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! 

 

Random Thoughts by Pauline

January 3 2014, Friday

Salt

Hayley likes drawing. The wallpaper of my mobile phone is always her artwork.

This afternoon, we were brought to the outlet shops and left there for four hours! Hayley chose to go with her father. I don't like shopping at outlets and was therefore left alone in a coffee shop.

When we were finally back to the coach, Hayley happily showed me her purchases. One of it was a card holder with the cover fully studded with pearls.In the middle of it was Kitty.

The coach then brought us to dinner. While we were waiting to be served, Vincent asked Hayley to draw the card holder. Very quickly, she took out her small notepad and started drawing right away. She drew  small circles as the pearls one by one.

Here is the picture. I will show the real cardholder tomorrow to leave readers room for imagination.

Random Thoughts by Pauline

January 2 2014, Thursday

 Sweet Toilet

Whenever we travel, we use public toilet a lot. It is always the first place we go upon arriving at a destination and the last place we visit before boarding the coach.

Today,  I discovered that inside the individual closet of all the lady's washrooms I visited, there is a special set-up, a seat for the mother to safely sit down the baby before attending to her own matter. That is truly thoughtful. I immediately took a photo.

Needless to say, there is always next to the washroom a room for mothers to breastfeed babies! When can Hong Kong be this sweet!

Random Thoughts by Pauline

January 1 2014, Wednesday

 Pink Suitcae

Happy New Year! I wish you all lots and lots of rewarding moments in 2014!

Today is the first day of a 5-day tour to Okinawa, Japan. I am joining Vincent, my son, Elly, daughter-in -law and Hayley, 5-year old grand-daughter for a holiday. This is the first time ever we travel together.

We don't usually spend much time together as we live far apart. I am secretly hoping that this trip will make me a part of their life though only briefly.
So I am not going to write a journal of our sight-seeing  in these five days but rather of my time with them three.

I did one thing quite annoying to Vincent and Elly. As promised on the phone, I  bought a small pink suitcase for Hayley yesterday and brought it to the airport. Of course, she was overjoyed! She skilfully unzipped it and put some books inside. Then she lengthened the handle and started taking care of it all by herself. Vincent told me that this was her pledge - the suitcase would be her responsibility.

Hayley kept her promise. Even when we had to climb up the flight of steps to board the plane, she pressed down the handle, picked up the suitcase and walked all the way up! She is quite tall for her age but slender. It was amazing to watch her from behind moving up in front of me!

Vincent must be very proud of Hayley though he did'nt say it.