3 in 1

Three things happened in one day yesterday. The school's sports day was held in Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen. The weather was beautiful, not so cold and not so hot, a typical autumn in Hong Kong. My Blue House was the Champion of all the races as well as of the cheer-up group :-) My class came third in the overall event. A great harvest!

After the sports day, I rushed to the funeral parlour to attend the memorial service of my ex-teacher, Mr Alan Wu, who died in a motor cycle accident a few weeks ago. I have expressed my condolences to my teacher, his wife, Mrs Miranda Wu. I felt sorry that I could not control myself and I cried in front of her. This morning, I read his "sweet memory" and I found it so touching and sweet.

After the funeral service, we (my old friends) took cabs to the reunion dinner of St Catharine's. It was the 40th anniversary of the school. An interesting episode on the way - while we were getting on the taxi, we saw a girl also getting a taxi. We shouted to her if she was St Catharine's girl and she said yes. We shared the taxi and we laughed in the taxi because St Catharine's girls are unique and easy to tell :-)

During dinner, we talked a lot (of course, we were girls). I met quite a few familiar faces that I have not seen for years. I felt quite excited. We were happy that we had the chance to talk and share the lost memories. We took photos and nobody knew if the food tasted good or not. I met my old 'little friend', "Pony Ma' and we took photos together. We brought home with a 40th anniversary newsletter, a lovely teddy bear in school uniform and most of all, the sweet memories of the night.

Flu

I can't remember the last time I have got a flu. I rarely get one but this one is a big one. I have taken two days sick leave. It is unusual for me too. As far as I remember, it is my first time to take two days off ever since I started my career.

I could feel phlegm in my throat first. I could have stopped it if I knew it would lead to a flu. Then I had a sore throat. I started to cough and I could not sleep well. I could feel my back bone aching. I felt fatique, fever and I had a runny rose.

I went to see the doctor that I have not seen for a long time. He realized that I had not see him for a long long time too. I went to see a doctor only because I need a letter for my sick leave. I would not go if I did not need one.

I nearly recover now. You know how good to be healthy only when you are suffering from a disease. Just like you know something is precious only when you lose it. At present, to be honest, I am not having a healthy life style. Every night I sleep about six hours which I do not feel long enough. To be like this for six weeks is too much for me. I feel like a rubber band which has been stretched and stretched and then breaks in the end.

I am looking forward to the Christmas holiday.

The recession is here

On 27th October, I mentioned the big fall of the Hang Seng Index and the financial tsunami which led to companies closing and people losing their jobs. Now the 2008 economic recession arrives.

In the fast few days, there was news about cutting staff in big companies like the HSBC. The second round of layoffs of HSBC cut 450 jobs. There will be more and more companies firing their employees starting from the financial business and the estate agencies. The middle of next year will be the peak season of the layoff period. Graduates from universities are worrying about finding jobs now. If people cannot find jobs they want, they will enter the educational field as a stepping stone. So next year will have a big rivalry on getting a teaching post.

The Sands syndicate closed down the construction site in Macau led to thousands of unemployment. I hope the price of staying in the hotels in Macau will fall :-) so we can go the Macau at Christmas at a cheaper cost.

Lesson observation

I had a very good lesson today. The EDB official came to the school to check if their money is worth spending on our school. They checked necessary documents as well as observed my lesson.

To be honest, being observed by others, I had to do extra preparations. I had prepared different games and, with the help of the power point, I had prepared lots of visual aids like colourful pictures to help them learn. Our students have different learning difficulties therefore lots of visual aids are needed. By the way, I did not like the response of one of the games very much. I am going to try it again in the next lesson. I am expecting a better result.

The official of the EDB appreciated the lesson. She was impressed by the response of the students throughout the lesson. She said the students were trying hard to learn and to do better. She said the lesson was challenging but the students could manage it. She felt there was so much different our students were compared with those of the main stream school. She was amazed by the tacit collaboration of me and the co-teacher, Mr Rowntree in the lesson. I hope she realizes that our students have their own learning difficulties. I hope she realizes that our students are far difficult to take public exam.

Anyway, today's lesson is very encouraging. I wish I could spend more time preparing lessons for the sake of the students' bendfits.

I hate 'Road show'

If you want to lead a peaceful life, stay at home. I start to be disturbed by the public media early in the morning. When I get on the bus, I usually go up to the upper deck because it is not so crowded. I also like to enjoy a better view from the top window so going up becomes my habit. Unfortunately, I have to tolerate the noise from the roadshow. Some are not so noisy but some really reach an annoying level.

I look around the deck. Most of the passengers are sleeping or simply closing their eyes. I can hardly see anyone watching it. The first time to come across something may be interesting. But For a regular customer, watching the same thing day after day is like your brain being washed and your mind being controlled.

