homework ban?

This morning, I shared an interesting research study with my student. I told him how an Australian researcher found that homework had little benefit to young children and was not related to school grades.

I asked, “Would you show this to your parents?”

He replies swiftly, “No, because they would not believe what I say. Even if I printed the article and gave it to them, they’ll just say we’re different from Westerners.”

HAHAHA! Classic Asian parents.

reunions are amazing

I know I’ve been a super lazy blogger lately (well, to be fair, I’ve been pretty lazy all-round lately).

This year, 2012, may be the end as some people believe. But for me, it’s been an AMAZING year of reunions and catching up with old friends.

I’ve met up with old friends back from Canberra — the city where I had lived when our family first moved to Australia (I was two years old!)

I’ve met up with old friends from Ghana — the country where I spent my primary school days!

I was able to go on a wonderful trip with my best friend from Adelaide (all ten days and we did not have a single fight! Go us!) I absolutely love that woman in a no-homo way.

This weekend I’ll be meeting up with an old friend from Ghana who’s now married with kids! WOW! And we used to have water balloon fights in the basketball court. WOW!

I’ve met up with awesome people who are from all over the world and miraculously went to South Korea to teach English like I did! Ha…talk about random! I would’ve never met so many weirdos otherwise (haha kidding…love you all!) And I got to catch up with them again after two years!

I’ll be meeting another Canberra-ian baby friend of mine in a couple of weeks…

It’s only been a quarter of the year and I’ve been able to meet up with friends who’ve gone on their ways onto other parts of the world (and so have I). I cannot tell you how grateful and fortunate I feel right now!

MAN, I LOVE MY LIFE!

I find it absolutely amazing how all these people come in your life where, it all seems pretty random and coincidental, but at the same time, it also seems so right. And I’m so thankful to meet everyone I come across! You’re all awesome.

I dislike the current education system!!

This man says exactly what I feel, but a million times better and more convincing than I will ever be. I seriously dislike our current education system, especially the one in Hong Kong. Kids here all look somewhat to zombies, with dark eye circles and legs skinnier than a chopstick. They are not creative, not buzzing like children should be.

PARENTS….or would-be parents, WATCH THIS! And think about how we are ridding our kids of creativity and curiosity in learning.

a lil' something from youtube

One of my favourite things to do is go on YouTube and somehow, every time, I end up being linked to weird interesting videos. Here’s one by MrPoniator - who, “pony-fies everything”. He’s a pretty funny and cool animator!

Enjoy!

nonsignificance can be a big deal

So I come home and switch on the TV and the set-top box. Normally, I don’t really care what’s on. I just like to have a bit of noise around the house. I sit down with my tea and idly gaze at the picture box. Apparently the politician who is running for executive chairperson of Hong Kong had multiple affairs and there is a rumour going around that he has a son from a hushed relationship. Blah blah. I’ve been hearing about this for months now. When will it end? His wife is being interviewed and she says that she never forced her man to come home but he does each time, and that, is true love. Yada yada. I reach for the remote control and change the channel. Except nothing happens. I press the button again. And again. And again. And I smack the controller a few times. And press again. All to no avail. With my brows furrowed together in annoyance, still forced to listen to the wife talk about how her cheating husband is a great man and will be a great leader, I heave myself up and walk over to the set top box. Hey….. what the. There are no buttons to change the channel!! How is that? On. Off. That’s it?

So I go back to whacking my controller and then something more intelligent, i.e. changing the batteries. Still nothing. So I whack some more. And I curse the controller. Yes, and you thought only crazy people in hospitals talked to objects. Apparently, so do I.

Then I smirk to myself because I just thought of an ingenious idea. I flip open my laptop and type in Google: What to do when your remote controller breaks. *cue Vin Diesel’s smirk from Fast and the Furious yeaaaaaa* and hit Search.

What?! Nothing???? ALMIGHTY GOOGLE HAS NO ANSWER FOR ME? Not even a Yahoo answer?

…………………………………….
So I guess I’m forever stuck with this gay gay channel. Noooo……..

Who would’ve thought, something as insignificant as a remote controller could ruin my day, and potentially, my quality of life!!

So damn true. 

silence is golden

Twirling the drink in my hand, I smile and nod knowingly as she talks. I take a sip of my drink to distract me because what I really want to do instead is to grab her shoulders and shake her and scream in her face, “CAN’T YOU SEE? WHY CAN’T YOU SEE? IT’S RIGHT THERE….JUST…FRIGGIN’….LOOK….WHY ARE YOU SO STUPID??!?”

But the nicer and kinder me (yes, there is a kind person in me…however small she is lol) knows that my opinions and my views do not matter here. Who am I to say what is best for her? Would I not be acting self-righteously if I imposed my solution onto her?

So the best thing to do is to listen, and not give any advice. What I can do is help her sort out her options without telling her what to do. To explore with her what she really wants and what is stopping her.

Sometimes, the more you learn, the more you grow, the more you realize that silence is golden.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/pyj2qL-bQ4E]