The Little Boy Who Couldn't, CAN!

Read the article on Weekend Today about Michael Phelps.

Apparently this eight-Olympic Gold medalist was terrible as a child by his teachers (unfortunately) He couldn't sit still and concentrate when it came to sit-down-and-read-and-write type of tasks, didn't get along with other kids in school (he was bullied according to his mother) and was eventually diagnosed as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). His mother agreed to have him put on medication and thought he improved somewhat then but he requested for it to be stopped. The journalist also made clear that there was a lot of communication between the Phelps children and Mrs Phelps. At the same time he was excelling in swimming and could sit patiently for 4 hours just to swim a 5 minutes race.

That's the gist of the article and as a gist goes, it's really diluted so if I were you, I'd read the article if I can be you a student, a parent, a teacher or in any other role.

Page 26, Weekend Today, THE LITTLE BOY WHO COULDN'T.

As a Mother and a Teacher, one thought hit me the hardest: Every child has a talent no matter what label they have been stuck with by whom. It is so so so so important to look at and listen to our children without judgement (By that I mean NOT PIGEON-HOLING THEM). Guide (NOT MOLLY CODDLE, SHIELD THEM FROM RESPONSIBILITIES AND DEFEND THEM UNTHINKINGLY!!!) them with their best interests at heart.

That was one thought and its elaboration...

As a pragmatic and cynical Optimist, I go on to think: Even if we the supposedly all-wise and knowing group of the human race found the patience and humility to do the above, nobody can guarantee that our children will be the success Michael Phelps is. So what do we do then? Well, Optimistic Me says that the process (bringing up of the children) is still key and if the process is done with compassion and guided by sound values, the children should be able to take care of themselves as grown-ups. So adults, let us not have unduely heightened expectations and be disappointed. And children, let you not let us the adults assume all responsibility for your lives because as you have read correctly, it 's YOUR LIFE.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK AHEAD!!!!! :)

Disclaimer: Due to a lack of time, this blog has not gone through the vigorous rounds of editing it should and thus might contain grammatical errors or worse, not make sense. Apologies in advance an if you do spot something amiss, kindly point it out. CHEERS!

Thought of the Day:

This comfortable S.C. W. has just decided that she's going to have fun while exercising too so Aerobics here I come!!!!

P.S. Okay this is a really frivolous post but must keep to my promise of at least 1 post a week, especially after clearing the O Level Drama Coursework!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YIPPEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D Will blog about CELEBRATE DRAMA later if I can.

Yoga and I, English and the Descendents of the Dragon

Went to the gym for classes yesterday morning. One was Hi-Lo, an hour long session combining high and low impact aerobic moves. The instructor energetic and friendly, her routine fun and challenging and the music was good. I liked the instant "high" the class gave me.

The class which follows was Yoga. Despite my history with the exercise (I fell asleep and snored in a class) I thought I will give it another go cos a good friend swears by it. (In fact she told me the reason I fell asleep was because of a restless mind.) Maybe age has made me more grounded. This time round I didn't fall asleep. Thank GOD! The instructor gently guided us through a series of yoga stretches and poses. Didn't feel strenuous at all. Didn't seem challenging. Definitely not fun. So I thought to myself: Okay! That's enough Yoga to last me for a LONG, LONg, LOng, Long, long time.

Then I woke up this morning and, ooowwwwhhhooooooo, I felt deep muscles that I didn't even know existed aching away. My Yoga session yesterday was so deceptively innocent! That I guess is the beauty of this form of exercise. It gently reaches into your body and works it without you being aware of it and I did feel very zen-like and serene at the end of the session.

I suspect it is good for me. It is exactly what I need to counter my adrenaline-filled and anxiety-driven self.

HHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

One CAN'T JUST do the things one likes right? Things that are fun, exciting and purely indulgent right? (These are rhetorical questions in case you try to answer them.)

Just look at the China in Pek Siok Lian's Crazy About English. The intensity at which the people of China, especially Beijing, embrace the learning of English in anticipation of the Beijing Olympic Games is just phenomenal. The documentary offers a glimpse into the ordeals and triumphs of the people learning the language. It features a cast of motley crew, the two most memorable ones for me are the oldest and the youngest of the lot. The former is an old grandpa who began learning the language in 2001 when he is 68 while the latter is an upper primary school girl who attended an intensive 10-day English camp. The grandpa has since formed a Learn English Club for seniors and is one of the 200 qualified English-speaking volunteer guides at Beijing's Forbidden City while the little girl's dream to work in a "big American company and make a lot of money" appears to be within grasp given the drive and ability she has shown in her language acquisition.

I don't know if the grandpa and the little girl love English at the beginning. What is quite apparent to me is that they, like the rest of the nation who holler English words and sentences from their seats in community club classrooms; squatting, sitting or standing at the school parade square; packed into a multi-purpose hall of an army-like camp, have found a purpose for doing what they do albeit physical and cultural difficulties. Guided and driven by their sense of purpose, these people never give up, no matter how difficult it got.

As the Chinese saying goes: Those who can endure the bitterest of the bitters will emerge the man above all man.

It is perhaps time that we take a good look at ourselves and see that it is the process of sticking with and conquering the subject/task/routine/topic we never seem to do well in/is boring/is difficult and therefore dislike, is what will make us into the man or woman above all man.


Moral of the story for this comfortable Singaporean Chinese Woman? STICK TO YOGA

What about you? What is the moral of the story for you?


Zen-fully yours,
S.C.W.

New Toys

Thank goodness for the National Day holidays and a sister and brother-in-law who love kids! (Thanks Kak Mas and Abang Udin!)

Away from school and kid and having indulged in some self-nurturing activities, it's time to get down to the business I've been wanting to do, thinking about doing but unable to do for a long long time.

WRITE.

Just realised this is an activity that I really really enjoy. Woohoooooo! And I'm doing it NOW! :D

And writing from my new Mac Book, plugged into my new iPod Touch makes it even sweeter! Yup! Your eyes have read what I have written correctly. Me, the once-proud tech dino is now the proud owner of 4 tech toys: a new handphone which does more than I know it can, a PDA which helps save trees and the Apples.
DISCLAIMER: I am really not boasting. REALLY! You'll know I'm telling the truth when you look around at the number of tech gad wiz kids less than half my age.

Seriously, I'm amazed at the speed at which I have given up resisting the lure of efficiency and the-world-at-your-fingertips promise offered by IT and am embracing IT whole-heartedly. I'm even more amazed at the speed the good people at Apple made possible for me to obtain my machines at affordable prices. It took a mere 15 minutes to order the goods and another day for them to be delivered.

So here's my (er-hem, random) parting pearl of wisdom for the aspiring entrepreneur: Make good your products and make easy the way your customers acquire them that they cannot refuse you.

THE END