I hope you dance

Lyrics of Lee Ann Womack

I hope you dance     

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin'

Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance
I hope you dance, I hope you dance

(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Dance, I hope you dance
I hope you dance, I hope you dance
I hope you dance, I hope you dance

(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone)

            

Study of history

Students generally relate the study of history as a memorization of facts,dates and events and not relevant to the present but those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.The past offer us reminders of mistakes made by our predecessors that provided trigger points that escalate to conflict and war, a guide to correct steps to reforms that lead to progress and an understanding on why certain policies at present are shaped by past beliefs and attitudes.
   If given the chance ,the study of Egyptian and Persian history would be done through visits to virtual museums or study how archaelogists excavate sites.   They could visit nearby countries UNESCO historical sites. They could interview survivors of wars to get oral history.  They can study plays,novels or dramas written by authors and poets in the past and recreate dramas in costumes and historical setting to understand the thoughts and feelings of people in the past.So to understand Machievellian thinking of political manipulation,The Prince could be reenacted.In understanding how religion spread ,watch the movies like The Legend of Demon Cat or visit a movie set to see how stage directors recreate the costumes and lifestyles of ancient people. In music,they learn about how to play classical musical instruments and songs of that time and stage a concert instead of writing an essay.Using 3D printers they design and recreate replicas of historical artifacts or fabric design of the past to put up a mock museum exhibit and record  a journal of their attempts to understand the past.
   Cookery lessons or traditional healthcare could investigate past medical treatment like with leeches or bee sting.Traditional  recipes could be tried out and the subject of human geography be introduced together with anthropology and sociology to learn relevance of traditions to culture.
Now if I have the manpower and the monetary means,I would revamp the whole process of learning history. Day dreaming coz the cheapest way is chalk and talk.

career path

Not many parents are aware that when they put a child in different educational institutes that run foreign programmes,they should look at the personality of their child and their learning style so that they choose what suits them.If they are used to the test and drill system,the A level programme would suit those used to individual style of learning and more studious but for the Australian system,they need to be more proactive in seeking for information,teamwork,sociable and collaborative in peer learning.Curricula are designed in progressive sequence so that it takes some adjustments for a learner to switch from one system to another.Some are quick learners and adjust fast but those who are not so adapatable take time to change.
                 Learners who are passive and non expressive feel like a fish out of water when they are expected to be assertive and defending their own opinion.
An ex student of the WACE programme who has now obtained his PHd from UK faced the problem when he applied to do a pharmacy degree from the UK as the WACE chemistry subject is not studied as intensively as the A level as it's a 10 month programme compared to 2 year A level programme so that the college he was applying to asked him to redo the foundation pharmacy programme ,thus wasting one year on a foundation course.The maths and language literacy test is compulsory to pass so if students fail they do not get a certificate and they are given 2 times to pass in an academic year so if they fail,they wait the next year to sit for it.The literacy test should be given before a student signs up for the programme not a few months later.So if a students fails the literacy test,that means he has insufficient prior maths and language competency to undergo a rigorous course where speed and fast work is expected.So he or she should be disqualified right before admission to the course .Secondly students need to pass coursework assessment at 50% so after the first semester  when students score poorly well below the average marks ,some know no matter how hard they try,theywill never make it to the pass mark at external exam,so  they would cut their losses after the first semester and switch to a foundation course.
        So to do the IELTS course and the A levels would have been a quicker pathway for him.Many students take the A level English paper thinking that because of their speaking proficiency,it would be easy to score,not knowing that learners who do well need to read voraciously all genres of fiction and non fiction texts or how can they compose an imaginative horror story or have the critical analysis to detect nuances of tone and mood.
 Sometimes,the learner has the language proficiency but lack the background general knowledge to do well as in writing,they need to be aware of diverse topics from architecture,science or environment.So for a student to write well,besides knowing the language well,critical thinking skills and general knowledge are important to do well.So a student who does not read extensively would not be a good writer or speaker.
  

