I realised recently that I was so conditioned by this society that I am living in that I lost the value of cherishing relationships fully.

performance or meeting expectations is not the way to find my self worth or meaning.

relationship is.

opening my heart to Him and others is. no pretense. no fear. no suspicion.

simplicity and sincerity. no other way.

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I can literally fall asleep within seconds these days simply because of some household chores, work and the kids that I enjoy handling with my wife daily... tiring to the body but refreshing to the soul since I felt that I am finally out of the rat race! My family is living in Singapore but we are able to run at our own pace and not be dragged along and pressurised to do too many things with too little time!

I felt sorry for my nieces and other kids whom I know these days as I see for myself the unnecessary stress that they faced from school. One of them cried on Sun evening because she has to go back to school on Mon to face her fierce and unreasonable teacher! The teacher actually scolded her when she asked for marks that she deserved but was not given because the teacher added it wrongly! One of them wet his pants almost everyday because he was too fearful of asking for permission to go to the washroom! One of them vomited because she swallowed her food in a hurry since there is not enough time to eat during recess. I asked one of them who is in Primary 1 if she enjoyed playing with her friends in school and she said that she has no time to play with anyone as the extra time is meant to be used for spelling revision!

Why not let them grow at their own pace and enjoy the friendship and fun of childhood instead of facts and figures of textbooks!?

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my kids are helping out with the chores more readily now that we are without a helper. I'm very proud of them even though they do not always do the best job at most tasks! very impressed, especially with my son cos he is really doing a lot to help us and his sisters! I think he will make a really good husband next time! :)

thanks to y.k, the sales of the physics handbook are picking up! although there are a few errors in the print (which you can find on the link on the left column of this blog), everything are beginning to take shape and some spin-offs in collaboration are on the way. If things go as planned, I can go on to the next stage of publication, which I will keep a secret right now...

I miss talking to all my students... hoping to keep in touch with all of you! :)

deeper thoughts: I am learning to be still in a busy place like Singapore so that I can tune in and hear that small still voice and also to grow my roots deeper into the soil...

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posting is out today... was wondering how it goes for my graduated students...
so far i know that r.l is going to NP Mass Com., c.l going to NP Bus. Studies, k.y going to TP Bus. Studies and i.s going to TP Biomed. Studies. Congrats to all of them! what about the rest of you!?

went for Edgeworth Training today... did not wanted to park my car at the CBD area so I took the train to Raffles Place (after such a long time of driving!) and I was shocked by the massive amount of people leaving the trains and going to work there! I was literally dragged along in the midst of the "sea"... felt kinda uncomfortable squeezing with so many people and having such close physical proximity! thank God I'm tall and the air up here is much fresher ;)

homeschooling did not start from the States... it started from Israel... it's the Hebrew (biblical) model that focuses on relationships, unlike the Greek model (or most current educational systems) that focuses on knowledge. It works on collaboration rather competition... it prepares the child for eternity rather than for this lifetime... it requires quantity of time rather than hurried quality time... it involves parents rather than strangers... i love it even though it is really demanding!

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blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.

for he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

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CNY was rather quiet for me this year... Did not manage to organise any gatherings for my classes so I only hosted those students who initiated to visit me...

My domestic helper went home yesterday evening... she needed to go home to take care of her children as her husband is going to another country to work. My family decided to send her off to the airport because she was a valuable help to us and has become a part of the family. When we were at the carpark, all the helpers from all our neigbouring units came out all at the same time to say goodbye... a rare sight to behold... it felt as if they were sending off a dear friend and companion working together in a foreign land... When the five of us snuggled up to bed together last night, there was a sweet feeling that we are all by ourselves again... depending and helping one another as a family...

we have decided to go maid-less for as long as we can so that the kids can learn to help out with the chores...it's not going to be that easy since we are homeschooling the kids too... that means the kids are with us 24/7! there goes the time where the both of us can go out together once in a while...oh well, at least there are a couple of people who have volunteered to babysit them so that we can have some time out ;) will not abuse this privilege though :) we still love to have them hanging around most of the time!

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