Random Thoughts by Pauline

January 10 2014, Friday  

Tom Sawyer

Statistically speaking, Hong Kong students read a lot. Well, that is one of the performance indicators looked into when External School Review Team visits schools. But as teachers, we well know the quality of our students’ reading is not that ideal. Like any other activities they are engaged in, many students are doing it for the sake of getting it done.

One of my favourite questions I ask applicants on the occasion of Secondary 1 admission interview is: “You have been doing this one article per day for quite some time. Please tell me about one of the articles you have read?” Very often, the reply is “I have forgotten.” This is the same reply I get when I ask applicants who have been practising piano to introduce to me one of their favourite music pieces.

Reading, to most of our students, is an assignment, a book report. It is not enjoyment as evidenced by the fact that if given a choice, they tend to pick easy books to read.

This morning, I recommended to my students The Adventures of Tom Sawyer written by Mark Twain in 1876. Tom Sawyer, modeled on Twain, was a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. The plot is intriguing and the book is not exactly difficult though students might need some help in understanding the setting as this is absolutely unfamiliar to our urban students.

To help students, teachers themselves have to be reading! Books, of course!

Random Thoughts by Pauline

January 9 2014, Thursday  

Freckles

I grow up in a family of eight children. I am the only child with freckles all over my face. I was truly upset with this “addition” of unwanted pigments on my cheeks. Now as I grow older, age spots come in creating patches!

When I was a little girl, my mother would give me pieces of egg-plants, cucumber and lemons as she was preparing food saying that these slices could help lighten those undesirable spots. I obediently followed the advice.
As I went on to middle age, I asked my family doctor whether I should receive laser treatment to remove the unsightly speckles. He said the words which I can still remember today. “Freckles make you look young.” What a comfort to know!

Since then, I have bravely accepted my freckles. Though I still put on whitening essences and creams, I have never for one moment considered any kind of abrasive treatments.

I can understand why the celebrities are trying every means to retain their young looks because as I look into the mirror and see my thinning hair, I feel disheartened. I don’t have to count on my looks for a living and after all, I have never been beautiful. Yet, I still feel saddened. For those who have been born beautiful and have their looks adored by fans, how are they to face aging? They resort to botox and every available means to keep their pride. 

Random Thoughts by Pauline

January 8 2014, Wednesday 

        Bean Bean

He sleeps on the tiled floor in summer and pulls a cushion from the sofa to lie on in winter.

He goes inside the cage to urinate and stands by the cage awaiting treats.

He knows how to guide me to the bowl of treats with his eyes.

He is not scared by thunder and lightning and would jump up onto the sofa to watch the changing sky.

He stands on two feet with his hands on my lap when he gets bored to remind me that I am not alone.

He jumps round and wags his bushy tail ferociously when I laugh.

He shies away when there is heated argument in the house.

He waits by the door and refuses to go inside the bedroom even on cold winter days when the master is not yet back.

He goes to bed when everyone is home.

He knows our names and would look in that person’s direction when his name is mentioned.

He is choosy of his food picking out the brown pieces from the bowl.

He likes to have his ears cleaned and would lie still to enjoy the comfort.

He has survived two major operations and is now happy and healthy.

He is already 13 but looks like three.

He is Bean Bean, my baby .

Random Thoughts by Pauline

January 7 2014, Tuesday

Running tap

 I don't know what your habit is when you are brushing and washing up in the morning.

When I am in a rush, I have to say I feel tempted to let the  though these days, water taps are so user-friendly already and you don't actually have to turn it.
Then when you are in the shower, do you sometimes stand there enjoying the warmth of the hot water for too long especially when the weather is cold?

Do you use both sides of the paper before trashing it?  Do you shop until your wardrobe is full? How often do you throw away furniture or clothes when they still look new? Do you finish all your food when you dine? These are questions I pose to myself every day. It must have come along with age. I have started this campaign of taming my desires and shop only what I honestly need. That is what 2014 assignment - to leave the world feeling less guilty.

Random Thoughts by Pauline

January 6 2014, Monday

Campus Horror Story

I want to tell a horror story that happened in the school campus.

The principal of a primary school received a 4-page long letter from the mother of a primary 2 student. She detailed how her daughter, let’s call her Ada, was suffering from severe headaches and had been extremely unhappy since the beginning of the school year. The situation deteriorated to the state that Ada was not able to sleep! The mother panicked and took her to see the doctor. Only then did Ada pour out what had been happening in school in the past few months. The mother was crying out for help!

