Work and friendship are the best match!

Working with friends? Yes have you ever done this?  Let me share with you. It's the best thing that ever happened to me. Working with friends!

Of course all these pictures were captured during our break!

Mission accomplished!

Happy birthday dear! We'll surely miss you next year.

Us, The Team.

Both of you spiced up our team.

Thank you everyone. It's from the bottom of my heart. Hope we can work together again next year.

Sophyta

September, Your arrival means Workload...

Good day peeps.

I feel blessed to be able to update my beloved Sophyta's Casita though it's only a once a month kind of thing. My excuse - Workload!

Workload is nothing new to us, primary school teachers in Malaysia. Besides our core business, teaching at least six periods a day (the least), teachers become bogged down with loads of clerical tasks and lots more non-teaching jobs.

If  you happened to be singled out by the District (DEO) or State Education Office (SEO), you have to lend them a helping hand. DEO and SEO are not the only divisions and departments that would order teachers to assist them in their work. Examination Syndicate, Curriculum Development Division and Textbook Division are among the departments that would rope in teachers from school to help them. Once you are identified, it means you will always be away from school.

Come 2015, I've been entrusted with a new task - EXAM is the word. In order to equip myself with the new skills, I attended a training for the newbies in August and another official meeting in September. Both meeting lasted a week. It's a totally new experience for me. The new appointment comes with a huge responsibility and a new friendship!

Cheers,
Sophyta

Batik ...

Day 56/365

The fabric was ordered by my younger sister, Mira.

Hers is purple while mine is blue.

Both pieces of batik were purchased last year, 

but I couldn't decide on the seamstress.

Eventually, the suit was done last week.

We donned it today as we attended a district meeting together.

What do you think of the colour?

What do you think of the design?

Sophyta

Achieving one's goal ...

Day 22/365


Good afternoon peeps.

Every working soul loves to be noticed by their superordinate. Everyone enjoys the boss' attention.

No one likes to be left behind. No one likes to be ignored. No one wants to stay behind the scene, if given a choice.

Nevertheless, there's a limit to every action that one's partake.

A good colleague would never put others at stake. A considerable co-worker would never use others as her stepping stone.

In sum, a compassionate friend would never resort to cunning ways in achieving her goal.

Sophyta

Buddy ...

Day 20/365

Good day peeps.

Being a leader, no matter how small is the organization or panel that you lead, is a not a piece of cake. I've been handling my panel tasks single-handedly, most of the time. Fortunately, I was paired with a great buddy, who could share my burden.

Last year, there were only the two of us, planning and executing all the panel tasks and requirements. We managed well. In fact, we were very happy and comfortable to work together. I planned and she supported me. She provided me with the much needed help. Her presence complemented the usual one-man show panel.

I hope that she will be with me throughout my stints at this school.

Sophyta

It's been 20 hours ...

Good day beautiful friends.

It's been 20 hours since I deactivated my FB account. And, it's been the most torturing moment of my life. I miss my friends, real and virtual. I think of them all. I long to see their status' updates. I long to know who's doing what. I yearn for the latest events in the virtual world.

When I was about to confirm the deactivation process yesterday, the FB did warn me. The message read: The following people will miss you! But, in actuality, I miss them! They don't even realise that I've already left the FB world. Thus far, only four persons are aware of my new status. 

Deactivating social media account is more a boon than a bane to a working woman cum a student like me. As for the last night itself, I had completed a long standing action research and it's now ready for submission! But, do watch me. I might make a come back if I've become more disciplined and well behaved.

Sophyta

A Magnet in Our Heart ...

There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first; when you learn to live for others, they will live for you. Web Photo I couldn't help but fall in love with one of the greatest Paramahansa Yogananda's quotes on friends and friendship instantly. This quote speaks volume to me. Not everyone is blessed with this 'magic magnet' in their heart. I've experienced it myself. It's very annoying to work with a person who wasn't born with that magnet. What's more if she/he excels at soft-soaping the superior with her/his loquacity and verbosity. Hence, it's crucial to maintain and safeguard the power of magnet in your heart!

The Garden ...

Hi peeps.

Today is a great day. The weather is wonderful. A wonderful weather to me is not a day with clear blue sky. An amazing weather to me is a cloudy day with souffle of clouds looming over my little but serene workplace.

The colourful 'noon glories' are in full bloom.

In truth, I've no idea what's the name of this little-bud flower. 'The name 'Noon glory' is bestowed upon them as they bloom at midday!