To avoid the noise, I have to use the noise to cover the noise. That is, I put my ear-plugs on to listen to the radio or MP3 to stop the irritating noise entering my ears. It is like an ostrich burying the head in the soil. What an enjoyable journey!

I have found out from my friend recently the sound is mute at the lower deck. I wonder why there are more passengers there. The fact is nobody like the roadshow, at least early in the morning. Then I asked why the driver did not turn it off. The answer is it is not allowed because the bus company is paid to do it.

There are roadshows on the bus and on the MTR. There are TV shows in restaurants or in fast food shops. There is even a huge TV screen with loud noise at the corner of the crossroads near where I am working.

Well! You can never win.

It's sad but true

Just click on the following web site. It is sad but true about Hong Kong's future. (it is in Chinese version)

http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/ed-sigh

My nephew, Martin

My brother took his son, Martin, to the golf course where he works on 'Take your kid to work day'. This day was originated in the United States where employees invite his/her prepubescent-aged girl to spend a day in their workplace. The aim is to expose the girls to various career opportunities. The programme was expanded in 2003 to include boys. The source is from WiKipedia.

Martin is 15 years now. He was born in Canada and has been living there ever since. I have met him twice. One when he was about three years old and another one when he was about nine, I think. Time really flies. He is a big boy now. I am looking forward to seeing him again.

Feeling cooler

Today is the first day to feel cooler in this season. It is about time to feel cooler. The temperature is about 20 degrees C. On earth, the temperature increases each year because of global warming.

I like the weather in Hong Kong because we can experience all the four seasons in a year. And again, autumn is my favourite season :-)

My sister's new Flat

My sister bought a new flat in Cityone today. She saw the flat in the afternoon and the deal was made within the same day. I hoped she had made the right choice. At this present moment, if you have extra money with you, I think to buy properties is the right choice. People do not feel secure putting money in a bank. Moreover, the interest rate is so low and the money 'will shrink' in the bank. Other ways of investment are no longer secure. So putting money in properties is the right time now.

Goodbye, Mr Wu

I heard a shocking news today that my former teacher, Mr Wu Tat Sung (he was a lab tech but I regarded him as my teacher) died in a traffic accident today :-(

The accident happened when he was riding his moterbike on Bride's pool Road near Chung Mei towards Sha Tau Kok. He lost control on his motorbike and swayed to the opposite lane while a car was coming towards him. He slid into the bottom of that car and was certified death half an hour later in hospital. What a tragic accident!

I remembered once he gave me a lift on his motorbike when I was at school. I was in the cycling club at school and we had an outing on the bikes one Saturday. After cycling with my school mates in Tai Po, he rode me back to Hunghom because we were in the same neighbourhood. He was very kind and that was my first chance on a motorbike. He was a good motor cyclist and I enjoyed the ride.

I regretted that I missed the chance of saying 'Hello' to him when I met him a few years ago at St. Catharine's.

Here I would like to send my condolences to his wife, Miranda Wu, my ex-teacher, for the loss of her beloved husband.

Mr Wu. I'll miss you forever.

The first black President in America

Obama Won! The historical period arrived at last. It is interesting to see how this president CHANGE America.

The US election day

Today is the Election Day of the USA. The two candidates are John McCain and Barack Obama.

Quoting from CNN.com : "It is one of the most historical election of the USA.Democrat Barack Obama could become the first African-American president. Republican John McCain could become the oldest president elected to a first term. Sarah Palin could become the first woman elected vice president."

No matter what the result is, it is an interesting election. And at this very moment, Obama is leading the vote.

For me, there is not much choice, I would choose Obama instead of McCain. McCain is too old and not outstanding. Palin is a joke who causes McCain to fail. People worried if McCain dies, Palin will replace him. That's one of the main points McCain will fail. People vote Obama only because they want to change. They don't want another George W. Bush. The only reason I would choose Obama because he is younger :-(

What happens to the American? Where are the bright people in America? Why these two are the only choices?

Parents' sharing day

About twenty parents of my class came to the school to share the new experience of their kids in the last two months. In my class, students have various learning difficulties such as autism, hyperactive, attention deficit, dyslexia, speech impediment, low IQ and others.

Parents talked about the changes of their kids since they entered this school. Most parents are happy that their kids enjoy their school life much more than in primary school. And most importantly, their kids show confidence in learning and do their homework actively. It is pleasing and encouraging to hear that.

The students in my class, because of their individual difficulties, lagged behind others in their primary schooling. The demanding syllabus of a normal primary school destroyed their confidence in learning. Their shortcomings kept their friends away. Some have been bullied physically or verbally by school mates or even their teachers who did not understand them. It tells from their behaviour and reaction to different situations currently.

Yesterday's meeting makes me oppose to inclusive education more. To a certain extent, both normal and abnormal kids cannot be benefited from it. Inclusive education is just an excuse of the government to save money. It may be good only if it is carried out properly.