Mid-autumn festival

A friend and his residents' committee organized a mooncake festival. He invited me. there were the usual speeches, and there was this walk around the field with children taking along their lanterns. Reminds me of my kiddy years when I was holding the lantern and walked in the area around my house in PJ. Remember my sis and mum were with me....ah....those were the years...something to cherish, but never to lived again as we pass through this world but once...now I am forty five, going to forty six....live every day to its best, cherish every moment, for we pass through this world but once....

Is life just like this?

hai...is there all to life...eat, sleep, work, work work work....hhahahaha....am working on my research papers now, since it is exam week and finish my lectures...but still my mind not in full gear...as the chinese say...must "kar yau" (add oil) so that there is more energy to do the things I want to do...and i really want to come up with papers for publication....hai.....

accidents, accidents

was visiting my dad at the nursing home, and by chance saw a short news clip about some nasty accident in dunno-where, but definately in Malaysia cos the traffic policeman i saw in the news clip is Malaysian...now as I am at home and thinking about this.....every time when there is a long festive holiday (and it is a holiday now cos of national day), some people will die because of nasty accidents. And the cause of these accidents?----inconsiderate drivers...once along the Gopeng-Ipoh trunk road, I saw a lorry overtaking a few cars (and it was a double line on the road), narrowly missed an oncoming car which swerved to the side of the road...sigh....it is the evil that other people do that causes the suffering of another...

In Kuantan

Nothing much interesting here in Kuantan. Holed up in hotel for past two/three days for meetings. Now meeting over, am in another hotel in Kuantan (Grand Continental). Still in hotel...hahahah...need to finish marking my test papers, prepare my lecture notes....need to relax....long overdue holiday...but am looking forward to my overseas holiday in Taiwan in October (will have to spend time doing my paper for submission if I want to go)...going there to present a paper in a conference. Will have to leave it to Ethen to prepare the itenarary.
Yesterday, had good dinner in Pak Su, at Beserah...and surprise surprise...celebrated also Dr. Basil and Elaine's fortieth wedding anniversary...

teaching aids such as linguaphone

Today's Star online reports that DPM suggests using more teaching aids such as linguaphone to help students improve their English. Pro and Con in using linguaphone. For language teachers, they are well aware of the methods (and i am using this word as an education jargon), and their plus and minus points. Personally, linguaphone has its advantages, but its main disadvantages is the cost. The govt. will have to spend thousands and millions of ringgit to place these sets into schools, and in time, they will become white elephants. Besides, one set, for how many students? Meaning, how many students can use the linguaphone set at any one time? Use the tape recorder and play the recording for the whole class????--then what is the point of having the teacher? In addition, which English will be taught via linguaphone? Who is the model? Hmmm...not for it, ultimately...

Watching a variety show...there is this young man from Taiwan who is quite impressive with his tricks. Hmmm...i guess magic is one thing that i would like to learn...but they are all expensive (to learn the tricks are expensive)....ah well...no pain, no gain...I have tried once, incorporating magic tricks into the English lesson. Quite good. especiallly the mathematical tricks.

hai...have a lot of work but mind very blank now...mind wants to relax and surf net...hai..must force it to do some work...documentation to do...read news about an aide to the Selangor exco, who fell to his death...hai...dun want to say too much...but politics sure is dirty...assuming there is foul play: suicide, murder? assuming no foul play: sleep walking, slip and fell? dunno lah....politics sure is a dirty game...I shall stick to be an academic...