The adorable little garden which snuggles cosily at one of the nooks and cranny in my school is the brainchild of one strong lady, our most respected Senior Assistant (Student Affair).

Here's the lady with numerous talents. She's a very good Maths teacher, has green fingers and a great cook, too! The best of all this lady has a heart of gold.

Sophyta.

Daybook 13

Good evening peeps! 
Today I'm home earlier (than yesterday), but not much is accomplished so far as bagua and mirrors distracted me ...quite badly.

For today  ::  June 18, 2013

Outside my window. . . the sun is scorching ... there are thin wisp of cirrus across the sky ...

I am thinking. . . of friends ... at times their conducts puzzled me ... they baffled me with endless antics...

I am remembering. . . someone's words and views ... of how they hold on to their beliefs ... at the expense of others.

I am going. . . to wash, dry, cook, fry, grill and blanch ... then, fold and fold ...

I am reading. . . Buddhism and Astrology ... ditched The Speed of Light by Javier Cercas ... at last ...

I am hearing. . . a sentimental song from my son's lappy ...

Around the house. . . pretty cosy ...

One of my favorite things. . . is seeing a sense of satisfaction and a big smile on my pupils' face ... after each lesson.

A favourite quote for today . . . Glory, built on selfish principles, is shame and guilt!

From my picture journal. . .

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Daybook10

Good morning peeps! 
The weather is extremely good today.
There's cool breeze blowing through my window.

For today  ::  June 14, 2013

Outside my window. . . the sun is around ...somewhere...masked by the thick rain clouds across the sky.

I am thinking. . . of my goal ... long term goal in life ...I'm contented but...

I am remembering. . . my friend's words ... a very dear friend ... her words cut like a knife ... all and all, her criticism seems baseless and she doesn't know how to let go ...

I am going. . . to wash, dust, cook and .... many more ...

I am reading. . . The Speed of Light by Javier Cercas ... but this book hasn't hooked me on the very first page ... howbeit, I'm not giving up...

I am hearing. . . children's giggling and talking ... missing my childhood days!

Around the house. . . pretty quiet .

One of my favorite things. . . reading the day away.... still!

A favourite quote for today . . . Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over!

From my picture journal. . .

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Lotus Feet

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Thanks to the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale in Penang recently. I bought this book for a mere RM8.00. Yes! You heard me right! This paperback is priced at $24.98 on Amazon. So, the Wolf did destroy the high book prices in the North!

Lisa See's novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan takes us into remote 19th-century China, where girls had their feet bound; meaning crushed to the size of lily flowers, in a ritual of beauty that started at the tender age of six and took two full years to complete. From foot-binding onward, girls and women lived secluded in a second-story chamber of their household.

At 80, the narrator, Lily, is the senior woman of a wealthy household, powerful enough that she can speak her mind about her life's treasures and errors. Born in 1823 in the Hunan province, Lily started off as "a second worthless girl" in a poor farming family. Because her feet were high in the arch and potentially breathtaking, she had the potential to marry well and elevate the status of her family. She could also enter a second formal match, to another woman, a lifetime best friend called a sworn sister or 'laotong'.

"A 'laotong' match is as significant as a good marriage," Lily's aunt explained. "A 'laotong' relationship is made by choice for the purpose of emotional companionship and eternal fidelity. A marriage is not made by choice and has only one purpose, to have sons." "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" is the story of such a friendship.

Snow Flower becomes Lily's sworn sister, or "old same," meaning perfect match. Snow Flower is from a high family in a prestigious neighboring town, her grandfather an imperial scholar. She can teach Lily the social rituals of important families. Lily can teach her the humble arts of cooking and cleaning.

Rural, 19th-century China was a culture in which education and scholarship was limited to the male elite. Secluded from age seven until death, "married out" into a husband's family, where they remained abject in stature and subservient to their husband's mother unless they had sons, women were isolated from anyone who cared about them personally. What they said and how they communicated was rigidly formalized, learning the calligraphy of men was prohibited, so they developed a secret writing called 'nu shu' (女书). Only in 'nu shu' (女书) and only to each other could they write or speak from the heart.

The first communication between Snow Flower and Lily was inscribed on a fan in the code of 'nu shu'      (女书). The secret fan became the journal of their lives.

That fan guides Lily as she records her memoirs. Because she is old and times have changed, she filters her memories through the late-life awareness of what mattered and what didn't. Woven through all this is the friendship between Lily and Snow Flower, which is compromised when Lily misinterprets a letter from her friend, cutting herself off from the one person she loves most. Years later, when Lily begins to understand her own failings and the depth of Snow Flower's affection for her, it is too late. She must find other ways to seek forgiveness and make amends.

