Year ago today, I landed at Changi airport, for the start of my bigOE.
Though I thought I'll get out for few drinks tonight and celebrate, instead 'I'll just follow the law' and go once again thorough the exam marking... I have to go though all of the 321 exam scripts tonight, cos they did not like how I added up the numbers... I did not show the break down of the mark for the (sequence) diagram part of the question; after few ticks and crosses, I just added the marks in my head... - or actually worse, I added the negative marks then deducted them from the total mark (apparently that's a big no no, cos we 'award marks, we don't take the marks away' - hmmm what is the difference 15-7=8, and 0+8 is still = 8!? isn't it???). One would think that others - cross-checkers and cross-checker-checkers - can do that as well, should anyone of them end up looking at it THAT closely in the 1st place... - though, I must say that after one year, I should not be surprised if they look at it using electronic microscope.
Here's to the next 365 Spora days,
Cheers...!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Going back home-home for Cousin's Wedding
I asked once, and she said no, so I ask again - who could say no to this one:
Hi Director,
Sorry to disturb you on your off day.
Now that I know my exam time table, here's the situation:
- I am able to clear ALL my teaching responsibilities, so neither would any of my students, nor colleagues be inconvenienced w/ my absence on the Friday (17th) and Monday (20th) of August.
- Just in case, staff has my hand phone number (roaming enabled) and students have my hotmail account (easy to access from any internet point).
- Even though my cousin is not my immediate brother, but rather a son of my mum's sister, I am sure you can appreciate that family ties, and bonds between people in general, at times cannot be quantified by the simple formal definitions. Especially in a particular situation such as our one: this Aunty of mine was never married, and she and her son lived near by my parents place. This meant that as kids my cousin has spent lost of time at our place, playing with my sister and me. This was especially true during the five years of Balkan war, when as kids we didn't go to school, nor played on the playgrounds that much, but spend lots of time in the basement instead. Well the point is that we spend lots of time together. Hence, even though formally he is my cousin, to me he is much more - a brother.
- Also, currently my Mum is visiting over there as well. She landed in Croatia on the 17th of Jul, then she broke her leg on the 20th of Jul. Now she's bed tied w/ a cast on her left leg till the last week of her holiday - 1st week of September. As an added bonus, it would be nice if I could pay her a visit as well.
- As the wedding is on the next weekend (18th -19th), and I need 20 hours of travel time between Zadar (Croatia Cost line) to Spore. I am ok for my exam, on 23rd, though I cannot get back in time for my invigilation on 20th, so I'll need to swap the invigilation duty with my roommate Anand. Needles to say, a fellow ICT-an is happy to help.
As I need to finalise my air-fare ticket as soon as possible, I would like to thank you for your understanding and prompt reply in advance. Should you want to discuss the matter further, please give me a call on these numbers.
Appreciated.
Sincerely,
Z
Hi Director,
Sorry to disturb you on your off day.
Now that I know my exam time table, here's the situation:
- I am able to clear ALL my teaching responsibilities, so neither would any of my students, nor colleagues be inconvenienced w/ my absence on the Friday (17th) and Monday (20th) of August.
- Just in case, staff has my hand phone number (roaming enabled) and students have my hotmail account (easy to access from any internet point).
- Even though my cousin is not my immediate brother, but rather a son of my mum's sister, I am sure you can appreciate that family ties, and bonds between people in general, at times cannot be quantified by the simple formal definitions. Especially in a particular situation such as our one: this Aunty of mine was never married, and she and her son lived near by my parents place. This meant that as kids my cousin has spent lost of time at our place, playing with my sister and me. This was especially true during the five years of Balkan war, when as kids we didn't go to school, nor played on the playgrounds that much, but spend lots of time in the basement instead. Well the point is that we spend lots of time together. Hence, even though formally he is my cousin, to me he is much more - a brother.
- Also, currently my Mum is visiting over there as well. She landed in Croatia on the 17th of Jul, then she broke her leg on the 20th of Jul. Now she's bed tied w/ a cast on her left leg till the last week of her holiday - 1st week of September. As an added bonus, it would be nice if I could pay her a visit as well.
- As the wedding is on the next weekend (18th -19th), and I need 20 hours of travel time between Zadar (Croatia Cost line) to Spore. I am ok for my exam, on 23rd, though I cannot get back in time for my invigilation on 20th, so I'll need to swap the invigilation duty with my roommate Anand. Needles to say, a fellow ICT-an is happy to help.
As I need to finalise my air-fare ticket as soon as possible, I would like to thank you for your understanding and prompt reply in advance. Should you want to discuss the matter further, please give me a call on these numbers.
Appreciated.
Sincerely,
Z
The Secret
...revealed: "You are a living magnet. What you attract into your life is in harmony with your dominant thoughts." - Brian Tracy
Vesna recommended the DVD, I couldn't find it, but I got the book - ta Yogic. Like she said, it's just your usual positive, hippie stuff. Just the type of BS I like.
Couple more videos that are worth while are: one endorsing it, and funny one against it. Of course, it was on Oprah as well, twice.
The hole story revolves around the law of attraction, and can be summarised by the old saying of be careful what you wish for; you just might get it. So this is hardly anything new. According to this video, these guys have been teaching it for a long while (forum). Tony Robins has been playing the same (MUST-SEE) tune as well. I came across it, for the first time, in the book, originally published in 1930's, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. And anyone with any familiarity with any of the religions, would probably say something along the lines of 'tell me something I don't know'.
Through the years, I became big on the positive psychology. Here are the few quotes that I picked up from sources other the 'the secret', and are all in support of it. It would be nice if you can add some more info that is either in support, or even better, against it. In summary, they say that:
Vesna recommended the DVD, I couldn't find it, but I got the book - ta Yogic. Like she said, it's just your usual positive, hippie stuff. Just the type of BS I like.
Couple more videos that are worth while are: one endorsing it, and funny one against it. Of course, it was on Oprah as well, twice.
The hole story revolves around the law of attraction, and can be summarised by the old saying of be careful what you wish for; you just might get it. So this is hardly anything new. According to this video, these guys have been teaching it for a long while (forum). Tony Robins has been playing the same (MUST-SEE) tune as well. I came across it, for the first time, in the book, originally published in 1930's, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. And anyone with any familiarity with any of the religions, would probably say something along the lines of 'tell me something I don't know'.
Through the years, I became big on the positive psychology. Here are the few quotes that I picked up from sources other the 'the secret', and are all in support of it. It would be nice if you can add some more info that is either in support, or even better, against it. In summary, they say that:
Whatever you think, that's who you are and how it is.
"Thoughts are energy, and you can make or break your world by thinking." - Susan Taylor
"The belief in a thing makes it happen." - Frank Lloyd Wright
"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." - Henry Ford
"The ancestor of every action is a thought. ... A man is what he thinks about all day long. ... To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men--that is genius." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Of the many earnest, and how earnest, people we may observe reading, attending lectures, studying and practicing disciplines, devoting their energies to the attainment of a liberation which is by definition unattainable, how many are not striving via the ego-concept which is itself the only barrier between what they think they are and that which they wish to become but always have been and always will be?" - Why Lazurus Laughed by Wei Wu Wei
"A human being is a part of the whole called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." - Albert Einstein
"If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable – what then?" George Orwell
"Change your thoughts and you change your world." - Norman Vincent Peale
justInCase...!
UPDATED, 24th Nov 08: list of quotes from The Secret.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
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