A new principle I picked up for myself:

Champions are not those who never fail but those who NEVER QUIT!

Those who can't afford to fail are those who have not grown or matured in life... their roots are shallow and they fall away easily...

I don't admire those who always succeed in whatever they do as much as those who failed, humbled themselves to learn from their mistakes and try again!

These are the ones who will make it in the long run...

These are the ones who can help others to make it too...

Thus, I am thankful to God for all the failures in my life... without which i would not have learned so much and grown...

Be like a ball! the harder you are struck down, the harder you will rebounce!

:D

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Going to school to teach doesn't make me a teacher anymore than going to a prison makes me a prisoner.

Going to church doesn't make me a Christian anymore than going to a garage makes me a mechanic.

It's not what I DO or GO (e.g. teaching in a class, marking scripts, setting exams, praying, reading the Bible, going for Church meetings) that defines who I am! It's who I am (e.g. In Christ, I am the light of the world, the salt of the earth, the ambassador for Christ) that defines what I do!

My actions spring forth from my identity, not the other way round!

This makes a big difference cos it sets me free from religious duties and mundane routines and it allows me to live my life the way it should be!

If you see yourself as a learner all your life, studying is a natural thing you would do!

it's so obvious but yet I often misunderstand it and live my life the wrong way!

let's get back on the right track in the right direction! God allows U-turns all the time!

:D

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For a serious change for the better to happen in the world, the only feasible way is to start from an individual MAN. The current pitiful state of society (e.g. broken family, divorces, homosexuality, violence, prostitution, pornography, rape, child and wife abuse, addiction to cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, computer games etc...) came about because of MEN around the world who refuse to live their lives RESPONSIBLY as a REAL MAN before God! I thought I was living as a REAL MAN all this while until God showed me recently (through a series of books and people) that I fall short of HIS standard in my life as a REAL MAN before Him...

Here are some things that God revealed to me concerning what it takes to be a REAL MAN and what is the behaviour of a CHILDISH man who never grows up...

a REAL MAN is never passive. He does not remain quiet or give in when he is pressurised by others to do what is wrong. He takes the initiative to volunteer, to assist, to give. He is decisive and bold to take the lead. He is a leader who serves and does not wait to be served. He never takes the back seat when it comes to disciplining his children. He teaches them spiritual matters and always initiate to bend the knees and pray for them.

a REAL MAN is responsible. He is accountable to God and people around him for his actions. He may fail but he does not quit! He is a man of his word. He says something, he will keep his promise to fulfill it. He does not give excuses for his wrong doings or mistakes. He admit his mistakes, shoulder the blame and consequences, take courage to apologise and not do it again. He does not lose heart and is committed to the end. He feels and thinks before he do anything. He exercises self control in all things.

a REAL MAN loves unconditionally. He loves and accepts his wife for who she is, not for what she can give or do. He loves even if there is no appreciation or positive response from his wife. He never says the 'D' word (divorce) no matter what. He keeps his marriage vow to remain faithful and loving even to the point of death. He gives generously for the benefit of others, without expecting anything in return.

a REAL MAN expects the greater reward. He does not live for the moment. He lives for a meaningful cause that transcends time (i.e. eternal, not temporal) and does not change. God alone is worthy and qualifies for such a cause. He seeks the approval of God rather than the flattery of man.

a REAL MAN is a gentleman. He shows strength through his meekness, not through his anger. He shepherd others by setting an example, not by ruling over them with a rod of iron. He shows respect and handle women with diginity.

So far in history, who can be our role model?
JESUS CHRIST... and those men who fully surrender themselves to Him and allow Him to lead them in their lives... these are the ones who can make the greatest impact in the lives of others and liberate women to fulfill their destiny in their roles as women... I desire to be such a man, do you?



Sadly, there are still many who live their lives as described below...

a CHILDISH man only want to enjoy the authority but not the accountability. He rather use his authority to spend money/time for his pleasures (e.g. cigars, beer, golf club, prostitution, fanciful gargets) than to be accountable to his family for what he spends. He does not know how to be responsible. He wants the sex but disappear into thin air when the girl gets pregnant. I recently got to know about a girl who had to go for abortion because of her irresponsible boyfriend. He was not even there to accompany her for the abortion and came up with lame excuses that he fainted along the way and was hospitalised!! a CHILDISH man dare not make any decisions. He is afraid to fail or lose face. He always needs to be mothered, even when he is married. He is one of the kids that the wife has to take care of! He always pushes the blame on others when things go wrong. He does not admit his mistakes or shoulder the blame. He live for the moment not for what is eternal. He only wants things to go his way and is unreasonable. He is vulgar and crude. He does not know how to show respect to women. He does not know how to obey and submit to authority.

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I asked God to take away my pride,
And God says, ¡°No¡±.
He says that it is not for Him to take away but for me to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped body whole,
And God says, ¡°No¡±.
He says that the body is temporary and the spirit is whole.

I asked God to grant me patience,
And God says, ¡°No¡±.
He says that patience is the by-product of tribulation, it is not granted but earned.