Cecilia was the monitress of Ada’s class. The two girls were high-achievers and were friends in primary 1. Last year, Ada was the monitress and this year, the post went to Cecilia. The class teacher wanted to give both girls the chance to assume leadership role.

Cecilia took her duty seriously paying particular attention to Ada, demeritting her for every minor wrongdoing. The class teacher was aware and had been coaching her to moderate her bossy behavior. But Cecilia became more focused in her vengeance on Ada to punish her for “reporting” to the teacher and for scoring the highest grades in all tests.

Cecilia designed a plan – wooing Ada’s friends away from her and making up nasty tales about her. On top of that, she started building a “gang” of her own to spy on Ada and the class teacher. And one of these “pawns” was even assigned the “undercover” mission to act as Ada’s friend. Ada was at a loss!

Isn’t this a horror story? School bullying is taking place among such young children! Aren’t they supposed to be sweet and angelic? Where have they got all these evil almost criminal ideas of undercover, boycot and “big sister” mentality? What have these 7-year olds been exposed to that they act like Lucifer? And of course, the big question – who should be responsible for having created or creating little monsters like Cecilia?

Campus bullying comes in many forms. It does not have to be physical but rather more often the subtle methods of isolation and intimation whether in real life or in cyber space are adopted.

Not too long ago, a school girl died from a fall on campus in the early morning of a school day! We were all shocked but we would soon forget.

Let’s NOT forget. Let’s snip bullying at its first buds! We as teachers have this responsibility!

Random Thoughts by Pauline

January 5 2014, Sunday

Wonton Noodles

I am now at the food court of Naha Main Place, another shopping mall. The time given to us is 2.5 hours. This is the third round of shopping scheduled. In this trip, the total shopping time amounts to around 10 hours.
I have been to Japan several times but this time I feel differently. I am not excited by the shops at all. I have not bought anything for myself. I must have outgrown shopping spree! What I spent on were boxes of local cakes and tarts and several bags of sea salt for colleagues, friends and relatives.

In recent years, my shopping habits have become quite routine. I buy my work clothes and shoes at the same two shops twice in a year. I interact with the same two sales ladies who know my preferences so well that my shopping is done most efficiently. Then throughout the year, I would not be spending much on wardrobe. Shopping, in my case, has become more like a scheduled task than a sporadic urge to buy! So in these few days, the kind of shopping in outlet shops, street markets and department stores with sales staff uttering or screaming in a language totally inaccessible to me is outside my comfort zone! It is simply too challenging! I have to retreat to the coffee shop which is closer to my experience of comfort!

Maybe, I have aged and am less ready to accept or adapt to new ways of life but this is in a way strange because at work, I like challenges. I feel invigorated.


Oh, I miss Hong Kong and especially the aroma of wonton noodles! This evening, I will be home - Hong Kong. There is no place, no matter how heavenly, like home!

Random Thoughts by Pauline

 January 4 2014, Saturday

 Hayley's card holder

The highlight of today was to visit Gala Aoiumi to see a demonstration of how sea salt was obtained. Attachd to the site was the visitors' centre where again lots of gift items were on offer - bags and bottles of sea salt. Tucked away in a corner was a snow scene with snowmen made of salt.

As I was touring, the story of Shakespeare's King Lear came into my mind. The plot was based on an old English fairy tale.

An elderly rich man wanted to divide his property among his three daughters based on their responses to his question of to what extent they loved him. While the elder two sisters flattered the father to please him, the youngest said simply  "I love you as fresh meat loves salt." The father was infuriated by her reply as salt was not something precious and so he disinherited her.

Before the invention of refrigeration, salt was extremely important as it was the main ingredient to preserve meat. Though in recent years, salt has been blamed as the
culprit of  high blood pressure, a reasnable intake of salt is important to our good health. It helps our hydration, muscle contraction and digestion. Important as it is, salt is inexpensive though of course,  sea salt is not as cheap.

Living in this highly materialistic city of Hong Kong, we tend to assume that money is of paramount importance to good living. It certainly is but then we have to remind ourselves that many good things in life are inexpensive or even free!

Have a walk in the countryside and breathe in the fresh fragrant air. That's free!

Quit soft drinks and energy drinks. Boil some water, pour it into a big jug, cool it down, drop several slices of lemon and some mint into the water before freezing it. This water can definitely quench your thirst faster than any commercial soft drink. And it doesn't cost much! Be creative!  Add slices of different fruits like green apples or strawberries to freshen your taste buds!