This is really a deserted garden.

With the opening of my facebook account, I have not updated this blog for a year already.

2009 is a not a bad year for me. As usual, life is very busy. However, I should not be complaining as I have very good students, good colleagues and a warm family. (Well, I basically have good health except for the last few days).

What will 2010 have in store for me ?

These are a few things I know that will happen:

Jan---School inspection ( A big deal for the school) Life will be super busy and tense.(Oh, I forgot to mention my birthday on the first day of Jan :. )

April--The arrival of my niece. I will become an aunt.

August--A trip to Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

For the rest, I have no idea but I will keep my fingers crossed.

Wish all my friends , my students and family members a Merry X'Mas and a happy New Year. (I hope you will pop in accidentally and read this message)

Just returned after seeing a great performance by Jo Jo Leung.

Queer show is a combination of drama, music and dancing. However, Jo Jo , managed to do all of them well and all the three elements are wittily entwined to make a touching love story of a gay man.

Having come out of the closet, Jo Jo plays a gay man in search of true love. He makes the show both entertaining and educational.

Like heterosexuals, gay people have every right to find true love and live a life with dignity.

I had dinner with my F.5 friends on Friday. It was fantastic.

We chatted and talked about things in the past, naughty things and silly things; teachers and families.

Perhaps it had been a lot time since we last met (for some of us), we had lots of things to talk about, just like the way we used to talk. Of course, we are a lot of older (or more mature mentally and physically), however, it was the great time we shared at school served as the bond between us.

Though we are no longer teens wearing school uniforms, the memory of the old days soon melted the years away.

Once again, I would like to thank Doris and Dilys for arranging such a great evening and I look forward to the next reunion.

Am I out of luck ?

Quite a number of things have gone wrong for me these days. Just to name a few:

1. My computer is not working properly. (It has become mute.  I  just bought it at Christmas)

2. Oasis Airways closed down. I happened to have bought flight tickets with it for my summer trip.(It  is unlikely to have my money back.)

3. There are lots of pimples on my face. (I don't want to be seen at all !)

4. Though I only sleep 4 hours every night, I still can't finish marking my April test papers.

5.  I can't work at my office as it is freezing cold there. (I can't stay there when the air-con is on. It is so cold that I had a terrible headache this morning)

I need some luck!!! Will a 4-leaf clover bring me luck ?

Dear Carmen,

 It was a pity that we didn't see each other on your last official school day.

I don't know what exactly is on your head at the moment. I hope what I am thinking is wrong.

Anyway, I would like to dedicate this song to you.

See you later.

Love,

Ms Mak

You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)


Don't give up
It's just the weight of the world
When you're heart's heavy
I...I will lift it for you

Don't give up
Because you want to be heard
If silence keeps you
I...I will break it for you

Everybody wants to be understood
Well I can hear you
Everybody wants to be loved
Don't give up
Because you are loved

Don't give up
It's just the hurt that you hide
When you lost inside
I...I will be there to find you

Don't give up
Because you want to burn bright
If darkness blinds you
I...I will shine to guide you

Everybody wants to be understood
Well I can hear you
Everybody wants to be loved
Don't give up
Because you are loved

You are loved
Don't give up
It's just the weight of the world
Don't give up
Every one is to be heard
You are loved

How can anyone on earth be so beautiful ?

Perhaps he simply doesn't belong to the earth. He is a star that shines.

He has the charisma that captures hearts of numerous men and women. Actually, he doesn't have to do anything, simply with his presence, a movie becomes worth seeing, a song becomes worth listening.

People still mourn the death  of Leslie and ask why God took his life so early, however, should we also thank God for creating a man so beautiful and a legend that never dies?

My hair is getting longer and longer like Rapunzel's. (The long-haired girl in a fairy tale. Her hair is long enough to be braided into a long rope for the prince to climb up to a tall tower)

These days, I keep wearing my hair in a pony tail or a bun as it is very long. It is about waist length. That means I have not done anything about it for a long time. However, this is exactly why I always keep my hair long because I hate going to a hair salon.

Going to a hair salon means you have to sit down for a long time reading tons of glossy magazines for 4 to 8 hours. Some people like to talk to the hair stylist but I don't. I'd rather keep quiet as I don't want to talk about my work. Once people know that you are a teacher, they tend to say something like "Kids are naughty these days, right ?"; "Being a teacher is tough, right?";"You have a lot of holidays, right?"

No matter what you say, people just don't understand. if you say that your life is tough, they would say that their life is even tougher. The point is I don't go to a hair salon to make speeches or trying to compare my life with other people's.

Besides, going to the hair salon is a very risky thing as you don't always get what you want in the end.

However, unless I want to grow out my hair like Rapunzel's, I will have to go to a salon. Perhaps some time this week??!!

To get my hair permed or straightened is the question.

I always like African Violet as mother used to like it.

I have a few pots of African Violets at home. I treasure them a lot because they are the decendents of the African Violet that my mother planted before she died.

When I leave home on a holiday, I would make long distance call just to remind my family members to water them for me. These flowers seem like a living link between my late mother and me.

Sometimes when I feel weary, I simply gaze at them and start talking to them (sounds  like a maniac?!) I have to admiit that I don't take good care of them but they are pretty tough. They can survive heat and drought.

I sent 2 pots of African Violets (the grandparents of the present flowers at my home) to my mum when she was very ill. I hoped that my mother would feel a bit happier when she took care of the blooming flowers. However, instead of growing tall and beautiful, the African Violet started to wilt. My mother was very upset (she took pride in being a green finger) and said the flowers were as "Dead" as her. Until one day, there were only a few leaves left on each plant, then my mother passed away.

Since then, I have become the new owner of those flowers.

Well, I am gazing at them again............

http://www.youku.com/playlist_show/id_922594.html

Just now, I watch a Korean movie (DVD) called "Love, so Divine". I didn't expect much at first, but it turned out to be very touching.

People regard it as a "Love comedy" , that's why I didn't expect much but a good laugh. But in the end, I cried instead.

For the first 40 mins, you may find it very boring. It looks like a typical silly love comedy. (you'll know why I say it "looks" if you watch it)

The story is about a man who has been studying 7 years to be a Catholic priest(that means he is not supposed to get married all his life). Just one month before he is officially appointed to be a priest, he meets a girl who comes from Seoul to meet her boyfriend. The arrival of the girl brings about changes to the young man's life.

He then has to choose between his two loved ones , God or the girl.

When you see this movie, you laugh and cry at the same time. What a mixed feeling!!!

A few days ago, an old student, Windy, sent me an email telling me about her college life in Australia. I was glad that she has got used to her life there and she met another old girl, Asta, at a local church near where she lives.

I taught Windy and Asta before and they both were very good students. Although they did not know each other in St Catharine's, they are lucky enough to meet each other and share their happy experience in a foreign country now.

I can only say it's small world afterall.

PS. Asta, I would like to send my love to your baby and your family.

      Windy, Tracy and Sharon, I wish you the best of luck with your studies.

I would like to wish everybody I know a happy Easter.