Last Friday we had Chinese and History. For once I had the "chi yu tian kong" of the Chinese paper all filled up, correct too. I had a lot of time left for the structured essay of history but ended up wasting too much of it on the first paragraph. =X

Today, we had to stay back for over an hour to see the graduates get their results.. what a waste of time. It was to "put a sense of urgency and pressure" on us, who are gonna take our 'O' levels this year. As I was crossing the road, a car kept sounding the horn at me. I looked at the traffic light, it was red and the green man was on. What the heck? Good thing I walked quickly, or else he would have knocked me down cause he raced past the red light. My parents told me I should have taken down his car plate, there were witnesses which I know.

The Physics paper was easy and I accidentally skipped a 3 marks question in the A Maths Paper. The latter forms 8 percent! -.- Tomorrow is Biology, the final one!

E Maths first.. many did not finish the paper. Probably took too much time drawing the frequency polygon and loci. I did, but the last two questions were rushed through. =X

Chemistry was next, there was a reaction which produced steam and I wrote it as an exothermic reaction at first, then as endothermic because heat would be taken in to create the steam. Think I'm wrong. =X

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Just recalled another story read out during morning prayer.. it goes like this..

[quote] The village head had contracted a terminal disease and had to select the next one. He called for every single male in his village to gather. "Each of you will be given a bean, the one who grows the best plant from it in a month will be the next village head," he proclaimed.

After they collected their bean, all of them went home and planted it. A boy made no progress with his bean, no matter what he did. He had placed the bean in fertile soil at an area where there was adequate sunlight and watered it daily. At two weeks, all the others' beans had sprouted, and were growing into a panoply of plants while his remained the same.

Three weeks.. four weeks.. the big day had arrived and the boy's efforts were still to no avail. Everybody who had received the bean turned up and each of their plants were different. Some were scented while some even had flowers.

The village head stood from the podium and looked down, and he saw the boy who had his bean while all the others had their plants. "We have our next village head!" he shouted.

Everybody was rooted to the ground, stunned. Actually, all of the beans were boiled, so there was no way they would have sprouted.

Morale: Believe in yourself and do what you think is right. Always stick to your conscience. [/quote]

Yesterday, on my way out of school I saw a sec 3 bullying some new sec 1s. I went up to him, pulled his bag and shouted stop. He did so I walked off and he said in the background, "Pull my bag for what sia? Think he big ar?" Even at the bus stop he repeated himself and after I boarded my bus, I saw him pointing at me to tell his friends. Best thing I've done in a while.. =)

Today was the start of term assessment 1. The English paper was about a short speech regarding the leaving of Ms Shakthi to further her studies. I took some time to gather my thoughts because there was just so much to write about her. Other than learning Biology and Chemistry from her last year, I've also learnt several life qualities - being more tolerant and understanding to others and putting my priorities right. Without her, I would not be who I am today..

The Social Studies paper was mainly about the use of IT in education. Some didn't finish on time, while others got tricked by the question which asked for sources D & E rather than the usual C & D. =X

The little things which frustrate you.. mean something..

[quote]After Sept. 11th, one company invited the remaining members of othercompanies who had been decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers toshare their available office space.

At a morning meeting, the head of security told stories of why these people were alive... and all the stories were just:

The 'L I T T L E' things.

As you might know, the head of the company survived that day because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.

One of them missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.

One's car wouldn't start.

One went back to answer the telephone.

One had a child that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.

One couldn't get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone... all the little things that annoy me. I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.. Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow getting dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated; God is at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may you remember their possible purpose. [/quote]

Pay attention to those around you.. and show your deepest concern..

[quote]It was a solemn occasion, everyone was deep in their own thoughts, reminiscing memories of the girl lying lifelessly in the wooden coffin. Nobody expected all these... nobody... absolutely...

Brenda walked around the coffin, still unable to accept the fact that lying inside, is the girl whom she used to joke around with. In Brenda's mind, there was absolutely nothing, except the sounds of Tess's laughter, the laughter which deceived everyone...

Why did Tess kill herself? Brenda do not understand… She simply couldn't. Tess, the girl who seemed to be at the peak of her life all the time... the girl whom everyone looked for, for advice and company. Why her???

Her life seemed absolutely perfect. A loving family... tonnes of good friends...perfect results.... She's always wearing a bright, cheerful smile, always the joker in class... who could have known, what lies beneath the strong, perfect self image?

As Brenda sat on the church bench, she felt faint. Just then, Mrs. Gearth, Tess's mum, walked towards her. "I found this inside one of Tess's closet... I thought... maybe you should have it."