difference between a levels, SAM and WACE

The system of assessment is external exam based and a more familiar pathway for those proceeding from ICGSE or O level as it's exam based ,something our students are used to with exam drills and practice.Moreover,the textbooks are designed to give students practice in exam and there is a wealth of online past year exams to refer to.But the Australian system is 50% coursework based with continuous assessments which is used to calculate the final score.Students need to be continuously on their toes and face consistent stress weekly and cannot fall behind in their homework and coursework.SAM or SACE has a longer history in Malaysia so the teachers have a better idea of the curriculum and framework.WACE does not have fixed textbooks,or the materials like novels and movies being Australian based are hard to obtain in Msia and listening tests being Australian accented has insufficient textbooks unlike British based teaching materials.Besides,the system makes students sit for compulsory maths and english literacy tests when some students have already sat and obtained IELTS marks.The students need to fill in eligibility forms and get school certs and etc to see if they qualify to sit for the test.
     So the South Australian system is simpler to apply for with less administrative work.Thank goodness we are ending the partnership this year as it burdens students and teachers with paperwork.

time of year and time of life

Festivity is a time of nostalgia as it brings back the hope and excitement of childhood memories.In the big,extended family,third uncle and aunt would buy gauzy materials from textile shops like Mun Long in Petaling Street and sew nearly identical frocks for all the nieces and nephews.It's a time when the stone mill is brought out to grin d glutinuous flour to make nien gao.Huge woks and tins filled with banana leaves to steam the sticky nien gao.The family altar table was cleaned and decorated with fresh fruit and flowers.we young kids made red paper cuttings to paste on mandarin oranges and pomelos.It was a bustling kitchen as ma ma or grandma presided over rolling of dough,making peanut puffs to fry in woks of boiling oil.It was a time to eat waxed duck ,meat, and yu sang or raw fish.The wan yu was bought live and kept in a plastic basin,before it swam in our stomachs.The loud firecrackers caused the road outside to be lined with red paper.
     The feasting is still fabulous but my younger sister in Singapore has globalised the food.The only traditional dish was the LOHan vegetarian and the almond dessert.The rest of the meals was global from Japanese croqueetes filled with mochi and cheese,Greek and Italian red wine,egg yolk butter fillet,prawns in herbal chinese wine with dong quai,smoked duck,duck rillette,parslane greek salad,french cheese and lots of love letters and pineapple tarts.My sis has  acquired a gourmet tast in fine dining and her kitchen is amazing with precise utensils to male japanese black garlic which was surprisingly delicious to homemade Japanese plum wine also fantastic.Everything is home made and it was better than dining in a five star restaurant.
   I worked out morning with yoga and tai chi and swam everyday.Had time to read Ken Robinson's book Creative schools and bought Murakami's short stories Desire.
The connectivity of public transport in Singapore is smooth and seamless except when my idiot son who tried to push me in a rush for the MRT when my knees are so creaky that I nearly slipped and fell.I basically hate concrete jungles and so I cocooned myself in my sis's rooftop garden and swimming pool to rest and relax.Man made entertainment and structures are a big yawn.
   The service industry is excellent and efficient which makes moving around easy.Visited the Sri Lanka temple in Bendemmer road and saw how the had beautiful floral arrangements in a plate for homage to lord buddha instead of that plop into a vase floral non arrangement.The Thais,Sri Lankans and Balinese are more artistic than the Chinese.

Snow peaks,winter landscape

Music as stress reliever

I got so pissed off when my workout at the Taman Kiara Rimba park was disrupted because the place where I did aerobics was cordoned off for a private event and VEHICLES with their carbon emissions were allowed in to add to air pollution.Thank you for the breathe of fresh air in the park.Why even allow vehicles to be driven inside a jogging path.Beats me and sure as hell angry.
Luckily to vent my frustration,I could belt out my karaoke in the car.Thanks Taka for the song Suddenly and One by One.It's loud heavy metal and can scream in the car.
   One OK Rock band,You guys rock .Dirty polluting car in park _you suck big time.
  While I was screaming when mopping the house,it drove the sleeping dog MAD and he threw his  plastic lid at me.Better sing in car and let sleeping dogs lie.