14/10/05

So confident about the Listening test. Was smiling throughout the quiz. 1 week of memorizing work.... can't fail me right? Just that Section B of the listening paper was unexpected. If I know, I would have prepared it before hand. Argh...... But the tutor was nice to give us our exam question beforehand. And my friend and I had planned to share our answers, or rather, division of labour to find the answers. Ahhhhh memorizing work again!! To all my friends out there, GV01..... can't fail if you have good memory.

I know I've said this before but I just want to reiterate the point that talking with my friend over lunch is just one of the best thing in NTU. Talk about job, school work, friends, complaints. Somehow I talk more about myself than I ask about my friend. I guess.... knowing more about my friend might make me even more sad? haa. We are good and great friends, confirm hee. What can I ask more of it? Will you give me a job if i'm jobless in the future? I keep on asking my friends that question. Somehow I think that I might be jobless.... sad haa.

I got another disaster dream yesterday night. This time, the disaster ended like a cartoon show. One moment, I felt so close to the Tornado, the next moment, I heard someone telling me its just a fake thing, and everything turned back to normal. So close, so close. Its like giving me a vision about what will happen in the future. I hope that kind of future doesn't come.

Hey, I've starting to enjoy working with the genius. Its true that teams go through all the normal stages. Forming, Norming, then slowly synthesize, and then produce a good team dynamic. I have develop a routine pattern mentally as i'm working with him. Its just sad that everything is going to end when the team starts to funtion well.

As I'm listening to chinese songs by David Tao, Jay, J.J, etc, I could feel my heart souring haa. Thats a kind of feeling that disappeared for a while. Its the heart of musician. Professionals said that those who play good music are those who have went through alot in life. Somehow I got a feeling that my musical abilities was not innate. Circumstances have made me feel so much. And I could sense how other people feel as well. In a wierd way, I might just be a psychic hee. But well, I think i'm guessing most of the time. I did go wrong in many situations, and so, i've stopped assuming. Even when signals are so great, I've tend to tell myself its not what I think. Perhaps the Bypass function is on for a long time.

Anyway, today's slice of life relates to me so much. I mean the 13th one.

Slice of Life 13th oct

Forget the Bad

What's the key to a rewarding and lasting relationship?

Some people may tell you that it is to find out each other's weaknesses, understand them, and work through them together as a couple. Although this is feasible to a certain extent, it can become frustrating and exhausting, because there will be problem spots that you won't be able to resolve together.

A woman discovered what loving someone truly involved, when she asked her husband to try out a relationship-building exercise she came across in a magazine.

She approached him and said, "I read in a magazine a while ago, about how we can strengthen our marriage. Each of us will write a list of the things we find a bit annoying about the other person. Then we can talk about how we can fix them together and make our lives happier together."

Her husband agreed, so each of them went into a separate room and thought of all the things that annoyed them about each other. They thought about this for the rest of the day and wrote down what they came up with.

The following morning, at the breakfast table, they decided that they would go over their lists.
"I'll start," offered the wife and took out her list. It had many items on it. Enough to fill three pages in fact. As she started reading the list of little annoyances, she noticed that tears were starting to appear in her husband's eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," her husband replied, "Keep reading your list."

The wife continued to read until she had read all three pages to her husband. She neatly placed her list on the table and folded her hands over it.

"Now, you read your list and then we'll talk about the things on both of our lists," she said happily.

Softly, her husband started, "I don't have anything on my list. I love you the way you are. And I wouldn't want to try and change anything about you." Very often, raising the negative aspects of a relationship can erode its strength rather than reinforce it. When you love someone, it should be in spite of his or her flaws. There will always be things to disappoint, depress and annoy us about our partners. But why dwell on these when there is so much beauty, promise and light as well?

Two simple tips for couples To make full your loving cup If you're wrong, admit it If you're right, shut up

Slice of Life 14th Oct

Your Invincible Summer

Midlife!

Depending on your disposition (and whether you found a grey hair this morning), that word can either comfort you or strike fear into your heart.

Midlife is a normal developmental life stage. It can be a positive and mindful process of the whole person you will be for your second adulthood. It cannot be avoided. It's as inevitable as adolescence. And in many ways, similar, because you'll experience loss, change, some disorientation and confusion. You may make some foolish decisions. But prepare and pay attention and you can complete this journey with a minimal amount of struggle.

Many people regard midlife as a period of slowing down, but this need not be the case. Recognize that change takes time and give yourself permission to move at your own speed. Surround yourself with a circle of friends who will listen, support, suggest and commiserate. And actively explore and resolve the seven key decisions of midlife.

These decisions are:

1. What will my legacy be?
2. What meaningful work do I now want to do?
3. How can I fulfill my need to nurture?
4. How can I sustain meaningful relationships in my life?
5. How can I express myself creatively?
6. How can I meet my spiritual needs?
7. What surroundings do I want?

Because midlife usually involves redefining purpose, the first key decision is legacy. What do you hope to leave the world? How do you want to be remembered? Within that context, the second key decision has to do with meaningful work.

As parents and children age, responsibilities change. For those who have not had children, as well as for those with grown children, new ways to nurture - from being the "fun" uncle to fostering pets - emerge. As friendship patterns shift, we are faced with finding new relationships or finding alternate ways to maintain the old ones.

Part of remaining vibrant is finding outlets for creative _expression - from writing to visual arts, from crafts to sporting excellence. As you encourage your mind to grow, so too should you find ways to nurture your spirit. Find ways to grow and enrich your life. As French author Albert Camus once said, "In the midst of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."