Brenda took the pink book. She remembered the diary cover, she bought it with Tess, after Tess begged her a thousand times, to go to the bookstore with her after school. Brenda flipped opened the first page... It was the first, and the last diary entry.

24th July 1992
Dear Diary,
I've never trusted in diaries. I'm afraid that one day, all my thoughts will be read out. But I have nobody to talk to, and I could bear no more. Here is a poem, which I think, could represent all of me...
The sky is deep, the sky is dark.
The light of stars is so damn stark.
When I look up, I fill with fear,
If all we have is what lies here,
This lonely world, this troubled place,
the cold dead stars the empty space...
Well, I see no reason to persevere,
No reason to laugh or shed a tear,
no reason to sleep or ever to wake,
no promises to keep or ever to make.
And so at night I still raise my eyes
to study the clear but mysterious skies
that arch above us, as cold as stone.
Are you there, God? Am I alone?
Love, Tess

Brenda recognised the poem. It was Tess's favourite poem, taken from the Book of Counted Sorrows. Brenda never understood why it meant so much to Tess. But now she finally does. It relates so closely to her inner world...whom no one ever entered, and whom no one will ever have a chance to. The poem that she saw thousands of times in her life, finally made her understood that it was loneliness that lay beneath the everlasting smile, and it was loneliness that killed her.

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This story teaches us, how important it is, to walk into the underlying world of everybody, get to understand them, and not assume their character, simply by how they present themselves. We should let all around us know that there'll always be someone there for them, in times of loneliness, and depression. Pass this story on to all around you, and save the lonely souls out there. 5 minutes off your busy schedule might earn you a life long friend, whom you can share your life with. [/quote]

Be content with what you have..

[quote]After a conversation with one of my friends, he told me despite taking 2 jobs, he brings back barely above $1000 per month, he is happy as he is.

I wonder how he can be as happy as he is considering he has to skimp his life with the low pay to support a pair of old parents, in-laws, a wife, 2 daughters and the many bills of a household. He explained that it was through one incident that he saw in India... that happened a few years ago when he was really feeling low and touring India after a major setback.

He said that right in front of his very eyes, he saw an Indian mother chop off her child's right hand with a chopper. The helplessness in the mother's eyes, the scream of pain from the innocent 4-year-old child haunted him until today.

You may ask why did the mother do so; had the child been naughty, had the child's hand been infected?? No, it was done for two simple words - - - TO BEG!

The desperate mother deliberately caused the child to be handicapped so that the child could go out to the streets to beg.

Taken aback by the scene, he dropped a piece of bread he was eating half-way. And almost instantly, a flock of 5 or 6 children swamped towards this small piece of bread which was covered with sand, robbing bits from one another. The natural reaction of hunger.

Stricken by the happenings, he instructed his guide to drive him to the nearest bakery. He arrived at two bakeries and bought every single loaf of bread he found in the bakeries. The owner was dumbfounded but willingly sold everything. He spent less than $100 to obtain about 400 loaves of bread (this is less than $0.25 per loaf) and spent another $100 to get daily necessities.

Off he went in the truck full of bread into the streets. As he distributed the bread and necessities to the children (mostly handicapped) and a few adults, he received cheers and bows from these unfortunate. For the first time in his life he wondered how people can give up their dignity for a loaf of bread which cost less than $0.25.

He began to tell himself how fortunate he is. How fortunate he is to be able to have a complete body, have a job, have a family, have the chance to complain what food is nice and what isn't nice, have the chance to be clothed, have the many things that these people in front of him are deprived of...

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Now I begin to think and feel it, too! Was my life really that bad? Perhaps... no, I should not feel bad at all...What about you? Maybe the next time you think you are, think about the child who lost one hand to beg on the streets.

"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, it is the realization of how much you already have."

When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us. It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. [/quote]

Nails in the fence.. another of my favourite stories..

[quote]There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.

Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us." [/quote]

How one changed another's life..

[quote]One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face.

It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him
why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some
of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation.

I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous.

Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back
and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped
you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.

He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.

"Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.

I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.

God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another
in some way. Look for God in others.

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly." [/quote]

Always look on.. the bright side of life..

A story which was read out during morning prayer..
[quote]It had not rained for several weeks in a village and there was a drought, causing most of the crops to wither. The village head called for a meeting, where the villagers would pray for rain together. He requested, "please bring along an item which will help you in your prayer."

That night, every villager was present and they either had with them a cross, amulet or something related to prayer.. except for one boy who brought an umbrella. The village head asked him, "why did you bring an umbrella?" The boy replied, "it will rain."[/quote]

Morale: Look forward to everything positively and things will turn out fine. They always do.

Appreciate others for who they are..

[quote]A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One pot had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path.. Every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. [/quote]