home now again. Below are some summarised extracts I think might be useful to share here:

TIME is the single most perishable item in life!!! Once it's gone/used/wasted, you will not be able to take it back ever again. You have 1440 mins /day...invest them to achieve your goals.

TIME is NOT MONEY....TIME is LIFE!!! people asking if they can take 30 mins of your time is actually taking 30mins of your life!!! you must consider seriously and carefully if that is worth your life.

Parkinson's Law : Every task will expand itself to fill up the time allowed to it. If u never set deadlines...it will expand itself and will eventually take forever.

Success hirachy : HARDWORK 10%
EDUCATION 20%
RESPONSIBILITY 30%
RISK 40%!!!

CAREFUL SETTING OF LIFE QUEST can open opportunities...instead of chasing $$ / car / condo, if changed it to : Change someone's life - then suddenly whole new meanings and oppurtunities will come to one's mind. Quest do change with life. Currently my life quest is : Be one who will inspire others to discover fun in learning. Maybe will change to condo later....hahahha.

Program the pain 1st!! Do the most difficult one in the priority list 1st and enjoy the rest of the day.

FEAR - False Evidence Apperaing Real. If you worry, that simply means you did not prepare well for it.

If you can do something about your worry / fear - then do it now.
If you cannot do something - then no point wasting energy worrying about it. In either way, there is no fear.

Wanna make someone never late again?? ask him / her to say it to all who were on time : "I am sorry that I am incompetent in running my life". Those who were constantly late : have to make them realise that they valuse their own life than others life (time).

Monetary value of my life : went through the calculation : I am worth $160/hr. Nothing compared to Bill Gates of course...

Money is NOT the root of all evil. The LOVE of $$ is the root.

Did a lifespan estimation : i can life up to 84....hahahahahBut if one can visualise he live to 100...he most probably will.

"After me -...YOU COME FIRST!" Cool!!

Managed to write down 10 action items to follow up after this course :

1. Get a container of life. this will be one of my CCA activities with the 3rd year students next semester.

2. Set up a monthly / weekly master to do list / ABC them.

3. set 9.30-11 am as my marvel time daily...now is term break so it is best time to practise this.

4. Update my word puzzle data bank with more quotes.

5. Get more sleep at night and watch less TV...will not sleep later than 1am.

6. Read the articles in the DVD and hightlight them and compile them.

7. Go for ppt / typing course to up my efficiency in life.

8. Get a apple Mac pro and learn ...$5500 with upgrade to 4GB...(abit too ex??)


Towards the end of the course I seek Michael advise...asking him if it is wrong to be happy with one's current job and resist change..instead try do be better and better? Seem as lack of ambition? He says no...it means that u have found your niche...thing one passionately embrace and there should be no guilt.

that make my day too.

Finalised My Dec Taiwan trip

This coming December we decided to travel to Taiwan again....after skipping it last year to Japan. But we think it's time to revisit ROC again (The 6th or 7th time...i also lost count le).

Saved some $$ by booking in advance the new JeatStar Asia saver package. We are travelling in end Dec 18-28 so it is expected to be very packed. In the past used to pay $700+ each for travelling in SIA but now with the budget airline available, the air ticket only cost $450 including taxes. So we save $1K on the air ticket alone.

Have been wanting to visit Ali-Shan mountains for quite afew occassions but either the plan is stalled due to Typhoon or the high cost of booking due to last minute arrangement. This time I decided to do the bookings early and went through MICE of Chan Brothers to get the details done.

Other than te 2 days stay in the mountains, the rest of the tour are free n easy and we are very familiar with the train system so move from town to town. Will be visiting afew new towns as we saw the Taiwanese TV program introductions. Will be trying out the high speed train too!! From Taipei to Jia Yi now takes only 90mins and cost $65...cool and affordable!!


Here are my planned schedule :

Day 1 : Sing-- Taipei : Shiling night mart
Day 2 Taipei : 瑞芳 / 九份 / 基隆庙口
Day 3 Taipei - Jia Yi ： DuJiaoXian farm/垂杨路/ 文化路 商圈/ 夜市
Day 4 Jia Yi - Alishan ： 阿里山风景区
Day 5 AliShan : 奋起湖风景区
Day 6 Alishan - Jia Yi : 布袋/ 盐田
Day 7 Jia Yi - Taipei : 淡水/ 夜市
Day 8 : Tiapei : 新竹 / 内湾
Day 9 : Taipei : 深坑 / 石碇 / 木栅
Day 10 : Taipei : 莺歌 / 三峡 / 大溪
Day 11 : Taipei - Sing : Book shops!!!!

The above tour arrangment + hotel stay will cost about $4K+, Taipei / Alishan hotels are not cheap.

Will buy the travel insurance soon...If I cannot make it to Alishan mountain this time again...I will be compansated at least...hahahahahaha.

AMK Jubilee settlers sessions

It's towards the end of school term and lessons are almost all done...and it coincide with the last 2 weeks of Uni holidays...what else better to do?? Play settlers for the whole afternoon of course!!


Nice to see the batch of 03 students still remember to call upon us. I guess they must have had a exciting and eventful 1st year of Uni life...but all pull through nicely. They can now face 2nd year with greater confidence. Chem Eng people can expect better performence as many of the modules had actually been covered in their programme in poly before. Suprise to SH as the only 04 student among the seniors...but she already knew quite a number of them and also join in the tours of Macau / kukup...so she did not feel awkard at all i guess.

By this time, the serving aunties in the teahouse are already got use to seeing us. But they definitely felt abit strange to see Kevin and Christof joining us too for the 1st time. One of them asked me : " These two angmoh also teachers too?" Almost wanted to tell them they are the principal and vice principal. We drank bubble teas and the 2 westerners drank American bubble black tea instead. Auntie was staring at Chriostof so hard that he even felt the pressure and almost drop the coke can.

Started playing Cities n knight game. (Advance version of settlers) ...almost gave up in the beginning but in the end preserverance pull me through...just need 1 more grain (Wheat) card to win (13 points) ....but it was not to be. SL took away my longest rd points the next round and cross the finishing point 1st.

Then I played cards / dice with Pris / cutie / SH...SH being the newcomer is eating the jellies non stop almost. Then she realised why we only took a very light lunch.

The next day Anna wanted to play before she starts work in school (by then she needs to take leave to play..which she definite don't want). Asked HR/PB along and recalled ML /JH (the pioneer batch CBC students also necer played this game before. Called them up and they are also happy to join in, but they also get RHN / Alicia to join in too.

So we ahve another 8 players session at the teahouse. Anna took care of the jellies well and JH like the nuts...I think she will remember to skip lunch if she ever wants to join us again.

The 2 grads who started working have since matured alot...even to the point of started cheating me in the card game. My luck was really good and never had to eat a single time..and they decide to do every thing they could to make me eat. I was really suprised the whole table cheered when RH declared 24 as the bomb. I wasn'nt even calling that number!!! Anyway...it was so long since we sit down to chat...and it's good to see them being so sporting..(or unsporting..??) :)

Well, now that uni term will start soon, DT swill also start work...we will be clearing leaves too...this term settlers playing sessions will be now considered over. What comes next will be the BBQs sesssions of the P5/P6 students and a copuple of Karaokes with them b4 they leave school.

Exciting times ahead for the next 1 month....care to join me?