I asked God to give me happiness,
And God says, ¡°No¡±.
He says that He gives blessings but happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain,
And God says, ¡°No¡±.
He says that pain draws me away from worldly cares and bring me closer to Him.

I asked God to make my spirit grow,
And God says, ¡°No¡±.
He says that He must prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked God if He loves me,
And God says, ¡°Yes¡±.
He gave His only Son, who died for me and I will be with Him someday because ... I believe.

I asked God to help me love others as He loves me,
And God says, ¡°Glad you said so¡±.

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a feeling of nervousness and excitement as i step into the parade square...

my heart just brightened up to see them once again...

the greetings and smiles we exchanged are heart-warming...

they are the driving force and the very reason why i love this job...

they are the very reason why i try my best to teach...

:D

a load of class admin time today...

settled the class motto, the class t-shirt & jersey, the class rules, the class notice board, the class expectations and targets, the class profiling forms, the class seating arrangement, the class committee... :D

the class was rather restless today... i pity my class chairman and vice-chair when they were soliciting responses from the class, especially for the class motto...

anyway, we decided on "Ordinary Miracles" as the class motto...

I was thinking of modifying it to the one below to bring out the meaning behind:

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Miracles

what do you think? :D

P/S the class rule I set is simple:
BE CONSISTENTLY ACCOUNTABLE

consistency is the KEY to improvement and efficiency

It's the daily exercise that really makes the difference in an effective and stressless way... not any last-min intensive training/cramming...that applies to studies, perfecting a skill, keeping yourself healthy, spiritual growth, anything and everything that you are doing!

accountability is the DRIVING FORCE to being consistent
If there is no one you are accountable to, you will not bother to be consistent.
It may be your parents, your teachers, your friends or in my case, God, whom I must give an account to one day when i die or when He returns again. :D

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what a long break from blogging!

I shall reflect about this year and look forward to next year...

I am thankful that God has used many people, books and events to turn my heart fully back to Him towards the end of this year and i do hope to keep up that desire to seek and glorify Him in whatever i do

I am thankful that I am now clear about my purpose in life and the specific callings that God wants me to focus on - playing an active role as a father to shepherd my children to love God through homeschooling, giving an example for other fathers to follow and equipping myself to give an answer to anyone concerning the faith that I have believed in

I am thankful that my family is always there for me! my wife who is truly my helpmate and companion, who alone can bear with me and my weaknesses, my kids who hug and kiss me so purely and unreservedly! I will nourish and cherish them always!

I am thankful for my brothers and sisters-in-Christ, Bo who helped me so much when i am not around to bring the kids out, those in the marriage support group, those who prayed for me and my family, those who enouraged us to press on!

I am thankful for a few groups of students (from various classes, past and present, form classes, subject classes and tuition) whom I spent quite a great deal of time with, giving them remedials, playing games with them, I helping them out and they helping me out, going for meals with them, talking to them and they talking to me and confiding in me and entrusting me with their secrets and problems. All of you know who you are... I hope to be your close friend and mentor always...

I am thankful that my form class (3/1) has given me so much fun, joy, "heart aches" and respect such that I know for sure I am really a part of them and I am really honoured to be their form teacher! Will always remember Carpe Diem, the encourager and encouragee, the home periods when i shed my tears, the car wash and flea market, the sports day, the national day celebrations, the outing and BBQ @ east coast, the lunch @ school and at KFC, the malay skit, the gathering at my house, the surprise birthday celebrations for me and the chalet @ sentosa! Thus, I am overjoyed to annouce that I will be their form teacher again next year! I will definitely cherish this last year with them in Nan Hua... and the many years to come!

I am thankful for my subject class (3/2) for stretching me to become creative and patient with them in terms of maximising their attention span and giving me the opportunity to see beyond their playful-selves and find that hidden potential in them and hopefully lead them to excel and prove to themselves and others that they CAN! I enjoy the candid atmosphere in the class and that special lesson under the shades behind the canteen!

I am thankful for my subject class (3/3) for been such a nice and easy class to teach. They really made teaching and learning seem so simple and though i will not be teaching them next year, i wish them all the best in their future endeavours!

I am thankful for my subject class (3/4) for been such a warm and friendly group of peolple! Will always remember their screams and jokes! their pod casts and their sheesh! They made me feel at ease and happy in their class! I enjoyed going to their chalet, their combined teachers day celebration and I look forward to more rounds of captain ball with them!

I am thankful for being able to lead SJAB for all these years and for the farewell celebrations that they have planned for me! I really hope that SJAB will continue to grow from strength to strength! I am thankful for the new softball team who has been warm enough to take in a teacher who knows nothing much about softball!

I am thankful for my colleagues and supervisor who taught me so much so much on how to be a true teacher and putting in nice words for me when i get into trouble and for standing in for me for other responsibilities when I need to attend to my family and students!

finally, I am thankful for YOU, the faithfully readers of my blog! without you, I would not have blogged so much this year! :D

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