the happiness myth

Today we wear soft cotton shirts and pants, and women get support for their breasts from other supple materials designed for comfort. But the same woman who pities the corseted girls of the past may very well go to the gym five times a week to do a hundred sit-ups on a Swiss ball and an hour of aerobics. Most likely she is exacting about her diet, eats foods that have been stripped of various life-sustaining elements and thus keeps her body fat to a minimum. The whalebone ribbing is gone from just beneath her dress, but now her own ribs show through the cloth . Also note that though it was hard to fail at wearing a corset, many women today fail at their body goals, spend massive amounts of money on half-used gym memberships and diet programs, and worst of all, feel tortured by their failure . . .

So who is crazier? The culture that had women bind their bodies or us?

can you see the light in me

i really really like this song a lot although i do not udnerstand a single word of the korean language
I heard this song some time back on Dawn Yang's blog and i used to visit her blog just to listen to this song until she removed the song
Not a fan of her blog cause i find it really unprofessional and kinda boring.
So this band is called Clazziquai Project from south korea and they produce very jazzy feel good tunes
Have a listen!

i say dream.

I caught Inception with mummy yesterday night and i cant seem to find a word to describe the movie except for
MIND BOGGLING
I left the cinema with a frown on my face thinking about the very last scene and trying to explore the possibilities of the final scene
I am hoping more people in my social circle will watch it soon cause we can start a whole debate on that show.
I cant do it with my mum cause she came out looking dazed and confused which is not a good sign.
Not forgetting the ever so charming face of Leonardo Dicaprio and his impeccable acting skills
I just love that man for his talent
Leonardo trumps Johnny Depp any time in my world!
Everyone please go catch it even if you dont understand, Leonardo Dicaprio is there for your viewing pleasure for a whole 2.5 hours!
Awesome or what??

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonades.

So this is the 3rd week of practicum and i think i am getting this teacher thing more and more.
like today, right now, at this very moment, i can say that i feel like a teacher.
It an incredible feeling, like power and control in the palm of your hands.
You blow a whistle and they stop, you say sit down and keep quite, they dont make a sound.
Awwweesome!!

For the first 2 weeks, i was feeling kinda awkward, a little out of place and confused
the role between a teacher and a student was kinda grey for me cause the last time i was in a school, i was being punished for not completing my tutorials and running into school cause im almost late for the morning assembly(although this is still happening)
i felt like a student to my CT but on the other hand, a teacher to the students in the school.
I guess you can not get anymore confused than this as you are taking on two roles that are polar opposite in nature like heaven and earth.

As i was saying i was feeling outta place so i had problems interacting with the students because you dont know if you want to take on the role of nice teacher that jokes with them or be the stern teacher that expects nonsense.
One student came up to me and asked:
"cher, can i go to the toilet? i wore my shorts inside out." (she really did)
I looked over to my CT and asked for permission and he said:
"hey jacq, you're a teacher yourself, come on man, you can do this"
So what i did basically was just.... ignore them altoghther and pretended that they were not there.

yeah.. outta sight outta mind they say.
they also say you live and you learn and i actually did learn ways to get yourself into the students' good books
Basically, you gotta get into their conversation
and how so you may say??
have you been in a situation where you realy want to join in a coversation but you just dont know how??
Well fret no more, cause here are tips and tricks for all you guys.
well, just 2, but 2 extremely tried and tested methods that really works

1. Make them feel uneasy
You make eye contact.
really uncomfortable eye contact.
let them feel uneasy and that you are coming

2. Personal space barrier
Break it!
You know how there is this imaginary line? cross it.
They will automatically acknowledge you and let you in the circle
and BAM! you're in

and voila!
you're officially one of them


p.s: they even did the chicken dance for me today after my lesson:)

p.p.s: i am really thinking about getting a doggie
and if i do get one
i want this one!
a red toy poodle
it looks so much like a bear!
look at its stubby legs!!
i want this or an orang utan:)

my mind is drawing a blank

I'm sitting at my desk trying to do my weekly reflections and if u're no idiot you'll probably already know that i am drawing a blank
its probably due to the fact that i was absent on thurs and fri and from mon to wed i was feeling too sick to observe my surroundings
i guess i am not really good at hiding my feelings cause my face usually tells it all.
Pls dont tell my face any secrets because it so can't keep one
My CT on wednesday asked me: eh, why do u look so sian and pissed off?
It was that obvious.
But you cant blame me.
I was coughing my entire GI tract out through my mouth and my tonsils felt so swollen it was chocking my airway making breathing a chore.

Surprisingly, i was reading the newspaper on friday and learnt of the poor man that got crushed by the crane on the upper deck of a bus.
What is saddening to know is that he is survived by a family of 7? who relies on him as the sole breadwinner of the household.
Apparently he was on the show RenovAID where they help families in really bad situation with their house and try to provide them with a better living enviroment.

Isn't it funny how life works?
What are the odds that the man who got killed by the crane happens to be someone who really needs to be alive to provide for his entire family
How on earth did one of our veteran althele Mr Tan Eng Yoon a sprinter got knocked down by a car when he is famous for running damn fast??
If you've got the time, i can name so many more.
The very young and successful girl in the mumbai terrorism?
The RJ triathele that died after a race?
I am always flabbergasted by these ironic situations and start to wonder if there really is a big man up there because odds like these dont even happen in casino royale.
Anyway, if this were my reflections, i would've filled up the page quite effortlessly.
But this isn't.
So i am still drawing a blank



p.s: i wish i could control time right now cause i would foward it to week 5!

it was great seeing you again, not that you know.