I enjoyed every minute of reading this story and I highly recommend it. I think it would make an excellent selection for book clubs, given the vast number of elements to spark topics of conversation: Chinese culture--past and present; Mother-daughter relationships; Foot-binding; Arranged marriage; Female relationships;  etc.

Overall, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a sad beautiful book.

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The Good Old Days ...

Those days it  took me only a little wiggling to get into my favourite jeans comfortably...

With my mentor- cum- chaperone...
She took me under her wing and guide me through.
She's like a big sis to me.

Had been together through thick and thin ...

We used to walk and we used to talk, we used to laugh and we used to cry. We used to shop till drop and we used to hop to the hilltop.

Rekindling old friendships ...

Having a great time at Pantai Tok Bali ...

It is great to have friends when one is young, but indeed it is still more so when you are getting old. When we are young, friends are, like everything else, a matter of course. In the old days we know what it means to have them.~ Edvard Grieg

Are You Selfish?

Are you selfish?
Of course you're not.

If you are one, you'll not spare your time for my blog.
You'll not be bothered to leave a piece of comment that leaves me smiling the whole day.

I've encountered a number of people who are selfish. These poor souls are not only selfish but they do possess other vain characteristics as well. They are chance-takers. They are dominant. They are a show-off.

These nuisance creatures would jump at every opportunity for self-fulfillment. They would not mind stepping on others' head as they're making their way up. They would cringe at the sight of a menial job but would die for a glamorous one. For a clearer picture, let's have a look at the following vignette.

A few young corporate figures were working in a team, getting ready for a presentation. Suddenly, a glam in the group uttered,"OK, ladies... all of you do the thinking, I'll do the talking!" And off she went away. In other words, the glam is trying to be the group's saviour as she thought that the talking, especially in public, is dreaded by many. But, the bothersome creature failed to realise that not every reserved and composed soul is timid. In this case she might have forgotten the age old adage, an empty vessel makes the most noise, too.

With reference to the above example, the selfish soul has only herself in her mind. She was not bothered about the process as she's concentrating on the outcome. She knew it too well that all the credits would go to the presenter as her team members had put forth their best. She's indeed a great manipulator.

Though we're highly  irritated with these vain people, we shouldn't treat them as such. We're not selfish. I'm not and neither are you, my dear readers. I'd like to end this blabber with this ever green quote...

" Don't do unto others what you don't want others do unto you."

Having my friend back..Part 2

We did numerous trainings together as both of us are from SJK. We completed the whole cycle of revised curriculum, from year 1 up to year 6. 

Tok Bali Resort where the Lit Coz took place

Later on, we're roped in for the training of contemporary literature for children. That very course took us to a seaside resort in Kelantan, and that course was the last we're together. 

Me at the resort after the course

In the hall during the course

Not long after that, her family moved to Penang Island. As usual, pastures always seem greener from this side of the sea. The same holds true with this friend of mine. She yearned for 'sparklers' which she believed could be granted by the metropolis of the north.

A bevy of teacher trainers ...the friend is one of these pretty ladies. Can you guess?

If you are like me, you can probably count your closest friends on one hand. So realizing that I'm almost have lost touch with most of my friends, or even this friend, is quite unsettling. But the fact is, time and distance have a way of putting dents in relationships that I once thought would never end. Life became busy and busier and workloads piled up. Without conscious effort, work, husbands, families,  and even hobbies began to take precedence over old friendships and became excuses as to why I don't keep in touch. But, my innermost screamed... "Let's face it, my lives would be fuller with friends!"

Winding down ...

Dear readers, whether you'd like to rekindle an old friendship or need creative and fun ways to keep in touch with current friends, the first step is to commit to keeping the friendship alive, forever!  Just remember, "friendships are not a chore, they are gifts to be cherished".

To be continued ...

Having my friend back..Part 1

I first saw her ... at a meeting way back in 2003.
My first impression ... was not very good.
With one glance...I passed my judgment.
She's arrogant!
She's sophisticated!
She's not my type!
I'll never ever be able to get along with her!
Days past...
We stumbled upon each other again ...many more times...
The iceberg that stood in our way began to melt.
To cut the long story short...we're once room-mate during our stint as teacher-trainers.
I began to feel good about her.
Nonetheless, I couldn't read her mind.
At times, she seemed aloof and so distanced away...
The next day, she was sweet.