Wednesday, August 13, 2008

All Bright-Eyed & Bushy-Tailed

We received a large batch of new students at our college this week, from all over. I'm not quite sure if everyone fully understood the contents of my briefing, but I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt- they have had to adjust to my accent (hence they looked totally confused & detached); some of them were tired due to the long schedule (so they slept!).

It's always interesting to observe new students. Naturally there's this 'feel-good' factor about them, having started a new journey in their lives. Those who had questions stayed back to clarify certain things about their programme and I also had a chance to speak to some of them.

Many types of student make up an intake- some are type-A: sits at the front, takes down notes and listens attentively to what you say; some are smart alexes: makes smart remarks that are not really funny but may evoke sympathetic laughs or a mere smirk from others; some are deer-in-the-headlight clueless types, perhaps in limbo or in shock; some are the 'uninteresteds': they (think they) know what you're going to talk about & (think that) whatever you say will not increase their IQ any further.

Hence begins their journey, and they have chosen to make that journey in our college. Some may stay the whole way (for better or for worse), some may change their minds while some may drop out altogether. As far as I am concerned, "the rest is still unwritten" (to quote Natasha Bedingfield) and I'll let nature (and nurture) take its course.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Reading into things

My sixth sense sucks. I do not wish to state any further information beyond that.

Saturday, August 09, 2008

A day with great company

Hubby has this group of friends from high school whom he still keeps in touch with, and by default spouses & children get invited to their gatherings. Initially I was a lost sheep in an unfamiliar pasture, as we wifeys do not know each other & don't know where to begin (what should we talk about??). Hubby tends to just show me inside the house (where all the wives are) and leaves to join the men outside, to reminisce on old times or to strategise new plans.

What started of as polite remarks/ awkward conversations have continued on to us forming a semblance of friendship. Of course there are regulars whom I remember very well & they are always new faces whom we welcome with open arms, because we were in their shoes not too long ago. I learnt today that Ja has a blog (2 in fact) and that I can learn step-by-step cooking from one of her blogs. This is great news for someone who's had to read from a recipe book every time she has to cook!

As we meet, we learn a little more about each other- little nuggets of information that we remember for us to continue with the conversations in the next gathering.

Friday, August 08, 2008

08.08.08

Sorry- can't resist not writing an entry today :p

How did I spend my day today? I registered to be a donor for the National Kidney Foundation, could that be considered significant? Work was pretty much the same... morning with classes and afternoon with meetings- pretty regular for a Friday... Maybe I should get into social work in a few years' time, I guess when I give myself to others I'll think less of myself and be less of a spoilt diva.

I'm watching the marching in of the international sports teams at the Beijing Olympics. China and its people have outdone themselves this time. The opening ceremony was nothing short of spectacular, with a capital S!

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

We live by the choices we make

Action & consequences: to get into a relationship, to wreck the relatonship you're already in- to make a choice when one is faced with a temptation. "Just say no" sounds familiar? It is, after all, a choice. When at a crossroad, one has to choose which path to take. I do believe that the choice is easy when one is rational & guided by a moral compass (obscure or otherwise).

What am I rambling about? A "Ms J" e-mailed a local TV/radio station to talk about her affair with an 18-year old. She is a 32-year old mother of 6 and cites the excuse of 'husband-neglect' to get into the affair... and that she is in the process of getting a divorce from her husband. Husband, having found out of the affair, is wooing her back with material things & attention.

My 2 cents? Silly excuse, get over yourself woman! That boy is practically a child to her. Of course physically he would appear mature but mentally he is not equipped to make a decision. What about her 6 children? What about them? Get a divorce, they sever themselves from their biological father. Apart from him being a workaholic, what other faults does he have, I wonder... Does he beat her and the children up? Did he not provide for them? Lonely wife, busy husband... reason to get into an affair? Get yourself a project woman! Turn your children into geniuses, why don't you- that'll will give her some work to do... I wonder how they're doing, with mommy gallivanting around town with a younger man?

Are people looking for love at the wrong places? Can't we find happiness within ourselves? What are we after, really?

Saturday, August 02, 2008

A New Beginning

Hubby started his new job yesterday. He was initially nervous and showed up an hour early, but it appears that in the end everything turned out really well. It's a new post in a company dealing with a new type of energy (not nuclear, thankfully!), and I'm pretty excited about it too.

The prospects seem endless and things are looking up, I do believe it. The only downside/ upside (I haven't decided...) is that he'll be travelling more. In the near future, Germany and Sabah/ Sarawak trips have already been planned. He will be busy, that is for sure, and I have to maintain my sanity and not impose my needs upon him at this crucial moment.

I havent't totally figured out this wife supporting husband business. Is getting out of the way part of it? It should be, I guess. Sometimes I wish that there's a book about this whole 'supportive wife' movement. Are some people better at it than others? Do wives naturally put themselves in the backseat to allow their husbands to shine? I didn't think that Cherie Blair did that- she's a model of a wife whom I'd like to emulate... she pursued her passion and became a QC in her own right. While being a QC is not exactly my dream, I am where I like to be now and maybe in a few years' time I'd like to work with the UN- UNICEF or UNDP will be ideal. It's possible and very likely to happen, especially with the way the world goes these days.

I prefer to see the husband-wife union as 2 distinct indivuals bringing the best out of each other, instead of one shrinking to allow the other to grow. There's plenty of room in a marriage for both individuals to grow and learn from each other. Another good couple example is Ungku Aziz & Azah Aziz- they're great!

Instead of having one person taking the supportive role, the marriage will work out better if both spouses support each other (imho). Isn't that a less stressful angle to marriage? Any spouse who accuses the other of not being supportive simply should not stay together since the relationship is obviously not working out. So, having said that, let's do it!